Rock Band Numero Uno

I gave myself a few ground rules as the exercise commenced. The finished collection had to fit on two CD’s, and no artist or album could be represented more than once. Thematically, I decided not to include some genres for the sake of coherence, as the bulk of my favorites are concentrated in the categories of rock, alternative, and electronic music from the last twenty years. My apologies to Marty Robbins, Busta Rhymes, and Beethoven, but it was for the best. Another difficult choice I made was to limit my selections to those produced during the last two decades. As much as I love Floyd and Zeppelin, I feel a deeper connection with the music made during my lifetime, and I dare say most of us tend to feel the same.

Beyond that, I simply chose the songs that have resonated most powerfully with me over the years, and I worked diligently to order them very specifically. Music speaks to the full range of human experience, and I sought to capture its true voice. Each artist on my list is beloved to me, but I am compelled to mention six in particular who are foremost in my mind.

1. Plaid — Simply put, Plaid is my number one group and have put out some of the most beautiful electronic albums of all time, with Rest Proof Clockwork ranking as my favorite in the genre. But not far behind are Double Figure and Parts in the Post. Plaid manage to convey an astounding depth of emotion balanced with an inherent optimism and a teaspoon of humor. They seem remarkably in tune with this crazy adventure we call life.
2. Alice In Chains — The Layne Staley era was the best thing ever to happen to rock music, in my opinion. This band had it all: heartfelt lyrics, amazing technical skill, and unbridled originality. Their harmonizing in particular is spine-tingling, and they managed to spread their talent fairly evenly over their discography. I am hard pressed indeed to pick a favorite from Jar of Flies, Dirt, and Tripod.
3. Soundgarden — The first time I heard Down on the Upside, I’m pretty sure my life changed forever. I still consider it the best rock album in history, and for that alone this band deserves special mention. Their level of technical skill is off the charts—not much more needs to be said. Just listen and savor.
4. Orbital — The Hartnoll brothers are responsible for my realization many years ago that electronic music is not only legitimate but transcendent. Upon hearing The Brown Album in its entirety, my musical tastes were rebooted. For a long time, Orbital was my favorite artist, and even now are second only to Plaid in their genre. Other standout works from them include Snivilisation and In Sides.
5. Battles — I lovingly refer to Battles as “the ones who saved music.” Either music had lost its power to thrill, or I was just becoming too jaded to appreciate it in recent years. So it seemed until Battles came along and rocked not only my world, but my face, with their now legendary album Mirrored. Fortunately I have been able to experience the power and fury of Battles in person as well. May they continue to lead the way.
6. Guitar Vader — In an alternate universe where things make sense, Miki and Ujuan would be more famous than anyone or anything else from Japan, Pokemon included. With an astonishing stylistic range, Guitar Vader have produced a handful of albums that are quirky, fun-loving, and always enjoyable. Perhaps it’s heresy to compare anyone to the Beatles, but this group seems to be their worthy spiritual successor to the East.

So there you have it. I’ve said my piece, and all that remains is the listening. I sincerely hope you enjoy.

Brademixx Disc 1

1. “Novacane” — Beck — Odelay
2. “Sweet” — 311 — 311
3. “Forever” — Orbital — Snivilisation
4. “Get Born Again” — Alice In Chains — Music Bank
5. “Get Your Snack On” — Amon Tobin — Supermodified
6. “Captain Bligh” — Filter — Title of Record
7. “Crystalline Green” — Goldfrapp — Black Cherry
8. “The Distance” — Cake — Fashion Nugget
9. “Race: In” — Battles — Mirrored
10. “Let My Fish Loose” — Aphex Twin — 26 Mixes for Cash
11. “Glass of Water” — Bunky — Born to Be a Motorcycle
12. “1969″ — Boards of Canada — Geogaddi
13. “Leave Me Alone” — Guitar Vader — Dawn
14. “We Have Explosive” — The Future Sound of London — Dead Cities
15. “People of the Sun” — Rage Against the Machine — Evil Empire
16. “21st Century Poem” — Leftfield — Leftism
17. “Home” — Smashing Pumpkins — Machina II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music

Brademixx Disc 2

1. “The Cerobi Steppe” — Hitoshi Sakimoto — Final Fantasy XII: Original Soundtrack
2. “Gel Lab” — Plaid — Rest Proof Clockwork
3. “Maquiladora” — Radiohead — Lost Treasures 1993-1997
4. “Can’t Cry These Tears” — Garbage — Beautiful Garbage
5. “Eutow” — Autechre — Tri Repetae ++
6. “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” — U2 — Batman Forever: Music from the Motion Picture
7. “Humming the Bassline” — Hideki Naganuma — Jet Set Radio: Original Soundtrack
8. “I Feel Cream” — Peaches — I Feel Cream
9. “Operatique” — CoLD SToRAGE — Wipeout
10. “Broadcast Emotion” — Helmet — Aftertaste
11. “C Note” — Photek — Wipeout Pure: The Official Soundtrack
12. “Who’ll Be the Next in Line” — Queens of the Stone Age — Stone Age Complication
13. “For Love” — Lush — Spooky
14. “Away” — Toadies — Rubberneck
15. “4 Dead Monks (Original Demo)” — Red Snapper — We Are Reasonable People
16. “Xpander (Edit)” — Sasha — Wipeout 3
17. “Never the Machine Forever” — Soundgarden — Down on the Upside
18. “4:14″ — Global Communication — 76:14
19. “We’re In This Together” — Nine Inch Nails — The Fragile

The other imminent launch is that of AirTran Flight 121, departing from Atlanta and arriving in Los Angeles tomorrow. On board will be a group on a mission—a mission to conquer the “Classic Sierra Hike” at Kings Canyon. Yours truly will be joined by three others on this week-long trek, and much like the two prior editions of the Chuck Norris Memorial Hike, this one promises its share of bizarre photos and ridiculous anecdotes. You have been warned.

• MLB Extra Innings
• NHL and NBA playoffs
• Worms HD on PS3
• An insistence upon not writing superfluously

But fear not, for there are a couple of drafts in the works, one entitled “Alice in Plaid,” the meaning of which you are free to guesstimate.

Short for Dennison Q. Jefferton III

You may remember that during a recent foot-ball match on television Denny’s advertised free food if you showed up at one of their locations the following Tuesday. A few friends and I took them up on this fine offer but assumed a perfunctory wait in line was all but certain. Fortunately it didn’t take us long to meet Bruce, whom one of our party properly referenced later as a true urban philosopher. Bruce was a forty-something-year-old black guy who immediately initiated a conversation that centered around rock music hits of the 1970′s. And he found like minds in the two white ladies ahead of us, who were also well-versed in the specifics of the subject. My friends and I were able to keep up pretty well, our frequent sessions of Rock Band finally paying off in a real-world application. However, it didn’t take long for Bruce to revoke my “white man’s card” for admitting that I hate the Eagles. I was disappointed but assured in the knowledge that I’m not the only one who shares this sentiment. You may wonder how a black man (or “cinnamon” as he would prefer you think of him) has the authority to issue such a verdict, but I learned later that his favorite group of all time is Genesis, so that should sufficiently answer that question.

There is so much to tell about our time in line—the pop quiz about Freddy Mercury surely stands out. We were to guess from where Queen’s front man hailed, and Bruce assured us that if we just “look around” we would have our answer. It took about a half a second for us to realize he was referring to the three individuals who likely hailed from India—they were in line right behind us. After trying to be coy and deflect the situation, Bruce loudly reprimanded us for not guessing “India, man! I told you the answer’s right in front of you!” I’m pretty sure those folks didn’t speak English and that there would have been no harm in our simply replying “India,” but the situation was too weird to process correctly at the time—I blame the complimentary “pancake puppies” that were handed out once we entered the restaurant proper.

We ended up sitting at the same table as our three new friends, and it was filled with too many comedic moments and trivial music nuggets to remember. Maybe Dave and Tom can shed some light in the comments? Ah well, the event was one we shall remember for perpetuity. And I am pleased to report I reacquired my “white man’s card” near the end of our meal when I admitted to an equal appreciation for both U2 and Rage Against the Machine for their ability to challenge our thinking while having obviously distinctive styles and philosophies. Then I snarfed down a final mouthful of bacon and pancakes, content with my life and quietly acknowledging the ingenious maneuver by Denny’s to bring disparate Americans together by way of a free and tasty breakfast.

• I recently joined Merge in Greenville as the new lead developer. The team is great, and if you check the bios, you see that oddly enough none of us are native to the area. They somehow found me despite my interviewing for jobs in such random places as New York City and Portland, Oregon. I’m eager to see what comes of the new gig.
• In related job news, my resume was also found by Amazon, and they set up a phone chat with me this coming Tuesday. It looks like they develop with Java, which is not my favorite language in the world, but it sounds like they have a job opening for development work on their main site, so we’ll see what the deal is there.
• This is the first Bradezone post from my new MacBook Pro.
• I put a new thing on my Apps page—a script that improves Firefox’s password-saving feature.
• Hopefully I’ll be moving out of my crappy house in the forest with a broken roof, blown fuses, no DirecTV, and no heat, and into a better location sooner than later.
• Recent fantasy drafts were held for hockey and basketball, and I brought my A-game to each. Starring for Belvedeeks Junior High are such NHL dynamos as Alex Ovechkin, Nick Lidstrom, and Roberto Luongo, while NBA stalwarts Elton Brand, Shawn Marion, and Chris Bosh lead the way for the Last Minute Wings.
• I am still in a fair state of mental disarray about a certain situation.
• I might be late to the party, but Black Cherry by Goldfrapp is one of the best albums I’ve heard in a while.
• The Titans are still undefeated. Is this the year?

Sifting through the sites of fellow web developers and designers, I ran across one man’s thoughts on what makes a good blog and his substantially saltier take on how better to manage the information he consumes and produces. I find myself in general agreement, and I believe my approach to this blog is reflective.

Another bit of news that I stumbled on was the death of author David Foster Wallace, apparently of suicide. I was not familiar with him before, but I am motivated to check out Infinite Jest, if only because of the brand-naming scheme used for calendar years in the near-future setting of the novel. One quote from Wallace really captured my attention: “[I]t is extremely difficult to stay alert and attentive, instead of getting hypnotized by the constant monologue inside your own head.” I feel a certain kinship with those who have the propensity to think too much. His unfortunate death reminds me once again of my theory of mood swings. Times of depression are when we most need to reach out, but stupid, stupid pride gets in our way. I hate to see it happen, especially to one as thoughtful as this guy.

But let’s not end on a downer. There has been a distinct lack of frivolous nonsense on this site recently, so allow me to rectify that. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Man Factory. Note the free download link.

• I may be redesigning the site soon. By soon I mean some time during 2008.
• My fantasy hockey team won my league this year. Another t-shirt is headed my way.
• Baseball season is here, and I am rocking MLB Extra Innings this year. Yes, I am one of those people who celebrates Opening Day the same way a young child wearing one-piece pajamas celebrates Christmas morn.
• What is the origin of the phrase “I’ve got no beef with you”? What the heck does beef have to do with interpersonal conflict?
• At work I am helping improve our content management system, BlueInk, by creating an intuitive experience that would allow you to control your website’s layout, design, and content all from the front-end view of your site, eliminating the need for a separate administrative interface.
• I got a call recently from long-time friend, novel co-author, Bench member, and world traveler Ed Long, who is now rocking a beach house in Florida. I am due for an imminent visit.
• Less than four months stand between me and a two-week jaunt in the Pacific Northwest.
• My friends and I have contracted Rock Band fever. I am now executing most songs with lead guitar on Expert.
• My mom now has e-mail. And I think she visits my site from time to time. Hi, mom!

E Pluribus Unum, or E. Plurb for short, was snuffed out overnight. Yesterday he had been as giddy as ever, shotputting himself throughout his waterlogged homestead with characteristic gusto. Today he was positioned sideways near the bottom of his refuge, frozen in a majestic pose as if he had thrusted himself to “the other side” readily. My sister had given him to me before she and her husband began their long trek to Toledo. Gleaning that the fish (whom she had named Franco) seemed ill-equipped for such a voyage, she allowed me to assume ownership. Soon afterwards, with the assistance of Ben and Ben, he received his new name in honor of his characteristic eyeballs, which reminded us of the pyramid eyeball on a dollar bill.

For several months thereafter E. Plurb lived life vigorously, chomping his goldfish pellets with a sense of purpose and only rarely pausing in quiet contemplation near the top corner of his abode. So today we see him off. I know not the cause of his expiration—my personal feeling is that either he choked on his food or suffered a heart attack due to hyperactivity—but I do know that BigBlueHat‘s mascot will not soon be forgotten.

The situation has become a complete joke. Greenville desperately needs to get its act together and improve our ability to sustain the mildest of summer storms without becoming the prototype for post-apocalyptic turmoil. All we need is ominous blue light throughout the city to complete the effect, but unfortunately that would require electricity, something we’re not great at producing in adverse conditions (if you define “adverse” as “not perfect”).

Perhaps one problem is the overabundance of traffic lights that need power. Witness the fact that 80% of the signals on East North are blatantly unnecessary and may actually include several private driveways (this data is currently unconfirmed). I advise getting rid of these lights and instituting a more sane solution that involves posting STOP signs at insignificant side streets. Seriously, what have some of these roads done to merit their own traffic signals, and why do they so often generate red lights for the main traffic on East North? I realize that 90% of the residents in this town prefer a driving pace somewhere between “leisurely” and “clinically dead,” but some of us tend to prefer a more efficient approach to travel.

I have said my piece. Now I challenge you, Greater Greenville Area, to step up to the plate and generate a solution. HINT: see previous paragraph for tips on a possible solution.

Oh, but it gets worse. For those of you familiar with rotisserie leagues, you know that each team earns points based on how well the actual players do in the actual statistical categories of the sport. As you can see, my team’s weakest category was free throw percentage, in which I trailed the next player by 13/10000th of a point. Yes, lucky number .0013 indeed. If I had managed to squeak out the victory in this lone category by simply hitting a handful more free throws, not only would I have ranked in the top three overall, I would have WON THE WHOLE FREAKING SHOW. Not that I am bitter or disappointed or bitterly disappointed, or what not.

Anyway, if you check out my team stats and decide that it deserves some sweet loot, you are more than free to tap that friendly Paypal button on my site and let me know your feelings via cash. In the meantime, I would like to thank Shawn Marion, Vince Carter, Pau Gasol, Marcus Camby, Carlos Boozer, Lamar Odom, Chauncey Billups, Ricky Davis, Jason Richardson, Mo Williams, and the other bit-players for their magnificent efforts. But man, y’all need to learn to hit some free throws.

UPDATE: All good things must come to an end. After reaching the top 5 rated videos in the entertainment category, the video I posted of Chris Sligh has been removed by YouTube because YouTube is, in the words of Mike Tyson, “a scared coward.”

• I have a new job. Now that I have officially parted ways with BJU, where I worked with some great peeps, I have moved on to BigBlueHat, where I work with similarly great peeps. Advantages include higher pay, a company-provided laptop, not having to chaperon student events, not having to wear a tie or dress coat at any time, and the ability to regrow my long-missing beard.
• My sister is getting married in January. This isn’t exactly news, but I haven’t mentioned it on the ole blog, and I have realized that my failure to do so borders on the idiotic. Congratulations to Lindo and Hoppy on their happy day of happiness.
• I have recently purchased the new Beatles album Love and must insist that all music lovers promptly do the same.

Peace out.

Okay, so that’s a strong statement, and I may or may not have total conviction about it. But the point is that for the first time in many years, a new video game has actually forced me to reconsider my list of all-time favorites. Final Fantasy XII seems to be the culmination of every good idea that has ever been hatched about how to craft a sensational RPG. As someone who has played and beat every installment in the FF series (aside from the online FF XI), not to mention a bevy of other console RPGs, I feel at least somewhat qualified to crown FF XII the new king of the genre, its excellence readily apparent in the areas of story, art direction, battle system, and soundtrack.

The first thing I have to mention is the battle system, since it is both a radical departure from anything to which gamers are accustomed and yet a seemingly obvious evolution of the tried and true gameplay mechanics that have come before it. When I first heard of how much automation took place with the new system, I cringed. I didn’t want the battle system deprived of its strategy, which for me is a key aspect of the fun factor of any RPG. But when I bought the game, I decided to go “all in” with its pioneering concept of Gambits and resist my urge to slow the game down to its traditional pace. One impressive quality about FF XII is that it allows you play both ways, but clearly the game designers intend for you to get the most enjoyment from using Gambits—automated actions that are prioritized by you, the player. This system has just the right amount of complexity to make it accessible, but becomes even more enjoyable as you progress through the game. As you steadily compile a vast array of techniques, healing spells, status enhancing spells, and weapons, you are forced to rearrange your Gambits for maximum effectiveness. And when your party launches into battle, the fun is witnessing how well your Gambits translate into victory—and you can still interrupt the normal automated flow of battle at any time to enter a manual command. The battle system of FF XII truly is revolutionary and even causes me to have reservations about playing some of my old favorites, knowing I’d have to start entering each command manually again. And coupled with the impressive Gambit system is a challenge level that is nearly ideal. I would say I died about eight times during the game, and those demises were the legitimate result of a lack of refinement in my strategy. A couple of tweaks later, and my new set of Gambits were leading me to victory.

Since the battle system is the core of the game and the primary basis by which I judge any RPG, I will not delve into as much detail about Final Fantasy XII’s presentation, but it stands far above the competition in this area as well. The art direction is truly inspired, resulting in fascinating character designs and breathtaking locations. The textures and lighting are incredibly impressive for the PlayStation 2 and noticeably surpass the already high standards set by Final Fantasy X on the same system. The music is utterly gorgeous and perfectly complements the on-screen action at all times. Many of the creative team behind FF XII worked on Final Fantasy Tactics, another game with sterling art direction and and incredible soundtrack, so I approached FF XII with high expectations of its graphics and music, and the game surpassed those expectations demonstrably. The story in the game manages to be richly woven with political intrigue, yet remains more tightly unified than many RPGs. Because of the scope of many games in this genre, their plots too often lose focus, especially near the end. But FF XII stays on course, delivering a powerful end-game sequence without relying on contrived events to bail out any dangling plot threads. The mission is clear from the start: prevent war between two powerful nations and protect your own centrally located kingdom. FF XII never loses sight of that mission, even with the side quests that are inherent to any RPG.

For three weeks Final Fantasy XII kept me riveted (and even piqued the interest of my roommates from time to time), and I was a bit hesitant to see it come to an end, but I am thoroughly convinced I have just played something that will revolutionize the genre. I waited patiently for another modern RPG to supplant Star Ocean 3 as the best of this generation, but Final Fantasy XII goes for broke and dares to take its place alongside such legends of the genre as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI and VII, Dragon Force, and Panzer Dragoon Saga. It has become the crown jewel of RPGs.