WSWNY

"I saw it on the internate..." Also featuring: Places Gemma Won't Get Up From.

[internate-blog]

2014 in Scales

2014 was a tumultuous year. In America, tepid economic growth was not enough to keep Republicans from washing over the 114th Congress like a tsunami wave of intellectually stagnant water. Things happened in the world, some tragic, some less so--but this is not the place to talk about Russia or Iraq, I suppose. Let us all hope, of course, for a more peaceful and verdant 2015.

With such generic platitudes out of the way, let us turn to music. Miley Cyrus is out; Taylor Swift is in, in a change for the marginally better I guess (unless you happen to live in New York City). Glimmers of hope, and reflections of the dangers of modern society shined through the music. Respect to Big Mike and El-P, whose "Run the Jewels 2" was well worth a listen for rap fans, even if it didn't per se make the list (I wasn't feeling as much of the production). I enjoyed me some Mac DeMarco at times, and Action Bronson too. 

I'm trying something new here: All links will open in a new window, and to speed loading, all music will be linked to open in a new window on YouTube. Also, they're in bold.

The Best Albums:

St. Vincent, "St. Vincent": "Follow the power lines back from the road / No one around so I take off my clothes / Am I the only one in the only world?" Annie Clark asks in the first lines of the opening track, "Rattlesnake." A sense of adventurism and discovery in an increasingly overexposed and overanalyzed world pervades the album. The jams are more raw and in-your-face than in her past albums, and at times (e.g. "Birth in Reverse") you'll want to pump up the volume. The direction is stark and original, between the electrified guitar and the digital synthesizers, both of which creep into her voice, perhaps to strongest effect on "Bring Me Your Loves." "Digital Witness", the single and title of her tour, is a driving anthem of cyber solipsism--one that sticks with you the more you listen to it. Really, only one track ("I Prefer Your Love") is a drag, but even it starts to turn up toward its end. An excellent musical start to 2014. 

Madlib/Freddie Gibbs - "Piñata" / "Piñata Beats": Gary, Indiana is a city with luck as hard as the steel its long-suffering mills produces. Its most famous resident, Michael Jackson, is gone if not forgotten, like the jobs shed over the past half-century from this once mighty industrial city. And Freddie Gibbs, local rapper, is as hard and cold as an I-beam left in a truck for an entire winter. 

Depending on your tolerance for the rhetoric of violence, misogeny, drug use, etc., Freddie Gibbs may not be your jam. If so, skip to the next paragraph. Gibbs is a talented rapper, for all of the forementioned aspects. It doesn't really bear much dissection; "Harold's" (NSFW) recalls the eponymous restaurant, mixing memories of plates of chicken and fries with the grimiest of realities of growing up in a poor and segregated city. Equal measures of nihilism and self-awareness pervade the album. Good rapping, however, is merely one half of the album.

Madlib, the L.A. producer whose Dillaesque, spacey beats were one half of the incredible combo Madvillain (which turned a decade in 2014, with nary a sign of a sequel, though DOOM released the worth-a-listen collab with young NYC rapper Bishop Nehru this year) take a harder edge here. For those for whom the (very) NSFW raps Gibbs delivers are a turn-off, the beats--available as its own album--are a must-hear. Madlib is an incredibly talented producer, and few if any of the beats are slip-ups. If you're not nodding your head to "Deeper" or "Thuggin'"--check your pulse. And emotion can be found deeper in--"Robes," where Madlib samples Lenny White's "Sweet Dreamer," has a sadness about it that seems almost universal. 

Todd Terje - "It's Album Time": Sometimes an album just feels good. Usually you will want to dance. Though this is not Terje's first work--the Norweigian DJ has been remixing and producing for years--this is his first debut album, and not taking itself too seriously is what perfects this album. From the cover art--probably the best of the year--onward, this album covers ground from loungey-jams that may be good for, say, driving, and works it way toward a crescendo--"Inspector Norse," a track that is perfect for the club or the treadmill, or any other activity that gets your heartrate up. "Lesiure Suit Preben" may well make you laugh (certainly if you watch the video)--but once you follow him to Acapulco on the next track, you'll want to follow Terje wherever he goes.

The Shaolin Afronauts, "Follow the Path": The spirit of Kuti is alive! Where did this one come from? I don't really know, but once I saw the name of this group I knew I had to check them out. These Australian musicians have managed to make an excellent album, somewhere in the land between Afrobeat and Herbie Hancock. 

Sharon Van Etten, "Are We There": Hauntingly, Sharon Van Etten's 2014 release infused the spirits of electronic and indie rock with a shot of the bourbon-country spirit. But maybe that's just me. Love, heartbreak, and even domestic violence are thematic elements here, played with a deepness of soul that pulls you in, like gravity when you've jumped off the diving board and float above the water, knowing it's going to be cold. 

Good Albums:

Wu-Tang Clan - "A Better Tomorrow": It's tempting to compare the Wu-Tang Clan with Radiohead: even a mediocre album from them is better than most artists' best stuff. Indeed, this is WTC's "King of Limbs"--an album with flashes of excellence, but overall not their best. (Another analogy might be Jay Z, who, like the Wu, helped develop the East coast rap game, and more to the point, released a mature and otherwise not-amazing album last year, "Magna Carta Holy Grail.")

Anyway, this was a tough one for the team to pull off, there's no denying that. Issues with the RZA's production--which is hit and miss here, and relies more heavily on live drumming and music--to the involvement of its members. But it came out on schedule, thankfully, and has its share of Wu bangers, from the get-go with "Ruckus in B Minor" through the album. For those who say the Wu has lost their edge, "Pioneer the Frontier" and "Necklace" will spit razors through that argument. But the Wu is older, and with age comes perspective. Some of more reflective tracks are bizarre--the first time I heard the piano and singing duet opening "Miracle" I wasn't sure I was still listening to "A Better Tomorrow"--but then the track turns down a darker path, reflecting on the epidemic violence that has taken so many lives. In a year where Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Akai Gurley were killed, unarmed, by police officers and the likelihood of accountability grows slimmer, the injustice is not always reflected in popular music, but the Wu at least reference Ebola, and Raekwon even takes a shot at the FDA for its conflicts-of-interest. But this track is followed by "Preacher's Daughter," a dud of a remake of "Preacher's Son." They even kind of sing the refrain. But from "Ron O'Neil" to the titular track, the Wu manage to preserve their craft while opening the door to a more peaceful future, a better tomorrow.

Caribou, "Our Love": Dr. Dan Snaith's latest album starts out with the unavoidably catchy "Can't Do Without You." Like an airline pilot, Snaith pulls back on the throttle once he reaches 35,000 feet and things more toward an autopilot feel. "Our Love" hits a good stride, as does "Second Chance," and "Julia Brightly" will make you want to take a two minute dance break (2:03, to be exact).

Tinariwen, "Emmaar": Picking up the torch from last year's awardee Bombino comes this group of Malian musicians doing what Malian musicians seem to do best--make hypnotic jams that you'll want to keep handy. You may not know what they're singing about--I sure as hell don't--but you just might find yourself singing along anyway (or trying to). 

Conor Oberst, "Upside Down Mountain": Once lauded as the new Bob Dylan (not fair, really, to either of them) Conor Oberst, who recorded under the name "Bright Eyes" for a number of years, has continued to churn out albums, often with his "Mystic Valley" band. Dude seems to dig mystics. Anyway, Oberst doesn't tread too much new ground here, but his songs, which toe the line between melancholy and hoping to be less melancholy, remain honest and enjoyable, and move enough in pushing slightly newer boundaries for the musician--see, e.g., "Artifact #1"--to merit inclusion.

Shabazz Palaces, "Lese Majeste": This one is out there, but here on the Internate, ambition is recognized and rewarded. Is it hip-hop? Trip-hop? Space-hop? Electronic? Who knows. But Ishmael Butler is up to something cool, and interesting, and certainly innovative. Check out the sweet photo of him holding snakes on a leash--and the interview, of course--over at NPR as you listen.

Flying Lotus, "You're Dead!": Coming slightly too late to join Bob Dylan and Arcade Fire's extrapolations on life and death and afterlife in 2013, this concept album starts from death and moves forward from there. Not much subtle about it (not merely "You're Dead" but "You're Dead!", but even if you don't catch yourself putting this one on repeat, it's well worth the listen for the artistic and intellectual value. 

Showcase, "Extra Classic": Hat tip to Jamestown resident Jon B. for this pick, part of his monthly record club. This San Francisco band's album hews closely to the Jamaican dub playbook, but it works. 

The War on Drugs, "Lost in a Dream": Sometimes a band doesn't have to innovate, but do what they do well. Sometimes jams are all you need.

Future Islands, "Singles": Future Islands is a trio from Baltimore, but for better or worse, much attention is focused on Samuel Herring, the singer with distinctive voice. It cuts through the sonic medium in a way that few male singers have been seemingly able to do, and aches in a way that has propelled them from obscurity to the David Letterman show more quickly--and enduringly--than I did in my nerd glasses back in sixth grade. (True story.) Check out "Doves."

Traxx:

Damon Albarn, "The Selfish Giant" / "Everyday Robots" / "Lonely Press Play": The Blur/Gorillaz/etc. musician/DJ/impresario's first album under his own name had too much filler, but these tracks were pretty excellent. "The Selfish Giant" in particular is especially haunting. Big ups for sampling Lord Buckley, too.

The Black Keys, "Turn Blue" / "Fever" / "Year in Review": The album, certainly better than their last, still wasn't quite there to move up the list, but these tracks were. 

Warpaint, "Disco //Very"

DJ Quik, "Puffin the Dragon": For sure.

Big K.R.I.T., "Soul Food" & "Pay Attention" 

Spoon, "Rainy Taxi"

Best Two Albums Not from 2014:

Talking Heads, "Remain in Light": Hard to believe this one passed me by. From "Born in Punches" onward, it's a must-hear. Just listen to it if you don't believe me.

Charlie Parker, "Charlie Parker With Strings": The life of Charlie Parker was short, but full of such incredible intensity and brilliant talent and originality that one can't not feel enriched by his work. Though not revolutionary like his more straightforward bebop works, Parker's work with Norman Granz on this album combines the best of popular music and artistic fearlessness, coming at a time where his heroin and alcohol addictions had receded somewhat The first time I heard the first track (on the original release, at least), "Just Friends," I knew I had to buy the album. There is both much sadness and joy, heartbreak and hope, as perhaps only Charlie Parker could capture, on the album, especially on "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" and both for those who see little merit in bebop (who are you?!) and those who love it, this album is a necessity. Probably, in fact, my most-listened to album of 2014, believe it or not.

[internate-blog]

THE BEST AND THE REST 2013

[Updated at 7:12pm)

Everything changed in 2013. I started it in Chicago, learning about the federal criminal system, and ended it in Jamestown, New York, working to help veterans solve legal issues. In between, of course, I finished law school in Champaign and passed the New York Bar exam in Buffalo. I visited Rochester, spent a week in the Pocono Mountains, and revisited Philadelphia and New York City. What a year!

(Courtesy of GFK)

For music, 2013 was the redemption of the failed promise of 2012. Or something like that.

The best, as always in no particular order (links will open in a new window):

·       The National, “Trouble Will Find Me”: 2013 was a big year for The National, for better and worse. On the one hand were somewhat vexatious side projects—from appearing on a handful of Fox shows, to playing “Sorrow” at MoMA for six f***ing hours, to “Mistaken For Strangers”, the documentary about The National filmed by a family member of The National, just to name a few. But we are, and always will be, here for the music—and while it’s hardly their most standout album (IMHO), “Trouble Will Find Me” delivers a new mix of angst, existential uncertainty, and momentary dissociation from modern society that one expects from The National. “Don’t Swallow the Cap” would be a contender for top song of the year, if I made that list. Other standouts include “Graceless”, “Fireproof”, and for the swaggering, anthemic finales that have become de rigeur on The National’s albums, “Pink Rabbits.”

·       Daft Punk, “Random Access Memories”: Anyone who knows me knows this was on the list. I threw a party, in fact, to celebrate its release. Coming many years after their last studio release (not counting the passable “Tron” OST), “Random Access Memories” takes a more subtle approach to electronic music, and the robot-people brought in some extremely accomplished musicians—Nile Rodgers, Panda Bear, Giorgio Moroder, to name a few—to collaborate and accomplish some serious grooves. From the celebratory opening track, “Give Life Back to Music” to the slightly-more-challenging and noisy, but still ebullient closer “Contact”, the robot-people and their session musicians come together for music that feels good, music that makes you want to dance and throw a party, with a handful of selections that have more smoky, sultry, and even sullen grooves. A handful of the songs drag on too long—“Lose Yourself to Dance”, for example, stretches Pharrell to the breaking point, at six minutes, two of which could easily enough have been lopped off. The weighty “Touch”, featuring Paul Williams on piano and singing, clocks in at 8:19—and it isn’t even the longest song on the album. (That one goes to “Giorgio By Moroder”, featuring the eponymous electronic music pioneer, in a lengthy if somewhat interesting monologue). But if this album’s biggest fault is that some songs are Too Long—and that is its biggest fault—then that’s a good problem to have.

·       Vampire Weekend, “Modern Vampires of the City”: Aside from having some of the best cover art of the year, VW’s new album is their most compelling. At first listen, Vampire Weekend expanded their sonic repertoire only modestly, but after a few listens curious influences and inspirations appear, from Irish music to “noise pop.” Their growth—as a band and as individuals (insofar as one can chart such through music)—is unmistakable. The album, as a whole, is phenomenal; the lyrics are smart, the rhythms and hooks catchy and still sophisticated, and the results are exquisite. “Hannah Hunt”, “Finger Back” and “Worship You” are standouts, though the whole record is solid; the brash “Diane Young” was divisive among my friends, but remains an excellent tune with two entertaining videos (the first of which, featuring two burning Saabs, apparently produced a fiery response—pun intended—among Saab aficionados). The only questionable track is “Ya Hey”, which is a good enough song but for the inclusion of cartoony high-pitched voices in the chorus—but after originally hating the track, even I’ve come around to grudging appreciation. If Wikipedia is any reliable source (let’s not get into that, here) then the production of the album was serious and involved a lot of work and engineers—but the excellence is undeniable.

·       Bombino, “Nomad”: Mali, in the past year, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons—not its immense treasure of antiquities, nor its rich culture, but for the short-lived fundamentalist Islamic regime which took over following a failed coup which was ousted by aggressive action by Francois Hollande, the Socialist President of France. (Sadly, France’s laudable efforts in its former colony came too late to save some of its famed shrines, much like America’s efforts in Afghanistan came too late to save the Bamiyan Buddhas. C’est la vie, I suppose.)

But I digress. Omara Moctar, who records as Bombino, released this exquisite album of music from the heart of Tuareg culture, but with the expert guidance of Dan Auerbach, of The Black Keys, this album, produced in Nashville, opens Bombino’s sound up to a greater audience and a greater range of sounds.

·       Local Natives, “Hummingbird”: Produced by Aaron Dessner of The National (prolific, isn’t he?), “Hummingbird” expands on the solid debut album “Gorilla Manor” and exhibits a lyrical maturity that can be hard to find in modern music, with an indie rock sound that is expansive and airy in a good way. Their sound evokes Sigur Ros and maybe Wilco (and maybe even at times The National), but is all of their own. It makes an excellent album for driving places.

·       Arcade Fire, “Reflektor”: I’ll admit, I have a long history of loving Arcade Fire, stretching back indeed to a time when I drove to a Borders (!) to buy The Arcade Fire’s (!) debut album on CD. (!) I’m pretty sure that was high school. Arcade Fire, obviously, has never shied away from confronting dark and weighty topics; from their debut, titled “Funeral”, to its follow-up, “Neon Bible”, matters of life, death, and afterlife are fair game for the Canadian rockers. This issues, and the alienation of modernity and technology that featured prominently on “The Suburbs”, their previous, Grammy-winning album, come to the very forefront on “Reflektor”, along with references to Kirkegaard and vodou culture. Indeed, the Haitian influence is strongly felt in the music, which at times seems constrained by its studio origins; their live music surpasses what one hears on the album. Regardless of the weight of the topics—framed, musically and literally enough (see cover) through the Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice—the grooves never stop. It’s hard not to be effusive about how unique a sound Arcade Fire has accomplished, but the music and the songs sound better than my honeyed words can convey. It’s catchy, danceable, and challenging, in a way that puts Arcade Fire in a league that a select few bands—like Radiohead—ever achieve.

·       Q-Tip and Busta Rhymes, “The Abstract and The Dragon”: Coming in just under the wire, this free release from two of the most excellent MCs of their era show that their era hasn't quite ended. Excellent, throw-back jam production abounds, as do rhymes unchained by convention or even, occasionally, good taste (WARNING: NSFW, for sexual themes, rampant use of the B-word, and the usual threats to would-be haters). But the good cheer evident is hard to ignore, and Raekwon drops by to kick it as does Lil’ Wayne, sounding as weeded out as ever. FREE MIXTAPE! (click title link.)

·       Sky Ferreira, “Night Time, My Time”: This was a tough choice, because there are a few dud tracks, and anyone who signs on to open for Miley Cyrus defaults to “don’t bother.” But the tracks that stand out are at the top of the field. Sky Ferreira apparently has a history of some sort—a failed pop career with a major label, I guess—and this kind of thing rarely interests me, but it provides grist for the album. I have little time for songs in which popular entertainers complain about how hard they have it, but the sheer emotion of “I Blame Myself”—a half-hearted mea culpa, if ever there was one—excels at its object and was quickly put on repeat listens. “Love in Stereo” is an interesting song, confronting love, loss and abuse while sonically finding a comfortable pop-y niche. "24 Hours" is another great track, as is “Nobody Asked Me (If I Was Okay)”—but it sounds strikingly familiar to fans of The Strokes…

·       DJ Rashad, “Double Cup”: This guy is like the Gold Panda of hip-hop. For those hard-core electronic music fans who were disappointed in Daft Punk’s new album (note: you suck) and those who miss DJ Screw and J Dilla, “Double Cup” may be some consolation. DJ Rashad takes the rap/hip-hop production MO and runs it through a bunch of circuit boards, coming up with solid samples and beats. Probably NSFW.

·       DJ Koze, “Amygdala”: DJ Koze, coming out of Germany, gathered a most curious collection of sounds on this album. German, Hebrew, and English are all heard, as are appearances from artists known and unknown (to me, anyway) including Caribou. The result is an unexpectedly compelling listen, one that is harder to describe than other albums on this list, but no less easy to find your head nodding to.

·       Lauren Mvula, “Sing To the Moon”: This album is one of the hardest to describe. It is an album of lushly constructed ballads, points and counterpoints and dramatic pauses, and a haunting voice. They come together to construct an unforgettable and dreamy soundscape that vacillates between light and dark.

Janelle Monae, “The Electric Lady”: This album pulls no punches in its quest to create a sound all of its own, blending hip-hop, rock, electronic, and elements from the lesser regions of the American music scene--elements that might be at home on a Quentin Tarentino movie or an Ennio Morricone soundtrack--into an eminently listenable and enjoyable experience. “Primetime” is one of the most excellent slow jams of the year, and certainly among the top songs of the year. “Q.U.E.E.N.” (featuring Erykah Badu) is a statement of defiance on another level from the mediocre and bland statements issued by Top 40 songstresses like Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson and the like, and is capitalized upon by its succeeding track “Electric Lady” (featuring Solange Knowles). The album manages having three interludes, some of which are actually amusing, and has only one real dud, “Dance Apocalytic” which was inexplicably released as a single.

Mayer Hawthorne, “Where Does This Door Go”: This is a little bit of a guilty pleasure. Its inclusion as an album of the year is despite the fact that it doesn’t really have the depth or ambition of the rest of the albums. What it does have is excellent jams, that expand on the talent shown in the first two albums for songs about seduction. The production team is much larger on this album--Andrew Mayer Cohen, AKA Mayer Hawthorne, having done much of the music-making himself in the past--and the effect is a more scattershot output, but one with more than its share of hits. “Back Seat Lover”, the first proper track on the album, is standard MH fare, but from there the jams grow to a greater breadth than in his prior albums. Check out “The Innocent”, “Wine Glass Woman”--arguably song of the year--”Her Favorite Song” and “Crime”, featuring Kendrick Lamar.

The Rest:

·       Kanye West, “Yeezus”: Talk about a divisive album. I’m sorry though, Sasha Frere-Jones, once again we disagree—and I think in ten years, this album will inspire less passionate defense. Like an “808s and Heartbreaks” on steroids, “Yeezus” takes the emotional Kanye West we all love/hate, and adds loudness to it. Unfortunately, for someone who grew up appreciating the brilliance of soul-sample Kanye and his breezy, uncomplicated honesty, this is anathema. I could handle Kanye’s anger to an extent on his last release “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”—which I ranked as a best pick—but here, it just sounds tired, and boring, and with its glitchy, noisy samples and raw, unrefined drums, it sounded more unfinished than anything else. I applaud ambition, but its hard to take Kanye seriously as he decries luxury-oriented desires when he’s as steeped in conspicuous consumption as anyone. (More, really.) And his critiques of, for example, private prisons—a critique well worth making—just sound incoherent amidst the wilderness. Taking “Strange Fruit”, sung by Billie Holiday and written by Abel Meeropol, and using it for a sample can be transgressive—in a good way—and provocative, but Kanye merely uses it to rant about women he has had issues with. (To be sure, it is the best song on the album.) And women issues he certainly has, for a married guy. I won’t get into the rest of the album; suffice it to quote “MacBeth”—an album “full of sound and fury, / signifying nothing.”

·       Jay Z, “Magna Carta Holy Grail”: Unlike Kanye, Jay Z apparently knows how to relax. Though complaints about how he’s treated pop up on the album, you’re more likely to hear him discuss his art collection. And discuss his art collection he does at length, so get ready. Basquiats, Picassos, references to the Louve and Andy Warhol abound. But at least he sounds like there’s some fun in it. Big ups to track “Picasso, Baby” (NSFW).

Drake, “Nothing Was the Same”: As usual, Drake can be relied on to deliver 3-4 good songs, and to his credit, they show signs of personal growth and maturity. “Started From the Bottom” (Not really SFW) is a contender for song of the year; “Hold On, We’re Going Home”, “Connect”, and “The Motion” also are solid. The only way I can make sense of “Wu Tang Forever”, though--at least with regard to its title and content--is to be a finger in the eye of Ghostface Killah, who assuredly has no love for Drake.

Atoms For Peace, “Amok”: Thom Yorke’s new solo album furthers what he started with his last one, “The Eraser”, and the results are enjoyable and moody.

Toro Y Moi, “Anything in Return”: Another album of good jams--good cross-country driving music, or for your low-key party/hangout.

Blood Orange, "Cupid Deluxe": Bringing smooth, respectable R&B back to the indiesphere, and occasionally bringing silky saxphophone solos to smooth, (otherwise) respectable R&B.

Settle, “Disclosure”: This album has some of the best tracks of the year--”Latch” and “White Noise”. I wasn’t crazy about the rest of the album, but the number of times those two tracks at least were on repeat is crazy big.

Best songs

·       Juicy J, “Smokin’ Rollin’” (NSFW)

·       Big Sean feat. Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica, “Control” (NSFW)

·       Son Lux, “Lost it to Trying”

·        Chance the Rapper, “Good Ass Intro” and “Life Round Here”

Empire of the Sun, “Old Flavours”

The Weeknd, “Wanderlust”

N.O.R.E. feat. Large Professor, “Built Pyramids”

Daughn Gibson, "The Pisgee Nest"

[internate-blog]

University of Illinois European Union Center Photo Contest Submissions, Honorable Mention - "Under Construction, August 2012"

1.  Under Construction, August 2012

Photo Caption(s):  Cranes tower over Berlin on a cloudy August afternoon as statues keep watch over the city.  As seen from the Reichstag, the German parliament building.  Visitors from all around the world can tour the chambers, learning about politics in post-war Germany.  The tour culminates in a trip to the top of the building, where one can see all of Berlin.

  2. Progress, East Berlin

Photo Caption(s):  An advertisement for the iPad, made by Apple, vies for dominance with the Fernsehturm, in the background.  Both evoke technological prowess, but of very different origins.  The Fernsehturm, built starting in 1965, provided the Communist East German authorities with both a platform for broadcasting television signals and was a symbol of the state’s dominance (and powers of surveillance), though it now hosts a revolving restaurant.  The iPad, of course, is a flagship product of Apple, a hot commodity in a global world of growing affluence.

3.  Without Worry

Photo Caption(s):  Stone figures smile upon visitors to Sanssouci, in Potsdam, Germany.  Sanssouci, French for “without worry”, was the magnificent palace and summer home to Prussian emperor Friedrich der Grosse (Frederick the Great) in the 18th Century.

4. The Hague, International Criminal Court

Photo Caption(s): The ICC rises over trees and houses on the outskirts of The Hague, Netherlands. The  ICC is the culmination of half a century of dedicated diplomacy and international statecraft, with over 120 states party to the Rome Statute.  Though the ICC faces enormous challenges—many nations, including the United States, China, Russia, and India, along with dozens of other African and Asian nations, along with Belarus—it is one of humanity’s most powerful tools against genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

5. Far From the Scene of the Crime, The Hague

Photo Caption(s):  Nestled in a suburb of The Hague, surrounded by bucolic homes and quiet, tree-lined streets is the building for the Special Court for Lebanon, and also offices of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.  These courts exist though the United Nations, having been established to examine the assassination of Rafik Hariri, Prime Minister of Lebanon, in Beirut, 2005 (the former) and the brutal and disastrous war in Sierra Leone in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s (the latter).  Charles Taylor, warlord and former President of Liberia, was convicted by the SCSL in 2012. 

[internate-blog]

2012: A Music Odyssey

2012 was a challenging year for many music fans.  There were no small number of noteworthy albums, but many good artists chose to phone it in, instead of going back to the labs (forgive the mixed metaphor).  Without giving more credence to the artist-in-question by naming them, for example one of Pitchfork's top five albums is described as "sound[ing] like someone dropping a whole apartment’s worth of kitchenware down a staircase while screaming the word 'f[**]k' while a block party outside suffers through routine air-raid sirens."  And indeed, that is in a quite adulatory review of this album--whereas to many of us who value music as both an artistic medium and a means by which brilliant and enjoyable sounds are produced, listening to that album is on par, fun-wise, with letting the person you hate most knock out every one of your teeth with a Damien Hirst-crystal skull sans anesthetic.  And such an exercise would probably be more emotionally meaningful, to boot.  But we're not here to discuss the worst albums of the year, we're here for the best!

Dedication:  This small thing, pitiful perhaps in its scope and reach but containing a year's worth of emotion and some months of heartache, is dedicated to my aunt, Bobbi Koppel.  An alumna of the University of Illinois--like my dad--I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, and tell her that I loved her, and to this day it hurts.  She once told me, when I purchased Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde" about how she remembered buying it on vinyl herself when it was new.  And so, to her, one song from that album:

    Best Albums in No Particular Order:

-Gotye, "Making Mirrors":  We're not going to talk about "Somebody I Used to Know", because that song was both overplayed and underwhelming.  But almost every other song on the album is a hit, and between the album's defiance of genre-norms and Wally de Backer's ability to create music--as a solo artist, though you'd never know such a thing listening to the album--is fantastic.  Pitch perfect pop--but beyond the clever musical hooks can be some meaningful songs about consumer alienation and the Lowrey Cotillion piano.  His prior album, "Like Drawing Blood", may be even better.  But for 2012, see for yourself:

  -Grizzly Bear, "Shields":  Grizzly Bear is just a good band.  It's almost hard to describe, but the album embodies a sort of hazy pastiche of the indie rock atmosphere.  Like cirrus clouds, sorta.  I dunno.  The songs are imbued with some certain-yet-unknown spirit that propels them forward (with perhaps equally obscure lyrics).  Great cover art, too.  As is too often the case, the music will do a better job of explaining why this is on the list than I can myself:

  -Kendrick Lamar, "good kid, m.A.A.d. city":  I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago; I grew up middle-class and though I'm Jewish and no stranger to prejudice and hatred, I am caucasian.  So my commentary on this album comes from a different perspective than the one that guides the album.  But I've also worked as a public defender (under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711) on the west side of Chicago, and I know why some people call it Chiraq, as every day I read about however many new shootings took place.  Back in Philadelphia, I was walking by a club getting out around 2AM when I heard gunfire; naturally we all started running.  Suffice it to say, I've seen the havoc that gangs cause, how the fixation on conflict and bullets fuels a perpetual cycle of death and heartbreak, reinforced by misogyny and abuse.  Our nation's cities contain deserts--not just food deserts, but deserts of educational and economic opportunity--and with the lucrative black market for drugs, encouraged by prohibition, a system has arisen that pushes black and Latino youths into gang membership and incarceration and disenfranchisement and legalized discrimination (against offenders).  The state of America's prisons is so atrocious that I cannot approach the subject in any brevity beyond suggesting you read this n+1 article.

So.

What have we here, then?  Kendrick Lamar's new album is a frank approach to all of the above.  It revels in robbery and burglary, but waxes existential (adopting a Christian perspective occasionally) and Lamar raps some thoughtful and quite poignant things.  It's the cyclical nature of violence and life in the hood, as it were, that comes across in this album as an album. (Which is to say, it is important to listen to the whole album at some point and think of it as a whole).  Overall, it has a quiet urgency--and a vital positiveness at its core--that really makes the album shine.  I won't go what Kendrick Lamar says about the album, but let me just say this album made me think about whether I loved or hated the album more than perhaps any other, and for that it's perhaps the album of the year.  Of course, I come out loving the album. NSFW, obviously.

-Nick Waterhouse, "Time's All Gone":  The digital era of music-making allows for a variety, and the proliferation, of soundscapes in which to record an album, sort of like how the Instagram app allows people to take one digital image and make it black and white, put it in sepia, make it look like some old-timey treasure map, or whatever.  (I wouldn't really know, I try to take the highest quality color image possible, nothing more and nothing less, as if I owned a DSLR.  Maybe someday.)  This record--180-gram vinyl--I first heard at Dusty Grooves in Chicago on Ashland, and on a whim, after hearing a few songs, I bought it.  It's got a certain retro feel--guitars, a three-lady backup choir (The Naturelles), Waterhouse sitting in the darkness with a solo spotlight on the cover--but at its core is a group of talented musicians, 14 including Waterhouse listed on the back, which itself much evocative of an earlier era.  Some seem to question his authenticity, but taking the record at face value will find one with some excellent lounge rock like "Raina".

-Bobby Womack, "The Bravest Man in the Universe":  I had never heard of Bobby Womack before he joined Damion Albarn and his Gorillaz.  Which is funny, because apparently Bobby Womack had never heard of Gorillaz before they contacted him to get him on "Stylo"; his daugher encouraged him to do it.  Long and short, after a successful R&B career in the 70's and the like, drug problems lead to retirement and Womack faded from the spotlight, until "Stylo".

Since then, Womack has had a bit of a resurgence, and this is the product (thanks to Damion Albarn, who provides much of the music for Womack):  At times bombastic, and times austere, the album's electronic grooves suit the singing well, and the grooves and beats are spot on.  Womack sings with a sincerity that's hard to find in today's popular music, which all too often resembles food from McDonald's, mass-produced and lab-engineered for maximal mental stimulation. 

    -Alabama Shakes, "Boys & Girls": This album was an early favorite in 2012, irresistibly packed with bluesy riffs in the vein of a mellow Black Keys; singer Brittany Howard's voice pulling the music forward like the sail of boat, in a musical world where all too often it is the reverse.  "Hold On", the anthemic opener to the album, has everything you could want from a rock band from Alabama, the right mix of the rigid world of rock and roll and the soulful slides of the blues.  The album is just good, and words just seem extraneous. 

    -Big K.R.I.T., "4eva N a Day":  Big K.R.I.T. had an interesting year, I gather it.  He released a killer free mixtape, for which he is well-credited here, and signed with a major label, releasing a mediocre album which touts his underground credentials.  Weird.  But 4eva N a Day is a great collection showcasing that honesty and dedication to rhyming and perseverance that the listener doesn't have to strain himself or be fake to identify with.  K.R.I.T. is sort of like an old-school car himself, sort of a retooled vintage Cadillac himself, a reminder of quality American craftsmenship. 

    Beach House, "Bloom":  I think I used the word "ethereal" last year to describe Bon Iver.  I considered using it again because Beach House has this hypnotic, dreamy sound about it, almost haunting, but I'm afraid I might use these terms too often.  Ethereal grooves.  Sounds weird, but cool.  But beautiful, like a montage or music video of somebody silently running or playing in the snow.  But it's December right now, and perhaps it could just as easily be the setting for a party by the ocean.  It is Beach House, after all.  I had the fortune of seeing Beach House live (better than Kendrick Lamar, to say the least) at Pitchfork and they definitely got the crowd swaying, despite the wilting heat.  This is definitely sway rock. 

      -DIIV, "Oshin":  Talk about weird cover art.   I'm certainly not going to tackle an interpretation, I just wanted to point that out.  With Real Estate's "Days" and Beach House, DIIV's album would make a perfect trio for sitting on a sandy beach, or floating down a river.  It's not challenging indie rock, but it is satisfying.</> <></>

    -John Talabot, "fin": An excellent collection of eclectic electronica, forceful and shadowy yet with a energy that is undeniable.  Like a soundtrack to Myst.  This is definitely take-out-the-headphones or pump up the speakers, with the bass turned up.  Under the right conditions (i.e. very loud), the music becomes biological.</> <></>

    Outstanding Achievements in 2012 Music-Making:

  -Lupe Fiasco, "Strange Fruition"/"ITAL (Roses)"/"Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free)":  This would've been a stellar EP or something.  I wasn't wowed by the rest of "Food & Liquor II", but these three tracks are diamonds.  From "Around My Way":

And we marvel at the state of ottoman / then turn around and treat Ghana like a garbage can / America's a big m*********n' garbageman / If you ain't know, you're part and parcel of the problem / You say no you ain't, and I say yes you is / Soon as you find out what planned obsolescence is / You say no they didn't, and I say yes they did / The definition of unnecessary-ness

See for yourself in this weird but iconoclastic video:

    -Nas, "Life is Good":  50% great and 50% duds is not a good mix, but when Nas delivers, it is something to behold.  The phrase "elder statesman" is a term that seems to follow Nas and Jay-Z around, if for no other reason than that they had a beef when most of the rest of the rap scene today was still going outside for recess.  Like a fine wine, age brings experience and perspective, which is why people return to Nas for clever raps, something approaching "hip hop" but still stoic about violence:

-El-P, "For My Upstairs Neighbor":  I wasn't a huge fan of the rest of this album (though El Producto killed it on an incredibly Not Safe For Work collab earlier this year (you were warned)), but this song was a particularly hard to forget encounter with domestic violence in music, turning from an agnostic interview with police to a candid talk with the woman being abused:

-Sleigh Bells, "End of the Line":  I've never been a huge fan of Sleigh Bells, but this was an instant hit--another one to crank up on the headphones (good for the ol' treadmill, too):

-The Shins, "A Simple Song":  I'm not sure why I didn't love "Port of Morrow".  Maybe I will with time, as happens with many albums.  But the Shins' ostensibly triumphant return was muted, except for this stellar track:

    -Del the Funky Homosapien and Parallel Thought, "On Momma's House":  Classic production and an idiosyncratic flow on this track, a standout among a handful of great cuts from "Attractive Sin".  I'm admittedly of the opinion that if the sample or beat doesn't pop, it doesn't matter how incredible a rapper's flow is, and this album showcases that in an excellent way.  Check it out.

      Excellent Music I (Re)Discovered in 2012:

-Fela Kuti:  I popped an old CD-R into my computer about a month ago, curious to see what old music I had to listen to.  Amidst music from FLCL and Bavarian folk music and a smattering of classical music and J-Rock was Fela Kuti, five or so songs.  Ironically, I had rediscovered him and his work independent of this blast from the past; working on a paper about slum clearance in Lagos, Nigeria, I indulged in my love of afrobeat only to reacquaint myself with its pioneer, Fela Kuti, who is enjoying a renaissance of sorts with the Jay-Z-produced Broadway play, which is a pretty smash hit apparently.  But his music speaks for itself wondrously, and exemplifies a social conscience (and consciousness) that will make it timeless, like Bob Dylan.  Beyond railing against Olesegun Obasanjo's military rule of Nigeria (this was in the 1970's, though Nigeria didn't become a real democracy until the last decade), he also explored other themes in his music more universal.  But his political songs--"Zombie", as you can hear here, mocked blind obedience to orders in the Nigerian Army, during a time where Nigeria was reestablishing internal order following the failed secession of the Republic of Biafra, which lead to the deaths of millions of Nigerians in the Niger Delta area--brought tragedy into his life, as a raid of perhaps a thousand soldiers descended upon his commune and recording studio, severely beating Fela and murdering his mother by throwing her out a window (and, of course, destroying the building and everything inside).  Fela responded with some extraordinarily powerful songs directed at the ludicrous notion, the official Nigerian government line, that these crimes were committed by an unknown soldier.  The rest is history.

    Best "New" Piano Concerto:

-Johannes Nepomuk Hummel:  Evidently straddling the divide between the classical and romantic eras of the classical music genre--from Mozart to Beethoven, very loosely speaking--Hummel wrote a pretty excellent piano concerto, though his works are hardly as well known as his contemporaries.  This is a shame, because this is an exquisite and delightful work.

Best Workout EDM Mix:

-Shoutout to Mark AKA Max Bison, whose "Toorak" mix I found myself bumping not only at the gym but driving around town and then at the library writing a paper and elsewhere.  Awesome. 

In other news...

Jens Lekman and Freeway left me very sad this year. Bob Dylan's "Tempest" was good, but not a favorite.  Big Boi had some good tracks on his new album too, but...not the best.  I still have to check out Andrew Bird's new album.

I'll try to blog more than once a year in 2013, too.

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Music to Occupy By, or, 2011 We Hardly Knew Ye (+ Top Trax!)

2011 was a turbulent first year of the millenium.  Occupy Wall Street spread like wildfire, despite obscure demands, becoming both a symbol of discontent over rising inequality and the corrupting, corrosive effect of money in politics, and a sometimes funny, oft-tedious internet meme.  2011 was the year the European Union faced its greatest challenges, as rising costs of borrowing squeezed profligate peripheral parliaments and their concerned citizens. In America, President Obama had Bin Laden's ass murdered--that was an awesome day--but it failed to invigorate the economy; a do-nothing Congress did nothing (thanks, largely, to the petulant Republican party, which, as P.J. O'Rouke quipped, got elected to power claiming that government doesn't work, and subsequently proved it.)

On the home front, I finished my first year of law school!  Then I interned for a federal judge in Vermont! I bought a Turn Table!  I learned how to properly say Bon [h]Iver, and and learned to put two spaces after every period (in Britain, they call them "full stops," a point which will be relevant later in the post).  I reacquainted myself with some classic albums; two sixteen+hour drives--and perhaps, for that reason, I didn't get a chance to fully evaluate all the year's new releases.  For example, I haven't heard the Beastie Boys' "Hot Sauce Committee Part II" enough to fully evaluate it.  Nor have I come to a decision about the new TV on the Radio Album.  

Best Musick:

1. Bon Iver, "Bon Iver":   It was a good year for Justin Vernon.  Probably a pretty good year for all the other people who play on this album, too, but nobody ever remembers who they are (despite the fact that the band makes this album shine).  Bon Iver's second, eponymous album was on heavy rotation for me for literally months.  

I have received flak for this theory, but I think in a sense Bon Iver is sort of an adult/avant-garde/hipster Dashboard Confessional.  That is, the songs are acoustic guitar-heavy forlorn-but-undeniably-earnest-sounding ballads of unrequited love and the like.  Maybe they're not, though:  the Achilles' heel of the album is its impossibly vague--that is, vexingly abstract to the point of meaninglessness--lyrics.  Other bands, no doubt, would be zinged on this essentially undeniable flaw, but the music rises above.

The album itself is ethereal in the best way possible:  effortlessly blending genres, the band crafts songs unforgettably haunting, songs that transcend their seemingly humble origins. Almost every track is a hit, and the album finishes with what may be the most controversial song of the year, 80's throwback ballad "Beth/Rest" (Somebody explain that song to me, please--or better yet: Don't).  At first listen cheesy, "Best/Rest" becomes a seat-rouser the more often one hears it.  

2. Fleet Foxes, "Helplessness Blues":  Helplessness Blues was the first album I bought on vinyl, and it could not have been a better pick.  Perhaps more notably, it inspired the only comment (as far as I know) the Economist has made on modern music (well worth the read).  Taking a step back from the "baroque pop" of yore, Fleet Foxes crafted an incredible melange of melodies and harmonies that harken to the better angels of indie rock.  The album is cohesive musically (while remaining creative) and intriguingly narrative lyrically. 

3. Big K.R.I.T., "Return of 4Eva": Hat tip to my friend Jason S. for this find, K.R.I.T. is back with a triumphant, self-produced album that covers all the (arguably) necessary hip-hop bases:  tracks to think about, tracks to roll to, tracks to party to, etc.   K.R.I.T. is not content to lay down some expert flows over soulful samples; like Kanye West in his prime, he's ready to tell it like it ought to be told, and look deep inside of the heart of a modern man struggling to succeed. 

4. The Roots, "Undun":  When I heard the concept of Undun--the story of the life of a man, starting with his death and proceeding backward--I was somewhat hesitant.  Kind of a downer, right?  When I heard it would end with an orchestral suite based on Sufjan Stevens' "Michigan", I was bemused.  Suffice it to say, "Undun" is a concept album a world where concept albums are rare gems.  And indeed, Undun itself is a rare gem.  What other rap album gives you good advice, like "If you can't learn to swizzim, then you're bound to drizzown," and probably the only time the words "maritime museum" will ever be uttered in a hip-hop context (and perhaps in music, generally).  I cannot help but applaud ambition in music, and again the Roots come through.

Good albums:

1. The Black Keys, "El Camino":  The Black Keys are back, with another classic record.  Despite its deceptive title (that's a minivan on the cover, not an El Camino!) the record contains for of what makes the Black Keys great:  rock, heavily influenced by blues.  Blues rock.  This record doesn't depart much--if at all--from the formula, and it may not rock quite as much as "Attack and Release"--but songs like "Sister" still kick much ass.

2. Coldplay, "Mylo Xyloto":  This might strike some (i.e. almost all) of my friends as an enigmatic, or even scandalous choice, but Coldplay has come a long way from their "X&Y" days.  "Viva La Vida" was awesome--thanks to the intervention of producer/visionary Brian Eno, who, on "Mylo Xyloto" is credited with "enoxification", whatever the hell that means.  MX falls a little short of that, lacking the experimentality and wide diversity of influence, but it succeeds, if marginally as a concept album (about some sort of 1984ish dystopian future, but with a happy ending).  Coldplay, at least in my opinion, has managed to make a Top-40 alternative rock album that is musically compelling. (N.b. when listening to the song--which, for the record, samples Peter Allen's "I Go To Rio"--again, to the British, a period is a "full stop.")

3. ARAABMUZIK, "Electronic Dream":  I had never heard of AM until this year, but apparently he's been producing records for the Diplomats for a while.  This that is not.  "Electronic Dream" is an enigmatic record in a few respects;  you could play it at the club and not get too many weird looks;  play it while you're running and that's good too.  P4K calls its mood "dystopian", which I find eminently confusing; it sounds slightly dark, but I can't really even figure out what that even means.  So there you go.

4.  Chris Isaak, "Beyond the Sun":  I recall well when I heard about this album for the first time--I was about a half-hour from home on my way back from Vermont, in August.  The stock market had been riled, and times were seriously serious.  And then NPR discussed the album, and its creation.  This is, in fact, a cover album.  A cover album with a mission, however:  To pay tribute to Sam Phillips, the famous producer of Sun Records' greatest talents, from Elvis to Johnny Cash to Roy Orbison, among others. 

5.  Naminé, "Neon":  Ambient, but eminent.  I'm not sure how best to describe it but a solid, moody electronic album is what it is, right?

6. The Weeknd, "House of Balloons":  Electro-R&B has had a good run; where the XX started, the Weeknd picked it up with a free album, "House of Balloons," which covers content that may not be safe for work, or perhaps anywhere where drinks (and perhaps sundry substances) are not being served.  Where the party is, however, this album will be right at home. 

7.  Toro Y Moi, "Under the Pine":  This album grooves, and it grooves well.  Man, if I were driving down (California) Highway 1, this is what I'd be listening to.  In my convertible.  Because it'd be summer, and I'm rich.  Then I'd probably wake up from that wonderful dream--but at least "Under the Pine" would still be here. 

8.  Foster the People, "Torches":  An interesting album.  If Top-40/big label stuff is like fast food (and I largely think it is), then this album might be likened to Chipotle:  Processed, a product of big money production, but still thoroughly enjoyable.  Foster the People were given the torch (no pun intended) by MGMT, and they crafted catchy rock music (are they alternative? Pop rock? Indie, or maybe "indie"? You decide). 

Awesome albums I (re)discovered:

Arcade Fire, "Neon Bible"

Gorillaz, "Plastic Beach"

J Dilla, "Donuts"

Gold Panda, "Lucky Shiner"

TOP TRAX: There are 40 of them (in no order).  I own the rights to none of them; if you like what you hear, buy the albums! 

Without further ado...

TOP TRAX 2011 #1

TOP TRAX 2011 #2

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A little retrospective upon leaving Vermont. Now that I have my computer back, and a little free time, I should have some older drafts up in no time?

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So, my computer, aided by idle hands committed to quick cash, is gone. I'll be back with a new entry as soon as the replacement replaces the replacee. On the up side, it's a free upgrade to OSLion!

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Reading David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest" is extraordinarily rewarding so far, but it requires the patience of a saint (seriously, this footnote is itself a short story, with both footnotes and endnotes and directives to see other footnotes), an appreciation for fiction as deep and complicated as undersea oil drilling, and the memory of an elephant savant. And I have only nine hundred more pages to go, before school starts in a month.

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10K Time (Sunday)

I apologize for not getting my entry (of the written word) posted yet about Montreal. I've been working on it, but hyperlinking adds extra time to blogging, and I have to be up at 5 AM tomorrow to catch a flight out of Manchester, NH.

To Philadelphia. To revisit old haunts, catch up with old friends, and then run further than I've ever run before, hopefully faster.

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Montreal, Quebec: Photos.

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Dollars and Sense

It brings a slight trepidation to even broach the subject, but let me take a moment to talk about the national debt. some people I know see naught but the specter of a bear attack--which is to say, that there is no crisis. Others see the looming collapse of civilization (cf. the price of gold*).

As I find is often the case, the truth is in-between. Bond yields are at historic lows, and given that unemployment is still high, and the recession on its feet unsteadily--at least to fund important necessities, like the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) to public media like NPR and PBS to all of the funding assistance that the federal government provides to states--government borrowing is essential.  While those tea-party types wave their Constitutions (N.B. tea-partiers: If I may speak generally, your understanding of the Constitution is shallow and middle-schooler-ish, and I was carrying a pocket Constitution before you even knew they made them) there are millions upon millions of Americans for whom public endeavors provide the basic essentials of a dignified life in the modern era. And the millions of others for whom federal (financial) assistance to community programs and institutions enriches their life, and promotes real positive cultural influences, here in America and abroad. (For more on that, see my earlier post.)

On the other hand, bond yields probably won't stay low forever. I think progressives, conservatives, and libertarians** can agree on that point. In that sense, the disagreement is when we need to shrink the size of federal government (expenditures), and how we ought best to do that. Discretionary federal spending will need to shrink. And the federal government will need to get more for less. I might take a moment here to suggest, whereas teachers in Singapore have to rank in the top 1/3rd of their graduating class, perhaps this can be adopted in America and stretched to cover all federal government employees. And as to the looming-ness of the debt crisis, in the most honest sense, it's a medium term problem; American gross debt-to-GDP ratios are not at the most alarming (á la the PIGS), and the most hazardous hazards (like Social Security, for which--according to the CBO's perhaps rosy 2008 analysis--outlays will exceed revenue in 2019) lay several years down the line.However, the debt-ceiling-debacle--this Republican-induced flirtation with sovereign debt default--has brought crisis and calamity to America's doorstep. As I type, there is less than a month until the Treasury Department has to choose who not to pay anymore.

Thus, the moment of decision is upon our lawmakers in Washington.  It's very heartening to see President Obama take the lead in convening a summit, and to direct both parties to put it all on the table. The President didn't create the debt crisis;Congress bears responsibility almost entirely, enacting the Bush-era tax cuts and starting a superfluous war in Iraq that has tolled immeasurably on the human scale, beyond the giant financial cost. But President Obama owns this situation now, and he needs to be the force that overcomes Congressional (read: Republican) obstinateness and intransigence.  The elephant in the room, up until this past week, was the Republican Party, but I'm glad to see somein the media take the Party to task for its abandonment of reason and its turn to hostage-style negotiating.***

*  I can't find a good historical chart of the price of gold, but you all know what it's doing. Do I think we're headed for hyperinflation, as the price might suggest? Hardly. But I think commodity-lead inflation is a serious concern, lest we see stagflation again. That said, inflation can be a useful way to deal with heavy indebtedness--at the cost of general unhappiness in rising prices. 

**  It's interesting to note that I know libertarians my age, but I don't know anyone my age who identifies with the Tea Party. Are the two, in essence, the same? Libertarianism is a respectable political orientation, if one I don't think is at all realistic (e.g. having lived in China, I can say that I find the EPA, the FDA, and the USDA to be some of America's most important institutions, even if they're far from perfect). 

***  Why don't we walk to talk about the elephant in the room? Is it because it'd be too cliché, since it's right there? Or is it because we don't want it overhearing us talking about it and getting mad?

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I was working on a long piece about the national debt, but, eh...turns out it's a bigger issue than I can write about in one afternoon. So here's John Coltrane, giving a little jazz for your Fourth of July weekend.

Incidentally, it turns out Japan is conspiring to destroy musicianship the world over...through robots.

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Country Routes (and some Muppets playing the blues)

I drove south to Montpelier, about 45 minutes southeast of Burlington, to catch a classical quartet last weekend. The first thing any Vermonter will tell you about it is that it is the only state capital without a McDonald's. What they don't mention is that, at 8,000 residents, it is our nation's smallest capital city. Seriously, that place makes Lisle seem like the big city. 

Image of Montpelier courtesy of GearedBull

That said, it is a quaint little city, a sui generis mix of small-town New England and the concentration of state agencies, the Supreme Court of Vermont, the State Legislature, and so on. Also, it has more used-book stores than Burlington, which is always a plus (fewer record stores, though).

I took in some excellent Haydn, Brahms, and some okay Schubert (courtesy of the 802 Quartet), at the Unitarian Church (compare to Philadelphia's First Unitarian, where I saw Oakland's best alt-indie-hip hop group, Why?).

By the time I got out, it had gotten dark (which isn't 'til past 9pm here). It was raining, and the sky lit up with lightning. As I was driving back, I daringly unplugged my iPod, searching for something musically new and interesting.

I found it.

As if the fates had conspired, I tuned to that paradigm of quality programming, Vermont Public Radio 107.9-WVPS, who were playing American Routes, produced by New Orleans' WWNO. 

They played John Coltrane. They played Bob Dylan. Chuck Berry, James Brown, and Allen Toussaint and Gram Parsons. And many artists I had never heard of, but loved. The theme, incidentally, was "Small-town hipsters"and how they moved on to the big cities.

And as I drove on, into the pouring rain, through the granite walls and the oil-black outlines of the Green Mountains against the flashes in the sky, dammit, I developed an appreciation for good country music.

The cracks had been there for a long time, the window ajar slightly from Johnny Cash's sublime ballads and frenetic acoustic jams. But until American Routes, I couldn't admit any such truck.

Square dancing is the most aptly-named cultural activity, perhaps in Western history. Where's the soul? Where's the swing? And Toby Keith and Taylor Swift and the rest of that pop-country ilk? Save it for enhanced interrogations in Guantanamo.

But there's something about the old, sincere, simple candor of K.D. Lang, Allison Krauss, Merle Haggard, or George Jones that works. It's earnest, like the blues...only whiter. 

American Routes is probably the best new radio show I've discovered in ages. But they don't have podcasts, which is intensely frustrating, because it'd make a great soundtrack for running. But you can listen to old shows online, at least, linked to above. 

On the subject of hipsters cloying to old Americana trends (ironically or not), I read an excellent article in Lapham's Quarterly, about the return to farming championed by young middle-class urban types. The article deconstructs a myth the  “'bourgeois nostalgia' pervad[ing] the food-reform movement, as Amy Trubek, an anthropologist at the University of Vermont" examines. The growth of farmer's markets are one of the great trends in America in the past decade, but let's not forget, working in the dirt (and toiling in the kitchen) is frustrating, back-breaking work a lot of the time. My trials and tribulations (and triumphs) of the kitchen, well, that's a subject for another day. 

Because I can't find a proper Leon Redbone video of "Lazy Bones", may I present Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem: 

Update: It turns out that "A Prairie Home Companion" is hilarious. Seriously. Take note.

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Imagine one meter, ten thousand times

I signed up for a 10K (the Merrell Down and Dirty Philadelphia, so named for the obstacles and mud) the other day, fulfilling my reluctant embrace of physical activity. 

I don't love running. I don't hate it either, but why would anyone run when couches are very comfortable? But I digress.

I've been working my way up, from sloth to cheetah, since those halcyon days of yore, a year ago, running on hot days along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. This past year, though, you could find me most often on the treadmill at the ARC (the Urbana-Champaign area not offering the most stunning vistas to runners) trying to break the 9 minute mile. Burlington, Vermont, however--the bike path along Lake Champlain is fantastic.

So here is the challenge: In the next three weeks or so before the Merell Down and Dirty Philadelphia, (1) Be able to run 5K (about 3.1 miles) without having to stop and walk? and (2) Maybe run 10K without having to walk? I think these are modest goals, and will ensure great success (at least in the non-climbing/crawling/slogging portions of the run). 

Incidentally, as I run through Fairmount Park on July 16th, I'll have a chance to reminisce about the those first days in Philadelphia, after I moved out of the Center City Holiday Inn (prime location at 13th and Walnut, plush digs all around) to the Chamonix Youth Hostel (quant, no doubt--it was how I imagine rustic France would look, replete with the affably spartan accommodations) which was NOWHERE NEAR where I worked at the American Red Cross, to my chagrin. This place was literally on the northern edge of a giant park.

So, I'll update from now on, charting my progress (and maybe establishing a habit of updating) every Sunday and Thursday. With photos!

[internate-blog]

From Do to Dunant: Enforcing the Geneva Conventions in the Modern Era

            “To introduce into the philosophy of War itself a principle of moderation would be an absurdity.” So wrote Carl von Clausewitz in the early 19th century, after soldiering in the Napoleonic Wars that engulfed 19th-century Europe. Yet scarcely half a century later, about six hundred miles away from the Kriegsakademie in Berlin, a process began in Geneva, Switzerland that would forever change the way mankind thought about war.

            The first Geneva Convention (“The Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field”) was codified in 1864 and revised in 1906 and 1929; the next, the “Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War,” in 1929 (now the third Convention). Following the ravages of so-called total war—an accurate descriptor for the Second World War—the attentions of the major powers of the world turned to the nascent field of international humanitarian law, to create a new set of Geneva Conventions to govern armed conflict for the future.  

            The Geneva Conventions of 1949—additionally, the second “Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea” and the fourth “Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War”)—can be seen as a success in many ways. All nations that exist today, except for Western Sahara and Hong Kong, have ratified them (the only areas not officially covered are Western Sahara and Hong Kong), and the norms encompassed in the Conventions form the basis for the rights afforded to combatants, civilians, nations, and non-state actors in armed conflict worldwide. The provisions of the Conventions, to modern readers, may seem commonsensical, but the 1949 Conventions are foundational for international law, and absolutely necessary toward the goal of helping contain the tragedy and destruction that (ostensibly) inevitably accompany war and armed conflict.

            Yet the past sixty years have posed challenges to the Geneva Conventions that threaten to undermine the order they have fostered in armed conflict. The major challenges to the Geneva Convention are internal and external.

            Internally, while the Geneva Conventions of 1949 are certainly a step up from their predecessors, they lack mechanisms for enforcement, and contain anachronistic terms and clauses that, while not detracting from the Conventions, dilute and complicate them. When a State Party violates the Conventions, it risks opprobrium from other States Party, but little more. Even where the Geneva Conventions mandate that a State Party prosecute for “grave breaches,” little can be done to compel such prosecution. In addition, the meaning of certain terms, even sixty years after the adoption of the Conventions, remain cloudy and offer uncertain guidance to nations.

The external challenges arise, in large part, from the lack of adaptability of the Conventions to modern combat. They were revised and recreated in large part as a response to the horrors of the Second World War, and reflect the realities of war in an earlier era. While terrorism and guerilla/insurgent warfare (the predominant trends in armed conflict today) are not new phenomena, skeptics argue the 1949 Geneva Conventions are irrelevant today. These may be the most serious challenges to the Conventions, and they require the serious commitment from States Party.

                                                              I

              In 1949, international law was undeveloped, its promoters venturing into a new world with neither a map nor a guide. The United Nations was a mere four years old; before 1949, the International Court of Justice had only heard three cases. It would be two decades until the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties would be adopted. But the Geneva Conventions of 1949 were in their third iteration, having evolved from just ten articles in 1864, following Henri Dunant’s call for humanitarian intervention after witnessing the horrors that followed the Battle of Solferino five years earlier.

            Despite the relative maturity of the 1949 Conventions, the problems that the drafters faced are many of the same ones that persist today. When two persons form a contract and one of them breaches it, the injured party can pursue justice in that state’s court of law. When two nations form a contract and one of them breaches it, the options for redress are limited (or arguably non-existent). The Geneva Conventions of 1949, to their credit, used a novel means to promote justice for what it termed “grave breaches,” the most serious offenses: willful killing, torture, inhuman treatment, behavior designed to cause suffering, and appropriation or destruction of property that is willful and wanton. The Geneva Conventions of 1949 require that states “enact any legislation necessary to provide effective penal sanctions” against perpetrators of these grave breaches. Nations around the world have enacted enabling legislation to enforce these measures.

            The newly created International Criminal Court acts to bring a certain measure of order to armed conflicts, with jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide, and strengthens the normative power of the Geneva Conventions. Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court specially references the Geneva Convention’s “grave breaches” provision in its definition of war crimes. The ICC is unprecedented in human history as a permanent international tribunal with authority to bring perpetrators—soldiers, civilians, and government officials alike—to trial, at the behest of the United Nations Security Council or at the ICC prosecutor’s initiation (if a state is party to the Rome Statute or accepts its jurisdiction).

                                                                        II

              The relevance of the Geneva Conventions in governing armed conflicts today is remarkable, given the rapid evolution of combat in the past sixty years. The Second World War was marked by certain characteristics: direct fighting between organized armies, divided into divisions and fronts, commanded almost entirely by respective national governments. It was a war waged (overwhelmingly, though certainly not solely) by states against states, on the land, in the air, and at sea. As a consequence, the strategy of “total war”—evolving in part during the American Civil War and refined in the First World War—was engineered to a deadly and horrifying efficiency. Total warfare involved the application of military force—i.e. destruction—to military, government, industrial, and civilian targets.  The Nazis, as well as the Japanese, pushed past the boundaries of implicitly acceptable tactics of war, and aggressively attacked neighboring nations, bombing London with little regard for civilian lives and applying the absolute terror that so often accompanies totalitarianism to occupied nations, crimes for which their leaderships would eventually find themselves on the gallows. The political realities of the time meant that to stop the Axis powers, the Allies needed to employ aggressive force of their own (e.g. the fire-bombing of Dresden and Tokyo)—though never extending to intentionally ordered massacres of civilians or POWs, unlike their enemies (excepting, perhaps, some acts of the Soviet Union’s armies, locked in savage combat on the Eastern front). To win the war, the Allies not only destroyed the leadership of Germany and Japan, but also broke the morale and shattered the lives of the citizens of those nations and their allies, culminating in the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The necessity and morality of this strategy is still debated today, but its success is self-evident.

            The overwhelming destruction of the total war strategy—and its withering power against whom it would be applied—was both its intentional and unintentional undoing. The formation of the United Nations, and the rewriting of the Geneva Conventions, would constrain the application of military might in the future. The world no longer stands for indiscriminate bombing and infantry assaults where civilians are present (though, of course, it still occurred in conflicts like Vietnam and in today’s conflicts, but is neither widespread nor considered acceptable). The Geneva Conventions strictly prohibit attacks directed at civilians, wanton annexation or destruction of property, and they guarantee safe passage of medical staff to aid all combatants and civilians. These provisions are both far reaching in scope, and clear in command (though complicated in commission).

As will be noted below, however, weaker militias tend to avoid industrial production of weapons and build-up of structured units (employing asymmetric, or guerilla, warfare). Mao Zedong, in his earlier years during the civil war between the communists and nationalists, wrote that “[guerilla warfare] is a weapon that a nation inferior in arms and military equipment may employ against a more powerful aggressor nation.” Those military forces that wish to counter advanced industrialized nations—e.g. the United States in its battles against the Viet Cong and the Taliban, and the State of Israel in its wars with Hezbollah—have discarded traditional features of combat, like uniforms, chains-of-command, and fixed institutions (such as headquarters and barracks). In direct combat, these combatant groups know that the overwhelming force and superior equipment of advanced industrialized (i.e. Western) nations would quickly put them down, and have, in response, adopted guerilla tactics.

Guerilla soldiers, outwardly indistinct from civilians, can wage a successful war of attrition against a better-trained and equipped enemy in part because of the Geneva Conventions. This is an inadvertent and troubling, but necessary, side effect of the protections for civilians, who are to be shielded from danger. Because guerilla fighters are, by their nature, generally indistinguishable from civilians outside of active fighting, they can move surreptitiously and avoid danger until they are ready to engage in combat, while armies that abide by the Geneva Conventions remain obvious targets.

The pressure on organized militaries grows in asymmetrical combat, in which the enemy is hidden but seemingly omnipresent. The temptation for military leadership to circumvent the Geneva Conventions is appealing and undeniable, where to do so may well save the lives of one’s subordinates. But since to ignore the Conventions overtly leads to moral outrage and international pressure (as well as increasing civilian hostility), this pressure manifests itself in—to borrow a phrase—sometimes cruel and sometimes unusual ways. In the American-Vietnamese War, the frustrations of American soldiers in identifying enemy soldiers lead [NWK2] to events like the My Lai massacre (where soldiers, acting under orders, slaughtered an entire village); in the contemporary conflict in Afghanistan, the Bush Administration crafted legal arguments that would designate captured combatants as unlawful and thus deny them Geneva Convention protections (a strategy rejected judicially by the Supreme Court, to uncertain effect, in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld).

It is generally accepted—certainly, if the Supreme Court’s analysis in Hamdan is any guide—that guerilla fighters, under Common Article 3, receive certain protections when captured. This particular policy was codified in the Additional Protocol 1 (“AP 1”) in 1976.  AP 1 essentially permits armed insurgent groups—fighting an occupying force or a “racist regime”—to travel amongst civilian populations incognito, with arms hidden. Such a force is only required to make themselves known as combatants immediately prior to engaging in combat. To established militaries, which follow 1949 Convention prescriptions, this is anathema. Coalition forces today, in Iraq and Afghanistan, cannot expect that their enemy will be outwardly distinguishable from civilians. This increases the risk that civilians will be mistaken for combatants—see, for example, the “Collateral Murder” video released by WikiLeaks, in which a helicopter pilot fires upon what he believes to be an armed insurgent, who was in reality a photojournalist—or that civilians will be caught in the crossfire.  United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has emphasized the importance of getting non-state actors to comply with the Geneva Convention.

 Compared to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, AP 1 enjoys less official acceptance—169 countries are parties to it, but certain countries—e.g. India, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Singapore, and the United States—to name a few. Generally, non-parties to an agreement—be it a business contract or international treaty—are not bound by it, but in international law, custom has power. Though the United States has neither signed nor ratified AP 1, it considers itself bound by it because it has accepted—no doubt based in part by the still-large number of state parties—that protections to guerillas codified therein are customary international law.

III

  The international relations worldviews of policymakers can impede the progress of international law, as well, especially that known as the “realist” perspective. Realism—sometimes known as realpolitik, as espoused famously by Henry Kissinger when he wrote that “America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests”—suggests that to constrain a state’s sovereignty by treaty or international institution sets a dangerous precedent and undermines a state’s power.  Thus, to a realist, the Geneva Conventions may be, at best, idealistic, and at worst, antithetic to a state’s right of self-defense. Notably, at least three of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—the United States, Russia, and China—have foreign policies that may embody realist principles. In fact, not one of the five permanent members has ratified the Geneva Conventions of 1949 without a reservation or declaration. Unwillingness to surrender a measure of sovereignty, in exchange for a more moral world, aggravates a troubling tendency toward aggression in foreign relations. For international humanitarian law to work, nations will have to commit fully to their implementation and execution.

The future of the Geneva Conventions can be no more clear to mankind than the future of war itself; the two are intertwined. Yet this need not be a discouraging fact. While war has by no means abated under the Geneva Conventions, or under the United Nations, if recent history can be a guide, they are contained, disrupting and destroying fewer lives.

The Democratic Peace Theory (“DPT”) describes the assertion that nations with democratic governments do not go to war with each other. Though critics have suggested a few counter-examples (e.g., the Six-Day War between Lebanon and Israel or Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974), the theory, for the most part, holds true.  Indeed, most of the examples of wars cited by critics had less than two thousand soldiers killed between both sides. Assuming the DPT to be true—or at least that conflicts are minimized—there is, in fact, reason for optimism. According to Freedom House, the number of free countries around the world increased 17 percentage points from 1973 to 2010, to 46% (89 countries); the number of not-free countries decreased from 46% to 24% over the same period (with 47 countries rated “not free” in 2010).

Nonetheless, war remains. Mankind’s efforts to eradicate the disease of violence have fallen short so far—if for no reason than, as Clausewitz noted, that war is the continuation of policy by other means. But the work in taming its wildest, most brutish and red-clawed tendencies is by no means fruitless, as the Geneva Conventions of 1949 have criminalized (normatively, if not always enforceably) the worst acts of war. Perhaps in the face of these two realities, policy-makers and military leaders should remember the wisdom of Sun Tzu: “…to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”

[internate-blog]

I've been a bit busy in the last month, doing research, reading for class, everything you'd expect a 1L to be up to (in the bleak midwinter, anyway).

I offer, humbly, some Mozart in the meantime.

[internate-blog]

While I'm working on "(Re)Enter the Dragon Pt. II" (along with internship applications and research I'm doing...) here's something that accurately captures the Zeitgeist of 2010.

Kanye West's tweets (generally solid) + New Yorker cartoons (always quality): http://kanyenewyorkertweets.com/