Overspecific

[bullseyecontestants]

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bullseyecontestants:

Bully’s Prize Board - the shortest amount of time anyone has ever owned a trouser press

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Another Spider...

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John Francis Hylan

Yes... I'm procrastinating on the internet again and I've come across this man. John Francis Hylan was Mayor of New York between 1917 and 1925. As mayor, Hylan railed against "the interests" and put in motion the building of a publicly owned and operated subway system, which became the a division of the New York City Subway.

The main reason why I became interested in him is because of this speech he made in 1922:

'The real menace of our Republic is the invisible government, which like a giant octopus sprawls its slimy legs over our cities, states and nation. To depart from mere generalizations, let me say that at the head of this octopus are the Rockefeller-Standard Oil interests and a small group of powerful banking houses generally referred to as the international bankers. The little coterie of powerful international bankers virtually run the United States government for their own selfish purposes.

‘They practically control both parties, write political platforms, make catspaws of party leaders, use the leading men of private organizations, and resort to every device to place in nomination for high public office only such candidates as will be amenable to the dictates of corrupt big business.

‘These international bankers and Rockefeller-Standard Oil interests control the majority of the newspapers and magazines in this country. They use the columns of these papers to club into submission or drive out of office public officials who refuse to do the bidding of the powerful corrupt cliques which compose the invisible government. It operates under cover of a self-created screen [and] seizes our executive officers, legislative bodies, schools, courts, newspapers and every agency created for the public protection.

He garnered the nickname 'Red Mike' as obviously supporting any form of public ownership or criticising powerful people and multi-nationals means that you are a communist.  Personally, I like the sound of him.

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Spider chilling out in my back garden

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Hubert Lee - Mind Control

I'm spending Sunday afternoon procrastinating on the Internet (again) and I've come across this in the British Pathe archives. This is Hubert Lee who, according to this video, could talk to any animal and command them to perform any task, we'll OK, he made a few of them look agitated. I can't find any other mention of this man on the Internet but i'd assume he isn't 'real' as this newsreel is all very tongue in cheek, especially with the comment at the end regarding the Koala with rickets.

ANIMAL HYPNOTIST

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Untitled Fruit Company #12 - Confessions of an Economic Hitman

OK here we are. The last song of the Untitled Fruit Company Album and Its an epic 6 minuter! I actually wrote this song on a guitar back In September 2007, shortly after I got back from the States and also as the Economic Crisis was starting to unfold (ah, how fondly we now look back on the period known as the Credit Crunch), hence the title and lyrical content. I then layered Synths melodies and Arpeggiated nonsense over the top and left it in a bit of a mess until last year when I started trying to put order into the chaos that I had created.

The song is based on a repeating loop which I try to build up every time it starts again apart from the last 90 seconds which is a 303 sequence that I also wrote around the same time and seem to work well as a fitting ending. Admittedly there is a lot going on in this song so trying to mix and equalise it has been nothing short of a nightmare but I think the song works well as a conclusion.

Confessions of an Economic Hitman by UntitledFruitCompany

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Untitled Fruit Company #11 - The Bitter Woods

I wrote and recorded this song when I first got my Ukulele back in early 2008. I was going to re-record it but I didn't see much point as it's quite a simple song and I like the Lo-Fi demo feel to it. The Vocals and Ukulele were recorded live and I added the organ, Bass Guitar and back-up vocals afterwards.

The lyrics are inspired from reading 'The Bitter Woods' by John S. D. Eisenhower which is an extensive history of the Battle of the Bulge. It details many first-person testimonies from that harsh winter of 1944 and specifically what it was like living in a foxhole in the Ardennes Forest in deep snow and knowing that, in some places, the enemy were also sheltering in their own foxholes a few metres away. In the space of 3 months, there were 80,000 casualties, many of whom never left the Forest.

Bitter woods by UntitledFruitCompany

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Untitled Fruit Company #10 - Context and Meaning

This was another song composed (mainly) on my laptop and sampler. This song is probably one of my favourites even though It's all in the Key of F and pretty much the same rhythm and melody all the way through. I'd say the song had more clarity and direction from the simple fact that there aren't loads of arrangements all fighting to be heard at the same time. Monotony is the new Variety!

Only two more songs to go now.

Context and Meaning by UntitledFruitCompany

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Untitled Fruit Company #9 - Ox Bow Lakes

This was written and recorded back at the end of 2008 with musical direction from my friend Ricky. I've only now just revisited it and mixed it.

The verse vocals were sung in the middle of the night. The idea was to whisper it without waking everyone up to give the impression of an enclosed space.

The lyrics were inspired by some of Dostoevsky's short stories I was reading at the time. Its meant to be about a 19th century con-man/Priest/Gambler who is raising funds to build a new church but skips town with the money. The townsfolk eventually find him hiding out and take him to prison where he eventually sees the errors of his ways and proposes to pay back the town by really building a church for the town...Or is he?

Ox Bow Lakes by UntitledFruitCompany

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Untitled Fruit Company #8 - Little Lights

This song was mainly conceived using my SP-404 sampler, my laptop and my Kaoss Pad. The sampler was full of noises i'd concocted and along with the Kaoss Pad I was able to layer my vocals on top of each other to create a choir-like effect. I recorded myself playing various combinations of the samples for what seemed like hours and then edited it down to about 4 minutes. The song was heavily influenced by Panda Bear who I was listening to a fair bit in the summer of 2009.

I ended up sticking in a chorus to this song when I revisted the veritable mess of samples a few months later and I'm still unsure as to whether it was needed, as in all honesty it is the most half-arsed piece of song writing I have ever done; I simply did the blindingly obvious chord sequence of F,C,G,C,F,C,G. Let's just hope I get over the humiliation one day.

Little Lights by UntitledFruitCompany

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Untitled Fruit Company #7 - Deep Blue Sea

This was Written back in 2009 on the Ukulele using made-up chords as I've never really tried to learn any 'real' ones. The second part of the song is basically me mucking about with my laptop and synthesizer which I did a few months later. About a year after this, I attempted to mix it but I could never get it to sound like the song in my head. I spent the last week re-mixing from scratch and its getting better. The Ukulele could do with being re-recorded but I like the fact you can hear the seat I'm sitting on creaking in the background.

Deep Blue Sea by UntitledFruitCompany

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Running Playlist 04-06-2011

The Doors. I just don't get The Doors.. I've tried but I just don't particularly like them and I don't particularly rate Jim Morrison as being a great lyricist although his voice was alright (I suppose, if I was pushed to say something positive).. Its a good Job the millions of fans who do like The Doors disagree with me, otherwise I would be right.

Hunted by a Freak – Mogwai – 6.5

Cloud 9 – The Temptations – 9.0

Atlas – Battles – 9.3

We Laugh Indoors – Death Cab for Cutie – 6.6

Oolaa – Orbital 8.4

Baby – Os Mutantes – 7.3

Shady Lane – Pavement – 7.0

Break on Through – The Doors – 3.0

True Faith – New Order – 7.0

Plus Ones – Okkervil River – 6.1

Found a Job – Talking Heads – 8.6

Memory Boy – Deerhunter – 8.6

Cannonball – The Breeders – 7.5

Look Out, There’s a Monster Coming – Bonza Dog Doo-Dah Band – 6.2

One Dimension – Simian – 6.3

Total Playlist Score – 7.16

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Untitled Fruit Company #6 - Isolator

The main sequence of this song dates back to 2004. It had then lain dormant on my MC-303 until 2009. Just before I packed-up and moved to my new flat, I recorded the Bass line and and added the sound-scape that makes up the introduction of the song. I then promptly forgot about it again until last summer.

The track really didn't go anywhere after the first 2 minutes so I decided to use my sampler, it's on-board effects and the Kaoss Pad to sample the first half of the song to create the second half of the song. Most of the second half is played live (if you can call knob-twiddling playing live) and recorded 'as is' so I did little cleaning up or editing after I recorded it.

The words are meant to conjure up my state of mind when i'm in that period of being excruciatingly tired but still not able to switch off and fall asleep.

Isolator by UntitledFruitCompany

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Are you Sure you want to cancel your MySpace Account?

After pressing 5 different cancel buttons and then this putrid email, my account has still not been deleted, So you're damn right I am sure.

I spend half my life bad-mouthing Rupert Murdoch so I was being a complete hypocrite by even having a barely used MySpace account. I also don't particularly like receiving smart ads that show me fence posts from B&Q because 2 hours earlier I was looking at some on their website. It's more intrusive than someone reading over your shoulder on public transport.

Facebook, you're next.

You're… leaving us?

I........ am Yes

Sure you're ready to let go of your friends, music, and that profile design you spent so much time creating?

Yes, none of the people that have added my stagnant myspace profile are my friends and to be honest, I only spent half an hour making my profile design. I waste more time each day looking for my mobile phone which I often displace especially as I could use the land-line to find it.

Canceling your account means your profile and all your content will be removed from Myspace and you can't get it back!

Yeah, i'm quite aware of that, although I doubt it's gone forever is it? - I mean, I might have left valuable information on it which you'd have backed up recently and you're not going to put yourself out to delete it. No offence but News International has a bit of a reputation for theft of personal data and information.. Thankfully the only personal information is my 3rd email address which i use to direct all my spam too and anyone who has bought my information from bastards like you. 

Why not preserve your profile, playlists and photos by deleting your friends and changing your privacy setting to "Only my friends?" That way, you can still enjoy using Myspace Music and Video and if you ever want to come back, it's here waiting for you!

As I said before, I don't have any real friends on MySpace and anyway who actually still uses Myspace for crying out loud? Behind all the ads and guff, I can just about make out profiles saying "Look at me! - Hey! Yes,You! Look at me!!" And secondly, do you know how many 'are you sure?' questions I had to say yes to, just to get to the stage of receiving a cancellation email? I wouldn't have gone through all that bullshit if I didn't really want to cancel my account. God, you're stupid but then MySpace is quite as great as it once was... You're a bit like the Internet equivalent of Gary Glitter.

If you're sure you want to let go, confirm the cancelation of your account by clicking the link below. Once clicked, we will schedule your account deletion, which may take up to 24 hours.

For GODS SAKE, YES I WANT TO BLOODY GO.. I clicked the link before I even read this godawful email.

[I have deleted the link, obviously]

We hate to see you go, but we hope you have fun out there.

F@!* OFF NEWS INTERNATIONAL - In fact the only think I like about MySpace is the fact its now worth a lot less than when Murdoch bought it.. £580 million?? hahahahahahahaha..... You have no idea how happy this makes me.

See you around,

Erm, no you won't, haven't you been listening? - seems kind of ironic for News International considering all the phone hacking you do?

Your friends at Myspace

Ok, so i clicked the link and again you are asked me to reconfirm, I was so exasperated that I was past caring. Then I'm told it will take 48 hours to delete my account? 48 HOURS? - That is a 100% Increase on the MAXIMUM estimated time quoted in your email.. Shame the profit margin for MySpace didn't have the same increase, eh?

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Untitled Fruit Company #5 - Atmospheric Railway

This song only just made the cut. Its the first song that i've written on a piano (hence the rudimentary chords) so that's at least some sort of achievement.

I wrote the main part of the song last summer but it's only recently that I put some words and melody to it (Friday, to be precise). The chorus-type part is from a much older (reject) song which I felt was worth keeping because of the guitar part which is me doing my best Pavement impression.

Incidentally, the song is the same length of time it takes for me to walk to my local shop to get the newspaper in the morning.

Atmospheric Railway by UntitledFruitCompany

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Running Playlist 21-05-2011

In The flowers – Animal Collective – 6.8

Going to a Town – Rufus Wainwright – 4.0

Texaco Bitches – Broken Social Scene – 8.0

Computer Song – Jim Noir – 7.0

Higher Ground – Stevie Wonder – 7.8

Nothing Ever Happened – Deerhunter – 9.0

Sick of Goodbyes – Sparklehorse – 7.3

Trading Things In – Voluntary Butler Scheme – 7.8

Decent Days and Nights – Futureheads – 7.1

Nothing But Green Lights – Tom Vek – 8.3

Beautiful Dreamer – Mates of State – 7.0

Crystal Lake – Grandaddy – 7.2

Girlfriend is Better – Talking Heads – 8.4

Race for the Prize – Flaming Lips – 8.4

Electricity – Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band – 6.8

It Love Forever? – Spoon – 8.0

Spare Parts Express – Orbital – 8.9

Total Playlist Score – 7.51

[andfallinlovewithyourself]

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eddtron:

Yukivr13:

Today I was at the assembly of my city (Valencia). The place was full of people, youth and old, and at first I though that everything would be a chaos but I was wrong, everyone was peaceful and the assembly was good organized. At first, the representative of the camp...