Actress - Hazyville

edit c:/hazyville.txt
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With a jolt, you are woken. Your eyes burn. You are lying prone in this wasteland. Your brain goes into overdrive, doing a diagnostic of the situation. It takes a moment for your eyes to register their surroundings. Forms eventually take shape into recognizable landmarks on the terrain.

You life yourself off the dry, cracked ground and dust yourself off. Your tattered clothes and lack shoes are the first thing you notice about yourself. Behind you is the pit. You have no recollection of making your way out of it, but you are glad you are no longer left to rot down there.

Looking ahead you see a door to a small, rusted over shack. With a knock at the door, you attempt to gain the attention of anyone who might be present. After a few attempts, you give up and walk back a bit to gain a better of view of where it is you currently are. Small, sheet metal buildings greet your vision. You realize you are in a shantytown of sorts. A dilapidated sign. 'Hazyville'.

Sounds of static surround you. These sounds are unfamiliar. They are loud. Buzzing. High frequency snarls and snaps invade your brain and form new connections within. It is then you notice the monolithic radio towers in the distance. They are unlike anything you have ever seen. They stretch miles upward, with no sign of a top. Could this be what you are hearing? You don't recall being able to hear radio waves, but you wouldn't be surprised.

The shantytown now looks different as well. It looks oddly futuristic, even for what appeared to be such a desolate state of society.

You do a 180 and face opposite the towers. The sight of a large, metallic city comes into view. Lights flash and swing across the sky above the city. Suddenly, with boom, an engine can be heard. A spiked vehicle approaches with great intensity and makes a stop in front of you. The door opens and you get your first sign of possible life. Or do you? Behind the wheel of the vehicle is a machine. It points to you and then points to the seat behind it and then points to the city. It seems to be asking if you want a lift. You think briefly, and accept the machine's offer.

Miles go by. You are on your way towards civilization as you hear the booming thuds draw ever closer.

Calories: 331.4
Distance: 2.56mi

Andy Stott - Merciless

 '’ €— 7 ņGt † ! Ñ ÇP(∑d y≤õÕ–"6A1¥ W@ä J Å $ ŸP † )ËÄ; "{ S¬ FÊ¡ û• ⁄P % 7A( Ë 6@E¨Å ∫ ËÅ4˘èt ~sm–6ë™Ò?≤ ìd̝͚̭̟̣͖͇ͣ̾e̞̋ͭ̒͟ͅa̶̯͖͉̮͖̩̍ͤ̔ͤͫ̚t͎͚̫̍̄̆́ͭ̚h̬ͭ͜” íy@\¡flɡ M¡ ’ LDÌ ‰^ Ÿ / Ëfl–†START®ÄINGDÿ˝ê0a† ⁄Ë [gs“ cLãREB€b B a rÄOOT@ ?D ÚÅ v@¬ING Ä˙ }P @– Ä nà íÇN˛à$Õ• Åm∫ P Ë €}–0'˚† » ¬ ™ î Å à @ I@êJ ( — › 6≤ Å h Ñ,Å $ s̛̻̿͋ͧ̉͛ͬ̚t̴̸̯̲͕̺͈̠̆̐ͮͅa͛̒̆ͫ͆̔ͣͫ҉̛̳̻̯͍̜̺̱͢r̈҉̱̰͙̱̹̯͍͔t̴̬̲̖͖̱͗ͨ̓̓@f̖ͬ͝u̶͈͔̦͉͖̮͕̔̈ͬ̒̅c̗̗̟̯̤̭̜ͥ̅͢k͕̖̥ͤ̄̚ͅÅ /≤ bb–Å ≈ ùª†m̵̦̳̻͎̝̦ͩ̋̒̐̅̂͘e͚ͦ͐͐ͣ͞r̴̤͓̗̝͚̰̟̉͂̏c͔̘̩͔͍͚̒ͥ͌̉͊i͙̮̖̝͕̟̫͐̇l̰̮̹̪̠͚̺͐̏͊͐ḛ̵̝̜̤͑͑͡s̩͚̫͚̊ͤͭ̂͞s̸̲̱͚͖͍ͤ̋̎̓̍̉ͧͅ†= $†&'¢ ¥ †P$ ˝– ø^ 9@ dˇd Ñ h@è! Óaṅ̢̲̙̳͊̉͂ḑ̝͖̮̟̜̃ͤ̃ͮͅ "ÅLn ìËÄéP ∫◊_¢ ÌÙì ≤ d∏ü˛]êP CCz –Q$∏ ı "]&J yÅ>^® æ[B m¡î Ze ƒ:Ë(ûM–Lÿ ¢ 4í'∫ @ 9 ãÍ O &Û rÅ@ ˇ `»É⁄xA@ͧA€ËÇ :{Ìt `|1 e üÂtvî ≈Ä t ņ † ; $ à@¨Ä@rÄ· ˚¬ ÓÅ ãY ( ( P)≤ ≤ Ä@~® - m̸ptͬi͢ngͭ̃͠ ̸̅ͬͪnͥ̂e̴w͆͒̊̀͋̔̍ ͭ̂pos̈̀҉t͆͂͛̾ͪ.ͬͮ̎ͣͬ͡

c:\

edit c:\merciless.txt
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How far down can you fall before you hit rock bottom? How much can your life be mutilated before you don't like what you are looking at? How does one fix something that was never not broken?

Pushed as far downward as you feel you could go, you stand before yourself in this pit. This consuming pit. Emotions stretched thin. Desires ceased meaning. Hopes lost. Thrown into a seemingly endless downward spiral, life becomes nothing more than a series of pointless events. So is the journey. Coping mechanisms fail to maintain themselves over this arduous time one has. And life crumbles. You attempt to keep yourself busy. Occupied. Motivated. This only lasts as long as you allow it to. Soon motivations crumble too, and everything falls apart. You are at the bottom of the pit. A lifeless husk.


Ỉ̏ͬͣͯ͌͏̩̞̙Ś̝̤̃͋̎ ̱̩̝̯̱̥̦̇I̢͓̰̟̖ͅT̻͔͎͎̪̯ ͈ͦT̳̙̥̓̇ͣͦͩͯ̾ͅH̰̼̥̰̠̘̥̏̈͆ͦͭ̓E̹͔͋͌̅ͦ͟ ̱̌͂ͨ̏ËN̝̭̺͙̯͉̅̔̍̒̇̓D̫͑͑̉̀ ̙ͤT̥͈̜̝̝̩̊̍̽̉́H̛͍͈̲͋ͥ̈ͥ̓́O̗̼̬͊̀U̼̤̳̪͗̌̍̀̚͜G̛ͦ̒ͯ̐͋H̛̲͍̹͔̟͉́?̛̈


No. There is a pulse. A slow, churning pulse. A pace is kept up. Slowly building upon each variation of itself, it continues. It doesn't lift you out of the rubble you currently reside in, though. Only keeps you going. Only allows you to wallow in this dread you have exhumed over the years of loathsomeness. You are not dead, though. The pulse remains.

Crash. Light breaks through. You are illuminated. This light shows you what you are. What you have become. It shows you just how long you have been in this pit of desolateness. You are pale. Weak. Nothing.

Then the warmth comes through. It begs you to return. To try again. To make everything right again. Its outstretched hand is shown to you, hoping that you take it in yours. It knows another opportunity is not likely, so it offers you mercy.

Your past misgivings have made you cynical. You think nothing can fix you. You think life is merciless. Why should you take this offer? What good could come from taking it? What do you have to prove to it? You ask yourself these questions before your mind goes blank. You reach forward and put your hand into the warmth and pull yourself out of the wreckage.

A new beginning.

Calories: 380.8
Distance: 3.00mi

Death Grips - The Money Store

What's really left to say about this album? It's been analyzed to death, put on pedestals of grandeur, and blows some systems real good. Tonight I decided to workout to my personal favorite album of 2012 so far. (DGNLDW33 COMING SOON) The Money Store is sheer bombastic, penetrating experimental hip-hop that is as sharp as the knives MC Ride uses to cut you to pieces.

The real money makers on this album are "Get Got", "The Fever (Aye Aye)", "I've Seen Footage", "System Blower", and "Hacker". They are the fastest and equally most hard hitting on the album, and will cause you to forget what you are doing and lock in on the noise that is obliterating your ears. Those tracks got me up to the fastest I've ever run when not being actively pursued by something.

Stay noided.

Calories: 400.0
Distance: 2.98mi

Liars - Liars

Holy shit is this album intense. Right out of the gate I was sprinting like my life depended on it. Like I was out for blood. The intensity never really lets up either, which really got my adrenaline pumping. The loud, wailing guitars, the punctuated drumming sitting below thick bass lines and heavy distortion. Each song has it's own sense of style, sometimes being a noisy as possible, other times just content to slow it down slightly for some funkiness. Liars really hit their stride here, and made me hit my stride too.

I ran my quickest mile (and two miles) so far and almost instantly could tell this album was something to be cherished for my workout times. Guttural. Visceral. Stunning. Perfect.

Calories: 362.7
Distance: 2.83mi

Guided By Voices - Propeller

This being the predecessor to Guided By Voices' smash-hit Bee Thousand, I was left wondering what this could possibly sound like by comparison. Considering how lo-fi and in some ways destroyed Bee Thousand was, it's sort of odd to hear them play sweeter and catchier songs, but still have that low fidelity sound that Guided By Voices is known for. I really enjoyed what I heard on this album. The short songs allow for the album to slide in and out of sounds quickly, which keeps you on your toes. It never drags which is exactly what I want from a workout album. I feel this album is perfect for a jog and sometimes jams hard enough for me to sprint. Loved it.

Calories: 328.1
Distance: 2.55mi

Iceage - New Brigade

Yes! I have returned from my sort of forced vacation. My plan for the rest of August is to do at least five albums a week, getting back to my original intention for this blog. When September hits I'm unsure of the fate of this blog as college will be absorbing my resources in a way I've never experienced. But that is then and this is now! One could say this upcoming month contains a New Brigade of albums. (I'm so sorry.) But enough about my exploits in life, what the hell did I think of Iceage's debut album?

I thought it was fantastic. The aspect I thought was most interesting on this album was the drumming. It's relentless, non-stop, and hypnotic. The guitars are absolutely noisy, howling and screaming over everything, which may sound like a blase way to describe a punk rock album, but I digress. The music on display in these 24 minutes comes off as overwhelmingly triumphant and perfect for a well needed sprint to the finish line.

Calories: 212.3
Distance: 1.64mi

Robyn - Body Talk

Body Talk does what I expected it to. It provides a large amount of accessible electropop tunes that I could hear my sister listening to with her friends at a party in a sea of Ke$ha and Katy Perry. What I didn't expect was for it to do it so well and make me want more. The album is over 60 minutes long and provides a near constant stream of dance floor hits that will easily get stuck in your head. The phat beats and bubblegum aesthetics are there, but never take over any song too much to leave a bad taste in my mouth.

In the physical sense, this album works astonishingly well. Well over forty minutes into the album I found my song that really sent this album over the edge into the perfect zone, "U Should Know Better" which features Snoop Dogg. This song in particular made me want to get up and sprint it out. This album is what all pop albums should strive for. Accessibility mixed flawlessly with strong song writing and attitude that just make you want to get off your feet and dance.

Calories: 533.2

Distance: 4.15mi

The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works

This album, while on the exterior may seem very brutal to anyone with no knowledge of metal, upon closer inspection actually presents a compelling argument for anyone who does't normally listen to metal. The way this album glitches out sometimes and sounds very isolating but still rough around the edges is very engaging. Occasionally the screaming is toned down for more melodically sung portions, which are nice, but surprisingly left me wanting to hear more of the screaming. There is something about the vocals on this album that I just really liked.

As far as a workout is concerned, this album is fantastic. The unrelentingly fast tempo gave me a lot of time to sprint to my heart's content. To anyone with a passing interest in metal, I would highly suggest this album. I would go as far as to say it's a perfect metal album for working out.

Calories: 345.7
Distance: 2.70mi

They Might Be Giants - Lincoln

After listening to Lincoln, there wass absolutely no way I could give it anything but a perfect score. It's consistently delightful and constantly morphing into other genres in ways that just put a smile on my face. Some songs sound like your more typical (but still amazing) alternative rock while others sound like almost accordion-laced sea shanties. The shorter song structures make the album have fly by at break-neck speed whilst keeping it fresh and highly entertaining.

I went all out on this album. I started strong and never slowed. This album is so far the album to beat.

Calories: 381.3
Distance: 3.00mi

Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary

Musically, Apologies To The Queen Mary is not all too dissimilar to something you'd hear from an earlier Modest Mouse. This is not surprising, due to the fact Isaac Brock produced this album. The vocal delivery is reminiscent of him as well, but not to the point where I'd feel like I'd rather be listening to a Modest Mouse album. The album's strength comes down to its instrumentation. The guitars are fast and heavy, making for an album that never drags and never really restrains itself.

I think this album is a perfect workout album. Its perfection comes down to the fact that it gives me exactly what I wanted. When I wanted a fast song, it delivered. When I wanted a cool down song, it delivered. It left me yearning for more even at its fairly long length.

Calories: 427.9
Distance: 3.34mi

Isolée - We Are Monster

Clocking in at just under an hour and just ten tracks, We Are Monster sounds like it would be a disastrous album to workout to. This is not the case at all, in fact with its phat beats and funky rhythms I felt as though this album wasn't as long. The spliced vocals of many of the songs add a certain wordless class that you just don't find on many albums.  It's hard to really quantify why else I think this album was perfect, it just ended up pushing me to my limit.

Calories: 517.7
Distance: 4.00mi

Bear In Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth

Bear Rest Forth Mouth is an engulfing experimental rock record that really shocked me. I was expecting it to be just another experimental rock album, but was surprised with its use of electronic flourishes and its amount of indie rock choruses. I can't easily pin down any other describable styles; you'll just have to trust me when I say its an empowering record. I felt compelled to give this workout session my all, and this record delivered perfectly.

Calories: 360.0
Distance: 2.81mi

Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You

If I were to have describe Max Tundra's music in one word, it would definitely be 'quirky'. The eccentricities of Max Tundra come from break-neck tempos, falsetto vocals, chiptune-esque styling, and the ability to have very hyper electronic music that doesn't come off as feeling corny in the slightest. The music often gives me an almost nostalgic feeling, which may be because it sounds like a video game that may or may not be glitching out furiously. Even in it's sprawling eleven minute finale, Parallax Error Beheads You never drags because new sounds are constantly being introduced, fleshed out, and iterated upon in inventive ways. Lightning has struck twice this week, and perfection is the result.

Calories: 361.2
Distance: 2.80mi

Wild Beasts - Two Dancers

Two Dancers is probably the most fun I've had with an album since Thunder, Lightning, Strike and I was pretty much dancing to it while running. The jangly percussion provides a nice momentum throughout and provides a fun environment that will often have you chanting along. The dramatic vocals combined with the superbly clean production provide for an album that has an air of class but still kicks ass. It's another perfect workout album for me.

Calories: 323.8
Distance: 2.50mi

Thee Oh Sees - Help

Help is my first venture into alternative noise rock group Thee Oh Sees. I was initially expecting just another loud and maybe dark rock band, but this album's content perfectly matches its cover. It's an ultra fun jam from start to finish. With a female vocalist proving backup melodies, punchy guitars, heavy percussion, and even flutes occasionally, this album strives for energy and succeeds on all counts. It's just pure, unadulterated fun. That's why I believe I have discovered yet another perfect workout album.

Calories: 312.9
Distance: 2.43mi

Destroyer - Streethawk: A Seduction

Destroyer never ceases to amaze me. Every album sounds different, but oddly united in a sense. I went into Streethawk knowing very little other than a rough album length and a liking of Dan Bejar's previous work, but came out with poorly-scrawled barely legible notes of what I felt I needed to say about the album. Here is what I ended up writing:

• Lack of knowledge is better
• Piano
• Effortlessly Complex
• Vibrant
• Intricate
• Lush
• Rise / Fall
• Actor (In regards to Dan's vocal delivery)
• Drum Line
• Thought Provoking
• Spacious
• Chant
• Perfection

Calories: 386.7
Distance: 3.00mi

No Age - Nouns

Nouns is the first album so far to push me to what I believe is my physical limit, for now at least. This album provided a nice assortment of noisy indie-rock songs that made me literally say to myself "I have to run to this." That is why I believe this is yet another perfect workout album.

Calories: 249.4
Distance: 2.02mi

Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene

This album was a blast to workout to. It had a lot of  neat instrumentation and interesting song structures. I enjoyed the faster songs as well the quieter and slower songs. Despite its long length, it still makes for a perfect workout album.

Calories: 470.9
Distance: 4.04mi

The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike

This album is absolutely packed to the brim with fun. From the wide array of instrumentation, to the upbeat nature, to the scratching that appears frequently, to the plethora of easily recognizable but not overtly obvious samples. This album had me bobbing my head to the beat throughout its entirety. This is a perfect workout album.

On the compressed list, I have added a fourth style to the rating scheme. Blue indicates a perfect workout album. I also may add a link to just perfect workout albums in the future. Let me know what you think.

Calories: 273.0
Distance: 2.25mi