M.I.A.-Arular and Piracy Funds Terrorism

I met M.I.A. outside of the Apple store in Chicago and thought she was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. Then she talked to me about my favorite track of hers (Amazon, but only maybe), then signed my brother's copy of Hard Times. Anyways, I stumbled upon this in the process of unpacking gear so I decided I'd post her album along with the mixtape that made her internet famous (meaning a bunch of people talk about her but doesn't equate into real world fame or sales). It's a boomshakalaka of minimalist beats grinding up against bongos, chimes, Rocky horns, revup guitars, and M.I.A's sexualized if-Madonna-was-a-rapper voice. Every song is a gem and the album just gets better the more you listen to it.

M.I.A-Arular
M.I.A-Piracy Funds Terrorism

Note: M.I.A. totes her badge of terrorism on her sleeve, but the name of her EP could be an indication that she'd hang your butthole on a glasspole then smash it in if she found you with her bootlegged record. Beware.

By the by, MIA has some pretty cool limited edition sneakers that worth just looking at. She also has some really pencil cases and such on her official website, but it's not working right now.

EP I'm Sorry 2001

Beatles-Dear Prudence
My Bloody Valentine-Soon
Feist-Mushaboom
Matt Uleman-Tristram Theme (From Diablo)
Lush-Lovelife

(This was originally supposed to be a "Stace, I Love You!" as yelled by a guy in the rain (possibly Matt McConaughey, but probably the guy from Smallville) to the girl he betrayed (i.e. setup by jealous guy/girl or battling some inner demon) mix but that got deleted, along with the location of the picture I was going to use, so instead I used some cool songs I had ready to post and this loser's (jk....?) picture, which happens to be awesome. A perfect collection of illuminating light breaking its waves against holed-out darkness, swirling around in a pool of black and white & Berlin-hued colors. Check it out.

incredi's deviantART site

Arrested Development Season 3

Arrested Development Season 3 is out if you didn't already know. It's been out for about a week, and has sold out at some Best Buys. Pick up your copy of the best TV show of all-time.

Dad, It's About The Car

EP For Now

Shugo Tokumera-Mist
Edan-The Promised Land
Brian Eno-The Big Ship
Madonna-Dear Jessie
Roxy Music-To Turn You On

Picture above composed by Francisco Perez. His hip-hop meets Disney coloring book style is really, really cool (hip-hop style anything in art I'm immediately attracted towards; I'm still surprised more people don't gravitate towards this besides video games completely missing the energy and color of hip-hop and instead just adding zippers and dull denim). He has some really creative, free flowing pieces that I would love to see applied to a comic book, especially his "Sabotage" era Beastie Boys-ish work. Soaring, indeed.

deviantART Page
Personal Website

Cool Artist of Today: Steve Osorto

Really, really cool artist making hip pieces that are pretty damn neat to look at and imagine on your skateboard/skateboard T. Funny and sketched, like a great underground comic you discovered at the bottom of a comic pile and snicker that you're the only one who knows of it.

deviantART link
Personal Site

Today's EP

Each day (maybe a few times a day) we'll a post a little EP sized package of jams.

Funkadelic-Super Stupid
AC/DC-Shoot To Thrill
Pail Saints-Insubstantial
Medine-Sweet Explosion
Jesus & The Mary Chain-Some Candy Talking

Photo comes courtesy of JapanWindow.com, Andy Gray's portal into the quaint moments of being a family man in Japan (as seen above). Make sure to check it out.

Jay-Z: The Blueprint

My favorite Jay-Z record, bar none. A classic rollup of old-school rat-ta-tat soul, giving it a timeless edge that hip-hop, notoriously known for right-here-right-now only mentality, usually misses, as well as neo-internet prodoction wizards (Kanye, Just Blaze, Timbaland, Eminem) fast-forwarding those crunchy soul vibes into the present and beyond. Barnburner singles H to the Izzo and Girls, Girls, Girls are here in all their marching down 5th avenue street then throwing rocks at the window of your crush's window glory, but they're only part of a greater package: Eminem and Jay-Z's Renegade (where Jay gets destroyed by Eminem), Heart of the City, The Ruler's Back, and Songcry are even better. This is the peak.

Jay-Z: The Blueprint

Note: Jay actually owns a record company so you better believe he's gonna be gunning for your ass if he finds you with this. Beware.

Angry Nintendo Nerd: We Have To Post Him Too

He's everywhere and now here to. Enjoy the glory of pretty much listening to what you yourself say while playing games.

Castlevania 2
Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles
The Karate Kid
Back To The Future
Roger Rabbit
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Your Husband Says He Hasn't Flushed The Toilet Yet Because He's Letting It "Soak"

Portishead-Live In NYC

Portishead is the kind of music you might expect to A) be raped to, B) drive in the rain after you've done something really wrong, C) watch anything, TV or movie, from the early '90s to. Spooky, grimy, intense, drizzles of soft trip-hop beating against your car window as you drive off to kill the guy you don't know for something they did to someone you know, as some kind of hand-me-down revenge ala 21 Grams. And that's just their studio recordings. Live In NYC is a tour de force of Portishead, a tiny band, colliding with a twenty-two piece orchestra to create a stirring sweaty-in-your-winter-jacket creation, a ghostly beauty. If you thought Beth Gibbons sound gorgeously soul chilling before, wait'll you check this out.

Portishead-Live In NYC

Note: Also be sure to check out their essential Dummy, which is trillions times Silent Hill awesome as well. Portishead was a cool bunch of duders so I'd buy their records if you just want to look cool to your 21 and below friends after popping in your Pail Saints records.

You Left New York For This!?!?!

Rion Nakaya is young, beautiful, and a traitor!!!! Redcoat! She used to photoblog through an amazing photoblog at rion.nu from New York City, but now she's left for Paris and gotten even better than she was before, that bitch! Seriously, I'm a loser who does nothing but putz around on the internet looking at every photo and art blog there is and this is one of my absolute favorite anythings on the net, right up there with 1Up Yours and Petey Greene over there on YouTube. The ol' city may have lost another great blogger with an awesome amount of disposable income (she's in Tokyo right now, riffing off some awesome photos, making lust for more like Sean Penn in Shanghai Surprise (sorry for the Pitchfork-ish reference)). If you haven't checked out the Photobloggies' winner yet, don't feel so bad. She's French (nener nener nener....sob,sob,sob).

Rion.Nu

My Wallet's Video Game Thunder Rape For The Year

PS2: Okami, Rule of Rose, Rogue Galaxy (rumoured for next year but whatever), Persona 3 (early 2007, plus here's what it looks like when you call a summon for the first time), Socom 4, Bully, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (Retro buy), Final Fantasy 12, God of War 2 (early 2007), Yakuza

360: 360 Console, 360 controller, XBox Live, Gears of War, F.E.A.R., Half-Life 2, Lego Star Wars 2, Oblivion, Mass Effect ftw early next year (maybe)

Wii/Gamcube: Twilight Princess, Wii Sports, Metroid Prime 3, Super Paper Mario, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros (early 2007), Sonic: Wild Fire

DS: Zelda:Lunar Knights, Phantom Hourglass, Contact, Castlevania:Portrait of Ruin, Final Fantasy 3, Yoshi's Island 2, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl (early 2007), Elite Beat Agents, Kirby DS

And I'm sure the list will only become higher and higher in the near future once I kill the family next door and sell their stuff (when it comes to video games the world suddenly becomes Mad Maxish). I hate November...

P.S. Make sure to buy Okami, the game pictured above, on Sept. 19 for $39.99.

Kid Covered Their Walls In Their Own Crap Again

To Here Knows Web

So goes the name of the best My Bloody Valentine site on the net. My Bloody Valentine anything is scarce and hard to come across so when you get something like this it's much love. Interviews, tabs, solid forums, even some stabs at the lyrics of the songs, this site gives MBV junkies like myself at least something to go in hopes of that MBV reunion coming to a festival, someday, if you believe, near you.

To Here Knows Web

Roxy Music-Avalon

This is Roxy Music at their most make-out. With Eno long out of the way to freak things up, Brian Ferry was free to dispense all the shoulder bumping up 'n down jams he could ever wish for. Supplied with the big hits More Than This and Avalon this record was bound to be the band's American breakthrough, even as it would end up being their last (until their re-union which is pretty awesome with Ferry looking and sounding amazing). With big stomps of loving laced everywhere and broken up in between by mysterious light instrumental interludes, it's a shame Sofia Coppola took away some of this album's hipness by making it ultra-hip (one of my favorite flicks by the way, screw you Hipinion). It still blows my mind out that in today's 80s-so-bad-it's-good love fest, nobody has come around rocking like the ultimate cocktail hour band. Listen and you'll see what I mean. Also, watch the More Than This video and check for the right when the song goes into it's 1 1/2 minute music outro, when Ferry does that duh-duh mimic to the bass line while swaying in the ring of fire. Coolest part in any video ever.

Roxy Music-Avalon

Videos: More Than This, Avalon

Note: This another of those albums you really should buy just because Roxy's album covers always rocked, hot momma's seducing you through plastic and paper, even though this one has more of a Tom Cruise's Legend vibe to it. Also, it makes you look cool when placed next to Loveless and Amerikkka's Most Wanted. Find Ferry and give him $10. Please support all bands we post by finding your local star map and hunting them down.

U2- All That You Can't Leave Behind

This could, and probably will, inflame a few people, but I absolutely love this album, to the point where it's one of my all-time favorite U2 records. Let me make something kinda clear first-my life blows. It doesn't blow in the sub-Sahara flies on my face way or getting my mom blown up in the middle of the streets way, but in the relatives that live in Indiana kinda way. Fact: the Midwest is the anal leakage of America, a wormhole plunged deep in my ass that leaks out oversized snoopy sweater hell like a sewage line exploding in the middle of a Chicago summer. So when a record comes around that's like a big giant Hallmark card that doesn't make me feel like I'm listening to Celine Dion, I'll take it.

The song names roll off like every motivational speaker's wet dream (Beautiful Day, Stuck In A Moment, Walk On) and have the same effect as hearing said speaker in Madison Square Garden, supplied by day-go tinted Titontrons. It's soaring, mega-anthemic, Eno and Lanois touched, and very springish, a great record to listen to in either May, September, or October. Yeah, the record really sucks in the second half, and yeah, it's your mom's kind of U2, but I don't care, it's a beautiful day, man! Haters be gone, I love this album.

U2- All That You Can't Leave Behind

Videos-Beautiful Day, Stuck In A Moment, Elevation, Walk On, Making of Beautiful Day 1, 2, Special

My Favorite Zelda Ever

As the release date for Twilight Princess draws nearer to being revealed (I swear to God Nintendo is horse's dong in a cofee grinder for thinking they're "building the hype therefore making us more excited" by not telling us when we can purchase their damn stuff. I hate/need Nintendo), I thought I share a little knowledge: Link's Awakening is my favorite Zelda ever. Released for the Gameboy back in the 19digity2, and re-released for the GBS in 1998, and forever coded on high school kid's calculators, this game has ruined my eyes more than any Tom Berenger film ever wish it could.

The plot is simple: Zelda goes on an adventure, then gets shipwrecked on a mysterious island, saved by a woman who resembles the love of his life with 50 First Date syndrome, Zelda. Only this isn't an island, it's a dream. So Link has to travel across the land beating up goons who weren't doing anything wrong to retrieve eight magical instruments to awaken the Wind Fish. It has the awesome controls, dungeons, items, secrets, and the absolute best Zelda world ever. Koholint is a surreal world that mashes past tense with present tense, Europe Kiki's Delivery Service style and richly colored King Arthur, Kiki town and talking animal town, crocidiles that love dog food, telephones right in the middle of game worlds where you're shooting bows and arrows off. Simple gameplay bundled with complex thinking. It's a classic that's sure to be released on Nintendo's Virtual Console in the near future (please bundle this with Twilight Princess, please, please, please, please, please, please,please) but until that gets announced (BASTARDS!!! I'll kill you, every last one of you!!!) you can hunt it down on either the GBC or original gameboy and pay practically nothing for it. Or you could hunt down the rom and emulator, which I hear you can play on either or PSP or DS...

P.S. Here's an awesome Zelda site black and white cool-ly called The Legend of Zelda. It has oogles and oogles of original Zelda art work (from Nintendo, that is), game manual screens, and tons, tons, tons more. Great, great site.

What You're Thinking About When Your Wife's Talking About Her Day

Prince-Sign O' The Times

My all-time favorite Prince album, this sprawling world of insanity is Prince at his most watershed. Certainly not as tight as Purple Rain (which feels like a double album itself), but certainly more jubilant and purple sky piercing. Equipped with hits like the title track and Housequake, the album runs the gauntlet from perkily sad pop twinged with regret (I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man), taking it in slowly ballads (Slow Love), and twinkle bell tinkled jams on being yourself (Starfish & Coffee). Amazingly packed to the gills with Prince's effortless ability to do anything and everything, which he did right here.

Prince-Sign O'The Times
Password: yellow

Note: Prince is one of my favorite things ever so if you want to support him buy his newest album, 4321, or mail him a check for $20. I'd highly recommend also buying this album seeing as such if I ever go to your house if you do happen to have this album then there's a good chance I'll make you eggs in the morning. Ditto goes for everybody else in the universe. Prince says he's cool with downloads so you might not be so screwed, but still be cautious and do actually buy the album 'cause I told you so.

Cool Artist of Today: kea-tc

French photographer whose name I don't care to research, kea-tc's photography maxe-cool. Dreamy, dropping in from out of shadows, almost trance-ish. Pretty well lit but I do wish there was more contrast to the lighting, hinting at the other things within the character. The lighting is gorgeous, most definitely, but it doesn't seem essesntial, at least on the character portraits. Still, really knarly, worth your time. And the above photo I posted just because it reminds of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (by Jonathon Safron Foer, who has a kinda (but kinda pointless) website too)

deviantART site
Personal Website

"No, I Wanted It In Black"

Final Fantasy 8: OST

What happens to be one of the more underspoken of Final Fantasies (despite its hugeness upon release), this game has an absolutely amazing, endearing, unique, and hands-down shimmering collection of spastic pop, waltzes, landscape crowling trips, and big sappy ballads for when you're finished battling specifically colored aliens in space. Video game OSTs have long been discriminated against by not being spoken of ever outside of little threads here and there on video game specific message boards, and even there it's not that drawn out of a conversation, which is a goddamn shame considering some of my all-time favorite music comes from video games. Now, FF7 has the series most memorably music, but it's all synthed up and outdated nowadays so you're gonna have to wait for that infamous FF7 remake with a redone soundtrack to here those things the way they were meant to be heard (or you can track down the fully orchestrated versions, which will draw tears for sure). Until then, here's the vastly superior to listen to FF8 OST. Sweeping, grand, melancholy, and enchanting, this is the absolute best collection of songs to ever appear on Final Fantasy soundtrack, and there's a whole of them. Dig in.

Final Fantasy 8-OST

Note: Before thy enter into a realm of patience crushing doom, this must be said: the page linking to the OST has the album listed song by song, meaning you'll have to download the whole shizang song by song. This is actually quite good, letting you pick out the jams you'd like to hear, as well as giving me a proper excuse as to not posting my favorites on my own.

People I Wished I Looked Like: Paul Newman

Paul Newman=manly salsa pusher responsible for making being in a good shape actually pretty cool, not to mention one of all-great screen legends known for being dignified, electric, and equipped with an amazing set of acting chops, bullet stop jaw line, and blue eyes you can practically find winning lottery tickets in they're so magical looking. For the essentials, check out the Sting (I am so sorry, it's the only thing I could find), Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke, & The Hustler, but make sure to spot Slapshot, The Verdict, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (again, so, so, so, so sorry, but it's all I could find), and pretty much every other movie he's ever been in. But this is about style, and Newman has always carried an elegant push of taste and play at the same time. If you wanna know how to grow old with dignity and cool, there ain't a soul better than the Hustler.

Newman IMDB profile
Newman's Own

Madonna-Like A Prayer

The epitome of '80s Madge, this shimmering collection of mallrat skip-while-you-sing probably rings up immediate memories for everybody on this planet of free skate at your local public gym and crashing into the mats that are hung up on the hall so you can do so. It may also bring up strong memories of thinking, "Oh, crap, I think I like Madonna." From creating the cliche of singing in a big empty church, surrounded by candles, with a black choir (you in either A)all white or B)skanky clothes, choir decked out in full gear), you singing towards them like a duel-off, to ecstatic party demolisher Express Yourself, Madonna fine crafted a pop gem as well as paved way for her '90s babe in vogue in image when even your local pastor was on his knees staring at her on the TV screen two inches from screen. Hell, there's even a song that Prince put his name on (I'll let you figure out which one).

Madonna-Like A Prayer

Note: Madonna is both kinda cool with this stuff as well as a complete bitch, saying she thinks it's both punk rock and not her style in the press, but, either way, her record company surely thinks your ass looks prime for being penetrated by a thin steaming glass blade then smashed up if they find you with this. Caution is oh so neccessary.

Turns Out You Do Have To Visit Your In-Laws In Northern Indiana

My Neighbors The Yamadas

A Studio Ghibli almost indie classic, this buried treasure in the troves of the Ghibli ulta beast meganess is a heartwarming, hillarious Sunday morning strip take on a family, filled with anecdotes to make us chuckle, sigh with longing/nostalgia, and quirk our heads back as this odd vignette stuffed film hands over an odd sensation of hope. Directed by Isao Takahta (not grand wizard Hayou Miyazaki), I saw this film in a small theatre in all Japanese, with some of the subtitles not even coming up, and I was instantly in love, with its characters, its setting, its simple, watercolor art style, its pace (again vignettes, some that take 10 seconds, some a little longer), everything. A beautiful little classic you need to check out.

Online Ghibli Profile
Nausica.net Profile

Note: I'm so sorry I couldn't find any trailers or clips of the flick; for whatever reason I could find zero visual evidence of this film existing. I'll dig some more and try and find something.

Suspiria OST

Forever considered the epitome of Italian horror, Suspiria, released in 1977, remains one of the most over-the-top gory spookfests released to date. Amazing cinematography by Luciano Tovoli pits dulled neon and chipped away paint walls agaisnt the illuminated shadows and moon of the dance academy that are our unfortunate hero, Suzy Banion, must traverse across in this witchfest. Part of the reason this movie still holds a spooky grip is because of its ghoulish progrock soundtrack as supplied by the Goblins and director David Argento, which comes fully equipped with freak chants meets light jazz and one hell raising theme song that should be really nice to listen to as you walk home alone at night.

Suspiria-OST

The Word From Japan: We Still Think They're Crazier and Cooler Than Us

Japan's indie music is quietly totally fucking insane. When you got someone like Shugo Tokumera being seen as anything less than the should be owner of the Ultima sword of cute freakouts than you got have something going on. Tokyo (and other parts of Asia as well, from China to Taiwan to Korea[guess which one. Yep, Hawaii]) is crawling with would be Chocobo riders, Shiva summoners, and Weapon soundtrack suppliers, varying from Hello Kitty fronted popsters with seven time changes to crazy ass punkers decked out in hip clothes, the music probably sounds exactly as you think it would.

Japan Live is a blog to check out for all your Japanese garage rock and so cute they have to plush and collectable girl fronted bands. It's got tons of links to other harbingers of Tokyo cool for you to spot shark for the inevitable Tokyo cultural takeover that we'll see in due time. Happy surfing and we'll have a full blowout in a little bit as we self indulge ourselves in our obsession of Tokyo.

Cool Artiste of The Day: Benjamin

Great, exquisite work by the man with only one name. Dark, dangerous, almost rotting, this deviantART album pulses doom and gloom and a dreadful road ahead, art that should be delivered on the insides, covers, and posters of an italian horror movie. Great, great stuff.

Benjamin deviantART page

The White Album=All Other Albums Suck Compared To Me and My Monkey

Let's be honest here for a moment: this is the best shit ever. The White Album is towering collosus of flaming sword swinging proportions, all the summons put together on record for full out mega ultimate destruction. Well, let me backtrack: it can't be their best album ever just because it has some major crap on it. Had it been boiled down to one no album could humanly come close save for other Beatle records. But then that means Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me & Monkey would have gotten the axe, as probably would have even gems like Julia or anything George came up with. This is the Beatle's at their craziest and darkest; there's vey thick flow of isolation and decrepitness sliding through the cracks here, the Cold War put on record. Right after the launching Back In The U.S.S.R. brushes the snow off your shoulder, Dear Prudence icily creeps in the air, covering your mind in world covered in white being warmed by a rising sun, a perfect symbol for this record. A neccessacity.

The Beatles-The White Album

Note: Okay, now we're in some major deep weeds when it comes to Beatles. Seriously, cover your ass 'cause now you got Paul, Yoko, and Michael Jackson on your ass. You got to be crafty about this because these people are bastards about money. If you own the money then you're in the free and clear. If not, download at your own risk as I definitely don't "endorse" this one despite calling it a neccessity and placing a link for where to get it.

Unfunny and Unneccessary Exaggerated Saying Of "Best Song Ever"

This ranks up there also has one of the most instaneous joyous experiences on the planet, only surpassed by the actualy Ghostbusters film in this sense. If there is such thing as an apocalypse, these are four I want laying down stupid Satan fools. Thousand years of darkness my ass! I'm thinking those pesty ghouls will be taking care of in do enough time so that the boys have enough time to dance the night away with the ravishing ladies at the club.

Ray Parker Jr.-Ghostbusters

Note: I gotta admit I agree with Reno 911, though. Everything Parker Jr. affiliated outside of Ghostbusters sucks.

Your Kid Just Broke The $2000 China Cabinet

What Every Dad Wants To Do To Every XMas Present

Look of a Parent When They See The Bill For All The X-Mas Presents They're Buying

Putting Together Your Kid's Dollhouse

The Look of Having To Watch Your Kid's School Play

Surprising Sex Experiences

This one time I went off with a coworker to her place only to find myself in position where I was getting peed on.

This one time I was in the makeout to sex transition and the girl lifted her sweater off and it turns out she had really hairy armpits.

This one time I was in a straight to the room for booty action with a girl and we collapsed on the bed, doing over the covers rather than in. In the middle of it, a puppy quietly got out from under the covers and left the room.

I remember the first time I did it and heard that squishy plunk plunk sound. One of those laughs where it's silent but your whole body shakes.

Jet Li: Drop This Guy Off In Iraq

This scene from Fist of Legend ranks hugh among many of kung fu maniacs best of lists. Also ranks among best song to assbeat list.

Jet Li vs Fighting School

Cool Artiste of Today: Eddy Briere

This is the girl we wish to have sex with/fall in love with us and either A) ruins our lives or B) turns out to Sally Boyle from the Berlin Stories. Piece by very French photographer Eddy Briere who has a great selection of almost Morracan-ly haunting pieces of people with their masks pulled off for a quick second, like letting out a quick laugh over a cigarette (also a photo). Splendid.

Eddy Briere deviantART page

Panic At The Disco Being Bottled

You chose to suck buddy.

Live at Reading Festival 2006
Stream Video

Outkast-Stankonia

With Idlewild out and being inconsequential to the point where no one's even disappointed in the whole shizange, I thought it'd be cool to post Outkast's awesomest record. I know there are those that would point out ATliens and Southern..., but for me, it's all about the Stankkonia. The first I ever heard B.O.B. was at one of my friends house while his parents were out town, which meant that we could share the three wine coolers in the fridge and pack of Swisher Sweets in the cabinet. The video was MTV, a giant orgy of day glo insanity pulsing over my then Limp Bizkit fed eyes. The song was insane, a Parliament meets hip-hop rave up, furious like a bulleting train of destruction crashing down upon the Earth, shattering debris everywhere as Andre 3000 and Big Boi danced rapped in Riddler-blowing-the-Batcave glory atop uncrushed buildings, dressed as cyber pimps from outerspace. Once I heard the rest of the album, I knew this was some kind of throwdown of eclective creativity, thumping inwards looking hip-hop that years later still no one has caught up to. Bon Appetite!

Outkast-Stankonia

Note: Download at own risk. Clearly Andre hasn't been too clever nowadays so he's probably surfing the web right now, looking for your dumbass to lay waste to. Downloader beware!

Videos: B.O.B, So Fresh, So Clean, Ms.Jackson

Note: There doesn't seem to be any Outkast live gear on YouTube, which sucks because they're fucking insane. If anybody has anything, please post. All I have is this clip of Andre doing Hey Ya dressed as a skeleton and Beyonce doing Crazy In Love, both of which can be heard at a Bar Mitzvah near you.

As a bonus, here's The Whole World video, which is whatever with an ultimate song.

The Metal Gears and Silent Hills Are Awesome

Metal Gear fans should check out this fansite. It's packed to the gills in all the quadruple mega crossback drible though jazookzbitch screwovers of Ocelot and a bevy a goodies to troll through like music fans finding a shoegaze thread on a forum. Tons of official art, backstories, previews, downloads, and more.

Metal Gear Solid: The Unofficial Site

For Silent Hill fans, check this insanely comprehensive look at the series as well as these maginificent forums which dive deep into the labrynths of backstory and symbolism of the series.

Translated Memories
Silent Hill Heaven

Anybody know of anything on par of this for other Konami games like Castlevania, Azure Dreams, Z.O.E. Boktai, and Contra?

Dragon Quest 8- You Were Great Baby, Then You Talked

The first few hours of this game was probably some of the best I've had in years. It was simple, all about about adventuring across a gorgeous landscape (supplied by the wizards over at Level 5, creators of the Dark Clouds and the stellar looking to be released Rogue Galaxy), enjoying the basic joy of exploration. It's minimal, just you and your sidekick Yangus trolling around. The battle system, while random, is still a ton fun through its simplicity and speed along with the visual and sound effects that go along with it, helping to give impact to the battle. Hell, even your blades look cool (which change looks throughout the game in forms that wish they'd go back to. Why hasn't someone designed a system where I can design my own gear?). It's a very old school style of game with an old school color scheme very reminiscnet to those scene in old NES quests. all bright colors that inspire the want to quest. But then comes the lame quest to stop an evil genie planning on blowing up the world via encounters with boring characters with lack of depth or progression. More characters come in the picture, more dungeons, more story, but the game starts losing its glorious adventurous feel, sticking you on a dillhole path that starts to slowly eliminate the want to adventure. Could have been outstanding, but I more or less finished it just to finish it after my initial high end enjoyment, which perked back up again and again admittidly as I bounced from continent to continent. Still, check it out.

NeoGaf DQ8 Thread

Jesus & The Mary Chain- Psychocandy

Essential cinematic shoe gaze, a gorgeous collage of distortian, 60's pop, and epic romantic sweep, Psychocandy remains the ultimate in ending a movie to, which makes it all the more insane that it wasn't until Lost In Translation in 2003 for someone to do so. Aside of the spine tingling chase-after-your-lovers are booty shaking fuzz romps to throw your mind into the wild. Beautiful, engrossing, thrilling, fun, and unforgettable (then again that might be because all the melodies are in the same key).

Jesus and The Mary Chain- Psychocandy

Note: Know the risks of downloading, don't get yourself thrown in jail, DANGER, DANGER, DANGER!!!!

Rock vs Mankind Royal Rumble: I Quit Match

One fucking hell of a match. As Stone Cold fought for his shot at a title, battle Vince McMahon just to get a chance in the ring with whoever had the title (which, of course, was going to be the Rock, thus creating one of the greatest rivalries in anything ever). During this period, The Rock, part of the Corporation, and Mankind, long shed of his allegiance to the Undertaker at this point, dueled off in matches that were absolutely brutal and amazing to watch. Mankind had the title going into the match, The Rock wanting it back, and this led to one hell of a slobberknocker. Watch, relive, root, enjoy.

Rock vs Mankind: Royal Rumble

AC/DC-Back In Black

This is the album of beating ass with metal chairs and equalizers, a sheer rock your fucking face off barrage of nonstop super anthems using the same chords and melodies for pretty much every song to insane effect. After the death of lead singer Bon Scott in the later on Feb 20, 1980, AC/DC, on the verge of a massive breakthrough, decided to not be weenies and go the usual "Unbreak My Heart" routine of dealing with a member (not to mention the leader) leaving the band and instead made the ultimate salute to Bon, hiring singer Brian Johnson (famously just a dude), recording it a month after his death, and releasing it that year. It's the ultimate in DC's high voltage dock worker rock, a towering juggernaut of riffs and fist pumping mega glory, the best music ever to have as your opening song if you happen to be a wrestler. DC would release some sweet songs after this, but this remains the ultimate in salutes to rock

ACDC- Back In Black

Note: Here we go again: don't dowload unless you take full responsibility for your actions. I own all these records so I can do whatever but you, you just disgust me. On the other hand, I need to rock, which means I understand if you download away. I don't believe in it, but I understand.

Right Now Tween Pop Is Blaring and I Want To Take A Chainsaw To The World

My god I forgot just how aggravating this can be, like hearing kittens and puppies stuffed inside a coffee grinder set on slow turn and then, still partially alive, they're drank up by some dude who gurgles it down as they yelp and then he sneezes all over you. Actually, some it's actually pretty good, like Britney and Cristina's hits from their first albums (everything else equals razor to wrist), but my sisters are in the thro of having a hoe down of every damn twee song ever, from Jessica Simpson (!!!) to Lizzie McGuire (!!!?) to Disney Dance Classics (prepares noose around neck) to Disney Ballads (decides instead to become a music critic). They should start bundling some of these things with cyanide pills. If you ever find yourself in a similar position, may God have mercy on you.

Bob Dylan- Desire

Not necessarily a hidden Bob Dylan album (in fact it was pretty huge back in the day), but rather an album that, for whatever reason, rarely gets brought up in discussions of the mythology of the man who traveled with a circus and from a family of Appalachian Indians. To me it's Dylan's sexiest and loosest album, a style switching jaunt teeming with a gritty Mediterranean coat over rough minor chord explorations into a journey of the valley below and the quest to climb out of it.

Bob Dylan-Desire
*Torrent

Note: Sorry this link so freaking huge but it is QUAD TO DTS(!!!!!!!!!!?!?!?!). Anyways, Dylan said he loved internet downloading so you probably won't get picked up and dragged in the streets by the thought police if you do. Regardless, do so at your own risk (they're always looking...).