Mann's World

This isn't my full review of System of a Down's latest CD, "Hypnotize." That will come after I view the accompanying DVD and do a better comparison with it's sister CD, "Mesmerize," which was released earlier this year. So far, "Hypnotize" seems a bit bland in comparison. It's just not as hard-hitting musically or politically. One new development is that guitarist Daron Malakian is singing a lot more (he actually sang a good bit on "Mesmerize" too). He's not a bad singer -- in fact, in many ways he's technically a better singer than Serj Tankian, but Serj has the more distinctive (some would say irritating) voice. I think it's a mistake for them to push that to the back burner.

I think I've overwhelmed myself again. I'm going to be writing for Tiny Mix Tapes! and already I've got an assignment that's throwing me a bit: compile a list of the best 25 albums of the year. I don't even have to write about them, just compile them. This is where my longstanding habit of getting an album and playing it to death become s a handicap. I haven't listened to the quantity of albums I should have, but the ones I've heard I know inside and out. I've got a good solid list of about 15 going with The Mars Volta's "Frances the Mute" and Damian Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock" leading the pack. I've been listening to some reggaeton this year too, so I don't know how they'll feel about me throwing some of that on my list.

In general, I'm going to be writing interviews for TMT, though I also have an assignment to go to Dunn, N.C., and see if I can find some local folks who remember anything about Link Wray. In addition, I'm writing for The Red Alert and 75 or Less. I've been trying for years to be a music writer on a national scale, and now that it looks like it's happening, I'm not sure I can handle it.



The big fly in the ointment, as my mom would say, is that my dog, Mr. C., has a torn ligament in his knee and needs surgery. I put it off for a couple of weeks: He's a big dog, he's 10 years old and he has epilepsy -- all factors that made a lot of people say, "Karen, do you really want to invest that amount of money (about $1,200) in an elderly dog?" Well, the answer is yes, because I can't stand to see him limping around, and it's not getting any better. Before this, he was still very active. It's going to take a lot of work on my part to get him back into shape afterward, but I think he's worth it.


OH! and how could I forget? Check out Planet Brenda, another local blogger who loves The Mars Volta too! I swear, we TMV fans are like some sort of secret society or something. We need to come up with a secret handshake in order to recognize each other.