14232949

I said I would do this, and now I shall begin the task. I'm taking a look back at 2011, which for me stands as the best year yet for music especially if like me, you're a fan of hip-hop.
Perhaps by the time I have conducted this list, I shall be able to give the more relevant '2012 List' but as of now I am unable to create a coherent and structured list.
Too many records this year have not resonated with me first time. And as I think I've listened to more than 100 new albums in 2012, it's going to be hard to rank outside of my Top 10 or so. However the show must go on.

Without further delay I shall delve deep into the world of pretension and give you;


The Pains Of Being Pure At Hearts' band name may well be a precursor for what to expect with this record.
As the name suggests, there are grievances in being good. Despite trying your hardest to live an honest lifestyle, bad things will happen to you, and bad things may well happen as a result of your leniency and well-meaning nature whilst always trying to bring the best out in yourself and others around you.

Nobody will get through life without hardships, yet it seems all the more unfair when those who truly represent the best of humanity are suffering.
Now, I'm not saying for a moment the members of this band bring out the best of humanity, I do not know them personally so cannot determine that, yet their harrowing tale could make one believe they are poorly well-meaning souls who have been unfortunately caught in the crossfire of bad luck.

On the surface, the almost dreamy sounds could be mistaken for a contentedness with life, displaying a happy go lucky attitude, taking each day as it comes and being happy with the little elements in life.
Easy to listen to and quite pleasant on the ear are the in-discriminant and at times androgynous vocals rising to little more than a comforting whisper at times accompanied by slightly above melancholy melodies.

Yet, just like a person with their world falling around them putting on a brave smile, I feel that both the calmness displayed in the soothing vocal presentation and the never aggressive melodies are just a front for a more depressing and saddening back story.
Using this not so convincing method for disguising sorrow may fool the fools, but anyone with an ear for emotion can hear the woe etched into this record.

However, the combination of the bittersweet sound and the distressing tale are a near perfect combination creating a record that both hits home and spurns catchy songs.
The use of various inspired textures and moods create a sound scape up there with the best dream pop records.
Think Smashing Pumpkins before ego consumed them.
It's a record that shows how an emotional outpouring does not have to end in either anger, violence or tears. It can just sound defeated and hopeless.

And on 'Belong' defeat and hopelessness have never sounded more inviting.

What would the hip-hop landscape look like had a then nineteen year old relative unknown from Queens, New York by the name of Nas not have released the genre defining Illmatic in April of 1994.

I do not know the answer and thankfully we live in a world redundant of that scenario. Illmatic is without doubt the single most important album in hip-hops growth and development throughout the 90's into what it is today. It has inspired legions of MC's to get into rap and has forever set the bar for the level that hip-hop should be striving to reach for.

So what better way to pay homage to one of the best records in history than to re-create it. Whilst in the hands of most artists, that task would only have served to taint and possibly even tarnish the original, Elzhi and producer Will Sessions manage to pull off the vision by creating an album in the same calibre as the original.
Whilst it won't receive the accolades and immortal stature of Illmatic, it plays its role as a more than competent tribute, never straying into the paths of mockery or parody and retaining enough originality to stand on its own two feet.

Elmatic isn't just a lazy re-mastering by any means, Elzhi writes completely new verses whilst retaining most of the simple yet classic hooks that made Illmatic great.
I see a lot of similarities to Illmatic in Elzhi's stories that he candidly shares with us throughout the album in that although he and Nas both grew up in areas that dragged down many people around them, they managed to learn from their environments and better themselves because of what they learned.

What makes this album easy to digest is obviously sharing the same ideologies and concepts of Illmatic, yet there is enough of Elzhi's own personality in here to make it sit well with the listener.
With most hip-hop records, the best thing about this record is the lyrical content and Elzhi holds the benefit of being a compelling story teller, taking us through his not quite rags to not quite riches tale.

Although not all the credit can lie with Elzhi as producer Will Sessions does a terrific job with the instrumentals. Having created his own interpretations of Illmatics production from scratch he has managed to far surpass the originals simple beats.
Nothing against the beats in Illmatic, they served their purpose in keeping the record simple yet effective. However, Will Sessions takes the potential the original beats had and runs with them, creating better sounding, crisper and more interesting backing tracks which complement Elzhi's MCing.

I do get the impression however sometimes that Elzhi is living under Nas's shadow to an extent. His constant shout-outs of 'You're Listening to Elmatic' perhaps are those of an artist trying desperately to differentiate himself from his predecessor.
Elmatic isn't an album on which we can truly gauge how good Elzhi can be on his own because it's not entirely Elzhi's own work, yet being able to pull off what he has with Elmatic shows a great level of artistic integrity, one which many other current rappers could only hope for.
It's a double edged sword.

Listening to this record does two things for me, it makes me want to check out more of Elzhi's material, but it also makes me want to listen to Illmatic.
It is because of this, I cannot rank this album higher because despite how good this album is, it isn't Illmatic which isn't a slight on Elzhi but is the undeniable truth.
It's a remake of a classic album, and although it is good, it's still just one artist paying homage to another and not establishing his name in the genre like Nas did with the original.

14232949

I've been listening to a few new records recently. Namely Flying Lotus's 'Until The Quiet Comes', Big Shug's 'I.M 4-EVA' and Kiss The Anus of a Black Cat's 'Weltuntergangsstimmung'
And you know what, all have been met without any great enthusiasm from yours truly.
Unlike 2011, where nearly every record that I heard, I initially either really enjoyed or despised, there's been too many records this year that have just been average.

Well established artists like Deftones, Greenday, Anathema, The Flaming Lips, The Mars Volta, Sigur Ros and MeWithoutYou have been guilty of releasing average records verging on being sub-standard.
Perhaps this is to be expected, I mean how many artists truly have flawless discographies. There's always a few minor notes on every artists resumes.
But, none of the above artists albums felt necessary. Apart from Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends and Dos, there weren't any horrible albums released by the above named artists. They were just middle of the road, more of the same material.
Very reminiscent of REM's last album in that it was playing it safe. And, after Collapse Into Now, REM folded. After 31 years, one of the biggest and most influential artists in that same time period decided to 'call it a day', in part due to the fact they could no longer make great records.
Could REM's fate be a sign of what is to come for the artists I mentioned above.

It's certain that Greenday will follow suit, having sunk from one artistic low to another and earlier this year completely falling off the wagon.
Releasing three lacklustre records in one year didn't help matters.
One would have been enough to seal their fall into irrelevancy. Anathema haven't released a good record in years, and their conversion from Doom to Alternative Rock was like trading premium steak for beef jerky.
Their new record just being infuriatingly boring and tedious to plough through, which makes it all the more frustrating considering they are the same band who released the sublime 'Judgement' .
Oh yeah, if you were new to the band and were easily impressed, you'd probably really like 'Weather Systems'. Those attributes do not apply to me.
The Mars Volta's record was so memorable that I cannot even recall the name of the album. (It had an 'e' in it, right?)
As for Sigur Ros, well I've never really been that much into them. I know that a lot of people on the internet really like them, so I usually give them the benefit of the doubt. I usually think it's me that's missing something, not the record itself because how could so many want-to-be music critics be so woefully wrong?
On this instance, the fault lies with Sigur Ros for not releasing a good album.
MeWithoutYou and Deftones probably had the two better records of the lot, but at the same time, they only scratch the surface of what each artist is capable of.

And to add to those offenders, we have Flying Lotus, Big Shug and Kiss The Anus of a Black Cat.
Now, don't get me wrong, there's nothing 'wrong' per se but there's nothing particularly brilliant about any either.

Flying Lotus may be a victim of circumstance rather than anything else.
A few years back, in the mid 2000's when hip-hop was struggling, his instrumental beats were considered some of the finest work in the genre, which is saying something.
Now however, after hip-hop undergoing a complete 180 and being better than it's ever been due to the emergence and breakthrough of the new school of hip-hop; artists such as Kendrick Lemar; Odd Future, Big KRIT, Ab-Soul, Lil B, Death Grips, Jay Electronica, J.Cole and Danny Brown as well as the constant growth and improvement of guys like El-P, Kanye West, Immortal Technique and Killer Mike have helped make hip-hop more important and better than it's ever been.
This leaves Flying Lotus in somewhat of a predicament.
Now, that all of these artists have come out with such good music in the last year or two, his music which gained critical acclaim off the back of a complete lowering of expected standards in the genre, just isn't that special any more.
If he wants to continue having success, he's going to have to do better than 'Until The Quiet Comes' because records like this will just be lost in the shuffle, and aren't good enough to be classed as 'undiscovered gems'

Perhaps Lotus knew his time of riding on autopilot was coming to an end, and thus decided to launch his alter ego, Captain Murphy.
A hip hop artist; who you know...actually raps, just not well.
Captain Murphy is devoid of the artistic talent that Lotus possesses and just strikes me as Lotus desperately trying to remain relevant.
Perhaps he foresaw having Kanye West success in converting from producer to centre-stage superstar.
Well Lotus, what makes Kanye so successful in the most part is his character and personality that he brings to everything he does, be it an album, guest spot or controversial interview; you do not have any character or personality, none. That is why you were able to play the part of anonymous and enigmatic producer so well, because you had nothing to really hide from the public. There was never anything there to show off.

Maybe I'm being overly harsh on Flying Lotus, I'm sure there are those out there who consider his new record to be on a par with Los Angeles and 1983 - two of his earlier records - and they probably are but lets face it, when those two were released there wasn't such stiff competition in the genre so an average record could gain moderate success rather easily.
Flying Lotus finds himself in the precarious position that he isn't exactly creating great hip-hop, nor is he creating great electro music.
So what is a hip-hop producer whose records rely solely upon backing tracks supposed to do. Rap! Oh, wait...

Another guy who could probably have become quite successful in 2006 or 2007 is Big Shug. He's average enough to have floated along perfectly with what was the norm for hip-hop at the time.
Fortunately those days are over. And Shug either cleverly created a throwback album to those halcyon days or is just not that great at the game of hip-hop.
At a length of 18 tracks it was going to be hard for an artist as mauve to keep the interest of the listener and I thoroughly commend anyone who can get through this record in one sitting without taking a nap.
Again, Shug isn't necessarily bad, but as his bland name suggests, he's alike rice pudding in that it's okay. Not very special. Not very creative. Not anything groundbreaking, but if you're looking for a cheap and easily prepared desert it'll suffice.
If a track from I.M 4-EVA comes on I wouldn't mind. It's decent enough for me not to skip it, but at the same time, listening to a record 18 tracks long that never really even shows glimpses of being anything other than mundane is a bit of a tall task.

This brings me to Kiss The Anus of a Black Cat. Considering the way they're heralded by all lovers of obscure, I expected to be amazed by their 2012 offering 'Weltuntergangsstimmung'
The only thing this record makes me thankful for is that I don't do a video log as I'd have no idea of how to pronounce that one.
Again, this record wasn't bad. In fact, it was the best of the three I mentioned in my opening paragraph. It just wasn't great.

I think I could help point this band in the right direction though, because there were glimpses of potential in this record.
Each track on this album is like a pre-mature ejaculation in that it starts so promisingly, yet time after time fails to go the distance and ultimately ends up being rather underwhelming and disappointing.
The musicianship is actually really good, and each track starts with a good thirty seconds or so of solid build. Build that ultimately eclipses into 'meh' territory.
What this bands problem is, is that they try too hard to create an imposing brooding atmosphere when in actual fact it just repels any interest I may have had in this record by just coming across forced and unauthentic.
Every time the vocalist chimed in with his best attempt at being moody and atmospheric, I groaned.
Why try and create an insincere atmosphere? Why not just concentrate on what your bands strengths are? Like being talented musicians.
It just felt overly pretentious that a group would feel the need to create such a phoney sound scape in order to live up to their dark yet intriguing name.
They're not a black metal band as I first thought by looking at their names, although I get the impression they want to be.
The fact is, the black metal community's an odd one (look at Hip Hop Bunny Hop for evidence of this) and they could smell a fake a mile off. It wouldn't be long before Kiss The Anus were unearthed for what they truly are. Wannabes.
Why you would want to be miserable I do not know. Perhaps they feel it would bring some character to their music.
Be it misery, or anything else on this earth for that matter. There's rarely an appropriate and accurate substitute for the real thing.
And the atmosphere that Kiss The Anus try to convey, just isn't real.
This is what hampers the band. Too much focus on trying to create a mystique and not enough concentration on just creating a well crafted, well rounded record.

There are however many really good records out there, and I'll be returning to look at some from last year in my next post which will be the second instalment of 'Caaant Take The Heat: Get the F/ck up out the Kitchen'.
Ironically, it won't include Iceage's 'New Brigade', which came on album shuffle today, as it's meh.

Regards

MC

Trollheart

Another great entry, really insightful. I know nothing of hip-hop (bunny hop!) but you certainly seem to know your stuff and it's interesting to read.

I just wanted you to know that the only reason I didn't vote for you as "Best Journal" was because you've only started and I couldn't really put yours up against such recent powerhouses as "Pounding decibels" or established future classics as "25 albums", but keep it up and you'll definitely be in with a shout for 2013!

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

14232949

Alright, so I was at the casino last tonight. Now, the casino on a Friday night is a little different to the casino on a Tuesday afternoon.
During the days, and into the early hours of the morning; the casino is home to the diehards. Either those so masterful at their craft that they can make a living out of their winnings or those so disillusioned by the aura and magic held within its confines that they play for hours on ends, running up their credit card bills in the slim hope of one day breaking even.
The verdict's still out on which one of the two categories I fall into.

Ever since I first laid eyes on the game of roulette I've been hooked. There's something so alluring about a game which honours the brave and exposes peoples true characters.
I have literally seen a middle aged man, sporting a wedding ring drop to the floor in despair upon one simple spin of the wheel.
The responsibility that he holds in everyday life; diminished. He was broken by the wheel of fortune.
The fact that something so humble, so meagre as a coloured wheel and a tiny ball could evoke such strong emotions in people; ranging right from jovial ecstasy down to the most harrowing sorrow has always kept me fascinated.
Add to this; the bright lights, a range of fine spirits and the unmistakable big-win atmosphere that the casino environment always teases and it's enough to get sane, right-thinking people hopelessly addicted.

So, Friday night rolls round. For those who come to the casino most days, it holds no extra significance. Sure, the bouncers will be more vigilant, there'll be trophy wives dressing to the nines akin to the proverbial mutton dressed as lamb and the drink prices will take an astronomical rise, which I believe violates Bar Licencing Laws but alas for an industry that contributes little in corporation tax despite being one of the highest grossing, breaking simple regulations won't phase them.
Friday night seems to attract the moths like a massive light. By moths, I mean city-slicking high-rollers who swan around the casino in a flurry of affluence and ego.
In the 9-5 world of board meetings, video conferencing, stock holding and tailored suits these men are the pinnacle of their working environment.
In the casino, they are nothing. Little more than moths.

You see, the casino is like time itself. It will always win. No one can out last it, no one can ever truly defeat it.
As with time, the casino will change you. Sure, you may take minor victories from it on your way but ultimately at the end of the day, whom is the one standing tall preparing to do it all over again for eternity.
I see these 'business men' swan in with their fancy clothes, their wives who have escaped the pretension, finely cut lawns and personal trainers of Suburbia and their wallets full of various cards and pound notes.
I see these same people cashing their money in for towers of chips. Just like many of the companies these men represent, I see their towers falling, their empires crumbling as spin by spin, the House takes from them what the downturn in the economy took from their annual bonuses.
It's a great feeling of liberation and satisfaction seeing these men lose hundreds, even thousands of pounds and become just like everyone else. Losers. In the casino, their stature, their reputations mean nothing. The game of Roulette treats everyone as equals and is not discriminating in who it will rape.

There's almost a divinity to it. A God like presence, in that Roulette treats us all as equals and both rewards and punishes us more fairly than any God could.
Perhaps this is why the Bible and various other religious hyperbole scriptures warn off gambling. They try and paint it as evil.
The Bible the very same manifesto that promotes discrimination, that was written in blood and violence and has caused waves upon waves of mindless persecution and war has the audacity to claim something else as 'evil' is the greatest irony of all.
The Bible would have us believe that two men who are in love with each other, two men who follow the law, respect and treat others equally and are capable of raising children in a loving household are evil because of the way the feel about each other. The Bible would have its followers persecute these men. Their crime? They love one another.
The Bible believes that this is not natural and that is why we must condemn it. Well, Reverend, evolution is ****ing natural and you try to deny its existence!
Roulette is more divine than God. It treats everyone equally, be it a gay couple, a house-wife who spends her days ****ing the tennis coach whilst her husband ****s his secretary, or be it me a 19 year old, straight white male who is little more than an observer in all of this.
The Roulette wheel does not believe in 'karma' nor does it believe in racism, homophobia, xenophobia, sexism, ageism or any other form of hate that religion breeds.
It's impartial and unbending. It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, what you did and it sure as Hell doesn't matter if you like the Backstreet Boys, Roulette will treat you as fairly as it does the next person.

Perhaps this is why my friends and I find solace in it. Now, by no means is this a cult movement. I do not worship the wheel of fortune. I find more truth in it than I do most things.
It's honest. Anyone who enters the casino does so on their own accord. Anyone who loses money at the Roulette table does so of their own choice.
In a life full of prejudice and unfair treatment, the casino is one of the few Mecca's where the laws of the concrete jungle don't apply.
Sure, the House has the edge. Look at the Roulette wheel. 36 standard numbers, 6 even chance columns; Red, Black, Even, Odd, High (19-36), Low (1-18), 3 sections; the first, second and third twelve numbers and three rows; top, middle and bottom. Then there is of course the House's great equaliser Zero.
The unknown quantity. The enigmatic anti-hero who always rears its head in the most inappropriate of times to ruin it for those who bet with probability in mind.
Zero is the Casino's secret weapon, the added feature that tilts the odds ever so slightly in their favour.
Zero is the Jesus Christ of the Roulette God.
However, what are the chances Zero will come up upon a spin of the wheel.
37/1. It doesn't take a betting man to realize that they have greater chances of winning on a row, on a section, or on an even chance column than Zero coming up.
However, when it does. You have not been tricked. You know Zero is a factor. It's painted a distinct green, it's given a sizeable part of the board to show itself. Everyone who plays knows it's there. So, when it comes up, you know that you have willingly bet against it.

I enjoy soaking up the atmosphere of the casino. Sometimes I go only for a few Canadian Clubs as I watch the game of Roulette unmercifully tear through the bank accounts of those who think they can defeat it.
Will they ever learn? Will I?
Sure, I've lost more money there than I can ever begin to estimate, yet I am drawn back more than most. Does this make the contents of this entry somewhat hypocritical. Perhaps.
I do feel that I have come to appreciate the beauty of the game.
Despite what the old Asian guy with the notepad and pen may believe, there are no patterns in Roulette. How can there be. It's the randomisation of wheel and ball coming together.
It can humble even the most ego-maniacal and wealthy. Just as there is no 'karma' (sorry weed-smoking teens) in real life, if there were, explain to me how George W Bush remains rich and healthy, there is no 'karma' in the casino. No matter how nice you are, Roulette doesn't care.
No matter how much of a **** you are, Roulette equally could not care.
It will take from and reward you randomly.
It's a game of chance, nothing more, nothing less yet it holds more power than and can evoke greater emotions than any religion ever could.

Regards

MC

Trollheart

Just another brilliant entry. Don't want to come across as licking any part of your body, MC, but your writing is fresh and new and paints a great picture. I personally abhor gambling, at least in its real sense. Sure, I do the lotto occasionally, I bet on teams in the World Cup every four years and have been known to (when in my job) join in the fun when Cheltenham rolls around, but never any big money. We're talking five, ten euros max. Not gonna break anyone's bank account.

I love the way you liken the falling towers of chips to the crumbling dreams and the financial meltdown, and yes, it must give you some solace to see these fat cats (down, boy, looking at your avatar!) losing big. Of course, they never learn: if they hadn't bet big (with OUR money!) in the first place the world wouldn't be in the place it is now, but there they are, doing it all over again. At least this time it's with their own money. Still, some people never learn.

My sister (before she got sick) went out with a gambler --- was engaged to him actually --- and came to appreciate the truism of gambling: gamblers don't play to win, they play to lose. What else can explain why someone, having made a big score, will push their luck further and "let it ride", or not leave the table till they've lost it all again? It's not the thrill of winning, it would seem --- that appears to be very low on the list --- it's the frisson you apparently get when you know you could lose.

There was a "Twilight Zone" episode where a smalltime crook died and it seemed went to Heaven. He ended up having everything he ever wanted, including winning all the time at the tables. Every time. He never lost. Eventually he got fed up: what's the point of winning all the time, he asked? Where's the fun? Where's the risk? He asked that if this was Heaven, could he not go to the other place instead? To which the guy he had taken to be his guardian angel gave a nasty smile and asked him incredelously why he thought he was in Heaven?

Great story, and it illustrates the point. But to your idea about the roulette wheel being "the great leveller", as it were. Can't those things be rigged, like with magnets or something? I've seen it on "Hustle", and I know that's just a drama, but it seems likely. Magnetic redistribution of the weight of the wheel tilts it where the House wants it to go, so perhaps there's little chance of winning, except of course when the House decides to let someone win a little, just to keep people playing.

I hope you haven't lost too much, and I'm sure I wouldn't be able to change your mind about gambling, but for me, there's only one type of person who plays that game:

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

14232949

I appreciate everyone's cracking on with their 2012 lists so I had better get through with this one, with no further delay I present to you Number 18.

No.18 A$AP Rocky - Live.Love.A$AP

Hip hop is often criticized as being overly misogynist, violent, provocative, controversial and guilty of glorifying crime, weapons, gangs and drug usage.
Sometimes hip-hop is all of those things, and sometimes it enjoys being offensive.
Live.Love.A$AP plays to these stereotypes and revels in it. It isn't trying to be accessible to all walks of people and socially conscious. It's just brutally true to both itself and the hip-hop community.
If you're going to go in with pre-conceived perceptions of what you think the genre's about then A$AP isn't going to bother trying to change your mind. This isn't a record for old ladies and their young grandchildren, it's a hip-hop record for hip-hop fans

I think a lot has been lost from hip-hop in recent times in that many artists tried too hard to pander to the masses and break down ill-informed notions about the genre. The rise of political rappers as well as those who talked of 'real' subjects took away from what hip-hop was all about. It was the music of the streets, it wasn't meant to cater to everyone's needs and it wasn't meant to educate the world.
Neither was it meant for the big stages, the rock n roll crowds of people chanting choruses or the pop music market.
In 2012 we have rap artists who want to be philosophers, rap artists who want to festival head liners or happy-clappy nightclub track makers.
How many get into hip-hop artists break into the game with the aim of just making hip-hop?

A$AP isn't the most technically gifted rapper, nor does he have the widest vocabulary or greatest vision for subjects. He's just a rapper who succeeds in being a rapper. His hooks are catchy and the production of the records are brilliant hiring two of the best producers in hip-hop today in SpaceGhostPurrp and Clams Casino as well as others shows that A$AP has an ear for beats which allows him to coast through tracks without any great effort.
He's able to just ride the beats without clamouring for the spotlight. His laid-back style perfectly complements the beats, neither taking away from the other. A$AP doesn't try to be pretentious or pseudo-intellectual, he uses the type of language that is commonplace in the african american community bringing in a lot of regional slang to his verses.

It's a record that just allows you to nod along to it, as A$AP effortlessly delivers his verses about 'bitches' being 'stoned' and his 'niggas'; the thing about delivering one of these records is that the artists who do end up trying too hard to exaggerate how much of a gangster they are and how they're the 'realest in the game' which comes across sounding more like a horrendous parody. A$AP stays away from these pitfalls and assembles a clever record in that it doesn't stray into these territories but still manages to encompass all that gives hip-hop a bad name. It's a hard balance to get and many fail yearly to do so, and whilst not making a classic by any means, A$AP makes a record that every fan of hip-hop should be able to appreciate for its simplistic nature and tremendous production standards.


That record was quite hard to write about, is it possible to just like a record without any great reason. Does it have to necessarily provoke any images in your mind, or resonate with you in a deep, emotional way to just enjoy it for what it is.
What makes us like a particular song or album? Can it just be likeable.

There are people you like in life, not because they have anything obviously grabbing about their personalities, just because they're decently well-rounded and I suppose their most redeeming aspect of their character is that they're just likeable. I guess that in itself is a positive characteristic trait.
Can someone be just likeable without any greater reasoning?
If so, surely this applies to music, food, films, literature, art, events or whatever. I think in life we are guilty of trying to over-analyse many things, especially those of us who felt the need to join a Music Forum to debate music, which in essence is subjective.

Can't it all be more simple. I'm sure if I asked my brother Mark why he likes a particular playstation game for example, he'd reply that it was good.
If he's been to the cinema, I can always bank on getting his analytical views of the film.

Me: Hey Mark, what did you think of the new James Bond film?

Mark: It was good.

Does he need to go any further in depth for me to think, you know perhaps I should see it. After all Mark said it was good. And whilst he is definitely not someone who will ever be paid to give their expert opinion on the matter it's enough of an endorsement for me to at least think about going to see the film, I mean he didn't say it was 'bad'

And I know for sure we as a human race can dislike certain things without a particular reason, so surely this applies in reverse and we can like things without any great reasoning.

If so I like Live.Love.A$AP. It's y'know....'good'

Janszoon

What's up with all the weird line breaks in this journal?

__________________
A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man

Time & Place

25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die

last.fm

Surell

LiveLoveA$AP was released 2011

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14232949

- Usually line breaks signify a new paragraph, they're used to break up text and make it easier to read. Using frantic paragraphing is just a trademark of my style of writing, got to do the little things to differentiate oneself from the other journals out there.

-If you'd taken the time to read it Surell, it's a 2011 list, henceforth your discovery the Live.Love.A$AP was released in 2011 is of no great news to me.

-thanks for the feedback guys

Janszoon

So what's the difference between the ones that look like actual paragraph breaks and the ones that just look like soft returns?

__________________
A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man

Time & Place

25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die

last.fm