In recent years, I've come to appreciate Frosted Mini-Wheats more so than when I was a child, which was not at all. That whole grain stuff's not so bad. The Strawberry flavored edition is especially good in my opinion. I've always kinda wondered why they're called "mini" wheats, though, cause they're kinda big. So I was pondering that thought whilst looking at Frosted Mini-Wheats in the grocery store last night, when I came upon a confusingly fantastic sight: mini Frosted Mini-Wheats. That's right: mini Mini-Wheats; twice tiny'd; small to a 2. Then came the best part: CHOCOLATE? Surely this must be the cereal God eats (when he watches cartoons), I thought.
Got a bowl, poured 'em in. Even though I knew they were gonna be smaller than normal, it caught me by surprise. They're so damn bite-size! The first thing I noticed about these Chocolate "Little Bites" Mini-Wheats was that the chocolate flavor and Mini-Wheat texture created a pretty confusing disparity. The taste is just so different from what I'm used to when it comes to Mini-Wheats. The chocolate flavor itself reminds me of Oreo O's and Chocolatey Delight Special K, but weaker. No, not weaker; more subtle. Even when it gets soggy, the flavor is mostly there.
This is, I think, the first chocolate cereal I've ever eaten that actually doesn't turn your milk chocolatey. Which probably says something about the quality of the "chocolate" used, though I'm not sure what. It is a great source of fiber, being whole wheat and all. Unfortunately, it has the drawbacks of normal Frosted Mini-Wheats: soggyness, frosting melts off, and there'll be a bunch of shredded wheat floating around your mouth for the next 4 or so hours. But I can dig it. It's not incredible like I was hoping, but hey, variety is the spice of life.
4/7
1.12.2009
Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP
Coming off their extraordinarily acclaimed debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, Bon Iver announced that they would release a four song EP in January. For those of you, like myself, wondering if the basis of Bon Iver's greatness lied in the unique atmosphere in which it was recorded, or that, perhaps that cathartic experience may have slightly withered the man's (Mr. Vernon's) blossoming creativity, leading to an easy sophomore release of little musical value, I think we can collectively breathe easy.
Jagjaguwar, the label through which Bon Iver supplies their music, released a statement saying that as cold as For Emma, Forever Ago was, Blood Bank EP would be "about the warmth that gets you through it". Musically, for me it's about half and half. Lyrically, that statement makes a lot more sense. Blood Bank EP contains four songs that are as different as they possibly could be, yet they all have the distinct feel of Bon Iver, even if they sound like nothing they've done before.
"Blood Bank", the title track, is an absolutely outstanding song. In every way possible. Soft and hushed, yet emotionally in-your-face, this is the "warm"est song on the EP, though it reminds me of a chilly winter night. The lyrics are so succinct and intimate that you feel like you're the other person in the story. And you love it. This song EASILY ranks up there with anything from For Emma, Forever Ago. It wins the award for best, least cryptic Bon Iver lyrics. Hauntingly beautiful, melodic, catchy, affecting ... this is absolutely the centerpiece of the EP. After this, you might want to take a break, because compared to the raw emotional power that "Blood Bank" has, the other songs pale in comparison. They are, however, still very high quality songs, which is why I'd advise a break, not to stop listening. "Beach Baby" is the musical equivalent to watching a sunset on the beach from one of those awesome chairs you can only find on the beach. The only catch is, it's just you, and it's a rather bittersweet sunset, but perhaps that only acts to enhance it. The incessant, glittery piano of "Babys" is perhaps the strangest way to make a "summer love tribute". This is my least favorite song on the EP, because it's super repetitive and there's not much to it. The way the piano is played, the structure it creates musically, is fascinating, but by putting this on the same album as "Blood Bank", you unintentionally draw attention away from it. Last is "Woods", which will almost definitely catch you off-guard. The whole song is done with a vocoder, which some of you might know as auto-tune, but I guarantee you've never heard it used like this. It's as if you handed pro-tools to a secluded group of monks, and they all had just finished listening to 808s and Heartbreak. This song might annoy a lot of people, especially since it's just four lines repeated over and over again, but the growing intensity, the ever-so-layered vocals, and the melody of it all makes this the second best song on the album for me. So to recap, the "awesomeness" order is:
1. Blood Bank
2. Woods
3. Beach Baby
4. Babys
I don't really like the disparity between this album and For Emma, Forever Ago. I'm gonna suggest that instead of looking at Blood Bank EP as a sequel to Bon Iver's debut, you see it as a supplement to it; two sides of the same coin. That said, I have to wonder whether in Justin Vernon's mind, this EP is an afterthought to For Emma, or an attempted departure. Either way, it's definitely a quality release, but I wouldn't have minded a 1 song EP, only containing "Blood Bank" either.
5/7
Jagjaguwar, the label through which Bon Iver supplies their music, released a statement saying that as cold as For Emma, Forever Ago was, Blood Bank EP would be "about the warmth that gets you through it". Musically, for me it's about half and half. Lyrically, that statement makes a lot more sense. Blood Bank EP contains four songs that are as different as they possibly could be, yet they all have the distinct feel of Bon Iver, even if they sound like nothing they've done before.
"Blood Bank", the title track, is an absolutely outstanding song. In every way possible. Soft and hushed, yet emotionally in-your-face, this is the "warm"est song on the EP, though it reminds me of a chilly winter night. The lyrics are so succinct and intimate that you feel like you're the other person in the story. And you love it. This song EASILY ranks up there with anything from For Emma, Forever Ago. It wins the award for best, least cryptic Bon Iver lyrics. Hauntingly beautiful, melodic, catchy, affecting ... this is absolutely the centerpiece of the EP. After this, you might want to take a break, because compared to the raw emotional power that "Blood Bank" has, the other songs pale in comparison. They are, however, still very high quality songs, which is why I'd advise a break, not to stop listening. "Beach Baby" is the musical equivalent to watching a sunset on the beach from one of those awesome chairs you can only find on the beach. The only catch is, it's just you, and it's a rather bittersweet sunset, but perhaps that only acts to enhance it. The incessant, glittery piano of "Babys" is perhaps the strangest way to make a "summer love tribute". This is my least favorite song on the EP, because it's super repetitive and there's not much to it. The way the piano is played, the structure it creates musically, is fascinating, but by putting this on the same album as "Blood Bank", you unintentionally draw attention away from it. Last is "Woods", which will almost definitely catch you off-guard. The whole song is done with a vocoder, which some of you might know as auto-tune, but I guarantee you've never heard it used like this. It's as if you handed pro-tools to a secluded group of monks, and they all had just finished listening to 808s and Heartbreak. This song might annoy a lot of people, especially since it's just four lines repeated over and over again, but the growing intensity, the ever-so-layered vocals, and the melody of it all makes this the second best song on the album for me. So to recap, the "awesomeness" order is:
1. Blood Bank
2. Woods
3. Beach Baby
4. Babys
I don't really like the disparity between this album and For Emma, Forever Ago. I'm gonna suggest that instead of looking at Blood Bank EP as a sequel to Bon Iver's debut, you see it as a supplement to it; two sides of the same coin. That said, I have to wonder whether in Justin Vernon's mind, this EP is an afterthought to For Emma, or an attempted departure. Either way, it's definitely a quality release, but I wouldn't have minded a 1 song EP, only containing "Blood Bank" either.
5/7
1.01.2009
Finally, someone that SHOULD'VE died did.
Christine Maggiore, an AIDS skeptic, died last Saturday.
I could not be happier to hear this :)
This woman is (was!) an utterly ignorant, severely sick person. She denied the (exceedingly, impossibly obvious) link between HIV and AIDS, claiming that HIV did not always lead to AIDS, and that scientifically proven tests are incorrect. She personally traveled to South Africa to persuade the ruling person to DENY what turned into 330,000 people treatment for AIDS, because she personally didn't believe the connection was real. She was successful. 330,000 actually died because of this woman! Not to mention the obstacles she posed for the anti-AIDS movement in general. I sincerely hope this woman burns in hell, and I would personally shit on her grave, should I ever come across it. The world is a worse place now that she's come and gone through it.
I could not be happier to hear this :)
This woman is (was!) an utterly ignorant, severely sick person. She denied the (exceedingly, impossibly obvious) link between HIV and AIDS, claiming that HIV did not always lead to AIDS, and that scientifically proven tests are incorrect. She personally traveled to South Africa to persuade the ruling person to DENY what turned into 330,000 people treatment for AIDS, because she personally didn't believe the connection was real. She was successful. 330,000 actually died because of this woman! Not to mention the obstacles she posed for the anti-AIDS movement in general. I sincerely hope this woman burns in hell, and I would personally shit on her grave, should I ever come across it. The world is a worse place now that she's come and gone through it.
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