Living Things

I thought I'd start dedicating some blog posts to the music in my life because I know how much I love being turned onto new music. You're welcome ;)

The first music blog is dedicated to the band Living Things. Link to their site: http://www.livingthingsband.com/

I found this band when I went to see The Cult a while back and they opened some of their shows. I had never heard of them and loved what I heard. I giggled when they took the stage exclaiming "We are Living Things!" - cute, so cute. Right on. :)

Some of their music one might be tempted to casually dismiss as rather generic Pop or mindless Punk, but minimal further investigation does not support this. What I like most about Living Things is their versatility. I was first attracted to their Punk edge (which was a bit more evident live than on the recorded Habeas Corpus) but soon discovered their more ostensibly "Poppy" tracks which are actually satire-ific.  On the post-Habeas Corpus Malocchio Mixtape one could classify the song Pollen Path as almost "New Age" in feel and some of the others as Reggae-esque. Not to mention the genius of the Pollen Path video which I will reference specifically below.  Truly multifarious for a young Rock band.  I can't wait to see what they will do in the years to come.  Lillian Berlin reminds me of Jack White in his "everything I touch comes to life as art" knack.  Thank the Gods.

From Ahead of the Lions (2005)



Habeas Corpus (2009) has some political gems, among them:





The following are from the relatively recent Malocchio Mixtape (2011). Pollen Path was accompanied by an incredibly creative video. This is from a Spin article regarding the video:

"Living Things have produced a stunning video for the new song "Pollen Path," which is featured on a free downloadable mixtape Malocchio. (Grab it for free at their official website). The clip was directed by Berlin's wife, Floria Sigismondi, who has directed videos for the White Stripes, David Bowie, and Marilyn Manson.

The inspiration? The couple's daughter, who stars in it. "She was describing this really vivid dream and we were like, 'Wow, that sounds like a movie,'" says Berlin. "Being the artistic household we are, we talked about bringing her dream to life." And they did: the graceful, Dali-esque clip is a haunting, 7-minute epic, featuring their daughter dancing in falling glitter and wandering around an abdandoned beach littered with decaying bedroom furniture, puppets, and a broken clock."

Link to referenced Spin article: http://www.spin.com/node/87611



Other songs from the Malocchio mixtape include Postmortem Bliss.  Love the Reggae spin.  Oh, and make sure you listen to the whole thing.  <3



The Malocchio mixtape is available for free download on the band's site, linked above. Living Things recently formed their own record label and have promised a 27-track indie production next month. It looks as though it may be running a bit late but hopefully there will be new Living Things yet this year!

Am I a slut?

It all started with this:

It began on 24 January this year, when policeman Michael Sanguinetti walked into the Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, to tell women how to avoid sexual violence. "I've been told I'm not supposed to say this," Sanguinetti said. "However, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised."
Guardian, 6/7/11

Which led to this:

 "SlutWalking" is attracting thousands of people to take to the streets to put an end to what they believe is a culture in which it is considered acceptable to blame the victim.  Further SlutWalksare planned in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.  Guardian, 5/6/11

Today I read this which I found very interesting: 

Historically ‘slut’ has been used as a judgemental and damaging slur designed to shame women and men who enjoy sex, whether it’s for work or pleasure (or both). Its etymology also points to its past usage as a word meaning ‘dirty’ or ‘slovenly’.   SlutWalkers are standing up to say that they’re not ashamed of their sexuality or liking sex, and that being a slut should not invite judgement or violence.  There’s been much debate online and offline about what it means to call yourself (or others) a slut, and about whether it’s possible to entirely reclaim a word and strip its negative or malicious intent and control.


The process of language reappropriation is one where a word was at one time a pejorative used to malign, control or victimise, is brought into acceptable (or even preferable) usage.  Superlinguo, 6/5/11

My father once told me "words are power."  To this day I am not sure if I agree or disagree.  I think words CAN have power.  However, I would like to think that words have power because we give it to them; because we allow them to have power.     

If a society has given a word power that it later grows to resent can it then (consciously or unconsciously) take that power away?  If we can, should we?  What does this mean?  What does embracing a word that has been thought of as "negative" in the past change, really? 

I have thought a lot about this in the past regarding the word bitch.  This is one of my least favorite words, in spite of it being the title of one of my favorite magazines.  Some women have "reclaimed" bitch as a word to describe a strong woman - a woman who is not afraid to express her thoughts and opinions.  One who will not be pushed around or belittled.  A woman to be reckoned with.  Someone who may have to act in ways perceived as undesirable to have needs met or get what she wants.  Is this helpful? 

While I think the intention is good, I wonder about the wisdom of embracing bitch, slut and other gendered "slurs."  There is an element of "taking power back" by the redefining of a word.  But I think I would rather see it become antiquated from lack of use.  The perceived societal NEED for the word is the issue, not the word itself.  I think we forget this.  I am not sure that recirculating the word with some sort of edified meaning really is the most desirable response.  Gendered insults and questionable ways to refer to people is so last century.  Right? 

Come with me into a world where an individual's qualities are independent of gender.  In this world, when we get frustrated with someone, we do not resort to  gender-specific words as critical fodder.  There is no need for the word bitch if a society views women as equal participants and does not begrudge them the same "strength" in voice.  The perception would change.  And this is what we need. 

I do not want to be referred to as a bitch, slut, or, Goddess forbid, the dreaded "C" word.  I am happy for and supportive of people who choose to identify with these words in a positive way.  If it is a term of empowerment or a part of play in the bedroom/alternative lifestyle in a mutually desired and created power dynamic, I say "good for you."  But as a society could we just work on the functional disuse of genderfied negativity?  I am a strong person.  I love sex.  This means I am a man or a woman.  A human being.  Not a bitch, slut or cunt.