This entry is about two months overdue, but I finally managed to get it all done in preparation for my next rotation of indie spotlights, which, above all, will feature beautiful, beautiful symphonic music from one, not-often-heard-from country… and whose discovery had me in an excited spasm all this afternoon. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Musically starved? Sit down, relax, follow the links, and let this rundown of the best and the brightest non-mainstream music be your guide.

And once again, my time should've been better spent by studying for a test that I am guaranteed to fail. Anyway.

Six band reviews today. Enjoy!

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I like to check up on the status of my favorite (and not so favorite) musicians from time to time. This morning I decided to peruse some of Gackt's newest releases on YouTube. After flipping through the "Returner" and "Jesus" music videos (ho-hum, booooooring), I came across the PV for his newest single, slated for release later this month on January 28. It was an electronic piece called "Ghost."

Did you see it? DID YOU SEE IT? GACKT AND TERMINATORS!!! Gackt and scenes spliced from the very first season of the best show of all time, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles!!! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! GACKT AND TERMINATORS!!! GACKT WITH FLASHING RED EYES!!! JUST TELL ME YOU'RE BLOWN AWAY BY THAT!!!

Anyway, the part of my brain that wasn't going haywire over this unforeseen development was wondering whether "Ghost" was an image or soundtrack song for the show in Japan. Now, I would digress even further except that another annoying, more persistent voice in my head is chiding me for neglecting to study for this test and for not working on that big essay due Friday. Damn school. Is a measly snow day too much to ask?

Update (10:48 pm): Finally! Vindication! Those administrators saw some sense at last! Now to get cracking on that CSS Profile thing…

It's hard to believe, but there's only seven days left until Barack Obama's inauguration. And with only seven days remaining of George W. Bush's stay in the White House, I have to admit… I feel a little sorry for him. He's an idiot, of course. But a well-intentioned one. These articles pretty much sum it up.

In other news, monster snow storms are sweeping across this part of the U.S. (if there isn't a snow day tomorrow, I'll club someone), and I have officially received two college acceptance letters. One of them has already invited me into their honors program. I'm still waiting on the other one.

Your hot dance/homosexuality-themed video pick of the day:

What? I like girl-on-girl action.

Wait… actually, that guy-on-guy thing was hotter.

Midterm exams next week. Test on calculus tomorrow (assuming no snow day, of course). And a whole lotta odious volunteer work to be worked on over the weekend. Gah.

Update (1/15/09): I'm going to club someone.

There's several things I despise about Asian females in general. First of all, their quietness. Their submissiveness. Then there's that annoying inability to grow a personality, or else their penchant for adhering to pop-crazed Asia's ideal of a gentle, unobtrusive sweetheart. Finally, let's not forget their bleeping academic fetish and borderline pathetic obsession with school rankings (or, at least, that's what experience has taught me here in the U.S.). *cough cough*

So, I think you know where this is headed.

Tila Tequila

Hometown: Singapore (grew up in Houston, Texas)
Genre: Hip-hop, rap
Years active: 2001–present
Links: Myspace (most popular artist on the site) - Official site - Wikipedia

Trust me, this is as sexy as this blog's ever gonna get.

Tila Tequila (legal name: Thien Thanh Thi Nguyen) was born in Singapore to French-Vietnamese parents. She moved to Houston, Texas at the age of one, living the difficult immigrant lifestyle that some of us are accustomed to. But unlike some "Asians" in our midst, Tila is uninhibited. A former Playboy model, reality TV star, self-proclaimed "Miss Myspace," and now an aspiring hip-hop/rap artist, she's the opposite of the abhorred Asian stereotype — bold, aggressive, somewhat licentious, and overtly bisexual. And not to mention a piece of unbelievable eye candy… if you know what I mean.

Although the kind of suggestive antics on display in Tila's world are not my usual cup of tea (ahem), I do honestly admire her for several reasons. First, her repudiation of that loathsome Asian image. Second, her lovely music videos. And third, her thoroughly badass punk attitude, as manifested in lyrics such as "I'll fuck you up!" and "'Cause I'm the crazy bitch, I ain't got no shame." And some of her music itself is the kind of hip-hop that should be produced — undiluted and glorious. Not that hip-pop rubbish they spit out elsewhere.

If you still don't know why I admire this gorgeous bisexual, check out her music video to "I Love U." See if the title matches your expectations. And yes, I do delight in seeing her with that whip. And the guy on the ground, being the submissive one for once.

Recommended tracks (via Myspace): "Stripper Friends," "Paralyze" (a more mellow pop tune)
Music videos: "I Love U" (*** FREAKIN' AWESOME ***), "Stripper Friends" (a bit salacious; definitely not for the mild-mannered)
Rating: 7/10

In other news, I upgraded to WordPress 2.7 yesterday. I'm not sure I'm a fan of the new redesign. Sure, it's snappier and, uh, more Web 2.0-ish… but did we really have to sacrifice the color? The pizazz? And half of my functional plugins?

In other other news, I'm also working very hard on my next installment of the underground/indie reviews. Even though my readership is perpetually close to zero. Don't know why I even bother.

And oh yeah… happy holidays, everyone! Two weeks of nonstop napping! ^____^

Hello, neophytes. This is the first in a several-part series that I'm beginning on this blog, which will be devoted to documenting stand-out underground and indie bands that I've discovered while poking around on the Web. These bands, while primarily rock and metal-oriented, represent a variety of countries around the globe and, for the most part, have yet to be signed to a major record label. And although Fa really should be finishing a novel, doing a project, and studying for a test right now… I think I can risk the deferment, as I've got excess hours stored up in my biological clock from napping too long during the day.

If you like a particular band on this page, don't forget to visit their site/Myspace and perhaps purchase an album — many of them need the support!

Seven bands today. Be warned: this page is behemoth!

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