Wiretapping Sucks (but Obama is still totally rad)

Less than 24 hours after officially becoming America’s 44th commander and chief, President Barack Obama lifted the limitations formerly imposed on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), according to an official press release issued by the US Office of the Press Secretary.

The FOIA, which had previously been heavily limited by the Bush administration following 9/11, was signed into law by LBJ in 1966 and allows the disclosure of previously unreleased government documents and information for public use.

President Obama, in his pursuit to make his administration much more open, efficient, and accountable said:

In our democracy, the Freedom
of Information Act (FOIA), which encourages accountability through
transparency, is the most prominent expression of a profound
national commitment to ensuring an open Government.  At the
heart of that commitment is the idea that accountability is in
the interest of the Government and the citizenry alike.

The Bush administration’s suffocating bars on information were more horrendous than any of us could have imagined.

After illegally tapping phone lines of “suspected terrorists and threats to democracy,” it was recently brought to my attension how severely the former administration was intruding.

I guess journalists were among those who “threatened democracy.”

NSA whistleblower Russel Tice said those targeted in wiretapping included many non-terrorist including journalists, according to an interview with MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann.

Well, thank god that’s over.

“Easy/Lucky/Free” – Bright Eyes (2004 Saddle Creek) Digital Ash In A Digital Urn

The Inauguration In Hats

If your inauguration experience was anything like mine, it probably involved being crammed in your college radio station’s spare room with a complete stranger while furiously jotting down notes and laughing at the senile ABC commentator and his audibly uncomfortable side-kick.

If not, I’m sure you didn’t miss much.

Apart from the amazing Rev. Lowery’s badass Benediction, Obama’s straight forward break with the Bush administration, and Yo Yo Ma and company’s killer performance, the hats stole the show.

The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin definitely blew all the other hats out of the water.

That hat alone is the reason why I still love America. On the other hand, George Bush Sr.’s hat didn’t match the occasion’s valor and prestige.

Essentially the function was there but the fashion was completely gone. The purple scarf might have saved the entire ensemble but that’s beside the point.

Our beloved Ted Kennedy had a fantastically simple hat. Timeless and simple, the political legend’s hat owned up to the magnitude of Kennedy’s status. The senator had also collapsed early today at the inaugural lunch, according to various news sources. Our best hopes go out to him and his family.

Long live President Obama and hats.

PS. Rick Warren sucks.

“Black Rats & Top Hats” – Blood On The Wall (2004 Social Registry) ST

(title pending) playlist (WTBU)

Well, it was the first show of the semester and it was totally ghetto fabulous (whatever that means).

talking points:

1) Rev. Lowery

2) Guess who’s president (hint: rhymes with oarack bmama)

3) Animal Collective’s new album

4)Girl Talk & Simian Mobile Disco show (Paradise 4/22)

5)Antony & the Johnsons show (2/22)

Playlist after the jump!

Jen Choi & the Life Live on Air (WTBU)

A new semester calls for a new radio show.

Tune into WTBU: the beat of Boston University, between noon and 2pm every Tuesday for (title pending)!

Although, the show might not really have a title yet, it has a great line up of DJs including your very own as well as my fellow DJs Daria and Maya Tee.

Expect the best in disco, dance, and experiental noise and folk.

Like last semester, I’ll keep all those who are unable to catch the live online stream updated here on Jen Choi & the Life with a weekly playlist of tracks played and a couple of talking points.

As always free mp3s will also be included. So–tune in (and check out the station blog)!

“Radio” – Apes & Androids (2008 self-released) Blood Moon

Fighting the Good Fight (INDIE 103.1)

In a letter addressed to “Indie Activists,” the fine men and women at LA’s premiere Indie radio station, INDIE 103.1 ceased broadcast today, according to the radio station’s statement.

Sadly, INDIE is just another example of the recent and rapid decline in the size of radio audiences as well as the general decline in consumption of other traditional mediums like film, T.V., and print.

In their online statement, the station vowed to stay true to the music and abandon corporate haggling:

“We have decided not to play that game any longer. Rather than changing the sound, spirit, and soul of what has made Indie 103.1 great Indie 103.1 will bid farewell to the terrestrial airwaves and take an alternative course.”

The “alternative course” the station mentioned will be accessible on their station website where visitors can also read up on the situation, see DJ profiles, and look at a schedule of shows.

Thank you INDIE 103.1, for fighting the good fight.

“The End of Radio” – Shellac (2007 Touch & Go) Excellent Italian Greyhound

Chilly’s Got Some New Willies (New Chilly Willy Albums)

Eugene, Oregon’s crown jewel, Chilly Willy AKA Willectronica AKA Will Mehigan used the cult success of his hit album,  Chilly Willy Remixes Your Favorite Hits! to lauch two new albums: The Mystical Adventures of Chilly Willy and One Nation Under Chilly Willy.

The Mystical Adventures of Chilly Willy marks a new chapter in the epic of Chilly. Not nearly as rip-wild and raging as Remixes, the album is more of a psychedelic journey to the North Pole.

One Nation Under Chilly Willy is just in time for the new year and the new admisitration. Meant to be listened to as a single continuous dance party, the album echos Remixes without being redunant.

All in all: well-done Chilly.

PS. All of Chilly Willy’s albums are available for full download here.

“Chilly Willy Leaves The North Pole On A Kayak of Clouds” – Chilly Willy (2009 self-released) The Mystical Adventures of Chilly Willy

Almost Too Cool? (Sapporo + Chocolate + Beer)

It’s been a ridiculously long time since my last post in the Almost Too Cool? beer and liquor series but here we are, with a new drank and a new series of ridiculousness.

In this entry: Sapporo’s Chocolate Beer which was released on the Sapporo website yesterday, Jan. 14 (excuse the engrish).

I love chocolate and beer but together? Maybe if it was more of a chocolate liquor but, the Japanese always seem to pleasantly suprise.

The cans cost around $5 USD and are on promotion for the Valentine’s season (i think).

Anyone try it yet?

“I Gotta Get Drunk” – The Little Willies (2006 Blue Note) ST

Pavement Ready to Hit the Pavement (Again)

The original successful indie rock band, Pavement was indeed the first of its kind.

Avoiding superstar status while achieving a loyal cult following, Pavement paved the way for other independently signed rock bands starting in the late 1990s up until today.

Stephen Malkmus, their lead singer, just recently experienced loads of solo success with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, the I’m Not There Bob Dylan Movie OST and much more.

However, recent news suggests a Pavement reunion.

The band, which has been disbanded since 1999, has been entertaining possibilities including playing at the coming Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California.

This year marks the band’s 20th anniversary and it’s not like a grand reunion hasn’t been discussed.

All in all, we’ll see. Hopefully it goes better than the Smashing Pumpkins’ 2008 debacle.

“Gold Soundz” – Pavement (1994 Matador) Crooked Rain Crooked Rain

UPDATE: It’s official Pavement’s getting together for ATP. Cool.

Brooklyn: the new perfume

New York City’s cooler borough, Brooklyn, is Bond No. 9’s new edgy scent.

Cased in a clear bottle, the unisex scent is:

romantic, sexy, distinctive with notes of cardamon, geranium leaves, and cedarwood. Grapefruit and juniper leaves accelerate the scent while hints of guaiacwood and leather bring in a tender touch.

The Brooklyn bottle also features “BROOKLYN” and “BOND NO. 9″ written in super badass edgy urban script. Think gangs, street art, edginess, and cool.

Why try actually being cool if you could just pay to smell cool? Beware, possible side effects include: the perpetual hang over, coke face, dance parties with Todd P., and a too cool for school Bed-Stuy/ Bushwich loft or dorm.

“Brooklyn Go Hard” – Jay-Z feat. Santogold (2009 Big Boy/ Atlantic) NOTORIOUS

Trippy: Globe Teaches Readers How To Hallucinate

In a college town, there needs to be news men and women who understand the undergraduate strife: how to get our trip on.

Of course, there are always the usual outlets like LSD and other hallucinagens; yet, as a wise man once said: “crazk is wack.”

Instead, turn to the Boston Globe for the latest news, commentary, and methods of getting bent.

Globe writer, Johan Lehrer, and graphic artist, Javier Zarracina, map out a few ideas for those interested in freeing their minds (minus the sketchy drug dealers, prison time, and drug addiction) in their “Hack your brain: How to hallucinate with ping-pong balls and a radio.”

“Stoned” – Atlas Sound (2008 self-released) Deerhunter Blog Music