For the blog where I get all philosophical and stuff, go here: Socrates' Closet

Hi there.

My name is William Sisskind, and I am a poor college student.

This is a catch-all of the random thinkings and ponderments that I have over the course of the day. There are many. A hojillion, if you will.

I am an expert at many types of cheeses, I remodel old computers to make humans their dirty slaves, and I enjoy sipping monkey picked tea whilst watching the execution of wanted criminals.

I also do this webshow: You should check it out. Sorry, scratch that. You must check it out. Pigeons will peck out your eyes at my command if you don't.

No, I will not date you.

  1. Ronnie James Dio, whose soaring vocals, poetic lyrics and mythic tales of a never-ending struggle between good and evil broke new ground in heavy metal, died Sunday, according to a statement from his wife and manager. He was 67. Dio revealed last summer that he was suffering from stomach cancer shortly after wrapping up a tour in Atlantic City, N.J., with the latest incarnation of Black Sabbath, under the name Heaven And Hell. “Today my heart is broken,” Wendy Dio wrote on the singer’s site, adding he died at 7:45 a.m. “Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away. My heart is broken too, Wendy. He may be gone, but his music will live on forever. R.I.P. I think this Grooveshark widget is fitting. Sing it, Jack and Kage.

    Ronnie James Dio, whose soaring vocals, poetic lyrics and mythic tales of a never-ending struggle between good and evil broke new ground in heavy metal, died Sunday, according to a statement from his wife and manager. He was 67.

    Dio revealed last summer that he was suffering from stomach cancer shortly after wrapping up a tour in Atlantic City, N.J., with the latest incarnation of Black Sabbath, under the name Heaven And Hell.

    “Today my heart is broken,” Wendy Dio wrote on the singer’s site, adding he died at 7:45 a.m. “Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away.

    My heart is broken too, Wendy. He may be gone, but his music will live on forever. R.I.P.

    I think this Grooveshark widget is fitting. Sing it, Jack and Kage.

  2. No Line On The Horizon… Wow. Simply Wow.

    OH. MY. GOD.

    I’m in heaven right now. The new U2 album, No Line On The Horizon, is coming out March 3rd. But apparently some people couldn’t wait, and Universal Australia decided to release the album two weeks before it was supposed to. And then people bought it. And then someone uploaded it to TPB. And then thousands of people downloaded it. And then U2 did nothing.

    Awesome.

    I listened to it at a friend’s house. I must say, it’s definitely a U2 album. Vocal harmonies on songs like Moment Of Surrender reflect back on earlier U2 works, while experimental synth sounds embedded into delayed guitar riffs come from Achtung Baby and Zooropa days. Bono’s high vocals again shine through, as does Larry’s drum work and Adam’s moving, though constantly underrated, bass grooves.

    Many tracks shine on this record. Magnificent is one of the better songs, blending great lyrical work with a driving rock beat and underlying synth tones. Unknown Caller builds up to an interesting minor-key mellow rock song, while Crazy Tonight takes the major keys and delivers some pretty high pitches from Bono. Of course, the title track is very good, including Bono doing some yodel-howling (???) and some piano riffs in the middle. Get On Your Boots, the first single from the album, is probably a weaker track, but it comes in between two quite mellow songs; as if the band decided to take a zany break and jam out.

    Some tracks borrow a style from another artist, so it seems. Breathe has roots related to Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, while Moment Of Surrender sounds like it could have come off of a late Beatles album with the instrumentation and vocal harmonies. However, U2 sound dominates most of the album.

    Rolling Stone has already given the album five stars and has called it “maybe their best since Achtung Baby”. That’s a pretty big pedestal for this album to sit on, so see for yourself why it’s receiving such praise. It officially comes out March 3rd and plenty of stores will be selling it, so however you get your hands on this disc (or record, as it’s being released on vinyl) do it. You really won’t be sorry.

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