Mythical Creature Party

I'm not sure if this will become a regular feature of 31/Chi, but Pistol P and I are kind of a mythological creature kick. So, in the vein of the u-corns post from last week, Pistol and I may or may not be sporadically updating the blog with variously themed opuses to our favorite fictional critters.

Today: the chimera.



Whoa. Get a load of this creature. Traditionally--I guess--this beast is really several beasts in one, kind of like when you buy those ten packs of the little boxes of cereal; you're buying one big box but there's several different types within. So like that big box has Cocoa Puffs, Honeynut Cheerios, and Trix, the chimera has a lion, a goat and a dragon. Or it could totally have a snake for a tail. Which would be cool.
However, like that weird kid with the beret and scarf in your philosophy class, some chimeras are "totally different." Check out this guy wearing armor and replacing the goat with an eagle (downgrade).
The chimera originated in ancient Greece, where they consistently misspelled it xίμαιρα. This is documented on this old vase. This chimera is like ELO on vinyl: old, but still awesome.
Looks like they lacked the dragon component. Bummer for them.

Chimeras are kind of like a "Dream Team" of fearsome creatures. These two pictures are kind of like the same idea, except one combo won several NBA titles under Phil Jackson while the other was killed by Belerophon astride the winged horse Pegasus.

Below, we have pretty much the same idea, only way scarier.
This chimera's addition of a snake-tail and full, rugged mane of hair make it all the more frightening for aspiring hero types and herds of livestock.
While here the addition of Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing and Magic Johnson strike terror into the hearts of plate glass windows, all-you-can-eat buffets and people without AIDS.

Okay, that's the chimera for you.
I hope you check back soon for more mythical creature parties.
Prospective featured beasts of lore may or may not include El Chupacabre, Carl Weathers, or the wendigo.

Dirty Suburbs.

For your ears!


Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

what are the youth to do?

"when I look at you, heaven's on fire"

Heaven's On Fire - The Radio Dept.

New new new Ra Ra Riot

It's been two years since we've heard anything from Ra Ra Riot. 2008's The Rhumb Line was one of 2008's best and most promising releases. Yesterday, the group dropped a new single, "Boy" from their upcoming LP, The Orchard. After listening to this new tune, I have reignited love for this band.

This song capitalizes on everything the band does well. The upbeat, poppy sound with an echoing, bouncing bass that works in unison with a mellifluous line of melody from the violin and cello with lead singer Wes Miles' head voice reaching those tingling "yoooOOOooou's" in the song's chorus provides an oh so lush sound. Nice to hear from you Ra Ra Riot. The Orchard is out on August 24th and for those of you in Omaha, Ra Ra Riot will be coming to the Waiting Room on October 8th. Get your tickets here.

Boy - Ra Ra Riot

A Bunch of Pictures of Unicorns.

I've come to a point in my life where I don't really like blogging about the things I do anymore. Everyone is working all the time, so that limits the "adventure" blogs of past posts, and social commentary is limited by working in one of the least socially stimulating environs I've ever been in.
Not wanting to neglect 31/Chi (ok, maybe wanting to neglect it a little), I have compiled this post, which is a bunch of pictures of unicorns.

Unicorns in the ocean.

Dolphins or unicorns? This scene reignites the age-old debate.

Unicorns at night time.

Unicorns and rainbows.

This unicorn is walking in front of the moon acting very stoic.

Cartoon unicorns, or "cartoonicorns."

This unicorn is selflessly lending himself as a valiant mount to a dragon-slaying, scantily-clad cochineal-haired warrior lady on he quest to rid the land of terror.

Seems to be a very noble unicorn.

This fellow is into cruising outer space whilst on intergalactic adventures.
Seems real, but so do a lot of things.

That's it.

Lazy Haze

Due to being short-handed and without internet for quite a while, the posts on 31st/Chi have been 'limited' to say the least. Since I really don't know what to blog/write/talk about, I'm just going to post some newer tunes for our few (and very dedicated, I might add) readers out there and add to 31st/Chi's expansive mp3 mixes.

2010 continues to add to it's already impressive repertoire. Now getting into the mid-summer releases, we're especially looking for those songs that reflect the nostalgia of summer to its most imitable feeling. This mix consists of fresh tunes that you may have missed over the past couple months that I find to be worthwhile in checking out.

20 new tunes for you, including a new one from Australian trio Cut Copy, who is currently working on their follow-up to 2008's fantastic In Ghost Colours. Panda Bear just dropped "Slow Motion" as the b-side to the Tomboy 7" in preparation of his full-length due sometime in September. "Boyfriend" from Best Coast is one of those songs that perfectly captures the essence of summer, as does the rest of her debut LP, Crazy For You. Also included are new songs off new albums from School Of Seven Bells, M.I.A., Chromeo (new album still in the works), Wavves, of Montreal (new album in September), and Big Boi. There is also a collaboration between Kid Cudi, Best Coast, and Mr. Everything (Rostam Batmanglij) from Vampire Weekend. Janelle Monáe's ArchAndroid is one of the year's best releases that also contains one of the year's best songs in "Tightrope". Ernest Green collaborates with Chairlift's Caroline Polachek for a new hazy, summer jam that continues to take Washed Out's sound to new levels. Natasha Khan collaborates with Beck for a fantastic single from the Eclipse soundtrack. Can't wait to hear what else Natasha has coming in the near future. Ariel Pink has released one of the year's better LP's in Before Today and no song stands out more on it than lead single, "Round and Round" Finally there are a couple songs from up and coming artists, Cults and Baths, that really show off their abilities well.

Hope you enjoy the mix and that it blends into your summer schedule well, wherever you may be and whatever the summer may consist of. As always, feedback is encouraged. The mix is after the jump below.

July Hiatus

The longer you live in the world, the harder it is to write about it.