Chytil is a center from the Czech Republic who was drafted by the New York Rangers in the first round (21st overall) last year. Chytil's draft selection was puzzling at first to many but as more details about the type of player he is and who he could one day become came out, the more there was to be excited about him.
Chytil's pre-draft scouting reports indicate that his biggest attribute is his speed and his ability to hold his own when matched up against competitors who are several years older than him. Considering how he was still a teenager back then (he's still a teenager now since he doesn't turn 20 until September in 2019), that is pretty impressive. Most of his other skills are said to be "above-average", except maybe power but give it like five years and he'll probably gain a few more kilos and find himself as a capable forward with power.
Another word that came up al lot when I was looking up his scouting reports was the word "raw". Which is to be expected with any teenage athlete. In baseball terms "raw" is usually code for a player having unteachable skills but never really delivering on them (usually power), hopefully in hockey it means something completely different. And based on what I've read and seen from fans and people who covered the Hartford Wolfpack (the AHL affiliate of the Rangers where Chytil spent most of this past season), Chytil is really starting to add some polish to his game (the results speak for themselves).
With the Rangers in complete rebuild mode for the rest of this season (all five games that remain anyway lol), this is an excellent chance to give Chytil and fellow 2017 first rounder Lias Andersson - both of whom were recalled from Hartford at the same time - a shot to see what they've got as the Rangers sort out who they'll keep around next season. The Rangers have the core to be pretty competitive next season too (with Henrik Lundqvist in the net any team could be), and big strides from Chytil and Andersson would be a huge step forward in the Rangers' Yankees-style five minute rebuild. Hopefully they'll force the issue and show that they're not going back to Hartford, but some more polish in the AHL isn't the worst thing either. The tougher it is for Jeff Gorton to make a decision, the better.
Woof, man, I don't think I've been this excited about a TTM return since... last year when I got a return from Shigeru Sugishita (another March Miracle return). Speaking of which, I guess it's time for a banner pic update...
So yeah, děkuji to Filip Chytil for the awesome autograph.
As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).
For those you that were worried that I was scrapping this blog and moving to video, don't worry, I'm not.
But, I have had a few stray thoughts over the years where I shoot and edit an entire video based on baseball cards. But how? Or rather, what?
Well the foremost obvious answer would be videos focused on opening packs/boxes/entire cases.
I think we've all seen at least one box break video in our lives. Whether it's one of those live stream group break videos or just some vlogger ripping into a blaster from Wal-Mart. For the most part they're all very bad in terms of entertainment value. Never mind the stuff the people pull in the video, a great hit doesn't guarantee a great video. You don't watch those videos to be entertained, you watch them to see if the team slot you purchased gets you something good.
I mean let's face it. Most of the box breakers aren't entertainers or people who make a living performing. They're probably laypeople who work as lawyers (because apparently lawyers make up 60% of all baseball card collectors). That's not their fault, nor is it a sin or anything. But it just means that you're going to end up watching a very lackluster 10 minute video of a guy sitting in front of a web-cam (or right behind it) with a bad mic. All part of a very long continuous shot with little edits, nothing in terms of a music soundtrack, and unless you have something invested in the video (ie you're part of the group break) you're probably going to click out of the video.
I mean I guess that's to be expected for live streaming since I guess it's the closest you're going to be able to get to having the participants see the pulls in real time and confirm for themselves that the operation wasn't rigged.
But what if it's not a live stream? What if it's just a recap video of sorts? What if the point of the video isn't even about opening something? Do you take the same "one and done approach"? Based on YouTube searches the answer is a resounding yes because people are lazy. And no I do not blame them. As mentioned before, I'm lazy too.
BUT, every now and then you do have videos that can make it a little bit more interesting.
I recently came across this video where the plot revolves around the opening of two boxes of Upper Deck Christina Aguilera cards, created by online filmmaker SBN3. It's very entertaining and can be enjoyed by basically anybody regardless of if they're a collector or not.
The next section contains *spoilers*, so watch the video first if you care to.
Now granted, this isn't a "traditional" box break video. There are edits, there are production values, there are puppets. We don't even know if the autograph was pulled or if it was bought. But you know what? I don't care, I really enjoyed it. The video doesn't exist to show us what was in the boxes (in fact it clearly doesn't give a shit what was inside), it shows us a relatable and familiar situation of a collector who is desperate for a good pull. I'm sure a lot of us can relate to a lot of moments in the video. Like questioning the legitimacy of the "autographs", having concerns about the boxes being tampered with beforehand, being friends with condiments, complaining about the same pictures used over & over again, and praying to Jesus Christina Aguilera for a good luck. Don't lie to me or yourself, we've all been there.
It'd be pretty greedy of me to say that this is the kind of content and creativity I want from card videos, but this is totally the kind of content and creativity I want from card videos. So much so that I've considered making one on-and-off for years. All amounting to nothing.
Just a notch below that work of genius is this, an SB Nation original video production brought to you by Jon Bois and Ryan Nanni. They open packs in their quest to find the worst sports card ever. It's no Pretty Good (SB Nation's best video series), but it's fine. It gives pack openings a clear objective and a fun way of presenting their findings to us.
I suppose there is also having former players/personalities open cards and comment on them. Every now and then you get some great personal stories but for the most part the statements are often bland "oh this guy was a great guy and a heck of a player" types of PR speak we've heard millions of times. You're never going to get anything good like "oh this guy was a shit head" from anybody, not even if you gave Michael Barrett a pack filled with AJ Pierzynski's.
I didn't really check to see if there were other types of card videos out there but I assume that they'd be more of the same, vlogger type of card show hauls or autograph hauls or something like that.
My point is that there is effort put into these videos that makes them worth watching multiple times. If I ever do make a video, I'd want it to be like them. A little video made to entertain rather than just being another show and tell presentation. With scripts, with editing, with sound mixing, everything. Easier said than done I know, but hey, where there's a will there's a way. Who knows, maybe in the future we might Clone Breaks in video format ;). Although stop motion is not easy. And mics are not cheap. And camera phones aren't good enough. Ugh.
So anyway what do you think of videos about cards? Do you agree that they can be spruced up and less vloggy? Or do you like them just the way they already are because they're serving their purpose? Or do you think that both can be true like most rational humans would?
So in my last post I included a small blurb about how interacting with social media isn't quite the same as blogging. Keen readers like Night Owl and Tony caught onto that and agreed. Today I thought I'd expand on that a little more. Weighing the pros and cons of both and comparing the apples and oranges. Not to see which is better, but to show that both have different roles to play.
Now when I say Twitter, you could really replace it with any of the big social media sites. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Discord, LinkedIn, Mixi, Myspace, VK, it's all the same. In the end they're all sites that save and sell your personal info and use big data to try to manipulate you. But we use them anyway because you might as well be cast off on an island if you don't have a social media presence in this day and age.
Before we start, let me just say that these are based on my experiences with both being a blogger and a Tweeter. They'll probably differ from yours depending on how different your usage of your blog and Twitter accounts are from the way I use mine.
Unrelated Scan 1
So I think we should start with things that blogging and Twitter have in common, as well as what they don't have in common and see where things go from there.
The first thing they have in common is that both offer you a platform (of sorts) to say whatever is on your mind. Want to blog/tweet about baseball card backs of certain obscure cards? Sure, go ahead. Want to blog/tweet about things that have absolutely nothing to do with baseball or sports? Sounds great.
That said this brings up the first major difference between the two. Exactly how much you can say. I don't mean that as in you need to censor what you want to say (although you should really think through what you put out there on the internet, it's your inescapable permanent record). I mean it in terms of literal limits placed on Twitter not allowing you to use more than 280 characters.
With Blogger or WordPress or whatever the fuck people want to use, anyone could write entire novels about any topic they want. With Twitter you have to keep it to 280 characters. Of course you could create long Twitter threads but if it exceeds more than three chain tweets, the average Twitter user will tune out and think you're a moron for not just starting a blog.
This is why I think Twitter is better suited for hot takes and mundane thoughts that don't have enough meat on them to sustain their own blogpost. I mean I'm sure a lot of us with both blogs and Twitter accounts have had random thoughts pop up in our heads related to baseball cards, but we know that they could never carry an entire blogpost so we just put them up on Twitter. Granted maybe some of those thoughts get incorporated later into bigger blogposts, but the point remains that Twitter is better suited for being a wall where you fling shit against it and see what sticks. Whatever sticks may end up being able to beef up another blogpost.
Unrelated Scan 2
Another thing that blogging and Twitter have in common is that you can be a part of some really nice small communities.
We all have our own little collecting hub here on our corner of the blogosphere. Chances are we all have something similar on Twitter. The internet connects us to so many people now that it's very scary and overwhelming, but it can be fun if everyone plays their proper part. I think the blogging community here is as close as it's going to get to a good online community comprised of strangers with only one hobby being what connects them. It's not perfect but compared to the online card communities I've seen on message boards, yeah this is as good as it gets lol.
With Twitter, chances are the community will be a bit bigger. After all it's one of the biggest social media sites ever and not every collector out there has a card blog. That has it's benefits as you have more people to talk to and engage in conversation with (maybe trade/buy/sell some stuff you all need). But it also has its drawbacks because you're going to be dealing with a lot more people who only have a Twitter profile as a frame of reference. Can you really trust that person? Not just with your cards but with your address and personal info in general? This is where you have to use your brain, put on your adult pants and make adult decisions about who to interact with and who to stay far far away from.
Although once that's done you usually find yourself in part of a little clique. Whether it's with fellow collectors or just people who happen to share your interests. For reference, the people I interact with on Twitter the most are people who don't collect baseball cards at all. When I do interact with fellow traders it's usually about things that aren't cards at all (just ask Stealing Home). Card related matters usually either just end up being private Twitter DMs or just tweets telling people that their packages arrived so they don't have to worry.
Or at least that's just me. I don't use Twitter as a hub for my collecting life (that's what this blog is for). I use Twitter to keep up with #LuisTorrens news, Yankees news, news in general (I'm not proud of that but Facebook's algorithms keep screwing up my timeline) and various other things that interest me. Hence why my own Twitter feed is littered with garbage Yankees takes and Dark Magician Girl gifs more often than anything card related.
Unrelated Scan 3
I'm sure you folks can come up with even more similarities and differences between blogging and engaging in social media. For me it all just comes down to how much you can get out there with every push of a Publish/Tweet button, and the type of company you'll find yourself in.
Got any of your own stories about blogging and tweeting? Why not write a post or tweet about it?
As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).
Recently there's been a bat blog around spreading everywhere where you discuss what your current collecting projects are/what you collect. Well here on this blog, we opt for blog arounds that were created long before this blog was even around (or even before the writer behind this blog even cared about baseball cards) and get around to current blog bat around topics a good nine years after they're published.
So today I figure I'd tackle an old Bat Blog Around Night Owl did back in 2009, about why one blogs. I'd recommend you read Night Owl's post for yourself as it's very good (NO does write for a living after all).
I suppose for me I should begin with why I started to blog back on the very last day of 2013.
Before my blog was launched, I was an anonymous collector who was just known for sending people Sega Card Gens. I had just come back to the states and I had yet to really decide what kind of collector I was. Obviously I had a thing for prospects but the Yankees farmsystem back then wasn't teeming with fun prospects like it is today. So instead I was opting for entire teams like the Staten Island Yankees and I was actually trying to go the super-vintage (downright ancient actually) route too by building the T-206 NY Highlanders team set at one point.
I figured that I'd go after a reclamation project with a high ceiling (Dellin Betances) and an injury prone catcher (Francisco Cervelli) in the hopes of building very solid player collections. By the time I had decided to pull the trigger and press the "Publish" button, I was also thinking that I could set up this blog to serve as a log for my potential super collection of a certain up-and-coming Yankees stud I met in the minors who could really be the first prospect I go all in on as a supercollector.
Eric Jagielo.
Obviously none of that ever happened.
Even though Jagielo was the subject of my first ever blogpost, that PC never went anywhere and by the end of the 2014 I dropped him along with Betances who blossomed into a star after his bullpen transition proved successful, and Cervelli who eventually got traded to Pittsburgh.
Instead this blog turned into a hub for what eventually did turn into the supercollection that I would build for years to come...
...mi Luis Torrens colectión!
And I've never looked back since.
Along the way I've adopted new players and teams that I collect. Some have been dropped (remember Takuya Kinoshita? lol), while others just remain dormant due to the sheer lack of cards (#SummerOfThairo), but through it all I've had a solid core of people at the center of it.
This blog has also kept track of my TTM's, IP's and whatever I decide to do on a whim (my Clone Breaks, New York Rangers, occasional forays into Yu-Gi-Oh!, etc...). Which is an added bonus.
So that's why I started blogging and why I keep blogging. To serve as a log of where I've been as a collector and where I'm going.
I also keep blogging because this blog really connects me to all of the collecting friends I've made over the years. My blogroll here is where I catch up on all of the posts I've missed out during the day. Sure a lot of you can find me and contact me on Twitter or email but it's not quite the same.
I'm gonna go on a tangent here but I've found that there is an added benefit of blogging where people will think of you/your blog based on who you bring up the most, and you in turn also think of players that you know other bloggers like. Admit it, you all thought of a certain someone when you saw that card above. I know I sure did.
Even if the bloggers aren't outright super player collectors, they still can find themselves being represented by who they've said on record to be their favorite. The more obscure the better. Off the top of my head I can recall the following...
This is helpful and can add a bit of a boost to our collecting lives for when we come across cards of these players.
Do the collectors need it? "Probably not but it's cheap/I already own it so I can fill up their next trade package!" This has often saved many a bargain bin dive or pack for me where normally it'd just be a waste of time/money but it offered me filler cards I can send to whoever I know is a fan of the person on it.
Dupes are a first world problem in the hobby for sure but when it's your favorite player then it's also one of those "good problems to have" where you're going to appreciate every copy that you receive for free. If you won't take my word for it, ask any of the bloggers I mentioned above. Even the ones who say they're not hardcore player collectors.
This face of the blogchise effect has helped me more than I could've ever imagined.
This purple On Fire diecut auto came to me from Gavin over at Baseball Card Breakdown. Get this, the card is limited to 25 copies (don't worry it's not he X-Mas card or else it'd be back in Gav's hands). Still, 25!
This On Fire printing plate came to me from The Card Papoy. From France! A plate! A 1/1!
This black On Fire diecut auto came to me from Bob Walk The Plank. This one is numbered to five. FIVE!
An Update printing plate from Wes aka JayBarkerFan from Willinghammer Rising. Another 1/1!
And the very first Luis Torrens autograph card I had ever obtained, courtesy of Raz of the Raz Card File. Little did either of us know that this blog would be changed forever shortly after this became mine.
Along with countless other cool items I've received over the years. Torrens or otherwise.
I don't blog to get stuff, but this community is as nice as it is cozy and with a surprisingly wide net cast all over the country world, there's a good chance someone is going to find something and offer a big helping hand. In turn I also try to do the best I could to make an impact on everyone else's collections. Even though I usually end up failing miserably in the process.
So a quick and long overdue thanks to all of you you've made blogging and collecting in general a much funner experience than I could've hoped for. One way or another, you're all a reason why I keep blogging.
It's been a fun four years to date, here's to many more in the future.
As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).
In the winter of 2016-17 I completed the first ever master set of a product.
2016 BBM Chunichi Dragons.
I left the masterset in Japan (my suitcase was bursting), but I brought back some key pieces from that break.
The masterset was completed after I opened two boxes and picked up the remaining pieces as singles.
My autograph from one of the boxes was Daisuke Sobue, someone who'll be the subject of an upcoming post. The other was the foreigner Jordan Norberto (former Oakland A/Arizona Diamondback) which I turned into store credit a day later.
The autographs are all sticker autographs (at least these basic ones were) and were mostly numbered to 60 copies. My personal preference for autographs is for them to be vertical but these horizontal ones looked pretty neat too. So I picked up as many as I could on the cheap during my short stay.
The base set featured 69 cards (nice) and they all looked like this. BBM's standard full bleed photography with simple but slick design. Possibly too simple, but you can't argue that it doesn't get the job done.
The inserts were fun and aggravated me the most. Mainly because they took the longest to finish and because they scan poorly. Here we have an insert of Yohei Oshima, one of the few Dragons players worth caring about right now. This is the blue parallel of an Enter The Dragon parallel numbered to 25. The Dragon motif on the front is blue. For the record, I completed the base insert set, but because I am not willing to lose my sanity I'm not going after the serial numbered inserts.
Here's a silver parallel where the Dragon looks silver and is just limited to 100 copies. This is of Shunta Wakamatsu, who is a guy.
Here is a parallel of a Fresh Stars insert featuring some up and coming hopefuls. This is of Ryosuke Oguma and it's very hard to consider him a Fresh Star when he's been with the club since 2011.
There were these Respectable inserts which paid homage to veterans on the team like then-42 year old Hitoki Iwase. He's still pitching now at age 43.
An insert set dedicated to Key Players was also present. Personally it's hard to wrack my head around thinking of Dayan Viciedo as a key player but meh. People dig the long ball I guess.
And finally there were these highlight inserts featuring some notable moments from the season like key home runs and a one hitter by Oguma.
Oh wait, there was this mascots card too. Featuring Doala, Shaolon and Paolon.
So my first attempt at completing a master-set of a BBM product was a success. I suppose I could go for the real masterset in the future and finish up the autograph set too. Hmm, we'll see. The dual autos will be tough.
As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).
Because I'm so fickle I've struggled immensely with the question "what is your favorite band?" I've listened to so many genres and bands over the years that I've never been able to pick just one.
Instead what I have is a bunch of artists I really like that (I think) are really good at what they do. She Wants Revenge is one of them.
My experience as a listener/fan of this band goes all the way back to my middle school days. She Wants Revenge is a darkwave duo from California consisting of Justin Warfield and Adam Bravin. The duo first met in the late 80's and bonded over their interest in hip hop. They wouldn't form SWR for another decade and a half, and would instead take interesting routes to it. In a lot of ways they were the perfect band for me because the two members don't just stick to one sound/genre. Although She Wants Revenge just happens to be their project when they try their hand at the post-punk/new wave sound, the two members have made other works (usually solo) that doesn't sound a thing like it. Even with SWR both Warfield and Bravin have switched up their sounds a lot. You'll see what I mean shortly.
SWR's more notable songs will probably remind you of bands like The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees or Depeche Mode. Like sort of dark but with a little bit of an electronica/dance edge to them. You can also hear some hip hop influence if you listen hard enough. So I figure I'd do a little "tribute" (I use that word lightly because I could never really do the duo the justice they deserve). Some had a problem with the risks they took, I enjoyed the ride and wanted to see the duo tackle new things. They did, and continue to do so today.
Artist: She Wants Revenge
Song: These Things
We'll start with the first SWR song I ever heard, These Things. It's one of many highlights off of their debut album She Wants Revenge. A theme you hear a lot with SWR is lust, attraction and desire. How it can feel exciting, and how it can feel scary. These Things is no exception.
The standout lyric from the song for me is "this is the time of your life but you just can't tell". What that means in the context of the song is up for debate (depends on whether you think the song itself is about adultery or a one night stand or something else).
Next I think we'll rewind a bit back to before the two had formed SWR. Strap in, we're going all the way back to the 90's.
Artist: Justin Warfield
Song: K Sera Sera
So here's a song from Justin Warfield's (the lead singer of She Wants Revenge) solo LP from 1993. If you're hankering for some songs with a seriously good early 90's west coast vibe then this album is for you. This isn't anything you'd hear from the likes of N.W.A or DJ Quik or Compton's Most Wanted, instead it gives more of a vibe you'd hear from acts like Souls or Mischief or The Pharcyde and if you're a Bay Area person like Fuji, then you'll know what I mean. And yes, he does sound like Q-Tip. I'd analyze the lyrics if I wasn't busy being caught up in how tight this album is. If you're a hip hop head, check it out.
Artist: One Inch Punch
Song: Take It In Stride
I really wanted to go with a song from Justin Warfield's psychedelic rock project, The Justin Warfield Supernaut, but for some reason all of the songs have been taken down or made private on YouTube. The album's not even up on iTunes anymore. So instead here is a song from the only album released by another one of Warfield's bands, One Inch Punch. Their only release, Tao Of The One Inch Punch, was released back in 1996 and it's experimental as heck. I've seen a lot of genre labels attached to them but the best I can describe their sound is if you occasionally added rapping to grunge music. Although this song in particular is one of their more grunge songs. In a lot of ways I can hear the She Wants Revenge vibe that's to come in the years following. The album as a whole is pretty good. Also the only two members of the group (Warfield and Gianni Garofolo) have since reunited for Warfield's newest band which you'll hear shortly.
Artist: Saukrates (Featuring Self Scientific & E-Rule)
Song: Wonderful World
This is a very dope posse cut of some of underground hip hop's finest. Adam Braven (aka DJ Adam 12) produced this track and it was on one of the mixtapes he hosted back in the early 90's.
This track is by British producer Tim Simenon, aka Bomb the Bass. Warfield is featured on it and raps on a very high powered beat provided by BtB and provides non-stop references. From #woke 1984 analogies to obscure British TV shows. This didn't really do anything in America but it's remembered in a lot of British hip hop circles as a forgotten classic. Not really sure what more I can add except that there are a lot of remixes of it out there.
Artist: Crazy Town
Song: Think Fast (Demo)
Crazy Town is known nowadays as that nu metal band that sang about butterflies but in the 90's they were a LA hip hop group called the Brimstone Sluggers. Adam Bravin was a part of that lineup but left the band before they rebranded as Crazy Town. Bravin was replaced by the late DJ AM. I couldn't find any songs from the Brimstone Sluggers era of the band so the best I could come up with was this demo cut of one of CT's songs off of their debut album. I'm not sure if Bravin had a hand in making this track, but either way I personally like this demo better than the album version the world eventually got. You could say the same for a lot of CT's demo's actually.
I'm pretty sure I'm leaving out a lot of stuff that both Warfield and Bravin did before SWR but I kind of want to fast forward to the mid-2000's now and get back to their SWR era.
Artist: She Wants Revenge
Song: Tear You Apart
Okay here we go, She Wants Revenge's best known song and honestly one of their better songs. Tear You Apart is again about infatuation. Specifically Justin tells us the story of a boy and a girl. The boy has strong sexual urges for the girl and wants to "tear her apart" all the while these urges and feelings are actually tearing him apart. Now a little crush has turned into something else and well, the song ends with the guy telling us he wants to tell the girl he wants that he wants to fucking tear her apart. In spite of how "dark" this song sounds I love it, it's twisted and yet it's got one of the most eargasmic basslines ever. From what I've heard this song has managed to pop up in horror themed shows and movies every now and then, most notably when it was used during an orgy scene that featured Lady Gaga (who is reportedly a SWR fan too) in American Horror Story.
She Wants Revenge did a few remixes here and there over the years. Here they add a little bit of that LA magic onto the two Russian girls who were big deals in the early 2000's. Compared to the original, this song is a lot more dance club oriented (duh) and while I like both, I'd give this remix the advantage. Then again I'm biased. Also, let it be known that I do like t.A.T.u.'s music. They had the catchy hooks and the tight production work to make some really nice pop music for a long time.
Artist: Julien K
Song: Kick The Bass (She Wants Revenge Remix)
Another remix I wanted to add mainly to talk about original band. Julien-K is an electronica project by Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck, both of whom are known for being part of another California based rock band called Orgy. The two were also part of a band called Dead By Sunrise which was started by Linkin Park frontman, Chester Bennington. A band I kind of wish I knew about earlier TBH, I started listening to them after the unfortunate news of Bennington's passing hit and I personally like a lot of their stuff. Crawl Back In is my favorite song by DBS for the record. As for Julien K, it's an okay band to check out if you're into post punk with electronica infused in it. Personally Cruel Daze of Summer is what I'd consider to be my favorite Julien K song.
Artist: She Wants Revenge
Song: Love My Way
Yep, a cover of the Psychedelic Furs' classic Love My Way. BTW, just know that this is not an official music video but a fan project by the uploader. I can't find the song itself with a static image so this'll have to do. The Furs are one of the many bands that SWR considers an influence (big shock right?) and have given one of the Furs' more notable songs a "darker" sound. It's unique because their vocals and the overall tone of the song creates an interesting contrast with the relatively lighter sounding high notes on the original that were played by the marimba. Normally I don't care for covers (especially when I love the original song as much as I love Love My Way) but I thought SWR did a good job here. You can't go wrong with most renditions of that instrumental. The lyrics of the song have always been kind of a puzzle but for me I've always thought of it as love between two people of the same gender. Although you could also argue that it's reckless love fueled by pure desire and passion.
Artist: She Wants Revenge
Song: It's Just Begun
This is my favorite song off of SWR's second album This Is Forever. The song itself is about a couple who meet at a bar/club and their encounter that (maybe?) leads to a one night stand. Question is if that one night stand is only the beginning of something else. No, no it's not.
Artist: Timabaland
Song: Time (Featuring She Wants Revenge)
Timbaland is one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time and he delivers what I consider to be my favorite instrumental of all time here. Seriously, I love it. The guitar riff, the aura that the song is wrapped in, the claps. As far as vocals go I think Justin and Adam drove that chorus right out of the park with their part, I love it. Timbaland's verses are primarily about a female stalker and the vibe makes it seem like maybe she wants to kill him, although the chorus suggests that he was either abusive or neglectful before she snapped. Two of my favorite acts come together to deliver one of my favorite songs ever.
Artist: She Wants Revenge
Song: Save Your Soul
Save Your Soul is the title track off of SWR's EP, Save Your Soul. The EP as a whole isn't too dissimilar to what the duo released before. This song in particular is about a guy who confronts his significant other after they come home pretty late. He's got his suspicions that the other person is having an affair with someone else.
Artist: She Wants Revenge
Song: Your Love
SWR's Up and Down EP is where they really tapped into their electronic sound. At the time I think some people were a bit thrown off by a band that made Tear You Apart making something like this, but I thought it was a neat little experiment. Neither Warfield or Bravin have a track record of staying with one sound for extended periods of time, they will try all sorts of unique things and that's what I like most about them TBH.
Artist: She Wants Revenge
Song: Suck It Up
To date Valleyheart is SWR's latest album. They make a return of sorts to their darkwave and guitar sound after the Up & Down EP. Suck It Up here is one of my favorites off of Valleyheart for how it sounds. Lyrically it's a breakup song where the guy doesn't take it too well and already knows that he's going to be a wreck for a while because the relationship didn't work out.
Artist: Justin Warfield
Song: My City Got Me Like...
Warfield released The Black Hesh Cult mixtape in 2013, (available on his official SoundCloud). It's meant to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his debut as Warfield returns to his hip hop roots and spits some fire. The track above is not from the mixtape (or at least it wasn't released with it), but I can't seem to embed the mixtape onto here so this'll have to do.
Artist: Dream Club
Song: To Play Us Out
Warfield's newest band is the Cali-based Dream Club. Dream Club is more of a psychedelic rock band who sort of reminds me of The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Dream Club released their debut LP Dream Club in August of last year.
Artist: Love, Ecstasy and Terror
Song: Carousel
Here's a track from Adam Bravin's recent solo project Love, Ecstasy and Terror. As of this post the LoveXTerror camp has only released three songs, one of which was a demo only available on SoundCloud. Although based on their YouTube channel they have a lot of other tracks in the works (some from as far back as 2015). I love this Carousel track for the pretty nice buildup and the eerie tension it creates. If you liked this then you might like his more recent offering My Little Sin, released barely a year ago too.
Adam Bravin (Left) and Justin Warfield (Right)
After Valleyheart, SWR decided to go on an "indefinite hiatus" and the duo went their separate ways. Bravin went on to be President Barack Obama's personal DJ while Warfield would remain active doing a lot of production work and remixes. They did briefly reunite for a tour in 2016 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of their debut album. As of 2018 it sounds like SWR is back on hiatus because both men have busy lives to lead, but if you're in the LA area you can probably still catch the two since they do make live appearances at a lot of events and concerts.
Even if SWR never makes another new song or album, I do still enjoy the things they did make and release. The stuff the two made before they came together would've already made for interesting discographies but this just further adds to their story. I'm still looking forward to new things the two put out individually because I want to see where they go as they start to put SWR in the rearview mirror. An interesting band to the very end for sure. Definitely one of my favorites.
*sighs*, okay I know that you've been waiting this whole post for me to say it. Yes, they do sound like Joy Division. Happy?
As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).
