Still Got Love
Posted on October 9th, 2011
Filed under: Music News,Videos — Karl Olson @ 1:38 am
News in the video.
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Odd Frontalot Would Go Kathartic This Album
Posted on October 5th, 2011
Filed under: Reviews — Karl Olson @ 7:59 pm
So with that seemingly gratuitous OFWGKTA reference out of the way, some thoughts on the Godfather of Nerdcore’s most recent outing.
As I listen to Solved, I think the best way to think of it is that Solved doesn’t have a ton of immediate gratification. It’s consistent and no question the cleanest production on a Front album to date for the most part, but it’s also not as out of the gate punchy as previous releases. This is in part because the theme songs aren’t quite as snarky as some of his previous releases (barring perhaps the perfectly honed “Nerd vs. Jock” and the cosplayer-watching to self-commentary anthem “Victorian Space Slut”,) and in general it’s a little more sedate. The pace is literally less frenetic most of the time, and it doesn’t substitute in crazier production choices to make up the gap.
In a sense, it’s a victory lap record, released ten years after the first rumblings of Nerdcore as genre started to come together, but it’s one coming off two (Final Boss and Zero Day) albums that had a surprising immediacy and intensity in retrospect, and that certainly had songs that were no question natural singles and plenty of them. In a sense, that’s the concept of the record – everything is solved, no problems, no “the man is ruining your life/you are the man ruining some one’s life” dark notes – but part of what I think some people came to Front for were the more charged moments. The jabs at power and privilege were ultimately a much defining characteristic of Front than I think anyone was conscious of, and even if it’d be weird to write like that when you have the band with the 4th biggest rock song of the past decade guesting on your record, it’s part of people’s perception I think, and perhaps where some find issue with the album. There is a bit of that flavor in the skits, but it’s much inwardly focused. It’s funny because really, he could make that conflict and self-deprecation the center piece of a song or album these days and people would love it. Well, maybe that’d be too far in the other direction.
That said though, while it’s a different, relatively happier Frontalot, it’s not a bad Frontalot, and perhaps better than if he had tried to keep up doing songs about voter fraud and protesting without feeling it or coaching it in a more themed/comedic song about a military computer taking over. Even if the album doesn’t have much of that kind of punch, it’s still a really fun, enjoyable LP that gets better with every listen, and the production is just stellar the more I think about it. At a listen it’s not an obvious album, but it’s better with each spin. You should give it a listen or three, if not a purchase. You may not find the Front you expected, but you’ll find something great nonetheless.
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first world problems.
Posted on September 29th, 2011
Filed under: General — Karl Olson @ 12:40 pm
Passport and satellite radio stolen? First world problem.
Gotta wait 5 weeks or more to replace the passport? First world problem.
Kickstarter needs about 180 dollars a day at this rate to be funded on time? First world problem.
That said it would mean a lot to me if you could make this happen. It’s a bit of a domino effect thing. If Rai’s album is properly funded, she can then properly promote it (rather than needing a job to pay for replication and recording, which then gets in the way of promotion, which means less copies sold,) and since I did the instrumentals, production and mastering, part of the proceeds of her album sales go to me, and so help fund a CD release of my next album.
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I have already done a slightly different mix of this song
Posted on September 15th, 2011
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 8:14 pm
ultraklystron – lifecycle by karlrolson
But here is the leak anyway. Might still need some vocal work.
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New Old Music/More Live Shows
Posted on August 22nd, 2011
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 2:25 am
Let’s start with a remix:
ultraklystron – he’s an og (dubcoin mix) by karlrolson
That little afternoon remix out of the way, I am playing yet another show, and this time I’m not even opening for Death*Star! Instead I am playing as a part of a day-long festival, the proceeds from which go to suicide prevention. It’s a good cause, so if you can make it out, awesome.
Also, the free best of is done. Push it everywhere. I am considering getting that QR code on some stickers even.
Lastly, I will be at PAX, and I will sit in on the “Making Art from Art” Panel at the Raven Theater. I am not so much officially on it, as friends with a number of the MCs on the panel. Still, I’ll probably have something to say about post-invention-of-the-word-Nerdcore Nerdcore. Come out and throw video game swag shirts at me. 😉
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Gigs and Itches
Posted on July 11th, 2011
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 10:05 pm
So, this month I will perform at two big shows. One is the SFU Summer Festival, which happens on July 16th at the SFU Burnaby Campus. There, I will open for my friend Rai and my fiancee Nursehella. It’s free, it’s all ages and it should be quite a blast.
The other is July 30th, where I will open for Nerdcore rising star Klopfenpop and the now seasoned Death*Star. I would call it par for the course when it comes to my Seattle shows, except that this time we are performing in Everett at the AFK Tavern, a nerd bar and grill. If my antics don’t amuse you, play a tabletop game instead.
All of the details for both shows are listed on the shows page. If anyone else wants me to play somewhere, contact me 😀
That said, the rehearsals (in my car, on the way to and from school) have me itching to do a new record, and the material is largely done – I have had enough lyrics and beats for a while now. I even have a lot of vocals in the can (it’s good exercise.) When and how I’ll get it done and released is beyond me right now; school is a big commitment, and costs me more than I’ve made off music, so it’s job one, and various other commitments are a close second. The “if” is gone though. I will eventually do my sixth HipHop album. It will be an unexpected record.
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Finales and New Beginnings
Posted on June 16th, 2011
Filed under: General — Karl Olson @ 3:22 am
Watching my little brother graduate from the same high school I was a founding member of was much more emotionally complex than expected. It drove home that the risk that was taken by going into a brand new school really was worthwhile. I was proud to see my brother graduate. I was nostalgic and proud of the professors who had stuck it out at the school and taught both me and my brother. I was proud of what I’d helped to create. I was somewhat sad to see that now my last deep connection to that place is gone. It also underlined something that has been true for a while now, but now with his graduation has much more clarity; my little brother is no longer a boy, but a young man, and one with a truly bright future ahead of him.
In a greater sense, it told me there was a bright future for the alma matter of my youth. As much as I slacked off there, and as ambivalent I have been at points about my time there and whether it had been worthwhile, it suddenly seemed obvious to me that yes, if not directly for me, for those who benefitted in my wake, yes, it was worth it. Besides, it did remind me, for the first time in a while, just how much I had benefitted from it, how good it was for me to have gone there, and how much care I’d really recieved from my teachers and the staff because I saw it reflected in those students. It reminded me of some of the great times I had there, and that really, I had been focusing in my recollections of place somewhat negatively for no reason. Those were good years.
While there are a number changes that all seem to becoming together at once for me, this clarified and underlines these are good things.
There is hope, and there always has been.
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My best of (in chronological order)…
Posted on May 27th, 2011
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 2:19 pm
…according to less than 10 fans.
01. ultraklystron – [romance language 2 #02] shutter
02. ultraklystron – [romance language 2 #15] sweetest
03. ultraklystron – [romance language 2 #11] on your six
04. ultraklystron – [the fourth estate #03] gothic lolitas
05. ultraklystron – [the fourth estate #04] absolution
06. ultraklystron – [the fourth estate #01] death won’t stop this
07. ultraklystron – [opensource lyricist #03] so long kids
08. ultraklystron – [opensource lyricist #01] opensource lyricist
09. ultraklystron – [opensource lyricist #19] it’s the beat
10. ultraklystron – [opensource lyricist #13] hit reply
11. ultraklystron – [opensource lyricist #08] mahou shonen theme
12. ultraklystron – [opensource lyricist #14] hikikomori
13. ultraklystron – [opensource lyricist #04] eighty three
14. ultraklystron – [romance language #02] girls with glasses
15. ultraklystron – [romance language #06] well that’s moe
16. ultraklystron – [romance language #04] shoujo n’ shonen
17. ultraklystron – [revision4920 #07] pilot remix
18. ultraklystron – [revision4920 #05] otaku soundsystem
Anything critical missing? If there is, can you get at least 2 people to agree with you on that?
If you can, I’ll stick that on too.
That said, the production is so different between each album there isn’t really a good way of making this into a best of without remastering everything. Considering the idea is to give a taste of what I’ve done away for free everywhere I can stick it (not just bandcamp, but datpiff, filesharing services, etc,) I think it’d be fake to clean up the old work. I mean, I might as remake everything but the most recent material with fresh vocals if I’m covering blemishes, and that seems like something other than a best of.
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When it comes to fame, I feel like I’m a stranger
Posted on April 23rd, 2011
Filed under: General,Music News,Videos — Karl Olson @ 3:00 am
…But at last AkiCon, I chilled with Power Rangers*:
Aki Con 2010 artist panel part 1
Aki Con 2010 artist panel part 2
Aki Con 2010 artist panel part 3
Still doesn’t make up for how awkward that weekend was otherwise (con organization is a oxymoron sometimes, and opportunities usually arise at inopportune times.) However, it wasn’t absolutely without fun, and hopefully, the videos generated have something of interest to my dozen fans. 😉
*=only one Power Ranger, but he’s also Vash the Stampede.
In more recent news, I saw Donald Glover live last night. It was fantastic, and a reminder that since I have some spare time, I should get on remixing some more of his acapellas. In general, I think a little “Ultraklystron remixTAPE” might be due during my semester break. If any of you have any suggestion of artists with acapellas I should ruin, comment, tweet, email or whatever. Hit me on Diaspora if you’re on the cutting edge like that.
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Vocal Stems
Posted on April 10th, 2011
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 7:09 pm
for one song so far…
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9418093/ultraklystron-duplicate-stems.zip
(for reference: http://ultraklystron.bandcamp.com/track/duplicate )
I think I’ll rotate what I put up every week or two for a bit. I know people have wanted some Ultraklystron stems for a while, so I intend to deliver now. That said, I might also collect some instrumentals and post those to bandcamp, if there is any interest.