Benji Cossa
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BENJI COSSA: FAVORITES 03: Daniel Strange
SBR55 is the third installment in BENJI COSSA’s Favorites series. The Favorites are series of free Cossa greatest-hits mixtapes curated by his friends and loved ones. So far we’ve heard the hits as chosen by Sebastian Blanck and Eric Copeland. Now it’s Daniel Strange’s turn!
get it free! bandcamp / free music archive / soundcloud
Daniel Strange is a Los Angeles-based writer-director. In the last few years, he has directed episodes of “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis,” written a Spider-Man video game for Activision (“Shattered Dimensions”), co-written and directed “The Ballad of G.I. Joe” for Funny Or Die, and been the voice of Gideon Jura in a “Magic: The Gathering” video game. He also helped Benji record some of these songs back in college.
“This is a lo-fi mix; for some reason that’s the stuff of Benji’s that resonates with me. Maybe it’s because he only had this little 4-track to work with when he started out, so that’s how I always think his stuff should sound. Anyway, beneath the rawness of these recordings are songs of incredible craft and power - from the catchy simplicity of ‘Feel Like a Man’ to the minimalistic majesty of ‘Love is Like Lightning’; from the psychological darkness of ‘If I Were U’ to the wordless perfection of ‘Ice Skating.’ Also, this mix starts off with my favorite Cossa composition ever, a song we recorded together called ‘Circus Love.’ I think he’s never released it before out of respect for it as a collaborative effort, but it’s too good not to be shared with the world. Just listen to that chorus…”
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Benji Cossa
Lonesome Boy Blue
It’s best you work on not feeling lonely around other people because you won’t feel any less lonely alone. That’s a bit more advice.
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HIGGINS
DO YOU STILL
SBR51 / 2011 / a digital single on Serious Business Records.
This is one song from the forthcoming new HIGGINS album called Straight A’s. Amongst the few people who have heard this album, many of them consider “Do You Still” to be of their favorite. Kevin’s vocal sounds beautiful donchya think?
HIGGINS - Do You Still by seriousbusiness
Artwork by Kara Smith and Brian Kantor
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Hasn’t The Secret Life of Plants been debunked by now? Yet strange stories still circulate like how a plant won’t flower for years and years until a clipping is taken and sent to some lab where scientists make it bloom. When the mother plant is revisited, it seems they have both flowered at the same time! Is this evidence of ESP, a ghostly gardener, or some invisible interconnection between like beings? Can a twin really feel pain when his sibling is injured? Remember when Little Nicky turned that guy’s Coke into a Pepsi?
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Tips on fun from Cossa.
Building an unbeatable deck and having a genius strategy in Magic the Gathering is a recipe for having no fun. Don’t get too good at Foosball, tether-ball, or fighting video games, either. Your friends won’t want to play with you.
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Benji’s third post on his new tumblr -> songs pouring out of every pore. He’s got thousands…
Unlike the movie, the 1963 novel The Man Who Fell to Earth is short and sweet, poignant and focused. Science Fiction can be taken seriously, used as a vehicle to illustrate a metaphor, or carry out a what-if scenario in a playful and imaginative way. Please don’t dismiss The Man Who Fell to Earth because the movie was a piece of crap (repeated viewings at various ages does not increase the level of enjoyment despite the desire for Bowie appreciation); the book is different. For those who enjoyed the film, disregard the aforementioned.
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BENJI COSSA has begun a Tumblr. His first post is, of course, exquisite. Follow him.
What walks on four legs in the morning, 2 during the day, and three in the evening? A bear who caught his leg in a trap? A deer that a hunter shot in the haunch or shoulder after rearing up on its hinds? A horse that was bitten on the leg by a scorpion during the day in the hot Arabian desert? No. A man. He crawls (not really 4 legs), then walks on 2, then uses a cane (also not really a third leg). When asking a riddle, you might as well ask, “What am I thinking of?” or, “Have you heard this one before?”. Otherwise, you’re not only being misled, but also in for a frustrating waste of time. And, might I add, this is coming from a guy who loves to guess things.
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Thanks for this post Efrain.
Rocketship Park - Fast Friends
Here’s a great tune from the upcoming Rocketship Park Record, Cakes and Cookies to be released June 28th.
If you like what you hear, pre-order it now, at the Serious Business Records website. For $12.00 you get a CD + 7” Vinyl, hand number, and letter pressed limited to 300.
Plus, each order comes with a homemade cookie or treat from the band. Treat yourself.
