charlatantric. - January 27th, 2005

Leave your thoughts on the charlatantric project here.

charlatan - my other, personal journal
postrockxchange - where dreams come true
Myspace - complete with shirtless torso shot
last.fm - I swear my tastes really aren't that obscure
廃墟デフレスパイラル - where I get all my sweet pictures

Afterthepostrock
The Silent Ballet

Top 50 Albums of 2005
Top 100 Songs of 2005
Top 50 Albums of All Time
Greatest 100 Songs of the Modern Era

This page will remain indeterminately under construction. Comments are very much welcome.

I, like many others, have given much thought to the Theory of Musical Relativity. By that, I mean the notion that certain aspects of music can be compartmentalized in an attempt to discover patterns to further enhance our ability to discern precisely what properties are shared by the music we like. Certain projects, such as Pandora, have taken a very scientific approach, relying on the most micro of properties, from vocal tonalities to degrees of vamping. Other sources, such as All Music Guide, simply list bands they deem are similar enough in style to your favorites for you to check out.

I've opted for my own novel approach. I present to you: Aesthetics.

I should note that this approach is by every means anecdotal, and if little is shared in common with me, this will likely result in a useless guide. On the flipside, if you and I share a lot in common (likely the reason you ended up here in the first place), this may very well be a veritable goldmine to further your music interests.

My idea for Aesthetics started when I began discovering patterns among my favorite songs. Over the last three years, I've given the idea constant thought, and I've been able to discern several commonalities. Here are the basic templates at which I've arrived:

ether - characterized by that sense of soaring through the sky

bombast - characterized by pulsing, powerful instrumentation

roar - characterized by vocal dynamics that sink into swelling instrumentation

crash - characterized by the climax of instrumentation

highwire - characterized by the tinge of high tones

flow - characterized by a quick, steady burst of instrumentation

rocksteady - characterized by a hypnotic element of instrumentation

zone - characterized by gentle instrumentation over a dream-like soundscape

running - characterized by a continuous, repititive element of instrumentation

drive - characterized by an aggressive, melody-rich force

This list is by no means complete. And yes, I realize there's much overlap. Otherwise, I can dissect all my favorite songs and see a direct correlation between how much I like the songs and how many Aesthetics are tapped.

Once I've forged enough of a feel for my Aesthetics, I'll begin applying them to every song updated on this journal.

not here!

A native of Belgium, middle brother of three, and currently residing in sunny California, I'm a 24 year-old with a degree in Communications from UC Davis. I have nowhere to go but everywhere to venture. The long-term plan is to financially-secure myself before embarking on a musical journey that includes starting a band, running a label, and contributing to publications. The "financial security" part is the hardest to solidify, as I change my mind about what I'd like to do every few months (I changed my major four times in college).

My life is defined by my whims; I'm pretty much a textbook ADHD case. I'm very passionate about and interested in a wide array of things, but I grow bored very easily (the upside is I can overcome addiction with the snap of a finger, like gambling, for instance). My longest relationship has only lasted six months, I've been fired from a couple jobs, and I have a tendency to make enemies everywhere I go. Otherwise, I'm a sterling young lad who feasts off of the attention people are delighted to give me. I've also been accused of being narcissistic, but the counterbalance comes with praise of being a very good listener.

Uncharacteristically optimistic, I'm usually misunderstood. I'm very much what people would call "a character," and that can rub some people the wrong way or intimidate them. I'm also a textbook ENTP (I hate labels, but sometimes you just have breathe them in when they're this accurate). I like to think I understand myself very well, as nothing I do surprises me anymore. Surprisingly, I'm very laid-back; I've only blown my fuse once since I was 16.

I love to tell stories, and people often call on me to tell their stories because I have the ability to bring them to life. I'm also severely competitive, and alone that shared sentiment with a best friend has evolved into this. I'm pretty much an open book, but I also have the ability to break people down. Sports are also a big part of my life, and being inactive causes me to go through bouts of depression.

The only other thing that can really bring me down is if I'm not in a position to socialize. I'm a people-person; I live for the relationships I form with others, and being deprived of my ability to communicate frustrates me to no end. Desk jobs are my anathema. I was born to entertain.

Please continue enjoying the music.

2007

= ^ ................... = *

# !!!^ 65daysofstatic* A Actor/Model Airiel^ American Dollar, The* ano-Hi B Blonde Redhead* Brief Candles C California Stories Uncovered* Caspian* charlatantrum. Colieda Crippled Black Phoenix Cut City^* D Decoder Ring destroyalldreamers Do Make Say Think* E Eluvium* Explosions in the Sky^* F Feedle* French Teen Idol* G Giants Giardini di Miro^* God is an Astronaut* Goddamn Electric Bill Gui Boratto H Hideki Taniuchi Holy Fuck* J Jatun

M Maserati Moly Moving Mountains^* L Lemongrass* Lis Er Stille P pg.lost^* Port-Royal^* R Race, The* S Severely Departed, The* Small Sails Solar Powered People Souvaris* ST* T Three Month Sunset Tiesto Twilight Sad, The Tulsa Drone^* U Ulrich Schnauss* W Willow Workhouse, The World's End Girlfriend^

2006

= ^ ................... = *

# .cut^ !!! ¡Forward, Russia!(2)* 65daysofstatic 7% Solution 8-Bit Revolution A A Red Season Shade* A Whisper in the Noise Abandoned Pools Adelaide Aerial Afterhours Alcian Blue(2)* American Dollar, The* Amute* Antennas to Heaven Antlerand Apostle of Hustle Apparitions, The^* Appleseed Cast, The(2)^* Arca Arctic Monkeys Arrive Alive^ Ascent of Everest, The^* Asobi Seksu* Autumns, The Avalanches, The B Band of Horses Beat Buttons, The Belegost^ Bent(2,3,4)^* Bitcrush* Black Heart Procession, The Blue States Blueneck* Bracken Brother Kite, The* Bullet Conscience, The C Canyons of Static Carla Bozulich Caspian Catfish J. Rivers, esq. III Ceremony charlatantrum.(2) Cities* Copy* Crash Crepper Lagoon Christopher Willits Crown the Clouds Cure, The Cursive* D Daysleepers, The Dead City Presidents, The^ Destroyalldreamers Dialect Dibidim Dirty on Purpose Don Caballero Droom^* E Efterklang El Perro Del Mar* El Ten Eleven Epo-555* Et Ret F FortDax^* Foxhole French Teen Idol(2) Friends of Dean Martinez Frou Frou Furniture

G GardenBox Gathering, The Giants Will Fall* Gil Mantera's Party Dream* Girl Talk* Glass Family, The Glissandro 70 Gloria Record, The Good Goodbyes Gregor Samsa Günther H Hammock*^ Hangedup Headlights Hint Honeycut Hood Hundred Hands Husky Rescue(2) Hypatia Lake* I I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness^* iLiKETRAiNS Immánu El J James Figurine Jeniferever* jesu Judah Johnson K Kaddisfly K.C. Accidental L Laura(2)*^ Lampshade* Lanterna Larsen^ Legendary Pink Dots, The Lightning Bolt Lights Out Asia Lis Er Stille* Lo-Fi-FNK* Longcut, The Love is All Loveninjas*^ Low M M's, The Magenta Skycode^* Magyar Posse* Mahogany Malajube* Manuok Mates of State Matters & Dunaway Miaou Mice Parade Microphones, The Minus Story Moby Mono/World's End Girlfriend Monroe Transfer, The Most Serene Republic, The^* Motionless^* Mouth of the Architect Moving Mountains^* My Dad vs. Yours* My Education My Majestic Star N namelessnumberheadman Natsumen^* Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

O Ocker* Octopus Project, The Of Montreal Oktober People, The Old Canes Oppressed By the Line* Outputmessage P Paik(2) Paper Airplanes pg.lost Phellan Sheppard^* Phoenix* Pillow* Pink Mountaintops Plus/Minus Polyphonic Spree, The Portugal, The Man Pretty Girls Make Graves Psychedelic Avengers, The R Radical Face* Radio Dept., The* Radiohead Ratatat(2)* Redjetson Relay Robin Guthrie* Rockettothesky Royksopp Riding Panico* Rovo S Say Hi To Your Mom Seidenmatt Sensiva Seven Mile Journey, The Sickoakes* Snowden Some By Sea Souls Vibrating in the Universe Soulsavers Storyboard Strange Strokes, The* Subtract by Two Suburban Kids With Biblical Names T Taro Ishiwaro These Monsters...* This Beautiful Mess This Will Destroy You Thursday* Tokyo Police Club* Tommy Guerrero Tori Amos Tortured by Turtles U Under Byen Under the Influence of Giants^ Upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start Uzi and Ari V Vidavox Voxtrot W We're From Japan When They Know You They Will Run Wilderness^* Windermere Wintersleep Workhouse, The* World/Inferno Friendship Society, The* World's End Girlfriend Wrong Kong Y Yndi Halda Your Ten Mofo* Yppah Z Zookeeper*

2005 (Top 25 (RIAA-free) songs) - (all songs)

# 65daysofstatic(2) 90 Day Men A A Silver Mt. Zion A Trillion Barnacle Lapse Airiel Amusement Parks on Fire Appleseed Cast, The(2,3) Arcade Fire, The(2) Architecture in Helsinki As the Poets Affirm Asobi Seksu Aurore Rien B Badly Drawn Boy Bedroom Heroes Bent Billy Corgan Birdy Nam Nam Björk Black Tape for a Blue Girl Bloc Party(2) Blonde Redhead Books, The Broken Social Scene(2,3) C Carissa's Wierd Caspian Chap, The Charlottefield Church, The Circle of Birds Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Clearlake Clinic Cursive D Dave Matthews Band Death Cab for Cutie(2) Deepest Blue Deerhoof Desert City Soundtrack Désormais Dialect Do Make Say Think Don't Mess With Texas E El Perro Del Mar Elliott Ellis the Vacuumchild Eluvium Embassy, The(2) Ester Drang Evpatoria Report, The Exploits of Elaine, The Explosions in the Sky F Frames, The Freeloader

G Gang Gang Dance Ghinzu Giardini di Miro Girlsareshort Glifted Gloria Record, The Go! Team, The God is an Astronaut Godspeed You! Black Emperor(2) Grand Theft Bus Gwen Stefani H Halloween, Alaska Hammock(2) Her Space Holiday Holy Fuck Hope of the States Hot Chip I Imogen Heap Interpol(2) J Jaga Jazzist Jakob Jester K Killers, The Kiss Me Deadly L Lali Puna Lanterna Larsen Legends, The Lemon Jelly Les Savy Fav Longwave Loveninjas M M83 Martina Topley Bird Matthew Good Meanwhile, Back in Communist Russia... Mercury Rev Michael Woods' Warrior & Dana Rayne Mineral Minus the Bear Mock Orange Moly Mono Mono/World's End Girlfriend Most Serene Republic, The Murder By Death Music, The My Morning Jacket

N Narcotic Thrust National, The National Skyline Neil on Impression New London Fire Ninja High School North American Hallowe'en Prevention, Inc. O Oceansize Open, The Oranger P Pedro the Lion Phantom Planet Port-Royal Portastatic R Radio Dept., The Radiohead Red Sparowes Rockethouse Rogue Wave S Saxon Shore(2) Sigur Ros Slagsmalsklubben Smashing Pumpkins Souvaris Sparrows Swarm and Sing Stafrænn Hákon Stars Stills, The Supersytem Sweek T This Beautiful Mess U U2 vs. Eminem Úlpa W Why? Wilderness(2) Wolf Parade Y Yanni Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson