tapanui

so, today i moved home. home home. tapanui home. not an ideal place to be spending the rest of the year, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and sans-job, i had very little chance of finding the necessary $150 for my power bill by next week.
tomorrow i start working somewhere i promised myself i'd never work again. that somewhere being blue mountain lumber, aka "the sawmill". i'm not sure how i feel about this. guilty, i guess. i had the worst time there last summer, and it made my experiences up until mid-january pretty shit, but i am seriously desperate for cash. it sucks, really.
oh well, at least this time around i'll be working outside, and living at home is a good opportunity to eat healthy, which means i can lose weight! hooray. not that i feel i need to lose a great deal, i just would like to be 3-5 kilograms lighter. yeah. EXERCISE.
in more positive news, brains stuff is getting progressively more exciting. heaps of great bands and people have been giving us props, which genuinely surprises and thrills me every time, and i'm feeling like we could actually make this something quite big. big's not really the word i want, but y'know. we could go places. not being a "dunedin" band, that's for sure.
so we've booked a wellington show on the 31st, playing a camp a low hum renegade show, and hopefully another show at brownnote either just before or just after camp. it's gonna be great. i hope people like us.
if you want to listen, go here yeah?
that's about all i have to say tonight. maybe i'll get bored and compelled to write a lot over the next four weeks. i hope so. i wrote a song tonight, which i'm happy about.
anyway, until next time.
xx

post with the most toast

i apologise for leading you in with promises of updates on my life, and then again with a blog about toast, but i'm sometimes unreliable like that.
basically, thought creature went well, i spent some time in christchurch, went to a weird party and ate some gross corn chips (stale), my memory blanked for a few weeks, i had a big weird birthday party that i've explained too many times. it was awesome though.
here's a brief video that mr chris andrews (lord and master of thebigcity.co.nz, easily my favourite new zealand music informatorium) put together. he was all self deprecating about it, but i think the weird strobing looks cool as, and overall i give it two thumbs up for cool looking people doing serious faces:

OMG QUICK U SHOULD CLICK ME I AM A HYPERLINK OK!?

it was maybe the best party ever, i think.
the other reason i decided to post this blog was because i had something of an epiphany last night. i've been quite despondent about my current situation for a while, pretty bored with dunedin/everything, and was feeling sorry for myself about this. and then i realised that the main reason i was feeling down was because i'd been treating happy fun things like trivial breaks in a constant stream of boring tedious, when i should be doing the opposite. basically just optimism instead of pessimism, i guess.
so from now on, i am happy, and shan't be taking what i have for granted. anything which interrupts my enjoyment of life shall be treated as next to inconsequential. happy matt! boom.
i also remembered that i should post a cat in a sweater, so here's this one.



I hope everyone is well and stuff, i don't know who even reads this but i feel like i haven't seen quite a number of you for a long time.
<3<3<3
mattatat

On almost everything I've done in the last month and a bit

I've totally fallen off the Blog Wagon (should that be capitalised? hmmmmm) since my trip to Wellington, due to large amounts of busy and small amounts of motivated, and since I had my last two music tests for the year today, I figured now would be a good time to recap.

WELLINGTON>CHRISTCHURCH
So, I went up to Wellington via Christchurch a while ago, and while it wasn't all super fun exciting, I really enjoyed myself. I saw lots of long-distance friends, and had great adventures. I think my top favez were taking the train to Paraparaumu with Elizabiscuit then going on a date with Giannnnnna, all in one day, and going to Beach House and Bachelorette the night after. I will put up photos of this when I figure out how I can get them onto my computer easily (I lost my USB cord thing).
When I left Wellington I flew down to Christchurch, coz it was like $40 or $50 cheaper than flying straight to Dunedin. This is generally a good idea, but is much less so if you don't also book a bus in advance. The Night Rider = shit.
BUT
I did go to a pretty awesome party in Christchurch. When I arrived there were about 30 people there, including a group of about 8 teenagers sitting in the corner attracting animosity. I was pretty confused, but was informed that they were some of the younger members of Christchurch's premiere skateboard gang, The Thundercats (Thunderkittenzzz?). Anyway, eventually a little fight broke out, and while I sat quietly in the corner reading Vice, the ruffians were escorted outside. They flashed their penises at us from the road (we were in a second floor apartment) and then went to the car park building across the street and called in reinforcements.
Some older Thundercats soon arrived, and tried to break down the door with a drain grate. It was well scary. Seriously. They couldn't though, so they threw bottles at the windows instead. That kind of sucked too. The police came soon though, so they left and the party progressed quite well. I drank wine and made friends and probably berated some people. All quite standard, really.
Anyway, I caught a bus to Dunedin the next afternoon, and so concluded my mini holiday.

Bri-yawn Moanstown Massacrap
Na jokes, they were awesome.
I can't remember if anything of note happened after for the couple weeks after this. I went to Fever Club one night, and had a regrettable argument, but apart from that I think it was pretty quiet.

There is more to come, but I have become tired and restless. Photos, and stuff from Thought Creature>Present to come, probs in the next couple days.
<3<3<3<3<3

sorry

about my lack of blog.
i will do it this afternoon, promise.

dear lizbiscuit

i hope you're less angry now, or that this at least cheers you up a little



i will be the happy umbrella-wielding man to your cute miniature horse any time you need.
<3<3
also, more big blog to come...

bloody heck pt. 2

I am certain you will all be mega hyped to hear that I just finished my essay. It's right on 4am. I'm going to bed.
BUT TOMORROW!

• pack bagz
• finish making tapez
• get in touch w/ chch friendz
• hand in ezzay
• get on buz
• travel!

I really cannot wait. WELLINGTON SO SOON!
Hooray!!!!!!!!!
Here's a remix I made for Lil Pictures. Who are incidentally playing at Happy tonight w/ Seth Frightening and Trimasturbate. I hear there's facepainting too! Phwoar.
This House Can Fit Us All (Mattatat Dreamix) - Little Picccctures
<3<3<3
See you soon, Wellington.

bloody heck

this week is scary.
before friday i have to:

• finish a materials of music assignment
• do a materials of music class test
• write a film music essay
• do a music technology assignment
• book a bus
• go to chchchchchch

eek
but after that, i get a whole week of fun fun hangout wine concert date party lazy awesome time
!!!!!!!!!
it will be bloody awesome i think
the olympics are taking their toll on me. in particular, the new zealand athletes' tendency to only compete at 2am local time. how inconsiderate. i think i have watched more hockey in the last 1.3 weeks than i ever have before. in my whole life! wow.
but, if by chance you happen to read this and will be in wellington next week, and we haven't already made plans to hang out, you should like, get in touch.
hmm.
things i like at the moment:

• this band
• lots of other bands
• brief periods of sun, breaking up long periods of awful.
• plenty of stuff
• being vague

<3

can i fold you in 14 ways to depend not defend?

I just thought about the song Souvenirs by Architecture in Helsinki. I think it is one of my favourites ever. Definitely my fave by them.
It is on their first album, Fingers Crossed, and is SO pretty. The lyrics are all about unrequited loves, or more specifically, loves which almost occurred, which is a theme which totally resonates deeply throughout my being. Ha.
I think my favourite couplet in this song is

"Whispers Chinese leaves a message leaves a metaphor

For what once was gold and once was rich but now is poor."

So so beautiful. I recommend the song+album to everyone. This was the closest thing I could find to a stream of the song, and it's ugly to look at, so maybe look at a tree or hug a blanket or something whilst it plays.



Yeah. Also, this song is great too. And so is the video.



I think I will watch some more Olympics then hit the hay.
<3

my year in lists

Here's some stuff I like presently

• dark m&ms
• BORIS
• the colgate 360
• american splendour
• maus
• black lips
• dinosaurs
• film festival
• sleepovers
• pitchfork.tv
• electric blankets
• tea (strong, black, no sugar)
• hot water
• toasted sandwiches
• maggi 97% fat free noodles (phwoar)
• little pictures (they're over to the side>>>)
• pumice (download brawl)
• cardigans
• nice footwear that isn't horribly expensive (i wiiiiiish)
• l.e.s. artistes
  
• napping

<3

I had a really good blog written last night

But then I decided I hated it, so I deleted it.
I've been feeling frustrated of late. At what specifically, I couldn't tell you. It's kinda just like an overarching frustration at lots of things. The cold? Being poor? Not being able to find new bands that I am totally in love with? Maybe it's all of these things. Dunno. Probably.
I think things will get more exciting soon though. I'm going to Wellington in 3 weeks, or even like 2.5. Wow! I have (drunkenly and otherwise) promised my time to many different groups, so hopefully I can fulfill these commitments. I think sober promises will have to take precedent though. It only seems right.
School is pretty dumb at the moment. I've recently realised that I just want to be finished and to get a real job and just do promotey stuff. Coz at this stage, the fact that I am without wads of disposable income makes stuff much more difficult and stressful than it needs to be. But! I did buy a lovely woolen cardigan the other day. I felt that the expense was warranted, because it was a lovely deep blue and very soft. And I needed a cardigan lots. Oh, and I also bought the complete Maus from Scribes Secondhand Bookstore. Hooray!
I should finish this post, because I'm currently procrastinating from doing quite an important assignment. Eek and egad. Here is a picture of the world's worst pizza

For Elizabiscuit

Because she said I should.


Dunedin is COLD and rainy. But that=OK because tonight I will drink some booze and feel WARM!

My throat is sore

It really is. I think I'm a little bit fluey or something. But apart from the throat I feel ok, so maybe I should just be happy with that.
Polka Dot Dot Dot are coming to play soon, and I'm super excited. But I have to go postering, which is less thrilling. Especially because the posters will likely be up for about a day before they get taken down/covered. Argh. Frustrating. Still, at least it's, like, exercise and stuff. Speaking of D.I.C.K.-related activity, it appears that I shall be well busy over the next wee while. Hopefully putting on a show at Refuel with some young bands and stuff, and Thought Creature and Brand New Math both want me to help out with their tours. Lordy. Exciting.
I thought the other night that, once I'm finished with this living off the government and being super poor business, I should start a record label. Maybe a little superfluous in Dunedin at the moment, but I'd really like to do that someday. I think it'll be a fun challenge. And a super rad way to lose money but gain friends. Which is a pretty good trade off in my opinion.
I'm sending away my scholarship application thing today, so that should come through very shortly. I can't wait. I want to buy my plane tickets sooooooooon so I can holiday and visit everyone and drink wine from paper bags and make forts and hot chocolate and SO MUCH MORE!
I also need to make a good CV and apply for jobs around this lovely town for summer. I want sososo much to work at Real Groovy, but I think it might be hard to get a job there. I shall try, regardless.
Anything more? I think not, I'm pretty tired so I might make another cup of tea and peruse my Blackboard page, find out when I've got assignments due and all that. Disorganisation will be the death of me.
Also, I really super like Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson at the moment. He's amazing.
You should listen to the tracks on his myspace, here it is

greg gillis

is officially amazing. girl talk is him, and the new girl talk album is one of the greatest pieces of party i have thus far encountered. seriously. more hip hop classics and pop cheese then you can shake a stick at, and tis free!
myspace.com/girltalk
and alla dat.
everyone should get this. by which i mean no one. because i assume no one reads this. but if you do happen to read, get it.
orright?

bloggy bloggy blog

I pretty much suck at blogs, or at least at consistently maintaining them. My past blogging attempts have been less fertile gardens of fascinating ideas and witty prose than barren deserts punctuated by infrequent cacti of mild interest.
That is quite probably the most interesting sentence I've ever written in a blog.
My name is Matthew Hugh McAuley, and I like to pretend to be smart. I love pop culture, in many of the varied forms it takes, but I guess my major passion is music. I listen to it and criticize it and sometimes attempt to make it. I am from a small sawmilling town, and I myself have spent many hot dusty afternoons and cold snowsy mornings amongst the logs. Not fun. I don't particularly want to work in a sawmill again.
At this stage I think this blog will probably serve mainly as somewhere for me to publish the myriad hypothetical situations I spend my days devising. My most recent, and possibly most interesting, is as follows:
What if everyone's size was proportionate? By which I mean, what if people of the same height were all the exact same shape and size? What an interesting world that would be. Would girls still have boobs? Would boys now have boobs also? A mystery, is what it is.
If you didn't find that interesting, then you probably wouldn't find much of what I say all that noteworthy. If you did, however, stick around. Plenty more where that came from.
Tell all your friends that I'm cool and stuff, and hopefully I shan't be too e-lonely.
<3<3
mattatatthew

final fantasy - has a good home

i always mistake this for beirut. i like this more.

!!!-myth takes

who knew 70's crime funk could be so bloody party?

gonzalez - soft power

like elton john cruising sesame street on a disco tip
six thumbs up

the mae shi - hlllyh

smell punks with harmonies, singing old testament stories. fucking killa.
133/160