Basketball

It is my favorite sport to play, but I also like to watch it... in March. I don't know what it is, but I'm not a huge fan of the regular season like I am with football and baseball. However, yesterday Clemson reminded me of one reason why I like to watch basketball: the full-court press. This type of defense makes the game intense, and you have to respect the tenacity and conditioning of teams that use it. You also have to respect the flailing arms of the tallest and most gangly dude on the court in the face of the poor guy trying to inbound the ball. At one time in my life, I watched Iowa basketball a lot with my grandpa and dad, and I loved it when those Iowa teams from the late eighties and early nineties pressed opponents into submission. It had to have been a Tom Davis thing. I'm not an Iowa fan now, but I think Davis was a great coach.

MMO-Friendly Music

There are bands out there that go really well with epic computer games (WoW, etc.), and Grails is one of them. This marriage of music and cpu game is not meant to be an insult to a band's music; to me it simply means that their music has achieved a narrative and cinematic quality that is a fitting soundtrack for adventure. Some might say, "Waaaaah... WoW has great in-game music; why don't you listen to it?" Yes, WoW does have good in-game music, but I prefer listening to my own playlist when I play. Check out Grails when you have a chance--especially the song "Belgian Wake-up Drill." I've really been enjoying their album Black Tar Prophecies Vols 1,2,& 3.

Not all music works well with adventure games. For instance, I don't want to be hearing "1,2,3,4 tell me that you love me more" when I'm jamming my sword into a dark iron dwarf's ear. I want to hear something with a matching mood. Some of my other favorite bands for this application include Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. I still only have one album from Grails, but I plan to check out more of them.

My Favorite Records of 2008

Here is my top 15 of '08 list. This year was a little bit harder to make than last year since there were no albums of the same quality as Boxer or In Rainbows (in my opinion).

15. Lackthereof--Your Anchor
This is Danny Seim of Menomena's side project. I really like his voice--it kind of sounds like a deep Joel Hodgson (MST3k). Plus I found out that he listened to Carman and the Newsboys and crap like I did growing up.

14. The Notwist--The Devil, You + Me
This album is different than Neon Golden in that it requires a little more active listening.

13. Pattern Is Movement--All Together
I've enjoyed listening to this album. It seems like these guys put a lot of effort into their songs; the album is full of interesting rhythmic shifts and instrumentation. Does he really say, "Speak to me, Holy Spirit," in "Trolley Friend?"

12. Mount Eerie with Julie Doiron and Fred Squire--Lost Wisdom
Phil's plaintive voice goes well with Doiron's, and the music supports them in an intimate and unassuming way.

11. Crooked Fingers--Forfeit/Fortune
To be honest, I was kind of pissed at this album until I heard "Modern Dislocation." That song made everything better. Then "Your Control" sweeps in afterward and puts this record on my "best of" list.

10. M83--Saturdays=Youth
We drove around town listening to this album quite a bit. There are a few cruddy moments here (spoken word is often not a good idea), but for the most part it is a good album.

9. Costa Music--Lighter Subjects
The vocals might turn a lot of people away from this album. The attention to detail, texture, and nunances that Costa puts into his music make it all work for me.

8. Wolf Parade--At Mount Zoomer
This is a record that some loved to hate in '08 (sorry bout that). I kinda did too, but then I got to the "take a dive" part of "Bang Your Drum," and my buzz was no longer harshed. Not all the songs are great, but I do like "Soldier's Grin," "The Grey Estates," and "Fine Young Cannibals" quite a bit.

7. Ra Ra Riot--The Rhumb Line
"Ghost Under Rocks" is my favorite song here, followed by "Each Year" and "Dying is Fine." These guys are kind of like a more accessible Sea Ray (who weren't that inaccessible either).

6. The Helio Sequence--Keep Your Eyes Ahead
The Helio Sequence is a talented/skilled duo making the kind of music I wish I could be making.

5. TV on the Radio--Dear Science
I'm not making an argument for the entire arc of rock music, but this band is fairly unique in the musical landscape right now. Check out "Family Tree" and "Golden Age."

4. No Kids--Come Into My House
"For Halloween" got me into this record. The male-female vocal interplay and good instrumentation are a couple of the strong points of this group. And "The Beaches All Closed" has a weird r&b feel to it that gets me.

3. Fleet Foxes--Fleet Foxes
Seeing some of their live performances online made me like this band more. Check out their performance of "English House" on Conan. I really like when all or most of the members of a band sing. Though "English House" does not appear on this full-length, there are plenty of songs of the same quality that do.

2. Bon Iver--For Emma, Forever Ago
I don't think I would've placed this so high on the list if I hadn't seen them play in Rock Island a few months ago, but this is a quality album.

1. Frightened Rabbit--The Midnight Organ Fight
Though the lyrics are problematic for me at times, I can't stop listening to this. Check out "Good Arms vs. Bad Arms" and "Fast Blood."

Honorable Mention:
-School of Seven Bells--Alpinisms
-Anathallo--Canopy Glow
-Department of Eagles--In Ear Park
-Vampire Weekend--Vampire Weekend

Music Videos

If I had Mtv 12 as a part of my cable package, I would probably be able to see some cool music videos. However, since I only get Mtv-regular-type and VH1, I'm stuck with VH1's Top 40 Videos of 2008. I watched some of this program, and I was amazed at how insipid this group of videos was. The creativity is just not there for the most part, and these are the groups who can afford to throw some money into these. Where's Michel Gondry when you need him?

To make matters worse, this program includes commentary on the videos from quite a few talking heads who seem to think they are providing some incredible insight. "You see, what Rihanna is trying to say here is that if you cheat on her, you're going to regret it." No kidding.

So anyhow, I decided to post some links to videos that I think are creative and have some depth to them. Some of these are from 2008, but some are not. My friend from Tilting at Windmills got me thinking about this subject, and this list from Pitchfork did as well.

The Dutchess and the Duke-- "Mary"


This video is cool and a little disturbing as well.


Bat for Lashes-- "What's a girl to do"

More nightmare fuel.

Tunng-- "Bullets"

I love the idea of a giant, musical ball of garbage floating through space.

The Notwist-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8w2oVZ6Sio

Mogwai-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLqetO8lIMY

Menomena-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iqg3LVx2Ws

The National-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgRsYkKb1eI

Ra Ra Riot-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGuP6ZN8Qxo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9SKprgjH5k&feature=related

TV on the Radio-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCcEg0tok8o

Snowden-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mXBco65t4g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P739U4Yaspc

Battles-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpGp-22t0lU

Mum-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDZybFn3L3Q

Mobius Band-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR_J3JQb00Q&feature=related

The Helio Sequence-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIicqULYhGw

Bloc Party-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmPNuruWMTA&feature=related

Anathallo-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EULo90bOGq0

Looks like my already moribund hope for the Chicago Bears to make the playoffs has to wait another week to die.

regresando a aloha

These days it is rare when an album keeps me coming back. Since I now have greatly expanded access to new music, I tend to not give music the attention it sometimes deserves. Back when my only income came from mowing the lawn, buying a cd was a big deal. Starflyer 59's Silver was a cd that cost me one and a half weeks of mowing, and as I explored it, the music repaid every bit of time and energy I had spent to obtain it.

Right now, I keep coming back to Aloha's Light Works--especially "Gold World" and "Equinox." These are a couple beautifully textured songs that are a pleasure to listen to. Download "Gold World" sometime if you have not yet done so. Billy Mays guarantees you will like it.

I'm over a month into my new teaching job, and it is strikes and gutters... ups and downs. The difference between this job and when I worked at the gas company is that the ups are rewarding enough to keep me going when I feel so nervous about going to work that I have an upset stomach.

DC Talk

I meant to type "trip" in the title, but it just turned into "talk." Anyhow, I got to hang out in D.C. this past weekend as I was in town for my friend Aaron's bachelor party. I saw plenty of famous sights (the WWII memorial was a beautiful tribute), but the best part was just hanging out with FDR's famous dog, Fala.


While crossing a seemingly innocent little bridge, I also caught sight of this inexplicable nightmare fuel:



My dreams will never be the same; I will pass through life a damaged person now.