Journal of Weights and Measures

Pitchfork Fest & Recent Music Purchases

2011-06-16T09:28:00.004-05:00

So B & I are going to Pitchfork Fest this year, and we figured we would go to two of the three days since we will have Mac in tow. When I bought the tickets a couple months ago, most of the lineup had not been announced. In the past, Friday has only had one or two shows that I've really wanted to see, so I picked Saturday and Sunday. I thought there would be the most bands we would want to see those days. Damn. Here are some of the acts performing on Friday--tune-yards, Battles, Guided by Voices, Neko Case, James Blake, and Animal Collective. I was kind of curious to see tune-yards after seeing this video--

Though I have seen Battles and Guided by Voices before, I am still a little disappointed. I would've really liked to see Neko Case. There still are some great bands playing on the days we will be there though. We get to see The Dismemberment Plan, Fleet Foxes, Destroyer, Superchunk, Baths, Deerhunter, and TV on the Radio. Plus, I always get exposed to some good stuff I haven't heard before. I think it is going to be fun. We just have to get Mac some of those noise-cancelling headphones, and we are all set.

Recent music purchases--

Fleet Foxes--Helplessness Blues
TV on the Radio--Nine Types of Light
Peter Bjorn & John--Gimme Some
Wild Nothing--Gemini
The Antlers--Burst Apart
Chris Bathgate--Salt Year
Explosions in the Sky--Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead--Tao of the Dead
Beastie Boys--Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
Vessels--White Fields & Open Devices and Helioscope

Once again, I've bought way more than I have time to appreciate. So far, I've just been enjoying listening to Peter Bjorn & John. You may have heard their song "Second Chance" on a Bud Light Lime commercial (which would've annoyed me in the past, but now it just rolls off my back). Here is a video of them playing "Second Chance" on a crappy late night show.

2011-05-16T21:52:00.002-05:00

This weekend I...

...coached a track team
...went to a Cubs game
...mowed the lawn
...finished a novel
...finished Portal 2

My Kingdom for a Pick

2010-12-26T14:10:00.001-06:00

I wonder how many guitar picks my dog has ingested. I bet it's a lot. Either that, or gnomes exist.

Early Morning Movie: The Insider

2010-03-02T21:16:00.002-06:00

I've been doing something kind of strange lately... getting up at 5 a.m. and watching half of a movie before I get ready for work. I then watch the 2nd half the next morning. Is this odd?

Anyway, today's early morning movie is The Insider, starring Russell Crowe and Al Pacino. I only have one thing to say about this movie (at least until I watch the 2nd half) and that one thing is HOT FAXING ACTION!!!1111.

2010-02-14T11:41:00.002-06:00

We just got done watching Half Nelson. Let me start by saying I can really appreciate the great performances by Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps in the movie. I appreciate the fact that Gosling's character is not a stereotypical Christ-figure teacher who has no vices and has come to save the inner-city children from ignorance. I appreciate the writing and the Broken Social Scene soundtrack.

But dear Lord is this movie depressing. Oddly enough, the movie's "Consensus" on Rotten Tomatoes describes it as "inspirational." The movie does start out showing Gosling's Dan Dunne to be an effective, engaging teacher, but it is all downhill from there. The scene where his thirteen-year-old student Drey (Epps) discovers him smoking crack in the locker room bathroom is a punch to the stomach. At one point, Dunne discusses how "God's creation is imperfect" with the class, and it feels like the movie is ramming that idea at my brain the entire time. The writers try to throw the viewer a hopeful bone at the end when Dunne shaves his wild-man beard and shares a corny joke with Drey, but it just isn't enough for me.

Bleeps

2010-01-28T21:57:00.008-06:00

I had a friend tell me recently that he was getting tired of all the electronic music that is popular these days, and sometimes I feel tired of it too. Animal Collective has had a lot of attention this past year, and I am a fan of their stuff. I was listening to Four Tet on the way to work today, and it reminded me what kind of electronic music I appreciate. Four Tet’s Rounds manages to sound textured and organic despite being mostly electronic. The bleeps, sweeps, and creeps all sound frayed and burnt around the edges. I like electronic music that is wool and not nylon. I like the notes to be shorn from musical sheep, not woven on a sterile industrial loom.

I'm pretty sure Four Tet has a new album out soon as well.

Top Ten Albums of '09

2009-12-29T08:48:00.004-06:00

10. Deastro--Moondagger
9. The Dodos--Time to Die
8. Cass McCombs--Catacombs
7. Animal Collective--Merriweather Post Pavillion
6. Grizzly Bear--Veckatimest
5. Ramona Falls--Intuit
4. The Mountain Goats--The Life of the World to Come
3. Dinosaur Jr.--Farm
2. Polvo--In Prism
1. Mew--No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry, They Washed Away...

Winner of the best run-on sentence/fused sentence title award goes to Mew. This album is also awesome; they seem to care about both creativity and good songwriting. The first song, "New Terrain," can be played forward and backward and still be a song. "Introducing Palace Players" has a very syncopated, odd rhythm, a creative drum part, and an extremely choppy guitar part that all come together to make a great song. "Hawaii" is one my favorite songs I've heard in a while. You should check out this band if you haven't. Another great thing about Mew is that the rest of their releases are worthwhile as well. I've found "And the Glass Handed Kites" to be just as good as the newest album.

The numbers are fairly meaningless on the rest of this list. The top five are full of great songs, but 6-10 have only a few songs on them that really grabbed me. I know some people will gasp when I say that about Grizzly Bear or Animal Collective but oh well. The song of the year for me was probably "Two Weeks" by Grizzly Bear, and I'm guessing if I spent more time with that record, I would come to love it more.

Honorable Mentions:
-Mount Eerie--Wind Songs
-Wild Beasts--Two Dancers
-The Twilight Sad--Forget the Night Ahead
-Dirty Projectors--Bitte Orca

2009-12-13T09:41:00.004-06:00

Ah how I love this time of year--the Gap ads that shout at me and the piles of nylon resting on the neighborhood lawns. Beautiful.

Tiny Movie Reviews

2009-10-15T14:04:00.002-05:00

Flatliners: A group of young med. students stop their hearts and revive themselves a short time later to get a taste of what the afterlife has in store for them.

I enjoyed this movie, but answer me this question: why doesn't one of the main characters die in this movie? It would have made their actions have that much more gravity to them, especially if they had decided to continue their experiments after someone had died. As a bonus, they could have made William Baldwin's loathsome character the one who kicks the bucket.

Suspension of Disbelief Factor (1 being a Ken Burns documentary and 10 being The Santa Clause 2: The Escape Clause): 7

Away We Go: An expecting, very-much-in-love couple struggle to find their place in the world.

Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski are surprisingly convincing as the directionless couple, and this movie ends up being very witty at times. I laughed out loud several times (which sadly, surprises me when it happens). Krasinski is basically playing Jim from The Office with a little more spine and a little more edge to his humor. I ended up liking this movie, but I had a little problem with its conclusion: A loving couple basically will have no friends and ultimately no place in this hateful world. Or I guess the place for them is a secluded, Walden Pond-esque locale where there will be no meaningful contact with the outside world.

Suspension of Disbelief Factor: 3

The International: An Interpol agent struggles to expose the evil acts and schemes perpetrated across the world by an ubiquitous, international bank.

This movie was quite intriguing and suspenseful from the beginning, only to become more and more hopeless as it went on. This tangle of intrigue and hopelessness ultimately leads to a bleak ending in which Clive Owen's character has to employ evil to defeat an evil that really isn't defeated.

Suspension of Disbelief Factor: 5

The Manchurian Candidate: A brainwashed soldier tries to reclaim his mind and uses his memories to expose a Machiavellian political scheme.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie--it is engaging from beginning to end, and it reminded me of what a great actor Denzel Washington is. I think he has made bad decisions as to what movies to be in, but this movie isn't one of those bad decisions. If you are looking for a good suspenseful movie, check this one out. I believe this movie is based on a book, and there is also a movie from the sixties based on the same novel that stars Frank Sinatra (which I have not seen).

Suspension of Disbelief Factor: 8

To Fill It Up

2009-08-18T16:10:00.002-05:00

Have you ever tried drinking water while urinating? It is an odd sensation. I think this is what Enigk of SDRE was saying when he sang "...to fill it up/but spill instead."

Basketball

2009-03-20T10:45:00.002-05:00

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

2009-03-16T08:30:00.003-05:00

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

2008-12-26T09:19:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-23T22:29:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-22T23:03:00.002-06:00

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

regresando a aloha

2008-09-06T10:38:00.004-05:00

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

2008-07-26T09:19:00.004-05:00

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.

2008-06-19T11:45:00.003-05:00

I was watching the Netherlands vs. France in futbol the other day. When the Netherlands had the game won by a couple of goals, the commentator shouted, "It's a Dutch oven, and the French are toast!!" I laughed a lot.

2008-04-30T07:03:00.002-05:00

Last week, B&I went to Black Hawk State Park, and we took papparazzi-close pictures of the flora and fauna there.

We saw flowers.

We saw moss.

We saw bees.

We saw gnome umbrellas.

We saw fuzzy vines.

What kind of gnarly dagobah crap is this?

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately , to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." --Thoreau

I also went to the woods because I had to pee. It was a long scooter ride to get there.

The Fist of Spring

2008-03-18T15:06:00.005-05:00

I believe it is safe to say that spring is here. Of course, right when we say that, winter slaps us in the face again one last time with a gelid open palm.

This week and next week is my spring break, so I am going to try to write more.

Beth and I went to see The Prenzie Players' production of The Taming of the Shrew. All of the action took place right in the midst of the audience, and that was my favorite aspect of the show. The actors all did a great job, too. It was nice to get out and spend eight dollars on something less passive than a movie. I would recommend checking out future shows by these players.

My dad gave me his review of No Country for Old Men today. He said that it should have been titled "There Will Be Blood." My mentor teacher said that he wonders how much people are beginning to see violence for violence's sake as good art. He has yet to see the movie, though, and so do I. Once I see it, I will share my opinion.

I went on a post-rock/math rock binge on eMusic. I downloaded albums from Saxon Shore, Couch, Del Ray, and Piglet. All of it sounds really promising so far, but I haven't been able to listen to them much yet.

Too pretty to fly?

2008-02-26T23:30:00.002-06:00

You be the judge.
These two young ladies claim they were discriminated against on their flight because they were too aesthetically pleasing. "No one else on the plane that looked like us except us." Unbelieveable.

The store I work at now carries Sugar-Free Peeps. Wth? Has the whole world gone crazy?

miscellany

2008-02-04T23:35:00.001-06:00

I'm doing well with my student teaching. The only issue I have is being somewhat spineless when it comes to discipline. It is evident that I'll need to overcome that problem soon.

Beth now has an Etsy page! She has been quite industrious lately. Check out the fruits of her labor at http://bettyround.etsy.com

Do you watch Lost? Well, why the hell not? It is a bright spot in the morass of writer's strike era reality show chaff.

I enjoyed watching the Giants this postseason. They played some of the most spirited football I have seen in a long time--especially the defense.

Apple iTunes will no longer take my money since I still run Windows 2k. nice.

Mixtape 2: The Vengeance

2008-01-21T10:27:00.000-06:00

Side B:

1. ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead -- "Wasted State of Mind" Why don't you like this band? I will make you a "best of" if you want.

2. Bloomsday -- "Blush" Remember those cd clubs back in the day--the 10 discs for 99 cents crap? Well there was a Christian one, and my gf at the time didn't know what cd to get for her 10th pick. I picked out Bloomsday's The Day the Colors Died. Probably the only good album in the whole damn catalog.

3. Califone -- "Our Kitten Sees Ghosts" I need to get some of Califone's other albums. I like the brief, ethereal nature of this song, and I find "The way you shatter/When you hit the water" going through my head all the time.

4. Jejune -- "Morale Is Low" Sort of a jarring transition... I've been digging out the old "emo" to see how it stands up now. The answer is pretty well in some cases (Jejune) and not so well in others (Braid).

5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs -- "Maps" I love this song. I'm not usually a huge fan of tom-heavy drum stuff, but it does it for me here.

6. Sunny Day Real Estate -- "How It Feels to Be Something On" So effing intense... Pull out this album again--it is really good.

end Side B

arrggh

2008-01-17T23:53:00.000-06:00

I am in the midst of my student teaching experience, and it is going well so far. That explains the sporadic nature of my posts.

Beth is planning on starting a photo blog, and I am looking forward to it.

Chad and Troy are continuing the fine First Order Historians tradition.

good night.

roadhouse

2008-01-11T16:14:00.000-06:00

Unfotunately this post is not about one of my favorite movies dealing with fisticuffs and flagons of beer and philosophical Swayzes full of feces. I just wanted to complain about how people come to the store and think they are at Texas Roadhouse.

"OOOOH PEANUTS!!!111" (I sure hope he said "peanuts")

No, dipstick. If they were for sampling/snacking, we would've placed a stack of little take 'n' go baskets for easy snacking along with a spitoon for your shells. I find shells everywhere. I've seen them hiding among the paper products and in the frozen foods section. That is a long way for those shells to have travelled. Don't touch those peanuts, man. Unless you are planning on handing over some green paper, you cheap mofo you.

Mixtape

2008-01-09T17:50:00.001-06:00

Hey you! I'm making you a mixtape. Yeah you. Don't look around. You.

Side A

1. The Beatles -- "Golden Slumbers" Damn you Beatles and your melodies. I've had Abbey Road for quite a while, and this song just now really struck me. Strange how that happens. Go piss up a rope, "Carry That Weight." J/K you're okay, but "Golden Slumbers" will get along just fine without you.

2. The Flaming Lips -- "A Spoonful Weights a Ton" Don't forget about these guys. I had a bunch of their discs sitting on my shelf waiting to be added to the itunes rotation. Check out the reverb-icality guitar strums on the chorus. Hot damn.

3. Holopaw -- "Abraham Lincoln" John Orth writes some evocative words. Holopaw combines electronic elements and traditional instrumentation to create a delightfully nuanced song. Check it.

4. The Mercury Program -- "Sultans of El Sur" Wow... drums. Delay pedals are fun. I can deal with no vocals.

5. The Microphones -- "II. Solar System" Great subtle percussion and spare guitar here. "What stream used to flow here and now what dusty decay. Let the flash flood begin. Wash me down the canyon. Quicksand pull me in. Blow over me solar wind." This is a beautifully haunting song.

6. Red House Painters -- "Have You Forgotten" This is the first RHP song I ever heard. I was so surprised to hear the F word sung in such a beautiful manner.

end Side A

Sort of an odd assortment of groups, but I can deal with that. I'll post Side B soon.

Hammertime

2008-01-06T15:30:00.000-06:00

Things that make you look like a tool:

-stocking cap with a little bill on it

-bluetooth ear piece when not driving (i only grudgingly added the last part)

-penis costume

I will probably add more to this list as I pad my life experience.

Best of '07

2008-01-02T17:20:00.000-06:00

My plan for this post was to get a bunch of my friends to make lists and post them all here, but I only was really able to ask my friend Jason for his list. So here is Jason and Brenda's list as well as my list.

Jason G's Top Records

Top buys released in 2007 based on entire album played all the way through

(in no particular order)

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Metric - Grow Up and Blow Away
Stars - In the Bedroom After the War
Modest Mouse - We were Dead Before the Ship even Sank
The National - Boxer
Jens Lekman - Night Falls over Kortedala
Editors - An End has a Start
Menomena - Friend and Foe
Jeremy Enigk - The Missing Link
Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs
Beirut - The Flying Cup Club

Brenda's input
Pipettes - We are the Pipettes
Feist - The Reminder
Iron and Wine - Shepherd's Dog
Au Revoir Simone - The Bird of Music
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

***

Andy's Top Ten Records of 2007:

10. The Twilight Sad Fourteen Autumns, Fifteen Winters

9. Wilco Sky Blue Sky

8. Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

7. The Sea and Cake Everybody

6. Pinback Autumn of the Seraphs

5. Battles Mirrored

4. The Arcade Fire Neon Bible

3. Menomena Friend and Foe

2. Radiohead In Rainbows

1. The National Boxer

Honorable Mention:

-The Clientele God Save the Clientele

-Apostle of Hustle National Anthem of Nowhere

-Feist The Reminder

-The Six Parts Seven Casually Smashed to Pieces

-Aereogramme My Heart Has a Wish That You Would Not Go

-Low Drums and Guns

-Panda Bear Person Pitch

Just Purchased That May Have Made the List Had I Had More Time With Them:

-Múm Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy

-Iron and Wine Shepherd’s Dog

-Caribou Andorra

-Minus the Bear Planet of Ice

-Stars of the Lid And Their Refinement of the Decline

-Sleeping People Growing

Have a Couple Tracks That I Like, But Disappointing Overall:

-Interpol Our Love to Admire

-The New Pornograpers Challengers

-Stars In Our Bedroom After the War

-Kevin Drew Spirit If…

-Mobius Band Heaven

-Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Not Feeling As Much As Some People:

-LCD Soundsystem The Sound of Silver

-Of Montreal Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

-Justice †

Also Rans:

-The One AM Radio This Too Will Pass

-El-P I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead

-Warm in the Wake Gold Dust Trail

Records From 2006 that really hit me in 2007:

-Snowden Anti-Anti

-Clipse Hell Hath No Fury

the radiator hums

2007-12-24T23:27:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas! I just got done playing WOW and Beth is watching a Harry Potter movie. Life is good. We have a critter in our wall, and it is unclear whether it is dying or flourishing. Every time I use the john, I give the wall a little tap and imagine that every little scratch is a feral attempt at wishing us holiday cheer.

My brother gave me Boys in the Hood on dvd for Christmas, so I don't think I really need anything else. I like Cuba Gooding Jr. There I said it. I love it anytime he freaks out on screen (see Rat Race and that Hanes commercial with Michael Jordan).

We also got a hard copy of Pinback's Autumn of the Seraphs for Christmas, so I could finally look at the lyric sheet to see whether Rob sings "cut the cheese too deep" or not. I found out he says "chase" and not "cheese" much to my disappointment.

The weather outside is gelid (frightful), so I recommend staying inside and watching a dvd copy of Boys in the Hood or Akeelah and the Bee (see Michael Showalter).

rock, paper, scissors

2007-12-21T22:33:00.001-06:00

Tonight I faced a regional champion in rock, paper, scissors. It was an intense battle, but in the end I came away as the disputed champion. Be prepared for this game to usurp poker's spot as the national fad "sport."

Something Old

2007-12-18T13:28:00.000-06:00

Here's something I wrote back in September:

Sometimes with my Ipod I shuffle songs, and sometimes they all sound tired or aren't songs that I want to hear at the moment. However, sometimes the mix sounds vital and gets me "pumped" like the new Fall Out Boy does for the weightlifting steakhead in the Verizon VCast commercial. Today was one of those times for me, and here is part of the list that played.

1. Engine Down--"Intent to Pacify"
Though this song isn't as affective to me as it once was, I still love it, especially turned up loud enough to blow out my tympanic membranes. Keely Davis' voice is emotive and mournful, and the drums are muscular and relentless.

2. L'Altra--"So Surprise"
I think it is pretty awesome that two people who cannot sing very well can still make such a delightfully nuanced and listenable album. "So Surprise" happens to be one of the most compelling and strong tracks on this album.

3. Bound Stems--"Excellent News, Colonel"
I listened to this track twice. This band took a while to grow on me, and I'm glad I came back to Appreciation Night enough to allow it to take hold. This song may be one of the best entry points for listening to this band.

4. Aloha--"A Hundred Stories"
Aloha is my favorite band at the moment... well along with Menomena. I've found That's Your Fire to be a little unlistenable lately for various reasons, but this song was just right today. It is fast and intense, complete with percussion madness breakdown.

5. The Fire Theft--"Summertime"
Just when I had forgotten about his album, here comes "Summertime"--one of my favorite songs from The Fire Theft. Enigk's voice starts out low and soothingly textured and moves to his slightly more manic, higher-pitched vocals by the end of the first verse.

6. Elliot--"Land and Water"
This track is from Song in the Air, and this album never really caught on with me. False Cathedrals has been making a comeback with me (thanks, Chad!), and I feel ready now to give Song in the Air another chance.

7. Spoon--"Reservations"
I am still discovering how Spoon's catalogue is great from top to bottom (I celebrate it as I do with Michael Bolton's catalogue); it is full of great pop songs, and this track from A Series of Sneaks is no exception.

8. Jeremy Enigk--"World Waits"
Then the non-sentient nono-circuitry of the Ipod tapped into Data the Android's emotion chip and sensed/empathized with me, knowing somehow that I needed more Enigk. This song complemented "Summertime" quite well, yet it gave me some new dimensions of Enigk as well.

At this point, "Naked Sun" by Trail of Dead came up, and I immediately vetoed it. I cycled through a few more undesireable tracks, and the heaven-sent mix finally continued with Trail of Dead's "Sunken Dreams." I guess I was destined to listen to a Trail of Dead song, and as I have learned on Lost, the universe has a way of course correcting itself (Is Charlie going to die?).

2007-12-14T22:01:00.000-06:00

Ever wanted to know how many five year olds you could take down in a fight before their sheer numbers overwhelmed you? Well now there is a sound, scientific quiz you can take to find out--

five year olds

here is how many I could take down:
22

Looking for payday loans?

now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

A Chilean Vineyard

2007-12-12T16:30:00.000-06:00

a Chilean vineyard

I do not abolish the dirt; I make it nomadic using dirty mop tentacles. As I am doing this, an elderly woman on a mission approaches me.

“Sir?” she asks with a tenor of condescension. “Where do these grapes come from?”

“Um…” I am always a little stunned by this type of question. “Chile, I think. But let me check.”

Before I can make for the back room, she pulls on my arm, and her eyes shift back and forth as if she is about to impart some privileged information.

“Because in other countries, they often urinate on their crops for irrigation.”

Shocked and without retort, I finally close my gaping jaw and bolt to the sanctuary of the back room.

“Be right back,” I mumble almost inaudibly. I imagine a chorus line of Chilean men peeing on beautiful vines laden with grapes and giggle uncontrollably. “¡Más agua para las trabajadores, por favor!” No one is around to laugh about this with me. “Is this real?” I think to myself. I remember the blue agave fields in Mexico and the verdant cauliflower valley in Colombia with the spindly arms of irrigation reaching across their expanse, and I begin to get angry. “They irrigate their crops the same they do anywhere else,” I think, incredulously.

“Yeah, Chile,” I tell her. She doesn’t say another word, and she passes the beautiful green and red grapes by, afraid of the invasive bouquet of urine ruining their heavenly taste. I probably should have divested her of her belief, but I thought, “No, go ahead and keep living in this delusional world you’ve created.”

2007-12-10T17:03:00.001-06:00

My dad and my brother made me aware of this music video by Bat for Lashes. I don't know anything about this group, but I really like this video.

2007-12-07T18:13:00.000-06:00

So I was on the road a couple days ago, and I saw Sauron driving a late nineties model Chevy Cavalier. Well at least the license plate told me it was him. I don't think Sauron would be a very good driver if he only can see using that huge flaming eye for two reasons:

1. He is always searching for Frodo and the ring rather than keeping his eyes on the road. And don't get me started on how he drives when he jumps on his cellphone too.

2. Also, only having one eye impairs depth perception, so we can only assume that Sauron rear ends a lot of people.

Christmas Steps

2007-12-05T11:02:00.000-06:00

Mogwai is one of my favorite bands, and I've recently been revisting their albums, mostly due to seeing this video of the song "Christmas Steps." I have yet to see them live, and I hope they tour the U.S. again sometime. They actually use dynamics in their music, and just when you think they can't get any louder, the amps hit 11 (Nigel Tufnel would really like this song). Also, one of their songs is entitled "Kids Will Be Skeletons," which is pretty nice and dark yet funny.

So I made a top 13 list of my favorite Mogwai songs:

13. Secret Pint
12. Acid Food
11. Sine Wave
10. Stanley Kubrick
9. Tracy
8. Glasgow Mega Snake
7. Friend of the Night
6. Hunted by a Freak
5. Small Children in the Background
4. Rage: Man
3. Travel Is Dangerous

2. Christmas Steps
1. Ratts of the Capital

I'm probably forgetting one, and you might be thinking, "What?! No 'Like Herod' or 'Mogwai Fear Satan'?" Yes, I like those songs, but they don't make the list for me.

Parade of Parenthetical Statements

2007-12-03T11:25:00.000-06:00

Well, here it is, then. I am planning on writing an entry every day, damnit. I want to review things and basically just write whatever I please, so just deal with it, buddy. As a demonstration of good faith, here is a spontaneous review of my plugged up ear: It sucks. Expect more florid literary output in the near future as I turn a critical eye on the pertinent daily furniture of my life (on which I always stub my toe and over which I trip ((hot damn, look at that steadfast refusal to end a sentence in a preposition, even when writing for an informal purpose {I think the third parenthetical statement within a parenthetical statement within a parenthetical statement should get the ornate-looking bracket things, so the order is ")" "))" and "}."}))).