New Locale

I'm moving this moribund mess over to http://haplesscaptain.tumblr.com/ .  I will try to continue writing about music, and there will be a stream of mediocre pictures as well.

Headphone Time

I finally gave DIIV's Oshin some headphone time today, and I like the album better now because of it.  Sometimes that is what it takes--attention to the details.  The album annoyed me at first because the vocals are buried.  I had been listening to other new releases of the same ilk that I would maybe still consider superior--True by Violens and Nocturne by Wild Nothing, but Oshin will get a little more time going forward.  Playing new albums for the first time on my car's fried speakers definitely doesn't do them justice.

Olfactory Finger

On my run today, I smelled mulberries.  It is a pretty distinct smell.  It was like a wafting olfactory finger hooked my nose and lifted me off my timeline.    I was suddenly back at my childhood home in my old yard.  A prominent fixture of that backyard was a large mulberry tree.  I climbed it.  I ate its fruit and wore the stains of the berries on my feet.  It's amazing how memories cling to smells.  A smell can instantly provide the necessary context for remembering.  

Pitchfork Fest & Recent Music Purchases

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.

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

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

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.