movies you should not see (unless you're really bored)

so i've been downloading movies like it's my job lately, and i thought i'd share my opinion on the state of film in america, which as you might guess is fairly negative.  but at least i'll try to steer you away from some of the mistakes i've made and keep you from wasting your time.  

do not watch....

body of lies-  spending two hours watching CNN would be a better use of your time.  the film just goes on about how fucked the war on terror is and we should all know that by now.  if it dragged us through its plot with some of the panache of the new james bond movie, it would be awesome. but the film had no sense of dramatic urgency, which is why i kept stopping it to clean up the apartment and talk on the phone and blog and do all sorts of things before i finally finished it.  don't bother unless you're completely bored out of yr mind.

w.- though oliver stone makes a fairly well put together biopic, it just feels a little too cuddly.  if you hugged george w. it might just all be ok.  the nefarious aspects of his administration are there for sure, and not necessarily given too much pass, however real issues are not delved into.  it's more about the bratty lil frat boy son of george senior who wants to win his father's approval more than anything else in the world.  which i must admit is an interesting perspective to take, but one way too lighthearted for all the mess our nation is in.  oliver stone is not at his edgiest and that's the reason the film fails.  don't bother unless you want to try to like george w.  it seems like a film made to abate some of the liberal hatred of our current and out-going president.   certainly don't pay money to see it in the theater like i did.

lakeview terrace- maybe you need to reinforce the hatred you have for your neighbors, or maybe you need to watch another movie where samuel l. jackson plays the role of badass.  or maybe its your desire to see another movie showcasing LA as the ethical pit of the universe.  if so, watch lakeview terrace and enjoy.  otherwise its a fairly well acted and suspenseful movie that just drags on too long with too little plot to make it more than a bore.  i could summarize the film in a sentence, but won't just in case any of you want to check it out.  maybe its one of the only movies playing in missoula.

eagle eye-  all i have to say is that this movie has been done before in a million more interesting ways.  big brother.  1984.  computers ruling our lives.  come on give me a new spin please.  please.  

(so in summation, i haven't watched a new movie this fall that i even came close to enjoying yet.  zack and miri make a porno was cute.  pineapple express was some chuckles.  but nothing outstanding yet.  and no quantum of solace doesn't count.  too convoluted and reliant of crazy action scenes to carry it through.  i'm hoping milk or frost/nixon might finally give me something to be excited about.)

Good Ol' Fashion Goodness

There's a lot of great music floating around right now (and I'm glad that it has been in some part responsible for breathing life back into this blog) but I have to say that my favorite track that I've stumbled upon recently is Matt & Kim's "Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare". It makes me smile every time I hear it, and more often than not makes me want to dance like a carefree indie kid (is that a contradiction?) Give me a simple, catchy bass line, some synth strings, and handclaps and I'm a happy lad. For your enjoyment:

Matt & Kim - Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare

By the by, I feel lazy not working on or posting any original music, etc... So I'm going to jump on the bandwagon and start working on a mixtape. Don't expect too much, or anything very soon, but know that it's in the works.

And Another Thing:

Something that I've been kind of irritated about all day (but probably wouldn't have mentioned had Ben not paved the way with his entry about Cartoon Network's self-rickroll as a metaphor for the atrophy of society's values and overall integrity) is the fact that when I went to CNN.com this morning, I saw this:

and immediately thought of this:



Really, the only thing that distinguishes CNN's banner from IMDB's is an exclamation point. One tiny punctuation mark, in this case, is the distinction between terrorism and what sounds like a hit tv show.

I know that we are a media-driven society, and that the bloodier and gorier the news is, the more likely we are to watch it. I know that news sources have to post footage of everything--and I do mean EVERYTHING--to remain competitive, to placate our appetites for (generally) useless, but oh-so-current information. I understand this. I also understand that there is a fine line between the news and entertainment. I understand this, because I am one of those people that news stations cater to, who checks the "Crime" section of CNN three times a day, hoping for carnage and mayhem. (I also know that it's hypocritical to find violence in movies totally acceptable but feel sick when I read about similar shit in the news.)

However, this... This seems wrong. Even to me. And my moral compass doesn't always point due north, so if I say something's wrong...

Or maybe I'm making mountains out of molehills.

Either way, I'm going to listen to "We Didn't Start the Fire" now and, like, totally sympathize with Billy Joel's self-righteous indignation.

Unicorn Balls

Now you can enjoy them too.





P.s. they've been there the whole time.

I just don't know anymore

At dinner last night, I was informed that the Cartoon Network rickrolled their own float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Footage is below:



Personally, I'm horrified that this is the world we live in. I still think that The Simpsons really nailed the zeitgeist of our generation something like twelve years ago in the "Homerpalooza" episode. To re-apply the dialog to the topic at hand:

"Great. Cartoon Network rickrolled their own float at the Macy's Parade. That's cool."
"Dude, are you being sarcastic?"
"I don't even know anymore."

I'm not entirely sure why it bothers me. Maybe it's that I'm tired of the rickrolling internet meme, or just sick of basically all internet memes in general. What's especially strange is watching them grow into bizarre Frankensteins. Does the world really need the book I Can Has Cheezburger? A LOLcat Colleckshun? But do I even have any right to bitch about this, being that I'm guilty of buying Stuff White People Like? I feel like the problem perhaps is with originality, or lack therof. According to Wikipedia, rickrolling began in early 2007, when someone gave a link that was purported to be to the trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV, but instead, haha, led the the Rick Astley video. And yes, that's pretty funny. But why -- oh, for fuck sake's why -- was there the copycat instinct to repeat said idea over and over again. Is it our culture's equivalent to retelling a joke we've heard? Perhaps, it's just that innocuous.

Recently, I was searching for a screenshot of Demetri Martin's graph of his "Ability To Draw Mountains Over Time." YouTube had taken down the clip from the special and no one seemed to have a screenshot of it. The very first Google result leads to a copycat version, and for reasons I can't explain I got sucked into reading the comments section on that page. Many people pointed out that the graph was stolen from Demetri Martin, but there was a strange defense from a number of people about the theft. One comment that was just fascinating to me was:

"haha Demetri Martin. I love him. And this. Even if it is a rip-off of his Comedy Central special I don't care. Because no matter who says it or posts it... it's hilarious."

Well, yes, the imitations are sort of funny, especially if you haven't seen the original, but ultimately it's just a dick move not to credit the source. Perhaps I'm overreacting. That's likely be the opinion held by the person who posted this:

"boy, all you people need to relax maybe the guy messed up. but you don't have to hang him. like you never made a mistake. take a fricking chill pill people if that is all it takes to send you on a spastic fit you will probably die at a very young age or you need to get a life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I just don't know anymore.

One thing's for sure: I'm going to put on my dancing shoes

Oh, Hood Internet... why must you be so awesome? I've been obsessing over this R. Kelly Vs. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone track. It's pretty damn bomb. I'm going to go listen to it another ten or so times in a row. I suggest you do the same.

Safe, Legal and... Fun?

So, Frida Hyvönen's new album Silence is Wild, which I mentioned earlier this week, is a solidly mediocre album.

Actually, that's being generous: it's a pretty crap album. But there is one track I really, really like-- a jaunty, waggish sort of number called "December." It's a surprisingly whimsical song, considering that it's about abortion.

"December" by Frida Hyvönen.

But then, when I thought about it, I realized that there are some really catchy songs about unwanted pregnancies and/or abortion; "Third Planet" by Modest Mouse, "Brick" by Ben Folds Five, "The Freshman" by The Verve Pipe... "Miracle" by Whitney Houston. "Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna. "Oasis" by Amanda Palmer (who's new album would on my Best of 2008 list, were I to make such a list.)

And movies! Unwanted pregnancies are the stuff of great comedies! Juno! Knocked Up! That episode of It's Always Sunny! Beyond the Valley of the Dolls! (Although, to be fair, that last one isn't really about the abortion, it just has an abortion in it. And I don't think it's supposed to be a comedy.) Um... Yeah.

I don't remember where I was going with this. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I didn't realize abortion, on top of being convenient, was so much fun.

(As it turns out, you can actually find t-shirts that say just that.)

Spin the bottle

I just want you guys to hear this. Since I can't remix things or make new music via my crappy ass old ass busted ass computer, I havent been able to contribute much on the music end. Right now you're probably thinking "how in the hell does she assume I havent been to Hipster Runoff like 10 times in the past week?" But anyway. It's fantastic.



Anyhow, I love the Kings of Leon (dirty suthern boys rock my world) and Lykke Li remixed this gem into a jam.
Kings of Leon-Knocked Up (Lykke Li vs. Rodeo Remix)

Also it should be duly noted that I have been hazy on the rules of spin the bottle until last night. I thought every individual had to actually make out. With their tongues. Am I alone in this logic? But I've also never played it, and thats probably why.

So, my friends...there is a first time for everything. At Kelsey Lundgren's birthday party with 15 other people including Smash and Cory (frmr msla) we had ourselves a great time. I think when Kelsey announced it was going to happen everyone scoffed at the idea, but imagine her throwing an empty tequila bottle on the floor, balls deep into her birthday party, and I doubt you would have said no either. It's a surefire icebreaker, and I daresay I didn't expect to have such a good time. Smash had the dumb luck of getting picked about 18 times, to my dos.

Thanksgiving was weird, spent it at a small unsuccessful party which later evolved into visiting a bar called My Father's Place, where Joe Danger launched into the single most terrifying and disgusting rant I think I've heard to date. He also picked Cory up and threw him over his shoulders as they left.

Smash and I spent all day inside hanging up our precious wall decor until deciding to join Cory for a sans-family Thanksgiving. Her mom and brother kept calling every couple of hours to make sure she was doing ok, which, I can agree would get kind of annoying after a bit. But in my case, I didn't hear from my family all day (and when you have 2, that's weird) and it really bummed me out. I can't say I've been depressed since I've moved to Portland, but that day wasn't exactly glorious. At least going out forced me to try and snap out of it. Which I did, until I called my mom a few minutes ago and sort of expected her to ask me how my holiday went after I asked her about theirs. Nothing. I just cant help getting bummed out about that.

Enough about that. I'll shake it eventually. We have antlers and pictures all over our walls and our apartment is pretty much glorious. It looks like the inside of the ten-thousand silver dollar bar. Also went to a record swap today which was wonderful. 2 KISS records, some NKOTB, a vinyl set titled "Fiesta" with many mexican favorites for listening and dancing, and a Hank Williams Greatest hits among others. I'd say it was a success.

Oh, and remember that Unicorn tapestry we had in our living room? Well, I noticed for the first time today that it has balls. Big, ridiculous Unicorn balls. The fact that none of us has ever seen them before is baffling.

Now I can't stop looking at them.

For the Gary Glitter enthusiast

theme song for missoula

so if i had to choose one song to commemorate my time spent DJing and music promoting in a close-minded mountain town in Montana, it would be this little awkward track i heard today for the first time.  co-written by Rivers Cuomo and Jermaine Dupri about the lives of our friends struggling to make any decision other than what they're going to drink tonight at the Golden Rose.....

Can't Stop Partying by Rivers Cuomo 

(of Weezer, on his new solo album, Alone II) 

Thanksgiving in the South

The south is awesome. I've never seen such a mix of culture, race, and class status all mixed into a sprawled out area. It can go from rich to slum in one block. And everyone inherits their life from past generations. Whether it be "rich" passing down rich estates or slummy backwoods hicks passing down their dilapidated shacks to their inbred children. It all basically equals out to a state of lazy people. lol. Oh yeah ben inspired me to photoshop something... though I may have crossed the line a little.

I should be alseep, but instead this happened.

I have no excuses for this. Sometimes I just do things.

(Though it's potentially, perhaps, connected to the plan for the future, which also involves sock puppets.)

Study shows...we suck.

I hate my age demographic:


Study: Nearly 80 Percent Of Roommates Got So Drunk Last Night

Ghostface Remix

For your ears. Enjoy!

The new face of hip-hop

I thought this was pretty damn funny.

B.Less

I subjected Eric to this rant the other night so I'll try to keep this concise.

I am so fucking sick of the 80s music revival and the B.More trend in particular. There's nothing worse than making so many half-decent tracks from the 80s sound exactly the same, and subsequently getting them stuck in all of our heads. When will it die? Eric made the argument that if you made a playlist of the exact same tracks, minus the remix, how would that go over in a club? My answer: It would suck. It would be like any other lame Tuesday night in some shitty bar. Can we please exercise just a little bit more ADD when it comes to this genre? Please? For the greater good?

And now, to be a complete hypocrite (because, what's better?) I present this little ditty via White Folks Get Crunk (who may one day soon be featuring one of our resident contributors...) It's hard for me to not love it because it's Hall & Oates and thusly makes me think of Ol' O-Face, but even still, the B.More leaves me wanting something more, or maybe just the original...

shove this in yr tape deck

here is the first installment of a mixtape series i'm going to throw your way.

21 songs and exactly one hour of indie rock yummy goodness..........

so here you go.......it's called....



cooler than yr American Apparel skinny pants


song/artist


Believe E. S. P.  -  Deerhoof
The Year Before the Year 2000   -  Les Savy Fav
Neon Undercarriage   -  The Joggers
Colours  -  These New Puritans
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor  -  Arctic Monkeys
Retreat  -  The Rakes
Mathletics  -  Foals
Collarbone  -  Fujiya & Miyagi
Watch The Tapes -  LCD Soundsystem
Gamma Ray  -  Beck
Halfway Home  - TV on the Radio
Boy Void  -   No Age
Not a problem  - Black Lips
(How Can I Keep You) Outta Har  - King Khan & the Shrines
If You Won't Let Go  -  The Black Hollies
Painted Shut  - Jay Reatard
Chains Of Love  - The Dirtbombs
Coors Lite   - The Japanese Motors
Mammoth   - Interpol
Delivery   - Babyshambles
Never Stops  - Deerhunter



(ps, i'm going to try and figure out how to post a .zip file of this mixtape to the blog so you all can download it.)

if you think your job is bad....

so craig's list can be helpful.  i have a job and an apartment thanks to the site, but you really do run across some strange shit every so often.......

like this ad..... and yes this is real.

An average of $12-$13 working with children! (Lincoln Park)

---

Reply to: job-932817817@craigslist.org ^[?]
Date: 2008-11-24, 5:20PM CST

Note: Please read ENTIRE ad before applying 

Hair Fairies the Headlice Helpers is Now Hiring!! 

We are the only full service head lice removal salon in LA, NY, SF and Chicago dedicated to safely and effectively removing these pesky parasites in a clean kid friendly environment. 

We are currently looking for a Hair Fairy Technician to join our growing team in Chicago. 
This candidate MUST meet the following criteria: loyal, dedicated, multi-tasking, friendly, outgoing, energetic, result driven, trustworthy, hands on, no problem too big, motivated, self starter, patient, with basic computer knowledge and great with kids. There is plenty of room for growth, possible travel opportunities, Health Insurance and pay rate increase after three month probation period completed. 

If I just described you and you’re looking for a career opportunity not just a job please contact us ASAP. 

This is a part time position. Paid training. May lead to a full time position. 
For more company info visit us on the web www.hairfairies.com 

Justice vs. Pharoahe Monch...yea that good.

So before you evacuate your bowels with utter excitement and euphoric nonsense, let me explain this delightful piece: Steve Koppa (aka our friend Ryan) and I were drinking in my apartment last night. He had this idea for a mash-up that I had to give a shot. It's pretty simple really, start with some epic Justice and let Pharoahe Monch tell the people what to do. So we began at 10:00 and after a six pack of Coors Light, two Sparks, a tallboy of Pabst and a bowl of happy we finished at 3:30am. Now get the fuck up!

On Nothing Noteworthy.

An hour ago, before my internet connection decided to be bitchy, I had a blog planned. A pretty decent blog I think it might have turned out to be, too, involving country music (specifically, Brad Paisley and whippoorwills) and driving up the I-15 (specifically, driving up the I-15 with no cd player/tape deck and getting pulled over twice for going 5 over the speed limit, just because I was driving a car with California plates). But that was an hour ago.

Now, I only have 2 things to say:

1. KBGA has added Frida Hyvonen to the playlist. Which means, I have a new Scandinavian songstress to obsess over for the next couple of weeks, assuming, of course, that the album's not utter shite. If it's only kind of shite, I'll probably still listen to it on repeat.



2. I bought a new toothbrush. It's purple, and electric, and it makes my teeth feel all shiny and clean. I'm quite pleased with it.

(I am going to have to start reading again, in lieu of writing; clearly, I have exhausted my capacity for worthwhile/relevant/entertaining statements.)

Snoop & Martha

Found over on Boing Boing, as many strange and wonderful things are. There's a little overlap on the clips, but so it goes.

Re-Up or Die!

It's on Mr. Markley. I've said fuck it, I'm tired of working on it so, here's my first solo remix ever:



Enjoy! And add me on Myspace (myspace.com/thefirstfolio). Get that swagger on!

mixtape or die.

remember there is a standing offer from me to help release a mixtape made by any member of this blog.  or better yet, a seven inch of any two hot new remix tracks someone puts together.  never mind the details, running a record label and releasing vinyl is on my list of goals and i will not fall short of my ambitions.......

and i challenge everyone to out mixtape each other.  tomorrow hopefully i will return to urfckd with my contribution.  

so it's on.  

A Mixtape! (is coming)

I know that Ben, Tony and I all talked about making a mixtape before we left Missoula but the combination of the hassles of moving, disillusionment and marijuana meant that the project was essentially put on hiatus (I fully intend to complete the project, that's a fucking promise. I just hope the other two are on board). But I've decided that before I leave Missoula I will construct a meticulous mixtape that I intend to expose to the world of Missoula in a fiery blaze of eroticism (I mean awesomeness).

All I can say thus far is that it begins with Megasoid's amazing remix of perhaps another awesome dirty south rap group (whose mixtape came out on Mad Decent last week and is fucking trill!) Paper Route Gangstaz's "Rollin" that moves into my remix of Re-Up Gang's "Fast Life". That's all I have so far but expect it to move through the genres of rap, mash-ups, electro, indie and yes, Bmore. It should be including two of my own remixes and is sure to be laden with several of my mashups both of prior creation and impromptu as I make the tape. Since I'm running out of room in my apt and my turntables are packed away I'm using software. What DAW am I operating on you ask? Well I'm glad you did: Ableton Live. I'm thinking that I'm going to edit, slice and chop in ProTools though.

Why am I writing this? Because I'm bored and now I hope that you all hold me to it. Three weeks to finish it, should be cake. What is the handle I'm using while on this quest for mixtape glory? The First Folio. And the title of the mixtape is Ol' Billy Shake n' Bake's Sonnets of Departure.

Love to the World!

Things I have done so far in Portland

Hi kids,

In my short time in my new city I have already accomplished a couple things of note that I wanted to share with y'all. I would need at least 3 hours of research to come up with a top 10 of 2008 and since I am far too impatient for that, this is what you get.

1. Moved. Duh.

2. Saw a man with a cat on his shoulders walking through Safeway. Apparently they don't care what kind of seeing-eye animal you have here. And I was the only one in the whole store besides Justin who even noticed. Portland is weird.

3. Made delicious weed cookies. The ones we made without were even better.

4. Phoned the manager at the adult video store which I had applied for a job to tell him I was not going to be able to make the interview. It's just not going to happen.

5. Saw Joe Danger at his work, an amzing cajun restaraunt called Montage. Apparently his new nickname is Throbbin' Joe Dangerfield. I threw up in my mouth a bit when he decided to tell us as we were eating dinner.

6. Gotten lost. 5 or 6 times.

And I have spent the bulk of my time so far in my house unpacking. That part is't interesting, obviously. But it is quite a chore to fit a giant horse trailer's worth of shit into a two bedroom apartment. I never realized how huge the HOB was.

Miss you all. Come visit one day.

new jams for thanksgiving

mr oizo - lamb's anger... 

reaching beyond the shadow of justice to actually challenge them for the title of best new dance album of the past couple of years.  leaning more towards a synth reinterpretation of new wave then justice's lean to disco, and at least feeling out more directions than most of the ed banger wanna-be daft punk dance crowd, this album might slowly reach up and grab a spot on my top 10 of 08 (which as i continue to sit around listening music, my top 10 may have been a bit premature).  its tracks will rest happy in a dj set between say a mstrkrft remix and a crystal castles jam, or james pants.  that electro house style seems just as much a part of the hipster dance set (please give me a better genre name here) than crunchy techno and dirty south beats.......

anyway, please everyone on the blog should listen to this.  i'll e-mail you the files if you want.  its my thanksgiving jam, or what i'll be listening after i've eaten too much turkey and drank too much beer and need something upbeat to listen to while i drive home and not fall asleep at the wheel.)

MGMT was leaked way to early to feel like 2008

yes ben you were right.  

.......oracular spectacular did come out in 2008.  i so thought you were wrong, and that is why the album didn't make my lists anywhere.  that and the fact that i had a leaked copy in august 2007, much the same as KBGA had started playing it around then (you can blame Tim).  and since vinyl never seems to drop the same day as the cd, it further blurred my memory.

but who really cares.  it would have made my list last year had i published or shared a top 10 with everyone.  can we come to a consensus on what actually constitutes a release date nowadays.  its very confusing terrain........... 

(and ps, MIA is now gracing CSI: Miami with her song Boyz.  take note hipster kids, she is now definitely mainstream.)

Why are these guys so good?

So by and far, I think that my favorite contemporary rap group (note: group not individual artist) is with out a doubt the Clipse. Their latest LP was scheduled to drop sometime this month but appears to be delayed (go figure). Yet they do have a mixtape coming out in the next week or two. I don't know what it is with these guys, maybe it's Pusha T's unique voice and delivery, but they always impress. Anyways, they have a new line of clothing that is being pushed here. So if you have a pocket full of stinkies from being hunched over a stove cooking that shit up, buy some gangsta ass clothing and post up on the corner like a mailbox.

What's all the mysterious hype about?

Ugh, redheads are nothing special, at all. I should have just gotten drunk with Ryan and worked on my childrens' theater adaptation of The Nightman Cometh. What a waste of time last night was. That's all.

Ben's End Of The Year (Part 3)

Well, I've been agonizing over this list much more than necessary. I've finally reached the conclusion that I'm not going to be able to do a top ten, and am switching it to a top five plus a boatload of honorable mentions. There were a ton of records I really enjoyed this year, but not many that really compelled me through and through. There's something a bit intangible that really gets me about these, more so than the rest of the contenders.

Anyhow, about my favorites:

1. Great Vengeance And Furious Fire
by The Heavy
Hands down, my favorite of the year -- despite the fact the release date is a bit of a grey area (as I understand things, it came out at the end of 2007 in the UK, and super early 2008 in the US). Nevertheless, I have listened to this album more than anything else this year, and I just do not tire of it. I started listening to it early in the year when we got the promo in at Ear Candy. I listened to it a ton this summer -- it became one of my default make-me-feel-good records. As the year closes out, I can still listen and still fall right into the fantastic dirty-garage-soul vibe.
Great Vengeance... is a goddamn sexy record. It sweats cool and swagger and sex without simply feeling exploitative. In part, I'm sure it's related to the way in borrows from 70's soul. It may talk a little coy and dirty to you, but it doesn't make you feel gross in the process -- which is a nice change of pace.
Part of the reason it has had such longevity throughout the year is that it doesn't just stick to one note. It'll go from head-bobbing tracks, thick with horn stabs and dirty guitars, and then drift into the slow and soulful. One could make the argument that The Heavy owe a little bit to Gnarls Barkley -- despite making very different records, there's a common ground in their production techniques, walking a fine line between retro and modern.
Bottom line, this record makes me feel good, and there's a hell of lot to be said for that.

2. Santogold
by Santogold
You may have noticed that a hell of lot of records that do not appear in my top five have cover art that does not feature anyone spewing glitter, whereas Santogold's self-titled debut does. Coincidence? Possibly. Don't rule it out as a factor, though.
I've spent a fair amount of time debating the spot of this album, and as a result of said consideration I've been spending a ton of time with the album again. Much like CSS' Donkey, the more I re-listen the more I love it -- enough so to bump it to the number 2 spot this year. I keep finding new things to latch on to. It's really a surprisingly diverse record. It seems to me that most of the hype she received was a result of the track "Creator" -- basically, because it's a track that screams "Hey, I can do M.I.A. at least as well, if not better than M.I.A. herself." That's true, and I even like the track, but frankly it's nowhere near the high point of the record. In fact, the B-side of the "Creator" single is album opener "L.E.S. Artistes" which plays like a New Young Pony Club track with a slower vibe. That's followed by "You'll Find A Way" which is sort of like a harmonious blend of The Police and Blonde Redhead. I initially tended to think of the album as a bit top-heavy, with the first half being stronger than the end, but that's not true. It's that I liked the vibe of those early songs so much, that I would sometimes forget about how good it it is when the tone switches to the flighty pop of "Lights Out" or the slow and dirty electro-fuzz of "Starstruck" or the Pixies-esque bassline that drives "I'm A Lady." There's just so much done exceptionally right on this record.

3. Microcastle
by Deerhunter
Cryptograms and the Flourescent Grey EP made my list last year -- perhaps, in retrospect, something that wasn't exactly deserved. It was on the strength of the EP, which was better than the full-length, as well as an awesome live show that really sold me. When I actually listen to Cryptograms, I like it a just a little less than I think I do when I'm not listening to it. However, Microcastle is solid start to finish, and really builds on the promise showed by Deerhunter. I often hate when this word is used, but it's definitely more accessible than past releases. I'm not sure that I have all that much to say about it, to be honest, other than "Yup, this is a fuckin' damn good record." Not so eloquent, but that's just going to have to be good enough.

4. Dear Science
by TV On The Radio
I know this is on most of our lists, and is probably a shoe-in for the vast majority of best-of lists that will appear in the press. As such, I don't feel I need to say too much about it. I'm still getting fully aquainted with the album, though I'm definitely comfortable enough to put it on this list. (It's not just peer pressure!)
I will say that as of late I've been just obscenely obsessed with the track "Love Dog" -- the delayed rhodes; the opening vocal "ooooooh" melodies; that moment where the horns first come in; the build into chaos... fuck... I love so many songs on this album, but there's something about "Love Dog" that catches my attention. It's lonely and beautiful and wintery and intense. Perhaps my affection for it does not say good things about my own mental state.

5. Donkey
by CSS
I was, I suppose, a little bit late to the party on CSS -- in part avoiding their 2006 debut because I couldn't dodge the huge amount of press it got. I know... it's snobby bullshit, but so it goes. When I finally gave it a real listen, I was drawn in. Even after I had fallen for it, I wasn't quite sure exactly why. Sure, "Alala" was a hot track, but CSS still felt like a guilty pleasure.
Nonetheless, I was excited when I heard they were doing another record.
I was surprised, though, when the first track that was leaked from the album was "Rat Is Dead (Rage)" -- loaded as it is with guitar hooks that seemed like they wouldn't be out of place on some girl-fronted alternative band from '97. Funnily enough, I actually quite dig the song now, but at the time I definitely was surprised, and fairly unsure of what to think. So, I put off giving Donkey serious listen when the album was released -- which was a mistake because, when I finally gave it a chance, it became clear that it was, in fact, immensely better than their debut. It just keeps growing on me more and more.


Alright, and now for the Honorable Mentions:

The Matador Singles '08
by Jay Reatard
This would have, no question, been in the top ten if I had decided to make a top ten. In fact, it was fighting pretty hard to be in the top five, but ultimately I had more to say about the other records. Please, Markley... still love me.

Volume One
by She & Him
Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward. Who knew it'd be so darn good? I don't even like M. Ward on his own, and I'm always skeptical of music projects by actors or actresses. Yet here comes this quirky and sweet throwback to the 60's. I'm surprisingly fond of this record.

Lightbulbs
by Fujiya & Miyagi
I continue to love Fujiya & Miyagi and that's that.

Antidotes
by Foals
Listened to it a lot. It cribs a bit from Q And Not U, but so what?

Third
by Portishead
Took ya long enough, but hot damn.

Made In The Dark
by Hot Chip
Might be rated higher if only it didn't take "Out At The Pictures" a minute forty-four to start to get good. But it does take that long, and I'm petty.

Worldwide
by The Death Set
"Motherfuckin' Death Set! Motherfuckin' Death Set!" Absurdity. I love this record far beyond what reason dictates.

Stainless Style
by Neon Neon
Tied with Dykehouse for the gayest thing I love this year -- which is funny on less-than-or-equal-to two levels.

Crystal Castles
by Crystal Castles
Oh, if only this record was edited down just a bit... When it's on point, it's one of my favorite records of the year, but when it misses -- which happens just a bit too often -- I get frustrated. If I was doing a list of best hooks and loops, this might be way up there in the running for the top spot.

Oracular Spectacular
by MGMT
I feel like we're all supposed to be molecules within the wave of hipster backlash, or maybe we were never supposed to even like this record in the first place. It's a record that emphasizes just how much the grey area between indie and mainstream (stylistically, at the very least) has grown. It also is a reminder that I have absolutely no need to spend time contemplating what that grey area means. Anyhow, I've listened to this record a hell of a lot this year, and, it's still damn good -- or at least, the first two thirds of it are. It definitely falls apart a bit towards the end. It's going to be interesting to see what they do in the future. Perhaps they've got more fuzzy keyboard hooks and psych-weirdness that'll be worth not being too cool for.

Ben's End Of The Year (Part 2)

Really... I'm almost done with my list.. but while I put the final polish on it, here's part two of the miscellaneous bullshit:

11. Worst Album That I Secretly Hoped Would Be Actually Awesome -- A Hope That Stemmed Solely From My Love Of The Song "Le Disko" -- That, Thank God, I Didn't Buy On A Whim, Because Wow, It Really Is Just Awful:
Season Of Poison
by Shiny Toy Guns
Sigh. Oh, "Le Disko," at least we'll always have each other.

12. Absolutely Most Useless Guest-Drop Within An Unnecessary Remix Included On A 25th Anniversary Re-Issue:
(Tie)
Fergie on "Beat It" from Thriller (25th Anniversary Edition)
&
Kanye West on "Billie Jean" from Thriller (25th Anniversary Edition)
Why did these things happen? Why?

13. Stupidest Remix Move Apart From The Atrocities Listed Above:
"Paper Planes (DFA Remix)"
by M.I.A. (and, you know, that James guy that kinda looks like Markley)
Why in the name of fuck would you take the gunshots out of the chorus? Seriously? The chorus doesn't even make sense without them. I know, I know... who fucking cares anymore? We've all gotten absurdly sick of the original song anyway, but still. It's so clearly phoned in that it gets under my skin a bit.

14. Favorite Guilty Pleasure:
You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into
by Does It Offend You, Yeah?
There was no doubt when this came out. It was a fun record but not a brilliant record. But hey, sometimes you don't take a record home to meet the family -- doesn't mean you can't have some fun some night when you're both drunk. There's no denying that "We Are Rockstars" and "Let's Make Out" were great spring flings.

15. Artist Who Desperately Needs To Wait Until 2010 To Put Out Another Record So They Can Really Get It Right, As Opposed To Releasing The Merely Okay Skeletal Lamping:
Of Montreal
Yeah, Skeletal Lamping's okay. Not bad. Not great. Take a year off, Kevin. We get the Bowie thing you're doing, and it's cute and all. If you have a power animal, imagine it constantly whispering "Substance over spectacle."

16. Album That, While It Is Totally Good, I Can't Get Excited About Putting In The Top Ten, Or Even The Honorable Mentions, Mainly Because It Just Feels So, So Much Their First Record -- And Also Happens To Have A Really Dumb Title:
Directions To See A Ghost
by The Black Angels
Man, I loved Passover so much, and accepted that The Black Angels (much like fellow pysch-rockers Vietnam) were not really setting out to break any new ground. That's all well and good. But, for reasons I can't explain, I can't seem to get excited about their follow-up. I still intend to buy a copy on vinyl one of these days, but... I dunno... it just doesn't excite me at all, and I've spent most of the time since it was released forgetting that it exists. Also, it happens to have a really dumb title.

17. Artist Who I Feel Compelled To Hate On Some More:
(Tie)
Fleet Foxes
&
Vampire Weekend
God, I hate you both so much.

18. Stupidest Use Of Alliteration In A Band Name:
Fleet Foxes
Plus, it's the dumbest use of F's since the Foo Fighters.

19. Stupidest Use Of Vampires In A Band Name, As Well As Stupidest Use Of The Second Word In Said Band Name Happening To Start With The Letter That Consecutively Follows The Letter That Begins The First Word Of The Band Name:
Vampire Weekend
Yeah, take that. Fucking boat-shoe wearing dicks.

20. Length I Was Willing To Stretch For That Last One:
Fairly far, it appears.
Yeah... well... yeah.

why music almost sucked in 2008 and why i agree with ben

rather than just leave a really long comment on ben's post, i'll chime in with my opinion.  

reasons music almost sucked in 2008, many points of which were aforementioned yet hardly with enough disgust in this blog..........

1.  auto-tune, vocoder, what what you mean you can't sing.  i can't sing, many somebody ought to buy me one for christmas, then i can have a hit record.  examples of this auto-tune bullshit abound, but here are a couple examples:

  * T.I. feat.  Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Kayne West and M.I.A- Swagga Like Me.  this track proves that not only do you not have to sing well, but lyrics don't matter either.  the vocoder is sugary goodness to the mainstream tongue,  and all we need is the sugar.

  *play this little drinking game i devised.  listen to Top 40 radio and do a shot every time you listen to a song with auto-tune.  promise you'll be drunk within a half hour.

  *i was in a quaint lil burrito shop in my Chicago neighborhood eating some dinner and listening to the requisite hispanic radio playing in the background, when i heard the most amazing song.  it was a combination of the standard mariachi instrumentation and Selena-esque vocals with heavy doses of auto-tune.  really?  even our friends to the south are duped into this vocoder bullshit.  what now?  italian disco with vocoder?  gypsy punk with auto-tone?  fuck.......

2.  the fleet fox effect.  imagine subpop records putting out this new pysch folk record that all the indie kids rave about.  in fact so much so that they buy up the first vinyl pressing of thousands in the first week it was out, to then realize all to their dismay, that subpop had some sort of licensing deal with starbucks.  hipster kids might not buy corporate lattes, so they didn't realize how stupid they were going to look over this record in a short amount of time.  but the fleet foxes were getting rich as yuppies bought caramel macchiatos and their brand new cd.   indie hype bands no longer means cheap street cred for hipsters,  you actually might have to listen to some music rather than just being trendy.  see vampire weekend and the shins if you have any doubts.  maybe even M.I.A........

3.  all the good hip hop artists are incapable of putting out full albums.  yes ben maybe kid cudi will give you a full length, i hear perhaps mid 2009 (source: latest urb magazine).   maybe we'll get more than an ep out of the cool kids.  maybe megasoid will actually release something in a packaged format.  maybe bangers and cash might grace us with something besides those same five songs over and over again......who knows?  

i would make a top ten for this year if anything but leaked tracks on the internet made my hiphop list (ok well bun b and lil wayne i guess would be the list, followed by the cool kids ep.....but who else released a good full length album this year in rap?)  i chalk this up to ADD.  mixtapes were the true mark of hiphop this year.  not real albums.........

4.  as i further contemplate my top ten list, i realized that many of the top ranking artists have been on favorite lists from past years.  maybe that means newer bands are standing out less, or i'm getting stuck in a groove.  but i don't think it's the latter.  i never thought i'd have every daft punk song in my iTunes playlist, but times change.... my theory is that the scenester kids that usually make the best new music are way too concerned with the dance trend.  everyone wants to be the new girl talk, hood internet or megasoid.  which to be fair is a good aspiration.  but where is the next pavement or sonic youth or even justice?  are they too coke hunger-over from dancing their american appareled selves to death last night to have enough dedication to have band practice and write new songs?  is everyone content to be a DJ?  why is deerhoof still on my top 10 list and not some over uber trendy portland band?  i don't know.  i like deerhoof, but i also want the next tv on the radio, i'll pass on the next girl talk..........

this rant might continue but for now i'm stopping.  this entry seems a bit convoluted.  2008 could have been the best year in music in a long time, but i think 2007 still beats it out......  maybe president Obama can usher us into four years of unstoppably great music.......

Ben's End Of The Year (Part 1)

Christ, is it really time for the end of the year wrap up already? I mean, on the one hand, thank god, because it means this year is nearly over. On the other, I feel as though a myriad of events and dramas have managed to get in the way of enjoying that much about this year, including music. Even as I write that, though, I can't escape the fact that what I've just written isn't exactly true -- it just feels like it is at moments. That's a bit backwards, I know. It's just part of the way the brain can sometimes stubbornly (it seems) get odd, particular facts wrong -- like those words that you always, always misspell; or singing the wrong lyrics to a song because it's how you first heard them.

Anyhow, since everyone else is beginning to weigh in on this, I thought I'd take my turn. I'm still finalizing my top ten, so before I get to that, I present the following miscellaneous bullshit:

1. Best 12-Inch Single That Should Have Been A Precursor To A Full-Length, But Said Full-Length Did Not Materialize:
Day 'N' Night B/W Dat New New
by Kid Cudi
Seriously... those two tracks are the fucking jam, but where's the rest? Gimme gimme gimme.

2. Worst Mainstream Single And Worst Music Video, Which It Will Be Good To Forget About Entirely:
"4 Minutes"
by Madonna
How many crimes against humanity does this video commit? You be the judge:


3. Track That Was Pretty Decent But Totally Should Have Been Better, Because It Definitely Fell A Bit Short Of Being The Jam:
"Run (I'm A Natural Disaster)"
by Gnarls Barkley
So close, and yet...

4. Album That I Really Should Get Around To Listening To Before The Year Closes Out:
Best Pyramid
by These New Puritans
Literally haven't heard a single second of this, but y'all seem to like it a bunch.

5. Album I've Simply Got To Say Something About:
Feed The Animals
by Girl Talk
The more I listen to this, the more problems I find. It's got moments where it's strange combinations are truly brilliant, but if I start analyzing it with any depth, the holes become apparent. Sometimes the schizophrenia just isn't that smooth -- one section goes to the next often just on the basis of matched BPMs but with no other genuine connecting thread. Perhaps, it's just having heard it so much that it's easier to pick apart the flaws, and one can certainly make the argument that it's rarely a good idea to delve too deeply into a dance record. All I know is that it's not getting anywhere near my top picks of the year.

6. Album That, Upon It's Release In Just A Few Days, Will (Hopefully) Be The Last Straw Before We Collectively Turn Against Auto-Tuned Vocals:
808s And Heartbreak
by Kanye West
Seriously, can we be done with this trend? Yes, every once in awhile it can be cool, but for the love of fuck, knock that shit off already.

7. Favorite Vinyl Re-Issue Of The Year:
(Tie)
Signals, Calls, And Marches
by Mission Of Burma
&
Black Star
by Mos Def & Talib Kweli
I kept trying to work out a joke about the Mission Of Burma re-issue, some play on "That's when I reach for my revolver," but I couldn't make it work. I kept writing down "That's when I reach for my revolving credit line" and then staring at it and thinking "That's definitely not funny, but there should be some play on this concept that is funny." You know what's worse than just not being able to put a joke together that your brain, against all reason, believes should really work? Wasting all this space talking about it just because I don't really feel like writing anything about either of these fucking amazing records.

8. Artist Who, In Theory, Should Have Been Awesome, But Wasn't Actually Even A Little Awesome After All:
Hercules And Love Affair
What a suckfest.

9. Artist I'd Be Super Pleased To Have Disappear In 2009:
(Tie)
Fleet Foxes
&
Vampire Weekend
Double suckfest.

10. Artist I Hated Last Year, Then Began To Like This Year, And Am Now Back To Not Giving A Shit About:
M.I.A.
I hear her dad is a Onitsuka Tiger. What's that? Those are shoes, you say? Hmmm.... then what the hell kind of tiger is her dad?

Extreme Chakra Makeover.

I'm currently sitting in a conference room on the 15th floor of Wells Fargo Headquarters in Provo, Utah, listening to some lady (who is REALLY excited for the UVSC/BYU football game tomorrow) give a presentation on medicated acne washes and studies about elastin. Approximately the same second I realized that there was wireless in this building, I stopped listening, but I assure you: there are some truly a-MAZ-ing, fab-U-lous, ex-CIT-ing breakthroughs in the world of skin-care. Truly.

I've been in the SLC/Provo area for the past couple of days. My family is here for this conference, and I am here for some intense Rapid Eye Therapy (the R.E.T. is my birthday present from my mother). My 'therapist' is the Muggle equivalent of Professor Trelawny, and works via intuition; every morning, at 8 am when I arrive for my session, she and I do a series of... gestures, is what I think they'd be called, designed to "open our minds and hearts to intuition." Then she all but buries me with pillows and blankets in a massive, overstuffed armchair with my legs up on an ottoman, and uses a clear wand to make my eyes freak the fuck out, inducing a false REM cycle. Whilst I am in this REM cycle, she attempts to clear my chakras of the negative energy and patterns leftover from the birthing process and the 'trauma of being forced from the womb.' She then tries to reset the 'energy patterns of my chakras' by trying, I assume, to coax an epilectic seizure while having me yell "I AM NOT NOT I AM ALONE I AM I AM ALONE I AM NOT I AM NOT NOT ALONE I AM IAM NOT ALONE I AM NOT NOT I AM NOT NOT ALONE," and so on and so forth. Then she gives me a mint and sends me on my merry little way.

While this is exciting enough, it gets better: at the beginning of every session, I have to "declare my intentions" for the session. In this declaration, I ask for help from my "ministering angels," and she asks for the negative energy to leave the house after it has been sent from me (today she forbade the negative energy from inhabiting her appliances). So, it's basically an exorcism.

My mom brought me to Utah for an exorcism.

The best part, though, is the last part of my declaration of intent: I get to invoke 'healing by proxy.' Which means, I get to share my healed energy. She requires that her patients include her family, but I get to pick other people.

Guess what, bitches? I picked all of you. You're all getting exorcised by proxy. If y'all start feeling like you've experience a chakra colonic, you'll know what happened. You get all of the perks, with none of the aromatic oils or twitching or nausea.

You're welcome.

Anyway, more on how Utah is fckd later.

Dreamboat Lollipop

I never thought i'd say this, but i miss the young people (fellow bloggers excluded cause i always miss you people). Its the one thing I haven't had the time to find in my new surroundings, ie. a new scene of like minded, hypocritical, self loathing, blah blah blahs like myself. Right now it seems i've thrusted myself into the abyss of the "Rat Race" thats consumes the "Adult World". As I read over that last sentence, I realize the word adult has become synomous with pornography, or maybe its just me. Anyhow, it is absolutely weird to start living the grown-up life. You know, dealing with trivial things like: Should I get a regular hem on my pants or a cuff?(i've been seeing a lot of cuffs lately.) Is it a scarf day in the city? Do I have my metro card or did I leave it at home?...FUCK!! Did I shit before subjecting myself to "stop and go" traffic on the highway? Should I try to get through regular traffic or pick up a few slugs and get on the HOV? Part of me misses the part of my life that really wasn't a part of "life". (wow, so many quote on quotes) DC is defintately all business and far removed from my more recent reality, aka Missoula. Which in retrospect feels more like a lucid dream, sometimes a nightmare, but all in all a fond experience to look back on. BTW getting a gov job is excruiciating. You have to remember and account for every detail of your past, which is very difficult if you spent the last 8 years of your life being stoned...whoops.

A Friendly Exchange

Today, while riding home from Animeals through the trailer park (as it is the quickest route) I had the following conversation with a young fellow driving along side me:

YF: Hey man, do you know where the nearest truck stop is?

R: Uh... no.

YF: Do you drink beer?

R: Uh... nope.

YF: Do you smoke weed?

R: No.

YF: Do you smoke crack?

R: No.

YF: Do you fuck bitches?

R: No.

YF: Do you fuck dudes?

R: Uhhhhh... No.

YF: Ha. Well thanks.

And that was that.

best two mixtapes of the year.

this is not usually a category when i mull over the year in music, but my immersion in dj culture made me realize how important the mixtape is to the electro and hip hop scenes.

and 2008 would not have been what is was without these two kick ass mixes, one for the first half of the year, and the other for the last.......

spring/summer 08 mixtape winner........MEGASOID with their Tank Thong Mixtape.  one half wolf parade, one half sixtoo, all crunchy synth crunk goodness...... countless nights danced to this shit.  and when all the DJs dance to something. you should too.  (ps, i'm not sure if you can still find it online, so if you need a copy i can burn you one)

summer/fall 08 mixtape winner......Diplo/Santogold with their Top Ranking Mixtape.  what can i say other than this was the mix to drive to the hidden beach with good friends and cold beer.  it was stuck in my head just as much as megasoid was earlier in the year.  

for all purposes, this year's best mixtape was a tie.   please listen to both the next time you throw a party and pretend i'm the dj.

Enough with the sentimentatlities, let's party!

So we've got another group leaving and the year is rolling to a close. As a result of the prior mentioned things we tend to get a little sentimental and reflective. And while I'm sure I'll express my feelings and thoughts when the time comes for me to leave, let us give up on it for a while and just do the here and now. Let me tell you what's going on in my life right now (as though you give a shit):

• I finished my thesis draft, it was difficult to complete but after countless hours of research and several distractions (everything from laughing at clips of monkeys swinging from trees to a visit from the ex) I happy to say it's now on to the final sprint. *Note: Monkey's are hilarious.
• Today I'm laying in bed, all day, because I have no homework or classes and I just don't give a damn. How many episodes of The Wire can you watch in a row, you ask? Ten, exactly ten.*
  
• As Ryan so phrased it, I'm very good at putting myself in situations. Yes, sir you are correct. You people have no idea the shit I'm up to.
  
• I'm now up on stage every Thursday pouring vanilla vodka down the throats of all the girls and boys that have nothing better to do that night. I'm pathetic and never thought I'd be doing that again, but then again I never thought I'd do those things on a yacht in international waters three years ago. The me from three months ago would hate myself right now, but I'm a hypocrite by trade so go figure.
  
• If anyone wants to learn some cool taekwondo and break some boards in my apartment, let me know. That's sounds like fun.
  
• Um, I want to get a dog but I want none of the responsibility. So maybe I'll rent one for a while. You can do that, right?
• Quick! Who would win in a fight: a handlebar moustache or a plastic fern (planting pot included)?
• "Shake it like you mean it, shake it like you mean it girl, shake it like you mean it." -Bun B. Because I hate it when girls shake it like they don't mean it.
  
• This site is awesome: Dickipedia
• I found this beer in the bathroom, someone left it. It's a little warm but still tastes ok.
  

• She gave him an HJ in the bathroom of Arby's?! So lucky!

And now some things to discuss amongst yourselves:

1. Is Hipster Runoff as anoing 2 evry1 Lse as it is 2 me?
2. What should Barack Obama do as President? Karate perhaps?
3. Did you guys hear that Cheney is being indicted in Texas?
4. What's the best industry to make money fast? Cheese probably.
5. What should Eric get tattooed on him next? Follow-up bonus question! Where on said body?
   
6. How is Eric going to record O-face's vocals tomorrow without the appropriate music files?
7. Do you guys like to party? I like to party. We should party together some time. Would it be alright if I kiss you?
8. What should I name the dog that I rent?
9. Does this post suck?

*update: twelve.

Here is an argument against universal healthcare.

Hey guys, take your shirts off, it'll impress the chicks!

In Honor of The End of TRL...

Via Men.style.com:

TRL had it's final show yesterday; in the words of Dallas, "MTV now has absolutely nothing to do with music." To celebrate I thought I would post this music video (which would have never made it on to TRL) by The Hours for their song "See The Light". The video features Sienna Miller and art direction by the always intriguing Damien Hirst. The song isn't that great but the video is worth seeing, with some old hat gimmicks by Hirst (you'll know them when you see them.)

The Hours - See The Light

Hindsight

Well since I've been mentally prepared to leave Missoula for months now and I actually only have 5 days left until the exodus, I'm sort of having one of those I-thought-I-was-ready-but-I'm-really-not moments....the final countdown. And no, I'm not talking about heading to Venus with a killer synth solo. People to say goodbye to, projects to wrap up, tattoos to squeeze in, thank you cards to make to the people who have given me opportunity upon opportunity. What would I have done without Edge of the World, American Made, The Badlander, and Le Kickball? I owe these people my utmost gratitude.

What I've overlooked the most and taken for granted in the moving away tunnel vision are all the people who surround me on a daily (well since I've been a shut-in it's probably more like bi-weekly) basis. Friends, mutual friends, and acquaintances. Sure, a bunch of us have moved. But we wouldn't be the people we are today without our times together. I can honestly say I'm a better person for knowing each and every one of you.

And yes, it is a blessing in disguise that we are leaving our nest, because then we can have a fresh and honest perspective of our respective cities that our friends reside in. No more bullshit travel guides for us.

I'm not an emotional person on the outside. You all know my embarassing phobia of cuddling, heart-to-hearting and confrontation but typing is a much better way to get your feelings out, especially when this is the week you have to say goodbye to everything you've ever known for the past 3 years. I'm not good with goodbyes. My mascara will be perpetually running this week.

This is a weird feeling. I can't wait to start my new existance in a new city, but will never forget where I came from.

I'm still Jenny from the block.

top ten albums of 2008

some difficult decision making, yet the top five were all no brainers.  all i can say is despite everything else, it was a good year for music.  

1.  jay reatard- matador singles '08

2. no age- nouns

3. tv on the radio- dear science,

4. deerhoof- offend maggie

5. hot chip- made in the dark

6. deerhunter- microcastles/weird era continued.

7. wolf parade- at mt. zoomer

8. ponytail- ice cream spiritual

9. these new puritans- beat pyramid

10. dirtbombs- we have you surrounded

honorable mentions- (which were all fighting for the last two spots on the list, except king khan which would have been number two or three, yet it's previously released material so i didn't feel that was right)

king khan and the shrines- supreme genius of (best of)

crystal castles- s/t

girl talk- feed the animals

ratatat- LP3

foals- antidotes

cheap time- s/t

mae shi- HLLYH

The Year In Numbers

I realize that it might be a little premature to make a post of this nature, but I was thinking about it the other day and the way this year has gone I'm glad to recap it and face the future as soon as possible. All of the numbers are projected for year end.

Friends who have moved: 13

Deaths: 2

Seriously ill relatives: 5

Apartments: 5

Total hours slept: somewhere between 12 and 137

Days at the beach: 6

Final Kickball rank: 2nd

Period of celibacy: 14 months, 3 weeks, 2 days

Panic attacks: 37,000

Good times: 37,001

I think that this is the first year that I can look back and realize that there is a clear lesson I have learned. And it's not about breaking laws, or holding my tongue, or doing unto others as I would blah, blah, blah... It's that there is no opportune time. This year has taught me that life will not only kick you when you're down, but it will beat you within an inch of you life, spit in your face, rape your sister, laugh, and then curb stomp you. And you'll live. And that's what I've learned, is to keep living. I've learned to keep my guard down and still be prepared for what life throws at me. I've learned that everyday has the potential to be a shit show and there's nothing I can do about it. And it's not that I've learned to be apathetic, it's that I've learned the duality of being relaxed and prepared, to manage what I have control over and make the best of the rest. I've learned that people will shock me, and all I can do is try to understand. I've learned how to let go, and I've learned to hold on to what is important.

So as yet another batch of close friends get ready to make the exodus away from this wonderful, fucked up place, it's hard to not look back on all of the drinks, tears, and laughs we shared here. This town and this year brought us all together and there's absolutely no way I could have gotten through without every single one of you. You're amazing.

urfckd going national finally

as amanda and i were hanging out with tony kicks and lacy friday night, i realized that our blog might finally get the jumpstart it needs to start rolling in a positive direction.  blogs are generally too subjective and narrow, both geographically and in perspective.  the ones everyone reads tend to transcend these limitations.

now our contributors, or i guess by the end of the year, will stretch from seattle and portland to our ersatz base in missoula through the midwest in chicago and the twin cities all the way to D.C.  we will be able to call bullshit from more corners of our beloved spinning out of control nation.  there will be more things to love and hate.  more fucked things to aim our disdain at.  and more culture to soak in.  

and since more of our life is being digitized and digested into web content, we can be a big part of it.  maybe someday the hipster kids will acknowledge what we've know all along, that recognizing that everything is fucked is the first step to changing and taking over the world.

(ps.  i'd be sad if this blog ever died, so i'm going to try and contribute at least twice a week from now on, please do the same.  it's healthy to vent.  and i want to know what everyone's up to.)

obama-rama

that's all i need to say.  sick of it.  it's just a waiting game til he gets in office, so we all ought to take a brief vacation from politics.  and maybe the economy.  obama-rama is closely followed by bailouts as the second most annoying fixation for our media hungry society.

yes, i am excited about obama, but let's give the man a brake til january, and if i hear anything more about a bailout that doesn't include me, i may just try to put GM and Wall Street out of business myself.  its not as if we can stop buying and selling, so it'll work itself out.  

some people with lots of fake ways to make money finally realized that they are screwing everyone.   same goes for the people with fake flimsy ideas running  the country.  the disappointing thing is that obama may just not be able to fix everything,  so stop talking like obama-rama is the solution to everything, for fuck's sake.

it can only get better. 

Hedi Wins Again

I have a feeling I'm going to be changing the banner photo with greater frequency. I recently stumbled upon Hedi Slimane's photo diary. For those of you who don't know, Hedi Slimane was the head designer for Dior Homme for many years. His interest in rock and skate cultures led to a rethinking of the male silhouette that often went beyond androgyny. He is credited with breathing life back into men's fashion, much the way Armani had many years before, though with a decidedly harder aesthetic. He left Dior last year, understandably, because the design house wanted exclusive rights to his name which would have eliminated the possibility of an eponymous line. Since his departure, Slimane has been focusing on his other passion: photography. While at Dior he published several collections of photography which documented the lives of rock musicians and their fans, and he has continued this pursuit. His work has been featured in many fashion periodicals as well as prestigious galleries. His eye for beauty often focuses on the juxtaposition between simple and complex, as it did in his collections, and while his photos are by no means profound, they document an everyday beauty that seems to be forgotten as we hurry through our days. Slimane is also known for showcasing young musicians and is credited with discovering Eight Legs and These New Puritans.

Needless to say, I admire his work. His photo blog can be found here.

The Shortlist

So, I've been thinking a lot lately about my favorite albums of 2008 in preparation for putting together my Top Ten of 2008. In no particular order, here's the shortlist:

Portishead - Third
Beach House - Devotion
Fujiya & Miyagi - Lightbulbs
Cat Power - Jukebox
Portugal. The Man - Censored Colors
Talkdemonic - Eyes at Half Mast
These New Puritans - Beat Pyramid
The Kills - Midnight Boom
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
TVOTR - Dear Science,
Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer
Ratatat - LP3
Clinic - Do It!

There are a few more that I haven't listed because I haven't been diligent about listening to them start to stop in one sitting. Please let me know if there's something you think I need to listen to before I make my final verdict, I know I've missed a lot of releases this year.

Yes we did.

Thank God. I think we are proud to be Americans for the first time in years.

I made two girls feel like assholes today because they admitted to me that they didn't vote and i went all crazy on they bitch asses. Karma points!