The Ghost of Gordon Sumner

Gonna miss the beach, miss the things that grow...

2009-01-29T23:26:00.001-05:00

I'm not going to say I was scared of listening to anything from the new Antony and the Johnsons. Terrified might be a better word. That voice is just so... fragile. Beyond fragile. Everything I've heard by them has been suicide-note intimate, and just so emotionally wrought and dramatic, always tottering on the edge of tears. It may as well be delivered from the edge of a cliff. Emotion like this is a pretty easy way to make me uncomfortable. But just like with the last album, I couldn't keep looking away, and was, again, surprised by the beauty. It's not an easy listen, I'll say that much.

Then there's the the cover art. Is there a shuddering emoticon? That thing's like a cross between Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Grey Gardens.

Tonight I take my groceries and I drift away...

2009-01-29T12:03:00.003-05:00

I had a whole review of the Springsteen album ready to go and a large chunk of it was devoted to the pure embarrassment that is "Queen of the Supermarket"(seriously - it ends with the rhythmic beeping of a supermarket scanner, though for all intents and purposes it could be the sound of your respect for Springsteen on life support), but it seems the internet beat me to it. Well played, internet; I doff my cap to you. But... I'm not willing to call it the worst Springsteen song ever: the man did write "Part Man, Part Monkey."

With so many words and so little to say...

2009-01-26T22:34:00.003-05:00

If you're nostalgic for the late-90's, you need to check this out immediately, another KEXP Song of the Day. This blew my mind, even moreso than the Gaslight Anthem. If a time machine was invented and the only thing that it was used for, before being destroyed by a group of rogue scientists, philosophers, and "Stargate: Atlantis" fans, was to take this band back ten years so they could open for Fastball, then that time machine would have served its most noble purpose.

Flare into the whirr of the snack machine, muted screams of an old regime...

2009-01-26T21:42:00.002-05:00

Andrew Bird reminds me of someone who's real fussy about his terrarium or one of those people who leaves behind an unpublished 1000-page illustrated children's story when they die. So whimsical and yet, so tightly wound. And oh, with the whistling. I can never get into a full album but I like songs, such as "Fitz and the Dizzyspells," which I think is the name of a street gang in The Last Mimzy. Because of his new album, this guy's been all over the music podcasts to which I subscribe and I finally broke down and listened to said song when it was the KEXP song of the day.

This podcast thing is new and wondrous to me, and the music podcasts have really pointed me in some new directions (like Mt. Eerie and Mates of State). But on the other hand: seriously, I'm just getting into podcasts now? I feel like someone's out-of-touch dad sometimes. "Hey, you hear about this Netflix thing? Movies, right to your mailbox. Amazing! What a country!"^* Not my dad, though, My dad's fucking with it.

^*The chance of that last part being said goes up significantly if your dad is Yakov Smirnoff. And he had only recently heard of Netflix.

And we kissed as if nothing could fall...

2009-01-26T19:04:00.007-05:00

You know what Garfield hated? Mondays. You know what he loved (besides lasagna)? Stealing content from Pitchfork about charity comps. So this one's for you, Garfield (kisses fingers, pumps chest, points to heaven).

I had heard about this a bit ago, and had forgotten what it was called, who was involved, et. al. and etc. Long story short, there's a War Child comp coming out in February^* where the twist is: a bunch of older artists select the newer artists who would cover their songs. So we get the Hold Steady covering Springsteen (insert sex-face emoticon here), and this: TV on the Radio doing "Heroes."^*

Now, I had been thinking recently about cover songs and what the point was. Sure, an artist gets to perhaps show some respect to something that inspired him, but what does it mean for the listener? And what's the point if it's just a note-for-note echo? Covers should pay respect while perhaps bringing a new perspective to something that maybe has an iconic status.

And this is what a cover should be. Know that "Heroes" might be one of my favorite all-time songs, and the cover respects the original while bringing something new to the party. But it doesn't eff with it just for the sake of effing with it. You're not going to mistake this for the original, but it touches all the right notes at all the right times (mostly iconic guitar lines). It's TV on the Radio covering Bowie, not trying to sound like Bowie or forcing some song into the TV on the Radio mold.

I don't know if I've been this excited about a charity comp since No Alternative, which is the charity comp version of DiMaggio's hit streak - it shall never be topped.

Speaking of charity, I don't think I was being very charitable to my digestive system or my blood sugar when I went to town on this family pack of Pull-n-Peel Twizzlers. Ugh. And let it be know that right after I wrote "ugh" I reached into the bag for another one. I don't know how to say this, but I'm on the road to dee-ah-beat-es?

^* What is it about February and buzzed-about charity comps? It's like 1987 all over again, when the movie-going public had to make the choice between three body-switching comedies (18 Again; Like Father, Like Son; and Vice Versa). Some people like to throw Big in there, but that's just stupid; he doesn't switch places with anyone. Christ, you people disgust me.

^* Of course, we also have McCartney choosing Duffy to cover "Live and Let Die." Paul, this is the kind of thinking that leads to Michael Jackson buying the Beatles' catalog out from under you nose.

This field of tears won't yield me a penny...

2009-01-26T15:15:00.005-05:00

I've been listening to the songs that will be on the Dark Was The Night compilation, which comes out in February and benefits the Red Hot Organization, and a song a day will be streaming from their MySpace page between now and then.^* (Is there any reason to be on MySpace anymore besides streaming music and taking that first step towards not being able to live within 10 blocks of an elementary school?) I think I'm most looking forward to Sharon Jones' cover of "Inspiration Information." And while I'm looking forward to picking this up, I tend to associate their compilations with those of my youth, which all seemed to involve Madonna remixes and Cole Porter covers, which always depressed the hell out of me.

Today's entry: The Decemberists. How long is the song, you ask? Seven minutes! Oh my. The Decemberists long winded? Color me shocked. I'll go on record: I'm not a Decemberists fan. They are... well, pick one: twee, pretentious, overwrought, smug. I mean, you can only get away with singing so many songs about the sea (oh, the cruel sea and how it separates the sea-faring from those who love them on the shores of shipping towns!) and girls in tattered dresses singing cockles. And even stuff that doesn't involve that - e.g., "Valerie Plame" - is usually bogged down by a sound of someone very impressed with themselves. That being said, "16 Military Wives" is a gem.

This song, though, commits the worst sin of all and goes nowhere. Did I mention it was 7 minutes long? That's a long way to go for nothing. But: banjo!

^*I'm sure some more of the tracks are floating around on the internet; while they only stream for a day, I'm sure some enterprising soul found a way around that. I'm not sure how it's done, but if I had to guess, it would involve holding a tape machine up to the computer speakers. I'm just stuck on how to get it from tape to computer, but I leave that to the nerds and scientists.

Somebody stop me, there's nothing to do...

2009-01-22T19:20:00.001-05:00

I've slept on Wolf Parade because, well, I only have so much room in my life for Wolf bands, and I had my heart set on AIDS Wolf because it sounded so fucking edgy. And while I'm officially excited about the Handsome Furs - the guy from Wolf Parade and his lady love - I'm totally prepared for them to be a new-millenium Boss Hog: all promise and sexual tension but really just solid yet uninspiring output. At the very least, these songs sound like the soundtrack to your next coke party, and who hasn't been looking for that? Try playing Okkervil and your next coke party and see if anyone dances.

You might come for the twitch and shake of "I'm Confused" but you'll stay for "All We Want, Baby, Is Everything," with its mash up of Springsteen, Orbison, stuttering western hook, and choose-your-synth-tinged-80's-band. The latter gets the dough, while the former gets the glory.

I don't want to talk about war between nations...

2009-01-20T17:30:00.004-05:00

You know what the new U2 song reminds me of? "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" from one of those Batman movies where Joel Schumacher was the villain. Over-processed guitar, one of the laziest bridges heard in a long time, winking apocolyptic imagery, some half-baked Middle Eastern influence in the chorus left over from the "Mysterious Ways" video: the perfect recipe for a b-side, the lure-in track on a greatest hits comp, or something you'd contribute to a politically conscious action movie. Instead it's the lead single from the new album. Oh boy.

Nothing about this sounds remotely original or inspired. It's like a sampler of their past sounds: "Vertigo," "Bullet the Blue Sky," and any song from the period that died with Pop, where they thought they were being ironic and no one really liked it once we thought about it and they seemed angry that we didn't get the joke but still scaled back and recorded All That You Can't Leave Behind. Hell, I half expect Bono to sing this "in character" while wearing devil horns and a general's uniform, while some multimedia art installation plays out behind him.

And people have the power to redeem the work of fools...

2009-01-20T09:30:00.001-05:00

The "Oddly Hopeful" Mix

1. Radiohead - "Everything In It's Right Place"
2. David Bowie - "Heroes"
3. R.E.M. - "Begin the Begin"
4. Patti Smith - "People Have the Power"
5. Bill Withers - "Lovely Day"
6. Death Cab for Cutie - "Grapevine Fires"
7. Van Morrison - "Brand New Day"
8. Pulp - "The Day After the Revolution"
9. Joshua Morrison - "Home"
10. Dee Dee Sharp - "Ooh Child"
11. Bruce Springsteen - "The Rising"
12. Hold Steady - "How A Resurrection Really Feels"

You said, "ain't this just like the present, to be showing up like this..."

2009-01-16T15:57:00.000-05:00

A few nights ago, talking to a friend over e-mail, I suggested that Bon Iver could be nothing more than an indie-endorsed Jack Johnson, that it's possible he may perform barefoot, and every song could be about waking up on Sunday mornings next to his favorite lady. Who's to say he's not another guitar troubador with a fake southern slur hiding limited vocal range, winking at the girls in the front row? (Actually, there's probably a lot of people who would argue against that and would probably be right.) But more and more, I can't stop listening to "Blood Bank". I've listened to it 28 times on iTunes alone, and God knows how many times on my now crapped-out iPod. It's got atmosphere to spare and feels perfect after 9 consecutive days of snow.

A song can throw a switch and it can sell you some half truths...

2009-01-15T17:02:00.005-05:00

Merge Records has a free sampler for download on their site. It's nice to know that despite all the critical acclaim and money that bands like Arcade Fire and Spoon have brought them, Merge will still release music that sounds like it was recorded in a trashcan, and at least one member of the band was surprised at the end when he found that the tape recorder was on. I'm looking right in your direction, Music Tapes.

I think I'm warming up most to Wye Oak, and I'm also reminded that I should listen to more American Music Club. On the other hand, the creepy singing-saw version of "Jingle Bells" that closes it out? Haunts my dreams.

And I'm still on the fence about She & Him: I still think Ms. Deschanel's voice is a bit on the flat side and I would argue that "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?", while adorable, is just as superficial as any song that uses autotune. I guess the best thing I could say is it's pleasant enough. Shrug. But Ms. Deschanel herself? Oh my. I could watch that video on YouTube until I get a polite and literate, but slightly melancholic, cease-and-desist letter from Ben Gibbard.

We ain't much to look at, so close your eyes, here we go...

2009-01-15T03:25:00.002-05:00

A few thoughts about the show tonight before I shiver myself to sleep.

*Waitresses at shows: I've seen them at two Chicago venues so far. Bad idea. They're constantly elbowing through and I'm constantly waiting for them to drop all their drinks. The waitress at the show tonight was always near me; I felt like she was part bear and I was made of honey.

*Missed connection - You: blonde bangs combed to one side; disturbingly landscaped chin-strap beard; hoop earrings; button-down, long-sleeve shirt with cuffs unbuttoned; taking lots of pictures then discussing said pictures with companion. Me: lack of pretension.

*I have no empirical proof, but do all dance-punk songs have to do with hearing a song on the radio, dancing, and this somehow relating to a political liberation?

*The description of the headlining band as "San Diego's answer to the Strokes"? Dead on, except they forgot the Vampire Weekend comparison. Bands should never wear bright Oxfords on stage. To me, The Strokes plus Vampire Weekend is like hate crimes multiplied by sitting on your balls. I left early, preferring cold to annoying bands.

*Missed connection - You: guy with childish furry hat that, while warm looking, looked like you hunted and killed the stuffed animal of a little girl and were now on the hunt for its kin. And you danced like no one was watching (except everyone). Me: attention from your parents as a child.

*You will never know panic until you think you've lost your hat at a bar on a January night in Chicago. I felt like the mother in the Duracell commercial who thought her child was abducted.

Choo-choo Charlie had a pretty good band but he couldn't understand why no one would go...

2009-01-14T14:54:00.000-05:00

I'm going into a show tonight at Schuba's totally blind, and there are two reasons why the night worries me. First, the arctic conditions outside. Second, the headliner was described in Time Out Chicago as "San Diego's answer to the Strokes."

And I wonder which song they're gonna play when we go. I hope it's something quiet and minor and peaceful and slow...

2009-01-14T14:42:00.000-05:00

I've heard the The Gaslight Anthem compared to Springsteen, which is plain wrong - they sound much closer to John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. I don't mean that as a slight (well maybe kinda-sorta), but it's just the plain truth. And their sound trafficks in nostalgia for times they weren't even around to feel whistful for. They actually have a song called "Blue Jeans and White T-Shirts" for God's sake. I'm not even sure these guys are actually old enough to feel nostalgic for the release of Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!

But that's just one component of their sound. They also remind me, in some vague way, of the late 90's, before emo became some monolith of pretentious band names (not that it was much better before that) and I was still exclusively wearing Doc Martins and dress shirts one-size too big. This reminds me of stuff like Knapsack: good for a few listens, harmless, maybe even mix tape-worthy. (Knapsack's "Catherine the Grateful" had a permanent spot, for a few years, as the first song on the second side of any mix tape I made). It may even remind me of, and some of my older friends may call this heresy, Seaweed. I may be persuaded to nod my head when I hear the songs; hell, I may even pump my fist at a show. But that's not going to last, and that CD is going to fall to the depths of my collection, rescueed for a three-song nostalgia session, probably during one my many move-ins to new apartments.

I downloaded "The '59 Sound" and smart money says I should probably call it a day there. But I've never been that smart.I'll probably get their album at some point, but I'll bet you in a few years I'll see it for real cheap and kick myself.

I know that I've got issues, but you're pretty messed up too...

2009-01-13T19:55:00.004-05:00

Speaking of lady singers for whom I'm in the tank, Kelly Clarkson's new single came out today and it sounds like Kelly's stump speech to become the grand marshall of the every gay pride parade in 2009.^* So take that as you will, but I'm disappointed. It starts out so promising with a guitar line that recalls "Since U Been Gone" but then some bleating beats and subtle autotune come in. God, I hate autotune. That being said, I've already listened to it multiple times and I'll probably buy it on iTunes.

God, what song does that chorus sound like? It's driving me cuckoo clock.

^*As a straight man prone to broad generalizations, I'm more than willing to concede that the gay community can teach my people many things on a variety of topics: fashion, interior design, margarita recipes, compassion, personal hygiene and fitness, bitchy comments, etc. Hell, if I'm not mistaken there's a whole basic-cable cottage industry based on this. But one thing I refuse to concede: music. Oh sweet lord that's a train wreck. Come on. Scissor Sisters? More like... um... Poop Sisters? Am I right? (Takes sip from martini, purses lips.)

You know, they call them killer whales, but you seem surprised when it pinned you down to the bottom of the tank where you can't turn around...

2009-01-13T16:59:00.008-05:00

It's always great to get a new Neko Case song; it's no secret that I'm in the tank for her. Her voice reminds me of a phrase Toni Morrison once wrote: "warm like a tumble of bells." She was in full control of her powers at the Hideout Block Party last year, although I think she suffered just a bit in the outdoor setting.

Fox Confessor was a great album - dark, dreamy, atmospheric - but in these economic times, wouldn't you rather have an jangly, uptempo, country-tinged number like this one? After just now getting off the phone with my school loan people, I vote yea. It's like how when during the Great Depression, Roosevelt commissioned the Lindy Hop because he was "sick of this blues shit; America needs to dance, not hear about how some guy in Missisippi been done wrong!"^*

I can't say the song is a world changer (or even as good as the Crooked Fingers song she sang on last year), but it's a cold beer on a warm day. I can't say I can identify with being a maneater, but the next line - "but you're still surprised-prised-prised when I eat you" - is what I say to my Double-Stuff Oreos everyday.

^*Calvin Coolidge, on the other hand, was fine with the blues and saw no reason for government to get between the bluesman, the woman who done him wrong, and the American listening public. He once said, "the market will correct itself!" to which Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon responded "Uh... the blues market?"

All the boys loved you, but I was a mess. I had to watch them try and get you undressed...

2009-01-12T20:19:00.006-05:00

I realized today that there are few lines that crush me more than "you can even bring your baby" in Pulp's "Disco 2000". I really can't put my finger on it, but walking around today it popped on, and I realized how much it kills me, and it always has. Also, I was looking for the shoe department in Macy's at the time, which is soul-crushing on its own level.

But I found the direct opposite of soul crushing when searching for "Disco 2000" on Hype Machine: Nick Cave covering said song. I'm trying to think of something that I've seen or experienced recently that would top this, and I got nothing. I might have to go back to November 2007 when I got Fudgie the Whale for my birthday to even come close.

Oh, the glory that God has made, and the complication you could do without when I kissed you on the mouth...

2009-01-12T18:23:00.008-05:00

I know I'm past fashionably late to this party, but how about Sufjan Stevens' Illinoise? Am I right (both on being late to the party and the fact that said party is delightful)? I thought Michigan was alright, but maybe not as deserving of the praise it got. But now that I've sat down with Illinoize I'm starting to understand the devotion his fans have for him. I mean, I don't like to throw the word around, but this is some rapturous music. I think it's going to keep me company through the blizzards due this week. That, and the Spaghetti-O's and Cherry Coke I just picked up from Walgreens.

One disappointment: there's no song about a scared 32-year-old in Humboldt Park worrying about teenagers riding BMX bikes and wearing oversized white t-shirts at 2 in the morning. It could be called "For Michael, Who Has to Pay Extra for Cabs to Drop Him Off in the Alley Behind His Apartment". I'll leave it to Sufjan to decide whether to end that in an exclamation point or four.

Sometimes we talk over dinner like friends, then I go and kill the bottle...

2009-01-10T13:25:00.005-05:00

Lately I've been listening to a fair amount of post-"Lovefool"-era Cardigans, specifically this^* and this. There's sometimes a catch in Nina Persson's voice that I've always found fetching. That, and she's pretty easy on the eyes.And you know, I think they got a raw deal. They weren't the best band in the world, but "Lovefool" really wrote checks that their asses couldn't cash. The stuff they've come out with after that seems to vary between trying to distance themselves from that song and trying to write stuff that will just get them back into the public's good graces by appealing to the middle ground. It's just a shame with a band with some talent gets saddled with the stink of one-time success.

Point being: I stumbled on some new stuff she's been working on, A Camp, and it's not bad. She's in cahoots with her husband and ex-Shudder to Think guitarist Nathan Larson, and it actually reminds me a bit of his solo stuff (if you can pick up a copy of his I Must Learn to Live Alone, it's well worth whatever marked-down price it's sure to be sold for). Unfortunately, no matter how good the album is, it's gonna be "the new album from that Lovefool chick."

^*The odd framing device this song uses, where she's addressing her man like a dog, is pretty cringe-worthy; there's no way around that. But once you get past that, it's clear sailing.

The music will provide the light you cannot resist...

2009-01-08T02:38:00.007-05:00

You know what I've noticed? The backlash against the multitudes of top album lists on the web. The crux of the argument may be that since everyone has a top albums list it's sort of like flooding the market with $1 bills, and the "currency" is rendered worthless. Or, to quote The Federalist Papers, which, when confronted with opposition to the ratification of the Constitution, stated, "opinions are like assholes: everybody has them and they all stink. But Patrick Henry's stinks most egregiously." Of course, that last part has no influence on today's discussion. But my response to the backlash, which came to me after days of thinking of the perfect rebuttal, can be summarized thusly: eat a bag of dicks. Since when has music criticism been worth anything? And wow, the web is now full of people infatuated with their own opinion? That is some crazy stuff. Stick it in your Facebook status update.

I fully realize I'm pissing into the wind with any list of favorite albums, and my opinions don't matter, and I haven't come within spitting distance of hearing even a small fraction of the stuff released this year. But I know for me to make a top-whatever list allows me to go back and re-evaluate the year. And you know what? It's gonna be flawed. And it might be laughable. But such is life and I know I'm imperfect and laughable. What counts is my mom still thinks I'm perfect and.. unlaughable... at? She pretty much told me so after she Irish-guilted me, over Thanksgiving, into shaving my brilliantly scruffy (and oddly red) beard, because, in her words, it made me look like a jerk off. So thanks mom.*

The other thing is, with all the top ten lists out there, it forces anyone who cares to re-evaluate, if even momentarily, what was listened to and what should be checked out. It's like the world comparing notes. God forbid a self-centered and blustery medium like the internet allow people to compare notes. Take, for example, Fleet Foxes: lots of people like it but I've avoided it. But maybe these other cats are on to something, and I'll keep it in the back of my head. Vampire Weekend, on the other hand, can keep their khaki-tinted, Ivy League afro-pop and enjoy their moment in the Paul Simon-plagarizing, cultural-pickpocketing sun. I'll avoid that crap until the day I die. And trust me, once you critics out there eat that bag of dicks, I'll respect your opinion and take it under advisement. Perhaps the bag you ate was most tasty. Of course, I'll still put that in the "no" pile with Vampire Weekend. But I may just, at a wine and cheese party one day, pass along the knowledge that, according to popular opinion, a bag of dicks pairs quite nicely with a Rioja purchased at Target. It will make me look well-informed and worldly.

That being said, my opinion here is pure gold. Buy futures in it. Print this out, cash it in at the bank, and buy a hovercraft with a rear-mounted machine gun. Or ignore it like a smoker's pole in front of a bar as you see if you can toss your cigarette into the sewer drain by the sidewalk that empties into one of this country's embattled waterways:

1. R.E.M. - Accelerate
Word most overused when describing this album after a few beers: "Lean" (We also would have accepted "muscular" but not "return to form" because not only is it misleading, but it's a phrase. Sorry.)
2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!
Word most overused when describing this album after a few beers: "Literate" (We also would have accepted "biblical" but then people would have thought you voted McCain-Palin.)
3. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
Word most overused when describing this album after a few beers: "Lyrical" (We also would have accepted "Literate" but after using that to describe the Nick Cave album, no one wants to sound like they're limited in the superlatives department.)
4. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Word most overused when describing this album after a few beers: "Beer" (Mostly used in connection with "soaked" or another like-minded modifier. We also would have accepted some form of the eff bomb, as in: "Man, the fucking Hold Steady... just..." before trailing off and staring at some odd corner of the room or down into one's plastic cup with a bemused look and everyone involved in the conversation slowly backs away.)
5. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Word most overused when describing this album after a few beers: "Eclectic" (Also, "multicultural" if you're secretly racist.)

^*Coincidentally, when I was home for Christmas, my mom recommended that I read The Federalist Papers. And I'll tell you what I told her: I'm lucky if I can get past "Rose is Rose" on the comics page without wondering if Bravo is rerunning an episode of Top Chef that I've seen 100 times already. Also, I heard new judge Toby Young is a total See You Next Tuesday. Me-rowr!

So twist and whisper the wrong name. I don't care and nor do my ears...

2009-01-07T01:55:00.001-05:00

Rules stay the same: one song per artist. But this year... I don't know. Maybe it's because I didn't have a working computer for most of the year, but a lot of stuff left me cold. I'm therefore keeping my list short for, you know, integrity's sake. There was stuff I liked, but I was far from falling in love with it. You know the drill (or maybe you don't): number, artist, song, pithy comment.

1. Frightened Rabbit - The Twist
By far the most listened-to song on my iTunes. You know what else I discovered this year? Those microwavable noodle dishes at Trader Joes. They come in Chinese-takeout-shaped boxes; you mix a packet of noodles with a packet of sauce, microwave for two minutes and there you go. Tasty as hell. If the peanut satay noodle were a song it would be in my top three most-played songs; iTunes Genius would be recommending pad thai and vegetable green curry.

2. Blitzen Trapper - Furr
My friend Brian turned me onto this song. While I didn't understand its charms at first, when it finally hit me, it was like an avalanche. Also hitting me like an avalanche: the Phillies world championship. When I got home after watching it, I cried; I cried, to quote The Beeper King, "like a big, dumb homo." Couldn't help it.

3. R.E.M. - Supernatural Superserious
Welcome back boys. Not necessarily a classic song, but as comforting as warm butter. A comforting R.E.M. single, a Phillies championship and Obama in the White House. Not a bad year, besides the whole shitty economy thing.

4. Crooked Fingers - Your Control
Bachmann tapped into a gold vein when he dueted with a lady on "Call to Love". Then the MFer ups the ante by bringing in Neko Case to duet. He's like the guy who first put peanut butter on a banana.

5. Mates of State - Get Better
How did I not find out about these guys until now. I'm still warming to the album, but good gravy, why has the world kept this secret from me?

6. Death Cab for Cutie - Cath...
I've had some good friends get engaged recently, and good on them. I look forward to making them regret the decision to go open bar at the wedding. But if I were to lay an SAT-analogy on you, it would go like this - "Cath...": Marriage :: Poltergeist: Buying a house on an Indian burial ground.

7. Kathleen Edwards - Buffalo
Oh God, Canadian girls who like hockey... Kathleen Edwards makes me want to buy an old Chevy and move to Canada. Another thing that I loved this year? A friend recommended a website (which I hasten to name because of an irrational fear of it getting shut down) that streams pretty much any game over the internet. As a result I have been watching a metric shit-ton of hockey and look forward to having an informed opinion on the Anaheim Ducks' third defensive pairing. Also, I watched the World Junior Hockey championship round the other night. Ladies? I'm single.

8. MGMT - Time to Pretend
Kind of ruined by the fact that it was prominently featured in the ads for the movie "Sex Drive". By all accounts, which are not numerous, "Sex Drive" was actually pretty good - word is it accomplished in spades what it set out to do, which was to make a funny teen sex comedy. Of course, to quote Larry the Cable Guy, that's kind of like not shitting your pants when you fart.^* Still, I would love to see what the original director attached to the project would have made. That director? Jane Campion.

9. Okkervil River - Singer/Songwriter
I've pretty much decided that Will Sheff is the best lyricist going today. Bordering on genius. I was thinking in the shower the other day, so I says Ghost, I says, it might be that all other lyricist pale in comparison to Will Sheff at this point.He's just too good. It might be good that I threw aside my dreams of becoming the voice of my generation years ago when I realized compared all my failed crushes to Judas ("the blood is on your haaaaands..." Then I struggled with a rhyme for "hands"). Then I got out of the shower and realized I hadn't washed the conditinoner out of my hair. And it wasn't leave-in conditioner. It takes a while for the shower to heat up, so I just washed it out in the sink. Me, I am far from genius. Also close to genius? Norm MacDonald's roast of Bob Saget.

10. Hold Steady - Sequestered in Memphis
Don't remember the last time I was more excited for a song. Could never live up to the hype, but came surpringly close.

Honorable Mention:
Fucked Up - Twice Born
Santogold - LES Artistes
School of Seven Bells - Half Asleep
Bon Iver - Skinny Love
TV on the Radio - Halfway Home
The Roots - Rising Up^*
Joshua Morrison - Home
Katie Nash - Foundations
I'm From Barcelona - Headphones
Drive-By Truckers - Self-Destructive Zones

Songs not of this year but still awesome
Edwin Starr - 25 Miles
I've been trying to find out what song this was for years and I finally found out when it popped on at the Sidebar in Baltimore (the setting for Kavanaugh's on The Wire - the place where they have the Irish cop wakes) and the bartender told me what it was. A few months later, that Shazaam app for iPhone came out. I don't have an iPhone, but still... coincidence? (Yes, totally.)
The Cardigans - Godspell
Oh, Nina Persson... you still got me.
Portastatic - You Blanks
"And every horse I dream about is pulling a hearse..." That's all well and good, Mac, but I hope that doesn't have anything to do with the prospects for a new Superchunk album.
Arcade Fire - (Antichrist Television Blues)
I think I finally "got" this album. So hooray for me.
Georgie James - Only Cause You're Young
You left us too soon, Georgie James.
Pavement - Date w/ Ikea
Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
Never was a huge fan of Mr. Stevens but this won me over. Also: I moved to Chicago! Huzzah!

^*Full disclosure: that's not a Larry the Cable Guy line. That was all me. I just wanted to have my cake and eat it too: make a poop joke and not have it be attributed to me. But really, which is worse: making a poop joke or pretending to know a Larry the Cable Guy quote besides "git 'er done" (which is hilarious)? That's the sort of existential dilemma only French philosophers and fan fiction authors can adequately address.
^*True story: I actually ran into ?uestlove on the street in Chicago soon after moving here. I was, like, shaking excited. That's me. But I'm not sure which was more embarassing: the fact that after playing the "I'm from Philly" card, he asked me where I was from and, staring at the pavement I muttered "uh, actually the suburbs"; or the fact that he was on his way to a frozen yogurt shop. Actually, he's ?uestlove, he can do whatever he wants. Hope you enjoyed your berry blast!

So everybody put their best suit or dress on, and make believe that we are wealthy for just this once...

2009-01-07T00:01:00.004-05:00

New Year's Resolutions:
1. Write more
2. Be less obvious

You loved me as a loser, but now you're worried that I just might win...

2008-02-19T10:36:00.006-05:00

Newbury Comics is one of those places that, if you're not careful, will forcefully remind you of your age, as you're jostling with Cambridge Pete Wentz-abees while trying to reach to the "Miscellaneous R" CD section. If you've never been, it's basically a record store, with a bunch of crazy^tm t-shirts and housewares and, yeah, some comics. If you ever want a realistic 6-inch figurines of both a character from Spawn and Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, this is your place. (Also: Hogwarts scarves and white belts.) All of that aside, it might be the best place ever; their Wicked Cheap CD section pretty fueled the legendary expansion of my CD collection, circa '95 to '99.

Anyway - Leonard Cohen's I'm Your Man, Spoon's Kill the Moonlight, and Nick Cave's Lyre of Orpheus/Abbitoir Blues for a little over $30? For that kind of price, I'll gladly attempt to avoid schools of teenage girls draped in army drab and self-esteem issues sighing over the Juno soundtrack.

Another highlight of the weekend: meeting the brains behind perennial mixtape favorite "Glamorizing Cigarettes" in a perennial favorite Allston bar while on a serious White Russian bender.

If you call out safe then I'll stop right away

2008-02-06T23:22:00.000-05:00

Unsurprisingly, I'm pretty excited about the new R.E.M. song. It's nothing earth-shattering, but it's very solid. And welcome back Mike Mills. Supposedly he's all over the new album, which makes me smile on the inside. If you're half-interested, Ninety Nights is a pretty insightful tease into the album-making process.

And now for you, Pitchfork: corporate rock? I mean, I know it's not Icelandic dubstep, but come the fuck on. Get your thumb out of your ass.

I should really blog more, eh? People need to know how I feel about the Buffalo Tom show a few weeks ago (cheers) and people's obsession with posting pictures of their cats (jeers).

Let's see if I can make this embedding stuff work...

2008-01-10T18:14:00.000-05:00

They say it's a new day rising in my semi-hometown of Philly, and below is the man who's gonna make it happen, backed by ?uestlove, at his inauguration party.

And we fail to acknowledge the knots in our laces...

2007-12-26T17:05:00.000-05:00

I know I'm missing something. I know there's one song out there that I would secretly love inside, that would take me to the precipice of dancing when I heard it in grocery store, but I would scorn as "the end of music as we know it" to anyone that would listen. Anyway, here are my Top 25 Songs of the Year - Girls, Girls, Girls style. The one ground rule: only one song per artist, or this list would be dominated by Okkervil River and Spoon.

1. Dr. Dog - Heart It Races
When it all shook out, my favorite song of the year turned out to be an Architecture In Helsinki cover. Only in New York!

2. The Killers - Read My Mind

3. The Shins - Girl Sailor

4. Spoon - Finer Feelings
My first tought choice. I mean, you have heard the album, right? In the end, this one hit the spot.

5. Okkervil River - A Girl in Port
Another tough choice. Could have gone with "Unless It's Kicks" or "Plus Ones."
6. Bruce Springsteen - Girls in Their Summer Clothes
Six songs in and three songs with "Girl" in the title.

7. The National - Mistaken for Strangers

8. Jason Isbell - Dress Blues

9. The New Pornographers - Adventures in Solitude:
"We thought we lost you. Welcome back." On an album full of subtle charms, this one takes the cake for the way it takes off at the end.

10. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - The Lost Brigade
Fantastic song; impossible to put on a mix tape.

11. The Twilight Singer - The Lure Would Prove Too Much
I think this came out at the end of 2006, but whatever. Greg Dulli takes his knocks, and as great as this song is, it's fuel for the detractors. The coda is a bunch of phone messages, ending with what I think is Dulli's mom, asking how he is and why he hasn't called. Haunting, sure; but when he sang "the vampire only wants a little love," this proves he was singing about himself. Trying to suss out the psychology behind not calling his mom, then using a worried phone message to end a song about loss? It's like walking into a hall of mirrors. Anyway...

12. Georgie James - More Lights
You know, I bitch about settling down and marriage, but I'll let you in on a secret: I'm kinda jealous. And songs like this, well... If Superchunk came out with a song called "Poopy Diapers," I may actually think about having kids.

13. LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends
People really like this song, huh? Well, it's undeniable.

14. Rihanna - Umbrella
Anyone else heard this one? A little under-the-radar gem. The "ella ella" hook bumps this up about 20 spots.

15. Bat for Lashes - What's A Girl To Do?
Maybe it's the video, but this makes me think of Donnie Darko. Fantastically creepy, they should play this in haunted houses.

16. Band of Horses - Is There A Ghost?
So many questions. I could have gone with "No One's Gonna Love You" because it sticks with me like a hangover, but you really can't deny this one.

17. Immaculate Machine - Dear Confessor
As much as I like the song, I am terrified of buying this album.

18. The Thermals - A Pillar of Salt
The nuh nuh nuh song. You know that one, right?

19. Miranda Lambert - Famous in a Small Town
Hey, look at me! I like country! I am varied in my tastes!

20. The Twilight Sad - Cold Days from the Birdhouse

21. Tegan and Sara - The Con
Such a sucker. I can't help it. I really can't.

22. Foo Fighters - Long Road to Ruin
State's exhibit #2, proving that yes, I am a sucker.

23. Amy Winehouse - Tears Dry On Their Own

24. Maximo Park - Girls Who Play Guitar
And with that, we have our last entry with "girl" in the title. Ta da.

25. The Avett Brothers - Die Die Die

Honorable Mention
Bad Company - Feel Like Making Love
For some reason it's always on the radio when I'm in the car in Baltimore. I pump my fist. I sing along. The roommate gets uncomfortable. A good time is had by all.

My Most Secret Shame
Faith Hill - Stealing Kisses
I fucking said it. And I am now liberated. Kind of.

F is my favorite letter, as you know.

2007-12-20T15:12:00.000-05:00

New favorite song: the new Kathleen Edwards song up on her MySpace page and in a word? Unhinged. She takes some real risks vocally, and the piano's constantly threatening to derail the whole enterprise. Good times. Any song that starts out with "A is for all the times I bit my tongue/B is for bullshit and you fed me some" is alright by me.

According to a fan site, they've been adding a new song for limited amounts of time over the past week, and I've slept on it.

Top Five Disappointing Albums of the Year

2007-12-20T08:51:00.000-05:00

1. Wilco Sky Blue Sky: You know how you get older and your friends start talking about how the trip they just took proved that California wine is underrated, or how they're "investing in a porch swing," or they send you pictures of the adorable cat they just adopted which they "hope gets along with the baby when it comes!" and every time it comes up you die a little inside? That's the new Wilco album.

2. Bloc Party A Weekend in the City: Bands with ambition are all well and good, but sometimes it's, to quote Jack Donaghy, "like seeing dogs wearing clothes." (Seeing Dogs Wearing Clothes, by the way, is an excellent name for a cat emo band.) It's an interesting idea - a concept album of limited scope - but Bloc Party's strengths do not lie here and they lack the subtlety to pull it off.

3. PJ Harvey White Chalk: Lovely, but so cold you can see its breath. As much as I love being reminded of my stern Victorian-era upbringing (and: harpsichord!), I was hoping for a little bit more hot water in my tea.

4. Arcade Fire Neon Bible: Poor Neon Bible, forced to grow up in the shadow of Funeral, burdened by high expectations. "Why can't you be more like Funeral," we plead. "Where're the songs about Russian space dogs? I demand Russian space dogs!" Neon Bible just shrugs its slight shoulders, puts on its headphones, and listens to Springsteen.

5. The Pipettes We Are the Pipettes: While not bad by a long stretch of the imagination, this is another example of me falling in love with a sugary gimmick. This is totally my fault. Did I learn nothing from The Go! Team?

Angel, consider your position.

2007-12-14T21:21:00.000-05:00

I'm drinking Goldschlager and ciders while watching "What Not to Wear," so take what I have to say with a grain of salt. Also: I found the strength to change my pants, but not take off my tie. It's one of those nights. Watch out, Baltimore.

Three things:
1. Via Drew, check out this cello tribute to Jawbox. One of my top five bands*, this album benefits the Robbins and their son Cal. So: good cause. "Iodine" is chillingly beautiful. Plus, the Robbins are my Smalltimore neighbors, so...
2. Speaking of bands that didn't get their due: Rocket from the Crypt. "This Bad Check Is Gonna Stick" popped on the iPod on my walk home, and it was pretty firearms. In fact, as a chronic shuffle fast-forwarder, there's rarely a time when I'll skip an RFTC. Pity Yr Paws, indeed.
3. Also, turns out Okkervil River has a free mixtape album. I don't think a band makes me happier at this minute than OR. The Stage Names and I are BFF.

P.S. My buddy Brian saw Jimmy Fallon talking to Donald Trump at a Neil Young show, and I know he wants me to say it, so I will: Only in New York...

*The top five:
1. R.E.M.
2. Springsteen
3. Rolling Stones
4. Superchunk
5. Jawbox

We're gonna rise

2007-12-05T17:25:00.000-05:00

New Breeders song? Yes, as it turns out, and it's quite lovely. Plus, a new album in April, Easter style. Am I remembering it right that Title TK was a snore or do I need to go back for another listen?

We'll repeat te same stories, but of course never in front of friends.

2007-12-02T14:10:00.000-05:00

Q: What have I been obsessed with recently?
A: Thanks to Deadspin, horrifying Canadian workplace safety PSAs, especially this one.

Don't get any big ideas, they're not gonna happen

2007-11-24T12:18:00.000-05:00

Here's the thing: I like Radiohead. I appreciate them. But I can't say I love them. And that's partially why it took me almost a month and a half to download what is essentially a free album (and yeah, I paid null set for it; I fully expect to buy the physical packaging when it comes out next year). Honestly, I'm not even sure how to talk about the new album because it's more an idea than a collection of songs, and that idea so overwhelms the content, it's impossible to give an honest appraisal. I'm constantly looking for some line to tie it all together, to link the big idea to the music, when they are most likely two totally separate things. And musically, it's status quo: Chilly emotionalism, dread, icy technology, Thom Yorke disconnected from the world, etc. (Also: tape farts.) We know the score: it's been the well-worn path at least since it was writ large on OK Computer, each time with varying results. It's too early for me to separate concept from actual execution and say whether the album itself is any good. I mean, it's certainly not bad and on a scale, I'd certainly rank it as a lot more pleasurable than the parking ticket I got yesterday (and a happy holiday to you, Philadelphia Parking Authority.

That being said, it has its moments. "Bodysnatchers" squeezes every last bit of excitement out of one musical idea. "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" is kind of... I don't know. Haunting? "Videotape" is disarming after what precedes it.

What do I know? I'm on about my seventh consecutive listen of "Mr. Brightside" right now.

We want you here at home with the masters that you own and your comfortable headphones

2007-11-17T13:32:00.000-05:00

That Georgie James album is great on an early afternoon drive back from D.C., the window open despite the temperature. I'll say this much more about the album: its charms are obvious, but I'm wondering if they're more than just superficial. I've left a wake of albums that sounded great on the first few listens but didn't really hold up past then. I wonder if its trextured enough to hold up over time. But songs like "Cake Parade," "Need Your Needs," "More Lights," and "Cheap Champagne" have been treating me well, so why analyze it more than necessary?

"'Clown College?" You can't eat that!"

2007-11-12T22:39:00.000-05:00

It's been a productive weekend. Not only did I find the perfect wine to go with a candy apple, but I got Season 6 of the Simpsons for $15. Thank you, Target! But the bitter to that sweetness was showing up late for the Pipettes in-store at Sound Garden. By a day. I blame it on daylight savings. Damn you Benjamin Franklin, you one-trick pony.

Also... Thanks to Bitchfork (zing!) I spent a sweet little part of today listening to Okkervil River's Daytrotter sessions. Some great covers, including one from Papa John Phillips. Is this from the mythic unreleased Phillips album, the one that is continually being threatened to be released, and may actually have been? I'm too lazy to find out, but I remember being semi-obsessed with it when I had fewer hobbies.

(There's a story about Mick Jagger locking Phillips out of his own house so that Mick could "make the beast with two backs" with Mackenzie Phillips. So yeah... I just wanted to throw that out there.)

On a totally unrelated note, I picked up the Georgie James album, seeing as how I couldn't stop listening to their songs on Hype Machine. I can't say it's anything that's going to cure cancer(or as great as this candy apple I'm eating), but right now, on a few listens, I'd say it's one of the better albums this year. Honestly, I haven't found anything on it I like more than the songs on their MySpace page, but it's solid from start to finish. Like cookie jars, a solid B.

This is radio nowhere

2007-11-09T20:15:00.000-05:00

So that Springsteen-Clear Channel controvesry alluded to below? Turns out its pure BS. This is why I'm in law, not journalism. So, uh, Clear Channel overlords? I apologize. AndI'm a huge Nickelback fan. Thanks for opening my eyes.

We need more lights in our neighborhood

2007-11-08T00:07:00.000-05:00

I'm a sucker for songs that sound like indie rock domestic bliss. Good musicians can make settling down so perfect. I'll have to come up with a list when my brain is functioning better (or at all), but for now, Georgie James - More Lights.

P.S. I am drunk

You in the back: can you hear me? The siren's on.

2007-11-05T19:37:00.000-05:00

The crazy girl with the cape outside Black Cat told us the Thermals had a great song and it went like this: "Nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh." Turns out she was talking about "A Pillar of Salt," which the band did play. Two points: that is a hell of a song and that girl was bat shit crazy. She wore a cape. And a note to her boyfriend: I'm not sure why you were giving me the hairy eyeball; it wasn't my crotch that she grabbed at the bar.

Bands like the Thermals, you know what you're gonna get. Energy, tunefulness, and yadda yadda yadda. And for that reason, it's hard to get into details. It was a good show, we'll leave it at that. So instead:

Top five songs right now:
1. Okkervil Rier - A Girl in Port
2. Band of Horses - Is There a Ghost
3. Bat for Lashes - What's a Girl To Do
4. The National - Mistaken for Strangers
5. The Thermals - An Ear for Baby

Oh yeah, and... anyone else see this Springsteen-Clear Channel controversy? Like the post's author, Will Bunch, the last few years have really left me exhausted, politically, and anymore it's hard to work myself into a lather. So I won't do it. I just think its prescient that the new Springsteen starts out with "Radio Nowhere."

Honey, I miss your two-toned kisses.

2007-10-24T22:51:00.000-04:00

So I finally slogged through Robert Greenfield's Exile on Main Street. Ugh.

The book goes nowhere and Greenfield writes like an affected theater director; some lines actually reek of pancake make-up, they play to the back rows so hammily. In fact, the goddamn thing is structured like a play, so he invites this. Also, for a guy to call out other authors for their sources, it takes a lot of chicklets to turn around and use Wikipedia as a source, multiple times, and to admit as much in text. The book isn't even that insightful, just a lot of jerking off to the Stones' decadence. I get it.

Anyway, if you want to read a book about the Stones (which you probably don't), go with Old God Almost Dead or The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones. Not so much bullshit.

From stage to stage we flew, a drink in every hand.

2007-10-22T21:52:00.000-04:00

Saturday: coming off the Metro I saw Ian MacKaye grabbing a Citypaper (supposedly he's also supposedly a big fan of Vace and also related: this); I drank multiple pink drinks ("Just like Sex and the City! And I'm Charlotte!"); told a story about Travis Morrison that, technically speaking, had no beginning, middle, or end; must have saved a wood nymph from a bear trap and been rewarded for that heroism, because only that could explain my blessed pockets that were never without cigarettes (seriously, every time I reached in: more cigarettes. Never-ending. And like, different brands, too. It was like something out of the Bible and what it must be like to hang out with Joe Camel at a jazz club); went to bed at 6 a.m., but not before buying two breakfast sandwiches from McDonalds.

This is a song that I wrote about some girls that I met at the beach back when I had the Jeep.

2007-10-19T13:39:00.000-04:00

Three points:

1. Catherine has pointed out that I am the only result that pops up when you google "murder of sluts" so I want to preemptively apologize to the confused new visitors and say, no, I actually don't have any tips, sickos. But hooray for me nonetheless. The weird thing is, Catherine actually found this out without knowing I wrote that phrase. I don't know what she's up to, but I'd keep an eye out for some interesting weekend picks at Washingtonian.

2. What do sickos travel in? Gaggles. A gaggle of sickos. I claim monopoly on this as well.

3. I'm going to a party tomorrow attended by the bloggerati of DC and you just know In Rainbows is going to come up and I still haven't downloaded it, and I mean, I write about music, so this is going to be embarassing. I think when the subject comes up I'll just lie and say, oh Radiohead is so October 10th, and ask if anyone's heard the new band "Murder of Sluts" because I heard they played a great show in a moving van at CMJ this weekend and I ordered their demos online, and it's actually a cassette tape. Then I will try and hide my secret shame.

I'm breaking through, I'm bending spoons, I'm keeping flowers in full bloom.

2007-10-18T19:14:00.000-04:00

Four points:

1. Idolator is telling me Rolling Stone included "living in Philadelphia" on their Hot List, and I have no firsthand proof, but well-played semi-hometown, for getting attention from a washed-up, close-to-unreadable shell of a formerly relevant magazine. If not for Kid Rock and a gaggle of sluts (or do they travel in schools? Murders?), you may have gotten the cover, Philly.

2. Paste Magazing has the R.E.M. live album streaming. I have it too, and I'm "streaming" it... from my stereo! (Ha ha ha! Get it? I'm old!) I'll say this: it doesn't stir my soup. The songs from the past two albums are just stillborn on stage, absolutely murdering any momentum. "Leaving New York"? "Final Straw"? They make me wish I had a full bladder just so I could take a bathroom break. On top of that, is it just me or is the mix really off? I appreciate going for the whole "You. Are. There." vibe, but it sounds closer to a cheap bootleg rather than a major label release that cost me twenty.

3. Hooray for 30 Rock on DVD. Mind grapes. Killer.

4. A murder of sluts. It's got a certain ring.

No one really cares about your hundredth luft balloon

2007-10-16T22:44:00.000-04:00

Things I don't care much for:
1. Blowing up balloons. Never really cared for it before; care even less since I started smoking
2. Packs of balloons that are 1/3 faulty. I do not like those odds.
3. People who practice the trumpet at 10:45 at night.

Your flag it flew so high, it drifted into the sky.

2007-10-16T19:35:00.000-04:00

Hearing that the new Springsteen was called Magic, I thought it was the stupidest title, possibly ever. All it needed was an exclamation point; pink, cursive font; and a cover photo of a winking Bruce, and it would be all the proof I needed to believe Springsteen was settling into a career of irrelevance. Nothing he had done before should have given me such thoughts, but still... it's a stupid goddamn title, right?

Listening to the album, of course I was wrong. Yes, the title track clumsily stretches the metaphor of magic tricks to apply to, apparently, the current state of affairs, but the track is dark, subverts the title, and provides a touchstone for the album as a whole. And as for irrelevance, take a look at Springsteen sharing the stage with Arcade Fire. This is a man with a number one album and a tour that's printing money; I'd argue he doesn't need to make a grab at the indie market. (Plus, consider that he's shared the stage in the past with Southside Johnny and Marah - bands that have, like Arcade Fire recently, used Springsteen for inspiration, but have far less cache. It's more about respect than starfucking.)

Already, enough preemptively defending Springsteen for whom he duets with. This album isn't the world-changer that Entertainment Weekly or Rolling Stone says it is. But it is a hell of an album, and you know what? They're close to being right. Take this with a grain of salt: I loved The Rising, drum loops and all. But this album is one hell of an album, and every just about every song, no matter how upbeat it sounds on first listen, is tinged with anger, regret, and maybe hope. This isn't anything new: just listen to most of Born in the USA. But the new album really takes a look at where we are as a country, and it's framed by an archetypically American sound that Springsteen had a hand in creating.

There are very few missteps: the aforementioned clumsy metaphors, the heavy-handedness of "Last to Die," and the arguable muzzling of the E Street Band. His two Beach Boy-inspired tracks - "Your Own Worst Enemy" and "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" - are sunny as shit and catchy as crap and actually stretch his respectable repetoire without overreaching (for overreaching, see those drum loops). "Gypsy Biker" and "Livin' In the Future" satisfy the need for Bruce-rock without straining any muscles musically. Lyrically it's a different story, as he, respectively tries to pretend the last few years never happened, and that a savior will come back riding a motorcycle (not as cheesy as it sounds, but it really depends on how much you buy into Bruce mythmaking). "I'll Work For Your Love" actually sounds like it could be an outtake from Tracks and is the definition of unchallenging, but damn it if it doesn't sound great. "Devil's Arcade" officially ends the album on a moment of doubt and unease; unofficially ending the album, the hidden track "Terry's Song," for all its folksiness, creaks with a sadness and respect for his lost friend.

Yeah, I'm in the tank for Bruce; I don't think I've ever been anything less than upfront about this. Hell, I wrote a term paper about Springsteen in college (ah, state school). But I approach each new release with a bit of hesitation. This one really surprised me, especially after his last few solo albums. It really can't measure up to his better, earlier stuff, but it's a solid statement from a man who's earned his stripes, knows his legacy, and is kind of pissed at the way the world's turned out. In this world, "the profiteers on Jane Street sold your clothes and your shoes." His father tells him "You know the flag flying over the courthouse/ means certain things are set in stone/ Who we are, what we'll do, and what we won't" and its recounted nostalgically. Now "We don't measure the blood we've drawn anymore, we just stack the bodies outside the door." Back home, "the times they got too clear, so you removed all the mirrors/ Once the family felt secure, now no one's very sure." Framed by these sentiments, "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" becomes less a Beach Boys homage, but an elegy for the small things in life and the romanticized simplicity of the past.

Can't say it'll change your life, but it's certainly a strong statement from a man who could rest on his legacy and play "Rosalita" five times a week to sold-out crowds. And if "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" doesn't lift your skirt, then you're dead inside. It's a scientific fact.

When I lived alone, is there a ghost in my house?

2007-10-11T22:05:00.000-04:00

Three points:
1. No, I haven't downloaded In Rainbows. How much would I pay? 10,000 Schrute bucks, easy. I just... well, I haven't taken the plunge. I've been too busy falling for gimmicks like three cute English girls singing adorable girl group songs (i.e. The Pipettes).
2. The new Clarkson? Yes, I do like it. Probably a lot less challenging than In Rainbows, but can you practically hear Thom Yorke wrinkle his nose when singing about an ex? No. No you cannot.
3. The new Band of Horses: now we're tallking. Their first didn't set my world on fire, but I've grown to appreciate it. This one's not setting my world on fire but its at least setting off sparks.

And I hope your new man thinks of me when he sees what I number I did on you...

2007-10-03T23:06:00.000-04:00

-Okkervil River: Love to a Monster
-Multiple artists covering songs from Automatic for the People (aka the greatest album EVER).
-And for the kids, an oldie and goodie: bear + trampoline + tranquilizer. That's where it's at.

Let fall your soft and swaying skirt. Let fall your shoes, let fall your shirt.

2007-10-02T23:13:00.000-04:00

Sunday night, Rock N Roll Hotel. The Phillies had clinched the NL East title. I had just gotten back from a great night in New York. The roommate was kind enough to lend me her car. And Catherine was kind enough to give me an extra ticket to see Okkervil River and introduce me to obscene levels of DC bloggerati. So I had some momentum. But it was hot as nuts in there. I am telling you straight. As much as I love "So Come Back, I Am Waiting," its lurching lugubriousness (oh no he didn't - oh yes I did) forced me to concentrate on how everlovin' humid it was in there, including every drop of sweat and what sort of weird pattern said sweat was making on my shirt. I'm just saying - and I don't think I'm overstating my case here - a less couth blogga would say that it was like living under Jim Belushi's testicles. But I am not that uncouth. And I got through it.

Let's put aside my Irish adversion to any level of humidity, because that's not the point. Okkervil River put on one of the better shows I've seen recently. The more I listen to The Stage Names, the more I'm impressed by it, so let's just make it clear I'm a fan. Black Sheep Boy I like a lot, but here's the thing - I've always had this nagging impression that it sounded a little ramshackle. Nothing wrong with that. But seeing them live - they are absolutely crackerjack. Just a tight, tight band. Even if they were, as opener Damien Jurado said, depressed and tired, it really didn't show.

Someday I'll have to list the things that are indicative of a good show. I'll give you two from Sunday: I never looked at my watch and I danced. Just a little. But I moved the hips and shuffled my shoes. Which is Level 2 of my Dance Revolution. And that counts for something. Actually it counts for a lot; songs like "Unless It's Kicks" and "Black" had the power to move. And beyond that, slower songs like "A Girl in Port" (quickly becoming a favorite) were, to borrow a phrase, bonkers. I really can't put it better than that. If anything, "I Am Waiting" was the only momentum killer, but I honestly don't know if you can blame the band, and I know there were some people who loved it, heat aside. And this is after the band started with three songs that were not from the new album. Whichever way you slice it, and however romantic you want to be about it, it takes a lot of chicklets to not bring the new stuff to the table immediately. Of course, the crowd wouldn't and didn't care, and the reaction to the older songs in the encore bear that out.

And that's the last point: bravo to the crowd. These guys were here for the show and not the scene. It's nice to see that.

Listen here for yourself, and experience the magic/music of the night, sans Belushi's-testicle-level humidity.

And a couple additions to my top ten list:
- Jimmy Rollins (On what would happen if the Phillies win the pennant: "I don't know. A couple thousand more babies might be born.")
- Rice crackers from Trader Joe's
- Having the cash in hand to buy three albums today. It's really underrated pulling a regular paycheck.

Remind me, internet: I still have to tell you about the new New Pornographers, The Stage Names, new Springsteen, new PJ Harvey, the Wrens, and the Pipettes album. We'll see if I can come up with something that boils down to more than "It's awesome!"

Top ten

2007-09-28T20:26:00.000-04:00

1. The Philadelphia Phillies (and on a related note, the Florida Marlins). And goddamn if watching these games doesn't feel like watching a playoff game.
2. Doing karaoke at a crappy Baltimore bar with a judge who may or may not be the basis for a character on The Wire
3. Springsteen's Magic , and specifically "Girls in Their Summer Clothes", which, yes Drew, lives up to the promise of its title
4. The Killer's "Read My Mind". This song still gets me, however many months later.
5. The magic of digital cable
6. Okkervil River on Sunday, and the charity of certain people
7. The Sound Garden and their awesomely cheap CDs
8. My father's chicken paprikash
9. The New Pornographers' Challengers
10. The next two weekends in New York City

We thought we lost you. Welcome back.

2007-09-24T21:28:00.000-04:00

Dear internet,

I'm sorry it's been so long. I have so much to tell you, but now's not the time. New city, new roommate, new job... digital cable. Everythings are coming up me. I got the New Pornographers, the Wrens, Okkervil River... so much to tell you internet, and I will. I swear I'll be better. But right now I have to run because this computer has a wierd keyboard configuration that is driving me cuckoo and Heroes is on. But we'll catch up soon. We should get a drink sometime.

Sincerely,
The Ghost

Cocaine is crack, Blondie is black...

2007-07-23T14:55:00.000-04:00

Five hours of sleep and one two-hour train ride and I have two things:

1. As hinted at before, The Menace may have been unfairly ignored when it was released. Now, I'm ready to make it official: it's underrated. Maybe the sequencing could be more thoughtful, and maybe "My Sex" doesn't need to exist, but it's got nothing to be ashamed about. Extra bit of trivia: The first Elastica album was released 12 years ago. Now that makes me feel old. Not as old as it probably makes Justine Frischmann feel, but I don't have any sassy Euro-sexiness to fall back on. So it's Justine: 1; Ghost: 0. Well played, Frischmann.

2. Nothing says welcome home more than a turkey Shorti, Wawa raspberry ice tea, and Herr's cheesesteak-flavored kettle chips. It's funny how the roads to home and heart attack are both paved with the same food wrappers.

I'm not one to sit and spin, but living well's the best revenge...

2007-07-23T00:02:00.000-04:00

In my "later years," I've realized that being a huge R.E.M. fan means I have to also be a huge critic. Even their older songs need to go under the microscope, because to really appreciate them, and not just be a blind disciple, you need to recognize their missteps to appreciate their beauty. And I think this guy does a great job of that. But I think their newer stuff, especially, makes it easier to be a critic. In fact, their newer stuff largely renders them irrelevant even to fans such as myself. They were never the world's most dangerous band, and seemed to relish releasing singles based on mandolin lines and largely hookless songs held togther by stunningly subtle and beautiful bass lines ("E-bow the Letter"), but they were capable of some jaw-droppingly gorgeous moments. Hell, a lot more moments on one album than most bands could claim in a whole career.

So at the beginning of this month, R.E.M. performed five "working rehearsals" in Dublin, working out their new material. I downloaded the new stuff here, and they are what you'd expect froma bootleg: muddled sound quality, the audio picking up conversation in the audience. But from what I can make out, the shows really capture a band willing to make up for lost time. I'll go to bat for Up in a second, but Reveal and Around the Sun are, for the most part, pieces of shit. I think losing Bill really dealt a blow to their dynamic; Up is an interesting album because it was the band trying to find their way after the first real drama (besides the medical problems of the Monster tour), and that's why I defend it. Michael said something during that recording period along the lines of "a three-legged dog needs to figure out how to walk." And they tried. But the other two post-Berry albums are the sound of a band settling, without ever really deciding their new sound.

But one thing they had was their live shows. R.E.M. will never be U2 or Springsteen, but they put on a show, and a lot of their stuff benefits from the live setting. Songs like "Walk Unafraid" and "The Apologist," while fine on record, are different animals live, capturing the stridency and menace that both songs deserve, but didn't achieve as recorded. (At the same time, when I saw them on the Vote for Change tour, nothing could save "Leaving New York" or "All the Way to Reno.") And the new stuff really captures this, revealing a band that I think recognizes the extra charge their stuff gets when performed live. It sounds like it's going to be a rock album and will hopefully be more "These Days" than "Bad Day." It gives me hope for the first time in a while.

Besides Bill, I think the loss of Scott Litt as producer was also a huge blow. He could weave together disparate sounds into a cohesive whole, downplaying some parts that lesser producers would have driven into the ground, while given all elements their due. On first glance, I saw the choice of Jacknife Lee as producer was a last-ditch grab at relevance, and maybe it is. I really don't think his work on A Weekend in the City is anything to be proud of, but he could prove me wrong. I lived with the belief that Jim O'Rourke ruined Superchunk's Come Pick Me Up until I heard his work on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and realized Superchunk had just written a bunch of middling songs. God bless Lee if he takes these songs and fleshes them out while still capturing some of the live passion (and leaves the electronic sound effects to the Pat McCarthy era). At this point in the game he may have his work cut out for him, making R.E.M. relevant again, but who cares about relevance? For someone who ranks R.E.M. above Springsteen and the Stones as his favorite band, I just want him to help make them relevant to me again.

Richard thought his letters to his lover Mathilda were a mess...

2007-07-18T21:30:00.000-04:00

So top ten songs on your iPod? Is this the internet bridge that all the kids are jumping from these days? Then count me in. This isn't scientific, since I recently had to reinstall the factory settings on the iPod, and most of these numbers come from how many times I played the songs on iTunes:

1. Our Love - Rhett Miller: I'll play this at my wedding. I have the song, now I need the lady.
2. Phantom Limb - The Shins: It's like a girl group song, but with dudes.
3. Grudge Fuck - The Pernice Brothers: Of all the Pernice Brothers songs... I think there was a time, a few months ago, where I just played this in a dark room and nodded. Repeatedly. Good times.
4. Girl Sailor - The Shins
5. Mistaken for Strangers - The National
6. Unless It's Kicks - Okkervil River: My feelings on this are known.
7. Hercules - Midnight Oil: Great song, underrated band.
8. Dress Blues - Jason Isbell: See supra note 6.
9. The Con - Tegan and Sara: Art-school girls. Gotta love them. Art-school girls and layers of keyboards. There was a great line on the Singles Jukebox over on Stylus, something about how they say "capsized" the way the author imagined Geddy Lee does. So art-school girls, layers of keyboards, and Geddy Lee references. They all tickle me pink.
10. Cold Days from the Birdhouse - The Twilight Sad: Again, see supra, note 6. And just for math's sake, the difference between my first song and this is 83 listens, and I've listened to "Our Love" less than 100. So math that up.

Honorable mentions? Sure.

11. My Rights Versus Yours - The New Pornographers
12. Turn Into - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
13. Read My Mind - The Killers
14. Once - Richard Buckner
15. A Pillar of Salt - The Thermals

Tell me that you need to, slowly...

2007-07-16T22:49:00.000-04:00

Uh... The Go! Team covers Sonic Youth. It's like KidzBop for those kids whose parents give them mohawks and end up on SuperNanny. I'm a huge fan of the original (watching Steve Shelley play the drums with a maraca^* flipped my shit in high school); this dog don't hunt.

(And credit where credit's due)

^* Really? That's how it's spelled? Doesn't look right, not one bit.

Songs I Listened To Today, part 2

2007-07-16T22:10:00.000-04:00

The tag line for the Bill Engvall Show is "meet a crazy family who's crazy for each other." I guess "zzzzzzzzzz" was too post-modern.

Built-In Girl - Wrens: This is one of those bands where everyone's like "Oh, the Wrens, they're so dreamy" but I've never really gotten around to it. Meadowlands is on my Amazon.com Wish List, but so is a bunch of jazz albums, so it's kind of an elephant graveyard. Anyway, this isn't necessarily what I expected the Wrens to sound like - I think I was thinking more Pernice Brothers and got something closer to Built to Spill - but what can I say? It's a toe tapper.
Pictures of Me - Elliott Smith: I miss Elliott Smith.
ELT - Wilco: I miss Wilco.
Generator - Elastica: This album is "exotic-looking," meaning it's got a big nose and a lazy eye, but I can't take my eyes off of it. One of the biggest disappointments of the last 10 years, but given time, stripped of (possibly unfair) expectations, it's... interesting. At least. And when the songs are on, like this one, they are absolutely on.
Untrusting You - Hellbender: Poor man's Jawbreaker. And that's actually a compliment because Jawbreaker R.O.C.K.s.
Make Me a Chevy - The Promise Ring: Soft spot in my heart, I have named you Nothing Feels Good.

The band in heaven plays my favorite song...

2007-07-16T11:26:00.000-04:00

One thing you have to respect about Voxtrot's cover of Talking Heads' "Heaven": it sounds like a Voxtrot song. Sure, the singer uses some Byrne-esque vocal tics, but the music sounds like it could be an early sketch of, say, "Kid Gloves". They may as well have renamed it "Who the Fuck Are Talking Heads?" and called it a day. Compare: The National's "Pretty in Pink". Seems to be more in their wheelhouse.

I was in a band in college that covered "Pretty in Pink" and for some reason, I had the toughest time wrapping my head around the vocals, between the melody of the second verse and, I guess, the key of the song in general. It was like swimming upstream. Anyway, that's neither here nor there; these days I stick to dark rooms and try to wrap my head around Pennsylvania's disregard for compulsory counterclaims (yeah, you read that right: Pennsylvania only recognizes permissive counterclaims. It's like living in a cuckoo clock).

My headphones, they saved my life...

2007-07-14T19:46:00.000-04:00

So let's say, hypothetically you just broke down and bought not only a Carrie Underwood song on iTunes, but also a Faith Hill song. The question is: what do I buy on iTunes to balance the karma, or at the very least throw iTunes off the scent of my female country artist jones before it recommends Kelli Pickler to me...

UPDATE: Too late. Pickler's number four on my Just For You list. I've been branded.

But you won't be back there, all dressing in black, drinking sweet tea in styrofoam cups...

2007-07-14T15:38:00.000-04:00

I don't often get in front of the curve. Usually I just pretend like I not only have the new album, but I downloaded their demos off some Dutch site before it came out, because I read about them in some Japanese hipster mag that I translated on Babelfish, and they were good, but I'm over them now, and I hear there's this band in Toronto where the lead singer is actually a dog in one of those hind-leg wheelchairs. Then I listen to my Miranda Lambert MP3s (she is a firecracker).

So I don't know if I'm out on front of this one, because I've heard low rumblings about this guy recently, and not from any cool source; I think it might be from free newspapers that don't tax my depleted attention span. Anyway, Jason Isbell. And "Dress Blues" in particular. Seriously, there's nothing like a weeping lap steel; it's up there with handclaps and horns.

Oh, and R.I.P. Mr. Butch. I think a little piece of my early twenties just went up in smoke.

Street tar and summer, they play a trick on my soul...

2007-07-12T14:04:00.000-04:00

Speaking of being in the tank for something, I finally got around to buying the Twilight Sad's Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Summers. I've already threatened to marry the guy's brogue, so I don't think my feelings about the band are necessarily ambiguous (as opposed to my feelings for, say, Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend"). As an album, boy, it's just dreamy; I guess this is as much a byproduct of growing up in a lush, green country where the cities smell like cornflakes and are built upon the shells of a typhoid ravaged buildings (at least Edinburgh). It's just big drama, and you know what? It works, although it's not something that sticks with you; all the joy is pretty much ethereal beyond that "Cold Days from the Birdhouse". But still...

Of course, Spoon is still the apple of my eye. Don't tell Britt, but I downloaded a couple of songs beyond the band or label-approved choices. I have an excuse: I just couldn't help myself. I needed to hear as much as I could, on my own time, and listening to "Finer Feelings" while walking down the street, it was all I could do to not break out my white-boy shuffle. At the very least, I couldn't helping breaking into a goofy grin. But hearing this album in full bloom once again (I haven't been able to stream it since my internet connection went pear-shaped), goddamn. And the thing is, there aren't a lot of bells and whistles; this is just good old-fashioned songwriting, with some shake in the hips. It's gonna take a lot for this not to be the best album of the year. There, I said it.

And actually, for administrative purposes, and to crystalize it, here are the top five albums from the first half of the year:

1. Spoon: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
2. The Shins: Phantom Limb
3. The National: Boxer
4. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Living With the Living
5. The Twilight Sad: Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters

Pretty solid. That fifth spot is really up for grabs, and the Twilight Sad, as much as I like that album now, may have the position by dint of it being a recent purchase, and Blonde Redhead or Feist (yeah, I know, it's Starbucks-rock) could shake out to be more deserving. I know the internet is waiting with bated breath to see how this turns out...

Buttermilk mouth, horseradish sweet...

2007-07-12T11:50:00.001-04:00

Punch Drunk Love is on. Liked it when it came out, but right now it's all nerves and twitches; a big fucking headache. Adam Sandler and Emma Watson talking fast and over each other, with Jon Brion playing a souzaphone on the soundtrack or something.

I keep meaning to mention this site, which is something I should have thought of, but didn't, and probably couldn't do as well. Every review would be like "This is a really good song." Except for "Electron Blue": that song is bullshit.

What breaks this heart the most is the ghost of some rock and roll fan...

2007-07-12T10:36:00.000-04:00

How good is this new Okkervil River song? Answer: Very, very good. iTunes is telling me I've listened to it 5 times since downloading it yesterday, but that's a pure, unabashed lie. I am completely fired up about this album at this point; both songs I've heard are great. I'm considering doing the "Buy Now, Download Later" deal, but do I want to cut into my limited funds when I have some money left on a Borders gift card? It's like Sophie's Choice for the (not-so) working poor.

Herewith are my top three anticipated albums:

1. PJ Harvey: White Chalk
2. Okkervil River: The Stage Names
3. New Pornographers: Challengers

Songs I Listened to Today...

2007-07-04T02:18:00.000-04:00

Yeah, this is a few days late. But I take the internet connection when I can get it so... this is a few days late.

I'm sweating, but mostly from my fear of the future, so take that into account. There are days when you just have to roll down the metaphorical car windows, even if only in your mind. Everyone laughs at me as I make a cranking motion; I'm so poor, my imaginary car doesn't even have power windows. But there are still songs, despite imagination or not, that demand windows being rolled down...

My Winding Wheel - Ryan Adams: Hearing a great Ryan Adams song is like hearing from an ex; you may be on good terms, but it's not the same.
Ear for Baby - The Thermals: Seriously, how good are these guys? (Answer: pretty good).
Our Life Is Not A Movie or Maybe - Okkervil River: I shouldn't like this band. Or maybe. I do. I really do.
What Jail Is Like - Afghan Whigs: The revolution will come, and the victors will ask, why wasn't this song the shit. And I'll shrug my shoulders, or as much as I can while being strung up from the rafters.
Late-Century Dream - Superchunk: And while strung up, I'll struggle to say, "It's not even their best song... seriously... far from it. Maybe not even top twenty. Listen to Indoor Living.
Scared Straight - Long Winters: There are songs, and then there are mix tape songs. This is a song everyone in the world should hear. If they did, we wouldn't be in Iraq. It's that good.
Working Girls (Sunlights Shines) - The Pernice Brothers: Seriously, get your hands on anyting this band does. The best. Someday one of their songs will be used in a shitty commercial, so be ahead of the curve. Amazing. Another song I put on a lot of mixes. "Contemplating suicide or a graduate degree." I've thought about this a lot, and I made the wrong choice.

Like a puppet taught to drive...

2007-06-21T10:26:00.000-04:00

In all seriousness, I would marry the brogue of the lead singer of the Twilight Sad, because it is just that awesome. It would entertain me through my last years, and we'd have warm cider by the fire in our cottage. It would tell me tales of the Highlands, and haggis, and peat. And we'd laugh and laugh. Oh, how we'd laugh.

This is purely limited to the brogue and not the guy himself. What's up, ladies?

You cold cash machine

2007-06-19T21:22:00.000-04:00

Q: Does my iPod need the Promise Ring and Girls Against Boys? And can it handle both being put on at once?
A: Seems so on both counts. Case closed.

This whole getting-back-to-the-web thing, it's going to take baby steps. I ain't mad at ya, internet; just distracted. But I do no this: that Art Brut song ("Nag Nag Nag Nag") is firearms; Wilco is still disappointing me, and I'm not just talking about those VW commercials; I can't stop listening to Spoon, and I've listened to too much of the Wallflowers recently; and Prof. Paula F (you know who you are): I heart you and your MC Hammer singing ways. I think you've adversely possessed my heart.

Also, what is that term in marketing where you keep using the same content over and over? Repurposing (oh, I was going to say laziness)? Yeah, that's what I'm doing here:

Top Ten Albums of 1996
1. R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi
2. Jawbox - s/t
3. Afghan Whigs - Black Love
4. Suzanne Vega - 9 Objects of Desire
5. Girls Against Boys - House of GVSB
6. Wilco - Being There
7. Ida - I Know About You
8. Spinanes - Strand
9. Scarce - Deadsexy
10. Beck - Odelay

Whew, I'm winded. I need a Propel. I need to get back into fighting shape.

It can't all be wedding cake...

2007-06-15T11:22:00.000-04:00

So far, this year hasn't treated me kindly when it comes to new albums. Yeah, the new Ted Leo is pretty great, but you know what? I don't feel the need to listen to it too often. Wincing the Night Away had been the most solid offering, hands down. Had been.

Then along comes Spoon, strutting in like a sexy beast, all white boy hips and skinny jeans. Wow, this kicks Gimme Fiction's ass, and that was my favorite album the year it came out. Damn right this is wedding cake, and it's chocolate with raspberry ganache.

Is that the thanks I get...

2007-06-13T22:27:00.000-04:00

Cheers to Rescue Me coming back. Jeers to the first Volkswagen ad I've seen with a Wilco song in it.

Testing, testing...

2007-06-13T21:42:00.000-04:00

So... it's fucking hot out, right?

Been a while. I was thinking about updating on the one-year anniversary of my last post, but from that day this year (May 10), and the next two weeks after, I was steadily drunk. I mean, like epically. So there was that.

But I've been thinking about coming back recently, shouting nothing into the dark expanse of the internet, and now, yeah, I guess maybe I'll give it another shot. It might be sporadic, since I need to study for a huge test - like, Wizarding school finals huge. But we shall see. We shall see.

Contemplating suicide or a graduate degree...

2006-05-10T18:46:00.000-04:00

The world gives, the world takes away. I just shit the bed on an exam, but I did find a missing floppy disk (not necessarily a fair trade in my mind). Take last night as another example: I may have missed Joe Pernice on "Gilmore Girls" (although I did see Yo La Tengo and the Moore-Gordon family), but there was a second "Scrubs" episode. So I got that.

And up in heaven you're a shoe-in if you open up your heart to me...

2006-05-08T19:29:00.000-04:00

"City-dwelling snobbery" be damned, I crossed the river for the Geoff Farina show at Iota last night. (I even switched trains at Metro Center.) Not many other people did; hell, not many people even crossed the street. And while I feel bad that Drew and Farina (it feels more appropriate to use the last name) had to play to a mostly empty room, goddamn if it didn't one of the better shows I've seen in a while. Everybody was absolutely quiet, and it was like being in someone's basement. Great times. Farina was all over the map with his set list, doing covers of some old songs, some Secret Stars, some Karate, and some new stuff. The only drawback to the night was trying not to stare at Ian MacKaye and for some reason worrying that he'd find out I did part of my Corporate Law outline while listening to End Hits. You can listen to Drew's stuff over on the left in my links.

And my one-word review of the Rolling Rocks I had: refreshing.

I'll bet you never smoked. I dream of glamourizing cigarettes...

2006-05-07T13:40:00.000-04:00

Thank You For Smoking: great movie except for the unforgivable lack of one of my top-ten all-time mix tape jawns (do the kids still say this? Jawn?), Scarce's "Glamourizing Cigarettes". It's like the song was written for the movie, and still... no love. Disappointing.

Don't it blow your mind...?

2006-05-05T15:25:00.000-04:00

I guess there are times when MySpace doesn't creep me out, such as when Golden Smog streams new songs off of their page.

Handjobs for the holidays...

2006-05-03T16:45:00.000-04:00

How about this for a show? Belle and Sebastian, Broken Social Scene, and Ted Leo, all for the price of one ticket. I'd be there in a heartbeat, but I don't go to the suburbs. I just don't.

She wanna pillow fight in the middle of the night...

2006-04-17T20:02:00.000-04:00

Plotting the graph of hipster behavior (disturbing on the x axis; annoying on the y), a giant pillow fight lands to the near-southwest of cuddle parties (less disturbing but more annoying) and to the extreme northwest of wearing ties to shows(less annoying but considerably more disturbing). And in all places, it's in my "hometown" of Philly (yeah, okay, I'm from the burbs. Step off).Don't get me wrong: it's fucking puppy-dog adorable so more power to them. People may complain that Japanese students are head-and-shoulders better than ours at math and science, but no one seems to mention that our hipsters are making great strides when it comes to catching up to their hipsters in disturbing infantalism. USA! USA!

We live in bars and dance on tables...

2006-04-14T13:07:00.000-04:00

Cat Power's playing the 9:30 on June 14, unless she has some breakdown and cancels. And you're not supposed to know this, but they're on sale right now.

On a related note, why is using tickets.com like defusing a bomb? Constantly with the "your have 1 minute 45 seconds to complete your transaction." If there's one thing I love more than service charges is the stress they give you free of charge. I think I sweat through my shirt.

He sang nursery rhymes to paralyze the wolves that eddy out the corner of his eyes...

2006-04-10T12:39:00.000-04:00

Neko Case has a voice that can shame a room into silence. Well... almost; they banned smoking, not assholes, at the 9:30 last night. (What are torch songs without smoke? Turns out Neko was sick and doesn't usually request no smoking, if the tattooed guy on U Street is to be believed.) But goddamn if her voice didn't make people take notice. It was almost a curse, because after an hour, the amazing becomes mundane and the show became pro forma. "Here's another slow one with soaring vocals." But I blame me alone and a lifetime of video games for my attention span.

While she played almost all of the new album, she played so much that it wasn't as if she was showcasing it. It's always interesting to see how musicians tackle live shows supporting tight albums. Fox Confessor isn't the sprawling narrative that, say, Separation Sunday is, but it's bound by, if anything, atmosphere. I mean, the album is thick and creepy. Turns out it's not as complicated as I make it out to be, after seeing Neko and the Hold Steady in the last few months. She started with the close-to-accapella "Widows Toast" and bound through The Tigers Have Spoken (the title track, "Hex", "If You Knew"), Furnace Room Lullabies ("Set Out Running"), and even the Canadian Amp EP: the night was supposed to end with "John Saw That Number," but she honored a request for "Knock Loud" (I had to look that up). And of course, a lot of new stuff, and probably some stuff I'm unfamiliar with and forgetting. Damn good show.

Martha Wainwright? Didn't do it for me.

Actually, who cares what I think? You can listen to the whole show here.

What's the story morning glory?

2006-03-30T13:31:00.000-05:00

What a goddamn great morning. Just good news on top of good news, all involving old friends. Seeing one said friend get mentioned on the Tony Danza Show. Took my time getting to school, listening to Kelly Clarkson and Superchunk (there's a mix tape waiting to happen). It's real nice out. And just when I thought things couldn't get any better, the lunch special is a hot dog bar. Fan-fucking-tastic.

No, I don't think so...

2006-03-27T15:35:00.000-05:00

That new LL Cool J song? Not as good as the word on the street would have you believe. I'd even say it doesn't measure up to his shark movie a few years back. The whole thing feels like a warmed-over "Goin' Back to Cali". And who says "You know what this song needs? Jennifer Lopez" besides an label accountant?

And the video? Oh goddamn that video, suffering from this year's Hype Williams Memorial Overused Effect in a Hip-Hop Video: letterboxing with more visuals replacing the black bands at the top and bottom. (R.I.P. fish-eye lens.) It's worse than Headline News.

I was walking along some downtown avenue, I was whistling new song to myself...

2006-03-26T12:54:00.000-05:00

I got lucky and without any work on my part, I had a ticket in hand for the Ted Leo show within three hours of the opening band hitting the stage. Getting something without work, on its own, is the best. Getting Ted Leo tickets is something else entirely.

Reliable sources had it that TL's vocal chords were in the weeds, and there was a possibility of karaoke. This never came to be, and my lyrics sheet for "Bridges, Squares" ended up under a hundred pairs of feet on the way out, the bittersweet closing shot in the otherwise awesome but esoteric movie called My Friday Night. I could blame it my blood alcohol content, but I didn't look at my watch once, I shook my junk, and I sang my ass off. From beginning to end, one of the best shows I've seen in a long time; at the very least, the show that's made me the happiest in years.

I bitch about crowds at shows. Years ago, walking out of I Am Trying To Break Your Heart I promised myself I'd see more shows. Apathy, school, and poverty have put a stake in the heart of that promise, and the shows I go to usually end with me muttering to myself about "those goddamn fucking scenester douchebag cocksuckers." Last night was a whole other story. Maybe it was where I was standing, but people seemed to be there to see Ted, and not each other. Why is this novel? For the full hour plus, people moved, people sang, people pumped fists (an underrated move). Someone yelled out for Thin Lizzy, and that I like. I could go through the set list, but honestly, I forget and I don't care. You know and like Ted or you don't; you know what you're getting. And sometimes you get more, plus a free drink. Hats off to Ted, making show-going bearable again. We'll see if I go back to my bitching after the Magnolia Electric Company show later this week (Vegas odds have the line 2-1 on "damn straight").

I never travel far without a little Big Star...

2006-03-24T16:01:00.000-05:00

Seven years later, the world is ready for the Big Star tribute album. This album doesn't feel like 1999; with a few exceptions, it looks like a mix tape I'd have made in 1995. And you know what? That's alright with me. Viva la mid-90s.

Now the box sets are moving the mall...

2006-03-23T17:50:00.000-05:00

Maybe I should wait for more details, but a Replacements box set is some of the best news I've heard in a long time. The DVD alone should make it worth the price of admission.

We are reaching a new low...

2006-03-21T10:59:00.000-05:00

You debate whether or not to even post this shit some days. Then you just do it: From Pitchfork's South by Southwest Photo Diary (subtitled: "Do we even care about music anymore?"):

Ted Leo/Pharmacists
The Parish, 214B East 6th Street
4:00 p.m. Thursday

Arriving at the Stereogum party just as Ted Leo and his Pharmacists prepared to take the stage, I ran into everyone in the world, and ended up spending most of the time backstage with Scott Allen from Thunderbirds Are Now. I did get to watch Ted for a couple of songs, but come on-- there was a Whole Foods spread back there, and a fucking couch, and a fan! Later I embarrassed myself by not recognizing John Vanderslice (to his face), drunkenly filming a segment for "New York Noise" (please don't ask-- no really, please), and shaking Har Mar Superstar's hand, which might have been anywhere. I will say, for the three songs I saw Leo perform (and the rest that I heard from various other spots), that band just gets tighter by the day. Its synchronization was superhuman.

Then you debate whether or not to make the obvious, cheap, immature comment. Then you do: No word on the rumor that the third part of the photo diary will just be Pitchfork correspondents with indie-rock cock pressed to their waiting, smiling mouths.^*

By the way, the best way to describe my outfit today? "Ill-fitting." So that's my day.

^*I gladly welcome a better line. 'Cause one is out there and it's just escaping me. You know how some musicians like Keith Richards and (ahem) Tori Amos believe that they don't write songs so much as the songs - as if the songs were sentient beings - come to them? This joke didn't come to me. It was the last "joke" in the bar at last call, and even then, it took a little more than gentle persuasion.

And thinking about the scene, do they just want to be seen?

2006-03-20T12:15:00.000-05:00

Who replaces the Karl Mueller in Soul Asylum? I normally wouldn't care, but turns out it's the legendary Tommy Stinson. Always good to know Tommy's drawing a paycheck. Seriously, I think I've said it before, but it just makes me think maybe everything could work out. That, and the Soul Asylum song "Just Like Anyone"? The one with Claire Danes in the video? Underrated. Two minutes of pop goodness, even if it does center around a girl going to the bathroom. Okay, maybe it's not perfect...

Plus, Roxy Music is reuniting, and Eno's on board.

You're poison in a pretty glass...

2006-03-16T15:49:00.000-05:00

See? I'm not too old to go to shows on Wednesday nights. I may be old enough that I have to cut out before the encore, but I still made it out. So: the National. There are fewer songs prettier than "Wasp Nest" and "All the Wine," and you know what? They work live. Like firearms. And as a whole, the show was pretty great, with the live versions of songs from Alligator absolutely killing the studio versions. They alternately reached heights of beauty that most of the audience didn't deserve^* and occasionally fell into monotony. So God Bless the National.

Baby Dayliner, on the other hand, was an absolute trainwreck of metrosexuality and irony. One guy, dressed up, crooning along to karaoke. It actually forced me to the downstairs bar, where I lost a dollar on pinball due to an improperly repaired bumper. So you owe me a dollar, Baby Dayliner; I'll spot you the 35 minutes I'll never get back.

^*Seriously, why the fuck do you people drag yourselves out to the Black Cat on a cold night to spend $12 on a ticket and drink overpriced beer just to talk over the band? I know I'm broken-recording it here, but Shut. The. Fuck. Up.

They faked their way through 'Fairytale of New York'. When the band stopped playing we howled out for more...

2006-03-14T13:27:00.000-05:00

Perfect moment: The Pogues are playing the outro of "Fairytale of New York" and Shane starts slow dancing with the female singer (supposedly the banjoist's daughter). Fake snow starts falling. Now that's a moment.

I'm on a roll. Neko sold out (great album, by the way) and I have an extra ticket, so hopefully I can trade that for another ticket to a sold-out show. It worked once. National's tomorrow at Black Cat.

The best looking boys are taken. The best looking girls are staying inside...

2006-03-09T18:19:00.000-05:00

Belle and Sebastian fallout:

1. No, the concert didn't "move" me. I was unmoved. But the band did have great energy.

2. Speaking of: yes, the Washington Post is right; once upon a time, Belle and Sebastian was a mysterious band, and shy as only Scottish bookworms can be ("a reputation for being awkward and introverted"). I should have remembered. I didn't. They are much like Rachel Leigh Cook at the end of "She's All That", glassesless and tarted up.

3. Inspired, I listened to If You're Feeling Sinister last night. Forgot that it's a real piece of work. I remember getting it years ago and thinking "Where are the fast songs"? 'Cause that's what I liked because I had a car back then and I liked to open that baby up (as much as a '89 Civic hatchback could be opened up). Now, as I face the mortality of my 20s, I really appreciate the album. That and a nice warm afghan.

4. B&S comic book. I prefer Magic Whistle.

Bring your plate to the metal face and get your food chewed...

2006-03-07T11:36:00.000-05:00

Familiar formula: [X] tours, completely avoids D.C.

Variable: [X] = Dangerdoom.

In all fairness, there are only six dates, so much of the country has been completely avoided. But still. By the way, I'm no math or science major, so that formula may not exactly be, as they say in the sciences community, "airtight".

You're a honey, with a following of innocent boys...

2006-03-06T11:08:00.000-05:00

Sunday night. 9:30 Club.

New Pornographers. Too drunk and too much yapping between songs. I miss Neko. They have the ability to teach the world to sing, but not Sunday. One, I think their set up and the sound mixing meant a lot of their sound got swallowed up by the space. Two, they just didn't seem to bring their A game.

Belle and Sebastian. They played close to two hours, which is a long time when you only really enjoy Boy with the Arab Strap and When You're Feeling Sinister (and some singles), and even then in small doses. So I can't consider myself one of the weeping masses. Those are some twee bastards, but I'll give them this: they are one tight band. I recognize they were good - great even - but it just didn't move me.

No post-show chocolate milkshake from Ben's afterwards. Traded my extra ticket for a ticket to the Pogues, so that worked out better than expected.

I've been working on a piece that speaks of sex and desperation...

2006-02-22T13:34:00.000-05:00

My arm is killing me from some ice-related shenanigans last week, but a Yeah Yeah Yeahs tour? Like Tylenol. I can't say I'm excited to see them like I'd be excited to see, say, PJ Harvey. But they're probably top five, definitely in the top ten of bands I'd like to see live. See you on April 3, em-effers.

On an unrelated note, am I the only one to just find out queen-of-the-MP3-blogosphere Imogen Heap is the singer from God-that-band's-song-was-perfect-in-Garden-State Frou Frou? Huh.

We could make the night last 4ever...

2006-02-21T10:57:00.000-05:00

I totally droped the ball yesterday: the Veronicas got reviewed by the Post and I forgot to link to it, even after discussing how the Watson twins creep me out. The Veronicas, on the other hand, they don't creep me out.

And its a sure-fire bet that I'm gonna die, so I'm taking up praying on Sunday nights...

2006-02-20T13:10:00.000-05:00

I have to begin by pointing out this sentence in Bill Simmons' ESPN column:

"On the other hand, I would have missed ESPN's party, which Snoop Dogg ignited with an hour-long performance that left everyone downright delighted."

Has anyone, in all seriousness, described a Snoop Dogg performance in such a way? Not that Snoop's a hack at all, just that... it "left everyone downright delighted"? Has anyone ever in the history of the world had anything close to this conversation:

Q: How was the Snoop Dogg concert?
A: Two words: Downright delightful.

No. But I will say this: Jenny Lewis' album? Downright delightful. I've only listened to it once all the way through and it's the berries. Gospel, country, torch songs... it's got it all. My one gripe is that it doesn't sound so much like an album as much as a collection of songs; a little-bit-rushed collection of songs at that. But every other song, I think "This would be great on a mix tape." And in my world, that's high praise.

Those Watson twins, on the other hand? Effing creepy. But I'm biased: I've always been freaked out by identical twins.

And if it snows that stretch down south will never stand the strain...

2006-02-08T13:00:00.000-05:00

A few notes while listening to Glen Campbell:

I preemptively dislike the Arctic Monkeys. Am I being unfair?

The first rule of a neighborhood bar: you don't PR youself out as a neighborhood bar. If you do, it's just a theme, and themes are for Planet Hollywood. I'm calling you out, Bourbon ('"I think that neighborhood bars are the wave of the future for D.C.,' says General Manager Stephen King").

That being said, I fully support the Tune Inn on Capitol Hill. Keep an eye out for my Family Law professor if you're there.

That Michael Stipe song on iTunes? Does nothing for me. The Faith Hill/Tim McGraw song? Still kills me. And I realize that by admitting as much I've created a rift in the space-time continuum and a version of myself from 10 years ago has been sent on a mission to kill me. Eh, I've had a good run. (Not really.)

Have you thrown your senses to the war or did you lose them in the flood?

2006-02-07T14:05:00.000-05:00

Are we purposely keeping it under wraps that the Hammersmith concert on the Born to Run reissue is coming out on CD at the end of the month? Or that it's available right now on iTunes? Or am I just behind the times?

And the big boys are all spoiling for a fight...

2006-02-02T16:34:00.000-05:00

It seems that most of the Black Cat caught the confrontation between a customer and bartender at the end of the Hold Steady set. Same dude got called out some guy in a trucker hat (not Ashton Kutcher) at the beginning of the set as well.

Anyone know his story or what happened last night? The guy looked like a failed writer; I actually kind of felt sorry for him. (But not really.) What did he get called out for both times?

And she said "Father, can I tell your congregation how a resurrection really feels?"

2006-02-02T13:45:00.000-05:00

I bought a half-pitcher of Yuengling, a burger, and a new rock t-shirt. So starting from right there, last night was better than most. There were no temporary tattoos, but I got a pin that says "Damn right you'll rise again".

It's funny how I knew before I saw the Hold Steady how the lead singer would act. One hand on the microphone, leaning into the crowd, guitar strapped to his body unplayed. And I thought it would bother me, but I'm so sold on this band right now I'll buy whatever they're selling. It's like Stockholm Syndrome. Hell, I was even considering buying the ironic t-shirts before I realized I'm almost 30. On record, their charm is the twisting story that runs through Seperation Sunday; live, it's just that they bring rock. They didn't stick to Separation Sunday or the chronology of that album (although you could argue that there isn't a chronology, no timeline, beyond the final two songs). They went with old stuff, unreleased stuff, and left out what I felt was a healthy chunk of the album that brought the crowd. Didn't matter. Everyone's said it: they're a bar band. You smoke and you drink and you sing along. That's pretty much the definition of a good night out. When you see them live, it's not some grand intellectual or spiritual thing. It wasn't a resurrection, not like you may find at a Springsteen show. It's just good music played loud, songs about stoned kids in the midwest. (If I wrote for the Post I might point out that they have a lot of energy. I don't write for the Post.) And for $10 on a Wednesday night in the middle of a shit week, yeah, it's all I could want.

One last thing: Don't you hate it when someone's complaint about a show was what the band didn't play some song? Yeah, me too. Anyway, where the eff was "How a Resurrection Really Feels"? That's my jawn.

Oh, a lot of speakers speak, lots of preachers preach, when you lay their salary on the line...

2006-02-01T13:37:00.000-05:00

Compare and contrast, by a certain Washington Post music reviewer. Arcade Fire, from exactly one year ago today: "While its simplistic musical style and histrionic vocals had little substance, the Arcade Fire is certainly to be admired for its extreme and unwavering physicality." Bachelor Bob Guiney: "While Guiney's lyrics did sometimes veer into romantic cliches ("All the world just fades away/the moment that you're close to me"), he and his band remained energetic throughout." Spooky and a little odd. Bob gets off easier. Let's see how the Hold Steady fares in tomorrow's paper. (Oh, is that tonight? I didn't even realize.) Maybe they'd get a better review if the midget from "The Littlest Groom" comes on and plays tambourine.

And yes, there's something to be said for someone who remembered not only that particular Arcade Fire review, but that it was written by the same writer as the Bachelor Bob review, and it still sticks in that certain someone's craw. And that something to be said is: I am awesome

Also, Lindsey Lohan injured herself. On a broken teacup. While tripping down some stairs. At Bryan Adams' house. Perchance, is there anything else we should know?

"She had just come out of the shower so she was still wet and had some lotion on."

Oh my.

I'm the new blue blood, I'm the great white hope...

2006-01-29T15:17:00.000-05:00

The National: finally playing D.C. on March 15. Huzzahs and hoorays all around. I'm getting back into this "going to a show" thing, and there are some choice ones imminent.

In other show news, Ted Leo is sold out almost two month in advance. I have no tickets for that show, but I do have tickets for the very unsold out Hold Steady song, where I'm praying they sell temporary tattoos that say "Damn right he'll rise again".

I have to try so hard not to fall in love, I have to concentrate when we kiss...

2006-01-26T15:21:00.000-05:00

Desert dry, that's my creative mind right now. Forthwith, the highlights of the past few days:

I got Hold Steady and Belle and Sebastian/New Pornographers tickets. I have an extra of the latter which I drunkenly promised to four people last Saturday. We may have to hold a lottery.

My iPod was so close to playing today what I played on the jukebox at the Pourhouse on Saturday. Like, two songs away on one album. Freaky Thursday.

Heard not only a Buffalo Tom song on David Letterman, but later on in the same show a Bill Janowitz solo jawn. Extra freaky.

My computer blew up. Maybe I played "Like You Used to Love Me" too many times.

When the path to your doorway is a pathway of light...

2006-01-19T10:55:00.000-05:00

File this under: should've been so much cooler. I mean, Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan together should be great. But no fires are lit. Maybe I'll like it tomorrow. Maybe poor Mark and Izzy are victims of my over-inflated expectations. Maybe the full-length will be better. I am a confused man and I contain multitudes of undercooked opinions.

The Constantines' "Soon Enough" on the other hand? Firearms. Absolutely.

Today is the greatest day I've ever known...

2006-01-16T20:34:00.000-05:00

Ian Svenious said hi to me in a record store today. I got all girly inside and looked at the Calexico/Iron & Wine album to show him how cool I was. I think he knew.

After that I paged through graphic novels in a bookstore while Belly's second album played in the background.

You were amazing to me, I was amazing to you...

2006-01-14T13:51:00.000-05:00

Maybe I had a little bit to drink, and maybe I convinced myself, while watching Conan O'Brien, that the new O.A.R. song is good. You know what? It's not. It's really not. Maybe I tried to convince myself it sounded like The Tragically Hip's "Something On", of which I'm a big fan. It's not. It's poop.

That Faith Hill song she does with Tim McGraw, on the other hand? Gold. Yeah, I've been listening to a lot of shit recently.

So I'm driving a stolen car on Eldridge Avenue. And I want to get caught, but I never do...

2006-01-08T22:18:00.000-05:00

"Cold Case" advertised tonight's episode as being based around Springsteen songs, and it didn't disappoint. Only reason I watched it. So if it wanted to draw in that oh-so-sought-after Springsteen-fan demographic, then kudos. I was there. It was funny how the whole episide was written for the Springsteen songs, with stolen cars and Atlantic City playing pivotal roles. Props should also be given for using the Tracks version of "Stolen Car" (my preferred jawn, though I'm a sucker for the chorus of The River's version).

I couldn't stop thinking about an old friend of mine who, to sell it amazingly short, is in a tight spot. The tightest fucking spot you can imagine. And I remember talking Springsteen with her back in college. And I remember making her a Springsteen mix tape, the only artist-specific mix tape I've made. She actually listened when I spouted off about Bruce's live introduction to "The River" and how it almost brings me to tears. And she won't read this, but when she comes home - and she will fucking come home because she's tough as goddamn nails - we're going to listen to some Springsteen together. Promise.

On a semi-related note, fuck Hostel being the number one movie this weekend. Fucking torture porn.

You can't try and change things, we're all stuck in our ways...

2006-01-07T16:21:00.000-05:00

Never could count myself a Rilo Kiley fan, but the two songs from Jenny Lewis' solo album I've heard are aces, especially "Rise Up With Fists!". Her lyrics and melodies still have that rambling tendency that I never liked, but those aspects are in trace amounts, and for the most part the songs are focused. Pehaps even Neko Case-esque. I'm not promising anything, but I may have to get this album. Or at least put it on my list. Or allow someone to burn it for me.