SUNDAY SHUFFLE #4
It's an easy post to do...
1. I Turn My Camera On/Spoon (2) - Gimme Fiction would still be at the top of my 2005 list even if I did a new one. It's also my reading motto. I'm also working on a cover of "I Summon You."
2. Truth Lies Low/The Drams (8) - Second week in a row and the third straight for The Drams. iTunes must really like Jubilee Dive.
3. Angeles/Elliott Smith (8) - Elliott Smith is fantastic and Either/Or is quite possibly his best work. Unless I'm listening to another of his albums, that is. But yeah, I'd probably go with this one.
4. Instrumental #1/Wilco (5) - This comes from the demos for Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Nice little piano and strings piece with some subtle drumming touches by Glenn Kotchke.
5. Cold Snap/Harvey Danger (4) - This is from the bonus disc included with the reissue of their fabulous Little By Little. Seriously, buy this album in whatever format. You won't be sorry.
6. I Want to Protect You/Eels (14) - An online single release from...earlier this year? I likes me some Eels.
7. Handshake Drugs/Wilco (6) - It's not a Sunday Shuffle without some Wilco. From A Ghost Is Born.
8. Outta Mind (Outta Sight)/Wilco (5) - Like I said, it's not a Sunday Shuffle without Wilco. I actually prefer the more rocking version from the first disc of Being There but it's still a good song.
9. I Can't Help You Anymore/Aimee Mann (2) - I 'm looking forward to her Christmas album, a genre I'm not usually a big fan of. One of the best songwriters of the last 20 years. This is from The Forgotten Arm.
10. I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up for Christmas/Aimee Mann (4) - Heh. Another one from The Forgotten Arm.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Sunday, September 10, 2006
SUNDAY SHUFFLE #3
Back by non-popular demand! The first installment was called "Shuffle Off" and then last week brought #2. And here's number #3 - whee!
1. 7:30/Pernice Brothers (5) - On a big Pernice Brothers kick lately, so it was cool for this to pop up first. From the recently-downloaded via eMusic The World Won't End.
2. Publish My Love/Rogue Wave (3) - Love this album, Descended Like Vultures. Haven't really played it much via iTunes.
3. Biggest Fan/Brendan Benson (4) - Another album (Alternative to Love) I like quite a bit but don't really play through iTunes. Brendan is currently playing with The Raconteurs.
4. Cars Can't Escape/Wilco (9) - This was a song they worked up for Yankee Hotel Foxtrot but it didn't make it onto the album, though you did see them working on it in "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart." Their outtakes are just as strong as the songs that made it.
5. Train Under Water/Bright Eyes (2) - See songs #2 and #3 above and apply to I'm Wide Awake It's Morning. Rinse and repeat.
6. The Animal World/Grandaddy (9) - Weird. I just listened to this on my CD player this morning. It's from their swan song, Just Like the Fambly Cat, released earlier this year.
7. Through With People/Portastatic (2) - And by rinse and repeat, I meant it would apply to this song as well (from Bright Ideas). New album from these guys in a month or so.
8. Truth Lies Low/The Drams (7) - I talked about this band last week; again, this is from their 2006 debut, Jubilee Dive.
9. Eyes on the Prize/M.Ward (6) - The only reason the play total isn't higher for this is that I'm trying not to listen to Post-War continually. Not easy to do.
10. Here Comes the Sun Again/M.Ward (1) - This kinda ties this post altogether, doesn't it? Obviously, this album (Transistor Radio) falls into what's become today's theme and it's cool to end with two tracks my one of my current obsessions.
Back by non-popular demand! The first installment was called "Shuffle Off" and then last week brought #2. And here's number #3 - whee!
1. 7:30/Pernice Brothers (5) - On a big Pernice Brothers kick lately, so it was cool for this to pop up first. From the recently-downloaded via eMusic The World Won't End.
2. Publish My Love/Rogue Wave (3) - Love this album, Descended Like Vultures. Haven't really played it much via iTunes.
3. Biggest Fan/Brendan Benson (4) - Another album (Alternative to Love) I like quite a bit but don't really play through iTunes. Brendan is currently playing with The Raconteurs.
4. Cars Can't Escape/Wilco (9) - This was a song they worked up for Yankee Hotel Foxtrot but it didn't make it onto the album, though you did see them working on it in "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart." Their outtakes are just as strong as the songs that made it.
5. Train Under Water/Bright Eyes (2) - See songs #2 and #3 above and apply to I'm Wide Awake It's Morning. Rinse and repeat.
6. The Animal World/Grandaddy (9) - Weird. I just listened to this on my CD player this morning. It's from their swan song, Just Like the Fambly Cat, released earlier this year.
7. Through With People/Portastatic (2) - And by rinse and repeat, I meant it would apply to this song as well (from Bright Ideas). New album from these guys in a month or so.
8. Truth Lies Low/The Drams (7) - I talked about this band last week; again, this is from their 2006 debut, Jubilee Dive.
9. Eyes on the Prize/M.Ward (6) - The only reason the play total isn't higher for this is that I'm trying not to listen to Post-War continually. Not easy to do.
10. Here Comes the Sun Again/M.Ward (1) - This kinda ties this post altogether, doesn't it? Obviously, this album (Transistor Radio) falls into what's become today's theme and it's cool to end with two tracks my one of my current obsessions.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
CAN'T GET ENOUGH
...of the following songs:
1. "Chinese Translation" by M. Ward - Just a subtle shift in lyrics results in a song that seems epic and sad in scope. Really, the whole of Post-War is just awesome. It's the current album I'm obsessed by and will most likely make its way to the top of my year end charts. You can stream the whole thing at Merge's website.
2. "Half Dead" by The Mountain Goats - A perfect melancholy little pop song. Lyrics work, yeah yeah, but the kicker is that little guitar riff and then the vibraphone that comes in about halfway through. Brilliance. I like Get Lonely as an album too.
3. "Somerville" by Pernice Brothers - This is a song off their upcoming Live a Little (due on Oct. 3 along with the new ones from The Hold Steady and The Decemberists). Talk about pop perfection and you're talking Pernice Brothers. Love the lyrics on this one "Gonna take a lover/Gonna take her back to Somerville/Don't care if she's pretty as we leave Suck City" and then that little guitar riff? Hell yeah. You can listen to this one and five more over at their website.
...of the following songs:
1. "Chinese Translation" by M. Ward - Just a subtle shift in lyrics results in a song that seems epic and sad in scope. Really, the whole of Post-War is just awesome. It's the current album I'm obsessed by and will most likely make its way to the top of my year end charts. You can stream the whole thing at Merge's website.
2. "Half Dead" by The Mountain Goats - A perfect melancholy little pop song. Lyrics work, yeah yeah, but the kicker is that little guitar riff and then the vibraphone that comes in about halfway through. Brilliance. I like Get Lonely as an album too.
3. "Somerville" by Pernice Brothers - This is a song off their upcoming Live a Little (due on Oct. 3 along with the new ones from The Hold Steady and The Decemberists). Talk about pop perfection and you're talking Pernice Brothers. Love the lyrics on this one "Gonna take a lover/Gonna take her back to Somerville/Don't care if she's pretty as we leave Suck City" and then that little guitar riff? Hell yeah. You can listen to this one and five more over at their website.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
MOVIE BACKLOG: DONNIE DARKO
I only made it 20 minutes or so into this movie before I gave up. What did it for me? The old woman they almost ran over whispering in Donnie's ear. No thanks, had enough. Sorry, fans of the movie. Blargh.
That's probably going to do it for the backlog too. Baseball is getting into the thick of things and football season is about to start. So is the fall TV season. And we now have "Lost" Season 2 to watch and still have "Arrested Development" Season 2 and 3! I'd love to catch up on "The Office" somehow too. What can I say, I like TV. So, it looks like 3 movies was it. Tune in next summer to see if I watch another couple!
I only made it 20 minutes or so into this movie before I gave up. What did it for me? The old woman they almost ran over whispering in Donnie's ear. No thanks, had enough. Sorry, fans of the movie. Blargh.
That's probably going to do it for the backlog too. Baseball is getting into the thick of things and football season is about to start. So is the fall TV season. And we now have "Lost" Season 2 to watch and still have "Arrested Development" Season 2 and 3! I'd love to catch up on "The Office" somehow too. What can I say, I like TV. So, it looks like 3 movies was it. Tune in next summer to see if I watch another couple!
UNSOLVED MYSTERIES
Yesterday I finished reading a new book - The Boy Detective Fails by Joe Meno. It's the story of Billy Argo, who was a celebrated child detective along with his sister Caroline and their friend Fenton. After Billy grew up and went away to college, though, his sister didn't do so well without him and eventually committed suicide. This sent Billy into a mental institution and his release into a sort of halfway house is really where we pick up the story. He has a hard time coping with the world, though he does become friends with a pair of siblings who live close, Effie and Gus Mumford. The latter doesn't talk, is smart, and is also the terror of the school as a third grader. Effie isn't much liked and someone has killed her rabbit by decapitation. Billy also has to deal with an archvillain living across the hall and always turning up on the bus; buildings disappearing; his job selling fake mustaches, wigs, and beards; a pickpocket he starts falling in love with; and the reason why his sister did what she did. The book is funny and sad and clever, maybe sometimes too much for its own good (though it's in a way I enjoy). It also includes a bonus story in code at the bottom of some pages, as well as a few chances to solve more within the main story. I liked it and I will check out more of Meno's work.
That was book #24 on the year, which still gives me 16 more to go if I still want to make my goal. I have to continue reading 4 books a month in order to reach that goal. I am currently 80 pages or so into the next one and am deciding what to read after that. I have a couple issues of Asimov's and F&SF on the shelves too - if I could finish my books before the month is up, I might have some time to read those. Ah well.
Yesterday I finished reading a new book - The Boy Detective Fails by Joe Meno. It's the story of Billy Argo, who was a celebrated child detective along with his sister Caroline and their friend Fenton. After Billy grew up and went away to college, though, his sister didn't do so well without him and eventually committed suicide. This sent Billy into a mental institution and his release into a sort of halfway house is really where we pick up the story. He has a hard time coping with the world, though he does become friends with a pair of siblings who live close, Effie and Gus Mumford. The latter doesn't talk, is smart, and is also the terror of the school as a third grader. Effie isn't much liked and someone has killed her rabbit by decapitation. Billy also has to deal with an archvillain living across the hall and always turning up on the bus; buildings disappearing; his job selling fake mustaches, wigs, and beards; a pickpocket he starts falling in love with; and the reason why his sister did what she did. The book is funny and sad and clever, maybe sometimes too much for its own good (though it's in a way I enjoy). It also includes a bonus story in code at the bottom of some pages, as well as a few chances to solve more within the main story. I liked it and I will check out more of Meno's work.
That was book #24 on the year, which still gives me 16 more to go if I still want to make my goal. I have to continue reading 4 books a month in order to reach that goal. I am currently 80 pages or so into the next one and am deciding what to read after that. I have a couple issues of Asimov's and F&SF on the shelves too - if I could finish my books before the month is up, I might have some time to read those. Ah well.
MARS
I spent most of last week watching "Veronica Mars" Season 2 on DVD. I had actually planned to do that the previous week but then a problem with disc 1 and the local Best Buy running out of copies quickly pushed things back. It was worth the wait.
The main mystery this season is a bus crash that kills a number of kids from Neptune High; Veronica was also supposed to have been on the bus. Other mysteries weave in and out of this storyline - Weevil starts losing control of the PCHers; Logan is dealing with murder accusations; the Aaron Echolls murder case (the big story through season 1) rolls towards conclusion. Then there's Veronica and Duncan's relationship, which takes an interesting turn. And Veronica and Wallace fall out for a bit as well, plus a new character named Jackie shakes things up for Wallace. The gorgeous Charisma Carpenter appears as a gold-digging stepmother to two characters and Alyson Hannigan reprises her role as Logan's sister Lily. Lots and lots happening. But in the end this series turns on the incredibly believable relationship between Veronica and her father (Keith Mars). Kristen Bell and Enrico Colatoni knock it out of the park every time. And yes, Bell is a cutie but she also plays smart and tough and vulnerable equally well.
I'm happy to be caught up with this series and look forward to watching new episodes as they air. "Veronica Mars" will be on after "Gilmore Girls" on Tuesday nights on the new CW in a few weeks. I know what I'm doing that night.
The other day I also caught the final episode of the first season of "Life on Mars," which aired on BBC America. It seems more likely that Sam Tyler is hallucinating his time in 1973 but I still hold out hope for some sort of time travel angle. All that aside, you still get a great period police show with Tyler bringing new techniques to the world of 1970s British police work The relationships are key here too, between Tyler and his superior DCI Hunt; Tyler and Annie, a policewoman; and even Tyler and Chris, a somewhat inept detective. I haven't heard anything about a second season but I hope we get one. There is also an American adaptation in the works but it's rare that you get something of the level of "The Office," if you know what I mean. Anyway, this show is good stuff.
I spent most of last week watching "Veronica Mars" Season 2 on DVD. I had actually planned to do that the previous week but then a problem with disc 1 and the local Best Buy running out of copies quickly pushed things back. It was worth the wait.
The main mystery this season is a bus crash that kills a number of kids from Neptune High; Veronica was also supposed to have been on the bus. Other mysteries weave in and out of this storyline - Weevil starts losing control of the PCHers; Logan is dealing with murder accusations; the Aaron Echolls murder case (the big story through season 1) rolls towards conclusion. Then there's Veronica and Duncan's relationship, which takes an interesting turn. And Veronica and Wallace fall out for a bit as well, plus a new character named Jackie shakes things up for Wallace. The gorgeous Charisma Carpenter appears as a gold-digging stepmother to two characters and Alyson Hannigan reprises her role as Logan's sister Lily. Lots and lots happening. But in the end this series turns on the incredibly believable relationship between Veronica and her father (Keith Mars). Kristen Bell and Enrico Colatoni knock it out of the park every time. And yes, Bell is a cutie but she also plays smart and tough and vulnerable equally well.
I'm happy to be caught up with this series and look forward to watching new episodes as they air. "Veronica Mars" will be on after "Gilmore Girls" on Tuesday nights on the new CW in a few weeks. I know what I'm doing that night.
The other day I also caught the final episode of the first season of "Life on Mars," which aired on BBC America. It seems more likely that Sam Tyler is hallucinating his time in 1973 but I still hold out hope for some sort of time travel angle. All that aside, you still get a great period police show with Tyler bringing new techniques to the world of 1970s British police work The relationships are key here too, between Tyler and his superior DCI Hunt; Tyler and Annie, a policewoman; and even Tyler and Chris, a somewhat inept detective. I haven't heard anything about a second season but I hope we get one. There is also an American adaptation in the works but it's rare that you get something of the level of "The Office," if you know what I mean. Anyway, this show is good stuff.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
SUNDAY SHUFFLE
Why not?
1. Take A Walk/Spoon (7) - A short bouncy song from their fantastic album Girls Can Tell, which is my second favorite of theirs (right behind last year's Gimme Fiction).
2. Lit Up (Remix)/The National (6) - This comes off of the Alligator bonus disc that was packaged with a semi-reissue earlier this year (I got it off the web since I already had the album). This version isn't much different from the original but it's a good song.
3. In A Future Age/Wilco (6) - A sparser number from the multi-layered Summerteeth. Again, a good song but certainly not the strongest from the album. Have I mentioned yet that they're my favorite band?
4. Not About Love/Fiona Apple (10) - This one is also from the Jon Brion version of Extraordinary Machine. Really love the strings on this one.
5. The Hustle/Marah (5) - I put this album (If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry) in my top ten for last year. If I did it today, it wouldn't be there. But it's still an album full of good rock and roll and you can't beat that.
6. Get Him Back/Fiona Apple (7) - See above. And you know, this album would no longer be in my top ten from last year either...even the Jon Brion version.
7. Wonderous Life/The Drams (4) - Closing track to their debut album, Jubilee Dive. It has Brent Best dueting with himself via a processed second vocal. Not my thing usually but it works well enough, I guess.
8. Winter in the Hamptons/Josh Rouse (8) - Another track from that radio session he did in France. It's from last year's Nashville and is one of my faves from that album.
9. Four Hours in Washington/M. Ward (3) - This is from last year's great Transistor Radio. I particularly love the drums on this song.
10. Your Blood/Destroyer (6) - I got this album (Destroyer's Rubies) from eMusic earlier this year and obviously haven't listened to it a whole lot. I like the songs but I've generally preferred them coming up in shuffle mode than listening to the whole thing.
Why not?
1. Take A Walk/Spoon (7) - A short bouncy song from their fantastic album Girls Can Tell, which is my second favorite of theirs (right behind last year's Gimme Fiction).
2. Lit Up (Remix)/The National (6) - This comes off of the Alligator bonus disc that was packaged with a semi-reissue earlier this year (I got it off the web since I already had the album). This version isn't much different from the original but it's a good song.
3. In A Future Age/Wilco (6) - A sparser number from the multi-layered Summerteeth. Again, a good song but certainly not the strongest from the album. Have I mentioned yet that they're my favorite band?
4. Not About Love/Fiona Apple (10) - This one is also from the Jon Brion version of Extraordinary Machine. Really love the strings on this one.
5. The Hustle/Marah (5) - I put this album (If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry) in my top ten for last year. If I did it today, it wouldn't be there. But it's still an album full of good rock and roll and you can't beat that.
6. Get Him Back/Fiona Apple (7) - See above. And you know, this album would no longer be in my top ten from last year either...even the Jon Brion version.
7. Wonderous Life/The Drams (4) - Closing track to their debut album, Jubilee Dive. It has Brent Best dueting with himself via a processed second vocal. Not my thing usually but it works well enough, I guess.
8. Winter in the Hamptons/Josh Rouse (8) - Another track from that radio session he did in France. It's from last year's Nashville and is one of my faves from that album.
9. Four Hours in Washington/M. Ward (3) - This is from last year's great Transistor Radio. I particularly love the drums on this song.
10. Your Blood/Destroyer (6) - I got this album (Destroyer's Rubies) from eMusic earlier this year and obviously haven't listened to it a whole lot. I like the songs but I've generally preferred them coming up in shuffle mode than listening to the whole thing.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
FUNGAL
1. Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff Vandermeer - A new novel set in the city of Ambergris that tells the tale of Duncan and Janice Shriek while weaving in and out of the history of Ambergris itself. Full of fungus and great writing and two narrative voices {Duncan's in parentheses like these}. Well worth your time.
2. Bottle Rocket - I love Wes Andersen movies, yet I'd never seen his debut (and the debut of the Wilson brothers) until now. It has the requisite odd characters and romance and cool dialogue (it overlaps quite a bit in this film). I liked it quite a bit and you can see where the brilliance of "Rushmore" comes from.
3. HBO season finales - On "Entourage," Vince is pissed, Ari scrambles, Drama is calm. Can't wait to see the next 8 episodes when "The Sopranos" comes back in March. And on "Deadwood," the violence isn't huge but it is just as devastating to a number of the characters. Only 4 more hours ever of this show? Say it ain't so!
4. JLA #1 - Brad Meltzer delivers on the promise of his zero issue. Red Tornado, Black Lightning, Vixen, and Deadman all make appearance amongst the better-known heroes. Can't wait to see where this goes.
5. Batman #656 - Batman vs. ninja Man-Bats! A great metafictional use of 60s style sound effects! Bats comes face to face with his...son?!? Grant Morrison is brilliant and Andy Kubert is great on the art - more please!
1. Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff Vandermeer - A new novel set in the city of Ambergris that tells the tale of Duncan and Janice Shriek while weaving in and out of the history of Ambergris itself. Full of fungus and great writing and two narrative voices {Duncan's in parentheses like these}. Well worth your time.
2. Bottle Rocket - I love Wes Andersen movies, yet I'd never seen his debut (and the debut of the Wilson brothers) until now. It has the requisite odd characters and romance and cool dialogue (it overlaps quite a bit in this film). I liked it quite a bit and you can see where the brilliance of "Rushmore" comes from.
3. HBO season finales - On "Entourage," Vince is pissed, Ari scrambles, Drama is calm. Can't wait to see the next 8 episodes when "The Sopranos" comes back in March. And on "Deadwood," the violence isn't huge but it is just as devastating to a number of the characters. Only 4 more hours ever of this show? Say it ain't so!
4. JLA #1 - Brad Meltzer delivers on the promise of his zero issue. Red Tornado, Black Lightning, Vixen, and Deadman all make appearance amongst the better-known heroes. Can't wait to see where this goes.
5. Batman #656 - Batman vs. ninja Man-Bats! A great metafictional use of 60s style sound effects! Bats comes face to face with his...son?!? Grant Morrison is brilliant and Andy Kubert is great on the art - more please!
SHIFT
The main goal of my "Year of 35" was to do all those things I'd meant to and hadn't tried. Obviously, the music aspect has been going quite well and I'm very happy with it. Music wasn't the ultimate goal, though. I also wanted to start writing and I haven't done that at all, outside of the blog. So, I want to start focusing on the creative writing without giving up the blog completely. I've decided that I'll do a shift in format, stealing from Entertainment Weekly's "Must List" (which I've done before) and from Ken Tucker's EW online column, "Five Reasons to Live." I'm going to do "My List" entries wherein I highlight 5 things that I've been digging. This will keep my entries shorter and will still allow me to talk about all the pop culture I love. There's no schedule for this either - when I have 5 things, I'll do a post. I'm not saying it will always be this way or that I won't throw in a longer post here and there but for the near future anyway, this will be the norm. Hope you enjoy it and keep on reading!
The main goal of my "Year of 35" was to do all those things I'd meant to and hadn't tried. Obviously, the music aspect has been going quite well and I'm very happy with it. Music wasn't the ultimate goal, though. I also wanted to start writing and I haven't done that at all, outside of the blog. So, I want to start focusing on the creative writing without giving up the blog completely. I've decided that I'll do a shift in format, stealing from Entertainment Weekly's "Must List" (which I've done before) and from Ken Tucker's EW online column, "Five Reasons to Live." I'm going to do "My List" entries wherein I highlight 5 things that I've been digging. This will keep my entries shorter and will still allow me to talk about all the pop culture I love. There's no schedule for this either - when I have 5 things, I'll do a post. I'm not saying it will always be this way or that I won't throw in a longer post here and there but for the near future anyway, this will be the norm. Hope you enjoy it and keep on reading!
Sunday, August 27, 2006
SHUFFLE OFF
I've been in a period of shuffling through iTunes for at least a month now. I do it not only for the thrill of the unknown but also to see those play counts rising. As a person who loves statistics (yes, I know it's sad - blame years of baseball), I like seeing how long since a song was played and keep trying to see if more of my songs will get into the top 25 played. Yes, I share our iTunes (and the iPod) with my wife and son, which means I have to wade through Veggie Tales and Disney and The Cranberries and Black Eyed Peas and more to get to my songs. Anyway, I've really lost the thread of my most recent album downloads this way so I thought I'd go back to straight up listening for a while. But before I do, here's a standard 10 song shuffle (though I'm only going to count songs that I've put in) with the current play count noted for posterity...
1. Violin for Mom/Kathleen Edwards (6) - Pretty much what the title indicates...about 40 seconds worth of violin from her early EP Building 55.
2. Somewhere Else/Kathleen Edwards (4) - A song from her most recent album, Back to Me. A slower burn with some great horns.
3. Please Please Please/Fiona Apple (7) - This is from the Jon Brion-produced version of Extraordinary Machine. The songs sound pretty close on both versions but I tend to like the Brion one better.
4. Checkout Blues/Eels (3) - One of the lesser songs from the double album Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, though still a solid song.
5. Candy Cane Crawl/Twilight Singers (6) A really moody piece from their 2006 album Powder Burns. The "slow down/lean in" part with backup female singer and multiple singers later on is great.
6. Streetlights/Josh Rouse (6) - This is a live acoustic performance from France and a song from Nashville. Rouse is one of my favorite singer/songwriters and tremendously underrated.
7. Too Far Apart/Wilco (6) - My favorite band. This is the closer to their debut album, A.M., which is my least favorite album of theirs. Doesn't mean it's not good, though. This tune is a bit of a shuffle with some nice guitar work.
8. The Man Who Doesn't Know How to Smile/Josh Rouse (5) - A sweet duet between Rouse and the woman he followed to Spain from his 2006 album, Subtitulo. Love it when the full drums kick in.
9. Archaeopteryx/The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers (5) - "My bones are hollow and I have wings behind my shoulders/But I've made my home here on solid soil so I won't fall too far below." Yeah. Great track from The Mother of Love Emulates the Shapes of Cynthia. This band is the real deal.
10. Stars Fell on Alabama/Mountain Goats (11) - Nice little bass line and shuffly groove here. Any song with the phrase "and the kudzu grew" works for me. This is from Nine Black Poppies and was downloaded from somewhere.
I've been in a period of shuffling through iTunes for at least a month now. I do it not only for the thrill of the unknown but also to see those play counts rising. As a person who loves statistics (yes, I know it's sad - blame years of baseball), I like seeing how long since a song was played and keep trying to see if more of my songs will get into the top 25 played. Yes, I share our iTunes (and the iPod) with my wife and son, which means I have to wade through Veggie Tales and Disney and The Cranberries and Black Eyed Peas and more to get to my songs. Anyway, I've really lost the thread of my most recent album downloads this way so I thought I'd go back to straight up listening for a while. But before I do, here's a standard 10 song shuffle (though I'm only going to count songs that I've put in) with the current play count noted for posterity...
1. Violin for Mom/Kathleen Edwards (6) - Pretty much what the title indicates...about 40 seconds worth of violin from her early EP Building 55.
2. Somewhere Else/Kathleen Edwards (4) - A song from her most recent album, Back to Me. A slower burn with some great horns.
3. Please Please Please/Fiona Apple (7) - This is from the Jon Brion-produced version of Extraordinary Machine. The songs sound pretty close on both versions but I tend to like the Brion one better.
4. Checkout Blues/Eels (3) - One of the lesser songs from the double album Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, though still a solid song.
5. Candy Cane Crawl/Twilight Singers (6) A really moody piece from their 2006 album Powder Burns. The "slow down/lean in" part with backup female singer and multiple singers later on is great.
6. Streetlights/Josh Rouse (6) - This is a live acoustic performance from France and a song from Nashville. Rouse is one of my favorite singer/songwriters and tremendously underrated.
7. Too Far Apart/Wilco (6) - My favorite band. This is the closer to their debut album, A.M., which is my least favorite album of theirs. Doesn't mean it's not good, though. This tune is a bit of a shuffle with some nice guitar work.
8. The Man Who Doesn't Know How to Smile/Josh Rouse (5) - A sweet duet between Rouse and the woman he followed to Spain from his 2006 album, Subtitulo. Love it when the full drums kick in.
9. Archaeopteryx/The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers (5) - "My bones are hollow and I have wings behind my shoulders/But I've made my home here on solid soil so I won't fall too far below." Yeah. Great track from The Mother of Love Emulates the Shapes of Cynthia. This band is the real deal.
10. Stars Fell on Alabama/Mountain Goats (11) - Nice little bass line and shuffly groove here. Any song with the phrase "and the kudzu grew" works for me. This is from Nine Black Poppies and was downloaded from somewhere.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
52.14 - 52.16
The most recent three issues of 52 have focused largely on events in Khandaq and Metropolis. In #14, Renee Montoya and The Question take their trip to Khandaq to investigate possible links with Intergang. They discover dead bodies and empty boxes of rat poison before being arrested for the murders. #15 details their abuse and subsequent escape from prison and #16 has them searching for a killer at the wedding of Black Adam and Isis, the other main focus of the issue. We see Black Adam nervous about the wedding and some fun interaction with Captain Marvel. In fact, the whole Marvel Family is in attendance: Mary Marvel wants to make sure Isis isn't being duped by her soon-to-be husband; Captain Marvel, Jr. and Talky Tawny are on security detail; and Uncle Dudley tries ordering food. Scenes of the wedding are intercut with Montoya and The Question trying to avert disaster - they do, but at a price.
Back in Metropolis (in #14), Steel has completed new armor for his niece but has not seen her; she is firmly in Luthor's camp. #15 has a despondent and out-of-control Booster Gold trying to do something to put himself back in the good graces of the citizens. Skeets finds something in the historical records and Booster runs off to save the day...however, he doesn't do a very good job of it and Supernova arrives to save the day. They have a confrontation before Skeets informs Booster that the danger is not over. He attempts to save everyone and does, yet pays the ultimate price.
We also see more of Will Magnus. He tries to get his Metal Men to work again and it's not going too well. The government wants to be involved but he refuses. Magnus goes to visit T.O. Morrow but the latter has vanished from his cell but not before leaving Magnus the secret to artificial life. Magnus is then able to get Mercury to work properly.
And finally, our intrepid lost-in-space heroes are finally ready to get off the planet where time seems to work differently. By the looks of things, we'll see more on this next week with the return of Lobo.
Solid stories with some subplots coming to an end only to open up new ones. Solid art by Dale Eaglesham/Art Thibert; Shawn Moll/Tom Nguyen; and Joe Bennett/Ruy Jose. Still liking the series and now I'm all caught up in talking about it, so look for issue by issue discussions from here on out. Maybe.
The most recent three issues of 52 have focused largely on events in Khandaq and Metropolis. In #14, Renee Montoya and The Question take their trip to Khandaq to investigate possible links with Intergang. They discover dead bodies and empty boxes of rat poison before being arrested for the murders. #15 details their abuse and subsequent escape from prison and #16 has them searching for a killer at the wedding of Black Adam and Isis, the other main focus of the issue. We see Black Adam nervous about the wedding and some fun interaction with Captain Marvel. In fact, the whole Marvel Family is in attendance: Mary Marvel wants to make sure Isis isn't being duped by her soon-to-be husband; Captain Marvel, Jr. and Talky Tawny are on security detail; and Uncle Dudley tries ordering food. Scenes of the wedding are intercut with Montoya and The Question trying to avert disaster - they do, but at a price.
Back in Metropolis (in #14), Steel has completed new armor for his niece but has not seen her; she is firmly in Luthor's camp. #15 has a despondent and out-of-control Booster Gold trying to do something to put himself back in the good graces of the citizens. Skeets finds something in the historical records and Booster runs off to save the day...however, he doesn't do a very good job of it and Supernova arrives to save the day. They have a confrontation before Skeets informs Booster that the danger is not over. He attempts to save everyone and does, yet pays the ultimate price.
We also see more of Will Magnus. He tries to get his Metal Men to work again and it's not going too well. The government wants to be involved but he refuses. Magnus goes to visit T.O. Morrow but the latter has vanished from his cell but not before leaving Magnus the secret to artificial life. Magnus is then able to get Mercury to work properly.
And finally, our intrepid lost-in-space heroes are finally ready to get off the planet where time seems to work differently. By the looks of things, we'll see more on this next week with the return of Lobo.
Solid stories with some subplots coming to an end only to open up new ones. Solid art by Dale Eaglesham/Art Thibert; Shawn Moll/Tom Nguyen; and Joe Bennett/Ruy Jose. Still liking the series and now I'm all caught up in talking about it, so look for issue by issue discussions from here on out. Maybe.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
STYMIED
I went out and picked up Veronica Mars Season 2 on DVD yesterday; I like the show and want to get caught up so I can watch new episodes as they air this season. Watched the first episode last night and I thought it was a bit too ambitious (multiple time frames; a fake out on the cliffhanger season one ending; trying to be a bit too cute with who her boyfriend is; and setting up a number of mysteries right off the bat) though still plenty entertaining (a reference to Encyclopedia Brown; Veronica's relationships with her dad and Wallace; the appearance of smokin' hot Charisma Carpenter in a teeny bikini). Anyway, I was going to watch the second ep at lunch today and after a few minutes the picture broke up into pixelated hell. I took out the disc and tried again with the same result. I found my receipt and went to Best Buy to exchange it for a new copy - and they were all out! Now I have to wait for Saturday and the earliest to be able to continue watching. Sigh.
I'd planned on doing more entries today but I allowed myself to get sidetracked with:
A) Errands for Jill
B) A trip to Barnes & Noble
C) Hanging out with my friends at the hospital and holding Chase for the first time
D) New comics
E) Rockstar: Supernova
F) Baseball
G) A huge storm that dumped giant chunks of hail
H) Checking in at the Y
I) All of the above
You guessed it!
I went out and picked up Veronica Mars Season 2 on DVD yesterday; I like the show and want to get caught up so I can watch new episodes as they air this season. Watched the first episode last night and I thought it was a bit too ambitious (multiple time frames; a fake out on the cliffhanger season one ending; trying to be a bit too cute with who her boyfriend is; and setting up a number of mysteries right off the bat) though still plenty entertaining (a reference to Encyclopedia Brown; Veronica's relationships with her dad and Wallace; the appearance of smokin' hot Charisma Carpenter in a teeny bikini). Anyway, I was going to watch the second ep at lunch today and after a few minutes the picture broke up into pixelated hell. I took out the disc and tried again with the same result. I found my receipt and went to Best Buy to exchange it for a new copy - and they were all out! Now I have to wait for Saturday and the earliest to be able to continue watching. Sigh.
I'd planned on doing more entries today but I allowed myself to get sidetracked with:
A) Errands for Jill
B) A trip to Barnes & Noble
C) Hanging out with my friends at the hospital and holding Chase for the first time
D) New comics
E) Rockstar: Supernova
F) Baseball
G) A huge storm that dumped giant chunks of hail
H) Checking in at the Y
I) All of the above
You guessed it!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
MOVIE BACKLOG: SIN CITY
I've been behind on my movie watching ever since I joined the pop culture parade. When I was a teenager, you had to drive 30 miles to the nearest theater and while I did see quite a bit, I missed a lot too. That was rectified somewhat in college, where I would sometimes take in 3 movies on a weekend. Jill and I used to see movies fairly often, though that changed once Grant was born. Now I'm lucky if I see a half dozen in the theater each year. Sure, there's DVD but I don't always take the time to watch; I put a priority on all those great TV shows on DVD. Anyway, with my couple weeks off I've decided to try and catch up on things I've missed...
So, "Sin City." I read the comic book series, of course, though I lost a bit of interest the further it went. Or maybe that was just me losing some interest in comics back then. In either case, I drug my heels quite a bit in seeing this adaptation. Robert Rodriguez convinced creator Frank Miller that they could do a true adaptation and have a movie that looks very similar to the comic. He was right.
There are many shots in the movie that I remember from reading the comic; both are in black and white with spots of color and occasional sillhouettes. They movie really is visually stunning and I'm not talking about all the bare actress bodies. And the actors really do look like they came straight out of the comic - the makeup job on Mickey Rourke as Marv is outstanding.
The dialogue is also straight out of the comic and that doesn't translate nearly as well. Lots of repetition and terse hard-boiled dialgoue that can sound very silly coming out of the mouths of living, breathing people. The violence also is a bit ludricous for the same reason; it reminded me of certain parts of "Kill Bill."
On the whole, though, I enjoyed the movie. The movie really works for me when Mickey Rourke is on the screen as Marv, killing in the name of his lost love Goldie (a hooker who gave him the night of his life). And yes, that's the most cartoony section of the movie, so go figure.
I've been behind on my movie watching ever since I joined the pop culture parade. When I was a teenager, you had to drive 30 miles to the nearest theater and while I did see quite a bit, I missed a lot too. That was rectified somewhat in college, where I would sometimes take in 3 movies on a weekend. Jill and I used to see movies fairly often, though that changed once Grant was born. Now I'm lucky if I see a half dozen in the theater each year. Sure, there's DVD but I don't always take the time to watch; I put a priority on all those great TV shows on DVD. Anyway, with my couple weeks off I've decided to try and catch up on things I've missed...
So, "Sin City." I read the comic book series, of course, though I lost a bit of interest the further it went. Or maybe that was just me losing some interest in comics back then. In either case, I drug my heels quite a bit in seeing this adaptation. Robert Rodriguez convinced creator Frank Miller that they could do a true adaptation and have a movie that looks very similar to the comic. He was right.
There are many shots in the movie that I remember from reading the comic; both are in black and white with spots of color and occasional sillhouettes. They movie really is visually stunning and I'm not talking about all the bare actress bodies. And the actors really do look like they came straight out of the comic - the makeup job on Mickey Rourke as Marv is outstanding.
The dialogue is also straight out of the comic and that doesn't translate nearly as well. Lots of repetition and terse hard-boiled dialgoue that can sound very silly coming out of the mouths of living, breathing people. The violence also is a bit ludricous for the same reason; it reminded me of certain parts of "Kill Bill."
On the whole, though, I enjoyed the movie. The movie really works for me when Mickey Rourke is on the screen as Marv, killing in the name of his lost love Goldie (a hooker who gave him the night of his life). And yes, that's the most cartoony section of the movie, so go figure.
FALL RELEASES
Today is the start of the fall music season. Yes, it's still summer but with my wife back in school for a week and son starting tomorrow, it feels like fall around the Steiner house. There are a bunch of new releases from artist I like to help keep me going as the weather starts to catch up with the season...
Mounatin Goats (today!)
Eric Bachmann (of Crooked Fingers and Archers of Loaf - also today!)
M. Ward
Bob Dylan
The Black Keys
Ben Kweller
Pernice Brothers
Portastatic
Golden Smog EP
My Morning Jacket live
...and more that I can't remember or don't even know about yet. And that doesn't include all the new bands yet to discover as well. I love music.
Today is the start of the fall music season. Yes, it's still summer but with my wife back in school for a week and son starting tomorrow, it feels like fall around the Steiner house. There are a bunch of new releases from artist I like to help keep me going as the weather starts to catch up with the season...
Mounatin Goats (today!)
Eric Bachmann (of Crooked Fingers and Archers of Loaf - also today!)
M. Ward
Bob Dylan
The Black Keys
Ben Kweller
Pernice Brothers
Portastatic
Golden Smog EP
My Morning Jacket live
...and more that I can't remember or don't even know about yet. And that doesn't include all the new bands yet to discover as well. I love music.
Monday, August 21, 2006
52.1 - 52.13
I started posting about DC's ongoing weekly series, 52, back in May, promising to look at each issue as it came out. Oops. Well, the series hit its quarter mark a couple weeks ago so I thought I'd jump back into some commentary...
For those of you who don't want to find the old posts, here's a quick recap of what brought the comic about: At the end of the big crossover series Infinite Crisis, the "big 3" of the DC Universe (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) leave the scene for various reasons. All DC titles start with storylines beginning "One Year Later" immediately following the end of IC; 52 tells the story of what happened during that missing year. Each issue covers a week of that year. It is written by Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Geoff Johns, and Mark Waid and drawn by a revolving cast of artist, though always with layouts by Keith Giffen and covers by J.G. Jones. Got it? Good.
There are many storylines weaving throughout this series, some of which I have found more interesting than others. At the top of the list for me is The Question and Renee Montoya investigating Intergang, a nefarious group that is up to...something. While the investigation aspect is appealing (they've tangled with several unique bad guys and have discovered the existence of a Batwoman), I enjoy their story as much for their interaction. The Question is an all-time favorite character (ever since his ongoing series by Denny O'Neil and Denys Cowan back in the 80s) and the tone here is just right. Montoya is equally intrigued by him, when he doesn't want to punch him in the face. I would love to read a buddy comic with these two. Anyway, by the time #13 rolls around they decide they need to head to Khandaq for more answers.
That decision will put them in the same area as another featured player, Black Adam. He's been portrayed as both villain and hero over the years and sometimes he's both rolled into one. In early issues of 52, he was maniacal in his wanting to "protect" his people from other super-powered idiots even going so far as to rip a villain in half. Recently, though, he has come under the influence of a woman who had been presented to him by Intergang emmisaries; she is getting him to see that he can use his power to actually change the world for the better. In #12, he takes her to the Rock of Eternity (where Captain Marvel appears to be losing his mind a bit) and offers her the powers of a goddess. She accepts and becomes Isis. This turn has me much more interested in this storyline.
Another pair of characters being dealt with are John Henry Irons (Steel) and his niece Natasha. He takes away her armor in the first issue and they squabble over the course of the next few issues, while he is also dealing with Lex Luthor in a variety of ways. Luthor has found a way to trigger the metagene in people (a concept first introduced waaaay back in a DC crossover event that I've forgotten the name of, alas) and has somehow done it to Irons as well; his skin is turning to steel, eliminating the need for his armor. Natasha is given that metagene, which leads to a huge confrontation between the two that she wins.
Booster Gold, meanwhile, is having some confrontations of his own. At first he is using his knowledge of the past (in the form of his robot companion Skeets; both are from the 25th century) to thwart villains and make a name for himself, which in turn garners him endorsments deals and riches (resetting the character to his original form). Problems arise when Skeets's knowledge turns out to be wrong and he eventually resorts to paying an actor to play a villain he defeats. Eventually he is found out and his fortunes take a quick downturn.
Finally, we see the ongoing travails of Ralph Dibny, who used to be known as Elongated Man. His wife was murdered during the series Identity Crisis (precursor to Infinite Crisis) and he is to the point of suicide. He learns of a cult devoted to the belief that they can resurrect the dead and his search to learn more about them forms the backdrop for much of this first quarter. Along the way he runs into Booster Gold and Green Arrow, among others. Things reach a head in #13, where he has his friends (Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Metamorpho, and Zauriel) covertly attend a ceremony to try and raise his wife from the dead; he wants their opinion on whether it can be done. They reach the conclusion the whole thing is a fake and process to break up the proceedings, though along the way Ralph becomes a believer and disappears completely in the aftermath.
That's not all either. There are the visits between mad scientists Will Magnus (creator of The Metal Men) and T.O. Morrow (creator of Red Tornado and more of a villain) which are smart and funny and filled with intriguing hints of what may be going on. There are the trio of heroes (Animal Man, Adam Strange, and Starfire) stranded on a faraway planet with an unusual presence. There are the cryptic messages at Rip Hunter's secret lair that seem to deal directly with the title of the series. There's the glimpse of new Chinese heroes, The Great Ten. There's the recovery of a another group of heroes who were lost in space. And there's the mystery of the newest hero in Metropolis, Supernova.
Issues #2 through #11 also featured a backup story titled "The History of the DC Universe." That history is a muddled mess with all the various crossovers and retcons over the last two decades and this story does nothing to make it clear. Starting with #12, two page origin stories have begun appearing. They are all written by Mark Waid and drawn by a variety of artists (one per hero). They are not essential but at least a decent diversion.
Obviously, I've been reading these issues as they've come out week by week. Reading them that way my enjoyment of the series would rise and fall depending on which storylines were being covered. But as I skimmed over the first 13 issues in preparation for this post, I found a whole that was even strong than the individual parts. Sure, the time frame seems a bit wonky as weeks go by without updates on certain storylines but it's an ambitious storyline. I like the idea of this series and the execution has been very good. You can guess at which writer has written which part but it is fairly seemless. The art has been solid too, thanks to Giffen giving consistent layouts. Joe Bennett took pencilling duties on 5 of the first 6 issues and several other artist have done mutiple turns (Chris Batista, Eddy Barrows, Todd Nauck). And the covers have been outstanding, with Jones outdoing himself almost every issue - my favorite so far has been #9, with Devilance the Pursuer menacing our three stranded heroes. Each issue has some taglines at the bottom as well - my favorite is #10's "You'll believe a man can fall" on a cover featuring Clark Kent plummeting towards the streets (yes, Superman may not be around but Clark definitely is a part of this series). So far, 52 has been worth the time and the $2.50 spent each week. Of course, I've been following DC Comics since I was 10. Your mileage may vary.
I started posting about DC's ongoing weekly series, 52, back in May, promising to look at each issue as it came out. Oops. Well, the series hit its quarter mark a couple weeks ago so I thought I'd jump back into some commentary...
For those of you who don't want to find the old posts, here's a quick recap of what brought the comic about: At the end of the big crossover series Infinite Crisis, the "big 3" of the DC Universe (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) leave the scene for various reasons. All DC titles start with storylines beginning "One Year Later" immediately following the end of IC; 52 tells the story of what happened during that missing year. Each issue covers a week of that year. It is written by Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Geoff Johns, and Mark Waid and drawn by a revolving cast of artist, though always with layouts by Keith Giffen and covers by J.G. Jones. Got it? Good.
There are many storylines weaving throughout this series, some of which I have found more interesting than others. At the top of the list for me is The Question and Renee Montoya investigating Intergang, a nefarious group that is up to...something. While the investigation aspect is appealing (they've tangled with several unique bad guys and have discovered the existence of a Batwoman), I enjoy their story as much for their interaction. The Question is an all-time favorite character (ever since his ongoing series by Denny O'Neil and Denys Cowan back in the 80s) and the tone here is just right. Montoya is equally intrigued by him, when he doesn't want to punch him in the face. I would love to read a buddy comic with these two. Anyway, by the time #13 rolls around they decide they need to head to Khandaq for more answers.
That decision will put them in the same area as another featured player, Black Adam. He's been portrayed as both villain and hero over the years and sometimes he's both rolled into one. In early issues of 52, he was maniacal in his wanting to "protect" his people from other super-powered idiots even going so far as to rip a villain in half. Recently, though, he has come under the influence of a woman who had been presented to him by Intergang emmisaries; she is getting him to see that he can use his power to actually change the world for the better. In #12, he takes her to the Rock of Eternity (where Captain Marvel appears to be losing his mind a bit) and offers her the powers of a goddess. She accepts and becomes Isis. This turn has me much more interested in this storyline.
Another pair of characters being dealt with are John Henry Irons (Steel) and his niece Natasha. He takes away her armor in the first issue and they squabble over the course of the next few issues, while he is also dealing with Lex Luthor in a variety of ways. Luthor has found a way to trigger the metagene in people (a concept first introduced waaaay back in a DC crossover event that I've forgotten the name of, alas) and has somehow done it to Irons as well; his skin is turning to steel, eliminating the need for his armor. Natasha is given that metagene, which leads to a huge confrontation between the two that she wins.
Booster Gold, meanwhile, is having some confrontations of his own. At first he is using his knowledge of the past (in the form of his robot companion Skeets; both are from the 25th century) to thwart villains and make a name for himself, which in turn garners him endorsments deals and riches (resetting the character to his original form). Problems arise when Skeets's knowledge turns out to be wrong and he eventually resorts to paying an actor to play a villain he defeats. Eventually he is found out and his fortunes take a quick downturn.
Finally, we see the ongoing travails of Ralph Dibny, who used to be known as Elongated Man. His wife was murdered during the series Identity Crisis (precursor to Infinite Crisis) and he is to the point of suicide. He learns of a cult devoted to the belief that they can resurrect the dead and his search to learn more about them forms the backdrop for much of this first quarter. Along the way he runs into Booster Gold and Green Arrow, among others. Things reach a head in #13, where he has his friends (Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Metamorpho, and Zauriel) covertly attend a ceremony to try and raise his wife from the dead; he wants their opinion on whether it can be done. They reach the conclusion the whole thing is a fake and process to break up the proceedings, though along the way Ralph becomes a believer and disappears completely in the aftermath.
That's not all either. There are the visits between mad scientists Will Magnus (creator of The Metal Men) and T.O. Morrow (creator of Red Tornado and more of a villain) which are smart and funny and filled with intriguing hints of what may be going on. There are the trio of heroes (Animal Man, Adam Strange, and Starfire) stranded on a faraway planet with an unusual presence. There are the cryptic messages at Rip Hunter's secret lair that seem to deal directly with the title of the series. There's the glimpse of new Chinese heroes, The Great Ten. There's the recovery of a another group of heroes who were lost in space. And there's the mystery of the newest hero in Metropolis, Supernova.
Issues #2 through #11 also featured a backup story titled "The History of the DC Universe." That history is a muddled mess with all the various crossovers and retcons over the last two decades and this story does nothing to make it clear. Starting with #12, two page origin stories have begun appearing. They are all written by Mark Waid and drawn by a variety of artists (one per hero). They are not essential but at least a decent diversion.
Obviously, I've been reading these issues as they've come out week by week. Reading them that way my enjoyment of the series would rise and fall depending on which storylines were being covered. But as I skimmed over the first 13 issues in preparation for this post, I found a whole that was even strong than the individual parts. Sure, the time frame seems a bit wonky as weeks go by without updates on certain storylines but it's an ambitious storyline. I like the idea of this series and the execution has been very good. You can guess at which writer has written which part but it is fairly seemless. The art has been solid too, thanks to Giffen giving consistent layouts. Joe Bennett took pencilling duties on 5 of the first 6 issues and several other artist have done mutiple turns (Chris Batista, Eddy Barrows, Todd Nauck). And the covers have been outstanding, with Jones outdoing himself almost every issue - my favorite so far has been #9, with Devilance the Pursuer menacing our three stranded heroes. Each issue has some taglines at the bottom as well - my favorite is #10's "You'll believe a man can fall" on a cover featuring Clark Kent plummeting towards the streets (yes, Superman may not be around but Clark definitely is a part of this series). So far, 52 has been worth the time and the $2.50 spent each week. Of course, I've been following DC Comics since I was 10. Your mileage may vary.
JUST RIGHT
As promised, I bought the second Jack Spratt mystery in hardcover (that's The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde) early last week and finished it on Friday. It's stuffed with all of the usual Fforde ingredients - wordplay, outlandish characters and plots (competitive cucumber growing plays a major role here), silliness and seriousness (well, a little), the knowledge that it is a story, and fun (to name a few). If you like that sort of thing, it's good. If not? I don't know...you'll probably throw it away in disgust. I prefer his Thursday Next series (and the great news at the back of this book is that she returns in The War of the Words next summer), though not by much. The next book in the series will be The Last Great Tortoise Race and I'm looking forward to it.
As promised, I bought the second Jack Spratt mystery in hardcover (that's The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde) early last week and finished it on Friday. It's stuffed with all of the usual Fforde ingredients - wordplay, outlandish characters and plots (competitive cucumber growing plays a major role here), silliness and seriousness (well, a little), the knowledge that it is a story, and fun (to name a few). If you like that sort of thing, it's good. If not? I don't know...you'll probably throw it away in disgust. I prefer his Thursday Next series (and the great news at the back of this book is that she returns in The War of the Words next summer), though not by much. The next book in the series will be The Last Great Tortoise Race and I'm looking forward to it.
DON'T YOU LOVE A SINGER
That's advice given in a song called "Honest" from the new Long Winters album, Putting the Days to Bed. It's too late for me, though, cause I love John Roderick. I love him for his literate pop songs and I'm not ashamed to admit it. My feelings started growing with 2003's When I Pretend to Fall and last fall's EP, Ultimatum. The new record is my latest obsession. Come for the great pop/rock tunes and stay for the incredible words...
"Unkind girlish walk/Like a deed to the world without the talk/As you wade through the crows/I sit next to you, the seat's still warm" - "Pushover"
"If you're my anchor/then I'm throwing you over the side" - "Hindsight"
"Crave translates into slave" - "Ultimatum"
"Your magic beans mean at least you'll have one giant friend!" - "Clouds"
I could go on, of course, and most of the songs have a couple lines like that. Then there's the danceable groove and guitar of "Fire Island, AK" and the flat out rock of "(It's A) Departure" and the pop beauty of "Honest."
What I'm really saying is that you need this record. This record should be blasting out of every car as summer mellows into fall. It's top ten of the year all the way, probably top five. Go get it and enjoy.
P.S. You can also download a podcast from KEXP featuring almost an hour of songs and chat with the band. Go through iTunes and look up KEXP's live podcasts or just go to their website. It's free!
That's advice given in a song called "Honest" from the new Long Winters album, Putting the Days to Bed. It's too late for me, though, cause I love John Roderick. I love him for his literate pop songs and I'm not ashamed to admit it. My feelings started growing with 2003's When I Pretend to Fall and last fall's EP, Ultimatum. The new record is my latest obsession. Come for the great pop/rock tunes and stay for the incredible words...
"Unkind girlish walk/Like a deed to the world without the talk/As you wade through the crows/I sit next to you, the seat's still warm" - "Pushover"
"If you're my anchor/then I'm throwing you over the side" - "Hindsight"
"Crave translates into slave" - "Ultimatum"
"Your magic beans mean at least you'll have one giant friend!" - "Clouds"
I could go on, of course, and most of the songs have a couple lines like that. Then there's the danceable groove and guitar of "Fire Island, AK" and the flat out rock of "(It's A) Departure" and the pop beauty of "Honest."
What I'm really saying is that you need this record. This record should be blasting out of every car as summer mellows into fall. It's top ten of the year all the way, probably top five. Go get it and enjoy.
P.S. You can also download a podcast from KEXP featuring almost an hour of songs and chat with the band. Go through iTunes and look up KEXP's live podcasts or just go to their website. It's free!
Friday, August 18, 2006
LITTLE TOY ROBOT
I have sad news to report - my friend Mike, known around the blogosphere as Little Toy Robot, has passed away. I learned about it this afternoon from his friend Lady Crumpet and I'm still in shock. I sent him an e-mail about an hour before I heard the news - The Long Winters are playing a $10 show in Chicago on Oct. 6 and I figured we could go and see it. We'd only been together face-to-face once, when he came along to see my brother perform in the Chicago Sketch Festival, but were talking about trying to get together more often. He was going to come and see the band last weekend but was unable to get someone to cover for him at work so he could get into Indiana in time. I liked his blog from the get-go and I liked him. I can't believe he's gone - he will be missed.
I have sad news to report - my friend Mike, known around the blogosphere as Little Toy Robot, has passed away. I learned about it this afternoon from his friend Lady Crumpet and I'm still in shock. I sent him an e-mail about an hour before I heard the news - The Long Winters are playing a $10 show in Chicago on Oct. 6 and I figured we could go and see it. We'd only been together face-to-face once, when he came along to see my brother perform in the Chicago Sketch Festival, but were talking about trying to get together more often. He was going to come and see the band last weekend but was unable to get someone to cover for him at work so he could get into Indiana in time. I liked his blog from the get-go and I liked him. I can't believe he's gone - he will be missed.
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