Here's what I've been digging since clinic started back last week (I've been BUSY - in clinic, not on the Hype Machine)
Annuals - "Sore" I really could not get with Annuals last album. (granted I only listened to 3 or so songs - "Brother", I'm talking about you....) This song is Good. At times it reminds me of "Reinhold Messner" era Ben Folds Five.I know it's from back in the Spring, but as I said - I hesitate when it comes to Annuals
Ra Ra Riot - "The Rhumb Line" (the whole album) These poor kids lost their drummer and friend last year here in New England. He pulled a Jeff Buckley in the waters off Providence. They pulled it together for a fitting tribute to an old friend. I'm sure he is proud.
Loaded up and truckin'. We gonna do what they say can't be done. We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there. I'm east bound just watch ol'Bandit run!
Today, country music lost a legend. He may not have had the fanfare that came with the likes of Waylon and Willie, but he was a great one nonetheless. Jerry Reed passed away today at the age of 71. You may not know him, but maybe you know his name. If not, you hopefully know those lyrics to his famous song "East Bound and Down". Jerry Reed was a disciple of the Nashville legend, Chett Atkins. Known as the "Guitar Man", Reed wrote songs that were recorded by everyone from Nat King Cole to Elvis. He many times had a funny side to his songs, hence his collaborations with the likes of Ray Stevens. The boys of Rollin' in the Hay are hanging their heads low tonight. "East Bound and Down" was a staple of their set. I'm sure that Rick and the boys are pouring one out for Jerry.
I will always remember Jerry Reed by this song and movie role to which it coincided. A longtime friend of Burt Reynolds, Reed was given the role of Cledus in the classic flick, "Smokey and the Bandit". If you've never seen this movie, it's no "Schindler's List", but it hits a nerve in the south with NASCAR/bootleg themes. The premise is simple: a wealthy Texas man is trying to get a truckload of Coors Light to Atlanta, GA. Coors Light was not sold East of the Mississippi in the 70's. This tycoon pays Bandit (Reynolds) to facilitate the transportation of this truckload. With Bandit driving ahead in his Trans Am to ward off the Police/State Troopers (Smokey), there was only one man fit to drive the truck, Cledus (Jerry Reed) and his dog, Fred. I'm reminded of the people of the Southeast's battle to get beer from the New Belgium Brewery in Colorado the past 10 years (OK, maybe this is not a big issue to everyone in the SE. Mainly, I'm speaking of my immediate friends who really wanted Fat Tire and didn't want to go to Arkansas to get it. Well, we've finally got it. Mission accomplished, Bandit.) So long, Jerry. We'll see you down the road....
"The boys are thirsty in Atlanta, and there's beer in Texarkana"
Watched the wacky-fest that is "i ♥ Huckabees" this weekend on IFC. Wasn't sure if anyone realized the inspiration behind my other blog, "How Am I Not Myself?". Here is the scene in all its glory. Enjoy....
The year still has lots of goodness yet to come in the world of music!
September 23rd is an especially big release day for little Willy!
Kings of Leon - "Only By the Night" - the Nashville boys (and the Sawyers and Lendale's neighbor) are back with album #4, and their doing it at Blackbird in Nashville (thank God). No more Ethan Johns producing (yea! - b/c he dumbs down their stuff and should stick to Counting Crows albums) He only got to where he is in life b/c of his father (that's called sarcasm, or is it irony......) Angelo Petraglia is back solely at the helm just like their 1st EP !!!
Blitzen Trapper - "Furr" - With a solid release last year on Sub Pop, these boys are channeling the Dead one mo' time!
Jenny Lewis - "Acid Tongue" - I'm gonna guess this one's gonna burn! Everybody's getting in on the action! Gone are Conor Oberst and Ben Gibbard in with Elvis Costello, Jonathan Rice (her beau), Zooey Deschanel, and M.Ward. This is already Whitney's album of the year....
(in NO particular order – b/c I generally love all of these)
Beck – Modern Guilt Vampire Weekend – (s/t) Fleet Foxes – (s/t) Black Keys – Attack and Release The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely The Virgins – (s/t) The Black Ghosts – (s/t) Foals – Antidotes Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges (oops! forgot Girl Talk - Feed the Animals)
*that I own – there is plenty great stuff out there that I still have not gotten around to buying….I’ll catch up by the end of the year maybe
Favorite Songs
(Chronological/Autobiographical for all the Rob Gordon/Fleming, Nick Hornby, John Cusack and High Fidelity kids out there)
Vampire Weekend – Oxford Comma Beck – Inferno MGMT – Electric Feel The Black Hollies – Paisley Pattern Ground Jack Penate – Second, Minute, or Hour Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin – Glue Girls Frightened Rabbit – Head Rolls Off Tapes n Tapes – Hang Them All The Kooks – Always Where I Need to Be The Selmanaires – Broken Mirrors in the Mud She & Him – Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? The Black Ghosts – Anyway You Choose to Give It We Are Scientists – Lethal Enforcer Death Cab For Cutie – No Sunlight The Ting Tings – Great DJ Foals – Cassius Black Keys – Strange Times Jukebox the Ghosts – Hold It In Phantom Planet – Do the Panic The Raconteurs – Many Shades of Black Fleet Foxes – Your Protector M83 – Graveyard Girl The Kills – Getting Down French Kicks – Abandon The Dodos - Fools Cut Copy – Lights and Music The Futureheads – The Beginning of the Twist My Morning Jacket – Evil Uges & I’m Amazed Hercules & Love Affair – Hercules Theme N*E*R*D – Everybody Nose The Last Shadow Puppets – Standing Next to Me Mezzanine Owls – Snow Globe Nine Inch Nails – Discipline The Hold Steady – Sequestered in Memphis Beck – Gamma Ray Dr. Dog – The Old Days Mates of State – My Only Offer Chester French – She Loves Everybody Coldplay – Viva La Vida The Virgins – Rich Girls Albert Hammond Jr – Bargain of a Century The Dutchess and the Duke – Reservoir Park Throw Me the Statue – Lolita Blitzen Trapper – Furr Oxford Collapse – The Birthday Wars The Walkmen – The Blue Route Kings of Leon – Crawl
What did I miss? Plenty. I’ve been slacking….let me know what you loved?
Here are the songs I could find on Imeem (doesn't always have em all....)
Here are some videos of songs that Imeem didn't have the song alone
Here is one of my favs of the favs - Chester French (who I tipped earlier this year on here and their song Jimmy Choos - this song is better and makes me eager for their album which may never come out......pleased to know that Connor Farley is also a fan along with Pharell Williams who signed them to his label Star Trak with a Vulcan Nerve Pinch)
did I mention that these 2 are Harvard boys who recorded this in the basement studio at the school radio station....preppy!
Should I say, "Hidden Passports?". Whatever. The Chinese/Chianese scare me. They are the modern day USSR. OH! They are also massive cheaters. My favorite event in the Summer Olympics is women's gymnastics. This was secondary to my crush on Shannon Miller from 1992-1996 (yes, I know she is white trash - I was 12). The women's team came up short the other night pulling in the Silver medal. The Chinese won the Gold - period. They were great. Even if poor Alicia Sacs (Sacrimoni) hadn't had 2 major errors, the Chinese would have won. So, I don't want any tears shed by that poor girl. She is a champ. Regardless, the Chinese team was suspect and has been suspect from day one. Media outlets all over the place are reporting China team members Jiang Yuyuan, Yang Yilin, and He Kexin are 13/14 years old. When He (Kexin) was in competition last fall a Chinese AP report spoke of rising Chinese stars....like the 14 year old He.......this report came out yesterday. The link to that article is now gone along with the article......weird.......thanks Chinese government. The government has verified all their gov issued passports showing that the girls are over the 16 yo as of Jan 1, 2008 minimum. They're not suspicious at all though...............He Kexin's birthday............Jan 1, 1992. WOW! Way to not make it obvious. I know you people have seen these kids. Yes, kids. Bela Karolyi basically had to be cut off by Bob Costas the other night, b/c he kept slipping in, "Well, they ARE using 14 year old girls...". In a completely NON-dirty way, Karolyi with his 30 years of gymnastic coaching knows what 14 year olds look like. Tonight on NBC news, they ran a story on China's Project 119. This is their Hitler Youth camps for children training to be dominant in the Olympic games. That's it. It's SOLE purpose. WHO CARES??????? I love the Olympics, but it isn't everything. This project is insane and sad. If anything, those kids could be much better used sewing my new shirt from J.Crew (sic). Yippee! Hurray! Zoolander much?
The Chinese even cheated with the opening ceremonies. The fireworks were computer generated. The little girl singing was 7 years old and lip syncing for a 14 year old (again that age thing........).At the end of the day if these girls ARE of age, these girls must be kept in a box like veal, so they can't grow. They are let out the day of competition and see light for the 1st time. It's like Plato's allegory of the cave (what? not really).
ERHH!!! CHEATERS!!!!!!! *%^$!@*^%$#*^$!&^!!!!
(editors note/addendum 8/18/08) - wow, so now the judges are just morons from Turkmenistan, Grenada, Australia (insert random country here) - The Judges botched everything! Not one of the judges can be from a competing team's country. These yoyos are ALL from countries that have NOT ONE MEDAL IN GYMNASTICS EVER between them - BLURGGG!
Great Job, USA! Who didn't cheer their socks off for these two? Whitney sure did.....
Like the Packers were going to let another NFC team have Fav-ruh! Great move by them sending him to the AFC. The Pats' world in the AFC east just got interesting. I knew I stayed up late for something. Say bye-bye, Chad Pennington!
I am really ashamed that I watch this show. Equally, I'm ashamed that I have a blog. That makes this post a double-whammy....Well, Gossip Girl is one of many shows that I watch, b/c Whitney watches. She is a bit obsessed with Blake Lively and would probably join the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantolones if offered (her other fantasy friend is fellow pant-er Alexis Bledel of Gilmore Girls). While both are GG shows, I never would have watched without Whit. For the record, I am a Chuck Bass fan (Blake Sloan is too - yup he's a GG man also). And as far as Serena Van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf, I'm a Waldorf (this is crushing my wife's spirit as she reads this). I am also not a Dan fan. He's about as plain as his name (that was the writers intention I'm sure in a land of dutch names and hotel names - Waldorf/Astoria). Though I do like Dan's sister, Jenny, becoming a mini-Blair. I digress. Here is a good little song by The Virgins (that has been mentioned/posted before on this blog) put to some GG clips for your enjoyment (appropriately titled Rich Girls)
On the other end of the spectrum, there are others shows I endure that I have no taste for. Namely, Grey's Anatomy....talk about a show that has fallen far to the point of "who cares" when it comes to plot. No Interest! Another is One Tree Hill (as for "THE Hills" - I have no problem with that trash. I will eat it up). I never watched the show when it took place in high school. If you're not down with the Tree (or the Hill), they pulled an interesting maneuver that may have better served Zack and Slater back in the day. How do You avoid those "awkward" college years that would be awesome for plot lines? You FFwd in time to the mid-twenties! Ahhhh, way to overshoot your core audience age. Regardless, not interested. The final entry only mildly peaks my interest. Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Yikes! Thanks to producer Ryan Seacrest for dumping this in our laps. Talk about people with money for doing nothing. At least 2/3 daughters are quasi attractive. Kim, sorry you're not the most attractive, and yet you're the famous one (I use famous loosely). Trash!
Here are some fun side notes for these shows, too. Blake Lively...oh, she's soooo pretty blah blah. She clearly fell faaaaaar from the tree. You know who her brother is? Rusty from European Vacation. The ugliest of all Griswolds with the exception of his Euro sister Audrey - who was the worst Audrey also and least attractive (RIP, BTW). Family resemblance?
I immediately recognized this nerd one night when I looked up from my studies and saw ol' Minkus on "1 T-Hill" as some guy named Mouth who was moving in with a girl WAY out his league. I could no sooner yell holy Torkelson (or "Boy Meets World") than recognize that mug. I knew you when.
Grey's Anatomy....yeesh. What happened? Dr. Bailey is SO much cuter than she was when the show debuted (hell of an acceptance speech back in the day, too), but I can only think Gnarls Bailey when I see her....
As for the Kartrashians, their Step-Dad, Bruce Jenner (father of another worthless pile of reality tv garbage that collects money, Brodie), looks eerily similar to a certain creepy character....was that him in Hannibal??????????? NO, it was Gary Oldman (Lt Gordon, Dracula, Air Force One etc) in an uncredited role. But it sure looks like Jenner after all that plastic!
While everyone is on hiatus this summer, suck in all the fodder that is being thrown around. i.e. "I Survived a Japanese Gameshow"/"Wipeout" - you may remember it when it was Maximum Extreme Challenge on Spike (Martin's favorite back when). Labor Day can't come fast enough....come on new seasons!
Well, my original blog darlings Vampire Weekend have finally made a video for the song that charmed my pants off last year (and still continues to...). "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" has been given the Doc Brown treatment ("where we're going, we don't need roads...."). Instead of 1955, it appears the Delorean has taken us back in time to 1985. With no 80's reference left unturned, Ezra and the boys are straight outta Pretty In Pink with some Say Anything to boot coupled with a Cure/Emo/Thriller finale (was anyone else terrified of Thriller as a child when he went all wolfy?). The song is still chill, and the Prep gets the girl (sorry Duckie...). Speaking of Duckie, I have no respect for Jon Cryer. As Washout in Hot Shots, he was great. I even like his show with Chappelle, "Buddies", that never got off the ground. Regardless, "Two and a Half Men" (which re-teams him with Sheen from Hot Shots) is a travesty. It's pathetic that this is one of the few successful Sitcoms out there. Oh, the state of TV today. If you know anyone that watches and enjoys that show that is under the age of 55, you have my permission to punch them. Whew! Just had to get that out there. Anyways, check out the Kwassa, do your best white-boy noodle dance, boat it like you own it and enjoy the last days of Summer.
(had to remove the article from the WASHINGTON TIMES, blurg!)
WOW, so THAT's how he feels......a little extreme for my taste, but.......Just curious Barack (or Barry as you were once known), what kind of carbon footprint did your unnecessary euro jaunt leave on the world (seeing as it was by private jet I'm sure that we as Americans paid for - not me, but campaign contributors). I could care less about your carbon footprint, but your supporters should. I'm not sure if they do, as the blind eye was turned. 32% of Germans in a recent poll stated that they hate us. 61% said that we are headed for a crumble like Babylon and Rome before us (only to be usurped by China). Hurray! Great ideas BO, I just want to see these plans. All I ever hear are..."Actually, Tom, Wolf, Anderson, Tim, I've got a plan that will __________lower taxes, end the war, find jobs, stimulate the economy,....etc". What are those plans? OH, that's a secret. GWB was way under qualified to run the US, and at least he had run something else into the ground before. Obama has never been in charge of anything (being a senator puts you in charge of nothing BTW). At the end of the day, IS THIS REALLY THE BEST WE HAVE GOT!!!?!?????!!! In our whole freaking country, McCain and Obama are the best we can come up with?
So, I pretty much hate YELP.com (almost as much as I hate CitySearch). Leave it to citysearch to tell you that the best steak in town is at Outback and the best burger is at Burger King. Thanks. Yelp never tells me anything. Even worse, when I already know the place I'm looking for - finding it on Yelp can be such a headache. Furthermore, Yelp becomes a facebook wall/ msg board where everyone whines and moans at each other about what the other said about "that one time I went here and I had my friend in town and I was so embarassed and I'll never go back and Tom C. can die for what he said about their margaritas"........What? Just NO filter. I digress. Sneaky Sunday is here to save me. It has been around for a couple years as a Beta and has grown a great deal. I'm pretty sure it was started by Vandy guys from Atl. (only b/c K.C. told me about it back in the day, and I thought...what?) Nevertheless, it doesn't mess with the fluff of those other engines. It says here are the top 5 or 6 places that we think are the best _____ in your city. period. They are merely opinions, and people will disagree but deal with it. The site is clean and modern. Nothing clunky here (better update your Flash player - kidding). At the end of the day the message is simple, get out of the house no matter the night. Sneak out this Sunday for whatever, and let these boys show you the way home. Man...........I used to love school nights. Wed. night Trifecta I'll miss you always....
Pitchfork handed out their infamous (and dreaded) 0.0 rating today to the new release by Jacksonville DIY band, Black Kids. They had a song (self-released) that I loved last year ("I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You"). Oh, Pitchfork.....you think your SO cool.....here it is in all it's glory. It's almost as good as their review of the last Jet album.
Black Kids: Partie Traumatic
[Almost Gold/Columbia; 2008] Rating: 0.0 everybody makes mistakes...
Well kiddos.....here are more tunes including an mp3 to download.....now the RIAA is going to finally have the evidence they need to add to the data they've been building for years to finally get me on RICO statutes.....Sopranos what? Sub Pop is my favorite indie label, and they are a subsidiary of Hardley Art Records. They have some good bands, but one is getting some big attention as of late so have a listen - it's OK -> The Dutchess and the Duke. Nomo (not Hideo) 's new release is getting all the love on the blogs, and pitchfork finally reviewed it today - 8.~ something. It's like acid jazz....I'll be honest, I don't know what acid jazz is. Have a great week everyone. Go BUY some music (read: The Hold Steady's new album). I can't, bc I'm broke as a joke.
Nomo - "My Dear" from Ghost Rock
The Dutchess and the Duke - "Reservoir Park" from She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke
and here some xtra's! (I mentioned Abe last week)
Abe Vigoda - "Skeleton"
Dr. Dog - "Hang On"
No Mp3s b/c I can't figure out how to upload them....apparently I can't.... :(
Here is one of my favorite songs for a few laughs. Rife, this is for you. (Bill Murray):
Bloc Party - "Mercury" from blocparty.com and their forthcoming album
and stuff you may have missed.....
Hope some of you savvy readers have gotten Fleet Foxes (on vinyl preferably, ha!). I hadn't posted about them, b/c Callen usurped me on her blog detailing my purchase of the album etc . (thank you, Callen from Fleet Foxes, as you have many more onlookers than me) Nevertheless, one of my favorites of the year, this record has been in Whitney's car since we got it a month ago (even though she mainly listens to NPR...) I refer to them as My Morning Shins (the jacket + the shins). Listen, you'll hear it, too. Some of it sounds like Allison Krauss' song from O Brother Where Art Thou leading the Baptist congregation/ Lotus Eaters into the river for baptism. Crazy.
Here's what I've been digging since clinic started back last week (I've been BUSY - in clinic, not on the Hype Machine)
