Survivor: California Running Diary

My failure to write a single legit blog entry over the past couple months can be explained by law school’s unrepentant theft of my free time. However, tonight I realized that if I can write an entire entry while watching a TV show I had already planned to view, I will not have sacrificed any of my non-existent leisure time. I now bring you my first (and likely only) Survivor: California diary:

- The strain of finals became evident when, for the first time ever, I became somewhat emotional when the Survivors were reunited with their family members.

- Most people probably missed it but the second funniest moment of the season occurred when Becky’s sister Sarah came out and Jonathan shouted out her full name, “Sarah Lee!”

- Adam calls his father “George” because his dad is his best friend.

- Yul is such an incredibly nice guy that it is in absolutely scintillating when his mean streak surfaces. For the second week in a row I found myself joyfully giggling when he advocated denying food to his adversaries.

- It must’ve damn near knocked the wind out of Yul, Becky, and Ozzy when immediately after they devised a plan to withhold food from Parvati and Adam, the pair thoughtfully returned from the reward with a large amount of corn for their less fortunate tribe mates.

- Ozzy is easily one of the five best challenge competitors to ever appear on the show. The best part is the fact that he succeeds as a result of natural athleticism as opposed to long hours in the gym.

- Becky and Sundra either really hate Jonathan or are terrible liars.

- Ozzy and Yul are extremely naïve to believe that Jonathan is a greater threat than Parvati. Is it just because she’s a girl? She’s just as athletic as Jonathan and more importantly, unlike Jonathan she will have numerous allies on the jury and would receive an enormous amount of undeserved credit for flying under the radar if she somehow reached the final two.

- Adam and Parvati don’t recognize the contradiction in hating Jonathan because he went back on his word to them and then asking Yul, Becky, and Ozzy to go back on their word to Jonathan, right?

- The outcome of tribal council was based on emotion more than any other that I can remember. Clearly you’re not thinking with your head when you convince yourself that the hated, unathletic fortysomething is just as dangerous as the built twentysomething with multiple allies and his lover sitting on the jury. I tend to prioritize strategy over ethics when watching Survivor, but if you pass up an opportunity to keep your word without decreasing your odds of winning, you’re both an idiot and an asshole.

Top 25 Songs For November

As predicted, I’m in the midst of the most hellish period of my life and lack the time to write comments for the Top 25 for a second consecutive month. Hopefully, I will have time during winter break to revisit the list and add comments in addition to a full fledged Top 25 for December and an entry discussing The OC’s shocking return to greatness.

I do have two quick notes about the list. First, all five lengthy tracks from Joanna Newsome’s breathtaking Ys made the list, pushing the length over two hours. Second, any surprising inclusions on the list from this point forward are likely the result of the “CD of the Month” club my family has started. Each month everyone chooses a CD from their collection that they think the person they are paired with will enjoy. So far it’s been a blast.

As always, if you would like a copy of the songs, hit me up on AIM. Laura has first dibs this month.

25. Destroyer – 3000 Flowers

24. Lily Allen – Everything’s Just Wonderful

23. Angels & Airwaves – Do It For Me Now

22. Destroyer – European Oils

21. Kevin Devine – Brooklyn Boy

20. Straylight Run – Tool Sheds And Hot Tubs

19. Blackpool Lights – Blue Skies

18. Blackpool Lights – Empty Tank

17. Angels & Airwaves – It Hurts

16. Grizzly Bear – Colorado

15. Joanna Newsom – Monkey & Bear

14. Blackpool Lights – It’s Never About What It’s About

13. Grizzly Bear – On A Neck, On A Split

12. Joanna Newsom – Emily

11. Matt Pond PA – Halloween

10. Kevin Devine – Me & My Friends

9. Blackpool Lights – This Town’s Disaster

8. Joanna Newsom – Sawdust & Diamonds

7. Sparta – Erase It Again

6. Kevin Devine – Just Stay

5. Matt Pond PA – City Song

4. Blackpool Lights – Unlucky

3. Blackpool Lights – Crash Sounds

2. Joanna Newsom – Only Skin

1. Joanna Newsom – Cosmia

A Few Notes On The Top 25 Songs For October

So, I lacked the time to write comments about 25 songs and still meet my first of the month deadline but there are still a few things I’d like to say about the Top 25 Song For October.

• This was the first time that I truly struggled to pick the top song. I’m still not sure that I made the right decision.
• “Cotton Crush” was the hot riser on the list. There no telling how high that song might have ranked if the list had been written a week later. I found myself grinning in pure ecstasy today when, for the first time, I discovered the lyrics “When a girl walks along. / She's humming your song, / with your t-shirt on. / That's when you're done, / Oh, that's when you're done.” Kevin Devine’s lyrics constantly amaze me. He would otherwise be an average lyricist but he has a fearlessness that allows him to address topics (such as being desperately lonely and then watching a girl walk by humming your song and wearing your t-shirt without even recognizing you) that others would never touch due to the risk of being clichéd, controversial, or awkward.
  

• Sam’s Town is the most enjoyably flawed album I’ve ever heard. The music is generally incredible but at times Brandon Flower’s Springsteen impression and lyrics are just laughably awful. I have never heard lyrics this stupid in my entire life: “When everybody else refrained / my Uncle Johnny did cocaine. / He convinced himself right in his brain / that it helps to take away the pain”; “I see London. / I see Sam’s Town”; and best of all “Now Adam’s taking bombs / and he’s stuck on his mom / because that bitch keeps trying to make him pray. / He’s with the hippy in the park / combing over the dark / just trying to get some of that little girl play.”
• I agree with Kevin that Out Of The Angeles is somewhat disappointing but that’s how sophomore releases often go. Everything I love about Amusement Parks On Fire was more or less displayed on their first album and it’s hard to imagine that band putting out an album that is drastically different from their debut and yet equally great. I still think Out Of The Angeles is a very good album and there’s a chance it will land on my Top Ten Albums Of The 2006 list in a couple months time.

Top 25 Songs For October

So, a couple things about the top songs of the month: first of all, it’s clearer than ever that we’re dealing with the Top 25 (not The Top 15) Songs of the Month. I’ve attempted this three times and ended up with 25 songs each time. There’s simply no reason to fight it anymore, that’s just how many great songs I get into each month and I don’t have the time required to whittle the list down to a top 15.

On that note, there are no comments for the songs this month. Presumably, I’m more disappointed about this than anyone since it was one of the goals I set out when I started this entry and my way of differentiating the list from Tom’s. I just did not have the time this month to attempt an insightful comment for twenty five songs and still meet my deadline. I spent every minute of last weekend visiting with Matt and writing my open memo, then went out to the bar to celebrate finishing the memo on Monday, went out to a bar to watch the Bulls last night, and will be attending a wine tasting at the school tonight. Unfortunately I’ve also been forced to fit my reading in there somewhere.

Without further ado, I give you the top 25 songs for October. As always, hit me up on AIM if you would like to receive the songs.

25. Ben Kweller – Nothing Happening

24. Amusement Parks On Fire – A Star Is Born

23. Now It’s Overhead – Daylight Daybreak

22. The Killers – Uncle Johnny

21. Amusement Parks On Fire – To The Shade

20. Ben Kweller – Until I Die

19. The Killers – Bling (Confessions Of A King)

18. Okkervil River – Your Other Man [Jandek Cover]

17. Amusement Parks On Fire – In Flight

16. Amusement Parks On Fire – Out Of The Angeles

15. The Hold Steady – Party Pit

14. Bound Stems – Wake Up, Ma And Pa Are Gone

13. The Killers – When You Were Young

12. Thom Yourke – The Eraser

11. The Killers – Read My Mind

10. Kevin Devine – No Time Flat

9. Kevin Devin – Cotton Crush

8. Amusement Parks On Fire – Blackout

7. The Killers – Exitlude

6. Sleater-Kinney – Far Away

5. The Hold Steady – You Can Make Him Like You

4. Now It’s Overhead – Estranged

3. Bound Stems – Excellent News, Colonel

2. Okkervil River – Love To A Monster

1. The Hold Steady – Chill Out Tent

Top 25 Songs For September

Plenty has changed since I listed my top 25 song for the month of July as an homage to my good friend Tom Fuller who lists his top 15 songs each month over at Bad Moon Rising. My original list featured 25 songs instead of 15 due to the intense volume of music I had been listening to in preparation for Lollapalooza 2006 while this list features 25 tunes to compensate for the absence of a top 15 for August.

While I initially envisioned the entry as a one time deal, I enjoyed compiling the list and appreciated having it available on my IPod as a playlist afterwards. Going forward, I now expect to write this entry each month. The wrinkle here is that I previously wrote that I no longer have the time to blog more than once a month which begs the question will this blog now consist of nothing more than a top 15 songs entry each month? My answer at this point is that I don’t know. I’m sure that if people bitch enough I will figure something out.

Finally, I’m trying to devise a good method to distribute the songs on this list to my readers. For now I will simply offer to send the tracks to any interested parties via an AIM file transfer. If anyone has a suggestion for different ways to distribute the songs, please let me know.

25. Juana Molina - Hay Que Ver Si Voy

- Apparently Juana Molina owes a debt to Iceland considering that she is frequently compared to Bjork while personally, I hear similarities to Sigur Ros.

24. Okkervil River – Unravel [Bjork cover]

- My brother Nick astutely points out that he has yet to hear a Bjork cover that is anything short of tremendous.

23. Rogue Wave – Medicine Ball

- Whether it was my increased appreciation of the song over the last few months or Zach Rogue’s Bush-bashing intro at Logan Square Auditorium, Rogue Wave’s live performance of “Medicine Ball” went from bizarre and mediocre to one of the highlights of their set between March and September.

22. Adem – Launch Yourself

- Considering that as of a month ago, I had heard a total of one song by Adem and Juana Molina, I am quite psyched to see the two perform at the Lakeshore Theater on the 14^th.

21. Asobi Seksu – Strings

- Damn straight I am using this list to punish Asobi Seksu for selling out Schubas prior to my arrival last Friday.

20. Sleater-Kinney – Get Up

- It’s all about the 1:54 mark where Carrie Brownstein begins to repeat the line “Fall Down On Your Own”.

19. The Hold Steady – First Night

- The Hold Steady have written ballads before (“Killer Parties”, “Don’t Let Me Explode), but nothing like this five minute long track updating us on Charlemagne, Holly, and Gideon and employing violin, female backing vocals, and a fierce crescendo.

18. Say Hi To Your Mom – Prefers Unhappy Endings

- This track brilliantly plays off “She Just Happens To Date The Prince Of Darkness,” the track immediately preceding it, in a manner similar to the way Maritime’s “Tearing Up The Oxygen” plays off “Calm”.

17. Adem – Something’s Going To Come

- While the phrase “always love” was more powerful the first time I heard it in Nada Surf’s “Always Love,” the lyrics “Don’t look so forlorn / something’s going to come / I don’t know where from / I just know” epitomize the somber, cautious optimism which elevates Love & Other Planets.

16. Forget Cassettes – Lonely Does It

- After performing “Lonely Does It,” Forget Cassettes Bassist Jay Leo Phillips told the audience at the Note that we snapped better than the crowds in New York, leading me to shout out “Fuck New York!” This may have been the highlight of what was an excellent show.

15. Adem – These Are Your Friends

- I am forever indebted to Mark Wheat for turning me on to Adem via this wistful epic.

14. Nirvana – Talk To Me [Live]

- While doing some preliminary work on a Nirvana rarities and b-sides mix, I found myself asking for the umpteenth time how it is possible that one of the band’s best rarities lacks a studio recording.

13. Forget Cassettes – Venison

- My life changed for the better from the moment Forget Cassettes opened their set with “Venison” at the Annex in Madison, Wisconsin on October 29^th, 2004.

12. Rogue Wave – Endless Shovel

- A standout track off of Out Of The Shadow, due to the album’s lo-fi production, I failed to realize that the fierce instrumental outro existed prior to witnessing a blissful performance of the song a few weeks back.

11. Built To Spill – Untrustable, Part 2

- I nearly had a heart attack after discovering “Untrustable, Part 2” listed as the closer in Built To Spill’s Lollapalooza set list. I backed away from the ledge after being assured by some of my fellow concertgoers that it was not possible for the band to have played any additional songs, yet still would have preferred to remain ignorant about the missed opportunity to see such a powerful epic performed live. Finally beholding the song in a concert setting more than justified my expectations.

10. The Long Winters – Rich Wife

- While The Long Winters ultimately landed just two tracks on this list, the three final cuts were all songs from Putting The Days To Bed.

9. Adem – Love & Other Planets

- Adem sometimes employs a brilliant lyrical device where he unexpectedly attaches a second meaning to a phrase invoked elsewhere in a song. Example #1 comes from this breathtaking dirge: “But on a clear night, / If you look close enough / you can just make out love /and other planets / we are not alone.”

8. The Long Winters – Pushover

- I am going to put the over/under for the number of times Kevin has listened to Putting The Days To Bed at 0.5.

7. Adem – Everything You Need

- Example #2: after using the phrase “everything you need” throughout the song to refer to someone leaving behind the people and place that matter most, Adem croons “You got your stuff you packed your bags / you checked your things made sure you had / everything you need.”

6. Sufjan Stevens – Springfield, Or Bobby Got A Shadfly Caught In His Hair

- I’m sure there are Sufjan lines better than “And if my wife took a bicycle ride / with a knife in her hand / I saw it coming,” but I can’t think of any right now.

5. Say Hi To Your Mom – She Just Happens To Date The Prince Of Darkness

- There is no better way to appeal to my music sensibilities than to write a seven minute song which begins with a reference to the Wisconsin Dells and ends with a three minute long instrumental build.

4. Forget Cassettes – My Maraschino

- If anyone can help me figure out what “On a ete tacher” means, it would be greatly appreciated.

3. Rogue Wave – Sewn Up

- A searing live number and one of most perfect pop songs ever written, this ditty would have easily snared the number one slot had this list existed six months ago.

2. Sleater-Kinney – Hot Rock

- Words can’t explain how exciting it is to know that there are still four Sleater-Kinney albums which I’ve never heard.

1. Forget Cassettes – Salt And Syncope

- …and Salt joins We, The Vehicles on the short list for my favorite album of the year.

New Beginnings

• First and foremost I must thank the folks responsible for my successful move from Saint Paul to Chicago (in chronological order): 1) my mother for discovering my apartment 2) Kevin for providing me with transportation to my bullshit U-Haul pick-up location in Coon Rapids and helping to load my new couch from my grandparents’ apartment into the truck 3) Josh, Erin, and Emily for helping with the massive task of loading the truck 4) Dad, Nick, and Andrew for unloading my possessions from the truck into my apartment. One area in which I need to improve is my willingness to ask others for help. I asked the aforementioned people for help once if at all, and they rushed to my aid. I am not exaggerating when I write that without them I would not have arrived in Chicago in one piece. Thanks guys.

• I am reasonable well settled in to my new apartment. Below are some snapshots of my living space. The apartment is not huge by any means but provides plenty of space for a one person. I discovered that – much to my relief – there is enough room to utilize the pullout bed, meaning that I have enough room to house three guests comfortably. I hope those of you who live outside the city will find a time to visit in the near future.

• Orientation was surprisingly overwhelming. I have not been in a position where I have needed to make new friends since my first year of college five years ago. Furthermore, eight to nine hour days and the confirmation that law school is in fact an unforgiving and time consuming experience seems enough to give most people an ulcer.

• As promised (you can stop pestering me now Jaaker) below are the concerts I am considering attending in the next few months. I became considerably depressed last week when I discovered that the city offers far more shows than I will be able to attend considering my disposable income and free time. I am currently attempting to devise a point system of some sort to determine which shows I will attend. The only shows I have already purchased tickets for are the Okkervil River dates at Schubas. Kevin will be driving down with my car to attend and we are quite excited. Shows with a low price that take place during the weekend (i.e. Forget Cassettes and Pretty Girls Make Graves) are more or less a slam dunk at this point.

09/05 - Band Of Horses - Metro - $16 - Tuesday

09/07 - Rogue Wave - Logan Square Auditorium - $12/15 - Thursday

09/07 - The Dears - Schubas - $14 - Thursday

09/09 - Forget Cassettes - The Note - $? - Saturday

09/10 - The Smoking Popes - Empty Bottle - $15 - Sunday

09/10 - Shearwater - Subterranean - $8 - Sunday

09/13 - Cat Power - The Vic - $25.50 - Wednesday

09/15 - Built to Spill - Metro - $19/21 - Friday

09/16 - Built to Spill - Metro - $19/21 - Saturday

09/22 - The Mars Volta - The Aragon - $35 - Friday

09/22 - The Bound Stems (Record Release) - Schubas - $10 - Friday - 7 PM w/ Metal Hearts, 10 PM opening for Asobi Seksu

09/25 - Cursive - The Metro - $17/19 - Monday

09/26 - Sufjan Stevens - The Riviera - $24 - Tuesday - Sold Out

10/06 - The Long Winters - Subterranean - $10/12 - Friday

10/06 - Sunset Rubdown - Logan Square Auditorium - $12/14 - Friday

10/07 - Okkervil River - Schubas - $12/14 - Saturday

10/08 - Okkervil River - Schubas - $12/14 - Sunday

10/09 - Secret Machines - Park West - $20 - Monday

10/12 - Art Brut w/ We Are Scientists - The Metro - $18 - Thursday

10/13 - Say Hi To Your Mom - Schubas - $10 - Friday

10/14 - Juana Molina w/ Adem - Lakeshore Theater (3175 N. Broadway) - $15/18 - Saturday

10/17 - Cold War Kids - Schubas - $10 - Tuesday

10/19 - Maritime w/ Bound Stems - Subterranean - $10 - Thursday

10/26 - The Hold Steady - The Metro - $16 - Thursday

10/27 - Xiu Xiu - Logan Square Auditorium - Friday

10/31 - ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - House of Blues - $17.50 - Tuesday

11/10 - Geoff Farina (Karate) - Schubas - $10 - Friday

11/03 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - The Empty Bottle - $10 - Friday

11/14 - Thursday w/ Rise Against - Congress Theatre - $18.50 - Tuesday

11/16 - Say Anything w/ Piebald - Metro - $13/15 - Thursday

The first person who can identify the joke from Kingpin referenced in the title to this entry wins a prize.

Top 25 Songs Of The Month

Three weeks without an update? Let's be honest here, this blog is on life support. I thought it might be a good idea to start a blog detailing my relocation from Saint Paul to Chicago but the obvious problem is that moving takes up a lot of fucking time. Furthermore, it seems unreasonable to expect that I will have substantial free time with which to write in this space once I become a full time law school student in a few weeks. In retrospect I wish I had created this blog last summer, since from that period up until I few weeks ago, I actually had the time to sit down for three hours at a time and author epic blog entries. As it stands, it seems doubtful that I will find the time to write a blow by blow account of Lollapalooza 2006 or my take the season two finale of Hell's Kitchen. This disappoints me greatly, but I promise to soldier on and create some sort of material to fill this space from time to time. As long as a handful of my readers are willing to stay aboard despite increasingly infrequent updates, I will uphold my end of the bargain and author a new entry every month or so.

It suddenly dawned on me at one point last evening that I could painlessly write an entry about the fifteen songs I have enjoyed the most this month as an homage to my good friend Tom who has been battling his ass off in the World Series of Poker. When push came to shove I ran into massive problems whittling the list down to fifteen songs. In preparation for Lollapalooza, I have listened to far more albums during the past month than during any other period in my life and found myself unable to go any further once the list was narrowed down to twenty two songs. I ultimately copped out and just expanded the list to twenty five songs. I could go on for some time throwing out caveats, explaining my methodology, and describing biases which came into play but it's far easier and more enjoyable to just hit you with the list:

25. Common - Testify

- One of the better hooks I've heard in a rap song in recent memory.

24. The Hold Steady - Killer Parties

- I am still attempting to decide which Hold Steady lyric(s) to put on a t-shirt that I will wear during the final day of Lollapalooza.

23. Jens Lekman - Julie Rmx

- Previously one of my least favorite songs on "Oh You're So Silent Jens", the song provided an incredible feel good moment at the end of the Jens show at Triple Rock on Friday.

22. Sonic Youth - Jams Run Free

- Attempting to get into a band with over fifteen studio albums sure is intimidating.

21. Jens Lekman - Jens Lekman's Farewell Song To Rocky Dennis

- "All those things you're supposed to do /I could have done them if I had you." A disappointing omission from the Triple Rock set, I decided this is the best song on "Oh You're So Silent Jens" in the days leading up to the show.

20. Wilco - Radio Cure

- I cannot even begin to offer an explanation for how I slept on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot for so long.

19. Wilco - Reservations

- The end of this song more successfully accomplishes what the conclusion of Radiohead's "Motion Picture Soundtrack" (one of my favorite songs of all time) strives to do.

18. Wilco - I'm The Man Who Loves You

- The horns get me every single time.

17. Ben Kweller - I Need You Back

- I heard the "I'm so lost without you" backing vocals for the first time last night while out on a run and my mind was completely blown.

16. Kanye West - Spaceship

- There's something really cathartic about the line "If my manager insults me again / I will be assaulting him".

15. The Shins - Gone For Good

- I imagine there is a case to be made that this is the most underrated Shins song.

14. The Subways - With You

- In many ways, Young For Eternity is the most hit or miss album I have ever heard.

13. Ben Kweller - Wasted & Ready

- It is impossible to hear this song more than a few times without singing along.

12. Mates Of State - Running Out

- I find melodically shouted back up vocals (see "Leave (Get Out)" by JoJo) to be completely irresistible.

11. Sonic Youth - Reena

- I suppose that selecting this song as the opener to Rather Ripped is the type of masterstroke that becomes commonplace once a band has been together for nearly twenty years.

10. The Shins - Saint Simon

- Oh my god the xylophone.

9. Cursive - Bad Sects

- No song about a homosexual affair between a young seminary student and a sexually repressed priest has ever been this good.

8. Ben Kweller - Hear Me Out

- Surprisingly, this turned out be the ultimate accompaniment to a Sunday afternoon trip to Target marred by a hangover resulting more from time spent in the presence of a girl the night before than from all the drinks I consumed.

7. The Shins - Kissing The Lipless

- I cannot even begin to offer an explanation for how I slept on the Shins for so long.

6. Cursive - Into The Fold

- I am still trying to process the fact that the two best songs on the new Cursive album are both ballads.

5. The Subways - No Goodbyes

- The best Noel Gallagher song I've heard in years.

4. Sleater-Kinney - Modern Girl

- Quite possibly the most gorgeous song on the list.

3. Ben Kweller - In Other Words

- There is an 83 post debate over the merit of the lyric "The butterfly are passive aggressive and put their problems on the shelf / but they're beautiful" over at SongMeanings.net. I promise I am not making this up.

2. Ben Kweller - Harriet's Got A Song

- Rivers Cuomo would trade the entirety of the last three Weezer albums (how sad is it that I needed to check AllMusic to see how many Weezer albums have been released since Pinkerton?) just for the "Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Dooooooooooooo" part of this song.

1. Wilco - I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

- "I'd always thought that if I held you tightly / You'd always love me like you did back then / Then I fell asleep and the city kept blinking / What was I thinking when I let you back in?"

"I've been trying to get people to call me Sunny D. I've got the good stuff kids go for. People keep calling me Five Alive. "

It is hard to believe I wrote that my flirtation with blogging was in full swing less than a month ago. I assure you that ever since I spent countless hours authoring a three part series detailing my obsession with the band Maritime, the opposite has been true. I spent the last week pondering a bullet points style entry featuring random musings and updates about my impending move to Chicago but in the end I just could not work up the energy to write what figured to be another lengthy and long winded offering. Fortunately, I learned from the disintegration of my first blog that it is quite difficult to retain readers without updating your blog from time to time. So, in the interest of post an entry for the first time in two weeks and doing so in less than twenty minutes, here are the six (that number can also be chalked up to laziness) most enjoyable albums I have acquainted myself with over the last few weeks in preparation for Lollapalooza 2006 (in no particular order):















Mates of State - Bring It Back
















Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped















The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
















Cursive - Happy Hollow
















The Hold Steady - Almost Killed Me
















Ben Kweller - Sha Sha

We Are Powerful Despite Our Injuries, Part III: We Don't Think So, We Know

I realize most people do not consider Tuesday to be part of the weekend but this blog is all about challenging the way people think and I’m sick and tired of making apologizes for delayed Maritime-themed blog entries so, without further ado: On Thursday, Kevin, Carrie, and I arrived at the 7^th Street Entry just shy of 9 PM. I was rather dismayed to read the posted set times of “Ada Jane – 9:30”, “Bound Stems – 10:30”, and “Maritime – 11:30”, especially after I had called First Ave earlier in the evening and received approximate set times of 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00. I later remarked to Kevin that I could only name one difference between the evening’s show and the Art Brut concert the two of us had attended at the Entry a few months earlier for which doors opened and 5:00 and - despite the presence of just one opening act - the music started at 6:00. The distinction was that while the Art Brut matinee was an all ages affair, patrons for the Maritime show were required to be at least 18 years of ages and as a result, alcohol was freely served inside the Entry. I have previously been victimized by similar tactics at the 400 Bar and frankly I find it disgusting that any venue would force concertgoers to sit around for up to an hour an a half in a desperate attempt to make a few extra bucks on drinks. With the exception of one particularly engrossing, jumpsuit-clad man in his forties, no one seemed to be drinking uncontrollably due to the extended downtime.

Ada Jane specializes in the type of country influenced folk that bores me to an extent more or less unparalleled by all other genres. To make matters worse, the front man continuously made uneasy references to the band’s absent bass player. I spent a good portion of the set pondering whether the bass player decided to stand up his bandmates during a high exposure gig opening for a national touring act or whether the venue simply wanted to maximize potential drink sales so badly that it unflinchingly booked two thirds of a relatively unknown local trio to open. The lone highlight of the set was a series of three or four fast paced rock songs played in succession which briefly garnered the audience’s enthusiasm. Sadly, the lead singer confessed immediately thereafter that the duo did not have anymore rock songs in their repertoire and again lulled the crowd to sleep, this time for the duration of the performance.

Whether it was the elaborate artificial ivy decorating the stage, the wide array of instruments on display, or the sheer number of performers, Chicago’s The Bound Stems exuded a vibe which left no doubt the band’s set would be a success prior to even taking the stage. Maritime’s Flameshovel labelmates offered a unique combination of ragged post-rock paired with irresistible male-female vocals. I can write with relative certainty that I have never seen a band take such delight in performing. In fact, on several separate occasions, frontman Bobby Gallivan could not help but rhythmically pat multi-instrumentalist Janie Porch on the shoulder and grin uncontrollably as the two sang in unison. Sadly, I later discovered in a devastating turn of events that Porch appears on neither The Logic of Building the Body Plan EP, the Stems only release currently available, nor the outfit’s forthcoming full length. Nevertheless, I still plan to investigate band’s first two records and eagerly anticipate attending a Bound Stems show after I relocate to the Windy City.

I envisioned the first three songs of Maritime’s set in a dream. Well…that’s a little bit of an exaggeration. In actuality, after repeated listenings to The Glass Floor in the days prior to the show, I realized (while awake) that “The Window Is The Door” would be the most sensible opener because the song is phenomenal, represents the first track on one of the band’s two releases, and features slow pacing which would bog down what figured to be an otherwise upbeat set heavy on material from We, The Vehicles. “Calm” would logically take things up a notch next as opener 1B and it would be unthinkable to break up the mini suite I praised at such great length in Part II, meaning that “Tearing Up The Oxygen” would be the band’s third song. As soon as the recently reconfigured quartet took the stage with drummer Dan Diddier manning the keys, the deal was sealed.

While “The Window Is The Door” was predictably gorgeous, “Calm” and “Tearing Up The Oxygen” represented the evening’s greatest disappointment aside from the forty five tedious minutes during which Ada Jane was onstage. The band appeared to suffer from the rust and over exuberance of playing its first gig in months. Both songs were ragged and “Tearing Up The Oxygen” in particular suffered from a regrettably fast tempo that smothered the tune’s irresistible pop gloom. Perhaps due to a lack of proper warm ups, Davey von Bohlen’s vocals were not only rushed but repeatedly off key. What happened next was every bit as shocking as the magnificence of We, The Vehicles: the band righted the ship with a performance of “We Don’t Think, We Know” – the same song I labeled the poorest track on the album in part two of this series – and from that point forward, never looked back. The best offerings on We, The Vehicles soared as “No One Will Remember You Tonight” offered redoubled brooding intensity and “Don’t Say You Don’t” went over so well the band jokingly threatened to launch into the song for a second time. Perhaps more impressively, middling tracks from Glass Floor such as “Someone Has To Die” and “All My Days Go By” (which I swear Davey incorrectly referenced as “If You Want To Go Out”), greatly benefiting from a louder attack and quickened pace, seamlessly fit alongside the expertly crafted material from We, The Vehicles.

In yet another surprising outcome, the highlight of the show may have been the effervescence exhibited by Maritime’s front man Davey von Bohlen. Some unflattering rumors about von Bohlen surfaced after The Promise Ring’s Wood/Water was met with disapproval from the band’s fan base and Maritime’s inauspicious beginnings did little to rebuild Davey’s reputation. I must admit that my eyebrows were raised when in the months after the release of a tremendous new Maritime album, the only interviews I could locate on the internet were conducted with Didier or departed bass player Eric Axelson and not the band’s lead singer, guitar player, and primary songwriter. However, I kid you not when I say that the man could not have been more of a delight. Davey performed with ample energy, shimmying lightheartedly across the stage on several different occasions. While extended bouts of silence to allow for tuning occurred early on, Davey soon picked up the pace with hilarious and charming anecdotes about Paul Simon, his inability to tune a guitar, and being lectured by a college professor who constantly remarks “You don’t understand. Just several years ago, everyone did not own a cell phone!” After the conclusion of the set, the man himself responded to my cry of “Davey, I was hoping for an encore!” by walking right up to me, placing his arm around my shoulder, and deadpanning “I know. I was trying to talk you out of it.” He then proceeded to regale Kevin and myself with self deprecating insight on the recording of his vocals and an unforgettable story about the reason the band no longer attempts “Adios” in concert.

What follows is an undeniably cheesy conclusion to this three part series and perhaps largely the result of fatigue but after spending multiple hours authoring these entries, my one and only hope is that the few readers I have will take the time to download a few tracks from We, The Vehicles. I do not offer such unbridled support of an album lightly and spending a brief amount of time in the presence of the band and most notably Davey leaves me convinced that such an amazing work could not have come from a much nicer group of guys. I suppose this axiom of mine has been proven false in other instances, but I firmly believe that due to the quality of the songwriting and performances, anyone who gives We, The Vehicles a legitimate chance will come to love at least several different moments throughout the course of the album.

We Are Powerful Despite Our Injuries, Part Two: It's A Sin To Know That We Are Powerful

The first listening of We, The Vehicles should be more striking and revelatory than it actually is in practice. I cannot offer a definitive explanation for why this is true. One critical reason is likely that it is difficult for anyone to ever come remotely close to fully appreciating a quality album when hearing it for the first time. Repeated exposure is generally required for even the catchiest of melodies to resonate while the subtleties of an exceptional recording cannot be absorbed without repeated samplings. Perhaps I simply experienced We, The Vehicles for the first time in a less than ideal setting by listening to the album passively while dealing with mundane tasks at work. Regardless, after obsessing over every last note of Maritime’s second full length for the better part of a month, I find it shocking that the first thirty seconds of the album alone did not provoke me to leap up from my chair in ecstasy.

The sleek, melodic, and buzzing guitar line which signals the beginning of “Calm” immediately breaks loose from the shackles of the balladry which dominates Wood/Water and Glass Floor. As if in direct protest against the mindlessly introspective down tempo tunes representative his recent work, Davey von Bohlen opens the track by singing “Ballads laugh at everyone / worse than silence is their song” over a driving, head bobbing rhythm. Propelled by instrumentation that is neither sparse nor subdued, it is von Bohlen’s soaring vocal melody as opposed to the unspectacular quality of his vocals which grabs the listeners’ attention. Twice, the song builds until Dan Didier’s tom hits transform into restrained yet emotive thrashing on the high hats. The first climax peaks with the impeccably delivered “Cause it’s a sin to know / that we are powerful” while the second build peters out before transitioning into the second half of perhaps the best two song suite I have ever heard.

At this point it is possible I will simply never be capable of completely wrapping my head around the first several seconds of We, The Vehicles second track, “Tearing Up The Oxygen”. Barely audible guitar accompanied by a heavily EQ’d electronic drumbeat tease the listener until the song erupts with a devastatingly plaintive, distorted guitar melody. The most striking feature of the intro is that the theme of “Calm” is repeated seemingly in reverse and with the absence of each note that lends the opener any sense of optimism or exuberance. During my first listening of We, The Vehicles, I actually did jump up from my seat to determine whether “Calm” had taken a turn of epic proportions or a second track had begun. After careful consideration, the only conclusion I can reach is that the transition between the first two songs is simply one of the greatest achievements in sequencing in the history of the world. This is not to suggest by any means that the remainder of the song pales in comparison to intro. Von Bohlen unleashes arguably the most memorable melody of the album while crafting a lyrically breathtaking love song about a road weary soldier (“So now I chase my bags / someday they’ll take me home / my clothes are worn so thin they accent my bones”) lost without his lover or perhaps alternately, his fans (When your eyes are off me, I’m alone / they could be anywhere / I should be so lucky”).

The third song on We, The Vehicles that no person should die without hearing is the unforgettable “Don’t Say You Don’t”. I could expend considerable effort attempting to dress up the track with flowery imagery, but the simple fact of the matter is that “Don’t Say You Don’t” happens to have one of the most addictively catchy, poignant hooks I can recall. The thrice repeated segment of the song where Davey improbably wails “There’s no night to fall in / where the sirens calling” is the closet to floating I have ever come while listening to music. A large portion of the credit for this should be attributed to Von Bohlen’s ascending guitar line which careens the listener further and further upwards until the rhythm section of Didier and Eric Axelson casts an anchor with taut syncopation while Davey cries out “We are up all ours”. After repeated listenings this should come as little surprise considering the frequency with which von Bohlen’s surprising skillful riffage carries the tunes as Axelson provides the foundation. A true measure of the song’s captivating hook can be found in the intense pain the listener experiences during the track’s conclusion in spite of a graciously gradual outro.

While I can classify only the three aforementioned tracks as frighteningly great, I could not in good conscious endorse an album so thoroughly if the remaining tracks were not admirable in their own right. Unlike von Bohlen’s most recent penmanship, virtually every offering on the album features a mid tempo, borderline danceable beat alongside a strong pop melody. The only possible exception to this rule is the light hearted, harmonica-tinged “We Don’t Think So, We Know”. From start to finish, the record pairs a quiet and dignified confidence with a stoic, workmanlike effort. At times it even seems as though the band made a concerted effort to abandon ornate, textured songwriting in favor of crafting a commendably straightforward rock album. In retrospect, perhaps the results should not seem so astonishing. Maybe von Bohlen – not unlike an athlete viewing old footage of a successful performance – listened to 30° Everywhere one night, decided to go back to basics, and rediscovered his mojo. Nevertheless, I find myself unable to shake the feeling that We, The Vehicles represents one of the most stunning reversals of fortunes in recent indie rock history. For this reason and countless others, I will be beside myself at approximately 9 PM tomorrow evening when Davey, Dan, and new members Justin Klug and Dan Hiss (sadly, Eric Axelson left the band upon the completion of We, The Vehicle) take the stage at the Seventh Street Entry. Be sure to keep an eye on this space for a detailed account of the show sometime this weekend.

We Are Powerful Despite Our Injuries, Part One: Say Goodbye Good

I strongly associate The Promise Ring, Maritime front man Davey von Bohlen and drummer Dan Diddier’s monstrously influential former outfit, with my Alma Matter, Macalester College. I can recall reading two articles in the Mac Weekly the weekend that I visited the school as a prospective student. The first reported on a fire that caused damage to several Bigelow dorms while the second previewed an upcoming performance by the Promise Ring at First Avenue. The college and the emo torchbearers became further intertwined when the legendary Wyn Douglas ’03 booked The Promise Ring to headline Macalester’s inaugural Fallfest during my sophomore year. While my familiarity with the band remained limited to a shoddy burned copy of Nothing Feels Good, I found the prospect of a celebrated indie rock act performing at our tiny liberal arts school to be intensely exhilarating. While I would later enjoy two of the most memorable experiences of my life thanks to Superdrag’s performance at Springfest 2003 and the Wrens domination of a cottage basement in the aftermath of Springfest 2005, the biggest name prior to The Promise Ring in my time at Mac was the lamentable Rah Diggah. Needless to say when I spotted Davey eating corn on the cob on a bench a mere fifty feet away during the beginning of the festival, I was completely star struck.

Sadly, my warm fuzzy feelings towards The Promise Ring faded shortly after Sarah Kiener finished spewing ipecac induced vomit and the band took the stage. Von Bohlen proceeded to lead the troops through performance after performance of the plodding ballads from the band’s most recent offering, Wood/Water. While the album received substantial praise from the critics, it represented a jarring break from the sound of the group’s previous material and generated considerable dissension throughout the band’s fan base. While the majority of the crowd at Fallfest was presumably unfamiliar with the band’s catalogue, I was joined by a crowd of serious fans at the front of the stage. I was most definitely not alone in my displeasure with the set list. One friend of mine actually located a pen and paper, jotted down a superior set list, and then successfully placed it at von Bohlen’s feet. One of the highlights and lowlights of the band’s performance occurred when guitarist Jason Gnewikow suddenly produced some type of wooden flute during one particularly snooze worthy song. The sight of the bearded, overweight man locked into extreme concentration while playing notes on such a ridiculous instrument provoked fits of uncontrollable laughter from the group at the front of the stage. The lone breath of fresh air during the set was a stunning run through of Nothing Feels Good’s “Red & Blue Jeans” which to this day remains one of the best live performances of a song I have ever witnessed. Several songs later, the well compensated headliner’s set abruptly concluded at the behest of the Saint Paul Police due to the lack of an acceptable noise permit. As the visibly defeated and road weary band exited the stage, a group of students belted “Is This Thing On?”, the band’s signature track, at the top of their lungs. The Promise Ring disbanded less than a month later.

Prior to Saturday evening my exposure to Wood/Water had been limited to several isolated downloads, the tolerable single “Stop Playing Guitar”, and my aforementioned experience at Fallfest 2002. I came to the conclusion that for this entry to be properly researched I would need to listen to Wood/Water from start to finish at least one time. There is little I can write about Wood/Water that has not already been deftly stated in Brett DiCrescenzo’s review of the album for Pitchfork Media. I will only add that my perception of the songs as plodding, gratingly whimsical ballads with less than memorable melodies were largely validated and that I cannot believe I waited so incredibly long to listen to the horrifying train wreck of a song that is “Say Goodbye Good” after reading DiCrescenzo’s dead on critique.

After The Promise Ring fell apart, von Bohlen quickly formed Maritime with TPR drummer Dan Diddier and former Dismemberment Plan bassist Eric Axelson. Eager to forgive and forget Wood/Water and encouraged by Pitchfork’s review of the outstanding title track, I quickly downloaded the band’s debut, the Adios EP. While the remaining four tracks are not particularly impressive and retain some of the qualities present on Wood/Water, I maintained an open mind about the act’s forthcoming full length debut, Glass Floor. When the album was finally released I was stopped in my tracks by Pitchfork’s Sam Ubl. Pitchfork Media’s reputation for snobbery is well earned, so while I do generally value the opinions of the staff, I attempt to brush off disparaging reviews of highly anticipated albums. In this particularly instance however, Ubl so perfectly articulated the horror of the bland songwriting present on von Bohlen’s most recent outings that I found myself unable to resist the writer’s suggestion to stear clear of the album at all costs. Terrified of another devastating let down from a man who crafted three of the 90’s best rock albums, I refused to so much as download the album for the purpose of just one cursory listening. That is of course until Saturday night when my quest for semi-credible blogging got the better of me and I decided that I had no choice but to listen to Glass Floor at least one time from start to finish. While I now disagree with Ubl’s conclusion that the album is in fact “even more tepid” than Wood/Water, the songs remain sluggish and continue to lack captivating melodies. The best track on the album – the aforementioned “Adios” – was previously released and the only remaining winsome track is the opener, “The Window Is the Door”.

When a songwriter goes three years and several releases without a glint of magic, it becomes reasonable to assume there will be no turning back. One can therefore imagine my surprise upon haphazardly discovering two months ago that the very same Pitchfork Media which so accurately lambasted Davey von Bohlen’s previous two works rewarded Maritime’s newest release a stellar 7.8 rating. The reality of the situation however, was that no words - no matter how expressive - could adequately prepare me for the astounding experience of listening to the glorious masterpiece that is We, The Vehicles.

To be continued tomorrow with part two …

Buyer Beware

I had not planned on authoring a blog entry this evening until I strolled past the living room and overheard a Tires Plus commercial in the background. Without further ado, I present you with five reasons to avoid setting foot in Tires Plus at all costs.

1) I decided to bring my beloved ‘88 Acura Legend to the nearby Tires Plus after discovering a coupon for a $13.99 oil change and tire rotation in the Sunday Star Tribune one afternoon as I waited to have my hair cut at the Highland Park Great Clips. When I arrived and stated my intentions, the employee behind the counter entered the year, make, and model of my ride into the store computer. He then informed me that because ’88 Legends do not use one of the fifteen most common oil filters there would be ten dollar fee to have my filter delivered from a nearby location. Disappointed with this development, I naively inquired whether I would likely face a similar predicament at most shops. The employee offered that aside from Valvoline who specializes in oil changes, very few establishments should be expected to carry the filter. Having driven close to four thousand miles without an oil change and conscious of the fact I drive a foreign car older than my college-bound younger brother, I relented. I have since learned that at least one major service chain performs oil changes on my vehicle at no additional charge (more on this in reason #5 below).

2) Before paying, I asked the aforementioned employee whether I would be subjected to a lengthy wait since my oil filter was being delivered from another location. He casually warned me that while the delivery of the filter would not cause a delay, the current wait for an oil change stood at two hours and advised against agreeing to the procedure if I could not drop off my vehicle and retrieve it later. This struck me as an exceedingly long amount of time to perform a simple oil change and tire rotation. As a proud car owner for only the last five months, I had never gone in for an oil change before. However, based on all the advertisements I had witnessed for early bird specials, I assumed working folk stop in for an oil change on the way to the job in the morning and are on their way in twenty to thirty minutes time. Because it was a sunny Saturday afternoon and I had little to do, I gladly walked back to the apartment after agreeing to anticipate a phone call announcing the completion of the oil change in a couple hours. I have since discovered that at least one major service chain performs oil changes in fifteen minutes as the customer waits (again, there will be more on this below).

3) About two hours after I dropped off my ride and forty five minutes after Michael Barrett sucker punched A.J. Pierzynski in the face, the sweet sounds of Sabotage emanted from my phone and an unknown number with a (local) 651 area code appeared on the screen. With the White Sox absolutely drubbing the Cubs at this point, I had grown somewhat bored sitting around the apartment waiting for the phone to ring and was excited to go pick up my baby. However, instead of urging me to head back to the store, the Tires Plus technician told me that my front and rear break pads were badly worn and asked if I would like them replaced. I responded with a horrified “Uh, no…I don’t think so,” and then asked what the damage would be if I authorized the repairs. While nowhere near a mirror at the time, I assume my face became quite pale when he indicated it would be over seven hundred dollars to replace all four sets of pads. After the technician stated I would receive another call once the oil change and tire rotation was completed, I hung up and immediately dialed my father. My old man is not an expert when it comes to cars, but he expressed shock that break work would cost more than a couple hundred dollars each for the front and back unless Tires Plus was proposing major cylinder work. I later found out that at least one major service chain performs premium break pad replacement service for a hundred dollars per axel, or four hundred dollars for an entire vehicle (once again, see #5 below).

4) The phone call I received from the Tires Plus technician occurred at around 2:30. Naturally I expected the second call stating I could pick up my car about ten minutes afterwards. By the time four o’clock rolled around, my last ounce of patience had faded. I marched out of the apartment towards Tires Plus. From a block away I could clearly see my beautiful red Legend parked out front. I immediately stopped in my tracks and dialed the store. The employee who answered told me the car was ready to go. His tone of voice conveyed that the car had been ready for some time. I replied that I would be there right away with what was probably more than a slight trace of irony and resentment in my voice.

5) Sunday evening, roughly a month after my experience with Tires Plus, I noticed smoke escaping from the hood of my car while stopped at a stoplight on Hennepin Avenue. After I arrived at my grandparent’s apartment at the Calhoun Beach Club, my cousin Alex took a peak under the hood. While he could not pinpoint the source of the problem, he discovered oil leaking from the car and theorized that this might be a contributing factor. Needless to say, after putting $1900 into a rebuilt transmission in January, I was a nervous wreck from the time I arrived at my grandparent’s Sunday night until I had the opportunity to take my vehicle into the local Car-X after work on Monday. The good folks at Car-X determined the smoke (toxic coolant which I inhaled deeply while attempting to determine the source of the “smoke”?) had emanated from a blown A/C compressor. Completely unrelated was the steady stream of oil dripping from the vehicle which the technicians pointed out to me. The diagnosis? A faulty oil filter. I nearly broke into an uncontrollable, delirious fit of laughter when one of the technicians suggested returning to whoever had performed the previous oil change and asking to have the filter replaced. I instead opted to have the skilled professionals at Car-X perform a new oil change for a flat fee of $19.99 while I waited and be on my way with the comfort of knowing no person employed by Tires Plus would ever lay another hand on my dearest car.

Epilogue: Because Tires Plus also rotated the tires on my car I now drive in constant fear that one of them will fall off at any given moment. For the love of God, please do not allow anyone you know to patronize Tires Plus. Society will be far better off. I intend to bring this entry to the attention of the company and will post an update detailing any response I receive.

This Could Be Love

My flirtation with blogging is in full swing. If time and motivation had permitted, I could have theoretically authored three separate blog entries today in addition to the entry which follows: a stern warning against ever trusting Tires Plus to lay a hand on your vehicle (which I assure you will be forthcoming the next week or two), a dull and rambling piece about the different roles self discipline plays in my life I wrote during a break at work, and my long rumored discussion of We, The Vehicles (I decided today that I have spent an average of half an hour a day over the last two and a half weeks pondering different comments to write about that album). Then again…had I taken the time to post the first three entries mentioned above, I most likely would not have been perched on the couch long enough to witness the two-episode, two-hour season premier of Hell’s Kitchen which ultimately represented the most satisfying subject to blog about before hitting the hay.

Prior to this evening, I had never viewed an episode of Hell’s Kitchen. The advertisements for the second season that began to pop up a couple weeks ago did nothing to diminish my perception of the program as a worthless vehicle for a farcically enraged British chef. The stars aligned to place me in front of the television at 7 PM on a Monday evening with absolutely nothing on television aside from Hell’s Kitchen. If not for an emergency trip to Car-X, a celebratory stop at Little Caesars afterwards, and a return trip to the then closed Car-X to attempt to retrieve the back pack I forgot in the waiting room, you would not be reading this blog entry right now.

The most striking of my misconceptions about Hell’s Kitchen pertain to the program’s featured personality, World Class Chef Gordon Ramsey. For starters, Chef Ramsey’s intense rage is not a mere ratings ploy as one would expect. While the Chef undeniably aims to maintain a tough love approach with the contestants, his venomous comments rarely come across as forced. It is difficult to say for certain when Fox both employs bleeping noises and pixelates the individual’s mouths to obscure profane speech but I doubt the word “fuck” has ever been uttered so frequently during a reality TV show. The fact that it is Ramsey - in the Donald Trump/Tyra Banks/Jeff Probst role - who drops the majority of the F-Bombs is beyond delightful. That is not to say however, that the effortlessness nature of the Chef’s nastiness is the only quality which renders his fury convincing. There are times when the man simply loses it. Completely. One particular scene in the second episode comes to mind where the Ramsey is forced to repeat his face paced recitation of a ticket for the third time. Upon finishing, the Chef unleashes a horrifying, guttural rant which in my opinion warranted one of those “Warning: The Following Program Features Material Which May Be Unsuitable for Minors” banners at the conclusion of the preceding commercial break.

Surprisingly, the character’s most refreshing turn occurs in the second episode during a brief scene where the Chef happens to be on his best behavior. After the all female Red Team wins a challenge, the women are flown by helicopter to a gourmet restaurant where the Chef insists the ladies refer to him as Gordon and engages in polite, gracious conversation. It is later hinted again that the Chef’s heart is not made entirely of stone when his hardened war zone exterior cracks as he attends to a seriously burned contestant in the kitchen.

Last but not least, the most captivating aspect of Hell’s Kitchen for me on a personal level is that for the second time life I have fallen head over heals in love with a contestant on a reality TV show. I fell hard for Nicole from Season 3 of America’s Next Top Model (a different person than the Nicole that won Season 5 of ANTM) who later broke my heart by announcing during an internet chat that she had a boyfriend. I am rather conservative about relationships and marriage in particular, meaning that I will most likely tie the knot sometime in my thirties after I have dated a woman for several years. That said, if given the opportunity to drop everything and move across the country to marry Nicole tomorrow I would probably jump at the opportunity. Suddenly, after just two episodes of the new season of Hell’s Kitchen I am beginning to form very similar feelings for Heather. Heather has virtually every quality I look for in a woman. She is hardworking, determined, street smart, rational, and stoic. After suffering what is by all accounts a brutal burn during the second episode, she continues to call out helpful instructions to her teammates despite what appears to be excruciating pain. Scariest of all is that while Heather most certainly does mean business and has to be considered the front-runner to win the competition at this point, she is also physically attractive and knows how to have a good time as evidenced by the scene where the women decide to don bikinis and get drunk in the hot tub. God help me.

Home Is...

I know, I know. Still no We, The Vehicles entry. While I am now resigned to authoring the most anti-climactic blog entry in the history of the internet, I assure you I will still be writing up the album in the next week or so.

I took two days off work this week to drive home to Flossmoor, Illinois to witness the high school graduation of my youngest brother, Andrew. It marked the first time I had seen my family since Kevin and I drove to Chicago to see The Wrens in February and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. Highlights included two seven hour drives with scant air conditioning which were fueled by my IPod and various energy drinks (Monster needs to work on their distribution in rural Wisconsin), a family dinner at a local Thai restaurant, watching mother of a graduating student being escorted into a squad car after she struck another woman in the face during the ceremony, and unlimited late night bowling featuring at least six separate Toby Keith music videos blaring from the speakers directly behind our lane at a deafening volume.

The single two experiences I enjoyed the most over the course of the weekend were Andrew's graduation party Sunday evening and apartment hunting with my mother yesterday afternoon. As usual, my mother pulled out all the stops necessary to appropriately celebrate the educational milestone that is High School Graduation while the rest of us did our best to lend a hand when possible. The party featured an expansive spread of excellent local cuisine, badminton, 52 bottles of Summit beer I hauled from Saint Paul, and most importantly an outstanding guest list. I was able to visit with all three of my grandparents who I had not seen since February, numerous close family friends from the area, and my brothers' crews. Perhaps most exciting, I had the opportunity to spend time with my Cousin Tom for the second time in six months as well as my Aunt Pam after a few long years between visits.

Monday represented one of the most invigorating days I can recall in recent memory. I encountered the Chicago for the first time since I committed to attend law school in the city and the vibrance of my future home was simply astounding. Immediately after stepping out of the Metra Station, I discovered a throng of people walking down Michigan Avenue: bustling businessmen (and women), attractive art school students, and young tourist families. The sun was shined brightly but the temperature was tolerable thanks to the breeze off Lake Michigan. Children frantically splashed in the Millennium Park fountains and a pair of strangers strolling through the park participated in a casual exchange about the fun of lugging heavy suitcases.

After a scrumptious meal at the Park Grill and a tedious CTA bus ride, we found ourselves in the heart of Lincoln Park where I had scheduled two appointments to view apartments available August 1st. Lincoln Park is widely considered the most desirable Chicago neighborhood to inhabit, and it certainly lived up to the billing. The area is more or less a classier, prettier take on the quaint residential setting of Highland Park where Kevin and I currently reside combined with a trendier, more densely populated version of Uptown and populated almost entirely by twenty and thirty something students and young professionals. The park from which the area's name is derived, Lake Michigan, and the Lincoln Park Zoo are mere blocks away from any location in the neighborhood while Fullterton and Clark, the two main streets, are littered with restaurants, record stores, and bars.

We ended up viewing three studio apartments. All three are extremely expensive to rent which is customary for the area. However, two of the three apartments are both extremely expensive and at just 325 square feet, extremely small. The third apartment, located on Arlington just half a block from Clark, is certainly pricey at $700 a month (!) but includes all utilities with the exception of phone, internet, cable, etc. and is considerably more spacious at roughly 400 square feet. The majority of the apartments that will be available August 1st have not yet been advertised but since I will not have the opportunity to view these apartments myself and left reasonably impressed, I am considering pulling the trigger on the Arlington place. My other options at this point are pretty much limited to keeping an eye on Lincoln Park listings over the next month and then sending my mother to view the spaces on my behalf or considering somewhat less happening neighborhoods with more convenient transportation to the law school. I will keep you posted.

An Impasse

It is 6:07 and I am currently on either my third or fourth listening of Maritime's We The Vehicles for the day. I sat down around 4:30 to write an entry about the album which has been in the works since Thrusday night. Early in the process of researching the record, I confirmed my fear that the song lyrics for the record are not available on the internet. Anywhere. Occasionally, I have run across obscure songs where I could only find one or two blog-type websites featuring the lyrics, but until today I had never been completely unable to locate the lyrics to a song on the internet. I had previously decided it would not be a big deal to write the blog entry without knowledge of the lyrics. However, I suddenly became convinced I would not be able to do the album justice without access to every last one of Davey von Bohlen's delicately crafted words. I then began the hopeless task of searching for a record store where I could buy an obscure album at 5:15 on a sunday which also happened to be the day before a national holiday. Shockingly, Cheapo Discs is open until midnight 365 days a year. Perhaps more shockingly though, Cheapo did not carry the album. By the time I thought of crossing the river to visit the Electric Fetus due to Matt Swearngin's praises, there were only seven minutes left until closing. I called and spoke with a friendly clerk who informed me that the store will not reopen until Tuesday. Discland in Bloomington is open until seven on sundays but had a recording apologizing that no one was able to answer the phone and urging me to leave a message. I declined. I have yet to decide whether I will spend my Memorial day running around town in search of We, The Vehicles, order a copy online and put the entry off for another week, or bite the bullet and write the entry tomorrow sans lyrics. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, consider this a second entry to hold you over until the glorious day when I finally wax poetic about the redemption of Davey von Bolen. I mentioned to my friend Tom yesterday that I plan to include as many lists as possible in this space. Believe me when I say I was just warming up with yesterday's entry. As proof, I offer you my fifty favorite albums of all time. This no doubt sounds like a massive, daunting undertaking. Fortunately I have set up guidelines to avoid spending my entire evening formulating the list. 1) The list is in no particular order. 2) I will not post any comments about any of the albums at this time. 3) I will make rash, split second decisions to choose the last few albums to make the cut. Here goes nothing:

Face to Face - Face to Face
Mineral - EndSerenading
Texas Is the Reason - Do You Know Who You Are?
Lifetime - Hello Bastards
Amusement Parks On Fire - Amusement Parks On Fire
Elliott Smith - Either/Or
Elliott Smith - XO
Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary













Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
R.E.M. - Automatic For The People
Superdrag - Head Trip In Every Key
Superdrag - Regretfully Yours
The Casket Lottery - Choose Bronze
The Casket Lottery - Moving Mountains













Jawbreaker - Dear You
Fairweather - If They Move...Kill Them
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Source Tags & Codes
Oasis - Definitely Maybe
Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
Jimmy Eat World - Static Prevails
Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
Death Cab For Cutie - Something About Airplanes
Death Cab For Cutie - The Photo Album
Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism
Cursive - Domestica
Cursive - The Ugly Organ
Built To Spill - Perfect From Now On
Radiohead - Kid A
Bad Religion - Stranger Than Fiction
Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy













Alkaline Trio - Alkaline Trio
Time Spent Driving - Just Enough Bright
Moneen - Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now?
Nada Surf - The Proximity Effect
Weezer - Pinkerton
The Get Up Kids - Four Minute Mile
The Wrens - The Meadowlands
Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica
Mock Orange - The Record Play
The Good Life - Black Out
Green Day - American Idiot
Nirvana - Nevermind
The Beatles - Abbey Road
The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles - Help
The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Knapsack - This Conversation Is Ending Starting Right Now
Knapsack - Silver Sweepstakes
Sufjan Stevens - Greetings From Michigan "The Great Lake State"

Notes: The last cut was Franz Ferdinand's "You Could Have It So Much Better"...I began with roughly 85 albums and whittled that list down to the final 50...I listened to We, The Vehicles twice more while writing this entry. It was part of the original list but did not last particularly long. There is definitely an intentional bias there against recently released albums that have not yet had the opportunity to withstand the test of time.