Home Is...

Top 10 Albums of 2011

2012-01-16T22:56:00.005-06:00

10. Yuck - Yuck

9. Cults - Cults

8. Wilco - The Whole Love

7. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

6. Lemuria - Pebble

5. Okkervil River - I Am Very Far

4. Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines

3. Maritime - Human Hearts

2. Bon Iver - Bon Iver

1. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Lenses Alien

Top 50 Songs of 2011

2012-01-15T13:38:00.006-06:00

50. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - The Good Rebel

49. The Get Up Kids - Rememorable

48. Beirut - Santa Fe

47. Okkervil River - The Rise

46. Okkervil River - Your Past Life As A Blast

45. Fleet Foxes - Lorelai

44. Girls - Alex

43. Maritime - Peopling Of London

42. Death Cab For Cutie - Doors Unlocked And Open

41. Girls - Honey Bunny

40. Low - Try To Sleep

39. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Belong

38. Telekinesis - Gotta Get It Right Now

37. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Dream On

36. Low - Witches

35. Bon Iver - Michiant

34. Lemuria - The One

32. Telekinesis - You Turn Clear In The Sun

33. Okkervil River - White Shadow Waltz

31. Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit - Go It Alone
30. Kevin Devine - The First Hit

29. Ida Maria - My Shoes

28. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Secret Family

27. Smith Westerns - Still New

26. Wilco - Born Alone

25. Telekinesis - Country Lane

24. Tim Kasher - The Jessica

23. Maritime - Faint Of Hearts

22. Cut Copy - Where I'm Going

21. Maritime - It's Casual

20. Kathryn Calder - One Two Three

19. Bon Iver - Wash.18. Radiohead - Codex

17. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Gary Condit

16. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Definite Darkness

15. Wild Flag - Romance

14. Radiohead - Give Up The Ghost

13. Dawes - If I Wanted Someone

12. Bon Iver - Minnesota, WI

11. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Keep Me Waiting

10. Cults - Abducted

9. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Wavelengths

8. Bon Iver - Towers

7. Yuck - Getaway

6. Okkervil River - Show Yourself

5. Wilco - One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)

4. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)

3. Wilco - Art Of Almost

2. Bon Iver - Perth

1. Tim Kasher - No Harmony

Top 25 Songs for September and October

2011-12-08T20:56:00.000-06:00

25. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Shore Points

24. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Plainclothes

23. Beirut - Santa Fe

22. Wilco - Born Alone

21. Japandroids - Younger Us

20. Girls - Honey Bunny

19. Girls - Alex

18. Wild Flag - Something Came Over Me

17. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Another Tungustka

16. Telekinesis - You Turn Clear In The Sun

15. Wilco - Misunderstood

14. Japandroids - Shame

13. Wilco - Passenger Side

12. Telekinesis - Gotta Get It Right Now

11. Archers Of Loaf - Death In The Park

10. Telekinesis - Country Lane

9. Wild Flag - Romance

8. Wilco - One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)

7. Wilco - Art Of Almost

6. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Gary Condit

5. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Definite Darkness

4. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Wavelengths

3. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Secret Family

2. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Keep Me Waiting

1. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)

Top 25 Songs for July and August

2011-09-25T20:01:00.003-05:00

25. Sebadoh - Careful
24. Lucero - My Best Girl
23. Like Pioneers - Some People
22. Yuck - Sunday
21. Lucero - All These Love Songs
20. Yuck - Operation
19. Titus Andronicus - Breed [Nirvana Cover]
18. Braid - Do Over
17. Braid - Urbana's Too Dark
16. Ida Maria - Devil
15. Tim Kasher - Rabbit, Run
14. Braid - I Keep A Diary
13. Yuck - The Wall
12. Braid - Killing A Camera
11. Braid - Milwaukee Sky Rocket
10. Like Pioneers - Crop Circles Plus Legs
9. Tim Kasher - The Jessica
8. Lucero - Wasted
7. Braid - Divers
6. Lucero - Wandering Star
5. Yuck - Get Away
4. Ida Maria - My Shoes
3. Like Pioneers - Ike
2. Braid - The New Nathan Detroits
1. Tim Kasher - No Harmony

Top 25 Songs for May and June

2011-08-01T21:38:00.003-05:00

25. T.V. On The Radio - Second Song
24. Foo Fighters - Bridge Burning
23. Cults - Go Outside
22. The Antlers - No Windows
21. Eddie Vedder - Once In A While
20. Bon Iver - Beth/Rest
19. Death Cab For Cutie - Codes And Keys
18. Death Cab For Cutie - Home Is A Fire
17. Cults - You Know What I Mean
16. Death Cab For Cutie - Some Boys
15. Bon Iver - Hinnom, TX
14. Death Cab For Cutie - You Are A Tourist
13. Bon Iver - Wash.
12. Okkervil River - Your Past Life As A Blast
11. Okkervil River - The Rise
10. Death Cab For Cutie - Underneath The Sycamore
9. Okkervil River - White Shadow Waltz
8. Death Cab For Cutie - Doors Unlocked And Open
7. Bon Iver - Towers
6. Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit - Go It Alone
5. Bon Iver - Minnesota, WI
4. Cults - Abducted
3. Bon Iver - Michiant
2. Okkervil River - Show Yourself
1. Bon Iver - Perth

Top 25 Songs for March and April

2011-06-27T18:22:00.003-05:00

25. R.E.M. - Discoverer
24. Maritime - Annihilation Eyes
23. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - The Wasteland
22. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Heart In Your Heartbreak
21. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Summer Of All Dead Souls
20. Low - Nothing But Heart
19. The Dodos - Going Under
18. The Dodos - Sleep
17. Maritime - C'Mon Sense
16. The Dodos - Don't Try And Hide It
15. Lykke Li - Youth Knows No Pain
14. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Fall Of The Empire
13. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Belong
12. The Dodos - When Will You Go
11. The Dodos - Black Night
10. Low - Witches
9. Maritime - Paraphernalia
8. Maritime - Air Arizona
7. Low - Try To Sleep
6. Okkervil River - Wake And Be Fine
5. Broken Social Scene - Major Label Debut (Fast)
4. The Bewitched Hands - Happy With You
3. Maritime - Peopling Of London
2. Maritime - Faint Of Hearts
1. Maritime - It's Casual

Top 25 Songs for January and February

2011-03-10T23:02:00.002-06:00

25. Tapes 'n Tapes - Nightfall
24. Say Hi - Take 'Ya Dancin'
23. The Get Up Kids - When It Dies
22. Kathryn Calder - Arrow
21. Freelance Whales - Starring
20. Kathryn Calder - Slip Away
19. The Get Up Kids - Better Lie
18. Smith Westerns - All Die Young
17. Lucero - The Last Song
16. Lucero - Sweet Little Thing
15. The Get Up Kids - Tithe
14. Freelance Whales - Generator ^ First Floor
13. Lucero - Darby's Song
12. Freelance Whales - Generator ^ Second Floor
11. Cut Copy - Need You Now
10. Lucero - Chain Link Fence
9. Okkervil River - Mermaid
8. Lucero - Slow Dancing
7. The Get Up Kids - Rememorable
6. Lucero - Here At The Starlite
5. Lucero - I'll Just Fall
4. Smith Westerns - Still New
3. Cut Copy - Where I'm Going
2. Radiohead - Codex
1. Radiohead - Give Up The Ghost

Top 50 Songs of 2010

2011-02-19T20:35:00.004-06:00

50. Male Bonding - Your Contact
49. Kanye West - Lost In The World
48. Spoon - Goodnight Laura
47. Best Coast - The End
46. Tokyo Police Club - Wait Up (Boots Of Danger)
45. Sufjan Stevens - Arnika
44. The New Pornographers - Valkyrie At The Roller Disco
43. Best Coast - Goodbye
42. The New Pornographers - Moves
41. Cloud Cult - The Escape - Running With The Wolves
40. The New Pornographers - We End Up Together
39. Cloud Cult - The Invocation (p. 2) - Blessings
38. Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union
37. Sufjan Stevens - Djohariah
36. Titus Andronicus - To Friends Old And New
35. Arcade Fire - Suburban War
34. Jimmy Eat World - Coffee And Cigarettes
33. Robyn - Hang With Me
32. Titus Andronicus - Theme From "Cheers"
31. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
30. Spoon - Trouble Comes Running
29. Kanye West - Runaway
28. The Hold Steady - A Slight Discomfort
27. Sufjan Stevens - Bad Communication
26. Lil Wayne - Right Above It
25. Kanye West - Power
24. Free Energy - Bad Stuff
23. Robyn - Dancing On My Own
22. Kanye West - Blame Game
21. Sufjan Stevens - Futile Devices
20. Titus Andronicus - Four Score and Seven
19. Taylor Swift - Enchanted
18. Local Natives - Airplanes
17. Sufjan Stevens - Too Much
16. Joanna Newsom - In California
15. Sufjan Stevens - I Want To Be Well
14. Perfume Genius - Learning
13. The National - Terrible Love
12. The Hold Steady - The Weekenders
11. The National - Sorrow
10. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Everlyn
9. Broken Social Scene - Art House Director
8. Tokyo Police Club - Frankenstein
7. Kanye West - Dark Fantasy
6. Tim Kasher - Strays
5. Arcade Fire - Ready To Start
4. Titus Andronicus - The Battle Of Hampton Roads
3. Joanna Newsom - Does Not Suffice
2. Sufjan Stevens - Impossible Soul
1. Best Coast - I Want To

Top 25 Songs for November and December

2011-01-17T22:09:00.003-06:00

25. Taylor Swift - Back To December
24. The Corin Tucker Band - Riley
23. Kanye West - Hell Of A Life
22. Perfume Genius - Lookout, Lookout
21. Cloud Cult - The Mission - Unexplainable Stories
20. Kanye West - Monster
19. Male Bonding - Nothing Remains
18. Robyn - Cry When You Get Older
17. Kanye West - All Of The Lights
16. Warpaint - Undertow
15. Male Bonding - Your Contact
14. Cloud Cult - The Arrival - There's So Much Energy In Us
13. Kanye West - Lost In The World
12. Cloud Cult - Invocation (p. 2) - Blessings
11. Kanye West - Power
10. Cloud Cult - The Escape - Running With The Wolves
9. Kanye West - Runaway
8. Robyn - Hang With Me
7. Kanye West -Blame Game
6. Taylor Swift - Enchanted
5. Robyn - Dancing On My Own
4. Perfume Genius - Learning
3. Weezer - Getting Up And Leaving
2. Kanye West - Dark Fantasy
1. Weezer - Tragic Girl

Top 10 Albums of 2010

2011-01-09T15:13:00.003-06:00

10. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Let It Sway
9. The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
8. The New Pornographers - Together
7. Tim Kasher - The Game Of Monogamy
6. Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP
5. Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
4. Kanye West - My Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. Best Coast - Crazy For You
2. Sufjan Stevens - The Age Of Adz
1. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

Top 25 Songs for September and October

2010-11-07T15:38:00.003-06:00

25. Best Coast - This Is Real
24. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yelstin - Sink/Let It Sway
23. Best Coast - So Gone
22. Tim Kasher - A Grown Man
21. Deerhunter - Revival
20. The Vaselines - No Hope
19. Best Coast - Make You Mine
18. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yelstin - Made To Last
17. Deerhunter - Desire Lines
16. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yelstin -Stuart Gets Lost Dans Le Metro
15. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yelstin -Back in the Saddle
14. Tim Kasher - No Fireworks
13. Sufjan Stevens - Bad Communication
12. Best Coast - Something In The Way
11. Jimmy Eat World - Coffee And Cigarettes
10. Sufjan Stevens - Vesuvius
9. Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz
8. Best Coast - When I'm With You
7. Sufjan Stevens - Too Much
6. Sufjan Stevens - Futile Devices
5. Local Natives - Airplanes
4. Sufjan Stevens - I Want To Be Well
3. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yelstin -Everlyn
2. Tim Kasher - Strays
1. Sufjan Stevens - Impossible Soul

2010-10-09T14:34:00.004-05:00

RS: What's your current take on Pinkerton?

Rivers: To me it's a totally brilliant album, so personal, there's such a strong vision, and it was a real joy to go back and crack open the sessions and listen to the tracks one by one and gain inspiration from that. It seems like it's really stuck in people's minds that I disowned or disavowed the record and I'm not sure where that came from.

RS: In 2001, you said the album was "hideous" and a "hugely painful mistake."

Rivers: That's what's so great about it! I didn't mean "hideous" in a negative way. I would say that it's a hideous record in many ways - it's ugly and dark and twisted and embarrassing. Anyway, in 2001 and 2002, I said a lot of inflammatory things.

RS: Like calling your fans "little bitches"?

Rivers: Exactly. I had a way with words then, and I'm still facing the consequences.

Needless to say, I'm awfully excited to see the album performed live.

Top 25 Songs for July and August

2010-09-09T19:49:00.006-05:00

25. Sun Kil Moon - You Are My Sun
24. Local H - California Songs
23. Menomena - Queen Black Acid
22. Free Energy - Dream City
21. Best Coast - Crazy For You
20. Sufjan Stevens - Heirloom
19. Sun Kil Moon - Third And Seneca
18. Best Coast - Happy
17. Lil Wayne feat. Drake - Right Above It
16. Sun Kil Moon - Alesund
15. Local H - Fritz's Corner
14. Sufjan Stevens - Arnika
13. Stars - Wasted Daylight
12. Free Energy - Dark Trance
11. Best Coast - Goodbye
10. Sufjan Stevens - Djohariah
9. Arcade Fire - Suburban War
8. Sufjan Stevens - From The Mouth Of Gabriel
7. Best Coast - The End
6. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
5. Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People
4. Free Energy - Bad Stuff
3. Best Coast - Girlfriend
2. Arcade Fire - Ready To Start
1. Best Coast - I Want To

Top 25 Songs For May and June

2010-08-04T21:44:00.006-05:00

25. Lucero - The War
24. Broken Social Scene - World Sick
23. Tokyo Police Club - Favourite Food
22. The New Pornographers - World Sick
21. Sun Kil Moon - Lost Verses
20. The New Pornographers - My Shepard
19. Broken Social Scene - Meet Me In The Basement
18. The Hold Steady - The Sweet Part Of The City
17. Sun Kil Moon - Glenn Tipton
16. The New Pornographers - Valkyrie In The Roller Disco
15. Sun Kil Moon - Moorestown
14. The New Pornographers - We End Up Together
13. Tokyo Police Club - Wait Up (Boots Of Danger)
12. The Hold Steady - A Slight Discomfort
11. The New Pornographers - Moves
10. Lucero - Sixteen
9. Broken Social Scene - Lover's Spit
8. Sun Kil Moon - Tonight In Bilbao
7. The Hold Steady - The Weekenders
6. The New Pornographers - Up In The Dark
5. The National - Terrible Love
4. The National - Sorrow
3. Broken Social Scene - Art House Director
2. Tokyo Police Club - Frankenstein
1. Sun Kil Moon - Tonight The Sky

Top 25 Songs For March and April

2010-07-02T21:20:00.002-05:00

The Top 25 is on life support, but it's not dead yet. In fact, the May/June list figures to be exceptionally good.

25. Joanna Newsom - Good Intentions Paving Company
24. Rogue Wave - Good Morning (The Future)
23. The Besnard Lakes - Glass Printer
22. Joanna Newsom - You And Me, Bess
21. Shearwater - Black Eyes
20. Joanna Newsom - Go Long
19. Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union
18. The Besnard Lakes - The Ocean, Like The Innocent, Pt. 2: The Innocent
17. The Besnard Lakes - Light Up The Night
16. She & Him - Thieves
15. Joanna Newsom - Autumn
14. Shearwater - Castaways
13. The Besnard Lakes - Land of Living Skies Pt. 2: The Living Skies
12. Joanna Newsom - On A Good Day
11. Jónsi - Boy Lilikoi
10. Joanna Newsom - Soft As Chalk
9. Joanna Newsom - Jackrabbits
8. She & Him: Over It Over Again
7. Joanna Newsom - '81
6. Titus Andronicus - No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future
5. Titus Andronicus - Four Score And Seven
4. Joanna Newsom - In California
3. Titus Andronicus - Theme From Cheers
2. Titus Andronicus - To Friends Old and New
1. Joanna Newsom - Does Not Suffice

Top 25 Songs For January and February

2010-03-21T21:56:00.002-05:00

25. Spoon - I Saw The Light
24. Yeasayer - Madder Red
23. Surfer Blood - Twin Peaks
22. Phoenix - Courtesy Laughs
21. Spoon - Got Nuffin
20. Yeasayer - Ambling Alp
19. Los Campesinos - Romance Is Boring
18. Yeasayer - Love Me Girl
17. Spoon - Before Destruction
16. Phoenix - Consolation Prizes
15. Japandroids - Sexual Aerosol
14. Surfer Blood - Floating Vibes
13. The xx - Shelter
12. Phoenix - Long Distance Call
11. Spoon - Out Go The Lights
10. The xx - Intro
9. Phoenix - Sometimes In The Fall
8. The xx - VCR
7. Phoenix - Lost And Found
6. Spoon - Goodnight Laura
5. Phoenix - One Time Too Many
4. Japandroids - Press Corps
3. Spoon - Trouble Comes Running
2. The xx - Crystallized
1. Phoenix - Rally

Top Ten Albums of 2009: #2

2010-02-16T19:57:00.002-06:00

Japandroids - Post-Nothing

I’m still not entirely sure how they did it. I don’t know how Japandroids made one of the most pulsating, re-listenable albums of the year with just guitar, drums, and vocals - and hardly a single overdub to speak of. I’m not sure how they turned what would have otherwise been merely an exuberant album about girls and drinking into something provocative with just a few scattered, harrowing lyrics about feeling your youth slip away. Part of me doesn’t care to know.

Top Ten Albums of 2009: #3

2010-02-15T21:24:00.002-06:00

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains

Top Ten Albums of 2009: #4

2010-02-02T20:51:00.005-06:00

Ida Maria - Fortress 'round My Heart

Ida Maria has one of the best voices in Rock and a knack for writing killer hooks, but above all else, she has a fascinating persona. Fortress ‘round My Heart’s references to casual fucks, whiskey, and losing control are more than just titillating though; they also make the narrator so human that the tales of jilted lovers, loneliness, and love that outlasts a relationship become that much more poignant.

To boot, Fortress ‘round My Heart has the most hilarious lyric of the year in its favor: singing about a lonesome man who offers to give a prostitute the world in return for staying the night, Ida wonders “how it will go when God hands over the whole wide world to a 43-year-old hooker from downtown.

Top Ten Albums of 2009: #5

2010-01-31T21:58:00.006-06:00

Built To Spill - There Is No Enemy

Pitchfork nailed it for a change: "[E]asily the best Built to Spill album of the decade-- an improbable late-career reawakening and heartening evidence that becoming dependable doesn't mean having to settle for being predictable."

Top Ten Albums of 2009: #6

2010-01-27T20:47:00.002-06:00

Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen

Top Ten Albums of 2009: #7

2010-01-24T15:35:00.003-06:00

A.C. Newman - Get Guilty

Top 30 Songs of 2009

2010-01-13T21:14:00.002-06:00

30. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Wind Phoenix (Proper Name)
29. A.C. Newman - All My Days And All My Days Off
28. Superdrag - Deathblow To Your Pride
27. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Some Trees (Merritt Moon)
26. Pearl Jam - The Fixer
25. Andrew Bird - Anonanimal
24. The Antlers - Wake
23. Superdrag - Aspartame
22. Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire
21. Illinois - Broken String
20. Phoenix - 1901
19. The New Pornographers - Hey, Snow White [Destroyer Cover]
18. Japandroids - Wet Hair
17. Built To Spill - Aisle 13
16. Grizzly Bear - While You Wait For The Others
15. Wilco - Wilco (The Song)
14. Kid Cudi - Up Up & Away
13. The Dodos - Troll Nacht
12. Superdrag - Try
11. Phoenix - Rome
10. Say Hi - Maureen
9. Japandroids - I Quit Girls
8. Kevin Devine - Carnival
7. Phoenix - Lasso
6. Cursive - Let Me Up
5. Ida Maria - Oh My God
4. Kevin Devine - Brother's Blood
3. Phoenix - Listzomania
2. Bon Iver - Blood Bank
1. Illinois - Are You Coming With Me?

Top Ten Albums of 2009: #8

2010-01-12T20:29:00.003-06:00

The Antlers - Hospice

Much has been made of Hospice’s subject matter and with good reason - the album’s unflinching discussion of mental illness, abortion, death, dying, and ill-fated love is legitimately haunting. However, the Antler’s debut also owes a major debt to compelling songwriting and clever arrangements. Without the potent horns that close “Bear,” the resounding organ that signifies liftoff on “Wake,” or the memorable melodies throughout, the listener’s desire to reach for a drink - if not a razor blade - by the time front man Peter Silberman concludes the album with coos of “You're screaming, and cursing, and angry, and hurting me, and then smiling, and crying, apologizing,” would not be nearly as strong.

Top 25 Songs For December

2010-01-05T19:53:00.002-06:00

25. Old Canes - Flower Faces
24. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Janglin
23. Vivian Girls - Can't Get Over You
22. The Antlers - Kettering
21. Old Canes - Little Bird Courage
20. Ida Maria - Morning Light
19. Cass McCombs - You Saved My Life
18. Ida Maria - Keep Me Warm
17. The Antlers - Two
16. Ida Maria - Stella
15. Japandroids - The Boys Are Leaving Town
14. Ida Maria - Queen Of The World
13. Califone - Krill
12. Ida Maria - Forgive Me
11. The Antlers - Bear
10. Regina Spektor - Hero
9. Califone - Funeral Singers
8. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home
7. Japandroids - Crazy/Forever
6. The Antlers - Wake
5. Japandroids - Sovereignty
4. Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire
3. Japandroids - Wet Hair
2. Ida Maria - Oh My God
1. Japandroids - I Quit Girls

Top Ten Albums of 2009: #9

2009-12-28T00:07:00.002-06:00

Superdrag - Industry Giants

One of my more disappointing experiences of 2009 was chatting with Tom Fuller during his cursory and dismissive first spin of Industry Giants. Yes, the album features some true duds (“You’re Alive,” “5 Minutes Ahead of the Chaos”) and sure, you could make a case that it’s the worst Superdrag album. However, none of that changes the fact that hearing this band - the original lineup, no less - once again run through a rousing opener (“Slow to Anger”), captivating rock songs (“Everything Will Be Made Right,” “Deathblow to Your Pride”), and gorgeous ballads (“Live and Breathe,” “Try”), with a dazzling reggae-tinged rocker (“Aspartame”) thrown in for good measure, makes for one hell of a good time.

Top Ten Albums of 2009: #10

2009-12-26T13:11:00.003-06:00

The Twilight Sad - Forget The Night Ahead

I first became acquainted with Scotland's The Twilight Sad through Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters, their solid but very unremarkable debut. The difference this time around is that, with the exception of a few well-placed ballads, blistering guitars now propel every track. The result is an album that doesn't feature any mind blowing numbers but is nonetheless thoroughly engaging from start to finish.

Top 25 Songs For October & November

2009-12-13T21:53:00.003-06:00

25. Phoenix - Armistice
24. Beck - End Of The Day
23. Phoenix - Countdown (Sick For The Big Sun)
22. The Twilight Sad - The Room
21. Girls - Lust For Life
20. Phoenix - Girlfriend
19. Girls - Morning Light
18. Built To Spill - Nowhere Lullaby
17. Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit - However Long
16. Girls - Hellhole Retrace
15. Volcano Choir - Island, IS
14. Beck - Lost Cause
13. Volcano Choir - Still
12. The Twilight Sad - I Became A Prostitute
11. Beck - It's All In Your Mind
10. The Twilight Sad - Made To Disappear
9. Built To Spill - Life's A Dream
8. Built To Spill - Tomorrow
7. Pearl Jam - The Fixer
6. Phoenix - 1901
5. Built To Spill - Aisle 13
4. Okkervil River - For Real [Live On Austin City Limits]
3. Phoenix - Rome
2. Phoenix - Lasso
1. Phoenix - Lisztomania

Believe In What You Can't Feel

2009-11-14T18:09:00.001-06:00

It took me nine months but I’ve completed my fourth official mix. I wish I could say it took so long because I worked so incredibly hard on it but really, the culprit was primarily laziness. Also, Believe What You Can’t Feel is about keeping faith that good things will happen when life is difficult, so I think falling on some harder times helped motivate me to finally finish it. If you’d like a copy, just let me know and I’ll hook you up.

Top 25 Songs For August & September

2009-10-05T16:13:00.002-05:00

25. Lucero - What Else Would You Have Me Be?
24. The Beatles - The Inner Light
23. Modest Mouse - I've Got It All Most
22. Kid Cudi - Pursuit Of Happiness
21. Jay Z - Empire State Of Mind
20. Modest Mouse - Satellite Skin
19. Lucero - Tears Don't Matter Much
18. Lucero - Cass
17. Eliza The Arrow - Toast The Tiger
16. Lucero - Hate And Jealousy
15. Rock Plaza Central - Oh I Can
14. Lucero - The Only One
13. Lucero - On The Way Back Home
12. The Fray - Over My Head (Cable Car)
11. Lucero - Coming Home
10. The Beatles - We Can Work It Out
9. Kid Cudi - Up Up & Away
8. The Dodos - Small Deaths
7. The Beatles - She Loves You
6. Lucero - That Much Further West
5. The Weakerthans - One Great City!
4. The Beatles - Yes It Is
3. Lucero - Mine Tonight
2. The Dodos - Troll Nacht
1. Lucero - She's Just That Kind Of Girl

Top 25 Songs For June & July

2009-08-05T12:14:00.004-05:00

25. Neil Young - Just Singing A Song
24. Sonic Youth - Anti-Orgasm
23. Deerhunter - Disappearing Ink
22. Say Hi - The Stars Just Blink For Us
21. Paul & Linda McCartney - Too Many People
20. Green Day - 21 Guns
19. Paul & Linda McCartney - Dear Boy
18. Green Day - Restless Heart Syndrome
17. The Wrens - Pulled Fences (Live at Abbey Road)
16. Deerhunter - Famous Last Words
15. Say Hi - Elouise
14. Deerhunter - Circulation
13. Sun Kil Moon - Lily and Parrots
12. Green Day - Before The Lobotomy
11. Bat For Lashes - Moon And Moon
10. Sun Kil Moon - Carry Me Ohio
9. The Wrens - Surprise, Honeycomb
8. Bat For Lashes - Siren Song
7. Wilco - Wilco (The Song)
6. Say Hi - Dramatic Irony
5. Wilco - One Wing
4. Say Hi - November Was White, December Was Grey
3. Sun Kil Moon - Floating
2. Grizzly Bear - While You Wait For The Others
1. Say Hi - Maureen

Top 25 Songs For May

2009-06-08T08:51:00.003-05:00

25. The Thermals - At The Bottom Of The Sea
24. Jeremy Enigk - In A Look
23. Illinois - How Do You Feel?
22. Jeremy Enigk - Make Believe
21. Kevin Devine - I Could Be With Anyone
20. The Thermals - When I Died
19. Lily Allen - 22
18. Lily Allen - I Could Say
17. Weezer - Heart Songs
16. Neil Young - Wrecking Ball
15. Lily Allen - Everyone's At It
14. Kevin Devine - Yr Husband
13. St. Vincent - Black Rainbow
12. Weezer - The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations On A Shaker Hymn)
11. Illinois - An Open Door
10. St. Vincent - The Strangers
9. Lily Allen - Who'd Have Known
8. Weezer - Pork And Beans
7. Illinois - Broken String
6. Jeremy Enigk - Late Of Camera
5. Kevin Devine - Another Bag Of Bones
4. Illinois - Missing Piece
3. Kevin Devine - Brother's Blood
2. Kevin Devine - Carnival
1. Illinois - Are You Coming With Me?

Top 25 Songs For April

2009-05-04T23:37:00.005-05:00

25. Art Brut - Am I Normal?
24. Matt & Kim - I'll Take Us Home
23. Death Cab For Cutie - My Mirror Speaks
22. Superdrag - Slow To Anger
21. Youth Group - All Of This Will Pass
20. Youth Group - Two Sides
19. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Like Blood Does
18. Superdrag - Cheap Poltergeists
17. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Indiana
16. Youth Group - One For Another
15. Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch
14. Superdrag - Everything Will Be Made Right
13. Silversun Pickups - It's Nice To Know You Work Alone
12. Cymbals Eat Guitars - And The Hazy Sea
11. Art Brut - DC Comics And Chocolate Milkshakes
10. Matt & Kim - Daylight
9. Kevin Drew - Love vs. Porn
8. Superdrag - Aspartame
7. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Cold Spring
6. Superdrag - Live And Breathe
5. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Wind Phoenix (Proper Name)
4. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Some Trees (Merritt Moon)
3. Superdrag - Try
2. Superdrag - Deathblow To Your Pride
1. The New Pornographers - Hey, Snow White [Destroyer cover]

Top 25 Songs For March

2009-04-07T00:18:00.003-05:00

25. Neko Case - Vengeance Is Sleeping
24. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Inland Sea
23. Cursive - Mama, I'm Satan
22. Cursive - Caveman
21. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Halycon Days
20. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Young Adult Friction
19. Beirut - My Wife, Lost In The Wild
18. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Isis Unveiled
17. Rivers Cuomo - I Was Scared
16. Cursive - Donkeys
15. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Insatiable Two
14. Weezer - Falling For You
13. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Contender
12. Rivers Cuomo - Walt Disney
11. Neko Case - People Got A Lot Of Nerve
10. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Tenure Itch
9. Rivers Cuomo - Paper Face
8. Cursive - What Have I Done?
7. Rivers Cuomo - Can't Stop Partying
6. Weezer - Jamie
5. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Bells Of Creation
4. Cursive - From The Hips
3. Beirut - My Night With The Prostitute From Marseilles
2. Cursive - I Couldn't Love You
1. Cursive - Let Me Up

Top 25 Songs For February

2009-03-03T22:56:00.002-06:00

25. Franz Ferdinand - Katherine Kiss Me
24. Lemuria - Who Would Understand A Turtle
23. Lemuria - Rough Draft
22. Franz Ferdinand - Bite Hard
21. Franz Ferdinand - Send Him Away
20. A.C. Newman - Like A Hitman Like A Dancer
19. Franz Ferdinand - Twilight Omens
18. Franz Ferdinand - Lucid Dreams
17. A.C. Newman - The Palace At 4 AM
16. Lemuria - It's Not A Lie, It's A Secret
15. Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls
14. A.C. Newman - All My Days On And All My Days Off
13. Franz Ferdinand - Live Alone
12. Lemuria - Hours
11. A.C. Newman - The Heartbreak Rides
10. Lemuria - In A World Of Ghosts...
9. Andrew Bird - Oh No
8. A.C. Newman - Thunderbolts
7. Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses
6. Lemuria - Lick Your Lips
5. Lemuria - Bristles And Whiskers
4. A.C. Newman - Prophets
3. A.C. Newman - There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve...
2. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
1. Andrew Bird - Anonanimal

Top 35 Songs For December & January

2009-02-07T14:16:00.002-06:00

35. Taylor Swift - Fearless
34. Taylor Swift - Breathe
33. Beyonce - If I Were A Boy
32. The Jealous Sound - Turning Around
31. Kanye West - Coldest Winter
30. Will Sheff - Ex-Girl Collection [Wrens cover]
29. Smoking Popes - The Corner
28. Deerhunter - Operation
27. Taylor Swift - You're Not Sorry
26. Smoking Popes - Into Summer Sky
25. Kanye West - See You In My Nightmares
24. The Dodos - God?
23. The Jealous Sound - Got Friends
22. The Killers - I Can't Stay
21. The Dodos - The Season
20. Kanye West - Paranoid
19. Taylor Swift - Fifteen
18. Charles Bissell - It Ends With A Fall [Okkervil River cover]
17. Kanye West - Welcome To Heartbreak
16. Smoking Popes - If You Don't Care
15. The Dodos - Ashley
14. Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
13. The Dodos - Walking
12. The Dodos - Fools
11. The Killers - Losing Touch
10. Smoking Popes - First Time
9. The Dodos - Winter
8. Kanye West - Love Lockdown
7. Taylor Swift - Forever And Always
6. Taylor Swift - Love Story
5. The Dodos - Undeclared
4. Kanye West - Street Lights
3. Bon Iver - Blood Bank
2. Kanye West - Robocop
1. The Dodos - Jodi

Top 50 Songs of 2008

2009-01-09T16:10:00.007-06:00

50. Brendan Canning - Churches Under The Stairs
49. Earlimart - Before It Gets Better
48. The Dodos - Fools
47. Tokyo Police Club - In A Cave
46. The Dodos - Winter
45. Deerhunter - Twilight At Carbon Lake
44. Cut Copy - Out There On The Ice
43. Cloud Cult - Everybody Here Is A Cloud
42. Bound Stems - Sugar City Magic
41. Hot Chip - Wrestlers
40. Black Kids - I'm Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You
39. Kanye West - Love Lockdown
38. Cloud Cult - Love You All
37. Bon Iver - Flume
36. Of Montreal - Nonpareil Of Favor
35. TV On The Radio - Family Tree
34. The Subways - Shake! Shake!
33. T.I. - Whatever You Like
32. The Dodos - Undeclared
31. Okkervil River - Blue Tulip
30. Bound Stems - Crossed Off Together
29. Say Hi - Northwestern Girls
28. T.I. - Ready For Whatever
27. Foals - Big Big Love (Fig. 2)
26. Bon Iver - Stacks
25. Kanye West - Street Lights
24. Okkervil River - Bruce Wayne Campbell On The Roof Of The Chelsea Hotel, 1979
23. Able Baker Fox - Brand New Moses
22. Oxford Collapse - B-Roll
21. We Are Scientists - Let's See It
20. Tokyo Police Club - Juno
19. Death Cab For Cutie - Bixby Canyon Bridge
18. Black Kids - Hit The Heartbreaks
17. Vivian Girls - I Believe In Nothing
16. The Hold Steady - Constructive Summer
15. The Walkmen - New Country
14. Nada Surf - See These Bones
13. The Hold Steady - One For The Cutters
12. Bon Iver - Skinny Love
11. Kanye West - Robocop
10. Death Cab For Cutie - Cath...
9. The Hold Steady - Slapped Actress
8. The Dodos - Jodi
7. Okkervil River - Calling And Not Calling My Ex
6. Deerhunter - Nothing Ever Happened
5. Bound Stems - Winston
4. Local H - Simple Pleas
3. Local H - The Summer Of Boats
2. Okkervil River - On Tour With Zykos
1. Bon Iver - The Wolves (Act I And II)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'll either post the December Top 25 this weekend or just combine it with January's list.

Top 10 Albums of 2008

2008-12-29T16:34:00.002-06:00

10. Able Baker Fox - Voices
9. Kanye West - 808's & Heartbreak
8. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
7. Bound Stems - The Family Afloat
6. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
5. Local H - Twelve Angry Months
4. The Dodos - Visiter
3. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
2. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
1. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Honorable Mention: Death Cab for Cutie - The Narrow Stairs, T.I. - Paper Trail, The Subways - All or Nothing, Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornados), Vivian Girls - Vivian Girls

Top 25 Songs For November

2008-12-03T18:04:00.006-06:00

25. The Subways - I Won't Let You Down
24. I'm From Barcelona - Paper Planes
23. Matthew Sweet - Burn Through Love
22. Deerhunter - Little Kids
21. I'm From Barcelona - Andy
20. I'm From Barcelona - Ophelia
19. The Subways - Move To Newlyn
18. The Rosebuds - Another Way In
17. Bound Stems - Clear Water & Concrete
16. The Subways - Lostboy
15. Bound Stems - Passing Bell
14. Bound Stems - Cloak Of Blue Sky
13. The Subways - Strawberry Blonde
12. I'm From Barcelona - Rufus
11. Bound Stems - Taking Tips From The Gallery Gang
10. Deerhunter - Twilight At Carbon Lake
9. Matthew Sweet - Feel Fear
8. The Subways - Alright
7. I'm From Barcelona (featuring Soko) - Gunhild
6. Bound Stems - Sugar City Magic
5. The Rosebuds - Nice Fox
4. The Subways - Shake! Shake!
3. Bound Stems - Crossed Off Together
2. Deerhunter - Nothing Ever Happened
1. Bound Stems - Winston

Top 25 Songs For October

2008-11-09T17:37:00.005-06:00

25. Of Montreal - Triphallus, to Punctuate!
24. Oasis - Bag It Up
23. Annuals - Down The Mountain
22. Oasis - I'm Outta Time
21. Tokyo Police Club - The Harrowing Adventures Of...
20. Annuals - Springtime
19. Brendan Canning - Something For All Of Us
18. Tokyo Police Club - Nurse, Academy
17. Brendan Canning - Chameleon
16. Of Montreal - And I've Seen A Bloody Shadow
15. The Replacements - Careless
14. Tokyo Police Club - Graves
13. Tokyo Police Club - Sixties Remake
12. Brendan Canning - Hit The Wall
11. Tokyo Police Club - Your English Is Good
10. Of Montreal - An Eluardian Instance
9. Vivian Girls - Never See Me Again
8. Tokyo Police Club - Centennial
7. Annuals - Always Do
6. Brendan Canning - Churches Under The Stairs
5. Tokyo Police Club - In A Cave
4. Of Montreal - Touched Something's Hollow
3. Of Montreal - Nonpareil Of Favor
2. Tokyo Police Club - Juno
1. Vivian Girls - I Believe In Nothing

Fuck Yes

2008-11-05T23:33:00.006-06:00

November 3, 2004 is one of the hardest days I can remember. I woke up, confirmed that the worst had happened, and then left 32 Wheeler to head to class. I recall seeing some small children on the walk over and wanting to cry. When I arrived at my poly sci class with Harry Hirsh, everyone was a mess. For an hour, we talked about what had happened: some ranted and raved, some sat quietly, despondent, and some seemed close to tears. We all did our best to make sense of something we didn’t understand.

What I remember best is that at some point, someone suggested or implied that Barack Obama, my hometown senator who’d recently caught the nation’s attention at the DNC, might help the Democrats finally wrestle back control of the White House in 2008. Harry, who I always found to be incredibly intelligent and an astute political observer, quickly dismissed this idea, commenting that our best chance of electing a Democratic president again would be to nominate a charismatic candidate from the South who could siphon off a few Red States. I thought that made a shitload of sense.

Barack, thank you for somehow making this all come true.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Top 25 will belatedly appear this weekend after I turn in my seminar paper.

Top 25 Songs For September

2008-10-04T17:40:00.002-05:00

25. The National - 90-Mile Water Wall
24. The National - Available
23. T.I. - On Top Of The World
22. T.I. - 56 Bars
21. TV On The Radio - Love Dog
20. The National - Slipping Husband
19. TV On The Radio - Stork And Owl
18. Local H - Michelle (Again)
17. Sigur Ros - All Alright
16. Bon Iver - Blue Tulip [Okkervil River Cover]
15. The Walkmen - On The Water
14. Sigur Ros - Salka
13. Local H - Taxi-Cabs
12. Sigur Ros - Fljótavík
11. Sigur Ros - Hafsól
10. Local H - The One With 'Kid'
9. Oxford Collapse - Featherbeds
8. T.I. - Live Your Life
7. TV On The Radio - Family Tree
6. T.I. - Whatever You Like
5. T.I. - Ready For Whatever
4. The Walkmen - New Country
3. Oxford Collapse - B-Roll
2. Local H - Simple Pleas
1. Local H - The Summer Of Boats

Top 25 Songs For August

2008-09-06T15:52:00.002-05:00

This is easily the least inspired Top 25 I've ever compiled. Hopefully I'll shape up this month.

25. Coldplay - 42
24. Shearwater - Leviathan Bound
23. Shearwater - Rooks
22. Earlimart - Face Down In The Right Down
21. Earlimart - Time For Yourself
20. Coldplay - Lost
19. Shearwater - On The Death Of The Waters
18. Earlimart - Song For
17. Okkervil River - Singer Songwriter
16. Shearwater - Century Eyes
15. Shearwater - I Was A Cloud
14. Alkaline Trio - Love Love, Kiss Kiss
13. The Streets - Dry Your Eyes
12. Sigur Ros - Festival
11. Alkaline Trio - Calling All Skeletons
10. Okkervil River - Pop Lie
9. The Hold Steady - The Swish
8. Shearwater - The Snow Leopard
7. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
6. Shearwater - Home Life
5. Coldplay - Life In Technicolor
4. Sigur Rose - Gobbledigook
3. Sigur Ros - Inní mér syngur vitleysingur
2. The Promise Ring - Red & Blue Jeans
1. Earlimart - Before It Gets Better

Top 25 Songs For June & July

2008-08-06T01:01:00.002-05:00

25. Mates Of State - Jigsaw
24. Adem - Bedside Table [Bedhead Cover]
23. Hold Steady - Joke About Jamaica
22. The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
21. Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines
20. Wolf Parade - California Dreamer
19. The Hold Steady - Lord, I'm Discouraged
18. Wolf Parade - Soldier's Grin
17. Wolf Parade - Language City
16. Black Kids - Hurricane Jane
15. Mates Of State - Now
14. The Hold Steady - Yeah Saphire
13. Foals - Big Big Love (Fig. 2)
12. Black Kids - Love Me Already
11. DeVotchKa - How It Ends
10. Black Kids - I'm Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You
9. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
8. Okkervil River - Blue Tulip
7. Okkervil River - Bruce Wayne Campbell Interviewed On The Roof Of The Chelsea Hotel, 1979
6. Okkervil River - Calling And Not Calling My Ex
5. The Hold Steady - Slapped Actress
4. The Hold Steady - One For The Cutters
3. Black Kids - Hit The Heartbreaks
2. The Hold Steady - Constructive Summer
1. Okkervil River - On Tour With Zykos

God Bless The Hold Steady

2008-07-24T16:38:00.000-05:00

Postponement

2008-07-01T19:18:00.004-05:00

Because I'm moving this week, the Top 25 For July will be delayed and possibly even
skipped (as it was when I last moved in August of '06).

Top 25 Songs For May

2008-06-01T22:18:00.002-05:00

25. The National - Friend Of Mine#
24. Sebadoh - Happily Divided*
23. Titus Andronicus - No Future Part One*
22. Cut Copy - Out There On The Ice*
21. Bon Iver - Creature Fear*
20. Death Cab For Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart
19. Death Cab For Cutie - Long Division
18. Cut Copy - Midnight Runner*
17. Cut Copy - Feel The Love*
16. The Breeders - Off You
15. Cut Copy - So Haunted*
14. Bon Iver - Blindsided*
13. The Replacements - Alex Chilton
12. Death Cab For Cutie - The Ice Is Getting Thinner
11. Death Cab For Cutie - Grapevine Fires
10. Bon Iver - Flume*
9. Spoon - Everything Hits At Once*
8. Death Cab For Cutie - Bixby Cannon Bridge
7. Bon Iver - Skinny Love*
6. Death Cab For Cutie - Cath...
5. Bon Iver - Re: Stacks*
4. Spoon - Me And The Bean*
3. The National - Mr. November#
2. Bon Iver - The Wolves (Act I And II)*
1. The National - City Middle#

* Appearing at The 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival
# Appearing at Lollapalooza 2008

Top 25 Songs For April

2008-04-30T23:09:00.002-05:00

25. Tapes 'N Tapes - Lines
24. The Breeders - No Way
23. Colour Revolt - A Siren
22. Clout Cult - Journey Of The Featherless
21. The Breeders - Night Of Joy
20. Radiohead - Prove Yourself
19. Cloud Cult - The Ghost Inside Our House
18. R.E.M. - Hollow Man
17. Mission Of Burma - Dead Pool
16. The Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site
15. The Breeders - Overglazed
14. The Replacements - Buck Hill
13. Wilco - Wishful Thinking
12. Mission Of Burma - Mica
11. The Weakerthans - One Great City!
10. Cloud Cult - No One Said It Would Be Easy
9. Wilco - Handshake Drugs
8. The Breeders - Spark
7. Cloud Cult - Hurricane And Survival Guide
6. Mission Of Burma - Forget
5. Cloud Cult - Everyone Here Is A Cloud
4. The Replacements - Within Your Reach
3. Cloud Cult - Love You
2. The Weakerthans - Plea From A Cat Name Virtute
1. Radiohead - Thinking About You

Top 20 Death Cab For Cutie Songs

2008-04-27T21:02:00.003-05:00

In anticipation of their newest LP, The Narrow Stairs, which drops on May 13th:

20. Bend To Squares
19. Champagne From A Paper Cup
18. We Laugh Indoors
17. State Street Residential
16. A Lack Of Color
15. Company Calls Epilogue
14. We Looked Like Giants
13. Marching Bands Of Manhattan
12. Styrofoam Plates
11. No Joy In Mudville
10. Different Names For The Same Thing
9. Two Cars
8. Sleep Spent
7. Title Track
6. What Sarah Said
5. Transatlanticism
4. Steadier Footing
3. Fake Frowns
2. Debate Exposes Doubt
1. 20th Century Towers

The 2008 Lollapalooza Lineup

2008-04-06T21:27:00.004-05:00

This is the annual entry I started writing last year to preview the Lollapalooza lineup. This year's preview is dedicated to my friend Tom Fuller whose taste in current music could use some improvement.

Acts I’ve Previously Seen Live (with the number of times I’ve seen them and the grade I’m assigning to their live set in parentheses):

Kanye West (Once, B+)
- Sound problems hampered Kanye's headlining set at Lollapalooza '06 but his flair for extravagance still made for a highly enjoyable time. Thinking about the sight of thousands of people raising their "diamonds" in the sky still gives me chills.

Wilco (Once, B)
- I'm still furious that I had to leave as Wilco played "I'm the Man Who Loves You" in order to catch Broken Social Scene back in '06.

Broken Social Scene (Once, A)
- They're responsible for probably the most famous Lolla performance since it ceased to be a traveling festival and definitely one of the most awe inspiring sets I've ever seen. My concern is that without Feist and Stars involved in this years festivities, we won't be able to see that full, star studded BSS lineup again.

Cat Power (Once, C)
- I'm still bitter that I listened to Chan Marshall's four most recent albums in preparation for her performance at the Pitchfork Music Festival last year to then recognize only two or three songs when Cat Power played.

Lupe Fiasco (Once, B-)
- I hope Matthew Santos doesn't appear with Lupe but I know that he will.

Okkervil River (Four times, A+)
- I'm on record as calling them one of the two best live bands in the world.

Mates of State (Once, B+)
- A good time was had by all during their performance in '06, even as Kori Gardner was mercilessly scorched by the sun right in front of our eyes.

Rogue Wave (Three times, A-)
- They played one of the best shows I've seen in recent memory when they came through town about a year and a half ago. This is a relief since in a week I will have missed their last three shows in Chicago.

Grizzly Bear (Once, B-)
- Grizzly Bear's live show, like their records, can be a little bit too tranquil for my tastes.

Mason Jennings (Once, C)
- I think Mason Jennings played at Springfest 2002. I don't remember being terribly impressed.

Louis XIV (Once, F)
- The most unintentionally funny band of all time.

Ten Most Anticipated Acts (In order):

10. Mates Of State
9. Cat Power
8. Wilco
7. Rogue Wave
6. Okkervil River
5. The National
4. The Weakerthans
3. Kanye West
2. Broken Social Scene
1. Radiohead

Five Most Underwhelming Acts (In order):

5. The Raconteurs
4. Does It Offend You, Yeah?
3. Blues Traveler
2. Flogging Molly
1. Louis XIV

Six Bands I’ve Been Looking For An Excuse To Start Listening To (In no particular order):

Bloc Party, Explosions In The Sky, Brand New, The Go Team, Black Kids, Office

Top 25 Songs For March

2008-04-01T23:14:00.005-05:00

25. The Replacements - Hold My Life
24. Mates Of State - Ha Ha
23. Atlas Sound - River Card
22. Rivers Cuomo - The World We Love So Much
21. Rivers Cuomo - Little Diane
20. The Replacements - Swingin' Party
19. The Breeders - Doe
18. The Replacements - Left Of The Dial
17. The Breeders - Glorious
16. Rivers Cuomo - Superfriend
15. Cloud Cult - You Got Your Bones To Make A Beat
14. Xiu Xiu - Gayle Lynn
13. We Are Scientists - Ghouls
12. Hot Chip - Wrestlers
11. Cloud Cult - Happy Hippo
10. Neil Young - Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)
9. Hot Chip - We're Looking For A Lot Of Love
8. Cloud Cult - Moving To Canada
7. The Replacements - A Little Mascara
6. The Replacements - Bastards Of Young
5. Cloud Cult - Living On The Outside Of Your Skin
4. Rivers Cuomo - Lover In The Snow
3. The Breeders - Happiness Is A Warm Gun [Beatles Cover]
2. We Are Scientists - Let's See It
1. The Replacements - Here Comes A Regular

Top 25 Songs For February

2008-03-01T23:58:00.003-06:00

25. The Wrens - From The Rack
24. Nada Surf - Are You Lightening?
23. Spoon - Don't Let It Get You Down
22. Nada Surf - From Now On
21. Spoon - Stay Don't Go
20. Nada Surf - Weightless
19. The Wrens - Shakers
18. Nada Surf - Beautiful Beat
17. The Wrens - Blind
16. Modest Mouse - Life Of Arctic Sounds
15. Nada Surf - I Like What You Say
14. The Wrens - Don't Be Shy
13. Modest Mouse - Never Ending Math Equation
12. The Turtles - It Ain't Me Babe [Bob Dylan Cover]
11. Modest Mouse - Other People's Lives
10. Amusement Parks On Fire - City Of Light
9. Bruce Springsteen - July 4th, Asbury Park (Sandy)
8. Spoon - The Two Sides Of Monsieur Valentine
7. Boy Dylan - Motopsycho Nightmare
6. David Bowie - Five Years
5. Modest Mouse - Whenever You Breathe Out, I Breathe In (Positive Negative)
4. Nada Surf - See These Bones
3. Bob Dylan - Ballad In Plain D
2. Modest Mouse - Baby Blue Sedan
1. Modest Mouse - Broke

Top 25 Songs For January

2008-02-01T22:35:00.000-06:00

25. Cloud Cult - Chemicals Collide
24. Lifter Puller - Half Dead And Dynamite
23. Lupe Fiasco - Go Go Gadget Flow
22. Modest Mouse - So Much Beauty In Dirt
21. Jon Brion - I Believe She's Lying
20. Lupe Fiasco - Gotta Eat
19. Cloud Cult - Chain Reaction
18. Lupe Fiasco - Intruder Alert
17. Say Hi - Zero To Love
16. Lupe Fiasco - Superstar
15. Lupe Fiasco - Hip-Hop Saved My Life
14. Modest Mouse - You're The Good Things
13. Say Hi - Spiders
12. Lifter Puller - I Like The Lights
11. Modest Mouse - Here It Comes
10. Cloud Cult - Dance For The Dead
9. Cat Power - Don't Explain [Billie Holiday Cover]
8. Cloud Cult - Purpose
7. Jon Brion - Gotta Start Somewhere
6. Cloud Cult - Take Your Medicine
5. Metric - Empty
4. Modest Mouse - Night On The Sun
3. Say Hi - Northwestern Girls
2. Cloud Cult - Your 8th Birthday
1. Lifter Puller - Nassau Colosseum

Top Ten Albums Of 2007

2008-01-01T22:45:00.001-06:00

10. Okkervil River - The Stage Names
9. Pinback - Autumn Of The Seraphs
8. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
7. The Good Life - Help Wanted Nights
6. The Shins - Wincing The Night Away
5. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
4. Kanye West - Graduation
3. Radiohead - In Rainbows
2. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
1. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Distroyer?

Top 25 Songs For January

2008-01-01T22:24:00.000-06:00

25. Pinback - From Nothing To Nowhere
24. Okkervil River - I Came Here To Say I'm Going Away [Serge Gainsbourg Cover]
23. Saves The Day - When I'm Not There
22. Beirut - St. Apollonia
21. Able Baker Fox - October
20. Wu-Tang Clan - Weak Spot
19. Pinback - Torch
18. The National - Racing Like A Pro
17. Neil Young - Ordinary People
16. The National - Slow Show
15. St. Vincent - Now Now
14. Neil Young - The Way
13. The Twilight Sad - Walking For Two Hours
12. Saves The Day - Can't Stay The Same
11. Okkervil River - Listening To Otis Redding During Christmas [Live]
10. Pinback - Barnes
9. Minus The Bear - When We Escape
8. Beirut - A Sunday Smile
7. The Apples In Stereo - The Sun Is Out
6. Beirut - Nantes
5. Able Baker Fox - Brand New Moses
4. Able Baker Fox - Whispering
3. The National - Mistaken For Strangers
2. Pinback - Walters
1. Stars - Your Ex-Lover Is Dead

Top 25 Songs Released In 2007

2007-12-30T16:24:00.001-06:00

25. Maritime - Guns Of Navarone
24. Jackie Carol - Hospital
23. Illinois - Alone Again
22. Of Montreal - She's A Rejector
21. Spoon - Finer Feelings
20. The Shins - Girl Sailor
19. The New Pornographers - My Rights Versus Yours
18. Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight
17. Radiohead - All I Need
16. Modest Mouse - March Into The Sea
15. Radiohead - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
14. Jimmy Eat World - Let It Happen
13. Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
12. Of Montreal - We Were Born The Mutants Again With Leafling
11. The Good Life - So Let Go
10. The Arcade Fire - Black Wave / Bad Vibrations
9. The Good Life - Rest Your Head
8. Deerhunter - Spring Hall Convert
7. Spoon - Black Like Me
6. Of Montreal - The Past Is A Grotesque Animal
5. Okkvervil River - Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe
4. LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
3. LCD Soundsystem - All Of My Friends
2. Lifetime - Just A Quiet Evening
1. Modest Mouse - Spitting Venom

Top Five Concert Experiences Of 2007

2007-12-22T11:25:00.000-06:00

The only ground rule was that only proper shows, as opposed to festival performances, were eligible. I would be remiss if I failed to mention two bands who failed to make the list: live performances by the Wrens (ineligible because I saw them at the BAM festival in Roscoe Village) and Okkervil River (who suffered from an atypically large venue and somewhat predictable set list) continue to be among the most thrilling experiences of my life.

5. The Long Winters & The Bound Stems @ The Double Door - 3/24/07
4. Superdrag @ The Metro 10/13/07
3. Kevin Devine & The Goddamn Band @ The Beat Kitchen - 2/2/07
2. The New Pornographers @ The Metro - 10/19/07
1. Lifetime @ Subterranean - 4/22/07

Honorable Mention: Okkervil River @ Logan Square Auditorium - 9/18/07, Modest Mouse @ The Orpheum Theater (Madison) - 11/10/07, Kevin Drew @ The Metro - 11/3/07, The Hold Steady & Art Brut @ The Metro - 10/29/07.

Top 25 Songs for November

2007-12-01T13:51:00.000-06:00

25. Maritime - With Holes For Thumbsized Birds
24. Stars - Take Me To The Riot
23. Common - Driving Me Wild
22. Maritime - Love Has Given Up
21. Common - Start The Show
20. The Replacements - Androgynous
19. Stars - Window Bird
18. Maritime - Hours That You Keep
17. Matt Pond PA - Basement Parties
16. Stars - The Night Starts Here
15. Stars - Midnight Coward
14. Stars - Life 2: Unhappy Ending
13. Maritime - Pearl
12. Stars - Personal
11. The Weakerthans - Virtue The Cat Explains Her Departure
10. Common - Forever Begins
9. The Replacements - We're Coming Out
8. Sunset Rubdown - The Mending Of The Gown
7. Matt Pond PA - Giving It All Away
6. The Replacements - I Will Dare
5. The Weakerthans - Sun In An Empty Room
4. Maritime - Guns Of Navarone
3. The Replacements - Seen Your Video
2. The Replacements - Unsatisfied
1. The Replacements - Answering Machine

Top 25 Songs For October

2007-11-01T19:04:00.000-05:00

25. Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan
24. Band Of Horses - Ode To LRC
23. Kevin Drew - Backed Out On The...
22. Band Of Horses - Detlef Shrempf
21. Band Of Horses - Cigarettes, Wedding Bands
20. Jens Lekman - I'm Leaving You Because I Don't Love You
19. Rogue Wave - Chicago X 12
18. Bob Dylan - Nettie Moore
17. Kevin Drew - Safety Bricks
16. Superdrag - Six-Eight
15. Radiohead - Reckoner
14. Superdrag - Liquor
13. Kevin Drew - TBTF
12. Superdrag - Really Thru
11. Jimmy Eat World - Firefight
10. Rogue Wave - Cheaper Than Therapy
9. Radiohead - Nude
8. Kevin Drew - Lucky Ones
7. Band Of Horses - Is There A Ghost
6. Radiohead - 15 Steps
5. Radiohead - Videotape
4. Band Of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You
3. Radiohead - All I Need
2. Radiohead - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
1. Jimmy Eat World - Let It Happen

Top 25 Songs For September

2007-10-01T23:12:00.000-05:00

25. Kanye West - Drunk And Hot Girls
24. Kanye West - Homecoming
23. The Good Life - A Little Bit More
22. Kanye West - Everything I Am
21. Superdrag - Senorita
20. The Cure - The Perfect Girl
19. Of Montreal - Requiem For O.M.M.2
18. Rilo Kiley - Close Call
17. Rilo Kiley - Does He Love You
16. The New Pornographers - Go Places
15. The New Pornographers - Challengers
14. Kanye West - Stronger
13. Superdrag - Sleeping Beauty
12. The Good Life - Playing Dumb
11. The New Pornographers - Unguided
10. The New Pornographers - Adventures In Solitude
9. Rilo Kiley - Love And War (11/11/46)
8. Kanye West - Big Brother
7. Kanye West - Flashing Lights
6. The Good Life - Keely Aimee
5. The New Pornographers - My Rights Versus Yours
4. Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight
3. The Good Life - So Let Go
2. Kanye West - Good Morning
1. The Good Life - Rest Your Head

Survivor Running Diary: Season 15, Episode 2

2007-09-27T21:21:00.000-05:00

7:11 – Poker pro Jean-Robert furrows brows across America as he explains his curious plan to avoid chipping in at camp in the early going and infuriate his tribe mates in the process, so that they will be that much more impressed later on, when he actually puts forth a legitimate effort (assuming he hasn’t been voted off yet). Words can’t explain how ashamed I am that my good friend Tom Fuller neglected his dream to be the first professional poker player to appear on Survivor.

7:19 – Throughout the muddy, physical reward challenge, a delighted Jeff does play by play which mostly centers around his descriptions of the women’s tops being torn off. He concludes the challenge by triumphantly shouting “And Amanda scores even though she is not wearing her top!”

7:22 – Immediately after winning the challenge, the Fei Long tribe earns the right to “kidnap” a member of the Zhan Hu. In a shocking development, their deliberations result in the selection of Jamie, the most spry and attractive Zhan Hu member to romp around topless in the mud within the last hour.

7:32 – Leslie’s teary confession about how lost she is without the strength she derives from her bible and my subsequent giggling has me wondering why it took the Survivor producers this long to put a religious fanatic on the show.

7:34 – Jamie decides to give Leslie the clue to the hidden immunity idol that she must give a member of Fei Long because she considers Leslie the tribe’s weakest member. Without a trace of irony, Leslie deems the clue “a gift from God.”

7:37 – Leslie concludes she’s too unintelligent to decipher the clue by herself so she must enlist someone to assist her, in return for a share the immunity idol. Her assessment of her intelligence proves accurate when she chooses to join forces with Todd, the most conniving member of the Fei Long tribe.

7:40 – My fears that I’m a racist are confirmed as, for the fifth or sixth time, it takes me a couple seconds to realize that Zhan Ho is the name of one of the tribes and not its Asian American member who was born in Michigan and happens to be named Michael.

7:48 – It must be far easier to be forward looking when you’re watching the show on television than when you’re actually playing the game. Erik is laidback, attractive, likable, reasonably athletic, and seems to get along well with everyone, yet he somehow seems destined to make it through about nine more episodes before being pegged as a threat.

7:54 – The Zhan Ho tribe cements its status as a complete train wreck when - in just the second episode - it finds itself forced to vote off one of two relatively useful tribe members in order to alleviate some of the dysfunction that is consuming their tribe.

Top 25 Songs For August

2007-09-01T19:18:00.000-05:00

25. Art Brut - Pump Up The Volume
24. Earlimart - Fakey Fake
23. Okkervil River - John Allyn Smith Sails
22. Wilco - Walken
21. Art Brut - People In Love
20. Brother Ali - Ear To Ear
19. Superdrag - She Says
18. Earlimart - Happy Alone
17. Earlimart - Gonna Break Into Your Heart
16. Okkervil River - Plus Ones
15. Superdrag - The Rest Of The World
14. Brother Ali - Faheem
13. Art Brut - Post Soothing Out
12. Wilco - Impossible Germany
11. Okkervil River - Savannah Smiles
10. Art Brut - Late Sunday Evening
9. Earlimart - Someday You're Gonna Love Me
8. Earlimart - Don't (You) Think About Me
7. Okkervil River - Unless It Kicks
6. Neil Young - Like A Hurricane
5. Art Brut - Direct Hit
4. Wilco - On And On And On
3. Okkervil River - (Shannon Wilsey On The) Starry Stairs
2. Okkervil River - A Girl In Port
1. Okkervil River - Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe

Top 25 Songs For July

2007-08-01T18:24:00.000-05:00

25. The Postmarks - You Drift Away*
24. Time Spent Driving - Throwing Stones
23. Oxford Collapse - Keep 'Em In A Canyon
22. Rhymefest [featuring Kanye West] - More*
21. Spoon - Don't Make Me A Target*
20. Pearl Jam - Rearviewmirror*
19. Time Spent Driving - Except The Grey
18. Spoon - The Underdog*
17. Time Spent Driving - Brown/Blue
16. Spoon - The Ghost Of You Lingers*
15. The Polyphonic Spree - Section 26 (We Crawl)*
14. Deerhunter - Fluorescent Grey
13. Illinois - Oh Asia*
12. Sage Francis - Water Line
11. Sage Francis - Black Out On White Night
10. Time Spent Driving - Special Thanks
9. Spoon - Black Like Me*
8. I'm From Barcelona - Oversleeping*
7. Jackie Carol - Hi, My Name Is Jackie...
6. Spoon - Finer Feelings*
5. I'm From Barcelona - Ola Kala*
4. Jackie Carol - Hospital
3. LCD Soundsystem - All Of My Friends*
2. Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb*
1. LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great*

*Appearing at Lollapalooza 2007.

Top 25 Songs For June

2007-07-01T23:58:00.000-05:00

25. Cat Power – Taking People*
24. Illinois – One On One#
23. TV On The Radio – Wear You Out#
22. Illinois – Headphones#
21. Elliott Smith – Angel In The Snow
20. Minus Story – In Line
19. Pearl Jam – Inside Job#
18. Minus Story – Parachute
17. Elliott Smith – New Disaster
16. Pearl Jam – Wasted Reprise#
15. Colour Revolt – Our Homes Are Graves#
14. TV On The Radio – Staring At The Sun#
13. Elliott Smith – See You Later
12. Pearl Jam – Life Wasted#
11. Minus Story – Miles And Miles
10. The Clientele – Bookshop Casanova
9. The Clientele – Winter On Victoria Street
8. Colour Revolt – Mattresses Under Water#
7. Cat Power – Nude As The News*
6. Colour Revolt – Blood In Your Mouth#
5. Elliott Smith – High Times
4. Elliott Smith – All Cleaned Out
3. Illinois – Alone Again#
2. Pearl Jam – Unemployable#
1. Elliott Smith – Going Nowhere

* Performing at the 2007 Pitchfork Music Festival
# Performing at Lollapalooza 2007

Running Diary of The O.C. Season Four

2007-06-03T14:40:00.000-05:00

Now that summer has arrived, I will have the chance to start authoring new, legit blog entries. First though, I have some house cleaning to do. What follows is a running diary of the fourth and final season of The OC. I never posted the diary because I planned to write about more than just five episodes. However, at this point it’s clear that won’t happen and the entry is rapidly becoming outdated. Enjoy.

I recently remarked that The OC is in some ways, the most exhilarating show on television. Fans who appreciate the remarkable first season realize that the show has the ability to rival any other program in the history of television. The fact that the second two seasons were frequently frustrating and at times laughably awful have meant that on a given Thursday, fans of the show might glimpse the show’s previous glory, a plotline/theme which has already appeared in multiple episodes, or perhaps one of the most horrific moments in the history of television. Since the Season Three finale was sufficiently atrocious to inspire the first entry in this blog, I felt obligated to keep a running journal of the fourth and sadly final season.

Episode One - F

- Probably the worst episode of a television show I have ever seen. Virtually all the characters have turned into caricatures of their former selves. Shockingly, Ryan is angry, moody, and best of all, cage fighting dudes three times his size. Che, a Brown student who may or may not be Summer’s new boyfriend/fling, is a stereotype of a stereotype of a tree hugging ivy league student. I can say with relative certainty that no person remotely like him exists on this planet. The episode features some decent comedy and a couple of poignant moments that are rendered worthless by the insane plot. I contemplated quitting the show once and for all after this episode but met the girlfriend of one of my classmates for the first time the night the episode aired, and she remarked that it seemed like a waste to watch the show for three full seasons and then quit only a handful of episodes before it will likely be cancelled.

Episode Two – B+

- I can’t remember the last episode of The OC that was this good. There were probably one or two last season and a few more in season two but I can’t recall which exact episodes those would be. Caitlin is really starting to come into her own. Willa Holland’s acting has improved tenfold since last season and for the first time in the show’s history, the writers seem to have discovered the nuance required for a character to consistently behave badly yet remain likable and not necessarily immoral. A killer cover by Band of Horses, a touching conversation between Ryan and Kirsten, and a riveting Sandy-Julie showdown cap off the stunning return to form.

Episode Three – B

- This episode brings back the sort of ridiculous, random plot points (e.g. random homeless people coming to the Cohen’s for Thanksgiving Dinner) that are extremely jarring to the viewer. The episode is otherwise a success with a few moving moments, comedy, and the continued emergence of Caitlin as a surprisingly sympathetic, nuanced character. Half way through the episode I became quite frustrated by the fact that Ryan is an out of control dumbass who would land himself in jail every single week if fate or one of the Cohens didn’t intervene. Thankfully, the writers seemingly took a step back and recognized this pitfall. I kept thinking to myself “I can’t watch this plotline another time, if only they’d let Ryan kill Volcheck and go to prison for eight years...” Instead, the writers did the next best thing by forcing Ryan to determine his own fate.

Episode Five – B+

- Holy shit the OC is fun again! It’s amazing what an incredible difference credibility makes for a television show. During the past couple seasons, over the top characters such as the Dean of Discipline and depressingly melodramatic plot lines shattered my suspension of disbelief while watching the show. Now that the plot lines have been reigned back in to the sort of day to day issues that ordinary people can relate to, not only is the show able to add the nuance necessary to make the interactions between characters more believable, my newfound trust in the show leaves me less likely to second guess something like a Ryan-Taylor relationship, which seemed ridiculous as recently as two episodes ago.

The Christmakkuh Episode – C-

- One of the most intriguing parts of the episode was guessing which character would be Summer’s tool fiancé in the bizarro alternate universe. Let’s just say that I was thoroughly nauseated by the decision to place Che/Chester’s in the role and the contrived explanation (“Well…huh…what if…Ryan took the last spot at Harbor…and Che’s family was going to move from Conneticut but couldn’t…and this would’ve maid him a huge tool…yeah!). Sometimes, writers seem to have a little bit too much fun and this appears to be one of those times. “Hey, what’s the wackiest, zaniest shit we can come up with? Sandy married to Julie? Hah! That’s classic!! Julie having an affair with a rich douche version of Che?! Genius!!” An always welcome reappearance from one of the show’s best characters (at this point Tate can blow everyone but Gallagher and Brody off the screen without even trying) and a good angle (“What if Marrisa is still alive?”) were completely wasted. Overall, this is the first big misstep since the horrific season debut. Nevertheless, the Kaitlin character gets better and better and feels more and more like an old friend with every episode. In some ways she’s almost modeled after Seth with her quick wit and snarky comments. Any time a character is playing the role of a viewer sitting on their couch and making smart alecky comments, the show avoids becoming overly serious.

Top 25 Songs For May

2007-06-01T20:44:00.000-05:00

25. Of Montreal - Labyrinthian Pomp
24. Neil Young - Don't Cry No Tears
23. Deerhunter - Heatherwood
22. Pearl Jam - All Or None
21. Cat Power - I Don't Blame You
20. Feist - My Moon My Man
19. Cat Power - Free
18. The Wrens - They'll Need A Crane [They Might Be Giants Cover]
17. Deerhunter - Strange Lights
16. Slint - Washer
15. Of Montreal - Suffer For Fashion
14. Feist - I Feel It All
13. Neil Young - Pardon My Heart
12. Cat Power - He War
11. Of Montreal - Bunny Ain't No Kind Of Rider
10. Slint - Good Morning, Captain
9. Feist - Past In Present
8. Deerhunter - Spring Hall Convert
7. Of Montreal - Cato As Pun
6. Genius/GZA - B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)
5. Cat Power - Speak For Me
4. The Wrens - Our Brightest New Year
3. Of Montreal - She's A Rejector
2. Of Montreal - The Past Is A Grotesque Animal
1. Of Montreal - We Were Born The Mutants Again With Leafling

Top 25 Songs For April

2007-05-01T14:10:00.000-05:00

25. Girl Talk - Hold Up
24. Andrew Bird - Fiery Crash
23. The Rosebuds - My Punishment For Fighting
22. The Veronicas - 4Ever
21. Andrew Bird - Plasticities
20. The Rosebuds - Silja Line
19. Lifetime - Somewhere In The Swamps Of New Jersey
18. Oxford Collapse - For The Khakis And The Sweatshirts
17. The Ponys - Turn The Lights Out
16. The Arcade Fire - Keep The Car Running
15. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
14. Modest Mouse - We've Got Everything
13. The Arcade Fire - Windowsill
12. Andrew Bird - Yawny At The Apocalypse
11. The Arcade Fire - No Cars Go
10. Modest Mouse - Florida
9. Modest Mouse - Parting Of The Sensory
8. The Arcade Fire - Ocean Of Noise
7. Oxford Collapse - Lady Lawyers
6. The Ponys - Small Talk
5. Sonic Youth - Cross The Breeze
4. Modest Mouse - Little Motel
3. The Arcade Fire - Black Wave / Bad Vibrations
2. Modest Mouse - March Into The Sea
1. Modest Mouse - Spitting Venom

The Lineup!

2007-04-12T14:48:00.000-05:00

Today is a big day. At long last, the lineup for Lollapalooza 2007 has been announced. As expected, it’s a doozy. While my inclination is to dive headfirst into the catalogues of some of the more hyped acts I’ve never listened to, the best course of action is to hold off until the schedule is announced; becoming obsessed with a band only to discover they’re playing opposite one of your favorites can be highly traumatic.

I cannot urge people to come to Lollapalooza enough. Tickets will set you back considerably but three long days of ecstasy is worth plenty of money in my opinion. My studio apartment is starting to look a bit crowded but I vow to take whatever means necessary to find room for any out-of-towners interested in attending. If I somehow can’t house you, I’ll find someone who can.

Without further ado, here’s my take on the lineup:

Acts I’ve Previously Seen Live (with the number of times I’ve seen them and the grade I’m assigning to their live set in parentheses):

My Morning Jacket (Once, Incomplete)
- Really, I just grew frustrated waiting for their set to end from half a mile away while waiting for Sleater-Kinney to come on at Lolla last year. Supposedly they’re a great live band.

Pete Yorn (Once, Incomplete)
- I somewhat distractedly listened to Pete Yorn from three quarters of a mile away at a free concert in Grant Park a few years back.

The Hold Steady (Four times, A)
- If you’ve never seen the Craig Finn and company live, it truly is something to behold.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland (Twice, C+)
- Kevin and I saw Elvis and his band open for Okkervil River at Schubas on consecutive nights in October. Kevin came away somewhat impressed; I didn’t.

Bound Stems (Three times, A)
- Chitown's own Bound Stems play a tight set and more importantly, with the possible exception of the aforementioned Hold Steady, they seem to have more fun on stage than any other act I’ve ever seen.

Ten Most Anticipated Acts (In order):

10. Peter Bjorn & John and Yo La Tengo (tie)
9. Bound Stems
8. The Hold Steady
7. Tapes ‘N Tapes
- Twin Cities represent!
6. TV On The Radio
5. Annuals
4. Lupe Fiasco
3. Pearl Jam
- The most prolific band of my generation?
2. Silversun Pickups
1. Modest Mouse
- I’m extremely grateful to have a reprieve after passing up the opportunity to finally see them later this month.

Five Most Underwhelming Acts (In order):

5. Elvis Perkins in Dearland
4. The Rapture
3. Julliette & The Licks
2. Satellite Party
1. Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals

Ten Bands I’ve Been Looking For An Excuse To Start Listening To (In no particular order):

Regina Spektor, LCD Soundsystem, Sean Lennon, Rhymefest, Spoon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Polyphonic Spree, Heartless Bastards, Sparklehorse, !!!

Mixology: Part Three

2007-04-01T14:48:00.000-05:00

So a while back, my friend Long told me that mix CDs are only for teenagers with a crush. In an effort to refute this bullshit claim, I’ve spend the last few months fine tuning the third “official Jeremy Barr mix.” Somebody Better Put Me Back Down is now available in IPod (acc/mp4) quality, CD (wav) quality, and on an actual CD-R if I’ll be seeing you in person. Let me know if you’d like a copy and I’ll hook you up.

Top 25 Songs For March

2007-04-01T14:32:00.000-05:00

This month's Top 25 would be the 2007 NBA draft with plenty of depth and two superstars (Greg Oden and Kevin Durant), either of which you'd be afraid to pass on in the number one spot.

25. Pearl Jam - In Hiding
24. Neil Young - Ambulance Blues
23. Pearl Jam - No Way
22. Pop Unknown - As God And Everest
21. Say Hi To Your Mom - They Write Books About This Sort Of Thing
20. Pop Unknown - The Next Big Thing
19. Youth Group - Lilian Lies
18. Pop Unknown - Contact
17. Aimee Mann - Nothing Is Good Enough
16. Aimee Mann - It Takes All Kinds
15. Wilco - Hotel Arizona
14. Youth Group - Someone Else's Dream
13. Pearl Jam - Smile
12. Pop Unknown - The Invisible Complex
11. Youth Group - See-Saw
10. Aimee Mann - Calling It Quits
9. Lifetime - Northbound Breakdown
8. Pearl Jam - Low Light
7. Wilco - Outta Sight (Outta Mind)
6. Pop Unknown - Another Holliday
5. Lifetime - Records At Night
4. Aimee Mann - How Am I Different?
3. Youth Group - Skeleton Jar
2. The Long Winters - The Commander Thinks Aloud
1. Lifetime - Just A Quiet Evening

A New Creative Endeavor

2007-03-19T15:26:00.000-05:00

Kevin and I have started a video/music project. For the full scoop and our first piece of work, check out Kevin’s latest blog entry.

Top 25 Songs For February

2007-03-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

If this month's Top 25 were an NBA draft it would be one of the deepest in history but without any true superstars.

25. Youth Group - Sorry
24. Youth Group - On A String
23. Lifter Puller - Nice, Nice
22. Sleater-Kinney - Call The Doctor
21. The Long Winters - Unsalted Butter
20. Silversun Pickups - Common Reactor
19. The Rolling Stones - Sway
18. Rogue Wave - Eyes
17. Sleater-Kinney - Heart Attack
16. Sleater-Kinney - Good Things
15. Air - Highschool Lover
14. Pop Unknown - Your Own Personal Wedding
13. Menomena - The Pelican
12. Youth Group - Dead Zoo
11. Youth Group - Start Today Tomorrow
10. Lifter Puller - Space Humping $19.99
9. Youth Group - Catching & Killing
8. The Long Winters - Carparts
7. Cat Power - Metal Heart
6. Say Hi To Your Mom - The Twenty-Second Century
5. Silversun Pickups - Future Foe Scenarios
4. Neil Young - Tonight's The Night - Part II
3. Pop Unknown - Tipping The Scale
2. Silversun Pickups - Well Thought Out Twinkles
1. Say Hi To Your Mom - The Death Of Girl Number Two

Top 25 Songs For January

2007-02-01T14:22:00.000-06:00

Song comments will return someday, I'm just not sure when.

25. The Shins - Australia
24. Samiam - The Bridge
23. Annuals - Fair
22. Joanna Newsom - Bridges And Balloons
21. The Shins - Sleeping Lessons
20. The Good, The Bad, And The Queen - Herculean
19. The Good, The Bad, And The Queen - The Good, The Bad, And The Queen
18. Joanna Newsom - Sadie
17. Pop Unknown - Half Of Ninety
16. The Shins - Phantom Limb
15. Pop Unknown - Tattoo Your Image (On The World)
14. Jebediah - La Di Da Da
13. Say Hi To Your Mom - Let's Talk About Spaceships
12. The Shins - Split Needles
11. Say Hi To Your Mom - Pop Music Of The Future
10. Neutral Milk Hotel - Holland, 1945
9. Sally Shapiro - I'll Be By Your Side
8. Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends [Beatles Cover]
7. Neutral Milk Hotel - King Of Carrot Flowers Part 1
6. Neutral Milk Hotel - Two-Headed Boy Part 2
5. Pop Unknown - Oh Kay
4. Joanna Newsom - Peach, Plumb, Pair
3. The Shins - Girl Sailor
2. T.I. - What You Know?
1. Pop Unknown - Perfect In Venice

Top 10 Albums of 2006

2007-01-03T23:10:00.000-06:00

10. Bound Stems - Appreciation Night
9. Say Hi To Your Mom - Impeccable Blahs
8. The Long Winters - Putting The Days To Bed
7. Mates Of State - Bring It Back
6. Blackpool Lights - This Town's Disaster
5. We Are Scientists - With Love And Squalor
4. The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America
3. Joanna Newsome - Ys
2. Maritime - We, The Vehicles
1. Forget Cassettes - Salt

Honorable Mention: The Killers - Sam's Town, Adem - Love & Other Planets, Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time, Asobi Seksu - Citrus, Cursive - Happy Hollow, Danielson - Ships, Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped, Amusement Parks On Fire - Out Of The Angeles, Moneen - The Red Tree, Saves The Day - Sound The Alarm, I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear Is On Our Side

Top 25 Songs For December

2007-01-01T23:54:00.000-06:00

25. Hot Chip - Look After Me
24. Swan Lake - All Fires
23. Neil Young - The Restless Consumer
22. Lupe Fiasco - Kick, Push
21. Peter Bjorn & John - Paris 2004
20. Neko Case - Star Witness
19. Yo La Tengo - Black Flowers
18. Peter Bjorn & John - Up Against The Wall
17. Neko Case - Maybe Sparrow
16. TV On The Radio - I Was A Lover
15. Annuals - Dry Clothes
14. Belle & Sebastian - To Be Myself Completely
13. TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me
12. Neko Case - The Needle Has Landed
11. Hot Chip - The Warning
10. Annuals - Complete Or Completing
9. Rock Plaza Central - When We Go, How We Go (Part II)
8. Rock Plaza Central - We've Got A Lot To Be Glad For
7. Lupe Fiasco featuring Gemini & Sarah Green - He Say She Say
6. Yo La Tengo - The Race Is On Again
5. Rock Plaza Central - When We Go, How We Go (Part I)
4. Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks
3. Jurassic 5 featuring Nelly Furtado - Thin Line
2. Yo La Tengo - Beanbag Chair
1. Neko Case - Hold On, Hold On

Survivor: California Running Diary

2006-12-07T21:01:00.000-06:00

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

2006-12-01T22:10:00.000-06:00

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

2006-11-03T14:43:00.000-06:00

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

2006-11-01T15:48:00.000-06:00

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

2006-10-01T16:50:00.000-05:00

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

2006-08-26T17:07:00.000-05:00

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

2006-08-01T23:25:00.000-05:00

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. "

2006-07-09T21:40:00.000-05:00

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

2006-06-28T00:59:00.000-05:00

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

2006-06-21T23:57:00.000-05:00

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

2006-06-20T20:09:00.000-05:00

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

2006-06-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

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

2006-06-13T00:44:00.000-05:00

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...

2006-06-06T21:11:00.000-05:00

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

2006-05-28T18:09:00.000-05:00

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.

"Marge, Beer Me!"

2006-05-27T12:04:00.000-05:00

I am currently planning an entry about the best new album I have heard this year, Maritime's We, The Vehicles, which will hopefully be completed sometime this weekend. To hold you over while I continue to listen to that album five or six times a day and allow the songs to swirl around my head, I give you a list of my five favorite beers in honor of the copious amount of beer I plan to drink to honor our veterans on Monday (in no particular order):

Summit India Pale Ale

Moose Drool

Anchor Steam

Sierra Nevada Stout

Grain Belt Premium

"At Every Occasion I'll Be Ready For A Funeral"

2006-05-21T19:55:00.000-05:00

The above lyric borrowed from Band of Horses' breath taking "The Funeral", epitomizes the experience of being a viewers of Fox's The OC. The show has now killed three characters in a span of just 27 episdoes culminating with the car crash which took the life of Marissa Cooper in season three's finale last Thursday. I have no means of doing the research but am willing to bet that outside of crime dramas, no program has allowed its characters to die at such great frequency. At this point, it is only reasonable for fans of the show to brace themselves for the death of another charater somewhere around episode nine of the fourth season. My money is on Seth meeting his fate in a tragic sailing accident, but a twelve episode arc where Kirsten succumbs to breast cancer is probably a stronger possibility.

The problem with allowing so many characters to meet their untimely demise is that it becomes incredibly difficult for viewers to continue to care what happens to the characters. Such extreme tragedy both shatters suspension of disbelief and discourages fans from feeling compassion towards characters whose lives will only be marked by misfortune. The recent obsession with death is syptomatic of the show's attempt to create more powerful television by employing heightened melodrama. The program's plotlines have rapidly shifted from drama surrounding fist fights, relationships, and sex to drama surrounding death, infidelity, and alcoholism.

Perhaps most frustrating of all is the show's inclination to repeat previous plotlines with a far lower degree of success. Watching Ryan's Mom battle alcoholism while Luke's Dad and Julie Cooper cheated on their spouses was entertaining because the plotlines involved secondary characters. Watching Kirsten implode due to alcoholism and Sandy ponder infidelity was excruciatingly painful because the themes had already been explored and the characters are at the core of The OC. Not only did Thursday's episode feature the last moments of one of the program's most prominent characters, it repeated previous instances in the show where 1. a character died (Caleb and Johnny) 2. the music of Imogen Heap was featured prominently in the wake of a characters death ("Hide and Seek" plays during Caleb's funeral procession) 3. a character was involved in a roll over (Kirsten's drunk driving in season two) 4. Ryan was forced to carry Marrissa while she is near death (the Tiajuana OD first season) 5. a season cliffhanger ended in violence and potential death (Marrissa's shooting of Trey in the season two finale).

After viewing the commercials stating a main character may die during the finale, I was utterly convinced everyone would survive the episode based on the number of recent deaths on the show and the suggestion it would be a major character who would bite the dust. My mantra when discussing the show with my friends was "Look. Imagine if one of us or one of our parents were to die right now. Imagine the trama that would inflict on your life." Thankfully, I have never had to experience such tragedy. However, I am relatively certain that such events would leave a person utterly devastated for months or years and would never completely fade. The OC's unbelievably difficult challenge at this point is to adequatlely convey the misery experienced by Julie after losing her daughter, Ryan after losing the love of his life, and Summer after losing her best friend while simultaneously steering the show as far away as possible from melodrama. While agonizing over this decision for several days, I have come to the conclusion that I will be tuning in during the beginning of the fourth season to see if Josh Schwartz and company can in fact pull it off. I found myself incredibly relieved to read that Schwartz "intends to jettison the [show's recent] moodiness for more wit and winsomeness." While I am not holding my breath, my fingers are most definitely crossed.

The Beginning

2006-05-18T23:54:00.000-05:00

So, I have started a blog. The title of this blog will be "Home Is...". I stole this title from the final track on the debut album of one of my favorite bands of all time, The Casket Lottery's Choose Bronze. This is largely due to the fact that I expect music will be the most frequently dicussed topic in this space. It had not occured to me until I began to create this blog that I would need to create a worthwhile title and this represented the best title I could come up with of in a span of ten minutes. In addition to referencing one of my favorite indie rock acts, it seemed appropriate because (barring the unlikely and now even more ironic event that I am admitted from the University of Minnesota's deffered list) I will be returning home to Chicago in August to attend Kent Law School. I had intended to create the URL www.homeis.blogspot.com but while that address does not pull up a valid site, the blogger website informs me this address already exists and hence I am unable to reserve the URL. Hopefully the riduculousness of the URL will help folks to remember how to access the site.

My previous blog, www.chisoxanalysis.blogspot.com focused on sabermetric (also known as "stathead") analysis of my favorite sports team, The Chicago White Sox. That blog has failed because I have found myself incapable of posting consistent entries. I have two theories for this phenomenon: 1) the blog's subject matter appealed to a very small audience and therefore failed to inspire me 2) I simply do not have the time to regularly update a blog and this point in my life. My (at this point) non-existant readers and I are banking on the idea that on the former explantion is the more accurate of the two. Ideally, opening myself up to writing about music, movies, television, sports, and occasionally events in my personal life will stimulate me to update this space far more frequently.

I will not lie: while the idea of a blog along these lines occured to me weeks ago, I was not inspired to actually create this space until I viewed tonight's episode of one of my favorite television shows, Fox's The OC. I intended to discuss my recent disenchantment with the show and the series finale in particular in my first entry. However, due to the late hour this will have to wait until my second entry. Until then take care and thank you for reading.

Jeremy