Last Thursday's Playlist

Viva Voce: From The Devil Himself
Belle & Sebastian: Judy & The Dream of Horses
Deerhoof: The Tears and Music of Love
A.C. Newman: There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve
Japanese Motors: Coors Lite
Otis Redding: Shake
Chuckanut Drive: Reno to Vegas
Animal Collective: Summertime Clothes
Lou Reed: Sweet Jane
That Ghost: When There's No One Else To Sing To Sing To Yourself
V DFA Remixes: She Wants To Move
Go Slowpoke: Kiss Now, Drunk Later
Megapuss: Crop Circle Jerk '94
Blitzen Trapper: Gold for Bread
Dengue Fever: Oceans of Venus
Matt & Kim: Cutdown
Starfucker: German Love
The Little Ones: Morning Tide
Andrew Bird: Fitz + The Dizzyspells
Justice: D.A.N.C.E. Pt. II
The Pale Pacific: Tied To A Million Things
The Duke Spirit: Wooden Heart
The Spinto Band: Summer Grof
The Watson Twins: Just like heaven

After Watching 45 Minutes of Television

Rachel Maddow really has to ax the cornball at the end of her show who talks about the days odd headlines.

Keith Olbermann really shouldn't be making fun of Blagojevich's hair

Scrubs is incredibly well written sometimes

I think after I'm 40 I want to secretly be Dr. Cox

I'm pretty sure I'm the only one of the people I know who can spell Blagojevich right the first time. Polska!

Things I've learned in college (as of this week) Part 8

You do not, DO NOT, argue with a political science professor about politics.


DO NOT.



NO. Seriously, stop.

The last two "Last Thursday's Playlists"... sorry

January 15

The Replacements: Sixteen Blue
Belle & Sebastian: Judy & The Dream of Horses
Starfucker: German Love
The Magnificents : How Long Gone
Gregory & The Hawk: Grey Weather
Sufjan Stevens: Jacksonville
Chuckanut Drive: Reno to Vegas
Deerhoof: Teh Tears and Music of Love
Ray La Montagne: You Are The Best Thing
Between The Pine: Coca-Cola
The Streets: Fit But You Know It
Fountains of Wayne: '92 Subaru
Jay Reatard: See Saw
Spoon: My Mathmatical Mind
Noah & The Whale: 5 Years Time
Dengue Fever: Oceans of Venus
Brighton Port Authority: He's Frank
Dr. Dog: Alaska
Arcwelder: Smile
Tobacco: Hairy Candy
Cold War Kids: Something Is Not Right With Me
Her Space Holiday: The New Kid Revival
Roy Orbison: Oh, Pretty Woman
Love Is All: When Giants Fall
Al Green: I'm Still In Love With You


January 21

Beck: Gamma Ray
Megapuss: Crop Circle Jerk '94
Deerhoof: The Tears and Music of Love
Matt and Kim: Daylight
Fucked Up: Son The Father
Sun Kil Moon: Dramamine (Modest Mouse cover)
David Byrne & Brian Eno: Home (fucking awful album)
Ray La Montagne: Sarah
Animal Collective: My Girls
The Streets: Dry Your Eyes
Yogoman Burning Band: Doot, Doot
Jay Reatard: Always Wanting More
Noah & The Whale: 5 Years Time
The Kills: Love is a Deserter
Death Cab For Cutie: Band to Squares
Her Space Holiday: The New Kid Revival
Brighton Port Authority: Dirty Sheets
Belle & Sebastian: The State I Am In
A.C. Newman: Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer
Starfucker: Mike Ptyson
Built To Spill: Car

(I'm just sayin...)

Inaugurama!

Ok let me first start by saying...



FUCK YES!

Ok now on to the shit that matters (kidding). 

There's something about inaugurations that feel much like birthdays.

I'll explain.

Every time I turn a new age (in this case 20) there's something I can't get use to for about three months, the fact that I'M A NEW AGE. No matter how many times I hear it, I still cannot mentally comprehend the dramatic change.

With inaugurations/new presidents, same thing goes. I literally cannot comprehend that fact that Obama is president (but damn it feels good saying that).

It may have something to do with excitement, because I remember back when W was inaugurated, my parents woke me up for me to watch his first day on a Saturday morning, and I remember being so excited that I couldn't comprehend it (lay off me, I was only 12 when Bush was embezzled err I mean elected)

And seriously, I've had it up to here (I'm pointing to the top of my head) with Diane Feinstein.  Could she seriously try and be anymore of an egotist? And no I'm not talking about her introduction duties at the inauguration... I'm talking about her stink she made about Leon Panetta.  She was acting like a three year old begging for attention, oh, and... you know... proving the inefficiency of bureaucracy all at the same time. And my friends wonder why I won't just vote Democrat straight down the ballot...

Nothing about the ceremony in particular blew me away, that is with the exception of the Rev. Joseph Lowery (if the youtube clip was posted I'd have posted it hear already). I'm negating intellectual comments because of the fact that I'm not very good at them.

BUT I WILL SAY THIS... There was something very ominous about watching W fly away at the end in the helicopter, almost like the end of old western.  The fact alone that Brian Williams didn't say a damn word said enough.

Thus ends the topic to encourage me to start a blog in the first place... my apologies.

"Last year, the NME placed Vampire Weekend on its cover and declared that we were living in a time of renewed greatness in American music. Not long after, a blogger at The Guardian made essentially the same claim. Weirdly, the conventional wisdom for those of us on this side of the Atlantic was just the opposite, the line being that 2008 was a relatively ho-hum time for American indie rock. My suggestion for UK indie: It's not us, it's you. In the past few years, it's too few art school bands, too few mavericks, and too few iconoclasts; it's far too many groups that amount to a haircut, a worn copy of Is This It?, and a provincial accent. Above all, it's far too many bands that confuse ambition with chart placements instead of creativity."

Thank you, Scott Plagenhoef.

What's a goon to a goblin.

I was in physics this morning.  Well, physically (ha!).  And a series of about four bro-ski's were all in a row in front of me.

Ok the scene is set.

So Prof mumblemumblemumble was talking about unit conversions.  and so we were talking about the different variations for the metric system (mega, kilo, centi, milli, etc.)

and so as she was talking about the milli conversion, one of the four randomly yelled "young money!"

I laughed like a dumbass and the other half of the class didn't even get it.

and as the professor heard everyone laughing she says "Yes, the milli is a funny sounding conversion"

but she obviously doesn't pop'em like orville redenbaucherrrr.

The Nowies (Best of 2008)

Ok First The Honorable Mentions:

20. MGMT “Oracular Spectacular”/19. Bon Iver “For Emma, Forever Ago”

Whilst both of these albums were STAPLES of my angst driven atypical college kid attitudes, these were both published LAST YEAR. Unfortunately I must disqualify both these albums. If not for this outdate, both would probably take #2 and #3 because I’m not really sure how many times I’ve listened to “Skinny Love” while not crying (pshhh) and just had too many goddam good memories listening to “Electric Feel” “Time to Pretend” and “Kids”

Delay of game, 3 month penalty, still first down.

Ok to the countdown

Let me first say that this year in music kinda sucked (a lot). I was really unimpressed by what came out of 2008, but this probably just goes back to my theory of good politics=mediocre culture. That’s not to say it didn’t have its peaks, because when a good artist hit in 2008, they hit HARD. Especially, ESPECIALLY the debuts. Oh god the debuts were solid

18./17. Blitzen Trapper “Furr”/Ra Ra Riot “The Rhumb Line”

I noticed very little between the two albums, musically. Both were constantly on and flowing during study time. Both were solid and deserve some praise. Dap.

16. Ssion “Fools Gold”

My initiation into sophomore year. From experience, the sound of an initiation album kind of prefaces the environment I’m about to live in for the next year or so. This was odd because this album is FUCKING CRAZY and this year has been far from it. Never before has mediocrity and constant stress been prefaced with fucked-up-edness

15. Tobacco “Fucked Up Friends”

This album has no words and fucked up beats. Listen to “Hairy Candy”. You’ll get it.

14. Albert Hammond Jr. “Come Te Llama?”

I do my very best (well… maybe not my VERY best) at trying to hide my prejudice against anything non-Strokes. However Albert delivered a stronger punch this time around and I spent many summer days absorbing fiction, drinking, and listening to what could be considered my “Summer Album.” Feed me, Jack…

13. Okkervil River “The Stand Ins”

Really there is not a single song that isn’t solid on this album. Really that is the only reason I didn’t like it more, or less, for that matter.

12. Jamie Lidell “Jim”

Jamie Lidell is German. I don’t get how the fuck he’s so good at R&B. But the parts of me that still want to be ignorant and blind love this and rank it at its own #1 spot.

11. Jay Reatard “Matador Singles ‘08”

With a last name like Reatard one would assume that his stronger abilities shine trough with his ability to make ironic statements. For some reason this works. Almost every track is less than 2 minutes, they go nowhere, and his production quality is comparable to my friends trying to rap into a boombox. But this year was fucked up, and through the transitive property of rock it works.



THE TOP TEN


10. The Cool Kids “The Bake Sale”

The ONLY rap to give a damn about this year was The Cool Kids. For some reason Chicago seems to be the only place making it right anymore, and well, fucking Kanye lost his mind this year. The Cool Kids are the only guys I know that make poor fun.

9. The Hold Steady “Stay Positive”

The Hold Steady elaborated on a genre that you cannot fuck up, if, and only if, you are The Hold Steady. Bar skanks seem appealing, acid seems mildly enjoyable, and when they said “We’re gonna build something this summer” I believed them, and did exactly that.

8. My Morning Jacket “Evil Urges”

I’ve never felt more like I was watching The Ten Commandments via all-over-the-fucking-place songs. Not more than 2 songs matched on this album. At one point they’re thanking me and then next they’re talking about sexual preference towards librarians (which I totally understand). The whole time I had no idea what the fuck was going on, making it enough avant garde to stand and familiar enough to love.

7. No Age “Nouns”

It made me love fuzztone. No one has been capable of doing that to me. Ever.

6. Beck “Modern Guilt”

I don’t like Beck. I don’t like most of his music. His pretentiousness is so thick you could drizzle it on pancakes. But I love this album. I spent many nights jamming and cleaning toilets at a state park to this album, and “Gamma Ray” helped me survive that fate I chose.

5. Starfucker “Starfucker”

Almost nobody knows who Starfucker is. The FCC hates this band but I love them. The only truly Portland native band I know of worth a damn, Starfucker plays some of the best electopop and too many nights were spent with this music circulating.

4. She & Him “Volume One”

It’s at least 90 degrees driving through Mill Plain. The car is overheating and so you’ve got only a hot breeze rolling past your face. That girl from the Elf movie is just being so fucking chipper about heartbreak, confusing your emotions, and M. Ward is just chilling. He’s just there to stare at Zooey’s pretty face.

3. Vampire Weekend “Vampire Weekend”

Vampire Weekend has been in the top five of everything this year. Nobody didn’t like this album, and they were under the hipster magnifying glass every step of the way. Vampire Weekend was like the Barack Obama of music criticism. Numerous times did they get railed for lack of experience and ability to work a crowd, and they fucking came out on top. I’m happy for them, and the next time they do an “Oxford Comma” style music video I pray to god that I’m in it.

2. Fleet Foxes “Fleet Foxes”

This is the only band I saw live on this list. When they showed up they were all baked off their asses (this cancelled out because I was drunk as well). They honestly just seemed like a bunch of folkies out of Seattle who liked to get high. But they moment they hit the first chords you sank because dude had some fucking pipes. It seems very apparent that they just stumbled upon success. But when you can sink “Oliver James”, make it look easy, and then make Bruce Springsteen jokes the whole time, you definitely have my t-shirt money.



THE BEST ALBUM OF 2008


1. King Khan & The Shrines “The Supreme Genius of King Khan & The Shrines”

I went through a garage rock phase this year. Not sure how it started. But King Khan I’m pretty sure helped. Every single track had a theme for 2008. “Torture” was drunk. “Welfare Bread” was love. “I Took My Lady to Dinner” was lust. Everything is ironic. Everything is inappropriate. Everything is hedonistic. Nothing made sense. Thus my national anthem for 2008 was “The Supreme Genius of King Khan & The Shrines.”

“…You don’t have to pay your bills anymore now. You just have to eat my welfare bread.”

Happy New Year, kids.

Tomorrow...

I post the best-of list.

I've been working on it for like a week now, delayed it, and finally have it prepped.

Ya'll better re-post it.

The Random Shit

The albums I should have listened to more in 2008:

'

The biggest surprise of last year: Panic! At The Disco "Pretty Odd"

Aaaaaaand.... The Albums I Didn't Get:

The Foxes! '08

For some reason the last few months have been drawn to:

A. Brunettes

B. Outrageously perfect figures

Now I suppose this is a little chauvinistic but don't blame me.  I simply stumbled upon these women and was drawn to them.  Besides, a blog titled "The Foxes!" is a little simpleminded to begin with.

ANYWAYS here's my choices for my biggest crushes of 2008.

The Incumbent: Kate Nash:

The reason I love Kate Nash so much (well, besides the British accent and the red hair) is the fact that I've probably got a better shot at dating this girl than any other on this list.  Ya know, she's 21, I'm... almost 20.  I could be at like, idontknow, at a coffee shop in Portland during the summer and she might be on tour there and she gets out to get some air and we could share a couple cigarettes while she sits at my table and we could talk about... books? fuck idontknow.  Point is we get married.

Katy Perry:

I don't understand why I have such a crush on this women.  She's artificial.  Her songs are poor and glorified whorism.  She's basically an American Apparel model with a microphone.  But the more I bash her character the more attracted I am to her.  Maybe because she's so self aware that has something to do with it.

Carey Wilson:

Only seen her very sparingly on SNL but she's spazzy and stellar.  Everything I've seen her in (being the 3-10,000 skits I've seen her in) she's always funny and cute as hell, even if it's just a background part.  I just wish I'd see her in more stuff other than the TV I watch on Saturdays between 11:30 and 1:00 AM.

Mary Elizabeth Walker:

Such a fox.  First noticed in Deathproof (that shitty Tarantino Grindhouse deal).  She just ran around in a cheerleader outfit and just acted incredibly charming. She wasn't in it much, but when she was she played the dumb girl so ironically that I couldn't help but think that she could be amazing to talk to.  Other than that I literally have no idea who she is or what she's been in.  But she's fucking gorgeous.

Zooey Deschanel:

Fucking seriously.  She can't act her way out of a paper bag.  I'm not really sure how she gets into movies, but god damn.  She so subtly drips sexuality that I think of the atypical tease in high school that every shy guy wants because she doesn't want any of them... she's probably dating a sophomore in college but that just makes you want her that much more, and then you find out she's getting married to some guy named Ben and you know that's not gonna make her happy (but it's probably cause you're just jealous) so you have to hope for the best for her.

Oh right, and she sings like a fucking angel...

And finally... Jennifer Carpenter:

Oh yes, Debra Morgan from Dexter.  She's vulgar, she's aggressive, she's a little off center, she could probably out-drink me, she's perfect.  Oh wait, that's probably not how she is in real life.  It's just a TV show. 

Yeah well, fuck you.  A boy can dream.  Jennifer Carpenter, ladies and gentlemen.  Mmm.

Biggest Disappointments of 2008

Kanye West "808's & Heartbreaks"

-Now in context a lyrically hilarious egotist of a rapper switching everything over to hit a taiko drum and pretend to be T-Pain sounds like a great move... Wait, no it doesn't.  I sat scratching my head for 35 minutes trying to figure out when he was gonna start rapping only to realize "Oh, fuck he's not kidding, he actually went through with this."  I seriously thought he was kidding when he said he was going to make an album like this.  Way to fuck up your vocal chords in the process, Kanye.

The Flaming Lips "Christmas On Mars: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"

I've been waiting to see this movie for 4 years now.  The movie I knew was going to suck in the best way possible (I mean, come on.  There was a marching band with vaginas for heads in the movie)  But I was really hoping for an actual album.  I kinda guess it was my fault for assuming this wasn't going to be something more than a Harry Potter soundtrack on acid.

The Streets "Everything is Borrowed"

With the way Mike Skinner is de-evolving into senility (that may sound harsh, but I'm trying to make a point here), his next album is probably going to be about the anxiety of not being sure what type of gift certificate to get his grandkids for Christmas.  Vice Records came out with some of the best and worst label debuts this year. This was the latter.

I won't make friends saying this right now;  Jenny Lewis is losing her touch.  I love Jenny.  I really wanted to love this album too.  But here's the first strike:  Elvis Costello is dueting.  Here's the second strike:  the lyrics were simple and repetitive, and yes, I know the whole argument of "repetition creates an emphasis of feelings".  But every single song?  Fuck.  and of course, the third strike:  If you look closely at the linear notes guess who shows up as a supporting musician on the album?  Fucking Jonathan Rice. Yes, the tool/former boyfriend of Jenny Lewis shows up to suck down her ability by what?; fucking producing half the tracks on the album.  Of course it only makes more sense that the duet with Lewis and Costello was written entirely by Rice.  Go. Fucking. Figure.

Peter, Bjorn, and John "Seaside Rock"

Umm... was this even music.  Fuck.  Produce your own records if your just going to bang trash cans together for 50 minutes.

Kimya Dawson & Friends "Alphabutt"

So after having such a great experience discovering solid Kimya album after solid Kimya album I was only expecting yet another... solid Kimya album.  But this wasn't even anti-folk.  If anything it was like a pro-folk.   Who seriously majorly distributes an album basically made strictly for kids?  One or the other, Kimya. One or the other.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Cold War Kids "Loyalty to Loyalty"

Two of the best tracks this year "Something is Not Right With Me" and "Mexican Dogs" were on this album.  With "Robbers and Cowards" as such a high precedent, it was only expected they would come back with a second great punch.  Nothing else really great came off this album.  It was all kinda like an outakes ep more than an actual album.  And because I love Cold War Kids so much it made it hurt that much worse.