September/October
October 18, 2009
Tracks I have been listening to these past two months:
Post-rock band out of Boston, more Explosions in the Sky than Godspeed You! Black Emperor. If you haven’t been listening to post-rock lately, this band could definitely reignite that flame.
Not a lot to be said, just fucking awesome. They are planning to record a second album this month.
Sleepwalking – The Jaguar Club
Dance-y alt rock, somewhere between dance punk, brit pop and new wave.
Foreign Lands – Teenage Cool Kids
Instantly familiar, but still a joy to listen to.
What Safe Means – Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate)
I wrote earlier about these guys releasing a new album in the Fall and it would appear that they did just that. The music is pretty similar to their EP “Year of the Rabbit”, although in general they have toned down the act.
I have to be honest, I really hadn’t thought too much about Lightning Bolt for awhile now but, I was reminded of them the other day when I saw that they released a new album. They haven’t released any studio albums as Lightning Bolt since 2005’s Hypermagic Mountain, but the downtime doesn’t seem to have diminished their abilities at all.
Sweet-ass garage rock. Not as grungy as The Black Keys, but still satisfies.
Super catchy pop-punk band. Somewhere between Lemuria and The Ergs! (though much closer to Lemuria)
What’s better than Sunday morning Nina Simone?
October 11, 2009
Nothing, that’s what.
Nina Simone- Do What You Gotta Do
And then an Okkervil River cover, which is not nearly as good, but is still kind of soulful in a white-man way.
Okkervil River- Do What You Gotta Do
Hospice
September 26, 2009
So this band The Antlers (Crystal Antlers?? No, just The Antlers…), I guess the internets been hyping them up like crazy, so I figured they were going to be your typical indie sad sap / post grunge / Arcade Fire derivatives and didn’t even look at them.
Actually, to be fair, those descriptions sans the post grunge bit are actually mostly true. I think Hospice is their third (?) album, the first in wide release, and it’s a concept about a guy, the singer – Peter Silberman, losing a loved one to cancer. But what’s so powerful about it, like Funeral, is that it’s so emotional, without being.. “emo”, and alot like Funeral it’s really just epic. There’s a lyrical force behind his songs that are easily missed if you don’t listen hard to them, almost like Bon Iver. Actually, the story behind Silberman is pretty much Bon Iver II so..
One of the highlights of the record, Bear, is a song on quick listen might sound upbeat, but when you listen closely, you realize that it’s about an abortion, yet the chorus is a rousing and jangly chant. And the thing is, even though it’s about an abortion, which would easily fit into the concept, you realize that the song isn’t actually about the abortion, with Silberman singing against a muted piano “Well we’re not scared of making caves / Or finding food for him to eat/ We’re terrified of one another / And terrified of what that means” and “And all the while I’ll know we’re fucked / And not getting unfucked soon / When we get home we’re bigger strangers than we’ve ever been before” – it’s about the rift that something you can’t seem to stop creates, something that not only will linger on both your minds, but also forces you to take a hard look at this other person. Anyway, almost every line in this song lends itself to analysis so that’s way too much for me to cover. The closer track on the album, Epilogue, is honestly one of the saddest songs I’ve heard in a long time. Haunting is the word…the whole album is just really fucking good. I don’t care if I become one of the herd in proclaiming the beauty of this record, I haven’t stopped listening to it all day. It’s immensely sad, but easily one of the most gorgeous records released this year.
God it’s so good.
The Antlers – Bear
The Antlers – Epilogue
So I was at a farmer’s market today down in Adam’s Morgan this morning looking for some produce that I knew was out of season but still harbored false hope that someone still might have. Anyway, since it was like 10 in the morning, I got some raspberries to have as breakfast. Got my raspberries and sat on the corner of a plaza next to a street intersection. It’s a weird feeling – eating raspberries that just gave me memories of going to farms and picking my own, giant corn mazes, just being with family and the only sounds around you are of kids running around and yelling, surrounded by the smells of grass, trees, and flowers. So you have those memories as you’re eating and then you look around you and across the street is a Starbucks and across the next street is a McDonalds. It’s a weird juxtaposition that gives you a more heightened sense of where you are.
Anyway, we’ve been out of commission for awhile, but you know, seeing how as I have like two real classes there’s no excuse for me not to at least rant about something every once in a while.
<333333 Larry
I rule.
July 27, 2009
I am so proud of myself for finishing this. Like not even kidding. I love this book. Read it. Now.
LESSONS LEARNED.
July 26, 2009
Lessons learned recently:
Today:
- Exit ramps are not to be taken from the passing lane, nor at 60 mph. Unless you are in a sports car.
- You should not text while in an ambulance.
- Stretchers are extremely uncomfortable.
- EMTs, while nice, cannot take very good cameraphone photos.
While in Chicago:
- 44 oz drinks are not advisable for long roadtrips.
- Not all Ihops are open 24 hours.
- There is a reason why Boston’s subway system is underground.
- I am not a professional photographer.
- Indiana actually is completely flat.
- Hipsters are very irresponsible parents.
- Confetti will find a way into the deepest darkest corners of your bag.
- Everyone at Pitchfork Fest was “soooo cute!”
- The Flaming Lips put on a fucking good show every time.
OMG OMG OMG OMG
July 17, 2009
Major folk crush (2004-2007): Conor Oberst
Major folk crush (2007-2009ish): M. Ward
Major folk crush (right now- it’s burgeoning): Jim James
So OF COURSE because my life is AWESOME, they are in a BAND TOGETHER and are releasing an ALBUM OF DELIGHTS on SEPTEMBER 22. There is a free song on their site. Also I will put up a Dylan cover that they did which I love. Until then here is a song I meant to put in a post about gravy but never published, accidentally, like how my texts keep not sending, accidentally (sorry everyone).
Also I would like to add that this week is the week that my awkward painful high school crushes (you totally know what I’m talking about, like sweaty palms, cracking voices, sudden inability to make eye contact, the kind where you can’t really even actually form a functional friend-type relationship with the person–thank god high school is over) are all apparently like YO GIRL WHAT UP. Wtf.
St. Vincent & the National- Sleep All Summer (cover of Crooked Fingers)
Monsters of Folk- Say Please
Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes!
July 9, 2009
The idea was lemon meringue pie cupcakes, so I took vanilla cupcakes, poured the lemon filling from lemon meringue pies into the middle and topped with soft meringue. To give credit these were frankensteined from these two recipes which I just found yesterday but seem to have a lot of great baking recipes.
Well fuck you, Sarah Palin’s attorney.
July 5, 2009
From CNN Political Ticker:
(CNN) – As Gov. Sarah Palin blasted the media Saturday in a tough Facebook post, her attorney delivered a strong warning to news outlets that they should not report any stories that allege the Alaska governor is leaving office because she is under any kind of federal investigation.
CNN has not reported these allegations were in any way connected to the governor’s decision to leave office early.
“To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as ‘fact’ that Governor Palin resigned because she is ‘under federal investigation’ for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation,” said lawyer Thomas Van Flein in a letter (pdf) sent to reporters Saturday.
“This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation… that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law.”
[Boldface sic.] Mrs. Governor Pitbull Hockey Alaska, you are a twat. While you may not be under federal investigation for embezzling or other wrongdoing (which methinks the lady doth protest too much against those allegations in the first place), the facts remain that
1) it is nigh impossible to demonstrate leadership, experience, and especially persistence if one ducks out of one’s duly elected public office after only three years;
2) one’s lucrative book contract to be fulfilled while one is in office might raise serious doubts about one’s ethical obligation and devotion to public service as opposed to cold hard cash;
3) one might have chosen a more apt metaphor than one which a) does not actually address the situation at hand and b) thus indicates a sad clinging to the few things one excels at e.g. women’s high school basketball;
4) Anderson Cooper’s face at 4:40 of this video is just hilarious. [#4 fact from Wonkette]
Sun!!!
July 4, 2009
For the first time in a week it’s a nice day in the Godless North. Like, real actual sun. No storms or thunder. This is wonderful.
Belle & Sebastian – Here Comes the Sun (Beatles Cover)
