The Big Ticket

how to disappear completely

2009-03-08T18:41:00.003-06:00

Right, so I pretty much abandoned this lil corner of the interwebs a long time ago. Will I boot it back up again? Perhaps, I've said I would plenty of times. Until then, you can still find me elsewhere online (if you care to do so):

MySpace : Facebook : Twitter : Flickr : Tumblr

all in the game, indeed

2007-09-24T13:42:00.000-06:00

MP3 Steve Earle - "Way Down in the Hole" (Tom Waits cover)

Apologies for the unofficial hiatus here @ The Big Ticket. Weddings, birthdays & shows galore have come & gone, and yet Keith Olbermann has remained atop the page. Ugh. Anyway, here's a teaser for the 5th & final season of HBO's The Wire, whose way-too-good-for-the-Emmys 4th season DVD will be in stores December 4th. Season 5 premieres on HBO January 6th, 2008. The theme song, performed this year by Wire guest star Steve Earle, also appears on Earle's new album Washington Square Serenade, in stores tomorrow.

olbermann: resign, bush/cheney

2007-07-04T01:45:00.000-06:00

Keith Olbermann's latest special comment re: Libby ~~pardon~~ commutation is a must-see, as per usual. Video also downloadable @ Crooks & Liars. Happy 4th, y'all.

rana flashback: here in the usa

2007-06-22T19:30:00.000-06:00

While my favorite band may be defunct for now (though offshoot Sam Champion is likely on the rise), I finally uploaded this old recording of them to YouTube...

RANA @ CBGB, New York, NY, 6/14/02

Good Book, Remember My Address, Not So Mopso, Skin and Bone, Ghetto Queen*, My One Dear Son, Sad and Lonesome, For Some Time, Carbombed Again, I'm Not Orfeo, It's So Hard (Believe Me), Loves It Automatic, I'm Comin' Correct, Bye Bye Love**, Bought and Sold***, Tampa in the Rain***, I Wanna Rock****, Buy Sell or Break***, Eggo, Ivy***, Ring in the Sand

E: Whenever You Can, Modern Day Cowboy, Baby's Got a New Bike, This Machine

This was the record release party for RANA's debut album, Here in the USA. The first 11 songs in the set (ending with It's So Hard) were the album in its entire sequence. Todd Deatherage Band, Darediablo and Plan Z opened.

* - the rap section was "Hot in Herre" (Nelly)
** - Cars cover, first time played
*** - new originals, first time played
**** - dedicated to Durant's father

setlist by Dr. Erik Swain

and three whole years passed by

2007-05-30T18:30:00.000-06:00

It's been almost three months since I began writing this post, which was to commemorate the third blogiversary here @ The Big Ticket (previous years' posts: 2005 & 2006), but the ensuing craziness that has come with moving into a new apartment this month (COUGARS!) & the delay in getting proper internets set up there has kept me from actually getting around to finishing it. But today is the day, it has to be. So let's celebrate!

MP3 Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - "The Birthday Party"
From Grandmaster Flash's Message From Beat Street best of disc.

From La Blogoteque's abfab Take Away Shows series comes this simple yet cinematic birthday tune from Swedish troubadour Jens Lekman (the song is off his 2004 album, When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog). The quiet, more somber tone of this song, played to an empty room, probably gives a better impression of my approach to finally returning to finish this post. I regret abandoning the blog for so long, but alas life sometimes gets in the way.

MP3 Tweeds - "I Need That Record"
This high energy track from some band called Tweeds leads off the solid Numero power-pop compilation Yellow Pills: Prefill, and it's a pretty decent sonic representation of that desperate, all-consuming need to hear the latest music, see the newest movies & tv etc that preoccupies media junkies like yours truly and propels us to express our excitement/emotioins about it - in my case through this now semi-fallow website that I've managed to keep running into its fourth year of existence. And honestly, I really want to get it back up & running on a regular basis more than just about anything right now.

Since I last wrote on this blog, the Channel 101 VH1 offshoot Acceptable.TV has already come and gone (though rumblings about a possible second season are encouraging). I am dumbfounded that I could have kept quiet about a project I was so excited about for so long, but alas that's what happened. It's frustrating. I often have a lot of trouble moving from 0 to 1, getting started & following through, a topic well-covered by zefrank at the start of the show's final week (the day after my blog b-day):

So while this isn't the perfect, well-thought out & thematically well-written post that I probably imagined/hoped it would be, I've decided to just put it up nonetheless. Yeah, I could have gone more in-depth on zefrank's musings on creativity, and possibly tied that to the interactive & inventive stuff going on at Channel 101 @ Acceptable.TV, and finally brought it all together to express my renewed hopes for this blog & my work on it, but then I probably would have stayed stuck on 0 like I have for nearly three months, biding my time until I finally got around to working it all out. So here it is, sloppy as hell, but at least it's something new, even if it's also kinda old.

MP3 Bishop Allen - "Click Click Click Click"
The nite preceding my blog b-day, I went by my lonesome to see NYC indie pop outfit Bishop Allen @ Triple Rock, which was good times indeed (hell, I bought all 12 of their 2006 monthly EP's). There are some more pix from the show @ my Flickr, but none of them are too astounding. Tonite I'm off to the Triple Rock again, this time to see the re-united original line-up of Dinosaur Jr with Anita, and I'll do my best to take some more dynamic photos this time around (assuming I can get up front without a major hassle). I don't know when I'll be able to get those pix uploaded or manage to post a re-cap of the show, as my internet situation is still in limbo, but I'll do my best not to be absent for so long again...

screw your case of the mondays

2007-03-05T15:05:00.000-06:00

MP3 Feist - "I Feel It All"
From Feist's fabulous forthcoming full-length, The Reminder, scheduled to be released on May 1st. More info @ All Things Feist.

MP3 MC/VL - "Cold Check It!" via The Current
From local throwbacks (and friends-of-blog) MC/VL's debut STANCE, available now at Twin Cities' finer independent music stores.

On an entirely different note, some of Sunday's best lefty political blogstuff from Gleen Greenwald:

Democrats have to internalize that this administration does not operate like previous ones. No rational person can doubt that they are limitless in their contempt for legal restrictions or notions of checks and balances. The last election, by itself, has not changed their approach and will do not so. They are not going to voluntarily comply with anything or disclose anything. They are going to have to be forced to do so.

And televised, highly publicized confrontations over the administration's hubris and arrogance and utter contempt for our legal institutions and political traditions is not something to be avoided. It is something we desperately need as a country. Issue subpoenas for all of this information, make them defy the subpoenas, and then demand that courts compel compliance. Create media dramas in which the administration fights to maintain full-scale secrecy around all of its legally dubious and extreme behavior. Americans hate hubris of that sort and do not trust this administration. Those are fights they cannot win.

And also from Digby:

But Ann Coulter and her vicious tongue has been a huge star on the right since her first vomitous anti-Clinton screed. That was ten years ago. She's been receiving riotous ovations at conservative meetings for years. Rush Limbaugh has been blowing his bile for even longer and he too is a highly respected member of the GOP establishment. The annual CPAC gathering has been selling items like "Happiness is Hillary's face on a milk carton" and "Muslim = Terrorist" bumper stickers like they were going out of style since they started.

This hideous face of the Republican Party has been obvious to those of us who have been paying attention for a long, long time. It is the single most important reason why our politics have devolved into a filthy grudge match.

For a long time liberals were paralyzed or indifferent as the GOP demonized liberalism as the root of every problem and pathology in American society. We were derided as unamerican, treasonous and evil. After the congressional harrassment of the 90's, the partisan impeachment, the puerile coverage of campaign 2000 and the resulting installation of a Republican president under very dubious circumstances, Democrats of all stripes heard both the Republicans and the media smirking at our outrage and telling us to "get over it."

And all of this was after Bill Clinton had moved the party to the center, had governed as a bipartisan compromiser and the Republicans impeached him anyway. Clearly, the Democratic party was blind if they didn't take the Republicans at their threatening words.

Do yourselves a favor & give both posts a full read.

sounds great, except for the vh1 part

2007-03-03T02:30:00.000-06:00

From the Channel 101 team & media mogul Jack Black comes Acceptable.TV, coming March 23rd to VH1 (in case you hadn't heard):

BTW: New 101 eps are now up, with swears & everything.

olbermann breaks down condi

2007-03-01T02:30:00.000-06:00

In case you missed it, here's KO's latest special comment from earlier this week, re: Condi Rice's false comparison between Iraq & WWII (video via Crooks & Liars).

bigtix07

2007-02-23T23:00:00.000-06:00

M4A BigTix07 [128 kbps / 75.2mb / running time: 79:55 min]

LCD Soundsystem - "All My Friends"
The Arcade Fire - "Keep The Car Running" (MP3 via Pitchfork)
Andrew Bird - "Dark Matter"
Low - "Breaker" (MP3 via Sub Pop)
The God Damn Doo Wop Band - "Jonny"
The Long Blondes - "Giddy Stratospheres" (YouTube)
Deerhoof - "The Perfect Me" (MP3 via Salon, video)
Blonde Redhead - "23" (MP3 via Pitchfork)
Yoko Ono w/Shitake Monkey - "O'Oh"
Feist - "My Moon, My Man"
Sally Shapiro - "I Know" (MP3 via Pitchfork)
Escort - "Starlight" (MP3 via Pitchfork)
Fujiya & Miyagi - "In One Ear & Out The Other"
Black Devil Disco Club - "The Devil in Us"
Lenny Kravitz - "Breathe (Chromeo remix - Al Dare edit)"
Spank Rock - "Rick Rubin (White Girl Lust Golden Era remix)"
Clipse - "Wamp Wamp (Pistol Pete remix)"
MC/VL - "Land of the Breaks" (Flickr)
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - "The Sons of Cain" (MP3 via Touch & Go)

It's been a while, huh?

Once upon a time, I really was a blogger (check the archives, for reals!)...

BTW: Added a new touch with the embed streaming audio, via DivShare.

olbermann on escalation, sacrifice

2007-01-12T06:15:00.000-06:00

Keith Olbermann scores another pair of KO's with his latest special comments, about President Bush's Wednesday nite speech and its call for "sacrifice." Both videos are available for download via Crooks & Liars, as per usual.

yeah, that's the ticket! 2k6

2006-12-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

M4A Yeah, That's The Ticket! 2K6 [128 kbps / 75.5mb / 79:52 min]

Junior Boys - "So This is Goodbye"
Hot Chip - "Over & Over" (YouTube)
Cansei de Ser Sexy - "Alala" (MP3 YouTube)
Gnarls Barkley - "Transformer"
The Knife - "Silent Shout" (YouTube)
The Strokes - "You Only Live Once" (YouTube)
Camera Obscura - "Hey Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken" (YouTube)
Lily Allen - "Everything's Just Wonderful"
Belle & Sebastian - "We Are The Sleepyheads"
M. Ward - "Chinese Translation" (YouTube)
Beirut - "Postcards From Italy" (MP3)
Love is All - "Felt Tip"
Islands - "Humans"
Sunset Rubdown - "Stadiums & Shrines II" (MP3)
TV on the Radio - "Wolf Like Me" (MP3 YouTube)
The Thermals - "A Pillar of Salt" (MP3 YouTube)
Destroyer - "Europian Oils" (MP3)
Man Man - "Ice Dogs"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Turn Into" (YouTube)

Countdown w/Keith Olbermann: Special Comments
Stephen Colbert @ 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner
the show with zefrank
Borat
The Office (USA) 3x01 - "Gay Witch Hunt"

Much more linkage & wordage & artwork still to come. Merry holidays!

best live band working period

2006-12-15T06:55:00.000-06:00

Pam & Eugene, originally uploaded by Mirka23 (from Irving Plaza NYC 6/10/06).

MP3 Gogol Bordello - "Mishto!"

Gogol Bordello threw down at First Avenue last nite.

Jaw-dropping as-per-usual. Never to be missed, people.

morning in america (whew)

2006-11-08T12:00:00.000-06:00

Despite this morning's wankerism from DCCC chair Rahm Emmanuel, another four years with a Republican govenor & the prospect of turncoat Joe Lieberman becoming the Senate's swing vote (oy vey, indeed), yesterday was a good one for Democrats & IMO America. Of course, as Happy might say, "We've only just begun." Glenn Greenwald has a couple great morning-after posts worth perusing, but I really only need two words to put a smile on my face today: Chairman Conyers.

Go for it, Johnny.

M4P Lily Allen - "Smile (radio edit)" - ~~free download via iTunes (this week only)~~

To keep your Wednesday shining oh-so-bright, a baby with an outrageously infectious laugh (via Ehrensenf via Rocketboom), Borat w/Colmes (who needs Hannity?), and an odd happy dance mash-up (via Headphone Sex):

And perhaps the President had a different kinda morning...

BTW: I meant to actually get this post up in the "morning" but oh well...

olbermann on today's election

2006-11-07T11:00:00.000-06:00

Vote 411 : Election Protection 365 : Veek the Vote : Video the Vote

Olbermann provides one more special comment before today's mid-term election, video via of Crooks & Liars course. As I mentioned before, Keith joined in on last week's FDL Book Salon, in which he mentioned a possible future book of special comments & even former ambassador/Bushworld pariah Joe Wilson joined in on the conversation. It's a little messy, but worth a look. And do that voting thing, btw.

MP3 Pavement - "Rattled By The Rush"
MP3 Pavement - "Heckler Spray/In the Mouth of a Desert" (4.21.94)
On your way back from voting today, go pick up the new Pavement re-issue, Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition. MP3's courtesy of Matador.

Let's throw the bums out. Haven't we all had enough?

ETA: Track tonite's results online at Talking Points Memo's Election Central.

bigtix06

2006-11-06T19:20:00.000-06:00

M4A BigTix06 [128 kbps / 75.6mb / running time: 79:56 min]

Los Campesinos! - "You! Me! Dancing!"
Tap Tap - 100,000 Thoughts (MP3)
Swan Lake - "All Fires" (MP3)
Oxford Collapse - "He'll Paint While We Play"
The Thermals - "Here's Your Future"
Sam Champion - "Be Mine Everyone (demo)"
Fields - "Heretic" (MP3 via MySpace)
The Mountain Goats - "Woke Up New" (MP3 via Insound / YouTube)
El Perro Del Mar - "Here Comes That Feeling"
Oh No! Oh My! - "Farewell To All My Friends"
Peter Bjorn & John (f/Victoria Bergsman) - "Young Folks"
Ben Kweller - "Penny on the Train Track"
The Shins - "Australia"
The Blow - "Pardon Me"
New Young Pony Club - "Ice Cream" (MP3 via Modular)
Jeffrey & Jack Lewis - "Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror" (MP3 via MySpace)
The Hold Steady - "Party Pit"
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton - "Our Hell"
Christopher Willits - "Colors Shifting" (MP3 via Pitchfork)
The Decemberists - "Sons & Daughters"

I started this mix in early September & just finally got around to finishing it lately. Can you tell? ~~Anyhoo, further linkage & wordage to come shortly...~~

olbermann on apologizing

2006-11-02T14:00:00.000-06:00

Part One

Part Two

Once again, Countdown's Keith Olbermann is right on target with his latest special comment, regarding Senator John Kerry's recent botched attempt at humor & the media firestorm that has blown it all out of proportion. John Amato's Crooks & Liars has the video as-per-usual, just as it did last week for Keith's previous special comment, on the GOP's advertising terrorism during this campaign season. KO fans might want to check in Sunday (or is it Friday?) for week two of Firedoglake's Book Salon, where the MSNBC anchor will be joining in to discuss his book The Worst Person in the World (based on the regular Countdown segment).

And on Tuesday, be sure to vote. Need a reason? Read Matt Taibbi.

MP3 Hüsker Dü - "I Apologize"
From local legends Hüsker Dü's 1985 album New Day Rising.

MP3 Gram Rabbit - "Sorry"
From Gram Rabbit's latest release, Cultivation.

MP3 Billy Bragg & Wilco - "Christ For President"
From 1998's Billy Bragg/Wilco collaboration, Mermaid Avenue (Vol 1).

BTW: Didya know Billy Bragg has a blog? And doncha just love alliteration?

Before yesterday's statement of apology to any military personnel or their families that might have misundterstood the Senator's comments (after being amplified & distorted through the right wing noise machine), Kerry gave a gutsy, more in-your-face response to the media on Tuesday that actually made me proud to have voted for the man in 2004. In case you missed it:

On an actual humorous note, zefrank chastised Kerry yesterday for botching such an easy joke, and possibly calls ~~him~~ somebody a "stupid chicken" in the process. Or something like that. It made sense when I watched it, anyway.

the state of the blog is...in flux

2006-10-20T05:20:00.000-06:00

MP3 Sprites - "I Started a Blog That Nobody Read"
Here's a funny-yet-kinda-sad song about (generic) blogs gone unread from indie Brit-poppers Sprites, previously featured by The Catbirdseat (included in their August mix), Stereogum & CYSTSFTS. From the 2006 full-length Modern Gameplay, which I picked up from Darla recently.

In just a matter of hours, I will be off to the airport & on to Texas, traveling down south with the fam to attend my cousin Becky's wedding this weekend. But first, a few random notes & links on the state of this blog etc...

In case you hadn't noticed, I finally updated my local showlist & made it a wee bit interactive with the help of Eventful, which allows comments, pix, links etc on each show page & more. If you like, feel free to join "The Big Ticket" group to keep tabs on upcoming (or past) Mpls shows a bit more directly. I also updated the blogroll some, particularly the MP3 blog section - which seems to always be expanding. There are so many music bloggers out there doing such great work right now, it's easy to see how I've had trouble staying on top of the latest hotness, let alone find the time to provide quality content myself.

In anticipation of eventually (perhaps) dumping my .Mac account (which I've been pondering ever since they started cracking down on bandwidth a few months ago), I've changed the primary contact e-mail for this blog (listed in the sidebar) to thebigticketblog@gmail.com, which should match up nicely with the URL I'm planning to shift to onceI eventually make the jump to Blogger Beta. FWIW, the .mac address is still active & should be for a while.

I snapped the above pix a few recent local shows (more @ my Flickr via clicky).

MP3 Annie - "The Wedding (Lindstrom remix)"
I'm pretty much bolting out the door, so let me leave you with this hand-clappy Lindstrom remix track in honor of my cousin Becky's upcoming nuptuals. From Swedish popstress Annie's DJ-Kicks EP, available via iTunes. Toodles.

olbermann on habeas schmabeas

2006-10-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

In case you missed it...

Last week's Countdown special investigation (albeit a snarky one):

Video via Crooks & Liars.

I'm off to see Borat tonite, but I'll try to have something real up again soonish...

ETA: Hang on, Keith's got another essential special comment (from 10/18):

Shrill, shrill, shrill & thankfully so. This is a MUST WATCH, IMO.

unintentional rightwing humor

2006-10-11T08:30:00.000-06:00

MP3 CSS - "F**k Off is Not The Only Thing You Have To Show"
For whatever reason, this song has been in & out of my head for months, and now seems like an appropriate opportunity to post it. From Cansei de Ser Sexy's infectiously catchy (IMO) self-titled Sub Pop debut.

Annnnnnnywaaaaaaaay, the bewildering (and extensive) response to the post I hurriedly wrote two weeks ago today is pretty amusing to me. Notice that I never joined in on the whole dust up, in fact I didn't even realize it was going on until I finally glanced back at the blog on the afternoon following its initial posting (I spent that particular Wednesday nite helping my pal Mouk catch up on the new season of The Wire). I was sorta hoping to wait until the comment count got into triple digits before posting my proper response to the dust-up, but since the flow of ornery responses seems to have pretty much flat-lined, it's about damn time I started posting something new, don't ya think?

First off, I wish I could claim that the sexy gentleman in the featured photo was me, but alas there's little chance I could successfully fill out a tank top so well, nor could I throw together such a fetching ensemble so quickly. No, I simply found the picture, by NYC-based photographer Michael Simon, after browsing around Flickr a little, looking for interesting pix from the '04 RNC with which to pair with my annoyance at the Republicans' choice of my hometown for their '08 party convention.

No, I'm not the craaazed political activist/anarchist some in the comments might have taken me for. I'm just a music & pop culture blogger who hasn't given his site nearly enough attention in recent months (hence the random political posts popping up lately while I slowly work on my next mix, amongst other things). I dunno how local writer, Star Tribune contributor & apparent rightwinger James Lileks even stumbled across my little under-performing abode here, but his actual mention of my rant/post was actually mildly amusing:

If all goes well I will be able to have a king-hell concentration of media folk for the ultimate Jasperwood party, and I’d mention that to my wife now but she’d already start planning. Some others are planning as well - which bandana should I wear to hide my identity from the killer-klown thuglican waterboarders? (Link contains naughty languaged, as well as a picture that sums up the auto-damning genre in one neat image. Cinch that face-flag tightly, lad! The RNC face-mapping programs might be on to you! Replace those definate articles with authentic street patois for extra cred! Note: that shirt is not a wife-beater. It's a partner-persuader.)

While Lileks is not of my political persuasion & is clearly delighted that the Party of Torture will be coming to town in two years, nothing in his brief, drive-by mention of me went beyond good-natured ribbing. Even the pile-on post by Australia-based & (apparently) more prominent conservative blogger Tim Blair - whose questioning of my mental stability may have some merit to them, though I think he was simply refering to the previously mentioned picture of not-me since I don't actually know the guy) was no big whoop.

However, as alicublog was nice enough to point out at the time, the readers of these guys who proceeded to follow their links over & go buck wild with ornery comments are another story altogether. Some of the early highlights (or lowlights, as it were):

Anonymous @ 9/28/2006 04:48:09 AM:
I guess you only favor the first amendment when it's your free speech. In the hood they'd call you a punk, maybe a bitch.

spongeworthy @ 9/28/2006 08:00:53 AM:
From the photo, it's pretty obvious one of your arms is substantially larger than the other. From the post, it's pretty obvious why.

Anonymous @ 9/28/2006 09:05:25 AM:
I love it when whitebread dweebs put on a face mask and pretend to be revolutionaries. Look out, military industrial complex, some fuckhead has a website.

Anonymous @ 9/28/2006 12:14:27 PM:
And the left being "in the pocket" of the homsexual (sic) lobby, we all know how much you doggs hate pussy...

Bedrock Guy @ 9/28/2006 12:51:36 PM:
Hi. I've never been to the Twin Cities. Heck, I may come to the '08 convention now just to upset whiners and scum like the guy who writes this blog. What a punk.

Anyway, some random left-leaning people came to my defense (I guess) and the two groups of commenters (of whom I know probably none) got into a partisan bickering contest that I actually still haven't read all the way through. Doing so seems like kind of a waste of time frankly, given the uncivil tone of the "conversation" and the inevitable eye-rolling on my part IRT the whole dispute. The lengthy (for this blog) effort by conservatives finding this site via Lileks and/or Blair to hammer away at me (again, mostly because of the photo of not-me) eerily reminds me of some of the characteristics of the authoritarian follower, as detailed in John Dean's essential book Conservatives Without Conscience (see him discuss is with Olbermann over at YouTube), but mostly I have just laughed off the whole ordeal.

BTW: I suppose I do sorta apologize for the "asshat" comment from the original post, which was made out of annoyance & frustration more than anything. Pointless name-calling is just that, and there were plenty of other, more reality-based things I could have labeled the GOP as instead (bigoted, hypocritical, dishonest, homophobic, corrupt, pro-torture, etc).

My original post was also linked by Fern, a California-based "Jewish Republican" who makes too much out of my comments IMO:

At first I thought his post was kind of funny, but now I'm convinced that it is evidence of something very seriously wrong with the current state of affairs in America. Gone are the days when your political adversaries are "just wrong." Now, four letter acronyms for the legal definition of rape are used in conjunction with the name of your political foes. You refer to the conventions of "the other side" as mutual masturbation parties. You can't even stand to have your political opponents in the city in which you live. And beyond all that, you proudly display your hatred with absolutely no conviction behind your words because you aren't even willing to get arrested opposing such obviously evil, evil people.

So let's unpack this a little. Yes, I think there is "something very seriously wrong with the current state of affairs in America," though I doubt Fern & I would have trouble agreeing on what that "something" actually entails. I'm not sure what "four letter accronym" she was referring to, so I can't address that. The "mutual masturbation" crack may have been a wee bit out of line, but hey, I was pissed off & I legitimately think the Republican platform is full of bullsh** designed to get people to vote against their best interests. And while I don't have a problem begin in the same city as those on the other side of the political divide, having my hometown used as the GOP's election year megaphone (media oversaturation, motorcade-related inconveniences, severely enhanced swing state PR etc) just isn't my cup of tea, thanks. And yes, I'll probably be protesting, but no, I'd still rather not get arrested for doing so peacefully & in an orderly manner. Oh yeah, and I didn't refer to or label anybody as "evil" either - that's what President Bush does best (and see how well that has worked out).

MP3 Pelle Carlberg - "Riverbank"
But I digress. The Borf graffiti image at the top of this post was originally my second choice to accompany my initial RNC rant, but I doubt it would have gotten the visceral reaction that the one I chose received. For any so-called conservatives who are still ticked off by either image, or simply by the fallout of the still developing Foleygate scandal, give this lovely tune from Swede Pelle Carlberg's latest, Everything. Now! (MP3 via Labrador, originally posted @ 3hive back in early February), a listen & try to chill out. Or perhaps a word or two from Ray can calm you down.

For those who prefer their commentaries shrill & honest, check out Keith's latest special comment from last Thursday's Countdown:

Part One

Part Two

As always, via Crooks & Liars. Daily Kos diarist deepsouthdoug suggests that Olbermann's recent special comments are amongst the "greatest commentaries in broadcast journalism," and the Washington Post's Dan Froomkin notes that Keith is the only person in TV news channeling the public's deep dislike & distrust of the President (also via C&L). And for that public service, I say thank you Keith Olbermann.

MP3 Mark Mallman - "Turn On of the Century"
Lastly, here's a track I've been listening to quite a bit over the past couple weeks, from local marathon man/rocker Mark Mallman's recently released (and damn solid IMO) full length, Between the Devil & Middle C. Welcome to Mpls...

holy f**k, are you kidding me?

2006-09-27T16:05:00.000-06:00

BTW: My apologies for the pictoral lewdness. Then again, if the language used in the above photo is what rises to the level of "offensive" at this point, then those persons affected need to catch up on current events IMO. I'm confident you could find a thing or two down in GTMO that might also give someone touch of the vapors.

Via Daily Kos, apparently the pro-torture asshats at the GOP have decided to hold their godforsaken '08 ~~circle jerk~~ national convention (aka the RNC) in my muthf**kin' hometown (well close enough, since it'll be centralized at St. Paul's Xcel Center). Local meta-blog MN Speak links to more info from the AP (via local media juggernaut WCCO). Assuming I'm still a Minneapolis resident two years from now, I think it's safe to say that I'm going to be a very unhappy camper with so many Republicans invading & occupying my place of residence, what with their bullsh** propaganda caravan undoubtably in tow. I can only hope that my Twin Cities will show some of the same raucous (and necessarily shrill) spirit that NYC displayed with such gumption back in '04. I'd just rather not get arrested.

MP3 Blue America - "Have You Had Enough?" (download via MySpace)

ETA: According to alphaaqua over at Daily Kos, local political reporter Pat Kessler reported on tonite's WCCO news that the Democrats were only days away from choosing the Twin Cities to host their '08 DNC, but were pre-empted from doing so by the Republicans making their offer first. Ugh. Hey GOP, the Jerk Store called...

And on an only slightly unrelated note, tonite's Countdown had a must-watch special report on the lead-up to 9.11.01 (via Daily Kos):

While I feel like I've been way overdoing it on the Olbermann posts lately, I frankly cannot help myself. Anybody else feeling the Murrow-esque, Good Night & Good Luck vibes (and I'm not referring to the anchor's borrowed, reverential sign-off) from Keith's outstanding & vital reporting, especially in recent weeks? So while the repetitive Olbermann blogging may be a little awkward, as Mark E. Smith once said (albeit over & over), sometimes you just gotta "dig repetition."

olbermann on clinton interview

2006-09-26T08:15:00.000-06:00

Yowza.

Keith makes the (IMO warranted) leap to shrill speed with his latest special comment (which only seem to get longer & more ferocious the more he does them). Video via Crooks & Liars, YouTube embed via Church Committee.

Yes, our "tone should be crazed" at this point. Whew. More later, I gotta run...

twenty eight f**king years

2006-09-19T17:33:00.000-06:00

Yes, today is my b-day.

No, I'm not happy about it.

Thank you very much.

MP3 that dog. - "Old Timer"
From the now defunct that dog.'s 1996 self-titled debut.

MP3 They Might Be Giants - "Older"
From They Might Be Giants' 2001 album, Mink Car.

olbermann: bush owes an apology

2006-09-18T22:59:00.000-06:00

Yes, another Keith Olbermann special comment, and a damn good one at that. With the President trying to debate torture & the "vague"ness of "human dignity," how can I not post this kind of forceful & vital rebuttal? Video via Crooks & Liars as-per-usual, YouTube embed via 21st Century Church Committee.

olbermann on bush/ground zero

2006-09-12T10:35:00.000-06:00

Keith Olbermann nails it yet again. As seemingly always, via Crooks & Liars.

olbermann on bush/nazis/media

2006-09-06T08:30:00.000-06:00

"Have you no sense of decency, sir?"

Keith knocks another one out of the park. Once again, via Crooks & Liars.

bigtix05

2006-09-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

M4A BigTix05 [128 kbps / 73.9mb / running time: 78:37 min]

Barbara Morgenstern - "Mailand"
Yo La Tengo - "Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind" (MP3 via Matador)
Sunset Rubdown - "Winged/Wicked Things (Daytrotter session)"
Hot Chip - "Colours (DFA remix)"
Amusement Parks on Fire - "Out of the Angeles"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "New Partner (Daytrotter session)"
Comets on Fire - "Jaybird" (MP3 via AmpCamp)
ImpLOG - "Holland Tunnel Dive (Original 12" Mix)"
Van She - "Kelly (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke remix)" (video)
Shout Out Louds - "The Comeback (Big Slippa Mix by Ratatat)"
The Rapture - "Get Myself Into It (Prince Language Disco Edit)" (MP3/YouTube/BTS)
Asobi Seksu - "Strings (Glass Factory remix)" (MP3 via Pitchfork)
Jeniferever - "From Across The Sea"
The Temptations - "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today)" (video)

More linkage & wordage to come shortly.

I couldn't find space for The Roots on BigTix05, so here's a video medley to help make up for it. "In The Music"/"Here I Come"/"Don't Feel Right" from the crew's acclaimed new disc, Game Theory. Props to Pop77 for the reminder.

olbermann on rumsfeld/fascism

2006-08-31T13:45:00.000-06:00

Wow. Video via Crooks & Liars.

save the majority report

2006-08-10T16:30:00.000-06:00

[this is my soapbox, so I'm using it goddammit]

Subject: I support Sam Seder & the Majority Report.
Date: August 10, 2006 9:26:42 AM CDT
To: supporttheshow@majorityreportradio.com

To whom it may concern, whether they be the powers that be at Air America Radio, or simply the hard-working producers & hosts of the network's evening program, the Majority Report:

I would consider myself a loyal Air America listener. I was streaming it on my computer from day one, March 31st 2004, and have been regularly downloading Air America Place podcasts & writing about/promoting the network on my blog (the-big-ticket.blogspot.com) periodically since that day. I joined Air America Premium as soon as it was announced this spring, and I listen to its downloads on my iPod every day on my way to & from work. Basically, Air America has been a fixture in my everyday life for the past 2+ years, despite the repetitiveness & annoyance factor of the network's less than stellar advertising (another reason I love AAR Premium).

I never miss the Majority Report. It has been my favorite show on Air America, even from its rocky early days after the initial launch. I tuned in enthusiastically to the show's 2004 convention coverage & its on-location broadcasts from NYC's the Tank, the Aspen Comedy Festival, Yearly Kos & others. I listened & laughed along as hosts Sam Seder & Janeane Garofalo gave their running commentary over President Bush's State of the Union speeches, as well as others. The Majority Report is Air America's best connection to the liberal blogosphere (I have become an avid reader of political blogs) & the Democratic netroots, both vital elements in the new progressive movement of which Air America is also a vital part.

In the wake of Ned Lamont's people-powered victory in this week's Connecticut primary, it's important to note that Sam Seder was way ahead of the curve in covering the Lieberman/Lamont race, giving Ned his first big media interview during the campaign's infancy & featuring him on his show (or when he ably guest-hosted for Al Franken & Randi Rhodes on several occasions) repeatedly long before Joe was down in the polls. I believe Sam Seder was instrumental in raising Lamont's profile & accurately focusing on many Democrats' frustration with Lieberman, helping build the narrative that led to Ned's grassroots victory. The Majority Report/Daily Kos partnership for the regular Fighting Dems segment has also been a fantastic concept, which will hopefully help lead to future Democratic victories in this fall's mid-term congressional elections.

While Janeane Garofalo may have had a bigger profile & more recognizable name, Sam Seder has been the show's driving force all along (a far cry from "the barnacle on the S.S. Garofalo"). Even Janeanne has admitted that he has become a better broadcaster over the last two years, as Sam truly made the Majority Report his own during the long stretches of Janeanne's West Wing-related absences. Sam has been Air America's utility man, stepping in to guest-host time & time again for Air America's other shows, including some particularly memorable marathon seven hour stretches while being the voice of both the Majority Report & the Randi Rhodes show. Sam's solid knowledge of current issues & his distinctive sense of humor have made him a fun, relatable & reliable on-air personality & a major asset to the Air America family.

Unfortunately & astonishingly, Sam & his show's future on the network are apparently uncertain.

In this listener's humble opinion, I think it would be a terrible mistake & a huge loss for Air America Radio if the Majority Report was cancelled & Sam Seder was let go. I believe Air America made a similar large error when Marc Maron & Mark Riley's innovative, entertaining & much-beloved Morning Sedition was cancelled last December. The early demise of the LA-based Marc Maron Show & the recent ill-fated attempt to lure Maron back to NYC to host mornings again serve as proof that I am not alone in my beliefs. After losing such unique programming like Morning Sedition & Unfiltered, the possible removal of the Majority Report from Air America's line-up would strip the network's of nearly all the idiosyncratic personality that drew me in initially & made me an avid listener.

On a personal note, Sam Seder & his show have come to mean a lot to me. Dropping them from Air America would be very disappointing to me & would irrevocably alter my positive & supportive view of the network, despite my sincere belief in its endeavors. If the Air America brass is listening out there, I passionately urge you to keep Sam on the air. Frankly, I cannot imagine why you wouldn't.

If the Majority Report truly is in its last days (it's incredibly sad to even write about that possibility), I would like to wholeheartedly thank both Sam & Janeane for all their talent & humor & passion & determination in putting together a show that has made me laugh, gotten me angry, kept me interested and helped to inform me over the past 2+ years. I have truly enjoyed their work, I appreciate all of their efforts, and I have loved their show. Thank you.

-mr gilbert
Minneapolis, MN
Air America Premium member
Proud owner of F.U.B.A.R.

hot fun in the summertime

2006-08-01T13:15:00.000-06:00

Pitchfork was a total blast.

MP3 ~~Jens Lekman - "A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill"~~
From Lekman's 2005 odds & ends release, Oh You're So Silent Jens.

YouTube: Art Brut - "Good Weekend (7/29/06)" via Pitchfork

And last nite at the Varsity, Diplo & friends capped off the long weekend.

MOV "Let's Make Love & Listen To Death From Above" (82mb)

MP3 ~~Cansei de Ser Sexy - "Music is My Hot, Hot Sex"~~
From CSS' recently released self-titled Sub Pop debut. It's the hotness.

Yawn. Good nite.

ETA: Elsewhere, Fluxblog & marath onpacks have their own festival breakdowns.

Tons more pix all over Flickr, including two sets from Chicagoist.

bigtix04

2006-07-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

M4A BigTix04 [128 kbps / 74.9mb / running time: 79:27 min]

Man Man - "Black Mission Goggles" (MP3)
Ellen Allien & Apparat - "Jet"
Danger Doom - "Sofa King (remix)"
Peaches - "Give 'er"
Oneida - "Up With People" (MP3)
Be Your Own Pet - "Bicycle, Bicycle, You Are My Bicycle" (WMV)
Birdmonster - "'Cause You Can" (YouTube)
Mystery Jets - "You Can't Fool Me, Dennis (Justice remix)"
The Whitest Boy Alive - "Fireworks"
Camera Obscura - "Let's Get Out of this Country"
Eagles of Death Metal - "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)"
Evangelicals - "Another Day (And You’re Still Knocked Out)"
One For The Team - "Take Cover" (MP3)
The Hidden Cameras - "Awoo"
Junior Boys (f/Andi Tomi) - "In The Morning"
Booka Shade - "In White Rooms (Mexico mix)"
Poni Hoax - "Bud ape st"
Puffy AmiYumi - "Radio Tokyo"
Phoenix - "Napoleon Says (live)"

At long last, mix #4 is here. More linkage & wordage to come shortly. And I suppose I've got plenty to write about, seeing as I've been absent for an entire month now (holy crap).

Dah, I'm short on time - next stop, Pitchfork - so in the meantime, check out the latest video from The Lonely Island cohort/blogger Chez, who teams up with fellow friend-of-Dudes Kumar and one Officer Dino Wang, who may look just a little familiar (look beyond the mustache):

steely dan's dark, sarcastic lyrics

2006-06-27T02:00:00.000-06:00

MP4 Yacht Rock #10

Yacht Rock cancelled. Shocked. Stunned. And I was so looking forward to the much-teased "Danger Zone" episode (like everyone else). Nonetheless, It was a nice run. Kudos to JD Ryznar, Hunter Stair, Lane Farnham & the rest of the YR cast & crew for a fabulous show. Oh yeah, and don't forget Hollywood Steve.

The burgeoning media empire that is Stereogum was on the case early this morning with a quick post about the sad news, and folks are lamenting the show's demise over at the 101 Forum & across the blogosphere.

Here's a few cheese Loggins/McDonald tracks that seemed appropriate today:

MP3 ~~Kenny Loggins - "Meet Me Half Way"~~
MP3 ~~Michael McDonald - "No Lookin' Back"~~
MP3 ~~Loggins & McDonald - "What A Fool Believes (live)"~~

From the albums Back To Avalon (or the Over The Top soundtrack), No Lookin' Back & Outside: From The Redwoods respectively.

Yacht Rock Angel & Devil, In Color, originally uploaded by Zettai.

But wait! JD dropped this comment over at the YR MySpace:

The 101 Audience cancelled Yacht Rock, but keep your eyes on yachtrock.com (currently parked, content to come)

Nothing will stop us from spending our usual zero dollars to make Yacht Rock episodes 11 and 12.

You just might have to wait a couple months longer for them. Our 101 cancellation has given us a message from God to enjoy our summers.

If you live in Chicago, come meet many of us at the Empty Bottle on July 10th, where we'll be showing all the Yacht Rocks. There's another event planned in Chitown for the 30th of June. Not sure where. Keep your eye out for details.

Those of you in Seattle will get your dose of every episode of Yacht Rock on July 15th. I'll try to keep you all abreast on the details.

Keep the fire. Go see all the Yacht Rockers touring this summer. And thank you so much for enjoying our fun little show. We love making it and we love that you love it (emphasis added).

Alas, hope survives! Yacht Rock may just set sail yet again! Huzzah!

distracted by crashing the gates

2006-06-09T11:57:00.000-06:00

I've been meaning to get a long overdue post up today, but I've gotten caught up watching some of the panels at Yearly Kos all morning instead. So addictive.

My apologies. No wonder traffic is so low. I've been a lousy, lousy blogger.

WORTHWHILE READ: Two columns from Media Matters' Jamison Foser.

ETA: Foser makes it a trilogy w/another solid rant on 6/9 (via Peter Daou).

For the weekend, a few random token downloads via Insound:

MP3 Art Brut - "Good Weekend"
MP3 Magneta Lane - "Broken Plates"
MP3 The Presets - "Are You The One?"
MP3 Eagles of Death Metal - "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)"

emphasis on loud

2006-05-30T11:15:00.000-06:00

Yacht Rock #9. Watch it for Smooth Jesus. And Van-f**kin'-Halen!

bigtix03

2006-05-15T05:30:00.000-06:00

M4A BigTix03 [128 kbps / 75.6mb / running time: 79:55 min]

Mike Gunther & His Restless Souls - "Every Night (Every Bastard)"
Margot & The Nuclear So & So's - "Skeleton Key"
Lily Allen - "LDN"
Cold War Kids - "The Soloist in the Living Room" (MP3)
The Walkmen - "Emma, Get Me A Lemon"
The Grates - "Lies Are Much More Fun"
Pretty Girls Make Graves - "Parade"
Amy Milan - "Skinny Boy"
The Boy Least Likely To - "Rock Upon a Porch With You"
Gil Mantera's Party Dream - "Bunz Therapy"
Grizzly Bear - "Don't Ask (Final Fantasy remix)"
The Mountain Goats - "Sometimes I Still Feel The Bruise"
Sonic Youth - "Turquoise Boy"
Chromatics - "Nite (12" version)"
Cansei de Ser Sexy - "Let's Make Love & Listen To Death From Above"
Christopher & Raphael Just (f/Fox 'n Wolf) - "Popper"
Kimya Dawson - "Loose Lips"
Pas/Cal - "Summer is Almost Here"
The Pipettes - "Pull Shapes"
Voxtrot - "Fast Asleep"
The Elected - "Biggest Star"

More of the usual linkage etc to come (gimme a break, I've been up all nite)...

so...notice anything different?

2006-05-15T04:20:00.000-06:00

For anybody who is still paying attention 'round these parts, take a gander at The Big Ticket, version 3.0. In its current state, it's simply a modified version of the widely-used Kubrick template, originally designed for WordPress & here (of course) ported to work with Blogger (can't afford to actually host these shenanigans myself, donchaknow). There will undoubtably many more tweaks & edits to come (perhaps a new banner, ehMouk?), including some possible incorporation of some/lots of elements from the next generation Kubrick design, K2, which also has a ported-to-Blogger template available (which I initially overlooked, doh). I also had to move some of my graphics from my .Mac account, as I'm getting bandwidth warnings yet again & will have to find a more permanent solution (oy vey, the re-linking!).

Anyway, enough tech talk, right? Feedback is wonderful as-per-usual, even though this re-design is not fully complete (is it ever?), and ideas/suggestions are always welcomed. Stay tuned for the next installment of the BigTix mix series, and hopefully more blogging in general from yours truly as I continue to remodel...

ETA: Oh yeah, I also decided to ditch the whole dual comments "system" (if you can call it that), at least for now anyhow. So long, Haloscan.

weekend update (tina fey sux)

2006-05-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

Howdy, y'all.

I'm still working (albeit slowly) on the previously mentioned redesign of The Big Ticket, but in the meantime I've reposted both BigTix02 & BigTix01 mixes. This time around, I am using zShare to host the files so my .Mac bandwidth doesn't get shalacked like it did in April. Just follow the links on through, just an extra step to the download process - no big whoop.

I once again fell victim to my own impatience recently, as I just couldn't wait for the new Radio Dept. & Legends to eventually get a stateside release. So I paid the extra cash to order them straight from their Swede-popalicious label, Labrador, and luckily neither disc has disappointed. Here are a few tracks currently featured on the front page of the Labrador website, including the lead track from The Legends' forthcoming single & a truly infectious one from label-mates Sambassadeur:

MP3 The Legends - "Play It For Today"
MP3 The Radio Dept. - "The Worst Taste in Music"
MP3 Sambassadeur - "Kate"

The Radio Dept's Pet Grief will actually get a US release May 30 (doh!), though only the Hide Away EP & the He Knows The Sun single (along with 2003's fabulous Up Against The Legends LP) seem to be available for The Legends, with no release date for 2005's Public Radio full-length. You can also order Sambassadeur's self-titled LP, though "Kate" only appears on the more recent Coastal Affairs EP, which you can't. But can you put a price on Scandinavian pop bliss? According to my credit card statement, yes you can.

BTW: There's a brand new, Brick-themed P77 mix (#47) over at the newly-redesigned & "re-booted" Pop77, who rarely (if ever) disappoints.

And yeah, I meant it. Head SNL writer since 1999, Tina Fey totally sucks.

version three point zero

2006-04-27T06:05:00.000-06:00

As many a mp3blogger has had to do of late, Apple's recent "enforcement" of their .Mac bandwidth caps has forced me to pull the music files for the time being. Future editions of BigTix mixes may have to be time-limited, or perhaps I'll have to find a different hosting option eventually. Anyway, despite the lack of activity 'round these parts in recent weeks, I really am still around & kicking myself (as per usual) for not posting enough. I'm seriously thinking about working on some sort of redesign over the next few days (or weeks), so keep your eye on the horizon for The Big Ticket 3.0...

~~ETA: Yes, I know the site looks very f**ked up. Apple shut me down, but things should be back to normal by Monday (5/1).~~

bigtix02

2006-04-07T18:00:00.000-06:00

M4A BigTix02 [128 kbps / 73.6mb / running time: 77:59 min]

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - "Acco rding To Plan" (MP3)
TV on the Radio - "~~Playhouses~~ Wolf Like Me"
Art Brut - "My Little Brother (Planet Claire Session)"
Bunky - "Monkey Song"
The Concretes - "On The Radio"
Shonen Knife - "S*P*A*M"
Nous Non Plus - "One Night in Paris"
Mates of State - "Fraud in the 80's"
Delays - "Valen tine"
Gnarls Barkley - "Smiley Faces"
The Streets - "When You Wasn't Famous"
The Rogers Sisters - "The Clock"
Quintron & Miss Pussycat - "Fly Like a Rat"
Grandaddy - "Elevate Myself"
The Prayers & Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers - "Against Pollution" (Mountain Goats)
Rilo Kiley - "Portions For Foxes (Live @ The Current)"
Neko Case - "Star Witness" (MP3)
Final Fantasy - "This is the Dream of Emma & Cam"
Built To Spill - "Goin' Against Your Mind"

I'll update this further with links etc, but right now I have to go mentally & physically prepare myself for the insanity that awaits me later tonite.

BTW: It's an AAC file this time around, as I was futzing around with some basic podcasting stuff in Garageband. If anyone has trouble getting it to work, let me know in the comments & I'll try to upload a mp3 version.

I have mixed feelings about this 2nd edition on BigTix, but I decided to post my attempt at it anyway. Feedback is appreciated, as-per-usual.

ETA: In case you didn't notice, I updated BigTix01 podcast-style. Enjoy.

i'm not going to lick your eye, okay

2006-04-03T03:20:00.000-06:00

The latest issue of EW breaks the bad news, as the-best-sitcom-ever (IMO) Arrested Development has had its feeding tube removed. Creator / executive producer / imagineer extraordinaire Mitch Hurwitz has decided to stop fighting the good fight (at this point, who can blame him?) & is calling it quits. The loyal folks over at The O.P. are comiserating over this final final nail in the coffin, dropping their robot facade & tasting the sad at last. Expect the third season dvd to hit stores sometime in June, at which point we will again have cause to taste the happy & revel in all things Bluthiness.

Here's a couple melancholy-yet-upbeat tracks to start off your Monday:

MP3 ~~The Breeders - "So Sad About Us"~~
From the Kim Deal & company's pre-Last Splash EP, 1992's Safari.

MP3 ~~Pizzicato Five - "Happy Sad"~~
From the 1995 full-length album The Sound of Music by Pizzicato Five.

We can't wait to see what else you've got for us next, Mitch.

BTW: Belated b-day wishes to Air America, which turned 2 last Friday.

ETA: Holy f**king sh**. Lonely Island movie (via). Hoobastank.

bless you, loggins!

2006-03-28T06:45:00.000-06:00

Yacht Rock #8. Squaddly-dee.

MP3 ~~Self - "What a Fool Believes"~~
Self's toy instrument cover of the Loggins/McDonald/Doobies smooth classic, as previously featured on Stereogum, from 2001's Gizmodgery.

My apologies for being so absent. I'll get my sh** together eventually.

as-per-usual, still a work-in-progress

2006-03-11T13:20:00.000-06:00

MP3 ~~Scott Metzger - "Birthday Boy"~~
Today marks The Big Ticket's second blog birthday, for which I really wanted to have BigTix02 ready. But alas, I'm not happy with it as of this posting & need some additional time to work on it some more. It's a bittersweet occasion for me (if anything blog-related can be described as such), as I've struggled to keep this site current (I still have pix I've been meaning to post since October '05) & its posts frequent (not so much). I can only keep trying to improve my performance, and I appreciate anybody who's actually been patient enough to keep stopping by periodically. Anyhoo, here's an apropos Ween cover from RANA guitarist Scott "Boots" Metzger, recorded for Rockslide at NYC's now-defunct Tribeca Rock Club in January '04.

"...and we'll see you tomorrow night!"

2006-03-07T07:15:00.000-06:00

Thanks for the memories, Kirby.

bigtix01 (aka rachel25)

2006-02-27T07:30:00.000-06:00

MP3 BigTix01 [128 kbps / 72.8mb / running time: 79:24 min]

I've created an AAC version that's more iPod-friendly:

M4A BigTix01 [128 kbps / 74.9mb / running time: 79:26 min]

The Go! Team - "The Wrath of Mikey"
Tapes 'n Tapes - "Cowbell"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Gold Lion"
The Flaming Lips - "Yeah Yeah Yeah Song"
Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - "Rise Up With Fists"
Feist - "Gatekeeper (Electroshock Remix by mc DJ)"
Lo-Fi-Fnk - "Wake Up"
The Fiery Furnaces - "Police Sweater Blood Vow"
MC/VL - "Rock The Party Right"
José González - "Hand on Your Heart (split EP version)"
Destroyer - "Your Blood"
The Radio Dept. - "The Hide Away"
Belle & Sebastian - "The Blues Are Still Blue"
Starlight Mints - "Inside of Me"
Jens Lekman - "Maple Leaves (7" version)"
Page France - "Chariot"
Islands - "Rough Gem"
The Knife - "Neverland"
Madonna - "Hung Up (SDP's Extended Vocal Edit)"
Metric - "Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT Remix)"
Lady Sovereign - "Hoodie (Basement Jaxx Remix)"
Love is All - "Busy Doing Nothing"
MC Chris - "Hesh's Birthday Rap"

Yes, it's a blatant rip-off of the abfab Pop77 (who delivered a lovely belated valentine to the internets with the 44th edition of his P77 mix series last week). Nevertheless, here goes the first edition of my own (potential) mix series, BigTix. It's actually post-dated for last Friday, to coincide with my pal Rachel's 25th birthday, but I kept tweaking it over the weekend.

Happy belated, Rach.

I have to jaunt off to the ol' jobby-job, ~~but I'll try to update this later~~.

BTW: Welcome back Marc Maron. Say it with me now...FIRE TRUCK!!

like we finish each other's sandwiches

2006-02-14T09:00:00.000-06:00

MP3 ~~Jens Lekman - "I Saw Her At The Anti War Demonstration"~~
I've got very little time this morning, but here's a quick track to tide y'all over until I can produce a more sufficient Valentine's post. From Jens Lekman's 2005 odds & ends release Oh You're So Silent Jens.

Much love, y'all.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

bluthie, you've done a heckuva job

2006-02-10T18:30:00.000-06:00

I'm back from a nearly month-long hiatus (January was cuh-raaaazy!). I've been delayed in getting a post up all week, preoccupied with the lead-up to tonite's two hour Arrested Development finale, which begins shortly on Fox (7pm CT). I've been re-watching the first two seasons all week, and I've been replaying the first nine episodes of season three throughout today.

As the final countdown to what will most likely be the final episodes of TV's best comedy, my emotions are mixed. I'm still holding out hope that the show might be saved, but I know that the odds are not in our favor. To commemorate the occasion, I'm going to attempt to "live blog" the final four episodes on this post, though I'm not sure how it will go & what there will be for me to comment on, but I'm giving it a go nonetheless.

BTW: If you watch the undoubtably yawn-inducing opening ceremonies of the Olympics on NBC tonite, the terrorists win. SO BE A PATRIOT.

AD linkage: The O.P. Wikipedia, Wikiquote, Google News, TWoP

AD bloggage: Technorati, TV Squad, Music For Kids Who Can't Read

6:55pm: Waiting for syndicated Seinfeld to end (the one wthe the pig man).
7:00pm: AD 3x10 "Faking It"
- Franklin is back!! And I think he's still white...
- Nope, he just likes Kanye (finally saw the button).
- "You're a crook, Captain Hook! Judge, will you throw the book..."
- My name is Judge...hehehe. Take that NBC.
- WAYNE JARVIS!!!
- Oy, the bar mitzvah chair.
- I can't believe William Hung got a laugh out of me.
- Wow. Bud Cort. Odd cameos galore.
7:30pm: AD 3x11 "Family Ties"
- Lindsay called Tobias "T". I know he's referred to himself as T-Bag.
- The promos for these new Fox comedies are friggin' terrible.
- George-Michael is kinda creeping me out too.
- Man, we're getting ALOT of Franklin. I'm not complaining.
- Yes, Rick Santorum is sooo gay. Brilliant!
8:00pm: AD 3x12 "Exit Strategy"
- CBS franchise...takin' shots at all the networks tonite.
- Belzer/Munch!! No wonder he showed up in S.O.B.'s...
- Burning Bush...brilliant!
- Gary Cole...as the cab driver? WTF?
- Is that supposed to be Saddam in that Cosby sweater?
- One of those lookalikes IS the soup nazi!
- Mission Accomplished!
- Maeby & George-Michael related!
- Any more bombshells, Mitch?
8:30pm: AD 3x13 "Development Arrested"
- Gulp. The last one. Sigh.
- Ends just like how it started. Well done.
- And more Mad Money. RISKY! DON'T BUY!
- More Sitwell? Please say it's true. I'd stick it to Sally.
- The return of the C-Word. Nice.
- 53 weeks...53 episodes...
- Wow, Sitwell's hair. Wow.
- Michael & Lindsay!?! Yowza, didn't see that coming.
- What ever happened to Annyong? Is he still in the walls?
- G.O.B. & Ann!?! When she said she met a man...Her?
- George-Michael, nice punch.
- Another freebee.
- Annyong!!! OMG!!!
- It's over. I dunno what I think of it. Maybe too much happened.
- "That WAS Arrested Development." Sigh.
- The Ron Howard tag - kinda obvious, I don't know if I like it.
- That's it for now. I need to re-watch & mull it all over.

What does everybody else think? Speak up if you've got an opinion. That is, of course, if there's anybody out there still paying attention to this blog...

my return is to "work" semi-imminent

2006-02-06T07:20:00.000-06:00

No, I'm not dead. Yes, I'll be back shortly. Honest. Stay tuned.

BTW: Get Mix '05 while it's up, 'cause it's coming down very soon...

what a great looking crop of people

2006-01-11T04:20:00.000-06:00

MP3 ~~OK Go - "Oh Lately It's So Quiet"~~
Just dropping in briefly to explain the lack of blog activity since New Year's. Things are crazy, what with a rapidly approaching drop deadline on a video project shoving everything aside for at least another week. I should be back to on the blog once things calm down a little (and maybe I can get some real sleep). This track is from Chicago indie pop outfit OK Go, off last year's Oh No LP, and my reasons for posting it should be pretty damn obvious.

MP3 Incredibad (aka The Lonely Island) - "Everybody Dance!"
Perhaps it's because of my heightened stress level, but I've been playing this exhuberant Lonely Island track a lot recently. I suppose it helps lighten the mood & shake out the sillys when sh** gets too frustrating. In case you missed it since I last mentioned it, the whole "Lazy Sunday" phenomenon has spawned media coverage from the NY Times, NY Daily News, Village Voice & Slate to name a few (via Chez), not to mention a favorable review from Sasha Frere-Jones & its own line of friggin' t-shirts. And yet, for some reason, I'm even more addicted to TLI's Bing Bong Brothers video from fall '05. What makes it so hypnotic - the moustaches or the snapping?

MP3 Bing Bong Brothers - "Wait (You Guys)" (NSFW?)
M4V Bing Bong Brothers - "Wait (You Guys)" (NSFW?)

BTW: My thanks for the shout out from Sean @ STG, whose not-so-recent site redesign has been both fitting content-wise & easy on the eyes taboot.

ETA: Hot damn! Ardy was on Letterman (1/12)! Now that's ka-blamo!

cannot all creation call it celebration

2005-12-31T23:59:00.001-06:00

MP3 ~~Junior Senior - "Itch U Can't Skratch"~~
I was a big fan of 2003's D-D-Don't Don't Stop the Beat, the poptastic debut album from Danish gay/straight duo Junior Senior, and I'm talking about more than the "Move Your Feet" single. Though it has yet to see a U.S. release, the group's sophomore Hey Hey My My Yo Yo LP expands the Junior Senior sound, adding a number of female vocalists to the mix including Kate Pierson & Cindy Wilson of the B-52's, The Velvelettes & Le Tigre. "Itch U Can't Skratch" was the album's advance single, which Matt Fluxblog first posted back in March (months before I offered my own commentary):

I love that Junior Senior extend the inclusiveness of their twee party music to people like Bigfoot. Even in spite of that one Beastie Boys video, I can't imagine that Bigfoot gets out much. He's probably very insecure about his body, you know? He's exactly the type of person who needs a happy song that specifically asks him to dance. Come on out of the woods, Bigfoot! It's time to party. It won't be a coffee & cake affair, Junior Senior are going to have a DJ and dancing, pizza, chips, soda, everything!

The new album should find its way into stateside record shops sometime in early 2006, at least according to the last report from Pitchfork, though it can be ordered directly through Junior Senior's label Crunchy Frog or downloaded via iTunes. And to nobody's surprise, they're on MySpace too.

MP3 ~~Most Serene Repbulic - "Content Was Always My Favorite Colour"~~
While not actually any part of the ever-expanding universe that is Broken Social Scene, fellow Canadian upstarts The Most Serene Republic sound right at home on BSS' Arts & Crafts label. Overflowing with band members, densely layered pop hooks, earnest intentions - check, check & check. Underwater Cinematographer, the band's debut album, was one on my sleeper favorites of 2005 that I grew to really enjoy. The M4V oddball music video (18.4mb, iPod ready) for this track is full of big bright colors & wide-eyed enthusiastic faces (often on "decapitated" floating heads) & boundless exploding bursts of energy that match the song's frenzied tone. What fun!

MP3 ~~Iron & Wine - "Woman King"~~
Sam Beam took things up a notch IMO (well, added more production to his sparse arrangements anyway) on this past spring's Woman King EP (possibly my favorite Iron & Wine release to date, despite its relative brevity), particularly on this powerful (and fiercely feminist) title track. I'll let Pitchfork's Amanda Petrusich do the rest of the talking:

There are a lot of ways to describe Iron & Wine's dark, woozy folk songs: writers and fans scramble to find the appropriate modifiers, the correct verbs, the variations on "hushed." [...] And now, for the very first time, "loud" can be added to that arsenal of adjectives: the six-song Woman King EP, a follow-up to 2004's Our Endless Numbered Days, opens with relentlessly click-clacking pieces of wood and a brash slide riff, booming out in all directions. And we haven't even gotten to the electric guitar yet - or the distortion.

[...]

Sam Beam has tweaked and re-imagined Iron & Wine's whisper-folk imprint to include a much broader palette of sound - anxious and intense, Woman King inches Beam even farther away from his scratchy lo-fi origins without sacrificing any of the microphone-eating intimacy that made his work so appealing to begin with. [...] Somehow, each step Beam takes feels organic, proper, true - Woman King (much like Our Endless Numbered Days) is different, but fundamentally linked to its predecessors.

MP3 ~~The Radio Dept. - "I Don't Need Love, I've Got My Band"~~
More cheating here, with this track from the 2003 Pulling Our Weight EP from Swedish fuzzy popsters The Radio Dept. But the band was new to me this year (thanks blogosphere), and I kept coming back to this particular track throughout the year. It was part of my extended Valentines Day post, which is probably one of the better things I have written on this blog.

MP3 ~~The Decemberists - "On The Bus Mall"~~
As we slide further into more sentimental tones, here's yet another repost, this time from Colin Meloy & The Decemberists. While "The Engine Driver" may have had the best lyrics ("And I am a writer, a writer of fictions. I am the heart that you call home. And I've written pages upon pages trying to rid you from my bones.") on Picaresque, "On The Bus Mall" is the most preciously majestic, and is probably my favorite off the band's third full album. I'll repeat the sentiments of Pitchfork's Stephen M. Deusner:

Perhaps the best song he's written, "On the Bus Mall" is Meloy's own private Idaho full of boy gigolos amok in the city, and he evocatively contrasts their innocent affection ("Here in our hovel we fused like a family") with the grittiness of their lives: "You learned quick to make a fast buck/ In bathrooms and barrooms, on dumpsters and heirlooms/ We bit our tongues/ Sucked our lips into our lungs 'til we were falling/ Such was our calling."

MP3 ~~Sia - "Breathe Me (Four Tet remix)"~~
With the penultimate track of Mix '05, I made an unusual pick with former Zero-7 singer Sia, whose song "Breathe Me" played over the breathtaking final sequence of the Six Feet Under series finale. The song appears on both Sia's sophomore LP Colour the Small One as well as the second Six Feet Under soundtrack. The day after HBO aired the finale, Scott Stereogum was first on the scene with the MP3, though I prefer this remix by Four Tet off the "Breathe Me" import single. For more on the SFU finale, check out an segment from NPR's Fresh Air (via bradley's almanac) & a nice long blog write-up (via Kottke). Yes, I've had these links sitting around for a while.

MOV Sia - "Breathe Me" (7.2mb, lo-res)
Director Daniel Askill took A LOT of photos to create this video (check out more of his past work). Video via Aussie-based Collider Design/Film.

MP3 ~~Sufjan Stevens - "Come on! Feel the Illinoise!"~~
Is it too cliché to end Mix '05 with Sufjan Stevens, given the ridiculous year he's had? Perhaps. He's topping best-of lists left & right with his second "50 States" album, the gargantuan yet lush Illinois that even spurred a controversy over cover art. I desperately wanted to post this fabulous title track when the album first leaked last spring, but (not suprisingly) the recently inactive Keith TTIKTDA beat me to it by a matter of hours:

So, Sufjan Stevens has finished another state, moving south from Michigan and on to Illinois. And the tracklist should have been an indication that he’s continued his long steady fall right off the deep end. And thank god. Because if he hadn’t, we wouldn’t have "Come On Feel The Illinoise," with it’s surprisingly dancable horns and choirgirls and xylophones - Sufjan’s gone vaudeville, like a whitebread David Byrne without the nervous stutter. Every time I try to listen to another track on Illinois, I end up struggling to suppress the urgge to skip back to this moment of magic. When the guitars and the string section take over and the song transitions into "Part II" we have something transcendant. I don’t remember who it was that said Morrissey is trying to become the weird, gay, british indie Frank Sinatra, but it seems like Sufjan might be trying for crazy, christian, indie Sinatra title himself. And he’s not falling too far from the mark on "Come On Feel the Illinois" - that whispering croon lacks the force of old Blue Eyes, but the backup singers are downright transformative - the MP3's genre tags may say folk, but thats hardly an appropriate label for this album. It’s more vital, more kinetic, and perhaps most appropriately, more urban. Where Greetings From Michigan found it’s urban moments in the joblessness of Flint and the desolation of Detroit, Illinois captures the hopeful vibrancy of the windy city on the lake, the constant transformation and rebuilding of a city thats probably been destroyed more times than any other city in America. There’s a wierd optimism in that really.

I eventually got around to posting this track myself when Sufjan & the Illinoisemakers rolled through Mpls this fall, so here's one more re-post for old time's sake. I really can't think of a better song to end the year on.

Just as he did last year, my good pal Chicago Marc Shapiro was able to whip up some sweet-ass cover art to go along with Mix '05, and as always I thank him for his lending me his talents once again. That's ka-blamo!

This mix is a totally subjective collection of songs from 2005, and I regret not being able to include Animal Collective, Antony & The Johnsons, Annie, Metric, Feist, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Andrew Bird, Art Brut, Fiery Furnaces, Franz Ferdinand, José González, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Of Montreal, My Morning Jacket, Super Furry Animals, Deerhoof, M83, The Raveonettes, Fiona Apple, Caribou, Archer Prewitt, The Kills, Common, Architecture In Helsinki, Gorillaz, The Books, The King of France, Doves, Kaiser Chiefs, Final Fantasy & every other artist/group that I didn't get around to or didn't listen to enough etc. It was tough to keep current with everything during the last year, and I know that I probably missed tons of good stuff while I was busy off doing something else. In 2006, I hope to be more receptive to new music, more attentive in general, more consistent with my posting & maybe even get around to responding to my e-mail (which is way backed up, btw). I dunno if I'll be able to live up to all of these resolutions, but I'll certainly give it a whirl. Happy new year everybody.

DISC ONE
Track 01: The Constantines - "Draw Us Lines"
Track 02: Spoon - "The Beast & Dragon, Adored"
Track 03: The Russian Futurists - "Our Pen's Out of Ink"
Track 04: Broken Social Scene - "7/4 (Shoreline)"
Track 05: Bunky - "Chuy"
Track 06: The New Pornographers - "The Bleeding Heart Show"
Track 07: Stars - "Ageless Beauty"
Track 08: Danger Doom f/Cee-Lo - "Benzie Box"
Track 09: Legendary K.O. - "GWB Doesn't Care About Black People"
Track 10: M.I.A. - "10 Dollar"
Track 11: Soulwax vs Lipps Inc. - "NY Lipps (Kazasaki Dub)"
Track 12: Vitalic - "My Friend Dario"
Track 13: Low - "When I Go Deaf"
Track 14: Gogol Bordello - "Undestructable"
Track 15: Silver Jews - "Punks in the Beerlight"
Track 16: Sam Champion - "It's Getting Late"
Track 17: Stephen Malkmus - "It Kills"
Track 18: Okkervil River - "For Real"
Track 19: Wolf Parade - "I'll Believe in Anything"

DISC TWO
Track 01: The Mountain Goats - "This Year"
Track 02: Howard Hello - "More of the Same"
Track 03: The Deadly Snakes - "Gore Veil"
Track 04: The Hold Steady - "Stevie Nix"
Track 05: Sleater-Kinney - "Wilderness"
Track 06: Bloc Party - "Like Eating Glass"
Track 07: LCD Soundsystem - "On Repeat"
Track 08: Mylo - "In My Arms"
Track 09: The Juan Maclean - "Give Me Every Little Thing"
Track 10: Junior Senior - "Itch U Can't Skratch"
Track 11: Most Serene Republic - "Content Was Always My Favorite Colour"
Track 12: Iron & Wine - "Woman King"
Track 13: The Radio Dept. - "I Don't Need Love, I've Got My Band"
Track 14: The Decemberists - "On The Bus Mall"
Track 15: Sia - "Breathe Me (Four Tet remix)"
Track 16: Sufjan Stevens - "Come on! Feel the Illinoise!"

The entire Mix '05 can also be accessed via the December archive.

FWIW: Touch-ups aside, I honestly did publish this post mere moments before the ball dropped (well, the midwest time zone TV replay anyway).

i am gonna make it through this year

2005-12-31T15:00:00.000-06:00

What, did you think I was gonna bitch out on disc two of The Big Ticket's Mix '05? Wrong, suckas. Here's the whole friggin' thing. Happy new year.

MP3 ~~The Mountain Goats - "This Year"~~
This second disc is probably more sentimental on the whole, and it starts off as such with this bitterly nostalgic-yet-defiant track by the Mountain Goats. Singer/songwriter John Darnielle passionately belts out this autobiographical tune, from this year's The Sunset Tree LP. Stylus writer Matt Sheardown breaks it down for the site's top singles list (#50):

What strikes me most about this song is the optimism that reverberates through every sung lyric and strummed chord. Considering that our protagonist is an under-aged alcoholic with a penchant for scotch and an abusive home, this is no mean feat. But this is the same optimism that has burned through all of our own veins. This (with all respect to Broken Social Scene) is the true anthem for a seventeen-year-old, girl or boy. You’re a year away from the glorified age of eighteen, the year that freedom begins and the year you can get as close to or as far away from your life as you could want. You’re just waiting for time to catch up with you. And you are gonna make it through this year if it kills you.

I posted this song during one of my lower moments this spring, but am pleased to re-post it while in a better mood. Check out its video (via).

ETA (1/13/06): The first StyPod entry of 2006 is about how this song soundtracked the rocky terrain of one Stylus writer's ups & downs in 2005.

MP3 ~~Howard Hello - "More of the Same"~~
Another re-post (from back in March), this elegant piece of guitar-laden shoegaze is the centerpiece of electronic duo Howard Hello's self-titled EP, and I just had to include all 7+ minutes of it. And yes, they're on MySpace.

MP3 ~~The Deadly Snakes - "Gore Veil"~~
Just as "More of the Same" fades away, we jump into this precious bit of velvety lo-fi pop from Canadian indie rockers the Deadly Snakes. I missed my chance to see these guys at the 7th Street Entry this fall, despite my affection for the band's previous album, 2003's celebratory Ode To Joy. This year's Porcella LP is somewhat murkier than its predecessor, with the exception of this happy-happy track. 3hive's Sam wrote back in October:

On "Gore Veil" you'll hear Donovan or Love or Neil Diamond, but what'll stick in your head is that recorder (or is it flute?) melody line just begging for a Wes Anderson movie to call home.

MP3 ~~The Hold Steady - "Stevie Nix"~~
Out of the quiet final moments of "Gore Veil" explodes a fat guitar lick, and we've definitely come about. I really enjoyed Kathryn Yu breakdown of the album that holds this song, so I'll let her to the talking:

"They've made a Springsteen album." A fucking Springsteen album. That's how a friend described the new Hold Steady album to me earlier this year, and he was right on the money. The killer classic rock riffs are still there, as are Finn's unique vocal mannerisms and the memorable, thousand-allusion-a-minute lyrics, but this time around he's supported by what sounds like a cast of a thousand church ominous organs. Separation Sunday is the way it feels to be swept into an unholy alternative universe where everything's just a little bit off. But it's still a little evasive and sexy and totally fucked-up; the freaks from Almost Killed Me are all still bumming around, but this time they think they've found God. Everybody's a sleazy hoodrat or a shifty drug dealer or a born again Catholic school girl gone wrong, or something I'm not even sure how to describe. Craig Finn couldn't write a conventional song to save his life, but somewhere in his complex poetry, stuttering delivery style, and cast of misfits, this collection of songs contains dozens of hooks that stick around like soft, melting bubblegum. I could spend hours unpacking what Finn is really saying, but I'm too busy reveling in how tight and accomplished the band has become, the well-oiled machine they'd always threatened to become. I'm not sure how a resurrection really feels, but by the time our poor, lost Holly rolls around to the front of the congregation, broken and battered, my ears are ringing. But all I want to do is listen once more.

Yes, this is another re-post. There will be more to come, so get used to it.

MP3 ~~Sleater-Kinney - "Wilderness"~~
We continue on with everybody's favorite veteran grrl punks, Sleater-Kinney. The ladies showed up with a whole new level of rawk on their latest album, the raw & screechingly powerful The Woods, and it was very much on display when I finally caught the trio's live show at First Avenue in June. I almost picked the previously posted "Rollercoaster," but in the end I decided that "Wilderness" just seemed a better fit to follow the Hold Steady.

MP3 ~~Bloc Party - "Like Eating Glass"~~
2005's best new wavey brits Bloc Party rode into this year with oodles of buzz for their debut LP Silent Alarm, which actually turned out to be quite good. But for whatever reason, I slowly stopped listening to them as the months passed. Perhaps it was indie hype overload, or perhaps it was the overkill of having their whole album ~~chopped & screwed~~ Remixed so soon after the original's release. I've barely listened to Bloc Party since summer, so I guess they lose points for lacking staying power. But they still put out a solid record, and this opening track is certainly one that's worth revisiting.

MP3 ~~LCD Soundsystem - "On Repeat"~~
In early 2005, all I listened to at times was LCD Soundsystem. I was addicted, and I didn't want to listen to anything else besides the self-titled double-disc LP ("Beat Connection" in particular). Of the tracks on the main album, "On Repeat" was the one that really hooked me (hence this re-post). LCD mastermind & DFA co-big cheese James Murphy had quite the year, making my trek down to Chicago for Hipsterfest Midwest worthwhile.

MP3 ~~Mylo - "In My Arms"~~
Okay, here's where I start cheating a little. Destroy Rock & Roll, the debut album from Mylo (aka Scottish electronic musician Myles MacInnes), originally saw its release in 2004, though it will finally be getting a proper US release on February 6th, 2006. I first stumbled across Mylo late last year via Music For Robots, but I really got into the rest of his stuff throughout 2005, hence the inclusion of this cheery, albeit sample-repetitive, track on Mix '05. I previously linked to this song's lovey-dovey WMV music video, but I think we should all watch it one more time, just in case you don't have somebody to kiss after the ball drops at midnite tonite (like me).

MP3 ~~The Juan Maclean - "Give Me Every Little Thing"~~
Prior to seeing The Juan Maclean open for LCD Soundsystem this fall at First Avenue, my pal Rachel got freaked out while reading of Juan's bizarre, drug-induced stories on his website. Apparently, the dude is just as crazy as the DFA guys described him:

Tim: Juan is originally from the much-missed and totally underrated Six Finger Satellite, who Sub Pop should really put out a compilation of, ‘cos they were years ahead of everybody else. They were electronic, but tough and scary. Awesome stuff. His own stuff has elements of Kraftwerk and… I don’t know how to describe Juan really. He’s insane. One of the most intense people you’ll ever meet. You can ask people about Juan and they’ll says he’s extremely scary. Then you meet him, and he’s not. But then you get to know him and he is. There are many, many layers to Juan, and he’s very real.

James: 'I was a big fan of Six Finger Satellite, then we were friends and I was their live sound mixer for years, and I helped them produce their last album. He’s just terrifying to be around. A very heavy character. He was a junkie for 13 years and I hated him at first. But that changed and its an honour to work with Juan. He’s a very genuine character, and an unusual talent… much more surreal than most people.'

Anyhow, I suppose I'm also cheating a bit on this track, since it came out as a single on a split 12" with The Rapture in 2002 or 2003. Since it's also on Juan's debut LP Less Than Human, which only came out this fall, I'm using that technicality to keep the electro thing happening here. Check the vid:

WMV The Juan Maclean - "Give Me Every Little Thing" RAM

Drat. Ran outta time before having to jet off to work. This is only the first part of disc two, so stay tuned for the stunning conclusion later tonite.

DISC ONE
Track 01: The Constantines - "Draw Us Lines"
Track 02: Spoon - "The Beast & Dragon, Adored"
Track 03: The Russian Futurists - "Our Pen's Out of Ink"
Track 04: Broken Social Scene - "7/4 (Shoreline)"
Track 05: Bunky - "Chuy"
Track 06: The New Pornographers - "The Bleeding Heart Show"
Track 07: Stars - "Ageless Beauty"
Track 08: Danger Doom f/Cee-Lo - "Benzie Box"
Track 09: Legendary K.O. - "GWB Doesn't Care About Black People"
Track 10: M.I.A. - "10 Dollar"
Track 11: Soulwax vs Lipps Inc. - "NY Lipps (Kazasaki Dub)"
Track 12: Vitalic - "My Friend Dario"
Track 13: Low - "When I Go Deaf"
Track 14: Gogol Bordello - "Undestructable"
Track 15: Silver Jews - "Punks in the Beerlight"
Track 16: Sam Champion - "It's Getting Late"
Track 17: Stephen Malkmus - "It Kills"
Track 18: Okkervil River - "For Real"
Track 19: Wolf Parade - "I'll Believe in Anything"

give me your eyes, i need sunshine

2005-12-23T11:00:00.000-06:00

At last, disc one of The Big Ticket's Mix '05 is finally up in its entirety, despite its tardiness. Cramming in all of disc two before 2006 arrives will be a tough chore, but I hope to be up to the challenge. Fingers crossed.

MP3 ~~Okkervil River - "For Real"~~
As disc one comes to a close, things start to get a wee bit dramatic, bordering on epic. "For Real" is the second song on Okkervil River's dark & emotional 2005 release, Black Sheep Boy (though this is actually the slightly longer single version). It starts off as a slow burner, quietly rising out of the ether with a subtle-yet-persistent guitar strum & becoming somewhat menacing with frontman Will Sheff's opening line: "Some nights I thirst for real blood, for real knives, for real cries." But then power guitar chords kick in & Sheff's voice turns more insistent, more desperate, and it all feels more & more intense. The tone ebbs & flows from there on, but it retains the fire-in-the-belly feeling that only builds & builds. Sean from Said The Gramophone (where Sheff guest-posted back in August) has been a big fan of this tune (his #2 song of the year), and he described it far, far better than I ever could on multiple occasions.

Upon first hearing it back in March:

"For Real (There's Nothing Quite Like The Blinding Light)" is one of the best things they've ever recorded, that perfect boom of word and sound, barbed yells and crushing blows. It's sinister but elegiac, scary but true. It's about murder and feeling, voices crying for sensation. "There's nothing quite like the blinding light / that curtains cast aside." The electric guitars are stuck through with spruce branches, with nails, with bits of eggshell. It's like the stamp in the middle of Wilco's "At Least That's What You Said," only instead of Tweedy's guitar solo there's the lamplight of a rhodes, the mounting panic of Will Robinson Sheff, and then a terrible tumble of drums, the searing chorus of pierced guitars, the knowledge that you're hurtling downhill, downstream, downtown, toward the smack and clasp that will make things clear. (The joke's on you though - you don't quite get there.) "Those blue bridge lights might really burn most bright / when you watch that dark lake rise. / If you really want to see what matters most to me / just take a real short drive."

And guest-posting at Beardblog in August:

A song full of such roaring life, covered in such black and flashing fur, that it’s hard to imagine it as a thing composed, the work of men in a room trying out parts and kicking at pedals. Okkervil River were a band of rustic mountain-men, Austin’s lonesome hermit poets, but here Will Robinson Sheff’s got teeth and a fever, he’s got claws, he’s got an electric guitar that shorts the lights. This is rock music for after you realise what you’ve done, or a song for running panicked through a field. It’s a track that requires a lantern – hold yours high.

Sean talk, you listen. He smart, write more good than me. Music, hooray!

MOV Okkervil River - "For Real" (24.1mb)
In his year-end wrap-up, Frank Chromewaves points to this animated video, which he thinks "is just creepy." I'm not sure what's creepier, the creepy video or the creepy cover artwork cover artwork by artist William Schaff.

MP3 ~~Wolf Parade - "I'll Believe in Anything"~~
Coming in at #10 on Pitchfork's 2005 albums list, writer Amanda Petrusich describes this track as "the record's shining center, a gut-punchingly perfect portrait of shit gone awry." Well said. The record she refers to is the debut album from Montreal's Wolf Parage, Apologies to the Queen Mary, which received plenty of buzz prior to its release on Sub Pop this fall. PopMatters (oddly) called it "the album of this year's decade," and Cokemachineglow simply ranked it as their #1 album of the 2005. Oh look, some more hype.

I was able to catch Wolf Parade twice this fall here in Mpls, opening for pals The Arcade Fire in First Avenue's mainroom in September & headlining the Entry just weeks later. On both occasions, they closed out their main set with this song, and both times it kicked my ass. The recorded version boasts the same powerful build-up, with verses seeming to circle round each other repeditively until they work the song into a frenzy. Keyboardist Spencer Krug doesn't just sing the lyrics, he lets loose mad, plaintive wails that grab & shake & get in your face. Louder, louder, louder..."NOBODY KNOWS YA, AND NOBODY GIVES A DAMN ANYWAY!" over & over & over & out. And I'm just left breathless. I thought this was a decent way to end disc one. Whew.

BTW: Wolf Parade did an interview w/the 'fork & has a MySpace, obvs.

DISC ONE
Track 01: The Constantines - "Draw Us Lines"
Track 02: Spoon - "The Beast & Dragon, Adored"
Track 03: The Russian Futurists - "Our Pen's Out of Ink"
Track 04: Broken Social Scene - "7/4 (Shoreline)"
Track 05: Bunky - "Chuy"
Track 06: The New Pornographers - "The Bleeding Heart Show"
Track 07: Stars - "Ageless Beauty"
Track 08: Danger Doom f/Cee-Lo - "Benzie Box"
Track 09: Legendary K.O. - "GWB Doesn't Care About Black People"
Track 10: M.I.A. - "10 Dollar"
Track 11: Soulwax vs Lipps Inc. - "NY Lipps (Kazasaki Dub)"
Track 12: Vitalic - "My Friend Dario"
Track 13: Low - "When I Go Deaf"
Track 14: Gogol Bordello - "Undestructable"
Track 15: Silver Jews - "Punks in the Beerlight"
Track 16: Sam Champion - "It's Getting Late"
Track 17: Stephen Malkmus - "It Kills"

More lists!!! On Wednesday, Marv's Tiny Mix Tapes checked in with their top 25 album list (who needs 50 anyway?), not to mention their 2005 Tiny Mix Tape. And I thought my doofy little Mix '05 was semi-original - who was I kidding? Jeez. Well, at least I can feel a little validated by Stylus' agreement with yours truly that M.I.A.'s Arular was the top record of 2005. Told ya so.

perhaps they can "cirsumvent" fox

2005-12-21T11:30:00.000-06:00

Rumors abound re: Arrested Development switching networks.

Patience, grasshopper. Stay tuned. Off to read Bob Loblaw's Law Blog.

i always loved you to the max

2005-12-20T13:15:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I've fallen way behind on my attempt to get the entire double-disc Mix '05 out before Christmas. All of disc one will be up this week, and I hope to cram in disc two before the end of the year. Three tracks today:

MP3 ~~Silver Jews - "Punks in the Beerlight"~~
While I wasn't paying attention over the last couple of years, David Berman apparently did the stereotypical Behind The Music-style rockstar flame-out & nearly boozed & drugged himself to death. He even cops to the cliché in an extensive interview with Pitchfork's Ashford Tucker back in August:

My Y2K party lasted four years longer than I expected it to. It was fun. Not the last year. The last year was bad. I went to rehab. Relapsed a couple of times. Doing good now. I went down in 1999 for a long, suitcase-battering journey of sub-aqueous intoxication, only resurfacing on January 1, 2004 in a tiny Minnesota village. There is a recent Fader (PDF) article that does a good filmic version of my time away. After that article came out, I read someone on the internet who felt betrayed, by me; that I'd become a cliche. There's nothing I can do about that. The problems of performance have begun already.

Ironically enough, the man behind the Silver Jews is anything but a typical rockstar, deciding not to play his music live (until now), choosing instead to make public appearances only at his poetry readings. Berman seems insolar, not so much a man of excess, with his own demons that drove him toward substance abuse in the past, but likely also informed his lyrical content. This year's Tanglewood Numbers, the Silver Jews' first album in four years, comes off as a recovery record in both content & style, more clear-headed & focused than previous efforts. It's ten tracks of straightforward rock songs cut with an alt-country twang, it's Berman's tightest disc yet, and it's one of my top releases from 2005 - and I knew it would be during (not after) my first listen. With Stephen Malkmus on board to rip it up on guitar, this track opens Tanglewood Numbers with confidence & authority ("punks in the beerlight, burnouts in love!") and refuses to let up until Berman's final, breathless "MAX!" fades away. Correction: I knew Tanglewood Numbers would be one of my '05 faves during (not after) my first listen to this song.

ETA: LA-based director Todd Lincoln chops up Planet of the Apes & Beneath the Planet of the Apes to suit his own devices (via goldenfiddle). Yes, it's very random & fairly bizarre. I suppose it figures:

MOV Silver Jews - "Punks in the Beerlight" (37.9 mb)

MOV Silver Jews - "How Can I Love You If You Won't Lie Down" (3.6 mb)
Berman's label Drag City hosts this video for another of Tanglewood Numbers' stand-out tracks, featuring Berman along with his wife Cassie (who does all the female voicework on the album) and sometimes Silver Jew & former-Pavement "percussionist" Bob Nastanovich (lounging around, not playing the drums). Also appearing is the Berman family dog, Jackson.

MP3 ~~Sam Champion - "It's Getting Late"~~
It's no coincidence that this track is the meat in the Silver Jews/Malkmus sandwich that makes up this post (and it's corresponding section of Mix '05). Frontman Noah Chernin, bassist Jack Dolgen, guitarist Sean "Bones" Sullivan & RANA drummer Ryan "Tugboat" Thornton make up Brooklyn NY's Sam Champion, whose debut album Slow Rewind is another top ten (maybe top five) '05 release for yours truly. Caveat: I suppose I am somewhat biased toward these guys, seeing as I worship the Jersey-loving f**k out of RANA (how I found them, duh) and have hung out with them on a few occasions. That said, their first outing on Razor & Tie is still an impressive one IMO. Chernin & company aren't re-inventing the wheel here, and they don't hide their obvious influences (see tracks 15 & 17). They just put together a solid-yet-loose rock record, and oftentimes that's all that you need. I could have picked from any of the songs on Slow Rewind, but I went with this one because it just seemed to fit best with the surrounding tracks.

MOV Sam Champion - "TV Fever" (23.2 mb) WMV RAM
Sam Champion's first video: home movies cut with band footage.

Due to the general busy busy busy, I never got around to posting much about the show-packed month that was October. I hope to recap some of the backlog before the end of Mix '05, and I'd like to start with Sam Champion's first visit to Mpls in early November. Even though Okkervil River (I'll get to them soon) was also playing the 400 Bar that Saturday nite (11/5), I just had to see the Champion, especially since I hadn't seen them sine Sean joined the band. I dragged Sam out with me to the 7th Street Entry, where the band played to a sparsely population (aka nearly empty) room. The lack of attendance was regrettable, but the guys rocked out nonetheless, playing a solid that that concluded with a cover of the Beatles' "Get Back" IIRC. A good time was had by me at least, and even Sam was impressed enough to pick up a copy of Slow Rewind. The road-weary warriors actually crashed back at the Gilbert resort (aka the rents' house) before heading out the next day, and I was happy to offer the hospitality. As-per-usual, I snapped some digital pics because I'm dorky like that:

MP3 ~~Stephen Malkmus - "It Kills"~~
Finishing off the trifeca is none other than Stephen Malkmus, whose third solo album Face The Truth was yet another stellar release from the former Pavement frontman. S.M. played a lot of his new material when I saw him play First Avenue in June, shortly after Face The Truth dropped at the end of May (but long after it sprung a leak, obvs) on Matador. This track has a light, airy feeling to it that is infectiously smile-inducing. I think "It Kills" sounds optimistic, even without paying any attention to Malkmus' lyrics.

WMV Stephen Malkmus - "Mama" RAM
Here's a streaming video for another track off Face The Truth, starring a bikini-clad asian chick for who knows what reason. Random as ever, S.M.

DISC ONE
Track 01: The Constantines - "Draw Us Lines"
Track 02: Spoon - "The Beast & Dragon, Adored"
Track 03: The Russian Futurists - "Our Pen's Out of Ink"
Track 04: Broken Social Scene - "7/4 (Shoreline)"
Track 05: Bunky - "Chuy"
Track 06: The New Pornographers - "The Bleeding Heart Show"
Track 07: Stars - "Ageless Beauty"
Track 08: Danger Doom f/Cee-Lo - "Benzie Box"
Track 09: Legendary K.O. - "GWB Doesn't Care About Black People"
Track 10: M.I.A. - "10 Dollar"
Track 11: Soulwax vs Lipps Inc. - "NY Lipps (Kazasaki Dub)"
Track 12: Vitalic - "My Friend Dario"
Track 13: Low - "When I Go Deaf"
Track 14: Gogol Bordello - "Undestructable"

It's list-mania! Aside from every blogger & their blogger cousin's year-end lists, the online rags have put out theirs. Cokemachine Glow has its top 50 albums list, as does Pitchfork, Stylus & PopMatters. Pitchfork & Stylus also run down 2005's top 50 singles, for those of us with short attention spans. Read up on what you should've been listening to, but probably weren't.

Though it happened last week, I still wanted to mention the death of Emmy-winning West Wing actor John Spencer, who suffered a heart attack that claimed is life on Friday. It's terribly sad news, and there isn't much else to say about it. A John Spencer fansite has gone black in his memory, leaving only a truly apt WW quote, written by series creator Aaron Sorkin.

And while it has been posted everywhere (from Boing Boing to the Huffington Post) over the last couple of days, I'll happily add to the echo chamber of folks laughing at this past weekend's SNL "digital short" Lazy Sunday by my boys The Lonely Island, whose Samberg & Parnell hip-hop jam about Magnolia cupcakes & The Chronic-WHA!?!-cles of Narnia was the highlight of the show. I got the heads-up about the online buzz from goldenfiddle, and found a WMV link from Gorilla Mask. And after two days of hype, the video is now currently featured on both the NBC's front page as well as the network's SNL page. Ardy, Kiv, Jorm, Parn - well done.

My favorite line: "Mr. Pibb + Redvines = CRAZY DELICIOUS!"

ETA: Oh, snap. Now you can get Lazy Sunday as an iPod-ready free download from iTunes, likewise posted on their store's front page ("a holiday gift from NBC & SNL"). Damn, this got huge fast. God bless the internets.

This is my 300th post. Aren't round numbers a fun reason to celebrate?

ETA: Rep. John Conyers of Ohio calls for investigations to impeach or censure Bush & Cheney. I don't like calls to sign this or e-mail that etc, but I'll just say that I did so here & here. Y'all can do as you see fit. That is all.

love is a voice of savage soul

2005-12-15T10:00:00.000-06:00

MP3 ~~Low - "When I Go Deaf"~~
After a few dancible tracks & the crash that closes out "My Friend Dario", I felt it was time to slow things down a bit. And if you want slow, then you probably want Duluth MN's Low. The slowcore veteran trio had a tumultuous year, beginning with the band's first Sub Pop release & sold out dates at Mpls' famed First Avenue, and ending with the departure of bassist Zak Sally. Along the way, Low toured the heck out of The Great Destroyer, this past winter's well-received new album & the band's loudest to date. "When I Go Deaf" comes in like a lamb, but roars out like a lion, as Music For Robots' Blair noted back in January:

This is the new Low, the louder, harder more dissonant Low. The song certainly starts off all quiet, with soft guitar-strums & Low's signature harmonized vocals, but just past the halfway point in the song, its just turns into these gigantic washes of feedback & guitar noise - it is this crushingly beautiful kind of song, that makes my spine tingle & raises the hair on the back of my neck.

Producer David Fridmann helped Low find their edge, turning up the volume & letting the guitars wail while retaining the band's signature minimalist melodies. I debated whether I should include "Silver Rider" (another abfab song) off The Great Destroyer instead of this track, but in the end decided to go ahead with "When I Go Deaf" because if its pure, simplistic beauty.

MP3 ~~Gogol Bordello - "Undestructable"~~
My adoration for NYC gypsy punks Gogol Bordello has been established on several occasions. The first time I saw them was my favorite show of 2004, and this summer's gig at the Fine Line wasn't not too shabby either. But instead of picking a typical wild Gogol Bordello track from Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike ("Dogs Are Barking" or "Sally" for example) for Mix '05, I went with this slower, more calculated track instead. Much like the Low song that preceeds it, "Undestructable" begins slowly but builds in intensity, gaining power along the way until you can't help but join in on the "UN-DES-TRU-CTA-BLE!" chanting chorus. It feels almost church-like, with Hutz passionately giving his sermon about the healing powers of music that saved his life & set him free. I'll join your congregation, Eugene.

DISC ONE
Track 01: The Constantines - "Draw Us Lines"
Track 02: Spoon - "The Beast & Dragon, Adored"
Track 03: The Russian Futurists - "Our Pen's Out of Ink"
Track 04: Broken Social Scene - "7/4 (Shoreline)"
Track 05: Bunky - "Chuy"
Track 06: The New Pornographers - "The Bleeding Heart Show"
Track 07: Stars - "Ageless Beauty"
Track 08: Danger Doom f/Cee-Lo - "Benzie Box"
Track 09: Legendary K.O. - "GWB Doesn't Care About Black People"
Track 10: M.I.A. - "10 Dollar"
Track 11: Soulwax vs Lipps Inc. - "NY Lipps (Kazasaki Dub)"
Track 12: Vitalic - "My Friend Dario"

In other news (or whatever), Randi Rhodes pointed me toward two great articles on Iraq & the ramifications of a U.S. pullout by retired General William Odom that are definitely worth a read IMO. In other Air America happenings, Janeane Garofalo, on leave from her West Wing duties, will be back in studio for tonite's Majority Report, with guest Marc Maron on the eve of the final Morning Sedition. As always, you can find mp3's of just about every past Air America show at the Air America Place audi archives.

Finally, my congrats go out to my cousin Mickey, who apparently got a wink-wink-nudge-nudge from the early admit folks at NYU, where he'll be joining the dramatic writing program in fall 2006. I couldn't be happier for the guy. I'm even putting my personal grudge against a particular local private school for a while, since it undoubtably helped you get in. Way to go, kid. You're gonna have an incredible four years out in NYC. Yes, I'm jealous.

hey! hey! i'm getting loud with you

2005-12-14T12:15:00.000-06:00

MP3 ~~Soulwax vs Lipps Inc. - "NY Lipps (Kawazaki Dub)"~~
Staying on an electronic vibe, things take a turn for the dancier on this mash-up of Sou lwax's "NY Excuse" (off 2004's Any Minute Now LP) and Lipps Inc's disco classic "Funkytown" (which can be found on the best of compilation Funkyworld & a million other disco collections). I originally heard it through Headphone Sex, who had this to say at the time:

This is a bootleg floating around at the moment of Soulwax's already classic (and soon to be released properly as a single) 'NY Excuse' mashed up with Lipps Inc's (Lip Sync... geddit) 80's hit 'Funky Town'. It's rumoured to be done by the Soulwax boys themselves. Not sure if there is any substance to this. It may just be a rumour based on the fact they drop in the riff from 'Funky Town' when playing 'NY Excuse' live.

"NY Lipps" eventually made it on to this year's excellent Nite Versions remix album , further evidence of Belgian brothers David & Stephen Dewaele (aka the Soulwax braintrust) involvement on the track. While the original "NY Excuse" is a great track, I may prefer this mash-up, as I'm often quite the sucker for a good cowbell beat, and this one is an incessant booty-shaker.

WMV Soulwax - "NY Excuse" video (via Pias)
Yes, that is LCD Soundsystem member & general DFA-regular Nancy Whang on vocals, and she appears along with the band in this very cutty video.

ETA: Pitchfork drops an 8.2 on Nite Versions in its belated 12/16 review.

MP3 ~~Vitalic - "My Friend Dario"~~
Matt Fluxblog may have been first on the scene (as per usual) with this thrashing techno track from Frenchman Pascal Arbez, aka Vitalic. Here's what Matt had to say back in February:

Okay, so now we know what Ladytron or Chicks on Speed would sound like if they channeled ZZ Top. Pretty great, actually! I feel like I should be playing some kind of car racing video game while I listen to it, though.

Vrroom, vrroom. IIRC "My Friend Dario" was the first single off Vitalic's debut LP, OK Cowboy, though the album also contains Arbez' earlier European club smash hits "Poney" (parts 1 & 2) & "La Rock 01". What is it about a monotone, affectless female voice that is so damn hypnotic & sexy (although Nancy does a bit more screaming in the previous track)? Perhaps it's something undefines that subconsciously plagues us guys, but still it's pretty freakin' hot. I suppose the song's video is sort of a melding of male fantasies, juxtaposing a smoky singer & her football helmet-laden go-go dancers with a bunch of dudes rawking out on their air guitars (& drums).

WMV Vitalic - "My Friend Dario" video (via Pias)

DISC ONE
Track 01: The Constantines - "Draw Us Lines"
Track 02: Spoon - "The Beast & Dragon, Adored"
Track 03: The Russian Futurists - "Our Pen's Out of Ink"
Track 04: Broken Social Scene - "7/4 (Shoreline)"
Track 05: Bunky - "Chuy"
Track 06: The New Pornographers - "The Bleeding Heart Show"
Track 07: Stars - "Ageless Beauty"
Track 08: Danger Doom f/Cee-Lo - "Benzie Box"
Track 09: Legendary K.O. - "GWB Doesn't Care About Black People"
Track 10: M.I.A. - "10 Dollar"

peace out, she'll kill you like uma

2005-12-12T17:45:00.000-06:00

Am I slowly catching up, or falling further behind? I dunno, but I do need to make a better effort to be way more concise until I'm back on schedule.

MP3 ~~Legendary K.O. - "George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People"~~
I expressed my utter disgust with the government's incompetent response to Hurricane Katrina as best I could back in early september, but this reworking of Kanye West's "Gold Digger" was much, much better than anything I could come up with. What I said back on September 11th:

While these Bush / Katrina-related tracks are nothing new, as Boing Boing picked up on the Kanye remix last week & it was picked up by Soul Sides and just about every other blog out there, I figured I'd do the same in case somebody managed to miss out on them. Since its initial posting on FWMJ, the response has been substantially positive to The Legendary K.O.'s (aka the Houston TX-based K-OTIX crew) impressive reworking of "Goldigger", the latest single off Kanye West's acclaimed new album Late Registration. The striking new lyrics take on the role of people caught up in the disaster, a refreshingly point-of-view admist possibly less nuanced "Bush-bashing" used by other artists, as K-OTIX's Micah Nickerson explains, "I had really wanted to write about this in the first-person, as someone stuck in New Orleans and left by this administration to basically fend for myself, but was having trouble putting the emotions I felt into words. When I heard Kanye during the benefit, the rest as they say was history."

MP3 Legendary K.O. - "GWB Doesn't Care About Black People (radio edit)"
For those who prefer not to hear any questionable language, here you go.

MP3 ~~M.I.A. - "10 Dollar"~~
I've been waiting all year for an album to top M.I.A.'s f**king awesome debut LP, Arular, in my estimation. And while there have been plenty of good, possibly great records dropped this year, it remains atop my list.

Here's what I said back in February:

Yes, yes, yes. I too have happily jumped on the M.I.A. bandwagon. Genre-hopping Sri Lankan-born Londoner Maya Arulpragasam (aka M.I.A.) has become a favorite of Fluxblog (who has posted about her on four separate occasions), Catchdubs & much of the bloggerati over the past year, and her proper debut LP Arular is finally dropping stateside ~~on February 22~~. And it's freakin' great.

[...]

This gal is gonna be freakin' huge.

While Maya may not have blown up as big I as I had hoped, she still had a monstrous year. While I missed her fall Mpls gig, I did catch her with James Murphy & LCD Soundsystem, as well as DJ Diplo at Hipsterfest Midwest in Chicago & it was an absolute blast. While it's tough to pick a favorite off Arular, I went with "10 Dollar", orignally posted by Music For Robots in early February. Maya's lyrics here may be about teenage prostitution, but this track knocks me around with its frenzied beats & anthemic hooks, tossing me around by the balls. I still sing along on "I surrenda!" every single time.

ETA: City Pages music columnist Dylan Hicks also rates Arular as his #1 album of 2005 (though the rest of his list doesn't exactly jibe with mine). He distills M.I.A.'s incessant genre-hopping in his year-end cover story:

There's nothing inherently admirable about amalgamation, but Arular does arrive at some sort of cosmopolitan with its crossfaded mix of grime, dancehall, Missy and Timbaland, baile funk, vintage video-game soundtracks, righteous populism, dirty sex rhymes, silly terrorism chic, and hiccupping whoops. Or maybe it was just a very nearly perfect British pop album.

BTW: Look who else is on MySpace. And I never use the dang thing.

DISC ONE
Track 01: The Constantines - "Draw Us Lines"
Track 02: Spoon - "The Beast & Dragon, Adored"
Track 03: The Russian Futurists - "Our Pen's Out of Ink"
Track 04: Broken Social Scene - "7/4 (Shoreline)"
Track 05: Bunky - "Chuy"
Track 06: The New Pornographers - "The Bleeding Heart Show"
Track 07: Stars - "Ageless Beauty"
Track 08: Danger Doom f/Cee-Lo - "Benzie Box"

I made some alterations to the blogroll, fwiw. Didja notice?

nyc, r u 2 broke 2 go get drunk?

2005-12-07T22:30:00.000-06:00

I get e-mails. Occasionally, I read some. For example:

From: Ramie (rockslide.com)
To: mr gilbert (the big ticket)
Date: Wed Dec 07, 2005 01:40:12 PM CST

Yo Mr. Gilbert,

Hope you are well. Got a favor to ask of you if you can. I don't know if you know Apollo Sunshine, but they f**king rule.

If you get a chance can you plug the fact that Apollo Sunshine & Sam Champion are playing Southpaw tomorrow, and if you buy an advanced ticket from Ticketweb & forward it to info@rockslide.com, you get a free copy of the sets sent to you? Sort of like what Prince did with Musicology, but instead of getting the album, you get the exact show you went to.

Brilliant huh?

Ramie

Yes, Ramie, that is brilliant.

MP3 Apollo Sunshine - "Magnolia"
MP3 Apollo Sunshine - "I Was on the Moon"
Go to a kick-ass rock show & get a crisp soundboard recording of that show, for free no less? That's a no brainer, people. Thursday, Park Slope, 8pm, $10. I wish I could make it, but alas I can only recommend attendance.

MP3 Sam Champion - "TV Fever"
I'll talk more about Sam Champion later on as Mix '05 progresses, including their early November stop in Mpls, but for now just know that I can't recommend them enough. If you don't think Slow Rewind, the band's debut LP on Razor & Tie, is one of my top releases of the year, well, you're wrong.

Apollo Sunshine mp3's off the self-titled LP (2005) & Katonah (2003), via Insound.

perfect hair to the power of forever²

2005-12-07T03:00:00.000-06:00

Okay, I've accepted that I'm ~~a day~~ behind now, but I'll catch up ASAP.

MP3 ~~Stars - "Ageless Beauty"~~
After the uplifting ending of track six, we keep the vibe going with another dose of extreme pop bliss with this ethereal Amy Millan-helmed track from Broken Social Scene associates Stars. The abfab follow-up to 2003's Heart LP, their latest record was a 2004 release in their native Canada, but didn't find its way into most American hipsters' hands until spring 2005. "Ageless Beauty" was the natural lead single off Set Yourself on Fire, standing out much like the incredible "Elevator Love Letter" did on Heart. It's an all-out blast of energy, but Millan's gorgeous vocals adds a precious quality that comes together as pure bliss. The layered production really sells it, as the song (unfortunately) is hard-pressed to live up to it's studio version when played live, which I found out in the spring. Perhaps the vocals weren't mixed properly at the 400 Bar (extremely possible), but Millan's voice had to fight through the wall of sound coming from the rest of the band alone, so it's understandible of course (and Stars are fantastic live, fwiw).

M4V Stars - "Ageless Beauty" (19.3mb, iPod ready)
Here is the song's music video, directed by BSS & Feist collaborator George Vale. His personal site is now hidden behind a password (bandwidth issues?), but you can find links to some of his other work at videos.antville.org, including an entire video based on a shot from Eternal Sunshine.

MP3 ~~Danger Doom (f/Cee-Lo) - "Benzie Box"~~
After the pop climax of "Ageless Beauty", I felt it was time to switch things up. Enter prolific undie hip-hopper MF Doom & the acclaimed DJ Dangermouse, who teamed up with [adult swim] of all things to drop the most fun rap album of the year, The Mouse & The Mask. Fresh off producing the outstandind Demon Days, the second album for Blur frontman Damon Albarn's cartoon-related Gorillaz project, Dangermouse linked his much anticipated collaboration with mask-donning MC Daniel Dumile to Cartoon Network's late nite, adult-oriented programming block, using characters from shows like ATHF, Sealab, Harvey Birdman & more to make the usual skits on hip-hop albums a whole lot more amusing & entertaining. And thus, Danger Doom was born. While I could have picked a track that featured more [adult swim] content, I chose the Cee-Lo Green-guested "Benzie Box" simply because it's the song that got stuck in my head more often than the others. Danger Doom is reportedly going to tour & record another album in 2006, which is most certainly encouraging news IMO.

ETA: Just stumbled across this animated video for the Aqua Teen track:

MOV Danger Doom - "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" (8.2mb)

DISC ONE
Track 01: The Constantines - "Draw Us Lines"
Track 02: Spoon - "The Beast & Dragon, Adored"
Track 03: The Russian Futurists - "Our Pen's Out of Ink"
Track 04: Broken Social Scene - "7/4 (Shoreline)"
Track 05: Bunky - "Chuy"
Track 06: The New Pornographers - "The Bleeding Heart Show"

bonus MP3 Eddie Horst - "Love Theme from Perfect Hair Forever"
I did consider posting Danger Doom's "Perfect Hair", which references what is possibly [adult swim]'s most bizarre (yet somehow hilariously genius) show, Perfect Hair Forever. Until it became a full series in the last couple of weeks, PHF was a strange one-off show poking fun at "young man's journey" anime tales that aired in November 2004 in place of another show (Squidbillies) that missed its deadline. This was followed by an equally odd segment of Space Ghost featuring ATHF's Meatwad, Sealab's annoying Sharkboy & one of the Squidbillies on a panel not discussing the previous segment (which was supposedly the topic) and ending in a shotgun-fueled bloodbath. Weird, no? But it was friggin' hard to forget. Anyway, this bizarre song (with these bizarre lyrics) played over PHF's closing credits & I snagged off the [adult swim] website. Hopefully it provides a chuckle or two.

ETA: MF Doom voices a talking giraffe, animal sidekick to Young Man.

taking magic to a primitive new place

2005-12-05T23:45:00.000-06:00

Okay, so this past weekend's promised update didn't happen. What's new? However, I'm still working on it, so hopefully it will be posted this week.

MP3 ~~Bunky - "Chuy"~~
Track five continues the pop vibe with this gooey twee-yet-rocking song from San Diego-based boy/girl duo Bunky. Brooklyn Vegan & others pointed me their way, and I posted about Bunky myself back in April, which sadly coincided with the death of comedian Mitch Hedberg (check out Wikiquote for an extensive list of Hedbergisms). Their debut album, Born To Be A Motorcycle, was released on Sufjan Stevens' label Asthmatic Kitty in early March & got some blog buzz during the spring. It's a fun-yet-odd indie pop record, and "Chuy" is both its tightest & best track IMO. I think it fits well.

BTW: I just adore Emily Joyce's squeaky voice (she's the one on the right).

MP3 ~~The New Pornographers - "The Bleeding Heart Show"~~
The non-stop power pop extravaganza of Electric Version, the sophomore album from Canadian supergroup the New Pornographers, was my most listened to & favorite album of 2003. So naturally, I was looking forward to their follow-up (to say the least). When I first heard the leaked Twin Cinema, I was kinda disappointed. I recall feeling a bit perplexed upon my first listen, with Carl Newman & company taking a more "mature" approach to the album's songwriting (a rationalization IMO). But Twin Cinema is a grower, and by the time I picked up the actual disc in August it had won me over. Perhaps my initial hesitation was due to the album's rather weak start, with beginning with the mediocre MP3 title track and slowing things down considerably on the so-so Neko ballad "Bones of an Idol", leaving me fairly underwhelmed by the time track three MP3 "Use It" finally picks up the pace. Since their previous albums lead-off with such powerhouse songs, I must have been thrown for a loop. But the more I listened to the rest of Twin Cinema - especially this grand sweeping track - the more I warmed up to it. "The Bleeding Heart Show" may be the best song New Porn has ever done, which is quite a statement given their catalog. It begins slowly, unlike most of their songs, but picks up speed & proceeds to build & build until it reaches its anthemic, Neko-fueled coda that ends in pure pop bliss.

New Porn were supposed to play Mpls in October, but had to cancel their tour-closing (IIRC) show at First Avenue due to bandmember illness. Of course this extra-sucked because New Porn's "other" songwriter Dan Bejar & his band Destroyer was touring with the band as well, which he usually does not. Supposedly the show will be rescheduled sometime next spring.

Urgh.

Mp3's above courtesy Matador. And look, they have a MySpace. Wahoo.

DISC ONE
Track 01: The Constantines - "Draw Us Lines"
Track 02: Spoon - "The Beast & Dragon, Adored"
Track 03: The Russian Futurists - "Our Pen's Out of Ink"
Track 04: Broken Social Scene - "7/4 (Shoreline)"

I meant to finish this post much earlier today, so now I'm writing after-the-fact of Arrested Development's return tonite, as TV's best comedy begins its final run of episodes before the f**kers over at Fox shut production down for good. Back from its November sweeps hiatus, tonite's AD was the fifth & final appearance by Oscar-winner Charlize Theron, who had kind of a rough weekend with the poorly-received film adaptation of Aeon Flux not faring all that well at the box office. IMO she fared much better on AD, as what had been a mediocre plotline came together rather nicely as Theron's character Rita was finally able to break out & perform, since the fairly obvious "revelation" of her mental handicap was finally made explicit. The funniest line of the nite came at the very end, when G.O.B. set Tobias' debilitating hairplugs on fire ("My hair! My beautiful hair!") and was unable to put it out in the pool due to G.O.B.'s walk-on-water "illusion" ("Dear god! Why I am not going underwater!") - pretty much all of which happened off-camera. I was on the floor, laughing my ass off. Damn, I'm gonna miss this show.

BTW: As I noted above, Jason Bateman's character Michael Bluth has spent quality time with a slew of hotties, but of course manages to screw it up each time. Can Michael find himself a woman with so little time left? Will she be a looker? These are the questions America wants answered, c'mon!

it's comin, it's comin in (hot? hard?)

2005-12-02T15:00:00.000-06:00

This is the excuse that I'm making (is it good enough?):

Okay, this is just a partial post today. I know I've broken blog-promises before, but after going on no sleep yesterday in order to get track 1 & 2 up on time, I had to nearly pull another all-nighter after my mom's laptop all but flatlined on me, and I had to fix it before the 'rents leave this afternoon for a long weekend in Naples, FL. Plus, I'm trying to set up a new computer, so I've had to shuffle quite a bit of media around as well. But I've got tomorrow free, so I should be able to flesh out my comments on today's songs & finally elaborate on what I didn't have time to get to on Thursday.

My apologies, but I'm in a hurry.

MP3 ~~The Russian Futurists - "Our Pen's Out of Ink"~~
After Mix '05 began with a double dose of rock, with track three I take a diversion into something a little fuzzier with the Russian Futurists, aka Toronto-based bedroom pop specialist Matthew Adam Hart. I became a quick fan of the Futurists back in 2003 after stumbling across some mp3's from their Let's Get Ready To Crumble LP, so naturally I was looking forward to the next offering from Hart. This past spring, Upper Class dropped the fourth Futurists release, the highly enjoyable Our Thickness, and this is just one of the several standout songs off that disc. There's nothing new about contrasting lyrics about bleak subjects (this track seems to be about death by storm) with a more upbeat, cheerful instrumentation, but I can think of few who can make it sound as teeth-shattering, sugary sweet as Hart does.

The guy wears a Twins cap, he's alright by me. More at Hart's MySpace.

ETA: Upper Class has a video for "Paul Simon," also off Our Thickness:

MOV The Russian Futurists - "Paul Simon" (23.4mb)

MP3 ~~Broken Social Scene - "7/4 (Shoreline)"~~
Staying north of the US border, it's no secret that I've got much love for indie darlings Broken Social Scene & just about all of their Arts & Crafts labelmates/extended family. Two years ago, BSS had my #1 song of the year with "MP3 Almost Crimes" (via bP), my favorite Feist-enhanced freakout on their breakthrough 2002 album, You Can't Forget It In People. This year, a similarly Feist-assisted BSS track is in serious contention for the coveted top spot with this knockout tune off the (loosely) Toronto-based collective's recently released, balls-out self-titled LP (aka Bless This Mess). Of course, this time they've got a kick ass horn section to take the whole enterprise to another stratosphere & leaves me utterly agape. While the esteemed Sean Said The Gramophone may be right in praising the remarkable power of "Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Half)", the track that precedes this one, I've known since I first listened (over & over) to the final studio version of "7/4" would find its way onto Mix '05.

DISC ONE
Track 01: The Constantines - "Draw Us Lines"
Track 02: Spoon - "The Beast & Dragon, Adored"

More to come, including pix galore. Check back ~~this weekend~~ for updates.

live in fascination, fascination forever

2005-12-01T09:00:00.000-06:00

Happy December, y'all.

As I mentioned last week, today marks the beginning of The Big Ticket's Mix '05 (I still need a better/real name for this thing) & the return of daily posting on my part (hopefully) right up until Christmas eve (makes a nice stocking stuffer). One year ago today, I started my (nearly) month-long alternative to the typical year-end list, choosing instead to post & write about some of the tracks that were important to me for one reason or another over the preceding eleven months. Just as the tracks on Mix '04 were sequenced not by rank, but by how well each one lead to the next over the course of (just under) eighty minutes, so too will Mix '05 be constructed, with one big difference - this year's mix will be twice as long as its predecessor. Since I just couldn't narrow my song selection down to one cd, I will be posting two tracks each weekday instead of 2004's measly one for a double-disc recap of all things '05. Last year's caveat I still applies:

Some of the included tracks have been posted here before, and likely all of them have been posted elsewhere, so it's nothing you haven't already heard. And of course, there is so much great material out there that I haven't gotten a chance to hear (or listen to enough of) this year, so this is by no means any kind of definitive anything. It's just a bunch of great tunes that have impacted me over the last year, in an order that seemed to work out alright when I put it together.

As always, I appreciate your feedback & gripes. I look foward to reading your opinions on the overall mix, as well any alternate suggestions of what I should have included but didn't. Enough preamble, here goes something...

MP3 ~~The Constantines - "Draw Us Lines"~~
Mix '05 begins with twenty seconds of feedback, which is dramatically broken up by an absolutely thunderous drumbeat that pulses & thrives, ever-building in intensity. I saw Canadian post-punk vets the Constantines twice in 2005, headlining the 400 Bar back in August & opening for Mpls faves The Hold Steady at First Avenue in late October (more on that later), and on both occasions they opened with this "Draw Us Lines," which also leads off the band's latest Sub Pop release, Tournament of Hearts. In each instance, the song freakin' kills - the best opening track of 2005 IMO. Frontman Bry Webb's raspy growl of a voice perfectly compliments the dirty production, becoming passionate shouting as the overall volume increases, driving toward the song's climax. This is powerful sh**, and it demands your attention. WAKE UP! While most of Tournament of Hearts may lack the balls out rawk of earlier albums like 2001's self-titled LP & 2003's abfab Shine A Light, its track one does not disappoint in the slightest. Goddamn.

Later tonite, I'll have more on that First Avenue gig (with pix taboot) which featured guest appearances from just about all of fellow canucks Broken Social Scene that may have been my top concert moment of the year.

MP3 ~~Spoon - "The Beast & Dragon, Adored"~~
Perhaps I'm cheating by following the previous track one with another, but I think it works. Austin TX's Spoon delivered the follow-up to their 2002 masterpiece Kill The Moonlight with this past summer's very solid Gimme Fiction, and this is both its first & best song. The stripped down production, the references to later songs on the album (The Beast & Dragon, Adored was the original title for Gimme Fiction, which I suppose is catchier or something), frontman Britt Daniel's sickly catchy chorus, the off-kilter guitar breakdowns, it all hits you right in the gut but takes you along for the ride.

I caught an early all-ages Spoon show in late June, though that performance paled in comparison with the one I saw the previous summer at the 400 Bar. Spoon will be playing the 400 again on December 8th, though I doubt I'll attend. Frankly, I don't want to go through the hassle of tracking down tickets to the "free" show Perhaps I'm a fool, but so be it.

Check this post again tomorrow for more pix & words & stuff.

And perhaps some edits (better writing). Alas, it's time for work.

thankful i'm finally posting something

2005-11-24T17:15:00.000-06:00

Happy thanksgiving, everybody. Thanks for sticking around while I've been preoccupied of late. I have been preparing the sequel to last year's Mix '04, which may end up being a double disc this time around. It begins on 12/1.

MP3 ~~Puffy AmiYumi - "Thank You"~~
As a token of my thanksgiving, here's a lovely & serene piece of J-Pop happiness from Cartoon Network stars Puffy AmiYumi, from 2003's Nice. LP.

MP3 ~~Super Furry Animals - "Juxtapozed With U"~~
This song has been stuck in my head since I caught Monday's Super Furry Animals show at the Fine Line. I missed the opening set from Dan Snaith's Caribou (who I saw back in June) while I was at long last catching 's Jesus i s Magic (ha ha ha), but decided to drop in for SFA afterwards. Gruff Rhys & company put on a fun nite of gooey psych-pop, of which this song (during the multi-song encore) was definitely a highlight. I took this track off last year's Songbook: The Singles, Volume One compilation. Check out SFA's well-received new album Love Kraft if you have the chance.

I know I'm WAY behind on this one, but I wanted to add myself to the many voices who are lamenting the imminent departure of comedian Marc Maron from Air America Radio's excellent morning drivetime show, Morning Sedition - which has seen multiple appearance from indie rock superhero Ted Leo & I have written about several times before. Not surprisingly, online efforts to keep Maron on the air, with notable discussions also going on over at Daily Kos & people such as Vanity Fair columnist James Wolcott leveling strong criticism at Air America CEO Danny Goldberg's decision to cut Maron loose at the end of the month. There's more info about the whole ordeal over at Morning Sedition's wikipedia entry, and podcasts of nearly very episode of the show are available at the Air America Place audio archive. While I didn't listen Marc & Mark (Riley) everyday, I did so somewhat often & have always been impressed with the program that they & their team was able to assemble. So today, I'd like to extend my thanks to Marc Maron & the rest of the Morning Sedition team for all their hard work. Bravo, fellas. If you're a fan, show 'em some love & pick up some of their merch.

ETA (11/28/05): Marc Maron relayed the bad news today that Morning Sedition will be no more as of 12/16. Apparently the AAR morning line-up will be Mark Riley 5-7am & Rachel Maddow 7-9am, though details regarding those shows haven't been detailed beyond the fact that they won't feature the scripted comedy bits that made Sedition so funny & unique. Supposedly Marc Maron is in negotiations with Air America to host a show based in Los Angeles (where his wife lives), most likely a live late nite broadcast for the west coast (& early morning podcasters). Maron explained that while he is heartbroken about the failed campaign to resuscitate the show, he did express his deep appreciation for the outpouring of support both he & Sedition have received as all this interoffice drama has publicly unfolded. While I will likewise miss the now retitled Mourning Sedition (by fans, anyway), I do hope the very talented Maron is able to find a place at AAR - who are lucky to have him at all IMO - in the (very near) future.

Lastly, who else watched HBO's fantastic Rome over the last few months? It may have started out a little slow, but it certainly delivered by season's end last week. However, the finale was overshadowed by season one's bloody penultimate episode, which climaxed with an incredible gladiator sequence with lead characters Titus Pullo & Lucius Vorenus putting on a brutal display that makes Ridley Scott's work seem awfully tame. I'm really looking forward to the second season (in 2007), where I expect we'll see young Octavian join up with Antony to go after Caesar's assassins. I can't wait.

And with that, I'm off to go stuff myself silly. Yummy yum yum yummy.

fox cancels arrested...OH COME ON!

2005-11-11T15:30:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's been another two week hiatus, but I'm too angry to apologize for it.

It seems as if the f**kers over at Fox have finally shoved their heads entirely up their asses, resulting in the immensely tragic episode cutback (from 22 to 13) & eventual cancellation of TV's best comedy (as I've said many times), Arrested Development (whose promising Monday nite partner Kitchen Confidential was also cutback to 13 eps). I'm just finding this out, as Stereogum tipped me off to the unfortunate news (via Elites TV) this afternoon. Defamer linked to a Hollywood Reporter piece announcing the Bluths' demise, after noting the 3rd season cutback yesterday reported by Variety. As the news quickly spreads, the internets have responded with understandible shock & horror, while folks over at The O.P. wonder if there could be some long-shot way to salvage my favorite comedy.

I still stick to my previous pledge that if Arrested Development is really dead, and cannot be revived on another network (I'm looking at you HBO, and I think another network is desperate for a quality sitcom), I am done with Fox. I don't care if I have to give up the continually riveting Prison Break or the upcoming 5th season of 24 or the (albeit declining) guilty pleasure of The O.C. - I refuse to have anything to do with any television network that would dare to cancel such an incredible & acclaimed show.

If you haven't already, go pick up season one & two on dvd immediately. You won't be sorry. I'll be watching them once I get back from the jobby-job tonite, as I begin the grieving process by softly crying myself to sleep...

ETA: The depressing reality of it has set in now. I feel sick. Ugh.

Quick rant: As has been noted elsewhere, AD gets moved to Monday nites, airs three episodes before taking an entire month off for the baseball playoffs, and gets canned just days after its first nite back (albeit with back-to-back episodes). Way to build an audience, Fox. Take your two most promising comedies (KC had some promising critical buzz), stick them in one of the week's weakest timeslots, give them no real time to develop an audience, can them both because Prison Break doesn't have a strong enough lead-in & promote the f**k out of some other piece of detritus that exemplifies the worst in sitcom hackery (which remains on the schedule).

Good f**king work there, Fox. Well f**king done. F**kity f**k f**k.

[pardon my rage]

MP3 ~~Europe - "The Final Countdown"~~
Well, there are just eight new episodes left, which won't begin airing until December 5th - after November sweeps. And so the true final countdown begins, just as Europe predicted. From the 1986 album of the same name. I will never hear this song without thinking of Will Arnett flamboyantly peforming G.O.B.'s ridiculous magic act. Sniff, sniff...oh, the memories.

i'm not dead, just waiting for fitzmas

2005-10-27T13:45:00.000-06:00

Hello there. Apologies for all the recent blog neglect - I've been downright awful over the last few months. This coming weekend will be jam-packed, but hopefully I'll get back to finally wrapping up all my backlogged posts.

Until then, here's a little something to tide you over through the holidays...

MP3 ~~Starlight Mints - "Valerie Flames"~~
From indie pop-rockers the Starlight Mints' (who are apparently working on a new album at last) 2000 The Dream That Stuff Was Made Of LP, this one goes out to Judy Judy Judy (and her conveniently "found" notes). Today may be Fitzmas Eve, the nite before the reality-based community finally gets to open its long-overdue presents. 'Tis the season for accountibility!

MP3 ~~Broken Social Scene - "Major Label Debut (fast)"~~
I'll be spending my Saturday nite with a bunch of feisty Canadians, whose recently released selft-titled album may not be perfect, but is definitely growing on me. Of course, there's no denying their live acumen, so I'm pumped. This fun, sped-up "Major Label Debut" (rather than the moody & dreary LP version) is off the limited edition bonus EP To Be You & Me.

king of france + durant + mpls = :)

2005-10-11T10:00:00.000-06:00

MP3 ~~The King of France - "Mexico"~~
I'm short on time today (what's new?), but I wanted to quickly mention that I should be making a rare appearance at the f**king Quest tonite, catching Robbers on High Street & the NYC-based King of France in the Ascot Room ($10, doors @ 6:30pm). Matt "Durant" Trowbridge from RANA is now playing keys with King of France, who I saw open for the Jersey rawkers at their New Years '03-'04 event at CBGB's. It promises to be a good show, dispite the venue. Y'all Mpls folk should come on out tonite. "Mexico" is the first track off King of France's recently released self-titled LP.

go crazy? don't mind if i do!

2005-10-07T14:30:00.000-06:00

Apologies for the recent silence. The cable is out at the homestead.

I hope to be back online sometime this weekend. Fingers crossed.

No TV & no internets make mr gilbert something something...

our bodies bigger, hearts torn up

2005-09-30T10:05:00.000-06:00

Very little time (once again) this morning, but I wanted to get my pix up from last nite's First Avenue shows. JRDN & I first hit up the Arcade Fire / Wolf Parade / The Bell Orchestre tripleheader in the mainroom before going next door for another one in the Entry featuring an Aussie sandwich of Architecture in Helsinki & New Buffalo, with Philly's (I think) Dr. Dog as the tasty meet in between. JRDN missed Dr. Dog after getting a last minute hook-up at the Fine Line to catch the much ballyhooed Mpls debut of M.I.A.. I met local blogger Lee Dinosaur in Trouble (who recognized me, odd) at the first show, and I also ran into Kyle More Cowbell. Anyway, there's no time for a full recap now, but I'll get to it ASAP. FWIW, good times were had.

cause nothin's hid, from us kids

2005-09-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

SPOILER WARNING (although it's already aired people, so relax)

Okay dammit, I'm sold. Veronica Mars - count me in.

Last nite's season two premiere picked up where May's jaw-dropping season one finale left off - kicking serious ass & powerfully setting up Veronica's senior year. While I saw the whole boyfriend switch coming, it was executed almost flawlessly & set up an intriguing scenario with the whole Veronica / Duncan / Logan dynamic, allowing the now-orphaned Mr. Eckles to return to his badboy ways again. What I did not foresee coming was the shocking (and nearly literal) cliffhanger ending. Wow. Poor bitter Meg, and the unfortunately named Mrs. Dumas - we hardly knew ye. Plus, who doesn't adore Papa Mars as vidincated celebrity hero? And Mrs. Casablancas - yowza. While Lost may have won the emmy, I'll be spending my Wednesday nites (8-9pm CT) tuned into UPN. You should be as well, so says Atrios.

Arcade Fire. Tonite. First Avenue. Sold out. No time now. More soon.