Here be my 10 favourite albums of the year:
1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
All those crazy, musically-diverse layers - beats, lyrics, themes, ego and doubts - through the album.
watch: the trailer (or "moving portrait" as Kanye called it) for the video for 'Power' (which is rumoured to be 40+ minutes long), my favourite song along with 'Monster' (but I love Monster more for Nicki Minaj's verse - she steals the song out from everyone)
2. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
The album did not grab me on first listen, but it was definitely a grower - just like previous album Neon Bible - and by the end of the year I had completely fallen in love with the storytelling, the atmosphere. The music is lighter, but the claustrophobia of the Suburbs is clear still within, the dark heart under the beautiful, peaceful surface.
Listen: 'The Suburbs' / 'Month of May'
3. All Days are Night: Songs for Lulu by Rufus Wainwright.
I love that Rufus Wainwright's idea of“stripped back”still includes gorgeously lush piano-driven heartbreaking paens to grief and love.
Download: 'Who are you, New York?'
4. Everything Under the Sun by Jukebox the Ghost
So many fine, catchy pop songs, so much intelligent thought behind it. Great follow-up album.
Watch: the band being interviewed at the 'Bean' in Chicago, where they talk about Ben Folds Five comparisons and why they have such a weird band name.
5. Mines by Menomena
I love the musical layers in the songs, from the different qualities of the voices to the fuzzy bass to the beat to those great horns.
Download: 'TAOS'
6. Danger Days by My Chemical Romance
Anthemic and built to be played loud - it's not rocket science, but it is damn catchy and fun.
Watch: Art is the Weapon - a trailer of sorts for the first single, the intro for the thru-story and palette and concept for their whole album.
7. Life is Sweet! Pleased to Meet You by Lightspeed Champion
Great songs that are more complex than they seem at first, with lush orchestral arrangements, clever lyrics, and diverse musical styles.
8. Steel Train by Steel Train
Sweet, fun indie pop that I've had on repeat constantly this year.
Listen: 'Turnpike Ghost'
9. The Age of Adz by Sufjan Stevens
I'm still not sure I entirely like this album end-to-end though that might be my reflex reaction to at times deliberately harsh electronica mix through his trademark his beautiful, floaty music. But the album does have some absolutely terrific moments, such as I Walked and the 25 minute standout, Impossible Soul.
Download: 'I Walked'
10. The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monae
I love her voice, and the ambitious mishmash of genres and styles all through her music, while remaining catchy as hell.
Watch: the video for 'Tightrope' - great song, great storytelling, creepy video with some mesmerising footwork. What's not to like?
Honourable Mentions
Bad Books – Bad Books
Belle and Sebastian - Belle and Sebastian Write About Love
Annuals – Sweet Sister EP
Boy & Bear – With Emperor Antarctic EP
Looking forward to new releases in 2011 from:
Patrick Wolf (Lupercalia)
Panic! at the Disco (Vices and Virtues)
The Decemberists (The King is Dead is out now)
Bright Eyes (The People's Key)
Okkervil River (I am Very Far)
Manchester Orchestra (Simple Math)
Taking Back Sunday
also rumoured to release new albums are:
fun.
Radiohead
Blink-182
It's looking to be an exciting new year of music! And hopefully some of these guys tour, which brings me to...
live music from 2010!
I saw a total of 19 bands at 16 shows. This included seeing Kevin Devine 3 times and Brand New twice in the space of five days and I don't regret any of that at all (as you will see from the list of best shows below).
Nine Favourite Performances
1. Kevin Devine @ East Brunswick Club, 29 Mar
2. Brand New @ Enmore Theatre, 25 Mar
3. The Decemberists @ The Metro, 19 Jan
4. The Pixies @ Hordern Pavilion, 14 Mar
5. Delta Spirit @ Factory Theatre, 3 Oct
6. Band of Horses @ Enmore Theatre, 29 July
7. Spoon @ The Forum, 7 May
8. Sunny Day Real Estate @ UNSW Roundhouse, 23 Feb
9. Neko Case @ City Recital Hall, 12 Jan
Upcoming Shows:
Sufjan Stevens, Menomena, Andrew McMahon, Belle and Sebastian
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Dec 2010 live music compendium (Lemonheads, Jebediah, Lightspeed Champion)
I had three shows lined up for December and unfortunately all three were rather frustrating.
The Lemonheads - 1 Dec 2010 - The Metro
To be honest, this was really 'Evan Dando and friends who are not the original Lemonheads playing through It's a Shame About Ray and then another twenty songs'. All within an hour and a bit, mind - it was an automated assembly line of songs, one note-perfect, joyless rendition after another. The room, sweaty and fully packed for the sold-out show, perked up at the singles and created a nice atmosphere with nostalgic singalongs, but on stage there was nothing fun at all. Dando barely acknowledged the audience, saying about ten words the whole night - and eight of them were 'thank you'. There was a one song encore, a shambolic version of Outdoor Type with old friends and support band Smudge, but at least Dando seemed to be enjoying himself for the first time all night. The band were proficient in their playing, and he still has that great voice (rather unfairly, it seemed that all that hard living has agreed with him) but ultimately, it was not a rousing comeback or even a fun nostalgia trip.
Jebediah - 9 Dec 2010 - Annadale Hotel
And Jebediah was not the fun nostalgia trip I was looking for either. I had such a good time at their last show at the Annadale. This time though...yeah, they were still loud and energetic and still ridiculously young looking (Kev Mitchell has surely drunk from the fountain of life). But after the late start, an hour of listening to them play obscure songs from their back catalog and none of thie hits, weaksauce banter and one too many moments of tech problems, we decided to bail. Just one more song, Al and I said, wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt, but after four times we gave it up for lost. You can't go back to being sixteen again...again.
Lightspeed Champion - 3 Jan 2011 - Spectrum
This was a show steeped in chaos from the start. Cancelled and then rescheduled in the new year, after Devonte Hynes was stuck in New York due to snowstorms, it was a tiny crowd that gathered about a foot from the stage on the night, with the much more popular Born Ruffians show on at the same time just three doors down the road.
Hynes' was truly playing a solo show - just one man on stage, with an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar, a keyboard and...a laptop. And this is where things get kind of bizarre - he chose, for half the set, to sing along with his backing tracks playing on his laptop, forsaking live instrumentation for the pre-recorded version, even when he *had* said instrumentation at his disposal. This meant that at times, it felt like we were watching someone at karaoke - well-sung karaoke, sure, but still a little underwhelming as an audience at a show. The biggest shame was that when Hynes chose to go without the track and just accompany himself on guitar or keyboard, he was really good and the music was really really lovely. The highlights, for me, were an acoustic version of Deadhead Blues and of Flush Out, a new song (which he released for free download today!).
He was well-received, none the less; surrounded by enthusiastic fanboys and one very persistent photographer, he struck poses and sang his heart out and for the last song, a cover of Hello, he sang to the crowd in the thick of the crowd on the tiny floor, which finally broke the nervous atmosphere and gave the show and the room some life, just a little too late.
The Lemonheads - 1 Dec 2010 - The Metro
To be honest, this was really 'Evan Dando and friends who are not the original Lemonheads playing through It's a Shame About Ray and then another twenty songs'. All within an hour and a bit, mind - it was an automated assembly line of songs, one note-perfect, joyless rendition after another. The room, sweaty and fully packed for the sold-out show, perked up at the singles and created a nice atmosphere with nostalgic singalongs, but on stage there was nothing fun at all. Dando barely acknowledged the audience, saying about ten words the whole night - and eight of them were 'thank you'. There was a one song encore, a shambolic version of Outdoor Type with old friends and support band Smudge, but at least Dando seemed to be enjoying himself for the first time all night. The band were proficient in their playing, and he still has that great voice (rather unfairly, it seemed that all that hard living has agreed with him) but ultimately, it was not a rousing comeback or even a fun nostalgia trip.
Jebediah - 9 Dec 2010 - Annadale Hotel
And Jebediah was not the fun nostalgia trip I was looking for either. I had such a good time at their last show at the Annadale. This time though...yeah, they were still loud and energetic and still ridiculously young looking (Kev Mitchell has surely drunk from the fountain of life). But after the late start, an hour of listening to them play obscure songs from their back catalog and none of thie hits, weaksauce banter and one too many moments of tech problems, we decided to bail. Just one more song, Al and I said, wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt, but after four times we gave it up for lost. You can't go back to being sixteen again...again.
Lightspeed Champion - 3 Jan 2011 - Spectrum
This was a show steeped in chaos from the start. Cancelled and then rescheduled in the new year, after Devonte Hynes was stuck in New York due to snowstorms, it was a tiny crowd that gathered about a foot from the stage on the night, with the much more popular Born Ruffians show on at the same time just three doors down the road.
Hynes' was truly playing a solo show - just one man on stage, with an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar, a keyboard and...a laptop. And this is where things get kind of bizarre - he chose, for half the set, to sing along with his backing tracks playing on his laptop, forsaking live instrumentation for the pre-recorded version, even when he *had* said instrumentation at his disposal. This meant that at times, it felt like we were watching someone at karaoke - well-sung karaoke, sure, but still a little underwhelming as an audience at a show. The biggest shame was that when Hynes chose to go without the track and just accompany himself on guitar or keyboard, he was really good and the music was really really lovely. The highlights, for me, were an acoustic version of Deadhead Blues and of Flush Out, a new song (which he released for free download today!).
He was well-received, none the less; surrounded by enthusiastic fanboys and one very persistent photographer, he struck poses and sang his heart out and for the last song, a cover of Hello, he sang to the crowd in the thick of the crowd on the tiny floor, which finally broke the nervous atmosphere and gave the show and the room some life, just a little too late.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
2010 reading round-up / The 2011 TBR Pile Challenge
So in 2010, I read 113 books, which was a fair bit up on last year's total (of 68). Yay for public transport time once more!
My top 3 books from last year were:
Fun Home - Alison Bechdel
This is such a rich, wonderful book - in story, in themes, in the storytelling. It’s a memoir in comic form, tracing Alison Bechdel’s childhood to her early twenties, her relationship with her somewhat distant father, and the complex, related issue of sexuality. It’s beautifully written and drawn, funny and heartrending in turn, as she circles closer and closer to an understanding of childhood memories that seem to gain more sinister meanings in the wake of her father’s death a few weeks after she comes out to her parents. Beautifully written and drawn, funny and heartrending in turn.
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
I started one morning before work in April, thought about it all day when I wasn't reading it, and finished by that night. And months later, I still find myself thinking over it every now and then. I loved so much about this - the different voices, the different genres he plays with, the fantastic structure folding into each other.
The Orchid Thief - Susan Orlean
This was such a fascinating, beautifully written piece of journalism, thoughful and detailed and somehow quite loving about the very insular, slightly crazy world of orchid breeding and collecting. I definitely looked at orchids in a different light after reading it - and I don't even *like* orchids.
rounding out my top 10:
The Fall of Kings – Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman
Perfect Circle – Sean Stewart
The Cutting Room – Louise Welsh
The Monkey's Mask – Dorothy Porter
In Cold Blood – Truman Capote
Magic for Beginners – Kelly Link
Hikaru no Go (manga series)
Where do I get all these books from?! Well, every year I love seeing where and how I economically acquired each year's reads. As always, Alison is my greatest single book enabler...
47 borrowed from Alison (which includes 29 volumes of manga)
22 bought from secondhand bookshops, Book Basement and other discount book sellers
13 from the library
11 from Bookmooch
10 read for free at bookshops
4 borrowed from other friends
2 bought full price
This brings me to The 2011 TBR Pile Challenge. I may read a fair bit, but it's safe to say that I acquire even more books each year - and a large number of these then sit forever on my 'to be read' shelves (and I literally have four shelves of books TBR). Hence, the TBR Pile Challenge:
The Goal:
To finally read 12 books from your "to be read" pile, within 12 months.
Each of these 12 books (plus 2 alternates, just in case you can't finish one or two of the original 12) must have been on your bookshelf or "To Be Read" list for AT LEAST one full year. This means the book cannot have a publication date of 1/1/2010 or later (any book published in the year 2009 or earlier qualifies, as long as it has been on your TBR pile).
So I went through the pile and decided on:
1. The Slap - Christos Tsolkas
2. Foucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco (see Alternate no. 14)
3. Cat's Eye - Margaret Atwood*
4. A Contract with God - Will Eisner
5. We So Seldom Look on Love - Barbara Gowdy
6. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
7. The Flight From the Enchanter - Iris Murdoch*
8. Nekropolis - Maureen McHugh
9. Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
10. Beauty - Shari S. Tepper
11. Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy*
12. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh - Michael Chabon*
alternates
13. Beauty - Robin McKinley*
14. On the Road - Jack Kerouac
* indicates a book I've borrowed from Al, most likely for years
One of the requirements of the challenge is to post book reviews as I go, so that should ensure that I blog at least 12 times this year...which would probably double the amount of posts, ahahahasigh. So watch this space!
My top 3 books from last year were:
Fun Home - Alison Bechdel
This is such a rich, wonderful book - in story, in themes, in the storytelling. It’s a memoir in comic form, tracing Alison Bechdel’s childhood to her early twenties, her relationship with her somewhat distant father, and the complex, related issue of sexuality. It’s beautifully written and drawn, funny and heartrending in turn, as she circles closer and closer to an understanding of childhood memories that seem to gain more sinister meanings in the wake of her father’s death a few weeks after she comes out to her parents. Beautifully written and drawn, funny and heartrending in turn.
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
I started one morning before work in April, thought about it all day when I wasn't reading it, and finished by that night. And months later, I still find myself thinking over it every now and then. I loved so much about this - the different voices, the different genres he plays with, the fantastic structure folding into each other.
The Orchid Thief - Susan Orlean
This was such a fascinating, beautifully written piece of journalism, thoughful and detailed and somehow quite loving about the very insular, slightly crazy world of orchid breeding and collecting. I definitely looked at orchids in a different light after reading it - and I don't even *like* orchids.
rounding out my top 10:
The Fall of Kings – Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman
Perfect Circle – Sean Stewart
The Cutting Room – Louise Welsh
The Monkey's Mask – Dorothy Porter
In Cold Blood – Truman Capote
Magic for Beginners – Kelly Link
Hikaru no Go (manga series)
Where do I get all these books from?! Well, every year I love seeing where and how I economically acquired each year's reads. As always, Alison is my greatest single book enabler...
47 borrowed from Alison (which includes 29 volumes of manga)
22 bought from secondhand bookshops, Book Basement and other discount book sellers
13 from the library
11 from Bookmooch
10 read for free at bookshops
4 borrowed from other friends
2 bought full price
This brings me to The 2011 TBR Pile Challenge. I may read a fair bit, but it's safe to say that I acquire even more books each year - and a large number of these then sit forever on my 'to be read' shelves (and I literally have four shelves of books TBR). Hence, the TBR Pile Challenge:
The Goal:
To finally read 12 books from your "to be read" pile, within 12 months.
Each of these 12 books (plus 2 alternates, just in case you can't finish one or two of the original 12) must have been on your bookshelf or "To Be Read" list for AT LEAST one full year. This means the book cannot have a publication date of 1/1/2010 or later (any book published in the year 2009 or earlier qualifies, as long as it has been on your TBR pile).
So I went through the pile and decided on:
1. The Slap - Christos Tsolkas
2. Foucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco (see Alternate no. 14)
3. Cat's Eye - Margaret Atwood*
4. A Contract with God - Will Eisner
5. We So Seldom Look on Love - Barbara Gowdy
6. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
7. The Flight From the Enchanter - Iris Murdoch*
8. Nekropolis - Maureen McHugh
9. Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
10. Beauty - Shari S. Tepper
11. Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy*
12. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh - Michael Chabon*
alternates
13. Beauty - Robin McKinley*
14. On the Road - Jack Kerouac
* indicates a book I've borrowed from Al, most likely for years
One of the requirements of the challenge is to post book reviews as I go, so that should ensure that I blog at least 12 times this year...which would probably double the amount of posts, ahahahasigh. So watch this space!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Foodie week
So I was pretty sick for most of this week and there were some other RL problems, but I was determined to make it through a gamut of food-related fun things. In the end, I fine dined, enjoyed a workplace Christmas dinner, and on the weekend I baked, cooked and ate some more. All with tonsellitis, hah.
You can see some evidence of the fine dining above. :) It was nice, which seems a very anaemic word to use about such a meal, but I kinda knew going in that I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to be ultra-excited. I couldn't smell a thing due to being sick, and between that and having to socialise I just felt so buggered by the end of the night.
Work Christmas dinner at Rhodes Phoenix was fun and relaxed. We did have chilli lobster, which is a nervewracking thing to eat in front of company anyway since it's so messy and fussy, and then on top of Joey (of FoodiePop started analysing my work practices through the way I tackled the lobster, heh. (I was told I was "logical" in the way I removed all the shell from the pieces of meat before me before I started eating, just like how I sort all the medicines from our daily suppliers alphabetically before I put them away. Logical, or obsessive-compulsive? You decide...)
And then I spent a fair bit of time in the kitchen over the weekend. I made choc chip cookies for a fundraiser at church, and then dinner on Sunday night for my parents.
This recipe made about 50 cookies. And my favourite comment was "These are even better than Subway cookies!" Yes, yes they are.
Choc Chip Cookies
originally from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc At Home cookbook, via Baking Bites
2 1/3 cups plain flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
225g butter, , chilled and cut into small pieces and divided equally in two portions
1 cup (packed) brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
400g chocolate (mix of dark and milk), chopped
Preheat over to 180 Celcius. Grease and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
In a medium bowl, mix flour and baking soda and salt.
In a big bowl, beat half the butter with an electric mixer until softened. (Because the day was so hot, I kept the other half of the butter in the freezer just to keep it chilled in the meantime.)
Add in the brown sugar (original recipe called for dark, which I'd run out of - but I think it would make an even more delicious, chewy cookie so I'd love to try it again with the dark brown sugar) and the white sugar and cream with the butter.
Beat in eggs, one at a time. (We had a near-miss at this point as it turned out the first egg I cracked was a bad one!)
Add in the vanilla extract, then beat in the remaining butter at a med-high speed until well incorporated. It's quite a fluffy mixture at this point.
Mix in the flour mixture at low speed on the mixture (or if you want strong arm muscles, fold in by hand).
Stir in the chocolate chunks. (I lessened the amount of chocolate from the original recipe, but was still told by appreciative eaters that there was plenty of chocolate in each cookie.)
Use a tablespoon to drop rougly 1 inch balls (about 1 rounded tablespoon) onto the baking sheet, leaving about an inch and a half between for spreading.
Bake for 13 minutes until cookies are set, matte-looking and lightly golden brown.
Cool for 3-4 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to cool on a wire rack.
Tonight's dinner was spaghetti with seafood ragu, herbed mushrooms stuffed with mozarella, and a simple garden salad with a honey-balsamic dressing. The critics at home declared the pasta the hit of the night but rejected the mushrooms completely (I screwed up on that one as I substituted too many things because I didn't have half the ingredients).
But the ragu...oh, the briny, tomato-y deliciousness. Would definitely make again!
Ragù di Pesce
originally from The Wednesday Chef
1 kg seafood/marinara mix, roughly chopped
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup minced herbs (I used basil and parsley)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 can canned tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
450g spaghetti
Chilli flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Finely dice the onion and garlic. In a wide, deep pan, cook over medium heat in olive oil, along with several spoonfuls of the minced herbs. Keep stirring to make sure the mixture doesn't burn.
About 7 minutes later, add the seafood mix and stir well to coat the seafood in the oil, onion, garlic and herb mix. Cook for a few minutes until the seafood takes on colour around the edges.
Add the wine and let it cook down for a few minutes.
Add the tomatoes (fresh and canned) to the pan and stir. Throw in a good amount of salt (I used a teaspoon). And a nice pinch of chilli flakes if you want it a little spicy (mmm, spicy).
Let the sauce come to boil, then let it simmer away for about 10-15 minutes until it has reduced and is a little thick. Then turn off the heat, stir in the rest of the herbs and add cracked black pepper for seasoning (and salt if necessary).
Cook your spaghetti until al dente, then drain it and add it to the pan with the sauce and mix well before serving.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Ben Kweller/Delta Spirit - 3 Oct 2010 - Factory Theatre
Having not seen any live music in a while, I was itching to catch a gig when I saw that Delta Spirit, who really impressed me at Lollapalooza last year, would be supporting Ben Kweller. I like both artists, the tickets were cheap - I was sold! And I'm so glad we made such a last minute decision to go because I had a really enjoyable night of country-tinged Americana rock.
picture from Delta Spirit by delta spirit
When I saw Delta Spirit for the first time last year, I hadn't heard any of their songs before, but I was so taken by their great stage presence and their catchy tunes. Frontman Matt Vasquez isn't hard on the eyes either...
Tonight, they launched into a rocking set with so much energy, and it was fantastic. I fell a little bit in love with the amazing drummer and the fact they often had double drums going. The band were multi-talented, switching between instruments with ease (and Matt played the harmonica also!); plus the band played so tightly together, which was all the more surprising when they announced the touring guitarist was only playing his second show ever with the rest of the band.
Their eight song set heavily featured songs from their just-released second album History from Below but it was pretty darn catch and melded well with the dips into their older material. The highlight me for me was the back-to-back pairing of Trashcan and People C'mon, though the rollicking set closer - intro'd as the first song they ever wrote - was also lot of fun with its call and response sing-a-long and the instructions for everyone who was enjoying the gig to 'get low' - and most of the room got to their knees obediently!
Delta Spirit - Trashcan (live @ Factory Theatre, 3/10/10)
It was a great show and surrounded by happy, dedicated fans, the 40 minutes went by too fast.
Bushwick Blues
St Francis
Trashcan
People C'mon
History from Below
VIvian
Children
(?)
Confession time - I haven't listened to a full Ben Kweller album since, oh, 2004. So I wasn't really sure what to expect from his set apart from wanting to hear at least one or two songs from his earlier albums. One thing I really really didn't expect was how young he looked as he came on stage in his black Ramones T-shirt and red jeans. Despite seeming like he's been around the music scene for a long time, he's only 29 and he still looks and sounds like he could be 18.
On stage, he was adorable, throwing in ad-libs about not having played Make It Up in forever and apologising when he messed up the words at one point. I was happy two songs in when he played Commerce, TX and even happier a song later when he played a raucous fun rendition of I Need You Back. He played a mean guitar too - and his small band (a bassist, a drummer and a bare set) jammed well together with a shaggy, shambolic charm.
On My Way
Commerce, TX
Make It Up
I Need You Back
Red Eye
Walk on Me
Wantin' Her Again
...
We left after about seven songs. If there hadn't been a more pressing need to find a sweet supper (a mission which failed) and to get home before the last train, I would've been happy to hear some more from him.
When I saw Delta Spirit for the first time last year, I hadn't heard any of their songs before, but I was so taken by their great stage presence and their catchy tunes. Frontman Matt Vasquez isn't hard on the eyes either...
Tonight, they launched into a rocking set with so much energy, and it was fantastic. I fell a little bit in love with the amazing drummer and the fact they often had double drums going. The band were multi-talented, switching between instruments with ease (and Matt played the harmonica also!); plus the band played so tightly together, which was all the more surprising when they announced the touring guitarist was only playing his second show ever with the rest of the band.
Their eight song set heavily featured songs from their just-released second album History from Below but it was pretty darn catch and melded well with the dips into their older material. The highlight me for me was the back-to-back pairing of Trashcan and People C'mon, though the rollicking set closer - intro'd as the first song they ever wrote - was also lot of fun with its call and response sing-a-long and the instructions for everyone who was enjoying the gig to 'get low' - and most of the room got to their knees obediently!
Delta Spirit - Trashcan (live @ Factory Theatre, 3/10/10)
It was a great show and surrounded by happy, dedicated fans, the 40 minutes went by too fast.
Bushwick Blues
St Francis
Trashcan
People C'mon
History from Below
VIvian
Children
(?)
Confession time - I haven't listened to a full Ben Kweller album since, oh, 2004. So I wasn't really sure what to expect from his set apart from wanting to hear at least one or two songs from his earlier albums. One thing I really really didn't expect was how young he looked as he came on stage in his black Ramones T-shirt and red jeans. Despite seeming like he's been around the music scene for a long time, he's only 29 and he still looks and sounds like he could be 18.
On stage, he was adorable, throwing in ad-libs about not having played Make It Up in forever and apologising when he messed up the words at one point. I was happy two songs in when he played Commerce, TX and even happier a song later when he played a raucous fun rendition of I Need You Back. He played a mean guitar too - and his small band (a bassist, a drummer and a bare set) jammed well together with a shaggy, shambolic charm.
On My Way
Commerce, TX
Make It Up
I Need You Back
Red Eye
Walk on Me
Wantin' Her Again
...
We left after about seven songs. If there hadn't been a more pressing need to find a sweet supper (a mission which failed) and to get home before the last train, I would've been happy to hear some more from him.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Mixtape (Sad Bear, October 2010)
Long time no mixtape, eh? Let's revive an old tradition around these parts...
Side A
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons - We Should Fight
(indie rock)
I wrote this song inside a paper bag
Dr. Dog - Heart it Races
(indie rock-pop)
And we go back to where we moved out
to the places
heart it races
Jukebox the Ghost - Hold It In
(indie rock pop)
Baby I'm in love and maybe it's not to tell
Only thing that I can do is hold it in, hold it in
Delta Spirit - Children
(indie rock, Americana)
Children shut your eyes
we'll tell you what to see
this world is burnin' down
and you're the ones to lead
Lackthereof - Last November
(lo-fi, experimental)
I'm arriving in style
More importantly, alive
And there's something
To be said for
Surviving
Side B
Arcade Fire - Black Mirror
(indie rock, baroque pop)
Black mirror knows no reflection, knows not pride or vanity
Cares not about your dreams, cares not for your pyramid schemes
Shearwater - Red Sea, Black Sea*
(indie folk-rock)
In place of the sun
In place of the moon
A terrible light
Will flood every room
* The link takes you to the artist page on their label. I would download not just Red Sea, Black Sea, but everything on this page. The songs are all really good.
Boy & Bear - Mexican Mavis
(indie folk-rock)
'Cos my love's not a limit
Minus the Bear - Guns & Ammo
(indie, experimental, math rock)
Skip the "you don't understand"
Skip the "you're such a petty man"
Skip the way you'll never listen
You never listen
Annuals - Brother
(indie rock, experimental)
I fell down in a creek bed
Brother wept
In his face I met fear
That I could die right there
Side A
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons - We Should Fight
(indie rock)
I wrote this song inside a paper bag
Dr. Dog - Heart it Races
(indie rock-pop)
And we go back to where we moved out
to the places
heart it races
Jukebox the Ghost - Hold It In
(indie rock pop)
Baby I'm in love and maybe it's not to tell
Only thing that I can do is hold it in, hold it in
Delta Spirit - Children
(indie rock, Americana)
Children shut your eyes
we'll tell you what to see
this world is burnin' down
and you're the ones to lead
Lackthereof - Last November
(lo-fi, experimental)
I'm arriving in style
More importantly, alive
And there's something
To be said for
Surviving
Side B
Arcade Fire - Black Mirror
(indie rock, baroque pop)
Black mirror knows no reflection, knows not pride or vanity
Cares not about your dreams, cares not for your pyramid schemes
Shearwater - Red Sea, Black Sea*
(indie folk-rock)
In place of the sun
In place of the moon
A terrible light
Will flood every room
* The link takes you to the artist page on their label. I would download not just Red Sea, Black Sea, but everything on this page. The songs are all really good.
Boy & Bear - Mexican Mavis
(indie folk-rock)
'Cos my love's not a limit
Minus the Bear - Guns & Ammo
(indie, experimental, math rock)
Skip the "you don't understand"
Skip the "you're such a petty man"
Skip the way you'll never listen
You never listen
Annuals - Brother
(indie rock, experimental)
I fell down in a creek bed
Brother wept
In his face I met fear
That I could die right there
Sunday, September 26, 2010
I know when you haven't posted for a while, the rules are you should come back with actual content, but I couldn't resist this meme.
Water Manipulation
The power to control water molecules with one’s mind. Also known as Hydrokinesis, Aquakinesis, Waterbending, Hydromancy or Moisture Manipulation.
Oooh. It says I can make water balloons! And known users include Sailor Mercury, Poseidon and Moses, lol.
Here are the rules:
1 - Go to the Superpower Wiki.
2 - Click the “Random page” button on the left hand side once. Only once.
3 - Revel (or dismay) in the fact that this is your new superpower. But I bet it's awesome even if it's crappy because you now have a superpower. Who wouldn't want a superpower? No one, that's who. Unless you're a dude and you get Pregnancy, which admittedly kind of sucks as far as powers go. Sorry about that.
4 - Post the results. No cheating!
Water Manipulation
The power to control water molecules with one’s mind. Also known as Hydrokinesis, Aquakinesis, Waterbending, Hydromancy or Moisture Manipulation.
Oooh. It says I can make water balloons! And known users include Sailor Mercury, Poseidon and Moses, lol.
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