I've been swamped this week with work stuff. But I just wanted to take a moment to point out four of my favorite things of recent times.
1. Alex's short film Pickup & Return. More info can be found here. The best thing about a short film is that it feels criminally short. This one did. I need more. It was a fun night last week screening the film and getting drunk afterwards. 2. Sidecar was featured on Channel 7 news. If you haven't seen it yet, here's your chance. Watch the video. This reminds me that I haven't had their Fried Chicken in awhile. Who wants to go this weekend? 3. Everyone's favorite Brooklyn store Go Fish supplied the band Everest with a few things for their set on Conan the other night. A picture of a dog ... a green phone ... Watch the whole video here. And finally, the best video ever.
Jim, Mitch, and I went to go see The Mountain Goats at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Friday night.
Some of the openers were so hideously bad but I don't really want to get too much into it here. Let's just say there was a band that made me wish that The Spin Doctors were playing instead, a comedian who ate yogurt while Philip Glass music played and then berated the audience for not getting it, a guy dancing on stilts, and a woman who basically played a slideshow of pop culture folks and made dumb jokes about them.
Oh well, at least I didn't have to hear Kokomo four times in a row and Don't Worry, Be Happy nine times in a row like Erik, SHR, and I did while waiting for Man Man to take the stage at the same venue.
But then Mr. Darnielle came on and he was fun as always. The last time that I saw him was four years ago on a rooftop in Brooklyn. He plays mostly with a band these days but this and the last show were both by himself. I'm curious to hear him with a full band but the solo shows are the way that I first saw him back in '96 so I've got no complaints.
I don't need to see him on a regular basis considering I rarely go to shows anymore in the first place. But it was nice to see him. It's fun to check in every now and again with my old favorites and to see them live.
Anyone know if John Wesley Harding plans on playing again anytime soon?
Porter Wagoner - Wagonmaster, 2007 I've got to admit that I didn't know much about about Wagoner before SHR brought this home. Wagoner is a veteran of country music and is most well known for his records with Dolly Parton in the 60's and 70's. He recorded this album at the age of 80. It is damn good. His voice is weathered yet awesome. This album came out last June. Wagoner died a few months later. This was his first album since 2000 and only his second since the late 80's. Good stuff.
Wagoner on Letterman promoting this album.
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver, 2007 This man makes me want to shake my booty in a hipster ironical kind of way. The first track reminds me of the early 70's Brian Eno trying to remake Thriller. And the rest of the album is just as fun.
Eno meets Jackson
Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog, 2007 Sam Beam continues with more full band fun. I like everything he does. Sparse. Fuller sound. Everything. There's more interesting stuff going on here when listening to it on headphones than I thought there would be.
Beirut - The Flying Club Cup, 2007 I like Beirut. Even better than the first album. This one is a bit less Neutral Milk Hotely and a bit more Frenchie. Maybe that doesn't sound as good but the melodies and instrumentation are even stronger than the first album.
Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, 2007 I found his last album to be a bit boring. And this one isn't perfect. But there are some damn good songs on here. He's better when he tries to be a bit more Bob Dylan and the Band like rather than Bob Dylan as the main show. But then sometimes he also sounds like Julian Lennon Valotte era. And you know what, it kind of works. About half of this album I dig, a fourth is okay, and a fourth is a snoozefest.
Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam, 2007 I like everything these guys put out but I do believe that I prefer both their last album and the Panda Bear album to this one. Not that this isn't good. Just not as good.
Thao & and the Get Down, Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings and All, 2008 A very pleasant surprise. I really like this album. A lot. One of my favorites of the year so far. Imagine a Vietnamese - American channeling Cat Power but with catchier melodies and you begin to imagine Thao.
Thao Live - Wow, I've got to go see her.
No Age - Weirdo Rippers, 2007 Keep your Yaysayers and Vampire Weekends and give me some god damn indie rock that would have actually excited me when I was 22. I can't say that I'm in love with this collection of EP's but there are some great moments. And their new album is supposed to be really good as well. There are some loud ass melodic blasts of fun here. And even some Polvo like guitar licks for the Jamies out there. Granted, there are some straight up atmospheric noise bits here that sound all that much sweeter once the noisy melodies kick in.
Maybe I'm like Stone Groove who only likes new bands that remind him of his gloried past and I can't find it in my heart to dig on the bands that are brand new sounding. Ah, fuck that. I've talked myself out of that one. No Age!
The Blues Control is No. 1! A Noiseboy collection. 15 songs all flowing into each other in one track. You've got your noise, you've got your ass shaking jamz, you've got your soul sides, you've got your African pop, you've got your Japanese freakouts, you've got your indie rock superstars, you've got your psychedelic hotshots, you've got it all. But don't try to load this sucker onto your iPod as anything other than one track. You've got to respect the Noiseboy for refusing to kowtow to today's iPod shufflin' world. Listen to the whole fucking thing or don't bother, dig?
Global Garage'edelic Perhaps my favorite of the Noiseboy mixes in my collection. This is an amazing mix of Nuggets II type stuff - psychedelic garage stuff from around the world from the late 60's and early 70's. Apparently, this is just the tip of the iceberg of what he has in his collection so I humbly request more. Please.
When SHR and I first moved to our new neighborhood last spring, I began to take the bus to school every morning. The bus stop is right in front of a church. I was struck by the listing for the Mother's Day Diner sign last spring. "Hah," I thought, "Those Frenchies don't know how to spell dinner!"
I was happy to see the listing reappear last month to promote this year's Mother's Day Diner. Even with a year to look up the word, they still could not spell it correctly.
I mentioned this to SHR and she thinks that I am dead wrong. Her theory, "It is a 50's diner theme where the girls wear poodle skirts and the waitresses are all called Mabel and Tootsie and have red hair and they serve all the moms in the congregation. You know a 50's themed diner for Mom!"
I like her theory much more than mine. But why is it on Tuesday and not on Sunday? That really confuses me. The Lord does work in mysterious ways I suppose. I also like that the 21st is Church Day. Isn't everyday Church Day at the church?
I'm tempted to peek my head in the church tomorrow after 4 to see if I can spy any red-haired waitresses named Tootsie serving the congregation cassoulet and other Frenchie stuff.
What follows is a conversation between a colleague who I don't know well since she works in another building and me as she left my room after a meeting. She was looking at my bulletin board of the 2008 Election.
Hillary Admirer: I don't know how she does it. She works all the time, travels all the time - non-stop campaigning! I'm tired after 2 nights in a row out. Yet she always looks so good, she glows! And she's 60-years-old! Amazing.
Me: McCain is 71, shouldn't we give him any credit?
Hillary Admirer: He doesn't look that good though.
Me: I'd like to see her spend 5 + years in a prison camp in North Vietnam and see how she looks.
Hillary Admirer: That's just sexist!
Interesting, no? The woman who can only compliment Clinton on her looks calls me sexist for my silly comment? I didn't quite know how to respond so I didn't. But I do find it odd that I've heard many women describe Clinton in the same manner over the past few months. Why are we even talking about how she looks and how she can continue to campaign despite how hard it must be. Personally, I find this line of thought pretty depressing.
Then again, that Barack Obama though sure does radiate after a rough game of pick-up basketball. I just don't know how he can do it - campaign all day and still find time for hard nosed recreation. Incredible.
I'm amused by the many quotes I've read from people around the country about why they won't vote for Obama. It isn't that they have anything against him, per se, but you see, well ... um, they won't vote for Obama because, well, America just isn't ready for a black president yet.
I love that they don't have the courage to say what they really think - that they personally aren't ready for a black president. But I love how they spin it so that they are just altruistically placing a vote for Clinton because, you know, America (not them personally of course) aren't ready for a black president yet.
And to a person, every single one of these quotes are attributed to people who would undoubtedly attest to the fact that some of their best friends are black.
Make fun of him for his dumb hair. Make fun of him for his Spicoli-like appearances on Baseball Tonight. Make fun of him for the way he practically comes out of his skin when he makes the throw from the outfield to home.
But don't make fun of him for his choice of music. I loved this weekend's Mets series against the Diamondbacks for two reasons. 1. The Mets won two out of three. 2. Every time Byrnes strode to the plate, I got to hear a snippet of The Outfield's Your Love. Could this be the best intro music of anyone in the majors right now?
If only Brynes could convince Carlos Beltran to change his song. I think Beltran has had the same damn song for three plus seasons now. I'm sick of it.
From a quick look at a blog dedicated to the man and his hijinks, I've discovered that Byrnes has said that he will start growing a 'stache every time he begins a new hitting streak and has dubbed 2008 The Year of the Moustache. I love this guy!
Let's Go Mets! It's about fucking time!
But what about a teacher? How exactly do you tell a Fourth Grade Boy that he should probably start wearing some deodorant?
2. Sidecar was featured on Channel 7 news. If you haven't seen it yet, here's your chance. Watch the video. This reminds me that I haven't had their Fried Chicken in awhile. Who wants to go this weekend?
3. Everyone's favorite Brooklyn store Go Fish supplied the band Everest with a few things for their set on Conan the other night. A picture of a dog ... a green phone ... Watch the whole video here.
And finally, the best video ever.
Jim, Mitch, and I went to go see The Mountain Goats at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Friday night.
When SHR and I first moved to our new neighborhood last spring, I began to take the bus to school every morning. The bus stop is right in front of a church. I was struck by the listing for the Mother's Day Diner sign last spring. "Hah," I thought, "Those Frenchies don't know how to spell dinner!"
The woman who can only compliment Clinton on her looks calls me sexist for my silly comment? I didn't quite know how to respond so I didn't. But I do find it odd that I've heard many women describe Clinton in the same manner over the past few months. Why are we even talking about how she looks and how she can continue to campaign despite how hard it must be. Personally, I find this line of thought pretty depressing.
I'm amused by the many quotes I've read from people around the country about why they won't vote for Obama. It isn't that they have anything against him, per se, but you see, well ... um, they won't vote for Obama because, well, America just isn't ready for a black president yet.
Say what you will about Eric Byrnes.
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