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Man I didn't realize that I was this far behind. So this was March's CD of the month. The Gutter Twins' "Saturnalia". Saturnalia is or was a Roman celebration. Started as a day but grew into a week long "party" of tomfoolery. Don't worry I didn't know what it was either.
Exit Afghan Whigs and Screaming Trees. Sadly after the wonderful and glorious cd "1965" The Afghan Whigs called it quits in 2001. Greg Dulli did a solo CD and a few Twilight Singers CDs after that. Mark Lanegan was in Screaming Trees which also broke up after a stellar CD called "Dust". He went solo (great acoustic songs check them out people) and hung out with QOTSA. He then recorded with the Twilight Singers and Isobel Campbell.
Welcome to the Gutter Twins A glorious collaboration between friends. Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli have also been collaborating since 2000 and Saturnalia has been rumored since 2003.
In September of 2005, Lanegan performed with Dulli in Italy as the Gutter Twins for the first time.
The MUSIC It's more feeling and mood. It truly feels like music you would expect to find in a gutter or a movie about the lower rungs of life. Their voices play nicely off each other: Lanegan’s brooding baritone and Dulli’s mellow tenor muse on the absurdities of love and life. Mostly Love. This CD may take a few of you a few "listen throughs" but you will be rewarded with a rich experience and a CD you'll return to again and again.
Think I'm wrong? Think I'm right? Let me know. What is your CD of the Month?
which is ok since it's make sure you mail in your taxes day. I cut it fine by mailing them yesterday.
The Kooks - Konk Picking up where they left off. Why mess with a winning streak? They still love and combine Bowie, The Kinks and The Specials.
James McMurtry - Just Us Kids Good, smart, intelligent acoustic type music
James - Hey Ma I never thought there would be another but I am happy. I must admit this is just a UK release and I could only find one song (and they wonder why bittorrent is huge). I can't really say much about this cd but this will be a great time to remind you about this group. I think I need to work on a "lost treasure" for these guys.
Also Asia has a new cd yes that 80s band is back. Original band members too. Not much has changed with their sound on this cd. Brings back a flood of memories for me. A birthday party and the gift of two tapes. Journey's "Escape" and Asia's self titled debut. Chris Bro happy boy. It was all I needed until a school field trip somewhere and Michael Gilson gave me his walkman and said you need to listen to this new tape I got. It was "Pyromania" and the game was over. I never gave him back the Walkman until the trip was over. I fell in love with music. Yes that is where it basically started. So I have a very soft spot for Asia.
Air has reissued the 10 year celebration of "Moon Safari". You'll find 3 discs. A cd of remixes and the DVD is a tour documentary from 1999 called "Eating, Sleeping, Waiting and Playing."
Please read, review, comment and let me know: what I am missing, what should be higher, what should be lower and anything else that you can think of. I am only one man. Thanks and Thanks for listening to NEXT. Updated 10.14.08
THE BEST OF 2008
THE BEST OF 2008
01 TV on the Radio - Dear Science 02 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig!!! 03 Fleet Foxes - self titled 04 Kelley Stoltz - Circular Sounds
05 Delta Spirit - Ode to Sunshine 06 Bob Mould - District Lines 07 Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid 08 Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer 09 Crooked Fingers - Forfeit/Fortune 10 Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
11 The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
12 The Wood Brothers - Loaded
13 Conor Oberst - Self Titled
14 Blitzen Trapper - Furr
15 Neil Halstead - Oh! Mighty Engine
16 Ben Folds - Way to Normal
17 Buddy Guy - Skin Deep
18 Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
19 Kings of Leon - Only By The Night
20 Juliana Hatfield - How to Walk Away
21 Sun Kil Moon – April
22 Michael Franti and Spearhead - All Rebel Rockers
23 Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
24 Sam Phillips - Don't Do Anything
25 Botticellis - Old Home Music 26 Marah - Angels of Destruction 27 Jacob Dylan - Seeing Things 28 Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
29 James - Hey Ma
30 Carla Bruni - Comme Si de Rien N'Etait
31 Dr Dog - Fate 32 Notwist - The Devil, You and Me 33 The Whigs - Mission Control 34 Firewater - The Golden Hour 35 Elvis Costello - Momofuku 36 Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul 37 The Black Keys - Attack and Release 38 The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely 39 Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple 40 She and Him - Volume One 41 British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music? 42 Black Francis - Svn Fngrs 43 Sloan - Parallel Play 44 Nada Surf - Lucky 45 Black Crowes - Warpaint 46 Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
47 The Avett Brothers - The Second Gleam
48 The Kooks - Konk 49 The Weepies - Hideaway 50 Otis Taylor - Recapturing The Banjo 51 James McMurty - Just Us Kids 52 REM - Accelerate 53 Coldplay - Viva La Vida 54 Drive By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation’s Dark 55 Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead 56 Cat Power - Juke Box 57 Gary Louris - Vagabonds 58 The Kills - Midnight Boom 59 The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
I know this is late but I have a feeling the city hasn't changed that much in a week.
I miss the West. I lived in Albuquerque for awhile and any chance I get I head West. When we were moving to Atlanta from Albuquerque we spent about 2 weeks out West (Yes West of NM) before speeding across the country to make it to ATL to start the job. We hit The Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, LA, Big Sur and Portland. It was wonderful. A Boy. A Girl. A Jeep and Two backpacks.
So I love the West. Oh and I almost bolted from college to Seattle with less than a semester left. I love the West.
Now I had never been to Vancouver. We had tried to get there a few times but life got in the way. Damn you life. This time the fates allowed this passing North or something of that nature and we got there.
Sure the weather wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. I think the Pacific NW lie to the rest of the world just to keep us away. It did snow the day we left. The sun was in and out of clouds pretty much the entire trip. Not much rain but one hell of a hail storm that lasted about 11 minutes. The weather doesn't bother me one bit.
It isn't a huge city and quite easy to get around. A lot of good family/kid friendly things to do and some wonderful food. I love the art there.
We hit Granville Island and the Kid Market there, Stanley Park and the Aquarium there too. It was a great Aquaruim. I know it's a tourist trap but the kids loved it...the Capilano Suspension Bridge. .
I think the biggest hit with the young ones was the Museum of Anthropology. My little guy loved the totem poles and making up stories behind them. He played tour guide and loved it. Plus there were two sculptures that you could touch. Touch something in a museum. Pure heaven.
Food etc
A few of my favorites were:
Caffe Artigiano - Great coffee. Wonderful coffee with pretty designs in the foam. Almost too good to drink. Luckily the coffee matches the looks.
Brioche in Gastown - More coffee but this time with Brunch. Small place but great food and not a surprise but great coffee. Also some great art galleries in Gastown. Head here for Brunch then get pick up a great Bentwood Box.
Vij - Beyond wonderful Indian Food. Worth the up to two hour wait you'll be waiting. They do pass around free apps while you wait. Have a Dark Army for me. This is a must go to. Must. Go.
Cactus Cafe - We were told that this was Canada's Hooters but with good food. And yes it is. It's not as in your face as Hooters but you get the idea.
Lolita's - Good Mexican. Another small place. We had little ones so we got there very early but I am sure the wait gets long quickly. Great staff and wonderful drinks. Their spicy Margarita was interesting. Great guacamole with a surprise layer of Beans on the bottom. It's not "blow your mind" good but if you need a Mexican fix in the 'Couver.
Oh and I haven't even mentioned the airport. Seriously one sweet entrance to Vancouver. Water Water everwhere. A pond. A waterfall. Beautiful totems.
Add you comments about this city please...or email a city review of your own.
What up people? Heard anything good? Seen a great movie? Or a totally bummer of one? Send me the review and I'll post it at the NEXT Website. Yes NEXT is about new music but we do more than listen to music so share your intelligence with the rest of the NEXT lovers. Thanks.
On to the discs
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig, Larazus Dig!!! Not one but three "!"s. How cool is that? Great title too. This cd picks up where Grinderman left off. Warning though if you don't know Nick Cave he is not for everyone. This cd remembers the ROCK in a very sexy way...no strike that a sensual way. Almost like a modern Doors like sleaze.
The Breeders - Mountain Battles Still rockin' after all these years. Recorded over different times in different places and in different languages too. If you are looking for the next ultra hit and/or something as catchy as "Cannonball" I will just tell you to keep looking. Great cd though and though.
Tapes N Tapes - Walk It Off Internet darlings improve upon a good thing. This sequel is better than the first. Kinda like "Empire".
Others to watch, listen to or just download a few choice cuts. Man Man travels in Tom Waits/Frank Zappa territory and mostly succeeds. Also I think I need to listen to "if Children" one more time. I think you can just put them on your "watch list" and hope the next cd builds on the good stuff. Also a bit disappointed with the new Clinic. I really, really wanted to like this one. C+ or B- if I'm feeling it but probably the C+.
I was reading the newspaper this morning and noticed that The Simpsons got banned in Venezuela.
"That is not really surprising" is something you probably were saying as you read that. You wouldn't find it surprising that the reason cited was "the series wasn't appropriate for children at that hour of the day". It was airing at 11 am.
The suprising (almost beyond funny) part was the replacement show. Yes now this is tv that the kids could or should enjoy....The Simpsons were replaced by "Baywatch Hawaii". WTF? I guess The Maury Show wasn't available.
Another funny part is the fact that I had no idea that there was a spinoff of Baywatch. Until today and this article. I guess it is true you learn something new every day. Or at least you should right? I just wish that something was anything else.
for music. Then again I thought last year was too. In fact, I still believe that as a music lover and listener of music this is a best time to be alive.
I would have had this list up sooner but I was in Vancouver and did very little work there. Just relaxed with the Fam.
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely Jack and his boys are back. They sound great. No really big surprises just great rawk.
Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple Nothing as immediately catchy as last time around but one damn fine cd for the music lover in your life
Panic at the Disco - Pretty. Odd. They have dropped the "!" and studied up on Sgt Pepper. I really dig this cd but I am sure die hards are a bit confused or upset.
B 52s - Funplex After waiting for 16 years we get classic sounding B52s and man o man are they horny.
The Counting Crows - Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings if you like them you'll find a new favorite song if you never liked them then nothing on this cd will change your mind.
Also released Someone to watch. Steve Earles little boy Justin Townes Earle. Yes the Townes is for Van Zandt. If like Steve Earle or Townes then check out Justin. He is a bit more old timey than dad and his voice is sweeter too. The Lemonheads reissued "It's a Shame About Ray". Maybe my most favorite of theirs. It's a CD/DVD and the extra tracks are just ok but the DVD in concert is pretty sweet. They, the Lemonheads, come off as angrier live.
Back from Vancouver...more about that later. Now...tunes.
REM - Accelerate Well welcome back and thank you. I was ready to punt on REM records. This one will buy you a few more mis-steps. Their best since New Adventures in HiFi.
The Black Keys - Attack and Release Danger Mouse adds some florishes but the duo's raw power and energy still shines through. They rawk. Hard.
Jackie Green - Giving up the Ghost Great cd from a man that more people that like Music should look into. It's rock. It's folk. It's blues. All fused into one great sounding cd.
The Wood Brothers - Loaded On as "on the porch" as their last cd but very enjoyable. One of the Wood Brothers is the Wood in MMW...that wonderfully jazzy trio.
Black Francis - Svn Fngrs Mr Pixie does what he does and you'll like it. Or should. Rockin' good time peanut. Of course in an un-normal way.
Sun Kil Moon - April Epic, stunning, pure beauty.
Also released Another live CD from the Stones. Really? Do we need this? The Jack Black team up is cool though. Get Yr Ya Ya's out is better or even Security. Oh well. Apples in Stereo did only OK with this release but then again it's odds and sods so that is almost to be expected.
Ever since I was a kid, March was the month to be excited about. It meant that spring was coming, maybe no more snow, warmer weather and it also meant that Thursdays through Sundays I'd watch basketball games with my father. It's funny to say that at the age of eight, my dad tricked me into liking college basketball. He did it by playing on the court with me and through this video game we used to beat each other with. (NCAA Basketball for Super NES...how 90s is that?!) I have this vivid memory of arguing with him about who got to be Maryland and who got to be Duke for the video game. Granted, I was maybe 9 years old at the time. Looking back, I find the argument slightly ironic. My father can smile that his tactics worked and made me a basketball fan and a fan of Maryland. (Please note that I didn't decide to attend UMD because of the Athletics. It was because of the journalism program, however, it is pretty rad to attend a school that gets national attention.) I wasn't obsessive about college hoops, however, until high school. Not to mention, it wasn't until my junior year of high school that I decided to try my hand at bracketology. In my advance biology class, my classmates and I did our own little pool. Really, we just did our brackets and whoever got it right got bragging rights for the rest of the school year. One of my classmates called bullshit on my bracket. Of course, he was a Duke fan (figures!). I had UMD winning the whole thing and it just so turns out that I was right! He hated that so much. Maybe my bracket wasn't exactly correct but I had guessed the champion correctly. Guessing the champion is what matters the most, right?
Unfortunately since 2002, my skills and the Terps' skills haven't really recovered. Keep in mind that I am referring to the men's team. My school's women's basketball team won the NCAA championship back in 2006, which was during my first year at UMD. It was cool seeing a riot near my dorm. And right now, it looks like we might just get it again this year! The Lady Terrapins are the Number 1 seed for the West. It's pretty cool to be able to proudly say that my school's women's team can make the men's team eat their own shorts. I will give the guys credit where it is due. So far in the NIT tournament, they are actually doing a good job and yes, this past season they did beat UNC at their home court. I just hope next year will be yet another return to the real tournament.
Back to my bracketology skills, 2005 and 2006 were bad years. I had WVU (my other favorite team) winning the whole thing. Looking back it seems like I jinxed the Mountaineers. Both times, the team made it all the way to the elite 8 and no further than that. In 2007 after a two year absence, my school actually made it into the tournament, but they were out by the second round. My only hope was Georgetown, and Ohio State ruined that one for me. Did I mention that I hated Florida for two years?
As you can tell, I am hoping that this year will be much better. On facebook, I did three brackets and on the Washington Post's website, I created two. I actually think maybe one from facebook is similar to my second bracket on the Post's special website. I tried following different schools of theory when it came to picking out the teams. I watched a like 2 hours worth of web videos from CBS Sports and ESPN. I also did all sorts of crazy reading about how to make picks. The most useful tool I found was this game simulator on ESPN's website. It's called a bracketcaster and what it does is it calculates and demonstrates all sorts of likelihoods and combinations of the games. My favorite web video about making a bracket was Tony Kornheiser's video for the Washington Post. His final pick will make music geeks everywhere crack a SMILE! (*cough* that's a hint *cough*) His bracket has some pretty smart ass remarks. I really loved his comment about the Mount St. Mary's/Coppin State game and how it should be played in Hagerstown, Maryland.
As for my brackets, I post on the Washington Post's website in hopes of winning some radtastic prizes. My first bracket was me trying to be somewhat sensible. One tip I read said to try to pick the teams with the highest seeds first round, second round is when to go for the upsets. Granted, I made that bracket before I talked to my father about USC vs. Kansas State. After thinking about what to do, I made a second bracket. Though the winner isn't very much different, the final four is! I get the feeling that Georgetown is going to go all the way because Hibbert is graduating. I swear, however, if UMBC beats them tomorrow, I am going to puke. My dad and I have a feeling UMBC (University of Maryland Baltimore County aka not my school) will give Georgetown a tough run for their game. Hopefully, the Hoyas won't disappoint tomorrow. If they do, I'll lose the WMUC pool. Not to mention, at least half of the population of DC will be in a bad mood.
So now the ball is in your court (yeah I had to do that pun), what does your bracket look like? Any serious upsets planned?
On more thing..the Post is doing their annual Beer Madness competition, where people vote for their favorite beers. My favorite is actually in the running still! Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat was a beer that my friend Katie introduced to me last summer. It's pretty awesome on tap. Tastes kind of like Wheaties. (Beer for Breakfast, anyone?) Actually, my favorite beer by Leinenkugel is their Berry Weiss. But either way, this is something worth checking out.
Well in less than 12 hours, I'll be sitting on the sofa, eating pizza and watching a ton of games. Not to mention, maybe reading Hemingway in between commercials...a girl's got to get her homework done somehow. All I have to say is that March Madness is now in full effect.
Game On, Megan
PS- I wanted to post a Madness music video but I couldn't find anything decent. So instead, I will leave you all with a video of a song that Madness could've done back in 1981. And besides, aren't we all a little obsessive about Vampire Weekend? I know that I am.
Last night, I went out to Dante's and did in fact listen to the Pogues! (In addition to the new Flogging Molly album.) Also, I had my first Guinness last night while at the bar. I figured Chris would be proud of that one. I sipped it very slowly and I am still deciding whether I liked it or not. At least I got it for free (go ahead be jealous). I am a lightweight when it comes to drinking so after just one Guinness, I was good to go.
I got home around midnight and my parents were up watching Charlie Rose on PBS. I sat down on the sofa and had to do a double take. It looked like Mr. Rose got into a fight or got mugged. My parents both laughed that they were trying to figure out what happened to him. I jokingly suggested that maybe he had to fight this past weekend in a fight club. (I love journalists who can kick serious ass!) My dad wanted me to do a search on the internet about why Charlie looked so beat up, but I was tired and just went to bed. Besides, I couldn't concentrate on the tv show at all. I kept laughing at how random this all was.
Today, I have found the answer! Turns out, he got a black eye over his new Macbook Air. He tripped on a pot hole in NYC. It was either his face or his new laptop. As you can tell, he went for the laptop instead. I don't blame him either. Those new macbooks cost at least $1,800!
Chris mentioned in his posting about new music. I have to say that I'm looking forward to the next two weeks.
Next week, The B-52s first album in 16 years is going to be released. Funplexis a pretty sweet album. I got an advance copy to review for WMUC. At first, I was scared that it wasn't going to be good. I've been a huge fan of their music since I was in kindergarten (yeah I was only 5 back in 1990) and well, like a lot of my favorites from back in the day, sometimes new albums can yield mixed results. My fears, however, went down a little when the single (same title as the album) started hitting the airwaves. I am happy to say that this new album is very much like them. It rocks and you can dance to it. There's punk and disco. It's classic B-52s with a nicely done modern update. I'll go ahead and make the claim that it's the album to have for this summer and for any good house party. My favorite tracks aside from the title song is probably "Juliet of the Spirits" and "Keep This Party Going." Now I just need to get my hands on the remix ep of the single, which features remixes by CSS, Peaches and Scissor Sisters. Nice to see the hipsters give props, right?
Hard to believe that April Fool's Day is in two weeks. But here is one thing not to be fooled about: The brand new REM album Accelerateis going to be released that day. On my way home from school this past Thursday night, I listened to a special radio program that gave a preview of the album. All I have to say is that it's nice to hear some REM that aren't mopey pop songs! If anything, it's probably their most kicking album in atleast a decade. The band worked with producer Jacknife Lee (he's worked with Aqualung, Editors, The Hives, Snow Patrol and U2) at the suggestion of one of their good friends. Apparently, The Edge wrote them a letter stating how disappointed he was with their last album and suggested Lee as a producer. Now if only U2 could put out a hard driving album, but that's another topic at another time. Anyway, the two songs I really really liked that were played (the program was live from SXSW) were "Man-Sized Wreath" and "Horse to Water." If you can't wait for more REM, you can kill some time by creating your own music video for their single "Super Natural, Super Serious" and I do believe you can post what you create and the band just might check it out.
One more thing before I go, check out the band Murder By Death. Their new album has been recieving some pretty great reviews and I'll admit, they have a pretty unique sound for a rock band. I would easily say that they're for people who are fans of Tom Waits, Nick Cave and Danzig. Enjoy!
It's Tuesday and that means new releases. Ever wonder why new releases are released on Tuesday? The mail. Just to make sure everyone has the new material at the same time. Or maybe not.
Anyway
She and Him - Volume One Now when you hear that an Actor or Actress is going into the studio most of you run the other way screaming something like, "Make the bad man stop!!" or "for the love of all that is good and holy does the world really need another failed attempt?" Well I want you to listen to this glorious cd first before you go running off. In fact after listening you may run screaming "hey everyone you need to listen to this." The Him is a modern favorite of mine, M Ward. The man is all good. The She is Zooey Dechanel of Elf and more. This CD plays like an old timey classic. Sit back and enjoy. Really.
Gnarl's Barkley - The Odd Couple They are back...I don't hear a "Crazy" and that is not a bad thing. They are all over the place and sound beautiful. If you liked their first cd stick this in your CD player and shake those hips brother man.
Andrew Bird - Soldier On (EP) I will continue to write about this man until everyone I know has a CD or 3 by him. The man is magic. Period. Plus he may be one of the great whistling dudes in music. although I did just find this
and if you are a fan of the 80s College Rock Music scene or the Jangly Rock period of Classic REM you will enjoy Big Dipper's "Supercluster" which is a fine collection from this band.
I know I've been rare a lot. It's called life, school and a few back issues. The back issues are getting better thank goodness. At one point, I couldn't stand to sit at the computer which is why nobody heard from me during winter break. Just as my back got better, I got busy with school. Good news though, I am right now on spring break (which means I can make a posting on here).
So let's get down to some Irish business...
First of all, I love this message/greeting.
While I'm at it with the vintage u2 clips, here is Bono singing "Wild Irish Rose." I wish I could find this on a cd or something. It's really cool sounding.
Now onto other "Irish" things...
I spent the past weekend watching a few "Irish" movies. Saturday night, I saw Once and thought it was a pretty sweet film. The music is probably the best part of the whole movie. As for the story line, it's very basic and it totally relies on the music, which isn't a bad thing though. Usually musicals are rather painful to watch, but this was very subtle and extremely enjoyable. Fun fact, neither the female or male lead characters in the movie have names!
The next Irish film I watched was The Commitments yesterday afternoon. I couldn't resist from getting it on netflix. It just so happened that Glen Hansard, who played the lead guy in Once, also plays the guitarist Outspan in the movie. Not sure what genre the movie belongs under. It's kinda like a musical, but it's a comedy too. What I do know is that there's some great soul songs and fantastic performances. Every year on my radio show I play their version of "Mustang Sally" because it totally rocks. Apparently, based from the film, there is an actual Irish soul band that tours. I just hope that their lead singer is a lot nicer than the guy in the film.
The last film I watched to get into the Irish spirit was In the Name of the Father. I grew up on this film sort of. First time I saw it was when I was 10 or 11 years old. My older (half) sister was babysitting me and she was like "I want you to watch this." At that age, I just found the whole movie to be totally shocking. I understood part of it, but didn't get it fully until much later in life. My older sister educated me on the culture and social issues of Ireland. Not to mention, she gave me a love for Daniel Day-Lewis. I went many years without seeing the film but really though, it's not the kind of movie to watch on a regular basis. About two summers ago, I saw it on TV, which might I add wasn't the same (censorship sucks), but it made me remember why I love that film so damn much. Not to mention, seeing it after growing up a bit, the film made a lot more sense.
As for last night, I watched it for like maybe the 4th time ever and this time I watched with a good friend who has never seen it. My friend is all into Irish history and politics. I figure it's because part of his family is from Ireland. In the past when we talked about this stuff, it seemed like he didn't believe me that I had a real interest in those things. What I mean by this is that he thought I was trying to impress him or something whenever I claimed to be interested in Irish culture, politics and history. Not that I didn't care what he thought, but I felt like the movie would at least make him realize that I wasn't faking it. It's funny too because my father (who also watched with us) said right as we were starting the film "I remember when you and your older sister used to be obsessive about Northern Ireland and this movie."
As for the film, after all these years it still takes my breath away. I will admit, however, last night was the first time I got the chills and rather emotional while watching the scene when Giuseppe Conlon's death was announced. I think it's because my father has breathing issues and well, Giuseppe died from issues that were very similar. As for my friend, it was interesting to see his shock about the abuse and injustices that happened. I think he found the film to be really intense and very enlightening. One thing we both definitely agreed on was that the film is very good proof as to why nobody should ever mess with Daniel Day-Lewis. While I am really glad he just won the Oscar for There Will Be Blood (I still need to see that one actually), it's a damn shame that he didn't win when he was nominated for his role in this movie. Sure he did lose to Tom Hanks (The award was for his role in Philadelphia), but really there should have been a tie. Day-Lewis has played so many incredible characters, but I have found this one to be probably the most compelling. Not just because of the subject matter, but because of the humanity that is displayed. By the end of the film, it's hard not to cheer for Gerry Conlon.
Third item: What's your plans for St. Patrick's Day?
As you can tell, I spent the weekend getting in the mood for today. For tonight, I am hoping to do the whole traditional dinner thing with my family. Granted that's if I can figure out the spices for the corned beef. But later, I might go out to this pub in my neighborhood called Dante's and have an Irish Cider (I don't like beer much...sorry Chris lol). Knowing it, I'll probably listen to The Pogues, Stiff Little Fingers and The Undertones while at the pub. A friend of mine who loves those bands might bring his album collection to Dante's this evening. Hopefully, he'll do that. So yeah, I'll be the girl at the bar wearing both Green and Orange (green because I'm traditional and orange because well I'd be an Irish protestant if I lived in Ireland).
Hopefully, I will post again by the end of this week before I head back to College Park. Also, don't forget to do your brackets. Actually, there's a cool feature/application on facebook where you and your friends can do a NCAA bracket pool. My bracket will be ready soon. (The deadline to do the bracket on facebook is Thursday morning I do believe.) If anyone from the blog joins facebook to do this, let me know! I'll start a pool and we can see who's the best at bracketology. Ah, March Madness is in the air.
Cheers, Megan
ps- If you do join facebook or are on there, feel free to bug me.
Oh and one more thing, that photo at the beginning of the entry is me at my first real, official dj gig at a bar. I played all sorts of good music and it was with a local friend of mine. The gig happened March 1st at Dante's.
Happy Green Day. I know I've already started drinking hopefully you have too.
So the real reason I am posting this today is because I was looking around iTunes the other day and was surprised to see "Hallelujah" as sung by Jeff Buckley as being the number one download.
I was shocked and happy. I couldn't imagine why this would happen. I know Brad Pitt wants to play him in a movie but that is old news...then a friend mentioned that it was sung on Idol.
You would think that anything that gets people to listen to Jeff Buckley would make me happy. It does but my main problem is I watched the video. I had too. I have watched maybe 15 minutes of Idol before I searched YouTube for a clip of this. I...just...had to hear it. I really didn't want to as I have too much love for the Buckley version.
Now "whatever his name", Castro I think, sang it and it wasn't bad...I wouldn't ever think of putting it in the great category but it wasn't bad. My problem is with the judges. Both guys (Man Paula is bad...I mean bad and I doubt she has ever heard Jeff Buckley) claimed that they loved the Jeff Buckley version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and yet they gushed all over this guy. That is the problem. They are supposed to know better.
Now if you've never heard the Buckley version you might be forgiven if you think that this "wanna be Idol" did a great job. Seriously...stop the bad man.
I do hope that all the Idol watchers that downloaded Buckley start to spiderweb from the there and discover some truly awesome talent. I doubt it. They will just wait for the next so so cover of another song and download that one and stop looking deeper. Oh Well. At least we have NEXT.
ONE MORE THING...I had to turn down the chance to interview Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden on his private jet...I want to die with my boots on. I am bummed.gotta listen to the end. Brilliant.
What is it December? Not much happening this week with regards to New Releases. There are a few you should be listening to and for.
Greg Laswell - How The Day Sounds (EP) Yes it's an EP but did I mention the slow week? This EP is for those of you who are thinking "where the hell is Coldplay?" Well throw this EP on and I am sure someone will ask you how you got the Coldplay leak--it's close enough and most people don't listen that close. You might also remember this is the guy that recorded that great slow burning version of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun".
Shawn Mullins - Honeydew Another great LP by this guy. He doesn't stray too far so if you have liked anything in past you'll find much more to like in this full length too. There are quite a few extremely strong tracks.
I wasn't sure about including a Best of so I will mention that The Vines just released one. They always were a singles band although I've felt that "Highly Evolved" Should get more love. Post grunge of the finest form. The Presidents of the United States just released an album that sounds like it was just a "lost album" from 1995. Nothing too special but if you're a fan check it out.
What a glorious month of music. In January - in 5 weeks of Tuesdays I handed out 10 Gold Stars to CDs. This month in just 4 Tuesdays...14 CDs get the Gold Star treatment. Now if I am truly honest with myself I will say that this CD of the month is out of a long time of wanting the the world to recognize Bob Mould(I think maybe Kelley Stotlz should have gotten it). What can I say...I have a soft spot for the man's music and he and his bands are one of the main people to blame for all that is Indie and Alternative in music today. Oh and if you ever get the chance you need to see him solo and acoustic. The man is simply amazing. If you think The Foo Fighter's "acoustic songs" are heavy, man you ain't heard nothing yet.
Anyway Congrats to Bob Mould for my CD on the month. I think we can call this one a comeback. He pretty much throws in ever style that he has ever recorded and put it together on this disc. There are the sonic assults with and without acoustic guitars and the bleeps of the DJing too but this time a bit more in the background (mostly). It's his kitchen sink cd and it works. Welcome back Uncle Bob. I've missed you.
Since it's almost St Paddy's day we will start with the obvious
Flogging Molly - Float Yes just in time for Paddy's Day it's the Traditional Irish/Punk band that is never afraid to set the scene around drinking.
Black Crowes - Warpaint Not a complete knockout but truly a nice return to form. Hey it's the BC you should know by now what to expect.
The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia I could just write Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan and be done with the mini review but I'll go a bit more. The two have been working together for awhile now so this cd should really surprise anyone paying attention. It's dark and moody and brilliant.
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash The Jicks are code for Jam. That is it. They jam on this cd just for the sake of jamming. Yet the Indie Poet proves yet again why he is an Indie Legend.
Also you need to check out Whiskeytown's "Stranger's Almanac the Deluxe Edition". Well actually if you don't have it or have never heard of Ryan Adams prior band...just buy the proper album. Classic.
If you miss The Band then try The Felice Brothers latest which is self titled. Actually I bet if I listen one more time I would move this one into the Gold Star category.
Kaki King, Kathleen Edwards and Bauhaus also want your money. King is an amazing guitarist and sings a bit more. The Edwards cd is "mature"...which means I miss the earlier tunes but her song writing is still top notch. Wellcome back Bauhaus.
