it's all in one post here. Because it doesn't matter.

Let me just say something. Let me just say that 2008 was no 2007. Personally and as far as I'm concerned musically. But then again, I bought more music in 2007 than ever, so I was exposed to more. This year I was unemployed for half the year. So I scaled back on my purchases during this period. Then there was the suburbs thing. That didn't help my general exposure to new music. Nor was the fact that the internet mostly didn't work here. I have four awards to give out. If I missed anything worthy of these awards, please tell me. Now, because I was jobless for 6 months, I should certainly start off with...
FREE IS THE BEST award you can BE. Much to my luck, lots of music was released for free in 2008. It kinda became the thing to do. And what's the deal with the free music being better than the "official" releases? Nas, for example, and Murs, for another example, had fairly disappointing albums come out, but they were preceded by fantastic free albums. Part of what made the stuff you paid for so disappointing. Here we go. List ON:
11. Jelani - Wait, You can Rap?!?! - Thanks to freehiphopnow, I was exposed, while my internet was working, to some undergound rappers I would not have otherwise known about. This was a fun album.
10. Danielson - Danielson Alive! - Just an EP of a bunch of live songs. But it was free and charming.
9. Elucid - Police & Thieves - Another freehiphopnow find. Political and pretty great.
8. The Blak Experiment - Utica Ave. - OK this is the last real obscure hip hop album. This one was laid back and very creative.
7. Ham1 - The Underground Stream - This has some Elephant 6 connections. I forget what exactly. If my internet were working, I could totally look it up. I think some folks from the Elephant 6 collective played on it. Either way, this is a good indie pop record, much like most E6 related stuff.
6. The Charlatans - You Cross My Path - This came out the same weekend as some Trent Reznor free stuff. So it didn't get much attention. Still, one of the better Charlatans albums to be released.
5. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals - This was only free if you had justification. I did pay $5 for my copy. Either way, this is a fantastic party album. If you're reading this, you probably already know about this. This guy takes mashups to a whole new art form.
4. Murs & 9th Wonder - Sweet Lord - This preceded the very annoyingly disappointing Murs For President. This one was fantastic though. Murs is one of the great storytellers of hip hop.
3. Hearts of Palm - The Bridge - Just an EP. Just four songs. But four of the most perfect power pop songs you'll ever hear.
2. Rhymefest - Man In The Mirror - Holy crap. A tribute to Michael Jackson. A very loving tribute. Very expertly produced by Mark Ronson. But the real star here is Rhymefest. He demonstrates very well why he's one of the best MCs working today. It just seems like the most natural flow. Like he's talking but he's actually rapping and it's actually amazing. It's probably a good thing El Che didn't come out this year, it may have been disappointing after this.
1. Wale - Mixtape About Nothing - I don't even really like Seinfeld! But this is one of the most promising debuts I've ever heard. I am very excited to see what he has in store for us.



Where were you, public? award. This is stuff that I happened to discover in one way or another but I didn't really hear about from anyone else. They were all too busy talking about vampire weekend, or the backlash to vampire weekend, or the backlash to the backlash to vampire weekend. i was busy in my apathy over the backlash to the backlash to vampire weekend discovering stuff that was much more interesting to me.
5. Dr. Dooom - Dr. Dooom 2. Pitchfork didn't like this one. But I did. Especially in principle. When the Return of Dr Octagon came out and pissed off almost every Kool Keith fan, I thought it was over. But then he came back with this. Kind of an "I killed Dr Octagon, remember? He's dead. Y'all are trying to bring him back but he's dead. Fine, I'll kill him again." I just liked the statement. But beyond that, it is a very good album for the most part. There are a couple really lame songs, but some are very poignant, some are very fun, and most are very good.
4. Miss Kittin - Batbox. I know electro has been dead for some time. But there's something about a new Miss Kittin album that got me super stoked. Didn't seem to get anyone else very stoked, but I was. And it did not disappoint. It's got all the attitude of her excellent solo debut I Com. While it's not quite at that level, it is definitely something else. It would have done a lot better 5 years ago, but in my opinion it transcends the dead genre it, to most people, represents.
3. Little Jackie - The Stoop. I saw them on Conan one night and was hooked. I got the album the next day and was still hooked. It's kinda silly, yes, but oh so much fun. I feel like this should have been a mainstream sensation but I only ever saw them on Conan. I spread the love as much as I could to my friends, but that's all I could do.
2. Jonathan Richman - Because Her Beauty Is Raw and Wild. This wasn't totally ignored, but it didn't get nearly as much attention as it deserved. I did see it on the Paste list of most criminally slept on albums or something (I really wish I could cross-reference this stuff!), and that's good enough for me to put him on this list.
1. KatJonBand - KatJonBand. This album was very very awesome. Combine the rhythm of The Ex with the songwriting of the Mekons and you have very high expectations. And it delivers. The biggest problem this album had was the fact that it came out the same day as Dear Science. Oops.



HEY! It's the MAINSTREAM GOT SOMETHING RIGHT award!! Sure, they missed those 5 stellar releases (and others), but mainstream music wasn't entirely horrible this year.
5. Ludacris - Theater of the Mind. Did this count as mainstream? I don't care. Ludacris has achieved something great here. I was worried after his horrible mixtape (exception to the rule mentioned above), but I went out and bought this anyway. So glad I did. There's a song here with Jay-Z and Nas. And it's as good as it should be. That alone puts it on this list. Throw in the fact that it's got a lot less filler than his other recent albums and it's enthusiastically on this list.
4. Nikka Costa - Pebble To A Pearl. I never really paid her any mind. But my friend Amy told me to check this out. So glad she did. As a lover of all things soul, I was stoked that this album was on Stax. Then I heard it. Wow. There's some funky, funky shit on here.
3. Al Green - Lay It Down. How does he still sound so good? My god.
2. Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple. LOVE IT. Spoiler alert: I will talk about it more on the "top thirteen" list.
1. Duffy - Rockferry. Total mainstream. This one's not on the top list but it's the top of this list. Get it? What I mean to say here is that this is the most fitting example of the mainstream "getting it right" that I heard this year. Total pop star here. But she sounds so good! When I first even saw this album cover I knew it would be what it was. And it was!



OK now it's MAIN TIME LIST WORTHY TOP YES: TOP THIRTEEN. There are thirteen because that's how many albums I considered to be of a certain calibur. I felt there were only thirteen that were good enough for this list. Last year there were probably about 25. At least it makes listing and ranking a lot easier.
13. Jonathan Richman - Because Her Beauty Is Raw and Wild. Again. It's heartbreaking at times. Smart at times. Funny at times. But at all times it's just fantastic.
12. Frida Hyvonen - Silence is Wild. It she Finnish? I hope so. There's not enough Finnish representation and I'm 1/4 Finnish. But she is definitely from the Nordic area. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the female Jens Lekman. Not just in the fact that she's Nordic and a singer-songwriter. She just finds that same place in my heart that Jens does. That spot that most music misses. Clever, but not just clever. She sneaks in other feelings. Sneaks them through my brain. Not the quickest way to a man's heart, but one of the most effective.
11. Ladytron - Velocifero. Back up a few lists, when I talked about Miss Kittin, I mentioned that electro has been dead for some time now. Yet Ladytron manages to stay relevant. I don't know how they do it.
10. Rhymefest - Man In The Mirror. I think I basically said it all in the "FREE is the best AWARD you can BE" list. But just to emphasize. I was obsessed with this album this year. So much fun, such a natural flow.
9. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping. This received kind of lukewarm reviews. Mostly because last year's Hissing Fauna... was so brilliant and amazing (my #1!). People were kind of quick to write this off as a "victory lap" or something. But this was something else entirely. On the surface, it is Georgie Fruit (Kevin's alter ego) just having a blast, being a pervert, indulging, getting his "Prince" on. The character isn't particularly likable, but is fun to listen to. But there's some real depth at work here. Kevin yelling out from beneath. Crying for help. It's beautiful. Don't you pimp out my heart.
8. The Roots - Rising Down. Artful, masterful, gorgeous, but very forceful and angry at the same time. All of this. The Roots did it again. When this came out I listened to it over and over and over and over. Then I took a break. Now I listen to it again and remember why I listened to it over and over and over.
7. She & Him - Volume One. At first I wrote this off as just one of those indie pop things that everyone would get excited about for about a month and then forget about. That it would be kind of lacking. Possibly boring. Then I actually heard one of the songs on a Merge sampler. Fabulous! It sounded like 60s girl groups! I bought the album when it came out on vinyl. It became my favorite album of the year. Mostly because it was my standby this year. (last year it was Blonde Redhead, the year before it was Belle & Sebastian). The album I could always put on when I didn't know what to listen to and it would bring up my spirits. Definitely my album of the first half of 2008. The unemployed half. The kind of depressing half. Because that's when I needed it the most. Something to help me through the times of uncertainty and all that. But then the second half of the year came, I got a job, and I was able to listen to some more "artsy" stuff (and the good shit finally started coming out) so this got pushed down 6 spots! But still, it's a standby for me.
6. KatJonBand - KatJonBand. I repeat. This album was criminally ignored by most. But it's Kat from The Ex and Jon from The Mekons! Two punk rock legends. It combines what I love from both of these two bands. The Ex has the coolest rhythm section ever, lead by Kat. The Mekons kind of started alt country in the punk rock scene (cow punk) and inject a whole lot of heart while retaining their punk rock edge. So together? Fucking awesome rhythm. And heart. But not too much heart. Remember in 2005, when Calexico and Iron & Wine combined forces for that EP? It sounded exactly like a combination of Calexico and Iron & Wine. Not really anything surprising. But it was such a brilliant combination that it was one of the top releases of the year. That's what we have here.
5. Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple. This was an album I held off on buying for awhile. Not because of anything against the band. I actually love the band. And I was excited. But I was unemployed and it just wouldn't go on sale. I eventually saw them at a free concert and all the new stuff was just brilliant. So I bit the bullet and bought it for $15 or whatever stupid price it was after I had a job. And man. It's better than the first album. Much better. More consistent, more realized. Without losing any of its creativity. And I think it's even more fun than the first.
4. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins. Damn, dudes! Two in two years? Two top fivers? Who does that? It's a sequel to last year's The Stage Names but it's every bit as brilliant. It's The Godfather Part II, man. It's The Dark Knight.
3. Wale - Mixtape About Nothing. Seriously though, this is the best debut ever. I would like to thank my friend Mark for telling me about this. I don't even like Seinfeld that much!
2. Calexico - Carried to Dust. And they bring it all full circle. I feel like it's the most complete Calexico album. It has everything Calexico could possibly do (make me eat my words here next time, Calexico!) while staying within the somewhat limited space they work in. That sounded bad. But it's not. It's just that the idea of Calexico is somewhat limited. And that's why this album works so well. It explores that whole territory and goes spelunking. And it's beautiful. I could spend all day in those caves.
1. TV On The Radio - Dear Science, No surprise here. The biggest disappointment of the year, for me, was the fact that once this album came out, there was no question. Nothing came close to challenging this as album of the year. I already wrote about this extensively, but I repeat: Desperate Youth went deep. Cookie Mountain took everything from Desperate Youth and went deeper. Dear Science took Cookie Mountain and went wider. Vastly wider. While retaining the depth. This band is better than any other form of any art that exists today. Better than any of today's painters, directors, architects, writers, anything. I always speak in hyperbole when I speak of TV on the Radio, but that's just because I am so excited about everything they've done, and everything they will do. Because in order to continue their trend of growing exponentially in every release, next album will have to discover a new dimension. Then they will be bigger than Science. They've already conquered Art. I bet the full title of this album was "Dear Science, You better watch your ass!"





i must MENTION a few more-- with honor. These weren't on the other lists but you should understand that these are also GREAT.
Atmosphere - When Life Hands You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold - because it has Tom Waits beatboxing. And man, it's just stories about real people, and man, they painted that shit gold.
Beck - Modern Guilt - because it's beck, man!
Breeders - Mountain Battles - This really probably should have gone on a list. There's something about Kim Deal's bass playing and her singing that is just instantly comforting and warming to me. No matter what.
David Byrne & Brian Eno - Eveything That Happens Will Happen Today - because it's two masters, together again. and because it was almost as good as it should have been.
Deerhoof - Offend Maggie - I shoulda listened to this more than I did.
Del The Funky Homosapien - Eleventh Hour - It's awesome just to hear some new material by him, but I'm pretty sure we're all just waiting for that new deltron album that's been promised for a couple years now.
DeVotchKa - A Mad and Faithful Telling - because, man, colorado has some good shit.
El Perro Del Mar - From The Valley To The Stars - I feel like this is a better album than her first one, which was very well received by me, but this year for some reason I couldn't get into it as much.
Elvis Costello - Momofuku - I liked the idea of this (releasing it on vinyl before cd, shortly after recording it, without much notice) more than the execution. Which breaks my heart a little. Elvis Costello has always been my favorite songwriter and I just felt like I was starting to get over him or something when I listened to this album. However, don't fear, because his new show on the Sundance Channel is pretty much the best thing ever so I am still a huge fan.
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes - A casualty of me not having the internet/money for much of the year. This good-apparently great-album by this apparently great band just passed me by all year. I heard of it, but I heard of a lot of things. I couldn't listen to everything like I nearly did last year. But just today (December 16 I am writing this) I saw it on/near the top of lots of best-of-08 lists, and now that I have employment and more income than I used to, I decided to buy this. It's too late for it to make the list. I am just listening to it now. But damn, it's pretty awesome. I could have used this during that unemployment period. Certainly it would have ended up high on my list.
Janelle Monae - Metropolis - She is just fabulous. I can't wait for more from her.
Magnetic Fields - Distortion - Let me make one thing clear. This isn't really a "new direction" for the band, in my opinion. The sound is very similar to some of their earlier albums. So I feel like it's kind of a return to form to the pre-69 love songs magnetic fields. But there's nothing wrong with that. The lyrics are as great as any Stephin Merritt album and that's what it's always been about with these guys.
Nada Surf - Lucky - there's just something about nada surf. they just make me feel good. this new one is no exception.
Nick Cave - Dig! Lazarus! Dig! - so kick-you-in-the-face-with-its-power awesome.
People Under The Stairs - Fun DMC - This is the sort of music that makes me wish I could have parties where you just put on an album, don't really do much talking, and just listen to it and have a good time.
Smoking Popes - Stay Down - I was so worried and excited when I found out this was coming out. When they reunited I kind of felt like it was a reunion for reunion's sake and the band wouldn't have anything new to say. Plus, how do you follow up an album like Destination Failure? You can't do it. But they did it anyway. It's not better (if it was you'd see it on another list up there), but it's really a respectable, enjoyable album. A worthy follow-up.

politics

i haven't been able to get on the internet in a few days and i wanted to share my thoughts on this history that has been made this week.

8 years ago, i was fairly passionate politically but i would have voted for nader if i'd had the rights.

4 years ago i was much more passionate politically and i voted for kerry even though he didn't really make me excited. but 4 years ago, i was mostly disgusted in america, how we somehow voted w to a second term. i know, everybody was scared and thought he would finish the war or something. but i still can't believe we voted w to a second term in office.

2 years ago we started getting it right.

and now we've done it. i know there's a long way to go. i know prop 8 somehow passed in california. there are some disappointments.

but this eclipses it all.

this month i read a book called the wordy shipmates by sarah vowell. it's about the puritans struggling to make sense of this land as they moved here. she wrote about the "city on a hill," the message co-opted by reagan many years later, that america is supposed to be a city on a hill, looked at and admired by the world. a shining example of what can be achieved. democracy, equality, freedom. america has not been a city on a hill in a long time. but i think, at last, we have become what we are supposed to be. i haven't cried so many tears of joy as i have in the past 2 days.

it's not over, but it is certainly a time to reflect and rejoice.

i am so behind!

i hope you had the good sense to pick up the new deerhoof album this week.  and the one from women.  that one's good too.

freehiphopnow has a bunch of new free albums up since i last spoke with you.  i will just link to them:

-belief's let it breathe.  a big mashup basically.  

-elucid's police and thieves.  haven't heard it yet but it looks promising.

-z-trip's obama mix.  you know, songs in support of obama.

seriously though, this year it seems like the best hip hop is the free stuff.  murs put out a new one and it's nowhere near as good as his free one.  and nas' mixtape is much better than the official album.  wale, rhymefest...there's been a lot of good free hip hop so i hope this is some more of that goodness.

Danielson Alive!!

there is a free danielson ep you get get at emusic.  6 live tracks.  hint: click on each individual download link for each track.  if you click "download album" and you're not a member, they try to get you to sign up.  but they don't bother you about it if you do each track individually.  also: 2008 is The Year Free Music Broke Out i believe.  there's been free music forever, but this year there is a lot.  i like it.

Hey guys, it's tuesday!  i hope you got these albums last week:

TV on the Radio

Dr Dooom.

Dr Dooom is actually very very awesome.  if you hated the return of dr octagon, like most people did, you will love Dr Dooom 2.  Basically he's like, "i killed dr octagon, and y'all are bringin him back?  fuck that.  he's dead.  i'll kill him again."  

and of course tv on the radio is album of the year material.

anyway, this week.  lots of stuff:

*Mercury Rev

*Murs

*People Under The Stairs

*Madlib (but the vinyl is out on oct 14)

*Ani DiFranco

*Ben Folds

*Polysics (but shoot, i already got that on vinyl a long time ago!)

*Roots Manuva

*Jennifer Hudson (yeah i dunno.  she's a great singer but it could have annoying production or songwriting and it might end up not being great.  i'll hold off for now.)

and reissues of

Creedence Clearwater Revival (basically all of their albums now with bonus tracks!)

The Jesus And Mary Chain (box set of b sides & rarities)

oh and IRON MAN on dvd!

and THE BEACH BOYS AND THE SATAN on dvd!

oh guys, i never told you so you might not know: there is a charity digital EP from Ted Leo & the Pharmacists available at touch & go records.  it's called Rapid Response and it is awesome.  it's a response to what happened at the Republican National Convention.  very quick, dirty recordings made in like a day or so.  like punk rock is supposed to be.  you should get it.

yes, let's remake rashomon.

yes, that's a great idea.  let's take one of the most important films in the history of the medium and put it in modern day america.  why not?  

seriously, they're calling it rashomon 2010.  this is really happening.  it's come to this.  60 years later, have we made NO progress?  we should be wayyyyy beyond rashomon.  it was important and forward-thinking in 1950, but that was 1950.  can't we make new forward-thinking, important movies ourselves instead of stealing from the dead?  

this shouldn't surprise me.  and it doesn't.  it does upset me though.

by the way, you can get criterion-quality dvd of rashomon for cheap.  if you didn't know, criterion has launched a series called Essential Art House, and it's basically cheaper versions of their dvds (same high quality transfer, just no fancy special features).  also out in this first release are grand illusion, beauty and the beast, lord of the flies, wild strawberries, and knife in the water.

source: dark horizons

quickies

the internet is working! a little bit.  here's what's up.

*i've missed the last few tuesday tomorrows, but if you didn't know, CALEXICO and OKKERVIL RIVER both released amazing albums last week.  this week there was DRESSY BESSY but i didn't get that one.  

*very sad news that Norman Whitfield passed away.  some of my favorite whitfield compositions were:

--Can't Get Next To You

--I Heard it Through The Grapevine

--War

--He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'

What about you?  It seems he was one of the proponents of the best parts of Motown in the late 60s/early 70s (psychedelia and funk) as opposed to the annoying disco-esque stuff that they put out in that era.  So basically I have him to thank for Motown not being too annoying in that era.

*i'll probably miss this coming tuesday tomorrow, but just know that TV ON THE RADIO is releasing dear science, this tuesday.  so stoked.  also, JONKATBAND (featuring jon from the mekons and kat from the ex) released their debut album together.  i saw them together at the touch & go fest thing a couple years ago and it was lovely.  so i'm anticipating it to be one of those sleeper hits for me (due to it being released the same day as TVOTR) and something that totally misses the indie radar.  that's too bad.  so i'm suggesting right now that you check that one out.  also dr dooom 2 comes out next week.  huh.  i hope it's not as annoying as the return of dr octagon.

tuesday tomorrow

tomorrow is tuesday. i am in my new place. i don't really have great internet here. i am on my girlfriend's laptop. or it is on me. on my lap. my local sportscaster is trying to be jim rome right now. these are the thoughts that qualify me to be a blogger.

music is out tomorrow!
polysics - we ate the machine/karate house. vinyl of their last 2 releases, which hadn't hit the US yet. polysics are AMAZING.
original silence - the second original silence. this is something. thurston moore, jim o'rourke, terrie ex, and some more folks, it's just a bunch of noise/jazz brilliant minds making some noise/jazz.
the verve - forth
bb king - one kind flavor
eva cassidy - somewhere
dragonforce - ultra beatdown
v/a - motown collection. some 10 disc box set, i don't know if it's rare stuff or what.
matthew sweet - sunshine lies. vinyl comes with 4 bonus tracks AND a free cd of the music

dvds are also out tomorrow!
*salo, or the 120 days of sodom. so messed up. so, so messed up. but oh so essential. criterion.
*cannibal holocaust
*the nightmare before christmas. some fancy edition.

moving

i am now packing up my computer to move far, far away to the suburbs.

i may or may not be able to get on the internet at my new home.

see ya

oh wait, something happened today. not just tomorrow.

pretend this post was on monday.  i just checked my email.

everything that happens will happen today.  or at least something has happened today.  the digital release of everything that happens will happen today, the first collaboration between david byrne and brian eno in 30 years!  it is pretty great, from what i've heard so far.  here is a player with a streaming song or maybe the whole album or something:

there's a link there, but FYI you can get the album at everythingthathappens.com

here are the options:

*digital only (boo!) is $8.99.  you get 320kbps MP3s, DRM-free and a 17 page digital lyric booklet.

*CD + Digital is $11.99 +S&H.  you get the above plus a physical CD that will ship by november 30th.

*Deluxe Package is $69.99+S&H!  you get the above plus four exclusive bonus songs, a short film about the album by Hillman Curtis, a screensaver, and a miniature hardbound book.

you can also get it in FLAC lossless format if you wish.  i'm not sure if it costs any more.

i'm going with the $11.99 package.  Even though shipping is $3 more.  boo.

tuesmorrow

so, what's hitting stores that you can buy tomorrow and be cooler than all your friends?

i don't know! let's find out!

MUSIC

*Men Without Pants - Naturally.  it's the latest Dan the Automator project!  He teams up with Blues Explosion drummer Russell Simins.  dig it.

*Lykke Li - Youth Novels.  is this the first time this album has been available in the states?  I could be wrong but I think so.  Too tired to look it up.

*Brainiac - Hissing Prigs in Static Couture.  vinyl reissue of this CLASSIC AWESOME ALBUM that YOU NEED TO HEAR IF YOU HAVE NOT BEFORE.

*Brian Wilson - That Lucky Old Sun.  I LOVE that this is out on vinyl this week and not coming out on CD for a couple more weeks.  Suck it, non-vinyl-enthusiasts!

*Dandy Warhols - Earth to the Dandy Warhols.  I hope you got the free remix ep thing at your local record store!

*Don Caballero - Punkgasm.  They are still good, aren't they?  Even though Battles is better?  Don Cab bring something to the table still, don't they?  somebody tell me!

*GZA - Pro Tools

*Ice Cube - Raw Footage.  on Amazon people are saying it's "terrible" so yeah, don't bother I guess.  I dunno, I'm not gonna bother.

*Jim O'Rourke - Long Night.  2 1/2 hours of electric drone work!  can you handle it?  can you EVEN handle it?  He produced this back in 1990 but this is its first release.  I don't know if i can even handle it, to tell you the truth.

*Shwayze - Shwayze.  ha ha.  i TOTALLY met him at sxsw last year.  sorta.  filmed an interview with him, met him, same thing.

*George Jones -  Burn Your Playhouse Down: The Unreleased Duets.  nice.  nothin' like a classic country duet.

*The Walkmen - You & Me.  Pitchfork is way into this album.

*Lagwagon - I Think My Older Brother Used To Listen To Lagwagon. EP.  best title of the year.

*The Uglysuit - The Uglysuit. quarterstick!

damn. that's a lot of stuff this week.  did i miss anything in my hunt?

DVD

*House season 4

*Dexter season 2

*Twenty-Four Eyes

*The Small Back Room

*Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day

good stuff.  

new mercury rev

you can hear a song off the new mercury rev album here.  i like it.

you can also pre-order the new album from yep roc records.  includes vinyl.  and remember, if you purchase online from yep roc, you get a free download of what you bought right away (including vinyl).  well, if it's not out yet (like this album) you don't get the download until it's out.  but still, how exciting is that????

and don't forget to sign up for the mercury rev mailing list so you can get the supplemental album for free.

tuesday morrow

reverse order.

video: 

*Brand Upon the Brain! (criterion) - this looks friggin awesome.  i don't know much of anything about it, but i certainly should.

*ninja cheerleaders - what?

*smart people

*south park - season 11

musicality:

*songs for tibet

*the complete motown singles vol. 10: 1970

*janelle monae - metropolis: the chase suite ep - she was the standout on the mostly-disappointing outkast album idlewild.  she was AWESOME on that.  anyway, this is her debut, produced by big boi.  nice.

*inara george & van dyke parks - an invitation

is that it?

hey guys, check out crystal antlers if you haven't already.  they are the newest band on touch & go.  i like it a lot.

tuesday tomorrow is tomorrow

i've been working lots of overtime this week, and i am looking forward to a big ol' paycheck in about a week and a half.  which is good, because i'll have to pay off quite the credit card bill due to stuff coming out tomorrow!  it's mostly vinyl issues of albums that were already out, but that's how i like my stuff.

MUSIC

*conor oberst - s/t.  this is more something my girlfriend would like, but it should be noted.  also on vinyl.

*DeVotchKa - a mad and faithful telling VINYL.  i have been putting off getting this album, just waiting for the vinyl.  it took long enough!

*the faint - fascination.  yes it's on vinyl too.  i'm not sure about this one, i'll have to read more reviews and such before i decide.

*nas - untitled VINYL

*CSS - donkey VINYL

*jonathan richman - because her beauty is raw and wild VINYL

*smoking popes - stay down.  i'm confused, is this already out?  i know it came out on itunes already, but that doesn't count because itunes music store is bs.  anyway, if it's not already out, it's out tomorrow, it's their first album since they got back together, and the reviews are very positive and if you love the band like i do, you already know you are getting it (or you already have it).

D-V-D

*pete seeger: the power of song.  this was playing forever at the new local awesome theater right when it opened, and i always meant to see it but i never did.  and here it is.

*starship troopers 3: marauder  bad reviews!  but who knows.  i never saw the second one either.  do the reviewers that hate it so realize it's supposed to be campy?

*the counterfeiters. won an academy award for best foreign language film

new track from of montreal

yes, i said "from of."

pitchfork has posted a new song from of montreal's upcoming album skeletal lamping.  if you are me, you are very excited about this album.  there's a lot of good shit coming out this fall, but this may just be the best.  maybe.

it's a good thing i got a job.  this fall is going to be expensive.

mixtapes

do you like mixtapes?  here are two of them:

1. Wale's THE MIXTAPE ABOUT NOTHING - my friend Mark alerted me about this one.  Thanks Mark!

2. Ludacris & DJ Drama's GANGSTA GRILLZ: THE PREVIEW - Billboard and Obama alerted me about this one in a story about the Obama campaign slamming one of the songs for being offensive about Hilary Clinton, John McCain, George W, and Jesse Jackson.  Thanks Billboard and Obama!

best headlines

in order to provide my readership with the most pertinent information that comes up in music news, i have several music rss feeds on my google homepage.  just in case there's something to catch my eye.  something i need to know and report.

i actually applauded billboard when i saw this headline.  i clapped.  i've been doing that a lot.  but you know how headlines on entertainment websites put words in "quotes" to make clever puns on the titles of albums or whatever?  like this blog they could say brandon gets "quiet" about his blog.  something like that.  ok, you all know that, you read those websites, get to the point.

panic at the disco and dashboard confessional are going on a rock band sponsored tour.  so what's the headline?

best use of quote marks in a headline ever.  although the story below that is pretty good too.

'08 is the year for free music for the people.

hi!

two things.

1. don't forget to get this week's free track from the pretenders' new album.  download it here.  it's hosted by ilike this week.  this one's called "the nothing maker."

2. murs & 9th wonder have a free album you can download!  just go to their official website and there you have it.  it's called sweet lord.  there's a little video intro by murs and an option to donate if you so choose.  he mostly just wants you to get his new album when it comes out, because now you owe him big time.  source: freehiphopnow.

go! team free stuff!

i'm not sure if this is a new development or if they've offered this stuff on their website for a long time, but you can get some free music from the go! team!  including:

-Get it Together EP (early release)

-remixes BY the go! team

-remixes OF the go! team

-song parts (so you can make your own remixes OF the go! team)

so yeah.  these are all available at thegoteam.co.uk/freestuff.  you'll need to sign up for their mailing list.

source: aversion

the mighty underdogs have a release date!

a long time ago i worked at this place where i got to help interview the mighty underdogs.  they are a hip hop group consisting of gift of gab, lateef the truthspeaker, and headnodic.  they put out an ep shortly thereafter which was awesome.  they said the full length would be out in '08.  but i never heard anything about said full length.

until i read today's email!

the album drops october 14th!  this autumn is awesome for music releases!  you can pre-order it here.  there's also album artwork there, a track list, and the chance to preview it.  oh, and you can see the crazy amount of guests including mf doom, casual, mr lif, chali 2na, and more!

also, here's a video!

tuesday tomorrow: minimalist edition

lost boys: the tribe

shine a light

dark city (director's cup)

no music.  maybe alice cooper

free pretenders

hey, remember the pretenders?  they have a new album coming out.  and it would seem they are releasing one song per week, free on their website, leading up to the actual album's release in september.

the album will be called break up concrete.

go to their official website weekly for the downloads.  this week's track is called "boots of chinese plastic."

source: billboard

new calexico track!!

this is my 100th post on this blog.  not bad.

anyhow, on monday touch & go/quarterstick posted a brand new calexico track.  it's called "two silver trees" from their upcoming album carried to dust. (out september 9th)

more info here. (along with a link to a video preview of more new calexico!)

mp3 is posted here.

enjoy! that's what i'm doing.

almost free paul westerberg album!

in case you haven't read any music news websites today, you can get the new paul westerberg album on amazon for 49 cents. it's called 49:00 and it's all one long mp3 track.

you can get it on amazon or here.

more info, including a pdf of liner notes, can be found here.


i have not yet downloaded it because i am not at home. perhaps tonight though (even though i'm getting beck tonight too)

free dandy warhols ep

this one's not even a download. the new DANDY WARHOLS ep is free at participating record stores.

it's called earth to the remix vol. 1. remixes from their upcoming album earth to the dandy warhols. it's available now.

more info here (includes a link to a free download of one song, so there's that). it's not super clear, but i assume "participating stores" are all the stores that participated in record store day.

tuesday

a day late on this, mostly because i work now and am currently house sitting.

now that i work friday through monday (i'm having a hard time adjusting to that), one awesome thing is that new albums come out on what's essentially my saturday. i don't have to work, i get to go to the record store at my leisure (or early in the morning if i am super excited), and have three days off of work to enjoy the new albums.

anyway, what's out this week? it's tuesday...today.

MUSIC
*beck - modern guilt (vinyl). i held off on this for the vinyl release. so now i'm excited. it comes with the free download, you know. and it's 180 gram virgin vinyl! yes! as far as the musical content goes, i haven't even really listened to it and you probably have, so you tell me.
*paul weller - 22 dreams. dude's the man! also includes guest contributions from noel gallagher and graham coxon. i recommend getting it here.
*brian jonestown massacre - just like kicking jesus ep
*david bowie - live in santa monica '72
*css - donkey. you know, i really am getting in the mood for some party music so...

VIDEO
*high and low - kurosawa + criterion
*vampyr - dreyer + criterion!
*spaced - the complete series. this has been on my netflix queue for awhile. the team behind shaun of the dead and hot fuzz! i'm pretty excited about this one.
*21. no idea if this is any good but i need to rent it for the lcd soundsystem song.

that's it. there's plenty to be interested in here. top picks are spaced, high and low, and beck. although i hear good things about the paul weller.

my first tuesday of being employed means a tuesday i might spend some money on.  what's out this week?

tuesday tomorrow:

MUSIC!

*The Hold Steady - Stay Positive.  I could like these guys, but I've never given them a fighting chance.

*Nas - (untitled).  I wish he'd kept the title to this but I can understand.  Plus I don't think that'll have an impact on the sure-to-be-provocative material on the album.  This album is a big deal.  It's gonna be.  Nas may be the most important figure in hip hop today.

*Wire - Object 47

*Hellboy II Soundtrack - gotta love those Danny Elfman scores.

*Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons - The Motown Years

VIDEOS

*Reno 911 - Season 5.  I stopped getting these after season 3, mostly because they seem to recycle the same jokes.

*Trafic (Jacques Tati film).  nice.

run, run

time for free association writing game!!

Our Protagonist had a date that night. Not really a date date, but it was something. His first social interaction since he quit the scene after he realized what those people were. He was just now realizing he was the same thing the whole time. It wasn't the scene that made him that way. It was just who he was. Before he quit. OK, it is who he still is. Not that he really still is, if you know what I mean. Such injustice! Right?

The important thing to note here is that he was at last accepting who he was and what he had to do. Not that I'd expect you to accept him or his actions. That's just too much to ask.

So his date was with the girl from the bar that he'd vowed he'd never step into again. And the dinner was to be at that place he'd sworn off after that nervous breakdown. Not that he picked that place. He couldn't believe he was about to go there with her. But then again, he wasn't about to go downtown. The alternative was just not worth it. He had some pride left.

So he had a goddamn PBR at the goddamn bar, and he asked the goddamn girl in the Converse sneakers to go get some goddamn burritos at that place. She wasn't hungry and someone had spilled goddamn PBR on his shirt, so he decided he'd change, come back in a couple hours, and take her to...well, that place.

It was one of those times. When "let me guess. PBR." lead to "we might as well go to Tony's and get some of those vegetarian burritos," and concluded with "well I have to change my shirt, I wouldn't want to upset Tony! I'll pick you up later."

The joke about being the biggest cliché he could come up with was of course on him. Put simply, he was being himself. As much as he hated it, he loved drinking PBR at that bar, and Tony's burritos were delicious. He knew Tony wouldn't care if he came in with a dirty shirt, though. He just had to say something to get out of there.



and that's it for now. maybe i'll continue the story at a later date. i'll probably take out the "he's dead now" part though, i don't think i like that. same with the contradictory part...did he or didn't he suggest the burrito place?!

new logo and such

i decided to make a logo. i dunno. i like ampersands. so i put one in my logo. not sure if i'm completely satisfied though. feedback?

i also made some minor alterations:
*changed "about me"
*added link to the hunger site. you should go there (and all of the others) every day.

and while i'm writing a frivolous blog, i might as well do another "shout outs" where i mention all the places i get traffic from. this is just from the past week.
*Bucharest, Romania (3 visits!)
*London
*"Unknown," Portugal
*Paris
*Melbourne, Australia
*Berlin
*Kitchener, Canada
*Seoul
*Stavanger (Stig!)
*Amsterdam
*Belleville, Canada
*Montreal
*Tel Aviv, Israel
*"Unknown," Greece
*Jerusalem
*Groningen, Netherlands

also, i seem to on a regularly basis get traffic from people searching from Southland Tales "I'm A Pimp and Pimps Don't Commit Suicide." like, every week. so that's something.


in other news, now that i have a job i feel more productive. that's why i'm blogging more now. i've just been in a better mood. so that's good.

last.fm gets better

I just found this story on punknews.org.  

Last.fm is launching its Artist Royalty Program.  Click for details, but basically independent and unsigned bands can get compensated with some ad revenue from ads that run alongside their streaming music on the site.  granted, it's not a lot of money per track streamed, but every little bit helps, right?

last.fm is the site that compiles what i listen to and puts that list over there to the right.  if you would like to be my last.fm friend, ad me!  my profile is here.  but there are songs you can stream on the website, so starting wednesday (when the program launches), help out your favorite independent/unsigned bands by streaming their music on the site!

so sign up already!

early notice

according to an email i received today, of montreal (my favorite band of 07, and if they play their cards right by releasing an equally brilliant album this fall, potential favorite band of 08) will be playing in denver on november 16th!  far as i know, this is the first official announcement of any official dates.  

another show i was alerted about is a very cool local show.  these bands are among my top colorado bands and i haven't seen them in awhile:

matson jones - they haven't played a show in so long!! their myspace has a bunch of songs you can download if you like.  if you don't know them, get on it because they are damned good.

monofog - i totally play kickball and/or go way back with the majority of this band.

sour boy bitter girl - one of my oldest and dearest friends!

magic cyclops - c'mon you know magic!

charly "city mouse" fasano - i have no idea but i shall.

july 24th at the bluebird.  be there, denver!

free miss kittin track!

today i was listening to some Annie as a result of the latest new song to leak from her new album (SO excited!!).  the song is called "Songs Remind Me of You" and can be downloaded here.

anyway, this made me decide to listen to the new Miss Kittin album, which is way better than it's getting credit for.  It seems largely ignored, like people don't care about her anymore, but I think the album is awesome.  Listening to that album prompted me to go to her website, where I discovered a free non-album track to download!  Just head over to the "goodies" section of her website to get the song entitled "FFF fff ..."

It's a strange track, but I like it.

More reading about Miss Kittin directed me to a free 2-track download from FRONT 242.  You can get that here.

little jackie

i was just watching conan and a band was on called little jackie. i missed them in my "tuesday tomorrow" post, because their album came out this week.

they are totally awesome. a combination of old school soul, pop, and somewhat hip hop. the song they played on conan was a whole lot of fun. so therefore, you need to check them out.

here is their myspace.

look into it. you'll be glad you did.

tuesday t'm'rr'w

hi.  stuff out.  now i can buy it if i want.

music releases:

*beck - modern guilt.  hell yeah! produced by danger mouse.  preview video thing here.

*willie nelson & wynton marsalis - two men with the blues.  live recording of two greats!  also available as a double lp.

*patti smith & kevin shields - the coral sea.  another live recording of two other greats!

*saul williams - the inevitable rise and liberation of niggytardust!  it gets a physical release!  if you didn't get it for $5 (or free) last year, now you can get it otherwise.  it has a few bonus tracks that weren't on that original digital release.  great album any way you obtain it.

*melvins - nude with boots

*ron sexsmith - exit strategy of the soul

*ratatat - lp3

*chromeo - fancy footwork. deluxe edition!

*nick cave & the bad seeds - dig, lazarus, dig! damnit, a fancy version comes out like 2 weeks after i finally get this.  this one comes with a hardcover book.

*cocorosie - god has a voice, she speaks through me. 7" picture disc.  mine arrived in the mail today!

*3Oh!3 - want. local! i'm holdin it down in the 303.  it was funny to see them on the myspace front page.

*v/a - life beyond mars: bowie covered.

digital versatile discs (video specifically)

*the future is unwritten. joe strummer documentary.  so want to see this.

*mon oncle antoine.

and a bunch of bullshit.

vinyl haul

(EDIT: apparently i was way out of this when i made this post.  i spelled it "hall" the first time.)

so i 95% have a job.  just need to pass the drug test and background check.  i didn't do nothin, so i should have this.

as a result, i went shopping.  at wax trax, the greatest place.  picked up this vinyl, in alphabetical order.  i am very happy:

-The Coward Brothers - The People's Limousine 7" (elvis costello & t bone burnett)

-DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince - Rock The House

-Four Tops - Reach Out

-Eric B & Rakim - Follow The Leader

-Françoise Hardy - Françoise

-Michael Jackson - Got To Be There

-Porter Wagoner - The Thin Man from West Plains

-Stevie Wonder - My Cherie Amour

-Talking Heads - Fear of Music

-The Temptations - The Temptations Sing Smokey

-Wilson Pickett - The Wicked Pickett

tomorrow is tuesday apparently

there's not much of note coming out tomorrow on little plastic discs.

ooh, my cds are due back at the library tomorrow! i almost forgot.  it's july 1st tomorrow.  oh crap rent is due too!

while i'm on a tangent, have you seen the myspace page with travis barker? he's working with the game?  how does one make the long drawn-out transition from aquabat to gangster?

from this:

to this:

i guess blink 182 and stuff had something to do with it.  and mtv and the transplants.  etc.

ok.  it's tuesday tomorrow.

little cds:

*alkaline trio - agony & irony.  i totally dug these guys back when they were like, good.  during their days on asian man records.  then they signed to vagrant and put out the very bad album from here to infirmary.  their next one good mourning was better, but the damage was done.  i am over them.

*deltron 3030 - deltron 3030 (reissue).  sorry if i made you think the new one was out.  not yet.  patience.  we all have to have patience.  this is a reissue of the first one.  it has 3 bonus remix tracks.  apparently the original issue is out of print now?  i did not know that.  nor do i know whether these new remixes are worth it.  regardless, if you don't own this, now you must get it because it's AMAZING.

*willie nelson - stardust (30th anniv. reissue).  willie visits the classics on this classic album.  covers of standards.  this one comes with a bonus disc of more covers of classics.  yes.  i might pick this one up, as i don't have the original.

*tickle me pink - madeline.  not my thing.  BUT my sister is friends with this band.  so i was happy to see this on page 10 of the amazon new releases.  yeah fort collins!

*the white stripes - entire catalog.  it's all getting reissued tomorrow.  i guess v2 had to stop putting out old albums? or something happened?  i remember when v2 stopped putting out new stuff, but i thought they would continue pressing their old stuff.  who knows.  but these new versions don't have any bonus tracks or anything.

little dvds:

*criterion: Mishima: a life in four chapters

and Patriotism.  don't know much of anything about these.

*my blueberry nights.  wong kar wai!  i wanted to see this one, ok netflix?

*city of men

*batman - the movie.  the original 1966 version!  YES.

*aria.  a collection of 10 pieces by different directors.  this is 20 years old but i believe this is the first time the dvd has come out.  includes two of my favorite directors, robert altman and jean-luc godard.  also bruce beresford, bill bryden, derek jarman, franc roddam, nicolas roeg, ken russell, charles sturridge, and julien temple.  minimal dialog.  pieces are set to opera soundtracks.  looks awesome.  i'll get back to you.

*robert frank: the complete film works vol. 3.  amazon gives no details, but i'd love to see this.

the verve + free + official + song

why not head on over to vervedownload.com?  you can get a free! download of a new song by the verve!  remember those guys?  they're still around.

the song is called "Mover" but i haven't heard it.  i'm still waiting for my download link to come to my email.  see, you have to sign up for their mailing list to get the track.  waiting...

so let me know if the song is any good.

i can't rap...

but Jelani can!

yes, here is a free album you can download from Jelani.  get it here!

thanks to free hip hop now for alerting me to yet more free music.

tuesday

i haven't gone to bed yet so tuesday is totally "tomorrow."

music comes out on tuesdays:

*sigur ros - meo suo i eyrum vio spilum endalaust

*be your own pet - get damaged (banned songs!)

*blondie - parallel lines (deluxe edition!)

*liz phair - exile in guyville (totally fancy deluxe edition)

*watson twins - fire songs

but more importantly this week, so do dvds:

*persepolis - i never saw this but i really really want to.

*futurama - the beast with a billion backs.  not super stoked after the first futurama movie disappointed me, but i still MUST see it because maybe it could be better this time around.

*honeydripper - i've written about this twice but i still haven't seen it.  

*in bruges - probably a good time.

AND a couple criterions:

*before the rain

*the furies

george carlin

simply brilliant.

more and more free music!

this new trend of offering music for free is really cool.  two things:

1. girl talk!  the new album feed the animals is out today and you can get it for free or for money.  your choice.  but if you choose to not pay they ask you why.  so you know, choose wisely.  if you pay $10 or more, you get the physical cd for free when it comes out.  i suggest you pay at least $5.  then you get the flac version and your conscience is clear.  to download it go to illegalart.net

2. the legendary mercury rev is releasing two albums in september, one of which is free to those that sign up for the band's mailing list.  they are not out until september 29th, but you can sign up now.  just go to mercuryrev.com.  you know, mercury rev is absolutely wonderful.  if you didn't already know that.

so that's it for that.  for more free music, click on the tag "free music."  i try to catch it all.

it's that day again

yes, monday means it's tuesday tomorrow and what a tuesday it is.

music out 6/17/08

*dennis wilson - pacific ocean blue: legacy edition.  this has been out of print forever.  but now we have it, as well as demos from the unreleased album bambu.  essential essential essential.

*diana ross - everything is everything: expanded edition. her sophomore solo album!

*wolf parade - at mount zoomer. 

*silver jews - lookout mountain, lookout sea

*reggie & the full effect - last stop: crappy town

*the war on drugs - wagonwheel blues. i wasn't a big fan of the free ep that came out awhile ago, but judge for yourself.

i don't know what else.

dvds out 6/17/08

*be kind rewind. i never saw it.  is it any good?

*joy division

*burn notice - season 1. never heard of this show.  but bruce campbell is on it? and people say it's great? what do you think?

*classe tous risques.  criterion.  i don't know much about it but it features jean-paul melmondo "fresh off his star turn in Breathless."  so you know, he is awesome.  maybe this one's good too.

i know i am not helpful.

well...don't they?

After the unfortunate passing of Sydney Pollack last month, I decided to check out one of his great early works from netflix.  The film They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

You know, this whole reality/humiliation show is not a new concept.  At all.

The film is about a dance marathon.  That lasts for MONTHS.  It takes place in the 30s.  Contestants sway in a gymnasium for the "entertainment" of a surprisingly large crowd.  I don't want to give away too much, but the contestants end up looking like zombies on that dance floor.  

Now let me quickly say that this film is brilliant.  Much more engaging than it sounds.  Watching the breakdown of these characters is truly astonishing.  There is a reason Sydney Pollack will be missed so, and this film is an example of something that Hollywood got SO RIGHT during its great age of the late 60s through the 70s.  

But beyond that.  Let me talk about the idea of humans as spectacle.  While watching it, I was thinking, "Sydney Pollack had such great foresight!  Like Network, this film foretells what will happen in the 21st century with shows like Fear Factor and Survivor and Who Wants To Marry A Millionaire and and and..."

So after the movie was over, I decided to do some research.  These competitions actually happened.  For thousands of hours, people would dance in an auditorium and people would watch them.  And this 1969 film was in fact based on a novel from 1935.  

This has been happening FOREVER.  As disturbing as it is that we have shows like this, where people are so obsessed with watching other people suffer, it has always been happening.  This generation may be sick, but every generation has been sick!  It's human nature and there's nothing we can do about it!

So basically, we're screwed.  That's the main lesson the film taught me.  We are doomed to thrive on humiliation forever.

carmel

it would appear that i've never written about carmel here on this blog.  what the f.

okay, long story short.  i am writing two blogs today, after all.  lead singer carmel mccourt is one of the coolest, most haunting singers i have ever heard.  probably in my top 10 singing voices of all time.

the band started in the early 80s (i believe) and had some moderate successes.  nothing i knew about for the first 20-some years of my life though.  

now, i know there are lots of bands out there that did something amazing in the past, only to be forgotten years later.  but carmel, to me, is very special.  some of the coolest music i've ever heard, and i can rarely find anything by them anywhere.  i was fortunate, recently, to find a "best of" album at a used record store.  strangely enough, it seemed to be BRAND NEW even though it was released in the late 80s.  like, never before played.  unopened.  an artifact in pristine condition.  of course i had to open it to listen to it though.

i guess my best description of their sound is jazz-soul-david lynch.  like, something you'd hear on twin peaks during an audrey scene.

ok, anyway, the reason for this post is that they have a myspace page.  and at this myspace page, you can download selections from throughout their career.  free songs that anyone in america would have a hard time tracking down.  free.  including a couple brand new recordings (both live and studio).  

click here. it will change your life.  download them all.  befriend them and put them on friend alerts so you know whenever they post new songs.  because the selection is constantly evolving.

you're welcome.

tue-morrow

hey! economy is down! support the economy! buy! buy! buy!

music out tomorrow*:

+Emmylou Harris - All I Intended To Be.  I am not as well-versed in her recent material as I should be, but she has one of the loveliest voices in music.

+Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III.  I still don't get what the big deal is with him.

+Martha Wainwright - I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too.

+N.E.R.D. - Seeing Sounds

+My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

+The Charlatans - You Cross My Path.  You know, in case you wanted to pay for it instead of getting it for free.

+Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Jeremy Michael Ward - s/t. I don't know much about this one.

+Robert Pollard - Robert Pollard Is Off to Business

video out tomorrow*:

+John Adams - I was always curious about this.  And I'm a big fan of both Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney.

+High Noon (2 Disc Collector's Edition).  This is a great film.  This edition is fully restored from the original negatives.  Previously released versions used a not-so-great print.  Totally worth it here.

+Boondocks: Season 2

that's it.

*that which is of interest to me

change is coming.

obama is the future.  i have no doubt about that.  he has cleared a hurtle, and he is ready to bring about real  change in this country.

i am very excited tonight.

tuesday

tomorrow is tuesday! it is june! rejoice!  it hit 90 yesterday!  it really is june!  summer music and movie seasons are in full swing!  including home media!

music:

*she & him - volume one ON VINYL.  i know there was a reason i waited so long to pick up this album!  the vinyl comes with a free download of the album on digital.  suckas!

*ladytron - velocifero. electroclash-ish  yet it remains relevant in 2008.  kudos to that! ladytron is awesome.  you know that, i know that, everybody knows that.  

*the futureheads - this is not the world.  you know, i never got into them really.

*animal collective - water curses ep ON  VINYL.  i will probably get this now.

*weezer - red album.  i really want this to be great.  but after seeing the pitchfork review, i am worried again.  not that i always agree with pitchfork.  it's just discouraging is all.

*jean grae & 9th wonder - jeanius. can't go wrong.

viddy:

*weeds season 3. i still haven't watched this show but i feel like i should.  starting with season 1 of course.

*control. i smell netflix!

*the onion movie.  i really wonder if they can pull this off.  or if they did, rather.  3 years ago.  i know i have to see this.  i just hope it's good.

Inspector Owl

this is about one month old, but it still works.

Inspector Owl has a free EP.  You have to sign up for their mailing list to get it though.  But still, free music!  Just go to their website inspectorowl.com to get it.

Once upon a time I featured this band on my show.  When I produced that one show.  So you know, I approve.  Dig it.

amazon's indie music class is in session!

are you serious?

they are serious.

there is even a photo album.  "indie yearbook photos."  featuring adorable portraits of the likes of mates of state, sam beam, flight of the conchords, and more!

there's a list of "head of the class" solo artists.  did you know that "bright eyes has risen to the head of the class with [his] talent and incredible independent releases?"

there's a g-d "zoology" section for bands with animals in their titles.

i can't handle it.  somebody is super proud of this page.  somebody worked very hard on this.  somebody got paid to do this.  i still don't have a job.

rest in peace sydney pollack

one of the greats in the film world has passed on at age 74.

he directed many great films including tootsie, out of africa, the firm, the way we were, and the interpreter.  he produced more, from cold mountain to searching for bobby fischer.  as an actor, he made an unforgettable performance in eyes wide shut, in addition to the player, husbands and wives, and of course will & grace.

i don't know.  to me personally, i feel like he's another of that great generation of filmmakers that made the greatest films ever and now they seem to be dying off.  it is very sad.

tomorrow is my dad's birthday!

hooray for my dad.  great guy.  if we hadn't had his celebration today, there are some things i could've gotten him, because it's also tuesday tomorrow!

music:

*al green - lay it down.  my top release of this week for sure.  i haven't listened to much of his recent gospel stuff and haven't been really interested, but i've heard a little bit of THIS album, and it sounds just great.  ?uestlove produced the thing and it's got john legend and corinne bailey rae.  i know lots of new albums by old artists feature new talent and all that, but this one really seems special to me.

*cyndi lauper - bring ya to the brink.  ow ow!

video:

*cassandra's dream.  very curious about this one.  i missed it when it was in theaters (for the whole one week it was here!).  it seemed to get very little hype.  but i enjoy even recent woody allen works (especially match point), and i have to at least see this one.  netflix here it comes!

*absolutely fabulous - absolutely everything.  it's EVERYTHING!

*the thief of baghdad. criterion.

the big one is al green.  the rest are filler.  unless cassandra's dream turns out to have been an overlooked gem.

devastation

so...interesting day today.

today this happened.

now, Quiet Brandon is currently based out of Denver, and in Denver, we just got a little rain.  no biggie down here.

but windsor, the town that was hit the hardest and most directly (as in, well, directly), is where my parents live.

now, fortunately for them, the tornado hit the east side of windsor and the downtown area.  and my parents live on the west side.  but damn if it wasn't scary.

thoughts and prayers go out to the people that got the brunt of the storm, the people whose houses were torn up.  

that is all.

is it tuesday already tomorrow?

so since i stopped doing that one show that i used to do on the internet where we'd talk about all those new albums that came out and all that, i have stopped doing much research about stuff coming out in the distant future.  so most of these are pleasant surprises to me.  a bunch of artists i'm allllll about are putting albums out tomorrow, and i didn't even know they were even in planning! or i may have forgotten. either way, pleasant surprises (except for my non-income means i can't really afford to get these).

music coming out to you and me:

*free kitten - inherit.  free kitten is kim gordon's other band.  it's been over 10 years since they put anything out.  i didn't know they were gonna put anything out again.  but guess what? this is out tomorrow!  it's only $8.99 on amazon so hopefully that means it's cheap everywhere.

*islands - arm's way.  return to sea was a great sleeper album for me.  most critics and such praised it though, i believe.  but i personally didn't listen to it much but i remember when i did, i loved it.  this one isn't so much a surprise as an "oh yeah, these guys!"

*jim o'rourke - tamper.  this is a re-release of his 1991 album.  he is amazing.  i did know about this but forgot when it was coming out.  still, here it is.

*mudhoney - lucky ones.  legendary, they are! i even got to interview them (or run a camera for an interview with them) a couple years back.  this is their 8th album.

*the dresden dolls - no, virginia.  i half-like them.  this seems to be outtakes from yes, virginia.

*mates of state - re-arrange us.  they are pretty damn cute, i tell you what.

*scarlett johansson - anywhere i lay my head.  everybody knows about this one.  if you've read a blog in the past few months, you've known about this one.  i personally don't care much.  i heard that one song and it was pretty boring.  i'd rather just listen to tom waits.  it's disappointing because dave sitek produced the album, and i love tv on the radio.  ah well.

there's not much notable out on dvd.

*night of the living dead.  40th anniversary edition.  remastered and "loaded with all new special features."  i don't know what these special features are.  but this is one of the greatest films ever.  and according to an amazon review, george romero never put a copyright on the original, resulting in lots of public domain dvds of it.  this is the one put out by him, the "official" version that will actually support the artist.

*square pegs - the complete series.  sarah jessica parker's show before sex & the city.  it's pretty cute from what i remember.

james stewart - the western collection.  he is my favorite "old timey" actor.  this collection includes destry rides again, winchester 73, bend of the river, the far country, night passage, and the rare breed.  all for $30, a pretty good deal.  these are all already available, but still a nice collection.

nina b is a icon?

i cannot yet attest to the quality of this, but there is a free album that you can download if you go here.

it's a madonna tribute mash-up featuring nina b.  i'm guessing it's like the rhymefest/michael jackson one that came out earlier this year that is AMAZING.  but possibly not quite so amazing.  but it's free, so what've you got to lose?