Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in shotfromthehip's LiveJournal:

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Friday, October 9th, 2009
2:49 pm	Sharks I love every Morphine album, but my favorite album differs from time to time. Some months it's The Night, others it's Like Swimming. It could be Cure For Pain, and sometimes it's even Bootleg: Detroit. This month though, it's Yes, far and away, it's Yes. I love the way it has the straight up songs on teh first half, the drifts into the whacked out stuff as it goes on. "Sharks", below, is from side two. Sharks patrol these waters Sharks patrol these waters Don't let your fingers dangle in the water And don't you worry about the dayglow orange life preserver It won't save you It won't save you Swim for the shore just as fast as your able Swim like a motherfucker Swim Fast as that scene shifts to now The ever glorious now the ever present Now Drenched in flower and deep-fat-fried And cooled on paper towels and then devoured You know I spent 15 years in a life raft 15 years in a life raft and now I got something to say Stay in your life boats people Stay in your life boats people It's murder out there It;s murder out there Sharks patrol these waters Sharks patrol these waters hey Don't you worry about the dayglow orange life preserver It won't save you It won't save you Swim for the shores just as fast as your able Swim Current Mood: cranky Current Music: Morphine - Yes (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, October 2nd, 2009
3:07 pm	Stir It Up Just FYI - There are few things better in the world than the Dread Zeppelin album 5,000,000. Take a Fat Elvis impersonator (Tortelvis FTW) and add it to a band that does reggae covers of Led Zeppelin songs. Hilarity ensues. And pure sonic bliss. Current Mood: giddy Current Music: Dread Zeppelin - "When The Levee Breaks" (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, October 1st, 2009
7:48 pm	Embedding The Moss So... we're going to see The Decemberists in Houston tomorrow night. I'm weirdly not at all excited about it. It seems like more of a chore than anything else. Live music (or the prospect thereof) really doesn't do anything for me anymore. Another sign of getting older, or just the fact that to see anything worthwhile demands months of planning and seemingly arduous travel given where we live and where good music seems to happen (ie: not here). I don't know... it's not as if I don't have a good time once we finally do see a show. You would think that given the rarity with which live shows happen for me anymore that it would seem much more a treat and something to look forward to than it seems to be, but really, I just feel like it's such a bother now. I wonder if I would feel that way if it were more convenient? Probably never know, unless forced to move back to a major population center. Anyway, just sharing random thoughts. The following things are good: Love Is A Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield (book) Smile by Boris Funeral by The Arcade Fire (duh) Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix "Little Red Corvette" by Prince Guinness 250th anniversary stout Nirvana live on MTV January 10th, 1992 Pelican (band) Current Mood: exhausted Current Music: The Arcade Fire - Funeral (Comment on this)
Thursday, September 24th, 2009
6:24 pm	I Shall Be Released Well, I might be able to access LJ again, but I'm not sure what, if anything I have to post about. Funny thing about having your net access so limited is that you learn that you can live without it. I'm not really sure if I have anything I want or need to share anymore. So, what have I been doing and listening to of late? Well, I've been spending an inordinate amount of my free time working on and organizing my Nirvana, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Explosions In The Sky, and Pelican concert collections, thanks in huge part to partial (and now apparently full) access to The Internet Archive. Basically, just burning and labeling a bunch of cdr's of shows, and making simple covers for them all. It very much appeals to my inner OCD needs right now. As for my listening, well, the above bands, obviously, as well as Boris, still. A lot. Other things... The Phoenix cd Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is really good. We saw a band called The Other Girls open for The Veils in Austin a couple months back, and their cd we picked up at the show is still in heavy rotation. Check out a blues/soul band called Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears if you can, they're fabulous. Um, I don't know. I've had a real big hankering for a lot of noise/experimental music the last couple of months. Neil Young's Arc and Sonic Youth's Sonic Death albums come to mind. Then again, I've played all of the Helium albums a lot the past week or so, too. It's not like I've given up on the pretty side of music or anything. So, that's me really. Doing amazingly boring filing & labeling, listening to lost of noise, tempered with a fair amount of more poppy stuff (Phoenix & The Other Girls, among others). I feel good, most days. Happy, even. I just don't necessarily have a lot to say about it, I guess. Current Mood: good Current Music: most recently, GYBE - F#A#(infinity) (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
3:33 pm	I might be Back... Feels so good, just wanna shake it on down shakey street... Y'all please pray or whatever that my company has finally stopped blocking LJ again... Current Music: Helium - "All The X's Have Wings" (Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
9:20 pm	Offend In Every Way Have been thinking of getting a Twitter account lately. Would probably use it to randomly gush over some song or album here & there, and various astonishments about work (like having to explain the difference between hardware & software. no, really.) I can't get to Twitter from work, but I can email & text msg posts in. Anyway, just wondering if anyone would be interested or has an opinion or anything... These things are good: Sebadoh - Bakesale Justice - (cross) the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack "It's like wasting everything / On someone else's dream / Seems pretty crazy to me" Current Mood: frustrated (Comment on this)
Friday, February 6th, 2009
3:16 pm	Let's Get Fucked Up Not posting right now. Sorry, not much to say really. Taking a sabattical to recharge my posting batteries, I guess. Things of note though: Lux Interior, lead singer for The Cramps died this week. Lux was one of the best frontmen I've ever seen. I've never known anyone who could do the things he did on stage and never miss a beat or word. Just an amazing performer. I was both sad and shocked at his passing, and I cranked up Flamejob on the way home that night. I've ben listening to a ton of Lush, Helium, and Local H the past couple of weeks. I really can't recommend anything by these three bands enough. However, Split by Lush, The Dirt Of Luck by Helium, and Pack Up The Cats by Local H are excellent places to start. Also been listening to a lot of very pretentious things lately, especially The Bedlam In Goliath by The Mars Volta, the Boris album Smile, and Altar by Sunn O))) & Boris. None of these are particularly easy to listen to, but I've found them very rewarding lately. You have to be in the right mood/head space, but if you can get there... there is a payoff. Anyway, I'm going to crawl back under my rock now. Current Mood: peaceful Current Music: I don't know if you've ever watched CNN for more than 20 hours in a day... (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 3rd, 2009
1:41 pm	Genesis Well, here it is, 52 albums that I was totally obsessed with in the past year or so. You should really check them out if you haven't. And if you have, tell me what you thought about them. Please remember I don't limit myself with the caveat that the records I get crazy about have to have been released this past year. Obsession knows no time. These also aren't in any particular order, even though they are numbered. Except the last one or two, my Albums of The Year. Yes, albums plural. Also, at the beginning, two albums I was really disappointed with. First off, the two albums I was very disappointed with for 2008 TV On The Radio - Dear Science  - I know this makes me a bastard, because I know in my heart that this is probably a really great album. It just never did anything for me, no matter how or when I listened to it. This has made a lot of year end best of's and was even Rolling Stone's Best Album Of The Year. It just wasn't that great to me an I really wanted it to be. I loved Return To Cookie Mountain, to the point that it was my personal Best of the Year in 2006, so my expectations for this were probably too high. I will not say this album is bad; it's not at all. Just that it wasn't good enough to me. Portishead - Third  - This on the other hand just kinda sucked. It soulds nothing like old Portishead. I know it's not necesarily supposed to, but again, I loved their older stuff and realy wanted more of that sound and this just didn't deliver. The Top 52 Albums of 2008 1. Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (With A Buzz In Our Ears We Play Endlessly)  - Probably the most accessible album they've ever put out. I don't like it as much as other albums Sigur Ros have done, but it is good, very good. Then again, they can pretty much do not wrong for me. 2. Silversun Pickups - Carnavas - Great alt pop from LA. Just a great sound. 3. Verbena - Into The Pink   - One from way back that made the rounds for me quite a bit in the fall/winter. Another next big thing for me when this came out, always looking for that particular crunch of a guitar. They definitely had it. 4. Sonic Youth - Dirty (Deluxe Edition)  - I love reissued/deluxe editions. I love having the B-sides or some live tracks gathered together on a second disc. I love long liner notes written by obsessed fans/journalists. 5. Spoon - Gimmie Fiction   - I think I like this disc better than the newer Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. Sweet, light guitar pop with soul. 6. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend (Deluxe Edition)  - My very favorite album of all time, reissued with a bonus disc of B-sides, live stuff, etc. Heavenly! 7. Television - Marquee Moon - This is actually a reissue with three or four hard to find bonus songs tacked on. One of the best 70's NYC bands. Definitely the most proficient. I really should have more of thier stuff, but I savor this one every time I listen to it. 8 & 9. Otis Redding - Otis Redding Sings Soul & Live in London and Paris   - I don't know what to say about these discs. You either love Otis Redding or you don't. If you don't though, there is something wrong with you and I don't want to know you. 10 & 11. Pixies - Doolittle & Bossanova   - These records are 1a and 1b for me with the Pixies right now. So much of the music I Iove is or was influenced by the Pixies. 12. Massive Attack vs Mad Professor - No Protection   - I know this might be too new (to me) to be on here, but it's just so amazingly good that I couldn't resist. A huge, huge sounding record. So layered and full that you'll hear new stuff on it for years. 13. Mastodon - Blood Mountain   - When you absolutely, positively have to rock every last brain cell in your head... accept no substitutes. 14. Mercury Rev - Snowflake Midnight / Strange Attractor   - These are actually two seperate albums, but they seem more like siblings to me. Dreamy psych pop/rock. 15. Muse - Black Holes And Revelations   - This one took a few listens to warm up to for me, but ended up being very rewarding and one of the more played albums for me this year. It's big and noisy and has way too many effects on it, but I like it anyway. 16. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless   - Again, either you like em or you don't, but this time I'll forgive you if you don't. They just aren't for everybody, I think. 17 & 18. Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV & The Slip   - Trent Reznor's best music in years and years. Plus, it was all free, if you so chose. Very listenable and very cool. 19. Nirvana - In Utero (Albini Mix)  - Steve Albini's original mix of this album highlights just how abrasive and loud Nirvana could be when they wanted to, reaffirming this as my very favorite Nirvana release. 20. Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer?   - Brilliant solo debut that may have ended The Dresden Dolls. I hate that, because Brian Viglione is the best drummer of his generation, but this record is just excellent. She has such a fantastic voice and a great vision of what her music should be. Genius. 21. The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath   - The ultimate fusion band. Jazz, rock, punk, prog, tejano/conjunto, let's throw it all at the wall and make it stick. Love or hate it, you have to admit it's smart. 22. The Veils - Nux Vomica   - Any other year, and this is probably my Album of the Year. It's beautiful, huge, loud, and lush, often within the same song. 23. The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs   - 69 different songs in almost as many styles about all different kinds of love. 24. Lush - Split   - Lovely waves of sound by lovely people. Thier last great album. 25. Led Zeppelin - How The West Was Won - I'm usually not a big fan of live Zeppelin, but this year, it did something for me. It messy and grandiose, and not always in a good way, but it is amazing and can be moving on a base, perhaps cock-based, level. 26. Lady Dottie and The Diamonds - Lady Dottie and The Diamonds   - If you like bar band soul music, go buy this disc. This band will rock you socks right out of the drawer. 27. The Jesus Lizard - Lash EP  - Put on CD. Set volume to pulverize. Call me 16 minutes later with you head completely blown off. 28. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights  - So cool and so seemingly effortless, it still captivates me. 29. I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear Is On Our Side   - This was one of my favorite discoveries this year. Vaguely Depeche Mode-ish but more lush and compelling. 30 & 31. John Lee Hooker - Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive & Endless Boogie   - Full-band blues has never sounded more Delta than this. The Hook is surrounded by great bandmates that completely respect him and his vision of the blues, allowing him to lead by example into a great place of blues glory. 32. Doves - Lost Sides   - One of the best B-sides albums I've heard in a long time. Mellow and big at the same time. 33. Electric Light Orchestra - Out Of The Blue   - I've waxed on and on about this. I love it, but I don't know anyone else who does. Your loss. 34. Faith No More - Angel Dust   - Totally different from their previous efforts, this may have been the best they ever did. It rocks and disturbs in equal measures. 35. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes   - This is another one that has made it high on a lot of year end lists, and deservedly so. Gorgeous melodies with deceptively simple music. I'm looking forward to seeing them develop in the years to come. Check them out live if you get the chance. 36. Flobots - Fight With Tools - The perfect rap album for this perfect storm of an election year. Nothing spoke to me more on a political level than this. 37. Funkadelic - Maggot Brain   - Excepting the title track and a couple of sound colages at the end, this is as fine an example of guitar-based funk music that you'll ever find. 38. The Glove - Blue Sunshine (Deluxe Edition)  - Robert Smith & Steve Severin's acid-soaked 80's pop psychedelic masterpiece. This one grabbed me a lot and shook me and shook me. 39. Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple   - I didn't play this as much as I should have. It seems like other things kept getting in the way. This is great though. If you liked St. Elsewhere, you owe it to yourself to pick this up. It's not as instantly catchy, but it's quite rewarding if you persist with it. Plus, Cee Lo's voice is amazing. 40. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House   - This was in constant rotation for me throughout the year. It's super-mellow and sublime. I love it. 41. Harry and The Potters - The Power Of Love   - The most fully realized of their albums, and the most well-produced. The best example of Wizard Rock out there. 42. Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul   - Never a better or more acurate title has ever been applied to an album. It is what it sounds like and what it says. It's Hot. It's Buttery. And it is soul. 43. The Decemberists - The Long Of It (Live 10-28-07 Chicago)   - A great sounding recording from the only show of it's kind the band ever did. All of their really long songs, plus a spot-on cover of "Echoes" by Pink Floyd. It is my very favorite Decemberists recording. 44. Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill  - Strangely, it's a rap album that doesn't sound dated. Rare. Really an awesome disc. Excellent beats, samples and production. 45. Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold - This could have made Best of the Year also. Definitely the best rap album I've ever heard. It's so smart and insightful, without being pretentious or offensive. Just an amazing, eye-opening album. Finally someone doing things with rap that might have been done years ago if not of the emergence of gangsta. 46. Battles - Mirrored   - One of the most progressive things I own. It's weird, and not always easy to listen to, but it is very, very rewarding for those with the persistance to get through it all. 47. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup - I will gladly pay good money for every record Zach Condon ever puts out. This guy is a brilliant master of many forms. Please check Beirut out, and expand your personal sonic range. 48. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81   - Not BRMC's best album (that's Howl, to my ears), but catchy as hell, and loud and melodious at the same time. It rocks, but not how you might expect. 49. Boris - Pink   - This band broke me this year, made my head explode. A totally new interpretation of metal and very hard punk rock. I don't look at Japan the same way now. My vision of that country is now just a touch more skewed than before. 50. David Bowie - Station To Station - Proof that cocaine can lead to great music. My very favorite Bowie album. 51. The Breeders - Pod   - I rediscovered this lately. It has more levels than I remember, and I love that in music. I definitely recommend headphones for this. And now my very favorite albums of the year. If you've paid attention, you know what's coming next. If you haven't... Well... 52. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals and Night Ripper - I fould Night Ripper in Boston (finally) in May, and it blew me away. When Feed The Animals came up for download a few months later, it did it all over again, bigger and better than before. You've probably read about this already everywhere else. Lots of samples all mashed up together. But these are NOT mash up albums. This is taking old things and making something new and better. Plus, it's actually entertaining to watch in a live setting, something most rap, hip-hop, and electronic or dance music can't say. This is genius, pure brilliant ahead of the curve, genius. Current Mood: warm Current Music: Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 1st, 2009
4:12 pm	All Over The World Here's the log for Tuesday. I know I'm slacking, but the last selection below was four discs. I think I'm going to try to get the Top 52 done tonight or tomorrow or whatever. I think I know what a lot of the selections will be already; it's just a matter of going through the stacks and getting it all down and such. Anyway, look for it sometime this weekend. Daily Listening Log for 12-30-08 Justice - + Grizzly Bear - Yellow House Harry and the Potters - The Power Of Love  - I know it seems silly, but if you are a fan of the books at all, you really should check these guys out. Smart, funny rock. I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness EP  - This debut EP isn't nearly as good as the full length album that followed it, Fear Is On Our Side, but it's nice to see where they started and a bit of how the band got to where they are. This was another Christmas gift. The Jesus & Mary Chain - The Power Of Negative Thinking (box set)  - I actually got this at the end of November as a birthday present from my mother-in-law. It's just fabulous, if you are a J&MC fan. If you aren't, or if you aren't sure if you are. I do not recommend this as a starting point, as it's all b-sides & rarities. If you're a fan though... Wow. Listenin to it all at once was really enlightening too, as it is in rough chronological order. Just hearing ideas come & go, and sometimes come back again was very cool. Current Mood: content Current Music: Pixies - Bossanova (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
10:44 am	Walk On By Sorry for the lack of updates. Christmas was... busy, to say the least. At least we don't have to undertake massive travelling like some do. This first 6 albums on this list are almost all of the wonderful discs given to me as presents this year. I think CD's are generally my favorite gifts to receive. I know, big surprise. Not so much individualy, but more like stacking them all up at the end of the holiday season and just having this nice large pile of albums to sift through and digest. It just makes me really happy. Daily Listening Log for 12-29-08 Boris - Smile  - Probably a better album overall than Pink, definitely more well rounded. Pixies - Bossanova  - I know in my heart that Doolittle is the Pixies greatest album, but this has got to be a very, very close second. It might be their most accessible record. I don't know that it's enough to make threerings  a fan, but it at least has a chance.   Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul  - Yes! Finally, I own an album called Hot Buttered Soul! It's wonderful, too. Massive Attack vs Mad Professor - No Protection  - We used to get just wrecked listening to this back in the day. The great thing is, it's just as good sober as I remember it being when stoned. If you don't know, it Massive Attack's second album (I think) Protection completely remixed. Songs are still somewhat recognizable, but it's definitely new. So deep and heavy, a very true aural definition of the term "trip hop". The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band  - Brilliant. They were high as shit, but this is just gorgeously brilliant. Their best? Maybe. Will require further listening and comparison. Justice - +  - The album title is actually a cross, not a plus sign. Excellent dance/electronic music from France. I know I'm at least a year late on this one, but that's better than the 40 years late I am on the above Beatles record. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless  - I've really been feeling a lot of shoegaze lately, hence this an the following Lush album. Lush - Split Pixies - Bossanova  - Once more today for good measure. I've listened to this quite a few times since Christmas. Current Mood: cold Current Music: The Price Is Right, one of my favorite TV shows of all time (Comment on this)
Thursday, December 25th, 2008
5:19 pm	Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer Sorry about the post title. First themed song that came to mind though, and I'm being a bit rushed. Going to try to get a run down of the excellent offerings made to the Glorious Wall Of CD's later tonight or tomorrow. For now though, Merry Christmas to everyone and glad tidings. I'm still waiting for that album of Death Metal Christmas Carols to show up though.   Daily Listening Log for 12-24-08 The Breeders - Pod   - I actually played this last night while going to sleep. Tanya Donnally's voice is so wasted on this album. I know  this was her transition from Throwing Muses to her solo stuff with Belly, and as such it's a logical stepping stone,  but I wish she had more of a presence here. Great record though, even if Steve Albini recorded it a bit too quietly. It has excellent textures and I find myself still hearing new things or old things in new ways even now,  after over ten years. The Breeders - Pod Demos   - Proto-Pod. Cool though, always good to hear songs you love in embryonic forms. The Breeders - Safari EP   - Maybe my favorite Breeders release. A perfect between albums placeholder. Spacey, weird and poppy all at once. The Breeders - Last Splash   - "Cannonball" was a huge single, and lots of people bought this album as a result. Unfortunately, lots of them sold it back to the stores as well. I used to come across this a lot in used bins. Not so much now though. It's a  really underrated disc, full of surprises and sonic crazyness. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl   - Upbeat, poppy acoustic record to keep me awake. It's 6:45 am here right now, so I'm kinda dragging ass. Listening to this though, I realize that I've never been disappointed by BRMC. All of thier albums, in whatever  direction they've gone in, have been really solid and entertaining. Various - A Very Bootie Christmas   - You know... to get in the mood. It is Christmas Eve after all. Plus, I'm staging audio combat against Elvis' Christmas music from across the room. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals  - I ended up the day working in our bindery department, shrinkwrapping 600 packs of deposit slips. Nothing make boring monotony go by better than Girl Talk.  Current Mood: full Current Music: various Christmas songs (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
6:23 pm	Tin Pan Alley So, here we are again... I got nothing, really. Looking forward to the Top 52 list after taking last year off though. Not sure when that will show up, but sometime within the next couple of weeks I'm sure. Anyway, here's the list for today.   Daily Listening Log for 12-23-08 Mitch Hedberg - Do You Believe In Gosh?   - Posthumous release of stuff Mitch was working on near the time he died. Hilariously funny. His deadpan humor is  still brilliant. Sigur Ros - Svefn-G-Englar EP Spoon - Gimmie Fiction Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble - Live At Montreux 1985   - Every time I see Stevie Ray play, I am blown away. Just hearing him does not have the same effect, even  when it's live. I don't care much for his studio work, but the live stuff that's been released is excellent. Smashing Pumpkins - Lull EP Television - Marquee Moon Veruca Salt - American Thighs   - I was so fond/obsessed with the record when it came out back in '94 or whatever. I mean, this was the bees knees in my world. I still like it, and I have fond memories of the album, the band, and seeing them live a time or  two. Weezer - Weezer  (The Blue Album)  - As long as we're in Mr. Peabody's Way Back Machine... I've always really liked this album from the same period.  Funny thing is, I never really liked anything else Weezer did after this, and they're freaking huge now. I don't have  anything against them, and the odd song of their's still tickles my fancy, but I don't own any of their other  albums, either. I got to see them and Veruca Salt at seperate shows during a week long trip to New York City  when these debuts were new. That was cool, though I remember, through the fog of the flu, that Veruca Salt  was the better show. Wire - Chairs Missing Current Mood: complacent Current Music: The Rockets game on TV. Before that, Boris - Pink (Comment on this)
Monday, December 22nd, 2008
8:04 pm	Through The Eyes Of Ruby OK, trying to do this at home regularly. Thanks for all of your suggestions and comments. Daily Listening Log for 12-22-08 Various - A Very Bootie Christmas   - Great Christmas themed mash-ups from www.bootieusa.com. Go get it! threerings  and I listened to a lot of  these over the weekend. Also, check out the Santastic series of discs also. Google it or something. The Charlatans - Up To Our Hips   - Excellent early 90's Britpop to start the workday. Funkadelic - Maggot Brain   - Spaced out funk super nova. Harry and The Potters - The Power Of Love   - Awesome record. Funny. Good production, less sonically annoying than some of their earlier stuff. Actually,  some of the tracks on here are very reminiscent of Arcade Fire. The Jesus Lizard - Lash EP  - You know why? Because fuck these motherfuckers, that's why. Hot Snakes - Suicide Invoice Pink Floyd - The Wall (both discs)  - "Banging your heart against some mad bugger's wall." Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness (both discs)  - Because one great double album deserves another. And, yes, I do consider this a great album. Current Mood: frustrated Current Music: Rachel Maddow - "I'm Never Happy" (Comment on this)
Friday, December 19th, 2008
1:22 pm	Disconnection Notice Just to put all 4 of my loyal readers on notice, my job has just blocked access to LJ, not to mention a slew of other sites that I read regularly. This means posting the Daily Log will become more sporadic, at best. I'm going to try to keep posting, but we only have dial up at home, so I'm not totally sure how it's going to work out, really. If anybody has any ideas, or knows how to defeat WebSense when it's based on a server that's out of state, I'm all ears. Also, if you have any ideas on how to evolve this blog, I'd like to hear those, too. I've been feeling that this list format is already starting to grow a tad stale, so maybe I can use this time to re-jigger things here. Please leave any and all thoughts in comments, or you can email me at this username on gmail. In the immortal words of Flava Flav when told he was "quite hostile": "Hostile? I got a right to be hostile! My people bein' persecuted!" Oh, and as hinted at somewhere below, I am planing to do a Top 52 list later this month, so stay tuned for that at least. It's been a good year for listening so... yeah. Daily Listening Log for 12-18-08 Television - Marquee Moon   - For some reason, I was paying particular attention to the bass lines on this record this morning. Very bouncy  and rolling. Highly skilled playing that fits perfectly with the drums and guitars. And the guitars? This is why  someone coined the term "interwoven". The The - Hanky Panky   - An album full of sexy covers of Hank Williams songs. Vastly under appreciated. The Veils - Nux Vomica   - Album of the year? It's in the running, but you'll have to wait and see... Journey - Greatest Hits Girl Talk - Night Ripper   - Because I just haven't listened to Girl Talk enough this year. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better   - Brilliantly poppy rock music. Their albums make me so happy. For an extra treat, look for their self titled DVD. Boris - Pink Brad - Interiors   - Good, mostly mellow, stuff. Not as good as their debut Shame, but good. They sound better when they tone it  down to me. Saw them tour for this album, and Stone Gossard switched guitars between every song, literally.  That seemed a bit excessive to me. Placebo - Placebo Current Mood: hostile Current Music: Steinski - What Does It All Mean? (Disc 2) (Comment on this)
Thursday, December 18th, 2008
8:25 am	Torn Curtain Pants. We're going to need pants, I think. Yes, this mission will almost definitely require pants. At least most of the time. Daily Listening Log for 12-17-08 Pixies - Doolittle  - I actually started listening to the Breeders this morning, but it just didn't feel right after the first couple songs, so I switched to this, which almost always feels right. My Morning Jacket - "Evil Urges"  - I love this song, but I'm not so sure about the rest of thier stuff. Led Zeppelin - III Various - A Magical Christmas of Magic  - Because "In My Room Of Requirement (It's Always Christmas)". A.A. Bondy - Daytrotter Session  - I know I've kind of dogged on this, but it's growing on me. Like a fungus. Isaac Hayes - various tracks  - I feel so ignorant having only "discovered" the genius of this man after he died. I must, as they say, rectify that deficiency. How the hell do I not own an album called Hot Buttered Soul? Ike & Tina Turner - various tracks  - More stuff I've downloaded that I really need to buy soon. Another of those artists that I'd always heard were great, but that I'd never heard for myself. I love the internet, even if it does break me. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House  - This is just a beautiful, gorgeous record. Sublime. The Decemberists - The Long Of It: Live in Chicago, 10-28-07  - They cover Pink Floyd's "Echoes" at this show. Have you ever listend to "Echoes"? I mean really listened to "Echoes"? Deadman - Paramour  - Local band from Dallas. I'm sure I've said ti before, but this album sounds like Texas to me. It speaks to my geographic soul.   Current Mood: foggy Current Music: Television - Marquee Moon (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008
8:26 am	Come In Alone Decided to do the whole "Use a good lyric as description for the band or album" thing yesterday, just to change it up again. I very highly recommend you hunt down some Sunset Rubdown though. That's some really great stuff there. Daily Listening Log for 12-16-08 Sunset Rubdown - Daytrotter Sessions 1 & 2  - "She said 'My name and my spirit are both corrupt / If you hold me close, you gotta hold me up.'" Radiohead - Hail To The Theif  - "My thoughts are misguided and a little naive." The National - Daytrotter Session  - "Looking for somewhere to stand and stay / I leaned on the wall and the wall leaned away." Morphine - Like Swimming  - "On 6-6-66 / I was little / I didn't know shit..." Mercury Rev - Opus 40 EP  - "Well, she tossed all night like a raging sea / woke up and climbed from the suicide machine." LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver  - "And if I made a fool, if I made a fool, if I made a fool / on the road, there's always this / And if I'm sewn into submission / I can still come home to this." Kicking Giant - Alien i.D.  - "I used to be so cruel / but now it's you / who's breaking all the rules / tell me why I'd want to hold on to you." John Lee Hooker - The Very Best of...  - "One night I was laying down / I heard mama and papa talking / I heard papa tell mama / "Let that boy boogie woogie / cause it in him / and it got to come out." " The Jesus & Mary Chain - Darklands  - "The frozen stare / The clothes and hair / These make me taste like a man." Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde  - "Now your dancing child with his Chinese suit / He spoke to me, I took his flute / No, I wasn't very cute to him / Was I?" Boris - Pink  - I'm sorry, but I'm not even going to attempt to put down some of their lyrics, as they are all in Japanese. They rock though. Like, a lot.   Current Mood: indifferent Current Music: My Morning Jacket - "Evil Urges" (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008
6:20 pm	Wish ( 2008 Holiday Wishlist meme )   </div> Current Mood: content (8 Comments |Comment on this)
8:21 am	The Mending Of The Gown Very busy day yesterday, so I didn't get anything written for these wonderful albums. Just know that the Explosions In The Sky album below is brain explodingly good. Daily Listening Log for 12-15-08 Steinski - What Does It All Mean? (Disc 1) Morphine - Good Neko Case - Blacklisted Mind Science Of The Mind - Mind Science Of The Mind The Jesus & Mary Chain - Honey's Dead Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear Is On Our Side Doves - Lost Sides Beirut - The Flying Club Cup Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden, I Miss Everyone The Veils - Nux Vomica Current Mood: groggy Current Music: Sunset Rubdown - Winged Wicked Things (Comment on this)
Sunday, December 14th, 2008
2:09 pm	Feels Blind Daily Listening Log for 12-11-08 through 12-14-08 12-11-08 Starsailor - Love Is Here  - My driving home music, though I spent most of the drive on the phone withquietlywatch343, the poor bastard. Sigur Ros - Takk...  - More excellence for drifting off to sleepyland. ( ) is still my favorite of their albums, but only because it was the first one I heard. This and Agaetis Byrjun are also really great. 12-12-08 Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere  - They have a new disc out, but I just can't get behind the idea of them still being Secret Machines without Josh Garza. This album is trippy excellent though. Boris - Pink  - Played at the volume setting of "pulverize" on the way to see the doctor. Throwin' the goat, baby! Bikini Kill - The CD Version of the First Two Records Bikini Kill - Pussy Whipped  - I used to own both of these discs back in the day, but sold them for drug and/or grocery money at some point. I think I understand them better now though. There's a very Sex Pistols sound at work here. Very early punk rock, a true punk rock vibe of doing what you want how you want with what you've got. Not the mohawk crunch-crunch by the numbers punk rock. 12-13-08 Lady Dottie and The Diamonds - Lady Dottie and The Diamonds  - Perfect garage soul from San Diego. A big voiced 60 year old black woman in front of a mixed up group of young & old players. Great, great stuff to shake your ass to. Go find it on amazon. You will thank me later. 12-14-08 Bad Gods - "Nine Inch Noels"  - NIN lyrics over and to the tune of Christmas carols. Bad, but hilarious and brilliant. The Chipmunks - Christmas With The Chipmunks  - Great for about 5 songs, then it just gets boring and old. But those first few tracks are worth it. Various - A Magical Christmas Of Magic  - My second favorite holiday album now, behind James Brown's Funky Christmas. Wizard Rock for the win! Seriously, I was cackling with glee. Christmas In The Stars - A Star Wars Christmas  - Again, so bad it's good. Super cheesy, but a lot of fun. Current Mood: geeky (Comment on this)
Thursday, December 11th, 2008
7:10 pm	Shut Up, I'm Dreaming Of Places Where Lovers Have Wings Oooohhh.. double post for the win. Just in case I don't manage to post the list for today this weekend, here it is. Today was brought to you by the letter "S", without help from Sonic Youth or Smashing Pumpkins, which is a bit of a feat if you've ever seen the wall of cd's at the house. Had a very good day, aurally speaking. My ears, they are very happy right now. Daily Listening Log for 12-11-08 Spinanes - Manos  - Did the 2 person, man/woman, guitar/vocal/drum thing long before The White Stripes. Rebecca Gates remains one of the great lost talents of the 90's alt boom/bust. I think she's doing some guest vocal on the new Decemberists album though, so that should be good. Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space  - Taking drugs to make music for people to take drugs to. "Broken Heart" is a gorgeous slice of depressive beauty. "Cool Waves" is still the heart and soul of the album though, and one of the most beautiful songs of the 90's in my not-very-humble opinion. Plus, best use of a proper chorus, like, ever. The Strokes - Is This It?  - Anyone else remember the mania that surrounded this band when they first came out? Got to see them a couple times back then and they put on a good show. Better sounding live than on album, to my ears. Sunn O))) - "It Took The Night To Believe"  - In the same vein as Boris, but darker and sludgier. Gloom metal? Doom? Whatever, it's really powerful and  huge and I like it. Synchronoize - "Something About Starlights"  - Popped-out mash up/remix of a Muse song. Good stuff. Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom Sebadoh - Bakesale  - I've never been a big Lou Barlow fan, and I think Dinosaur Jr is a better band without him, but this album is fullof jangle-punk garage rock excellence. "It's like wasting everything / On someone else's dream / that's fucking crazy to me / it's fucking crazy to me" Siouxsie and The Banshees - Hyaena  - The only record so far today that didn't really do anything for me. Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends  - I should probably own at least one other S & G record, but I'm not sure what. I owe Jess big time for allowingme to steal this from her. Stevie Wonder - Innervisions Superdrag - Last Call For Vitriol  - It's like AC/DC meets the Eagles on this record in a couple of places. There's a lot of rock on this album, but a lot of country, too. Sunset Rubdown - Daytrotter Sessions  - The vocal style here is similar to Hedwig and The Angry Inch. If that interests you... hunt this band down. I've found them to be a pleasant surprise and I really need to buy their album Random Spirit Lover soon. Delicate and chaotic at the same time.threerings , you might like this, actually. That or you'll absolutely hate it. I can't tell sometimes. Current Mood: lovely Current Music: Sunset Rubdown - "Up On Your Leopard, Upon The End Of Your Feral Days" (Comment on this)