Music I Enjoyed In 2008

In no particular order, with one exception:

• Fuck Buttons, Fuck Buttons: Two British DJs who want to be the Boredoms except with all the grit filtered out through a silicone and plastic sieve.
• Vivian Girls, Vivian Girls: They're the amalgamation of about eight different sub-cultural zeitgeists, but that's forgivable because they're catchy too.
• Wayne, Carter III: Yep, so the wait was worth it and his hipster icon-hood only enriches his multi-faceted ironic appeal.
• Wale, Mixtape About Nothing: I'd like almost any album that combines a Seinfeld concept with rapping about the DC area, but it helps that this guy has great flow, too.
• Stephin Merritt, Distortion: Dude's willfully evading repetition of 69 Love Songs, but still makes a pretty decent recording.
• T.I., Paper Trail: The two songs that have dominated everyone's life for the past two months or so speak well enough for themselves.
• Max Tundra, Parallax Error Beheads You: Welcome back, Mr. Tundra.
• Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles: Luckily, I, too, enjoy the music from Mega Man.
• Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst: Emo Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Nebraskan. This time, he's nearly legitimate.
  

And my favorite of the year was Girl Talk, Feed the Animals, about which I've already said my piece.

Elliott Smith's strengths are melodic chords and a quivering, irresolute voice

Here's a good Elliott Smith song.



Here's another song that I like which has great vocal harmonies and percussion.



Here's Elliott Smith's miserable cover of that song.



That's all!

Two Inversely Related Cultural Critics

Ok, so if the internet is a valuable medium for any types of media besides pornography, it's commentary on things people in their mid-20's might find nostalgic. For me, there are two such critics that stand out above the rest. The more prominent of these is the Angry Video Game Nerd, whose basic idea is ridiculing terrible retro games.



And believe me, I've played a gargantuan share of NES games in my time. The basic trope of that era was to make the game as difficult as possible as to to make the kid playing the game devote as much time as possible to it and fool the parent who bought the game into believing it was a worthwhile waste of $50. In reality, this difficulty was usually not generated by an intelligent and fun game, like any Mario or Mega Man, but by irrationally and frustratingly absurd games. These are the kind of games that AVGN takes up and exposes for the trash that they are.

However, while I greatly enjoy AVGN, I have to admit that a lot of the enjoyment comes from nostalgia. I laugh because I remember playing a lot of these games, remembering exactly how goddamn awful they were. He draws upon the same life experiences that I have. I'm predisposed towards liking him and his show because I know exactly what he's talking about and am begging to laugh at any of his jokes.

The Nostalgia Chick works on the same level as the AVGN, but in an inverse way. AVGN isn't witty, but is fun because I'm obsessed with his source material. The Nostalgia Chick, on the other hand, reviews shitty movies from the 80s and 90s that were marketed towards girls. Not having a sister or any young female friends, my knowledge of 80s and 90s girl culture is more deficient than my knowledge of girl culture today. So, the Nostalgia Chick is reviewing culture that I don't know a damn thing about. Luckily, she's as witty and intelligent as AVGN's source material is familiar to me.



I've never been a fan of Disney animated films or She-Ra, but the Nostalgia Chick is so brilliantly smart, funny, and - yes - cute, that it doesn't really matter. I still wait readily for her next posting. Still waiting for that mixture of a really intelligent and witty person to review things that I like...

Michael Jackson's fashion is pure fascism

Okay, so I'm probably the very last person to notice this, but Michael Jackson's style is a page taken straight from Pinochet's playbook. Take an objective look - epaulets, armbands, sashes - they're all military-inspired at best and dictator-inspired at worst:

This is a picture of Mike around the time of his trial in 2005 wearing his typical armband - whose fascist connotations I don't think I really even have to get into - and the Order of Vienna medal. Other medals that he supposedly wears are antiques from WWI, WWII, and the Civil War.



Here's a performance from Super Bowl XXVII which explicitly evokes military imagery. The outfit he's wearing is pretty similar to the one he - well, the statute of him - is wearing on the cover of HIStory.

I mean, it could be a totally innocuous fashion sensibility, a method of promoting an album or two. Dude isn't the first musical act to evoke military and fascism in their image, but he is the only one, to my knowledge, to achieve such massive popularity, to not reference it somewhat ironically in his music, and to use it consistently over the course of his career (and even now, with his career over). If I really wanted to go into it, I'd reference the fascist efficiency of his tunes or the subliminal appeal of fascism and how he incorporated it into pop music. Or you could just say the he's clearly afflicted with major mental illnesses and grandeur is just one symptom among many. But it's late and I'm lazy... so I'll just suggest these things for now.

Do you ever wonder how they got people for the audience of America's Funniest Home Videos?

I mean, about twenty different times each season, they had to fill up a television studio with individuals enthusiastic about people getting hit in the balls and brides fainting at the altar. This goes double for the spin-off America's Funniest People. And unlike other lame shows of the era (despite my affection for AFHV, it is undeniably lame), there was little to no live-action component to AFHV. At least when you're in the audience for Home Improvement there's a live performance for you to see. Beyond that, AFHV had their yearly $100,000 or whatever contest where not only would the people in the studio in Los Angeles vote for their favorite video, but people in three or more other cities in America would vote for which video of buildings falling on people or dogs making babies cry was the best. Who decided it would be a good idea to dress up, go to a television studio, and watch videos on a screen? Maybe I'm overanalyzing it. I mean, I guess I'd go, today, if I had the chance.

I'll never be able to review like Robert Christgau

Here's his assessment of Enema of the State by Blink-182, an album that I appreciate more all of the time, and mostly on Robert Christgau's terms:

"Ignore the porn-movie cover except insofar as it conveys terror. These guys are so frightened of females that they turn down sure sex from one hussy on grounds of name-dropping and reject another for being too quick with the zipper. There's no macho camouflage--girlophobia is their great subject. And boy, have they worked up some terrific defenses. If preemptive jealousy doesn't do the trick, there's always suicide, or abduction by aliens. Yet note it well--because they're out front about their little problem, "Going Away to College" is the love song the Descendents put Green Day on earth to inspire."

Such pith! Amazing.

Abbey Road is a great album

Whenever I start thinking about the Beatles, I'm wary to mention them because of their myrad connotations. Beatles fans are too mainstream to be serious music fans (everyone knows that the Rolling Stones were the only band to release music before the Velvets - maybe the Beach Boys or James Brown if you're an effete traditionalist or a historian). That said, Abbey Road is a brilliant end to a career. I think that the impact of the Beatles' early end is underestimated. The ending medely is blissful; very few bands have survived 20+ years with their credibility intact. (apart from the invincible Stones.) And don't forget Lennon's amazing post-Beatles career.

A Very Alinea Thanksgiving

Ok, so these videos have been making the rounds for a short time and they really probably would have been much more interesting about two weeks ago, but since they get less interesting every day, here they are anyway:

Part One:



Part Two:



I first want to make clear that while I've certainly never eaten at a molecular gastronomy restaurant, I'm no Grant Achatz hater. But I think his confidence really comes through on these videos. He knows exactly what he's doing with every flavor on the plate and that's really the only thing that matters, regardless of what techniques he uses. Yet, his style remains a few light years out of the range of mere mortals using stone-age equipment, such as myself and this pair:



Funny stuff. A cautionary tale. For now, I'll retain my humility and low aspirations; I'll stick to the cookbooks meant for housewives, thank you.

Scenes from Thanksgiving break

• Standing outside of Neighbor's Bar and Grill on Cedar Avenue for about half an hour after being booted due to a suspiciously early last call; watching the local residents play soccer in the parking lot.
• Realizing that "pieces of flair" still exist at Outback Steakhouse - a waiter gets one pin for every compliment he receives.
• Successfully roasting a turkey.
• Drinking Heineken foam from a Miller Lite bottle in a green room while sitting on a futon listening to Queen's The Game on vinyl.
• Spending an evening drinking white wine from a bottle with a snap-lid while watching recipes on You Tube.
  

Les Carabiniers is the most hipster film ever made

1. Lo-fi to the extreme
   
2. Hell of ironic and antiwar
3. Requires a liberal arts degree to understand (classical allusions, marxist ideology)
   
4. French; Godard; photo negative
   

Quick Kicks

• Does anyone know the source of this photo?
  
• Dexter this season has been slightly disappointing. The main plot seems to be going nowhere and the subplots are uniformly boring and implausible. The drama had better pick up in the remaining four episodes. Jimmy Smits alone is not getting it done.
• The new season of Top Chef seems promising. There are several intriguing characters and many of the chefs seem very creative.
• Pujols deserved the MVP. Thomas Boswell is an idiot.
• I have no clue what direction the Notre Dame football team is going in. I hope that the next three games provide some context.
• Netflix on Xbox might change my life, though I don't know if it's going to be for the worse or for the better. Whichever way, I'm about to watch a lot more 80s movies.
  
• As long as I'm on a geeky strain, I might as well mention that there are several great games out there for the thinking gamer. Braid and World of Goo are both amazingly unique experiences at very low prices.
• Check this girl out. Some brilliantly entertaining criticism.
• I'm on a soup and cookie-making rampage these days. It's almost time to shift gears for Thanksgiving, though.
  

Gay marriage amendments

First of all, don't get me wrong, I don't think that state constitutions should be amended as to restrict marriage between a man and a woman. But I just have to say that the protests that are going on right now probably would have been much more useful before election day. Intuitively, it seems that picketers are much less likely to influence the adjudicative process than the democratic process.

I am also uncomfortable with protesting outside of churches also from a strategic and moral standpoint. Scapegoating the LDS while ignoring the larger causes for the amendments' passage is shortsighted and leads to hatred. LDS make up less than 2% of the population in California and even less in Florida (though more in Arizona). Not only do the protests directed at LDS not help change public opinion, but they could easily degenerate into another form of the same bigotry that amendment opponents justly decry.

Interesting food facts of the day

"When we eat beets, the red pigment is usually decolorized by high stomach acidity and reaction with iron in the large intestine, but people sometimes excrete the intact pigment, a startling but harmless event."

And on a less puerile note, onion comes from Latin for "one," "oneness," and "unity," garlic is Anglo-Saxon for "spear-leek" and shallot and scallion from the Latin term for Ashqelon, a city in southwest Palestine.

Election Summary

More than anything else, Obama's victory makes me relieved. As a personification and product of the many successes of the civil rights era and further progress in race relations, it is a triumph and I'm happy to have witnessed such an historic moment. However, the euphoria shouldn't distract from the incredibly difficult work yet to be done. The victory is only a single step toward curing our myriad problems and not in and of itself a final success. I await fulfillment of these promises despite insoluble war and economy issues. Obama discussed all these themes more eloquently, but they deserve emphasis.

From many policy standpoints, I'm neutral or slightly favorable towards Obama. (As opposed to my strongly negative views of many McCain policies and maddening conservative rhetoric). Instead of begrudging, however, my support was enthusiastic due to not only his social impact, but his passive impact on the makeup of the Supreme Court and environmental policy. Robust enforcement and sane interpretation of current environmental statutes by new agency administrators will instantly improve upon Cheney's disastrous energy policies even without proactive implementation of new rules or statutes. The same goes for the Supreme Court - even uninspired selections by Obama would be preferable to McCain's, particularly given that Justices Stevens and Ginsburg appear most likely to retire next.

So I'm relieved. And that's all I have to say about that for a while.

The little things are important

I still feel that most people vastly underestimate the importance of biodiversity. I believe that threatening biodiversity is morally wrong. However, even the most cynical individual could find compelling the argument that preserving biodiversity provides benefits to our human existence. This article outlines just another instance where this happens to be the case. Environmentalism is important for everyone.

[slashdot]

EDIT: Twittering plants, blogging plant, robotic walking plant. I, for one, welcome these new human-granted plant capabilities.

If I think really hard, I remember when I cared about the differences between The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most and Swiss Army Romance

I'm emo, even if I'm not exactly sure what that means anymore. Whether it's music, fashion, or an emotional state, to me, the DC area emo scene circa the turn of the century encapsulates everything emo and, at it's peak, its nucleus was the auditorium at St. Andrew's Church in College Park, Maryland.

St. Andrew's was strictly and rapturously DIY: Cash only, no advance ticket sales, a totally unadorned stage, nothing on sale but merch, and loads of local bands opening for national acts (i.e., bands on Vagrant, Drive-Thru, or Fueled By Ramen). I saw at least a dozen huge emo bands in St. Andrew's viscerally intimate atmosphere. Crashing my car in the rain on the way to see Alkaline Trio and was one of the worst moments of my young life.

The greatest show I've ever been to, though, also anticipated emo's demise. Instead of just one huge emo band, several of them performed that night with a few local favorites. St. Andrew's was filled well over capacity with wildly vibrant expectations. The region's emo kids descended on College Park clad in their finest. One bespectacled girl who wore a striped sweater while lying under a tree, a leather bound book held to her chest, stared into the sky while the line progressed behind her into the church. It was probably the most emo thing I have ever seen.

Yet, that night signaled emo's conversion into a mass culture stereotype, personified by Chris Carraba. The crowd, accustomed to a full band's distorted grind, was skeptical of Carraba, then the only member Dashboard Confessional, and his completely acoustic set. However, he quickly caught on. About a year later, Dashboard's soft tones would blow up in the mainstream. Record execs eviscerated the emo-purity of Dashboard's solitary acoustic guitar and added a backing band, making the songs somehow much less emo. When drums were added to "Screaming Infidelities," the emo scene became unhinged as though Dylan had gone electric. This perceived betrayal created the emo caricature that garnered a spread in every supermarket magazine, killing the scene. It wasn't ours any longer, it's been sold and securitized to Universal Music Group though a distribution deal with Vagrant Records and that girl in your english class who wore a Get Up Kids shirt even though she'd never shed a single drop of sweat at a show.

When the Green Album came out, my emo fandom dwindled further. Every song on Pinkerton begat another emo sub-genre; it was emo's VU & Nico. Even better, Weezer had been mostly defunct since 1997 and unable to fuck up their legacy. The Green Album, and subsequent recordings, however, did precisely that and called into doubt whether Weezer, and therefore all of emo, had been fundamentally flawed from the beginning. Sickened by mall-emo, underground kids went back to the well of hardcore for authenticity and came back with screamo. Other more tender souls were captivated by Conor Oberst. Screamo eventually drifted back into punk while other emo kids merged into indie genericism. By that point my interest deviated to totally non-emo things like Dischord shows at Fort Reno and Wes Anderson films at Cinema Arts. (Let me explicitly note the sarcasm here.) Eventually, some jackass set off a firecracker in the middle of a crowd at a St. Andrew's show, quite literally blowing things up and making sure that nobody ever had a show there ever again.

Yet, my emo side will never die. While I don't still wear Dickies and I've never worn Chucks or a spiked belt (all emo standard issue), I still dress sort of emo, love girls with dark hair, bangs, and eye shadow, and wish I cared enough about an existing band to crush myself against hundred of other sweaty people and scream the lyrics all night. The basic environment of St. Andrew's affected me more than any other venue because of the community. We were owned something special and unique. It was ours. It wasn't just about musicianship, it was contributing to something true and DIY with people who understood. Emo's totally dead in all but its remnant form, but my memories remain.

Night creatures call and the dead start to walk in their masquerade

It's difficult to underestimate the imagination, work ethic, and seasonal appropriateness of this internet video. Dude loves his M.J., and why not; Thriller the album is a monumental work that retains relevance today. This vid pays a tribute to the complexity and brilliance of the original song while still being fascinatingly funny. Watch until the end... that's the best part.

[Thriller Acapella]

A Very Cute Overload Halloween

So I love Cute Overload. I don't care who knows. Its wit and intelligence deeply contrast with most Lolcat spewing internet kiddies. It's also just cute. A guy isn't supposed to like things like that? Maybe it has something to do with the two new cats that are inhabiting my apartment. Well, at least this inspires me to think up Halloween costumes for them. Enjoy this post, the funniest thing I've seen on the net in quite a while.

[Cute Overload]

Death and the Maiden

I read this recently and enjoyed it greatly, probably not in the least because it directly appeals to my literary side. The world can be understood through literature and its analysis informs and enriches more than other disciplines.

An ode to the striped fitted sheet

Fitted sheet with stripes
Up and down are so clear when
I make the bed drunk

((As an aside, I'm not drunk now, yet the poem's underlying truth remains.))

All Hail Nate H

I'd like to take this moment to publicly commend my friend, Nate. He was on Tuesday's Jeopardy episode, officially becoming the first famous person I know. I haven't spoken to Nate in a while, but I'm absolutely certain he's still an amazing guy. Makes me really kind of wish I graduated in '07. But oh well. We were on two quiz bowl teams. One in '03, which gloriously went to Indianapolis. And another in '05 which was basically a catastrophe. But they were both terribly nerdy and amazing.

Even though he lost by a small margin, it's only because he was fucked by the double whammy of a ballet category (everyone knows ballet categories are only for idiots) and a pretty simple final jeopardy. Even so, Nate, tonight I raise my glass to you.

(Nate's the dude in the glasses in the far left and yes, there's a reason I edited my face out of the photo and yes, there's a reason none of us have pants on and yes, it has nothing to do with our sexuality, in an explicit sense.)

Katy Perry is the Urban Outfitters version of Avril Lavigne

I like some Avril songs and the two Katy Perry songs I've heard are ok, but each is pop star packaged in a subculture's most commoditized form. It's entirely possible that Katy Perry listens to Spoon and that Avril was in the pit at Earth Crisis shows, but that influence has been sufficiently supressed by their A&Rs. Music executives clearly consider outlandish glasses and Minnie Mouse dresses essential for Katy Perry while Avril has been coached to enjoy lots of plaid and tall socks.

Katy Perry also exploits sexuality in a way that the Hot Topic version of Belinda Carlisle doesn't. It could just be that Avril's more adorable while Katy Perry has bigger boobs. But it's also conspicuous that the androgynous-fascist shaved heads, leather, and spikes of punk, while sexual, don't recall mainstream sexuality like American Apparel models do. Avril softens punk's perversions while a more innocuous sexuality pervades "I Kissed A Girl".

T.I. is today's Ric Ocasek

The mesmerizing efficiency of "Whatever You Like" has echoed in my head for a week now. After listening to it alot, I noticed many parallels between it and "Emotion In Motion," another song about providing for your woman (whether by popping bottles or just holding on all night).

In "Emotion In Motion"'s basic, nursury-esque beat (also like other T.I. songs) Ocasek favors succinct robot beats. The Cars, though occasionally vibrant, had a synthetic subtext that developed into cold, precise perfection. On his own, Ric vanquished rock tones, replacing its blood and sweat with a silicone circulation. The switch from guitar and rock to synth and precision is mostly propelled by the beat. And I love it.

(In 2003, I listened to "You Might Think" at least ten times as my roommate sat next to me in our 8'x20' room. After he mentioned, "So, you like that song a lot, don't you?", I brought out the headphones. My murder would have been entirely justified had I completed my fifteen remaining listens out loud.)

T.I.'s debut with "Rubberband Man" - wild as the Taliban- is much more euphoric and spontaneous than "What You Know," which is as methodical and catchy as "You Might Think," The hypnotic "Whatever You Like" has a snare and outro which could been sampled from a Cars song and is rhythmically cold while lyrically gentle. Years later, T.I. is converging on the same point that Ric Ocasek ended up on.

*"Live Your Life" is a pretty good song that doesn't bear any resemblance to the Cars. So this only really goes so far.

I'm obsessed with massive structures

Take that as you will, but I actually mean it in the literal sense.  Tallest, longest, most volume... I can't get enough of it on Wiki and elsewhere.  So I was amazed to see rocketboom's take on it.  A must-watch:

[rocketboom]

More sick Siouxsie covers

Dear Prudence

Sometimes I tend to forget about the brilliance of the Beatles. The band's songs are everywhere and have been so deeply ingrained into pop music, that it's easy to overlook the simple beauty of most of their work. I caught this cover on the radio the other day and it made me re-think about their excellence. Siouxsie definitely adds a few more layers onto this song, it's a bit noisier, which fits the era. Cool stuff.

Street Art is Fun

One thing that I always enjoyed while my time in Europe was the omnipresent street performers. There just seems to be a culture that supports that sort of thing over there, while in the States, I've seen it much less often. I wish I could have checked this guy out in DC, though. Very witty, I must say.

[SOS!]

Was going to write this, but found it was already written

Feel free to read this take on Mullholland Drive. Several of these thoughts came to my mind this weekend when I was watching Contempt. The analogy probably deserves a bit more explication, but I'm very lazy...

[link]

Re: Economy

Hey, you wanted 1977, you wanted revolution, well you got it. Let's listen to punk rock.



Public Image!!!! Peep this...





Chinese Rock!!!



Hell of apocalyptic!!!





Artists Only!!!



Johnny Thunders x2!!!





Big Finish!!! Get set for anarchy - for real this time!!!

VU: Quine Tapes

Each VU album is radically different from the others. So, it's weird to listen to their songs stripped down to their basic skeleton and performed in a single straightforward style, as on The Quine Tapes. Nearly every song is imbued with the same heart-rending melancholy of "After Hours." (With the exception of the unable-to-be-suppressed "White Light/White Heat.") While you should have listened to this one already, if you're a musical idiot like me, check it out for different (and often much longer) spins on some of your favorite songs. (Some of your favorite songs are VU songs, aren't they?) Also, it's kind of awesomely excessive to have three versions of "Sister Ray" on one album. (Now, I have eight different versions total. Score.)

Elliott Smith

Art that comes up when I search "Remain In Light" but unrelated to Talking Heads

Not this one.






I hate xkcd







See you at Chamonix.

I Only Watch TV on Sundays

Venture Brothers

The best and most conventional show on Adult Swim these days has animation and jokes so stellar that everyone loves it. But, like all Adult Swim shows, full enjoyment presupposes comprehension of its intricate intertextuality.

Metalocalypse

The "brutal" facade belies the true theme of bourgeois boredom. A bunch of guys sitting around getting everything they want, hating each other and not doing anything about it sounds like internet culture to me. The animation isn't that great, but some of the design was clearly well thought out and visually stunning.

Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!
I'll admit that though I'm a public access maven, I didn't really get this show for a long, long time. The most recent season might have been substantially better than prior ones, but regardless, it resonated with me. Pure absurdism and hysteria without dissolving meaninglessness.

Robot Chicken
Still viciously hit or miss but often enough worth the ten minute run time. Other shows are tangentially dependent on parody, but God help you if you haven't seen Robot Chicken's source material.

Mad Men

Though Mad Men might be a pure misogyinst fantasy - see Don Draper's perfect housewife, multiple mistresses, drinking habits - there's a clear pathos lying not too many layers underneath. Mad Men is really about the construction and deconstruction of illusions. The impeccable set design and lighting covers up for a few dull episodes here and there.

The Hills
The persistently vacuous and numbing crown jewel of MTV is falling apart into four or five separate storylines. Intentional or not, the show awesomely exhibits the station's blank values in fast-forward, ridden with drama but emotion free.

Feasting on Waves
Alton Brown is great... but I'm unsure what the seaborne sequel to Feasting on Asphalt has to offer over the other two million shows of its type except better production.

Entourage
The ultimate misogynist fantasy (moreso than Mad Men because of its immediacy) has returned for another season. It's hard to justify watching this one except for the fact that it's so entertaining.

I Love Money
VH1 vets getting their PhD in advanced reality strategy studies.

Pretty much sums it up

[AV Club/Stewart]

A trip back to middle school

Inspired by the Olympics Commercials

This was about a year before he was shot and well into his drug addictions. Incredible rendition.

Luis Guzman for Cabot Cheese

This is the craziest, most random thing I've seen in a while. I never knew that Cabot had any sort of advertising budget. I definitely did not further know that they hired Luis Guzman for some of their commercials. Instead of being stupid, the commercials are actually pretty hysterical if you admire Guzman's sort of humor. He's kind of a minor master at being earnest, especially in the P.T. Anderson films. Who would have thought my research on Cabot cheese would have led me down this path...

Best line: "Yeah, but this cheese is so good, I can't stop to pick up my gun to shoot you."

[Cabot cheddar hunks]

"What's your wish? Wanna kringle like kris?"

It's Yourz @ Yahoo! Video via Kanye's blog

I vaugely remember when Forever was being anticipated, just coming out. I was really confused. I remember seeing the video for Triumph and continuing my confusion, especially at Rza's rhymes. What kind of rapper would rhyme with cerebral cortex? Anyway, this is a much better video from the same era.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

VCB will make you travel abroad, eat tapas, drink wine, and have sex, compensating for the film's flaws.

Three women, very beautiful in very distinctive ways, inhabit the very fortunate life of a painter played by Bardem. Romantic chaos naturally ensues against the backdrop of Barcelona. Allen, mostly obscured, though revealed in the credits and characteristically intellectual dialogue, lends the film a presumed legitimacy that the core substance may not completely live up to. Idle musing on the nature of art and love falls flat when juxtaposed with Bardem and Gaudi's harem of beauties.

Yet, VCB's visceral beauty and charm make it worthwhile. Johansson's performance is less than stellar, but Cruz is a spectacular, furious force who devours her screen time, even more deliciously malevolent than in Volver. Sex's prominent role marginally justifies the familiar characterization of this film as a typical Allen misogynist fantasy. But whatever. Like the amusement park the film depicts, it's an enjoyable confection - ratchet up the excess.

Past week or so in review

• Leaving Chicago sucks. Just when I was kind of starting to feel it, get accustomed and comfortable, look to the horizons for new experiences... the rug gets pulled out from underneath. However, twelve weeks was, despite what many may say about their summers, a long, long time. Here's to the hope that I'll be able to pick up where I left off upon my eventual return to the state of Illinois.
• Outer Banks is definitely worth it. Yes, the traffic is hell. Yes, everything is spread out, the island is overpopulated, and the style of life is probably the least efficient conceivable. Beside that, the feeling of self-containment, physical separation from daily worries and concerns, and attainable peace of mind makes it worthwhile to check out the beach. And, seven opinionated and at times argumentative people can survive a week together without any bloodshed.
• Absence has made the heart grow fonder. Charlottesville is a completely unique place. I'm ready to enjoy my last year there to the utmost. I also very much missed my apartment. The spartan accommodations in Chicago were killing me over the summer. It's very nice to have my things back, set up how I like it.
• Billy Corgan is tripping. The show in Charlottesville the other day was a huge disappointment. However, the evening was not a total loss... not at all.
  

It's Addictive

Doug must be stopped

I really disliked Doug when he started winning a few Jeopardy games a while ago. I knew he would be back, and he is... with a vengance. He embodies everything I hate about Jeopardy contestants. He has a really annoying voice, an arrogant way of clicking the buzzer (hands always folded, buzzer tucked away behind his arms), a weird little flower, and an affected way of writing his name. Also, he's Canadian which isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but it gives him an unnatural advantage on the Canadian province questions. (Jeopardy never asks questions about Canadian history.)

Over the past two weeks, Jeopardy has been running its Tournament of Champions. The most annoying thing about Doug's current run (he'll be playing in the finals on Thursday and Friday) is the way he's totally backed into each of his wins. Last week and again today, he dipped into negative territory. Today he was over $10,000 down to the money leader and managed to get back within striking distance before winning the match by wagering less than anyone else. (Nobody got the Final Jeopardy correct.)

Twice, he's been nearly vanquished by his own tendency to make wild guesses only to be saved by a very fortunate streak. The players have one more chance to put an end to Doug's reign of terror. If only for my sake, please, please beat Doug.

I went to Neo last night

Ok, so a couple of blocks from my apartment in Lincoln Park is this bar/club called Neo. Neo is known for being Chicago's 'goth' place to be. It's been around since 1979, which as you might know was pretty much the peak for a lot of the goth/industrial stuff, especially in the UK. Goth style seemed to have a sort of resurgence in the mid-90s, too with NIN and Manson and all that nonsense.

Anyway, the clientele of Neo is reflective of these two peaks. You've got the new wave/hipster goths (see Ian Curtis, above, right) and then the industrial/metal type goths which are generally a lot scarier. Well, they try to be scarier at least. In actuality, the clientele for Neo is not very scary at all and really pretty friendly. While I'm not into that whole style, I did feel marginally more comfortable around the people who go to Neo than your average person at Hangge Uppe or, god forbid, some other near north bar. (Aside: Hangge Uppe is not utopia, but it is the least annoying and pretensious place in its area.)

As for the actual bar, I was pretty down with it. I would only really enjoy going on Thursdays, when they have 80s new wave (heavy on the proto-goth stuff like Cure, early New Order and less Elvis Costello and certainly no Toni Basil). The other nights are metal or industrial and that's simply not my scene. In addition to some pretty chill tunes, they played Return of the Jedi and Weird Science on the movie screen behind the bar. Big up. I also got a half liter of Spaten in a stylish German glass mug. Very gothic.

The downside is that the place is damn geeky but that's just the name of the game when you're talking goth kids. That tone is preferable to me over places on the other side of the spectrum like Japonais. Also, the fake smoke machine was on overdrive. Just not used to smoke here in Chicago. Neo definitely isn't the kind of place you'd take anyone without an open mind. That probably explains why I haven't been there until this week. I'd have liked to come here more often but honestly, I don't know too many people who could tolerate it. But I think it's fun.

I hope to continue my week of new experiences by going to Delilah's at some point soon. It's a punk bar that's kind of close to my apartment also. The worst thing that could happen, I think, is I'd find another really chill place that I'll regret not going to all summer long. But I still hope for a fun night. Oh, I forgot to mention that last Tuesday I somehow ended up at a nearly vacant karaoke place at Cermak and Wentworth singing Yellow Submarine as covered by some Chinese band. Getting goaded into awkward situations can be fun..

Pitchfork 08 in Brief

I was expecting less, given the allegedly cramped location and not-so-cooperative weather. But the location was very convenient, mostly clean, and not as wet as it could have been. I'll continue to wear my Wayfarers in selected situations, but it's pretty clear at this point that the trend has peaked. Also, being able to get fresh fruit for decent prices at a music festival is a very nice thing indeed. Scattered thoughts:

• Public Enemy seemed kind of weak and drained. I guess it has been a long time for them. Couldn't really shake the feeling that the majority of the crowd was there to see the guy from VH1. Oh well.
• Caribou put on a pretty amazing show for early afternoon. Almost made me forgive them for getting injured an not coming to Charlottesville, which caused me to skip the show that would have featured...
• Fuck Buttons, who didn't seem quite suited to an outdoor atmosphere. I thought they were good, but the crowd lacked energy. I suspect many people there were curious to see the band with the expletive in their name. That's totally fine, as festivals are meant to widen horizons. But it's also going to make the actual performance less fun than if it were an intimate show with a bunch of people who really like the band.
• This was also true of Animal Collective. They were incredible, of course. Not really suited to mass audiences, in my opinion, though.
• HEALTH are kind of interesting kids, but I'm not really into anything LA.
• Ghost and Rae are always fun to watch but seemed a bit bored and I can't say that I blame them. Of course, it would have been nice if they got excited when I saw them last at an actual Wu-Tang show... but they didn't.
• I really like Spiritualized but haven't been as up on the new stuff, and my enjoyment suffered because of it.
  

Fire Walk With Me Documentary

One quick word - if you're going to make a documentary about the production of a David Lynch film, I would highly recommend that you make it as straight-forward as possible. Not only are you just going to look foolish juxtaposed with an actual film, but you're going to anger your audience. After enduring 30+ hours of heavy texture and un-meaning (not meaning-less), you don't want to go through a half hour of stupid cross-cuts between Kyle MacLachlan laughing and the guy who played Hawk explaining why his scene got cut. At least, I don't.

Anyway, I'm blogging less recently because my internet at home isn't working... in case you were wondering.

Live at Leeds is definitely an album for later in life

As a 16 year old kid, I remember hearing about The Who and realizing that a band with such universal acclaim should be owned. I hated them. I hated it just as much as I hated the two Fugazi albums somebody gave me and more than I hated all of my parents' albums, which included every last Elvis album.

The moral of the story is that I can definitively declare that experience, in the absence of talent, lends one an ear for nuance. There are qualities in these albums which I could not have hoped to recognize in my bloody-emotion ridden phase of way back when. (Pure talent has an ear for nuance in the absence of experience.)

As for the album itself regarded with a contemporary disposition, it is really good.

Hidden reason why Obama might lose

Have you visited obama.com recently?

Also interestingly, neither omaba.com nor jonmccain.com redirects to their respective real websites.

[obama.com]

Chicago hipsters love to play early 60's music in their retail outlets

Seriously... in thrift shops, American Apparel, record stores... it's all Chiffons and Ronettes all the time. What's up with that?

Several North Side Anecdotes

Toro (2546 N Clark)
Toro is great first and foremost because of awesome sushi. It tastes extremely fresh and the chef has numerous creative arrangements and compositions. This is the baseline for the restaurant's appeal. Without excellent food, nothing else would really matter. That said, Toro is not only great but awesome because of its location and casual atmosphere. Too many other superb sushi places in the city are utterly pretentious and void of heart. Toro has heart. I feel comfortable being there. It is BYOB. Five stars.

Kiki's (900 N Franklin)
This French bistro is another place that I really like because I feel comfortable when I'm eating there. I like feeling laid back and content in a restaurant, not judged. In addition to this, Kiki's has great cuisine. If you're sick of French bistro style, you probably won't like it, though. There's nothing here that hasn't been done before, it is just done very well and with the utmost care. Bonus points for having a custom painted Citroën out front.

Angels & Kings (710 N Clark)
Yes, it's owned by Pete Wentz, but honestly that's a net positive for me. I like the interior. It has a stylish feel without being stupid pretentious. The waitresses are really cute in a very emo way. Just like Pete would have it. The music is also excellent relative to any other bar nearby, which is huge. If I had enough money, I'd probably be up there on the stage sitting on one of the two old-school leather recliners enjoying bottle service. So I'm not going to throw a fit by the fact that it exists. I will throw a fit when confronted by $5 Bud Lights and a clientele that would please me by remaining in the Viagra Triangle. I might go back at some point, but not for a few weeks at least.

Celtic Crossings (751 N Clark)
It feels very much like an actual Irish pub if it weren't for the fact that no Irish pub would be as spacious as this place is. Completely down to earth, nearly to a fault. A humble jukebox and a variety of tables consist the entirety of the bells and whistles for this place. But it does one thing, and does it well. A welcome reprieve from the many obnoxious bars in the area.

Simply It (2269 N Lincoln)
So I got to Simply It and was nearly handed my order by the lady who was operating the cash register when a man who appeared to be maybe in his 40's suddenly barged out of the dining room and yelled very assertively in what I presume to be Vietnamese. I didn't have my contacts in at this point, and so was quite blind, but heard somehow that the Chicken Noodle Soup was in my bag. I decidedly did not order Chicken Noodle Soup. Briefly, another guy who ordered take out walked in. His order was also under the name 'Jason.' A small debacle ensued between the lady and the man. We two Jasons stood by, bemused. In the end, I got my basil beef along with a spring roll, watermelon, and lemonade. It was good. I will return to Simply It.

Muscle Memory

Last night I had a bunch of dreams about Charlottesville, none of which are interesting enough to relay here. The interesting thing, however, was what happened when I woke up. In a sequence of events I can only attribute to thinking a lot about Virginia in my sleep, when I woke up, I reached to my right to grab my cell phone (which I use as an alarm) as opposed to my left. This is kind of crazy because I keep my cell phone on my right in Charlottesville but on my left here in Chicago.

Now that this event is slightly removed, it seems odd to make such a big deal about it, but it was a very odd circumstance at the time.

How do I love Joanne Colan? Let me count the ways.

She's witty!
(Speaking quickly in a coherent manner, even non-spontaneously, is hard work.)

She's techy!
(Just listen to her talk about internet memes. Doubles for being down to earth.)

She's cute!
(Especially her demeanor, which is hell of endearing. It's all about the wry smile.)

She's hip!
(I mean, she lives in New York. She pretty much has to be, right?)

Gregg Gillis is close to transcending the mash-up subgenre

The mash-up subgenre is easily maligned as derivative. Copying is the explicit name of the game. But there's a difference between poorly playing two songs concurrently and the songs on the new Girl Talk album. Like Eric Prydz but more dense by several orders of magnitudes. Gregg Gillis clearly has higher aspirations.

Ok, this album isn't entirely new. Much of its appeal is ultimately derived from the original tracks that compose it. But something more lies within these fourteen tracks. It's a true internet album, quite suitable for In Rainbows-like distribution. It's an effortless and elegant ode to Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V culture. Internet kids are omnivorous, and this album direclty reflects my omnivorous tastes. For Gillis, guitars, drums, and even sequencers are last generation's tools.

Girl Talk progresses sampling as art. Gillis magically manipulates context - every sample is recognizable but stripped of its temporal and socio-political background. He doesn't give a fuck about meaning, only about de/re-contextualizing the sound and the sound alone. Except of course for Girl Talk's derivation from today's punk rock; sampling culture. The damn label is called Illegal Art, and the album is unflinchingly illegal. But that's the beauty, Girl Talk is both completely aesthetic and completely political. And it's fucking fun.

On a strictly musical basis, Feed the Animals finds Gillis a little more tuneful, melodic, and - dare I say this about such a giddy album - wistful. (See samples of Journey, RHCP, 96 Tears, God Only Knows, Procol Harum, VU, etc.) There are fewer dead moments than Night Ripper, a vast majority of the notes hit home. The album is NOW That's What I Call Music filtered through your average indie kid's music collection. And Rod Stewart. Awesome.

[feed the animals]

[RIYL: top 40 radio, that one dynamic second in that Veruca Salt song, aural puzzles, visceral experiences, preternatural ears]

Crystal Castles Show

We almost ditched this show because of the massive line out the door, around the corner under the Blue Line tracks into an alley. The five of us dealt with the randoms standing around for a free show. Things given away aren't always valued. People know the band they paid $100 to see.

Anyway, in line at about 8:30 and and began judging the first band at 11. An apparently normal guitarist and drummer emitted digitized sounds passed through some modulator, I think. But it's just a guess. Not a fan.

Crystal Castles took a long time to come onto stage. Egregiously and disappointingly long, but I guess an electro group has to maintain a mystique. Couples doing their crazy couples at indie shows dance that you might have seen before. But trust me when I say that at an electro show your typical Wilco-style public humping takes on an entirely different tenor. The club's cramped design led to excessive sweating and the audio board crowded the stage in a totally awkward position. Generally inferior to Black Cat, which might be the most perfect small venue.

The black clothes, black hair, and heavy black eye shadow maintans Crystal Castles' mystique. Alice Glass, vamping and diving from the stage's edge compensated physical energy for vocal energy. Energetically dispassionate, the distance of Ethan Kath (on synth) highlighted his disinterest with crowd interaction, engrossed in the keyboard, lights, and blindfold-like hoodie.

Fun for a free show, but a compelled payment might have changed my impression. A 30 minute show befits this type of band.

One Beat is the perfect combination of fury, melody, nostalgia, charm, and coolness

There are definitely "better" Sleater-Kinney albums.  However, as much as I love the earlier S-K ones (and I love them a lot), One Beat puts it all together. 

Purists decry the pristine production.  (reluctant to make a terrible pun here)  One Beat lacks the rough edges of earlier work, but these girls aren't street punks and they really never were, regardless of the posturing on Dig Me Out.  After all, it took just six months for Carrie to retreat from Berkeley. 

As ever, the original bass-less band, the backbone of (you better wise up) Janet Weiss, the many-headed-hyrda singing technique and mad hooks form the structure, but an unabashed tunefulness pervades the album, where that other tracks merely alluded to it.  Before they went completely into The Woods, they embraced their stealth-metal edge, tempered by a very Puget Sound dash of indie.  

It doesn't hurt that:

• I'm utterly enamored of Carrie Brownstein.
• The album was released at a fun time of my life and is closely associated with good memories.
• S-K was never prone to embarrassment, so even this one, which definitely reaches further than any before it, resonates without being goofy.
• Nobody lingers like your hands on my heart and...
• Sympathy is a killer final track.

Recent Netflix Roundup

Pitch Black/Chronicles of Riddick

Better than they have any right to be, but not quite good enough to be worth going out of your way for.  Sci-fi lite.

Blue Velvet/Mulholland Drive

Even though Blue Velvet is an abbreviated Twin Peaks with boobs, it's still a great watch.  MacLachlan is a master of Lynch-style acting.  The darkness tempers the parody.  Mulholland Drive holds up much, much better than I thought it would (haven't seen it for about five years) and probably deserves a post of its own to discuss the intricacies.  In short, though, this film, and maybe all Lynch, is sleight of hand.  The mystery only exists to trick you into focusing intensely on the texture.  Detractors point out the meaningless, wandering narrative, and that's fair, but they miss the point.  It's truly about the journey, not the destination.

The Savages

Indie dramedy (heavy on the "dram") about getting old and dying.  Not exactly topics that I think about a lot, nor do I really want to.  I can't quite sympathize with what's going on in this film, which makes its flaws (poor pacing, drab color palette) even more annoying.

Hannah Takes the Stairs

This is kind of funny.  A movie about post-collegiate types in Chicago.  Going out, doing things that I could be doing, in real life.  Heh.  Beyond the irony, Swanberg's style probably only works if you're charmed by the precocious type of people he casts.  Luckily I am.

Highlander

I was not prepared to hate this movie as much as I did.  Awful from the not-really-Scottish accents to the sleepwalking that passes for acting to the painful Queen soundtrack - and I do like me some Queen.  How did this movie get so famous?  Pass, with extreme prejudice.

Dexter Season 1 & 2

Another work probably worthy of talking about in depth.  I might return to it someday, maybe right before Season 3 starts this fall.  Obviously, it's excellent, but the inconsistency perturbs me.  Season 1 was very solid on the whole, while Season 2 had higher highs and lower lows.  The last episode of Season 2 was almost completely unnecessary and seemed totally tacked on.  Oh well.  Can't wait for new eps.

Bonus: Venture Brothers Season 3, Episode 1

So the two year wait is over, and the first episode was awesome.  The first two seasons paid the dues necessary to justify the bold backstory episodes that I expect in this season.  It isn't strictly about parody anymore.  The animation and stunning sound design transcend that alone.  This is a show that simply must be seen, and is operating on an entirely other level than any other show of its kind.

A recent David Lynch

Eight - count 'em - eight classic Lynch motifs to be had.

HINT: Red Drapes.

A forgotten great

Commemorating my trip to East Lakeview - an ode to the Pet Shop Boys

I've got a short story about this one which I won't share now, but on a purely aesthetic level, I love the totalitarian imagery.

A total fucking classic by any standard and Pet Shop Boys build on the brilliance of the song instead of being just a parasite.

Honestly haven't heard this one until just a few moments ago, but it is probably better than the original.

The most anthemic and the best Pet Shop Boys song.  Don't let the horrible audio of this video trick you.

Another classic which really needs no introduction - the bridge alone makes the song worthwhile.

Maybe the most famous Pet Shop Boys song in America... despite that, it's still pretty good.  Give me one more trip to east Lakeview... I'll be preparing my Kylie Minogue tribute.

Billy Corgan made me who I am

In fact, I think there's a very straight line to be drawn between my mild Smashing Pumpkins obsession in middle school to my quite total emo persona during high school to my overly-sensitive Wes Anderson and literature-preoccupied college years.  In all honesty, the impact of the Smashing Pumpkins in my life deserves a much larger blog post.  And it all started with one guy who comes from... Chicago.  The influence continues even today. 

Song of the Moment

Reviewing Liquids of Varying Viscosity

Goose Island Beer

This beer is omnipresent in the Chicago area.  It is middle in the hierarchy of generally available beers, above the dreck and below Fat Tire.  The types I've had have been aggressively mediocre.  On the whole, these beers simply lack flavor.  The regular ale and IPA are sub-par and while the 312 wheat beer is crisp, it tastes like sparkling water.  The current summer seasonal is probably the best of the bunch.

Virgil's Bavarian Nutmeg Root Beer

Yes, the price of this beverage is completely outlandish.  However, it is quite excellent.  I don't think that the marginal utility of such an expensive root beer equals a solid choice like an IBC, but if you're throwing thrift out the window, this is the most balanced root beer I've ever drank.  It just sweet enough and has a nice spice without going over the line on bite.  

Cultural Revolution 5% Yogurt

The first thing I noticed about this yogurt was its somewhat watery texture.  The carton of Stonyfield I ate before this was quite thick and this is very much a change.  I don't know if it's because 5% has slightly more fat than your regular lowfat yogurt, but this yogurt has considerable taste and tangyness, almost equivalent to cheese.  Really good overall, but I would like a slightly thicker texture.

Gerolsteiner

It's German, so maybe it isn't a surprise that it's a little more aggressive than the Italian sparkling water.  I usually prefer Pelligrino but would be willing to try different things every now and then.  I had Gerolsteiner once a long time ago and wasn't disappointed drinking it this time around.

USC 05

October 15, 2005 marked a clear turning point in my life.  I woke up that morning with moderate expectations.  I was a totally jaded senior, though curiously excited for the unusually important football game that day.  My girlfriend at the time had a visitor in town and we killed much of a handle of Evan Williams in my single bedroom dorm room.  The remainder went into my flask.  Feeling, needless to say, quite drunk, we made our way to the stadium.  The atmosphere at that point was unforgettable.  What followed was by far the most exciting sporting event I've ever seen live.  I was obliterated, feeling the Notre Dame spirit more than I have before or since.  As everyone knows, the end of the game did not fare well and I felt more viscerally sad than I have then or since.  Greatly influenced by my drunken state, but still feeling truly horrible, I hid my face in my Notre Dame hat as alumni walked by outside of Zahm.  Dinner at NDH was a morgue.  I spent that surreal early evening lying in my girlfriend's futon, not aware by the day, time, or year, totally overwhelmed.  I was torn that night.  My girlfriend got me to go out to a small party at a friend's house and I despondently drank gin and tonic.  It's kind of weird to say I've exposed myself to experiencing more emotions since then, but it's true.

A friend once wrote a poem that went kind of like this

"Look, but don't touch.

Touch, but don't feel.

Feel, but don't taste.

Taste, but don't enjoy.

Enjoy, but not after 2 A.M."

- G.G.S.

Moving to Chicago for the Summer

Ok, so tomorrow I'm headed to Chicago for the summer.  I feel that there's no better way to get ready for this massive move than watching a bunch of movies that take place, at least in part, in Chicago.  You know, in order to build up huge expectations that cannot help but be dashed in reality.  Here's what was on my list:

Ferris Bueller's Day Off: shows off Chicago better than any other movie I've seen

Weird Science: actually makes me kind of excited to one day live in Chicago suburbs

Risky Business: In Chicago, at least they have really sympathetic call girls.  Also, I now want to buy a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers.

Sixteen Candles: This film never really resonated with me like other Hughes films, but it's still pure gold.

The Breakfast Club: Yes, I have visited the high school in this movie.

Rookie of the Year: Despite my hatred for all things Cub, this movie is a reminder of a time when they were truly pathetic, not just a let-down in the clutch.

Home Alone: An all time Christmas classic, higher than Miracle on 34th Street in my book for Chicago Christmas movies.

The Blues Brothers

She's Having a Baby: Hughes' shift away from teen comedies is regrettable, but this is still a good film.  Perhaps it is best that he left his excellent record in that sub-genre alone.

Ordinary People

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: The best Chicago holiday-themed movie.

National Lampoon's Vacation: Another verfied classic.  Even though the family only begins in Chicago, this movie, the major theme is: wherever you go, there you are.

Something might strike you about this list.  Chicago, apparently, was huge in the movies in the late-70s to early-90s era.  Much, but not all, of this can  be attributed to John Hughes.  I am an avowed John Hughes fanatic, which probably accounts for my affinity toward both the 80s and Chicago.  Risky Business has striking similarities to many films in the Hughes oeuvre, and you could easily see Rookie of the Year fitting in with the later Hughes family-friendly films.  The others are fairly solid films, too.  Nothing like taking the edge off of a major life-changing week than warming up to some classic movies.  Very comforting, indeed.

I also intend to continue blogging as frequently as time and creativity permit.