pale underweight

New blog address

2008-04-16T21:55:00.001-07:00

I think the drama has blown over now. I haven't heard from the crazy ex in months, so I think it's safe to redirect you to my new blog, Army of meh. There isn't much there yet, but more will be added soon. Thank you.

Last post

2007-09-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

Due to security reasons, I will no longer be posting at this blog address effective immediately. I will keep the blog active, but comments have been disabled. If you are a regular reader of the blog and would like to know the address for my new one, please e-mail me. It will not be possible to find my new blog unless I give you the address, as it is under a different account with an assumed name. Unfortunately, this is one of several measures I will have to take for my own safety. Thank you for understanding.

Gus playing in fresh laundry this morning

2007-08-31T14:56:00.001-07:00

Somebody, please give me an appropriate German adjective starting with 'T'!

2007-08-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

So, I promised more about my recent karaoke experience in Tucson.

Upon arriving in town Saturday afternoon, I checked the internet via my phone for a gay bar in the area. I found there was a place with five minutes' walking distance called IBT's, which apparently stood for It's 'Bout Time (though, technically speaking, shouldn't it be It's 'Bout Time's?). Though, after my performance, Ich bin taub might be more appropriate.

When I arrived, I found there was karaoke on the patio. I made chitchat with a nice Iowan boy named J___ while various patrons belted out country ballads and duets from Grease (yes, gay karaoke is exactly like its straight counterpart). The karaoke mistress asked several times if I planned to sing. On some level I wanted to try it, but the notion of singing in public has always terrified me. I'd prefer to be naked in public than sing in public. I finally asked to see her book and started scouring for an appropriate song. I talked myself out of singing and then back into it several times. Finally, I selected "Blister in the Sun" by The Violent Femmes. It was a perfect choice- it had only a few very simple verses and Gordon Gano's original vocal wasn't exactly virtuosic, so mine couldn't be that bad in comparison. I also related to the song well, as there was a time in my adolescence when I frequently got high as a kite, which slightly increased the likelihood that I just might stop to check someone out. Additionally, I occasionally failed to comprehend the causal factors leading to stained sheets, though I suspected that body and beats were involved somehow.

Just before the karaoke ended at about 6 P.M., the karaoke lady called my name. I took the microphone and suggested to all in my audience that if they became thoroughly smashed in the first eight bars before the first lyrics started, it would be highly appreciated and mutually beneficial. I proceeded to tackle two full minutes worth of lyrics with the efficiency of the Japanese and the ardor of a Zen master. Soon it was over and my audience clapped languidly, showing an appreciation appropriate for a toddler's macaroni mosaic. My phobia was conquered, and ich bin verhältnismäßig sicher, daß niemand taub wurde.

J___ went on to help me consummate the traditional American college dormatory experience later that week. I promise to not elaborate on this further.

"Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain."

2007-08-30T19:14:00.000-07:00

Library school and my right foot

2007-08-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while since I have posted on a regular basis here, but I'm trying earnestly to get back on track. Posting about everything that has happened over the past two months in one post is too daunting, so I'm going to tell the story piecemeal.

At the end of July, I went down to Tucson for the seven-day intensive classroom portion of the first class for my MLS. Let me just say right now, it was an awesome week despite crappy accomodations, losing my debit card and breaking my foot in such a short period. I had a great time and met some really fun and interesting people. These small misfortunes cannot outweigh the overwhelmingly positive experience of that week.

I arrived on a Saturday and checked into Coronado Hall (affectionately dubbed Coronado Hell by its residents without an ounce of hyperbole). The room hadn't been dusted since the first Bush administration, the bed was tiny and the shower head sprayed more water on the floor than in the shower. That first night, I nearly died of hypothermia because I couldn't figure out how to turn the air conditioner down. I started my first day with about two hours of sleep.

Sunday morning, I walked about half a mile from Coronado to the main library where the first sessions were going to be held. My right foot started hurting, but I dismissed it because it sometimes hurts for no apparent reason and is fine an hour later. As the week progressed, my foot didn't stop hurting. It just kept getting worse. Classmates routinely asked me about my increasingly pronounced limp.

I finally saw a doctor at the student clinic on Thursday. The X-ray revealed a stress fracture, most likely the result of spending too much time on the treadmill in the previous several weeks. He put me in a walking cast and gave me crutches. I tried using the crutches to get back to class but I found it much easier just to walk in the boot. I only missed fifteen minutes of class as a result of the whole affair.

In spite of having a challenging week (beyond just the class material) I got an A in the class. I am now taking three online courses, all of which are much more reading-intensive than the first. I am trying to find time to read every day and I find myself with much less free time these days.

As for the foot, I switched to an orthotic shoe about a week and a half ago. It still hurts sometimes if I walk too much. I am back to working out in earnest - I've been to the SRC four times since Saturday. I just have to be careful not to do exercises that put additional weight on my foot. In a few weeks, when I am ready to do cardio again, I have been advised to avoid the treadmill and use the bike or the elliptical instead.

More about my extra-curricular adventures, including my first (sober) stab at karaoke, later.

Two days until my youth is gone forever

2007-08-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

Two days before my thirthieth birthday, I have come to an important realization about human nature and how it will likely shape my future. One's list of pet peeves always gets longer as one ages, never shorter.

About a month ago, I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in the second metatarsal of my right foot (more on that later). This has led directly to the addition of one pet peeve to my list: people who don't give up seats on the bus for someone who obviously needs one. A couple weeks ago, when I was still wearing a clunky walking cast up to my knee, I boarded the bus home from campus. All the side-facing seats were full. One individual was taking up three seats with his various and sundry baggage and oversized ass. I can't fit comfortably in a forward-facing seat normally, as I am 6'1" and seats on city buses are designed, apparently, for dwarves. With the boot, it would have been an impossible fit. I stood on one leg for almost a mile, trying to make eye contact with one of the occupants of the side-facing seats would get the hint. I didn't want to pause my iPod to actually speak to anyone because I prefer my iPod to human interaction. Finally, I reached the limit of my patience and I exclaimed, "Could somebody please give their seat to the gentleman with the BROKEN FOOT?!" Someone did give me their seat, but it wasn't Mr. My-backpack-is-more-important-than-any-human, unfortunately.

Another pet peeve formed this afternoon in ASU's Student Recreation Center. It was only my third time back since breaking my foot and it's much more crowded than I remember. This, in itself, is not a problem if people generally follow basic gym etiquette. However, these common-sense protocols were apparently beyond the grasp of two young men who sat chatting on two pieces of equipment. Neither was actually using the equipment, but rather playing. One jauntily pressed the foot pedal on the seated chest press, rhythmically letting the weights slam back on top of the stack as he released his foot. The other played with the seat adjustment knob on the seated row, unscrewing it completely and fumbling to screw it back one, then repeating the exercise anew. I watched the pair scornfully as I earnestly completed my sets on each machine in the row and moved closer and closer. Thankfully, they decided to move on just before I was finished with the seated shoulder press. I'm glad I didn't have to yell at them. Despite my reputation for misanthropy, I don't really enjoy yelling at people. It's just necessary sometimes.

This is the process by which deep, brooding young men turn into cranky old men. I just didn't think it would happen to me so quickly.

A farewell to bacon

2007-08-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

I am in mourning. Recent bloodwork has revealed that my cholesterol is elevated and I must now eliminate red meat and dairy from my diet entirely.

Oh, bacon, how I will always cherish the times we had together! I remember the summer that Scott A. took me to Lenny's and introduced me to the Mexican burger: bacon, jalapeños, mayo, two kinds of cheese and a giant slab of medium-rare beef. All are gone now, banished like tortured ghosts. All that remains for me is the hollow bun, searching unceasingly for warm, gooey companionship, much like myself. Though they have snatched you all from my greasy hands and mouth, I will carry a part of you in my heart. In my arteries, anyway.

Out of blogging hiatus to oppose the OPRA!

2007-08-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

I was planning on posting more completely about what's been going on in my life these past two months, but I have to bring to your attention an outrageous and heinous piece of legislation being debated before Congress right now. Write or call your Rep. and tell them you are against OPRA!

Live From Congress: The OPRA

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2007-06-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try to decribe briefly the changes that have been happening in the past month or so.

Michael and I are no longer together. It's a really long story and I don't want to bore you with all the details and I feel a sense of obligation to protect Michael's privacy, so I'll just condense it. Keep in mind that this is my perspective and that he is likely to disagree with me on what really happened. From my point of view, Michael was upset that he couldn't get his way about something in our relationship so he threw a fit, tried to convince me that it was about something other than his desire to be in control, involved an innocent third party who wanted no part of it and tried to complicate my life in retaliation. I really feel that he betrayed me in the worst way and, in the process, guaranteed that I could never again have him in my life in any capacity. Anyway, his little stunt backfired and I have managed to stabilize the drama with the third party and remove Michael from the loop. She is free to continue her friendship with Michael, of course, but she has promised not to let him pump her for information.

I was very upset for a few days but my serenity returned more quickly than I could have anticipated. In fact, I had to wonder why it didn't hurt as long or as intensely as I should. Truthfully, the episode highlighted some things about his character that I had known on some level for a long time. For example, at different stages of our relationship, I found that he had lied to me about his age, his job, his education, his heritage and his economic background. To his credit, he came clean voluntarily about all these things, which couldn't have been easy. However, the fact that he felt he needed to lie about these things to begin with, none of which I would have cared about, shows that he lacked the scruples I wanted to believe he had. The moment I found out about the first lie and I chose to continue, I was no longer being true to myself, and for that I have nobody to blame but myself. I think this is why I found myself feeling liberated when it was over.

I know that my earlier posts portrayed a much rosier picture of our relationship. This is because a) I wanted to believe that things were good and b) you just don't broadcast your partner's faults to the world when you are trying to preserve and fortify your relationship. Even my closest friends didn't know about the pattern of lies until after the break-up. Perhaps if I had been more forthcoming, they would have encouraged me to move on much earlier.

The rest is almost all good news. I adopted a new cat named Gus. He's beautiful and wonderful. He and Sugarfoot are now partners in crime. I couldn't have asked for a smoother transition for Gus into his new home. He is happy and we (my roommate, the other animals and me) are all happy to have him.

I had my colonoscopy, upper endoscopy and two biopsies and the news is mixed. The good news is that there is no sign of infection or abnormal growth. The bad news is I have erosive esophagitis (no surprise there), a sliding hiatal hernia and what they are calling a non-specific ulcerative proctitis. Translation: they don't know what's causing it, but they know what's not causing it. The gastroenterologist is operating under the assumption that it's acute and will go away with medication and better diet. It hasn't so far. I have a follow-up appointment next week so we'll go from there.

I was passed over for the supervisor position. This is actually a good thing because now that I've had a taste of what it entails, I want nothing to do with it. The really good news is they have made an offer to a candidate who has accepted and will start in about two weeks. I know who it is and they are a good choice. I look forward to passing some of these duties back onto someone better equipped to handle them.

I started my first class for my Masters program this week. I have been reading like a maniac, not just for the daunting deadlines, but because I'm really interested in the material. Soon I will arrange my accomodations and transportation for the required week-long residency in Tucson. I'm really eager to tackle the material and get everything I can out of this course.

That's it for now. More soon.

8 things = excuse to start blogging

2007-06-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of stuff to blog about that has happened in the past month or so, but I will save it for another post. Right now, I will respond to the meme that Grumpator has tagged me with to get me to blog again.

This meme asks the blogger, i.e., me, to list 8 random things about himself. Here we go:

I actually have very traditional ideas about marriage, in a sense. I am 100% for legal marriage equality, of course, but beyond that my notions of wedlock are pretty conservative. I think that marriage should, ideally, be permanent and monogamous. Of course, there are times when divorce is warranted. However, I think most divorces could be avoided if people actually got to know each other thoroughly before getting married and then didn't give up when things got challenging after getting married.
I used to own a coffin. How I ended up with the coffin is fairly inconsequential. However, how I got rid of it is much more interesting. I sold it to an acquaintance I had not seen for a number of years previous. He offered to take it off my hands and I accepted his offer, not really having enough space for it anymore. Later, I remembered how I had met him years earlier: we had met at a Halloween party where he was dressed as death.
I am not usually squeamish about watching gory movies or surgical procedures on Discovery Health. One thing that I do get squeamish about, however, is feet. I cannot look at foot injuries of any kind. I think this is because my step-brother shot me in the foot with a BB gun when I was a kid.
I share my birthday, August 30th, with Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and John Peel. I share it with many other celebrities but I feel a particular affinity for these two figures. Shelley because we both have unusual dreams and Peel because we share a passion for discovering new music.
The first album I purchased with my own money was Cosmic Thing by The B-52's.
My elementary school classified me as mentally retarded because I had severe speech and coordination problems and had lots of trouble socializing with peers. To this day, I don't know exactly why. I was tested for autism but it was eliminated as a possible diagnosis. My mother told me many years later that I had been diagnosed with a form of epilepsy due to absence seizures, but she later denied ever saying it. I don't think I'll ever know the truth about my medical history. In any case, I overcame most of these obstacles, though I'm still rather clumsy.
I have a pronounced suprainiac fossa, a skull feature not generally found in modern humans. Homo neanderthalensis had suprainiac fossae but not as large as mine. My Fossil Hominids professors were baffled by it.
Every time I shave, I think about the episode of Diff'rent Strokes in which Arnold buys a defective toy train. I have no idea how that association got started but it persists to this day.

I'm not tagging anyone because I don't know who's reading my blog anymore. If you do read this, please feel free to continue the meme and send me a link.

I will have more later, I promise.

Long overdue blogging

2007-05-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay, it has been over a month since I last blogged. So much has been going on I hardly know where to start.

First and most importantly, I have been accepted to U of A's School of Information Resources and Library Science. I will begin work on my Master's degree next month. It's a distance program, so I can continue living and working in the Phoenix area. In July I will go to Tucson for a seven-day intensive, but beyond that, I never have to physically return to complete my degree.

My boss' last day was last Friday. For the near future, I will handle all the duties related to supervision and coordination of student workers. They have reclassified her position to Library Supervisor Sr. but, remarkably, I can still make a case that I meet the minimum qualifications. I intend to apply for the position. This would be a significant increase in my salary, but it's still a long shot. I will hope for the best but I won't be too heart-broken if I don't get it.

The paleunderweight podcast is, obviously, done. I felt that I had covered the territory very thoroughly and it was just getting old. I would still love to start podcasting again, but I think I would like it to be a collaborative effort. I know someone on campus that has similar taste in music to mine and podcasting experience, so I might ask him if he would like to collaborate.

I would like to start writing recommendations again soon. There have been a handful of releases this year that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I just have to muster the motiviation to blog more often.

Pooh is still hanging in there. He has even gained weight since his diagnosis. The threat doesn't seem so immediate anymore, though Michael and I both know it is there. We are looking at this as a blessing. Pooh has been given more time in which he can still enjoy life.

I have been having digestive problems for quite a while now, which I had always blamed on poor diet and sedentary lifestyle. In recent months, however, I have improved my diet considerably, started drinking large quantities of water and started working out almost daily. This has not had the positive effect on my digestion I had been hoping for. My doctor prescribed some medications that have not helped either. We are now operating under the theory that I might have a constriction or obstruction somewhere. I have an appointment with a gastroenterologist Friday. Hopefully he will come up with a better theory or schedule me for tests that will confirm or rule out the current one. The best outcome I can hope for is a simple, painless, inexpensive, permanent solution. However, if surgery is necessary, I can accept it if it will improve my quality of life. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. First things first, as they say.

Bedtime soon. Time for my herbal tea. I will blog again much sooner this time, I swear.

paleunderweight podcast 34

2007-03-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

Final episode coming soon. (Don't panic; explanation forthcoming.)

Gruff Rhys: "Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru"
XTC: "Complicated Game"
Modest Mouse: "Ohio"
Cocteau Twins: "Little Spacey"
Dean & Britta: "You Turned My Head Around"
Pinetop Seven: "Easy Company"
Patrick Wolf: "This Weather"
Tujiko Noriko: "In a Chinese Restaurant"
Prefuse 73: "Uprock and Invigorate (A Prefuse/Dabrye Production)"
!!!: "Heart of Hearts"
Panda Bear: "Good Girl/Carrots"
Amon Tobin: "Horsefish"
Dälek: "Stagnant Waters"
The Arcade Fire: "Intervention"

2007-03-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Pinetop Seven: The Night's Bloom

Datarock: Datarock Datarock

Cocteau Twins: Victorialand

King Crimson: Red

Hrvatski: Swarm & Dither

2007-03-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

Dean & Britta: Back Numbers

Prefuse 73: One Word Extinguisher

Modest Mouse: This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About

Patrick Wolf: Wind in the Wires

Morrissey: Live at Earl's Court

The New Pornographers: Mass Romantic

XTC: Drums and Wires

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Nocturama

2007-03-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

!!!: Myth Takes

The Arcade Fire: Neon Bible

Wolf & Cub: Vessels
Amon Tobin: Foley Room

2007-03-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

Tujiko Noriko: Solo

Panda Bear: Person Pitch

Audionom: Retrospektiv

Gruff Rhys: Candylion

Dälek: Abandoned Language

Think you know me?

2007-03-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

Take my challenge... if you dare!
Create your own Friend Test here

Overdue blogging

2007-02-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

For a variety of reasons, I haven't been blogging much recently, and I haven't shared anything from my life other than what I've been listening to in weeks.

The bad news is that Poo has lymphoma. He doesn't seem to be suffering at the moment other than throwing up here and there. As I mentioned previously, Michael decided to give Poo a couple of weeks of comfort at home before it's time for him to "graduate" (we aren't using the 'd' word right now - except maybe "denial"). When the time comes, the veterinarian will come to Michael's apartment. This way, Poo can live his last moments at home, rather than at the vet's office. Though these were Michael's decisions, I'm sure I would do the same in his situation and I support him completely.

I am almost ready to send off my application to U of A. I received my official GRE results and transcripts last week and I have both letters of recommendation. I just need to finish my C.V. and letter of intent (hopefully tonight). I would have completed them by now but I have been laid up with a stomach bug since Monday. If all goes right, I will mail it tomorrow and hopefully receive a response by the end of March.

I am anxiously awaiting my copy of Ink, the sequel to Hal Duncan's Vellum. I pre-ordered to through Amazon and it shipped a few days ago. I'm hoping it arrives this week.

That's all for now. I have a lot more to post but my digestive system has other plans for me right now.

paleunderweight podcast 33

2007-02-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

Coming soon.

Kevin Hewick & New Order: "Haystack"
Beirut: "Elephant Gun"
Pere Ubu: "Chinese Radiation"
Kristin Hersh: "The Thin Man"
Of Montreal: "She's a Rejecter"
The Paper Chase: "At the Other End of the Leash"
Nine Inch Nails: "Closer (Precursor)"
DJ Drama & Lil Wayne: "Ridin With the A.K."
Soft Circle: "Sundazed"
Thomas Dolby: "Airwaves"
Shining: "Stalemate Longan Runner"
Alexis Gideon: "Playground"
Trans Am: "First Words"
Vietnam: "Step On Inside"
Deerhoof: "Believe E.S.P."
Papercuts: "Found Bird"
Okkervil River: "Another Radio Song"

2007-02-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

Trans Am: Sex Change

Field Music: Tones of Town

Soft Circle: Full Bloom

Deerhunter: Cryptograms

Arbouretum: Rites of Uncovering

2007-02-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

Of Montreal: Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

Alexis Gideon: Welcome Song

Beirut: Lon Gisland EP

Deerhoof: Friend Opportunity

Kristin Hersh: Learn to Sing Like a Star

2007-02-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

V/A: From Brussels With Love

Pere Ubu: The Modern Dance

The Paper Chase: Now You Are One of Us

Nine Inch Nails: Closer to God EP

2007-02-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

Dj Drama & Lil Wayne: Dedication 2: Gangta Grillz

Okkervil River: Black Sheep Boy Appendix

Papercuts: Can't Go Back

Pop Levi: The Return to Form Black Magick Party

Shining: Grindstone

Vietnam: Vietnam

Rhys Chatham: A Crimson Grail (For 400 Electric Guitars)

paleunderweight podcast 32

2007-02-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

Now available.

The Postmarks: "Know Which Way the Wind Blows"
The Slits: "Slits Tradition"
Dengue Fever: "Made of Steam"
Boards of Canada: "Alpha and Omega"
Vieux Farka Touré: "Courage"
Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter: "Spectral Beings"
Klaxons: "Gravity's Rainbow"
Lucinda Willams: "Wrap My Head Around That"
Black Mountain: "Modern Music"
Caetano Veloso: "Deusa Urbana"
Menomena: "Ghostship"
Frida Hyvönen: "Come Another Night"
Will Oldham: "Disorder"
David Daniell: "Sunfish"
Scritti Politti: "Petrococadollar"
The Thermals: "Test Pattern"
Martha Wainwright: "Far Away"

2007-02-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

Vieux Farka Touré: Vieux Farka Touré

Caetano Veloso: Cê

Xavier Rudd: Food in the Belly

The Streets: A Grand Don't Come for Free

Black Devil Disco Club: 28 After

2007-02-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

Aesop Rock: All Day: Nike+ Original Run

Frida Hyvönen: Until Death Comes

Martha Wainwright: Martha Wainwright

Boards of Canada: Geogaddi

2007-02-14T19:22:00.000-07:00

The Slits: Revenge of the Killer Slits EP

Klaxons: Myths of the Near Future

David Daniell: Coastal

The Thermals: The Body, the Blood, the Machine

Lou Reed: Metal Machine Music

Black Mountain: Black Mountain

Tense day

2007-02-14T19:15:00.000-07:00

Today should have been a happy, carefree day for Michael and I to celebrate. Instead, we both have knots in our stomachs, waiting for what could very well be devastating news.

I don't want to go into too much detail just yet, but the long and the short of it is that Michael's cat, Poo, is very sick. His condition has deteriorated over the past couple of weeks. He has now been in the animal hospital since yesterday morning undergoing successively invasive tests which culminated in exploratory surgery and a biopsy. We may have to wait up to a week to find out Poo's fate.

Understandably, we are both sick with worry, especially Michael. Right now I'm just trying to stay in the present and not focus too much on worst case scenarios, while trying to prepare myself for providing emotional support to Michael through challenging times.

In spite of facing some disheartening possibilities, I have some good news to report. I found people willing to write my letters of recommendation for my application to graduate school. I also have a meeting with a former coworker tomorrow to go over my curriculum vitae and letter of intent. I am ordering transcripts from ASU and Phoenix College tonight after my direct deposit goes in. I should get my official GRE results any day now. All this means I will probably be able to submit my application by the 28th.

That's all for now. More later.

Yesterday and today's listening

2007-02-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

Dengue Fever: Escape From Dragon House

Will Oldham: Arise, Therefore

Scritti Politti: White Bread Black Beer

Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter: Like, Love, Lust and the Open Halls of the Soul

Lucinda Williams: West

The Postmarks: The Postmarks

Menomena: Friend and Foe

paleunderweight podcast 31

2007-02-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

Now available.

Yoko Ono feat. Antony and Hahn Rowe: "Toy Boat"
Lily Allen: "Littlest Things"
Arab Strap: "Dream Sequence"
The Shins: "Sea Legs"
Talk Talk: "Desire"
Bloc Party: "Kreuzberg"
Kate & Anna McGarrigle: "Talk to Me of Mendocino"
Edan: "Torture Chamber"
Chris and Cosey: "Exotika"
David Bowie: "Moss Garden"
Magazine: "Burst"
Lou Reed: "The Kids"
COIL: "Amethyst Deceivers"
Björk: "5 Years"

Today's listening

2007-02-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

The Shins: Wincing the Night Away

Dosh: The Lost Take

Lily Allen: Alright, Still

Arab Strap: The Last Romance

Ladytron: 604

Kate & Anna McGarrigle: Kate & Anna McGarrigle

Talk Talk: Spirit of Eden

Today's listening

2007-02-08T21:27:00.000-07:00

Chris and Cosey: Exotika

COIL: Moon's Milk (In Four Phases)

Edan: Beauty and the Beat

Björk: Homogenic

Today's listening

2007-02-06T21:18:00.000-07:00

Rickie Lee Jones: The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard

Bloc Party: A Weekend in the City

Loney, Dear: Loney, Noir

Yoko Ono: Yes, I'm a Witch

Today's listening

2007-02-05T21:18:00.000-07:00

Lou Reed: Berlin

Spoon: Telephono/Soft Effects

Magazine: Real Life

David Bowie: "Heroes"

Some good news

2007-02-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Friday morning I finally took my GRE. Long story short, I kicked ass. 680 verbal, 780 quantitative. The analytical writing section isn't graded at the time of the exam; I have to wait two or three weeks for the results. I think I did pretty well on the first essay, but I nailed the second one. Without revealing too much about the contents of the exam, I'll just say that I've taken classes that pertained directly to the subject matter of the essay, which gave me a great deal of confidence.

I checked my e-mail when I got home and I was notified that I had been selected to serve on a search committee for a vacant job in the ASU libraries. I've been eager for an opportunity like this, not just because it's the kind of experience that will help me get a supervisory position in the future, but also because I want to participate in the hiring process.

Strangely, the news I am most excited about is the joint Costco membership that Michael and I bought. If you are unfamiliar with Costco, it's a lot like Sam's Club, except Costco won't use the money you spend there to eradicate tolerance and clone Hitler. I've already shopped there three times in the last week. I purchased season seven of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for $17, a 300GB external hard drive for $140 and two pairs of lounging pants for $8 each, along with about $90 in grocieries. Considering that I bought about three weeks of food, it's a fantastic deal. The fridge is bursting at the seams and I am eating raisins by the handful. I'm not really into shopping per se, but I find myself daydreaming about shopping there nonetheless.

That's all for now. I will post more soon about applying to grad school.

paleunderweight podcast 30, part 2

2007-02-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

Now available.

Yo La Tengo: "I Feel Like Going Home"
Clogs: "Voisins"
Tom Waits: "First Kiss"
Man Man: "Banana Ghost"
Peter Bjorn and John: "Paris 2004"
Sally Shapiro: "Anorak Christmas"
Ellen Allien & Apparat: "Rotary"
Girl Talk: "Too Deep"
Thom Yorke: "Harrowdown Hill"
Final Fantasy: "This Lamb Sells Condos"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy: "Wai"
The Handsome Family: "Famous Blue Raincoat"
The Decemberists: "Shankhill Butchers"
Sunset Rubdown: "Us Ones in Between"
The Blow: "Pardon Me"
Arctic Monkeys: "From the Ritz to the Rubble"
The Hold Steady: "Arms and Hearts"

paleunderweight podcast 30, part 1

2007-01-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

Now available.

The Pipettes: "Judy"
The Dresden Dolls: "First Orgasm"
Junior Boys: "FM"
Beirut: "The Bunker"
Datarock: "Nightflight to Uranus"
Cat Power: "Willie"
Richard Butler: "California"
Destroyer: "Watercolours Into the Ocean"
My Robot Friend: "Dead"
Camera Obscura: "Country Mile"
Joanna Newsom: "Sawdust & Diamonds"
Akron/Family: "One Spring Morning"
Jesu: "Star"
Belle & Sebastian: "White Collar Boy"
Neko Case: "Margaret vs. Pauline"

What's new with me

2007-01-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

I have decided, with some reluctance, to discontinue my Recommendations 2006 project. I just have too many things on my plate right now and have to focus on preparing for my GRE and on my classes this semester. I have removed the links on the right side, but all existing recommendations will stay. The podcast will return this Saturday. It will be in two parts and consist of tracks from thirty or so of my favorite albums of 2006, but it will not be a countdown. After that, I will post a new podcast every week or two. I will not post daily lists of what I've been listening to, but I will cull the tracks from the albums I've listened to during the week.

I have dropped one of my classes because the bookstore screwed up on the books repeatedly. I decided that the difficulty I was having getting the right editions was more than it was worth to me. I'm still taking the two music classes and enjoying them quite a bit.

I will pay for my GRE on 1/31 or as soon as my tax refund is deposited into my checking account, whichever comes first. I plan to take the exam on 2/1 or as soon as possible thereafter. I am not killing myself trying to prepare; I've decided that I will review every few days, take the test and accept the results. I always do really well on standardized tests and taking one practice test after another wasn't helping my scores anyway.

My most exciting news is that I am losing weight steadily and more quickly than I had anticipated. I haven't had access to a decent scale until recently, so I can't be sure the total amount lost. Michael lent me his electronic scale last Sunday and I have lost eight pounds since. I am now 216 lbs. with a BMI of 28.5, which means I am no longer medically obese. I am still 27 lbs. overwieght, but I might be within a "healthy" weight range within a month if I continue what I am doing. Realistically, I know that my rate of weight loss will probably level off soon and continue at a slower rate, but I am still hoping for the best.

That's all for now. More later.

Coachella

2007-01-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

Couldn't you just plotz?! Seriously, I would love to go to this one. As soon as I get my tax refund, I'm going to look into transportation and hotel costs.

Has anything more wonderful ever happened in the history of humankind?

2007-01-19T17:58:00.000-07:00

Pitchfork is reporting that Björk's new album is due in late Spring.

A new Björk album is a wonderful thing indeed, but more wonderful than, say, George Eads showing up at your door unexpectedly with a pizza and a massage table? More wonderful than a giant pie filled with smaller pies? More wonderful than warm underwear right out of the dryer?

Yes, a Björk album can be more wonderful than all those things combined, but only if said album includes at least one duet with Antony Hegarty. Luckily for the entire human race, it will have two.

Now, if only George Eads would show up at my door while I'm listening to the new Björk album...

My recommendations 2006:Rather Ripped by Sonic Youth

2007-01-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped
Geffen 6/13/2006

I often wonder how Sonic Youth has managed to rebound from a seemingly terminal mid-90s lull to release three of their best records in quick succession. I think that, having perfected their distinct sound, they have postponed further innovation until they have fully explored the space they've created. On Rather Ripped, they wrestle tried-and-true archetypes from the last fifty years of pop into submission and refract them through their own cracked prism. Their characters retell ancient stories on squalid, dystopian stages. The stamina of Sonic Youth's career is largely due to solid musicianship and a knack for literary themes.

My recommendations 2006:Disco Romance by Sally Shapiro

2007-01-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

Sally Shapiro: Disco Romance
Diskokaine 12/1/2006

Numerous reviews of Disco Romance have labeled the work of Sally Shapiro and her producer, Johan Agebjörn, as italo disco. Truthfully, I don't know enough about the various genres of dance music to evaluate this claim, but I am skeptical. I don't think that electronic music is ever that cut-and-dry, such that one can categorize it based on objective and indisputable criteria. It more vividly reminds me of the music that was being played at my favorite clubs in the early 90s than anything by Girogio Moroder. I was sixteen years old, had just come out and was full of hope and fear. I remember the music as jubilant, romantic and anthemic, just like Disco Romance. I can't be sure whether my memories are evoked by genuine stylistic similarities, or if my emotional reponse to the record just reminds me of what I was feeling during that period of my life. Either way, Disco Romance's emotional content adds charm to an already superb record.

My recommendations 2006:28 After by Black Devil Disco Club

2007-01-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

Black Devil Disco Club: 28 After
Lo Recordings 11/21/2006

Available at Emusic

If 2006 has taught us anything, it's that an artist's long hiatus isn't necessarily an obstacle to excellence. Case in point, the French duo Black Devil Disco Club, whose 1978 debut, upon its reissue in 2004, was met with skepticism regarding whether it was an authentically vintage release. It simply sounded too advanced to be the product of analog machines. 28 Later is, as one might guess, Black Devil Disco Club's first release in nearly thirty years and is just far enough removed from anything else today that it's equally difficult to believe that it was made in 2006. Unlike virtually all dance music created today, 28 Later's percussion is pushed into the background, allowing soft plastic bits of treble to twitch and squirm unimpeded. At moments, it sounds like two different DJs spinning in adjacent rooms. When 28 Later is reissued in 2034, it is likely to be met with the same disbelief as its predecessor.

Resolutions

2007-01-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't fallen off the edge of the Earth. I've just been in that perfect intermediate state between busy and lazy, such that I haven't mustered the time or energy to blog.

My GRE plans are still on track, thanks in large part to a good friend that repaid me a significant chunk of money that I had lent her a couple years ago. Consequently, I was able to pay a couple of bills early and create room in my budget to pay the $130 for the exam fee out of my next check.

Classes start again on Tuesday. I was able to acquire all but one book. The campus bookstore never had it sent from the East campus, despite the request I made over a month ago. So now I have to contact the East campus bookstore myself and I expect it will take about a week to get it. In the meantime, I have found that the previous edition is available electronically and at very low cost from a vendor endorsed by the university. I hope this will suffice until I can get the correct edition.

Supervisory Academy has been postponed indefinitely while the course is revamped. I have been assured that there will be a Spring session but it has not been scheduled yet. I hope so, as any significant delay will hurt my chances of getting hired for a supervisory position.

Michael completed the Walt Disney World Marathon last week. Needless to say, I am extremely proud of him. I know that it took a tremendous amount of resolve to train for and complete this marathon. I find his determination to accomplish his goals incredibly attractive.

I am finished selecting the remaining albums of 2006 that I will recommend. I am going to try to finish the recommendations in the next few days and record the next podcast next week.

Though I'm not usually the kind of person that makes New Year's resolutions, I have been trying, with great success, to make some changes in my life in the interest of improving my health. This is largely the result of having calculated, much to my terror, my BMI. For the first time in my life, I am borderline obese. Among the changes are much more water, much less caffeine, no red meat, fresh fruit every day, breakfast daily and drastically reduced sweets. For the last two weeks, my typical day generally includes about three or four liters of water, a bowl of cereal with skim milk and blueberries, a turkey or tuna sandwich, sushi (non-authentic), an apple or two and two or three cups of fat-free yoghurt. When I get home from work, I am usually not hungry enough to eat a full dinner but I snack on fresh fruit throughout the afternoon and evening. My fridge is stocked with apples, oranges, clementines, apricots, peaches, cherries and whatever else I'm in the mood for.

This has led me to the hypothesis that I may be lactose intolerant. I always thought I had digestive discomfort because my diet was terrible. It turns out that I am still experiencing discomfort but only after having cheese or milk, as far as I can tell. This week I am switching from skim to soy milk and refraining from cheese. Yoghurt, I think, is still okay because of the acidophilus. If I start feeling better, I will likely make it a permanent change.

Last week I read an article about the strategies used by those who have successfully lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off. It appears that my plans already include most of these strategies, which gives me hope for success. The last part of the equation, of course, is exercise. Historically, I have not been very good at sticking to exercise. However, a coworker directed my attention to a website that has an easy plan for beginners. It starts out with walking and builds up to running. I hope to start it soon. I know I can handle the walking; I already walk almost everywhere as it is, and quickly, too. Hopefully, I won't have too hard of a time transitioning to running.

That's all I can think of for now. I will start posting a lot more, I promise. Keep an eye out for more recommendations over the next few days.

Personal update

2006-12-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks.

Christmas was very nice. Michael and I spent the weekend with our friends in Tucson again. He got me the Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man DVD (in exchange for which I agreed never to make him watch it) and a book collecting all of the artwork from the complete output of Factory Records, i.e., albums, singles, promotional materials, etc. I gave him a DVD player (to replace the one that died a few months ago) and two seasons of Will & Grace. I also bought a copy of Vellum for a friend and one for myself, finally. I kept getting it through interlibrary loan and running out of time before I had finished reading it.

I have registered for three online classes, two about music and one on reflective writing, for the Spring semester. The latter will count toward the Journalism/Mass Communication degree and the first two are for my personal fulfillment. I plan to pay my tuition tonight - a whopping sum of $68. Needless to say, I love my employee tuition waiver.

Additionally, I am taking a class called Supervisory Academy for work. This will count as a full year of supervisory experience when I apply for the Library Supervisor position that will open up after my boss finishes her M.A. and departs for greener pastures.

I'm also planning to take my GRE (finally) before February 1st. I keep procrastinating and missing deadlines. The absolutely final day I can apply for U of A's MLS program for the summer is April 1st. This will give me time to receive my GRE results, write my C.V. and letter of intention and gather up two letters of recommendation. I think four months to prepare my application is a realistic goal.

I am way behind on my end-of-the-year project, so it's unlikely that I will get caught up by Monday. However, I am going to see it through until the bitter end, hopefully sometime in January. The podcast will reappear shortly thereafter.

Finally, here is a photo of the first two grilled cheese sandwiches I ever made, strangely enough. I took the photo in the midst of eating them. I didn't burn down the kitchen, to my roommate's relief, though he did derive some amusement from my clumsy efforts. They did taste good, though.

My recommendations 2006:Palo Santo by Shearwater

2006-12-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

Shearwater: Palo Santo
Misra 5/9/2006

Available at Emusic

Shearwater is Okkervil River's quieter, more introspective alter ego, with Jonathan Meiburg taking the frontman's reins from Will Sheff. As is often the case with those that suppress anger, Shearwater is slow to come to a boil but lashes out forcefully, often with a sincere expression of disappointment, rather the disgust displayed on Okkervil River's Black Sheep Boy (a superb album in itself). Palo Santo represents an alternate perspective, another way of reacting to the same affronts. Shearwater illuminate a darker, perhaps more slippery path to catharsis, every bit as tranformative as the one traveled on Black Sheep Boy.

My recommendations 2006:Serena-Maneesh by Serena-Maneesh

2006-12-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

Serena-Maneesh: Serena-Maneesh
Playlouderecordings 5/9/2006

Available at Emusic

A lot of people are needlessly hung up on the supposed virtues of originality, many to the point of giving glowing reviews to unlistenable albums that happen to be weird and giving bad reviews to gorgeous ones that tread familiar territory. On occasion, an album like Serena-Maneesh comes along that does little more than rehash a done-to-death genre, i.e., shoegaze, but does it so well that critics are tripping over themselves trying to explain why they love it, all the while making excuses for its familiarity. Frankly, all I care about is whether it's enjoyable - and in this regard, Serena-Maneesh is a superb album. After all, shoegaze is really hard to fuck up - one part reverb, one part feedback, two parts soft male/female vocals buried in the mix - and in competent hands, it can still be stunning. Despite a few rough edges, Serena-Maneesh have shown that they are at worst great imitators, and at best potential innovators.

My recommendations 2006:Pieces of the People We Love by The Rapture

2006-12-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

The Rapture: Pieces of the People We Love
Universal 9/12/2006

Most assume that The Rapture make dance music with rock instrumentation. I disagree. I think they make rock music that's danceable. When I listen to Pieces of the People We Love, I hear similarities to The Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division, Gene Loves Jezebel and The Cult, reimagined through the lens of Peter Brown's "Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me?" and Giorgio Moroder. It seems that The Rapture's mission, as their name would suggest, is to subvert gloomy and cerebral musical paradigms into something joyful and visceral. Though The Rapture lament that nobody's dancing, they manage to get even the most cynical feet moving.

My recommendations 2006:We Are the Pipettes by The Pipettes

2006-12-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

The Pipettes: We Are the Pipettes
Memphis Industries 8/29/2006

Available at Emusic

This could have been terrible, and conventional logic dictates that it should have. After all, when is the last time a female pop vocal group did anything interesting? The Supremes, ca. 1967? While The Pipettes are every bit as manufactured as The Spice Girls, the former's aim is to elevate public tastes to their own threshold, instead of pandering to existing standards. Rather than blindly (blandly) resurrect a long-dead genre wholesale, or even inflecting modern indie pop with Phil Spector-esque production, The Pipettes inhabit the overlapping portion of the Venn diagram of both. Instead of presenting an artificial fusion, We Are the Pipettes is completely organic, as if from an alternative timeline in which the Shangri-Las segued directly into Iggy & The Stooges.

My recommendations 2006:Writer's Block by Peter Bjorn and John

2006-12-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

Peter Bjorn and John: Writer's Block
Wichita 6/29/2006

2006 has been an excellent year for Swedish bands, intriguing uses of rhythm sections and songs with whistling. Peter Bjorn and John's Writer's Block is (so far) my favorite example in all three of these categories. While Writer's Block isn't this trio's first album, it might be considered a debut of sorts, as it represents a radical reorganization of the band. Peter Bjorn and John have abandoned the hierarchical order of a conventional band, in which one or two members control the creative direction. For their latest album, they have promoted all three members to principal singer and songwriter. This is manifest in the astonishing diversity of the songs. Despite the seemingly random directions they take, the songs still exhibit a consistency that proves that Peter Bjorn and John share similar creative visions and ambitions. Much like the cover suggests, their combined talents shown on Writer's Block completely dwarf most of their peers.

My recommendations 2006:Fundamental by Pet Shop Boys

2006-12-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

Pet Shop Boys: Fundamental
Rhino 6/27/2006

When I am burned by a band I love, it's very difficult for me to trust them again. Take, for example, Pet Shop Boys. The release of Very coincided with my coming-out at the age of sixteen. I fell in love with that album and it came to represent that period of my life in my memory. I soon had all of their albums and EPs. Bilingual took some time, but I warmed up to all but one or two songs. Then they followed it up with the absolutely abysmal Nightlife, which contained about a dozen of their worst songs ever, one decent single and a perplexing duet with Kylie Minogue. Since then, I have largely ignored their output for fear of being subjected to something even worse. However, the past two years have been marked by a series of return-to-form albums by artists I had given up on years ago, so I felt intuitively that I should give Fundamental a chance. I'm glad I did. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have finally made maturity work for them, drawing upon the strengths of their first four albums and innovating musically as well. Almost every song ranks among their best early material, easily making Fundamental their best album since Very.

R.I.P., Peter Boyle

2006-12-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

I just learned from CNN that Peter Boyle passed away due to heart problems last night at the age of 71. Most people will remember him from Everybody Loves Raymond, but my fondest memory of him will always be his role in Young Frankenstein. May he always be remembered for making us laugh for more than thirty years.

My recommendations 2006:Now You Are One of Us by The Paper Chase

2006-12-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

The Paper Chase: Now You Are One of Us
Kill Rock Stars 6/6/2006

Available at Emusic

The Paper Chase is a deceptively benign name for a band that makes such creepy music. Paranoid and macabre, Now You Are One of Us could easily replace any of Goblin's scores for Dario Argento's giallo flicks. Man-eating houses and body-snatching aliens stalk the listener at every sonic turn, while the unnervingly familiar reanimated corpse of a Cat Stevens melody gorges itself on your temporal lobes. Now You Are One of Us is among the most twistedly imaginative albums of the year.

My recommendations 2006:Ys by Joanna Newsom

2006-12-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

Joanna Newsom: Ys
Drag City 11/14/2006

Available on Emusic

Unless you have been living alone deep in a subterranean cave for at least a month, you have probably already heard everything there is to know about Ys, so I'll just give an executive summary. Joanna Newsom is a classically-trained harpist and a San Francisco native (her cousin just happens to be one of my personal heroes, SF mayor Gavin Newsom). Her 2004 album, The Milk-Eyed Mender, turned quite a few heads upon its release and expectations were high for the follow-up. While writing the songs for Ys, Newsom realized that she would need a string sections, so she recruited Van Dyke Parks to handle the arrangements. Ys lives up to the praise it has received and then some. Newsom weaves five lengthy musical parables, all based on actual events from one year of her life. I have seen several reviews that describe Ys as difficult on the first few listens, but I disagree. These five songs are immediately lovely and shimmering and gorgeous and any number of other adjectives along those same lines. Ys is not just a phenomenal album, but it is a beautiful experience that everyone should seek out at least once, like the ocean or the auroras.

Education news

2006-12-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

I have been accepted to the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU to pursue a second B.A. in Journalism with an emphasis in Media Analysis and Criticism. I am going to start out in the pre-professional program to get started on some of the lower-division requirements. If I can use my tuition waiver at both ASU and U of A, I will also pursue a M.A. in Information Resources and Library Sciences at U of A.

I think that this will hedge my bets between landing my dream job one day (music critic) and having to settle for a job that is practical but nonethless immensely enjoyable (librarian). Also, and more importantly, it will allow me to defer my student loans a bit longer.

Movement

2006-12-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

Matthias Davies (formerly of Titus Knew and threedogheads) has relocated and retitled his blog. Check it out.

My recommendations 2006:Dial 0 by My Robot Friend

2006-12-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

My Robot Friend: Dial 0
Soma 5/29/2006

Available at Emusic

My Robot Friend, aka Howard Robot, offers fun and frivolous electronic dance music. Nobody could credibly accuse My Robot Friend of taking itself too seriously, as the subject matter vacillates from the sublime to the absurd and back in the same breath. Drugs, orgies, break-ups, bears (of the large, hairy, gay variety) and the decline of Western civilization are some of the most prominent topics tackled on Dial 0. Like many John Waters films, Dial 0 handles these subjects deftly with a perverse, and often juvenile, sense of humor.

My recommendations 2006:Bring Me the Workhorse by My Brightest Diamond

2006-12-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

My Brightest Diamond: Bring Me the Workhorse
Asthmatic Kitty 9/7/2006

Available at Emusic

Classically trained multi-instrumentalist and Sufjan collaborator Shara Worden is likely to find her way into my pantheon of singing goddesses, among the likes of Neko Case, Nina Simone and Alison Moyet. Her vocal style and range have both been described as operatic, and for good reason; she studied opera at the University of North Texas. The influence of opera is easily seen in her songwriting as well. The songs are theatrical and histrionic (in a good way.) Bring Me the Workhorse will surely appeal to fans of Sufjan Stevens, Antony & The Johnsons and Nine Simone.

My recommendations 2006:The Looks by MSTRKRFT

2006-12-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

MSTRKRFT: The Looks
Last Gang 7/18/2006

I was saddened by the news that Death From Above 1979 had split this past August. Though it was a little too harsh for me at first, 2004's You're a Woman, I'm a Machine grew on me and was in heavy rotation on my iPod by the end of 2005. Its abrasiveness, the very aspect which had originally put me off of it, became its most endearing quality. The same can be said for The Looks, the debut album of MSTRKRFT, DFA1979's partial reincarnation. Though MSTRKRFT create dance music, as opposed to DFA1979's noise-rock, they still sound as if they are felling redwoods. The Looks is reminiscent of the Ibiza-via-Manchester acid house of Technique-era New Order, and even The DFA (despite the well-publicized acrimony between The DFA and Death From Above 1979 over forcing the latter to change its name).

My recommendations 2006:The Fountain: Music From the Motion Picture by Clint Mansell

2006-12-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

Clint Mansell: The Fountain: Music From the Motion Picture
Nonesuch 11/21/2006

About a month ago, I posted about my excitement about this collaboration between Clint Mansell (formerly of The Pop Will Eat Itself), Kronos Quartet and Mogwai. As high as my hopes for this score were, the end result surpassed my expectations. I went to see The Fountain with a friend two weeks ago and I was so impressed by how well the music complemented the emotional arc of the story and the visual palette that I immediately downloaded the score upon arriving home. Kronos Quartet are, as usual, adept at conveying the protagonist's grief, while Mogwai illustrate his desperation. This is a definite must-have if you are a fan of either. My only gripe is that the Antony Hegarty vocal version of "The Last Man" is not included. For now, you can hear it on Clint Mansell's Myspace page.

Back to business

2006-12-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's been ten days since my last post, but I've been thinking about posting. As they often say this time of year, it's the thought that counts, right?

I am way behind on my end-of-the-year project. I have about ten recommendations queued up and waiting to be posted; I have the the album art and links to artist and label websites saved in my drafts. I just need to write the darn things. The problem is that the longer I procrastinate, the harder it is to remember what I wanted to write. So now I have to take a couple of days to listen to each album again and write the review immediately thereafter. I still plan on having this project done before the end of the year.

Paleunderweight podcast 30, as I mentioned before, will be available before the end of the year also.

Later today, I will have updates of a more personal nature regarding my educational direction.

My recommendations 2006:Ringleader of the Tormentors by Morrissey

2006-12-01T23:40:00.000-07:00

Morrissey: Ringleader of the Tormentors
Sanctuary 4/4/2006

When I was a horny, depressed teenager, I had an enormous crush on Morrissey. He was everything I wanted in a man: he was sexy, English and bordering on suicidal. At night, in bed, I would stare at my Smiths posters and dream of the day that I would break Morrissey's celibacy and he would be mine. Now, long after I had given up hope, somebody seems to have finally accomplished what I had fantasized about all those lonely nights. Morrissey is now confident, mature and liberated from sexual frustration. His famous gallows humor is still present, all the better now for not taking himself so seriously. Ringleader of the Tormentors is probably the most well-rounded of his solo albums, now that he has outgrown being masturbation fodder for drearily clad adolescents.

My recommendations 2006:The Obliterati by Mission of Burma

2006-12-01T23:21:00.000-07:00

Mission of Burma: The Obliterati
Matador 5/23/2006

Available at Emusic

With The Obliterati, Mission of Burma seems to have beaten the reunion curse - not just once, but twice! ONoffON was a fantastic, if only slightly scattered, record, but The Obliterati is better. This time around, Mission of Burma has harnessed the focus that was missing on their first reunion album. It almost seems a little unfair to the pack of post-punk bands that have emerged in the past five years. Imagine if you had grown up listening to Vs. and Signals, Calls and Marches, which inspired you to form a fairly decent band of your own. Then your idols return from the grave after a hiatus of more than twenty years and drop a record like The Obliterati, which is ten times better than anything you could have come up with in a million years. I'd be kind of discouraged. It's a good thing I'm not in a band; I'd hate for my own inadequacy to interfere with my enjoyment of such a fine album.

My recommendations 2006:And the Glass Handed Kites by Mew

2006-12-01T23:04:00.000-07:00

Mew: And the Glass Handed Kites
Sony 7/25/2006

The problem with most bands is not that they shamelessly rip off the bands that preceded them; it's that they don't rip off enough bands that preceded them. Mew could never be credibly accused of having too few influences, and they aren't ashamed of it. On their official website, they namecheck virtually everyone who has mattered in music in the last thirty years or so: Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., M83, Prince, My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins and, weirdly enough, Aqua. Mew describe their music with elaborately nested and modified noun phrases, such as "ecstatically icy space ballets" and "bombastic medieval madrigal space opera." I can't find fault with any of these descriptions; they certainly illustrate the quailitied of Mew's songs, which are just as elaborately nested and modified as their metadata suggest. It's safe to say that if you love music at all, you will find something about And the Glass Handed Kites to enjoy.

My recommendations 2006:Tears of a Clone by Icy Demons

2006-12-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

Icy Demons: Tears of a Clone
Eastern Developments 10/31/2006

Available at Emusic

If you have been paying attention, you may have noticed that I have a strong affinity for outsider music, freak folk and weirdo pop. The last three years have been incredibly fruitful for artists such as Man Man, Xiu Xiu and Antony who combine musical ecclecticism and theatricality to create the most vivid and visceral experience possible. Icy Demons certainly inhabit this space as well. What Icy Demons manage to accomplish (and what most of their contemporaries have not) is to make their habitat seem habitable for oxygen-breathing creatures. The cover of Tears of a Clone demonstrates this quality - the surreal illustration could not be any more over-the-top, yet bright pink tears over the spilt white blood of what appears to be a Wookie anchor the visual fable in raw human emotion. Icy Demons weave together the strange elements of outsider music with thread spun from pure pop, at moments evoking the ska punk of early XTC, the restrained cacophony of Boredoms, or the sugar-and-caffeine-fueled hyperemotionality of Polysics. While the strange worlds of Icy Demons are inhabited by weeping albinos and dying furries, their denizens seem more approachable than one's own parents.

Check out Miniluv

2006-12-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

Miniluv is a blog and a project devoted to sending a copy of George Orwell's 1984 to everyone in the House and the Senate who voted for the Military Commissions act. I have added a link to my "Other Blogs of Note" sidebar. Check them out and donate a book for the cause!

What does a terrorist eat?

2006-11-30T22:01:00.000-07:00

Does he prefer the chicken or the fish? Does he require a low-sodium meal? Does he ask for orange juice, diet soda or a bloody mary? Does he ask for a second bag of nuts? Does he like to sit in a window seat to watch the mountains go by beneath him? Does he try to engage his neighbor, who is obviously trying to read, in conversation? Does he read a Grisham novel or the in-flight magazine? Does he ask the flight attendant for aspirin because of the screaming kid in the row behind him who won't stop kicking his chair? Does he use the air sickness bag? Does he giggle at the stupid Jim Belushi sitcom rerun they show in flight? Does he try to convince his girlfriend to meet him in the lavatory so they can join the "mile-high club"?

The fightening thing is that Homeland Security thinks that questions like these have answers. Worse, they believe they know the answers. They are so confident in their expertise that think they can assign you a score based on, among many other things, which meal you order on the flight and this score tells them whether or not you are a terrorist. Your score is so useful that Homeland Security intends to keep it on file for forty years and so accurate that there is no need to let you know it has ever been assigned to you or to let you challenge it in a courtroom.

Of course, we all know that the middle-aged Caucasian Southern Baptist from Arkansas will never be given a high score, despite his connections with a group responsible for shooting a doctor in Houston because she has performed abortions and burning down a gay bar in Atlanta with many patrons still inside. Instead, an Iranian man, a physician who has been honored for his volunteer work at a pediatric burn unit in his community, a married father of four with pro-Western sympathies, will switch seats on a flight from Paris to Boston because another passenger has had four cocktails and has become obnoxious. This innocent move will cause his arrest and detention by Homeland Security upon arrival at his destination because he just happened to move to a seat above the wing. He will never see an attorney or a judge. He will never know why he is being detained or tortured. He will never see his family again because he thinks the only way to end the torture is to confess to something he never did. They will never know what happened to him. All because he committed the crime of FWM - Flying While Muslim.

I would laugh at the irony of this, except it isn't funny. The real story here isn't the arrogance of federal officials who think they can apply a mathematical formula to expose terrorists; it's the fact that Americans have remained complacent while their nation gradually turned into a fascist state. We were all taught it could never happen here because of our precious Constitution. We have now learned the hard way that our civil rights are like potted plants: they shrivel up and die if they aren't nurtured. After 9/11, we were duped into believing that we needed to temporarily give up some rights so our government could protect us. Then, they said it wasn't enough; we needed to give them more power to protect us. By the time we got wise to the ruse, we had already allowed the passage of the Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act. These two laws, more than any other, have gutted the Constitution.

It seems, though, that we may have stopped it in time. We still have the right to vote and we exercised that right a few weeks ago by affecting regime change at home. Had voter turnout been much lower, perhaps we would have lost the power to elect our representatives in government, too. There but for the grace of God, indeed.

Now we, as Americans, have the responsibility of keeping the Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate on their toes. We must remind them frequently that we want our civil rights back. We mustn't get complacent and trust someone blindly just because he or she has a 'D' by their name. After all, many Democrats have been complicit in the attacks on our Constitution over the past five years. Many are already working to reverse the erosion on our civil liberties, but they will need all the help the can get. Help them by writing to commend them when they defend the Constitution and criticize them when they fail to protect it. Help them by calling for the resignation of any Democrat found to be corrupt, even when you have supported them in the past. Help them by making them work for you. Otherwise, the Democratic Party won't be able to improve anything. I don't want to see the country's power divided between two parties that aren't different at all, because that would by the last nail in the coffin.

Tom Waits ♥... Missy Elliott!

2006-11-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

In an interview with Pitchfork, Tom Waits professes his love for Missy Elliott. "I'm crazy about her," he said. This is one of only a handful of situations in my life in which I have been simultaneously surprised and not surprised. It's an odd sensation. It's a bit like déjà vu.

Do not be alarmed by any other strange sensations you experience while reading the interview. Unless your left arm suddenly goes numb and you smell vanilla. Then, you may be having a stroke. Or it could be your reaction to Waits' list of strange laws from around the country. Either way, seek immediate medical attention.

HOA update

2006-11-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Wil Wheaton, whose link has been woefully absent from my sidebar until today, we have an update on the peace sign wreath situation.

Long story short, reason prevailed. The resident will be allowed to keep the wreath and all fines have been reversed. This goes to show that civilization gradually progresses toward truth, though it can be a painfully slow and bumpy process.

Speaking of Wil, I need to start reading his blog more often. He is a very intelligent individual with great tastes in the finer things in life, such as Heroes on NBC. Also, his role as Wesley Crusher on ST:TNG jump-started my puberty.

Another reason to abolish HOAs

2006-11-27T22:43:00.000-07:00

A Denver HOA has ordered a resident to take down a Christmas wreath in the shape of a peace sign because some of her neighbors have taken offense to it.

Now, how could a reasonable human being object to a universal symbol of peace, one of the central values of their own religion? Well, a reasonable person wouldn't. Only a stupid person would.

Their stupidity is confirmed by their reasons for taking offense to it. Some neighbors have confused it with a pentagram, which they have confused with a pentacle, which they erroneously believe is a symbol of Satanism.

If you are under this pernicious delusion, please take a note of the differences between the three symbols in this handy diagram:

As you can see, there are pronounced differences between the symbols. So there goes that argument.

Of course, if you want to get technical, even if she had displayed a pentacle or pentagram, it couldn't be considered an explicitly Satanic symbol because both symbols have been used by many cultures to represent God or some concept associated with God. The star of David is an example of a pentacle (the etymology of which has nothing to do with the number five, despite common misconceptions). Early Christians displayed pentagrams to respresent the wounds that Jesus suffered on the cross. It's not really necessary to go into all of this to refute the arguments of the peace sign opponents, but it does illustrate their ignorance of the history of their own religious traditions.

The other reason neighbors cited for objecting to the peace sign is that it expresses opposition to the war in Iraq, in which some of their sons and daughters are fighting. Here they are making rash assumptions about her reasons for hanging the wreath. Let's ignore the issue of whether the war is legal or morally right and focus on the meaning of the symbol. Again, a little history lesson will illuminate the matter. The peace sign was created for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in 1958. The symbol is derived from the semaphore symbols for 'N' and 'D'. So the peace sign is nothing more than a stylized acronym for "Nuclear Disarmament." Of course, the peace sign became a symbol for the movement against the Vietnam War. Beyond that, it has become a symbol for the ideal of world peace, something that real Christians wouldn't object to. The peace sign has no explicit connection to the war in Iraq, and one would think that opposition to the Vietnam War is no longer a hot-button issue. Once again, the HOA's reasoning has been proven fallacious.

Having established that our heroine was, in fact, explicitly supporting the abstract notion of world peace and not necessarily intending to express a stance on the current war, let's turn our attention to why the concept of peace should not be controversial.

There are numerous references to the ideal of peace in the New Testament. For example, Matthew 5:9 says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." James 3:18 says, "Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." There are also numerous associations between peace and Christmas in folk tradition, especially in carols. On famous example is in "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", written by Charles Wesley in 1739. "Peace on earth and mercy mild" are lauded as the consequences of the coming of the Messiah. If the offended neighbors intend on singing this particular carol this year, in public or in private, they have no leg to stand on in their objections.

However, there is reason to believe that the campaign against the peace wreath has more to do with the personal ambitions of the HOA president. The architectural control committee voted to allow the wreath in accordance with the HOA's rules. The president, however, was dissatisfied with the result of this vote and fired all five committe members.

This goes to the center of why HOAs should be abolished or, at the very least, heavily regulated. They frequently go way beyond protecting property values and abridge the civil rights of homeowners without due process. There is no way the presence of a peace sign wreath, controversial or not, can severely affect neighbors' property values. This is entirely about trying to control what fellow Americans think and say, which is the very definition of un-American. I hope that the new Democratic majorities in both houses will make limiting the power of HOAs part of the 2007 legislative agenda.

R.I.P., H. Donald Wilson

2006-11-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

H. Donald Wilson, creator of LexisNexis, one of the most kick-ass research tools used by libraries, passed away November 12th at the age of 82.

If you have never used LexisNexis, you should definitely try it. Unfortunately, I didn't know about it for most of my undergrad. I wish I had because it would have been useful. I went to a staff training for LexisNexis last year and I really enjoyed using it.

LexisNexis provides full-text access to federal court cases, campaign finance contributions, Congressional proceedings, census statistics and many other useful data sources. If you are affiliated with a university, you probably have access to LexisNexis. If not, you can contact public libraries in your area to find out whether they subscribe. Check it out if you get a chance.

My recommendations 2006:The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast by Matmos

2006-11-25T22:57:00.000-07:00

Matmos: The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast
Matador 5/9/2006

Available at Emusic

In the film Barbarella, the matmos was a source of energy that fueled various forms of evil in the city built upon it. Ironically, very little of the activity that Jane Fonda's title character witnessed in the city in search of Duran Duran (yes, the band also got their name from this film) could really be called evil. Hedonistic, certainly. And hedonism is one aspect of gay history that is manifest on Matmos' The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast, a concept album about notable gay figures from history. Each track commemorates one person who has made his or her distinctive mark on the world and is played in a manner that evokes that individual's influence. For example, for Valeria Solanas, the lesbian who shot Andy Warhol, a cow uterus is played like a wind instrument over a reading of her anti-male manifesto. For William S. Burroughs, it's a typewriter. For The Germs' Darby Crash, Matmos recorded the sound of cigarettes burning human skin. And for erotic photographer James Bidgood, human semen was splashed while Antony gently cooed and chanted. This is easily among the strangest and best albums of the year.

My recommendations 2006:Youth by Matisyahu

2006-11-25T22:37:00.000-07:00

Matisyahu: Youth
Sony 3/7/2006

Okay, I know what you're thinking. Matisyahu? Isn't he the rapping rabbi novelty dude?! I know that Pitchfork panned this record mercilessly, but Sean Fennessey seemed more concerned with Matisyahu's lack of legit reggae credentials than anything about the music. Plus, Fennessey's review was factually inaccurate on every count. For the record, Matisyahu was born and raised Jewish. But that doesn't matter anyway. Let's talk about the music. I wanted desperately to not like this album, but despite my own considerable prejudices, I have to admit it's pretty darn good. Perhaps if I was into the misogynistic, homophobic reggae of Beenie Man I would think Matisyahu pretty tame in comparison, but as far as reggae goes, I haven't heard anything as effortlessly enjoyable as Youth. If you need more convincing, consider the producer of this record: Bill Laswell. Yes, that Bill Laswell. The same Bill Laswell who played on Eno and Byrne's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, founded Material and The Golden Palominos, and produced Swans' The Burning World. The production on Youth is easily some of Laswell's best work of the decade. While Youth gets a little preachy at moments, it's otherwise a surprisingly great album.

My recommendations 2006:Six Demon Bag by Man Man

2006-11-25T22:18:00.000-07:00

Man Man: Six Demon Bag
Ace Fu 2/21/2006

Did I mention that I love weirdos? Well, I do. And I absolutely adore the idiosyncratic sideshow music of Man Man. Critics frequently compare them to Captain Beefheart and Tom Waits, only because those are the only artists that have a similar magnitude of weirdness. Six Demon Bag doesn't quite match the over-the-top gorgeousness of their criminally underrated debut, The Man in a Blue Turban With a Face, but it's still really quite amazing. This should be required listening for anyone who loves music or even claims to.

My recommendations 2006:It's a Feedelity Affair by Lindstrøm

2006-11-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

Lindstrøm: It's a Feedelity Affair
Smalltown Supersound 11/21/2006

Lindstrøm's Feedelity label website describes his sound fairly accurately: "...without any knowledge of dance music whatsoever, he entered the scene rather freed from any preconceived notions of style and trend parameters." This may be somewhat of a redundancy when describing any artist in an electronic genre - who gets a B.A. in microhouse from Juilliard anyway? - but in Lindstrøm's case, it's doubly true. He constructs house music from real, organic instruments as well as synths. If you were not given this information ahead of time, you might never figure it out because Lindstrøm blends organic and synthetic elements so seamlessly that the distinction seems meaningless (because it really is).

My recommendations 2006:Drum's Not Dead by Liars

2006-11-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

Liars: Drum's Not Dead
Mute 3/21/2006

Not long ago, critics conveniently grouped Liars in with the DFA-style dance punk that was emerging in New York at the time, if only because of geographic proximity. Then it seemed necessary to reevaluate this categorization; Liars were apparently drifting closer to trends in noise. However, it seems now that Liars are beginning to stumble upon something completely novel. Angus Andrew's description of the ethic of Drum's Not Dead that most succinctly summarizes Liars' sound: "It's the idea of dealing with loss or change, how do you recover from that, and what that recovery can lead you to." Drum's Not Dead tells a story of two characters: Drum and Mt. Heart Attack. They symbolize both the creation/destruction dichotomy and the often turbulent history of the city Liars now call home, Berlin. The album reminds me of early Einstürzende Neubauten, both in style and in philosophy.

My recommendations 2006:Rabbit Fur Coat by Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins

2006-11-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins: Rabbit Fur Coat
Team Love 1/24/2006

There is an elusive quality in a flawless female voice that I have always loved. I have always been drawn to this particular kind of voice. I heard it in Alison Moyet's performance on Yaz's "Midnight", when it sounded as if her head might explode from the pressure. I heard it throughout all three This Mortal Coil albums from various women who have contributed their voices to the project. Now, I hear it all over Jenny Lewis' solo debut, Rabbit Fur Coat. Co-produced by Lewis and M. Ward, Rabbit Fur Coat is more country-rock than alt-country, so its twang might be a little off-putting at first. However, a little patience and open-mindedness pays off, as Lewis' voice, as well as the Watson Twins', is completely beguiling. Despite my prejudices against the particular genres explored on Rabbit Fur Coat, I must admit that any other format would have been a less perfect showcase for Lewis' vocal abilities.

My recommendations 2006:45:33: Nike+ Original Run by LCD Soundsystem

2006-11-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

LCD Soundsystem: 45:33: Nike+ Original Run
Nike 10/17/2006

I was ambivalent about whether to recommend this release. In particular, I felt uneasy about the ethical implications of LCD Soundsystem's relationship with Nike. For one thing, Nike's human rights record is infamously abominable. They have refused to guarantee a minimum wage for their factory workers and to allow independent inspectors to tour the factories to ensure safe and sanitary working conditions. They have also been caught making false statements about working conditions in their factories and had the gall to argue in court that they actually have a First Amendment right to lie in their ads because it's political speech. On the other hand, they have been vocal advocates for the gay community in recent years, supporting domestic partnership benefits and anti-discrimation and hate crimes legislation. Then I remembered that this is about the music. On the basis of the music alone, this is a fantastic album. 45:33 is a single, continuous track of slowly shifting disco. I hope that LCD Soundsystem expands some of the sections into proper songs on future releases because they are really quite remarkable. So, if you are comfortable with downloading this album despite Nike's human rights record, I highly recommend it.

My recommendations 2006:Silent Shout by The Knife

2006-11-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

The Knife: Silent Shout
Mute 7/25/2006

In high school I wrote a paper proposing that Scandinavian geography and climate created conditions that favored greater interpersonal dependence than in other European cultures, which resulted in some cultural phenomena that Americans might find peculiar. It was utter bullshit; I pulled it completely out of my ass without actually having done any research to back it up. Nonethless, I got an A on the paper, probably because my thesis was completely plausible. One look at the history of pop music in Scandinavian countries and one might swallow my theory wholesale. The Knife is a brother-and-sister duo from Sweden that serves as an example of this. The Olof and Karin Dreijer seem to have created a private language of cultural symbols, which the use to create a bizarre form of technopop. Or maybe it just seems weird because of my American cultural biases. Perhaps the Dreijers find Jack and Meg White incomprehensibly eccentric.

My recommendations 2006:Xan Valleys EP by Klaxons

2006-11-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

Klaxons: Xan Valleys EP
Modular 10/17/2006

Available at Emusic

As you may be able to tell from previous posts, I am perhaps overly fond of weirdos and genre-hoppers. Klaxons definitely fall into both categories. Their sound is kind of like post-punk, grime, house and everything else that has been revived in the UK in recent years. Beyond that, their sound is very difficult to describe. Let's hope their debut album lives up to the promise of this charming EP.

My recommendations 2006:So This Is Goodbye by Junior Boys

2006-11-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

Junior Boys: So This Is Goodbye
Domino 9/12/2006

Junior Boys' debut, Last Exit, was declared by many to be the one of the greatest albums of the 21st century so far. I liked it, but I didn't fully appreciate how amazing they were until I saw them live last year. I had gone to the show primarily to see Caribou, but I was completely taken aback when I saw Junior Boys. I was astonished at how just two musicians could create such a sublime sound. From that day forward, Junior Boys became one of my favorite new acts. It was hard to imagine how they could top Last Exit, especially considering the departure of Johnny Dark, who had been responsible for much of their sound. Somehow, with So This Is Goodbye, they did it. So This Is Goodbye is much tighter than Last Exit, much of whose appeal came from the sensation that it might fall like a soufflé if one did not take care to tread lightly in its vicinity. You could throw So This Is Goodbye against a wall without fear that it might crack. Junior Boys' sophmore album is much less blue-eyed soul and significantly more 1989 Ibiza house-inflected New Order than its predecessor. It seems that Jeremy Greenspan found an even more suitable collaborator with Matthew Didemus to expand upon Junior Boys' unique sound.

Update

2006-11-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that I haven't posted a new podcast in while. Don't worry; the podcast is just on a short hiatus. I will record and post paleunderweight podcast 30 before the end of the year. I think that it will be posted in several parts over several days. This will be a special podcast commemorating the music of 2006.

I am also going to launch another blog in the next few days. It will not replace this one; I will maintain both blogs simultaneously. The second blog will be focused on a narrower subject matter than this one is. Right now, I'm just playing with the format. I will post an announcement when the new blog is ready to be seen.

My recommendations 2006:Welcome to My World by Daniel Johnston

2006-11-22T17:35:00.000-07:00

Daniel Johnston: Welcome to My World
High Wire 4/18/2006

Available at Emusic

Everything I've ever read about Daniel Johnston makes a point if mentioning his lifelong struggle with mental illness. Having heard this anthology of his recordings, I wonder which is his bigger problem: his bipolar disorder or just not receiving love and support from those he is supposed to be able to depend on. Johnston is frequently self-referential, and it's obvious that he's talking about himself even when speaking in the third person. His songs frequently tell stories of an anguished artist, discouraged by friends and family from doing what he loves who call him a bum. I can relate to this experience very well. At the age of thirteen, a psychiatrist told me that it was unlikely I would ever be able to function in society, hold down a job, succeed in school, etc. He told me I would probably end up killing myself, living in an institution or worse. Later, my mother tried to discourage me from going to college, saying, "Why bother? You'll just fail anyway." Sometimes, as Johnston and I both can tell you, people are just wrong. Johnston's recordings are often rough around the edges, but frequently brilliant. He continued to record despite his family's reservations and eventually influenced the likes of Tom Waits, Beck, Robert Pollard and TV on the Radio. Thanks to Johnston's determination and reliance on his own abilities, he amassed a vast body of work over many years. This anthology, as well as my graduation from college only weeks after its release, proves that mental illness need not be an insurmountable obstacle to success.

My recommendations 2006:IBM 1401, A User's Manual by Jóhann Jóhannsson

2006-11-22T17:09:00.000-07:00

Jóhann Jóhannsson: IBM 1401, A User's Manual
4AD 10/24/2006

Available at Emusic

Jóhann Jóhannsson's father, while working as a technician on early IBM copiers many years ago, discovered that the machines emitted radio waves during their normal operations. He managed to record some the music he composed on the machines. Jóhannsson discovered the tapes years later, which inspired him to compose this symphony based on those recordings. Considering that these pieces were composed as an ode to a machine, they sound surprisingly pastoral. It just goes to show that the machines created by man reveal hidden patterns in nature. With IBM 1401, Jóhannsson shows how capable his is at interpreting these patterns.

My recommendations 2006:Silver EP by Jesu

2006-11-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

Jesu: Silver EP
Hydrahead 4/11/2006

Critics have attempted to pigeonhole Jesu into various categories, usually some kind of subgenre of metal. Perhaps critics are unwilling or unable to see Justin Broadrick's new band in any other light because he was in Napalm Death and Godflesh. To me, Jesu sounds more similar to dark ambient acts of the mid 90s than any metal I've ever heard. Like Lycia, as well as every other band signed to Projekt in the 90s, Jesu uses slow, grinding drones to form the foundations of melodies. Unlike Black Tape for a Blue Girl and their sound-alikes, however, Jesu does it without becoming monotonous. I suppose this is because, despite how slowly the songs unfurl, there are distinct verses, bridges and choruses - all absent from most dark ambient. As much as I loved that kind of music ten years ago, I could only take so much of it, even then. Jesu, on the other hand, leaves me wanting more.

My recommendations 2006:Return to the Sea by Islands

2006-11-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

Islands: Return to the Sea
Equator 4/4/2006

Available at Emusic

In the aftermath of The Unicorns' baleful and silly breakup, one couldn't have been blamed for thinking that the members' individual careers were over. One bizarre news story after another emerged about their questionable decisions, such as Nick Diamonds' and J'aime Tambeur's announcement that they were making a foray into hip-hop as Th' Corn Gangg. And while it was well received, The Unicorns' debut, Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?, was so ramshackle it gave little hope of longevity. In spite of all indications to the contrary, Diamonds' and Tambeur's debut as Islands, Return to the Sea, establishes both as enduring presences in indie rock that are likely to hand around a while, in one form or another. Return to the Sea is every bit as strange as The Unicorns' album, but nowhere near as childish or silly. Who Will Cut Our Hair was not a fluke; Diamonds and Tambeur have shown they are capable of controlling their creativity. Though Tambeur has already left the band, Diamonds insists that "Islands are forever." Let's hope so.

My recommendations 2006:The Warning by Hot Chip

2006-11-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

Hot Chip: The Warning
Astralwerks 6/13/2006

I was worried about Hot Chip's signing to Astralwerks. Frequently, signing to a major label can spell doom for an indie band. Loss of creative control and incompetent representation could have destroyed what was special about Hot Chip: amateurish but deceptively danceable tunes overflowing with narcissism and bravado. I was partially right; Hot Chip did lose their amateurishness. Now, they make well-crafted and forthrightly danceable tunes, still overflowing with narcissism and bravado. There were moments on their debut that were grating simply because they were unaccustomed to using their own equipment. These moments are gone on The Warning. What Hot Chip lost has been replaced by something even better: competence.

My recommendations 2006:Boys and Girls in America by The Hold Steady

2006-11-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

The Hold Steady: Boys and Girls in America
Vagrant 10/3/2006

Available at Emusic

In a climate of unabashed artsy weirdness, it's suprising that The Hold Steady are held in such high regard by critics. The don't play glockenspiels, they write verses and choruses, and their songs are about the present day. Perhaps it's the literary quality that pervades their songs, then, that indie hipsters are atracted to. The Hold Steady write stories more than songs; they have a stable of characters they put into challenging situations, usually drug-related. Or perhaps critics and fans love them because they are good at what they do. Their songs are frequently celebratory and anthemic - easy to love whether you have ever overdosed at a concert or not.

My recommendations 2006:Black Ships Ate the Sky by Current 93

2006-11-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

Current 93: Black Ships Ate the Sky
Jnana 5/1/2006

Available at Emusic

Current 93 is one of the most dependable and constant things in this world. David Tibet is long past finding himself. Consequently, Current 93 has a well-defined sound that is unlikely to change. For most bands, this would be a liability. However, Tibet has a vast cadre of collaborators, each bringing their own perspective to the apocalyptic folk sound that Tibet pioneered. So each album sounds a little different. Black Ships Ate the Sky returns to the same epic format of Thunder Perfect Mind and All the Pretty Horses. This time, Tibet brings in more vocalists than we have seen on any previous album, including Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Antony Hegarty, resulting in seven versions of "Idumæa". These versions give the album a hub-and-spoke structure, the album returning periodically to the same reference point. Most of the rest of the songs include Tibet's distinctive vocal style in oscillates between chanting and speaking, but almost never singing. All of Tibet's favorite themes are reprised: Gnosticism, Louis Wain, Louis Wain and the Roman Empire. Longtime fans of Current 93 such as myself will find it a welcome return to form, while the uninitiated might enjoy Black Ships Ate the Sky enough to start exploring their vast back catalogue.

My recommendations 2006:Harmony in Ultraviolet by Tim Hecker

2006-11-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

Tim Hecker: Harmony in Ultraviolet
Kranky 10/17/2006

Available at Emusic

Brian Eno once said, "'Ambient Music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is interesting." If Tim Hecker agrees with this approach, then Harmony in Ultraviolet is a success, but if you aren't paying close attention, then you are missing a lot of what is great about it. I suspect that the allusion to George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" is intentional; Harmony is every bit as complex but much more subtle, hence the Doppler blueshift into the ultraviolet. It's almost as if the Gershwin tune were left out in the elements for a few centuries, subjected to erosion and corrosion, leaving it so weathered that only an archaeologist has the eye to recognize it as a human artifact.

My recommendations 2006:From the Cliffs EP by Guillemots

2006-11-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

Guillemots: From the Cliffs EP
Fantastic Plastic 3/14/2006

There are times when it's a real drag living in the United States. Not only do we have the shitty political climate of the last six years, but we also have to wait for albums that the rest of the world gets to enjoy months before they are released here. I have been drooling over a number of such albums that are not schedules for domestic release until early 2007: Lily Allen, Jarvis Cocker, I'm From Barcelona and Guillemots. Luckily, while I'm waiting for Guillemots' debut, Through the Windowpane, to arrive stateside, I have this lovely EP to tide me over. Guillemots go big on everything, so big in fact that all their song titles should be written with exclamation points. Not since Wham! have we seen such opulent and over-the-top arrangements from a pop band with so few members. Even The Polyphonic Spree, with its billion or so members, come up short in terms of both grandeur and quality when compared to Guillemots.

If you don't buy the new Tom Waits album, you will go to Hell.

2006-11-20T23:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, I exaggerate. But Orphans is pretty damn phenomenal, even for Tom Waits. Buy it! You won't be sorry.

Stolen bicycle

2006-11-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

I was going to use this evening to catch up on music recommendations, but I'm not really in the mood now. In fact, I'm positively livid.

It turns out that my roommate has known since Saturday that my bicycle was stolen out of the backyard but neglected to mention it to me until just a few minutes ago. Apparently, he came home Saturday afternoon to find the door to the from the garage into the backyard open (we have an open garage facing the street which leads right into the backyard). He found that my bicycle and his tile saw had been stolen.

He says he didn't say anything to me because he assumed I already knew. It's just common sense that if I knew, I would have said something. He also assumed that the police couldn't or wouldn't do anything about it. I guess it didn't occur to him that bicycles and power tools have serial numbers that are traceable. Had he called the police on Saturday, we might have been able to recover the stolen items. Now, who knows? I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get the serial number for my bike from the shop that sold it to me and it's not too late to file a police report.

Maybe I will get one or two recommendations done tonight, but I wouldn't count on it.

Mark your calendars...

2006-11-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

...because Dec. 22nd is the first annual Global Orgasm for Peace!

For most of my readers, this won't involve doing anything you don't do everyday anyway. But if an orgasm isn't a normal part of your daily agenda, make sure to reserve adequate time in your Outlook calendar. Don't forget to send invitations to your partner(s) using evite or some other service. More gregarious individuals may want to consider inviting everyone in their Myspace friends list.

My recommendations 2006:Color Wheel by Growing

2006-11-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

Growing: Color Wheel
Troubleman Unlimited 4/11/2006

Color Wheel is often lumped in with the work of Growing's contemporaries in noise such as Excepter, Wolf Eyes and Death From Above 1979. However, this doesn't tell the whole story. Color Wheel is more similar to Brian Eno's Discrete Music in its elegance and breadth. Rarely does noise overshadow the ponderous drones. Fuzzy, cacophonous bits of detritus float past one another on a sea of pure tones. The overarching theme is balance; rhythms throb unchangingly over periods of up to twenty minutes to give stability to the compositions, while random flares of noise break up the monotony.

My recommendations 2006:Yellow House by Grizzly Bear

2006-11-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

Grizzly Bear: Yellow House
Warp 9/5/2006

It's great to see that Warp Records is finally diversifying their portfolio. For years, their catalog was all IDM all the time: Autechre, Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, etc. While these acts are all great, what will Warp do when IDM falls out of favor? It seems that they are beginning to hedge their bets, and wisely so. Last year they released Maxïmo Park's great (though overhyped) debut, a skittering, spastic post-punk album that was similar in ethic, if not in style, to their established artists. Now, they have released Grizzly Bear's sophmore effort. Yellow House continues the trend of postmodernist genre recombination that some of the year's best albums have exhibited. Americana, psychedelia and post-rock are the primary sources used for constructing Grizzly Bear's sound. If Warp is wise, they will make Grizzly Bear the flagship band of a new cadre of artists, more eclectic and diverse than the label has ever had.

My recommendations 2006:The Tragic Treasury: Songs From a Series of Unfortunate Events by The Gothic Archies

2006-11-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

The Gothic Archies: The Tragic Treasury: Songs From a Series of Unfortunate Events
Nonesuch 10/10/2006

I believe that fifty years from now, music historians will look upon Stephin Merritt with the same affection that they do Cole Porter now. Like Porter, Merritt is extremely prolific, having released hundreds of songs under his various guises: The Magnetic Fields, The 6ths, Future Bible Heroes and The Gothic Archies. Also like Porter, Merritt can write a flawless pop song seemingly without effort. The Tragic Treasury is full of such songs, all overflowing with the dark, twisted wit of their creator. This gallows humor, which is used only sparingly on other Merritt endeavors, comes out in full force here, as over-the-top and tongue-in-cheek as he can get away with. Listening to The Tragic Treasury is like eating a birthday cake with your hands in the dark by yourself when it's not your birthday; you enjoy it though you get a sense that you shouldn't. This is, after all, a song cycle inspired by a series of children's books written by Merritt's former bandmate (Lemony Snicket was once a member of The Magnetic Fields). However, this is not children's music. This is a mature highbrow lowbrow kind of album - not inappropriate for a child, per se, but it was obviously intended for an adult intellect.

My recommendations 2006:Lunático by Gotan Project

2006-11-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

Gotan Project: Lunático
XL 4/11/2006

Available at Emusic

This joint Argentine/French/Swiss project aims to revitalize tango music and stimulate interest in the genre by infusing elements of electronic forms. When I read something like this, I immediately think of the Starbucks impulse-buy area next to the counter where they sell vapid and sanitized "world" music. However, even if it does end up being sold at Starbucks, it certainly doesn't sound boring or watered down. Gotan Project manage to sound authentic to tango tradition and innovative simultaneously - a true feat when trying to meld two or more disparate genres. It's not likely to inspire me to sign up for tango lessons at the local Arthur Murray studio, but it has opened my mind to the potential of tango in hands as capable as Gotan Project.

My recommendations 2006:Supernature by Goldfrapp

2006-11-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

Goldfrapp: Supernature
Mute 3/7/2006

Goldfrapp seems to have finally hit their stride. Their previous albums, Felt Mountain and Black Cherry, had some great tracks but were marred by some lackluster songs as well. Not so on Supernature. Nearly every song is as catchy and thrilling to warrant being released as a single. There are a few tracks that exhibit the signature combination of glam and electronica that we have all come to expect from Goldfrapp, but they seem to be growing as well. Supernature demonstrates that Mute is the perfect label for Goldfrapp. They fit in well with classic Mute acts such as Depeche Mode, Yaz and The Normal, while displaying influences from Mute's Grey Area reissues of Can, Throbbing Gristle and SPK. This is an album can be easily enjoyed by indie snobs like myself and musical philistines alike.