Where the Wild Things Are

A trailer for Spike Jonze’s first major theatrical movie in seven years. The movie had tons of issues with the studio hating the first screenings, and the movie basically had to be redone. It’s based on a children book that actually brings back memories when I see the art. It looks like this…

…so yeah, obviously filming the “wild things” is going to be the most difficult part. But Spike Jonze has had success making difficult movies before (Being John Malkovich) and after all he did create the best music video ever (Weezer’s “Buddy Holly”). Anyway, the trailer looks promising, featuring the great song “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire. If nothing else the movie should be pretty original. Release date is October 16.

Trailer:

Poster:

33 Favorite Songs of the 2008

Here are the 33 songs from 2008 I thought worthy of  a mention (I seriously need an editor).  I attempted to include no more than one song per artist so I could achieve some sort of diversity other than 10 TV on the Radio songs.

#33)	“Old Enough“ by The Raconteurs

This song has more of a folk music influence as evidenced by the prominent fiddle, as opposed to the blues-rock sound they’re typically known for.  Not a particularly ground-breaking song, but one I enjoyed.

Music Video on MTV.com

#32)	“Use Somebody“ by Kings of Leon

I guess you could call this song “Emo,” eventhough I’m still not sure entirely what that means.  I always gathered that it just meant the singer is taking himself way too seriously, and that’s kind of what this sounds like.  But it works for this this song, which has a definite arena rock/power ballad feel to it that isn’t too common these days.

Music Video on MTV.com

#31)	“Dead Sound“ by The Raveonettes

This song is typical Raveonettes.  Noisy fuzz guitars underneath retro 60s pop melodies.  Even though I pretty much know what to expect with them I can never seem to get enough.

Music Video on MTV.com

#30)	“A Milli“ by Lil Wayne

This is the song you’d get by looping a sample of someone saying “A Milli” about 300 times, adding some snares that seem like they came from a $100 keyboard, occasionally inserting some thumping bass into the mix, and then of course capturing Lil Wayne’s stream of conscious.  One of the stranger songs off the best rap album of the year.

Music Video on YouTube

#29)	“I’m Amazed“ by My Morning Jacket

My Morning Jacket was on the way to becoming one of my favorite bands, but the latest album was a big disappointment.  Half the songs seemed like they were trying to be overly experimental, and the other half seemed like they were trying to be completely accessible, which made for a very disjointed album.  However, the album standout, “I’m Amazed,” captures all the best things about them, the classic rock sound and southern rock tendencies, Jim Jame’ soulful voice, and the psychedelic guitars.

Music Video on YouTube

#28)	“Daddy’s Gone“ by Glasvegas

Some may consider this song cheesy with it’s straightforward, laying-the-sap-on-thick lyrics, but to me there’s something earnest to me about it.  A lot of British/Scottish singers somehow mask their accents, but here the Scottish accent comes through loud and clear, which I’d say helps.  This song kind of has the same instant likability that Oasis had early on.

YouTube Link

#27)	“Going On“ by Gnarls Barkley

I thought Gnarls Barkley were just going to be a one album stint, but this song off their second album proves they’re still taking it seriously.  I love the slow airy guitar at the beginning followed by the quick rhythm changes, which occur throughout the song.

Music Video on MTV.com

#26)	“Play Your Part (Pt. 1)“ by Girl Talk

I pretty much have always hated mash-ups.  A lot of time it seems like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole and just doesn’t work.  But in comes engineer-turned-mashup-artist Greg Gillis, one of the few who gets it right.  Part of his success is due to a more expansive selection of different genres and time periods than typical radio station DJs that dabble with mashups.    On this song he starts with the rap group UGK over the classic  rock song “Gimme Some Lovin.”  Then later moves to Jurrassic 5 over Temple of the Dog’s “I’m Going Hungry” (BTW, how awesomely random is it that he used Temple of the Dog…what a song).  And then ends with Lil Wayne rapping over Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Plus a whole bunch of other identifiable samples in between that you wouldn’t expect to go together so well.  Some have described Girl Talk as “ear candy,” and it’s hard for me to disagree.

Music Video on YouTube

#25.)

“The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived“ by Weezer

I think this song is Weezer trying their best to become the new Queen, and this song is their “Bohemian Rhapsody.”  It basically seems to be a medley of different genres, but is crafted so perfectly it becomes completely cohesive.  One of the most likable and funny songs I’ve heard in a while.  Below is my best attempt at classifying all the genre transitions throughout the song and the order they appear:

The song starts with a soft piano line like many epic songs do, as well as a cheering audience. Then quickly goes to…

1. Rap.  They even throw in police sirens for good measure.

2. Heavy Metal

3. Folk

4. Gospel

5. Soul

6. 80s Hair Metal

7.  Pop Punk…getting a little closer to Weezer’s sound now.  More like Green Day who is similar in some ways.  And then…

8.  Pure Weezer.  When they break it down to sing the songs title it’s unmistakably Weezer.  Slow tempo with crunching power chords.

9. Spoken word break.  The best I can tell is this Rivers attempt at mocking Guns n Roses “Get in the Ring,” only with much more comedic results.

10. Beach Boys like harmonizing

11.  Punk Rock

12. And then the big arena rock finale to close it out.

Music Video on YouTube

#24)	“Gettin’ Up“ by Q-Tip

Q-Tip has always been my favorite MC, and on his comeback album he definitely looks to the past, which is  pretty much a good idea for all rappers.  If it wasn’t for the more current lyrics that would make no sense in 1990 (“sent you a message, sent you an email”),  this song could be mistaken for a song released during rap’s old school “Golden Age” time period.

Music Video on MTV.com

Extra song!  Music Video for “Move” on MTV.com

#23)	“Death to Los Campesinos!“ by Los Campesinos!

One of the best new bands to emerge this year.  Seven kids from Wales, who have way too much energy.  The dueling girl-boy vocals propel the song (with the occasional shouting), as the rest of the band tries to keep up.

Music Video on MTV.com

#22)	“Drive on Driver“ by The Magnetic Fields

One of the catchiest songs of the year from one of the best songwriters in the world today, Stephen Merrit.  The melodies in this song are perfect.
Streaming Audio on Jango.com (click Listen Now)

#21)	“Eraser“ by No Age

No Age are all about sounds.  Particularly multi-tracked guitar sounds, and this short gem of a song is a good example.  The best way to listen to it is loud, while focusing on all the layers of guitar.  Beautiful noise is the best way I can describe it, but probably more of an acquired taste for most people.

Music Video on MTV.com

#20)	“Robocop“ by Kanye West

To me this is one of two songs off of Kanye’s auto-tuned album that I enjoyed (the other being “Paranoid”).  The reason is simple.  The auto-tuned “robotic”  vocals and robotic beats fit perfectly with the song’s title.  In other words the auto-tune actually makes sense in this song, other than just masking the fact that Kanye can’t sing.  There are also seems to more of Kanye’s robust production in this song with the strings and synthesizers, as opposed to the sparser darker production that permeate the rest of the album.

Audio Rip on YouTube

#19)	“Why Do You Let Me Stay Here“ by She & Him

I remember seeing Zooey Deschanel sing in the movie Elf a couple years ago and immediately thinking what a great classic voice she has.  A few years later and she’s the lead singer of a folky indie pop group with veteran guitarist/singer/songwriter M. Ward.  This is a simple an immediately likable song with Zooey’s voice as the focal point, but with M. Ward throwing in some cool rhythm changes and even a guitar solo to make it sound a little more modern.

Music Video on MTV.com

#18)	“Never Stops“ by Deerhunter

I think the right word for this song is eerie.   First off, the song sounds like it’s sung by a ghost, and lyrics like “that haunt my days” only adds to the overall feel. Yet, the delicate guitar feedback and loud drumming during the chorus so perfectly mesh with the soft vocals that it somehow adds some warmth to the song, keeping it from becoming too depressing or dark.   Quite a masterful song from such a young band.

Audio Rip on YouTube

#17)	“Grounds for Divorce“ by Elbow

This is the bar/pub song of 2008 from a group that is usually classifed as anything but a “bar band.”   I don’t even think they were actively trying to hide what they were going for.  Especially with lines like “I’ve been working on a cocktail called Grounds for Divorce,” and the fact the video for the song is set in a bar.  They channel “Hangin’ Tough” with the band singing in unison “Woh-Oh-Oh-Oh…,” but luckily this isn’t New Kids  on the Block.  Elbow actually reminds me of Coldplay on many of their songs, but this one is definitely unique to their style.  Just when you think the song is getting soft, they suddenly “flip the rock switch” with the best guitar riff of the year.

Music Video on MTV.com

Extra Song! Music Video for “One Day Like This” on MTV.com

#16)	“Golden Age“ by TV on the Radio

It was hard for me to pick a song off this album, which is my favorite of the year (for the second time in three years, BTW).  So I just went with the first single off the album.  This one surprisingly has a somewhat New Wave feel with the sparse electronic sounding instrumentation erupting into a celebration during the chorus.  The vocals are pretty unique in the typical TV On the Radio way.  With at least two singers singing in high falsetto and one person singing in the lower register at the same time, it definitely makes for an original.  I’d say at this point they are my favorite band currently active.

Music Video on MTV.com

Extra Song!  Fan made Music Video for “Family Tree” on YouTube

#15)	“Silence“ by Portishead

Whereas the Deerhunter song above I would classify as eerie, this song is just flat out scary.  The dark bass line and percussion that sound like running footsteps or someone literally knocking on wood keep the rhythm for the entire song.  Then, on top of that they put every scary sound they can muster.   Dissonant high pitched guitar squeals, squeks, tinny-sounding minor chords, ominous strings, and when you’re about ready to surrender in comes Beth Gibbons spine-chilling vocals.  This is the song (good) horror movies are made out of, or at least dark film-noir.

Audio Stream on Last.fm

Awesome, even weirder live version of the song

Other songs!  Music Videos for “Machine Gun” and “The Rip” on MTV.com

#14)	“Skinny Love“ by Bon Iver

Bon Iver is actually Justin Vernon.  A guy who locked himself in a remote Wisconsin cabin for a couple of winter  months just making music with his acoustic guitar and incredible falsetto voice, and emerged with one of the best albums of 2008 (although it actually came out in 2007 mostly under the radar).   The intimacy of the setting in which the songs were recorded definitely comes through.  And when the serene verses change into the more passionately sung chorus with the words “I told you to be patient,” is affecting in the same way an arena rock power ballad would be, except with more genuine emotion.

Audio Rip on YouTube

Live Version of Song on Letterman

Extra Song!  Music Video for “The Wolves (Act I and II)” on MTV.com

#13)	“Sequestered in Memphis“ by The Hold Steady

The coolest, dorkiest band in America.  This song is pure, rock fun with everyone in the band playing their instrument as loud as they can (including the horns and saxophones), with Craig Finn’s mush-mouthed delivery sounding like an everyman.  The lyrics are also pretty playful with lines like “in bar light, she looked alright, in day light she looked she desperate…that’s alright I was desperate too.”

Perfect Live Version of Song on Letterman from YouTube.  Just like album version

#12)	“Self-Destructive Zones“ by The Drive-by Truckers

Other than possibly the White Stripes, no other band has been more consistent during the entire decade than Alabama’s own Drive-by Truckers.  As far as I can tell they’ve made “southern rock” even more southern and about two times more interesting than their predecessors.  Not to mention, I don’t think any other band is even attempting to do what they do.  The band’s two primary songwriters are Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley.   And while Patterson Hood I think gets a little more notoriety with his slightly more edgy songs, to me there’s not many better songwriters than Mike Cooley in all of rock.  The meaning behind his songs are typically very poignant and the words have such a perfect symmetry to them, while still maintaining they’re underlying meaning that they reach the point where you can’t imagine any other words being used instead.  Quite a feat.  This particular song is about the grunge era of the early to late nineties, and basically just his frustration with it all.  It takes us through the end of the hair bands to the beginning of the grunge era in the early nineties, all the way through the end of the grunge era and emergence of the “karaoke”/American Idol phenomenon.  The lyrics and vocal delivery along with the music are perfectly constructed as always, with long lines such as “It was 1990 give or take i don’t remember when the news of revolution hit the air.  The girls hadn’t even started taking down our posters when the boys started cuttin’ of their hair.”  Not many artists can make long lines such as that work throughout an entire song.   Other examples of this are “Bob” from their latest album and “Carl Perkin’s Cadillac” from the last album.   And sorry if I’m gushing, but this is a band I feel is notoriously underrated.

Audio Stream on Last.fm

Live Version of song on YouTube

#11)	“Psychotic Girl“ by The Black Keys

This song is the result one of the best bands in modern blues rock music working with one of the most innovative producers in urban/rap music.  And the results are a success.  The beat is all Danger Mouse, as well as the creepy background vocals and piano line.   And the Black Keys take care of the bluesy guitar and vocals.  One of the most successful and interesting pairings all year.  I’m not sure where Danger Mouse finds the time.

Streaming Audio of song on YouTube

#10)	“Grenades“ by Torche

This year, Torche reminded me the reason I used to love heavy metal so much, although I would say they stop a little short of becoming pure metal, since the vocals have a more uplifting tone to them than you predictably typically find…maybe that’s why I like it.  The guitars however come in loud and eventually erupt into a Kim Thayil (of Soundgarden) like guitar solo toward the end of the song.  I wish there were more bands playing “heavy” music like this.  But for now it appears Torche have their very own genre.

Audio Rip on YouTube

#9)	“Inní mér syngur vitleysingur“ by Sigur Rós

Another song in the same mold as 2006′s awe-inspiring Hoppipolla.  While not quite as bombastic still achieves levels of magnificence and epic-ness most bands could only dream of.  The song title is translated to “Within me a lunatic sings.”  I can’t understand the words at all (sung in their native Icelandic), but it doesn’t even matter.  Besides, more than half of their songs are sung in a completely made up language anyway.  They’ve always been more about conveying moods and emotions through music, which has always been more interesting to me.  And they basically do music better than just about anyone.

Music Video on YouTube

#8)	“White Winter Hymnal“ by The Fleet Foxes

I think the hype machine raised these guys to a level I’m not prepared to place them, but there’s no doubt they have an extremely pleasant and warm sound to their music that’s very difficult to produce.  The song’s title pretty much describes it perfectly.  The harmonized vocals are definitely hymn-like and the imagery the lyrics produce are definitely winter-equse.  I also love the intro, and how it takes 8 attempts before the singer finally remembers the words.  But seriously, it’s one of the best and unique ways to begin a song I’ve ever heard.

Music Video on MTV.com

#7)	“Oxford Comma“ by Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend is another new band that had a massive hype-machine.   The only problem is their hype was so great it had a backlash.   It was cool to like them until everyone else did.  But ignoring all that, they released a great album full of almost effortless sounding songs that have a unique African rhythm and catchy at the same time.  The lyrics are witty and ironic…basically just what you’d expect from a preppy Ivy Leaguer Indie Rock band.  Things I like about this song are the catchy vocal inflections in the verses and the slacker vocals during the chorus.

Music Video on MTV.com

#6)	“In the New Year“ by The Walkmen

The Walkmen have always sounded like a mess.   The guitars, drums, organs, typically sound sloppy.  And don’t even get me started on lead singer/crooner Hamilton Leithauser’s voice kind of of casually singing somewhat independently to the rest of the music.  One thing they will never be accused of is “over-production.”   It would all be pretty terrible if it wasn’t so purposeful and produced a sound that was so fresh and spontaneous.  By the way, I also think I found a new favorite singer.  The way he sings, croons, and yells in this song evokes more of  a reaction than many singers could ever get out of listeners.  Especially when he screams “It’s Gonna be A Good Year!” over the loudly ascending organ and guitars, you actually believe him.

Music Video on YouTube

#5)	“Lights Out“ by Santogold

I admit I had trouble choosing one song from Santi White’s (stage name Santogold) first album.  Both “LES Artistes” and “Lights Out,” are incredibly catchy songs that reproduce the 80s new wave sound almost flawlessly.  Ultimately I chose “Lights Out,” because I thought it was the more retro of the two.  I could easily imagine this song being made by Blondie in the late 70s or early 80s.  One of the catchiest songs of the year.

Music Video on YouTube

Music Video for “LES Artistes” on MTV.com

#4)	“Ready for the Floor“ by Hot Chip

At first this song comes off as just a quirky, electro/Devo-like retread of the 80s (which seems to be a theme on this list, btw…and I’m not done yet).  But then the soft, cool-as-ice chorus comes in, made even more cool by the breezy synth, and suddenly it becomes one of the most pleasant and interesting songs of the year, especially with all the electronic bleeps and electronic sounds that reveal themselves more and more after repeated listens.  If I had to describe this song in one sentence, I’d say it sounds like it was made by robots who have been programmed to feel.

Music Video on MTV.com

Music Video for “One Pure Thought” on MTV.com

#3)	“Soul On Fire“ by Spiritualized

Jason Pierce almost died of pneumonia in 2006, and his latest album was made with that as the primary theme, and this song is the most straightforward off the album that relates to his experience and the most uplifting song I’ve heard all year.  Typically, he is never this straightforward in his songs, and allegedly considered leaving it off the album because it was too straightforward and catchy sounding (in other words too pop-like).  It’s good he left it, because it’s probably the best song he’s ever written and captures the feeling and elation felt after surving such an ordeal better than just about anyone ever has.  Lyrics like “freedom is just another word, for when you’ve no one left to hurt” speaks to how an experience like that (possibly his own) makes a person realize that pursuing a somewhat selfish desire for personal freedom ultimately leaves you lonely.   And then later simply sings about his happines to be alive with lines “I got a hurricane within my veins, and I want to stay forever.”

Music Video on MTV.com

#2)	“Kim and Jesse“ by M83

Continuing my 80s themed  list, this song is probably the most authentic  Actually, it is unapollegetically trying hard to sound like it was recorded in the 80s, as is the entire album it came from.  I mean, the album cover is even filled with 80s movie characters for crying out loud.  In fact, you may remember this song from the Breakfast Club, just because it SEEMS like it must have been in the movie.  Anthony Gonzalez or M83, fills the song full of fake.  By that I mean, full of fake sounding drums, guitars, instruments, noies and especially the vocals…in other words, completely 80s.  I’m not sure if a long-past musical genre has ever been captured as authentically as on this song, and it’s extremely cool to hear and reassuring  that music being made today can bring back that unmistable 80s feel.  Even more impressive is the song totally avoids becoming gimmicky, and would have been considered great even back in 1985.

Music Video on MTV.com

Music Video for “Graveyard Girl” on MTV.com

#1)	“Time to Pretend“ by MGMT

Whenever I hear this song I think of this scene from High Fidelity where Rob (played by John Cusack) walks into his record shop and hears some new music playing over the PA system. He asks his music-snob employee Barry (played by Jack Black) who the band is? Barry looking extremely depressed says the song is by the two young skater punks Vince & Justin, who have previously caused mayhem around the store and even been caught stealing records. Barry then goes one to say with great pain “it’s….it’s really effin’ good.” Basically having trouble admitting how two punk kids could make music a pretentious music snob like him could enjoy. Anyway, the two “skater punks” in the movie may be a couple years younger than the two members of MGMT, but I can’t help but feel the same as Barry when I hear this song. Two kids in there early-twenties who started making music allegedly just to annoy there college classmates and yet somehow produced this unlikely classic, which is simply about nothing more than fantasizing about becoming a rock star. The song almost reaches epic status despite it’s mere 4 minute length. It’s got the big beats, the droning bass, and of course the awesome synth hook that begin the song and closes out the choruses. The celebratory vocals perfectly capture the nature of the song. The lyrics are somewhat immature but when you consider the perspective the songwriters are coming from, it just comes across as completely earnest. My 2008 song of the year.

Music Video on MTV.com

Fake Music Video for “Kids” on YouTube

Music Video for “Electric Feel” on MTV.com

2008-2009 Fantasy Basketball Cheatsheet

1    Chris Paul
2    Lebron James
3    Amare Stoudamire
4    Kobe Bryant
5    Dirk Nowitzki
6    Kevin Garnett
7    Elton Brand
8    Shawn Marion
9    Dwayne Wade
10    Baron Davis
11    Allen Iverson
12    Caron Butler
13    Danny Granger
14    Deron Williams
15    Steve Nash
16    Chris Bosh
17    Marcus Camby
18    Al Jefferson
19    Tim Duncan
20    Rashard Lewis
21    Yao Ming
22    Carlos Boozer
23    Josh Smith
24    Pau Gasol
25    Chauncey Billups
26    Jose Calderon
27    Kevin Martin
28    Andre Iguodola
29    Jason Richardson
30    Rudy Gay
31    Paul Pierce
32    Vince Carter
33    Joe Johnson
34    David West
35    Antawn Jamison
36    Carmelo Anthony
37    Ron Artest
38    Hedo Turkoglu
39    Mike Dunleavy
40    Michael Redd
41    Jason Kidd
42    Brandon Roy
43    Andre Miller
44    Mo Williams
45    Gerald Wallace
46    Lamar Odom
47    Kevin Durant
48    Mike Miller
49    Andrew Bynum
50    Dwight Howard
51    Ray Allen
52    Chris Kaman
53    Rasheed Wallace
54    Andris Biedrins
55    LaMarcus Aldridge
56    Josh Howard
57    Devin Harris
58    Jamal Crawford
59    Corey Magette
60    Mike Bibby
61    Jason Terry
62    Stephen Jackson
63    Luol Deng
64    Al Horford
65    Tony Parker
66    Mehmet Okur
67    David Lee
68    Andrew Bogut
69    Emeka Okofur
70    Jermaine O’Neal
71    Brad Miller
72    Samuel Dalembert
73    Michael Beasley
74    Peja Stojackovic
75    Randy Foye
76    Richard Jefferson
77    Andrei Kirilenko
78    Leandro Barbosa
79    Tracy McGrady
80    Kirk Hinrich
81    Raymond Felton
82    T.J. Ford
83    Richard Hamilton
84    Tyson Chandler
85    Greg Oden
86    Troy Murphy
87    Zydrunas Ilgauskas
88    Al Harrington
89    Kevin Love
90    Kenyon Martin
91    Zack Randolph
92    Anthony Parker
93    John Salmons
94    Francisco Garcia
95    Ben Gordon
96    Manu Ginobli
97    Gilbert Arenas
98    O.J. Mayo
99    Rajon Rondo
100    Jamario Moon
101    Beno Udrih
102    Rafer Alston
103    Jameer Nelson
104    Derrick Rose
105    Shane Battier
106    Marvin Williams
107    Charlie Villanueva
108    Ryan Gomes
109    Thaddeus Young
110    Ricky Davis
111    Hakim Warrick
112    Ronnie Brewer
113    Al Thornton
114    Boris Diaw
115    Tayshaun Prince
116    James Posey
117    Paul Milsap
118    Mickael Pietrus
119    J.R. Smith
120    Raja Bell
121    Marcus WIlliams
122    Nene Hilario
123    Joakim Noah
124    Nick Collison
125    Drew Gooden
126    Luis Scola
127    Marc Gasol
128    Shaquille O’Neal
129    Amir Johnson
130    Travis Outlaw
131    Andres Nocioni
132    Andrea Bargnanai
133    Yi Jianlian
134    Ramon Sessions
135    Mike Conley
136    Monta Ellis

A Couple Reasons Why The Wire is so awesome

Though I’d compile a few of my favorite scenes from the wire.

1.) One of the saddest moments in the entire series. Stringer Bell orders Poot and Bodie to kill their childhood friend Wallace who he fears is going to snitch. The kid who plays Wallace kills me in this scene.

2.) DeAngelo questions Stringer during the aftermath of the Wallace hit.

3.) “These are for you McNulty.” Rawls lays the smackdown on McNulty who does his best to act repentful.

4.) Omar. One of the coolest scenes the entire series.

5.) Bunk and McNulty dissect the crime scene saying nothing but…

6.) Herc and Carv get outsmarted and outrun by some kids. Carv loses it.

7.) Powerful scene where Bunk successfully guilts Omar.

8.) Snoop!  Opening scene of season 4 introducing us to Snoop purchasing a nail gun for reasons I won’t give away. And yes, Snoop is a girl.

…more to come.

Overlooked Band (by me): Blondie

I’ve heard about Blondie for about as long as I can remember, but for some reason (maybe it’s the name) I never really gave them much thought as a band I might like. Really not sure how I managed to go this long without listening to them, especially with all the music I’ve discovered over the last 10-15 years that was released in the 70s and 80s. Somehow I thought they were a lot more “pop” than “rock,” which it turns out was somewhat backwards.

Anyway, I was reading a website this weekend referencing their albums as one of the best of the 70s (Parallel Lines) and decided to listen to a few of their songs. I pretty much knew immediately that I liked them, and proceeded to buy two of their albums. They remind me (to a small degree) of one of my other favorite bands, the Cars, in that they have a very full, slick production, and the melodies are pretty much in-your-face. They’re definitely not subtle in their quest to write catchy songs with mass appeal. Yet somehow the songs don’t come off as too commercial or gimmicky. They just come across as cool and effortless. Like they’re not forcing it trying to makes the music more accessible to radio/general public, it’s just the way the songs come out.

Blondie’s image was pretty much dominated by their lead singer Deborah Harry, who had a nice clean voice and was pretty easy on the eyes. Yet somehow the band was always more popular in Britain than America. I’ve tried to research some reasons for this, but haven’t found anything that made a lot of sense. One reviewer said they were too commercial for American audiences…if that was the case then boy have time’s changed.

The band was inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and I was surprised to find out that apparently they have a Michael Gondry directed biopic about the band in the works, with Kirsten Dunst playing Deborah Harry.

Anyway, it’s pretty cool I’m still discovering bands from the past after all these years of searching. I had pretty much stopped looking, because I thought I already found everything I was interested in. I guess there’s still some surprises.

I only have their third and fourth albums right now, but will probably listen to their first two albums pretty soon, which are supposed to be more punk rock than the next two. Here’s a few songs (in order): Heart of Glass, Union City Blue, Dreaming, One Way or Another (live). Hopefully these show a few different sides of the band.

My Final Four

With UCLA beating North Carolina in the finals.

[Complete Bracket]

Probably shouldn’t go against Hansboro. I think he has the ability to will a team to victory. However, UCLA may have 5 players that will be in the NBA next season. It was a tossup. However, I won’t be upset if the Aggies ruin my brackets tomorrow, even though it is extremely unlikely.

Obviously, Wisconsin is my biggest reach. They’re the best defensive team in the nation and often defense is what a lot of these games come down to.

Y: The Last Man (Comic Book)

I read about this comic in some magazine, and have now checked out nine of the ten issues from the library. It is immediately entertaining from the beginning and pretty much continues the pace throughout.  The premise is so simple it’s genius.  Hard to believe it hasn’t been done before (at least to this extent).   It creates a huge canvas for the writer to be creative and basically run wild contemplating these scenarios and situations.  I’ve turned a few other people onto it and they couldn’t put it down either.

Oh, and here‘s what it’s about.

2008 Fantasy Baseball Cheatsheet

Below is my Fantasy Baseball Rankings for 2008. I ranked each player at their position and then categorized each into a position-tier (i.e. 1st Base-1st Tier). Once that is done I just order the tiers based on value, and finally just inserted the players.

Here is the first team I drafted.
Here is the second team I drafted.
Here is the third team I drafted.
Here is the fourth team I drafted.

		Name	Team	Pos	Tier	Comments
1		Alex Rodriguez	NYY	3B	1st Tier	SB
2		Hanley Ramirez	FLA	SS	1st Tier
3		Jose Reyes	NYM	SS	1st Tier
4		Jimmy Rollins	PHI	SS	1st Tier
5		Chase Utley	PHI	2B	1st Tier
6		Matt Holliday	COL	OF	1st Tier
7		Ryan Howard	PHI	1B	1st Tier
8		Prince Fielder	MIL	1B	1st Tier
9		David Ortiz	BOS	1B	1st Tier
10		Albert Pujols	STL	1B	1st Tier	Injury Risk
11		Johan Santana	NYM	SP	1st Tier
12		David Wright	NYM	3B	2nd Tier	SB
13		Miguel Cabrera	DET	3B	2nd Tier
14		Ryan Braun	MIL	3B	2nd Tier
15		Grady Sizemore	CLE	OF	2nd Tier	SB
16		Carlos Beltran	NYM	OF	2nd Tier
17		Carl Crawford	TB	OF	2nd Tier	Extreme SB
18		Vladimir Guerrero	ANA	OF	2nd Tier
19		Carlos Lee	HOU	OF	2nd Tier
20		Jake Peavy	SD	SP	1.5 Tier
21		Brandon Phillips	CIN	2B	2nd Tier	SB Threat
22		B.J. Upton	TB	2B	2nd Tier	SB Threat
23		Ichiro	SEA	OF	3rd Tier	SB
24		Magglio Ordonez	DET	OF	3rd Tier
25		Curtis Granderson	DET	OF	3rd Tier	SB
26		Alex Rios	TOR	OF	3rd Tier
27		Victor Martinez	CLE	C	1st Tier	Also 1B
28		Russell Martin	LAD	C	1st Tier	SB
29		Erik Bedard	SEA	SP	2nd Tier
30		Brandon Webb	ARI	SP	2nd Tier
31		C.C. Sabathia	CLE	SP	2nd Tier
32		Josh Beckett	BOS	SP	2nd Tier
33		Troy Tulowitzki	COL	SS	2nd Tier
34		MarkTeixeira	ATL	1B	2nd Tier
35		Lance Berkman	HOU	1B	2nd Tier
36		Justin Morneau	MIN	1B	2nd Tier
37		Derrek Lee	CHI	1B	2nd Tier
38		Travis Hafner	CLE	1B	2nd Tier
39		Brian Roberts	BAL	2B	3rd Tier	Ext SB Threat
40		Robinson Cano	NYY	2B	3rd Tier
41		Chone Figgins	ANA	2B	3rd Tier	Also 3B, ext SB
42		Cole Hamels	PHI	SP	3rd Tier
43		Dan Haren	ARI	SP	3rd Tier
44		Justin Verlander	DET	SP	3rd Tier
45		John Smoltz	ATL	SP	3rd Tier
46		Roy Oswalt	HOU	SP	3rd Tier
47		Aaron Harang	CIN	SP	3rd Tier
48		Chris Young	SD	SP	3rd Tier
49		Scott Kazmir	TB	SP	3rd Tier
50		Derek Jeter	NYY	SS	3rd Tier
51		Carlos Guillen	DET	SS	3rd Tier
52		Jonathan Papelbon	BOS	RP	1st Tier
53		J.J. Putz	SEA	RP	1st Tier
54		Francisco Rodriguez	ANA	RP	1st Tier
55		Joe Nathan	MIN	RP	1st Tier
56		Victor Martinez	CLE	1B	3rd Tier	Also C
57		Garrett Atkins	COL	1B	3rd Tier	Also 3B
58		Carlos Pena	TB	1B	3rd Tier
59		Adrian Gonzalez	SD	1B	3rd Tier
60		Carlos Guillen	DET	1B	3rd Tier	Also SS
61		Nick Markakis	BAL	OF	4th Tier	Minor SB
62		Corey Hart	MIL	OF	4th Tier	SB
63		Chris Young	ARI	OF	4th Tier
64		Manny Ramirez	BOS	OF	4th Tier
65		Adam Dunn	CIN	OF	4th Tier	eh
66		Hunter Pence	HOU	OF	4th Tier
67		Bobby Abreu	NYY	OF	4th Tier
68		Torii Hunter	ANA	OF	4th Tier
69		Eric Byrnes	ARI	OF	4th Tier
70		Vernon Wells	TOR	OF	4th Tier
71		Gary Sheffield	DET	OF	4th Tier
72		Joe Mauer	MIN	C	2nd Tier
73		Brian McCann	ATL	C	2nd Tier
74		Billy Wagner	NYM	RP	2nd Tier
75		Takashi Saito	LAD	RP	2nd Tier
76		Jose Valverde	HOU	RP	2nd Tier
77		Mariano Rivera	NYY	RP	2nd Tier
78		Bobby Jenks	CHI	RP	2nd Tier
79		Miguel Tejada	HOU	SS	4th Tier
80		Michael Young	TEX	SS	4th Tier
81		Rafael Furcal	LAD	SS	4th Tier
82		Aramis Ramirez	CHI	3B	3rd Tier
83		Garret Atkins	COL	3B	3rd Tier
84		Ryan Zimmerman	WAS	3B	3rd Tier
85		Chone Figgins	ANA	3B	3rd Tier	Extreme SB Threat
86		Chipper jones	ATL	3B	3rd Tier
87		Ian Kinsler	TEX	2B	4th Tier	SB Threat
88		Dan Uggla	FLA	2B	4th Tier
89		Nick Swisher	OAK	OF	5th Tier
90		Jeff Francoeur	ATL	OF	5th Tier
91		Josh Hamilton	TEX	OF	5th Tier
92		Jason Bay	PIT	OF	5th Tier	eh
93		Hideki Matsui	NYY	OF	5th Tier
94		Fausto Carmona	CLE	SP	4th Tier
95		Felix Hernandez	SEA	SP	4th Tier
96		Carlos Zambrano	CHI	SP	4th Tier
97		Daisuke Matsuzaka	BOS	SP	4th Tier
98		Roy Halladay	TOR	SP	4th Tier
99		Tim Lincecum	SF	SP	4th Tier
100		Javier Vazquez	CHW	SP	4th Tier
101		Rich Hill	CHC	SP	4th Tier
102		Brett Myers	PHI	SP	4th Tier
103		Francisco Cordero	CIN	RP	3rd Tier
104		Rafael Soriano	ATL	RP	3rd Tier
105		Trevor Hoffman	SD	RP	3rd Tier
106		Chad Cordero	WAS	RP	3rd Tier
107		Matt Capps	PIT	RP	3rd Tier
108		Manny Corpas	COL	RP	3rd Tier
109		Jason Isringhausen	STL	RP	3rd Tier
110		Huston Street	OAK	RP	3rd Tier
111		Chad Billingsley	LAD	SP	5th Tier
112		Tim Hudson	ATL	SP	5th Tier
113		Matt Cain	SF	SP	5th Tier
114		Yovani Gallardo	MIL	SP	5th Tier	Upside
115		James Shields	TB	SP	5th Tier	Upside
116		Matt Kemp	LAD	OF	6th Tier	Eh
117		Delmon Young	MIN	OF	6th Tier	Eh
118		Brad Hawpe	COL	OF	6th Tier
119		Orlando Cabrera	CWS	SS	5th Tier
120		Edgar Renteria	DET	SS	5th Tier
121		Ricky Weeks	MIL	2B	5th Tier	SB Threat
122		Howie Kendrick	ANA	2B	5th Tier
123		Adrian Beltre	ASEA	3B	4th Tier
124		Francisco Liriano	MIN	SP	6th Tier	Tommy John
125		Adam Wainwright	STL	SP	6th Tier	Upside
126		Ian Snell	PIT	SP	6th Tier
127		A.J. Burnett	TOR	SP	6th Tier
128		Dustin McGowan	TOR	SP	6th Tier
129		Pedro Martinez	NYM	SP	6th Tier	Surgery
130		Brad Penny	LAD	SP	6th Tier
131		Ben Sheets	MIL	SP	6th Tier	Injured
132		John Maine	NYM	SP	6th Tier
133		Ted Lilly	CHC	SP	6th Tier
134		Chien-Ming Wang	NYY	SP	6th Tier
135		Shane Victorino	PHI	OF	7th Tier	SB Threat
136		Juan Pierre	LAD	OF	7th Tier	EXT. SB Threat
137		Jermaine Dye	CHW	OF	7th Tier
138		Andruw Jones	LAD	OF	7th Tier
139		J.J. Hardy	MIL	SS	6th Tier
140		Alex Gordon	KC	3B	5th Tier
141		Jorge Posada	NYY	C	3rd Tier
142		Geovany Soto	CHC	C	3rd Tier
143		Jarrod Saltalamacchia	TEX	C	3rd Tier
144		Bengie Molina	SF	C	3rd Tier
145		Kenji Johjima	SEA	C	3rd Tier
146		Todd Jones	DET	RP	4th Tier
147		Joakim Soria	KC	RP	4th Tier
148		Kevin Gregg	FLA	RP	4th Tier
149		Joe Borowski	CLE	RP	4th Tier
150		Brian Wilson	SF	RP	4th Tier
151		Brandon Lyon	ARI	RP	4th Tier
152		Jered Weaver	ANA	SP	7th Tier	Upside
153		Jeremy Bonderman	DET	SP	7th Tier
154		Oliver Perez	NYM	SP	7th Tier
155		Jeff Francis	COL	SP	7th Tier
156		Joe Blanton	OAK	SP	7th Tier
157		Derek Lowe	LAD	SP	7th Tier
158		Brad Lidge	PHI	RP	5th Tier
159		Eric Gagne	MIL	RP	5th Tier
160		Troy Percival	TB	RP	5th Tier
161		George Sherrill	BAL	RP	5th Tier
162		Jacoby Ellsbury	BOS	OF	8th Tier	SB, Unproven
163		Jeremy Hermida	FL	OF	8th Tier
164		Kosuke Fukudome	CHS	OF	8th Tier
165		Johnny Damon	NYY	OF	8th Tier
166		Pat Burrell	PHI	OF	8th Tier
167		Raul Ibanez	SEA	OF	8th Tier
168		Lastings Milledge	WAS	OF	8th Tier
169		Rich Harden	OAK	SP	8th Tier	Injury Risk
170		John Lackey	ANA	SP	8th Tier	Injured
171		Kelvim Escobar	ANA	SP	8th Tier	Injured
172		Phil Hughes	NYY	SP	8th Tier	Upside
173		Tom Gorzelanny	PIT	SP	8th Tier
174		Dontrelle Willis	DET	SP	8th Tier
175		Edwin Encarnaciion	CIN	3B	6th Tier
176		Kevin Youkilis	BOS	3B	6th Tier
177		Jhonny Peralta	CLE	SS	7th Tier
178		Khalil Greene	SD	SS	7th Tier
179		Kelly Johnson	ATL	2B	6th Tier
180		Placido Polanco	DET	2B	6th Tier
181		Dustin Pedroia	BOS	2B	6th Tier
182		Jeff Kent	LAD	2B	6th Tier
183		Aaron Hill	TOR	2B	6th Tier
184		J.R. Towels	HOU	C	4th Tier
185		C.J. Wilson	TEX	RP	6th Tier
186		Kerry Wood	CHI	RP	6th Tier
187		Bob Howry	CHI	RP	6th Tier
188		Carlos Marmol	CHI	RP	6th Tier
189		B.J. Ryan	TOR	RP	6th Tier	draft Accardo too
190		Jeremy Accardo	TOR	RP	6th Tier
191		Jonathan Broxton	LAD	RP	6th Tier	Backup Saito
192		Rafael Betancourt	CLE	RP	6th Tier
193		Clay Buchholz	BOS	SP	9th Tier	Big Upside, Minors
194		Zack Greinke	KC	SP	9th Tier	Upside
195		Hiroki Kuroda	LAD	SP	9th Tier	Rookie
196		Matt Garza	TB	SP	9th Tier	Sleeper
197		Andy Pettitte	NYY	SP	9th Tier
198		Mark Buehrle	CHI	SP	9th Tier
199		Bronson Arroyo	CIN	SP	9th Tier
200		Greg Maddux	SD	SP	9th Tier
201		Gil Meche	KC	SP	9th Tier
202		Barry Zito	SF	SP	9th Tier
203		Jon Garland	ANA	SP	9th Tier
204		Willy Taveras	COL	OF	9th Tier
205		Justin Upton	ARI	OF	9th Tier
206		Adam Jones	BAL	OF	9th Tier
207		Ken Griffey Jr.	CIN	OF	9th Tier
208		Michael Cuddyer	MIN	OF	9th Tier
209		Aaron Rowand	SF	OF	9th Tier
210		Rick Ankiel	STL	OF	9th Tier
211		Scott Baker	MIN	SP	10th Tier	Mediocre
212		Randy Johnson	ATL	SP	10th Tier	Injury Risk
213		Jon Lester	BOS	SP	10th Tier	Slight Upside
214		Ubaldo Jimenez	COL	SP	10th Tier	Upside
215		Jeremy Guthrie	BAL	SP	10th Tier	Mediocre
216		Shaun Marcum	TOR	SP	10th Tier	Mediocre
217		Joey Votto	CIN	OF	10th Tier
218		Billy Butler	KC	OF	10th Tier
219		Josh Fields	CHW	OF	10th Tier
220		Michael Bourn	HOU	OF	10th Tier
221		Josh Willingham	FL	OF	10th Tier
222		Melky Cabrera	NYY	OF	10th Tier
223		Chris Duncan	STL	OF	10th Tier
224		Gary Matthews Jr.	ANA	OF	10th Tier
225		Bill Hall	MIL	OF	10th Tier
226		J.D. Drew	BOS	OF	10th Tier
227		Jason Kubel	MIN	OF	10th Tier
228		Mike Cameron	MIL	OF	10th Tier

16 in a row

Carl Landry/Ike Diogu Poster

Favorite Songs of 2007

Here are some of my favorite songs of 2007. I provided links to whatever I could find be it the music video, live performance, fan video, or just a sound clip. They’re in ranked order for what it’s worth. I tried to put no more than one song from each band/artist just to cover a lot of different music that I listened to this year (there was one exception to this rule).

Anyway, my tastes run the gamut from pretty generic rock to rap to stuff that many probably wouldn’t even consider music. But that’s okay as long as the songs at least evoke some sort of reaction, whether it be or a pleasant surprise or complete and utter repulsion. =)

1. Someone Great & All My Friends by LCD Soundsystem

I put both of these songs as #1 because for starters they’re made by the same artist (James Murphy/LCD Soundsystem). Two, they occur back to back on the album. Three, they just go well together. And last, they’re both just flat-out incredible songs. Each one is wildly creative musically, pulling from several different genres, while Murphy sings poignant lyrics over all the sounds through understated melodies. If I had to give nod to one song in particular it would be “Someone Great,” where he sings over electronic beeps, bleeps, pulses, sound waves, scratches, booms, and about any other sound effect that comes to mind. “All my Friends” builds on top of a more up-beat piano loop with lyrics not quite as sad as the previous, but melancholy nonetheless. As”Someone Great” reflects on losing someone (through whatever means), “All my Friends” reflects on losing your own youth as the years keep going by. At least that was my interpretation.

The links may not do justice to the songs due to the poor sound quality and the fact that they cut about three minutes off the album-version for each song to make them shorter, but hopefully you get the idea.

2. Paper Planes by M.I.A.

So, after M.I.A. was denied access to the U.S. due to security concerns she decided to make a song using a Clash sample, reggae melodies & beats, and a chorus punctuated by gun shots and cash registers, all while fantasizing about thwarting international travel regulations. Umm…yeah. Regardless, the song is one of the coolest and most original of the year.

3. Fake Empire by The National

One of the best slow songs of the year. My favorite music moment of the year occurs as the drums kick in around the 1:40 mark and the second verse begins. “Turn the light out…say goodnight.”

4. You Don’t Know What Love Is by The White Stripes

Jack White is the modern day Jimmy Page. There are more guitar riffs and hooks in this song than you can shake a stick at. Not to mention the White Stripes trademark witty and often hilarious conversational lyrics. Throw in the totally un-generic solo at the end and you have the best pure rock song of the year by the best, most consistent band of the decade. Yeah, I said it!

5. Keep the Car Running by Arcade Fire

The new album definitely stands better as a single cohesive unit than as an album composed of distinct singles. I’m not even sure if this is the best song on the album (which is my favorite of the year by the way), but I thought it was the one that best represented the group. And the live video does the song justice by showing how much actually goes into an Arcade Fire song.

6. LDN by Lily Allen

Catchiest and most “happiest” song of the year about “walking around London town” and discovering how things aren’t really what they seem. Kind of like the song which has a chorus whose melody sounds utterly optimistic until you actually listen to the lyrics.

7. Fluorescent Adolescent by Arctic Monkeys

Great rock song by an up and coming band. This is probably the catchiest song on an album full of darker rockers…so I’ll throw in another one that captures the band more accurately.

8. Myriad Harbour by New Pornographers

Every other year or so, Dan Bejar contributes two or three songs to the New Pornographers album, one of which is easily the best song on the album. And this year that song is “Myriad Harbour” complete with his sarcastic lyrics and off-the-wall vocals.

9. The Underdog by Spoon

Texas’ favorite band returns and this time they are equipped with horns! I love the horns in this song. And here’s one more great song for good measure.

10. Atlas by Battles

Okay, this will probably be the weirdest song on the list. The band is obviously trying to push the envelope musically and they succeed pretty well I think. The drums, just rule in this song. Then there’s the digital noises, guitars maybe?, and of course the microphone put through a digital processor so the vocals sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks. You’ll just have to hear it. The video demonstrates exactly how I would picture these guys recording a song. Just pure improvisation.

11. DVNO by Justice

Every year there are a handful of “electronic dance music” songs I enjoy and this is one of them from 2007. Like most electronic songs I like, it has a little bit of rock influence that keeps it from being an unending, redundant song like so many others in the genre. In addtion, the video is just awesome. It basically takes the song’s lyrics and displays them using retro logos that look so familiar you think you’ve seen them before (notice the old school HBO logo around the 50 second mark).

12. Phantom Limb by The Shins

Really great song that stands up with their best, eventhough I thought the album as a whole was a disappointment.

13. No I In Threesome by Interpol

Like the previous song, this is another one that stuck out on what I thought was overall a disappointing album.

14. You Can’t Tell Me Nothin’ by Kanye West

Kind of like the Arcade Fire it’s hard to pick one Kanye song since just about every song he’s ever made is equally good. If the White Stripes are the band of the decade, Kanye is definitely the artist of the decade. I picked this one mainly because of the totally random obscure and awesome lyric “I’m just saying how I feel man. I ain’t one of the Cosby’s, I ain’t go to Hillman.” Hillman being the college the Huxtables attended.

15. 80s Life by The Good, The Bad, and The Queen

Damon Albarn of Gorillaz and Blur before that decided to form a new band going back closer to his Brit-pop roots. This song has a nostalgic motown-esque guitar and bass line with his strong vocals carrying the song.

16. Smithereens by El-P

One of the best rap songs of the year in what was a pretty weak year for rap. This was probably the only non-mainstream rap album I liked all year. He definitely pushes the boundaries. Hopefully it was just a bad year. Either that or rap is just continuing to get worse and worse. By the way the video is a little violent, so not for the squeamish.

17. The Girls in Their Summer Clothes by Bruce Springsteen

Pretty nice song from Bruce. I’m tired of writing.