The journeys of my turtles have gotten complicated in the last 6 months. First, Bitey & Franklin decided that they no longer liked each other, and instead wanted to bite each other's limbs off. So they had to be placed into separate tanks (Bitey is currently at Libby's parent's house, as two tanks was a bit much for a small room). Then my Residence Director flip-flopped on her decision to allow my turtles to stay in the dorm, and I had to go over her head. And then over that person's head. I'm pretty sure all the RAs in my building hate me now, but meh. As it stands right now, the university-wide policy on pets is being reviewed based upon my arguments. The lesson here? Don't fuck with a man's turtles.
Today's my last day of the official co-op period here at MIT Lincoln Labs. I'm going to continue working for them part time in the spring, and may return for my 3rd and final co-op. But from tomorrow until December 28th, I will be in Florida, away from this ridiculous snow.
I'm working on the usual big end-of-year music write-up. I don't know when it will go up, but it will.
Happy holidays everybody. Or as I like to say, "If you'd rather die than live in the poor houses, then perhaps you should, and decrease the surplus population!"
Bah-humbug, I'm out.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Sportsball
I don't hate baseball. I quite enjoy it on certain occasions. And I certainly don't begrudge those that really get into it. I get excited over lots of things that most people would find boring or insipid, so I have no place to judge what other people find interesting.
With that said...
WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK BOSTON?!? IT'S JUST A BASEBALL GAME.
Seriously. I'm glad you're having a great time, but the world doesn't need to start and stop because the team you're vicariously living through wins or loses. Campus-wide warnings and 'safe alternatives to enjoy the game' should not be required. Cops should not have to patrol the area all night. I shouldn't have to be kept awake until 3 in the goddamn morning because assholes are driving up and down Huntington Ave., holding their car horns down, and yelling "WHOOOOO, RED SOX!!!" We shouldn't have to worry that there will be more needless violence like that which occurred during the Patriots riot or the Red Sox riot in 2004 - both of which led to the deaths of college students.
Maybe I should get into the things I like as much as people get into the Red Sox. You know, I'm still really fucking pumped about that A Wilhelm Scream CD. I'm going to hold it over my head and run up and down the street, kicking over trash cans and yelling my brains out, at 2 o'clock in the morning. I feel that is my prerogative. The whole city needs to know just how much I like them.
With that said...
WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK BOSTON?!? IT'S JUST A BASEBALL GAME.
Seriously. I'm glad you're having a great time, but the world doesn't need to start and stop because the team you're vicariously living through wins or loses. Campus-wide warnings and 'safe alternatives to enjoy the game' should not be required. Cops should not have to patrol the area all night. I shouldn't have to be kept awake until 3 in the goddamn morning because assholes are driving up and down Huntington Ave., holding their car horns down, and yelling "WHOOOOO, RED SOX!!!" We shouldn't have to worry that there will be more needless violence like that which occurred during the Patriots riot or the Red Sox riot in 2004 - both of which led to the deaths of college students.
Maybe I should get into the things I like as much as people get into the Red Sox. You know, I'm still really fucking pumped about that A Wilhelm Scream CD. I'm going to hold it over my head and run up and down the street, kicking over trash cans and yelling my brains out, at 2 o'clock in the morning. I feel that is my prerogative. The whole city needs to know just how much I like them.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Random
I got a call from my dad today, saying that Billy Corgan, the singer for the Smashing Pumpkins, was in his shop today. My dad wasn't there himself, but my grandfather was helming the desk and called to tell him that "William Corgan, who's in some 'something something pumpkins' band" bought a couple thousand dollars worth of furniture. Pretty crazy.
good tunes
2007 has been a pretty amazing year for music so far. There have been some big disappointments, sure - Smashing Pumpkins, Kings of Leon, From Autumn To Ashes. But there have been some incredible albums, some that have just blown me away.
As of last Monday, I was pretty sure what my top album of the year was going to be. It was kind of boring and predictable to pick the new album by your favorite band, but Every Time I Die's newest, The Big Dirty, is pretty great and is another solid evolution of their sound. Then A Wilhelm Scream's new album, Career Suicide, dropped on Tuesday and I was in love after the first listen through. Holy shit do they fucking tear things up. 13 songs, and not a clunker among them. 35 minutes of barn-burning fury. The lyrics, the vocals, the guitars, the drumming - they have delivered on everything. I've loved their last 2 albums, but this is simply beyond them in every way shape and form.
There are a couple records left to come out this year that I'm really looking forward to - Jimmy Eat World, The Hives, Thrice, and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Thrice's sounds pretty bad, but I'll give it a chance. Dillinger and JEW have a chance of being really great, so I'm waiting with baited breath for those. I think all those records have leaked online already, but I still have plenty of already-released stuff to listen and re-listen to, so I can wait. Hell, I've only listened to the new Radiohead album once - coming out a day after Career Suicide didn't exactly work in its favor, haha.
As of last Monday, I was pretty sure what my top album of the year was going to be. It was kind of boring and predictable to pick the new album by your favorite band, but Every Time I Die's newest, The Big Dirty, is pretty great and is another solid evolution of their sound. Then A Wilhelm Scream's new album, Career Suicide, dropped on Tuesday and I was in love after the first listen through. Holy shit do they fucking tear things up. 13 songs, and not a clunker among them. 35 minutes of barn-burning fury. The lyrics, the vocals, the guitars, the drumming - they have delivered on everything. I've loved their last 2 albums, but this is simply beyond them in every way shape and form.
There are a couple records left to come out this year that I'm really looking forward to - Jimmy Eat World, The Hives, Thrice, and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Thrice's sounds pretty bad, but I'll give it a chance. Dillinger and JEW have a chance of being really great, so I'm waiting with baited breath for those. I think all those records have leaked online already, but I still have plenty of already-released stuff to listen and re-listen to, so I can wait. Hell, I've only listened to the new Radiohead album once - coming out a day after Career Suicide didn't exactly work in its favor, haha.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Oh internet....
The internet is supposed to be such a great thing because anyone can post whatever they want, and you can communicate with people all over the world. The problem, of course, is that most people are mouth-breathing morons - people you wouldn't trust to take out your garbage, nevermind give insightful information into all of life's little quirks.
But every once in awhile, you stumble upon something really striking. The somethingawful.com forums are normally a cesspool of misinformation and mis-directed anger, but I found a real humorous gem the other day:
But every once in awhile, you stumble upon something really striking. The somethingawful.com forums are normally a cesspool of misinformation and mis-directed anger, but I found a real humorous gem the other day:
"Fuck all the pop song puppy love bullshit. Your heart skipping a beat isn't love, it's cardiac arrhythmia. It's not about shortness of breath, either, or how turned on you get or whether you tell yourself you'd throw yourself in front of a bus for her or whatever. You can convince yourself of a lot about how you feel and what you would do in exchange for regular oral sex.
Love is when she drives you insane sometimes. And I don't mean merely "aggravating" or "annoying," I mean flat-out fucking in. Sane. And in a way nobody else can do it in a million years. She'll drive you to the point where you'd gouge out your own eyeball with a melon baller or smack your scrotum a half-dozen times with a ball peen hammer if it means you can be done with this conversation. She'll make you want to chew your own arm off to get out of talking about this. And I don't care how many fucking times you've had this conversation, each time, you know you'll have it again:
Her: I thought you turned the heat on.
You: I did.
Her: Well, I'm still cold. Are you sure you did it right?
You: Yes, I'm pretty sure I know how to turn on a thermostat.
Her: 'Cause you know you have to flip the switch to "heat" and....
You: Honey! I know! How to turn on! A thermostat! I went to college for it and everything.
Her: Well, I don't feel any heat blowing in here.
You: I know. I think you broke the thermostat again.
Her: I didn't break it.
You: Yes, you did, you put that halogen lamp right next to it again.
Her: That doesn't do anything.
You: Yes, it does.
Her: I thought you fixed it?
You: I did fix it, and you broke it again.
Her: Are you sure you fixed it right?
You: Yes, goddammit, I fixed it right.
Her: How do you know you fixed it?
You: 'Cause it worked when I fixed it!
Her: Well, it's not working now.
You: 'Cause you broke it again!
Her: How'd I break it?
You: You put the goddamn, fucking lamp next to it!
Her: I don't see why a lamp would break a thermostat.
You: OK. I'm going to explain this. One more time. Slowly. Thermostats have a coil inside them that expands and contracts based on the temperature. This is how they know when it is hotter than the setting of the A/C, so it can cool the room off, or colder than the setting of the heating, so it can heat the room up. Halogen lamps generate heat. Halogen lamps generate a lot of heat. That's why you burn your fingers when you touch the bulbs after they've been on for a while. So when you put a halogen lamp next to a thermostat, it causes the coil to keep expanding and expanding and expanding past the point it's intended to expand. This makes the thermostat think it's really, really hot all the time, and it makes the coil less sensitive in the future, and it'll eventually break the coil so I'll have to replace the thermostat.
Her: That doesn't sound right.
You: Trust me. It's right.
Her: How do you know?
You: BECAUSE I TOOK SIXTH GRADE FUCKING PHYSICS, OK?!
Her: Well, I don't think they should make thermostats that can be broken by something little like a lamp.
You: Fine. Don't think that. Write a letter to the manufacturers. Write a letter to universities and tell them to build a better thermostat. I don't fucking care. But that's how they make them. That's why I keep moving the lamp, that's why I keep telling you not to put it back to the right of the bookcase, that's why I've had to fix the thermostat four fucking times now. Stop! Putting! The lamp! Right! Next! To the thermostat!
Her: But on the other side of the bookcase, the front of the hallway is dark, and I can't see inside my gift closet.
You: Well, you can turn on the hall light to go through your gift closet, or you can sit here and be cold! Your choice, honey!
Her:
You:
Her:
You:
Her: I don't think you fixed the thermostat right.
You: GOD-MOTHERFUCKING-DAMMIT, I'M GOING TO FIX THAT MOTHERFUCKING THERMOSTAT TOMORROW, AND I SWEAR TO MOTHERFUCKING CHRIST IF YOU PUT THE LAMP NEAR THE THERMOSTAT AGAIN, I WILL SMASH IT TO A MILLION FUCKING PIECES AND SHOVE THEM DOWN YOUR GODDAMN THROAT!!! MOTHERFUCK ME, JESUS!!!!!!
And if the seventh time you have that conversation, knowing full well there will be an eighth time, you'd still rather have that conversation again than imagine a world she's not in, you're in love.
Especially if you do fix that thermostat... again... the next day, and not just so she'll shut up about it, but because you really don't want her to be cold anymore."
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
The Simpsons Movie
When you've been waiting for a movie for over 10 years, it's hard to really be objective about it. Especially when the series has been in a decline for so many seasons. But I'd say they really did right by The Simpsons when converting it into a big screen adventure, and the results are better than I expected.
A lot of old writers from the glory days of the show returned to work on the movie, and it definitely shows. The first half of the movie is as comical as some of the better episodes. Homer's manner of disposing of a hornet's nest, and his reaction to Bart almost falling off the roof, are classic bits sure to earn laughs. And of course there's Spider-Pig, something I'm particularly fond of. The majority of worthwhile characters from the Simpsons universe make funny, albeit brief, cameos, and the first half hour or so is just spent coasting from one laugh to the next. There are a couple good jokes on the nature of making a movie out of a TV show, and one really good jab that pokes fun at the very studio funding them.
The Simpsons formula has always been pretty familiar - the first act appears totally random and offers many jokes, and then somehow meanders into whatever the main issue is by the second act. Then there's some kind of major dilemma, and finally all is resolved in some unorthodox way in the final act. That's preserved here fairly well, just stretched a bit to fit the new hour and a half format. In some ways, the movie is just like a really long TV episode - but honestly, it's a pretty damn good episode so I don't mind. Not everything can be the South Park movie, and I honestly didn't expect it to be anything like that.
The film slows down a bit towards the end, and you have the usual thematic hokeyness - love conquers all, we're nothing without our friends, blah blah blah, the usual - but it stays consistently entertaining and restores the status quo in a (semi) plausible manner. Overall, I enjoyed my movie-going experience. This isn't a redefining of The Simpsons, but it's another solid chapter in a very long career that was starting to look like it had run out of steam.
A lot of old writers from the glory days of the show returned to work on the movie, and it definitely shows. The first half of the movie is as comical as some of the better episodes. Homer's manner of disposing of a hornet's nest, and his reaction to Bart almost falling off the roof, are classic bits sure to earn laughs. And of course there's Spider-Pig, something I'm particularly fond of. The majority of worthwhile characters from the Simpsons universe make funny, albeit brief, cameos, and the first half hour or so is just spent coasting from one laugh to the next. There are a couple good jokes on the nature of making a movie out of a TV show, and one really good jab that pokes fun at the very studio funding them.
The Simpsons formula has always been pretty familiar - the first act appears totally random and offers many jokes, and then somehow meanders into whatever the main issue is by the second act. Then there's some kind of major dilemma, and finally all is resolved in some unorthodox way in the final act. That's preserved here fairly well, just stretched a bit to fit the new hour and a half format. In some ways, the movie is just like a really long TV episode - but honestly, it's a pretty damn good episode so I don't mind. Not everything can be the South Park movie, and I honestly didn't expect it to be anything like that.
The film slows down a bit towards the end, and you have the usual thematic hokeyness - love conquers all, we're nothing without our friends, blah blah blah, the usual - but it stays consistently entertaining and restores the status quo in a (semi) plausible manner. Overall, I enjoyed my movie-going experience. This isn't a redefining of The Simpsons, but it's another solid chapter in a very long career that was starting to look like it had run out of steam.
Monday, August 13, 2007
The Bourne Ultimatum
I just saw the last film of the Bourne Trilogy, The Bourne Ultimatum, and I'm definitely of the opinion that this series is one of the better ones to grace the cinema in some time. Each movie is strong in its own right, but as one cohesive story it is really quite outstanding.
Watching the first film, The Bourne Identity, you'd really have no idea where the series was headed. Very much an action movie, Identity is filled with a lot of set pieces and adrenaline-fueled moments. But there's also a lot of exposition that serves to really create a framework for the world you're entering, and there's a lot of character development. By the end of the movie, you really like Jason Bourne, and you really feel he's found love. And you feel he's really found closure, having thrown off the collar of the agency he believed brainwashed him and forced him to become a killer. This happy ending to the first chapter is risky, because it makes the entire ordeal seem extremely easy to resolve, and kills a lot of interest in any subsequent movies. But if you stick it out, the payoff, the betrayal of this ending, is when things really start to get good.
In The Bourne Supremacy, Jason learns he can't simply run away from his past. It catches up to him, kills his love, and places him back in the middle of things. We begin to question who Jason Bourne really is. We're terrified of him when he holds a gun to Julia Stiles' head and screams that he'll kill her if she doesn't tell him what he needs to know. Is he really the killer the government groomed him to be? Initially I didn't like Supremacy. I went into it expecting another action movie, and it's really far from it. There are some fights, yes, but it's all filmed in the shakiest, jerkiest manner I have ever witnessed. I didn't really appreciate it for what it was, only lampooned it for what it wasn't. Watching it again, it's easy to see what a dramatic, emotional movie it is. The scene where he speaks with the daughter of his first two victims is heartbreaking. As is his final confrontation with the leader of the program, where he doesn't kill the old bastard because "she wouldn't want me too."
Ultimatum takes the emotional ambiguity of Supremacy and the action of Identity and runs with them. It is an exhausting movie - over 2 hours of near constant momentum. The camera manages to stay still a couple of seconds longer here and there, and we're able to see some truly impressive fights. The sense of urgency is overwhelming at times. And we learn, at the same time Bourne does, how he became the man he is today. This is a movie about accountability. About responsibility. About how, at the end of the day, we have to come to terms with the things we've done.
"Look at what they make you give." Clive Owen's character says that, as he stares down at his fatal gunshot wounds towards the end of The Bourne Identity. The Bourne series is about what Jason had to give. In The Bourne Ultimatum, we see what he had to do to start to get it back. By the time the haunting 'Extreme Ways' by Moby (the song that ends all three movies) started to play for the third and final time, I felt I had witnessed something remarkable.
Watching the first film, The Bourne Identity, you'd really have no idea where the series was headed. Very much an action movie, Identity is filled with a lot of set pieces and adrenaline-fueled moments. But there's also a lot of exposition that serves to really create a framework for the world you're entering, and there's a lot of character development. By the end of the movie, you really like Jason Bourne, and you really feel he's found love. And you feel he's really found closure, having thrown off the collar of the agency he believed brainwashed him and forced him to become a killer. This happy ending to the first chapter is risky, because it makes the entire ordeal seem extremely easy to resolve, and kills a lot of interest in any subsequent movies. But if you stick it out, the payoff, the betrayal of this ending, is when things really start to get good.
In The Bourne Supremacy, Jason learns he can't simply run away from his past. It catches up to him, kills his love, and places him back in the middle of things. We begin to question who Jason Bourne really is. We're terrified of him when he holds a gun to Julia Stiles' head and screams that he'll kill her if she doesn't tell him what he needs to know. Is he really the killer the government groomed him to be? Initially I didn't like Supremacy. I went into it expecting another action movie, and it's really far from it. There are some fights, yes, but it's all filmed in the shakiest, jerkiest manner I have ever witnessed. I didn't really appreciate it for what it was, only lampooned it for what it wasn't. Watching it again, it's easy to see what a dramatic, emotional movie it is. The scene where he speaks with the daughter of his first two victims is heartbreaking. As is his final confrontation with the leader of the program, where he doesn't kill the old bastard because "she wouldn't want me too."
Ultimatum takes the emotional ambiguity of Supremacy and the action of Identity and runs with them. It is an exhausting movie - over 2 hours of near constant momentum. The camera manages to stay still a couple of seconds longer here and there, and we're able to see some truly impressive fights. The sense of urgency is overwhelming at times. And we learn, at the same time Bourne does, how he became the man he is today. This is a movie about accountability. About responsibility. About how, at the end of the day, we have to come to terms with the things we've done.
"Look at what they make you give." Clive Owen's character says that, as he stares down at his fatal gunshot wounds towards the end of The Bourne Identity. The Bourne series is about what Jason had to give. In The Bourne Ultimatum, we see what he had to do to start to get it back. By the time the haunting 'Extreme Ways' by Moby (the song that ends all three movies) started to play for the third and final time, I felt I had witnessed something remarkable.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Music: Zero-Sum by Nine Inch Nails
This semester has pretty much done everything in its power to destroy me - but I've pulled shit like this off in the past, and I'm sure I'll do it again.
I have two finals left, and then I am finished. The unfortunate part is that both of these finals are on Monday morning, one right after the other, but I've already gotten myself into crunch mode so things will be fine. The hardest part is always getting yourself into that crunch mode - going from being able to watch a movie, lounge in bed, go for a walk, etc., to not having any life outside of your course load. But I'm there, I'm ready. I'm wearing my favorite ETID tshirt and days-old jeans, I've got a fridge full of energy drinks, and I've got playlists full of great music. In less than 40 hours I will be free, and I will shower and sleep and rejoice. Until then however, this is serious adult business, so get your hellin', damnin' ass back in that bitchin' damn room, damn it!
--------------------------
Shame on us,
doomed from the start,
may God have mercy on our dirty little hearts.
Shame on us,
for all we have done,
and all we ever were,
just zeros and ones.
This semester has pretty much done everything in its power to destroy me - but I've pulled shit like this off in the past, and I'm sure I'll do it again.
I have two finals left, and then I am finished. The unfortunate part is that both of these finals are on Monday morning, one right after the other, but I've already gotten myself into crunch mode so things will be fine. The hardest part is always getting yourself into that crunch mode - going from being able to watch a movie, lounge in bed, go for a walk, etc., to not having any life outside of your course load. But I'm there, I'm ready. I'm wearing my favorite ETID tshirt and days-old jeans, I've got a fridge full of energy drinks, and I've got playlists full of great music. In less than 40 hours I will be free, and I will shower and sleep and rejoice. Until then however, this is serious adult business, so get your hellin', damnin' ass back in that bitchin' damn room, damn it!
--------------------------
Shame on us,
doomed from the start,
may God have mercy on our dirty little hearts.
Shame on us,
for all we have done,
and all we ever were,
just zeros and ones.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Best of 2006
Outstanding Albums
1. Boysetsfire - The Misery Index: Notes From The Plague Years
It's really sad that Boysetsfire called it quits this year, but at least they went out on the heels of a staggering triumph. The Misery Index is a monster of an album that holds so much love, rage, disillusionment, and hope that it's sometimes overwhelming. From the beautiful mellow opening of Walk Astray, to the upbeat ska-punk of Deja Coup, to the absolutely devastating final cathartic explosion of anger that is A Far Cry, this album rings with so much passion and emotion that there is no doubt in your mind that singer Nathan Gray believes in absolutely everything that passes from his lips.
2. The Blood Brothers - Young Machetes
This is a hard album to quantify - The Blood Brothers are often described as "post-everything" and it's definitely deserved. 2003's ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn was a screamer of an album, one that pushed the band to its absolute limit in terms of live performances. The 2004 follow-up Crimes scaled back the intensity and focused more on macabre melodies that wrapped in and around the songs. Young Machetes combines everything good about the last two albums, and surpasses them in every way. This is absolutely crushing material, yet it has as many pop hooks as Franz Ferdinand's best. The songs are louder, creepier, and continually creative. The guitar tone, the sudden transitions between winding melodies and all-out audio assaults, and the amazing interplay between the two vocalists makes every song a pleasure.
3. The Bronx - The Bronx
On their 2nd album (also their 2nd self-titled album...), The Bronx show that they definitely mean business. Anyone worried about their transition to a major label apparently had nothing to fear, as they play it as loud and gritty as they ever have. Most of the album is straight up rock, with forays here and there into screamier post-hardcore territory, but it's all excellent. A solid hook backs pretty much every song, and the delivery is simply amazing. And this album definitely wins the "best chorus of the year" award for History's Stranglers ("I've got the hands of history's stranglers"). Sounds fucked (and is), but listen to the song and it is undeniably awesome. And who can't love a song entitled Rape Zombie? Raw, dirty rock n' roll at its best.
4. Norma Jean - Redeemer
I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it many mores times: Norma Jean is not the heaviest band, nor the most technical/talented, nor the most clever - but they are undeniably the angriest. Their brand of southern rock / metalcore is heart-stopping - the starts and stops, the buzzsaw guitars, and that fucking scream of unfathomable anger. Not music for all occasions, but when it fits it fits.
5. Brand New - The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me
This album is the sole calm/melodic release of the year that I really consider exceptional. I normally like to have more balanced lists, but this year was just not a good year for tranquility. The very fact that Brand New is the one tranquil band is surprising since they started life as a pop punk band. That's pretty much all gone, replaced with enveloping soundscapes that are less melodic and more atmospheric. The quiet-loud-quiet formula wears a bit old by the end of the album, but there are some real gems. The quiet desperation of Millstone, the choir background vocals of Degausser, and the stunning guitar of You Won't Know make the album just by themselves.
6. Murder By Death - In Bocca Al Lupo
This is a band poised for greatness - they have the sound, the guitar tone, the vocals, the lyrics, and the humor. Nowhere else can you hear a song about the devil, Mexico, and whiskey, and not only take it seriously, but have it stand up to Johnny Cash classics in terms of grit and passion. Boy Decide is a wonderful up-tempo romp, and Brother is an absolute classic, a song I'd put beside any of Cash's any day of the week. Shiola will near break your heart, and closer The Devil Drives sets a somber tone and then takes off and soars at the end, leaving you with a sense of euphoria.
Worthwhile Albums
As I was saying, 2006 hasn't been a great year for music - 6 albums down and we're already out of exceptional. C'est la vie...
7. The Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!
I seem to be the only person in Massachusetts that likes this band. They're extremely earnest pop/folk punk, with beautiful melodies and clever / well-delivered vocals. Their songs will never change the world, but they aren't meant to - it's feel good party stuff, and it's exceptional. Here on Oh! Calcutta!, the gritty guitar tone and grittier vocals make for an album of fun, catchy songs. Unicornography by The Falcon, also released this year, is basically the same album as this (members in common, same scene, etc.), so I feel fine lumping the two together as recommendations.
8. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
The Arctic Monkeys debut album is one catchy song after another, from start to finish. The British accents, the Franz Ferdinand-esque pop hooks, and the interesting lyrics all combine to make a pop smash of a record. It's impossible to not like From The Ritz To The Rubble. I dare you to dislike it.
9. The Killers - Sam's Town
During recording, singer Brandon Flowers described the album as the "best album of the last 20 years." That's absolute bullshit. But it is at least a step up from 2004's Hot Fuss. Gone are the overbearing synths layered over absolutely every piece of every song - instead, songs are given room to breathe, and everything feels a lot more earnest and from the heart, instead of just a Las Vegas casino show. The lyrics are still borderline horrible, and some songs should have ended life as B-sides, but there's still some catchy endearing stuff here. When You Were Young, For Reasons Unknown, and Why Do I Keep Counting? will stay stuck in your head for quite awhile, given the chance.
10. The Mars Volta - Amputechture
I want to love The Mars Volta so bad, I really do. Sometimes I think I'm head over heels in love, some songs are just THAT good. Then the next song is 16 minutes of ambient almost-nothing, and I have to quickly re-evaluate my stance. At least the ambience here attempts to be songs, unlike the static / Mexican chit-chat on 2005's Frances The Mute. When the album soars, it soars - Viscera Eyes has an amazing Latin-influenced riff and spectacular vocals, and Day of the Baphomets is another undeniable charmer. Too bad the whole album can't be that good. Instead of writing 80 minutes of music for every goddamn album, perhaps they should focus on 40 minutes of great music.
11. Senses Fail - Still Searching
This band is a real guilty pleasure. On the surface, they're another cookie-cutter sing/scream post-hardcore/punk band, a dime a dozen. But something about them is just so catchy, and just so earnest, that it's tough for me to not like them. Still Searching and The Priest And The Matador are two great examples.
12. These Arms Are Snakes - Easter
This is a weird guitar-driven post-hardcore album, filled with odd melodies, odder vocals, and almost no pop-hooks. At times, it reminds me of The Blood Brothers, minus most of the pop. I can't possible sell this to anyone who isn't already a fan of this type of music, so I won't even try.
13. TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
Beautiful, challenging music that creates a rich atmosphere of sounds and offers some amazing harmonized vocals. The cute electro-pop I Was A Lover, the rocking Wolf Like Me, the a cappella A Method, and the mellow, dirty, appropriately titled Dirtywhirl are the standouts for me, but the album is full of catchy, soulful songs.
Albums that could use a bit more work
Underoath - Define The Great Line
Too much anger, not enough writing talent.
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - So Divided
Over-orchestrated and under-written. Some tracks barely qualify as songs.
Sparta - Threes
Do you want to be U2? Because that's all I hear.
AFI - Decemberunderground
What happens when punk goes synth-pop and gay at the same time (yes, there's a distinction...).
Alexisonfire - Crisis
Dallas Green, you already have a solo acoustic project - stop singing and fucking up all the songs, and let George scream again!
Lostprophets - Liberation Transmission
This one really hurts, considering their last release, 2004’s Start Something, was one of my favorites for that year. To this day I can still pop it in and really enjoy it for the ~40 minutes that it lasts – they found just the right mix of pop, post-hardcore, and cheesy metal, and created something that was catchy while still having some balls. Sadly, Liberation Transmission does away with most of that formula, and what’s left isn’t always pretty. While recording, the Lostprophets posted updates on their Myspace (ugh) informing their fans that their new material was all kinds of aggressive, and promised that “it will blade you,” which caused many people (including myself) to believe that the album would be more technical and filled with attitude. Apparently the band was alluding more towards sad emo girls “blading” their wrists when their boyfriends are, like, total jerks to them. Liberation Transmission offers up some of the blandest material the LPs have ever put out - songs with the lyrical depth of Good Charlotte and the musical inclinations of Dashboard Confessional. Not every song is abysmal, mind you: there’s the token riff-heavy metal number, a few catchy pop tracks, and even one song that features the band dabbling with ska-esque horns (albeit extremely low in the mix). But that’s really the extent of the enjoyment. The rest ranges from sickeningly-sweet pop overdoses, to nausea-inducing ballads that attempt to be deep and introspective but come off as merely indulgent and uninspired (not to mention boring). Stick to what you know boys – poppy post-hardcore.
EPs
There were only two EP releases in 2006 that really stand out to me, and they're both by the same band - Voxtrot. Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives and Your Biggest Fan are both indie pop masterpieces, songs that pretty much anyone can appreciate. Check out Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives or Trouble and try to disagree.
2007?
2007 looks to be a much better year for music. Here's a tentative list of what I consider noteworthy:
!!! - Myth Takes (March 4th)
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (March 6th)
Arctic Monkeys
Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City (February 6th)
Bravery - The Sun and the Moon (Early)
CKY
Clutch - From Beale Street to Oblivion (March 4th)
Comeback Kid - Broadcasting... (February 20th)
Dillinger Escape Plan
Every Time I Die
Fall Out Boy - Infinity On High (February 6th)
From Autumn To Ashes - Holding A Wolf By The Ears
Funeral For A Friend
Glassjaw
Guns 'N Roses - Chinese Democracy (March 6th)
Head Automatica - EP
Hell Is For Heroes
I Am The Avalanche (Summer)
Interpol
Jimmy Eat World
Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
Life In Your Way - Waking Giants (February)
Lostprophets (Fall)
Mars Volta
Metallica (Spring)
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (March)
Nine Inch Nails (April)
Postal Service - Clint Pogue EP
Queens of the Stone Age (February 18th)
Radiohead
The Subways
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Living With The Living (March 20th)
Thrice - 4 EPs
The Von Bondies - Love, Hate, And Then There's You (Spring)
A Wilhelm Scream
Your Enemies Friends
That's all folks!
1. Boysetsfire - The Misery Index: Notes From The Plague Years
It's really sad that Boysetsfire called it quits this year, but at least they went out on the heels of a staggering triumph. The Misery Index is a monster of an album that holds so much love, rage, disillusionment, and hope that it's sometimes overwhelming. From the beautiful mellow opening of Walk Astray, to the upbeat ska-punk of Deja Coup, to the absolutely devastating final cathartic explosion of anger that is A Far Cry, this album rings with so much passion and emotion that there is no doubt in your mind that singer Nathan Gray believes in absolutely everything that passes from his lips.
2. The Blood Brothers - Young Machetes
This is a hard album to quantify - The Blood Brothers are often described as "post-everything" and it's definitely deserved. 2003's ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn was a screamer of an album, one that pushed the band to its absolute limit in terms of live performances. The 2004 follow-up Crimes scaled back the intensity and focused more on macabre melodies that wrapped in and around the songs. Young Machetes combines everything good about the last two albums, and surpasses them in every way. This is absolutely crushing material, yet it has as many pop hooks as Franz Ferdinand's best. The songs are louder, creepier, and continually creative. The guitar tone, the sudden transitions between winding melodies and all-out audio assaults, and the amazing interplay between the two vocalists makes every song a pleasure.
3. The Bronx - The Bronx
On their 2nd album (also their 2nd self-titled album...), The Bronx show that they definitely mean business. Anyone worried about their transition to a major label apparently had nothing to fear, as they play it as loud and gritty as they ever have. Most of the album is straight up rock, with forays here and there into screamier post-hardcore territory, but it's all excellent. A solid hook backs pretty much every song, and the delivery is simply amazing. And this album definitely wins the "best chorus of the year" award for History's Stranglers ("I've got the hands of history's stranglers"). Sounds fucked (and is), but listen to the song and it is undeniably awesome. And who can't love a song entitled Rape Zombie? Raw, dirty rock n' roll at its best.
4. Norma Jean - Redeemer
I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it many mores times: Norma Jean is not the heaviest band, nor the most technical/talented, nor the most clever - but they are undeniably the angriest. Their brand of southern rock / metalcore is heart-stopping - the starts and stops, the buzzsaw guitars, and that fucking scream of unfathomable anger. Not music for all occasions, but when it fits it fits.
5. Brand New - The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me
This album is the sole calm/melodic release of the year that I really consider exceptional. I normally like to have more balanced lists, but this year was just not a good year for tranquility. The very fact that Brand New is the one tranquil band is surprising since they started life as a pop punk band. That's pretty much all gone, replaced with enveloping soundscapes that are less melodic and more atmospheric. The quiet-loud-quiet formula wears a bit old by the end of the album, but there are some real gems. The quiet desperation of Millstone, the choir background vocals of Degausser, and the stunning guitar of You Won't Know make the album just by themselves.
6. Murder By Death - In Bocca Al Lupo
This is a band poised for greatness - they have the sound, the guitar tone, the vocals, the lyrics, and the humor. Nowhere else can you hear a song about the devil, Mexico, and whiskey, and not only take it seriously, but have it stand up to Johnny Cash classics in terms of grit and passion. Boy Decide is a wonderful up-tempo romp, and Brother is an absolute classic, a song I'd put beside any of Cash's any day of the week. Shiola will near break your heart, and closer The Devil Drives sets a somber tone and then takes off and soars at the end, leaving you with a sense of euphoria.
Worthwhile Albums
As I was saying, 2006 hasn't been a great year for music - 6 albums down and we're already out of exceptional. C'est la vie...
7. The Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!
I seem to be the only person in Massachusetts that likes this band. They're extremely earnest pop/folk punk, with beautiful melodies and clever / well-delivered vocals. Their songs will never change the world, but they aren't meant to - it's feel good party stuff, and it's exceptional. Here on Oh! Calcutta!, the gritty guitar tone and grittier vocals make for an album of fun, catchy songs. Unicornography by The Falcon, also released this year, is basically the same album as this (members in common, same scene, etc.), so I feel fine lumping the two together as recommendations.
8. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
The Arctic Monkeys debut album is one catchy song after another, from start to finish. The British accents, the Franz Ferdinand-esque pop hooks, and the interesting lyrics all combine to make a pop smash of a record. It's impossible to not like From The Ritz To The Rubble. I dare you to dislike it.
9. The Killers - Sam's Town
During recording, singer Brandon Flowers described the album as the "best album of the last 20 years." That's absolute bullshit. But it is at least a step up from 2004's Hot Fuss. Gone are the overbearing synths layered over absolutely every piece of every song - instead, songs are given room to breathe, and everything feels a lot more earnest and from the heart, instead of just a Las Vegas casino show. The lyrics are still borderline horrible, and some songs should have ended life as B-sides, but there's still some catchy endearing stuff here. When You Were Young, For Reasons Unknown, and Why Do I Keep Counting? will stay stuck in your head for quite awhile, given the chance.
10. The Mars Volta - Amputechture
I want to love The Mars Volta so bad, I really do. Sometimes I think I'm head over heels in love, some songs are just THAT good. Then the next song is 16 minutes of ambient almost-nothing, and I have to quickly re-evaluate my stance. At least the ambience here attempts to be songs, unlike the static / Mexican chit-chat on 2005's Frances The Mute. When the album soars, it soars - Viscera Eyes has an amazing Latin-influenced riff and spectacular vocals, and Day of the Baphomets is another undeniable charmer. Too bad the whole album can't be that good. Instead of writing 80 minutes of music for every goddamn album, perhaps they should focus on 40 minutes of great music.
11. Senses Fail - Still Searching
This band is a real guilty pleasure. On the surface, they're another cookie-cutter sing/scream post-hardcore/punk band, a dime a dozen. But something about them is just so catchy, and just so earnest, that it's tough for me to not like them. Still Searching and The Priest And The Matador are two great examples.
12. These Arms Are Snakes - Easter
This is a weird guitar-driven post-hardcore album, filled with odd melodies, odder vocals, and almost no pop-hooks. At times, it reminds me of The Blood Brothers, minus most of the pop. I can't possible sell this to anyone who isn't already a fan of this type of music, so I won't even try.
13. TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
Beautiful, challenging music that creates a rich atmosphere of sounds and offers some amazing harmonized vocals. The cute electro-pop I Was A Lover, the rocking Wolf Like Me, the a cappella A Method, and the mellow, dirty, appropriately titled Dirtywhirl are the standouts for me, but the album is full of catchy, soulful songs.
Albums that could use a bit more work
Underoath - Define The Great Line
Too much anger, not enough writing talent.
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - So Divided
Over-orchestrated and under-written. Some tracks barely qualify as songs.
Sparta - Threes
Do you want to be U2? Because that's all I hear.
AFI - Decemberunderground
What happens when punk goes synth-pop and gay at the same time (yes, there's a distinction...).
Alexisonfire - Crisis
Dallas Green, you already have a solo acoustic project - stop singing and fucking up all the songs, and let George scream again!
Lostprophets - Liberation Transmission
This one really hurts, considering their last release, 2004’s Start Something, was one of my favorites for that year. To this day I can still pop it in and really enjoy it for the ~40 minutes that it lasts – they found just the right mix of pop, post-hardcore, and cheesy metal, and created something that was catchy while still having some balls. Sadly, Liberation Transmission does away with most of that formula, and what’s left isn’t always pretty. While recording, the Lostprophets posted updates on their Myspace (ugh) informing their fans that their new material was all kinds of aggressive, and promised that “it will blade you,” which caused many people (including myself) to believe that the album would be more technical and filled with attitude. Apparently the band was alluding more towards sad emo girls “blading” their wrists when their boyfriends are, like, total jerks to them. Liberation Transmission offers up some of the blandest material the LPs have ever put out - songs with the lyrical depth of Good Charlotte and the musical inclinations of Dashboard Confessional. Not every song is abysmal, mind you: there’s the token riff-heavy metal number, a few catchy pop tracks, and even one song that features the band dabbling with ska-esque horns (albeit extremely low in the mix). But that’s really the extent of the enjoyment. The rest ranges from sickeningly-sweet pop overdoses, to nausea-inducing ballads that attempt to be deep and introspective but come off as merely indulgent and uninspired (not to mention boring). Stick to what you know boys – poppy post-hardcore.
EPs
There were only two EP releases in 2006 that really stand out to me, and they're both by the same band - Voxtrot. Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives and Your Biggest Fan are both indie pop masterpieces, songs that pretty much anyone can appreciate. Check out Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives or Trouble and try to disagree.
2007?
2007 looks to be a much better year for music. Here's a tentative list of what I consider noteworthy:
!!! - Myth Takes (March 4th)
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (March 6th)
Arctic Monkeys
Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City (February 6th)
Bravery - The Sun and the Moon (Early)
CKY
Clutch - From Beale Street to Oblivion (March 4th)
Comeback Kid - Broadcasting... (February 20th)
Dillinger Escape Plan
Every Time I Die
Fall Out Boy - Infinity On High (February 6th)
From Autumn To Ashes - Holding A Wolf By The Ears
Funeral For A Friend
Glassjaw
Guns 'N Roses - Chinese Democracy (March 6th)
Head Automatica - EP
Hell Is For Heroes
I Am The Avalanche (Summer)
Interpol
Jimmy Eat World
Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
Life In Your Way - Waking Giants (February)
Lostprophets (Fall)
Mars Volta
Metallica (Spring)
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (March)
Nine Inch Nails (April)
Postal Service - Clint Pogue EP
Queens of the Stone Age (February 18th)
Radiohead
The Subways
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Living With The Living (March 20th)
Thrice - 4 EPs
The Von Bondies - Love, Hate, And Then There's You (Spring)
A Wilhelm Scream
Your Enemies Friends
That's all folks!
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