Friday, November 27, 2009

Precursor to lists


I think years and decades are pretty arbitrary markers of eras in popular music. What makes the 2000s the 2000s, and what makes something released in October 1999 markedly different from something released in February 2000, other than that only one can be included in a "Best Albums 2000-2009" list? Mark Grace had the most hits in the 1990s, and Todd Zeile had the most errors in the 1990s, but really, what importance to either of those statistics have (beyond being cool trivia answers) when neither of those guys are going to get into the Hall of Fame of anything beyond "Cubs players beloved by certain groups of women in Lincoln Park between 1989 and 2002." (and a larger question of whether anyone...ever really loved Todd Zeile is certainly debatable)

Still, I'm a sucker for lists. It's hard to have a list of you don't set these markers, or else you just have a bunch of records (not that there's anything wrong with just having a bunch of records, and in fact, sometimes it's cool to just have a bunch of records). In the coming weeks, there will be lists. There will be a Favorite Albums of 2009 list, and there will be a Favorite Albums of the 2000s list. These lists will ultimately not mean much other than display how much I think I like Spoon.

I also might be moving this over to Wordpress but I haven't decided yet. In the end I don't think there's much of a difference considering that I don't really mess with layout that much, but I like the [preliminary] way this Wordpress looks.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Drum and guitar

White Mystery and Hollows
Empty Bottle
November 9, 2009



Sorry, I forgot the obligatory shitty photo of Hollows.

I'm a sucker for colored vinyl, too.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Spin

It's a comforting feeling, to have a working record player. Now with a ground wire!

Goal: use it this weekend.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Sounds like someone else's song from a long time ago

The needle on my record player broke last night and it scratched side D of my copy of Being There that I was listening to for the first time. The first three sides sounded really great. Side D might be the weakest side, but I'll be damned if Dreamer In My Dreams isn't an amazing album closer, and I really, really wanted to listen to (Was I) In Your Dreams, but that big SCRRRRRATCH that came when I tried to play the last side really messed up my evening. I checked the record today in the light and it's a pretty decent scratch. I wanna see how it sounds but I sort of...can't at this point. Ugh.

Caps off a really frustrating week, I tell you what.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Monday, November 16, 2009

The most remarkable thing about coming home to you is the feeling of being in motion again

It's the most extraordinary thing in the whole world.

Mountain Goats
Metro
November 5, 2009



(setlist via)

01. 1 Samuel 15:23
02. Letter From Belgium
03. Cotton
04. How to Embrace a Swamp Creature
05. Romans 10:9
06. Cobscook Bay
07. Evening in Stalingrad
08. Enoch 18:14
09. Deuteronomy 2:10
10. Genesis 30:3 (feat. Owen Pallett)
11. Going to Bristol (feat. Owen Pallett)
12. Hebrews 11:40 (feat. Owen Pallett)
13. Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace
14. Against Pollution
15. Psalms 40:2
16. Lovecraft in Brooklyn
17. Quito

first encore
18. No Children
19. This Year

second encore
20. Handball
21. Going to Georgia

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

That which the prophets spoke of long ago has come

I'll be going to see Mountain Goats tomorrow, and it's my first concert since Wilco on October 19.

Brandon's perspective: this is the longest I've gone between concerts since Mother, Mother on March 3 and...yup, Mountain Goats and John Vanderslice on April 1.

Big picture perspective: STFU, you don't need to go to this many fucking shows, Brandon.

Broke free on a Thursday night

I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.

I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.

I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.

There might be feasting and dancing at CMJ next year.

But first I gotta make it through this year

if it kills me.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Monday, November 2, 2009

Help Us Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, you're our only hope!



On my copy of the Thermals/Thao split EP from Record Store Day there's an engraving on the Thermals side which says "I have a crush on Thao."

That's pretty much true.

Know Better Learn Faster is great.

http://www.thaomusic.com/