December 2007 Archives
Page of 5
I went out of my way to buy Mr. Pink all sorts of presents this year for Pinkmas (he even had a makeshift "stocking") but he ended up playing with a strip of ribbon for most of the day. *sigh*
Not sure if you can expect anything new from Team Leafblower for the rest of the year. I'm on my way out to sunny California to take in the Rose Parade, New Years and a whole bunch of other stuff.
Thanks to everyone for checking out in my little slice of the interwebs this year. It's a struggle at times to keep this thing updated on a regular basis but the leafblower wouldn't be my labor of love if it was easy. I have a few low-key things to announce in January (along with, hopefully, a redesign - *fingers crossed*), but until then, here's to a fun-filled and action-packed 2008!
SeeqPod Music beta - Playable Search
Sadly, Seeqpod couldn't find Keane's version of "She Sells Sanctuary," which along with MMJ's "Knot Comes Loose" was easily my most listened to song of the year. Anyway, here's a mix of my favorite songs from this year. I made an iMix of most of this, which sould be available in the iTunes Music Store shortly. I'll post a link when it's up.
Good game last night, even if we lost. I always love it when the C's play Dtown.
A few thoughts:
1) We totally outplayed them in the first half.
2) They totally outplayed us in the second half.
3) We can officially put to bed all the can't shoot/can't play/hurts the team talk re: Rajon Rondo
4) All that talk officially moves over to Kendrick Perkins.
5) Paul should have gone to the hole instead of shooting a jumper with too many seconds on the clock. When I saw the time left, I immediately thought of the game in Boston from two years ago. (see item # 10)
6) Billups jumped into TA but absolutely earned and deserved that call.
7) Detroit will not shoot 45% from three next time we play.
8) We will get more than 5 points, 9 fouls, and 3 turnovers from our bench next time we play.
9) We will shoot better than 62% from the line next time we play.
10) I still fucking hate Rip Hamilton more than any human being on the planet. Yes, even more than this guy, which says a lot.
11) Jason Maxiell is pretty good. He's exactly what we want Perk to be/become.
12) We're still going to go farther than the Pistons in the playoffs. Book it.
I bought a new TV on Tuesday (37 inch!) specifically to watch this game in HD, but Comcast has to hook up a different box for the HD to work, so I have to wait until Friday to see my Celtics in glorious high definition.
Completely unrelated:
What's your Brazilian futbol name? Mine is awesome!
Perhaps. It's definitely up there.
In related news, the Pistons are going down tonight!
Me on Nov. 29th about In Rainbows:
"I think the big story here isn't the "pay what you want" sales model. It's the new time line for releasing records and figuring out how a band can take advantage of it. Instead of recording an album and sitting on it for four months while the label gets their marketing plan together, just release it for cheap on the internet (low bitrate files aimed squarely at people's iPods) as soon as it's done and then follow it up with the proper physical release when the label is ready. This way the band "leaks" their own album... "
Thom Yorke as interviewed by David Byrne:
Byrne: I'll start by asking some of the business stuff. What you did with this record wasn't traditional, not even in the sense of sending advance copies out to the press and such.
Yorke: The way we termed it was "our leak date." Every record for the last four — including my solo record — has been leaked. So the idea was like, we'll leak it, then.
Byrne: Previously there'd be a release date, and advance copies would get sent to reviewers months ahead of that.
Yorke: Yeah, and then you'd ring up and say, "Did you like it? What did you think?" And it's three months in advance. And then it'd be, "Would you go do this for this magazine," and maybe this journalist has heard it. All these silly games.
Byrne: That's mainly about the charts, right? About gearing marketing and prerelease to the moment a record comes out so that — boom! — it goes into the charts.
Yorke: That's what major labels do, yeah. But it does us no good, because we don't cross over [to other fan bases]. The main thing was, there's all this bollocks [with the media]. We were trying to avoid that whole game of who gets in first with the reviews. These days there's so much paper to fill, or digital paper to fill, that whoever writes the first few things gets cut and pasted. Whoever gets their opinion in first has all that power. Especially for a band like ours, it's totally the luck of the draw whether that person is into us or not. It just seems wildly unfair, I think.
Rueters has released their photos of the year. Pitchfork too.
Time for mine! Here are some of my favorite photos from my year in concerts.
Sidenote: The alternative title for this post was "I shot a shitload of bands this year."
Row One:
Superdrag, Ben Kweller, Pela, The Good, The Bad & The Queen, Jay-Z
Row Two:
My Chemical Romance, Velvet Revolver, LCD Soundsystem, Blood Baby, Kings of Leon
Row Three:
Ted Leo, The Good, The Bad & The Queen, The Hives, Peter Bjorn & John, Bad Brains
Row Four:
Morrissey, M.I.A., Jay-Z, The National
Row Five:
Bloc Party, Spank Rock, Wu-Tang Clan, Maroon 5
Row Six:
Morrissey, Bjork, Taking Back Sunday, The Arcade Fire
Row Seven:
H.I.M., Travis, Amy Winehouse, Andrew Bird
Row Eight:
These United States, Middle Distance Runner, The National, Silversun Pickups
Row Nine:
Common, Kenna, The Pipettes, Pela
Row Ten:
The Rosebuds, Be Your Own Pet, Silversun Pickups, The Bravery
Row Eleven:
Jet, Spoon, TV on the Radio, The Dance Party
Row Twelve:
Modest Mouse, Interpol, Snow Patrol, OK Go
Row Thirteen:
Bjork, Blood Baby, Incubus, These United States
Row Fourteen:
Spoon, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wu-Tang Clan, Linkin Park
Row Fifteen:
Gruff Rhys, Wilco, Ben Harper, Panic! at the Disco
Row Sixteen:
Mew, The Decemberists, Middle Distance Runner, Nelly Furtado
This is something I've wanted from Flickr for quite some time. Unfortunately, only Pro Account users have this functionality.
Go here to activate your Flickr stats.
Read more about them in the FAQ.
Whew, no Big Papi. Although I have to say I'm shocked that Johnny Damon's name isn't on there. Seriously.
I'm in meeting hell today, so here are some music files to keep you busy:
[mp3] Saul Williams | Sunday Bloody Sunday
RCRD LBL has some new MP3s up:
Dirty on Purpose - Leaving
Sam Champion - Your Party Was Yesterday
I heart Sam Champion. They need to come play D.C. again ASAP.
[mp3] Beach House | Gila
I think BH are incredibly boring, but here's their new track.
Some holiday themed tunes:
[mp3] Mink | Little Drummer Boy
That was my view at the Verizon Center last night as I was able to swing my first ever courtside photo assignment.
It was pretty overwhelming. Head over to DCist for the results.
I've become very familiar and comfortable shooting MLS games but this is a much different beast. The action is much faster and since the court is much smaller than the pitch, the lulls in action are few and far between. Thank god for TV timeouts. The ball almost hit me once, but thankfully I didn't have to duck out of the way of a player while he was jumping out of bounds or anything like that.
I had a hard time finding the right lens to use. I brought out my 70-200mm and my 17-50. One was too long and the other too short. Hopefully my 28-75 will be just right. Still, I got some shots I was proud of.
Even though the TWolves are 3-16, it was really cool seeing all the Celtics from last year's team. Minny has a decent squad, but the pieces don't mesh very well. Corey Brewer is a keeper though. He was battling Brendan Haywood for boards all night long. And when he'd corral one, he'd take off up the court and take it to the hole.
Unfortunately for him, he had to guard Caron Butler. I'm having trouble coming up with a long list of players that are playing better than Butler is this year. Seriously, if you're not paying attention to Tuff Juice, you're missing out.
Oh no! First Liam and now Captain Rock!
Yes, that's Richard Ashcroft at last night's Led Zep gig. Yuck. [via]
Mew @ Black Cat - "The highlight of the night, however, was the encore performance of "Special," a song a few concert goers around me said they were waiting all night for. Madsen started riffing with the band's drummer while the rest of the band slowly took the stage, launching into the song's signature riff with a perfectly timed crescendo that had the audience going wild."
LCD Soundsystem @ 9:30 Club - "I wouldn't call myself a huge LCD fan by any means, and to be honest, the amount of hype they're getting from NYC was turning me off on the band a bit, but holy shit, they brought the noise last night. It was one of those shows where the band plays for over an hour and you're having so much fun it feels like only 10 minutes. And the best part of it was the usually stoic D.C. audience was totally letting their hair down and absolutely turning it loose. Most everybody in the club was dancing, even old men like me. I was proud to be from D.C. last night."
The Pipettes and Smoosh @ Black Cat - "The Pipettes are, as some are wont to say, the sound of one pan flashing, but no matter how you feel about the group, they put on a great show. There were plenty of choreographed dance moves to go along with the group's throw-back, doo-wop sound, and best of all, the girls seemed to be enjoying themselves. The crowd certainly did. Think of them as the female Art Brut. You either get it and totally love it or you don't."
The National @ 9:30 Club - "There were some outstanding moments, none of which I can remember directly because I was slightly to fairly drunk. There were quite a few songs that had me dancing around like no one was watching. One of the songs off of the new record got a new arrangement and it sounded great, but I can't remember which one it was. "Lit Up" and "Mr. November" got the chatty Cathy's standing all around us to shut the fuck up and actually watch the show."
Travis @ 9:30 Club - "Normally I absolutely abhor it when bands play "greatest hits" sets. But when it's been seven years since you've seen a band, those type of sets aren't exactly a bad thing. In fact, last night the set was perfect. Because they played "Back In Black." On a whim. As the last song of the night. It was INCREDIBLE."
Dappled Cities Fly @ Black Cat - "They played the Black Cat's backstage room last night and put on one of the most enjoyable shows I've seen this year. Their sound is a glorious blend of Mew, Supergrass, The Shins and Levy - art rock with perfect pop hooks occasionally sung in falsetto."
Kings of Leon @ 9:30 Club - "You know all those completely overrated bands like The Decemberists, Beruit, effing Sufjan, Band of Horses, The New Pornographers, Tapes N Tapes, Andrew Bird and the like? You can have them. Go ahead and take 'em. Just give me Kings of Leon. Give me a band with career ambition, building their fan base the right way - releasing albums that get progressively better while touring like crazy and playing bigger and bigger venues, but most importantly a band that fucking brings the rock live. Their set last night at the 9:30 Club was perhaps the best show I've seen this year. "
Voxtrot & The Little Ones @ Black Cat - "You know how I always say I love bands that do mainly verse-chorus-verse songs with a "do do do," "la la la" or "woo woo woo" thrown in there at some point? The Little Ones generally do all three in most of their songs. Think of an American version of I Should Coco-era Supergrass. Tons of energy, lots of smiles on stage and plenty of chances to clap along with their songs. And it's pretty impossible not to sing along with the "hey-oh"'s in "Lovers Who Undercover." I had a ball during their set."
Pela @ Historic Sixth & I Synagouge - "Holy hell. They were brilliant. Forced to do a 30 minute set due to the schedule, they wasted no time and pulled no punches, delivering one of the best sets of music I've seen this year. They were damn near perfect. The choruses were big and soared when they needed to and Billy showed a newfound talent for pulling back a bit and showing a bit of restraint during the slower songs."
Jen Lekman @ Black Cat - "I couldn't stay long at the Jens Lekman show last night and that turned out to be a real shame. He was brilliant. It was a cold, rainy night outside but this guy was just emanating sunshine from the stage. And he managed to turn a good show into a great show in just the second song of the night, when during the last little bit of "The Opposite of Hallelujah" he dropped in a sample of "Give Me Just A Little More Time" by The Chairman of the Board."
Morrissey @ DAR Constitution Hall - "We only got to shoot two songs and they went by in a flash(no pun intended). I had both of my cameras with me and would switch between the two whenever the buffer on a memory card would fill up. I had them placed on the stage in front of me, which was very handy. During the second song, while I was putting one camera down and picking up the other, Moz hit me in the face with the mic cord! Awesome."
Superdrag @ 930 Club - "They didn't get to the good stuff, that being everything off of Head Trip In Every Key, until the latter part of the set but it was worth the wait. "Sold You An Alibi" killed. As did "Do The Vampire." "I'm Expanding My Mind" was every bit of the sonic godhead I make it out to be in my head. So yeah, this show was good."
I seriously doubt you need me to tell you that the albums by The National, Spoon, LCD Soundsystem and Fiest are really good, right? Those albums are littered throughout everyone else's year end lists, and rightfully so.
Boxer might very well be album of the year. It was leaked super early but yet no one really got burnt out on it. There's a reason for that.
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is easily Spoon's best record since Girls Can Tell. I fell in, out and back in love with that record over the course of the year. Seeing Britt do "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb" on SNL really drove home how awesome that song, and this record, really is. Their video for "The Underdog" is pure genius.
I didn't like the LCD record when it first came out, but seeing them three times over the course of the year brought me around. As far as dance-punk goes, it really doesn't get any better.
I personally don't like A Reminder as much as I did Let It Die (the on the former production was too samey compared the genre-tripping from the latter) but it did what Let It Die couldn't, make Feist a household name.
You already know who I feel about In Rainbows. Neon Bible was also kinda meh. The new Kanye was good but not great. I love half of Favorite Worst Nightmare, but always hit the skip button a few times on the way through it.
So instead of giving you a list of 10 records that includes all of those titles, here are 10 records that you may or might not have heard this year but really ought to.
Dappled Cities - Granddance
Quite possibly my favorite record of the year. You know how Mew can go from bombastic stadium rock to ethereal, space operas in the course of a record? Dappled Cities does all that in one song, many times over.
[mp3] Dappled Cities | Fire Fire Fire – Loving Hands Remix
Editors - End Has A Start
I know it's not necessarily cool to like this band but I've listened to this record non-stop since it came out. Yes, the production is a bit Snow Patrol, but they were going for an arena rock type record and they delivered.
Jarvis Cocker - Jarvis
By no means his best work, but he's not embarrassing himself either. It's just nice to have Jarvis back on the grind. Dude writes songs like "Cunts Are Still Running The World," and the tune is every bit as good as the title suggests.
[mp3] Jarvis Cocker | Don't Let Him Waste Your Time
Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
A latecomer to this list, saw him do a few songs at the Black Cat and I've been hooked ever since. This album is a weird, but entirely enjoyable melange of Swedish pop, Motown influences and the occasional breakbeat. It's the closest thing you're going to get to a perfect pop record in 2007.
[mp3] Jens Lekman | Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo
[mp3] Jens Lekman | The Opposite of Hallelujah
Kings of Leon - Because The Times
Bloggers (and everyone else) slept on this album big time. Whatever. Your loss. Go listen to The Decemberists then.
Pela - Anytown Graffiti
Honest, earnest, indie-Springsteen type shit. If there's any justice in this world, these guys are going to be huge, huge, huge.
[mp3] Pela | Lost To The Lonesome
The Shins - Wincing The Night Away
Most likely forgotten because it was released in January, but I think it's their best work to date. But I say that because I didn't like their previous albums. Wincing has a depth and songwriting variety not shown in their early work. The live show still needs a bit of work though.
[mp3] The Shins | Phantom Limb
Sloan - Never Hear the End of It
Yes, it's too long, but in a way, that works for this album. It's like a big Sloan mixtape.
Super Furry Animals - Hey Venus!
Technically this doesn't come out until January, but the digital release has been out for a few months. I originally wasn't going to include this album on my list but then I realized it contains two or three of my favorite songs of the year. After the mis-steps of Love Kraft, this is the year's "return to form" release. Hey Venus! is full of frenetic energy and short pop songs very reminiscent of SFA's debut album Fuzzy Logic, which is my favorite Furry record to this day.
[mp3] Super Furry Animals | Run Away
[mp3] Super Furry Animals | The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Travis - The Boy with No Name
Supposedly their "return to form" but actually more like "the band having fun again." Travis are always at their best when their a bit happy-go-lucky, and that's an apt description for this record. It's comparible to Teenage Fanclub's Howdy, which I also love.
Just missed the list but also worth your time:
Gruff Rhys - Candylion
All Smiles - Ten Readings of a Warning
Ted Leo - Living with the Living
Art Brut - It's a Bit Complicated
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81
No shows for me this weekend, I have two Xmas parties and an art show opening, which sadly means I'm going to miss both shows at the 930 Club by my email buddy Ted Leo. Boo! It's always hard to carve out time for shows in December. It is, after all, the 31 days of drinking.
Ted's always good about dropping an awesome cover song into his set. Here are a few of my favorites:
[MP3] Ted Leo | Dancing in the Dark (live)
Now if I can just get some of those people to buy a print. Makes a great Xmas present!
Since we're on the subject...
My most interesting, most viewed, most favorited and most commented on photo:
Some other oldies but goodies:
Q: What's better than a holiday themed video with a twist (make sure you watch it all the way through) for one of my favorite songs of the year by my favorite band?
A: Goldenfiddle's recap of the Victoria's Secret fashion show.
Detour Magazine interviewed yours truly earlier in the week.
I had an impromptu photo shoot with Mr. Pink the other day. Head over to Flickr for the full results.
The more I read about Facebook, the more it scares the shit out of me.
The Heroes Season 2 finale, yeah, it was pretty meh.
Now you can edit photos in Flickr.
This is the funniest thing I've seen on the interwebs in quite some time.
D.C. United will open their season on March 29 in Kansas City. The home opener is shortly thereafter v. Toronto. United is having their equipment sale on Friday. I can't go. Bah. Someone buy me a Facundo Erpen jersey. That's all I want for Xmas.*
Speaking of MLS... The Curious Economics of the Designated Player.
Wow, I guess the Red Sox are the new Yankees. Not sure how I feel about that.
I Am Fuel, You Are Friends interviews Travis.
Editors are touring the US again in January.
Morrissey to NME: You have been pwned. Oh, and Moz signed a new record deal with Decca.
Dead Flowers has one of my favorite songs by Lush for your downloading pleasure.
The Super Furries are giving away MP3s for Xmas presents.
The Raveonettes are back with a new record, called Lust, Lust, Lust. Here's a taste:
[MP3] The Raveonettes | Ally, Walk With Me
* not entirely true.
but I'm intercontinental when I eat French toast. And play fantasy football.
Yes, yours truly has willed his ragtag group of NFL cast-offs and no names (Jeff Garcia, Ryan Grant, Earnest Graham and Michael Boley to name a few) all the way to the top of the standings. Cleverly Named Team will not be stopped!
Yes, I know you couldn't care less, but I felt the need to make you aware of my extraordinary GM abilities. I don't have single player in the overall points Top 20.
Of course, I'm currently sitting in 10th place in my basketball pool (thanks Gilbert).
Just last night I was thinking to myself, if the Furries are indeed touring in January, they need to release those dates ASAP because your boy has a lot going on that month and I need to plan accordingly.
Yes, I sit at home thinking about Super Furry Animals tour dates. I am fucking weird slightly obsessive, OK?
Anyways, we finally have the scoop!
01/23 - Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell's*
01/25 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg*
01/26 - Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom*
01/27 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club*%
01/29 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle*%
01/30 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse*%
01/31 - New Orleans, LA @ The Republic*%
02/01 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre*%
02/02 - Austin, TX @ Emo's*
02/05 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress*
02/06 - Solona Beach, CA @ Belly Up*
02/08 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex*
02/09 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall*
02/11 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir*
02/12 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo's*
02/15 - Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre
02/16 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
02/17 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
02/18 - Buffalo, NY @ Tralf Music Hall
02/20 - Toronto, ONT @ Mod Club
02/21 - Montreal, QUE @ Cabaret Music Hall
02/22 - Ithaca, NY @ Cornell University
02/23 - Boston, NY @ The Paradise
02/25 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Support by HOLY FUCK = *
Support by FIERY FURNACES = %
First reaction: w00t!
Second reaction: Fuck, I have the mother of all projects due at work on January 30th.
Third reaction: Chicago on a weekend!
Fourth reaction: Fuck, I have a trip to Florida for work that week.
Fifth reaction: Detroit on a weekend!
Sixth reaction: Fuck, it's on a Sunday.
Seventh reaction: Boston on a weekend!
Eight reaction: Fuck, the Celtics are on the road then.
Ninth reaction: Screw you guys, I'm, going to Expedia to book a flight to Beantown!
Tenth reaction: Wait...Hoboken! Maxwells! Hmmmmmm...
So as of now, my wish list would probably be Hoboken, Philly, D.C. and maybe Boston.
SFA shows at Maxwells are fucking legendary. I think I have to make that happen. Even if it's on a fucking Wednesday. I will have earned some time off by that point.
Grambo, you've been warned.
A few non-Sean Taylor related links that I haven't had a chance to put up since I got back from Seattle:
Memo to Morrissey: This is why you have a manager. Normally I wouldn't give two shits about this whole thing, except I know the journalist in question. I met Tim Jonze quite randomly when I was living in New York, at at Teenage Fanclub gig at the Bowery Ballroom. We became friends and I gave him my extra ticket when a bunch of us went to see Radiohead at Liberty State Park.
File under OBVS! Archers of Loaf: Still Really Good
And while we're strolling memory lane, Let's Interview Dillon Fence! I went and saw Dillon Fence by myself (my friends at the time were lame) on my first night at college. It was awesome.
Stream Ghostface's Big Doe Rehab. First impression: Good, but not as good as Fishscale, which I still listen to at least once a week.
Saw M.I.A. at the 9:30 Club on Thursday. I have seen her three times this year and I have yet to stay past the fourth song of her set. Not because I don't like the show, quite the opposite. She just has a habit of going on very, very late. And lately I tend to have meetings at work very, very early every day. Also, she performs in the fucking dark, which aggravates me to no end.
Juan Sebastian Veron to D.C United? Seriously? Yes please.
Roger Ebert's best movies of 2006.
Dean & Britta are heading back out on the road.
15 Brilliantly Timed Sports Photos. They forgot this one.
PS - Mike D. Jr. is looking pretty good this year. Finally. And while we're at it, Carlos Boozer - the best power forward in the West? Can't be right, right? Duke players suck in the pros.
The birthplace of every current NBA player in a Google Maps mash-up.
Recent Comments