Song of the Week (Strange - Built to Spill)

Song of the Week (1901 - Phoenix)

You may have heard this on the commercial for the new Cadallac SRX. My wife really likes the car/truck/whatever...I really like the song :)

Song of the Week (Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend)

And since he was mentioned by name, Peter Gabriel did a cover:

Song of the Week (I Fought Piranhas - The White Stripes)

Songs of the Year (2009)

Today is the one year anniversary of the first ever Song of the Week. In celebration I have made a playlist with all the Songs of the Week from the previous year. Enjoy :)

Song of the Week (Silverfuck - Smashing Pumpkins)

Song of the Week (Stellar - Incubus)

Guilty pleasure band.

Song of the Week (Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show)

Song of the Week (Stereo - Pavement)

And just because it was too awesome not to include:

Song of the Week (Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear)

Kings of Leon @ Rupp Arena (Lexington, KY) Oct. 10, 2009 Concert Review

First of all, a view from our seats.



It's a pretty blurry photo, taken from my phone but it still gives you a sense of just how good our seats were. We were 8 rows back from the stage with a very good view. They were definitely the best seats I've ever had at any concert.

Now, on to the opening act, White Lies. We arrived about 10 to 15 minutes late but I don't think we really missed more than one song. These guys are really good if you like their music. They sound a lot like Interpol, who in turn sounds a lot like Joy Division. It's not bad and I quite enjoy Interpol, but just not what I was in the mood for that night. They played for about an hour and then there was a brief intermission while their set was torn down and Kings of Leon was set up.

The set list for the night goes like this:

The breakdown per album goes like this:

Youth and Young Manhood - 1
Aha Shake Heartbreak - 4
Because of the Times - 5
Only By The Night - 10

I hate Only By The Night and only like Because of the Times slightly more. Needless to say I was disappointed by the set list. I really should have seen them 5 years ago. Besides that, the show was really good. They put on a hell of a show, full of energy. The fans were really into it and sang along to every song. Use Somebody and Sex on Fire were almost deafening. Only problem with the fans was that they kept throwing glow sticks onto the stage. That was extremely rude and disrespectful and we're lucky KoL didn't stop the show because of the idiots.

Song of the Week (Bucket - Kings of Leon)

Going to Kings of Leon concert tomorrow night at Rupp Arena here in Lexington. I'll try to do a review early next week.

Song of the Week (Alfie - Lily Allen)

Where to start? The song is very catchy and cute. Our little boy loves it and always starts kicking in his mommy's belly when he hears it. I came across this because Lily Allen's brother, Alfie, was mentioned by the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, George RR Martin, on his blog. Alfie will be playing a role from the series on the upcoming TV adaptation of the series on HBO.

In other news, Lily Allen recently announced that she was quitting the music business after she started a blog to fight piracy on the internet. It was found that she had plagiarized on the blog and also found that she had uploaded mix tapes to her website of music that she didn't have the rights to. So, she herself is a pirate. It was quite a funny story.

Without further adieu, the video.

Song of the Week (Pale Blue Eyes - The Velvet Underground)

Song of the Week (We Used to Vacation - Cold War Kids)

Song of the Week (From the Hips - Cursive)

Every once in a while there is a band that comes along that just gets it right. These guys have been around for 14 years. How is it that I am just now finding them? This song is absolutely amazing and this performance is as well.

Song of the Week (Rooster - Alice in Chains)

Song of the Week (Island in the Sun - Weezer)

Leaving for vacation tonight. Going to Myrtle Beach.

Song of the Week (Twilight Galaxy - Metric)

Shakira - She Wolf or MGMT - Electric Feel?

So, I was surfing around on YouTube and came across Shakira's new single "She Wolf". You can listen below:



Ok, I immediately liked this. I thought I had heard it before but couldn't place where. It's extremely catchy, gets you dancing and grooving. It's everything a pop song should be. However, the whole time it went further than that, I just couldn't shake this familiarity I felt for it. So, I started searching trying to find out if she had sampled the music from another song. I didn't find any trace or her crediting anyone else or anything. Then, it hit me. I do know this tune and the reason I didn't recognize it right away was because I've only listened to the song 4 or 5 times. It's MGMT's "Electric Feel". Take a listen and decide for yourself.



P.S. After listening to "Electric Feel" again I can't help but feel like I've heard this same tune somewhere else lol. Maybe an Outkast song?

Song of the Week (First breath after coma - Explosions in the Sky)

Legend of Neil

I just found this series today and watched the whole thing. The second season just started back this week so I suggest everyone go watch the first season and catch up. It is by far one of the best things to come out of the internet so far.

Synopsis:

A young man is enjoying the original Legend of Zelda on NES when suddenly he finds himself aroused by the fairy. So, he starts masturbating and asphyxiating himself with the controller cord. The next thing he knows, he's in Hyrule, playing the part of Link.

Hilarity ensues.

Watch Legend of Neil at atom.com

Song of the Week (Hard to Explain - The Strokes)

Old 97's @ Headliners in Louisville

It had been over five years since I had last seen the Old 97's live at the Southgate House in Newport, KY. The experience then was amazing and that's why going in to Friday Night's show at Headliners in Louisville I was pretty excited. Mary, Kelly, and I drove from Lexington after work on Friday. We did a drive by of the concert hall on our way to get something to eat beforehand. From the outside the building looks like an old church and may very well be.

After eating we decided we should go ahead and try to get a parking place since it looked like there was going to be very limited parking. We arrived about 15 to 20 minutes before the show started and there were already a few hundred people there. The show was called "An Evening with the Old 97's" and started with Murray playing a solo set. He got started right on time and played quite a few hauntingly beautiful songs.

After a 30 minute set, Murray said goodbye and Rhett took the stage. He looked pretty messed up, a lot more so than I had ever seen him. He commented on the heat in the club pretty much immediately. He wasn't the only one noticing the heat, however. By this time it was probably reaching the upper 80s in the club. Despite the heat and his apparent intoxication, he put on one hell of a show playing songs from his solo albums, Singular Girl from the Old 97's, and the Pixies' Wave of Mutilations. One of the nice surprises of the night for me was a song off his new album called "Another Girlfriend." It sounded much more like an Old 97's song than a Rhett Miller song and live it kicked all sorts of ass. The crowd was laughing and cheering the whole time.

Rhett played for about 30 to 45 minutes before saying goodbye. He thanked the crowd and talked about getting to open for the Old 97's and what a wonderful experience it was. The crowd laughed and cheered at this. After a short break Murray and Rhett returned to the stage with Ken and Philip. Rhett was pretty sweaty from his solo show. The heat was mentioned quite a few times throughout the night and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that temperatures reached 110 degrees by the end of the night. I've never been so miserable and sweaty. The show, however, was awesome. I wish I had a set list but I was having too much fun to keep track of it. They played just about every song I wanted to hear (with the exception of Stoned, Desperate Times, Wish the Worst, and Niteclub) including a version of Question that included the whole band. They did a Rolling Stones cover that I didn't recognize (I'm not much of a Stones fan) and mentioned a covers album coming out soon.

All in all, the show was awesome. There was probably close to a thousand people packed in this tiny old church and it was more than hot. By the end of the night Rhett looked like he had jumped in a pool. We forced our way outside and spent the next 15 minutes just sitting on the pavement cooling off before starting our trip back to Lexington. The show lasted 3 hours. Definitely worth 15 bucks.

Doreen from Friday's show. We were about 10 feet to the left of the camera.

Song of the Week (Daylight - Matt and Kim)

Song of the Week (When the Lights Go Out - Black Keys)

P.S. If you haven't seen Black Snake Moan then please go out and rent it tonight.

Song of the Week (Next Exit - Interpol)

Song of the Week (Idioteque (Live) - Radiohead)

Baby Ticker

Song of the Week...well, last week (Reunited - Faith No More)

Ok, so somehow I forgot to post a "Song of the Week" last week. Whoops. So, lets just say that I posted this last week hehe. It's Faith No More's first public played song in quite some time. I'm not a big fan but I thought it was a really good cover.

Warbreaker Released

Brandon Sanderson's new book, "Warbreaker", has been released today. He has it up as a pdf on his website for free download. I've read the pdf version and it's a great read. I suggest fans of fantasy go out and pick this one up.

Song of the Week (Message In A Bottle - The Police)

Song of the Week (Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt 1 - The Flaming Lips)

Song of the Week (I Like Birds - Eels)

Song of the Week (Baba O'riley - The Who)

Song of the Week (Son et Lumiere + Inertiatic esp - The Mars Volta)

I've been wanting to do a TMV song for a while now but it's been hard trying to decide what to use. It's very hard to illustrate the greatness of The Mars Volta in just one song (and I still couldn't ended up giving you two together) or even one album.

Wilco (The Leak)

The new Wilco album, titled Wilco (The Album), has just leaked about 10 hours ago. I'm just a few songs in so far but I'm diggin it. You can search for the leak on your own or listen to a stream from the official Wilco website at WilcoWorld.net.

Song of the Week (Death Letter - Son House)

Song(s) of the Week (World At Large & Float On - Modest Mouse)

First time ever than an artist makes it on the list twice and MM do it in a big way. The first time I ever heard Modest Mouse or this record was when Joey and I first made a road trip to Lexington to try and find a place to live. The music set the mood, it was time for a change. Since then I always think of this album when I'm moving and since this week is moving week, that makes these two songs together the song of the week.




P.S. It's time for a change in more than one way. Mary's pregnant!

Song of the Week (1979 - Smashing Pumpkins)

There was an easier time... we'll get there again some day.

Safety Video

Check out this awesome work place safety video.

Song of the Week (Guerilla Radio - The Nightwatchman)

Song of the Week (Time to Pretend - MGMT)

mmmmm.... drugs.



Edit: The Letterman performance was removed by the user so I had to change the video.

Song of the Week (Big Brown Eyes - Old 97's)

You may listen to this band and immediately write them off. You may think to yourself, "This is too country for my tastes." Or you may say, "This is way too poppy." That's fine, do it. But file this band away in the back of your mind. One day, somewhere in your life you will be dealing with something that is too much for you. You'll feel like you are dead and the world is pressing in around you trying to crush you like the ocean. When this happens, remember this band. Go out, buy "Too Far to Care", "Hitchhike to Rhome" and a fifth of bourbon. Let Rhett and the boys take care of you.



P.S. You will never, and I mean NEVER, see a better live show. If you ever get the chance you should absolutely take it!

My Album (43 years - Bjarne Mork Eidem)

Ok, so I did this after reading about it on BG's blog. I'm pretty happy with the title and the cover art but the name is kinda lame :D

Song of the Week (Forty-Six & 2 - Tool)

Anyone that knows me knows just how much of an exercise in self restraint it has been for me to wait this long to post a Tool song. Here it is.

Song of the Week (7/4 Shoreline - Broken Social Scene)

Song of the Week (Hope Rides Alone - The Protomen)

This is the first song in a rock opera about Mega Man. Check out the whole album, it kicks so much ass. BTW, since we are talking about Mega Man go get excited about the fan made live action film here.

William Shatner within 2 miles of my house.

It was announced on Thursday evening that William Shatner had been within 2 miles of where I live. You can read about the story here. I had this whole thing worked out with Google maps showing where he was and where my house is and the path that would need to be taken to get from point A to point B but then I remembered that it's not a good idea to post your address on the internet...oh well. Trust me, it was funny.

Haha

Song of the Week (The Funeral - Band of Horses)

Firefox takes the lead!

I just realized that Firefox has taken the lead for the first time in browser market share per w3schools.com. It may not be the leading authority on browser share reporting but it seems pretty accurate when I compared it to some other sites. However, some sites like hitslink.com seem to have a definite bias towards IE. I can't believe that Firefox is that low on the list and IE still that high when all the other sites are reporting much more equal numbers and my own experience is saying the gap is closing.

Words of Wisdom

If you have a stuffy nose, for the love of God wait until you are finished pooping and have evacuated the bathroom before blowing it.

Song of the Week (Gideon - My Morning Jacket with Boston Pops Orchestra)

These guys are from Louisville. Yay, Kentucky!

Song(s) of the Week (March of the Pigs - NIN and Three Days - Jane's Addiction)

Trent Reznor announced that Nine Inch Nails are taking a break for a while. They are doing a going away tour with Janes Addiction (how fucking cool is that?). In honor of the newly announced tour I decided that this week would be the first week ever that we have not one but two songs of the week.

Song of the Week (Garden Grove - Sublime)

Song of the Week (Date with the Night - Yeah Yeah Yeah's)

Song of the Week (Doin' the Cockroach - Modest Mouse)

My favorite Modest Mouse song.

Song of the Week (Downtown - Petula Clark)

Get ready!

Hillarious

This guy had a friend that hadn't ever watched a complete Star Wars movie but had seen bits and parts of all three in the original trilogy. So, she said that she had watched enough of them to put together the storyline. He pulled out a tape recorder and hilarity ensues.
Watch and listen here.

Song of the Week (Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Ok, so I know this one is kind of a break from the norm around here but it is a great song. Lynyrd Skynyrd have been pigeon holed into this Southern Rock, white trash band but I say it's time we take them back. They have a lot of really good songs and in my opinion there is one thing that is common to all good music and that is emotion. This song is full of emotion.

A Comfortable Familiarity

So, I recently decided to write a novel. Well, I say recently but I actually started the novel well over a year ago and just decided to pick it back up. I'm at about 10k words right now. I read somewhere that most publishing companies won't publish new authors with a novel more than 150k so a little less than that will probably be my goal. So far I think I'm probably just about on track. I'm probably about half way through with the first part of the novel (it will be split into at least two distinct parts possibly even three). The first part is really sort of just a long introduction though so I expected it to be short. I'll post the first part for everyone to read and give feedback on once I get it wrote and do just a little bit of revising for continuity and there have been some parts that I have sped through that I need to go back and be more descriptive.

Anyway, all this leads to the topic of my post, "A Comfortable Familiarity." I decided to go back and start reading through the Wheel of Time series again. It's been a while since I finished the last book and I wanted to get an idea how a master of storytelling does it for my novel. Also, Brandon Sanderson (the author chosen to complete the series according to the notes left by Robert Jordan and under the careful eye of Jordan's wife and editor, Harriet) has been hard at work for half a year now completing the final book. He says we should expect something on shelves by the end of 2009. The way I read this should put me right at it's release finishing up the first 11 in the series.

Again, to get back to my point; I can't believe how much I love the first book in the series and how familiar and at home I feel while reading it. Since finishing the eleventh book I've started other series. I've read all currently released books in the Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin and read the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Both were great reads and very entertaining. I believe the last few books in Martin's series will be exquisite and Mistborn was really a fun read. However, neither are the Wheel of Time. Neither author has the mastery of wordsmithery (obviously I'm don't either lol) that Jordan had. His attention to detail, foreshadowing, and patience amaze me. I think most of his fans started to complain about this towards the end, saying he was artificially inflating the series. I don't believe he was. The man had more patience than any of us. He had this story in his head to tell and he wasn't going to cheapen the experience for us or himself by cutting it short just because people were getting impatient. He vowed to finish the series in book twelve and Sanderson has said he will keep that vow but that he has no control over how the publisher publishes it. He says it is getting so large (currently 424k words expected to be over 700k) that it will be hard to actually sell it in one cover. I think Sanderson will do a great job with the book but I would be lying if I said I wasn't just a little worried. I like his original work well enough. They were very entertaining but he isn't nearly as descriptive as Jordan. I enjoyed, while reading Mistborn, that the chapters were very small (normally about 4-6 pages in length) and the action went very fast but that isn't the Wheel of Time series and would make it seem out of place.

Song of the Week (Where Is My Mind - Pixies)

I would say these guys were ahead of their time but I believe it was the rest of us who were behind and just trying to play catch up.