Music Post #5

New music this week (bold means that I like it so far; if it says nothing next to it, I probably haven't really listened enough to form an opinion yet):

• Black Moth Super Rainbow/The Octopus Project - The House of Apples and Eyeballs: This is 2 years old, but I just found it.  It's ok, although I think I like each of these bands separately better than together.
• Delta Spirit - Ode to Sunshine: I saw them live last week, opening for Dr. Dog.  I liked them a lot, perhaps even more than Dr. Dog.  The album lives up to the live performance so far.
• Dressy Bessy - Holler and Stomp: This is one that came recommended to me, and I can definitely see people enjoying it.  It's an odd mix of heavier guitars and annoying girl pop.  I'm not that impressed.
• Passion Pit - Chunk of Change: Pop/electronic - tons of energy.  I recommend it.
• Prkr - The Felt City: "synthpop" which is totally hit-or-miss for me.  I kind of like the song G.P.S. Kids, but the others are little to heavy on the synth.  Kind of electronic/pop rather than pop/electronic, if that makes sense.
• Joshua Radin - Simple Times: Joshua Radin is one of my guilty pleasures.  I'm not "supposed" to like it, but I don't care.  I do.  It's sweet and pretty and, sure, a little cheesy, but I still love it.
• South Side Stalkers - The Sound of Speed: isn't that album title awfully close to a certain Coldplay single from a few years ago?  I got it because it was compared to Belle & Sebastian and Mates of State.  And lately I've been loving Swedish pop.  So far, though, it's more cheesy and annoying than anything else.  I should have known when there was a song called "Ukelele Love Song" on the album...

Story # 9: Overheard Conversation

Overheard in the park tonight by a group of high school boys: So I never had sex on ecstasy until last week, and holy shit, man...

I feel like my high school experience was so sheltered. I'm not sure that is a bad thing.

Link

Um, yet another one. This one about passing gas from Dooce.com.

Link

This morning I hit snooze for only 1/2 hour.  Monday morning, it had been an hour.  One whole hour of 9 minute sleep intervals, interrupted by slams of my hand to the top of the clock.  When I was in college, my alarm was at the foot of my bed, rather than next to my head.  This was strategic in design, but not effective in practice.  I just became really good at sitting up and hitting snooze while still basically remaining asleep.  That way I would fall into bed and be back to my dreams as my head hit the pillow.

Today I read this post on one of my favorite time-killer websites.  And I realized why I love her blog so much.  She is just like me...

Thoughts by Dooce.com

*Also note that her current masthead reads: Musings of a Self-Absorbed Moron.

Music Post #4

More new music.  I think listening to new music needs to be my full-time job.  How does one get paid for that and not have to write music reviews?  Hmm...

• Brightback Morning Light - Motion to Rejoin
• The Broken West - Now or Heaven
• Kimya Dawson - Alphabutt: kids album where B is for butt and F is for fart - edit: the song Alphabutt is my kind of music - the rest of the CD is too child-ish - maybe it would different if I had kids, although I'm not sure I'd want them singing along to some of it...
• Ani DiFranco - Red Letter Year: eh.  I deleted it.
• Margot and the Nuclear So-and-Sos - The Daytrotter Sessions EP
• Parenthetical Girls - Entanglements
• Starfucker - Starfucker
• TV on the Radio - Dear Science: so far it lives up to the internet hype...

Story #8: Goodbyes

Why do people always stare at bad things?  Car accidents, bloody paper towels on sidewalks (yes, I'm serious), people crying and hugging as they say goodbye...  

K left today.  She is currently driving cross-country in a stuffed car to Providence, Rhode Island.  The last time I saw her car that stuffed was 2 years ago when she moved in, the first day I ever met her.  Today before she left, we went to breakfast, and she ran across the street to make a deposit at the bank.  I told A, her boyfriend, my other roommate, that I hoped she didn't cry because then I would lose it.  Well, we were both fine until the sidewalk, outside her packed car.  Then we both started crying.  And this man in an Oregon Ducks shirt, holding a giant camera, just kept staring at us.  I don't think I saw him ever turn away, although I clearly wasn't watching him the entire time.

So when I went to my car with my friend M, we discussed this staring man and how weird it was that he was watching my roommate and I cry on the sidewalk.  And then I made my friend take a picture of a bloody paper towel.  I am obviously a hypocrite.

Music Post #3

This one is not about recently obtained music, but party playlists. We had a going-away party for K tonight. She has relied on me for party mixes for the past 2 years. It's always tricky to time the music when it's not live, but I think after enough parties, I have gotten to a point where they turn out pretty successful - success measured by the number of people dancing - and then not leaving because the next song is too good to leave. So here was tonight's playlist. Note that I went back and re-played the 80s/90s mix that appears in the middle once people had been motivated to dance by the hip-hop. I never want to break the hip-hop out too early, but it always ends up being the music that motivates people to start dancing. So here's the list:

• Ratatat - Wildcat
• Say Hi - Northwestern Girls
• Islands - Where There's a Will There's a Way
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion
• Feist - 1234
• Pixies - Debaser
• Daedelus - Fair Weather Friends
• The Ting Tings - Great DJ
• Hot Chip - Over & Over
• The Gossip - Standing in the Way of Control
• Junior Boys - In the Morning
• of Montreal - Id Engager
• Fujiya & Miyagi - Collarbone
• The Outfield - Your Love
• Erasure - A Little Respect
• Cansei de Ser Sexy - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above
• Justice - D.A.N.C.E.
• Daft Punk - Around the World/Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
• The Knife - Heartbeats
• MGMT - Kids
• Blur - Girls & Boys
• EMF - Unbelievable
• Estelle - American Boy (Feat. Kanye West)
• Akon - Wanna Be Startin Something
• Ace of Base - I Saw the Sign
• B-52s - Love Shack
• Salt-N-Pepa - Shoop
• Paula Abdul - Straight Up
• Cardigans - Love Fool
• Bell Biv Devoe - That Girl is Poison
• The Darkness - I Believe in a Thing Called Love
• Young MC - Bust a Move
• Ace of Base - Beautiful Life
• Deelite - Groove is in the Heart
• Architecture in Helsinki - Debbie
• Usher - Love in this Club
• Lil Jon and the Eastside Boys - Get Low (Feat. Ying Yang Twins)
• Ciara - 1 2 Step (Feat. Missy)
• Sir Mix-A-Lot - Jump on It
• Eric Prydz - Call on Me
• Girl Talk - Play Your Part (Pt. 1)
• Outkast - Hey Ya
• Black Eyed Peas - My Humps
• Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
• Justin Timberlake - My Love
• Jay Z - I Just Wanna Love Ya
• Enrique Iglesias - Don't Turn Off the Lights (um, this one was due to an earlier conversation between roommates)
• Wyclef Jean - Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)
• Usher - Yeah (Feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris)
• Kanye West - Stronger
• Nelly Furtado & Timbaland - Promiscuous
• Timbaland - Give it to Me
• Britney Spears - Toxic
• 50 Cent - In Da Club
• Timbaland - The Way I Are
• 50 Cent - Ayo Technology (Feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland)
• Destiny's Child - Say My Name
• Juvenile - Back that Ass Up
• Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.
• Groove Armada - I See You Baby
• Biz Markie - Just a Friend
• Beck - E-Pro
• The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize
• The Roots - The Seed (2.0)
• Black Eyed Peas - The Request Line (Feat. Macy Gray)
• Bananarama - Venus

Story #7: Symphony

Thanks to Ck who had press passes, I went to the symphony tonight for free. We sat in the front row, which was a first for me at the symphony. I sat in the front row last March when I saw Wicked on Broadway, but never for a symphony. Turns out, front row is not all that great for a number of reasons - but mostly due to the way in which the sound blends together, or doesn't, when you're up that close. I also was unfortunately seated on the wrong side of the piano.  I could not see the pianist or his hands at all, which was a disappointment.  But sitting that close did allow for random observations about the symphony that I never really noticed before.

• Very few people in the strings section of the symphony were married.  Or maybe they were married, but not wearing rings.  Why did I notice this?  I'm not sure, but I think it started because one cellist had a wedding band on his right hand, which intrigued me.  So then I started looking at the rest of them.
• I like to see when the musicians look to the conductor versus just looking at their music.  I found no real rhyme or reason to the timing.  In fact, they seemed to look at all different times.
• Intermission is a poor time to go to the restroom.  Old ladies have small bladders.  Many old ladies attend the symphony.  They served free champagne before the symphony.  The first two pieces, pre-intermission, were over an hour long.  Put this all together, and you have a line that stretched almost across the lobby.  I didn't have to go that badly...
• Old ladies also like to talk.  We walked one of them back to her car afterward so she would not have to walk alone in the dark.  She told us so many stories, I can't even begin to count.  I also cannot begin to count because there was no separation, no moment when one story ended and another began.  She would begin talking about one thing, and then throw in some extraneous information, and then suddenly we were on an entirely new path.  Of course, I know, I have no room to talk when it comes to details and extraneous information, but wow.  This woman was amazing.  We heard about her grandchildren in San Diego, her 102-year-old mother, her Norwegian neighbor, the raspberries she purchased on sale last week, and how the separation of church and state is wrong.  Eventually, after standing next to her car for quite a while, she hugged us and thanked us, and we went our separate ways.
• The symphony itself was good.  Terrence Wilson played with them during Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3.  He also played a short solo piece - I think it was Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 4 - to a standing ovation, although they give them pretty liberally at the Hult Center.  The Firebird by Stravinsky was full and good, and I like the piece for its energy, particularly toward the end, but I would say I was most excited for the Rachmaninoff.

Music Post #2

More recently acquired music - comments/brief reviews to be added as I get through listening to everything:

• Calexico - Carried to Dust
• Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
• El Guincho - Alegranza!: Too salsa-y or something.  I deleted it...
• Eskimo and Sons - How Does it Feel to be Crushed by One Man with the Strength of a Million: perhaps one of the longest album titles ever - so far it's soft and sweet and totally my style pretty bedroom pop - also, where was that term coined?  bedroom pop?  it fits, though.  and this is it.
• Fast Computers - Heart Geometry: nice pop/electro group from Portland, pretty easy to get into
• Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi: this does not need a new review, as I already know it from the movie...and I think it is beautiful
• Glass Candy - B/E/A/T/B/O/X: ok, I only have 3 songs...good and dancey so far
• The Helio Sequence - Com Plex
• of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping: advanced copy - it doesn't come out til October 23, although the official release comes with fun things like t-shirts!  yay!
• Oxford Collapse - Bits: this is, as predicted, not my style...deleted...
• Plants and Animals - Parc Avenue: the spelling of Parc makes me think of my friends who spell their names Marc - I really love this album so far.  Full sound, strings, harmonies, etc.
• Radiohead - Outside Lands live recording: it is what it is, so of course, I love it.
• Stars - Sad Robots EP: I didn't like their last LP, but this is back to their usual good dancey pop with the pretty Amy Millan vocals I loved from their earlier stuff
• Stereolab - Chemical Chords
• Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell

Story #6: Desk Selling

My roommate K is moving out on Saturday. The flurry of Goodwill donations and furniture sales prompted me to get rid of some of my own things. I figured, I have time and the motivation right now to list things on Craigslist, and when I actually move in June, I will be finishing up dissertation revisions and preparing many other things for the move - so I may as well sell this stuff now. I had a large desk that I know will not move easily and likely not fit in a tiny 1-bedroom apartment that I will probably move into. It is also made of MDF and is about on its last disassemble, reassemble. So I sold it for $10.

I received a number of emails about it, and one guy came over Tuesday evening to pick it up. He paid cash, and we hauled the disassembled desk to his truck.

Two days later, I received an email from the buyer. When I saw his name in my inbox, I was worried that he couldn't reassemble it or something. Nope. His email said this, "You have weird toes!" That's it. The whole email.

I was, in fact, barefoot when he came over to get the desk, and I do, in fact, have weird toes, or really just one weird toe - but I'm still a little disturbed. K expressed concern for my safety, noting CSI plotlines where some creep with a foot fetish murders some girl in order to cut off her feet.

If I don't reply to emails or phone calls, please send someone to my house and check for feet...

Music Post

My roommate K (soon to be former roommate) just requested that I post about my recently acquired music.  Probably so that she can steal it from me later.  I will post acquired albums and if I'm particularly bored possibly even write a few comments about them.  Today's post will be quite long because I just got a bunch of stuff from I, the co-DJ of my radio show.  So here it is - my recently added list.

• 31Knots - Worried Well: eh...
• Alias - Resurgam
• Azeda Booth - In Flesh Tones: this sounds like a female vocalist, but the band is actually all men.  Smooth and pretty.
• Black Kids - Partie Traumatic
• The Cave Singers - Invitation Songs
• CSS - Donkey: more consistent overall, I think, than in the past, but no stand-out songs like their classic "Let's Make Love..."
• Daedelus - Love to Make Music To: I really like the song Fair Weather Friends.  Not sure about the rest.
• Dr. Dog - Fate
• The Duke Spirit - Neptune
• Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes: Tiger Mountain Peasant Song makes me want to cry...in a nice way
• Horse Feathers - Words are Dead & House with No Home: beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
• Lackthereof - Your Anchor: one of the guys from Menomena - I like it so far
• Lykke Li - Youth Novels: oh, sweet Swedish pop, I do love you
• The New Year - The New Year
• Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst: so far - I am reminded of the fact that I don't really like Bright Eyes
• Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins: album was so-so until I saw them live.  Now it is fabulous.
• One for the Team - Build it Up
• The Shaky Hands - Lunglight
• She Keeps Bees - Nests: sounds like PJ Harvey/Cat Power.  Which means I think it is ok, but others may really like it.
• Silver Jews - American Water: the lead singer's voice reminds me of Stephen Malkmus, but not as good.
• Talkdemonic - Eyes at Half Mast
• The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing
• The Uglysuit - The Uglysuit
• The Walkmen - a bunch of albums: not sure I'm sold on them yet
• The Wedding Present - El Rey: not sure I like them so far - deleted...

Story #5: Backpacking

Ida and I went backpacking this weekend to Three Fingered Jack in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness. We took my dog, as previously mentioned. A few stories actually came out of this trip.

1. We started on the Pacific Crest Trail, but took a different path back based on some directions in William Sullivan's book, "100 Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades." Things started out well, as he directed us down a hill with no trail, but a pretty big landmark (Martin Lake) to head toward. The next step was a trail at the far end of the lake, which we found. And then lost. Or as I believe happened, the trail disappeared. There were patches of ground that were dusty dirt covered, and when the trail hit these areas, it was impossible to know where the trail continued. Add to that the fallen trees and debris, and the fact that this is not a trail that is even on the Mount Jefferson Wilderness map, and I gave up. I think that trail has disappeared. Fortunately, thanks to my innate sense of direction (seriously, it runs in the family) and my dog's ridiculous sense of smell, we made it. We met up with the trail we were supposed to eventually reach via this nonexistent trail. Something similar happened the next day, when the trail met a meadow and disappeared into the knee-high grass. This time it was all Ava. She had her nose to the ground (literally - she looked like a bloodhound), and we walked through the meadow.  The exact spot where we hit the woods again?  Right on the trail.
   
2. The 2nd night out, I took Ava for a short walk (after the day full of hiking) to encourage a poo, and of course, went armed with the orange plastic shovel to aid in poo burial since we were in the wilderness.  Moments after leaving our camp area, I found myself with the orange shovel above my head, feeling thankful that the shovel was, in fact, orange because I swear I heard gunshots.  Wait, why are those shovels orange?  Perhaps people find themselves in my situation often - off for a poo and with no other protection from hunters?  In the end, I have no idea if there were hunters or not. Supposedly they are not supposed to hunt there, but I was not the only one who heard the gunshots either.
3. On the drive home, Ava slept the whole way.  At one point, she fell off the backseat of the car onto the floor of the car.  One would think that she would just get back up to be comfortable, then continue sleeping.  One would be wrong.  She just stayed put, too tired to move.  She proceeded to sleep for the next 6-7 hours of the day, with only occasional moments of interest in the outside world.  For being the most energetic dog I have ever met, I think I may have finally found something that wears her out.  And we're going again in 2 weeks...

Random Thought

Who is governing Alaska while Sarah Palin is campaigning? Similarly, do the 3 senators in this election have time to do their day jobs and campaign? How does that work? Perhaps they just don't sleep...

Story #4: Ava's New Shoes

I am going backpacking this weekend and decided to take Ava for the first time. After talking to the vet, I decided to buy her some shoes so that if we end up on some rocky terrain, she won't cut her paws. She has no idea how to walk in them, though, and they are hilarious.

Story #3: Soda Beverages

Last week was my birthday. The more laid-back version of celebration occurred on the actual anniversary of my date of birth and included a few friends, cake, Apples to Apples, and a bit of alcohol. Perhaps the greatest part of this evening was the discovery (thanks to Michelle and Clay) of a "new feeling of soda beverage" called Milkis. Carbonated milk drink, basically. This sounds absolutely disgusting, but in fact, tastes like candy. With a little vodka and a side of black and white birthday cake, it was quite delicious. Last night, I drank some more Milkis, sans the vodka and was not as enthusiastic about this carbonated milk. Something I read online compared it to an ice cream float made with Squirt. I can see that. Those Koreans have it right with their tagline, though. It is definitely a new feeling of soda beverage...

Story #2: Concerts

Last weekend, I attended a few shows at Willamette Week's MusicFestNW in Portland, Ore.  The following are musings from that experience and from a Radiohead concert in Auburn, Wash.

1. Dancing.  People in Portland, or at least the ones at the shows I attended, do not dance.  How can you watch TV on the Radio, where the lead singer is shimmying around on stage, and not move your body at least a tiny bit?  The Radiohead show was just as bad.  Part of me cuts the crowd some slack for being in an amphitheatre, but then the other part of me just can't understand how you can stand still to that music.  Sure it was a big venue, but Radiohead can fill the space.
2. Recycling.  At the Radiohead show, they asked us to remove and dispose of the caps to our water bottles.  This is problematic because, as I previously stated, I dance during concerts.  And even if I were a non-dancer, maybe I might have to use the restroom.  In either case, having a full and open bottle of water is inconvenient, if not actually gross (as in the restroom case).  They stated that it was because the caps are not recyclable [note: this is the correct spelling of that word, I checked].  My thought: Um, could you place trash and recycling bins together with a large sign about the caps?  Or make us sign a waiver saying, "By declining to trash my cap at the venue entrance, I hereby promise to throw my cap in the trash, not in the recycling bin with the bottle."
3. Bathrooms.  The demographics at the Radiohead show must have been a little skewed.  For the first time in my life, the line to the men's restroom was about 5 times the length of the line to the women's restroom.  This is despite the fact that (so I am told) the men's restroom at the White River Amphitheatre consists of a big peeing trough.  I'm sure there are stalls for the "Number 2" business, but still.  A big trough.  And a line 5 times longer than the women's.
4. Sweat.  Concert venues would benefit from a more advanced cooling system, wherein the area toward the front, where people crowd so tightly that body heat abounds, is cooled more than the rest of the venue.  I get tired of leaving concerts looking like I just got out of the shower.  I would say just turn up the A/C in the whole venue to alleviate the sweating of all involved, but I acknowledge that it could get chilly for those folks in the back.  But hey, maybe this would finally make them dance to stay warm!

Story #1: A Walk in the Park

Today I took my dog to the park. Along the way, I noted the following:

1. I have lived in Eugene, Ore. long enough to not think twice about seeing a tall bike (see image below of a tall bike) riding around. However, this particular tall bike, I realized, was not a tall bike. It was actually just a tall man's bike. I think he had to have an extended seat in order to ride that bike, he was so tall. In other towns, someone's first reaction to this sight may have been, "wow, he is tall." My reaction? "oh, just another tall bike..." (Note: I do not have a picture of the tall man's bike, so I cannot provide a good comparison image...)
2. On the way home, my dog and I passed a group of high schoolers probably up to no good, hanging out by the skate pit in the park. No one was skate-boarding or biking in the pit. They were just sitting around smoking. As I pass, I hear one kid say to another, "Damn, she's hot." A few seconds later, the one-liner is yelled. "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" I can't decide how I feel about this. Are they kidding? Clearly they are kidding to be using that line. But I am 27-years-old, so I find myself in this odd place of thinking, "huh, I guess I'm still hot by high school standards" or "jeez, I'm too old for this..."