The End of 2008 Has Arrived, I'm Pulling Out My Soap Box

It's a cold Thursday in the city of brotherly love and we're exactly 7 days from Christmas. While there's no real news to report, it's time to start the end of the year festivities while I have some time. Unfortunately, I'll only be doing a music list this year. I'm not sure what really happened, but 2008 saw me seeing little to no movies. I saw The Dark Night and that was outstanding, easily one of the best super hero movies ever made. I saw others as well, but trying to appraise the year's films wouldn't be fair because I just didn't see that many.

Musically though, 2008 was as my editor in chief would say, "A motherfucker man!" A lot came and went, but a lot stuck around as well. There were some comebacks both successful (Portishead, My Bloody Valentine) and failed (The Verve) and plenty of new faces that'll keep those who already love music talking (for those just coming to music, there's plenty of inspiration for further exploration). As with 2007, music that made it easy to move the feet was the predominant order of the day, but thinking man's art played a stellar role from where I stand. There were out and out rockers as well as socially conscious club bangers. The only genre for me that seemed not to have a huge presence at the party was hip hop. Sure, Kanye brought out another fantastic album in 808s & Heartbreak, but anyone who's made that journey knows it's not a hip hop album. The Roots brought out the equally awesome Rising Down, but that wasn't without its shortcomings. The only really long lasting hip hop impression for me came from an oldie but a goodie. You'll just have to wait and see.

Because I was seemingly drowned in good music to listen to this year, I've got a couple lists. First is a group of albums that really burned bright and made an impression that either didn't sustain for long or I just didn't have enough time with the album between when I heard it and now. In any other past year, these might've really been top contenders, but alas, 2008 just wasn't to be for them in my opinion (as if that ever mattered anyway). Here's my first grouping of 2008 talking points.

In No Particular Order:

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

This album has everything in its right place in such a manner that it should be criminal. Many critics seem to want to give this album more sophistication that it deserves. Then again, maybe I'm the only philistine in the room. There are plenty of great songs here from "Oxford Comma," "A-Punk," and "Mansard Roof" to "Walcott" and "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" that'll welcome repeat listens. As much as I hate to do it, I have to agree with what Popmatters said. They're an equally bouncy, just as indifferent New York replacement of The Strokes. Instead of channeling 60s era garage, they're aiming at Graceland-era Paul Simon and nailing it in a way that's nowhere near derivative and smacks the bullseye of astuteness. I must say that, if any of that is to be regarded as true then let's just hope they make better choices than the band they replaced. If possible, then long may it continue. Hopefully the next time around won't see the album's quality suffocate in the hype of the blogosphere.



Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

A mere minutes into this album, the phrase "You've got a face perfect for radio" came to mind. Switch a couple things around and it fits perfectly. This is an album made for music videos. Just check out some of the videos on YouTube and you'll see what I mean. Girl Talk is definitely not a bad mash-up man because this album is full of head-knodding, dancefloor filling tunes. This album does raise the question, "Where does creative sampling end and copyright infringement begin?" Not that I think this album shouldn't exist, but is this great music in itself or just the mixing and matching of music that was relatively great already? If one doesn't mind-fuck this one too much, it's really entertaining. However, I tend to do that a lot.



British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?

Since I started writing about music in 2005 (holy shit! has it really been 3 years?), I've fallen into the same trap several times. I guess it's easy when you're a fan of a band and try to forgive them a lot. While I thoroughly loved this album upon first few listens, by the time it came time for me to review it, all of its flaws really came to the fore. I really have to talk about it though because I still feel it's worth a shot for anyone who likes robust, arena-size guitars and has a penchant for huge, sweeping ideals. BSP really got their art-rock/stadium pop schizophrenia to sonically work together, but history repeated itself here. With The Decline of British Sea Power, convention got the shaft. With Open Season, many say it was their artistic integrity that got the boot. In gaining both of those back for Do You Like Rock Music?, I think it was the lyrics that were left at home.



The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

If there was ever an album more workman-like this year, I missed it completely. It seems constantly vogue for a band to really flash up, over-conceptualize and be as hyper-literate as possible for them to get any credit. I came really late to this album this year and completely missed their 06 effort Boys and Girls in America. This is the living, breathing article that proves it's okay to just be good at what you can do and not necessarily explore what you cannot. The Hold Steady embody there name with their muscular brand of alt-rock that uses straight talk rather than extended metaphors and euphemisms. Had I not only had a week with this album, it would've made the main list for sure.




Osborne - Osborne

This is another sad casualty of me arriving late at a party. Sadly, that tardiness cost another album entry into my final list for 2008. Osborne's self-titled debut would be another shoe-in if I'd come to it earlier. This one I've only had for a day. That's how good I think it is. What starts with a droning, minimalist, pseudo-Kraftwerk epic consistently grows and evolves over 15 tracks. The end result, in my opinion, plays like an after party for a Hercules and Love Affair show. Some may still want to dance and others may just want to chill and this is a solution that can satiate both of those needs with plenty to spare. The major striking point on this album is its construction. With its beginning in "16th Stage" described above, every additional cut seems to add something, creating the idea of watching an architect build or painter paint. While other album's are louder or more stylistically diverse, this disc plays like its at peace with itself and hopes you enjoy the sounds as well.



Fennesz - Black Sea

When someone has taken the kind of scholarly approach to listening to music that I have (many claim to have, but few can back it up), discovering something totally new doesn't nearly stack up against discovering something you've missed. Fennesz has been around for a long time and Black Sea is my first entry into his oeurve. It's also an album that makes me want to see what else he's done. Black Sea is not really a collection of songs so much, but more like a sonic collage that feels like transmissions or audible signals from either the far reaches of the universe or some post-apocalyptic future. While the melodies can create a sublimely contemplative atmosphere for the listener, I found myself getting lost in the static that often clutters or even buries them. It reminded me of waking after dream to find yourself in front of a snowy TV, not quite sure where I'm at but being able to still find my bed. I always wondered how that could sound musically, Fennesz provides a stunning answer.



DJ/Rupture - Uproot

Very much in the vein of Fennesz, I was completely unaware of DJ/Rupture before Uproot. I've not really expressed it within this blog, but I'm not a fan of modern reggae at all. It almost seems like it's been in a series of holding patterns since the 80s. However, this year brought a lot new entries for me into what's going on in the genre. Now, this is NOT a reggae album, but a suite of beats and melodies with true international feel. The dubstep and reggae vibes permeating this LP make the Jamaican musical pastime the most immediately identifiable sound, but not the only one. For me, this album is the natural evolution of the downtempo/chill-out electronica culture that painted itself into a corner a couple of years ago when the likes of Thievery Corporation and others seemingly ran out of ideas (but not quality). Uproot is a complete package with tranquil beauty and a bit of muscle perfectly balanced and coalesced into a thought-provoking package.



Wale - A Mixtape About Nothing

Throughout junior high and high school, Seinfeld seemed to catch hold of my peers in a weird way with each passing year. I took it upon myself, as I did many other aspects of those years in my life, to arbitrarily go against the grain and refuse to like it. In the age of DVR, I've come to see the error of my ways. Oddly enough, hearing Wale's Mixtape About Nothing was the strongest catalyst. While those who know me well will attest, I really do love hip hop as a way of life, an art form and a genre, I don't pretend to be a part of it nor does it hold too heavy of an influence over me. However, Wale's album struck a chord with me for its sheer artistry and style. The opener, which samples the Jonathan Wolff theme to the show, features the MC delivering smart rhymes in the manner of the titular character's "What's the deal with..." way of beginning a joke. While I can't say his flow is the most intricate on the market, he seems to have the Talib Kweli knowledge of self. He speaks about not being signed, racism and a myriad of intra personal topics and coalesces them into his own transformation of the sitcom that even has an appearance from Julia Louise Dreyfus (thank god she doesn't rap though).

So Little Time...

It's Monday December 15th. That means 10 days till Christmas and my first trip out west to see my parents in their new home for the first time, probably the only time too. I've never been to the west coast. So, I'll at least be able to say that I've been out there. I feel like I've been running since I returned from abroad in May. Now with the post-Black Friday Christmas rush in full force, I'm starting to find myself behind an 8-ball of sorts in terms of my holiday obligations. I just purchased my first Christmas presents for other people. That's not good.

I must say, that this has been a most eventful holiday season so far. Beginning with my birthday in mid-November (what I like to call the holiday season's Community Shield), I've seen old friends re-appear, current friends convince me into something new and even decide to relocate. That's right kids, we're moving into a house. No, we're not buying. I'm not ready for that kind of permanence. But, we're moving into half a duplex in Roxborough with 2 living floors, a finished attic, dry basement, 1.5 bathrooms, washer, dryer, deck, garage, shed and heat. We're currently halfway through moving all of our little things and plan to get all the furniture over a weekend in the very near future.

Now, with album/song of the year season in full force, guess what's coming before I leave for Chrismas? Keep an eye out.

Once again, I get going and work steps in. Take it easy.

I Ain't Dead Yet, Shit!

Well, I've been here for 29 years now. My life has seen the tail end of the 70s, the 80s, 90s and a new millennium. Like Lewis Black, I still feel a bit screwed - No flying cars. Frankly, I'm not all that sure what I'm supposed to feel about this. Am I to feel anything? Through movies and TV, I've been told that, if I'm a girl, I should feel old, ugly and decrepit. However, I don't have a vagina. The few instances in entertainment where a yarn has been unraveled about a dude in this age (though I usually think it's either nearing 40 or 50), there's been some completely manufactured reason for them to be something other than just apathetic.

Several have asked me today how I feel. I don't feel old, but I am rather tired and have been dealing with a persistent, uncooperative headache. I'm not complaining just stating an answer. I do have to say that I don't mind this. I'm very calm about what I've got and where I'm at. Though it's all-too-soon to take a look back, I've been doing it since high school and I don't really see a barren, empty abyss in which my life has merely disappeared. In fact, every year has, either through mistake or measured thought, seemed to liven up and enrich my view of the world we live in, for better or for worse.

I don't really want to end it like that, but I've got some work to do...

More to come on this. :)

Ok, it's 11/20 now and I'm back to finish, or at least add to yesterday's thoughts.

Oddly enough or maybe even typical for me, I can't bring the words to the page that would add to what I said yesterday. However, I would like to say thanks to all who gave me gifts and best wishes. While it wasn't the best gift I received, I was given a book called The Guitar Bible. This gift has really put some gas in the tank of my leaning toward actually buying one and learning how to play. Now, if only they didn't cost so damn much. :)

Sorry the additional sentences were so anti-climactic. Have a great day!

Mr. Obama Goes to the White House, and it Still Rains!

I'd grown so impatiently exhausted with the way our nations media handled this election that it gave me migrains to watch anything other than The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. Maybe the root cause there is that our media feels the need to appeal to the lowest common denominator or, in order to be the most frank, the stupidest people in the room. I'm not saying it's wrong to do that, but it's my firm belief that if you speak intelligently without pandering, your message will get across. The fact that there has to be shows that air with the ethos The No-Spin Zone or Cutting Through the Bull could actually speak to the size of the problem. Sure, for some, the message may come a bit slower than others, but that's natural selection, people. Then again, some folks in the republican camp of politics may not subscribe to that.


Before anyone decides to really sink their teeth into the fact that I'm not the first on this, save your breath and energy. Believe me, I know and every 4 years I get really sick of it. It's just a cycle that will probably continue every 4 years till I exit this mortal coil.


Back to what I originally wanted to say. I'll be the first to admit that The Daily Show and The Colbert Report aren't the best news sources for anyone to rely on because they miss so much. However, the fact that they zero in on how the news is presented and lampoon those responsible is what I find a vast amount of solace in. I'm just sayin', that's all.


So our 44th President is Barack Obama. I'm happy for 2 reasons. 1) The right man for the job got the job. I'm not going to go into why, that's just my belief and I will stand by it until he proves me wrong. If he does, I'll stand up and admit it. 2) This is more of a personal one for me. I remember a conversation that I had with my mother at either Christmas of '07 or another time I was seeing them. We were in the van and they said, "Who do you like for President?" I said, "You're not going to like it, but the next president will be Barack Obama. He's a guy this country needs." The ironic thing in all of this is the fact that both of my parents agreed with me. Of course this was at a time before primaries had begun and there was no credence to my thoughts and my parents could've just agreed with me to shut me up. That wouldn't be a first.


I will say this, for the first time (my 3rd election), I felt like it mattered when I walked into the voting booth and made my decision and I think that feeling will probably reside with me for some time. I don't know, maybe it's just because when I voted in other elections, there didn't seem to be anything that would affect me like the current calamity we face as a nation seems to. There's also the fact that I was genuinely apathetic back then. This time I really tried to pay attention. Plus, it's always good when the person you vote for gets elected, we might as well be real about that. Whether it's perceived as superficial or not, I feel that something seemed to matter when I voted this time. I didn't feel that before.


As for me, I'm fine. I find myself thinking about Brixton a lot more lately. It really sucks when I open the door and the apartment is still empty. I don't know...

Other than that, I've come to some realizations as of late. My interest in movies has almost completely vanished. Not sure why, either. I think that, since I started playing football (soccer) again, I just don't want to sit and watch a film anymore. This brings a paradox to the table in that, I will sit for 2 hours and watch Liverpool or Barcelona or Valencia. I won't even start on how much time I've spent lately playing video games.

Speaking of video games, I have to hand it to my wife. This is even weirder because she's been anti-video games for most of the time I've known her. I started talking about the possibility of a FIFA 09 tournament shortly before the game came out in October. Then she uttered some interesting words, "Would you teach me to play?" Absolutely flabbergasted, I said I would and that she'd have to work at it to get good. It lasted almost 2 full lessons before she gave up. That's when something even weirder happened. I wanted to get a wireless lan adapter for my Xbox 360. She, a friend and I went to Best Buy to do so. As I grabbed what I needed and started to walk out, I hear "Oh, and we're getting Rock Band as well."

This requires a bit of precursing, ever since I became aware of Guitar Hero I wasn't even close to interested in it. I took that pseudo-high road approach, subscribing to the belief that, if I wanted to play music, I'd learn to play the real thing. So, I was against that and Rock Band on a matter of what I thought was principle. Then again, marriage does funny things to dudes. As I tried to question her statement of intent on acquiring a video game, I had her, my friend and a vision of my father in the back of my head all looking at me like, "You know the outcome of this: You can either argue or go along quietly, but either way you're carrying that gigantic Rock Band box to the register and the car." So, I did what any self-respecting husband would do. I listened to my spouse.

The shitter is, she was right. She had to go help our sister-in-law that day, but my friend and I got home, we hooked everything up and proceeded to have an absolute blast playing that game. It was only a couple weeks before I'd unlocked all the songs and decided to purchase Rock Band 2. Now, I'm completely addicted. In fact, that game has gone a way to convincing me to finally give in to my thoughts of actually learning how to play guitar. Let's not mince words, here. I don't want folks to think that because I'm addicted to Rock Band that I think I'll be a natural at guitar or any other instrument for that matter. I'm completely grounded in real life here. I know it's going to be challenging and frustrating, but I think I'm ready to take that plunge.

Oh, and because I mentioned it earlier, FIFA 09 is amazing!

Campeones! Campeones! Ole, Ole, Ole!

Last night saw the end of a 4-team round robin soccer tournament put on by the Philadelphia Falcons soccer club with my team, Soylent Green, coming out on top. I don't really care what anyone would have to say about the tournament as a whole. Sure, it was a predominantly friendly atmosphere to jazz up the normalcy of Wednesday night pick-up. This little 6-week outing ended up bringing the competitiveness out of every team in it. There were games that were absolute grinds, there were absolute blow-outs and there were a couple of downright thrillers to participate in.

We may not have gotten a trophy at the end of it all, but I think I achieved some growth as a player, especially in the defensive department. I feel that my ability to see the progression of an attack coming at me grew exponentially, especially in the final game against the yellow team. Unfortunately, the only 2 wrong steps I made ended up being goals. There were a couple of moments where I was able to get on the ball and try a few things, which I'm also happy about. I hope another little tournament like this happens again. It really was good fun to play in it. I'd say that even if my team hadn't won it.

Credit to all members of Soylent Green. We ROCKED!

On Going to Spain, Movie Watching and a Little Bit of Antonio Gaudi

For those who don't really know, I've been toying with the idea of moving to Spain over the past couple of years. For those back home whom haven't heard me mention this, yeah it's true. No, I've never been there and the best Spanish I can muster is from broken, faded memories of taking the class in high school. In fact, I can't really say I have a whole lot of reason behind the idea, if boil it down to brass tacks. Nor do I have any plan, were I to actually go through with it.


So, what's the deal with Spain? Why not move back closer to home or just another city? Truth be told, I feel the need for a complete revamp of the world around me. I've lived here for almost 6 years and, while it's given me a tremendous amount of good things (the absolute perfect wife, great friends which led to greater opportunities and plenty of life experience), I can't get around the idea of what a completely different frame of mind would show me about this world of ours.
Will it happen? I'm not sure. But I knew I wanted to move here in order to be with the woman I love and that couldn't have worked out better. So it's possible.




This past weekend, we sat down and watched Antonio Gaudi. A film by one of my favorite Japanese directors, Hiroshi Teshigahara. Now, I'm not going to say that anyone should run out and watch this film. It's not even really a film, but an unobtrusive tour through the work of who many call the greatest architect in history. This film is essentially 98% silent. There's a score, but there's no narration, explanation or verbal insight into the absolute beautiful work that is shown on screen. The only dialogue comes near the end when an old man (I believe a colleague of Gaudi) briefly goes into detail about the Sagrada Familia.

Now, I don't know thing one about architecture. I barely understand art in general. I think I can feign a certain amount of intellect in terms of music and movies, but I don't know much. Bearing all that in mind along with the hesitance I had as this film got rolling, this was actually an easier watch than one could expect. The absence of the most necessary details required in a documentary (see the prior paragraph) actually gives the audience a bit of freedom. We were able to comment on his style, notice little details, pause at our leisure or go back to a previous shot without feeling like we're interrupting something.


***A little side note: I detest doing all the things I just mentioned during a movie. I prefer to just take it all in as it comes. I'll go back only during foreign films in instances, though very rare, wher the subtitles are moving to fast. All that aside, with this film being the way it was, these things I can't stand just felt natural. Now, I'll return to what I was talking about.***


In this film you see all of Gaudi's major works including Casa Vicens, La Pedrera, Palau Guell, Casa Batllo and the Barcelona icon, the Sagrada Familia. Teshigahara's camera gives each work an admirable gaze from many angles and set-ups with the kind of attention to detail that immortalized this artist on film when it was made in the 80s. Gaudi's style operates on the principles of nature. His columns resemble trees more than support structures, the shapes of rooms resemble caves and he was unafraid to try anything new. Nothing of his looks typical or normal, but all of his work is visually alive and all the details pull the eye over the entire surface with out looking messy. If anything, this film sort of added to my desire to live in Spain so I can see what these look like with my own eyes.

What's most interesting to me as film nut, is how appropriate this film's maker and its subject seem perfect for earch other. Hiroshi Teshigahara made films of astounding quality, but in a manner that is as equally off-kilter as their essential premise. His visual style is brilliant, the screenwriting is poetic and the music is eerie and otherworldly. Of course, he's only one third of the trifecta that included Kobo Abe (screenwriter) and Toru Takemitsu (composer). The Criterion Collection put out a box set (The aptly titled Three Films by Hiroshi Teshigahara) that brings together the three films put together by these 3 individuals. Pitfall, the masterpiece Woman in the Dunes, and Face of Another with an additional disc of supplements paint a picture of the filmmaker almost as an Antonio Gaudi of cinema and all (except maybe the supplements) are completely worth the watch.

This is where I completely fail as a critic: I can talk about why I like something forever. I'm not all that great at selling it. I don't know why, but it's always something that's been lost on me. If anyone reads this, they probably won't want to go to their friends/family/significant other and say, "Hey! Let's watch a movie with no dialogue that showcases the work of an architect from Spain!" If it does happen, I'll shut my mouth.

Friday Thoughts on Politics (Unfinished)

It's Friday and I'm here to do a bit of writing. What purpose? Not sure. At the moment, for some odd reason, politics are weighing heavy in my head. No, this isn't going to be some manifesto or diatribe as to who's right or wrong. In fact, I'm at my absolute limit in terms of tolerance for any rhetorical bullshit from either side of our political system. Things in that arena have gotten so ridiculous that I'm starting to get convinced that my vote means absolutely dick.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to turn out and exercise my right in November. I'm actually going to vote for Barack Obama, if you're going to ask. That's my choice. Make your own and don't listen to whatever anyone wants to say about how wrong you are.

To be honest, I'm not sure Obama will be that good of a president and I'm not all too convinced that McCain will be that bad of one in terms of the choice laid before me. I actually think since our congress is democrat-controlled for the next 2 years, we have the best chance of getting anything done with a democrat heading up the executive branch. Does that mean loads of change and hope will rain from the heavens? Absolutely not. It could very well mean that the only thing that really changes is the salaries for senators and representatives for the next term. Still, I feel it right - however naive it may be - to put my faith in the system.

I do want to say that in terms of entertainment value, the republicans sure got their convention right. Like a trooper, Rudi Giuliani rode his 9/11 train into the sunset, Leiberman and Thompson really earned their respective Droopy the Dog and Foghorn Leghorn labels astutely given by The Daily Show and Sarah Palin placed herself high in the running for best stand-up performance in 2008 politics. I've never laughed so hard at what sounded like jilted sorority hobag rant in my life. The one republican I've come out of this respecting more than I thought I would is Mike Huckabee. Sure, the evangelism is...well, just that and, stemming from that, are a slew of ideals that border on fanatically hypocritical, but he had the balls to make Stephen Colbert his VP candidate if he got the nomination. That shows simultaneously a strength in character as well as a sense of humor and that he knew what the score was. Subsequently, every time I've seen him on TV doing an interview, he's shown his intelligence in terms of where everything else stands in this chaos that will decide who leads our country. Though I may not agree with him on creationism or his religion-imbued politics has become beside the point due to that.

Don't get me wrong, the democrats aren't exactly riding white horses to rescue our country from the problems we face. Their mudslinging is just as ridiculous, but nowhere near as funny. Barack Obama has the gravitas to keep people's attention and charisma to boot, but the democratic convention was like an awkward moment at a family reunion between sections that just don't like each other. Those with big families know where I'm coming from. Watching the Clinton's give their back-slapping, aren't humanity neat praises to Obama was just weird.

What's more is, and I could be very wrong on this next statement, there doesn't really seem to be an overt direction with this shouting from the mountains for hope and change. That's what scares me more than anything. The one thing I've always noticed about republicans is their sense of discipline towards their party. Now, becuase of the acrimony of Clinton supporters, democrats could once again spend from September to November tearing each other limb from limb while McCain just focuses on his core constituents and waltzes into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in January.

If I offended anyone in the previous writing, I do sincerely apologize. I never claimed to know anything about what's happening in our country, nor be an expert on the subject. Just wanted to write. Unfortunately, it'll remain unfinished because it's time for me to go home.

Peace y'all.