This has been a very good year for music. Personally, I wrote the best songs of my life, my friends were making great stuff too, and a great album was never more than a month away. And this was THE year for the single LP. All the best albums were just clean-cut single LPs- no bonus tracks, no second discs, no spillage, no mess. It's kinda hard to rank em, even though there was one clear winner. So let's run down my favorites in typical romantic reductionist fashion with the old one sentence review!
Iwrestledabearonce- Ruining It For Everyone
A mature (if possible) sophomore effort while still being BATSHIT CRAZY.
The Strokes- Angles
Remember for a brief second when post-punk was cool again?
Kaputt- Destroyer
A beautiful and un-ironic tribute to slick '80s jazz.
Adele- 21
Well produced, well written, well this is gonna win a bucket of Grammys.
Tom Waits- Bad Like Me
It's like Frank's Wild Years and all his ANTI- albums had a baby.
Yuck
Yuck, this tastes great.
Frank Zappa- Feeding The Monkees at Ma Maison
Dear GZ, can I haz m0ar?
The album of the year, by and far, is The Decemberist's The King Is Dead. I think I wrote about it... The best re-issue (sorta) was The Beach Boys's The Smile Session, in ANY incarnation. Huh, I think I wrote about that too. Weird.
***
TOP FIVE SONGS OF 2011-
5) Foster The People- "Pumped Up Kicks" ...Go ahead, pretend you didn't like this.
4) We Cut Corners- "A Pirate's Life" ...Good gravy, this breaks my heart every time.
3) Okkervil River- "Mermaid" ...Another heart-breaker that deserved to stand alone from the LP.
2) The Strokes- "Under Cover of Darkness) ..."It's been five minutes since I heard it. I gotta hear it again."
and the best song of this year or ANY year....
1) BLACK JOE LEWIS AND THE HONEYBEARS- "BOOTY CITY"
Friday, December 30, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Fuck 2011: Literature Edition
It's hard to keep up with contemporary literature unless you have a great local library (which are rapidly disappearing) or are an actual paid literary critizier for fancy publications (also rapidly disappearing) or a retiree (again, disappearing). In other words, it's IMPOSSIBLE to keep up with contemporary literature because it means you do not occupy space. Actual end-of-year-best-of book lists are just conjured up by editors who count money by the "wads." So the best any Joe Blow can do when writing up a best books of 2011 for his shitty blog read mostly by spambots in Russia is to just recount the best books he read, regardless of age.
Coincidentally, here's my said list:
5) My Life by Bill Clinton
The main reason this is on my list is because I'm very proud of myself that I got through the world's longest and overly detailed memoir. It was a staggering project that the former president took on. The amount of effort he put in shows because it is a very good read. Admittedly, when the annual budgets were stuck in the Houses, (much like when they were this summer) I completely skipped them and paid no mind. Clinton is very candid and makes the scandal just as entertaining and enlightening as his accomplishments. I feel Waco deserved more than a couple pages but that was mostly Janet Reno's stupidity and I'd much rather get an enema then read any book on her.
4) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
I've been a fan of the HP since I was eleven when I read the first four books in about a month. I did the whole midnight release for the last two books, but never got around to reading the last one until this year. Seeing the first film installment was a good incentive, as was re-reading the whole series- a project I started in November of 2010. When I finally finished Deathly Hallows in February, it was like a part of my childhood was finished. I suddenly found myself living by myself in Boston and I was 20 instead of 11. Aside from the nostalgia, it was very well written, probably her best since the fifth book. I could write a whole thing on HP but there's more books to get to.
3) Tales of the Unexpected by Roald Dahl
For a guy that didn't read much of Dahl as a kid, I found this book very unexpected. Excuse me while I vomit over that horrible pun-sorta-thing. At any rate, this book was my best friend when I was down on the Falklands. It completely distracted me from being lonely or scared and kept me thinking about some bizarre shit. After reading it, I am now completely prepared if I ever try to be swindled by an antique dealing wine loving billionaire who has eyes for my daughter while my wife plots my death. Apparently that happens a lot.
2) Skeleton Crew by Stephen King
Another short story collection. This book has some of the best short stories I've ever read, specifically "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut" and "The Jaunt." Another great distraction at another horrible point in the year.
1) Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
When I finished the last few chapters on a T ride from Wonderland to Longwood Medical, I wept on the crowded car. I couldn't stop. I couldn't contain myself at all. It is simply the most beautiful book I've ever read. I forced my mom to read it too and she said it best: "He makes these unbelievable and bizarre moments so poignant."
WHERE WAS I IN MY LIFE WHEN I RE-READ CATCHER IN THE RYE THIS YEAR:
In sadly a similar situation as Holden. I ran away to the Cape without telling anyone and slept in my car for the weekend with no money to speak of. I don't really know why I did that.
Coincidentally, here's my said list:
5) My Life by Bill Clinton
The main reason this is on my list is because I'm very proud of myself that I got through the world's longest and overly detailed memoir. It was a staggering project that the former president took on. The amount of effort he put in shows because it is a very good read. Admittedly, when the annual budgets were stuck in the Houses, (much like when they were this summer) I completely skipped them and paid no mind. Clinton is very candid and makes the scandal just as entertaining and enlightening as his accomplishments. I feel Waco deserved more than a couple pages but that was mostly Janet Reno's stupidity and I'd much rather get an enema then read any book on her.
4) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
I've been a fan of the HP since I was eleven when I read the first four books in about a month. I did the whole midnight release for the last two books, but never got around to reading the last one until this year. Seeing the first film installment was a good incentive, as was re-reading the whole series- a project I started in November of 2010. When I finally finished Deathly Hallows in February, it was like a part of my childhood was finished. I suddenly found myself living by myself in Boston and I was 20 instead of 11. Aside from the nostalgia, it was very well written, probably her best since the fifth book. I could write a whole thing on HP but there's more books to get to.
3) Tales of the Unexpected by Roald Dahl
For a guy that didn't read much of Dahl as a kid, I found this book very unexpected. Excuse me while I vomit over that horrible pun-sorta-thing. At any rate, this book was my best friend when I was down on the Falklands. It completely distracted me from being lonely or scared and kept me thinking about some bizarre shit. After reading it, I am now completely prepared if I ever try to be swindled by an antique dealing wine loving billionaire who has eyes for my daughter while my wife plots my death. Apparently that happens a lot.
2) Skeleton Crew by Stephen King
Another short story collection. This book has some of the best short stories I've ever read, specifically "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut" and "The Jaunt." Another great distraction at another horrible point in the year.
1) Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
When I finished the last few chapters on a T ride from Wonderland to Longwood Medical, I wept on the crowded car. I couldn't stop. I couldn't contain myself at all. It is simply the most beautiful book I've ever read. I forced my mom to read it too and she said it best: "He makes these unbelievable and bizarre moments so poignant."
WHERE WAS I IN MY LIFE WHEN I RE-READ CATCHER IN THE RYE THIS YEAR:
In sadly a similar situation as Holden. I ran away to the Cape without telling anyone and slept in my car for the weekend with no money to speak of. I don't really know why I did that.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Obsession
I have been listening to Thing Fish non-stop. Basically every time I'm in the car which is quite a lot. Joe Delaney sent me video of the UK stage adaptation and that REALLY got me thinking. I've slowly been developing my own adaptation in my mind of this material.
However, I keep coming to the same conclusion-
Thing Fish, in any form, would be the most mind-numbing piece of entertainment on Earth. With the wrong crowd, people would go home and kill themselves because of how boring they are.
It's rough. Real rough. There's no plot and the dialog, ESPECIALLY in Act II, is probably how normal conversation transpire on Mars or Neptune.
But I'm somehow sickly dedicated to seeing it through on stage.
And I like the Old Masters remixes and the '84 touring group. I'm fucking hopeless.
However, I keep coming to the same conclusion-
Thing Fish, in any form, would be the most mind-numbing piece of entertainment on Earth. With the wrong crowd, people would go home and kill themselves because of how boring they are.
It's rough. Real rough. There's no plot and the dialog, ESPECIALLY in Act II, is probably how normal conversation transpire on Mars or Neptune.
But I'm somehow sickly dedicated to seeing it through on stage.
And I like the Old Masters remixes and the '84 touring group. I'm fucking hopeless.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Ode To The Box
I didn't make a lot of hullabaloo on this blog when it happened...
but let me reiterate...
I'm so fucking happy I own the Box.
It's bigger than I thought, shinier than I thought, and a lot more re-mastered than I thought.
It's always gonna be right there on my shelf. It's always gonna be cool. It's always gonna show me how to do the Pachuco Stomp or do a Jelly Roll. It's always gonna show me how to play doo-wop progressions in C then go into "Charva." It's always gonna have a Freak Out! that sounds better than the first pressing I bought last week.
It's gonna continually convince me that I live in 1985.
Some guys get notes from their girlfriends saying how they love them and stuff. I'm gonna always have a note from Frank telling me I'm a crazy person but he's thankful for that.
I've gone off the deep end and there's no way I'm swimming to the shallow end.
Fuck relationships, I have the fucking Box.
but let me reiterate...
I'm so fucking happy I own the Box.
It's bigger than I thought, shinier than I thought, and a lot more re-mastered than I thought.
It's always gonna be right there on my shelf. It's always gonna be cool. It's always gonna show me how to do the Pachuco Stomp or do a Jelly Roll. It's always gonna show me how to play doo-wop progressions in C then go into "Charva." It's always gonna have a Freak Out! that sounds better than the first pressing I bought last week.
It's gonna continually convince me that I live in 1985.
Some guys get notes from their girlfriends saying how they love them and stuff. I'm gonna always have a note from Frank telling me I'm a crazy person but he's thankful for that.
I've gone off the deep end and there's no way I'm swimming to the shallow end.
Fuck relationships, I have the fucking Box.
Monday, December 5, 2011
On Our Way Art of Town
When I moved back to Marblehead in September, I looked through the pages and pages of typewritten stories, poems, and songs. I set them down neatly next to my shoebox of cassette tapes I've been recording since February. Resting on top of the shoebox was my journal where I wrote my New Year's resolutions for 2011. Number one was "Write every day." It was at that point where this ran across my head-
"The worst is always well documented."
It's true.
Every wretched detail of my life this year can be found somewhere in some form. With the little foresight I posses, I see it as an artistic accomplishment. At this moment, I find it painful.
I'm not going to listen to these tapes for a very long time.
"The worst is always well documented."
It's true.
Every wretched detail of my life this year can be found somewhere in some form. With the little foresight I posses, I see it as an artistic accomplishment. At this moment, I find it painful.
I'm not going to listen to these tapes for a very long time.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Phase IV
Wait!
Uh
NOT yet
Don’t worry I’ll fade away
Is it so bad that I want one more one more?
I didn’t mean to offend anyone
I just wanted to get out of the rain
And keep my head dry
Well don’t stand there like someone died
Why are you all afraid to look me in the eye?
Uh
NOT yet
Don’t worry I’ll fade away
Is it so bad that I want one more one more?
I didn’t mean to offend anyone
I just wanted to get out of the rain
And keep my head dry
Well don’t stand there like someone died
Why are you all afraid to look me in the eye?
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Phase Two- Africa
“AFRICA”
the silhouette says suddenly
Africa, Africa, Africa
The refrain in my mind
I feel it, I see it
The tones and palette of Africa
Africa- our souls
Africa- the rhythm
It builds, it builds
It settles in the Wood
And creates the light
In its own likeness
I am the light
***
Afterword by TKS
Last night I dreamed a place I loved turned into a palace. Everyone was happy and radiant, so why I was still stuck in the backroom? No light. Climbing over costumes to find someone friendly.
the silhouette says suddenly
Africa, Africa, Africa
The refrain in my mind
I feel it, I see it
The tones and palette of Africa
Africa- our souls
Africa- the rhythm
It builds, it builds
It settles in the Wood
And creates the light
In its own likeness
I am the light
***
Afterword by TKS
Last night I dreamed a place I loved turned into a palace. Everyone was happy and radiant, so why I was still stuck in the backroom? No light. Climbing over costumes to find someone friendly.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Phase One- Prarie
Prairie dune at dusk
A little darker than I would want
To admit.
Paternal silhouette against a bay window
Whistle low, sing softly
A Japanese dream drifts from the kitchen
Her gaze is familiar
Rising to the rafters
While I pray for the underground
***
Afterword by TKS
I wrote a fucking quartet for you. What have you done?
A little darker than I would want
To admit.
Paternal silhouette against a bay window
Whistle low, sing softly
A Japanese dream drifts from the kitchen
Her gaze is familiar
Rising to the rafters
While I pray for the underground
***
Afterword by TKS
I wrote a fucking quartet for you. What have you done?
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