Random Jolts of Noise

Greetings from planet swagamore

Swagamore

-One part Gin

-One part Tonic

-One part Cranberry Juice

Just got back from NY.  Always fun to go upstate with the fam.

Hard to believe that the summer is already over.  I found out the best way to make the summer pass isn't anything I listed.  The summer goes the fastest when you are working.

Anyway, I will blog later.  In the mean time go check out Squeeze - Another Nail in My Heart.

Mos Def - The Ecstatic

You all should pick up the new Mos Def disc.  A nice return to form from the actor/rapper.  The beats are provided by my favorite producers: Madlib and Oh No.  The beats evoke various regions of the world: Middle East, India, New York, Euro-Club.  The lyrics are pretty good. Not quite the lyrical purity that was Black Star, but better than past couple albums and most of Kweli's stuff.  A very solid album.

Tiki Bar

Another post about my summer boredom.  To relieve boredom, I suggest you all watch Tiki Bar.  It is a video podcast available on itunes.  Imagine Venture Brothers coming to life.  Only instead of mysteries and Brock killing people, they sailed on a pirate ship and made drinks to cure all problems.  Needless to say it is fantastic. 

Summer (Pictures at the End)

Greetings from California.  I have been back home in CA for about a month now.  I still have no job and it is looking less and less likely that I will get one.  So in the spirit of that I decided to write a post about what to do all summer with no job.

First, go to lots of events.  This summer I have been to Lakers game and WWE.  I am going to Beyonce with Shareen later in the summer.  Events keep you from getting way too bored.

Go to movies, especially dollar movies.  These are movies that you probably did not want to see to begin with, but for a dollar you can do it.  Knowing was one of the worst movies I have ever seen, but for a buck it wasn't that bad.

Invest in a bike and a longboard.  Some people will say you only need one.  They are fools.

I have a couple guitars.  Both are missing at least two strings and are horribly out of tune.  Still fun to mess around with them and play bad chords.  Probably should take lessens though.

Read some books.  I am currently reading Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail.  I also have Hot, Flat and Crowded; A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius; and the Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway going at the moment.

Drink.  You have to stay hydrated.  Microbrews are good cause they actually have flavor.  Margaritas and Mojitos are for those times you want to feel classy.  Tall boys and 40s are perfect for party nights and hip hop jams.

Go to the beach.  It helps when you have a beautiful partner in crime.

Pick a gaming console.  I like the xbox.  Then get games you like.  I am all about Skate and NBA Live.

Listen to a lot of tunes.  Here are a couple current favorite jams:

Wavves - Wavvves (album)

The Field - The More I Do (Foals Remix)

Meercaz, Little Girls, Ganglians, Dum Dum Girls - Assorted Tracks

    

         

Mastodon

Mastodon released a new album this week.  I suggest that you all go pick it up.  It has way less screaming/grunting and much more singing.  That being said I am not totally in love with it yet.  The guitars aren't as heavy this album.  It is much more prog-y than the heavy riff smack that was Leviathan or Blood Mountain.  However, the album is still great and the concept is crazy.  

Don't Worry About the Government

Back again.

Just got back from spring break.  It was fun.

Decided to change the title of the blog, I was tired of (feel my heat).

Apparently a rat got into my apartment and died.  My roommates girlfriend decided to tell me about it, and bitch at me for leaving the place a mess.  The room that was messy wasn't mine.  I cleaned up the kitchen before I left and took out the trash.  If there was a problem it was my roommates fault.  I wish she would stop complaining to me about my lack of cleanliness.  She is staying in the apartment for an entire week.  I am not happy about it but don't know what to say now.  I don't care what she thinks, I don't date her, I wish she would just shut up.  

Listen to more talking heads it will help your mood.

Hopefully the tournament will be good this weekend.

Top 100 Artists Played During 2008

1. Radiohead - 294
2. The Gaslight Anthem - 233
3. The National - 213
4. J Dilla - 211
5. Why? - 187
6. Nine Inch Nails - 186
7. The Loved Ones - 186
8. Madlib - 175
9. No Age - 172
10. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - 168
11. Bon Iver - 154
12. The Hold Steady - 153
13. Neil Young - 150
14. The Beatles - 149
15. The Clash - 141
16. Band of Horses - 136
17. Against Me! - 133
18. Vampire Weekend - 130
19. Wale - 120
20. Tom Waits - 119
21. Rage Against the Machine - 117
22. Cat Power - 116
23. My Morning Jacket - 114
24. Jack Johnson - 113
25. Bruce Springsteen - 110
26. José González - 109
27. Elvis Costello & The Attraction - 109
28. Lil' Wayne - 108
29. Queens of the Stone Age - 108
30. David Bowie - 97
31. My Bloody Valentine - 95
32. Interpol - 93
33. Black Lips - 92
34. TV on the Radio - 89
35. Pavement - 89
36. Kanye West - 89
37. Deerhunter - 87
38. Elliott Smith - 87
39. Mastodon - 86
40. Madvillain - 86
41. Oh No - 86
42. Talking Heads - 85
43. Blonde Redhead - 85
44. The Arcade Fire - 85
45. Aloe Blacc - 84
46. Burial - 84
47. A Place to Bury Strangers - 83
48. The Weakerthans - 83
49. Black Moth Super Rainbow - 81
50. The White Stripes - 81
51. Flying Lotus - 80
52. Joy Division - 79
53. Clipse - 79
54. Fleet Foxes - 77
55. Nightmare of You - 76
56. Wu-Tang Clan - 76
57. Sonic Youth - 75
58. Cut Copy - 74
59. Spoon - 73
60. The Cool Kids - 71
61. Sun Kil Moon - 70
62. El-P - 67
63. The Jim Carroll Band - 66
64. Nirvana - 65
65. M.I.A. - 65
66. Misfits - 63
67. Pink Floyd - 63
68. Dizzee Rascal - 63
69. Brand New - 62
70. A Tribe Called Quest - 61
71. The Raconteurs - 60
72. Aesop Rock - 60
73. Justice - 58
74. Billy Bragg - 57
75. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - 56
76. Bob Dylan - 56
77. OutKast - 55
78. Jay-Z - 53
79. Young Jeezy - 53
80. Battles - 53
81. Kid Cudi - 53
82. Booka Shade - 52
83. Andrew Bird - 52
84. LCD Soundsystem - 50
85. Jawbreaker - 49
86. Beck - 49
87. Pixies - 48
88. AFI - 48
89. Amy Winehouse - 47
90. Uncle Tupelo - 47
91. The Jesus and Mary Chain - 47
92. Spiritualized - 46
93. This Mortal Coil - 45
94. Izza kizza - 44
95. Tool - 44
96. of Montreal - 44
97. The Magnetic Fields - 43
98. The Velvet Underground - 43
99. Tegan and Sara - 42
100. Modest Mouse - 42
101. Asher Roth - 42

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Book:  Bottomless Belly Button - Dash Shaw

Book:  Students for a Democratic Society: A Graphic History - Harvey Pekar

The last books of the year.  Bottomless Belly Button was about three grown children and their reactions to their elderly parents decision to divorce.  The book was devastating.  The various children's reactions were pathetic and heartbreaking.  SDS was a graphic novel about Students for a Democratic Society.  I found it to be overly complicated and confusing.  Many of the stories talked about regional groups that focused on people I never heard of.

So that was 2008's 52.  A complete list of books completed will be posted later.

Top 5 Genre Albums of 08

Top 5 Beat Albums

1. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
2. Samiyam - The Return EP
3. Booka Shade - The Sun & The Neon Moon
4. The Bug - London Zoo
5. Madlib - Beat Konducta Vol 5 & 6

Top 5 Hardcore Albums

1. Verse - Aggression
2. Have Heart - Songs to Scream at The Sun
3. Terror - The Damned, The Shamed
4. Grave Maker - Bury Me At Sea
5. Shai Hulud - Misanthropy Pure

Top 5 Metal Albums

1. Toche - Meanderthal
2. Harvey Milk - Life...The Best Game in Town
3. Boris - Smile
4. Saviours - Into Abandon
5. Disfear - Live the Storm

So there are a bunch of top 5 genres.  Hope you all enjoy.

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Book: Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.K. Rowling

Music: Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant EP

I am a huge Harry Potter fan, have been forever. So when this book came out I was pumped even if it wasn't going to about Harry. It was a fun read. Not super deep or long, but it was entertaining. Dumbledore's commentary was funny and I liked how it all tied into the stories. I just took a russian literature class and all I read was short stories. I read this book in one sitting, I was unable to read any of the assigned readings in one sitting. Makes you wonder about what the definition of a short story should be.

Fleet Foxes have blown up this year. Their various albums are in the running for the best of the year. I have listened to the Sun Giant EP many times, including reading the book. They make great music. I have heard it described as Bro-Mance music, which is oddly accurate.

(feel my heat): Best of 2008

Best of 2008 (Not In Order)

1. Gaslight Anthem - 59 Sound: Another case of me judging a record too quickly. At first I found it repetitive. Yet the more I listened to it the more I realized that Gaslight may very well have released the best album of 2008.

2. The Loved Ones - Build and Burn: An early candidate for best album of 2008. It was fun fast and anthemic. It remains all of these things.

3. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive: What haven't I said about this band. 

4. Why? - Alopecia: This is the sound of stream of consciousness. They provided some of the best lines of the year. If you wanted to sum up my mind most of the time, take a line from this album. The first five songs all have been played at least 20 times on my itunes.

5. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend: Were they overhyped? Probably. Was this album fantastic and worthy of the hype? Definitely. The sound of a delightful spring and summer.

6. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago: This is the best album of the year. Subtle, lonely, and cold but incredibly compelling. It was an album that didn't leave my ipod all year.

7. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III: What a weird album, but man did I listen to it. Weezy proved that he can put together a full album, full of weird beats and even weirder lines.

8. Sun Kil Moon - April: This guys voice isn't going to win any singing competitions. Yet there is something about the music that won't let you go. At times it is overwhelming and some tracks go on for too long, but The first half dozen songs are classic.

9. Spiritualized - Songs in A&E: Drugs and Death. All that this album is about. Yet they find all that is beautiful and sublime in drugs and death.

10. No Age/Cut Copy - Nouns/In Ghost Colors: I lumped these two together because they tied for 10th best of the year. No Age's Nouns is a noisy mess of songs, that are both punk rock and completely un-punk. Cut Copy delivered the best dance album of the year, doing for big beat what LCD did for disco.

Honorable Mention

• Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes/Sun Giant EP

• Shearwater - Rook

• Booka Shade - The Sun and The Moon

• Seun Kuti - Seun Kuti and Egypt 80

• Teddy Thompson - A Piece of What You Need

• Stephen Malkmus - Real Emotional Trash

Biggest Let Downs

• My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges: What happened to the band that made It Still Moves? Why did anyone want an album of Prince meets Allman Brothers.

• Black Kids - Partie Trumatic: I bought the album based on hype and the great "I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You". Unfortunately no song was close to being as good as that one and I forgot what Public Enemy said: Don't Believe the Hype.

• Young Jeezy - The Recession

• Jack Johnson - Sleep Through The Static

• Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple: This may not have been the biggest let down, but it certainly lacked a song as good as Crazy or Smiley Faces.

Best Mixtapes

• Wale - A Mixtape About Nothing/100 Miles - If Wale isn't the rapper of the year I don't know who is

• Asher Roth - The Green House Effect

• Izza Kizza - Kizzaland

• B.O.B. - LRG Mixtape

• Diplo and Santogold - Top Ranking

Best Songs: (Only One Per Artist)

• Why? - Vowels Pt. 2

• The Loved Ones - Pretty Good Year

• Gaslight Anthem - Great Expectations

• Bon Iver - Skinny Love

• Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma

• The Hold Steady - Sequestered In Memphis

• Wiz Khalifa - Say Yeah

• Wale - W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.

• Colby O'Donis - What You Got

• Ladytron - Ghost

• Sam Sparro - Black and Gold

• Flying Lotus - Camel

• Lil Wayne - A Milli

• Racontuers - Many Shades of Black

• Gnarls Barkley - Run

• Sun Kil Moon - Moorestown

• Jamie Lidell - Another Day

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Book: Dharma Bums - Jack Kerouac 

Album: None

I read this book really fast.  I think I started it on Sunday and was done with it mid-flight Wednesday. It was very enjoyable.  Kerouac showed the dual nature that I seem to have: a desire to be alone in the wilderness and be out with my friends at parties.  The Buddhism in the story seemed a little thin, he never really explained what the various ideas and terms meant.  Yet, I think the book would have lost momentum if Kerouac explained each school of Buddhism.  Overall, it was a fun, fast, and entertaining read.

Since I read the book so quickly I did really listen to an album or anything that captured the mod of it.  I have various songs that I listened to a fair amount during the time I read it, so here they are:

• Flying Lotus - Roberta Flack
• Madlib - In Jah Hands (Dillas Lament)
• Miles Davis - So What
• John Coltrane - Giant Steps
• Charles Mingus - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
• Chitti Babu - Ragam: Kharaharapriya

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Book:  Consider the Lobster - David Foster Wallace

Album:  Shake the Sheets - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

I bought this book the day he died.  I started reading it roughly the same week.  Consider the Lobster is an extremely entertaining book.  "Big Red Son" made me howl with laughter.  The stories on 9/11 were interesting.  "Up, Simba" was fascinating to compare McCain 2000 v McCain 2008 v Obama.  "Consider the Lobster" has made me no longer eat lobster and makes you question the decency of killing another living creature.  There was only one story I couldn't get through: "Authority and American Usage".

Ted Leo writes great albums.  They are fun, entertaining, political, and everything else.  He is one of Rock n Roll's few populists.  He attempts to appeal to everyone through hard work and good songs.  This is my favorite album by him.  To me it is as consistent and well done as London Calling or This Years Model.   If you don't have it, go buy it today!

Couple of Old Shows

So I don't have much.  I have a couple of old shows that I have meant to post for a while.  I am an intern on the BU radio station.  Its kind of funny because I know as much about hosting as the people who actually "host" the show.  One show was from election day, the other was from a couple weeks before that.  Anyway here they are:

Calling Old Friends - Defiance, Ohio 
Motion Of The Ocean - Fake Problems 
Thanks, Bastards! - Mischief Brew 
In a Cave - Tokyo Police Club 
New Wave - Against Me! 
The '59 Sound - The Gaslight Anthem 
The Inquirer - The Loved Ones 
Sir Bang (Bounce) - Madlib* 
Savior - Rise Against 
(Fork and Knife) - Brand New
Mash - J Dilla*
Stay Free - The Clash 
Chesterfield King - Jawbreaker
Kiss Me Deadly - Generation x 
Heavy - Oh No*
Breakdown - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 
Constructive Summer - The Hold Steady

Election Day

Banned in D.C. - Bad Brains 
Ready to Fall - Rise Against 
Louisiana - The Loved Ones 
Buckeyes - MF Doom*
Something I Learned Today - Hüsker Dü 
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana 
Cliché Guevara - Against Me! 
Tape Hiss (Dirty) - Madlib*
Bastards Of Young - The Replacements
Great Expectations - The Gaslight Anthem 
Workinonit - J Dilla*
I Got Your Number - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
Drunken Lullabies - Flogging Molly
Constructive Summer - The Hold Steady
Boxcar - Jawbreaker
American Idiot - Green Day

(feel my heat): Henry Rollins

Henry Rollins is a guy I have dug for a while.  I got my first black flag record in seventh grade.  I think I like it more now then I did then.  Back then it was too intense and too metal, now it sounds more of what I am looking for.  I am getting deeper into Black Flag's catologue and finding other good records/songs.  Rollins hosts a great show on Indie 103.1, I forget the title of it.  I know it used to be Harmony in My Head.  His IFC tv show is pretty good as well.  Rollins is also similar to me, personality wise.  He is a vegetarian, works out (something I should do more often than I am currently), and really funny but very dark.   Below is an except of an interview he did with Time Out New York:

Isn’t dubbing your election-themed tour “Recountdown” a little cynical?

It’s my last time to be on stage with Bush being around. That doesn’t really affect the show, but I didn’t want to be sitting at home or at the office with this one last shot to be onstage while he’s in office, because he and I have done so much time together. The reason I called the tour “Recountdown” is that I think we’re counting down to the next big argument. And I think the election will be pretty close. If it were truly a fair election, it probably wouldn’t be, but I think the Republicans, truth be known, cheat. The ACORN thing is a good try on McCain’s behalf, but no one’s buying it. No one is buying the Ayers thing.… So, I do think that they’ll have to resort to cheating to try and win, or at least make it a close election, because I think Barack is pulling away.

What’s the first thing you’re going to do when Bush leaves office?

Well, for me, it’s not one of those "ding-dong, the witch is dead" situations. I know some people are going to feel like that. Imagine coming home to your house and a tornado has gone through it. And you walk around, and all your stuff is broken, and you go, Oh, this sucks, but hey the tornado is gone, so let’s party. Well, what’s there to party with, everything is broken? Bush and his cronies did a great job of taking your tax money and giving it to their friends

Read Full Article Here.

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Book: Dharma Punx - Noah Levine

Album: ...And Out Come the Wolves - Rancid

Dharma Punx is the memoir of Noah Levine. He is a former Junkie and Prisoner, life long punk and recent buddhism teacher. His life sounds incredible from the desperation of addiction to the inner peace he has achieved. The story was a little repetitive but still very interesting. I really enjoyed the discussions about his travels around Asia and learning about the various disciplines of Buddhism. The book corresponds to a similar point I am at. I am somewhat frustrated with the world and the suffering that is going on. I am considering studying buddhism, hopefully it will help me make sense of what's going on.

...And Out Come the Wolves is one of the best and most timeless punk records ever released. In many ways it is the next generations answer to London Calling. I haven't listened to Rancid in a long time but when I put on this record I am able to sing along to every song. I might not be able to a cappella each song, but certainly know all the words when I hear the music. Lars from Rancid is good friends with Levine, and is one of the Dharma Punx.

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Book: Notes From Underground - Fyodor Dostoevsky

Album:  Darkside of the Moon - Pink Floyd

I just finished reading Notes From Underground.  It was assigned for a class.  I am not sure what I think about it.  The narrator is unlikeable, the text was dense, and I am unsure what the point of the novel was.  The first part of the book was entirely philosophical, the second part certainly explained why the underground man developed these philosophies, but it never seemed compelling.  I think the goal was not to create a likable book but to present a glimpse of society that we tend to ignore.  The underground man seems to unreliable and unstable to be trusted, but does not seem to be actually "crazy".  Ultimately, I am too conflicted to either recommend or detract from the book.

Pink Floyd's Darkside of the Moon is all about mental illness.  It seems to fit the themes of the book well.  Although the real draw to the album is not the story but the guitars.  I don't really need to write about this album because everyone who is reading the blog has already heard the album.

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Book: Y: the Last Man Series

Album: Radiohead Series

Y: the Last Man series was incredible. The plot is basically exactly what it sounds: the last man on earth attempting to save humanity and meet up with his girlfriend. Yet it was so much more than that. It was funny, full of pop culture references. It was also profound, asking deep philosophical questions. It was more than just a comic, it had real character development and twists. It was philosophical, with out being preachy. I wish that there were more to read. The series ended at the right point though, it ended before the ideas were recycled or uninspired.

The only thing that I could see matching the epic nature of Y is Radiohead. Radiohead is a little more depressed but still the only thing I can think of. Plus they match profound and depressed themes in Y, better than other bands or albums I was thinking about using. It was difficult to pick an album since I have been reading Y: the Last Man for a while now, there were ten books in the series.

The Depression Recession

I have a sincere feeling that we are doomed.  This recession seems to becoming something more like a depression.  Seems like everyday the market is dropping another 300 points.  I don't think that either candidate has a grasp on how screwed the nation is at the moment.  The economy doesn't seem like it will ever be able to fully recover.  The debt is exploding, but nothing is being done to correct it.  No candidate seems to want to end the wars, which are exploding the debt killing innocent people and causing nothing but future problems.  Most people don't have health care and yet the government won't universalize health care.  The education system is in the gutter. The environment is being annihilated, with 1 in 4 land animals facing imminent extinction.  The oceans are already monumentally fucked and toxic.   And yet the most important thing on the campaign trail is whether Obama is terrorist and Gay Marriage.

(feel my heat): Aloe Blacc

Not sure if anyone else know who this guy is, but he is amazing.  Aloe Blacc is an incredible soul/r&b singer on the Stones Throw label.  Same label that drops heat from Madlib, Oh No, and the late, great J Dilla.  Aloe has one of the best styles I have ever heard.  Kind of like an indie R. Kelly, minus all the faux gangsterisms and teen sex stuff.  The best song off his debut album, Shine Through, is probably his cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change Going to Come".  If it were me, I would have made this the theme song to Obama's presidential campaign.  Anyway go get this album if you don't already have it.