we won't let them take you, we won't let you die

Just saw the trailer for the new Superman film, starring Kevin Spacey as Lex, Kate Bosworth as Lois, and newcomer Brandon Routh as Superman/Clark Kent. After four or five aborted projects, including one done by Kevin Smith, Oliver Stone, Tim Burton, and for a long time it looked like McG, also having every actor between the ages of 20-40 casted as Superman, we finally get some news and even a trailer. Bryan Singer, who directed X-Men and X2, is at the helm of the new Superman movie. He did an excellent job on X-Men films, and from the looks of his video blog , it looks like the new film might not be half bad. Of course, I know everyone will be happy knowing, Kal Penn, is in the movie. Who's Kal Penn, you ask? Well, he's best known for Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle. A fine, fine, movie.

I read the other day that the Rutgers football team has become eligible to play in a bowl game. Oddly enough, the team finds itself at 7-4 after winning their final game against Cincinnati 44-9. I don't think we won seven games the entire time I attended Rutgers. I went to one game, against West Virginia and Amos Zereoue ran for something like 200 yards against them. Needless to say, while the Rutgers program has been improving steadily over the past few years, their record without doubt, has also improved due to the watered down competition in the Big East. Over the past two years alone, they've lost, Virginia Tech, Miami, and Boston College, all the while gaining powerhouses in University of South Florida, Cincinnati and Louisville (actually, that's no joke, they are a top 25 team). So at 7-4, the Scarlet Night should play in their first bowl game since 1978's Garden State Bowl. And lets not forget, that New Brunswick, is the Birthplace of Intercollegiate Football, as Rutgers played Princeton in the very first intercollegiate game. Winning that contest, a whopping, 6-4? I can't even begin to comprehend how a team scored 4 points, two safeties? At least, the Big East still has a killer basketball reputation.

At least we know Russell Crowe can get a good laugh from throwing a phone at someone. Apparently during the Australian Oscars, Crowe came on stage with a chunky, old-fashioned, Bakelite telephone. And said, "If there are any problems and you do get up here and go on too long," "Then 'hello' to my little friend." Crowe pleaded guilty earlier this month to third-degree assault, admitting to a judge that he threw a phone that hit a concierge in June. The bad news for us, had Crowe been convicted of the more serious charges initially filed against him — assault and criminal possession of a weapon, the telephone!!! — he could have lost his right to work in the US and could've faced seven years in the slammer. I bet we would have gotten a killer movie out of that. You think Gladiator was good, how about Crowe trying not to get his ass pounded in the shower by Pookie or Ray Ray for a damn good movie.

While beginning to compile my list of top records from 2005, I started wondering what my top discs from 1995 would have been. I actually never started keeping a top ten until I began working in music, back as a college radio music director in 1999. Anyhow, thinking back to that year, instantaneously, I thought of the Hum album, You'd Prefer An Astronaut . Released in April of that year, it is best remembered by it's hit single, "Stars". But for those of us that bought that album and fell in love with it's space and dreamy, progressive rock, know it's more than just "Stars". Songs like "The Pod", "I like your Hair Long" and "Little Dipper", with singer Matt Talbot's reserved and reflective vocals, creating a soundtrack for my sophomore and junior years of high school. Unfortunately, this band never got the credit or commercial success it deserved, during the hey day of Alternative rock, along contemporaries such as Helmet, Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer. Thinking back to 1995, I give you my top ten of that year.

1. Radiohead - The Bends - Capitol
2. Hum - You'd Prefer An Astronaut - RCA
3. Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters - Roswell/Capitol
4. Deftones - Adrenaline - Maverick
5. Quicksand - Manic Compression - Island
6. Seaweed - Spanaway - Hollywood
7. Oasis - What's The Story (Morning Glory) - Sony
8. Smashing Pumpkins - Melon Collie And the Infinite Sadness - Virgin
9. Sunny Day Real Estate - LP2 - Sub Pop
10. Faith No More - King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime - Slash/Reprise

Man walk on road. Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk down middle, sooner or later, get squished

Today is a sad, sad day. Actor Pat Morita, whose best known as Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid" films, has died. He was 73. Morita died Thursday at his home in Las Vegas of natural causes. Of course it was back In 1984, that Morita appeared in his most famous role and the one the one he would forever be remembered for. As Kesuke Miyagi, the mentor to the feverishly talented, Ralph Macchio's "Daniel-san," he taught karate while trying to catch flies with chopsticks, painting his house, and waxing his car. The words "wax on, wax off" will never take the same meaning again. It should be noted he was an accomplished actor having appeared in countless movies and tv shows, including Happy Days, as Arnold and Honeymoon in Vegas.

I don't know if anyone has seen this Giants Online show on the Yes Network. But it's fantastic. Hosted by Bob Papa and Giants VP of Communications Pat Hanlon, the show's a weekly half-hour roundtable discussion of the Giants and the NFL with Giants’ beat reporters. A bunch of guys obviously from New York and New Jersey, screaming their heads off about the Giants chances this week at winning against Seattle and their chances against Dallas Cowboys in winning the NFC East. Priceless stuff.

If anyone saw John Mayer on Letterman last night, I think you'll agree, that man needs to be castrated. He shall spawn no more "Dave Matthews want to be" children in his lifetime. Apparently tired of being an acoustic pop icon, Mayer moves to Blues, Funk and Soul. Yes, no longer the days of his gay frat party, singing his old poptart hits, he's trying to be Hendrix or Buddy Guy now. Just great! Apparently, he thinks he can expose the blues to the masses, saying "But I have the ability to bring this music across to people with a certain flavor that is more digestible to people," he also says. "So yes, I'm more watered down than B.B. King, but maybe that's what sometimes people want to take in, to be able to take it in." I say we call for his balls! Oh yeah, and I think I saw on the Post the other day, Britney wants to be on Broadway. I'm guessing she thinks she can save that too!

On the way home from Thanksgiving dinner last night, I was listening to the new Sigur Ros album, Takk. Another brilliant album from these Scandanvians. Beautiful and expansive soundscapes, with washy guitars, lush arrangements, lots of pretty orchestration, and ethereal vocals. This album provides a little more punch, with lots of swirling guitars, and some additional percussion. "Glosoli" with it's deep bass groove and stomp like percussion are a perfect example of this. Or "Saeglopor" with it's pretty piano and chime beginning and then it's an explosion of percussion and guitar feedback. I'd be hard pressed to find a more cinematic and imaginitive album this year. Good news too, is they are coming back for another tour, playing bigger venues as well. I loved them at the Beacon Theater, and would be very interested in seeing them at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. And while we're at it, you need to check out their video for "Hoppípolla" (which translates to “jumping into puddles”), beautiflly shot in reykjavík, it depicts a bunch of youthful kids playing around, well sort of. also, keep your eyes open for “cameos” by each of the band members.

Enjoy your Black Friday, and please, please remember to shop carefully. Or you can always observe Buy Nothing Day and, well, just buy nothing. Speaking of which, do you think iTunes would stop the pending price hike that major labels are calling for if everyone protested and didn't buy any songs for an entire day? I wonder. It would be great to finally stick it to the man.

We'd have more luck playing pick-up sticks with our butt-cheeks than we will getting a flight out of here before daybreak.

Thanksgiving! This is one of the most traveled upon days of the year. You gotta love this holiday. The turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, desserts. I mean, who doesn't love pie! I'm looking forward to heading home to the lovely Garden State for some excellent food and to see the family. Those kids get bigger everytime. I finally understand why people would say that and pinch my cheeks. I do however hate the traveling. Even the train is a madhouse on Thanksgiving. Which leads me to my next point. Have you ever checked out the movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles? It's a hilarious movie with Steve Martin and John Candy, where their flight is cancelled on the eve of Thanksgiving and they go through a torturous trip trying to get home in time. It's become a family tradition to watch on Thanksgiving. Good times had by all. I love the entire movie, but the part when they light the car on fire, and the one where Steve Martin tries to get the rental car. OH my god, hysterics.

Just saw the Mets picked up Carlos Delgado from the Marlins for Mike Jacobs and Yusmero Petit. Sounds like the Mets made off pretty good, as they'll also get the Marlins to pick about 7 or 8 million in salary. They've needed a first baseman bad. He's a little old, but damn, they almost gave him this much money last year, and he put up great numbers this year. And how about them shipping off Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to the Red Sox? The firesale has begun, just like the did back in '97 after winning the series. I"m hoping the Yankees take advantage of this and look to get Juan Pierre, who would make a fine centerfielder and leadoff hitter for them. Exactly what they've needed since Jeter's been with the Yanks. He is a perfect #2 hitter, with A-Rod or Giambi at 3, that would be an impressive line-up. The news has also just broke, that Jim Thome is going to the White Sox for Aaron Rowand and some case. Sounds like a damn good deal for both teams. I'm super high on Ryan Howard at first for the Phils. He strikes out too much, but hey, so does Thome. And about 12 years younger too. And the Phils haven't had a solid centerfielder since Nails, aka Lenny Dykstra. Looking forward to the football tomorrow. Denver vs. Dallas. Man, that should be a good one. The Tuna seems primed to get that Dallas team the NFC East crown. But Denver, man, they are el fuego as of lates. Atlanta vs. Detroit, well, at least Vick might explode for a huge one. And, football, means you can drink in the afternoon. Hmmmmmmm, beer and turkey, make me go sleepy. For the rest of the games, New England Vs. KC should be a treat. Two very good teams lining up on Sunday. Chicago Vs. Tampa, should be a low scoring, hard faught game. And Pittsburgh vs. Indy on Monday night. Man, could it get any better on a Monday night. Too good.

Been listening to the Snow Patrol album, Final Straw, as I type this. What a fantastic album. One of my top ten last year. The third full length album from the Glaswegian group. A very ambitious album from the Jeepster label, that combines the typical British pop structure with nuances of electronic, lush orchestration, and heavy melodic guitar swirls. All the while singer Gary Lightbody's tender vocals soar highly above. Good stuff! Just read they are hard at work on their follow up. Last update on their site says they have about 8 songs including "Chasing Cars" which they played on their last US tour.

Finally, I bid you farewell. Have a good Thanksgiving and eat lots and lots of food. Then go on a diet you filthy pig!

You know what's remarkable? That England looks in no way like Southern California.

Seven Things I Think I Think

1. Somehow, the Kaiser Cheifs have become one of the biggest bands in England. I mean, like almost a million albums sold this year. God help us all.

2. I really like the Virgin Airlines entertainment package. Good choice of movies, music, games, documentaries, and email. Made the seven hour flight home yesterday go by a lot faster. Managed to see Hustle and Flow, Fantastic Four and play some Battleship against other passengers on board. Nice.

3. Big Ben is one huge clock. I mean huge. And it's one of the most recognizible sites in London. It's got this amazing history as well. Pretty cool stuff if you really dig deep.

4. OK, so last week, I wondered if anyone cared about Madonna anymore. Yes, old women and gay men in the US, plus the entire country of England. I couldn't get away from Madonna and her new album. Spreads in the London Sunday newspaper, videos all over the place, gay nights named after her new album. It was just utter Madonna madness.

5. Celebration is a fantastic new band. Coming out of the ashes of the Love Life and Jaks. They have made a great debut album, with the help of friend/producer Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio, at the healm. Their live show is utter chaos, with singer Katrina Ford jumping out into the crowd and dancing with stunned specatators. At first many are in stunned and confused, as the show goes on they are in awe and many begin to shake right along with her. A real treat to watch.

6. Rough Trade shop is an amazing place to visit. It puts halfway decent US record store to shame. I mean, they write a review for every disc. Every single one! And the selection of singles, 7"'s, and UK exclusives, made me want to cry. On top of that they have this amazing Album Club, where for something like 50 pounds, (roughly $75) they send you five of their recommended albums based on your preferences, and if you don't like one, you simply send it back and pick from one of the other ten recommended disc. Pretty cool stuff. Sadly it's only available in the UK and other European countries.

7. I am simply amazed by this new Clearlake CD. It's called Ambers and will be released in the US early next year. You can preview some demos at their site and it's certainly pretty cool to check out a few tracks in their infancy, then hear them in their fullness on the album. I was lucky enough to get a copy in advance. Somehow this band manages to create some of the most beautiful, meloncholic music in all of England. This album finds itself with a little more guitar punch and instrumentation than it's predessors and quite possibly sees the band at the height of their creativity.

I've been listening to this band People In Planes a lot lately. Formerly known as Tetra Splendour, the South Wales band has created an excellent EP, with swirling guitars, strong melodies, subtle hooks, and soaring vocals. They have this great song called "If You Talk Too Much (My Head Will Explode)", which I"m sure you can find on their site somewhere. Pleasant surprise from of all places, Wind Up Records. Weird huh. Check out this cool video game they have on their website. Kinda funny.

oh, and check out this cool picture I took of the Breeders at Blackheath Hall in London. They were a ton of fun to watch, and I even got to see them twice. Yay Kim Deal, who seems to be doing well for herself these days. I've heard she's been clean for two years. That's just great news.

The entire British empire was built on cups of tea, and if you think I'm going to war without one, mate, you're mistaken.

Just got home from my trip to London. I had an excellent time. Got to see some amazing shows, including Devendra Banhart, Celebration, the Breeders twice and Minotaur Shock and Magnetophone. Many of which are part of the 4AD 25th anniversary celebration. So many great things about London. Aside from the wonderful people of the country, whom are very friendly, except when you ask for directions. Weird huh? London is a great place to visit. Seemed to be much cleaner than NYC and the architecture is amazing. I stayed at the Portobello Hotel in the Notting Hill section. A really pretty area, with beautiful big white buildings. Apparently, it's the hotel that Johnny Depp filled a bathtub with champagne, for Kate Moss. I'm also told it's an old rock and roll staple. Either way, my room was pretty tiny, but damn did it have a comfortable bed.

I ate way too much fried food. Seems to be a lot of pies or food baked into bread or something. And yes, the beer is a bit stronger there. Budweiser taste like crap, but if you're lucky enough to try the Czech version, BudVar, go for it. The streets are confusing, I mean, they drive on the other side of the street, so you have to look the other way. Also, London is laid out like someone on crack did it. I guess that's due to it's history and sort of building from the center out. Which, leads me to my next point, London is huge. So freaking huge, that there are like 15 tube lines running underground going in various different directions. There are lots of differences, like using the word toilet instead of bathroom, and way out instead of exit. Somehow, the Kaiser Chiefs seem to be the biggest band in the country, and Madonna is everywhere. And don't let me get started on the pound monetary system and the conversion rate. I still have no clue how much I spent. London seems to be pretty expensive, and that's compared to NYC.

So anyhow, I checked out a lot of shows, bars, and clubs, so I really only got to do tourist type stuff on Saturday. I got to see the London Bridge, Westminister Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, etc... Anyhow, I'm feeling pretty tired. Jet lag is a bitch. It's a good ole five hour difference. I'll put up some pics from London and the shows. I got some cool pics at the Breeders and Celebration shows. But right now, I"m not even sure if what I'm typing makes sense. Cheers.

Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make.

This weekend (and Thursday) was a fantastic combination of shows, shopping, bars, and movies. Thursday, I was able to catch Longwave at the Bowery Ballroom. Good set, including songs from both the RCA debut The Strangest Thing and the follow up full length, There's A Fire. Sad to say, the room was half full and definitely lacked any enthusiasm. The band braved on, playing their hearts out. Of course, the crowd reacted best to the more upbeat songs from the first album, including the closer of the night, Everywhere You Turn.

Friday night I had the pleasure of seeing Bauhaus for the very first time. Seeing the forefathers of the Goth rock movement was a huge treat. The venue where they played was not. If you're a touring band and are playing large venues, do yourself a favor and avoid the Nokia Theater in Times Square. One of the worst venues I've ever been to, and remember folks, I'm from New Jersey! Horrible sight lines, even worse sound. The actual venue is confusing to navigate around. Bathroom's impossible to find. The bars are outside the main stage area, and impossible to get to, once you're packed inside. Regardless, Bauhaus destroyed. During their brief career, Bauhaus explored many a different sounds, metal, glam, industrial, post punk and even early electronica , and displayed many of them during their hour and a half set Friday. They played a ton of songs from all their albums, including the hits like, "She's In Parties", "Kick In The Eye", "Passion of Lovers", "Spirit", "Burning From The Inside" and their "Ziggy Stardust" and "Telegram Sam" covers. Daniel Ash contributed vocals on "Slice Of Life" and kicked out the saxophone on "In Fear Of Fear". Of course, people lost their shit for Bela Legosi's Dead. I mean people lost it. Shit, I almost lost it. The lights were great, minimal, mostly black background with spurts of white light, reds and a vertical stream pointing at Peter Murphy. To put it simply, it was an amazing show. I joked with friends on the subway ride down to Lit in the East Village. When said Bela Legosi is Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead. I reminded them, he's not dead. He's the Undead. I'm hoping my friend Jenn snapped some good pictures before they asked her to check in her camera. I'll try to get one up soon.

Laura Cantrell played a great set at the intimate Mo Pitkins in the East Village on Saturday night. A really cool spot to see a show, I'd only been to the bar there once, and didn't even know they did shows there. A wonderful set, playing with another guitar player, upright bass, and a mandolin. Her songs are really pretty and sit somewhere between country and Americana with sweet southern vocals. She sings lots of songs of her own, and some, "captured" as she likes to call it.

Right after that, I went to see Jarhead . Good movie, that explores the other things that happen war and the effects it has on the young soldiers. The loneliness, desperation of those that join the army. Also, really goes into the relationships with those still at home, and how sometimes being away can break up those relationships. Of course, it also goes into the first Gulf War a bit. Jake Gyllenhaal was really good, as a new recruit, sort of learning about life, himself and war. Peter Sarsgaard was great, in that role he always seems to play, as the cynical best friend of sorts. My least favorite character was Jamie Foxx. To me, he just didn't seem right for the part. I couldn't take him seriously enough.

Also managed to finally check out Lords Of Dogtown last nightl. Good movie about the Zboys skate team in the 70's, and a good portrayal of the young stars. Alva, Peralt and Jay Adams, all well played by young actors. Heath Ledger was super annoying as Skip. I enjoyed the excellent storytelling, and in-depth look into the begginings of the skating craze and these pivotal characters and talented skaters. I was really surprised with the actor's skating too. I wonder if they took lessons or just used really good cuts of doubles.

Look at the blonde-headed monkey!

the listening pile

Nada Surf - The Weight Is A Gift – Barsuk
Everyone knows the story, band starts out, makes a record with Ric Ocasek, signs with major label, has a huge hit, falls off the face of the earth. Then issues a critically acclaimed album on their own, signs with underground label, re-issues records, puts out new record and finds themselves as indie darlings. Happens all the time. In a testament to perseverance, Nada Surf could have called it quits years ago. But no, they kept at it, recordings, playing live, albeit omitting their pop hit "Popular" while doing it. Their last two records, Let Go and the new The Weight Is a Gift, are pop gems. Ironic, isn't it. Produced with Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla, The Weight is a Gift is an album of wonderfully crafted pop songs, with wistful melodies, catchy hooks, bittersweet lyrics, and occasional rock anthems. It took me a bit of time to realize what a great band this is. Let Go took a long time to grow on me, but The Weight Is A Gift was an instant hit with me.


Elbow – Leaders Of The Free World – V2
Leaders Of The Free World, Elbow's third full length, is a wondrous as it's predecessors. To me, they now belong in that elite league of British bands, with Radiohead, Coldplay, Travis and Doves, that consistently put out engaging and inovative albums Leaders Of The Free World, is instantly a more upbeat album than the previous two. "Forgot Myself", "Picky Bugger" and the title track are multi-dimensional and intense. Despite their hopelessness and longing, their songs always seem irresistible and seductive. Guy Garvey's hushed vocals tell stories of heartache, torn relationships and frustration. The record is gorgeous, downhearted, passionate, and and mysterious all at once. Guy Garvey's vocals sound just as heartfelt as always, he is full of emotion and introspection. It is a wonderful album, that reveals itself each time you listen to it.

Soft - Soft EP - Self-Released
The young New York group’s meticulously crafted debut, screams of Manchester’s finest. It is gleaming, shoegazing dream pop that should certainly appeal to fans of bands from that era. The 5 songs here, have incredibly catchy melodies, lush atmospherics with singer, Johnny Reineck’s fay vocals floating gently above them. Droppin, with it's cascading guitars, and punchy rhythm section, could still make dancehalls in Manchester glee. A fine debut from an up and coming New York City band.

Hail Social - Hail Social – Polyvinyl
I'd heard this name for a long time. Hell, they even toured with Interpol, yet I somehow managed to miss this band until quite recently. Their self titled debut is a pulsing rock album with hints of dance beats and a post punk delivery. The sound of Hail Social is minimal and a little rough around the edges. The group's rhythm section, which drives many of the songs with dancy beats, is super tight. The angular guitar lines are heavy and polished. Singer, Dayve Hawke’s smooth vocal delivery occasionally has a deceptively sininster edge. A good listen from the Polyvinyl label.

I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?

Seven Things I Think I Think

1. How about that episode of Lost last night? Pretty good stuff. I bet no one saw that coming. For you suckers that haven't seen the episode yet, I'll spare you the details. I am loving the twists and turns of the second season. The passengers in the back of the plane, showing up on the other side of the island! The disappearance of most of those passengers. Where the hell did they go? The hatch and it's mysterious contents! Some good stuff. Damn them for making me a Lost addict.

2. Sports writers, not funny. Check this out from Yahoo Fantasy Sports. "Pittsburgh protected Batch last week against Green Bay more than an overbearing father protects his hot and horny teenage daughter. The Steelers just made sure Batch could not destroy them, and all went well as all 500 of his handoffs went unfumbled." Hot and horny teenagers, just have no place in fantasy sports newsletters. 500 handoffs, come on man!

3. What is up with those weird Pomegranate juice ads. Saw one today on the way to work. "Outlive Your Spouse". What the hell, does that mean?

4. It seems like every band on Myspace that has a female singer has Blondie as an influence. Very original!

5. I loved that new XBox 360 ad I saw during ?Lost last night. With the crazy water balloon fight. While we're at it, the Cingular ad with Cat Power doing the Nerves, "Hanging On The Telephone". Good stuff too!

6. Does anyone really care about Madonna and her lame new album? I can't stand her anymore. She's such a fucking hypocrite. I just want the old, slutty Madonna back. And, why is she showing up to Misshapes on Saturday nights. Who's fucking next???

7. I am loving this new Gravenhurst CD. It's called Fires In Distant Buildings. I first heard one of their songs on WOXY.com and was so intrigued I hunted down a copy of this album. You can find out more info here and even check out songs clips. Most of the record finds itself drowned in post rock slowcore, but explodes on 'The Velvet Cell' and 'The Velvet Cell Reprise', both of which add an excellent propulsive dimension to the album. I have to listen to this album a bit more to figure it out, but really digging it so far.

Listening to Black Moon a lot lately. The last few days, it's been on the iPod during my walk to and from work. Black Moon, put out this amazing album back in '93, entitled Enta Da Stage. They never got their fair share of props like groups such as Mobb Deep, Wu Tang Clan or even, Lords of the Underground, but man did Buckshot, 5ft, and DJ Evil D, put out one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. With plenty of old school hooks and catchy samples, this album brings me back to the hey day hip hop's greatest period.

This is a face only a mother could love. On pay day.

I have to say, I have read some of the funniest headlines over the past two days. Did anyone read about those Carolina Panthers cheerleaders that got busted in Tampa after a bar dispute. Both were arrested at a bar after witnesses told police the women were having sex in the restroom. They were accused of striking some of the other bar customers. This is great. All the more reason, why they should have a reality show about cheerleaders and of course, show a lot more of them in between plays.

Ran into this bit of juiciness on yahoo. Apparently, Abercrombie & Fitch is going to pull tees after "girl-cott".I guess some girls objected to the slogans on the shirts. There are another four or five here: A&F Shirts Can you believe some exec. actually approved this. Can you think of the meeting where somebody was like, "yeah, these are great. I bet we'll sell a ton of these. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA A&F had this to say: "We recognize that the shirts in question, while meant to be humorous, might be troubling to some."

I've been listening to this Dungen album a lot lately. I know, it's been out for a while now as an import. And, yes, everyone knows about them. Even those clowns at Pitchfork gave it a glowing review. Yeah, I slacked on this album, bigtime. Funny thing is, before I got a copy, I'd heard this record a bunch of times around my office, just had no clue it was them. When I finally got my copy, which is the double disc from Kemado, the digipak was busted. One of the cd trays was falling off. So weird. Finally popped it in only to realize, "oh, this is that record I'd heard around the office I liked". So for that I get the big Duh of the day! But this album is amazing psych-pop from Sweden. I have no idea what this guy is singing about, but man, does he have some amazing melodies. If you're slower than me or brother Lenny, you should try to check this out. Also, I recommend trying to find the double disc, which comes with a bonus disc, with five more great songs.

And on a final note, don't you love SPAM. Check this one out:
New ClALlS softtabs = lNSTANT R0CKHARD ERECTl0NS Simply disolve HALF A PlLL under your tongue 10min before action,
for results that last all weekend.

My question is, how do you get around w/ a stiff all weekend?

a day of rest, ha!

And on the seventh day he rested. Well, not here. I'm about to throw on some old clothes and continue painting the living room. I'm going to attempt to watch as much footbball as possible. Though I could always tune into my new favorite sport, Ice Dancing. Some excellent games on the schedule today; Eagles vs. Redskins, Steelers vs. Packers, Jets vs. Chargers, Bucs vs. Panthers, and Raiders vs. Chiefs. It's looking to be a great Monday night game. The game that a lot of folks have been looking forward to. Colts vs. Pats. Can Peyton finally get past Brady and the Pats. I think so, but we'll see what happens.

On the fantasy side of things, I’m looking for a huge day from Tiki, as the Giants play San Francisco, Delhomme who unfortunately is playing against a tough Tampa D, Ronny Brown, and hopefully a repeat performance from Jerry Porter's two TD's last week. Of course hoping my Giant’s D can play as well as they did last week against Washington.

That whole Theo Epstein thing in Boston was just nuts. They let the guy who put together the team that brought them the first World Series since 1918 get away. On top of that nutiness, did anyone hear about this:

After reminiscing about Theo Epstein's brief and celebrated 35-month tenure as the 11th general manager in the Red Sox' 105-year existence, members of his baseball operations department came to a pressing question: How could they get Epstein out of Fenway Park without facing camera crews? Conveniently, Monday night happened to be Halloween night, and someone in the office happened to have a gorilla costume handy. Epstein, according to a baseball operations employee, slipped into the suit, walked out of Gate D, and strolled by the cameras, a smile on his concealed face.
-- Boston Globe

Man, this is amazing. Just too good.

This past weekend has been nuts, with a ton of shows attended by yours truly. Thursday was of course, a great show from Elbow. Also, got to see the amazing Shout Out Louds at Bowery Ballroom on Friday. What a great band, some of the most delectable Swedish power pop. Check out this great remix that Ratatat did. [Comeback Remix] Also, saw an amazing Super Furry Animals performance last night, then quickly made my way over to catch Calla and Celebration at Bowery. What an awesome few nights of music.

And lets us not forget the Tree House of Horror, XVI, tonight on the Simpsons. Yes, another Halloween special. These are always so great. Consistently one of the best tv shows around and funny as can be. The writing the last few seasons has returned to form. And of course, this is airing a week after Halloween due to the geniuses at Fox delaying it until after the World Series, that ended over a week ago!

come out and play

OK, so before the Elbow show at Hiro Ballroom last night. I went to this place called Pop Burger on 9th Avenue. Food was good, a little pricey, but good. They had these great lobster nachos, chicken spring rolls and mini-burgers. Anyhow, they were playing the new Warriors DVD. I loved that movie when I was a little kid. I wanted to be Swan, and be in a gang. Of course, I lived in suburban New Jersey, and well, there weren't very many opportunities to be in gangs. So, I think they added some weird still animation to the movie. It was kind of weird, but kind of cool. At first, I thought I was watching a preview for the video game. I've heard the new directors cut, has all these comic book transitions, lots of cool interviews and deleted scenes. I'm also very interested in checking out the new videogame adaptation.

On to the Elbow show. The Hiro Ballroom at the Maritime hotel is actually a pretty good venue to see a show. The only other show I've seen there was Beck, and for both, the sound was fairly good. This was also my first time seeing Elbow, despite being a long-time fan. The Manchester group kicked it off with Ribcage from their 2nd album, Cast Of Thousands. They played a good amount of songs from all three of their albums. Sounding great playing new songs and old alike. Highlights included Fugitive Motel, Switching Off, Red, Powder Blue, Forget Myself, and Leaders of the Free World, plus just about every other song. Singer Guy Garvey's gritty falsetto sounded perfect laid gently over the lush arrangements and occasional bursts of noise. They had a few technical difficulties, mostly coming at the expense of one of the finer songs, Newborn, which never really was completed, despite two valiant attempts.

Though they played their only US show of 2005 last night at Hiro Ballroom, they promised a return to New York in 2006, with hopefully a much bigger tour and functioning equipment. The new album Leaders of the Free World will be released stateside in February 2006. During the recording of the album, the band brought in the Soup Collective to document the making and it will accompany the album as a special DVD add on.

flores para los muertos

For all my friends out there that don't speaka, that means flowers for the dead. Today is the day of the dead. In spirit, I'm watching "The Misfits" with Marilyn Monroe. Man she was a beauty. Clark Gable was a weird looking guy.


Seven Things I Think I Think

1. putting melted chocolate on the door handle of the bathroom would be an amazing prank

2. there is a new office space dvd, with flair. i cannot wait to get this

3. warm weather during halloween, makes people get extra weird

4. brett favre should have tackled that nutjob that ran on the field and grabbed the ball out of his hands

5. maybe it's just me, but the movie version of bewitched was seriously flawed. no tate's, tabitha, and how did iris all of a sudden have magical powers.

6. i saw berlin's video for metro last night. and then i found out they were the same band that wrote "take my breath away." very, very weird.

7. the greatest band to ever come out of wales is super furry animals, and they start their north american tour today.
11-01 Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda
11-02 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
11-05 New York, NY - Webster Hall
11-06 New York, NY - Webster Hall
11-07 Boston, MA - The Roxy
11-08 Washington DC - 9:30 Club
11-09 Philadelphia, PA - Theater of the Living Arts
11-10 Norfolk, VA - the NorVa
11-11 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
11-12 Atlanta, GA - The Loft
11-15 Houston, TX - Meridian Red Room
11-16 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
11-17 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room
11-19 Lawrence, KS - Granada
11-20 Chicago, IL - Metro
11-21 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Café
11-24 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
11-25 Seattle, WA - Neumos
11-26 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
11-28 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
11-29 Hollywood, CA - Avalon
11-30 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
12-01 San Diego, CA - House of Blues