dan

One Year In Canada

2009-08-29T17:48:19Z

So one year ago (yesterday) I first crossed the border into British Columbia. I know because it was the same day as Obama's DNC speech. My dad and I watched it at a hotel downtown.

It has been difficult being away from DC and from certain people. But what do I think of canada? Here are some answers.

LIfe - man things are okay here. Currently it is very sunny but it will probably rain later. It does rain a lot in the fall/winter but the summer here is fantastic. Anywhere you look you see these mountain views and the Straight of Georgia. It's pretty fantastic.

People - mostly okay! I mean I have made friends here, it's a good community.

School - I like it here. I am currently working on my thesis, as well as a secret project, and hopefully those will be done or something soon. I like my program and the people in it. I am also now the executive editor of a literary magazine.

Socialized medicine - Horrors! Just kidding. It's actually awesome. I sprained my foot, I went to the hospital, they x-rayed it, they told me I was fine. They gave me some pills too. None of this cost anything.

Food/beer - generally good. Sushi i mean is pretty awesome, it turns out. The beer is great (strong) but a little expensive. That is okay though, it is good quality beer.

Money - Even though it isn't "real money" as some might say, it is expensive to live here. Which is too bad because generally I want a lot of things, but I cannot have them. Oh well - I still have some money to get me through the year. Looking forward to crushing debt!

Other things - I have been to clubs, parties, nude beaches, workshops, fireworks, parades, and so on. I've been to Vancouver Island. I have eaten seafoods. I have been on many buses.

One extra rant is that I can't even look at American news anymore, it is just too depressing/batshit crazy. Come one people, seriously, get your act together. It is more or less going to be okay! (I think.)

Well, those are my thoughts.

23 at 23

2009-07-23T15:31:30Z

Oh no, I'm 23.

I am doing okay! I am here in Vancouver for the summer, where it is beautiful. I go down to the beach, I walk around. Sometimes I try to go hiking. It's really pretty cool.

I'm actually heading down to Eugene, OR this weekend to see my brother.

In the meantime I work at my job, play music, drink, try to get by. Not many birthday plans, just going to get a fancy lunch and then drink heavily tonight. Should be okay?

I am grateful.

june

2009-06-24T06:56:33Z

Hey, I haven't posted in over two months. Sorry bout that. I'd suggest following my twitter, but honestly i'm not much interesting there either? Oh well. At least you'd know (mostly) what I was up to.

Basically I've been working, at my magazine job and at my thesis. I really want to get a first draft done by the end of the summer. Now whether this will happen or not is another story, but it will work if I keep at it. I don't know, how do you motivate yourself to write? Not to mention that there are other projects I want to work on.

Also? It's summer in Vancouver, and it's beautiful outside and hey I'm in one of the most gorgeous places on Earth, but I feel like I am staying in my room/on campus and not going exploring! What the fuck. I do spend a lot of time indoors, at a computer. I realize this is bad. I'll do my best to remedy this. I don't know, I want to get out and do shit and appreciate nature and etc. but I guess I don't know how to go about it or what to do. It is okay to do things? I guess it would be better if I had someone to do these things with.

Speaking of which, I came back to DC for a week and saw Betsy, and well it was a very good week.

Anyway, those are my concerns/thoughts I guess, maybe this livejournal still is useful after all.

march-april report

2009-04-07T20:17:47Z

This might be a long post, I will number it for your convenience.

1. Why is livejournal running ads on my friends page?

2. You guys it's like spring has finally come to Vancouver. Today and yesterday the sun has come out, it's actually gotten above 50 degrees (F), everyone is wearing shorts, and things feel allright. It is good to be outside! It is also a coincidence that my parents arrived here yesterday. They are spending a few days in Victoria before coming back to hang out with me. Hopefully its allright.

3. So today, if all goes well, will be my last class in the first year of my MFA. Awesome times. I've been having a pretty good time, and working hard on stories and other things. i'm working on my thesis, which will hopefully be a book of linked short stories. I'm also working on other projects, some of them which might produce results! I'll keep you posted.

4. Last weekend, unbeknownst to most, I went to Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle! And guess what, it was a lot of fun. I met a bunch of my favorite comics writers and artists, got a bunch of signatures and sketches in a notebook, went to a few panels with certain celebrities (though I missed Jewel Staite's unfortunately, but did see Wil Wheaton's and the BSG one), and had an awesome time! Man people who make comics are generally pretty good people. So yeah it was really cool but I'm not sure if I'll go to another one anytime soon, cause it turns out comic cons are a great place to lose hundreds of dollars.

5. I didn't even talk about skiing, but this post is so long that I will not mention it. Questions? Concerns?

nostalgia?

2009-03-01T07:46:49Z

So for some reason, I started looking through the back entries of this journal right here. It was interesting. I started this livejournal in March of 2003, during my junior year of high school, and right when Bush started invading Iraq.

I read through all the entries from 2003. It got me feeling all nostalgic for some reason, but also curious. My posts had a lot of cryptic sentences, talking about something going horribly wrong and me fucking up all the time. What was it? Part of me wants to remember what kind of high school drama I got into, but part of me is okay with letting it go. Is this still the part when I realized I was a horrible person? Something probably happened, yet I can hardly remember.

Another theme is constant loneliness, out of school, because I was never good at calling people or talking to them. Maybe that's where some of the sparseness of my entries came from, basically not wanting to talk about things. Another theme is music - I would post tabs on here, and talk about marching band or jazz band or pit. I also started writing Fishboy at this time, so, that makes an appearance as well.

I might do a longer post later about nostalgia, especially about music. For example - why does everyone think that Room on Fire was a bad album? Maybe it was because I listened to it basically all the time back then, but it still has an effect on me now. It is an okay album!

Allright, enough high school times. It's just interesting to think about, that's all. It made me appreciate being out here in Vancouver.

bowls and other things

2009-02-02T06:46:45Z

So I'm thinking of starting a series of posts where I talk about one of the songs that I have called "the greatest song ever written," and then maybe start to talk about why? It might be of interest. I was listening to Ratatat's "Seventeen Years" over and over again, and I thought maybe I should write it up, see if I can do that. It would take some work though, I don't just want to half-ass it. Maybe I'll think about it.

Today was a day of making nachos, eating chips and watching the Super Bowl, which was actually exciting and interesting. I'm not sure about the 2nd to last play, though. Other than that it was cool. (Note: Here in Canada we don't get American commercials, so all of ours were for CTV and the 2010 games pretty much. Not that it really interests me, but that I should make a note of the difference.)

I have been more or less trying to get by, I hope that is okay.

endlessdan @ 2009-01-27T08:36:00

2009-01-27T16:37:30Z

Happy birthday, leeflower!

island

2009-01-26T07:51:27Z

So I just spent the weekend in Sidney, BC, on Vancouver Island, for a conference relating to my new job as a magazine editor. It was pretty cool. I got to go on the ferry to the island. The place where the conference was is an old 70s lodge that is closing. Apparently it used to be a rehab center for rich alcoholics. In that case I feel fine that I got plenty drunk there. I might put up some pictures somewhere because, damn, there were some spectacular view from the hotel of the valley and the sea. It was actually a pretty good weekend.

But while I was away, there have been things going on campus. I walk by Buchanan Tower and it has been made up to look like a prison? All barbed wire and "restricted" signs and guard towers. Apparently, they are filming reshoots of the upcoming Wolverine movie here on campus. So, uh, that's pretty cool. And also this happened? http://flickr.com/photos/tyfn/3224963304/in/set-72157612918073599/

Lastly: I have joined the ranks of those who twitter, after holding out for so long.
www.twitter.com/djfs

new day

2009-01-21T20:08:24Z

Well it's a new day. I was talking to a friend the other day about Canada-U.S. relations, and it came around to the phrase "disenfranchised younger brother." What she said was, roughly: all the movies you watch growing up take place in the U.S., and specifically they all take place in New York. Thus, New York is the place where Things Happen. This sentiment reminded me of my own anti-NY feelings growing up, basically that everything happens in New York and nothing happens in DC. My views have changed slightly and I am no longer bitter, but. Anyway the point of what I was trying to say got away from me. I hope that with President Obama that we can have better international relations, and that we can go to a place where Americans aren't entirely hated worldwide.

Anyway.

It's been foggy the last week or so, but today it looks like it has cleared up. I have never lived in a place with so much fog. But it looks like its getting somewhat sunny.

Also, I haven't mentioned this (I've been meaning to write more) but: I lost my job two weeks ago. Coming in to UBC I was supposed to have a TAship in this term, teaching a creative writing class. Unfortunately, this class is the exact same time as a course that I was already taking. As I cannot drop the course, I had to give up the job. This really bummed me out for a while. It had me wanting to go home. I got upset and my mental health was in question. But I think I am okay with it now? I am looking for a new job, anyway. I might be a bar server. Or a copy clerk. We'll see.

I think that working - and by this I mean writing - would help me feel better.

Also: how awesome is this picture?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49664168@N00/3216058492/sizes/o/

president obama

2009-01-20T18:09:08Z

Wow. I watched it starting at 8:30 PST in the common TV room, where a crowd of people had come in. I am still amazed.

snowed

2009-01-04T18:14:04Z

When it is all snowing and cold, as it was yesterday, I think you have a tendency not to want to go outside. So I spent most of yesterday indoors, on my computer, or reading a book. It was more or less succesful. It is not snowing today, but I think I might keep up with this track.

The second term, as it were, starts tomorrow. (I mean my first class isn't until Tuesday, but yeah.) Tomorrow I've got to go clear up a scheduling conflict. Hopefully my friends will be back in town by then, and things here will be back to what passes for normal.

If all goes well I should be taking: the fiction class, the writing for children class, and a class on graphic novels and comics. I'll also be a TA for a class on new media, so I am excited for that. Hopefully it will be okay?

That is what is up with me, today.

early

2009-01-03T17:40:03Z

So I'm going to try something new, at least for this first part of the year anyway, which is "posting more than once a month." I feel a bit silly that i still have this blog but i don't use it. I mean I always read my friends page but I don't usually talk about myself all that much. Strange.

One thing I am concerned about is that I am rusty from not writing. I feel like I have been slacking. I'm in a fucking creative writing MFA program, I mean really, why am I not writing more. I should be writing every day. Here's the thing, though - that is difficult.

Allright, now I am just whining. Enough of that. It is time to focus on writing. I think that means I might have to bring back the Land of Bad Decisions, if that is what it takes. Just to get back. This is what I will be doing.

Last night I succeeded in making pasta with onion and bacon, it was tasty. And the good thing is, I have leftover bacon for breakfasts. That's pretty cool right there I think.

happy new year

2009-01-02T20:13:07Z

So! It is 2009. I started 2009 with an awesome new years party, and then a less-awesome saying goodbye to Betsy and getting on a plane back to Vancouver. (Actually, that wasn't awesome at all. It was sad.)

The other thing is one of my bags didn't make it, but hopefully they will deliver it today.

Now I am back and there are things I have to do, such as be a TA, train for a new job, finish writing a story, start writing other stories, and also live and eat and such. I mean I am looking forward to this year, hopefully it will be allright.

I will try to make pasta tonight.

Also:
I won my fantasy football league this year, which means I won an amount of money. Now I know what I should do is save it and maybe pay rent or buy food, but - um - I kind of want this?

2008 the year of things

2008-12-31T20:38:22Z

In the year 2008, I:

-Went to the south of France, staying in Nice, and visiting Marseilles and Monaco.
-Went to Israel for a ten-day trip.
-Got accepted into grad school.
-Spent a few days in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
-Played the first and last show with St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and then the reunion show.
-Had a good formal.
-Went to Six Flags a few times.
-Ate some good foods.
-Graduated from Maryland, a motherfucking Bachelor of Arts, thank you.
-Stayed with Betsy.
-Went to Indianapolis for the Grand Arch Council, which was awesome.
-Had an amazing summer (I thought.)
-Performed with Zack and Mandy as the BOXCAR KIDS.
-Tried new drinks.
-Sang karaoke with Heather and Zack and friends in Madison.
-Drove across the country.
-Moved to Vancouver, Canada.
-Made some new friends in a new place.
-Tried sushi.
-Enjoyed my MFA program and its peoples.
-Tried new things.
-Bought a tuque.
-Helped elect Barack Obama for president.
-Read a story at an MFA reading.
-Accepted a job to be the executive editor of finance for PRISM international.
-Returned triumphant to the U.S. for the holidays and spent the last part of the year with my friends and family.

And other things, which I can't remember right now. I did a lot of things this year.

Hope you had a good or okay 2008. Happy new year. Here's to 2009.*

*According to the song "Citizens of Tomorrow" by Tokyo Police Club, 2009 will be the year when robot overlords will enslave humanity. It could be!

back in the ussa

2008-12-23T21:19:53Z

Question: Wouldn't every song be better if Tom Waits sang it?

I am back in America and I am having a great time! I have been hanging out a lot with Betsy, of course, and it has been wonderful. I have also gotten to see my family again, as well as some of my friends from college. It would appear that all is well. I have had Hannukah dinner with my grandparents, gotten drunk with my brother and sister, and went to my friend Craig's graduation party. I also ate Chipotle again (hooray) and went to Roy's Place in Gaithersburg last night, where I had a bacon-wrapped Polish sausage sandwich, which was awesome.

To do: Christmas dinner, maybe a movie or something, more hanging out with friends, awesome new years party.

I am here until Jan 1, where I will take an afternoon flight back to Vancouver.

a few thoughts on music

2008-12-16T07:57:50Z

1. Is "Dinosaur on the Ark" by Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit the best song of the year? Possibly. I mean I enjoy it. It might be a tie between that and "Celebrate The Body Electric (It Came From An Angel)" by Ponytail. Or Ponytail might be on top. I don't know. I haven't made my top 10 list this year yet, and I am wondering.

2. But the reason I haven't made my list is because I haven't listened to many songs from this year. For example, I haven't heard TV on the Radio's new album yet. Talk about an album that I really want. There are a lot of songs that I haven't heard that are probably really good. So, I'm not sure if I'm going to do a top 10 list or not.

3. I got kind of sidetracked by the musics project, and I think it is clear that I am not doing that anymore. To be honest, I kind of ran out of things to say - I couldn't find different ways to describe things. (That's been my problem for a while.) Also it was tedious work. So I stopped. Now I am listening to whatever I want and it feels good.

4. You know that song "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver? I think it's really good.

5. I listened to Tallahassee today, and it made me ask: What is the bleakest Mountain Goats song? Not necessarily the saddest one, but the bleakest one. Right now "No Children" has my vote. But I have not heard every Mountain Goats song, of course. I hear Get Lonely is a bleak album. So basically I am saying, point me to some depressing songs.

UNRELATED TO MUSIC: Have I mentioned that I am due to be coming home on Wednesday, and will be in Maryland until Jan. 1?

yay

2008-12-04T07:56:55Z

Happy Birthday ungemmed !!!

To the sweetest person in the world.

Everyone should call her and wish her a happy birthday. Everyone.

Love,
-Dan

P.S. In semi-unrelated news, I'll be back in MD in less than two weeks.

turkey

2008-11-28T00:25:28Z

Happy Thanksgiving, Americans. I think this is the first year I am not celebrating. (Canadian thanksgiving is in October.) Well, enjoy anyways. Have good times!

President-Elect Barack Obama

2008-11-05T16:34:47Z

Yes.

Oh, allright: Yes we can.
We fucking did it, man.

America, you did something right.

vote

2008-11-04T05:53:23Z

You know it! Vote!

I voted already. I got my absentee ballot up here in Canada and sent it in. I voted for Barack Obama.

Vote Obama and I'll come home some day!

obama vs. the phobocracy

2008-10-10T15:23:26Z

This was written in February, but I still find it relevant:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/03/AR2008020302526.html

Big long Vancouver update coming soon.

here i am

2008-08-27T13:22:50Z

Made it to Vancouver.

More on that later.

last week in america

2008-08-18T19:55:10Z

Agh, no posts for like 12 days! So much has happened.

- V-Fest. Awesome times. Kanye West, Foo Fighters, Go! Team, Bob Dylan (!), Chuck Berry (!!), a japanese Beatles cover band, the Black Keys, Iggy & The Stooges, and many others. Dang!

- Um, trying to pack and figure things out for when I leave this country, starting this Friday when I drive to Madison.

- I'm no longer at work. I have no job (until January).

- Watching Olympic times, all the times.

Basically I have been busy and I will continue to be busy.

Did I mention I'm leaving soon?

I'm glad to see that this has got people talking! Although it's mostly debate over the veracity of cake. For the record, I have not played Portal but I do have "Still Alive" stuck in my head.

So you know: I will be continuing the Musics project in Vancouver, but... secretly. I'll be listening to the music on my own time and writing about it on my own time. So, it will probably be more sporadic.

Now, onward.

The Casual Dots - The Casual Dots:
A band from DC that I think only made this album. Anyway, two women play guitar, a man plays drums. They make complex musical arrangements and basically rock a fuck of a lot. It's pretty simple, I guess, but I like it a lot. I like the way the two guitar lines juxtapose with each other. See opener "Derailing" for details. My favorites are probably "Clocks," a rumination on love and its definitions, and "Hooded," a fucking stomp with my favorite guitar line of the album. Other songs are about cake (really), ESP, television, and two covers: "I'll Dry My Tears" and "Bumblebee." Good times!

Cat Power:
A.k.a. Chan Marshall. She was actually one of the acts at V-Fest, so I got to see her live. She sounded okay! She of the smoky voice, the person who, according to the Post's review of V-Fest, really wants to be Joni Mitchell. That's okay, though, it is a good aspiration. So I have her album You Are Free, which I like. It's mostly just voice and guitar and/or piano. But it has "I Don't Blame You," so there's that. I then have The Greatest, which I like better. It's more full, has more instruments and more complex songs. The title track, "Lived in Bars," "Willie." All slow songs, some bluesy, most just basically good. Then I have an album of covers called Jukebox, released this year. It is hit and miss. Sometimes it's good ("Metal Heart"), sometimes it is not as good ("New York"). I don't mind Cat Power. Good music to have on when doing something you like.

Cataract Camp - "Claymation":
Andy and Graber told me about this band, Cataract Camp. They would go to their shows, they said, but only in the hopes that they would hear this one song. And it's worth it: this song is fucking awesome. A bass line is played under some guitar notes, and the drummer hits a bell at the exact right time. The lyrics are ridiculously simple: the guy really wants to build you a ten-story house out of clay. He's just so earnest about it, you know? You can get this song for free of of their myspace and I recommend it, because it has become one of my favorites.

Catch 22 - Keasbey Nights:
If you want to know what I listened to in the beginning of high school, you have only to listen to this album. I fucking loved this album back in 9th, 10th, probably even 11th grade. I would play it a lot. Even now I can still sing along with every word. Pretty much the best ska-punk band from New Jersey, in my uninformed opinion, writing songs about crime and being fucked up and not needing anyone. And listening to it again, hey, I still like it. Catch 22 made other albums but they were never as good - maybe its because frontman Tomas Kalnoky left to go to college and then started Streetlight Manifesto (which I will review later). But this is the album that matters. High School Dan: fucked up in some ways, yes.

Cee-Lo:
You know him as the voice of Gnarls Barkley, but you may also know him as a former Goodie MoB member and solo rapper. I have his album Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine which I listened to a lot in the later part of high school: 11th, 12th grades. Still a pretty solid album. Soul musics, raps, keyboards and horns. My brother once called him "the vocal love child of Al Green and Dave Chappelle," which I still think is accurate. One of my favorite things about Cee-Lo is how much he thinks of himself (a lot). Anyway, I also have the song "Closet Freak" from his earlier album. It is fucking funky. Please to enjoy.

Celebration - Celebration:
I saw them open from TV on the Radio and was intrigued: a woman sings a lot, while a man with his back to the audience sits down, plays the guitar, and uses his feet to play the organ. Also a drummer. The album ended up being pretty good. (They have a new album which I hear is good but I don't have it.) It is basically that: Organs, guitar, drums, and Katrina Ford. And they're from Baltimore. Check it out if you like any of those things.

Charlie Feathers - "Can't Hardly Stand It":
Another one from the Kill Bill Vol. 2 soundtrack. I forget which part of the movie this is. Anyway, it's an old song, with a blues line and Charlie Feathers hiccuping after every verse. I like this song. (Also you can hear Feathers breathing a sigh of relief after it's over - nice.)

Chicago Afrobeat Project - Chicago Afrobeat Project:
An album that was advertised as having "only the funkiest jams," and it pretty much delivers. I don't know who these people are, but they've got some great beats. Lots of percussion. Also, electric guitar, bass, many horns. The thing is these songs are all like 10 minutes long, so it can be a bit much. Recommended over several sittings.

Chingon - "Malaguena Salerosa":
Another from Kill Bill, this one is the one that plays over the first end credits when it goes over all of the characters in the movies and tells you who played them. This song is a Spanish rock song, and I think that Robert Rodriguez plays guitar in this one as well. This song is pretty cool, and it's also notable for having the singer hold a very high note for a ridiculously long amount of time - not once, but twice. Worthwhile.

Chisel - "The Guns of Meridian Hill":
This is actually Ted Leo's old band, and this songs is for a Fort Reno compilation I got form a record store in Virginia. (I'm hoping that the proceeds actually did go towards Fort Reno, even years after it was made.) Anyway, it's a pretty good song. It sounds like an early Ted Leo song, which it is. Not too complicated, I guess.

Chris Lowe - "Funny Fake Snakes":
Another one from the One-On Volume 4 compilation. Not a bad rap song, either. Actually funky, with a cool bass line and drums. (I really don't have much to say do I.)

Chromeo - Fancy Footwork:
Ridiculous (sorry I use that word so much) 80s-style dance music. Listen to these synthesizers! It's like - you ever hear Prince's girl group Vanity 6? (I'll talk about that later.) It's a lot like that - everything is bombastic and big and stupid. And the guys who made it are seriously an accountant and a French Literature PhD student. And they have these big cheesy keyboard riffs and they are basically awesome. I mean, I really like this stuff. I don't know if there is something wrong (with me).

1119 down, 4,406 to go.

Next: The only band that matters, and some other ones.

cake - lie? (y/n)

2008-08-06T22:46:05Z

So it appears that this Friday I am going to be part of the "Scottstravaganza!", welcoming back my friend Scott White from Santa Fe. It's at the Manhattan Beach Clubhouse in Severna Park, and I will be playing a 22.5-minute set. Nice!

Also, that whole party thing I am having is next Friday. You are invited.

Onward?

Built to Spill:
Why don't I have an entire Built to Spill album? It is maddening. Anyway, I had avoided them in the past, probably because of their name. Then I actually heard them, thanks to Graber. Yeah, they're really good. Frontman Doug Martsch has a homeless-beard to aspire to. The songs I have: from Ancient Melodies of the Future, "Strange" and "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss." Both songs are very happy. From the new album You In Reverse, the eight-minute "Goin' Against Your Mind," a song that is worth all the seconds. From a mixtape, "Terrible/Perfect" and a live version of "Car." Both these songs are kind of low-key. I also have "Car" from the album There's Nothing Wrong With Love, and it sounds really good. I should have a whole album by them. Oh well.

Burden Brothers - Buried In Your Black Heart:
Okay, so, this is one of those albums I loved in high school but don't listen to anymore. Todd Lewis, the lead singer of the Toadies, formed this band in the early 2000s. Consisting of three (3!) guitars, a bass, and an awesome drummer, Burden Brothers make songs that I once thought rocked really hard. The title track boasts a 5/4 rhythm I thought was cool. I mean, listening to it again, songs like "Beautiful Night" and "You're So *** Damn Beautiful" (a strip club anthem if it was popular) are awesome, and I still know the words, but I can't get into it as well as I did when I was younger. It seems, well, kind of silly now. I am sorry! I was once a fan.

Burning Brides - Fall of the Plastic Empire:
Another band I liked in high school, my friend Ben got me into them. They play fast, awesome, garage rock and roll. The first four songs make one hell of an opening. That's all I can really remember. I thought I read that they formed when the lead singer walked into a bar and asked if anyone would come with him on a cross-country trip, provided that they left right now, and the only one who said yes was a woman who would later be his wife (and the bassist of the band). But the Internet does not provide corroboration to this story. That's too bad, it's a cool myth. So: this album is cool garage rock that is to be played during high school. Sweet.

Busta Rhymes:
Two songs - "Woo-Ha!! Got You All In Check" and "Touch It." My guitar/bass teacher, Joe Harris, pointed out to me the bassline to "Woo-Ha," which I hadn't noticed before, but it is very awesome. That's probably why I have it. "Touch It," I like for its division into quiet and loud sections. More songs that would have been performed by the UMCs, the a cappella hip-hop group I wanted to form.

The Caesars - "Jerk It Out":
That song that was played incessantly on early commercials for the iPod Shuffle, with the five-note riff played on a broken keyboard. I really liked it. That riff is genius, kind of. The song is fun, that is all.

Cake:
Ah, Cake. It is up to you if it is a lie or not. I became interested in them after going to see them, when I was in high school, playing a free show at the American Art Museum on G street. After that I wanted as much Cake as I could get. I picked up their first album, Motorcade of Generosity, recommended by my friend Ben (a different one than before). I listened to it a lot. It has "Jolene," still one of my favorite songs probably. In fact, the last stretch of the album is very solid, comprising of "Rock And Roll Lifestyle," "I Bombed Korea," "Mr. Mastodon Farm," and "Ain't No Good." All spectacular songs I thought. I also have their most recent album, Pressure Chief. Maybe not as good, but it is still a solid Cake album, with extra keyboard noises and songs that I like. I pre-ordered that album, so I got the 3-song Extra Value EP, which has some covers of country songs. In Addition: Three songs from Fashion Nugget, and the title song from Comfort Eagle, which is a really cool song - I always thought it would look good set to people walking in slow motion through a crowd.

The Cake Sale - The Cake Sale:
A collection of indie rock slow jams, made by a bunch of Irish musicians. I like this album, even though it got a bad review from Pitchfork. Who cares, right. The guy from Once wrote one of the songs here, I'm not sure which. I like "Some Surprise," with a 7/8 rhythm and vocals from a man and a woman. "Last Leaf" is a good song - you listen to it and, well, you would do anything that that woman tells you. The last song on the album is about aliens abducting everyone except George Bush, "so we can start again." Nice.

Calexico:
What I have is mostly an EP called Even My Sure Things Fall Through, and I only have it because the title is so good. But it's a collection of B-sides and remixes, mostly instrumental, so I'm not sure how to talk about it. Mellow-ish southwestern songs, by an extremely knowledgeable band. I also have the song "El Picador," which is a good song but I don't listen to it often. Maybe I would do well with an actual album by them. (They will show up again later in Musics, when I talk about the album they did with Iron & Wine.)

Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country:
A band from Scotland who like Belle & Sebastian and old 50s songs, and made their own album that is actually awesome! The best song is the first one, "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken." The singer is probably a nice Scottish woman. The violins are out, the arrangements are nice, everything sounds great. Music you can be happy to (mostly).

Cappo Ft. Scorzayzee - "Grand Final":
This song is from the compilation One-On Volume 4, which I got from my friend Ben (the first one) on his recommendation, but never listened to. It's a rap song, I think the rapper is British. Over a good soul sample, Cappo talks about how great he is. Not bad.

Caribou - Andorra:
I read a lot of Pitchfork and Stereogum, and so if there's usually something that they really like I will check it out. So I have this album - very melodic, very nice sounds, but the problem, for me, is that I forget it after I listen to it. If I listened to it more I'm sure I would get more into it, but I don't have that time. So, it might be great, but it's kind of... well, ethereal, I guess. I can't get a hold of it. I am sorry. (Also, this album is pretty long.)

Carla Kihlstedt - 2 Foot Yard:
This album was given to be my Maura, who saw them perform at UMD and really liked them. It's a trio, Carla plays violin and sings, there's a drummer, and all of them are crazy. It's pretty enjoyable music. My favorite song is probably "Peel," cause it's the most jaunty and probably the most fun. The other songs sound more serious, but, hey. Good for people who like stringed instruments and good times.

1,004 down, 4,321 to go.

Next: Cat Power, Cee-Lo, Chromeo, etc.

oh, the midwest

2008-08-05T22:21:52Z

So last week I went to Indianpolis, IN, for Phi Kappa Psi's Grand Arch Council, the supreme governing body that meets every two years. And guess what, it was awesome. I had a very good time, got to meet cool people from all over the country, had many drinks, drove everywhere, and hung out in a city I had never been to. Things are different in Indiana (slightly).

Meanwhile, I am doing okay! I am sorry I have been lax in updating Musics. In reality, I am up to De now, but have not written about anything since Born Ruffians! So, I'll have to correct that.

Also, I'm going to Virgin Festival on Friday.

I leave for Vancouver in less than 3 weeks.

Brakes - Give Blood
A band from England that plays punkish-country music on an album of 16 songs in less than 30 minutes. They're pretty good. I like this album. The lead singer always sounds like he's one verse away from the edge of sanity. Their songs are usually about how they are upset, especially with people who listen or make music and at world leaders. They also do a cover of "Jackson" that is solid. Also, one song features an early version of the Pipettes. So, it's worth listening to. (Highlights include the ten-second "Cheney" and the six-second "Comma Comma Comma Full Stop.")

The Breakers - Here For A Laugh
This band is Danish and they have made a rock album. By that I mean, you've pretty much heard the entire album before you listen to it. But I can say, it is good rock as opposed to bad rock, so it's worthwhile. Also the last song sees them branch out a bit more.

The Breeders:
Kim and Kelley Deal and some others have made a band that plays good music! I would like to have more of them, but I do not. I have an awesome cover of "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" from Pod and the song "Son of Three" from Title TK. I also have their most recent album, Mountain Battles. If I had the rest of their discography I could compare it to other records, but I don't so I'll just say it is enjoyable and has interesting bass and guitar noises and hopefully you could enjoy it.

Brendan Bring 'Em:
Okay, these songs are from an album called It's The Motherfucking Remix, where a bunch of DJs collaborated on an album where they mashed-up songs with other songs. This DJ has two mashups to offer, one with the Beatles "And I Love Her" with Kelis "Milkshake", and the other "Quiet Storm" with "Go DJ." The Beatles/Kelis thing only works a little bit (and not when they have Kelis singing over the Beatles acoustic parts), but the other one is okay. Anyway, each track comes with a shorter transition track, but I'm not listening to this album in order so it doesn't matter. Also, this CD was imported from a burned CD, which added two to four seconds of space where there should be a seamless album. But, hey, it's okay. Fine. But here's the thing: Girl Talk blows this shit out of the water. (I will be repeating that phrase a lot.) Girl Talk's album has ruined previous mashups for me, because now I just think this song goes on for too long, and it has only two samples where it could have ten. So, my advice is skip this album and get something by Girl Talk. I am serious.

Bright Eyes - "When The President Talks To God":
I have a recording of this song taken from a live show at the 9:30 club. Why? I don't really like Bright Eyes that much. He is too whiny/emotional for me, I suppose. But I like this song, as it completely slams Bush and obliterates him. The best part, for me, is at the end, when he asks "Does he ever smell his own bullshit?" and then answers "I DOUBT IT!" (Interestingly, some friends of mine from college were thinking of making short videos, something like "Conor Oberst Goes To The Library" where he screams this to mundane answers, but nothing came of it.)

Brimstone Howl - Guts of Steel:
An album released last year, where they pretend it is the 60s and make garage rock like the Sonics. Very enjoyable. An album that is very cool. My favorite lyrics are from "Tomahawk", wherein the lead singer says: "I'm 20 years old, and the tribe is done / I may not live to see 21!" Makes me feel old.

Broken Social Scene:
Okay, to be honest I was not into Broken Social Scene before this year. I had heard of them, and new that they were important or something, but had never listened to their albums. Truthfully, I liked the bands that came from BSS better - Metric, Stars, Jason Collett, etc. My friend and radio co-host Andrew would play their songs on the radio though, and I grew to like them. Then he was horrified that I had never heard You Forgot It In People. So I heard it. And, hey, what do you know, it's really good. So now I have that and their self-titled album. For a while I thought that Broken Social Scene was better than You Forgot It In People, but apparently that is sacrilege, so now I just think they're both good. But seriously, you will enjoy these songs. I do not regret it. (Also: You Forgot It In People is a great album title but what the fuck does it mean. Seriously.)

Bruce Channel - "Hey Baby":
You know that song, that oldies song that goes "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey, heey baaaabyyyyyy! I wanna know-oh-oh, if you'll be my girl." That one. Yeah, a good old beach song from the 50's. Got it because they were singing it at the women's basketball games, and that reminded me that it was a good song.

Bruce Hornsby - "That's Just The Way It Is":
The 80s song about social problems, which would later be sampled by 2pac to make a song about social problems. The songs are pretty similar, I have to say, but still. I like getting the original samples of rap songs I like, so I think that's why I have this. Anyway, this is a good song for pianos, synthesizers, drums, and problems.

Bruce Springsteen - The Essential Bruce Springsteen (Disc 1):
Man Bruce Springsteen is so awesome. That is, well, just the way it is. Also a man to write about problems. But anyway. Yeah, you can count me as a fan. Bruce is good at everything. My sister got to seem him in concert and I didn't. Damn. All these songs are great:"Rosalita", "Thunder Road," "Born To Run," "Jungleland," "Badlands," "Darkness on the Edge of Town" (which might be the coolest title for anything ever), "Promised Land," "The River", "Hungry Heart," "Atlantic City." And I left some songs out of that list, but those songs are good as well.. I mean, man. That's a good list of songs. Not liking Bruce is akin to not liking America. I'm sorry, but that's it.

886 down, 4,639 to go.

Next: Finishing out the Bs, rounding into the Cs. There will be Cake!

(The cake is a lie.)