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What I Learned From Europe
Things the United States needs to import from Europe
JPT Scare Band
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Moving
I've started blogging sporadically again, but on tech topics only. If you'd like to follow that discussion, head on over to the new site. There's an Atom feed as well.
Best Albums of 2008
This list is a little bit late but at least I made my personal deadline of getting it in before baseball opening day. 2008 was a decent year for music. There weren't too many albums released that absolutely floored me but I still found some albums that I thoroughly enjoyed. Bradford Cox had an impressive year with two releases that made my top dozen with his bands Deerhunter and Atlas Sound. Kansas City locals The Republic Tigers put out one of the most impressive albums the city has ever heard. Mainstream favorites Beck, Santogold, MGMT, Vampire Weekend, and The Raconteurs put out albums good enough that even the biggest music snobs could also enjoy. I heard some interesting new electronic projects such as Starfucker, Crystal Castles, High Places, Empire of the Sun, Tussle, Ladyhawke, and Tobacco. More than anything though, I think I enjoyed hearing some of the releases put out by artists that have been around for a while but had slipped my attention before: Deerhunter, Mount Eerie, The Mae Shi, The Kills, and Thao with the Get Down Stay Down. My three finds of the year (stuff you probably haven't heard) would have to be Finnish collective Paavoharju, Absolutely Kosher weirdos Little Teeth, and San Diego rockers The Muslims - a band so fresh, they had to change their name to The Soft Pack after releasing their first album. Enjoy the list, feel free to comment, and here's to an awesome 2009!
*****Top 100 Albums of 2008*****
| 1) | Deerhunter | Microcastle |
| 2) | Why? | Alopecia |
| 3) | MGMT | Oracular Spectacular |
| 4) | Mount Eerie, Julie Doiron, Fred Squire | Lost Wisdom |
| 5) | Portishead | Third |
| 6) | Bon Iver | For Emma, Forever Ago |
| 7) | Hot Chip | Made in the Dark |
| 8) | Paavoharju | Laulu Laakson Kukista |
| 9) | The Republic Tigers | Keep Color |
| 10) | Little Teeth | Child Bearing Man |
Films Watched 2008 Part 3
Here is another batch of reviews for films that I have watched...
| AFI Top 100 | ||
| The Grapes of Wrath (1940) | 8 | The classic John Steinbeck depression-era novel adapted for film, with Henry Fonda and John Carradine. |
| Fantasia (1940) | 6 | I saw this as a kid and had forgotten how truly bizarre this film actually is. Basically it is Disney making a film showcasing classical music under the direction of Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra set with video to random Disney animated shorts. Everyone remembers the famous Mickey Mouse segment The Sorcerer's Apprentice, but there is so much other truly bizarre animation in this one. Do you remember the section about the natural history of the Earth from formation to the evolution of the first lifeforms into the creation and eventual extinction of the dinosaurs? Do you remember the section about Greek mythology times and centaurs and (sometimes topless) centaurettes? Do you remember the Night on Bald Mountain segment where the demon Chernabog summons fire and lava to destroy the damned skeletons, witches, dragons, ghosts, and demons he has created? If not, then you might want to watch this one again. This is one of the strangest Disney films ever I feel and one that I had mostly forgotten about. |
| Bonnie and Clyde (1967) | 9 | We're all familiar with the story of Bonnie and Clyde but this film does a great job of profiling the young bank robber couple and in brilliant color. It also showcases the young acting talent of Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, and even Gene Wilder. |
| The Wild Bunch (1969) | 7 | This western, starring William Holden and Ernest Borgnine, is a pretty good excuse to watch some amazing gun fights. I can't say that I especially cared for the plot but the shots of the wild west, railways, Mexico, and battle scenes made this one worth my while. |
| Sophie's Choice (1982) | 9 | Meryl Streep, as Sophie, accomplishes one of the best female acting performance ever (she deservedly won the Oscar that year too). I was blown away with how great she pulled off the Polish accent and I was immediately drawn to her sad sad character. This is a pretty depressing one (aren't all holocaust survivor dramas?) but I highly recommend it. |
| Tootsie (1982) | 7 | I rewatched this one recently since I hadn't seen it since I was a youngster. Sydney Pollack directs this film about struggling actor Michael Dorsey (played by Dustin Hoffman) who is out of work and assumes the role of Dorothy Michaels, a spunky say-what's-on-your-mind red-haired soap star. A young Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Bill Murray, and Geena Davis appear in this one, as well as Pollack himself. This film is moderately funny but probably not worthy of the AFI Top 100. |
Flashback to The Year In Music 1998
Stealing an idea from my friend Holly and Tripwire.com, I thought it would be good to take a look back at the albums released 10 years ago. This was a pretty pivotal time in my auditory life. It spanned my first and second years of college, a time when I devoured new music and discovered that there was so much other music out there instead of what they play on Top 40 radio. I'd known this for years but had yet to take that plunge. I tried out for my campus' free-format radio station and failed the interview process twice before finally being accepted. Some of the stuff on this list was actually still on the new rack when I started at the radio station, some of it I discovered a few months later, and some I didn't listen to for years. So yeah, 1998 was a pretty good year in music overall I think. My favorites are near the top. Feel free to comment any of your favorites...
Chimpanzee Riding On a Segway
Dang you They Might Be Giant's-style song for getting stuck in my head all week.
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Bollywood Thriller Rip-Off
This video is hilarious. I especially love the faux English translations.
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