Hey, Wanna Go Pick Some Snowberries?
Friday, December 19, 2008
I was reminded by a good friend that it's time to get some Christmas up in this piece, so I thought I'd quickly share a list of my favorite Christmas songs & movies.
Currently my top 10 tracks:
10. "Mele Kalikimaka" - Bing Crosby
9. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" - Frank Sinatra
8. "The Little Drummer Boy" - Sufjan Stevens
7. "Christmas" - Rogue Wave
6. "A Holly Jolly Christmas" - Burl Ives
5. "Happy Christmas (War is Over) - John Lennon
4. "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" - Death Cab For Cutie
3. "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
2. "White Christmas" - The Beach Boys
1. "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" - Tchaikovsky
... and the movies:
10. Gremlins
9. Home Alone II
8. The Santa Clause
7. A Charlie Brown Christmas
6. A Christmas Story
5. Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
4. Home Alone
3. Scrooged
2. Christmas Vacation
1. Elf
*Edit* Huge Christmas Blunder/Automatic Lump of Coal in my Stocking: I left Jingle All The Way off my list. Absolutely unacceptable, I know.
Happy Holidays!
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New Music: Bon Iver's Blood Bank
It's been over a year now since a guy by the name of Justin Vernon (better known as Bon Iver) locked himself in his father's cabin for 3 wintry months, and, using little more than an acoustic guitar and a remarkably distinct voice, recorded For Emma, Forever Ago. A truly haunting and unique album, Emma would most certainly be a shoe-in for the top slot on my 2008 list if TV on the Radio hadn't also made a record this year.
In the 12 months since the self-release of Bon Iver's debut album, Vernon and his music have been catapulted into the limelight by the internet hype machine. Emma was eventually re-released by major indie labels Jagjaguwar and 4AD in the U.S. and Europe, respectively, and showered in critical praise. So, presumably, it will be a different ball game when Vernon's second release as Bon Iver, Blood Bank, comes out in January. True, it is only a 4 track ep, but there will be at least some anticipation to deal with. This is certainly not a self-release by an unknown artist, and, to me, how newer artists deal with these circumstances is one of the most interesting things about music today. Does the artist stick with what works? Do they tweak a few things? Do they take a stab at the magnum opus that they always wanted to create? For some, especially those on major labels, these decisions can be career-makers... or the complete opposite. Because Vernon chose to release an ep rather than a full length album, it would be a stretch to claim that this release will actually have such a dramatic impact, but I certainly don't think the fact that this will be the first new material he's produced since his enormously popular debut is lost on Vernon, either.
Upon a few initial listens, Blood Bank is a somewhat surprisingly faithful continuation of Emma. Don't get me wrong; my surprise doesn't stem from some desire for a change in approach. I certainly wasn't expecting Vernon to pull "a Radiohead", and I wouldn't mind hearing three more lps full of Emma-like tracks, anyway. But after seeing Bon Iver perform live this summer, I was fully expecting any new material to be geared more towards the full band that Vernon had surrounded himself with. After all, he seemed to adapt Emma's content as such in a live setting, and most artists in similar circumstances produce music that utilizes (or accommodates, depending on how you look at it) the new band members. That's not to say there aren't any attempts to venture from the confines that were so well established on Emma, but I don't think there's anything here that could be labeled as experimentation, either. Vernon knows exactly what he wants and what he's doing, and the result definitely won't be mistaken for anything other than Bon Iver.
Aside from going electric on the opener, the first two tracks, "Blood Bank" and "Beach Baby", are vintage Bon Iver. The title track is a slow burner that begins with nothing more than vocals and a driving chord progression, and gradually builds by incorporating auxiliary percussion that evolves into a full kit off in the distance. Immediately afterward, lazy strummer "Beach Baby" sleep-walks in, wearily carrying on until it seems to finally collapse into a deep slumber.
Both are excellent tracks, but both also definitely suggest business as usual for Bon Iver, which is why the 2nd half of the ep is what will most likely steal the show for most fans. Listeners may be surprised (unless they happened to catch a live performance in recent months) to find that "Babys" is anchored by an almost unnerving piano track, only occasionally accompanied by acoustic strums. There's no doubt the introduction of a piano makes sense, and it sounds really good, but its ambition also pales in comparison to that of the final track. Entitled "Woods", the closer sounds completely different from anything previously offered up by Bon Iver. In fact, most people have never heard anything like it before - unless, that is, you've heard Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek". If you have, it really is hard not to compare the two. Admittedly, that may have a lot to do with the fact that both tracks are made up of so few elements, but what is there creates a similarity that is immediately recognizable. It's certainly not a bad thing; both songs, consisting of only voice and vocoder, can't very well be described as anything less than stunning. That being said, even if you're a fan of Imogen Heap and you've already worn out "Hide and Seek" (as I have), Vernon has the capability to immediately take ownership of whatever he puts his voice to. I suppose that, depending on the individual's tastes, this could be a great thing to some and the opposite to others, but the bottom line is this: If you're a fan of Bon Iver, you are definitely going to dig on Blood Bank. In fact, the only real complaint I foresee fans having is the lack of another six or seven tracks. Could be worse.
Weekly Schrutism: "Moroccan Christmas"
Monday, December 15, 2008
"In the Schrute family, we believe in a five-fingered intervention. Awareness, education, control, acceptance, and punching."
Surprise!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Turns out our governor actually is the schmuck everyone thought he was. I mean, a children's hospital? Wow.
Jerry Sloan: 20 Years
One of my idols, Jerry Sloan, became the first NBA coach to win 1,000 games with a single franchise earlier this season. Along with being the longest-tenured coach in any of the 4 major professional sports leagues, he's set an NBA record for coaching tenure with a single team, and, to me, his career really is one of the best stories in sports.
A farm boy from Southern Illinois, Sloan went to play basketball at the University of Evansville because he was too homesick to take offers from bigger schools that were further away. He went on to play for 11 years in the NBA before being hired to replace his former coach, only to resign 5 days later (ironically, and tragically, the entire team was killed a year later in a plane crash). After a short stint with the Chicago Bulls, he worked his way up through the Utah Jazz organization to eventually replace then head coach Frank Layden.
Needless to say, it's worked out pretty well. Since Sloan was named head coach of the Jazz, there have been 223 coaching changes in the NBA (4 this year alone), and 12 changes each by the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets. In that time the Jazz have racked up two NBA Finals appearances, six conferece finals appearances, seven division titles, and 19 winning seasons. Toughness, loyalty, intensity, tenacity, and a tremendous work ethic have resulted in Sloan being universally recognized as one of the greatest coaches of all time. He displayed all of these traits as a player, and continues to demand the same from his players to this day, which is why he's accumulated more wins than all but 3 coaches in the history of the NBA.
Unbelievably, he's never won a coach of the year award, mostly because of the fact that the Jazz are always expected to be good. But this apparent lack of respect does nothing but highlight what's so great about Jerry Sloan. He really doesn't care about awards. Although I'm sure it kills him that he's never won a ring, what he really cares about, and demands, is the will to compete. He cares about coming to work every day, putting your hard hat on, and giving it your best. No matter what. He doesn't worry about media attention, circumstances, or odds. In 2003, after one Hall of Famer retired and another relocated to Los Angeles, some speculated that the Jazz were about to become the worst team in NBA history. Many thought Sloan should have walked away at that point, but he stayed, continued to go to work every day, and led the Jazz to a 42-40 record, barely missing the playoffs for the first time in over 15 years. I think that season, more than any other, displays the character of Jerry Sloan.
Tonight marks the 20th anniversary of Sloan taking over as the Jazz's head coach. They weren't playing at home; there were no ceremonies. That was probably a relief to Sloan. Fittingly enough, the Jazz went out tonight and found a way to win on the road, despite their all-star sitting on the bench with an injury and their best player struggling with a bum ankle. My first inclination was that Jerry would find this to be the ultimate tribute. But that's probably way off. I'm sure that, other than some reflection, Coach Sloan just saw it as another day, and another opportunity to clock in and earn his paycheck. But don't take my word for it; here's what the man himself had to say when asked for his thoughts on the milestone:
"I don't need any ceremonies... save those for when you're dead."
I'd say that pretty much sums it up.
Stuff I'm Really Digging Right Now: Pandora, MTB, KanYe, & Dexter
Monday, December 8, 2008
*Check this out; it's unbelievable.
First and foremost, if you've never heard of Minus the Bear, you really should check them out as soon as possible. They're immaculate musicians, they sound like nothing else out there, and they put on a great show. Consequently, I've come to believe over the past few years that just about everyone would start liking MTB eventually, if only they gave the band a sincere chance.
That being said, if you are already a fan of these guys, you may not even know that this little jewel exists. They're only selling it at their upcoming shows, which is a bit of a shame. This 7 song cdep, entitled Acoustics, is absolutely one of the sickest things I've heard in quite some time.
It begins with the only brand new song included, and it's fantastic. The other 6 songs, which are, as the title implies, acoustic vesions of previously recorded tracks, would no doubt make this ep worthwhile on their own. But the first track, entitled "Guns & Ammo" was clearly written to be performed acoustically; it has an attitude and feel unlike anything the band has ever produced. According to my iTunes, I've listened to this song almost 20 times already, and 60% of the time, it rocks every time .
According to this guy, the new versions of the older songs (1 from ultimate MTB album Highly Refined Pirates, 1 from Menos el Oso, and the remaining 4 from their most recent, Planet Of Ice) don't really offer anything new, but I disagree wholeheartedly. It may be because Minus The Bear are one of my all-time favorite bands, but to me these acoustic reincarnations are not only completely satisfying on their own, they also somehow manage to refresh the original versions and help me to appreciate them even more. In short, I simply cannot stop listening to this right now.
KanYe West (yeah, I think you're actually supposed to capitalize the "Y") has been one of my favorite hip-hop artists since he released his first album, College Dropout in 2004 (which, by the way, is still one of my favorite albums of all time). He's never been the greatest lyricist, and the lack of flow in his rapping has been well-documented, but those two things have never been determining factors in whether or not I enjoy a hip-hop song. West's two subsequent albums, Late Registration (2005) & Graduation (2007), were much more sophisticated efforts, and, like their predecessor, very successful both in terms of sales and critical acclaim.
Honestly, though, I never found either of those two albums as rewarding as the simple pleasures offered by Dropout. So my anticipation wasn't through the roof for his new release, 808s & Heartbreak. Admittedly, this could probably be partly attributed to the lack of promotion and hype surrounding the December release, but, nonetheless, it's here, and I'm really enjoying it. 808s probably won't attain the critical or, for that matter, commercial success that Graduation or Registration did, but West has, at least for the time being, done away with the bells and whistles, gotten back to basics, and produced a nice little album.
Much has been made of the fact that KanYe sings more than anything else on this record, and that he does quite a bit of his singing through an auto-tuner. To me, though, the bigger story is that this guy, despite knowing what his fans expected from him, just went out and made a record for himself. And although he isn't the first artist to do so successfully (the names Jeremy Enigk and Andre Benjamin come to mind), it doesn't happen all the time, and I definitely think he deserves some positive attention for that.
Finally, if you don't know who Dexter Morgan is, I strongly suggest that you get familiar with him. I don't claim to be an expert on everything that exists within the infinite galaxy of television, but if you can introduce me to a better program than Showtime's Dexter, I'll certainly thank you for it.
I often find it difficult and intimidating to get into new tv shows, but with resources like this one, the process has become much less painful. I started watching Dexter this summer while my wife was teaching swimming lessons, and by the end of the 4th episode I was absolutely fascinated with this show centered around a serial killer who preys on serial killers. 31 hour-long episodes later, and I'm counting the days until the season 3 finale.
After spending most of my college years watching nothing but movies and sports-related television, I've discovered a seemingly endless catalogue of great programming, mostly as a result of the ease that comes with complete season dvd sets, DVRs, and the internet television revolution (Lost and 24 being two favorites in my house). But all of those shows have hit lulls from time to time - sometimes for an episode or two, and sometimes, as in the case of 24, for an entire season. This just hasn't happened with Dexter, at least not for me. Why? Simply put, I don't think this show can be pigeonholed. It's super-smart, unpredictable, extremely funny, and completely original. In fact, it's so good that CBS tried to broadcast it in prime time, despite the fact that it's loaded with profanity, violence, and nudity (sorry, it's not really a family show), and they actually got it done. I'm still not sure how they managed to pull that off, or if they'll be broadcasting subsequent seasons, but I think their efforts speak volumes about how good the core ideas of this show actually are. So go rent/buy it on dvd, order Showtime, or look it up on the internet. You won't be disappointed.
Babies
Usually (at least more often than not), my time here will be spent on music, television, & other forms of media, but I had to dedicate my first post to my 5 day old daughter, Hadley. She doesn't do much besides eat and sleep right now, but I'm pretty sure she's the most wonderful eater/sleeper I've ever seen (biased, I know).
P.S. Snow (Ice?) Day! What a great day to start a blog! More to come...
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