Christmas isn't a four letter word

I've stopped taking naps. If it doesn't happen in the first five minutes I just give up and find something to do. I used to be a big nap guy. Ya know a two hour nap here an hour nap there, but lately i've basically halted them all together. This is a huge revelation.


Sufjan's "Songs For Christmas" box-set is some serious fun. It's beautiful and funny and just plain great. Basically, this guy can do no wrong (minus A Sun Came, I just didn't get that one)

I've been listening to the new Akon album today, "Konvicted" and I like it? Dude rocks some serious sweaters too.

I reviewed the new Jay-Z record and it's up on the Maneater site today. www.maneater.com go to the arts section. I gave it quite a lackluster review, but I have a feeling I'm going to like this record a lot more a year from now for some reason.

I hope you all went out today and bought the new Clipse record "Hell Hath No Fury." Support Malice and Pusha T, best rap record of the year deserves it.

I want a new name for the blog too. This one, inspired by two african american males fighting in our apartment pool over the summer, continuously shouting "WHATS GOOD" at each other, has lost its luster. Any ideas?

Jenny lights her cigarette, wonders how she got in this mess

I like this band

I hope everybody's thanksgiving breaks were good. Mine was nice and low-key and was capped off with a Mizzou football win over Kansas, a beautiful thing.

The most recent Lucero record "Rebels, Rogues and Sworn Brothers" is well worth your time. This is one of the most consistent bands around. They put out great southern rock-esque albums every two years or so that I like more and more I listen to them. "Tennessee" is still my favorite Lucero album but this one is creeping up on it. The record is full of young love, doubt and sad times. Listening to it I just picture a band gathering at a garage in some small midwestern town, sharing beers and too many cigarettes while they have a helluva time pounding out these great songs.

I'm still on the fence on the new Shins record "Wincing the Night Away." The two times I've listened to it all the way through I can sense there's a great album in there somewhere, it's just going to take some time for me to find it.

I'm reading Brennan Manning's book Ruthless Trust and it's heavy man. The dude is so smart and has me beating myself up and totally loving my spiritual life at the same time. A great read indeed.

I am also trying to get back on track knocking out some novels. I brought back Mark Helprin's, Memoirs from an Antproof Case and am expecting good things after reading Winter's Tale and Refiner's Fire in high school.

If you're a Mizzou friend, let's get together before the semester's over. Hangout or study, I wanna see you, for reals.

rock n roll,

Luke

If hip hop should die before I wake...

So I haven't posted for a loooooong time. I've gotten loads of new tunes however and I'm back. First of all, Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

To start things off, the new Clipse record, Hell Hath No Fury is amazing. It is my second favorite record of the year and the best hip hop album that will be released in all of '06. I want to say this record is worth the wait, but it's so good it's just not fair the public had to wait so long for it. The Neptunes aren't dead but have been saving most of their good beats for Pusha T and Malice. The production is dark and grimey which fits the content of the record perfectly. Coke and guns and more coke. The lyrical skills of both of these MC's is matched by few in hip hop today and they just bring a realness that seems distant in the tales of drugs that Jeezy or Santana spit. BUY THIS RECORD ON 11/28!!

I just recently go the new Shins record and I'll let everyone know my feelings on it sometime this weekend.

Oh yeah, Casino Royale is BA

Play it cool boy

The new Bloc Party record, A Weekend in the City, leaked recently and I'm totally engrossed in this record right now. All I've been listening to for the past week or so were new hip hop realeases (Hov, AZ, Game) and this record has taken up all my listening time for the past day or so. It's layered and dark and epic and I just want to stay up and give it repeated listens. I've been reading from some dudes that the album lacks because of it's softer side (compared to Silent Alarm's brashness) but I think that's one of the record's strong points. Bloc Party hasn't gone out and re-recorded their brilliant debut but has continued to evolve its sounds into something grand. I don't think this comes out until early '07 so it will have to stay off my year-end list but it would definitely be up at the top. Plus they shout out some Breat Easton Ellis on "Song For Clay (disappear here), and I will not argue with one of my favorite bands using one of my favorite authors as inspiration.

I've been watching Six Feet Under re-runs on Bravo on Monday nights and I'm falling in love with this show. I attempted to get into it during high school but I just didn't really connect. I guess it's just my advanced college brain (mwhahahahha) really diving into and appreciating this show's brilliance. Each episode was just a stark and haunting look at mortality, love, religion and other assorted aspects of life. Also, the acting was top notch.

Thanksgiving Break is coming up and it is much needed and the possibility of taking in a My Morning Jacket show in St. Louis has me seriously pumped.

rock n roll,

Luke

30's the new 20

So Kingdom Come leaked this weekend and I wasn't as excited as if the new Nas or Clipse leaked but I was still pretty pumped. It's no classic but definitely a great rap album. Lots of Dre and Just Blaze beats and who's going to argue with that. I've been reading on the internets about the Doc beats being lackluster but I'm digging them nonetheless. Hov's lyrics are on point as usual, but he just doesn't sound hungry. When the Black Album dropped my junior (?) year of high school that was in the car for months man. Kingdom Come doesn't have those tracks that just get a smile creeping across my face wondering how the man does it. This record finds Hov in a comfortable spot just spittin' about his wealth and status. I will buy this record on the 21st, believe that.

On the sports tip, how awesome was Thomas Jones doin' the Jim Jones BAAAALLLLINNN jump shot in front of all the Giants fans after his touchdown in the second half? Compliments of the windy city Capo!

You rappers ain't safe

So Lost isn't new again until February? How's ABC gonna pull a HBO on this? This last episode was one of the best of the season and I'm officially back on the LOST bandwagon after fallin off last year for a while. In the rest of the tv world, I still really like Studio 60 and am enjoying it because it probably won't be on the air too much longer.

The Weezy remix of Show Me What You Got has been all over the internets. Wayne kills it, find this and thank me later.

I saw Borat last Saturday and it's great, believe that.

rock n roll,

Luke

I'm on my grind cousin, got no time for frontin'

Titch

I watched the Daniel Craig flick Layercake again tonight. I'm just gettin in some Craig before Casino Royale comes out (which I'm pretty excited for). Layercake is a wonderful film man. Just complex drugs and crime stuff with great acting all around.

Crazy Titch got sentenced to thirty years for the murder of a British producer the other day. Titch was a prominent figure in the grime movement and could spit, and spit harshly at that. Get your hands on any of his stuff if you get the chance.

At Streetside I picked up the new Lyndsey Buckingham and Blood Brothers releases. The Buckingham is excellent and the Brothers is alright.

Borat tonight fools.

I've had kisses that make Judas seem sincere

I'm throwin up my top ten for the year so far. I'm sure I'll forget some albums, this is just a quick one since I'm bored

10. My Chemical Romance- The Black Parade
- I'm serious on this one. I've been listening to it alot. So don't go callin' me emo or some junk like that. This record is freakin' huge. The songs are anthemic and will be stuck in your head for daysss.

9. Trae- Restless
- What a dirty, dirty southern gem. Two words... REAL TALK

8. Rhymefest- Blue Collar
- The man who penned Jesus Walks finally drops his solo disc and it's full of social commentary and humor

7. The Thermals- The Body, The Blood, The Machine
- Punk Rock.

6. The Game- Doctor's Advocate
- The Game silences critics by droppin' another record full of West Coast gangsta ish. I just posted on this, read up

5. Ghostface Killah- Fishscale
- Ghost does what he's been doin for years. Spittin out that fire over some great beats

4. The Decemberists- The Crane Wife
- This is the best Decemberists record to date. No pirate sounding funny stuff, just great rock n roll.

3. TI- King
- This record is great, might actually be the best of the year, who knows how I'll feel in a few months.

2. Josh Ritter- Animal Years
- I've listened to this the most out of anything in the past year. One of the best singer-songwriters doin' it right now.

1. The Hold Steady- Boys and Girls in America
- Like you didn't see that one coming. This record is a beast, if you don't have it, get it, NOW.

The year still holds releases from Hov and Nas so we'll see if those can make the cut. Hell Hath No Fury drops next month and that will definitely be on here. I can't wait for that record, I get chills just thinkin' about it.

Borat comes out on Friday and I will see this movie.