let's crash my car to see if the airbags work

New website for the Daily Egyptian this semester. The Pulse section, which I'm editing these days, has been turning out some pretty good stuff so far. The new website has given us some great opportunities to write a bit more and start working with video.
Check out Chris and myself with our first foray into the online video landscape for our little section of the paper today.

A bunch of new music floating around. The Boss, M. Ward, blah blah blah. Hopefully I'll have some time to write some of that up on here.

Go see The Wrestler if you can, it's near-perfect.

rock 'n' roll,

Luke

don't give back lip

Where have you gone Juelz?

cuz i'm flyin'

As we listen to the underwhelming The Carter III at Chris' apartment, Shoot Me Down is a highlight. The only thing is, the Kanye beat sounds like it could be a Linkin Park B-side.
Oh well, at least Wayne decided to rap on it instead of sing through the vocoder.

so it goes...

My dad got the Joe Strummer documentary, The Future is Unwritten, from one of his employees for Christmas. It's put together pretty well and really gives some insight into how important Strummer was to punk and pop music as a whole.
Watching the documentary also got me to dig out the records he made with The Mescaleros at the beginning of this decade. I loved these albums when I was in high school. Strummer was grabbing from numerous genres creating some great work before his untimely death in 2002.
They're certainly worth your time if you were a fan of The Clash or just well made rock 'n' roll.

did you really rush out?

It's guilty pleasure time folks. Here's a few that have been plaguing me over the past year. Don't even try and hate, these are top notch records through and through that I listened to near as much as the ones that made the year end list.

Top 10 of the year

1. The Gaslight Anthem- "The '59 Sound"
The best record of the year is also the simplest, sonically, on the list. The Gaslight Anthem is not out to re-invent the wheel. They have produced a record steeped in punk and Americana ethos which many artists have visited before.
The result is a wonderfully honest record full of heartache and redemption.

2. The Hold Steady- "Stay Positive"
The best rock band in operation. On its fourth record in five years, the band's hooks are still as killer as they were from day one and Craig Finn's lyrics are just as introspective as ever.
The band stepped up its ballad game on this year's release, crafting gems like "Lord I'm Discouraged" to go along with fist pumping jams like album opener "Constructive Summer."

3. Kanye West- "808's & Heartbreak"
A cold, calculating turn of events from one of pop music's greatest artists. Basically stripping his sound of everything which made him the star he is today, Kanye has turned out an ambitious record full of icy synths and pounding drums. His decision to abandon rapping for the most part and sing through an autotuner only magnifies the record's pitiful, inward looking agenda.

4. TV on the Radio- "Dear Science,"
The most accessible record the band has produced is also a layered, sonically thick listening experience. Grasping the dance, funk aesthetic the band has hinted at over past releases has made their newest one of the most engaging records of the year. The band might be laying on the Bowie and Talking Heads influences a bit thick, but doing it with enough originality and musicianship to remain fresh as ever.

5. Blitzen Trapper- "Furr"
On the band's sophomore effort, it has fell face first into the Americana landscape. Borrowing heavily from folk, Southern rock and psychedelia from previous decades, the band has put together the exact opposite of a sophomore slump.

6. David Byrne & Brian Eno- "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today"
Those expecting a record full of Eno ambience and Byrne spitting nonsense over frustrating soundscapes need to check themselves.This is a pop record through and through. The hooks are sticky sweet and choruses sore over the two men's amazing penchant for crafting near-perfect pop gems. A rare, unexpected treat.

7. Bon Iver- "For Emma, Forever Ago"
Recorded in a secluded cabin in the bare, bleakness of a Wisconsin winter, "For Emma, Forever Ago" is a heartfelt, tear stained masterpiece. Guitars are sparse and when percussion and strings pop up from time to time the instruments are welcome additions to each song's torment. Justin Vernon's aching falsetto only adds to the record's turmoil. A great record for the winter months.

8. The Tallest Man On Earth- "Shallow Graves"
The Tallest Man On Earth is in actuality Scandinavian folk singer Kristian Matsson. His debut record has been tagged "Dylan-esque" by nearly every publication who has taken the time to give the record the publicity it deserves. The tag has been applied rightfully so. Each year an artist or two gets slapped with the tag but for few does it actually resonate. Matsson's plucking guitar and banjo and seamlessly engaging voice are the makings of a rich, elegant folk record which should not be missed.

9. Young Jeezy- "The Recession"
In the past, tough economic and political times fostered great music. I cannot and will not compare Jeezy's latest to Dylan or "Born in the U.S.A." or Public Enemy but it has its moments. The rapper shows his flow is more than just adlibs and and tough talk by discussing the perils of hood life and the importance of our new President elect.

10. Jason Anderson- "The Hopeful and the Unafraid"
Anderson's 2008 release is a great exercise in fun, anthemic rock 'n' roll. Grabbing from The Replacements, Springsteen and contemporaries The Hold Steady, this throaty, barroom stomping rocker is full of jams which are locks to be stuck in heads for days.

15-11

11. Langhorne Slim- S/T


12. Killer Mike- I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind Vol. 2


13. Okkervil River- The Stand Ins


14. Shearwater- Rook


15. Wild Sweet Orange- We Have Cause to Be Uneasy

20-16

16. The Mountain Goats- Heretic Pride


17. Q-Tip- The Renaissance


18. Frightened Rabbit- The Midnight Organ Fight


19. The Walkmen- You & Me


20. Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons- Cabin Ghosts ep
listen here

25-21

21. Ohtis- If This Country Had A Heart, That's Where I Was Born


22. David Vandervelde- Waiting for the Sunrise


23. Raphael Saadiq- The Way I See It


24. Anathallo- Canopy Glow


25. Cold War Kids- Loyalty to Loyalty

30-26

26. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin- Pershing


27. Jamie Lidell- Jim


28. Lucinda Williams- Little Honey


29. Loudon Wainwright III- Recovery


30. No Age- Nouns

best ofs

I just started typing a list and it rounded out at 35 albums.
Here's 35-31...
31. Vampire Weekend- S/T

32. T.I.- Paper Trail

33. The Week That Was- S/T

34. Spiritualized- Songs In A&E

35. Wale- Mixtape About Nothing

you better watch out

It's Christmas time.
We're having a party at our house tonight, it's going to be a fabulous time.
Here's a couple great Christmas jams.

she's just a LA girl

Hey, I have a blog.

If the new Kanye is getting you down, here's some throwback treats to those simpler chipmunk soul times.

but she sure talk good, and she move so fast

Last weekend a discussion ensued between my friends Chris and Hannah and myself.
A heated debate over the best Radiohead record developed.
My money is still on OK Computer, electronics be damned.

we came to dance with the girls with the stars in their eyes

Classic status
If you haven't watched Freaks and Geeks yet, what are you waiting for dummy.

I slept on the newest Plies record, Definition of Real. I'm enjoying it so much more than Real Testament. Real gritty and I can even stand it when he drops a jam for the ladies. Something I can't say for most of his other peers so far this year *cough*T.I.*cough*

bumpin some Stones over djembe drums

Man, this was good. Richard Jenkins is excellent. I just hope the Best Actor category isn't too saturated so that he misses out on a nomination.

wanna go out tonight, wanna find out what i got

Great first episode of the third season of Friday Night Lights. After they hastily wrapped things up from the second season, this episode got rolling. Some really great scenes like Buddy trying to connect with Tami in her office and dropping a "Clear eyes, full hearts..." and her just shutting him down. The one scene that really got me was the racquetball one at the end of the episode. It was tied up in all the right drama the way this show did consistently in its first season.
Here's to hoping they keep getting better.

I want to urge you again to check out Gaslight Anthem's record from this year, "'59 Sound." A great, blue collar (I guess) punk record. A whole mess of working man tunes wrapped up in some quick punk jams and slow burner ballads. Really one of my favorites so far this year.
Here's the title cut from the record.

bigger than the mayor

Some Ohtis real talk right here.
Get familiar kids.

Here's something else that popped up this week that made me happy.


Galfianakis is on point as always on last week's Tim and Eric. The man consistently makes me want to pursue comedy.

i'm gonna be somebody

It's been a pretty great week for music. I'd been in somewhat of a rut, nothing new was peaking my interest since the Okkervil leaked a while back. Then came the new Blitzen Trapper first. Their sophomore release, Furr, is parts Wilco, parts The Band, parts The Kinks, let's just say it's pretty wonderful. It's neck and neck with the Okkervil for my favorite record so far this year probably.
Also, the new Kings of Leon leaked today, Only by the Night. This time around KOL gets a little epic on us. A lot of U2 influence floating around on this record and that's not a bad thing. Whereas Coldplay did not exactly pull that off, this new KOL is incredibly enjoyable. The lead singer just keeps getting better and better too.

Kings of Leon- Sex On Fire
I have not got to the new TV on the Radio, but I sure expect that to be all kinds of awesome.

always be closing

I apologize. It's nearly been a month and I've been mad busy with moving, newspaper stuff and a new school year.
Some quick things that I've been digging.

Bloc Party- Intimacy
The band's third record has been getting crapped on for the most part but I find it quite enjoyable. It's a step up from Weekend in the City.

The Game- L.A.X.
It sucks we had to wait this long into the year for some great rap records. This is one of them and here's to hoping the new Jeezy and T.I. live up to my high hopes.



Seeing The Hold Steady in Chicago, November 14th. Meet me there.