Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Goodbye, Gerald Ford
I don't claim to know a lot about Gerald Ford's presidency in terms of policy or politics. I know enough to understand why he was a somewhat controversial president. Like most Americans my age or older, I also remember his clumsiness immortalized by Chevy Chase on "Saturday Night Live." But the rest of what I know comes not from the news, or the history books, but from my dad.
Before I was born, my dad was in the U.S. Air Force. He actually retired after 21 years of service soon after my older sister was born. He started out at the bottom and used the military to gain a college education. He also rose in the ranks until he reached pretty much the pinnacle of service: he flew Air Force One.
Well, he navigated it anyway. While my dad could certainly pilot a plane (and logged thousands of hours in the pilot's seat), he was a navigator by trade. This was back before the days of automated everything in the cockpit, and navigators were necessary to determine flight path and whatnot. So my dad spent a few years ferrying around dignitaries... Spiro Agnew, Nixon, Henry Kissinger, George H. W. Bush, Apollo astronauts, and tons of important congressmen and other VIPs. And he was Presidential Navigator for President Ford.
He had known Ford for a while, since Ford was in Congress. I think Dad dated Ford's secretary for a while (he was quite the man-about-town, my dad). He and Ford used to go golfing together, and I think he mentioned going to parties with him (or at least going to parties that Ford also attended). Now, I don't know if they were ever really close friends, but I do know that they ran in the same circles. And my dad always said how nice Ford was to him and the rest of the crew.
Not so all of the dignitaries. Kissinger used to insist that the crew flying Air Force One were there to fly, not to eat, so he wouldn't allow the stewards to serve them any food. Remember, some of these flights were incredibly long, since they flew all over the world with these dignitaries. Dad likes to tell one story about a Kissinger flight that was six or eight hours long with no meal service. He had a small pack of peanut butter crackers in his bag or pocket, and he made them last the whole flight, eating them in secret so the rest of the crew wouldn't know that he had them.
My dad is full of stories about this time of his life... the secrecy (each itinerary was strictly confidential), the VIPs he flew, the cool places he got to see all over the world. He is very loyal to the people who treated the flight crew well. The Apollo astronauts (I can't remember which Apollo mission they flew... maybe 11?) that Dad took on a round-the-world tour were very courteous and friendly with the flight crew. They even signed and framed a picture of the Apollo rocket and gave it to my dad when the tour was finished. He talks about how George H. W. Bush was very nice and smart (he recently said Bush the first was the president most qualified for the job, in terms of professional experience, that we've ever had).
But he probably speaks most highly of Gerald Ford. According to Dad, Ford was a genuine, down-to-earth guy with a big heart. That's how I'm going to remember him.
I don't claim to know a lot about Gerald Ford's presidency in terms of policy or politics. I know enough to understand why he was a somewhat controversial president. Like most Americans my age or older, I also remember his clumsiness immortalized by Chevy Chase on "Saturday Night Live." But the rest of what I know comes not from the news, or the history books, but from my dad.
Before I was born, my dad was in the U.S. Air Force. He actually retired after 21 years of service soon after my older sister was born. He started out at the bottom and used the military to gain a college education. He also rose in the ranks until he reached pretty much the pinnacle of service: he flew Air Force One.
Well, he navigated it anyway. While my dad could certainly pilot a plane (and logged thousands of hours in the pilot's seat), he was a navigator by trade. This was back before the days of automated everything in the cockpit, and navigators were necessary to determine flight path and whatnot. So my dad spent a few years ferrying around dignitaries... Spiro Agnew, Nixon, Henry Kissinger, George H. W. Bush, Apollo astronauts, and tons of important congressmen and other VIPs. And he was Presidential Navigator for President Ford.
He had known Ford for a while, since Ford was in Congress. I think Dad dated Ford's secretary for a while (he was quite the man-about-town, my dad). He and Ford used to go golfing together, and I think he mentioned going to parties with him (or at least going to parties that Ford also attended). Now, I don't know if they were ever really close friends, but I do know that they ran in the same circles. And my dad always said how nice Ford was to him and the rest of the crew.
Not so all of the dignitaries. Kissinger used to insist that the crew flying Air Force One were there to fly, not to eat, so he wouldn't allow the stewards to serve them any food. Remember, some of these flights were incredibly long, since they flew all over the world with these dignitaries. Dad likes to tell one story about a Kissinger flight that was six or eight hours long with no meal service. He had a small pack of peanut butter crackers in his bag or pocket, and he made them last the whole flight, eating them in secret so the rest of the crew wouldn't know that he had them.
My dad is full of stories about this time of his life... the secrecy (each itinerary was strictly confidential), the VIPs he flew, the cool places he got to see all over the world. He is very loyal to the people who treated the flight crew well. The Apollo astronauts (I can't remember which Apollo mission they flew... maybe 11?) that Dad took on a round-the-world tour were very courteous and friendly with the flight crew. They even signed and framed a picture of the Apollo rocket and gave it to my dad when the tour was finished. He talks about how George H. W. Bush was very nice and smart (he recently said Bush the first was the president most qualified for the job, in terms of professional experience, that we've ever had).
But he probably speaks most highly of Gerald Ford. According to Dad, Ford was a genuine, down-to-earth guy with a big heart. That's how I'm going to remember him.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Movie Quiz
This quiz comes from Mark. And Ryan also answered it.
1) Does film best tell the truth (Godard) or tell lies (De Palma) at 24
frames per second? Oh, it can tell both. Sometimes in the same film.
2) Ideal pairing of actors/actresses to play on-screen siblings Tobey Maguire and Topher Grace
3) Favorite special effects moment I don't think I really have one.
4) Matt Damon or George Clooney? Matt Damon
5) What is the movie you’ve encouraged more people to see than any other? Probably Peter's Friends.
6) Favorite film of 1934 Sadly, I don't know if I've seen any movies from 1934.
7) Your favorite movie theater The Inwood is pretty nice. There are so many good movie theaters in Dallas. I also remember the theater where my grandma took me to see E.T., which was in Illinios (maybe in Centralia, IL). It was an old-school, ornate theater. I thought it was so pretty.
8) Jean Arthur or Irene Dunne? Either? I know I've seen some movies with Jean Arthur.
9) Favorite film made for children Oh man. I am a sucker for kids movies. Disney's Robin Hood?
10) Favorite Martin Scorsese Movie I've only seen two, so I'll say Cape Fear. Or maybe The Aviator. One of those two.
11) Favorite film about children I remember really loving Au Revoir Les Enfants
12) Favorite film of 1954 It's gonna be Rear Window
13) Favorite screenplay written by a writer more famous for literature than screenplays I don't tend to like movies made from books, and most movies that would answer this question would fit into that category.
14) Walter Matthau or Jack Lemmon? I love Jack Lemmon.
15) Favorite character name Holly Golightly. Just sounds good. I haven't even seen that movie.
16) Favorite screenplay adapted from a work of great literature, either by the author himself or by someone else. Why not the author herself? Stupid sexist survey. Anyway, see above about movies made from books.
17) Favorite film of 1974 No contest, it's Blazing Saddles!!!
18) Joan Severance or Shannon Tweed? blah.
19) jackass: the movie-- yes or no? Yes please!!!
20) Favorite John Cassavetes Movie I'd say A Woman Under the Influence.
21) First R-rated movie you ever saw No idea. I never had a "you can't watch R-rated movies" rule in my parents' house, but I also never went to the movie theater. So any R-rated movie I saw as a kid was probably edited for network TV.
22) Favorite X-rated film (remember that, while your answer may well be a famous or not-so-famous hard-core film, the "X" rating was once also a legitimate rating that did not necessarily connote pornography) I liked A Clockwork Orange, if that is still considered X-rated. If not, then The Devil in Miss Jones.
23) Best film of 1994 It was a good year for movies. I can never say no to Four Weddings and a Funeral. I really liked Ed Wood, too.
24) Describe a moment in a movie that made you weep. Victor is always making fun of me for crying during the parts of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants that deal with the little girl dying of cancer.
25) Ewan McGregor or Ewan Bremner? Ewan McGregor! Ewan McGregor!
26) One of your favorite line readings (not necessarily one of your favorite lines) from this or any year. "They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time, it works every time."
27) What, if any, element in a film, upon your hearing of its inclusion beforehand, would most likely prejudice you against seeing that film or keeping an open mind about it? Eddie Murphy playing more than one character, particularly if a fat suit is involved. Actually, I'm really anti-fat suits. Hire a fat actor!!!!!!!!
28) Favorite Terry Gilliam Movie Well, he DID direct Monty Python and the Holy Grail...
29) Jean Smart or Annie Potts? Don't care.
30) Is it possible to know with any certainty if you could like or love someone based partially on their taste in movies? If so, what film might be a potential relationship deal-breaker for you, or the one that might just seal that deal? Not really, since my own taste is all over the place.
This quiz comes from Mark. And Ryan also answered it.
1) Does film best tell the truth (Godard) or tell lies (De Palma) at 24
frames per second? Oh, it can tell both. Sometimes in the same film.
2) Ideal pairing of actors/actresses to play on-screen siblings Tobey Maguire and Topher Grace
3) Favorite special effects moment I don't think I really have one.
4) Matt Damon or George Clooney? Matt Damon
5) What is the movie you’ve encouraged more people to see than any other? Probably Peter's Friends.
6) Favorite film of 1934 Sadly, I don't know if I've seen any movies from 1934.
7) Your favorite movie theater The Inwood is pretty nice. There are so many good movie theaters in Dallas. I also remember the theater where my grandma took me to see E.T., which was in Illinios (maybe in Centralia, IL). It was an old-school, ornate theater. I thought it was so pretty.
8) Jean Arthur or Irene Dunne? Either? I know I've seen some movies with Jean Arthur.
9) Favorite film made for children Oh man. I am a sucker for kids movies. Disney's Robin Hood?
10) Favorite Martin Scorsese Movie I've only seen two, so I'll say Cape Fear. Or maybe The Aviator. One of those two.
11) Favorite film about children I remember really loving Au Revoir Les Enfants
12) Favorite film of 1954 It's gonna be Rear Window
13) Favorite screenplay written by a writer more famous for literature than screenplays I don't tend to like movies made from books, and most movies that would answer this question would fit into that category.
14) Walter Matthau or Jack Lemmon? I love Jack Lemmon.
15) Favorite character name Holly Golightly. Just sounds good. I haven't even seen that movie.
16) Favorite screenplay adapted from a work of great literature, either by the author himself or by someone else. Why not the author herself? Stupid sexist survey. Anyway, see above about movies made from books.
17) Favorite film of 1974 No contest, it's Blazing Saddles!!!
18) Joan Severance or Shannon Tweed? blah.
19) jackass: the movie-- yes or no? Yes please!!!
20) Favorite John Cassavetes Movie I'd say A Woman Under the Influence.
21) First R-rated movie you ever saw No idea. I never had a "you can't watch R-rated movies" rule in my parents' house, but I also never went to the movie theater. So any R-rated movie I saw as a kid was probably edited for network TV.
22) Favorite X-rated film (remember that, while your answer may well be a famous or not-so-famous hard-core film, the "X" rating was once also a legitimate rating that did not necessarily connote pornography) I liked A Clockwork Orange, if that is still considered X-rated. If not, then The Devil in Miss Jones.
23) Best film of 1994 It was a good year for movies. I can never say no to Four Weddings and a Funeral. I really liked Ed Wood, too.
24) Describe a moment in a movie that made you weep. Victor is always making fun of me for crying during the parts of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants that deal with the little girl dying of cancer.
25) Ewan McGregor or Ewan Bremner? Ewan McGregor! Ewan McGregor!
26) One of your favorite line readings (not necessarily one of your favorite lines) from this or any year. "They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time, it works every time."
27) What, if any, element in a film, upon your hearing of its inclusion beforehand, would most likely prejudice you against seeing that film or keeping an open mind about it? Eddie Murphy playing more than one character, particularly if a fat suit is involved. Actually, I'm really anti-fat suits. Hire a fat actor!!!!!!!!
28) Favorite Terry Gilliam Movie Well, he DID direct Monty Python and the Holy Grail...
29) Jean Smart or Annie Potts? Don't care.
30) Is it possible to know with any certainty if you could like or love someone based partially on their taste in movies? If so, what film might be a potential relationship deal-breaker for you, or the one that might just seal that deal? Not really, since my own taste is all over the place.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Top Ten Albums of 2006!
This year's theme seemed to be "albums with a few simply amazing songs and a lot of filler crap." There were countless albums that, had the songs been of consistent quality, would have been fighting it out for the number one slot. However, it was not to be, and most of those albums didn't even make the list.
As always, we bought way too much music this year for me to studiously listen to all of it. I'm sure that in a couple of months I will discover an album that we've had since May or June, and I'll kick myself for not putting it on the list. Alas, I can't wait any longer - the deadline is here!
One note: I read too many reviews this year. Anything intelligent I have to say about these albums would probably be unintentional plagiarism. So, for the most part, I'm just going to speak from the heart.
So, without further ado...
10. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
This is one of the aforementioned albums with a few great songs and some not-so-nice ones. Critics fell over themselves praising this album, but I think it's a step back for everyone's favorite band of pirates, soldiers, and thieves. We knew they could get proggy (see The Tain), but boy howdy, do they trot it out on this record! What redeems this album are the three parts of "The Crane Wife" - they are so beautiful, particularly "The Crane Wife 1." And the Decemberists are just kooky enough to put the third part first.
Standout Tracks: "The Crane Wife 1 & 2" "The Crane Wife 3" "O Valencia!"
9. Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
The theatre major in me loves Destroyer. I will forever picture Dan Bejar singing alone on an stage, wearing a cape, surrounded by musical instruments. One of the pleasures of listening to Destroyer is finding all of the musical in-jokes that he drops. He even references his last album here, and instead of seeming pompous, it just makes you smile. There are a couple of duds on here, but I forgive him.
Standout Tracks: "Your Blood" "Watercolours Into the Ocean" "Rubies"
8. Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
This year's hipster party album. It's consistently good, a solid album (finding standout tracks was hard, because it's such an even sound). I feel as though I need a special hipster outfit for listening to this. Or maybe just a hipster hairdo. How many times can I use the word hipster? It's not like the singer had a baby with Sofia Coppola or anything...
Standout Tracks: "Consolation Prizes" "Lost and Found" "One Time Too Many"
7. Editors - The Back Room
There are few people who could say, with any real weight or certainty, that early U2 didn't suck. Say what you will about their later albums, but in the 80s, U2 was great. On The Back Room, Editors (perhaps without even meaning to) channel those early guitar sounds that helped the Edge become so famous, and many of their songs have the same frenetic energy as early U2. The rest, however, sounds very modern. Maybe it's Interpol meets Mullet U2. I don't know. I just really like it.
Standout Tracks: "Blood" "All Sparks" "Someone Says"
6. The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
And here we have a different type of party album. The year I graduated high school, my uncle in Wisconsin got married. My family took a roadtrip in the Upper Midwest on the way to and from the wedding. I saw lots of corn, Minneapolis, Green Bay, and a lot of lakes. At one point, I found my underage self in a seedy, small-town Midwestern bar, watching the local kids dance and drink cheap beer. I tried to imagine what it would be like to grow up there. This album sounds like that trip.
Standout Tracks: "Chips Ahoy!" "You Can Make Him Like You" "Massive Nights"
5. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
I'm not going to be able to talk about this album without sounding like I'm ripping off every music journalist out there. So I'm not going to try to say anything profound. This stuff is good. It doesn't make any sense, I can't even understand most of the words, but I like it.
Standout Tracks: "Brandenberg" "Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)" "After the Curtain"
4. Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors
I think all of us would feel refreshed after a long Italian holiday. Morrissey certainly does. He's always been one for pouring his heart out, but he seems to get, for lack of a better word, more real on this album. Yes, he addresses his sexuality, which got a lot of press for this album. I find it refreshing, even while it's a little silly to hear a man in his 40s gushing about sex for, really, the first time (not counting allusions in "Stretch Out and Wait" and whatnot). He overdoes it, though, on songs like "I Just Want to See the Boy Happy" or "Now I am Born," but can you blame him? This is definitely a mature album; maybe the most mature we've seen from Morrissey.
Standout Tracks: "Life is a Pigsty" "On the Streets I Ran" "In the Future When All's Well" "The Youngest Was the Most Loved"
3. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
After the stringstravaganza(tm) of Dear Catastrophe Waitress, Belle and Sebastian have presented a stripped-back sound on this album, as much as a seven-member band can. I think they also strive to have a bit more fun with this album, and it works well for them. They also experiment a bit more, and for the most part it works... although when it fails, it fails miserably (I'm looking at you, "Song for Sunshine"). But overall, this is a very strong album. I may even have a new favorite B&S song in the wonderful build-em-up, knock-em-down "Another Sunny Day."
Standout Tracks: "Another Sunny Day" "Dress Up in You" "Act of the Apostle" "For the Price of a Cup of Tea"
2. Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat
I was excited when I heard this was coming out, since I really like Rilo Kiley, but this album far surpassed my expectations. It is chock-full of heat, compassion, and love. Jenny's voice sounds wonderful, and the harmonies provided by the Watson Twins are the perfect accompaniment. She openly struggles with herself in the lyrics, including her spirituality, her beliefs, and, especially, her past. She channels the old ladies of country, even down to the arrangements and production. It warms my heart and reminds me of my childhood. This is an album for fireplaces, blankets, and countryside. When Jenny sings "They warn you about killers and thieves in the night/I worry about cancer and living right," all I can think is, "Hey, me too." It's too bad more women don't sing like she does.
Standout Tracks: "You Are What You Love" "Born Secular" "Melt Your Heart" "The Big Guns" "Happy"
1. Band of Horses - Everything All the Time
It's nearly impossible to talk about this album without using profanity, because damn, it is good. You know what, the title pretty much says it all. This album makes me feel almost every emotion at once. There's love, happiness, sadness, meloncholy, nostalgia, loss... it's all here. But there's no anger, no hate... just all of my favorite feelings (yes, I enjoy sadness from time to time). I don't know what they're doing to tap into my brain and my heart so thoroughly, but they do it. And they do it well. I think that if this album had been around in high school, I would have freaking loved it.
Standout Tracks: yeah, pretty much all of them! But especially "Monsters" "The First Song" "The Great Salt Lake" "I Go to the Bark Because I Like the" "Saint Augustine" "Weed Party"
On the Cusp:
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not
Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope
Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country
Placebo - Meds
The Streets - The Hardest Way To Make an Easy Living
Disappointments:
The Killers - Sam's Town
The Flaming Lips - At War with the Mystics
Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Single of the Year:
Justin Timberlake - "SexyBack" and "My Love" (tie) This album, by the way, was probably on the cusp of being on the cusp.
Runners Up
Camera Obscura - "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken"
My Chemical Romance - "Welcome to the Black Parade"
Beyoncé - "Check on It"
Box Set of the Year
Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas
Illegal Album of the Year
Girl Talk - Night Ripper
There you have it. Another year, another ridiculous sum spent buying CDs. It's worth it, though. If i am lost it's only for a little while!
This year's theme seemed to be "albums with a few simply amazing songs and a lot of filler crap." There were countless albums that, had the songs been of consistent quality, would have been fighting it out for the number one slot. However, it was not to be, and most of those albums didn't even make the list.
As always, we bought way too much music this year for me to studiously listen to all of it. I'm sure that in a couple of months I will discover an album that we've had since May or June, and I'll kick myself for not putting it on the list. Alas, I can't wait any longer - the deadline is here!
One note: I read too many reviews this year. Anything intelligent I have to say about these albums would probably be unintentional plagiarism. So, for the most part, I'm just going to speak from the heart.
So, without further ado...
10. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
This is one of the aforementioned albums with a few great songs and some not-so-nice ones. Critics fell over themselves praising this album, but I think it's a step back for everyone's favorite band of pirates, soldiers, and thieves. We knew they could get proggy (see The Tain), but boy howdy, do they trot it out on this record! What redeems this album are the three parts of "The Crane Wife" - they are so beautiful, particularly "The Crane Wife 1." And the Decemberists are just kooky enough to put the third part first.
Standout Tracks: "The Crane Wife 1 & 2" "The Crane Wife 3" "O Valencia!"
9. Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
The theatre major in me loves Destroyer. I will forever picture Dan Bejar singing alone on an stage, wearing a cape, surrounded by musical instruments. One of the pleasures of listening to Destroyer is finding all of the musical in-jokes that he drops. He even references his last album here, and instead of seeming pompous, it just makes you smile. There are a couple of duds on here, but I forgive him.
Standout Tracks: "Your Blood" "Watercolours Into the Ocean" "Rubies"
8. Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
This year's hipster party album. It's consistently good, a solid album (finding standout tracks was hard, because it's such an even sound). I feel as though I need a special hipster outfit for listening to this. Or maybe just a hipster hairdo. How many times can I use the word hipster? It's not like the singer had a baby with Sofia Coppola or anything...
Standout Tracks: "Consolation Prizes" "Lost and Found" "One Time Too Many"
7. Editors - The Back Room
There are few people who could say, with any real weight or certainty, that early U2 didn't suck. Say what you will about their later albums, but in the 80s, U2 was great. On The Back Room, Editors (perhaps without even meaning to) channel those early guitar sounds that helped the Edge become so famous, and many of their songs have the same frenetic energy as early U2. The rest, however, sounds very modern. Maybe it's Interpol meets Mullet U2. I don't know. I just really like it.
Standout Tracks: "Blood" "All Sparks" "Someone Says"
6. The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
And here we have a different type of party album. The year I graduated high school, my uncle in Wisconsin got married. My family took a roadtrip in the Upper Midwest on the way to and from the wedding. I saw lots of corn, Minneapolis, Green Bay, and a lot of lakes. At one point, I found my underage self in a seedy, small-town Midwestern bar, watching the local kids dance and drink cheap beer. I tried to imagine what it would be like to grow up there. This album sounds like that trip.
Standout Tracks: "Chips Ahoy!" "You Can Make Him Like You" "Massive Nights"
5. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
I'm not going to be able to talk about this album without sounding like I'm ripping off every music journalist out there. So I'm not going to try to say anything profound. This stuff is good. It doesn't make any sense, I can't even understand most of the words, but I like it.
Standout Tracks: "Brandenberg" "Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)" "After the Curtain"
4. Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors
I think all of us would feel refreshed after a long Italian holiday. Morrissey certainly does. He's always been one for pouring his heart out, but he seems to get, for lack of a better word, more real on this album. Yes, he addresses his sexuality, which got a lot of press for this album. I find it refreshing, even while it's a little silly to hear a man in his 40s gushing about sex for, really, the first time (not counting allusions in "Stretch Out and Wait" and whatnot). He overdoes it, though, on songs like "I Just Want to See the Boy Happy" or "Now I am Born," but can you blame him? This is definitely a mature album; maybe the most mature we've seen from Morrissey.
Standout Tracks: "Life is a Pigsty" "On the Streets I Ran" "In the Future When All's Well" "The Youngest Was the Most Loved"
3. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
After the stringstravaganza(tm) of Dear Catastrophe Waitress, Belle and Sebastian have presented a stripped-back sound on this album, as much as a seven-member band can. I think they also strive to have a bit more fun with this album, and it works well for them. They also experiment a bit more, and for the most part it works... although when it fails, it fails miserably (I'm looking at you, "Song for Sunshine"). But overall, this is a very strong album. I may even have a new favorite B&S song in the wonderful build-em-up, knock-em-down "Another Sunny Day."
Standout Tracks: "Another Sunny Day" "Dress Up in You" "Act of the Apostle" "For the Price of a Cup of Tea"
2. Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat
I was excited when I heard this was coming out, since I really like Rilo Kiley, but this album far surpassed my expectations. It is chock-full of heat, compassion, and love. Jenny's voice sounds wonderful, and the harmonies provided by the Watson Twins are the perfect accompaniment. She openly struggles with herself in the lyrics, including her spirituality, her beliefs, and, especially, her past. She channels the old ladies of country, even down to the arrangements and production. It warms my heart and reminds me of my childhood. This is an album for fireplaces, blankets, and countryside. When Jenny sings "They warn you about killers and thieves in the night/I worry about cancer and living right," all I can think is, "Hey, me too." It's too bad more women don't sing like she does.
Standout Tracks: "You Are What You Love" "Born Secular" "Melt Your Heart" "The Big Guns" "Happy"
1. Band of Horses - Everything All the Time
It's nearly impossible to talk about this album without using profanity, because damn, it is good. You know what, the title pretty much says it all. This album makes me feel almost every emotion at once. There's love, happiness, sadness, meloncholy, nostalgia, loss... it's all here. But there's no anger, no hate... just all of my favorite feelings (yes, I enjoy sadness from time to time). I don't know what they're doing to tap into my brain and my heart so thoroughly, but they do it. And they do it well. I think that if this album had been around in high school, I would have freaking loved it.
Standout Tracks: yeah, pretty much all of them! But especially "Monsters" "The First Song" "The Great Salt Lake" "I Go to the Bark Because I Like the" "Saint Augustine" "Weed Party"
On the Cusp:
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not
Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope
Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country
Placebo - Meds
The Streets - The Hardest Way To Make an Easy Living
Disappointments:
The Killers - Sam's Town
The Flaming Lips - At War with the Mystics
Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Single of the Year:
Justin Timberlake - "SexyBack" and "My Love" (tie) This album, by the way, was probably on the cusp of being on the cusp.
Runners Up
Camera Obscura - "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken"
My Chemical Romance - "Welcome to the Black Parade"
Beyoncé - "Check on It"
Box Set of the Year
Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas
Illegal Album of the Year
Girl Talk - Night Ripper
There you have it. Another year, another ridiculous sum spent buying CDs. It's worth it, though. If i am lost it's only for a little while!
Thanksgiving Travel Pictures
I'm sorry that I keep disappearing. To make up for it, I'm bringing you travel pictures today and Top Ten of 2006 tomorrow!
Budapest pictures!
England pictures!
I'm sorry that I keep disappearing. To make up for it, I'm bringing you travel pictures today and Top Ten of 2006 tomorrow!
Budapest pictures!
England pictures!
Labels: travel
