drain bamage

When I first started blogging, I didn't need any help remembering ideas. There was so much to talk about and update on, that there wasn't any way I could run into a writers block. Plus, I sucked (still do?) at blogging, so all of my stuff was self indulgent crappola, and as many writers know, that's the easiest stuff to write about.

Eventually my brain (intestines) ran out of pre-stored topics (shit). So then I started to carry around a little notebook, like Harriet the Spy. The problem with that is; it's totally nerdish, and instead of pulling it out at instant thought, I would wait till I was in my car, and then nearly crash into stuff. Or, I wasn't able to read my own scribbling and thus, the notebook was ruled ineligible for play due to risk

Then I got the smart idea of a voice recorder. At least 10 times more nerdy then a notebook, but twice as discreet. Crashing into stuff would only happen while I was texting and driving (a fashionable way to die if you ask me) and my voice is that of an angel, so there would be no deciphering to do. This worked pretty good, but playing it back was a "man in the mirror" moment where I would question what a completely awesome 2o-something was doing listening to his pre-recorded tom-foolery. I got over that ego-trip quickly for the sake of all 3 of my readers, but my zest for writing was gone and the topics seemed less and less enticing.

Then my zest came back (hooray?) and my thoughts and memory were strong enough to remember my blog topics. However, in the past month or so, I am finding myself in a zone where I know I thought of stuff to blog about, but then lose it when I sit down at the keyboard. My old age is catching up with me. It's like when you are in the grocery store and you know there is something else you need, look at the stuff you already got in your cart, and can't figure out what is missing. So, you get yourself all the way home.....FUCK!.......THE PAPERTOWELS!

So I am considering a revisit to those methods, but currently, I am fighting the little nerd inside me with a "You're better than this!" light-saber.

But here some good news....I posted more in this year than any other and I am still hot on the "blog more, dummy" quest. Ran out of time today, but hopefully some late posted christmas tales and observations for you tomorrow.

Merry awkward Christmas

I would totally be this guy. Merry Christmas you bunch o' nerds.

Fin

Today is the last day. I think it worked out well that its the day before the day that is the day before the day. I guess I just have that natural sense of perfect timing. That and a natural sense of being completely arrogant when I don't need to be.

So many promises to keep, lets get started!

1) She bought the PC....suckerrrr. Ruining her life begins this weekend.

2) The UNRATED bonus material. (Albums that looked good in 2008, but I never got around to buying). Santogold . Department of Eagles "In Ear Park". The Hold Steady "Stay Positive". Crystal Castles. Kanye West "808's and Heartbreak". The Cool Kids "The Bake Sale". The Whigs "Mission Control". The Cure "4:13 Dream". No Age "Nouns" . Hercules and Love Affair. The Killers "Day and Age".

I will probably buy some of these based on how they do in the 2008 reviews that I haven't read yet and how much money I get(steal). Sorry gang, but you can rest assured that in 2008 there is going to be a shift to quality, not quantity.

3) I have made a "Christmas music that doesn't suck" mix. I am going to put it up on iTunes under "PoVegas Christmas". Feel free to search for it, or hit up the comment box for a track listing.

#1 album time. Put your happy hats on!

1-Fleet Foxes "Fleet Foxes/Sun Giant EP" I am not sure if it is legal to group them together like this, but since they came out within a month of each other and contain different songs, I am grouping them as one album.

Why is this the number one album? Good question. When I put together this list, it was easy to come up with the order that felt right in my head (subjectively), but to come up with reasons as to why I put the order as I did it became more difficult to validate my feelings. Music is such a deeply rooted entertainment source, that it becomes difficult to explain why something is better. It's so philosophical that you can come up with so many reasons as to why or why not one sound is better than another sound. DIGRESSING.......

So, why does S.VINCENT think Fleet Foxes is the number 1 album of 2008? For me, they simply did the most subjective things right AND I knew that other people would like it. If I had my ultimate way, this album and Cut Copy would be a dead heat. I like them both so much, one is fun and one is magnificent. Cut Copy is like winning your first game against your dad and Fleet Foxes is like winning your final game against professionals. They may be equal to you, but the public will only remember the last they see of you.

Basically, this album is number 1 because it's more respectable than Cut Copy. Fleet Foxes have a hymnal folk sound that just soaks through your skin. It's crisp, it's clean, and it's timeless. You would never get sick of their harmonious voices soaring over their effortless melodies. If you like Neil Young or Crosby Stills and Nash, this is right up your alley. When I first heard them, I thought instantly of My Morning Jacket, and it's true, there is a similar sound to the vocal instrumentation, but there is something a little deeper here than My Morning Jacket. I still haven't figured out what it is, but it has something to do with Fleet Foxes poise in the production. Their songs feel like they summon them from the earth, where as My Morning Jacket cranks them out of their endless creativity. This could be why Fleet Foxes seems so effortless, because it sounds like they aren't even trying. Jimmy James uses my morning jacket like a costume. He puts it on and he does his fabulous act of wonder. Fleet Foxes seem to blend into the background in some kind of a forest lullaby. Every melody and lyric eases out like a new plant or bird fluttering in.

I know this all sounds very melodramatic, but when you have to come up with ways to explain music, its very hard to conjure up what is going on, so you find yourself creating this picture of the sound. Its especially hard with the more musically dense albums because there is so much going on here. So put some headphones on, close your eyes, and let the number 1 album of 2008 soak in.

Jittery Monday

I am all jittery today and I don't really know why. Maybe it's a hangover from the hunkey-ness of Hugh Jackson in Australia that I watched last night. Maybe it's endorphins from attacking the wheel wells of my car with a broom handle to dislodge the ice blocks so that I could make more than 10 degree turns. Or maybe it's just the excitement for Christmas!

I was quite productive at the mall and found some good presents (and if they aren't, maybe a shank between the 3rd and 4th rib is something I could interest you in). I even bought some wrapping paper! How un-male of me, eh? Between that and driving my little puddle jumper around 5 inch snowbanks out of fear of getting stuck, I'd say my balls may have shrunk a little this Christmas. I guess I am going to have to go to a strip club on NYE to make up for it. Or maybe go outside and chop down a tree. Or lift a big snow shovel full of wet slushy snow RIGHT OVER MY HEAD! "I am S.Vincent, the man of men, hear me roar!"

ALBUM REVIEWS

Tomorrow will be a post of all the UNRATED albums that I didn't get to listen to. And I am working on a cool Christmas music list. Meaning Christmas songs that don't make you wanna throw up. That is, if I can find any.

Alright kiddies, here we go. Down to the last 5 albums of 2008. I hope you are as excited as I am. Actually, you should be more excited because I have been staring ENDLESSLY at this list for the past week and I know what it says. But you have no idea what they are going to be, so this one is for you!

Without further delay......

5-Kings of Leon "Only by the Night": This is one of my current favorite bands ever since I got into them last year. I love the music, the style, the lyrics, the image, and the lack of any big time exposure they have. Many critics use say that this is their ultimate sell out album. That this album goes against their musical roots and simplifies their once unique country rock sound. They say that their lyrics have been dumbed down into a preen for the ladies. All of this is more or less true, but at least they have albums where they didn't do those things. Albums that were more intricate, raw, artistic, and critically acclaimed. You can buy them on Amazon and I suggest you do. My point is, they did it already, so why not come up with an album that reaches a wider audience? Maybe they didn't do it with enough tact, but they did it. And to tell you the truth, the album is still great. I saw them live about a month ago, and the songs that really resonated with the new crowd was the current hits and not because they are current, but because they sound better live in a larger venue. The old songs are better as album songs, but their sound gets lost in the crowd noise and venue reverberations. Bands make their money touring, so if KOL can get earn some bucks and still rock the house. I am going to say "rock on". I love all the songs from radio-rocker "sex on fire" to industrial-istic "crawl" to slow jam "cold desert" to party rock "Manhattan".

4-Bon Iver "For Emma, Forever Ago": It gets really tough here in the top 5 to pick who is 5 and who is number 1. I don't remember where I got this album from, I think I read randomly about it somewhere, and the name stuck with me, so when I was on iTunes I looked him up. This is a perfect winter album (that was released in the summer) but I heard it was written and recorded by Justin Vernon (lead singer, creative force) in a cabin in Wisconsin during a winter that he spent by himself. The music is slow, sad depression type tunes. But its not as pathetic sounding as it sounds, so if you are a big fan of folk, you will like this album (also if you TMOE that we talked about earlier, they tour together). The lyrics are incredibly cryptic, but you don't really need em to understand where he's going. Catch a word here or there and it all starts to come together. His voice is fantastic and there is some sort of studio harmonizing with himself going on, making all his tracks sound like much more than simple singer songwriter. But there is still a whole bunch of background noise (like his shirt sleeve rubbing on his guitar, an fire siren in the distance, weird clicks and tape reel noises) that make this album feel so personal. Like Justin made the album just for you in his basement. All this makes it feel so fresh, pure and spontaneous. All the tracks are awesome, Headphones are a must or a really quiet room.

3-M83 "Saturdays = Youth": You take a leap of faith when you tell people you like M83. Because it really does teeter on the line of dork emo-ish music. You really almost have to find it yourself because if someone tells you how great it is, you'll probably end up criticizing its lack of subtlety. And I guess this is a case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder. It's incredibly luxurious and lush sounding, and on the surface it sounds like something out of a Planet Earth segment or a commercial. But if you really listen with an open and fresh ear, you can hear that there is a real artistic quality to this album. I like to call them an English speaking Sigur Ros (if you know who they are). But as much as it is atmospheric shoegaze type music, there is a real simplicity to the stories of the songs. Mostly about being young and innocent and stressed, but not as immature as that may sound. Just go with it, pretend you're not as cool as you think you are. Embrace your inner low self esteem nerd! The music does go over the top, but its supposed to be that way and its the simple lyrics which keep it grounded, focused and give it the ability to be appreciated by common (albeit open minded) music fans. It's the style in which Anthony Gonzalez basically gets his really good electronic shoegaze across and I think it works out a lot better then other uptight elitist shoegaze I have heard. All the tracks are good here in the top 5, and this applies even to teenage french-inspired electronic shoegaze in this case.

2-Cut Copy "In Ghost Colours": Can I say that I get excited about listening to this album most of all. That even though its number 2, it holds a special place in my heart? I think it may be the fate of a non #1 album to be my favorite despite the lack of respect that I give it. Maybe because its a deep rooted emotional problem. Last year it was #4's Kings of Leon's "Because of the Times" and I have listened to that album a bajillion times too even though I gave the crown to NIN. I guess there is a difference between what you enjoy the most and what you respect the most. This is the case here. I am at a loss of words to explain it........summer, dance music, 80's chic, snarky female smiles, big hearty laughs, cold glasses of iced tea, slip on sneakers, cool night air, sliding on car hoods, booty bonks.........
Cut Copy is from the rockin city of Melbourne, Australia and they specialize in new wave-esque dance tunes. Think Duran Duran with a little more emphasis on dance electronics then top 40 hits. This album has everything I love. Great builds to the highs, audible lyrics, definitive new sound, a great percussion foundation, variety of sound (once you listen more) and EXCELLENT track order. It's fun, it grows on you, it doesn't get old, and a song ending just means another great one is up next. I don't think there is one teeny thing I would change about this album. I don't think the video on your computer does this justice. Listen to it in the car, or out with your friends. And turn it up loud! If you buy one thing from this list or remember this list for one thing, remember it for Cut Copy and that I love it and that I stuck up for it. Tell your grand kids and have them tell their grand kids, for the love of PETE!

Number 1 tomorrow ;) OH THE HUMANITY!!!!!!

The Grinch(internet) stole Christmas

There is a common theme that happens at my place of employment involving everyone but S.Vincent. Everyone YELLS all THE TIME! Despite my anxious web scribblings, I am actually a very Zen like creature when it comes to my physical actions. I wake up very early, I go to sleep late, and there are many hours of intense labor inbetween. I don't have the energy to talk above a normal speaking voice, something my co-workers are oviously unable to control. It's absolutely deafening in the office, no exageration, and I can't even move because the volume paralyzes me. Between co-worker yelling at co-worker, bosses yelling at customers, co-workers yelling on the cell phone, bosses yelling on their cell phone, my co-worker yelling at himself, and crack addicts outside yelling at the garbage cans, I feel like I am riding in the landing gear of a 747 everyday. Its not even angry yelling, its just talking in a EXTREMELY loud voice. Someday I am going to stand up in the middle of it all and just scream "ALL IS WELL, REMAIN CALM, ALLLL ISS WELLL!!!!!"

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The internet ruined my christmas. For the past week, I have been hounding Amazon.com to find a gift for everyone on my list. It took me about 3 days to collect it all and then on Monday I was ready to hit CHECK OUT. Well only 4 of my 15 items were able to get here before christmas EVEN if I used 1 day shipping. What the Reindeer-Fuck is that? Now I have to trek my ass to the mall with every other idiot out there to buy christmas presents that I will be settling for, instead of being excited about. That's more work for less satisfaction. Screw it! Everyone's getting kisses this year. DEAL WITH IT GRZY!

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The album review has once again driven more hits to this site then in the previous month. I am getting almost double the traffic that I usually do. Probably because people are copy-pasting my idiocy into e-mails to their co-workers and friends saying "Look at what this idiot said, lets go stab him with a rusty spoon and poop in his car". Either way, I am blog rolling today to hopefully get some of my internet buddies some biz-nass, and that will be their christmas present, unless they come to my house in which I will also give them a kiss. DOUBLE PRESENTS! So check that out over yonder......(right hand side of the page dummy.....no, your other right)

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ALBUM REVIEWS

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As many albums as I bought; there are a bunch sitting in my shopping cart right now that I didn't buy. (There's a pants-shitting surprise) Some of them are very popular choices and will probably be on a bunch of "album of the year" lists. Unfourtunatly, Superman turned down my offer to do his "fly around the world in the opposite direction, and thus reverse time or destroy the earth's gravitational center and send it hurling off into the universe manuver", so I am stuck. In the next post I will go over the UNRATED version of the album review. You see what I did there? I figure if it can work for "American Pie", it can work for S.Vincent.

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10-Ray LaMontagne "Gossip in the Grain": Looks like jesus, sings like christians think jesus would sing like. He could make a killing singing church songs. Probably make more money and be more popular then he is now. Appearances aside, this is a better version of classic Ray LaMontagne. (When Grzy told me about this guy during his first album, he said "it's spelled like Lasagna, only it's LaMontagne" and I actually knew exactly what he meant) His previous albums have been a great example of his talent with a simple guitar and great signing voice. They are really good, but what pushes Gossip over the edge is it's production quality. He has background singers and full band sets and a wider variety of styles to show off his skill set across different platforms. But, its still got its classic LaMontagne feel. It's like LaMontagne on Steroids!! Call the cops! I Really like "Sarah" (weeper love song) "Hey Me, Hey Mama" (extra hill billy folksy) "A falling through" and "Roses and Cigarettes"

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9-Vampire Weekend (self titled): This is the first 2008 release album I bought in 2008 and it seems like that was forever ago. I liked it immediately. It was cool, easy, simple tunes that had a real fresh sound with plenty of new band enthusiasm. But I wasn't blown away by anything. They don't build to big rocking highs or slow it down real nice or have crazy lyrics or some cool new method. It was like this ever chugging pretty enjoyable music machine, with no real defineable attribute. Over time I moved on to more exciting options. So why did you put them here, you ask? Well this is a pizza album, as I like to say. Even bad pizza is still better than a lot of other bad things, and mediocre pizza is great, and good pizza is really really great. Pizza might never be gourmet cuisine or something to brag to your friends about eating, but it's not supposed to be. Basically this album does enough things that involve not screwing anything up, having a real good and unique sound, and not trying to be anything more than really good pizza. I challenge you to NOT like it. Every track is solid (except for the one that oddly enough has the same name as my sister, and thus, creeps me out) and if I had to name their music, I would call it "Ivy Rock". Cause they only sing about fun school times, use stuff like violins and weird keyboards, and they all went to Columbia. So yeah, I just did that.

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8-The Tallest Man on Earth "Shallow Grave": Ahhh, what a pleasant album. TMOE is a guitar plucker, country twang/howl folk singer. He sounds a lot like Bob Dylan so if you are a Bob Dylan fan, you HAVE to buy this album. I had a tough time picking between Vampire Weekend and TMOE for this spot, and what clinched it for him was the sudden death tie breaker in which I check the playcount on iTunes. I listened to this album 8 more times than Vampire Weekend, so there you go.

TMOE is not at all tall in stature, as evidenced by this photo which Grzy sent to me while he was at his concert. I was so upset with him for living in a large city and thus having only 15 min drives for Live music. It really makes me laugh whenever I see it. Don't you just love the cute little bugger already? And he sounds like a little old "general store" man. His album is a series of simple love folk songs with lyrics that highlight missed lovers, attraction, investigation, admiration, and journeys. Its your basic folk album, but it seems much less bland than a basic folk album and I really can't say enough about the twing twangy guitar plucking. It really sets the album off on a good foot. Love "Pistol Dreams" "I won't be found" and "The Gardener"(My Favorite)

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7-MGMT "Oracular Spectacular": One of the rare finds that I got from a free iTunes single of the week. See kids? There is a point to downloading those songs! Ha, in your defense they are crap most of the time, but every once and a while you can find a little golden nugget like MGMT. You've all heard "Time to Pretend" which is the highlight of this album, but there are actually a ton of good songs to accompany it. I am not sure if it counts, but I got a deluxe version which has some other really good songs on it that may not be on most of the albums. What makes this album unique is the way that they sing with a echoey howl and electro music. Plenty of good builds in all their tracks and kind of a bizarro version of Vampire Weekend, in that it sounds like Vampire Weekend only a little more eccentric, experimental, and with specific build up points and more instrumentation. They aren't so hot live, but they are new, so give them some time to refine it. But I think this album may have "one hit wonder" written on it. Usually the people who are not good live, don't have enough chops for more than one album. Thankfully, they released a hum-dinger. There are a few duds but the hot tracks are hot. "Time to Pretend" "Kids" "Electric Feel" "Destrokk" "The Youth"

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6-Jack's Mannequin "The Glass Passenger": (cue 15-18 year old teenage girls screaming) I admit that this is a little girly. But if you didn't know that and just tried to enjoy some pf the well crafted pop-music from a good musician (featuring piano, which I am a sucker for), then you will like this album a whole lot. It sounds similar his first album under this band-title but a little more musical, if that makes sense. Deeper cuts, more sound, more instrumentation, less vocal priority. They are sing a long songs, and I am always glad when I can actually hear and understand each one. Sometimes you need music like this which you like from the start and is easy to get into no matter what the occasion. I am pretty guarded with my music (despite the blog where I talk about it all the time) because you can take a lot of flack for what you listen to. I listen to everything, but as far as what I recommend to the public, I stay on the safe road. This album is safe because even if you don't really like it, you wouldn't be confused as to why someone else would. If Vampire Weekend is pizza, then this is ranch dressing. You may prefer other types of dressing, but you aren't gonna make reaching noises at the guy who puts it on his salad. Best Tracks are "Crashin" "Annie Use your Telescope" "Caves" "Miss California" and "Drop Out/So Unknown" "Hammers and Strings"

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I would check back on Saturday for 5-1. The weather in PoVegas is a suckfest, so I may be trapped inside with nothing to do. No guarantees in PoVegas though.

Picture me Rollin'

I don't have time to do it today, but soon I will make up a blog roll for all of you who somehow found your way to my blog but then the stench of terrible writing caused you to go into a cultural coma and now you can't find your way out. Kind of like going to a Fall Out Boy concert. This blog roll will assist you to greener pastures. Maybe someday, if I pay these bloggers thousands of dollars (or threaten them with being forced to smell my shoes) I will appear on one of their blogrolls. Don't tell them I led you there though, or else they will kick you out. It'd be like Lee jeans at the cool kids party in high school.

Title comes from the greatest movie of all time (or when I am in a immature enough of a mood to call it that) watch to the first 1:00 with the senior quote for seth green aka Special K. So many quotes, my head explodes. You can bail after that.

I have a chance to finish 3rd in two of my three fantasy football leagues and in 1st or 2nd in the other one. This is the first time I have had a chance at 3 medals. But that's just nerd talk....the best part of Fantasy Football Leagues is the team name. They are as follows "Whoa Whoa WEE WHOA!" "PoVegas Punishers" (lame, but its an old league and there is a legacy rule) and "Thundercats, HOOO!!" Pretty sweet names right? .......Pretty lame topic right? Moving on....

ALBUM REVIEWS
So I inadvertently heard on the radio that Rolling Stone gave TV on the Radio's "Dear Science" the "album of the year". I knew that they would get a high placing, but it really frustrates me that I can't get into them and I am rededicating to the cause. Probably shouldn't have mentioned that, and if you choose to ignore the rest of the list as pure poppycock, then I won't blame you.

14- The Airborne Toxic Event (self titled)- Of course I heard the single "Sometime Around Midnight" first. And I smugly thought to myself if I haven't heard of this yet, its because its a one hit wonder. Then I went back to smoking clove cigarettes, drinking imported beer, and cursing the overuse of auto tone/tune in hip hop these days. I forgot when I first got clued in, but around a month later I was listening to this album over and over. They remind me a little of another band I love; Pulp. The vocals are really gritty packed with loose cannon emotion just like rock legend and weirdo Jarvis Cocker used to do. They aren't quite as experimental and artsy as Pulp is, but even I think Pulp would go too far sometimes and I am a big fan.
"Sometime around Midnight" is a sucker song for me. I am better emotionally equipped to handle it these days, but back in the day this song would have slayed me (back in that day it was Motorcycle Drive By-3eB). Its got angry/depressed mix tape written all over it, I almost wish I had some girl to spring it on. (wait, you mean I would have to talk to her more than once? okay forget it then) This whole album is very good, but this song is by far the shining star and keeps it from being a mid 20 album to its current position. The other songs do a fine job of being original and the album features a good variety of hard rockers to poppy songs to power ballads. If you are a casual music fan, pick up this album. It is very fan friendly and easy to enjoy music. You'll like it a lot the first time through and I just hope these guys got enough juice for another album.

13-Girl Talk "Feed the Animals": This is the most unique album on the list and should be all the rage with the kiddies. You won't hear it on the radio though because it's somewhat controversial in that it is a pure "mashup" album. Basically, Greg Gillis (girl talk) takes a ton of samples and then mashes them all up in different ways to create new songs. They are super fun and super cool. From Lil John, The Band, Ace of Base, Jay Z, Kanye, and Rod Stewart. Its all in there! However, as you can see, no link to amazon because they don't carry it now for some reason. They did when I bought it, but perhaps there is some trouble with the licensing and copyrighting of this album.
The only problem with it is that it should be used sparingly. For me anyway, I get a little brain dead from listening to it too much as the undeniable nature of DJ'd material is a very rhythmic and unchanging beat and for some people that can get old quick! It obviously excels in a party atmospheres and driving in groups of immature people, but alone time or work time and it can be distracting. You should definitely check this out (if you can find it) to see if you can "smell what the Girl Talk is cookin'."

12-Foals "Antidotes": Dubbed as Math Rock, whatever that means, this album has a fun european sound. Maybe its because it makes you feel really smart and sophisticated. They have a real upbeat sound with quick strumming guitars and high pitched plucking. There is a quick stomping beat throughout and is a real toe tapper. The vocals are often repetitive with the beat and sung in a exasperated fashion with lots of the lyrics ending in mini gasps. A unique sort of style that I have heard before but can't put my finger on. Foals reminds me of a less electronic and more conventional version of LCD Soundsystem and they also remind a little of Spoon. I could be way off on that, but it's what I think. Plus, they look like cool dudes who know how to have fun being rock n' roll stars. Really like "The French Open", "Olympic Airways" "Two steps, twice"and "Big Big Love". Sweet album artwork too!

11-Blitzen Trapper "Furr": This is a late pickup (3 weeks old), and I might be a little too over-juiced about it to be fair. But whatever, I am not a pro and I don't get paid to critique albums, nor do I get them free ahead of time. So I like what I like when I like it. This album has an old time 70's folk-rock feel, but is surprisingly well modified to modern tastes. They remind me of country rocked Death Cab for Cutie. Awesome wood panelled cover art! Lots of cool harmonica and good percussion. Good harmonizing too! I think these guys should tour with Black Mountain. They would be an awesome show. Their lyrics are impressively vague, fun, and well written. Songs about being a farm animal (Furr) a confused serial killer (black river killer) and a resentful lover (not your lover anymore). The tracks have a good amount of variety and the lead singer has a great way of modifying his style to match the tempo and mood of each one. If you like bands such as The Band, The Allman Brothers, Crosby Stills and Nash, and Okkervil River; you will probably really like these guys.

Albums number 10-5 tomorrow. Stay Tuned!

flirting FAIL

I'm no good at flirting because I am far too sarcastic and vague and my first impression is pretty distant from the way I actually am . It's not that I am bad at meeting people, I am actually quite good at coming off as professional in business activities, but in a friendship/dating environment, even though I am an ocean of randomness, interesting facts, and creativity; you would probably find me very pod-like and bland during the first 5-8 times you talk to me.

Why? Because I know that my personality is one that takes a little getting used to, at least that's how I see it. You see, I am most comfortable and truest when I feel like me making a joke at your expense such as, "hey nice shirt, where'd you get it, lost and found at the Laundromat?" or saying something disturbing such as "I bet if I ran your dog over with my car you'd take me seriously" won't cause you to punch me or call the cops. These are things you can't say to just anyone, I know this, and I am actually pretty good at figuring out who can take what type of sarcastic comments and who needs a custom set of "S.Vincent".

The problem with my system is that until I figure your personality out, you get a blank "S.Vincent" disk, filled with a bunch of shitty software that comes for free with most male computer systems. This obviously does not work in the post-college world of see you maybe once and twice and game over. S.Vincent is most certainly a PC in a Mac world. There I am on the shelf at Best Buy with my clunky grey body and Windows 2000 demo software with the stupid paper clip man while right next to me is a shiny Macbook with a crystal clear animation of Wall-E playing on the 20 inch screen. S.Vincent = Suitable Partner FAIL.

Not too many people are willing to deeply investigate anymore and that's cool, I get it. I get it a little too well and don't even try to adapt because I don't have the memory space to run the new programs. But right now, I may have a potential buyer, and this clunky little laptop with his outdated software and poor graphics is trying hard to impress. Hopefully my hard-drive doesn't overheat and burn her lap.

I know I said 7 albums for today, but since we are inside the respectable top 20 and I started this too late in the day, we will see how far we go while still keeping quality at a premium. Probably not enough time for 7 though.

17-Air France "No Way Down": I don't know how to classify this music. It's kind of instrumental, kind of electronic, kind of ambient, and kind of dream-pop. But this was no mistake in keeping this album on the top half of the list like I did with Quiet Village. It is more of a music enthusiasts type album, but I really think there is something for everyone here. The music is really textured and lush and it reminds me a lot of a simpler sounding and sunnier M83 also in that it excels as a headphones album, but isn't %100 necessary.
(**brief pause here for explanation. Obviously a headphones album means you should listen to it on headphones, but the reason WHY you listen to it on headphones is because there are a lot of faintly audible details to the songs that get easily missed if you are distracted by outside noise. These faint sounds can make or break the album, so it is crucial that if you are listening you use headphones, preferably ones that do a real good job of cancelling noise or in a quiet room.**)
This album is a well crafted and planned in that each song has a good sense of identity. The album is short, only 10 tracks, each with a different direction and intent in crafting a story. The artists create a sense of a journey or what I think of is a 3 minute montage, as corny as that sounds. I imagine well dressed fashion models doing lots of smiling or 1000 yard staring with the camera man using all sorts of European country side backgrounds but no talking and letting the music lead the emotion. Abercrombie is a little too loud stylistically for this, but BR should be playing this in their stores. Pay me money BR!

16-Ryan Adams and the Cardinals "Cardinology": I'm not sure how well this album is going to fare. Most music critics don't especially like Ryan Adams. There must be a reason, and I think he's got a little Chris Martin in him. I also like to think of Ryan Adams as Diet John Mayer. Very Talented (better singer than John, not even close on guitar) Dates a B-list celebrity (mandy moore) to John's A-List (Jennifer Anniston). Wears weird dirty art clothes compared to Johns designer dirty art clothes. Both preens for the ladies, but John gets the cream of the crop state university girls while Ryan gets the private college moody emo girls. Here's how I see it taking place in Beverly Hills. John is coming out of a Georgio Armani store while Ryan is exiting a Salvation Army (only in BH would they be across the street from each other). They make eye contact, then John looks away in a VERY obvious entitled and dismissive fashion and then Ryan gives him the finger. That sets John off and they dance fight in the street and never a bed-headed hair is displaced.

Oh, you wanna know about the Album? Fiiiiiiineeeee......its actually Ryans best work in a while and I think it has to do with the structure of The Cardinals blue-grassy country that really highlights his over-dramatic voice. It's old world simplicity meets young chaotic talent and its a sure fire thing for Ryan. He went on his own for a while and some of that was really really good and some of it was dud. With the Cardinals, it is consistently good the whole way through like his work in his first band "Whiskytown". Love the tracks "Fix It" "Cobwebs" "Crossed out Name" and "Sink Ships" but the whole album is solid.

15-Beach House "Devotion": This album came a long at a bad time in 2008. The month of March (I think) when I was far too busy with rowing to really absorb it. Sometimes I devalue albums based on their immediate impact, but I think we all know that this is a bad idea. I go back and forth on every album. Even last years list doesn't hold the same water as it does now. The largest turn around in the history of S.Vincent goes back to 2003 with Dashboard Confessional. I used to yell at Grzy for listening to it, I hated it, but he persisted cause hes a piece of shit who abuses small animals and children, but he loves me. Somewhere around the summer time, I got locked in. I couldn't stop listening. I was going through a rough patch that probably catapulted the album, but still from hate to love in 4 months is pretty big.

Anyway, this album has a real soft feel. So you can't listen to it expecting huge ups and down. I like to call albums like this creepers, cause they creep into the forefront when you least expect it. (Yes, its different than a "grower") This and the Deerhunter album went from being off the list at the end of summer to smack dab in the middle. Lots of elegant moans, sighs, and other vocal noises that don't involve words are a major part of the music in this album. Every word is drawn out into a echoey effect. Every song is a male/female duet with great harmony. Most of the time they sing right on top of each other creating an eery howl. If you like bands such as Belle and Sebastian, you will like this album a lot.

And that's our time for today. Sorry gang, but I ran out of working hours. Will return with more tomorrow!

Judge Dredd

It may be cheating, but I actually hand wrote this post while I am waiting at the dealership for a standard oil change. Male blasphemy you say? True, but its free for a year with my new (used) car and they have tasty hot beverages in the service department lounge. So consider me happily emasculated.
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At the dealership, this takes about 45 minutes for a 15 minute job, but as a card carrying member of the "Fuck me, I work in the service industry" society, I understand why this is, and happily keep my "cool" while I enjoy some coffee and the sideways glances of senior citizens at the the hole in the crotch of my jeans.
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Since we are here, lets go around the room overly-judgemental style, yes?
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-The Receptionist is wearing short black shorts with long thick grey tights underneath, and knee high black leather stiletto boots. She is also wearing a deep v-neck long sleeve shirt, but a scarf to cover her neck. Her teeth are bleached, but the spaces between the teeth say 2 packs a day. I would be willing to bet the price of a transmission fluid flush that her coat is one of those mini jacket numbers that comes down to just under her boobs, but has a gigantic hood with the fake fur trim. She's 38 going on 23 in her mind.
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-There is a husky guy in his mid 50's sitting across from me who has an un-naturally red face and bald head. I wonder what his blood pressure is? He looks like a pot roast dinner and 3 egg omelet breakfast kind of guy.
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-A man who looks like recently retired high school janitor is talking the ear off of the receptionist. I avoided this disaster earlier when I went up for coffee and he was standing there looking very very lost and searching for my eye contact. I grabbed a cup and ran out of there shielding my eyes from his. I can spot a pesterer from a mile away and all it takes is eye contact to ruin the next 15 minutes of your life.
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-This is funny because I was just discussing him yesterday, but there is a man in the corner who looks like a short version of John Malkavich. He is laid back in his chair trying desperately to stay awake, but he is doing the extended blink of death. Each blink keeping his eyes closed longer and longer. He must not have partaken in the array of hot beverages.
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-A girl in her early 20's just came in. She is dressed in new employee corporate attire. She's still trying hard with her pinstriped black pants, pressed and creased. Super shiny low heels with decorative buckle. Probably 200 bucks a piece, matched with a 100 dollar winter coat. I'm on to you Missy, you can't hide the insecurity in your face. She probably set aside 2.5 hours for this 45 min service appointment and has been stressing out about it for a week and still is a little stressed. Her counter language says "please don't ruin my day" and now she is gripping her magazine like hungry badger.......a hungry badger that likes to eat magazines. Extra points for a hounds tooth purse though.
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-Oh goody! Blue tooth guy just burst through the door. Hi Blue tooth guy! Tell me something. Have you ever tried using 2 blue tooths for each ear? That way you can take orders from your wife that doesn't respect you or your personal time at the same time as you berate the company idiot by over-managing and over-organizing to make yourself feel smart and important.
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That's enough people watching for now. I always end up getting carried away with overly mean comments. That one of the nasty side effects from religiously reading sites like The Superfish......
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(6 minutes passes)
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Ugh, Overwhelmed Corporate Girl just ripped open a perfume sample in her magazine and it made me pass out. I think it also may have killed all the bugs in the room and woken up Bizarro Malkavich because now he is gone. Extra hounds tooth points REVOKED!
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Holy Moley! High Blood Pressure guy just let out about 10 seconds worth of hacking coughs which made him turn a scary shade of purple. Where is the AED in this place?

ALBUM REVIEWS
22-Quiet Village "Silent Movie": I wasn't paying close enough attention and this album should probably be just under Flying Lotus in the "Really good, but an instrumentals album" section. A mistake in that I am trying to make this list less personal and more critical towards getting it right for the common person, but when you are reorganizing the list over and over, stuff like this happens. This album is a little more conventional than Flying Lotus and has a really good oldies groove to it. I really dig the way it captures its own title in that the songs almost sound like background tracks to cool movies from the 50's and 60's mixed with some new age techniques. A very interesting head phones album. YOu may really like it, or completely tune it out depending on your ear for musical appreciation. "Circus of Horror" is my favorite.

21-Beck "Modern Guilt": I am of the camp that Beck is a musical genius and he is one of my favorite artists. He can make a song for just about any genre, he is that good. I have never seen him live, but I have heard he loses his edge a little bit. Which is okay, because his effectiveness is in his nuances that don't translate well in a large live show. At first, I thought this album was kind of a dud. But the more I listened to it, the more I began to really like it. There is some really good stuff on here and it is pretty strong the whole way through, albeit a short album with about a 50 min run time. If you really like Beck (such as consider Sea Change a really good album of his) buy this album and eventually you will be glad you did. If you don't like Beck....move on, nothing to see here. The title track "Modern Guilt" is my favorite.

20-Q-Tip "The Renaissance": Hey! A rap Album! I know, I bet you all were thinking I didn't listen to much rap, but I do. This is a great album by a rap legend (formerly of A Tribe Called Quest). The hip hop stars should pay attention because the most important thing about a good rap album is the lyrics. THE LYRICS and Delivery. Therefore, they have to be easily understandable and not many can do this as well as Q-Tip. His voice is as clear as a bell. If you think about most of the long lasting rap artists, they rap clearly. This is a fun car-riding album and you don't have to worry if there are any school children in the car with you. Nothing special or trendy, just good solid simple beats and Q-tip doing his thing. Probably the most can't miss like able album I have given so far.

19-Coldplay "Viva la Vida": I like the music, I hate Chris Martin. So its pretty good music if I am willing to bypass this discrepancy. Maybe it has something to do with the Brian Eno production. It's definitely a little different than their past albums and has a little more extra electronic pizazz to it. It's also a little cheesy, but its good from start to finish and is on par with the other albums from this band. It kicks off well with "Life in Technicolor" and I think that the title track may be my least favorite on this album. I would also like to subtract some points for 2 versions of "Lovers in Japan" and "Lost". Save it for the re-mix guys. But its all enjoyable for pop music and maybe had a shot at being top 15 with out a d-bag lead singer and 1-2 more original tracks. My favorite track is "Yes"

18-Deerhunter "Microcastle": Alright, I don't know how to explain this, but I went from hating Deerhunter to really really liking it. I have a sneaky suspicion that Pitchfork may make this their #1 album of the year. A little history is that I bought "Cryptograms" last year and was pissed. It was noise and at the time I had a lot of other music on my plate, so I was like "fuck this guy" and went back to other stuff. So when this album came out to rave reviews again, I went "okay, I gotta give this guy a real shot" and I listened. And I listened again. And I listened again. And I was pissed. I'M NOT HEARING IT PEOPLE! Then about a month later, I was on a train ride down to NYC and I was feeling lost on what to listen to. "Alright, I said, why not" BAM, I was into it. I dunno why, but right now I am on the Deerhunter bandwagon. So.......all this means is, if you listen to this, you will question the music business and me. I don't know what to tell you, but you need to really want to hear this stuff to hear it. It's shoegaze (which means you're supposed to listen to it under the influence) but there is more here than that if you really really concentrate after about 30 times through. hahahahahaha "Agoraphobia" is my favorite track and I really like the album cover too. Wouldn't you know it, now I really like "Cryptograms" as well and its even more of a stretch than this one. Deerhunter cookies for everyone! Now, if only TV on the Radio would work out for me then I would really be in business.

Going to go for 7 albums tomorrow. Why? cause its wacky Wednesday, that's why.

summoning willpower....

"Hello willpower, anybody there? It's me, S.Vincent, and I need you to step up the power to 11"

After my 120 album 2008 debacle, I had a small conversation with myself that went a little something like this....

"hey assface, you do that again an I'm gonna sock you in the guts"

But, today is a going to be a serious challenge for me as I clicked on over to pitchfork.com and saw that they are starting their "2008 best of's" lists including "top 100 tracks" and "top 50 albums". A brief analogy: music reviews are to me as acting like a douche is to Pete Wentz and Spencer from the Hills. One, I am going to have to supress the urge to look so as to not spoil my list, and 2) to supress the urge not to buy any albums that I don't already have. (besides the number 1 if I don't have it, that one is justifiable)

It won't be easy, but I figure it could be best to get this big test out of the way first in my "52 albums or less" campaign. Plus, times are tight with the holiday shopping season upon me, so it should be quite a bit easier to hold back.

I don't wanna get punched in the guts.

27-Flying Lotus "Los Angeles": This is a beats type album. I really enjoy it, but its electronic melodies instrumental with very few lyrics basically means that unless you are a music snob, you probably will tune this stuff out. Reminds me a lot of Aphex Twin. You can really get into the flow on this particular album, as Flying Lotus moves in really unique directions with claps, snaps, thumps. There is a really disturbing video for the song "Parisian Goldfish" that I will not assist you in finding anymore than I already have. Trust me, your life will change for the negative in this horrific 3 minutes.

26-The Walkmen "You and Me": I can't really figure out why I like this album. It should be utterly boring to me with its indeciseable sound and direction and what sounds like off-keyish vocals. But the more I hear it, the more I like it. They use an echoey effect kind of like My Morning Jacket, but at a much slower pace. There are some good highs and lows, but this is coffehouse type music as subtleties are the name of the game. They build slowly and deliberately but you never really know when they are going to come and the vocals move awkwardly up with these melodies. I know that I am not explaining anything good right now, but somehow this all works for The Walkmen, trust me. I really like "Four Provinces" and "In the New Year" these guys sound a lot like down-tempoed Peter, Bjorn, and John (if you know who they are). But this album and the next album, Wolf Parade, are pretty much equal to me. I like Wolf Parade a little bit more because it's sound is more conventional.

25-Wolf Parade "At Mount Zoomer": That is, as conventional as an independent strugglings artists can be. To tell you the truth, I don't even know why I bought this album, since I wasn't a huge fan of their 2005 release "Apologies to Queen Mary". But when you download 120 albums in a year, you obviously have a done a lot of things that you don't remember and that don't make sense. However, this one worked out better. I really enjoy this album, especially the vocal stylings of Dan Boekner and Spencer Krug. This album will growa with more listens as you get used to the warbly lyrics and the bounces back and forth between the keyboards and guitars. It's solid all the way through, but I wouldn't say there is one distinct single here. They sound a little bit like Spoon, except less structured. If I did this list over and over again, I could see this album bouncing all over anywhere from 20-30. A real solid release, and next time I download an album of theirs, I will know why I did it.

24- Black Mountain "In the Future": Ahhhh yes, a rock album. So few and far between they are these days, and this is a good one at that. I really enjoy it as a tribute to the Led Zeppelin 70's dream rock style. Wolfmother did a pretty good job at re-juvenating this genre as well. However, they cherry picked the crowd pleasers, not the whole catalogue. Black Mountains approach is the less bombastic side of Led Zep, but its still enjoyable. I especially like that the background vocals are sung by a female/male combo and it makes the whole experience feel like a walk into a country farm house filled with various road drifters telling their tales of the open road. Woe, love, exhaustion, confusion, wonder and lust. Was that artsy enough for you?

23- Brian Eno & David Byrne "Everything that Happens Will Happen Today": I must admit, I am a sucker for both of these guys. David Byrne is the lead singer for the Talking Heads, which is a very underated band, and Eno is a legendary producer and musician, including a short stint with U2 on my second favorite album by them "Achtung Baby". Their partnership goes back a long way and I couldn't even begin to elaborate on Eno's illustrious career, so I won't, but there is some serious no-debateable talent here. This partnership works uniquely in that the two work independently of each other. Eno makes the music, sends it Byrne, then Byrne melts his voice into it. If you listen closely, you can tell thats exactly what happened as the vocals and music could almost work independently of each other. Very cool. I Really Really like "Everything that Happens" "Strange Overtones" and "One Fine Day".

mediocrity..

Bettie Page died today. I didn't even know she was still alive to tell you the truth. There used to be a category on the old MTV game show "Remote Control", (which was like a pop culture jeopardy type show), that was called "Alive or Dead". They would give the name of a celebrity and then your only task was to answer whether you thought they were alive or dead.

But more specifically, I'll tell you why I never found Bettie Page physically attractive......Bangs. She had ramrod straight bangs in her hair.

S.Vincent hates bangs....."I HATES THE BANGSES' "says the S.Vincent gollum....Take note potential female suitors.......(crickets chirping).....

Why? I don't know. I just think they look stupid on everyone. To me, hair should always have the look of organized chaos. It's crazy strands of fillament protuding from your body and if you cut it too much and style it too much in an overly organized fashion, it loses its spontaniety and its life. I think hair should be like the sail of a ship. There is a control and movement to a sail, but it can never fully harnass the effects of the wild nature.

Yeah....hair should be just like sailboat, I said it.

Back to the reviews:

Three of the next 5 albums all have something in common and thus I put them in a tie at number 30. They are from artist that I love, but whose 2008 albums were under-whelming. Not bad by any sense of the word, just down a little bit from their previous works. Which is more than can be said of some of the artist who will finish above them in 2008, but will most likely only have one big album to their name.

30-The Magnetic Fields-"Distortion": The Magnetic Fields is headed up by frontman Stephen Merritt, but is composed of many seperate strong musicians. Stephen has a great baritone voice which he uses in a character that is his own amusing deeply dark and depressing persona. Reminds me of a real life Eeyore. Anyway, he doesn't do all the singing on The Magnetic Fields albums and the other band members keep him a little bit more bright and sunny some of songs. This release has some good songs on it and a lot of wait for it......distortion sounds.....but is otherwise un-remarkable.

30-My Morning Jacket-"Evil Urges": I may be making a little mistake in putting them here. I enjoy this album a good amount, but its not up to my expectations of MMJ. These songs seem a little less exotic then previous MMJ. I am not a giant fan of the band but these songs seem unexciteable to me. The MMJ I like has a large echoey cavernous sound, like they are playing in a cave or in your dreams. Very other-wordly sounding, like they are in another dimension playing on instruments that you can hear but not locate. They are echoey and dreamy but they also ROCK, and this album doesn't transfer a lot of that. I'm not turning them off, but I'm not rushing to turn this on either.

30-Nine Inch Nails- "The Slip": Another free release from Trent, so who is really going to be upset about listening to this? I like it enough, and this album received the highest rating from Pitchfork that I have ever seen. However, this album is missing the flow for me. A great NIN album has a pulse. An underlying thump that rolls ahead with a real industrial sound. This is the foundation for the unstoppable aggression and gutteral tones that Trent can deliver with his voice. Without a real deep bass line, it all seems a little soul-less. Some of the songs, like the single "discipline" have some part of this (it sounds like its from the with teeth album), but otherwise all the rest of the seems a little half-hearted or underdeveloped. I like it, but its missing some of its edge. Still NIN to me though.

29-Does it Offend You, Yeah?-"You Have No Idea What You are Getting Yourself Into": I hate that I need to type for that long to get the name of this band out, but this album is pretty decent. It's got a new age industrial electronic rock feel to it and I checked them out because they were the opening act for NIN during the summer tour. It's got some cool songs and some dud's but is otherwise a fun miscellaneus type listen. They mix a lot of random electro-rock beats togethor and is kind of mish mash sound. Sometimes they mish togethor into something new and fun, and sometimes its utterly random mash. They remind me of a less focused/mature MGMT and perhaps may release a better album in the future. There are whisps of real talent here, like on the track "Dawn of the Dead" and "Lets Make Out" when they mish togethor something good.

28- Little Joy: (Self-Titled): This is fun little small outdoor party type album. Light island like sounds with soft singing. Lots of long "ooooo's" and "ahhhh's" in the background vocals. It such a simple sounding album that it should be lost into obscurity and probably will be since it is the plight of most independent artists. You won't yearn to hear this album, but when in the background, your day will brighten. When I listen to it, I want to put my feet up, drink lemonade, and smile at a sun-shiney day and ignore my laundry and grocery shopping duties. It loses points for its simplicity because there isn't any groundbreaking anything done here or any highs or lows, but its deserves respect for nailing what it was set out to be by the artists; a side project of happy songs written in a cocktail lounge in LA.

iTunes, we have a problem

If you didn't read the last post, just go to the part where it says I downloaded 120 albums in 2008. That said..... A) I am sick. Does "A&E's Intervention" show accept music addicts? B) I have a lot of music to analyze and I realized there was no way I could leave out so many albums without talking about them. C)Therefore, you are forced to suffer because I need to feel validated for purchasing so much music. So D) We have to get ourselves started!

As a preface, the bottom of this list from number 35 to 25, will not be given much attention by me. Album name, quick description of the music, a short critique and then moving on. No photos and no samples. However, the titles will be linked to Amazon.com for further research if you choose. Most of these albums I only listened to 5 or 6 times and put the them in the "Pretty Good" pile.

35-Nine Inch Nails-"Ghosts I-IV": This is an instrumentals album that is 4 CD's of NIN style compilations. It's a decent mix of background music, sleep music, or study tunes so long as you like Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor has a very signature sound, so if you liked his old stuff you will like this album in which Trent plays with landscape style soundings. But its not something to get super excited about. On the plus side it was 8 bucks or something from the NIN.com website, so it was easy on the conscience to buy.

34- Portishead - "Third": The Third album is Portishead's 3rd album, so bonus points for a real creative album title.....NOT! The album artwork is "simplicity cool" though. I will probably take the biggest hit here in the respected critics circle as most of them love this release which came after a 10 year or so lay-off from this band. Their style was very popular in the late 90's and they have found a way to transform it into a very respectable modern version. But, it's tough for me to get into. I always liked Massive Attack's approach to this genre better.

33- Fucked Up-"The Chemistry of Common Life": What a great band name right? This band is not as stupid as it sounds, and their album is suprisingly dense and well structured despite the moniker. You need to have a real open ear to be able to listen to this one, and it reminds me of last years A Place to Bury Strangers in that way. Real loud noises here cause this shit is hardcore. I really love the first track.But amidst the chaos there is a real unique sound here. I would rate this album slightly higher on a more personal list, but I know that even most educated music fans will turn away from this album. Too much screaming, too much feedback noise, too much speed and aggression.

32- Spiritualized-"Songs in A&E": The title doesn't stand for the key of the music. It's the name for "Emergency Room" in England. Accidents and Emergencies, I think. Anyway, the main dude Jason Pierce spent a bunch of time in the hospital from an accident and wrote this album. Only the second one since the critically acclaimed "Ladies and Gentleman, we are floating in Space". Thus, you can tell from the title that Spiritualized deals mainly in spacey shoegaze style music. Which I dig here and there, but it isn't my favorite genre. This is another album that will be rated higher elsewhere.

31- TV on the Radio- "Dear Science": I want to like TVOTR more. I really do.....but I don't. They are so cool and their sound is so unique, but I can't quite get into the flow on most of their songs. I love some of their songs but as total albums, I find myself drifting away mentally while I am listening. This is another album that will get higher praise elsewhere. Either way, I tried and will continue to try to get into them more. I promise.

Tune in tomorrow folks!

incoming dark clouds.....that play music

It's that time of year for all you hangers on to YFYB. The time of year where you take a look at your inner soul and question if you have the mental fortitude to handle another barrage of posts regarding S.Vincents "20 Best Albums of the Year". I was surprised to see that I have listened to over 120 albums this year. Of course all of them were not 2008 releases, probably around 50% are, but there is a ton of music I have listened to in the past year and its going to be tough to narrow it down again.

Last year turned into a pretty big debacle, but in S.Vincents defense, it got YFYB through some rough times when I didn't have much to post about. It was cold, the holidays were over, and I was rowing, working, rowing, lifting, sleeping every weekday. Plus every weekend, I was away in some of the northeast's most boring and desolate locations for rowing races. The strangest thing was; I got the most hits per week during that period then any other period this year. YFYB was averging about 350 hits a week back then, as opposed to around 100 a week now. I think that was due to some of the labeling I used, I dunno, maybe people really like music

But this year there is going to be a change in format. For one, I am going to start it next week. I am really busy this week otherwise I would start it now, but I want to try to get mine out before I am influenced by the opinions of all the other lists and then see how mine compares. There may be some follow up posting on others opinions if I get bored, but lets cross our fingers that something cool happens to me instead. Like....finding a girl who is willing to follow me around and we can laugh about her behind her back before she finds out how much of an internet nerd I am, and dumps me and then goes to therapy or gets an eating disorder.

For two, there will MUCH less description. I am going to try to knock out 5 albums per post with 1/3 of the drivel that I rambled about last year. I think most people just want to see which albums I picked and not hear about why I like the music that they have never heard of. Maybe thats just me though.....NOT. If they want to know more about the album they can just send me a compliment. There will also be less video examples per album. Just one song if I can find it for the album. I wasted too much time on that last year.

So there we go, get yourself ready and turn your RSS feeders on to FULL BLAST or OFF. It's about to get a little noisey in this piece. As a teaser, SVTV is featuring a song from one of the top 5 candidates that I have rocked once a week since it came out in the early summer. I have no idea why it is not gigantic. Every pop-music idiot I know should LOVE this album.

Speaking of noise. I was recently re-connected with the best headphones I have ever owned and since it is christmas and many of you are scouring for gifts for your loved ones, I will tell you a little about them. I got these headphones in a splurge period when some money was burning a hole in my pocket about 2.5 years ago. The Shure E2C's. About a year and a half ago, I lost them at the gym and figured that the I could get something at least close to as good in a smaller price range. Wrong! at $85 bucks these headphones are the best I have tried and worth at least 150 dollars. And they are cheaper now! The quality of sound is a big thing to me, so I wanted a set of headphones that could deliver, without being 300 bucks. The earbuds that come with the iPod are trash I feel. They don't stay in your ears, only deliver moderate sound, and don't block out any. The Shure E2C's are the opposite of that, they are locked in your ears and the wires wrap around the back of your ears out of sight like a Secret Service agent. The sound is crisp and clear with great bass delivery, and the best part is that they block out a TON of outside noise. Perfect for city dwellers and other loud environments.

The cons....they can be a little uncomfortable at first and for longer periods of listening (2 hours+), but they come with a bunch of different silicone attachments that helps. But mostly, I have found that when they are new, the silicone takes a little while to break in and soften up as well as the cord which will be zig-zagged for a little while from being locked in the packaging. But once they do, they are super comfy and don't budge even when your ipod falls out of your pocket. It will be hanging from your ears! Rare for any headphones.

So if you or someone you know really loves music and is someone you are going to spend more than 50 bucks on. Get them these headphones....like NOW.

blessing or a curse?

I am one of those people that can remember their dreams. I also dream in colors and the dreams are very vivid. This quality has made for some very strange nights and mornings in what I affectionately call "The Dugout". I call it that because my apartment is kind of half buried-half not so there are 4 steps leading down to my front door, much like a baseball dugout. Sometimes I come out of there taking practice swings and imagine the PA announcer calling out "Now batting for the New York Yankees......number 41.......SSSSSS.....VINCENT.....number 41" (bob shepard always says the number of the player twice, before and after the name)

But I digress......

I don't dream often and I forget most of my dreams in about a week or so, but when I wake up in the morning I remember it all for the good portion of the next day. I have a suspicion that the feelings of Deja Vu I get come from the intricate details of these dreams. I remember the main crazy and exciting parts of these dreams, but I know there are finer parts of these dreams that I do not remember that are more logical and sequential, and that they fortell the future. Its kind of like 2 dreams in one. Unbelievable things that cannot happen mixed seamlessly with things that can and most likely will, occur in the future. I truly believe that.

Last nights dream: I was trapped in the upper floors of an abandoned psychiatric center, no guards or locks, just locked in a state of mental patalyzation (movies use this all the time). It was a very sunny and crisp NY summer day. A second "me" was hiding out in the forest and this me could see through the eyes of the trapped me, but could not control the actions of the trapped me. For the first "me" to escape the psychiatric center, the plan was to get a set of really really long headphones from the forest outside to the mentally paralyzed me inside.

My delivery system to get those headphones to the upper floors? My ability to communicate with the small animals of the forest in which I lived. Rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, racoons, and possums. Between me and my animal friends was a guard dressed in a park ranger uniform and very very large mirrored aviators and a "Dirty Harry" .44 magnum handgun with a particularly disturbing hatrid for said cute furry creatures.

The name of the guard? Winona Ryder......I shit you not.

The dream ended as most of them do, with no solution to the problem at hand. Just Winona turning squirrels and raccoons into clouds of bloody dust one by one with her oversized weaponry with a steely smile on her face as they feebly attempt to drag a set of earbuds across a field.

Try that crazy on for size.........To compliment this crazy post, I am using vintage Smiths for SV-TV. Its kind of like a wine pairing.........only for the poor, insane, un-civilized, and not hungry.