April 29, 2007
Music Rotation — 23 Apr
For the week:
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Sinéad O’Connor “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got” (1990) |
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The Veils “The Runaway Found” (2004) |
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The Arcade Fire “Funeral” (2004) |
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Laika “Sounds Of The Satellites” (1997) |
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The Killers “Sam’s Town” (2006) |
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Joan As Police Woman “Real Life” (2006) |
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Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins “Rabbit Fur Coat” (2005) |
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Muse “Black Holes & Revelations” (2006) |
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Kiss “Paul Stanley” (1978) |
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Lush “Spooky” (1992) |
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Van Halen “Van Halen” (1978) — “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” has one of my all-time favorite guitar riffs. Classic album. Sadly, unlike some of the other rock veterans out there, Eddie Van Halen has not aged gracefully. |
April 22, 2007
Music Rotation — 16 Apr
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The Feeling “Twelve Stops and Home” (2007) — an album hasn’t caught on with me this quickly in a long time. In one week, I’ve listened to it six times already. This is full of incredibly sunny, addictive, and hook-filled tunes. It might fizzle as quickly as it’s come on, but for now it’s in very heavy rotation. If you’re a fan of bands like Phoenix, Coldplay, and The Delays, get this. |
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I Am Kloot “Natural History” (2001) |
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Joseph Arthur “Nuclear Daydream” (2006) |
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What Made Milwaukee Famous “Trying To Never Catch Up” (2006) |
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Paul Weller “Stanley Road” (1995) |
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“The Big Easy” Soundtrack (1987) |
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Dr. Dre “The Chronic” (1992) |
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Feeder “Comfort In Sound” (2003) |
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Hall & Oates “Greatest Hits Rock ‘n Soul Part 1” (1983) |
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Cantinero “Championship Boxing” (2004) |
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Kiss “Dynasty” (1979) |
April 15, 2007
Music Rotation — 9 Apr
This week:
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Razorlight “Up All Night” (2004) |
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Kasabian “Empire” (2006) |
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Kasabian “Kasabian” (2004) |
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Grandaddy “Just Like The Fambly Cat” (2006) |
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Spoon “Gimme Fiction” (2005) |
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My Morning Jacket “Z” (2005) |
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Nickel Creek “Nickel Creek” (2000) |
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Smashing Pumpkins “Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness” (1995) |
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Keane “Under The Iron Sea” (2006) |
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Counting Crows “August & Everything After” (1993) |
April 8, 2007
Music Rotation — 2 Apr
This week was the start of the 2007 Major League Baseball season. I decided to break the piggy bank and purchase the online MLB.TV Premium Package. For the entire season, I’ll have the luxury of watching almost any game I want over the internet. Although it’s been available for a couple of years, I decided to wait until the bugs had been sorted out before trying it out. So far, I’ve been very impressed. The picture is big, crisp, and smooth. I haven’t run into any problems, other than a few blackouts for nationally televised games. Now, instead of just listening to my beloved Dodgers every night, I can listen and watch them play.
I therefore spent the entire week watching and listening to as many baseball games as possible. Dodgers, A’s, Mariners, Mets, and some Yankees games were consumed. That left me with little time to listen to music. But here’s what I did hear:
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Pink Floyd “Wish You Were Here” (1975) |
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Belle & Sebastian “The Life Pursuit” (2006) |
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The Stills “Logic Will Break Your Heart” (2003) |
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Kasabian “Empire” (2006) |
April 7, 2007
The Portland Japanese Garden
I’ve been in Portland now exactly one year. So far, the move’s been a great decision. If I had to change one thing this year, though, it would have been to get out more. This city (like most, mind you) has some wonderful treasures tucked away for one to stumble upon. When I was perusing Google Earth the other day, I saw that the city has its very own Japanese Garden. Apparently, it’s one of the few authentic JGs outside of Japan. Up in the hills, it’s a seven minute drive away, and the perfect respite from all the construction going on around my apartment.
It’s got five different styles of Japanese gardens, including a couple of stone gardens. There are gardens with ponds, some with koi (natch). It’s also got a killer view of Mt. Hood. I was there two hours, and would’ve stayed longer if I could’ve. What I liked most was how green it was (duh). I’m sure it’s even more vibrantly green when it rains, so I’ll be sure to go again during a damp day.
Here are three more shots. If you want to find out more, go here.
April 1, 2007
Blogging Meme
I was asked to answer the following questions from my best mate, Fridge.
- Do you do most of your blogging at home, at work, or at some third space? (A coffee shop, perhaps, or a library. Or a genial tavern.)
From home. My typical routine is to write on Sunday afternoon. I mostly provide my playlist for the week, and rarely stray past that. There’s nothing else I feel as strongly about (or intelligent enough) to bother writing down. - Desktop or laptop?
Laptop. It’s an old IBM Thinkpad T30. For what I use it for, I can’t complain. - Mac, Windows, or other?
Windows XP Pro. I’d love a Mac, but will have to wait until I’m filthy rich before I buy another one. - Is your weblog a solo effort or a group blog?
A solo effort, done in the half-assed style I’m well known for. - Do you allow comments?
Yes. Opinions are welcome, though rarely respected. :) - Do you allow trackbacks?
Yes I do. - Do you have a blogroll?
Yes. But I try to keep my blog subscriptions to a minimum. Just like anything else, they can be huge time sinks. - What’s your platform – Blogger, Movable Type, WordPress, TypePad, ExpressionEngine, Squarespace, Drupal…
WordPress. I was a LiveJournal user prior. But I like the WordPress tools better. - Have you given serious thought to switching platforms; if so, why?
Well, I did switch from LiveJournal to WordPress already. I tried Blogger once. It seems very similar to WordPress. They all seem to be improving quickly. - Who’s your webhost?
WordPress. - Happy with your host, or looking for a change?
I have no complaints with what’s provided, given the level of effort I give to my blog. - If GenericBigMediaConcern.Com offered you boxes of cash to have your blog incorporated into their online presence (ala Greenwald at Salon or Sullivan at The Atlantic), would you do it?
If my listening habits were considered interesting enough for someone to pay me to publish them, why would I say no?
I’m passing this to Stu and Amanda. They’re having a grand time traveling New Zealand, and are really taking advantage of the power of blogging to document their adventures.
Music Rotation — 26 Mar
For the week:
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Suede “Head Music” (1999) |
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Radiohead “Amnesiac” (2001) |
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Shed Seven “Going For Gold” (1999) |
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Rooney “Rooney” (2003) |
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Asia “Asia” (1982) |
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Ivy “Apartment Life” (1997) |
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Chicago “Chicago 17” (1984) |
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Black Rebel Motorcycle Club “B.R.M.C.” (2000) |
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Hot Chip “The Warning” (2006) |
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My Morning Jacket “Z” (2005) — I just got this this week, after hearing about it forever. I read somewhere that MMJ are what Radiohead would sound like had they been raised in Kentucky. Naturally, I was intrigued enough to purchase it. After the first spin, my impression is highly favorable. This has the potential of becoming a huge favorite. |
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Kaiser Chiefs “Yours Truly, Angry Mob” (2007) — another new purchase. I love “Employment.” It was a no-brainer, then, that I’d get this. The first listen sounded great, so I’m excited about this one too. |
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Devics “Push the Heart” (2006) — new. |
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Third Eye Blind “Third Eye Blind” (1997) |
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Explosions In The Sky “The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place” (2003) |
Memorable Minutiae 