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Muxtape 2

"When New York Was New York"






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Roberto Bolaño, The Savage Detectives

 

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Moment of Zen

 

Moment of Zen (inspired by Tim's Koans)

Courtesy of Timmay


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    Monday, October 31, 2005

    Tracks of the Week: Ghost

    Ghost "Piper" - This song is lifted off of Ghost's 7th (and most recent) album Hypnotic Underworld which includes more of their brand of commune-minded, free-spirited psychedelia. "Piper" includes some crazy guitar work, blistering at times, and is one of the more upbeat tracks from this Japanese collective. They were my favorite live act from 2002's Terrastock Festival held on Landsdowne Street. Definitely worth catching them if they come around again. Buy It.

    Helms "Ghosts With Searching Eyes" - This is the second song from Helms's The Swimmer I've posted. They're really a great local band. I've heard this particular song twice in the last week on WZBC. I'm not sure why -- it's not about Halloween. But it does have the ghosts of Pacman in it. Buy It.

    Tino "Wicked Insane Evil Dub" - The two songs above aren't particularly Halloweeny, so I'm tossing in a third track this week to keep consistent with last year. A track from Tino appeared last Halloween and Tino's Breaks Vol. 6: Halloween Dub (Makes Your Flesh Creep!) has lots of fun spooky mwwwwuuu-haha, so here's another track from it. Happy Halloween everyone! Buy It.

    Saturday, October 29, 2005

    Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?

    Join Beck, The Arcade Fire, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Peaches, Devendra, The Postal Service, Sonic Youth, Sloan, Wolf Parade, David Cross, Elvira, and a host of other ghoulish contributors for a benefit for UNICEF called Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?

    Catch a direct link to the video here -- it's worth it. BOO!

    Friday, October 28, 2005

    How should I respond?

    I got an email today not intended for me. Those are always fun. I assume it's not spam because the footer of the email shows that it arrived via the ol' "Email to a Friend" feature. It arrived to my personal account from "rjmhead." It included a link to the BBC Food site, pointing to a recipe for lamb steak with brussel sprout puree and roast parsnips.

    The body of the message simply said:

    How about this to use the sprouts?

    Thursday, October 27, 2005

    National Public Ridiculousness

    On my commute home last night, somewhere between All Things Considered and Marketplace, NPR used John Zorn's "N.Y. Flat Top Box" to segue between segments. I just had to look down at my radio dial and yell "WHAT?!?" You'd understand my shock if you've ever heard "N.Y. Flat Top Box." Imagine a performing country band being shoved down a flight of stairs and you're partway there.

    I think Tim, Alex, and I all agreed at one point that "N.Y. Flat Top Box" could very well be the stupidest 45 seconds ever recorded. Fortunately NPR faded out less than 10 seconds into the track which was well before the song's alarming breakdown. You can hear for yourself.

    Bonus Track of the Week: John Zorn "N.Y. Flat Top Box"

    And if that wasn't dumb enough, 20 minutes later, NPR aired a piece about how outgoing Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan is the father of electro-clash and psychedelic-folk music. I ask you: Is this sensible stuff to be playing during their annual fund-raising drive?

    Wednesday, October 26, 2005

    Flickr nails the printing feature

    You can now print photos off of Flickr, and they did a really nice job rolling out this new (and much anticipated) service.

    You can either have prints mailed to you, or you can choose to pick them up at a local Target. Prices seem reasonable and they're smart about recommending the proper print size based on the photo's resolution. You can do lots of other things with your Flickr photos now too, including designing real U.S. stamps and creating books and posters of your lovely snaps.

    Tuesday, October 25, 2005

    Set!...Set!...No set...Set!

    This BoingBoing post about the card game Set hits the nail on the head. Chris and I used to play this all the time, and after a mere 10 minutes of the game, you're locked into Set mode constantly looking for sets in everyday objects.

    I think I see one now... SET!

    Monday, October 24, 2005

    Tracks of the Week: Movies

    The Beta Band "Dry The Rain" -
    Rob Gordon: I will now sell four copies of "The Three EPs" by The Beta Band.
    Dick: Go for it.
    [Rob plays the record]
    Beta Band Customer: Who is this?
    Rob Gordon: The Beta Band.
    Beta Band Customer: It's good.
    Rob Gordon: I know.

    Miles Davis "Filles de Kilimanjaro" -
    3rd Grader: Hey look everybody, Billy peed his pants.
    Billy Madison: Of course I peed my pants, everyone my age pees their pants. It's the coolest.
    3rd Grader: Really?
    Billy Madison: YES. You ain't cool, unless you pee your pants.
    3rd Grader: Hey look, Ernie peed his pants too. Alright!
    Old Farm Lady: If peeing in your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis.
    Billy Madison: OOH. That is the grossest thing I've ever heard in my life. Let's Go.

    Friday, October 21, 2005

    For the vinyl junkie in you

    Granted, Chris and I used to get a lot of mileage out of our collection of junk CDs when we used them as drink coasters. But you just can't beat the analog way of keeping your coffee tables safe. Check out the Record Coasters. Plus there's other nifty stuff like the Record Bowls and ... heh ... the LP Snack Tray. Wicka-wicka-woo!

    Wednesday, October 19, 2005

    1...2...3...4...5...senses working overtime

    I have too much media (for lack of a better term) begging for my attention these days. It includes books gathering dust, music waiting to be heard, movies waiting to be seen, and websites waiting to be visited. If you're an information junkie like me, you have a hard time separating the wheat from the chaff, the good from the bad, the junk from the funk! But I do have a solution for all you blog subscribers out there.

    If you use a blog/feed reader, create a new folder called "Probation" and put everything new in there. Give it some time, and if it doesn't work out, drop it. It's a very simple solution, but it works.

    Up until now, I've always subscribed and stay subscribed. But if you're not impressed, dump it. Why waste moments out of your day checking on something that's really not much value to you? Your time's better spent reading inane stuff here.

    And if you're not an avid blog reader, then at the very least I hope you're consulting Bev from my hometown.

    Tuesday, October 18, 2005

    I'll get you Gadget

    Dr. Claw has been revealed. Check it out if you don't mind potentially ruining your childhood.

    Monday, October 17, 2005

    Tracks of the Week: Glitch

    System Error "Enter To Exit" - There was a glitch with this week's tracks, so you get three rather than the typical two. This album was the first that showed me you could make a fine product out of errors, mistakes, hiccups, and accidents. It's a warm, organic ride through faulty software. The duo in System Error also go by the name Higher Intelligence Agency, and I get the feeling that the glitchy material here is the garbage generated from their HIA sessions. Mmm garbage. Enjoy! Out of print.

    Oval "Do While" - Somehow finagling a career out of playing skipping CDs, Oval's Markus Popp deconstructed a beauty with 1994's 94 Diskont. Fractured clicks meet head on with decaying melodies. This track was a staple on my old radio show -- at least a portion of it. Clocking in at over 24 minutes, you'll either be thanking me for some off-kilter glitchy brilliance, or shaking your fists at the sky yelling "Why, Sean?! Why?!?" Buy It.

    ELpH vs. Coil "The Halliwell Hammers" - Another track created through unplanned results from electronic equipment. From 1995's Worship the Glitch, this little piece is a bizarre instrumental, even for Coil's standards. It's basically the music you'd hear in your head if you stumbled through a carnival's funhouse after eating way too many chili dogs. Buy It.

    Can you believe I've been posting music here for a year now? I can't.

    Friday, October 14, 2005

    Everybody's working on, at, or around the weekend

    A grammar guru I am not. (See?) I don't claim to have a grasp on the intricacies of the finer points of the more delicate side of the English language. Heck, I use words like "drooped" and "zooed" so you can't trust me when it comes to floating grammatically correct grammar past your grandma. But I have been known to turn a goofy phrase now and then.

    Anyway, last weekend, I got to thinking about the Loverboy song "Everybody's Working For The Weekend." No particular reason, really. It just popped in my head -- probably because I heard the melody used in a toilet brush commercial or something. I don't know any of the words beyond the song's title. So my mindless mumbling went something like: Everybody's working for the weekend, everybody's got good reason to fly. I'm fairly certain that's not right.

    But suddenly it dawned on me. Everybody's working FOR the weekend. Meaning, everyone works hard all week just to get to the weekend so they can enjoy it. Ah ha! I always thought of it a different way. Of course, I never really gave it much thought at all. But I always thought about it in the way you'd understand, "What are you doing for the holidays?", "You up to anything for the weekend?", and so on.

    See, I figured it meant that everybody's working ON the weekend. I always thought the song was about how Americans are workaholics, and never take any time off, and, well, work for the weekend. Apparently I was wrong. Again, my poor grasp of grammar and the English language fail me. Foil me. Foibles.

    And as I look back on this post, I realize I've said basically nothing in four paragraphs. Umm, so what are you doing for the weekend?

    Thursday, October 13, 2005

    Feed me Seymour

    Bloglines quietly launched a few new features last night. They now offer some keyboard shortcuts for navigating and managing your feeds, plus they display new posts alongside saved posts so you can see what's actually new, for instance: Hot Sauce Blog (5:2).

    I'm happy to see Bloglines is actually launching some enhancements, although small. With the introduction of the new Google Reader, Bloglines has some stiff competition these days. But I'm still content with my Bloglines account and here's hoping that with the added support of its new owner, Ask Jeeves, there'll be more enhancements on the way.

    Wednesday, October 12, 2005

    I still don't have my own podcast, but...

    I'm warming up to Yahoo's podcast service, aptly called Yahoo! Podcasts. Every podcast search so far has turned up the feed I was looking for, and I really like how they've positioned the "Listen" and "Subscribe" links side by side. Very clean, very easy.

    There has been a lot of talk recently about what Yahoo! could do to improve its homepage, including shifting and renaming some of its content areas. I think they're beginning to listen, though. The crowded eyesore of a portal is finally beginning to shape up. It's even getting web standards friendly. Its DOCTYPE is missing the necessary URI, but if I had a nickel for every site whose DOCTYPE was missing its URI, I'd have enough money for one of those pomegranate juice bottles. So good, but just too darn expensive.

    Having said that, I think I'll still stick with Odeo.

    Tuesday, October 11, 2005

    Be safe: backup

    My LaCie 250 GB FireWire external hard drive arrived yesterday. Now that I have 25 GB of high-definition wedding videos, not to mention all the music and files scattered across both my Powerbook and Compaq desktop, it was high time I worked out a backup strategy.

    The LaCie drive, designed by F.A. Porsche, is a brilliant little machine. Measuring not much larger than an actual brick, it was super easy to format and partition. With Mac OS 10.x, I didn't even need the installer CD because Apple's built-in Disk Utility app took care of it for me.

    At $159 on Amazon, the drive is a steal. A mere 64 cents per GB. Such a good deal, and I have Brian to thank for pointing me in the direction of the LaCie. Thanks Brian!

    Monday, October 10, 2005

    Tracks of the Week: Work

    Au Pairs "We're So Cool" - The two tracks this week are related to my work, and this first track is great post-punk from 1981. Along the lines of the Mekons and Gang of Four, the Au Pairs delved into hyper-political themes and tight feisty grooves. What's interesting is when you look up this record on Amazon, in the section called "Customers interested in The Au Pairs may also be interested in...", you'll see my company. Buy It.

    Mice Parade "Focus On A Roller Coaster" - OK, so roller coasters have nothing to do with my work. But you better believe that if I was a carnie, I'd fight my way to be the roller coaster operator. Who cares about the ferris wheel or the tilt-a-whirl. Coasters are where it's at. Roller coasters, that is. Not coasters that keep your drink from sweating on your coffee table. Anyway, this is a nice track and that's all I have to say. Buy It.

    Friday, October 07, 2005

    Terrible Twos

    Has another year gone by already? Two years ago today I started up this site, and it persists for no good reason. I've been continuously slammed with work lately and there's not a whole lot of easing up happening in the near future. But I'll stick to my guns that this site will continue indefinitely, even if it is in its terrible twos now.

    So on with the cat photos, weekly mp3s, web standards rantings, and (debuting soon) wedding video clips! You can see me dance like a monkey and get cake shoved in my face. Oh boy.

    Monday, October 03, 2005

    Our. photos. are. here.

    I can't believe it. It took over a month of patient waiting, but our wedding photos are now available online. But enough of my jibber-jabber. Click on the mini masthead below to start browsing!

    Click for our wedding page

    Tracks of the Week: Autumn

    Devendra Banhart "Autumn's Child (Live)" - Last week was The Fall; this week we're sticking with autumn. This is a nice live rendition from KCRW radio in Santa Monica on May 5, 2004. I think there's a little hiccup in the middle of the track and I apologize for that. He's making the rounds again for his new album Cripple Crow. I've heard bits and pieces and it's quite nice. Radio set, not available to buy.

    Cannonball Adderley "Autumn Leaves" - This song reminds me of sitting on the back porch of my first apartment in Somerville watching the flight path at twilight. You have a superstar line-up here: Addereley, Miles, Hank Jones, Sam Jones, and Blakey. This is one of my all-time favorite jazz tracks. Perfect and peaceful for a cool evening. Buy It.