Top 10 Albums of 2006

Here we go.. my favorite albums of 2006!

10. Sonic Youth – Rather Ripped
Noisy good pop from one of my favorite survivors of the 90’s!

9. Exene Cervenka & The Real Sinners – Sev7en
Half of X sounds just as good to me, especially when John Doe joins in on a few.

8. Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris – All the Road Running
Wonderful duet album.. Mark Knopfler’s guitar and voice perfectly complement Emmylou Harris’ classic country twang. Would be the best country album of the year if it wasn’t for Neko.

7. Scissor Sisters – Ta-dah!
Super catchy Elton John inspired melodies injected with Bee Gees falsettos and great lyrics = winner!

6. Richard Ashcroft – Keys to the World
My biggest surprise of the year. Every song on here just works, and Ashcroft’s voice and lyrics carry the album where the music might come up a little short.

5. Mates of State – Bring it Back
Super poppy power duo makes a huge sounds from only drums and keyboards. Awesome! The lyrics are great and each and every song is fun to sing along to.

4. Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Oh man. Neko Case can’t do wrong. This is an amazing album, even if it isn’t as great as Blacklisted. This is a must buy.

3. Cat Power – The Greatest
This is easily my favorite album from Cat Power. I was in a thrift store a few weeks ago and they were playing this, and it made me remember why I like it so much. Perfectly mellow and Chan’s voice is haunting and playful. This is one of my most played albums of the year.

2. Robert Pollard – Normal Happiness / From a Compound Eye
I couldn’t decide between the two, so they tie. From a Compound Eye is more in the style of his earlier Guided By Voices work, and Normal Happiness shows that Bob can edit down his prolific songwriting ability to be able to produce 16 short and sweet pop songs. Absolutely essential records. Look for about 10 Pollard releases in 2007, including the end of his Fading Captain series.

1. Belle & Sebastian – The Life Pursuit
Belle & Sebastian continue to make wonderful pop music. This album is much different from the music they were making 10 years ago, which shows they have the ability to evolve while keeping their uncanny ability to make songs that make you want to sing along to over and over and over. There isn’t a single weak song on the entire record, and it seems they have settled into their roles as pop music’s under-appreciated saviors quite well.

The Where are They? List of artists:

Bruce Springsteen – We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
Morrissey – Ringleader of the Tormentors

These two albums are from two of my favorite artists of all time! Too bad the records they put out didn’t grab me with anything new, even though The Boss put together an entirely new band for his folk stompy record. I like these records, but they just didn’t get anywhere near my top 10.

Favorite Albums bought in 2006, but not from 2006 (in no particular order)

Mylo – Destroy Rock n’ Roll
Joe Strummer & The Mescalaros – Streetcore
Wire – Pink Flag (reissue)
The Black Keys – The Big Come Up
Brian Jonestown Massacre – Thank God For Mental Illness
Devendra Banhart – Cripple Crow
Devo – Now It Can Be Told (live)
Garageland – Last Exit to Garageland
Guided By Voices – Bee Thousand / Alien Lanes
The New Pornographers – Twin Cinema

Favorite Song of 2006: Another Sunny Day by Belle and Sebastian

Thanks for reading, everyone. See you in 2007!

-Robert

back in L.A.!

THANK GOD

I’m back in wonderful Los Angeles. Barf 6 times and get fake boobs!

Sylvester Stallone is the best, ever.

I got a new warm blanket. I am getting a fish. I got a new (old) 35mm camera from my dad. I got more new sheets.

I just got in a mood where I don’t want to write anymore. Soon… top albums of 2006. I’ve got a lot of top 10 lists of 2006!

Mewwy Catmas

Oregon is cold, rainy, and miserable. BURF!

This cat isn’t miserable, though! This is my cat, Oscar. She is 15 years old, but looks like she is 8! We hung out all day.

See you on New Years, everyone!

Goodbye 2006!

I’ve lived 4 different lives. I will list them below. This is the definitive self-reflexive post of 2006.

1. Grants Pass.

This is where I grew up. This is where I grew a sense of identity and a sense of grounding. The NW will never leave my blood. An immense sense of calm comes over me when I am alone in the middle of my parent’s property. The silence and darkness that used to scare me as a kid now makes me feel like an anchor, like some sort of presence that lives in those woods but only gets to visit every once in a while.

2. Portland.

This is where I became the person that I am. Portland taught me how to live in the “real world,” as well as giving me the best times in my life. For almost 5 years, I had great friends, great experiences, great concerts, great relationships, a great job, and a great sense of placement. If I could say I belong anywhere on the west coast, it would be Portland.

3. Eugene.

Eugene was somewhere where I expected to tie up loose ends, and I ended up picking up a lot more than that. I met some of the most awesome, sincere, and amazing people in Eugene. I came down to Eugene expecting to spend two years and no more, but I ended up investing myself into people that I know I will be friends with for life. Eugene dealt me a few hands that I am still handling today, but I know I will be better for it. It was two of the best years of my life.

4. Los Angeles

I can’t describe Los Angeles yet. It is like being in the middle of a hurricane. You can’t ask for a description of the experience until the person is thrown out of the middle. I’ll admit, sincere people here are few and far between. Los Angeles will definitely be a year (or two) where I look back and I realize that life is much more than you expect it to be. I love it down here because I live in the same city as my best friends, and I also have had the opportunity to meet some pretty amazing people. I feel like you really haven’t lived until you experience Los Angeles. I have that step taken care of.

I’ve lived 4 lives, and I hope that you, reader, have been part of at least one of them! After all, you are who I am writing this for. Life is so short, and so sweet, and so complex, and so incomprehensible. It makes the most sense when you see it reflected in your friends and experiences. I feel honored to know everyone in my life that I’ve met.. my friends, my relationships, my family, my teachers. I love you all, and let’s look forward to 2007, and make it everything 2006 wasn’t. Happy holidays and happy New Years, everybody.

-Robert

Important Stuff

Hey everyone. My friend Isabelle’s sister is missing. If you could take a look at the poster below (clicking on it will make it bigger) or even print this out and keep an eye out that would be awesome.

If you see her and don’t have this flyer on you, please don’t approach her. You can call me and I can get in touch with the right people. Thanks everyone!

chord progression

Most of my “me time” has been spent at home lately diving headfirst into Robert Pollard’s extremely prolific universe of songs and albums. I’m either making lists of which of the albums I need for the entire Fading Captain Series (50, including 3 boxsets) or I’m downloading the copious amounts of lo-fi demos that freely available on the internet. The most awesome resource is Guided By Voices Database. It has pretty much all the information you could ever want on all of Bob’s works, although I wish they would go all Smiths/Morrissey on the songs and allow some interpretations of certain songs. It could benefit by going wikipedia style.

When I’m not listening to this, it has mostly been Wire, X, The Damned, Bruce and Beck. Most of this has been in my iPod on my way to and from work, as well as at work.

I guess my true favorite comic book movie is American Splendor.

I totally fell asleep watching Touch of Evil. I didn’t get good sleep last night, but it didn’t help that everytime Charleton Heston walked onto screen in brown-face, he basically gave his Planet of the Apes final speech over and over again. That guy is just a bad actor. He’s like Captain Kirk times a million. He makes my brain hurt.

The winter solstice is coming, which means we will start getting longer days again. It is getting ridiculous with the darkness coming at 4:30! I can’t wait for those long warm nights again. Soon.. soon.

the longest day

Today was the longest day. It’s only 10:45 right now. I did so much, but not so much. A typical Sunday. I went to a great art show.. I was really impressed with the stuff there, my friend’s work in particular.

The weather was windy today, and I almost wiped out on a turn. I don’t know if I hit an oil spot or what but I was leaned over taking a corner at normal speed, and the back tire slipped. It wasn’t bad, but it startled me pretty bad. I don’t ever want to wreck on my Vespa. I’ve wrecked a million time on dirtbikes.. but that’s different.

I’m reading the 33 1/3 Bee Thousand book.. it is really good. I can’t believe Christmas is two weeks away. I guess I’m sort of flipping out.

I don’t want to turn into an old person, with their buzzard necks and their garish decorations. It’s really frightening. I guess I have a few years before that happens, though.

I watched The Mayor of Sunset Strip, and it made me realize all the stuff in Los Angeles that I’ve been missing out on.

This time last year was a weird time in my life. One year later.. I’m feeling the same for different reasons.

Goodnight.

tell me, joan jett

You know when you see that guy on the street, and he is telling you and everyone else you are a sinner, and will go to hell, and that you are worth garbage, etc, etc? And you want to argue with that person, you want to tell that person that they have the sense of a porcuine, or at least a grey squirrel. But you don’t, because it is a waste of time and energy. Because that person doesn’t know shit from shinola, to quote my grandfather. Those are frustrating times.

Saturday night was educational! Man it is raining hard right now!! By educational, I mean I learned that it can rain pretty fierce in Los Angeles at any moment! The good thing about the rain is that is keeps it warm. Actually, it must be the booze that is keeping me warm because it is supposedly 65 degrees right now, which is the coldest its been in a DOG’S AGE. (Charley!)

Palsey. Shake shake shake.. Shake Shake Shake! Shake that haaaaand! Shake that haaaaaand!

That’s not funny.

Meegle go sleegle. Teegle to you leegle.

Are you tone deaf, sir?

Here is a tone deaf test, given by some wonderful scientific college of some sort.

Not to intimidate you, but I only got 2 out of 36 wrong, which makes my score 94.4%. I am amazed, myself.

what are you.. a wizard?!? a genius?!?!

Whoo! Come on everybody!

It is Saturday.. time for the big apartment clean! It is supposed to rain this weekend, which ain’t no thing to me, since I don’t plan on driving anywhere. Except Sunday! Sunday is Lindsey’s art show in El Segundo, so I hope the rain lets up before then. The art show will be amazing, I’m really excited for it.

The holiday party was pretty fun. That DJ was bad though. But I spent 10 dollars on drinks and drank approximately 8 vodka tonics. Plus some mystery shot the bartender served up to me and 5 others. We all just sort of looked at each other and drank up. I got slapped in the face my my old college buddy Chase.. he was the drunkest thing I’ve ever seen. I think he’s still in college if you know what I mean.

Sometimes I listen to so much music and I want to hear 5 songs simultaneously! I’m listening to Neko Case right now, which made me think of another song I wanted to listen to, and so on and so on.

This morning was the goddamn symphony of bum sounds. Bottles and cans (just clap your hands), trash carts, etc. I woke up pretty early anyway, but those sounds just drive me nuts some mornings. You are bums! Sleep in! At least until 10! By getting up early and applying yourselves, you are betraying the very definition of your name! BUM!

I order a Guided By Voices CD on Amazon, and I walk into Second Spin last night and of COURSE they get it in used. I work there for 9 months and it never comes in. Dems da breaks.

Time for a picture of some sort. How about this one from Pleaseeasaur?

Awesome!

Dave sent me this poster art for a moped rally. It looks pretty rad.

Dave got himself a Puch (sounds like POOK) moped for free, which is pretty rad. Dave.. I am confident that we will both ride together soon.. moped and scooter! For all the fools.. they aren’t the same. A moped is basically a bicycle with a slightly larger frame and a small engine. You can pedal it like a bike, and then engage the engine and ride it like a motorcycle. Pretty rad. Also.. some people call all scooters Vespas, which is bad. Because Vespa is the best scooter you can get. Italian wickedness. Even John Wayne rode a Vespa.. no joke!

There is a holiday scooter ride this Sunday, but it conflicts with the art show. Art show wins.

I could really go for a game of Black Knight right now. Multiball heaven.

I suppose it is time! Bye, reader!

raggle baggle

raggle baggle

yo why you wear your shit so tight?

I rented Pirates 2 and Wassup Rockers last night. I watched Wassup Rockers tonight. Yay for tonight!!!!

Place of Employment Holiday Party tomorrow night. Oh no oh yes. We get a half day tomorrow to prepare and then a half day on friday to recover. Awesome!

TOO COLD TO BLOG. My feet feel like blocks of ice. As I came up off Lincoln and turned onto Wilshire, it felt warm. As soon as I turned onto 11th, it was like a wave of cold hit me. It was so weird, I felt like I was right down on the beach. Sooooo cold. I guess its all those palm trees, keeping in the sea air. That must be it. I wonder what it is like in Venice, it felt warm there. Only one way to find out!

Good night!

oh man…

I remembered I grabbed the latest issue of Vice. After the Pirates debacle, I needed a light-hearted read. Well.. this month’s issue is called “The Appalachia Issue” and it is about the poorest section of America, and how the poverty there is so thick you can feel it in the air. I actually got up from listening to Brian Eno and switched it to Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska just because the tone fit better. Super depressing but interesting, as always.

I take my Beatlemaniac post back..

I take it all back! After two and a half hours of the most ridiculous, brainless action scenes, a half dozen red herrings and Rosebud-esque plot devices, and expository dialogue.. I hereby declare that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is now the most boring thing ever!

Pirates and tall ships.. two of my favorite things! How in the world could this movie be boring? For starters, making the entire plot about chasing after X and Y so it will unlock Z, and Z holds the key to Q who made a deal with J so that he can…. ZZZZZzzzzzzz. I was even ready to forgive the two things I hated about the first one (Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley), but unfortunately they decided to put even MORE of them in this one. All this, and the movie decided to take itself seriously, too!

By the time the threeway sword fight had reached it’s ridiculous ten minute mark, I started fast forwarding. God help me if I had watched this in the theatre.

Hey.. can I get another scene where a million tentacles rip apart a ship. My favorite Kraken part? Instead of instantly tearing apart Johnny Depp’s ship, like it did all the others, the tentacles slooooowly creep up the ship side. Why? So we can get three or four cutaways of Orlando Bloom saying “Hold! HOLD! HOLD!” Oh man…. the word “hold” was so over a bajillion years ago when Braveheart came out. We are seriously still using the world “hold” to create some sort of suspense? Ugh…

Oh yes… the Kraken starts attacking the ship, and they hoist some rum and gunpowder in the air and ignite it (in slow motion) with a MUSKET BALL? I know we are living securely in the world of fantasy at this point in the movie.. but PLEASE!

I don’t understand Davy Jones’ crew. So you are damned to be on his crew for 100 years. In the first few years, a starfish attaches to your face and you get kelp for hair. Which year do you turn into a hammerhead shark? What was with that stupid dice gambling scene? I guess for some character development between Orlando Bloom and his dad. I don’t even remember that guy from the first one. Oh god… oh god give me my two and a half hours back!

I wish I would have watched Wassup Rockers instead! I would make that gamble!

Oh god!! And there is going to be a third one! This essentially is one long nine hour movie about finding some damn treasure that unlock some other treasure that blah blah blah blah. Kill me now.

UPDATE: I just realized this is the hot DVD of the holiday season.. which means I’m going to get this for Christmas from whoever draws my name. *Must remember not to bash movie in front of family before opening gifts*

there’s nothing more boring than…

and the answer is…. a Beatlemaniac!

Wow.. you are really into the Beatles? Oh man! That is so awesome! Tell me what your favorite album is! Oh.. that cut of Rubber Soul that was only released in limited quantities in Japan, and it had 4 extra seconds on side A? Whoa! That sounds amazing. Yeah.. the Beatles were so influential and really important! Remeber that phase where they turned into a bunch of dumb hippies? Yeah.. they really changed a lot of perceptions on how British pop bands should talk/act/dress. John Lennon was a genius! Remember when him and Yoko Ono sat in bed to protest about something? Revolutionary! Ringo is my favorite!

Beatles forever! Oh wait.. were we talking about the Grateful Dead or the Beatles? Oh.. ok.. The Beatles? Ok. Yay for the Beatles!