sincerely,
Danny
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
SOPA and PIPA
As a protest against the proposed PIPA and SOPA legislations, no new posts will be published to charz2k today.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Twitter titter
Danny and I now have Twitter accounts because our Facebook friends are idiots and hardly ever post anything funny and worthwhile and probably don't understand funny and worthwhile things we post and you can't use funny #tags when you post on Facebook.
Follow us because you don't have anything better to do than read what we write when we don't have anything better to do.
Danny: @dildonato (dildo+NATO)
Eric: @outdoorminer #somedumbsongname
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Obama Sucks
I think blue collar fans would know their players, and that it was "Comiskey" Park, not "Cominsky." Not to mention pulling out a Sox hat to throw out the first pitch of the season for another team who is just trying to win 30 games a year. Throws like a girl, too.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Well, here it is, folks.
It's taken me quite a while to finalize this list, be it because I've been struggling to recall favorites from the first part of the decade that deserve mention, or because I'm insecure about the quality of my list in comparison to those of my peers (Danny, Peter, Jeff - this means it's your fault I've taken so long...). Now that it's been a good two months since I'd begun to think about the decade's best, I'm tired enough of the idea of creating the perfect list to force myself to feign indifference at any forgotten mentions, and some Xanax will probably help me with the list-esteem issue. So, here we goooooo!
26. In Ghost Colours - Cut/Copy: After a long-delayed flight from Australia threatened to cancel their P-fork '08 set, hearing "Hearts on Fire" sneak out from behind Animal Collective's set and running over to join the bouncing crowd for the two songs they played made me love this record all the more.
25. Satanic Panic in the Attic - Of Montreal: The first time I heard "Rapture Rapes the Muses" while co-hosting my friend Kathy's radio show my mind was blown because it was then that I truly realized how little I knew about music and how much I wanted to learn. If their fans and their subsequent records hadn't diminished the listenability of SPitA, it'd probably be top-10.
23. (tie) #3 - Suburban Kids with Biblical Names/You're so Silent, Jens - Jens Lekman: Swedish indie pop is one of the greatest things to happen to music this decade, and both of these artists exemplify why. I really like Night Falls Over Kortedala, but I can't exclude the collection that showcases "Black Cab" no matter how hard I try.
22. Slow Dance - Jeremy Jay: French post-punk revivalism in 2009? Fucking yes.
21. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: Too noisy to be twee, too twee to be noisepop, POBPAH's C86 revivalism gives me hope for the next decade's music.
20. Alight of Night - Crystal Stilts - Simple chords, when draped in enough noise and distortion, prove that you don't need to be technically proficient to make a fantastic record. Substandard equipment helps. While probably technically part of the whole "shitgaze/glo-fi" movement, Crystal Stilts do what they do so well that none of the genre's other bands really even need to exist.
19. Album - Girls: Danny said it well enough for me to not need to repeat. Also, since on the 1st of January, 2010 I vowed no alcohol until the Girls show on 1/31 at Walter's, I really love them and want it to be the day of their show.
18. Up the Bracket - The Libertines: If There's a Riot Goin' On was the most appropriate album to snort a line off in the 70s, "Up the Bracket" is, along with Blood Visions (RIP Jay :( ) certainly the best for the '00s.
17. High Society - Enon: Maybe the best "Indie Rock" album of all time.
16. Paper Television - The Blow: "True affection floats"
15. Every Night - Saturday Looks Good to Me: "All Over Town" is one of my favorite songs to listen to on a warm day while driving with the windows down.
14. Underachievers Please Try Harder - Camera Obscura: While "If Looks Could Kill" and "French Navy" might be amazing singles that showcase the best of a fully-realized band's potential, the underachievement of "Underachievers" is just so damn cute.
13. Suburban Light - The Clientele: A great October record that I really listened to for the first time on a rainy October evening.
12. Let it Bloom - Black Lips: Maximum fucking rock and roll.
11. Love Visions - Nobunny: I kind of wish I lived in San Francisco so I could have heard these guys (and Hunx) earlier.
10. The Last Match - The Aislers Set
Through benefit of barely squeaking out of the 90s, I love this record because of how 90s noise-pop it is. I kind of get the impression that every No Age/Vivian Girls/Wavves/Girls wishes they could have made this absolutely perfect record themselves. More than anything, Aislers Set understand the necessity of noise and melody, and they pour the perfect amount from each beaker into each song. Bonus points for covering 14 Iced Bears.
9. The Mysterious Production of Eggs - Andrew Bird
Listening to this record sometimes feels like an adult "story time" where Andrew is sitting in the center of a circle with a big picture book open to illustrate his song's nameless protagonists. One of the rare instances where an album could likely stand on its lyrical merit alone, the melodic prowess of the storyteller is doubly effective.
8. Rings Around the World - Super Furry Animals
My favorite part of this album is how it sounds like Paul McCartney is doing the backing vocals in "Receptacle for the Respectable" and how you check the liner notes and see his name in there and think "damn I was right" while all he did was like blow on a comb or something.
7. The Museum of Imaginary Animals - Pram
The problem with decade-end lists is that if you listen to a lot of music you'll inevitably happen upon the circumstance where you hear something very late in the decade that hasn't had the time to marinate like the rest of the selections you'll likely include. When I first heard this album I knew it was one of the best, and I'm pretty confident I've not erred on this one at all. It's whimsical, haunting, and beautiful. I urge all Stereolab fans to get it immediately.
6. Margerine Eclipse - Stereolab
Whether on stage, in a car, while lying in bed reading a book, or concentrating intently on every note, I love listening to Margerine Eclipse. Though, as Peter pointed out, Sound-dust was the last album with Mary Hansen before her untimely demise, and after spending a week straight listening to that album exclusively while driving, it took one listen of Margerine Eclipse for me prefer it over Sound-dust. I especially can't get enough of the hypnotic and chilling "Someday...someday...someday" in "La Demeure."
5. Tower of Love - Jim Noir
When we get together
I always hope there'll be nice weather
between us
there's nothing worse
than when you turn into a thunder storm with me
4. Guitar Romantic - Exploding Hearts
Every song on this album is so good that you just as you start to think it's the best song on the album you remember how good each and every other song on there is. WHY THE FUCK DID THEY HAVE TO DIE?
3. In the Valley of Dying Stars - Superdrag
Of all the cases where the nature of the American music industry cheated a band (and the fans they never had the chance to earn), that of In the Valley of Dying Stars, because of the sheer marketability of a sound so compatible with the radio landscape of the era, stands so astoundingly far ahead of the pack. I feel privileged to have known of their existence at a time when they could be enjoyed as they matured, and followed through their demise and eventual resurgence. Also, there probably isn't a more fun song to sing/yell while running across a snow covered Mudd Field when you're 19 and wasted.
2. Dear Catastrophe Waitress - Belle & Sebastian
The number one music-related regret of my college career involves missing Belle & Sebastian at the Pageant my sophomore year because at that point I thought they were "boring". I've been wrong about many things, but this error is high up on the list. The undeniable excellence of another of their shows in early '06 that involved a 4-hr road trip and the absolute farthest seats from the stage only served to broaden the wound built by the missed opportunity of seeing them close up at a place that was a 20-minute walk away.
1. Is This It? - The Strokes
By now it's all been said, it's all been read; this is it.
26. In Ghost Colours - Cut/Copy: After a long-delayed flight from Australia threatened to cancel their P-fork '08 set, hearing "Hearts on Fire" sneak out from behind Animal Collective's set and running over to join the bouncing crowd for the two songs they played made me love this record all the more.
25. Satanic Panic in the Attic - Of Montreal: The first time I heard "Rapture Rapes the Muses" while co-hosting my friend Kathy's radio show my mind was blown because it was then that I truly realized how little I knew about music and how much I wanted to learn. If their fans and their subsequent records hadn't diminished the listenability of SPitA, it'd probably be top-10.
23. (tie) #3 - Suburban Kids with Biblical Names/You're so Silent, Jens - Jens Lekman: Swedish indie pop is one of the greatest things to happen to music this decade, and both of these artists exemplify why. I really like Night Falls Over Kortedala, but I can't exclude the collection that showcases "Black Cab" no matter how hard I try.
22. Slow Dance - Jeremy Jay: French post-punk revivalism in 2009? Fucking yes.
21. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: Too noisy to be twee, too twee to be noisepop, POBPAH's C86 revivalism gives me hope for the next decade's music.
20. Alight of Night - Crystal Stilts - Simple chords, when draped in enough noise and distortion, prove that you don't need to be technically proficient to make a fantastic record. Substandard equipment helps. While probably technically part of the whole "shitgaze/glo-fi" movement, Crystal Stilts do what they do so well that none of the genre's other bands really even need to exist.
19. Album - Girls: Danny said it well enough for me to not need to repeat. Also, since on the 1st of January, 2010 I vowed no alcohol until the Girls show on 1/31 at Walter's, I really love them and want it to be the day of their show.
18. Up the Bracket - The Libertines: If There's a Riot Goin' On was the most appropriate album to snort a line off in the 70s, "Up the Bracket" is, along with Blood Visions (RIP Jay :( ) certainly the best for the '00s.
17. High Society - Enon: Maybe the best "Indie Rock" album of all time.
16. Paper Television - The Blow: "True affection floats"
15. Every Night - Saturday Looks Good to Me: "All Over Town" is one of my favorite songs to listen to on a warm day while driving with the windows down.
14. Underachievers Please Try Harder - Camera Obscura: While "If Looks Could Kill" and "French Navy" might be amazing singles that showcase the best of a fully-realized band's potential, the underachievement of "Underachievers" is just so damn cute.
13. Suburban Light - The Clientele: A great October record that I really listened to for the first time on a rainy October evening.
12. Let it Bloom - Black Lips: Maximum fucking rock and roll.
11. Love Visions - Nobunny: I kind of wish I lived in San Francisco so I could have heard these guys (and Hunx) earlier.
10. The Last Match - The Aislers SetThrough benefit of barely squeaking out of the 90s, I love this record because of how 90s noise-pop it is. I kind of get the impression that every No Age/Vivian Girls/Wavves/Girls wishes they could have made this absolutely perfect record themselves. More than anything, Aislers Set understand the necessity of noise and melody, and they pour the perfect amount from each beaker into each song. Bonus points for covering 14 Iced Bears.
9. The Mysterious Production of Eggs - Andrew BirdListening to this record sometimes feels like an adult "story time" where Andrew is sitting in the center of a circle with a big picture book open to illustrate his song's nameless protagonists. One of the rare instances where an album could likely stand on its lyrical merit alone, the melodic prowess of the storyteller is doubly effective.
8. Rings Around the World - Super Furry AnimalsMy favorite part of this album is how it sounds like Paul McCartney is doing the backing vocals in "Receptacle for the Respectable" and how you check the liner notes and see his name in there and think "damn I was right" while all he did was like blow on a comb or something.
7. The Museum of Imaginary Animals - PramThe problem with decade-end lists is that if you listen to a lot of music you'll inevitably happen upon the circumstance where you hear something very late in the decade that hasn't had the time to marinate like the rest of the selections you'll likely include. When I first heard this album I knew it was one of the best, and I'm pretty confident I've not erred on this one at all. It's whimsical, haunting, and beautiful. I urge all Stereolab fans to get it immediately.
6. Margerine Eclipse - StereolabWhether on stage, in a car, while lying in bed reading a book, or concentrating intently on every note, I love listening to Margerine Eclipse. Though, as Peter pointed out, Sound-dust was the last album with Mary Hansen before her untimely demise, and after spending a week straight listening to that album exclusively while driving, it took one listen of Margerine Eclipse for me prefer it over Sound-dust. I especially can't get enough of the hypnotic and chilling "Someday...someday...someday" in "La Demeure."
5. Tower of Love - Jim NoirWhen we get together
I always hope there'll be nice weather
between us
there's nothing worse
than when you turn into a thunder storm with me
4. Guitar Romantic - Exploding HeartsEvery song on this album is so good that you just as you start to think it's the best song on the album you remember how good each and every other song on there is. WHY THE FUCK DID THEY HAVE TO DIE?
3. In the Valley of Dying Stars - SuperdragOf all the cases where the nature of the American music industry cheated a band (and the fans they never had the chance to earn), that of In the Valley of Dying Stars, because of the sheer marketability of a sound so compatible with the radio landscape of the era, stands so astoundingly far ahead of the pack. I feel privileged to have known of their existence at a time when they could be enjoyed as they matured, and followed through their demise and eventual resurgence. Also, there probably isn't a more fun song to sing/yell while running across a snow covered Mudd Field when you're 19 and wasted.
2. Dear Catastrophe Waitress - Belle & SebastianThe number one music-related regret of my college career involves missing Belle & Sebastian at the Pageant my sophomore year because at that point I thought they were "boring". I've been wrong about many things, but this error is high up on the list. The undeniable excellence of another of their shows in early '06 that involved a 4-hr road trip and the absolute farthest seats from the stage only served to broaden the wound built by the missed opportunity of seeing them close up at a place that was a 20-minute walk away.
1. Is This It? - The StrokesBy now it's all been said, it's all been read; this is it.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sam's Top 50 Songs of 2009
50. I Was A King - Norman Bleik
49. Violens - Already Oslo (Lilys vs. Rod Coles Remix)
48. Slim Thug - Thug
47. Friendly Fires - I'm Good I'm Gone (Lykke Li cover)
46. Black Lips - The Drop I Hold feat. GZA
45. Crystal Antlers - Andrew
44. Lady Gaga - Paparazzi
43. Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
42. Jamie Foxx - Blame It
Richie Cunningham in yet another music video.
41. Phoenix - Fences (Friendly Fires Remix)
40. Make The Girl Dance - Baby Baby Baby
39. Young Money - Every Girl
38. U2 - Magnificent (Fred Falke Remix)
37. Annie - Anthonio (Berlin Breakdown Version)
36. Coldplay - Lost+ (with Jay-Z) (Live At the 51st Grammy Awards)
Purely for what has to be the first golf clap reception Jay-Z has ever received.
35. Crocodiles - Summer Of Hate
34. Regina Spektor - Blue Lips
33. Priors - What You Need (Extended)
32. VEGA - No Reasons
31. Clipse - I'm Good (Remix Feat. Rick Ross)
30. Voxtrot - Trepanation Party
29. LeToya - Regret (Feat. Ludacris)
28. Florence And The Machine - Cosmic Love
27. Sally Shapiro - Miracle
26. The-Dream – Rockin’ That Shit
25. Little Boots - New In Town
24. U.S.E. - All The World
23. St. Vincent – Marrow
I enjoy watching Annie Clark play guitar.
22. Modernaire - Faites Vos Jeux
21. Lily Allen - The Fear
20. Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me
19. The Cribs - We Were Aborted
18. Au Revoir Simone - All Or Nothing
17. Dirty Projectors + David Byrne - Knotty Pine
16. Drake – Best I Ever Had
15. Kid Cudi - Make Her Say (Feat. Kanye West & Common)
Visually my favorite music video this year.
14. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
13. St. Vincent - The Party
12. Maxwell - Pretty Wings
11. Gossip - Heavy Cross (Fred Falke Remix)
10. Phoenix - Lisztomania
A song about the difficulties of writing a hit song, which became a hit song that sounds so effortless.
9. The Cribs - We Share The Same Skies
8. Annie - I Don't Like Your Band
7. Jay-Z - Empire State Of Mind (Feat. Alicia Keys)
6. The Streets - Trust Me
The best UK garage hit released for free via twitter.
5. Raekwon - New Wu (Ft. Ghostface Killah & Method Man)
New Wu. Not in the sense that it's any different than the Wu-Tang of old we all know and love, rather it's the joy of experiencing the Wu-Tang Clan for the first time, all over again.
4. Annie - Songs Remind Me Of You
3. Girls - Lust For Life
2. St. Vincent - The Strangers
1. Phoenix - 1901
All the fundamental elements of my favorite songs this year jammed into electro/power-pop perfection.
49. Violens - Already Oslo (Lilys vs. Rod Coles Remix)
48. Slim Thug - Thug
47. Friendly Fires - I'm Good I'm Gone (Lykke Li cover)
46. Black Lips - The Drop I Hold feat. GZA
45. Crystal Antlers - Andrew
44. Lady Gaga - Paparazzi
43. Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
42. Jamie Foxx - Blame It
Richie Cunningham in yet another music video.
41. Phoenix - Fences (Friendly Fires Remix)
40. Make The Girl Dance - Baby Baby Baby
39. Young Money - Every Girl
38. U2 - Magnificent (Fred Falke Remix)
37. Annie - Anthonio (Berlin Breakdown Version)
36. Coldplay - Lost+ (with Jay-Z) (Live At the 51st Grammy Awards)
Purely for what has to be the first golf clap reception Jay-Z has ever received.
35. Crocodiles - Summer Of Hate
34. Regina Spektor - Blue Lips
33. Priors - What You Need (Extended)
32. VEGA - No Reasons
31. Clipse - I'm Good (Remix Feat. Rick Ross)
30. Voxtrot - Trepanation Party
29. LeToya - Regret (Feat. Ludacris)
28. Florence And The Machine - Cosmic Love
27. Sally Shapiro - Miracle
26. The-Dream – Rockin’ That Shit
25. Little Boots - New In Town
24. U.S.E. - All The World
23. St. Vincent – Marrow
I enjoy watching Annie Clark play guitar.
22. Modernaire - Faites Vos Jeux
21. Lily Allen - The Fear
20. Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me
19. The Cribs - We Were Aborted
18. Au Revoir Simone - All Or Nothing
17. Dirty Projectors + David Byrne - Knotty Pine
16. Drake – Best I Ever Had
15. Kid Cudi - Make Her Say (Feat. Kanye West & Common)
Visually my favorite music video this year.
14. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
13. St. Vincent - The Party
12. Maxwell - Pretty Wings
11. Gossip - Heavy Cross (Fred Falke Remix)
10. Phoenix - Lisztomania
A song about the difficulties of writing a hit song, which became a hit song that sounds so effortless.
9. The Cribs - We Share The Same Skies
8. Annie - I Don't Like Your Band
7. Jay-Z - Empire State Of Mind (Feat. Alicia Keys)
6. The Streets - Trust Me
The best UK garage hit released for free via twitter.
5. Raekwon - New Wu (Ft. Ghostface Killah & Method Man)
New Wu. Not in the sense that it's any different than the Wu-Tang of old we all know and love, rather it's the joy of experiencing the Wu-Tang Clan for the first time, all over again.
4. Annie - Songs Remind Me Of You
3. Girls - Lust For Life
2. St. Vincent - The Strangers
1. Phoenix - 1901
All the fundamental elements of my favorite songs this year jammed into electro/power-pop perfection.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Sam's 9 Albums of 2009
#9. Au Revoir Simone - Still Night, Still Light
#8. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II
#7. Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
#6. The Cribs - Ignore The Ignorant
#5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
#4. Girls - Album
#2. St. Vincent - Actor
#1. Annie - Don't Stop / All Night EP
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
My Favorite Albums of the Decade
My friend Peter asked me to make this list so I thought I might as well do it up right and put it on charz2k since I haven't posted here in forevs.
This is weird. The "oughties" are ending. It's been a weird little decade for me. I guess I'm a child of the nineties. But the thing is, I'm an adult of the years 2000-2009. For the most part God's made it easy on me (if God actually controls any of this shit). But I've dealt with my fair share of adversity. I was a teenage punk rocker and that certainly doesn't make high school any easier. I've lost touch with many friends. I've given and received a broken heart. But I don't fucking care. If I could do it all over again I would. I'm a better, more mature person for it...I've learned a lot about myself...about my nature and the natures of others. And I've loved music all the while.
I've got good music memories of this decade. I've fallen in love to this music, I've fallen out of love to this music. I guess some of those memories are painful too...
Full disclosure: actually even through this decade I've mostly listened to music that was made before I was born!
Another actually: I always say things like this: "Yeah X is okay, but why wouldn't you listen to Y?" So, yeah this decade's music was okay...but I'd rather listen to things from 1979.
Before I continue let's get this out of the way (lots of caveats here, I know) - I don't think these are the best albums of the decade. Notice the lack of Kid A. These are my favorite albums of the decade. These are the albums that mean the most to me. Well, they're the albums that mean the most to me... that I could think of last night...I'm probably missing some and some probably don't deserve to be on here and this list is subject to change and I could put some more obscure things on here butyouwouldn'tknowthoseanyway so yes!
Heeeeeere we go! from last to first
15. Black Lips - Let It Bloom
Nothing too poignant about this thing for me...it's just really good and slimy. It's just some dudes from the South making 60's type garage punk. They bleed on stage, they make out with each other, they get naked. I listened to this album a bunch and it was a cool, little revelation to me. It's like a new Nugget. It's fun. Derrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I think I wanna' get fffffudged up tonight because I just finished my finals......I have to be at work early tomorrow but...maybe we'll get Thai food for lunch...I think I get paid tomorrow...tomorrow could be a good day.
14. Nobunny - Love Visions
This was a recommendation from Eloy. His girlfriend is the drummer in Vivian Girls. He and I talked for hours after the Vivian Girls show down here in Houston. I remember the band that went on before Vivian Girls was like this goofy sub-Yoko Ono avant-garde from Houston. It was like No Wave Industrial noise but it was pretentious and uninteresting. The vocalist would say things like "Godddd! Fuuuuck!" into the microphone. I understand and appreciate shock value and dissonance as well as the next guy but give me a damn break.
Anyway, after talking to the Vivian Girls for a while I told Eloy I thought the opening band was terrible. "And I like DNA and Swans!" I added. He agreed and he expressed his love for DNA and Swans too. From that point we discovered we liked the exact same music. Oh man it was nerdy...we shared music recommendations all night! He also recommended a bunch of good punk bands I had (somehow) never heard before...oooohh and Hunx and His Punx who also just fucking kill it.
We said we'd keep in touch via Myspace but now I don't remember my password! Anyway, thanks Eloy!
Also one of the dudes in Ariel Pink asked me if I had any Fentanyl (I didn't because I'm not an 80-year-old lady with a broken hip and I will do a lot of shit but I'd rather stay away from heroin for fuck's sake so I'm not going to have recreational-use Fentanyl) ; this marked the second time some band guy had asked me for drugs.
13. Girls - Album
I know this is an album from this year. Maybe it won't have staying power, but as of now, I don't care. It's so emotionally raw and well-written. Are those journalist cliches? You should check out the songwriter's biography somewhere...it's ffffucked up! My favorite album of 2009 by miles. Worthy of the hype.
12. William Basinski - The Disintegration Loops
This guy is from Houston, I think. He makes loops and, as the story goes, he was converting old loops to an updated format when the tapes started to disintegrate. Did I mention he was doing this from atop his NYC apartment's roof as the World Trade Center collapsed. If you listen to the loops you can hear elements slowly fade out almost imperceptibly. There's a metaphor here, huh? RIP World Trade Center...you were the Qatsiest buildings I've ever seen.
11. J Dilla - Donuts
This shit is just ill. Jay killed himself later so there's a bunch of beautiful subtext to these tracks.
10. Electrelane - The Power Out
Awesome all-girl modern post-punk sound. Every song is immensely interesting and the collection of songs works wonderfully as an album. Eric and I always note that you can almost hear the guitar solos plucked out note by calculated note. This, we decided, is the result of a girl playing guitar. I'd rather hear these guitar things than Eric Fucking Crapton I'll tell you that! Eric Clapton, eat a bowl of dicks.
9. Super Furry Animals - Rings Around the World
I wish I had a gold tooth. Maybe when I'm 47 I can get one. Then when I die my skull will look like it's the skull of a bad ass. I mean it will be the skull of a bad ass...but without the gold toof how can you tell?
8. Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
My introduction to this band. I listened to it when I was going through a bad breakup. For that reason it still plucks my heart straaangs. Damn that girl on the cover...is she hot or what?! Someone find her name for me. Don't let those stupid customers get you down, girl!
Mike Piazza is gay. There, I answered it for you. My dad used to love him (Piazza) but he's a big Dodgers fan and we're Italian and we Italians automatically love all famous Italians.
7. The Libertines - Up The Bracket
Punk fucking energy. It's got some artsy intelligence to it also which immediately bumps it up to post-punk status. They play the songs like they're falling down the stairs...Mark E. Smith's stairs. They're falling down Fall stairs.
6. Jim Noir - Tower of Love
Awesome songs on an awesome album composed by one man and a computer. It's not all faggy like other albums recorded by those methods. It's lush, poppy, self-deprecating and amazing. His other album, the eponymous one, is also straight up awesome. I remember watching the World Cup and they played "Eanie Meanie" from this album on a commercial. My brother and I were like "OK, Jim Noir's rich now!"
5. Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
"You can tell me 'bout your day/ I'll pretend I'm listenin'/ And you ain't gotta' love me just be convincin'"
"I philosophize about glocks and keys/ niggas call me young, black Socrates"
"The news called it crack/ I called it Diet Coke"
This shit is like angry but it's reigned-in anger. It's all done through clenched teeth. It's intelligent rap about selling coke. Look at those lines...they're clever...about selling coke!
4. Adam Green - Friends of Mine
Sometimes I think I'm the only person in the world who likes this album. What's wrong with you bitches? Every song is catchy. All the lyrics are like randomly-compiled poetry. It's like "found art" in audio form with lyrics just cobbled together. Each song has a strong, yet obscured emotion at its heart.
3. Superdrag - In The Valley of Dying Stars
Honestly, this could easily be my number one. It probably means more to me than any of these other albums. This was the musical love of my life for a while. This is the album I bought when I saw them for the first time. I was expecting to be underwhelmed as I listened to old punk almost exclusively at that point, but I was blown away. I used to drop my high school girlfriend off at her house at like 3am and then I'd just drive around for an extra thirty minutes before going home so I could listen to this album.
2. The Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic
Derivative, yeah. But it's just punk you pussy. It's supposed to sound like that. I could never communicate how much I love this album. I'm sure I could employ some subitaneous reasoning and produce some sort of almost rational statement (inasmuch as an emotion statement can be considered rational) explaining my feelings for this album. But, I don't want to think about this too much. It's not an album that invites you to think. Just enjoy it! It's just everything you could ever want in a punk album. There, I said something! Happy now?! Why did this band die? Why is fucking Nickelback not dead yet? Why do I have an antagonistic relationship with the reader of this article?
1. The Strokes - Is This It?
I can't believe I'm choosing the same #1 as NME. Their list is terrible. In hindsight, I simply enjoyed this album more than I enjoyed any other album of the decade. I listened to this all the time back in the day. I chose the UK album art because it has a butt on it.
Let's try harder next decade!
with much much love,
Daniel
This is weird. The "oughties" are ending. It's been a weird little decade for me. I guess I'm a child of the nineties. But the thing is, I'm an adult of the years 2000-2009. For the most part God's made it easy on me (if God actually controls any of this shit). But I've dealt with my fair share of adversity. I was a teenage punk rocker and that certainly doesn't make high school any easier. I've lost touch with many friends. I've given and received a broken heart. But I don't fucking care. If I could do it all over again I would. I'm a better, more mature person for it...I've learned a lot about myself...about my nature and the natures of others. And I've loved music all the while.
I've got good music memories of this decade. I've fallen in love to this music, I've fallen out of love to this music. I guess some of those memories are painful too...
Full disclosure: actually even through this decade I've mostly listened to music that was made before I was born!
Another actually: I always say things like this: "Yeah X is okay, but why wouldn't you listen to Y?" So, yeah this decade's music was okay...but I'd rather listen to things from 1979.
Before I continue let's get this out of the way (lots of caveats here, I know) - I don't think these are the best albums of the decade. Notice the lack of Kid A. These are my favorite albums of the decade. These are the albums that mean the most to me. Well, they're the albums that mean the most to me... that I could think of last night...I'm probably missing some and some probably don't deserve to be on here and this list is subject to change and I could put some more obscure things on here butyouwouldn'tknowthoseanyway so yes!
Heeeeeere we go! from last to first
15. Black Lips - Let It Bloom
Nothing too poignant about this thing for me...it's just really good and slimy. It's just some dudes from the South making 60's type garage punk. They bleed on stage, they make out with each other, they get naked. I listened to this album a bunch and it was a cool, little revelation to me. It's like a new Nugget. It's fun. Derrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I think I wanna' get fffffudged up tonight because I just finished my finals......I have to be at work early tomorrow but...maybe we'll get Thai food for lunch...I think I get paid tomorrow...tomorrow could be a good day.
14. Nobunny - Love Visions
This was a recommendation from Eloy. His girlfriend is the drummer in Vivian Girls. He and I talked for hours after the Vivian Girls show down here in Houston. I remember the band that went on before Vivian Girls was like this goofy sub-Yoko Ono avant-garde from Houston. It was like No Wave Industrial noise but it was pretentious and uninteresting. The vocalist would say things like "Godddd! Fuuuuck!" into the microphone. I understand and appreciate shock value and dissonance as well as the next guy but give me a damn break.
Anyway, after talking to the Vivian Girls for a while I told Eloy I thought the opening band was terrible. "And I like DNA and Swans!" I added. He agreed and he expressed his love for DNA and Swans too. From that point we discovered we liked the exact same music. Oh man it was nerdy...we shared music recommendations all night! He also recommended a bunch of good punk bands I had (somehow) never heard before...oooohh and Hunx and His Punx who also just fucking kill it.
We said we'd keep in touch via Myspace but now I don't remember my password! Anyway, thanks Eloy!
Also one of the dudes in Ariel Pink asked me if I had any Fentanyl (I didn't because I'm not an 80-year-old lady with a broken hip and I will do a lot of shit but I'd rather stay away from heroin for fuck's sake so I'm not going to have recreational-use Fentanyl) ; this marked the second time some band guy had asked me for drugs.
13. Girls - Album
I know this is an album from this year. Maybe it won't have staying power, but as of now, I don't care. It's so emotionally raw and well-written. Are those journalist cliches? You should check out the songwriter's biography somewhere...it's ffffucked up! My favorite album of 2009 by miles. Worthy of the hype.
12. William Basinski - The Disintegration Loops
This guy is from Houston, I think. He makes loops and, as the story goes, he was converting old loops to an updated format when the tapes started to disintegrate. Did I mention he was doing this from atop his NYC apartment's roof as the World Trade Center collapsed. If you listen to the loops you can hear elements slowly fade out almost imperceptibly. There's a metaphor here, huh? RIP World Trade Center...you were the Qatsiest buildings I've ever seen.
11. J Dilla - Donuts
This shit is just ill. Jay killed himself later so there's a bunch of beautiful subtext to these tracks.
10. Electrelane - The Power Out
Awesome all-girl modern post-punk sound. Every song is immensely interesting and the collection of songs works wonderfully as an album. Eric and I always note that you can almost hear the guitar solos plucked out note by calculated note. This, we decided, is the result of a girl playing guitar. I'd rather hear these guitar things than Eric Fucking Crapton I'll tell you that! Eric Clapton, eat a bowl of dicks.
9. Super Furry Animals - Rings Around the World
I wish I had a gold tooth. Maybe when I'm 47 I can get one. Then when I die my skull will look like it's the skull of a bad ass. I mean it will be the skull of a bad ass...but without the gold toof how can you tell?
8. Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
My introduction to this band. I listened to it when I was going through a bad breakup. For that reason it still plucks my heart straaangs. Damn that girl on the cover...is she hot or what?! Someone find her name for me. Don't let those stupid customers get you down, girl!
Mike Piazza is gay. There, I answered it for you. My dad used to love him (Piazza) but he's a big Dodgers fan and we're Italian and we Italians automatically love all famous Italians.
7. The Libertines - Up The Bracket
Punk fucking energy. It's got some artsy intelligence to it also which immediately bumps it up to post-punk status. They play the songs like they're falling down the stairs...Mark E. Smith's stairs. They're falling down Fall stairs.
6. Jim Noir - Tower of Love
Awesome songs on an awesome album composed by one man and a computer. It's not all faggy like other albums recorded by those methods. It's lush, poppy, self-deprecating and amazing. His other album, the eponymous one, is also straight up awesome. I remember watching the World Cup and they played "Eanie Meanie" from this album on a commercial. My brother and I were like "OK, Jim Noir's rich now!"5. Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
"You can tell me 'bout your day/ I'll pretend I'm listenin'/ And you ain't gotta' love me just be convincin'"
"I philosophize about glocks and keys/ niggas call me young, black Socrates"
"The news called it crack/ I called it Diet Coke"
This shit is like angry but it's reigned-in anger. It's all done through clenched teeth. It's intelligent rap about selling coke. Look at those lines...they're clever...about selling coke!
4. Adam Green - Friends of Mine
Sometimes I think I'm the only person in the world who likes this album. What's wrong with you bitches? Every song is catchy. All the lyrics are like randomly-compiled poetry. It's like "found art" in audio form with lyrics just cobbled together. Each song has a strong, yet obscured emotion at its heart.
3. Superdrag - In The Valley of Dying Stars
Honestly, this could easily be my number one. It probably means more to me than any of these other albums. This was the musical love of my life for a while. This is the album I bought when I saw them for the first time. I was expecting to be underwhelmed as I listened to old punk almost exclusively at that point, but I was blown away. I used to drop my high school girlfriend off at her house at like 3am and then I'd just drive around for an extra thirty minutes before going home so I could listen to this album.
2. The Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic
Derivative, yeah. But it's just punk you pussy. It's supposed to sound like that. I could never communicate how much I love this album. I'm sure I could employ some subitaneous reasoning and produce some sort of almost rational statement (inasmuch as an emotion statement can be considered rational) explaining my feelings for this album. But, I don't want to think about this too much. It's not an album that invites you to think. Just enjoy it! It's just everything you could ever want in a punk album. There, I said something! Happy now?! Why did this band die? Why is fucking Nickelback not dead yet? Why do I have an antagonistic relationship with the reader of this article?
1. The Strokes - Is This It?
I can't believe I'm choosing the same #1 as NME. Their list is terrible. In hindsight, I simply enjoyed this album more than I enjoyed any other album of the decade. I listened to this all the time back in the day. I chose the UK album art because it has a butt on it.
Let's try harder next decade!
with much much love,
Daniel
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Valhallaaaaaaahhhh!!!!
The other night when we went to Valhalla, I thought that having a campus bar would have been a great addition to my four years at Wash U. We'd talked about trekking over to Rice to check this place out for a while, but now that summer's gone and the weather is reasonably cool at night, the mile-and-a-half walk was much more pleasant that it would have been had we not delayed. Why, weather aside, did we wait so long? First off, this place only takes cash and we never have any. Secondly, when you live in a modern American city in the southern part of the country, you get accustomed to, if nothing else, easy parking. Valhalla being on Rice University's campus, free and easy parking were not guaranteed. And, since we knew we'd rather walk than deal with what would at worst be a mildly confusing search for a parking space we could use without getting towed, we kept putting it off in favor of places with known easy parking, or bars that were within close walking distance.
Last Friday night, however, was different. We set out to get some beers, but with no plan in mind, our indecisiveness was becoming frustrating as we named places that we were tired of, had beer that was too expensive, or were otherwise uncool or unworthy. A few steps onto the sidewalk, and Danny stops. I stop.
"Hey!"
"Yeah?"
"Valhaaaalla?"
"Oh shit"
So we went to Valhalla. The poorly-marked and hard-to-find subterranean watering hole at Rice where you can get a Lone Star for $0.95 or an Arrogant Bastard for $2.00. Were we dreaming? This place was surreal. The lighting was weird. The bartenders were a mix of middle-aged alumni and late-20's graduate students. The clientele looked like they all came from Wash U's Engineering school (forgive my stereotyping). A patron was even having a conversation with the bartender about chemistry...something about acids and bases. And it was pretty fantastic.
Valhalla made me wonder what Wash U would have been like if The Rat had been operational beyond freshman year. Could it have been a great place to have a few beers and some good conversation without leaving campus? Surely it wasn't always as bad as the night Thurtene tried to revive the place with the lure of some stupid free shot glasses that you had to dance like an idiot to get. I always liked the layout of The Rat, and resented replacement of the bar with Subway. Fuck Subway.
All told we spent a total of $23 between us to get pretty drunk on beer that wasn't bottom-tier. I can deal with the Rice nerds (after all, I dealt with Wash U nerds for four years), and since there's no undergraduate Business school, the douchebag contingent is surprisingly low. No bro is going to wander all the way into the center of Rice U for a few beers when Little Woodrow's, Baker St. and Bronx Bar are in the nearby Village. Valhalla, we'll be back.
Bears - 1.3; cash only,
Anti-bears: 4.0; cheap, no tools, good atmosphere, "earned" beer if you walk
Last Friday night, however, was different. We set out to get some beers, but with no plan in mind, our indecisiveness was becoming frustrating as we named places that we were tired of, had beer that was too expensive, or were otherwise uncool or unworthy. A few steps onto the sidewalk, and Danny stops. I stop.
"Hey!"
"Yeah?"
"Valhaaaalla?"
"Oh shit"
So we went to Valhalla. The poorly-marked and hard-to-find subterranean watering hole at Rice where you can get a Lone Star for $0.95 or an Arrogant Bastard for $2.00. Were we dreaming? This place was surreal. The lighting was weird. The bartenders were a mix of middle-aged alumni and late-20's graduate students. The clientele looked like they all came from Wash U's Engineering school (forgive my stereotyping). A patron was even having a conversation with the bartender about chemistry...something about acids and bases. And it was pretty fantastic.
Valhalla made me wonder what Wash U would have been like if The Rat had been operational beyond freshman year. Could it have been a great place to have a few beers and some good conversation without leaving campus? Surely it wasn't always as bad as the night Thurtene tried to revive the place with the lure of some stupid free shot glasses that you had to dance like an idiot to get. I always liked the layout of The Rat, and resented replacement of the bar with Subway. Fuck Subway.
All told we spent a total of $23 between us to get pretty drunk on beer that wasn't bottom-tier. I can deal with the Rice nerds (after all, I dealt with Wash U nerds for four years), and since there's no undergraduate Business school, the douchebag contingent is surprisingly low. No bro is going to wander all the way into the center of Rice U for a few beers when Little Woodrow's, Baker St. and Bronx Bar are in the nearby Village. Valhalla, we'll be back.
Bears - 1.3; cash only,
Anti-bears: 4.0; cheap, no tools, good atmosphere, "earned" beer if you walk
RANT: Worst ad ever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVMPWlWDvsI
It literally throws me into a fit of rage.
And while I'm ranting, worst movie concept ever???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhY8AP806tU
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Charz
It literally throws me into a fit of rage.
And while I'm ranting, worst movie concept ever???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhY8AP806tU
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Charz
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
What, a Jimmy Fallon link??
For the SBTB fans, for which I know there are several:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/70014/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-saved-by-the-bell-reunion-update-part-2
http://www.hulu.com/watch/76560/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-saved-by-the-bell-reunion-update-3
http://www.hulu.com/watch/70014/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-saved-by-the-bell-reunion-update-part-2
http://www.hulu.com/watch/76560/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-saved-by-the-bell-reunion-update-3
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Don't Let Me Down
You've had a bad week. Your girlfriend left you two days back and your boss is a "reet cont." Your job in London is robbing you of your soul and the maintenance man has ignored your three requests to change your bloody light. On top of all that some twat just gave you gaff as you were leaving your flat to go off to work. Your friend in the adjacent office comes through your door in a rush and says "mate, come outside!"
You see and hear the Beatles on a nearby rooftop. Life is so worth living.
Don't let me down.
You see and hear the Beatles on a nearby rooftop. Life is so worth living.
Don't let me down.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Stros suck.
| St. Louis Cardinals | 17 | 8 | .680 | -- | 10-3 | 7-5 | 7-2 | 8-5 | 2-1 | Lost 1 | 7-3 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 12 | 10 | .545 | 3.5 | 4-7 | 8-3 | 2-4 | 10-6 | 0-0 | Won 2 | 5-5 |
| Chicago Cubs | 12 | 11 | .522 | 4.0 | 6-5 | 6-6 | 2-1 | 8-7 | 2-3 | Won 2 | 4-6 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 12 | 11 | .522 | 4.0 | 6-5 | 6-6 | 3-3 | 7-5 | 2-3 | Lost 1 | 8-2 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 11 | 11 | .500 | 4.5 | 6-4 | 5-7 | 5-1 | 4-9 | 2-1 | Lost 4 | 5-5 |
| Houston Astros | 9 | 14 | .391 | 7.0 | 5-8 | 4-6 | 0-1 | 7-12 | 2-1 | Lost 2 | 5-5 |
Saturday, April 25, 2009
I miss you Lizzy
"I could live on a drag of your cigarette"
I forgot to do this before but five years ago on April 20 Lizzy Mercier Descloux died from cancer in her native France. I love Lizzy so much and her albums Press Color from 1979 and Mambo Nassau from 1981 are two of my all time favorites. She started with a really great no wave band called Rosa Yemen and she was friends with Richard Hell and Patti Smith and stuff. Her music is post-punk-worldbeat style with a pretty, delicate French twist. Her accent just nails me. She seemed to have such a joie de vivre that I just need to hear every once in a while. She makes my life better. Did I already say that I'm so in love with her? I wish I could've met her before she left. She and I would have been so happy together. Now she's gone and I'm just going to cry for a week or so.
Abyssinia Lizzy...
Sunday, April 19, 2009
The Only Ones - Another Girl, Another Planet
Another song about heroin.
I always flirt with death, I look ill but I don't care about it.
Sounds like someone's in loooove! This song's about heroin...I was thinking the other day... Is the love a man feels for a drug any less valid than the more traditional love a man feels for a woman? You could be quick to judge someone for taking heroin but the feeling and the need the dude feels for it cannot be denied right? It's odd but there are so many similarities in each situation. Think about it. Something can only hurt you after you learn to love it. Irony of ironies. This, of course, applies to love for another person as well.
K that's all I gotz for ya.
Peace ya'll
I always flirt with death, I look ill but I don't care about it.
Sounds like someone's in loooove! This song's about heroin...I was thinking the other day... Is the love a man feels for a drug any less valid than the more traditional love a man feels for a woman? You could be quick to judge someone for taking heroin but the feeling and the need the dude feels for it cannot be denied right? It's odd but there are so many similarities in each situation. Think about it. Something can only hurt you after you learn to love it. Irony of ironies. This, of course, applies to love for another person as well.
K that's all I gotz for ya.
Peace ya'll
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Why does Woody Harrelson rule?
Because of his reaction in response to allegations of assaulting a paparazzi photographer:
"I wrapped a movie called 'Zombieland,' in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in character. With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo, who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie"
nice
"I wrapped a movie called 'Zombieland,' in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in character. With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo, who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie"
nice
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
March Rad-ness
So although it’s April, and Garz hates basketball, March Madness is undeniably still under way. But here at Charz2k, do we care who wins the NCAA title? No. What we care about is what sitcom is the most “90s.” The 90s was undeniably the golden era of the situational comedy, and it’s time to settle this question, tournament style. The selection committee has placed 32 sitcoms in 4 brackets: NBC Must See TV, “Lessons Learned,” Black, and Other 90s Classics. The competition was stiff, but without further ado, the competitors, with their seeding:
Must See TV Bracket:
1. Seinfeld
2. Friends
3. Mad About You
4. Wings
5. Caroline in the City
6. Just Shoot Me
7. Suddenly Susan
8. Veronica’s Closet
Lessons Learned Bracket:
1. Saved by the Bell
2. Full House
3. Step by Step
4. Home Improvement
5. Boy Meets World
6. Dinosaurs
7. California Dreams
8. Hang Time
Black Bracket:
1. The Fresh Price of Bel-Air
2. Family Matters
3. Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper
4. Martin
5. A Different World
6. The Wayans Brothers
7. Living Single
8. Malcolm and Eddie
Other 90s Classics Bracket:
1. Rosanne
2. Frasier
3. Blossom
4. The Nanny
5. Grace Under Fire
6. Married With Children
7. News Radio
8. Herman’s Head
As always, there were some bubble shows that just missed the cut. The bubble consisted of:
Ellen (pfft)
Parker Louis Can’t Lose (classic, but got inspiration from 80s movie)
Perfect Strangers (too much of series in 80s)
Salute your Shorts (I didn’t have cable as a child)
Clarissa Explains it All (see above reason)
The tournament is single elimination. Let Round 1 Commence!
Must See TV Region:
1. Seinfeld vs 8. Veronica's Closet
WINNER: Seinfeld!
2. Friends vs 7. Suddenly Susan
WINNER: Friends!
3. Mad About You vs 6. Just Shoot Me
WINNER: Mad About You!
4. Wings vs 5 Caroline in the City
WINNER: Wings
RECAP: No need to go into detail on any of these. The first round of the Must See bracket was not very "must see-" no surprises here.
Lessons Learned Region:
1. Saved by the Bell vs 8. Hang Time
WINNER: Saved by the Bell! Hang Time is pretty damn 90s, but this Peter Engel knock off cannot compete with the original. I can still sing the theme song to Hang Time in my head though... which is surprising, since I have literally not thought about this series once in the last 9 years.
2. Full House vs 7. California Dreams
WINNER: Full House! California Dreams is in the same league as Hang Time, trying to go up against an elite 90s powerhouse. Uncle Jesse rocks harder than the entire California Dreams band- 'nuff said.
3. Step by Step vs 6. Dinosaurs
WINNER: Step by Step! In the closest match of the tourney so far, Step by Step nudges out Dinosaurs by... a step. Patrick Duffy and Susanne Summers vs "I'm the baby, gotta love me!" Wow, so much 90s in this match up, for an early round match.
4. Home Improvement vs Boy Meets World
WINNER: Home Improvement! This one starts close, but Tim, Al, and the gang easily pull ahead late. 3 letters: J T T.
RECAP: An exciting round of action, although no upsets yet.
Black Region:
1. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air vs 8. Malcolm and Eddie
WINNER: The Fresh Prince! Malcolm and Eddie was a pity selection, inspired by Garz. Uncle Phil throws them both out of the house at the same time.
2. Family Matters vs 7. Living Single
WINNER: Family Matters! A show about women friends can't possibly win in this tourney.
3. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper vs 6. The Wayans Brothers
WINNER: Coop! The Wayans are so 90s, but I'd rather Hang with Mark Curry.
4. Martin vs 5. A Different World
WINNER: Marrrrrtttiiin! I never much cared for a Different World. Martin wins easily.
RECAP: No surprises... on to the final first round match ups!
90s Classics Region:
1. Rosanne vs 8. Herman's Head
WINNER: Rosanne! Herman's head put forth a noble effort, but it was going up against a freight train in Rosanne.
2. Frasier vs 7. News Radio
WINNER: News Radio! In the biggest first round upset of the tournament, News Radio takes down the long-running and popular Frasier! How did this happen??! 2 names: Andy Dick and Phil Hartman... now THEY are 90s!
3. Blossom vs 6. Married... With Children
WINNER: Blossom! Woah!
4. The Nanny vs 5. Grace Under Fire
WINNER: Grace Under Fire! We probably remember Fran Drescher most vividly, but Grace Under Fire was just so formulaicly 90s.
Survivors:
1. Seinfeld, 2. Friends, 3. Mad About You, 4. Wings
1. Saved by the Bell, 2. Full House, 3. Step by Step, 4. Home Improvement
1. The Fresh Prince, 2. Family Matters, 3. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, 4. Martin
1. Rosanne, 7. News Radio, 3. Blossom, 5. Grace Under Fire
Round 2!!!
1. Seinfeld vs 4. Wings
WINNER:
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WINGS! Wow, what an upset! Seinfeld dethroned! Seinfeld is one of the most influential comedy shows of all time, and does have a 90s feel. So how did it get beaten by Wings??? Watch an episode sometime... you'll see why.
2. Friends vs 3. Mad About You
WINNER:
Mad About You! Happy 52nd birthday Paul Reiser! You and Helen Hunt have been deemed more 90s than Ross, Rachel, and the gang. While in Peru recently, I watched both an episode of Friends, and an episode of Mad About You. Mad About You is so fucking 90s it's unbelievable. Nice win!
1. Saved by the Bell vs 4. Home Improvement
WINNER: Saved by the Bell! Two 90s titans collide. I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so... Scar
ed! Congrats Saved by the Bell. I think you have just possibly established yourself as a tourney favorite. You took down the Tool man without batting an eye. You fucked Wilson the hell up. Look at this image! 90s 90s 90s! Honestly, Home Improvement was beaten on the open credits of SBTB alone. That credit sequence and song screams 1990s!
2. Full House vs 3. Step by Step
WINNER: Step b
y Step! Many considered Full House a tourney favorite. Michelle, Danny Tanner, Uncle Joey, Uncle Jesse, Kimmy, Stephanie. Wow, how did Full House lose? This match was tight all the way. But never underestimate Patrick Duffy, Susanne Summers, and a family full of stereotypical formulaic characters! And look at that photo... very 90s!
1. The Fresh Prince vs 4. Martin
WINNER: The Fresh Prince! Martin was great, but this is the Prince we're talking about here!
2. Family Matters vs 3. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
WINNER: Family Matters! Urkel. 'Nuff said.
1. Rosanne vs 5. Grace Under Fire
WINNER: Rosanne!
Grace Under Fire was lucky to make it this far. Rosanne is very 90s. One of the highest rated shows of the 90s. Grace Under Fire... pshh, get outa here.
3. Blossom vs 7. News Radio
WINNER: Blossom!
Look at that cast! Move over Andy Dick, THAT'S what the 90s are about! I could go for a special episode of Blossom right about now!
The Elite Eight:
Mad About You vs Wings
Saved by the Bell vs Step by Step
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air vs Family Matters
Blossom vs Rosanne
Eight fantastic teams remain... how will this finish?! Well, that's up for YOU to decide. I challenge a 2k contributor to finish this tournament! I have my vision of how it ends, but I want to see yours! (and this needs a fresh mind... this was really exhausting)
Good luck, and I can't wait to see who wins the tournament!
Must See TV Bracket:
1. Seinfeld
2. Friends
3. Mad About You
4. Wings
5. Caroline in the City
6. Just Shoot Me
7. Suddenly Susan
8. Veronica’s Closet
Lessons Learned Bracket:
1. Saved by the Bell
2. Full House
3. Step by Step
4. Home Improvement
5. Boy Meets World
6. Dinosaurs
7. California Dreams
8. Hang Time
Black Bracket:
1. The Fresh Price of Bel-Air
2. Family Matters
3. Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper
4. Martin
5. A Different World
6. The Wayans Brothers
7. Living Single
8. Malcolm and Eddie
Other 90s Classics Bracket:
1. Rosanne
2. Frasier
3. Blossom
4. The Nanny
5. Grace Under Fire
6. Married With Children
7. News Radio
8. Herman’s Head
As always, there were some bubble shows that just missed the cut. The bubble consisted of:
Ellen (pfft)
Parker Louis Can’t Lose (classic, but got inspiration from 80s movie)
Perfect Strangers (too much of series in 80s)
Salute your Shorts (I didn’t have cable as a child)
Clarissa Explains it All (see above reason)
The tournament is single elimination. Let Round 1 Commence!
Must See TV Region:
1. Seinfeld vs 8. Veronica's Closet
WINNER: Seinfeld!
2. Friends vs 7. Suddenly Susan
WINNER: Friends!
3. Mad About You vs 6. Just Shoot Me
WINNER: Mad About You!
4. Wings vs 5 Caroline in the City
WINNER: Wings
RECAP: No need to go into detail on any of these. The first round of the Must See bracket was not very "must see-" no surprises here.
Lessons Learned Region:
1. Saved by the Bell vs 8. Hang Time
WINNER: Saved by the Bell! Hang Time is pretty damn 90s, but this Peter Engel knock off cannot compete with the original. I can still sing the theme song to Hang Time in my head though... which is surprising, since I have literally not thought about this series once in the last 9 years.
2. Full House vs 7. California Dreams
WINNER: Full House! California Dreams is in the same league as Hang Time, trying to go up against an elite 90s powerhouse. Uncle Jesse rocks harder than the entire California Dreams band- 'nuff said.
3. Step by Step vs 6. Dinosaurs
WINNER: Step by Step! In the closest match of the tourney so far, Step by Step nudges out Dinosaurs by... a step. Patrick Duffy and Susanne Summers vs "I'm the baby, gotta love me!" Wow, so much 90s in this match up, for an early round match.
4. Home Improvement vs Boy Meets World
WINNER: Home Improvement! This one starts close, but Tim, Al, and the gang easily pull ahead late. 3 letters: J T T.
RECAP: An exciting round of action, although no upsets yet.
Black Region:
1. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air vs 8. Malcolm and Eddie
WINNER: The Fresh Prince! Malcolm and Eddie was a pity selection, inspired by Garz. Uncle Phil throws them both out of the house at the same time.
2. Family Matters vs 7. Living Single
WINNER: Family Matters! A show about women friends can't possibly win in this tourney.
3. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper vs 6. The Wayans Brothers
WINNER: Coop! The Wayans are so 90s, but I'd rather Hang with Mark Curry.
4. Martin vs 5. A Different World
WINNER: Marrrrrtttiiin! I never much cared for a Different World. Martin wins easily.
RECAP: No surprises... on to the final first round match ups!
90s Classics Region:
1. Rosanne vs 8. Herman's Head
WINNER: Rosanne! Herman's head put forth a noble effort, but it was going up against a freight train in Rosanne.
2. Frasier vs 7. News Radio
WINNER: News Radio! In the biggest first round upset of the tournament, News Radio takes down the long-running and popular Frasier! How did this happen??! 2 names: Andy Dick and Phil Hartman... now THEY are 90s!
3. Blossom vs 6. Married... With Children
WINNER: Blossom! Woah!
4. The Nanny vs 5. Grace Under Fire
WINNER: Grace Under Fire! We probably remember Fran Drescher most vividly, but Grace Under Fire was just so formulaicly 90s.
Survivors:
1. Seinfeld, 2. Friends, 3. Mad About You, 4. Wings
1. Saved by the Bell, 2. Full House, 3. Step by Step, 4. Home Improvement
1. The Fresh Prince, 2. Family Matters, 3. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, 4. Martin
1. Rosanne, 7. News Radio, 3. Blossom, 5. Grace Under Fire
Round 2!!!
1. Seinfeld vs 4. Wings
WINNER:
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WINGS! Wow, what an upset! Seinfeld dethroned! Seinfeld is one of the most influential comedy shows of all time, and does have a 90s feel. So how did it get beaten by Wings??? Watch an episode sometime... you'll see why.2. Friends vs 3. Mad About You
WINNER:
Mad About You! Happy 52nd birthday Paul Reiser! You and Helen Hunt have been deemed more 90s than Ross, Rachel, and the gang. While in Peru recently, I watched both an episode of Friends, and an episode of Mad About You. Mad About You is so fucking 90s it's unbelievable. Nice win!1. Saved by the Bell vs 4. Home Improvement
WINNER: Saved by the Bell! Two 90s titans collide. I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so... Scar
ed! Congrats Saved by the Bell. I think you have just possibly established yourself as a tourney favorite. You took down the Tool man without batting an eye. You fucked Wilson the hell up. Look at this image! 90s 90s 90s! Honestly, Home Improvement was beaten on the open credits of SBTB alone. That credit sequence and song screams 1990s!2. Full House vs 3. Step by Step
WINNER: Step b
y Step! Many considered Full House a tourney favorite. Michelle, Danny Tanner, Uncle Joey, Uncle Jesse, Kimmy, Stephanie. Wow, how did Full House lose? This match was tight all the way. But never underestimate Patrick Duffy, Susanne Summers, and a family full of stereotypical formulaic characters! And look at that photo... very 90s!1. The Fresh Prince vs 4. Martin
WINNER: The Fresh Prince! Martin was great, but this is the Prince we're talking about here!
2. Family Matters vs 3. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
WINNER: Family Matters! Urkel. 'Nuff said.
1. Rosanne vs 5. Grace Under Fire
WINNER: Rosanne!
Grace Under Fire was lucky to make it this far. Rosanne is very 90s. One of the highest rated shows of the 90s. Grace Under Fire... pshh, get outa here.3. Blossom vs 7. News Radio
WINNER: Blossom!
Look at that cast! Move over Andy Dick, THAT'S what the 90s are about! I could go for a special episode of Blossom right about now!The Elite Eight:
Mad About You vs Wings
Saved by the Bell vs Step by Step
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air vs Family Matters
Blossom vs Rosanne
Eight fantastic teams remain... how will this finish?! Well, that's up for YOU to decide. I challenge a 2k contributor to finish this tournament! I have my vision of how it ends, but I want to see yours! (and this needs a fresh mind... this was really exhausting)
Good luck, and I can't wait to see who wins the tournament!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Golden Brown
Golden brown texture like sun
Lays me down with my mind she runs
Throughout the night
No need to fight
Never a frown with golden brown
Every time just like the last
On her ship tied to the mast
To distant lands
Takes both my hands
Never a frown with golden brown
Golden brown finer temptress
Through the ages she's heading
West
From far away
Stays for a day
Never a frown with golden brown
Never a frown
With golden brown
Never a frown
With golden brown
Wow, what a cool song. With that mysterious evil carnival organ and the barely veiled lyrics, The Stranglers wrote this one with a purpose. "Le'es righ' a song 'bout 'eroin 'ey can play on th' radio, eh?", right? It'd take a moron to not figure out what this song is about after about two seconds of vocals. Belt your arm, make a fist, pop in the needle, and watch that tea-toned river of impending immediate and visceral pleasure course its way down the thin clear tube and into your soul. I know you can see it, but can you feel it?Lays me down with my mind she runs
Throughout the night
No need to fight
Never a frown with golden brown
Every time just like the last
On her ship tied to the mast
To distant lands
Takes both my hands
Never a frown with golden brown
Golden brown finer temptress
Through the ages she's heading
West
From far away
Stays for a day
Never a frown with golden brown
Never a frown
With golden brown
Never a frown
With golden brown
No. Idiot.
I don't mean to be an asshole, and if you've never experienced the substance that could be responsible for inspiring such a perfectly-crafted and poetic pop song, you are forgiven and are not a moron (at least not due to misinterpreting this song).
Those who know me know I do not have an addictive personality, but rarely does a song about a dangerous intoxicant chill me to the core as much as this one does.
And as thinly veiled as the song's lyrical subtext, so is the underlying subject of this review:
That's right! It's a Chick-fil-a chicken biscuit."Throughout the night, never a fight, never a frown, with golden brown." There's nothing better than waking up from a nightmare and realizing that once 6:30 rolls around you are on your way to breakfast bliss. Throw a little honey on it for comfort, but make no mistake, this sandwich stands on its own.
And beware the temptation of imitations, as they are a trap by demons to fool the weak.
4.999 anti-bears.
4.5 bears, due to unavailability between 10:30 am and 6:30 am the next day, and all day Sunday.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Fantasy Baseball
The draft for the Charz2k Fantasy Baseball League is tomorrow! If you wish to be a part of it, you must sign up as soon as possible. Here are the stats:
Website: http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/charz2k
The League ID#: 136277
The password is: Chuck Knoblauch
(it's best to just copy and paste)
The draft is tomorrow night at 9:30 CDT! SO SIGN UP!
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