Top albums of first half of 2008

1. She & Him - Volume 1
2. Portishead - Third
3. The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
4. Xiu Xiu - Women as Lovers
5. The Weepies - Hideaway
6. Sia - Some People Have Real Problems
7. Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster
8. Colin Meloy - Colin Meloy Sings Live!
9. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
10. Cat Power - Jukebox

Honorable mention to The Teenagers - Reality check; Carla Bruni - Comme si de rien n'était; The Chapin Sisters - Lake Bottom LP & Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs.

2007 Playoff opener running diary

I'll try a running diary for the opening night of the 2007 playoffs, NBC broadcast and beer ... so ...


4:27 - Pre-game show is done ... Good job by Jason Taylor. I assume it was, he can do no wrong (ok, so I have a mild man-crush on him - don't judge me.)

4:28 - First game is the Sean Taylors, I mean Redskins, going against the Seahawks. Judging by the pre-game coverage, the Skins should be a double digit favourite. Of course, that's ridiculous and Seattle is a tough place to play. At least Madden isn't involved in this one.

4:30 - I remember why the Skins are dogs - Todd Collins on the road people! 10 years between starts, there's a reason for that, he wasn't behind Manning.

4:34 - Jamie Moyer is just scary. He's old, he shouldn't be jumping around like that.

4:35 - Kick-off, finally ... let's get drunk! I mean, let's get pumped.

4:36 - Collinsworth & Hammond in the booth for this one. Who the hell is Hammond?

4:37 - Oh yeah - 3 & out, Collins will be fine...

4:41 - Why is the Nissan owner drying his car by the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere?

4:43 - Someone needs to explain to me why it's THE Ohio State University? How many is there? One? Was there some confusion, maybe the students there aren't the brightest, I mean look at Maurice Clarett.

4:46 - What's with the fake American Idol ads? Have they already run out of people to make fun of? Another show I never understood, if I came in 4th one year, why not go back the next and clean up?

4:48 - First down Washington! It had to happen eventually.

4:50 - Tatupu is a great name. Next time I name something (kid or pet) it has to be in the running.

4:51 - Ooooo Nirvana as a lead into break, in Seattle, what are the odds? Maybe we'll here about rain at some point?

4:52 - Bad penalty for illegal touching [giggle] ... Seattle gets the ball inside the Skins territory instead of way back in their own.

4:53 - The Bell ad with the stupid beavers playing the hockey game: everyone is wearing a headset with microphone - isn't that to communicate with the other players? So when they call the them horrible and say what they're doing ... I don't get it.

4:58 - Remember when Shaun Alexander was the MVP and the cover boy for Madden? Now he's splitting time 50-50 with Maurice Morris?

5:01 - Why is CTV advertising the 2010 Olympics 2 years ahead of time? Was there a chance we'd forget about them?

5:07 - Hammond says that Collins has been tearing up the league ... Wow! Let's not get carried away. He beat a Dallas team that didn't care, an up and down Giants team, a Tarvaris Jackson-led team & a terrible Bears team ... 5 TDs in 4 games, truly special

5:13 - We learn that despite going to High schools 9 miles apart (at different times) and Collins not playing for 10 years, this is only the first time they've met ... OMG ... how is that even possible? It's like Mike Myers & Mary Pickens never appearing in the same movie despite both being from Canada ... uncanny.

5:22 - How is that a fumble, surely that was forward motion? Skins are screwed.

5:24 - Play is now ruled incomplete before the challenge review ... bizarre. But there can be no doubt, because the ball went forward, so the arm had to be going forward. It's physics ...

5:27 - Why does Randle El drop like a sack after every catch? He can't get to the ground fast enough.

5:36 - Seattle is dominating but can't finish ... it should be 21-0 instead of 10-0.

5:42 - Truffant, Tatupu, Julian Peterson, Kerney ... Yeah. Washington is screwed, and they've yet to get on the other side of the 50.

5:43 - There's no foul for unnecessary roughness. How do you know that's what it was if there's no foul? There was also no foul for pissing in the Gatorade, but we don't need to hear about it.

5:45 - Hasselback needs to be charged for abuse for what he's doing to Shawn Springs.

5:49 - Even on the fair catch, Randle El dropped to the turf...

5:51 - Who is Katt Williams? Should I know him?

5:52 - Researched Williams ... 8 kids and I've not seen a single one of his movies. First Sunday will probably not break that streak.

6:03 - 3rd and 1 and they go for it twice, and they don't even come close. Shouldn't Portis carry the ball in that situation? At least they got to Seattle territory.

6:11 - First half done - 10-0 Seattle. Not a very exciting game.

6:28 - Apparently Alexander is no longer as productive because of his age. Of course the fact that he got bad once Steve Hutchinson left is not a coincidence. And that Hutchinson blocks for rookie of the year Adrian Peterson is just a coincidence too.

6:33 - Wow ... Randle El is really afraid of getting hit, he'll take a few steps and slide like a QB.

6:37 - Tom Cruise is in the house. Maybe he can summon Xenu to help the Skins.

6:39 - Finally a big play. 39 yard pass and the victim ... Shawn Springs. Ouch.

6:41 - Collinsworth mentions Hutchinson ... That's why he's the best in the league.

6:49 - Skins are driving ... almost. I'm almost tepid.

6:54 - Skins go for it on 4th and 1. Pass is incomplete and interference ... 1st down!

6:56 - End of 3rd. Skins have a 3rd down inside the 10.

6:58 - According to Cadbury, if you tell a friend her dress is no good at the store and then buy it for yourself that makes you clever and not a complete bitch.

6:59 - Randle El caught it and didn't drop right away - TD! 13-7 ... we have a game, maybe.

7:04 - 1st turnover. Skins ball. And we learn that the team believes in ghosts. Creepy.

7:06 - OMG ... Moss TD and the crowd goes quiet in a really eerie way ... 14-13 Washington in a couple of minutes.

7:07 - But really, enough with the Taylor references. What makes you think he's in heaven anyway? Do all Americans go to heaven?

7:09 - Sweet Jesus ... Redskins ball on the kick-off inside the 15

7:17 - Wow ... Another Redskins pick. The second by Landry.

7:18 - The Seahawks are self-destructing in a big big way.

7:24 - Another big play. And another time where Springs is the victim.

7:25 - Hackett was wide open on the TD catch ... not a good call on the defense.

7:26 - 2-point convert and it's 21-14.

7:31 - Collins throws a pick 6 ... that's why he didn't play for 10 years.

7:33 - They mention Seattle weather ... I'm a frikken genius.

7:44 - 2 minute warning 2 TD lead ... Hasselback goes to GB next week. I wonder if we'll see the whole: We want the ball and we're gonna score, thing this week again.

7:50 - Another pick 6 for Collins ... And Collisworth says he's been sensational today ????!!!!??? Huh?

7:53 - The Seahawks won by 21, that's Taylor's number. I wonder if that's an omen or whatever they believe that ghosts do when they watch football.

2007 Season opener running diary

I'll try a running diary for the opening night, NBC broadcast and beer ... so ...

8:30 - Who is that chick singing the anthem? Should I know her? Why do they all try to be Whitney ... get with the song already.
8:32 - Who is the chick singing the theme song? Should I know her? Looks alright, at least she's better than Pink.
8:35 - The little promo with Manning / Bush was cute, but not quite Nicolette Sheridan
8:40 - Addai goes down on the first play of the game ... oh man, Dungy/Manning almost shat themselves.
8:43 - For the record, I hate Madden as an announcer. And I have N'Awlins to cover the 6 point spread.
8:52 - Mare misses his first kick with the Saints after they pretty much picked the D apart ... good job!
9:00 - Okay ... Harrison is a little bit of a stud ...But how do you not double team him?
9:02 - LOVE the Bud Light at the opera advert... "First time at the opera boys?" - Classic
9:06 - Eric Johnson was a great pickup, how was this not discussed more? Why does Football prospectus have NO finish dead last? Did anyone check to make sure the 2007 edition wasn't swapped with the 2002 one?
9:08 - Another good Bud Light ad... with the barking dogs. What the hell is Chuck? Is it a remake of Max Smart?
9:11 - The Visa adverts with the people paying with the card but then someone pays cash are really annoying. How is cash slower than Credit? Don't you have to sign the damn receipt? This needs to be explained.
9:15 - They need to invent a device that blocks Madden's voice and we can just have Michaels.
9:16 - Jason David - Greatest redemption ever. After being burned by Marvin on the TD he strips and runs back for 6 ... Laissez les bons temps roulez!
9:17 - The new captain emblem is huge and gaudy but why doesn't a player's past experience count? Manning only had one star, no way it's his first year as captain.
9:19 - This is ouuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr country ... didn't we retire that damn song?
9:22 - Why do I need to see a huge graphic on the field that says 2nd and 10, when it says that on the graphic at the bottom of the screen? How lazy do you have to be to not drop your eyes a few inches?
9:25 - Dammit, I want to hate Manning, why does he have to make good adverts, the MasterCard one with the advice for couples...
9:25 - Wait a minute, Visa & MasterCard? The NFL allowed this?
9:26 - Listening to the crowd during a Deuce run, it sounds like the Saints have a few fans in the dome ... the champs couldn't sell out the opener to their own fans?
9:27 - Deuce, Bush & Stecker ... Yeah, good luck stopping all 3.
9:32 - Push It, as the outro music after the Mare FG, really? Was funky Cold Medina too expensive?
9:33 - I love Heineken, but what the hell was that?
9:37 - Wait, Dungy has a daughter named Tiara? There's a joke there somewhere.
9:40 - So, according to the Pepsi ad, Wade Phillips is retarded? Nice hire Jones...
9:42 - Shouldn't someone mention that the Colts only had one good drive, after the missed FG. The Saints are killing the vaunted O of Indy...
9:47 - This is Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Country count at 5 ...
But I am excited about the John C. McGinley Miller adverts...
9:52 - Manning is 8/16 for 101, very Grossman like numbers. Any chance someone will say anything?
9:52 - NO takes a time out with 52 secs left on defense ... what a move. So the FG ties it, the Colts still have only 2 big plays ... total domination from where I sit.
9:59 - So, if the ref loses his hat, that means an illegal touch?  Uhhhh ... I'll let that one slide.
10:04 - Chris Collinsworth is the best sportscaster in the land, but you can't make a Peyton Manning being in every ad joke when he's only been in one or two. You have to look at the broadcast. Tiki's first Sunday Night game will be NYG-Dallas ... priceless!
Why the hell would NBC advertise their Monday Night line-up during a FOOTBALL game ... retards.
10:06 - I LOVE Keith Olberman ... But Bob Costas can lick my sweaty nut sack...
10:14 - Why does Andrea Kremer look so surprised when she looks at the camera?
10:24 - Was Addai flashing gang signs after the TD? Just what the commish wants to see.
10:35 - I guess Dungy gave quite the halftime pep talk, 'cause it's all Indy now. This is ugly. Good thing I won money on St-Louis earlier today.
10:44 - Why doesn't Madden just marry Bob sanders already? It's sickening...
11:23 - Quite the massacre ... I guess Indy is for real.
11:33 - Wow ... they just showed the graphic that Brees was about to set the mark for the lowest yards per completion in a game in history. One pass later and Weinke's record is safe...
11:35 - Well, Manning made Jason David his personal bitch and now the game's over. Why does NBC have a horse trailer? What is Madden doing?

4 Albums in current heavy rotation

She Wants Revenge (Eponymous)

This album is number 1 on my play count for the past 3 months.

If you like Interpol, you’ll enjoy SWR.

But that’s the easy comparison and a little unfair. SWR’s music has an aggro edge in their lyrics without being angry; it’s more subtle than that.

Top tracks are Out of Control, Tear You Apart & These Things.

There’s a hidden track as well that’s very good.

The songs make me pumped up and would be great to listen to during a workout – like that would ever happen!

The Pipettes (Eponymous)

This one’s interesting because although I got the album last year after seeing it on the list of best albums of 2006, it has since been removed from the list (the entry was blank for #20) and is no longer available for purchase.

When I bought the single for You’re Kisses Are Wasted on Me the back cover mentions the forthcoming album (in 2007). Strange indeed, but I’m just happy to have it.

The Pipettes are an English 3 piece girl group that are backed by their band called The Cassette, or as the beautiful Louise calls them: the girl’s yellow-vested bitches.

The 3 girls present different personalities yet always wear polka dots and have great choreographed routines, think the Go-Go’s meet the Supremes, but for the new millennium.

Their stage presence and look are awesome, but it’s the music that makes them stand apart. Brit pop but without being overly bubbly, which is amazing considering their live set, which is one of the best I’ve seen.

My fave tracks are One Night Stand (with the great chorus: “If you think that this is cruel you should see what my friends do”), We Are The Pipettes ("We're the prettiest girls you've ever met"), Pull Shapes (I think this is English for Voguing), Dirty Mind was their hit, I think it was on some TV show (Grey's or OC), but there are at least 5 other gems on the album, it's hard to pick just a few (in fact in a recent review in Filter Magazine, the top tracks included none of the above).

Gogol Bordello (Gypsy Punks)

This one is frustrating for me. I bought the album because I was thinking of seeing them at Bonnaroo. Because I didn't listen to them before, I decided to skip their show for something else. The thought of Gypsy Punks appealed to me, but I assumed it was going to be a watered down Bad Religion, at best. Boy was I wrong.

A couple of weeks after returning from Tennessee I went to a Uni-Watch party and then found a group on facebook dedicated to the group. So I joined and noticed a message on the group's wall that had a youtube link and a caption that it was Paul Lukas' worst fears. That's an intriguing tagline (assuming you have no idea who or what Uni-Watch or Paul Lukas are, just know he hates purple in sports).

The clip was for Gogol's Start Wearing Purple video. The guy at the start had a Borat moustache, so I thought it was a joke.

I quickly realized it was no joke and damn it, the song was awesome. This was like nothing I've ever heard, and Gypsy Punk is the only thing it can be described as.

I wanted to learn more and while listening to gems like Avenue B, Not A Crime, Immigrant Punk & the amazing Think Locally, Fuck Globally I was able to find out that they were discovered playing in a small Bulgarian Cafe in New York.

They are Russians and Israelis packed in a group that writes some of the best party music around. Their shows, from clips I saw on youtube are colourful and flamboyant, think Scissor Sisters meets traditional Russian folkloric group meets Perry Farell meets Borat. I can't get enough of these guys, and now I'm sad because I missed out on what could have been a major highlight.

Well, they released another album recently, so maybe they'll come to town.

Magnetic Fields (69 Love Songs)

Like the title of this massive recording indicates, the triple volume album is comprised of 69 tracks that deal with love and it's related fields ...

This is not a compilation, these are 69 new songs from this great Stephen Merritt (formerly of the Future Bible Heroes) fronted band from Boston. You know that I'm no romantic, but this Joy Division meets Lou Reed meets everything else, inspired music can make even the most jaded believe anything's possible.

There's so many gems that I don't even think I've gone through the entire collection yet. But Chicken with It's Head Cut Off is an early favourite.

NCAA Day 2

OMG. North Texas can shoot! They were 3 for 3 and attempted one that was deep for the pros and I thought that was it, but no. They can't miss. 6 for 6...
Memphis is 324th in the country in FT shooting this could be interesting.
Bill Raftery is awesome. Going from Billy Packer to him is like drinking Dom after a bottle of Baby Doc...
Since going 6-6 they've gone 8 for 34 ... ouch. Yet it's only a 13 point game. Memphis (as predicted by me) will get smoked in the second round by Nevada or Creighton.

Albany's great Danes came up lame against the Wahoos. Oh well, still no upset today. I do have Winthrop over ND and Holy Cross over over So. Illinois. I also think Wisconsin is vulnerable to a great story in Corpus Christi.

Billy Packer just said it's time for a UNLV player to expose himself. I ... There's just so many places to go there...
Wow. They are from Vegas, I guess.

Vegas and the Paper Tigers advance. Still no upset.

Tennessee allowed 86 and still won by 35. Crazy!

Finally an upset. Another 11 seed in Winthrop, who beats Notre Dame. So I wasn't so crazy taking a 3 of those. I got 2 right.

My upsets for tonight - Holy Cross and that's it. Not a very mad tourney by any stretch. Maybe if Syracuse, Drexel and a little more mid-majors were in then it would be better.

Allyson Hannigan is back on TV? Why wasn't I told of this? I think there should be some kind of alert system.

Finally - someone makes a Uma-Oprah joke about Umeh. On the Score, of course. CBS wouldn't do that. After someone there said how a Fred Astaire reference was too old, they countered with a more contemporary ... ready for this ... Gregory Hines!
Holy Crap! Yeah, all the kids know and love Gregory Hines...