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Friday, Dec 30, 2005
beck to the future
nick drake he aint.
empire states
"How will the Establishment deal with this direct challenge? The past few years give little grounds for hope: the Democrats spineless, conflicted, co-opted and corrupt; the Republicans slavish, bellicose, cruel and criminal; the media timorous, witless, corporate-controlled; big business absolutely rolling in gravy from the autocrat's larder; academia cowed, silenced, ignored, demonized; the military acquiescent in criminal aggression, top-heavy with time-servers currying autocratic favor. Only the courts provide some stray sparks of hope, although they too are now loaded with political sycophants, corporate bagmen and knuckle-dragging throwbacks produced by the Right's decades-long devolution of American jurisprudence. Prosecutors like Patrick Fitzgerald and Elliot Spitzer "keep hope alive," but their efforts will mean little in a system where lawlessness at the top has been countenanced by the rest of the Establishment. And in any case, the outcome of their work lies ultimately with the Supreme Court -- the same court that shredded the Constitution in awarding power to Bush in the first place, and which is now led by a Bushist apparatchik."
Monday, Dec 26, 2005
pitching woe
I wanna go to cool places with you I wanna take you cool places tonite I wanna go where nobody's a fool And no one says uh, "hey girl, need a light?" I want to move like this and that A minimum of chit chat I never wanna cool down, cool down, cool, cool, cool Cool places tonite
Sunday, Dec 25, 2005
mag wheels
jesus was cool but i have more of a thing for mary m. despite dan brown.
Monday, Dec 19, 2005
god rot
"The Dictionary of Americanisms went through at least four editions between 1848 and 1877. As a record of the "colloquial language of the United States," it's a fascinating look at the words that actually came out of the mouths of early 19th-century Americans."
Friday, Dec 16, 2005
screw you, ernest
the snark also rises
Tuesday, Dec 13, 2005
listening post
sufjan stevens mp3s - the post says hes the songwriter of the year for 04. hopefully his music still translates well in 05.
Sunday, Dec 11, 2005
curwhatnow?
i didnt think it was possible but i found a new and exciting way to loathe myself today.
Monday, Nov 28, 2005
through the espers
"The song is Nico's, taken from her Desertshore album, one of the most distantly lonesome records in existence. And though structurally "Afraid" has little whatsoever to do with any of the U.S./UK folk-rock traditions that are typically Espers' stock-in-trade, its icy melancholia nevertheless fits itself perfectly into the Philly group's haunted wheelhouse. Unsurprisingly, Espers have chosen to re-forest the original's spare John Cale arrangement with their requisite cello, recorder, guitar, and chimes. But while Meg Baird's tranquil vocal significantly sweetens Nico's more monotonic plainchant, the cryptic instructions of the song's lyrics ("Confuse your hunger/ Capture the fake/ Banish the faceless/ Reward your grace") stir the branches with an unsettling wind. Despite the intrinsic warmth of Espers' hazy instrumental smoke-rings, as with all their most riveting performances the song is underpinned with a chilled, forlorn yearning only born of solitude. You are beautiful and you are alone."
i got your number
"Jenny Lewis is a singer and a songwriter from Los Angeles, California. She’s got hair the color of a Pacific sunset, a voice as sweet as an ice cream cone, and a wit sharper than a razorblade. Most days (and nights) you can find Jenny Lewis singing and playing with Rilo Kiley, a glorious quartet whose third album, 2004’s More Adventurous, has charmed and delighted fans and peers worldwide. 2005 alone saw Rilo Kiley garner accolades from heroes (Elvis Costello), magazine covers by the fistful, and a spot opening for Coldplay on their recent sold-out arena tour. But in the tiny moments between the stage and the studio, after the photo shoots but before the bars, Jenny spends time by herself, daydreaming and strumming on her acoustic guitar. And the sound of that time alone is Rabbit Fur Coat, Jenny’s first solo album and one of the most bewitching and intoxicating discs of music you’ve heard in years."