Culture Greyhound

Poll: Enthusiasm Gap Favoring GOP, No Myth

The New Republic: Democrats Twisting In The Wind

DADT Conflict Explained: Why Obama Administration Lawyers Fight For A DADT Policy Obama Opposes

Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.

140. Primus – Pilcher’s Squad

Sgt. Norman “Nobby” Pilcher was the infamous British police officer best known for planting drugs to frame rock stars and hippies in the 60’s.  Up until getting caught for doing so in 1973, Pilcher managed to collect quite a resume of celebrities in handcuffs, including two Beatles, George Harrison and John Lennon, as well as Mick Jagger and Donovan.  He is the subject of this two-minute ditty found on Primus’ 2003 reunion EP Animals Should Not Try To Act Like People.  The song is wild and weird, all while frontman Les Claypool delivers a fine tale of a corrupt man of the law, breaking only for a two-second solo from guitar virtuoso Larry “Ler” Lalonde (“Go Ler!…..Thanks Ler!”).

Primus – Pilcher’s Squad

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Today I begin a new series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.

50. The New Pornographers – Electric Version

While Mass Romantic introduced the world to a phenomenal Canadian supergroup, Electric Version transformed the New Pornographers into a solid band all on their own, never mind that the crew consists of some of indie rock’s finest.  Carl Newman’s and Neko Case’s vocal trade-offs provide the highlights for this unforgettable 2003 disc, mostly written by Newman, though Dan Bejar contributed a few memorable nuggets of his own, particularly “Testament to Youth In Verse.”  Still, the gems here are both Newman-penned and Case-sung, including the masterpiece “The Laws Have Changed” and the single “All For Swinging You Around,” which featured an incredible jump-rope music video.

Electric Version gave the already-superb pop craftsmanship of Carl Newman a new standard to beat, and he would rise to the challenge and come close to matching his best with 2005’s Twin Cinema.  Still, this, the New Pornographers’ sophomore effort, is their finest, an earnest, hook-laden, beautiful album that is impossible to stop listening to.

The New Pornographers – The Electric Version

The New Pornographers – The Laws Have Changed

The New Pornographers – All For Swinging You Around

Journalism in the Age of Data from Geoff McGhee on Vimeo.

It’s about an hour long, but I encourage you, especially those of you interested in the future of news, media, and journalism, to take a look at this fascinating short doc on data visualization as the world moves forward from print to digital.

The film, produced during a journalism fellowship at Stanford University, covers a broad range of topics about graphics design for news sources, including a showcase of some of the finest (and most confusing) graphs and charts produced recently.  The main focus is the innovative work the New York Times has done, and some of the world’s brightest minds in this burgeoning medium.  Indeed, as software and data programs become more common and accessible, the art of translating a ton of data into something the average newspaper reader can understand is challenging, intriguing, and creative.

Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.

150. Kanye West – Stronger

The Daft Punk-sampling first single from Graduation not only showed a compelling progression in West’s production, but it showcased his always-improving lyrical prowess.  Kanye’s known for his incessant bragging and unfathomable ego, but with beats and words this precise, this banging, this funny, he continued the consistency of delivering on his Cassius Clay-channeling talk.

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1. The Crowds

As with any major festival, there are thousands of people clamoring around each other in a heated, sun-screened swarm of deck chairs, umbrellas, flags, and people who actually want to see bands and elbow their way to the front.  Bottom line: there’s way too many fucking people to have any sort of intimacy with the performer you’re watching.  Chances are, you’re probably just watching them because you are NOT missing whoever’s next from far away.  A word of advice for ACL virgins: stick with someone ALWAYS because you may never see them again if you lose them.  Find a meeting place, a landmark, and forget about your cell phone working.  It will not. Especially if you’re on AT&T.

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Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.

160. Jimmy Eat World – Authority Song

The band’s breakthrough was in the form of a pretty spectacular power pop album, and while their new sounds reveal the group to have eased into generic territory, this self-titled disc (originally called Bleed American, but changed due to the post-9/11 attack on media and music) was a welcome escape from the over-saturation of bland hip-hop and post nu-metal radio dreck.  “Authority Song” is a forgotten album track that has more hooks than the uplifting, cheesy lead single “The Middle.”

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The pilot of HBO’s new series, a riveting portrayal of gangster-ridden America during the Prohibition era, certainly feels very Scorsese, and you could sense that without knowing he directed the episode and is an executive producer along with A-lister Mark Wahlberg. The introduction to our main “protagonists” is very convincing, leaving room for more development, but ultimately quickly exposing our heroes for what they really are – corrupted people in power seeking to make it rich by selling bootleg alcohol.

The most likable quickly become abrasive and violent, but not without their soft sides (Steve Buscemi’s remarkable, brilliant portrayal of “Nucky” Thompson, based on Enoch Johnson, is rapidly ruthless, but also charitable). Scorsese’s vision is seen throughout and will remain for future episodes, and it’s a perfect mood that Marty has mastered – telling the darkest tales of our history under his watchful eye. Boardwalk Empire is one to look out for next awards season.

Boardwalk Empire airs Sundays on HBO.

Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.

170. Dwight Yoakam – Give Back the Key to My Heart

No question the 80’s and 90’s were the prime years for Yoakam in terms of success, but after having his turn at the spotlight, he ventured deep into the crossroads realm, taking a more traditional approach to his brand of honkey-tonk.  While most dug deeper into the cinematic country-pop Nashville world, Dwight stayed around Hollywood, acting and making indie records.  One of the highlights of his work this past decade is this Doug Sahm cover, recorded for the Imus Ranch Record in 2008; it’s just good ol’ DY doing what he does best.

Dwight Yoakam – Give Back the Key to My Heart

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Occasionally I browse the pop music world/charts/blogs and see what the kids are listening to.  Sometimes I am pleased with what I find, most of the time I am not.  This is a journal of my discoveries.
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