I intentionally wrote this entry like a Matthew Berry column
First!
Hi world. I've been up to no good lately. Thanks to a Secret Santa buddy who sent me sample vials of Hermes' Elixir des Merveilles perfume, which is heavily scented with chocolate covered-orange peels and vanilla biscuits, I may have had thoughts about what it would be like to devour my arm for a meal. Sadly, the only thing Hermes really means to me stems from the Densha Otoko legend. I still have to figure out, in the grand scheme of things, whether my ignorance to high fashion is a good or bad thing in the long run.
Semester's over. I still work too much, but no more 34-day work streaks. My checking account still closely resembles Jay Cutler's accrual of fantasy football points (100 yards forward, 2 interceptions back). Well hey, at least it's nowhere near negative. That's saying something! I'm still really good at making inappropriate and only half-funny one liners. There are some things about me that never change.
I finally finished the scarf I started knitting. It's ugly and very imperfect but I think I got the hang of it. I'll be making useful things in a short while, I think.
I'm also growing away from Facebook and growing towards Twitter/Foursquare. I grew up in a different era of Facebook, the one where you put your college schedules on it and there were only nine people from your high school on it, and six total colleges. It's just become too busy for me. I'm really liking Foursquare, and although there have been some interesting rivalries (three of my coworkers are on it now and my friend is hellbent on ousting me as "mayor" of our Starbucks) it's still pretty cool. It was the first app I downloaded on my iPhone when I got it, and I've been a convert ever since.
Oh yeah, and I got an iPhone in October. Gone are the days of shitty phones that I get because I feel as though phones should be used for calling and texting. Well, I still stand by that fact 100%, but unfortunately, my lack of living in a place I deem "home" makes it convenient to have a smartphone, and it just so happens that my network doesn't carry any Android phones. Honestly, I would've been happy with any smartphone, but iPhones do some pretty cool things. I hate how it runs my life, though. I manage all three of my fantasy football teams from it in a pinch, play Foursquare, update Twitter/Facebook, check out all my news, ready books (currently working on Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger). In short, I hate it and love it simultaneously. But such is life.
Onwards to music. The Top 10 on What has been an endless rotation of music that makes its way onto my phone. I hate the way the iPhone sets up its playlists and it's harder to build on-the-go playlists over my 30 GB 5Gen Video. I can't carry that around all the time anyway. Besides, it's full, and that's sad.
Painfully waiting for Contra to leak.
I mean, be released.
Music I Love:
Robin Thicke's new album, Sex Therapy: The Experience: Holy mother, this album's so good. Oddly reminiscent of Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds, but dare I say... sexier? Less Timbaland-esque hooks, equal album flow, more Brazilian lounge integration, sound samples from porn flicks. To be honest, I can't really listen to his first album cover to cover but I cannot stop listening to this album on continuous loop. I also told my boss to download it in the hopes that it may aid her in conceiving another child. If any album could, it's this one.
Yeasayer's [leaked] album, Odd Blood: I think that if you took a lot of Animal Collective's music and made it more mainstream, catchy, and digestible, you'd get Yeasayer's new album, most notably in the single off the album, "Ambling Alp". It's also incredibly delicious and due out in February 2010, although it's all over the internet already.
Kings of Convenience's relatively new release, Declaration of Dependence: Dude, this album. My sister has been a big KoC fan since high school, where she would describe them as a super-European version of Simon and Garfunkel. Their remix album was great too, but I always found a few sleeper tracks on each of their releases amidst the various gems that still find their way onto my mixes nowadays. This album, in my honest opinion, is my favorite and the most whole as a release. There are some really great tracks on it, especially "Rule My World", and "24-25". The guitar work is absolutely impeccable.
Lady Gaga: On a scale from excellent to absolutely excellent: "LoveGame" < "Bad Romance" < Kid Cudi/Common/Kanye's "Make Her Say" < "Paparazzi".
Anything by Passion Pit: I don't know why this band keeps steadfast in my rotation. With their all newfound exposure I could be uber-pretentious and hate them off the bat, but seriously, they are so damn catchy. They sold out House of Blues Boston, incidentally on my birthday, shame on me for thinking they wouldn't or couldn't. To be fair though, they did not even come close to selling out Paradise Rock Club this summer, which is like a third of the size, although probably it was because Major Lazer/Matt & Kim/Bacardi Tour was giving out tickets at House of Blues like candy. Free candy.
But seriously, I digress. They're catchy, but I'm not too torn up about the Jan 6 show because they'll come around again, and again, and again.
Princeton's album, Cocoon of Love: This album roped me in with the first track, "Sadie & Andy", maybe because it sounds a lot like a throwback or eerily similar to Belle and Sebastian's "Lazy Line Painter Jane". Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for the 50's progression. Probably because I'm a sucker for the 50's progression. Okay, I'm a 100% sucker for a well-executed, cutesy-style 50's progression.
But it's good all around.
Any album by Phoenix except 1901, most notably It's Never Been Like That: I must admit that the first album I listened to by Phoenix was Lisztomania, since Phoenix was always on my list of "bands that I must check out when I get the chance", a list only smaller than the list of "TV shows that I must check out when I get the chance". So I gave Lisztomania a looksee, liked what I heard, and went backwards. What I found was outstanding... I actually liked all of Phoenix's older stuff more than their well-received recent release. How about that.
Kid Sister's album, Ultraviolet: A lot of people say this album is a disappointment compared to the release of her EP and some other singles, but it flows really well. Great dance music, fantastic hooks. And oh my god, "Switch".
The new Spoon single, "Written in Reverse": Spoon never fails to disappoint, and I'm so amped for the release of Transferrence, like you wouldn't believe.
Music I hate:
Uffie's new single: Ke$ha does Uffie nowadays better than Uffie does Uffie.
Lil Wayne's [accidentally leaked by Amazon, way to go guys] new album, Rebirth: So when Kanye West decided to stop being brilliant and before he became a total asshole, jumpstarting Taylor Swift's career and spawning memes, he released what most regarded to be his worst album, 808s and Heartbreak. Of course, I loved it (because I'm a sucker for autotune). This is Lil Wayne's venture into making a rock album, and honestly, it totally fails. Seriously, if he picked up a guitar and played all the riffs himself, that'd be different, but this album is sort of... boring. Lifeless. Awful. If they do rerelease it and change it up, I'd be surprised about what they can do to make it better.
The Black Kids' EP, which was not memorable enough to remember: Someone upped a reported v0 that made the Top 10 on What. I streamed a bit of it, and no, just no. I really liked Partie Traumatic even though it received a Pitchfork 0 that turned into an image macro that only pretentious hipster types could understand, but... I just cannot back up this EP. I just don't like it. It's just... not good.
Any Kings of Leon post Aha Shake Heartbreak: I seriously can't believe that a band with enough talent to put out an album like Aha Shake Heartbreak could put out all those albums that everyone loves them for, that they can sell out the Agganis Arena twice for. I don't get it. Every so often, I try to listen to their newer stuff and I just can't wrap my mind around it, to the point where I deleted one of their albums off of my hard drive. Seriously Kings of Leon, I wish I could love you more, but I just can't. I love the ghost of your former self.
Hi world. I've been up to no good lately. Thanks to a Secret Santa buddy who sent me sample vials of Hermes' Elixir des Merveilles perfume, which is heavily scented with chocolate covered-orange peels and vanilla biscuits, I may have had thoughts about what it would be like to devour my arm for a meal. Sadly, the only thing Hermes really means to me stems from the Densha Otoko legend. I still have to figure out, in the grand scheme of things, whether my ignorance to high fashion is a good or bad thing in the long run.
Semester's over. I still work too much, but no more 34-day work streaks. My checking account still closely resembles Jay Cutler's accrual of fantasy football points (100 yards forward, 2 interceptions back). Well hey, at least it's nowhere near negative. That's saying something! I'm still really good at making inappropriate and only half-funny one liners. There are some things about me that never change.
I finally finished the scarf I started knitting. It's ugly and very imperfect but I think I got the hang of it. I'll be making useful things in a short while, I think.
I'm also growing away from Facebook and growing towards Twitter/Foursquare. I grew up in a different era of Facebook, the one where you put your college schedules on it and there were only nine people from your high school on it, and six total colleges. It's just become too busy for me. I'm really liking Foursquare, and although there have been some interesting rivalries (three of my coworkers are on it now and my friend is hellbent on ousting me as "mayor" of our Starbucks) it's still pretty cool. It was the first app I downloaded on my iPhone when I got it, and I've been a convert ever since.
Oh yeah, and I got an iPhone in October. Gone are the days of shitty phones that I get because I feel as though phones should be used for calling and texting. Well, I still stand by that fact 100%, but unfortunately, my lack of living in a place I deem "home" makes it convenient to have a smartphone, and it just so happens that my network doesn't carry any Android phones. Honestly, I would've been happy with any smartphone, but iPhones do some pretty cool things. I hate how it runs my life, though. I manage all three of my fantasy football teams from it in a pinch, play Foursquare, update Twitter/Facebook, check out all my news, ready books (currently working on Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger). In short, I hate it and love it simultaneously. But such is life.
Onwards to music. The Top 10 on What has been an endless rotation of music that makes its way onto my phone. I hate the way the iPhone sets up its playlists and it's harder to build on-the-go playlists over my 30 GB 5Gen Video. I can't carry that around all the time anyway. Besides, it's full, and that's sad.
Painfully waiting for Contra to leak.
I mean, be released.
Music I Love:
Robin Thicke's new album, Sex Therapy: The Experience: Holy mother, this album's so good. Oddly reminiscent of Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds, but dare I say... sexier? Less Timbaland-esque hooks, equal album flow, more Brazilian lounge integration, sound samples from porn flicks. To be honest, I can't really listen to his first album cover to cover but I cannot stop listening to this album on continuous loop. I also told my boss to download it in the hopes that it may aid her in conceiving another child. If any album could, it's this one.
Yeasayer's [leaked] album, Odd Blood: I think that if you took a lot of Animal Collective's music and made it more mainstream, catchy, and digestible, you'd get Yeasayer's new album, most notably in the single off the album, "Ambling Alp". It's also incredibly delicious and due out in February 2010, although it's all over the internet already.
Kings of Convenience's relatively new release, Declaration of Dependence: Dude, this album. My sister has been a big KoC fan since high school, where she would describe them as a super-European version of Simon and Garfunkel. Their remix album was great too, but I always found a few sleeper tracks on each of their releases amidst the various gems that still find their way onto my mixes nowadays. This album, in my honest opinion, is my favorite and the most whole as a release. There are some really great tracks on it, especially "Rule My World", and "24-25". The guitar work is absolutely impeccable.
Lady Gaga: On a scale from excellent to absolutely excellent: "LoveGame" < "Bad Romance" < Kid Cudi/Common/Kanye's "Make Her Say" < "Paparazzi".
Anything by Passion Pit: I don't know why this band keeps steadfast in my rotation. With their all newfound exposure I could be uber-pretentious and hate them off the bat, but seriously, they are so damn catchy. They sold out House of Blues Boston, incidentally on my birthday, shame on me for thinking they wouldn't or couldn't. To be fair though, they did not even come close to selling out Paradise Rock Club this summer, which is like a third of the size, although probably it was because Major Lazer/Matt & Kim/Bacardi Tour was giving out tickets at House of Blues like candy. Free candy.
But seriously, I digress. They're catchy, but I'm not too torn up about the Jan 6 show because they'll come around again, and again, and again.
Princeton's album, Cocoon of Love: This album roped me in with the first track, "Sadie & Andy", maybe because it sounds a lot like a throwback or eerily similar to Belle and Sebastian's "Lazy Line Painter Jane". Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for the 50's progression. Probably because I'm a sucker for the 50's progression. Okay, I'm a 100% sucker for a well-executed, cutesy-style 50's progression.
But it's good all around.
Any album by Phoenix except 1901, most notably It's Never Been Like That: I must admit that the first album I listened to by Phoenix was Lisztomania, since Phoenix was always on my list of "bands that I must check out when I get the chance", a list only smaller than the list of "TV shows that I must check out when I get the chance". So I gave Lisztomania a looksee, liked what I heard, and went backwards. What I found was outstanding... I actually liked all of Phoenix's older stuff more than their well-received recent release. How about that.
Kid Sister's album, Ultraviolet: A lot of people say this album is a disappointment compared to the release of her EP and some other singles, but it flows really well. Great dance music, fantastic hooks. And oh my god, "Switch".
The new Spoon single, "Written in Reverse": Spoon never fails to disappoint, and I'm so amped for the release of Transferrence, like you wouldn't believe.
Music I hate:
Uffie's new single: Ke$ha does Uffie nowadays better than Uffie does Uffie.
Lil Wayne's [accidentally leaked by Amazon, way to go guys] new album, Rebirth: So when Kanye West decided to stop being brilliant and before he became a total asshole, jumpstarting Taylor Swift's career and spawning memes, he released what most regarded to be his worst album, 808s and Heartbreak. Of course, I loved it (because I'm a sucker for autotune). This is Lil Wayne's venture into making a rock album, and honestly, it totally fails. Seriously, if he picked up a guitar and played all the riffs himself, that'd be different, but this album is sort of... boring. Lifeless. Awful. If they do rerelease it and change it up, I'd be surprised about what they can do to make it better.
The Black Kids' EP, which was not memorable enough to remember: Someone upped a reported v0 that made the Top 10 on What. I streamed a bit of it, and no, just no. I really liked Partie Traumatic even though it received a Pitchfork 0 that turned into an image macro that only pretentious hipster types could understand, but... I just cannot back up this EP. I just don't like it. It's just... not good.
Any Kings of Leon post Aha Shake Heartbreak: I seriously can't believe that a band with enough talent to put out an album like Aha Shake Heartbreak could put out all those albums that everyone loves them for, that they can sell out the Agganis Arena twice for. I don't get it. Every so often, I try to listen to their newer stuff and I just can't wrap my mind around it, to the point where I deleted one of their albums off of my hard drive. Seriously Kings of Leon, I wish I could love you more, but I just can't. I love the ghost of your former self.