things i love: good friends

the other day i opened my mailbox to find a package from my friend stuart from london. the contents? a recently released saint etienne box set of remastered, fan-club-only albums! ok, i knew it was coming as he told me as much, but still, actually having it my hands was a real treat. it was, according to him, a christmas/birthday present. thanks, stuart! it's definitely one of the best christmas/birthday presents i've ever received.

saint etienne is one of those rare bands that reciprocates the love and loyalty shown them by their fans. though they've long since stopped charting singles in their native UK, they've not let that dissuade them from continuing to make some of the best, if not the best, pop music out there. bands simply shouldn't be making their best music 15 years into their career. but saint etienne is doing just that. they know how rabid their fans are and they've never disappointed us. i think other bands would be well advised to reward their fans the way saint etienne does.

those rewards, however, can be a bit problematic. i think their non-album tracks easily outnumber their album tracks. they've released, to the best of knowledge, some four or five fan club albums, assorted soundtracks, random compilations, singles, christmas e.p.'s, valentines day singles, remix albums, and all manner of oddness [including a terrific, dancey cover of right said fred's 'i'm to sexy']. since i'm mildly OCD [ok, that's being generous, i'm way OCD], i of course have track down every last thing. i've been collecting saint etienne stuff for 15 years and there are still a few elusive tracks i have yet to track down, but that's part of the fun of being a fan and a collector.

the first of fan-club-only releases, 'i love to paint,' was a hot commodity in the early days of ebay. it wasn't unusual to find original copies fetching as much as a couple hundred clams. but thanks to the saint etienne email list, i was able to secure a burned copy. it remains one of my favorite saint etienne releases and 'sushi rider' is still one of my favorite saint etienne songs. i really think i'll record my own version of it someday. i just love it. 'are we gonna be alright' is actually a matthew sweet cover. saint etienne started playing it during their live shows and it got such a favorable response that they decided to record it and release as part of their second fan club album, 'built on sand,' which also includes their entry into the james bond theme song sweepstakes, 'tomorrow never dies.' that the producers eventually went with sheryl crow's entry is, well, disappointing. saint etienne's version, in my estimation, is tons better. and that's not the bias speaking.

anyway, here are a couple of tracks from the recently released 'boxette' + their cover of 'i'm too sexy.' i hope you enjoy them!

→ saint etienne: sushi rider [from 'i love to paint']
→ saint etienne: are we gonna be alright [from 'built on sand: rarities 1994-1999']
→ saint etienne: i'm too sexy [from 'the fred e.p.']

SONG OF THE DAY [#274]

'rockferry' | duffy

in a word: wow. duffy is like a spunkier candie payne, a more emotionally stable amy winehouse, and maybe, just maybe the heir apparent to dusty springfield [am i the only one who detects a slight bee gees influence??].

i've really flipped for duffy's debut, 'rockferry.' i liked it all the more when i found out that my guitar hero, bernard butler, helmed the thing. but in listening to the tracks, it's really easy to hear his influence. in fact, a lot of the tracks on 'rockferry' are near cousins to the butler's work in mcalmont and butler. it's hard to believe that this is the same man whose buzzsaw guitar whipped an entire nation into a frenzy in 1993. here's another notch is his belt, for sure.

but enough about bernie. the real star of the show, as well it should be, is duffy. we're looking at and listening to a considerable talent here, kids. i mean serious talent. serious pipes. she's got the #1 on the u.k. singles chart two weeks running and well done by her. she's like a very nice person. well, as nice as you can expect someone to be without actually having met them. and yes, i admit to a bit of a crush.

she's selling out shows left and right and just like bernie before her, taking the kingdom by storm. 'rockferry' [the album] drops march 3 in the uk. 'mercy,' the next single, 'drops next week as well. this is one ride you're definitely gonna want strap into. trust me when i saw it's incredible!

→ duffy: rockferry | video | studio footage
→ duffy: serious
→ duffy: mercy video

SONG OF THE DAY [#273]

'aguas de março'| antonio carlos jobim

sometimes i just need me some tom jobim. bossa nova was essentially unknown to me before the year 2000, but in the years since, i've become a HUGE fan of the genre. it's a sound that speaks to me on so many levels. i'm still a novice when it comes to bossa nova, so i'm hardly qualified to discuss it technicalities and intricacies, so i won't even try. i do know that i love minor 7th chords, and bossa nova certainly has its share. i still see chords in bossa nova music i never even knew existed--suspendeds, diminisheds, 5ths, 6ths, all all matter of nuttiness. you have to be some sort of guitar witch/wizard to play bossa nova, i think, because the chords call for require a tremendous amount of dexterity--trust me, i've tried. [and check this out -- amazing!]

but getting back to bossa nova, antonio carlos jobim, or 'tom jobim,' as he is often called, was one of the true innovators in the world of music. i don't like to fling around terms like 'visionary,' but the guy was something else. he took american jazz, married to to latin rhythms [like the samba, for example], threw in some loungy strings and took the world by storm. his signature track, though not one of my favorites, was his collaboration with joao gilberto on 'the girl from ipanema.' the movement lasted less than a decade, but it's influence remains potent. the most obvious reason, to me at least, is that the bossa nova sound is undeniably sexy and it's cool quotient is off the charts. there's hardly a week were i don't pop in some tom jobim or stan getz [a.k.a. The Sound] and lose myself in the sound. you can read more about tom jobim here and here. if just want to try an entire album, you can download a 'greatest hits' here. i genuinely hope you love it as much as i do.

there are plenty of tom jobim and stan getz around and i highly recommend you pick one up. take it from me, you'll be smitten instantly. then you'll want to buy a record player and host swanky parties and serve fruity drinks. here are just a few of so man favorites.... enjoy!

→ antonio carlos jobim: aguas de março
→ antonio carlos jobim: corcovando
→ antonio carlos jobim: só danço samba
→ antonio carlos jobim: the girl from ipanema

i definitely have a type...

...and that type is toni halliday. particularly toni halliday @ the 3:21 mark. magic.



i love curve. i love toni halliday. a lot. i really don't know how many times i've watched this video. dozens? hundreds? thousands? probably. this was another one of those many videos i saw on 120 minutes back in the early 1990s and it was instantly one of my favorites. why? well, sure, the songs is awesome, yes; in fact, it's really awesome. dean garcia's elastic bass is a high point for me. and flood did a great job with the production. but great googley moogly, toni halliday is smoking hot. i know this will probably sounds lame, but i have such a thing for dark eye shadow and black, black hair. the blacker the better. it's exotic, mysterious, and super duper sexy. is it getting hot in here all of a sudden? oh, toni, why must you smite me so?

anyway, at some point i lost the vhs tape with 'horror head' and i was so bummed. i was so certain i'd never see it again. this was about 1995 or so and the internet was still in its infancy, so i had no idea it'd be so readily available ten years later. so thank heavens for youtube. i love it.

it still amazes me how many people aren't familiar with curve. without curve there would have been no garbage. without toni halliday there'd have been no shirley manson. why eMpTV and radio got behind garbage and didn't get behind curve remains a mystery. well, actually, now that i think about it, garbage drummer butch vig produced nirvana's 'nevermind.' so, you know, he had 'cred.' whatever. i'll take curve over garbage any day of the week.

now i could just find me a slighty gothy, yet emotionally stable [i realize that's a bit of an oxymoronic statment], mormon girl...

→ curve: horror head
→ curve: frozen
→ curve: perish
→ curve: already yours

SONG OF THE DAY [#272]

'you only live twice' | the postmarks

i haven't thrown up any covers for a couple of weeks, so i figure i'm passed due. the first is the the postmarks' version of the classic nancy sinatra song from the james bond film of the same name. i've always dug this song, so i was glad to see the postmarks tackle it. tim yehezkely's [yes, that's her name] vocals seem tailor-made for track--shaken, but not stirred [where's a gong when you need one? man, that was one bad joke!]. ok, there aren't really shaken so much as sitting on ice. but you know what i mean.

here's something for your gee whiz collection: former take that heart throb turned naughty boy robbie williams nicked the riff for his 1999 hit, 'millennium.' man, robbie williams is so awesome. i love that dood. he's totally off his head. but getting back to the postmarks, yeah, nice job on john barry's seminal bond theme. ah shoot, why not throw the trash can sinatras version in too.

→ the postmarks: you only live twice
→ nancy sinatra: you only live twice | trailer
→ the trash can sinatras: you only live twice
→ robbie williams: millennium | video [be sure to check it!]


'i don't want to get over you' | alison eales

the second is a cover of the magnetic fields 'i don't want to get over you' be alison eales. i'm kind of torn on this one because this is far and away my favorite magnetic fields song. i think it's one of stephin merrit's best overall melodies and definitely in his top three lyrics. i'm protective of it in a psychotic kind of way, so i don't quite know what to make of it. and again, it makes me question the wisdom of introducing yourself to the world via someone else's song. it seems like a cheat, but hey, what do i know? anyway, i've beat that horse to death, resurrected it and killed it again, so i'll refrain from continuing the cycle. so give it a listen and you can decide its merits. [merits/merrits. get it? haha.]

→ alison eales: i don't want to get over you
→ the magnetic fields: i don't want to get over you

SONG OF THE DAY [#271]

'why do you let me stay here' | she & him

here's some good, old-fashioned, down-to-earth fun for you all. she & him, in case you don't already know, is the nom-de-rock of our favorite elf zooey deschanel and m. ward, respectively. i first heard about zooey deschanel's vocal abilities from my friend dainon when he emailed me a song, or pointed me to her website a couple of years ago, i don't really remember which. he's been a big fan of hers for awhile and i now count myself among the converted. this is some great stuff.

she & him entitled their first album 'volume 1,' which leads me to believe that we'll see more she & him albums in the future. we should only be so lucky. so take off your shoes, pour yourself a cup o' tea, and let the songs warm the cockles of your heart [what the heck is a cockle anyway?] you can find out more about she & him here and here.

'volume 1' drops via the great merge records march 18th. so be sure to check it out.

→ she & him: why don't you let me stay here
→ she & him: i thought i saw your face today

SONG OF THE DAY (#270)

'never gonna give you up' | rick astley

so i was just over at my friend chris' blog and that cheeky kid rick rolled me. i thought i was clicking on a link to the upcoming 'hobbit' movie, but dah! rick astley! even better!! awesome!! in all honestly, i love that i got rickrolled because i love me some rick astley. i really do. the man is fabulous. i mean, shoot, just check out that glorious, glorious hair! that's an A+ pompadour right there, kids. add to it the soft lighting and the serious, yet enigmatic stare and you have the equivalent of chunk of gold in the palm of your hand. yep.

then there's the video. it's too awesome for words. particularly rick astley funky-white-man finger snappin' whilst dressed in denim head-to-toe. how many kinds of awesome is that? psh. no one knows because no one can count that high. i hope the wardrobe coordinator got a fat christmas bonus for that dashing ensemble.

i vividly remember this video from the early days of eMpTV. it was the summer of 1987. i was visiting my grandma in hacienda heights, ca for a week or two [this was about a year and a half after we moved behind the zion curtain] and she had cable. we didn't have cable, so i taped so much eMpTV. i also taped predator off HBO. awesome movie, by the way. arnold, jessie 'the body' ventura [both future governors], and carl weathers chasing a camouflaged alien through the jungle with heavy artillery? forget it, man. awesome. but anyway, i taped that rick astley video and watched it over and over. once a sucker for a pop song, always a sucker for a pop song. apparently lots of other people thought it was awesome, too, 'cos 'never gonna give you up' went #1 all over the world, including right here in the good old u.s. of a.

if you think i'm kidding, i'm not. i own two rick astley albums and a japanese import of 12" remixes. so there. eat it. then go rick roll yourself, ya heard?

thank you, stock, aitken & waterman, for making it all possible.

→ rick astley: never gonna give you up | video
→ rick astley: together forever | video

SONG OF THE DAY [#269]

'anymore' | the superimposers

they're back. the superimposers' new album, 'harpsichord treacle,' dropped last week via wonderfulsound and like its predecessors, i totally dig it. [i've written about them before, so i'll spare you all the biographical stuff]. maybe it's 'cos they worship at the altar of brian wilson. nah, they're just great!

for me there's just something inherently pleasing and intoxicating about sampling the sounds of the sixties [whether it be actual sampling or drawing inspiration from] and wrapping them up in warm harmonies and melodies. is it nostalgia? i dunno. maybe. but the superimposers aren't so much about the nostalgia, but rather a natural longing for those bygone years of youth we remember as a much simpler time, even though it probably just about as difficult then as it is now. but difficult or not, the world of the superimposers is all about dreamy, golden summer evenings, convertibles, and hand-holding. it's a place i'll gladly spend some time in. i think you will, too.

[can a summer tour with the shortwave set be too far behind? i can only dream...]

→ the superimposers: anymore
→ the superimposers: golden

SONG OF THE DAY [#268]

'i'm good. i'm gone' | lykke li

well. sweden does it again. i don't really know what else to say. i found lykke li quite by accident, but wow, what a discovery! she's amazing. and pretty easy on the eyes, if i do say so. i'm just so dumbfounded by the swedes. i mean really, really baffled. how do they do it over and over and over?

and could there be anything better than a co-headlining tour with el perro del mar? they're touring norway and denmark together as we speak. who wants to go?

as if her songs weren't great enough, she's also very generous. you can download a 'secret chapter' song called 'tonight' from her website. i suggest you do so. it's a good one. you can also check out her myspace page here. and you will buy it when it comes out on march 4th. i command you.

→ lykke li: i'm good. i'm gone | video
→ lykke li: my love

happy [un]valentine's day...

so it's valentine's day again. truth be known, i'm not the biggest fan of valentine's day. it's right up there with arbor day, boxing day, and cinco de mayo [or cinco de drinko, as they called it at my former employer. cinco de drinko involved congregating at the park after work and downing jell-o shots. i never participated, obviously, but it's make me laugh what some people will do to justify a drink]. i guess i've never been too keen on it because, aside from two or three times, i've never really had occassion to celebrate it. but you know, that's perfectly ok with me.

so, instead indulging on chocolates and conversation hearts, on valentine's day i wax nostalgic and relive all the past loves; the bitter breakups; the broken hearts; the stalking, er, i mean, well, ok, the stalking [never underestimate the power of a wig and a couple of walkie-talkies]; but most importantly, i listen to really depressing music. it's a really cathartic experience, you know? no song, to me, is more depressing than the smiths' 'i know it's over.' the first line alone is enough to send you over the edge: 'oh, mother, i can feel the soil falling over my head. and as i climb into an empty bed, oh well, enough said.' i always interpreted that as the dirt falling over the coffin, the 'bed' being said coffin. it could mean something else entirely, but thanks to the ambiguity of the lyric, that's what it means to me. so if you're gonna be spending the evening alone, don't listen to that song. it ain't healthy. in addition to 'i know it's over,' i've included a few songs guaranted to make you miserable on this jolly day of love. as my friend preston likes to say, 'embrace the pain.' indeed.

[un]valentine's day e.p. 2008:

→ the smiths: i know it's over
→ asobi seksu: goodbye
→ m83: teen angst
→ alison moyet: wishing you were here
→ new buffalo: cheer me up thank you
→ guillemots: if the world ends
→ boy least likely to: be gentle with me

SONG OF THE DAY [#267]

'the journey continues' | mark brown ft. sarah cracknell

so my comics didn't come yesterday. dagnamit. oh, well. that means they will definitely arrive today. so, in the meantime, here's another great song for your listening pleasure.

those of you who know me know that saint etienne is my favorite band ever, a nose ahead of the almighty depeche mode. i first heard saint etienne [that's them at the left] in ponferrada, spain back in 1994 [thanks, javi!]. it was love at first listen and during the last fourteen years i've been a consumer of all things saint etienne, including sarah cracknell's ['crackers' to those in the know] many guest vocal appearances. in the past she's provided vocals for stephin merrit [magnetic fields], paul oakenfold, xploding plastix, and many. many more. her velvety vocals are in high demand! her most recent vocal is for mark brown's 'the journey continues,' which i understand is getting considerable airplay over in the UK. i guess a part of the song was originally part of a television commerical advert and mark brown got his hands on it turned into a full-fledged single. good thing he did 'cos it's pretty great.

so check it out. i'm sure you'll enjoy it.

→ mark brown ft. sarah cracknell: the journey continues [vocal radio edit] video
→ mark brown ft. sarah cracknell: the journey continues [silent night mix]
→ xploding plastix ft. sarah cracknell: sunset spirals [original mix]

being an uncle rules...

my sister morgan and her son henry have been in town for the last week. it's always a blast to have them around. henry is the only grandchild on both sides of the family, so we're all obviously head over heels for him--and with a face like that how could we not be? i think it's safe to say that i'm his favorite uncle, but that could be due to the fact that i've bought him just about every single last take along thomas the tank engine. some might call it a bribe, i call it well, a bribe. no, no. not really...i just love to spoil him rotten. and sorry to the rest of you, but he wins cutest. nephew. ever.

last sunday we got together at my grandma's house to throw my sister a surprise baby shower. she's expecting her second baby, a girl, the first week of may. my sister megan and her boyfriend dustin were there, too. dustin took these pictures and as you can see, he is an incredible photographer. i could take 2.5 million pictures and not get a single shot as good as one of his. dood's got mad skillz with the olde camera. you can check out his website here.

speaking of my sister, several months ago she was asked to submit her ruffle apron design for publication in a book about, you guessed it, aprons! so she sent it in and lo and behold, her design was chosen as one of twenty five aprons to be featured in the book. she got word last week that the book will be published may 6th and is available for pre-order here. congratulations, morgan. you deserve it! so if you've ever had a hankering to make a homemade apron, check out that book.

as for me, hey, i'm just happy to be here. i should be getting my monthly shipment of comic books tomorrow, so if i don't post anything, it's 'cos i'm lost in the world of superheroes. oh, and i'm starting a new job in salt lake city next tuesday. this means i've got to move back up there or face a 100 mile round trip every day. no thanks. this is really good news for me as i've been dying to get out of provo for ages. i've been stuck behind the zion curtain far too long, so onward and upward....

SONG OF THE DAY [#266]

'konichiwa bitc*es' | robyn

i think i first heard this song about a year ago on my friend tara's myspace page. i heard it and then i had to hear more. well, finally, robyn's solo debut came out not too long ago and it's pretty darn awesome. i just got an email from my friend tara today and she said she saw robyn the other day and that robyn tore the place up. it's not hard to imagine. she's a pint-sized dynamo. i mean, geez, just look at that pose. she's all bizness. i wouldn't want to run into her a dark alley. she'd mess me up.

anyway, this song just kills me. it's got some seriously awesome rhymes and hilarious wordplay: 'and on the north pole i'll ice you, son!' awesome. 'i'll count you out like a mathematician!' awesomer. 'i'll tear you down like i'm in demolition.' off the hook! it's really quite clever, i think. 'handle me,' on the other hand, is a little more straight faced despite it's ''cos you're a narcissistic psycho, freakin' bootlickin' nazi creep' refrain. that kind of silliness sounds right at home in the song and doesn't make any less effective. she's clearly having a good time. and you know, good for her. it's amazing eMpTV hasn't caught on yet, innit? yep, it is. it's too bad she's not got a bigger following stateside. she's putting out better pop records than any over here. and here i thought sweden was all about the jangle/chamber pop. silly me.

fyi-- 'konichiwa bitc*es' does have a naughty line. or two. consider yourselves warned.

→ robyn: konichiwa bitc*es | video
→ robyn: handle me | video

SONG OF THE DAY [#265]

'bloodstream' | evangelicals

it'd be really easy to make some sort of statement like, 'with their second record, "the evening descends," the evangelicals continue to proselytize their own loopy, quasi-psychedelic gospel to the masses.' it's so easy, in fact, that i just did.

i gotsta say, evangelicals is a pretty darn good band. i've been really digging them this weekend. i'd never heard 'em before a few days ago, but a quick internet search tells me they're from the same hometown as those other loopy, quasi-psychedelic heroes, the flaming lips. sure, there are some similar touch points, but i think evangelicals owe just as much to pavement and slowdive as they do to the lips. 'the evening descends,' in my estimation, is a really good--bordering on great--record. no one as young as evangelicals has any right to write songs this complex and imaginative, and i think given a few more years they may just drop a masterpiece on us. i don't know that i've heard anything quite like them before, and that's really saying something. sure, head evangelical, josh jones, takes certain liberties when it comes to staying in key, but hey, the way i see it it's all part of the charm.

so get yerself over the chapel [in other words, go buy it] 'cos the evangelicals are about the unleash the almighty gospel of good music on you. [see, too easy.]

→ evangelicals: bloodstream
→ evangelicals: party crashin'
→ evangelicals: midnight vignette

SONG OF THE DAY [#264]

'all right' | jim noir

any day there's some new jim noir music is a good day indeed. i absolutely loved his debut, 'tower of love.' it was such a perfect mix of wilson-esque and new school technologies--even if those technologies were used to create a super lo-fi feel. really amazing stuff, that. and in case you don't remember, or you never knew, mr noir's 'eanie meanie' was featured in nike's world cup adverts a couple of years back. i thought it was the perfect song for the perfect advert.

so, jim noir, as mentioned above, recently released 'all right.' i think it's the lead single from his upcoming sophomore record and was recently voted marc radcliff's single of the week over at the bbc radio. as per usual, it's full of super harmonies and lo-fi production. i highly recommend his stuff. it's significantly awesome!

long live the bowler hat!

→ jim noir: all right | video
→ jim noir: the only way [from 'tower of love']

SONG OF THE DAY [#263]

'darling' | sons and daughters

if you throw bernard butler into any conversation i'm bound to listen. since leaving suede, bernie's been busy with david mcalmont, burying the hatchet with suede frontman brett anderson, and producing records. his latest production is glaswegian band sons and daughters. [is it just me or does dood with the slicked back hair look a lot like brett anderson? he's got the pose nailed! maybe bernie's still working out some brett issues? hmmm, funny, methinks!]

anyway, enough musical psychoanalysis. sons and daughters are getting lots of pub right now, and with songs this charged, it's easy to see why. the album sounds like it's been hiding out in some jumper cables. [great job with the knobs, bernie!] their third album, 'this gift,' dropped last tuesday and it's pretty darn good stuff. it's got a nice late-70's melodic punk vibe [think iggy pop meets franz ferdinand, maybe]. the guitars chug, the drums pound, the vocals are alternately down and dirty and soaring. if that scares you, don't let it. behind it all are some really solid songs. and i gotta say that it's nice to hear someone cut loose in this day and age of pretentious art music. sometimes i just wanna cut loose and ram my head against a metal post. don't you? so next time you wanna pummel some little arty farty kid, put on some sons and daughters and show 'em the bizness [i don't condone violence, i'm just sayin']. 'darling' is excellent fists-in-the-air/to-the-face music. it's a bona fide hit. this is the real deal and i suspect it's about ready to launch into outer space, so check it out.

[UPDATE] sons and daughters will be in salt lake city @ the urban lounge tuesday, april 1st. i'll be there. i hope you will, too. i've listened to 'darling' about 50 times in the last two days. i gotta say, it's got 'single of the year' written all over it and right now it's sons and daughters' title to lose.

→ sons and daughters: darling | video
→ sons and daughters: split lips

SONG OF THE DAY [#262]

'small town boy' | jose gonzales

it's been a while since i've thrown some covers up here, and since i know there's a lot of you who enjoy covers, here you go. today you jose gonzalez covering a couple of absolute classics. the first is another entrant in the 'let's-do-an-acoustic-version-of-a-hit-80s-song.' in this case it's jose gonzalez covering the bronski beat classic, 'small town boy' [am i the only who gets shivers every time i hear jimmy sommerville's voice?] i've not heard too much jose gonzalez, but i've had several friends recommend him. this version of 'small town boy' really makes me want to hear more.

the second is a cover of my absolute most favorite massive attack song, 'teardrop,' [barely eeking out 'unfinished sympathy] which, incidentally, serves as the theme music for the t.v. show 'house.' i love elizabeth fraser [cocteau twins vocalist], so naturally i'm a little partial to the original, but jose does a fine job on his version.

you can check out some jose gonazalez here and here.

→ jose gonzalez: small town boy
→ jose gonzalez: teardrop | video
→ bronksi beat: small town boy | video
→ massive attack: teardrop | video

SONG OF THE DAY (#261)

'headphones' | the aluminum group

the third act of the aluminum group's 'happy' trilogy, ['happyness,' 2002; 'morehappyness,' 2004] 'little happyness' finally dropped on january 29 via minty fresh. like its predecessors, 'little happyness' inhabits that that space somewhere between the magnetic fields and the high llamas. it's a unique brand of buoyant, perfectly polished, electro-tinged chamber-pop you probably wouldn't expect from a couple of tough-looking brothers from chicago.

the aluminum group has been doing their thing for the better part of the last decade, enlisiting occassional assistance from chicago-based luminaries and accomplished musicians and producers like sam prekop, jim o'rourke, tortoise, etc. in short, it's some excellent dag. if you enjoy this, and i'm sure you will, you've got an entire back catalogue of aluminum group albums to discover and enjoy. it's only been in the last couple of years that i've started listened to them, and i always enjoy it.

→ the aluminum group: headphones
→ the aluminum group: lovely day
→ the aluminum group: motorcycles [from 'morehappyness']

and by the way, i'm still tinkering with the blog's layout. if things are still a bit skeewompled, i apologize...

SONG OF THE DAY (#260)

'inside out' | the mighty lemon drops

it never dawned on me just how much the mighty lemon drops borrowed from echo and the bunnymen. the realization only hit me after i listened to 'world without end' this past week for the first time since, like, 1992. but it's ok, really. if you're going to emulate someone, you could do significantly worse then echo and the bunnymen.

for a while there, 'inside out' was a staple on 120 minutes and postmodern mtv. in fact, i was just thinking about the video the other day and so i looked it up on youtube and there it was. i love youtube. and technology. 'inside out' was pretty loved around the lohrke household. my sister, morgan, was a big fan, too. as i listen to it now, it kind of sounds like their answer to the bunnymen's 'lips like sugar.' both songs are emblematic of that great post-punk, pre-madchester era of british music that lasted from about 1985 - 1990, give or take. sure, it may sound just a tad dated, but it really is a tremendous song with an absolutely massive chorus. listen to it once and you'll be singing it your head for days. trust me.

if you like what you hear and you want to find out more about the band, you can check 'em out here and here.

→ the mighty lemon drops: inside out | video
→ the mighty lemon drops: hear me call
→ the mighty lemon drops: breaking down

comic book nerd from the start...

i was cleaning out my storage unit a couple of weeks ago and found this old spider-man comic at the bottom of box. i knew i had a copy of it somewhere, but i hadn't the slightest idea where. i'd been thinking about it since i've rejoined the ranks of comic collectors, so i was happy to find it.

i don't remember how old i was when i drew and wrote this, but i was probably around nine or ten. it seems like i was in 5th grade at the time, so that sounds about right. clearly i was ambitious from an early age--just check out that $.05 price tag! i doubt anyone bought one, but i do have a faint memory of trying to talk someone into giving me their hard-earned change for five pages of spidey action! hey, a penny a page is a good deal in anyone's book! [my modest attempts at earning a little money later escalated to charging $3 for a cassette copy of the fantastic fixx's debut album, '1950 chevy.' i didn't sell any of those, either. but hey, can't blame a kid for trying, right?]

at any rate, this gave me a laugh and maybe it'll give you a laugh, too. nostalgia is fun and i'm glad i have a copy of this little piece of my childhood.

book review: the secret life of houdini: the making of america's first superhero

i knew next to nothing about harry houdini [the erstwhile ehrich weiss] before reading this book. the only image i had of houdini i had was him hanging upside down in a straightjacket. it's a pretty iconic photograph, so i'm sure you've probably seen it. a good friend of mine bought this book for my birthday [thanks, cory!] after she saw it on my amazon.com wish list. what a great gift! little did i know that after starting this book i would completely absorbed the world of houdini, and by the time i finished larry sloman's and william kalush's book, i felt like i'd know houdini my entire life. and i wanted to hang out with him. what a cool dood!

i think it's a fair statment to say that houdini was the most famous american during the first quarter of the twentieth century. houdini was a master of publicity and self-promotion. newspapers and magazines covered his every escape and tens of thousands of people would gather to watch his latest feat. houdini wasn't simply a man, he was an event and he felt a duty to make sure the people got their money's worth. it wasn't unusual for him to take ninety minutes to escape a certain trap. if it took longer, then it took longer, but he always escaped. one man commented that houdini's forearms were covered in scars. houdini himself said that if he had to tear of a piece of flesh to make his escape, he'd do it. and many of escapes were not magical at all, but the result of uncommon, brute strength and determination. people paid good money to see him escape, so he made sure he did. and while he's primarily known as an escape artist [not so much a 'magician' as popular opinion says], houdini was instrumental in the advent of flight, the development of motion pictures, and, as the authors hypothesize, a spy for the united states of america. while the anecdotal evidence to support the claim is pretty compelling and pretty darn interesting to read, i don't think the authors proved their claim beyond doubt; but if it is true, it makes all the sense in the world that the government, or certain people within the government, would draft houdini into the world of secret operations. as houdini travelled the world, foreign jail houses were a popular stop. every local police chief and constable wanted the great houdini to try and escape from his cell and devised all manner of handcuffs, manacles and locks to prevent him from doing so [they were never successful]. this gave houdini unprecedented access to sensitive data which he could easily steal, or with his incredible memory, memorize and write down later. amazing stuff.

houdini was fiercely protective of his inventions and escape acts and did anything he could to expose or humiliate anyone who tried to capitalize on the acts he carefully developed, invented, and mastered; but despite that protectiveness, he was also a very generous man. there was a magician in south africa who wanted to perform some of houdini's escape acts and wrote houdini to ask permission with the promise he give houdini proper credit for inventing the escape. houdini, always a man of integrity, returned the kindness. he gave the magician permission to perform his acts and didn't ask for royalties or any portion of the man's potential income. he was also very generous with his time and money. having grown up among the poorest of the poor, houdini [a very wealthy man during his adult years] gave freely and liberally those who were growing up in circumstances similar to his own.

one of the more interesting stories involves houdini being contacted by the russian royal family. as rasputin was gradually gaining more and more influence in the czar's court, extended family members contacted houdini and asked him to come to russia to expose rasputin as a fraud. he never made the trip, but it may have been the first time he heard of someone gaining influence and favor through 'magic.' i think that realization was a sort of catalyst for the events that shaped the last thirteen years of his life in which he fought in almost daily battle against the blooming spiritualist movement that nearly overtook the country in the wake of world war 1. that's when the book really takes off.

the last two hundred pages deals strictly with houdini's almost daily battle with the spiritualists. the spiritualist movement reached it's apex in the wake of world war 1. so many people were so distraught over the loss of loved ones, that they began to seek out 'mediums' who could put them in contact with the dearly departed. it was an economic windfall for anyone who could pass him or herself as a medium as the broken-hearted were ready to pay large sums of money for the chance at contacting the dead. at that time mediums numbered in the thousands in the new england area alone and it's believed that many prominant goverment leaders, including the president, relied on mediums. houdini was furious that the mediums would prey on the destitute and did everything he could to expose them. he employed an impressive network of friends, family, associates, journalists and reporters [his very own 'secret service'] with the sole purpose of ferreting out mediums. his rag tag team would scout out venues were mediums were performing, take note, and report back to houdini. houdini, in turn, would attend a performance in disguide, study the act, and figure out how the mediums were pulling off their tricks. he would then return the next night in disguise and as soon as the lights of the auditorium dimmed and the medium began his or her routine, houdini was stand up, rip off his diguise and exclaim, 'i am houdini and you are a fraud!' he would then tell the gathered audience how they were being fooled and misled, much to the chagrin of the medium on the stage. he single-handedly put dozens upon dozens of fraudulent mediums out of work. when asked the difference between what mediums did and what he did, houdini simply stated that when an audience came to see him perform, they knew they were being tricked and it was their job to figure out the trick. with mediums, the audience didn't know they were being deceived, and he made it mission to make sure they knew.

the most famous medium of the time was a bostonian woman named margery who was compulsively supported and defended by none other sir and mrs. arthur conan doyle. houdini made it his personal mission to expose margery as a fraud. after sitting in on several of margery's seances, he had figured her out. what follows is a utterly readable and compelling tit-for-tat played out in public between houdini and doyle--one time friends--and an escalating war between houdini and spiritualists that may, as the author's propose, have ultimately cost him his life. if it sounds interesting, believe me when i say it is. i read the last couple hundred pages in one sitting, which for me is really saying something. i won't give away any more than i have as it's quite a thing to read how houdini figured out margery's trickery and tried to expose her for what she really was. it's absolutley mind-blowing stuff.

i don't know that i've admired too many people more than i admire harry houdini. he was a man true to the core and you'll come away from the reading wondering how such a man came to be: brilliant, dogged, generous, charitable, mystifying, determined, but ultimately human. 'the secret life of houdini: the making of america's first superhero' is one of those rare books that draws you in and makes you lose sense of time and place, much like the magician himself. and that's about the best magic trick of all.

→ spitcake verdict: buy it, read it, pass it along! [if you want to read it, you can borrow my copy].