Well, here it is.
This weeks theme:
"It's late, and if I hear an emotional song I might get emotional"
1 Broke - Woods - How To Survive In The Woods
2 Matthew 25:21 - The Mountain Goats - The Life Of The World To Come
3 Hymn # 101 - Joe Pug - Daytrotter Session
4 Overdue - The Get Up Kids - " "
5 Dong We Sang Away - Low vs. Diamond - " "
6 Goodbye - Fourth Of July - " "
7 Faces In The Dark - Generationals - " "
Download
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Music comments
Chances are that if you talk to me on a regular basis I've already told you how amazing the new Mountain Goats record is. If I haven't told you yet, well, I'm telling you now. It's amazing.
All of the key ingredients are here: biblical themes, poignant lyrics, cancer, death, and that unique sense of sparseness and lyrical efficiency that John Darnielle seems to have completely mastered. It's called "The Life of the World to Come", and you should listen to it. Here's a link. [Fixed]
In other news, apparently Digital Leather is coming out with a new record. Their old one, "Sorcerer", was great. I thought it sounded like a perverse and violent Joy Division: Deep, flat, dark-sounding vocals and tinny drums were present, just like Joy Division, but also a heavy layer of fuzz and hyperactive synthesizers. The hooks were all there, too, but wrapped thickly in the meaty noise that made up the rest of record and evenly spaced between audio-violence ("Pleasurebot") and flat out trickery ("Hologram"). If this sounds interesting, it is. Here's a link.
So what about the new record? I haven't heard the whole thing yet, but found a few tracks to download on this blog. It's called Warm Brother, which according to Pitchfork is supposed to be offensive. Read into that if you want.
My first impression upon listening to these two tracks?
Frankly, I was a bit let down. The hyperactivity and tension that made "Sorcerer" stand out from all of the other Joy Division-influenced fuzz-bands seems to be largely missing. In their place are (relatively) clear vocals and a much friendlier approach. The first record was engaging, but these two new tracks seem immediately ready to fade into the background.
I haven't heard the whole record yet, though, so don't consider this a review. I'll let you know my complete opinion after I've heard the whole thing.
Also, The Antlers did a session over on Daytrotter last month. Check it out if you like The Antlers.
In the meantime, stay tuned. The podcast will update this week as usual, but it might be a day or two late. Don't panic.
All of the key ingredients are here: biblical themes, poignant lyrics, cancer, death, and that unique sense of sparseness and lyrical efficiency that John Darnielle seems to have completely mastered. It's called "The Life of the World to Come", and you should listen to it. Here's a link. [Fixed]
In other news, apparently Digital Leather is coming out with a new record. Their old one, "Sorcerer", was great. I thought it sounded like a perverse and violent Joy Division: Deep, flat, dark-sounding vocals and tinny drums were present, just like Joy Division, but also a heavy layer of fuzz and hyperactive synthesizers. The hooks were all there, too, but wrapped thickly in the meaty noise that made up the rest of record and evenly spaced between audio-violence ("Pleasurebot") and flat out trickery ("Hologram"). If this sounds interesting, it is. Here's a link.
So what about the new record? I haven't heard the whole thing yet, but found a few tracks to download on this blog. It's called Warm Brother, which according to Pitchfork is supposed to be offensive. Read into that if you want.
My first impression upon listening to these two tracks?
Frankly, I was a bit let down. The hyperactivity and tension that made "Sorcerer" stand out from all of the other Joy Division-influenced fuzz-bands seems to be largely missing. In their place are (relatively) clear vocals and a much friendlier approach. The first record was engaging, but these two new tracks seem immediately ready to fade into the background.
I haven't heard the whole record yet, though, so don't consider this a review. I'll let you know my complete opinion after I've heard the whole thing.
Also, The Antlers did a session over on Daytrotter last month. Check it out if you like The Antlers.
In the meantime, stay tuned. The podcast will update this week as usual, but it might be a day or two late. Don't panic.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Pleasure Island
Last weekend was Halloween, as I'm sure everybody in the States already knows. After all, you had to find a costume, attend a party or two, and maybe get some candy from the neighbors. In France Halloween is not that big of a deal. There were some costumes, but in general the holiday was just another reason to go downtown, drink a lot, and stumble around medieval streets all night. Which brings me to my next point: this place is like Pleasure Island. Remember Pinocchio, the Disney film? Remember the part where all of the boys were smoking cigars, drinking huge mugs of beer, and throwing bricks through church windows? That's Southern France, except instead of throwing bricks they pee on buildings, and instead of being boys they're grown men in designer jeans.
I have seen police officers here. But I've only seen about six, and they never seem to be doing anything. For a semi-socialist state, I certainly haven't noticed any real social controls in France. Nothing like in Bozeman, anyway. Not that I'm complaining.
In other news, I went climbing this past weekend, first at Collias on Saturday then at Thaurac on Sunday.
On Saturday I was one of the stronger climbers and ended up setting up topropes. Here's an awful picture of one of the cliffs:
If you look kind of close you can see a Parisian joker scrubbing his way up the cliff on toprope. I set that rope up, because Dominique decided he wasn't up to leading the last two bolts of a 4b. What you can't see is another toprope about four meters to the right with a hot-shit gym climber flailing around the first bolt, behind the trees. I set that one up too, for the same reason. To be fair, it was pretty sandbagged. The topo said 5a, I say 5c+, 6a. That's basically the same as calling a 5.10a/b a 5.7.
On Sunday, however, I went climbing with a number of stronger climbers, many of them women, which was humbling. Climbing 6a is only a big deal when surrounded by new climbers. When everybody around you climbs 6c (5.11b-ish) hacking your way up a mid 5.10 isn't so impressive anymore.
Here's some extra photos from a bike camping/squatting trip in September:
Montferrier:
No fires allowed:
Sleeping arrangements in a paintball bunker:
And finally, music.
This week on the Anarchy Breakfast podcast,
Songs About Jesus That Don't Suck
1 Head Rolls Off - Frightened Rabbit - Midnight Organ Fight
2 Jesus - The Welcome Wagon - Welcome To The Welcome Wagon
3 To Be Alone With You - Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
4 Jesus - Page France - Hello, Dear Wind
5 Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam - The Vaselines - The Way Of The Vaselines
6 Jesus Wrote A Blank Check - Cake - Motorcade Of Generosity
7 Christ For President - Billy Bragg & Wilco - Mermaid Avenue
8 Jesus And Tequila - The Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime
9 I Saw God - The Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand
Link here
More news & music next Wednesday.
I have seen police officers here. But I've only seen about six, and they never seem to be doing anything. For a semi-socialist state, I certainly haven't noticed any real social controls in France. Nothing like in Bozeman, anyway. Not that I'm complaining.
In other news, I went climbing this past weekend, first at Collias on Saturday then at Thaurac on Sunday.
On Saturday I was one of the stronger climbers and ended up setting up topropes. Here's an awful picture of one of the cliffs:
If you look kind of close you can see a Parisian joker scrubbing his way up the cliff on toprope. I set that rope up, because Dominique decided he wasn't up to leading the last two bolts of a 4b. What you can't see is another toprope about four meters to the right with a hot-shit gym climber flailing around the first bolt, behind the trees. I set that one up too, for the same reason. To be fair, it was pretty sandbagged. The topo said 5a, I say 5c+, 6a. That's basically the same as calling a 5.10a/b a 5.7.On Sunday, however, I went climbing with a number of stronger climbers, many of them women, which was humbling. Climbing 6a is only a big deal when surrounded by new climbers. When everybody around you climbs 6c (5.11b-ish) hacking your way up a mid 5.10 isn't so impressive anymore.
Here's some extra photos from a bike camping/squatting trip in September:
Montferrier:
No fires allowed:
Sleeping arrangements in a paintball bunker:
And finally, music.
This week on the Anarchy Breakfast podcast,
Songs About Jesus That Don't Suck
1 Head Rolls Off - Frightened Rabbit - Midnight Organ Fight
2 Jesus - The Welcome Wagon - Welcome To The Welcome Wagon
3 To Be Alone With You - Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
4 Jesus - Page France - Hello, Dear Wind
5 Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam - The Vaselines - The Way Of The Vaselines
6 Jesus Wrote A Blank Check - Cake - Motorcade Of Generosity
7 Christ For President - Billy Bragg & Wilco - Mermaid Avenue
8 Jesus And Tequila - The Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime
9 I Saw God - The Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand
Link here
More news & music next Wednesday.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Children are cuter in France
It's the truth. Maybe it's the language, spoken clearly and simply. Maybe it's the kiddie fashion. Maybe it's the guessing games on the tram. In any case, the children are cuter here.
That's all I have to say, really. Maybe later I'll put up some more words. In the meantime, music.
This week's playlist is called
"Songs to Listen to When You've Been Left All Alone"
1 Traveling Salesman's Young Wife Home Alone On Christmas Day In Montpellier, VT - Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Vs. Children
2 I Lost You - The Walkmen - You & Me
3 Things Fall Apart - Built To Spill - There Is No Enemy
4 Genesis 30:3 - The Mountain Goats - The Life Of The World To Come
5 Colorado - Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
6 Plain Material - Memory Tapes - Seek Magic
7 The Darkest Side - The Middle East - Recordings Of The Middle East
link here
That's all I have to say, really. Maybe later I'll put up some more words. In the meantime, music.
This week's playlist is called
"Songs to Listen to When You've Been Left All Alone"
1 Traveling Salesman's Young Wife Home Alone On Christmas Day In Montpellier, VT - Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Vs. Children
2 I Lost You - The Walkmen - You & Me
3 Things Fall Apart - Built To Spill - There Is No Enemy
4 Genesis 30:3 - The Mountain Goats - The Life Of The World To Come
5 Colorado - Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
6 Plain Material - Memory Tapes - Seek Magic
7 The Darkest Side - The Middle East - Recordings Of The Middle East
link here
Monday, October 19, 2009
I've been slacklining a lot. For one, it's easy; there is a pair of perfect trees directly in front of my room and it takes me approximately fifteen seconds to get to them. It is also quite fun and I mentally connect it with climbing. But unlike climbing, I can do it alone. This is the principle virtue of slacklining: it allows me to feel active while simultaneously relieving me of the pressures of communicating.
So I have made a habit of it, in the same way that I have made a habit of hanging out in my room, reading about climbing on the internet and wishing I had somebody to go with. To my credit, I tried to meet some climbers at the local gym. I did meet some "climbers", but none of them actually climbed outside.
Last week, though, I did something about it. I joined a climbing club and went climbing outside on Saturday. After a cursory check to be sure that I was safe and knew how to tie myself in and belay, I took off on a fairly easy lead while the Frenchies watched from the ground to make sure I knew what I was doing.
When I got down a few minutes later, Sébastien told me, "tu as galopé cette voie!" (you galloped up that route). After one more check to be sure that I could lead belay everybody was pretty satisfied. I spend the rest of the day swapping leads with Sébastien on harder climbs.
The limestone in France is great, and there's an almost infinite amount of it. I can't wait to get out and sample some more French rock, hopefully in the form of some multi pitch routes (grandes voies). I forgot to take pictures, mostly because I was busy climbing. I'll see what I can do about that next time I go out.
In other news, more music! I'm trying something new this week, instead of simply uploading all the songs in a folder I've synthesized them all into a podcast of sorts. It's about about 30 minutes long and 15mb. It's in .m4a format, which should work fine with iTunes, and this way it's more like a radio show. I'm still hosting my files with Mediafire because I haven't found anything easier and I'm not sure I'm up to the technical challenge of setting up a feed podcast (the kind that you can subscribe to). Let me know if the format and host are working okay.
Track List:
"Every Time I See You I Get a Funny Feeling in my Stomach"
1 Falling In - Ha Ha Tonka - Daytrotter Session
2 Home - Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes - Daytrotter
3 In The Summertime - The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns
4 Have I Told You? - Dreamdate - Patience
5 She's Fantastic - Sondre Lerche - Phantom Punch
6 Stockholm Syndrome - Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
7 Since You Stole My Heart - Saturday Looks Good To Me - Every Night
8 God Made The Automobile - Iron & Wine - Around The Well
9 Undeclared - The Dodos - Visiter
10 After Hours - The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground
Download here.
So I have made a habit of it, in the same way that I have made a habit of hanging out in my room, reading about climbing on the internet and wishing I had somebody to go with. To my credit, I tried to meet some climbers at the local gym. I did meet some "climbers", but none of them actually climbed outside.
Last week, though, I did something about it. I joined a climbing club and went climbing outside on Saturday. After a cursory check to be sure that I was safe and knew how to tie myself in and belay, I took off on a fairly easy lead while the Frenchies watched from the ground to make sure I knew what I was doing.
When I got down a few minutes later, Sébastien told me, "tu as galopé cette voie!" (you galloped up that route). After one more check to be sure that I could lead belay everybody was pretty satisfied. I spend the rest of the day swapping leads with Sébastien on harder climbs.
The limestone in France is great, and there's an almost infinite amount of it. I can't wait to get out and sample some more French rock, hopefully in the form of some multi pitch routes (grandes voies). I forgot to take pictures, mostly because I was busy climbing. I'll see what I can do about that next time I go out.
In other news, more music! I'm trying something new this week, instead of simply uploading all the songs in a folder I've synthesized them all into a podcast of sorts. It's about about 30 minutes long and 15mb. It's in .m4a format, which should work fine with iTunes, and this way it's more like a radio show. I'm still hosting my files with Mediafire because I haven't found anything easier and I'm not sure I'm up to the technical challenge of setting up a feed podcast (the kind that you can subscribe to). Let me know if the format and host are working okay.
Track List:
"Every Time I See You I Get a Funny Feeling in my Stomach"
1 Falling In - Ha Ha Tonka - Daytrotter Session
2 Home - Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes - Daytrotter
3 In The Summertime - The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns
4 Have I Told You? - Dreamdate - Patience
5 She's Fantastic - Sondre Lerche - Phantom Punch
6 Stockholm Syndrome - Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
7 Since You Stole My Heart - Saturday Looks Good To Me - Every Night
8 God Made The Automobile - Iron & Wine - Around The Well
9 Undeclared - The Dodos - Visiter
10 After Hours - The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground
Download here.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Autumn and More Music!
After three years in Bozeman, I'd forgotten how to enjoy Autumn. Don't get me wrong, Bozeman is a magical place, but mostly in those other three seasons. Fall in South West Montana is generally wet, muddy, and gray.
Not so in the South of France.
It's gorgeous outside. The sky is clear, the temperatures hover in the high teens Celsius, and the healthy trees shudder in "Le Mistral".
The French, of course, are well bundled for the moderate conditions, mostly in black. I've been reveling in the temperatures. Autumn is nice, as it turns out.
In other news, I've made another playlist. This one is shorter and based on a theme. And fair warning, it's louder and more abrasive than last week. The Tracklist follows:
"I Love You but it's Easier to Insult You Than Tell You the Truth"
1 The Ideal Weight - GoGoGo Airheart - Love My Life...Hate My Friends
2 Friends In Quotations - That Ghost - Young Fridays
3 Gentle Violence - Black Lips - Let It Bloom
4 Barbed Wire Love - Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material
5 Modern Girl - Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
6 Sometimes I Can't Stand You, But That Doesn't Mean I Don't Want You Around - Icarus Himself - Coffins
7 Emotion Is Cancer and I Got No Cash For Chemo - O Pioneers!!! - ...Like We Care About The Wolves
8 Expelled From Love - The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
9 Everything Always Goes Wrong - A Place To Bury Strangers - Exploding Head
Download here
Keep checking back - I'll try to put something up every week. At best, you'll get some news and maybe (gasp!) some photos. At the very least, a playlist.
Not so in the South of France.
It's gorgeous outside. The sky is clear, the temperatures hover in the high teens Celsius, and the healthy trees shudder in "Le Mistral".
The French, of course, are well bundled for the moderate conditions, mostly in black. I've been reveling in the temperatures. Autumn is nice, as it turns out.
In other news, I've made another playlist. This one is shorter and based on a theme. And fair warning, it's louder and more abrasive than last week. The Tracklist follows:
"I Love You but it's Easier to Insult You Than Tell You the Truth"
1 The Ideal Weight - GoGoGo Airheart - Love My Life...Hate My Friends
2 Friends In Quotations - That Ghost - Young Fridays
3 Gentle Violence - Black Lips - Let It Bloom
4 Barbed Wire Love - Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material
5 Modern Girl - Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
6 Sometimes I Can't Stand You, But That Doesn't Mean I Don't Want You Around - Icarus Himself - Coffins
7 Emotion Is Cancer and I Got No Cash For Chemo - O Pioneers!!! - ...Like We Care About The Wolves
8 Expelled From Love - The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
9 Everything Always Goes Wrong - A Place To Bury Strangers - Exploding Head
Download here
Keep checking back - I'll try to put something up every week. At best, you'll get some news and maybe (gasp!) some photos. At the very least, a playlist.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Oh yeah. Music
So the last blog was a little cheesy. It also happened a month and a half ago. Anyways, I'm back.
First order of business: Music
I miss The Anarchy Breakfast. In place of creating a playlist and subsequently putting in on the air, I've created a playlist you can download instead.
For your listening pleasure: Nothing To Hide
It's an even mix of (slightly) older stuff and brand-new music.
Track - Artist - Album - Year
1 Blood On The Motorway - DJ Shadow - The Private Press - 2002
2 Man Next Door - Massive Attack - Mezzanine - 1998
3 Princess Bride - Cloud Cult - Aurora Borealis - 2003
4 Unspoken - Four Tet - Rounds - 2003
5 Angels - Wax Poetic - NuBlu Sessions - 2000
6 Two Dancers - Wild Beasts - Two Dancers - 2009
7 Crystalized - The XX - XX - 2009
8 Bear - The Antlers - Hospice - 2009
9 Thirteen - The Antlers - Hospice - 2009
10 You Have My Eyes Now - The Clues - Clues - 2009
11 Nightingale / December Song - Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer - 2009
I hope you enjoy it.
First order of business: Music
I miss The Anarchy Breakfast. In place of creating a playlist and subsequently putting in on the air, I've created a playlist you can download instead.
For your listening pleasure: Nothing To Hide
It's an even mix of (slightly) older stuff and brand-new music.
Track - Artist - Album - Year
1 Blood On The Motorway - DJ Shadow - The Private Press - 2002
2 Man Next Door - Massive Attack - Mezzanine - 1998
3 Princess Bride - Cloud Cult - Aurora Borealis - 2003
4 Unspoken - Four Tet - Rounds - 2003
5 Angels - Wax Poetic - NuBlu Sessions - 2000
6 Two Dancers - Wild Beasts - Two Dancers - 2009
7 Crystalized - The XX - XX - 2009
8 Bear - The Antlers - Hospice - 2009
9 Thirteen - The Antlers - Hospice - 2009
10 You Have My Eyes Now - The Clues - Clues - 2009
11 Nightingale / December Song - Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer - 2009
I hope you enjoy it.
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