2001: Top Nine Albums aka Great Expectations
9. Various - Radio K's Stuck AM 3, I had huge hopes for this latest installment of the finest recordings from the finest radio station in the land. Stuck on AM 3 featured an All Star cast with the likes of Mason Jennings, Dillinger Four, Dismemberment Plan, Low and others. Unfortuneately it lacked the mind blowing cohesiveness (usually impossible on this type of album) achieved on Stuck on AM 2. However excellent cuts from D4, Andrew Bird and Sunnysmack pushed the album into my best of list.
8. The Circulatory System - The Circulatory System, rich 60s psychadelic pop. See my post from 12/2.
7. R.E.M. - Reveal, again huge hopes for this album, from one of my favorite bands. Taking elements from Up and Automatic for the People. These college radio journeymen, release another solid album that leaves me feeling warm inside with every listen.
6. Built to Spill - Ancient Melodies of the Future, If only the whole album sounded like Strange.
5. Shins - Oh, Introverted World, Excellent, catchy, sweet, they the Shins took all of the best qualities from the Beatles, the Kinks and the Beach Boys to create a masterful debut.
4. Low and The Dirty Three - In the Fishtank, a perfect match is found in this colaboration between Duluth's Slo-core darlings and Melbourne's post-jazz-grass masters. A gorgeous EP featuring a 9 minute ( I wish they would have made it longer) cover of Neil Young's Down By the River.
3. Noah John - Had a Burning, My favorite group to come out of Madison, Wisconsin, drops an amazing sophmore release. The sound is post-alt-country-hillbilly and the result is a big thumbs up for this blazin release.
2. Atmosphere - Lucy Ford, Underground hip-hop's savior Slug, has grown-up into a wiser, more introspective, "heart-on-his-sleeve", genius that can still throw-down in Shaolin (see "tears for the sheep") while droppin brilliant metaphorical bangers (see "woman with tattooed hands")
1. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, probably the one album that exceeded expectations this year technically hasn't even been released yet. But Wilco was nice enough to stream this post-pop ( ya gotta be post-something these days :) ) masterpiece. Pardon the cliche, but this is the american response to Kid A.

What made your "best of" list? Did any good Hip Hop come out this year?

posted at 10:30 PM

#@%&^*!!!!!
Bad News: yesturday morning someone came in through our backdoor (was unlocked) around 730am. While my roomate Evan and I were asleep, they made off with my digital camera and about $20 worth of change! I guess Evan heard someone open his bedroom door and then walk away, my door was opened too, but neither of us thought anything of it at the time because we not all that awake. We figured all of this out last night and called the cops but there wasn't much they could do. Luckily, we don't have that much nice stuff that could have gotten stolen. Oh well, our habit of leaving doors unlocked has been quickly kicked. So It will be a while before I post anymore pictures. Why dont you guys send me some of your photos, its a great way to get yourself published on the web. I'll post them along with any info you want published.
posted at 5:28 PM

Back
I had a great weekend wondering around Chi-Town. Unfortuneately I was unable to find the 2 Bus, and did not get to see the Royal Tenenbaums (released in NY, LA only). But, I did ride the L (or is it el?) a lot and caught Oceans Eleven, I give this Quality film a thumbs-up. Speaking of film I took a few pictures:

Chicago is a town that values its porches. I for one am all-about a nice porch.

taking away the color in this picture helps emphasize what I liked about this roof.

It's difficult to park legally in Chicago.

"It's Chi-ca I go for"
I will be heading down to the windy city in the morning. Hopefully I'll be able to "take the L, then transfer to the 2". Will catch a Mason show on friday and most likely The Royal Tenenbaums on saturday. Hope you folks have a great weekend.
Anyone who can figure out my quotes gets a special present from yours trully.
(Hint: they were said by a Chicagoan)
posted at 12:16 AM

Frosty Fun
Check out this very addictive snowball fight game. You will need Shockwave to play it, but its worth it.
posted at 11:33 PM

"........................(can't speak)"
I felt a cold coming on this weekend, my throat ached a bit. I figured I'd end up with my semi-annual cold and recover in a week. I did not on the other hand, anticipate that I would wake up this morning discovering that I had lost my voice. In order to get my voice back I've been drinking lots of water, taking some vitamin C, and eating garlicy food, and drinking a lot of Tea with honey. I've had Peppermint Ginseng by The Republic of Tea and Echinachea Plus by Traditional Medicinals. Both companies have nice websites not to mention the free tea sampler from Traditional Medicinals. Here's to your health.
posted at 10:50 PM

Is there anything more fascinating than fire?

"You take the skyway, high above the busy little one-way"
I ventured .5 miles into bustling downtown Minneapolis to get my grill all shiny and clean. After my appt. I wandered around the Skyway. I took a picture or two. Wha'd ya think?

Mpls is such a colorful city

posted at 10:39 PM

Snow has melted

A Wonderful World is Uncovered

New Music
Went to the Electric Fetus today. For those who don't know the Fetus may be the finest music store in the country. I picked up two new discs:
The Shins - Oh, Introverted World
The Coup - Party Music
The Shins are as my roomate Evan says "an american Belle & Sebastian". For those who don't know Belle & Sebastian are an excellent Scotish Pop-60s-Style, catchy-as-hell group. I hear lots of Beach Boys and Beatles on Oh, Introverted World. The single "New Slang" is one of my top5 songs of the year....
Party Music is The Coup's 4th album and the first on Dan the Automater's 75Ark label. They made headlines in September because Party Music's unfortuneate original album cover depicted the detonation of the World Trade Center. The group scrambled and released the album with a molotov cocktail on the cover instead. I have high hopes for this album, their last album titled Steal This Album was like the reincarnation of Ice Cube when he was the best and is one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all time.

Will these catchy 60s-style pop and the volatile west-coast hip-hop make my best of 2001 list?
Stay Up, my best of 2k1 list will be published soon.
posted at 11:42 PM

Missed Opportunities & Photoshop Tennis
So we just went for a little jog around the Whittier neighborhood. Its kind of late (11pm) for a jog but its nice out. There were a couple photo ops, unfortuneately I didn't bring the cam with. This marks the third day in a row that I should have brought my camera with me when I left the house, doh.

So Here I am, empty-handed

One of the coolest ideas to hit the web since, weblogs is Photoshop Tennis presented by a design firm, Coudal Partners in Chicago. Puts the worlds top web designers against each other in a battle of the digital courts. The match is works by one player emails a Photoshop layer to their opponent. The opponent adds a layer and emails it back. The match goes for usually about ten volleys. The result is sometimes cool and beautiful and other times nasty, as the intensity of the matches heats up. P-Tennis anyone? I gotta wicked kick-serve.
posted at 11:59 PM

One Beatle lost, many found
Saddly Beatle George Harrison died the other day. I like much of the world am a Beatle fan, but my fondest memories of George Harrison are from his solo album Cloud Nine which came out at the end of the eighties, does anyone remember I got my mind set on you? Back in the day, I really liked that video as well as the album. Unfortuneately The album doesn't (as far as I know ) exist in CD format. I bet it may get rereleased in light of recent events.
The Beatle's sound can still be felt in many arenas of the music world. One of the better Beatles influenced scenes around is the Elephant Six Collective. The Elephant Six are a bunch of groups based around Athens, Georgia. The main groups are Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, Beulah ( actually from San Fran) and The Apples in Stereo. One of my favorite albums to come out this year was dropped by an Elephant Six group; the Circulatory System's self titled debut. There's lots of Revolver-esque sounds throughout this Quality album.
posted at 10:57 PM