Category Archives: Election

60 Second Reviews

  • Genesis - A Trick Of The Tail. I used to love this record, when I was 15. Now it's 50% cringe-worthy and 25% meh. The other 25% is OK; I can still listen to "Dance On A Volcano" and "Squonk". For some reason, the iTunes version of this album is nothing like the official release: some of the songs are replaced with live versions, and many of the songs are completely missing. Looking at the original track list, I can't say it matters: I'd still give it one thorn: Þ
  • The Who - Live At Leeds (deluxe edition). This is a hugely expanded version, with like 30 songs (including all of Tommy). But, I want to like The Who more than I actually do like The Who. Basically, I really do not dig rock-operas - except for "A Quick One While He's Away", which is funny, goofy, and quick (but which gets a 5 minute spoken intro on this). Most of Tommy makes me yawn and I won't even bother with Quadrophenia. Still, the rest of it ("Young Man's Blues", "Substitute", "Summertime Blues", etc. - the early songs) is fantastic. Three thorns: ÞÞÞ for the whole.
  • Beck - Modern Guilt. Beck being Beck... always a good thing. Most of his records run together for me. But, I still like them. Three thorns: ÞÞÞ
  • Shout Out Louds - Howl Howl Gaff Gaff. This is growing into a new favorite. It's a chunk of enthusiastic alternative pop: very catchy, but just quirky enough to keep it from a broader audience. They're a bit louder than their fellow Swedish indies Peter, Bjorn and John - not heavy, but more guitars, louder drums, more-aggressive vocals; and the singer's style reminded my wife of Steven Malkmus from Pavement (whom she Does Not Like) because he goes willfully off-key here and there. I think it's charming. Four thorns: ÞÞÞÞ
  • Cassandra Wilson - Loverly. On this record, she goes back to jazz standards and classics - there are no covers of contemporary pop songs on this record, for a (welcome, IMO) change. But, old or new, nobody covers a song like Cassandra Wilson. Between her unique vocal style and her amazing and unconventional band, every song she does becomes, unmistakably, a Cassandra Wilson song. Another solid record. Three thorns: ÞÞÞ
  • Faces - Best Of The Faces (Good Songs From Bad Boys). There are some good songs here ("Ooh La La", "Stay With Me", "Sweet Lady Mary", etc.). But that early 70's style grates on me: too much noodling, too much of that heavy "one and TWO and three and FOUR and..." chugging. I can't help but picture Rod Stewart stiffly strutting around, pouting to the beat, ridiculously. I hear they're going to do a reunion soon. On the revelatory side, after listening to him here it seems like the most obvious thing in the world that Ron Wood would eventually end up with the Stones. Either two or three thorns: ÞÞ / ÞÞÞ
  • Sea and Cake - Car Alarm. Their last album had only one or two memorable songs. This one has zero. It's all flat and samey. I know they're still capable of good ideas, but they're putting all the good stuff on their solo records. When they get together, it's just flat. Which is not to say it's offensively bad or anything. I can certainly listen to it if I want to - I just don't want to. One thorn: Þ

More Election News!

Via my brother, I have learned that Warren County, NY (where we used to live, more him than I) went for McCain over Obama by six votes.

But, it probably would've gone to Obama, if not for the sinister PSL, the Party of Socialism and Liberation, who got 7 votes.

And if not for the Socialist Worker Party, it might've been a landslide - those 23 votes would've been Obama's fer sher!

Mission Accomplished

Bush is as good as gone. The Dems elected a great candidate. The Republican party is in complete disarray from it's leaderless top to the frenzied blamestorming bottom. And those are exactly the changes we needed. So... Mission Accomplished.

I'm done with it. The benefits of winning include leisure. I have no desire to obsess over the daily ins and outs of Obama's presidency. I don't care who he chooses for his cabinet. I don't care about the makeup of any House committee. I don't care what happens to Joe Lieberman. I don't care to parse texts or impromptu remarks for hidden connotations. I don't care to play the game of partisan attack and defend. I don't care. I'm taking three giant steps back. Let Obama do what he's going to do. I'll judge him by the real-world effects of his policies, not by the method he implements them. I'm going to zoom out: to hell with the obsessive microscope; all hail the wide angle. Less politics, more ... something else.

It's all you, Obama. Don't disappoint me ... too much.

A Child's Prayer

Doesn't look like NC's gonna be on the right side, but oh well. Doesn't matter. Obama wins anyway!

Update... actually, looks like he pulled ahead by 10,000 or so (out of almost slightly more than 4M votes), after I stopped watching. Though the state still has yet to make the result official. He won NC, too!

Obama Wins!!!