March Playlist

Ten Random Songs from my March Playlist

Shimmer Like a Girl Veruca Salt
Complainte De La Butte Rufus Wainwright
Accidentally In Love Counting Crows
Paperback Writer The Beatles
Across the Universe Jim Sturgess
Handle With Care Jenny Lewis
Turn Into Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Front Row Toby Lightman
Shine Like a New Pin Camera Obscura
Bizarre Love Triangle Frente!

A Commuter's Library: Literary Pursuits on the F Train

The Manhattan-bound F train out of Brooklyn has been sucking lately. There's more delays than ever with severe overcrowding during rush hour, and best of all, if the proposed MTA fare hikes go through, we B'klyners - and all other NYC subway riders - may soon have to pay 25% more for our unlimited Metrocards, raising the monthly bill from $81 to a sickening $103.

Mother $%&#s!

But we F train commuters are trying to make the best of it. Those of us lucky enough to get seats (and those able to stand and balance a book without impaling other riders), often engage in a little literary escapism to make it through the daily drudgery. In addition to the staples of NYC transit: The New Yorker, The Bible, and the Twilight series (in that order), F train commuters indulge in a veritable cornucopia of literary pursuits, from the trashy to the classy.

Some of last week's riveting reads:


The Billionaire in Penthouse B
A rich, powerful loner, Gage fit the description of the man who may have information about the mysterious demise of Jacinda Endicott's sister. Which was why Jacinda had abandoned her old life and taken a job at Gage's penthouse as his live-in maid. By day, she snooped for clues about her employer; by night, she fought her fatal attraction to the sexy, secretive billionaire. Her heart told her Gage was innocent; her head warned her otherwise. Which would she listen to? (product description)



Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Some of the 23 stories in Wallace's bold, uneven, bitterly satirical second collection seem bound for best-of-the-year anthologies. In the "interviews," that make up the title story, one man after another, speaking to a woman whose voice we never hear, reveals the pathetic creepiness of his romantic conquests and fantasies. These stories, at their best, show an erotic savagery and intellectual depth that will confound, fascinate and disturb the most unsuspecting reader as well as devoted fans. (Publishers Weekly)



The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman has created a charming allegory of childhood. Although the book opens with a scary scene as a family is stabbed to death, the story quickly moves into more child-friendly storytelling. The sole survivor of the attack, an 18-month-old baby, escapes his crib and toddles to a nearby graveyard. Quickly recognizing that the baby is orphaned, the graveyard's ghostly residents adopt him, name him Nobody, and allow him to live in their tomb. (Heidi Broadhead)



How Soccer Explains the World
Foer, a New Republic editor, scores a game-winning goal with this analysis of the interchange between soccer and the new global economy. The subtitle is a bit misleading, though: he doesn't really use soccer to develop a theory; instead, he focuses on how examining soccer in different countries allows us to understand how international forces affect politics and life around the globe. The book is full of colorful reporting, strong characters and insightful analysis. (Publishers Weekly)



The Omnivore's Dilemma
Michael Pollan writes about how our food is grown -- what it is, in fact, that we are eating. The first section discusses industrial farming; the second, organic food, both as big business and on a small farm; and the third, what it is like to hunt and gather food for oneself. Each section culminates in a meal - a cheeseburger from McDonald's; roast chicken and vegetables from Whole Foods; grilled chicken and corn from a sustainable farm; and, finally, a meal foraged from the wild. (Washington Post)



Petropolis
This debut novel traces Russian-Jewish Sasha Goldberg's screwball coming-of-age and search for her long-ago disappeared father. After Sasha is accepted into a local, cash-strapped art school in the gloomy Siberian town of Asbestos, she becomes pregnant and has a daughter, whom she is forced to leave behind to attend an art school in Moscow. Sasha begins scheming her way to America and soon is on a plane to Phoenix, Ariz., as a 17-year-old mail-order bride. (Publishers Weekly)



The Pitchfork 500
Named the "best site for music criticism on the web" by The New York Times Magazine, Pitchforkmedia.com has become the leading independent resource for music journalism, the place people turn to find out what's happening in new music. In The Pitchfork 500: Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to the Present, Pitchfork offers up their take on the 500 best songs of the past three decades.




The Secret Supper
Set in the late 15th century, the book revolves around a papal inquisitor's investigation into Leonardo da Vinci's alleged heresies. After receiving a series of cryptic messages from "the Soothsayer," who warns that "art can be employed as a weapon," the Secretariat of Keys of the Papal States dispatches Father Agostino Leyre on a twofold mission to Milan: identify the Soothsayer and discover what, if any, messages da Vinci is hiding in the painting. (Publishers Weekly)



Watchmen
The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel's as he investigates issues of power and control, propelling the comic genre forward and making "adult" comics a reality. The intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, the fine pace of the writing, and its humanity mean that Watchmen keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced. (Mark Thwaite)




The Wordy Shipmates
Essayist and public radio regular Vowell revisits America's Puritan roots in this witty exploration of the ways in which our country's present predicaments are inextricably tied to its past. In a style less colloquial than her previous books, Vowell traces the 1630 journey of several key English colonists and members of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Gracefully interspersing her history lesson with personal anecdotes, Vowell offers reflections that are both amusing and tender. (Publishers Weekly)

February Playlist

10 Random Songs* from my February Playlist

Song for You Alexi Murdoch
The District Sleeps Alone Tonight The Postal Service
November Azure Ray
Favourite Worst Nightmare Arctic Monkeys
Be OK Ingrid Michaelson
3rd Planet Modest Mouse
Sunbeams The Concretes
Let Me Know Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Hangin' on the Line Ladybug Transistor
Sweepstakes Prize Mirah

*Recently purchased with an iTunes giftcard, huzzah!

Transylvanian Concubine

Ten minutes ago I finally published my disturbingly long review of the YA novel Twilight, which I read a couple of weeks ago. It took me almost as long to write the review as to read the book, and honestly, I could have said more, but my fingers were exhausted.

I have recently become obsessed with making music videos (or video remixes, whichever is more PC), for no goddamn reason other than I like to edit and I have nothing else to edit right now, so why not take a movie that isn't mine and a song that isn't mine and put them together and see how long they stay up on YouTube before I get called out for copyright infringement.

I made the following video remix for several reasons:

• The aforementioned too much free time.

• I've had Twilight on the brain since seeing the film and reading the book and otherwise being assaulted by it everywhere on the Internet from Amazon to the Huffington Post.

• I really love the song Transylvanian Concubine by Rasputina and, by god, those two go well together.

• My Firefly music video hasn't been getting very many hits and I thought I'd capitalize on Twilight's popularity and try to draw more people to my other YouTube video.

And thus,

The Twilight Music Video - Transylvanian Concubine

was birthed.



Here are the Transylvanian Concubine lyrics, to heighten your viewing pleasure.

If you want to know how
To fly high then go now
To the place where all the concubines...

Meet and converse with them
Marvel at their pale skin
Wonder how they chew on their pointy....

Teeth and hair are beauty
They know it's their duty
To be Countess in their hearts and their....

Minds that have to whisper
See in them a sister
Look into their eyes and you'll become

Transylvanian Concubine
You know what flows here like wine
Stay here with us, it's just time

Transylvanian Concubine

Sorrow is their master
Cackling with laughter
Now he's having just one piece of....

Cakey is their make up
Catholics try to shake up
All the things that form their lives, but they're....

Dead, their sighs their song
They know what they do is wrong
Stay here with us, it's just time
Transylvanian Concubine

Candelabra's lighted
Satan has been sighted
Never has there been an evening like....

This is what they wanted
Always to feel hunted
You can never be to rich or too....

Thin. The blood had run out
Fangs ruin any cute pout
Morning has come now they've flown
What have you learned from what has been shown?

Rilo Kiley = Awesomeness x 2

In September of last year I wrote an entry celebrating the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, with a top-ten list of some of my favorite songs (Rilo Kiley = Awesomeness). The list and albums are below.

1. With Arms Outstretched, The Execution of All Things
2. Spectacular Views, The Execution of All Things
3. Portions for Foxes, More Adventurous
4. The Good That Won't Come Out, The Execution of All Things
5. I Never, More Adventurous
6. The Frug, The Initial Friend
7. It's a Hit, More Adventurous
8. A Better Son/Daughter, The Execution of All Things
9. A Man/Me/Then Jim, More Adventurous
10. More Adventurous, More Adventurous

I saw Rilo Kiley in concert for the first time last year at Terminal 5 in NYC where I took the really crappy picture to the left. My digital camera at the time, the Olympus D-595, really sucked at taking photos in low-lighting without the flash, and it was actually the extreme disappointment of failing to capture my favorite band live that prompted an investment in the sublime Nikon D80 Digital SLR. Beautiful, isn't it? Now I just have to wait for their next NYC concert so I can take some real photographs.

It's been more than six months since I was blown away their Terminal 5 performance, and since then, my obsession has grown. Their quirky lyrics and mellow musical stylings are perfect for my daily subway commutes and for looping on my iPhone during a long work week of data entry and graphic design.

I now own all of their CDs (with the exception of The Initial Friend, which is hard to come by), and my top-ten changes daily as their songs speak to me differently depending on my mood and state of mind. Which is why I must amend my original list by tacking on 15 more top songs, finally giving Take Offs and Landings the recognition it deserves.

*I was really tempted to put Accidntel Deth on this list, but it's a little too depressing for a top 25. An honorable mention goes to Bulletproof which, at 2 minutes, was just too short.*

Rilo Kiley - Another Top Ten and Then Five More:

1. Wires and Waves, Take Offs and Landings

And sometimes, planes, they smash up in the sky
And sometimes, lonely hearts, they just get lonelier
And lonelier, and lonelier, and lonelier

2. My Slumbering Heart, The Execution of All Things

And I've become just like a terrible mess
Searching the lines in my face for
Something more beautiful than is there
The crowds keep me coming back
Cheering

3. Breakin' Up, Under the Blacklight

Betrayal is a thorny crown
You wear it well
Just like a king
Revenge is the saddest thing
Honey, I'm afraid to say
You deserve everything

4. Plane Crash in C, Take Offs and Landings

How do you do it and make it seem effortless?
When it's all the stupid things, so overwhelming to me
Like paying my bills, or showing up for work early
Or laughing at your jokes

5. Absence of God, More Adventurous

And Rob says you love, love, love, and then you die
I've watched him while sleeping and seen him crying with closed eyes
And you're not happy but you're funny and I'm tripping over my joy
But I just keep on getting up again

6. Pictures of Success, Take Offs and Landings

I'm a modern girl, but I fold in half so easily
When I put myself in the picture of success
I could learn world trade or try to map the ocean

7. Paint's Peeling, The Execution of All Things

And oh, I'm not going back
To the assholes that made me a perfect display
Of random acts of hopelessness

8. The Execution of All Things, The Execution of All Things

And if you’re well off,
Well then I’m happy some for you
But I’d rather not celebrate my defeat and humiliation
Here with you

9. Capturing Moods, The Execution of All Things

And I don’t mind waiting if it takes a long, long time
I don’t mind braving the coldest winter of our time
I don’t mind racing through our goodbyes

10. Silver Lining, Under the Blacklight

And I was your silver lining, as the story goes
I was your sliver lining, but now I'm gold

11. August, Take Offs and Landings

Someday we'll meet beyond the stars
And it'll be away from here
Someday we'll meet beyond the time and the bars
And it'll be away from here

12. Always, Take Offs and Landings

I should've known with a boy like you
Your middle name is Always
I'd always love you

13. Science Vs. Romance, Take Offs and Landings

I used to think
If I could realize I'd die
Then I would be a lot nicer
Used to believe
In a lot more

14. Three Hopeful Thoughts, Execution of All Things

And the hero that you'd hoped you'd be
Never seemed to show up
And if I can keep on talking
There won't be time to give up

15. Go Ahead, Take Offs and Landings

If you want to find yourself by traveling out west
Or if you want to find somebody else that's better
Go ahead

January Playlist

10 Random Songs from my January Playlist

My Hero Foo Fighters
I Me You Jim Noir
Summerbreeze Emiliana Torrini
Ballad for Dead Friends Dashboard Prophets
The World is Not Enough Garbage
Choke The Cardigans
Wandering Star Portishead
So Much for the Afterglow Everclear
Capturing Moods Rilo Kiley
Swallowed in the Sea Coldplay

With Arms Outstretched (to Joss)

While on vacation from the perils of adulthood (rent, taxes, and reality), I like to keep myself busy, hoping that the more I accomplish, the longer my vacation will feel. It's possible that this is faulty logic, but it's the only logic I know.

If I were to do real work (n: employment, as in some form of industry, esp. as a means of earning one's livelihood), then the week would no longer classify as a winter vacation (n: a period of suspension of work). Thus, the "work" that I do is enjoyable; something that provides mirth or amusement (also known as "fun").

As established in previous posts, I love Joss Whedon's tragically short-lived series Firefly. It's a fabulous 14 episodes set sometime after "Earth that was" has been abandoned for other solar systems, following a rag-tag crew of mercenary thieves and the spaceship they call home. The cast is probably Whedon's most compelling ensemble of motley characters, all of whom come together in their need for and devotion to the ship Serenity.

As established in previous posts, I love the indie rock band Rilo Kiley. My favorite Rilo Kiley song is the playful campfire-esq, With Arms Outstretched, where Jenny Lewis sings It's sixteen miles to the promised land / And I promise you I'm doing the best I can, and is joined in classic sing-a-long fashion by several male voices before concluding And if you want me, you better speak up, I wont wait / So you better move fast . . .

I can't help but think of Firefly when I listen to the song. It's a combination of the guitar strums, the yearning lyrics, and the harmonious comraderie of the voices, that feels so very in tune with Whedon's space western.

And thus, while on vacation, I made my first Youtube-a-licious music video: Firefly - With Arms Outstretched.

I'm still trying to master uploading to Youtube without losing major quality. I tried compressing a number of different ways with the mpg4/h.264 combination, but am not really pleased with the results. Any other suggestions on how to get a cleaner upload?

December Playlist

10 Random Songs from my December Playlist

Building a Mystery Sarah McLachlan
Holiday Green Day
Save Me Remy Zero
The Dark Night of the Soul Loreena McKennitt
Sugar Water Cibo Matto
Dangerous Type Letters to Cleo
Trapped in a Box No Doubt
Chariot Gavin DeGraw
My Lover's Gone Dido
Pay Attention The Eames Era

November Playlist

10 Random Songs from my November Playlist

At the Stars Better Than Ezra
Portions for Foxes Rilo Kiley
Cherry Lips Garbage
Blue Angie Hart
Commissioning a Symphony in C Cake
Such Great Heights Iron & Wine
Lucky Bif Naked
Fools in Love Inara George
America Jewel
Video Killed the Radio Star Presidents of the USA

Nick and Norah's Infinite Night Out

My trip last weekend to see Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist was my first movie theater outing since catching Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight back in July (there just hasn't been much of interest this movie season). I didn't feel a need to write a review on The Dark Knight as it has been done to death, and I hardly have anything new to offer.

My review in two sentences? The Dark Knight is a heavy-hitting epic that tries to fit too many subplots into one overarching story while misusing the talented Maggie Gyllenhaal and overusing Christian Bale's "Batman voice". But Heath Ledger's brilliant performance as the uber-villainous Joker more than makes up for the film's over-abundance of story and 150+ min running time.


Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is, of course, a film of an entirely different color ...

In this indie flick, Michael Cera and Kat Dennings play two awkward teens looking for love as they hook up on a whirlwind night out in New York City in search of their favorite band's unannounced concert. Michael Cera, best known for his role in Arrested Development and the recent hits Juno and Superbad, plays the usual - an awkward, but ultimately lovable geek named Nick whose sarcastic, straight-man nature is at odds with the craziness around him. Nick may be the one driving Dennings's character Norah around the city, but it's ultimately Norah who is giving Nick the ride of his life.

Nick and Norah are likable enough as far as indie outcasts go, but just as Dennings is no Ellen Page, Nick and Norah is no Juno. The film is uneven at best - inspired comedic bits and romantic yearnings are tousled up with complete randomness (Nick's ex does a sexy dance??!!), and the general yawner premise - there's a concert, and it's going to be awesome, but, like no one knows where it is!!

With the words "Infinite Playlist" making up 2/5ths of the title, I really expected more of a focus on the music, or at the very least, a memorable soundtrack. Zach Braff's Garden State not only had THE soundtrack of the year, but also the defining song of the film, "New Slang" by The Shins, highlighted when Natalie Portman's character, Sam, insists, "You gotta hear this one song. It'll change your life, I swear."

There's no transcendent music moment in Infinite Playlist and not even an explanation as to why the film's fictional band Where's Fluffy is even worth tracking down across a city of 10 million people for an eventual "secret" 4am concert. The importance of the music and the concert in Nick and Norah's budding romance falls flat without a real band, or at the very least, real songs to tie it all together.

The highlight of the film is definitely the exploits of Norah's wasted friend Caroline, played with great comic zeal by Ari Graynor who stumbles (with her gum) from scene to scene in a daze. Nick and Norah spend half their night trying to track Caroline down, and Graynor's performance is so spot-on, that you understand why Norah bothers to be her designated safe commute home. She's a drunk mess, but at least she's fun.

*6/10*

Rilo Kiley = Awesomeness

I was first introduced to the indie rock band Rilo Kiley in 2003. My freshman year roommate had this annoying tendency to play their song "The Frug" several times every morning - on a loop. I wasn't particularly fond of said roommate and our relationship ended six weeks later when I got the hell out of there, switching dorm rooms, and never looking back. I thought I would end up loathing "The Frug" simply out of spite, but the song was just charming enough, just winsome enough to stay with me over the years.

I was reintroduced to the band in 2004 when I came across their animated and Lite-Brite-tastic music video for "It's a Hit" on AtomFilms. That song and a handful of others joined my playlist and slowly started taking over, climaxing in my own Rilo Kiley loop of songs from all of their CDs (except for Take Offs and Landings which I tragically haven't gotten around to purchasing yet).

There's something undeniably lovable about the band and their music, and it's not just lead singer Jenny Lewis's utter adorableness or her saccharine and sultry vocals.


I've always been a fan of singer Jewel, both as a poet and a performer. I love that she really says something in her lyrics, speaking from her heart and from an idyllic, universal human perspective. Rilo Kiley's songs move me in a similar way, although their lyrics are much less straight-forward. I love the way they string ideas and imagery together, seemingly at random, before throwing them out at the audience to take and make something personal out of them.

And another thing to love? Well, if you grew up in the early '90s like I did, you probably grew up loving half of the Rilo Kiley crew without even knowing it. Both Jenny Lewis and lead guitarist Blake Sennett (aka: Blake Soper) are former child stars, Sennett of Salute Your Shorts and Boy Meets World fame, and Lewis as Shelley Long's daughter in one of my personal favorites, the campy 80s classic, Troop Beverly Hills. And for Buffy fans - Blake also appeared as witch Michael Czajak in the third season episode, "Gingerbread".



I saw Rilo Kiley live for the first time in June at Terminal 5 and they were fantastic; so full of energy and enthusiasm, it was a full week before I got over the disappointment of having to listen to their albums again. But no worries - I made a full recovery.

My Top Ten Rilo Kiley:

1. With Arms Outstretched

Now some days they last longer than others
But this day by the lake went too fast
And if you want me
You better speak up, I won't wait
So you better move fast

2. Spectacular Views

See the stars from where the birds make their homes
Staring back at us
Indifferent but distanced perfectly, projected endlessly
It's so fucking beautiful

3. Portions for Foxes

I know I'm alone if I'm with or without you
But just being around you offers me another form of relief
When the loneliness leads to bad dreams
And the bad dreams lead me to calling you
And I call you and say, "C'MERE!"

4. The Good That Won't Come Out

It's all of the good that won't come out of them
And all the stupid lies they hide behind
It's such a big mistake
Standing here on this frozen lake

5. I Never

And I'm afraid habits rule my waking life
I'm scared and I'm running in my sleep
For you
But all the oceans and rivers and showers
Will wash it all away and make me clean for you

6. The Frug

And I can hate your girl
I can tell you that she's real pretty
I can take my clothes off
I cannot fall in love

7. It's a Hit

Ah, but the pardons never come from upstairs
They're always a moment too late
But it's entertainment
Keep the crowd on their toes
It's justice, we're safe
It's not a hit, it's a holiday
Shoo bop, shoo bop, my baby

8. A Better Son/Daughter

And your ship may be coming in
You’re weak but not giving in
And you’ll fight it
You’ll go out fighting all of them

9. A Man/Me/Then Jim

"Diana, Diana, Diana, I would die for you
I'm in love with you completely
I'm afraid that's all I can do"
She said, "You can sleep upon my doorstep
You can promise me indifference, Jim
But my mind's made up
And I'll never let you in again"

10. More Adventurous

I've been trying to nod my head
But it's like I've got a broken neck
Wanting to say I will as my last testament
For me to be saved and you to be brave
We don't have to walk down that aisle
Because if marriage ain't enough
Well, at least we'll be loved