WAGONWHEEL WEDNESDAYS: NEW HAMPSHIRE

New Hampshire is state where I have done plenty of fun things but have spent very little time. Actually almost all of my hours in New Hampshire have been after the sun has gone down. I visited the lovely town of Keene a couple of times in the daylight, but other than that, everything has either been a late night drive on route somewhere else or a concert.

I remember driving through New Hampshire on my way to Vermont thinking that Dover was the biggest city in the state. Back then I assumed like many people do that Capital cities are big. So not having heard of any other cities in New Hampshire, I just thought Dover was the largest. So imagine my surprise when on a drive I see something that almost looks like a real city even though I'm a good 50 miles from Dover. Turns out that New Hampshire has an almost-city called Manchester. Apparently it's a vaguely famous place for no other reason than it's New Hampshire's biggest city. It's no New York, but at 108,000 people it ranks as the largest city in "Northern New England" and the 9th biggest in all of New England! Okay, so it's not much. But it's more than I thought New Hampshire had.

I actually went into the city limits of Manchester once for a Neil Young concert. It's sort of lame. Strike that... really lame. I would never live there. I'd rather live in a "scary" city like Camden or Detroit than in Manchester. At least there would be some quality parties in the hood.

Other than Manchester, I went to the even shittier beach town of "Portsmouth" to see Ween. The concert was great (if you like Ween at least) but the town was really awful. It was like the Jersey shore but populated by people who consider Manchester to be a major city. Okay, maybe some of them have been to Boston too. Regardless, the place sucked.

I'd like to actually see more of the natural beauty NH has to offer, such as the storied "Old Man of the Mountain." But the "Old Man" fell down a few years back and it's not quite the same anymore. I'm sure they still have some sparkling streams and jagged peaks to entice me.

MUSIC MONDAYS: THE BEST ALBUMS OF THE YEAR, AS A MIX

I love to read top 10 lists, but I loathe creating them. Deciding the top 3 albums of the year is one thing but how do you mark one album "7" and another "8"? Too tough. So I decided to start an Alex tradition. For those in the know, you may recall that I love to make mixes. Some folks have even told me that I’m pretty damn good at making them. So here is Alex’s "2008 Best of the Year mix." This isn’t a novel idea but I’m putting a bit of a spin on it. These aren’t my eighteen favorite songs. In some cases the songs may be my favorites of the year but more specifically the albums from which I have snipped them are my 18 favorite albums of the year. The order of songs on the mix has nothing to do with which of these 18 albums I like best. It’s a mix. I’m thinking flow and feel and all that. So here we go…

HONORABLE MENTION ALBUMS THAT DIDN’T MAKE MY LIST: These three albums all almost donated a song to my mix, but didn’t quite make the cut.

1. My Morning Jacket- Evil Ways. Very enjoyable, well conceived in certain areas but wildly unfocused in others (ahem, Highly Suspicious).

2. Mystery Jets- Twenty One. A perfectly solid album that I listened to for two weeks and then stopped. I didn’t remember this album even came out until James reminded me last week. Then I was like “oh maybe I should add that to mix.” But no. It remains off.

3. The Walkmen- You & Me. Quality melancholy sounds. But it’s never good when almost every song has you thinking “Is my CD on repeat? Cause Track 8 sounds just like Track 2 sounds just like Track 6.”

And now the real mix, which I have titled O HATE. Get it, 08. Oh Eight. O HATE. Uh-huh, you know you love it. Cause isn't a best of list just a way to hate on other albums? Maybe that's a stretch. But people love to hate on each other's best of lists. So that makes sense.

And another note, iTunes is stupid so if you’re using it or any other stupid program, please save this as a playlist and make sure it runs in the following order for optimal listening.

1. Sigur Ros- "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur" from Inní mér syngur vitleysingur

What at first seems like a shockingly upbeat album from Sigur Ros soon recedes back to their regular glacial chill. Now with Iceland’s dead economy, I can only imagine their songs will become even more depressing. This tune is as joyous as it gets though. Not Sigur Ros' best album but still gorgeous and with these few early diversions, less like one long song.

2. M83- "Kim & Jessie" from Saturdays = Youth

Oh the eighties are back. But this is the infectious eighties, not the shitty eighties that makes pretty much any movie created during the time period completely unwatchable now. And this particular song makes me feel like I’m in DONNIE DARKO. Not that that was actually made in the eighties. You know what I’m saying though.

3. Spiritualized- "Sitting On Fire" from Songs in A&E

The album where J. Spaceman almost died. A&E refers to the Brits' ICU, not the Bounty Hunter channel. For a full on report about the horrifying awesomeness of this album, check my post from when it came out.

4. Hot Chip- "Touch Too Much" from Made in the Dark


Not as good as The Warning, but a solid balance of danceable beats and beautifully reedy vocal lines abound. The sequencing of tracks could be improved, especially towards the end, but that’s just me being a grouch at this point.


5. Ne-Yo- "Fade Into the Background" from Year of the Gentleman

I met Ne-Yo a couple years back. He’s a nice man. Or should I say a nice “Gentleman.” This album shows you can sing R&B and still be classy. As far as mainstream R&B goes, this is definitely the best as far as songwriting goes. He writes all the damn songs, give him a point for that alone. Let’s hope it wins all the many Grammy’s it was nominated for.

6. TV On the Radio- "Love Dog" from Dear Science

Maybe the best album of the year. I could’ve picked any number of tunes from it. This one in particular has a lovely balance of harmony, melody and instruments. Most reviews will mention how this album is SO 2008. This song isn’t the most 2008 of the bunch, but it still feels current to me.

7. Calexico- "Man Made Lake" from Carried to Dust

All my money down, there’s no better band to listen to while driving through Arizona at dusk. I’d rather listen to Neil Young’s Doom Trilogy in this situation but that’s one man, not a band. This is such a dreamy southwestern album. I can taste the cactus needles with every note.

8. Bon Iver- "Lump Sum" from For Emma, Forever Ago

I first heard of this band after reading reviews of the next band’s album. Sort of the flipside to the neo-Americana coin. It’s folk music, woods music, but also soul music in its own special way. They rock out harder live but on record it’s a perfect dose of the wilderness…

9. Fleet Foxes- "Blue Ridge Mountains" from Fleet Foxes

… Just like this album. As the title of this song may suggest, these guys are into the whole scenic thing. It’s hard to believe that they are like 21. This is some rather traveled music.

10. Vampire Weekend- "M79" from Vampire Weekend

I wanted to hate these guys, especially after friends of mine told me that at the concert the drummer was wearing a Phish shirt. But about six months after the release, I gave in. It’s a damn good, tight, to-the-point, economical but musically sophisticated album. Even if I would probably get great pleasure from kicking these guys’ popped-collar asses.


11. Okkervil River- "Starry Stairs" from The Stand-Ins

The sequel to last year’s slightly better “Stage Names.” Lyrically, Will Sheff is pretty much the best out right now. And this song has a great horn line, even if you aren’t into the whole Okkervil aesthetic.

12. Lambchop- "Popeye" from OH

I remember when these guys were pretty big, both in terms of band members (once they had like 16 people in the band) and in terms of popularity. Never big like Green Day or John Tesh, but respectable. A couple years back I saw them at the Troubadour and the place was nearly empty. Now that’s a feat. Anyway, this is an album after that tour and it’s a real gem. Country-soul anchored by Kurt Wagner’s unmistakable baritone. If this is enough to put you to sleep just wait till the breakdown.

13. Department of Eagles- "Waves of Rye" from In Ear Park

I’m a huge Grizzly Bear fan. So imagine my surprise when Jen told me about a spin-off band that sounded just like them. Damn near a new Grizzly Bear album out of nowhere. This particular song isn’t the obvious choice from the album but I think its quite indicative of the DoE’s penchant for building vocals and impressive instrumental palettes.

14. Portishead- "Hunter" from Third

And one of the great 90’s bands has returned. With a bang mind you. You can tell this album is Portishead but it’s about as far from “trip-hop” as one could get. More like sci-fi chamber almost-pop hop? Beth Gibbons has been known to make people crash their cars after hearing her call.


15. Erykah Badu- "The Cell" from New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)

Probably the most underrated album of the year. I love Ms. Badu and I was convinced that she would never come out with another album again. But then she drops this banger. It’s like taking her debut Baduizm and remixing it with Funkadelic's Maggot Brain. Trippy, relevant and catchy as that disease in OUTBREAK.

16. Hercules and Love Affair- "Hercules Theme" from Hercules and Love Affair

Come on now. Songs don’t get more exciting than this. It almost defies words. Those horns, those feline back-up vocal noises. This album is so varied in its 90’s dance homages. Plus, it has Antony (a sorta sometimes transsexual) and a real deal transsexual as guest vocalists. You can’t beat that.

17. Of Montreal- "Wicked Wisdom" from Skeletal Lamping

Like every song on this love it or hate it album, this tune is 8+ songs in 1. Parts of this particular track will stay in your head for weeks. The live show is about as insane as it gets (see my post about it) and the more you listen to this album the more the chaotic song snippets coalesce into a deliberate whole.


18. Beach House- "Heart of Chambers" from Devotion


Horror music. They’re from Baltimore too. Makes sense. I can imagine any of these songs playing as Omar walks down the street with a shotgun. This album, like their last one is the soundtrack to that sensation people get a second before they fall asleep but while they’re still awake. That falling sensation. But if that sensation were actually pleasurable.

And thus concludes songs from Alex’s favorite albums of the year.

Oh, you wanna hear the mix too? Okay

http://www.sendspace.com/file/2ccgby

Remember to put it in the correct order if your iTunes tries to do otherwise!

FRIENDLY FRIDAYS: HUGGAMO VS UGGAMO

I may've mentioned the whole Huggamo/Uggamo debate on here before. To summarize, a huggamo is something that's cute with little debate. Puppies, kittens, etc are all huggamo.

Some other examples of huggamos include:



And this too:



But the uggamo is a bit trickier. An uggamo is something that's so ugly, it's cute. Or another way to look at it is this: an uggamo makes you feel all the emotional sensations of seeing something cute while simultaneously feeling revolted. The confusing thing about the uggamo is that some people find certain uggamos to be genuinely huggamo. Even suggest that these things are ugly and they'll destroy you. Take the pug for instance



This is the most classic UGGAMO. Pug lovers however can only see the cute. But please look at this guy objectively. He looks like a stuffed animal version of a hand that's been submerged in water for three hours. It's hideous. Yet cute. Uggamo.

Here are some other pictures. I'll let the folks at home decide whether it's HUGGAMO, UGGAMO or just plain UGLY.












And let us close with this video, which poses the same basic question.

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAYS: GURGLE GROWGLE

No thoughts today. But FF tomorrow will be the cutest thing ever, so just wait...

WAGONWHEEL WEDNESDAYS: NEVADA

And Wagonwheel has returned!

Today we're onto Nevada. Have I even really been to Nevada? I've been to Vegas five times I think, which is technically in Nevada but that's Vegas. I haven't seen anything north of there. My first time in Nevada I at least drove for a good hour before hitting Vegas. That was quite a night. I had just gotten a flat tire in Arizona, right on the bend of a 75 MPH interstate. You couldn't see me at all. I tried to pull up as much as I could. Of course I knew next to nothing about changing tires and my jack at the time was about as effective as a straw...and I was on an uneven gravel turn-off. I couldn't get anyone to stop and help me except a car of Mexican men who spoke no English and didn't seem to know much about changing tires either. After about two hours of cursing, kicking, praying and crying, I managed to change the tire. A few minutes later, I hit Nevada. That was my first experience. Driving on a donut at 3 in the morning.

I made it to Vegas though! That first time was pretty nuts seeing Vegas come out of nowhere. Man, I wasn't even really aware of "The Strip." I ended up there only after I went to "Downtown Vegas" and saw four casinos. That first Vegas adventure was fun mainly because I explored Vegas. I had my tire changed and I played mini golf and I went to a thrift store. It wasn't all partying.

Since then, I've at least made the trek to the monumental Hoover Dam a couple times, which is really quite a marvel. If you haven't been, it's worth driving 30 mins the next time you're in Vegas. But don't pay to get into the actual dam. For one Jackson and a Lincoln (or 25 Washingtons or a Hamilton, a Lincoln, a Jefferson and 8 Washingtons)you get a better view and probably can seem some more of the dam's inner workings but that's pricey as hell. $25 for what? At least I think it's just "for what." If anyone out there has gone to the dam, and has paid to go in and it's at least three times better than not paying, let me know.

I'd like to explore some more of Nevada. Reno sounds interesting. And Great Basin National Park looks rather thrilling. But there's just so many other places to see in this country. Not enough time! I need an Alex that works and an Alex that see National Parks. Oh and an Alex that sits at home watching TV and playing video games. So three Alex's. That doesn't seem too unrealistic.

TOPICAL TUESDAYS: CRIME and PUNISHMENT

With all the talk about crime and punishment these days, I started to think of forms that are now deemed inhumane. INHUMANE is a pretty odd word when applied to American C&P because as merciful as lethal injection is (and there's some debate on whether or not the injectee suffers), the US is the only Western Country that still has the death penalty to my knowldge. Now don't freak out at me for making this all political. This isn't a Pro or Anti Death Penalty post. Nonetheless, whether you think the death penalty is needed or not, most would admit that isn't exactly civilized. Important, necessary perhaps (although this isn't MY viewpoint) but not civilized. So if we make that concession, why are we pretending that we're doing an uncivilized act in a civil manner? How is death by hanging any less "cruel and unusual" than pumping poison into a man's veins? Plus, people who support the death penalty often support it because of the sweet justice it attempts to offer loved ones of victims. So shouldn't the murderers suffer? Again, this isn't my position, but I'm just trying to follow it logically.

This isn't only about the death penalty either. They no longer put people in the stocks and throw moldy tomatoes at them. They no longer let teachers hit kids with rulers.. Yet they do let football coaches work their team in 105 degree heat until the heftier folks suffer kidney failure.

If one "extinct punishment" could return, I'd love to see a resurgence in Firing Squad. It sounds awful. But it's just so shocking that it was ever allowed in our fine democracy that I think it should stay. Just for nostalgia. Stoning on the other hand goes a bit far. No burning. No drowning. No electric chair. Hanging is probably the cheapest. Well maybe firing squad is. I don't know. Actually the cheapest would be to abolish the death penalty instead of keeping people (often innocent people) waiting for 10,20,50 years. Okay, fine, this has turned into an anti-death penalty post. Here's what I say. Abolish the death penalty unless the loved ones need closure and vengeance. If they need closure, then turn the blind eye as they enact their revenge. Leave it on the field!

Ooh this is so very morbid... In case you're curious about states and the death penalty...

In the meantime, just make sure you don't commit crimes or put yourself in a position to be framed and you'll be fine.

MUSIC MONDAYS: PHILLY, ARCHIVES and XMAS

I was hoping to have my Best of the Year mix up for your downloading pleasure today, but I still have some finalizations to make. I discussed this mix with a man many know as "James" amongst other aliases. He predictably hates a lot of it. That's good. I know I'm on the right track then... But let's move onto things we can all agree about. The new Philly Soul box set "Love Train" is one for the ages. I swear I'm not just promoting this because I'm from Philly. I'll be the first to admit that "Love Train" is a terrible name for this retrospective. My complaints end there though. Unlike some past sets that omitted the contributions of Thom Bell (Delfonics, The Spinners) and instead focused on the brilliant career of Gamble and Huff, "Love Train" brings them all together, plus adds some third party 70's Philly gems like "Be Thankful For What You Got." Add a booklet of informative essays, interviews and photos and you've got the perfect holiday gift. Plus, Amazon has it for $30. That's $7.50 a disc! 71 Tracks in all. Come on now. Whatcha waiting for?

In other music news, Neil Young has delayed his archives again. After 20 years of waiting, what's another few months or years? But the timing comes a day after the release oh a 5 minute Archives preview and a day after a Neil-insider hosted a chat about how great they'll be. So whet the appetite but replace the steak with a brick. Yum. One day perhaps, one day. By then maybe I'll have money to actually afford it...

...And now to get relevant about the season, a word on Christmas music. I'm of mixed emotions when it comes to Christmas music. It's not because I'm Jewish and think Jesus shouldn't be celebrated. Never. I just don't like how every radio station is taken over! That said, I am a bit fan of melancholy renditions of the minor key carols. Actually, I love all Christmas songs if I'm on the East Coast, and it's snowing. Or maybe just in a city. Department store windows and all that. Ah, Christmas cheer. Hot Cocoa and snowmen. All the classics. You miss a ton of that in California. Palm trees and Christmas just don't work. Sigh, I miss snow.

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAYS: DID YOU KNOW

Here's a thought... Is Wagonwheel Wednesdays no more? Of course not. For whatever reason Wednesday has become my slack day. Last week I spent my whole Wednesday at home (before taking the red eye for T-Day) and I still didn't manage to inform you about travels. No excuse for that. Right now I'm trying to convince Jen to go on a week long Southwestern Road Trip in May. There are tons of National Parks I want to revisit and also places like White Sands National Monument that I keep missing out on. I think she'll be so impressed with my itinerary that she'll have to take the time off work. Then you'll hear about it on future Wagonwheels.

Now onto some thoughts... Wow nothing. My brain is vacant. I have nothing at all to say. This is bad... Let me hit my head on random objects around the office and see if that helps...

... Okay I hit my head on a coat rack and that seems to have done the trick.

Here are some random world facts that you may've never known!

*DID YOU KNOW? Camels are allergic to eggs.

*DID YOU KNOW? Crocodile Dundee was originally conceived as a project for Mel Gibson but by the time production started he no longer had an accent.

*DID YOU KNOW? Lebanon and Papa New Guinea don't recognize Washington, D.C. as the capital of the United States? They still consider Philadelphia (the original capital) as the official capital.

*DID YOU KNOW? After Eminem and Elton John's groundbreaking performance at the awards show, Eminem locked Elton in his piano. He also voted FOR Prop 8.

*DID YOU KNOW? Many years ago the order of planets from the sun went Venus, Mercury, Mars, Earth NOT Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars. Apparently the dinosaurs had something to do with the switch. Or maybe the switch killed the dinosaurs. One or the other.

*DID YOU KNOW? The Whig Party has been predicted to make a comeback in 2020.

*DID YOU KNOW? Goomba and Mario were originally reversed. It was called Super Goomba Brothers and Goomba was the main guy and Mario was the first enemy. But then kids got scared during test runs and they changed it.

*DID YOU KNOW? In light of the water shortages in France, Evian has started creating water by combining two servings of Hydrogen with one serving of Oxygen.

Okay... That's good for now. There will be a quiz on Monday. Study up.

TOPICAL TUESDAYS: BOO GIANTS

I don't know, I'd rather have some off field issues with a nearly undefeated team than a bunch of saints at 6-5-1 (yes, 6 wins, 5 losses and 1 tie... the Eagles tied a game this year. Actually of all the games in NFL history that have ended in ties, the Eagles have played in about 25% of them). That said, this Plaxico Burress business is downright nuts. If you don't know the story, the Giants rather good receiver accidentally shot himself in the leg the other day. He didn't have a permit for the gun and now he's in some legal trouble...

What gets me about this story though is that all these reports that "Burress was shot." Last night on Monday Night Football, his notoriously sleazy agent Drew Rosenhaus was talking about how frightened he was when he hard Plaxico was shot in the leg. Understandable since Rosenhaus' client Sean Taylor was killed last year after getting shot in the leg. But the problem is that while intruders broke into Sean Taylor's house and shot him, Plaxico Burress shot HIMSELF in the leg. Sure, it's serious. Sure, Drew should've been worried. But let's get the facts straight. Saying someone "was shot" implies that someone else did the shooting. "Plaxico" =Subject, "shot"= verb. The preposition has been left out of the sentence, which is usually a practice done because the prepositional phrase is assumed. Like "The tennis player lost." One would assume he lost to another tennis player. If he actually lost to himself, the sentence would probably read "The tennis player lost to himself." Sad, but maybe he lost at solitaire not tennis. So Rosenhaus, listen: Be worried about your damn client. But don't pretend he was a real victim. Your client last year was a real victim. Plaxico is just a Superbowl Champion with a really unfortunate name.

MAMMOTH MONDAYS

Today's Music Monday has been usurped by the news that scientists are well on their way to cloning a Woolly Mammoth. For those that don't know animals, these guys are extinct. Loooong extinct. They're also really adorable. Mind you, I've seen Jurassic Park. I know the dangers of bringing back animals from the dead. But can you imagine? If they can customize little mammoths? Oh the possibilities have me rolling on the floor with cute-induced laughter. Many of you may not realize that Mammoths, despite their rather gnarly name, are indeed some huggable creatures.

Look



Okay, I'll admit, that's a stuffed mammoth. But even this true-to-life replica is friendly enough to make a Russian wrestler go "aw."



I'm being selfish. Mammoths shouldn't be brought back. It's cruel to everyone, mostly the mammoth. The amount of money and fuel that will be burnt to make this happen, not to mention the bidding war amongst the world's zoos to host this guy... Maybe he should just remain dead. It's like that episode of Buffy, where she brings her Mom back to life and you see her walking from the graveyard to the house and Buffy's warned that this raising the dead thing is imperfect and there can be some serious repercussions and the last minute Buffy undoes the revival. It's sometimes best to remember things as they were and leave it at that. Not to mention, they're also talking about cloning Neanderthals. Now that's the worst idea yet. They'd just clone tons of them and make them slaves. Would they be kept in a zoo too? They wouldn't know how to interact with humans obviously. They'd give babies nightmares. Why even try? There's a horror movie for you. Night of the Living Neanderthals.

Please don't open that box.