My top 10 records of 2005.

It's finally time for the much-anticipated (ok, that's a stretch) year-end music wrap-up. Yikes! Where did the year go? I did one of these babies last year, but it didn't seem like such a big deal. Now, though, it seems like even before the last month of the year hits-- in fact, even as early as June-- people starting talking about "Albums of the Year."

I guess in the world of magazines, music websites, and especially music blogging, your list is like the culmination of everything you've been blabbing about all year. Many of the music blogs I frequent have already posted their year's best, and the ever-pretentious (but strangely popular among readers, myself included) Pitchfork posted its Top 50 last week.

Naturally, I want to be a bit pretentious and self-important on my own and post my indie faves. Be reminded, this is ultimately a favorites list. Sure, I buy into some hype sometimes, and that may be reflected in parts of my list, but at the end of the day, it's really about what I liked the best and what really got the most airtime.

By and large, it's hard for me to actually rank music with a numerical list. The genres are too varied and the musicians are all so different that I don't really think it's fair. Each album is unique in its own way with each offering something to me at particular times and during distinct moods. That said, here is the list, starting backwards from 10, as best as I could order it. If ever I was torn, I probably gave a little bias to my favorite artists to whom I am loyal.

Read on. For each album I offer a quick blurb as well as a sample track. Hope you like what you hear.

10. Iron and Wine :: Woman King EP

Yes, EP's count. Especially this one. In fact, both this and In the Reins (with Calexico) were both EP's dueling for position, but in the end I had to give it to Sam Beam's solo effort for its experimentation and adventure. If there was anything that previously annoyed me about Sam Beam, it was that I really had to be in a particular mood to listen really quiet, slow, whispery vocals over quiet finger-picked acoustic guitar. On Woman King, he gives me another option. He sounds like a full band here, with tons of percussion, strings, banjos, and an overall fuller sound. Sure, as a 6-song EP it left me wanting more, but it also left me in great anticipation for what other directions Sam Beam will take in the future.

Try me: Woman King


9. Doves :: Some Cities

I'm not quite sure how to describe Doves. They're a UK band, so they immediately earn points for that. There's some darkness and melancholy in there, but with some really lush instrumentation ranging from strings to gritty guitars and synths. They combine these sounds with big drums and a vast symphonic sound, the kind that really surrounds you and fills the room. It's moody and melodic, and the track below should illustrate the ability they have to really build a song to a moving climax.

Try me: Walk in Fire

8. David Gray :: Life in Slow Motion

So this isn't exactly an obvious "indie" pick, but David Gray has followed up A New Day at Midnight wonderfully here. No, it's not groundbreaking nor particularly out-of-this-world, but it's David Gray doing what he does best, which is writing great melodies and beautiful piano ballads. I'm a sucker for his work, and am glad he's still at it.

Try me: Lately


7. Okkervil River :: Black Sheep Boy

I actually heard Okkervil River for the first time very late in the year, but this was one of those albums that didn't have to grow on me. Upon first listen I was like "Wow, this is great," and proceeded to repeat the album, something I think is rare and special when it happens. Try to imagine what Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) might sound like if he drank more milk, or rather had more testosterone, or something like that... Lead singer Will Sheff has that kind of throaty, voice-cracking thing going for him, but it comes off a bit less whiny and much more polished. And strangely, much as I love The National's album (see below) for the way the vocals seems so indifferent, this album's vocals are great for the way Sheff seems to try so hard. Like he really means every word he sings. In that sense, it's kind of rockin' indie-emo, but who said there was anything wrong with that?

Try me: Song of Our So-Called Friend

6. Ryan Adams :: Jacksonville City Nights



As a follow up to Cold Roses, this album definitely took a while to grow on me. For one, if you're addicted to an artist's album for such a long period of time, when they give you something new to digest, it kind of throws everything off. Secondly, this album was decidedly more country than Cold Roses, with lots more twang and not much "alt-" involved. For that reason alone, it took some extra time for me to appreciate it. Now I find myself at random times of the day with "The End" in my head. A chorus with lyrics like Oh Jacksonville, how you burn in my soul/How you hold all my dreams captive are hard to forget, especially with Adams's evocative delivery. It seems he really went back to his roots on this album, and despite what you think of the true country genre (not Shania Twain), the result here is memorable.

Try me: The End


5. Sufjan Stevens :: Illinois

Again, this album I've talked about at length before, so I'll keep it simple. This is a really fantastic album. I just hope Sufjan's next state pick is Virginia so I can hear him turn the Mixing Bowl into an amazingly catchy banjo song. I previously posted the song below, but it remains my favorite off the album, so for those of you who missed it the first time, here's your chance!

Try me: Casimir Pulaski Day


4. The Decemberists :: Picaresque

When this album first came out, I wasn't crazy about it, and in fact I still don't love it as much as Her Majesty. That said, it really grew on me, particularly after seeing the band perform it live at the 9:30 club. It's upbeat, but still sticks to Colin Meloy's obscure historical/pirate-like themes. He really establishes his position as a writer of fictions, and a good one, at that. Check out "The Sporting Life," to which any booknerd who never made the football squad can surely relate...

Try me: The Sporting Life

3. Andrew Bird :: The Mysterious Production of Eggs

I already touted this album in a post earlier this year, so I'll keep this short and sweet. Whistles, vibraphones, strings, and all sorts of other full-band delights are pulled together magically by one Andrew Bird in this easily accessible and truly unique album.

Try me: A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left


2. The National :: Alligator

This album made its way to the top of many a year-end list. After reading endless reviews about it, I had to check it out. After tuning in, my quick synopsis is: extremely good, not a weak track, and mysteriously addicting. There's just something about the way lead singer Matt Beringer sings in his baritone voice with a somewhat indifferent/sarcastic/ironic tone, repeating lines like I'm so sorry for everything in "Baby, We'll be Fine" that pulls you in. It's unusual, haunting, dark without being depressing, but in the end, worth many repeat listens. I've picked "Secret Meeting" as the sampler here, as it's the first track and inevitably what will keep you listening for the 12 tracks that follow...

Try me: Secret Meeting


1. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals :: Cold Roses

I played the absolute hell out of this album for probably 3 months after it came out. Sure, it could have been one "mega-album" instead of two discs with the occasional "filler," but Ryan Adams filler is still better than most other things. And in the end, despite his inclination to release just about anything he records, I'd rather have it that way than have to wait years in between album releases. The sampler track should speak for itself. (It's really freakin' good.)

Try me: Sweet Illusions


So to conclude, 2005 really was a tremendous year for music, or maybe it's just that I started paying better attention. Either way, in posting a short list of 10, there's clearly much that I missed and many albums I didn't get enough time with or that I discovered too late. But the idea of that is actually kind of exciting. To think of all the music that's out there that we've yet to hear and may possibly never hear... it's overwhelming but at the same time really incredible. On that note, here's to 2005 and to what may come in 2006!

Rockin' around the Christmas tree...

Well, after all the meals and gatherings and gift exchanges, I'd say Christmas (aka "the Holidays") was a hit this year.

As I've done before, I'll illustrate the long weekend with a series of thumbnails...


12/24:

We are graced by the presence of baby Santa, aka Kyle, who quickly became the subject of our innate paparazzi behavior. (By the end of the weekend, I swear this kid had smiled for at least a thousand flash bulbs. I felt bad for him, but what can I say? He's so irresistible!)

12/25:

My mom and dad in a silly pose after receiving new much-needed oven mitts/cooking supplies:

The rents surprise me with the ridiculously awesome collector's box-set of the entire "Friends" series:

(don't worry, we got the rents got more than oven mitts, in case you were wondering...)

Christmas Brunch at our house... featuring the battle of the My Chaus on DDR:

And last but not least, one more of happy Kyle in the adorable Christmas outfit we got for him:

Hope everyone had a great holiday!

P.S. GO SKINS!

It ain't over til it's over... (the season, that is)

Oh, let's talk about the joy of watching a near-flawless Redskins performance against their Cowboy rivals in what was a hugely hyped-up division battle today. The Skins stepped it up and for once didn't leave our hearts pounding til the end in what was a rare "easy" victory that was crucial to our wildcard playoff hopes.

It was definitely an amazing Skins team we hadn't seen yet, staying aggressive throughout the game, strong on defense (7 sacks! 4 interceptions!), and most importantly, never letting up. After so many close losses and ridiculous game-endings, all Skins fans now know that no lead is safe. It was a relief, then, when the game was over and we found ourselves with a chance for a playoff berth. Ok, we've still got the Giants ahead and a lot of "what ifs"-- all for a mere wildcard entry-- but it's nice to think that it's even a possibility, and I'm excited about Redskins football actually being interesting this late in the season!

Here's a photo of Auddie & my dad at her first football game:
(And here's a quote from football's newest #1 fan...context: as Auddie was singing "Hail to the Redskins" tonight, my mom made fun of her...and Auddie responded with: "Don't be jealous just because you don't know the words!")

Hail to the Redskins! Hail Victory! Braves on the Warpath! Fight for old DC!

Decemberists jump ship.

(Hah! Pun intended...You know, since they write pirate music? Ok, it's a stretch but I sure got a kick out of it. )

The Decemberists announced yesterday that they are leaving their current label, Kill Rock Stars, and joining the big leagues-- and bands like Coldplay & Radiohead-- at Capitol Records. That's right, another indie gem jumps ship and heads for a major label. Maybe their producer and Death Cab guitarist Chris Walla told them what major-label life was like and they just wanted to see what would happen.

These announcements can usually be a big deal in the indie scene ("sellouts!!"), with hipsters liking their bands to stay with their bedroom studios and 5-person staff labels. I, for one, am indifferent to such things as long as the music stays good. And knowing the Decemberists and especially Colin Meloy, it'll probably get better. Reading his personal letter to fans on his messageboard reaffirmed that fact. It's a pretty great read so I'm posting it here in full:

Hi All

I wanted to write all the boardies a more personal note regarding this whole Capitol thing. Having read a lot of your guys' responses, I had to heave a sigh of relief. I felt like I was introducing a new girlfriend to a parent when we announced the signing. And I'm glad that most of you have been congratulatory. First off, thanks for everyone weighing in. We do appreciate that. We're really not the sort of band that blithely ignores the opinions of its fans -- rather, we tend to think of you guys as shareholders (there I go with the corporate analogies -- it's downhill from here!) to whom we must answer. I'm very thankful to those of you that have written and said that you trust us and believe that we will not compromise our aesthetic (whatever that may be) with this change. Believe me, we don't have a single bone in our collective bodies that intends to somehow recast our music in order to appeal to a larger, Santana-duet-record-buying public. And I think the nice folks at Capitol would be the first to agree that, for example, pairing us with that Rob guy from Matchbox Twenty or something in similarly poor record company taste would spell nothing short of disaster. No offense to the Rob guy.

For those of you who have, in the parlance of the day, 'flamed' us for this decision, that's cool. You have a right to your opinion. I've reacted similarly when I've found out that favorite bands have made decision that I think are tragic. But remember: we've released 3 and two halves (which I guess would make a whole, but for the purposes of this. . .) records with indie labels both small and large. Our first EP I would burn myself, one by one, on my out-dated PC, hand-stamp (much thanks to Chad Crouch for the lease of the stamp pad) and send to whomever had happened to hear our band and had sent in 5 dollars. We've worked hard to be where we are and have been lucky enough to fall into an incredibly sweet group of people who buy our records and come to our shows across the world. We're now in a position that the help of a major label is incredibly beneficial. It wouldn't have made any sense any earlier. We needed a change and we needed a challenge.

We will do our part to keep the community we've all developed intact and unchanged. This website and message board is not going anywhere, though the design might get a little more fancy (thank god! I'm a songwriter, not a web designer!). And here I would say that we intend to keep making the same music we always have, but that would be a lie; we intend to keep shifting and changing and making music that is important to us and we think is challenging to its audience.

And thanks for those of you who have posted congratulatory messages about Carson's with-babiness. All this label stuff sort of pales in the coolness of that.

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice etc.

Colin

p.s. immediately read Julian Barnes' "Arthur and George." Beautiful.


As far as Kill Rock Stars goes, at least we still have Colin's Tarkio release to look forward to in January! That and the pending Decemberists DVD... Oh, how I heart this band.

Amazing, indeed!

After yet another heart-pounding Amazing Race season finale, I was thrilled and relieved to see the Linz family land first on the final mat and receive their $1 million prize!

[Update: The Linzes score extra points in my book for giving half their prize to their parents, and splitting the rest among the 7 siblings in the family. ]

I was rooting for them from the start, probably because I saw a bit of my own family in their close-knit sibling bond. After all those second place finishes, they hung in there to finish first when it counted! And don't be too disappointed for the Bransens-- in case you forgot, they won a ton of first-place prizes, one of which was free gas for life!

Tonight's finish further reaffirmed my belief that this show (and thus, life) is all about karma. For the past few seasons that I've watched, just about all the winning teams have been the ones who have played honestly and been kind and compassionate. (We all recall season 7's Uchenna & Joyce who had arrived at the finish but waited to pay their cab driver before they ran to the mat, and of course season 5's Chip & Kim who edged out a bickering Colin & Christie.)

Now that the family edition is over-- and it actually turned out to be quite a decent season-- I'm looking forward to season 9 starting in February, and I can't wait to see the teams finally leave the continent. After all, the real challenges are ones that involve cultural and language barriers. You know.. eating mysterious foods and dealing with old, decrepit taxis.


Current Music: How to Be Perfect Men, by Songs: Ohia

Kyle the kutie!

Here's a quick update on crazy hair Kyle:

Look who learned to sit up on his own!

How bout a lil' lip?

Two fast points.

-Big local news! The DC Council voted 12-1 Tuesday to pass a smoking ban for all bars and restaurants in DC. It still needs the mayor's signature, but with such an overwhelming majority in favor, it looks like they'd be able to override his veto if he doesn't approve. Clearly there's a lot of debate on the issue, but I for one am all for it! Now I won't have to look forward to smoke-free outings in New York if I can enjoy them right at home...

-So things at work are beginning to get interesting. And by that I mean, today I was addressed by clients on the phone as both "Cody" and "Julie" after either leaving voicemails or telling receptionists my name... I wonder what else they'll come up with. I'll be sure to keep a list going and update everyone as necessary.

For now I'm hunkering down at Huan's pad and waiting for the first snowflake/iceblock to fall from the sky to begin what I'm sure will be dubbed something ridiculous like DC Freeze '05 (no matter how much or how little we actually get, of course). Cheers to wintry weather.

First Snow of the Season!

Ok, so I'm not counting the dusting on Thanksgiving or the flurries we've gotten since. Today was the first real measureable snowfall of the season, and boy was it beautiful! Sure, it was forecast as being a 4-5" deal and the city ended up with barely 1", but what else is to be expected of our crazy nation's capital? Out in the burbs, of course, we got a bit more, at least 3" and counting... Naturally, I had to capture some snow shots on film before heading to bed. Have a look-see!

Just magical!

Here's another of the indoors, just to illustrate why I love this time of year!

Ah, a perfect opportunity to play some Christmas music... I know the perfect song!

"Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful..."

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

I feel like I just started my new job yesterday, but all of a sudden it's been a month (I know-- "wow Pouy, a whole month...") and the Holiday season is upon us in full force!

This is my favorite time of year, kicked off by Thanksgiving and continuing up til Christmas. It's not Christmas day that I look forward to...after all, I hate crowded malls and the headaches of shopping... it's just all the trimmings that come along with it. I'm talking about Christmas music in Starbucks and Borders, lights and wreaths everywhere you look, and just that wonderful wintry feeling everywhere you go.

I know I've been terrible about blogging, but hopefully you all will forgive me by getting into the holiday spirit and listening to some Christmas music. To all you scrooges out there, spare me the negative comments!

Here are two versions--one classic and one contemporary-- of my favorite seasonal tune:

The Christmas Song :: Nat King Cole

The Christmas Song :: Aimee Mann


Now, off to fill the house with those crazy life-sized elves!

Thanksgiving wrap-up

My long weekend in photos...

A most delicious feast to celebrate my favorite holiday...:

...Highlighted by the addition of a fried turkey (tastes much better than it looks):

Max, the Pilgrim, gets creative with disposable dinnerware during our hour-long, neighborhood-wide power outage. We ate by candlelight, which was actually kind of nice and romantic for a Thanksgiving dinner:

I went to the Redskins game today, thanks to an invitation from Bi-Anh and her company's club-level seating. Seats were great, atmosphere was fun, but as we all know, it ended in all-too familiar Redskins fashion. This has easily been the most heartbreaking and frustrating season in recent memory. We needn't get into the details, though. About 45 seconds after this photo was taken, the game ended in an anticlimactic overtime:

Twas a great Thanksgiving weekend overall, including a nice range of all my favorite things: food, friends, family, football (F's galore!!!), and a wee bit of shopping (just a wee). But after the fun and a 2-hour escape from FedEx field, I'm pooped...Just like Billie after another memorable Thanksgiving:

Current Music: Seen it All Before, by Amos Lee

Random blurbs

-Well, Laguna Beach Season 2 is history, Talan's getting married and starting a music career (um, was I the only one listening to him perform at the fashion show benefit? He wasn't good.), and Season 3 does not look promising. I just hope Laguna Beach doesn't go the way of the Real World Vegas, but that's what it's looking like. Sigh... once again, at least we have DVDs to relive the memories. I kind of missed the boat on this link, but in case anyone else hasn't seen it, read about how the kids of Laguna match up with our favorite professional athletes.

-Signed onto AIM the other day and realized I had new buddies automatically added to my list. This disturbed me at first, but then I discovered it was a new AIM bot and I actually found it useful! I didn't really find ShoppingBuddy useful (it seemed more like a Gap Ad than anything else), but I'll definitely be keeping MovieFone on my list. By "chatting" with this bot, you can quickly and easily find movie times for your preferred theater by entering a couple key terms. It may not be that much better than actually going to moviefone.com, but the idea of a buddy 'bot is kind of fun!

-Just finished reading A Million Little Pieces, the James Frey memoir and Oprah's most recent Book Club selection. It was fantastic. Graphic, raw, emotional, moving. Super intense. But really great. I recommend it. But then again Oprah already recommended it and over half a million people already listened, so what the heck does my opinion matter? Next up? James Frey's sequel, My Friend Leonard, which apparently picks up right where A Million Little Pieces left off...

-Speaking of Oprah... being one of her biggest fans (laugh away), I picked up her 20th anniversary DVD set yesterday. I'd kind of been waiting for something like this to come out, namely because there have been a number of really incredible Oprah shows I wish I'd taped (her trip to South Africa being is the first one that comes to mind). To make things better, Oprah, being Oprah, is donating 100% of the profits to her Angel Network. As one of my friends once quipped, she really is somewhere between Santa and Jesus.

-I'm looking forward to the next new episode of "Commander in Chief," as Zack Morris (sorry, Mark Paul Gosselaar, you'll always be Zack, especially with a hard-to-spell last name like that!) joins the cast to spice things up in the West Wing. I was also excited to learn that the first son, Horace (unfortunate name) enjoys blasting Interpol in his White House bedroom! Very cool.

That's all I've got for now. Looking forward to Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday week/weekend!


Current Music: Autumn Sweater, by Yo La Tengo

Seen and Heard update

It's been a while since I've done an update on the things I've been watching and the music I'm listening to, so here's my chance to catch you up:


Sex and The City: The Complete Series

After holding out on purchasing individual seasons, I rewarded myself with an early Christmas gift and purchased the entire "Sex and the City" DVD catalog. That's right, all six seasons--94 episodes worth--along with bonus features in one beautifully packaged pink suede album. All for a great bargain price (gotta love Costco!). As Steph said, for SATC fans, this is like the Holy Grail.

This is a great moment to tout the wonder of TV-on-DVD, as this week marked the sad announcement of Arrested Development's cancellation. It's always been a scary possibility, but it appears that this week FOX really gave the Emmy-award winning show the ax. It's such a shame, because I really think it's one of the most creative and entertaining shows on TV right now. Hopefully a diehard fan campaign can convince those FOX execs to keep it going. At the least, we'll have 3 seasons of DVDs to watch and enjoy...


Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I finally saw this Tim Burton flick last night, and damn was it good! I mean, totally weird and occasionally dark and not really for kids, but that aside, it was really well-done and Johnny Depp really shined as the quirky and slightly freaky Willy Wonka. The two-disc deluxe edition DVD set was a nice purchase, as the bonus features offer some great insight to the making of the movie. Deep Roy, who I found out is only 4'4" tall, plays every one of the 165 Oompa-Loompas in the film, and the DVD offers a behind-the-scenes look at just how much work he put in to make that happen (while also giving you a chance to learn all his choreographed dance moves!). Another exciting bonus was a featurette on how the crew actually trained squirrels to star in the movie as nut-crackers. That's right, in a world of computer animation and special effects, that crazy Tim Burton insisted on getting 40 squirrels to learn how to act. Pretty amazing, if you ask me. Anyway, despite being a diehard fan of the 1971 version of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," I was definitely entertained and impressed by Burton's adaptation of the original novel.


Cat Power :: The Greatest

Having never been a Cat Power fan in the past, but knowing that she (Chan Marshall) was big in the indie scene and also a Matador Records artist, I was not surprised when I heard and loved samplings of some of her new music from her upcoming album, The Greatest. I've been playing the title-track on repeat for the past few weeks...It's at the top of my current nightly On-The-Go playlist. As I understand it, this new album is a departure from her earlier sound, but as a new fan, I'm really digging it and will be sure to check out her older stuff.


Arooj Aftab :: Hallelujah

Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands is a fantastic music blog, and last week there was a great "Hallelujah Showdown" post in which a different versions of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah were posted (including his original). I'd heard most of them, and I still think Jeff Buckley's version reigns supreme, but I was impressed after hearing Arooj Aftab's beautiful rendition. Arooj is an aspiring musician from Pakistan, currently studying at Berklee College of Music. My guess is that through Internet buzz, she'll be getting some great press soon enough. From the sound of her voice on this song, she shows some great potential.

The vacation is officially over

As you all may have noticed, I haven't updated since I started my new job. As predicted, it leaves little time for computer leisure, which we all know is one of my favorite hobbies. Suffice it to say, the dear old blog has and may continue to suffer.

But, onto the job! My first week went well. Starting on Wednesday and being allowed to wear jeans (since it's earnings period and we're ridiculously busy) was a good way to ease into it. So far I've just being doing a lot of paperwork, calling into orientation conferences (during which they actually call on you to answer questions, so you actually have to pay attention!!), and getting acquainted with the company. One thing I've learned is that there seems to be an endless amount of information about PR Newswire and all the products and services it provides (not to mention its "sister" companies), so I definitely haven't had a shortage of things to read.

I know once I get fully trained and start doing real work, I'll never be bored. It's constantly buzzing in the office, phones ringing and new press releases coming in and needing to be sent out at a moment's notice. In that sense, this is all very exciting to me! I likened it to being in the ER (or so I've seen on TV's "ER") in that you've got a big board of patients and your job is to clear the board. For us, we have a log of releases that keep coming in, and our job is to always keep it clear. Kinda cool!

Anyway, that's that. I'll try to keep up with this as best I can. Thanks for bearing with me!


Current Music: #41, by Dave Matthews Band

Oh What a World

What better way to top off my Halloween than to see Rufus Wainwright in concert? My concert-going buddies and I anticipated many more drag queens and people in costume than we actually witnessed, but that didn't matter. Rufus put on one hell of a show, and in terms of performance and bang-for-your-buck, it may have topped my list for 9:30 concert of the year.

OK Go was the opening band, and they really did a terrific job of warming everybody up for the main act. They do some great indie power-pop, sometimes gritty, other times light and fun, but most of the time catchy (as on "You're So Damn Hot," which they dedicated to Rufus). The highlight was definitely their last number, when lead singer Damien Kulash admitted the reason why Rufus picked them as the opening act was for their dance skills. He then announced something to the effect of "At the end of the day, it's all about selling CDs. They're back there and you can buy them. Instead of performing our single, we're going to play it right off the CD and dance to it." This seemed a bit odd at first, but then I realized OK Go has become known for this closing dance number. I won't try to describe it for you, but it was amazingly entertaining. And to give Kulash credit, it really did make me want to buy their CD. Lucky for you, the video of the "A Million Ways" dance can be played off their website.

After getting energized by OK Go, the crowd was pumped and ready for our man Rufus, who--even without his music-- never fails to entertain. This was Rufus's first of only five U.S. shows before he heads up to Canada and then Europe, so it was quite a treat to be able to see him. I was particularly excited to see how he would be with a big band, since the last two times I'd seen him he was solo on his piano/guitar. For one, I knew we could expect to hear a lot more off Want One (DreamWorks, 2003), which is definitely one of my favorite discs.

Rufus opened with "Oh What a World," which ended up being one of eight songs he performed off Want One. When he launched into "Natasha," I immediately got that warm and fuzzy feeling inside from hearing his incredible voice. Rufus is truly one of the best vocalists out there and probably my personal favorite. His classical music training has really made him an incredible talent, and his voice can fill up the corners of any room.

Admittedly, Rufus was still a little rusty from not having been on tour in a while, and he struggled to hit some high notes which he's had trouble with in the past ("Go or Go ahead"). On "Vibrate" he even beckoned the crowd to sing a verse along with him. Other highlights were old favorites "Poses" and his cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." I also enjoyed hearing a jazzy/funky version of "The Art Teacher," one of my favorite tunes off Want Two (Geffen, 2004).

By far, though, the talk of last night's show was Rufus's theatrical performance toward the end of the show. During the instrumental section of "Old Whore's Diet," Rufus and his band ran off the stage and reappeared in white choir robes and performed a choreographed dance (no doubt inspired by Ok Go, to whom Rufus dedicated the song). They segued this directly into "Gay Messiah," which began with two roman guards carrying a huge white cross onto the stage. Rufus de-robed to reveal a turquoise toga/dress, and the guards placed a gold crown of thorns on his head, along with a glittery facemask and lipstick. This was certain to be the night's point of debate, as Rufus walked a fine line between blasphemy and pure entertainment. I definitely love Rufus for his ability to always shock and surprise us, that's for sure.

After all was said and done, Rufus performed for 2 hours and the crowd seemed extremely pleased and in absolute awe of him (and he seemed equally grateful). In my personal opinion, Rufus is truly one of the best live acts out there, if only for his ability to command the stage and transfix the crowd. He's one of those rare acts that I enjoy watching as much as listening. It's his mannerisms, his quirks, his charisma, and ultimately the idea that I can see the words he sings as they so effortlessly come out of his mouth.


Finally, if I kept your interest up til this point, here are some samplers of my favorite songs:

Poses (Poses)
A heart-wrenching ballad that illustrates Rufus's incredible songwriting and contains one of my favorite lyrics: Life is a game and true love is a trophy.

Go or Go Ahead (Want One)
Starts off with Rufus and guitar, but slowly builds to a fantastic crescendo and full-band theatrics for the chorus.

The Art Teacher (Want Two)
Beautiful song showcasing Rufus's voice. Featuring only Rufus on piano with a lovely french horn solo in the middle of the piece.

Happy Halloween!

This past weekend was filled with lots of Halloween spirit! Here are some fun photos (thumbnails) to guide you through the festivities...

I started out with a trip to NYC to hang out with Kyle, the cutest baby ever, and to see his other young friends. Here they are--all six of them--at a Halloween brunch. From left to right we have a pea in a pod & a chili pepper (twin girls), a fish, Darth Vader & Yoda (twin boys), and last but definitely not least, Kyle the bumblebee:

And because he's just so adorable and squeezable, here's a close-up of the bumblebee:

Yesterday was my last day at Treetop, so naturally I got all decked out in costume to go out with a bang on Halloween. Since I'm all about the homemade costumes, and since The Incredibles seemed to be a popular and sold-out store selection anyway, I put in a few arts & crafts hours last week to prepare for Halloween. (So did the twins' mom, who appears here as a toxic crayon!) Along with Batman (Max) and Snow White (Mira), here I am as Violet, the Incredible:

Finally, as part two of my costume-making work this year, I present Auddie as a Pepsi can (with her other mealtime friends):

Current Music: One More Night, by Stars

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday to my dear mom, a woman who wears many hats. She's got style, she can cook anything (and it's always delicious), she's a star at work, and she's definitely the head of this household! Thanks for everything, mom... you really are "the bomb" and we love you for it!

And since my mom is always beginning sentences with "Do you know what I was doing when I was (insert age here)?" here is a photo of her on a nice fall day when she was a youthful but mature 18.

A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere...

I headed back to the 9:30 club Sunday night for a double bonus concert featuring Stars as the opening band for the headliner and now most well-known indie band (but not technically "indie" anymore, if we're talking record labels), Death Cab for Cutie.

Stars were absolutely fantastic. I was expecting something low-key and mellow from them, considering I usually pop in Nightsongs (Le Grand Magistery, 2001) as I'm getting ready for bed, but they totally rocked the place and the lead male vocalist, Torquil Campbell (who I just discovered is also an actor and has made appearances on "Sex & The City," among other popular shows) was as energetic and inspiring as they come.

For those of you who haven't heard Stars, I highly recommend them. They are what I call "ambient" pop, or in other words, indie-electronica as influenced by the likes of the Pet Shop Boys and The Smiths, with modern contemporaries being the Postal Service and Belle & Sebastian, among others. You know you love some keyboards and synths and drums played with mallots. That's why they call it "dreampop." Anyway, it's hard for me to describe, but something about listening to Stars makes me feel cool. So take that as you will. The blend of male and female vocals (Amy Milan's voice is effortless) adds a unique element, as does Torquil's very passionate performance, including a few dazzling trumpet parts.

As for Death Cab... well, they were good. I've never been hardcore Death Cab, but as the big indie fan that I am, I have to appreciate them. There was no shortage of little OC-fan teens in the crowd, and the club seemed especially packed, even for a sold-out show. That said, it was a nice atmosphere and the crowd was respectful, down to the granny (or some other elder relative or friend of one of the band members) who was up in the family balcony section overlooking the side of the stage. She was up on her feet the whole night clapping and snapping photos! It was great.

Despite the fact that their new album is chock full of emo-ballads, the music itself was lively. They performed the majority off Plans (Atlantic, 2005), but also mixed it up and played at least one song off every album, which was nice. They were able to really rock out and get the crowd going for songs like "The Sound of Settling," but at the next moment bring the place down to a hush, as in the first encore song, "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" which featured Ben Gibbard under a spotlight with his acoustic guitar.

Chris Walla, the "mastermind" behind Death Cab's album production, as well as producer on other popular indie discs (The Decemberists's Picaresque, to name one) was a surprising and unexpected character in person. My impression was that he seemed like he was in another world-- not in any "I'm on drugs" kind of way, but more like a "huh??" kind of way, but maybe it's just part of his inaccessible artistic genius. As an aside, his speaking voice is quite high pitched, in a way that catches you off guard when you first hear him utter any words. Maybe this is why his banter seemed mostly unintelligible to me.

Anyway, I can stop writing now and pass the rest off to you, dear reader, because thanks to NPR: All Songs Considered, you can listen to Death Cab's full concert online. It's an audio broadcast of their Monday night show at the 9:30 club, but my guess is it's not far off from what I heard on the first night. It's probably just as good as having been there. For starters, you don't have to worry about getting your clothes all smoky... Enjoy!

"I am Job..." at last!

Well, everybody, the day has come. After nearly a year and a half after graduating (yikes), I can finally say that, beginning November 2, I'll officially be employed. That's right, this afternoon I received a job offer for a job that I was really excited about and really wanted (as opposed to one that I just wanted because it was a job). I'll be an Assistant Editor at PR Newswire, which my sources tell me is a pretty well-known electronic media distribution company. The good news is, well... I finally have a real, full-time job where the people seem cool and where I definitely won't be sitting in a cubicle bored out of my mind. The bad news, if I have to name any, is that I'm turning in my wings as "professional intern" and also as the newest rising star at Treetop Kids (but not before I show up in costume for my last shift on Halloween!!). And naturally, I'll have a lot less time to blog since I'll be occupied with something else for 9 hours of the day! But I'm sure you'll all forgive me. The weekend updates will just be that much sweeter, I suppose...

EVOO!!

Today I received an e-mail containing the link to an absolutely hilarious Rachael Ray drinking game. That's right, folks, booze up with Food Network and you'll be ready to party in no time!

I won't post the whole thing, but here are some highlights of the rules:

"EVOO" -- 1 drink
"Yummo" -- 1 drink
"Delish! -- 1 drink
"How ____ is that?" -- 1 drink
*comes back from refrigerator carrying too many ingredients -- 2 drinks
*drops something on her way back -- whole drink
*fails to provide measurement and tells you to "eyeball it" -- 1 drink
*wears anything midriff-revealing -- 3 drinks


Oh Rachael, you're so awkward but somehow we still adore you... and yes, we'll forgive you for the FHM photo shoot, too. (You can google that one yourselves!)

Fall favorites

Today was one of those perfect fall days: it started out rather chilly, then as the day wore on it warmed up a touch, the sun came out, and that cool fall breeze kicked in. It's days like these that call for my favorite fall music, and to honor the season, I'm posting a sampling of what I consider to be the essentials.


Counting Crows :: August and Everything After (live)

On my drive to work this morning, I popped in August and Everything After (Geffen, 1993) and was reminded about how absolutely brilliant it is. It's a timeless album that still sounds fresh with every listen. The Counting Crows really nailed it with that one. This song, however, is not from that album, but it's a live cut of the title track that never made the album, so for that, it's significant. For those of you wondering which song's lyrics were scribbled on the album cover art, this is the one.

Counting Crows :: High Life

As a bonus, I've also thrown in a favorite off This Desert Life (Interscope, 1999). If I had to look back on the album that got me thinking critically about the music I listen to, this might have been it. We were reviewing new CDs for an issue of my high school paper, and by random drawing, this is the one I picked. The rest, as they say, is history!


David Gray :: Shine

His most recent release, Life in Slow Motion, makes for a great new fall soundtrack, but when it comes to fall, I'll take any ol' David Gray, especially his early work. It's raw and stripped down, pumped with emotion, and personally I think it's Gray at his best. This is the opening track off his debut album, A Century Ends (Caroline, 1993).


Elliott Smith :: Waltz #2 (XO)

Oh, Elliott. It's been two years since you've passed, but thank goodness we can listen to your music forever. There are occasions when I hear Elliott Smith and I am in disbelief at just how good he was. Such brilliant songwriting and heartfelt lyrics. The one thing that's guaranteed is that you can't listen to his music and not feel something. Waltz #2 off XO (Dreamworks, 1998) is no exception.


Nick Drake :: One of These Things First

Nick Drake is yet another brilliant songwriter who left the world too soon, but also left us with a wealth of beautiful music to enjoy. This song appeared on Bryter Layter (Hannibal, 1970) and makes me want to go outside on a windy fall day, run around in an open field, and kick around the falling leaves. There's something about the music that transports you to a different time and place. This song is especially light and playful, which is a departure from a lot of his darker, more depressing themes.


Nickel Creek :: When You Come Back Down

I absolutely love this song, which is actually a cover of a song written by Tim O'Brien and Danny O'Keefe. It appeared on Nickel Creek's self-titled debut album (Sugarhill, 2000), which is an accessible blend of bluegrass, folk, and classical, among other genres. This tune in particular is a beautiful and heart-wrenching love song that has everything that makes a song wonderful. Chris Thile's soothing voice rings through delicately over gorgeous fiddle solos and three-part harmonies. Just perfect.


Dave Matthews :: Stay or Leave

Mr. Matthews did quite a number on his first and only solo effort, Some Devil (RCA, 2003). This is a fall pick because this album was released at the beginning of my last year in college, and I'm pretty sure it sat in the CD player of my car for the majority of the season. It reminds me of fall drives in Charlottesville, golf classes in the morning, weekend hikes or picnics, and in general how there seemed to be no better place to be than UVA in the fall.


R.E.M. :: Nightswimming

Chris Martin told Spin magazine, "I'll tell you what I'm most proud of. The other day I had a pizza with Mike Mills from R.E.M., and he played 'Nightswimming' on the piano for me. I was so proud that I got to the position where I could hear that." This is one of my favorite R.E.M. tunes off of one of my favorite R.E.M. albums, Automatic for the People (Warner Bros, 1992).


And there you have it. Enjoy!

A Special Shoutout to the Binhster...

Happy Birthday to my wonderful dad! He already knows how much I love him for always being there and for his frequent "I love my family" declarations. But here's a special thanks to him for making the best "com tron" (Sorry, I'm missing accents. It's basically a big rice bowl with all sorts of delicious things mixed in it.) and for knowing the DC-area like the back of his hand, and thus being a walking local atlas, able to navigate and offer detour advice to anyone in a jam.

Happy Birthday Dad! You're the best.

Finally, since I spoke of this in a previous blogpost, here's a photo of my pops sporting the linen shirt and Seven jeans, looking somewhat like a J.Crew model with the whole scenic backdrop... (It's Half Moon Bay.)

Current Music: So Alive, by Ryan Adams

Sweet Golly Goodness!

Thanks to Steve Jobs, I have another exciting reason to post. After much anticipation surrounding Apple's new product announcement today (I mean really, the nano is brand new, and now unveiling something else, so soon?), it seems Apple has once again taken the iPod to the next level. And I am officially jealous. Introducing... the new iPod.

Incidentally, this post comes almost exactly a year after one of my first crazy-iPod blogposts in which the 60 gig photo was first unveiled. Ok, while I was always one to snub the iPod extras (photos, color, etc.), I now realize that I want it all.

Here's the deal:

The new iPod has 150 hours of video storage capability, and through the new iTunes 6, you can download your favorite music videos or TV shows (Only ABC or Disney, for now...) for $1.99 a pop. I mean, that's pretty damn cool, right? Sure, the screen is a mere 2.5 inches, but that's still an improvement from the old version. And hell, if I can catch up on a missed episode of "Lost" while waiting at the doctor's office or sitting on the metro... well, I'm not going to complain. It's sure to beat those little handheld rabbit-eared Sony TVs I remember from a decade ago!

Ok, for those of you unimpressed by these add-ons that detract from the music, here are other practical bonuses:

The new iPod boasts up to 20 hours of battery life, five hours more than before. Plus, you get a bigger display and one more iPod color — sleek black. But here’s the kicker: At under half an inch thin, the new 30GB iPod takes up about 45 percent less room than the original iPod. Even the new 60GB model is 10 percent thinner than the fourth-generation 20GB iPod. More features in less space? Sounds like iPod.

Just the other day Auddie and I were in the Apple store, and when we saw the old 60 gig, we were like "Geez, this thing is a monster! Look how thick!!"

Anyway, I'm a bit overwhelmed right now, jumping from page to page to catch up on all the new details. I'm a little annoyed that I just upgraded to iTunes 5 only about a month ago and they've already updated. But if there's any lesson we can learn from Apple, it's that you should wait. Yep, let you jaw drop in awe over all these new gadgets, but sit back and let it all settle in before you pull out your credit card. Sometimes I think about all those folks who have given into the initial hype...the ones who own a Mini, a Shuffle, a Nano, and are currently drooling over the newest iPod. Then again, they're probably broke. It's a nice thought, though! As for me, my 3rd gen. 20 gig is still doing the trick, but I know it won't be long 'til I give in... all extras aside, 20 hours of battery life sounds pretty appealing right now.


Current Music: Pipe Dreams, by Travis

The times, they are a-changin'...

First things first: My apologies for the lack of updates. My computer time has been limited lately. I smell another hiatus.

My auntie sent me an amusing e-mail today and it seemed like such a joke that I thought I'd post about it. It's an old clipping that purports to be from a 1955 "Housekeeping Monthly" article about how to be a good wife. (Other sources indicate that the graphic is fabricated and that the text is from a 1950s home economics textbook.) Real or not, it's still worth a look just as a reminder to appreciate and acknowledge how much has changed for women in only a few decades (though arguably it's not enough). We all may laugh now, but we really should remember that these ideals were once a reality for women... long before the days of Geena Davis as our TV president.

Current Music: The Wrong Idea, by Chris Thile

One year and still going strong!

Well, since I haven't much to blog about, I'll babble. I just realized it's been a year and one day since I decided to enter the blogosphere and change my life forever (by merely fueling my addiction to the computer and Internet). Remarkably after all that time I still am finding things to say. So for that, I wanted to say thanks for any and all who read this.

For some time capsule material, let me add a few current-events bullet points:

-Celeb news: Oh god, just when I thought TomKat was out of the news, they bounce back with Hollywood's latest out-of-wedlock pregnancy. (Hey, at least Kenny & Renée didn't make the same mistake.) I don't really have anything else to say on that. Blagh.

-TV: Ok, it's a given that TV is taking over my life. I'm trying to take serious steps to address this problem, but meanwhile, another show has captured my attention. With seemingly dozens of new series premieres entering lineups this fall, it was hard to capture the attention of viewers who, for the most part, already had their favorite shows picked out. My parents, on the other hand, who are casual TV channel flippers, happened to catch the Pilot of "Commander in Chief" and they couldn't stop raving about it. So I thought I'd tune into the encore as well as the second episode last night. I thought it would be terrible and cheesy (ok, it's a little cheesy), but it's actually quite entertaining and I'm definitely going to keep tuning in, at least for now.

The whole ad campaign that said "This Fall... a woman will be President" was actually inspiring, though at the same time a bit sad, because you realized it was a TV show and the Prez. was Geena Davis, who for some reason I can only remember from "A League of Their Own." On the other hand, despite some occasionally poor makeup, she's great in the role, to the point where you're like "Wow, I would vote for Geena Davis..." (Just like we'd all vote for Martin Sheen.) They threw a couple funny Hilary jokes into the script, too, and all of the First Gentleman scenes definitely had me laughing. Finally, they couldn't have cast a better bad guy/resident jerk than Donald Sutherland.

-Books: I'm currently reading Oprah's latest Book Club selection, A Million Little Pieces, by James Frey. It's the first time I've been on the same page (hah!) as my pal Ope, so I'm pretty excited. More on that later.

-Blogger: Drumroll, please..... On the one year anniversary of "Watch out for the Po-Po," let us welcome the newest member of the blogosphere, Kam! Yes, that's right, you've seen her comments (some of them obscene) and you've read my shoutouts. Now it's time to hear directly from Kam about her amazing adventures in knitting. Don't be fooled-- knitting is not for old ladies anymore!! Kam will prove it to you. I guarantee after looking at some of the photos she's posted of her work, you'll be begging her for a Christmas gift!! Congrats, Kam, and welcome! :)


Current Music: The Hardest Part, by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

Army 10-miler

Well, today was the day! After months of (sort of) training, I awoke before sunrise today to make my way down to the Pentagon for the start of the Army ten-miler. With 20,000 entrants and a high demand for registration, this is the biggest ten-mile race in the country, so it was especially exciting to be a part of it.

20,000 runners means that it takes awhile to reach the starting line, so I wasn't too concerned when the start gun fired and I was still waiting in the porta potty line... Luckily I made it out in time to hop in the big pack and start the race ten minutes after 8 am.

The race itself went well, and I definitely enjoyed the course more than the mostly out-and-back Cherry Blossom race I did back in April. The Army course was more of a scenic loop which led us past the Pentagon, across the Memorial Bridge and past the Lincoln memorial, then past the Kennedy center, and eventually along the Mall past the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial, and finally a small loop past the Capitol before heading back. Aside from the lovely early-morning Washington views, the turns and loops were much easier, mentally, for me to get through.

There was one minor (ok, it was major) glitch in the race that had lots of runners fuming. Just around or before the 8-mile mark, the race was re-routed because of an emergency security concern at the 14th street bridge, which was supposed to take us to the finish line at the Pentagon. It seems that just after 8 am, an official identified a "suspicious package" on the bridge, so they decided to re-route the course, basically sending us back across the Memorial Bridge and finishing the course the way we had started, in reverse.

The only problem was, no one knew what the hell was going on. First of all, no one ever saw the sign for the 8 and 9 mile mark, which started up the initial confusion, then when someone finally notified us that we'd just crossed the adjusted 9-mile mark, everyone had the "Ok, last mile, this is the final stretch" mentality going. I was slightly more in the loop than others, since I'd borrowed Huan's Garmin GPS device for the race and was keeping track of the race mileage on my wrist. So I knew something was up when the Garmin beeped for 10-miles and we were still only halfway across the Memorial Bridge.

But of course, I kept going, wondering what disaster had befallen the race. Meanwhile, other runners are thinking "This is the longest $@#%&* mile of my life!!!!" Finally, we get word from the finish line that "It's 11.4 miles, and you're almost there!!" This is when people start getting pissed. The beginning of the race was full of smiles and cheers, and now it was "You'd think they could have told us," and "I'm never running this race again." Though it was all kind of sad to think about how the race fell apart and no one was getting official scores, the whole thing was amusing in a "I can't believe this is the biggest ten-miler in the country and this is what happened" kind of way. Sigh.. But I guess these things are unpredictable and security is extra tight and cautious around DC anyway.

I finished my 10 miles in decent time-- about a minute slower than my Cherry Blossom time, but considering training for this race consisted of many fewer workouts and a lot more Popeyes/beers/potato chips/television watching/you name it, I'm actually pleased with my result. And on the other hand, I ran 11.4 miles, which I definitely was not expecting to do. I guess that means I'm that much closer to running a half marathon! Whoo, look at me, raising the bar!!

Since Auddie was such a fabulous event photographer, here are some snapshots from the day (thumbnails):

Mile 4:

Me & my pops (with thunder sticks in hand) at the finish line:

Awesome shot of my dad in front of the Lincoln Memorial, no other tourists in sight:

Finally, here's a random shot of the gang at my post-race brunch at Carlyle in Shirlington:

Twas a fabulous Sunday overall, made even better by a miraculous Redskins win in overtime! 3-0, who'da thunk it?

Current Music: Lately, by David Gray

God put a smile upon your face...

Wow, what a fantastic show Coldplay put on at Nissan Pavilion last night.

Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. Remarkably, it only took Becca and me a little over an hour to get to the venue on a Friday afternoon, so we had plenty of time to hang out and grab a bite before the show. Leaving the show, on the other hand, was a first-class nightmare. After getting to my car a little after 11 pm, I didn't even start my car to move an inch until an hour later. Then, it took close to another hour to actually exit, but not before we dealt with some ridiculous parking lot antics and near fender-bender drama with some really moronic girl. Luckily, Becca and I didn't have to start a parking lot riot, and we carried on our way, not letting the post-concert misery ruin an otherwise amazing evening.

As I mentioned in another blogpost from months back, I managed to score pretty sweet tickets for this show (the general admission orchestra section), so when I walked into the Pavilion a little after 7 pm I found myself just feet away from the stage. It was definitely an incredible feeling to be that close for what I knew was going to be one of those knock-your-socks-off, big stadium, crazy lights kind of show.

Here's what it looked like behind me. Pretty freakin' crazy:

Rilo Kiley was the opening act and they played a 45 minute set. Prior to last night, I was a casual listener, but I'd never really gotten into them. But after seeing and hearing them perform live, I enjoy them a lot more and will definitely give their music another chance. It's a nice mix of alt-country, rock, with splashes of pop, and a female vocalist (who is Jenny Lewis of "Troop Beverly Hills" fame, no less!).

Here's Jenny along with her Conor Oberst-lookalike guitarist (who was also a childhood actor with a recurring role on "Boy Meets World," though I don't remember him):

After what felt like an unusually long time to set up the stage for Coldplay, the lights went down around 9:30 and the last show of this U.S. leg of Coldplay's Twisted Logic tour was on.

They opened with "Square One" as a huge digital clock projected on the big screen and counted down to the big, booming chorus of the song.

The show's setlist followed with a nice combination of songs from X&Y, A Rush of Blood to the Head, and Parachutes. Between "Politik," "The Scientist," "God Put a Smile on your Face," and "Trouble," among other old favorites, they really did a great job as far as crowd pleasers go. While some of you may remember me not being crazy about the new album, I will say they were well-suited for the stadium show and I enjoyed hearing them performed live. Chris Martin is definitely a showman, and it's great to see him so passionately perform his music and know that he's a genuine guy. He was running around from one side of the stage to the next, jumping like crazy and really engaging the crowd.

During "Talk," he did a totally cool rockstar thing by grabbing someone's cell phone out of the audience and singing into it. Ok, so he's kind of a cheesy guy...at times he changed his lyrics around to fit the Washington, DC theme...but it's also cute that he's a self-professed geek.

Here's a shot of the guys (minus drummer Will Champion, who oddly was out of my view for the entire show, leading me to believe they were playing a drum track), and also a view of Chris's now well-known Make Trade Fair logo piano:

The biggest highlight for me was hearing "Green Eyes," which is my favorite Coldplay song. It was particularly awesome because as diehard fans know, Coldplay announced a couple years ago that they would no longer be including it as part of their regular setlist. The reason? Chris wrote it about a girl who was not Gwyneth. That pissed off just about every Coldplay fan, but it appears she must be 'over it,' since they've reintroduced it into their show. Still, it's only been performed live a handful of times over the past few years, so it's pretty damn awesome that we got to hear it. They performed it in an acoustic set which also included "Til Kingdom Come" and "Ring of Fire" (a Johnny Cash cover).

I also decided that Chris Martin is one of those guys who can pull off the lead-singing without a guitar without looking awkward. On the piano, he works, but when we saw him playing the guitar he just looked like a big dork. I think he was holding it high up on his chest, à la Dave Matthews, except he didn't pull it off quite as well. Anyway, just a side observation.

As expected, Coldplay ended the show with a resounding version of "Fix You," a song which Chris Martin has said is the band's favorite. I have to say, I definitely liked the song before, but after hearing it performed live, it's still stuck in my head and I've been completely hooked on it for the past couple days. It's just a great, powerful and anthemic song, all building up to that moment where all four guys sing together in harmony. At the show, that part was especially moving, as all of their faces were projected on the big screen and the place was just erupting. It was the chill-inducing concert moment, I suppose.

Final verdict: Coldplay put on a damn good show, and it was nice to go to back to a huge venue to remember what a really big and dramatic concert is like. I'd been so hooked on the 9:30 club recently that I think I forgot what it was like to hear a crowd of tens-of-thousands singing the same song in unison. It's pretty awesome.

Come On Feel the Illinoise!

I arrived at the 9:30 club on Tuesday night for a Sufjan Stevens show, a little tired and not sure whether Sufjan and his soothing tunes would be able to get me pumped and psyched. I was quickly proven wrong.

Sufjan burst onto the stage with five companions who comprise the "Illinoisemakers," and they were like a bunch of kids bouncing with energy. (Actually, the six-some at the 9:30 club were not the same group seen in the photo above... they must have a rotation or something..) To give a little background, Sufjan Stevens has set out on an ambitious project to record an album for each of the 50 U.S. states. So far, he's documented his home state of Michigan, and his most recent effort was a tribute to Illinois, on which this current tour is based.

From various photos, I found Sufjan to be an attractive man, so when he walked on stage, I took note. I was surprised, however, that Sufjan really looked like a frat boy that night, clad in gym shorts with a Cubs baseball cap tipped up off his head. He was also wearing some kind of gold chain necklace, perhaps with a crucifix? (Sufjan is known to be a devout Christian.) Nevertheless, he was good looking in that charming, boyish way.

Sufjan & Co. were fully outfitted as Illinois cheerleaders, complete with pom poms and wristbands. They kicked things off with the "50 states song," then launched right into the Illinois set. The crowd was unusually quiet and subdued, perhaps as a show of respect, but more likely because it was a Tuesday night. To liven things up, the group would conduct cheers to open up some of their songs. Led by Sufjan's "Ready, OK!" they shouted Illinois-themed cheers in unison while performing choreographed cheerleading moves and finishing off with--what else?-- spirit fingers. I have to admit, this was definitely funny and entertaining the first time, but by the fifth or sixth, when you could tell that Sufjan was holding back some laughter at the whole thing, it seemed the novelty had worn off and that the gimmick was on.

If there's a critique you'll hear about Sufjan, it's that all this hype over his 50 states project is just that--hype, and that all of it is far too gimmicky. There are the costumes, the cheers, the bold announcement of producing 48 more albums, and the ridiculous song titles (for example, "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us," or "Decatur, or, Round of Applause for your Step-mother!") While this may be true, I think if you stripped away all of the costumes, cheers, and showiness of his performance, it would still be a good show based on the music alone. And Sufjan seems neither pretentious nor arrogant. In fact, aside from being head cheerleader, he was a man of few words, sparing us the usual rocker concert banter. The Illinoisemakers provided much support, whether it was on the trumpet, trombone, maracas, xylophone, or the ever-popular triangle. Songs like "Chicago" built up to big crescendos and filled every corner of the venue without sounding like a big mess. As I've said before, something about the music makes every piece fit in; they're like subtle touches over Sufjan's delicate voice and guitar/banjo/piano.

Sufjan also shined on his own. Being the patriot that he is, he performed a moving, piano-backed version of the "Star Spangled Banner." And for the show encore, Sufjan stepped out alone under the spotlight to give us two heartfelt tunes, "Happy Birthday" (not the version we all know), which he dedicated to a fan, and "To Be Alone With You," off the religion-infused Seven Swans.

Despite the often unrelatable themes of the music--midwestern states' history, personal anecdotes, religious references, and so forth-- the music is still somehow accessible, touching, moving, evocative.

On another note, all Illinois natives should be proud of the damn good PR Sufjan and his buddies are doing for their state. After all, it's not everyday that you can get a crowd in Washington, DC to start chanting "Illinois! Illinois!" All told, it was a great show that exceeded my expectations, and I left the club feeling uppity and fulfilled. Finally, here are some samplers...

A Good Man Is Hard To Find
This is one of the standout tunes from Seven Swans (Sounds Familyre, 2004). When Sufjan performed this you could hear a pin drop in the venue. I don't think I've ever heard the place so quiet. The only sound besides his voice was that of the snapping fingers of the Illinoisemakers.

John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
This is one of the darker songs from Illinois (Asthmatic Kitty Records, 2005), in which Sufjan empathizes with serial killer John Wayne Gacy, Jr. ("And in my best behavior/I am really just like him") Very moving albeit slightly disturbing.

Chicago
As far as I can tell, this song doesn't say so much about Chicago as it does about a memorable Sufjan roadtrip and the mistakes he made and learned from. Either way, it's a great tune, definitely one of the more "poppy" ones from the album, with lush instrumentation and choir vocals.

Enjoy.