Project Runway

So I totally missed the boat on this one, but thanks to last week's snow-in, I was able to settle in on the couch and catch the last five episodes of Season 2 of Bravo's "Project Runway."

Naturally, in my continual effort to always be "in the loop" when it comes to anything pop culture (note: my definition of pop culture does not encompass celebrity culture), and after receiving a Project Runway mini-mag with a recent Banana Republic purchase, I just couldn't ignore it any longer! I finally gave in after being part an engaging e-mail chain that exchanged thoughts on the show; whose designs sucked, whose were amazing; who should win, who will win, and so on and so forth.

So this is like a much better, more interesting version of the now-defunct "Apprentice," except Heidi Klum is a far more attractive host than is Donald Trump, and "auf Wiedersehen!" is the new "You're Fired." (But wasn't the original reality one-liner "You are the weakest link...g'bye!"?)

Anyway, if you're even remotely into fashion-- scratch that, you don't even need to be into fashion to enjoy this show, the great personalities and group dynamic are enough to pull you in.

To give you the quick rundown, each week designers compete in a specific task (e.g. design an outfit using only supplies purchased at a flower shop; design an evening gown that Iman will wear to a red-carpet event), and the winner of the final challenge wins a mentorship with the Banana Republic design team, $100,000 to start their own line, a 2007 Saturn SkyRoadster (who knew Saturn made sports cars? It's not terrible, either.), and a full spread in Elle magazine featuring their original designs.

Here's a quick sampling of what they do: below are the three best designs from the "Garden Party" (flower shop-only) challenge:

Now that it's down to the final three in the ultimate face-off at Olympus Fashion Week in New York, I have to root for our Vietnamese gal Chloe Dao, though I actually like Daniel V. the best (if only because he is only 24 and it makes me completely jealous to think of how good he is at what he does) , and with the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if the over-exuberant Santino wows the judges come Fashion Week. The final challenge isn't airing for a couple weeks (Wed., March 1, 10 PM) , and before then it appears Bravo is running a PR marathon, so if you're feeling lazy and one of the lucky ones who gets Prez. day off (you don't actually have to be lucky, you just have to not be me), tune in to catch up on all the excitement!

A note from the editor.

Dear Readers:

I deeply apologize for any personal anguish I have caused by neglecting my blog and thus, neglecting you, my audience and sole reason for cyber-fruition. Any excuse I have is just that, an excuse, and if I call myself a true "blogger" then I must follow through on this implied promise to serve the Web, much as a gardener would water his plants or a pet owner would walk his dog. However, I cannot make guarantees, and as much as I would love to be on the daily updating circuit, I fear this is a far too ambitious goal. That said, I will promise to try harder and to do better, so that if you load up pouy.blogspot.com at least twice during your workweek, you won't see the same played-out post that greeted you the time before. If I do fail, however, please remember that there are many other fabulous things to read on the Web, so I encourage you to go forth; explore at will, you'll be amazed at what's out there! On the other hand, I do appreciate those of you who regularly visit, comment, or give me suggestions. After all, without a little prodding and guilt-tripping, I'd probably have stopped updating long ago. Thanks again and again and again.

Regards,
Pouy T

Music for a good cause

Many of you may have heard another great TV tune at the end of last week's riveting Grey's Anatomy episode following the Super Bowl, so here's my post about it.


(Photo by T.Dozol, from In The Sun Foundation)

In response to the devastation experienced in the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina, Michael Stipe, king of cool and lead singer of R.E.M., started a foundation called In The Sun. Not knowing what exactly he could do to help, but knowing full well what he was good at, Stipe decided to record an EP and give 100% of the proceeds to Mercy Corps to benefit the victims of the Hurricane. The timing may seem a little delayed, but Stipe makes a good point in saying even though the news cycle may have pushed Katrina from the headlines, there is still much to be done. The EP, "In the Sun," features six different versions of the Joseph Arthur song of the same name, and all are worth a listen. Chris Martin is featured on two cuts, one is mixed by my favorite ex-teenybopper J. Timberlake, and another features the original songwriter Joseph Arthur.

The EP is available in full from iTunes. Six tracks of great music at $4.95, all for a good cause. You can't beat it. Go forth and check it out.

#1 single

As if I needed anything new to watch on TV, I managed to catch a couple reruns of Lisa Loeb's new reality TV Show, #1 Single, and I have to say it's really quite good. Who knew Lisa Loeb, 37 and desperate to have babies (she said it herself -- "I don't want maybes, i want babies!" were her exact words), could be so great for TV? Despite the fact that she agreed to put her life on TV and thus can be considered not "normal" and even slightly crazy, she comes off as an incredibly down-to-earth and totally cool person. It's a little unsettling that she constantly emphasizes her normalness and anti-gossip/celeb personality, yet she's on this cable reality TV show about her personal life. I dunno. Maybe that's the irony of it all. Either way, in watching Lisa in her dating escapades, you kind of want to be her friend and you definitely want her to find Mr. Right. The way she dials up her mom to chat, stuffs donuts in her face, or is a self-professed techie geek... all of it is completely charming and makes her an infinitely likeable "character" for her show.

I do have to say though, what kind of unbelievable coincidence is it that in Lisa's first AirTroductions experience, her date would be with another quasi-celebrity (author Allen Salkin, who penned the Seinfeldian Festivus) who would subsequently land Lisa on New York Post's page 6? Strange I tell you.

Anywho. I'll probably have to cut out another show on my ever-growing roster to make room for this. After all, it was Lisa who originally inspired me "Stay," as I, with my slightly Lisa Loeb-esque glasses pranced around my basement doing my own personal rendition of the music video... To think, that was 1994!!!

Happy New Year!

Though Sunday was officially the start of the lunar new year, it's never too late to say "Chuc Mung Nam Moi!"

This year is extra special because it's the Year of the Dog (me), so we'll see what unfolds. Though according to the fortune teller, next year is actually my year...

Here is a photo from the weekend, taken in the midst of our Saturday homemade chili-cheese dog fest (that's why we look so happy), our little "snack" before the real Têt meals began. Kyle is featured in a very adorable and festive outfit:

And here's another of him eating his li xi (that's the lucky money you get in the red envelope... silly Kyle):

Update on Colin Meloy/Laura Veirs

Just as I was regretting having to miss this Saturday's Colin Meloy show at the Birchmere, I get word that through the wonders of technology, NPR will be broadcasting the show live on their website as part of their Live Concert Series and offering it up for download shortly thereafter. Pretty sweet if you ask me! In other web-awesomeness, you can also download Iron & Wine and Calexico's 9:30 club show from back in November.

Isn't it crazy to think a time actually existed when there were live shows and you had to be there to know what went on and hear that rare performance of your favorite song? Sigh... Another story for the grandkids, I suppose...

Ohhhhprah...

Just two weeks after Oprah came to James Frey's defense on Larry King Live in what appeared to be a career-saving phone call for him, Queen Ope invited him on her show today and, in a surprising move, gave him his second live television whooping in front of millions of viewers. Only this time, she didn't hold back. Ok, Frey's appearance on Larry King wasn't pretty either... but come on, King didn't really know what was going on, it seemed like he was reading cue card questions... and after all, he hadn't even read the book! Oprah on the other hand, gave Frey a serious lashing, like a mommy putting his son in the corner. And indeed, Frey looked like a boy who'd just gotten a spanking and was getting grounded for the rest of his writing career.

Oprah came out and said she felt "duped" and "embarassed" in what was basically a cover-your-ass move by Harpo after she realized it was a mistake to so quickly and easily overlook the "truth" in her initial defense of Frey and his lies. It was really a sight to see, Oprah in her scary element on that stage, and her studio audience-- who not long ago were the ones on their feet pumping their fists for him-- moaning and gasping after Frey's meek defenses and cheering after Oprah smacked him down. Yikes.

Anyway, I did think it was a bit of a cheap shot for Oprah to do what she did. Clearly she got busted by someone after she made that Larry King phone and had to quickly do something to restore her Book Club cred. But still, you have to wonder if Frey knew what he was getting into. I imagine he was probably thinking "Yay! Oprah saved me.. now she's inviting me back so we can have a party on her show!" That much was apparent, as he seemed (once again) ill-prepared for her direct accusations and blunt questions.

So while book sales looked good after Frey's Larry King appearance, it'll be interesting to see how they hold up after she-who-directs-book-sales said her piece today.

In a completely unrelated observation, Oprah's hair looked quite lovely today. I'd post a picture if I could find one. Update: Ah, here we go...

One more for January 24.

While swimming in a sea of chick-music enthusiasm last night, I forgot about another great music release for tomorrow. Before Colin Meloy ruled as head Decemberist and was a dorky college student in Montana, he was in a band called Tarkio. Now, riding the waves of the Decemberists' fame, Kill Rock Stars is releasing a compilation of 2-disc set of the entire Tarkio catalog, entitled Omnibus, which promises to be as delightful while possibly more folky/acoustic/underproduced than what we know the Decemberists to be.

As a sampler track, I'll post a link to the first song I heard from Tarkio. Being the scholarly and well-read English major that he is, Colin Meloy penned a song called "Tristan and Iseult," which, as the upcoming major motion picture tells us, can also be spelled Isolde. Incidentally, the theme for that movie is a completely different song performed by Gavin DeGraw. Oh well. Here's your Tarkio preview. I'll have more to say once my pre-order comes in. Amazon.com says they only have 3 left in stock!

Tarkio :: Tristan and Iseult

In unfortunate news, I'll be missing Colin Meloy (with Laura Veirs opening) at the Birchmere this weekend (Têt -- Vietnamese New Year -- takes precedence over all!), so I guess listening to this new CD will have to make up for it. And as I'm slowly beginning to feel a concert void in my life, I'm still looking for that first good live show to properly kick off 2006...

Sneak previews.

In honor of a couple albums coming out this Tuesday, I'll post a couple links to some great new tracks. The first is one of those all-star indie collaborations off Jenny Lewis's new solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat. The track features Ben Gibbard, Conor Oberst and M. Ward, and if it's any indication of the rest of the album, it should be a good one.

Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins :: Handle With Care

Cat Power's The Greatest is my current musical fixation, and with good reason. I've had the title track stuck in my head just about every day for the past week, and I really think it's an absolutely perfect track. In case any of you missed it when I previously posted it, here's the link again, straight from Matador, and I'll also post another song for your consideration.

Cat Power :: Empty Shell

Instead of posting the album cover, here's a shot of Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall) as she appears on the cover of this month's Harp magazine. Consider it a plug for one of my favorite music magazines that covers so many of the artists I love.

Whoa, look at me and all this chick-music love! I'm surprising myself; maybe 2006 will be the year I add some female singers to my all-time favorites.

Jack Bauer is back!

Whew! I just finished watching part one of the two-day season premiere of the best action drama on TV, FOX's "24." Here's my enthusiastic promotion post to kick off season 5.

I love this show for so many reasons. For the late-career boost it gave to Kiefer Sutherland, who is perfectly cast as the most badass character on earth (or at least on television), Jack Bauer. For the ridiculous ass-kicking sequences in which Jack will single-handedly clear out a room of "bad guys" who are all shooting at him. For the predictability of some parts, e.g. the appearance of "the mole." For stubborn and annoyingly cast characters I can't stand but who are integral to the storyline, e.g. President Logan, as idiotic and unlikeable as they come. For the many unbelievable-but-oh-yeah-its-a-TV-show scenarios, e.g. in season 3 when Tony, after getting shot in the neck and in critical condition, is on his feet at work later in the day (will he pull out another miracle after tonight?) For Chloe and her one-liners, which in early seasons were awkward and uncomfortable, but are now classic quotables. And finally, for that distinctive clock-ticking sound that indicates a commercial or the end of the show and always inevitably induces some kind of adrenaline rush within me, e.g. "ohmygod what's going to happen!?"

In any case, the premiere was well done-- a great way to pull in new viewers with its action as well as its unanswered questions, and just enough to remind old viewers how awesome this show is. In college, this was the one show that could pack my house full of 10 or more people in the living room with an understood "quiet room" rule. There's nothing else like it. A day in the life of Jack Bauer. 24 Hours. After tonight, it's 2 hours down, 2 more tomorrow, and then 5 straight months of weekly episodes. Gotta love the January premiere. Tune in if you haven't yet! It's never too late to catch on...

More on Mr. Frey

And the controversy rolls on... Only a day after James Frey's publisher, Doubleday (a division of Random house), was quick to defend him and his memoir, Random House today said they would offer refunds to readers who purchased the book directly from the publisher. Absurd! Ok, fine, let's say it parts of it were fabricated, that doesn't mean you get your money back! You didn't sign a little agreement that said I am reading this under the conditions that every word is true and if this guy is a Fraud even for a second, I want a refund-- even if the story is great. What's more, the article indicates that Random House told other readers who didn't buy directly from the publisher to try returning their books to the bookstore for a refund! Oh man, Borders and Barnes are going to love this! As a rebuttal to this and other published stories, Random House posted the following on their website:

January 11, 2006
Contrary to erroneous published reports, Random House, Inc. is not offering a special refund on A Million Little Pieces.
It has long been standard Random House Inc procedure to direct consumers who want a refund on any of the tens of thousands of books we publish back to their retail place of purchase, unless they purchased the book directly from us in which case we refund it. Yesterday we had 15 calls to our customer service line specific to A Million Little Pieces and fewer than that today.

Um, I don't get it. Are you or aren't you offering a refund? Either way, it's clear that some people are WAY overreacting to this. Fine, get upset and be disappointed about what's come out, but don't try and get your $14.95 back when just a minute ago this was your favorite book. People are silly. This is all so silly.

James Frey appeared on Larry King Live this evening to clear the air, but to nobody's surprise, he basically talked around in circles for an hour, never directly admitting "Ok, I wasn't actually in jail for 3 months" or facing up to other specific claims made by The Smoking Gun. Parts of the interview were awkward, namely the fact that yeah, Frey was being called out on fabricating parts of his book, albeit small parts, but it was uncomfortable nevertheless. All things considered, I think Frey handled himself well, particularly with a couple of the things Larry King posed to him. When they were discussing another author whose book had also come under fire, King said, "Oh but he also committed suicide... [awkward silence]... I'm not suggesting that you..." [trails off]. At certain moments I thought Frey wanted to jump across the table and grab him by the throat (I felt a bit of "the Fury" rising). Or at least stop answering the same questions over and over again, then yet again by butt-kissing callers. The best part was at the end of the hour when the show was supposed to be over and Queen of the World Oprah calls the line, cuts into Anderson Cooper 360, and goes live on the air to give her schpeel. You could almost see the Freys (James & his mother) singing Hallelujah in their heads. Oprah's here to save the day. She still loves the book, still thinks it's fabulous even if James didn't exactly drive up on a curb and hit a police officer or whatever else. Oprah gets the last word, and tonight she basically said This book still has my enthusiastic endorsement (read: if by some miracle you haven't heard of this book yet, go out and buy yourself a copy and read it because I said so).

To conclude, I'll say this: I finished My Friend Leonard (not "best" friend, as Larry King mistakenly repeated) today after 2 straight days of reading it whenever I had a free moment. Despite all this brouhaha, I still absolutely love(d) it and highly recommend it. Both A Million Little Pieces followed by My Friend Leonard stand as two of the best books I've ever read, and I only wish I hadn't read them yet so I could start over and be as moved and affected as I was the first time around. Now I can't wait for Frey's next work. Fiction or memoir or nonfiction or whatever he wants to call it.

Sweet Golly Goodness... again!

After reading Apple rumor pages for the past few months, I'd been anxiously awaiting this week to finally hear what Steve Jobs would announce at this week's MacWorld Conference in San Francisco.

After today's unveiling of the new Intel-driven Apples-- and the sleek 1" thin MacBook Pro, to be specific, I am super excited and cannot wait to get my hands on one of them (if only so I can stop being such a poser). MacBook Pro offers up to four times the speed of the PowerBook G4 in key performance benchmarks. The MacBook Pro will also be the first notebook to come with an Apple Remote to use with Front Row, an awesome program that basically converts your computer into a home theater/stereo/portfolio system. It's times like right now that patient consumers are rewarded!

'A Million Little Lies'...?

Only a day after I once again touted James Frey's A Million Little Pieces and its follow up My Friend Leonard, The Smoking Gun reported that Frey may have fabricated and/or "wildly embellished" parts of his story. Reaction has ranged from shock and outrage to shoulder shrugs and "who cares?" The New York Times wrote twice on this issue, first reporting the story, then letting us know that Frey's publisher, Doubleday, was part of the shoulder-shrugging camp (no surprise there).

If the allegations are true, I personally will be disappointed. Sure, I'm still plowing through My Friend Leonard at a remarkable pace, but part of the umph and power of the story is lost on me. Even today, I found myself naturally reacting to events in the book, but then questioning how true to life it actually was. For me, part of what made the book(s) so fantastic was the notion that Frey's life was so dramatic, his story so out-of-this-world that it was better than most fiction. I'm guessing this issue won't ever fully be resolved; Frey will likely defend himself and others will say "fiction or nonfiction, it's still a great book," but it's a shame that the all the hype (which I deemed worthy) and Oprah fanfare and bestseller list stuff will be tarnished over this debate.

Anyway, I'm sure this will all blow over soon. Probably Monday, in fact, when Oprah announces her next book club selection. Hope it's a goodie!

New resolution?

Sorry readers, we're only nine days into the new year and I'm already slacking on the blog. No great excuse, really, except that I haven't been spending much time on the computer. Maybe I should take the advice of one of my "anonymous" readers and adjust my new year's resolution...

What have I been doing instead, you ask?

-Reading: I'm really gettin' into books, you see. Well, I've always been a reader (albeit a slow one), but never one to plow through a stack of books on my nightstand and take time to read for pleasure. The people at work read a lot, too, so it's been a good influence. I just finished a re-read of To Kill a Mockingbird last night, and I really, really enjoyed it. I forgot what a fabulous character/narrator Scout Finch is. One of my literary favorites, in fact, right up there with Holden Caulfield. It's really a great feeling when you read a book that was writen almost 50 years ago in 2006 and realize how timeless and fresh it still is.

Prior to TKAM (as it was known in my 10th grade English class), I finally wrapped up The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which was lengthy, but also a real winner. Whether or not you're into comic books, Michael Chabon does a great job of developing his characters and really roping you into his story of Josef Kavalier and his cousin Sammy Clay, after Josef escapes Nazi-invaded Prague and begins his new 'American' life in Brooklyn. If you don't want to take my word for it, both TKAM and Kavalier & Clay were Pulitzer Prize winners, so someone more important than I am thinks they're worth a read or re-read, too!

Today I finally started My Friend Leonard, which I'd been eager to receive from bn.com. I'm only about 60 pages into it and I'm already hooked! So far it's as good (if not better) than A Million Little Pieces. Then again, it's probably because once you have the background story it doesn't take much for you to invest in the continuation of James Frey's story. This book, after all, essentially picks up exactly where A Million Little Pieces left off.

-Football: Between last week's memorable Rose Bowl and Saturday's awesome (but one we'll want to forget) Redskins win, it's been a great stretch for football. In case you missed the Rose Bowl, or rather, in case you haven't read Bill Simmons' Page 2 column on it, it's definitely worth a read, if not for the pop culture references he manages to sprinkle in, then for his ability to perfectly articulate just what you're thinking. Having the Redskins in the postseason has made it easier to get through the work week, and it's a pretty unbelievable to think that if they actually pull out a win on Saturday against the Seahawks (they'll probably need more than 120 offensive yards to do it...), they'll be in the NFC Championship. The thought of that almost seems wrong, so rather than even go that far I'll just say it's been a great season and we've fared better than any Skins fan could have imagined.

-Movies: In a nutshell, I loved "King Kong" (yes, first hour should have been condensed into 15 minutes, but when I'm paying $10 anyway I'm not really going to complain), could not get enough of the ape-on-dinosaur battles, and though I was only watching out of one of my eyes for the gross bug scenes, I loved those parts, too. (Does this mean I might actually like "Lord of the Rings"???)

At the other end of the movie spectrum, I also immensely enjoyed "Brokeback Mountain." Without trying to sound like a movie critic, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal (moreso Heath-- we all wish we could forget "A Knight's Tale," among others) really gave the performance of their lives. For a movie overshadowed by all the "gay cowboy" talk, this was ultimately a really well-written and beautifully-acted love story. It was touching, and I was moved. And yes, I cried, but then again it doesn't take much (my eyes may have watered for King Kong, I'm not sure).

-Television: The good and bad news is, new TV starts up again this week. As of right now, FOX has my attention, namely for the two day, 4-hour season premiere of 24 next Sunday and Monday. That just has trouble written all over it. On the heels of that, we get to start up a whole new season of entertainment and drama on American Idol on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, though, FOX may have lost me for the O.C. There may have been questions about it before, but with the return of Marisa's sister as the new bad girl on the block, it's clear they've jumped the shark on this one. Check please!

-Music: I've actually been in one of those "blah" moods lately, overwhelmed by the list of artists in my iPod, needing to take a break and possibly re-discover something or find something new to grab my attention. For now, my attempt at that is with the highly-acclaimed Antony & The Johnsons album from this year, I am a Bird Now. From what I can gather so far, this album seems like it will be a hit or miss with people, mainly because "he sings like a bluesy opera singer and switches timbre from masculine to feminine in the space of a breath. " I'm digging it so far, though, for its romantic but also mournful tone. Below I've posted two tracks from the album, one featuring guest Rufus Wainwright. Talk about some power vocalists on that one. Good stuff.

You are my Sister

What Can I Do? (with Rufus Wainwright)

So there's my wrap-up. As you can see I've been very busy. As always, thanks for understanding.

Happy New Year/Hail to the Redskins!

So... it's 2006. Weird. That means ten years ago was 1996. I feel old. Anyway, last night's celebration was fun (went to a party w/ Huan & Molly) considering I generally don't look forward to ringing in the new year, it being the most overhyped and overrated "holiday" there is. That said, if you have low expectations and just go to a party with fun people, you should be ok, as parties with fun people are usually fun anyway, regardless of it being Dec. 31.

Anywho, in other news, if Jan. 1 is any indication of how 2006 will go, things look pretty good. I watched 8 episodes of Sex and the City this morning with Molly, during which we paused for a much-needed McDonald's break. Then, I came home to watch the Redskins "run the table" and complete an improbable 5-game winning streak to end the regular season and launch them into the playoffs! Next, I get to enjoy some of my mom's homemade Pho for dinner. All of this was done in the comfort of my pajamas. No complaints here. My resolution for 2006, as of now, is to get my lazy butt back into shape and into my regular exercise routine, since the Holidays left me plump and sedentary (see above description and multiply by 100).

Cheers to all for a happy and healthy 2006!

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