deepseacatfish

Get better soon, I have an uncle who is in a similar situation and has been in and out of the hospitals more times than I'd like to recall. We're rooting for you.

Have a great one

Thanks guys, I think I'm taken care of

Have a happy one!

Woah, quick turnaround.

If anyone would be kind enough, I would love to get a YSI of this show, my network doesn't allow any sort of torrent stuff

Things that are wrong...

More interest in convenience/cheapness than anything else whether it be in products, services, or anything.

Less investment in cooperative interests than personal interests.

In my mind most things stem out of that, if this country thought more cooperatively we wouldn't have issues with universal health-care, homelessness, and likely crime as well. There are more things I'm sure, but I just think it's a quality that isn't nearly stressed or reinforced enough.

Convenience can be a good thing, but I think it also leads people to be lazy. Not buying local foods because Wal-Mart makes shopping cheaper--and "easier" is just sad, companies willing to outsource work to foreign countries to provide cost-cuts and therefore cheapness to their consumers, convenience in not having to walk to a bus-stop when you can just drive yourself. Being thoughtful about how money is spent and moved and how your time is spent is important, but I think the general cultural message of American spending is cheaper! convenient! Sometimes taking extra time or paying extra money results in a better quality of life. Jeez.

Sounds excellent, nice work

Bit rate does matter substantially, just compare 64kbps with 128kbps and you'll see a huge difference. The farther you go up the less "noticeable" the difference will be.

On standard systems and headphones most listeners probably won't notice any substantial differences in audio quality with anything at about 128kbps or above, but there are significant pieces of the music missing. I rip at 192kbps which for most purposes sounds fine to me, however, it is noticeable when I am listening to actual albums in higher fidelity settings that there is a fuller, more complete sound. That said, obviously smaller mp3's are more convenient, so often more practical for daily usage. The differences in audio quality would be particularly noticeable if you were doing audio editing, as there are literally pieces of the sound missing because of the sampling formulas, but just listening this is much less obvious.

I don't imagine hi-fi will go away, but I certainly think that there's more of a move for convenience over fidelity.

Just got around to downloading this. My first impression is that I really like it, sounds very organic compared to Hail to the Thief, definitely liking it more so far.

Ted came off as really genuinely friendly and great when I met him after they came to Grinnell a couple years back. I hope things get better for him.

You guys covered the setlist nicely! Andrew Bird played a nice short set himself and had to take off to head for Indianapolis (which was too bad because it seemed like he might have made an appearance for Jesus Etc. had he been around).

Wilco was in top form, I was right below Nels--who was goofy and wild and having a great time. Pat was busting out the rock moves left and right and Jeff seemed to be really enjoying the whole thing. Too Far Apart was fantastic, and definitely showed the band at a rocking peak. It was great to see It's Just That Simple, and Outtasite was a perfect close to the show. Lots of fun. And unlike the last Wilco show I saw (Davenport) no drunken brawls! Hurray!

Caught Ms. Yvon after the show too Wooo!

Oh, and did anyone else see the guitar tech in the mask during one of the breaks? Masked Hater????

Ms Yvon! Hurray!

I'll be there, but I'm a music major, so I'm throwing all yer stats.

I really wasn't a big fan of presidential candidate version Al Gore, but the environmentalist Al Gore is a much more practical, human, and reasonable person who I think has done a lot to advance general awareness and initiatives to do something about global warming. Say what you will, but I salute the guy for that.

If he ran for president again I'd smack him.

The Beatles-White Album

Definitely the first record I remember playing over and over. It's an album that's just grown with me as I've gotten older and have understood more about it. There's always something new to find in it and the huge range of the album is its beauty.

John Coltrane-A Love Supreme

An album that I think everybody should own. I had heard jazz live before and appreciated it, but this was my first jazz album. It's an absolutely amazing piece of music and probably the most transcendent example of jazz that I've ever heard.

Wilco-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Not only did this album introduce me to Wilco, but it was an album that truly sounded contemporary and completely relevant to me. The sonic palette and depth of this record is just amazing.

Steve Reich-Music for 18 Musicians

This piece exploded the boundaries of classical music for me.

"No, no,

Yeah, that's true. I think in the case of AGIB O'Rourke definitely had that sort of a role, I can't remember what he's credited as there.

Ob-la-di Ob-la-da.

Definitely my least favorite, and I adore the rest of the album.

I've been meaning to come back to campus and visit sometime...

That looks seriously tasty.

I've got a spare futon mattress (Speed Racer could even attest to this)

Well technically Sky Blue Sky is produced by Wilco, it was mixed by Jim Scott (?) I think, though.

It seems to me like in the case of (recent) Wilco records, the mixing fulfills more of the final production process, and the band really just guides the rest of it.

It's about time for a new cooking thread, at least that's what I think. Feel free to share your edible delights and I'll be sure to share mine. Oh and Rachel Ray isn't invited.

Tonights Dish:

Curried black beans and wild rice

The ingredients:

Black beans, wild rice, cucumber, chives, (spicy) green pepper, garlic, curry powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cumin, and lime.

Many of these can be easily substituted, and often I like to add chicken or other meats to this. The chives, cucumber, and lime should sit in the fridge until the very end to keep cold and fresh. Everything else can be cut up and prepared immediately, rock.

I've got a rice cooker, so that's pretty self-explanatory, your rice experiences may vary.

First I like to brown the garlic a bit to bring out it's flavor, this stuff is from my local CSA so it's pretty awesome and potent.

Then I add the green pepper, which is a bastard child mix of bell pepper and a hot pepper the people at my CSA people grow, it's great.

Next the black beans and some extra water, just to make sure things don't dry out. At this point I just simmer the beans until they're all mushy and pasty, if you don't have a lot of time just squish them heating more quickly, it's a-okay! While you're waiting for the rice to finish you are afforded the perfect opportunity to have a beer, bourbon, or other drink, teh do it!

Okay, the rice is done, I just add that in along with all the spices. It smells pretty awesome at this point. I like to add a little more water here as it helps the consistency.

Okee! Now I add in most of the chives and mix them around quickly...almost done!

Drop everything into a bowl, spread the cucumber onto the top along with the rest of the chives and squeeze some lime juice onto it. Hurray! The cinnamon and ginger gives it a nice vaguely sweet flavor, the consistency is kind of a thick dal almost, real filling and delicious. The cucumber provides a nice contrasting texture (crunchy and cold), and the slightly spicy pepper along with a couple of the other spices gives it a mild bite.

Nice. Yeah, I think it is hard to let go of an album for an artist and stick it in somebody else's hands. Sometimes things benefit the most from really drastic changes, other times it's just those little sound tweaks that can make or break the whole sound. Having someone you trust is probably the most important bit, and certainly experience can't help (and neither can a really finely tuned ear). I think one area where producers can be more aware than artists is in terms of spacing, both in the whole album sense and in how much "space" there is in a given song with panning and number of instruments and the fullness of sound. That's where I think an album like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot really shines in its production work.

Yes, production can completely screw up a really great song. But a weak song will always be a weak song. Good production can make it more interesting, but it will still be a weak song and won't stand up to repeated listens.

Eh, I kind of disagree here.

I think the role of a good producer is not only just to color a song so it sounds more interesting (or conversely more boring) but they also should be in a position to make suggestions as to the whole nature of the songs and the songwriting process. I think the best producers are those people who are intuitively able to hear a greater sound of an entire "album" in the rough sketches of songs that are presented to them. It's not only being able to fit together the pieces of songs to bring out their best elements, but also fitting together songs to create cohesion...and sometimes that means re-writing or reconceptualizing music. I think really great producers are few and far between, and they're often the people who push great musicians to make their best work.

Welcome!

 

Questionnaire time

 

What's your favourite alcoholic drink?

AC/DC or Black Sabbath?

The Who or the Kinks?

Do you think Flight of the Conchords is funny?

Do you exercise at all?

What do you think about Kitkat bars and the proper way to eat them?

Thongs, sexy or disgusting?

Do you know anyone that plays second life?

Are you overly familiar with the location of the wilco loft?

Sufjan Stevens, awesome or snooze-fest?

Are you anyone's alter and will you be changing your avatar/handle every month?

Canadians - fuck 'em or love 'em?

Teh awesome.

Oh, and welcome new dude!

The White Album takes the cake every time.

Must Owns -

 

Village Green

Arthur or the decline. . ..

Lola vs. powerman

Muswell Hillbillies

 

(I'm a sucker fo the first four as well, even though they are pretty stright forward)

Awesome. Thanks, I own Village Green and Muswell Hillbillies, but I'll look to pick up the rest