Chendizzle

I just saw the recently released War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death, released by the Media Education Foundation, a non-profit out of Northampton, MA and it was excellent.

The movie is based on Norman Solomon's book, and he acts as the only talking head present in the movie. The movie attempts to deconstruct the propaganda that US Presidents have fed us every time a war is looming and shows how once the momentum kicks in, how hard it is to stop. It also really shows how complacent the media was in the build up to Iraq - it was a fucking national disgrace.

I don't know how widespread the release is, but give a shot if you have the chance.

All I have to say is now that we have penetrated the myth surrounding Iraq, we need to keep our eyes on the situation with Iran. The players are in place and the stage is being set once again.

MANNY! MANNY!

That's why I love Manny. He is going to go out there and try to win, but he also knows how to keep thing in a cosmic perspective. As much as I want the Sox to come through the rest of the series, I know there will always be another year. Manny also knows there are more important things in life, and for him that includes blazing tree.

Yeah the thing going on in Maine is a little sketch. I mean they won't be just handing it out in the nurses office, but they seem to be having an issue with teen pregnancy. I'd start with a really comprehensive (read as: not abinstinence only) sex-education program starting when they first enter middle school.

'Twas a bit tongue in cheek. I give Amnesiac a hard time, because it is my least favorite Radiohead effort, and I'm not one to kneel at the altar of Yorke and praise every thing he's done. "Pyramid Song" and "Knives Out" are the best of that disc, I'd say (although I prefer the Flaming Lips cover of "Knives Out" to the original)

Life in a Glass House is top 10 Radiohead songs. I said it.

I Might Be Wrong is rockin' too.

They already perfected Morning Bell on Kid A, no reason for it here.

Exact same for me. I downloaded it for free because I would never pay for mp3s of any bitrate, but I plan to buy the cd and vinyl when released.

 

160 bitrate is a bit low, but they asked people to put their own price so its totally fair. I would normally rip in 256 bitrate.

I did the opposite, gave them $10 now so that I wouldn't feel guilty about just Oinking the CD later

DIME

 

Its got alot of radiohead stuff on there not just that. I got 2 other radiohead dvds also. Also tons of other great bands. Tons of Wilco. My fav place but been hearing things about OINK and hear thats better.

How's the quality? Cause with Radiohead's way of doing things, the official Bonnaroo DVD Thom said he wanted to do will be out in 10+ years. I lost my password or my account expired to Dime. Darn.

I'm with you Kalle...numbers and all.

 

4 times front row for Wilco, got to be part of the North Hampton and Boston shows this year as the official song guesser.

Northampton is one word

The coolest show I've ever been to was Broken Social Scene with Feist opening at Pearl St In Northampton. J Mascis played with them, and I met a bunch of the band after the show. Feist talked with me and my friends for a while and signed something for me. Now I see her on Apple commercials.

Looking back on 2006, there are only 4 albums I'd consider reaaalllly great: Boys and Girls in America, Yellow House, Shut Up I Am Dreaming, and Palo Santo.

Here are some super duper albums from 2007:

The National - Boxer

Radiohead - In Rainbows

Okkervil River - The Stage Names

Kanye West - Graduation

Aniomal Collective - Strawberry Jam

Elliott Smith - New Moon

Kevin Drew - Spirit If

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

Dinosaur Jr - Beyond

Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha

Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover

Akron/Family - Love is Simple

The Snake The Cross The Crown - Cotton Teeth

Menomena - Friend and Foe

Handsome Furs - Plague Park

Kings of Leon - Because of the Times

Ted Leo - Living with the Living

Feist - The Reminder

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

Do Make Say Think - You, You're a History in Rust

Here are some other great albums that I don't know yet if they will stand the test of time, but so far I have really liked:

Deer Tick - War Elephant

Go! Team - Proof of Youth

Thurston Moore - Trees Outside the Academy

Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger

Hallelujah the Hills - Collective Psychosis Begone

Panda Bear - Person Pitch

Justice - Cross

This album is a lot like Boxer or Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, it may not have the instant classic songs of older albums, but it's damn cohesive, and like both albums mentioned above, doesn't have a bad track. Also: EIGHT MORE freakin new songs on the way.

But then again...

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM TAAAAALKING ABOUT!

I think Treefingers is one the most necessary and perfectly placed tracks ive ever heard on an album. After the first four tracks you need a second to catch your breath and thats what Treefingers is and then you kick right into Optimisitc...its pretty perfect.

Exactly. And it's a lot cooler when you realize Ed did it all on guitar.

I have a question for all the big radiohead fans. I just recently downloaded some radiohead concert dvds like from Bonnaroo and others. They didnt come with artwork. Do you know of a site that hosts stuff like that? I'd like to have a cover for my case.

Where did you get Bonnaroo from?

I just want to reiterate that 2007 has been amazing for music.

I live in Amherst and drive the buses around part-time as I am a student here. The other day when I was driving a bus and saw a person with long grey hair and a track jacket on walking their dog across the street. Unfortunately they had their back to me the whole time so I couldn't see if it was J as I suspected. This past Friday night I was at Hampshire College for a secret Thurston Moore noise show and spotted the same track jacket and sure enough it was J standing there with Kim Gordon. We left around the same time so on our way out I said, "Hey J, I love you man" and in his nasally voice he said "Aw thanks." I was happy enough that he was nice to me considering his rep.

And yes, YLAOM is one of the greatest albums ever.

I like In Rainbows a lot.

VCers don't seem to like Kid A that much. It will always be my favorite, def a 10/10 album.

Really? I think that's the only stinker on it!

Come on, that song is pure sexiness!

Still, as an aside, I just caught myself singing, "Got no income tax, no VAT, no money-back, no guarantee" to the intro to Weird Fishes/Arpeggi.

I've been singing "I get eaten by the worms...AND WEIRD FISHES!" all day.

Whew...what a day with this album.

15 Step is great, I love what they did with the drums. House of Cards is the sexiest song ever. Faust Arp is really cool.

But Videotape... . I'm sad Jonny's part is gone, that guitar crescendo really worked in the song. I still love Thom's voice and the lyrics are ace, I love Ed's part in the middle, the percussion at the end is interesting...but it's no Jonny. Still a good song, almost made me cry on first listen.

Rest of the album is indeed looking good, I still need like 10 more listens until I have a grasp on it. Of course it's no Kid A, but I really like the direction they went in and the songs all came out pretty great. They each have little parts that make me go wow. Thom sounds fantastic, him and Ed sound angelic at times (Arpeggi). Nude came out great. Ahhh so much to say about this, but time to listen to it again until I go see The National tonight (talk about a great day of music).

3 and a half hours!!!

160 kbps? Doh. (Although truthfully my ears probably couldn't tell difference between that and 192 or 320).

So 10am UK time = 5am EST?

Radiohead are amazing. Right now they are proving why they are probably the most important band out there. I could not be more hyped up - the 10th doesn't arrive soon enough!!!

In my hometown we have Mary Jane Ave, which is located off High St. There is also Pleasant St. connected to those two. Good times.

It's official: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is my fave Spoon album.

i like this more than the last BSS (which was great, just produced terribly)

 

bummed/annoyed they/he aren't coming here this tour

They only have like 5 North American dates, I'm sure they will expand their tour.

Seriously though, BSS is one of the best live bands around. Their current scaled-back lineup isn't quite as exciting, but Kevin and Brendan still bring it every night and Justin is a monster drummer. It also sucks Whiteman is busy with Apostle of Hustle, but Andrew Kenny fills in nicely.

Shame about the fucking dickhead who graffitied over the Figure 8 wall

I don't know why there isn't more talk about this album. It's excellent, one of my favorites of the year (and what a stacked year it has been). Backed Out on The... has become my summer jam.