Matthew Sweet

So I've been on a mid 90's modern rock kick as of late. Reminds me of undergrad and firing up the discman (what?) while walking down Geddes to class.

Matthew Sweet - Where You Get Love

Matthew Sweet - We're the Same

Christmas in Hollis

I seem to remember linking to this video last year, so this might be an annual thing. Jess summed it up best, I think: "Awwwwwww yeah."

Sol.illaquists of Sound

Respekt to Pandora for introducing me to these guys.

Today's artist: Sol.illaquists of Sound. Similar to Sage Francis / Non-Prophets. Perhaps a bit more hard core in their lyrics, yet the whole vibe is somehow more chill. Vegan backpacker hip hop is diverse like that.

Official Website (w/ flash mp3 player)

SoS on Myspace

As if we existed (mp3)

Gift of Gab, et. al.

Half of Blackalicious sharing some intricate lyricism to get you going on a Wednesday morning.



Motion Man, KutMasta Kurt, & Gift Of Gab - 1 Time For Your Mind

Video of the day - 11/21/06

Mos Def - Umi Says

Politics - 11/07/06

Borat is here to inspire you to vote.

Artist of the day: Panacea

video - Starlite


Buy CD


Panacea on Myspace


colorfulstorms.com

Metablogging

When I decided to start a blog, it started off as I imagine many blogs do: With ideas of sharing all kinds of cool insights and entertaining stories with friends. That was the idea, anyway. As it turns out, I have discovered that I'm neither insightful nor entertaining. And I can't write worth beans either. Hence, the monthly posting schedule.

As an aside, I can't wait until VH1 gets around to doing "I love the aughts" or whatever. They'll undoubtedly make fun of the blogging phenomenon in a way that makes us laugh and feel embarrassed.

Anyway, I choose not to be deterred by my disdain for writing. I still enjoy sports and music, and I'd like to share some of that with people. So don't be surprised if 95% of the content here ends up being from YouTube. I'll end up posting a lot of artists I discover, as well as some music videos from back in the day. Or at least that's the plan...

Video of the Day - 9/29/06

Pep Love - T.A.M.I.



Have a great weekend, all....

How the rest go?

Placebo

While wasting time on the internet a number of months ago, I came across a review of Placebo's first CD written on this guy's blog. He recounts how he first discovered one of my favorite musical groups, so I might as well tell my story.

It was back in '96 or '97, which means I must have been living somewhere on Geddes at the time. It was a day when MTV still played some music videos, but the transition to its current form was underway. One of my favorite shows at the time was 120 Minutes, which I believe was hosted by Matt Pinfield at the time. The video for Nancy Boy came on, and I decided to pick up the CD next time I made it down to Wherehouse. Since then, I have worn that disc out. It seems to find its way into heavy rotation in my car during the summer - especially on the way to the golf course, for whatever reason.

Since then, I've acquired five more albums for Placebo. Tracks range from ballads, straight rocking out, or the 9 minute soliloquy-in-a-trance. I've posted a few of my favorite songs from various albums below. YouTube has literally hundreds of Placebo music videos as well, one of which I've included. Enjoy.



Placebo - Lady of the Flowers

Placebo - Pure Morning

Placebo - Special K

Placebo - Special Needs

Placebo - Infra-Red




Placebo - Twenty Years

Lucky Charms

For those of you who haven't yet seen it, there is apparently a Leprechaun in Alabama.




By itself, that's some funny shit. Even better is the remix:





One of my coworkers actually has that clip as his ringtone.

Monthly Post - August 2006

Damn, you f***ers are pushy!

Here are some links to keep you occupied...

Bo is a grumpy old man.

DJ Joey A. In the house.

Del is at the Pig on October 24th. Mark your calendars.



Giant Panda - yet another noteworthy act you've probably not heard of. Which is unfortunate. On my to-do list is a more thorough review, which hopefully will happen at some point. In the meantime, here's the best that youtube has to offer: a live clip of "Super Fly" which is one of the best tracks on the CD.

Video of the day - 7/06/06

Crown City Rockers - B-Boy






100% pure hip-hop. Not from concentrate.

Why I love my job

Cheers.

For a glimpse into T's world, I give you my work schedule from last night.

12:00 - 12:20: Arrive at work. Bullshit with afternoon staff.

12:20 - 12:35: Walk a patient and her family up to the child and adolescent unit.

12:35 - 1:00: Check email, ESPN.com, various blogs of interest

1:00 - 3:00: Watch Deadwood Season 2 on DVD. Eat lunch.

3:00 - 4:00: Poke around on YouTube for music videos. Update blog. (Zounds!) Bullshit with coworkers who aren't sleeping at the time.

4:00 - 5:00: Watch more Deadwood.

5:00 - 5:05: Go up to the cafeteria for free ice cream. Employee appreciation week! Yay!

5:05 - 6:30: Eat ice cream. More Deadwood. (Thank god for Netflix, by the way).

6:30 - 6:35: Upstairs for more ice cream.

6:35 - 7:30: Finish DVD. Complain to coworkers that "my tummy hurts."

7:30 - 7:35: Deposit DVDs in mailbox. Drink half a pot of coffee.

7:35 - 8:00: Update blog while listening to Pandora.

8:00 - 8:10: Morning shift arrives. Complain about how busy we were.

8:10: Go home.


One of the biggest mistakes they made here at the hospitals was updating to computers with DVD drives.

Don't hate.

Video of the Day - 6/09/06

ESPN NBA Basketball - Tracy Morgan





I know I'm getting pretty lazy with these posts, but damn if YouTube isn't the greatest.

Video of the Day - 6/08/06

Placebo - Song to Say Goodbye





One of these days, I'll spend some time explaining how Placebo is one of the best bands you've never heard of. Until then, enjoy...

Video of the Day - 6/05/06

Camp Lo - Luchini

Skippy. It's Time.

Lions fans' Super Bowl is this Saturday and Sunday. Some brief thoughts on the upcoming festivities:

• One of the great things about the draft is the obscene amount of irresponsible speculation that leads up to it. Name me another sport where the amateur draft gets this much coverage. Most of the time, this is a good thing. But it seems as though the more time is spent dissecting prospects and their attributes, the more ridiculous the opinions become. Merril Hoge suggested on SportsCenter 2 weeks ago that neither Leinart nor Young were worthy of a first round pick - Leinart because of his perceived lack of arm strength, and Young because of his delivery and lack of time under center. Suffice it to say that this is ludicrous. Young may or may not be the next Michael Vick, but Leinart will be in the Pro Bowl in four years. Which brings me to my next point:
• Anybody who passes on Leinart will be sorry. I can see how the Texans could come to the conclusion that they should take Reggie Bush - speedy blah shifty blah Gale Sayers blah blah. For a moment, let's forget the inevitability of Bush spending the majority of his seven year career on the injured list. One very important fact makes Leinart the right pick in this situation: The gap in talent between the best and worst starting QB in the NFL is much bigger than that for running backs. The Pro-Bowler you drafted in the 7th round is much more likely to lining up seven yards in the backfield than under center. That being said...
• I don't envy the position that the Saints are in. I still feel as though Leinart would be the right choice, but he wouldn't contribute on that team for at least a year or two. If you believe that Mario Williams is the next Julius Peppers, I can see how you'd justify selecting him with the second pick, especially considering the historical inaptitude of the Saints' defense. Hell, I might even consider A.J. Hawk. Let's not forget though, that the 2 best seasons of Brees' career came with top 5 pick right on his heels on the depth chart.
• Part of me hates to say this, but the best case scenario for Detroit would be for Hawk to drop to them at #9, although it won't happen. I think there's some truth to the Spielman comparisons.
• The consensus seems to be that Huff will be the guy when Millen and company are on the clock, and this seems to be a good thing. Ever since the "Ty Law rules" were put into effect a few seasons ago, we've seen a shift in the nature of NFL secondaries. Gone are the days of the shutdown corner. In this day and age, your Pro Bowl CBs are the intelligent guys who understand the intricacies of the zone defense, and have the agility to quickly close the seams in the zone when the ball is in the air, and make a solid tackle. Sorry kids, but Charles Woodson is not headed to Honolulu anytime soon.
• As a result of this trend, we're seeing the emergence of versatile safeties. Guys like Williams, Reed, and Polamalu are as likely to return an INT 90 yards as they are to separate you from your cranium. (To the Batcave!) Part of this trend is probably related to the increased athleticism of TEs, but that's another story. Some are saying that Huff has the speed and hips to play CB as well, which is great. Especially considering that all the king's horses and all the king's men are still working on Fernando Bryant.
• Anybody baffled by Michigan's 7-5 season should look to this year's draft for reasons why. The only guy who's a lock to go on day one is one of the biggest underachievers in school history. Avant is a solid if unspectacular possession receiver (Future social worker. Respect.) and there's the two meh O lineman that will go on day 2, if at all. No Braylon. No Perry. No Hutchinson. See what I mean?
• I would not be surprised (disgusted maybe, but not surprised) to see the Lions take a QB in the first round.
• With all of the OSU guys being drafted (especially on defense), why are the Buckeyes in the National Championship discussion? Is Troy Smith actually that good?
• Vince Young analogy: Drafting him in the top 10 is like doubling down on 12.

As Promised

Something very interesting happens when people badger me about updating the blog. I catch an attitude and cripple their computers. Ha! Prepare as I revert you to papyrus.

Deltron 3030 - Virus - (buy)

It's been a long time. We shouldn'a left you...

Apologies to all. I too, am a delinquent blogger.

Today's group is Binary Star. I originally came across these guys by listening to OneBeLo (also known as OneManArmy), who prior to his solo venture, was one of the original members of Binary. These cats hail from Pontiac, and their first release - Waterworld - is a reference to their home state. Waterworld was later "re-arranged" and released as Masters of the Universe on Subterraneous Records.

Binary Star had broken up prior to the release of M.O.T.U., so there's not much of an opportunity to see them live. It actually sounds like the breakup was acrimonious at best - Senim Silla uses the liner notes to gripe about all the money OBL still owes him. But whatever. It's a quality CD. Much of the appeal of M.O.T.U. has to do with its lack of over-production, as opposed to the other 90% of hip hop that's being distributed in the last 5 years. The beats are simple yet catchy, which allows the listener to appreciate the main appeal of this duo - their lyricism.

Here's a couple of tracks. Make your way over to the Subterraneous site or allmusic for some more history. I'll also include a single by OneBeLo, off his solo record S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. I dare you to not bob your head to the beat.



Binary Star - KGB - (buy)

Binary Star - New Hip Hop

Binary Star - Conquistadors


OneBeLo - enecS eht no kcaB - (buy)

Old School Wednesday

Whodini - I'm a Ho -- (buy)

Whodini - Friends

Treacherous Three - Body Rock -- (buy)

Spoonie G - Love Rap

Kool & the Gang - Get Down on It -- (buy)

Gap Band - Party Train -- (buy)

Gap Band - You Dropped a Bomb on Me

...And there was much rejoicing.

DiAllo Johnson taught him this move



Have a nice life, Jim Herrmann!

Oh Leon....

Playmakers.mp3

Bueno / No Bueno 2/10/06

Bueno: Techno-remixes of cartoon theme songs:

Alpha Team - Speed Racer

No Bueno: Tayshaun Prince's hurt feelings

Bueno: Parodies of ESPN.com

No Bueno: My January Detroit Edison bill

Bueno: Season 5 of 24

No Bueno: Having to wait for Season 3 of Deadwood

Bueno: DC Ron English

No Bueno: You just know Herrman is going to light up the NFL now.

Bueno: Some music to usher in the weekend...


Mos Def & Massive Attack - I against I - (buy)

Eric B & Rakim - Don't sweat the Technique - (buy)

Eric B & Rakim - Casualties of War

Diamond D & Psychotic Neurotics - Sally got a one track Mind - (buy)

Pearl Jam - Hard to Imagine - (buy)

Steve Winwood - Valerie - (buy)

Eric Prydz - Call on Me

Rhymin' and (not) Stealin'

So during the course of my occasional posts here, I've realized that the method of posting audio and video is far from user-friendly. Having to download each track is frankly a pain, especially if you're at work and trying to do it on the D.L. I've arrived at a solution: links that lead directly to the tracks themselves (assuming you have WMP as your default.)

My lack of CSS expertise leads me to list the following disclaimer here, rather than in the sidebar:

Tracks posted here are intended for the promotion of the artists and the music itself. If you represent any of these artists, and you would like the content in question removed, email me. It will be done with the quickness.

Otherwise, check out some of the songs I post. If nothing else, this blog affords me the opportunity to share some of my eccentric musical tastes, and maybe turn some people on to artists they've yet to discover.

I should also mention that many of the videos I link to were originally posted at a couple of great blogs for hip-hop videos:

The Video Crates

&

Old School Music Videos

So go ahead and stop by once in while. And make sure your computer at work has speakers.

Gangstarr - Jazz Thing (video)

D-Nice - Crumbs on the Table (video)

Pep Love - T.A.M.I. - (buy)

RJD2 - 1976 - (buy)

Beware the Rockbiter

Yeah. I don't have anything clever to say today. Just needed to share this ridiculous picture of Graham Brown.


Speaking of ridiculous, how about some more catchy flash animation?


Steve Spacek - Dollar - (buy)

Aceyalone - Fire - (buy)

Xmas 2006 wishlist....

Actually, yes. Diddy does love TiVo....

It looks as though TiVo has announced the release of their Series 3 DVR in late 2006. Check out this video from CES.

General Elektriks - Tu M'intrigues - (more free, legal downloads)

Wordsworth - Shoulder - (buy)