Converse's Three Artists/One Song Campaign

I think that I still have a fondness for Chuck Taylor All-Stars because they scream rock'n'roll to me. They embody that spirit of "cool" from back when I wasn't. Converse has always had, I think, a connection to music.

So it made sense to me that Converse has been involved with a "Three Artists/One Song" campaign where they invite, well, three artists to collaborate on a song. There are two that dropped fairly recently that are both kickass in their own rights.

In February 2012, Converse debuted DoYaThing is a collaboration between Gorillaz, Andre3000, and James Murphy (of LCD Soundsystem fame). It's this RapPop song that is as amazing as you might imagine. It's whimsical and booty-shaking fantasy, as you might imagine from arguably the three most...interesting artists of recent memory.

In April 2012, they debuted Warrior provides a more conventional counterpoint to DoYaThing's outlandish whimsy. It's a collaboration between Mark Foster (of Foster the People), Kimbra (featured on that Gotye song. You know the one.), and A-Trak (whose claim to fame seems to be developing a notation system for scratching). It's a really lovely pop song that features Kimbra on lead vocals and gets stuck in your head for days.

It looks like you can download both songs for free on the Converse website and, if you feel so inclined, buy a pair of kicks designed by Gorillaz. And they're both awesome so, you know, pick up some sweet new tunes.

Cabin Fever, ftw!

Erin McKeown, who is one of my favorite artists, has a series of webcasted live concerts called Cabin Fever.

The first four episodes of Cabin Fever were done in conjunction with the release of her latest album, Hundreds of Lions. She lives in a cabin and performed each of the episodes at various places on her property. My favorite was the episode where she performed acoustic covers of songs about water from the middle of her river. Seriously.

The thing that I admire most about McKeown is her fearless, DIY approach to making music. She self-released her first record, Monday Morning Cold, and toured to promote it without the help (financial and otherwise) of a major label. Hundreds of Lions, McKeown's sixth studio album, was released on Ani DiFranco's label, Righteous Babe records, and McKeown used Cabin Fever as a way to help pay for the record.

Fast forward to SuperBowl Sunday.

McKeown announced that she would be doing a fifth installment of Cabin Fever, this time with a sports theme. And it was awesome. She started with the National Anthem (done a billion times better than Xtina, btw) that was followed by a ridiculously awesome cover of Kurtis Blow's Basketball.

Cabin Fever V lasted for about 50 minutes and featured appearances by several guests including Carrie Rodriguez, Scott McCaughey, and Ryan Montbleau. Montbleau's song about the four most hated players in the NFL was both awesomely performed and seriously funny. You can watch it here. And you should.

McKeown closed the show with her own version of the hip hop hit Green and Yellow. It was about the most adorable thing I'd ever seen. You can see it on her blog. And you should.

All in all, Cabin Fever V was a great way to kickoff SuperBowl Sunday. All of the Cabin Fever episodes, including this one, are available for viewing.

ps--If you live in the StL, you can see Ms. McKeown along with Carrie Rodriguez and Mary Gauthier on Feburary 14th at the Old Rock House as part of the Acoustic Cafe Tour.

Book news a-go-go

Two book-related things worth mentioning:

First:
Do you own an ereader? I do. The Dude cashed in a bunch of AmEx points to buy me a Nook in a a Gift of the Magi-esque turn of events for which I am forever grateful to him.

I spent a lot of time considering what kind of e-reader I wanted. I rarely buy books anymore since I can get most of what I want to read through MPOW. I sometimes have to wait to read a just-released book, but there are very few books for which this is a deal breaker. So when I was thinking about buying an e-reader, I knew that I would want to have one that was compatible with Overdrive books which do DRM management through Adobe Editions.

This blog post at ProfHacker caught my attention because it talks about Calibre, a piece of software which allows you to convert ebooks from their native format to whatever format your e-reader requires. As long as the title in question passes the DRM sniff-test, you're good to go.

Second:
NPR Books is doing a virtual books club with Unbroken, Laura 'Seabiscuit' Hillenbrand's new book that they're calling a "a book-club-meets-social-media experiment."

Virtual book clubs aren't new--the Onion AV Club does a really cool one. What sets this apart, though, is that the author is involved with this one. Hillenbrand is doing interviews, Q&As, and a live chat through the course of the month.

If you're interested in jumping into the chatter, you can get all the details here. This post gives you everything you need to get started and directs you to the NPR Books' Facebook page and Twitter hashtag so you can start chatting.

I'm going to pick up Hillenbrand's book today so that I can be part of the awesomeness.

Resolved: You're not sunk. Yet.

If you're into making New Year's resolutions, the beginning of February is, historically-speaking, a time to pat yourself on the back or to sound the death knell on your dreams of a life transformed.

According to two really interesting blog posts (one is health related; one comes from the Harvard Business Review) I read today, you might want to hold off on declaring those resolutions dead if you're truly interested in transformation.

MizFit suggests that we take our Big Hairy Audacious Goals for the year and break them down into bite-size pieces. She points out that doing that makes them seem less scary and, thus, more attainable. She also lays out an example of how to do it.

The Harvard Business Review piece suggests that we think about our Big Hairy Audacious Goals more specifically. How exactly will we change that thing that needs changing and how will we know when our work is done? The piece also suggests that we use a technique called mental contrasting which, essentially, makes us all warm and fuzzy (what cool things can we expect as a result of reaching our goals?) while making us think realistically about what it will take for us to achieve our goals.

The New Year is a good time for making resolutions, but I know that not everybody does it that way. I feel like the concepts in these two pieces are good no matter when you decide to pursue a change in your life.

The two take-away points for me are this:
1. Just because you didn't make huge strides on your resolutions doesn't mean you can't regroup and start over. There's nothing wrong with adjusting your plans after figuring out why you haven't been able to make progress on your goals.

2. Good goals are concrete and measurable and have mini-milestones along the way. Knowing the ways in which you wish your life were different is a good starting point for change. As un-glamorous as it seems, building in markers for assessment makes it easier to figure out when you've met the goal and whether you're moving closer to it. Celebrating mini-milestones is one thing I need to be better about, especially when a goal will take a long time to achieve.

What about you? Are you doing well on keeping your New Year's resolutions? Got any tips?

In which Mrs. Dude eats her words

Disclaimer: This isn't a proper review of either the new Decemberists album(The King is Dead) or the new Bright Eyes album (The People's Key).

I've had pretty clear views on both The Decemberists and Bright Eyes for a while now. Which is to say, I don't really dig on either of them.

I'm a simple girl with simple tastes in music. I like bands who play really good, really fun music. My favorite bands right now are The Hold Steady and Drive-By Truckers. And though both are making awesome music, neither is doing much to reinvent the proverbial rock-n-roll wheel.

I have never liked bands who created music that struck me as both too concept-y and not very well executed. Do something weird with style and I'll give you mad props even if I don't really like you--after all, Kanye West's newest release made my Best of 2010 list.

On first listen, new releases from both The Decemberists and Bright Eyes have really resonated with me. I think the reason that I'm enjoying both of these is that, at their core, they're both really good rock records.

The moral of the story, I think, is that you have to be open to being surprised by music or risk missing really good stuff.

Top 10 albums of 2010

They say that what you do on New Year's Day is what you'll be doing the most during the upcoming year, so I'm blogging.

2010 was an awesome year in music, especially when compared to 2009. There are a few albums on the horizon for 2011 that I'm jazzed about (R.E.M. and Drive-By Truckers come to mind immediately). But let's pause for a moment to give 2010 its due.

My top ten albums of 2010:

10. Treats by Sleigh Bells
I wanted to dislike this album, but it was so good that I couldn't. See, I'm a lyrics person, and you can't really hear the lyrics on this album. Musically, speaking, it's amazing. And I think that's what eventually made me fall in love with it. It is literally what happens when a hardcore band crosses with a pop star. Miller's heavy beats provide just the right counter-point to Krauss' light, airy vocals. It took me a few listens, but it finally broke me down.

9. Childish Gambino--I am just a rapper 1 and 2
Donald Glover might be better known for his turn as Troy on the NBC sitcom Community. But Glover's talents extend far beyond his turn as a writer (30 Rock), a comic, and an actor. In 2010, Glover released three albums under the "stage name" Childish Gambino. The two that caught my eye were the "I am just a rapper" mixtapes. On these recordings, Glover raps over indie songs from bands like Sleigh Bells, Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, and St. Vincent. His talent is nothing short of epic, especially when you consider that his music is self-produced and given away at no charge. Glover's rhymes are wittier and better conceived than Drake, to whom I often compare him. So if you're thinking of buying Drake's album, save the money and get better rhymes.

8. The Hold Steady--Heaven is Whenever
Finn and co. return with an album full of twisted tales and catchy melodies. If Constructive Summer is about growing older, Heaven is Whenever seems to me to be about redemption. This isn't my favorite THS album (Boys and Girls in America earns that honor), but it's really good. And it's totally worth a listen. From "The Weekenders," a down-tempo wistful ditty to "Rock Problems," an up-tempo song with a catchy hook, Heaven is Whenever is a rock'n'roll album with few missteps. As an aside, part of the reason that THS earned this spot on my list is that I saw them live in November in Columbia, Mo. and they were awesome.

7. Gorillaz--Plastic Beach
I have never really loved anything by Gorillaz. They seemed like too much of a novelty act for my taste. But, on Plastic Beach, the novelty works to their advantage. Heavy on guest artists, including Snoop Dog and Mos Def, this albums treks from whimsy (Superfast jellyfish) to sober (Plastic Beach) and back.

6. Drive-By Truckers--The Big To-Do
I will admit that DBT is currently my favorite act, so I might have given this album a lower spot on my list. As much as I thought this album worked well as individual tracks, it didn't always work as an album. It felt disjointed in places as it varied so much in both the tone and tempo of the songs. That being said, all of the songs are awesome. DBT has a knack for writing really great songs that are either alt country or southern rock in their sound. This might not be a starting point for DBT newbies, but it is certainly a wonderful addition to the catalog.

5. Kanye West--My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Okay. I admit it. It's good. If you know my complicated views on Kanye West, you know just how hard it was to admit that. And if I'm honest, this album probably should've been higher on my list. But I can't do it. Nearly every track on this album is perfect. But nearly every track is also self-indulgent. Clearly West is a genius, but his need to be alienating and weird makes me hate him for nearly every reason that I hate modernist authors. My favorite track on this album, hands down, is "Monster." Niki Minaj, channeling Lil' Kim, just kills it.

4. The Black Keys--Brothers
This album got a lot of hype before I finally checked it out. Turns out the hype is not a mistake--i's pretty much perfect from beginning to end. Bluesy and with biting lyrics, this album is one of the gems of 2010.

3. LCD Soundsystem--This is happening
Like Gorillaz, I was never a fan of LCD Soundsystem. But this album made it hard not to love them. Nearly every track on this album is over five minutes. The shortest, Drunk Girls, clocks in at 3:42. The longest, You wanted a hit, is 9:06. Each track is equally dance-able and fun.

2. The Roots--How I got over
My husband talked this album up for nearly 2 months before I was finally willing to give it a listen. I was instantly hooked. This album felt like a mish-mash of formats that fall under the umbrella of "hip-hop," though it didn't feel disjointed or fake. The Roots moved deftly between rap, reggae, and jazz and the album featured guests from John Legend to Joanna Newsom.

1. The National--High violet
I feel like it's anti-climatic to put High violet at the top of my list. Everyone I know talked this album up, and I'm always a little skeptical of an album that is that beloved. But when I finally got around to listening to this album, I knew upon my first listen that it would top my list. 2010 was kind of a crappy year for me, and I often found myself wanting to drown in moody, atmospheric music. High violet is both moody and atmospheric. Even on songs that weren't inherently sad, Matt Berninger's vocals left an introspective and melancholy impression. High violet affected me in a way that no other album did in 2010.

What do you think? Where did I get it wrong? What do you wish had been on this list?

The one where Mrs. Dude blogs about her "real life"

I realize that it's probably poor form to blog about therapy.

In the course of conversation, my therapist and I agreed that I have a hard time differentiating between choosing to take something on because it's what I want to do and when I take something on to be accepted.

2010 has been a year filled with really amazing highs and really crappy lows. I have been blessed, both personally and professionally, to have lots of awesome opportunities. Among other things, starting in January I'm spending six months in a leadership program put on by the American Library Association.

It seems to me that there are two problems with not being clear on why I choose to add things to my life:
1. I have a lot of things going on--some that I care deeply about and some that I don't. And it's hard to know which is which.
2. I end up not being able to give anything my full attention because I'm so busy doing everything. Doing everything half-assed is not as good as doing some things with my whole ass.

I have a sense of the things that drive me, give me personal satisfaction, and (to be cheesy) nurture me:
--creating: writing, crafting, cooking
--absorbing: reading, watching movies, listening to music
--learning: service to others, professional development, taking classes

I want 2011 to be about personal transformation. I want it to be about becoming clear on what's important to me and learning to say no to the things that I'm not passionate about.

Change is hard. Inertia is easy. But if you're not 100% happy with who you are and 100% satisfied with the life you lead, change is the only answer.

Look for more writing here in the coming year, both review-related and otherwise. And look forward to journeying with me and holding me accountable.

Question: What do you want 2011 to "be about" for you?

Rest assured I was on the internet within minutes registering my displeasure!

10 observations about the Degrassi: The Boiling Point finale:


Spoilers, ahoy! Don't say I didn't warn you!

1. Generally, I felt like it was kind of 'meh.' They built up to this episode for like a month and that's what we get? I feel like the writers built up to a point when all that was left was to kill Eli but they couldn't do it because everyone liked him too much. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that Eli didn't get the 'Rick' treatment or go the way of 'JT,' but for all of the "we go there" boasting that Degrassi does, it felt like they took it 90 yards, but just couldn't take it to the logical end that they were building up to.

2. Eli is totally the new Craig.

3. Drew hooking up with Bianca clearly violates the 'bros before hoes' rule. Drew already has a girlfriend. Or had, maybe, it depends on how mad Alli is at him. Did he forget how Adam was crushing on her? If he did, they might want to check him for football-related brain trauma because it was two episodes ago and he got in a fight over it. Seriously, dude. What's your damage?

4. PS--What's the deal with everybody being hot for Bianca? She's like a skankier, sluttier version of Mia.

5. The HollyJ strip tease? I feel conflicted. I love the HollyJ/Sav pairing even more than the HollyJ/Declan pairing, so I was cheering for them. On the other hand, I feel like the Shark in the Water was actually the shark that Degrassi was jumping in this episode.

6. On the subject of hooking up: What kind of school do these kids go to that they can just run off to the boiler room or the band room to hook up?

7. Zane and Riley totally deserved to win homecoming kings. Who in their right mind ships Alli and Drew? I like the Zane/Riley pairing, and it's nice that we're not playing 'Trapped in the Closet with Riley' anymore. But I feel like Zane and Riley are like two episodes away from turning into the boring couple that Marco and Dylan turned into.

8. If they wanted to up the awkward to 11, they should've crowned Jenna and KC. Hey...where were Jenna and KC in this episode?

9. I love Clare. She's the new, more sympathetic version of Emma. She's adorable, even if she basically ruined everything for everyone for the rest of the season by setting off that ridiculous Rube Goldberg machine-esque chain of events that ended with Fitz not killing Eli. But she did it for Eli, who is pretty much the Lloyd Dobler to her Diane Court.

10. I miss Declan. When is Declan coming back?

10 observations about Degrassi: The Boiling Point

My love for Degrassi: The Next Generation is deep. I've watched it from the beginning (I know I'm 31. Shut up.) and kind of lost interest midway through last season. But since you can take a break from Degrassi, but you can never truly quit it, I got sucked back in this Summer.

Teen Nick is doing this Telanovela-style airing of of Season 10 and calling it "Degrassi: The Boiling Point," which shall be known from this point on as DTBP. I'm lazy...that's why.

If you watched the promos for DTBP, you heard them say that it's leading up to the most explosive thing that's ever happened at Degrassi.

*record scratch*

Seriously? Did you forget about that time that JT got stabbed? Or what about the time that Rick shot Jimmy Drake Jimmy?

Seriously DTPB...you need to bring it to top the drama of the past 9 seasons.

Anyway, I have a few observations I'd like to make. There are DTBP spoilers in here, so tread lightly if you aren't caught up.

Ahem...

1. Claire is the new Emma. I guess this means that Eli is the new Sean. And yet...that doesn't quite feel right. Either way, I want Eli to put the moves on Claire so badly that it hurts. I yell at my TV every time they're in a scene together and he doesn't kiss her.

2. Ali is the new Manny. Which makes Drew the new Craig, I guess. I can see that, kinda, except that Craig is cute and plays the guitar which totally makes up for the fact that he's kind of a jerk sometimes.

3. I'm ready for Riley to come out already. I know he's all 'I can't play football and be openly gay,' but dude...Dylan played hockey and and was out. And hockey is way more popular in Canada than football.

*spoiler alert! spoiler alert!*

4. I totally called the upcoming storyline about Adam. As in, I texted a friend and said 'Adam is trans, right?'

5. I don't care about KC at all. Or Jenna.

6. I like Sav. I hope that he gets some better storylines ASAP. Between the fake pregnancy and the stolent truck, he is heading toward Toby territory. And we know how that turned out.

7. I lied. Drew isn't the new Craig--Declan is. He's a messed up hottie with (I think) a heart of gold.

8. I also don't really care about Dave and his two sidekicks. I care so little about them, in fact, that I don't even know their names.

9. I feel like Fiona is the newer, richer version of Alex. I keep waiting for her to make out with Holly J. Because, of course, Holly J is the new Paige.

10. Who is that one girl who kind of looks like Mia? Yeah...I still don't know.

Craft Leftovers

I aspire to be significantly more crafty than I currently am. I also aspire to live more sustainably than I currently do.

I suspect this is why Kristin Roach's blog, Craft Leftovers, appeals to me so much.

Craft Leftovers is all about being creative and crafty with the space and things you already have. The life that Roach advocates for is thrifty, it's sustainable, and it's awesome.

Roach doesn't just focus on crafty stuff. She talks about how to make one's space more aesthetically pleasing and how to make stuff to solve everyday problems. She also focuses on how to be more thrifty in the kitchen.

Craft Leftovers is peppered with tutorials and at least once a week I'm inspired to try something new.

If you're crafty, thrifty, eco-friendly, or just looking for some inspiration, I encourage you to give Craft Leftovers a look-see.

Be the change you want to see

Being a teenager sucks. A lot. I am not so far removed from my teenage years that I have magically forgotten how hard it was to be me as a teenager.

The thing I remember most vividly about my teenage experience was that I was sure that I was the only person feeling how I felt. I was sure that my classmates had it together and that I was the only one falling apart on the inside. I assumed that my pain was different, was special.

When I heard the premise of MTV's new series, If you really knew me, it is being kind to say that I was skeptical.

BTW--If you want a cool recap/review of If you really knew me, I recommend KBestOliver's review at Mamapop. She put it better than I ever could.

MTV is known for shows that exploit the pain of teenagers(16 and Prenant, anyone?) or glorify bratty teenagers' love for excess (I'm looking at you, My Super Sweet 16). So why would a show that chronicles the experiences of teenagers as they go through Challenge Day be any less exploitative?

The thing is, MTV found a way to melt my icy, jaded heart with this show and I think it has more to do with the awesomeness that is "Challenge Day" than in MTV's careful treatment of the experience of Challenge Day participants.

The Challenge Day experience speaks to me for three reasons:
1. It gives students permission to stop feeling shame. The students do an exercise called 'If you really knew me' where they get to tell the people in their group what it's like to be them. It doesn't really matter what you're going through or how your pain compares to the person sitting next to you. The exercise gives students the chance to speak their truths. And naming your pain is the first step to turning off the shame that resonates inside of you.

2. It teaches students that they are not the only ones experiencing the things they're going through. The students do an exercise called 'Crossing the line' where the Challenge Day facilitator reads a series of statements and students are asked to cross the line that is taped to the floor if that statement applies to them. Crossing the line shows students that there are people in their school who face the same demons that they do. And those who don't cross the line are encouraged to flash the sign for 'love' to show support for those whose situations they do not face.

3. It asks students to become the change they want to see in the world. In the first episode, Challenge Day ends with the facilitators asking students what they will do to change their school. Challenge Day assumes that each student has within them the power to affect change and asks students to take responsibility for that power.

I would be lying if I said that this show didn't affect me. And honestly, I don't know how the teenage version of me would've reacted to seeing this show. It certainly appeals to the 31-year-old version of me that passionately believe in Becoming the Change you want to see in this world.

This show filled me with so much love, so much hope, that I forgot it was an MTV joint. Well played, MTV.

What did you think? Did you love it? Hate it?

2010=Made of awesome

To commemorate how awesome 2010 has been so far in music, I made a list. Want to hear it? Here it goes...

Good:
Gorillaz--Plastic Beach
Neon Trees--Habits
Black Keys--Brothers

Better:
The Hold Steady--Heaven in Whenever
Drive-By Truckers--The Big To-Do

Best:
LCD Soundsystem--This is Happening

The award for most overrated release goes to: Vampire Weekend for Contra, their 'meh' followup to their eponymous debut.

My husband will tell you that I should've put the Big Boi album on my list. Go bug him about putting up his own list and tell him I sent you.

There are some albums that I want to check out but haven't yet:
High violet (The National)
Treats (Sleigh Bells)
White crosses (Against Me)
Shout it out (Hanson--blame The Sound of Young America for this one)
Culdesac (Childish Gambino)

What are your favorite albums of 2010 so far? Leave a comment!

Veronica Mars movie isn't dead yet (it's just sleeping)

In this blog post by Michael Ausiello, he talks about how a Veronica Mars movie might still be a possibility. Apparently Rob Thomas (the TV dude--not the Matchbox 20 frontman) has a pitch and a treatment and everything.

And, as Thomas points out, the franchise does have an expiration date. Read: Kristen Bell ain't getting any younger. He does talk about how he would be interested in seeing Mars as a grownup which, I suppose, extends the movie's shelf life a little bit.

I don't usually recycle links from the interwebs on my blog, but I wanted to toss this one around a little bit. I loved the first season of Veronica Mars. If you've never seen it, you should. For me, it was the freshest, most inventive show with a teenage lead since My So-Called Life or Freaks and Geeks. Veronica was complex, troubled, and snarky. And I loved her.

I felt way less strongly about Seasons 2 and 3. Without getting all spoilery up in here, I basically felt like Mars was way more detached from both of those "mysteries" than she was with the one in Season 1. Season 2 gave us Mac, played by the lovely Tina Majorino, so it wasn't a total loss.

The idea of a Veronica Mars movie kind of turns my stomach. If I knew it could be as interesting and engaging as Season 1, I'd be down for it. But if it's going to be a good-in-concept trainwreck like the rest of the season, I'd rather just leave the Veronica Mars gang in the past and see Thomas bring a new set of characters to the big screen.

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

I'm not a big fan of the "literary novel." In fact, with few exceptions, I tend to steer clear of them. My taste in literature trends toward the more...inane.

I stumbled across Colm Toibin's Brooklyn, the story of Eilis Lacey's journey from Ireland to Brooklyn and the new life she makes for herself there, quite by accident. And for the first 50 or so pages, I wasn't sure I was going to stick with it.

But somewhere along the way, Eilis' story captivated me in a way that I wasn't entirely prepared for.

Eilis' prospects in her hometown of Enniscorthy are few and far between. So when her older sister, Rose, meets Father Flood, a Brooklyn-based priest visiting home, at the golf club, a plan is put into motion for Eilis to move to Brooklyn. Once there, her life begins to flourish in unexpected ways. A job, an education, and a romance all begin to transform Eilis from a meek girl into a capable young lady.

Toibin captures not only the essence of the Irish immigrant experience, but also the development of our young heroine from girl to woman. I'm not a big fan of male authors writing female characters, but Toibin does so with great skill.

A short read at only 262 pages, Brooklyn is well worth the investment of time it would take to read it.

Tegan and Sara achieve Sainthood

A couple of weeks ago, I heard Hell, the first single off this album, while I was in my car. I was kind of in shock at how much it...rocked. I turned it up so loud that my car shook.

In a lot of way, Sainthood is a departure from the sound you're used to hearing from Tegan and Sara. For one thing, there are way more rock and electronica influences. You might attribute the chances they took, sonically, to Chris Walla's production. You might attribute it to Tegan's work with AFI bassist Hunter Burgan. Or you might attribute it to Tegan and Sara's collaboration with Tiesto on his remix of their song 'Back in Your Head.'

The thing that hasn't changed, though, is the way in which the sisters can write a lyric that stops you in your tracks. Gut wrenchingly honest, the duo treks through the muddy, murky waters of the way in which we sacrifice ourselves for those we love and who we hope will love us back.

For me, the aforementioned 'Hell' and the album-closing 'Someday' were the best songs on the album. Other standouts included 'Alligator' (a total earworm) and 'The Ocean' (careful: this catchy chorus is hard to shake). Fans of Tegan and Sara's...folksier sound need not worry. The earnest song 'Sentimental tune,' a track that sounds eerily like their earlier song 'And Darling,' is a throwback track that would fit in on any track from If it was you.

There was only one song that just didn't work for me: Night watch. It wasn't bad, necessarily, but I did think it lacked cohesiveness. And on an album full of standouts, a 'meh' track is hard to ignore.

Overall, I'm a fan of Sainthood. It's totally worth the investment.

White Rabbits at the Firebird: Local-ish boys made good

If you were at Firebird last night, you got a little taste of the Brooklyn music scene. You also got what felt very much like a homecoming show for the headliner.

White Rabbits, a band who got its start at Mizzou, came across as catchy and technically proficient on their album It's Frightening. The album was good, but if I'm being honest, it struck me as neither exceptional nor memorable.

The show last night blew me away and unseated Matt&Kim for the best show I've seen in 2009.

The short set was tight, and though there were a lot of musicians on stage, their sound wasn't muddy and none of the musicians stepped on each other's toes. They played songs that I recognized from the new album--Percussion Gun, Company I keep, and Midnight and I were standouts--but they also managed to pull out what I could only assume was some older stuff. They were engaging and kept the crowd interested. I rarely say this, but I could've done with a smidge more crowd interaction. The length of the set didn't lend itself to much banter, but they sometimes didn't pause between songs--something that is always a little off-putting for me when I want to clap.

There were two opening acts--one of which I really dug (Suckers) and one of which (Glass Ghost) didn't really work for me.

I give Glass Ghost an 'A' for effort--they played bulk of their set with a singer/keyboard player and a drummer. But the singer just didn't "sell it" in a way that convinced me he was anything more than either disinterested or terrified. I am curious to hear the album, though, to see if their setup works better that way.

I loved (loved!) Suckers. Read this article to get the gist of why they're so awesome. My husband and I thought they sounded a little bit like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah or TV on the Radio. Their music was interesting and their set was tight. Clearly they're skilled musicians, even if I didn't always get what they were doing. They featured 'two' lead vocalists who carried the band through their range of music and a drummer who was amazing.

Overall, it was a fantastic homecoming of sorts with an enthusiastic crowd and skilled musicians.

NPR's All Songs Considered and the Top Songs of Aught Nine...so far

I just finished listening to the All Songs Considered podcast from July (yes...July!) where they asked listeners to vote on their top songs and albums of 2009 at that point.

The top 5 songs were:
1. My girls by Animal Collective
2. Two weeks by Grizzly Bear
3. Blood bank by Bon Iver
4. The Rake's song by The Decemberists
5. Zero by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

If you want to see the whole list, go here. The blog also has clips from some of these songs.

I couldn't really argue with the list. I mean, I don't really dig on Animal Collective, but that song was pretty hot. I might've put the Bon Iver song closer to the top and I would've had a Phoenix track or something by Passion Pit in the Top 5 (on the podcast, Liztomania was no. 6 but on the blog it's no. 5).

Anyway...check it out if you're interested.

Mike Doughty at the Duck Room

This is a 'things I love' blog. As such, I don't spend much time dwelling on things that suck. It's just more fun for me, the author, to write about those things that are awesome. And the more fun it is for me to write, the more fun it is for you to read.

That having been said, I have to start out this review by saying that this concert "experience" was the worst I've ever had. There were these guys standing behind me that would. not. shut. up. Seriously...for the entire show, they were either talking really loudly or singing really loudly. And no amount of looks or subtle 'hey...do you mind?' comments would shut them up. They were hell bent on being "those guys" at this show. They were clearly fans of Doughty because they knew all the words to all the songs. Doughty himself even had to ask the audience to 'take it down a level' not once but twice.

The best part of the evening was when the lady next to me lost her shit and yelled at Doughty.

The exchange went something like this:
Lady: Do you ever go to someone's job and take the broom out of their hands?
Doughty: Huh?
Lady (slower): Do you ever go to someone's job and take the broom out of their hands?
Doughty: Uh...no?
Lady: Those guys (pointing behind her) are stealing your broom, Dude.

The guys didn't get booted, but at least her public shaming shut them up for five seconds. I would love to buy this lady a beer. Do you know her?

That having been said, the show was pretty awesome. I think the venue wasn't quite right, but Mike Doughty and Scrap were awesome. It was a "Question Jar" show, which meant that Doughty played acoustic guitar and his only accompaniment was Andrew 'Scrap' Livingston on the cello or bass guitar. It also means that the audience got to submit questions which Doughty and Scrap answered during the course of the evening.

Turns out that Doughty won't play at your wedding, loves cherry sno cones, would go to the 1982 Knoxville World's Fair in a Time Machine, loves Steinbeck, and only sometimes misses the drugs. Also, he's still f***ing that chicken.

The limitations of playing an acoustic set meant that Doughty had to make careful choices about which songs he could tackle. Some of his catalog just doesn't stand up to that kind of limitation. But he did pull out a couple of surprises--top among them was Saint Louise is Listening. He also played a lot of songs you'd expect him to play in a setting like that--Janine, Unsingable name, Madeline and Nine, I Hear the Bells. He pimped the new album, playing about half of it. Standouts included (He's got the) Whole World (in His hands) and (You should be) Doubly (Gratified).

Staying true to his roots, his "fake last song" before the encore was from his Soul Coughing days--Soft Serve--and was, for my money, the highlight of the evening.

I was worried about the Question Jar element of the evening. Stage banter is good, but only if the person doing it is witty enough to make you care. Good singers, it is my experience, aren't always great at banter. It was nice, though, the way that Scrap and Doughty managed to interact and answer questions thoughtfully.

I think the Duck Room wasn't a great venue for this show. I'd never been there before but some frustrated post-show tweets lead me to believe that it isn't a good venue for bands who want the quiet, intimate show that a space that small has the potential to provide. I'm not sure, though, what would've been better. Off Broadway, perhaps? The only thing I know for sure is that I will probably not go back to the Duck Room any time soon.

Overall, a good show. Not a great show, but that was more to do with the venue and the concert goers than the performer.

Erin McKeown's Hundreds of Lions

Erin McKeown's new album, Hundreds of Lions, is something I've been anticipating for a while. Recorded without support from a major label on the front end, this is McKeown's first album of original music since 2005's We Will Become Like Birds and her first collaboration with Ani DiFranco's label, Righteous Babe.

One thing I really appreciate about McKeown as an artist is her capacity to challenge me as a listener. Her new album, Hundreds of Lions, is no exception. The creative freedom that comes from not having having major label support is evident from all of the risks that McKeown takes. And I, for one, dig it.

Always lyrically nimble, McKeown spends a lot of this album experimenting sonically. The first time through, the rich arrangements threw me. Strings, a drum machine, and birds all serve as accompaniment on tracks throughout the album.

Even with a more complex sound, McKeown is very meticulous in making sure that nothing is extraneous. And after a second listen, I could see that every instrument added a necessary layer of richness and depth to songs with inspired lyrics.

McKeown seems to have found a comfortable home among the songs she covered on Sing You Sinners. Though original tunes, standouts like To a Hammer, The Lions, and The Rascals all could've been covers of long-ago written standards. And McKeown shines when she's playing witty, carefully crafted songs with a vintage feel.

For my money, though, the best track is You, Sailor. Previously released on McKeown's live album, Lafayette, the studio version takes an already beautiful song and breathes new life into it.

It may take you more than one listen to crack through its shell, but I assure you that Hundreds of Lions is worth the work.

Best music of Aught Nine...so far?

For the past couple of years, The Dude and I have done a "best music of the year" list. And every year, December rolls around and I feel like there's so much music I haven't listened to.

So let me break it down for you.

So far, I've enjoyed:
Grand--Matt&Kim
Fantasies--Metric
Sad Man Happy Man--Mike Doughty
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix--Phoenix
It's frightening--White Rabbits
Manners--Passion Pit

October's new releases that I'm excited about:
Hundreds of Lions--Erin McKeown
Sainthood--Tegan and Sara

So here's the question: What have you loved that isn't on this list?

Leave a comment and fill me in.