WATERTOWN

Sinatra's epic weeping monument to loneliness and the pure heartbreak of destroyed relationships. Not the Sinatra we in the Italian-American community are used to and possibly are annoyed by...instead, a highly emotional and colorful odyssey through the mind of a lonely suburban divorcee trying to figure it all out. You can realy tell how he made his transition to acting after listening to this shit, if you couldn't before. In other words, not really lounge/party music...more like groovy jams in the orange light of neardusk (which you may know I'm very much into). Possibly one of the most bittersweet albums ever made, with basslines that will slap your heart around with their awesome funkiness. Poppy desperation at its best. A must-hear. A lost gem. Wow.

MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION

Sometimes I post on this site to spread the word; with this particular album, though, I'm pretty confident the word has already been spread. One of the coolest things about these guys being so popular, for me, is that they operate on (pretty much) the exact level of weird beauty that makes me feel at home, if a spaceship can be a home. I think these guys are, for me, kind of a modern-day Pink Floyd, or what that band was for so many people in the 60's and 70's.

Still, I have to write something about it. I always pretty much assume that many of you out there are, like me, a little wary of hype. So if you trust me, let me break down that wall for ya.

This album is really just fantastic.

This record gives me a very strange feeling, one of the pleasantest feelings I've ever hosted. It's the same feeling I get from certain Coltrane albums, Hendrix jams, and other things like closed-eye motionlessness. I'll try to describe it:

strong-streaming-air-cylinder-core-presence-with-very-pleasant-wet-weight-in-mouth

That, of course, is pretty bad. When I sit and listen to these jams, my world slows down and I get this funny feeling that my breath becomes an unnoticeable column that ends very kindly in my mouth. I'm not doing any kind of exercise or anything like that, it just happens. It's definitely healing music.

Naturally, I can't guarantee that this will happen for you. But I can say that when you feel the room of your life getting uncomfortably small, take a listen to this guy. It should do something for ya.

Underwater Peoples

I'm always surprised to see people I associated with in college being publicized. At the end of living on the beach for a week and hanging with my family (they say "hi") I've been checking up on the internet while burning as many CD's from my parents as I possibly can (Inner Circle, Jethro Tull, Floyd, sitar music), and I came across a post on Underwater Peoples on naturalismo. The people responsible for this little label of vigilant bliss were friends of friends, but I hung with some of them very briefly. Anyway, Real Estate and Family Portrait are two of my favorite bands. I love them and wish I knew them better, not because they are somewhat internet famous, but because they are good. I love their music, and now you will too.

(Brody is in both of these pictures because he's super-handsome.)

MOTIVATION

Not music related, but definitely worth noting.

http://www.sloshspot.com/blog/12-31-2008/Hunter-S-Thompson-Motivational-Posters-98

"I love being motivated I LOVE BEING MOTIVATED!!!" - Nathan Explosion

Jesus christ.

http://www.mastodonrocks.com/node/1110

This is shaping up to be the best concert year of my entire fucking life.

GOD IS GOOD

SHRINEBUILDER

Yes, this is what the Shrinebuilder album looks like.