Top 10 Albums of 2005

Well, it certainly has been a while. I really, really haven't been up to much since I last left you in the middle of December. I hope everyone's Christmas/Hannukah/whatever was great, and that the New Year was brought in with a bang. I know mine was. Sitting in my living room, alone, sipping/gulping rum and coke and listening to music, then turning on the tv at 11:58 to watch the ball drop then turning it off at 12:01. Back to my booze and music. Good times.

Anyway, now for the purpose of this post. Toward the end of the year, all the entertainment newspapers and whatnot do their Top 10 of (insert year here). Some people I know do that too. So I thought to myself, "i don't really know when things are released... so I can't really do that. But I can make a list of my own." So I have decided to do just that. This is my Top 10 Albums of 2005. This list contains my 10 favorite albums that I have purchased or burned or whatever this year, whether they be fresh out the recording studio, or been sitting in the record store for months or even years.

If I haven't heard it, it's new to me.

Top 10 (Purchased or Otherwise Acquired) Albums of 2005
10. U2, The Best of 1980-1990 (Island 1998) - I have kissed and made up with U2. I used to have something against them, I think it was that song "Beautiful Day." I don't know why I hated them because of that song. But then I heard "Vertigo" and I was all like "ooooooooh. that's right." But then I realized that there were a lot of U2 songs that I enjoyed. And they all seemed to be from the 80s. Luckily for me, there was a "Best of" CD that covered most of those songs. I purchased it. And I enjoy it. The Gap is lessening... dare I say: I like U2. Track Check: #3 With or Without You; #8 I Will Follow
9. The Fray, How to Save a Life, (Sony 2005) - A disc I bought on a whim one trip to NYC. Almost irritatingly Pop-y, but Indie enough for the street-cred, I think. There was a moment there where I thought they were Christian, but they're just so catchy, I'm willing to overlook that fact, if it be true. Track Check: #2 Over My Head (Cable Car)
8. Doves, Some Cities, (Capitol 2005) - This was one of the many CDs on this list recommended to me by the kind staff at Manifest Discs & Tapes in Charlotte, NC. I own no other album like this one. I find this album energizing, the kind of fast rock that makes you bob your head, makes you shake your whole body. Track Check: #2 Black and White Town; #10 Sky Starts Falling
7. Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism, (Barsuk 2003) - This is another album that I should have purchased long ago, but I never got around to it because I was trying to borrow it from a friend to burn it, but that plan fell through. Thus I didn't purchase it until around October of this year. Anyway, it's Indie. What can I say? Though many of the songs sound similar, it's not necessarily a bad thing. It's fun, and the title track is epic. Love it. Track Check: #3 Title and Registration; #7 Transatlanticism
6. Bain Mattox, Prizefighter (2005) - The band's sophomore album. It shows a real growth in the music and lyrics of lead singer of the same name. Though considerably less Pop-y than their first album released three years ago, and with less emphasis on their more eclectic instrumentation including banjo, mandolin and accordion, it definitely has the potential of mainstream appeal. Track Check: #4 Prizefighter; #11 Closer To Me
5. Coldplay, X&Y, (Capitol 2005) - It took me a long time to jump on this bandwagon and I now eat the words I misguidedly muttered back in 2000: I hate Coldplay. I LOVE Coldplay. They are wonderful. This album has the most expansive sound of the three, but it isn't a diminishing trait in the least. Track Check: #4 Fix You; #5 Talk; #11 Swallowed in the Sea
4. Various Artists, Garden State Soundtrack (Sony 2004) - I can gladly say that I had plans to purchase this CD before Friendly Manifest Employee walked by as I held it and told me that it was great. I already knew it would be. The movie instantly became one of my favorites, and the soundtrack is so perfect, you scarcely notice it's there, but at the same time, you're all too aware of it. Track Check: #3 Zero 7 - In The Waiting Line; #5 Colin Hay - I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You; #12 Frou Frou - Let Go
3. Coldplay, Parachutes, (Capitol 2000) - This first album grabbed me and sucked me in, chewed me and swallowed me up. There's not one track on this album that I hate. Every single song brings back memories of good times. Simple, but up-beat and enveloping. The words embed themselves in your memory. Track Check: #2 Shiver; #3 Spies; #5 Yellow; #6 Trouble
2. Duncan Sheik, Duncan Sheik, (Atlantic/Wea 1996) - This was one of my last purchases of the year. It was a hard sucker to hunt down, beginning in October. Best Buy: nope. Circut City had it on its website: nope. My mom couldn't find it for Christmas. I finally found it 12/29 at... dun dun dun, big surprise: Manifest. I have fond memories and flashbacks of the big single "Barely Breathing." I have also fallen in love with a majority of the other songs as well. It's pretty much all I've listened to for the past 4 days, and it brought me into the new year. It pretty much seems to sum up the 90s for me. I'm in love. Track Check: #1 She Runs Away; #3 Barely Breathing; #6 Serena; #11 Little Hands
1. Damien Rice, O, (Vector Recordings 2003) - This album, again, is a recommendation from that friendly Manifest staff member. Originally I wasn't going to buy it that fateful day back in March, but Mary Ann persuaded me otherwise. One of the best musical decisions of my life. This album has seen me through elation, sadness... mostly sadness. It's a very sad, touching album. It unfortunately reminds me of a depressing time last March, but the greatness of the music and the power of the lyrics enable it to still exist as one of my favorite albums of all time. Track Check: #1 Delicate; #3 The Blower's Daughter; #4 Cannonball; #9 I Remember

Well I hope that was as entertaining for you to read as it was for me to write. And I hope it was perhaps informative and helpful. Until next time...

Hier siehst du ein Baby.

Wow, guys. I found this today on some random person's blog, and I just had to pass it along to you. This is how you make babies in Germany. Complete with descriptions and really creepy pictures. It's in german, so you can use google translate if you're curious as to what it says. Enjoy the fun pictures! Hahaha.

Catch you later...

I am thankful for my headcold

Welp, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thankgiving. Mine wasn't bad at all. I got to spend time with family who I haven't seen in years. It was pretty fun. Unfortunately, I'm beginning to think I'm allergic to animals because now I have a terrible cold, and no one else in the house was sick. But there were 3 cats and 2 dogs. And the dogs kinda smelled bad. So there's that. Now I can't hear very well, my nose is stuffed, and I can't talk very well because my cold seems to be restricting the movement of my vocal cords. But all is well, I suppose. I only have 2 more weeks of classes, then a week of finals, and then I get to go home to my beloved Charlotte. Ah, Charlotte, how I have missed you and all your characters. But that's another topic for another day. Right now I'm going to share with you one of the adventures I had over the break.

On Saturday, my cousins Danielle and Jason, and I went into NYC to meet our other cousin Nick (and his girlfriend) and hang out. While Nick went to meet his girlfriend at the trainstation, Danielle, Jason, and I went to Madame Toussaud's wax museum. It was highly entertaining. I got to meet a bunch of important famous people. I had an very hilarious and enthralling conversation with Woody Allen. And then George Clooney proposed to me at a lovely little table next to Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts. Then we made our way over to Usher, who made out with Danielle. I then got to meet Napoleon, Albert Einstein, and the Kennedys. Then later posed for a photo shoot with the Beatles. Then I addressed the public with Richard Nixon. Lastly, I got to chat with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane while Jason groped Jessica Simpson. It was all very exciting and fun.

After that we had a very interesting time walking around the East Village where we met this band from LA at a Starbucks. They're called The Hanks. The lead singer, Josh, let me listen to them on his CD player, and they were pretty good actually. Wouldn't mind owning that CD. Then Danielle told him he looked like Tobey Maguire... which he kinda did. Then as they were leaving, she asked him when Spiderman 3 was coming out, then proceeded to sing the Spiderman song. Loads of family fun. Haha.

On an entirely different note... I'm trying to do this photo scavenger hunt. I have a list of 26 things to photograph, and I think I only have about 11 or so... I have to get moving. I only have until December 1st. I'll post the results here when (if) I get them done. Until then...

Bain Mattox, Prizefighter

Okay, I warned you that this was coming. I've been listening to this album for a solid five days now, so I have a good feel for it. So without further ado... here's my two cents:

This is definitely one of the best albums I've purchased all year. And I've purchased a lot this year. I mean, this album was contending with the likes of Damien Rice's O, Doves' Some Cities, all three of Coldplay's albums, and other pretty good CDs (because I don't buy bad ones, haha). But Bain Mattox's Prizefighter could possibly even be one of the best albums of 2005, in my opionion.

If you've never heard their first album, the self-titled Bain Mattox, you're missing out. But if you miss out on hearing this new one, well you might as well live under a rock. While it features the same unique instrumentation like banjo, accordion, mandolin, and acousitic guitars as the first album, Prizefighter has a much darker, heavier sound, that, at times, is reminiscent of Counting Crows, Coldplay, and even a little Red House Painters. It makes the band's maturation plainly obvious. And though Mattox has always proven himself to be quite the wordsmith, the lyrics are even more amazing and moving. You can really see, or rather hear, how much the band has grown over past couple years since their first album release. Well worth the money, I'd say.

And if you find them in a town near you, you owe it to yourself to go see them. A high energy performance is just what you need to really experience such great music. I love Bain Mattox. Going to see Mary Prankster (who never actually showed to the gig) the day after Christmas 2003 with Amy is one of the best things we've ever done on a whim. We got to see Bain, and former band member Count Kellam, the man who played the saw (oh, yeah, and Red Perspective ;) ).

http://www.bainmattox.com

Bain Mattox: God of Accordions, Mandolins and My Heart

I love Bain Mattox. There. I said it. I'm in love with Bain Mattox. I will gladly have his babies.

The show at the Knitting Factory on Saturday was a little familiar patch of heaven in this otherwise unfamiliar patch of real life. It was definitely the break that I needed. If you didn't go with me, you missed a good one, as the two people who did show would agree.

But, even though it was a touch of home, it still wasn't the same. Maybe it was because the room was filled with teeny-boppers waiting for some former boy-bander I think. I don't know who he was, but it didn't matter because I wasn't there to see him anyway. Bain was my reason for traveling an hour and a half to a tiny dark street I'd never been before. It was also different because I didn't have my usual Bain patron with me -- Amy. The other two times I've seen Bain Mattox, Amy had been with me. She even drove 2 hours back to Charlotte from Boone to come see him this past June. That was a good show. Mary Ann came too. So that's why on Saturday, I kept turning to make comments to her, only to find that she wasn't there. So it was kinda lonely, but it was still good. Bain and his band made it good, haha.

Even though they were only on for about 30 or 40 minutes, it was so worth it. I would have liked it if they were on for another hour, and I told Bain this, and he smiled and said "well maybe next time." He's a really friendly guy. I went up to him before their set because I wanted to buy their new CD, and he was talking to some band members and I waited, but then they showed no signs of stopping, so I butted in. "Excuse me, Bain?" I said, and he turned around and smiled the hugest smile I've ever seen anyone smile at me before. He was so excited that I was there to see him, and that I wanted a CD... haha. It was cute. But then the show was just amazing. Their set was probably 90% from the new album, "Prizefighter". They played "Sixes and Fives," "Republic of You," and "Thorn" from their old album. Good choices, though I think "Shotgun Pageant" should have been stuck in there somewhere too.

I think I might have made two new Bain fans. That would be awesome. I love Bain.

(Sorry about the quality of the pics... my camera's zoom and flash are kinda crappy...)
#1. The whole band
#2. Bain, God of Rock
#3. Ah, the accordion
#4. Mandolin, baby!

(update about album to come... sneak peek: "it fucking rocks" haha)

Thursday = Movie Night

Since I get paid on Thursdays and since Blockbuster is near the bank, I've been renting and watching movies these past couple Thursdays. Like last Thursday was Deliverance. Well, this past Thursday, though I didn't get paid, I made a trek down to Blockbuster because Deliverance was due, and I figured I might as well rent a new movie while I'm there. So I walked along the new releases wall and found The Machinist. Let me just say that this is an awesome movie. It reminded me a little of Fight Club, but it definitely was a different story. And because they're different stories, I can't tell which was better, but The Machinist has definitely made it's way onto my "Favorite Movies" list. I think I'm going to watch it again today when I get off of work. That's how good it was (plus, it's that kind of movie that you have to watch more than once to totally follow... I have my questions...haha).

To sum it up: it was about this guy named Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale, American Psycho, Empire of the Sun, Batman Begins). He hasn't slept in a year. He can't sleep, try as he may. Everyone he talks to asks him if he's alright; his physical health has obviously deteriorated. And then it just gets worse for poor ol' Trevor when there's an accident at the factory where he works. It's caused by a co-worker only he can see. Now you know his mental health is deteriorating too. And then, to top it all off, cryptic notes start appearing in his apartment, questioning him, taunting him. Now he has to figure out if there's an elaborate plan to drive him crazy or if his fatigue is finally getting to him.

It really is an excellent movie if you like psychological thrillers/horrors. Plus you get to see a really hot guy.... emaciated to the point that you start to question your mental health because he looks terrible, but he's still incredibly hot (well, his face anyway...).

Anyway, I highly recommend that you check it out if you liked Fight Club, or Memento, or any other movie like those.

To New Beginnings...?

What would happen if I just left? What would happen if I just one day decided to pick up and leave, move to a new place where I didn't know anyone, and no one knew me? Yeah, people would wonder where the hell I was. But then slowly, slowly, they would forget I existed at all. It just happens that way. It happens all the time. Name for me right now 5 people you were in Kindergarten with. Can you do it? I'm talking about first and last names. I can't. And yet, then I was friends with these people, we talked every day. I could tell you their first names, their last names, and their middle names. But now I can only think of 5 people who were in my Kindergarten class, but I can only remember 2 or 3 whole names. And I love names and I love details about people. But the kids from my Kindergarten class, we slowly drifted apart and now I only remember one birthday, but that's because we went all the way through high school together.

Slowly, we all disappear.

I haven't had a truly happy day in a long time. I make a point of laughing everyday, but there is always something to dampen the mood. I haven't had a truly and completely happy day in months. I'm tired. I'm so tired. I'm tired of school, of forms, of loans, of work. And I'm starting to get a little tired of myself. I want to curl up in a ball on the floor and wait till Christmas... when I can go home.

I need Saturday to come already. I need something that I know from home. I've seen Bain Mattox twice in Charlotte, and by some act of God, they've come to NYC. Hopefully it'll be the taste of home that'll hold me over until December. God, I hope it's sweet.

I don't know what I'll do if it isn't.

New Jersey vs. North Carolina

Now that I've been living in New Jersey for about a year and a half, I've begun to notice subtle differences between here and "home." Now, there are the big ones like more public transportation, and if you live in a small town you tend to have more than 10 teeth, but there are also bigger, more social differences... (and I don't just mean that there are no Chik-Fil-A's, which is a damn shame...)

For example, something I've noticed that really bothers me is the difference in music. In the South, or in Charlotte, there's pretty much everything. There's the hip-hop, rap, country, pop, rock, whatever. Up here there's hip-hop or "hardcore" rock. And that's it (i know there are others too, but they seem to be less popular). Like some kids I know... for them, it's either New Jersey Hardcore, or it's nothing. And I don't see what the big deal is. I can't understand half of what the "singers" are saying anyway.

I've also noticed that a lot of the kids here are so stubborn and closed-minded about new things (and I'm sorry New Jersians... or New Jerseyers... or whatever, but for the most part it's true). I try to share with my new friends the joys of the music I hear in Charlotte, but it never seems to take.

Me: "Listen to this! They are so great!"
Random Friend: "Okay"
excitedly plays music for new friend
Me: "What do you think?"
friend gives me weird cringe, seeming to ask if I'm retarded

And this is how it seems to go every time. I play the same music for friends in Charlotte and they're like "wow! i've never heard anything like that before! that's so cool! let me borrow your cd! let's go to a show!"

And you know, there are a few people in Jersey who like the bands i try to push on them... and the funny thing is... they're not originally from Jersey. Go figure. So, I couldn't recruit anyone to come see Bain Mattox with me. But whatever. Their loss.

I'm just tired of getting looks questioning my mental capacity and/or taste. I's goin' back to Charlotte :(

Squeal Like Pig...

Right, so... as I walked back from the bank on Thursday, I decided to stop at Blockbuster and rent a movie that I've been meaning to see for a while now: Deliverance. Now, I've heard a few things about this movie, but it always seemed interesting. I mean, at the age of 7 or 8 I heard the line "squeal like a piggy!"... and that was from a freaking cartoon. So this film had some influence, I figured. And you always hear about the dueling banjos, so I wanted to check that out. And that scene, I would say, is the best scene in the whole movie.

It's between this guy guy playing a guitar and this somewhat inbred boy playing a banjo. This is the boy:





I knew he looked familiar, but I couldn't figure it out, so I watched the rest of the movie, which wasn't bad.

But once the movie was over, I decided to watch this scene again because I loved it the first time I saw it. That's when I realized where I'd seen this person before.

Now, I've never actually seen this person before. I've never seen the movie, nor met this person in real life, but I once knew someone who looks very simliar. And when I finally realized who it looked like... I laughed... really fucking hard.






This is Mr. L (I will withhold his full name simply because this could be embarrassing for him... hahaha). He was the band teacher my senior year in high school. He was a douche. He made me lose interest in band in high school. I hated my senior year because of him. Jerk. And one of my best friend's sister quit band because of him too, but whatever. But seriously, the only people who liked him were ass-kissers and the freshmen and sophomores who didn't know any better (we lost a great band teacher after my sophomore year and never recovered, at least in my opinion). I seriously think he purposely gave me bad grades. Dude gave me a C on our midterm. In fucking band! But then he saw my report card: all A's (including 4 AP classes) except his class... a B. He told me to come see him, and he changed my midterm C to a B, which raised my average to an A. I think he realized he fucked up. The jerk. Ugh! I hold a bit of a grudge, so fucking shoot me.

But yes, he looks like the kid from Deliverance. What a great revelation. Ah, sweet vengeance. :)

(P.S. - I think/hope that's pie and/or whipped cream..... haha)

New York City, baby.

Go to New York City. You'll see some pretty cool stuff. Like this globe outside the 59th Street subway across from Central Park. I don't know why, but I think it's amazing. Central Park is amazing. There aren't enough hours in the day to photograph everything about Central Park that is wonderful.

When Breanne, her boyfriend Andrew, and I went to the city on Saturday, after we go tickets to Rent, we came here. We didn't get to go very far, but we got to see some cool stuff. Like this statue on the corner of 59th and Central Park West.

This isn't actually all of the statue, but this part looked pretty cool. There's even a mini water fall. It looks really cool.

Unfortunately there were a lot of homeless people sleeping there, which made me kinda sad.

In a weird sort of way, I think this is beautiful. Like the floating bag is beautiful in American Beauty. Their situation is unfortunate, but it's a way for people in a civilized country like the US to see poverty stricken people. They try to ignore them, but really, they can't. They can't.

But the rest of the park was really nice.

I was surprised, though, that more of the leaves haven't changed. It was so cold that day, and had been for about a week. The leaves have been changing around campus, but there in Central Park, most of the leaves were still bright summer green.

I love this picture. I love how the benches here seem to go on forever, how they seem to stretch until you can no longer see anything. I don't know why, but everything seemed beautiful that day.

Too bad we didn't have a whole lot of time to spend in the Park. But we had lots more to do.

We had to see Rent, of course. And my God, if you only see one Broadway show this year, make it Rent (even though it's been out for almost 10 years... haha). It was amazing. I've never seen a Broadway play before, so Rent was my first. I don't even really want to reveal any of the plot, in case anyone reading this hasn't seen it. But it was... spectacular. Uh! Just wonderful.

After Rent, and after our second trip to Central Park, we tried to make our way down to the Village. But we had been there for a really long time, and we were tired, and not quite sure where we were trying to go, so we ended up getting off the subway at the wrong stop and lost. But we found the subway again, got back on, and got off at 2nd Ave. We walked around there for a while, but didn't find what we were looking for, and it was getting late. So we headed home. There definitely isn't enough time in the day. Next time, we're going to have to stick to one area per day. Then I'll get to take more really nice pictures . Like this one I got in Strawberry Fields.

I was here a long time ago. I can't even remember when. I thought I got a picture of this then, but I couldn't find it anywhere. So I wanted to find it again to get another great picture. Someone had arranged flowers in a peace sign on the mozaic. The wind had blown some of the flowers out of place, but it still looked really nice. I'm glad I finally got to go back to it. I would have liked to stay longer, but it was getting dark and we had things to do. Some other day.

Well, that was my trip to NYC. Not that it was the first... or the last. But it was definitely a memorable one. Rent, Central Park, the Subway (I helped this kid with his scavenger hunt by letting him take a picture of me on the subway holding a sign that said "deez nutz." Haha), and just walking around talking. I so love the city...

The Inaugural Post

Hey there Kiddies, and thank you for joining me this evening. (Ooh, Sixth Sense is on ABC Family on Friday at 8). I have finally jumped on the Blogspot bandwagon. I've had a blog of sorts before, but I recently realized that people there only respond to the more immature posts, and I tire of reading them. Plus, Blogger.com looks cooler. And it seems easier to use. But we shall see, eh? Anyway, as my subtitle states, the point of this blog is to let you know what I've been thinking about, because you're all so very interested.

As I get into the groove of using it, you'll probably see things such as record reviews, live show reviews, musings on music (music is very important to me, if you can't tell already), random thoughts on life, and pictures. I love pictures, but I don't take nearly enough. I shall remedy as I have a reason now. So I will share my life with you, via pictures and words (which are also very important to me). But you'll find out all this soon enough.

I know this could have just gone in the profile section, but I'm lazy, and this was easier. So until later...