Monthly Archives: July 2007

The Magic Numbers …SOUND LIKE… The Muppets ??

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OK, call me crazy, but I SWEAR there is a sample of “The Rainbow Connection” in the middle of “Boy” from The Magic Numbers‘ new album “Those the Brokes“.

Why else would I find myself humming “the lovers, the dreamers, and me” ? Seriously, give it a listen, I SWEAR it’s there.

As to the rest of the album: Thumbs up! It’s still the bouncy relentless POP of their earlier album (you really can’t call this anything other than “pop”!), but there’s some touches that are a little blue-sier, a little funk-ier, a little more sass-a-fras. They make such pretty harmonies, there just aren’t that many people out there that can do it better than this.

Current Favorite Band: The National.

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I am so in love with this band right now, I can barely talk about it without getting choked up!

Stay out super late tonight
Picking apples, making pies
Put a little something in our lemonade
And take it with us…

The fact that I had never listened to them before Boxer, their AWESOME current album, just goes to show that no matter how much music you listen to, and how many magazines & blogs you read, and how much you think you are paying attention, there is always something GREAT that slips past your radar.

As the summer went by, I kept picking up random mentions of them everywhere and then Paul mentioned them as well, and I got home, listened to maybe three of the iTunes 35-second samples, and I was ALL IN. Just like that.

The lead singer’s voice is soooo deep and melodius and just downright BEWITCHING. You don’t even want to hear anyone else sing after that, all other voices sound so thin. The music is thick and densely layered (you know I’m not a fan of the sparse). Great lyrics. Great mood. Wow. I’m bowled over!

I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain.

I am going to see them live in NovemberSeptember! [Doh!] and I CANNOT WAIT!!

Highly Recommended: “Boxer”

Also recommended: earlier album “Alligator”

Although a lot of the reviews are calling the new one a departure, I felt it was more of a logical progression.

You might need me more than you think you will.

Fall Tunes.

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Aug 3-5 Lollapalooza
Aug 9 Bishop Allen (2nd x this summer!)
Sep 12 Midlake
Sep 20 Common (2nd x)
Sep 22 The National (WOOOOT!)
Oct 6 The White Stripes (Aragon = Ugh)
Oct 7 Christine Kane (folk)
Oct 28 Tom Paxton (folk)
Nov 11 Stars (WOOOOOOT!)
Nov 17 Tinariwen & Mamadou Diabate (african)
Nov 24 Over the Rhine (2nd or 3rd x)

Looks pretty full, right? And I’m actually trying to go to FEWER concerts right now after a bit of an overload this year, but somehow it never works out that way.

Consider Yourself…WARNED.

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Sign I saw in a parking lot on North Avenue:

PARKING FOR CUSTOMERS ONLY
Other cars will be crushed and melted and the drivers will be executed!

That’s some serious shit right there.

Stereotype Jokes = my fave.

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European Heaven
British are the Police
French are the Cooks
Germans are the Mechanics
Italians are the Lovers
and the Swiss run everything

European Hell
Germans are the Police
French are the Mechanics
British are the Cooks
Swiss are the Lovers
and the Italians run everything

Early-Morning Nostalgia Trip.

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5:25 a.m. In a cab sloshing through HUGE raindrops down LaSalle.

And on the radio comes Jukebox Hero. Holy crap. When was the last time I heard this song. I’m sure all my Foreigner was on cassette tape, wonder if I ever replaced those with CDs…I’ll have to check when I get home. Yes, they were a total cheeseball rock band in so many ways, but this music, this IS high school to me. Man, I loved this band.

…jukebox hero, got stars in his eyes…

Latest (Food) Addiction

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The Loaded (LOADED!) Baked Potato Soup from Corner Bakery. It’s pretty hefty calorie-wise, as far as soups go with 420 (!!) for a small and 650 (!!!!!!) for a large. [I mean, your typical soup from Au Bon Pain is generally only 200-300 calories tops in the small size, and often only that in the large size.] It’s got cheese and green onions (or chives?) piled on top and it’s full of chunks and skins and is soooo hearty and good. I’ve had it three days running and I know my weekend will be bereft without it.