Category Archives: Tunes

À la Super Eggplant, currently, I am…

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Making: Shower gifts. Self portraits (damn you, 365 flickr project, you are killing me).

Reading: After reading the same two books for the first three weeks of the month (“Tree of Smoke” by Denis Johnson and “The Oxford Book of English Short Stories” edited by A.S. Byatt ), I’m now in a flurry of finishing, those plus some others thrown in. I haven’t written any January reads up yet, but you can always view the current year’s list to know what’s going on. Just finished the Johnson on my way to work today so tonight it’ll be pick out a new book time. Yay! (Either that, or wait until tomorrow when I have time to go to the bookstore and pick up the new Pat Barker.)

Watching: I finished “catching up” with How I Met Your Mother on my majorly delayed in every direction plane rides this weekend, whipping through the end of season 2 and all that’s been shown of season 3 so far (this strike cannot end soon enough!). While Barney cracks me the fuck up (and damn, nice abs, boy), I think Marshall is my favorite character. And I haven’t seen ANY new movies because instead I just keep going with people to see Juno (their first times, my second, and third, and fourth) again and again.

Listening: Over and over again to Sea Wolf “Leaves in the River”, as I have been since mid-December. Also Matt Costa “Unfamiliar Faces”; he has a real sense of fun and joy (and quirkiness) in his tunes. Cat Power “Jukebox” although I like the first three-four songs the best and I usually move on after that. Bought some new stuff in San Fran but haven’t listened yet…

À la Super Eggplant, currently, I am…

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Making: Shower gifts. Hats. Dreams.

Reading: “Tree of Smoke” by Denis Johnson (because a) of fridaysixpm’s comments about it (scroll down to 11/15, I can’t seem to link directly) and b) I did some intensive studying of Vietnam history in several different courses in college. a million years ago and c) oh yeah it just won a big prize) and “The Oxford Book of English Short Stories” edited by A.S. Byatt (because it’s our challenge book for January). The first is big and thick and sprawling and very much a boy book in the particular way that I mean that (and here is where I thought I would link to a review of a W.E.B. Griffin book I read in 2006, “Semper Fi” but which apparently I never wrote up. Although I distinctly remember doing so. Let’s just say there is a limited female point of view in books about war, or soldiers, or armies, or Vietnam, because historically very few females have gone to war. I’m not being sexist, I’m being realistic.). The second is an odd mix; some really good stories and some bizarre, or boring, or “after school special” “lessons”-type ones.

Watching: The Sarah Connor Chronicles which started last night and continues tonight in a two-night premiere. I love it which means most everyone else probably hated it and thought it was lame and twisted the story and left out important stuff and blah blah blah. Girls kicking ass = Good. Summer Glau = Good. Lena Heady = Good. Also glad to see new episodes of a few things in the past week (Gossip Girl, 30 Rock, FNL, NUMB3RS, Brothers & Sisters) but continuing to mourn the lack of fresh TV. As it goes, so goes my life.

Listening: Really still listening to stuff bought in December. Sea Wolf, Lupe Fiasco, the Avett Brothers. And the soundtrack to Juno. Listening to that a lot. This has not really been a music-buying month for me so far, but I think that’s generally the January norm.

Lyrics of the Day

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If you were a wink, I’d be a nod…
If you were the floor, I’d wanna be the rug…
And if you were an ocean, I’d learn to float…
-“All I Want Is You” Barry Louis Pollsar from the Juno Sdtrk.

Great movie, great tunes. It’s a win-win.

If you haven’t seen this yet, or are letting some crap-ass review taint your willingness to go, go read this review. And then go, for pete’s sake. Pete would want you to.

When both me AND my dad are as equally gung-ho about a film (yes, sometimes we disagree), I don’t think there’s anything else you need to know. It’s THAT good.

Best of December

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The best movie I saw in December was a tie between Juno and Sweeney Todd. Both made me laugh, one made me cry (just a little!), they both had great music and great acting. If I was forced at gunpoint to pick one, I’d probably go with Juno. Sweeney Todd is as good as you would expect, but not necessarily moreso; Juno was better than you could know, given the previews and the ridiculous whining some critics are doing (IGNORE THEM!).

The best book I read in December was…even harder to pick than the movies as I really loved almost everything I read this month. The funniest was a tie between “An Uncommon Reader” and “Gentlemen of the Road”. The most unusual was “Red Spikes” and the two I perhaps liked the most (and didn’t know at all what to expect from either one) were “Simplify” and “Incendiary”. But honestly, I would recommend ALL my December reads.

The best gig I went to in December…doesn’t exist because I didn’t go to any concerts in December! Can you believe it? I kinda can’t…

My favorite tunes in December were Sea Wolf “Leaves in the River” and Bat for Lashes “Fur and Gold”. Also loving Lupe Fiasco‘s new one “The Cool” and the soundtrack to Juno. Have a lot of new stuff that I haven’t spent enough time with yet, but can’t stop pressing repeat on the first few off The Avett Brothers “Emotionalism”.

Random personal highlights: Two and half weeks off. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT.
Lowlights? The worst drive home I’ve had in YEARS. One of the worst drives EVER in my LIFE. Really scary.

Last Minute iTunes Purchases

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Buying stuff off other people’s year-end lists for the roadtrip home…

  • Dyme Def “Space Music (rap/hip hop from Seattle)
  • Mavis Staples “We’ll Never Turn Back” (takes you back)
  • The Avett Brothers “Enthusiasm” (twangy poppy fun)
  • Hard-Fi “Stars of CCTV” (an older album as I love the new one I got earlier this fall)
  • Jay Brannan “Unmastered” (the dude from “Shortbus” if that means anything to you. great sassy lyrics)
  • UGK “Underground Kingz (rap)

À la Super Eggplant, currently, I am…

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Making: Mix CDs. I had ideas of quilting I would do this week, but so far I haven’t done any. So there you go.

Reading: I just finished a book today; I think tomorrow I’m going to start reading “Ludmila’s Broken English” by DBC Pierre (who won the Booker for Vernon God Little a few years back, which I did enjoy). Somehow three books in this month, everything I read had a red spine. So I decided to keep the trend going for the rest of the month. Oh the crazy ways the reading list evolves.

Watching: This week’s K-Ville I enjoyed. Also loved Juno on the big screen. Maybe Beowulf tomorrow? We’ll see.

Listening: I’ve listened to many many things today as I’ve been running around in iTunes listening to samples of lots and lots of stuff. Plus the new Lupe Fiasco that came out yesterday (“The Cool”). Yay! Love Lupe: : Love it. Also bought Kid SimpleSimple Kid (sounds like Beck’s little brother with some Elliott Smith thrown in) and Nick Light (another melancholy boy, singer, songwriter type), and old Siobhan Donaghy since I can’t find the new one yet (Reckless ordered it for me), which is very girly girly pop. Girly pop! Yay! I have to fill the iPod up for the long ride…

Wrapping It Up: Best Gigs / Best Tunes 2007.

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Since I have already gone to all the concerts I’m going to in 2007, I’m sure you want to know which were my faves.

My Favorite Live Gigs This Year:
1. Gomez. Amazing show. But they’re low on everyone’s 07 radar since they didn’t put out an album this year.
2. Travis. So much fun in concert.
3. The National. Just as beautiful as the album.
4. Polyphonic Spree x2. highest energy show you’ll ever see.
5. Ben Harper x2. He’s amazing.
6. Griffin House. He’s hot.
7. The Decemberists. So polished.
8. Midlake. Bewitching.

I have also finished my overall favorite music of 2007 list, which I’m sure is a) far more detailed than anyone could ever want, and b) pretty obvious if you’ve been reading this site all year. Enjoy.

À la Super Eggplant, currently, I am…

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Making: About halfway done w/ Curious George #2 (basted / now just quilting & binding to go).
Reading: This hilarious new book by Michael Chabon “Gentlemen of the Road”. It’s an Arabian Nights-like, fairytale-esque story, and as such the incredible overuse of adjectives, similes and metaphors TOTALLY FITS the mood. But they’re so abundant that it sometimes becomes giggle-inducing. “With his skin that was lustrous as the tarnish on a copper kettle, and his eyes womanly as a camel’s, and his shining pate with its roof of wool whose silver hue implied a seniority attained only by the most hardened men, and above all with the air of stillness that trumpeted his murderous nature to all but the greenest travelers on this minor spur of the Silk Road…” Come on now, people, are you not totally cracking up now? It’s a very enjoyable read.
Watching: K-Ville was the only show with a fresh episode this week (and it was way too over the top) but I also watched the Bones rerun since it’s one of my favorites (the Christmas where they all get locked in the lab). Maybe a movie Thursday night? We’ll see.
Listening: Very obsessively to two albums: Bat for Lashes “Fur and Gold” and Sea Wolf “Leaves in the River”. Completely in love with both of them.

Best of November

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I kept not finishing writing things up so I had to keep putting off writing this post. Ah, the life of a slacker…
The best movie I saw in November was No Country for Old Men, with Gone Baby Gone a close second. Both violent, icky, and GOOOOD.
The best book I read in November was the collection of short stories Why the Devil Chose New England for His Work, by Jason Brown. Very subtle. Very good. Families, relationships, losers, loners, struggles.
The best gig I went to in November was a tie between Athlete, a band I have been longing to see and was so blown away by their show, and Griffin House, who I had no idea how good he was going to be.
My favorite tunes in November…. hmmmm… well, my favorite album purchased in November would have to be Great Northern “Trading Twilight for Daylight”. I don’t know if I had read about them somewhere (a blog? Paste? who knows?) but for some reason I was checking them out on iTunes and I’m really diggin it… Otherwise I spent a lot of time listening to stuff from earlier in the year (Band of Horses, Travis, Rogue Wave), thinking about year-end lists, and buying lots of random singles (old Jay-Z, new Anthony Hamilton (American Gangster), stuff from the I’m Not There soundtrack)…
Random personal highlights: Hangin’ out with the nephews, who get both more lovable and more irksome every time; Michelle visits! for almost a week! yay!; Pam & Steph come down for the night!.
Lowlights? Fresh TV is drying up but for a few shows; FNL is wandering far from its strengths; meant to see a bunch of movies I never got to; and seem to have gotten almost nothing done all month. Man, what a whiner! Suck it up, eh?