It's the Worst Blog

tuneage: Julian Casablancas - ”11th Dimension” “Everybody sees...

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:58:40 -0400

Julian Casablancas - ”11th Dimension”

“Everybody sees me but it’s not that easy/ standing in the light field waiting for some action.” This line, accompanied by what sounds like a 14 year old Iron Maiden freak attempting the Batman theme song on the bass guitar, begins “Juicebox,” the first single released from The Strokes’ First Impressions of Earth. And what was my first impression of First Impressions?

I am never going to listen to this band again.

It’s a claim on which I’ve made good. Knowing that First Impressions exists has been enough for me to turn my back on the truly great Is This It? and it’s very listenable (from what I remember) sister, Room on Fire. Like walking in on your girlfriend and a tearful, naked Glenn Beck in your bedroom, First Impressions was enough to not only dump the band, but burn the photo album filled with memories from that great vacation you took to Honolulu. I have guiltily viewed their recent demise with gleeful spite. My initial reaction to the news that frontman Julian Casablancas was releasing a solo record: scoff. My initial reaction to its title (Phrazes for the Young): a Monty Burns laugh. My initial reaction to its first single, “11th Dimension:” unadulterated awe.

The drums keep the song poppy and light while the synths bounce around in the foreground. The tasteful Strokesy guitars know their place behind Julian, who returns to full-yearning precocious punk mode. The lyrics are still stupid, but I’m dancing too much to care. C’mon girl, I forgive you for the whole Glenn Beck thing. Come back to me. I’ll take you with open arms.

tuneage: The Whigs - “In The Dark” This is a brand new track...

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:28:09 -0400

tuneage:

The Whigs - “In The Dark”

This is a brand new track off of The Whigs’ forthcoming album of the same name, which comes out early January. This song is definitely a departure from the band’s signature blend of southern and indie rock. I’m really digging this ‘new’ sound and look forward to hearing more off In The Dark. Enjoy!

tuneage: The XX - “VCR” This post has been a long time coming....

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:51:33 -0400

tuneage:

The XX - “VCR”

This post has been a long time coming. I’ve been listening to their album (also available in MP3 format) for weeks, and so have at least two other members of Tuneage and almost the entire internet. So what’s the hold up? Well let me put it this way: which fucking track do I post? The whole album is just great.

With the level of hype breakout artists recieve from bloggers, it’s easy to be cynical, but The XX — a band with an average age of just 19 — are one of the most deserving recipients of the hype that I’ve heard in some time. You’d be a fool to skip this one.

zoee: Minus the Bear - Pachuca Sunrise This is a city for not...

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:07:42 -0400

zoee:

Minus the Bear - Pachuca Sunrise

This is a city for not sleeping
And the clocks are set by feel

tuneage: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - “The High Party” When...

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:16:36 -0400

tuneage:

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - “The High Party”

When preparing for a 1200 mile drive there are several things that you must check: make sure your car is in order, have plenty of snacks ready and make sure you have plenty of upbeat music.

My recent choice was everybody’s favorite indie/punk/rock band, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. If their energetic music is enough to keep me going through the expanse of the American plains then it can do just about anything.

tuneage: Fanfarlo - “These Walls Are Coming Down” I first...

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:27:25 -0400

tuneage:

Fanfarlo - “These Walls Are Coming Down”

I first heard about Fanfarlo when NPR highlighted their song “Fire Escape” just before 2008’s SXSW. The English band with a Swedish frontman finally hit the studio this past fall to record their debut album, Reservoir, and I’ve been holding on to this post for a while until it was closer to the release of the album.

True to the cut I heard back in 2008, Fanfarlo makes upbeat pop music that employs a few lesser-used instruments (such as violins, mandolins, and trumpets) which often give their music a grandiose, hopeful quality I find very appealing. This track settles into the middle of the excellent debut record, which I believe was released in May (although finding an official date has been harder than I would have expected), and is available now directly from the band for a measly $6.

"“God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent — it says so right here on the label. If..."

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:26:00 -0400

“

“God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent — it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks, please. Cash and in small bills.

Robert A. Heinlein (via vruz)”

Heinlein’s objection is serious, common, and ancient. Theologians even gave it its own word. It’s the theodicy question. If God is all he’s cracked up to be, how can he allow such horrible things to happen? Over the centuries, people have given a slew of possible answers.

One answer was that we indeed live in the best of all possible worlds. Voltaire brilliantly mocked this answer in Candide when the ever optimistic Dr. Pangloss teaches Candide that he thus lives in the best of all possible castles. As you might imagine, Pangloss’s life doesn’t go to well. The castle is burned by the best of all possible raiders. His ship is sunk by the best of all possible hurricanes. Etc..

Another answer (by somebody who was genuinely a serious theologian who will roll over in his grave by my mangling of his views) is essentially, “We suffer because it builds character.” It’s sort of like, “Eat your vegetables boy, they’re good for you.” Perhaps we weren’t created simply to be coddled. Maybe the world is an immense machine to bring out the best in us.

Another answer might have to do with balance. Is it possible to have joy without suffering? Would we want it? Maybe we’re happier when the stakes are a bit higher.

Back when I had the answers to everything, my explanation involved free will. Can we truly make meaningful choices if the result is always, “Yay! Everybody gets a puppy.” I suppose God could have created a mechanistic happy land where nothing is ever less than perfect. But maybe God had something in mind other than a scaled-up version of the It’s a Small World ride. Isn’t pain a necessary consequence of free will? Would we want a world without pain or would we simply want a world with less pain?

And yet…my elderly professor of Jewish law told us, “If you have to have that many reasons, none of them are right.” We could spend hours discussing each of these—but at the end of those hours, nobody would be persuaded much one way or another. People have struggled with this question for a few thousand years and continued to believe. Cleverly restating it won’t change anybody’s mind.

I’ve written on the topic before. Then as now, I noted that noting the flawed nature of the world requires the assumption that one possible world is better in some substantive way than the others. To me, this would strongly hint that we’re more than a bunch of atoms clumped together in a morally irrelevant way.

For now, I’ll simply add that the whole endeavor is rather presumptuous. It certainly assumes that we have the moral authority to complain about something. It also assumes that, despite our actions, we actually know what is best for us. In many ways, the problem isn’t really the suffering. It’s that we don’t understand why we have to suffer. Does the thought that God could know everything when we know so little offend us?

(via squashed)

”

- Another problem would be defining what exactly makes a “perfect world.” If you wrote down your description of a perfect world and I wrote down mine, they would almost certainly be very different. How about a white supremicist? A Muslim extremist? A Christian fundamentalist? I doubt any of these guys would have the same idea of a “perfect world.” So how can we expect God to make a world that we deem perfect if we can’t even agree on what it would look like? Or is part of making a perfect world making everyone agree in their beliefs and ideals? Then you get back to the whole perfection is boring part.

Mos Def with The Roots on Jimmmy Fallon. The Roots are so...

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:25:21 -0400

Mos Def with The Roots on Jimmmy Fallon. The Roots are so amazing live. They’re the closest thing to a rap jam band, and it’s fantastic.

Mos Def Guest Stars On Late Night With Jimmy Fallon | Live Show

tuneage: Deastro - “Parallelogram” Two words I don’t generally...

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:25:27 -0400

tuneage:

Deastro - “Parallelogram”

Two words I don’t generally use together are “anthemic” and “dream-pop”, but in Deastro’s case, both are apt. Detroit-based Deastro, also known as Randolph Chabot, produces upbeat, synth-driven electro-pop that’s sometimes dream-poppy, sometimes anthemic, and sometimes even a little shoegazey. This song, the first single from Deastro’s upcoming full-band album Moondagger, has a kind of Russian Futurists cum m83 feel to it and is a prime example of that anthemic dream-pop that’s so elusive. Moondagger will be released in June on Ghostly International, but if you can’t wait until then, I highly recommend Deastro’s debut album, Keepers.

tuneage: The Coral - “In the Morning” I can’t think of any...

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:39:07 -0400

tuneage:

The Coral - “In the Morning”

I can’t think of any other way to describe the Coral’s music except to call it fun. The UK band’s music style varies fairly wildly—at times it’s poppy, other times a little psychedelic, and I’ve even detected a hint of sea shanty before—but it’s always fun and upbeat. This song, a perennial Monday favorite, comes from The Coral’s 2005 LP, The Invisible Invasion. If you can keep still while listening this song, you might want to check your pulse.

tuneage: Ezra Furman and the Harpoons - “We Should Fight” I...

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:52:10 -0400

tuneage:

Ezra Furman and the Harpoons - “We Should Fight”

I don’t come across enough music like this these days: clever, storytelling lyrics with a heavy dose of rock-and-roll. So when Josh dropped these guys into our submission queue, my immediate reaction was jealousy. I was jealous that Josh had been enjoying these guys for who knows how long and I’d never even heard of them. Well, that’s all fixed now, and I’m well on my way to overdosing on the Bob-Dylan-mixed-with-Clap-Your-Hands-Say-Yeah-mixed-with-pure-rock-and-roll-energy that is Ezra Furman and the Harpoons.

Picking a song from Furman’s latest album, Inside the Human Body, was really difficult, so when you’re done with this gem, do yourself a favor and check out anything else you can get your hands on.

tuneage: One Day International - “Miss Your Mouth” It initially...

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:32:42 -0400

tuneage:

One Day International - “Miss Your Mouth”

It initially seems a bit counterproductive to be listening to such a somber song on such a beautiful spring day but it’s a beautiful somber song so it all works out in the end. Irish band One Day International has somehow flown under the radar despite these gorgeous and haunting heartbroken lullabies they create. However, thanks to an appearance at this year’s SXSW, they are starting to get a bit more attention stateside. I can’t recommend them enough - especially if you’re having problems in the love department (check out their song “Not Over You” on their Myspace). Their album, Blackbird, is also available on Amazon.

The Wizards Fan Who Talked Trash to Obama - D.C. Sports Bog

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:12:18 -0500

The Wizards Fan Who Talked Trash to Obama - D.C. Sports Bog

zoee: Leonard Cohen - “Closing Time” Yeah I missed you since...

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:11:12 -0500

zoee:

Leonard Cohen - “Closing Time”

Yeah I missed you since the place got wrecked
By the winds of change and the weeds of sex
Looks like freedom but it feels like death
It’s something in between, I guess
It’s Closing Time

rocketboom: The year 2008 in photographs - Boston.com Lightning...

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:34:04 -0500

rocketboom:

The year 2008 in photographs - Boston.com

Lightning bolts appear above and around the Chaiten volcano as seen from Chana, some 30 kms (19 miles) north of the volcano, as it began its first eruption in thousands of years, in southern Chile May 2, 2008. Cases of electrical storms breaking out directly above erupting volcanoes are well documented, although scientists differ on what causes them. Picture taken May 2, 2008. (REUTERS/Carlos Gutierrez)

"After a review of the game tape, here is look at three key Eagles in Monday’s 30-10 victory..."

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:36:59 -0500

“

After a review of the game tape, here is look at three key Eagles in Monday’s 30-10 victory over Cleveland.

Jason Avant
The Eagles might not have a No. 1 receiver, but they do have some underrated ones, and Avant is among them. He compensates for his lack of speed by running great routes and catching just about everything that is thrown his way. He also has the toughness needed to be an effective blocker in the run game.

”

- Totally agree……Avant is definitely underrated and he’s a great third down possession receiver.

Under the Microscope … | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/17/2008

ricosays: xstevemurphy: A Message From the Big Three [PIC] Rico...

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:52:09 -0500

ricosays:

xstevemurphy:

A Message From the Big Three [PIC]

Rico Says “Nice find Murph”

listening to "i can't help it (featuring malik b

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:26:31 -0500

listening to "i can't help it (featuring malik b :

haunting song from a great band

ricosays: Protesting Philly Residents Have Incredible...

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:22:36 -0500

ricosays:

Protesting Philly Residents Have Incredible Signage

Rico Says “Love this”

My two firefighter uncles would probably enjoy this

Hydropower: UMich VIVACE Hydropower System Makes Energy From Slow Currents

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:10:25 -0500

Hydropower: UMich VIVACE Hydropower System Makes Energy From Slow Currents:

Pretty sweet hydropower idea. Seeing things like this gets me excited about the future of energy. All it takes is people seriously working on it and we’ll be able to vastly improve our situation