2007 Top 10 Songs of the Year

Posted on December 15, 2007

Moving on with the various top 10 lists, we’ll go with songs. I tried to stick with songs released in 2007, but I’m afraid it just wasn’t a very good year. At least the top five came out this year. I can’t make the same promise for the last five.

As a special note, all of these songs should be available on iTunes.

1. “My Way Home Is Through You” by My Chemical Romance. Who would have thought the song of the year would be a B-Side by a band that’s seen so much success in the last year? “My Way Home” is a gut-kick of a love song delivered in under three minutes. Kudos for admitting in the middle of the song that there’s no message but a declaration of love. “We’re not here to pay a compliment or sing about the government…”

2. “Feathers” by Coheed and Cambria. It figures that these prog-rockers would reach their apex when channeling both “Janie’s Crying” and “Jump.” The result is an incredible string of pop-rock bliss with an incredible hook. “So right now hide your feathers on the back porch baby…”

3. “Magazine” by The Afghan Whigs. The Whigs return after eight years and score a touchdown with a song that doesn’t even have a chorus. Greg Dulli sums up the entire Whigs output in three minutes of heartfelt longing. “Think I’m driving by your house, don’t ya?”

4. “Point of Extinction” by Motion City Soundtrack. While Even If It Kills Me may have been the weakest of their records, this song is one of their strongest. In just over two minutes, Justin Pierre and company create a pop masterpiece. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned you always get burned, but you never get enough.”

5. “Little Lover’s So Polite” by Silversun Pickups. Wow. I didn’t think there would be a single band to impress me with a debut record this year, but these guys did it without even trying. “Can’t control the slow ride, little lover’s so polite.”

6. “Song Without A Chorus” by Butch Walker and the Let’s Go Out Tonights. Yeah, it’s another song lacking in the chorus department. Instead, it’s three minutes of Butch Walker harmonizing with Pink while contemplating love, the creative process, and the music industry. “And this beach is getting wider than this train of thought is long, and each little drop of sand is probably some other asshole poet’s song.”

7. “Intervention” by The Arcade Fire. Cutting down religion and politics in the same song could end up as an obvious joke, but The Arcade Fire make it work in ways that it shouldn’t. “Working for the church while your family dies…”

8. “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by Dropkick Murphys. There’s more violence, anger, and optimism in this two minute and 34 seconds than I’ve heard in my entire life. “Climbing up the top sails, I lost my leg!”

9. “Starlight” by Muse. Slow, driving, and featuring a keyboard line that turns the song into a pop masterpiece. This probably wins points for being the strangest love song of the year (Yeah, I’m addicted to love songs). “Far away, this ship is taking me far away…”

10. “Finale” from the Dreamgirls soundtrack. Just in case the previous nine songs didn’t completely sabotage my cool, here’s one from a musical. Even if you haven’t watched the preceding two hours of this movie, this song packs enough punch to put you on your knees. Led by Jennifer Hudson, the climax of this song is a crushing example of musicality, and then they strip away everything for the final note. Damn-near perfect. “We’ll be theeeeeeere!”

2007 Top 10 Books of the Year

Posted on December 12, 2007

Every year, I like to list my favorite reads.  I’m pretty lax on my rules, as I’m constantly playing catch up when it comes to reading.  You’ll note that most of these books didn’t come out this year.  My only rule is that I had to read them for the first time in 2007.

Now, on with the list (complete with links where you can learn more and buy, buy, buy!)… 

1. Pressure, Jeff Strand.  I’ve mentioned this one multiple times, so you’ve probably seen this coming.  Strand’s tale of a man hunted by a former friend turned raging psychopath is at times funny, heartwarming, and utterly horrifying.  One of the best books I’ve ever read, and an easy cap to 2007’s list.

2. The Dead Letters, Tom Piccirilli. A masterful mix of police thriller and horror.  This tale of a man hunting a serial killer who’s just trying to make up for the horrible things he’s done will have you turning pages faster than you thought possible.

3. Under My Roof, Nick Mamatas. Funny and thought-provoking.  This story of a suburban home declairing itself its own micro-country is fun even as it makes you ponder the world around you.

4. The Keeper, Sarah Langan.  This story of a small town trying to get back on its feet even as terrible events begin to spiral out of control is as wonderful an example of mood and character as I can find.

5. Crooked Little Vein, Warren Ellis. Hilarious, twisted, maybe a little psychotic.  When a detective is sent after the original, secret Constitution of United States, he meets every imaginable nutjob in America.

6. The Road, Cormac McCarthy. McCarthy writes in a style I didn’t think I would dig, but this story of a man and his son wandering a post-apocalyptic landscape just trying to stay alive was one of the most affecting books I’ve read in a long time.

7. DMZ: Public Works, Brian Wood and Ricardo Burchielli.  Wood writes a story of terrorism and corporate exploitation in a war-shattered Manhattan.  It helps to have read the previous DMZ volumes, but this story is powerful enough on its own to warrant inclusion on this list.

8. The Waste Lands, Stephen King.  As I make my way through King’s Dark Tower series, I find myself more and more amazed with each passing volume.  The third book in the series is the most wonderful yet.

9. Ghoul, Brian Keene.  Brian captures the spirit of youth in so many ways with this novel.  From the wonder of the unknown to fear of the adult world and what it might do to your innocence, Keene leaves no stone unturned, leaving us with one of his best novels to date.

10. Baltimore, Chris Golden and Mike Mignola.  In this illustrated beauty, Mignola and Golden weave a story that will remind you of Stoker, Shelley, Lovecraft, Poe, and all the old masters.  Incredible from start to finish.

The Other Nate Southard

Posted on December 6, 2007

If somebody wants to buy this card for me, I’ll love you forever.

STAPLE! Registration Open!

Posted on November 8, 2007

When I’m not busy alienating both friends and strangers who have enough money to buy stuff like Rock Band, I’m helping with the organization of STAPLE!, a indie comics con here in Austin. 

Here is you STAPLE! news…

Hey everybody!

STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo is back for its
fourth annual show! Come out Saturday March 1st, 2008
to a new location – the Monarch Event Center next to
Highland Mall – www.monarcheventcenter.com. This
exciting new venue occupies the site of the former
Lincoln Village Theater in the Lincoln Village
shopping center in north central Austin. It’s been
completely remodeled and refurbished into a lovely new
spot just perfect for a bigger and better STAPLE!
www.staple-austin.org

We are very pleased to announce a very special guest
for STAPLE! 2008 - BRIAN WOOD! Author of Channel Zero,
Couriers, DMZ, Demo, Local, Supermarket, and the
forthcoming Northlanders (available December 5th),
Brian has made his mark as an influential and eclectic
pioneer of independent comics creation. We are very
honored and excited to have him appear at STAPLE! For
more on Brian go to www.brianwood.com

And if you’d like to start making your own mark, you
can be an exhibitor at STAPLE! Exhibitor registration
is now open and tables are available at $65 for an
eight footer and $35 for a half – cheap! They always
sell out fast so to get yours now go to
www.staple-austin.org/register

STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo is the Southwest’s
only convention for independently produced comics,
zines, graphic arts and animation. The fourth annual
Expo is Saturday, March 1st, 2008, 11am-7pm at the
Monarch Event Center in Austin, Texas. Admission is
STILL only $5 at the door! For more info go to
http://www.staple-austin.org

Thanks! Hope to see you there!

If you buy Rock Band, you’re an asshole.

Posted on November 7, 2007

So, the makers of Guitar Hero are putting out a new game, Rock Band.  Basically, it’s Guitar Hero for four players. It includes vocals, drums, bass guitar, and lead guitar.

Sounds kinda cool.

Then I learned the game costs $170. 

So let’s get this straight, because I’ll only say this once.  If you pay $170 for one video game, without splitting the cost with three friends, then you deserve to have your neck stomped into a fleshy paste.  Examine your priorities, shithead.

The end.

The 2007 Halloween Buffet

Posted on October 26, 2007

I really enjoyed doing this last year, and my love of Halloween has not died in the slightest.  That said, here’s your halloween recommendations for 2007.

SHORT STORIES

1. “In the Hills, the Cities” by Clive Barker.  Barker set the horror world on fire with his original Books of Blood.  This story, about two lovers who stumble upon a ritual that involves two cities who fight it out by lashing their citizens together into living giants, is a masterpiece of mood and mayhem.  Available in The Books of Blood.

2. “Black Leather Kites” by Norman Partridge.  Norm writes stories that can be hard boiled as hell or so over the top you can’t help but smile.  This story, about vampires, warlocks, and a small town cop who uses nunchuku instead of his standard issue baton, is both.  Available in Mr. Fox and Other Feral Tales.

3. “Gray Matter” by Stephen King.  An early work of King’s and one of his best.  A tight, suspensful story about a group of men checking in on a friend of theirs who may or may not have turned into a cat-eating blob after drinking bad beer.  Sounds silly, but this is an incredibly tense reading experience.  Available in Night Shift.

4. “The Pit” By Joe R. Lansdale.  Brutal, unrelenting, and kinda funny.  This story of kidnapped gladiators forced to do battle for a small town’s amusement is one of Champion Joe’s finer tales.  Available in High Cotton.

5. “Menage A Trois” By JF Gonzalez.  Gonzalez is one of the best writers you might not have heard of, and this story is a good old fashioned zombie yarn set in a world where safety and sex don’t always go hand in hand.  Available in When the Darkness Falls.

NOVELS

1. Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge.  I didn’t want to repeat authors during this list, but I will make an exception for this incredible book.  One of my favorites, and one I will be reading every year at Halloween.  Partridge creates a tribute to Halloween, B Movies (without giving in to B Movie production values), and the culture of the sixties and small towns.  Breathtaking.

2. Ghoul by Brian Keene.  A love letter to the eighties and childhood, and proof that adults can be worse monsters than anything that lives in a graveyard.  Next to Terminal, this could be Brian’s best work.

3. Pressure by Jeff Strand.  The story of a man running from the obsession of a former friend, a friend with some serious issues.  A masterpiece of terror and suspense.  Strand pulls out all the stops, and he’s never been better.

4. The Store by Bentley Little.  Never has Wal-Mart looked more evil.  Okay, maybe that isn’t true, but this novel by Little is about big box policies taken to there most extreme.  Riveting and frightening on several levels.

5. Succulent Prey by Wrath James White.  White writes horrible, gory prose with the grace of a poet.  It’s really an interesting experience.  This novel, about a man who fears he may have contracted a disease that’s making him a serial killer, is a visceral ride through Hell.

COMICS

1. The Damned by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt.  Mystery and shoot ‘em ups in a prohibition era populated by humans and demons alike.  An incredible series.

2. Fell by Warren Ellis and Ben Temlpesmith.  It may be disguised as a police procedural, but this is a horror comic all the way.

3. Dragon Head by Minetaro Mochizuki.  An earthquake has trapped a commuter train underground, and everything feels far too hot.  And is there something in the darkness?  And what’s happened to the rest of the world?

4. Tales from the Crypt.  The EC classic is back in a archive edition.

5. The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman. Kirkman’s meandering masterpiece.  Zombie menace with some of the best human characters the comics world has ever seen.  This is what most soap operas should be like.

MOVIES

1. Hard Candy.  Ellen Page gives an incredible performance in this horrifying and riveting film of a pedophile getting his just desserts.  An incredible flick from start to finish.  The director or this film recently helmed 30 Days of Night. 

2. Kontroll. Director Nimrod Antal juggles comedy, drama, romance, and horror in this tale set entire in Budapest’s subway system.  Kontroll officer Bulcsú has become such a part of the underground he hasn’t left it in months.  An incredible movie from start to finish, and one of the best I’ve seen this year.

3. 13 Tzameti. 22 year-old Sébastien takes on a false identity in a quest to gain untold riches, but instead finds himself in a sick game of chance where losing means a bullet in the head.  A study in tension.

4. Prince of Darkness.  The second movie in John Carpenter’s “Apocalypse Trilogy.” A group of grad student descend on a church to study a strange contraption that just might house the antichrist.  One of Carpenter’s most terrifying.  Once the terror starts, it does not stop.

5. Burnt Offerings. A dose of seventies cheese, but this Oliver Reed/Karen Black-led thriller combines plenty of chills with the creepiest representation of Death I’ve ever seen.

Death Proof: A Review

Posted on October 17, 2007

Wow.  That was the worst movie I’ve seen in a loooooong time.

Gosh, it’s hot! Three days at the Austin City Limits Music Festival

Posted on September 26, 2007

Ten days on, I still have the last remnants of a heat rash–what was once thirty-nine terrible zits–on my forehead.  I’ve given myself time to digest the events of my weekend at ACL Fest, and I am ready to tell you, the reading public, if sending $130 on passes is worth it.

In a word: maybe.

“Everybody festivals differently,” a wise person told me the day after ACL.  And while I had no idea you could use “festival” as a verb, it makes sense.  I think the festivals worth is up to you and how you approach the weekend.  My friend Clinton, who was probably the first to arrive and the last to leave each day and ran from one stage to another like a chicken with its head cut off probably got the most bang for his buck out of all of us.  A lot of folks, however, seemed content to set up a chair in front of one stage and sit there for three days, missing out on roughly 97% of the bands playing.  I’d say that’s not getting your dollar’s worth.  Hell, one guy who set up camp in front of us on Friday stayed for three bands and then left!

But hey, it’s not like I bought his ticket.  Who am I to judge?  I even collapsed in a camping chair now and then, when I wasn’t too busy bitching about how un-cool they were.  Newsflash: like most humans, I can be hypocritical now and then.

So I’ll probably go back next year.  I might even buy those stupid passes that go on sale before the line up is announced.  And if the line up isn’t so hot, well that’s why they invented ebay.

I figured I would leave you with my five favorite sets from the festival.  I was pleasantly surprised to find these in an order other than what I’d expected.

ACL 2007 Best Sets

1. Yo La Tengo
2. Butch Walker and the Let’s Go Out Tonights
3. The Arcade Fire
4. Pete Yorn
5. Ben Kweller

 

ACL Fest: Am I getting my money’s worth?

Posted on September 11, 2007

This weekend, I will be attending the three day Austin City Limits Festival for the first time.  It should be a blast, and I’m very much looking forward to it.  That said, I’ve never spent $130 on a concert ticket ($140 after shipping), so I wanted to break it down and see how much bang my buck is giving me.

Rumors that this is simply an easy way to write a blog entry are unfounded.

FRIDAY

First day of the festival.  It’s an important day, because it really sets the tone.  Who will I be seeing on this fabled day?

Joseph Arthur (possibly) - I’m not that aware of the guy’s stuff, but he’s worked with Greg Dulli a lot, and that usually spells out quality.
Pete Yorn - I’ve wanted to see Pete Yorn ever since his first record came out, but I always seem to be busy when he floats through town.  Well, not this time buddy!
Crowded House - Just a nostalgia trip, but a fun one!
LCD Soundsystem - I’m very curious.  Sounds like a great time, and a fun escape from what I’ll have seen up to that point.
Queens of the Stone Age - Love their stuff.  Should be great.
The Killers - Wouldn’t miss this one for the world.

Total Band Count: five or six.  We’ll call it five.

SATURDAY

Butch Walker - Looks like my day starts pretty late.  After five, even.  May have to go earlier and just browse a bit.
Muse - Saw them once, and I can’t wait to see them again.
Arcade Fire - This is what my festival is about.  Been looking forward to seeing them for a long time.  After this set, I’ll run over to catch the end of…
The White Stripes - And why the hell not?

Total Band Count: 8.5

SUNDAY

Yo La Tengo - And that’s it.  There are plenty more I might check out, but this is the only one I’m making plans to see.

Total Band Count: 9.5

Price paid per band: $14.74

That’s not that bad, and when you factor in the other bands I’ll probably check out along the way, it’s a great price.  So yeah, I think I’m getting my money’s worth.  Whew!  What a relief!

Top 5 Side 1 Track 1 Songs

Posted on July 18, 2007

Mike Oliveri, that bastard, has tagged me.  Now I have to list for you, the adoring public, my top 5 side 1, track 1 songs.  You’ll all just have to pretend for a minute we still live in a world where cassettes and vinyl are viable musical media.

So, here we go!

“Rockin’ Stroll” - The Lemonheads, It’s a Shame About Ray

“Crime Scene, Part One” - The Afghan Whigs, Black Love

“Bad as They Seem” - Hayden, Everything I Long For

“Travel by Telephone” - Rival Schools, United by Fate

“Holiday” - The Get Up Kids, Something to Write Home About

Now, I have to pick other people to tag.  Hmmm.

Kelli Dunlap
Lee Thomas
Chris Golden
Shawna Blount
Randy Lander

Enjoy!

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