new and old

february 14th

i suppose it was inevitable. new year's reolutions last one month, then they start to smell funny. once a week turns into twice a month. then monthly. so it goes...

bruce springsteen :: working on a dream
i really like this album. it seems wierd for springsteen to spout his midwest working man blue collar spiel for the last 35 years when he's a millionaire living in NJ. [ aside : i grew up in NJ and my friend's dad used to be his family doctor.] he makes earnest songs that work for me. but the songs i like best on this album are tucked in the back. 'This Life' sails down cheese river to something from Magnetic Fields (also heard in 'Kingdom of Days'), to a David Bowie sound somewhere in the middle. 'Tomorrow Never Knows' is a smart, cute lullaby. 'Last Carnival' is a great sad song about the death of his friend. And the 'Wrestler' tune is great since it reminds me of mickey rourke's beat-to-shit face.

bon iver :: blood bank
i don't love this album for two very very good reasons. one, it's not for emma, and it sounds like sounds b-sides waiting in the wings for the next full album. and two, i'm fucking jealous. before i knew about bon iver, i didn't have to compete with this shit. now, i sound like a hack.

jorge ben :: forca bruta
i think his singing veers between bad and authentic. i don't know portuguese and i didn't listen to this album to know just how much i like it, but i like it. i'll be listening to some more of his stuff before heading down to Brazil in April...lalala.

common :: universal mind control
i put this on, and my wife told me in minutes how much she hated this album. keep in mind Jess is the one who told me that my very favorite lines in hip hop, on my very favorite song, black star's respiration, Common sings my favorite lines. i'm a hip-hop hack (as much as i'd like to do a Joaquin Phoenix and go pro-wierd-rapper) but i didn't hate this album. It's mostly non-smart, childish lyrics, with some bad beats BUT it felt like a throwback to old old hip hop. simpler delivery, minimal beats, etc. i like that about it.

a.c. newman :: get guilty
** This is already one of my top picks for 2009. this guy is a mega melody master. i don't really know what the fuck he's talking about, but whereas that sometimes turns me off with Andrew Bird, i just roll with these pop treasures. i don't really know how the whole album hangs together from one song to the next. for example, he opens up with the most in your face tune 'There are Maybe Ten or Twelve' then chills out with 'Heartbreak Rides' which i fcking love. but man what a good collection of songs!

santogold :: santogold
as of this month, she's now Santigold cause she was getting sued by a jewelry company with the name Santo Gold. i like a bunch of songs, but haven't explored them too much just yet.


this coming week : ???