December 2005 Archives
December 29, 2005
The game is simple. Describe your favorite records of the year, counting backwards.
Weezer’s Make Believe makes the 2005 Todd Ten largely on the strength of the opening track “Beverly Hills,” easily my single of the year. Raucous and fun, the song is a typical Weezer single, but while you’re busy asking the paparazzi to “take my picture by the pool" you might miss the lyrical outcast that ranks with Rivers Cuomo’s best.
That’s not to say that the rest of the record is terrible. “We Are on Drugs” is an instant classic, and even the inconsistent songs are enjoyable to sing along with. It’s just that the lead-off track shows what Weezer can do when they take the time to finely tune their craft. The results are brilliant and we should demand nothing less than perfection from the artists who can achieve it.
Ultimately, Make Believe simply can’t sustain perfection across an entire album. But it’s those fleeting moments that make it worth its number 8 ranking in 2005’s Todd Ten.
Previously:
December 28, 2005
A handful of improvements to the ol' blog this week. Let me know what you think.
Design tweaks
Nothing major, but I knew it would look better with the thin blue line around the content well. Pulling it off required a little bit of Photoshop magic and I didn't have a chance to actually get it done until this weekend. It's worth noting I was actually able to do all the image manipulating with GIMP, a decent open source (read: free) alternative to Adobe's Photoshop.
Standard feed icon
Earlier this month Microsoft effectively created a new standard by announcing they would be adopting the Firefox RSS feed icon. An enterprising blogger decided to help spread the icons adoption by creating a site dedicated to making it easy. I'm happy to join the party.
del.icio.us integration
At some point, I'll do a proper write-up on the online social bookmarking phenomenon. Until then, suffice it to say that sites I think are interesting will be automatically posted to the blog every day around 4 pm. It should be fun. Powered by del.icio.us.
flickr integration
I'm going to try - at least for a while - using the popular web service flickr to host my photos. See the thumbnails on the right side of the main page. I should have xmas photos up there soon.
December 26, 2005
The game is simple. Describe your favorite records of the year, counting backwards.
Every year a record from a little British band that could pops up in my life and instantly vaults to my Todd Ten. This year, Maximo Park’s A Certain Trigger is that record.
You know that I would love to see you in that dress /I hope that I would live to see you undress
That’s the hook from one of my favorite songs, “Apply Some Pressure” and it captures the spirit of a record made by a bunch of 20-something Brits boozing with their mates and chasing birds. The key to the album, however, is that instead coming off as solely bratty, it has a deep, passionate soul.
First, the music is just undeniably fun. To me, the tales of boozing and birds are celebrations of good times with great friends and the quest to make connections with the aforementioned birds, even if the relationships are fleeting.
Second, the key to the record is the song “The Coast is Always Changing” about a lover distance in space but “always there” emotionally. As we look out upon the sea, the coast may be always changing, but what’s important is that you have someone to look out the window with.
Previously:
December 23, 2005
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Great reference for putting your delicious on your blog.
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Graphics files for the newly standardized RSS icon. Originated in Firefox and will be adopted in IE 7.
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Santorum flip-flops on intelligent design AND sticks it to the Michigan-based (and much hated) Thomas More Law Center
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Neat eye candy for your iTunes collection on a Mac
December 19, 2005
They call me Aaron Burr the way I'm dropping Hamilton.
Easily the funniest thing SNL has done in years.
The game is simple. Describe your favorite records of the year, counting backwards.
Note to Adam: Dude, just stop reading now. Save yourself the trouble.
My tenth favorite record this year comes from a band that still seems to me like the little British band that could, but has actually become one of the biggest acts in the world.
Adam claims that they're basically cheesy power pop and that the lyrics don't make sense. And he's right. But they're still beautiful love songs. I don't think I'm so cynical that I can't dig the occasional beautiful love song.
Coldplay also holds a soft spot in my heart because they're one of the few bands I love that really made it. In the summer of 2000, I bought their debut album Parachutes on import and absolutely loved it. Later that year, frat boys every where were singing along to "Yellow." I didn't begrudge them for it either. They enjoyed the same high-minded lyricism and sweeping emotions that I did.
The new album isn't perfect, but there are more than enough standout tracks to keep it rocking my iPod all year long. I'm a particular fan of "Fix You" and "Swallowed in the Sea."
December 12, 2005
It was a nothing play.
Nobody scored. I'm not even sure anyone even got a shot off. But it didn't matter. It was worth it.
About ten minutes into the first period of Friday's Red Wings - Capitals game, Steve Yzerman - The Captain - was stuck in the corner with two Caps defenders. It happened right in front of me. The ensuing scrum for the puck was the same as anything you see in a typical NHL game. A couple of players vying for the puck...with one glaring exception.
Yzerman made a dig for the puck. The first defender squashed him against the boards. The Captain kicked the puck along with his skate. It squirted by the second defender and Stevie Y was able to poke his stick out and slap the puck to a teammate behind the net. The Wings made a turnover and play went down the ice the other way.
The moment was fleeting, but telling. Here's a guy, 40 years old, five-time 50 goal scorer, 682 goals overall (9th all-time). He remade his game in the 90's and won the Selke Trophy ass outstanding defensive forward. Three Stanley Cups. A Conn Smythe Trophy as 1998 playoff MVP. A knee reconstructed with surgery that was literally unprecedented for a professional athlete. A face reconstructed just 18 months ago. Absolutely nothing to prove.
But here he is fighting for the puck against 2 guys half his age and twice as strong. And he wins.
One meaningless play in an essentially meaningless game against a last-place team. But that play - just those few moments - that play was worth the price of admission.
