Before Traci left for work on Monday night she suggested to the rest of us have a pajama party and watch a movie. The kids were quick to get into costume. Right before we started the movie, however, Paige had a different idea."Let's have a dance party, instead."
Curtis, without hesitating even a second, pulled his down pants and, in diapered booty, declared, "Let's dance."
Let it be written that on this, the twenty-eighth day of January in the year two thousand eleven, that I, Spencer Sutherland, came to the realization that the lyrics of the 1989 dance hit "Pump Up the Jam" do not say:
"I want a place to play
Get your booty on the bus tonight."
Thanks to the lyrics scrawling along the bottom of the Just Dance screen on the Wii, I now know that the words are actually:
"I want a place to say
Get your booty on the floor tonight."
That makes so much more sense. I can remember all the way back to 1991, doing the running man to that song in James Diamant's bedroom, and thinking "get your booty on the bus tonight" was so weird.
But here we are, 20 years later, and it's all so clear. So much wasted time.
Robyn - Body Talk I looked into Robyn after several of my Kylie Minogue-loving friends raved about her. For me, she's no Kylie, but there's some pretty enjoyable dancehall diva stuff here. (Check out Dancing on My Own.)
Rihanna - LoudI love Rihanna.I just wish she could put together a full album. There's 3-4 good tracks here. Which is I guess really all that I need for my iPod.
Say Hi - 'Um, Uh Oh' Say Hi has put out a million albums. Generally, I only like about half the songs, but put all those records together, and you've got a great band. There's stuff I here I really like, but the jury is still out on what I think of it as a whole. Sounds like they've been listening to lots of Arcade Fire. (Check out Dots On Maps.)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
I love finding Curtis' little surprises. Like this old cell phone in the dishwasher.
I came home from work last night to the best surprise ever. An invitation, from a very excited 5-year-old girl, to a Martin Luther King, Jr. party. Now I'd never been invited to such a party, so I was curious to see what it would entail. The answer? Pure awesomeness.
First there were heart-shaped princess paper plates. Then there were little paper fish cups, the kind you use to rinse and spit and the dentist's office. And after dinner, there were heart-shaped sugar cookies that Grandma had dropped off for some reason.
Oh, but the party didn't end there.
"Let's play some Martin Luther King party games," Paige recommended.
Well, neither of us could think of a more MLK party-esque game than hide-and-seek.
And there was more.
The grand finale was a Martin Luther King parade. I wasn't the only invited to the party. In addition to Curtis and Traci, Strawberry Shortcake, Minnie Mouse, three My Little Ponies, and about a half dozen other toys were on the guestlist.
Each of these guests were in the parade, sitting on various "floats," made out of tupperware, magazines, or toy baby strollers. Curtis was even allowed to include his backhoe and race cars in the procession (he kept getting in trouble for sitting on the parade, but that's what little brothers do).
Before bed, Paige volunteered to say the prayer--something that she always refuses. "Thank you that we could have such a good Martin Luther King party that I planned and that I was such a good host." Nice. Way to butter up the Big Guy (or make him jealous that he wasn't invited).
It was a two-fer. After I washed the car, I just had to hop over the little cement barrier and I could return my DVD to the Redbox at the 7-Eleven.
The hopping was easy enough. It was the landing that was problematic. One second I was upright and the next I was in a painful lump on +++the icy parking lot, feeling both stupid and incredibly sore.
Walking back to my family, who was waiting in the van at the car wash, I was happy I was still in one piece. But more than anything, I was grateful that I was able to get back up. I don't know if I could handle the embarrassment of being found crumpled up in the parking lot, clutching a Step Up 3 disc to my chest.
I also did my first band interview in a long time. Here's my article about Peter Wolf Crier. If you like the somber indie folk (Blind Pilot, AA Bondy, Chris Walla, etc.), it's worth checking out. Check out some videos:
I took about 20 minutes of video throughout the day. Then I tested out the Flip camera's "magic movie" button that puts all the clips together, taking its own directorial liberties. The result? Four minutes of present after present being opened. Which, I guess, was mostly what happened.
I can't imagine this being incredibly interesting to you, but if you like cute tearing wrapping paper...
Ke-dollarsign-ha is the source of much contention--nay, hatred--at my work. Nevertheless, it is my job as a professional music critic (a job for which I get paid tons of money, believe me) to review even the albums of the most frowned upon artists. Enter Ke$ha.
With “Cannibal,” Ke$ha pulls a page from the Lady GaGa book, tacking a mini-LP onto her mega hit debut album “Animal.” Smart move. Not only does this allow her to strike while the grime is hot, but it also gives her the freedom to pump out more of the same tunes, without having to worry about silly things like growing as an artist or even facing the fears of a sophomore slump.
In a whirlwind 27 minutes, Ke$ha successfully amplifies her trash-to-riches persona. The valley-girl rhymes remain as wrinkled as last night’s clothes (“Me and all my friends, we don’t buy bottles, we bring ‘em/We take the drinks from the tables when you get up and leave ‘em”) and the choruses are bigger than ever.
Though she acknowledges her newfound success (“Now that I’m famous, you’re up my anus”), she has no plans of changing her lifestyle (“Dirt and glitter cover the floor/We’re pretty and sick/We’re young and we’re bored”). And why would she? That’s what made her famous. (“I know I’m the new **** on the block/I’ve been through my sketchy phases/Been broke, been a **** waitress/But I’m not now, guess it worked out.”)
Ke$ha understands her niche in the pop world. She doesn’t have Rihanna’s voice, Lady Gaga’s creativity, or even Katy Perry’s big rack. So she’s got to stick to her strength--being the girl passed out on your floor, who, by the way, just happens to be packing enormous hits.
Her songs may be obnoxious but they are also incredibly catchy. All those memorable hooks, combined with the throbbing beats, basically demand spontaneous, uncontrollable dancing. Combine club anthems like “We R Who We R” and “Blow” with a few I’m-not-always-a-party-girl confessions (“The Harold Song,” “C U Next Tuesday”) and you’ve got an EP that can stand toe to toe with the debut release.
If Ke$ha keeps pounding out these hits, she may have to add a few more dollar signs to the middle of her name.
Back in the day (after much coercion), Traci would write book reviews for the Manifesto. Though she now withholds her literary opinions from me--and thus you as well--she's sharing them with Murray Library patrons.
As is always the case, I find an album that I get excited to put atop my Best Of list, only to discover that it was released the previous year. So, before I start, let me give a little shout out to the 2009's "Weathervanes" by Freelance Whales, the album that I loved the most in 2010.
And now back to the list for this year, though I'm sure I left some things out.
Albums
Best repeat listen Tokyo Police Club - Champ
Long a fan of Tokyo Police Club, I was disappointed with the almost childlike feel of their new record. But when I saw them perform the material live, my mind was instantly changed. I have been singing "Favourite Colour" ever since. Favourite Colour
Best 32 minutes of getting yelled at The Thermals - Personal Life
Shouty and brash, the best albums by The Thermals always feel like a pummeling. The band has smoothed out some of the edges over the years but "Personal Life" still operates in verbal attack mode. Never Listen to Me
Best invitation to the dance floor Taio Cruz - Rokstarr
Taio Cruz may need some spelling lessons, but he's teaches the class on getting the party started. "Rokstarr" is textbook good times -- big beats, bigger hits, and an ultra-trashy duet with ultra-trashy Ke-dollarsign-ha. Dynamite
Best turning of that frown upside down Rogue Wave - Permalight
Rogue Wave is usually so delightfully melancholy. "Permalight" shows the band is just as impressive when they channel their efforts into upbeat, danceable indie rock. Solitary Gun
Best solo album that sounds like a full-band album Brandon Flowers - Flamingo
It's a bit softer and a bit twangier than a Killers album, but Brandon Flowers brings the same knack for high drama and catchy hooks to his debut solo release. Crossfire
Best local band hitting the big time Neon Trees - Habits
It's great to have known them as a local band, but it's even more exciting to see our very own Neon Trees hit the big time, with huge singles "Animal" and "1983." Animal
Best hip-hop crossover B.o.B. - The Adventures of Bobby Ray
Mr. Ray is just as comfortable gettin' down and dirty with rap heavy hitters like T.I. and Lupe Fiasco as he is singing with Paramore's Hayley Williams or Weezer's Rivers Cuomo. Magic (feat. Rivers Cuomo)
Best getting back to basics Alkaline Trio - This Addiction
This may not be the best record Alkaline Trio has put out in the last few years, but it's nice to hear them strip some of the goth away from their once-raw sound. American Scream
Honorable Mentions
Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life
Streetlight Manifesto - 99 Songs of a Revolution: Vol. I
The National - High Violet Matt & Kim - Sidewalks
Jimmy Eat World - Invented
Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
Four Year Strong - Enemy of the World
Deftones - Diamond Eyes
Bad Religion - The Dissent of Man
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Apache, The - Apache, The
Misc.
Best thing to come out of Utah County Drew Danburry - Goodnight Dannii
The curiously titled "Nirvana, by Kurt Cobain" is not about Nirvana or Kurt Cobain. But both the band and the deceased icon should be pleased to be connected to such a beautifully sad song about giving your love to music and not getting any in return.
Nirvana, by Kurt Cobain
Best use of a Rihanna hook Eminem Love the Way You Lie
Rihanna is the best part of any song. She's even better when she's teamed up with the only artist in a more dysfunctional relationship than herself. (Second best use of a Rihanna hook; Kanye West, "All of the Lights.")
All the Lights
Of course, one of the best reasons to have a blog is Google Analytics. What's more fun than seeing reports of where your visitors are coming from and what they're searching for?
For years, the search that brings the most folks to the Manifesto is some variant of "Shauna Thomas Fox 13." (It's usually something like "Shauna Thomas Nude," "Shauna Thomas Softcore," etc.) Clearly there are still a lot of people interested in the former morning reporter's role as "Party Girl #3" in Bikini Hotel. (See the original post here.)
But I just ran across another search tonight that's waaaay on the other end of the spectrum - "law of chastity gospel principles lesson." I'd forgotten about this post called "Gettin' Down with the Law of Chastity." I hope the poor Googler didn't go then on to read my next post called "Stickin' It to Chastity" where I offered up this gem:
"You could always put a piece of candy in your mouth and then spit it on the ground and say 'Who wants it now?!'"
I don't think the lesson would have gone over real well.
Though I am flattered that my post shows up on the same page as links to LDS.org, LDS Living, and the School of Abraham, it's kind of a buyer beware situation. Sorry, internet.
At age 12, my musical world was forever shaped by Mr. Cobain. Though I don't spend a lot of time listening to Nirvana these days (though I did recently commission Ty to get me a bunch of the Outcesticide bootlegs--thanks, Ty), I still happily get sucked in to reading every Kurt Cobain book that gets published.
As an aside, if you haven't checked it out, I'd highly recommend the documentary About a Son. After watching it, I finally let go of my Courtney-killed-Kurt beliefs. And it made me incredibly sad. ["An intimate and moving meditation on the late musician and artist Kurt Cobain, based on more than 25 hours of previously unheard audiotaped interviews conducted with Cobain by noted music journalist Michael Azerrad for his book Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana."]
At any rate, here's how I would rank Nirvana's proper releases:
In Utero
Nevermind
Incesticide
Bleach
I would rank the live stuff thusly:
MTV Unplugged in New York
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
Live at Reading
