Assorted Links

One of my guilty pleasures on the internet is perusing the Sartorialist site. I've always been keen on the semiotics of fashion and few contemporary sites do justice to it the way this one does. I absolutely love this photograph as it shows a kind of 'body harmony' that is simply too poetic not to be lavished with attention.

The Strokes' new album Angles is a must-have. For those of you who crave new music these days, run to iTunes and get this puppy. Man, I had missed them. Some favorite tracks: "Taken for a Fool," "Two Kinds of Happiness," and "Gratisfaction." Read Spin's sort-of-ok-review here.

I quite enjoyed this. This is how the year 2000 looked in the imagination of Germans in the year 1900.

The Well-Being and Happiness Index in the US. A bit says: "In his book, Stumbling on Happiness, Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert notes that there are three great decisions in life that affect your happiness: “Where to live, what to do, and with whom to do it.” The second two have been examined in great depth; the third, up until now, not so much."
More here.

Brandon Flowers' New Music: A Comment

Brandon Flowers' new track "Crossfire" from him soon-to-be-released album Flamingo is another beautiful melange of sensitivity, poetry, Western imagery, and unencumbered aesthetics. Just what do I think about the sound of this track? Well, let's see. I've been listening to the track for days now.

The video is also a good supplement to the track. Where it delivers is in its minimalism. While the video has a few ninjas flying around, a distressed Flowers, and an uber-fit Charlize Theron, it is washed with polite sentimentality. In concrete terms, notice the quick smiles of the main characters' faces. If that is not an example of visual poetry, then I'm letting my liking of the track blur my vision.

I have a hard time liking things that a whole lot of people also like. It's not snobbery, really. Ok, maybe it is. What makes me cautious of things that have much appeal is one thing: fear of mediocrity. Flowers' art, however, was not always mainstream. It was indie long before it entered normativity-landia. And, I reckon, that's what makes it ok for me to keep reacting so positively to his new work. We're all entitled to having favorites. And he happens to remain one of mine.

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New Music: Pomplamoose

Tip of the hat to Liam for the pointer. They're called Pomplamoose. Great style. Cute sound. I like.

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Assorted Links

1) When is the best time to work out? I also find that I get different results when I work out at different times of the day. I tend to work out after my work day but sometimes it makes more feasible sense to work out during the earlier part of the day. I seem to get better results when I work out later in the day but that might also have something to do with the fact that I am more nocturnal than diurnal. The Times has a good article on the topic. A paragraph says:
"[a] small group of researchers has studied the question of exercise performance and time of day, even doing studies of heart rates. And not only are performances better in the late afternoon and early evening, but, contrary to what exercise physiologists would predict, heart rates are also higher for the same effort."

2) There's an article on smartmoney.com on green buying that asks some interesting questions. A bit says:
"Do green products really make us better people? Does engaging in a virtuous act of consumption build on itself, making us more socially-conscious, in turn encouraging virtuous behavior in other areas of our lives? Or does buying these products make us feel better — but, in reality, make us act worse?" Read more here.

3) Ten Albums You Might Have Missed this year. I learned about some new acts here. Telekinesis was a good find. See pictured above.

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Karen O, Spike Jonze, and the Upcoming Feature: "Where the Wild Things Are"

I'm looking forward to Spike Jonze's upcoming Where the Wild Things Are. I'm especially looking forward to Karen O's music which will be featured in it.
The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and Karen O are such a strong, strong favorite.
If they are playing in your neck of the woods, make sure to go see them. Karen O is spectacular!
Read more here.

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New Music: Deer Tick and Camera Obscura

There is much good music out there and I'm very happy about it. I don't know about you but I'm finding this year to be more prolific and fecund than last year.
I am currently enjoying the music of Deer Tick. Their album War Elephant is quickly becoming a favorite of mine especially tracks like "Dirty Dishes" and "These Old Shoes."
Deer Tick sounds like a functional fusion of indie folk, rock 'n roll a-la-Americana, and a wee bit of grunge. The band's cache mostly resides in its lead singer's raspy voice. At times he sort of reminds me Scott Weiland, the lead singer of the band Stone Temple Pilots. He especially does so when singing "Diamond Rings 2007."

I give this newly discovered band HetPer's thumbs up. War Elephant is quickly becoming a high-frequency album in my playlists and I encourage you to check them out.

The second album I'm checking out currently is the newly released My Maudlin Career by the band Camera Obscura. I have been a fan of this band for a number of years now and I've been looking forward to new music from them since their 2006 album, Let's Get Out Of This Country.

My Maudlin Career is at times sad and, yet, at other other times melancholy. This is not the kind of band who's in the business to simply cheer one up. Their music is honest, intellectual, and careful and that is precisely why I like them.

My favorite track from this new album is "James" and, as I noted to Liam yesterday, it's a kind of track that 'gets' you whether you are listening to it or simply forced to think about it when doing something else. Their music is like a good meal heavily based on protein: it's substantial.
It looks like Camera Obscura spent the past three years productively, indeed.

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Rock Show: Swiss Army Mouth

So, I multi-tasked tonight.
Well, that statement doesn't mean a whole lot decontextually.
It's where the multi-tasking happened that's worthy of note. My friend Matt, a wine connoisseur and party thrower par excellence, plays in an instrumental rock band called Swiss Army Mouth.

I did my multi-tasking at club Ravari while we were waiting for Matt's band, Swiss Army Mouth (SAM), to get on stage. Even though the schedule has been unforgiving, I promised I'd go and support his band. So, there we were, surrounded by an absence of lights, a sea of TV's, loud people, my party, and my iPhone on which I was trying to get some paper reading and grading for work the next day. Grading a paper on Foucault at a rock show makes a ton of sense, by the way. Back to the show at club Ravari.

Matt plays bass for Swiss Army Mouth. Swiss Army Mouth's songs are paced well. Their music made me think of the person about town who has places to go, things to do, and no time to waste on a long track. Their sound is the kind that moves with purpose. I reckon, that's why I dig it.

SAM is an instrumental rock 'n roll band and I wish there were more acts out there that followed that same pattern. Economy of language is a great thing in the realm of rock. In the band's own words:

"SAM seeks to melt the faces of those who seek Rock. Armed with an Orange, a Rectifier, 15" bass speakers, and a set of plaid drums, SAM is sure to do just that. Swiss Army Mouth's songs are short and to the point, lending itself well to the instrumental niche. With their longest song clocking in at 2:53, you won't have time to wonder where the vocals are, and you won't care."

I really don't like to talk when I'm at a rock show. I do, however, like to text. Especially with my friend Liam, another good musician I love seeing on stage. During the show I write: "Oh man! I love rock!!!"

And very few people in my address book know what I actually mean by that. It means that I love rock enough to find time to pursue it even when the schedule says 'No!' and other responsibilities need attention.

Liam writes:

"i was just thinking the same thing. listening to the hives on the train. :)"

And that's what rock shows do for me. They create an arena in which a bundle of other musical connections are made and past nostalgias fuse with current sound cravings and non sequiturs.

Perhaps Liam is right. It's time to give The Hives another chance yet again. It's been a while. Maybe Camera Obscura will be next.

After the show, I remarked that what I liked about it, other than how cool it is when I see people I know in real life practice their art, was how easily the music S.A.M. played let me process the myriad of things that needed processing that night. The fact that the tracks were short, to-the-point, and denuded of certain ceremonies one is, alas, bound to see in certain rock shows contributed to my enjoyment.

The next day when a colleague asked how my Thursday night went, I succinctly replied, "Went to an industrial rock show to support my friend, Matt's band, graded papers while at the venue, caught up with friends, and agreed on a travel budget with the other half. How was PBS's Masterpiece Theater for you? What's Kenneth Branaugh up to?"

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