Pitchfork Media's top 50 albums of 2007. Not only is this an excellent place to start pumping some new life into your stale itunes library, but also a great read, as they quickly break down why each album deserves attention. You're welcome, and Merry Christmas!
Top Ten Albums of 2007
1. Stars of the Lid - And Their Refinement of the Decline
2. Radiohead - In Rainbows
3. The National - Boxer
4. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
5. Battles - Mirrored
6. M.I.A. - Kala
7. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
8. LCD Soundsystem - Sounds of Siver
9. Field Music - Tones of Town
10. Patrick Watson - Close to Paradise
tractor.jpg
tractor.jpg
Originally uploaded by wellerb
Found this broken down tractor on one of my country side drives. It was just sitting by the sea.
Blue Lagoon.jpg
Blue Lagoon.jpg
Originally uploaded by wellerb
These are naturally heated hot springs, like one big hot tub. The water is really that color.
Lava field
Lava field.jpg
Originally uploaded by wellerb
The lava rocks are all covered by this green moss, its so soft that you sink about six inches into the moss.
Hallgrimskirkja
Hallgrimskirkja.jpg
Originally uploaded by wellerb
One of my first stops in in Reykjavik, Iceland.
England - Final Weekend
Well it has been really fun here in the Uk for the past 5 weeks. A lot of work, but also great amounts of fun as well. The people here with TNT UK are amazing and to be a part of their team even for a short time has been outstanding. It is only my hope that I can work with such great people wherever I end up. Today we had a little meeting in our conference room and our boss Stewart took some time to thank us for coming over and gave each of us a gift and a card saying thanks for the help. My gift was an Arsenal football (soccer) jersey, they are expensive here for Americans to buy which is why I have never purchased one the in the past, so it is greatly appreciated. Tonight we having a big end of season party at the local pub down the street, and it looks to be an excellent night and a great send off to all of us that are leaving the country in the next few days.
While my other American counterparts are all heading back to the states, I am heading north up to Iceland for a week, a week which I have been immensely looking forward for months now. Today I left work early and went into town and got a travel guide and some maps to help aid my journey. I am just renting a car and driving around, seeing as much as I can see and experience as much as possible. I don't think that this trip can live up to the expectations I have for it but it still promises to be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Hopefully gas won't be too costly up there, as I am going to try and get around the entire island before I leave. Looking through the travel guide I purchased there looks like so many amazing places to see and even if I get to half of them I will feel accomplished. I am not sure how much internet access I will have once I land, or even places to recharge my computer and camera battery, but hopefully I will be able to make some posts. I love traveling, I love meeting new people, and I love exploring new places, totally stoked.
3rd weekend update.
Finding the time to write or post anything on here has been rough. I rarely have anytime to do more on the Internet than check my email and write people back, but with that being said, here is what has been going on. Last weekend we went to the city of Bath which was amazing. I have never been to Europe, but Bath had a much more European feel than any other city I have been to here in the UK. Every building in the entire city is made from limestone creating an incredible consistency that lends itself well to some incredible views. While in Batch we went through the ancient Roman baths (hence the city name) which was cool, but I was not in the mood really to understand fully about them. After the baths, we went to the Sam Weller pub. It had my last name so of course it was awesome. Excellent food, excellent drinks, I would highly recommend.
The following week of work was pretty good, not crazy at all, and I haven't really worked any insane hours yet but the big push has yet to hit us. The biggest and best thing about the work week has been the weather. It has been absolutely beautiful here, everyday. Nice crisp mornings, sunny afternoons, and never getting hot enough to get down to a t-shirt. This weekend we had to work on saturday, but not a full day. Last night we went to the Old Ale House to watch the England v South Africa rugby match. It was the world cup final and every place was packed, standing room only. I have never really experienced national pride like last night. Every single Brit was on their feet singing the national anthem at the top of lungs, glasses held high, faces painted - I felt like I was in a movie. I have never been around people who care more if their country wins or loses, in America there is so much indifference towards national teams, and after last night I see what the exact opposite is. England lost the match, but it was still an awesome time.
Today we got up and relaxed, I did laundry and read some, and then went golfing on a nine hole course. Once again it was some of the best weather I have seen and the course was breathtaking as it overlooked the city of Salisbury and the tallest spire in England. I played alright but our boss Stuart pretty much wiped the floor with us. Now we are back at his house and, just finished eating some great roast beef and apple pie with custard. Yum. I really have been bummed to not have any photos posted yet. I have been shooting here a lot but the computer I am using does not run photoshop well enough to edit my pictures. Expect loads up as soon as I get them edited. Cheers.
Iceland - confirmed
Iceland is no longer up in the air. I purchased my ticket today and moved my flight home to a later date. Returning home will be a bit or trip as I will have to stay the night in the airport with all my luggage, but if thats what I have to do, then so be it. Hopefully this trip will live up to my expectations, I have been eagerly awaiting it now for a couple of months almost so it will be really great to finally touch down there. I still have a few other details to work through as far transportation when I am there, things like that, but that shouldn't be to difficult to sort out. November 11th can't come soon enough.
1st weekend England 07
Well I am finally back in England, Salisbury England to be exact. Home of the tallest spire in the country, this city is really cool and I actually remember my way around. Driving on the opposite side of the road came right back to me, even driving an SUV for the first time over here on their extremely narrow roads wasn't too hard, I am proud of myself. I haven't had to go into work yet, that starts tomorrow, and it sounds like this could be a long month of work as they are already behind schedule. I couldn't sleep at all on the plane ride over, usually I can sleep anywhere, but for some reason sleep was not mine this year. I crashed for a couple hours at our cottage before dinner then we were off the pub for some food. This pub, called the Angel, was new to me but served the best steak I have had in three trips to this country. One thing I always have to adjust to over here is the amount time it takes at a restaurant. Our meal last night easily took over 3 hours. Between each course they usually wait about a half hour, whether you are ready or not. I am not saying it is bad, but in the states we are used to going into a restaurant and depending on the party size getting out of there in roughly an hour, it takes a little bit of adjusting. Today we went to watch my boss's son Ross play football (soccer). They got smashed 6-3. These boys are 14 and 15 years old but could have easily taken on an American high school team. Their understanding of the game is much more advanced than kids in the US. Right now we are ordering some indian food and watching rugby. It is good to be back, I have really missed the people here and I can't wait to get out and take some pictures. Expect some shots soon, I think I am taking my camera to the streets tonight.
Shoe laces? We don't need no stickin shoe laces.
These hot babies showed up on my porch this morning, after only being ordered yesterday - go Zappos. In case you didn't know I love Salomon shoes. In the past 5-7 years they have really taken their products to the next level and these shoes look to continue their upward climb towards the top of outdoor footwear. This is my second pair of trail running shoes from them, the first were the XA Comp 2 XCR, and very very nice shoe, and got me hooked on Salomon's patented pull string system - say goodbye to shoe laces. I wore those down to practically nothing, making me anxious to strap on the next pair. I love shoes that pack as much tech in as possible and the XA Pro 3D XCR don't dissapoint. Like the Comp 2, the major selling point for me was the Gore-Tex. A must in my opinion for a good trail runner. I just can't justify spending what these shoes cost, and having my feet get soaked. When I am romping around the UK and Iceland (and I just learned possibly Rome) these will keep my feet bone dry.
TEN DAYS!!
PLEASE EXCUSE THE ALL CAPS POST, BUT THIS NEW CERTAINLY WARRANTS IT. RADIOHEAD'S NEWEST ALBUM "IN RAINBOWS" IS COMPLETE AND WILL BE RELEASED IN TEN DAYS!! TEN DAYS!! IN CASE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVING YOUR EXCITEMENT FOR THE PERFECT TIME, THAT TIME HAS ARRIVED, LET THE CALENDAR WATCHING BEGIN.
What am I listening to? Look here. Read, then go listen.
Sea Wolf - Get to the River Before it Runs too Low
Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew - Spirit If....
Jens Lekman - Nights Falls Over Kortedala
mum - Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy
Simple Kid 2
Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs
Any other City - Life Without Buildings
Graduation.
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If you know anything about me, you know that rap and I don't mix. You could even go so far to say that rap and I are at war. I am constantly searching for rap music that I can wrap my head around and really get into but they always fire back with the same old stuff every week. Well I think a treaty is in order, or at the very least a cease fire. Kanye West's newest album "Graduation' is I am going to say the best rap album this year- take that for what its worth considering I have listened to about 10 rap albums this year, but none the less its good. By far West's most musically ambitious album to date, and also I feel his most accomplished musically. I feel that this is the album he has always wanted to make, his previous works simply preludes for his final showcase. I have always enjoyed Kanye's first albums, but never has his tight grooves and loops been more enticing to me and brought me back for listen after listen. Lyrically I feel that he has somewhat fell from his lofty rhymes and quick jabs of "Late Registration" the high points are high, but unfortunately the low points bring it all down a little more than usual. Kanye has arrived musically, he has come into his own, and has found the space he needs to truly express his gift. To say that Kanye is setting the pace of where rap/hip-hop is going would be an understatement. He has set the bar and is already moving on to his next musical conquest while everybody else is left to figure out how to catch up.
US Nokia N95? Yes please.
The news hit last week that the highly drool worthy Nokia N95 camera phone will be hitting the US shores. This phone is basically identical to the one that was released earlier this year, but with one big difference - it now is compatible with US 3G, kind of a big deal. I have wanted this phone since its initial release and now that a US version is on its way, it has thrown my phone purchase plans into somewhat of a mess. All I know is that this phone is now my number one phone and will probably stay up there until the iPhone 2 comes out. But unless the second generation of the iPhone comes packing a 5+ megapixel camera, Nokia will more than likely be getting my money for awhile.
Could Iceland be my next travel destination?
Ölkelduháls
Originally uploaded by Ingahel
All of a sudden it hit me. I want to go to Iceland. It has been a dream destination of mine for some time now, but always seemed to get shuffled to the back when I pondered places I wanted to travel. My best shot at making this trip a reality is when I am over in England for work this fall. From London it is roughly $300 to Iceland - very reasonable compared to the $1000+ price tag if flying from the US. My excitement for this trip is at level 11 right now because of the incredible photography opportunities that will be available to me there. Iceland boasts some of the world's most beautiful landscapes and capturing landscapes is what made me want to be a photographer in the first place. I am going to try my hardest to make this trip happen - it needs to happen.
Miniature England.
Lately, I have really enjoyed turning some of my shots from England last year into fake model shots. I am still learning how to perfect this process but these are some of early attempts, hopefully more to follow soon.
Grandmaster Vanilla Thug of the underground
That is what my name would be if I was hip hop/rap star. How did I get such a pimped out name? The Hip Hop and Rap Name Generator of course.
Wednesday night storm.
Went out to brave the storm tonight and was lucky enough to capture this shot.
What's Up.
A lot of stuff has been happening lately, let me fill you in.
- I am moving out of my apartment
- My brother and I have made some preliminary business plans
- Finally moved into the digital side of the photography: purchased new Nikon D200
- Heading to Florida this week for Jeff's wedding and some much needed time with friends
- Went to Leslie's wedding this weekend, saw some people that I have not seen since high school - strange, but good
- I am trying like to rap music
Most off my free time has been spent packing, which is always hard for me because I have this urge to look through every thing I own, never letting a notebook or old school folder go without investigation. This habit annoys me, but one thing that was really cool to find was my old sketch books from college. For my drawing classes I had to keep a sketch book and make an entry everyday for two hours. I had some rather amusing sketches in there and some I would never want anybody else to see but some of the better I will get scanned and posted on here. While looking at the books wasted valuable time, it did really make want to get back into sketching/drawing on some form of a regular basis. I do not have the time start now, but in the following months expect some random drawings to pop up here and there.
Once I get back from Florida, I will be quickly heading back up to Black River Falls Wisconsin for a couple of days, then back home to unpack in my new house, and then soon after that I will be heading to England/Scotland for a couple of months. There is a lot to do, but thankfully Kate is here for a few days to lend a helping hand and provide some much needed time together for us.
On another note, I recently purchased Picross for the DS, and quickly discovered one of the most addicting puzzle games ever. If you have a DS and like puzzle games, you have to check it out. Unfortunately, this game could not have come at a worse time, sucking way too many hours away from more productive activities.
I want to be friends with Kevin Drew.
Tell me this does not look like the best way to hang out with your friends.
"This song was recorded with Joules Scott Key of Metric and
Bang Lime on drums and J Mascis and Kevin Drew on
guitar and vocals. The video happened last minute after
a Dinosaur Jr show in Toronto where J, Lou, and Murph
all came to the shoot to hang out. John Caffery from 'Kids on TV'
was hired to come and dance his ASS off and a spontaneous
party was put into effect.There were seven mirrors, one
disco ball, four lights, one bottle of rum, three bottles of
tequila, 62 beers, four crew, and 17 people. It got put
together on the day of the shoot and became the party of the year.
It cost three thousand dollars to make...
It was priceless."
- Kevin Drew
Dig Deeper.
I read a great article today on pitchforkmedia.com about religion and its place in today's music scene, more specifically, the indie rock scene. I arrived at this article kind of through the back door, Derek told me about hypem.com, from there I was turned onto a great music blog, iguessimfloating.com. While looking through their picks of best albums of 2006, their number thirteen pick caught my eye. Cold War Kids. I had never heard of these guys before, and in iGIF's little write up they mentioned Marc Hogan of pitchfork. So like the little Internet reference finder I am, I went to pitchfork and searched for their review of the album. Once that was found, within the first line of the review, the link to the article was given. Finally.
Now instead of rehashing what the author of this column has already said, because I agree with most parts, I am just going to offer up my thoughts and response to it. (you can read it here for yourself) I think this article is written from a unique perspective because most of the time when I read anything on this topic it is written by a Christian. Now I have no clue if Chris Dahlen is a Christian (I hope he is) but when I was reading it I was under the assumption that he is not, and coming from pitchfork I knew it would have a unique angle. Like stated in the column, most of today's indie scene seems to write of any music with religious overtones immediately, overlooking the emotional and heartfelt words of the singer/band. He references Sufjan Stevens as the turning point,or maybe just as an example where the opposite took place and everybody listened, everybody. Stevens not only gained the respect of indie critics, but the Christian music scene took notice and was quick to pick him to be on their side as if for a dodge ball game, proclaiming "look who we got!" Once this happened it can only be downhill and many artists have been put in this same situation and had their careers seriously damaged from being branded. Fortunately for us, Sufjan's fate was different. He has found a way to walk the tight rope between both sides, and has had huge success. Imagine if his music would have been buried with all the other stale Christian music that gets released just for the fact that it's labeled "Christian"? A real loss.
But the main thing that stayed with me from this column and what he does a great job of bringing light to, is that when religion is overlooked in the music we listen to, we are a lot of times overlooking the best part of that music.
"You can disagree with church of your choice, but to dismiss religion altogether - and to write off the best ideas, the best people and of course the best indie rockers - that come out of it, seems pointless. Why shoot the messenger just because you're scared he has a message?"
Awesome. I would love to see more music journalists thinking like this - bravo. Even though this article was written back in January of 2006, reading it brought me hope of more music being noticed that carries a Christian/religious message instead of getting shuffled to the back with the rest of the religious music that gets ignored. There is much more to this excellent article than I am highlighting here, but these are the thoughts that immediately sprang to my head. I love reading about this topic, music and religion have always had such an explosive relationship, sometimes good, sometimes bad. but always interesting and worth investigating.
Free your iPhone: Instructions.
This happened much more quickly than I anticipated. Here are your instructions for freeing the iPhone, enabling it to make calls without an at&t contract. It doesn't look too hard, if you are not familiar with Terminal, don't worry, it looks more intimidating than it really is. I only know a couple of people that have an iPhone so hopefully one of them will try. Please?
The ultimate tease.
The White Stripes are awesome. Who else could pull off a one note concert and still be seen as cool? Who? I say, nobody. The good thing about this, is it was unplanned, nobody paid to only hear only one note. It is for this reason alone, that I don't think it was a smug move. I only wish they would start doing some of these secret shows around Marion, that would be cool.
iPhone, free.
This is big news. Ever since the iPhone's release I have been following the multiple groups trying to hack the device and free it from its at&t shackles. Now one group has reportedly been able to get the iPhone running on any at&t SIM card, which negates the need for a two year contract. This news really doesn't do anything for me since I am still tied to Verizon, but it is good news for fence sitters who already have an at&t contract and want an iPhone. I would give this news some time to be validated, but this could be the beginning of a very good thing.
Transformers.
Hearing so many people talk about Transformers since it's release, it has been tough to keep an open mind about the movie. Already having my own doubts about how this series would be adapted to the large screen, I tried to take every piece of information I heard with a grain of salt. Mostly hearing a mixed bag of reactions from friends who already saw the movie, I really had no idea what I was in store for. I had seen the previews, watched interviews with the actors, read notes from the producer/directer, everything on papers seemed to work - it had to work. Saturday night I nervously sat down in the theater and waited for the lights to dim, saying over and over in my mind..please...don't mess this up.
As it turns out, they didn't. This movie was incredible. Watching a fully realized Deceptacon destroy a military base in the first action sequence just blew me away. I realized from that scene on that this movie was going to deliver. This movie is not for your brain, not for your heart but its sole purpose is to dazzle the eyes. It is not wrong by any stretch to say that Transformers boasts the most amazing and realistic CG in any movie. Ever. My jaw was literally on the floor when watching these machines battle. I have no idea how they were able to pull off such fantastic action scenes, making it look like two (or more) robots were really battling in a city.
For me, this movie was just pure fun. There are a couple of funny parts, plenty of corny lines, and just about every character was predictable, but all that falls away when put against the insane amount of detail and care taken to craft this movie. Now, let me clarify that I am not giving any credit to Michael Bay, a director who can suck the soul out of any movie he gets his hands onto, I am laying the credit where it belongs - the artist and SPX team with Industrial Light and Magic. Bravo.
Summer movies are always hit and miss, and this one could have very easily been a dud, but a strong script and drool worthy CG pulls this one to the top of the pile this season. I will have to see if Harry Potter can knock it off, a tough tasks considering I am already thinking about seeing it again.
Finished.
Tomorrow happened today. Back on Blogger and very glad. There are still some images I need to move over but I got all the important stuff. I hate that the comments can't be transfered - oh well.
Tomorrow's goal.
Move back to Blogspot. I made a hasty decision with my move to wordpress, I like the functions and features of Blogspot much better. I will be copying and pasting all my posts over, so the dates won’t be right, but at least the blog will stay in tact.
Review (mini): The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Well I guess it’s about time I put up my thoughts on the White Stripes new album “Icky Thump”. I have put it off long enough, I feel I have listened to it long enough and let me tell you, I love it. First off I am a big WS fan to begin with, so with any new album that comes, there is a bit of nervousness that comes when listening for the first time, hoping that it will live up to what has come before it. I purposely did not listen to any advance tracks before the release of this album, and I am glad that I didn’t, making it easier to digest this beast of an album at once, with no preconceived notions of where it was heading.
“Icky Thump” is at it roots a blues album. There are times; especially on the title track (a first for the band) it seems that Jack is directly channeling Led Zeppelin at the height of their blues recording. Something that I find quite amazing to hear. It is this ability to play the blues so well that makes this album what it is. While being grounded in blues, you will not find anything here that reminds you of “Get Behind Me Satan”, but more in the vein of “White Blood Cells” making this album their most rock oriented to date. Getting back to bass rattling drums and ear piercing guitar solos, this is The White Stripes sound that fans fell in love with.
One thing that really stands out about this album is how good Meg’s drumming sounds. For years listeners have wished her to be more technical on the drums, but in this record she sounds great. It reveals that she really can do more than just play simple drum backup to the whine of Jack’s guitar. Speaking of Jack’s guitar, I am convinced that he will be remembered as one of greats of the modern rock era. His natural talent seems endless, and his ability to evoke and tie together so many different sounds is simply amazing and a thrill to listen to.
Icky Thump took the longest to record of any White Stripes album to date, and you can hear the attention to detail in every song, everything sounds pure and crisp – all around a superbly produced album. While this album is not my favorite from Jack and Meg (that is reserved for White Blood Cells) it is still amazing and certainly one their strongest.
9.1/10
Music I am digging right now.
These are listed in no specific order, some are old, some are new, all are good.
- The Rosebuds
- Fujiya & Miyagi
- M83
- The Fountain Soundtrack
- Field Music
- Blitzen Trapper
- Final Fantasy (has nothing to do with the games)
- Stars of the Lid
Alba + LCD Soundsystem?
Apparently, Jessica Alba digs LCD Soundsystem. I was quite excited to hear this news being a big LCD fan myself, and it’s great to hear that people in Hollywood actually have decent taste in music. So Jessica if you are reading this, feel free to give me a call, we can chat it up about all things LCD and various other existential ideas and thoughts. I’m sure Kate won’t mind. Crap, she will, so seriously you better not call, but seriously, call me.
Dog days.
Kyle sent this picture to me today from an old
Korean palace he visited. It is the statue that
represents the year of the Dog, the year I was
born in (1982). I am not sure of the statue's
literal translation, but I am pretty confident
that it means: "I throw rocks at you then
hit you with my sword". Like I said,
it's not exact.
Me, as a Simpson character.
Head over to simpsonsmovie.com to make yourself as a Simpsons Character. There is a lot of options to choose from, it will keep you entertained for about 15 min.
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iPhone talks smack; delivers.
Unless you have been living in a hole for a the past 3 days, you obviously know that the iPhone released Friday night. Being the huge Apple/tech nerd that I am, I was glued to my compute watching all the streaming video/blogging that was taking place from stores across the US. I was very jealous that I could not be out there at a store waiting, but right now $600 is a little steep for me. I will admit that I was skeptical during the months leading up to its release but the iPhone has been receiving stellar reviews, and everybody seems to love it. My friend Derek picked one up today and he has had nothing but good things to say about it. After seeing the iPhone in motion, I must admit that every other phone looks stale and boring. The bar has been raised, and every other phone company had better take notice and strive to improve or get left behind. Apple has shown that people want smart design along with functionality and they want it all to look sexy as well - and yes they will pay for it. Mark my words, when my crappy Verizon contract expires, I will have an iPhone - lets just hope they roll out a 3G model by then.
Weekend note.
Movies, music, photoshop/illustrator, little bit of work - not a bad weekend. I enjoy these rare weekends where I can hole myself in my apartment and not be bothered. For me, it’s therapeutic, and essential for my peace of mind. I enjoy all my friends and everybody I work with, but every once in awhile I need some time to myself to clear my head, hear myself think and do only what I want to do. Looking ahead to tomorrow, I am excited because I finally get to go to Muncie Alliance Church, a place because of traveling, work and trips home I have not been able to attend for a couple of months now. Unfortunately I do have to go into work for little bit tomorrow, but it shouldn’t be too bad, hopefully doing some golfing afterwards. Now that it is nice and cool outside (67 to exact) I am going to go running. I am still trying to push through the two-three week barrier, it is not going well, but I am not going to give up.
Ramble on.
I am convinced I was born at the wrong time. I should have been born at the very least twenty years earlier, somewhere around 1955. There was so much more to explore - so much more potential, more to experience and more to learn. I am not sure if there would even be a place for me in this era, but I am sure it would have tried to accept me with open arms. Art, music, the movies, the culture, the clash of idea and thought, rebellion, reconciliation, it all would have rolled over me like a tidal wave, washing all around me and taking parts of me with it back out to sea. I try to capture what it would have been like to experience the changes and turmoil of this time period with the books, music, and poetry that was created as it was happening, but all they offer is a distant echo of what they were. The content is still there, the talent is evident, but like a sentence taken out of context, they lose their true impact. I am speaking of these references vaguely because for each person it is different. A single song verse or a line in a book might mean something totally different for different people. The important thing is to find that one part or whole, that gets things stirring, even if it stirs the wrong way, and take it on. Fight it if you have to, like it, hate it, disagree or fall completely in love with it, but take action on it. Don’t let anything slip by, make something happen and don’t take anything for granted and I have no clue what I am talking about anymore. My mind was wondered strangely tonight and it has ended up here. Could be the music I am listening to or something I have read lately, or the constant reflection of where my life is at/going, but it feels good to just write and let things flow out. I usually do this type of writing with a pen and paper, but tonight it feels good to throw it up on here. Take the brakes off, set it into high gear - it’s time to ramble on.
'Family Jewels" document revealed.
I love this stuff. FBI, CIA, M5, anything spy or secret agent related has my attention. What makes these secret 'Family Jewel' documents even better is that it is all true. Back in the 60's the new CIA director asked that he be briefed on any and every project going on in the orginization, whether it be dirty, dark or illegal - he wanted to know about it. What resulted was dubbed the 'Family Jewels' and has been one of the most mysterious documents in American history. As of today June 27th it is secret no more. You can now view the document in its entirity, all 702 pages. While there are still some names and places whited out, it still provides an excellent read. Ironically, the first mission/project is still whited out which only makes my mind race with possibilities as to what would have been listed first on a "dirty" CIA document, and still to this day be kept secret. Go here to see it all for yourself.
Goodbye blogger.
And just like that, I am gone. Blogger has been a nice place to start, but after poking around here on Wordpress, I am making it my permanent home. This layout is temporary, as I will soon be making my own and hopefully giving my blog a more professional look.
Getting official.
Finally registered my domain name tonight. It was a task that I have ignored and was long overdue, but I am in business and ready to go. Now you can just simply direct your browser to www.bradweller.com and view all my wonderfully insightful thoughts. Expect major changes to my blog in the coming months, as I redesign and possibly find a new host.
eh.
After returning home from a two week trip, I was glad to get back and relax in my apartment with Kate, but now after one weekend I can’t wait to get out again. Unfortunately when you are in the line of work I am in, your summers are pretty much spoken for. So while in my current state of reflection, these are all the things I wish I could have done this summer.
- Weekend backpacking trip in the Smokies
- Family reunion out west
- White water rafting in WV
- Camp, anywhere
- Attend at least two concerts
I have just depressed myself.
Peace out BRF.
Well this is my last night in Black River Falls Wisconsin. It hasn’t been terrible here, but the last few days of work have been crazy, I am glad to put them behind me. Overall this town of about 3200 is not too bad, but the lack of anything to do that is remotely interesting is holding it back. I have an eight hour driver ahead of me tomorrow, listening to some great music and chillin Perry, so it shouldn’t be too bad. The good thing about going home tomorrow is that I get to see my girlfriend, the bad news is that I have r0ughly one month left in my apartment, I have no clue what I am going to do. Oh and tonight Perry and I ate at truck stop with a really nice truck driver, we shared on the road stories and sawed our way through some very mysterious meat. A night well spent.
Frustrated.
This is how I feel today. I loaded some pallets on a truck and my knee grew to the size of a delicious melon. I haven’t been too concerned with my legs/knees for the past year but this is starting to worry me. Man, it is times like this that I really miss heading over to the training for some expert advice and an extremely painful ice bath.
Almost there, with or without trippy music loving robots.
My knee has deflated enough where, if all goes well, I will attempt to run tomorrow. I am excited to get back out there and give this running for fun thing another shot.
After watching more tv than any normal human should this past week, I have decided that my new favorite commercials are the Helio Ocean spots. They feature some great music along with some cleverly designed floating robots who take great pleasure in sending music, text, and pictures back and forth via the new Ocean. If commercials can tell us anything about the future, this one tells me that floating robots are very close to becoming a reality; and hopefully will be doing all my texting and web browser on my mobile for me. This day can’t come soon enough.
Well I am off to do some reading (King Leopold’s Ghost, which I will be posting some thoughts on in a couple of days) and then to bed and another exciting day in BRF.
Night all.
Icky Thump thumb drives.
One of my most anticipated albums this year is White Stripes Icky Thump. What I have heard so far sounds great and I am sure the rest will blow me away (please), but along with the release of the album, two USB thumb drives will be available to buy that come with the 13 tracks pre loaded on them. The USB 2.0 flash drives have a 512 MB capacity, and will be for available for $57 or $99 for the pair, if you feel the need to own the ablum twice. Im sure the hardcore fans might go for both, seeing that each drive is styled after either Jack or Meg, but really the only difference is the outside design. I have to admit that these drives look pretty slick, and being a big fan of Jack and Meg I am tempted to pick one up, but doing so might be kinda hard with only 3,333 of each being made. Whether I decide to purchase one or not, I just think its cool to have news that combines tech and music…good music.
To grow or not to grow?
My facial hair is at the point where either I let it go and try, trrrrrryyy to grow some form of a beard or shave it all off. I just can’t decide. I am up here away from my girlfriend for a couple more weeks, so it just might be the best time to give this beard the attention it needs. By the way, I look ridiculous.
WEb 2.0 apps on the iPhone....zzz...
Come on Steve. After a very cool look at Leopard today Steve says, “but wait there is more”… what could it be- new function on the iPhone? New brushed metal imacs? Nope, it was the official announcement that web 2.0 apps by third party developers will be supported by the iPhone. Really Steve, thats all? You are going to end the WWDC07 on web 2.0 apps? In addition, rumor has it that the developers will not even has access to the entire OS like they do on mac computers. Wow, iPhone you have failed to impress yet again…err I mean I love you. Phew, that was close.
We can rebuild him, we have the technology.
The time has come for me to take getting back in shape seriously. I have been trying to get back into running/lifting for about a year now but have failed for various reasons. Not this time, today I take a stand, today I start. It is not going to be easy but if I can just get through the first few weeks, I am confidentt that I can get back into some sort of competitive running shape. So if you see me, ask me how my running is going - I can always use the accountability.
Sexy sexy Leopard.
Hey everybody - Leopard was full revealed today at WWDC07 and it looks freaking sweet. Go to the apple site to check out the demos and photos, you will not be dissapointed. I will ramble more about Leopard later but for now it is back to work.
Swollen knee, touching and missing my girlfriend.
For some unknown reason my knee has been steadily swelling for the past 3 days. Oddly enough it coincides with my arrival to the state of Wisconsin, so I feel the blame rests solely on the residents here. I have been icing it, and that helps but I am still confused as to the cause of it. I’ll live.
In earlier posts about cell phones, I have talked about HTC several times and how they are becoming one of my favorite companies to watch/follow for the products they put out. Very exciting stuff. Just last week they unveiled yet another new phone, the HTC Touch. At first I thought it to be a competitor to the iphone, but after some research, learned that it is not and could not compete with the iphone. The HTC Touch can be described as simple, in that all it takes to navigate through the menus, is a simple flick of the finger across the screen, causing the menu to rotate as if on different sides of a cube, to the next set of menus/features. I have really enjoyed what I have seen of this phone and am really considering making it my next cell phone purchase, that is unless the iphone really can save us all. Check out the HTC Touch for yourself.
On another note, I really miss my girlfriend and hate that fact that we have to be away from each other for this long. But that time is almost up. and in couple of weeks we can be together again. Happy days.
Review (mini): Dan Deacon - Spiderman of the Rings
I really like strange and weird music, and this album does not disappoint. Let me just start by saying that Spiderman of the Rings is not for everybody. Its weird, it is creepy in spots, and many times I found myself scratching my head and even laughing. It is definitely odd, but also a bold album and one I very much enjoyed. Now like I said, it is not for everybody but if you want to challenge yourself to listen to some music that you have never heard before then check it out.
Right from the start with “Woody Woodpecker” you know this album is going to be different and I almost turned it off after the first thirty seconds, but then the constant woody laugh meshed with the techno beats sank in and hooked me. The highlight is definitely “Wham City”. I absolutely love this song. This song would be a great place to start if you are at all interested in this album.
One thing I really like about this album is how in each song there is a sound, voice or looped track that defines it and brings it to life. Like every movie has characters, each one of these “sounds” becomes a character to connect with and travel through each song with. Obviously in “Woody Woodpecker” it is Woody himself and in “The Crystal Cat” it is a sound that I can only imagine is a robot cat. “Wham City” features a chorus of singers that sound as if they are singing from the city streets, and in “Snake Mistakes”, I don’t even know what it is going on but it’s good.
Another song I really enjoyed and is very relaxing is “Pink Batman”. Sounding like it came out of the 8 bit Nintendo era; it brings back some great memories of being a kid playing video games (listen with headphones for further enjoyment).
Spiderman of the Rings is very solid album, and one that really surprised me with how well it was mixed, produced and gels together as a cohesive record. Like with any album of this genre, there is so much going on at once that I have not absorbed it all, but with each listen it gets better and better.
8.9/10
Cheesy.
For the next couple of days I will be posting from Black River Falls Wisconsin. There is nothing to do in this town, so I will more than likely have a lot of time to post, and probably have a decent amount new music impressions up. I have been listening to some good stuff and some bad stuff, but mostly good stuff. On another note, I like living out of a hotel room because it gets cleaned everyday, and there is a cheese store across the street. Sweet.
Fast Shipping.
You have to love fast shipping, especially when you don’t pay for it. I ordered a 4gb Lexar Memory stick PROduo for $30 (thats a very good deal by the way) on Mon the 4th and recieved it today, Wed the 6th. I don’t know how I got it that fast, but it was free shipping and thats fine by me. You see Gamefly, fast shipping is possible.
Laundry.
Let me tell you about doing laundry in a laundry mat. It sucks. I take my load of clothes over to the mat and proceed to enter my $5 bill into the change machine. Doesn’t take. I try again, no luck. I smooth the bill out and slip it into the machine again - this time it takes it, then spits it back out and then takes it in again. After about 4 seconds my $5 comes back out of the machine and falls onto the ground. I repeat this process for the next ten minutes, and with each failure, my anger at this machine rises. By the 20th or so try I honestly think about trying to break the machine, but then a sign reminds that the whole place is under video survalience, scratch that. So I load my clothes back into the car and go to the nearest gas station and get five, one dollar bills. Back into the car and back to the laundry mat. I unload my clothes once again, and stare down the dreaded change machine. I put the first bill and in and success! Next one, no luck, next one, no luck. Screw this. I look at the change machine next to the one I am about to punch and it says out of serivice. Well it can’t be any worse than the machine I am using, so I slowly slide the first dollar in - it takes! Change comes out! Next bill, success! Whatever. I get my clothes going and hop back in my car to head home, which thankfully is only about 20 seconds away. I can only imagine what fun and adventures await me once I go back to load the dryer. Where is my mom when I need her.
How to tie a necktie: starring my brother.
As posted earlier, I am horrible with neckties. My brother (all the way from South Korea) was nice enough to make a video of how to tie one and sent it to me. Luckily before I was able to watch it, I figured it out and saved the day. So I just opened up the video today was treated to this.For some reason the video portion is in high speed, but the audio is normal which I find adds to my amusement.Thanks for trying bro.
Double Windsor - 234; Me - 1
Surprise surprise. After an hour of horrible knots and loops, I have finally tied my very first neck tie all by myself. I realize that at 25 I should have this down no problem, but I never learned and hate dressing up. It took me long enough but now I have a […]
Weekend Note.
It was a short week but it dragged. Now I am dragging. I am just glad its the weekend and that I get to hang out with my friends, but I have to say bye to my girl for awhile. booooo.
Alligator was no accident. I was worried, the critics were worried, even The National was worried that their next album would not and could not match their previous effort, Alligator. Everyone can rest easy. Not only does The National’s newest album Boxer, rise up to Alligator’s lofty accolades, but possibly eclipses them. Dark, romantic, but not over the top mushy lyrics work side by side powerful, edgy, imagery filled phrases that stay with you long after the album ends. The voice of Mat Berninger has never sounded better, as he lays out seemingly simple but at a closer look, deep, thoughtful and soulful lyrics. Everything on this album is tuned and tweaked to perfection. You can really hear the time and effort put into the songs to get the most out of every chord, note and lyric, it simply shines.
It is easy to listen to Boxer and hear the classical guitars, the simple piano and drums, and know why this album is so great, but there is something more than here than all those things that make this album so easy to connect with. Boxer makes a run straight to the top so far in 2007, making it hard for anybody to catch it.
I will likely post some more thoughts on this album and maybe rewrite this post, as I just realized how poorly I wrote it, but for now I just want to listen.
9.8/10
Breathing easier.
Found a really good deal on an external hard drive that I desperately needed. I got the Western Digital 500gb (thanks to Reiff/Perry/Knowles for scoring me one) Now I can stop being paranoid about losing my music library if my computer were to crash. A ton of space but not a ton of money. Office Depot has a great deal right now - $140 with a $40 rebate, and if you don’t know, thats really good. If you are in need of an external, and have been waiting for the right deal, go get one now before it is too late.
Weekend catch up.
My brother is living in South Korea. I try to keep updated on what he is doing there, but sometimes I just plain forget and before I know it 10-15 days have passed without talking to him. Luckily he has a website that lets me know what he is doing. I checked it today, and he has been doing some cool stuff. He went to the DMZ, watched a dog take a very public leak and is attempting to start running again - very admirable. Looking through one his posts I saw that he put a link up to my blog so I thought I would return the gesture. So if you didn’t catch it earlier in this post, here it is again
kylerweller.com go check it out, he has some great pictures of the country and you can even see what his apartment looks like.
And now just thought for the heck of it I will list all the food I have eaten so far this weekend.
Friday: spicy chicken sandwich
Saturday: english muffin x2, Peppercorn parmesian turkey and bacon sub, tilapia, shrimp, salad, dirt pudding, baked potato
Sunday: bowl of life cereal, 10 oz sirloin steak, baked potato, ceaser salad, more dirt pudding and I still have one meal to go.
The exciting HTC Kraiser.
Here comes another one. The new smartphones just keep rolling in and this one looks to debut at the top of the pile.
Taken from the Boy Genius report
“Quad-band EDGE, tri-band UMTS/HSDPA, a 3 megapixel autofocus camera, integrated GPS, WiFI, Bluetooth, a full QWERTY ‘board, and a unique option that lets you tilt the screen to have it sit on your desk perfectly aimed at you. The HTC has integrated an application called Hubdog which I believe should work on various Pocket PCs. This is a RSS feed reader, podcast downloader, and even a mini blog publishing tool built right in! Right now it looks like it only supports Blogger at the moment, but hopefully that will change.”
Very impressive specs and it looks to release this July. As the iphone competition heats up this summer, look for more and more of these “super” phones to hit the market trying to lick up the iphone left overs. More than likely you will find me under the table fighting for my share.
A Wii owner.
While shuffling through the Wal-Mart of my girlfriend’s hometown, I stopped by the electronics department to see if there were any sales. I always check out the video game section and to my surprise there sitting in with all the rest of the Nintendo junk was a shiny new Wii. It took me about three seconds to find the closest Wal-Mart associate and ring it up for me. I have no plans on opening the box, and within an hour of getting it back to the house I listed it for sale on Ebay and Craiglist. I have looked for Nintendo’s new console for several months with no luck, and recently gave up even looking for one, but fate had different plans, and now I hope for someone to take off my hands. I will post my auctions on here soon if you are interested.
Review (mini): Battles - Mirrored
I love instrumental music. Bands like Explosions in the Sky, American Analog Set, Broken Spindles and Eluvium frequently cycle through my play list. Math rocker band Battles, have always been an instrumental band, and were quit good, with four solid EPs to prove it. Their newest release “Mirrored” takes the band to a new level of intensity and aggressiveness with the addition of lyrics. Mind you these are not your standard verse then chorus then verse lyrics, but are more instinctive and beat inspired. With these newfound lyrics, the band has mega hit on their hands. But in true Battles form, the lyrics are not what this album is all about, not even close. It is still all about the searing, clashing, flowing and connecting beats that make this album absolutely impossible not to at the very least, move your head to the beat of.
Battles once again have fought their way to the top of my play list and rightly so, for this album deserves every minute its played. I urge you, listen to this album loud and listen often. 9.3/10
EDIT: I just realized there is whistling in this album. That currently makes four completely different sounding albums I am listening to that feature whistling. Cool.
Decisions, decisions.
I am a huge Apple fan, but this new iphone is troubling me. Will it work? Does the batter really only last 45 min? It is too sleek? These are questions that will be answered soon as it launches in June. I usually eat up anything Apple puts out but I just cant’ make up my mind on this one. I think most of my hesitation comes from other phones hitting that market that are really tempting me. like the Nokia N95 or the HTC S710 .
I will not bore you with all the technical specs of each phone but what I really like about these two phones is actual numberpads and in the case of the HTC, a full QWERTY keyboard - which is one big area that I think the iphone will struggle with. June is soon and the iphone is coming whether I am ready for it or not, I just hope it lives up to its hype….soooo pretty….
Housing is important.
Finally confirmed yesterday that I can stay in my apartment for the summer, which is nice because I hate moving and moving two blocks down the street is even worse. Now if that new job thing would just work out.
Music Thoughts.
Saw Explosions in the Sky in Chicago. It was one of the best live shows I have ever seen and also one of the strangest experiences at a concert. I have spent a ton of hours reading author Haruki Murakami while listening to EITS, so much in fact that the two are almost inseparable. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing but at the concert I had images from Murakmi’s books streaming through my head non-stop. It was strange listening to what has become for me those books own soundtrack and yet be surrounded by several hundred people when normally listening to EITS and reading by myself. I will try and get some pictures of the concert up soon.
I have been able to get my hands on an insane amount of good music lately, so much in fact that it is almost too much to absorb at once, but the good thing about music is that it is always there for me to catch up on. Here is what I have been listening to:
Artist: Arcade Fire
Album: Neon Bible
I had been greatly anticipating this album for over a year and my expectations could not have been higer. Initially after hearing a few advance tracks I was confused at the direction the album was moving toward (not to say it was a bad direction) but it was aparent that it was going to be different from their debut album Funeral. Once I got my hands on the full release I could not have been more pleased. This record is epic. Not only in sound but also the tone and message that it brings. Gone are the popish beats and hypnotic rythms that made Funeral such an instant success, instead we are treated to massive organs, simpistic arrangements and head swaying melodies. Im not sure if Neon Bible will get all the critical praise that its predecessor recieved but one thing is for sure, you will deeply reget it if you pass this album up.
Artist: Modest Mouse
Album: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
The great think about Modest Mouse is that with each album they become more and more accessible to people who once would not venture into their music. For some time now we have seen bands try to become more and more appealing to the mass audience and that usually means sacrificing something in their music in search of that all encompassing sound that will bring in the fans. Enter MM, who has done the seemingly impossible act of gaining more and more mainstream popularity while maintaining their “indie cred”. If there were to ever be a step by step instructional guide on this process it would simply be this album. At first listen it may not sound like the old Modest Mouse fans have grown to love, but upon a closer listen this album begins to peel back its layers and reveal the same dark and grungy atmosphere that I expect from a MM record with just the right amount of shine. Go listen.
Artist: Peter Bjorn and John
Album: Writer’s Block
Do you like whistling? Do you like well crafted romantic but not sappy lyrics? What about sweet sounding 60’s music treated with an oh so delicate indie flare?
Yes? Then go grab you some Writer’s Block. I can not say enough about this album of about the amount of time I have it playing in my apartment. There is truly never a bad time to listen to it. I have always been aware of Peter Bjorn and John but like that book you always mean to read, I never got around to exploring them. I read some advance reviews and was not that impressed with what I read but decided to check them out anyway. I was no dissapointed in the least bit. This album is addictive. Pure, simple and most importatly, refreshing. A must have. (Go watch their video on youtube called “Young Folks”)
Artist: Patrick Wolf
Album: The Magic Position
Having not heard of Patrick Wolf before this album, it was not even on my radar as far as releases go. I try to keep up to date on albums that are coming out and usually have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the buzz before release dates hit. This album on the other hand, slapped me across the face. Twice. Once for not knowing about it before it came out and the second for not knowing what kind of talent rests in this red haired man child Patrick Wolf before now. By far the surprise album of 2007 (at least for me) and there is absolutely nothing in here that I don’t like. Mixed bag most properly describes this album and it hits just about everything dead on. Here is a little diagram I created to help you understand the sound Mr. Wolf has conjured up-
I couldn’t believe it when I heard it but just trust me, this album delivers, and I discover more and more reason to like this music every time I hear it. I am still digesting this one but I can say with confidence that it will be among the top of my favorite music in 2007.
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