Coachella 2009 Dates!

I missed last year's edition and it looks like I'm missing the 10th anniversary edition as well. That doesn't mean it still isn't good news! It was announced earlier today that the uber-cool/amazing/fantastic/[insert overwhelmingly positive adjective here] Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival that takes place in Indio, CA will take place from April 17th to April 19th!

I've attended Coachella for four years and if my schedule (and the economy, too) allowed me, I'd go again in a heartbeat. It's easily the best music atmosphere around with the best possible scenery for a music festival. This is awesome news!

FIxation Focus: Deerhunter

One of my recent obsessions has been with the band Deerhunter. For the longest time, I put off listening to 'em because they were surrounded by the hype machine and that gets annoying after a while. That was around the time they released Cryptograms, which was early 2007. With the hype obviously came a ton of write-ups and blurbs about this band from Georgia, mainly how front-man Bradford Cox is crazy, waifish, cross-dressing on stage, anorexic (false)/bulimic (false)/has Marfan Syndrome (true), etc. After some time, I just got tired of hearing about it and any possible interest I might've had was squashed... until this new record of their's, Microcastle.

Cryptograms was a record that was awash in reverb, hushed vocals, and sounds that resulted in the descriptions of "atmospheric" or "ambient" and "psychedelic". Basically, the record is shoegaze, but not as over-the-top that a band like My Bloody Valentine was (is?). There are moments of toe-tapping on it, but I don't think that was the selling point of the record. The fact that there was a band who was creating a shoegaze-type sound in 2007... it sounding genuine... it coming from a place like Georgia - all of these traits brought this record out to the forefront and established this band as someone to watch for experimental indie rock.

Then comes Microcastle, a record that I think is brilliant. It's poppy, it sounds old, it's wisely restrained, and it also regains the psychedelia that attracted people to this band in the first place. As of right now, I'm having a harder time coming across bands that sound GREAT. I'm struggling with new releases from Stereolab, Jenny Lewis, and Brendan Canning, artists that I'm very familiar with and am passionate about what they do. However, there's something about these new records from favorite artists of mine that isn't sticking. Maybe I'm getting bored of the sounds that said bands bring to the table. None of this boredom exists with Microcastle.

What really put me head-over-heels with this band is a recent gig of their's. At the last minute, I read that Deerhunter were playing a free show at a vintage clothing store (of all places) in Atlanta. The band were doing the gig as a sign of appreciation to the locals who supported them as well as an attempt to break loose from the tour that they were involved with at the time - opening for Nine Inch Nails across America. I figured with the short notice and the free factor and the location, it would be a memorable event that would possibly be a short set and even including acoustics (or unplugged material). I was completely wrong and it was a fantastic mistake. The band played for more than an hour, all electric, playing songs from the two records I've mentioned, and having a lot of fun while doing it.

The material that was so hushed and held back on record was in your face, unrestrained, and loud as hell. It was brilliant. And it was all happening while I was looking through clothes from 1983. People were squeezed into the store, people were standing up on displays, others were outside-looking-in - it was just incredible.

After that show, I knew that was one of the top three free concert moments I've had and their music made for a great soundtrack for the rest of the summer. I found a great appreciation for the track "Nothing Ever Happened". About two-thirds of the way through the song, it just builds and builds with new guitar parts layered onto each other. Sometimes it's the simplest guitar parts that resonate the most, and that's absolutely what happens here. For some reason, whenever I listen to that part of the track, I want to unleash tears of joy while thrashing about. Music that makes me feel that kind of emotion is a wonderful thing.

Other standout tracks on Microcastle include the brooding "Saved by Old Times" and "Never Stops". Through and through, it's one of my favorite records of the year, for sure. What's even better about this listening experience is that Microcastle will apparently include a complementary album, Weird Era Cont.. This release includes the more psychedelic stylings that brought listeners to Deerhunter in the first place. What nails it for me is the album closer, "Calvary Scars II/Aux.". On Microcastle, the band perform a version of "Calvary Scars" that is short and to the point. The second version on Weird Era Cont. is raw, unleashed, and it rips. Perfect way to end an album, in my opinion.

For more information on the band, check out their myspace and give a few of their songs a listen. You won't regret it. What's also great about this band is that they often give away random recordings via their blog that mostly Bradford maintains. There are tons of videos up there of various things and every once in a while, he puts up Deerhunter or Atlas Sound (his solo project) demos for everyone to gauge.

A.A. Bondy @ Smith's Olde Bar

WWD favorite and friend, A.A. Bondy, will take to the stage tomorrow evening at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta with his touring buddies The Felice Brothers. From what I've noticed and paid attention to (not saying much, BTW), this has been Bondy's first Atlanta appearance in quite some time. He was last in Athens a few months ago with The Weakerthans, but I didn't make the trip because of the price of the commute (ha).

Go to his myspace and check out some of his songs and then buy his debut solo release, American Hearts, out now on Fat Possum.

Gobbledigook

I like Sigur Ros' first album alright.

Then came their second album and I kinda got bored with it.

Saw 'em live after that record and was, at points, in awe, and, at other points, seeing zzz's.

Takk... was released and I got back into the band for a minute.

Was really excited to see them at Coachella in '06 for the sunset. I seriously wasn't impressed.

And, now, it looks like we have a new Ros record on the way, called Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. Thank goodness for copy and paste, right?! Somehow it translates to With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly. Whatever, guys!

At any rate, the first song is available for download at their website, and that has the childish title of "Gobbledigook". Finally, a Sigur Ros song title that I can actually pronounce! And you know what? I actually like the song a lot! The band claims that this record will be Sigur Ros at their happiest. "Gobbledigook" definitely reinforces that statement. There's a bunch of "lalalalalala"s going on in the intro that are reminiscent of the last Flaming Lips record, and that leads into a propulsive, kinda muted drum beat with nicely melodic vocals. I'm really digging it.

Actually, it gets a little better. The "Hopelandic" stuff is taking a backseat and more Icelandic is prevalent on this new record. But the killer is the last song on the LP. It's called "All alright" and it's apparently sung in English. This could get a little crazy.

There's such a beautiful sense of mystery with the band's music, partly because of these so-called lyrics that no one can understand, except "the band" (and who knows if the lyrics have meaning or are simply sounds to gorgeously accompany the music). Now that the band has been around for close to eight years, we all know what to expect when listening to a Sigur Ros album. You're gonna get swept away in the lush soundscapes and the words/vocals will mean whatever you want them to mean. There's no trying to read between the lines with this band; each person's listening experience will be different. That's what makes Sigur Ros so profound - messages transcend meanings.

So how will this English track be received? Will the magic of the band disappear as they now have an appeal to a whole other audience? Granted, everyone has emotions and their music should have an impact on everyone simply because the sounds they create are so emotive. But now that ONE song is sung in English, does that change the dynamic of the band or their fanbase? Will the band face any kind of backlash because of this decision? It's definitely an interesting move for the group and we'll see how it pans out.

Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust is released to the masses on June 24 (US). Enjoy your Hopelandic/Icelandic Sigur Ros while you still can!

All Points West - Correction!

In an earlier post, I mentioned the All Points West music festival that's "set" to take place in New Jersey in early August. What I had wrong is the website, apparently. Here's the correct link:

http://www.apwfestival.com/

I signed up for the mailing list when the website was first online and I have yet to receive anything from Goldenvoice about it, so we'll see what actually happens with this website. I'm pretty excited about the prospect of the event though. I mean, I went to the two Radiohead shows there in 2001 and I have to say that the venue for this festival is amazing and the views from Liberty State Park are speechless. Usually, with Coachella, the scenery is a crucial part of the event. Tucked into the San Jacinto Valley, the Empire Polo Fields are surrounded by palm trees and mountains are the backdrop to just about everything. It's ridiculous. So it comes as no surprise to me that the "Eastern" Coachella boasts scenery that includes an amazing view of downtown Manhattan... and the ass of the Statue of Liberty. I mean, if you want scenery for a New York/New Jersey music festival, you just cannot beat this:



Needless to say, I'm hoping that this event does happen and doesn't turn into another Field Day fiasco that occurred in 2003. (Wait, it happened in 2005! Psych.) If Radiohead had two mindblowingly good shows in 2001 without a hitch, why wouldn't a music festival have the same luck, right?

Photos: The Octopus Project, 2007/10/11 (clicky)

Thursday nite I attended a show at Atlanta's Drunken Unicorn to take in some bleeps, some bloops, and a bit of theremin courtesy of Austin band The Octopus Project. They have a new record out and it's a keeper. Considering they won a contest just last year (2006) to open the Coachella Festival and that they were unsigned (that was part of the competition methinks), they've kinda ballooned since then, playing sold out shows across the country and getting more and more recognition on a daily basis. Here are some pics I took of the indietronica spectacular:







More at my flickr >>> GO NOW! :D

Fixation Focus: Radiohead

I mean, really, does anything else need to be said about this band? I just got home after a nite out on the town (i.e. Wal-mart) and discovered that Radiohead's seventh LP, In Rainbows, was emailed to me just as prescribed.

After all of the hub-ub about how they are screwing over the record industry by releasing an album themselves, how they are not charging a thing for a pre-release download, how they are not DRMing it (meaning you can burn it as much as you want, there are no restrictions) - after everything that was said in the past 10 days, the "finished" product is finally here. There was no doubt in my mind that I had to stay awake until it was in my inbox. I was dragging home on the drive, but I never forgot about what potentially waited for me. While I was all sleepy-eyed minutes ago, as soon as the zipped file finished its business and In Rainbows opened in iTunes, I knew I was set for the next hour or whatever it takes for this album to finish playing.

I really feel like I'm a part of something special right now because of the hoopla surrounding this release.

For those who aren't into this, here's the deal. One of the world's mega-bands, without being a "mega-band", Radiohead, announced last week that their seventh album, In Rainbows, was complete and ready for the world. As a result, the band, without a record deal right now, decided to take everything into their own hands. On their website, they let anyone pay whatever they want for the download that would take place 10 days later.

Twenty dollars? Ten? Fifty cents? Nothing?! Any way you want it, you can have it. Completely unprecedented. I mean, we're talking about RADIOHEAD here - like this was really that unexpected. Sure, the concept is just nutty, but leave it to the wackiest band in the universe to do something like this.

Now that October 10th has arrived, the album is here. I'm currently on track five, "All I Need", and with the first four tracks (as well as this one, apparently), I'm taken aback. Maybe it's the drowsiness, maybe it's the fact that I haven't been this excited about a release like this EVER because, actually, there hasn't quite been a release like this, well, EVER. Either way, this is just an incredible listen at 355AM.

The Left of Center channel on Sirius (channel 26) has been prepping this record for the past week, saying that throughout this week, they will feature tracks from In Rainbows. Well, sorry LoC and Sirius - as much as I love ya, you're taking a backseat for a few days, possibly weeks.

Certainly there is more to come on this topic. Let's face it, it's all I'll hear and read about for the next few days/weeks/months, so I'm definitely gonna write my fair share on the matter. This blog was once devoted to my indie music after all!

Variety @ the Variety

Ok, so there's a bunch of neat shows coming to the Variety Playhouse in the coming months. Just check these out and if none of them give you any kind of excitement what-so-ever, then check yourself, foo.

• 09/08 - The National
  
• 09/12 - Peter Bjorn & John
  
• 09/13 - Andrew Bird
  
• 09/29 - Rilo Kiley
  
• 10/27 - Stars
  
• 10/30 - The New Pornographers
  
• 11/18 - The Hold Steady/Art Brut
  

I've thought about that National show in a few weeks, but I'm thinking I should've just seen 'em at the EARL when they last came around. However, I'm really excited about the Stars gig in October. I'm really liking what I've heard so far from their new material (which is, well, the entire album). Granted, it's not on par with their previous releases, but it certainly has some great tunes and good rapport between Torq and Amy. In fact, the video for "Take Me to the Riot" is a good representation of their live show, with a bit of embellishment.

I'm trying to get interested in the Rilo Kiley show in September, but it's more and more difficult. I've only heard their new record (Under the Blacklight) once and the only part that stands out to me is that Jenny sings in some Spanish ("Dejalo") and that's it. Usually there's something to grab me with their material - the lyrics, the musical chemistry, the sound - but it was incredibly not memorable at all. I saw them four times while they toured for More Adventurous and I didn't come back gushing after any performance. Hopefully they can bring it back when they return to Atlanta next month.

What's really making me curious is the recently-announced NME Rock'n'Roll Riot Tour that features The Hold Steady and Art Brut. I really don't dig The Hold Steady because of the singer's voice and the way that he sings... and then I'm lukewarm about the vocals in Art Brut. However, I've heard that both bands are pretty awesome live (especially The Hold Steady). I'm thinking that with a ticket price that's only $15, I'm strongly considering getting a ticket.

I'm kinda mixed when it comes to shows at the Variety. I've been basically everywhere in there for shows and I don't have much of a problem with lines of sight when and I've never truly experienced poor sound at the venue, either. It seems like it's the hardest place to bring a camera into though. Hopefully I'll be able to bring my camera in there for the upcoming shows because, once in, I think the Variety is a great place to shoot bands.

New Albums 'r Us!

the Smashing Pumpkins
Zeitgeist - out July 10
Live...

10/30 @ Atlanta (Fox Theatre)

11/05 @ Nashville (Ryman Auditorium)

Editors
An End Has a Start - out July 17

Rilo Kiley
Under the Blacklight - out August 21
Live...

09/29 @ Atlanta (Variety Playhouse)

the New Pornographers
Challengers - out August 21
Live...

10/30 @ Atlanta (Variety Playhouse)

Caribou
Andorra - out August 21
Live...

10/12 @ Atlanta (the EARL)

Les Savy Fav
Let's Stay Friends - out September 18

Stars
In Our Bedroom After the War - out September 25/now?
Live...

10/27 @ Atlanta (Variety Playhouse)

the Octopus Project
title tk - out October 9
Live...

08/17 @ Birmingham (Bottletree)

08/18 @ Athens (40 Watt)

11/04 @ Atlanta (Drunken Unicorn)

Coachella 2007 -> TAMED!

After spending a week in the desert of southern California, chilling out in Los Angeles, and getting pwned by the Arcade Fire last nite, it's time to document nearly everything that was my version of this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. There's no way to include everything in one entry, because that would alienate and exhaust many readers (if there even are that many people who read this thing!), but I'll do what I can to best summarize last weekend.

It just seems that after doing this thing for three years, it would somehow become "boring", "repetitive", and even "lame". Yeah, because sights like this are soooo dull:



I'm assuming that after the previous years' successes, promoters Goldenvoice decided to try a three-day festival, the first in Coachella history. Last year's version of the fest featured it's first repeat headliner (Tool) and this year followed suit and invited back '02 headliner Bjork and '03 festival closer Red Hot Chili Peppers. However, the biggest draw for the weekend had to be what was scheduled for Sunday, the last day of the festival, that featured a freshly-reunited Rage Against the Machine. While the did achieve a considerable amount of acclaim for the music they put out, the three "surviving" members of Rage had success with Chris Cornell and Audioslave, but you could just tell that something was amiss in their music. And there was the hibernation of Rage frontman Zack de la Rocha. He was supposed to put out a solo album that was going to blow the world to bits, with there even including talk of teaming up with ?uestlove from The Roots. It just goes to show you that certain essential pieces of the band certainly do not come close to topping what they did together.

Bjork brought Friday's crowd to their knees with material old and new. I wanted no part in what the Chilis had to offer for Saturday, so I caught the tail end of Girl Talk's set and made my way over to the Sahara where James Murphy's LCD Soundsystem was tearing the place apart through dance.

And then there was Sunday. Rage Against the Machine. We'll go more into this later.

With all of the bottles of water consumed, pictures of the dueling tesla coils taken, and every discussion of "meeting at the hot dog", this year's Coachella came to it's end earlier this week. Expect updates in the next couple of days about how it all went down in the desert.

OFFICIAL: Coachella 2007 Lineup!

I wish I could pin down an official press release from Goldenvoice, but it seems that I cannot. Not like you need one anyway...



As was mentioned last night, some leaks occurred and it eventually led to the inevitable, which happened probably around 11AM on the east coast. While I did have a good dose of rumors from the past few months about who was gonna be where during the last weekend of April, I still had no idea who would actually decide to make an appearance at Coachella this year. I hoped for the Lily Allen rumors, the Explosions in the Sky rumors, the Air rumors, and so on. While they seemed legit, I remained skeptical. Fortunately for me, all skepticism came to an end this morning... or afternoon, when I really found out about it.

This lineup is incredible. I mean, Bjork is making her first US appearance in a few years, as is Jarvis Cocker (uh, nine years?!)... and a full-on Rage Against the Machine reunion...?! This doesn't even take into account the fact that The Jesus and Mary Chain, Crowded House, and Travis are coming out of retirement or extremely extended hiatuses (?). And let's not forget about the soon-to-be triumphant returns of Air and the Arcade Fire to the polo fields.

I mean, I could keep going on and one about this lineup. I really could. There are huge things to talk about and discuss until both parties in the discussion completely pass out from tongue fatigue. Let's see - do I start with an appearance from the Comedians of Comedy, or a DJ Shadow set, or how much pot Willie Nelson is going to smoke, or how hot Lily Allen is going to look with a dress and Chucks on, etc. Let's face it, gang, this will be talked about for a loooooong time.

And to know that additions will be made. Of course, everyone remembers how three additions to the bill last year basically determined the festival - with those additions being Madonna, Massive Attack, and Daft Punk. We all know that Goldenvoice has something else up their sleeves. In time, we'll find out and more pieces of the puzzle will be revealed. But as of right now, this lineup could go down as the best yet in the name of Coachella. Sure, Radiohead/Pixies/etc. in '04 was pretty damned good... but I don't think that holds a candle to this year's variety. And we're still missing suitable big names for the Sahara/dance-themed tent for at least two nights.

There are months ahead of us, kids. One of these days I'll get to posting my wishlist, who I hope will avoid conflict, what kind of expectations I have for certain artists, and how I plan on things panning out. For right now, however, I have to keep things to a minimum because, hard to believe, this is not a Coachella-only blog!

The true passion arises...

UPDATE: Coachella 2007 Lineup Leaks! (clicky)

More is sneaking out by the hour. Looks like stuff's gonna break tonight for sure. A blog hosted by the LA Times is reporting now that Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker is making a desert stop, along with local artists Silversun Pickups (yay!), and UK has-beens Travis.

Yeah, THAT Travis. WTF. This is getting intense right now... and it's only going to get worse.

Linkage: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/buzzbands/2007/01/coachella_lineu.html

OFFICIAL: Coachella 2007 Headliners Revealed! (clicky)

This just in - Coachella 2007 headliners have been announced by the LA Times here:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-coachella22jan22,1,6747076.story?coll=la-headlines-entnews&ctrack=1&cset=true

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bjork, and a one-off reunion of Rage Against the Machine will headline the three nights of the festival, with acts The Arcade Fire, The Roots, Interpol, The Decemberists, and Sonic Youth (among others) mostly playing a role as sub-headliners. 80s Australian act Crowded House will also wax nostalgic over a reunion slot during the weekend. For a teaser-list, click the above link.

There have been rumblings about the lineup being released in its entirety this evening. When I can get a hold of it, you'll be sure to know.

Music + Hockey = Bringing Out the Jams?!

For a while, I've wanted to write something BRILLIANT about this topic. I know some music and I feel that I have a fairly good taste in what I choose to listen to. I am also well-aware of hockey and follow it religiously. I figured that there would be some time that I would have this stroke of brilliance and bang out the best piece on music and how it relates to hockey... or the perfect hockey music... or SOMETHING having to do with the two topics.

And you've yet to see such a thing on here. Such a shame, really.

If you're a fan of hockey, you're a fan of the aggressive, in-your-face tunes that get you riled up and ready to tear into the opposition. Typically, I'm not a fan of such music. While I do tend to stray from the main alternative station in Atlanta to either some hard-rock or top 40 stuff, I do (on occasion) get into some of the more, ehhh, mainstream stuff that kinda plagues humanity. However, when hockey is involved and becomes mixed with such music, I get energized and really pumped up. I guess that's the point of that kind of thing. You know, I guess you can call it the, ugh, "jock jams effect." I definitely do not support listening to this music outside of the sports arena (because most of it is schticky and just terrible, IMO), I am pretty much in favor of using it to the fans' advantage. Such songs include:

Trapt - "Headstrong"
Foo Fighters - "All My Life"
Any Metallica
Any AC/DC

It's been a while since I've been to a game (if a week classifies as "a while," heh), so I cannot immediately recall any concrete examples of music used during stoppages of play. And some of the things I listed above aren't even that terrible (nothing primarily the Foo and AC/DC), but a vast majority of what gets played isn't exactly the best thing out there, music-wise. We all know this. Just face it - deep down inside, we're all tired of hearing Nickelback and Green Day and Puddle of Mudd. So why let it fly at something like a hockey game? At least we aren't subjected to Creed EVER.

But seriously, what makes for a good hockey soundtrack at games? I mean, I don't know if this even qualifies as "good hockey music", but apparently the Europeans dug it TONS. During the Torino olympics and their hockey games, all I ever heard during the breaks was Daft Punk's "One More Time". It was just odd for me to hear that in such a setting, and even more difficult to imagine Alexander Ovechkin gettin' his groove on to French robots.

So I challenge everyone who reads this to recommend something that really suits hockey well - be it catered for hockey or hockey-themed. For example, I will forever appreciate Trapt's "Headstrong" because it was the opening music for Thrashers' games in '03-'04 and I also for some reason attach that to Pasi Nurminen. For these things, I validate "Headstrong" and it's presence in the hockey arena. As a result, I often get into the song whenever it's on the radio, because of the memories I have attached to it. While it's a song I would never in a million years accept, because of hockey, I really dig it.

The same also applies to Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" and Blur's "Song 2". I have a hate/love relationship with these two tracks because I feel like whenever they are played anywhere, at any time, the Thrashers are being scored upon or tearing it up in a land far-far away, respectively. This often occurs during the summer when I hear these songs on the radio. When "I Won't Back Down" comes on, I instantly turn off the radio and know that Kari was beat somewhere and this song only rubs it in. I get overly ecstatic when "Song 2" is playing because, in all probability, we just housed a goalie somewhere in the world and we're letting everyone know it; I let loose the biggest smile when this song appears.

So what does it for you in the hockey arena? Do certain songs make you feel OK inside when you hear them, but you really know that they're terrible for you? What's that special tune that you will forever have attached to your beloved team (that's the Thrashers, by the way), whether it be positive or negative? Is there anything out there that you think is just PERFECT HOCKEY MUSIC?

I have yet to actually track it down, but I know I'm going to. The Zambonis are all music, all hockey, with no middle ground. The write songs about hockey and are actually recognized for doing it. I'm assuming that the song played during intermissions is by The Zambonis, "I Wanna Drive the Zamboni". I'll forgive them for their "show of support" (being nice here) for the Bruins and the Sabres, but they totally make up for it for making a living off of writing songs about the best sport in the world. I know I'll check them out soon enough, but I strongly encourage you to visit their myspace and give a few of their tunes a listen. They just did a split EP with Harry and the Potters, for cryin' out loud! Show the love!

website: http://www.thezambonis.com/
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/zambonis

Let's get this party started!

Hey, Blueland Blog, maybe it's time to do a feature on our organist, Chuck. I hope that's his name, at least that's what I've heard from STHs in 310. He brings the tunes out and starts jammin' each and every time. I love what he brings to the atmosphere. Maybe for Blogger Nite?

Down and Out Again?

Here's a few quick points to get me started again since I've apparently fallen off the writing wagon:

1. While getting excited all day for the upcoming Thrashers/Sabres game "tonight" and turning on Turner South at seven and watching 10 minutes of lame college football, I finally realized that the game is TOMORROW night. Apparently I want 2007 over sooner rather than later.

2. Speaking of the Thrash, they're quite the streaky punks, aren't they? They either win five in a row, or lose four consecutively, or win five more... and then decide to have another five-game winning streak and attempt to go through Buffalo while in the process. Of course, we all remember what happened the last time the South invaded the North earlier this season... dare I say repeat performance? Ehhh... hush.

3. Games I've gone to in the past few weeks: the Anaheim game was unfortunate but could've been our's, the Pittsburgh game was lucky (and that pesky Crosby... ugh!), New Jersey was testy at the beginning but eventually went in our direction, and the Tampa Bay contest was something else (despite gnatty St. Louis getting his way for a goal). Up next on the agenda? Phoenix, at home, on the 5th. I really should look into getting season tickets.

4. Yeah, Christmas was unreal. After a few days of tweaking and getting pissy, it seems like I've finally gone the route of satellite radio (Sirius, seriously) in my car. It looks like I won't have much hockey going on (that's XM's thing), but it's still pretty neat. And I have yet to play around with my new camera that'll surely be something amazing. It also looks like I have to turn into a bowling professional with all the bowling supplies I acquired.

5. It was never in doubt that I'd make a return to Coachella next April, but trying a secure a place to stay for the thing is looking testy at this point. With the lack of announcements of any bands playing as well, I hope I'm not biting my nails come February when everything gets finalized in terms of the whole entire trip. Of course, there are some hopefuls that I'd love to see there, but we'll get to that in another post that's closer to the big day.

6. I'm a downloading fool lately because of OiNK not caring about ratios for the holidays. Initially, I had no idea what to do with all of this freedom, but I overcame it when I realized I was being a tool for not taking any action. Here's what I've got so far:

Emily Haines - Cut in Half and Also Double
The Knife - Silent Shout and Deep Cuts
Do Make Say Think - Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn
Final Fantasy - he poos clouds and has a good home
Goldfrapp - Supernature and Felt Mountain
Keane - Hopes and Fears and Under the Iron Sea ("they're for the girlfriend/sister/mom/female" - haha)
Ladytron - Witching Hour
Mono - You Are There
Silversun Pickups - Pikul EP
Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
The Stills - Rememberese EP
The Cardigans - Super Extra Gravity and Life
Supergrass - I Should Coco and In It For The Money
Talking Heads - The Best Of
The Thermals - The Body The Blood The Machine
TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
Air - Pocket Symphony
Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

Do I think I'm done? I really don't think so. But I've gone effing crazy.

7. Sorry about the lack of posts... hopefully when things settle down in the next few days/week or two, there will be some more time to spend writing. Ugh.

8. And back to hockey... I'd like to congratulate Britt (of Nasty Nest fame, really) for making the cut over at Hockey Buzz and becoming the Thrashers' blogger on the site. That site definitely has some great people up there providing some great pieces on teams around the league and just on hockey in general, so for her to be a part of that is great. Check her column out here: http://v2.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?blogger_id=74

We're working our way back, kids. Just hold tight for the immediate future. We'll be back in full force in the coming weeks.