happy new year!!!

sky blue sky

my two current favorite american bands are my morning jacket and wilco, and although my morning jacket have been silent this year, wilco have made another masterpiece. sky blue sky was a complete collaborative effort by the seven members of the band creating quite a different sound. it's still very much wilco, just not so tweedy driven i guess. the band says the record was very improvisational, and was actually recorded in "the round". we don't hear the weird noises like we did on yankee hotel foxtrot. in fact, it's quite a mellow album. tweedy says he was inspired by the byrds and fairport convention, but songs like hate it here and walken sound straight off of abby road. the haunting lead guitar part on you are my face is one of the greatest moments in wilco's history. impossible germany has a wonderful jam moment, and please be patient with me is one of the years most beautiful songs. wilco have made an eclectic collection of albums, and sky blue sky fits in perfectly.

new found loves for 2008

wincing the night away

it's the final four!

the shins - wincing the night away

you know that feeling when a band you love finally finds a bigger audience? after the all too hip garden state, the shins became indie darlings to hoards of 15 year old girls. wincing the night away is the first release since than, and i am happy to say that they have in no way catered to anyone. it's a mature record with what sounds like a bigger budget. my favorite thing about this album are the truly poetic lyrics. way to many rock lyrics are thrown away these days, but james russell mercer hits you line after line with clever and poignant words. it is most apparent in the song a comet appears. musically it's mostly light and fun. songs like australia, turn on me, & sleeping lessons are total sing alongs, while phantom limb, sea legs & spilt needles are filled with tasty musical nuggets of goodness. the shins are a consistently great band, and wincing the night away is going to be tough to top....but i hope the do it!



three more albums to go. any guesses?

ryan adams - easy tiger

this incredibly prolific artist has made one of his best albums. ryan adams is absolutely one of my favorite artists, and easy tiger proves that he is one of america's greatest song writers. 2005 was a good year for adams fans. we got 3 albums (one being a double album). 2006 saw nothing from him, but my first listen to easy tiger filled that void very quickly. good night rose is almost epic sounding, and is one of those perfect album openers. two (which is the second track) the sun also sets and everybody knows, shows what adams is capable of. with all the songs he has written, he is still able to create these gems. halloweenhead is the rocker on this album, and brings to mind his aptly titled rock n roll album. on tears of gold, adams shows us his country chops. i taught myself how to grow old ends the album perfectly. easy tiger is an album that impressed critics this year, but i feel it will never be completely appreciated. could adams be this generations neil young? easy tiger thinks so.

...one more tie...one more time...

the bird and the bee - the bird and the bee



the bird and the bee's self titled album came to me early this year. ten songs, 35.6 minutes long. it's a quick but solid record. again and again opens the album. with keys, acoustic guitar and singer inara george's breathy vocals, you are immediately drawn in. the following few songs are really good (excluding i hate camera, which is just too poppy). the last half of the album is absolutely fantastic. i'm a broken heart sounds like a missing track from pet sounds. la la la is ripe for an ipod commercial, and my fair lady sounds like it should be used in some sort of neo-musical. the final two songs on the album are preparedness & spark. both are wonderfully space. preparedness is mainly drum loops, haunting vocals, and a few keys & noises. spark is only synth and vocals, and is a perfect album closer. this electro-pop duo have made my most listened to album of the year. here is a strange live version of i'm a broken heart. it's very different from the album version, but i still can't get enough of it!



sondre lerche - phantom punch



this norwegian singer-song writer has made four great albums, phantom punch being the most recent. airport taxi reception opens the album, showcasing lerche's typical jazzy chords & unusual guitar noises, but phantom punch is not typical lerche. the tape and face the blood are much more ruckus than anything we have heard from him before. the title track gives a slight disco flare, and is one of the years catchiest songs. the drum-driving after all breaks down into some sort of nintendo sounding guitar solo, and it works like gang busters. she's fantastic makes my top ten songs of the year, and could easily have been on a paul simon record. sondre lerche is a wonderful artist and phantom punch is his strongest record to date.

secure in my masculinity

so my wife convinced me to go with her to get a pedicure today. i started changing my mind as we entered the salon, but decided to "press on"...get it?...sorry. i am happy to say that i thoroughly enjoyed it. so much that i went all the way and went with the mani-pedi! say what you want. i loved it, and i will return for more.

roots and echoes

if you have never heard the coral, i could play you any of their songs and you would think it was recorded in 67'. the coral have always sounded like a band from the best part of the 60's. it's not just their style, but the recording technique, lyrics etc. unlike many other groups who mimic that period of music, the coral never come off sounding like a novelty. roots and echoes is their fourth album, and they continue to do what they do best. this album has a softer side than some of their previous releases. songs like fireflies & music at night weave a trippy dreamlike spell while on remember me, the coral play around with their signature "pirate sound". don't be frightened by the word pirate, you just need to here it for yourself. the video below is who's gonna find me, trippy and psychedelic, it's a good gauge for the band if you are new to them. roots and echoes is a perfect choice for my number seven album of the year.

the boy i miss

The National - Boxer

once you hear the song mistaken for strangers, you will understand why this album is in my top ten. boxer keeps blowing me away with every listen. with guests like regina spektor, ryan adams and sufjan stevens you would expect something special, and it delivers. the national's previous record alligator, was impressive, but with boxer the band really steps it up. fake empire opens the album with paino and singer matt berninger's deep baritone voice. just like berninger's voice, his fellow members make up the band's distinctive sound from the drummer's constant pounding, to the raw guitar and bass tones. then, songs like start a war & racing like a pro show a lighter side to the band. closing the record out is gospel. it's a perfect ending to the album and has hints of dire straits. boxer is my number 8 record of the year. enjoy he video.

a tie?

i know ties should not show up on top ten lists, but it's my blog & my rules. whatever.





air - pocket symphony
melancholy is one of the greatest feelings that music can give me. it's not depression, it's that feeling of rainy sadness that comes while listening to certain songs. air have made a record that fits in there nice and snug. air's music has always been heavily electronic, but never techno or dance. much more atmospheric. it's music i like to write to. pocket symphony is their most mature sounding album yet. where as some of their former albums my be a bit unfocused and varied, pocket symphony stays straight on track. i would not call it a "safe record," but they maintain a consistent vibe, which is very important to me. the instrumental space maker opens the album. it establishes the tone nicely with it's real drums and synthesizers. once upon a time (the first single from record), napalm love, and mer du japonis are more upbeat while keeping the vibe. the highpoint of the record comes with lost message, a slow instrumental tune that is one of the most played tracks on my itunes playlist.






kanye west - graduation
i am not much of a hip-hop fan at all, but collaborating with coldplay's chris martin, john mayer & daft punk, and sampling steely dan's "kid charlemagne," make west's graduation much more than typical hip-hop. champion & stronger give a one-two punch after the opening good morning. lyrically graduation deals with the past few years of west's life. he is very vulnerable admitting that he does stupid things, and doesn't understand everything. it is far from the typical superman attitude in most of his peers songs. the finest song on graduation, and one of my favorite songs of the year is flashing lights. with heavy synthesizer, it has an almost 70's grove to it. it's one of the biggest surprises of the year, and if you have the same attitude towards the hip-hop, i ask you to give it a whirl.

battles - mirrored

call it math rock or new wave prog, mirrored is a collage of noise and beauty. battles have created a record that walks a fine line of being complex, yet has just enough groves and amazing breakdowns to make it very listenable (thanks to former helmet drummer john stanier). singer tyondai braxton (son of jazz musician athnoy braxton) plays with noises and heavy vocal effects. in fact, upon my first listening, i couldn't help thinking that just maybe king crimson & the surviving cast of munchkins from wizard of oz may have started a super group.

battles push the limits on every song, creating one of the most original sounding records of the year. race: in kicks the album off with a barrage of snare, arpeggiated guitars, and whistles that slowly continue to build. songs like atlas and tonto break into hypnotic groves, and are two of my favorite music videos of the year, and i am going to share them with you below. battles are defiantly a fresh and exciting band that i look forward to catching up with at their live show.

home on the range

i'm back in la now, and i'm making waffles. as the complete nerd i am, i have started to input my new dvd's into my database. look for the beginning of my top ten albums of 2007 starting today. i have a few more movies to watch to finish that list, but it's gonna happen.

neon bible

my 11th favorite album of the year is neon bible by the arcade fire. their first major label release funeral, was my favorite album of 2004. it was a fresh, and completely original album. on neon bible, the band seems to have matured. songs like keep the car running, and black waves/bad vibrations sound like the best part of the 80's while keeping their distinctive style. the first hit off of neon bible was the epic intervention. i really think this is one of the best rock songs in the past few years. lyrically, this album focuses on the commercialization and the completely un-biblical state the church is starting to become. in the song intervention they sing:

been working for the church
while your life falls apart.
singing hallelujah with the fear in your heart
every spark of friendship and love
will die without a home
hear the soldier groan, "we'll go at it alone"
hear the soldier groan, "we'll go at it alone"

there are many other bold statements on the album, and they are derived with a passion and urgency that could have made this album one of my favorite of the year except for 3 or 4 songs that just do nothing for me. this is definitely one of the most important and relevant bands of today, and i have not lost any faith in them.

movies number 12 & 11 will be posted over the next few days, and then we get down to the best stuff.

back to the pre-countdown

number 12 on my pr-countdown list is amy winehouse's back to black. the first time i heard what has turned out to be 2007's theme song "rehab", i was immediately turned on to the freshness of it. maybe it was the powerful vocals, or the arrangements. it just sounded like nothing else on the radio. back to black is more than just a throwback to the 60's. musically it is fantastically arranged and produced, but each song showcases her amazing voice. with songs like me & mr. jones, just friends and tears dry on their own, back to black will stay on top of my playist well into 2008. i hope all her "problems" won't overshadow her talent. sometimes the best art comes out of troubled souls.

goodbye santa. you fine fine gentleman

it's over. not just the big day, but the wonderful season. no more christmas music, christmas movies, christmas specials or christmas shopping. good bye eggnog, advent calenders, bacon wrapped water chestnuts and christmas trees. good buy christmas pictures, videos and post. good buy christmas.

i had a fantastic christmas season and day, and I am happy it only comes once a year. it will always be my favorite time of year because of the memories i have made, and the memories i know will come. so on my last full day of christmas vacation, i send you my final christmas post of 2007 (although a few pictures & mentions may show up within the next few days). now i must find a way to get my 47 new dvd's back to california....seriously.

one more sleep!

have a fantastic and blessed christmas!

two more sleeps till christmas

my winter journey has brought me to my final christmas destination. with my wife, mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews, christmas finally feels official! i have physically seen the christmas tree, and the faint smell of reindeer is creeping through the floorboards.

jeg er vill etter snø

bilbo and the batman

bilbo was his name-o

new line and mgm have announced that peter jackson will be directing two hobbit films. this comes as a surprise due to the bad relationship between jackson and new line. looks like they came to their senses. shooting starts in 2009, and both films will be shot simultaneously.

why so serious?:
2008 is gonna be great! the dark knight looks like it's going to finally get the joker right. i enjoyed nicholson in burton's batman, but 2005's batman begins showed that the restart of the franchise is bringing a realism that the burton films lacked. i am glad to see a joker that looks deranged and completely out of his skull. i wait in anticipation with bated breath.

it's the final countdown

christmas is one week from today! enjoy another one of my favorite christmas clips.

the number 13

my 13th favorite film of the year so far is control (i am guessing that my list will change after watching p.t. anderson's there will be blood). since i just posted on it a few days ago, i have decided to post this video from the soundtrack. it's the killers doing a cover of shadowplay, and it contains scenes from the film. enjoy!

13-11

as the year comes to an end, i am thinking back on my favorite films and albums of the year. i'm gonna be posting my top ten of each a bit later on this month, but for now i'm gonna start listing those that almost made it. think of it as my 13 through 11.

my 13th favorite album of the year is ga ga ga ga ga by spoon.

with an album name like ga ga ga ga ga, you can expect a very interesting album. i can't imagine anyone going through this year without having heard "the feel good song of the year", and spoon's first single off the album, the underdog. it hearkens back to the good old days when billy joel dominated the air waves...well maybe that's not the good old days, but it's still a fantastic song that just builds with mariachi style trumpets and percussion galore (check out the video below). ga ga ga ga ga has much more to offer than just the underdog. the opening song don't make me a target, sets a good blueprint for the album, although we are going to experience many flavors and styles here. the song the ghost of you lingers, has a wonderful and abrasive piano riff throughout the whole song. spoon says the title of the album ga ga ga ga ga came from that track. ga ga ga ga ga was the old title for this song because of the piano sound. it's a stripped down track that is almost completely piano and vocals. you got yr. cherry bomb really sounds like phill spector sneaked into the studio. not that you hear gunshots or anything like that, but it has that wonderful 60's girl group sound that you would hear on a ronettes album. acoustic guitar is very prominent on this album, but it has plenty moments of rock. i am really impressed with the production. lot's of interesting sounds and arrangements keep ga ga ga ga ga sounding like nothing else from this year, or for that matter any other year.

enjoy the underdog video below!

another great television special

the mist

i consider myself a film snob, but the truth is i love movies so much that i give most of anything a chance. when i heard they were making a movie based on the stephen king story "the mist", i was very apprehensive about it. i really like king's books, but many of his films have not turned out to be good adaptations. i loved shawshank redemption,misery, & the shining (kubrick's version), and the green mile, but not so much of the rest. hope sprung forth when i heard that frank darabont (shawshank & green mile) would be writing and directing. then i saw the trailer for the mist. i completely wrote it off, but like always i end up watching these things.

it's a story where a military experiment goes wrong. and a handful of towns people become trapped in a supermarket as a "mist" rolls in to town. they can't leave, because as soon as someone leaves the building, they are attacked by some unworldly creature. the set up was ok. the cast was doing a fine job, but then about 45 minutes into it it began to unravel. marcia gay harden plays an over the top, typical to king, religious crazy lady. horrible special effects, and changes from the original story started to upset me . Than two thirds through the film it became interesting and actually creepy things started happening. darabont is a good director, so his shots and performances are more interesting than a less experienced director. still, it kept a b-movie feel throughout the film.

the end of the film was completely unexpected, dark and unsettling. it was very different from the original story, but it was really ballsy. i'm giving it a 3 out of 5. not a bad film at all, but i'm not really excited about ever seeing it again.

christmas.....special?

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12-15-2007 12-16-2007

here are my thoughts on the films i watched this weekend:

atonement -
joe wright's debut film was 2005's pride & prejudice. a film that i enjoyed, but never exactly saw what others loved so much. atonement is his second film. like pride & prejudice, it is also a period film, and it also stars keira knightley. i am not quite ready to write much about this film yet because i will be posting my list of my ten favorite films of 2007 in a few weeks. i guess that kind of gives away one on my list. i will say that this is the most beautiful film i have seen in a few years, and i have finally enjoyed, neigh, loved a keira knightley performance. it also contains of amazing sequences. more to come on this one soon.




control -
control is a biopic of ian curtis, singer for the late seventies band joy division. anton corbijn, who makes his feature film debut is best known for his photography and music videos. control is beautifully shot in black and white, and each shot is composed like much of corbijn's rock photography. this is anything but the feelgood movie of the summer. curtis was a troubled kid who suffered from epilepsy, and ultimately killed himself at the young age of 23. sam riley and samantha morton give fantastic performances as ian and deborah curtis. morton is especially good and is able to pull off playing a 17 year old (she is thirty). they give two of the best performances of the year. the film focuses more on curtis than on the band, but there are some great performance sequences, and they found actors who look exactly like the members of joy division. it's a downer, but a very good film. now i need to watch something christmassy!

the perfect nog

sir percival let's me use his piano

although this bing crosby television special did not make my top five, i wanted to add this clip. it's one of my favorite versions of this song. to amazing crooners. bing died before this aired.



peace on earth. let it be.

my top five favorite favorite christmas television specials

there is no shortage of christmas specials for your viewing pleasure this month. many are mediocre, some are fantastic, and some would make you lose your holiday spirit for life....like the star wars holiday special from 1977:



but we are not here to speak of the bad. here is my top five favorite favorite christmas television specials!


5. Frosty the Snowman (1969)
jimmy durante narrates and sings this hand drawn classic. "happy birthday! hey, i said my first words. but... but snowmen can't talk. ha ha ha, come on now, what's the joke? could i really be alive?" it's pretty much the song acted out... well drawn out, with a not so hot magician added as some what of a villain. but nobody stays naughty at christmas time.


4. rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer (1964)
the first popular release from the rankin-bass team. narrated by the great burl ives who also sings the famous title song and silver & gold. fantastic characters like hermey the elf who would rather be a dentist, yukon cornelius the self-proclaimed "greatest prospector in the north", the abominable snowmonster (a.k.a., "Bumble"), and all the misfit toys. nothing says childhood christmas like claymation.


3. the bear who slept through christmas (1973)
you probably have never heard of this one. I have only actually seen it on television twice, but I own it the VHS (remember that unstoppable format). it stars tom smothers as ted edward bear...get it (ted e. bear), a sweet little bear who lives in Bearbank....get it? as we all know, bears hibernate during the winter. ted has always heard of this thing called christmas. he decides to stay awake this year and find out for himself what it's all about. I am surprised this special has never found a bigger audience. makes me sad.


2. a charlie brown christmas (1965) -
simple characters and simple drawings keep this classic so endearing. charlie's adimate frustration with the commercialization of christmas has always seamed funny to me because of his young age. the special celebrates everything great about christmas from the picking out of the tree, to the christmas pageant, to the most important part of christmas, the birth of christ. as mentioned in my top five favorite christmas albums post, the soundtrack is my favorite christmas album of all time. this special perfectly captures and celebrates the childlike spirit of christmas.


1. how the grinch stole christmas (1966) -
call it an obvious pick. i know it's probably the most famous of the five. i can't remember the first time I saw this special. I just remember always knowing about it. everything works so well. directed by chuck jones who is most famous for his work on the loony tunes shorts. you can see the similarity between some of his loony tunes from that period. especially from the roadrunner and coyote stuff. narrated and voiced by the iconic boris karloff, and the fantastically whimsical song lyrics and story by dr. seuss. it's a wonderfully redemptive story that always seems to stay relevant each year.

Well, put your arms down when you get to school.

Elf was the first time I had the chance to hear Zooey Deschanel sing. I was immediately drawn to her Cabaret style voice. Now her and M.Ward have made one of my favorite records of the year. I had the chance to see them a couple of weeks ago, and they did not disappoint. Let's take a look at this great scene from Elf!

der weihnachtsbaum

o tannenbaum, o tannenbaum,
wie grün sind deine blätter!
du grünst nicht nur zur sommerzeit,
nein auch im winter, wenn es schneit.
o tannenbaum, o tannenbaum,
wie grün sind deine blätter!

less than two weeks!

two week from today will be the saddest day of the year, but let's not focus on that right now. instead lets take a look at one of my favorite scenes from my favorite christmas movie. enjoy!

a slice of surreal life

clocking in at 17 minutes, un chien andalou is good place to start for anyone getting into surrealist film. it's a completely disjointed peice, and bizarre as hell. the film has many memorable sequences and visuals. one of the most horrific shots in cinema history is the much parodied slicing of the eye.



another famous scene is the hole in the mans palm from which ants crawl out. ants in the palms, meaning that someone is itching to kill?



luis buñuel & salvador dalí admit to the film having no meaning (the translation of the title being andalusian dog). they are quoted as saying "nothing, in the film, symbolizes anything. the only method of investigation of the symbols would be, perhaps, psychoanalysis". still, cinefiles continue to search for meaning in it all, and there are countless interpretations available if you want to dig deep. buñuel's latter films (although always surreal) become somewhat more story driven, and are always quick to attack the bourgeoisie. give it a whirl.

the greats?

so i recently heard some news that four of my favorite directors of all time have collaborated on a single project. akira kurosawa, jean-luc godard, federico fellini, and françois truffaut all at the helm? the thought is absolutely mind blowing for many reasons, the biggest being that all but godard are deceased. nevertheless, this project could most defiantly be the crowning achievement in cinema this century. click here to see a clip from the upcoming project:

top five favorite christmas movies

this is the only time of the year that you might catch me watching the lifetime and hallmark channels. not because the movie are good, but because for some reason i am sucked in to their christmas lineup. i know they are really cheesy, but i have always been forgiving when it comes to christmas. the following are my favorite christmas movies. none here are cheesy (at least to me), and all are extremely re-watchable. especially number one! so without further hubbub, i give you my top five favorite christmas movies.

p.s.
i have left off television specials. that is for another post. hubbub over.

5. white christmas (1954) - this is a horrible movie to watch with me. i promise you that i can recite 95 percent of this movie. seriously. my grandmother introduced me to this one when i was very young and i may have seen it more than any other film (i used to watch it in the summer). bing crosby, danny kaye, rosemary clooney & vera-ellen are the perfect cast to dance and sing their way through this classic. directed by michael curtiz (casablanca), all songs
written by irving berlin, and the first film to be shot in vistavision = classic!



4. miracle on 34th street (1947) -
although the 1994 remake is a charming, it lacks the magic of the original. with edmund gwenn as what may be the greatest santa in movie history, miracle's strength lays in it's cast. the beautiful maureen o'hara and the soft and sweet natalie wood. it's very inspirational and still holds up today.



3. scrooge (1951) (a.k.a. a christmas carol) -
there are many versions of this story. most of them are great, but the best for my money is alastair sim as ebenezer scrooge. it's one of my favorite stories. timeless, scary, funny, and powerfully redemptive. it gives me hope that all those scrooges in our lives may one day see the light.



2. it's a wonderful life (1946) -
it's not only my second favorite christmas movie, but it's one of my favorite movies of all time. it's almost cliché now, but the story of how one person can affect the lives of so many others is awesome to me. capra and stewart are at the top of their craft here. it's on every year. we have all seen it, but it never loses it's power. the final scene never fails to bring a tear to my eye.




1. a christmas story (1983) -
One of the most re-watchable films i have seen, a christmas story is completely perfect. bob clark captures the 1940's so perfectly that i thought it was an old film (when i was young). the narration played against ralphie's facial expressions, darren mcgavin as the loving yet flawed father, randy and the zeppelin. everything works. nothing falls short. it's hilarious and sweet but never sappy. there is a reason it's played 24 hours straight every christmas!

foolishness

i will post my top five favorite christmas movies tonight. untill then enjoy this foolishness.
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1240881936

how dare you michael bay

i have never had much to say about michael bay. as one of hollywood's most profitable hacks, he continues to to bore me with nonstop action and has the ability to keep me utterly confused. with his constant use of 2 second cuts and shaky camera that is all the rage. anyway, today being december 7th and the 66th anniversary of the attack on pearl harbor, i thought it might be a good idea to take a look at what i like to consider a very irresponsible and exploitive sequence from mr. bays film.



lets just hope no one lets him direct 911. maybe he could do a pov of one of the planes hitting the building, or follow people down as the buildings collapse. i am not against historical films, or even recreating disasters, but there are respectable ways of doing it. i thought greengrass handled united 93 wonderfully, and even though i am not a huge fan of stone's world trade center, i felt he took care in his decisions.

it's sad to see that we are still fighting, but let's remember what happened 66 years ago today.
i hope i have not come across heavy handed. that is the whole point of this entry. not to be.

on that note, have a wonderful friday, and get ready for my top 5 favorite christmas movies coming in my next post!

the advent of a miracle

something full of wonder is on it's way.

yum

even though i love to cook and prepare an occasional extravagant plethora of extravagances, a simple treat should never be overlooked. here are two very delicious yet very quick and easy holiday drinks.

coffee nog:
get your favorite holiday mug. pour a thick eggnog into one third of the mug. now pour some coffee in there and you got yourself a nice creamy treat. if you have a cappuccino machine, you can froth up the nog to make it nice and velvety.

hot coco coffee:
finish up your coffee nog. rinse the mug. pour one package of instant hot chocolate. now pour some coffee in there and you got yourself a nice chocolaty treat (sounds familiar).

so there you go. extremely easy, but i guarantee that you will enjoy. unless you don't like coffee. or chocolate. or nog.

How Dare You Snow White*

if snow white is the first full length animated film, than what the heck do we call prince achmed? well it's a black and white silent german film that completely uses silhouettes, but I guess you would still consider it animated. it really is one of the most amazing looking films i have ever seen. even though it was in black and white, they use the tinting process to give it some beautiful color.



it's a must for animation and art buffs. that being said i do love snow white and i would consider it the first true animated feature, but it should come with some sort of asterisk. give this film a try. you will not believe what these guys were able to do in 1926.

reaganomics?

my five favorite christmas albums

5. the sinatra christmas album -
this is a strange choice for me for a few reasons. first of all there are four songs on this that i really don't like. secondly, this is not my favorite period in sinatra's career. that being said, this album has a few of my favorite arrangements and versions of christmas classics ever. have yourself a merry little christmas (which is my favorite christmas song) has never sounded better. this was also an album i remember listening to a lot growing up. lots of christmas memories here.

best part of the album: the song christmas memories. it's about....well....christmas memories. he sings about typical christmasey stuff like cookies baking, decorating the tree and so on and so forth. than he sings this line:
i close my eyes and see shining faces
of all the children who now have children of their own
funny, but comes december, and i remember every christmas i've known.

right now the computer is blurred out because I can't hear that line without the tears. It's a song about christmas memories, and i love christmas memories.

4. tony bennett - snowfall -
typical brassy sounding arrangements and tony's smooth as rhubarb pitch perfect vocals make this one my number four choice. the album starts with my favorite things... not mine...the song from sound of music. I have never really considered it a christmas song, but it really works.

best part of the album: snowfall. it's haunting. it's beautiful. it's magic. p.s. i have never held rhubarb in my hand, so that analogy might be worthless. sorry.

3. the beach boys - the beach boys' christmas album -
this was the last of three albums that the beach boys released in '64. little saint nick kicks off the album, and is the first of five original tracks. frosty the snowman is the first of seven songs not written by the boys, but i am instantly excited to hear that brian wilson is capable of making unique arrangements here just like most beach boys albums from this period.

best part of the album: we three kings of orient are is a song that i'm really not into, but the vocals are so powerful and beautiful here. is that a tear i see? i also really dig how whimsical santa claus is comin' to town sounds.

2. ella fitzgerald - ella wishes you a swinging christmas -
not only a great christmas album, i really believe this is one of ella's finest moments in her carrier (and i love this woman so very much). arranger frank devol (who composed music for dirty dozen, guess who's comming to dinner, and the brady bunch to name a few), gives us some really fresh and beautiful arrangements here. i have always considered mrs. fitzgerrald's voice as my favorite from the fairer sex, and on this album she is perfect.

best part of the album: at the end of jingle bells, ella belts out that she is wild about horses. aren't we all ella? aren't we all.

1. vince guaraldi trio - a charlie brown christmas -
nostalgia hits me in the ears from the very first note of "o tannenbaum". i am taken back to the 1980's where december evenings in detroit were spent watching television christmas classics. vince guaraldi has completely put his signature on the classic tunes, and wrote some wonderful songs of his own. i ask you to show me a finer jazz christmas album. show me.

best part of the album: the two versions of christmas time is here. one is instrumental the other with a choir. both wonderful.

christmas is here

it's the most wonderful time of the year for this guy. anyone who knows me knows i love christmas time. the day after halloween neighbors may be able to hear the vince guaraldi trio's christmas album wafting from underneath my front door. too early you say? not in my book. now, before you start accusing me of "raping the season" by commercializing every last detail, and before you send me a figurine of santa bowing down before baby jesus, let me say that i know the true spirit behind christmas. it is the most important thing to me by far. I will be speaking of that on another post. one important thing about me you must learn is that i think unimportant things are awesome. so shopping, eggnog, yule logs, lights, fat sweaty santas in small rural georgia towns and such things won't bring peace to your soul, but it has got to bring a smile to your face.

number one

so...this is my blog. do you care? why should you care? why would people care about anything that i might have to say here. all of these questions will be answered over the next seven years in this blog. so who am i? well, if you are reading this first post than you probably know me, but if you don't, you will soon learn. we will pretty much be focused on my opinions of film, music and a hint of social commentary. i'm gonna go ahead and guarantee a fun time had by all. now i welcome you to enrich you life and read along with me for the next seven years (if jesus tarries).