Come ON, Washington!

I have to gripe this time because I'm afraid that if I don't, I may go insane. Tonight I had the privilege of seeing one of my favorite bands that I hadn't seen live before: Exit Clov. For one reason or another, despite the fact that they're from DC, something always came up preventing me from seeing them-- that is, until tonight. All I can say is, well done guys! I have the same things to say about Exit Clov live as most others do: great energy, look like they're enjoying themselves, wish set was longer. In that sense, this post is nothing new.

There is something I feel is worth mentioning, though. Exit Clov opened for HelloGoodbye in the Grand Ballroom on campus here at UMD College Park. Naturally, the crowd was filled with the kind of people who go to see a HelloGoodbye show. Let me state that I woke up this morning never having heard a single HelloGoodbye song, and I had no interest in breaking my embargo. This is probably as bad as my ignorance gets, but it's one of those situations where you know the name of the band and you know the audience, so based on that I've decided I don't care to go out of my way to hear their music. But the crowd made it clear tonight that they didn't go out of the way to hear any music by the other band on the bill, either...

For the thirty minutes before the show started and for the duration of Exit Clov's set, I heard some rough comments from some of these kids (I use that word intentionally). They're not really worth mentioning here, but they essentially make my ignorance pale in comparison. At least I don't stand there shouting things at the band or commenting to the people around me every few minutes about 'how terrible this band is' or 'when the hell are they getting off the stage?' Things like that are uncalled for. So, I did my usual thing and just absorbed the good and blocked out the bad. And I ignored the girl next to me when she said that 'there are too many girls in this band.' Really? I think the fact that they have two female musicians allows the harmonies to have more depth and makes the band more versatile because they both are multi-instrumentalists. That's just me... (gripe over)

Exit Clov played a curious set, specifically because they didn't play exactly what I wanted to hear, haha. I have a number of songs I'm very close to, because early in my fandom I had a select few that I listened to over and over again. I missed 'Working Class Hero,' 'Talkin Radio,' 'Band Seeking' and 'Violent Berries.' That said, 'MK Ultra,' 'DIY' and 'Killer Starfish' worked really well for me. Plus, the two new tracks they played (the names are escaping me now) sounded great (aside from my difficulty hearing the violin on the second one). Overall, a quality show from a great band (that deserves much more from an audience). I believe that tomorrow night at The Annex in NY and the LoFi Social Club in Baltimore on Sunday will prove to be much more hospitable an atmosphere for a truly superb band. Here's the latest video for 'MK Ultra,' a live clip, and a couple links for purchasing various items...




Exit Clov's homepage (can get all their albums and merch here) ;
Myspace ;
Insound

PS- How did I miss that they played in DC last week with Dengue Fever?? Why am I not on their mailing list already?? ARGH.

¡Feliz Navidad!

Now that Christmas is here, and well, since all the presents are unwrapped and naps are being had, I suppose it's time to look forward to the new year. In a previous post I listed a few new movies coming out in 2008 that I'm looking forward to. Not too far behind, Stereogum posted a list of scheduled and rumored releases for next year. All I can say is that I'm PSYCHED. Some of my favorite bands are coming out with their first new material in some time, and others who blew me away in '07 are coming back for another round in '08. I recommend checking the list out-- I'd be impressed/concerned/quite angry if you manage to read through the entire list and fail to find something to be excited about. Here's my initial list of things to be excited/appalled about:

1/1
Radiohead - In Rainbows

1/22
Cat Power - Jukebox

1/29
Chris Walla - Field Manual

2/5
Jason Collett - Here's to Being Here
Nada Surf - Lucky

February, TBA
Nas - Nigger

4/8
Colin Meloy - Skulls, Ship, Sheep

May, TBA
Death Cab For Cutie (!!)

June, TBA
Margot and the Nuclear So & So's - Animal

October, TBA
Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping (!!)

Other Acts Confirmed for New Releases
Franz Ferdinand
My Bloody Valentine
Weezer

Rumored
AC/DC
The Dandy Warhols (!!!!!)

Worth Noting
Sheryl Crow - Detours (2/5) - I'm sure we'll be hearing this all year...
Foxy Brown - Brooklyn's Don Diva (2/5) - Hahahahahahah
Hot Chip - Made in the Dark (2/5)
Lenny Kravitz - It is Time For a Love Revolution (2/5)
The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust (2/19)
Seven Mary Three - day&nightdriving (2/19) - HAhahahahahaha... "Cumbersome" anyone?
Janet Jackson - Discipline (2/26)
The B-52s - Funplex (3/11)
Presidents of the United States of America - These Are the Good Times People (3/11) - Really? REALLY? What's more crazy-- them having a new album, or them going on a big tour?
Counting Crows - Saturday Nights, Sunday Mornings (3/25)
50 Cent - Before I Self Destruct (March, TBA) - Musicians tend to push albums out really close together because they have a lot of great material. ...Right? Maybe he should release it on 3/11 and say that if Ashlee Simpson outsells him he'll retire-- I found it lame that he didn't carry out his promise after getting whooped by Kanye, and his attempt to seem more 'hard' (read: more like an ass) by 'admitting' that it was a marketing gimmick the two thought up was asinine. You make it easy to not give a crap about your music and take you seriously, Fiddy.
Moby - Last Night (March, TBA)
Filter - Anthems For the Damned (March, TBA)
Animal Collective - Water Curses EP (4/8) - Another album for me to hear people rave endlessly about and not get at all. Yessssssss!
The Breeders - Mountain Battles (4/8)
The Roots - Rising Down (4/29)
M83 - Saturdays = Youth (April, TBA)
Alanis Morissette - Flavors of Entanglement (April, TBA)
Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea (April, TBA)
Shearwater - Rook (May, TBA)
Dr. Dre - Detox (June, TBA)
The Fray - TBA (June, TBA)
Ace of Base - TBA (September, TBA)

Coldplay, Beyonce, David Bazan, The Cure, Dan Deacon, Eve, Fergie (REALLY?), Flight of the Conchords, Gnarls Barkley, Green Day, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Mates of State, Matisyahu, Metallica, My Bloody Valentine, My Chemical Romance, My Morning Jacket, Oasis, The Offspring, R.E.M., The Streets, t.a.t.u, WEEZER - All Confirmed for '08, no dates attached.


3/11 is choc-full of crap...
Panic! at the Disco - You Don't Have to Worry... - I already hate it. Can't wait to hear "____" over and over and over again until my head explodes and the world ends.
Ashlee Simpson - Bittersweet World - What a deep album title. Can't wait for this gem that's sure to top everyone's year-end lists... oiey...


Wow, just look at that. 2008 looks to be another great year of releases. Furthermore, what is with all these '90s bands releasing new material? One commenter on Stereogum got it right--

"Filter? The Offspring? Alice in Chains? The Lemonheads? Ace of Base? Counting Crows? Green Day? The Verve? Oasis? Weezer? SEVEN MARY THREE?

Is this fucking 1995?"

I suppose you could toss Dr. Dre in there as well, but those bands up thurr do a good job representing a large part of the '90s music I remember growing up.

Overall, new Dandy Warhols, Death Cab, Nada Surf, Colin Meloy, Weezer, My Bloody Valentine and of Montreal have me the most excited. Can't wait! Happy Holidays everyone!

Top Gear is the Best Show in the History of Television

"Top Gear," a BBC gem for over two decades (although the current format is only, say, one decade or so old...) is quite simply amazing. The three presenters offer something for everyone. Jeremy Clarkson is your obstinate, pain-in-the ass friend who knows everything and refuses to ever budge-- but you love anyway. Richard Hammond is the one you always root for-- the most amenable, most charismatic, and most relatable. James May, AKA "Captain Slow," is the conservative and even-tempered conscience for the other two to balance them out when they push too hard on the gas in a Zonda or want to strap an extra rocket to a car (YEAH). The show is centered around testing automobiles in creative ways and providing reviews of them in a surprisingly efficient and effective manner. In addition, the aesthetic quality of the show is remarkable. The cinematography is fantastic-- but then again, when the focus is a Bugatti Veyron, how could any view be bad?

Richard Hammond and Top Gear Dog (that's what they've named the dog)

There are a myriad of reasons as to why I love this show. First, I'm a sucker for anything British. I find myself utilizing fun British colloquialisms like 'rubbish' and 'such and such is called...' (as opposed to 'such and such's name is...). Also, I love how they make fun of footballers' car selections, and use them as an example of what is 'rubbish' or not. That said, there are occasions when I have no clue what the hell is going on. I'd provide an example but often I can't even figure out what the guys are even saying. Now I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Jeremy Clarkson has come under scrutiny for a number of comments about gays, Germans, and well... bus drivers? The second, most glaring bit of awesomeness to come out of Top Gear is that they do the most ridiculous things with cars. Essentially, these gents (that was a natural use-- I wanted to edit it out but I felt it proper to leave it in) are the epitome of boys with toys. I absolutely detest the overuse of that phrase, but trust me, this is boys with toys. In one episode, James and Hammond ("Hamster") play a traditional British children's game called "conkers" WITH CARS. Knowing the specifics of the game is not relevant-- just know that the two hung caravans (our equivalent of a travel trailer, typically hitched onto the back of a car or truck) from cranes and swung them at each other in hopes of hitting each other and knocking the crap out of the other. In the Winter Olympics episode, the guys did a number of exciting things. First, they did a biathlon pitting Jeremy in a Volvo XC90 (which he owns) against James in an Audi Q7. They raced each other through a snow course, then had to shoot targets-- all in Lillehammer, the site of the 1994 Winter Olympics. Later, the team filled a snow-covered field with ten Suzuki Swifts... and a giant inflatable hockey puck. Easily one of the most amazing five+ minutes of television I've seen in my life. There's no point in describing it. I'll post a link to download episodes at the end of the post. The finale of the episode one of my favorites: they put a car down a ski jump. But this wasn't just pushing some car down a ski jump with a hope and a prayer. They added rockets to it, and shot that big boy down! PURE AWESOME fed by petrol.

I'd also like to briefly mention how diverse and impressive their music selections are. During their skits or reviews you'll hear anything from Bloc Party to ELO to Led Zeppelin (and fine, to include a band not from Britain, you'll even hear Lynyrd Skynyrd), and it always fits quite well into the segment.

Overall, Top Gear is a solid show from top to bottom. There's far too much to praise and discuss for one post here-- these are just a few shimmers of light. I promise you, there will be more Top Gear posts to come in the future. Oh yes, there will be more...

You can read news updates and download full episodes from Final Gear.com...
Download here for the lazy ones...
Also, TopGear.com occasionally posts extra materials cut from shows.

PS- Final exams and finals papers are 'rubbish.'