NEW RECOMMENDED MUSIC--AND SHRIEK SOUNDTRACK DONE!

Find recommended music below. But before getting into that...This is so exciting. Got an email from Tim Powles of The Church today. The soundtrack for the Shriek movie is done! Working with the script, an animated storyboard version of the movie, and some precise mood instructions, they've gone ahead and done it. I'm kind of disbelieving. Like, when I started this, this was one of the goals, but I guess I never really realized it would happen. Tim says: "All went swimmingly well. Mighty menacing and moody--demonic and whimsical--all you will need." Now I can't wait to hear it!!!

Recommended Music

I discovered the following CDs this month. One disappointment above all others was the new Neko Case, which seems formless and rambling. I know many may disagree.

The Church - Uninvited Like the Clouds
Another great CD from The Church. Their signature sound, driven by guitars at once jangly, ethereal, and threatening, remains the same, but, as usual, they riff off of it and take it places they haven't in the past. "Block" is an amazing song--atmospheric, hard-driving, and inscrutable. "Space Needle" and "Unified Field" are more poppy. A very nice mix of the melodic and a few slower songs. I just love these guys.

Nightmare of You - Nightmare of You
An amazing power pop band with a definite jangly edge. "Thumbelina" is one of the most perverse songs ever, with a wonderful melody and upbeat sound paired to very explicit lyrics. "I Want to Be Buried in Your Backyard" and "Ode to Seratonin" are also stand-outs. Lovely stuff.

Ray Davies - Other People's Lives
One of my favorite CDs of the year thus far. Most of these songs are intimate little portraits of people's lives, and even the songs rendered in broader strokes are topnotch. The music is assured and lively and seamless. I was afraid the Kinks' frontman's return to music might be half-assed, but this is great.

Rhett Miller - The Believer
Another amazing pop-rock CD from a member of the Old 97s. This is great gleaming, jangly stuff with marvelous production. "Valentine" and "Meteor Shower" are particularly fine, with Miller's voice perfect for the material.

The Cops - The Cops
Clash-influenced punk rock that I still thought was pretty interesting and catchy. Nothing that original, but definitely worth taking a listen to.

Lashes - Get It
Kind of in a Cheap Trick mode, the Lashes are another worthy power-pop band. I think I prefer Nightmare of You and Rhett Miller, but these guys aren't bad. They remind me a little of Marvelous 3 and Tsar.

People in Planes - As Far as the Eye Can See
I don't really know how to describe this band. At times, they seem a bit like Bends-ish Radiohead; at other times, they have a more traditional rock sound; at still other times, they sound a bit Pink Floyd-ish. But it all holds together and sounds cohesive. It's definitely alternative rock, but with some more subtle bits in it. You'll have to give it a listen yourself to decide where it fits in. I really enjoyed it.

The Vines - Vision Valley
Oddly, when I listen to this kinda-grunge CD all at once, it all slides together into gray. But when I do a shuffle and hear individual songs, I like it a lot. So maybe it's best to sample this one online and pick and choose the songs you want to download. (Note: On more than two listens, this one actually pales pretty quickly.)

World Leader Pretend - Punches
I hated this the first time I listened to it, and then I heard it again in a different context and I began to dig it. By the fourth listen, I'd really gotten into it. It's pretty lush pop, with some songs exploding into a more impromptu wall of noise. A lot of influences being digested here.

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
I just love these guys--danceable, and the singer has a great, honest voice. The voice makes this band, and the more-rock-than-pop sensibility to the music doesn't hurt either. This isn't another Brit-pop clone.

Clearlake - Amber
Another stellar release from a band that writes what I think of as dangerous pop/rock. It's very sinister at times, even when the lyrics are not, and somewhat dark, and yet there's also a slightly operatic feel to some of the songs.

Mysterious Songs

From here I can touch the sign.
Put your jackets on.
I feel we're being born.
The Tropic of Capricorn is below.
We stalled above the pole.
Still your face is young.
As we feel our weight return.
A trail of shooting stars.
The horses call the storm.
Because the air contains the charge.
The radio is on and Houston knows the score.
Can you feel it? We're almost home.

The crew compartment's breaking up.
This is all I wanted was to bring them home.
The crew compartment's breaking up.
This is all I wanted was to bring them home.
The crew compartment's breaking up.
To you.
- "The Commander Thinks Aloud," The Long Winters

Here's my latest playlist of what I call "mysterious" songs. There's some quality about the music that hints at deeper depths. Something that hints at something unknowable and yet slightly sinister or epiphany-related. All great songs.

Clearlake - Come Into Darkness
The Church - Destination
M83 - Fields, Shorelines, and Hunters
Woven Hand - Bleary Eyed Duty
Clearlake - I'd Like to Hurt You
Eleventh Dream Day - Ice Storm
James - Go to The Bank
Ringside - Dreamboat 730
The Church - Block
The Cure - The Hanging Garden
The Church - Chaos
Those Bastard Souls - Has Anybody Seen Her?
James - The Shining
The Dears - Summer of Protest
Thursday - This Song Brought to You by a Falling Bomb
Snow Patrol - Whatever's Left
Robbers on High Street - A Night At Star Castle
The Black Heart Procession - Before the People
The Church - You're Still Beautiful
Wolf Parade - Modern World
Peter Himmelman - Regular Daydreams
People in Planes - If You Talk to Much
The Afghan Whigs - What Jail Is Like
The Afghan Whigs - Debonair
Spoon - My Mathematical Mind
The Church - Sealine
Robbers on High Street - Hot Sluts (Say I Love You)
The Black Heart Procession - Did You Wonder?
The National - Baby, We'll Be Fine
Pleasure Forever - Meet Me in Eternity
The Black Heart Procession - Broken World
The Black Heart Procession - It's a Crime I Never Told You About the Diamonds
James - Surprise
Ringside - Tired of Being Sorry
James - Jam J
Muse - Apocalypse Please
The Church - See Your Lights
People in Planes - For Miles Around
Spoon - I Turn My Camera On
Pleasure Forever - This is the Zodiac Speaking
The Church - Aneasthesia
Clearlake - Just off the Coast
The Long Winters - The Commander Thinks Aloud


Exercise
Friday off
An hour of cardio Saturday
Sunday--repeat of Thursday's upper body routine, but six sets of all and more abs and leg kicks
Monday--repeat of Wednesday's legs/back routine, but with four sets of leg extensions (180 lbs) added and more abs (sides), and also leg curls at 70 lbs (each leg)


(Evil Monkey: "Hey--how's it going? Haven't seen you in awhile. You seem busy." Jeff: "Yeah--lots of projects." Evil Monkey: "I noticed. And now that BAF thing. You're gonna crash and burn, you know." Jeff: "That the word on the street?" Evil Monkey: "It's the word on some streets, dude." Jeff: "And I know the kind of streets you wander toward..." Evil Monkey: "Yeah--a few people I met seemed skeptical that you know fuck-all about how to do a documentary or create a film. For example." Jeff: "Yeah, well..." Evil Monkey: "So--you gonna pull it off? I want to know how I should lay down my bets." Jeff: "Of course I'm gonna pull it off." Evil Monkey: "You're positive?" Jeff: "Do you know how many people scoffed at the fake disease guide?" Evil Monkey: "Good point. Okay, so I don't think I'll bet against you.")