tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76700102024-03-07T01:58:55.611-07:00Big Ell's BlogBack where he won't belong.Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-55814549127090096912011-04-27T03:59:00.000-06:002011-04-27T03:59:02.658-06:00The Best of 200933 and a 1/3 presents the best of 2009<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Honorable Mention</b></span><br />
<ul><li>Baroness- The Blue Album</li>
<li>Jay Reatard- Watch Me Fall</li>
<li>Us – Brother Ali</li>
<li>Poetry of the Deed – Frank Turner</li>
</ul><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Best of 2009 in no particular order except with #1</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Pearl Jam- Backspacer</b></span><br />
Pearl Jam is one of the few rock bands to get better with age. I put their last two albums in the same league as Ten not quite as good but close. Eddie Vedder’s voice is the Sinatra of Rock and Roll, getting much better with age. <br />
<b>Please listen to </b>The Fixer, Just Breathe, Supersonic and Speed of Sound<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus</span></b><br />
This was the soundtrack for every North American luxury car automaker. And after listening to an interview they could give a fuck. Sell out? That concept is gone in the digital age. <br />
<b>Please listen to</b> 1901, Lisztomania, <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"> … and you will know us by the trail of Dead</span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"> - The Century of Self</span></b><br />
This is their best album since the excellent Source Codes. The Century of Self is aggressive, confident and melds Celtic strings into the indie mix. I also dig the dueling vocals but the real star is Conrad Keely who is about as entertaining a front man as you can get in indie rock. <br />
<b>Please listen to</b> The Giant’s Causeway/The Far Pavilion, Isis Unveiled and Ascending<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Lee Fields and the Expressions – My World</span></b><br />
My World was easily the biggest surprise of the year. Lee Evans is soulful, silky, sexy and serious. The expressions are tight with their slick original neo-soul sound. This disc has it all even if you aren’t down with the funk. Even if Lee Fields has been around for 20 plus years I still dig it.<br />
<b>Please listen to</b> Do you love me (Like You Say You Do), Money is King, Ladies and Honey Dove<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Anti Pop Consortium - </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Flourescent Black </span></b><br />
Stellar. Hip-hop and electronic that Rodney Smith would love. Creative sampling and excellent unconventional lyrics. 21st hip hop, for real.<br />
<b>Please listen to</b> New Jack Exterminator, Lay me Down and Shine<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VaKTuaV0Ou0&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VaKTuaV0Ou0&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Mastodon- Crack the Skye</span></b><br />
The Mastodon show was easily the best show I saw this year. They are super fast, aggressive and the 80s speed metal changeups remind me of the pit. This concept album tames their vocals merging the true dirty south with Tsarist Russia.<br />
<b>Please listen to </b>Oblivion, Divinations and the Last Baron<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Slayer- World Painted Blood</b></span><br />
I am one of the few writers who actually liked Slayer’s last album but do believe this album is even better. It is in some ways the exceptionally tardy follow up to Season in the Abyss. Dave Lombardo brings the beats to match the ferocious guitars of King and Hanneman with some electronic effects thrown in. Tom Arraya’s vocals are turned up and as gripping as ever as he attacks corrupt government, the petrol wars, societal decay and religion et al. It is really amazing that these guys are still on top after killing it for decades.<br />
<b>Please listen to</b> World Painted Blood, Hate Worldwide, Americon, Playing with Dolls<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Them Crooked Vultures- Them Crooked Vultures</b></span><br />
Forming a super group is usually bad idea. For every Cream there is Asia or the Damn Yankees or the Westside Connection or Zwan, who are probably weren’t a super group but fucking sucked. Them Crooked Vultures don’t suck. It would be almost impossible when you have; Dave Grohl, greatest living rock drummer. Josh Homme, great guitarist. John Paul Jones, one of the greatest bass players. This album is tight, fun and bouncy and one of the year’s best.<br />
<b>Please listen to </b>Gunman, Dead End Friends, Mind Eraser, Scumbag Blues, Elephants,<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Black Crowes- Before the Frost/Until the Freeze</b></span><br />
I still can’t believe how good this album is. The Crowes have been pumping out quality material for decades but nothing caught my ear like this. Chris Robinson simply kills it on every song. He’s actually gotten better after being dumped by Kurt Russell’s daughter, unlike A-Rod. Rich Robinson does his best Ron Wood circa the Faces. They even rip off the Disco Stones and I love it!<br />
<b>Please listen to </b>I ain’t hiding, Been a long time (Waiting on Love) Make Glad, Kept my Soul, What is Home and Houston Don’t Dream about me<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Future of the Left – Travels with Myself and Another</b></span><br />
Out of McLuskey Does Dallas’ coffin comes the Future of the Left and they are angry. Andy Falkous is in fine form with acerbic and antagonistic lyrics with enough of a bop to keep your head bumping. This is angry pop music at its best.<br />
<b>Please listen to </b>Arming Eritrea, Chin Music, Throwing Bricks at Trains, I am Civil Service, Land of My Formers,.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Raekwan- Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt 2</span></b><br />
Corey Woods aka Raekwan never gets the publicity of his fellow Wu-Tang Clan members, Method Man or ODB but he has carved up a genre bending career. This career bookended with Only Built for Cuban Linx parts 1 and 2. This is the album of the year. Top shelf beats provided by Alchemist, Pete Rock, Dre and clan mate Inspectah Deck. Raekwan’s rhymes are solid and he is joined by Ghostface on some of the best tracks.<br />
<b>Please listen to</b> House of Flying Daggers, Black Mozart, Gihad, New Wu and Penitentiary<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jcNufjWI6Rg&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jcNufjWI6Rg&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-43105887786110917942009-09-24T22:55:00.010-06:002009-09-25T00:30:47.205-06:0033 and 1/3<div style="text-align: center;">The year was 2008. These were the best albums of that year.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYI5O8bnSKyvzHZGst311rOtOFXNBdj0opxGggk9yj31-y3xPTPw5GnDxzlf5mBQ94Swq9HT0u43MgQpSJD3-RR4HLQfvRsUmZsLYUx1hCzPHUsd82fjQUy5kOKqQ7YnN41JYF/s1600-h/fucked+up.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYI5O8bnSKyvzHZGst311rOtOFXNBdj0opxGggk9yj31-y3xPTPw5GnDxzlf5mBQ94Swq9HT0u43MgQpSJD3-RR4HLQfvRsUmZsLYUx1hCzPHUsd82fjQUy5kOKqQ7YnN41JYF/s200/fucked+up.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385280973929034418" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">15. Fucked Up- The Chem</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">istry of Common Life (Matador)</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Its hardcore fun for the whole family from these Tubby Dog eating award winners.<br />Sounds like Poison Idea and Black Flag<br />Listen to Son the Father and Crooked Head<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyMCBD9vZ_5N_hwudpEXp5CQsHeu7Sy0SFjiiZkxM0X_pAD0BKyqMcjEDtt6u9yNRR0zcCy3LyAF2gAlxsEOvWtmYRrtmYdVXF7UMKjw5-7X3PoBaT_EGanvCaVVkjgTDJeY-N/s1600-h/hold+steady.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyMCBD9vZ_5N_hwudpEXp5CQsHeu7Sy0SFjiiZkxM0X_pAD0BKyqMcjEDtt6u9yNRR0zcCy3LyAF2gAlxsEOvWtmYRrtmYdVXF7UMKjw5-7X3PoBaT_EGanvCaVVkjgTDJeY-N/s200/hold+steady.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385276919384217282" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">14. The Hold Steady- Stay Positive (Vagrant)</span><br /><br />This album will grow on you by the Twin Cities hardest hitters since Hrbek and Puckett.<br />Sounds like Bruce Springsteen, Thin Lizzy and Husker Du<br />Listen to Constructive Summer<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSJAJWMe9q3ZcxYehPz8nvrsoKpxJR8PTrWRfhLuSSDDnaVV5gIeWmKAz87Lpgq5Ei8LJ1VfLJZCxUsl91G8w1oyCraLQvyMW7q4d1XuHmkFqht6EtUGTI6pIuXNwSaxEwv5O/s1600-h/drive+by.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSJAJWMe9q3ZcxYehPz8nvrsoKpxJR8PTrWRfhLuSSDDnaVV5gIeWmKAz87Lpgq5Ei8LJ1VfLJZCxUsl91G8w1oyCraLQvyMW7q4d1XuHmkFqht6EtUGTI6pIuXNwSaxEwv5O/s200/drive+by.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385275678703727874" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">13. Drive By Truckers- Brighter than Creations Dark (New West)</span><br /><br />Patterson Hood keeps rolling, a long way from Gangstabilly.<br />Sounds like Neil Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Wilco and the Replacements<br />Listen to Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0YNrLZtTtDL3CNvxeJzDhaFgXct2ash2MsqPURMwUgCij3nsAnpRbOByZG9DCOgFp42KheqH50bgfoGhojOOon2phMN_1TlyFcCqNxsb7ynndWZN5b8CqaG1EZt-_v_w7yTF/s1600-h/black+milk.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0YNrLZtTtDL3CNvxeJzDhaFgXct2ash2MsqPURMwUgCij3nsAnpRbOByZG9DCOgFp42KheqH50bgfoGhojOOon2phMN_1TlyFcCqNxsb7ynndWZN5b8CqaG1EZt-_v_w7yTF/s200/black+milk.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385276353370747858" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">12. Tronic- Black Milk (Fat Beats)</span><br />Some Back pack from Detroit with some twisted beats.<br />Sounds like Madlib and Tribe Called Quest<br />Listen to Long Story Short<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwMBIcaEPmM9rhoSb4WMdVJSlWejtq5z7Y4ix2qtEBYB3Vc8BCap7FGZqQg1Btx_6sG4QZfOKlHWnPXtbDTqyt3SK4qYrFnpBsNydWO7J-FXVl6hnuOL5Jz83-OLmd90TlTT2/s1600-h/eagles.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwMBIcaEPmM9rhoSb4WMdVJSlWejtq5z7Y4ix2qtEBYB3Vc8BCap7FGZqQg1Btx_6sG4QZfOKlHWnPXtbDTqyt3SK4qYrFnpBsNydWO7J-FXVl6hnuOL5Jz83-OLmd90TlTT2/s200/eagles.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385276344469363490" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">11. Eagles of Death Metal- Heart On (Downtown)</span><br />Deliver a cool blast of guitars with attitude.<br />Sounds like Queens of the Stone Age and<br />Listen to Heart On<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMzNPhTW4uTGq9PMImMI8n9vYjKVGT4RX1tvsI_MF6Rw9qjVNP_dN-C5bEN9XI4XoNuWGdD9g0rpnBqQL6vfMNTzNSM1GifTDpR_b1nZZUokT8WDp5j9Vv7wyrXySuV9vuDTJ/s1600-h/gza.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMzNPhTW4uTGq9PMImMI8n9vYjKVGT4RX1tvsI_MF6Rw9qjVNP_dN-C5bEN9XI4XoNuWGdD9g0rpnBqQL6vfMNTzNSM1GifTDpR_b1nZZUokT8WDp5j9Vv7wyrXySuV9vuDTJ/s200/gza.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385276928979016370" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">10. GZA- Pro Tools (Babygrande)</span><br />Almost like Wu-Tang Lite with all of the cameos but they help GZA deliver.<br />Sounds like Erik B and Rakim and Redman<br />Listen to Cinema<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL15jgdpsOfKhm29LHgAhBKrOHiMQLdcl0QKGW3P8os14ENbuaCn5HL-hqmPtJnZ4UJGYba7HIUaOWtCIW42DSt4YWs-zbUlG6OPwR5vVn7Z2RS9aPovgVw3O8Xd2jkswaNym1/s1600-h/protest.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL15jgdpsOfKhm29LHgAhBKrOHiMQLdcl0QKGW3P8os14ENbuaCn5HL-hqmPtJnZ4UJGYba7HIUaOWtCIW42DSt4YWs-zbUlG6OPwR5vVn7Z2RS9aPovgVw3O8Xd2jkswaNym1/s200/protest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385277411054181010" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Protest the Hero- Fortress (Vagrant)</span><br />Hardcore speed metal merchants from Whitby Ontario, nuff said.<br />Listen to Blood Meat and Wretch<br />Sounds like Alexisonfire and At the Drive In<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEU6MWhQzZeO8O9IAABXFNo89NKDdXo_5FY1N51ZankUTFF4TDCR7zaz6KPUqfa0a3Kj1iQHnxRA1YHHLG-48GOcvE2KmsZKNItjoNPlPuuYi0EWL1j7GuRTJ8dkVDqX98GQv/s1600-h/scarface.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEU6MWhQzZeO8O9IAABXFNo89NKDdXo_5FY1N51ZankUTFF4TDCR7zaz6KPUqfa0a3Kj1iQHnxRA1YHHLG-48GOcvE2KmsZKNItjoNPlPuuYi0EWL1j7GuRTJ8dkVDqX98GQv/s200/scarface.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385280617152204482" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. Scarface- Emeritus (Rap-A-Lot/Asylum)</span><br />Its been a long time since the Geto Boys for the original OG from the Dirty South.<br />Sounds like Brand Nubian and Paris<br />Listen to High Powered and Can’t Get Right<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2KkDjHSW2c3AK1yfAFXMGWEO2oWjdBZMrV7gxnNOOETfHkLiVX_Qa87WOV3JKKo6QR8LxF7Iky-LyqQFZfZG_fRt3H5mmu3_MOMV7eHIkyOy1GmLLcLfv9uEgdW1vkMBGO6T/s1600-h/girl+talk.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2KkDjHSW2c3AK1yfAFXMGWEO2oWjdBZMrV7gxnNOOETfHkLiVX_Qa87WOV3JKKo6QR8LxF7Iky-LyqQFZfZG_fRt3H5mmu3_MOMV7eHIkyOy1GmLLcLfv9uEgdW1vkMBGO6T/s200/girl+talk.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385276932924942562" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Girl Talk- Feed the Animals (Illegal Art)</span><br />Not since the Avalanches have I heard so many samples and has this much damn fun.<br />Sounds like Holy Fuck and 2 many DJs<br />Listen to Shut the Club Down<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FZloOIvITY_ozlN86Bjm68Xk0cde3BsDc9YIPsD4FF7p09u7_b4FtiUgV_9XEuuuCqgr1dEBETHvT1vqKGjEXmGv6pWweckmooa5RPG29T9sxZeAFaJxBEUr2EoGmk4FIDJ6/s1600-h/the+bug.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FZloOIvITY_ozlN86Bjm68Xk0cde3BsDc9YIPsD4FF7p09u7_b4FtiUgV_9XEuuuCqgr1dEBETHvT1vqKGjEXmGv6pWweckmooa5RPG29T9sxZeAFaJxBEUr2EoGmk4FIDJ6/s200/the+bug.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385280608408961154" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. The Bug- London Zoo (Ninja Tune)</span><br />London Zoo is a pissed off dance hall/hip hop fusion from Ninja Tune, The Bug is a bad bad man.<br />Sounds like DJ/rupture<br />Listen to Angry<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxX-zRZsbbskL_y7UAv66eqUhDxbUmTEyQCt75UhjA4RPLvQtCcO0HQE1hW9t_Nko6yFq-6bvnUlqJbRlzoO9gga2HhyphenhyphenfYv89oi2b_uubi4e5I0m5JtmY427ZmOQhEl5UPQs0g/s1600-h/gaslight.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxX-zRZsbbskL_y7UAv66eqUhDxbUmTEyQCt75UhjA4RPLvQtCcO0HQE1hW9t_Nko6yFq-6bvnUlqJbRlzoO9gga2HhyphenhyphenfYv89oi2b_uubi4e5I0m5JtmY427ZmOQhEl5UPQs0g/s200/gaslight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385276367403456946" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Gaslight Anthem- The 59 Sound (Side One Dummy)</span><br />I am not sure what Springsteen thinks but I like these guys<br />Sounds like Jawbreaker and Against Me!<br />Listen to Old White Lincoln.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgomhDp-hPwsQiE90nLQURwSyJR48q35GT8qFVLvb04fESBmn41-00WucgLpWarz8lmiSTBnUHC53ZbYm-PgCfoUldPzTb-ih2bcnCdRjOlmTJ6UnGK0vd3v5A98UM4rncrCWbX/s1600-h/metallica.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgomhDp-hPwsQiE90nLQURwSyJR48q35GT8qFVLvb04fESBmn41-00WucgLpWarz8lmiSTBnUHC53ZbYm-PgCfoUldPzTb-ih2bcnCdRjOlmTJ6UnGK0vd3v5A98UM4rncrCWbX/s200/metallica.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385277398634925122" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Metallica- Death Magnetic (Warner)</span><br />Back from the depths with the comeback of the century, Cliff Burton can stop turning.<br />Sounds like Danzig an Megadeth<br />Listen to the Broken, Beat and Scarred<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLTfZinlyISCB38RQmlWrZ-RkQ5RR3lNlnOZ8HcOjgJeRfAf1stlspGzlKzWglpQHDhOLJMwqwre-6vOwG_9HnAMHVlEZ4qCY8O2O3skMsPHZIqwWWE1A3Sh1XOfLNkbBjQLU/s1600-h/vampire.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLTfZinlyISCB38RQmlWrZ-RkQ5RR3lNlnOZ8HcOjgJeRfAf1stlspGzlKzWglpQHDhOLJMwqwre-6vOwG_9HnAMHVlEZ4qCY8O2O3skMsPHZIqwWWE1A3Sh1XOfLNkbBjQLU/s200/vampire.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385280598895541970" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend (XL)</span><br />Very catchy Afro-preppie beats from the Big Apple make everyone happy.<br />Sounds like Paul Simon and Talking Heads<br />Listen to Mansard Roof<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDY_D_YOiHweNZ99VqZL2I_6QEQ3OnaHWQoRm5J79CYqRwCdhHTXNqz_V9bgdf5UnEIIHG5_gkwZa0TijVDkxW63ww6xzttYO9pPYl2PvKMIqJ7KVBcBGhZIrEL_a-_bTyM_zJ/s1600-h/dear+science%27.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDY_D_YOiHweNZ99VqZL2I_6QEQ3OnaHWQoRm5J79CYqRwCdhHTXNqz_V9bgdf5UnEIIHG5_gkwZa0TijVDkxW63ww6xzttYO9pPYl2PvKMIqJ7KVBcBGhZIrEL_a-_bTyM_zJ/s200/dear+science%27.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385275672179371138" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. TV on the Radio- Dear Science (DGC/Interscope)</span><br />So much fun and so diverse these guys are the present and the future<br />Sounds like Peter Gabriel and Pere Ubu<br />Listen to Crying<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4H0BUj6HiRvsLm5ciXSarLWoBqBMNHbxPPNzqdRB08g_Osq3Ck_tod9KtkuxG1ZAnXI-BSarFkpD1QnEAF3yynUkQTMteIFz5_O5vxhADEbFbIaJsV6aqhQlh0Mpxn44OVvw/s1600-h/Q+Tip.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4H0BUj6HiRvsLm5ciXSarLWoBqBMNHbxPPNzqdRB08g_Osq3Ck_tod9KtkuxG1ZAnXI-BSarFkpD1QnEAF3yynUkQTMteIFz5_O5vxhADEbFbIaJsV6aqhQlh0Mpxn44OVvw/s200/Q+Tip.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385277413530580994" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Q-Tip- The Renaissance (Motown)</span><br />Being forced into the wilderness by the labels is all the more criminal after listening to this masterpiece.<br />Sounds like Mos Def and De La Soul<br />Listen to Official, We Fight We Love and Manloveboogie<br /></div>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-55550831976933761272009-04-04T02:56:00.005-06:002009-04-04T03:16:03.229-06:0033 and 1/3Here is the final post for the best of 2007. I am hoping to have the best of 2008 up before 2010.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35yRnbmKvl3Nr19JpDofEr-Uh135etNnIANhV1foS91xB7MQSRG885-mIqo4Mq5jOw8Jxkz7bVmW4Xh_N0TrneZbF8QjbiOORIn0Obf1hUZyW47emze54MyQI-Vm5YhWdC5xi/s1600-h/arctic+monkes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35yRnbmKvl3Nr19JpDofEr-Uh135etNnIANhV1foS91xB7MQSRG885-mIqo4Mq5jOw8Jxkz7bVmW4Xh_N0TrneZbF8QjbiOORIn0Obf1hUZyW47emze54MyQI-Vm5YhWdC5xi/s200/arctic+monkes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320759685071363826" border="0" /></a>5. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Favourite Worst Nightmare</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Arctic M</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">onk</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">eys</span> (Domino)<br />This is and excellent solid sophomore effort by the Arctic Monkeys. I was quite apprehensive about the Monkeys because of how fast they blew up after their first album. I am surprised that Favourite Worst Nightmare is so good. It is solid from the top of the playlist to the bottom. The Arctic Monkeys possess lots of Gatling gun lyrics, incredibly catchy hooks and clever beats. This House is a Circus is one of the best tracks of the year with that incredible bass line. But I especially love this line:<br />“Who wants to sleep in a city that never wakes up? Blinded by Nostalgia.”<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> Teddy Picker, Do Me a Favour, This House is a Circus and Old Yellow Bricks<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />This House is a Circus</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/u85L5dAIMu8&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/u85L5dAIMu8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7om1ab9Ea-akWiD2sMufJZh7XFBPTtP5iWNdPsV6YQt7yN5j3PhFr4s8bbJxEDpl7BFJHG6D3R5Bjgein0aq54WwFZNqWi_EPZ7Yh9BNJkiImDqMx-tdAI2EzInWo_r1VHHSI/s1600-h/national.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7om1ab9Ea-akWiD2sMufJZh7XFBPTtP5iWNdPsV6YQt7yN5j3PhFr4s8bbJxEDpl7BFJHG6D3R5Bjgein0aq54WwFZNqWi_EPZ7Yh9BNJkiImDqMx-tdAI2EzInWo_r1VHHSI/s200/national.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320760700173837714" border="0" /></a>4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Boxer</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">The National</span> (Beggars Banquet)<br />I’d never listened to the National before listening to this phenomenal effort. The National is a five piece Indie band out of New York who play soft music that is almost anthemic in its delivery. This album has great song after great song with beautiful melodies and poignant lyrics. This album will make almost every top 10 list this year and for good reason. I really love this line from Mistaken for Strangers "You wouldn't want an angel watching over you?/Surprise surprise, they wouldn't want to watch"<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> Fake Empire, Mistaken for Strangers and Start a War<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mistaken for Strang</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">ers</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cgRsYkKb1eI&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cgRsYkKb1eI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2ACxIQ90w9oysX1x_iQA7-0WxTO5HgsDeVT1X0yHU69ubN1Qrnz1YuzHbMTe6eJIsVL0IvOIYQ7ZTxa_k7PHrICcT8VVZEo6nEoGcDFkfbEF8xo8beVvI21TV3w2u18dGz2v/s1600-h/new+wave.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2ACxIQ90w9oysX1x_iQA7-0WxTO5HgsDeVT1X0yHU69ubN1Qrnz1YuzHbMTe6eJIsVL0IvOIYQ7ZTxa_k7PHrICcT8VVZEo6nEoGcDFkfbEF8xo8beVvI21TV3w2u18dGz2v/s200/new+wave.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320760918440128530" border="0" /></a>3. <span style="font-weight: bold;">New Wave</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Against Me! </span>(Sire)<br />Some call it a sell out but I am too old to care. Big Ell loves music that should be best listened to while drinking, fighting or drinking and fighting. New Wave, would have been number one if Stop wasn’t included. That song is god awful on so many levels. But the rest of the album is filled with excellent songs with lyrics like “Protest songs in response to military aggression.” I missed seeing these guys the last time around and won’t miss them again. But people need to stop the comparisons with the Clash before they get hit by lightning.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> New Wave, Up the Cuts, White People for Peace and Piss and Vinegar.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Up the Cuts</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NlsmH1oLzQk&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NlsmH1oLzQk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdp0Q6LcOqgEEvPyXlKlHE1VdZlyxQQknZCX2OqQU_eXtPuf_sFiDXt1kKPsACnt4NumJ8mum03P979xUtd11f8XEO-FyRLXvK3b5tJJK_TO3vL2JTeXDqEf0lccbGvL8fGY6/s1600-h/dino+jr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdp0Q6LcOqgEEvPyXlKlHE1VdZlyxQQknZCX2OqQU_eXtPuf_sFiDXt1kKPsACnt4NumJ8mum03P979xUtd11f8XEO-FyRLXvK3b5tJJK_TO3vL2JTeXDqEf0lccbGvL8fGY6/s200/dino+jr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320759689834939234" border="0" /></a>2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Beyond</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dinosaur Jr. </span>(Play it Again Sam)<br />Guitarist J. Mascis and bassist Lou Barlow finally got back together and I couldn’t be happier. The first half of the album is phenomenal equaling any of their previous collaborations like Your Living All Over Me or Bu. I had no idea that they still had it them to put out such a stellar album. The album kicks off with a thunderous distorted roar with Almost Ready which is as good as a anything they have done. The album rolls along until the sublime Back To Your Heart kicks in. It is easy to tell that Barlow wrote this song as it reminds me of a slightly pumped up Sebadoh song. I can’t wait to hear what these guys will put out next. Plus J Mascis now looks like Gadalf.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> Almost Ready, Back to the Heart, Been There All the Time and Pick Me Up<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7MdJPSqtCw">here</a> to hear <span style="font-weight: bold;">Been There All the Time</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4soXR-GqNGBM7sPcnThHt3EZVhSszoKkpQOxYkz2d8DXFgeIUYDdGj5K6WhkSCsyI4COtXT8YDy3dtw-m5DledEpL6uIazIxYOjJiHlSYrQgqf7N0ggoxANyjgCXUvmLQDWJY/s1600-h/Radiohead.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4soXR-GqNGBM7sPcnThHt3EZVhSszoKkpQOxYkz2d8DXFgeIUYDdGj5K6WhkSCsyI4COtXT8YDy3dtw-m5DledEpL6uIazIxYOjJiHlSYrQgqf7N0ggoxANyjgCXUvmLQDWJY/s200/Radiohead.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320759957164717714" border="0" /></a>1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">In Rainbows</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Radiohead</span> (Radiohead)<br />The most accessible Radiohead release since Kid A and the year’s best in the humble opinion of this writer. So many strong tunes interwoven within the tapestries of modern life or something like that. This album has it all; rocking numbers like 15 Step, Bodysnatchers and Jigsaw Falling Into Place. Grovy tunes like Weird Fishes/Arpeggi. Haunting songs with great bass lines like All I Need and Nude. Thom Yorke even plays piano on Videotape. I believe that in ten years when we look at the best albums from the first decade of the 21st Century, In Rainbows will rank high.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> 15 Step, Bodysnatchers, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, Nude, All I Need and Jigsaw Falling Into Place.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jigsaw Falling Into Place</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GoLJJRIWCLU&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GoLJJRIWCLU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-450828759663954052009-03-16T17:21:00.003-06:002009-03-16T17:24:34.310-06:0033 and a 1/3I have been listening to 13 Songs and this is a classic. The video isn't bad just pissed that I never got to see these guys.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fugazi- Waiting Room</span><br /></div><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xDTLdWgVs5Q&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xDTLdWgVs5Q&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-19277742679918246892008-12-18T00:59:00.006-07:002008-12-18T01:13:38.956-07:0033 and a 1/3Only 12 months late but here are numbers 10 to 5 for Big Ell's Top for 2007.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfl4-8ie5-qhLSBhdS4Z9KHGoqvYfVOuEuJ-L9drZZg5qyDf2W4p7ke9VOM4FHlru6auqxM6RaKS8WaRgXrjWhL4AzJYGrtX6Q-CAzD70T47OXDanPkdic03E-fCo6QUe7-nhI/s1600-h/raising+sand.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfl4-8ie5-qhLSBhdS4Z9KHGoqvYfVOuEuJ-L9drZZg5qyDf2W4p7ke9VOM4FHlru6auqxM6RaKS8WaRgXrjWhL4AzJYGrtX6Q-CAzD70T47OXDanPkdic03E-fCo6QUe7-nhI/s200/raising+sand.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281038437488239314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">10. Raising Sand</span> by Robert Plant and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Alison </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Krauss</span> (Rounder)<br />I initially labeled Raising Sand as an unexpected delight but I have had a change of heart. How can I be surprised that this is a great disc when it features one of my favorite singers, Robert Plant. Plant puts in a subdued performance balancing nicely with Alison Krauss? I have read that this duo may be responsible for the Led Zeppelin reunion going on the back burner which is definitely a good thing.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks</span>: Fortune Teller, Rich Woman, Stick with me Baby and Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us<br /><br />I couldn’t find a decent live performance but here is a link to a video for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x78Fm4CMWQ">Gone, Gone, Gone</a> by the Everly Brothers that is a horrible video.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SK3wT6tTjQ71csNNG8WiSkp5DRCVMipn2NNXHMC0epcg2Ab4afffTLSOLNBtKQrCxQdIyRBeoIo6_1WgVP2mk6VBxgQQfwfNMmdjar53PIGe5WoELJ0r9BeHSPr0MaP-F_-w/s1600-h/les+savy+fav.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SK3wT6tTjQ71csNNG8WiSkp5DRCVMipn2NNXHMC0epcg2Ab4afffTLSOLNBtKQrCxQdIyRBeoIo6_1WgVP2mk6VBxgQQfwfNMmdjar53PIGe5WoELJ0r9BeHSPr0MaP-F_-w/s200/les+savy+fav.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281038437602577586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Let's Stay Friends</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Les Savy Fav</span> (French Kiss)<br />I heard that Les Savy Fav played the Night Gallery in Calgary a few years back. That would have been sweet as I knew one of the owners and may have been able to get on the guest list. I also knew the bartender and he would have given me cheap drinks. I would’ve been very drunk before Les Savy Fav started and might’ve vomited then passed out. Then I wouldn’t have seen this excellent band and that would not have been so sweet.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks</span>: the Equestrian, The Year Before 2000, Patty Lee, Brace Yourself<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Patty Lee</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3_VGcXmTDFo&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3_VGcXmTDFo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaE3M5a-BNo30eALcp2Jf60AlbjZk1vsOwBxZzzbLbgwSHJ9B7E3aEknylv0oOOesgxVZPsZw69O0MN2Ct28a4q0J_BKabmkBQeows-PD-vxbKqfv4iz5suVoe3lCi9bCzAwAn/s1600-h/american+gangster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaE3M5a-BNo30eALcp2Jf60AlbjZk1vsOwBxZzzbLbgwSHJ9B7E3aEknylv0oOOesgxVZPsZw69O0MN2Ct28a4q0J_BKabmkBQeows-PD-vxbKqfv4iz5suVoe3lCi9bCzAwAn/s200/american+gangster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281038427540365650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. American Gangster</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jay-Z</span> (Roc-A-Fella)<br />I love Jay Z and this 70s funk inspired treat is sweet. American Gangster flows back and forth and side to side with Mayfield like groves. Like most of Jay Z’s tunes the slow ones are mostly boring except for Fallin with its great chorus. I thought Jay Z was done after Kingdom Come which was largely a piece of shit. This is easily the best Hip Hop album of 2007.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks</span>: Roc Boys (And the Winner Is), Fallin, Say Hello, Hello Brooklyn 2.0<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Fp6RmklIu_U&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Fp6RmklIu_U&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgha_s1FHOV6zFUhQw6pQQvNkYJ12eWYEKje8_g3ukaOLxGwaSmUsT3OZ0zN6ToaWOCjibu7yJhxDG4x9JFpww354Gs2_s7_VjuQpHhnGHSqH3lz53MPW2YS4asOUCLkSMmxWnj/s1600-h/high+on+fire.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgha_s1FHOV6zFUhQw6pQQvNkYJ12eWYEKje8_g3ukaOLxGwaSmUsT3OZ0zN6ToaWOCjibu7yJhxDG4x9JFpww354Gs2_s7_VjuQpHhnGHSqH3lz53MPW2YS4asOUCLkSMmxWnj/s200/high+on+fire.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281038434854795970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Death is this Communion</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">High on Fire</span> (Relapse)<br />Death is this Communion is the surprise of the year, by far. I should have known seeing as that they are on Relapse records and Relapse rocks hard. These guys play the heaviest stoner rock this side of Orange Goblin. I can’t get enough of these boys. Angry, tough, fast, grinding goodness. So many great tracks give them all a listen. This is how metal should sound.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> Rumors of War, Waste of Tiamat, Turk and Cyclopian Scape<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Turk</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/W8WTqnatEE8&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/W8WTqnatEE8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1rCPgR9At1YohIF2YYfqr7_kPd65dDvUWgGikwu2IQVusrJzLTKp3liPU4WZdgeFpfz6ZISOGtDCKiTCVJiNKS1Rfy2Nq_Ts3VtN1Z8V_OaNKCTFL7qMYvKw7z_3-_NXOWSx/s1600-h/burial.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1rCPgR9At1YohIF2YYfqr7_kPd65dDvUWgGikwu2IQVusrJzLTKp3liPU4WZdgeFpfz6ZISOGtDCKiTCVJiNKS1Rfy2Nq_Ts3VtN1Z8V_OaNKCTFL7qMYvKw7z_3-_NXOWSx/s200/burial.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281038431074298754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Untrue</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Buria</span>l (Hyperdub)<br />Dubtastic beats keep coming and coming from DJ Wiliam Bevan of the UK. I wasn’t sure what to make of it when I first listened to Burial but it grew on me quickly. I love the dub heavy bass beats and the understated lyrics that are on a few tracks. I can’t believe this is his second album. Pick it up if you are into electronic dub music.<br />Best Tracks: Ghost Hardware, Near Dark, Etched Headplate, Raver, and Untrue<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Archangel</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mQpuvf441FE&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mQpuvf441FE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-77414273600993139542008-12-17T21:59:00.009-07:002008-12-17T22:45:03.756-07:00Wasting TimeThe theme for this <span style="font-weight: bold;">Wasting Time</span> is art. Big Ell has wasted tons of hours over the years looking at all sorts of art. It all began when my dad would drag me to every art gallery in Calgary and in LA. God, did I ever hate that. Imagine being eight and in LA and being forced to spend hours in <a href="http://www.moca.org/">MOCA</a> when you could be at Disneyland or Universal Studios. I gradually stopped hating art galleries and now genuinely love visiting them. Here are a couple of cool sites I found showcasing some cool art.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/09/14/tribute-to-graffiti-50-beautiful-graffiti-artworks/">Graffiti</a> is always cool, if I made art it would like this. This is an excellent collection from smashing magazine.<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunapark/736627237/">Obey Inspector</a></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpkLxZvsgNX8DYltRaz7rB5UzVlWavi475jUCJOKLSRMipor2R8aNrSdb-Lhew5dqBNE1nmlcvDvEgL4kIMTR7Unopm49HrJ0YAOVwkKUBUGe6Jp7Bb1Gmy6MtOjbSmSW9NGt/s1600-h/obey.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 321px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpkLxZvsgNX8DYltRaz7rB5UzVlWavi475jUCJOKLSRMipor2R8aNrSdb-Lhew5dqBNE1nmlcvDvEgL4kIMTR7Unopm49HrJ0YAOVwkKUBUGe6Jp7Bb1Gmy6MtOjbSmSW9NGt/s400/obey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280999426427918066" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/tonogayora/">Tonogayor</a><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/tonogayora/">a</a></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVj7rORz5m7QkabbKxGlkjJ5xezOTVrfk4SfULZpedbVXCOiavJnb_pzz6IfN-g927v-76cAuIkHbW41-OjwvFXC_UUpQrjb8yXKbtxuze-BpjoksSGYcyBSYNqzpXI1Q3xzP/s1600-h/tonogayora.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVj7rORz5m7QkabbKxGlkjJ5xezOTVrfk4SfULZpedbVXCOiavJnb_pzz6IfN-g927v-76cAuIkHbW41-OjwvFXC_UUpQrjb8yXKbtxuze-BpjoksSGYcyBSYNqzpXI1Q3xzP/s400/tonogayora.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280999430185637698" border="0" /></a><br />When I was a kid I loved lego. I didn't have much but my neighbors had tons so I played with theirs. It was tons of fun, I could make space ships and give the older neighbour boy the finger when he pissed me off. Here is a piece from portfolio.com of some super duper <a href="http://www.portfolio.com/slideshows/2008/08/Lego-Artist?TID=st092007ab">Lego Artist</a>.<br /><br />Here are some interesting environmental/political pieces by American artist/photographer <a href="http://www.theglobalintelligencer.com/december07/chrisjordan.php">Chris Jordan</a>. Definitely very cool. This piece is called Plastic Bottles which depicts two million plastic beverage bottles, the number used in the US every five minutes. Make sure to clikc on the title to see more images.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.theglobalintelligencer.com/december07/chrisjordan.php">Plastic Bottles</a><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevwastR63z6rQmUZb3nM0migsB7MgUFygkid-Ylqg4xP9K5fT3iJrxBkpexW4jpgkS1pTP8F7xvdvnH2moeAVFIEbvT5WCKdBxglcsPjB4KmJKpUIpthfrZ3R2iy46qwtcrQk/s1600-h/plasticbottles1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevwastR63z6rQmUZb3nM0migsB7MgUFygkid-Ylqg4xP9K5fT3iJrxBkpexW4jpgkS1pTP8F7xvdvnH2moeAVFIEbvT5WCKdBxglcsPjB4KmJKpUIpthfrZ3R2iy46qwtcrQk/s400/plasticbottles1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281001740687972466" border="0" /></a>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-50231121884700372272008-11-26T00:21:00.005-07:002008-11-26T00:52:23.226-07:0033 and a 1/3Here are albums 15-11 of Big Ell's Top 20 for 2007. Click here to peruse <a href="http://bigellsblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/33-and-13.html">16-20</a>.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvBHq5nIvzvLGe8DZpfVL4QrmxobM5iC5_iAXn_Ma2krSheeKAABxEH8p5KD4uk9_vgdLzv9oTYIWt_wXXghzAdgog4jo6ASatRleJTXEhusWc9Ayif7lGNGpyj5aLBYxEsoD/s1600-h/field+music.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvBHq5nIvzvLGe8DZpfVL4QrmxobM5iC5_iAXn_Ma2krSheeKAABxEH8p5KD4uk9_vgdLzv9oTYIWt_wXXghzAdgog4jo6ASatRleJTXEhusWc9Ayif7lGNGpyj5aLBYxEsoD/s200/field+music.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272863905502028962" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">15. Tones of Towns</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Field Music</span> (Memphis Industries)<br /><br />If you haven't guessed it I am not a big fan of pop music. I usually avoid it but can certainly appreciate good pop music when it hits me int he ears. Field Music make great pop music in the vein of the Beach Boys and not the Backstreet Boys. This album is full of the great harmonies, interesting vocal and some ELO like organ to get the kids dancing. This album should be far more popular than it is, buy it damn it!<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> Give it Lose it Take it, Tones of Towns, She Can do What She Wants<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />She Can Do What She Wants by Field Music</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/t3ml5_DgLSI&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/t3ml5_DgLSI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzziTy4SXJ1P4sRJt6K79fDjN5f_1Sv9xukDEWvjHewdilH5Y6aYyWZPiQ_zeZHQpvRJtvin8blpMrBkF4gGYsA4GjUQxAgc7PiCTLWrIP2-pNqZfuJj-SmHN0gYZtZdfF0Zb0/s1600-h/clutch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 196px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzziTy4SXJ1P4sRJt6K79fDjN5f_1Sv9xukDEWvjHewdilH5Y6aYyWZPiQ_zeZHQpvRJtvin8blpMrBkF4gGYsA4GjUQxAgc7PiCTLWrIP2-pNqZfuJj-SmHN0gYZtZdfF0Zb0/s200/clutch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272863913702037170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">14. From Beale Str</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">eet to Oblivion</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Clutch</span> (DRT)<br /><br />I've tried listening to Clutch before but had a hard time getting into them. Not sure why but probably because I am dumb. I figured they were just another in a long line of boring grunge/metal/alternative bands kind of like the Foo Fighters. I don’t remember why I picked up this album but it is solid from start to finish. The Deep Purple/Nazareth style riffs that were a pleasant surprise and kick ass. Lead singer Neil Fallon is also a revelation with his growling and screaming. I hear some Kyuss and Soundgarden throughout which is always a good thing.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> You Can’t Stop Progress, Power Player, Electric Worry and Mr. Shiny Cadillackness<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Electric Worry by Clutch</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/41orqvymPA8&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/41orqvymPA8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSPyhWSixXbWAstBn9o2F5ZH1ZbF_DTlEI5XE6biC15JDxzg22cI7A8oKSTj0GBfuwnR_1T1yEAAdsFPGDpWEetFVzwFbQgDAGBUklrzTncEdq7ATM-LUsmJDOuRSp_yORnQm/s1600-h/LCD+soundsystem.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSPyhWSixXbWAstBn9o2F5ZH1ZbF_DTlEI5XE6biC15JDxzg22cI7A8oKSTj0GBfuwnR_1T1yEAAdsFPGDpWEetFVzwFbQgDAGBUklrzTncEdq7ATM-LUsmJDOuRSp_yORnQm/s200/LCD+soundsystem.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272863911127617378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">13. Sound Of Silver</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">LCD Soundsystem</span> (DFA)<br /><br />James Murphy and DFA are super cool and have the samples and album collections to prove it. James Murphy is like that guy you knew in college who talked about art theory, played experimental techno and was skinnier than a whippet while wearing an ironic cowboy shirt. He probably had his own show or worked at the cool indy record store, deridng the losers from Epitaph while worrying that the bands on killrockstars will sell out. Oh how I miss college. This is a great album by the LCD Soundsystem but it pales in comparison with their self titled debut. That always happens on every second album, well that is what Mr. Ironic Cowboy Shirt woudl have you believe.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> Get Innocuous, North American Scum, Watch the Tapes<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />North American Scum by LCD Soundsystem</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/d0npp_lblYQ&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d0npp_lblYQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjn110eto8UD7daAzdMHVDvGuFE64N1pJibojIUnqbL_9F8bth-2T8P09iwqIB-KnybXbZ4GMvvSaV74apefD4C651JlqSm80toQXZdxdleVLnd9tY_HJkIbQz8n3Rom8zuHx/s1600-h/KOL.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjn110eto8UD7daAzdMHVDvGuFE64N1pJibojIUnqbL_9F8bth-2T8P09iwqIB-KnybXbZ4GMvvSaV74apefD4C651JlqSm80toQXZdxdleVLnd9tY_HJkIbQz8n3Rom8zuHx/s200/KOL.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272863911223121106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">12. Because Of The Times</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kings Of Leon</span> (RCA)<br /><br />Contrary to popular belief the Kings of Leon are not the greatest band in the world. The Followill brothers are maturing but haven't managed to put together a solid album from start to finish. Most of the tracks are merely decent but its true value comes from the handful of excellent singles contained within. One such example is Knocked Up which is an excellent song a great haunting melody and incredible vocals by Caleb Followill. I also really dig On Call and Ragoo with their groovy little licks. The song Fans was the Kings Of Leon’s first big hit and is a great single. I hope the boys from Nashville can keep it up.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> Knocked Up, On Call, Ragoo and Fans<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Knocked Up by Kings of Leon</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z4lP9bTzhmA&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z4lP9bTzhmA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3im1gOj5vJhp0VSoLGBEzFUlFRrmMCaMUK9yrj7WeGI5AfcWykg7gmNawjnGl_L9Ho0IED2nnC64Mpu5GA7dnkwvlu28VKn4cdg5V18rVBkukA7n6Z1oIuyrAaDzj066Zvpda/s1600-h/DEP.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3im1gOj5vJhp0VSoLGBEzFUlFRrmMCaMUK9yrj7WeGI5AfcWykg7gmNawjnGl_L9Ho0IED2nnC64Mpu5GA7dnkwvlu28VKn4cdg5V18rVBkukA7n6Z1oIuyrAaDzj066Zvpda/s200/DEP.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272863915141178210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">11. Ire Works</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Dillinger Escape Plan</span> (Relapse Records)<br /><br />There aren’t many bands making music like the Dillinger Escape Plan. They mix metal, hardcore, punk, post punk and jazz breaks with finesse, precision, aggression and creativity. The album starts out with the manic ferocity of their older albums but takes a dramatic shift with Black Bubblegum and its falsetto vocals and arena rock chorus much like Mike Patton and Faith No More. The album really starts rolling half way through with Nong Eye Gong. If you are interested in listening to some creative and original, look no further than the Dillinger Escape Plan.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> Black Bubblegum, Sick on Sunday, Nong Eye Gong, Milk Lizard<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Black Bubblegum by Dillinger Escape Plan</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6d7T_Z3g9gQ&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6d7T_Z3g9gQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-61559809502406668482008-11-14T23:51:00.003-07:002008-11-26T00:47:36.974-07:0033 and a 1/3Seeing that it is almost 2009 it is high time to give you <span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Ell's Top 20 Albums for 2007</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZdKJlRdLETWxhcdTitxcU_ap3PSYIqTNH_7FCm_lC-D2tYFX-a8NkM2QxakNG1NvWVF4fIfkAp0eN5_0I43gId_1mLwXAin5WoZbmwHVdqwjv6tJcuzjdw-IXE2Jc7Fj22ox/s1600-h/holy+fuck.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZdKJlRdLETWxhcdTitxcU_ap3PSYIqTNH_7FCm_lC-D2tYFX-a8NkM2QxakNG1NvWVF4fIfkAp0eN5_0I43gId_1mLwXAin5WoZbmwHVdqwjv6tJcuzjdw-IXE2Jc7Fj22ox/s200/holy+fuck.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272869379905421522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">20.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">LP</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Holy Fuck</span> (XL)<br />Canada seems to be leading the rest of the Indy world with lots of top quality bands and tunes. I am not sure how to categorize Holy Fuck but they are easily one of the most original Canadian bands going. 21st century electronica from Toronto with some aggressive instrumentation and the drummer from Blue radio for fuck all.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> Milk Shake, Frenchy’s and Chopper<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Milkshake- Holy Fuck</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mCJisXvd8mQ&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mCJisXvd8mQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZxWfnO1Iur2MLJHa_a3isRC7zakIzdIWRTfPSOBT-KGXF8LeOxDmbp7vbigAj1YZsCTVhIivsgPI1q9T4taGTgfLtYkY2wO3EKMi15sJExqr3aTT6TM8mdI3OSvavdGRxJ6n/s1600-h/brother+ali.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZxWfnO1Iur2MLJHa_a3isRC7zakIzdIWRTfPSOBT-KGXF8LeOxDmbp7vbigAj1YZsCTVhIivsgPI1q9T4taGTgfLtYkY2wO3EKMi15sJExqr3aTT6TM8mdI3OSvavdGRxJ6n/s200/brother+ali.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272869379791991682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">19. The Undisputed Truth</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Brother Ali</span> (Rhymesayers Entertainment )<br />Like I told TGR Albino Muslims rock the mic hard. Now I’ve found out that Brother Ali he is blind and looks a bit like this blogger. The politics are harder than Wellstone and who would have thought that beats like this could come from Minneapolis.<br />Shit the government is an addict, with a billion dollar a week kill brown people habit.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> Lookin’ at Me Sideways, Truth Is Here, Uncle Sam Goddamn<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Truth is Here- Brother Ali</span><br /></div><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8AW1YVShLDg&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8AW1YVShLDg&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NcYR1CoRRaLHV6X54xr7IMwe01VC3nk5GXm1oX0E46q7gIJTQlrzWohXyxgujLB1F9fDERrggCLYlYfaELGQ2bh4gghJg9fdtdbGICPi7IbSfdAZSJ-f9KrqbVNYP6SbDLsm/s1600-h/Sharo+Jones.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NcYR1CoRRaLHV6X54xr7IMwe01VC3nk5GXm1oX0E46q7gIJTQlrzWohXyxgujLB1F9fDERrggCLYlYfaELGQ2bh4gghJg9fdtdbGICPi7IbSfdAZSJ-f9KrqbVNYP6SbDLsm/s200/Sharo+Jones.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272869378828196418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">18. 100 Days, 100 Nights</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings</span> (Daptone)<br />Listening to Sharon Jones makes me wonder what all the fuss is about Amy Winehouse. Sharon Jones’ late 60s early 70s R&B vocals destroy Amy Winehouse and all the other pretenders out there today. She has the greatest voice in the business and plus you get the incredibly tight Dap-King beats.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks: </span>Nobody’s Baby, Tell Me, Be Easy, Keep on Looking and the Collection Song<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Keep on Looking- Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fDXIOMuq2DM&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fDXIOMuq2DM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpp2ePCIYw8ct94awSjDdKdEbZ_iXCp8NSFR1Lj_8dmuN8u1QOQDTwQpDLIVRksKn06yH69L7GiDqmFVyd03yBgoddkorf1psBwkZz583SMGks5lIB3N02-CYkZMn4UWcgHYf/s1600-h/NIN.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpp2ePCIYw8ct94awSjDdKdEbZ_iXCp8NSFR1Lj_8dmuN8u1QOQDTwQpDLIVRksKn06yH69L7GiDqmFVyd03yBgoddkorf1psBwkZz583SMGks5lIB3N02-CYkZMn4UWcgHYf/s200/NIN.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272869383700311778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">17. Year Zero</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Nine Inch Nails </span>(Universal Japan)<br />I never had a trench coat, not to say I don’t like them but I never had one. I’ve only really listened to one Trent Reznor disc and never got into the industrial music scene. This album by Trent Rezner is excellent even though a few tracks have been over played on local radio. It is supposed to be a concept album and I still like it, what are the odds?<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> The Beginning of the End, Capital G and God Given<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Capital G- Nine Inch Nails</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/C8bmlXmDDs4&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/C8bmlXmDDs4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIy1a7_Hn3KJF_fTWVSuCxszQkfMxqHwXssu488VUGZB9JOnMRqun7JUteDkYepG4ryeCho6dUbtya5kQ8cbUouN36N3wf-Gf6Cq81C1WcYoaF9hhh31N2b0QYDPSoyiucmc6s/s1600-h/as+I+lay+dying.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIy1a7_Hn3KJF_fTWVSuCxszQkfMxqHwXssu488VUGZB9JOnMRqun7JUteDkYepG4ryeCho6dUbtya5kQ8cbUouN36N3wf-Gf6Cq81C1WcYoaF9hhh31N2b0QYDPSoyiucmc6s/s200/as+I+lay+dying.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272869383132663426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">16. An Ocean Apart</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">As I Lay Dying</span> (Metal Blade)<br />More melodic vocals join the lightning quick twin guitar attack on this stellar release by As I Lay Dying. I dig most Metal Blade artists these days as I can’t seem to get enough Metal. My friend on CBC characterized these boys as Death Metal which shows that civil servant intellectuals shouldn’t talk about metal. These boys are straight from the speed metal or hardcore scene with a splash of classic metal.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Best Tracks:</span> Nothing Left, An Ocean Between Us, Foresaken and Bury Us All<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Foresaken by As I Lay Dying</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/i00iBciyVs0&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/i00iBciyVs0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-78957439133184425922008-11-04T01:11:00.003-07:002008-11-04T01:20:05.891-07:00ELECTION DAYHere are the Black Sheep with a re-make of one of the best Hip-Hop songs of all-time.<br />Go Obama!<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WbJsMPA0XvA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WbJsMPA0XvA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-88125518999849682792008-10-29T21:37:00.005-06:002008-10-29T22:36:52.914-06:00Wasting Time<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6gKtda9oFkE2I51zlgUuM2HuLLrPCiEi3eRejZ83KIbE_xdaPJsaEjzOpPS-RydTkQHsI8RYwTNHScxT1aaxMQc7HQ1nKJ7d2af2XA-GRTFO5TKEJgee8Veg4DXnCL_gGfRQ/s1600-h/79.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6gKtda9oFkE2I51zlgUuM2HuLLrPCiEi3eRejZ83KIbE_xdaPJsaEjzOpPS-RydTkQHsI8RYwTNHScxT1aaxMQc7HQ1nKJ7d2af2XA-GRTFO5TKEJgee8Veg4DXnCL_gGfRQ/s320/79.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262787690282915202" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:85%;">You have your way. I have my way.<br />As for the right way, the correct way,<br />and the only way, it does not exist.</span></div><br />Here is the latest edition of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Wasting Time</span>. It has been a long time because now that I am Canadian I no longer have time to waste.<br /><br />This site, the <a href="http://www.losanjealous.com/nfc/">Nietzsche Family Circus</a> kills me.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg875JXi2xIhMSoeIDgzCv2LlGscIM5S1Tx7kJiGFAN7wpKnnjB7zdHv7gJyfkQWXyP9NvXfUB90ilDCD-wjRyfS5S_peB6p4r-soNcy1orb6_SeP7frPmI2fm0bAtbuOZuBN3Z/s1600-h/nfc47.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg875JXi2xIhMSoeIDgzCv2LlGscIM5S1Tx7kJiGFAN7wpKnnjB7zdHv7gJyfkQWXyP9NvXfUB90ilDCD-wjRyfS5S_peB6p4r-soNcy1orb6_SeP7frPmI2fm0bAtbuOZuBN3Z/s320/nfc47.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262787056951727202" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Not by wrath does one kill, but by laughter.</span><br /></div><br />This site is kind of funny. Everybody seems to be having fun laughing at <a href="http://www.palinaspresident.us/">Sarah Palin</a>. I like this one too, <a href="http://www.teenmomsforpalin.com/">Teen Moms for Palin</a>. No one will be laughing when she is President in 2012.Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-547559095901004422008-10-25T10:48:00.002-06:002008-10-25T10:51:21.511-06:00Mission AccomplishedThis is a pretty fun political ad based on those annoying Bud "Wassup," ads from a while back. I stole it from a guy I know on Facebook and want my reader to check it out. Here it is:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Qq8Uc5BFogE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Qq8Uc5BFogE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-65619144399896584132008-10-13T11:49:00.005-06:002008-10-13T23:26:26.682-06:00Big Ell's Bookshelf<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prodigies vs Late Bloomers</span></span><br /></div><br />Like most sections of this blog I haven't updated Big Ell's Bookshelf in a very long time. I have decided to change this section a bit so I can include anything interesting I have read. Here is a link to an essay in the <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/10/20/081020fa_fact_gladwell">New Yorker</a> by one of my favorite writers, Malcolm Gladwell of the Tipping Point and Blink fame. The piece is about the differences between prodigies and late bloomers based on research conducted by economist David Galenson.<br /><blockquote>Galenson’s idea that creativity can be divided into these types—conceptual and experimental—has a number of important implications. For example, we sometimes think of late bloomers as late starters. They don’t realize they’re good at something until they’re fifty, so of course they achieve late in life. But that’s not quite right. Cézanne was painting almost as early as Picasso was. We also sometimes think of them as artists who are <i>discovered</i> late; the world is just slow to appreciate their gifts. In both cases, the assumption is that the prodigy and the late bloomer are fundamentally the same, and that late blooming is simply genius under conditions of market failure. What Galenson’s argument suggests is something else—that late bloomers bloom late because they simply aren’t much good until late in their careers.</blockquote>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-20152769852303400702008-01-08T10:07:00.000-07:002008-01-08T10:22:15.541-07:0033 and a 1/3<span style="">2007 was a phenomenal year for music. Last year, in the weak 2007, I found it difficult to find even 20 albums to contemplate fo</span><span style="">r my list. T</span><span style="">his year I have ten honorable mentions that could have made the top ten in 2006. All of these albums are worth giving a listen to and come back in the next few days for the Top Twenty</span><span style=""> Countdown. What to expect from the top 20. There was more quality electronic music.</span><span style=""> There are much more high quality hard rock and heavy metal bands; almost like the late 1980s without the hair. There are tons of great rock and roll music from the indies </span><span style="">to the major</span><span style="">s. The most disappointing aspect of 2007 was weak ass hip hop. Well here are the bands that couldn</span><span style="">’t make the cut, in no particular order. Album. artist and record labels for the neophytes.<o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Honorable Mention</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtuzGEvVReIjhA4f0FbbhLK4IuUJ81ZJj81cu-vMWocLOK2lAF1h_6t3zzFhhSV7h2NWkFdr0YPdFr_cj06GdS7RaABeb6ZjOV5WPEGSA3PhjHrwSnDX1toYx182f8l7sm5Zi/s1600-h/neon+bible.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtuzGEvVReIjhA4f0FbbhLK4IuUJ81ZJj81cu-vMWocLOK2lAF1h_6t3zzFhhSV7h2NWkFdr0YPdFr_cj06GdS7RaABeb6ZjOV5WPEGSA3PhjHrwSnDX1toYx182f8l7sm5Zi/s200/neon+bible.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153154081365940594" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Neon Bible</b> by <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">The </span></strong><st1:place><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Arcade</span></strong></st1:place><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Fire (Merge)</span></strong><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlJoLy2oh3kJLTIGO3uwmMS4qHCQLJl90hx0G0WN4mLgfGuJNOJ2cj_-7sqTD-QpFBRn3kJ-vBRt5A6ca2YFTwM-ms_vddyO3H14Y9z5tfCuELTqCJ1ZgCIGAFP7ME0O39Eni/s1600-h/black+lips.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlJoLy2oh3kJLTIGO3uwmMS4qHCQLJl90hx0G0WN4mLgfGuJNOJ2cj_-7sqTD-QpFBRn3kJ-vBRt5A6ca2YFTwM-ms_vddyO3H14Y9z5tfCuELTqCJ1ZgCIGAFP7ME0O39Eni/s200/black+lips.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153154072776005938" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Good, Bad, Not Evil </b>by Black Lips (Vice)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJUxnAq3ZBrGI9bLryXQL0AMYUH7JFK_GtkNPeD9x2-9I5v2g6vNc5B5DqLOnl9U1P08JRTVXfyzyyVM1uNuJox8vX_uigI_2Hxk3ubFfbVoyU8L0XXZLI4yOmPSMTtCJVOq3/s1600-h/Ghostface.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJUxnAq3ZBrGI9bLryXQL0AMYUH7JFK_GtkNPeD9x2-9I5v2g6vNc5B5DqLOnl9U1P08JRTVXfyzyyVM1uNuJox8vX_uigI_2Hxk3ubFfbVoyU8L0XXZLI4yOmPSMTtCJVOq3/s200/Ghostface.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153154077070973266" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">The Big Doe Rehab</b> by Ghostface Killah (Def Jam)<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMgL1Axo2N-kJZP4geeBupLN4CvVvjlxayKRQCY4j8ZDBjarGttN3H_Nk6quR7MMq9LVqHQQXp_m2GkibLECvLtV_RFrPq4JlqBPcvtbIzhXlo4KAnMM5uUpn5PoKbMeL608W/s1600-h/Justice.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMgL1Axo2N-kJZP4geeBupLN4CvVvjlxayKRQCY4j8ZDBjarGttN3H_Nk6quR7MMq9LVqHQQXp_m2GkibLECvLtV_RFrPq4JlqBPcvtbIzhXlo4KAnMM5uUpn5PoKbMeL608W/s200/Justice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153154081365940578" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Cross</b> by Justice (Ed Banger/Vice)<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIoT1bwGFDS6LqtpPZ8SqK4S1P82ksCqY3ZytgDzOgWS1HlziXCccbmxVvt_fFFvoEEB0PpXA6FziE0yb_bH3dWvYlvT9ukcN3dT_RDxJepOaKN2aWarrHkHpqur-j5kWJDOh/s1600-h/Panda+Bear.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIoT1bwGFDS6LqtpPZ8SqK4S1P82ksCqY3ZytgDzOgWS1HlziXCccbmxVvt_fFFvoEEB0PpXA6FziE0yb_bH3dWvYlvT9ukcN3dT_RDxJepOaKN2aWarrHkHpqur-j5kWJDOh/s200/Panda+Bear.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153156091410635138" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Person Pitch</b> by <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Panda Bear (P</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">aw Tracks</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">)<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqDILRr8MznT3fI6HwZpk0M7nGjOK1iswvUHF_ds7OlO5-tvmraERp5Xs9cpFbyAL-naJCmYrJ9q3mlx5WcNEVtrr2_SHIxD6Hy2dy4nn46RdO4i4KXUDyl5zM9kfhopotkym/s1600-h/Prodigy.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqDILRr8MznT3fI6HwZpk0M7nGjOK1iswvUHF_ds7OlO5-tvmraERp5Xs9cpFbyAL-naJCmYrJ9q3mlx5WcNEVtrr2_SHIxD6Hy2dy4nn46RdO4i4KXUDyl5zM9kfhopotkym/s200/Prodigy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153156095705602498" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Return of the Mac </b>by Prodigy (Koch/The Informers)<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2SoVSjg7_fd8N4ScZwlvVtn_U2ObkU-ZHgGQx7luz1AdD5LPbnme7b6QBeIbQuNywrGIDxIdTQ-hUqL69O9zqMxXTiMpTOnZsqUcwu_tB9_3OpgTKjE6cEfAnK3Cot1IgFEn/s1600-h/Queens.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2SoVSjg7_fd8N4ScZwlvVtn_U2ObkU-ZHgGQx7luz1AdD5LPbnme7b6QBeIbQuNywrGIDxIdTQ-hUqL69O9zqMxXTiMpTOnZsqUcwu_tB9_3OpgTKjE6cEfAnK3Cot1IgFEn/s200/Queens.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153156091410635154" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Era Vulgaris </b>by <st1:place>Queens</st1:place> of the Stone Age (Interscope)<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYA2L4ceMF_psos5pQGnJQSfwyW1gwYM_0NrnVCQUgqgrmHwLRsdeZIAX6SD7S1Zyqzd-psmygXnDsRB1XtPwSX1Oh_Lv1zPwzZju7_ReB9ckvEIlftYy3FBjf7V9XBPS3kbSM/s1600-h/Talib.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYA2L4ceMF_psos5pQGnJQSfwyW1gwYM_0NrnVCQUgqgrmHwLRsdeZIAX6SD7S1Zyqzd-psmygXnDsRB1XtPwSX1Oh_Lv1zPwzZju7_ReB9ckvEIlftYy3FBjf7V9XBPS3kbSM/s200/Talib.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153156095705602482" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Ear Drum </b>by Talib Kweli (Blacksmith)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvn6P3WBYbjccRAyJ-I9Do31fDyNiFpaPEpYK_noXHwzePyOPJ1TUTH9VjUz-6ewFlv-vKG5CVtkTLEVU1chyRkhP8PQ5Hjzxyr2wdE4QBN3XAkhH2oCHT2b_0NkbuU2P9m24/s1600-h/Field.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvn6P3WBYbjccRAyJ-I9Do31fDyNiFpaPEpYK_noXHwzePyOPJ1TUTH9VjUz-6ewFlv-vKG5CVtkTLEVU1chyRkhP8PQ5Hjzxyr2wdE4QBN3XAkhH2oCHT2b_0NkbuU2P9m24/s200/Field.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153154077070973250" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">From Here We</b><b style=""> Go Sub</b><b style="">lime</b> by <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">The Field (Kompakt)</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJL9oTUG3m5A875XzDQwtRdZX0lgZ0FSh04dWb-kb_WhYyZgTWR7beVlLWUBiSCrqo_mceIqijPyXpk53Exfav1Xi83WntUq66Wa3Ws0EVr8ggPkFUj15K_cEXNC_YG-X06FT/s1600-h/Say+Anything.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJL9oTUG3m5A875XzDQwtRdZX0lgZ0FSh04dWb-kb_WhYyZgTWR7beVlLWUBiSCrqo_mceIqijPyXpk53Exfav1Xi83WntUq66Wa3Ws0EVr8ggPkFUj15K_cEXNC_YG-X06FT/s200/Say+Anything.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153156095705602466" border="0" /></a><b style=""><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">In Defense of the G</b><b style="">enre</b> by Say Anything (RCA)<o:p></o:p></p>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-18030318087123804242008-01-08T03:48:00.000-07:002008-01-08T07:00:20.910-07:0033 and 1/3<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Big Ell Movie</span></span><br /><br />I ganked this from <a href="http://desr.blogspot.com/">Des'</a> blog and thought it was pretty cool.<br />Open your itunes/media player/winamp. Press play.<br />Make sure it's set to random play.<br />Type the title and artist, then move to the next question, and click the next button, and so on....<br /><br />The soundtrack for the <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Ell movie:<br /></span></span><ul><li>Opening Credits: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Jesus, Etc." by Wilco </span>(sweet, a little slow for me, oh well)</li><li>Waking Up: "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Before the end of the Race" by Sloan</span> (Not bad, a nice ditty from the Canadian indie rockers)</li><li>First Day At School: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"When Fusion Ruled the Earth" by Spiderbait</span></li><li>Falling In Love: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"A Little More for Little You" by the Hives </span>(funny on so many different levels)</li><li>Fight Song: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Quality" by Talib Kweli </span>(its no wonder I got my ass kicked)</li><li>Breaking Up:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> "Get it Together" by Jurassic 5 </span>(not bad but this was a shit album)<br /></li><li>Prom: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Selah" by Lauryn Hill </span><br /></li><li>Life's Okay: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"1970s" by the Stooges </span>(awesome, fucking awesome, life is great!)<br /></li><li>Mental Breakdown: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Jolene" by Dolly Parton</span> (yes, I rock the Dolly from time to time, fuck you)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpyPXhAfTp6uRshwFdRbk45IiY41qFhQeqKz_upeMse7OfUG143Nf-nAoG32ToJB_obMDELgnOixkWcdOQQlTQN75UscMEpaw5Ug7xy92XF0OWRWQQVeQ_t-JyF82xvu40UmC/s1600-h/dolly+parton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpyPXhAfTp6uRshwFdRbk45IiY41qFhQeqKz_upeMse7OfUG143Nf-nAoG32ToJB_obMDELgnOixkWcdOQQlTQN75UscMEpaw5Ug7xy92XF0OWRWQQVeQ_t-JyF82xvu40UmC/s320/dolly+parton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153066330889115922" border="0" /></a></li><li>Driving: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Tainted" by Slum Village </span>(I forgot how cool this track is and it's slow like my driving)<br /></li><li>Flashback: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Yesterday" by Ray Charles </span>(Yes it is a Beatles cover)</li><li>Getting Back Together: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Let's Impeach the President" by Neil Young</span><br /></li><li>Wedding: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Keep them Coming" by Wayne Wonder </span>(Yes a reggae wedding)</li><li>Birth of Child: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Rec-Room Therapy" by Ghostface Killah </span>("Bitches with baby fat swinging that")</li><li>Final Battle: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Baker Street" by Jerry Rafferty </span>(wow, maybe we fight to the death with saxophones or in the courts)</li><li>Death Scene: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Kick the PA" by Korn and the Dust Brothers </span>(Not bad, but not great, much like this idea)</li><li>Funeral Song: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Kon Karne" by MF Doom </span>(funny, as this song has a nice piano run with what sounds like lazers shooting, classy)</li><li>End Credits: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"I Don't Know For Sure" by Husker Du </span>(fucking awesome and a great way to end the movie)</li></ul>Here is some more Husker Du, cause I know you want it:<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/luK9-bQVj0k&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/luK9-bQVj0k&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-62580050470736356832008-01-08T03:18:00.000-07:002008-01-08T03:46:08.215-07:00Big Ell in 2008Wow, four months without a post. A new Big Ell record that won't be repeated, yes I said it, it won't be repeated. I have some valid excuses for my four month hiatus from the blog world. My first excuse is:<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzNRr1UOY83z30AjOOh4yi0EK1sndiIzLj4WAfBsThwMs8anCgD-rpzm8EwQAVgumeWXWt8ECY7EhF6s6EfNpdV027AMrwWmjciXxbXmmM22FGdhemObjugeu3VabJ1WYqqtu/s1600-h/IMGP0203.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzNRr1UOY83z30AjOOh4yi0EK1sndiIzLj4WAfBsThwMs8anCgD-rpzm8EwQAVgumeWXWt8ECY7EhF6s6EfNpdV027AMrwWmjciXxbXmmM22FGdhemObjugeu3VabJ1WYqqtu/s320/IMGP0203.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153050177517115634" border="0" /></a></div>My new daughter, born September 22nd. I would post a newer picture but Mrs. Big Ell has a strict monopoly on Ulrich 2.0 digital imagery.<br /><br />My second excuse is:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacWBxStT_W-UVeQGqMujqVzIADCKOU5gWsz5hdcXknijfC71Y8FdagdKLfA3pwO-ufgCt8cAHr7qOVHkViLus-hgsN5lMbLuF-tDwGW5MQI2RBPweB3H-47K_miLRgcivSgua/s1600-h/Calgary+skyline.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacWBxStT_W-UVeQGqMujqVzIADCKOU5gWsz5hdcXknijfC71Y8FdagdKLfA3pwO-ufgCt8cAHr7qOVHkViLus-hgsN5lMbLuF-tDwGW5MQI2RBPweB3H-47K_miLRgcivSgua/s320/Calgary+skyline.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153051629216061698" border="0" /></a>Ganked from <a href="http://www.britannica.com/eb/art-95075/Skyline-of-Calgary-Alta">Britannica.com</a><br /><br />My soon to be new old home town, Cowtown. After 10 years in Taiwan it is time to leave to bigger and cleaner places. I have been battling bureaucracy, fear, movers, stupidity, in-laws and inertia but now can't wait to leave. I am hoping to post some whimsical articles about time spent in Taiwan before I leave but I have over 10 bottles of hard liquor so it will be hard to avoid maudlin commentary. That is if I post anything at all, who knows at this point, not me.<br /><br />It has been 15 years since I last rocked in Alberta and I probably won't be doing too much rocking with a wife and two daughters. I also hear there are jobs in Calgary . A job would be nice so i don't need to become a male gigolo to pay the bills. I am quite certain the market for overweight, balding gigolos is quite small but who really knows, eh? Anyway, Big Ell is back!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.britannica.com/eb/art-95075/Skyline-of-Calgary-Alta"></a>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-18484310677049276322007-08-26T03:53:00.000-06:002007-08-26T04:38:06.837-06:00Wasting TimeWith three posts in a month, Big Ell is on a roll. I will try to keep the momentum going with another installment of <span style="font-style: italic;">Wasting Time</span>. This week I seem to have a music theme developing so I will continue with some excellent music links and videos.<br /><br />My last post was about the Beijing Olympic theme song. In keeping with group sing a longs for a cause I have included the Hear N Aid All stars. USA for Africa had nothing on these guys. Ronnie James Dio, Rob Halford and Don Dokken (among others) on the mic. Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister), Neal Schon (Journey) and Yngwie Malmsteen (among others) on guitars and lead a 3-4 minute long multiple guitar solo. Well here it is:<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qZktrrqT1A0"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qZktrrqT1A0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Back in the early 90s I attended the University of Calgary. I hated the school, thought it was shit and transferred. Traditionally one of the worst schools in Canada I finally have found the straw that broke the university’s reputation. I don’t give a toss about Nash, Game Theory or Minimum Acceptable Offers but <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=984906#PaperDownload">Bon Scott kicks Brian Johnson’</a>s ass every day and night from Cairns to Perth.<br /><br /><span style=""><span style="font-size:100%;">If you are in a band and play post punk tunes or just dig bands like Fugazi and Jawbreaker this is the <a href="http://blog.limewire.com/archives/2007/08/22/the-amp-that-punk-rock-built/">amp</a> for you.</span><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />The Motor City Madman is at it again. This video from a few days back is freaking hilarious. I can just imagine the reaction by Fox News if Kanye West held an asault rifle and threatened Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani in concert. Gotta love Ted Nugent even if he is insane.<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jtkg5CtHLPU"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jtkg5CtHLPU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />This <a href="http://www.deputy-dog.com/?p=97">link</a> has nothing to do with Music but I think I saw a few of these people at Rock Festivals around Taiwan this summer. I think <span style="font-style: italic;">Stalking Cat</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Rick Genest</span> work at either Hess or Gram English Centers.<br /><br />Tags:<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Hear+n+Aid" rel="tag"> Hear N Aid</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Bon%20Scott+Brian%20Johnson" rel="tag">Bon Scott Brian Johnson</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Ted+Nugent+Insane" rel="tag">Ted Nugent Insane</a><br /></span>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-68164228287316310692007-08-22T22:17:00.000-06:002007-08-25T23:28:11.011-06:00Strait DopeWith the new school year upon us some teachers will be trying to think of some new ways to gain the attention of their students. At the bottom of this post is a clip from Youtube of the Bejing Olympics theme song "We are Ready." I know it only has three English words but with the level of English in Taiwan in a <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/08/22/2003375273">free fall </a>it may be all your students can handle.<br /><br />I hate Mado-pop with every inch of my soul but have found some useful uses for this song outside of the classroom. I use it as a diet aid, I listen after eating and don't need to purge, my body does it all by itself. Projectile vomiting always ensues.<br /><br />I did notice that two of the singers appear to be Taiwanese sellouts singers but I can't confirm this myself. <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2007/08/11/2003373694">Johnny Neihu</a> wrote about this song and said that two are <b>Elva Hsiao</b> (<chinese>蕭亞軒</chinese>) and <b>Chris Yu</b> (<chinese>游鴻明</chinese>) which is probabyl true. The best part about songs like this is the fake emotion. Maybe I am too cynical and the emotion is real. I think it may have to do with singers being afraid of having their organs harvested if they look like they are faking.<br /><br />Also click through to the Youtube page and read the comments , high comedy on all sides.<br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1XOkYTzMHWc"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1XOkYTzMHWc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/China+Taiwan" rel="tag">China and Taiwan</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Cross+Strait+Relations" rel="tag">Cross Strait Relations</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Beijing+Olympics" rel="tag">Beijing Olympics</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/We%20are%20Ready" rel="tag">We Are Ready</a>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-57101707591424295522007-08-22T01:25:00.000-06:002007-08-25T11:00:51.943-06:0033 and a 1/3I have lived in Taiwan for a long time and usually avoided live music like the plague. This was not because I hate live music but because most of the music I heard wasn't that great. Taiwanese-Chinese Pop music , like most popular music, doesn't do that much for me. I also was never very impressed with many of the foreign bands that play at foreign pubs and clubs scattered across Taiwan. These bands actually drove me to start listening to electronic music which I hated before coming to Taiwan. I also live out of the city and rarely make it to the city. As I mentioned before I managed to see a lot of bands this summer and the music scene has improved. Here is a recap of the best bands I saw.<br /><br />One of the bands that stood out from the rest was Boogie Chillin. I had seen them a few times before but they now have a new lineup. I think the old lineup was better, they had a great singer and also played some funk. I am not a huge fan of the Blues but can appreciate great lead guitar. The new Boogie Chillin has a heavier sound and great guitar. They now remind me a lot of Canadian band Big Sugar without the great suits. They also played a great cover of <span style="font-style: italic;">Grange </span>by ZZ Top at the SOGO Food Fest. They also seemed to have the biggest crowd at Peacefest and the most 'buzz.' Anyway here is a Youtube clip of <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=96187295">Boogie Chillin</a> from the now defunct 89K bar in Taichung. This is the old lineup.<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ru9GcIZH5jg"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ru9GcIZH5jg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />One thing I learned this summer is that Folk Music is very popular amongst ex-pat bands in Taiwan. I managed to see and listen to a staggeringly large number of folk bands this summer. One of the highlights was at Peacefest, where a folk singer kept yelling between songs "We need bass player and bongo drums! Come on join the jam! We need bass and bongo drum!" Folk Music usually makes me want to stick ice picks in my ears while pouring peroxide into my eye sockets. So it is hard for me to judge what is good or bad. I just had the overwhelming urge to do this:<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wzEpIm71x1A"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wzEpIm71x1A" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br />I did hear one very good band form Taichung called the <a href="http://blacklungchoir.com/Welcome.html">Black Lung Inner City Choir.</a> I heard this three piece band three times and they never disappointed. They didn't jam and actually played songs. Their songs had nice melodies, interesting lyrics and they seemed to be having a good time on stage. You knew they had done it before and this wasn't the first time they were on stage. Which must make them the exception and not the norm amongst Taiwan bands. Here is their <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=86678212">Myspace </a>site with some songs. I also saw some folk band called "three cat moan," or something like that, who sounded good but I was pretty drunk.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.point22.com/">Point 22</a> is another talented trio from Taichung. I enjoyed them even more each time I saw them. They kind of remind me a little of Ween and Modest Mouse and are tighter than a nun's, well you know the rest. I was sure they had a song with a Deep Purple riff. So I asked the drummer Pete if it was indeed true. He looked at me like I was on crack, nope I was drunk. So I came back and listened to their few tracks on <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=47480897">My Space</a> and realize that yes I am an idiot. Although I still think the intro to <span style="font-style: italic;">Bang </span>has some <span style="font-style: italic;">Highway Star</span> style, if only for a few seconds.<br /><br />I also caught a band that was probably the oldest ex-pat in Taiwan called <a href="http://www.muddybasin.com/">David Chen and the Muddy Basin Ramblers</a>. They are different from most of the other bands and not because of their age but because they are a jug band. I don't know anything about jug music. The only musician I've seen play a washboard was Skid Roper who played with Mojo Nixon. I implore people to check out this band as they are a ton of fun. They are from from Taipei and played a lively and entertaining set at Peacefest. Here is a clip from Youtube.<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zedpl7peW_E"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zedpl7peW_E" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />One of the highlights of the summer was getting to finally see <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=60279759">Rocket Grrl</a>. I have watched a few of their clips on Youtube but never managed to see the power of Rocket Grrl in person. I may have been drunk and sick to death of the onslaught of root/reggae and folk rock but their loud psychedelic jams had me cheering. They are probably the heaviest band in Taiwan apart from another band that sounded a bit like Isis. They also have a stage show, costumes and what appeared to be groupies. They also seemed to piss off all the hippies and ravers which made me very happy. They are worth checking out if they are playing near you.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Taiwan" rel="tag">Taiwan</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Taiwan+Music" rel="tag">Taiwan Music</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Taiwan+Indie+Music" rel="tag">Taiwan Indie Music</a></span>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-31634380462972037702007-08-11T01:26:00.000-06:002007-08-11T02:43:28.725-06:00The Life and Times of Big Ell<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZPh3gqZioJtHSZIg8v5dNr2cAH9ZkdAMRHkKVAsVcziSwst5BTz5iE2EpZUM54HBj_LnI8pMfRbaRxbmOHwLGFaC7KGw-KLY4r4IA80BM-lAx7S8kVs9eHDZUqmA8d2xZvr1/s1600-h/Peace+Fest.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZPh3gqZioJtHSZIg8v5dNr2cAH9ZkdAMRHkKVAsVcziSwst5BTz5iE2EpZUM54HBj_LnI8pMfRbaRxbmOHwLGFaC7KGw-KLY4r4IA80BM-lAx7S8kVs9eHDZUqmA8d2xZvr1/s400/Peace+Fest.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097357401293785714" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Peacefest 2007 </span>photograph stolen from <a href="http://www.therealtaiwan.com/">The Real Taiwan.<br /></a></div><br />Wow, three months without a post. It wasn't because of a lack of activity but a lack of desire. I have been quite busy for the past few months in my new job as a purveyor of smoked salmon. In order for people to enjoy my succulent salmon I worked/attended most of the major music and food festivals in Taiwan. Most were in and around Taichung but I did manage to make it to Taipei and Longtan. One might think that these festivals would be old hat for a guy with almost 10 years on the island but they were mainly new experiences for me. Big Ell rarely gets out of the house on even the nicest weekends. So here is my list of top 5 festivals I worked/attended this summer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Taichung AMCHAM American Day 4th of July Celebration or something like that.</span><br />The weakest of the festivals. It was a beautiful day but the crowds failed to materialize. Lots of bands played and people got drunk but it was rather dull on the whole. Plus no fire works, what kind of 4th of July celebration doesn't have fireworks. I had actually attended quite a few of these before and the previous events were much better.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Taichung City Government International Arts Festival</span><br />This event was actually pretty fun but the weather didn't really cooperate. Even with the bad weather many people turned out to the amphitheater to enjoy international food and music. We were stuck in a side area so missed most of the top artists. The best artists were the Hawaiian drummers and dancers. They also loved the salmon but kept asking me if I was in Taiwan with the 'church.' Shit I came to Taiwan to get away from the church. It takes a conscious effort just to resist the temptation of clotheslining theses inconsiderate con men who perpetually pester pedestrians at busy intersections. Brother Big Ell my ass.<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.canadiansociety.org/events/events_070630.shtml"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="main10darkbg">3. Canada D’eh Baishawan Beach Party</span></span></a><br />Canada Day was the most family friendly of all of the festivals. It was a beautiful day at Baishawan and many revelers turned out. Lots of activities for kids on the grounds and the beach. The food was medicore and provided by the Tavern so that was to be expected. The music was decent with 'celebrity,' ICRT DJs in attendance. The guy with the Jay Z shirt was favorite. To their credit they did play some Canadian bands between band sets. I did catch one Taiwanese band Coach, original Karaoke for the masses. They are terrible and manage to lift whole leads and bridges from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine. I am thinking they may be big soon.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Sogo/Compass International Food Fest</span><br />This was the second best event I attended. There was a pretty good turnout and a nice mix of Taiwanese and Foreigners. I also managed to see tons of people I though had left, good times. The Sogo/Compass easily had the best lineup of bands at any of the events. No weak bands all day. I was told that it was very loud but I was located behind the stage and didn't notice. The after party was at Grooveyard but I never made it. I went to Party Animal and watched a phenomenal Taiwanese cover band and got very drunk. More on that cover band later.<br /><br />1.<a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.hopingforhoping.com/peacehome.shtml"> Hoping for Hoping </a><span style="font-weight: bold;">or Peacefest</span><br />Peacefest was great fun in Long Tan. We were blessed with great weather and Kunlun Gardens is a really beautiful place. For better or worse I was able to see a ton of bands. Friday night was the best and Saturday afternoon was painful at times. People were super friendly and I was surprised I didn't see any fisticuffs. One thing I need to mention that I was surprised at the number of North Americans who are in Taiwan to protest Bush, Harper, globalization, imperialism etc. Nothing like sticking it to the man by spreading western thought/language/culture in Taiwan. Do they even no there positions as the new missionaries of globalization? They did even manage to raise some money for charity. Another note is that the drumming never seems to stop. It really gets going around 4 or 5 am and I almost went postal but realized it was the Peacefest and that wouldn't be kosher.<br />* Here is a photo album from <a href="http://www.therealtaiwan.com/photo/thumbnails.php?album=11">Real Taiwan</a><br /><br />Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Taiwan" rel="tag">Taiwan</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Music+Festivals" rel="tag">Music Festivals</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Food+Festivals" rel="tag">Food Festivals</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/%5Btagname%5D" rel="Taichung">Taichung</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/smoked+salmon" rel="tag">Smoked Salmon</a>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-61003970118272385192007-05-06T08:27:00.000-06:002007-05-06T09:00:57.983-06:00Fabulous FormosaToday was a glorious day in Taichung. After a few days of almost biblical rain fall I spent the day moving stuff; refrigerators, tables, ovens etc. I hate moving stuff. The primary reason I is that I was forced to move my father's house and or studio pretty much every year from when I was 14 to 22. I also didn't get paid, well not exactly, I did get beer and smokes from time to time.<br /><br />During my day of moving I managed to stop at one of Taichung's newer all-day breakfast joints, <span style="font-style: italic;">Our House Cafe</span>, and was happily surprised at the quality of the food and the service. It was almost the exact opposite of my experience a few weeks earlier at another Taichung all-day breakfast eatery. I arrived early as a bird and waited for over an hour for my food. I reasoned that the waitress had made a mistake and given my breakfast to another person. I was surprised when she still tried to give it to me after parts had been eaten.<br /><br />Anyway, today was a much better experience and owner DeShea was friendly and puts out some great grub especially the ground pork patty things, sweet. It is located behind the defunct SOGO 2 a block off Chung Kang Road. If you are heading downtown hang a right at the World Gym and a left after Subway and it is about a block down on the right. If you're coming from the other way do the opposite.Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-34755921914330195792007-04-07T00:52:00.000-06:002007-04-07T01:58:15.131-06:00Wasting TimeAnother month has rolled on by so I guess it is time for another post. I have been culling the blogosphere for the best links/articles/videos for you my reader. So without further adieu, here is another dose of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Ell's Wasting Time</span>.<br /><br />Once upon a time I was in university. Before I entered university I dreamed of fraternities. I always thought that it would be very cool to rush a fraternity. I could play pranks on other frats, get drunk all the time sleep with hot sorority chicks. Well, university was rather disappointing; I never managed to join a frat or screw any sorority chicks, but boy did I get drunk, a lot. I don't think the two universities I attended had very many frats or they probably wouldn't have had me. The closest I came to being a part of a fraternity was in 91 or 92. Me anda group of friends crashed a Frat party and ended up smashing up the living room and a number of frat guys. I think the rumble was over beer or maybe Metallica. I think those fuckers thought the Black Album was the quintessential Metallica album or maybe we chugged all of their beer and my friend Rick vomited all over the living room, I really can't remember. That was also the night I drove my 72 Impala into the neighbors Chevy S10. My point is ... do I have a fucking point? Actually yes, when I dreamed of frats I dreamed that all the girls would be like this <a href="http://media.www.michigandaily.com/media/storage/paper851/news/2007/03/26/Crime/Masturbating.Trespasser.Booted.From.Frat-2791352.shtml">girl</a>. This link was stolen from the <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index">Sports Guy</a>.<br /><br />Not only does <span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Ell </span>provide you with inane stories of his youth but he also provides the answers to questions that need answering.<br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">How often is a new porno video made in the States?</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Every 39 minutes: a new pornographic video is being created in the United States.</span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">How much money per capita do Taiwanese spend on porn?</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Taiwanese spend $43.41 a year on porn.</span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">What percentage of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.promisekeepers.org/">Promise Keeper</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> men viewed porn in the last week?</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">53% of Promise Keeper men viewed porn last week.</span></li></ul>If you want any more porn statistics (I know you do) please check out the link to <a href="http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html">Pornography Statistics 2007</a>.<br /><br />I am in the midst of a long weekend here in Taiwan, so I have been watching a lot of bad TV. One thing that caught my attention was a feature called "Gay Conversion," on CNN. I didn't actually watch it but did some research and found that it is actually called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reparative_therapy">Reparative Therapy</a> and can involve all sorts of stuff but I was more interested in the cases of electro-shock treatment to the genitals. Snoop Dogg was right when he screamed "Deeze Nuts!" I was also surprised to find that <a href="http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070214/25819_Gay_Conversion_Not_Biblical,_Says_Former_Homosexual.htm">Ted Haggerty</a> has already been converted back to heterosexuality. If you don't remember Mr. Haggerty he is the minister who got caught getting a hummer from a male prostitute in a hotel room while high on Crystal Meth. Much to my dismay I couldn't find any mention of the doctors shocking his nuts. Anyway my cousin Stephen sent me this link to a video from Godtube. It shows former Homosexual Robert Breaud singing "Transformed by Jesus Christ." No mention if he had his genitals shocked but be sure to check out the comments for some additional hilarity. And remember "God created Adam and Eve ... not Adam and Steve."<br /><br /><embed src="http://godtube.com/flvplayer.swf" flashvars="flvPath=http://www.godtube.com/flvideo/2285.flv&flvTitle=Brought to you by: GODTUBE.COM" wmode="transparent" quality="high" name="flv_demo" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" height="270" width="330"></embed><br /><br />Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Big+Ell" rel="tag">Big Ell</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Wasting+Time" rel="tag">Wasting Time</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/masturbation" rel="tag">masturbation</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/pornography" rel="tag">pornogrraphy</a><br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/porn+statistics" rel="tag">porno statistics</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/gay+%20conversion" rel="tag">gay conversion</a>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-33768941890380150682007-03-11T00:43:00.000-07:002007-03-11T01:47:36.251-07:00The Life and Times of Big Ell<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEive_Lo6c0xTne3dTtUwXS-_oVbJ2EkheGkzgokgeIGH278OMADJfePcytF9Ek7lKODmtrdUOsP1VbkiVaCGXk4KaYUkXqvXQNP0R4eg5HlipdtkPVmAq9cq1rG3Qv8TDAFYI20/s1600-h/Jhu-Shan-(5).jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEive_Lo6c0xTne3dTtUwXS-_oVbJ2EkheGkzgokgeIGH278OMADJfePcytF9Ek7lKODmtrdUOsP1VbkiVaCGXk4KaYUkXqvXQNP0R4eg5HlipdtkPVmAq9cq1rG3Qv8TDAFYI20/s400/Jhu-Shan-(5).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5040584175422538290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">This picture of Jhu Shan has nothing to do with the post. I just like the picture.</span><br /></div><br />It was a beautiful day today so Mrs. Big Ell, Baby Big Ell and I headed out for breakfast and some culture at the <a href="http://www.tmoa.gov.tw/english/home.php">Fine Arts Museum</a>. After finally tiring out Baby Big Ell we were on our way home. Mrs. Big Ell suggested we go look at the future site of Costco Taichung. She said that we would no longer have to run the Sun Yat Sen Freeway gauntlet to pick up five pound blocks of cheese and bags of groceries. I told her that we shouldn't waste our time trying to find something that doesn't and will never exist. I explained that there have been rumors of Costco coming to Taichung for years. Just go over to <a href="http://nihowdy.blogspot.com/">NiHowdy</a> and ask J-Hole about Costco coming to Taichung. I told her that the <a href="http://www.costco.com.tw/eng/whs_872.htm">Costco Taiwan site</a> has no mention of a Costco coming to Taichung. For further emphasis I said "COSTCO TAICHUNG IS A FUCKING URBAN MYTH!"<br /><br />Well, Mrs. Big Ell was not impressed. She is not a fan of expletives and didn't buy my excuse tof being tired from staying up very late watching <a href="http://www.hbo.com/thewire/">season two of the Wire</a>. She said that is no excuse for using bad language and for me to imply that she doesn't know what is REALLY going on regarding construction in Taichung. She reminded me of some of the times I have been wrong and she has been right.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Ell:</span> The Guggenheim is coming to Taichung!<br />M<span style="font-weight: bold;">rs. Big Ell: </span>Hahahaha, not bloody likely. They will never get the money.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Ell: </span>They will never build a new baseball stadium in Taichung!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mrs. Big Ell: </span>They have already bought the land on Chungte Road and started construction.<br /><br />Even though I have a terrible track record I still thought Costco Taichung would never materialize. She explained again slowly, so that dumb asses likes me can understand, that they were building Costco Taichung right now. She said that she had in fact sold the steel to Costco to be used in building the building. She explained that the parking basement was already dug out. Sensing her rising rage, I kept quiet and asked for directions to the 'mythical,' Taichung Costco.<br /><br />We headed south down Wenshin Road and I turned right on Wenshin 5. We drove past Feng Le statue park and further into the Taichung burbs. I was feeling vindicated as we didn't see anything resembling a basement for a grocery store. While resisting the urge to say I TOLD YOU SO we turned around and headed back towards Wenshin. She said she had made a mistake and told me to go straight. We passed Wenshin and lo and behold I saw a massive construction site on the left with a crane with a massive hole in the ground. There weren't any signs indicating Costco Taichung but the security guards confirmed it was the Costco Taichung site. I got out to take a picture but my camera was dead. So if you want to see the future site of Costco Taichung go south on Wenshin Road turn left on Wenshin 5 St. at the NPC gas station. It should be done by August-September and I can't wait to buy 2 litres of Salad dressing and 6 kgs of ground beef.<br /><br />Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Groceries" rel="tag">Groceries</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Costco+Taichung" rel="tag">Costco Taichung</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/stupid+Big%20Ell" rel="tag">Stupid Big Ell</a>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-53532579707084450642007-02-11T08:15:00.000-07:002007-01-30T11:30:59.835-07:00Taiwaner of the Week<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFu2_XRMGjuCmHY9cAWk9CwWA8Qz9_MxpW5X3zu32G0ordhMTecTbkvNUA6yx0HJBPAxLAn-Q4tR4QSfkmlGbSpXNdSYlZvESC-YMcXQMFqrGhOYC355H8hO77_765ilhAnEd/s1600-h/209+Dog+of+Changhua.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFu2_XRMGjuCmHY9cAWk9CwWA8Qz9_MxpW5X3zu32G0ordhMTecTbkvNUA6yx0HJBPAxLAn-Q4tR4QSfkmlGbSpXNdSYlZvESC-YMcXQMFqrGhOYC355H8hO77_765ilhAnEd/s200/209+Dog+of+Changhua.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5030296429298863122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The 'dog of Changhua,' also known as 209, is seen on Jan. 31.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/photo/2007/02/04/2005064652">PHOTO: YEN HUNG-CHUN TAIPEITIMES</a></span><br /></div><br />I haven’t named a Taiwaner of the week in a long time. This was an especially good week for news in Taiwan with many challengers including Lee Deng Hui’s independence-gate, Chen Shui-bian’s renaming-gate and <a href="http://nihowdy.blogspot.com/2007/02/gettin-busy.html">J-Hole-Chaon-gate</a>. Well without any further delay here is Big Ell’s latest <span style="font-weight: bold;">Taiwaner of the Week</span>, <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/02/04/2003347600">209 the dog of Changhua</a>.<br /><br />209 the dog of Changhua is a little black street dog that lives on an island at the 209th kilometer of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway between the Changhua Interchange and Yuanlin Toll Station. The Taiwanese are fond of ambiguous nicknames hence “209,” and the "dog of Changhua." 209 the dog of Changhua has stayed alive because of and in spite of the many motorists who drive past him everyday. Concerned drivers have thrown him perishable food like hot dogs and bread to keep him going. Rumor has it that 209 the dog of Changhua was also thrown non-perishable items like cans of tuna and instant noodles. Obviously the people didn’t realize that he didn’t have a can opener or hot water<br /><br />When most Taiwaners think of a stray dog they picture a three-legged, almost fully emancipated mutt, fighting for the yoke of a thousand year egg behind the local Family Mart; 209 the dog of Changhua doesn’t fit this profile. 209 the dog of Changhua is smart, so smart that he has managed to evade capture 52 times over the past two years. Either 209 the dog of Changhua is as slippery as a greased pig or the authorities are incompetent. Incompetent may be too strong a word as 209 the dog of Changhua also has some street smarts.<br /><blockquote>Local police said that "209" mostly waits for food around the 209th kilometer of the freeway between 7am and 9am when drivers go to work and between 4pm and 6pm when they go off work.</blockquote>209 the dog of Changhua and has become a celebrity of sorts in Taiwan. While 209 the dog of Changhua's celebrity fails to match Jolin or Jay he does matchup favorably with <a href="http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=386560%C3%A2%C2%8C%C2%A9=eng_news&cate_img=49.jpg&cate_rss=news_Society_TAIWAN">Taiwanese actress’Hsu</a> who died in a car accident a few weeks back. I believes that Taiwan can ill afford to lose another celebrity so soon. I was heartened to read that animal rights do-gooders aimed to rectify the situation and save 209 the dog of Changhua.<br /><br />Last Monday, members of the Kaohsiung Concern Stray Animal Association (KCSAA) launched a <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/02/05/2003347750">brazen daylight attempt to save Taiwan’s biggest canine celebrity</a>. It took nine volunteers five hours and three attempts to tranquilize the animal. The volunteers risked their lives to get to the traffic island. Not to mention the lives of innocent drivers on the nation’s busiest freeway. If there is a Youtube clip of this incident, I really need it. The Taipei Times editorial took the group to task <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2007/02/06/2003347919">here</a>.<br /><blockquote>But while the intentions of the animal welfare group were entirely honorable, their highly irresponsible modus operandi left a lot to be desired and raises a number of important issues.</blockquote>The bottom line for Big Ell is that 209 the dog of Changhua is safe and soon to be adopted. Also hats off to the KCSAA who raised the bar for the local authorities by actually catching the stray animal and doing it six and half times faster.<br /><br />Tags:<br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Taiwan+celebrities" rel="tag">Taiwan celebrities</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/209" rel="tag">209</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/dog+Changhua" rel="tag">The dog of Changhua</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Taiwaner+week" rel="tag">Taiwaner of the Week</a>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-17680737930144210582007-01-13T00:57:00.000-07:002007-01-13T01:26:38.237-07:00Wasting TimeHere is the year-end edition of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Ell’s Wasting Time</span>. I know it is late but hey, this is Big Ell’s Blog where you’re lucky to get two posts a month. <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here are the winners of the 2006 <a href="http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2006.html">Darwin Awards</a> . Some pretty good stuff here but I personally think that High On Life <a href="http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2006-05.html">High on Life</a> should’ve been the winner.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSy4agGJpbvSS3xvFIm5tFuj5xRH8GPwP-YaKYRTxX-aB5PE6S1U1CG_G_te8DbnO8Bowxpc-VQlcvd978O3emnhlUWHZNkKP3-nIIfE1N9yqZdk62DzqsDDvwlFCHZ-yJzuQZ/s1600-h/Homegrown.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSy4agGJpbvSS3xvFIm5tFuj5xRH8GPwP-YaKYRTxX-aB5PE6S1U1CG_G_te8DbnO8Bowxpc-VQlcvd978O3emnhlUWHZNkKP3-nIIfE1N9yqZdk62DzqsDDvwlFCHZ-yJzuQZ/s200/Homegrown.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019425747416095362" border="0" /></a>Here is a list of <a href="http://www.yesbutnobutyes.com/archives/2007/01/top_10_albums_y.html">the top 10 albums you have never heard</a> from the guys over at <a href="http://www.yesbutnobutyes.com/">YesButNoButYes</a>. The Neil Young album "Hoemgrown," looked to be the best with this great cover.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here is a clip of <a href="http://www.devilducky.com/media/55489/">the best of George Bush</a> from the Jimmy Kimmel show. I used to know a guy called Dave Kimmel pretty well I bet he’s not in very good shape these days. That boy went hard. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72320-0.html?tw=wn_index_3">Wired magazine</a> has a list of their winners of foot in mouth for 2006. A few interesting tidbits to be found inside. <span style=""></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This doesn’t really have anything to do with 2006 but it is pretty sweet. <a href="http://thegentlerant.blogspot.com/">The Gentle Rant</a> sent in this Ask a Ninja clip from YouTube. It is pretty sweet with Sean finding the best quoteIf you can remember metal in the 80s, you weren't there.<br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lmTkFGdsxb8"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lmTkFGdsxb8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object></p><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tags</span>: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Darwin+Awards" rel="tag">Darwin Awards</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Bushisms" rel="tag">Bushisms</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Heavy+Metal" rel="tag">Heavy Metal</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Wasting+Time" rel="tag">Wasting Time</a>Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670010.post-23429570180881102302007-01-06T23:44:00.000-07:002007-04-05T19:26:34.028-06:0033 and a 1/3<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Ell's Top Ten 2006 II</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Here are my top 10 albums of the year. A bleak and dark theme for 2006. Not the much different than 2005 and I am predicting more of the same in 2007. But that's the great</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> thing about m</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">usic it is al</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">ways changing and you never know what's coming.</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Big Ell's Top 10</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQCKHDy2fHkzTUON2bXDbh0erYY4c69KWkKMTeiCtRtnwXxtvHpheWeduohugebVY_g4aMcPcG-gnqboBbGtGyv8ZTWPdd9ogMpuTs7hgHODXhjCN3_pDMQj00X5zDR4LrwHZ/s1600-h/converge2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQCKHDy2fHkzTUON2bXDbh0erYY4c69KWkKMTeiCtRtnwXxtvHpheWeduohugebVY_g4aMcPcG-gnqboBbGtGyv8ZTWPdd9ogMpuTs7hgHODXhjCN3_pDMQj00X5zDR4LrwHZ/s200/converge2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017291490059304002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">10. Converge- </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47E1FD84EAB7320C19E334DC6A067CD1CD251F38D1600425AC8B83041814375EE51E98FCED4A70BDC07EBB32FBB5D10D1CAEE51B0DB6C383D87EDAF704943&sql=10:cs9fs38ra3zg">No Heroes</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Converge</span> is a band that have been around for over 12 years However, <span style="font-style: italic;">No</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Heroes</span> is the first album I have heard from these guys. I was impressed with their blend of heavy metal and hardcore punk. They almost veer into black metal territory but the speed is a constant. I am not really sure where they fit but it was a nice change to hear such melodic aggression. Now is definetly the time to fill up on the extensive <span style="font-weight: bold;">Converge</span> back catalog.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvW4M23GOwLaLOjIphloTtM-WTbOSJkJBKTD74EFNdET582bprmDJr9lxDK-TIKfPixDB-QEM6NRSY4hYvuLellW-iwY4LJLn-S9veLaiQDeLqzNMraQx8WHo-edipqUEYkXH/s1600-h/Vitalic2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvW4M23GOwLaLOjIphloTtM-WTbOSJkJBKTD74EFNdET582bprmDJr9lxDK-TIKfPixDB-QEM6NRSY4hYvuLellW-iwY4LJLn-S9veLaiQDeLqzNMraQx8WHo-edipqUEYkXH/s200/Vitalic2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017298422136519858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Vitalic- </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47E1FD84EAB7320C19E334DC6A067CD1CD251F38D1600425AC8B83041814375EE51E98FCED4A70BDC07EBB32FBB5D10D1CAEE51B0D96C3D3887ECA0704943&sql=10:5wfozfd4eh7k">OK Cowboy</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vitalic</span> is Pascal Arbez's invented back story of being a Ukrainian trubcka player and occasional gigolo from a family of sea otter fur traders. That just about says it all. Electronic music seems to be getting worse as I get older. <span>Or it is because I am consuming far less drugs. Anyway </span><span style="font-style: italic;">O</span><span style="font-style: italic;">K Cowboy</span> bucks the trends in DJ music with some wicked guitar samples over funky hard beats. He seems to have captrued that old <span style="font-weight: bold;">Daft Punk </span>like creativity. It even has the best album cover of the year. It sure makes me want to do a mitt full of hard drugs again and again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvb3iySwX5PWMli0rxk7ToSppeIski3qWJ8ht0fE4e75_HryilbLnACX5qdCkWpq1Jy1dm1sxVgbfRqMEjlUQt5d0qQujpcDpR06ldzo2_F9HjzdZuHH2LDJ_GfqThYEOD4I1s/s1600-h/pearl-jam2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvb3iySwX5PWMli0rxk7ToSppeIski3qWJ8ht0fE4e75_HryilbLnACX5qdCkWpq1Jy1dm1sxVgbfRqMEjlUQt5d0qQujpcDpR06ldzo2_F9HjzdZuHH2LDJ_GfqThYEOD4I1s/s200/pearl-jam2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017294715579743378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. Pearl Jam- <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47E1FD84EAB7320C19E334DC6A067CD1CD251F38D1600425AC8B83041814375EE51E98FCED4A70BDC07EBB32FBB5D10D1CAEE51B0DB6C3E3587EBA5704943&sql=10:jmklu3edan6k">Pearl Jam</a><br /><br /></span>Like<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Sinatra</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sid</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pearl Jam</span> always did it '<span style="font-weight: bold;">My Way</span>.' This is <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pearl Jam</span>’s best album in a long time. The first three tracks are killer and represent catchy rock and roll at its finest. This is easily their best album since <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ten</span>. They start off fast and angry and then settle down at the half way point. There are also some outstanding stripped down rock tracks for the second half. As always the band plays first rate music. <span style="font-style: italic;">Eddie Veddar</span>'s emotional lyrics cap off a great album.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxmM3RQdyolWqC3cWncvTE-cm_tKO8Ok4GpAGhqBudjltXh0d4WJU4w02Z6DvahMxYxZQ5DW9MU0IwouCdhcsGfcWcKwNlLSykX_k0gn_2BHcmogv1uAOuMwLztA4AgZT6c9b/s1600-h/roots2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxmM3RQdyolWqC3cWncvTE-cm_tKO8Ok4GpAGhqBudjltXh0d4WJU4w02Z6DvahMxYxZQ5DW9MU0IwouCdhcsGfcWcKwNlLSykX_k0gn_2BHcmogv1uAOuMwLztA4AgZT6c9b/s200/roots2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017294715579743394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. The Roo</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">ts- <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47E1FD84EAB7320C19E334DC6A067CD1CD251F38D1600425AC8B83041814375EE51E98FCED4A70BDC07EBB32FBB5D10D1CAEE51B0DB6C393B87EFAE704943&sql=10:67rv28gw051a">Game Theory</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Roots</span> are always critical faves and commercial disappointments. Despite moving to Def Jam, <span style="font-style: italic;">Game Theory</span>, is another outstanding album that has failed to deliver commerically. But who really cares anyway that the masses are missing out on. <span style="font-weight: bold;">the Roots</span>. <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Roots</span> deliver a solid dark album exploring themes of violence, anxiety and despair. <span style="font-style: italic;">Black Thought</span> is at his lyrical best attacking and persuading. Yet they keep it up beat with bouncy with Funkadelic-like beats and energy. <span style="font-style: italic;">Game Theory </span>will take a few listens to grab your attention. Easily one if the best of the year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4nQbsg-IKFCPBvjYFnxUWlImbyjKNf_DeLUKt_9LxpXkOfBwuPHpUMuheVbuOfrZ4fJyJAklXfOvoAKnigNTKSBVu9F9IcdGrsr7vzbc62K9fFDg7L9PLPy0b2lzYy0eeIdd/s1600-h/gnarls2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4nQbsg-IKFCPBvjYFnxUWlImbyjKNf_DeLUKt_9LxpXkOfBwuPHpUMuheVbuOfrZ4fJyJAklXfOvoAKnigNTKSBVu9F9IcdGrsr7vzbc62K9fFDg7L9PLPy0b2lzYy0eeIdd/s200/gnarls2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017292662585375842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Gnarls Barkley- <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47E1FD84EAB7320C19E334DC6A067CD1CD251F38D1600425AC8B83041814375EE51E98FCED4A70BDC07EBB32FBB5D10D1CAEE51B0DB6C383A87EBA7704943&sql=10:jbh1z85a6yv2">St. Elsewhere</a></span><br /><br />Producer <span style="font-weight: bold;">Danger Mouse</span> had another big year critically and commerically. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Danger Mouse</span> surpassed his successes with the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gorillas</span> with <span style="font-style: italic;">St. Elsehwere</span>. But to be honest <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gnarls Barkley</span> would be know where without singer <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cee-Lo Brown</span>. Brown took the music world by storm with the best Neo-Soul sound around. <span style="font-style: italic;">St. Elsewhere</span> is one of the most popular albums of the year and easily the catchiest album of the year. It was probably the most remixed album of the year. <span style="font-style: italic;">Crazy</span> was easily the biggest single of the year as well. A huge album that didn’t disappoint.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsWMKVVgRXzj2a9_JdK3IIxypE7WwFiKR24VGIlyqA26r_GnQf9gcLE3p-fwCqtzPbAOHMLN85UWJDt4tbCdjAHZ4X-LtBpr8RXjWJ2B7Cig-QWzjumdIAg8-gB_8Tt7mMa0f/s1600-h/ghostface2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsWMKVVgRXzj2a9_JdK3IIxypE7WwFiKR24VGIlyqA26r_GnQf9gcLE3p-fwCqtzPbAOHMLN85UWJDt4tbCdjAHZ4X-LtBpr8RXjWJ2B7Cig-QWzjumdIAg8-gB_8Tt7mMa0f/s200/ghostface2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017291494354271314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Ghostface Killah- <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47E1FD84EAB7320C19E334DC6A067CD1CD251F38D1600425AC8B83041814375EE51E98FCED4A70BDC07EBB32FBB5D10D1CAEE51B0D46C3D3887EAA1704943&sql=10:rn1uak5kdm3l">Fishscale</a><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ghostafce Killah</span> delivered in 2006 with <span style="font-style: italic;">Fishscale</span>. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ghostface Killah </span>is one of the original members of the influential <span style="font-weight: bold;">Wu Tang Clan</span>. He apppeared to be losing it with a few sub standard albums. Hip hop is littered with many artists who are one or two hit wonders. It seems that once the downward fall begins it is difficult or impossible to reverse. Well Fishscale reversed this trend in a big way with tons of great tracks. Ghostface loves rapping over fairly obscure 70s soul samples and has some great songs like <span style="font-style: italic;">Shakey Dog</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Be Eazy</span>. When <span style="font-style: italic;">Ghostface</span> is on his game very few MCs can compete.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeZtCX7ow4IDYjlqYbkg6F0oxo4vaNXULhqzGBCF0LPUcqNO1RX0tzcpmWFQquZTY63MS-Z3nL6Y_LnE7ol3YpUzgpCAF0-W3Cnc2yS5EGgS3g0UcO84QeK8CTR5CAqBceBxs/s1600-h/slayer2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeZtCX7ow4IDYjlqYbkg6F0oxo4vaNXULhqzGBCF0LPUcqNO1RX0tzcpmWFQquZTY63MS-Z3nL6Y_LnE7ol3YpUzgpCAF0-W3Cnc2yS5EGgS3g0UcO84QeK8CTR5CAqBceBxs/s200/slayer2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017298422136519874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Slayer- <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47E1FD84EAB7320C19E334DC6A067CD1CD251F38D1600425AC8B83041814375EE51E98FCED4A70BDC07EBB32FBB5D10D1CAEE51B0D46C3D3487EFA4704943&sql=10:5n821vy6zzca">Christ Illusion</a></span><br /><br />2006 was defintely the year of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Slayer </span>with the National Day of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Slayer </span>in July and a kick ass comeback album. Slayer hasn’t doesn’t this well since <span style="font-style: italic;">Seasons in The Abyss</span>. The album rarely relents and keeps coming. It is no coincidence that <span style="font-weight: bold;">Slayer</span>’s return to the metal elite coincides with the return of drummer <span style="font-style: italic;">Dave Lombardi. </span>They never really replaced him and it is hard to find drummer to match the intensity of <span style="font-style: italic;">Arraya, King </span>and<span style="font-style: italic;"> Hanneman</span>. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Slayer</span> is one of the few acts that haven't slowed down or sold out. Who else is singing about Terrorism/Islam/Christianity/Iraq. My goal this year is to see them on tour again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBevKAAG5oxhMhmw9AB2cnyTeh8PymRYMTRRjhEsPxjR1BJ8F5p9rzvPGIchn_FWZp4G2-XbXiOgDIKgOuvgYImpdRHTIJBD5_EMsQw8EGnVGTUMEHOdf-gCs81HoIBCDw8GNc/s1600-h/hold-steady2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBevKAAG5oxhMhmw9AB2cnyTeh8PymRYMTRRjhEsPxjR1BJ8F5p9rzvPGIchn_FWZp4G2-XbXiOgDIKgOuvgYImpdRHTIJBD5_EMsQw8EGnVGTUMEHOdf-gCs81HoIBCDw8GNc/s200/hold-steady2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017299916785138898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. The Hold Steady- <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47E1FD84EAB7320C19E334DC6A067CD1CD251F38D1600425AC8B83041814375EE51E98FCED4A70BDC07EBB32FBB5D10D1CAEE51B0D46C3C3887EBA6704943&sql=10:0d2gtq9zcu46">Girls and Boys in America</a></span><br /><br />Minneapolis rockers, <span style="font-weight: bold;">the Hold Steady </span>were a major find for Big Ell in 2006. Again, I blame Taiwan for the fact that it took me three albums to find these guys. They are a kind of mix of the <span style="font-weight: bold;">E Street Band, Thin Lizzy, </span>and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Husker Du</span> if that is possible. So many top shelf tunes with <span style="font-weight: bold;">Massive Nights</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hot Soft Light</span> being Big Ell Faves. They sing mainly about doing drugs and getting drunk, which is fine by me. Better drinking tunes I haven’t heard in awhile. The lyrics remind me a lot of my younger days when I would wake up with my shoelaces on fire on the floor of a bathroom. Then stupidly drive home.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYoHVZmf38tEJmMihOF904Sn_yM6ZZ14mrIzUyNYw5LfrN-N-826k8Y7Y8RQo2ZinHLm_qIqcCNSGceZ5YJ7LcZI-sFFrGemrSsjetVTFgI2a-ltF4Yp3V-qP4Jps0eP5Yge2/s1600-h/Mastodon2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYoHVZmf38tEJmMihOF904Sn_yM6ZZ14mrIzUyNYw5LfrN-N-826k8Y7Y8RQo2ZinHLm_qIqcCNSGceZ5YJ7LcZI-sFFrGemrSsjetVTFgI2a-ltF4Yp3V-qP4Jps0eP5Yge2/s200/Mastodon2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017292662585375874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Mastodon- <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47E1FD84EAB7320C19E334DC6A067CD1CD251F38D1600425AC8B83041814375EE51E98FCED4A70BDC07EBB32FBB5D10D1CAEE51B0D46C3C3487EDA2704943&sql=10:mze997igkrst">Blood Mountain</a></span><br /><br />I blame Taiwan for missing out on <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mastodon</span>. I would never have missed <span style="font-style: italic;">Leviathan</span> (their 2004 realease) which is even better than <span style="font-style: italic;">Blood Mountain</span>. <span style="font-style: italic;">Leviathan</span> is a very loud trip. However, <span style="font-style: italic;">Blood Mountain</span> is a slightly different trip with different speeds and tempos but the same intensity. I have been waiting for a band like this for years. Screaming fucking guitars and guttural vocals were the theme in 2006 for <span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Ell</span>. I can’t believe how much I liked this album and found myself downloading behind the scenes specials on Youtube.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Mastodon </span>is a truly talented group of musicians who rock fucking hard. Hopefully this young band can keep it coming.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlH9HLHZe24mP1uc0VKGS5EUNTLRDQ6dg0TLWEDqb4bXnHjRd-r3sBDDG3NKeMS90yJdpq-U1J50MIT6vdmPUc3g15xlom02O4Y7g40ShcxFVqO52NHYC8YeMk_20ZNWMtgZx-/s1600-h/Clipse.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlH9HLHZe24mP1uc0VKGS5EUNTLRDQ6dg0TLWEDqb4bXnHjRd-r3sBDDG3NKeMS90yJdpq-U1J50MIT6vdmPUc3g15xlom02O4Y7g40ShcxFVqO52NHYC8YeMk_20ZNWMtgZx-/s200/Clipse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017291490059303986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Clipse- <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47E1FD84EAB7320C19E334DC6A067CD1CD251F38D1600425AC8B83041814375EE51E98FCED4A70BDC07EBB32FBB5D10D1CAEE51B0D46C3F3F87EFA6704943&sql=10:9smsa93gw23h">Hell Hath No Fury</a></span><br /><br />This is genius gangsta rap from Virginia produced by the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Neptunes</span>. A match mad in hip hop heaven. The cleverest tales of slangin’ crack and pimpin whores since <span style="font-weight: bold;">Eazy E</span>. The Thornton brothers and <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Neptunes</span> go way back to create remarkable soundscapes over dire lyrics. <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Neptunes</span> bare little resemblance to their normal selves. Putting out great beats rather than the rest of the crap they get rich off on top 40 radio. <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Clipse </span>has the whole package. But the real strength of this album are the poetic tales that rise and roll throughout. <span style="font-style: italic;">Hell Hath No Fury </span>starts off a bit slowly but really starts moving a 1/3 of the way through. Not one dud song which is unheard of in hop hop these days. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dirty Money, Wamp Wamp, Ain’t Cha, </span>and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trill </span>would all be album defining songs on most discs.Big Ellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17338684223567726223noreply@blogger.com1