100th Post and Other Happenings

Yay! This is officially the 100th post of The Musically Inclined. Sounds like a good reason for a party, but really the purpose of this post is a little update about things around here...just some house keeping.

1. My Chris Walla/Ultimate College Bowl article is here if you want to read what that lovable, politically concerned, vegetarian had to say. After several hours of fine crafting, I have to say, I'm pretty happy with it.

2. Totally forgot to say that the Killers album, Day and Age, comes out November 25th-- right in the prime of Christmas shopping season. This should be interesting. Look for a review at least by New Years. Hey, I've got a Christmas list too, you know.

3. Another review to look out for came about when a band called Heavy Jack gave me a  shout out a few weeks ago and sent me a copy of their album Multiply. So far so good, there's definitely skill there. So, keep an eye out for that as well.

4. I've got two more reviews for Twisted Ear on the way, Max Tundra and Juana Molina. Those were fun.

5. Lastly, even though it has nothing to do with music, TMI is quite sad about the passing of Paul Newman. Cool Hand Luke is an excellent movie. Rent it.

Well, that's all I've got for now on this fine Sunday morning. Stay tuned, kids.

Peace

*Note: Those are not my cupcakes. I do not have that kind of time.

Conference Calling with Chris Walla

I've got a little story to tell, but before I get into it, I've got to explain a few things. In case it got past you, I'm a college kid. I'm also a journalist and I write for my university's paper, in fact, I'm Assistant Online Editor. That said, I woke up this morning half reluctantly because I didn't have class until 2:00 but somehow sleeping in on a week day feels wrong. Most of the time I can't afford to given my workload. Today was no exception. 9:15 I was up and sitting at my computer in my pajamas tweaking some things on the web site. 10:00 I was reading an email from my editor marked "time sensitive" that contained the words "conference call," "11:00," and "Death Cab for Cutie." Oh man, I thought I was dreaming. So, I emailed her back immediately and got the whole scoop.

Death Cab is involved with a voter registration drive called Ultimate College Bowl which is a contest awarding a Death Cab concert to the school with the highest number of registered students and given the ranking of my school percentage wise, we got in on this call.

That's when the flurry began. 10:08 I was on the phone with one of the organizers asking the golden question, "so, is this something we're just listening in to or can we ask questions?" All of a sudden what had started off as a little write up of maybe some recorded DCFC message turned into an hour-long press type conference call with Chris Walla.

After getting off the phone I realized I couldn't do it from my cell phone and I had no idea if my room phone would work. 10:22 I threw on some jeans and went sprinting down the hall and down five flights of stairs, trying to think of questions and praying that the Residence Director was at the desk because I couldn't find my freaking Res. Life manual. Well, I guess one of us got to sleep in because she wasn't there I went racing back up said five flights of stairs, without answers and without a single question to ask.

Luckily I found buried on the school's website that 800 numbers are free, no calling cards required. That left me about twenty minutes to regain my cool and get my head around the situation.

On a side note, I like to keep TMI as professional as possible-- no fan girl crap, no free passes, no gushing-- just honest, opinion and the desire to post well written, mature entries on anything music related. That's my norm. This is different.

The journalist portion of my brain was thinking that this is a rare opportunity. Talking to someone like Chris Walla only comes with a job at Rolling Stone or something. I can really turn this into a great piece.

The Death Cab fan portion of my brain is still in utter disbelief. One degree to Chris Walla. They're my favorite contemporary band, coming in 2nd to the Beatles in the "all time" category. Had I known Tuesday night, I would not have slept. I feel slightly ridiculous about how hyped I was but at the same time, if you can't get stoked about talking to someone from one of your favorite bands in the world, what can you get excited about? You're probably a major wet blanket...or a robot. I'm not too cool to be proportionately expressive.

Okay, 10:57 I had my pens lined up, my laptop open to various helpful websites, my notebook open, and my phones ready in case something went screwy. I called in, punched in the code, and joined a buttload of other college journalists. We all introduced ourselves and a few minutes later Chris Walla was on the line.

It was great. A whole hour of listening to a really nice, incredibly articulate guy field questions without the tiniest bit of annoyance or arrogance. He talked about why DCFC got involved, what voting means to him, why they think it's important for young people to vote, and whatever else we threw at him. I even asked him a question midway through. The idea of not saying anything was not an option. I'd never forgive myself.

Some reporters got off topic really fast, some really had no idea who exactly he was. One called him "Ben" (as in Gibbard, the lead singer). I just asked how they got involved in the first place, which I thought was a fairly important and obvious detail. It was a fantastic experience. All through he was very humble and genuine. It was refreshing and he even extended the call by about ten minutes.

It was over by 12:00 and in all the rush, I barely have had time to process it. When I tell my friends I get an eye bulge, jaw drop, and "how did this happen?!" as a typical reaction. I'm glad they think it's as cool as I do. I suppose part of my excitement has been that this is one more really cool thing I get to do as a journalist and the prospect of a career as unpredictable and random as it has been so far keeps me up at night with a shameless grin on my face. One day I'm talking to the Director of Residential Life, the next it's Chris Walla. Or, I go from reviewing an album to talking to someone who makes them.

My article is due before the weekend but I hope to have it finished by tomorrow night. I've got to do some serious organizing work, but I can't wait to write it.

Well, that's all I've got folks. It's been quite the day and I now plan on sleeping until my alarm goes off at 7:00 tomorrow morning and I drag my butt to class. I think I will never complain again. Life is pretty great.

Peace

A Word on Music Videos

Music videos can be pretty uninspired-- I think there's been a trend of filming on some dark sound stage with big colored lights or a giant screen in the background in the past few years. Think about it, "Speed of Sound," "Car Crash," "Somebody Told Me," and there are probably more. There's one video though, that I've been watching lately that's nothing like that. I think it was Papa Approximately who told me about "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel. It's a good song but I'm just mostly impressed by how they put together such intricate stop-motion animation before non-linear editing existed. Take a look. It's pretty cool.

Mmm...New iPods

Apple revealed the newest fleet of iPod nanos a couple of days ago. Admittedly, they look pretty sweet. I guess they're pros at making us all in to suckers for advertising. It's funny though, every year I feel a little older when the new generation rolls out, but realistically there's no logical reason to update on a yearly basis. Just after I bought my mini, Apple started making iPods with color screens and video capabilities and it really felt like there was a huge line between the new technology and my passé mini. Since then I don't think that there have been any monumental advances. Every year it's pretty much the same design stretched, compacted, and/or flatened. These babies have a few more tricks, like sideways album flow, Genius (a feature that puts together playlists of songs that go well together), and Shuffle activated by actually shaking the iPod. That last feature doesn't sound like a good idea. In fact, I can see it as being a real problem depending on how sensitive it is to the shakes. That's a Consumer Report waiting to happen.

Well, at least they're an attractive bunch. Odd years tend to be...eh, I've noticed, but the colors are so cranked up, you almost want to buy one just to look at it. The best part of all though, is definitely the price drop. $200 gets you 16GB. My mini cost that much for a fourth of the gigs. I think Steve Jobs robbed me. In any case, if I were to upgrade, this would probably be a good year to do it... I'm just waiting on that Consumer Report.

New Favourite Band: Their Hearts Were Full of Spring

I think I came to the realization a few months ago that the way I listen to music has changed completely. Gone are the days when new music trickled in every few months. I've got a turn around rate you wouldn't believe, yet I still get the distinct feeling that I'm missing something. It's a strange place to be because I've learned to immerse myself in an album or band and crank out a review/post in a week's time. Sure, it's a good skill, but it also means that so much is coming in, I hardly have time to dwell on anything long term, the way I used to when new music was harder to come by. I don't know if it's just my situation or maybe I just haven't heard anything in a while that has made a major impact.

That said, I've hit a bit of a break in the pattern-- thankfully. About a month ago, I came across the name of a band from the U.K. and followed a link to the MySpace of Their Hearts Were Full of Spring. Honestly, I was curious to see who dared take the name of a Four Freshmen song, notably covered by the Beach Boys, for their own. Of all the bands I've discovered in the past few months, THWFOS has had the greatest impact. I'm disinclined to bestow too many blessings, as I have said before, so I sat on this post for weeks to test how long they'd last on rotation. Not getting on my soap box has been the frustrating part. They're the kind of band that begs to be shared with everyone you know and I have certainly done my best to spread the word.

At this point I should probably tell you a bit why I think they're so great. There is something intrinsically positive about their music. I don't mean that in a weird, dopey way, I mean it in the way that the sun is bright and flowers are pretty. They're hearty yet delicate, using classical influences in modern contexts. All the little chimes and strings create a lovely and slightly refined sound. THWFOS tings, flutters, sparkles, dances, and shimmers subtle, quite beauty. The best example is "Instrumental 1," an airy two or so minutes that just radiate tranquility.

In case you are thinking they are some merry band of fairies, sprinkling pixie dust in their wake, that's not what I'm getting at. THWFOS is most definitely pop (orch pop, most accurately), but it's pop with a brain and more importantly, a soul. "A Question of Trust" is their anti-Tony Blair anthem, a really well-constructed song on all fronts that not only warns of getting swept up in politicians, but laments getting suckered in the first place. Obviously, by the time Blair left office he was wrecked in many ways, but THWFOS isn't bitter about it. They are elegant, peaceful yet opinionated, backed by handclaps and "ahhhs."

As for other terrific tracks, "New Favourite Band" is every single little tinge of excitement and joy you have when you discover a band that feels just right-- and it isn't even two minutes long. "Come on, into my airwaves, I love the way you make it vibrate, this could be as close as heaven will get for me." They balance so well wistfulness and romance without getting anywhere near sappiness.

I've read about their live shows, flowers taped to mic stands and ecleticism all around. They seem like they would be sensational. I don't know if I ever will see them live though. You see, they don't have a label, or even an LP. Sadness.

So, what I am saying to you is this, check these folks out. You won't be sorry and you've got to know that Jane Approximately doesn't put her hand in the fire for just anyone.

Besides, we could all use a little more pretty in our lives.

Peace

Spinal Tap and a Week Without Music

It occurred to me that it's been an entire week since my last post. Apologies. Sometimes TMI hits the perfect balance of nothing to write about and no time to do it. It's been a chaotic week, involving a move and such and there hasn't been a good opportunity to sit down, chill out, and listen to an album. I don't even think that Labor Day will afford me much down time. So, what happens in a week without music? A lot of little things which are normally punctuated by whatever is on Shuffle get lost in memory. Without music, the day-to-day seems colorless and bland. Also, I've found I'm hypersensitive to random songs getting stuck in my head at a moment's notice. It's a little like a blown circuit, fragments of speech triggering song association and that's pretty much all she wrote until the next intense little bout. Hopefully things will even out, at least they'd better because I've got two more reviews in the pipeline and I'm not about to turn in a) crap, b) late crap. Also, I vow never to to be further than a mile from my beloved iPod.

On a different note, last night I saw This is Spinal Tap, the frequently-referenced mockumentary on a fake 80s rock band from the U.K. It was completely absurd and therefore, right on the money. It doesn't really matter if the fashion sense of bands has changed, they still take themselves way too seriously and are forever at the mercy of knee-deep b.s., egotism, and the Yoko Onos of the world. It was a real riot and TMI highly recommends it if you have still managed not to see it. Something else worthy of note is that the actors (Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, etc.) all actually learned their instruments for the movie. That's pretty cool. As for the writing, you really have to pay attention or you'll miss so much.

Anyway, that's my deal. Hopefully September holds musical excitement (overly optimistic?). Ciao.

BEST QUOTE:

Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner): Do you feel that playing rock 'n' roll music keeps you a child? That is, keeps you in a state of arrested development?

Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer): No. No. No. I feel it's like, it's more like going, going to a, a national park or something. And there's, you know, they preserve the moose. And that's, that's my childhood up there on stage. That moose, you know.

Marty DiBergi: So when you're playing you feel like a preserved moose on stage?

Derek Smalls: Yeah.