Amazons Top 100 Challenge

Amazon.com posted their top 100 'indie rock records.' I went through the list and I thought I don't have some of these and or never heard of a couple. So my goal in the next 100 days is to find, listen, and talk about these records. I don't think I can go in order but it will give me something to do at work every day and something to think about at night. Who knows...I don't think I can do it in exactly a hundred days but we will give it a shot. Maybe this is will be the push I need to get excited about writing about music...giving me a chance to read, research, and acknowledge what Amazon has concluded great records.


100 Dangerous Magical Noise - The Dirtbombs
99 Passover - The Black Angels
98 To Survive - Joan As Police Woman
97 Ultimate Alternative Wavers - Built To Spill
96 Trans Am - Trans Am
95 The Discovery Of A World Inside... - The Apples In Stereo
94 Waiter: 'You Vultures!' - Portugal The Man
93 Alligator - The National
92 Horses In The Sky - Silver Mt. Zion
91 Gallowsbird's Bark - The Fiery Furnaces
90 Louden Up Now - (!!! Chk Chik Chick)
89 The Milk-Eyed Mender - Joanna Newsom
88 The Power Out - Electrelane
87 Cure For Pain - Morphine
86 Worn Copy - Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
85 Vivian Girls - Vivian Girls
84 Hearts Of Oak - Ted Leo/Pharmacists
83 Save Yourself - Make Up
82 The Last Match - The Aislers Set
81 The Sea and the Bells - Rachel's
80 The Ugly Organ - Cursive
79 De Stijl - The White Stripes
78 Nothing Feels Good - The Promise Ring
77 The Smell Of Our Own - The Hidden Cameras
76 Jane From Occupied Europe - Swell Maps
75 Furnace Room Lullaby - Neko Case
74 The Curtain Hits The Cast - Low
73 The R&B Of Membership - The Delta 72
72 II & III - Camper Van Beethoven
71 Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating... - Spiritualized
70 The Fawn - The Sea And Cake
69 Feast of Wire - Calexico
68 Oh, Inverted World - The Shins
67 Will You Find Me - Ida
66 Milk Man - Deerhoof
65 Coquelicot Asleep In The Poppies... - Of Montreal
64 Rejoicing in The Hands - Devendra Banhart
63 Destroyer's Rubies - Destroyer
62 TNT - Tortoise
61 Neon Golden - The Notwist
60 Daddy's Highway - The Bats
59 Set Yourself On Fire - Stars
58 Fabulous Muscles - Xiu Xiu
57 Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes - TV On The Radio
56 The Decline And Fall Of Heavenly - Heavenly
55 The Mysterious Production of Eggs - Andrew Bird
54 Pussy-Whipped - Bikini Kill
53 Sing No Evil - Half Japanese
52 Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express - The Go Betweens
51 Emperor Tomato Ketchup - Stereolab
50 And Don't The Kids Just Love It - Television Personalities
49 Wild Love - Smog
48 Agaetis Byrjun - Sigur Ros
47 Red House Painters I - Red House Painters
46 Advisory Committee - Mirah
45 How Memory Works - Joan Of Arc
44 On Fire - Galaxie 500
43 On - Imperial Teen
42 Mass Romantic [Remastered] - The New Pornographers
41 Gulag Orkestar - Beirut
40 This Nation's Saving Grace - The Fall
39 You Forgot It In People - Broken Social Scene
38 I Am A Bird Now - Antony & The Johnsons
37 When Your Heartstrings Break - Beulah
36 Our Endless Numbered Days - Iron & Wine
35 Person Pitch - Panda Bear
34 Let's Get Out of This Country - Camera Obscura
33 Merriweather Post Pavilion - Animal Collective
32 Let It Be [Expanded Edition] - The Replacements
31 Repeater + 3 Songs - Fugazi
30 Zen Arcade - Hüsker Dü
29 24 Hour Revenge Therapy - Jawbreaker
28 Lift Your Skinny Fists... - godspeed you black emperor!
27 Yellow House - Grizzly Bear
26 The Glow Pt. 2 - The Microphones
25 Black Candy - Beat Happening
24 Funeral - Arcade Fire
23 Moon Pix - Cat Power
22 Diary - Sunny Day Real Estate
21 Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil... - Bright Eyes
20 I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One - Yo La Tengo
19 Kill the Moonlight - Spoon
18 Give Up - The Postal Service
17 Dig Me Out - Sleater-Kinney
16 No Pocky for Kitty - Superchunk
15 I See A Darkness - Bonnie "Prince" Billy
14 We Have The Facts and We're Voting Yes - Death Cab For Cutie
13 Michigan - Sufjan Stevens
12 Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth
11 69 Love Songs Volume 1 - The Magnetic Fields
10 Bakesale - Sebadoh
09 Either/Or - Elliott Smith
08 Surfer Rosa - Pixies
07 If You're Feeling Sinister - Belle & Sebastian
06 Slanted & Enchanted - Pavement
05 Imperial f.f.r.r. (Deluxe Edition) - Unrest
04 Exile In Guyville - Liz Phair
03 Spiderland - Slint
02 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel
01 Bee Thousand - Guided by Voices

Films when you can't move

With my back being sore, hurt, and for a day and half not really able to move I had quite a lot of time to watch some movies. Most of them fantastic a couple glad I watched but not worth mentioning. I won't go into huge diatribes but I thought some of these had a few sentences worth of a high five.

Rachel Getting Married
Fantastic film about addiction, recovery, and family dynamics. I think Anne Hathaway is fantastic and I think it's a great film to discuss personal dynamics as they link with our family and coping choices. Good. Great.

Persopolis
Illustrated story about the civil war of Taran, Iran and a young girls development alongside this tragedy. It's a search for freedom and self. It's a beautiful story with even more beautiful artwork. It was good film to understand the national identity of a country I didn't really know much about.

King Corn
FANTASTIC documentary about the use of Iowa corn. Did you know that you can't eat the corn that 95% of Iowa farmers grow? I had no clue. Did you know that most of what we eat is corn? Fabulous film showing the movement of nutritional to feed corn/high fructose corn syrup. I think it was a smart story to share how our culture and way of life is changing.

I Like Killing Flies
MY FAVORITE from the day. It is a crazy story of the owner of a dive restaurant in New York. He asks the most fantastic questions about the meaning of life as well as living it within a community like space. You have to watch it to believe it!! Fabulous.

Conversation(s) With Other Women
Another interesting conversation on love and loss. Shot and edited with a split story...connecting together the past with the present AND what could have been with what actually has. It is smart, funny, and breathtakingly simple. I could watch this one a few times and think I could still find something new.

The King of Kong
Amazingly geeky film. I loved it for that reason. I love when people get passionate and psyched on something that has meaning to a very small group of people. Fantastic. This small business man seeks to break the record of the 1985 world champion of Donkey Kong. When you are good you are good. No questions asked. Awesome.

I had a great movie watching experience. You should let me know if you have seen any of these and some thoughts!

Cohen.

Leonard Cohen the great song writer of beloved "Hallelujah" as well as so many others has a live double disk streaming on NPR.

I think this is what I will be doing today is listening to his sweet raspy voice challenge me on life and love!

creativity and a salad shooter

My friend Sean linked me to THIS article in the New York Times.

It is interesting to talk about the financial and ecological impact. This article reveals my thoughts and feelings of the last few years and my thoughts to the continual future. Do we really need these things or this stuff to give us meaning, pleasure, or hope? I can't imagine that our stuff can do that.

So in this recession/depression where and how will we (I) be creative in thinking of new ways to help the economy without it being a plastic salad shooter or a new pair of shoes. I hope that we can find new ways to deal with our country and our lifestyle that doesn't include having 'stuff' to make our country be the 'best around.'

Life is interesting....I just want to be creative.

Happiness is.....

When movie trailer like this exist...



This may be one of my all time favorite childrens books. I love when you watch something new and it sends shivers up your arms and back. I think this will be fantastic!! The only thing that made me sad was when I saw that it is coming up in October...it's better not be pushed to the next summer like the Harry Potter movie...

New Wilco Record

I am SO SO SO excited!!!

A new Wilco record is set to be released in the end of June. Oh I am a happy lady!!
From Wilcoworld.net this is being said:


The forthcoming and still-untitled next Wilco album is nearing completion. Jim Scott and the band spent the last few weeks mixing in Jim's studio in Valencia, California and here's a list of song titles spied on the reels -- note this is not necessarily complete and not in sequence.

Deeper Down
Conscript (aka I'll Fight)
One Wing
Solitaire
Wilco (the song)
Country Disappeared
Everlasting
Bull Black Nova
Sonny Feeling
You and I


Rolling Stone blogger has heard the record and said they were hoping for a little more Yankee Hotel Foxtrot sonic dissonance but rumors have it that it will take yet another route. I just hope there are some great riffs like in Impossible Germany....

New Wilco=Happy Amy!!

you change you change you change your mind...

A fantastic album that was out last year was Marnie Stern's This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That. I LOVE this record!! It's sassy. It's tough. It's raw and at the same time it's lyrics dig into me just like her superb finger tapping skills.

To be honest I know this record isn't for everyone but that's the beauty of music and desiring a bit deeper and a but longer to find something that grabs you and makes you say....really? this can be done? And done well it is.

THIS is a realy great interview regarding Marnie and falling into the music world. If you are friends of Hella you will be friends with Marnie...Zach Hill the drummer for the fabo band is playing drums on this little guy as well.

VIDEO for Transformer...Check it before you wreck it!

Bon Iver is heaven...

...and it is even sweeter when covering the 80s jam "I Don't Want to Lose Your Love" by the Outfield.

Music worth being read

I loved this magazine called Harp that went under last year. As I was searching for a birthday present I came across a magazine entitled BLURT that caught my eye. It looked as similiar to the layout of Harp and as I perused the issue and noticed that it was the same as Harp but a new name. I LOVE the thoughts of the people who write for the magazine. It's smart. Funny. Witty and it digs deeper into the topics than most music journalists allow themselves to dig.

It's not shallow or trite. It doesn't seem to be caught up in just the latest trends but continues to talk about those who came before and how the continue to influence the sounds that come today. It was worth the five dollars.

In a Sex and the City episode Carrie is talking to a fashion photographer about the photos he has taken. She makes mention that she would have to choose food or Vogue and she would choose Vogue because she thought it would feed her more. I feel this way about this magazine. I think reading about music and those who do it feeds me in a way that much else does. I know that I get quite passionate about certain aspects of life and I am okay to be passionate about this.

Something sparked when I found the magazine. I remembered what I loved and though I am far away from what I have considered normal I know that you can't walk away from what you love. For me it's late nights in a smokey space with people who love exposing themselves to art, music, and something bigger than yourself.

cobwebs.

It has been quite some time that I blogged or had the urge to blog.
I think that was a good thing. A good idea indeed.

I have new thoughts again.
When the snow was falling so was my heart.
It needed to hybernate and keep warm.
It was studying, reading, seeing with eyes that were broken and tired.

Resting and hiding seemed like the best idea.
Change is imperative.

I would like to start with writing about the cultural adventures I have taken.
Some in sound and some in film
Some about the heart
and others about art.

Life is for the taking and ready to reach my hand out and work for it.
and so i begin.

taking the cobwebs from the corners...