Questionable Rants and Raves

The Clientele

The Clientele is everything I love about pop music. Lush vocals, harmonies, simple string arrangements and you have The Clientele.  Their music has often been noted for its reverb-rich production and Alasdair MacLean's distinctive breathy vocals (an effect achieved partly by MacLean singing with a microphone plugged into a guitar amplifier) and unique guitar style.  GOD I LOVE REVERB! Think of your favorite '60s pop band and odds are they're in the Clientele's blood.  It's like the Byrds, the Association, and the Velvet Underground morphed into one.  With perhaps a little bit of the Hollies mixed in for good luck.  I find it odd that with the type of pop that these guys sing they aren't more popular in their native Britain.  They have a much bigger fan base her in the States. 
I'd been curious about these guys for awhile.  When I was home a couple of weeks ago Mr. Chuck and I were talking about them and he said "I just don't get them.  Here."  and he handed me a copy of Strange Geometry.  I guess they don't have enough bass for him or something.  What can I say the old man is a freak.  He will sit around and listen to Nils Kline with a bunch of feedback, but he won't listen to pop music.  Anyway, I took it home popped it in the old HiFi and just kicked back.  I was mesmerized.  It almost makes me want to cry.  Yes, cry like when I listen to Joni Mitchell's Blue-a story for another time.  As a result of my hysteria I went out and got their newest release God Save the Clientele.  This is a great record also.  It's different from Strange Geometry.  This is a much cleaner record-less reverb and clearer vocals, but it is still MacLean's whispery delivery and amazing song writing that make this record great. Get these two records and you will be happy.  Here are some tunes for you from Strange Geometry and God Save the Clientele.  If you get a chance go check them out at the Roseland Ballroom on September 6.  They're opening up for another pop favorite of mine Peter, Bjorn, and John-so get there early.

Strange Geometry:
Download 01_since_k_got_over_me.m4a
Download 03_my_own_face_inside_the_trees.m4a

God Save the Clientele:
Download 07_the_queen_of_seville.mp3
Download 11_carnival_on_7th_street.mp3

Brutus Buckeye

How can you not love that melon?  Brutus Buckeye has been an Ohio State tradition since 1965.  Brutus and Ohio Stadium (aka "the shoe") are synonymous with BIG 10 football.  I've been lucky enough to catch a game at "the shoe" and let me tell you it's a wild place.  Ohio State fans might be the best in college football.  With the lose of a very high-powered offense and Troy Smith, this year looks to be a building year for the Buckeyes.  They have a pretty soft home schedule and should be playing in a bowl on New Year's day provided they can finish strong down stretch.  I think the make or break game for their bowl hopes is on October 27 when they go on the road and play Penn State at night.  If they beat JoePa in Happy Valley they should have enough momentum to beat Michigan in Ann Arbor. 
*The band appears to be a cross between a college marching band, ROTC, and Ohio state troopers in training. 

Pistol Pete

Pistol Pete might be the best mascot in the Big 12.  Forget BEVO at Texas or even Reveille from Texas A&M.  I just love the giant orange stetson.  For the rest of the week I will be posting shots of my favorite mascots in college football along with key games.  Watch the Cowboys on September 22nd take on the Texas Tech Raiders in Stillwater, Oklahoma. 

Bucky Badger

This guy is the best mascot in all of college football.  Bucky Badger from Wisconsin is my favorite.  He looks so menacing yet so cuddly at the same time.  Tune in October 13 when Bucky and the rest of Wisconsin  kick the shit out of the Michigan Wolverines. 

For The Love Of The Game...

Come hell or high water I'm going to the Little League World Series next year.  I was watching highlights of it this morning on ESPN while eating my frosted flakes.  This game was riveting.  I was on the edge of my seat.  This kid, Dalton Carriker,  hit a homerun in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead Warner Robins, Ga., to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Japan and the Little League World Series championship.  With a mouth full of braces Carriker hit the ball over the rightfield wall off of Junsho Kiuchi's 2-and-1 pitch gave the United States a third straight title.  These are the type of moments that make me love baseball.  It's not Barry Bonds breaking the homerun record this year that does it for me.  It's Dalton Carriker hitting a homerun in the bottom eighth and the look on his face knowing he has won the Little League World Series.

These Sisters Rock....

The  Quin  sisters can rock.   Tegan and Sara might be my new favorite girl band.  Sorry Sleater Kinney you've been replaced.  Their latest album The Con is an amazing blend of rock and electro-pop.  I've read reviews of their past stuff and never got off my ass to get any of it.  Once again, I wear the asshole hat for not getting into these two sooner.  Whatever.  The Con is the twins’ fifth album.  Produced by Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla it appears to be their darkest and most complex album to date.  Go get this record.  Do not delay.  But to tide you over until you get motivated here are a couple of tunes.  "Back In Your Head" and "Floorplan" are my favorites so far.

Download 06_back_in_your_head.m4a

Download

*Thanks Book Stud it was worth the wait.

What An Asshole....

I've tried really hard to stay away from Michael Vick's dog fighting scandal, but enough is enough.  This guy might actually be the world's biggest asshole.  Vick's plea put me over the edge.  The fact that this hillbilly asshole will admit to killing dogs, but won't admit to gambling on dog fights makes me want to puke.  I guess in his eyes it's OK to be a dog killer, but not OK to be a degenerate gambling fuck.  It is this type of shit that makes me hate people.  One can only hope that this fuck will never throw another pass in the NFL and that he will get slapped with a nice RICO ACT violation.

This asshole justifies it here.  Nice role models.  Don't ya think?

Timeless...

I know it may come as a shock to some of you, but I do read.  By read I mean books.  No, I don't count Bill Steele's College Football Bible to be a book.  Tomorrow Viking is releasing a 50th anniversary edition of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road".  I learned this nifty little fact in today's NY Times.  Read the article here.
I remember reading "On the Road" the summer between my junior year and senior year of high school.  I was already itching to bust out of the WARDEN'S prison.  I felt as though 16 years in her penal institution was more than enough for me.  Reading this book was the icing on the cake.  Just the thought of wandering around the country listening to jazz, drinking, smoking, and just general hijinks sounded like heaven.  Instead I would spend the year filling out college applications, taking AP classes, and drinking in various basements in the Oak Park River Forest area.  Fun times. 
If you haven't read this book get off your dead ass and do it.  You won't be disappointed.  If your looking for a gift for you favorite ranter- I WOULD LOVE A COPY OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF "ON THE ROAD".  I know I said I wanted a kegerator, but I changed my mind.

R.I.P Scooter

It's a sad day for baseball.  Phil Rizzuto  has died.  Everyone knows I'm not a bit Yankees fan, but I respect the Yankee teams from 1950-1957.  Rizzuto was noted for strong defense, "small ball" skills and clutch hitting, which helped the Yankees win seven count'em seven rings.  Scooter was probably one of the best bunters to ever play the game.  Today's players could learn a lot from this guy about the game.

Yet Another Reason To Hate Notre Dame

This time of year I kind of get tunnel vision.  By tunnel vision I mean that I become obsessed with college football.  BIG 10 football and Notre Dame football are the acme of my obsession.  Growing up in the Midwest all there was to do in the fall was eat cheese, drink beer, and hate on ND.  No one does this better than my 81 year old Grandfather.  My Grandfather bleeds black and gold.  Mr. BILL is proud to be Purdue grad.  So proud that he flies a Purdue flag in front of his house.  I can only imagine how pissed he is going to be when he finds out that Notre Dame is no longer going to play his beloved Boilermakers every year in football.  I came across the announcement here.  It sent shivers up and down my spine.  You can't just decide not to play Michigan State and Purdue-that is just wrong.  That is like having a vegan Thanksgiving.
This is one of the many reasons why people hate Notre Dame.  Notre Dame football fans are the worst.  They are the most arrogant people to walk the face of the Earth.  They think it's their God given right to be ranked in the preseason top 25 every year.  ND fans always demand a BCS Bowl bid even though they play the weakest schedule of any D1 team.  They play all three of the service academies-give me a fucking break.  You can't play Army and go to a BCS Bowl.  Notre Dame should just join the Big 10 already and play a real football schedule that includes Ohio State and Wisconsin.