“At Beck University, he offers a course titled “Presidents You Should Hate.” Part one focuses on Woodrow Wilson, part two on Franklin Roosevelt. Until those men rose to power, the political field belonged to politicians in the command of business.”
—Mind-boggling piece by Arthur Delaney and Ryan Grim of The Huffington Post on the right’s revisionist attacks against poverty and New Deal policies. Which experiences a more intellectually-dishonest existence: Glenn Beck or the supporters who don’t realize he doesn’t actually believe half of the stuff that comes out of his mouth?
December 2010
14 posts
Paper Tiger
Beck
“There’s one road to the morning/There’s one road to the truth/There’s one road back to civilization/But there’s no road back to you.”
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
John Lennon
Listen, you can make an argument that other Christmas/holiday songs are on the same level as this, but I will literally fight anyone who thinks they can top it.
10 for 2010
We’re rapidly approaching the end of December. You know what that means: it’s time for the requisite ‘best of’ list. You’re not allowed to get upset about any of these selections because they’re based entirely on my opinions. Here are my 10 favorite albums from 2010:
10) Big Boi - ‘Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty’
I’m a product of the suburbs, so I was unfashionably late when it came to hip-hop. Attending high school in Lynn, MA changed all of that. OutKast became an early favorite and Big Boi’s solo debut has a lot of those same familiar elements without just sounding like he kicked Andre 3000 out of the studio.
9) Wale - ‘More About Nothing’
I went back and forth as to whether or not I could include this since it’s a mixtape, but then I remembered that I’m the law. Only liked a handful of tracks on ‘Attention Deficit’ after growing very fond of ‘The Mixtape About Nothing.’ Anyhow, this is worth checking out because of the ‘Seinfeld’ references, Kevin Durant’s cameo and the track written from Tiger Woods’ perspective (and my praise).
8) The Black Keys - ‘Brothers’
I’m a big fan of this duo, but I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on their discography. Regardless, I’ve got to imagine this is the most mainstream album they’ve ever made (which isn’t a bad thing - cue the age-old ‘selling out vs. evolving’ debate). All that matters is there are a ton of different (and fun) guitar tones, which is usually the best part of any Black Keys release.
7) Arcade Fire - ‘The Suburbs’
Arcade Fire is essentially the new White Stripes, in that I’m made to feel like there’s something wrong with me if I don’t like any of the music they put out. Love ‘Funeral,’ but wasn’t a fan of ‘Neon Bible’ aside from a few songs. I guess I’ve seen the light again. “Businessmen drink my blood like the kids in art school said they would” must be on most lists for lyrics of the year (if those exist).
6) B.o.B - ‘B.o.B. Presents the Adventures of Bobby Ray’
This is not just because of the presences of Rivers Cuomo and Vampire Weekend. ‘Nothin’ on You’ is so catchy that I sometimes think I’ll eventually need therapy to get Bruno Mars’ chorus out of my head. At the very least, I look forward to seeing what B.o.B comes up with next because he has the potential to be a unique artist. The fact that his stage name is a tribute to the OutKast classic (which still brings a certain basketball playlist to mind) only makes me like him more.
5) Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse - ‘Dark Night of the Soul’
’Dark Night of the Soul’ has some odd moments, but it’s a really enjoyable album that becomes more interesting with every listen. Appearances by Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), James Mercer (The Shins), The Flaming Lips and many more special guests only add to the overall goodness. I have a lot of respect for Danger Mouse’s production skills (also see ‘The Grey Album,’ ‘Demon Days,’ ‘Attack & Release’ and ‘Modern Guilt’) and wonder what he’ll come up with on U2’s next album.
4) Kings of Leon - ‘Come Around Sundown’
I saw Kings of Leon open for U2 in Boston in 2005. Even though I wasn’t familiar with most of their music, had no idea what Caleb Followill was saying three-quarters of the time and every member of the band was wearing overalls, there was something that made me want to investigate. They’ve been among my favorites ever since, but everyone likes them now (the ‘selling out vs. evolving’ debate strikes again). ‘Only By the Night’ is a good album, but it felt too poppy (for lack of a better word) at times. While ‘Come Around Sundown’ has many mainstream elements (and country in ‘Back Down South’), it’s definitely more of a rock record than this group’s previous effort.
3) Eminem - ‘Recovery’
Not going to lie: didn’t think ‘Recovery’ was much of an upgrade over ‘Relapse’ halfway through my first listen. Then came the flurry of rhymes that brought me back to my time in middle school, when his album release dates were practically unofficial holidays. Sure, he’s not making the same kind of music as a decade ago, but people change, so why shouldn’t we expect the same from artists that we like?
2) Vampire Weekend - ‘Contra’
Vampire Weekend’s debut album is so good that I was literally hooked midway through ‘Mansard Roof.’ There are more tones, textures and instrumentation on ‘Contra,’ but it still doesn’t stray too far from the band’s original formula. For me, ‘Taxi Cab,’ ‘Diplomat’s Son’ and ‘I Think Ur a Contra’ are the highlights because they exhibit the quartet’s musical versatility.
1) Kanye West - ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’
This is at the top of a lot of these lists, so I looked for every excuse to go in a different direction, but I just couldn’t do it (wouldn’t be prudent). I have loved Kanye ever since I purchased ‘The College Dropout’ in London shortly after my graduation from high school. I thank him for reverting back to rapping and making the most memorable (and interesting) album of the year. Every listen brings new discoveries, and Chris Rock makes me laugh every time (“Yeezy taught me!”).
Guaranteed highlight of the next year in music: the first album from The Strokes in nearly five years.
Bitches Ain't Shit
Ben Folds
Warning: Ben Folds’ cover of this Dr. Dre classic is rated NC-17. It’s more than five years old at this point, but it was stuck in my head when I woke up this morning, so it’s your problem now.
Golden
My Morning Jacket
“People always told me that bars are dark and lonely, and talk is often cheap and filled with air.” Word.
She's The One
Bruce Springsteen
‘Where have you been?’ All over the place, actually. I’ve spent a lot of time exploring Springsteen’s discography. I was familiar with his hits (from childhood and popular culture), but I’d never really felt compelled to take the initiative and investigate any further until a couple of months ago. I’m so mature now.
“We just have to do what we’ve done since we arrived here and that is try and build revenues, maximize revenues and try as best we can to compete with (the Yankees) financially. But we’ll never be able to do that. People tend to clump us together, but there’s a wide gulf financially between the two teams, and that’s going to continue.”
—
Red Sox owner John Henry said it earlier this year. Since then, Boston has re-signed Josh Beckett (four years, $68 million) and added Carl Crawford (seven years, $142 million). Plus, considering the package of prospects that Theo Epstein sent to San Diego for Adrian Gonzalez, there’s no way it was just for a one-year rental (Gonzalez is rumored to be getting an extension for $154 million over seven seasons, but it won’t be finalized until after Opening Day for luxury tax purposes). If you include John Lackey, who Boston signed for four years and $82.5 million on December 16, 2009, that’s a grand total of $446.5 million in only 51 weeks.
I’m not criticizing the Sox for spending money (I have little ground to stand on as a Yankee fan when it comes to payroll arguments); David Ortiz and J.D. Drew come off the books after 2011 and I realize that much of it is in response to the Bronx, but there’s not much ground left for Henry or anyone in Red Sox Nation to play the victim. It’s especially amusing after the years of hearing Boston fans complain about New York’s payroll. If the Yankees are the Evil Empire, then the Red Sox are at least the Sith Empire*.
(* = There may be a more appropriate Star Wars analogy, but this was the best one I could come up with.)
