I was a good job paid off with bad checks

You'd think that being unemployed would mean that I can blog more than ever. It probably should, but it hasn't happened yet. I've spent a lot of time looking for jobs and sending our resumes. Oh yeah, I drove the 2,000 miles back to Cincinnati, too.

One of the jobs I applied for asked for a list of my ten favorite albums. Sounds cool, right? It was a fun application, plus it gave me a new blog post. So here is the list I sent. I didn't have a lot of time to think things over, but I think it's pretty reflective of my tastes. So take a look and tell me what I missed:

Revolver - The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper’s and Abbey Road used to always top lists of best albums of all time, but this one has been popping up more lately. Revolver has been at the top of my list for more than 10 years, though. It is the perfect apex of The Beatles’ work as they left pop behind but weren’t bogged down in psychedelia.

This Year’s Model - Elvis Costello and The Attractions: This album was released in 1978, but it sounds amazingly relevant. Listen to “Lipstick Vogue” and tell me The Killers wouldn’t love to have written that song.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot  - Wilco: It took some getting used to, but behind all the noise and feedback hides a beautiful, emotional album.

Reconstruction Site - The Weakerthans: I found this one at a record store in Indianapolis and a month after I picked it up I bought everything else the band had done. I’m a sucker for great lyrics and this album is full of them.

Fight Songs - Old 97s: Is it country? Is it pop? I don’t care. It’s catchy and I love it. 

Howl, Howl, Gaff, Gaff - Shout Out Louds: I’ve really been into Swedish pop lately and this is the album that started it all for me. It’s a little on the sad side but all the funny Swedish pronunciations make up for it.

Alligator - The National: This is the album I put on when I want to drive around town late at night. It automatically makes me feel 10% cooler.

Achtung Baby - U2: Achtung Baby could quite possibly be the perfect album. Just the right mix of fast and slow songs and not one tune I ever feel compelled to skip.

Let My Burden Be - Golden Shoulders: I used to live in the same town at Golden Shoulders frontman Adam Kline so maybe I’m rooting for the home team here. It makes it easier when the home team produces such an honest work of indie pop.

Failer - Kathleen Edwards: This album made the list just recently after I went on a road trip through the Southwest. It is my favorite road trip album on the list, full of stories about a woman and the men who done her wrong.

Writing in the glow of the TV's static

Things are cooling down here in The 'Nati and fall is definitely in the air tonight, so I figured it was time to write about my next album the depressing and autumnal Figure 8 by Elliot Smith.

Figure 8 is a sad, sad album so I'll love it, right? Well, not exactly. I spent most of my time while I was listening to it trying to figure out why I love sad and British artists but not the sad and American ones. The only theory I could come up with is that the British singers are a little more self deprecating. They may sing sorrowful tunes, but I always get the feeling that it's just a phase. I know that they'll wake up one morning and their world will be better. I like that silver lining of hope.

I can't really find that hope in Elliot Smith's songs. Smith killed himself in 2003 (or his girlfriend killed him depending on which theory you believe) and had battled depression his whole life. He really was a pretty sad guy and the songs reflect that. They are sweet tunes but I'm rarely mellow and/or sad enough to truly appreciate them. I'll stick to the Brits, thank you very much.

I couldn't drink enough to make this make sense

Hey guys! Do you like the new template? I think now that I'm over 30, I require a more refined blog template. None of those childish colors for me. Ha! Actually, I finally upgraded to the new Blogger template and for some reason the colors didn't drop all the way down on the new version of my old template. I'm taking an online HTML class, but I haven't gotten far enough to fix something like that yet so I just picked a new one.

I though in honor of the new template, I might actually review an album like I used to on the old one. I know, it's crazy!

Today's album is a great one, though. Fight Songs by the Old 97s is one of my all-time favorites. It's got great country pop, wistful lyrics and it reminds me of a specific time and place. Amazon says the album was released in 1999, but I'm pretty sure I didn't buy it until 2000 after hearing "Murder (Or A Heart Attack)" on the music station I used to listen to on my TV.

Soon after, though, the CD was a near permanent fixture in my car. When I listen to it now, it sounds like the soundtrack to my life in California. There are songs about friends, love, loneliness, drinking, road trips and even one that I'm pretty sure is about a cat. I guess it could be a soundtrack for any single girl in her 20s then, huh?

What matters is that I still like it these days. I'm sure nostalgia has something to do with it, but it's also just a good album. You can get it for 8 bucks from Amazon so if you're a fan of alt country or power pop, pick it up. It's an amazing mixture of both.

The teachers tolds us, the Romans built this place

I'm getting ready to head up to Detroit for the auto show, but I thought I'd do a quick post before I left. I have some things I want to say about cocktails and how they're made, but I think that's going to have to wait for another day. Today I'll just tell you about my next album.

In a sad break with tradition, I listened to Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-1994 on my new iPod, Abbey, and not Declan. It all makes me a little nostalgic.

What doesn't make me nostalgic is the album. I find the older I get the more I like The Police and the less I like Sting's solo work. In high school, I didn't really like much of anything by The Police, but there were several Sting songs I liked. Now, everything by Sting sounds like a giant yawn to me. Even "Fields of Gold" which I've always loved despite it's massive overexposure sounds stale. I don't know why, though. Does something happen to your ears after you turn 30?

I can see it now. It's only a matter of time until all music "sounds like noise to me" and I'll complain endlessly about all the crap "kids are listening to these days." (I already do a little - emo, anyone?) I just didn't think it would start with Sting.

On the other hand, it could just be that Sting is boring. I'll stick with that.

Now and again it seems worse than it is, but mostly the view is accurate

Josh and I can't stop talking about the new Rilo Kiley album, Under the Blacklight. It's seriously good. Not just, this is fun to listen to good, but this could be an all-time great album good. You really must check it out.

If all you know about Rilo Kiley is "Portions for Foxes" you might be a little surprised. There is more of a Southern California '70s pop feel to this album. There are actual disco beats if you listen closely. You'll be like, "This song is great!" Then you'll be like, "Wait, this sort of sounds like ABBA." You won't care, though. You'll love it anyway.

Speaking of ABBA, I'm also enjoying Our Ill Wills by my favorite Swedish band, the Shout Out Louds. It's a more mellow follow up to Howl, Howl, Gaff, Gaff but I think the lyrics are better. I've got tickets to see them in Columbus in October and I can't wait. They're on tour in the U.S. right now and it's worth checking them out.

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Declan's next album today is Fevers and Mirrors by Bright Eyes. While I was listening to it, I kept thinking this had to be a debut album. It's pretty wide-eyed yet pretentious. It sounds like music from someone who's still sure they're going to change the world.

A little Googling, though, told me that's it's actually Bright Eyes' third album (released in 2000). I found that surprising considering the second from last song, "An Attempt to Tip the Scales" is not actually a song but an excerpt from a radio interview in which a crazy (or very high) Conor Oberst tells the radio guy how very sad he is. It's really, really terrible and did I mention pretentious?

That said, the album as a whole isn't terrible. "The Calendar Hung Itself" and "Something Vague" are classic Bright Eyes tunes and remind me why I love Conor so. That radio interview at the end brings everything to a grinding halt and leaves abad taste in my mouth. At least Bright Eyes is down to just having talking during the first songs on albums. I'm getting used to that, even though it's still pretentious. I love Conor anyway.

Pray to Sony my soul to keep

It looks like I wasn't the only person who was a little disappointed with the new iPod announcements this week. I love the idea of the touch screen but there's no way I could operate with just 16 gigs of space for music. I love the giant hard drive on the 160 gig iPod Classic, but I really want it with a touch screen. I have a feeling that combo's a couple of years away and I fear Declan won't last that long, so I've started saving my pennies for a 160 gig Declan 2.0. Hopefully, I won't need a new one any time soon, though.

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And now I want to tell you a little story about today's album...

For 90% of the world, Semisonic is a classic one-hit wonder band. "Closing Time" was all over the radio in the spring and summer of '98 and they were never heard from again. For me, "Closing Time" was the beginning of the end of a years long love of the band. Let me explain.

I can't remember the first time I saw Semisonic, but I know I was working at The Blue Note at the time so it was probably 1996 or so. They must have been opening for another band I liked, because I can't imagine going to the show otherwise. Either way I left that night with their first album, Great Divide. As the months progressed, I continued to force that album on my friends, insisting they listen to my favorite tracks or including them in mix tapes (yes, back then it was really tapes).

In January of 1998, I headed out for a semester in London, where I was left with the stack of CDs I brought and the little radio I picked up for a few dollars at a Radio Shack. I came back home in May with a deep knowledge of Natalie Imbruglia and Spacehog but no idea that while I was gone the band I loved had become a household name. Semisonic had released Feeling Strangely Fine and their single was on the radio every five minutes. I was used to always explaining who Semisonic was to everyone and now they were those "Closing Time" guys.

That summer I caught their Summerfest show in Milwaukee and had to put up with one of those terrible crowds that is only there to hear the hit single. It made me sad. Suddenly, there were people everywhere at their shows, but they only wanted to hear one song.

Most people don't know Feeling Strangely Fine is a great album. I can't say I listen to it much these days, but when I dusted it off for this listen, I still loved it. "This Will Be My Year" still makes me feel positive about my life and "California" stands out in that crowded group of songs about the state.

In March, 2001 when the band finally got around to releasing All About Chemistry, it had been too long between albums, and no one seemed to remember who they were. Chemistry wasn't their best work either, and I'm sure their label had high expectations. I can't say I know what happened, but now the band is no more. Lead singer Dan Wilson did win a Grammy last year for writing "I'm Not Ready To Make Nice" with the Dixie Chicks, so maybe a few other people will go back and check out the band they wrote off as a one-hit wonder.

Slow down, think it over

I've spent the last few days trying to remember where I picked up my copy of Fedra by the Pittsburgh band Shade. I know I saw them at Alchemize (back when Alchemize was in Over The Rhine) before a Boys and Girls night. I have a feeling it was the weekend that Josh and all his friend were in town, but I was so exhausted by the time we got to Alchemize that everything is a little fuzzy.

I've spent all this time thinking about when I bought the CD because the album itself isn't that great. The band is awesome live and I highly recommend you go see them if they come to your town, but the CD sounds flat. I think this happens with new bands a lot. I don't know if it's actually being in a studio and all the bells and whistles they offer or what. Maybe I just need to listen to the CD with a beer so it will feel more like a live show.

So to sum it up:
Shade is a nice band.
Go see their show.
Don't buy Fedra.
Maybe buy any new recording instead.

Discarded all the naughty nights for niceness

Do you see that little countdown clock to the right over there? Yep, it's down to single digits, which means in just a few days I'll be 30! (Are you allowed to have a blog after 30? I'm pretty sure I have to turn in my MySpace page.)

It also means that in a few short days I'll be heading off to San Francisco to celebrate said birthday with all the friends I managed to convince to join me. I woke up this morning pretty excited about the whole trip. I can already tell that this next week at work is going to seem endless. Oh well, at least there will be some serious fun at the end of it.

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Now it's time for that album I promised. Today it's Favourite Worst Nightmare by Arctic Monkeys. Is it a sophomore slump from the young British band that burst on the scene in 2006? My answer - maybe?

I definitely don't like this album as much as their first. Maybe it's just that the witty lyrics and punk riffs were such a surprise the first time. Now they all seem a little worn. I still think Favourite Worst Nightmare is worth your time (and money), it's just not going to change your life. Arctic Monkeys have a lot of good music ahead of them, and I'll always be there to see what they put out. If they're the future of British rock, I'm in good hands.

If you ask how I got so bitter, I'll ask how you got so vain

I guess these are my Fridays now. I go home. I feed the cat. I watch the Tivo. I get up earlier than I want to on Saturday. Going out on Fridays is for kids!

My car is fixed again, but there is a constant chance that it may not start at any moment. I have a few ideas of how I might get it started in my glove compartment (thanks Google) but I think Benecio has turned from a loyal friend to and angry tiger. He's a ticking time bomb. I think a new car may be in my future.

If Benecio holds up, I'm going to see Bright Eyes up in Columbus on Sunday. If there's one thing that everyone in Cincinnati agrees on, it's the fact that the two hour drive from here to Columbus is one of the most boring on the planet. It makes the drive from Cincinnati to Indianapolis seem like a weekend at Disney World. (In fact, that's why my parents never took me to Disney World. I'd had the joy of the drive to Indy.)

Anyway, I am willing to put up with this interminable drive for my buddy Conor. I hope he appreciates it. I've heard Bright Eyes concerts can be spotty but I'm guessing Conor will bring his A game when he hears about the lengths I'm going to hear him sing.

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I've been listening to today's album for a couple days now and it probably isn't helping my mood. It's the sort of desperate anger that can only be summoned by guys from a place like Winnipeg, Canada.

Of course, I'm speaking of The Weakerthans.

I'm actually a huge Weakerthans fan and I constantly dream of being able to see them in concert (if they would only leave Canada). But Fallow is their first album from 1997, and while it contains hints of the brilliance they offer up in later works, I can't say it's very good all on its own. What makes a Weakerthan? I would describe it as acoustic pop punk layered under an array of metaphors and biting lyrics. Do I sound like a music writer now?

So if any of those words sound interesting, go out right now and buy Reconstruction Site (available at discerning record stores in Canada and amazon.com). You could also buy Left & Leaving, but I would save Fallow for until you're a superfan. Otherwise it's just not worth it.

I'm not ready yet to share the phone or tv set

I know, I know, it's been a long time. I guess I've just been busy. It's all work, work, work here in Eileenland.

Have you seen that Lexus commercial with Elvis Costello? The first time I saw it, at the very beginning, it just has a close-up profile of his glasses and I immediately thought, "gee that looks like Elvis," and it was! I especially like his little giggle at the end.

I think I've also avoided writing because I don't know what to say about Declan's next album (yes, I'm still doing that). It's Faith And Courage by Sinead O'Connor. I seem to be stuck on it for some reason, so I'm going to make this fast and get it over with.

1. The first half of the album is really good.
2. "Dancing Lessons" is one of the best songs ever - seriously.
3. The album gets a little too slow and mysterious at the end.
4. There are too many mentions of "the goddess" for my tastes. Does it need to be in every song? It's like listening for the word "corazon" in a Spanish song.

In other news, my car is in the shop again. It still thinks I'm trying to steal it, but the mechanics don't know where the problem is. It could be a long week. So I hope all of you are having a better time than I am right now. I promise more updates and more albums soon.

Do you think your Boys Club will crumble just because of a loud-mouthed girl?

In the last few years I've become a fan of a lot of Canadian artists. No, I'm not talking about Alanis Morissette and Barenaked Ladies, I mean The Weakerthans, Sarah Harmer and Kathleen Edwards.

The problem with liking all these Canadians is trying to catch them on tour. The Weakerthans always seem to play show after show in Winnipeg with the odd trip down to Buffalo. I doubt they'll ever make it to The 'Nati. Of those three, the only person I've managed to catch in concert was Kathleen Edwards and that was before I even knew much about her.

I saw Kathleen in the summer of 2003 when she opened for Guster at the Taft Theatre. I'd heard her song "Hockey Skates" on Coffeehouse Rock, one of my cable TV music channels, but that was it. At the concert I learned she liked Maker's Mark bourbon, The Cracker Barrel and upon her first trip to Over-The-Rhine said, "I thought crack went out of style in 1992." I knew pretty quickly that this was a girl I could hang with.

So today's album is Failer, Kathleen Edwards' first album and also one of the albums Josh correctly predicted in the "F" albums contest. It's a great collection of melancholy tunes, but what keeps it from being too shoegazey is Edwards' sense of humor and angry edge. This is not a woman who goes around feeling sorry for herself. She might egg your car, though.

The end of the album gets a little slow for my taste, but I challenge anyone to find a better song about sleeping with an old married alcoholic man than "Westby."

"I don't think your wife would like my friends."

I've been getting along for long before you came into play

Bonus album! O.K., It's not really a bonus, I just forgot that I actually had one last, final last "E" album, Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple.

You may remember that I downloaded an early version of this album back in May 2005 when there was a whole free Fiona movement because Sony wouldn't release her album. I checked out the final version from the library when it was officially released in October of that year. I love the syncopated piano parts and many of the clever rhymes, but I still don't think it's the masterpiece it was made out to be before its release. The title track is a beautiful song but the rest is like standard Fiona with maybe a twist here and there.

I'm not coming at this from out of nowhere. I'm not afraid to admit that I own all her albums and I even saw her play a show when I was in college (she's so tiny, she looked like she could hide behind the mic stand, but that's another story). She's sad and I can appreciate that. Sometimes she's angry and I can appreciate that, too. I'm just not feeling that here as much as I can on here earlier albums. I also kind of miss the more traditional sound of songs like "Shadowboxer" and "Paper Bag."

I haven't given up on Fiona, though. I'm sure I'll pick up her next album if only to check on her mental health in a couple years 'cause that chick is crazy!

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In just a few days I'll be heading out to New York for a reunion of the San Francisco 3 and to, you know, party and stuff. Also, there will be congratulations to Josh and his Lady Bear. Did you know they got engaged on Valentine's Day? They did!

I'm sure photos and stuff will follow. Consider yourself warned.

Other times I'm probably found between a pair of huge speakers pushed by vacuum tubes

Grammy night! Oh, who am I kidding, I haven't even heard half the albums nominated this year. Despite what Rolling Stone says, John Mayer is no Guitar God. All the safe choices will win awards and all the awesome people will go home only with the knowledge that they don't appeal to the 75-year-old Grammy voters. I think this all means that fellow Cincinnatian Peter Frampton has an excellent chance of winning for best pop instrumental performance. I'm tempted to post updates as the night goes on so watch this space.

On to the very last of the "E" albums, the excellent Exhibit A by The Features. I first heard about The Features when their song "Blow It Out" was on a free iTunes sampler that I got when I bought my iPod. I couldn't stop listening to it, and man, is it an awesome tune for the gym.

The rest of the album is probably more punk than "Blow It Out" but still really good. It has an urgent pop punk sound that reminds of early Elvis Costello and the Attractions albums. Very This Year's Model. It might be the rockin' organ. You don't hear it that much in music these days. The song "Me and The Skirts" is probably more indicative of their sound.

I got really excited a couple weeks ago when I saw that The Features would be playing at the Southgate House. I thought this would be the first time I'd get to do an album review/live show. When I checked later, though, I noticed that they had played the previous weekend and I was pretty bummed out. D'oh! Sorry I missed you, Features.

Many girls want to be carnal with me because I'm such a premium dancer

A couple months ago, I caught the movie Everything Is Illuminated on the TV. I've never read the book because I have decided that Jonathan Safran Foer is pretentious and insufferable. Having never read anything by him, I don't know why I've come to this conclusion. I think it's because he wrote this novel when he was like 16 and nobody should be a successful novelist at that age. Nobody!

(Okay, he's really the same age as me which made him 25 when he wrote Everything Is Illuminated, but seeing someone your own age being so successful makes it even worse. I hope he enjoys turning 30 this year.)

Anyway, I set aside my irrational Jonathan Safran Foer rage long enough to watch the movie and I really kind of liked it. It wasn't the best thing ever but I do kind of like Elijah Wood and it had it's funny moments. What stuck with me the most, though, was the soundtrack. It was full of mournful Ukrainian tunes and crazy Russian folk rock. I added it to my want list on Lala and a couple weeks later it was at my door.

So now I'm listening to it and I've decided I still enjoy mournful Ukrainian tunes (Sad & Ukrainian?) and crazy Russian folk rock. I don't think it's something I'd bust out everyday, but it's kind of fun to work to. Tubas and violins have a nice way of setting the pace.

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CONTEST, CONTEST, CONTEST!

I got an idea for a new contest the other day so here, dear reader, is another chance for you to win a free song on iTunes. I have one more letter "E" album then it's on to "F." According to my rough count I have 23 full albums beginning with the letter F on Declan that I will be listening to.

In order to win your free song, you need to send me a list of three albums beginning with the letter F that you suspect I will be reviewing. If at least two of those three albums are actually on my list, you win!

So to be clear, the album has to be good enough that I've kept it in its entirety on my iPod. With your entry, you should also send me the name of the free iTunes song you would like so I can send it to you if you win. All entries should be emailed to sadandbritish@gmail.com. Now start guessing!

You got a voice like the last day of catholic school

I was never much of a Replacements fan. I'm still not. I like a couple songs and, unfortunately, I think it was mostly their low production values that kept me from liking them more. They just don't sound good. Do you know what I mean?

Ahh, but in later years and thanks to fancier recording studios, I became a Paul Westerberg fan. Maybe it's the Minnesotan in him, but he's got a nice sorrow to his stuff. Even the rockers suggest disappointment and cloudy days to come. I might have bestow an honorary Sad & British title upon him.

For the last few days I've been listening to Eventually, his 1996 album, and the first one I bought. I got to see him at The Blue Note in Missouri when I was in college and I think I was a bit smitten. He was just the right amount of grumpy. To me it just seemed like indie rock. Remember, Grunge was just ending at the time, so I had a high tolerance for sadness and anger.

If I remember correctly, "Love Untold" was a minor hit from this album. I know I saw the video on MTV a few times. It's a sweet little song about first dates and the expectations that go along with them. Don't worry, though, it has a sad ending. Mr. Westerberg wouldn't want to get too cheerful on us.

Naked and faking on a poorly lit stairway

Remember "Pain Killer (Summer Rain)"? It was a minor hit in the summer of 2003 for a little-know British band named Turin Brakes. I remember it. I even bought their album, Ether Song. Hell, I even saw them in concert. Granted it was because they were opening for David Gray, but I still feel like I've paid more attention to Turin Brakes than your average music listener.

"Summer Rain" is an excellent song, but I can't really say that for the rest of the album. It's one of those songs that just sticks out because it's so so much better than anything else. I spend the rest of Ether Song daydreaming and trying to think of what other band they sound like. They sound like a lot of British bands - just not as good.

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There are some albums coming out soon that have me really excited for the end of January. I don't remember this being a hot time of the year for record releases but I'll take it. The new Shins album, Wincing The Night Away, drops on January 23 and Some Loud Thunder by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah follows the next week. That same day sees the release of Paolo Nutini's debut album in America. It's already I hit in England and from what I've heard on his myspace page, it's something I want to check out.

All this new music should help brighten up the bleakest time of year and keep me rockin' until Neon Bible by Arcade Fire comes out on March 6th.

I took Eileen by the hand, walk with me was her command

Declan's right at home today as we've made it to Essential Pogues on his album list. I think this is a CD I got from my friend Steve who has a pretty extensive collection of The Pogues. Aside from a few tracks from Waiting For Herb, this is the only Pogues on my iPod.

When I think of the Pogues these days, two things spring to mind. The first is how amazingly ugly Shane McGowan has gotten. He really is the modern day caricature of the Irish drunk incarnate. As I listen to his music, a picture of his face seeps into my mind and it scares me. See for yourself:Now you, too, can share my pain.

The second thing that I remember is that Elvis Costello used to be married to their bass player. A biography I read said the band used to call him "Uncle Brian" because his creepy 35-year-old man lust for 19-year-old Cait O'Riordan reminded them of an inappropriate relative. I laugh every time I think about that.

So how's the album? It starts out great, turns into a travelogue and kind of just peters out at the end with an unnecessary cover of "Honky Tonk Woman." "The Sunny Side Of The Street" and "Fairytale of New York" are songs everyone should own so I could consider this album to be truly essential. It's a handy introduction to a legendary band with a freaky, freaky lead singer. Uncle Brian would approve.

She filled my head with the awful noise of her disppointment and the Pet Shop Boys

I was going to write about how I was sitting around today watching the Bengals lose yet another game, but the lucky bastards just scored and took the lead on an amazing series of events. They probably still won't make the playoffs so I guess my disappointment will ultimately be rewarded. How's that for a bright outlook on the new year?

I figured I'd end my year the way I started it, by listening to an album on Declan. Today I've made it to England, Half English the most recent studio album by Billy Bragg, released in 2002.

Billy hasn't done an album in awhile because he's been contemplating what it means to be English, and this album represents the musical seed of those thoughts. There are tunes about immigration, international influence and the death of the British Empire. It's a little brooding and angry but still contains some of those funny lyrical nuggets that make me love Billy so.

(Update, the Steelers just scored so the Bengals are back on their way to losing.)

What I remember most about England, Half English, though, is it contains one of the truly terrible protest songs and possibly the worst one Billy Bragg has ever written. I've always liked Billy's political tunes, even if I don't always agree with them, because they were catchy and/or funny. Sadly "NPWA" is neither. It's a ponderous rant about the World Bank. Seriously, the World Bank ("NPWA" stands for the choral chant, "No power without accountability.") The song is stuck right in the middle of the album, interrupting any flow that might otherwise exist. Thanks, Billy.

As always, my favorite tunes on the album are about relationships. "Jane Allen" about an old flame looking for a hookup and "Another Kind Of Judy" about god knows what, but it's sweet. Some have frowned on the world music style backing band on the album. Fans of old school, Billy-and-a-guitar albums might be overwhelmed with all the stuff going on, but don't mind it. It does sounds like it could old, though, so I hope the next album is a return to simplicity. I also hope it's a return to protest songs that don't suck.

(Update: The Bengals just scored again, so they're back in the lead. This team is such a flirt, but they never call.)

This is what you face when geography breaks

I have to admit, I've been remiss. I guess that's true about so many things, but this one involves music so I correct it here.

Remember way back in February when I wrote perhaps my meanest post ever about the poor, innocent, Mid-Ohio band called Bel Auburn? I had admitted to having a bad day, but I'm still not a fan of their first album, Cathedrals.

Well, back in August I got a lovely email from Jared (who I'm guessing is the same Jared that is described on their web site as the guy "who writes all the lyrics and makes noise with his guitar"). He asked that I please download their new album Lullabies in A&C and give it a listen. I was warned that it, too, is a concept album ("We sincerely can't help it," explained Jared).

That's fair, I can give Bel Auburn another shot. Also, today I am filled with Christmas cheer so my feelings on the album won't be colored by a bad mood. I also just love the thought that Jared thinks I am an important enough blogger to have my opinions valued. Doesn't he know nobody reads this thing, and of the dozen or so who do, half of them are cats? Well, never mind, I guess you guys want a verdict. (And some tuna?)

I declare Lullabies in A&C to be not bad. "Roses" is a lovely song with all the pop sensibility I love so much. The production quality seems to be higher this time and there is an acceptable amount of the electronic pops and twitters that the kids seem to like these days. The songs are full of building crescendos and interesting guitars. The only drawback for me are the lyrics. While there are a couple of good lines scattered here and there, I am a lyrics freak and demand lines a little deeper than "Someday I hope you'll find the time to pick up all the pieces." It's the kind of thing a high school emo kid might write in a letter to his sad, sad girlfriend. I'm sorry, Jared, but it's true.

I am also happy to report that Bel Auburn has a new web page that no longer declares them gods of indie rock. Overall I'm left with a pretty good impression. Lullabies in A&C has managed to keep a place in my ever more crowded iPod. These days that's getting to be quite an accomplishment. You can also go to their website yourself, listen to the album, then tell me how wrong I am. Either way, have a Merry Christmas!

Hanging out with mom, trying on his father's tights

Now that all my world travels are over, I guess it's time to get back to the regular iPod listening. I'm sure Declan's felt a little neglected lately (except on those long airplane rides where he's a life saver). Anyway, it's time to get through some of these letter "E" albums and get moving.

Unfortunately, I feel like I've said about as much as I can about Blink 182. They make me want to break stuff (in a good way) and if I ever had to play a 16-year-old boy in a movie I would listen to nothing but Blink to get into the role. Also, I love them.

Enema Of The State is today's album and continues to be my favorite Blink 182 album. It's not as subtle as some of their later stuff, but who needs subtle when you're talking about off-color punk pop songs? Subtle kind of ruins it.

Still, "Adam's Song" is a sweet and poignant track about suicide. Mix that in with "What's My Age Again?" about acting stupid and you pretty much have the soundtrack for adolescence or for those of us who still wish for those days (only once in awhile).

Throw in the fact that I have great memories that involve this album through much of 2000 and 2001 and Enema Of The State becomes one of those albums that can never leave my iPod. It's just too good.