The weather is getting nice(r) now, and I’m ramping back into motivated-mode. I want to spend more time out of the house and less time being a lazy bum. And–believe it or not (and I hope you will)–I desire exercise. I know, right? So here’s where I run into a couple (ton) of problems.

Problem 1:
I don’t like to sweat. It’s gross. And with sweat comes physical exhaustion, getting out of breath, pain, and having to shower more often than is typically necessary. None of that is the least bit appealing. But you know, I can get over it.

Problem 2:
I’m kinda broke and can’t afford a gym membership. Why do gym memberships have to cost so gosh darn much? Ok, ok, I hear you. Machine upkeep, staff, insurance, blah blah blah… I just wanna use the elliptical and maybe even the treadmill, dudes. That’s all I ask: just the elliptical and the treadmill. I should definitely be able to pay 1/18 the price for using 1/18 the gym, right? I won’t even shower there (promise!) or touch a single freeweight (double promise!); just cut me some slack.

Problem 3:
I hate “natural exercise”. Ok, so the solution to #2 seems like it would be just to go running around town, right? Wrong. I hate running in natural environments. First off, there’s the traffic; I don’t do so well moving at high speeds around other things moving at high speeds, unless it’s like my feet versus the belt on a treadmill. Then, there are the pedestrians. Sure, they’re not moving at high speeds, but they are totally hogging the sidewalk and often quite unpredictable. Kids jumping out of nowhere; homeless men begging for change; rabid squirrels; stray dogs and cats; old people. And then we have the ground. Yeah, I’m so likely to trip it’s actually painful to consider. But assuming I can conquer this wild and crazy obstacle course, my main gripe is that I just get bored. Like really bored. In a gym, I have the tv, but out in the wilderness, I just have myself. Just me. And my thoughts. Yeah, you see what I’m saying, right? I thought so.

Ok, so let’s recap:
1) I don’t like getting messy (but I will).
2) I’m poor.
3) Running outside is boring.
Oh, and I didn’t mention it, but I don’t really dig sports. So community soccer, volleyball, softball, tennis, rugby: all out of the equation.

So what DO I like? I’ve brainstormed on this and constructed a handy list:
1) Digital numbers that allow me to set numerical goals (distance, time, laps, or calories) and show me when I’ve reached them (with a burst of confetti)
2) <$35/mo
3) Dancing or anything choreographed (but not cardio-kickboxing)

Ok, now your turn. Who’s got my solution?

Read:
The magazines and media supplied you with their plastic protocol / Oh, and maybe music television really is the devil after all / But all I can say is I knew you before
You were beautiful back then / Before you grew up, before you gave in
[...] You could be beautiful again

Listen:

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Watch:

I know it’s a really weird comparison, but the vibe and lyrical rhythms remind me of Moby era “Natural Blues” (click for video @ 2001 GRAMMY Awards), mixing in the gruffness of Tom Waits at times. The album is sinister; it’s rough around the edges; and it urges me to pull up a stool at the local biker bar and do shots of whiskey. At the same time, it’s bluesy, soothing, and quite intoxicating all on its own. This is music to road trip to, to sleep to, to divorce your spouse to, or just to escape your 9-5 and pretend you’re a lonely cowboy to. Giddyup.

Read:

With my idle hands / There’s nothing I can doBut be the Devil’s plaything, Baby / And know that I’ve been used.

Listen:
The Gutter Twins – Idle Hands
The Gutter Twins – The Body
The Gutter Twins – God’s Children

Stream the album here or at their myspace page.
If you buy the LP at SubPop, you can download all the MP3s for FREE.

Hadouken! have a vid out for their song “Get Smashed Gate Crash”. I first heard these dudes when I was interning for a label in London, and spent a bit of time browsing bands on myspace. As I recall, these boys are pretty popular on the social networking supersite. Anyway, the song is about–you guessed it–getting smashed. I didn’t listen to the lyrics, but I can guess from the video that it’s also about house parties, bar-hopping, drugs, sex, rock & roll, boobs, puking, passing out, strippers, and so on. They’re sounding as much like MSI (that’s “Mindless Self Indulgence” for the n00bs) as ever with a British flare. (Wiki calls them a “Grindie band”. Hah. That’s cute.)

Apparently, this is from 2007 and not that new. Meh.

If you hate scenesters, go here and listen to “That Boy That Girl”.

[Spotted @ Panda Toes]

ME (6:42:55 PM): the glass of wine is in front of me, but you can’t really see it
Ben (6:43:24 PM): wow dude that’s such a sick effect there, wicked creative
Ben (6:43:26 PM): hehe
ME (6:43:40 PM): I know, it’s unlike anything anyone else is doing right now
ME (6:43:47 PM): I think it’s the future of myspace/facebook

Discuss.

I kicked myself for not buying a ticket to the show. I mean–come on. BR make really sweet music. And this was their record release show. And Johnny Brenda’s is a great venue. But much to my delight, it was not sold out. Much to my dismay, it wasn’t even close to it. (To their defense, it was rainy and really gross outside.) The “uh ohs” started to kick in as I reflected on my disappointing MGMT experience there. Ape School kicked off the evening with their brand of dreamy rock I thought only British boys could pull off. During certain songs, I even drew comparisons to U2. (Seriously. My notes say, “‘It wasn’t my intention!’ So good! Yes! U2?”) For the record, I 90% despise U2, but when I hear the little guys pull off their epic sound, it makes my heart flutter a little. So I pulled them up on the googleator, and found this myspace page, which sounds surprisingly different than the fellows I saw. It claims the group is just one guy who records his stuff, but calls on his fellow apes when playing live. It might be old material on the page; I don’t know what to think. I’d like to listen to the stuff I heard on Tuesday, please. thnx.

Then Cadence Weapon… meh. One really talented DJ (Wiesel) who I could dance to all night and one quite unbearably boring lyricist, whose vocals I couldn’t understand a word of most of the time. Bummer.

And finally, Canadian heroes Born Ruffians brought it all back with a stellar, high-energy performance featuring lots of tunes off their new album, Red, Yellow & Blue. I had no idea they were only a three-piece, which totally blows me away. Between their catchy hooks, hip-shakin’ beats, and Animal Collective-like “hootin’ and hollerin’” (that’s what they call it–and it’s totally accurate), anyone with a pulse would be crazy not to love their set.



I got a couple minutes to chat with dummer/keyboardist (huh? I know, right?) Steve Hamelin about their journey so far, and he had nothing but great things to say about their adventure, the supporting acts, and especially their fans. I was curious to get his thoughts on the changing business models in the music industry, specifically downloading. Steve’s response? “Go download our album. Tell your friends to download our album. We’re just happy it’s getting out there.” He added that exposure is their main concern; they get money not just through album sales but through touring, ad syncing, merch, etc., so the most important thing is that their music is accessible. Right on, Steve.

For fans of: Yeasayer, Vampire Weekend, Animal Collective
Go listen to them on myspace. Go buy (or download–BR approved) their album. Keep rockin’.

Prove your loyalty by leaving a comment about your biggest grammar “don’t”.

I have lots including but not limited to:
-good vs. well
-”couldn’t care less”
-”could of; should of; would of”
-omitting -ly on adverbs (where appropriate)

What are yours?

Head over to their myspace page to check out three more tracks. They’re all really fun.

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Add me on last.fm.

Last.fm also allows users to build their own unofficial programs and widgets. One that I found really interesting is a tool that researches the market price of your top 50 albums and estimates the cost of your collection. Here are my results:

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How does it work?

We take your top50 albums and ask for their current prices on amazon.com.

Why are so many albums not found?

There could be several problems:

1. Misspelling in album’s title
2. amazon doesn’t sell this album
3. amazon sells the album, but they are currently not available

If we’re already friends on last.fm, find yourself on this chart, which expresses our musical compatibility. How neat!