Mad Men.

Ok, so here we have another exception. Mad Men is a TV series on AMC that in just the last week i have been turned on to. Thanks to Comcast's OnDemand, I got to watch the entire first season before tonight's Season 2 premiere tonight.

"Mad Men" is a term used in the 60s describing the ad agency guys working on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. These men are the best of the best, really, who rock the advertising world and the entire citiy. Don Draper is our central character working at Sterling-Cooper; a family man, a total mystery, and a slick dude. The first episode shows us that it is he who comes up with Lucky Strike Cigarettes' motto: "It's Toasted". He is the creative director for the firm and certainly has a lot of clout. Each episode reveals more and more about him and the others of Sterling-Cooper: Peggy (the new girl), Pete Campbell (who i think is a fucking weasel), Roger Sterling, Betsy Draper (Don's wife who wants to find out more of her husband's past), and a whole slew of interesting people. The first season is simply a revelation of each person, and this second season will begin showing everyone's lives more in-depth.

Something that turns me on to this show is the historical aspect. Everyone drinks, everyone smokes, and everyone seems to have their own share of affairs going on. The men talk smooth and act smooth. The beginning credits play an awesome RJD2 song and display a sort of Saul Bass-type of art. Men are sexist. People are racist. Kennedy and Nixon are battling for the presidency. Sterling-Cooper is trying its best to keep up with the times. And, each episode closes with a great song from the time period that fits with the mood.

This show displays the era that i wished i lived in, which is another selling point for me. I'm trying to be a classy guy, and these are the people that are examples for me. The writing is very top-notch and well crafted.

New episodes are on Sundays, I believe, on AMC at 10 PM.

Tristeza - Spine & Sensory

I discovered Tristeza via Pandora Radio, on my Saxon Shore/Unwed Sailor station. So, off the bat, you should have a general idea of what to expect. Tristeza (Spanish for sadness) is an instrumental band involving Jimmy LaValle, whom you might know from The Album Leaf.

Spine & Sensory is the band's first album, and this copy is the expanded edition that contains three rare tracks on it. It's all very chill. Early-Saxon Shore is the best way to describe it, I think. The tone of each song differs from the other, as some are just ambient without much going on except for staggering samples and some chorus-y noise. Other times you will have the drums kick in and keep a steady beat as the oh-so-glorious buildup (which is mandatory for instrumental bands, sadly) begins. It's hard not to make some comparisons to the like of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky, if only indirect ones, and therefore i will also mention that some of the guitars and structures remind me of the now defunct Lambert Post.

I'm finding it a bit difficult to say much about this album. I'm not usually an instrumental listening-to type of person. But i can't say anything bad about this album; it's about what i expected when i bought it. Chill, steady, and smooth. Good for the days that are the sucky transition between Fall and Winter.

The Good, The Bad, and The Queen

I remember this cd coming out at the beginning of the year and not really paying any attention to it. But i'm glad i finally got it!

Something that should be noted is that this cd isn't released by a band with the same name. The band doesn't have a name at all. But it's a total supergroup: Damon Albarn (of Blur and The Gorillaz), Paul Simonon (of The Clash), Simon Tong (of The Verve), and Tony Allen (co-founder of the Afrobeat genre). With that stated, how could you go wrong? This album is an immersion into the nooks and crannies of London as it could only be done by these dudes. Oh, and did i mention it was produced by Danger Mouse?

Off the bat, i'm going make a comparison to the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. The Good, The Bad, & The Queen is kind of like a dark and scarier pet sounds, yet still holds the whole atmospheric tones and feelings throughout. There are songs with buzzing table-top organs, simple acoustic strumming, and probably the best bass tone i have ever heard. The bass drum is deep and punchy, yet always being done in the right place. I've been surprised at how well everything has come together and really caught my attention.

Best said, this cd is good for listening to on melancholy or rainy days. It's all pretty chill. Danger Mouse's touch is very apparent and much appreciated. Most of the vocals are very echo-y and distant, with the bass and keys in the center, and the drums on the other side of that spectrum. In a nutshell, i would say that four badasses came together and made a cd that is very attention grabbing, in a moody and dark sort of way.

Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew: Spirit If...

I'm starting to get tired of the whole 'solo cd' spiel. It's not such a bad thing when all the songs are composed of mainly yourself, maybe some other people, but not practically the whole band you are usually in. That, and the songs shouldn't really sound too much like that band, either. These two criteria are not followed in Spirit If... and it bothers me a little bit.

Kevin Drew is one of the co-founders of Broken Social Scene (the other being Brendan Canning, who also released a solo cd with the title of Broken Social Scene Presents:) and, being a fan of that band, I really wanted to get a copy of this cd. I had only heard one song, TBTF (which is an acronym for something very humorous/true, i believe) and it was enough to get me sold on it. There are 14 songs altogether - a little long - and most of the songs clock in at over four minutes.

Now, back to my original point: this is still, in my opinion, a BSS album. It's practically a sequel to their self-titled cd. This gets me a little hot and bothered. Sure, the whole Broken Social Scene Presents: hints at some distance from being a total solo album. Well then, don't make it one! I have a pretty firm belief that more than one person in the band can write songs and they are still songs from that band. But BSS i guess has different ideas. That's fine. And it could be that the whole Presents: thing helps people identify who Kevin Drew is. Whatever.

What you can expect in this cd is quirky song titles (i.e, "TBTF", "F-Ked Up Kid", "Gang Bang Suicide") and several parts to each song, especially since they are song long. You're going to find some different instruments being played, such as the vibraphones, distorted synth, and flutes. Since this is practically a Broken Social Scene cd, you should already have a good idea of what it sounds like, if you have listened to their self-titled album already. It's not a bad cd, though it might seem i am hinting toward that. It's just not a solo cd, in my mind.

Thom Yorke & Ed O'Brien Interview

The A.V. Club (associated with The Onion) just interviewed Thom and Ed from Radiohead. it's a good interview; very relaxed and informative. sorry, i'm just a little giddy from it.

read read read

i'm seeing them Aug. 3 in Indy with my really good Radiohead friends. hope that doesn't sound too nerdy.