Mens Rea

Best Music of 2007

Every year I like to do my Best of Year review of music. We had a lot of choices this year. Based on print-outs from my iTunes I have 140+ CDs that had a 2007 release date. I shall do my best to endeavor to craft a good article but seeing that I am rather busy, this may be a work in progress so bare with me.

1. "Neon Bible" (Arcade Fire)

This is a masterpiece of an album. Win Butler, an Exeter Prep graduate (a la Dan Brown), finds his roots in Montreal taking up the cause of his wife, who is of Haitian extraction. Less groundbreaking than their previous album, Funeral (itself a masterpiece), Neon Bible shows that the anthematic tones of U2 are not lost on this multi-national band. Highly political and critical of the US war machine as well as puppet dictators who have either been created by or as a result of US foreign policy. My favorites are Windowsill, the incredibly passionate Intervention along with the title track.

2. "Wincing the Night Away" (The Shins)

I love The Shins. I got into them after their brilliant first album but the Wincing the Night Away did not disappoint. It is contagiously delicious. Otherworldly folk-rock with a tinge of psychedelia for good measure. The Shins only disappointed in that they did not play Detroit. What a pity. If you haven't heard any of their music, run, do not walk and grab some.
3. "Favourite Worst Nightmare" (Arctic Monkeys)

I saw them in March and it was one hell of a show. Rowdy and full of piss and vinegar as my grandfather was apt to say. Lyrically they are among the most witty and amusing of any band. They remind me of the Kinks mixed with the Minutemen. The average age of the show was about 17 so I was roughly 20 years older than most.

4. "Under the Blacklight" (Rilo Kiley)

I had listened to the previous CDs of Rilo Kiley and I liked them but they just did not resonate with me. Die hard Rilo fans were somewhat disappointed in this album as it is less adventurous, but what it lacked in adventure it made up with sharp lyrics detailing the mixed and confused world of Los Angeles. The seedy side behind the glamour and make-up. The scene behind the scenes. Stories of sex, drugs and loneliness permeate this album. Musically it is upbeat which serves a juxtaposition of the darkness in the lyrics. Most of August was spent listening to this.

5. "Sky Blue Sky" (Wilco)

Over time, I am sure this will be my favorite of 2007. It is imminently listable. Like one of the blogs I read suggested: Wilco was never as weird as they were perceived to be. This bears that out. This reminds me of Nick Drake meets the Eagles with Neil Young thrown in for good measure. Jeff Tweedy's lyrics opens up and shows his vulnerbility in the moving "Either Way." Sad song but with a glimmer of hope. Other gems are Impossible Germany and the title track.

6. "Challengers" (The New Pornographers)

.
Like Rilo Kiley, this was my late summer listening. I spent half of August at my dad's cottage and I had this and Rilo Kiley on heavy rotation the whole time. In fact I would often put the two on shuffle and they complement each other surprisingly well. I think this is probably my favorite New Pornographers album. Still quirky and complex but Neko Case's vocals shine here and the songs are very well composed, if not a bit poppy. But introducing a little pop sound to the NPs is certainly not going to make them Britney.

7. "Our Ill Wills" (Shout Out Louds)
.
I swear I heard this album in 1984. If you did not check the voice, you would swear that this could have been the Cure at their brightest. This album is like a time travel to all the glorious new wave giants of the 80's; only filtering out the excess garbage. I have been listening to this album more and more of late.

8. "Boxer" (The National)

Maybe this was the year of nostalgia, but the National, like the Shout Out Louds, is a throw back to the sounds of Joy Division, Bauhaus but with a more upbeat tempo and less morose lyrics. A very introspective CD.

9. "La Radiolina" (Manu Chao)

A new find. Latin beats with French and English (and I think Arabic) language that is one of the most highly charged political albums I have heard in years. As political as early Billy Bragg, but with a beat that is almost danceable. I am addicted to Manu!

10. "In Rainbows" (Radiohead)

On top of a brilliant marketing strategy they put out their most accessible album in years. While not at their peak of the Bends or OK Computer, In Rainbows demonstrates why Radiohead is widely regarded as one of the most influential working bands around.

Honorable Mention (in no particular order)

1. "In Our Bedroom After the War" (Stars)
2. "Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew Spirit If..." (Arts & Crafts)
3. "Time on Earth" (Crowded House)
4. "Friend Opportunity" (Deerhoof)
5. "Compass Rose Bouquet" (Great Lakes Myth Society)
6. "Our Love to Admire" (Interpol) "Noel" (Josh Groban) OK... I can't help it, it is one of the best Christmas albums I have ever heard
7. "The Reminder" (Feist)
8. "The Stage Names" (Okkervil River)
9. "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?" (Of Montreal)
10. "Icky Thump" (The White Stripes)
11. "Autumn of the Seraphs" (Pinback)
12. "The Flying Club Cup" (Beirut)
13. "Heroes & Thieves" (Vanessa Carlton)
14. "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank" (Modest Mouse)
15. "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" (Spoon)

Top Guitarists

I think I posted something similar to this previously. I love lists- I can't get enough of them. My favorite is Best Rock Guitarist. You see there are so many opinions on this that is positively scary. People vote for their sentimental favorite and base things on one criterium, rather than looking at other factors. Technical skill is certainly one criteria, but it is not the be all, end all. If that were true, then the top 5 would not have any Rock guitarists, it would be made up exclusively of classical and jazz artists. Despite neo-classical metal's attempt to co-opt classic music, it is schlocky compared to artistry of Andres Segovia and Wes Montgomery. However, when people point this out, they say that they are boring. Exactly my point. While I do not find the aforementioned boring, they are certainly no showmen. Being the guitarist in a rock band is to be a showman the foundation of the song.

What is really astounding is that you are not really seeing any amazing players develop in the Indie movement. I am surprised. Most indie music I listen to is guitar-based. Yes, I know that most indie bands eschew the solo, but as Townshend demonstrated you have brilliant guitar that compliments a song, not overshadowing it. Perhaps it is an ego thing. If you are, in fact, a virtuoso on guitar, you want to be noticed. The indie scene is not that place. I guess that is why talented musicians like Petrucci go on to form a progressive metal band. I think it is a shame. Look at The Smiths, one of the first indie-type bands. Without Johnny Marr (now, thankfully of Modest Mouse), they would have been, well, Morrissey. This is a call to the indie community to start to find better musicians. Perhaps it is the punk DIY aesthetic, but I think that we only have to look at history to see that you can have both. The Clash, after a few years, become very good musicians and demonstrated a keen eye for musical bending genres. Imagine if Sufjan Stevens (not my favorite, but I appreciate him) could play acoustic guitar as well as say, Joni Mitchell.

So here is my criterium:

1. Songwriting Skills- it is one thing to be technically proficient, it takes a different and special talent to compose the music.
2. Riff ability- This is distinguished from 1 above in that there are some guitarists that may not write the entire song, but can lay down an infectious riff that become legendary.
3. Inventiveness- The ability to push the boundaries, to cross many musical styles, to challenge their core audience.
4. Concert ability- sure anyone can put down a good performance, a good ax man should be able to hypnotize an audience
5. Technical ability- through countless hours of practice, come perfection. However, as alluded to, with perfection comes a certain sterility (i.e. Yngve Malmsteen).

So here are my top 10:

1. Jimi Hendrix- I had always thought he was amazing, but when listening to his Blues CD, I was quickly reminded of where he started from. He set the standard for showmanship that has seldom been duplicated since. Riff ability is extraordinary. Inventiveness in the studio was unmatched during the time. He was looping and back-masking his guitar long before anyone else in the mainstream was even aware of it.
2. Eric Clapton- Listen to his early blues-based performances and you can feel his deep appreciation of the blues masters. He channeled them. Then, turning on a dime, he, along with Hendrix, quickly invented early metal with Cream. Then doing another hard turn, he moved into the beautiful Derek and the Dominos and showed true class by appreciating a fellow genius on guitar, Duane Allman.
3. Jimmy Page- Yes, Page can play sloppy at times, but he is probably the best song-writing guitarist in history. His depth of musical styles is unmatched. From hard rock, to folk, to Indian to old fashioned blues, Page was a chameleon. His solos are stuff of legends. Are they simple? I don't know frankly as I don't play the guitar, however, that is not the judge of a good guitarist, it is the impression it makes. Page has more lasting solos than almost any other guitarist.
4. David Gilmour of Pink Floyd- Years went by when he was an underrated guitarist, it seems that in hindsight his brilliance is finally be appreciated. His tone is hauntingly beautiful. He was very inventive and not a show-off. He textured his guitar to suit the rich music that they were making. He is amazing songwriter (although not as good as Roger Waters to be sure) and is very precise.
5. Duane Allman- Listen to one of his last performances at the Filmore shortly before he died and you will be in guitar bliss. Rock blues perfected. Enough said.
6. Steve Vai- although this is not my favorite type of music (shredding) he has shown that he has the technical brilliance of all the previous 5 rolled into one. He has a mastery of neo-classical rock as well as blues. He is low on the memorable riffs, songwriting and inventiveness.
7. Keith Richards- although he is certainly, by no means, the greatest technical guitarist, Richards is unparalleled at laying down memorable licks. His sound is utterly distinctive and his longevity is telling.
8. Chuck Berry- I absolutely love Berry. He was my first musical love when my dad used to play him for me when I was 3-4. He single handily introduced the guitar as the foundation of rock music. Prior to that it was a mere accompaniment.
9 Eddie Van Halen- In years of reading about guitarists, I know that much of his talent is based on a relatively simple technique called tapping. In other words, proficient guitarists will often say that his playing is really not that difficult. I do not care. I am not a metal fan by any means (and I am not sure that I would put Van Helen as metal per se, they were too poppy for that), but you have to admit that EVH is probably the third most influential guitarist behind Hendrix and Page. In the 80's he was the automatic answer of who was the best guitarist.
10. Pete Townshend- He is one of the most underrated guitarists out there. His complexity comes across even to non-guitar players. He is amazing songwriter and obviously pushed many creative elements (Tommy, Quadraphenia, etc.) His riff ability is up there with the best of them. He and Hendrix invented the rock guitarist showmanship and The Who has long been considered one of the best concert bands in history. I had my doubts as I saw them in 1989, the 20th anniversary of Tommy and I was not impressed, but I saw them in a domed area with horrible acoustics and even worse seats. Since then, I heard Live at Leeds and I defy anyone to claim that he is not up there with the best. Only Duane is better live.

Honorable mentions:

1. John Frusciante of RHCP- one note, you know its him. Introspective playing only rivaled by Gilmour.

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:
Who's Joe from the album "Waiting For The Sirens' Call" by New Order

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: Angus Young, Chuck Berry, David Gilmour, DC, Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, John Frusciante, Johnny Marr, Joni Mitchell, Ritchie Blackmore, Steve Vai

5 Star iTunes Albums

Do we even call an album an album today? I don't know. I grew up with them so that is what I'll call them.

Back to the topic at hand. One of the nice things about iTunes 7+ is the mini-store at the bottom. What I particularly like is that when you click on a song in your library it will show the starred rating by iTunes listeners as well as the cool feature (and stealing Amazon's long standing tradition) of showing you what else listeners purchased (under the assumption, if you like this artist you make like this (last.fm makes this the basis for their entire site).

What is interesting is how few 5 star albums you find. Classics that you would think there would be no disagreement on find themselves hovering at the 4 star rating. In reading reviewers comments, there is a breed of human called the contrarian. They always want to be different no matter what. My brother has traits of this, but would concede that Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd is 5 star album. What is even more interesting is that those rare 5 star ratings are typically with indie bands. I guess they have a very loyal following coupled with the lack of reviewers. It is an interesting observation of American culture.

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:
Tears For Affairs from the album "Let's Get Out of This Country" by Camera Obscura

Technorati Tags: iTMS, iTunes, last.fm

Iovine and LimeWire

I had never heard of LimeWire until I bought my PowerBook in '03. It was their version of Kazaa I thought. Of course LimeWire is available on all formats, but it was pushed more for us Mac users. My point of bringing this up is that in a post by Leftsetz, he suggests that Jimmy Iovine is leaving Universal to run LimeWire or to acquire a stake in the company. I've known about Iovine for many years, for he, and Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons were singularly responsible for moving hip hop to the major leagues. Jimmy is one of the last old-style record label moguls. However, despite his slightly ruthless reputation, he has also had his finger in the air and has proven himself quite capable of determining trends in music. So recently Jimmy stuck his finger out of his office in Hollywood and finally saw the light that distribution is the new paradigm. Well... actually it is not so simple. He began to speak to Steve Jobs about these things. Perhaps Jobs', in an over enthusiastic moment, gave him an inside track at how the magic man of technology visualizes this new business and Iovine never looked back.

So anyways, the idea is that there will be a completely restructured deal with the majors for distribution rights so that the revenue sharing will be altered in the first time in nearly a century. Only a man with the background of Iovine could pull this off. Despite his enormous success, Jobs is not from that scene. He is an outsider, always will be. You see, you cannot just buy your way into the ancient monolith of the record industry. It is tempestuous creature and will disembowel the unwary. Iovine has always shown he has the moves and the timing to pull this off. Another thing he has is that the artists like him. Not easy to do in that environment. So much so that Bono is apparently willing to provide a single to LimeWire. Personally, that is not a turn-on as U2 is the true band where they are larger than the sum of their parts, but I digress. It proves the point that Iovine could do it. I for one, would love it if they started to have real competition in this field. Lower the cost. Let the grassroots control. Have the bands increase revenue by touring (like they used to). But the last sticking point is TicketMaster. AS part of these negotiations, someone needs to figure out a way to side-step these fuckers and render them to the dustbins of monopolistic history.

Technorati Tags: A&R, Consumer Behavior, iTMS, Jimmy Iovine, Leftsetz, Music, Distribution , TicketMaster, Steve Jobs

Apple and EMI and DRM

Steve Jobs is in London today to issue a joint statement with EMI, the large U.K. music company. To non-music lovers this may not be a big deal, but this is effectively the holy grail of on-line music- The Beatles. The Beatles were are and will be the largest band in the world. You only have to go back to 2000 when their 1 sold over 10,000,000 some 30 years AFTER they broke up. Their outake 6 disk series sold in the millions and recently the mashed up Love went multi-platinum. Think about that. A CD with 40 year old songs is selling more than Justin Timerlake, now that is power. There is, after all, only one group that could do this and that is why their back catalog is so important to Steve Jobs. Despite Apple Computer (now Apple, Inc) and Apple Corps (the Beatles own label) litigious history, I think they are both members of MAS (mutual affection society). It is only fitting that the company that showed the world how to "SELL" music on the web legally would score the biggest exclusive catch. This is supposed to be the big news story. But for me, there is a potential for more.

Rumor has it that Apple and EMI will work out some type of deal to sell non DRM (digital rights management) songs. If that happens, in one fell swoop, Apple's entire operation and iPod synergy needs to be re-worked, re-evaluated. Everything that Microsoft is doing with the Zune will be called into question. You see, since Apple launched iTMS, the argument has been that it forces people to buy an iPod or makes them locked. This is all bunk Statistics have shown that the average iPod user has purchased a little over 20 tunes- hardly an anchor to keep with the iPod. Sure there was some synergy, but surely this is not the reason for the iPods incredible success. When I purchased my first 3G there was no Music Store. So why did I buy an iPod? Well... I am an Apple freak of course, but also, I had already tried products from creative, Dell, Intel (yes, intel made a flash-based player) and Sony. Some were passable, whereas the others sucked. Apple nailed the iPod, it is that simple. So, back to this non-DRM deal. If this were Microsoft I would say that perhaps they missed the boat as they've done quite frequently in the past (a little late to the game- i.e. Zune). However, do you really think that Jobs would have announced 2 months ago in an editorial that DRM was thrust upon them by the RIAA, if he did not have a way to use this to his benefit? I could be hugely mistaken here, but Jobs does not miscalculate often, and when he does, history shows that he was ahead of everyone else (i.e. Next Computers). So, how will non-DRM work with iTMS? How will they reduce widespread piracy? I don't know. All i DO know is that it exists already and sending nasty grams by the RIAA only makes people more pissed off at the RIAA.

The lesson here is that the ENTIRE music industry needs to start over. You can't see if your methods will eventually work. They wont. It's over. Figure out a new way to make money. Figure out a new way to break an artists. The indie acts are giving you all the answers... look to them, they'll show you the way. But put away your condescending arrogance for one moment and see what is happening around you. If you can't then I suggest that you either move to Nashville to work the Country scene or stay with urban, R&B and hip-hop- nothing else will make any money for the labels. Oh, to be sure, people are consuming music at record levels. The average 12 year old has more music than I did when I was 25 so do not tell me that the demand or interest is not there. Figure out a way to monetize it without killing it. Think back to the 70's when the super acts emerged, like Zeppelin and the prog bands. They did it their own way. They got paid, they had artistic freedom. And guess what, everyone made a small fortune. So you dumbass A&R guy, leave the artists alone until you can figure out how to help them... not package them.

Technorati Tags: Apple, Beatles, EMI, Non-DRM, iTMS, puppy, A&R

Blogging Stats

It seems that Saturday is a lull time for people reading blogs. Of course that makes sense, especially as much of the country emerges from a long and grey winter. Based on my stats it seems that people read blogs at work. What a surprise. Also, people like to read tabloid fodder. I posted two entries on American Idol and Sanjaya Malakar and my stats spiked tremendously (well, let's get real here, we are still talking only 80-100 people!). I can see that if one's desire was to create a popular blog, you could do it. You'd have to stay very current and do a lot of work by infesting your blog with trackbacks, comments, and tons of entries with tags such as "Spears Bald"; "Spears Crazy"; "Sanjaya"; "Reese Witherspoon Pregnant." You get the idea. This is, of course, how the New York Post, the National Enquirer and such rags make their daily living and with instant feedback from stats you can quickly titrate your entries to achieve maximum impact. But of course, your blog would be written in sixth grade (and that's being generous) English with zero intellectual value. As you can imagine, I do not intend to make this a habit, but I will post about American Idol went the bug strikes me as I really do think that this is a social phenomenon that is largely representative of our society today. It is a perfect microcosm. It is the Census that no longer exists.

There was a fascinating post by the Gotham Gal today about being caught in the echo chamber. I have actually commented on the Gotham Gal's blog as well as her husband about that topic. Specifically in reference to HD Radio. I posited that they are pushing for HD Radio because they live in NYC where there will be many adopters with great DJs. However, what they fail to think about is the so-called "fly-over" country. Joanne's post today recounted a story when she worked in the garment industry and was told when she needed to get back to consumer's tastes (as opposed to sophisticated New Yorkers) she would only need to fly into O'Hare. I agree! Like it or not, American Idol is representative of our country- it is the closest thing we have to unanimity I've seen in a long time. Do I own any of the winners (or losers for that matter) CDs? No way... wouldn't even dream to. But we have winners who have made large impacts on several different genres of music: from country to R&B to pop.

S

Technorati Tags: American Idol, American Idol Analysis, Chris Sligh, Malakar, Phil Stacey, Reese Witherspoon Pregnant, Sanjaya, Sanjaya Malakar, Spears Bald, Spears Crazy, Technology, Trackback

American Idol Effect

You know I never watched this show until this season. I dismissed it quickly as I don't like the style of music that wins. The "look at me" vocals in the style of Mariah Carey send shivers down my body, despite the fact that I acknowledge that Mariah possesses a good voice. So, why would I watch it. Well, it started in the beginning where I just found the audition process to be both the best comedy on television as well as an indictment of our "you're special" society that we have become. The comedy is a given. Bad singers that think they are good is just too good to pass up. It is what makes a karaoke bar so much fun. The intermix of people who can sing juxtaposed with drunken fools trying to sing Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. While popular in the United States it has never reached a critical mass like it has in Asia where it continues to be extremely popular. American Idol is our vicarious karaoke. A place where we can voyeuristically watch people make total fools of themselves...sober.

Idol is facing a real dilemma now. One contestant, Sanjaya Malakar, remains, despite the fact that he is dreadful. He is like a bad high school musical. Yet he advances. Why? He has four things going for him:

1. YOUTH- American's love young people and factor in age in their decision when someone seems "innocent" Note this does not help Jordin, who is the same age as Sanjaya, as she is 'mature.'

2. INNOCENCE- This what Brittany Spears banked on early in her career and look how innocent she really was. It is why Clay Aiken went so far as did Stuart Little. It gets the granny card.

3. VOTE FOR THE WORST- Howard Stern and the Vote for the Worst website are rooting for Sanjaya to win and although the Idol officials claim that this has no impact, Stern controls a considerable audience and even if a small percentage took him up on it, it is enough to push him over the top.

4. LIEF GARRET EFFECT- Like Lief in the 70's there is always a place for a sappy guy with long waving hair to play to the hearts of the tween crowd.

When you factor the vote for the worst effect, the granny vote and the Lief Garrett effect, he has a shot to keep going. I wont say he'll make the final 4, but I think he's safe for a few more weeks. Unfortunately for Idol, the longer he stays, the worse its reputation as a star creator will be. The longer he stays in, the more it looks like a Simpson's paroday and becomes as irrelevant as Star Search. My advise to the producers of American Idol. Have the judges be allowed ONE veto until the top 10. Get rid of the person who is going to make a mockery of the competition. While slightly amusing, I don't think Idol wants to be remembered for Sanjaya. I think they'd rather have a Carrie Underwood (even though I cannot stand her music).

As alluded to, this is a sad indictment of our society, where people are afraid to give honest, frank criticism for fear that you'll injure their psyche. Where everyone is either bestowing phony niceties or being cruel in their attacks. There does not seem to be a middle ground here. This creates this phenomenon where these awful singers go out there and LITERALLY think they can sing and honestly believe that they have a chance to make it. When I worked in the crisis center throughout the 90's, this is what we'd call a perception delusion. I think the greater malady is that their parents and loved ones do not step up to the plate and just tell them "you know I love it when you sing, but your voice is just not strong enough to make it... maybe you can take some vocal lessons." See, that was not so hard. It gets the point across. I had a law school professor for Constitutional Law who would scream and holler (but actually in a good way). You were required to stand up to brief a case. When people would bumble and say they were nervous, he would retort "do you think you're special?" His point being, we are all in the same boat. We are less special than we'd believe. Our "specialness" has become something of a collective narcissism. I have noticed more in the last few years. It is interesting to note, that Freud, himself, thought that a narcissist cannot be helped as there can be no transference- that is the ability to have empathy. Are we creating a society of such people? Let's call it the American Idol effect.

Technorati Tags: American Idol, Lief Garret, Malakar, Music, puppy, Sanjaya, Sanjaya Malakar

A blog worth reading

All of you know my favorite daily blog is Fred Wilson's. He is entertaining and discusses my two passions: technology and music. He has an extensive blo-roll and every once and a while, I give some more a try. I have permanently added about 10 to my NetNewsWire RSS feeds. However, about a month ago, I caught his link to the Lefsetz letter. Unbelievable! This is one of the best music journalists I have ever read. It is artfully written from a first person account. He is nostalgic to a fault, but manages to take you into his own narrative, much like a well written novel. If he wrote this as a novel, I, for one, would most assuredly buy it.

I find some similarities to myself (not in ability to write, that's for sure). He is a lawyer (UCLA grad it seems). But hated being an attorney- he found it boring and did not like most in his profession. As my "about" page has always stated, I, too, have a utter disdain for most attorneys. I find them heartless and lacking passion. Leftsetz also shows haw music is utterly transcendent. How it becomes an appendage of your being. That, like the aroma of Grandma's apple pie (which never actually existed), it triggers profound memories and thoughts. Hell, for me, I can ever recall smells from certain music.

Leftsetz's musical leanings are a little too '70's progressive at times and he certainly enjoys pop more than I do. But, unlike many musical snobs, I do appreciate a brilliant pop song when I here it. It seems here, both of agree that the Backstreet Boys "I Want It That Way" is a bloody masterpiece of modern music. Thus, the bourgeois in me yields to pure pop bliss when it is taken to its highest level. So it was over-produced. So, they were created by Lou Pearlman- the modern day P.T Barnum. I don't care. In that one moment, they bottled magic and captured a moment that is indelible. When I hear that I have strong memories of being in the Philippines where pop music is the force d'jeur. But the Filipino's seemed to have an amazing knack at finding the ultimate pop songs- the infectious grooves that is the DNA of our modern music. If you go to any Filipino mall, one of the most striking things you will notice is how loud the music is. Every store cranks their own music. However, 9/10 times it is the same track that seems to be repeated continually so that it burns into your psyche. So, while I do not queue up Pink's 'Let's Get the Party Started' on my iTunes, when I hear it, my inner-self dances in a way that my pale white body never could.

The Leftsetz letter is now officially on my blogroll.

Technorati Tags: Backstreet Boys, Fred Wilson, Leftsetz, Music, Pink, NetNewsWire, Attorneys

Reflections on Age

You know I am going to see two concerts coming up: Arctic Monkeys and Keane. It made me think that I am crossing the 'international date line' for music. That is, there are few concerts where the artists are older than I am. Chili Peppers, U2 and some of the 60's dinosaurs are about it. Seems kind of strange. I was looking at one of my last.fm friends who just turned 50 and if you look at his profile, it is amazing. Fugazi, Nirvana, Pixies, Sunny Day Real Estate, Fiery Furnaces... et al. I hope when I am 50 that I can still maintain my musical edge. I no not want to become an old fart. When your birthday is approaching, you sometimes think of such things.

MacBook Pro ailments

I have had this MacBook Pro (1st Gen) for about 6 weeks now. I like it. It is fast and I love the brightness of the screen. However, like most first generations, there are "issues" that cause an otherwise great experience to suffer a bit. The first and foremost is that it gets freaking hot! I have used laptops since '96 and I have never had one that burns this hot. I had a 12" PowerBook, long known for its excessive heat. That is like a refrigerator next to the MBP. It would not be a big deal if the heat was on the underside (i.e the bottom was hot) but the palm rest is very hot which makes long typing a very sweaty experience.

The other major "issue" is slightly related to the first. The MacBook Pro does not close down like the PowerBook did. On the PowerBook you could close the lid and that was that. It would just happily rest all by itself. The MBP SOMETIMES does this. However, I would say 75% of the time it remains on. Here's where I noticed it. I typically stream music via Airport Express via my laptop. The other day I closed the laptop and put it into my bag. I noticed that there was music still playing. I ran downstairs to check to see if somehow my other computers were sending music to the Airport Express. They weren't. I was stymied. How could a closed laptop being doing that? I honestly just agreed that something was askew and did not think about it. But it did not really "click" until about an hour later I was in the car with my briefcase on the front seat and I could hear the "bleeps" from Entourage trying to check email. What the hell? Not only was it running. But it was baking! You could have roasted not only an egg, but a porterhouse steak. Again, I just figured the latch wasn't closed properly. Well my denial came to a head last night when I went for a 'house call' at an elderly client's house in Detroit. I bring my laptop to take notes normally. However, I did not use my laptop because of the cramped space, so I used traditional pen and paper (an anachronism I know). After my two hour consultation I placed my laptop on my legs and I could feel the searing heat and hear the high pitched sound of the fan and could even feel the hard drive going through my laptop bag!

SO this morning, the battery was, of course, dead so I Googled this issue and found out that it is very common. It seems that when Apple switched to Intel chips some of the long-standing issues that PCs had about waking, sleeping and hibernating came to the Mac. It is suggested that you manually put the computer to sleep when you are going to shut the lid. Kind of an irritating step, especially considering it does not wake instantaneously. However, if it will limit the heat problems and save batter life, I will do as I must. I just hope Apple does not continue to to try to increase market share by ruining that which made the company so special. Yes, I still believe that the MPB is probably the best laptop on the market, but it is not as perfect as the PowerBooks once were. Even the ability run Windows XP does not make up for these shortfalls. Of course the days of the PowerBoook are long gone and there is no going back, but I hope that Apple's brilliant engineers can fix this gaffe.

Technorati Tags: Mac Notebook heat, MacBook Pro, MBP, Sleep Mode