Change

I.E. I used to have a dollar but because the economy is terrible its now just spare change. Seriously this word is getting passed around like a football. Yes it is Superbowl weekend, but it’s also voting time. A time to rack your brain, ready your fingers and decide who would make the best fit for a president. Its true, America needs a change and the question is who will give it? We’ve got change coming at up from all angles, propositions, promises, predictions. The key is to decipher what change is good, which will benefit the country the best. Candidates are proposing different approaches to the economic problems facing America, claiming a way to change practices to ensure a stable and steady economy for one example. I urge you to look to what the candidates are really saying, don’t vote on the candidate with empty, immature or understated promises. The support on Facebook, for example, for candidate Ron Paul is ill-founded (Facebook claiming he has 40.1% of Facebookers supporting him). I would like to see his supporters give one fact aside from he supports medical marijuana to which they would want him for president. On the other side of the spectrum Obama is receiving support simply because he isn’t the (and I’m quoting here) ‘crazy bitch.’ Look at what’s being presented to you, vote on the issues; then perhaps we can truly achieve Change.

I think my books misprinted

I just finished reading Darren Shan’s Blood Beast (the Demonata book 5) and I have to say I feel like I did after seeing Pirates 2. A feeling that goes like this: I just paid full price for half a product. The main problem with this book, like pirates 2, is that there is no viable conclusion to the story. A problem that leads to a feeling like the book was a waste of time on my part, that the book had gone no where since the introduction. I was pretty psyched to read the latest part of the Grubbs Grady story, I thought Slawter was a great book, and at the beginning thought this book would be the same. Needless to say I was disappointed; when the first storyline seemingly ended and a second slower and more repetitive story line took its place I began to realize that this book wasn’t going anywhere. When the action finally did pick up again near the end I had hope that there would be some conclusion instead I discovered three words that dashed my hopes, in the form of ‘to be continued…’. I knew what Darren Shan was doing; he was trying to set up the next book so that everything would fall in to place. The problem was his execution wasn’t there; even if it’s a set up, the book still needs to have a feasible story line. Ultimately that was my biggest problem to the book, the fact that it was just a beginning and middle.

Best Albums of 2007

For the past month and a half I’ve been thinks about the albums of this year and thinking it was a dismal year for music. On the other hand though, now looking back at the top 10 albums of this year, I’m thinking it wasn’t that bad after all. Now I have to admit some of my favorite albums (or even some of the good ones) came from pretty unknown sources, but regardless they are what I’ve come to accept as the music of this year. So here is my list, as a music listener, for the top 10 albums of 2007.

Before we get to number 10 there are a couple of albums that didn’t quite make the list, but make the honorable mentions, in no particular order.

Honorable Mention: Mika, Life in Cartoons Motion
Honorable Mention: Gym Class Heroes, As Cruel as School Children
Honorable Mention: Scouting for Girls, Scouting for Girls

Ok here’s the good stuff, like last year 10-4, quick and painlessly then 3-1 and why they are the best music of 2007.

10: Mark Ronson, Version. (Great covers, love the horns)
9: Switches, Heart Turned to D.E.A.D. (New band, great harmonies, keep and eye on them)
8: Linkin Park, Minutes to Midnight. (Bringing back something old, making it new)
7: Arctic Monkeys, Favorite Worst Nightmare. (Sophomore album, still making good music)
6: Foo Fighters, Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace. (The Foo’s have still got it)
5: Kanye West, Graduation. (Something different but good here)
4: Kaiser Chiefs, Yours Truly, Angry Mob. (Another sophomore album, better than the first)

3: Streetlight Manifesto, Somewhere in the Between.

You might say, Streetlight who, but anyone in the Ska community will immediately recognize the name (as well as some of its controversy). Regardless of their past Streetlight has brought to the table a new set of songs that is more streetlight than ever before; darker, grungier and Ska-ier with beats and melodies that are catchy and will inevitably get stuck in your head all day. The best part of these new songs is that they not only sound great on the CD, but they sound awesome live too. With so much energy to each song, this album is easily playable again and again and again.

2: Fall out Boy, Infinity of High

You’ll realize a recurring pattern between the top three in that I have also seen the band that holds the number 2 album spot (in fact 2 days before the number 3 album’s band). I know a lot of people who say that fall out boy isn’t any good (terrible, crap, utterly unlistenable etc.) but I’ve seen this album change at least 2 people’s opinions and ill hold that it is one of the best albums of 2007 regardless of the bands credibility. It starts with by dropping a heavy double bass drum bringing in the first song of their new album and moves through hearty melodies, stiff guitar riffs and catchy lyrics, and the quirky and smart song titles. And while some songs aren’t as goof as the others, I can say that overall there are great points to each and every song, like the double bass drum, or the hallelujah retort in Hum Hallelujah.



1: the Fratellis, Costello Music

I saw this band during the summer in New York Cities Roseland ballroom; it had been a few months earlier that I picked this album up at the New York City virgin megastore. Now I know that this album had been released 6 months earlier in this UK, having heard the unbelievable catchy tune Chelsea Dagger the summer of 06, but being as I live in the United States I have to put on the 2007 list lest it be forgotten between the two years. Regardless of when the album was released I can’t deny that it’s an inimitable force in the music scene of the last year. Starting from tiny roots in the American culture with Flathead on an iTunes commercial to a point now where they’re music is easily found floating between scenes on TV shows and movies, or heard from a distance coming from a radio or someone’s headphones. Their songs are easily recognizable, upbeat, fast, furious and happy, bursts of energy that feel good no matter what music you’re feeling. Quick lyrics, toe tapping beats, so-good-you-sing-along lyrics and over all music that you enjoy listening to. This album epitomizes the album of my year, something that I could listen to over and over, above any of the other albums released this year. (In fact while I’m writing the draft of this, Chelsea dagger is on the back of ER, just to reinforce my point)