Currently Listening Don't Wait By Dashboard Confessional In A Big Country see related

iTunes Most Played

I thought that it might be interesting to see what music my friends listened to most frequently.  So, here's a chance to look at that yourself.  Plug in your iPod and head on over to iTunes.  Crank up the ol' iPod and iTunes will give you the ability to see how many times you've listened to a song since it's been in iTunes or on your iPod.  Here's my top 25.  What are yours?

I think the list from iTunes (not including my iPod) seems more similar to my more common listening habits.  Here's that top 25.

1.  I'm a Wheel - Wilco (A Ghost is Born) - 27 plays

2.  Depth of Mercy - Red Mountain Church (Depth of Mercy) - 26 plays

3.  Please, Before I Go - Derek Webb (Mockingbird) - 21 plays

4.  A Love That's Stronger Than Our Fear - Derek Webb (The Ringing Bell) - 21 plays

5.  Smile - Weezer (Green Album) - 21 plays

6.  My Enemies Are Like Me - Derek Webb (Mockingbird) - 20 plays

7.  Cosmopolitan - Nine Black Alps (Everything Is) - 19 plays

8.  Your Redneck Past - Ben Folds Five (The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner) - 18 plays

9.  A King & A Kingdom - Derek Webb (Mockingbird) - 18 plays

10.  My Best Friend - Weezer (Make Believe) - 18 plays

11.  Theologians - Wilco (A Ghost is Born) - 18 plays

12.  Undefeated - Audio Adrenaline (Until My Heart Caves In) - 17 plays

13.  The Fountain - Caedmon's Call (In the Company of Angels 2) - 17 plays

14.  Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming - Derek Webb (Joy to the World) - 17 plays

15.  I Hate Everything (But You) - Derek Webb (Mockingbird) - 17 plays

16.  I Wanna Marry You All Over Again - Derek Webb (The Ringing Bell) - 17 plays

17.  A Consistent Ethic of Human Life - Derek Webb (Mockingbird) - 17 plays

18.  We Are All On Drugs - Weezer (Make Believe) - 16 plays

19.  Hash Pipe - Weezer (Green Album) - 16 plays

20.  This Too Shall Be Made Right - Derek Webb (The Ringing Bell) - 16 plays

21.  Photograph - Weezer (Green Album) - 16 plays

22.  Hummingbird - Wilco (A Ghost...) - 16 plays

23.  Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher - Audio Adrenaline (Until My Heart...) - 15 plays

24.  Ballad of San Francisco - Caedmon's Call (Long Line of Leavers) - 15 plays

25.  Name - Derek Webb (The Ringing Bell) - 15 plays

26.  I For An I - Derek Webb (The Ringing Bell) - 15 plays

Here's my playlist with my iPod count included.  Yes, I'm wasting way too much time on this when I should be in bed.

1.  Bright Future in Sales - Fountains of Wayne (Welcome Interstate Managers) - 78 plays

2.  The Wrong Idea - Chris Thile (Deceiver) - 60 plays

3.  Mexican Wine - Fountains of Wayne (W.I.M.) - 59 plays

4.  Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne (W.I.M) - 57 plays

5.  Hackensack - Fountains of Wayne (WIM) - 40 plays

6.  Perfect Situation - Weezer (Make Believe) - 40 plays

7.  We Are All On Drugs - Weezer (Make Believe) - 40 plays

8.  The Damage in Your Heart - Weezer (Make Believe) - 40 plays

9.  My Best Friend - Weezer (Make Believe) - 39 plays

10.  Peace - Weezer (Make Believe) - 36 plays

11. This is Such a Pity - Weezer (Make Believe) - 35 plays

12.  Pardon Me - Weezer (Make Believe) - 35 plays

13.  Hold Me - Weezer (Make Believe) - 34 plays

14.  No Better Place - Fountains of Wayne (WIM) - 33 plays

15.  The Other Way - Weezer (Make Believe) - 32 plays

16.  Haunt You Every Day - Weezer (Make Believe) - 30 plays

17.  Depth of Mercy - Red Mountain Church (Depth of Mercy) - 28 plays

18.  Freak Me Out - Weezer (Make Believe) - 28 plays

19.  Valley Winter Song - Fountains of Wayne (WIM) - 27 plays

20.  Mockingbird - Derek Webb (Mockingbird) - 24 plays

21.  A King & A Kingdom - Derek Webb (Mockingbird) - 24 plays

22.  Hey Julie - Fountains of Wayne (WIM) - 24 plays

23.  Popular - Wicked Soundtrack - 24 plays

24.  A New Law - Derek Webb (Mockingbird) - 21 plays

25.  A Love That's Stronger Than Our Fear (The Ringing Bell) - 21 plays

It may seem like I'm a huge fan of Fountains of Wayne and Weezer.  While I'm definitely a big Weezer fan, I only have this one F.O.W. album.  For some reason, these albums are great for travelling.  So, I've listened to these two albums over and over and over on planes and buses over the last year or two.  Hence, the severe repetition.  I also thought it was interesting that one of the tunes off of Derek Webb's new album, which won't technically be released until May 1st has already breached my top 25.  It's pretty sad.

I'd be interested to see your top 25 as well.  Whaddya got?

New Derek Webb Album: The Ringing Bell

I'm a really sick puppy.

I've been lamenting my finances lately and here I am dropping dough on the new Derek Webb album, so that I could get a digital download.

Well...it was worth it.

This album isn't really a departure from standard Webb, but it's a throwback to the Derek Webb that many of you remember.  Imagine this really odd combo: take Derek Webb from Long Line of Leavers, drown him in the music of middle-career Beatles (Revolver, Rubber Soul, Magical Mystery Tour) and then clothe his happy corpse with the grooves of Wilco's rockers (Muzzle of Bees, Theologians, etc.).  Then, yes, you have Webb's new album, The Ringing Bell.

This is a rock and roll album from start to finish with the overarching theme of peace.  I honestly think that this album could put D-Webb on the map, when it comes to real music that lots of people buy.  It's 100% commercial and 100% quality.  I don't want to say that I doubted him, but I feel like he's been dragging some dead weight ever since I See Things Upside Down.  Mockingbird was good, but still lacked the punch of a great album.  After One Zero came out, I was really thinking that the dream had died with She Must and Shall Go Free.  I was wrong.  This is a damn good album.

AGH!  I'm still on my first listen-through and he just began ripping my ears through blues straight from the Delta on track nine of ten, "A Savior on Capitol Hill."  This album is just sick.  Go buy it.  Online.  Now.

Aside from that, my life is really busy.  Exams are coming up.  Hebrew is killing me.  Megan is wonderful.  I'm preaching in Gloucester again on April 22.  Your prayers are appreciated for all the above.

Peace.

Currently Listening Illinois Jacksonville see related

Where have I been?

Well, that is a curious question.  I write this blog as I think specifically of my dear friend, Zac Sullivan [Zac, I coulda sent you an email explaining such things, but I figured maybe others wondered where I'd been lately].  Zac left me an interesting voicemail the other evening and I have not yet returned his call.  Others, when they see me on campus, have asked things like "Where have you been lately?"  I guess this blog is for those others who had planned to ask this question, but hadn't run into me yet.

I apparently seem to have contracted a nasty case of oral thrush after 5 weeks of struggling with a sore throat, which escalated into a bacterial infection in my mouth and throat.  Oral thrush is a yeast infection in the mouth that occurs when antibiotics, smoking, or an immuno-deficiency creates an imbalance between good and bad bacteria/flora in your mouth and throat.  In my case, I think it was a combination of azithromycin (an antibiotic for my previous bacterial infection) and smoking that did me in.  The result is that I have been fairly unable to talk or to eat solid food (due to a remarkably painful and swollen uvula).  Things seem to be on the up and up, however.  My meds are doing their jobs--I can now talk at a fairly normal volume and I slept all last night without waking up.  Tomorrow's the real challenge: solid food.  I'm really looking forward to this one, personally.  You probably have no idea how frustrating it is to see a piece of fried chicken in Massachusetts (which is fairly hard to come by) and not be able to eat it.  The South has a strong hold on me. 

Of course, for those of you who know me well, it's close to impossible to get me to shut my mouth, so not talking was also frustrating.

Well, anyway, I hope that you all are doing well.  Keep eating yogurt and don't smoke while on antibiotics.  That's my thought for this week.

jason

P.S.  Get Sufjan Stevens' album, "Come On, Feel the Illinoise."  You'll thank me.  I thank Marvin Leathers and Stephen Sansom for introducing me to this album in June 2005 before the Borno wedding.

Currently Listening Love By The Beatles Drive My Car/The Word/What You're Doing see related

Thoughts After Dreamgirls

The brand new drama/musical, Dreamgirls, purports to be a film about how black music producers in the sixties and seventies sold out to mainstream pop music standards and less than ethical business methods, in order to sell more records to the masses.  Sounds like a decent flick, doesn't it?

Sadly, the writers of the script sold out to the mindset that they supposedly argue against in this film.  Rather than delivering a story with characters, they presented a screen full of usually wonderful actors meandering through a completely unconvincing script and contrived musical scenes.

I really had high hopes for this movie.  It had the potential of presenting a scathing criticism of many popular artists and producers of today and yesterday.  It had the potential of delivering Oscars.  But, it fell flat.  Don't get me wrong.  This movie will make loads of money.  The only reason for its success, though, will be the names on the playbill.  I can't honestly believe that any of the actors in this movie were pleased with the end product.  Well, except Eddie Murphy.  He played the same character he always plays.

So to end this short complaint, don't go see this movie.  Go see Casino Royale or Stranger than Fiction.  I saw those last week and they are far superior.  If you're looking for intelligent filmmaking and characters, you'll find them there (especially in the latter). 

That's enough whining.

Peace.

Currently Listening Pinkerton By Weezer El Scorcho see related

So Cameron Diaz needs to be shot

Why do casting directors still give jobs to idiots?  I just don't get it.

So, Megsy and I went to see The Holiday yesterday afternoon.  Really, it was a great afternoon and an enjoyable movie...Jack Black did a great job in a serious role, Jude Law played the noble suitor with ease, and Kate Winslet was a complete jewel.  But then, Cameron Diaz...oh my goodness...I mean, an ox would have played that part better.  Not only did she deliver perhaps one of the worst acting jobs that I've ever seen, but (this is probably the writer's fault) her character was completely unlikeable.  I mean, who actually wants to see Jude Law marry a self-centered, shallow, stupid valley girl?  And, for the sake of my sanity, how could she possibly make a good mother to his poor children?  For the love!

Despite her horrific antics onscreen, the show really is worth a watch.  Kate Winslet rips your heart out and feeds it to you.  She is an amazing actress and could redeem a piece of horse crap, if given the chance.  Go support her, Black, and Law by watching the movie.  Then feel free to poke fun at Diaz throughout the film.  It makes her so much tolerable.

On a brighter note, I saw Sideways tonight.  If you haven't seen that, rent it right now.  I know it's 12:49 AM on the East Coast.  Go break into Blockbuster and watch it.  They'll understand.  Perfectly casted, wonderfully acted, and masterfully scripted.  That movie will make you smile, then feel extremely tense, then make you smile some more.  You'll thank me...and Paul Giamatti.

Here's to Cameron Diaz's demise!

jason