You're Dressed Like Easter

Riottt

2006-11-16T00:19:04Z

I went to the Riott festival in San Francisco on Saturday. Sorry, no pictures, but if you go to Pitchfork's recap you can kind of see my girlfriend really blurrily in the background of one of the Girl Talk pictures. Anyway, here's my recap.

Unfortunately, traffic and running around the Tenderloin trying to find a bathroom when all public buildings are closed for Veteran's Day conspired to make us miss Birdmonster. I have honestly never heard this band, but my friend Troy knows them, so I'd hoped to check them out.

The actual first act we caught was POS, apparently Rhymesayers' newest signee. He sounded pretty much what you would expect Rhymesayers' newest signee to sound like, which is not really a bad thing. The gap between the barrier and the stage was like 38 miles wide for some reason, so he jumped down and sat on the railing for most of the set. He seemed kind of nervous though- he kept asking the crowd whether we were "feeling it." Granted, as he was the first rapper of the day most of us in the crowd were probably shaking off hangovers but if we hadn't been feeling it we'd have gone into the other room (or maybe not, I caught one song by that band, the RX Bandits, and it was pretty fucking wretched).

I think I was the only Wrens fan at this entire show and that made me feel very old. Perhaps noticing that 90% of the crowd was in elementary school when Seacaucus came out, all but one song was from The Meadowlands. The guys did a great job of putting on a raucous show for an initially indifferent crowd, though their attempt to get everyone involved in a complex spectator handclap orchestra didn't really do much other than reinforce that stereotype about white people not having any rhythm.

The 5 o'clock hour presented the option of seeing Zion I, X Clan, or Fall of Troy. The choice was obvious: Dinner.

Of course, after that lull Asobi Seksu and Busdriver had to be playing at the same time, and on opposite sides of the building. Micah and Jenny checked out a few AS songs before joining us over at the hip-hop stage, and the report was favorable. Busdriver, though, absolutely killed it with a high-energy show that not only easily trumped his performance in Ashland a few years ago (when he had permanent "where in the fuck are we?" look on his face), but was funnier than his appearance on Blind Date. In the first of several awesome fapper fashion statements of the night, dude was rocking a tore-up Christmas sweater. Micah of course yelled, "I love your Christmas sweater," to which Busdriver replied, "No, this is my Kwanzaa sweater, man."

Following this, we ambled over to the mainstage to get into position for Sage Francis. Living Legends were still playing and the crowd was inexplicably gigantic, so we all headed to the balcony. Sage's voice sounded a bit tired (and in a WTF moment he actually smoked a cigarette onstage) and he took a lot more breathing pauses than I'd seen him do previously. Still, he was a consummate showman, at one point throwing a garbage bag of produce into the crowd with an exhortation to "Eat the lettuce! Eat, eat the lettuce!" Other gems: "It's so great to be here at your humongous corporate-sponsored musical event. Did you know that if you mix Scion with Vodka it makes your heart explode?" "Today is my birthday. Yep, I'm 25 years old. Quarter of a century." Dude even did a front handspring during "Dance Monkey." I can't do a front handspring and Sage has 13 years and 75 pounds on me.

Following this, Explosions in the Sky played. The set was much tighter and actually longer than the last time I saw them. This is likely due to the fact that before their previous SF show my friend Joe got them horrendously wasted. Jack Daniels and intricate post-rock compostions do not mix well and thankfully our boys from Austin waited until after the show to hit the bottle. The crowd went absoultely nuts when they did their trademark synchronized power-chord choreography thing (I'm not sure what else to call it, but if you've seen them play you know exactly when I'm talking about. After EITS, we went over to the indie rock ghetto stage and caught the last two songs by The Presets, who I've never heard before but were off the chain; I kind of wished I'd caught more of their set.

Xiu Xiu took seriously a fucking hour to set up (they had Primus playing over the loudspeaker during this debacle- I could have stayed home and listened to Pork Soda) so we only caught a few songs before going and getting in position for Girl Talk. Before Gregg came out on stage they were playing some booty rap as bumper music, and Lisa and I were obviously getting our collective groove on. As a result of this, we were tapped along with like eight other people to be onstage as Girl Talk's backup dancers. Unfortunately, about two songs into the set, a wall of humanity spilled over the barriers and there were suddenly about 200 people on stage (Funny thing, Gregg was mixing TI's "Bring Em Out" when this happened, and the last time I saw the entire crowd rush the stage was at that TI show when there were more of us on stage than in the audience). So the organizers, obviously not wanting to live up to their own slogan, shut the show down.

After getting hustled off stage like those baby chickens in a funnel in that movie Baraka, we went back to the hip-hop pen and got our spots for The Clipse. Saw Aesop Rock chillin' by the wall, but not wanting to be a stan just nodded politely. The Clipse were tight; I caught a T-shirt that they threw but it's an XL so it looks like a nightgown on me. We were about three people from the front, and at one point I saw Sandman nudge Malice and point at me and say "Holy shit, that motherfucker knows every word". Also, Pusha T (who was having easily the best time of anyone at the show, even Sage) was wearing a blue Pyrex hoodie. I fucking want one.

The top 10. Word.

2004-12-18T08:44:51Z

10. Madvillain - Madvillainy

9. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

8. Ghost - Hypnotic Underworld

7. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike

6. John Smith - Pinky's Laundromat

5. Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt

4. DJ Signify - Sleep No More

3. Interpol - Antics

2. 31knots - It Was High Time To Escape

1. The Arcade Fire - Funeral

bluetouchpaper @ 2004-12-17T12:25:00

2004-12-17T20:42:53Z

20. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets

19. Air - Talkie Walkie

18. Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News

17. Mastodon - Leviathan

16. Neurosis - The Eye Of Every Storm

15. Dizzee Rascal - Showtime

14. MIA and Diplo - Piracy Funds Terrorism Volume 1

13. Junior Boys - Last Exit

12. The Plastic Constellations - Mazatlan

11. Ghostface - The Pretty Toney Album

List part III

2004-12-16T05:11:59Z

30. dios - dios

29. Espers - Espers

28. Morrissey - You Are the Quarry

27. Blood Brothers - Crimes

26. Les Savy Fav - Inches

25. !!! - Louden Up Now

24. The Album Leaf - In A Safe Place

23. The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat

22. Subtle - A New White

21. Isis - Panopticon

List, continued

2004-12-15T05:46:30Z

40. The Cansecos - The Cansecos

39. Mission of Burma - ONoffON

38. Stars - Set Yourself On Fire

37. Max Richter - The Blue Notebooks

36. Death From Avove 1979 - You're a Woman, I'm a Machine

35. Pitman - Pit Closure

34. Wovenhand - Consider the Birds

33. These Arms Are Snakes - Oxeneers or The Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home

32. Phoenix - Alphabetical

31. Jason Forrest - The Unrelenting Songs of the 1979 Post-Disco Crash

The List

2004-12-14T04:51:46Z

As you all know, every year I compile a list of my favorite albums of the year. The process goes as follows: When an album comes into my possession, I listen to it at least five times (to account for those "slow burners"), then assign it a numerical score from 0 (Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe, Am I Cool or What?) to 100 (Funcrusher Plus, OK Computer). Having listened to roughly 130 albums that saw release in 2004, I have to say that this year had a bumper crop of great albums. Normally, I judge how "good" a year was for music by the number of albums I give a score of 85 or above. Last year, there were 22, 2002 had 19. 2004, on the other hand had no less than 31. There were also 18 albums scoring above a 90, seven above 95, and one receiving the rare 100. I'll be posting the list in five parts over the next five evenings. All of these albums come highly recommended (in fact, there were a few that missed the top 50 that I would recommend as well). So, without any further ado, let's get it started.

50. Erlend Oye - DJ Kicks

49. The Futureheads - The Futureheads

48. The Hold Steady - Almost Killed Me

47. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans

46. The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free

45. The Good Life - Album of the Year

44. Ratatat - Ratatat

43. Ill Bill - What's Wrong With Bill?

42. Namelessnumberheadman - Your Voice Repeating

41. Brian Wilson - Smile

bluetouchpaper @ 2004-11-03T21:24:00

2004-11-04T05:25:14Z

Allow me to be the first to say,

Russ Feingold in '08.

bluetouchpaper @ 2004-09-23T23:41:00

2004-09-24T06:42:25Z

No one is ever going to be cooler than Marc Bolan.

That is all.

Vanity y y y

2004-05-11T23:13:38Z

Oh yes.

You're welcome.

bluetouchpaper @ 2004-03-30T10:54:00

2004-03-30T18:55:18Z

Apparently John Kerry came to my school yesterday.

I was not informed.

Someone has some explaining to do.

It finally happened

2004-03-30T08:23:23Z

Rejoice, ye, for it has finally happened.

Noam Chomsky went and got himself a blog.

http://blog.zmag.org/ttt/

More pix

2004-03-04T02:31:33Z

All of these pictures were taken less than five blocks from my apartment.

Random alley

I love the way the sunset reflected off this arch

My apartment complex is called Maynard Manor. I'm not making this up.

Oh yeah, there it is.

Definitive

2004-02-19T19:50:23Z

Because I love making lists, here are my top 15 albums of the millennium so far (illustrated)

1. El-P - Fantastic Damage
2. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
3. The Avalanches - Since I left You
4. Aesop Rock -Labor Days
5. Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica
6. Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow
7. Sage Francis - Personal Journals
8. Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
9. Deltron 3030
10. The Coup - Party Music
11. ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Source Tags and Codes
12. Dalek - From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots
13. Prefuse 73 - Vocal Studies & Uprock Narratives
14. Why? - Oaklandazulasylum
15. Isis - Celestial

Game

2004-02-19T06:42:56Z

Stolen from the guy with the best screenname ever, alaric3

Step 1: Open your MP3 player.
Step 2: Put all of your music on random.
Step 3: Write down the first ten songs it plays, no matter how embarrassing

1. Giddy Motors - "Venus Medallist"
2. O'Brien - "Guerrillahead"
3. Ted Leo - "Bridges, Squares"
4. Angels of Light - "All Souls Rising"
5. Prefuse 73 - "Why I Love You"
6. The Microphones - "The Mansion"
7. The Strokes - "12:51"
8. Silver Mt. Zion - "Babylon Was Built on Fire/Starsnostars"
9. Decemberists - "Red Right Ankle"
10. Broken Social Scene - "Pacific Theme"

Roadsign names part 3

2004-02-09T08:24:45Z

Vern Harris
Orestes Azevedo

Roommate search

2004-02-05T20:24:07Z

So, my roommate's moving out, and I need somewhere to live.

If any of you Sac-area people know someone who needs a roommate, hook me up.

Mana rags

2004-02-03T20:36:01Z

Some anagrams for my name:

A crash limit
A claim shirt
I'm a Carl shit
A cam hilt, sir
A scar; Hi, Milt!
A mail-Christ
A Mars lithic
I, Carla Smith
A smart chili
Lit Charisma
'Til Archaism
Calais mirth
Racial Smith
Thalia scrim
Malta is rich
I'm astral chi
I'm Atlas, Rich
Milch it, Sara
Ach, sail trim
I'm chair salt
Latch as I rim
Mach air slit
March it, Lisa
Am I arch silt?
I mail starch
I chart Islam
Slim air chat
CIA harm slit
Ash a clit rim
Islamic hart
Italic marsh
Lars hit Mica
I'm Rica Stahl
It's clam hair
Thai clam, sir
I talc his arm
Iris' clam hat
Ira shit clam
Calm at Irish
I sat him, Carl
Hiram is talc
Cram his tail
Hi, I cram slat
Ha, I slit Marc!
Marc hit Lisa
Hi, tail. Scram.
Slim Thai car
Car has limit
Islam hit car
Slim cat hair
Clit hair, Sam

bluetouchpaper @ 2004-01-29T02:36:00

2004-01-29T10:43:40Z

Most of these don't really work for me, but whatever.

EXOTIC FOREIGNER ALIAS = Favorite Spice + Last Foreign Vacation Spot
Curry Amsterdam

SOCIALITE ALIAS = Silliest Childhood Nickname + Town Where You First Partied
Agamemnon Kalamazoo

"FLY GIRL" ALIAS (a la J. Lo) = First Initial + First Two or Three Letters of your Last Name
A. Ben

DIVA ALIAS = Something Sweet Within Sight + Any Liquid in Kitchen
Vanilla Windex

GIRL DETECTIVE ALIAS = Favorite Baby Animal + Where You Last Went to School
Gosling Northland

BARFLY ALIAS = Last Snack Food You Ate + Your Favorite Drink
Burrito Tanqueray

SOAP OPERA ALIAS = Middle Name + Street Where You First Lived
B. Pembroke

PORN STAR ALIAS = First Pet's Name + Street You Grew Up On
Francis Kimberly

ROCK STAR ALIAS = Any Liquid on the Bar + Last Name of Bad-Ass Celebrity
J.D. Dumile

Thrift store madness

2004-01-29T04:07:04Z

Some recent and not-so-recent finds:

Little league, motherfuckers!

Aren't we all?

Note the illegal use of the Olympic logo.

Who died and made me Super Fly? Ron O'Neal, that's who.

It says "AGE & TREACHERY will always overcome YOUTH & SKILL."

This one speaks for itself.

bluetouchpaper @ 2004-01-27T14:12:00

2004-01-27T22:13:13Z

Ffom last Wednesday, Ted Leo rocks it like a magikist during "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?"

More road-sign names

2004-01-27T07:46:27Z

Lindsay Norwood
Zenobia San Juan

bluetouchpaper @ 2004-01-26T09:21:00

2004-01-26T17:22:19Z

The girl next to me in the lab is looking at the official Kelly Clarkson website.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

bluetouchpaper @ 2004-01-24T00:18:00

2004-01-24T08:19:16Z

Does anyone else ever get the overarching urge to bitchslap Greta Van Susteren?

bluetouchpaper @ 2004-01-23T03:25:00

2004-01-23T11:29:56Z

I came across an interesting factoid that said that in every presidential election since the debates have been televised, the taller of the two candidates has won (some would point to 2000 as an exception, but since Bush didn't really win...). I'm finding myself in agreement with Eric Alterman that the best way to defeat Bush in November is to have Clark, Edwards or Kerry as the presidential nominee, and Dean as VP. I personally think that of the three, Kerry's probably the weakest candidate (and two New Englanders on the ticket might not garner much support in the southeast), but hey... He's really tall.

bluetouchpaper @ 2004-01-22T12:32:00

2004-01-22T20:36:28Z

Ever notice that the emoticon for "drunk" on the mood-meter is a little blue sad face?

The person who designed it must have never been drunk. I wonder what the emoticon for "high" looks like. Let's find out.