dancing queen

so this guy made a stick figure on his computer that he can control with his xbox kinect. then he essentially painted the stick figure to look like a japanese cartoon chick.
which is all pretty cool.
so he can make it dance and shit, which is all pretty cool.

but really man? you made this thing so you can make it dance?
see the comment in that picture above. (click to make it big)

what a sentence

classy stuff NYDailynews.com

Reunion.

i think we should have a reunion party around or after xmas and have a white elephant parry again.

and if you want you can dress up like tranny tim curry.

the best thing i've ever done in my entire life.

saw this today. and yesterday. and the day before. i love this place and i love the memories we all share here.

R.I.P. Samwise. long lifve The Tsutomu Revolution.

Blizzcon Red Shirt Guy =)

This guy asked the most awesome question ever to the creators of the entire lore of the World of Warcraft. These guys created the entire world that some of us play in and this guy totally stumped them =D



And for doing so they have now awarded him fame in the game =)

why didn't we ever do this?

I want to have Nac friends reunion theme party: Rocky Horror style.

my precious

don't act like you can resist

life update?

What's everyone up to? Whatcha doing with your lives these days? Care to "edit" this post and update me and everyone else on yourself?

Well, either way. Miss you all. It's early October and cold! Who woulda thought? I'm looking forward to dressing up as a "talking flower" 3x this month. :)

Totally awesome!!!

This is some amazing stuff, and prolly pretty expensive =)

baby squirrel, inspired by kittens

Cat adopts baby squirrel

i figured this blog needed some action

Say what now?

So double rainbow guy got his own commercial?

Mural stop animation by BLU

Flippin' amazing! =D

Flower Warfare =)

This scene looks pretty cool

Also the ending is quite a surprise =P

Ugandallywood

i think i saw sean in one scene

Uganda's First Action Movie Trailer - Watch more Funny Videos
<3 everyone

hi, miss you all.

drunk!

SC2 trailer =D

EPIC!!!!!



And the music is SO awesome!!!!!

New-ish Ok Go Music Video =D

This thing is cool =)

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

FULL. ON. DOUBLE. RAINBOW.

Internet trend of the moment, though something about this one makes it... maybe not quite your normal toss off bit of net comedy. It's funny for about a minute, but shortly thereafter it becomes (I think) quite strangely affecting. Incidentally, the man in the video crying at the rainbows has videos of him cagefighting on his youtube account.

-DK

So true.

me likey

who changed the background?

tear off my ears.

Someone is staying with Greg and I for the month.

She said at dinner the other night, "Why can't black people get over slavery? The Jews got over the Holocaust."

*slap hand to mouth with inward breath.

This is only the most horrific of the ignorance to escape her face-hole this past week. Every goddamn issue I stand for she seems to stand in the opposite direction, but without any knowledge or education backing up her inane opinions. I don't even bring this stuff up in front of her (morals, sex education, slavery, the Holocaust, immigration) - She somehow manages to say weird stupid shit all on her own without even being led to the topic.

After watching a really good movie (gone baby gone) whose plot twists around the concept of ethical/moral decision making and listening to this girl's stupid reaction to the movie, I am getting real annoyed.

Someone needs to smack the stupid out of her before she says something like the above quote in front of a Jew.

I mean, there are words, but I am not sure what they are

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

there are no words

Speaking of Sam's Facebook..

I had an interesting and unexpected call from Elizabeth Davis yesterday. She had been looking at Sam's Facebook and specifically looking at his photo album "My Swan Song". She asked me if it would be possible to use those pictures in some kind of gallery showing that she would do the work of putting together. She has a lot of connections to make it happen (in Deep Ellum most likely), and would be willing to do so - and would like to make the show a benefit for one of the various suicide prevention groups (any specific suggestions there might be helpful). Anyway, she called me because she didn't want to step on any toes - I talked to Rabbit before posting this, and he and I both think this would be a really cool idea.

I gave Rabbit her number, and of course she (or somebody) will need to talk to Mari and Chris about the idea. I just wanted to post so people can be aware of this plan, express support or voice concern about it, or volunteer to help out or involve yourself somehow. If this gets off the ground I'll of course be attending, as I hope most of us that can feasibly do so will. So.. thoughts?

***Free Scam*** (a serious post)

Did anyone else get this facebook invite from "Samuel Colquitt"?

Samuel invited you to "***Free_$$1000_Best_Buy_Giftcard***" today.

Event: ***Free_$$1000_Best_Buy_Giftcard***
Start Time: Today, May 31 at 8:30am
End Time: Thursday, July 29 at 4:00am

For obvious reasons I will not be attending this event. I am however thinking about sending the Facebook team an email letting them know that spammers are using our friend's account for their nefarious and much asterisk'd scams.

What do you guys think? I'm afraid that maybe they'll close the account if they know he is not alive. On the other hand, I do not think this is cool.
Maybe an option is to figure out how to log in and do a little house cleaning, make it look like he is the one complaining about the spam. But that would set up a web of lies, and possibly freak people out. Imagine:

/log into facebook/sign into chat/"oh hey, Sam is online"/..../"whaaaaaat???"/freak out.

His account was either targeted randomly, or because of his inactivity. Or I guess b/c of a chain of people with some relation to him that have the same thing sending from their accounts. Or it generated from my account. But who knows for sure.
Thoughts?

Just ran into these:
Official form-
http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=deceased
And this is generally usless, but has a few good posts-
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2373072738&topic=22671

It could be a mistake to have him not show up in certain searches. Who makes these descisions? For instance, our children might wonder in 70 years what our tattoos mean, or why there is a 1000 foot tall (and a-rouuuund) tree at Upton.

long live 122,
seanathan

p.s. i know there are people who know my passwords and bank details yadda yadda. i hope you all have the same type of info in the hands of someone you trust. maybe in the future, directions for you online persona will be a standard part of wills.

ninja bear!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

i still loved the ending, but this holds a little water on my thoughts of lost

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Pwn My Life

http://www.dorkly.com/article/1626/pwn-my-life-issue-1

Juggalo news network *warning: vulgar content*

"No President has inherited this much shit since F.D. Motherfuckin R"




"best step the fuck off, 4 [you get] smacked in the nugs"

yup . . .

Unbeatable SC2 protoss strategy =P

This is so totally awesome!

This is so cool =D

Top Gun Day =D

Happy Top Gun Day guys =D

http://www.topgunday.com/

Get your call sign there as well =D Mine is Lt. Micky 'Vespa' Baker =P

also get this...



You can always be my wingman! =D

*grumble grumble* i guess the dirty criminals got something right

oh. my. god. jonie. this is the infinite jest...watch at your own risk

shake that bear

greatest little hobbit of them all!

I MISS MY PRINCY

I CAN'T FIND MY POSTER ANYWHERE!!!!! I'M SO SAD. MY APT ISN'T THE SAME WITHOUT NAKED PRINCE!!!

Automagically! My new fav word...

biz biz biz biz biz
Clean up your music tha TuneUp way! =P



I haven't tried this thing out yet, but I stumbled upon the commercial for it and loved it =D

"We made brownies, and I think we're dead. I really do."

This cop stole some pot from a criminal and then made brownies with his wife. Then he called 911.

Save the world, and have fun while doing so? No way!

But seriously?

This thing seemed really cool and if, in fact, it is possible then the next generation has quite a feat on their hands; and some catching up to do...

Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world | Video on TED.com

everywhere i go all i ever seem to hear is...

I hope everyone is doing ok and taking good care of themselves. I love you guys. I recently went to Nac with Brian and had a good time. All my expectations were met - I stayed with Smash and Rabbit, went to Flashback's, Java Jacks, and Burger King. I played games and drank. Everyone was enormously nice to me. :) Only way to improve it would have been to have gotten a tat from Pat.

So, guess what? I am graduating with a Masters next month! I'll be moving out of Greg's house and into my own little place, hopefully a garage apartment. I'll be working part time as a therapist at the psych hospital i am currently interning at. Hopefully a full-time position will open up soon and i can get the benefits and quit my low-paying part time job at Arts Alive!. Life will go from there. I'm just going to try and make it through this next year with some sanity intact.

I'm throwing myself a graduation party if anyone can make it to Houston. It'll be on May 15th. I'll send out evites to anyone who I have an email address for. It'll be a daytime thing, but if any of you can make it, I'll provide sleeping arrangements for you and we can go to a bar down the street from my place and party it up.

Again, I hope EVERYONE is OK! LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

This remix be tha BOMB!

A reeeeeeeeeeeeeeemix!

The NEW Bangs8 remix!




And just in!

The Ultra new remix!



So many remixes!!!!!!

read some of the awesome comments =P

THIS GUY LOVES THE MACAQUE!

Thai monkey policeman. Swear to God.

Also... free pint next time I see you for the best Macaque joke in the comments.

-DK

The Expendables

just watched the trailer for a the new Sylvester Stallone movie coming out this summer, and man oh man, there are more people in it that i thought
Sylvester Stallone

Arnold SwartzenagskdfasudfhlajdflvgaEEERRR

Jet Li

Jason Statham

Dolph Lundgren
Randy Couture

Bruce Willis
Mickey Rourke

Stone Cold Steve Austin

Danny Trejo

Dear god,
thank you for bad action stars*

*this doesnt include bruce willis

finally

that's what i'm talkin about!!!
finally, the guaranteed victory that the Mavs deserve.

this is for you papa bear!

119 Upton St. Apt. 2 75965


If you would like to help in the purchasing of a tree to go where Sams tree is send me some money to buy the tree. It will cost 64.00 + tax. So far Evil is the only one to send any money.
Thank you Sarah!

reptillian dirty harrys

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

The Ben Folds of Chat Roulette

Warpaint--new favorite girl band.

Boom Boom Tap, tik tik Tak! . . .thats Aids

Have you guys seen this?

http://hipsterpuppies.tumblr.com/

Lemme take you to the movies, shorty.

Hey guys, this is my favorite rapper right now. I thought I'd share!

Katie

We got that B Roll!

Hah! I love it!





Don't judge that B roll...=D

letters from third graders

Please write back, but not in cursive because I can't read cursive.



ps. pluto is not a planet, and it's not gone.

yes

Send me dollars.

Sam's tree has died. it is crispy. i will buy a new bigger tree that hopefully has a better chance if you will give me money. if everyone gives a little i will get the biggest tree i can. i will pay for whatever is not covered by the blogpeople(you). i might also build a shade-fort for it so that it does not burn in the sun. please do not send me less than $5 or you just kind of suck. im going to use the other tree as mulch so it is still there. If you like this idea let me know.

Sean, i will post a picture of the tree later.

OSCARS

first off, i cant watch them until i get off work tonight so if i get any texts about it i will crap on your face. you know me, and you know i love watching the oscars. dont ruin it for me

that being said these are my picks for the major categories, i havent seen all of the movies, so this is based on what ive seen.

best picture
i want district 9
precious deserves it
but avatar will most likely get it

Best actress

Gabourey Sidibe

Best Actor
ive only seen 2 of the nominees, (up in the air, hurt locker)
my pick would be neither of them
i think jeff bridges will win

Best Supporting actress

Mo'nique, from precious

Best supporting actor

Christoph Waltz . . hands downskies

Best Director

James Cameron, believe what you want, but he has in fact revolutionized the way movies will be made.

Best Screen play
Quentin Tarantino

Best Cinematography

In a traditional sense, hurt locker should win, avatar had changed the way we "look through" a camera. And im pretty sure james cameron taught his wife everything she knows so in a way, he wins.
"whats the name of this game? . . .'I WIN!!'

Best Animated Film

UP

oh my god . . .joannie

ok so like most torrent search sites, the one i use is primarily populated by porn, so when i see things like this, i gotta click on it and take a gander. im so shocked and confused i dont think i want to down load it and see if its real or not, bu the screen shots definitely look real. ok so without further delay . . ready for it? girl with three boobs!

NOT SUITABLE FOR WORK!
these are screen shots from a PORN.

3 boobs mcgee

I only ever talk about music. not sorry.

Hey, I don't know what anyone is into anymore. I know I'm into anything from 1990 to 2003.

This being said, I just want everyone to know that I think Orange Rhyming Dictionary by Jets to Brazil is one of the greatest records in this little time gap I am discussing. 

Anyways, just saying.

This is so cool!

I wonder how long it would take to come up with something like that?

i cant believe this was 3 years ago

new years 07

Penguin | MySpace Video

Saber is dead. I am devastated.

sorry brian. im busy watching this on loop for the rest of my life

but seriously

i like turtles

hey dude, sup?

hye man, hey.

c'mon, whats everyone up to?

hye man, hey.

so many great moments

the films of the 2000s from Paul Proulx on Vimeo.

Old spice commercial...

Even though this does not have Bruce Campbell in it I think it's prolly the funniest Old Spice commercial I've ever seen =P

also this rules

http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/27350111.html?page=1

82nd Academay Awards Nominations

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
• George Clooney in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
• Colin Firth in "A Single Man" (The Weinstein Company)
• Morgan Freeman in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
• Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Matt Damon in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
• Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
• Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones" (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)
• Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)
• Helen Mirren in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Carey Mulligan in "An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
• Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia" (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Penélope Cruz in "Nine" (The Weinstein Company)
• Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
• Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
• Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
• Mo'Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)

Best animated feature film of the year

• "Coraline" (Focus Features)

  Henry Selick

"Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox)

Wes Anderson

"The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney)

John Musker and Ron Clements

• "The Secret of Kells" (GKIDS)

  Tomm Moore

• "Up" (Walt Disney)

  Pete Docter

  Achievement in cinematography

  • "Avatar" (20th Century Fox)

    Mauro Fiore

  • "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (Warner Bros.)

    Bruno Delbonnel

  • "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)

    Barry Ackroyd

  • "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)

    Robert Richardson

  • "The White Ribbon" (Sony Pictures Classics)

    
    

  • Achievement in directing

    • "Avatar" (20th Century Fox)

      James Cameron

    • "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)

      Kathryn Bigelow

    • "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)

      Quentin Tarantino

    • "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)

      Lee Daniels

    • "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)

      Jason Reitman

      
      

    • Best motion picture of the year

      • "Avatar" (20th Century Fox) A Lightstorm Entertainment Production

      • "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.) An Alcon Entertainment Production

      • "District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) A Block/Hanson Production

      • "An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics) A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production

      • "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) A Voltage Pictures Production

      • "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production

      • "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production

      • "A Serious Man" (Focus Features) A Working Title Films Production

      • "Up" (Walt Disney) A Pixar Production

      • "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) A Montecito Picture Company Production

        D

Adjust for inflation, Brian.

"Of the top 25 grossing films of all time on Hollywood.com's U.S. box-office ranking, 18 were released in the past decade. Adjust the totals for higher admission prices mainly due to inflation, and "Avatar" would be the only one of those 18 to make the list—at No. 24, as of Thursday."

so angry

if i can't tell you guys how angry i am, who can i tell? there are lots of funny/cute/dramatic/nostalgic moments on this blog, but right now i'm so fucking angry and itching for a fight. i hate this feeling, but it was thrust upon me. can we just leave it at that? and say that god dammit i wish i knew how to win/end a fight with a rock solid punch to the mother fucking nose?

good.

ill use less wordplay on this one

THIS IS AWESOME, GET ON BOARD!

#1 of all time

Avatar is now the #1 grossing film of all time.
Avatar has reached $1,858,866,889 while Titanic earned $1,843,201,268 total.
movie go-ers are paying and average of $10 to see Avatar, and because the average ticket to see titanic in 1997 was about $5. that means that even though Avatar has made more money, twice as many people saw titanic. And when people like my brother saw titanic 6 times in the theater i'm not surprised.

the things i would do to her mione

yo dawg

boourns

fail, i dont know how to put .gif animations on this thing ><

Top 100 cheesiest movie quotes

I thought many of you would really get a kick out of this =D

3 of these are from one nic cage movie, and 5 of them are from batman and robin =P

Actually a lot of them are collectively from arnold and keanu...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekXxi9IKZSA

So this is the correct link, not the one above...but the one above is pretty funny as well...Thank you Jo *thumbs up*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTiAS7cdsYc

enjoy =D

oh sadie...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeKoMFk3jB8

NOPE, NOT AT ALL DAN. . . .WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! YOU ROCKING HARD?>!

also

Brian's Top Ten Albums of the Decade

I know this was my idea, but god damn this is hard.
i put this list together pretty quick, and i think it does the past ten years of my justice. . . (Man i should have put Justice on there, i love that album) anyway here they are;

10. Norma Jean - Bless The Martyr and Kiss The Child
this band is the reason i listen to the majority of the music i listen to .*couch*cough* HARDCORE!*
best song - Memphis Will Be Laid To Waste

9. Thrice - The Artist and The Ambulance
This was their first major label record which means they matured more and it shows. I love alot of their earlier stuff but this record seems the most complete and i can listen to every song with out skipping.
Best song - Under A Killing Moon

8. Tool - Lateralus

I don' t really know what else to say
best song - The Grudge

7. Thursday - Full Collapse
This to me is a great example of a perfect album. Geoff Rickley is one of my favorite lyricists of all time. This, in my opinion is this decades 'A Shape of Punk to Come'

Best Song - Cross out the Eyes

6. Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
This is juts one of those albums that everyone knows but wont always admit it, until they start singing along with you.
best song - There's No 'I' In Team

5. Brand New - Deja Entendu

I know many will debate me and go with the cliche of "The Devil and God" as their best but there is no doubt that this album is the reason they are where they are at, and it is Timeless.
best song - Ok I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't

4. Every Time I Die - Hot Damn!
This is one of my Favorite Albums of all time, and it it also the reason this Band is one of my favorite bands of all time. Another Amazing Lyricist. Jeff Buckley check him out.

best song - Floater

3.Death From Above 1979 - You're A Woman, I'm a Machine

I love the simplicity of two man groups, especially when they can make that much noise and make you want to dance at the same time.
Best song - Go Home, Get Down

2. At The Drive-In - Relationship of Command
forget that deloused crap, next to this album Mars Volta is an infant begging for mommy's teet. This album has most likely influenced half the music that is being made these days. And the first time i heard it and everytime i listen to it it punches me in the face
best song- Arcarsenal

1. Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3

Yes, Yes, Yes! Coheed brought something to the table that wasnt really heard before. yeah they appear to be influenced by rush, but be honest, when you first heard this album it blew your mind along with the worlds. Non Stop Rocking, all day everyday, great story and stuff.

Best song: 21:13 (Hidden Track)

Mike Jaynes' Top Ten Albums of the Decade

This also took me awhile, and much sweat and tears. For me, these are all albums that A) I still have something of a strong emotional connection with, or link me to a specific time in my life and B) I can listen to all the way through almost without fail and appreciate every song.

10. The Raconteurs - Consoler of the Lonely (2008)

Like Dan, I needed a little rock that was not so indie, and this gets the number 10 spot (partly because it came along most recently). I really, really dig this album, even with the fact that Jack only sings on about half the songs. My brother introduced it to me during the summer after Sam's death, so there might be some sentimental attachment clouding my opinion of the record, but ah well. Best song: Carolina Drama

9. The Decemberists - Picaresque (2005)

The Crane Wife made two appearances already on our lists, but I honestly hold a far greater love for this album. I certainly love The Crane Wife and its scope of storytelling is impressive, but the variety of songs and stories on this album have always appealed to me. It was also the first of their albums I listened to, and I listened to the hell out of it during my first year at Upton (along with numbers 5 and 1). Best song: Mariner's Revenge Song, duh.

8. The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003)

I couldn't put Rush on my list because they haven't released an album that really held my attention this decade, but The Mars Volta is close enough for me. Tool's Lateralus was another consideration for this spot, but I think I like De-Loused a little better. This album brings me to my freshman year at Tulane, a bittersweet time. Best song: Son Et Lumiere / Inertiatic Esp

7. Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow (2002)

There are a lot of rap albums that I could have put on this list, but of all the thoughts I had (Aesop Rock, Jay-Z, Kanye), Blackalicious' Blazing Arrow stands supreme. Impressive lyricism, flow, beats, and a ten-minute long song that features both Saul Williams and Zack de la Rocha. Best Song: Release

6. Rilo Kiley - The Execution of All Things (2002)

I would probably rank all of the Rilo Kiley and Jenny Lewis albums on some "top 100 albums of the decade" list, because I love them all that much. Something about her voice, the clever/sexy/tragic lyrics, and overall catchiness of their music really works for me. This album in particular brings me back to a certain relationship to be sure, specifically With Arms Outstretched, but I've listened to it so much outside of that context it doesn't even really factor into my affection for it anymore. Best song: The Execution of All Things

5. Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This To Memory (2005)

This album was the soundtrack (har har) to all-night games of Civ 3 with Mabeuf and Dru (along with The Weakerthans and Ted Leo), and I can still listen to it all the way through and sing along to every song any given day of the week. MCS' other albums are enjoyable, but I don't feel like they've ever been able to match this one. Best Song: LGFUAD

4. The Mountain Goats - We Shall All Be Healed (2004)

Dan and Micky both went for The Sunset Tree, but for me it doesn't get better than this album. Admittedly, I listen to this, The Sunset Tree, and Tallahassee almost equally, but I think We Shall All Be Healed is my favorite because it's so unrelentingly grim. Tallahassee is about the way we destroy each other in relationships, The Sunset Tree is about how parents destroy children, but this album is about how we destroy ourselves with drugs. I can get into that sort of thing. Plus, Your Belgian Things makes me think of Sam so goddamn much I want to cry whenever I hear the lines: "I saw the mess you left up in the east bedroom / A tiger's never gonna change its stripes / I guess / I guess but Jesus what a mess". Best song: Your Belgian Things

3. Say Anything - ...Is A Real Boy (2004)

I feel the same way about Dan with regard to this album. If you lived in or around Upton, you probably don't need an explanation as to why I think this is one of the best albums of the decade. If you really want to talk about it, though, I guess we can. Best song: I Want to Know Your Plans

2. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema (2005)

I love this band. Katie Menowsky gave me this album a long time ago when she was visiting Upton in the early days, but I never paid it much mind until a couple of years later. Now, it's one of my favorite and one of my most played of all time. Challengers was also a great album, but I think I need to give it a little more time to ferment in my brain. Best song: The Bleeding Heart Show

1. The Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site (2003)

This album, this band. I don't feel like I should have to explain myself here, but I can remember Max putting this song on for me in his van, as we were driving to the liquor store at noon in Kingwood to buy giant cans of beer. For some reason, we had stayed up all night. This was the summer before I moved into Upton, and the album stuck with me when I moved in. Again, like The Mountain Goats, I love all of the band's work, but nothing shines as brightly in my mind as this record. Best song: A New Name for Everything

Phew. That was fun. See the comments for my not-so-short-list.

Micky Baker's Top Ten Albums of the past decade...

This took me awhile. The majority of mine are all linked to memories, so forgive me if I ramble.
I hope you enjoy =D


10)The Crane Wife - The Decemberists (O Valencia!)
I stole the promotional ep of this album from the radio station once we got the entire album because of this song. It was the first Decemberists song I had heard and I was hooked =) Plus this album helped me thru a lot of Victorian lit papers I had to write.

9) Based on a true story - Fat Freddy's Drop (Flashback)
I found this band hidden in the cd's for the World Beat section of the radio station my second year on the radio. Since they are from New Zealand they were put in the world beat. I popped it in and was floored by the awesome beats from the first song and immediately changed up my entire play list just to put this song on next after the weather. Since then I love to put this on in the background when doing almost anything and it makes everything that much better.

8)Music is useless - Manatee (A sound to spite the silence)
A very short lived Austin band that never made it further than this one album (most of them went to college). This album made it's way thru the majority of my graduating class by the end of the year and their last show was amazingly huge and out in the middle of nowhere.

7)Rodeo & Picasso - Recover (Pardon the wait)
Another Austin band, this one went somewhere. I saw them in this really small punk show hosted by a high school. It was my first show ever. They packed us into this little room that was barely 8 feet high and recover was setting up with all of these lights and me and my friends were pressed up like right next to the amps and the band was starting and the lead singer yells out "pardon!" the music starts "the wait!" and the entire crowd rushes forward =D

6)Good news for people who love bad news - Modest Mouse (Float on)
I took my first proper road, around Texas, for a week and a half my first summer of college. Within that time I visited 5 cities/towns saw a few art museums and spent 350+ dollars on cd's. One of them being this one that sparked my love of Modest Mouse. And it rained almost the entire trip.

5)Gorillaz - Gorillaz (Rock the house)
I always seem to come back to this band, and specifically this album. This is a great cruisin round town album. And I'm proud to say that I know 98% of the lyrics of this song. I mess it up every once in awhile =P

4)Perfecting Loneliness - Jets to Brazil (Lucky Charm)
Memories of love won and lost. I bought this album to have something to talk about with her. Never was I more nervous...

3)The Sunset Tree - The Mountain Goats (This Year)
I fell in love with this band only in the past 2-3 years. I never started with an album, merely a random spattering of songs every once in awhile. But it was this song that was the first one I ever put on repeat in my car. And since then I have come to realize that I love almost this entire album.

2)Reunion Tour - The Weakerthans (Night Windows)
I have loved the Weakerthans for a long time. Ever since they made it into some punk compilation CD's that I had gotten for really cheap at a local cd store in high school. And they have never disappointed. I will always love this band =)
I wanted to keep from picking that song as my favorite of this album, but it was hard not to. Granada Theatre April 1st. It was a memorable night. And with people that I love, singing along to the same songs we had all sung before. Sometimes alone, sometimes in chorus. But always in our hearts. This song and that experience will always echo thru my life, but it will never lose it's voice.

1)Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings - Counting Crows (When I dream of Michelangelo)
Wanna talk about a trip to remember. That was one of the best concert experiences I have ever had. And this works on two levels.
We listened to this album a lot on the trip to and from The Weakerthans concert at the Granada. See above =)
My brother also took me to my first Counting Crows show August 3rd 2009 as an early birthday present. I'd have to say the best birthday gift I could ever get. I have been in love with this band since I was in 7th grade; ever since my brother gave me Recovering the Satellites as a present. And I remember every time that I have gotten one of their new albums. It's my own little marker to a highlight in my life =D

And not only was I at my first Counting Crows concert with my brother for my birthday, Adam Duritz sang my all time favorite song. Caravan.

my top 10

10. The Last Emperor - Music, Magic, Myth
9. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
8. Johnny Cash - American IV
7. Taj Mahal - Maestro
6. Mirah - C'mon Miracle
5. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
4. Lupe Fiasco - The Cool
3. Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
2. The White Stripes - Elephant
1. Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild

top 1 tree of the decade

before i put up my top 10 albums of the decade, i have a request.

will someone please take a picture of Sam's tree and post it on the blog for me. i had a dream about Sam last night and i woke up wondering about His tree.

kthksbai.

DK's Top 10 Albums of The Decade (Revised)

Alright, Brian... I'll play. Kinda tough to narrow it down, and I'm not really claiming that I think these are the best... I guess that they're just the 10 that I love the most (when forced to distill it down to a list). And because I'm one of the long winded folks Brian references, I'll even throw in a little commentary for good measure.

10) Queens of The Stone Age, Songs For The Deaf

Not a whole lot of good hard rock this decade, I think, but QOTSA just nailed this one. Shit's kinda gone downhill since they kicked out Nick Oliveri (with good reason, mind you), but this album may well kick the most ass of any on this list. Also, the radio station interlude gimmick works better than gimmicks have any right to.

Best Song: "You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar (But I Feel Like A Millionaire)"

.......

9) Say Anything, Is A Real Boy

I don't need to... uh... say anything further. You all know.

Best Song: "Alive With The Glory of Love"

.......

8) Alkaline Trio, Good Mourning

From Here To Infirmary was a solid record, if spotty in places, while Crimson was just a little too polished to be great, but this one is Alkaline Trio at their peak... alternately fucked up on booze, pills, and some (disturbingly fun) vampire/serial killer fantasies, and then the next moment rocking some really sweet little love songs. Not a bad tune on the album, and maybe out of all the records on this list, the one that I've never even started to get tired of.

Best Song: Personally... "Blue Carolina"

.......

7) The Mountain Goats, The Sunset Tree

I went back and forth for a little while between this and Tallahassee, arguably the better of John Darnielle's two theme albums about coping with emotional trauma inflicted by loved ones... I think I chose this one because its subject, all grown up now and cranking out some of the most literate and heartfelt songwriting of the decade, has figured out better ways to deal with the hurt than Hood River Gin. Also, "Love Love Love" is far and away the best song in Darnielle's catalogue (and that's saying something).

Best Song: "Love Love Love"

........

6) Andrew W.K., I Get Wet

(Whilst wildly pumping fist in the air)

PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY
PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY
PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY
PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY!!!!!!

Anybody remember that time I put my hand through a one of the glass panes on the door to Mike's room because I was so excited about "Party Hard"?

Best Song: Honestly? "Ready to Die"

..........

5) The Postal Service Give Up

Back in the glory days of Upton, I used to sit around my room listening to this one, getting more stoned than that girl who lost "The Lottery" and constructing some elaborate fantasy about traveling back in time to the 60s and introducing this album specifically as what music would sound like in the future. And, good God, what a happy, blippy, emotionally sensitive future it sounds like. THIS would be the record that I would pick to blow the hippies' minds apart... if I hadn't heard anything like it before I picked it up, God only knows how they'd react. Handily better than any Death Cab album (not to hate on DCFC), although now it just makes me sad to think that they're never going to make a follow up.

P.S: Owl City fucking blows.

Best Song: "Sleeping In"

...........

4) Daft Punk, Discovery

Delightfully weird and unrelentingly fun, who'd have thought that one of the best and most popular dance records of the decade that brought us Freedom Fries would have come from a couple of Frenchmen armed with bitchin helmets and more samples than the frozen food section of a Sam's Club at 3pm on a Saturday?

Best Song: "Digital Love"

.........

3) The Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

I once tripped on salvia to "Fight Test". It changed my life.

Best Song: "Fight Test" (ideally, on salvia)

.........

2) Outkast, Stankonia

The album that re-imagined everything that gangsta shit could be, Stankonia is lightning caught in a 40oz bottle. It's just a goddamn shame that Andre and Big Boi have grown apart like they have, but really, how long do you think you could keep that kind of dynamic going? Maybe Outkast was destined to collapse under the weight of Andre 3000's artsier excesses (and his secret desire to be our generation's Prince), but Stankoina brings the pimp and the poet into perfect, stanky sync for 23 glorious tracks.

Best Song: "Gasoline Dreams"

........

1) Elliot Smith, Figure 8

This one's kinda hard to explain. It's not perfect, and arguably not Smith's best album, but it's my favorite of his. Skip tracks 4 and 5... they're just mopey. It flags a little toward the end. I... hm...

I don't really know what to say about it. I think it's just beautiful, if profoundly sad. I think it's exactly the record that had been gestating somewhere inside Elliot Smith since he picked up a copy of Abbey Road as a little kid, some years before he'd come to realize just how badly he'd lost out in the brain chemistry lotto. It's just all him, all there, with all his flaws. And it's lovely.

Best Song: "Honky Bach (In The Lost and Found)"... but I swear to God, "Stupidity Tries" will always remind me of my last year of law school... pretty well sums up my experience.

Alright... now, everyone else?

...........

So, I've thought some about this, and there's one album that I swear to God I can't believe that I left off of the top spots on this list, so I'm just gonna cheat.

0) The Weakerthans, Reconstruction Site

I'm so glad this band exists. The songs are everything I look for in music and then some, and John K. Samson pulls out some of the best lines on this one. I remember riding around with Mike and Dru in the wee small hours of some Ohio morning following around a bar band through the backwoods around Athens, listening to this song... and Mike says to me of the following verse, "you know, that really about sums it up." I feel similarly.

"All the actors broke their legs
And it's to late to postpone
The producer's getting high
And the audience went home
Smile and take your awkward bow
Turn and stumble off the stage
Let the rain be your applause
Every encore sooth your rage
Squint with one eye
Hum a show-tune
wait for your right to say
oh that's where you must have lost your way"

Best Song: Tie - "Benediction" and "A New Name For Everything"

There. I'm done. Keep em coming.

-DK