Tozai Todd

Cassette from My Ex

I think what I love most about this site is how most of the people who talk about their mixtape are my age. These are my people!

via kung fu grippe

My friend Michael made possibly the most sobering observation of my life up to that time when, as we were talking about the Beatles, he pointed out that they had written some of the world’s best known, most beloved pop songs all by the time they were 30.

From Paul Ford’s exhaustive listening and review session, a few SXSW bands:

• Toddle - excellent pop music from Japan; what you wish J-pop was like
• Rana Santacruz - like a happier, Latin Sufjan Stevens or Nick Drake plus David Byrne?
• The Strugglers - not quite as much R.E.M. as I was led to believe, but some nice Southern Gothic alt-country nonetheless

Non-music:

• Interview between Dave Winer and George Lakoff - Get a primer on framing arguments and the power of language, specifically as it relates to the 2008 election, and more specifically as it relates to Obama v. Clinton or Democratic politicians v. Republican ones.
• Interview with craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster - My respect for him, Craig Newmark, and craigslist continues to grow.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I like R.E.M.. I can still remember listening to a cassette of Chronic Town for the first time and just driving around, letting it play over and over again. “Wolves, Lower” is still fantastic and a lungful of fresh air. I have to admit, tho, these days it’s a bit harder to get excited about a new album; it’s just not the same since Bill Berry left.

So, a few thoughts:

• Having watched/heard the video/song for Supernatural Superserious several times now, I’m a wee bit giddy about Accelerate, the new album, and I’ve pre-ordered my copy.
• How many websites does a band need to launch a new album. At least 3 apparently. There’s the band’s site, one for the album, and one just for the first single, and that’s not counting the YouTube channel, the probable myspace page, etc.
• I’m encouraged by the sounds of Supernatural, Superserious — it’s great to hear Mike Mills again — but “I’m Gonna DJ”, the last track on Accelerate, is a B-side or fan club material at best (you can hear live versions of it on their latest live DVD and CD). I suspect there’s a reason it’s the last track on the album.^*

I don’t want to end on a negative note, though, so let me reiterate: I’m jazzed about getting my hands on this album!

^* This is not necessarily a bad sign. I think every truly great album is slightly flawed. It’s almost as if you need something a little off to remind you how bloody good the rest of it is. This is another conversation best saved for a bar probably.