The club was packed last night. There were times when you could not move for about 20 minutes. We decided to leave around 2 am, and checked out some other places in Roppongi. At the time of writing this we have overstayed our check out time by 35 minutes. We are hoping that they will understand when [...]
Archive | December, 2005
Tokyo – our last day in town.
I am recovering from an exaughsting day of walking and sightseeing. As Jake has mentioned on his blog, it is really hard to find people who understand English here. It’s impossible to find a menu in English anywhere, every meal includes the interesting and sometimes frightening combintaion of guessing and pointing. You choose an [...]
Landed in Tokyo.
I just got to my hotel, it’s 9pm here. We are staying at a pretty sweet place, although it was very hard to find. Thankfully, we’ve all gotten the chance to take showers and are now prepared to check out the night life.
The flight was nice, I was able to sleep for probably 75% of [...]
Best of 2005
My bags are packed and tomorrow I board a plane to Japan for a much anticipated vacation. I will be ringing in the New Year in Tokyo, and plan to tour the rest of the country with two of my best friends. In the next few days, this blog may remain unchanged, or [...]
Best of 2005 – #1 – The National
The National – Alligator
I listened to this album more than any other album in my collection this year. For awhile, I played it when I was getting ready to go to work, but now it’s the album I listen to right when I get home. I never get tired of hearing [...]
Best of 2005 – #2 – Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
I owe an apology to Sufjan Stevens. I was one of the few, that didn’t fall instantly in love with this record, which you can see from this post I made in June of this year. I think Pandas That Won’t Screw To Save Their Species, was very correct [...]
Best of 2005 – #3 -Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird – The Mysterious Production of Eggs
The first third of this year I played this album non-stop. I don’t listen to it that much anymore, but when I do, it’s always as refreshing and comforting as the first time I found it in my mailbox. I really can’t say for sure [...]
Best of 2005 – #4 – Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene – Broken Social Scene
I have no doubt that if I was writing a mid-year best of list, and had the opportunity to spend another 6 months with this album that it would be at the very top of my list. Without a doubt this is one of the albums that [...]
Best of 2005 – #5 – Lucero
Lucero – Nobody’s Darlings
Lucero is one of the more underrated bands on the internet in my opinion. Anyone who has witnessed one of their Whiskey soaked concerts can attest that these guys pour their heart and soul into every note in every song.
In addition to releasing “Nobody’s Darlings,” the band also [...]
Best of 2005 – #6 – Wolf Parade
Wolf Parade – Apologies to the Queen Mary
Oh the hype surrounding this band. It was so much I put off listening to the album. “The next Arcade Fire” echoed from the indie Rolling Stone chambers and thousands clamored and embraced the words as gospel. The truth is that I see very [...]
Coldplay ACL 2005 MP3’s
I’ve gotten a ton of e-mails asking for the entire Coldplay performance on Austin City Limits that aired last week. On Monday, I posted just the tracks that Michael Stipe joined them on, including a pretty sweet cover of a Joseph Arthur tune. Today, I give you the whole shebang, comeplete with a [...]
Best of 2005 – #7 – My Morning Jacket
My Morning Jacket – Z
I have this album and Sony to thank for installing a root-kit on my computer. That aside, this is one amazing album. The first track that really stood out for me was “Off The Record,” which is one of my favorite songs of the year. After multiple listens [...]
Best of 2005 – #8 – Sleater Kinney
Sleater Kinney – The Woods
Sometimes the best reviews are summed up with a few words that tell you all you need to know. Please allow me to do that with this record:
ROCK & ROLL AT ITS FINEST; PLAY IT LOUD AND PLAY IT OFTEN
What the critics say:
Tiny Mix Tapes – 4.5/5
Coke Machine Glow – [...]
Best of 2005 – #9 – M Ward
M Ward – Transistor Radio
I recommend this album to a lot of people that ask what albums I like, but that I know wouldn’t give bands like Wolf Parade or Clay Your Hands Say Yeah the time of day. It’s really a great album from start to finish.
I worked backwards through the M Ward catalogue [...]
Best of 2005 – #10 – Magnolia Electric Co.
Magnolia Electric Co. – Trials & Errors
One of my favorite releases of the year; I go back to this album all the time. I know it’s a live album, and you can debate whether it should be included on a list like this, but it’s my list, and I’m including it.
I actually [...]
Get to know your blogger – Bows + Arrows
Have you gotten a chance to check out the Bows + Arrows blog? With a name taken from one of my favorite recent albums, I can’t help but enjoy everything that Brian posts on his blog. I was glad he could take the time to answer my questions. Please check out his [...]
Feist – Live on WOXY – SXSW 2005
Let’s make one thing clear, I am not posting this because Feist has a little bit of a thing for me and I would do anything for one more minute of her attention. Incorrect, I am posting this because I love her music and this is really great quality. Some of you may [...]
Get to know your blogger – Hello Gina
The thing I like most about Hello Gina is that you can find a wide spectrum of artists featured. Just recently you can find posts on Johnny Cash, The Smashing Pumpkins, Kings of Convenience, Madeleine Peyroux, and The Acorn. That’s one of the things that I like best about blogs, the [...]
Best of 2005 – #11 – Rogue Wave
Rogue Wave – Descended Like Vultures
This album cemented me as a fan of Rogue Wave’s music. I own “Out Of The Shadow,” but it never affected me or garnered that many listens like “Descended Like Vultures” does. “Publish My Love” has been a seen on many bloggers lists for song of the year, [...]
Stipe and Coldplay MP3’s from ACL
Last week I wrote about Michael Stipe joining Coldplay for the televised version of Austin City Limits. The show aired this past Saturday, and not only did they collaborate on “Nightswimming,” but also on Joseph Arthur’s “In The Sun.” The former features Stipe on all vocals, but is begun with the proclamation, “This [...]
Contact Info
Ryan Matteson
-
Thursday: Muzzle of Bees SXSW Day Party
- MP3: Conrad Plymouth – “Fergus Falls” (Unmastered)
-
Strand of Oaks – House Show, Milwaukee
-
Titus Andronicus :: The Monitor
-
She & Him :: Volume 2
- This Week: Concerts We Recommend + Announcements
-
Jenelle Labove: GradyZora is my favorite on the show. This is by f...
-
herbal ecstacy: hey guys, i just found this here when i did an qui...
-
Chris Jones: Wasn't precisely what I was trying to find but sta...
-
Mike Collins: It was a true pleasure to attend the Strand of Oak...
-
-
Anthony Van Hart: Nice review man! I'm pretty happy that by the sec...
