Music week: songs to work by

While I'm sitting in my cube, I like a more mellow mix of music to listen to while I'm responding to emails and writing up stories. Plus, it helps drowned out the obnoxiously loud sales calls and people on the phone around me.

These songs also work well for background music around the house, or for artistic inspiration for writing or drawing on my own time.


1. Parasite - Nick Drake
If I chose one acoustic artist to listen to from here on out, it’d be Nick Drake. I first heard him on the Garden State soundtrack and thought, "Wow, this guy's great. He's probably a small act... maybe he'll be at Summerfest, or some other music festival." Guess what -- he's from the early 1970s. He made a post mortem comeback only because VW decided to use the title track of his album "Pink Moon" for a car commercial a few years ago. He plays clean acoustic with a unique voice.

2. The Wolves (Act I and II) - Bon Iver
Anything by Bon Iver (His real name's Justin Vernon) is phenomenal; but also really mellow. He recorded his entire debut album on his own in the northwoods of Wisconsin. After that album "For Emma Forever Ago" was released, he gained international acclaim, and even made the Top 100 albums of the year according to Rolling Stone.

3. Cigarettes - Russian Red
I can't find that much out about her, but she has an amazing voice. She's originally from Spain, and every site I find with information on her is in Spanish, but she sings in English. Hmm.

4. Tiny Vessels - Deathcab for Cutie
The crescendo at the end of this song makes it a little louder for work, but it still keeps a slow tempo. Most Deathcab can distract me from the bustle sometimes going on outside my fabric walls.

5. Ada - The National
Great piano, and with Matt Berringer's soothing baritone voice, it helps drowned out any other crap going on around the office.

6. The General - Dispatch
I first heard this song my freshman year of college when a guy opted to play it on his guitar as his final project for Philosophy 110. I don't really know what his reason was, but I immediately went back to my dorm and downloaded the song, along with any other Dispatch song I could get my hands on.

7. The Breeze - Dr. Dog
Listen to this if you need to calm down. If you close your eyes and relax for a few minutes, you'll feel much better.

8. Sun It Rises - Fleet Foxes
My favorite new band of 2008. I usually listen to the entire album at work. This is the first track, and a great introduction to the CSNY-esque band.

9. Stranger Things Have Happened - Foo Fighters
Thanks to Gregor, I've been introduced to more Foo -- and I'm not complaining. I usually associate them with a rich, louder rock sound, but I knew they had a greater capacity when I heard the acoustic version of Times Like These a few years ago. This is my favorite song from their new album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.

10. Take it Back - She & Him
Remember when Zooey Deschanel sang in the movie Elf? Well, she really can sing. She collaborated with M. Ward to form She & Him, which released their first album Volume One early last year. Sounds a little like something you might here on the radio in the 1970s.


Runner's Up: Sea of Love - Cat Power; Innocent Bones - Iron & Wine

Music week: Songs to sweat by

Update: I've added YouTube links to the songs, so you'll get an idea of what they sound like.

The first installment of Music Week involves the songs I listen to when I'm working out (they work as a secondary soundtrack to cleaning the apartment too).

I need loud music with a consistent beat to keep rhythm while I run, or work out in general. I can change my pace with these songs while keeping up with the beat, and still enjoy the music whether I’m outside or at the gym. It’s also one of the few times you’ll catch me listening to rap or techno.
1. List of Demands (Reparations) - Saul Williams
I first heard this song on a Nike commercial, and refused to rest until I found out who sang it. I mean, it has a fitness apparel commercial endorsement. If that's not enough to motivate you, you might be dead.

2. Hysteria - Muse
Not only does this song kick ass on Rockband, it also gives me motivation to run faster. The beat changes up a little, but the tempo always stays on track for keeping a great pace when I'm running. Awesome, gritty guitar with altered vocals.

3. I'm Me - Lil' Wayne
It’s rap. And, it’s Lil’ Wayne. Both I can only take so much of, but this guy’s arrogant, better-than-thou lyrics go along with the consistent beat to create a more-than-tolerable workout song. A little slower than some hip-hop, I find it hard to skip this song because I can sing along too.

4. Black Tongue - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Karen O. can rock, and she sounds like an angry bitch. On top of that, drums keep the beat with more distorted guitar.

5. Smack My Bitch Up - Prodigy
Along with Daft Punk, Prodigy usually offers some pretty decent techno songs. I usually only listen to them when I feel like dancing drunk, or want to work out. I picked Prodigy because they're an old love -- Fat of the Land was the first CD I ever bought on my own (along with TLC's CrazySexyCool.)

6. Sleep Now in the Fire - Rage Against the Machine
Anything by Rage better make you angry. What better motivation than being pissed off at something – regardless if it’s a co-worker or country.

7. Heresy - NIN
GRRR. I can feel my feet pounding with every step on this song. If I heard it driving, I might start going 80 mph (highway OR side street), but this just makes me go faster on foot.

8. The Creator – Santogold
With a voice similar to Karen O. from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Santogold also sounds pretty pissed off. This song’s also got a little bit of techno, a slower beat and some tribal drums. Good when you need to find a flow.

9. Till I Collapse – Eminem
This song motivates you. I was first introduced to Eminem when I heard the Marshall Mathers LP up-north at a friends cottage at the tender age of 16. I bought it immediately when I got home. For the most part, I had hung him up on the shelf, because I played out that and the other subsequent albums. I partly blame MrB for talking about Eminem a whole lot over the last month, but it helped me go back and listen to a few of the better songs I haven’t heard in awhile, including this one.

10. Stronger – Kanye West
This song made it because it incorporates a hip-hop beat along with Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” Techno can become droning with the same beat over and over, and over – but this song has an even amount of both electronic sounds. Add comprehensible lyrics (vs. DP), which usually help avoid getting sick of a song.

Runner’s Up: Fuel – Metallica; Anti Matter – N.E.R.D.; Touch It/Technologic – Daft Punk; Positive Tension – Bloc Party; No One Knows – Queens of the Stone Age; Sober – Tool

Music week

This week, I'm focusing on something near and dear to me: music. Everything thing I do revolves in some way around the music I listen to, and I thought I'd let you guys in on the secret. I'm by no means musically inclined. The extent of my musical talent involves playing the violin in high school and singing alone in my car. Loud. I appreciate all genres (yeah, even country), and hope to introduce a few of you to some new songs.

There are five categories each including 10 songs, in no particular order. Some you might dispute, others may disgust you. Some, you'll just say, "oh, yeah" and agree.

I'm hoping I can figure out how to add these lists to last.fm, so I can share them with everyone. Either way, if you're genuinely interested in hearing any or all of the songs, I'll do my best to get them to you.

If anything, check out MySpace music. Over the last year, artists have been utilizing the site to offer more of their songs -- most of the time in their entirety. You might be able to find a few on there.

Without further ado, I present to you my personal soundtracks.

What about me?

How about some fun facts about the author, for a casual Friday.


--I'm really particular about how I make my bed after I wash sheets. It takes me about 15 minutes to make sure all the sheets and blankets line up, with even blanket on both sides. I love love love sleeping on a freshly made bed. After that first night, I rarely make my bed.

--I'm left-handed. Except I play the violin, use a computer mouse and bat right-handed.

--I just found out I'm ambidextrous.

--I love Jeopardy! but despise any category having to do with English Lit. or Authors because I majored in English in college, and never get any answers in those categories correct. But somehow, I'll sweep Beatles Lyrics and Crossword Answers Beginning with "F". WTF.

--I watch the movie trailers after I watch the movie, to see how fantastically they edited the scenes to make a coherent synopsis -- comparing them to when those scenes actually happened.

--I don't need to see it. Just the thought of needles or grotesque injuries is enough to make me pass out.

--When I'm driving, I can name the make and model of about 75 percent of the vehicles I see on the road.

--I didn't have any cavities until my senior year of college -- then I had two fillings done within 6 months of each other.

--I've never been admitted to a hospital, and I've never broken a bone in my body (knock on wood).

--I can belch louder than you. But not louder than Michelle.

--I'm deathly afraid of pool drains, and deep lakes or ocean water (when I'm in it).

--Every time I travel out of state, I make it a point to eat something I've never tried before. Examples: Grits with butter, and deep fried alligator in Orlando; Deep Fried Okra FROM WHITE CASTLE in Murfreesburo, TN; swordfish in San Diego; raw squid sushimi in Las Vegas

--I'm addicted to salsa, and coffee. But not together. That's fucking disgusting.

--I swear too much.

--I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I drive better than most girls (and ALL blue hairs.)

--I have obscenely different prescriptions for both eyes. Without glasses, my right eye sees 20/70. My left: 20/400.

--I'm usually pretty articulate on paper, but can't hold a normal conversation with most acquaintances.

--I mumble because I stutter.

--My left shoulder is double-jointed.

--I have my moms hands.

Fine china

I apologize for all the links in advance... but I promise most of them are interesting.
In a disputably controversial move, the current President, George W. Bush, and his wife decided to make a half a million dollar investment, two weeks before departing from the White House: two sets of fine Presidential china. Total price tag? $567,000.

In Laura Bush's defense, they ordered the dishes before the economy went sour; it just took longer than anticipated to be delivered. Plus, the purchase was privately funded by a historical group. Usually only two-term can afford the luxury of ordering such lavish accessories for dinner parties. Mostly because it takes so long to create handcrafted dinnerware. (THAT COSTS HALF A MILLION DOLLARS.)

Other Presidents, like Monroe and Truman, also had customized China made for formal dinner parties. G.W. Bush prefers using Lyndon B.'s, or Reagan's.

The purchase might seem (and IMHO, is) pretty frivolous; but, unnecessary additions to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. have their place in history, defining a particular era and term of that President, as well as their personal taste in what looked good.

Now the Texas governor turned second generation President will be forever remembered not only for his disputed misdeeds and Bushisms, but for purchasing some exquisitely tasteful cups and plates, too.

In 20 years, the general public will look back at trivial facts or useless knowledge (GW owned the Texas Rangers, and attended every game for 12 years; or, he's the only President who was also a Cub Scout), instead of bills vetoed (Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act) and passed (No Child Left Behind Act), or epic failures (Hurricane Katrina, the Iraq War).

So what about those other guys? What do we really know about past Presidents?

Name a favorite. A lot of people liked Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt (Teddy and FDR) and Reagan.

A few were a little more notorious.

--Pierce sucked it up for being a doughface, causing his party to stop supporting him. Once he left office, Buchanan directly followed, trumping Pierce by inadvertently allowing the only Civil War in United States history to occur, because of his southern sympathies (FAIL).

--Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were the only two Presidents in history to be impeached. (Both were acquitted.)

--Calvin Coolidge took a five hour nap every day, on top of sleeping ten hours each night. I bet him and Matthias would make good friends.

--JFK was known for his sexual nature and drug use, while his White House staff attempted to cover up his misdeeds. It's rumored he had relations with Marylin Monroe and family friend Angie Dickinson, among others.

--Nixon was almost impeached too. "He was a notorious micro-manager and could never relax..." He was also a part of the Watergate scandal. Many liberal Americans during the time hated the guy... followed by most of the U.S. population. He might have been smart, but he lacked moral fiber, and was forced to resign.

And here's a snippet directly from Little Known Facts About 20th Century Presidents:

Warren G Harding (1912-23) might have been the worst President in American history. His father once said "If you were a Girl Warren, you could never say no!". Though Prohibition was effect the White House poker parties always had alcohol and there was an unofficial bootlegger on the staff. Harding may also have fathered an illegitimate child in one of the White House coat rooms.Harding once bet four priceless sets of Presidential china in a White House poker game. (he won the hand with two pair).

He was criticized for being associated with members of his office accepting bribes, and his involvement of the Teapot Dome oil scandal.

He's generally ranked as the worst President in the United States.

Those are just the big ones. Even G.W.'s Bushisms have covered up Dan Quayle's articulate vocabulary. In two decades, half the population won't even remember half the crap George actually did.

But maybe we'll remember he bought some fine dishes.

Carpe diem

I'm a big advocate of supporting local businesses, so when one not only meets but exceeds my expectations, I'm more than happy to shameless promote them: Cafe Carpe.

Lately, I've headed to Carpe once every couple weeks with my traditional Trivial Pursuit posse (my editor, Michelle, her editor and myself), to stretch our lunch hour and enjoy the casual atmosphere of a miniature style dining hall seating.
Because of my financial circumstances, I won't get a chance to go as often, cutting my visits to about once a month. No matter, I'll just learn to appreciate it a little bit more. (BAH, if that's possible.)

In the summer, they have an outdoor, screened-in porch to enjoy hours of Trivial Pursuit and microbrews on tap -- usually local. The porch overlooks the Rock River, and you feel just like you're up north at a cottage with a cool breeze coming in and droning traffic from the bridge a quarter mile away.

A room between the main dining area and the porch has mismatched chairs and what look like old movie theater rows of seats pointed toward a central area with mic stands; the restaurant doubles as a niche venue for folksy music acts and local talent. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to see a concert yet.

But what's more? They have the most delicious food. Homemade, locally-grown and full of flavor; every single thing on the menu is fantastic. Not to mention, they have specials on almost a daily basis. (Something like tacos or jambalaya with creole sauce, and some kind of soup or stew). If I don't get the special, I'll usually go for the grilled swiss cheese sammich with tomatoes, or the seared tuna salad. They also have an awesome Sunday brunch, with quiche, fresh fruit, bacon, etc.

And don't get me started on their molasses cookies.

Sleeping in

Last weekend, my brother Matthias volunteered to help Gregor and his roommates move into their new house.

Saturday rolled around, and I decided to wake my brudder from his precious crack of noon sleep by calling around 10:30 AM. No answer. Fine, I'll give him another hour to sleep in. He's known for erratic sleep patterns anyway -- Plus, we're still in Pewaukee.

I call back at noon, becoming a little disgruntled when I reach his voicemail for a second time. Half the daylight's already gone.

I make one more ditch attempt on my way to the new house, hoping I could swing by the UW campus to pick him up. Still nothing.

It took about three hours to unload everything, enjoying a cold one after our efforts. At this point, I start getting a little concerned. I try calling again, and send an email from my handy smartphone. No Matthias. It's 3:30 PM. What in God's name is he doing?

We take the U-Haul back, and I give my mom a quick ring. "Have you talked to Matthew? He said he'd help move today, but I haven't heard from him." No luck.

In all, I called five times, left three VMs and sent an email. It's now after 6 PM, and we're ordering pizza as a reward for smashed hands and sore arms.

What the hell is this kid doing?

At 9:46 PM, my phone rings.

"Hello?"
"Are all three of these messages from you? Can I delete them?"
"...Yeah. Where the hell have you been?"
"My phone died. I was sleeping. I tried fixing my sleep schedule."
"What time did you get up?"
"6:30."
"!!! ... What time did you go to bed?"
"9 AM."
"%#$@*! Umm... I don't think you fixed your sleep schedule. Anyway, call mom she's probably worried.

...Oh, and want to make tacos tomorrow?"