Today I tripled the size of my vinyl collection. I now have three vinyl albums.

So let’s do the math here. Three albums total. The size tripled. 3/3 = 1. Therefore, the size of the collection increased by…

Two Albums

The Carpenters - The Singles (1969 - 1973): I have fond memories of singing The Carpenters at a karaoke bar in Japan in 2002.

The Worst Of Jefferson Airplane: I never realized how many of their songs I know from oldies radio. Plus “White Rabbit” is a total trip. Like, a trip to Alice In Wonderland. On shrooms. Yup, nothing like a drug-laced tale of psychedelia to set the kids on a good path through life. (Sidenote: If you’ve ever wondered what the deal is with this dog showing up in the art, you should read about the Victor Talking Machine company.) Credit to Lefsetz for mentioning Jefferson Airplane — it gave me a name to look for at the used record store.

Categories: Music, Photographs
Tags: Jefferson Airplane, The Carpenters, vinyl

I’m sitting in the same chair, staring out a different window, and wishing I wasn’t here. The scenery has changed, but I haven’t.

Try this on: an alcoholic is not the same thing as an addict. An alcoholic is an addict who drinks alcohol. An alcoholic can give up alcohol, but it doesn’t mean they’re not an addict. The addiction begins to manifest itself differently. For instance, I sit in this chair and stair out the window while listening to various music (It’s Like Love, Jonathan Coulton, Mae) and checking Facebook too often. All I really want is to be out of my house having coffee or dinner and talking about things that matter.

Why sure, this awesome folk song about Tom Cruise “matters,” but it’s not the same as living.

(Buy from the Jonathan Coulton store)

Update: So I went out and had Qdoba for dinner, meandered through Barnes & Nobles primarily looking at graphic novels, and then went to the theatre and watched Stardust. The movie has me wishing I had a wall on the other side of town I could walk through and begin a star-chasing fairy tale.

Categories: Life, Music
Tags: alcohol, Jonathan Coulton, Stardust, Tom Cruise

#1 Sherwood — Californian indie pop. I’ve been listening to Sherwood ever since the band was featured on Absolutepunk.net in the summer of 2005.

#2 GLAY — Japanese rock. I was introduced to Glay during my senior year of high school (2000!).

#3 Acid House Kings — Swedish indie pop. For this, I blame my brother, and I thank him for it. You know who you are boy. 2007.

#4 The Winter Sounds — indie rock from Georgia. These I found out about from Walter. 2007.

#5 Yellowcard — pop-punk from Florida w/ a violin. I must also blame my brother for this album. He gave me the duplicate copy he got as a Christmas gift from his ex-girlfriend in 2003.

#6 Coldplay — Brit pop/rock. Don’t tell anyone, but I bought the album “Parachutes” from some Russians. And they were a bit shady. I originally started listening though when they broke into pop consciousness in 2000/2001.

#7 The Postal Service — American indie electro-pop. Pizzo told me about these guys in summer 2004 at the Jax STP. Now he’s married and impossible to hunt down, but I still love this album.

#8 Puffy AmiYumi — Japanese pop/rock. Found out about these from James while still working for The Man in 2006.

#9 Weezer — California alt-rock. Originally heard them on KTCL 93.3. Back before the station sold out and went to crap. Started listening in the late ’90s (circa ‘98).

#10 Nuuro — Venezuelan electronica. Luebbe, this one is on you. It’s nice, mellow, flowing, and I understand why you’d want to listen to it. 2007.

Categories: Music
Tags: Acid House Kings, Coldplay, GLAY, Nuuro, Puffy AmiYumi, Sherwood, The Postal Service, The Winter Sounds, Weezer, Yellowcard

Lindsey Lawrence, a Seattle resident, apparently does not appreciate songs by the band Coldplay. She assaulted a man at a karaoke bar when he began singing Coldplay’s song “Yellow.”

It is unclear why Coldplay’s music apparently made Lawrence snap, though a famous June 2005 New York Times appraisal by Jon Pareles may offer an insight. The critic called the British group “the most insufferable band of the decade,” adding that, “the lyrics can make me wish I didn’t understand English.”

Read the full story at The Smoking Gun.

Coldplay - Yellow: the music video

Categories: Music, News, Video
Tags: Coldplay, crime, Seattle

I am a rock I am an island

Originally uploaded by anwamehtar

I bought a record player today. I bought it from a guy on craigslist for $20. I only had $17.70 in cash and couldn’t get my ATM card to work, so I paid him $15 in cash and wrote a check for $5. The pen died on me so I had to get out another one to finish filling it out. The dude thought I was weird.

But the good news is, now I can play and record vinyl on my computer. This is a grand accomplishment. It’s been probably five years since I’ve listened to my Simon & Garfunkel “Greatest Hits” album. The only vinyl album I own.

I can start going retro now.

Categories: Life, Music
Tags: Simon & Garfunkel, vinyl