Bow Down

Mix tape Late Night

One of the things that i wasn't prepared for when moving to Vermont was the amount of driving we have to do. With nothing within walking distance even a trip to the store requires a major drive. My second job is 45 minutes away, which makes for some late night drives.I often find myself driving late at night on winding mountain roads. I'm usually dead tired but that's alright because i have a mix on my ipod for those late night rides, here are the first four songs.
Download - The New Pornographers - Chump Change
Download - Built to Spill - Big Dipper
Download - Tokyo Police Club - Nature of the experiment
Download - Beirut - Elephant Gun

I do admit that the first three may cause me to speed at times. Drive safely.

Goodnight Rose

Please, please, please god let the entire album be this good.
Is everyone aware that Ryan Adams and the Cardinals will be performing on Henry Rollin's show this Friday? There's a full performance up now along with a really good interview on the ifc website. Ryan and the band sound great and the interview is surprisingly good, guess givin up the booze was a good choice. Needless to say, this is one of the songs from his upcoming album.
Watch them perform Goodnight Rose.

Bright Eyes Cassadaga

Right after Fevers and Mirrors came out i made a mix CD of my favorite bright eyes songs and titled it "Bright Eyes Boy Wonder" not real original but oh so fitting. Conor has come through once again on his latest full length Cassadaga. The things we love about Bright eyes are there, biting self aware lyrics,the emotion filled voice but on this disc we also get strings! Honestly this is the most even and balanced disc Conor and the gang have ever put out. In addition to the regular crew, Mike Mogis, M. Ward, Conor has rounded up some impressive names, David Rawlings, Gillian Welch, Rachael Yamagata, Maria Taylor and Janet Weiss. I give it high marks all around.
This is a disc that you need to physically buy not download. The packaging is like nothing you've ever experience, well maybe years ago in a completely different setting. Get it today, it's on sale at several places.

Download - Bright Eyes - If the brakeman turns my way
Download - Bright Eyes - Make a plan to love me

Boxer

I listened to The National's new album Boxer today, good stuff. I was a little worried that it wouldn't hold up after an album like Alligator but I'm definitely into this album. It's energy is a bit toned down but it sounds great and the lyrics hit home. By now you've probably heard Fake Empire so i'll leave you with two more tracks that struck me.

Download - The National - Brainy
Download - The National - Start a War

Dizzee Rascal

Dizzee Rascal's new album Maths and English will be out June 4th. The first single Sirens is out now. I've never been able to listen to a complete album by Dizzee but I think he's great in small doses. I hope that came across as positive.

Sugaring

Last weekend the kids and i (Gretchen had to study)headed over to a friends house to see how the whole maple syrup making process works. The farm we went to was on the east side of the East Hill in Chelsea. We had to navigate several miles of what had once been dirt roads. At a few points in the drive i was mentally deciding which child i could put behind the wheel of the car as the rest of us pushed. With a new understanding of the phrase "mud season" we made it to the sugar shack. Liam was convinced that we were in the jungle and spent the rest of the visit looking for elephants(he didn't find any). The snow was still deep as we headed out to gather sap. Eric taps 220 trees and we checked 110. I can't really explain how great boiling sap smells and i won't even touch the taste of syrup right out of the evaporating tray, amazing.

30 Rock

Word on the street is that 30 Rock has been picked up for another season, thank God.

Puma Tribe

Puma will be putting out a Tribe Called Quest inspired shoe later this year. Not quite as cool as the De La Dunks or the MF Dooms put pretty slick nonetheless. I don't currently own a pair of pumas...
Download - Tribe - Can I Kick It

When the stars go blue

I wasn't aware that there was a video made for NY, NY besides the Twin Tower version that saw wide release. This is supposedly the early version with When the stars go blue stuck on.