The Dow Is Up!

I've encountered a few bands lately that are worth mentioning. I think I discovered them through Pitchfork.com, which is a great way to find new bands. The problem is that they write the worst reviews in the world. They're completely incomprehensible. And they compare the bands to even more obscure bands. That's great if you're familiar with every band in the world. What? You're not? Then the review eats it.

So here's a quick review of a few albums that hopefully doesn't require the Complete History of Music to interpret.

Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
Sounds like: Oasis/Radiohead combined with The Killers
Verdict: Completely rocks, but some of the songs take a little while to start rocking. Give it time.

Torche - Meanderthal
Sounds like: Black Sabbath or Soundgarden with a more masculine singer (and slightly less talent)
Verdict: Very heavy. If they released this album in the 90's, it would have gone to #1. Then the lead singer would have died of a heroin overdose and everybody today would say, "I wonder what would have happened to these guys if they released that album in 2008 and they didn't become a huge commercial success." I liked it from the get-go. Turn it up to 11

Foxboro Hot Tubs - Stop Drop and Roll!!!
Sounds like: Green Day, but not as punky (rumor is that it IS Green Day)
Verdict: Eh. I prefer Green Day, but they still write catchy hooks. It's basically a more watered-down version. And if there's one thing the world does NOT need, it's a watered-down version of Green Day. It's listenable, but I'm sure it'll be forgotten by this time next year.

I've got too many songs on my iPod right now. A month ago, I was over 10,000. That's when I decided that I was being a little obsessive compulsive and cleaned things out a bit. Now I'm at about 9500. Yeah, I'm not good at cleaning (something The Wife can easily attest to).

Here's the problem. I like a lot of music. I like to say that my tastes are eclectic, but that's not true. I really only like rock and/or roll. I have little use for rap or hip hop. I do, however, have an obsession with pop music, especially from the 60's-90's. That's where the problem lies. At one point, I had every song that was in Billboard's top 100 songs for every year from 1970-2007. If you do the math (and I have), that's 3800 songs. And if you listen to all 3800 (and I have), most of them suck. My most recent song-purging was to get rid of the songs that are absolutely unlistenable. Most of those songs are ones that I'd never heard before.

And this is where my OCD kicks in. I need to get rid of the songs that I recollect but don't like. For example, "If Ever You're In My Arms Again" by Peabo Bryson. Who on EARTH needs this song on their iPod? I heard that Peabo's friends saw it on his iPod and kicked his ass. Yet, for some reason, I can't bring myself to delete it. Somewhere in my sick, twisted mind, I have myself convinced that the Ghostbusters are going to stroll into my house and say, "Hey, it's 1984 again! Let's listen to that totally boss 1984 playlist of yours. Wait, what? You don't have 'If Ever You're In My Arms Again'? Alright, boys, pack up the proton accelerators! We're going home!"

That's what kills me. I know that there's nobody alive that wants to hear this song (or about 1000 others), yet I can't delete them for fear that somebody might, someday, want to hear them. Know what I am? I'm a digital packrat.

It's been almost a year since my last post. The problem? I ran out of things to say. I know that might shock some of you. (By "you", I mean "nobody" since I doubt anyone is still checking this dormant blog.)

You see, it's not very exciting being a parent living in the suburbs. Especially since I've been training for triathlons, which really eats into my free time. In the past, I could write about a stupid movie I just saw (don't get me started about "Speed Racer"). But now instead of wasting 2 hours of my life on that, I spend 2 hours biking to the gym, working out, and biking to the train station. Fun!

Speaking of which, I'm getting geared up (literally) to bike to the train this winter. I enjoy riding my bike to the train for 3 reasons:

1. It's an extra 45-60 minutes of cardio workout a day. And can't we all use a little extra cardio?
2. It saves me about $5-6 a day between gas (stupid V8 pickup!) and parking. (Note, there's no way to monetize this, but it also saves me the aggravation of having to find loose change b/c the parking lot is $1.50 per day, payable only in cash.)
3. It doesn't take me any longer to get to/from the train. In fact, with recent construction along Arlington Heights Rd, it's actually FASTER for me ride my bike.

To prep for the winter, I bought some UnderArmour Cold Gear compression clothes (top and bottom). I've been slacking on the training since the Chicago Triathlon, so my body needs a lot of compression. I might need a couple more shirts to compress the rest of my belly though.

I also picked up some gloves and a facemask that block the wind. That's pretty key, I've discovered. It's not so much the cold (which is bad), but the wind that just kills you. I still need to pick up some clear "sun"glasses b/c the wind kills your eyes too.

Anyway, if you're in Arlington Heights and you see some crazy dude on his bike this winter, please, whatever you do, don't hit him with your car! It's probably me! (Feel free to hit anyone else with your car.)

(By the way, I'm anxiously awaiting when I'm first going to hear from someone about updating my blog. I'm guessing it'll be at least a month!)