Goodbye 2006. You won't really be missed. Excuse me while I go have just a little taste of champagne. See you next year...
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December 2006
December 31, 2006
December 27, 2006
2006 TV Show of the Year
#1. The Colbert Report. And it wasn't even very close. No show this year continually entertained and enlightened me with its absolute brilliance other than The Colbert Report. Ok, Arrested Development probably did as well, but that was off the air by February, so most of my viewings were on DVD - as a result, not eligible. Which, leaves Mr. Colbert and his merry band of superb writers as the best television program of 2006. Congrats, Stephen!
Starting off as a very amusing but perhaps one-joke offshoot of The Daily Show, The Colbert Report has come into its own this year, with episode after episode of quotable water-cooler moments... there was his visit to the White House dinner where he kicked ass and took George Bush's name; there was the bridge-naming in Yugoslavia in which his fans boosted him over some famous dead Bulgarian to have a bridge named after him; there was his son, the bald eagle "Stephen Jr.", who is - much to his father's regret, currently somewhere in Canada; there was the Ontario Junior Hockey League team that named its mascot after him; and there were of course, the daily "Word"s, "Threatdowns", "Tip of the Hat, Wag o' the Finger", and the magestically hilarious "Better Know a District"s, interviews with congressmen -- every single one of which ended up winning this fall. But the highlight of all - at least for me - was last week's battle with indie rock heroes (and my #7 favorite band of the year), The Decemberists, who took on Mr. Colbert in a guitar shred challenge on the last show of 2006. The episode also featured Peter Frampton, Cheap Trick, Henry Kissinger, New York governor-elect Eliot Spitzer, and Robert Schneider of the Apples in Stereo, who penned the amazing "Stephen, Stephen" for the event (Download below). Colbert won the shred-off against Decemberists' guitarist Chris Funk, in a somewhat disputed ruling. The whole thing was absolutely brilliant. Watch a clip explaining the event below, and go to Comedy Central to watch the rest of the episode. A must-see for any indie rock and/or Colbert fan. Well done, Stephen, well done.
December 25, 2006
A Christmas Miracle
Barring a nearly impossible Christmas miracle, The Silver & Black will clinch its 5th championship in 8 years of the Edison Fantasy Football League. My lead going into the final day of week 16 matchups (Christmas night) is 66 to 11. The 66 is one of my lower scores of the season, and LT had his worst game in about 12 weeks, but my opponent didn't exactly put up enough to make it a contest. Marc Bulger led the way with 4 TDs and 26 total points, his best game of the season, which more than made up for an off day for LaDainian. He has 2 players left - Marion Barber and Reggie Brown, and although they have the ability to score some TDs, he'd need about 7 TDs combined + 260 yards to get to the 55 point difference between our scores. Plus, I still have Laveranues Coles in the late game. So I think it's a win.
It was actually a pretty uneventful season. Of my 9 playoff starters, only 1 was someone I didn't draft (my 3rd WR, which was in flux all season). Basically, I was very healthy and lucked into LT at the 3rd slot in the draft and the rest was history. I actually flubbed the second pick - Warrick Dunn, and 3rd pick Torry Holt was just good, not great. But my season might have been made when my 4th pick came around and I realized there were no excellent receivers left on the board and went with a 3rd RB instead - Frank Gore. He went on to become one of the top 5 RBs in the league. So thank you, Frank (2 TDs in the championship), thank you Bulger (4 TDs in the championship), and of course, thank you LT (0 TDs in the championship but what - 31 this season?)
Merry Christmas, baby.
December 22, 2006
Happy Holidays
Wow, Syracuse lost to Drexel the other night and I didn't even realize it until two days later. I'm definitely kind of out of it lately. Things have been crazy busy this year, what with going back to school, reading and writing for the class and rather extensively on my own, looking for a new job, finding it, switching jobs, and then switching back, and continuing to post daily on this website. Due to a listing on elbo.ws at the end of last month, I've already broken monthly readership records just set in October, although I've had to buy some server space over at Mediamax to handle it. Fortunately, my take from the Google ads has increased along with the increased readership. Unfortunately, I'm still below the whole "breaking even" point. But this blog is not here to make money (apparently). It's here to allow me to write about the things that interest me and to hopefully entertain the audience. And as such, it's been a wonderful year. Even if I don't have time to follow sports anymore.
So I'd like to wish a Merry Christmas, Happy Channukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy Festivus to all my readers. I hope everyone has a safe and pleasant holiday with family and friends. Vague Space will be on hiatus until at least Tuesday, possibly until the new year. We'll see if the mood hits. I will be on vacation most of that time. And depending on the results of my finals matchup in the EFFL (thank you, LT!), I may post before then. Thanks again to my readers (and don't get too excited about the picture on the right, Jan).
December 21, 2006
The Arcade Fire Effect
Everything that has been good in music for the past two years has something to do with Arcade Fire it seems. Wolf Parade, Final Fantasy, Sunset Rubdown, Stars, Swan Lake, Bell Orchestre and a whole host of other Canadian bands have either direct or indirect ties to the band and its amazing Montreal sound, and this explosion of music since the debut of Funeral in 2004 has energized a flagging indie rock world in a way that probably hasn't been seen since its early 90s heights. Funeral has sold over half a million records worldwide, a shocking figure for an indie label artist and a debut album that never got played on "mainstream" radio.
I first heard "Wake Up" and "Neighborhood #3 (Power's Out)" on Sirius Left of Center 26 when I got my new car in November 2004. But it wasn't until I heard what would become my #1 song of 2005, "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)", that I fell in love with the band, and eventually the sound of the movement in Montreal. "Rebellion (Lies)" is one of my favorite songs of all time, and the re-released debut EP produced an incredible track called "No Cars Go", which spawned the line "us kids know", now the name of the fan website. And make no mistake, Arcade Fire was an Internet-fueled indie rock success story - perhaps the first ever - and certainly proved the great power of music blogs for the first time, a power that has - fortunately for Vague Space - grown in leaps and bounds since Funeral was released.
The new album, titled Neon Bible, is supposed to come out in March of 2007. The first leaked track, an older song that's been around since 2004, titled "Intervention" can be heard by calling 1-866-NEON-BIBLE, and was played on Zane Lowe's BBC radio show, from which You Ain't No Picasso downloaded it and posted it, reproduced below. It starts out with a church organ and includes some dramatic swells and instrumentation over Win Butler's growing vocal accompaniment. The lyrics and feel of the version of "Intervention" I've heard (and liked) before have changed considerably, although the soul of the song remains the same. I'm not sure if I just really like it, or if it's one of the great musical experiences of the year, but it's certainly not in any way, shape, or form, "bad." The biggest question is - can the bloggers lay off the new album without posting all of it before its official release. I'll do my best to resist.
- Download Arcade Fire - "Intervention (Zane Lowe)".mp3
- Download Arcade Fire - "Intervention (2005 on KCRW version)".mp3
Oh, and this means in the next couple months, we're getting new albums from Arcade Fire, Clap Your Hand Say Yeah!, Explosions in the Sky, and Modest Mouse. Christmas has come early for Vague Space.
December 20, 2006
Blood Diamond
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly
Rating: 3 1/2 stars (out of 4)
A stunningly violent and well-made action-adventure/political statement that is as difficult to watch as it is powerful in its message, Blood Diamond is DiCaprio's best work as an actor - which is saying a lot, coming on the heels of his great performance in The Departed, and is one of the best films of the year. Due to a lackluster opening weekend and the overly brutal realism of its scenes, it may not be recognized as such come Oscar time, but that would be a crime - almost as heinous a crime as the mind-numbing decision to hand Crash the Best Picture award, still one of the most shockingly undeserved awards in my lifetime. Hopefully, the voters have been replaced and/or gotten brain transplants that restored their appreciation for subtlety, and come to recognize this picture for the quality spectacle it is. I'm not holding my breath.
December 19, 2006
Album of the Year 2006
1. Mogwai: Mr. Beast
- Read the review here. It got a 9.2 (out of 10). And download the #1 song of the year "Friend of the Night" here on my site.
2. Sunset Rubdown: Shut Up I Am Dreaming
- I didn't post a review it appears, but let's just say it's an original, quirky, stunning debut masterpiece by one of Spencer Krug's many side projects from Wolf Parade, with a full band accompaniment of beauty.
3. Joanna Newsom: Ys
- Read the review here. It got a 8.8 (out of 10). Buy it at Amazon. Makes a great Christmas present for the literate musical fan in your family.
4. Grandaddy: Just Like the Fambly Cat
- The final album from the erstwhile Modesto, CA indie rockers got a 7.2 (out of 10) in this review here. Also scored two top-10 songs on my year-end list, the only band to achieve that accomplishment.
5. Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
- Again, no review, but I did discuss it here. It produced the #2 song of the year, "The Story of Yo La Tango" and was a great return to form from the long-playing Hoboken, NJ trio, and a wonderful album.
December 18, 2006
2006 Vague Space Music Awards
And the winner of the 3rd Vague Space contest is Mr. Switsky with 2 of the 3 correct answers and the highest overall score of "18". Ira came in a close second with "17" overall points. He gets nothing, though, except perhaps the #1 pick in next year's draft, but if Al Davis is still alive, it'll be screwed up regardless. The contest was a bit of a trick question - the winner of all 3 categories is the same band, Mogwai. Congratulations to the Glaswegian rockers.
And now without further ado, here is the complete list of the Vague Space Song of the Year, 2006. For 2005 awards, go here and here and here.
Vague Space Song of the Year
- "Friend of the Night" Mogwai
- "The Story of Yo La Tango" Yo La Tengo
- "Another Radio Song" Okkervil River
- "Winged/Wicked Things" Sunset Rubdown
- "Jeez Louise" Grandaddy
- "Skateboarding Saves Me Twice" Grandaddy
- "The Mistress Witch from McClure" Sufjan Stevens
- "Are You Swimming in Her Pools?" Swan Lake
- "Omaha" Tapes 'n Tapes
- "The Crane Wife 3" The Decemberists
December 15, 2006
Lon Gisland
New EP from Beirut called Lon Gisland. Order it here. The band has made a minor stir in indie rock circles with their debut LP and hit song "Postcards From Italy." The track "Elephant Gun", here, is quite excellent. The others are very good. Take a listen. And have a good weekend. Go Chris Cooley!
December 14, 2006
VAGUE SPACE
Recent Posts
Favorite Links
- Aaron Gleeman
Baseball news from a blogging original - Beer Leaguer
Phillies baseball - Boston Sports Guy
ESPN.com's Bill Simmons' irreverant sports humor - Daily Kos
They hate Bush more than I do - Elbows
Music blog aggregator extraordinaire - Five Thirty Eight
Politics and statistics together - Pitchfork Media
The indie rock review site that started it all. - Television Without Pity
Spare the rod, spoil the networks. - Think Progress
Bush bashing backed by facts. - USS Mariner
Seattle Mariners and general baseball discussion
