Author Archives: Adam

My favorites of 2011

Here are my favorite albums, television shows and films of 2011. Enjoy.

5 albums:

1. Camp – Childish Gambino
A great first “official” album from Donald Glover that might not be as good as his EP, but offers a unique look into hip-hop: no  samples, no overhyped collaborations, just Donald and his friends doing what they do best.
For fans of: doing shots of whiskey, Asian girls, self-conscious revelations
Top tracks: “Heartbeat,” “Backpackers,” “Kids (Keep Up)

2. Happy Hour at Sprigg’s: Volume One – Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s
Richard Edwards is a master when it comes to crafting songs and it’s a real treat to hear him do a set solo and acoustic to appreciate songs from the “new Margot” era.
For fans of: wool-knit caps, intricate stories, raw honesty
Top tracks: “A Journalist Falls In Love With Death Row Inmate #16,” “There’s a Freakshow Downtown,” “Freakflight Speed”

3. Never Trust a Happy Song – GROUPLOVE
This group of friends just wants to have fun and that’s exactly what they do on this poppy album. They don’t take themselves too seriously, but they have serious skills
For fans of: laying on the beach, grabbing a bite to eat with friends, staying energetic
Top tracks: “Lovely Cup,” “Slow,” “Betty’s a Bombshell”

4. Everything is Saved – David Wax Museum
Mexicana-folk which contains slow, melodic songs as well as flashy upbeat songs. David Wax and Suz Slezak are unique indivuduals who have provided a unique sound.
For fans of: traditional folk, quirkiness, history class
Top tracks: “Unfruitful,” “Yes, Maria, Yes,” “Lavender Street”

5. Running from a Gamble – Company of Thieves
Amazing vocals, epic guitars and rocking percussion. They’re the most non-traditional traditional rockers around. The album is good, but the group is leaps and bounds better live.
For fans of: hand claps,  cinematic adventures, falling in love for all the right reasons
Top tracks: “Never Come Back,” “Gorgeous/Grotesque,” “Syrup”

5 shows:

1. Community – NBC
What is there to say about this show? It’s clever and the pop culture references are on another level. While the characters are sometimes caricatures, it works for the show and Abed perhaps the greatest character in this millennium. The only thing that can stop this show is the looming TBA return for the third season. NBC better recognize that the viewership is skewed because Nielsen ratings are a conspiracy.
Favorite episodes: “Advanced Dungeons and Dragons” (2.14), “Regional Holiday Music” (3.10)

2. How I Met Your Mother – CBS
It’s Friends, but smarter and more complicated. I love the mystery even though a lot of fans are growing weary of how long it has been dragged on. Even if discovering who the mother truly is has taken a backseat, the characters are still some of the realest on television.
Favorite episodes:  “The Perfect Cocktail” (6.22), “Ducky Tie” (7.03)

3. Dexter – Showtime
Whether the recently-wrapped sixth season was the best in the series or not is not even a real question (it’s not). It may have been slow, but I don’t mind slow. It built towards the biggest plot development since Rita’s death. There’s two seasons left and the finale was basically a pilot for the remaining 24 episodes.
Favorite episode: “Just Let Go” (6.06), “This Is the Way the World Ends” (6.12)

4. Wilfred – FX
It’s not amazing, but it’s interesting. I appreciate the freshness of the comedy and find the dark undertones to be surprisingly pleasant. The first season has a lot of bumps along the way, but it’s another show that will become a cult hit.
Favorite episodes: “Acceptance” (1.04), “Anger” (1.08)

5. The Killing – AMC
Sure, the show relied on a ton of red herrings and the first season finale frustrated me, but I can not wait for the second season to premiere. If you haven’t checked this out yet, I’d give it a shot.
Favorite episodes: “Pilot” (1.01), “Vengeance” (1.07)

5 films:

1. Midnight in Paris – Sony Picture Classics
I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t seen a lot of films this year. It’s sad, I know, but even if I saw all of the Oscar-favorites, I still believe Woody Allen’s comedy would be my top choice. It captured my desire to be in a different time period and explores delicate emotions that I connect with so well.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two – Warner Bros.
Okay, let’s be real: Harry Potter was my life. Without JK Rowling’s epic saga, I’m pretty sure I’d be a different person than I am now. It opened my eyes to a new genre. I hated the idea of the boy wizard up until a certain age and while I may have been late to the party, I never looked back.

3. Super 8 – Paramount/Bad Robot
Nostalgia. That’s why this film works so well for me. It’s time period is prior to my lifetime, but the emotions evoked are timeless. I feel we all want to go back to our childhood. We all want to relive that moment that changed our lives forever. This film is more than whether or not the monster was scary or not. So stop whining about how cheesy it looked.

4. Martha Marcy May Marlene – Fox Searchlights
I always like these dark, non-linear films. I initially thought, “Eh, I would have liked to see this story told in a traditional way” but then realized it wouldn’t have worked. If you have seen this film, let’s talk about…well, the entire film. I have a feeling I read it a lot differently than most.

5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Columbia/MGM
Maybe this made the list because I just saw it yesterday. I love the mystery of the first novel/film. I wish the rest of the trilogy was more like this, but understand the story is more about Lisbeth than anything. I just rather it not be. Rooney Mara’s transformation was terrific. I viewed her as the cute girl next door, but not anymore. She blew me away.

I promise I’ll blog more in 2012. Until then!

Top 5 moments from DeLuna Fest

Today Paste posted a list of our favorite moments from DeLuna Fest and one of my favorite moments made the list. Here’s my five most memorable moments (in chronological order) that I experienced this past weekend.

  1. Before the festival I interviewed Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s frontman Richard Edwards for a feature I’m working on to coincide with their upcoming album. It turned out Edwards was doing an acoustic session on the dunes for our AV crew and I went along to talk to Erik Kang (multi-instrumentalist and tour manager).  As I sat talking to Kang I watched Edwards sit quietly atop his guitar case singing quietly to himself in preparation for the three song set. I was blown away at hearing one of my favorite songs, “A Journalist Falls In Love With Death Row Inmate #16” as well as two brand new songs off of Rot Gut, Domestic. He played “Prozac Rock” and “Coonskip Cap” so softly that I nearly fell over leaning in to hear him.
  2. As Givers played their set on one of the smallest stages, everyone turned it into a dance party. I was a little farther back and away from the flailing, but standing next to me was Ra Ra Riot. I congratulated them on their earlier set and we talked and swayed back and forth to the Cajun-influenced music.
  3. Most of the earlier bands had scattered crowds. Even Telekinesis on one of the main stages had barely anyone there when the Seattle-trio started their set. Halfway through the crowd was a little larger, but certainly not as big as the band deserved. Frontman Michael Benjamin Lerner sat at his drums and said, “I’m sure we can all hear each other, so does anyone have questions?” Some people asked when they’d be back in a certain town, but one lady named Emma asked them to play “Fever Chill.” The band obliged even though they hadn’t played the song in years.
  4. This is sad that it’s on my list, but it was totally fun. I spent most of the day Saturday running back and forth to get free whiskey and cokes so often that the bouncers at the VIP tent started to recognize me. This all led to an awesome evening at the Shins. Garden State told me the band would change my life, and though James Mercer didn’t do that, the combination of whiskey and “New Slang” made for one hell of a night.
  5. I interviewed Grouplove early Sunday for a Best of What’s Next feature and it was awesome. We sat underneath the pier in the shade and talked about basic facts I needed to know, but they ventured off into hilarious stories. I met back up with them later that night after they rockin’ set and ended up eating dinner with them before drinking in the jacuzzi. We discussed everything from what inspires all of us and how the early 1990s are awesome. They thought it was awesome I watched 11 seasons of Cheers and now am watching Roseanne on Netflix. (So everyone in the office can suck it.) My favorite part of the conversation was discussing Kurt Cobain, Nirvana and how it’s better to die a legend than grow old and tweet about some bullshit.

The lure of The Real World

I used to love The Real World. There, I said it. I mean, everyone should know that I love documentaries, and when RW first aired that’s what it was. A production crew documenting roommates lives. Of course it was a precursor of reality television, but it was still a little bit real, wasn’t it?

By the time I started watching (Hawaii, 1999) it still seemed like the people on the show were “real” even if the production was semi-staged or whatever you want to call it. I was talking to my friend, Jamieson, last night about RW and we both enjoy watching it, but say that some of the people are just too good-looking, perfect, or an archetypal MTV-type personality. He’s a little older than me and watched seasons before Hawaii and asked what happened to average people.

Since that season I watched there has been 16 more. I haven’t watched every one. Some seasons I couldn’t even tell you who was on it. There are some seasons I didn’t even know existed. What baffles me is that the 26th season is premiering later this year. So why do people want to be on it? To become famous? I’m sure that’s it. It seems so easy: get on reality television, be a grade-A personality, have people fall in love with you.

But is it worth it? The Village Voice just obtained a copy of an MTV contract that makes me wonder if any of it is. I always wanted to be on RW because, well, I love documentaries and would love to be the subject of one. However, it seems like you’re signing on to become a character of yourself. An actor imitating the real you.

Everything I’m saying has been said time and time again. It’s not news that RW is a far stretch from being anything like the real world. But isn’t there still something alluring about it? I love seeing people my age act like idiots. Now that I am over 21, I watch episodes and think, “Hey, I did that while I was drunk.” Making it all seem a little more realistic than what I thought life would be like in my twenties.

As I’ve been typing this I realize that a major pull for me watching RW is to meet the people who are going to be on the Challenge. Which last night I found out there have been countless seasons that produce ridiculous moments. I mean, what’s better than taking a group of reality stars that all know each other, and pitting them against each other? It’s great fun seeing people in physical competition as well as seeing there personal interactions. It’s like Survivor with booze and sex.

And what could be better worse television than pretty people drinking and sleeping together? I guess it’s the case of bad being good, eh?