These Beats Are 20 Years Old

I've taken a hiatus from keeping up on new music lately. It just got to be too much work trying to listen to everything. I'll stream The Current, but I probably haven't seen a show in a year plus. I'm trying to fix it, get back to being "hip" and "in the scene." It's tough.

Rob gave me a hint to check out the new David Byrne / Brian Eno work. The song "Strange Overtones" is damn good, and has the post's title line. Why is this relevant?
Well, last week I was driving out to Hudson, and heard a song on the radio I just loved. It sounded very 80s (a decade I enjoy maybe too much), yet still modern. It could've been released in 1986, and it would've sounded the same. The drum beats had an immediately recognizable sound, a somewhat vocodered vocal part, and a very synth bass line. It put me into an immediate good mood. I needed to know what song it was. NOW.

Well... those beats weren't 20 years old. Hell, they weren't 20 months old. Who was it?

Kanye. Kanye West.
The album title explains the sound, that's for sure. The Roland TR-808 is the quintessential 80's drum machine. And I guess if he's co-opting a sound I like, it can't be all that bad, right? But Jen brought up a good point last night, that it's hard to overcome the preconceived notions. I'm not really a fan of Kanye's ego, but if he's gonna start making music I like, then maybe I should start tuning in.

RIP Bubba. 2004-2009.

Bubba, the giant Tiger Oscar, died this morning. Many of you may remember Bubba as the fish that thrashed about wildly in our living room. Kelsey thought she would be happy when this day came, but she was saddened by the passing of the fish. Now we have to decide what to do with a 60 gal tank.

The scale is probably not evident in the picture. Bubba was probably 12" long or so, and weighed around 10 lbs . And no, the water was not green. It was a function of the camera flash.Bubba was preceded in death by Cheeky (2005), and an innumerable amount of rosy reds.

New Year's 2009

Welcome to the last year of the 'aughts. Our evening was a trip to the Village Pub, and then off to Maxwell's. Mike and I did not subsidize the events this year, however.

Derek and Nicole made the trip all the way from Germany just for New Year's! (okay, maybe not just New Years)Here we are celebrating 2009.Shawn was our dispenser of fine tasty tonics.
One half of the Aaron (Erin) Zimmermans made it.
Alicia, Kelsey, and Malinda.
I think Derek's been caught in the headlights. Or at least looks like a deer caught in headlights.
Jen and Rob McGarry made it out too!
I don't know what point Nicole was trying to get across.

Even Kellogg's understands a great name when they hear it! For the record, no, we didn't buy it.

The RRoD Strikes!

One of the risks of owning an Xbox 360 is the dreaded Red Ring of Death. It's usually just a matter of time, and this weekend, our luck ran out. By some accounts, nearly 20% of Xbox 360s fail this way. Microsoft had extended the hardware warranty to 3 years, however we've got a used unit, which means no such luck. Tonight it looks like I'll be doing some minor surgery on my console. Otherwise it's off to BestBuy for a new one...

Cindi and Steve's Wedding

Pumpkins!

The second annual Kelsey and Aaron pumpkin carving occurred on Saturday evening. Pumpkins, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin beer, spiked cider, cake, and salsa was enjoyed by all!

The first pumpkin up is the domo-kun pumpkin. I got (or shamelessly stole) the idea from Target.Here are Ashley, Kelsey, and Jake carving out the 'kins.
Kelsey carved out an Obama '08 pumpkin. If you want to do your own, visit yeswecarve.com!
Among other patterns available are the silhouette of Obama, which Christina did. Steve carved the old man pumpkin, probably for the hoodlums to smash!
A partial line-up.
The full line up. Jake did the Pac-Man and ghost pumpkins.
Unfortunately the squirrels are already busy at work destroying the pumpkins. They've been a menace in the backyard this year.

For those of you who enjoyed the cider, the recipe is still at last year's post.

Go Pack Go!

I believe that living in Minnesota only reinforces my Packer fandom. Mike acknowledged that he had a similar feeling while living in Wisconsin. So, to add to the house, I made Muffin a Packer fan too! Some gear from the Packer Pro Shop helps.The jersey's just a touch tight, but it looks good. She complains less than the other halloween outfit Kelsey got for her.

iTunes 8

So I downloaded iTunes 8 yesterday, mostly because I've got a Mac and there really aren't that many music players that are as well integrated and easy to use. Also, there's a new feature called Genius (typical Apple naming!). It queries your database, and makes playlist recommendations for you based on a chosen song. So pick mid 80s U2, click Genius, and a playlist is returned featuring similar music. Great! With a somewhat large library, the work required to make good playlists is staggering.

Well, not so fast. For one, it recommends you purchase music you might already own. Easy enough, just don't buy stuff. Second, it can't always make a recommendation. Seriously, "Mountain Music" is NOT a unknown song. (Don't ask). Third, sometimes the recommendations are... strange. Click Feeder's "Just The Way I'm Feeling" and get Razorlight, Stereophonics, and Libertines. All good so far, but wait, what's that? Mike + the Mechanics?

Huh?

Now I like the individual members of Genesis as much as anybody, but seriously, those two bands are not even close in any shape or form. Some work still required.

Oh, and for you Vista users, a wait is suggested. Having an iPod plugged in can have disastrous results.

Packer/Viking Game

On Monday, Mike and I were fortunate enough to watch the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings open their season at Lambeau Field with Cindi and Steve. Justin and Paul Kruse also had tickets, so we all went tailgating. The first thing we noticed was the large amount of Favre jerseys. Maybe not so unexpected in Green Bay, except the number of Jets jerseys! Here, we see both the pre-Packer and post-Packer Favre jerseys.The entrance to the revered ground!
The seats were high up, on an end zone, but just being in Lambeau is great!
Cindi's just so excited the Pack was winning!
Here's our crew.
The Pack did have a successful drive towards us. Rodgers had a good game, not perfect, but well managed.
The last QB to start a game for the Packers before Brett was the Majik Man, Don Majkowski.
Even Favre's college jersey made an appearance.
A great game, especially for a Packer fan! The Pack won 24-19. Starting the season out 1-0 feels great, and gives some optimism towards the rest of the season. The defense did a good job, and the offense was efficient. Now we just need to reduce the penalties.

Bring on Detroit!