Mike's Archive

Author: mjmadaio

  • Comment to Mike’s take on The Hold Steady

    It seems that a lot of people don’t get it. Craig Finn’s vocals are an
    acquired taste and many seem to not be able or want to get past his
    style of singing. For me, it’s a perfect combination of raw, literate lyrics
    that interestingly draw on drug culture and disaffected youth with many
    references to rock music and the bible, frequently playing them off of
    each other AND Finn’s delivery, which utilizes timing and phrasing that are
    extremely well suited for the tracks. If you want to keep trying, the
    story below from NPR does a nice job of showcasing the band.

    Ian

    The Hold Steady: NPR Style

  • The new Strokes album

    First impressions of First Impressions of Earth: Well for starters, it’s 50 minutes and should be about 35. In one track, J.C. repetitively sings, “I’ve got nothing to say,” which becomes quite evident after a while. Songs are way too drawn out. In some respects they are branching out in new directions, which I applaud, but in some respects this album also feels kind of stale. They cautiously explore some new song structures and production tricks and this pays off – but they also maintain the now signature Strokes sound, which of course they should. However, it is a double-edged sword. Write Strokes songs and sound like the Strokes, but don’t rewrite the same Stokes songs over with different chords. Unfortunately, as they take steps forward, they also takes steps back by being stifled by formulas. Maybe we should call this the Weezer phenomenon. Knock us on our asses with two highly original creative records and then coast on fumes that gag us after. First Impressions of Earth is not a terrible record, so it is unfair to compare it to the horrid shit Weezer has been foisting on us, but it also not great or the record most of us wanted from them. I hope that they are able to exploit what is new and fresh about FIOE and come back at us with something that does not feel so reigned in, cautious, and unsure.

  • Jim Ed Gets the Shaft… Again

    Ok, so I don’t exactly have the most objective opinion on whether Jim Rice should be in the baseball hall of fame (he was my favorite player growing up), but I’m pretty disappointed that he failed to make it this year. His stats don’t make him a lock, but with recent revelations about the juice, it just seemed like Big Jim Ed’s time had come.

    I actually feel that most Halls of Fame are complete crap; they feel the need to induct someone each year for the PR that the event brings. As such, Aerosmith makes the rock n’ roll hall of fame and Tony Perez is enshrined in Cooperstown. I’d love to see baseball have much stricter rules for inductment, but that is not the case. The current guidelines elected Ryne Sandberg — they should also have elected Jim Rice.

  • Life and Money

    I ran into a former teacher/coach recently, and we had the following brief exchange:

    Mike: Hey Mr. Teacher, how are you doing?
    Teacher: Hey Mike, How are you? You making some good money?
    Mike: Uh, I guess I’m doing ok.
    Teacher: You’ve been out of school a while now, you should be making some good money.
    Mike: Ummm, sure.
    Teacher: Alright Mike, I’ll see ya.

  • I’d like to thank…

    I’d like to thank Mike, for putting together this great blog, and of course, my neighbor’s daughter Jesse, for letting me borrow her toy microphone…

  • Rose Bowl Recap

    Holy Crikeys, does Keith Jackson even know what planet he is on?

    (He just called an extra point that was wide right “good”, and then said that USC was not harmed by the blown call by the officials that resulted in a touchdown for Texas.)

    Later:

    What really struck me about the Rose Bowl was not only great players making great plays, but college kids making great mistakes. As great as Young was, USC made a TON of mistakes, including perhaps the biggest by their coach — going for it on 4th & 2 at the Texas 45 with 2 minutes to go (he clearly had ZERO confidence in his defense). It is really amazing that a team that is capable of making that many mistakes, players and coaching staff included, can win 34 games in a row. But that is the beauty of college sports — imperfections make it exciting.

  • The Random Restaurant Meet

    Is there proper etiquette for when you run into someone you know at a restaurant? Are you expected to get up and go over to their table, or does a wave and a smile suffice? If you do stop at the table, how long should you stand there? On one hand, you don’t want to cut the conversation short, but on the other hand, standing by one table is standing by several others in most restaurants. I wouldn’t want some bozo standing next to my table talking to their friends. If there is an extra table nearby, should you sit down at that table and have a longer conversation? Ask the waiter if you can move?

    This has happened to me quite often recently. Just the other day I ran into my buddy Leebo (who was on a date with a girl I didn’t know, complicating the situation even further). I decided to send him a text message saying “I see u”. He got freaked out and looked around the reastaurant. After noticing us, he came over to say hi. I was left thinking, should I have gone over to his table? Was that rude of me? Did we chat long enough?

    Just when you thought it was safe to go out to eat…

  • Mike’s Top Albums of 2005

    Before the high school rock holy trinity (Zeppelin, Boston, Steve Miller Band) helped me convert to rockianity in 10th grade, I listened to top 40 pop almost exclusively (it happens). New Edition was my favorite band of all time (I can still perform the “Cool it Now” rap on cue) and Michael Jackson was my favorite solo artist (watch out for this guy at weddings). And while I’ve left most of that behind for more diverse and interesting tunes, my love of the hook remains. Although I like stuff that’s all over the musical spectrum, it still needs a catchy center to reel me in. This theme pervades my my top 10 albums for 2005: (more…)

  • Happy Festivus from Songoose

    I’ve got a lot of problems with you people, but enjoy the holidays nonetheless…

  • (Xmas) Cover Songs

    So my hombre Gordo requested that I name my 5 favorite “cover” songs as part of a little multi-blog list collaboration. Because I’m currently swept up in the many joys of working in the retail industry during the holidays, I decided to modify this assignment and name my favorite Xmas song covers. So here goes…

    “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
    Um, the definitive version of perhaps the definitive Xmas song. Along with Father Christmas by the Kinks, set the standard for rock n’ roll Christmas songs before they were big business. Perfect.

    Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), U2
    Darlene Love’s original version is perhaps one of the finest pop vocal performances of all time, Xmas or not, but U2 amazingly creates a version that is, arguably, as good if not better.

    I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, John Mellencamp
    I’ve always loved 12-year old Jimmy Boyd’s (who later appeared on PBS’s The Electric Company) poignant original, but I definitely prefer this cover. In perhaps the most drastic re-working of a Christmas classic, Mellencamp turns a ballad into an alt-country rave up, fiddle and all.

    Last Christmas, Jimmy Eat World
    I never would have expected to like a cover of Wham!’s admittedly guilty pleasure cheesefest, but they managed to infuse just enough modern rock to make it listenable again.

    Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jack Johnson
    Johnson’s laid back style doesn’t seem condusive to a quality Christmas tune, but he manages to mele kalikimaka the crap out of it. With the all the stress of the holidays, this mellow alternative to a classic story is just what the doctor ordered.