SeanG.net

This is not a blog – this is a sandbox

What does that mean? It means I don’t keep up with this site with the regularity I would like. You can see in the messy sidebar to the right that I have taken up micro-blogging where people share pithy observations and links etc vie Twitter. That will be my daily bread for now. I do hope to write some more measured and intelligent thoughts from time to time on this site – thus it’s my sandbox. I will alert folks in the Twittersphere or FB when something meaningful appears here. Until then…move along…nothing to see here…

Community Gardens a Hot Trend in Recession

Community plots, like Fort Collins’ Garden of Eatin’, are sprouting up across the nation and producing fresh food and neighborly bonds. Article here.

I think this is a great trend and has many benefits:

People might meet their neighbors
People will be eating better quality produce
No environmental impacts of food transportation
People might lose a few lbs gardening

The list could go on. I recently read an article about an urban garden proponnant who said whenever he walks through a city he sees all the places where people could be growing their own produce. Since I heard that I have been doing the same in DC. So many problems can be solved by such a simple solution.

iPhone as THAT guy…

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Wale – A Local DC Rapper

Considering it is a town that is full of music and life – there are not a lot of famous hip hop artists coming out of DC. Even my little hometown Oakland had MC Hammer, Too Short, Hieroglyphics, and my Oaktown favorite The Coup. Living in DC the only local musicians you hear about are Fugazi and Chuck Brown. OK, Thievery Corporation as well.

Wale has been turning heads in the hip hop scene for a couple of years now. His lyrics are pretty smart but not to the point where they get in the way. A good discussion and interview on ‘Content and Flow’ at Flavorwire.

The Notwist

I have been on a Notwist binge for a couple of years now. They have steadily moved into the pantheon of my favorite bands since I first heard the Neon Golden LP 6-7 years ago. The new album continues the journey with the standouts Good Lies and GloomyPlanets. Take a listen here:

SeanG.Net 3.0 (or 4.0 depending on how you reckon…)

After 6 or so years of Blogger I am making the jump to Wordpress. The platform had grown stale for me and I was not inspired to write much within the previous paradigm I had created. I am hoping to more tightly focus this blog and to engage with other ongoing conversations. Will also be using it to selectively feed stories to other places on web.

I am sure I have lost any readers I had over the last 5 years with a lack of content and updates. But building is part of the fun. Heave ho.

Favorite Music 2007 Edition

(ED. Republishing this from 2008 while I cook up the ‘09 version. Enjoy.)

I did not ‘consume’ quite as much music in ‘07 as much as I caught up on a lot of the collecting I did over the last few years. I am up to about 131 Gigs which comes down to about 20,000 songs – which if played 24 hours a day would take just shy of 100 days to listen to. If one listens to 2 hours of music a day – well I basically will never be able to listen to all of the music I have – which is kind of a strange concept actually.

In ‘07 I did discover a few new gems though – bands that really impressed me – no easy feat mind you. A few off the top of my head:

The National: Boxer
These guys had been critical darlings for a few years – but were totally new to me. I stumbled up this album The Boxer and it has been in heavy rotation ever since. It’s hard to describe the sound except to maybe say they have the lyrical poise of Dylan, the driving rhythms of early U2, the dusty tired sound of Springsteen. It is basically angsty, thoughtful, poetic music for the 30 something crowd. And that fit me just fine last year. Can’t recommend this highly enough.
Opening Track: Fake Empire.mp3

Silversun Pickups: Carnavas
I am not sure what grabbed me so much here. It sounds like early era Pumpkins but a bit more melodic. The entire set is strong from start to finish. But it also contains what I would consider one of the most astounding pop singles I have heard in a while. Lazy Eye. And what a great title that is for a single.
Glorious Single: Lazy Eye.mp3

The Field: From Here We Go Sublime
Glitchy and meditative. It reminds me of driving through northern Scotland in drizzling rain. They are from Scotland so it sort of makes sense. To the untrained ear this will sound like trance at first pass – but it is actually a closer cousin to ambient. Sort of glitchy meditative ambient is what I would say. Everyone who has heard it in my car wants it. So it is catchy – but does not wear thin. Sublime indeed.
Cool Track: Over the Ice.mp3

and better late than never…
Radiohead: In Rainbows (props Naisan and pSlim for pushing me to listen)
How do they keep doing it? It still sounds like Radiohead – yet they always progress. And somehow they continue to sound like nothing else out there. A lot of jangly guitars that somehow create a melancholy mood. No one has done that so well since Reckoning era REM. Still some electronics – but the arrangements sound simple and lush at the same time. Did not know that was possible. Special mention to Weird Fishes Apregi which makes me want to cry.
Moving: WeirdFishesArpeggi.mp3

Also Better Late than Never – 2006’s Honorable Mentions that Continue to Grow on me:
Junior Boys: So This is Goodbye
This is a fun album. Groovy beats and synths. Catchy melodies and changing moods. Got to give it up for the analog sounds.

Band of Horses: Everything all the Time
This band reminded me of My Morning Jacket when I first heard them. For those that this means nothing to – think sort of dreamy folky southern melancholic rock with reverb drenched vocals. This album does not get old. I actually forced myself to remove it from my car CD player this week.

Music continues to redeem and heal.

(Ariped, Naisan, Cyrus – bring your lists brothers!)