This is a continuation of my best of 2009 list. Scroll down to the previous entry to see the first six. If you're interested in hearing any of the albums on this list (which are mostly work-friendly), you can listen to anything once on Lala. Just create a free account, search for the artist, select the album, and click queue album. It's even easier to do than it sounds. Tracy and I have also created a Pandora station with many of these artists.
12. Passion Pit - Manners
This is a pop nightmare. Take one part lovestruck loner and one part Fruity Loops, mix in a shit-ton of falsetto, and you have this sublime (read: "terrifyingly beautiful") mess of unlistenable, masturbatory rock. The guy uses what I'm guessing is a harmonizer vocal effect and maybe some other vocoder thingies, and then he belts out an unabashed love song. I feel a bit guilty whenever I hear this guy, as though I've stumbled across a hidden stash of high school love letters, gleefully flipping from page to page with hilarity and nostalgia. The first time you hear Passion Pit, you will likely hate it, but it grows on you like mildew in a dorm bathroom.
11. M Ward - Hold Time
I nearly forgot this record, not because it was sub-par, but because I kept thinking it came out in 2008. This February 2009 album marks the first M Ward album I found myself enjoying beginning to end. A nice pairing to his collaboration with Zooey Deschanel in 2008 (She & Him - Volume One), this one is worth looking into if you enjoyed that record. There's not much more to say about this except that it's a southern pop gem, and hell, I even bought it for my Dad.
10. Dan Deacon - Bromst
Spastic to the point of annoying, this is the followup to the... similar 2007 release Spiderman of the Rings. Having been a fan of other bands that sound like kids' music on speed (DAT Politics, Blectum from Blectum, Secret Mommy), this is nothing new per se. However, if you check out any of his videos, you'll see he has made the style his own. I frequently find myself dancing like an idiot (okay, maybe that's the only way I dance, but you get the idea). There's not much to talk about musically here... he uses plenty of complicated equipment and fine-tuned loops, but the rhythmic simplicity is part of the charm. Dance, bitches!
9. Atlas Sound - Logos
His 2008 release started showing up on Pandora frequently, I think on the station that included Department of Eagles. Having found myself saying, "ooh, what is this?" for those songs, I picked up his first album last year. It's relative obscurity led me to believe he wasn't due for another release any time soon, but Logos released to some fanfare a short time later (probably because of the success of his other band, Deerhunter). His first, elaborately titled record, was decidedly more ambient, and several people I talked to found it uninteresting. Logos features more vocals and rhythm but is still layered over a complex background. This makes for a pleasant, if somewhat sedate (in a more listenable way vs Volcano Choir), experience for both passive and involved listening.
8. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
It's easy to hate these guys - Brooklyn hipsters with chips on their shoulders. Much of their earlier material is deliberately obscure, and I'd found myself saying, "Who the fuck do you guys think you are?" However, I would recommend Rise Above for the amusing fact that it's an indie pop retelling of a Black Flag album. Bitte Orca does not uh... rise above the pretentious obscurity of their other titles, but it's still fun to listen to. Warbly melodies and vocal precision dominate this record. You'll also find some genuine pop rhythms and cringe-worthy lyrics ("Isn't life under the Sun just a crazy, crazy dream?"). Putting this on for someone who is unfamiliar with their... quirks... will likely result in a shoe hitting you in the ear. Still, give it a spin or two & try to ignore the critics (read: most of the internet).
7. tUnE-yArDs - BiRd-BrAiNs
It's fitting that this odd bird falls right below Dirty Projectors, with whom she apparently toured last year. Merrill Garbus (yeah, I had to look that up) of the band Sister Suvi (which I've never heard of) has spectacular vocal control. The instrumentation tends towards what you might call math rock, at least in as far as the more poppy groups like Fiery Furnaces have imagined it. This leads to the occasional difficult section, and her voice keeps up with the zaniness. The lyrics are vacillate between angry and self-deprecating, lending the songs peculiar (but contagious) energy. "Why'd you think I'd put out your fire? ... What if my own skin makes my skin crawl?"
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
A new decade cometh
Okay, I don't tend to place much weight in the concept of calendar years being a new start or a fresh, stinky baby or whatever. I mean I've never made resolutions (that I intended to keep), and I don't start on my taxes until well into the first quarter of the year. That being said, New Year's Eve remains a fantastic opportunity to start the year with a hangover. There's also the top 10 list. It's long been the tool of Late Night TM to amuse us with topical humor, as well as the list fetishist for masturbatory material. Being neither of those and having written absolutely nothing in the past year, it is my feeble opportunity to tell a bunch of people (or like, 3) what I thought done good. So without further ado (except this one: ado), here is my first
BEST OF 2009 REGULAR OL' MUSIC EDITION (Part One)
In which I find stuff (18 stuffs) I liked that can also be played in a public setting
18. Why? - Eskimo Snow
At the show in 2009 at Cat's Cradle, marking the third time I've seen Why?, the place was packed. Possibly not sold out but... I have no idea how they went from opening at 8:00 to (the horrible) Islands to headlining a show in Carrboro. Anyway, being the super awesome fan that I am, I sang along like a total tool bag (that is, a bag full of tools). This is some poppy, whiny stuff, friends. Eskimo Snow is actually far from being my favorite. It seems each album adds another dude to their band, and the sound is beginning to get crowded in my opinion. See, in the beginning, during his CloudDead days, Yoni Wolf was known as Why? by himself. It was a... rapper name? But while the ranks grow, Yoni continues to grace us with his occasionally shocking, often hilarious lyrics with a distinctive hip-hop delivery. Give 'em a chance, but I'd say start with Elephant Eyelash.
17. Bon Iver - Blood Bank
Another male vocalist who keeps it up there in the falsetto steps into the scene. Along the lines Jens Lekman, Beirut... and hell, I'll even throw in Antony (of Antony & the Johnstons). Delicate melodies and heartbreaking vocals dominate his works, & you'll see he made my list again a couple spots further up. Maybe if he weren't so busy doing side projects (like the Twilight soundtrack for god's sake), he could put out a proper full length.
16. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
The past couple of years have been dominated by heavy doses of jarring electronica. From the now super popular Girl Talk to the web prominence of mash-ups (Best of Bootie anyone?), I've seen stuff rise to the surface that I wouldn't have imagined could... 5 years ago even. It's a stretch to call this playable (even the name is tough to say in a crowd), and that's probably why it's not higher up on the list. There's certainly more accessible stuff out there that won't, you know, make your head want to explode, but there's plenty of bang here. I'd like to say more, but I truthfully haven't listened to the record enough times. Give me a couple of weeks!
15. Volcano Choir - Unmap
Another one I've regrettably given too few listens. The subtlety on this record makes it difficult to enjoy with the casual listen a coffee shop (or even the car) would afford. If you weren't aware, this record is pretty much a side project of a side project. Collections of Colonies of Bees, who are also members of the post-rock group Pele, team up with Justin Vernon, also known as Bon Iver. Both sides of the equation balance each other out with competitive minimalism. You won't find much here that's... disagreeable though.
14. Girls - Album
This variety of... I'll call it "garage pop," is typically not my style. Several recommendations and critical acclaim forced my hand, and I bought it. Part of my intrigue lay in reports of unusual origins for the band's lead, and his troubled past is reflected in the music. The lyrics, well, they tend to be your standard fare & occasionally trite, but I mean the music. Maybe it's just because I'm aware of his history that I sense a challenge in the simple and often repetitive melodies. Still, I find myself singing along in the car, particularly to the nearly seven minute long "Hellhole Ratrace." "I don't wanna cry / my whole life through, / I wanna do some laughin' too / so come on, come on, come on, come on and laugh with me. / And I don't wanna die / without shakin' up a leg or two, / yeah I wanna do some dancin' too / so come on, come on, come on, come on and dance with me."
13. Woods - Songs of Shame
This will not be the only lo-fi folk item on this list, surely. It probably would have ranked higher were it not for the psych-out right in the middle of the album. There is so much poppy, delicate goodness in there that this rambling section has me skipping it more often than not. Anyway, you'll find some fine nuggets on this record. I found the group gives me a feeling of intimacy not found in the other new editions of the lo-fi genre like Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti (with his oddly forced conceit) or even Neon Indian, whom I rate higher on this list. That's not to say the songs are sappy or that they have a narrative strain (like the critical favorite Girls Album), but something about their sound gives the impression of being in the same room with them.
BEST OF 2009 REGULAR OL' MUSIC EDITION (Part One)
In which I find stuff (18 stuffs) I liked that can also be played in a public setting
18. Why? - Eskimo Snow
At the show in 2009 at Cat's Cradle, marking the third time I've seen Why?, the place was packed. Possibly not sold out but... I have no idea how they went from opening at 8:00 to (the horrible) Islands to headlining a show in Carrboro. Anyway, being the super awesome fan that I am, I sang along like a total tool bag (that is, a bag full of tools). This is some poppy, whiny stuff, friends. Eskimo Snow is actually far from being my favorite. It seems each album adds another dude to their band, and the sound is beginning to get crowded in my opinion. See, in the beginning, during his CloudDead days, Yoni Wolf was known as Why? by himself. It was a... rapper name? But while the ranks grow, Yoni continues to grace us with his occasionally shocking, often hilarious lyrics with a distinctive hip-hop delivery. Give 'em a chance, but I'd say start with Elephant Eyelash.
17. Bon Iver - Blood Bank
Another male vocalist who keeps it up there in the falsetto steps into the scene. Along the lines Jens Lekman, Beirut... and hell, I'll even throw in Antony (of Antony & the Johnstons). Delicate melodies and heartbreaking vocals dominate his works, & you'll see he made my list again a couple spots further up. Maybe if he weren't so busy doing side projects (like the Twilight soundtrack for god's sake), he could put out a proper full length.
16. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
The past couple of years have been dominated by heavy doses of jarring electronica. From the now super popular Girl Talk to the web prominence of mash-ups (Best of Bootie anyone?), I've seen stuff rise to the surface that I wouldn't have imagined could... 5 years ago even. It's a stretch to call this playable (even the name is tough to say in a crowd), and that's probably why it's not higher up on the list. There's certainly more accessible stuff out there that won't, you know, make your head want to explode, but there's plenty of bang here. I'd like to say more, but I truthfully haven't listened to the record enough times. Give me a couple of weeks!
15. Volcano Choir - Unmap
Another one I've regrettably given too few listens. The subtlety on this record makes it difficult to enjoy with the casual listen a coffee shop (or even the car) would afford. If you weren't aware, this record is pretty much a side project of a side project. Collections of Colonies of Bees, who are also members of the post-rock group Pele, team up with Justin Vernon, also known as Bon Iver. Both sides of the equation balance each other out with competitive minimalism. You won't find much here that's... disagreeable though.
14. Girls - Album
This variety of... I'll call it "garage pop," is typically not my style. Several recommendations and critical acclaim forced my hand, and I bought it. Part of my intrigue lay in reports of unusual origins for the band's lead, and his troubled past is reflected in the music. The lyrics, well, they tend to be your standard fare & occasionally trite, but I mean the music. Maybe it's just because I'm aware of his history that I sense a challenge in the simple and often repetitive melodies. Still, I find myself singing along in the car, particularly to the nearly seven minute long "Hellhole Ratrace." "I don't wanna cry / my whole life through, / I wanna do some laughin' too / so come on, come on, come on, come on and laugh with me. / And I don't wanna die / without shakin' up a leg or two, / yeah I wanna do some dancin' too / so come on, come on, come on, come on and dance with me."
13. Woods - Songs of Shame
This will not be the only lo-fi folk item on this list, surely. It probably would have ranked higher were it not for the psych-out right in the middle of the album. There is so much poppy, delicate goodness in there that this rambling section has me skipping it more often than not. Anyway, you'll find some fine nuggets on this record. I found the group gives me a feeling of intimacy not found in the other new editions of the lo-fi genre like Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti (with his oddly forced conceit) or even Neon Indian, whom I rate higher on this list. That's not to say the songs are sappy or that they have a narrative strain (like the critical favorite Girls Album), but something about their sound gives the impression of being in the same room with them.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Another top somethingorother
Well, here it is 2010 & I never finished my best of 2008 blog post. Somehow that also kept me from producing any other sort of post for the last year. I decided to just leave this guy as is & post it before moving on to the best of 2009, which you will see shortly! Promise!
Sometimes I like to fancy that someone cares what I think about music. You may have heard me slyly insert that I was once a college station DJ or perhaps interject that "this sounds like the lovechild of Six Organs of Admittance with Sleepytime Gorilla Museum." Anyway if you're down for some musical masturbation I have for you
RUSS'S TOP ALBUMS OF 2008
2008 releases
1. Chad VanGaalen, Soft Airplane (Sub Pop)
I purchased this album after hearing a single song on the radio. To be honest I was more thrilled that the TEXT function had worked & I'd gotten the name of the artist without having to listen to one of the vapid DJs on NC State's radio station THE REVOLUTION. Apparently their revolution was to start doing immature station ID's, giving themselves DJ names like "the fox," and taking paid advertisements.
Surprisingly enough, the album is entirely listenable (despite some obscurity scattered throughout). His songwriting is often captivating, even humorous. Take, for instance, "I can hear the cries of the dead/ Maybe it's your neighbor beating his dog in the basement." Some might find his delivery whiny, but I believe it's the kind of controlled warble you might get from someone like Thom Yorke. Still, it likely fails what I like to call
THE PARENT TEST FOR NEW MUSIC
a. Does the music fall into one of the accepted categories of white people music: folk, cookie-cutter rock, inoffensive dance/disco, covers of songs we already know the words to?
b. Will the lyrics cause one to blush in mixed company?
c. After passing the above, will the disc be skipped anyway in favor of ZZ Top?
In other news, I decided (ill-advisedly) to purchase his earlier album Skelliconnection after enjoying this one so much. Though still enjoyable, I found it to suffer from unimaginative drumming and production... and just a bit too pop-y (a word I've said often but never attempted to spell). I was reminded of Grandaddy's third album Sumday and what a disappointment it had been (inversely from VanGaalen chronologically) after The Sophtware Slump. In addition to that coincidence the fact that their tone is unmistakeably similar.
2. Animal Collective, Water Curses EP (Domino)
It's no secret that I have intense feelings... sexual feelings towards Animal Collective. Now, initially it was all negative. Immediately following their release of Sung Tongs in 2004, I was working at the college radio station all hours. One afternoon I was called and told I could come in an hour later due to a scheduled interview. This was pretty common, though it was rare I had even heard of the band. I came in during the interview to pull records for my show & occasionally crossed paths with members of the band. They wore old clothes and had a haze that followed them like stale pot smoke. Since they were touring, they had likely not showered in weeks & smelled like they'd been dumpster diving, a distinct possibility. What followed was pure contempt, and, mind, I had never heard their music. Assuming it was some hippie bullshit I passed it over in the following months. Eventually I heard the full album & came a little. I discretely purchased Sung Tongs and, a challenge at that time, the bulk of their material. As time passed I attended several shows of theirs through the much lauded Feels release. In 2007, Panda Bear (a founding member) put out my favorite album from that year. The same year saw the release of Strawberry Jam. Okay, I've been rambling for awhile here, but the idea of putting an EP on a top 10 list is to say that this record was, as best as I can tell, an apology for Strawberry Jam. The tour that followed, which I unabashedly enjoyed, had them pretty much playing the album. Previous shows had been mostly noise (though enjoyable), and I think the band began to feel they had sold out. Succinct yet soulful, Water Curses was the stepping stone between Person Pitch and Animal Collective's spectacular 2009 release, Merriweather Post Pavilion.
3. Hercules & Love Affair, Hercules & Love Affair (DFA)
It's a curse of mine that I will buy just about anything from DFA. The label is run by two guys who also do remixes (as is my understanding). After a spectacular pair of label samplers/remixes, they went on to produce two chapters of fun remixes (mostly off-label) that are incomparably playable. So I confess that picking up H&LA was more an indulgence in DFA than my knowledge of their work, which was nonexistent. The reviews I have read attribute the success of this record to the input of Antony. Though he appears to be only a guest artist of sorts, I had viewed him from the outset as a quintessential part of the band (if you can call it a band). His vocals actually sound more like a deep-voiced female, and a quick glance at any biography will nod to the reasons behind that. The result is a passionate act of disco that is not stale top 40 wankage. Though the lyrics are not, by themselves, expressive, their delivery lends them credence. "You Belong" (to him tonight) has a kind of desperate urgency that makes me start dancing, as if for my life. I had it playing at the store once & went to the back to fill a cup with ice. I started groovin' at the ice machine when a young girl spotted me on her way to the bathroom. She joined in with six year-old vigor, and I knew at that moment that this was a music that transcended generations.
4. Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles (Last Gang)
Anyone who was around me during the summer months of '08 knows I played the hell out of this album.
5. No Age, Nouns ()
6. Benjy Hughes, A Love Extreme ()
7 . Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend ()
8. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular ()
9. Department of Eagles
Honorable Mentions
1. She & Him, Volume One (Merge)
New to Me
1. Bark Bark Bark, Haunts ()
Sometimes I like to fancy that someone cares what I think about music. You may have heard me slyly insert that I was once a college station DJ or perhaps interject that "this sounds like the lovechild of Six Organs of Admittance with Sleepytime Gorilla Museum." Anyway if you're down for some musical masturbation I have for you
RUSS'S TOP ALBUMS OF 2008
2008 releases
1. Chad VanGaalen, Soft Airplane (Sub Pop)
I purchased this album after hearing a single song on the radio. To be honest I was more thrilled that the TEXT function had worked & I'd gotten the name of the artist without having to listen to one of the vapid DJs on NC State's radio station THE REVOLUTION. Apparently their revolution was to start doing immature station ID's, giving themselves DJ names like "the fox," and taking paid advertisements.
Surprisingly enough, the album is entirely listenable (despite some obscurity scattered throughout). His songwriting is often captivating, even humorous. Take, for instance, "I can hear the cries of the dead/ Maybe it's your neighbor beating his dog in the basement." Some might find his delivery whiny, but I believe it's the kind of controlled warble you might get from someone like Thom Yorke. Still, it likely fails what I like to call
THE PARENT TEST FOR NEW MUSIC
a. Does the music fall into one of the accepted categories of white people music: folk, cookie-cutter rock, inoffensive dance/disco, covers of songs we already know the words to?
b. Will the lyrics cause one to blush in mixed company?
c. After passing the above, will the disc be skipped anyway in favor of ZZ Top?
In other news, I decided (ill-advisedly) to purchase his earlier album Skelliconnection after enjoying this one so much. Though still enjoyable, I found it to suffer from unimaginative drumming and production... and just a bit too pop-y (a word I've said often but never attempted to spell). I was reminded of Grandaddy's third album Sumday and what a disappointment it had been (inversely from VanGaalen chronologically) after The Sophtware Slump. In addition to that coincidence the fact that their tone is unmistakeably similar.
2. Animal Collective, Water Curses EP (Domino)
It's no secret that I have intense feelings... sexual feelings towards Animal Collective. Now, initially it was all negative. Immediately following their release of Sung Tongs in 2004, I was working at the college radio station all hours. One afternoon I was called and told I could come in an hour later due to a scheduled interview. This was pretty common, though it was rare I had even heard of the band. I came in during the interview to pull records for my show & occasionally crossed paths with members of the band. They wore old clothes and had a haze that followed them like stale pot smoke. Since they were touring, they had likely not showered in weeks & smelled like they'd been dumpster diving, a distinct possibility. What followed was pure contempt, and, mind, I had never heard their music. Assuming it was some hippie bullshit I passed it over in the following months. Eventually I heard the full album & came a little. I discretely purchased Sung Tongs and, a challenge at that time, the bulk of their material. As time passed I attended several shows of theirs through the much lauded Feels release. In 2007, Panda Bear (a founding member) put out my favorite album from that year. The same year saw the release of Strawberry Jam. Okay, I've been rambling for awhile here, but the idea of putting an EP on a top 10 list is to say that this record was, as best as I can tell, an apology for Strawberry Jam. The tour that followed, which I unabashedly enjoyed, had them pretty much playing the album. Previous shows had been mostly noise (though enjoyable), and I think the band began to feel they had sold out. Succinct yet soulful, Water Curses was the stepping stone between Person Pitch and Animal Collective's spectacular 2009 release, Merriweather Post Pavilion.
3. Hercules & Love Affair, Hercules & Love Affair (DFA)
It's a curse of mine that I will buy just about anything from DFA. The label is run by two guys who also do remixes (as is my understanding). After a spectacular pair of label samplers/remixes, they went on to produce two chapters of fun remixes (mostly off-label) that are incomparably playable. So I confess that picking up H&LA was more an indulgence in DFA than my knowledge of their work, which was nonexistent. The reviews I have read attribute the success of this record to the input of Antony. Though he appears to be only a guest artist of sorts, I had viewed him from the outset as a quintessential part of the band (if you can call it a band). His vocals actually sound more like a deep-voiced female, and a quick glance at any biography will nod to the reasons behind that. The result is a passionate act of disco that is not stale top 40 wankage. Though the lyrics are not, by themselves, expressive, their delivery lends them credence. "You Belong" (to him tonight) has a kind of desperate urgency that makes me start dancing, as if for my life. I had it playing at the store once & went to the back to fill a cup with ice. I started groovin' at the ice machine when a young girl spotted me on her way to the bathroom. She joined in with six year-old vigor, and I knew at that moment that this was a music that transcended generations.
4. Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles (Last Gang)
Anyone who was around me during the summer months of '08 knows I played the hell out of this album.
5. No Age, Nouns ()
6. Benjy Hughes, A Love Extreme ()
7 . Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend ()
8. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular ()
9. Department of Eagles
Honorable Mentions
1. She & Him, Volume One (Merge)
New to Me
1. Bark Bark Bark, Haunts ()
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Zing!
I wanted to take an opportunity to toot my own horn.
Jen & I were idly conversing the other day.
Me: I'm trying to think of the term... for a logical fallacy when you keep wishing for something to happen. And then when it does happen you say, "Oh, it's because I wished for it!"
Jen: I'm not sure... It's not self-fulfilling prophecy.
Me: It's not caveat emptor, though I bet it's all latin-sounding.
Jen: Now that's going to bug me all day.
Me: Oh, I've got it!
Jen: Yeah?
Me: Christianity!
FYI, from the wikipedia article, I believe Non Sequitur best fits the description we were looking for, though it covers a broader spectrum of fallacies.
Jen & I were idly conversing the other day.
Me: I'm trying to think of the term... for a logical fallacy when you keep wishing for something to happen. And then when it does happen you say, "Oh, it's because I wished for it!"
Jen: I'm not sure... It's not self-fulfilling prophecy.
Me: It's not caveat emptor, though I bet it's all latin-sounding.
Jen: Now that's going to bug me all day.
Me: Oh, I've got it!
Jen: Yeah?
Me: Christianity!
FYI, from the wikipedia article, I believe Non Sequitur best fits the description we were looking for, though it covers a broader spectrum of fallacies.
Invalid query
Predictions for our time together based on the questions you ask me:
1. "What's good today?"
We're about to have an awkward conversation about the difference between a latte and a cappuccino.
2. "How are these?"
You want me to lie.
3. "Where's your bathroom?"
Ten minutes from now I will knock on the door & interrupt your second line of coke.
4. "Do you have wi-fi?"
Your home office is occupied since the kids are out of school today.
5. "What's playing [on the radio] right now?"
You want my body.
6. "Is the owner in today?"
A group of customers is about to walk in the door.
7. "Do you know any good places to eat around here?"
I'm going to discover that I do not, in fact, know the best place to get a slice in NYC.
8. "Can you make a kid's hot chocolate?"
My calls to keep hands out of the retail beans will go unheeded.
9. "Don't you have just regular ol' coffee?"
The bus from the retirement home broke down out front.
10. "What's yer biggest size frappuccino?"
My ability to suppress a gag reflex is about to be tested.
1. "What's good today?"
We're about to have an awkward conversation about the difference between a latte and a cappuccino.
2. "How are these?"
You want me to lie.
3. "Where's your bathroom?"
Ten minutes from now I will knock on the door & interrupt your second line of coke.
4. "Do you have wi-fi?"
Your home office is occupied since the kids are out of school today.
5. "What's playing [on the radio] right now?"
You want my body.
6. "Is the owner in today?"
A group of customers is about to walk in the door.
7. "Do you know any good places to eat around here?"
I'm going to discover that I do not, in fact, know the best place to get a slice in NYC.
8. "Can you make a kid's hot chocolate?"
My calls to keep hands out of the retail beans will go unheeded.
9. "Don't you have just regular ol' coffee?"
The bus from the retirement home broke down out front.
10. "What's yer biggest size frappuccino?"
My ability to suppress a gag reflex is about to be tested.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Another best of
I was rolling in a bit on the late side this morning & still had tons of stuff to do when customers started coming in. Not a big deal, mind, but difficult to juggle the usual opening tasks with an influx of customers as well.
In walks Willy Loman. The type, you know, with a little extra confidence pinned to his jacket. He was round in the middle and tall. I'd imagine he orders much of his clothing by catalog. Additionally there was, of course, the gray ponytail. He came in with a backpack over his shoulder, and I began to reminisce about Sneaky Santa. A short while later, the backpack and jacket came off to reveal a dingy white t-shirt and suspenders. I had just finished paying the milkman when he walked in. As he approached, he held up the OPEN/CLOSED sign and proclaimed, "Do you need this?" It hangs from a little suction cup, which he had also removed.
"I don't need that."
"Are you open?"
"We are... I don't need that back here."
He ordered a coffee and offered that he would be back once I'd gotten things together a bit.
"You a new place?"
"We've been here a little over a year now."
"You know in the big city at the STAR-BUCKS [I don't know how else to iterate how he pronounced it, almost as if I'd never heard the word before] they have CDs right up front & they just pop 'em in with all that music already loaded up."
"Yeah I uh... I pick the music here generally." [I'd just put a CD in, the soundtrack to There Will Be Blood] "They used to send us these pop CDs, Cafe Music or whatever, which were just terrible. We never played them, and I don't know why they ever started sending them."
"The city I'm from... In Boston the streets are just paved with CDs!"
"Uh huh..."
Anyway he was a pretty nice guy I guess, just quirky as all hell. It was like nobody had ever had a conversation about media before.
I've been asked a few times now what I like to drink. Back before I worked in a coffee shop I'd order all the sweet-ass milkshake drinks or get a flavor in drip coffee. To be fair, the coffee around campus was piss poor. Generally I just drank soda. On my way to class in the mornings I'd pick up a soda or sometimes a Sobe thing to wash down a multi-vitamin. Breakfast! As time went on though, I realized that I liked coffee much better without any sweetener. I mean I've cut a lot of the sugary shit out of my diet since then, but I'm talking about the taste.
These days I mostly drink regular black coffee. If I'm at a place I don't know I'll typically put a splash of whole milk in there too. During the mornings when I work I'll go through maybe... as little as 8oz of coffee or as much as 25oz. Some days when I'm training I get all wired up tasting espresso, too. I can't get into the spitting thing; it reminds me too much of chewing tobacco. Once I mistook a can of spittle for my black cherry soda and wound up hurling into the sink for about half an hour (followed by chugging water & jamming my finger down my throat).
If I'm feeling adventurous I have a couple of standby drinks.
This is an iced americano, for lack of better descriptors. It's a little ice and water with a splash of whole milk. Then I pull a triple ristretto espresso over some cool water (to keep from shocking it on the ice) and put it all together. It's pretty strong at first, since I don't mix it in, but that way the last bit is more manageable.
This is just a slight variation with some frothed milk spooned on top. An iced cappuccino, if you will. If you won't then I don't know what to tell you...
In walks Willy Loman. The type, you know, with a little extra confidence pinned to his jacket. He was round in the middle and tall. I'd imagine he orders much of his clothing by catalog. Additionally there was, of course, the gray ponytail. He came in with a backpack over his shoulder, and I began to reminisce about Sneaky Santa. A short while later, the backpack and jacket came off to reveal a dingy white t-shirt and suspenders. I had just finished paying the milkman when he walked in. As he approached, he held up the OPEN/CLOSED sign and proclaimed, "Do you need this?" It hangs from a little suction cup, which he had also removed.
"I don't need that."
"Are you open?"
"We are... I don't need that back here."
He ordered a coffee and offered that he would be back once I'd gotten things together a bit.
"You a new place?"
"We've been here a little over a year now."
"You know in the big city at the STAR-BUCKS [I don't know how else to iterate how he pronounced it, almost as if I'd never heard the word before] they have CDs right up front & they just pop 'em in with all that music already loaded up."
"Yeah I uh... I pick the music here generally." [I'd just put a CD in, the soundtrack to There Will Be Blood] "They used to send us these pop CDs, Cafe Music or whatever, which were just terrible. We never played them, and I don't know why they ever started sending them."
"The city I'm from... In Boston the streets are just paved with CDs!"
"Uh huh..."
Anyway he was a pretty nice guy I guess, just quirky as all hell. It was like nobody had ever had a conversation about media before.
I've been asked a few times now what I like to drink. Back before I worked in a coffee shop I'd order all the sweet-ass milkshake drinks or get a flavor in drip coffee. To be fair, the coffee around campus was piss poor. Generally I just drank soda. On my way to class in the mornings I'd pick up a soda or sometimes a Sobe thing to wash down a multi-vitamin. Breakfast! As time went on though, I realized that I liked coffee much better without any sweetener. I mean I've cut a lot of the sugary shit out of my diet since then, but I'm talking about the taste.
These days I mostly drink regular black coffee. If I'm at a place I don't know I'll typically put a splash of whole milk in there too. During the mornings when I work I'll go through maybe... as little as 8oz of coffee or as much as 25oz. Some days when I'm training I get all wired up tasting espresso, too. I can't get into the spitting thing; it reminds me too much of chewing tobacco. Once I mistook a can of spittle for my black cherry soda and wound up hurling into the sink for about half an hour (followed by chugging water & jamming my finger down my throat).
If I'm feeling adventurous I have a couple of standby drinks.
This is an iced americano, for lack of better descriptors. It's a little ice and water with a splash of whole milk. Then I pull a triple ristretto espresso over some cool water (to keep from shocking it on the ice) and put it all together. It's pretty strong at first, since I don't mix it in, but that way the last bit is more manageable.
This is just a slight variation with some frothed milk spooned on top. An iced cappuccino, if you will. If you won't then I don't know what to tell you...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
