And We're Back

Dear Reader(s),

It has been far too long since I last graced you with a bit of nothingness by way of the Charm School Graduate Blog. So here, I reinstate my role as a 'blogger' with hopes and resolutions of being a bit more consistent with the updates in the New Year. Before we address 2009, however, I'm closing out 2008 with my Top Ten Albums. These lists have been circulating for weeks now. There is nothing special or out of the ordinary with my own. But for me, few things in the world can take me back to such a specific time or place than a specific song. Without question, when I hear any of these albums listed below in 5 days, weeks or years, they will undoubtedly evoke some sort of memory (good or bad) from 2008.

10. Grand Archives: Grand Archives. Led by former Band of Horses guitarist, Mat Broooke, this album is light and simple. It lies somewhere where folk meets pop. But you know, not in a pop-ish way.

The one track I listened to 200+ times: Sleepdriving

9. The Dutchess & The Duke: She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke. This album is as bare bones as it gets. It's short and sweet. It's a guy-girl duo who produced an album with not much other than two acoustic guitars and their voices. There are heavy influences from both The Stones and Dylan. It sounds like simple 60s Rock and Roll.

The one track I listened to 200+ times: Out of Time

8. She & Him: Volume One. Well, it seems that 2008 was the year for guy-girl duos. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward teamed up to put out this dreamy little 60s Pop Album, with a whole lot of Country Twang on the side. From song to song, I think the album is a little disjointed, but individually, each track is truly a standout gem.

Two-way tie for the track(s) I listened to 200+ times: Sentimental Heart + Change is Hard

7. Death Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs. Before Matt Berninger and before Justin Vernon, my heart belonged—wholeheartedly—to Ben Gibbard. But over time, I got over it, moved on, and found other musical/romantic interests. All of my old Death Cab albums began to collect dust in the deep dark corners of my i-pod. I didn't get hyped up when this came out, in fact, it was several months after the release that I even sampled a song or two. But like a moth to a flame, I could not stay away. There is nothing remarkable or earth-shattering about this album—nothing that really makes it stand out from their earlier works. After a couple samplings though, it felt comfortable, like home. Like that one ex-boyfriend's number you refuse to delete from your phone, I just can't seem to quit you, Ben Gibbard.

The one track I listened to 200+ times: Grapevine Fires

6. Handsome Furs: Plague Park. Led by Wolf Parade's frontman, Dan Boeckner, I think this album blew At Mount Zoomer out of the water. It's filled with somewhat heavy, driving, even primal beats...somehow elegantly juxtaposed against mechanical/techy rhythms. This album was a sleeper for me. I didn't love it at first, but over time, found myself singing along to every word, and picking up on every nuance. Now, I love it, and it was a struggle to have to place it so low on this list.

The one track I listened to 200+ times: Sing! Captain

5. The Helio Sequence: Keep Your Eyes Ahead. Four years after their last release, the Oregon based duo released this album at the beginning of '08. I'd heard bits and pieces of it from different people throughout the first half of the year, then finally bought it in its entirety this summer. It's safe to say that this album became the anthem of my August.

The one track I listened to 200+ times: Back to This

4. M83: Saturdays = Youth. This album is amazing. It's not that kind of "I feel like hearing Track 3 from that M83 album" sort of a deal. This is one you have to play beginning to end...and it's worth every minute.

I would be contradicting myself if I listed one track that got more play than the rest, but if I had to choose one, it would undoubtedly be: Kim & Jessie

3. Fleet Foxes: Ragged Wood. Another sleeper, it took a while for me to warm up to this album. But once I turned the corner from "like" to "love", there was no turning back. While I don't generally consider the i-Tunes reviews as my written code, I think they nailed it when they said, "Fleet Foxes feel like a ray of winter sun falling on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon. You want to curl up in it for a while, and shut everything else out."  No doubt, I've done my fair share of just that, so I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to my upstairs neighbor, for having to involuntarily listen to this album over and over and over and over again.

The one track I listened to 200+ times: Mykonos

2. Little Joy: Little Joy. This came out of nowhere and blew me away. Well, it didn't come out of nowhere, exactly. It's a little side project of Fabrizio Moretti, and it is gold. You can definitely pick up some Strokes-like undertones, but not in a sellout kind of way. It's a darling, vintage-y, bossa nova-y, tryst. A little musical tryst. Or maybe it just makes you want to have a tryst. Or a mojito.

The one track I listened to 200+ times: Brand New Start

1. Bon Iver: For Emma Forever Ago. This album has been reviewed to death, and there's nothing I could possibly add to or take away from the countless commentaries. All I'll say is that with all of the music I listened to throughout the year, this is the one album I found myself consistently coming back to. Day or night. Winter or Summer. Hot or Cold. Happy or Sad. In love or in hate. Perhaps Bon Iver's moniker would more aptly named: Bon Anée.

Two-way tie for the track(s) I listened to 200+ times: Skinny Love + For Emma

Good Morning America

In the wake of a sensational evening, I received an e-mail this morning from a friend London.  I believe his words offer a wonderful global perspective:

Subject: Good Morning America

Body: Congratulations to you all on making the right choice, we the rest of the world applaud you and wish you the best of times ahead. The American dream lives on and we look forward to our lives being a little less monkeyish.

Enough said.

As The Night Settles Down,She'll Meet A Lot of Clever Clowns

Boomp3.com

M is for Monday is for Mp3 (Late Edition)

A late edition Mp3 for you, Dear Reader.  This is a cut from the Raphael Saadiq album, The Way I See It, that dropped in September.  Some of you may remember Raphael Saadiq from the early 90s R&B Dance Sensation: Tony! Toni! Tone!.  Well, let me assure you he's come a long way from the days of If I Had No Loot.

Drawing from a pure Motown influence, this song is terrific.  The kind of song that makes you want to turn it up real loud, and start dancing the Mashed Potato in your apartment by yourself, until you look out your window and notice your neighbors across the way staring and laughing at you.  Not that I know anyone who would be silly enough to do anything like that.

(For whatever reason, this Mp3 takes a long time to load on this page.  Be patient, it's worth it.)

Farewell Statler, Farewell Waldorf

Friday is for Favorite Things

There are some big changes afoot for the Charm School Graduate. After 6+ years of clicking and dragging my way through the passages of Penguin, one week from today, I will pack up my pixels and move on. I am extremely thrilled to be starting a new chapter, but I am extremely saddened that so many parts of my daily routine are going to change.  I could not possibly begin to list all of the things that I'm going to miss, so instead, today I give a shout out to my Worst Best Fans; Statler and Waldorf. Many of you may remember Statler and Waldorf as the crotchety old men who always delivered those classic zingers during The Muppet Show.  "Statler and Waldorf" also happens to be the name I have given to two imbeciles who make daily visits to my office. These visits are generally brief, and generally only serve one purpose: to mock me.

Topics of Aforementioned Mockery Have Included

(but are not limited to):

• This blog.

• My brief mention of a good looking bartender in this post on this blog.

• My [alleged] promiscuity.

• My [alleged] illegitimate child(ren). 

• My [alleged] employment at a local strip club.

• My love of the bottle.

• This blog.

• The act of blogging on this blog.

• My [alleged] act of blogging after hitting the bottle.

Over time, I have grown immune to this mockery. I am not offended, as I know that Statler and Waldorf do this out of love. (Whether they admit it or not.)  And in the end, I'm going to miss these knuckle-heads coming into my office in all of their raunchy glory.

As I think about it though, I guess it's kind of weird that I began to liken these two coworkers to The Muppet Show's Statler and Waldorf . . . When I was growing up, I always thought Statler and Waldorf were a gay couple.  ZING...bitches! I win! I win!

Could've Tried for More,Could've Settled Up For Less

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M is for Monday is for Mp3

A little somethin' from The Helio Sequence.  Today, I think this is enough said.

Do They Really Feel Anything

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M is for Monday is for Mp3

Today we have a Compare and Contrast Mp3 Post. Oh my! As indicated once here, I tend to appreciate cover songs that are a big enough departure from the original, so that they are completely different interpretation of the same [technical] song.

Modest Mouse unleashed the tune Never Ending Math Equation on the Building Something Out of Nothing album in 1999. Six years later, Sun Kil Moon released an album, Tiny Cities, that is a compilation of Modest Mouse covers.  One review of the Sun Kil Moon cover album stated: This is what Modest Mouse would sound like if they were a Christian Rock band. Which is kind of hysterical, and kind of dead-on accurate. Take your pick, Dear Reader, they're both pretty terrific.

Practice Makes Perfect

Friday is for Favorite Things

Practice makes perfect, Dear Reader. 

Click to begin warming up your trigger finger:

He Holds You Closely Inside These Walls

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M is for Monday is for Mp3

Hold on to your hat, Dear Reader!  For today, I present you with, an indie rock tune from <gasp!> a Canadian band. The band: Handsome Furs—one of the 230949802934802394 offshoots of Wolf Parade. The album is titled Plague Park, and it was a real creeper for me. It took several rotations before I truly began to 'like' the album, and several more before I could begin to pick up on the subtleties and nuance that led me to actually recognize and appreciate individual songs. Check it.

A Cabinet of Curiosities Indeed

Friday is for Favorite Things

A few weeks ago, I found myself in midtown with a few extra minutes of time on my hands. As I stood on 53rd Street, facing east, those big chunky letters, turned vertically, reading: MoMA were staring me down. I'd been wanting to make my way to the Dalí exhibit for quite a while now, and well, I never scoff at the idea of a glass of prosecco at Cafe 2. 

While making my way up to Dalí on Floor 6, I was sidetracked by a dark, quiet little corner gallery. The walls were painted dark grey, the ceiling was low, and the gallery was lit up by nothing but a few strips of track lighting.  I had stumbled upon the Wunderkammer exhibit. I was immediately drawn to the gorgeous logo for the exhibit painted on the wall:

Wunderkammer is a German word literally meaning cabinet of wonder. It is defined as "a place where a collection of curiosities is exhibited." This exhibit is wonderful! The art varies in medium from pen and ink sketches to cut out collages. Little intricate paintings and sculptures. They all offer tiny bits of imagination, ideas and brainstorms. The entire collection somehow seemed like organized chaos—like you're in the strategically cluttered office of an old professor . . . or maybe Edward Scissorhands.  This is turning out to be more difficult to describe than I thought. Perhaps, Dear Reader, you should take your own curiosities to this Cabinet of Wonder and see for yourself.

On a somewhat related side note, I can't help but wonder if I was drawn to the Wunderkammer logo because it reminded me of another logo that I happen to hold quite dear:

All the Old Showstoppers

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M is for Monday is for Mp3

No frills or backstories on this song today, Dear Listener(s).  This is just a good old fashioned jam from the New Pornographers.  I guess it feels like a good Autumnal Bar Tune, to me.  That must mean it's time to bust out the tall boots, the scarves and the pumpkin ale.  I'm so ready. Bring it. 

Come for the Tea, Stay for Everything Else

Wednesday: What I've Been Eating, Drinking, Craving, Etc.

The Charm School Graduate has spent five of the last seven nights dining out for dinner.  At this point, I can calculate a tip and divide the total bill by 3, 4, or 7 in the blink of an eye.  I can indicate to the wait staff that I prefer tap over bottled water with the blink of an eye. I've sampled fried green tomatoes, truffled mac-n-cheese, summer succotash, and a myriad of meats.

The one dining experience that has stood above the rest, was the dinner I took at the Roebling Tea Room last Friday night. Situated on the corner of Roebling and Metropolitan in Williamsburg, this unassuming brick warehouse does nothing to draw the average pedestrian in. That's the wonder of the place. Once you do climb the steps, you're transported to this big open space that somehow feels old-fashioned and remarkably cozy. Dim lighting, tons of candles, vintage wallpaper, and cozy chairs back near the bar. The menus are designed to look like they were just churned out of a turn-of-the-century typewriter, and even the shape of the water glasses have a quirky charm. Enough about the details, if that's not enough to get you in the door, the food certainly should be. The menu is modest in size, though clever. There were plenty of options for my large dining party to indulge in. I think I  managed to stick my fork in two different cuts of steak, beet salad, mussels with fresh corn, sauteed greens and bacon wrapped figs.  And this was just what was going on at my end of the table.

No doubt, this is a terrific date spot, but certainly doesn't need to be limited to that.  Grab a friend, a parent, a secret lover, or a perfect stranger and check it for yourself.

Yours in Food,

CSG

The Envelope Folds Smelledof Her Ancient Perfume

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M is for Monday is for Mp3

Today, Dear Reader, I share with you an old Ryan Adams tune from deep in the archives. Before Parker Posey, before "New York, New York", before rehab, and before the notoriety of being . . . umm . . . not so pleasant on stage, there was: Whiskeytown.  Whiskeytown was Ryan Adams's last band before going solo.  They released three albums in the late nineties into 2001.  While a number of the band members changed from album to album, I think this is probably RA's most consistent work. In this song, he tells such a vivid story with just a handful of poignant lyrics.

This is my all-time favorite photo of Ryan Adams. It just seems like he belongs in this room. And this is exactly what I picture that inside of the "House on the Hill" looks like.

Photo taken by: Chris Buck.

Ran Through'em All But I'm Just Not Sure

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M is for Monday is for Mp3

An avid Charm School Graduate reader once suggested that I devote this blog entirely to hip-hop. If I were to do that, I think I'd run out of material by next week—at the latest.

So, while I'm not making a full-fledged Hip-Hop Commitment here, today I share with you a song that I have probably listened to over 500 times in the last 3-4 months.  This is not an exaggeration.  Do the math: That's like, listening to it three or four times a day, everyday, since late May.  But that's just how good this tune is.  It's from the Sheek Louch album, Silverback Gorilla, which came out in March of this year. I don't know much about him except that evidently, he's pretty hard core—meaning this song is a huge departure from his regular style. I'm yet to come across a stellar review of the album, and frankly, that doesn't matter to me.  Sellout(ish) as it may be to only give an album attention for one song, I ask you to sit back with me, Dear Reader, and dig this for what it is: Perfection.

Just Because You Lose, Don't Mean That I Have Won

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T is for Tuesday is for Mp3? (Late Edition)

It is no secret that when the Charm School Graduate adopts a new band as her "favorite" that she exhausts the album tirelessly. This week's "favorite" band is a guy/girl duo, aptly named: The Dutchess and The Duke. They gained a lot of exposure whilst on tour with the Fleet Foxes this spring. Over the weekend they played at Mercury Lounge then Union Hall.  Unfortunately, enjoying a myriad of grilled meats and cold libations al fresco impeded me from making it to either of the shows, which is too bad—I get the sense that this is one of those bands that is 10 times better live.  If their album (She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke) continues to pick up speed and acclaim, no doubt they'll be back in town . . . and I will definitely get in line to see'em.

Friday is for Favorite Things: Top Ten Edition!

Well Dear Reader(s), here we are on the threshold of Labor Day Weekend. Summer has come to an end. The weather today is chilly and cloudy, but my spirits are not! This was an awesome, awesome summer. So for today's Favorite Things, I share with you my Top 10 Memories From Summer '08. 

(Note: I couldn't possibly rank some of these over others, so I'm listing them as they happened chronologically. Everyone knows that for me, under different circumstances, The National would obviously rank far higher than #8.)

1. Memorial Day Weekend Summer Kick-Off Natalie's Birthday BBQ on the Clinton Street Historical District Rooftop.  Ummm . . . Cheddar Horseradish Stuffed Burgers, anyone? Photo courtesy of Tootsdawg.

2. The mid-July Impromptu Fireworks Show on the pier in DUMBO.

3. Sitting on my stoop, Little Jackie Style, drinking beer.

4. Aimless bike rides to Fairway for lobster rolls on the water.

5. Sitting on the beach in Lavallette with a book in one hand, and a Coor's Light (canned water) in the other. Thanks again, Tootsdawg:

6. The Friday afternoon at Red Hook Pool, that turned into one drink at B61.  That turned into three more.  That turned into a trip to Moonshine.  That turned into a bike ride to Sunny's. That ended at 3 in the morning. In a bathing suit.

7. Jamie Lidell in hotpants at Summerstage.

8. Matt Berninger for being Matt Berninger at Summerstage.

9. The South Street Seaport show in the rain.

10. Sunday Best at The Yard. This is the most surreal and serene music venue I've ever been to. Sitting on a folding chair, in a dusty gravel lot overgrown with weeds, overlooking the Gowanus Canal. What? Awesome.