- The Top 25 Albums Of 2008
1. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
2. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
3. Sigur Ros - Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
4. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
5. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
6. Department Of Eagles - In Ear Park
7. Kid Cudi - Plain Pat & Emile Presents a KiD named CuDi
8. Everest - Ghost Notes
9. Deastro - Keeper’s
10. Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
11. Portishead - Third
12. Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
13. Imaad Wasif - Strange Hexes
14. Fink -Distance and Time
15. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
16. Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
17. Frightened Rabbit - The MIdnight Organ Fight
18. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
19. Bonnie “Prince” Billy - Lie Down In The Light
20. R.E.M. - Accelerate
21. The Whigs - Mission Control
22. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
23. Jim Noir - Jim Noir
24. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
25. Deerhunter - Microcastle
- I Buy My Music At Amazon And Amoeba
I suppose this is somewhat of an endorsement, but there’s much more to why I shop at Amazon and Amoeba than the fact that they both offer great selections. And while most of my reasoning is different for each retailer, there is a common thread - I can find anything I want, whether it’s a top Billboard album or a rare, out-of-print album.
If you purchase music online, chances are you’re shopping iTunes or Amazon. I’ve never been a big fan of the iTunes store because I don’t like to be told how I can use my music. I continued to buy most of my music on CD until fairly recently, when unprotected MP3s were being offered at 256kbps from Amazon. Maybe you don’t care that you can only burn your iTunes downloads 5 times. Honestly, I rarely burn them, if ever. I do share a lot of music though. I’m not dumping the contents of my music library on other people’s machines or sharing music via BitTorrent, but I do like making mixes and sharing them. You can’t do that with an iTunes download, unless you opt for the unprotected MP3. That’s always been the deal breaker for me. As much as I like the overall experience of the iTunes store, I think Amazon’s user experience with their MP3 Music Store, is superior to Apple’s. When I shop at Amazon I feel like I’m among fellow music fanatics. The opinions are usually intelligent and substantive, recommendations are usually spot-on and the overall experience is just more pleasant. I’m about as big of an Apple fan boy as you can be, but I won’t be buying my music online from them.
Amoeba is one of the reasons that I love living in LA. Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s one of my top 5 reasons. Amoeba is as much a record store as it is heaven on Earth. You can find pretty much anything you want, there’s people that know A LOT about music working at the store and they buy and sell used CDs. Find me a comparable brick and mortar retailer. You can’t. Amoeba is that good. I’m lucky enough to work a few blocks from the Hollywood location (currently the only LA location) and I visit fairly often. Some may find the experience of shopping at Amoeba daunting, and it certainly can be, but if you don’t have a lot of time to shop around, I highly recommend their end caps. The staff picks are so spot on, that a lot of times I’ll just pick something up because it’s recommended. I’ve only regretted doing that once. The used section is remarkable. If you’re willing to hunt, you can find some great albums at awesome prices.
I realize I’m an extreme case when it comes to shopping for music. For somoene that gets pretty much anything for free from the labels, I still spend at least $100/month on music. I want a great experience when I spend that money. For that reason Amazon and Amoeba are the two greatest places to buy music online.
- Copywrong
Our archaic copyright laws need an overhaul. If you don’t know what Creative Commons is, this is a great video overview.
[via Fred Wilson]
- Waiting For Chinese Democracy
Over the weekend I slapped up a quick site to help Laura sell some of her awesome shirts. They got some good attention from people at Bumbershoot. Pick one up and help spread the word.
- Why Mac Consulting Helps Me At My Real Job
I’ve been doing Mac consulting in one form or another for nearly 12 years now. When I’m between jobs, it’s something I fall back on. And when I have a job, it’s a side hustle that not only makes me some extra cash, but it also helps me at my real job. Helping people with their Macs teaches me to think with a different part of my brain than I usually do. I’m not solving problems at the office like I do when I’m diagnosing why a MacBook Pro is the only computer that can connect to the AirPort Express in some guy’s house when his iMac and Mac TV can’t even see the network. It’s process of elimination. It always works the same way. And in the years that I’ve been solving people’s Mac problems, I’ve never not been able to figure something out. I may have to consult an obscure thread on a message board or even call someone who knows something I don’t, but it’s never impossible. And I guess that’s what’s exciting about it. You know damn well that there’s a solution, but how do you get there? There are no rules. The client isn’t gonna think less of you because you had to call some other guy or look around online. They’re going to think you’re a genius because you thought to do the things you did and they feel like their money was well-spent. You walk away with a wad of cash, another victory under your belt and a recommendation. Happy Mac users talk and for every good job I do, I get at least 2 new customers.
When I was working in music supervision for feature films, I had an awesome boss who taught me a lot. I wasn’t always fond of how he did it, but it’s made me a much better employee. The main things were to pay close attention to detail, exhaust all possibilities and be really nice. If you can’t pay attention to detail, it’s a non-starter. In order to be good at any job, you can’t let details slip through the cracks. We all make mistakes, but there’s no worse mistake that the kind that result from carelessness. Working as a Mac consultant comes with a lot more pressure than my other job, believe it or not. It’s all eyes are on you. Sometimes the client is literally watching everything you do. If you miss a detail, either the client will catch you or you’ll realize what you missed after you’ve spent too much time diagnosing a simple issue. Missing one small detail can make the difference of solving a problem in 1 hour or 4 hours.
I used to think that checking things online or calling someone else that might know a little more than I do would come off as weak to a client. Boy was I wrong. Clients are impressed by it. You know where to look and who to call to solve a problem. Having a second opinion is always nice too. I’ve even called Apple a few times when I’ve gotten real stuck. And the client was happy I did. You have to exhaust all possibilities when you’re trying to problem solve. There’s nothing worse that saying you can’t figure out why a computer won’t power up and then a client notices the power strip isn’t turned on. Many times, it’s the obvious stuff.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from working with some of the biggest egos in the music and movie business, it’s that being kind, saying thank you and smiling will get you really far. My Mac clients are no different. I would say that the vast majority of Mac users are cool, creative and hospitable people. When you’re kind in return and stay positive even when you’re sweating bullets, it can make a big difference. They may even buy you lunch or dinner.
Sometimes I forget a lot of this stuff when I’m doing my regular job. Doing a little consulting on the side helps keep my brain working and helps me think more critically when I’m at the office. Just like anything, you gotta practice to stay sharp and if practicing means I can make a few extra bucks, then I’ll be doing as much of it as I can.
- Byrne and Eno
Two of the greatest musical minds finally come together again. It’s been about 30 years since David Byrne and Brian Eno collaborated on anything. Everything That Happens Will Happen Today is released today and you should go buy it.
- My 15-Minute Meeting with Danny Goldberg
I was reading the Fashion Rocks magazine insert that came with the latest issue of Wired. In it there’s an excerpt from Danny Goldberg’s new book, Bumping Into Geniuses, which got me thinking about the time that I met Danny.
I don’t think my parents were ever really happy with the choices I made once I left the house and went to college at the University of Kansas. My dad always encouraged me though. My hunch is that he didn’t share all of the details with my mom, who was either more disapproving or just quiet about her disapproval. Either way, I didn’t really talk to her about any of it. I always talked to my dad, particularly about the music business. My dad was pretty much responsible for getting me interested in music at a very early age. Instead of fairy tales, he would tell me stories about Barry Gordy starting Motown or Quincy Jones producing a hit record with Michael Jackson. I assume he read books about these people, but now that I’m thinking about it, I never saw any books on them in the house. But there were lots of records to listen to, and I listened to all of them over and over.
As I grew up, I became obsessed with music. Whether it was listening to Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 or buying punk rock records at Streetside Records in Overland Park, Kansas, I knew I wanted to be a part of music. Since I wasn’t a talented musician and couldn’t sing, I decided that I was going to work behind the scenes. It all culminated when I went off to college and Lawrence, Kansas was probably one of the best places to be in the 90s if you weren’t in Seattle or Athens. I started working at KJHK in the production department and eventually worked my way up to hosting “Plow The Fields,” which was the local music show. I was also a college marketing rep for Sony Music and started as an intern at Red House Recording Studio (now Black Lodge Recording), but what I really wanted to do was to start a label. I asked my dad if I could take some money from my life savings account and with that deposit and an amazing band called Action Man, I started Barber’s Itch Records.
In 1995, I went to New York for CMJ. My dad was always urging me to meet with people when I went to New York, but I didn’t have any connections. My dad was active in the ACLU and served as the President of the affiliate board. At some point, and I can’t remember when, he testified as a psychologist against the PMRC and if memory serves (and it may not), that’s where my dad met Danny Goldberg. I’m sure he talked his ear off too, but he also used this meeting as a way to get me a meeting with Danny in New York, which he did. I vaguely remember meeting with Danny, playing him some music and seeking his advice on how to get acquired by a major or get my artists signed to Mercury. I think the meeting lasted all of about 15 minutes, but I was anything but discouraged. He told me to work hard, get my music out to as many people as I could and only then might something happen, but chances weren’t good. And that small chance was what drove me to keep at my little label. I didn’t sell many records, but it was an experience that I will never forget and it helped me decided what I was going to do for the rest of my life.
- Another pair of sneaks
Thanks to Daily Drop for pointing me to these sweet “Un-Futura” Nike SB Dunk Highs. Picked them up immediately over at CCS. They have them in a brown and green colorway as well.
![](http://www.whatevernevermind.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/n2nb4804_gywh.jpg "\\"Un-Futura” Nike SB Dunk Highs")
- Exercising without the gym
I’ve always had trouble motivating myself to exercise. I know it’s good for me. I know I’m not getting any younger, but I’m not fat (though my cholesterol is high now) and through the miracle of genetics, I have a decent build for someone who hasn’t consistantly worked out in years. I want to exercise, but I don’t want to do the work. Apparently there’s a pill now, but I’m not into taking pills. A couple of weeks back I was reading my daily dose of RSS feeds and came upon a pushup workout. It required little time, worked all sorts of muscles and it sounds pretty badass to say you can do 100 pushups, which, if I followed the regimine, I would be able to do in 6 weeks. Sold.
I’m a week in to the workout and while it’s not easy, it’s pretty fun to do and is a great, energetic start to my day. I’m taking a photo of myself after each workout, and will do one of those fancy time-lapsed movies at the end of the 6 weeks. Hell, maybe I’ll go for 200, but I don’t wanna get to far ahead of myself. If you’re curious about what I do pushups to every morning, my choice:
The Black Angels - Directions To See A Ghost
Download from AmazonIn addition to the pushups, I bought a new skateboard over the weekend and plan on skating around Hollywood a little during lunch and to blow off some steam during the day, when possible. It’s a Mark Gonzalez Krooked deck with Independent trucks, Bones Swiss bearings and Spitfire wheels. After years of not skateboarding following a nasty fall, I’m super rusty, but getting my confidence back little by little.
I may need to add another activity in there somewhere, but I’m totally determined to get in shape without stepping foot in a gym.
- Everest hit the West Coast
The good men of Everest will be hitting the road, covering the west coast, beginning later this month. They’ll be playing with some other incredible artists.
8/20 San Francisco, California - The Independent (w/ Two Gallants, Howlin Rain, we have a large guestlist so check in with me!)
8/23 San Francisco, California - Outside Lands Festival (w/ Tom Petty, Ben Harper, M. Ward, Devendra Banhart) San Francisco, California
8/24 Sacramento, California - Old Ironsides (w/ Parson Red Heads, An Angle) Sacramento, California
8/26 Seattle, Washington - Tractor Tavern (w/ Parson Red Heads, Elder Mason)
8/27 Salem, Oregon - The Space (w/ Parson Red Heads, Easterly)
8/28 Portland, Oregon - The Artistery (w/ The Parson Red Heads & Oh Darling)Related: Check out their photos from the recent European MMJ tour and pick up Ghost Notes at Amazon.com if you don’t have it.
