Velkommen Bienvenue Welcome

Checking in to announce that the move over to Wordpress is now complete. It's safe to go over there and play; I de-leaded the joint and everything. I mean, there's some carpenter ants around but we're having an exterminator over on Friday to take care of them, so don't fret. Plus, they like eating wood, not people. So go ahead and update your feed reader/bookmarks/etc. accordingly.

What art thou waiting for?
Please to visit Confounded Fret Buzz 2.0.

Making the Jump

I'm fully aware that I've gotten complacent in regards to good ol' CFB of late, so I figured that the blog would be best served by me either stopping it entirely (smells like defeat) or migrating it over the Wordpress (to shake things up, plus I've heard some good things). After some admittedly hasty deliberation I've decided that I'm going to bite the bullet and make a fresh start over on Wordpress, even though they just had an "epic" 110 minute service outage two days ago (hey, I work in IT, this stuff happens sometimes). Mostly, I'm just tired of wonky formatting things happening when I'm writing posts.

Depending on the number of inevitable snags I hit during the migration process, it'll probably take a week or two to get everything fully up and running over at confoundedfretbuzz.wordpress.com. I'm also presently digging through a backlog of new music to review so I'll be getting back to that when I have some reasonably free time.

[Resisted the urge to embed Van Halen's "Jump" music video here; it's so abhorrent that it goes far beyond ironic]

How Do We Jump This High? - Deep Stationary

Straight ahead punk-tinged rock that leans toward the mid-tempo. It's occasionally plodding, with sometimes emotive guitar picking. I wasn't a huge fan of the vocals. These guys sound sort of like an unhappy Latterman. This EP didn't quite click for me; but it was awful close to doing so. It's certainly worth a listen; someone with more refined tastes then mine would probably like it a lot.

I enjoyed the tracks that bookend the EP the most: "See Ya In The Funny Papers" and "Four Day Weekend."

Also, the cover art looks pretty delicious.

Available for free download on If You Make It.

Worcester Regional Transit

I recently took my first unaccompanied ride on a city bus (I'm pretty old at this point, it's not like a need a guardian, Rivers). Still, I had always been with wise compatriots who knew the routes, whether in New York or Boston or any number cities in France. I needed to do research for my honors thesis at the public library and given the hardscrabble stretch that lies between my apartment and the library, I figured I was better off not walking, especially after dark.

You may think it sad that it is only in the final semester of my four years at Clark that I am finally flying solo on the city buses. And you would, of course, be completely right. The first few years I spent at Clark I was pretty content to not go explore the wider world far beyond campus, with the exception of that hill over at Elm Park which is my favorite spot in the whole city. Living in Worcester last summer was a great experience, and the extra daylight gave me more time to get a better flavor of the city on foot. By and large, Worcester is delightfully sketchy apart from the happy shiny bubble of the university. Various attempts have been made at classing up blocks of desolation with the odd renovated structure that ends up creating a sort of combover effect--it doesn't make you look like a guy with more hair, it just makes you look like a guy with a combover. The problems of this over-the-hill city run too deep to be fixed by a few spruced-up buildings poking up from a sea of decay.

History lesson that ties in with my honors thesis (I will probably find a way to sneak this in, especially if the Worcester Regional Transit Authority was established in part with Federal dollars): The WRTA was founded in 1974, much to the benefit of those in the city who could not afford their own vehicle. Providing improved mobility for those of lesser means was a fairly egalitarian move that at least in theory allowed for wider job opportunities for these folks. Back around 1900 Worcester had a thriving trolley system, but that had long since been abandoned by mid-century.

My experience avec les buses: Half hour wait to hop on a bus downtown. Apparently by mid-afternoon the route schedule is pretty much shot to hell, which I suppose shouldn't have surprised me, but I was just a bit irked. It was a nice enough day, but it's February so that's all relative. I don't deal well with waiting for long periods for stuff (I eschew lines), so this was difficult, even if I was texting people most of the time. After three hours of feverish research at the public library, I only had a ten minute wait to hop on a bus back to campus. Total cost three dollars. Pretty reasonable, especially compared to the cost of a cab or getting jumped. Seating was surprisingly ample and the cabin was well-heated, which was really all I could have asked for.

I can tell this is the start of what will be a long and dysfunctional relationship.

On the Bus Mall - The December...

Collegiate Cuisine, Volume Two: Faux-Meaty Burrito

Sometimes, I'm not so desperate for supplies that I have to break down and make the aforementioned Broke Toast. It is at these rare times of plenty that I am apt to make my standby manna, which left to my own devices I will consume on a daily basis. It's meaty and substantial, but also vegetarian friendly, for those of you who lean that way.

What You're Going to Need:

• a tortilla (the bigger the better, you're going to want to stuff this until it's practically bursting; also, you can go the whole wheat route if you want to be a touch healthier and add some extra flavor)
• fake meat crumbles
• black bean and corn salsa (Newman's Own is pretty good. It's not the cheapest but they give their profits to charity, though I'm pretty sure you can't use the salsa as a tax deduction.)
• shredded cheese (I prefer Mexican blend or Cheddar; be sure to buy the two-pound store brand bags, because that will save you a ton of money in the long run, as well as allow you to be very generous with the addition of cheese)
• a piece of paper towel
• a microwave
• about 5 minutes of prep, 3 minutes of patiently waiting

Step One: Pour out a hamburger patty-sized amount of crumbles onto a plate with a piece of paper towel on it. Nuke 'em for about 45 seconds. If you do it for much longer than that, they'll start exploding and just generally make a mess of your microwave, and you don't want that.

Step Two: Lift up the paper towel with the crumbles on top from two ends. Slide tortilla underneath. Pour crumbles onto center of tortilla. You'll probably have some stragglers that stick to the paper towel, but since being poor AND wasteful is a dangerous combination, be sure to get as much of those crumbles off the paper towel and onto the tortilla (or alternatively, you could just pick them off the paper towel and eat them to tide you over).

Step Three: Pour a generous amount of salsa on top of the crumbles. If you want to get fancy you can use a tablespoon to dish it out in dollops, but you should just pour it out of the jar liberally. Salsa is really a miracle food. It's not all that bad for you and you can even count it as a serving of produce that helps stave off the scurvy.

Step Four: Throw at least two good handfuls of cheese on top. Really go to town with it. However, you should be mindful that you want to be able to fold this burrito up eventually, unless you're into consuming the south-of-the-border cousin of the open-faced sandwich (if you have any common sense at all, you'll fold that thing up and save your microwave from becoming a shrine to filth). [Bonus points if you throw in sauteed peppers and onions, but who are we kidding, if you're reading this recipe you're probably not going to go to that kind of trouble.]

Step Five: Fold that tortilla up. Pull two sides towards each other, with one folding over the other (make sure there's at least a solid inch of overlap, or this burrito is going to fall apart very, very quickly). Then fold each remaining end so that there's at least an inch and a half or two inches of overlap. Flip burrito over while grasping the ends so that it doesn't fall apart. If the burrito is as stuffed with fillings as it rightly should, this should be a delicate, borderline arduous process.

Step Six: Almost there, slugger! Microwave for around a minute, especially if the salsa was in the fridge. If it wasn't, you probably won't have to microwave it for nearly so long. Keep in mind that the longer you microwave the burrito, the hotter it's going to be when it comes time to eat it.

Step Seven: Give that thing a few minutes to cool off, or you're going to burn the bejeezus out of your mouth. And neither of us wants that, right?

Step Eight: Dig in. If you didn't follow my instructions well enough and the burrito falls apart mid-consumption, use a fork to salvage the remains. But you should be striving to keep the plate as clean as possible. It's a labor-saving policy, really.

Buen apetito!

Rumbleseat - California Burritos

Some Dreams

I don't really get to sleep in very often anymore. Even when I would very much like to sleep in, I tend to wake up a lot earlier than I intended. But when Saturn is in retrograde and Betelgeuse finds that special spot on the galactic plane, I still manage to catch some bonus shut-eye. The thing about sleeping in is that it pretty much ensures strange dreams--it's those little windows of sleep that occur after that initial morning flirtation with consciousness that help open your mind to intriguingly implausible scenarios cobbled together in large part from life experiences. This morning, I dreamt about one of my past college history professors attempting to put out an electrical fire started by a vacuum cleaner in my hometown library, which after much excitement I eventually ended up dousing with some sort of lemon-lime soda. My professor's hair was on fire but he didn't notice until I pointed it out to him, at which point he said that the cranial flames had already been doused, which was true, as his scalp was now merely smoldering. My undersized hometown library was saved, and I was the hero. But my soda was tragically lost in the process and I was upset about it.

Things faded to black before the next inexplicable episode began. This time, I proceeded to explain John Darnielle's songwriting method in the first two tracks from All Hail West Texas to my parents in great detail. My dad apparently enjoyed the football allusions in "Fall of the Star High School Running Back," but he had a hilariously difficult time remembering the lyrics to "Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton." This dream seems fairly close to reality, but the chances of it ever actually occurring are about as slim as the library dream.

Some people read a lot into dreams and think we can learn more about ourselves. While I'm going to go ahead and posit that they're not much more then our brains trying to file away memories, a pleasant (unless you're prone to night terrors) diversion from the quiet void (unless you're prone to snoring) of normal sleep (unless you're an incurable insomniac). A third of your life is spent sleeping, so having crazy dreams is sort of a way of getting some of that essentially wasted time back, especially if you  can actually remember them the next day. I would love to figure out how to do some lucid dreaming so I could reclaim more of my sleeping hours from empty idleness and dreams that just don't pan out like they could have. If anyone is knowledgeable in these matters, let me know.

Man On The Moon - R.E.M.

Fall Of The Star High School R...

Collegiate Cuisine, Volume One: Broke Toast

As a college student living off the meal plan, and with dwindling food stores at the old apartment, I am sometimes driven to innovation. This recipe doesn't just work for broke college students, either. You could simply be traditionally broke.

What You're Going to Need:

• 2 slices white bread (from the freezer)
  
• olive oil
  
• pepper
  
• shredded cheese (cheddar if possible)
  
• a toaster
  
• a microwave
• about 5 minutes
  

Step One: Toast the bread. My toaster is not very good, so that means toast it once on full power, then toast the bread again at half power. Your experience will probably vary.

Step Two: Pour some of that olive oil on the toast. As much as you want. I don't recommend drowning the toast in a sea of oil, but to each his own. It's probably the healthiest part of the whole recipe, so don't skimp on it, at least.

Step Three: Throw some pepper on your olive oil-soaked toast to give that stuff some flavor. Or it's going to be bland, trust me.

Step Four: Generously distribute shredded cheese over top. Leave a little uncovered toast on each end if you want to go for the pseudo-pizza crust effect.

Step Five: Throw some more pepper on top. It's for your own good. Europeans would have killed for it 500 years ago, so consider yourself lucky. Relish the pepper. Never take it for granted.

Step Six: Microwave the concoction for around 45 seconds. I prefer 38 seconds, but I also have this OCD thing where I don't like to microwave stuff (or set my alarm) for traditional times.

Step Seven: Enjoy. It may well be the very best part of your impoverished day.

A Toast - The Lawrence Arms

For Those Who Can't Wait - S/T

This is a pretty darn good first effort from Long Island's For Those Who Can't Wait. There were three tunes that stood out to me in particular.

"Play Your Note" is a little bit Latterman/Shorebirds-like, and there's nothing wrong with that. After all, given where they call home, it makes perfect sense that their sound would be informed by these groups.

"The Tiger Becomes a Zebra" is a delightfully slow-building epic that sounds like Mineral/Texas Is the Reason/etc. strove to form a more perfect union. I have great love for second-wave emo, so I thus found much endearing about this song.

"Jesus Chrisis" is a fine closer. More dashes of Long Island punx here.

Donation-based download of their debut LP

Capricious Horses

Agreeing with Tom Gabel's sentiment that this band would be one well worth joining:



One can only hope that the upcoming White Crosses will include such excellent Russian influences.

"Neil Young" - Pants On the Ground

Now I don't have much love for Jimmy Fallon. I tend to find him painfully unfunny more often than not. But his Neil Young impression is just about spot-on. So I will give him that much. Officially more entertaining than Jay Leno.

Enjoy.



(I'm with Conan, even if Conan is no Craig Ferguson).

(Via So This Is What The Volume Knob's For)

Take Manhattan - An Audio Coloring Book

I somehow happened upon this a couple weeks ago on Punknews. There is some pretty good stuff here on this generally upbeat Indiana group's debut EP.

I particularly enjoyed "The Trials and Tribulations of Beefy E." Gang vocals and COWBELL = <3. My inner Christopher Walken was in full effect for this one. Best of the bunch.

It's available for free digitally from the band's website, complete with lyrics and PDFs to print out and color in. Awesome.

Shameless Self-Promotion

So . . . I just released a preposterously no-fi three song digital EP which is available for download exclusively on my Bandcamp site (free or fee, your choice). It was originally going to be four songs, but then I realized that by not releasing the other song right now, I was already one-third of the way to completing my next potential EP. Brilliant, I know. Hope you enjoy, though if you don't I will not be feeding the trolls.

Releases I'm Psyched to Hear, Winter '10 Edition [Addendum]

Today, I write from the freshly snowbound wastelands of Vermont, where cold and shoveling grow in unrivaled abundance.

Yesterday evening, some much-delayed inspection of the ol' RSS reader brought to my attention that I'd failed to include the few different things that Andrew Jackson Jihad are putting out this year in my Winter 2010 list; I await them with bated breath.

Andrew Jackson Jihad have announced a slew of new releases for 2010. First is a live LP recorded on a 4-track at a hotel after party during The Fest 7 in Gainesville, FL. Said LP saw a limited release with a special pressing at The Fest 8, and will receive a wider release in January through Asbestos Records.

Second, the band will release a split 7" with Chicago's The Gunshy via Silver Sprocket; this record should be available by February.

Last but not least, Andrew Jackson Jihad will do a split with O Pioneers!!! that will see a vinyl (and perhaps CD) release via No Idea Records, and a limited cassette release through Underground Communique.

(via Punknews)

Oh yeah.

Releases I'm Psyched to Hear, Winter '10 Edition

Did something along these lines several months back; figured it was time for another round.

January 26th, 2010 (Apparently Romanian/Apparently clumsy)

John Vanderslice - D.I.A.L.O. 7" [Dead Oceans]
Earns a spin by virtue of last year's Moon Colony Bloodbath collab with John Darnielle.

Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring [Arts & Crafts]
Cheeky, almost-too-catchy Welsh band. I liked We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed a lot. Blame Dana, I suppose. The road trip to RVC ruined me.






February 16th, 2010 (Because I've been lazy for half of my life)

Jason Falkner - I'm OK, You're OK [Cobraside]
I heard "Author Unknown" on the SMF2 Mountain Dew sampler CD over a decade ago and I still can't get it out of my head. But I haven't listened to anything else of his. Probably high time to see if there's more to like here or not.



February 23rd, 2010 (So I can feel better about my guitar-playing abilities)

Lil Wayne - Rebirth [Cash Money/Young Money Entertainment/Universal]
Weezy played guitar
Jamming good with Weird and Gilly
And the Spiders From Mars
He played it left hand
But made it too far
Became the special man
Then we were Weezy's band



March 9th, 2010 (The day that all the others pale in comparison to)

Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks [Fat Cat]
2008's The Midnight Organ Fight was beyond fantastic. I'm very excited to hear the follow-up.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks [Matador]
Not many people are still making vital music when they're pushing 40, but this elder statesman of indie rock soldiers on, new label and all. I'm also holding out hope that I bald as gracefully as he has.





March 16, 2010 (Because the robots told me so)

Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do [ATO]
If one of your similar artists on last.fm is Two Car Garage, you are likely to get added to my listen-to list.






March 23, 2010 (Shame on me)

She & Him - Volume Two [Merge]
There were a handful of songs on Volume One that were super catchy. It's Zooey Flippin Deschanel. Guilty pleasure central.

Meet the New Year, Same as the Old Year

...except for that whole annoying thing about having to learn to write the date mm/dd/10. It usually takes me six months to stop writing the previous year down. Do other people suffer from this affliction, or is this yet another stunning indictment of my feeble-mindedness?

Steve Jobs vision. Also includes $$$$$$$ (not pictured).

So what else does the purchase of that new wall calendar/planner mean?

• I'm that much closer to graduating in the spring. I'm not really ready, and also super ready, if that makes any sense. 
• One of the cable movie channels is doubtlessly going to put that godforsaken 2010 film on a cycle of ironic showing after ironic showing. I don't have cable so this only has a marginal negative impact on me. But consider yourselves forewarned. Edit: not more than a few hours than originally posting this I discovered much to my dismay that some birdbrain at TCM had decided to show the film. Good riddance.

Don't let the novelty of the title draw you in. Or Cletus the Fetus.

• According to some whackjobs, there are two years until the apocalypse, so let's use that as an excuse to engage in the hedonistic. Therefore, put your glad rags on and join me hun, Bill Haley style.

NO, NOT YOU ATILLA.

• Maybe The Weakerthans will start recording a new album? Please? (I'm assuming that it's also 2010 in Canada, which may or may not be the case)
• Not that I particularly care, but Soundgarden is getting back together. All the classics, reinterpreted by Chris Cornell's rapidly deteriorating voice (to be fair, the man is old). But you'll probably still have to take out a second mortgage on your house to get a decent seat.
• Billy Corgan will continue to be whiny and ungrateful. And bald.
• My puppy will eventually stop being a puppy.

I don't really believe in making New Year's resolutions because life throws you too many curveballs to really make setting goals like that feasible. However, music-wise, I suppose there's some stuff to catch up on. I really want to listen to that Micah Schnabel LP that I didn't get a chance to spin this year. I got a turntable as an early birthday present so I fully intend to start hoarding vinyl now, George Carlin rant on stuff be damned.



CDs are SO 2002. Plus I've come to the realization that being overzealous about accumulating as many last.fm scrobbles as possible is REALLY not the best use of my time, and there's just something about vinyl that's awesome. Thus, I will gladly sacrifice cold, heartless scrobbles for analog awesomeness any day of the week. I'm also probably gonna try to get my hands on some stuff that was on just about everyone's year end best of lists over at punknews and assorted music blogs I frequent. I can't stop, won't stop finding new stuff to listen to.

Since I now see a light the end of the academic tunnel, that's lit the fire in my belly to make some music (it's also about as productive a way of procrastinating as I can think of). So to that end, I'm going to try to get at least an EP's worth of songs written, recorded and posted on the interwebs before the beginning of the spring semester. That doesn't seem like too tall of an order. And of course there will be the requisite open mic performances (let's heed Arlen's call) and whatever The Kid Omega can scrape up in the weeks and months ahead.

2009 was pretty good. Let's make 2010 better.

Top EPs of 2009

Well, I tried to stretch this list to at least five, but being the lazy fellow that I am, I think I'll stick with the four I've got.

4. The Mountain Goats & John Vanderslice - Moon Colony Bloodbath
How could these two get together and not produce something excellent?

"Surrounded"
"Emerging"

3. Britney's Spear - Britney's Spear
In the interest of integrity and full disclosure, I am friends with these guys, and even the guy who recorded them. But I promise that I'm mentioning them here because this EP is honestly really really good.

"Burning Billboards"
"Dream Big"

2. Cory Branan & Jon Snodgrass - S/T
Cory Branan's boys can indeed break a heart. Mr. Snodgrass ain't so bad himself.

"Alone & Distanced"
"Walk Around"

1. John K. Samson - City Route 85
In lieu of there being any new Weakerthans material, I rushed to grab this when it came out. And now the vinyl's on the way (with two t-shirts). John K. Samson wins at lyrics, 'nuff said.

"Heart of the Continent"
"Cruise Night"

Top 10 Albums of 2009

¡Merry Christmas!

10a. Rock Plaza Central - ...at the moment of our most needing
God these guys are weird. And pretty good too. Keebler Elves FTW.

"Oh I Can"
"(Don't You Believe the Words of) Handsome Men"

10b. Chuck Ragan - Gold Country
"Glory" sounds an awful lot like "California Burritos," but I'll allow it. Solid neo-folk from a seasoned veteran. Gruff-arse voice.

"For Goodness Sake"
"Ole Diesel"

9. The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
It feels like a regression from the older material, but that's still good enough to make the list. Plus, in the words of NPR, they are "a world-beating colossus" live.

"I and Love and You"
"Laundry Room"

8. Andrew Jackson Jihad - Can't Maintain
Not even electrified guitar can stop the AJJ train.

"Self Esteem"
"We Didn't Come Here to Rock"

7. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But if you have the time, this is an treat.

"Isn't It a Lovely Night"
"The Rake's Song"

6. The Swell Season - Strict Joy
Glen Hansard's just GOT IT. The debut was better, but this is pretty darn good.

"In These Arms"
"Low Rising"

5. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Now this is someone with real vocal range. And probably the strongest collection of songs she's put together. My friends Joe and Fardeen love this. And I have to admit that I have a soft spot for it too.

"This Tornado Loves You"
"Middle Cyclone"

4. The Thermals - Now We Can See
If The Body, The Blood, The Machine was the midst of a war, Now We Can See is the fatalities making small talk. And do they ever talk.

"Now We Can See"
"At the Bottom of the Sea"

3. William Elliot Whitmore - Animals in the Dark
He's declaring a mutiny on this ship, ya hear?

"Old Devils"
"Hell Or High Water"

2. The Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come
John Darnielle has to do me great injury to not make a year end list (or two) of mine. No great injury done here. An awfully reserved, and yet awfully powerful record.

"Psalms 40:2"
"Isaiah 45:23"

1. Lucero - 1372 Overton Park
Ben Nichols and company do it again. Better than everyone else? I'll bite.

"Mom"
"Hey Darlin' Do You Gamble"

William Elliott Whitmore - Animals in the Dark

William Elliott Whitmore, purveyor of a fine sort of backcountry Midwestern blues-folk, is mad as hell and he's not going to take it anymore.

From the call and response of the opener "Mutiny" to the closing bars of "A Good Day to Die," there's 37 minutes of one pissed off man spouting about issues of the corruption and evil that surround us in life, of the need to stop dwelling on questions of salvation, and the virtues of hard work. Don't trust the cop ("Johnny Law"), don't trust the politician ("Old Devils," "Who Stole the Soul"), and most certainly don't trust the preacher. Life is a bitter struggle ("Hard Times"), and it's difficult to navigate the way, but it's well worth carrying on and even celebrating the journey ("Hell or High Water").

This is an album autobiographical and incendiary, rustic and timely. Favorite record of the year? Maybe. I'm gonna wrestle with that question for the next few days before I put up a year-end post. So be sure to check back.

Hell or high water - William E...

Old devils - William Elliott W...

Lucero - 1372 Overton Park

A while back, I named 1372 Overton Park as one of the albums coming out this fall that I was most excited to hear. Especially given the strength of the lead single "Hey Darlin' Do You Gamble," I came into this album with high hopes for excellence. On the other hand, I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop with Ben Nichols' voice for years now, and I was afraid that one day he'd trash it and it just wouldn't come back (his backing vocals on "Constructive Summer" on The Hold Steady's 2008 excellent Stay Positive gave me pause). Those fears, thankfully, while certainly not obliterated, have been dulled for the time being, much like the senses and higher brain functions of the band members on any given night they're out on tour (see "Can't Feel a Thing").

The first song, "Smoke," is notable for the inclusion of some Hold Steady-esque piano in the first minute or so. A change of pace for sure, but not all that surprising I suppose given Nichols' work with Craig Finn and company. "Mom" is another standout, just a fantastic ballad and a fine closer for the album. And I would be remiss if I failed to mention "What Are You Willing to Lose?," a sort of call to live life on your own terms, understanding that your path probably isn't going to be easy.

As for the addition of the horns, I don't think their inclusion is a negative. Expanding the sound a 'lil bit, nothing wrong with that. As for moving to a major, this effort doesn't feel overproduced or sterile, so those concerns were allayed. It's just really, really good Southern punk-tinged rock'n'roll. After seven albums, ten years and well over a thousand shows, the boys of Lucero may just now be hitting their stride.

(Also, they're on Twitter. Gotta love that.)

(And this article on Ben Nichols is a pretty good read.)

Can't Feel A Thing - Lucero

Mom - Lucero

Serj Tankian, Eat Your Heart Out

(Via Cracked)