Favorite Albums of 2012

--> 2012 was a really good year for music.  I’ve noticed that both Amazon and iTunes have been making “best of lists” with some pretty good discounts on the albums. So for what it’s worth, here are my favorite albums of 2012. I don’t say best, because you could argue in favor of lots of bands/albums left off this list. These are the ten albums though I’ve enjoyed the most and constantly find myself playing again and again even now. So if you’re thinking of buying any music, these are the ones I would recommend picking up. These are also not ranked in any particular order.

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10.  Human Again by Ingrid Michaelson.

This album really divided her fan base. Until now she was known for playing her ukulele and singing fairly upbeat songs. This is an album with hardly any ukulele on it and she decided to tackle some darker themes as well. Sonically it was a huge leap of growth and I love the album from start to finish.  Highlights include “This Is War”, “Do It Now”, and “How We Love”. My favorite song was tacked on as a bonus track though. Here is “In the Sea”.

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9. The Lion’s Roar by First Aid Kit.

I’m from the South. When I first heard this album I thought it had to of come from a band somewhere deep within my homeland. Then I found out they were actually from Sweden. They have beautiful songwriting and music. I could write on and on about this album. Instead here is a clip of my favorite song “Emmylou”. Now listen and fall in love with them.

 

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8. Coexist by The xx.

I was really nervous about this album. Their debut album is still one of my favorites and I wasn’t sure how they could move forward as a band. If they could do another album that wouldn’t just sound the same, but not stray so far that they lost what made them a great band. Turns out I worried for nothing. They have a sound all their own and crafted a stunning sophomore album. The music is beautiful, haunting, and sexy. Check out “Angels”, “Swept Away” and my favorite “Fiction”.

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7. O’ Be Joyful by Shovels and Rope.

Disclaimer, I’ve known these two for a few years and some of my best memories in college are of watching them with the bands they had back in those days. Their best work has come from working together though. They are now husband and wife and live on the road together. Great songwriting with music rooted deep in the South. If you ever get the chance to see this duo live, go. You won’t regret buying this album or seeing them live. My favorite off this one is “Birmingham”.

 

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6. My Head Is An Animal by Of Monsters and Men.

This band from Iceland you’ve probably heard featured in a few commercials. Their song “Little Talks” has been used in a few commercials. Some have compared them to Arcade Fire, but I don’t think that’s fair to either band.  They have their own sound and it shines through the whole album. This is one of the albums this year I can listen all the way though, no skipping around. I recommend the songs “Mountain Sound”, “From Finner”, “Love, Love, Love”, and my favorite “Slow and Steady”.

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5. Babel by Mumford & Sons

Odds are you’ve got this album already. They’ve gotten big in the U.S. and thank God. This is a band of pure talent. I think I best heard them described as the child of Bruce Springsteen and Old Crow Medicine Show. I can agree with that. Like The xx, this is another example of tackling a sophomore album and making it even better than your debut. My favorite song, “Broken Crown”.

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4. Oceania by Smashing Pumpkins

The name Smashing Pumpkins has had several incarnations. Many fans still long for the days of Iha and Darcy in the band. Those days are gone and never coming back. I’ve watched as Billy Corgan has tried to bring the band back to those years of greatness with many different lineups and always came up just a bit short. The band he has now is perfect. This is an album that can sit comfortably on the shelf with the other great albums from the Smashing Pumpkins catalogue. It snarls, it pulls back, and most importantly it stands on its on. Corgan sounds the happiest he’s ever been in interviews and it shows on this album. He truly has his band back with this one. Highlights are “Violet Rays”, “My Love Is Winter”, and my favorite “The Celestials”.

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3. Channel Orange by Frank Ocean

Forget all the controversy over his personal life. This is just a great debut album from a guy who clearly knows what he is doing vocally, lyrically, and sonically. It had a lot of hype and for me at least, it didn’t disappoint. Highlights are “Super Rich Kids”, “Pyramids”, “bad Religion” and my favorite “Pink Matter”.

 

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2. Cloud Atlas by Tom Tykwer.

Okay, I realize this is a film score, but I’m putting it on here anyway. I’m a film score nerd and in a year that had new music from John Williams coming my way, I wasn’t expecting this to be my favorite score of the year. The film has it’s flaws, but this score was perfect for it. Read David Mitchell’s novel and then see the film. Highlights are “Prelude: The Atlas March”, Cloud Atlas Opening Title”, “The Cloud Atlas Sextet” and my favorite “Sonmi-451 Meets Chang”. The last one I mentioned soars at the 1:43 mark. Let it build.

 

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1.     All the Little Lights by Passenger

This album I discovered because his single “Let Her Go” was a free download on iTunes. It is still my favorite track off what is a great album. One of the most enjoyable singer-songwriters to come on the scene this year.

 That’s my list. Yes, I’ve left out The Lumineers, Imagine Dragons, and Ellie Goulding. All of them could easily slide onto the list and you should check them out as well. So again, if you’re looking to buy some new music, these are my picks for this year.

Can We Talk?

Only a few weeks after a gunman opened fire in an Aurora, Colorado movie theatre, we have had another violent tragedy in the news. This morning, a madman entered a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin and began shooting people. Seven people were killed before the shooter was taken down. It is important to note that the shooter was stopped by the first police officers on the scene. A twenty year veteran of the police force and was shot multiple times before a second officer managed to take down the shooter. The officer is currently in critical condition after surgery, but is expected to survive.

This tragedy leaves us with a lot to discuss. We do not know for sure the motives of this lunatic, but the Sikh community is one that has faced many threats, incidents of violence and general suspicion, especially since 9-11. This is mostly because they wear turbans and are often confused with being Muslim. We can and should have a discussion on the issue of religious and racial hatred, but it is impossible to ignore what the real issue is here. Guns.

As a Nation, we seem to be incapable of having a serious discussion on the issue of gun control. In the wake of the Aurora tragedy, neither President Obama nor Republican candidate Mitt Romney wanted to discuss the issue. To have yet another event like this happen so soon after that one, I don’t see how we can avoid the conversation much longer. Then again, we’ve managed to avoid having it after having Presidents assassinated, Columbine, Virginia Tech, and a United States Senator shot, along with the two recent attacks. If none of those events could make us really get serious about gun control, I’m not sure what can.

It goes beyond those big events though. In 2010 there were 12,996 recorded murders. Of those murders, 8,775 of them were committed with a gun. The NRA will argue that those statistics are still down 4% from 2009. I don’t see how anyone can look at those numbers and not be appalled. We clearly have a problem.

Now I believe in the 2^nd amendment. I grew up in a house that had guns. I was raised to treat guns as something to be cautious and respectful of. People should be allowed to own firearms for personal protection and for recreational sport and hunting. Despite what the NRA wants people to believe, most of what people want in gun control doesn’t involve taking away people’s guns. The slippery slope argument doesn’t hold water anymore. Banning AR and AR style guns needs to happen. If you need an Assault rifle for hunting, then you suck as a hunter and need to learn to use a regular rifle. If you need one for self-defense, then I have to ask who do you have coming after you that you need an assault rifle. If the NAVY SEALS are at your door, you’ve clearly done something wrong. We should band extended magazines as well. We need stronger background checks and waiting periods, especially for gun shows. A mental health history should be a roadblock for buying a gun. A lesson learned from the Aurora tragedy is that online sales of ammo need better monitoring. None of these things are unreasonable. Nothing is going to happen through until some lawmakers from both parties decide to stop being afraid of the NRA.

You can argue that bad people will get guns no matter what, but you can’t convince me that adding more safety checks and banning certain extreme weapons and modifications won’t lower these gun violence statistics. If it were to only lower it by 1% it would be worth it. Too many gun deaths are happening in America. It has to stop. I hope we as a nation and our leaders can begin to have a real conversation on what to do about this, before we have to see another tragedy like todays in the news.

*image taken from the Boston Globe.

Let's Try This Again.

So, I came across an old blog, this one that I last touched in 2010. I’ve had many starts and stops with keeping a blog. So, I’m no longer going to make the proclamation that this time I will be keeping it up. I will make a good effort though. So far 2012 has been the year of doing things right. I’m going to try to add keeping this up to that list.

Why start back? I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. Maybe sitting down and writing things out will help me make better sense of it all. It’s been a busy year so far.  Things are finally going in the right direction career wise. I’m still not where I wanted to be by this point, but for the first time I really do feel like I’m getting close. I’m ready for it, my God I’m ready for it.

I’m also finally feeling comfortable living in Los Angeles. That fact alone scares the shit out of me. There was a lot I didn’t like about this city when I came here. I can’t decide if I just managed to find the positives and focus on them or if somehow the city has changed me and I just don’t realize it. Don’t get me wrong, I still think the traffic sucks, the Pacific Ocean is too cold, and Hollywood is a menagerie of people that still both amazes and disgusts me. The flip side to that is on a bright summer’s day you can look to your left and see a beautiful ocean and then look to your right and see an incredible view of mountains. When you are stuck in traffic, at least you are usually stuck under clear blue skies with palm trees lining the streets. Also, at the end of the day as an actor, I live in a giant playpen. I’m training with UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade) right now. The only other city I could do that in is NYC. The opportunities I have here are some of the best available. It’s been hard trying to take advantage of them, but I’ve learned to just be thankful they are here. So I may have finally been seduced by Los Angeles. I hope that doesn’t mean this east coaster has had his soul sucked out.

I also plan to delve into my personal life occasionally on here too. I’ve had a lot going on lately without anyone to really talk to about it. Maybe it will do me some good to put it to type. A few years into living here, I still miss my family. I feel guilty not being home more than once a year. I certainly couldn’t live back home, but it’s still hard being the one missing birthdays and holidays. I’m lucky to have parents who love me and completely support my going after a career as an actor. I just really hope soon I can give them something to show for all they’ve sacrificed and done for me. Of course there is also the trails of dating in Los Angeles. I feel like that could almost deserve a blog of it’s own, but there are plenty of blogs focused on that and by people who write about it much better than I could. I’ve had some really interesting experiences though. When one comes along that’s too weird, bad, or surprisingly good, it’ll probably end up getting an entry.

I’m actually going to close this one on that subject. Being single has never bothered me. I’m happiest in a relationship, but I’ve learned to just enjoy the periods when I’m not in one. Maybe you can chalk it up to being an only child, but I’m perfectly fine being on my own. The one area that fluctuates based on my relationship status though has always been my work. I do my best work as an actor and a writer when I’m dating someone. For a lot of people I know, having a relationship just becomes one more thing on the plate, a distraction from their work. Not for me. For some reason having that component of my life going, enhances my work. I think it comes down to acting being about discovery. If there is anything that can keep you on your toes and guessing, it’s a woman. The best relationships I’ve had have been with women who no matter how well we got to know each other, there was always a bit of mystery. After months of dating and in a few cases even practically living with each other, there would still be things that surprised me. That’s something I miss and hope to find again soon.
Like many things in my life, U2 put it best with their song “With or Without You”. Bono wrote it about the fact that he couldn’t have happiness without his music, but also couldn’t have it without his wife. He needed both in his life. That’s how I am. So I’ll keep wading through the very murky waters of dating in Los Angeles in hopes of finding a girl with whom we both get each other, but also never stop surprising each other.

So this blog is officially back. I won’t say when I’ll write in it again. When something interesting happens to me or I get hit with a bout of inspiration, I’m going to try to start writing it down. Thanks.

Ten Lessons From 2010

Ten Lessons from 2010.



If you ask a girl what type of music she likes, and she says “oh, whatever is on the radio”, don’t bother with a second date.



Sometimes it is better to pay money to shoot on a location instead of getting one for free. When you pay money, you can’t be kicked off prematurely.



Pants with buttons instead of a zipper are fine, unless you’re drunk.



3D technology has really developed. Avatar did things with 3D I didn’t think were possible.



3D movies can really suck if not done right. I’m looking at you Clash of the Titans.



That sometimes you can’t separate an artist from their work. I’ll never see another Mel Gibson film.



Sometimes you can. Kanye West may have an ego the size of China, but the man has talent and gave us one of the best albums we’ve heard in a while, of any genre. He won me back over as a fan.



I can sleep through an earthquake.



Buy an external hard drive and backup your computer. My laptop got a corrupted hard drive and I almost lost everything. I now have everything backed up. Shell out $60 and do the same.



That even if you didn’t reach all your goals for the year, if you made progress towards them, it still makes it a good year. 2010 was a good year. 2011 is going to be great.

Albums of 2010

I love music, and its the end of the year, so I'm using that as an excuse to resurrect my blog. These are my favorite albums of 2010. I’m not saying these are the best albums of 2010, but these are the ones I enjoyed the most. I’m putting my favorite song off each one below as well. If you’ve got holiday money and want to buy some music, each of these are worth it.

#1- The Black Keys- Brothers
My favorite album of the year. This duo from the Midwest has yet to make a bad album. If you don’t own Rubber Factory, go buy it too. Just go buy this album now and enjoy every track on it. Tighten Up is one of the best songs and one of my favorite videos of the year.

Tighten Up Video


#2-Arcade Fire- The Suburbs
This band continues to amaze me. I feel like I should be driving through sprawling landscapes while listening to this album. As a kid I used to run down to the mailbox every day to get the mail, excited even if I wasn’t expecting something. I may still do this every day. I think it’s why I love this song so much.

We Used To Wait Video

#3-Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
The man has an ego the size of the moon. His problem is that he is actually as good as the thinks he is. You don’t have to like him, but you can’t deny his talent and this album is the best he’s made yet. From start to finish he has made a solid album and you just need to get over your hatred of the man and enjoy his music. All of the Lights shows he is first and foremost a producer. This song has around 16 guest stars on it and they work seamlessly. Yes, that’s Elton John at the end.

All of the Lights Video

#4-Lady Gaga-The Fame Monster
I don’t always understand what Lady Gaga is doing, but I’m glad she is doing it. This album gave us Bad Romance and that alone earns it a spot on this list. Dance In the Dark is still my favorite off this album though.

Dance In the Dark Video

#5-Vampire Weekend- Contra
I really liked their debut album, but I was skeptical about them as a band. I wasn’t sure if they could deliver a second album that was better than their first. I was wrong. I’ve seen them live a couple of times now and they’ve really developed as performers too. Go see them if you get the chance. Cousins, is just a fun song and I think it shows off their style as a band.

Cousins Video

#6-Eminem-Recovery
His last two albums were crap and I’d written him off as someone with a lot of talent who had just ran out of it. Let those albums serve as a lesson of why hard drugs are bad. He got cleaned up though and put out an album that shows his gift hasn’t left him. Love the Way You Lie, because it really is the best song on the album.

Love the Way You Lie Video

#7-The Dead Weather- Sea of Cowards
Intense. That is the only way to describe Jack White and Alison Mosshart when they are performing together. It certainly comes across in the studio. Their voices are so similar that sometimes you can’t tell which is singing, and that’s okay. I’m a big White Stripes fan and I want another album from them, but I want Jack White to keep doing what he’s doing with The Dead Weather. Here is Die By the Drop.

Die By the Drop Video

#8-LCD Soundsystem- This Is Happening
James Murphy is meticulous when it comes to production. This album is air tight, but it doesn’t feel constricted. Somehow he manages to take elements from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and blend them together in a way that works. Listen to Drunk Girls and try not to like it.

Drunk Girls Video

#9-Local Natives- Gorilla Manor
Voices like this are rare. I’m happy to say it has that same warmth live. Sun Hands shows off everything I like about them as a band.

Sun Hands Video

#10-Ra Ra Riot- The Orchard
I don’t think it’s as strong as The Rhumb Line, their first album, but it shows them growing as a band. They’ve incorporated their cello and violin much more in every song and the band is better for it. They are one of my favorite bands and this album makes me excited for what’s coming next with them. It was hard for me to pick just song song, but I’m going with Too Dramatic.

Too Dramatic Video

The End of Lost

*Do Not Read If You Haven’t Watched the Show and Don’t Want To be Spoiled*

So after six years, Lost has finally come to an end. When I first heard about Lost I thought it was a terrible idea. I was expecting a modern Gilligan’s Island only as a drama instead of a comedy. It sounded like something you could do for one season, maybe two. I tuned in for the Pilot episode and that changed everything. It is still one of the best Pilots I’ve ever watched and it made me believe this show was going to be different than anything else on TV and it would be high quality acting, writing, and production. After watching every episode of every season for six years, I can say that it lived up to the promise of the Pilot and many times even exceeded it.

I want to start with The End. I’ve talked to several people this morning that seemed to think last night’s finale meant that they were all dead from the beginning. I don’t think that is what we were shown. I think everything that happened on the Island was real and it mattered. The flash sideways is where they were dead and didn’t realize it. In some religions/beliefs after death you must first come to terms with the fact that you have died. Then you have to acknowledge and pay respect to all those who impacted your life and who you impacted, good or bad. Once you do that and make peace with it, then you can move on. Clearly some people like Eloise Hawking were aware they were dead and able to move on, but wanted to wait. Her son was not, and she didn’t want to move on without him. The flash sideways was a way for them to all get back together and then pass on with the ones that were most important to them.

As for the issue of them all being there at the same time, Christian said to Jack, there really isn’t a “now” when dealing with the afterlife. Time becomes irrelevant. He told Jack some had come before him and some had come long after. I think this means Kate, Sawyer, Lapidus, Miles, and Richard got off the Island and lived out their lives. Hurley and Ben clearly spent time on the island after Jack died. Their exchange about Ben being a good #2 and Hurley being a great #1 tells us that. I think it also shows us that Ben’s time on the island with Hurley was wells pent and he redeemed himself. Otherwise I don’t think he would have had the option of coming inside and passing on with them. He wanted to stay with Alex though until she remembered and then pass on with his daughter. I can understand Ben not coming inside.

We started the show with Jack and I thought it was fitting to end with Jack. I also thought it was fitting that this season we started off with his death and didn’t even know it. When Jack was laying there dying, he looks up and sees a plane going overhead. We started this season in the flash sideways with Jack on the plane again. There was turbulence and as soon as it was over, Rose looked over to jack and said “It’s okay Jack. You can let go now”. Jack takes his hands off the arms of his seat and a look comes over his face. I think that moment was literally Jack passing on from life on Earth to life in the flash sideways afterlife. That is how I took it at least.

The finale also had some truly great moments. Every scene with Jack and Locke(both the smoke monster and flash sideways Locke) were amazing. Those scenes showed you just how gifted of an actor Terry O’Quinn is and also how great Matthew Fox is as well. If Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson don’t get Emmy nominations I’ll be surprised. They brought a level of gravity to the show that few actors could do. The finale was full of great moments. Best line of the night goes to Miles though “I don’t believe in many things, but I do believe in duct tape”.

I could write page after page about this finale. For me, I thought it was a beautiful way to end the show and I’m happy with it. Did we get all the answers, no. I didn’t expect to though. After six years of watching this show and always getting more questions than answers there was no reason to believe the finale would be any different. Where was Walt? What exactly was the light at the heart of the island? Why did the light spit the MiB out as a smoke monster, but it didn’t do the same to Jack? Those and a whole host of other questions that have accumulated over six seasons didn’t get answered and that’s okay. Sure, I would have liked the answers, but not having them doesn’t lessen the show for me. For me, the show has always been about redemption. Last night both the characters and the show itself found it.

I’ll write an overview of the six years later. Also, I watched the finale at The Jimmy Kimmel Show. I’ll post about that whole experience later too.

Okay, so I’m back again. I had to write about the TV history being made today. Two big events are happening in television. The first one is the telethon George Clooney has put together to raise money for the relief effort in Haiti. This is going to be a massive telethon with over 140 entertainers coming just to answer the phones.
The following artists are going to be performing: Wyclef Jean, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Sting in New York City; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, Emeline Michel and a group performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow in Los Angeles; and Beyoncé, Coldplay, and a group performance by Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z, and Rihanna in London.

The two hour telethon will air on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT. All proceeds will go to Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, Yele Haiti Foundation, and the Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation.
So watch and enjoy the music, but please call in and donate what you can.



The second big event happens later tonight. We will watch The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brian for the last time. Yes, tonight will be his last show. I am firmly on Team Conan (I understand he hates the CoCo nickname). Conan labored away at Late Night with the hopes of one day taking the reins from Jay. Then he was offered a hosting job at ABC. Conan wanted The Tonight Show, but this was a great offer. So NBC instead of letting him go, worked out this deal. Leno would retire in five years and Conan would take over. Flash forward five years later to the present. When the time came, Leno didn’t want to go. NBC didn’t want to lose him either, so they put Jay on at 10. Conan takes over The Tonight Show and both shows don’t do what they were expected to numbers wise.

I have to admit, I wanted Leno’s new show to fail. Putting him in the 10:00 time slot meant killing Southland (a great show that thankfully got picked up by TNT). If it had done well, this could have started a trend of having cheap, unscripted TV at 10:00. So jay’s failure hopefully deters any other networks from killing of scripted shows to try saving money at that time slot.

Conan lost a lot of Jay’s viewers though, and that became a problem. What did NBC expect though? Jay’s audience is older. Conan’s humor was never going to go over well with many of them. Plus this is a group that doesn’t want change. They like their comfortable shows that they know every night what they are going to get. These are the same people who tune into Ghost Whisper every week. Leno was comfortable and familiar; they were not up for trying something new.

Leno didn’t help matters either. In an interview several months ago, he was asked if he would be willing to take the show back if the opportunity came up. He said if the network asked him to, of course. What a crap thing to say in an interview while Conan is just starting out. Leno has tried to play the blameless guy in this, but it is passive-aggressive things like that comment that make him just as guilty as Jeffery Zucker and the other suits.

I could go on and on about why I favor Conan over Leno and it would just be a recitation of what you’ve already heard from other commentators. Suffice to say, I think NBC backed the wrong horse. They should have cut Jay loose and given Conan time to build his audience. If Jeffery Zucker at NBC still has a job after the dust clears, I’ll be amazed. He is still in charge at the moment, and he has decided to pull the plug on Conan after tonight. So I encourage everyone to watch Conan tonight and then afterwards tune into anyone but Leno.



I promise to update this by Monday. Tomorrow I am going to the U.S. Men’s National Team’s match against Honduras at the Home Depot Center. I’m talking about soccer, just in case you were unsure. The crazy weather LA has been having is supposed to be cleared up after tonight, so the match should go just fine. I’ll post afterwards with pictures and thoughts about my first professional soccer match.