Watercooler to the World

For those who don't pay attention to my tumblog

nobody@vox.com(W. B. Mook) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:04:08 -0700

First, as a thank you for the Sterogum tip-off: there's also 3GB of music from SXSW for those who might have missed the post on Lifehacker. In other news a PMOG mission led me to the best food pr0n site ever. In the sense of food that gives you voyeuristic glee, not naked chicks covered in flour.

Seriously, let me send you a PMOG invite. So. Much. Fun.

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Vox Hunt: Makes Me Want To Cut A Rug

nobody@vox.com(W. B. Mook) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:03:48 -0700

Video: Show us a video that makes you want to dance.

As long as we're on the subject...

Raquel Welch: Space-Girl Dance

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Vox Hunt: Makes Me Want To Cut A Rug

nobody@vox.com(W. B. Mook) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:38:42 -0700

Video: Show us a video that makes you want to dance.

Apparently, HP wasn't paying attention.

Star Lords

There. That should be annoying enough.

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Vox Hunt: Yes, I Listen To This

nobody@vox.com(W. B. Mook) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:37:19 -0700

Audio: Share the most embarrassing song on your mp3 player.

Watch out Dave, they're stealing your ideas!

mp3eme VOX: Uh....How'd That Get In There?(4/6)

http://eightysixf...

EMBARASSING SONG FROM YOUR PERSONAL COLLECTION I don't know that I can compete with Yanni or "Close to You" but I'm doing my best

In a strangely unrelated note, I just realized that Fred Schneider and Clinton Kelly occupy more or less the same taxonomic space in my brain.

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Vox Hunt: It Never Gets Old

nobody@vox.com(W. B. Mook) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:49:55 -0700

Audio: Share a song you could listen to all day on repeat.

Dance Like A Monkey

New York Dolls

I got this one from Six and I do listen to it just about every day.

To make up for the posting of someone else's content, here's another monkey song that I didn't have for the Great Monkey Massacre of 2007.

Digital Monkey

Balkan Beat Box

And as a runner up (but also old content) I can't get enough of this song:

Letter From An Occupant

The New Pornographers

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QotD: Top 10 of 2007 - Music

nobody@vox.com(W. B. Mook) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:14:17 -0700

What were your top 10 favorite songs or albums of 2007?

I forgot there was an easy way to answer this. Ok, so it's not albums that came out this year, but this is what I listened to most in 2007.

Albums

OK Go – Oh No
Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Puerto Muerto – See You in Hell
The Magnetic Fields – 69 Love Songs
The Fratellis – Costello Music
OK Go – OK Go
The Decemberists – Her Majesty the Decemberists
The Dresden Dolls – Yes, Virginia...
The Format – Dog Problems
They Might Be Giants – Mink Car

Songs (Plus two extra because I think they rock so hard)

Puerto Muerto – Walking Boss
Puerto Muerto – Josephine
The Decemberists – Sons & Daughters
The Decemberists – The Crane Wife 3
Puerto Muerto – Stars
Tom Waits – Come on Up to the House
Death Cab for Cutie – Crooked Teeth
Iron & Wine / Calexico – History of Lovers
Belle and Sebastian – Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying
Eels – Hospital Food
The New Pornographers – Letter From an Occupant
Curtis Eller's American Circus – Sugar In My Coffin

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I only publish this when it makes me look cool

nobody@vox.com(W. B. Mook) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:44:08 -0700

–	1	The Decemberists	15
12	2	The New Pornographers	14
5	3	The Mars Volta	10
10	4	The Killers	9
–	4	Iron & Wine	9
–	4	The Fratellis	9
4	4	Handsome Boy Modeling School	9
6	8	They Might Be Giants	8
5	9	Feist	7
5	9	Tom Waits	7

Strangely, I left my iPod at work on Friday, so this doesn't include all my listening habits that day, and I'm not really sure how last.fm compensates for late submissions. Ah well. Good morning. Any attempts to amuse me will be greatly appreciated.

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QotD: Today's Musical Horoscope

nobody@vox.com(W. B. Mook) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 10:47:34 -0700

What's your musical horoscope? (Put your player on shuffle and write down the first 10 songs that come up.)

Sure, I'll bite on this. I'm 11 songs into my day, but I think I'll start with what's playing now.

The House Wins - OK Go
Cold Cold Ground - Tom Waits
The Fix Is In - OK Go
The Gymnast, High Above The Ground - The Decemberists
9-5ers Anthem - Aesop Rock
Chelsea Dagger - The Fratellis
La Bete Et La Belle - The Real Tuesday Weld
$20 - M.I.A.
I've Been Thinking - Handsome Boy Modeling School (feat. Cat Power)
I Can't See Nobody (Daniel Y. Remix) - Nina Simone

Ex post facto bonus track: Castle de Los Muertos (The plate ees hot!) - Terry S. Taylor

Sort of depressing, really, but still a respectable showing from the iPod. Good job, lil' fella.

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QotD: On Genres

nobody@vox.com(W. B. Mook) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:48:42 -0700

Do you tend to like music in particular genres, or are your tastes all over the place? What are your most and least favorite musical genres?

Sure, it's a slow day here, so I'll take a stab at this one. I definitely muddle about a lot more in some genres than others (this goofy "Alternative"/"Indie" genre, a basically meaningless distinction these days) but I also sort of usually have one band in just about any genre that I dig, even if I don't much fancy the genre itself.

Honestly, I think my musical tastes can be boiled down to four main influences:

The Kendall Whaling Museum - I grew up a mile or two from "the world's only inland whaling museum," and we were often over there listening to sea shanties. The Kendall has been eaten up by the New Bedford whaling museum, but this probably fostered my love for minor keys and atonal music. And anything that you can really belt out when you're three sheets to the wind.
Briefcase Full of Blues

The Blues Brothers' Briefcase Full of Blues - This is a live album of Blues Brothers stuff from around the height of their popularity ("The late 70's, going on 1985," to quote Jake from the intro). My parents made a copy of the album from the local library and it was often my choice for what to put on when we were on family trips. Even if I didn't understand half the references, I still thought it was friggen' awesome. Even though the rhythm and blues style of the Blues Brothers is a far cry from the simpler, dressed down blue of John Lee Hooker, it piqued my interest about other blues artists and led me to investigate them. Also, for some weird reason, I'd say there's a similar quality to the music which might account for my slavish adoration of Chris Robinson and The Black Crowes. I could probably even attribute their version of "I don't know" to my collection of snarky songs, but that might be stretching it. I'm really just a catty bitch, so it's pretty natural that I'd take to that sort of thing.
The Dr. Demento Show - For most of middle school and early high school, I would curl up next to a radio after bed time and listen to the Doctor Demento show. Then, being a child, I would record it and listen to the tape over and over for the whole week, until I'd memorized just about every song. I think this gave me my propensity towards songs where the lyrics are center stage, and (often) you have to listen two or three times before you catch everything. It also reinforced that love of amateurish music that was fostered at the Kendall.
Songs From Cool World

The Cool World Soundtrack - I'm more or less ashamed to admit it, but this is my first memory of any sort of techno/industrial music. It was pretty much the only CD I had with me at some geek camp at UIUC where I thoroughly scuttled my chances of becoming an engineer. Even now, I still really only like about 1% of all electronica, but you could probably trace all kinds of things back to tracks on this album. "N.W.O." was my first real "industrial" track. "The Witch" left a lasting impression on me. Almost ten years later, I used "Ah-Ah" in a video editing piece I did.

before mash-ups were cool

Ex post facto: I suppose some credit also has to go to:

107.3 WAAF: Bus Driver Radio - I would have liked to think I was immune from the influence of the local "hard rock" station, but my recent bout of Electric Six and AC/DC proves otherwise.

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Note to Self

nobody@vox.com(W. B. Mook) — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:59:51 -0700

Lumiere

Bob Brozman Orchestra

Heard the tail end of the piece on this album on The World the other night and wanted to make sure I'd filed it away somewhere. We're currently counting down steps until I become Tim Robbins' world music douchebag character from High Fidelity but oh well. It was a creepy goddamn movie anyway.

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