2011 BS Awards: Top Cool Out Songs

Cool out songs get their own different category than the regular song of the year list. Usually those songs are not even included on the seasonal sets and are therefore not eligible for consideration. But every year I compile a whole separate playlist of songs that I just think are cool. They can be either songs that make me relax or touch me or make me just want to put on some sunglasses and headphones and feel soulfully enriched. What follows is the top 5 Cool Out songs of 2011. The fact that one of the songs on the list was released in 2000 and one was released in the last century makes no never mind to me. They didn’t find there way to me until 2011.

I shouldn't even include videos here. Cool Out songs are purely are aural experience. Best discovered in a peaceful venue through headphones. Do your soul a favor and check these out in the manner suggested.

1. Polar Opposites – Modest Mouse

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7l8geCFg7k

Fave lyric: “I’m trying to drink away the part of the day that I cannot sleep away”

I was really hoping for a new Modest Mouse CD this year. Similar to the Black Keys, they keep getting better with every album. Pandora alerted me to this cool, little groover this year. The guitar work here is perfect for a cool out. It is off their 1997 album, The Lonesome Crowded West. That is an excellent album that I really just started listening to in earnest this year. Often, Isaac Brock had a bit of a negative vibe going in his songs, but how much more depressed can you get then the lyric listed at the top. That is brilliant. Modest Mouse is full of gems like that.

2. Exile Vilify – The National

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4X6q7rKGd0

Fave lyric: Does it trouble your mind the way you trouble mine?

The 2010 BS Award winners for album of the year had a couple of excellent cool outs that were released in 2011. They just must not have quite made the cut for the album. This song was released on the soundtrack for a video game, Portal 2. I’ve never heard of it. The other song, Think You Can Wait is from the Win Win soundtrack. (More on that movie in the BS Movie Awards.) I kinda like the fan-made video for this song. That is the saddest looking puppet of all time. The whole stark video and sad puppet so much match the tenor of the song. The violin and piano are beautiful in this song. But as with all National songs, they should be listened to through headphones with your eyes closed. I recommend doing this at work after I get yelled at by the butt-munch who, while discounting my ideas out of hand, still thinks Bush was a great president. Freaking loser.

3. Thank God You Weren’t Thirsty – Fight Like Apes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYAMtOo1Qf8

Fave lyric: “My hair is all blue, my eyes are all green, my heart is all grey…stay away”

This is beautiful song from a band that is typically very high energy and screamy. MayKay does get a little screamy near the end of the song. This song is so much more tender than other songs of theirs, but they do it very well. I love all of the different colors she mentions. I wish I what the whole song was about as I can’t always pick out all of their meanings.

4. Rise to Me – The Decemberists

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGJ8Eos_6u0

Fave lyric: “My darling. My sweetheart. I am in your sway….. Let me hear you say ‘I am going to stand my ground. They rise to me and I blow them down’.”

This is a moving song about Colin Meloy’s autistic son, Henry. It is about teaching his son to overcome all of the obstacles in his life. The child does not need to be autistic for the song to be relevant for how you can feel about any son, maybe especially a teenager. Tears well up. This is a wonderfully emotional song when you really get down and listen to it. Great harmonica in this song from the very Americana ‘The King is Dead’.

5. The Mess We’re In – PJ Harvey with Thom Yorke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbYIiGu8duk&feature=related

PJ Harvey is just cool. She guested on a few of the Desert Sessions with Josh Homme. The mixture of her deep and mellow voice with Yorke’s high pitched and somewhat excitable voice is really good. I don’t know what the meaning of the song is, I just know it was cool.


Just missing the top 5 were I Should’ve Known by Foo Fighters, Someone Like You by Adele, Us Against the World by Coldplay, Codex by Radiohead and Rented Room by Craig Finn. All top notch songs, but just couldn’t scratch past the top 5.

2011 BS Awards - Top 20 Songs of the Year

Bigger than the Grammies? More hip than the BET awards? Down with the kids more than the MTV VMAs? Probably three no’s. But more important to me than any of those. Most definitely! Since you have wandered onto my little part of the blogosphere, welcome to the 2011 BS Awards for best song of the Big Sexy fiscal year, ending November 18. Click the link, dig the tunes and hopefully discuss your thoughts. Without further adieu…

1. Walk – Foo Fighters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PkcfQtibmU

Fave Lyric: “I’m on my knees, I’m praying for a sign. Forever. Whenever. I never wanna die!”

The top song of 2011 is not only a kick ass rock song from one of my very favorite bands in the world. It is not only another example of the Foos making good, comic videos with their parody of the 90s movie Falling Down. (The only thing I don’t like about video is that it doesn’t really match the meaning of the song.) Mostly what I love about Walk is that it is an emotionally uplifting number about overcoming a depressive episode. Walk fits so perfectly right after I Should’ve Known at the end of their excellent album Wasting Light. I Should’ve Known is Dave Grohl’s first mention of Kurt Cobain and is a reflective and rather sad song. Walk builds on the emotion of that song. The song slowly works into it, but soon gets the release of the new start the protagonist is feeling. It is very emotional. The simple, repetitive 6 bar guitar strum is so sweet at the start and really feeds the rest of the song. By the middle of the song, Dave is vehemently declaring his re-birth. And I right there screaming with him… at least in my head.

2. Lonely Boy – The Black Keys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_426RiwST8

Fave Lyric: “Your momma kept you, but your daddy left you. I should’ve done you just the same.”

Hell, yes! That has to be a common refrain when any Keys fan hears their latest hit. They knocked it out of the park. It is rare that a song that hits so late in the Big Sexy fiscal year can land so high on the list. But this song simply cannot be stopped. The album did not make it into the fiscal year, but I cannot wait to get my hands on it. The Black Keys just keep getting better and better. There blues backed rock is getting catchier and catchier. I’m guessing the influence of Danger Mouse is helping them with their crossover status. There is more going on musically in their new songs then if you were to go about five years back. It is hard to not bob your head, tap your toes and sing a few “ohh o ohhs” by the end of this song. I knew this song was special from just that opening guitar riff that stands alone before the drums kick in. That has to be the riff of the year.

While I’m on the Keys, they are getting to be masters of the video. I espoused last year the master work of the dinosaur, who was in several videos, most notably in Next Girl. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_PrT25o8Vs&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLFB509D2DF16D9107  Tighten Up is genius with Beardy and Glasses kids in the schoolyard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpaPBCBjSVc&feature=endscreen&NR=1  The first time I watched the video for Lonely Boy, I was a little perplexed. But now that you have seen it, try to get it out of your head. This cat can shake it. I have a lot of dancing envy with the videos of these songs this year. He is definitely dancing, as they suggest, “like no one is watching.”

3. Mustache Man – Cake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3CjPFgTEfc

Fave Lyric: “Meanwhile, back at the Candlerock Lounge, it is past 11:30 and your friends are getting down”

I’ve waited soooo long for new Cake. I was nervous when they released their first new album in nearly 10 years. Had they overstayed their time on the alternative scene? They did not disappoint. They are hotter than ever. While this album is not the best Cake set of all time, it is very good. This song was a big hit for me all year. I enjoyed taking my kids to the Candlerock Lounge here in Sacramento to show them the name-check from this song while were bowling since that is just the dive bar within the bowling alley. This song has all the Cake standard features. Killer Trumpet from Vince DiFiore-check. Vibra Slap – check. Nearly talking lyrical style of John McCrea – check. Background singing of ahhhhh ahhhs-check. It also features the under-rated guitar stylings of Xan McCurdy. This was clearly Lil’ Sexy’s song of year. It inspired him to want to get a tattoo of a mustache on the inside of his index finger so he can hold it up to his lip. Maybe for his 12th birthday. My kids liking an awesome song does not hurt it’s standing on the list.

4. Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ6zr6kCPj8&ob=av3e

Fave Lyric: “Everyday I’m Shufflin”

I was geared up and excited for the new release by the breakout party band of 2011. When I heard this early on in the year, my ears got a boner. By the end of the year, this song has been overplayed to the point that I will usually turn the radio station when it comes on. But I cannot mark it down too far because so many people liked it. That is silly. As LMFAO will tell you “hatin’ is bad”. This dance band hit the big time this year and this song was unavoidable. I knew it had finally hit the mainstream when the Rio Freshmen cheerleaders performed a dance routine to this song at halftime of a football game in the fall. I’m not sure all of the hip soccer moms who are now enjoying this song are ready for all of the party rocking this band has up its sleeves (in its pants) during the rest of their catalogue of songs. This band is a very positive and upbeat band. The guys always look like they have fun and all they really want to do is party. About 110% of their songs are about getting wasted and hooking up. Even this song, if you can shake the crazy infectious beat and hooky chorus, has lyrics such as “I’m running through these hoes like Drano” and “If you’re looking for your girl she’s on my jock”.

Big ups for the video. I saw this just as I was riding the high from watching the first season of The Walking Dead. The video has a great zombie-ish premise and wonderful dancing (man, I wish I could shuffle. If I could, I think I’d do it everyday.)

5. Ready to Start – Arcade Fire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3wLxAwiPiA

Fave Lyric: “You say ‘Can we still be friends?’ If I was scared, I would. I was pure, I would. If I was yours… but I’m not.”

This is the top rated Canadian band on this list and perhaps on any list. I finally opened my ears and my soul to Arcade Fire this year after largely ignoring them for the better part of a decade in which they have been critical alternative darlings. Ready to Start is their most rollicking number over the two albums I own. This is off of last years release The Suburbs. Ready to Start, similar to Walk (#1 above), deals with a new beginning. In this one, our protagonist has been kept a little at bay by a romantic interest. She puts him down but then picks him up when it’s convenient. Finally, he has had enough and he’s ready to start his life. Actually, it could probably be about any type of a relationship like that from a friendship to a parent. I also like the line “I’d rather be alone than pretend to be alright” in response to asking him to come hang out. I have heard this band is great live. In this cut from a concert, the very large band does seem to be all in. Sweat pouring off Win Butler’s weird hair style. He’s singing with a lot of emotion. That type of feeling that a song can give me goes a long way with me.

6. Jenny Kelly – Fight Like Apes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IQUxXvnZ88

Fave Lyric: “Never trust a ponytail. His evil charm is off the scale.”

This video is fun and may or may not make any sense or relate to the song in anyway. I don’t know what the song is about. I can only understand about every other word. I just like it. I beat the song does not have anything to do with chasing a huge, rolling block of cheese on BMX bikes. I just discussed Fight Like Apes in my latest post. This is an Irish band that was new to me in 2011 thanks to a tweet from my good friend Eddie Argos of Art Brut. I love the passion in the squeaky/hoarse voice of MayKay. There is good use of synths in a rock band. And it kicks it pretty well. It was a tough call which song I liked the best from FLA, but I’m going with Jenny Kelly.

7. Ghetto Love – Spinerette

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae23oi9sxYg&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Fave Lyric: “Ohohowaohoh ohohowaohoh Ohohowaoho Ohohowaoho. HEY!”

I’m a big fan of Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal. He has this hard-rocking-but-very-cool vibe that just hits me right. Late this year, I was tipped off to the music of his wife Brody Dalle. Brody started out with The Distillers at the start of the century when she was married to the lead singer of Rancid. Here’s Drain the Blood from The Distillers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0jHnWbbFjI  It is a killer hard driving rock song and actually just missed this list, despite it being eight years old. If you remember what Rancid sounded like, you can kinda hear the similarities. The Distillers are harder edged than Rancid.

Brody left the Rancid dude years ago and just gave birth to her second child with Josh Homme. They have been married for about 5 years. During the Homme relationship, she started a new band, Spinerette, which includes a guitarist for Queens of the Stone Age. This band sounds like QOTSA with a rocker girrrl in charge. This song has a kicking bass sound that I love. Someone is pounding the heck out of a drum kit. The guitar is blistering. And Brody is alternatively singing, ohohing and screaming. Try not getting hooked into that hand clap near the end. During the second half of 2011, I couldn’t get enough of this song or my Best of Brody mix that was able to span a decade of Distillers and Spinerette.

8. Aberdeen – Cage the Elephant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZBmcSBoRAE

Fave Lyric: “I’ve been trying real hard to realize”

Claymation is always pretty awesome. However, this video makes me a little sad for the poor monster. I wish it had a happy ending (spoiler alert!) But I love this song. There were several good songs from the 90’s throwback band Cage the Elephant off their most recent effort. This was the best one for me. I like the changing pace and screaming. This song rocks. I think he’s screaming “White Flag” at the end of the chorous but the official lyrics say “Way Back”. Mine would be better.

9. Long Time – Cake

Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftxtFYtnRh8&feature=fvwrel

Fave Lyric: “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen your smiling face. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a su-uu-uu-uu-uu-uu-uny day.”

The first band with a second song on the list! I’m saving you from another bad animated video. The song is great, though. Excellent use of the vibra slap in this song! It’s there along with a good base line and signature trumpet blasts and backup “aaahh aahhs”. Plenty going on musically here. The song is about a stale relationship, but it’s ok because he is in love. You can tell we’re all getting older.

10. Bartolomeo and the Buzzing Bees – Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w248uwpAX14

Fave lyric: “I know I’ve been resistant, but I feel a change coming on”

The video is actually from another good song from Ted Leo’s album The Brutalist’s Bricks. It’s a good song too, I just prefer the Bees song to it. I couldn’t find video evidence of the song existing so you’ll have to look it. The Bees has a bit of a better driving beat to it and a good bass line. It is also a very positive song about forgetting the past and how you’re living the present and just change for the better. Although, I do love the “tell the bartender” refrain in Bottle Up in Cork, I don’t like them picking on my American Idiot musical.

11. Arlandria – Foo Fighters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp6SwxUtfLI

Fave Lyric: “Shame, shame, go away. Come again some other day.” And “You and what army?”

I was so ticked I missed the Foos live this year. I have seen them in 3 different states and only Green Day puts on a better show. Dave Grohl is an excellent front man at a concert. Dave does some of his best scream-singing in Arlandria. This song starts off nice and quiet but doesn’t take long to get to the rockin’. It also has a nice groovy guitar in the middle that brings the passion down a bit before it hits hard again.

12. Colours – Grouplove

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ddd70PMxTE&ob=av3e

Fave Lyric: “I am a man man man man up up in the air. And I float around round round round the town town and act like I don’t care.”

I’m not sure if this band will have a long career or not but I love this song. The repetitive words in all the lyrics work here. I could see where that would be annoying in some songs. I didn’t hear this song until late in the summer, but it seems like it would be an excellent summer song. I can see hanging out at a beach while some white guys with dreadlocks are playing hackey-sack of to the side and everyone just is sharing in the peace and love of the day. I have no idea what this song means I just just just just like like like it.

13. Don’t Carry It All – The Decemberists

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG_RDy0Ybj4

Fave lyrics: “You must bear your neighbor’s burden within reason. And your labors will be borne when all is done.”

I really thought their crazy operatic album The Hazards of Love would be a one-off for my love of this band. They hung out with Peter Buck of R.E.M. for a while and came back strong with excellent album full of Americana twang. This song starts with a harmonica blast. The Decemberists are a very lyrical band. They use a lot of words I don’t even know the meaning of. This song appears to be a song about helping your community in the time of a crisis. In this example - the death of a boy.

14. Rolling in the Deep – Adele

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaVFyGBGULc

Fave lyrics: “You had my heart in your hand and you played it to the beat.”

Ok, so that was a cover. You don’t have to look hard to find someone who has covered this song. There are a few talented musicians from David Cook here to Lincoln Park and John Legend that have covered the song. There are also about a million teen and pre-teen girls and boys taking a shot at it on youtube. It’s a sing-able song and David Cook’s version here is not half-bad despite the poor audio quality. The first time I really heard this song was at a bar in Aptos in early May. This young, heavy set black woman wowed the crowd with her excellent rendition of the song. I found out after that she was trying out for some TV singing contest after being rejected by American Idol. It was actually the same night that Aptos’ own American Idol finalist was eliminated. I got to watch him get eliminated in the bar that he used to perform karaoke. There was a lot of venom spewing that night about American Idol.

Without a doubt the best version of this song is sung by Adele. She really has an excellent, heartbroken soul voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3ROsVTKVDw

I’ve done a lot of mean things on my blogs before, but that might top the cake. I feel bad about myself for doing it, if it is any consolation. I’ll make it up to you. Here’s a live version of the song so you can wash your ears out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow7zrsfCuyk

15. Estate Sale Sign – The Mountain Goats

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBgHvY_qvZE

Who doesn’t love an animated video? You wouldn’t if you saw the video to this. It was ugly, distracting and not in tune with what the song is about, so you get this audio clip only. John Darnielle is usually an excellent story teller spins tales about tragic relationships. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on here, but I bet it’s not good having listened to quite a bit of The Mountain Goats. I think he’s having an “estate sale” from the relationship that is now dead. I wouldn’t swear to it, but he’s very passionate about selling items in front of his house. Great garage sale song or best garage sale song ever?

16. Lotus Flower – Radiohead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmjCaIvGAqA&feature=watch_response

I dislike the video for this song violently. Therefore, I present a clip of me dancing to it. Ok, that’s not me, but somehow enjoyable. It’s how I picture how Mrs. Sexy pictures me dancing. The clip only has a bit of the song, but you get the point. As with all Radiohead songs, it took a while for Lotus Flower to really hit with me, so if don’t already like it, you won’t miss the other three minutes of the song. I have no idea what it’s about, if anything. I just like the music and how it fits with Thom Yorke falsetto. Radiohead songs come into my soul through my ears, but it’s really not all about the sound. It is hard for me to articulate.

17. Paradise – Coldplay

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G4isv_Fylg&ob=av2e

This is a great video. I love plushies, but telling a story with animal costumes that includes a zoo escape and an elephant riding a unicycle puts it among the top videos of 2011. I liked the song before I saw the video. It is the top song of a very good Mylo Xloto. This is an example of a video making a song even better. The “para-para-para-dise” part of the song reminded me of an absolutely horrible pop song by Rhianna from a few years back that made me want to stick an umbrella-ella-ella through my ear drum. This song overcomes that somehow.

18. Burn It Down – Awolnation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGGeKHnW8FM

Fave Lyric: “If you need love, turn around, do the helicopter” – (fine advice)

This clip is just from a super cool looking EA Sports game coming out in early 2012. It doesn’t play the whole song. The official video is here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN5AXq4WvZI  I posted it earlier in the year when I raved about this album. It’s a crazy courtroom video where he turns people into ninjas, mermaids, pillow-fighting cheerleaders and floosies. I think this was all in my teenager, J Sexy’s dream last night. The song certainly makes me think the protagonist is a little angry with something, but the video makes me think he’s ready to party all night long despite his legal troubles.

19. Whirring – The Joy Formidable

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2QXqp4B6XI&feature=related

This song sounds a bit like a new wavey 90’s Swedish song at times. But it does evolve into a good 21st century rock beat. The band is from Wales. Maybe that explains the sound. You’ll like it more the more you hear it. I can hear Beavis yelling “Yeah! Break it! Break it all!” near the end of the video.

20. Under Cover of Darkness - The Strokes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l09H-3zzgA&ob=av3e

I thought this would be the album I finally really loved The Strokes. This song was the lead single. It is really good. Dig the bass line. Loved the passionate singing. Was down with the changing tempo. The mid-song guitar solo was good as it was backed by a slowed down bass. Unfortunately, this song was really the highlight of the set. They have it in them, but I don’t think they will ever realize the full respect of the Big Sexy.

There were so many others that were so close to Big Sexy immortality. Kayne just missed with All of the Lights. Excellent cameo by Rhianna who was also excellent in the just-missed Shy Ronnie 2. In the end, I think it was just too old. Or maybe I just don’t like the protagonist in the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAfFfqiYLp0&ob=av2e

Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People just got overplayed too much to keep a fringe song on the list.

Let It Out from Girl Talk’s latest compilation mixed Jay Z with General Public was pretty cool. It was just a little overlong. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lff2aw4dqjI

The Black Belles cover of the Stephen Colbert song, Charlene (I’m Right Behind You) is pretty great. You can definitely hear their Jack White influence. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdF1UcTzCPQ

Nicki Minaj owned the David Guetta song Where Them Girls At, as she did with Lonely Island’s The Creep, but both are just outside the list. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pESsKRCg6pQ
Congratulations to all of the winners. May you come back even stronger in the years to come!

BS Band of the Summer: Fight Like Apes

Summer rocks! It’s always a great time for kickin’ beats and sunny rhymes. Now that it is over it is time to look back and name the Big Sexy band of the Summer. You guessed it from the title… it’s Fight Like Apes. I had never heard of Fight Like Apes before my good friend Eddie Argos of Art Brut tweeted that he liked their new album, The Body of Christ and the Legs of Tina Turner, so much that he wanted to bring his ipod into the shower.

I figured if Eddie liked them that much, they are at least worth a listen, so I clicked over to Youtube to see what I could find. I was hooked right away. They have a pounding pop-punk style with a female singer, MayKay, who sounds kind of like a scratchy-voiced Katy Perry but she sounds very passionate about her subject. Passion from a lead singer is a big plus for me. I wouldn’t compare her to Katy Perry though. She is more along the lines of Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but with more expression.

FLA is from Ireland. Apparently, they are kind of a big thing over there, named the 4th best Irish act of their generation. I don’t know who the top 3 are. I can think of 2 other Irish bands but I would consider them from earlier generations. U2 takes me to my college years. Snow Patrol to my foolish 30’s.

The punk-y songs are matched with a lot more synthesizer than you would think sounds good. I don’t think they have a lead guitar. It is synch, bass and drums. It works here. Most of the songs are either upbeat or angry. The band has a sense of humor in both song titles and lyrical content. Their first album, released in 2009, was named ‘Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion’. It kicks off hot with Something Global, seen here…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKXzBUAUPto

Most of the noteworthy tracks on this album are loaded at the front of the album. It’s seems like they had some extra wax to fill. The quick thrash song Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues is the only notable song on a forgettable second half. It’s a cover song from a band I’ve never heard of.

Their 2011 release is much more concise and actually has more great songs. There are too many good songs to list. Here is one of my faves, Jenny Kelly. http://www.youtube.com/user/fightlikeapesmusic#p/a/u/2/8IQUxXvnZ88

Fight Like Apes also prove they can slow it down and put out a pretty song Thank God You Weren’t Thirsty. The song does evolve into some screaming later, but it will end up on my top Cool Out songs of 2011 list at the end of the year.

Ok... one more link - Hoo Ha Henry. I love this song. Maximum told me once when listening to it, that he feels sorry for the guy she's singing to in this. http://www.youtube.com/user/fightlikeapesmusic#p/u/5/UO1cVBEutc8 . I don't like this video nearly as much as I love the song. The video focuses too much on the inability to express feelings and not the passionate way MayKay wants to be with anyone else then Henry.

Legs of Tina Turner is a much more complete album and will definitely end up with a BS award at the end of the year.

Movie Review: Super 8 in D Box

Being on the cutting edge of pop culture and movie viewing, I've been aware of the new theater experience of D-Box for some time. It existed in major markets for those movie-goers who felt like they just weren't quite spending enough money on tickets and concessions when they went to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster. D-Box is sort of like those "rides" at an amusement park where the seat moves along with the action and adds a whole other element, an extra "dimension" so-to-say, to the events on the screen.

For Father's Day, my loving family took me to see Super 8 in the only theater in the area that offers the D-Box experience, the Palladio 16. That's not to be confused with the D-Bag experience that comes at many theaters throughout the region. The seats are located in my favorite part of the theater - right in the middle seats of two rows, not quite halfway up the theater. The seats are big, solid chairs that recline are have movable arm rests. I half expected them to have seatbelts.

During the movie, the seat would rumble as if you were in a car with the characters if they were driving down the road. There would even be a different rumble based on the type of car and road you were on. During action sequences, the seats would jerk and bounce with the action, putting you in the same physical state as you might be if you were in the film. It was a pretty cool experience. Here's my criticism... I love movies and I love going to the movies. I like to see movies because unless the movie is really bad, I can get a bit lost in the movie. For the 2 hours that I am watching the screen, I am already involved in the scene emotionally, mentally and in a weird way physically. One of the reasons I like to see movies in a theater is because the screen in larger than life and the sound system is incredible. These facets enhance the "getting lost in the movie" part of the experience. I already feel myself is the characters cars. I already am jerking backward when something blows up because my mind is going to react involuntarily to that stimuli when I am involved in the movie. Having my seat do that seems to just be piling on.

I am very glad I had the D-Box experience it was fun and made the movie and even more physical experience. I recommend it for everyone once. However, I would recommend a repeat visit only for movies that are action packed that you may not be all that interested in. It did not hinder my enjoyment of Super 8 at all, I just don't think the value added was worth the $8 upcharge.

Super 8 is an excellent movie and might be the best movie I have seen this year. I won't go all into the details, but it has a perfect blend of growing up, science fiction, friendship, action and love that you might expect from a Spielberg produced, J.J. Abrahms written and directed movie. All of the young actors were excellent but Elle Fanning stole the show. She is going to be a force. (She was born on exactly the same day as Twin Sexies, so they have an opening line if they meet her.) The interaction between the 13-ish aged characters reminded me of the interaction of the kids in Stand By Me with the addition of teenaged first love. I know I would have really enjoyed this movie in all of my physical reactions were involuntary. Super 8 gets an A.

2011 Albums of the Year (so far)

Last year was a pretty down year overall for music for the Big Sexy. Of course there were awesome new bands, bands that I was finally exposed to and good efforts from long time favorites. But overall, it was not as strong as in years past. I am pleased to announce 2011 is making up for it! As we are entering the summer months, there are already enough great albums to have a top 5 albums of 2011. Some of these might be off the radar by the time the BS Awards are released at the end of the year, but I have a feeling many will still be high on the list, including a likely wire-to-wire winner. I encourage you to seek out these excellent albums and add them to your ipod toot-sweet.

1. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light See the review below for a detailed description and fawning for this excellent set of music. Get it. Really. There is a sea of youtube videos from a Live on Letterman webcast out there. Here is Bridge Burning. The background vocals are rough on this, but you get the idea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZFMTjQ7Xi0&playnext=1&list=PLB9919D1E902A0681

2. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs It's tough to put this here as this album was on top of a lot of 2010 top alternative lists. It wasn't on the Big Sexy list as I hadn't heard it. I knew of it, I just didn't take an immediate shine when I took a listen. But when many of my favorite albums last year were on the same lists as Arcade Fire, but just lower, I thought I should give it a shot. I was late to the party but I'm enjoying the time just the same. The Suburbs is about exactly what it sounds like it is, growing up in the Suburbs. Arcade Fire is headed by a husband and wife team from Montreal. Win Butler, the lead singer, describes the album as a cross between Depeche Mode and Neil Young. I can buy that. They are pretty theatrical sounding, if that's possible. Here's my favorite song from the album and the most rocking Ready to Start. It is from The Daily Show. I have found they only book guests I love the TDS and The Colbert Report. http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-12-2010/arcade-fire---ready-to-start

3. Awolnation - Megalithic Symphony What would happen if you mixed the electronica of LCD Soundsystem with the Prog Rock leanings of Muse and added Maroon 5's singer. I'm not sure, but that doesn't seem like a good idea. That is the best way I can describe the awesomeness of new band of the year Awolnation. There is a lot of variety on this album that is very good from beginning to end. Plus the album cover is the best of the year and is unlikely to be topped. Their "hit" single Sail is not even one of my top songs on the album. It is cool though. Here's the video... http://www.youtube.com/user/awolnation#p/c/E61B647F92CE08AA. This song is more upbeat and the vid is fun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN5AXq4WvZI

4. Cake - Showroom of Compassion I have loved Cake for a long time. You don't get to be my size with a considerable sweet tooth. But one of my first ever compilation cd's was a collection of my favorite Cake songs, cleverly titled Pure Frosting. I don't think my kids would think we were camping if they didn't hear that mix. Their unique sound has been varied but similar for nearly 20 years. Showroom of Compassion was their first studio album in almost 10 years. I can't believe it has been that long. This album is very similar to the others with some musical growth mixed in. But there are still kickin bass lines, awesome trumpet blasts and the vibra-slap is used more than on any other album. Not all the songs are top notch and it is not my fave Cake album of all time, but there are more than a handful of songs on this album that are brilliant. Brilliant enough to carry the whole album. Here's one of those great songs at the 98Rock studios right here in Sactown. It's Lil' Sexy's favorite song of 2011. He especially likes it because of the name drop of the Candlerock Lounge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuYU09zLIQU

5. The Decemberists - The King is Dead I loved their last effort, the weird and emotional fantasy rock opera, The Hazards of Love. I thought it would be one and out for them. I'm not a fan of their older stuff and think I was just caught up in the story and emotion of the HoL. I got this on a whim and it is really good. Colin Miloy has hanging out with Peter Buck of R.E.M. and damned if it doesn't show, especially on the near R.E.M. knock-off, The Calamity Song. Overall, The King is Dead has almost too much twang in it for me. However, their Cool Out songs are very emotive, especially Rise to Me and Dear Avery. Rise to Me is an ode to his wife and son. When Colin sings "My darling, my sweetheart, I am in your sway" I am very touched. I had never heard that phrase before, but it is very loving. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4LfzxI07q4&feature=fvwrel

Not quite making the top 5 but still getting repeated spins on my ipod:

Radiohead - The King of Limbs Radiohead has turned into one of my favorite bands and there most recent album might be my favorite of several landmark albums, but The King of Limbs hasn't quite hit me too hard yet. It's a little too spacey for me. I like this song, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT6zpCY44LMLM but overall I am not moved. (If you have seen the official video for the song, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfOa1a8hYP8&feature=relatede , the previous clip is more amusing) For Radiohead to succeed with the Big Sexy it needs to move my soul and not my ears. So far this album is not a hit.

The Lonely Island - Turtleneck & Chains So far, I really like this. It is mainly a rehashing of all of their SNL Digital Shorts with a few new songs. A good chance this ends up on the Top 10 BS albums of the year list. Sadly the album does not include the brilliant "3 Way" from the last episode of the season. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi7gwX7rjOw) They get excellent guests musicians throughout the album. This clip for The Creep includes Nicki Minaj http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLPZmPaHme0 . I may have three little creepers for halloween this year. I guess only if Twin Sexies can't find shinny suits and boxes.

Art Brut - Brilliant ! Tragic! Art Brut is another of my absolute favorite bands. They are a punk-ish group with good, simple, fun rock melodies and hooks. But what pushes them over the top is the hysterical lyrics and personality of very British frontman Eddie Argos. Eddie is the only artist from a band that I actually ever talked to. I got to hang out with him briefly and awkwardly before and after a San Francisco show a couple years ago. I haven't had this album long enough to properly rate it. Right off, I suppose I'm a little underwhelmed. Eddie likes to talk his singing. I think he may actually be trying to sing more hear. On this song, it songs more like whispering. The music is great, but I think I'd rather he talk his way through it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_IGqNoB4eI I'll have a better feel about this album by the end of the year.

Cage the Elephant - Thank You Happy Birthday This is another album that was out at the end of the year in 2010 but I didn't get into it much until this year. Cage the Elephant had a minor hit a year or so ago with Ain't No Rest For the Wicked. I liked that the first 50 times I heard it, but got tired of the song and wrote this bank off as a one hit wonder. I gave them more of a chance and this new album is very good. http://www.youtube.com/user/cagetheelephant?blend=1&ob=4

I owe it to Ted to try out the new Kills CD and am getting geared up for new LMFAO and Modest Mouse. There are so many great months ahead for me and my ipod.

CD Review: Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

I love Foo Fighters. They are easily one of my favorite bands of all time. Not only do I love their sound, but I've loved their clever music videos and they are an awesome live band. Dave Grohl was named as Big Sexy Artist of the Decade for the Naughts. But I was very nervous for this release. The best I could hope for is that the Foo Fighters would maybe start to age gracefully and I would enjoy a new sound from the Foos much like Pearl Jam has evolved. I've liked the last couple of Foo Fighter albums, but they would include many songs that seemed to come out of a random Foo Fighter song generator. Whisper to shout vocals and hard songs that still have a bit of a pop crossover sensability. In 2009, the Foo Fighters released the dreaded "best of" set. That is usually the retirement of great bands. It included a couple of less-than-inspired new releases.

I am thrilled to report that Wasting Light is the Foo Fighters best album since 1999's There is Nothing Left to Lose and is the Big Sexy album of 2011. The album kicks you right in the nards with the blazing Bridge Burning. It builds up the tempo by adding one instrument at a time before finally getting to the kickass opening line of "These are my famous last words. My number's up - bitches will burn". Ok, maybe he says "bridges and not bitches" but ever since Mrs. Sexy made that mistake, I always hear that (as do all the cars with the window down next to me at any intersection). All of the first five songs rock hard, maybe a little too hard on the full-on metal assault of White Limo. The next 4 songs are very good songs that are a bit too reminiscent of the 21st century Foo Fighters that I really like but am not passionate about.

Song 10, I Should Have Known, is the track that has received much of pre-release buzz as it is supposed to be the first song by Dave Grohl that addressed Kurt Cobain's suicide. Without knowing that, you could certainly hear the song as just someone who has had their heart broken. Dave conveys a lot of emotion in the song. He ranges from the quiet acceptance of the heartbreak to more and more anger as the song goes on. What I think makes it even more wonderful is the song directly after it, Walk. Maybe on it's own it wouldn't be so special. But hearing it right after I Should Have Known, makes the uplifting and positive song about getting on with your life so powerful. I honestly get goosebumps and end up with a big joyful feeling when I hear the album in context at this point.

The deluxe version of Wasting Light comes with the electronica/club re-mix of the first single Rope as produced by Deadmau5. The only thing I knew about Deadmau5 before was the cool head he wears during his shows. I like this re-mix sometimes, but I love the original version of the song. It's cool to hear this version though. The better bonus is the excellent song, Better Off. I don't know how that isn't just on the album. Another excellent track.

This album is easily my number one album of the year, so far, in a year that includes many other excellent efforts. Despite it's horrible album cover, I'm pretty sure this horse is going wire-to-wire. 5 big hands from the Everlong video out of 5.

Kilt Pub Review

I was very excited when a Pub was going to open within stumbling distance of my castle. The peace of an inviting local place where you can drop in for a pop of excellent British beer is right up my alley. There is a feel that I asssociate with a pub that I acquired in my travels to London that differentiates itself for a bar. Simply put, I think of a bar as almost kind of a sad, almost lonely place where I think of a pub as a warm, happy spot in a community. There is a lot of fun you can have at a bar, and I have, but that is entirely dependent on the company you keep. A good pub will bring you together with people resulting in a fun night.

Since it's opening at the start of February, I have visited the Kilt Pub on many different occasions with a variety of people. Each time, I have had a nice experience. The heart of any pub is the staff. The owner and the handful of bartenders I have interacted with have all been very friendly and attentitive. As with a traditional pub, you place your orders at the bar and the food and drink will be brought to your table, if it can't just be handed to you in a pint. The bar staff invites you to open a tab that can be settled quickly at the end of your stay.

The bar itself is a beautful wood bar. In a perfect world, it would be twice or three times are long as it is, but space limitations make that impossible. Adjacent to the bar is a half bar where orders can be made without having to reach over patrons sitting at the bar. It's a nice touch. I love the rich coloring of the bar. I wish there were more of these rich accents throughout the pub.

In its infancy, the Kilt Pub still lacks a little character inside. The pleather booths are still very fresh and new. The decorative mirrors are still sparkling clean. I am hoping that, in time, the place will feel more lived in. There are two very nice flat screen tellies on the wall, showing sport. I like the amount of soccer that as been on during my visits. The back room seems very much like a work in progress. I love the two nice dartboards on the wall. I don't quite get the pictures that are back there. The room feels very much like overflow parking. There is an echo and some kind of a paint smell for now. The back room needs a telly or a jukebox with some cool British bands or something to give it more life. But there would need to be something done about the echo.

On to the main event, the beer. The Kilt has a wide variety of beers on tap an even more in bottles. My fave and current BS Beer of 2011 is Greene King's Abbot Ale. It is a creamy amber ale that is poured very slowly out of the tap. It is not a full on English style pull tap, but they have done something to the taps to make the beer come out slow, resulting in a creamy, less carbonated taste. There is a selection of British beers but would love to see them bring in some Samuel Smith's or Fuller's. Their selection is a bit safe (Guinness, Bass, Newcastle, Harp) with only a couple of wild cards (Old Speckled Hen along with the aforementioned Abbot). They also have a few Belgian beers and other imports. About half of the taps are domestic beers. While there is a pulse of creativity with Racer X, I would love to see them replace a few of the standard Sacramento beer pulls with a few more from the British Isles.

You can get the beers by the pint, the imperial pint (20 oz. - god save the queen) and pitcher. I love the shape of an imperial pint as well as the bonus beer in each one. Glad they have those and for there slight additional cost, I pity the patron with a puny pint.

I wish I could say I have tried a better variety of the food for this review. I can tell you that the fish in the fish and chips is spectacular. As good as any I have ever had anywhere. Big piece of white fish, battered and fried to perfection. Served with lemon and a pretty tasty tartar sauce. The chips are standard steak fries and make for an excellent accompanyment. The excellence of that dish is why my variety is weak. I have witnessed the bangers and mash walk by me. It looked awesome. I have also watched someone it a burger. I like the big fluffy bun. I don't know if I have ever had a burger in a big fluffy bun that wasn't great.

Overall, I love the Kilt Pub. With any new business, it will go through growth and change. I hope that the improvements make the Kilt Pub an even better place to visit. As it sits now, I implore you all to go to the Kilt Pub and give it a shot, just leave some Abbot Ale for me.

BS Beer of the Year 2010

I take my beer seriously. Whether I am enjoying a cold one after a Bad Gnus game on a warm evening, hanging out at home with the family or traveling the world, I try to never cheat myself out of the enjoyment of a tasty beer. That is why the BS Beer of the Year is the most prestigious of all of the BS Awards. The best way to read this narrative is by popping open your own favorite brew. I’d love to hear where you think I made a bad choice or hear of your experiences. I don’t have to agree, but I can respect.

Best Travel Beer - Goose Island 312. I love traveling. I think it is a rewarding and enriching experience that every one should do as much as possible. Stay tuned for my coming travel blog… Along these travels, I make it a point to sample the beers that the locals enjoy. You can really only assimilate into a society by getting a little tipsy with the natives. In Chicago this year, I fell in love with 312 from the Goose Island Brewery. You couldn’t stumble into a bar in Chicago without finding this beer. It is labeled an "Urban Wheat Beer". I don’t know what that means aside from marketing ploy. I didn’t hear any hip-hop when I sipped it. It is a very drinkable wheat beer but also has a nice flavor to it. It is filtered, so it is not as heavy as a Hefeweizen. This beer received a bit of international acclaim when President Obama offered up some 312 in a World Cup wager with British Prime Minister David Cameron. Sadly, I cannot find 312 at my local BevMo. Crikey.

Best American Beer not from Sam Adams - Alaskan Amber. This beer first made it too this list as a travel beer from my beautiful cruise though the Inland Passage. It is a tasty, drinkable beer that is good any time of year or day.

Best Beer on Tap – Pyramid Alehouse Amber. Can’t get this in bottles anywhere and that is just as well. It is so good on tap. The unfiltered Pyramids are always better live. This is a rare unfiltered amber brew, mixes two of my favorite beer characteristics. I am lucky that it is too much of a hassle for me to go downtown to fill up my growler with this. But maybe I can sneak away for just a bit this afternoon…

Best Mass Produced Import – Newcastle. This has been one of my favorite beers for years. This is such a smooth and tasty beer, I can’t envision a time when this isn’t one of my go-to beers. I like it so much that Newcastle United is now my second favorite English Premier League football club. Ironically, I have never had a Newcastle in England. It is a little better for me in the winter than the summer, but you won’t see me turning one down in July. Bonus points for the awesome little keg you can get. I love drinking from this.

Best English Beer - Sam Smith’s Nut Brown. This is a bit of a special occasion beer to me. It is a little darker than the typical amber beers that our littering this list. I’m sure it’s all mental, but drinking this makes with this of sitting in a pub in Londontown with dark brown paneling on the walls and highlights of footy on the telly.

Best Mexican Beer - Dos XX Amber. I love me some Mexican food. See previous post on Burrito Week and the spare tire around my middle as evidence. Whether I am at a dive taqueria or sitting in my kitchen, the wonderful tastes from south of the border go down more smoothly with a Dos XX Amber. I am noticing a lot of beers on this list are amber beers. I think I am gravitating toward a type.

Best Fruit Beer – Pyramid Apricot Ale. Ape Ale has been in my life longer than any other beer on this list. I’m not a big fan of apricots, but somehow this unfiltered wheat beer has just the right amount of subtle fruit flavor to love. I’m just gay enough to like a good fruit beer, but so often it is overdone. But when it is done well, it is fabulous.



Best Local Brewery – Rubicon. The Rubicon is a wonderful midtown place. It just has the right kind of feel to it. I like going there for lunch. I like going there for a mid afternoon break. I like going there for a late beer. It is a simple enough place with great food and better waffle fries. Rubicon harkens me back to Mrs. Sexy’s law school days when we would meet some of her lawyers-of-the-future friends and share a basket of fries and a pitcher or three of tasty beer. This was in the early days of craft brewers and the beer was something special and unique. I would refill my Rubic’s Cube of beer for special drinking occasions. My beer of choice back then is no longer available. One of my favorite beer names is Monkey Knife Fight. Unfortunately, that is too Sierra Nevada-y for my tastes. My beer of choice is the humbly named, wait for it, Amber. It’s a nice, smooth malty brew as you would expect from a beer so deftly named. Stop by for a basket of waffle fries and tell them the Big Sexy sent you.

This makes me think of the top places in town to grab a brew. Here’s my list.
1. Crawdad’s on a sunny, warm Spring day
2. Rubicon
3. Fox & Goose
4. Beach Hut Deli
5. Pyramid Brewpub

I’m very much looking forward to the Kilt Pub. Please do your part to help this new business. http://www.kilt-pub.com/index.html I know I will.

Best Sam Adams – Octoberfest. Samuel Adams is my favorite brewery. I can’t wait for a trip to Boston. I like many of their beers. Sammy Light was even beer of the year for 2009. I love the Cherry Wheat, Old Fezziwig, Blackberry Witbeir and Summer Ale. But topping of those is my BS Beer of the Year 2010, Octoberfest! It is a deep, rich beer with the slightest amount of bite for those cooler Fall evenings. Makes daylight savings time more palatable and gears me up for the holiday season.

With all of this information, none of you have reason to drink and weak or bitter beer. It doesn’t suit you. I know I’m thirsty now. Cheers!