Tree Loops

Celeste placed her digicam on one of the HO train cars that loop our tree.

Of course the engine is an F7 in the classic Santa Fe Warbonnet paint scheme.
Mimics my dad's old Lionel that went kaput a couple of years back (and is sitting safely in my parent's Illinois crawlspace). CHOO-CHOOOO!!!!

Decade - Favorite Records of the Zips, Pt 6 - 2005

Wow - lots of goodies released mid-decade, meaning lots of money spent at Madison's Strictly Discs back in ought-five.

Low - The Great Destroyer

My favorite record of the year marked a big change in sound for this Duluth-based band. Eschewing the quiet austere "slow core" sound of their previous six albums. The Great Destroyer saw Low literally turn up the amps and flesh out their minimalist sound. Overall, it's still a low record - ethereal, restrained and intense. Standout tracks: California, When I Go Deaf, Walk Into The Sea.

The Bats - At The National Grid

The Frames - Burn The Maps

The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday

The Mountain Goats - Sunset Tree

My Morning Jacket - Z
(a very close second to the Low record)

The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema

Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures

Ryan Adams - 29/Cold Roses/Jacksonville City Nights


(Private message to Mr. R. Adams - please resume taking drugs. 2005's output confirms that the music/art you create when high/stoned is much better than your sober stuff. Thank you)

Spoon - Gimmie Fiction

Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel The Illinoise!

The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan

Wilco - Kicking Television

Down on the Street

On Dasher, on Dancer, on COMET...

With these sweet taillights to alight a December sky, this old compact "snow white" Merc sure looks like it could have been Santa's sleigh in the mid-60s.

By the looks of it, it may also have spent some time in salt country.

But hey, it's still has plenty more character than the Dodge 600 (40 better than a Mercedes 560 SEL?) parked next to it. I doubt that thing will still be on the roads when it's well into its 40s.

Decade - Favorite Records of the Zips, Pt 5 - 2004

Favorites from 2004 here, while they're all very good records from many of the usual suspects (Neko, DBT, Wilco), I'm thinking that 2004 won't end up supplying the best music of the decade. But hey, '04 did bring a posthumous record from Elliott Smith, a great live document from the über-talented Ms. Neko Case, a great return from S.F. indie legends American Music Club and a stunning debut from a Quebecois band...

The Arcade Fire - Funeral
My favorite '04 release came, from all places, Quebec. A very theatrical-sounding indie rock record with some very 80s-like cues thrown in. Brooding, highly literate and highly-recommended.

A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder

American Music Club - Love Songs For Patriots

The Black Keys - Rubber Factory

Drive-By Truckers - The Dirty South

Elliott Smith - From A Basement On The Hill

Neko Case - The Tigers Have Spoken

Rogue Wave - Out Of The Shadow

TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes

Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
Okay, halfway done with the list while a little over halfway done with the month. More to come...

Grant-Lee Phillips at Lestat's, San Diego

Sunday evening saw criminally-underrated singer-songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips play at the intimate Lestat's Coffee House in San Diego. I went down solo as Allie is still fighting remnants of a sinus infection and possible bronchitis.

This would be my first time seeing Grant-Lee solo. I had seen him play with his previous band Grant-Lee Buffalo twice prior - once opening for Ultra Vivid Scene at Chicago's Park West in front of about 15 others waaay back in 1993 and then five years later opening for Willie Nelson (with Emmylou Harris backing!) at Boulder's Fox Theater.

Lestat's is a very intimate venue, a small storefront adjacent to their coffee shop with the ambiance of a - well - a converted storefront with wall painted in a deep red and black foam insulation stapled above the stage (which sits all of about 18" higher than the audience). Thankfully the sound quality was stellar, much better than I had expected. Grant's acoustic electric guitar sparkled.

Grant-Lee started out with Good Morning Happiness and Strangest Things - also the first two tracks from his two month-old Little Moon record. Being a long-time Grant Lee Buffalo fan, I was eager for him to dip into the hallowed back catalog of that exceptional band. He didn't disappoint, pulling out three tracks from 1994's stellar Mighty Joe Moon over the course of the evening, including Demon Called Deception, Honey Don't Think and Mockingbirds. Canon Powershot in hand, the latter two were captured as videos on the SD card. Unfortunately you can hear my utterly tone deaf / monotone voice singing along to Mockingbirds - so that file was sent to the trash file and subsequently deleted this evening to spare everyone's delicate ears. Must remember to keep my mouth shut - no matter how much I love the song. Here's a link to a similar live recording of it from Schuba's in Chicago a few night prior.

Speaking of the videos, they've been subsequently uploaded to YouTube. I'm still surprised about the relative fidelity afforded by the ~1.5mm microphone. Here goes:

Strangest Thing (from Little Moon):

with the choice lyrics

strangest thing
the way that one guitar can move me
more than any symphony



Honey Don't Think (from Grant Lee Buffalo's Mighty Joe Moon):



See America (from Mobilize):



some good between-song banter:



Finishing up with the seasonal (and unreleased) Winter Glow:



Go buy Grant-Lee's records!

Down on the Street

I spied a couple of interesting machines that were straight outta the sixties on my short journey to Costco on Sunday. First up - an original Mini Cooper:
I followed this little Brit for a couple of miles, envious of it's fun efficiency and diminutive size - especially when compared to the van I was driving. The seating position of the van was at the roofline of the Mini.

It wasn't until it came to a stop that I discovered the rusty sills. Yep, the tinworm is taking its toll on Sir Alec Issigonis' masterpiece.

One of the few open spots at Costco was next to a car most likely to survive a nuclear holocaust - a late-60s Dodge Dart.
Powered by the insanely indestructible Slant Six, this Dart likely has half a million miles on it.
These all but disappeared on rust-belt roads 25 years ago. The body is battered but it's still pretty-much cancer-free.

Decade - Favorite Records of the Zips, Pt 4 - 2003

Wow - halfway though the month and I'm only at part four. I'd better pick up the pace. 2003 brought ten great records (I had a very hard time picking the favorite among three strong finalists) - and I've included a bonus EP.

Beulah - Yoko

Sadly 2003 would be the last year that Beulah would release a record. However, the band did go out with a bang, releasing a very mature and dark album that nearly eclipsed 1999's When Your Heartstrings Break. Standout track: Me and Jesus Don't Talk Anymore.

Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism

The Decemberists - Her Majesty The Decemberists

Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day

Lucero - That Much Further West

The Minus 5 - Down With Wilco: A Tragedy in Three Halfs

My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves*

* almost my favorite record of '03

Neko Case - Blacklisted+
+ also almost my favorite record of '03

The New Pornographers - Electric Version

Radiohead - Hail To The Thief

The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow

TV On The Radio - Young Liars EP