With A Passion

If you lived in a neighborhood for three fourths of a year, and never went to the local music store, what would you call yourself? Hipsterphobic fits me, I guess. I know, I know, I’ve got hipster tendencies, but the area around the Bedford avenue stop was something to rarely enter. Something to inspired cockeyed glances, and repeated viewings of the Hipster Olympics. So while the roommate was in a self-imposed quarantine, last night, I ventured out into the corners of Bedford Avenue, Lincoln Square, and Carmine Street.

In Lieu of Photography, we Present RealLifeDocumentaryyyy

If that doesn’t remind you of at least a few people you know, then feel lucky and/or out of the loop, or, even, lucky to be out of the loop.

Yesterday, in need of an album that I couldn’t find illegally online, I ventured over to Sound Fix (110 Bedford Avenue, nr. N 12th.) and picked up one thing I knew I wanted, and made one risk.

If there’s any concert I regret missing this year, it was the LCD Soundsystem/Arcade Fire show. Not sure exactly what made me miss it, previous engagements, hipsterphobia, a desire not to have to navigate Randall’s Island after getting lost after Rock The Bells. All of the above, probably (it’s always D). So, when I found FABRICLIVE 36: James Murphy & Pat Mahoney, respectively leader & drummer of LCD, I knew I would be walking out with something new.

FABRICLIVE 36: unboxed and such. © Henry Casey, 2007

If you’ve never seen a Fabric album (released by the London night club of the same name) before, then the above image probably looks like another case of design over content. Slipcase and metal box, a combination that just doesn’t bode well. Except that the two other Fabric records I’ve gotten so far (FABRICLIVE 33: Spank Rock, and FABRIC 36: Ricardo Villalobos) seem to be great mixes. Villalobos’ record is much more subtle and smooth than the Murphy & Mahoney disc, but that’s just because the LCD boys made a party starter, and those Spank Rockers, they made a banger.

I’ve only gotten a couple listens so far, but it’s got a similar feel to the Hot Chip/DJ Kicks record (a disc that I would have left off my soon to drop year end tally if I hadn’t referenced it here) that came out back in May. A great collection of knowns and unknowns collected for the sake of jamming out (rocking out minus long hair or phantom instruments). Nothing really pushing the record forward as in a central idea except the idea of having fun.

The Reason Behind the Risk

For some people, Sage Francis inspires the pride that Uncle Sam used to inspire. I’m one of them. The cunning bastard that he is, he’s put his face on the record label logo, so when you see something released from his record, you also see his face on it. So, when I saw this on the new Buck 65 record, Situation, coupled with the phrase “strongest rap record to date,” (for an artist I’d been avoiding because of news that they weren’t rapping enough) I might have been suckered in by the genius ass marketing. ‘Ass marketing,’ because, so far, I’m not digging the record. Maybe I’ll warm up to it, maybe I won’t. Odds are leaning towards the latter right now.

I thought I’d share my thoughts with you and not the Highly Exclusive Fandango Community

After ripping the CD’s onto my iPod and picking up some albums that Ben wanted, I met up with Michael, Ben, Megan, and Megan’s friend Marieke. We went to see There Will Be Blood, which I liked, despite not having gotten enough sleep last night (getting to bed by 6 and up before noon can fuck with one’s sleep cycles). I won’t spoil anything, but I have to say that this movie really sat well with my expectations, and Paul Dano, the teen from Little Miss Sunshine who was all cold shoulder for most of the movie, he finally has to carry some dialogue-weight, and as a teen aged evangelist he stands toe to toe with Daniel Day Lewis, one of our time’s greatest scene devourers. It’s not as good as No Country For Old Men, but I think trying to jump the high-bar that the Coens set would be damn near impossible right now. I think it’s between American Gangster and No Country in terms of my year- end list.

The four of us met up with Jared at BarFry, on 50 Carmine St., a restaurant that prides itself, as it should, on it’s beautifully clean aesthetic and fried foods upon fried foods. I had the Samurai beer to start, which was a nice light beer that matched well with the temupura’d foods I had (including a really nice chicken fried steak, and a more-than-generously portioned Crab Cake Po’ Boy). They gave us all a free shot of something that was quite sweet, definitely from the Girlie Drink territories, but was the kind of welcome surprise that really makes recommending them a painless experience.

With the Crab Cake Po’ Boy, I experienced something I’ve never experienced. I had pickles with almost no idea that they were there, having forgotten they were mentioned in the sandwich’s menu entry. They were these spicy pickle slices that gave even more energy to a sandwich that already had a really nice sauce on it. I know my food reviews are kind of base, but I’m just getting started.

Warning, though, the waiting staff did seem to expect us, first-timers, to take less time figuring out what we wanted than we took. Then again, the waiter has a Vandelay Industries t-shirt, resembled Adam Scott (the male nurse from Knocked Up, amongst other roles, who kind of looks like a younger James Urbaniak), and the chef came out to talk to us at least once and was one of the most charismatic guys Jared had seen in a while, enough at least for him to comment on it. I guess I’d have to say that character makes up for quirks in this case.

PS: Fuck the Patriots, the Red Sox, the Celtics, and for good measure, the Bruins.