9.2.08 My Top Ten Right Now
1. Bon Iver “For Emma, Forever Ago”
Every now and then there’s a new sound in music, a sound that makes you sit up and ask what the hell is that, and then you ask do I like even like it. At the core this music is standard folk guitar, but the addition of such an odd falsetto sets it apart. Add on top of that his simple melodies that float somewhere between a hymn and a prayer.
2. Newton Faulkner “Hand Built By Robots”
I don’t think recently I’ve heard music this instantly catchy, and yet layered and intelligent enough to listen to it over and over again (and boy do I listen to it over and OVER again). Check out the track, “People Should Smile More.” The message is clear, the feeling good and it leaves you so happy that you’ll find yourself humming it throughout the work day…
3. “Law of Desire” (1987)
I sometimes forget how much I really love the storytelling style of Pedro Almodovar, but digging back through his older works, you can’t help but be swayed into the fantastic heightened sexual drama of his universe. This film is like Hitchcock funneled through a more, hmmm, colorful aesthetic.
4. Chelsea Lately on E!
I’m not the type of person to laugh when there’s no one else in the room, stuff just doesn’t tickle me that much. Yet every night, I find myself howling with laughter, practically peeing my pants watching the incredible Chelsea Handler make fun of hot topics and hot messes in Hollywood. Now if only she’d stop doing those stupid skits, the show would reach an unheard of level of perfection…
5. Jason Mraz “Love for a Child”
I had sort of written off Mraz. I always liked his music, but I never reached for the first album and didn’t think I needed to purchase his more recent efforts. But I did, and then I heard this deep-felt and sad song about a child searching for the innocence lost at the hands of divorce. It’s a surprising song and so listenable that you might not even realize what it’s about till you open your ears to the lyrics.
Nestled in the lovely streets of the West Village, this tiny restaurant is serving up such delicious Paninis that words cannot describe the happiness I derive from eating them. And they’re cheap too! So what if you have to wait forever to be seated…
7. The Duhks “Fast Paced World”
So last week I wasn’t ready to recommend this album, but this week I’m all over it. The vocal on “This Fall” alone makes this album worth a listen. And then there’s the Brazilian rapping on “Magalenha”… simply awesome!
8. “Survivor” by Chuck Palahniuk
I’ll confess that I am a diehard Palahniuk fan, but this book is head and shoulders above the rest. From the deft storytelling to the genius reverse page numbering, this book refused to let me put it down. I devoured every line as if it were the last…
9. Getting out of NYC
I love my city. I love it even more in the summer. But I don’t think there is anything better than leaving behind the city for a long weekend in the country and then having that warm fuzzy feeling all over when you get back to the hustle and bustle and remember what it felt like the first time you moved to the Big Apple.
10. “Before Night Falls” (2000)
Ok, so I know I’m coming to the party so very late on this one, but I only saw it recently and was, for the most part blown away. It’s a beautiful movie to be sure, and Schnabel demonstrates a gift for that whole filmmaking thing (dare I say, better than any other art he creates). But the show is stolen, for the three minutes of screentime, by Johnny Depp who so gorgeously embodies a transvestite prison inmate.
