tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60045216463081121572024-03-13T22:28:50.397-07:00The Loss Adjuster lost his mind...The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.comBlogger301125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-63317197786376139212010-01-02T21:21:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:39:18.016-07:00It's 2010!Who saw that one coming? Not me, for sure. It's like I blinked and the aughties were over. Weren't we all just paranoid the computers were going to eat us in 2000? Weren't we all just mourning a terrorist attack in 2001? Didn't Kanye West just embarrass himself on national television? Did anything else happen while I was asleep?<br /><br />I haven't made any New Year's Resolutions yet. <a href="http://thelossadjuster.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-year-resolutions.html">Last year's</a> were a bit of a flop, although I did manage to do quite a few things "jauntily." I don't have any burning issues I especially want to address. I have a job, my cats, semi-realistic expectations, and a handful of self-improvements that I really shouldn't discuss in an open forum (hint: I'm not writing this with a glass of something in hand).<br /><br />I suppose I want what everyone wants at the beginning of each year. Some happiness. A little less tragedy. A smidgen of security. Perhaps a gift certificate to Best Buy. It's 2010. Nothing special. Maybe we'll all get through it okay. Promise?The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-42861499501273396852009-12-31T00:52:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.456-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXK7eDFglLExXzG6DEbgpnVlqtOn8dSy_Zr1bhXhNbYG-HrLvcn1nPWJJO8tvdOvaEpY1JOQtve0OrinB6yKy7w3E90pqC1RjRqcCj94zlQP6ahGd-kocU1Vv0z5WfmJyuGjd9ABKh3Q/s1600-h/horrors-primarycolors-lst037778.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXK7eDFglLExXzG6DEbgpnVlqtOn8dSy_Zr1bhXhNbYG-HrLvcn1nPWJJO8tvdOvaEpY1JOQtve0OrinB6yKy7w3E90pqC1RjRqcCj94zlQP6ahGd-kocU1Vv0z5WfmJyuGjd9ABKh3Q/s400/horrors-primarycolors-lst037778.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421320800222409906" /></a><br />The Horrors-<span style="font-style:italic;">Primary Colours</span><br /><br />When The Horrors debuted in 2006, they hit the airwaves amid a frenzy of UK-media hype. They were all black outfits and frizzy hair and Cramps-meets-Bauhaus spaz-outs. They were the goth band for the punk kids, wherever those kids may be. It was pretty heady stuff if you were into that sort of thing, but not a lot of people were. NME made Arctic Monkeys stars. The Horrors were swiftly brushed aside as also-rans.<br /><br />Three years later, The Horrors returned with a new album and a (slightly) new sound. At first, <span style="font-style:italic;">Primary Colours</span> sounds like an album made by a completely different band. Further listens unwinds the album a bit, however. This is definitely the same dark band; they’ve just wrapped themselves in some gauzy new threads and sounds.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Primary Colours</span> starts with a swirl of bleak electronica that reminisces David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy. 45 minutes later, the album ends with a full-band flurry that album producer Geoff Barrow borrowed from his band Portishead’s “The Rip.” In between, the touchstones are varied. Joy Division… The Cure… The Jesus And Mary Chain… My Bloody Valentine… <span style="font-style:italic;">Primary Colours</span> is best described as “Gothic Shoegaze,” but even that moniker doesn’t do the album justice. The album is 2009 in a nutshell: it’s loud, nonsensical, and a little on the bleak side.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yNjcSgU0Nrg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yNjcSgU0Nrg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-56699830890890048242009-12-30T11:34:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.474-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmTaXLaOd5L4KRnnm634vO_abK8VYn6QL_Zq-76nzOzp2ppFByYqYuSkz8TkamFmIl1AqGXYHPhCF_gXAIP9FLIF57Qdnc3ZJdAahCEyb99aL71wQh0eeINWfrGGSg_UPKwJAXalH_l8/s1600-h/jarvis-cocker-further-complications.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmTaXLaOd5L4KRnnm634vO_abK8VYn6QL_Zq-76nzOzp2ppFByYqYuSkz8TkamFmIl1AqGXYHPhCF_gXAIP9FLIF57Qdnc3ZJdAahCEyb99aL71wQh0eeINWfrGGSg_UPKwJAXalH_l8/s400/jarvis-cocker-further-complications.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421115068474045666" /></a><br />Jarvis Cocker-<span style="font-style:italic;">Further Complications</span><br /><br />Jarvis, Jarvis, Jarvis… An album about fucking and divorce, eh? You salty middle-aged sexpot, you! Lyrically, <span style="font-style:italic;">Further Complications</span> hit me harder than just about any other album released in 2009. No, I’m not a salty middle-aged sexpot (though I might be salty.). but he just seems to get it and it’s nice to know that there’s another person out there in this big, mean world who does. Whether it’s ruminations on manwhores (“Homewrecker!”) or allegories about older men and dinosaurs (“Leftovers“), <span style="font-style:italic;">Further Complications</span> never fails to deliver one sucker punch to the heart after another. And all these months after its release later, I just have to admit that “Hold Still” pretty much puts me into a panic attack every time I hear it.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bbNh4CS9Cns&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bbNh4CS9Cns&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-6070346006154023802009-12-30T06:13:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.495-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vbx8zX_w4DugRc5pmMAZza7_q9JTQ5114nHxW_4uxltYyOdiJvivU4fqO8YB01g2HTwJPL6ktQHEJOiXP7sQUIltC2szvNOkNymysECHXmE3cekBiImHyuQJ0uh43jLmk98CFOJarJo/s1600-h/arctic_monkeys-humbug.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vbx8zX_w4DugRc5pmMAZza7_q9JTQ5114nHxW_4uxltYyOdiJvivU4fqO8YB01g2HTwJPL6ktQHEJOiXP7sQUIltC2szvNOkNymysECHXmE3cekBiImHyuQJ0uh43jLmk98CFOJarJo/s400/arctic_monkeys-humbug.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421032379202682402" /></a><br />Arctic Monkeys-<span style="font-style:italic;">Humbug</span><br /><br />I’ve heard a lot of grousing this year about how the Arctic’s third album is a “disappointment.” About how it’s too sludgy or slow or uncool or whatever. Well, yes, <span style="font-style:italic;">Humbug </span>is sludgy and slow and uncool. It was produced by Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme. Sludgy and slow and uncool is kind of what he does. Which is why <span style="font-style:italic;">Humbug </span>kind of transcends all trends this year. Arctic Monkeys basically made a low-down, dirty rock record in a year when the hip thing to do in rock music was to be psychedelic, low-fi, or twee (and in some cases, all three!). It took a lot of guts to throw all credibility out the window, but the results are pretty heady.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fLsBJPlGIDU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fLsBJPlGIDU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-27734816009589140312009-12-29T22:29:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.514-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #4<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGnFm-7Qxr04Hx0gyzLTkhC-A1oIaUz6gmACo8OQMVbOxRXa_FznqsdbpqMU_W_8ALeqzvZfqiezcm0W7jhZYh-5BdiB-Po2q1iCVTI_cC5FMzmOfHfJ9Xd27xRw4pG3gBws6SpOuAsA/s1600-h/art+brut+v+satan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGnFm-7Qxr04Hx0gyzLTkhC-A1oIaUz6gmACo8OQMVbOxRXa_FznqsdbpqMU_W_8ALeqzvZfqiezcm0W7jhZYh-5BdiB-Po2q1iCVTI_cC5FMzmOfHfJ9Xd27xRw4pG3gBws6SpOuAsA/s400/art+brut+v+satan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420912840940635442" /></a><br />Art Brut-<span style="font-style:italic;">Art Brut Vs. Satan</span><br /><br />I just might be Art Brut’s Eddie Argos. It seems like every Art Brut song is about unfortunate mishaps with pills, comic books, self-embarrassment, or that band you really, really like. Their third album, the Frank Black-produced <span style="font-style:italic;">Art Brut Vs. Satan</span>, is chock full of new stories that lovingly ape Jonathan Richman while waving the flag of The Replacements. Art Brut is one of those odd bands that continues to be widely ignored while still crafting utterly brilliant and shockingly honest records. So, I guess if my life is going to continue echoing anyone’s, it might as well be Eddie Argos‘, because I could do a hell of a lot worse.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3vxo9iDj5Hw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3vxo9iDj5Hw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-31363650573097538632009-12-29T18:49:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.534-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #5<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzFYNWSaNqSuYPokHA08bdS699KMCeAQymunXHhU8nvVUqU6VQAdtfFe4b0FBPUWcqTuNWVLLyM_9svz4h2nsqp2stzNQuwVh2f4SdtloYOaLzvUrAi22bK3YuIuV4RGFswWaJqP5cWc/s1600-h/ff_tonight.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzFYNWSaNqSuYPokHA08bdS699KMCeAQymunXHhU8nvVUqU6VQAdtfFe4b0FBPUWcqTuNWVLLyM_9svz4h2nsqp2stzNQuwVh2f4SdtloYOaLzvUrAi22bK3YuIuV4RGFswWaJqP5cWc/s400/ff_tonight.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420856327036483554" /></a><br />Franz Ferdinand-<span style="font-style:italic;">Tonight: Franz Ferdinand</span><br /><br />You know that feeling you get at 2am when you’ve just been thrown out of the bar onto the cold, dark streets and you’re not really sure where your cell phone is? And you’re pretty sure you left your credit card at the bar, but the bouncer won’t let you back in because, apparently, you called his girlfriend a “crack whore loser?“ And you keep trying to open your car door, but you don’t remember if you drive a Ford Taurus or a Jeep Cherokee? But you know in the back your mind that you are absolutely the most fabulous person about to blow chunks on the street corner? That’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Tonight: Franz Ferdinand</span>.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DyBykg0hsK8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DyBykg0hsK8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-91015384481286499722009-12-28T10:43:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.601-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #6<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHhdSzNC1SMnA1VzL8mJ93IHMiR0AR1sIzDpZEL9Gj2fphLiU4dGDkW8-1M2OQEIyAWCYT0ZwSIB9ItgGYTsyvdy0qgIVjg9LQ04Uom2p0dk8fZP4zYGGpZSWvJevt15YENkUq5Ischo/s1600-h/the-flaming-lips-embryonic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHhdSzNC1SMnA1VzL8mJ93IHMiR0AR1sIzDpZEL9Gj2fphLiU4dGDkW8-1M2OQEIyAWCYT0ZwSIB9ItgGYTsyvdy0qgIVjg9LQ04Uom2p0dk8fZP4zYGGpZSWvJevt15YENkUq5Ischo/s400/the-flaming-lips-embryonic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420359683089212338" /></a><br />The Flaming Lips-<span style="font-style:italic;">Embryonic</span><br /><br />I was just about to give up on The Flaming Lips after 2006’s <span style="font-style:italic;">At War With The Mystics</span>. Not that the album was terrible by any stretch of the imagination. It just seemed like a typically flat post-success album. Everyone does it. The Flaming Lips’ return to the mainstream in the early aughties was a joyous celebration of a band that’s been doggedly persistent for the last few decades. So a bit of a letdown was expected. Now that it’s all out of the way, The Flaming Lips have returned with <span style="font-style:italic;">Embryonic</span>, a rather shocking nosedive into psychedelic rock that spans two discs. <span style="font-style:italic;">Embryonic </span>is a dense album that rewards upon multiple listens. It’s hard to find the commercial elements here. Every so often, there’s a “Silver Trembling Hands,” or a “Convinced Of The Hex.” But for the most part, <span style="font-style:italic;">Embryonic </span>is chock-full of stuff no radio station is going to touch. The best part? They save the most commercial track, “Watching The Planets,” for the very last song on the second disc. Sheer brilliance!<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/92TNIIbaBOo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/92TNIIbaBOo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-18294570948540191032009-12-27T23:55:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.621-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #7<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDwaV-2pHxYXFnPXZ8zSXObg3bUVMhlBvrqKsolqzBOUicvHC_AHJWZoxWNF3oh_Uh_oKS8UeHGeRwy4vqlJE68ktzWBMZv2A4CuaQ0y-DwhFoGmwhj01n0BjfQ-PYGtMegVDNePXgYQ/s1600-h/wolfgang-amadeus-phoenix-album-cover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDwaV-2pHxYXFnPXZ8zSXObg3bUVMhlBvrqKsolqzBOUicvHC_AHJWZoxWNF3oh_Uh_oKS8UeHGeRwy4vqlJE68ktzWBMZv2A4CuaQ0y-DwhFoGmwhj01n0BjfQ-PYGtMegVDNePXgYQ/s400/wolfgang-amadeus-phoenix-album-cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420193109732867330" /></a><br />Phoenix-<span style="font-style:italic;">Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix</span><br /><br />“Hey, it’s that band with that song in that car commercial!” Ugh. Well, Phoenix is a French band that sounds a lot like The Strokes. This is either a really good or really bad thing. With some bands, sounding a lot like The Strokes comes off as a desperate stab at the mainstream. Here comes that car commercial! Thankfully, <span style="font-style:italic;">Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix</span> is just a great album of songs that transcend the “Stroke-abees” tag. You’ve probably heard these songs a million times before, but this time around, they’re fun and fresh and 2009. Or 1901. One of the two.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SrnhxOiVAdk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SrnhxOiVAdk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-28534960601721592972009-12-26T01:40:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.642-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #8<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-h0PobZKBPku_TKRqS3_8zpbe4utOfMsOgRfi8KuyLJY-rvvtteiJTrRxrNwkHtgem-tMa-X7q-IexYYX9MqLwhqiGlQDxLsLrZIM2oWbj5CCGUQMzszQ_l3_ovxX3E1FoA8NiLtQBxw/s1600-h/animal+collective.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-h0PobZKBPku_TKRqS3_8zpbe4utOfMsOgRfi8KuyLJY-rvvtteiJTrRxrNwkHtgem-tMa-X7q-IexYYX9MqLwhqiGlQDxLsLrZIM2oWbj5CCGUQMzszQ_l3_ovxX3E1FoA8NiLtQBxw/s400/animal+collective.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419477773081728978" /></a><br />Animal Collective-<span style="font-style:italic;">Merriweather Post Pavilion</span><br /><br />I’m sure a good deal of you heard about this album this year, and probably a few of you bothered to download it. Maybe a few of those few actually listened to it all the way through. And of those few, I’m sure a few of you really got into it. I guess that’s the thing about Animal Collective’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Merriweather Post Pavilion</span>. Those of us who spent the time getting our heads around the album’s, well, music eccentricities, quickly discovered that it’s Animal Collective’s most “pop” record to date. Which, admittedly, can be like saying that Phillip Glass put out a pop record, but you can catch my drift. There’s something oddly liberating and fun about <span style="font-style:italic;">Merriweather Post Pavilion</span>, which is something I have trouble saying about previous Animal Collective releases. Maybe that’s why so many people are talking about them this year.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GxhaRgJUMl8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GxhaRgJUMl8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-20143493532956550702009-12-25T23:24:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.663-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #9<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufHAepww9EwVDWUY0Sr5F7gE9RcPKB_yrL58pihdqjZobzVPhHoxyE0n1eLZzMtNf7WPwIQfYnTQZndAFsnpJNQvO-egOC7zfR40bSUXd5oPgoxzZQ5mvXRaugc3E_wFpr-2_JkXtiGU/s1600-h/aptbs.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufHAepww9EwVDWUY0Sr5F7gE9RcPKB_yrL58pihdqjZobzVPhHoxyE0n1eLZzMtNf7WPwIQfYnTQZndAFsnpJNQvO-egOC7zfR40bSUXd5oPgoxzZQ5mvXRaugc3E_wFpr-2_JkXtiGU/s400/aptbs.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419442668522570162" /></a><br />A Place To Bury Strangers-<span style="font-style:italic;">Exploding Head</span><br /><br />I just adore how loud and discordant A Place To Bury Strangers’ blend of space-rock and shoegaze is. Their second album, <span style="font-style:italic;">Exploding Head</span>, will positively blow out your eardrums at high volumes. True story: I was listening to the record on my turntable quite loudly a while back and, apparently, missed: an ambulance racing down my street, my phone ringing off the hook, someone yelling at my front door, and my cats meowing at me, wondering why the attention I used to give them is now bestowed on some garage trio from New York.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MR5JV3qXbak&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MR5JV3qXbak&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-67463919034130943242009-12-25T22:43:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.684-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRUUwgfmBwTpB4ODxsqaIXFKtfMQFeSgGJcXhQY7DKeSZx6BEiuriN9fNys4EV2e29jJM72GHI8X4ZJzSkrASpw8VmUNWGmvIluS1_QD2usbuRZLPobwpSmQqP5B5DEtkqFPRjhMu_q0/s1600-h/Depeche+Mode+-+Sounds_of_the_Universe_Album_Cover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRUUwgfmBwTpB4ODxsqaIXFKtfMQFeSgGJcXhQY7DKeSZx6BEiuriN9fNys4EV2e29jJM72GHI8X4ZJzSkrASpw8VmUNWGmvIluS1_QD2usbuRZLPobwpSmQqP5B5DEtkqFPRjhMu_q0/s400/Depeche+Mode+-+Sounds_of_the_Universe_Album_Cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419431968906509682" /></a><br />Depeche Mode-<span style="font-style:italic;">Sounds Of The Universe</span><br /><br />“Oh, hai, Depeche Mode! Still awesome?”<br /><br />“Yep”<br /><br />“Okay”<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lD87Hbm9mrI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lD87Hbm9mrI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-32604846522567249652009-12-22T16:51:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.704-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #11<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TMdvll1RH02131Zcm1W22Z6zJ0eRo4HGMZZCkvKS6rH6GAd6zdohxz1rkcw95nmibL9cvagAoR__rH9ZM6UZUaPeCowfLk7RFbqfOxdJmClZ8y5-b37qLADsJF-Ga97ECFTcXGU1Kv0/s1600-h/fever-ray.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TMdvll1RH02131Zcm1W22Z6zJ0eRo4HGMZZCkvKS6rH6GAd6zdohxz1rkcw95nmibL9cvagAoR__rH9ZM6UZUaPeCowfLk7RFbqfOxdJmClZ8y5-b37qLADsJF-Ga97ECFTcXGU1Kv0/s400/fever-ray.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418228270322396754" /></a><br />Fever Ray-<span style="font-style:italic;">Fever Ray</span><br /><br />It’s weird to think that brother-sister duo The Knife’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Silent Shout</span> came out in 2006, because it still feels like it happened <span style="font-style:italic;">five seconds ago</span>. <span style="font-style:italic;">Silent Shout</span> is an album so groundbreaking that it’s nearly impossible to put into a box and put away. That we’re in 2009 now and presented with Fever Ray feels like icing on the cake. “I’m still not over <span style="font-style:italic;">Silent Shout</span> and you give me <span style="font-style:italic;">this</span>?!?” <span style="font-style:italic;">Fever Ray</span> is essentially Karin Andersson’s solo debut, and it strips some of the punch and vigor from The Knife in favor of moodiness and quietude. Where The Knife could be creepy at times, Fever Ray is creepy all the time. Andersson’s voice sounds like it’s coming out from under your bed to drag you off to who knows where. Who knew Sweeden was so dark?<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4F-CpE73o2M&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4F-CpE73o2M&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-66169826914785505012009-12-19T19:20:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.727-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #12<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYtS4V7PJT7100J0fGhRYygSXh3WahXbm08vj2NDdkop8t-A2HyIymX78RD5UJhl12UXJDXtwDs_Xpw6D1fTSovjJORGM8q2XoDnFIcZiNKa_O4KdIiRt5QBw6bl7CpowkPrDW5Q7Yls/s1600-h/bearinheaven.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYtS4V7PJT7100J0fGhRYygSXh3WahXbm08vj2NDdkop8t-A2HyIymX78RD5UJhl12UXJDXtwDs_Xpw6D1fTSovjJORGM8q2XoDnFIcZiNKa_O4KdIiRt5QBw6bl7CpowkPrDW5Q7Yls/s400/bearinheaven.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417153196845093362" /></a><br />Bear In Heaven-<span style="font-style:italic;">Beast Rest Forth Mouth</span><br /><br />Sometimes the best albums just sneak up on you, completely unexpected. I had no clue what I was getting into when I downloaded Bear In Heaven’s “Lovesick Teenagers.” All I was told was that it was brilliant and exactly the sort of thing that someone like me would like (Oh, where have we been burned in <span style="font-style:italic;">that </span>department before?). What I heard was a single that mixed pop, new wave, darkwave, and just about everything else at one point or another. It’s so easy to hear the familiar in <span style="font-style:italic;">Beast Rest Forth Mouth</span>, but difficult to really pinpoint exactly who you’re hearing. There’s definitely some Depeche Mode there. Is that some Nitzer Ebb influence? Can? Possibly some Animal Collective? It’s a pretty enticing mix. <span style="font-style:italic;">Beast Rest Forth Mouth</span> pulls off the neat trick of being comfortable and familiar without sounding like too much of a rip-off.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VGS7vNLhxNA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VGS7vNLhxNA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-58621869488686776282009-12-16T12:18:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.774-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #13<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffBqUEjFjf1EDGE_8dBmOIcxH3Ith2YZx5-fweOHQlV6djUVQ-ijvDAAdWeKa9QF2AhmhKQ-Dn9wkllD-whf8P97A_UMm0tXLpiSar1H3BLLrDK8evetFEf96lrXbKTIFecRvxiVS9Kk/s1600-h/painscd.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffBqUEjFjf1EDGE_8dBmOIcxH3Ith2YZx5-fweOHQlV6djUVQ-ijvDAAdWeKa9QF2AhmhKQ-Dn9wkllD-whf8P97A_UMm0tXLpiSar1H3BLLrDK8evetFEf96lrXbKTIFecRvxiVS9Kk/s400/painscd.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415931015126021106" /></a><br />The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart-<span style="font-style:italic;">The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart</span><br /><br />Much like the dozens of other bands the critical music elite have told you to like this year, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart can come off as pretty easy to pass up. Jangly guitars, melancholy lyrics, off key vocals, etc… It‘s the kind of stuff that makes <a href="http://pitchfork.com/">Pitchfork</a> editors drool and just about everyone else say, “Pass.” But there really is something about the band’s self-titled debut. It took just one listen of “This Love Is Fucking Right!” to get me on board (“In a dark room we can do just what we like/You're my sister, and this love is fucking right.”). <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/B4itzHRpltQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/B4itzHRpltQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><span style="font-style:italic;"></span>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-56367237758059382602009-12-15T23:30:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.796-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #14<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQt02JNmp6UijCTtwj-fgenmgs-mdAsSyHhwovIOEQ43Ur5V9BWqrTx8Uxv7eVd_ms2YhbY4fcHrrojIVpuYxiDa8nDn1aqnGMFcZBR2oDeImrJf-iXXvxvQ7_hkpn3t50ESzx2jsBqSM/s1600-h/rave+control.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 357px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQt02JNmp6UijCTtwj-fgenmgs-mdAsSyHhwovIOEQ43Ur5V9BWqrTx8Uxv7eVd_ms2YhbY4fcHrrojIVpuYxiDa8nDn1aqnGMFcZBR2oDeImrJf-iXXvxvQ7_hkpn3t50ESzx2jsBqSM/s400/rave+control.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415733175478765618" /></a><br />The Raveonettes-<span style="font-style:italic;">In And Out Of Control</span><br /><br />In the last two years, The Raveonettes have released three EP’s (<span style="font-style:italic;">Sometimes They Drop By</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Beauty Dies</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">Wishing You A Rave Christmas</span>) and two long-players, <a href="http://thelossadjuster.blogspot.com/2008/12/best-albums-of-2008-18.html"><span style="font-style:italic;">Lust Lust Lust</span></a> and <span style="font-style:italic;">In And Out Of Control</span>. And, to be perfectly honest, these releases have contained some of the band’s best work. It seems like leaving the majors for an indie label (the polite way of saying “dropped”) has paid off for the Danish duo of Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner. I wasn’t really expecting much out of <span style="font-style:italic;">In And Out Of Control</span>, considering how quickly it came after <span style="font-style:italic;">Lust Lust Lust</span>, but I was pleasantly surprised this time out. The edges are a bit softer and there’s nothing as mind-boggling awesome as “Dead Sound” or “Aly Walk With Me,” but it’s still a damned good album.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JOnKJf522kE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JOnKJf522kE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-5205034778888422182009-12-15T23:16:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.818-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #15<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGk9EuT6ehernzII1nCSXEpZ6148PbfVCYtbnclVuPiaQiodrzw4aohbPZGO1CVViZTHRSkwb_RItV2l7bJYpkb83IhFHEEoZRpldEVeP-Hz6VVX3IxFUJdEzav3bIaOHOi9ko1Noe1oA/s1600-h/sonic+youth+eternal.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGk9EuT6ehernzII1nCSXEpZ6148PbfVCYtbnclVuPiaQiodrzw4aohbPZGO1CVViZTHRSkwb_RItV2l7bJYpkb83IhFHEEoZRpldEVeP-Hz6VVX3IxFUJdEzav3bIaOHOi9ko1Noe1oA/s400/sonic+youth+eternal.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415729752246881106" /></a><br />Sonic Youth-<span style="font-style:italic;">The Eternal</span><br /><br />I was on a road trip with a co-worker this past summer and I had brought along a handful of CD’s for the ride, one of them being Sonic Youth’s 16th album, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Eternal</span>. As I was driving, my rather young passenger seemed to really be getting into it…<br /><br />Co-worker: “Who is this?” <br />Me: “Oh, it’s Sonic Youth.”<br />Co-worker: “Never heard of them. Are they new?” <br />Me: “Um, no. They’re a few years away from they’re 30th anniversary.”<br />Co-worker: “No way! You’re lying!”<br />Me: “Um…”<br />Co-worker: “They sound new. They must be new…”<br /><br />The co-worker started looking through the album art in an attempt to find proof that I was lying, I suppose. <br /><br />Co-worker: “There’s no way these guys are old…”<br /><br />Ah, to be Sonic Youth… <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pKlbBgQHPqo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pKlbBgQHPqo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-49722048706330854102009-12-13T19:40:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.840-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #16<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDwOvcnLc2g5UimHSwna9I4mu1br0X9HGs61X2pPdG4lv-HOIu_11NiAtzXEktlf-B02DYUaAIS-BnvD70RmSoklvz2Udz3LFEBlDBgl6rY17quSydIK6p0xmys22b58YJQKPLlzF8bs/s1600-h/them-crooked-vultures.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 397px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDwOvcnLc2g5UimHSwna9I4mu1br0X9HGs61X2pPdG4lv-HOIu_11NiAtzXEktlf-B02DYUaAIS-BnvD70RmSoklvz2Udz3LFEBlDBgl6rY17quSydIK6p0xmys22b58YJQKPLlzF8bs/s400/them-crooked-vultures.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414931853935276658" /></a><br />Them Crooked Vultures-<span style="font-style:italic;">Them Crooked Vultures</span><br /><br />I suppose a band featuring Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones isn’t exactly the most far-fetched-sounding thing ever. As far as musical super-groups go, Them Crooked Vultures falls into the “obvious” category. The band sounds like Queens Of The Stone Age acting like a Led Zeppelin cover band, with Grohl left playing catch-up to Jones’ bass hooks. Regardless of whatever it is, it works. <span style="font-style:italic;">Them Crooked Vultures</span> is a highly enjoyable bit of naval gazing.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lgn_ZOyFLiQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lgn_ZOyFLiQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-73383350580130898632009-12-09T21:06:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.861-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #17<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSix0t74hlFUAgSAoZjlwxl3lEomQDtzZuKwQgVU_QsK6KsaJ9peY2xd4aaq6Gvg8tkkjNDdYC88ckVljVpbqiX3F2bw5zbksJkU2Le-aZYgFpkH1RQ1uibdyjMUOAS31-t6aqJ9f9Do/s1600-h/tod_century.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 393px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSix0t74hlFUAgSAoZjlwxl3lEomQDtzZuKwQgVU_QsK6KsaJ9peY2xd4aaq6Gvg8tkkjNDdYC88ckVljVpbqiX3F2bw5zbksJkU2Le-aZYgFpkH1RQ1uibdyjMUOAS31-t6aqJ9f9Do/s400/tod_century.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413470343233669282" /></a><br />…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead-<span style="font-style:italic;">The Century Of Self</span><br /><br />…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead has been known for years for their live shows, where debauchery and instrument destruction is the norm. Yet, the one time I saw them in LA, back in 2002, they seemed to despise their audience. Perhaps it was because they were feeling somewhat restrained by their record deal with Interscope. Perhaps they’re just dicks. Regardless, it’s been years since those days of Interscope trying to make something palatable out of …Trail Of Dead’s noise. Now freed from major label interference, the band can get back to resurrecting its image. <span style="font-style:italic;">The Century Of Self</span> is a good start. It’s easily their best record since 2002’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Source Tags & Codes</span>…<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ivK6r_eN8XI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ivK6r_eN8XI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-53180199031198050582009-12-08T13:46:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.881-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #18<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAGfdNB3dH-k3b6KyERiV3S3U-43iUOJen79BdbdZLb1aYbcgVZCmWm3HXGXBMTrtSag8NzRDYf-9LuJwLly_gAOa7MLN6NqTzkXMy1Cwrxu3-VC3FhO3_bwhQbOZwFptB7lH2K5kuDc/s1600-h/Hush--by-Asobi-Seksu_cDhWsCKobbgx_full.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAGfdNB3dH-k3b6KyERiV3S3U-43iUOJen79BdbdZLb1aYbcgVZCmWm3HXGXBMTrtSag8NzRDYf-9LuJwLly_gAOa7MLN6NqTzkXMy1Cwrxu3-VC3FhO3_bwhQbOZwFptB7lH2K5kuDc/s400/Hush--by-Asobi-Seksu_cDhWsCKobbgx_full.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412985088927337202" /></a><br />Asobi Seksu-<span style="font-style:italic;">Hush</span><br /><br />I, for one, have really enjoyed the resurgence of shoegaze and dreampop in popular music the past few years. Asobi Seksu are a band that has sort of veered between the two genres willy-nilly. Their latest, <span style="font-style:italic;">Hush</span>, is a little bit more in the dreampop department, evoking the criminally underrated British group Lush. <span style="font-style:italic;">Hush </span>is a great rainy-day album; something you can put on, curl up by the space heater, and doze to. Very few bands could take pleasure in something like that; a listener falling asleep to your album. But for a dreampop group, it’s high praise indeed.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KYuDBdVj8_k&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KYuDBdVj8_k&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-47446736585019041432009-12-07T22:27:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.903-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #19<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GvCqQxfkKNsPgKVlmTWkOIHgwQWq5q0MiqEm3YNVdZ5qyH4YWpPsFTRB9-3UsljVs5XXAvvmXm-o77QITeFATJXTgUj-BacmynjFtV_LcMfIs3tLf5Ojg1kzNEhP13ZE0DUocbq00rQ/s1600-h/Glitter+And+Doom+Live+cover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GvCqQxfkKNsPgKVlmTWkOIHgwQWq5q0MiqEm3YNVdZ5qyH4YWpPsFTRB9-3UsljVs5XXAvvmXm-o77QITeFATJXTgUj-BacmynjFtV_LcMfIs3tLf5Ojg1kzNEhP13ZE0DUocbq00rQ/s400/Glitter+And+Doom+Live+cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412748485675827074" /></a><br />Tom Waits-<span style="font-style:italic;">Glitter And Doom</span><br /><br />Yeah, I know. It’s a live album. But it’s a live album that evokes an extreme reaction with me. Listening to <span style="font-style:italic;">Glitter And Doom</span> makes me severely pissed off, mostly because it‘s a snapshot of a tour that I‘m positively miserable for missing. Tom Waits played a mere thirteen shows in North America last year, and the closest one to me was in Phoenix. I do not live near Phoenix. Thus, I’m left with <span style="font-style:italic;">Glitter And Doom</span>, a collection primarily culled from the time period between 1992’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Bone Machine</span> and 2004’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Real Gone</span>. The last few decades have shown Waits to be one of the few true artists left from the singer-songwriters of his generation. <span style="font-style:italic;">Glitter And Doom</span> just piles more proof on top of that.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9cv1NJqaJBU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9cv1NJqaJBU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-67424893698965092322009-12-07T18:37:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.925-07:00The Best Albums Of 2009 #20<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMjGXaOjQdYIIHMv1kmVn5zeXZOxcCxNdpO7N-cljKnRngmF7LtesCVIiypoLCmawq06r6L-lUPVsFE9S2YOSvcddvEmlj1vh6BaWZvN9ugkdo-g4tmp4XeMSYkPSWsX2uHDKsoS-d_U/s1600-h/julien-k_cover_5x5_300dpi-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 390px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMjGXaOjQdYIIHMv1kmVn5zeXZOxcCxNdpO7N-cljKnRngmF7LtesCVIiypoLCmawq06r6L-lUPVsFE9S2YOSvcddvEmlj1vh6BaWZvN9ugkdo-g4tmp4XeMSYkPSWsX2uHDKsoS-d_U/s400/julien-k_cover_5x5_300dpi-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412689290034368562" /></a><br />Julien-K-<span style="font-style:italic;">Death To Analog</span><br /><br />I really, really should hate <span style="font-style:italic;">Death To Analog</span>, Julien-K’s first and, likely, only album (I'm only being a snarky asshole. I really don't own a crystal ball). It’s a side-project for Orgy, for Christ’s sake! But for some reason, it didn’t make me throw up the first time I listened to it. Then, a funny thing happened… I actually started to enjoy the album’s KMFDM-meets-Depeche Mode sound. I even wound up seeing them live twice this year. I have lost any shred of indie cred I had with this one. I am going to jail and being flogged by Ian Mackaye until I scream Pavement lyrics. Kim Gordon sends me hate mail now. *sigh*<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/smWIilC2LAQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/smWIilC2LAQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-32561589601530687282009-12-07T12:11:00.000-08:002011-10-15T10:34:43.946-07:00My 13 Favorite Music Videos Of 2009In no particular order…<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Fever Ray-”Stranger Than Kindness”</span><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UGHtrBHJ7G0&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UGHtrBHJ7G0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Yeah Yeah Yeahs-”Heads Will Roll”</span><br /><br /><font face="Verdana" size="1" color="#999999"><br/><a style="font: Verdana" href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=58051987">Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Heads Will Roll"</a><br/><object width="425px" height="360px" ><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="movie" value="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=58051987,t=1,mt=video"/><embed src="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=58051987,t=1,mt=video" width="425" height="360" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed></object><br/><a style="font: Verdana" href="http://www.myspace.com/yeahyeahyeahsmusic">Yeah Yeah Yeahs </a> | <a style="font: Verdana" href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=videos">MySpace Music Videos</a></font><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Dead Weather-”Treat Me Like Your Mother”</span><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/M7QSkI6My1g&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/M7QSkI6My1g&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Saturday Knights-”Count It Off”</span><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4hcCEoSshwM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4hcCEoSshwM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Doves-”Kingdom Of Rust”</span><br /><br /><font face="Verdana" size="1" color="#999999"><br/><a style="font: Verdana" href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=52192932">Doves - Kingdom of Rust</a><br/><object width="425px" height="360px" ><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="movie" value="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=52192932,t=1,mt=video"/><embed src="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=52192932,t=1,mt=video" width="425" height="360" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed></object><br/><a style="font: Verdana" href="http://www.myspace.com/dovesmyspace">doves</a> | <a style="font: Verdana" href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=videos">MySpace Music Videos</a></font><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Kasabian-”Fire”</span><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wd0Y1Sko7hA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wd0Y1Sko7hA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Depeche Mode-”Wrong”</span><br /><br /><font face="Verdana" size="1" color="#999999"><br/><a style="font: Verdana" href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=52704787">Depeche Mode - "Wrong" (official music video)</a><br/><object width="425px" height="360px" ><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="movie" value="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=52704787,t=1,mt=video"/><embed src="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=52704787,t=1,mt=video" width="425" height="360" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed></object><br/><a style="font: Verdana" href="http://www.myspace.com/depechemode">Depeche Mode</a> | <a style="font: Verdana" href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=videos">MySpace Music Videos</a></font><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Franz Ferdinand-”Can’t Stop Feeling”</span><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/58IM48-EU9E&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/58IM48-EU9E&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Flaming Lips-”Watching The Planets” (NSFW!)</span><br /><br /><div><object width="420" height="339"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/xbagfc" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/xbagfc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="339" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/xbagfc">Watching The Planets</a></b><br /><i>by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/paulqaz">paulqaz</a></i></div><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Lady GaGa-”Bad Romance”</span><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ACm9yECwSso&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ACm9yECwSso&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Mew-”Repeaterbeater”</span><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UEh9cELK5Os&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UEh9cELK5Os&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Jarvis Cocker-”Further Complications”</span><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AzpxtSmEL9s&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AzpxtSmEL9s&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Horrors-”Mirror‘s Image”</span><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0EOPIi4Q3lM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0EOPIi4Q3lM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-82098449949405376332009-10-23T19:48:00.000-07:002011-10-15T10:34:43.969-07:00Instant HappinessI deleted my Twitter account today. Admittedly, a year-and-a-half after starting the thing, I was no longer enjoying it. Well, maybe I haven't been enjoying it for a while before that...<br /><br />I can credit Twitter with introducing me to a fantastic bunch of people, from <a href="http://betheboy.com/">Betheboy</a> and the <a href="http://www.theslackdaily.com/">Slackmistress</a> to <a href="http://heather-harris.blogspot.com/">Heather Harris</a> and <a href="http://mikeyh76.wordpress.com/">Michael Holmes</a>, amongst many, many others. But the fun ended a long time ago. Maybe it's entropy? Maybe it's my awkward experiences with "Twitter stalkers?" Maybe it's fatigue from hearing what everyone ate for breakfast?<br /><br />Who knows? But I feel a certain release from eliminating Twitter from my life. It's just one less thing I have to pretend I care about. It's one less thing to waste time doing when I should be sleeping. You know, like blogging? ;)The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-58333984256682046772009-10-22T21:21:00.000-07:002011-10-15T10:34:43.988-07:00Excerpt 19She and I don’t talk too terribly much anymore. It’s been nothing but awkward since we fought for that first time. I guess I figured that we’d survive one measly fight, considering how well we got along otherwise. But we didn’t survive that one fight. Any friendship we had appeared to die.<br /><br />And, of course, it was all over a boy. Oh, not in the way you may think. Did I find myself in the midst of a “bromance?” I think I did. “I love you, bro. You and me mean more than any girl. I’d do anything for you.” Boys lie.<br /><br />When it happened, he apologized. I accepted. And I essentially told them both, “Do what you will.” I think they both blamed me regardless. I tried to “be the bigger person” and “get over it.” And, honestly, I did. I guess maybe I’ve grown up a little. Maybe I’ve learned that I can’t have what I want.<br /><br />He’s pretty much out of the picture these days. We’ve all sort of fallen out of touch with each other. When someone mentions him these days, I stifle a little laugh. It’s amazing how much impact two people I’ve barely known can have on my life. And just how quickly those people can slide back out.<br /><br />When she and I do see each other these days, we talk about the strangest things. We don’t talk about the weather, or movies, or politics. We talk about hair. We talk about bruises. We talk about cats. It’s like we’re still what we once were. Only, a faint memory… not the real thing.The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004521646308112157.post-14963699688233375312009-10-20T20:25:00.000-07:002011-10-16T16:33:05.601-07:00Portland Oregon And Sloe Gin FizzI suppose that if I’d have made a list of things I expected to do in 2009, spending a few days in Portland, Oregon wouldn’t have been on it. Yet, somehow, I found myself in Portland this weekend. That’s just sort of how this year has been for me. I’ve done a lot of things… I’ve been to a lot of unexpected places…<br /><br />Portland is a pretty cool place. It’s a large city that feels like a small town. There’s no denying that there are a lot of people there. Yet everyone acts as if they know you. It’s so… unassuming.<br /><br />Admittedly, there is no real story here. I got on a plane. I discovered that Portishead is the best flight soundtrack ever. I went to Portland. I came home. I was not assaulted by a cadre of pistol-wielding nuns. I did not drink a fifth of whiskey and stumble into the mayor's residence to play Twister. I did not feel embraced. I did not feel missed. But I went, nonetheless.The Loss Adjusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01703512539566397957noreply@blogger.com3