East Bay View (a blog about several things)

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Sunday, November 30, 2008

Top ten: Scooby-doobie doo! Mike Vick lookin boy

1. Hot Stylz ft. Yung Joc, "Lookin Boy (clean version)": As far as poetic forms go, The Dozens isn't as versatile as the sonnet but it sure beats the villanelle. The array of references here -- including in the last verse, David Ruffin, Tickle Me Elmo, Pine-Sol and Lamb Chop's Play-Along -- are broader and more compressed than those of Family Guy. Which means this is actually, you know, funny.

2. TV on the Radio, "Lover's Day"; "Family Tree"; "Red Dress": "Lover's Day" has a straightforward sex-longing lyric, except who gets straightforward sex-longing lyrics right these days? The borrowed instrumentation, including an extra drummer and a subset of Antibalas, makes the track ecstatic. "Hanging on the shadow of your family tree" evokes "Strange Fruit" whether they like it or not. Tunde Adebimpe, dueting withing himself in separate octaves - with his baritone taking pride of place - shows he's joined the first rank of rock vocalists. A lover,despite this war. "Red Dress" notes that though "days of white robes have come and gone", we're still living with war. It's not clear whether the person in the red dress is good or evil, but she's surely tame.

3. Ne-Yo, "Mad": Sure, most of the time at least one of a feuding couple remembers exactly what they're fighting about. But that hardly matters when Ne-Yo hits that Learian "nothing, nothing, nothing". The tenderest make-up ballad in many a year, or, it doesn't matter if it's too late to apologise!

4. Report Suspicious Activity, "Destroy All Evidence": Darren Zentek's drumming is the thing, but the lyrics eventually make you sit up and take notice.
5. Miley Cyrus, "See You Again (remix)": "She's just being Miley" should become the standard explanation for everything.

6. Girl Talk, "Shut the Club Down"; "Set It Off"; "No Pause": The album is a piece, but tracks do stand out. Among them:

7. Raphael Saadiq ft. the Infamous Young Spodie & the Rebirth Brass Band, "Big Easy": Hiding said Katrina song in the middle of a retrosoul albums is brilliant.

8. T.I. ft. Alfa Mega & Busta Rhymes, "Hurt": Huh, I missed this one from the last album.

9. Kimya Dawson and Friends, "Wiggle My Tooth": Icky thump.
10. The Hold Steady, "Constructive Summer": Double whiskey Coke no ice.


Ten or so more:

Jorge Lima Barreto, "Zul #4"
Girl Talk, "Like This"
The Hold Steady, "Sequestered in Memphis"
Ne-Yo, "So You Can Cry"
Nik Baertsch's Ronin, "Modul 46"; "Modul 45"
No Age, "Teen Creeps"
Raphael Saadiq, "Oh Girl"
Seun Kuti + Fela's Egypt 80, "Na Oil"
T.I., "Whatever You Like"
TV on the Radio, "Dancing Choose"

Ten albums:
1. Girl Talk, Feed the Animals
2. TV on the Radio, Dear Science
3. Ne-Yo, Year of the Gentleman
4. Nik Baertsch's Ronin, Holon
5. Raphael Saadiq, The Way I See It
6. The Soprano Summit in 1975 and More
7. The Hold Steady, Stay Positive
8. Kimya Dawson and Friends, Alphabutt
9. The Gaslight Anthem, The 59 Sound
10. Kanye West, Can't Tell Me Nothing

Reminding me why I don't listen to more mixtapes: DJ Drama, Gangsta Grillz 16. You didn't get the title? It's Gangsta Grillz! Gangsta Grillz! OK can we hear the song nowGangsta Grillz!

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Thursday, November 06, 2008

NZ election predix

Thankfully for my cred, no referenda to predict here.

National 58 MPs (46.6%)
Labour 46 (36.3%)
Greens 9 (7.45%)
Maori 5 (2.35%)
Act 3 (2.1%)
United 1 (0.45%)
Progressives 1 (0.25%)
NZ First 0 (3%)
Other 0 (1.5%)
TOTAL 123

NAT + ACT + UNF = 62: bare majority, boo

Changes in electorates:
National wins Botany
Maori pick up Te Tai Tonga
National pick up Hamilton West, Otaki, Rotorua, Taupo, West Coast-Tasman

Monday, November 03, 2008

US election predix

PRESIDENT
Popular vote: Obama 52.5, McCain 45.5
Electoral college: Obama 375 (Kerry states + CO, FL, IA, IN, MO, NC, NM, NV, OH, VA), McCain 163

SENATE
Dems 59 (pick up AK, CO, MN, NC, NH, NM, OR, VA), GOP 40, runoff in Georgia

HOUSE
Dems 267, GOP 168

GOVERNORS
Dems pick up MO

CALIFORNIA PROPOSITIONS
Pass: 1A, 2, 3, 4 (but I hope not), 5, 10, 11, 12
Fail: 6, 7, 8, 9