Search results

I'm not on here much anymore, but for those of you who remember, I was admitted to Lehigh University's English PhD program back in 2010. Today, I was hooded and tomorrow I will officially be Dr. Cash. Despite the severe expression, I was quite happy in this moment: In other news, I was...

There's a Nick Cave thread buried somewhere on here, but this is a different beast. The second Grinderman album is amazing, for those who haven't heard. "Bellringer Blues" is my new favorite song of the year. More thoughts to come, but - for those of you who didn't love the first album, give...

Hi all! I just have to share my elation. Due to some odd paranoia, I don't want to disclose the name of the university yet, but I've not only received my first PhD admission this year. Not only that: I've been offered a University Fellowship. If I accept, I'll be in the Literature PhD program...

That little guitar embellishment on Elevation versions of "Stuck in a Moment"... would make the studio version so much better. It's the smallest thing in the world, but my ears just want to hear that guitar part just before the second verse. I know people rag on the song, but I do actually...

Okay, so I've lived in Philly for a year, had a few Roots tracks on my computer for years, but never really gave them much of a listen. Naturally, after seeing them live on Saturday at Welcome America, I am quite intrigued. I obtained their two "big" albums, Things Fall Apart and Phrenology and...

Okay, so I'm hugely annoyed that I can't buy "For What it's Worth" on the U.S. itunes, but from what I gather the album will still be released on time here. I'm really excited about this. I've been on a fairly big Placebo kick lately, and their idea of releasing the title track as a teaser was...

Anybody else picking this up today? I am relatively new to Neko Case, having seen her open for Rufus Wainwright two years ago and purchased Fox Confessor Brings the Flood last year. The single, "People Got a Lotta Nerve" is pretty swell, and the early reviews are among the best of the year...

So I'm doing a presentation on the character of Renfield in Bram Stoker's Dracula in a few weeks. I'm starting with a discussion of Victorian attitudes towards mental illness and then doing an overview of Renfield through the ages in film and television. I would like to show some video clips...

Okay, so I've had this for a few days now. I have very, very mixed feelings about this album. I didn't like it much at all in the beginning, but it's growing on me. My general impression is that Ben is trying to recover some of the fanbase he alienated with Songs for Silverman. That album was...

This is a fantastic cover. I tend to really enjoy their cover songs as it is, and this is such a great pop song to begin with. I would love to just find the audio for this, but here's a youtube clip with the song. YouTube - Manic Street Preachers - Umbrella

When I got my first Elton John compilation years ago, this song bored me beyond tears. I never really gave it a shot, and I really regret that now. It's probably my favorite Elton John song these days. The music begins with such subtlety, and swells appropriately rather than just bombastically...

I'm currently listening to Tom Waits's Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards and I'm always amazed at how good this set is. So I was thinking about other box sets that I own and enjoy. I don't exactly have a wealth of them, but here are a few of my favorites. Tom Waits - Orphans: Brawlers...

So I'm thinking about writing a thesis on eschatology and pop culture, particularly the intersection of end times and romance. I'm looking at Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, as well as Nick Cave's "Straight to You." That's what I got so far. Any song suggestions?

It's been a while (I think), since we've had a general PJ Harvey-goodness thread. Since I've been binging on Nick Cave lately, it's only natural that I return to PJ Harvey, the woman who turned me on to Nick in the first place. I've also discovered that I have a friend in my grad program here...

So I'm heading into a majorly stressful stretch here as I work on 3 major papers and revise another for a conference, prepare for a surprise observation while teaching a book no one on staff wants to read, continue wedding planning, and take linguistics quizzes that scare the bejeezus out of me...

Okay, so I've only heard the big songs - "Love Shack," "Private Idaho," "Rock Lobster," etc. But I do enjoy them. I'll probably pick up a comp at some point. But my more immediate question is about the new album, Funplex. From what I've heard of it in FYE yesterday, I really like it, which...

Anybody else really f%&ing excited about this? I have to say I'm really jealous - the rest of the world is getting this on March 4. April 8 in the U.S. The single is pretty awesome, it's just got a great swagger. And after Abbatoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus and Grinderman, I have really high...

Any wii owners use the virtual console? I can't really access it from my connection here on campus, but I download games when I can. I still have an SNES and N64, so a lot of the essential games for those platforms are already covered. NES: Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros. 3 Teenage Mutant...

So how ridiculous was Morrissey's comeback? I mean that in the best way possible, of course. I'm trying not to think too much about the cash-in compilation that was just released and focus on the fact that I got the two new songs for free. Anyway, I really don't think Moz released more than 2 or...

So last semester I came up with a few really strong papers. I earned a 4.0 for my first semester in graduate school, and frankly for the first time ever. The two major papers I worked on treated W.B. Yeats's "The Circus Animals' Desertion" and the second was on latent homosexuality in twentieth...

So I preordered the new Flogging Molly album, Float. And then discovered that it has been leaked. It's actually a really good release, but there's something about it I can't place my finger on yet that bugs me. It seems front-loaded, which was a problem I had with the first two albums, but not...

I seriously doubt this will thrive the way the music one does, but I figured it'd fun. Wii Resident Evil 4 Super Mario Galaxy Tomb Raider Anniversary PS2 Fire Pro Wrestling Returns DS Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Games I got like half way through and need to pick back up Wii Metroid Prime...

You know, the ones where people sit in front of the webcam and record themselves playing a song? I actually kind of like some of them.

I haven't seen the movie, but I know the connection is only vague inspiration. Nevertheless, I bought the album today. And it's pretty awesome. I'll have more thoughts as time goes on, but feel free to share the hova love.

Since I'm feeling kind of melancholy, I was wondering what songs most strongly evoke autumn for you? I'm starting off with Ben Folds Five's "Don't Change Your Plans," but that's all I have right now.