Album!(s) of the Year 2010

ben folds and nick hornby - lonely avenue 

not really ben folds' best work, but it is really fun to see what nick hornby adds to ben folds' infectiously poppy songs.  plenty of electro-pop vibe, which i am a sucker for.

brandon flowers - flamingo

this is the result of brandon flowers not going on vacation when everyone else in the killers did.  a very honest album, with surprising versatility.  several songs channel his inner johnny cash, both in lyrical content and in style.

hellogoodbye - would it kill you 

once again, electro-pop rock is a soft spot of mine.  however, the electro-pop darlings hellogoodbye seem to have focused simply on the pop rock, with delightful results.  this album seems to have been relatively quietly released, although i don't really listen to the radio.  i just haven't heard their stuff all over the place like i did their last album.  in my opinion, a much more mature sound, excellent production value.  all around, a very good sophomore album, even if it hasn't had the splash their first release had, yet.

kanye west - my beautiful dark twisted fantasy 

much has been made in the media about this album.  while sometimes i feel like kanye oversteps his skill lyrically or conceptually, it is by far the most ambitious album to come out in recent memory.  his production skills are at a whole new level here(which is saying something, since that was always my favorite kanye attribute).  his word play is both subtle and provocative, even though i feel like sometimes the subject matter is beyond relate able.  the best way for me to appreciate this album is if i don't think of it as hip hop or rap, but just as music.


matt and kim - sidewalks 

these guys should be producing for hip hop.  they did more with their sound on this album than ever before, where previous albums seemed to have been a translation of their live sound.  catchy, bouncy, fun, and at the same time, intellectually stimulating.

gorillaz - plastic beach 

damon albarn can do no wrong.  the end.

she and him - volume two

i saw them live this summer, one of the highlights of the year for me.  zooey sounds even better live, which is remarkable because she sounds so good on this album.  the duo of m. ward and zooey continue to flesh out their sound.


jimmy eat world - invented

a little bit more angry than the average jimmy eat world album, this is still a pretty average jimmy eat world album.  which is good enough to be among my top albums of the year.  hooray jimmy eat world!


kid cudi - the man on the moon II: the legend of mr. rager

i think that kid cudi is the best thing to happen to hip hop in a long time.  his music pushes the boundaries of production and song structure.  like kanye's newest album, the legend of mr. rager is best appreciated as more than just a hip hop album.  it doesn't have as much pop sensibility as the first man on the moon, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable listen.  way beyond where most rap is these days.


honorable mentions:
broken bells - self titled
the full album doesn't live up to the first single "the high road", but it is danger mouse and the singer from the shins.  what's not to love?
sleigh bells - treats
good year for bands with bells.  too raucous to be able to listen to all the way through, the subtlety in their sound is surprising, once you get over how much raw noise rock it is.
kele - the boxer
solid electronic music.  pretty much what you would expect from the frontman of bloc party.

Since I already have my two front teeth...

dear santa,
i want this stuff:

jeans (these)
camera
wide bass strap (like this)
awesome wall decoration for my room
bass strings
guitar strings
soccer cleats
indoor soccer shoes
2001: a space odyssey
all the star wars movies
cookie sheets
hanging wall mount for my ukulele (her name is cookie)
standing laundry basket( maybe one with a removable bag or something)
it may seem to many like a cop out, but i really do like just getting money/gift cards to places i actually shop

love,
pilmer

ONLY ONE IN UTAH!

i am up late with my wonderful insmnia, and i happened to check out espn.com's wonderland for the latest sporting buzz.  i voted on a sportsnation (my fav show on espn) poll about greg oden.  thousands of people vote on this poll, and utah always has a few hundred suckers like myself voting.  well i must have happened upon it at just the right time, well see for yourself

that's right, i was the only voter in utah.  hooray for me!

Michelle, my belle

this post is devoted to the one and only, michelle beadle.  i may occasionally get distracted by the photos in this, because, well, she is hot.  the show sportsnation is one of my favorite shows on tv, and easily my favorite live show.  even more than sportscenter, which holds a storied and dear place in my heart.  michelle beadle plays co host to collin cowherd, who could be one of the most hated people on tv if it weren't for his perfect foil in michelle beadle.  he is super opinionated, logically or not, which some shows don't pull off as well (see espn's first take with skip bayless and watch him bully the co hosts with ease. they can't quite pull it off like michelle beadle).  beads (her nickname) makes sure that the show maintains it's lighthearted atmosphere with a witty sense of humor most often reserved for the boys on tv.  there is a reason why most stand up comedians are guys, why more sitcoms are centered around guys, etc.  guys usually have a corner on humor.  michelle beadle doesn't put up with that crap, and consistently makes me laugh.

let's take a break and think about christmas michelle beadle for a sec: 

the next big win for michelle beadle is that she intelligently discusses sports, also a very male dominated world.  she isn't like that horrible rachel nichols, nfl sideline reporter for espn.  good grief, i could devote a blog about how much i dislike that woman.  michelle really knows sports, and not because people are forming her arguments for her.  she improves next to collin cowherd, and holds her own.  she even cares about sports that i don't traditionally care about (hockey anyone?).  michelle beadle has that sports nerd enthusiasm that can't be faked.  

i mean, look at this enthusiasm:

now for why your girlfriend can appreciate her as well.  she has a very classic, sophisticated sense of style.  just today, i was once again smitten by her wardrobe as she wore a short, black dress that showcased her hot legs.  yes, she does have hot legs.  it is a huge breath fresh air on a network dominated by loud ties (have you seen what chris berman puts around his neck?  it is practically assault) and colorful scarves (again, i'm looking at you rachel nichols), she can dress up or dress down with ease.

i have no words:

for being hot, funny, smart, sports nerdy, and fashionable, michelle beadle, i love you.

here's some of her best spoof commercials:

on brett favre



on tiger woods



on lebron james

Banded

check it out, my band played its very first show last week.  that's me in the red, playing bass behind garret williams, our illustrious leader.  the guy is legit.  i love his style, apparently other people do too, cuz he won a songwriter contest recently.  the show was great, even if the band had only been a full band for a week (we don't even have a name, i've just been calling us the garret williams band).  we added another guitarist the tuesday before the show, which was on friday.  preston performed like a star.  we had only practiced with the drummer twice before last week too, although, technically, i'm the newer member to the band.  so i guess i should say that i had only played with the drummer twice before last week, garret has played with him tons.  we played 5 songs, one of which was a blusey cover of the hocus pocus version of i put a spell on you.  we played that one for the first time an hour before the show.  haha, for all of our lack of real experience together, we played pretty tight.  i credit that to personal practice, and garret's clear vision of what his songs should sound like, even if sometimes the clear vision isn't described as clearly.  he often makes up words.  thanks to everyone i knew that showed up: amanda, alora, brady, nick, ryan, trent, and even my mom and dad.  it meant the world to have familiar faces in the audience.  seriously, you guys rock.  we are playing again on the 4th of december at muse music in provo.  stay tuned for more info!

this is a video that predates my involvement with the band, it is garret and our drummer chris(on guitar).  just a little taste.