McG's playlist for February 6, 2005

Here's what I've been listening to lately as well as what I've been reading and watching. (NOTE: Click-through for MP3s.)

Heard lately:

Confessor - Blueprint Soul EP - Much more subdued than their "Condemned" album, but rockin' nonetheless. Still, I'm glad they've reformed after a decade plus hiatus, and the vocals aren't as annoying this time around.
MP3: Confessor - "Sour Times"

The Pretty Things - Come See Me: The Very Best of - Nice collection of the Pretty Things early output from straight up mod to offbeat psychedelia.
MP3: The Pretty Things - "Mr. Evasion"

Camper Van Beethoven - New Roman Times - CVB reunites and recaptures the original magic and uses it to create a kickass record that captures the old vibe, but still sounds forward thinking.
MP3: Camper Van Beethoven - "51-7"

Howard Stern - Listening to Howie for two hours a day in the car during my commute makes the drive tolerable.

Songs I heard on Sirius that I thought were catchy:

Tegan and Sara - Walking With a Ghost - Just a great song to hear on the radio. Kind of repetitive, but still charming. Didn't like the album that much, but this song rocks.
MP3: Tegan and Sara - "Walking With a Ghost"

Rilo Kiley - Portions for Foxes - Very nice song from the new RK album, which I still haven't heard. I can't tell if I like this group or not. Well, I like this song for sure.
MP3: Rilo Kiley - "Portions for Foxes"

Jet - Look What You've Done - Very Lennon circa Plastic Ono Band with a touch of Oasis, so you know it's fan-friggin-tastic. Hated the first single from this album, but maybe I should give the whole record a chance?!
MP3: Jet - "Look What You've Done"

Read recently:

Murder Can Be Fun #19: Musical Mayhem - Out of nowhere comes a brand new issue of MCBF! Holy hell. Lots of painstaking detail about morbid and morose deaths from the world of music.

Henry Rollins - Broken Summers - An account of the tour and record Hank assembled to benefit the West Memphis Three and what it was like singing all those Flag classics after all those years.

Razorcake #24 - Came in the mail today. From some of the folks who did Flipside. I'm proud to say I have a subscription.

I saw these:

Huff - Another killer great premium cable show. On the same level of quality as "Dead Like Me." Hank Azaria is great as a stressed out psychiatrist and Paget Brewster is charming as his equally stressed out wife.

Riding Giants - Stacy Perralta (Dogtown and Z-Boys) takes a look at the origins of surfing, from primitive Hawaiian wave riders all the way up to the crazy nutso daredevils of today.

The Assassination of Richard Nixon - Read one more than review ragging this film. What for? Sean Penn carries this entire film about one man who feels like life is just one big sick hypocritical mess of chaos, cash and corruption. The solution? Fly a plane into the White House. Weird, but based on real events.

Sideways - Yes, it's as good as everyone says. Funny, dark, twisted and depressing, but still a good road trip movie about the usual stuff: booze, fighting, sex and figuring out one's role in the cosmos.