After such a long time away it seems only appropriate that I return home to Drunken Sherpa with an album review.  My good friend and consummate music lover Sean drops a yearly mix CD on his peeps around Christmas time (a tradition I’m very fond of myself) and this past holiday season’s entry brought with it another brilliant example of the art of mix; the sublime ‘Keep’. 

Sean is fond of saying his mixes always have a ‘mood’ or theme based on how the songs sound, rather than the lyrical content.  After listening to “keep” (and certainly “Retreat” - my all time favorite from Sean) it’s impossible to believe he’s overlooked how profound an emotional impact the words themselves carry.

Keep seems to run a stream of consciousness zig zag through the sometimes confusing world of relationships.  The underlying current is one of apprehension and regret, but there are moments of hope that keep the listener tuned to the possibility of satisfaction; however distant the notion may be.

Without further adieu, a track by track run down of Sean’s winter opus, “KEEP”

Your Ex-Lover Is Dead - Stars

The heart wrenching song that begins not only this mix but the album from which it’s taken never fails to literally bring a tear to my eye.  An ‘almost better than Death Cab’ take on surviving the unravelling of an important time in one’s life, there is a lyric here that even as I’m about to type it has me on an emotional edge so steep it’s near  impossible not to come tumbling down it:

There’s one thing I want to say, so I’ll be brave, you were what I wanted, I gave what I gave, I’m not sorry I met you, I’m not sorry it’s over, I’m not sorry, there’s nothing to say

Gawdamn. A gripping start to the mix, and the title track of an album that should be in everyone’s collection. 

True - Spandau Ballet

As this song started for the first time I listened to ‘KEEP’, I quite literally got chills.  In an instant I was transported back to the lazy summer vacation days spent running through the sprinklers of my youth, and listening to this song as it played almost constantly on the radio.  A song about holding onto dreams and a breathy refrain that still sounds as soothing and hypnotic as the day it was recorded.

So true, Funny how it seems, Always in time, but never in line for dreams, Head over heels,when toe to toe, This is the sound of my soul, This is the sound, I bought a ticket to the world, But now Ive come back again,

Dudley - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

A great YYY track, somehow reminds me of an old 50’s torch song.  Maybe the structure?  Hard to say.  What’s easier is getting the feeling she’s talking about recognizing her lover isn’t all she’d thought he was, and the fragility of the bond they share.

My dear you’ve been used, I’m breaking the news, Well love nearly beat us, I’m thinking like you, Well I’m thinking of you, Well love follows near us,  

Nothing In My Way - Keane

A perfect transition from Dudley, the driving emotive guitar work acts as a segue into a slightly more optimistic, if still overcome with confusion, tone.  My favorite part of this song, (which prior to this point seems to reflect on the stagnation and bitterness that seems an inevitable part of a long term relationship) is the liberating mantra at the end:

Well for a lonely soul, you’re having such a nice time, For a lonely soul, you’re having such a nice time, For a lonely soul, it seems to me that you’re having such a nice time, You’re having such a nice time

I can relate to this more and more each day.  Well done Sean.

Neighborhood #2 (Laika) - Arcade Fire

This track arrives in somewhat jarring fashion, waking the listener up a bit after the more sullen songs that precede it.  Another song about the nature of dreams, and having the strength of positive intention to make them come true.

If you want somethin’ don’t ask for nothin, if you want nothin’ don’t ask for somethin’!

Christiansands - Tricky

This is one of those tracks that’s been simmering just beneath the surface of my radar screen for years.  I’ve heard it..and snippets of it, in strange places.  Soundtracks?  Passing cars?  The occasional radio 1190 play?  The randomness of its presence in my life makes it, and its inclusion here somewhat surreal.  The tone takes the mix in a slightly more funky, yet trip-hop fabulous direction I wouldn’t even try to resist.  Lyrically, it’s asking big questions about the nature of ‘together’, and what it means to avoid losing yourself in the process.

You and me, what does that mean?, Always, what does that mean?, Forever, what does that mean?, It means well manage, Ill master your language, And in the meantime Ill create my own

Into the night - Julee Cruise

Wow.. a complete turn around from Tricky; Sean suddenly pulls the lever behind the curtain and sends us tumbling down the trap door of obsession.  A spooky, gorgeous exploration of love and longing, bordering on ”restraining order required”.  If you haven’t heard this track, take the rest of the day off and track it down.  Now.

55566688833 - James Figurine

I had dinner with Sean and his charming wife the night he gave me this mix, and I remember how excited he was for me to hear the words to this one.  I was intrigued by the title.  On listening, which happened on a windy, chilly afternoon at the light rail station, I found myself smiling, or smirking you could say, to the clever meaning behind it.  Beyond the inherent humor however, there exists a message.  It’s easy to start a relationship doing all the things you know you should; it’s a lot harder to keep doing them months, or years later.  Synth-poptastic fun, with the aforementioned morose element hiding under the covers.

I have to type eleven numbers into my cell phone, Just to make it spell ‘love’, So I usually don’t, And it takes up fifteen digits to spell out ‘goodbye’, But if I leave out the ‘good’ I can save us some time

PS:  Screw you T9.  Forever.

Beautiful Day Without You - Royksopp

A satiny smooth transition into another electronic treat brings us Royksopp.  I enjoy the dichotomy in this mix; one minute it seems to lament the potential loss of a lover, the next it seems to relish the restored independence. 

Love is gonna save us - Benny Benassi

My friend Greg likes to say Benny Benassi only has one song, which he’s recorded dozens of times.  While it may be true that they all sound pretty similar, when the vocoder drenched synth filtered fun is this edgy and animated, who am I to complain?  The simplicity of the lyrics underscore the intention here; with all our drawbacks, weaknesses and worries, maybe love really can get the job done.  Maybe.

09.Veiran - Psychobitchmix 2 - Gus Gus

I’m not gonna lie to you; this song seems positively out of place.  It’s a straight up dance track, with a Lords of Acid / Praga Khan vibe that’s unmistakable.  Perhaps then it’s intended as an intermission from the emotive rollercoaster it follows?  In that capacity, it works perfectly.

Things are gonna change - Villeneuve

It had to be an intermission.  Villeneuve’s TAGC brings us back to reality, with a rolling, relaxingly upbeat track that begs the question; can you resist change?  The answer is simple.  Nope.

And I Was A Boy From School - Hot Chip

I take great pride in having turned Sean onto Hot Chip, and turned on, gawd lawd, he really was (his ecstatic emails thanking me for pointing them out were awesome).  This is one of the few tracks on that album that carries some emotional weight, and in the context of this mix seem to hint at an introspective rememberance of what the protagonist thought love should be in his earlier days, perhaps contrasting it with what it’s actually become in his modern life.  Electronic, dancy, with almost a disco flair, perfectly balanced by the heartfelt lyrics, this track is my favorite from the Hot Chip album.  Good inclusion Sean, and the blend from  “Things are gonna change” to this shows a real maturity as a DJ and mix maker.  Put simply;  it works.

Stay Out All Night - Bent

This track was a complete surprise.  I have never heard of ‘Bent’, but leave it to Sean to discover diamonds in the sands of mediocrity.  Starting with a piano laced melody, it soon blossums into a moving synth-pop piece that seems to examine the difficulty of balancing suburban life, and all its boring necessities, with the desire to immerse oneself in the debauchery of the bar scene.  I’m still somewhat on the fence regarding the track overall, but it’s a good inclusion nonetheless.  I’ll have to check out more Bent in the future.

Go with the flow - Royksopp

Perhaps my least favorite of the mix (a bit too industrial and stomping methinks), the name itself does a good job of summing up the mix as a whole.  If you’re gonna jump onboard the Crazy Town Express to Lovesville, you better be prepared to get flexible.

Overall, an amazing work.  Thanks for sharing Sean.

Special note on the cover:

When I first got this mix, I ripped it into iTunes, dropped it on my iPod shuffle, and proceeded to listen to the hell out of it for like a week straight.  I didn’t listen to it in itunes for quite awhile, and therefore never saw the cover until almost a month later.

In this capacity, KEEP stands easily in the top 3 of Sean’s mixes..ever.

I take this meaning from the three images on offer:

1)  The iron silhouette of a person hammering. = WORK

2)  The silver building at the end of 17th street, very near where my loft is = LIVE

3)  The transamerica tower in San Fransisco, a town I’ve always romanticized and loved = DREAM

Work.  Live.  Dream. 

Finding balance in these three things seems an easy recipe for happiness, leave it to Sean to piece them together so perfectly.

Well done my friend, well done.

Happy Friday everyone!

First no drinking, and now this? I’m not sure this whole Islam thing is for me…

For every stereotype about the evils of the south, there are truths that are even worse.

Finally, for those of you Denver dwellers who only spend 98.75% of your time online updating your MySpace profile; good news.

Aiight.. I’ve been busy with Urban Monarch lately, but wanted to drop some Daily Dose goodness I’ve been savin up for y’all.

First up, some Donnie Darko inspired Halloween fun.

I TOLD you guys not to order the Chalupas.

A rich nerd and his money are soon parted.

Last week I was sent to El Paso on an impromptu business trip. 

One of the best things about business travel are the ‘travel days’ which often involve getting out of work early to make it to the airport… and the airport bar.

This trip was no exception and after getting dropped off at DIA I checked in and headed straight to the concourse.  This trip was a bit strange in that I didn’t know the people I was travelling with, but did know they were a few rungs above me on the corporate ladder, which meant I should exercise some caution before enjoying some beverages.

I had a basic description of one of the guys, and after scanning the place for anyone similar I deemed it safe to sit down.

In the new security scheme of things, my normal route of bringing some single serve bottles of booze on the plane with me was out (Greg and I have debated this point; he’s insistent you can once again take these small bottles on board).

I headed to the bar and ordered a 20oz Sam Adams draft to go with my lunch.  It was good and since I still had plenty of time to kill before the plane departed I ordered up another.

Booze enjoyed so far:

• 2 x 20oz Sam Adams

 With just the slightest hint of a buzz brewing, I popped some gum and headed to the gate.  I was surprised to see a girl I work with, we’ll call her “Rachel”. 

Rachel is a girl who I’ve known for awhile.  We’ve never worked too closely together, but have talked on occasion.  I do believe I once tried to sloppily kiss her hello during a drunken outing to the Stampede a few months back.  Classy. 

Anyway, I was glad to see her for a couple of reasons.  First, the other two guys were significantly older than I am.  Rachel is 24.  Rachel is also a Persian / Mexican mix and is pretty sexy, in a ‘hotness of relativity’ way certainly. 

We boarded and began a thankfully smooth direct flight to El Paso. 

I ordered a Kahlua and Coffee and got down to enjoying it.

Booze enjoyed so far:

• 2 x 20oz Sam Adams
• 1 x Kahlua & Coffee

Much to my chagrin, I was told we were headed straight to the office from the airport for a meeting with one of the IT managers there.  Ugh.  I was sure I’d be able to get down to some sherpa grade drinking instead. 

Texas was hot.  Not unbareably so but certainly “I wish I wasn’t wearing a long sleeved shirt” so. 

After a mercifully short visit to the office we headed to our hotels. 

Since my travel was arranged at the absolute last minute, they weren’t able to book me into the dingy Holiday Inn where everyone else was staying.  Instead, I was put up at a place called Chase Suites.  This would prove to be a blessing in a few ways.

After checking in, I headed quickly to my ‘room’.  I say ‘room’ because it was basically a townhouse.  I could not believe my eyes, literally, on opening the door.  Before me was a huge living room with a fireplace, couch and love seat.  Just ahead was a door into a large bedroom with king sized bed and a bathroom.  To the left, a fully stocked (pots pans, silverware, etc) kitchen with fridge, stove, microwave etc.

The ceilings were soaring to 20ft, all vaulted and there were stairs heading up to the SECOND FLOOR which was a loft where the ‘master bedroom’ was (again, king sized) with it’s own bathroom as well.  It was amazing.  Without a doubt bigger than my own loft in Denver, and certainly the largest hotel room I’ve ever stayed in. 

I didn’t waste too much time in the room because they were having ‘cocktail hour’ in the lobby. 

I’ve definitely experienced the standard ‘cocktail’ hour as seen at a variety of ‘business class’ hotels a few times in my day.  They will typically host beer and wine and occasionally offer a few small snacks as well. 

Once again I was in disbelief at what I saw here.  First, they did in fact have two pitchers of beer available, as well as a couple of bottles of red and white wine to choose from.  But the amazing part was a ‘make your own drink’ section of the bar that was stocked with EVERYTHING.  We’re talking vodka, gin, tequila, whiskey etc and all the mixers you could imagine. 

My eyes almost rolled back in my head, but not before I’d already poured myself a Jim Beam + Soda (nice and strong, natch!) and sat down.  They also had a full cheese plate set out for guests, which I didn’t sample.

I was waiting for the others in my group to come (with the one rental car.. arrrgh!) pick me up for dinner and since they were running behind, I had, ahem ‘a few more’ drinks.

Booze enjoyed so far:

• 1 x Jim Beam + Club Soda
• 4 x Draft Beers (I believe it was Bud Light, but my memory of these events is slightly clouded by the delectable buzz that was washing slowly over me)

My cohorts arrived along with a couple of locals that Rachel knew and we were off.  We went to a mexican restaurant called Carlos & Mickey’s.  It was over the top, mexican decor wise, but the food was truly first rate. 

I did not do well, BFL wise on this trip. 

At Gabe’s (one of the locals) suggestion I tried the mexican rib-eye steak, which was surrounded by great refried beans and spanish rice.  The booze though, oh yes the booze; to start, Margaritas. 

Perhaps a better name would have been MEGAritas.  We’re talking 32oz fishbowls full of top shelf liquor including a Grand Mariner float.  I got to work on mine, taking great pride in the fact that I was far further along than anyone else at the table, including Gabe who must have been like 300lbs.

At this point I was pretty drunk and excused myself to the bathroom. On my return, I continued drinking and realized, to my surprise, everyone else seemed to be far further along with their margs than I was.  They began giving me the biznass about it, and after a few attempted rebuttals (I had FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE cocktails before you piggged me up dammit!) they spilled the beans on their little rouse:  I had FINISHED my first marg before hitting the bathroom, and they promptly replaced it with another, which I was currently sipping.

Damn tricksters.

After a round of Don Julio shots we left.  I retired to my room and fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.

Booze enjoyed so far:

• 1 x Jim Beam + Club Soda
• 4 x Draft Beers (I believe it was Bud Light, but my memory of these events is slightly clouded by the delectable buzz that was washing slowly over me)
• 2 x 32oz Top Shelf Mararitas
• 1 x Don Julio Shot

WEDNESDAY

The next day ended up being very productive work wise.  Afterwards, we went to The Stateline with a huge group of people from the office. 

The Stateline is, as the name implies, on the border between New Mexico and Texas.  On our way there, we looked out into Juarez Mexico which El Paso shares a border with.  Juarez has one of the largest flags (Mexican flag, natch) I’ve ever seen in my life flying over the city.  This thing must literally be like 100 feet long by 50 feet tall. 

The Stateline is a BBQ restaurant.  When we arrived, we sat outside on the patio awaiting the rest of our party.  I enjoyed a Hornitos Margarita on the rocks.  Most of the group were drinking Patron Margaritas and a few were having beer. 

Once seated at our table and handed a menu (that looked like the old “Big Chief” tablets we used in elementary school) I realized something.  This place was the sister property of a BBQ place here that I used to absolutely love; Countyline BBQ.  I could not believe it.  The menu was identical and I knew immediately it was going to be another BFL be damned days.  Countyline closed about two years ago and I’ve been craving their slow roasted brisket since then. 

I ordered the Turkey breast / BBQ Brisket platter that came with beans, potato salad and coleslaw.  Gawd it was good.

I had a Fat Tire to start, and then some of the guys ordered a pitcher of Shiner Bock.  Why would someone order a pitcher if they didn’t plan on drinking very much?  I don’t know, but they had maybe two glasses worth and I was left to finish the rest.  Burp.

Booze enjoyed so far:

• 1 x Hornitos Margarita
• 1 x Fat Tire draft
• 3 x Shiner Bock draft

The original plan was to head into Juarez after dinner, but everyone else seemed to lose their will once we were in the car, so we came back to the hotels. 

I was left on my own.  I had no booze in the room, and to my HORROR found that the hotel, for all its perks, did not feature in room porno.  WTF?!  I mean seriously, what kind of hotel establishment these days doesn’t recognize the massive revenue potential of adding bored business travellers to easily accessed XXX?  I was dumbfounded. 

I ended up watching a good documentary on Andy Warhol, reading a magazine and finally getting to sleep.

DRUNKEN SHERPA revalation:  Never, ever, EVER travel without booze for the room.  In my personal travel, this is a given.  I didn’t consider the importance of it when travelling for work, but now I sure do.  Gawd. 

THURSDAY

The work day was short due to our needing to leave for the airport at 3PM.  When we got to the concourse, there was a flurry of activity near the windows overlooking the tarmac.  It turns out there was a plane that crashed on the very runway we needed to leave from!  The ENTIRE airport was, naturally, shut down.

The frustrating part for all of us was not knowing how long the delay would be.  For me this meant no booze because I didn’t want to leave the gate if they suddenly opened it up for boarding.

The delay was around an hour and we were finally on our way.

Massive props to Frontier; the pilot announced the cocktails on board were free due to the delay.  Sadly, we were only offered one round during the short flight home.  I had a Heineken. 

I was never so happy to see my freezer full of liquor upon arriving home.  I kissed the bottles hello by having a few rounds before bed. 

Booze enjoyed:

• 1 x Heineken
• 2 x Stoli Vanil and Coke Zero
• 1 x Captain Morgan and Coke Zero

Happy Friday to all yall!

We all know how much I like a good web hoax; this one, which actually had the balls to take out an ad in the Economist, may be shaping up to be the best ever.

Sometimes, peeved people are funny.  Although truth be told, the paying for drinks thing is in fact sacrelidge of the highest order.

Cockin it:  .roach

Bjork - Play Dead

This string anchored, almost symphonic piece is Bjork at her lyrical best.   Equal parts sullen and hopeful, you cannot deny the weight of lines like

Darling, stop confusing me, With your wishful thinking.

Brilliant. 

LISTEN NOW  

My Robot Friend - 23 Minutes in Brussels

Driving, synth-pop stomp frosted with sparkling bells and kissed with strange low pitched whistles, this song is just weird enough to be great.  For fans of Hot Chip.  You know who you are.

LISTEN NOW

Rookie - I’ll Do You

Continuing in the electronica vein, I offer you “I’ll Do You”.  The title means just what you’d think, and the LCD Soundsystem-esq beats and almost Kylie Minogue sounding, whispered teasing of lines like “I’ll do you all night.. right there all night”  will get you in the mood for ‘love’. LISTEN NOW  

“How long.. how long must we sing this song..”  Er, I mean, “Wait for this to feature Denver”

I found a good blog with tips for getting yo’ free booze on, here’s one example:

How do you find out about these events? When you’re reading magazines, newspapers, or whatever, rip out all the liquor and beer ads. Any alcohol company that’s getting the budget to promote through big advertising often promotes through tasting events also. When you’re bored and doing nothing (you know, at work) find the websites for those products and look for a mailing list- that’s where you’ll hear about the parties.

You’ve already got the ‘being cheap’ part down, so now apply it to finding a decent vino

Don’t be evil.  *Unless it pays well.