Scott Douglas’ Terse Bloviation

The last I heard, publication date is late June.

I’ll be on a Maine morning TV show on Wednesday the 23rd.

Topic: Weight loss.

Potential for alienation of audience: Sky high.

Some of them were even released this year, instead of my playing catch-up. Alphabetically by artist:

Black Tambourine: Black Tambourine
So, uh, I was a mere 20 years late in really listening to this beautiful noisepop from a band with two members that went on to be in Velocity Girl (who, in my defense, I caught on to when they were new and fresh). One of those two guys, Archie Moore, was also in Heartworms and The Saturday People. I could listen to wall-of-feedback-over-pop-song stuff like this all day. This 2010 release compiles everything they recorded, including four new songs taped for the purpose of this record. Review

Steve Davis Quintet: Live At Smalls
A four-song set, with all five band members firing on all cylinders throughout. The first time I listened to it, Mike DiRubbo’s solo on “Spirit Waltz” literally stopped me in my tracks. I went over to the stereo and sat staring at the speakers in awe. Review

The High Violets: To Where You Are
In addition to the noise-over-pop mode of Black Tambourine, I have a weakness for swirling, swoon-inducing dreampop. These guys from Portland, Oregon do it really well. After playing this 2006 disc to death I’m inspired to get their release from this year, Cinema. Review

Phantom Buffalo: Cement Postcard With Owl Colours
Stacey first heard these locals (as in Portland, Maine) at an outdoor crafts fair in August, and was the impetus for us exploring them. This being Portland, of course we’ve since learned that we know the ladyfriend of one of the band members. I’m not sure how to describe them, but you won’t be disappointed if you like the usual suspects like The Shins, Rogue Wave, Carl Newman, etc. wrung through a 12-percent psychedelica filter. Review

Craig Ramsey: Parting Gift for a Party Girl
A solo release from half of the songwriting chops behind favorites Bears. This is classic should-be-a-hit indiepop. Ramsey’s sweet, gentle voice and bouncy songs belie the venom in the lyrics, which either document the end of a relationship or display Ramsey’s ability to imagine having lived through such a thing.  Review

Available here, at the top of the page.

I added links to a bunch of podcasts and a few articles. Who knows why?

I arrived at a friend’s place at 5:20 this morning to run. When we got back at 6:40 I had a parking ticket for an overnight violation. I called the ticketing people to see how I could dispute it.

Parking dude: An overnight violation doesn’t necessarily mean you parked there overnight. Basically, you can’t park there between midnight and 7:00 a.m. Does she know about it?

Snotty Scotty: I doubt it, given that there aren’t signs anywhere on the street announcing it.

Parking dude: Right, there aren’t signs. It was a city ordinance that went into effect in the 70s. Letters were mailed out then.

Snotty Scotty: That was before she was born, so she probably didn’t get that letter.

I must have done something horrible, as did you, because we’re now subject to a Scott-only blog on the Running Times site. It lives here. At least the blog’s photo on the main RT blog page is fun.

My profile of Ed Whitlock is now posted. It was an honor and pleasure to spend a few days with Ed and attempt to capture some of what makes him special.

While running the other evening I was feeling especially fatigued and the song “Feeling Gravity’s Pull” came to mind. So when I got home and started the usual 13-hour post-run routine I put on the album it’s on for the first time in years. Damn, that’s good stuff! I love dredging up something from the archives and finding it still speaks to me. In this case, I was thinking, “Wow, that’s really held up well for being 15 years old. Wait, it’s 25! Holy telescoped time, Batman!”

From A Geography of Time:

Until the Industrial Revolution, in fact, most evidence shows that people showed little inclination to work.