Prophet's blog

Big News - Tim Tebow...

Prophet — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 02:23:32 +0000

Is an evangelist!

I see playing football at Florida as a ministry and opportunity to share my faith even more. It's a chance to be a missionary without the title. (Tim Tebow)

Oh yeah, he's also coming back for his senior year.

[And, why not?]

Back to the preaching thing, did everybody know this but me?

From the AP:

There was speculation he might head to the NFL, especially since he has talked about wanting a bigger platform to share his religious message and expand his community work, but Tebow said he never strongly considered leaving early.

[Perhaps, I was too caught up in the whole Jeff Jagodzinski - Gene DiFilippo fiasco at Boston College. No offense to defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani ("Spaz") but if they don't look into making a serious run at Charlie Strong, I'm not sure I can continue to defend DiFilippo.]

So consider this a follow up to Mortimus' Kurt Warner video, a ChristianSoapbox report on how on Tim that explains how he once refused to be on a pre-season All-American list because it was sponsored by a men's magazine.

Quite an interesting guy, no?

Topics:

Religion

Crazy Eye Donation

Prophet — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:00:43 +0000

It's good to see Krazee-Eyez Killa branching out. Maybe you've seen his subway ads for the Eye Bank of New York.

What's next Michael Chiklis for the Hair Club for Men?

Click through for their TV ad.

In reality, Chris and his sis have come together to honor their father, Milton Williams who "was a gifted music teacher for over 43 years, right here in New York. And his greatest lesson was that of being an eye donor. When he passed away, he gave the beautiful gift of sight. It only takes a minute to sign up to be an eye donor. Do it today."

This is, of course, completely lovely but I can't help but think of this classic clip from Curb Your Enthusiasm. (Larry David is also genius here)

[WARNING - DO NOT (!) click on this video unless you are prepared from some serious off-color, offensive and hilarious language.]

Topics:

Arts & Entertainment

Top Ten Albums of '08 - Numbers 3, 2 and 1

Prophet — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 03:39:57 +0000

Let's get right to it... Before the new year (mercifully) rings in.

(you'll have to click through for numero uno...)

3. Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes

So there I was singing Blackbird with Brian Wilson and I thought how many millions of other better singers could've been there at that moment and how much I would've cherished hearing any one of them. But, alas, it was me.

I had mentioned The Beatles tune in jest, really. We were on the topic of songs about birds and I thought it would be cute to bring up the band who Wilson famously tried to one up. But, I was talking to him after Smile had been completed and he seemed more than ready to forget about all that and break into song. And, when I heard him start - "Blackbird singing in the dead of night" - I wished (you have no idea how much) that I could carry a tune.

And even though I knew all the lyrics (which he liked), he wasn't going to take the duet seriously once he heard what came out of my mouth.

And, somehow this name dropping story brings me to Fleet Foxes and the most gorgeous album of the year.

And, if I liked Pet Sounds more than Nevermind (I don't, but it's close), then White Winter Hymnal would be the best song of the year (see album #2). I think I've played it so much that this beautiful song, full of harmonies, has grown a little tired for Mrs. Prophet. And, for that, I apologize. It should never have been that way. There simply wasn't much else to listen to.

White Winter Hymnal

2. No Age: Nouns

Remember the first time you heard Smells Like Teen Spirit? I do.

A few days after I tore up my parent's living room, my older brother came home from college break and I remember flipping through the radio dial on our '88 Buick La Sabre trying to find this new, unbelievable song on the drive back from the train station.

If you remember any of that, go out and listen to Nouns by L.A.'s No Age. Go now.

Listen to Eraser. Or as I like to call it, the best song of the year. Let me repeat, the best song of the year! I tore up my living room.

I expect big things from these kids. Big things.

And boys, it's not good to let prophet down.

Eraser

Can you believe there's no way to embed their music video without using an MTV link with a commercial for the Notorious movie? So, instead, here's their performance on Craig Ferguson's show. Before they play, Ferguson notes the minor controversy that broke out when guitarist Randy Randall was asked to take off his Obama t-shirt for the performance.

1. The Walkmen: You & Me

After an absolutely horrendous show at The Bowery Ballroom in support of their disappointing 2006 album A Hundred Miles Off, I had all but written off what was once my favorite New York band. Let's just say Mrs. Prophet left the show in tears, literally.

It's, therefore, hard to imagine anyone is more surprised than I am to see The Walkmen reappear at the top of one of my year end lists. Bows and Arrows - perhaps the finest hard rock album of the decade - landed in the top spot in '04.

Interestingly, You & Me sounds like it would've been a natural, and welcome, follow up to their '02 debut Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone. It doesn't rock nearly as hard as Bows, but was the deepest album I heard this year and, perhaps, their best work.

And, to think, I ignored this album for the first month it was out.

I can't believe it. I honestly don't know what to write.

Listen for yourself.

It's good, it's really good.

However, I still don't think I'm ready to go back to a concert.

In the New Year

Topics:

Arts & Entertainment

Top Ten Albums of '08 - Numbers 6, 5 and 4

Prophet — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 02:35:44 +0000

Well, I believe I've managed to achieve the slowest roll-out of a top ten list. You know you're in bad shape when you start before everyone else and you're still on number 7 come Christmas.

Therefore, we're going to speed this up a bit. Here are my choices for numbers 6, 5, and 4. (3, 2, and 1 to come)

6. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles

It took me a while to warm up to these guys, but that's only because it's synth-dance music and it's not in my wheelhouse. Mr. and Mrs. Prophet don't make it to many dance halls these days, I'm afraid to say. But this album is loaded with some awesome beeps, some cool-ass blips, and killer hooks throughout. Note, in particular, the "duel" with Health on Crimewave and the punk attitude on Alice Practice. It all works, well.

I suppose I should note that these two got into some sort of controversy this past year with regard to sampled music. Whatever. As evidenced by my previous selection of Girl Talk, I'm going to take the listenable music whenever and however I can get it. And, Crystal Castles is a fun listen.

Crimewave (Crystal Castles vs. Health)

Top 5

5. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Even though released more for the Winter of '07-'08 than this one, there just seems something so right about this album as we close out this long, hard 12 month time period that we've all just endured.

Recorded alone in a cabin in Wisconsin, Justin Vernon's debut as Bon Iver is "folk" at it's best. Look, like everyone else, there's only so much Iron and Wine a person can take. However, this album got me through this final drawn-out month of December. And, when I'm drinking my Hennepin and wondering just why New Years hasn't come yet, this is what's in my Shure's.

Please note, this was either Genghis' favorite album of the past year or it is about to become his new favorite album. Book it.

If you listen to only one track on this entire list, listen to Skinny Love.

Skinny Love (there is no official video)

4. TV on the Radio - Dear Science

I was a big fan of their Young Liars EP, way back when, especially their a capella version of The Pixies' Mr. Grieves. I even saw them open - I think it was for the strokes - at Hammerstein Ballroom or one of those places in mid-town where, years later, Lily Allen performed the worst concert of the decade.

They were good. Loud, arty, cool.

Now, I know everyone loved Return to Cookie Mountain when it came out a couple years back, but I never got into it. If anything has become clear from this list, it's that I do have a penchant for pop music and Cookie Mountain was an art album through and through. So, when I read that their new album - Dear Science - was thought to be an intentional move towards mainstream success, I was psyched.

Listen to Golden Age. It starts like a track off of Thriller and then moves to a wonderful crescendo of violins, guitars, and who knows what else with a chorus about "the age of miracles, the age of sound, there's a golden age, comin' round."

As was to be expected, I love eschatological pop music.

Golden Age

Dancing Choose

Topics:

Arts & Entertainment

Top Ten Albums of '08 - Number 7

Prophet — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:42:16 +0000

7. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

A relative of mine admitted recently that even though he loved the new Girl Talk album, he couldn't help but think of it as cheating.

You see, what Gregg Gillis A.K.A. Girl Talk does is take all those wonderful beats, hooks and raps from popular music (that we all know or don't yet realize that we know) and mashes them together; you've never really heard Paranoid Andriod until you've heard Jay Z rapping over it.

At first, I admit, I had the same thought. But, soon thereafter, I was no longer listening for the purpose of testing myself to see how many of the samples I could pick out - from Huey Lewis to Jay Z to Yael Naim to Radiohead - but rather because the music that emerged was something wholly new and exciting.

Notable Songs - Play Your Part pt.1, Set it Off

Shut the Club Down

Still Here

Topics:

Arts & Entertainment

Top Ten Albums of '08 - Number 8

Prophet — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:37:16 +0000

8. Little Joy - Little Joy

You see, what's going on right now is a whole bunch of music critics are currently going through all the '08 releases to try and find the one or two great albums that they might have missed during the year. And, they're probably trying to figure out whether or not the Deerhunter double album, the surface of which they barely scratched, will in a few years from now become revered as a classic album. Quite frankly, I'm open to the possibility that it might be. It's just that I have no real interest spending the last two weeks of the year trying to find out.

Therefore, because Fabrizio Moretti (the Strokes drummer) put out an album that we actually wanted to listen to during the tail end of '08, his little group, Little Joy make it into the top ten.

Teaming up with Brazilian singer Rodrigo Amarante (Fab was born in Brazil before moving to NYC when he was 4) and Moretti's girlfriend Binki Shapiro (great name), Little Joy is the perfect album to put on while sitting in a cabana, sipping a Mai Tai, and watching the sunset on Maui. It's easy, it's lazy, and it is catchy as hell.

During the last two months of this year, when such images and feelings couldn't be more foreign - a reporter threw two shoes at the President and it surprised no one - Little Joy was able to take us there if only for a fleeting moment.

And, for that, and because it was Mrs. Prophet's fav album of the year, Fab's little collaboration rests at number 8 on this list.

Notable Songs: Don't Watch Me Dancing, Brand New Start

No One's Better Sake (you'll get the idea very quickly from this video)

The Next Time Around

Topics:

Arts & Entertainment

Top Ten Albums of '08 - Number 9

Prophet — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:17:03 +0000

9. Neon Neon - Stainless Steel

I'm sorry but any outfit who can put out an album that sounds like the music I listened to when I was 8, and make it sound pretty fantastic along the way, deserves to be in the top 10 in this very down year for music.

It's not that they're ripping Gary Numan, et al. It's that they're proving that there's still pretty good 80s synth-pop to be made. And, that they chose to make it a concept album about the life and times of John Delorean (creater of the car Doc Brown deemed appropriate for his flex capaciter) only enhances the experience.

Gruff Rhys and Boom Bip

This album was all I listened to for about a month in the early part of the year, but I haven't played it much since. In reality, this little project by Gruff Rhys (of Super Furry Animals) and some guy I never heard of called Boom Bip proved to have little staying power. But, for that one month, March to be exact, it did the trick.

And for that, and for I Told her on Alderaan - which sounds like the best possible song your 4th grade friend with the big-ass Casio, and the cool-ass plastic Tie Fighter, could ever write - Stainless Steel sneaks into the top 10.

There are some duds along the way, but you better get used to that on this list. 2008 was not a great year for the album.

Lastly, I do want to note that an argument could've been made, on similar grounds for the self-titled debut from The Week That Was, which just got nosed out. But with so many debuts on this list, I gave Rhys the benefit of the dobut.

Notable Songs: Dream Cars, Steel Your Girl

Topics:

Arts & Entertainment

Prophesy Served Up By SNL

Prophet — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 06:15:56 +0000

I've been trying for years now to track down the video of the hypothetical 'State of the Union' done by Will Farrell on the eve of the 2000 election, but the best I could ever come up with was a transcript. If you remember, Darrell Hammond also did one where Gore went over homework that he had given out to the different States while sitting in front of a supercomputer.

I suppose now that it's almost all over, NBC finally feels that it's safe to unearth this eerie piece of prophesy that aired on November 3rd, 2000.

Watch it without crying, I dare you...(after the jump)

Topics:

Politics

Top Ten Albums of '08 - Number 10

Prophet — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:47:23 +0000

We'll be working our way from 10 down to one.

Oh, by the way, just to introduce myself - I'm prophet and I know the future.

Moving on...

10. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

What can I tell you? I figured let's get this one out of the way before we get started. To avoid the inevitable - "oh, when's prophet gonna weigh in on Vampire Weekend and all the hype and the Columbia University preppy flannel tucked-in khakis and the music not having enough teeth and being too benign and ripping off african beats and sounding too much like Graceland but i really do like that A-Punk song that ones not bad i hope they take on a new direction and show us something more in their follow up."

You know?

Let's be frank here. We need to ask a simple question. Does the fact that I listened to this album - i'm talking about actual full spins here - perhaps more times than any other album this past year automatically warrant it the top slot?

I think not.

So, to avoid all of the above, i've chosen to get it out of the way up front. And, please don't give me any grief a few weeks from now with the - "does prophet really think that the Throw Me The Statue album is better then Vampire Weekend's?"

Alright?

Let's just have a little pact upfront agreeing that we'll all be better off this way.

Moving on...

Notable Songs: Oxford Comma, Cope Cod Kwassa Kwassa

A-Punk

Topics:

Arts & Entertainment