I was listening to my Best of 2006 mix (from, uh, 2006) and remembered how much I liked the transition between Neko Case's "A Widow's Toast" and the Decemberists' "The Crane Wife 3".
March 4, 2010
Transition
February 28, 2010
Barely humanize
During my time working on Brewmance, I've been using a flavor of Django on Google AppEngine. In general, it's been a rocky but not impossible experience. However, I often miss the conveniences provided to front-end developers by the Rails platform I use during my nine-to-five.
Tonight in particular I was looking for a worthy match for the Rails date helper "timeago" which converts the difference between two dates (one usually being the current time) and prints them in a very human readable format. Django has a built-in filter set called "humanize" that does something similar. It can take a date and print either "yesterday", "today", "tomorrow", or "February 26, 2010". There's another built-in tag called "timesince" that can take a date and print "1 day, 8 hours". The depth of user experience either provides is as thin as the ice in Vancouver right now.
Web users expect to see natural language in their applications thanks to Facebook and many others. (If you've ever used the old Facebook news story template API, you'd know how much work they put into translating data into perfect pronoun and plurality agreement).
Anyway, the point of this diatribe is that I decided to do a rough port of the Rails "timeago" to a Django template filter.
Check it out on github!
December 18, 2009
Favorite Songs of 2009
The annual favorite albums list is coming soon, but I thought I'd break the songs & albums apart this year. Digital download sales continue to rise while physical media sales continue to fall, and (maybe it's just me) but it seems like so many new artists are focusing less on the album and more on the single that might rise to the top of the hypemachine charts. I do want to say I'm not a fan of "cloud-based" music services due to their sub-par audio bit rate, but they're so damn convenient for a list like this!
This list is pretty easy to make, as a quick iTunes smart playlist returns the obvious candidates. Enjoy, and be sure to check back in the next week for my traditional and more in-depth best albums list.
Related links
November 15, 2009
The Music of 2009
Each year these lists get harder to write. Instant gratification blog aggregation means any new band with a catchy hook can explode days after recording and months before ever going on their first tour. Best of the year lists are coming out in November, and each competes to be more pretentious than the last. It's hard to find balance between music everybody's already heard of (because it's good) and music obscure enough to create a unique discovery for the reader. I've decided to scale back the ranked list to only 10 albums this year and leave the rest of the post for discussion.
Standard disclaimer: If you think James Blunt should be on this list, go soak your head. If you have any other opinion, leave a comment!
Top 10 albums
- The xx "xx"
Moody and sparse synth-rock with a great male-female duet front. Similar, but not as good as, the Canadian group Stars.
Islands, Heart Skipped a Beat - Passion Pit "Manners"
Passion Pit mastered the hook in their explosive first full-length. And the power of the hook should not be ignored - they went from unknown to SXSW to Lollapallooza to a Palm Pre commercial all in one year. Thank the bloggers for their success and inevitable backlash; a story which continues to repeat itself. While my experience seeing Passion Pit was full of energy and dance, I was occasionally annoyed by the off-key vocals of singer Michael Angelakos.
The Reeling, Little Secrets - Phoenix "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"
Phoenix broke into Top 40 radio in a big way with the singles "1901" and "Lisztomania" this year. The album is a nice extension of the two hits and has great replay value.
Lisztomania, Girlfriend - Andrew Bird "Noble Beast"
Andrew Bird is on his own level when it comes to small-label music, and I believe he outdid himself again on this album. Bird's sound is always rich and deep - during both violin solos and orchestral arrangements.
Anonanimal, Tenuousness - Miike Snow "Miike Snow"
Great electro-pop with more maturity and depth than Passion Pit.
Song For No One, Silvia - Grizzly Bear "Veckatimest"
Grizzly Bear turned a lot of heads with the full-length completion of the Two Weeks single that began spinning at the end of last year. They've really found a good mix of their signature dream-prog sound with pop hooks sure catch the masses ears.
While You Wait for the Others, Two Weeks - M Ward "Hold Time"
Matt Ward has a hold on Indie Americana and his solo records should be the envy and blueprint of every upcoming folk artist. "Hold Time" isn't the record that will expand his audience (that's what Monsters of Folk is for) but it's one his fans will enjoy.
One Hundred Million Years, Never Had Nobody Like You (Featuring Zooey Deschanel) - Dirty Projectors "Bitte Orca"
After hearing the chaotically-precise harmonies and instrumentation of the first single "Stillness is the move" I was incredibly curious on how it would sound live. I got that wish during a free show with Sea and Cake early in the summer and was astounded by the precision I heard. Dirty Projectors put out a refreshing, progressive sound at a time when Indie Rock is homogenizing like crazy.
No Intention, Stillness is the Move - Various Artists "Dark Was The Night (Red Hot Compilation)"
Indie charity compilations are pretty common of late, but this 2-disc set of timeless covers, star-power collaborations, and fresh new material for the (RED) organization is the strongest I've ever seen.
Blood Pt 2, Knotty Pine - The Decemberists "The Hazards of Love"
This was a satisfying album and I had the privilege to see it performed live twice last year. In the words of Melissa Johnson:
"following the success of their first major label album (The crane wife, 2006), curiosity surrounded the indie giant's sophomore album with Capitol. Lead singer Colin Meloy started with a title track and built the rest of the album around that song, weaving a dark tale of love and danger. This style is not unfamiliar to The Decemberists, I.e. The Crane Wife parts 1-3 and The Tain EP, but the album manages to avoid a campy quality, instead seducing the listener with it's seamless movements from one tragic song to the next. Always intriguing, Meloy's artful lyrics found a perfect counterpart in guest singer Shara Worden ( My Brightest Diamond). As the voice of the forest queen, Worden embodies a character both frightening and fascinating, which qualities were especially impressive to hear live."
The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All), The Wanting Comes In Waves / Repaid
Notable Mixes
Related links
May 31, 2009
Malloc Misunderstandings
I have been pulling my hair out lately with iPhone development memory management techniques in Objective-C, and I thought I'd share one of my recent understandings.
I had a nib-based view controller that I wanted to use as a tableHeaderView for my UITableViewController. I created the classes for my custom view (we'll call it CustomHeaderViewController) and imported them into my UITableViewController subclass. I want to manipulate the IBOutlets of the CustomHeaderViewController, so I wanted to keep a reference to the class. For this I'll auto-synthesize getters and setters for retaining.
Here's my CustomTableView.h at this point:
#import "CustomHeaderViewController.h"
@interface CustomTableView : UITableViewController {
CustomHeaderViewController *tableHeader;
}
@property (nonatomic, retain) CustomHeaderViewController *tableHeader;
In my implementation of the CustomTableView, I put in the proper @synthesize code and make sure I'm releasing tableHeader in my dealloc method. So far, so good (and so simple).
@implementation CustomTableView
@synthesize tableHeader;
- (void)viewDidLoad {
[super viewDidLoad];
// initialize my table header here.
}
- (void)dealloc {
[tableHeader release];
tableHeader = nil;
[super dealloc];
}
Here's where my mistake began. I know that the UITableView has a setTableHeaderView method, so I used it, directly allocating my new CustomHeaderViewController as I did it.
- (void)viewDidLoad {
[super viewDidLoad];
self.tableHeader = [[CompanyTableViewHeader alloc] init];
[self.tableView setTableHeaderView: tableHeader.view];
}
My project builds correctly, and everything seems to work fine, but there's a memory leak. To see this, let's look at the retain counts in my code now:
- (void)viewDidLoad {
[super viewDidLoad];
// [tableHeader retainCount] == 0
self.tableHeader = [[CustomHeaderViewController alloc] init];
// [tableHeader retainCount] == 2
[self.tableView setTableHeaderView: tableHeader.view];
// [tableHeader retainCount] == 2
}
- (void)dealloc {
// [tableHeader retainCount] == 2
[tableHeader release];
// [tableHeader retainCount] == 1
tableHeader = nil;
[super dealloc];
}
So when my UITableViewController is deallocated, the CustomHeaderViewController instance still has a retain count of 1. The problem lied in the line where I first allocated the instance (creating a retainCount of 1), and immediately assigned it to the to the tableHeader pointer (bumping the retainCount to 2). I can do two things to remedy this. First, I could change my tableHeader setter to only assign instead of retain:
@property (nonatomic, assign) CustomHeaderViewController *tableHeader;
The preferred way, however, would be to allocate the CustomHeaderViewController to a temporary pointer, then release it when done.
- (void)viewDidLoad {
[super viewDidLoad];
CustomHeaderViewController *header = [[CustomHeaderViewController alloc] init];
self.tableHeader = header;
[header release];
[self.tableView setTableHeaderView: tableHeader.view];
}
There you go. I hope this post saves someone the hour of debugging I've already lost!
P.S.: I apologize for the styles of the code snippets, I have never posted code on this blog before. If you have recommendations on how to improve formatting when copy-pasting from Xcode to the Blogger WYSIWYG editor, let me know!
[[Updates alloc] init]
I haven't updated this blog in a long time, as I've been so busy with other projects. Since I'm no longer halfway around the world from many of those who would care to hear about my day-to-days, and I have fewer causes to champion since Barack Obama became Mr. President, I'm not sure where this blog quite fits in.
Here's what I'm up to now:
Though it's been moving slower than I'd prefer, brewmance.com is wrapping up alpha development. The founding purpose of the site is to help cultivate a relationship between casual beer drinkers and beers worth drinking. There is such a rich, rapidly growing selection of micro- and craft brews in the United States but the interested audience is still small. While we can't change the fact that most bars only carry mediocre (and now foreign owned) big brands, we can encourage users to seek out a selection of beers they can fall in love with.
Our access barrier is intentionally low: answer 5 questions about your tastes and personality and we'll return you 5 beers from our proprietary engine. You can then optionally register for a Brewmance profile (using your Google Account) and save your tasting queue for future access. Having a profile makes it easy to review beers you've tried and receive additional recommendations based on your feedback.
Head over to brewmance.com now to sign up for a notification when our alpha preview is ready for testing.
I've also been auditing the iPhone Application Programming (CS193P) course at Stanford through iTunes U. My very limited history in C development has helped, but overall it's been a huge learning curve to overcome. I can't stress how rewarding it's been so far, though. Assuming the demand inertia for native applications keeps growing, these will be valuable skills to keep up.
Another wedding season is here, and I've got some real exciting and beautiful events on my plate for this summer. In addition, we're evangelizing our services on our blog and Facebook.
So I'll try to keep this space updated with updates on the above 3 projects and whatever new comes by. If you're still subscribed, or happened to browse through, thanks for reading!
January 18, 2009
Thoughts on a U2 song
With the impending holiday and the inauguration of Hope, I decided to queue up "MLK" by U2. I'm feeling really self-conscious giving any attention to a band who has had all too much, but this is a great song and an old song, so please withhold your judgement.
After one play through (a short 2:32) I played it again. And a third, and fourth time. Then I opened Wikipedia. The article had some important tidbits, including that it was the original selection for the closing sequence of Donnie Darko, but factoids can't begin to describe the feelings invoked by a song like this. So here's my attempt.
The long, quiet streets of Chicago are parabolically lit by yellow street lamps, a poor excuse for a sun long set. You can follow their path from north to south and ask yourself why there is such a contrasting divide in development, in income, in color. "It's an injustice!" I cry, when others listen, but I will never move south of 35th. I can sleep soundly because I have seen my dreams come true with little effort. I do not lie awake and ponder how my ancestors loosed the chains from the arms of a people but did not grasp their hands. I do not wonder why though my ancestors relented to share their drinking fountains, they are slow to fix the water mains of New Orleans. I do not ask these questions because I know the answers, and I know that I am just as selfish as the men I wish to condemn. May it be your children who sleep soundly, Dr. King. May their dreams be realized, even at my expense. Especially at my expense.
Sleep
Sleep tonight
And may your dreams
Be realized
If the thunder cloud
Passes rain
So let it rain
Rain down on him
Mmm...mmm...mmm...
So let it be
Mmm...mmm...mmm...
So let it be
Sleep
Sleep tonight
And may your dreams
Be realized
If the thundercloud
Passes rain
So let it rain
Let it rain
Rain on him
December 20, 2008
Best Music of 2008
The best albums of 2008, per nate, can be found below. In my fifth annual listing very little has changed: short, inane blurbs written on my train ride back to Detroit space out what is otherwise a concise selection. The difference between me and real music blogs is the ascending order, which I'll continue to do until a CSS standard is in place to count reverse in an <ol> tag. If you think James Blunt should be on this list, go soak your head. If you have any other opinion, leave a comment!
Albums
- Bon Iver "For Emma, Forever Ago"
Folk-rock that is passionate and intimate is something I treasure, and treasure this album I did. At times I was frustrated with the production, especially after hearing Justin Vernon and his band live, but the powerful songs shine through. What drove this album to the top was the staying power in my rotation. For 10 months I kept this going and I don't see stopping anytime soon... as long as it keeps snowing in Chicago.
Skinny Love, Stacks - Ra Ra Riot "The Rhumb Line"
This album wouldn't be much different than most other indie-pop records if it weren't for the amazing choice of having a full-time cellist and violinist as members. So unlike most bands who's four-piece live show can't think to bring their studio strings, Ra Ra Riot keeps it real. This album has sustained energy in every track and has yet to bore me.
Winter '05, Run My Mouth - Coldplay "Viva La Vida (or Death and All His Friends)"
Rumor has it, Brian Eno told Chris Martin and troupe, "your songs all sound the same." This album is evident of Eno's production skill, with varied sound and energy... for a Coldplay album. Honestly, though, after the second listen I was hooked.
Lovers in Japan / Reign of Love, 42 - Vampire Weekend "Vampire Weekend" I put "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" on some of my Best of 2007 mixes last year, and like so many others was excited for the release of the full-length album. However, as the release neared, the sheer numbers of anticipating people created a buzz that quickly created it's own backlash... especially after MTV featured the band. The story didn't end here, however, because the album turned out to be quite good, and even though main-stream was listening, those who feed off of rejecting mainstream couldn't help but listen along. Of course, the band never asked for this strange setup and shouldn't have it held against them. M89, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
- She & Him "Volume One"
M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel team up and make music? It was a dream come true. I loved the 60s throw-back sound and want to make a Super-8 film for every track. This disc has a broad appeal and I would recommend it to almost anybody.
Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?, Sweet Darlin' - Crooked Still "Still Crooked"
I don't know how I would have been turned onto a bluegrass band if it weren't for some internet boredom, but I couldn't stop listening to this album. I caught them perform at the newly-renovated Morse Theater this fall and it was the most beautiful-sounding show I saw this year (well, next to my first time seeing Bon Iver).
Undone in Sorrow, Did You Sleep Well? - MGMT "Oracular Spectacular" Technically a 2007 release, but since I hadn't found the album until this year (and everybody else seems to be including it in their list) it needs a mention. This is a brilliant rock record with lyrics of heavy nostalgia that I often enjoyed on a lazy Saturday morning. Kids, Electric Feel
- Death Cab for Cutie "Narrow Stairs" In my book it's hard for Ben Gibbard to do wrong, and he doesn't here. However, my listening records will reveal I still spent more time listening to The Photo Album this year. Narrow Stairs has some great tracks, and it was definitely more rock-y than Plans, but it still doesn't have the coherence of a great album for me yet. Give Chris Walla his production props, though: This is the most polished-sounding Death Cab record yet. Cath..., Bixby Canyon Bridge
- Fleet Foxes "Fleet Foxes" Soft, beautiful folk of the type that I tend to overly enjoy is supplemented by choral, multi-part harmonies. This is calming, iPod-friendly music I found myself retreating to often. Ragged Wood, White Winter Hymnal
- Jenny Lewis "Acid Tongue" I loved 2006's "Rabbit Fur Coat", and was really excited for this release. Jenny broadens her scope on this effort to include a bigger rock sound and includes some amazing guests including Elvis Costello and M. Ward. Trying My Best, Fernando
- The Submarines "Honeysuckle Weeks" You will rarely find a better album to listen to on your way to work. The first track opens with, "If you live in the city / And you want it to burn," and the painfully famous iPhone commercial selection a few tracks later continues with "Everyday I wake up, I choose Love, I choose Light; And I try, it's too easy just to fall apart." Stop ruining my favorite finds for me, Apple. You Me and the Bourgeoisie, Swimming Pool
- Mates of State "Re-arrange Us" I can't turn down great pop, especially with strings. Mates of State have put out good records in the past, but the formula really worked for me with this one. The Re-arranger, Get Better
- Sigur Rós "Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust" In an unexpected move, slow-moving moody Sigur Rós puts out a fast-paced energetic record with a page from the Polyphonic Spree. Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur, Gobbledigook
- The Ting-Tings "We Started Nothing"
This duo isn't the first or the last indie dance-rock group with catchy tunes and female vocals, but they did it best this year for me.
The Underdog, The Ghost of You Lingers - Neil Halstead "Oh! Mighty Engine"
Excellent whisper-rock releases like this make me wish that mediocre guys like Joshua Radin and Jack Johnson didn't get all the attention. I can't hate too much on Jack Johnson, though, as his label put this record out.
Queen Bee, Paint a Face - The Gaslight Anthem "The '59 Sound" Poetic anthem-rock that will certainly draw similarities to The Hold Steady. And since I never got around to listening to the new Hold Steady record, I never got to compare it to this one and maybe I've rated this one higher than I should. I would give The Hold Steady the upper-hand on lyrics, especially because I'm not sure how I feel about how the track "High Lonesome" includes words from The Counting Crows' "Round Here", one of my all-time favorite songs. The '59 Sound, Here's Lookin' At You, Kid
- Nada Surf "Lucky"
Some solid pop-rock from a band who has finally shed the radio-hit "Popular" from their tour set list. Chris Walla had a hand in the recording here, which increases the chances for a positive review.
Weightless, I Like What You Say - The Weepies "Hideaway"
The first-full length from this now-married duo was my #1 pick in 2006, but the follow-up was more of the same... and I had grown tired of the same. This is not to say it isn't as good as the first; it's maybe even a bit better.
Orbiting, Lighting Candles - Cut Copy "In Ghost Colours"
Electro-dance pop that doesn't become over-bearing. Not as good as MGMT, but few things are.
Lights & Music, So Haunted - Lemuria "Get Better"
There was this song by this band called "Jail" in the early 90s that I loved. Lemuria reminded me of them in such a way few others never even tried. It's a very garage-rock sound with a female front.
Pants, Yesterday's Lunch
And More
- Girl Talk "Feed The Animals"
Mash-ups are nothing new, but this release screams genius - the tracks are interwoven from up to 30 different songs. It's fun to sit down and analyze once or twice, but I found myself listening to it much more with little thought of where the samples came from. These are unique, self-standing creations.
Still Here, In Step - Colin Meloy "Colin Meloy Sings Live!"
Decemberists front-man invites the world to experience his awesome, intimate solo show. "Wonder" is a beautiful, unreleased track about his son and is worth the price of the entire album.
Wonder, Devil's Elbow - Lisa Hannigan "Sea Sew"
I always loved Lisa Hannigan's voice, and my high expectations for this album (officially releasing in 2009) led to a little disappointment when I finally heard it after picking it up at a show recently. I'll re-evaluate after some more listens and we'll see where I stand. Maybe it'll reappear on this list next year.
I Don't Know, Ocean and a Rock - Rosie Thomas "A Very Rosie Christmas"
Rosie Thomas gets my Christmas record nod this year (though, Steven Colbert, you were a consideration). Sufjan Stevens, where are you? - Cat Power "Jukebox" Pretty much another "Covers Record". You can't go wrong with her voice. Aretha, Sing One For Me (George Jackson), Woman Left Lonely (Janis Joplin)
- Chris Walla "Field Manual" Chris Walla is a genius producer, and he shares his talent with himself here in a long-anticipated solo album. His touch usually is pretty apparent in my yearly lists (The Crane Wife, The Con) but I didn't find his songwriting isn't spectacular, and the lyrics are maybe a little too political (in true Walla fashion), but I spun it through a few times. Geometry &c., Everyone Needs A Home
- "Juno (Music From the Motion Picture)" Okay, I didn't like this album. Kimya Dawson deserves too much credit for these songs. (Though I do recommend checking out some of her material... try "12/26"). I loved the movie, however, and the use of the music within that environment. Just don't play me the record.
Discussion
So where did I find new music this year? My mainstays haven't changed much:
Podcasts. NPR's All Songs Considered and KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic regularly provide me with great new music which iTunes is downloading and syncing to my phone: all I have to do is find time to push play, which is admittedly not always easy to do.
Blogs. I have found myself relying even more upon The Fire Note. With sometimes-daily reviews and helpful "bands with similar fire" I can quickly decide whether or not I'll put it in my "to listen" pile. Chicagoist has a great "Rocking our Turntable" feature which has some good introductions as well.
Radio. As far as internet radio goes, I just don't have time to succumb to the Pandora gods. The time I do have to listen to music, I want to decide what it is, and also the desire to stream to my Airport Express when I'm home limits the web-based options.
I do use last.fm not for their radio but their listening data. For the extra-geeky, there's lastgraph, with which I made the chart at the top of this entry.
Buy. Once music moves from the "to listen" pile to the "to buy" pile, my first choice is emusic. My monthly subscription is equivalent to $0.24/song but is limited to only small or specialty labels. This is rarely a problem - the majority of my "best of" list is available.
If it's not, I now turn to Amazon MP3. With good-quality DRM-free downloads often a few cents cheaper than the iTunes store, I've eliminated my need for that tempting retailer altogether.
Library. It's been iTunes for 5 years now, and I can't imagine it'll be anything else. I rely on the ratings data to help me make this list every year, and to quickly find my favorite tracks for transfer to my limited-storage phone. I would love a subscription model like the Zunepass, which also gets you 10 "keep" downloads a month, but I wouldn't dare use that second-rate hardware.
Related links
November 1, 2008
Halloween
While brainstorming for costume ideas, my roommate suggested I be a music player. I had seen iPod costumes for years and didn't want to join their ranks; a Walkman seemed to be more original and still simple to create.
Because of my recent move, there was no shortage of cardboard boxes. I used one large one for the body and one small one cut up for the buttons.
I extended the idea further by using two VHS movies found on clearance (Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood and Blue Crush) for their spools and yards of magnetic tape.
For a more complete look, I wore a tracksuit along with sweatbands on my head and wrists and my Kangaroos. More noticeable than these details, however, was a pair of ancient computer speakers taped to the inside and connected to my iPhone playing a mix of 80's and 90's favorites. The speakers, without supplemental power, were too soft to hear during the crowded parties, but loud enough to turn heads on the El.
The costume was extremely successful, and as other guests looked in awe I asked them to write the name of the first cassette they owned on my back. The responses were strikingly condensed to just a handful of albums: Ace of Base - Happy Nation, Green Day - Dookie, Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory, and TLC - Crazy Sexy Cool.
October 26, 2008
My album art wall
Not long before moving into my new apartment, I saw this post about an easy way to build an album-art wall. It became top decorating priority once I was settled, as I'm super-proud of my old turntable.
I followed the original instructions almost exactly, save pre-drilling small guide holes for the screws. I would also stress the importance of leveling, as any crooked covers will be very apparent when finished.
The extension of the project came with displaying my roommate's vintage magazines. However, they aren't very sturdy due to not having a unified bottom. I plan to find protective covers at a nearby comic book store when I get the chance.
How To Build an Album Art Wall on the Cheap [Lifehacker]
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