THE KING IS FINALLY DEAD (for free streaming on the npr website)

I circled January 18th on my calendar a while ago, when I first found out it was the release date of the newest Decemberists album, "The King Is Dead". I've been awaiting the album like crazy -- I even bought this fancy preorder bundle. A couple days ago, 11 days before the official release date, I found out that you can listen to the whole album right now, for free, as it's streaming  on the NPR music site. My mind sufficiently blown, I listened to it right away.

I should start with a little disclaimer: this "review" is going to sound a lot harsher than I mean. There are so many good things about this album, but I do have trouble expressing that because I feel like it's a given with the Decemberists. And also keep in mind that my opinion on the album is compared to my monstrously high expectations based on the practically unequalable level that the band has set to this point. I guess that kind of spoiled what I think of it... but please keep reading...

I could tell right away this album was going to be different. I noticed that there weren't any really long songs, and that was a negative, because Colin Meloy is great at writing grand, dark stories contained in one song, and there weren't going to be any of those like there were on the early albums. This one is a little more in the vein of "The Hazards of Love". It's not one story like that, but it has a lot of lyrical themes that go throughout the album. Although after one listen and not too much online discourse yet I haven't really been able to dissect everything that's going on, it seems to be about the seasons and the natural world. The album has strong country influences, and I'm glad to hear the band trying to do something different sonically.

My favorite song, after listening once, is "Rox in the Box". While the spelling of the title is reminiscent of annoying teenage girls, this is the song on the album that tries hardest to tell a story. It's about miners particularly, but it really talks about the oppression of the working class. It has great arrangement and a fun melody (another Decemberists song with dark lyrics combined with a happy tune), and great Colin Meloy wordplay.

I guess I kept that a little more positive than I expected to. That's good. It's still a great album and you should all get it. This one might even be a good entry point for people not familiar with the Decemberists, as it's not as deep and dark as albums like "Picaresque" and "The Hazards of Love". But, as I try to avoid the dreaded d-word (d*s*p*o*n*m*n*), it really didn't live up to my expectations or capture what I love about the Decemberists.

Note that this is written after listening to the album once, because I really wanted to preserve my first impression. I probably will be writing more about this album, especially after I get the CD and am able to listen to it a lot more.

Solitude Is Bliss

If only you could see the conditions in which I live a lot of the time...
Especially with things related to this blog... Most of the time when I'm writing, or when I'm watching TV shows and movies and listening to music to write about, I lie on my bed with the door closed and the light off, just my computer and me savoring the darkness and loneliness. I do enjoy it, though.

Coincidentally, there are two awesome songs that have been in heavy rotation on the soundtrack of my life that talk about loneliness, and even in a bit of a positive light, the type that I was talking about.

Check them out after the jump...

Ramblings on "Blue Bloods" and other procedurals that would otherwise have potential

I recently watched half of the first episode of the new CBS show "Blue Bloods", a show about a multi-generational police family. I thought this could be a really interesting family drama, but it turned out to be nothing more than a standard police procedural. It really annoys me when things like this happen. It's not like there aren't enough police or legal procedurals on TV. If I want to watch one of those, I'll just turn on one of the CSI's sometime. They're all entertaining, but the only one I've ever found compelling enough to watch regularly was the dearly departed "Numb3rs". And  I guess the even more prematurely departed "Pushing Daisies" kind of counts. "Blue Bloods" had the potential to be a really good show. It's an interesting premise, and it had a pretty talented (or at least famous) cast (Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Andrea Roth, etc.). To me, it looks like CBS messed the show up.

Of course they've done this before. CBS has more procedurals than any other network, and just last year they took another great-looking show and turned it into one. I'm speaking, of course, of "The Good Wife".  That show's premise was so interesting! It took the disgraced former politician, and focused on how his wife would handle the whole fall from grace thing. But of course, the way she handled it was by becoming a practicing lawyer once again, so she could take on a fascinating new case every week. And there goes a great actress (Julianna Margulies) and a great story.

I hate that the TV networks are too close-minded to do have any kind of variation in their lineups. The only kind of dramatic shows you see on broadcast TV are procedurals, and you have to go to cable for interesting things like "Mad Men" and "Rescue Me".

Like I say, I hate pop culture.

Thoughts on the Cancellation of Rubicon (RIP)

If you haven't yet heard the news: http://tvgeekarmy.com/post/viewPost/amc_cancels_rubicon_after_one_terrifically_chilly_and_thrilling_season/cefac620857547a802b04bf4cb21f3f5

So I've barely even watched Rubicon. It's one of the shows that I'm in the middle of catching up on, but I've only seen one episode so far. But still -- come on, AMC! I'm sad that the show isn't going to be on any more, and the move doesn't make any sense to me. AMC was finally getting its shit together as a network, and it was getting a stellar headlining group of shows with "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad". And Rubicon was supposed to be the third one, the "Prison Break" to those other shows' "24" and "American Idol", with "The Walking Dead" coming in to be, I don't know, "Hell's Kitchen" maybe?

Comparisons to mid-aughts FOX shows aside, "Rubicon" seemed like it would be around for a very long time. And another thing - this is AMC! It's not like they have all of these options like the major networks that they can just cancel one of their top shows on a whim. It's not like they have high standards for their ratings anyways. Mad Men regularly gets below-average ratings even for cable, and it's less-watched than many mediocre TNT shows, but AMC keeps it on because it gives them credibility with the critics.

Maybe AMC does have more opportunities these days for high-quality programming. But when you look at their lineup, it's not exactly a deep schedule. And it's still seen as a poor man's HBO, just like it was several years ago when Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner came to the network only after being turned down by the most premium of cable networks.So I don't understand this decision at all. AMC had the chance to make it to the majors, but instead they majorly shot themselves in the foot.