I believe I have discovered my second love (or at the very least, my newest addiction): Pandora Radio.

Stephanie directed me to the site the other day and I finally decided to give it a try this afternoon. The concept is very simple, and nearly perfect. Just enter one of your favorite bands and the website will create a radio station for you based off that band’s music style. If you’re like me and are into discovering new bands, this is a great way of doing so. I entered Rogue Wave and have listened to about six songs so far. I knew three of the bands, the other were new to me, and good.

Another tool is the ability to mix all or selected radio stations as a “Quick Mix”. I’m into latin stuff so I created a station of Bachata, Salsa, Reggaeton, etc and mixed them to create a pretty sweet mix. I don’t know a lot of latin artists, so this is good for me to discover more.

You can also rename your stations. The default name is (bands name) Radio. You can change it to a certain genre, etc. And for Mac users you can download a Dashboard widget here, which allows you have to have it open in the background instead of relying on an open browser window. They also have it for the Iphone, which I don’t have.

Anyways. All this to say: Make sure you check the site out, if you haven’t already…

The movie is good, actually excellent. But this is nothing new or surprising. If you want to read about how good the movie is you can visit any movie review site. Try Rotten Tomatoes, where the movie got a 94% approval rating…

Heath Ledger made the movie what it is.

On the other hand, Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker is worth writing about, even if everybody else is writing about the same thing. It’s actually that good. From the first second he comes on the screen you will be blown away. His performance makes Jack Nicholson’s joker look comical, no pun intended. It’s creepy, truly insane, and absolutely marvelous. He didn’t act like The Joker, he became the Joker, and it made the movie.

The only down thing about the movie was that Heath Ledger was maybe a little too good. Yes, too good. He made everybody else look average. Whenever the Joker wasn’t in the scene, I was impatiently waiting for the next time he’d show up. Even Christian Bale - who was awesome in Batman Begins, and is still good in this Batman - pales in comparison.

I think it’s safe to say that Heath Ledger will go down as a cult icon now, especially after this performance and the type of following his role would garner even if he didn’t pass away. It is probably one of the best villian performances I’ve ever seen. The best I can compare it to is Alex from A Clockwork Orange, who was quite possibly an influence for Heath Ledger’s Joker. The Joker is just as creepy, and just as psychotic.

Anyways, that’s enough drooling over his performance. I’m glad I stood in line last night to watch the movie. It was entirely worth it. If you’re interested in seeing a very good superhero movie (now there is such a thing), then go see this movie. And while you’re there you’ll witness one of the better performances on film that I, personally, have ever seen…

Here they are…

Slick Shoes - Burn Out

  
Slick Shoes - Burn Out

The band is named after the greatest invention of all time, so right there they get bonus points. I first heard Slick Shoes at a Christian rock festival when I was 18 years old. The first thing I did after their show was go out and buy their first two albums and still today I consider them my favorite punk albums. Burn Out is probably one of my favorite albums of all time and is only a hair better than Rusty, which you should also listen to if you want to be cool.

Favorite tracks include East on Tracks, For Better For Worse, Late Night Showing.

Sample Track: East on Tracks
  

MxPx - Life in General

  
MxPx - Life in General

MxPx is from Seattle, make that Bremerton, so that means they’re cool even if they suck. Luckily, they don’t. They’ve been around for over 10 years and have put out a ton of albums, but none of them compare with this one, their third. This was the album that got me into punk music in the first place.

This album has most of my favorite MxPx songs including Doing Time, Christalena, Southbound I-5, Middlename, and what might be their biggest hit: Chick Magnet.

Sample Track: Doing Time

Five Iron Frenzy - Our Newest Album Ever!

  
Five Iron Frenzy - Our Newest Album Ever!

I wasn’t a big fan of Ska before I heard Five Iron Frenzy; then I picked up this album and things changed. All of the sudden I started liking music with horns in it and stuff; listen to the song and you’ll know why. If you’re not a big fan of ska, maybe the same will happen to you.

Favorite tracks include Blue Comb ‘78, Oh Canada, Handbook for the Sellout and Every New Day.

Sample Track: Every New Day

Supertones - Supertones Strike Back

  
Supertones - Supertones Strike Back

I picked this album up, finally, my first year in college. I say finally because everyone around me told me to get it, but I just ignored them. I liked Five Iron, but I didn’t want to admit I actually liked Ska music. I’m glad I finally gave in. This is easily my second favorite ska album, maybe because it’s not your typical ska…it’s edgier. Every track makes you want to jump up and down like a loser…

Favorite tracks include Resolution, Little Man, Unite, and Supertones Strike Back.

Sample Track: Supertones Strike Back

The W’s - Fourth From the Last

  
The W’s - Fourth From the Last

The W’s were different from other bands because they were swing, not ska. There is a difference…at least that’s what I told myself. There were other swing bands that came out around that time, but this album was my favorite by far.

Favorite tracks include Moses, King of Polyester, Flower Tattoo, and The Devil is Bad.

Sample Track: The Devil is Bad

If you like any or all of these bands (which again, if you’re cool, you will) I would also recommend these albums:

Ghoti Hook - Sumo Surprise
Value Pac - Value Pac
Dogwood - More Than Conquerors
Fanmail - The Latest Craze

Moby | Last Night

This is just a quick note to say one thing: I love the new Moby CD.

“Play” is one of my favorite albums of all time, I think I listened to that CD every day for about a year…but I am the first to admit that every Moby CD since hasn’t been half as good. “Hotel”, his last one, was good, but not great. His new one is great.

On “Last Night”, he reverts to the form that made Play so good. I downloaded it off Itunes a couple days ago and haven’t been able to stop listening to it yet. It’s funky, fresh, smooth, clean…umm, what else? Good? Yes, very good. You should definitely check it out, says I…and Rolling Stone

Once Movie Poster

I’m not sure if I have written about the movie Once before. To be honest, I’m not too worried about it. If I have it doesn’t bother me, the movie is so good it’s worth writing about again. So, whether I have said it before or not, I’ll say it now: You have to see the movie Once.

“Once,” a scrappy, heart-on-its-sleeve little movie directed by an Irishman named John Carney, makes a persuasive case that the real future of the (musical) may lie not in splashy grandeur but in modesty and understatement…you are likely to want to see it again.”

The New York Times Movie Review

I watched it again last night, here in my simple room, and once again I’m thinking about it long after the credits have rolled.

The movie takes place in Ireland and is about a guy (who isn’t given a name) who spends his days, and sometimes nights, as a street musician. He meets a girl (who also goes nameless) and they form a friendship over their shared love for music and their similar situations in life.

The movie is a musical in the sense that there are full songs throughout the movie, sung by the main characters, but it’s not a musical in the sense that the characters don’t stop what they’re doing to sing, or dance. The music just fits in with the story, it comes naturally. And, unlike many musicals, the music is good, real good.

I’m not sure what else to say about Once other than even if you aren’t particularly a fan of the music, I have a feeling you’ll still like the movie. After watching it last night I am convinced I can confidently place the movie in my top 3 favorite movies of all time, if not my favorite. It’s just that good. I hope you watch it.

Magic Numbers - Those the Brokes

- The Magic Numbers have an indie rock sound, but somehow you end up wanting to dance in most of their songs. If you like bands like Mute Math, Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, etc…you will probably like The Magic Numbers.

- Check out their MySpace page here: The Magic Numbers

Patrick Park - Everyone’s Everyone

Patrick Park is a singer/songwriter who plays mellow songs. If you like Joshua Radin, Nick Drake, Cary Brothers, etc. You’ll like Patrick Park.

Check out his MySpace page here: Patrick Park

Rogue Wave - Asleep at Heaven’s Gate

Rogue Wave is my favorite band right now. I love them. They have a very unique sound, and everything they release is great whether it’s a cover song, on a soundtrack or something on their albums.

Asleep at Heaven’s Gate is their 3rd studio album. If you like Death Cab, or the Shins, I’d guess you’d like Rogue Wave although they sound a bit different.

Check out their MySpace page here: Rogue Wave

These are just a couple new CDs. I’ll try to do this more often as some of my favorite bands come out with new stuff…

Check out the site, you won’t be disappointed: Clark and Michael

Ok…back to Idol. I watch the show…all the time. I’m addicted. So much so though that I read the online news about the show, the rumours, etc. I ran across this article yesterday:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17706687/

The article, in case you don’t want to read it, states that some supporters are questioning the Christian faith of Chris Sligh because he hasn’t sang “Christian Songs” lately. What a bunch of crap. Sligh is not my favorite, Blake Lewis is (and don’t beat me up, but Sanjaya used to be), but I have to say something about how stupid it is that people would say this. If you didn’t know, the first few songs that Chris Sligh sang were songs from “Christian” artists. (Mute Math, DC Talk, etc.) What I find funny is how people can say they worry when he is forced to sing a Diana Ross song. Does this make any sense?

One of the quotes from the story is from Jonathan Pait of fundamentalist Bob Jones University, which Sligh attended for several years. He said: “We really are somewhat disappointed with the direction he has gone musically.”

Do you think he really has another choice??

I worry that this is just another example to non-christians of why they are not christians, and an example of how “crazy” some christians can be. And I say that as a Christian. It’s almost embarassing. I pray that those people speaking out against Sligh’s so called bad song choice realize they should not worry so much about what songs he sings and should start worrying about themselves, or the much bigger problems in this world. I’m not saying these people are bad…but I’m sure they have something more to worry about than a guy singing a Diana Ross song.

I think Jesus said it best himself in Luke 6:41-42 “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.”

Now, when I say it was the coolest thing ever, I don’t mean best. This movie is in no way compared to Braveheart, or Gladiator…other than it is better visually. I wasn’t even tempted to cry during the one or two “sad scenes” in the movie…nothing like seeing Mel Gibson scream “FREEEDOM”. But still, the movie gets you emotionally as in seeing an explosion and screaming whichever expletive you choose. My jaw dropped at least a few times in that movie…

The movie does have a lot of blood, not much “gore”, but a lot of battles. No more than something like Braveheart. But to be honest, it’s all so cool you don’t even flinch.

You have to see this movie. Even if you walk out feeling like it was a dumb “movie” you will still enjoy the fight scenes, etc. So…go see it.