New Countdown: The Voice is Back! And it's working overtime!

No more croaking! Only some wild, youthful partying with a touch of rocking added to taste. Oh and more rambling than I've been doing recently (don't leave!). I'm liking where the countdown has been heading these past few weeks. What have you guys been thinking?

Also, has anyone come up with any Countdown #100 ideas? I certainly haven't.


Countdown #95

***Featuring***
AWOLNATION
The Black Keys
Foo Fighters
Foster the People
Fun. Featuring Janelle Monae
Gotye Featuring Kimbra
Grouplove
M83
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rise Against
Young the Giant

Off The Charts #4: Birthday 2011

So, it's super sad that I have to put 2011 on the title of the episode because I was ready for putting this up in like August. That would have been a very good time to do it, huh? But I didn't.

So, anyways. This is a podcast featuring a song from each blog that I followed on my birthday last year that POSTED on my birthday last year. I'm planning on doing it again this year, so if you're wanting to plan a special "James's Birthday post" then you might want to start planning now!

I was going to wait until the 16th or something so that it could at least be on the day of my birthday if not the month, but I figure I've waited long enough....DAMMIT and yesterday was the 16th. I didn't realize that until just now. Well, I'm certainly not waiting for April 16th. So, enjoy!

 Off the Charts #4: Birthday 2011

***Featuring***
Artie Ziff
Elton John
Fembots
Holy Shit
The Human League
Lach
Lenny Kravitz
The Smiths

Here are the websites I culled from:

Me Write Blog Good
The Vinyl Villain
Daytrotter
Song, By Toad
I Sing In the Kitchen
Culture Pop
Cathedrals of Sound


I'll see you all next July 16, when I will hopefully be able to get the episode up in a more timely fashinon. And it'll almost certainly be longer too!

Lightouts

I was going through my Google Reader feed and listening to some music and this caught my ear over at Listen Before You Buy



and here's the B-side:



Check out their Website and buy some music by these guys!
Also, go here and vote for them for Deli Magazine's Band of the Month!

Shy Around Strangers - "Never Look Down"

It's not often that you get the opportunity to get into a band with their very first single. Well, maybe YOU get that opportunity all the time, but it's not often that I do.

I got an email in the middle of last week from Shy Around Strangers asking me to check out their debut single.

It's called "Never Look Down" and, if all has gone according to plan, I have embedded it below this line.



Yay! Man, isn't Bandcamp amazing?

Anyways, listen to this song. Then download it (for FREE!) and listen to it again. It gets catchier with each listen.

The drummer does some awesome stuff with the hi-hat and that was what caught my ear initially. Emily Powers' voice is slightly scratchy but still delicate and that will get me every time. Plus the atmosphere of the song (and the album art) is kinda futuristic so you get this effect of like a seedy dive bar in 2050. Which is cool.

Shy Around Strangers will be releasing their debut EP in August and I will be anxiously waiting to hear more from them.

Visit them at their website! From there, you can follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook, or Join the Mailing List!

MacGyver Mondays: "Hellfire" (Season 1, Episode 8)

Title: Hellfire
Airdate: 11/24/1985
My Age at Airdate: 2 years, 4 months, 8 days
Episode Type: Hellfire-fighting

Alright, well I know it's been two weeks since we've had a MacGyver monday, but hopefully you spent your time going over the previous 7 episodes and gearing up for HELLFIRE!


No Opening Gambit on this one. Too much Hellfire to combat, probably.


OPENING CREDITS


We open on a helicopter flying over a river. MacGyver is being dropped off by an oil derrick where a blonde girl and a guy recognize him and are pretty stoked to see him. He gives what looks to me like a sarcastic salute to the helicopter pilot.


WHOA. The blonde is that girl from Deep Space Nine with the messed up nose. Marc knows who I mean. I think her name is Nana Visitor.


Two guys are talking oil. They hit liquid so that means there's oil or something. It's all very technical. 


The one guy comes over and starts talking to MacGyver and the other one stays on the derrick. If I have my guess, that other dude is going to probably explode. These are the costs of not going over and greeting MacGyver. But, I suppose, being friends with MacGyver means that sometimes you get devoured by ants, so maybe it's a wash....


Huh. The guy didn't explode. He gets to meet MacGyver and they're all very jovial and everything.


This is seriously such a technical episode. Maybe one of the writers had a background in oil drilling.


Plus, MacGyver can juggle!


Oops! A fuse blew. Well, thank God MacGyver's here. This is like "MacGyver Helps Around the House". So he's going to wrap the foil gum wrapper around the fuse (because it's the only one they have) and provide a temporary fix. He's so helpful.


So I guess the main guy got super burned "fighting Hell" which I guess is some sort of firefighting or something. Anyone have an idea of what "hellfighting" is?


Star Trek Girl is telling MacGyver about how Main Guy put all of their savings into the derrick out front and it's basically all they have left. And if it doesn't work, Main Guy goes back to hellfighting. And that's bad.


So they confirmed that they are tapping into an oil vein and everyone's celebrating. Something bad is about to happen with these lightbulbs. A gust of wind has cracked one and it sparked and now the derrick is on fire. So basically, if MacGyver hadn't fixed the fuse, things would be okay. There's a lesson in there, kids: Never Help.


So Second Guy's leg just got crushed by some pipes and they're trying to get it off of him before he burns up. Ok he's free, but man that derrick is exploding and flaming and i think it just destroyed their house, too. So....that's a problem. And I would imagine that it'll keep burning until they fix it or it runs out of oil. So, I guess it's the former that we're going to try.


Second Guy has a fractured leg so he can't help. MacGyver distracts him with scientific mumbo-jumbo and quickly straightens the leg so he can put a splint on. It's kind of funny in a "fixing a broken bone" sort of way.


MacGyver (regarding his distraction material choice): Well, naked dancing girls might have been a little better, but....you know.


So, MacGyver says that they should get the supply plane to bring a firefighting crew, but they tell him that their lease runs out in two weeks and they won't be able to get a crew there in under two months. So, of course, MacGyver suggests that they put it out themselves.


They'll need some dynamite but they don't have any. But there's an old abandoned strip mine a little bit away. So they'll drive the truck down and see if there's some dynamite to be salvaged from there. I feel like Lost ripped off this plot a little bit in the Season 1 finale. We'll have to see if I'm remembering the problems they run into correctly.


Star Trek Girl told Main Guy he promised no more hellfighting (so I guess hellfighting is like literally fighting fire with fire?) but MacGyver very valiantly said he'd be the one to go into the fire and Main Guy wouldn't be in any danger. That seemed to appease her.


So the road is crazy bumpy. Keep that in mind. I think it'll be important in a couple minutes.


Haha they're playing music that sounds like Support Your Local Sheriff. Like, general western town music. It's funny.


So of course the powder shack that has the dynamite is falling apart. Creaky boards and such. There's a box marked "explosives" and they're prying the top off the box. Sticks of dynamite that are dry. Too dry. The nitroglycerin has leaked out of many of them. Mac takes a glob on his knife and goes to the door. He slowly walks outside with the nitroglycerin. And FLINGS it at a barrel. It makes a PING and sparks on the side of the barrel. So it's good stuff.


Now they're doing a weird thing where they're cutting between a conversation with Mac and Main Guy and a conversation with Star Trek Girl and Second Guy. It's kind of roughly edited but I guess they didn't want to have one long conversation between Mac and Main Guy.


So STG and SG are laying out hose for the hellfighting and Mac and MG are slowly taking the boxes of dynamite out of the powder shack.


All of a sudden, a shelf near where MG is standing starts to collapse. He catches it with his shoulder. But now he and MacGyver are holding boxes of dynamite and can't run without blowing up themselves and the shack.


MacGyver slowly goes outside to put his box down. Oh. It's their second trip because they've already both brought a box out. MacGyver goes back in and MG's box. MG turns around to hold the shelf which begins to collapse more. So MacGyver takes the shelf and gives the box to MG.


Suddenly the floor under MacGyver starts to give so he RUNS FOR IT. The powder shack explodes behind him. He realizes that he leaped onto the pile of dynamite boxes. Fortunately, they didn't blow him up.


So now they're rigging up the truck with some wagon springs and sand to cushion the explosives and absorb the nitroglycerin should any leak out. MacGyver is doing his narration of what they're doing, but MG is hilariously adding Southern commentary. Like so:


MacGyver: And some nice absorbent sand in case anything drips out
MG: Hey I'm with you, Mac. I want those blasting sticks to feel real comfortable on the ride back


So now they have to drive the explosives home over 54 miles of bumpy road. It cuts to them driving slowly through the dusk. And, if I'm not mistaken, their playful banter is slowly mutating into bickering. Which is hilarious to hear. But I mean, they're nervous, so it's ok, I guess.


Meanwhile, STG is teaching SG about hellfighting. The water hose is for keeping the firefighters and explosives wet. HAHA. She's talking about how the explosives eat up the oxygen. Then she pulls out a match, lights it, and immediately blows it out. To demonstrate. It's a very awkward moment. But now we kind of know what hellfighting is about. I guess.


Lots of great shots of fire in this one.


They just rolled over a medium sized rock and there were a bunch of closeups of the rope holding the explosives in place. I'm worried that's going to be a problem soon.


They're approaching a stream. The crossing starts well, but now they're stuck! How EVER will they get out?


Oh wait. They're not stuck. They linkage valve is busted. But no worries. Mac will fix it with the spring from a ballpoint pen. Hmm. That didn't fix it. A minor adjustment and boom there we go. Easy peasy.


They just looked at the rope again. They're making me nervous!


Uhoh. There's some nitroglycerin leaking out of one of the boxes. They don't notice it! It's dripping down the springs.


Now, they're heading down a hill on the homestretch. The weird thing is, I think they used the same shot of them going down the hill into the strip mine camp. Maybe the countryside looks the same, but I'm pretty sure it's the same shot.


Man that is a lot of nitro. The sand should be absorbing it, though, right? The drips are hitting the ground and oh no! The brakes are out! So, now they're BARRELING down the hill! The explosives are jostling. This is actually really intense. 


Phew. They crashed into the river and they're stopped and non-exploded.


Now all that's left is to put out the HUGE BLAZE with DECOMPOSING EXPLOSIVES.


So, the setup is this: MacGyver needs to get close enough to the blaze to drop a charge of explosives into the well...something.  But he doesn't have any high-tech gear. So he's going to have to "entertain a couple of theories a few of my buddies came up with a while ago. Archimedes and Euclid? You may have heard of them!"


He's going to use a refrigerator as a heat shield, the jeep, the dynamite and the pipes that crushed SG's leg as a rail for the jeep to run on.


They're going to basically juice the nitroglycerine out of the dynamite into a thermos. They're having STG do it because, you know, no big deal if she blows up.


MG is upset. He doesn't think MacGyver can do it on his own. The truth about his accident where he got badly burned is that he lost his entire crew. So he says he's going in, but MacGyver says HE'S going in. So they start punching each other and wrestling in the river.


STG comes up with the novel idea that they should go together and work together. Because MG's the best. But so is MacGyver. This would drive my friend Hall crazy, because there can only be ONE "best".


So they're going to push the jeep as close as they can. Ok. That's done. Now they're going to make sure they can release the charge remotely. It looks they have it hooked to some sort of hinge release. Ok. That works.


So they very gently push the canister out to the shaft. Of course it gets stuck, so MacGyver has to get hosed down and push it forward to free it. If you want to see RDA soaking wet, this is the episode for you.


The canister is over the shaft. So, they pull the release and RUN. It's kind of like if the assault on the Death Star was done in Texas. There's a HUGE explosion and then....silence. It's kind of cool how quiet it suddenly gets.


They're talking about their plans and SG says that he'll help drill the hole to get the oil as soon as he can work again. MG says "You'll heal" and gives him a playful slap ON HIS FRACTURED LEG. Of course SG doesn't fall to the ground in agony but still.


MacGyver basically hires himself on to help get the oil. It's a sweet ending, but it's another instance where there's an aftermath that we don't see. MacGyver will be back next week and not mention having helped his friends get their oil at ALL. One of the many weird aspects of a serialized show like MacGyver.


That's gonna do it for Hellfire. I hope we've all learned something today. See you next week!


NEXT WEEK: THE PRODIGAL

Another Unprecedented Countdown

Well, I've never done a countdown like this before. It was certainly an experience and there's (appropriately) not much more to say about this. It's an enjoyable episode and I think you'll enjoy it a lot!

Thanks so much to my sister for all her help and contributions this week.

Countdown #94

***Featuring***
AWOLNATION
The Black Keys
Chevelle
Foo Fighters
Foster the People
Fun
Gotye
Grimes
Grouplove
Janelle Monae
Kimbra
Rise Against
Young the Giant

Give Me Light: The Wayne Foundation Compilation

Well, if you have listened to my podcasts or read my blog since last summer, you might be aware that I've been using some of my time trying to put together a compilation of female artists/female-led bands that I could put up on Bandcamp and sell to benefit The Wayne Foundation

I have completed it and uploaded it and it's on sale now!

It's only $2 (or more if you're so inclined...) and the track list is as follows:

1. She Might Bite - Empty
2. The Jesse Minute - Sinking
3. My First Earthquake - Neon For You
4. Blue Bird - Give Me Light
5. The Nearly Deads - Never Look Back
6. Alyssa Poppin - Scream Out
7. Dessa - Into the Spin

And you can click this link to download the album!

I really feel like it has something for every type of music fan.
So tell your friends, tell your family, shout it from the rooftops!