PerryG2480

I've seen The Dears' album on lots of end of year lists, but I haven't heard anything by them. RIYL?

Haha, wow. At least Hitler is apparently the middle name. Working in Parks and Recreation, I've run across some interesting children's names. One kid in our 10 and under basketball league is named "Major Dykes." We also have a 9 year old girl named "Summer Camp." I mean, come on...if your last name is freakin' Camp, isn't there just ONE name you can't give to your daughter?

Love the cover of Toxic! And yes, they were really good live. Definitely check out the latest album.

Disappointments: Jack's Mannequin - "The Glass Passenger" The follow up to "Everything in Transit" just could not measure up to one of the most sinfully catchy pop albums I've ever heard. For what it's worth, Jack's Mannequin still trumps most pop music being heard on the airwaves these days. Kings of Leon - "Only by the Night" I hate to call this a disappointment; because again, KOL are so much better than 90% of the modern rock out there currently (Nickelback, Hinder anyone?). But compared to older material, this just isn't as good. To be fair, it's good to see them getting some recognition as "Sex on Fire" has reached number one on the modern rock charts...and deservingly so. Honorable Mentions: Nada Surf - "Lucky" Remembered by many for the gimmicky 90's song "Popular," Nada Surf has since gone on to create some surprisingly decent albums. The most recent one is no exception with memorable harmonies and solid indie rock jams. Better than Death Cab in my honest opinion. Frank Turner - Love Ire & Song With a little more exposure in the States, this guy could be huge. Sometimes acoustic, sometimes electric, almost always vulgar...this is some of the most instantly enjoyable music I've heard in a long time. Local H - 12 Angry Months In my ongoing journey to further my musical tastes, I've encountered my fair share of pretentious and inaccessible music. At the same time, some of my all-time favorite albums took 10 or more listens to finally sink in. Sometimes, however, you just want to effing rock without having to analyze stuff. Local H has quickly become one of my outlets for raw, unadulterated, often angry, pure rock music. Seeing them live didn't hurt either. The Top 10: 10. Sun Kil Moon – "April" “I feel oh so near, when morning doves appear. And ghosts of April ring, echo the refrain. Soon finding a place, in these lost verses.” Mark Kozelek (of Red House Painters fame) along with guest vocal appearances from Bonnie Prince Billy and Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab for Cutie) creates a stunning audio landscape that you can literally sink into. I spun this record while driving home one evening and realized that I didn’t remember actually driving for about twenty minutes or so (not necessarily a good thing I guess). Granted, it’s mellow and soothing throughout. However, these three-guitar anthems and haunting acoustic ballads comprise one of the most hypnotic listening experiences of the year. 9. The Airborne Toxic Event – Self-titled “And it starts sometime around midnight. At least that’s when you lose yourself for a minute or two.” This debut really came out of nowhere and caught me off guard. Although the lyrics can be a little depressing with themes of self-loathing, drunken mistakes, and love lost, the music is truly pop rock at its finest. With comparisons to The Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, The Clash, and even U2, this band will be around for a long time. I, for one, am looking forward to hearing more from these guys. 8. Fleet Foxes – Self-titled “The sound of ancient voices ringing soft upon your ear.” Fleet Foxes themselves describe their sound as “baroque harmonic pop jams,” and I couldn’t have put it any better. This group from Seattle is made up of members that can all sing. In fact, they can all sing well. Their harmonies take us back to the days of the Beach Boys and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Sweeping and lush, the folkish pop sounds this group creates are like a breath of fresh, forest in the fall, air in today’s music scene. Highly recommended. 7. Annuals – "Such Fun" “Say you love me, and show me some fun. Tell me that life don’t weigh a god damn ton.” This is probably the most aptly titled album on my list. “Such Fun” is exactly that. Infectious song structures and melodies over sometimes chaotic chord progressions and time signature switches made this release one of my most spun discs of the year. Think of a much more accessible Animal Collective with traces of The Arcade Fire and Okkervil River. Acid-tinged sunshine indie-pop-rock…sounds good to me. 6. Jenny Lewis – "Acid Tongue" “I went to a cobbler to fix a hole in my shoe. He took one look at my face, and said ‘I can fix that hole in you.” I was first introduced to Jenny Lewis on The Postal Service’s “Give Up.” Immediately, I had to know who the female voice was on these tracks. Soon thereafter, I really got into Rilo Kiley (the band that Jenny currently fronts). This girl can do no wrong in my opinion. She did the aforementioned electro-synth-pop with Ben Gibbard in the Postal Service. She’s done brilliant indie-pop rock with occasional country influences with Rilo Kiley. She teamed up with the Watson Twins (with an appearance from Conor Oberst thrown in) for the beautiful country pop record, “Rabbit Fur Coat.” Hell, she was the girl in the 1980’s classic Nintendo movie, The Wizard! Jenny expands her versatility even further with “Acid Tongue.” It’s part jazzy blues, and it’s part folky rock. With a couple of exceptions, the tracks on this album are satisfyingly raucous, sultry, and beautiful. In my opinion, she’s our generation’s Joni Mitchell…I mean, Stevie Nicks…wait, I mean Janis Joplin…or was it Loretta Lynn? 5. Okkervil River – "The Stand-ins" “And every night finds us rocking and rolling on waves wild and wide, well we have lost our way, nobody’s gonna say it outright.” The second part of this staggered double release (last year’s critically acclaimed “The Stage Names”); “The Stand-ins” picks up right where its predecessor left off. A short instrumental intro is followed by one of the year’s best tracks of any genre, “Lost Coastlines.” Okkervil River graces us with some of the most charged and energetic indie rock that the industry has to provide (not to mention some of the coolest album art to be found anywhere). Hailing from the great state of Texas, this band’s last two releases have catapulted them into the indie stratosphere alongside such greats as the Decemberists and My Morning Jacket. 4. Conor Oberst – Self-titled “Victory is sweet, even deep in the cheap seats.” Being a huge fan of Oberst’s work in Bright Eyes and Desaparecidos, I knew I was going to enjoy this disc before I ever heard a single note. While not exactly groundbreaking or innovative like some of Conor’s earlier work, this collection of songs does not disappoint in the slightest. Recorded in Mexico with the backing of the Mystic Valley Band (an extremely solid group of musicians in their own right), the album consists mainly of alt-country and folk rock jams. Previous comparisons to Bob Dylan (while exaggerated) have once again come to the forefront with this latest batch of material. Hey, if you’re going to imitate, at least imitate the best! In his past compositions, Conor has taken us through an intimate tour of his psyche, at times leaving out not even the most mundane disturbing detail. While records such as “Fevers and Mirrors” and “Lifted…” are artistically superior in many ways, this latest incarnation delivers on the most basic of levels. Good, enjoyable, music without much pretense. I never thought I’d say that about any Oberst project, but it’s refreshing. 3. She & Him – "Volume One" “Cried all night, ‘til there was nothing more. What use am I as a heap on the floor?” As my fellow music snob so eloquently put it: “The mold has been broken!” The mold you ask? Actresses who think they can sing crossing over into the music industry. Broken you say? Shattered by one Zooey Deschanel. The second cast member from Almost Famous to grace my list (Mark Kozelek), Deschanel teams up with M. Ward to create a recording generously dropped on us from sometime in yesteryear. Anyone who witnessed the cinematic masterpiece Elf (ha!) can attest that Zooey can definitely sing, as proven by her deadpan yet adorable character’s song in the shower. She shows her chops here on a sweetly addictive series of old-timey country/pop/soul gems, including two well-executed Beatles covers. For fans of the undeniable pop sensibilities of a simpler time in music. Those who choose to ridicule us for enjoying it…feck you! 2. The Gaslight Anthem – "The ’59 Sound" “You can tell Gayle, if she calls, that I’m famous now for all of these rock and roll songs. And even if that’s a lie, she should’ve given me a try.” While The Gaslight Anthem might not be famous for all of these rock and roll songs, they ought to be. A driving punk rock sound sporting clear Springsteen and Clash influence, “The ’59 Sound” is nothing that I would ever hear coming from my grandfather’s radio. After two or three times over, I thought that some of the songs were formulaic and sounded way too similar. After six or seven spins, the melodic intricacies began to separate the tracks while still creating an extremely cohesive aural experience. What’s sad is, these guys played Edgefest here in Dallas and got less than half an hour to show their stuff. Gotta make room for Staind and Seether I guess! Seriously though, whether you live for the sounds of The Boss and Petty or you get your kicks from Alkaline Trio and Jawbreaker, you cannot go wrong with this album. Once again, highly recommended. 1. Bon Iver – "For Emma, Forever Ago" “There's a black crow sitting across from me; his wiry legs are crossed. And he's dangling my keys. he even fakes a toss. Whatever could it be that has brought me to this loss?” The cold and dreary imagery that is conjured up in this record is nothing short of astounding. Bon Iver, from “bon hiver” which is French for “good winter” is a perfect name for this Justin Vernon project. The time of year could have seriously contributed to my decision to make this my album of the year. Hauntingly beautiful falsetto skates across wintry acoustic accompaniment on an album that has given me more goose bumps than any northern wind ever could. Sure, this has been the trendy pick this year; and yes, the music has appeared on television shows such as Grey’s Anatomy. But hey, good music is good music. And “For Emma, Forever Ago” is my musical summit for 2008.

One of my employees saw Coach Dodge with a few recruits and their families at Rudy's in Denton this past weekend.

Not to be directed at any one person, but I have felt like this on numerous occasions this season. And hey, any excuse to bring up the best Christmas movie ever made. "Hey! If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me. I have one……..I’d like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a…….. cheap lying no-good rotten four-flushing low-life snake-licking dirt-eating inbred overstuffed ignorant blood-sucking dog-kissing brainless dickless hopeless heartless fat-ass bug-eyed stiff-legged spotty-lipped worm-headed sack of monkey shit……. ……He IS! Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where’s the Tylenol?"

I will say this...the Steelers defense didn't look that much better than the Cowboys'.

Remember that eventual National Champions Ohio State needed a field goal as time expired to beat the Bearcats that very season. Their QB had huge numbers, but I'll always remember Jeremy Pearl's pick 6! Man, how times have changed.

Didn't Meager have 6 TD's against SMU?

Although I would love a shirt like that with the Flying Worm, the concept can be done with any old logo really...or even just text.

This is yet another example of why we need someone to produce a nice, thin, faded looking t-shirt with a crackly faded flying worm logo on the front. People would buy them!

Fell for the oldest trick in the book. I usually hear it done with the word "gullible" though.

Forgot about that...let's iron out the details: 1:15 tonight, technically 12:15 due to the time change. AC parking lot? Some getting there a little early?

Agreed. I don't buy this "football gods" crap at all. Someone had to make a play at the 1 yard line with the game on the line. This time around, the MEAN GREEN made a play.

See ya'll tonight.

Crazy Belt. Will the Cajuns be the NO Bowl rep this year?

For those of us lucky enough to have drivers (or those of us who haven't had a drink yet tonight), I'd love to crack a few late night beers with some of you guys and welcome the team back.

Is there seriously going to be a small crowd for this? If so, I'm in. I'll set the alarm and head on over around 12:30 or 12:45. How would it make the players and coaches feel to see a crowd, even if it is a small one, wearing green and cheering for them when they roll in tonight?

You can see in the video that some of the Marshall folks start anxiously moving all of the equipment while the player was still lying on the ground in pain.

Matt, I said it was an interesting read moreso because of his equations of athletic ability combined with the offensive system. I didn't particularly appreciate the coach-bashing either, but keep in mind the guy is a Sooner fan. All in all though, he did say that Dodge just needs more time.

...and the video: At Fouts, the guy would have at least another 20 yards to slow down! Seriously though, I feel bad for this player.

An interesting read from the 5A forum: "Originally Posted by ThEgReAtOnE I've said this before... Todd Dodge needs "time" to develop this UNT program. It's not like he took over a school known for its' great or even decent "winning" legacy. (IE... Notre Dame-Weise, Michigan-RR) He has to also learn how to "Head Coach" on the FBS level... there's quite a bit of executive responsibility that is involved. There are plenty of kids doping or using "recreational" drugs, that play in the FBS. Simple fact is there needs to be an self-understanding with Dodge. YOU WILL NOT FIND TALENT IN THE DFW AREA. (At least not right now.) That area is picked over, time and again, by the Big XII, SEC, MWC and C-USA. Once Dodge understands that there needs to be a sufficient (average, at least) athletic basis to the style of coaching he wants to input, he'll have to go outside of the DFW/East Tx Regions to find it. Now, on to the coaching style. Lets face it... he wasn't winning until he got to SLC. As a matter of fact, he hadn't had a winning season in his previous 6 stops, at 3 different schools (Cameron/8-12, Newman Smith/9-11, Keller Fossil Ridge/7-12). His system worked because of the petigree of athletic talent in the Southlake suburb. The FBS is really no different, as long as the system can utilize at least an average athletic basis.. IE... Boise State, Hawaii and Utah. And when you can mix in elite talent (especially with a Spread System) the results are Boise State (BCS-2006), Hawaii (BCS-2007) and Texas Tech (last few years). DC_Deloach is a position coach... not a DC, and I could care less what he did at UNT back in 2001/2002. UNT has the worst defense in the FBS, giving up nearly 50 pts per game. Gotta go DeLoach! Also, the O-line is horrible... I know Leftwich personally... decent guy... not so decent coach. Plus, this Ford OC... sorry, Dodge, but there's loyalty then there's stupidity. This dude is not ready to be an OC.. you gotta get some one who knows what to exploit. What worked in HS... wont always work in college. All of this said, winning NC's is about 70% recruiting (athletes) and 30% system. Adequate athletes in a brilliant system can win non-BCS Conference Titles. Good athletes in a brilliant system can win National Titles. Great athletes in a brilliant system can build a legacy, almost unmatched. Dodge, learn the game of recruiting. You can do it. 1st bit of advice... learn some of the dirtiest tricks in the book.. and use'em. Think like a car salesman. Hard-sell everyone! It's about the net.. not the gross! "

Ahhh...the old helmet argument. I don't have a problem with our current uniforms at all. The helmets would look great with the diving eagle on them. I don't like those Marshall ones. Maybe whoever said it's hard to match a kelly green helmet to a kelly green jersey was correct. Here's a fun idea...can one of our gifted photoshop artists do a rendering of the Oklahoma State jersey's but with kelly green in place of the orange and the old style block lettering "NORTH TEXAS" in place of "COWBOYS" ??? Would look sweet!