Music: Raphael Saadiq – The Way I See It

This blog has been pretty dormant for a while, but I am still alive!  And as a reminder of my incredible taste in music, I would like to point everyone in the direction of Raphael Saadiq’s latest album, The Way I See It.

Right from the get-go this album throws back to the great 50’s and 60’s style of Motown recordings with the opening track, Sure Hope You Mean It.  I don’t think I’ve met anyone in my life who considers themselves a music fan who doesn’t have a good time listening to Motown, and this track nails that feeling and makes you feel like you’re catching The Tempations practicing on a Detroit street corner circa 1960.  It really is that good.

But don’t think this album is strictly Motown.  Saadiq slows it down on Oh Girl, singing straight from his soul (and then picks it right back up for the final track, a reprise of Oh Girl featuring Jay-Z).  He really puts something on here for everyone, fast, slow, hip hop, soul; pretty much everything.  Trust me, if you like music, you’ll like this album.  And if you don’t like this album, take a long hard look in the mirror and assess whether you truly appreciate music, or if you are in fact an alien from Pluto (it’s not even a planet, sucker!).

Check out Saadiq’s video for 100 Yard Dash:

Greg Oden: Marketable

This isn’t anything new, but it is still awesome:

Music: 1998 Sounds Great

Can you believe it’s been 10 years since Cake came out with their fabulous album Prolonging The Magic?  Neither can I.  Sheep Go To Heaven – which hit #16 on the modern rock chart in 2001 – came up on shuffle today while I was driving home, and I sang every word of it.  I love this band, and I love this song.

And good news for fans: according to Wikipedia, new albums are in the works:

The band has announced that two new albums are in the works: Live at the Crystal Palace, the band’s first live album; and a new studio album, originally due in fall 2008, but later announced to be early 2009 at the band’s Earthfest 2008 performance. John McCrea describes the studio album’s sound as “very different” from previous Cake records, also indicating that he will be playing piano much more than usual. Both will be released on Upbeat Records.

Awesome!  Just a little music post to brighten your Thursday.  Now, check out the video, and be amazed:

I Love Brandon Roy

The Blazers played the Rockets last night and tried really hard to lose the game, but Brandon Roy wouldn’t let them.  Although, it should be noted that the Rockets were up one at this point because Roy fouled Yao Ming on a made basket.  If it weren’t for that, this amazing shot wouldn’t be necessary:

Music: Marlena Shaw – California Soul

For those of you unaware, there’s a new Dockers commercial out, featuring beautiful views of San Francisco and (mostly white) people enjoying themselves.  The commercial also features a great song I had never heard before, which is actually a few decades old but still kicks your ass like yesterday’s news.  That song is California Soul, sung to perfection by Marlena Shaw.  Not surprisingly, Shaw was part of the incredible roster held by Chess Records in the late 60’s.

I highly highly recommend you go check it out, and if you don’t believe me then just check out the commercial and see for yourself:

Maurice Cheeks: All Class

While watching the Pistons @ 76ers playoff game, I remembered what Maurice Cheeks brings to the table as a coach: class.  He’s a stand-up guy, and even if he never wins a championship, I’ll still think he’s a great coach for an NBA team.  He did the best he could in Portland with some extremely volatile groups of players, and I wish him the best in Philadelphia.  Here’s an example of his grace:

Star Wars: 60’s Style

By way of Andy Ihnatko (best with sound):

Yes We Can

As any of my friends will tell you, I’m pretty opinionated. And I have a strong opinion regarding this upcoming election, but I wasn’t going to say anything about it until the parties had chosen their candidates.

That is, until I saw this.

By way of Wil Harris’ first blog post in months, I found that video and sat through the entire thing. For someone with as short of an attention span as me, that says a lot.

I may have just given away who I’m rooting for in the election, but I don’t care. It’s not often that a campaign propaganda video gives you chills, so I think it’s worth it.

And you know what? If you don’t agree with my views, that’s fine. But don’t tell me, go tell your ballot. My generation has been notorious for their apathy, so the most important thing you can do is get out there and vote.

It’s Friday and you know what that means…

A blog post.

Okay, so I’m supposed to post everyday. But still, isn’t it something to get excited about? It’s 2 o’clock, you’re stuck at your desk for a few more hours, and now you get a tiny bit of entertainment to tide you over until the weekend starts, am I right? I’ll do my best to keep you entertained for approximately three minutes and 17 seconds, or until your boss walks by, whatever comes first. Without further ado, some distractions!

• In case you missed it last night, Sarah Silverman and Matt Damon gave Jimmy Kimmel a birthday present of a song proclaiming they’re sleeping with each other:

• Bill Simmons talks about how going 19-0 is even harder in Madden than in real life:

I can’t tell you the exact number of times I tried to go undefeated and couldn’t do it without major help over the past 10 years — and by “help,” I mean “pressing the RESET button as the undefeated season was going down in flames and starting that game again” — but it’s in the dozens and, almost always, the quest ended with a controller being whipped angrily across the room.

• Kyle and his friend Mike made a podcast a few days ago:

Man, I’m on fire. I’m like a fire breathing dragon. Anyway, did another podcast with special guest, Kyle, from the blog Why I Will Never Be a Famous Writer. You can click HERE to listen to the podcast.

• Microsoft has made a bid to buy Yahoo. Jon Gruber’s take:

My guess: Sold.  That’s a big premium over Yahoo’s current share price, and I don’t see Yahoo getting there on their own any time soon.

• The always entertaining Merlin Mann was the guest on TSOYA yesterday, go listen!

Merlin Mann is an internet guru. He’s best known for his wildly popular lifehacking site 43folders, which offers simple solutions to make work and home life less complicated and stressful. He’s also a new media personality, with his own series (That Phone Guy, The Merlin Show) and a regular co-host slot on the Mac Break Weekly podcast.

Okay, now I must get back to work. I’ll post again later in the day if anything awesome comes my way. But if I don’t, have a great weekend!

Podcast: Solar Power!

MacBreak has been proliferating my iTunes with podcast after podcast from MacWorld, but so far the one I have found most interesting delved into the topic of solar power on the go. Dr. Kiki Sanford hosts this episode (clocking in at just over five minutes), and talks to the Solio guys about powering all of your portable electronics simply by way of the sun.

Check it out!