Artists of the Month
- Calvin Harris: The thing that I have been waiting for since January, when "I'm Not Alone" was released, or perhaps since autumn 2007, right after I had fully immersed myself in I Created Disco, has happened: Calvin's sophomore effort, Ready for the Weekend, has finally been released! Euphoric indeed! I love the following songs: "The Rain," "Ready for the Weekend," "Stars Come Out," "You Used To Hold Me," "I'm Not Alone," "Flashback," "Relax," "Limits," "Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La," and "5iliconeator." In other words I am head-over-heals with over 2/3 of the album, and I'm sure the other few songs will grow on me. I will be listening to this non-stop for the next month.
- The Rumble Strips: Totally addicted to "London" and "Not the Only Person." Their show at Tribeca Grand was a lot of fun, and they sound just as good live as they do on the record.
- Tinchy Stryder: A London hip-hopper who has me totally hooked on his track "Never Leave You." The rest of his record is quite enjoyable as well, with several well done guest spots from other UK sensations.
- Burns: His track "Heartbeats" is a wonderful amalgam of 80s cheese straight from the Top Gun era and a cool club track to fill the air on the cool nights of late summer. It's a lovely little nostalgia trip that brings a smile to my face.
- Mr. Hudson: Impressed me even more with his flawless, top-notch performance at Webster Hall. Also, he and his drummer are fabulous on Twitter. @MrHudson and @WilkieWilkinson, respectively.
- Basement Jaxx: The video for "Feeling's Gone" is out. It's great.
Things I Cooked
- Curried pea soup
- Spinach and prosciutto lasagna
- Rocky-road fudge
- Roast beef w/ roasted cauliflower and mushrooms
- Coffee semifreddo
- Pasta salad with smoked salmon, creme fraiche, and capers
- Plum cake
- Molten chocolate cakes
Movies
- Julie & Julia
- Funny People
- JAWS
- District 9
- The Time Traveler's Wife
- Ponyo
- Inglorious Basterds
- Five Minutes of Heaven
Books
- Empire Falls, Richard Russo. A bucolic New England misfit story with very well drawn characters and a random Martha's Vineyard connection.
- Don't Mind If I Do, George Hamilton. Not as frothy as I was expecting from Hamilton, who is normally so witty and self-deprecating and has been the subject of several tantalizingly louche Vanity Fair articles. The stories he tells are all just on the verge of being truly interesting or entertaining. A far cry from Robert Evans and Julia Philips, bit of course they were both producers, and perhaps that is where the true action is.
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith. A nice diversion of a summer read. Mainly it's just silly, but I do think that Mr. Darcy is just a tad more dashing when beheading the undead.- The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, John le Carré. A straight-forward spy novella that presents concise character sketches in a barren landscape.
- Cosmopolis, Don DeLillo. I have to say I didn't get this book. It was sort of like American Psycho lite in a limo. The book was a vapid and disjointed as its main character.
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, John le Carré. The most confusing spy novel ever! I didn't even understand the plot or what the hell was going on until two-thirds of the way through the book. Maybe this was the intention, to keep the reader just as much in the dark as the characters? However, it is very difficult to maintain a strong interest in a book when the point of said book is so murky. Not such a good month for books on the whole. Nothing blew me away, and most left me vaguely frustrated.
