Every so often we overlook a CD in the year that it was released and, thusly, do not include it in our annual Best of List. Well, I recently purchased Bon Iver’s 2008 release, “For Emma, Forever Ago” and feel like I have FDA recalled eggs all over my face. I think I was scared off by all the hype surrounding it’s creation. Apparently, Justin Vernon broke up with his “band” of 10 years and spent 3 lonely months in his father’s hunting cabin in Northern Wisconsin and produced this record. Unlike Thoreau, Vernon didn’t spend his time itemizing his expenses but rather laying out his soul.

He sings in a soulful falsetto that reminds me of Kyp Malone from TV on the Radio and John Jacob Niles with a lot of M. Ward thrown into the mix. The good news is that he toured as a guitarist with Philistine favorites The Rosebuds, and is currently contributing tracks to the new Kanye West CD. How’s that for Indie cred?

In sad time machine music news, Michael Been has passed away from an apparent heartattack at a music festival in Belgium. Been was not there performing with his great 80s band, The Call, but instead managing his son’s band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I owned 2 The Call albums, “Modern Romans” and “Into the Woods,” and I still get pumped when I play “The Walls Came Down” even though it had nothing to do with Ronnie’s challenge to Gorby.

One of the reasons The Call may not have enjoyed huge popularity was the serious existentialism of Been’s lyrics. Been even assumed his own lack of commercial success when he sought advice from a bandmate. “I was writing these songs and I said, ‘God, I don’t think anybody wants to hear this stuff,’ and he said, ‘Well, do it anyway.’ So, I’ve been going on his advice ever since.” You’ll be missed, Mr. Been.

Did we see the greatest rock band in America on Tuesday night? I don’t know, ask Stephen King. He described Marah as “probably the best rock band in America that nobody knows. Marah is great in the scat, bop, and jive way.” All right, so King was hit by car. Still, Marah really did put on a helluva good show. Tons of energy, drunken or otherwise. So what if they change lineups more often than Spinal Tap, Dave Bielanko is still putting out top shelf music. Their new CD, “Life is a Problem” came out in June. Pick it up when you see them live, and beware of creepy looking writers in the room.

Finally picked up the new Teenage Fanclub CD, “Shadows,” and, as per usual, the lads don’t disappoint. Not a wee bit. The Fannies are touring the states as well. So be on the lookout. Also, pre-order Jenny Lewis’ new project Jenny and Johnny. You won’t be disappointed.

Our editorial board was not really paying attention to the contrived controversy of the proposed building of a mosque/community center near the site of the former Twin Towers until MacArthur Genius Grant non-recipient Sarah Palin weighed in. Speaking as if she’d conferred with Wade Gustafson and Stan Grossman, Palin made the outrageous claim that this wasn’t a good deal. Aw, jeez.

Palin logic says that if the 100 mosques already in NYC didn’t generate enough good spirit to prevent 9/11, then what good will a 101st do? Maybe she’s correct. Note to Vatican: stop building churches in Europe! They don’t work.

If we are going to take PalinBrain – the fun game for the whole family, even Levi (short for Leviticus, by the way) – to its logical conclusion, then we must immediately halt the construction of a proposed water park in New Orleans. I’m mean, really, isn’t that just rubbing it in? Are they going to have a pool with plywood boards thrown in for people to use as flotation devices? How about contests of how many people can stand on a roof as the water level rises? Bobbing for zombies?

I guess while we’re at it we should tear down all of the Mexican restaurants near the Alamo. No more black and white cookies sold at the Starbuck’s in Gettysburg. No more gingerbread men at Donner’s Pass. We could go on, but we shan’t.

Lost in all of the venting about a peaceful place of worship slash community and recreation center is that Ground Zero is already host to a strip club. “NEVER FORGET – Totally NUDE!” How’s that for honoring the victims? Do the Republicans really want to win back the House of Representatives? Really? Sure doesn’t seem that way.

Here’s the sitch: I’m developing a grown up comedy with Playground Productions and I want Fred Armisen to star. He’d be perfect! In fact, he could probably play every role and be the new Tony Randall, Eddie Murphy or Mike Myers. But preferably he’d be good.

The movie is based on an unperformed sketch I wrote for the Miracle Players before my sister fired me. Not bitter he said as he washed down his Vicadin with some Ketel One. Not sure why I got to thinking about this “concept” (“we need funding to make it an idea”), but I did and Fred Armisen popped a wheelie in my skull.

Don’t know Fred and I’m not about to research his reps. However, I’m hoping that he’s a vainglorious celebrity who googles his own name incessantly. Therefore: Fred Armisen, Fred Armisen, Fred Armisen.

Let’s make magic.

Colbert puts our minds at ease again. You’re welcome.

Cartoon-loving NY Times film critic A.O. Scott had the unenviable task of having to review a grown up movie, Christopher Nolan’s “Inception.” Scott’s tepid review is based on his premise that the plot needs to be taken literally. He’s admits to feeling uneasy at the beginning of the film because of what he perceives to be an awkward time shift. As if one were in a dream?

His lazy review goes on to criticize the film for sharing the same actor and a similar plot development as Martin Scorcese’s “Shutter Island.” While Leonardo DiCaprio is outstanding in both movies, you will not feel cheated by the ending of “Inception” that you may have felt from “Shutter Island.”

“Inception” works because, as Christopher Nolan has explored in all of his movies, perception and memory are not reliable. Unlike “Memento,” “Insomnia” and “The Prestige” however, we as an audience don’t know what our protagonist does not know. Is Cobb dreaming the entire time? Is someone else? And like most dreams which don’t follow a linear plot, shouldn’t we be more concerned with signs and symbols than the plausibility of what is happening?

My only criticism of the film is that Ken Watanabe’s English was a major challenge. When in doubt: use subtitles. If the Gallagher brothers of the defunct band Oasis didn’t mind subtitles I’m sure K-Wat wouldn’t care either. And they’re British!

So why pick on A.O. Scott for his less than enthusiastic review? Well, Mr. Scott (to use a pretentious Times device) obviously felt a backlash from film lovers. He used a hell of a lot of column inches in the Sunday Times to defend his review after it was pointed out that his head was firmly up his own ass.

He claims over-hyping may have lead film enthusiasts to want to love the film, while he, the unbiased critic only wanted to share with them his truth. However, his review and his defense both point to a bias against Christopher Nolan movies. He evens goes out of his way to mention that “The Dark Knight” was over-rated. Really? By whom, your fellow Times critic Manhola Dargis who gave it a glowing review and listed it in her Top Ten of 2008. Scott excluded “The Dark Knight” from his Top Films of 2008 but found room to include the cartoon “Ratatouille” and the cartoonish “Knocked Up.”

Scott would have you believe that critics are blank slates simply reporting on what they see. If that were the case then why constantly compare “Inception” to movies that he liked better, like the completely over-rated “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Oops. He ends his apologia with this thought: “Just as critics need to operate in good faith, so should consumers of criticism proceed from the assumption of good faith. We may be wrong, but we tend to say what we mean.”

Fair enough, Ay-Oh, but then why suggest that people see the movie twice? Hoping that they will eventually agree with you? My god, man, what an Inception!

The much antioxidant new release from the Arcade Fire comes out tomorrow, not today. They were featured in the Sunday Times, so I have a bad feeling about this record. The article even sucked a quote out of Bono, so be warned. Best Buy is already promoting it for $10 – so suck it local record dealer. And keep your weed too!

Here’s the new “single” from the Pernice Brothers to suffer the slings

Pernice Brothers – “Jacqueline Susann” from Ashmont Records on Vimeo.

If 1967 was the Summer of Love, then surely 2010 is the Summer of the Apocalypse. Unstoppable oil gushers, endless wars and the inability of a Democratic-controlled Congress to pass an extension of unemployment benefits. And we’re talking about a huge Democratic majority here. Bush pushed his tax cuts for the wealthy through with the slimmest of majorities. Was that guy a leader, or what?

Of course, the Summer of Love was defined mainly by the music people were purchasing, as well as their long, dirty hair and their sex without commitment ethos. Will this summer enjoy a similar remembrance based on its soundtrack?

Well, our friends, The Hold Steady are certainly trying. Gone are the whimsical days with keyboardist extraordinaire Franz Nicolay, and in his place stands a guitar army. Sign me up, G.I. Sadly, this concert was marred by the editorial staff being possessed by the spirits and the spirit of Leland Palmer. Our Muslim friend, Christian, managed to secure a VIP section for us and we all did our best to play “rock star.” Drinks were spilled – literally on the people beneath us (weren’t they all – aha). For some reason, my jeans kept falling down every time I did my bouncing 80’s dance moves. It was just like Scouts …last week.

Of course, Christian had the last keen. He was at least sober enough to track down the band and go bar hopping. My picture with Craig Finn remains untaken. FINN!!!!

As for their latest record, Heaven is Whenever, it took a few listens before I warmed to it. They really miss Nicolay, who, inexplicably, is touring with Against Me!. I know they don’t want to repeat themselves but I think Holly and Gideon need to make a return appearance.

(Interlude 1: Still holding out from seeing both “Funny People” and “Grown Ups.” I think there are only about 10 people who still think of Adam Sandler as being funny. Of course, there is only 1 person who thinks Rob Schneider is funny. That person? Adam Sandler.)

Still on the concert scene, we used the time machine to catch Midlake for a late 60s/ early 70s show featuring an acoustic guitar army and plenty of flute solos. Their latest offering, The Courage of Others, does not follow in the accessible footsteps of its predecessor, Van Occupanther, however, it is a damn good record just the same. Heavy on the British Folk scene sound and barleycorn imagery, Tim Smith seems to be channeling fellow Texans Shearwater (who also have a new release that I haven’t gotten around to buying yet.)

Oh, about the pictures from the show. See, Dennis Natale, who was mentioned in a previous post for not lending me St. Vincent in time for me to include in the Best of 2009 took about 300 pictures of Midlake. On the plus side, he lent me St. Vincent. Still waiting for a picture.

Hey, if you’re going on a CD buying binge (wink), new releases by some of our favorites including New Pornographers, Teenage Fan Club, Stars, Pernice Brothers, and Frightened Rabbit are available. We’ll probably also snag Sleigh Bells and Beach House eventually.

Of course, the CD of the Year so far has to be High Violet by the National. Her Mims has bought 4 copies and a driedel. Fantastic. The songs are brain vampires. Each one a potential Grammily winner if the Grammilies weren’t run by assholes. And the winner is…Steve Miller for his comeback record of new blues classics written by Rob Thomas and produced by Rick Rubin. By the way, that’s me and Matt Berringer taken at a 2005 show. We’ll be seeing the lads on September 25th. Hope I get a better snappy.

(Interlude 2: started a new band that combines neo- dance, punk sensibilities, twee and klezmer called Hymen Hrothgar. Check it.)

Finally, I ran into Miles Kurowsky having lunch at Whole Foods the day after I blew off his show. Miles claimed it was his greatest show ever. Guess I’ll never know. He should be touring through the rest of the year, so please make the effort that I didn’t and see him. Oh, and buy his great new CD, The Desert of Shallow Effects. Here’s his latest video. Enjoy!

Making fun of right wing nuts, Fox ghouls and Palinistas is a hobby here at Le Philistine. However, we always did so with our Gene Simmons-like tongue epoxied to our cheek. We always laughed “near them” knowing that the U.S.A. is not some backwater former Soviet Republic. For every Tea Party enthusiast there are hundreds of Ivy League educated leaders using their “thinking machines” to improve lives and make this is a better, though somewhat, oilier world.

Then along comes Sharron Angle, the Tea Party U.S. Senate candidate turned Republican primary winner in Nevada, who has taken heat for a number of extreme affiliations and policy positions that sound like they originated in the Asian Steppes. One of her more incendiary comments was a statement she made during a radio interview last January in which she proclaimed the public would bring down an out-of-control Congress with “Second Amendment remedies.”

Angle also used the threat of “Second Amendment remedies” if she doesn’t win the election against Harry Reid in November. Has she learned nothing from history? At least the decent right wing nuts of Minnesota had the common sense to tamper with Senator Paul Wellstone’s plane and not shoot him to achieve their goals. Oops.

Of course, Angle’s political theories on how to manage a government sound eerily similar to situations in Asia. Kyrgyzstan’s interim leader Rosa Otunbayeva said recently that the death toll from savage ethnic violence and “second amendment remedies” in the south of the country could be as high as 2,000. Hundreds of thousands of ethic Uzbeks were forced to flee their homes as un-friendly fire descended upon them from their neighbors and co-workers.

Kyrgyzstan, having just survived a bloody coup, took the opportunity of having a weak government to exterminate many of their fellow citizens. Could this same remedy be in store for the illegal hospitality workers of Las Vegas if Angle Annie Oakley gets elected?

And what of our ally Hamid Karzai, The Big Feta of Afghanistan? Although the Taliban insurgency remains the greatest threat to Afghanistan’s stability, graft at almost every level of society remains a major complaint of ordinary Afghans and anyone shady enough to be doing business with the country. In Afghan society, “second amendment remedies” are a way of life. Just ask Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

To her credit, Angle has made a number of truly bat-shit crazy suggestions. Abolish Social Security? Check. Abolish Medicare? Check. Deny abortions to victims of rape? Holy Check! See, God even has a plan for an ill-conceived little life form. Who cares if it’s existence is a constant reminder to Mom that she wants to blow her brains out. Not Sharron Angle.

The Tea Party: It Has to be a Democratic Ploy to Hold onto Power! Right? Is this on?

With less than 30 months to go before the next presidential election, Sarah Palin is back to book learnin’. Still stinging from the revelations in the book “Game Change” that showed Sarah believing that Saddam was behind 9-11, that Africa was a country, and that the Founding Fathers of America all came over together on the Mayflower and literally “found” America, she has decided to “get smart!” Wearing her smart glasses and her smarty pants, Sarah has been studying with noted conservative scholars at the Heritage Foundation to prepare for her eventual debates with Barack Obama.

However, according to sources, it isn’t going as well as some had hoped. Some concepts remain out of her ability to grasp. From her curriculum, come these exchanges:

Please describe the peace process in the Middle East? (Jesus was the Prince of Peace and he was a Jew, right? I mean, Jewish American.)

What are the major tenants of Islam? (Seems like theys all named Mohammed. Todd said they eat babies.)

Describe the relationship between the U.S. and China: (Oh, we even got a Chineyman in Wasilla. He runs the Clorox and Sudafed store. He don’t have front teeth.)

When news of these answers were leaked, Ms. Palin’s approval ratings soared. Rupert Murdoch was so impressed by the nuances of her answers that he proposed to replace Chris Wallace with Palin as the host of “Fox Sunday.”

In a related story, Todd Palin has sold the rights to his life story to Kevin Federline for a posted-dated check in the amount of “like a trillion dollars.”

Hell’s Parish, LA, – Business Week reports leaks that restaurant giant McDonald’s Corp. has made an initial offer of $2.5 billion for the naming rights to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. If the offer is accepted, then going forward all media references to the oil disaster will have to refer to the “McDonald’s Oil Contamination of the Gulf Coast.” No word yet on whether or not BP is ready to accept the offer.

“We see tremendous synergies between the oil spill and our menu,” said McDonald’s spokesperson, Ted “Whitey” Wertman. “When people think of oil and greasy residue, especially in the deep southern states, we want them to think of McDonald’s.”

As they continue to think of new ways to stop the ocean bottom oil gusher, BP has remained the top story in the 24-hour news cycle for nearly 40 days. While their inability to prevent or even lessen the worst man-made disaster ever inflicted on North America continues, BP remains an easily identifiable brand in the market. In fact, retail sales of BP gasoline have never been higher.

“It’s a win for BP right now,” said Mark Penn, CEO of PR juggernaut Burson Marsteller. “No press is bad press, right? People aren’t really paying attention anymore to the apocalyptic nature of the disaster, they’re just remembering the brand. Why BP would give that up, well, it’s mind-boggling.”

If the naming rights deal goes through, Wertman said that McDonald’s plans to reintroduce Super Sizing, as well as a new “disaster” menu which will include replacing the Quarter Pounder with a Half Pounder, the Big Mac with the Huge Mac and featuring the Filet O’Fish with a new Skull and Crossbones design.

“We’re pumped,” said Wertman. “Coke is on board and plans to develop a gallon sized drink container. And we are in negotiations with Phillip Morris to provide smokes in all of our Happy Meals. It’s all about families. We couldn’t be more excited.”

The launch of the oil spill naming rights will include a concert by rock super stars R.E.M. at the Louisiana Superdome provided McDonald’s can also buy the rights to the band’s song, “It’s The End of the World As We Know It.”