Top 2009 albums

7. Animal Collective - Fall be Kind EP The second half of Graze!!! I Think I Can; What Would I want? Sky deliver too

6. Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth Lovesick teenagers never die :)

5. Wild Beasts - Wild Beasts Watch me! Watch me! The belle of the ball!

4. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms Cut Copy/m83 hybrid - wonderful surreal summer sounds

3. Atlas Sound - Logos AMAZING

2. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest This was so close to being number 1: achingly beautiful - heady summer; youth, vitality

1. Animal Collective - Merriwether Post Pavillion THIS ALBUM IS BASICALLY PERFECT

Stuff I listened to that didn't come out this year:

Bonnie Prince Billy - I See a Darkness Trent Reznor take note: what nihilism should sound like

Built to Spill - Keep it Like a Secret Woah: Not all 90s rock is shit! :o
Interpol - Our Love to Admire Coming to terms with the fact that I ignored this for 2 years on the basis of Pitchfork's lukewarm rating (yea, I'm that lame). Not as good as their first 2 albums, but still good

Lightbulbs are the devil

Apparently, we've only got 3 more days to buy standard light bulbs before EU legislation banning them comes into effect.

THANKS BRUSSELS!

It's not the government's fault you're a fat loser

The myth of the political messiah is probably as bad today as in the Roman Empire: it's not the government's job to make you a better person!

More delightful madness from everybody's favourite lolbertarian, Ron Paul, here.

Gotta get big!

You've gotta feel bad for Rybakou, weightlifting's best runner up. Silver in Beijing and Athens:

DO NOT SMOKE ROMEO AND JULIETS

Seriously, nearly killed me

Logos

Patrick Cox is basically my gangly super hero; how a guy that looks like Napoleon Dynamite can produce such wonderful music is beyond me, but the new Atlas Sound delivers!

Just check the praise it's been getting:

"Listening to the new Atlas Sound...fucking amazing album." - stylish internet dude

"consistently out of this park" - stylish asian internet dude

Barry's To-Do List Uncovered

So I happened to be at a basketball game and stumbled across The One's diary :O

Obama Peace Prize

"The only way this could be more ridiculous would be if it was the Nobel prize in Economics." - Agnacious

Glad to see affirmative blacktion working well on the judging panel.

A World Without Lies

...is a world without fiction?

That's what Ricky Gervais said in response to whether he thought lying was acceptable during an interview for his new film The Invention of Lying. But using the creative faculties to produce works of fiction only becomes lying when the creator claims his work is true/real (hi Dan Brown).

MARC JACOBS

MARC JACOBS!

Thanks Marcus

Oooh boy, someone's got the entirety of the Cowboy Bebop franchise to watch :)

Sighpants

Man's gotta control his internet addiction:

I must say it's quite concerning that half of these sites revolve around replays of a computer game released 7 years ago :P

If you're looking for an internet filter, I can't recommend K9 Web Protection enough: it's cloud-based, lightweight and free.

Where would I be if I'd taken self control seriously 8 years ago? :o

Age/Sex/Evangelical?

Ask Paster John!

love you really :)

You Must Create

What a cool name for a clothing company. I can't wait to read Art and Soul once I've got enough time (the irony of saying this as I write a blog doesn't escape me). Also fun: Obedient Sons.

BAD

Paradigm-shifting, martyr-inspiring, wallet-retiring audio from John Piper - God is the Gospel!!!

What's in Your Bag?

In the spirit of the flikr page:

My bag was fairly heavy today, which is surprising, considering that I left both my balaclava and trusty rohypnol on the bedside table this morning. On further pondering this image, it's clear that I've been pushing too many pencils recently - roll on healed shoulder!

And note the tie: coz people just don't trust haggard doctors these days...