"I'm not in love with turkey dinner, I was a fork pushing the white meat back to the pans."

If you're seeking a funnier blog that I finalized last Thanksgiving, please visit this page.

I theme everything else in the world; so why not Thanksgiving?

Many years ago, I might've listened to Green Day's "Macy's Day Parade" as a method of theme. In fact, I recall doing just that. Now, however, things aren't quite the same. Two years ago, I listened to such greats like the Magnetic Field's Holiday (not sure Thanksgiving is quite the holiday Mr. Merritt meant), Brian Eno & David Byrne's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (while playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, I believe this was my first listen to the album and I've listened to this album each subsequent Thanksgiving), Interpol's Turn on the Bright Lights, Modest Mouse's This Is a Long Drive..., Sufjan Stevens' Illinois and Cat Power's You Are Free. Last year, it was M. Ward's Post War, Grizzly Bear's Yellow House, Nina Nastasia & Jim White's You Follow Me and Panda Bear's Person Pitch. Finally, this year, I listened to Yellow House on vinyl, Eno & Bryne as usual, Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury, Nina Nastasia again, the new Cat Power EP, M. Ward again, The Walkmen's You & Me, and one that may likely be my constant tradition now: Neil Young's Harvest. It only makes sense.

I can understand if you didn't read that. I should be sleeping. Tomorrow is the big day. Black Friday. But, no, I want to spend my time here with you, so I'm going to wrap up the concerts I've seen lately in the most unprofessional way possible. Let's hit it!

I still have to talk about Radiohead's concert in August some day, maybe. Plus, there was a Silver Jews show (possibly their 4th live show in their career) that I saw, and I found it endearing although my experience didn't have the battery throwing chaos of this show in Portland.

On November 2nd, I saw Wolf Parade and Listening Party at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio. Contrary to some confusion, it was not a 'listening party' for the new Wolf Parade album (thankfully). Instead, there was a bizarre indie rock version of music from the Lion King, from what I gathered. Or, at least, it might as well been. The animated film was much more memorable, though. Our concerns were officially alleviated when Wolf Parade took the stage and ripped through most of their output. "Kissing the Beehive", in my estimation, was always meant for the stage. And, no, that isn't a Decemberists reference. Much of the At Mount Zoomer selection fit nicely alongside cuts from my favorite album of 2005, Apologies to the Queen Mary.

The live setting only reinforced the simple elements that stabilized Apologies as one of the strongest releases of recent years. Compared to the new album, their debut simply had great hooks, memorable lines and perfect pacing (perhaps omitting the meandering "Dinner Bells") that they knew better than to attempt to replicate on this year's album, which dipped into prog-rock and found Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug working more cohesively as a songwriting unit. Since the release of Apologies, each member has proven themselves to be a single force outside of supergroup Wolf Parade, with Sunset Rubdown and Handsome Furs, but this show proves that they can achieve even greater things together.

That'll have to do for now. I really must be catching those elusive Z's. And, I don't mean My Morning Jacket's 2005 album.

PS: MMJ. Please, erase Evil Urges from my memory with a new, improved album very, very soon.

Speaking of which, eh, why not- here's a brief biggest disappointment list for 2008:

My Morning Jacket
TV on the Radio
Tapes 'n Tapes
The Streets
That a new Radiohead album hasn't surprisingly fallen into my lap like one should every year
That I missed Tom Waits live in concert
That I'm not rich, a best-selling author and/or a critic's music darling (yet)
That I haven't taken more time to play Wii
That it took me this long to finish Kerouac's On the Road
That the film adaptation of McCarthy's The Road was postponed
That I still have to wait for new Animal Collective, Junior Boys, The Avalanches and others (until 2009, unless they leak soon)

Coming Soon:

Review of Little Joy & Deerhunter concerts
Review of the new Zou album
Insert random quip here, add chuckle

Oh boy, I've lost the funnies. I've lost the ability to laugh at the world. Or, maybe it just gained the ability to laugh at me, and subsequently, I stopped laughing. Either way, something something... punchline.