Phantogram of the Opera!

Boo! It's the spookiest post of the year!  Happy Halloween to everyone.  I am sure if everyone is like my wife, you are making your final preparations to hand out candy tomorrow for the trick-or-treaters.  Tonight was spent carving pumpkins (see picture above...Jamie and I carved that baby together).  We cracked a bottle of one of my dad's favorite wine, Garnacha de Fuego, which is from Spain.  In the spirit of ranking the wine by eyebrows, definitely two eyebrows up.  It's an easy go to for parties and gifts.  Check it out.

This week I also tried a new IPA.  This IPA is brewed and bottled by Widmer Brothers Brewing from Portland, Oregon.  Its part of the Rotator IPA Series and is called X-114 IPA.  This beer packs good flavor and hops.  The hops are more suttle in this IPA than most, but it really does have a good citrus finish, much like a Pale Ale.  It's a good beer for carving pumpkins!  For that I give X-114 IPA:

ONE EYEBROW UP!

This weeks pick didn't come til late in the week.  I ended up selecting a song on inderockcafe.com website, from their new music page.  It is from the band Phantogram, which I had never heard of.  The song is called,"Don't Move," and it is off of their currently unreleased CD "Nightlife."  I know the song starts off like a CD played in a Sony 1996 10 second ESP Discman, but the song progresses really quickly with the beat, and much of the lyrics, my favorite being,"I'm not your drinking problem."  It's not typically a song I would listen to a lot, but for some reason I find it catchy, so you are just gonna have to give it a listen and see how it makes you feel inside.  If you feel like dancing...join the club.  If you hate it...tune in next week!  So here you go:

Phantogram - "Don't Move"

Gotye

Welcome back to another exciting week of music and beer.  We have reach a milestone on the blog of 800 page views, so go ahead and take a minute to pat yourselves on the back for all of the support of my blog.  For about a month I thought the blog was just going to go away, but the tides have changed, and I am now writing back to back weeks!  This week is exciting in the fact that I have both a fun new song and a great beer to go with it, so buckle in, grab your IPA, put in your headphones and let's listen to some musics!

This weeks beer is actually not an IPA.  I walked Gorda across the street yesterday to Berbiglia (the neighborhood liquor store) and pick up a Dubbel from the Boulevard Brewing Company's Smokestack Series.  Boulevard as we all know is brewed right here in Kansas City.  The beer is called Nommo Dubbel and is more of a malt beer than a hoppy IPA.  I was excited because it was more of a fall beer brewed with molasses and spices, so I figure tis the season.  It has a darker color and is very rich in flavor.  It is 8.1% alcohol as well, which as always a plus in my book.  Well worth a try! Here's to not remembering!  For that I give Nommo Dubbel

ONE EYEBROW UP!

Now that you are nice and buzzed up...music time!  This week's pick was also an easy one.  It came recommended from my sister-in-law's boyfriend Marcus.  Marcus hails all the way from New Zealand and told me about this song.  Gotye is an Aussie, and Kimbra is from New Zealand, and apparently this song is very popular "down under" right now.  I can see why, because it gets stuck in my head all of the time!  Gotye reminds me a lot of Peter Gabriel, which might scare you off at first, but as when you hear the song, you will like it!  The Peter Gabriel sound comes across a lot in the song "I Feel Better." So without further adeau...

Gotye - "Somebody That I Used to Know"

Gotye - "I Feel Better"

I also added this song from Kimbra (who is featured in Somebody that I Used to Know).  Jamie really likes it.  Not to bad...

Creature From the Black Youth Lagoon

Welcome to another week of musics!  A few side notes before we get to the music.  Saturday (Oct. 15) was my one year anniversary.  One year ago yesterday I was standing in a gazebo in Mexico getting married to my best friend.  I love you Jamie.  I would also like to congratulate my friend Nofel because on Friday he was getting married in a gazebo in Mexico!  Wish we were there!  There are no new followers this week so we can probably just cut right to the chase. 

This week's IPA comes from a stones throw from my house.  It was brewed at 75th Street Brewery in Waldo (which is a small area of Kansas City.)  I stopped in today on my way home from costume shopping, which was horribly unsuccessful because both stores were closed, and picked up a 1/2 gallon growler of Good Hope IPA.  I was really excited to try this one because it is so local.  They had a choice of two IPAs, and I unfortunately I think I chose wrong!  The Good Hope IPA tastes a little bit watered down, and lacks that big hop taste that I really enjoy.  So for that I give Good Hope IPA

One eyebrow down.  I hope there is good hope for 75th St. Brews other IPA.

Now buckle up folks because it's pick of the week time!  This week was about an easy a pick as they come.  This pick comes from the band Youth Lagoon.  It is there first LP, and I am not sure if there is a single song on the album that I dislike.  Every song is excellent.  I highly recommend giving it a listen.  You will not be let down.  I have chosen two songs off of the album, because I couldn't choose just one.  So here you go.  I hope you like!

Youth Lagoon - 17

Youth Lagoon - Cannons

See you suckers next week (or month)

Crushed Red Pepper Rabbit

I know, I know, I said weekly blog, but it's starting to look more like a monthly thing.  I have been so mad at myself for not writing my blog lately, but I think I am gonna get back on the wagon.  These past few weeks have been so crazy, I just haven't made time to sit down and write this thing.  Terrible excuse, I agree.  I gotta give the people what they want, and that it IPAs and musics.  So on that note I am just going to continue business as usual.

This weeks IPA comes from North County San Diego, called Stone IPA and I likey.  It has the hops kick that I know and love.  There is something that I love about a bitter, hoppy beer, and this IPA doesn't lack in either category, and for that Stone IPA...I give you...

 

TWO EYEBROWS UP!

And now to the music (the Nebraska-Wisconsin game is about to start, so this is not gonna be that deep).  This weeks (months) pick comes from the band Pepper Rabbit.  Pepper Rabbit is a band from Los Angeles, CA.  I just started to listening to the CD this week, and have been hooked since the first listen.  My favorite song so far is called,"Rose Mary Stretch."  Without further adeau...

Pepper Rabbit!

Sufjan Stevens; making volcanoes erupt...

New week, new song, new blog.  This blog is actually a week overdue.  I was planning on writing this last Saturday, and this was intended to be a weekly blog, but I might have had one too many IPAs that night and was not able to complete my task.  So instead of last Saturday, you get it this Monday.  I was like to welcome the 19th follower to the blog David.  Welcome aboard sir.  You will be issued your standard sailor uniform and cap in the coming weeks. 

Last Saturday's IPA comes from my hometown of Papillion, NE.  My family and friend Jake were in town last week for golf, so my dad was kind enough to bring a couple IPAs to try.  This week's IPA is called Hop God.  It is a Belgian IPA brewed at the Nebraska Brewing Company.  It was a very good beer.  It had a great citrus taste and aroma, and got me pretty drunk!  So for that Hop God, you get:

TWO EYEBROWS UP!

Now to the pick of the week.  I have been listening to the new Beirut so much, that I didn't really find any new albums to select from, so I chose a song off of Sufjan Steven's Age of Adz LP.  This CD is new this year, so it is not that dated.  The truth about this CD, is that when I first listened to it I was kind of turned off because it is so different than music he had put put before.  I loved the previously albums so I felt let down by the new sound, and really didn't listen to it much.  Luckily for my I started listening to it again about 3 weeks ago, and have really started to like it a lot.  My current favorite song on the album is "Vesuvius."  It is the one song on the album that sounds most like his older stuff.  If you have never heard of Sufjan, I highly suggest listening to his old albums.   They are extremely good, and well worth the listen.  Hope you like it!

Sufjan Stevens - "Vesuvius"

And now this (I know this is old, but I just listened to it again recently after a couple years and it is still funny)...

Let's Get to the Beirut of This Folks!

It's me again, Dan Cutler, for another week of senseless music blabber.  No new followers this week, so no one to recognize on another life changing decision.  I am excited about tonights blog.  The first time I heard this pick of the week I couldn't wait to write my blog.  This may be my favorite pick to date, and possibly my favorite song of the year.  Since hearing this song for the first time yesterday, I have listened to it at least 15 times it's so good.  Before the sappy love poems about the band I picked week, let us get to the IPA of the week.

This weeks IPA comes from San Diego, CA.  It was a new item at Lukas Liquors (advertised by a big red arrow that said "new item" on it) and I had to try it!  It is called West Coast IPA and is made by Green Flash Brewing Company.  It has much extreme hops, and I like.  At first glance I thought it would be a lonely eyebrow up, but after further review and a hops chop to the tongue, I dub this beer:

 Two Eyebrows Up folks!

Now it's time....the moment we have all been waiting for....the pick of the week.  The story began on a wild spring break trip with two friends, the ends with a boy becoming a man.  After 6 days, 9 states, a new tattoo, and an overnight in a Houston, TX park I was standing at a bar watching an unfamiliar band at SXSW in Austin, TX.  I had never heard of this band, but they were sandwiched to play between the Mountain Goats, Blonde Redhead and Voxtrot, so I had to watch...and I had to idea what was coming!  What unraveled on stage was one of the best concerts I had ever seen.  12 people on stage playing instruments I had never heard of.  Incredibly what came out was a Eastern European sound with a certain romanticism built in.  The name of the band is Beirut.  They have recently released a new album called The Riptide and the song is called "East Harlem."  The second I heard this song I knew it was the pick of the week, and there is no song I can find to top it.  If you haven't got Beirut, then you need to get it, but if you have already got it, then obviously you get it! So here you go for the pick of the week...

Beirut - East Harlem

And now this...

Jens Lekman

Welcome to another week, another band, another blog.  I would like to welcome the newest follower, a late bloomer, my brother Andy Cutler.  Welcome aboard sir, you have missed so much.  In recent news, I attended my 10 year high school reunion last week!  What a blast that was...

Unfortunately this week I have not come prepared with a new beer.  I happen to be enjoying a Busch Light.  This is a beer made in St. Louis, MO by the Anheuser Busch Brewing Co.  In the world of domestic beers it's not too shabby.  One eyebrow up folks.

I have to admit I have been quite the slacker this week and have not been partaking in any new music.  Because of the I have chosen Jens Lekman as my music pick of the week.  Jens is a singer/songwriter form Sweden. He is more of a folk artist but I really enjoy his music.  His songs tend to be slow, but at the same time weird and fun.  The first song I have decided to introduce to my bloggers is called Postcard to Nina.  This is a song about a lesbian who is scared to tell her Catholic parents that she is gay, so Jens visits her parents with her posing as a boyfriend.  It unfolds as a funny story of dinner and awkward conversation.  One of my favorite lyrics are: "I get a little nervous and change the subject/I put my hand on some metal object/He jokes and tells me it's a lie detector."  Love it.  The second song I would like to share is call Jens Lekman's Farewell Song to Rocky Dennis.  I actually just learned tonight that Rocky Dennis is the real life person behind the movie Mask with Cher.  At any rate, both songs are great so check them out!

Postcard to Nina:

Jens Lekman's Farewell Song to Rocky Dennis:

And now this...