My Top 10 Favorite Indie Albums of 2009

These are in no particular order. They all came out with new albums this past year. Most I’ve listened to for years but a couple are new to me.

• The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love
• Franz Ferdinand – Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
• Heartless Bastards – The Mountain (new to me)
• Brendan Benson – My Old, Familiar Friend
• Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
• Muse – The Resistance
• Blind Pilot – 3 Rounds and a Sound (1st album)
• White Rabbits – It’s Frightening
• Sondre Lerche – Heartbeat Radio
• Regina Spektor – Far

Plus 3 EPs: I am so looking forward to the full albums coming out.

• Spoon – Got Nuffin (EP)
• Death Cab for Cutie – The Open Door (EP)
• Modest Mouse – No One’s First and You’re Next (EP)

Buckyballs – My Favorite XMas Toy

I made all these shapes from the tiny 216 rare earth magnets you get with Buckyballs. I’ve been addicted to them. My Mom got them for me after hearing a geek XMas shopping list on NPR. I gave up trying to figure out how to make a cube and found plenty of video instructions and other demonstrations. You can get Buckyballs here. It’s named after Fullerenes, which is named after R. Buckminster Fuller.

Brazil Nuts Are Radioactive!

Actually all foods have radiation. But Brazil nuts have 1000 times more than most. That’s a lot for a food. But you’d have to eat a pound to get the radiation of 1 x-ray or 2 flights across the Atlantic. In fact, doctors generally agree that the health benefits of Brazil nuts out weigh the risk of their radiation. To me, this is similar to the issue of mercury in tuna. The tuna is better for you than the mercury is bad. The moderation doctors have been recommending lately is 2 to 3 cans a week (or some other fish).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil_nut#Nutrition
http://www.orau.org/PTP/collection/consumer%20products/consumer.htm

What do the Turkish call turkeys?

They call them hindis. That’s because they thought they came from India. When America was discovered by Europeans, they thought turkeys looked like some other bird imported from Turkey. That’s why they call them turkeys. So Europeans thought they came from Turkey and the Turkish thought they came from India. But turkeys come from America. Every time I tell a kid there’s a country called Turkey, they ask why would anyone name their country after such an ugly bird? Ha!

Best New (to me) Indie Bands of 2008

Yes, I know. I’m a year behind. I always am. Every winter, I download hundreds of free and legal songs from my favorite best-of sites and I have to listen to them ten times before I can decide if I really like them and buy more. I do have one for 2009 so far.

• Heartless Bastards – The Mountain – third album – My favorite song – Out at Sea

And for the best new (to me) indie bands of 2008

• The Ting Tings – We Started Nothing – First Album – My favorite song is That’s Not My Name.
• Ida Maria – Fortress Round My Heart – First album – I can’t pick a favorite.
• Santogold – First album – My favorite song is Lights Out.
• Blind Pilot – 3 Rounds and a Sound – First album – My favorate songs are Paint Or Pollen and Go On, Say It.
• The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely – Second album; the first was in 2006 – My favorite songs are Many Shades of Black and Consoler Of The Lonely.
• What Made Milwaukee Famous – What Doesn’t Kill Us – Second album; the first was in 2006 – My favorite song is Cheap Wine.
• Why? – Alopecia – Third album; the first was in 2005 – My favorite songs are The Vowels Pt. 2 and Fatalist Palmistry.