Friday, February 14, 2025

Best of 1999 Mix

 

The end of the 90's. We were all so worried about Y2K back in 1999 but the music for the most part that stood out to me is what I think of as fun music. I didn't realize it, but this would be the last Everything But the Girl album for more than 20 years, it dominates 1999 for me.

20. Never Let You Go by Third Eye Blind
     There were a lot of these bands in the late 90's.  Not sure why they all went away.  We are getting a lot of music today influenced by the late 90's and early 2000's but I don't really hear this sound coming back at all.  

19. Cowboy Take Me Away by The Chicks
     Maybe the most important Gen X country band, especially in terms of the influence they had.  

18. If You Had My Love by Jennifer Lopez
     I just remember my wife was really into this song, so it sticks with me.  

17. Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega
     The most 1999 thing ever.  

16. The Bad Touch by Bloodhound Gang
     I found my way to this song from the movie Loser.

15. All My Little Words by The Magnetic Fields
     This is such a wonderful song.  The word unboyfriendable is genius.  

14. I Try by Macy Gray
     She has a unique voice, but also she's a good vocalist.  

13. No Difference by Everything But the Girl
     The beauty of Everything But the Girl was always their lyrics and this didn't change when they went to doing electronic music.  Being in your 30's can be tough.  

12. The Otherside by Red Hot Chili Peppers
     I just love the sound of this song.  

11. Someday by Sugar Ray
     A fun band.  This song makes me think of driving out to Joshua Tree National Park.  

10. What's My Age Again? by blink-182
     Another one from the Loser soundtrack.  

9. Thank You by Dido
     Maybe this is the most 1999 thing ever.  

8. Stars All Seem to Weep by Beth Orton
     Beth Orton was for me one of those artists I probably would have liked more if I had given her more of a chance.  I'm pretty sure this album was produced by Ben Watt of Everything But the Girl.  

7. Five Fathoms by Everything But the Girl
     I'm happy that Tracey Thorn and Beth Orton are friends, every so often she'll post about them doing something together on BlueSky.  A great song if you are going out on the city.  

6. Every Morning by Sugar Ray
     This makes me think of driving around LA.  

5. Steal My Sunshine by LEN
     Don't know what else they ever did, but this song is fun.  

4. Blame by Everything But the Girl
     Again it's hard being in your 30's especially if you have regrets about a past love affair.  

3. Save Me by Aimee Mann
     We all came to this from the Magnolia soundtrack.  Such a great comeback moment.  

2. Forget About It by Alison Krauss
     When Krauss nails it she nails it.  

1. Temperamental by Everything But the Girl
     I love this song.  Lyrically it's great and I love how they constructed it.  Again they are dealing with issues that I think we all equate more with people in their 30's.  

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Classic SEC Standings

The Classic SEC is on a roll in men's basketball, with Auburn, Alabama, and Florida all ranked in the AP top 3.  Here's how Ken Pom sees the league:

1.  Auburn:  21-2
4.  Tennessee:  20-4
5.  Florida:  20-3
6.  Alabama:  20-3
19.  Mississippi:  18-6
22.  Kentucky:  16-7
31.  Mississippi St:  17-6
38.  Georgia:  16-8
48.  Vanderbilt:  17-6
81.  Louisiana St:  12-11

UK has a home win over Florida and a road win over Tennessee, but their losses at Vandy and Georgia are really hurting them.  Today the Cats host Tennessee, and to me this game feels like the key to their season.  If they could win this game, they would sweep the Vols and establish themselves as a serious threat to almost anyone they play.  But if they lose, they will likely fall out of the AP top 20 (they are currently 15), and will be at risk of terrible seeding in both the SEC and NCAA Tournament.  The rest of their schedule is brutal (AP rankings in parentheses):

2/11:  (5) TENNESSEE
2/15:  at Texas
2/19:  VANDERBILT
2/22:  (2) at Alabama
2/26:  at Oklahoma
3/1:  (1) AUBURN
3/4:  LOUISIANA ST.
3/8:  (21) at Missouri

Remember, they have to win at least four of these games to finish 9-9 in conference play.  Assuming they beat Vandy and LSU at home, that means that they must either beat Texas or Oklahoma on the road, or beat a team that is currently ranked.

K-Pom gives UK a 41 percent chance tonight against the Vols.  He likes You Tee by the score of 74 to 72.  But to be fair, he thought the Vols were going to win in Knoxville a few weeks ago.

Friday, February 7, 2025

Best of 1998 Mix

 

So 1998 was a big year in my life. I had met my future wife and we were dating.  I was really getting into web programming, this would later lead to a job I would have, but music wise I wasn't listening to that much new music.  There were two big albums that year for me.  The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Ray of Light from Madonna.  Ray of Light was definitely my album of the year.  It's the best album Madonna ever made and really should get more attention than it does.  

20. What It's Like by Everlast
     I tend to like Everlast when I listen to him, just don't do it that often.  

19. Thank U by Alanis Morissette
     She came and went so fast.

18. One Week by Barenaked Ladies
     These guys came and went so fast as well.  So many do in music. 

17. Wide Open Spaces by The Chicks
     A great country pop song.  

16. Slide by Goo Goo Dolls
     Wow this list is full of people who came and went.  

15.  Celebrity Skin by Hole
     Maybe that's because this music came out almost 30 years ago.  

14. Babylon by David Gray
     My wife was a big David Gray fan.  

13. It's All Been by Barenaked Ladies
     These guys were good.  

12. Kind and Generous by Natalie Merchant
     I just couldn't get on board with Natalie Merchant solo.  

11. Hands by Jewel
     I really liked her first album but that was about it for me.  She would put out these occasional singles that I would like, and then she made a kids album that we played a lot when our second child was young.  

10. Ex-Factor by Lauryn Hill
     This is a great album.  Not best album of all time great, but still a great album.  

9. Skin by Madonna
     In 1998 I would get up every morning around 4am.  I'd spend an hour working on my baseball simulation and then go into my work and spend about 2 hours working on a website for my baseball simulation.  I played this album almost every morning of 1998 while programming.  

8. Doo Wop by Lauryn Hill
     These two albums dominated 1998 for me and do on this list as well.  

7. Spark by Tori Amos
     This was the first Tori Amos album that didn't really connect for me.  It was the last one I bought.  

6. Sexy Boy by Air
     I would get into this album about 5 years later.  

5. When It Hurts So Bad by Lauryn Hill
     There really isn't a bad song on this album, but this is my favorite.  

4. Iris by Goo Goo Dolls
     Like everyone else I like this song.  

3. Ray of Light by Madonna
     This album is so well constructed.  It's a dance album, but it feels more mature than a dance album.  

2. Crush by Jennifer Paige
     OK I'm a sucker for light pop like this.  

1. Frozen by Madonna
     Madonna's music played a big part in my life for a long time.  She went through many different phases but this album stands on its own.  It is definitely a one off.  To me this is the best song on the album and in some ways it's the best song she ever did.  She could never recreate this sound and no one has ever really tried to copy it.  I should really do a Madonna retrospective.  
     

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

The Music of 2025 So Far Featuring FKA twigs

11100011 by Asian Glow 




4URMIND by Splitter



The Human Fear by Franz Ferdinand



Perverts by Ethel Cain



Anchor Chains, Plane Motors & Train Whistles by Skydaddy



EUSEXUA by FKA twigs

          Explicit Language


In many ways I think that currently FKA twigs is one of the most interesting musical acts out there.  She's experimental, she's mixing performance art with her music, she's playing around with pop, there is a lot going on.  I always go into listening to a new album from her with a bit of skepticism.  On a 12 track album there is a chance she'll have 3 really good tracks, but then be so experimental with the rest that I end up cooling on the album as a whole.  She is someone who I would label as an artist first, but it has served her well as she's a good artist and she has grown in popularity.  

EUSXUA is an interesting album.  It combines all those components I discussed having some of the most pop moments I've ever heard from her.  It's 11 tracks and there is consistency in the vibe and the sound of the album.  Twigs can be an abstract lyricist and so if you want to get to the meaning of the album or some songs it does take some time and thought.  She has moments that are not abstract and of course in many ways these are the songs I'm most drawn to, like Perfect Stranger a complete rip off of early 00's Kylie Minogue.  

FKA twigs is now 37 years old and I would say her age really shows in this album.  What she is exploring on the album I find to be things that I could have related to very well in my late 30's.  You are still young enough that you want to have moments where you feel lost in the moment at a club, you are old enough that you have regrets about how you handled yourself when you were younger, there are relationships you've had that weren't so good for you, there is a frustration with still feeling so young when you feel like you should be old enough to be different.  

FKA twigs is never going to make it an easy journey, but I do think it is worth it with this album as I think it's the best work she's done.  There is something to all 11 tracks on the album.  I find that there are times I get frustrated with the experimentation of her music, but I accept that this is part of doing business with FKA twigs.  

If you want to take a deep dive into some modern music that is also playing around with some old influences then give this album a listen.  

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Classic SEC Basketball

Mitch Barnhart has achieved his goal of getting UK football and basketball to the same level, as the Cats are now a sixth-place level program in both sports.  Plus he doesn't have to put up with Bruce Pearl.  It's just all win-win for the UK Athletic Department.  But hey, the Bat Cats were in Omaha to watch Tennessee win the College World Series last June.

Here are the latest rankings from Ken Pom, as the top four teams pull away from the pack:

1.  Auburn:  20-1
4.  Tennessee:  18-4
5.  Florida:  18-3
6.  Alabama:  19-3
21.  Mississippi:  16-6
22.  Kentucky:  15-6
33.  Mississippi St:  16-6
38.  Georgia:  15-7
50.  Vanderbilt:  16-5
78.  Louisiana St:  12-9

Kentucky is now 22 on Ken Pom:

3d in Offensive Efficiency (124.7)
89th in Defensive Efficiency (102.1)
201st in Luck

Here are UK's seasons in this decade:

2020:  25-6 (29th on Ken Pom) (no tournament)
2021:  9-16 (49th on Ken Pom) (missed the tournament)
2022:  26-8 (6th on Ken Pom) (eliminated in first round)
2023:  22-12 (27th on Ken Pom) (eliminated in second round)
2024:  23-10 (23d on Ken Pom) (eliminated in first round)
2025:  15-6 (22d on Ken Pom)

That's a total record of 120-58, for a winning percentage of .674, as UK continues its path to becoming the IU of the South.