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“Music, in the Blood”

(Continue Reading at FakeJazz…)

San Francisco trio Parker Street Cinema’s post-rock offering Music, in the Blood fastens itself somewhere between the abrasive and the pastoral, never quite veering to either extreme. The production is solid, embedding a variety of punchy, often growling bass tones underneath the piano leads. This combination of timbres often has Parker Street Cinema reminding listeners of a musical aesthetic similar to that of Tortoise, such as in the compelling “Something About the Audience.” The pseudo-title track “Blood Music” follows this path with a dominant rhythm section pounding behind purposely-dissonant piano. One of the reasons this formula works so well is the ability of bassist Kevin Dick and drummer Ken Mahru to lock into a groove in a way that truly compliments each other, like the rhythmically-tight “Blackhole B Flat.”

Although certainly not the focus of Parker Street Cinema, there are also moments of beautiful soundscapes — particularly “These Precious Seconds,” undoubtedly one of the high points of the album, sampling the sounds of children’s laughter along side Brian Glover’s peaceful leads. “The Hymn of El Cerrito” samples its narrative from the 1969 LP The Groupies, where a young woman describes how music affects her life. Ultimately, Music, in the Blood encourages listeners to consider a similar inward narrative, contemplating the textures and layers of sounds. Yet, Parker Street Cinema never let listeners wander too far, always remembering to keep their commanding post-rock power at the forefront.

Last Saturday, Lisa and I brewed up a fairly typical milk stout– fermented with a Irish 1084 yeast starter. Today, I decided to whip up some adjuncts. I pureed five pounds of raspberries in a blender to the consistency of a thick smoothie. I tried to strain the seeds, but the puree was way too thick. It would have taken forever to remove all of them… so I decided to put it in the pot and heat it.

I added 10 oz of Ghirardelli cocao powder — 100% natural, no sugars or fats added. It took a while to slowly stir in all of the powder, but soon enough it was the consistency of runny cake batter, and the house smelled like chocolate. Once I got everything heated to 180 degrees, I put the pot cover on and let it sit for 25 minutes or so.

With a sanitized spoon, I stirred up the mixture and let it cool for a little bit longer, then headed off to the carboy with the bittersweet slurry. Using a sanitized funnel, I scooped up spoonful after spoonful of the raspberry cocao and dropped it in. There could be some issues with oxidation from dropping the stuff in through a funnel, but this was the most effective way I could introduce the adjuncts. With the yeast still present in large numbers, the residual sugars from the raspberries will be quickly eaten away and I’ll only have to rack to a clearing carboy once.

I tasted a bit of the raspberry cocao left in the pot after I was done scooping it into the carboy. It was definitely bitter from the amount of cocao, but the tartness from the raspberries was present as well. Fermentation has since started up again and on top of the beer is a brown-colored krausen layer. I can only hope that the sweetness from the lactose in the beer will balance the bitterness. Maybe I could have used some crystal malt in it. We’ll see.

English Lops are a breed of rabbit with ears that often grow nearly two feet in length! Like those rabbits, Fat Lop has plenty of “hops,” from both the UK and Northwest region of the US, while remaining refreshing. Loads of crystal malt and a pinch of chocolate malt add sweetness along with a half pound of Belgian candi sugar. This is certainly a “wabbit” of a beer! LOL

Months prior to the official repeal of prohibition, FDR signed the Cullen-Harrison bill which effectively allowed the sale of “3.2 beer,” or 3.2% alcohol by weight and 4.0% by volume. This brew celebrates that light, drinkable style of beer. Gold in color with a creamy head, 18 Ale bursts with an aroma of Styrian Goldings hops. The crystal malt gives a sweet, clean finish with a hint of fruity hops lingering.

This Christmas Ale is brewed in the American Pale Ale style, bursting with flavor and aroma from fresh Cascade and Centennial hops, both heavily hopped during the boil and dry-hopped. The color is of deep amber, complete with an off-white head resembling a thick bank of snow. Boasting a thick mouthfeel and 6.3% alcohol-by-volume, Yule is sure to keep one warm during the cold winter.

Note: Artwork taken by one of my favorite minimalist albums of the same name.

A Belgian-Style Imperial Stout coming in at a hearty 9.0% alcohol-by-volume, Oak Old is a fierce, powerful beer. The light brown head sits proudly upon a midnight-colored beer. The chocolate malt and roasted barley give off hints of sweet licorice, while the relatively mild Kent Golding hops gently balance with a lingering taste of dried fruit. The dry finish is complimented from the earthiness produced by the aging process, conditioned with French Oak Chips that were lightly toasted to recreate the flavor of bourbon-aged beer.

“Progeny Blues”

(Continue Reading at FakeJazz…)

Portico’s 2005 debut Shape to Form was a few effects pedals away from shoegazing, with driving guitars, pseudo-dissonant chord progressions, and reticent vocals leading the way. While their sophomore effort Progeny Blues’s title might imply that it will follow in the path of its predescesor, the two CDs are quite distinct from one another. The weary poetics of Lyn Heinemann still weave themselves around rhythmically-chunky guitars - the difference is in the musical development of Progeny Blues, shaping emotions and temperaments far beyond the capability of their previous effort.

Opening with the brief-but-solid “We Built a Dynasty,” Portico are able to outline their song structure of choice, moving linearly through varying sections of music seamlessly. Like “Dynasty,” many of the tracks on Progeny Blues are written in this variation of ‘chain form,’ often discarding the ‘verse/chorus’ model in favor of instrumental explorations that span half the track. The rhythmically-circular conclusion of “Crime Scene” is nothing short of impressive in that drummer Greg Murray is able to keep the beat anchored in spite of the drifting guitar riff. The eerie “It’s Not Over Yet, Rochelle” glooms quietly until suddenly jolting to an up-tempo conclusion.

There are certainly exceptions to this rule, such as the intensely intimate “Sincerely,” which builds vocals around a single, driving note until the band - along with a triumphant horn section - builds to a crescendo. Ultimately, it’s the inclusion of characteristic rock songs like “High Walls” and “Stand Down” that remove the pacing problems of Shape to Form. These catchy, melody-driven songs make the ambient, introspective tracks that much more powerful.

As an album, Progeny Blues frames its musical diversity extremely well and begs for repeats listens. Portico’s songwriting has certainly benefited from their improved musical skill and penchant for building upon their atmospheric timbre.

Well, it’s done… it was cheaper than buying 6 vintage posters (as was my original plan) and more rewarding — to a degree.

Next up: Top 5 American Explorers, made out of Plaster of Paris.

Jim Koch, the founder of American beer giant Sam Adams, is making an attempt to show off his skills as a beer fanatic in creating a new glass for his Boston Lager. I’ve yet to try a Sam Adams Boston Lager in it — and to tell you the truth I’m not sure if the shape will make a huge difference — but certain qualities of the glass seem very interesting…

from SamuelAdams.com–

The key requirements for the perfect glass for Samuel Adams Boston Lager included: delivering sweetness from the malt; maximizing the hops aroma and flavor; maintaining the ideal temperature; supporting a rich and creamy head; and sustaining the right amount of carbonation.

My friend Pat, who goes to MSU, is friends with a Taiwanese grad student. By this, I mean that she is literally from Taiwan. Because of this, there is often a language barrier. She recently left this message on his Facebook wall.

Luckily for us, Pat did some research to find out what it all means.

baconmaster: so i found out what that message was all about
baconmaster: on facebook
baconmaster: for some reason she and her boyfriend were talking about me
baconmaster: she brought this up because shes weird
baconmaster: but she asked him would he rather be with a person who has her personality in my body, or my personality in her body
baconmaster: and he answered that he’d rather have my personality in her body
baconmaster: which bothered her