best of the '00s, pt. 10

In response to a Paste magazine article, I've been listing what I feel to be the best 50 albums of the past decade, in
no particular order. At long last, we're finally reached the last 5 albums. We've gotten here by considering artists who have "shaped your decade" with their influence and originality. I've added some of my favorites, just because I can. Here are 5 thru 1. No real surprises. Just classics. They're so familiar I have a little trouble writing about them. But they are familiar to you as well and they're all on Paste's list so, if you need more description look there. If you've been following along, I thank you.



5. TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)

The masters of zombie rock turned in this near perfect album in '06. They managed to make their sound more accessible without watering down their identity. I actually had a bit of a hard time digesting their debut Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, but I took to this follow up quickly. Dark, melodic and haunting this was by far my favorite album of 2006.




4. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)

If you ask someone like say...Brandcon Cox of Deerhunter, he would tell you that Animal Collective is the most important band of his generation. I think I read that in Spin magazine. At any rate, what Cox was getting at is the unique way in which this band has brought vocals to the forefront of indie music again. Their harmonies are what drive their sound and they reached a peak with last years brilliant Merriweather Post Pavilion. Now, it helps that these guys are from the Baltimore area, as am I, and that they named the album after the outdoor venue in Columbia, MD just minutes away from where I grew up, but even without that personal connection I would be cranking the volume up on "My Girls." It's easily is one of the best songs of the past ten years. You can crown them kings of the indie circuit and you can give them kudos for reaching such heights on this album without the use of one single guitar.




3. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (2005)

In 2005 Sufjan quickly became a media darling, to say the least. The guy was all over the place. Illinois was a resounding success and Sufjan's wit, honest song writing and quirky sensibility made him everyone's best friend. Illinois was bigger and better than anything the folk musician had turned in previously. The arrangements are broad, the instrumentation is varied and the topics are surprisingly tangible considering this is a concept album about an entire state and it's history. It's hard to continue calling Sufjan a folk musician. He seems something more like a composer at this point, especially after 2009's BQE project.




2. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

Jeff Tweedy and company stretched the sound of their band so much on this one that they got themselves dropped from Reprise records and had to shop it around until Nonesuch gave them a deal and promptly made Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco's most successful album, both critically and commercially. A story interesting enough to make into a documentary, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. It's a sonic experiment for a well rounded band.




1. Radiohead - Kid A (2000)

I think the opener, "Everything in it's Right Place" says it all. You want another Ok Computer? Well, too bad. Instead we'll drown out Thom Yorke's voice, abandon our guitars and record another great album using something called an ondes Martenot. Johnny Greenwood's experiments with that instrument led the band to a dark place, a beautifully dark place. Kid A is a headphone masterpiece with layers and layers of potential discovery. "Idioteque" just may be one of my favorite songs of all time, and it sounds nothing like a rock band. The old Radiohead is dead, they have set their instruments on fire on the other side of those mountains and in doing so gave themselves the freedom to do whatever the hell they want. It's brilliant.

discovery

I have had one spectacular week of music discovery. Some days are better than others, but I've really been on a roll and I feel the need to share it with you. Here's how this works for me. I wake up in the morning, I get ready for work, I get in the car and I decide what kind of music I'm in the mood for. I then pull it up on the ipod and start my day. Sometimes that sparks a desire for something new. Every Tuesday I get on-line and check out the new releases. If I remember and have time, I usually take a glance at Pitchfork.com to see what they feel is worthy of a listen. More often than not, we disagree but it's still an adventure. I also like to stop in at R5Productions.com to see who's coming to town. If any of the shows sound interesting I'll go digging for that band's music on-line. There are also times when I just decide that I don't know enough about a particular artist and will make an effort to get to know their work better. So, here is what my exploring has uncovered this week...




Neil Young - Mirror Ball (1995)

Young is one of those that I really don't know much about and have never taken the time to get familiar with. After seeing him on Conan's Tonight Show farewell, I decided it was time to dig into his extensive discography. I regret having waited so long to do so. Last week I thoroughly enjoyed several of his records from the '70s (Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After The Gold Rush) and '92s Harvest Moon. This week I had Pearl Jam's "Glorified G" stuck in my head, went back to listen to '93s Vs and remembered they had recorded with Young on Mirror Ball. I like. A lot. The sailor sing-a-long on the opener "Song X" is great.

Song X - Neil Young

Retribution Gospel Choir - 2 (2010)

I love just about everything that Low has done. When I received R5's weekly email this week and saw Low front man Alan Sparhawk's name I got a little excited. I had no that idea Sparhawk has a new band. Actually it's the same band with a new drummer. Low's Steve Garrington is on bass. 2 is much louder and much livelier than anything Low ever did. At times, RGC is straight rocking it. It's interesting to hear Sparhawk's voice in this new environment. It's vaguely familiar and as R5's write up said, it's not too difficult to imagine how Low might have stripped down these songs and made them crawl. This is Low's less repressed younger brother, letting the heat flow. It's wicked good.

Your Bird - Retribution Gospel...

Cat Power - The Greatest (2006)

Ms. Chan Marshall is another artist whom I've always meant to spend more time with. After dabbling a bit this week, I think The Greatest is all I can stomach. Her records sort of feel a bit manic. On one she comes across as cold and shrill, on another she's warm and soft. This album seems to be her warmest and most comforting. It's pretty and calm. Her name and the album art could be deceiving. These are simple and quiet songs. One of my co-workers recommended it and calls it her "going to sleep" album. I don't know that anything particularly special is happening here, but it sure sounds nice.

The Greatest - Cat Power

Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (2010)

This one I'll need more time with to adequately describe. I read about it on Pitchfork (I'd strongly recommend reading their review if you have the time). When I saw that Beck wrote and produced it I decided I had to listen. After a couple passes, I'd have to say it's pretty great and probably just what you would expect - Beck's catchy song writing with a female voice to give it some beauty. Their duet on "Heaven Can Wait" is fantastic.

Heaven Can Wait - Charlotte Ga...

Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies (2006)

Destroyer has a bit of a cult following and I have always felt like I should be a part of it but haven't really given them a fair chance. I kind of like '98s City of Daughters and enjoy portions of '08s Trouble In Dreams but have never really been sold. Facebook reminded me of Dan Bejar and company this week. I went looking for an album I haven't heard in the Destroyer catalog and found Rubies. Bejar's voice wears on me a bit, but this album uses it nicely, laying out just the right landscape for it.

Your Blood - Destroyer

Surfer Blood - Astro Coast (2010)

Another one discovered through Pitchfork, Surfer Blood make simple, '90s era rock music. Pitchfork likens them to Weezer and Built To Spill. What else do you need to know?

Floating Vibes - Surfer Blood

Handsome Furs - Face Control (2009)

I grabbed their debut Plague Park from a friend but never really spent much time with it. While I was checking out Beach House (see below) I decided to see what else was good with Sub Pop and I gave this sophomore effort a listen. I'm not sure what happened to this band, but they sound re-energized. Perhaps building on the success of lead singer Dan Boeckner's other band, Wolf Parade (who made a pretty good album in 2008 - At Mount Zoomer), this album seems more focused. It's broader and well written and well...just not as boring as their first.

All We Want, Baby, Is Everythi...

Beach House - Teen Dream (2010)

I will admit that, being from Baltimore, I am partial to artists from that area. I am puffed up with pride about Animal Collective. I'm starting to feel that way about Beach House. This is a brilliant album and you will see it on the year end best-of lists (including mine). Teen Dream is their Sub Pop debut and it does not disappoint. This is the same Beach House, their sound is still slow and a bit haunting but they are bigger and stronger and that's clear.

Better Times - Beach House

What a week, huh? I'll be digesting all of this for the next month or so, for sure.

best of the '00s, pt. 9

In response to a Paste magazine article, I've been listing what I feel to be the best 50 albums of the past decade, in no particular order. As I admitted last week, however, I have saved some of my personal favorites for the last few entries. Here are 10 through 6. We're so close!!




10. Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007)

Let's forget about the music for a minute. In Rainbows had influence and was original before most people even had a chance to listen to it. How, you ask? Because the band gave it away, for free. They side stepped the evil empire of record labels and distribution companies and offered the music as a "pay what you feel" download on their website. No discs, just downloads. What a brilliant experiment! Of course, they could do it and do it successfully because they are Radiohead and have a massive following, but the move suddenly had folks scratching their heads and debating the future of optical discs. I for one, whose employer just happens to be in the business of manufacturing optical discs, took notice. Here we have a band who seems to challenge the industry with each release and now in addition to influencing the way music is made, they challenge the way it is distributed. Seems pretty significant.

On top of all that, In Rainbows is a brilliant return to the guitar based Radiohead we all knew and loved in 1995. Their sound is more mature, of course, and instead of trying to find something new here they seem content with who they are, confident and comfortable with the sound they've crafted after so many years. In Rainbows is your favorite t-shirt, the one that's worn in, soft and safe. It's your big, comfy chair, the one that holds you just right. What I love about this band, however, is that even in their more reaching moments, when they are trying to test the limits of their sound, they do so with such ease. In that regard, even the new things end up fitting just right and feel just as comfortable as the old.




9. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (2003)

I was the first person I knew listening to The Shins, way before Zack Braff and Garden State. So, there! I happen to think they make first rate pop music. As in, their music is the definition of pop music. That's probably an overstatement though. Their lyrics are too cryptic. At any rate, Chutes Too Narrow is a pop gem, but don't let the label "pop" trap you. This is not simple music, by any means. While not completely different from their debut, Oh, Inverted World, it's more consistent. It's deeper, more sophisticated. It's the peak of their sound. It drew comparisons to The Beach Boys. It's kind of impossible not to like. The opening track, "Kissing the Lipless" is louder and more emotional than anything done previously. James Mercer's voice is distinct, recognizable and his ability to shape catchy melodies is remarkable. I'm not sure how you don't like this band or this album.




8. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (2008)

I could say the same for Fleet Foxes - I'm not sure how you don't like this music. This album plays as if it's the bands fifth, not their first. Their sound is well developed and their vocals dipped in gold. They carry a sense of broad music history and a feeling of well traveled experience. They employed the same producer as The Shins, Phil Ek, and just like Chutes Too Narrow the Foxes sound big, bright and full of life.

I think the unique success of this album lies in the vocals. Much like Animal Collective, it seems uncommon to find a band that thrives on the strength of their vocals, more so than their instrumentation. That's not to say either band sacrifices the sound of their instruments. Fleet Foxes have found the perfect backdrop for their vocal harmonies and the whole package feels like a campfire sing-a-long or a mountain high. It just makes you want to wear plaid and move into a log cabin in the middle of nowhere.




7. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (2008)

For some reason this feels like one I'll have to defend strongly. Instead, I'm going to do the opposite. Yes, they sound a bit too much like Paul Simon. No, I don't think that's a weakness. They are an indie band that uses violins and cellos and a harpsichord. Pitchfork compares it to African pop. Given the sound of their fellow New York peers, I find this album to be completely original and fairly courageous. One thing is for sure, you either love it or you hate it. Maybe it's too simple for you. Maybe you don't like Paul Simon. Maybe you're just not impressed. That's okay. For me, it's infectious and incredibly easy to listen to from front to back. Now that they have a number one album with their second effort, Contra, it's likely we'll be hearing a whole lot more from them.




6. Ghostface Killah - Fishscale (2006)

How do I justify this...? I'm having a hard time with it, I'll tell you that much. Here's all I've really got: This was the first time since Ghost's own 2000 release Supreme Clientele that anyone from Wu-Tang did anything remotely interesting. Actually, that's not true. I take that back. Masta Killa's No Said Date in '04 was superb, but no one knew about it. So now I'm telling you, if you're a Wu fan, go get a copy right now.

Okay, so...why did I include Fishscale in this list? It's probably my most personal choice. It wasn't influential or original, although I would argue that few have Ghost's gift for gab and his mainstream status did provide some exposure for underground beat makers MF Doom and J Dilla. In fact, the production is quite impressive. In addition to Doom and Dilla, big name hit makers like Just Blaze and Pete Rock contribute. One of my favorite things about Ghost is his habit of rhyming right over a sample, over the original vocals and everything (see "Big Girl"). It's hard to even call it a sample, he's just rhyming over the original song as is. At any rate, that still doesn't really explain why I included this album here.

If I consider rap albums that shaped my decade, this is one that stands out for me. I have a soft spot for Wu-Tang and up until Fishscale I had started to believe the members of the Clan were washed up. This one proved that Ghostface still has it and his inclusion of fellow Wu alumni ("9 Milli Bros" and "Dogs of War") gave me a little hope that the Clan might pull it together again, which they did the very next year on 8 Diagrams.

the dark side

Have you ever wondered what the end of the world will sound like? Have you considered how the soundtrack to the dark days of Armageddon might sound? If you woke up and realized that you've missed the rapture, can you imagine what music might be playing as you slowly start to realize you've been left behind? I submit to you that it might sound something like the desperately dark electronica/trip hop of Teargas & Plateglass.

In 2004 I heard one of their songs in an episode of CSI and liked it so much I blindly ordered their self-titled album from the same year (now out of print). It quickly became one of my favorites. There is something alluring about such dark music. I think it has to do with our desire for reality and for truth. This music seems to give voice to the dark things inside of us and the dark things that are happening around us. If you go to the band's website you are greeted with a large block of text, a portion of which reads "Language can no longer describe the world in which we live." That seems to perfectly sum up their approach to music. What they create is a wordless vision of all the violence, poverty and suffering in our world. When I listen to their music I imagine that they are giving a voice to the starving in Africa, to the oppressed in North Korea, to the homeless in Haiti.

Describing their music this way might make it sound depressing or overwhelming, but I happen to think it's just human. It's not all gloom and doom, exactly. There are the occasional sounds of hope. The brief appearance of harps in "The Seduction of Canned Laughter" offers evidence of something good buried beneath all the wreckage. The vocals (a rarity for this band) on "Adam's Lullaby" although sung in another language, come across as prayerful and add an element of beauty to the dark shadows. Zap Mama's contributions on "911" represent an honest cry for help, for peace. And all of their music has an international feel to it, indicating that we all have a share in this hope and in this suffering.

I'm finding it increasingly important to continue to look at the dark things in this world and within ourselves. We live in a country where our media will only show us the dark truth about the world's suffering when it's convenient. I say that's a mistake. It robs us of an opportunity to be human, to feel empathy for those who are in peril, to remember the past and use it to shape the future. Hiding the darkness only allows it grow. I'd like to use the bold approach that Teargas & Plateglass do, walking face first in and around the deep abyss of brokenness, hoping to become more whole.

best of the '00s, pt. 8

In response to a Paste magazine article, I've been listing what I feel to be the best 50 albums of the past decade, in no particular order. That being said, I will admit that I have saved some of my personal favorites for the next three entries. To refresh your memory, here are the criteria. We're looking at artists who have "shaped your decade" with their influence, originality and all around goodness. And it's my blog so, some things made the list just because I said so. Here are 15 through 11.




15. The National - Boxer (2007)

It took me a little while to warm up to lead singer Matt Berninger's voice. His baritone is a bit unusual for a "rock" band, with it's deep mumbling. In the end I think the distinct sound of his voice is one of the band's many strength's though. Nothing else would do on songs like "Brainy" where Berninger professes his obsession and near stalker sentimentality for the object of his affection. In other places his voice perfectly conveys the cynicism and sarcasm of some of the lyrics ("Mistaken For Strangers" and "Squalor Victoria").

There is something unique about their writing. Most of the music has a dark feel to it. It's not quite depressing and it's not ominous or brooding but it's honest, and at times, heavy with reality. And there is something different about the lyrics. Perhaps it's Berninger's delivery, but his vocabulary and the imagery in his words make it clear that this band has a different perspective than the rest of us.

This is one that I do not get sick of. It's a regular listen.




14. Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days (2004)

Sam Beam's music holds the comfort of childhood lullabies. His soft whisper soothes the restless mind and his lite instrumentation rocks the weary head into a quiet stillness. The cover art is fitting. This album in particular sparks an emotional reaction for me. Beam's voice and his melodies feel nostalgic. As I listen I feel a longing for things past. I would like to be lying in a field, watching the sky. I'd like to be on the beach, listening to the waves roll in. I'd like to be in a lawn chair at my cousin's farm, listening to the bull frogs croak, watching the wind pass through the trees. This is one those albums that makes you feel joy and sadness at the same time. "Naked As We Came" is a great example. He sings about a deep love, one that acknowledges death and finds comfort in passing in the presence of that love. There is great joy in love like that and great sadness, knowing that we will eventually be separated from it. Beam captures these emotions so well, whether it's in his lyrics or the music itself.




13. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (2005)

I love "Like Eating Glass." The drums sound fantastic. The guitars are racing. I like to test the limitations of my speakers and my ear drums when listening. What makes this record great is that the energy from that first track is carried throughout. There is something about lead singer Kele Okereke's half singing-half talking that is a perfect fit for that energy. It suits the end of "Like Eating Glass" and the verses on "Positive Tension" just right, giving the band a taste of punk. Perhaps I'm just partial to the British accent though. Regardless, Okereke and mates crafted quite a nice collection of reckless, throbbing songs about youth, young love and young politics.

I'd like to know what happened to this band. Silent Alarm was such an onslaught of various styles and sounds, but the two albums that followed were no where near as varied and interesting. In fact, they're quite boring.




12. Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)

Another band with a big sound. As with Boxer, it took several listens for me to appreciate this one. I'm not sure what my problem was. This is an album of near epic proportions. Just listen to the way "Wake Up" soars, and remember how perfect it was for the Where the Wild Things Are promos this past summer.

I prefer to think of Arcade Fire as a mini orchestra rather than a band. They employ a wide array of instruments to give themselves a nicely layered, sensational sound. The way they use several voices often makes them sound more like a church choir than an indie rock band. Their music is more inspirational and theatrical than most. I read something a while ago that compared Funeral to Ok Computer, claiming that both were a perfect embodiment of their creator's sound. That's a pretty bold comparison. I don't know that I would go that far, but I do know I thoroughly enjoy this album. It will lift you up and ground you all in one fell swoop.




11. Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreaks (2008)

Seriously, how many rappers do you know that could pull this off? And how many of those produce the tracks themselves? West made the transition from rap artist to pop singer with such ease but, he's not just passing for a pop singer, he's actually quite good at it. I'm not saying the man has a good voice, in fact, he doesn't and he knows it. That's why he was wise enough to mask himself in an auto-tuner. Some may say that listening to an entire album of such vocal effects is too much, but in my opinion West uses just the right mix of digital sounds, guest rappers and electronica that it only makes sense to use the auto-turner throughout. Anything else would have been a mistake. It would have been embarrassing. The whole point here is that you're not supposed to take his skills as a singer seriously. You're supposed to feel the depression, the grief, the loneliness, the regret and the anger. West's voice is then less the center piece and more a compliment to the music.

In addition to the stylistic departure, the significance of this album is the heart-on-sleeve honesty with which West performs. I'm not sure I've heard a more personal album. I'm not sure how you listen to "Welcome to Heartbreak" and not want to be this guy's friend. He manages to confess his sadness, mourn his losses and face his own weaknesses and still make music you can move to. It sounds like the confessions of depressed robot. It feels like the soundtrack for an animated version of A.I. You can't help but feel empathy for him. You almost cringe at his life as an open book. I read a review of this album right after it was released that described 808s as a very personal album that most artists would not have had the courage to make public. And there we find the uniqueness of Kanye West. Crushing self-consciousness and an ego through the roof.

weekend getaway

Occasionally I will listen to a record, observe it, absorb it, form an opinion about it and then go looking for reviews to see if others agree with me. I swear to you that I did not read Pitchfork's review of the new Vampire Weekend and regurgitate this post. But it may seem that way.

I almost didn't bother listening to this album. I made the mistake of labeling the band and was skeptical that they could release a second record that was anywhere near as interesting as their self-titled debut in 2008. One listen to "Horchata" and I knew I was going to be wrong. I'm not sure where this skepticism comes from. Perhaps it's a trained response from being let down too many times in the past. I've tempered my expectations, maybe too much, to the point where I rarely allow myself to get excited or anticipate things for fear of being disappointed. There was a time when I was fiercely loyal to a band. I would just go out and buy whatever they released, blindly. That's how I ended up with three Hootie & The Blowfish albums and five Brian McKnight albums (yikes! I'm quickly discrediting my taste). I was young and hungry for music then. Now, I'm older, wiser and much more selective (and have bills to pay).

So, maybe the strength of Contra is that I held little to no expectations for it. That would allow me to continue tempering my expectations, however, which I'm not convinced is a healthy thing. No, Contra is just a really good record. If you didn't like their first release, then chances are you may not like this one either. It's Vampire Weekend on steroids. It makes their debut sound boring. When I listen on my computer the last song on Contra ends and the first song on Vampire Weekend begins and the difference is obvious. The old stuff sounds a bit elementary. Where was all this energy and sound on the first album? Pitchfork's theory is the band decided to respond to their critics and naysayers with a "bionic" version of themselves. Not just "brighter and tighter, but weirder." It's this refusal to compromise that makes Contra bigger, faster and stronger. Even in the quiet spaces, which didn't really exist on their first effort, the band exercises more depth ("Taxi Cab," "Diplomat's Son," and "I Think Ur A Contra"). I'm loving it.

So, what's the lesson here? Good question. I'd say that the lesson is that it's okay to get excited about something every once in a while. It's okay to look forward to something, even though it may very well let you down. It seems like figuring out how to live with that unknown, how to feel some joy in it, is liberating. I'm speaking of more than music here, of course. Vampire Weekend just happened to be a vehicle for this little road trip of truth.

ellis music (for a film)

Folks, you need to know about this music. I'm not typically one for film scores. It seems like James Horner composes all of them and he bores the hell out of me (however, I will admit I liked the music from Titanic). I'm not a fan of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, even though I feel like I should be, that I'm a bad person as a result. Apparently he's regarded as an extremely talented and important musician. I really have no idea who Warren Ellis is. He's in some sort of a band with Cave called Grinderman. I am, however, a big fan of the work Cave and Ellis do together for film. I've seen The Proposition and I didn't really like it all that much. I have seen The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford more than once, in fact I own a copy, and it's one of my all time favorite films. Everything about the movie is beautiful - the settings, the scenery, the lighting, the music, the tragedy, the sadness and the paranoia. After watching that film and learning that Nick Cave had something to do with the music I had to take another listen. I haven't stopped listening since. I watched The Proposition strictly out of interest in the music. I will watch The Road for the same reason. Well, that and because Strider, uh…I mean Viggo Mortensen, is in it. However, I think the strength of these film scores is that you don't necessarily have to see the film in order to appreciate the music.

If you choose one soundtrack to listen to, make it Jesse James. I'm partial to that one, probably because I enjoyed the film so much but I also think the score works better on it's own, as a whole. An even better choice, however, would be the two-disc set Cave and Ellis released last year, White Lunar. It's a collection of some of the music they have composed together for various films. Most of the time the compositions are simple and quiet with minimal instrumentation. There are some strings (which I think is what Warren Ellis contributes) and a piano. I'm not too familiar with Cave's other work, which as previously stated, makes me feel inferior. What I have heard is very different from these film scores though. He's in a rock band, right? The simple, restrained approach he and Ellis take for these films is so effective though. They manage to capture the emotions and feel of the films perfectly.

In The Proposition there is tension, there is desperation, there is evil, hatred and violence. Cave actually wrote the screenplay for this one so, it makes sense that he would be able to channel the emotion so effectively. The music is generally sparse. It's ambient and broad, much like the Australian outback where the film is set. At times it's menacing, threatening and Cave adds his vocals in those places, teasing you with words spoken, as you might imagine a dark foe would. In Jesse James there is isolation and depression. There is longing and suspicion. There is a restlessness mixed with a quiet anger. Ellis sets his violin to work, laying the ground work for the heavy emotions flowing under Jesse's gun slinger persona and Ford's unquenchable ambition. The two of them, James and Ford, do a careful dance around each other's intentions most of the film as Cave and Ellis quietly compose a dance of their own, one filled with sunsets, snowfalls, beauty and great sadness. It's captivating.

I had hoped that my interest in these soundtracks would translate into more of an interest in Nick Cave's other work, but no dice. Guess I'll have to get used to being a second class citizen.