Reverb Ramblings – Pearl Jam’s “Backspacer”

So I'm introducing a new semi-regular section: the Reverb Ramblings. And by semi-regular I mean "No more regularly than I have been, and completely and totally sporadically." And for the first issue, Pearl Jam's new album, Backspacer, is going to take the honors of breaking the Ramblings out of the gate.

Backspacer is the follow-up to PJ's eponymous 2006 effort. The album shows off a new, seemingly "lighter" version of the band that helped define the early 90s Grunge Era. However, the sound works well, as it's not an entirely new sonic direction for the band, echoing much of the tone of 1996's "Yield." Check out the video for the first single, The Fixer, here. The Fixer, the album's third track, shows The Jam leading their faithful horde of Caucasian rock fans in a high-energy anthem with Eddie Vedder's usual attempts at a vibrato singing voice. The majority of the album follows Yield's lead with ringing guitars, and a relaxation of Stone Gossard's distortion pedal, although there are some deliciously crunchy riffs to keep most Pearl Jam fans happy. "Gonna See My Friend," the leadoff track, opens up the album with a run through an exploration of addiction in Pearl Jam fashion. The middle of the album slows sonically, with "Just Breathe" providing an almost bluegrassy feel, while "Amongst the Waves" shows off PJ at their summery, surfer rock best. "Supersonic" and "Speed of Sound" pick the pace back up before the aptly titled "The End" sends the album off on a more melancholy tone, easing the listener out rather than abruptly ending with some out-of-place rocker.

Okay, now for some strong words that will surely alienate any Pearl Jam fan from ever reading my ramblings again…"Backspacer" may be Pearl Jam's best work since…"Ten." You heard me. 18 years in, and PJ has finally created the album, that, from start to finish, is their best and most complete work since their seminal album. Look, I love "Yield" and parts of "Vitalogy," but really, both albums have their weak points. Now, only time will well if "Backspacer" holds up as Versus, Ten, Vitalogy, and Yield have, but at least for me, the 2009 version of Vedder, Gossard, McCready, and Cameron has found a new, fantastic stride. But let's get real: we all know Pearl Jam will continue to step out of line and try something different-but-the-same for whatever album comes next. But I'll be waiting with baited breath to spin their next black circle.

Michael Vick and Social Justice, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Make Some Inappropriate Jokes…

E como mai, and welcome back!

To me, that is.

So, a couple of weeks ago, my wife "expressed her displeasure", or hit me over the head with a mop...okay, that's lie, she makes me do the cleaning…ok, that's another lie, she cleans the entire house then glares at me when I make an ill-fated joke about something.  She will bury me one day, just so you know.

But, I digress.  Only slightly, though. The reason I mention my constant beatings at the hands of my wife (just kidding honey, please put down the frying pan...) is because she wondered why I write about sports so much.  Now, I've never meant for this site to be entirely sports-centric, but often times, I fear that I'll come across too partisan on some issues.  Plus, I reallyreallyreallyreallyreally like sports. However, I think I've found a nice, non-controversial way to meld sports and social justice issues in this post.

I fully agree that Michael Vick should be allowed to play in the NFL.

Now, I'm not taking any surprise position, or breaking any news.  Vick has been cleared (as I'm sure you know by know...if not, climb out from under your rock, Rip Van Winkle) to practice, play in the final two preseason NFL games, and could be un-suspend-erized by week 6 of the season.  However, many people, including some trusted friends of mine, find this hard to swallow.  Like a pit-bull-sized vitamin.

I realize that what Vick did was evil, calculated, he lied about it, funded it, participated in the maiming and killing of dogs, and owned something called a " rape-stand."  But the American system is founded on second chances.  A buddy of mine argued that if he were convicted, he would not be able to work for the same company.  And he's correct.  But only in practice.  There is no law saying a convicted felon cannot work.  Will most people hire a felon?  No.  And the NFL allowing Vick to sign with a team is not the same as being employed.  It is only allowing him the opportunity to pursue a career.  Of course, Vick's situation is different than yours and ours, as he is (was) a highly paid professional athlete.  But let's be serious, Ted Kennedy may have killed someone in Chappaquiddick in the 70's, and is still a highly respected Democratic Congressman.  If someone is talented enough, it doesn't typically matter what they do short of mass-murder to dampen their employment prospects.

But this leads me to my final point: if Vick (or average citizen Joe Shmoe III) served his time in federal prison and completed any requirements set forth by his potential employer, why shouldn't he have the right to work?  Prison should function as a rehabilitory system, not a only a holding cell (and by the way, that link was actually real—a program out of Tulane University called "Project Return").  Rehabilitative programs, though underfunded, have been proven to work towards processing inmates back into the larger civilian population.  If we focus on prisons as simply punishment with no opportunity for betterment...which we have mostly done for the last, oh, couple hundred years...then we will see the creation and growth of a violent, prison-based underclass that is unqualified for work outside of prison and pressing license plates.  Oh, wait, that's what we have now...

We must shift our focus away from punishing criminals (although some do desperately need it) and begin working to train and educate those confined in dank cells with little to no nourishment.  Why do so many criminals have an inordinately high recidivism rate, or likelihood of returning to jail?  Because there is a stigma attached to prison time that, while somewhat natural, can and should be eliminated.  Michael Vick has done has time served by the American legal system, and the NFL and PETA do not possess a higher authority although they may seem to think so.  Vick has begun to show he is (at least in public) contrite and remorseful for his foul acts, and we can ask for nothing more.

New Blog Email

Hello, world!

Just a quick note: Gumbo of the Mind now has its own email. Do you have questions you're afraid to ask anyone other than your cat for fear of judgment? Are you curious about the inner-workings of the Chinese mafia and want to know more of what I expect them to be and do? Or do you have a completely random question that doesn't fit into the above categories? Please, send your inquiries to gumboblog@gmail.com and get ready to have your mind blown!

Return of the Mack

It's been a long time

I shouldn't have left you

Without some dope blogs to step to.

 

E komo mai, (welcome) and good times!

I'd like to offer my sincerest apologies in an only half-sincere sort of way for not blogging recently. But I won't. There have been some pretty big changes afoot in my life that have kept me from spilling my egotistical guts on the world-wide interwebs. For those of you who know, too bad, I'm gonna rehash the events for my legions of reader. Poor soul.

First off, I finally completed my grad school classes. Yeah, I know, Hooray For Me! Now, for those of you who know my style, you're probably saying "Why wouldn't he capitalize every letter?" Well, I still have a lot of work to do on my thesis project. I'm not going to divulge exactly what it is in case the thesis polices are lurking around, lying in wait to steal my horrendously beautiful idea. Sucks to be you. But anyway, I'm out of Illinois, away from the Windy City, the City of Big Shoulders, the Home of Bill Murray, the den of Hurricane Ditka and settling into the Motor City. But fret not, I'm nestling snugly into that hockey-ravenous arm-pit of the Midwest, Detroit. As t Matthew Lillard said at the end of SLC Punk (a severely underrated movie, btw (interweb code for blue tango watermelon, I think—not sure why it's applicable here, but whatever), "I realized I could do a lot more damage inside of the system than outside of it." So yeah, I'm planning on bringing down the Red Wing Empire single-handedly. If my wife doesn't put a stop to my plans first. But since they're not well-developed, she'll have a hard time stopping them. I can just wing it (pun definitely NOT intended) and when I'm done, say it was my master plan all along. Except that I just gave you my plan. Meaning I have one. Or do I?

 

Secondly off, apparently, married couples go on what's called a "Honeymoon" to celebrate their new union. Well, we didn't do that right away. We decided to wait seven months to see if the wifey decided to off me before then. Well, I made it, we went to Kauai, and if you ever have the chance…go. I can't say enough about how beautiful the island is. It's much less developed than O'ahu, and from what I've heard, not nearly as resorty as Maui. Waimea Canyon, Wailua River Valley, Po'ipu Beach …all gorgeous. And if you want a great trip, hook up with Captain Andy's for a sunset dinner cruise. We were supposed to see the NaPali Cliffs on the north side of the island, but due to super-duper-windy conditions, settled for the southern shore, and a dolphin extravaganza as a gaggle of Spinner dolphins (dolphins travel in gaggles, right?) swam alongside us for 10-15 minutes. Super-duper-cool. Final advice: if you ever fly to Kauai, try to go as non-stop as possible to Lihue, as changing flights in San Francisco and Honolulu makes for an extreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeemely long day, and four to five hour flights don't let you get enough sleep.

 

Tertiarily off, there's nothing quite like a "job search" to invigorate a newly graduated master's student. Except, of course, a "job search" in one of the two worst job markets since the Beginning of Time. Otherwise known as Tim Tebow's birthday to those buffoons in North Cuba. But really, why wouldn't I be excited to find employment when the national unemployment rate is somewhere around 6,482%? Which, I think, means there are four jobs available nationwide.

 

Now, do yourself a favor and check out the new album, The Ecstatic, from Mos Def. I'll have a full review for your cranial pleasure soon. Until then, mahalo, and aloha!

And the Circus is Coming to Minneapolis…

The Brett Saga refuses to go away. Favre WILL PLAY this year. He has not confirmed it yet, but two quick links will show that the madness I am contributing to on the intrawebs refuses to die:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4245047 – Favre's family has reserved 25-30 rooms near Lambeau Field in Green Bay "in case" Brett plays for the Minnesota Vikings.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4175616 – While ESPN.com has backed off the "imminent" surgery, Favre would be unlikely to have surgery if he was planning on hanging out in his Wranglers throwing a little backyard pigskin.

I'll now go dunk my head in ice-cold water and be back soon with more real, non-sports related blogs, just needed to vent a little frustration and make a BOLD prediction!

 

Mahalo!

War Pigs

Not good times, and welcome back!

So TIME magazine's wanting us to not blame the pigs for the swine flu outbreak. Apparently Egypt's slaughtering all 300,000 pigs in country, even though there's no reported outbreak yet, according to the article. Personally? I say good. Now, you might say "Oh, it's just a mutant viral strain that crossed over, it was bound to occur eventually." Whatever. I know that the porcine population has finally begun to enact its evil revenge. I mean c'mon, look at their leader! For years, they've laid low, pretending to be cute and cuddly. But the pig got out of the bag a few years ago. We let the warning signs slip by, but we're ready to strike back. You may have Porky on your side, but we've got Yosemite Sam AND Elmer Fudd.

So be prepared, because we're sick of those Michael Jackson masks, and we've got the firepower to deal with you, you little mud-rollers!

.

Grandpa: My Homer is not a communist. He may be a liar, a pig, an idiot, a communist, but he is not a porn star.

NFL Draft Blog

Chris Berman just screamed "Are you ready for some NFL draft?" And I think he may have caused Mel Kiper, Jr.'s hair to move slightly, but I'm not sure.

Good times, and welcome back!

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I'm wearing a Patriots jersey.

ESPN just ran a vaguely homo-erotic montage of some of the top prospects shirtless. This should be an interesting ride. Kiper's drooling at the thought of all of this "upside."

Keyshawn "I Swear I Used to be a Top-Flight Receiver" Johnson and Steve "Concussion" Young in the booth with Berman and Kiper. Can't wait for hilarity to ensue. Roger Goodell's trying to make humorous small talk to the drunken Jets fans in the crowd. This can't end well.

Let's start the nonsense…

1. Detroit Lions: the suspense is out of the pick, as the Lions have agreed to a guaranteed $41.7 million for an under-achieving quarterback from an under-achieving SEC team. My Lions fandom is off to a great start. He's gonna need that cannon of an arm…I sure hope he knows how to take a sack. Mel Kiper just backtracked on everything he's drooled out over the last 6 months, saying Stafford may not be Hall-of-Fame, but he could be good with proper coaching. Plus, my wife just asked how old Stafford was…15? Because an NFL team wants a quarterback that looks like he can't buy smokes yet. Great pick, fellas. You can make an average quarterback good with a solid offensive line, but stick a Pro-Bowler like Marc Bulger behind a patchwork line, and he can't stay on the field.

2. St. Louis Rams: What don't they need? With the loss of Orlando Pace, the Rams have a massive hole on the offensive line, Marc Bulger can't stay on the field, and they have maybe 3 viable defensive players on their roster.

The pick: Jason Smith, OT from Baylor. Predictable but solid choice. Smith should provide some stability, and if he sucks at left tackle, there's always right tackle, both guards, and the center, so the Rams have some flexibility. Which Marc Bulger doesn't have anymore.

3. Kansas City Chiefs: Another team that could use a number of positions, the Chiefs may go defense to shore up a unit that has sucked over the last few years. Herm Edwards is talking…what are the odds he talks too long and talks over the Chief's pick? But the Chiefs could easily go with Michael Crabtree to pair with new QB Matt Cassell and WR Dwayne Bowe.

The pick: Tyson Jackson, DE from LSU. Another strong choice. What am I going to make fun of if these GMs keep picking players who fulfill a need?

4. Seattle Seahawks: Putting my Streak for the Cash streak of 4 on the line here, predicting a quarterback to the Men in Blue to back up Matt Hasselbeck. Because we know what happens if he gets hurt again: See NFC West.

The pick: Aaron Curry, OLB from Wake Forest. Welp, there went my streak. Thanks, you Holmgren-less Bluehawks. Thanks a lot.

5. New York Jets from Cleveland Browns: No telling how they're going to screw this pick up. They may try and draft me, being stunned by my 5.2 40 yard dash in high school 10 years ago. Logically, Crabtree may land here, to try and give Anderson/Quinn another target alongside the soon-to-be-departed Braylon "Dropsies" Edwards.

The pick: Trade to New York Jets, who take Mark Sanchez. Solid choice, but Kellen Clemmons is looking over his shoulder. And by that, I mean looking over Sanchez's shoulder at the field. The announcers just said for the 3,658^th time that you can't win without a quarterback in this league. Really? You have to field someone to catch the snap? Just letting the ball roll around until someone on your team hopefully picks it up isn't a valid strategy? Thanks for that nugget, fellas.

6. Cincinnati Bengals: Looks like Andre Smith's family just gave away the pick. The OT from Alabama could be a decent pick, if he decides to stay on the field.

The pick: Smith, who's smiling like Fat Albert.

7. Oakland Raiders: No telling here, absolutely none. My guess? Al Davis drafts a new tracksuit and signs it to a $100 million guaranteed contract.

The pick: Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR from Maryland. WHAT? Even I expected Davis to fully take Crabtree here, since he thinks he can run a 4.4 40 on crutches. It's too bad DHB won't have any passes to catch, with JaMarcus Russell "throwing" him the ball. At least I have someone to make fun of now. Thanks, Al.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Crabtree. I'm bound to get this right if I keep projecting him, right? Pair him with new addition Tory Holt, and MC can both learn AND impact a team in desperate need of solid wide receivers.

The pick: Eugene Monroe, OT from Virginia. C'mon, I'm a huge proponent of drafting linemen. I can't work with this stuff. Mel Kiper just went down a list of which former NFL linemen Monroe isn't. Great work, Mel, you're telling us Eugene Monroe is Eugene Monroe, not Anthony Munoz? How does this man make a living?!?!?

9. Green Bay Packers: With Dom Capers switching the team to a 3-4, the Pack are sure to go defense, probably B.J. Raji. Unless Brett Favre declares himself eligible though a loophole.

The pick: Raji, DT from Boston College. Guess Favre is staying retired this time.

10. San Francisco 49ers: My streak is palpitating. Crabtree's on the board, and would give whoever the hell the 49ers trot out at quarterback an actual option aside from Vernon Davis.

The pick: Crabtree, WR from Texas Tech. Although he only 'slid' to 10^th, if he stays healthy, Crabtree could be the steal of the draft. Either Shaun Hill or Alex Smith's tiny hands just became a valid fantasy quarterback.

11. Buffalo Bills: Aaron Maybin's on the phone, looks like the DE may be the next pick. With the recent pick up of Terrell Owens, the Bills' offense should be dynamite for 6 weeks, so the defense is a no-brainer pick.

The pick: Maybin, DE from Penn State. Hey, at least he's not a PSU running back, so he's got a chance to be productive.

12. Denver Broncos: Broncos. NFL draft. Get ready for a running back, likely Knowshon Moreno.

The pick: Moreno, RB from Georgia. Not a bad pick, but he won't be the next Herschel Walker, folks. Plus, Robert Ayers can continue taking his head off in practice. Good times.

13. Washington Redskins: who knows, with Snyder calling the shots. They've tried to get rid of Jason Campbell twice this offseason, so they'll probably take a safety.

The pick: Brian Orakpo, DE from Texas. Not a big name, so I'm not sure what Chainsaw Dan Snyder's going for here. But in the NFC East, strengthening your defense is never a bad idea.

14. New Orleans Saints: DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE!!!!

The pick: Malcolm Jenkins, DB from Ohio State. Now hopefully the Saints can try and stop people instead of winning games 42-38.

15. Houston Texans: I'm predicting the Texans draft a new name here. You're named after the state you're in? Brilliant, guys, just brilliant. I heard the University of Tennessee is changing to the UT Tennesseans, next year.

The pick: Brian Cushing, LB from Southern California. Another logical pick, the Texans beefing up a needy defense to go with a growing offense.

16. San Diego Chargers: Wide receiver? Corner? New distributor for Shawn Merriman?

The pick: Larry English, DE from Northern Illinois. Crap. I really can't make fun of this draft. The Chargers needed an end to help an aging defense, and got one.

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers from Cleveland Browns from New York Jets: Kiper thinks they're going defense, so I say offense, maybe Chris Beanie Wells from Ohio State. They need another injury-prone running back.

The pick: Josh Freeman, QB from Kansas State. A semi-risky pick, especially as John Gruden loves old quarterbacks. But this may actually give them a chance to grow on offense, and with Kellen Winslow now taking up the tight end spot, this offense could be dangerous fast. But I was closer than Kiper. Time to apply to ESPN.

18. Denver Broncos: Somewhat akin to the Saints, the Broncos need DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE!!!!

The pick: Robert Ayers, DE from Tennessee. I may be biased here, but this easily passes the 49ers getting Crabtree as the steal of the draft. The Broncos once took a defensive standout from Tennessee by the name of Al Wilson, who became one of the fiercest hitters in the NFL. Good job, Coach "Patriots Cast-off" McDaniels. P.S. Robert, destroy Knowshon in practice daily, please.

19. Philadelphia Eagles: Say it with me now, kids, Wiiiii-duh Re-see-vurrrr…unless they can swing a deal for Anquan Boldin.

The pick: Jeremy Maclin, WR from Missouri. Hey, if he can do what DeSean Jackson did (minus the pre-touchdown ball-spike), the Eagles may have added another dimension to a lacking vertical game. Plus, he's white, and we always need more quality white receivers in the NFL.

20. Detroit Lions: So many holes, so few picks. Does it really matter? Offensive line might be the best way to go here, but the defense needs serious work. Maualuga?

The pick: Brandon Pettigrew, TE from Oklahoma State. Apparently the Lions have decided to go all offense with key early picks. Pettigrew may actually be a good fit, as I've heard he's adept at both blocking and pass catching, providing an additional threat for Stafford to throw to when Calvin Johnson's eleven-tuple covered.

21. Cleveland Browns: The Browns may need a replacement for Braylon Edwards, if they're able to unload his Butterfingers.

The pick: Alex Mack, OC from California. I'm not sure what an 'OC' is, but I'm assuming it's a center. And that's never a bad pick, especially when you need to keep your two young quarterbacks upright.

22. Minnesota Vikings: Get a quarterback! Get a quarterback! Get a quarterback! Get a quarterback!

The pick: Percy Harvin, WR from Florida. Another standout wide receiver from Florida sure to follow in the footsteps of other greats such as…um…well…Jabar Gaffney?

23. Baltimore Ravens from New England Patriots: Late trade I didn't catch, so no snarky comment(s).

The pick: Michael Oher, OT from Ole Miss. Blah. Nothing to say here.

24. Atlanta Falcons: Can they keep rising and soaring? A terrific rookie quarterback, Michael "The Burner" Turner, and new addition Tony Gonzalez could lead the way back to playoff relevance.

The pick: Peria Jerry from Ole Miss. Two Runnin' Rebels in a row? Who knew Ole Miss even had two players eligible for the draft? And I'm not talking academically, I'm talking athletically.

25. Miami Dolphins: Whoever the hell they pick, Bill Parcells will turn him into a Football Player. Because Bill Parcells is a Football Genius.

The pick: Vontae Davis, CB from Illinois. A strong pick. Especially in the AFC East, with Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, and Wes Welker in the division.

26. Green Bay from Baltimore Ravens: Beanie Wells may go here, with the Ravens looking to shore up some questionable running back depth. And believe me on this one, I had all 632 Ravens running backs on my fantasy team at some point last year.

The pick: Clay Matthews, OLD from Southern California. Matthews' clan has pre-made T-shirts. He might want to turn it into a heavy, heavy sweater for the Green Bay weather. With Raji, Matthews may lead to a new era of Packer defense. (Resisting packing 'joke' here…fighting urge…fighting…moving on to next pick…)

27. Indianapolis Colts: The Colts could use some offensive line help, as Jeff Saturday isn't getting any younger. If he was, he'd be a rich, rich man, because he'd have discovered the fountain of youth. But you figured that out already. Defense is a concern, too, because there are only so many transplanted bionic body parts for Bob Sanders to have implanted. Look for Maualuga to go off the board here.

The pick: Donald Brown, RB from UConn. Surprised the Colts went offense here, with their needs on defense, but Brown may provide an additional boost for a Colts' offense that is sneakily getting older.

28. Buffalo Bills from Philadelphia: With the Bills' early defensive pick, they may look to continue to beef it up with Maualuga or Laurinaitis. Or they could go offensive line to address the loss of Jason Peters to the Eagles.

The pick: Eric Wood, C from Louisville. They just showed his picture, and I think he was Chunk from The Goonies. Plus, we just got a great commercial with Drew "The Devil Incarnate" Rosenhaus. Good times, again.

29. New York Giants: WIDE RECEIVER. With the loss of Plaxico Burress, Elisha Manning now has no one to consistently catch his errant passes. Look for Hakeem Nicks here.

The pick: Hakeem Nicks, WR from North Carolina, and The Radio City Buffoons are in full force. Plus, I called another one. Admittedly, I didn't do that prior to the draft, but what good does that really do?

30. Tennessee Titans: Defensive minded, I don't see the Titans changing course here. There isn't really a standout wide receiver left to give to Collins/Young, so they'll probably go with Maualuga or Lauranaitis. And who painted on Sal Paolantonio's eyebrows? Those things look like caterpillars on steroids. Even my eyebrows are jealous of the guns on those things. Plus, the announcers just set a record for "Jeff Fisher" references in the span of 30 seconds at somewhere around 5 million while mentioning Anquan Boldin. I'm about to have a heart attack. A lot of Beanie Wells talk for a team with Shake and Bake. I mean Smash and Dash. Or fat and fast. Whatever.

The pick: Kenny Britt, WR from Rutgers. A 6'3 receiver from Jersey. Britt may be able to help the Titans' passing game, but rookie receivers have a history of needing at least one or two years to fully adjust to the NFL.

31. Arizona Cardinals: The defending NFC Champion Cardin…what? Oh yeah. The defending NFC Champion ARIZONA CARDINALS need help fending off the coming locust hordes and raining frogs. Chris 'Beanie' Wells may be able to provide protection from both with help from his rehabilitation equipment.

The pick: Chris Wells, RB from Ohio State. At least disappointment won't be new to him in the desert, so he should fit right in with the 'Cards.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers: Look for another solid pick from one of the most consistent franchises in sports. Think Maualuga or Lauranaitis. One of them is bound to go first round…

The pick: Ziggy Hood, DT from Missouri. A big body's always good for the defensive line to be able to take up space and create piles. Plus, I get to make a joke I'm sure is all over the internet already. But that's what you're paying me for, people. You want better? Gimme a raise.