Funk is arguably the most prevalent, with the outstanding “A New Name” capitalizing on Justin Vandervolgin’s pulsating bass line. Between the rhythm section lies a swipe of an electric guitar every measure, all until singer Nic Offer expertly pulls off some demonic Barry Gibb impression. Though older fans may listen and scratch their heads, “A New Name” is clearly one of their best songs to date. The rest of the album is very enjoyable as well, with the energetic Zappa-induced “All My Heroes Are Weirdos”, the swooning “Heart Of Hearts”, and the guitar-driven eight-minute epic “Bend Over Beethoven” being additional highlights. To make things even better, Myth Takes also encompasses some of the best, albeit appropriately apocalyptic, cover art of ‘07. In the most accessible album of their careers, the enjoyably named have achieved admirable success.

- A New Name

- All My Heroes Are Weirdos

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32. Art Brut - It’s a Bit Complicated

artbrutWitty one-liners, snappy guitars, hilarious sociological musings… yeah, Art Brut’s excellent debut, Bang Bang Rock and Roll, was all of that and more. It was one of my favorite albums of 2005, with Eddie Argos’ distinctively British vocals being in perfect contrast to the rhymes and melodic croons that she seemed at ease conveying. Set against the backdrop of catchy punk-pop and indie-rock, Argos often found himself transformed into a humorously fanatical poet, relaying hopeful tales of “drinking Hennessey with Morrissey” on some faraway beach while simultaneously lamenting frustration of NME’s ridiculous stylistic niches. Two years after their debut, It’s a Bit Complicated follows up in expectable form. Though Argos’ wittiness has appeared to decreased ever so slightly, the melodic instrumentation is as strong as ever in exciting tracks like “Direct Hit” and “People in Love”. Though it is less prevalent on several other tracks, Argos’ lyrical wit remains fully demonstrative in the album’s best track, “People in Love”.

This strange occurence had nothing to do with hunting or hunters; it was just one of those odd rural misunderstandings that you somewhat get accustomed to after years of living in the country. Firearms are simply a fact of life here; more people have them than don’t. It’s good to know I can return to one of my favorite bird watching spots without fear of needing to watch my back. However I do think that when I go there in the future that I will wear a hunter orange hat - just in case. Peace and good bird watching. Volvo S90 - ny Volvo V40 - ny Volvo V50 -by Born Again Bird Watcher at 5:38 1 Labels: Digibinning, firearms, Scappoose Links to this post Wednesday, 21, Mail Call - Bird Watching One of the challenges of publishing regular reviews and notices of magazines from the other side of the globe is the fact that it takes a few extra days for the latest copy to reach me in Oregon before the next issue hits the news stands back in the periodical’s country of origin. The publishers have absolutely no control over this and are entirely bleless; they are entirely at the mercy of the postal service in their own country as well as the postal service in the country of delivery. If either of those countries’ postal services is experiencing a job action, as has been the case in Britain recently with the Royal Mail, the challenge is somewhat magnified.

With natural disasters so prevalent these days, the one thing we can take away is the need for insurance. Hurricane Katrina showed us the need for flood insurance. The Southern California wildfires have showed us the need for fire insurance. And so on. Estimates of some 40 percent of New Orleans residents had no form of flood insurance pre Katrina even though the New Orleans is a high flood risk area. This is not at all out of the norm. It’s estimated that only about a quarter of homes in high risk areas are even insured for fire or flood insurance. This is unfortunate because flood insurance is some of the most affordable insurance available. It may take some individuals a lifetime to realize the American dream and purchase a home, but we’ve seen first hand how quickly that dream can be destroyed. So, if we can take anything good away from these recent disasters it’s the importance of being protected, especially for higher risk areas. Flood insurance isn’t the only important form of insurance. Disability insurance provides protection for you and your family as well. The question you need to ask yourself is that will you be able to provide for your family if you were unable to work. Disability insurance is a very valuable form of insurance that protects your income. It’s not just for the construction worker who needs to protect against injury. It is actually quite common for sickness or illness to sideline your career. Some 12 percent of the working class will have a disability lasting greater than 5 years before they retire. That’s a large number and a long time to go without income. You can’t just rely on workers compensation, as the accident would have to happen at work. Again, it’s important to remember that most disabilities happen from illness and not injury. Disability insurance protects against both.