The Top Five & Dime

Top Five Minneapolis Hip-Hop Albums

2009-02-24T01:33:00.004-06:00

T o p F i v e M i n n e a p o l i s H i p - H o p A l b u m s

1. P.O.S. & Cecil Otter - False Hopes Mega!

2. Mictlan - False Hopes Eight Deity For Rehire

3. Doomtree - Original Thought

4. Dessa - Flasehopes EP

5. Mictlan & Laserbeak - Hand Over Fist

200great

2008-12-24T15:09:00.002-06:00

brittany shedd chooses:

katy perry - one of the boys
i gave mark so much shit for liking 'i kissed a girl' so much, but when 'hot and cold' came out... i was so down. cd purchased. this record is mostly nostalgic, it reminds me of 90% of the fun i had this year... how could it not be on my list?
the jam: hot n cold

vampire weekend - vampire weekend
this record reminds me of sitting in the store with shelly and miah, jammin some vinyl. i didn't give it a shot until my father recommended it to me. this record is fun in a way that is rarely done.
the jam: oxford coma [for sentimental reasons]

adelle - 19
another jem from mom and dad. her voice is magical. i'm so down.
the jam: cold shoulder

patrick watson - close to paradise
travis brought this for me from austin. i've never been so impressed with anything in my life. the way he plays and his voice... dammit. it's so good.
the jam: slip into your skin

greg laswell - how the day sounds ep
i was not as impressed with his full length that came out this year as i was with the ep. laswell is likely the most honest songwriter i have heard in a long time. i adore him.
the jam: high and low, all of the songs are amazing though

beck - modern guilt
oh beck. never letting me down. you've all heard this...
the jam: youthless

dear and the headlights - drunk like bible times
favorite local band. bob hoag did the record so you knew before you got it that it was going to be amazing. plus, with an album name like that, how could you go wrong?
the jam: if not for my glasses

black keys - the attack and release
i really liked this record. and then i saw them and i loved this record. there is something almost haunting about it.
the jam: all you ever wanted

alive in wild paint - ceilings
first, this is my favorite album artwork of the year. although i'm not excited about the way it was recorded like a lot of the rest of the albums. trav's voice is one of my favorite things in the world. the bass lines are sweet. there are some intense one liners in the lyrics... i am only mostly biased about this.
the jam: crystal selves

margot and the nuclear so and so's - animal!/ not animal! [duh]
so epic wanted the put out one record, margot wanted to put out another. so the compromise? they put out both calling epic's record not animal! and the margot record animal! they encouraged fans to first listen to animal! then not animal! if they felt it was appropriate. animal! consists of a lot of new songs no one has ever heard, not animal! has a lot of songs fans already knew as demos. [i knew 7 of the 12 songs when i got it] the albums have 4 common tracks.[but if you ask me, they sound better on animal!]
the jam: oh what a nightmare! for animal! and pages written on a wall for not animal!

honorable mentions:
ratatat - lp3 [i feel like a jerk for putting this down here]
sigur ros - med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust [this one too]
tilly and the wall - o [this should be on my favorite shows list too, for a lot of reasons]
the mars volta - bedlam in goliath
kings of leon - only by the night
she and him - volume 1
nada surf - lucky
the killers - day and age

things i got into that had no new records:
saul williams
the cardigans
midlake
brian jamestown massacre [15 years later]
robert plant and alison krauss
native korean rock

really?
jenny lewis - acid tounge
death cab for cutie - narrow stairs
conor oberst - conor oberst
the counting crows - saturday nights, sunday mornings

Top 5 Reasons to Revive the Five and Dime

2008-09-10T23:35:00.000-05:00

local love

2008-05-09T01:22:00.005-05:00

since my life has not been sacrificed to finals, papers, or work i have time to sit and talk to my pastors for entire days. yesterday we briefly discussed the top bands from arizona here are my picks:

01 alice cooper

02 glen campbell

03 jimmy eat world

04 michelle branch

05 gin blossoms

06 calexico

07 the format

08 the refreshments/

roger clyne and the peacemakers

09 authority zero

10 job for a cowboy

now just because these bands were big does not mean i am a fan of them these are my top 5 arizona bands

01 alive in wild paint

02 dear and the headlights

03 the format

04 what laura says thinks and feels

05 lymbyc systym/

the wizards of time

keanu to arizona... -brittany

music bitches

2008-05-01T23:43:00.008-05:00

my friends kevin and nole posted blogs about the top 5 bands they have never seen, upon further reflection i have decided there are far more than 5 bands that i want to see more than anything. to follow will be the top 5 bands i have seen... i really love music.

10 the roots: more that is coming soon in my life.
09 the mars volta: this shit would also be crazy.
08 madonna: i can only imagine all the crazy shit going on here. i want the 80's shit!
07 the flaming lips: duh.
06 the postal service: it will never happen but i would be stoked.
05 zepplin reunion and/or robert plant and alison krauss: i straight up stole this from nole.
04 saul williams: when i get bored, i watch all of his youtube videos. that's what i'm doing with my life. when he was here i went and saw my brother play instead. good thing my brother is awesome. i saw his spoken word the next night and i am in love. oh saul.
03 the cardigans: i fucking love them. one of the best bands right now. seriously.
02 margot and the nuclear so and so's: my favorite band of my life, my friend quinn and i will be seeing in a few weeks. the last time they were here mike and i ate ice cream in the parking lot. if i were making a list of regrets, this would be among the top slots.
01 radiohead: we will meet one another in august and it will be magical.

05 rilo kiley/tilly and the wall/the elected: so fucking fun.
04 noise ratchet: the first and last time.
03 john vanderslice: every fucking time.
02 the lilith fair: this was my first. it was obviously epic.
01 u2: i'll be cliche.

Bennett

Top 10 Never-Seen (videos included)

1. At the Drive-In: There's something to be said for a band that rocks so damn hard but literally does not allow moshing or anything resembling aggressive dancing.

2. The Dismemberment Plan: I've been to shows where I've danced my ass off, but in my head, this would take every single one of them behind the shed and put them out of their misery like Old Yeller. Except better.

3. Further Seems Forever: Technically, I've seen them. I don't count it because there was only one original member left. And they had Jon.

4. Thursday: I wouldn't be able to do it now, but they were playing my first Warped Tour in about 2002 or so right after Full Collapse dropped. The girls I was with weren't down at all so I was only able to listen to half a song. Little did I know, they would be a go to band of mine for years.

5. onelinedrawing: After the GUK show at Gabe's in 2002, we received quarter sheet fliers for a onelinedrawing/coheed & cambria show. I can't even imagine the set list that would result from the differing styles of those two bands. I've seen Jonah play before but that's for the second list...

6. Led Zeppelin: Every year I'll go through a Led phase for about 2 weeks. I get blown away by the brilliance and wonder what it was like to have grown up with this band developing and touring. Wow.

7. Final Fantasy: I want to go to a show where one man's musicianship is so outstanding the audience doesn't speak. I need this in my life.

8. Beirut: Take the previous sentiment and add a few more people.

9. Lullaby for the Working Class: Listen. Just... I've seen Ted with Cursive and I've seen Mike with Bright Eyes but let's get real. LftWC was probably the best thing that never made it out of Saddle Creek.

10. Karate: Pure musicianship. The rock would be so solid my head would probably explode.

Top 5 Shows
1. Sage Francis: He opened for Against Me!.... wtf? This was my one and only experience with Sage and he played 88% of what I wanted to hear. He even did Dr Feel Nathan. Just wow.

2. The Spill Canvas (circa 2004): These guys have been my boys since the DashTabs days (good find to Leesa, who about two of you will know). Getting to see them play live in a little coffee shop in Pella, IA was so ridiculously good.

3. Gratitude: They played in Milwaukee (Algonquin for "the good land") with two openers, the second of whom was The Spill Canvas, who people were obviously there for. I'd been following Jonah for a while and have nothing but respect for him and his music. The amount of crowd interaction was outstanding. He stared me in the face and we shared vocal duties for a bit of a song. It was the second to last show for Gratitude and the energy was outstanding. I literally dumped all the money I had into his sliding scale merch that night. I've never done that before in my life. I can't wait for him to come back around.

4. Caleb Engstrom (I think)/Portugal, the Man/Rocky Votolato: I'd been a fan of Rocky Votolato for a while when he finally came around Iowa City. I was pumped for him and didn't know any of the other acts. Caleb Engstrom was the IC version of Rocky and stole just enough of the show to impress. Portugal, the Man was the find of the night. Simply good fun music that made my toes tap. Rocky played my favorite songs and played them damn well. It was an abundantly satisfying experience. Not over the top brilliant, not underwhelming. Just a solid show that left me feeling like I should marry music.

5. PCC/The Show is the Rainbow/Make Believe/Cursive:
Just look at the bands there for a second. This show was out of this fucking world. I didn't know PCC yet but they were good and the crowd was way into it. You can't go to a PCC show more than once without getting sucked into the whole thing. The Show is the Rainbow had an amazing stage presence and entertaining performance. Make Believe was hilariously strange (Tim Kinsella may or may not have been high). They more or less violated the crowd, myself included. Cursive just released Happy Hollow and had horns and a new cellist. I was front row for my favorite band of all time. I was literally drunk from the performance. I can honestly say that I have never seen a better show.

Top 5 Mustaches/Top 10 Beards

2008-04-30T12:25:00.005-05:00

There's a theme today. When I'm feeling cold in the winter, I can retreat behind my beard and appear stoic and BA while maintaining a reasonable body temperature. The calendar insists, much to the opposition of the weather, that spring has come. So about a month and a half ago, citing a promise to a winning campaign and the end of its functionality, I began the de-bearding process. The never ending trim followed by the dangerous close shave. I'm telling you, a face that hasn't been exposed to the world in 5 months is a bit tender.

In the past, I've thrown going away parties for my beard, lovingly entitled "Bye, Bye Beard." The fliers involved me bearded and in a suit from a previous soirée (Party, Bond Party) with the universal red circle and strike-through. I can provide photographic documentation for the various stages of beardedness that occurred that night. Let's just say there was a movement from convict to James Hetfield to creepy pedo to bare (razor burnt) face.

There was also the infamous "Mustache Fiasco" of 2005 where Jered and myself were fully bearded during the daytime Christmas Eve celebrations, head-faked our way to the next venue, doubled back and removed all but a classic 'stache for myself and a fu-manchu for Jered. There was both laughter and tears. It is still spoken of in certain circles throughout the midwest. Moving right along...

I feel as though I let my beard go a bit prematurely this year and I'm a bit nostalgic today. Here we go, Top 5 Mustaches and Top 10 Beards. Click for visual confirmation.

Mustaches

Beards

Movie Soundtracks/Childhood TV Shows

2008-04-25T08:47:00.004-05:00

So it turns out that when you have papers, projects, transitioning and graduation going on, it's really difficult to find creative energy to put anywhere else. This is unfortunate because that means we've been neglecting the blog (unacceptable). Luckily Brittany stepped in with her solid top 5. I can't even begin to tell you how much I echo the Dirk Calloway and Stephen Colbert. Moving right along....

Today is a simple Five & Dime. Top 5 Movie Soundtracks. Top 10 Childhood TV Shows. Crowd participation is always welcome and appreciated.

Bennett's

Movie Soundtracks

The Life Aquatic w/Steve Zissou
Garden State (it's just solid. You can't deny that)
Natural Born Killers
I Know What You Did Last Summer (totally serious)
Requiem for a Dream

Childhood TV Shows

Pee Wee's Playhouse
Legends of the Hidden Temple
Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego?
What Would You Do?
Saved By the Bell
NBA Inside Stuff
Beakman's World
TMNT
Roundhouse (does anyone else remember this? Killer bass riff for the intro)
VR Troopers

Jered's

Movie Soundtracks

Childhood TV Shows

who do you need in your life?

2008-04-19T01:51:00.004-05:00

top 5 characters you need in your life
01. jim halpert: i need him
02. steve zissou: deep search
03. dirk calloway: just so i can say, 'take notation'
04. edwardo: potato? it would be so good
05. stephen colbert: i just did that

Excuses for not Posting in a Week & Awesome/Shitty Beer

2008-04-15T09:00:00.005-05:00

Whoa. It's been a week since the last 5 & Dime. I couldn't be more sorry about that. We'll try not to let that happen again. Jered and I will give you a collaborative top 5 excuses and you can pick which one makes you feel better about it. Hell, if the other contributers have anything good, go on and add it up.

Top 5 Excuses

The discovery/exploration of a secret underground tunnel
6 day Heroin binge
Grease Party + Fifty Pound Rooster
Obama's Elitism
Writing/releasing a full length Rock Opera entitled One on One Against the World, Left-Handed: The Basketball Jones Story

Also, today we're going to try something different: a combo Dime. We're doing a Top 5 awesome beers SLASH Top 5 shitty beers. See, when you make the rules, you can bend them as such.

Bennett's Top5 Awesome/Shitty Beer

Guinness
Yuengling
Sea Dog Blue Paw Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale
Fat Tire Mothership Wit
Sam Adams Cherry Wheat

Schlitz
Gulden Draak
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Beer 30
Natty Ice (Chad bro.... chiiiiiillll)

Jered's Top5 Awesome/Shitty Beer

Guinness
Sea Dog Blue Paw Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale
Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat
Newcastle
Red Stripe

A Le Coq Imperial Extra Double Stout
Milwaukee's Best
Schmidts
Colt 45
Star

Adam (aka Dadric) Beers

Newcastle Brown
Young's Double Chocolate Stout
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Warsteiner
Lindeman's Framboise Lambic

Busch Light (Dubuque water)
Olde English 800
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Beer 30
Natural Ice

Top 5 Comedians/Top 10 Board Games

2008-04-08T08:28:00.004-05:00

Foreword: Last night I did something strange... I watched college basketball. I know that this is what most "normal" Americans were doing last night. It was the championship game after all. To be fair, I watched most of the UNC/Louisville game and enjoyed it enough that it took me until the fourth quarter to fall asleep. Anyway, I was at Buffalo Wild Wings (again, wtf am I?) enjoying some wings and a Guinness and moving between the game (which was brilliant, I thought) and the trivia screen because, well, the people in my family are suckers for trivia and I, surprisingly, am part of my family. There was a question about famous comedians and it spurred a top 5 discussion around the table. That's the brilliant thing about top 5 and Dimes. Anyway, here's my list of top 5 Comedians and top 10 Board Games. Jered's follow.

Top 5 Comedians

Top 10 Board Games

Trivial Pursuit
Fireball Island
Clue
Monopoly
Chess
Splat
Battleship
Sorry
Mouse Trap
Alien Autopsy (Operation)

Jered's Top 5 Comedians

zach galifianakis
david cross
the amazing johnathan
jim gaffigan
artie lange

Jered's Top 10 Board Games

trivial pursuit
life
monopoly
connect four
checkers
sorry
trouble
battleship
apples to apples
pictionary

Top 5 Sodas/Top 10 Movies

2008-04-07T11:00:00.007-05:00

I had to introduce someone to Ghostbusters last night. Yes. Introduce. Yes, that movie was made in 1984. I know, I know. I don't get it. During the credits, my friend was impressed that Dan Aykroyd (and Harold Ramis) wrote it. I mentioned that Harold Ramis wrote Stripes, also. Didn't see that. Seriously, two of my top tens not even on the radar. Then I find out Wayne's World wasn't on her list either. Are. You. Kidding? Apparently someone was raised by wolves. So, a Top Ten must ensue for certain feral peoples. Oh and top 5 sodas just sort of happened. Good call on Jered's part, though.

Bennett's Top 5 Sodas

Bennett's Top 10 Movies

Ghostbusters 1 & 2
Wayne's World
Stripes
Brick
Spaceballs
Revenge of the Nerds
Rushmore
Fletch & Fletch Lives
Network
Seven Samurai

Jered Top 5 Sodas

Jered's Top 10 Movies

better off dead
pulp fiction
waynes world
o brother where art thou
the godfather
apocalypse now
a clockwork orange
the shining
the wizard of oz
chuck & buck

10 Things You Should Be Doing but Aren't

2008-04-06T02:28:00.004-05:00

--Brittany--
top 10 things you should be doing and aren't

01. i have 3 tickets. it is likely i will not deal with any of them.
02. dental hygiene... brushing teeth before bed and flossing.
03. yard work. my neighbor had to do mine. it was embarrassing.
04. exercise.
05. processed foods in your diet.
06. quitting smoking.
07. cutting back on drinking.
08. finding a career path.
09. volunteering.
10. living simply.

--Bennett--
Take a look at this top 10 and see if you can find the pattern...

Sex Ethics Paper
Media & Society Paper (x2)
American Popular Music Homework (generally)
Looking for jobs/ houses/apartments in Portland
Reducing overall consumption of whiskey
Governmental Relations Committee By-Laws
DC Report to the Senate
Making Appointments
Cutting back on the name dropping
Literature Review on the Iowa Caucuses

Concert Faux Pas & Cartoon Characters

2008-04-04T08:45:00.009-05:00

Today I'm going to the Cursive show for the Mission Creek Music Festival. I've seen Cursive three times now and I can't believe how awesome it is every time. I'm also there to check out my friends in The Poison Control Center and they always put on a high energy show. In discussing my glee with friends, and talking to them about concerts they're attending this weekend, we decided there are some things you just should not do at a concert. J and I collaborated on this one since we had mostly the same list. Could that mean that these are Universal Laws like gravity, motion and shotgun? Maybe not, but you should treat them like they are.

Top 5 Concert Faux Pas

Wearing the band's t-shirt to the show
Requesting Free Bird (unless the band REALLY deserves it)
Getting busted with a joint during the second band of a 5 act show (ahem..)
Starting the mosh pit during a ballad (you might think it's funny, but everyone clearly hates you)
Crowd surfing... just no
Honorable Mention: No one wants to watch you bang your gf/bf during the show except the sociopaths who have to live vicariously through you. I know your spot is good but either step into a room or keep it in your pants. Srsly...

Brittany's Top 10 Concert Faux Pas

singing along when they don't know the lyrics. example: when a band says, 'this is a new song, we've never played it' and some fools are singing along
when you bump into someone and they freak out, you're at a show deal
'stop talking and play.' really?
when the drummer doesn't have a mic and just shouts at the crowd the whole time
slam dancing. really?
wearing the bands shirt to the show... but the band enjoys it... fuss
announcing city name to a small crowd
local bands announcing where they are from
opening bands...

eating touring bands catering
asking the crowd to move up
trying to play way too many songs
sound checking their gear and walking off the stage, then making a theatrical entrance back on stage
rap rock

talking

[this was compiled by: shedd, matt grabe, and austin]

Bennett

Top 10 Cartoon Characters

Jered

Top 10 Cartoon Characters

Bugs Bunny
The Powerpuff Girls
SpongeBob SquarePants
Ren and Stimpy
Space Ghost
Daria
Peter Griffith
Beavis and Butthead
Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner
The Hair Bear Bunch

Cracked's The 5 Most Ridiculous Lies You Were Taught In History Class

2008-04-02T13:26:00.003-05:00

Cracked clearly understands how to do a top 5. Newton's entry is ace of.

The 5 Most Ridiculous Lies You Were Taught In History Class

Top 5 Songs to Win a Rock Band Tournament...

2008-04-02T11:26:00.007-05:00

This Top 5 is inspired by my Rock Band's performance at a tournament last night. We initially went to scout the competition and check out the format of the tourney but ended up playing anyway (some say it was inevitable). Danny DeVito & the Limoncello proceeded to pummel the opposition with five key songs. They go as follows.

Top 5 Songs to Win a Rock Band Tournament

Metallica - Enter Sandman (Their Pick)
Coheed & Cambria - Welcome Home (Our Pick)
Weezer - Say It Ain't So (Our Pick)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California (Their Pick)
Bon Jovi - Wanted Dead or Alive (Random)

Who's got today's top ten?

5 Country Songs/10 Tom Waits Songs

2008-04-01T10:04:00.014-05:00

Alright folks... here are my top five and dime country and Tom Waits songs. Feel free to post yours!

Jered's Top Five Country Songs:

Jered's Top Ten Tom Waits' Songs:

--Bennett--
I can contribute a few country songs but I can't even start the Tom Waits away from my iTunes. Here goes nothing.

Top Five Country Songs:

Johnny Cash - Devil's Right Hand
Kentucky Headhunters - Dumas Walker
Johnny Cash - Flushed From the Bathroom of Your Heart
Hank Williams Jr - Family Tradition
Clint Black - State of Mind

Top Ten Tom Waits Songs:

1st Set of Tops

2008-04-01T09:32:00.017-05:00

Here are the first set of tops. If you want to contribute, just add it on the comments!

Bennett

Top 10 Formative Albums (aka albums you listened to in your teenage years/growing up)

Cursive - The Ugly Organ
Further Seems Forever - The Moon is Down
Tenacious D
Thursday - Full Collapse
Cake - Fashion Nugget
Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
Juliana Theory - Emotion is Dead
Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
Bright Eyes - Don't Be Frightened of Turning the Page
Dashboard Confessional - So Impossible

Top 5 Guilty Pleasure Albums

Top 5 Rap/Hip-hop Albums

Sage Francis - Personal Journals
Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
Non-Prophets - Hope
Dick Loars - All Hot Nothing Not Hot

Top 5 Country Albums

Johnny Cash - Live at Folsom Prison
Garth Brooks - No Fences
Clint Black - Greatest Hits
[so I hit a wall... big deal]

Top 5 Cover Songs

Cake - I Will Survive
Copeland - Another Day in Paradise
Further Seems Forever - Bye, Bye, Bye (not even kidding)
Guns N Roses - Look at your Game Girl
Final Fantasy - This Modern Love

Top 5 Party Songs

Jered

Top 10 Formative Albums (aka albums you listened to in your PRE-teenage years/growing up)

beastie boys - license to ill
run dmc - raising hell
public enemy - takes a nation of millions
led zeppelin - iv
the doors - the best of the doors
nwa - straight outta compton
beatles - sgt peppers
michael jackson - thriller
guns n roses - appetite for destruction
prince - purple rain

Top 5 Guilty Pleasure Albums

fun lovin' criminals - come find yourself
ost - o brother where art thou
the transplants - the transplants
tom waits - discog
rem - automatic for the people

Top 5 Rap/Hip-hop Albums

dr dre - the chronic
run dmc - raising hell
ll cool j - bigger and deffer
jurassic 5 - quality control
public enemy - the enemy strikes black

Top 5 Country Albums

johnny cash - american recordings i
johnny cash - american recordings ii
johnny cash - american recordings iii
johnny cash - american recordings iv
johnny cash - american recordings v

Top 5 Cover Songs

Top 5 Party Songs

brittany

formative albums... in no particular order

bright eyes- fevers and mirrors
hanson- middle of nowhere
dashboard- places you have come to fear the most
death cab- transatlanticism
rilo kiley- the execution of all things
the cardigans- super extra gravity
noise ratchet- til we have faces
john vanderslice- pixel revolt
third eye blind- third eye blind
u2- the joshua tree

guilty pleasures

hanson- this time around
nelly furtato- loose
justin timberlake- future sex love sounds
blink 182- dude ranch
whispertown 2000- living a dream

rap/hip hop

saul williams- the rise and liberation of niggy tardust
saul williams- saul williams
sage francis- sick of waging war
jay z- the gray album
outkast- the love below

country

johnny cash live at folsom prison
bonnie raitt- luck of the draw
reba- greatest hits volume ii
garth brooks- no fences
the elected- me first

covers

noise ratchet- crush
alive in wild paint- good morning joan
jeff tweedy- true love will find you in the end
the shins- we'll become...
jenny lewis with the watson twins- handle me with care

party songs

the cardigans- lovefool
ghostland observatory- piano man
rilo kiley- breakin up
deee lite- groove is in the heart
kylie minogue- can't get you out of my head

The Introduction

2008-04-01T09:25:00.005-05:00

When you like something you usually want to talk about it. Share it, discuss it, debate it. Rank it. The Top Five & Dime team is here to spur a little discussion about our favorites and get you to think about yours. We'll share ours, you share yours. We all learn more about music, movies, books, art, food, appliances, garden fertilizers, and each other.

Don't be frightened. We're not actual experts no matter how much we claim to be. So hop on in and start being the [anything] critic you've always wanted to be.