Planet of Ice is Hot

minus the bear. planet of ice. i’ve been stoked about this cd coming out for a long time now. so come august 21^st, after a long ride home from morgantown, i immediately headed out to pick it up. after the first listen, i was satisfied. it was a good cd, not better than some of their older cds, but still a good one. now 3 days and probably 15 listens later, i am in love. this could be their best cd. it’s all the same minus the bear that i loved before (catchy choruses, trippy guitar, great lyrics, songs about drinking, girls and the ocean) but with more synth and rockin’ guitar. planet of ice is all killer and no filler.

1. burying luck (3.5/5) a good start to the cd. real cool, crazy sounding synth. a catchy hook. good vocals. nothing too special but still a solid track.

2. ice monster (4/5) great song. its got real chill intro/verse music, a really catchy chorus, layers of guitar and a sweet breakdown with simple singing over a drum beat. very satisfying.

3. knights (3/5) one of my least favorite songs on the cd, which is unfortunate because i think it is the first single off of the album. it’s not a bad track but it fails in comparison to the rest of the cd. it has good music and a cool guitar solo but the lyrics don’t really do anything for me. still worth a listen.

4. white mystery (5/5) maybe my favorite song on the cd. this is the epitome of a minus the bear song. smooth as silk, mellow bass line, great guitar riffs, incredible synth solo and sensual lyrics. this is as good as it gets. songs like this are why i got into minus the bear in the first place. the synth on this song is unreal.

5. dr. l’ling (4.5/5) awesome song. tasty lyrics, guitar that just sucks you in, a beat that you just can’t help tapping your foot too and an awesome solo. one of the longer tracks on the cd at 6:48 but there’s nothing that could to be cut out. almost as close to perfection as white mystery.

6. part 2 (3.5/5) after a seamless transition from dr. l’ling, minus the bear begins part 2 with an acoustic guitar, something rarely heard in any minus song. from there, we hear a mellow guitar and smooth vocals about drinking with a japanese girl. typical minus the bear. the song gets a little punchier towards the end. overall a good song.

7. throwin’ shapes (4/5) very upbeat song about the ocean. fun, sing along chorus. simple music. it makes me wanna go jump in the atlantic.

8. when we escape (4.5/5) another one of my favorites. sultry lyrics, light synth effects and a rockin’ guitar solo put this one near the top. i wish there were more words to describe the guitar solo but no words have ever been made up that could capture how rockin it is. it is rock.

9. double vision quest (3.5/5) cool tune with a funky sound to it. nothing too special, still a good track. by this point in the album, if you’re not blown away by dave knudson and jake snider’s guitar playing then you’re probably not into good music. if that’s the case maybe go pick up kanye’s new cd instead.

10. lotus (3/5) last track on the cd and also the longest. pretty cool sounding song. a lot of the same smooth music that has been on most of the songs at some point. pretty cool solo. there’s long portion in the middle of the song that’s just noise that i could do without but it is followed by an extremely tasty, bluesy guitar solo. a decent way to end an album.

overall this is an excellent album. i’m gonna give it a 4 out of 5 but there’s a good chance that that rating could go up as i listen more. basically minus the bear is the best thing to come out of seattle since nirvana and that’s something to be proud of. check it out.

http://www.myspace.com/minusthebear

(listen to absinthe party at the fly honey warehouse while you’re there . . . amazing)

Jeremy Morgan

Straight up Bagsin!

Jeremy Morgan, who also goes by the monikers J-Morg and Bags is a true trend-setter. His fashion is unmatched except by those with whom he keeps close company, namely the writers of the Prophet and a few select others. He's been paving the way in the world of intramural coaching and sets the tone at just about every social situation he finds himself in. Recently, the Weekly Prophet IMd "Bags" to find out more about the man that is paving the way in Happy Valley. We started by sending him a query to find out the 10 things that matter most to the Prophet. He responded in a way that only J-Morg can.

J-Morg's Favorites
Food: Chicken Parm, from the Olive Garden
Color: Grey
Movie: Probably Donnie Darko or Half Baked
TV Show: The Universe on Discovery Channel.
Band: Today it's probably Minus the Bear.
Song: I don't like to commit myself to just one but right now it's probably "Free Advice" by Kind of Like Spitting. Of all time might be "Something in the Way" by Nirvana.
Clothing Store: eBay
Beer: The Champagne of Beers. Miller High Life
Quote: "Keep your heart pure and your hands clean and everything will be alright."- Matisyahu
Sports Team: New Jersey Devils

Now, onto the questions.

Weekly Prophet: You're playing a round golf with your dream foursome. Who do you tee it up with?
Jeremy Morgan: good question…kurt cobain, marty brodeur, and jim carrey
Jeremy Morgan: that'd be a good time
Weekly Prophet: Who's riding with you in your cart?
Jeremy Morgan: me and kurt, i dunno if marty or jim would be way into chillin with him

Weekly Prophet: Well you are known as a good friend, what makes you so into sticking with the same crew you've had since you were a child?
Jeremy Morgan: when you roll with the kind of people that i roll with, you realize that's as good as it gets, i've got the best friends in the world so i just try to keep it that way for as long as i can.

Weekly Prophet: excellent, you're real big into the world of fashion...what drives you fashion wise and how do you feel that about people starting to emulate your style?
Jeremy Morgan: i just like to wear clothes that are either gonna crack people up or clothes that are just a little bit different from everything else that's going on. i don't know so much about people trying copy my style, it's just what's big right now, and when it's cold outside you gotta stand next to the fire to stay warm.

Weekly Prophet: this interview is shaping up to be a dandy.
Jeremy Morgan: i'm trying to keep it interesting
Weekly Prophet: What do you like so much about the world of music?
Jeremy Morgan: well for me i don't know if it gets any better than just hearing a great song that just moves you, a song that you can really feel what the writer was feeling. also songs with sweet guitar lines can pull me in. keyboards and synth can do that too. i'm also a sucker for a good singer . . . basically everything about music makes me love music.

Weekly Prophet: you're stranded on a desert island with a ps2, one game, a cd player and one CD...what are you taking with you?
Jeremy Morgan: haha, i'm probably taking the nirvana unplugged in new york and final fantasy 7

Weekly Prophet: okay, last question…what's the best sport in the world...and who are you supporting?
Jeremy Morgan: well the best sport in the world is definitely football. not american football. real football. played with the feet. but my favorite sport to watch is hockey and my favorite team is the devils but i'm a big penguins fan too.

America's Shamtime?

Bonds hits 756.

A-Rod hits 500.

Glavine wins 300.

What a summer for baseball. That's exactly what the nation should be focusing on. Instead, we were all immersed in the controversy and debate over whether or not Barry Bonds' new record deserved an asterisk next to it because he may or may not have used steroids. The best part about the whole controversy is the fact that Barry, like you and I, lives in America. Land of the free, home of the brave. Innocent until proven guilty. Well, where's the proof? The positive drug test? The pictures of him shooting needles into his ass? It doesn't exist, you say? Exactly. So what exactly does exist? Basically, nothing.

Granted, Bonds did go from being a skinny twerp with the Buccos to a well, giant, with the Giants. He did do something, and that something to me was strive to be the greatest player in the game. All of Bonds' former teammates claim he worked harder than any other man in the game and wanted nothing more than to be the best in the game. Lifting, batting practice, intense work-outs year round. Hard work, determination? Again, values this country stands on.

Early career. Barry Bonds maintains what one reporter called "a spartan like work-out regime."

Steroids don't improve hand-eye coordination and they certainly don't improve one's ability to play left field. Barry Bonds has 759 career homers, 514 stolen bases, 2,541 career walks (679 intentional), and 7 MVPs. He's a 14 time all star and 8 time gold glover. He's closing in on 3,000 hits and the only player who's been on base more than Barry is Pete Rose. He's ranked 3rd all time in runs scored and 5th in RBIs. The fact of the matter is that Barry Bonds may be the greatest baseball player of all time. In my opinion, he is.

What's sad is that in this great country of ours his career is being overshadowed by controversy and supposed baseball purists who are basing their opinions on speculation and a general lack of knowledge. Barry has always been persecuted unfairly because of his unwillingness to share his private life with the media. So what if the guy doesn't feel like talking to the media or sharing his every move in the off season with them. Privacy is another value this country supposedly stands on yet Barry is often robbed of this.

Barry Bonds: A real American living his dream yet persecuted by those ignorant of the very foundations that our country was built upon.

Congratulations, Barry! MLB All Time Home Run King