Finding a Contractor for your Remodel

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If you don't already have a contractor you're probably scared about what it takes to find a contractor. The number of contractor horror stories out there seem to make finding a dentist downright enjoyable. Hopefully you go to the dentist more than you need a professional contractor to work on your house, but to each their own...

I have to admit that we've been very lucky to have found a contractor we enjoy working with. As with most things that look like luck, there's a lot of small decisions that lead up to you being lucky.

1. Check Your Network

Just like when you're looking for a new dentist/vet/mechanic, you have to ask around. Who do you know in your area that's gone through a remodel and survived? Would they work with that person/team/company again? Using their hindsight, what questions do they wish they would have asked before work started?

If you don't have a personal network to check, you'll have to fall back to the professional networks such as HomeAdvisor (note: the company I work for has a professional relationship with HomeAdvisor, but that's just a link to their home page and not some kind of referral link) and Angie's List.

Our story started with a friend who recommended an architect who recommended a contractor. Actually it started with a tree falling on our house...but that's for another post.

2. Ask Lots of Questions

Do you know exactly what you want down to the smallest detail? Some contractors love that, while others will go nuts because they won't feel like that have any flexibility in tackling the inevitable challenges that will spring up. We had a good general idea of what we wanted, but we also wanted an expert opinion to help guide our thinking, and even just call out decisions which might be a complete disaster. Ask them how they like to communicate. Ask them how and when they want to get paid. Ask them where they anticipate overruns might be. Ask them how much will be subcontracted. Ask them what they'll need from you to make the project successful.

If you don't feel like you have a partner, you might want to keep searching.

3. Start Small

Do you have any projects that could act as an audition? We were lucky that we needed to get an existing room up to code and that was right in our current contractor's wheel house. It was great to get a sense of what working with them on a larger project would be like. If you can't find a starter project, is it possible to break up your big project? This could lead scheduling delays, but so will getting the wrong contractor. Pro tip...you're gonna get delays.

This is by no means the only way to find a contractor, it's just something that worked for us and no you can't have his name until our project is done.

The Great Berry Remodel

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I was going to put a span of years in the title, but I know people would just argue over it. How long has this remodel been going on? That's honestly a tough question to answer. We bought the house knowing we would want to make changes, but that wasn't financially feasible right after we bought the house. But it has begun, and this is the story...at least from my point of view.

Even though this has been very slow to happen, along the way we did lots of small things. Usually only getting them half done. Like when we removed the above ground pool that the previous owner had dug a huge hole for. Yes, they tried to make an above ground pool an in-ground pool. No, it didn't work well. Yes, we had a huge pit in our back yard for years. We did have to do a small project to get the converted garage up to code so that it could be counted as living space so that we could get enough funds from a refinance to cover the scope of what we wanted to undertake.

But again, all that has happened and we're kicking off. Here's the "before" video.

MLB 2015 Stadium Map in KMZ Format

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I spent some time dumping all the Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium locations into a Google Map and then exported that to a KMZ file. I did a cursory search to see if this was already available but didn't find exactly what I wanted, so here's this.

I'm using the Google Map as a checklist of stadiums that I've seen games in, and if you happen to embark on a similar mission you should feel free to copy the map or use the KMZ file in Google Earth to start your own list. To copy that map you'll need to be signed into a Google account. If you abstain from having a Google account, for whatever reason, you can still print it out. If you abstain from owning a printer, for whatever reason, you do know that are machines that connect to computers that take a digital representation of information and then imprint that information (text and/or images!) on paper, right? Good, get down to the FexEx/Kinkos office and have a great time there. Beyond those two options, you are officially on your own. Good luck.

The Year In Music

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This year was an interesting music year. I’m going to tackle this chronologically, as it was added to my library, not the year it was released. I’m not as “on it” as I used to be, so it takes a while longer for me to find stuff. In fact, most of the music that I found this year was through turntable.fm. These aren’t really “reviews”, as you can find better reviews from professionals or even on Pitchfork.

January

I bought The Wombats Proudly Present…This Modern Glitch by The Wombats. I haven’t listened to it a lot since then.

That was it for January.

February

This is when I finally broke down and accepted LCD Soundsystem into my life. Steven made sure I kept my Britpop membership up to date with The Big Pink (Future This and A Brief History of Love) and Sleigh Bells released a new album, Reign of Terror. I’ve been listening to all this all year long.

March

The 20th Anniversary of Nevermind was released, making me feel old. I yelled at some kids to get off my lawn and felt a lot better. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to pick up Siberia by Lights. Other than that, not much happened.

April

Future Islands was new to me, as was their album In Evening Air.

May

My friend Angela really wanted to go see AWOLNATION, and Megalithic Symphony was on special at the Amazon MP3 Store. After that, it was mostly bands I heard on turntable.fm: Eight And A Half with their self-titled debut, Miike Snow - Happy To You, Oberhofer - Time Capsules II, and Santigold - Master of My Make-Believe. I also added The Sounds - Dying To Say This To You and Garbage - Not Your Kind of People.

June

At long last, The Hives graced us with a new album, and what an album it was. Lex Hives was easily my most listened to new music in 2012. Overshadowed by this towering release of rock ‘n’ roll was Metric - Synthetica, Japandroids - Celebration Rock, and Fun. - Some Nights. I also finally got around to adding M83 - Hurry Up We’re Dreaming to the collection.

July

I added nothing to the collection in July. Well, that’s not entirely true. I downloaded the free track Lots from the then upcoming Dan Deacon album America. It’s really good.

August

Bloc Party - Four was an interesting release. I got immediately hooked on a couple of tracks but the rest of the album didn’t seem to click. It quickly fell by the wayside. Spector - Enjoy It While It Lasts gets my Britpop Album of the Year award. It’s fantastic. I heard of the Neon Trees because they were on tour with The Limousines, so I picked up Picture Show. Yeasayer - Fragrant World was mostly purchased because they were using TopSpin Media. This allows them to sell direct to fans, so they get the bulk of the profit from their work. I love this model. I also got the vinyl.

September

Indie supergroup Divine Fits (I bet they hate the reference “supergroup”) released A Thing Called Divine Fits. It’s pretty good. The Killer released Battle Born. I’m still getting used to it. The Vaccines release Come of Age. I’m still getting used to it.

October

Matt & Kim release Lightning and I’m still dancing. Passion Pit drops Gossamer and I was already tired of Take A Walk. I grabbed Cassius - The Rawkers EP because I <3 U SO.

November

A new to me band, Hooray for Earth and their album True Loves, brought back glorious memories of late 80’s/early 90’s pop music. Amazon finally had a sale on Of Monsters and Men - My Head Is An Animal and I’m already tired of Little Talks. You should also pick up any Swim Deep you can find.

December

This is always Amazon MP3 blowout month. So, I typically pick up a few more albums than I normally would because they’re only $5 or less.

French Reform is actually a Chico band and they’re quite good. I wouldn’t have heard Dan Deacon if it wasn’t for turntable.fm. Bob Mould can still rock. The xx can still calm you down. Crystal Castles can still make you wonder why they don’t fix their equipment. Paul Banks still isn’t Interpol.

November Music Rundown

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So, thanks to an anonymous donor, the music collection took quite a bump in November. Let’s take a peek:

  • (Ǎhk-to͝ong Bāy-Bi) Covered / Various Artists (iTunes)
    A bunch of big name (and medium name) bands covering songs from U2’s Achtung Baby. Pretty good stuff.
  • Another Life / Mark Stoermer (web site)
    The bassist from The Killers. It was a free download. It’s really far too mellow rock for me.
  • Different Gear - Still Speeding / Beady Eye (iTunes)
    Ah, Liam Gallagher and the rest of Oasis minus Noel Gallagher. It has moments. Not a huge fan though.
  • A different Kind of Fix / Bombay Bicycle Club (iTunes)
    Indie rock out of North London. You can tell they grew up on Lush and other shoe gazer bands of the 90’s.
  • The Drums / The Drums (iTunes)
    I guess this is “indie rock”, but if you really miss old, poppy Cure and New Order then this is for you.
  • Elsie / The Horrible Crowes (iTunes)
    Soft rock, stick with The National instead.
  • Foxy Shazam / Foxy Shazam (iTunes)
    Do you miss Queen and Journey? Give this a listen.
  • Hunger / Frankie & The Heartstrings (iTunes)
    Do you miss the Jam, even though you thought it was too punk?
  • Junk of the Heart / The Kooks (iTunes)
    You either like his voice or you don’t.
  • Killer Sounds / Hard-Fi (UK only at the moment)
    A strong follow to ‘Once Upon A Time In The West’
  • Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds / Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (iTunes)
    These solo efforts from the Gallagher brothers show that Oasis was far more than the sum of its parts. Like Beady Eye above, it has moments…
  • Psycho Jukebox / Jon Fratelli (iTunes)
    I do miss The Fratellis, but they’re gone. It’s time to move on and this is a good album, just don’t expect the edge of The Fratellis. It’s like Jon “grew up” or something.
  • Romance Is Boring / Los Campesinos! (iTunes)
    Fun indie rock on the edgy guitar side with catchy vocals.
  • Ungrateful / Frankie & The Heartstrings (UK only at the moment)
    I would bet money these guys opened for Billy Brag in some nowhere club in London once.

Remembering

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We were living in San Rafael. I was working for a company in San Francisco that my friends, and in-laws, had started. We always left pretty early to beat the traffic over the Golden Gate and to get a parking space at the office. In the morning I would usually flip on the local news to get a quick peek at traffic. The worst traffic was always on the Sunol Grade. The second worst was everything coming into the Bay Bridge. We didn't have to deal with either of those, but I liked to check the traffic report anyway.

"The lane is cleared, but the damage is done." That was always the refrain from the reporter in the traffic helicopter. I'm pretty sure I heard that exact phrase, "...but the damage is done", every morning that I checked on the traffic.

But that morning there was a bigger story. Something terrible had happened and at that time nobody was sure exactly what or how it happened. I caught a glimpse of the smoke pouring out of the first tower and it didn't even occur to me what the reality of the situation was. Before we left the house the second tower was hit. Even to the people that were clinging to the idea that the first tower was just a terrible accident, the second tower made it very clear that this was no accident.

I can't really explain why we left the house to go to work. In retrospect it seems beyond foolish. Perhaps we were in shock, unable to comprehend the situation fully. Maybe I just wanted to be at work, where I knew my friends would be and we could sort it out there.

The commute in was quick, of course. Seeing a scrambled jet flying over the Golden Gate as we crossed still didn't register the gravity of the situation. Again, I can only assume we were in a state of shock. I dropped Kat off at 5th and Bryant, the "WIRED building", and headed back up to 6th and Folsom to open the office. We had lots of internet, but no cable TV. We had a television for the game consoles, so we rigged an antennae as best we could to get the local station over the air. It wasn't great, but it was something. Most of the news sites online were getting crushed and would barely load, if they responded at all.

More and more people staggered in, and they all had to same look on their faces. It was disbelief, combined with terrible sadness. The rage had not set in, yet. We had two New Yorkers working in the office and they were frantically trying to reach people back in Manhattan with little luck. Everybody knew someone or knew someone that knew someone that was in Manhattan.

The news that all air traffic in the US was grounded and that fighter jets were patrolling hit the office. They started telling people to go home and then we realized that we might be stuck in the city if they closed the Golden Gate. It was an potential target. We were surrounded by potential targets. I called Kat and got down to her office as quick as I could and we got across before the bridge was closed.

I honestly can't remember much of the rest of the day. I'm sure it consisted of being glued to the television and waiting for the CNN site to recover from the traffic surge. I do remember being scared of the wave of rage that I knew was about to hit us.

The Big 2010 Music Wrap-Up

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What follows is a rambling, incoherent mess of music that I acquired in 2010. Some of the notes are interspersed with the list and some are at the end. It really just depended on how I was feeling about that particular batch of albums. Some random numbers for 2010: 1073 "songs", 3.1 "days" of music that takes up 8.17GB.

January

Contra is really a good album. It took a while to grow on me, but Giving Up The Gun was an instant hit. Low vs Diamond was fun at first, but it just doesn’t have any staying power. For that matter, neither did Manchester Orchestra. The OK Go album was really not what I was expecting. It takes a much mellower tone than their previous work and I guess I wasn’t ready for what they had to offer this time.

February

March

April

May

We Have Band and Phantogram were recommended based on Cut Copy. Neither are as good. I also finally got into The National and they skyrocketed up the play count chart.

June

I grabbed two more from The National and Alligator is just a phenomenal album. It’s more “rock” than a lot of their more recent stuff, so be warned if all you know is High Violet. The Chemical Brothers continue to put out the same album, and for some reason I continue to buy them. Orbital, just when I think they’ve retired for good they put out an amazing single. Goldfrapp has gone a bit soft, so if you really liked Black Cherry or Supernature, you might not dig this one.

July

Holy crap do I want a new Hives album to come out. The Black and White album came out in 2007. Sleigh Bells was a nice treat and it sounds like The Spice Girls teamed up with Ministry and rocked the hell out. Harlowe is nice and mellow and How to Destroy Angels is your typical Trent Reznor side project.

August

The Wolf Parade album is good, but not quite as good as Apologies to The Queen Mary and The Love Language reminds me a lot of Arcade Fire.

September

I’m not sure why I don’t like James anymore, because they used to be one of my favorite bands. Nothing on this most recent album really grabs me. The Interpol album is okay, but not great. Underworld did a bang up job on Barking. Brandon Flowers really needs The Killers. Weezer is Weezer. In the Hall of the Mountain King from The Social Network soundtrack is great.

October

Kat found Starfucker and these two albums are quite enjoyable.

November

Please get everything by Matt & Kim that you can, it’s great stuff. Yes, I bought the Kanye album…what?

December

Pick of the bunch is The Limousines and you should really see their video for Internet Killed the Video Star

The 2009 Non Wrap-Up

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I was going to do a big 2009 music wrap-up post, just like [jwz does](http://www.jwz.org/gruntle/music2009.html). But, yeah...that hasn't happened. I did spend a little time hacking up some code to help me generate Last.fm links for all the music I did come across in 2009. So, at least there's that. Or rather, this:

* [A Fine Frenzy](http://www.last.fm/music/A+Fine+Frenzy) -- [Bomb In A Birdcage](http://www.last.fm/music/A+Fine+Frenzy/Bomb+In+A+Birdcage)
* [Arctic Monkeys](http://www.last.fm/music/Arctic+Monkeys) -- [Humbug](http://www.last.fm/music/Arctic+Monkeys/Humbug)
* [Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse](http://www.last.fm/music/Danger%2BMouse%2B%2526%2BSparklehorse) -- [Dark Night of the Soul](http://www.last.fm/music/Danger%2BMouse%2B%2526%2BSparklehorse/Dark+Night+of+the+Soul)
* [Depeche Mode](http://www.last.fm/music/Depeche+Mode) -- [Sounds Of The Universe](http://www.last.fm/music/Depeche+Mode/Sounds+Of+The+Universe)
* [Editors](http://www.last.fm/music/Editors) -- [In This Light and On This Evening](http://www.last.fm/music/Editors/In+This+Light+And+On+This+Evening)
* [Franz Ferdinand](http://www.last.fm/music/Franz+Ferdinand) -- [Blood: Franz Ferdinand](http://www.last.fm/music/Franz+Ferdinand/Blood%3A+Franz+Ferdinand)
* [Franz Ferdinand](http://www.last.fm/music/Franz+Ferdinand) -- [Tonight: Franz Ferdinand](http://www.last.fm/music/Franz+Ferdinand/Tonight%3A+Franz+Ferdinand)
* [Grand Duchy](http://www.last.fm/music/Grand+Duchy) -- [Petits Fours](http://www.last.fm/music/Grand+Duchy/Petits+fours)
* [Green Day](http://www.last.fm/music/Green+Day) -- [21st Century Breakdown](http://www.last.fm/music/Green+Day/21st+Century+Breakdown)
* [Jamie T](http://www.last.fm/music/Jamie+T) -- [Kings & Queens](http://www.last.fm/music/Jamie+T/Kings%2B%2526%2BQueens)
* [Jay-Z](http://www.last.fm/music/Jay-Z) -- [The Blueprint 3](http://www.last.fm/music/Jay-Z/The+Blueprint+3)
* [Jet](http://www.last.fm/music/Jet) -- [Shaka Rock](http://www.last.fm/music/Jet/Shaka+Rock)
* [Julian Plenti](http://www.last.fm/music/Julian+Plenti) -- [Julian Plenti Is... Skyscraper](http://www.last.fm/music/Julian+Plenti/Julian+Plenti+Is...+Skyscraper)
* [KMFDM](http://www.last.fm/music/KMFDM) -- [Blitz](http://www.last.fm/music/KMFDM/Blitz)
* [KMFDM](http://www.last.fm/music/KMFDM) -- [Krieg](http://www.last.fm/music/KMFDM/Krieg)
* [Kasabian](http://www.last.fm/music/Kasabian) -- [West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum](http://www.last.fm/music/Kasabian/West+Ryder+Pauper+Lunatic+Asylum)
* [La Roux](http://www.last.fm/music/La+Roux) -- [La Roux](http://www.last.fm/music/La+Roux/La+Roux)
* [Manchester Orchestra](http://www.last.fm/music/Manchester+Orchestra) -- [Mean Everything To Nothing](http://www.last.fm/music/Manchester+Orchestra/Mean+Everything+To+Nothing)
* [Matt & Kim](http://www.last.fm/music/Matt%2B%2526%2BKim) -- [Grand](http://www.last.fm/music/Matt%2B%2526%2BKim/Grand)
* [Metric](http://www.last.fm/music/Metric) -- [Fantasies](http://www.last.fm/music/Metric/Fantasies)
* [Moby](http://www.last.fm/music/Moby) -- [Wait For Me](http://www.last.fm/music/Moby/Wait+For+Me)
* [Morrissey](http://www.last.fm/music/Morrissey) -- [Years Of Refusal](http://www.last.fm/music/Morrissey/Years+Of+Refusal)
* [Mos Def](http://www.last.fm/music/Mos+Def) -- [The Ecstatic](http://www.last.fm/music/Mos+Def/The+Ecstatic)
* [Ned's Atomic Dustbin](http://www.last.fm/music/Ned%27s+Atomic+Dustbin) -- [Session](http://www.last.fm/music/Ned%27s+Atomic+Dustbin/Session)
* [Nosaj Thing](http://www.last.fm/music/Nosaj+Thing) -- [Drift](http://www.last.fm/music/Nosaj+Thing/Drift)
* [Passion Pit](http://www.last.fm/music/Passion+Pit) -- [Manners](http://www.last.fm/music/Passion+Pit/Manners)
* [Paul Van Dyk](http://www.last.fm/music/Paul+van+Dyk) -- [Volume](http://www.last.fm/music/Paul+van+Dyk/Volume)
* [Pet Shop Boys](http://www.last.fm/music/Pet+Shop+Boys) -- [Love etc. (remixes)](http://www.last.fm/music/Pet+Shop+Boys/Love+etc.+%28remixes%29)
* [Pet Shop Boys](http://www.last.fm/music/Pet+Shop+Boys) -- [Yes](http://www.last.fm/music/Pet+Shop+Boys/Yes)
* [Phoenix](http://www.last.fm/music/Phoenix) -- [Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Remix Collection)](http://www.last.fm/music/Phoenix/Wolfgang+Amadeus+Phoenix+%28Remix+Collection%29)
* [Phoenix](http://www.last.fm/music/Phoenix) -- [Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix](http://www.last.fm/music/Phoenix/Wolfgang+Amadeus+Phoenix)
* [Prodigy](http://www.last.fm/music/Prodigy) -- [Invaders Must Die](http://www.last.fm/music/Prodigy/Invaders+Must+Die)
* [Rancid](http://www.last.fm/music/Rancid) -- [Let the Dominoes Fall](http://www.last.fm/music/Rancid/Let+The+Dominoes+Fall)
* [Skold Vs. KMFDM](http://www.last.fm/music/Skold+vs.+KMFDM) -- [Skold Vs. KMFDM](http://www.last.fm/music/Skold+vs.+KMFDM/Skold+Vs.+KMFDM)
* [The Bravery](http://www.last.fm/music/The+Bravery) -- [Stir the Blood](http://www.last.fm/music/The+Bravery/Stir+The+Blood)
* [The Crystal Method](http://www.last.fm/music/The+Crystal+Method) -- [Divided By Night](http://www.last.fm/music/The+Crystal+Method/Divided+By+Night)
* [The Killers](http://www.last.fm/music/The+Killers) -- [Live From The Royal Albert Hall](http://www.last.fm/music/The+Killers/Live+From+The+Royal+Albert+Hall)
* [The Rifles](http://www.last.fm/music/The+Rifles) -- [Great Escape](http://www.last.fm/music/The+Rifles/Great+Escape)
* [Them Crooked Vultures](http://www.last.fm/music/Them+Crooked+Vultures) -- [Them Crooked Vultures](http://www.last.fm/music/Them+Crooked+Vultures/Them+Crooked+Vultures)
* [U2](http://www.last.fm/music/U2) -- [No Line On The Horizon](http://www.last.fm/music/U2/No+Line+On+The+Horizon)
* [Weezer](http://www.last.fm/music/Weezer) -- [Raditude](http://www.last.fm/music/Weezer/Raditude)
* [White Lies](http://www.last.fm/music/White+Lies) -- [To Lose My Life ...](http://www.last.fm/music/White+Lies/To+Lose+My+Life+...)
* [Yeah Yeah Yeahs](http://www.last.fm/music/Yeah+Yeah+Yeahs) -- [It's Blitz!](http://www.last.fm/music/Yeah+Yeah+Yeahs/It%27s+Blitz%21)

It violates all the rules of [High Fidelity](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0146882/). It's alphabetized. It has no judgement associated with bands or albums. It's just a lifeless list. The only thing you have to go on is that at some point in 2009 I thought I might like said band/album and bought it. Some of them weren't that great. Some I don't listen to at all anymore. Some I have on near perpetual repeat. How will you know?! You won't. Sorry, but it's really not that important.

Still Driving (Part 3)

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Previously on Still Driving ([1](https://blog.patandkat.com/2010/02/still-driving-part-1/),[2](https://blog.patandkat.com/2010/02/still-driving-part-2/))...[David Stillman](http://stilldavid.com/) needed music for a road trip that would take him from Chico, CA to Boulder, CO. He would stay mostly on I80. Here is his playlist. Well, the last part at least.

[Meat Beat Manifesto](http://www.last.fm/music/Meat+Beat+Manifesto) -- [Satyricon](ttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000T1GQSU?ie=UTF8&tag=pberrywebedit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000T1GQSU) is an amazing piece of work. Jack Dangers, the mad genius behind MBM, should really be considered the father of "Big Beat" and this album clearly laid down the path for others to follow. Countless samples, distorted vox, and beats that refuse to let you sit still. If you're into any kind of "electronic" music at all, this is a must-listen.

[Morcheeba](http://www.last.fm/music/Morcheeba) -- [Big Calm](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00122ZA14?ie=UTF8&tag=pberrywebedit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00122ZA14) doesn't fit in any single genre, but if I had to put one word on the label, it would be "chill". Not "chill" in a boring way, just in a "we're not going to kill you with guitars, drum loops, or vocals". Also, the vocals are quite sexy.

[Primus](http://www.last.fm/music/Primus) -- [Frizzle Fry](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001KWR3MA?ie=UTF8&tag=pberrywebedit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001KWR3MA) is another "you damn kids should know you musical history dammit" selection. And no, I didn't like [School of Rock](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332379/). The chalkboard scene was cool, but a scene does not a movie make.

[The Rifles](http://www.last.fm/music/The+Rifles) -- [Great Escape](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PIQ262?ie=UTF8&tag=pberrywebedit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001PIQ262) was passed along to me by Steven because he knows I love britpop. This is great britpop.

[The Sisters Of Mercy](http://www.last.fm/music/The+Sisters+of+Mercy) -- [Vision Thing](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RX9KHW?ie=UTF8&tag=pberrywebedit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002RX9KHW) was included just to screw with David. I doubt he liked this at all, but there are some great driving tracks on this album. Also, he wanted stuff that he hadn't heard before and I'm positive he hadn't heard this.

[Slipstream](http://www.last.fm/music/Slipstream) -- [Be Groovy Or Leave](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TPYSZE?ie=UTF8&tag=pberrywebedit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000TPYSZE). Another europop band that never saw the light of day on this side of the pond. They were a NME poster band for half a week or so, but this album has some catchy tracks. Good britpop, not sure I would call it great though.

[The Stone Roses](http://www.last.fm/music/The+Stone+Roses) -- [The Complete Stone Roses](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000052M?ie=UTF8&tag=pberrywebedit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00000052M) (CD only) was another "lets suck money from stupid Stone Roses fans while they keep waiting for the mythical 'Second Coming' album" label production. The upside was that they actually put tracks on it that weren't widely available to people. So, that was nice. [The Second Coming](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000W271TO?ie=UTF8&tag=pberrywebedit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000W271TO) eventually did come out and everybody panned it because it didn't sound like the first album. The Stone Roses are an important part of the history lesson of britpop, so this is why it made the playlist. Also, it's just damn good music.

[Symposium](http://www.last.fm/music/Symposium) -- On The Outside (out of print in the US) was in the same vein as Ash, a bunch of kids wailing on guitars making incredibly catching pop-punk. Again, what more do you need?

[The The](http://www.last.fm/music/The+The) -- [Dusk](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00138F4NG?ie=UTF8&tag=pberrywebedit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00138F4NG) was a bit of a stretch. It's not really pop music at all and I hesitated to put it on the list, but one cannot survive on pop music alone. The lyrics on this album are quite amazing and [Johnny Marr](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Marr) is on guitar.

[Underworld](http://www.last.fm/music/Underworld) -- [Dubnobasswithmyheadman](http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dubnobasswithmyheadman/id322189295) and[ Second Toughest In The Infants](http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/second-toughest-in-infants/id322173305) (iTunes only) are great electronic albums. If you don't think you've heard Underworld, their biggest hit (_Born Slippy (Nuxx)_) plays over the ending credit of _Trainspotting_. They tend to mix into some vocals, which makes it a little more accessible if overly beepy music drives you nuts.

[White Lies](http://www.last.fm/music/White+Lies) -- [To Lose My Life ...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VT1HCO?ie=UTF8&tag=pberrywebedit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001VT1HCO) probably wouldn't exist if there was no Joy Division. Sure, everybody thinks they're an Interpol meets The Killers rip-off, but we know better...don't we.

[Wolf Parade](http://www.last.fm/music/Wolf+Parade) -- [Apologies to The Queen Mary](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YN33TI?ie=UTF8&tag=pberrywebedit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000YN33TI) is a bit crazy. There's this indie-Modest Mouse thing going on, but I think the music is better. It has less "we're being weird for the sake of being weird" and more "rock music is awesome".