Brian Cook Presents

Spring has always been my least favorite season. For me, the clean smell and cold air contrasts unfavorably with the rich colors and cozy chill of autumn. But spring has plenty to redeem it, including the onset of warmer weather and copious amounts of album releases from artists I like. This year, Weezer and Death […]

Today’s post features a new gimmick; you’ll get three bands with two songs each discovered at one unlikely source. So without very much further ado, here they are.
She & Him (M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel (yes, the actress from Elf))

This unlikely duo plays an unlikely variety of tunes, by turns sounding like the Beatles and […]

It’s 2008 and things are going well. I’ve got a good year to look forward to, what with Borgamo growing, a trip to Europe on the horizon and plenty of web design projects with which to further my education. Already I’ve been harnessing some power searches on the major engines, Google, Yahoo and Live Search, […]

After seeing numerous end-of-year lists around the web, I thought it fitting to sum up my Top 5 in each category of The Cookblog. And so, without further ado, here they are:

Art
These are the best web sites and artists that I discovered during the past year.

Edward Gorey - I’ve posted about him before, but the […]

My first birthday wish on this blog was so successful that I’m trying it again. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Me - Happy Birthday
Dave Brobek - Unsquare Dance
Emily Loizeau -Voila Pourquoi
Fatboy Slim - Praise You
Sufjan Stevens - Decatur, or A Round of Applause for Your Mother

CDs seem like they’re on their way out; with downloads and iPods changing the way people consume music, the physical disc and even the concept of the album are under threat. I don’t have particular feelings about this either way. Whatever an artist’s intention when putting together a set of tracks, my interpretations and tastes […]

When I went to the company Halloween party last month, I had no idea it would lead to a brand new accordion. But 2,000 reward points for dressing up as Bjorn Borg and 3,000 points for placing 8th in the poker tournament meant I had 5,000 units of company love to spend. What did I […]

Since Radiohead released their most recent album, In Rainbows, over the internet a few days ago, most of the talk has been about the fact people can name their own price for it. Less publicized but just as interesting is the bonanza of cover art that fans have been coming up with until the official […]

Happy Birthday John, you magnificent bastard.

John Mayer - Kid A (Radiohead cover)
John Hartford - Indian War Whoop
Paul McCartney - Dance Tonight

Magnetic Fields - I Don’t Believe You