Oklahoma City Thunder

I don't usually blog about sports logos and stuff like that since there are already some good blogs out there. However, I'm a little perplexed by the new Oklahoma City Thunder logo. The Thunder are the relocated and re-branded Seattle Supersonics of the NBA. It is such a terrible logo, it looks generic and has very little to do with thunder or weather. I was trying to think of a major league pro team's logo that would be comparable and all I could think of was the Anaheim Ducks re-branding in 2006. At least Anaheim's word mark is slightly interesting and it relates a bit to its mascot.

Except for some of the new NBA Development league teams I can't think of any other logo this plain and out of place. I do think the red-orange color is interesting because they wanted something different than the red of the Oklahoma Sooners and the orange of the the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Anyway, maybe the jerseys will be cool, but this is a disappointing new logo.

The Rest of My Favorites of '07

I'm finally posting the rest (it is only August!)...

4. Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger

Adams relaxes and creates a great folk-rock album without trying too hard.

3. Over the Rhine – The Trumpet Child
OtR turns ridiculously positive on this comforting album that consistently flirts with folk and jazz.
2. Patty Griffin – children Running Through

This is a confident, bold album from a great story-teller.
1. The Good, the bad & the Queen

My clear favorite of the year and I'm still listening to it all of the time. This collaboration features Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz, Paul Simonon of The Clash, Tony Allen of Africa 70 and Simon Tong of The Verve. What you get is a combo of pop/rock/electronica that is incredibly compelling.

Wordless (mostly) Graphic Novels

So, there are a bunch of wordless Graphic Novels out now with Shaun Tan's timeless tale, The Arrival leading the way. Here are a couple of others:

Robot Dreams by Sara Varon

There is not a lot I can say about the plot because I do not want to ruin it, but this is an incredible book. Varon writes about a dog who has a robot, but doesn't realize what could happen when he takes his robot to the beach. Things then change drastically for the two in this touching GN. The art is simple and I can't say enough about this wonderful book.

A.L.I.E.E.E.N by L. Trondheim

This is for those of us who still laugh at poopy jokes and the like. Trondheim has found what alien kids read and put this out for us to read. Actually, it isn't really wordless, but I don't know their alilen language so it is basically wordless. Aparrently, alien children really dig cutsey drawings who do disguting things and wade in disgusting things, which doesn't make for that great of a GN, but it is funny.

More Best of '08

6. Blonde Redhead – 23

Their lush sound is calmed down a little bit, but jangly guitars and some subtle electronic influences create a really cool vibe. This is a great disc with brooding lyrics and some diverse musical styles. Fans of The Arcade Fire will dig this as well.

5. Iron and Wine The Shepherds’ Dog

Yes, I kind of miss the stripped down sounds of early Iron and Wine CDs. But, yes, this is still cool and great. There are some artsy escapes here that may be somewhat unnecessary, but Sam Beam gets a bunch of musicians to fill out their sound with great results. This does solidify Iron and Wine's place in the indie-folk world and I imagine they will be there for a long, long time.

More Top Ten Music

8. These Friends of Mine by Rosie Thomas

Rosie's latest album includes help from greats like Damien Jurado, T.W. Walsh, Sufjan Stevens and Denison Witmer. This is a quiet, thoughtful album from Thomas that proves to be quite interesting especially on the REM cover, The One I Love.







7. In the Bedroom After the War by Stars


While this is less of an Indie-Rock/Pop album than Set Yourself on Fire, In the Bedroom After the War is a theatrical take on relationships. This album is not as good as the previous one, but it is still one of the best of '08. Which really shows how good this band is. Stars creates an awesome, layered and laid-back sound and are good storytellers as well.