Nick Saban : Gamechanger from Flashlight Media Group on Vimeo.

I’ll start this review off by saying I’m a big Arcade Fire fan, so they were probably going to have me at hello. Nonetheless, the new album exceeded my expectations. My favorite artists are those that pour their soul into the music. You can just hear their joy coming out, even if it’s a sad song.

The Suburbs has several key highlights. Ready To Start, Modern Man and We Used To Wait are my initial favorites. It’s as if they were able to combine the best of Funeral and Neon Bible. Through it all, they maintain their anthemic appeal. The songs soar when played in my car.

They recently played The Ryman Auditorium, which I missed, unfortunately. Fortunately for me, they have a concert filmed at Madison Square Garden by Terry Gilliam on YouTube. I would highly recommend checking it out. I also highly recommend you buy The Suburbs.

I’m a very concerned Tennessean. I’ve been annoyed by the ridiculous campaign ads that have saturated the airwaves of late. In fact, most of your fellow Republicans have come across as close minded.

What I’ve liked about your campaign is the simple message of fiscal responsibility that has been communicated. However, that doesn’t mean I’m opposed to the much needed healthcare reform. I firmly believe health care is a right, not a privilege.

Also, I believe in immigration reform. The rhetoric coming out of the other Republican camps seems to be in line with the racist law that is in Arizona. Your opponents have already expressed their view, including Mr. McWherter. I expected more out of him.

I want to vote for you. You seem like a pragmatist. That’s what we need now. I’ve had enough of the bluster. How do you feel on these topics? Can you convince me to give you my vote?

Very Respectfully,

Jonathan Sanders

UPDATE (7-30-10): I’ve not heard back from Mayor Haslam. I guess we’ll see who gets my vote. I don’t think I’ve got any great options.

I’m sure most Tennesseans have seen the campaign ads from the likes of George Flinn, Diane Black, Zach Wamp and Ron Ramsey. Anyone who has read this space before, knows how I feel about Ramsey. The candidates have been disappointing with the almost cartoon-like tone of their campaigns.

In my mind, all this does is divide the people. Not one of them has said how they would like to bring us together. To me, this is the problem with politics. These politicians work at stoking the flames of fear without giving any concrete plans for how to solve the state’s and the nation’s problems. My vote will go to those who demonstrate true leadership. I don’t want the loudest voice. I just want the fairest one.

On to the video. I found this performance of All The Pretty Faces on YouTube. Enjoy!

Louis C.K. talks on Conan O’brien about technology from Nathan Lunde-Berry on Vimeo.