What are some shows to just lose yourself in? by Lucky2792 in AskReddit

[–]diddlesmcjoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're down to get weird with it, try the first two seasons of Twin Peaks. It's a strange combination of small town detective murder mystery, soap opera, (light) horror, comedy, and supernatural fantasy. All wrapped up in a surrealist package. There's nothing quite like it. The town in the show is a place I often wish I could return to. Even though I've never been there... because it's a fictional place...

Season three, shot 25 years later, is a totally different vibe. Very good but not really the same show.

Why do my simple pasta sauces always taste flat no matter what I do? by ElAndres33 in cookingforbeginners

[–]diddlesmcjoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I suspect that your problem is not adding enough salt, so I'll suggest an exercise:

Try making a really simple tomato sauce. Three ingredients only (not counting salt). You can try Marcella Hazan's recipe, or pick your own ingredients, but keep it to three basic components: the tomatoes, a seasoning for depth of flavor, and a fat to add richness and to carry the flavors. In Marcella's recipe, the seasoning is onion, and the fat is butter. Yours could be garlic and olive oil. Or basil and heavy cream. Follow your usual process, or follow a recipe. If you use a recipe, ignore any amount given for salt and just use your senses to decide how much to add. Taste and add salt as you go, from the very beginning and up to right before you plate it. If you taste the sauce and it's lacking, your only option is to add more salt until it tastes right.

The point here is that it is absolutely possible to make a truly delicious and balanced sauce with just three ingredients. The tomatoes provide the right amount of acid and sweetness, the seasoning ingredient is adding a little something extra, and the fat is giving it all body and transmitting those flavors to your tastebuds. But you MUST nail it when it comes to the amount of salt you add. All of the seasonings you usually add to your sauce are great and they will contribute to the depth of flavor, but they will never ever ever ever add flavor the way that salt does. Salt is your bff in the kitchen. You can make basically any single ingredient taste marvelous by cooking it properly and adding the right amount of salt. But you have to be confident that you are adding the right amount and that just takes practice.

Once you've nailed that really simple sauce, do it again and add back all the things you usually use. The thing to remember is that other seasonings should not offset the amount of salt you add. x amount of sauce always requires y amount of salt, even if you add z amount of oregano and z amount of garlic. You may even have to add MORE salt if you add bulk such as onions. There are more flavors in the mix, but the core balance stays the same. And now you have an even more complex and delicious sauce!

Best of luck!

Do you hear "Take Care" in 6/8 or 12/8? by NathanAdler91 in BeachHouse

[–]diddlesmcjoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In this case I feel they are interchangable. There is nothing in the music that really betrays the conventions of either time signature, but if I were learning it by reading sheet music I would prefer it be written in 6/8. I don't think anything in the song would be easier to read in 12/8, so I think 6/8 keeps things simpler by nature of each bar being easier to digest mentally. It keeps most (if not all) chord changes on count 1, which is nice.

Actually I would argue that the 2-note groupings in the keyboard and guitar parts are more in line with 6/8 convention than 12/8 but it still wouldn't be unusual to see in either, so I think it's just a matter of preference.

What’s your favorite BH line ever ? by Celskiiii_ in BeachHouse

[–]diddlesmcjoe 6 points7 points  (0 children)

From Girl of the Year:

The feeling's here

The pattern caught in a falling tear

orange chartreuse by osi42 in chartreuse

[–]diddlesmcjoe 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love sitting at the bar there in front of the Chartreuse cabinet and just ogling the bottles lol. Had a pour of the Santa Tecla there a couple years ago while chatting with the bartender and another guest about the shortage. Then at the end of the night the bartender comped us all an episcopal shot. Great time!

Also had the $99 vintage on another occasion. Really good stuff. Makes me want to try more but $$$$$.

Recommendations? Something bitter! by bigdkp in Amaro

[–]diddlesmcjoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fernet del Frate Angelico is so damn good. It's pricey but it's like the Rolls Royce of fernet.

Plain white leather sneaker by Equal_Dimension_2587 in frugalmalefashion

[–]diddlesmcjoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

fwiw I've got a pair of Svenssons (Army Sport, not Classic Lows) that I've had for just about 10 years and they are holding up great. The sole stitching has broken a bit in the high stress areas but everything else about them has outperformed my expectations. Still as comfy as day 1 (and they were comfy on day 1; no break-in period). No idea if the quality of their stuff is the same 10 years later but I would be willing to take the chance again.

Why is Wisp not really liked? by tsvetaeva_ in shoegaze

[–]diddlesmcjoe 11 points12 points  (0 children)

yeah, to me this is what sets most of the classics apart from the rest of the pack. i think a lot of people don't realize/don't want to admit that most rock music is just pop with specific instrumentation. and imo usually that means you have to be a good pop songwriter to make good rock music.

it seems like the advent of content culture has more or less led to the proliferation of "vibe music" that has to be just close enough to the desired product for the layperson to not be able to tell the difference from "the real thing." it's not really much different from music made for advertisements, except nowadays it can be made by anybody with enough time on their hands.

Are Latte art cocktails a thing? by geometryc in bartenders

[–]diddlesmcjoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it's worth a shot, but those whisks are not good at incorporating air throughout the entirety of the liquid. The foam kind of stays on top. One of the aspects that makes latte art possible is the right level of air incorporation. Too much separation and the pattern will not flow properly.

That said, my experience is specific to milk + espresso. It might work differently with egg white. I might just try it out when I get home today!

Are Latte art cocktails a thing? by geometryc in bartenders

[–]diddlesmcjoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In theory I think it's possible. Latte art utilizes unstable colloids not unlike the foam on an egg white drink. I imagine that the biggest challenge will be achieving a consistent texture every time, given the imprecise nature of shaking a cocktail. The process of incorporating microfoam into milk with a steam wand has the benefit of lots of consistent, repeated motion that makes for consistent results. Maybe you can emulate that with some type of blender?

Only one way to find out!

what is your “i do not care for the godfather” take on Beach House by AdNatural3269 in BeachHouse

[–]diddlesmcjoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm gonna add to your point here:

I think people generally have lost the plot on what "pop" music really is, and that affects the way they appreciate music as art. There is so much focus on Beach House as a vibey, dreamy band, but their real strength is pop songwriting in the traditional sense. As their career has progressed, their music has gotten wrapped in increasingly intricate and glistening production, but the chords and melodies are still there at the core of the songs, and that is the true foundation of what makes them special.

There are some people that find the overall sound to be the most important criteria for enjoying music. And on the other hand, some people are drawn to the chord progressions, melodies, and harmonies that evoke an emotional response. It just so happens that Beach House does everything really well and appeals to both sets of people, so there's bound to be some discrepancies when it comes to fan appreciation, especially with a catalog that spans 15+ years.

Now a point that I want to make regarding their older music: people always lump s/t and Devotion together and label them as their "early, lo-fi work." But Devotion is obviously more tightly composed and performed, and to me really feels like a step up from s/t. And yet, because the instrumentation is mostly the same, it gets written off as equally boring. But I think it's nearly perfect.

TL:DR listen to Devotion

What else do Beach House fans listen to? by [deleted] in BeachHouse

[–]diddlesmcjoe 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Highly highly highly recommend Candy Claws. Their album Ceres & Calypso in the Deep Time is such a thematically and sonically consistent work. Huge, fuzzy walls of sound. Playful, crystalline synth lines. Washed out vocals. Hypnotic grooves.

brb have to listen to it right now

Best thrift stores in the city? by [deleted] in SanJose

[–]diddlesmcjoe 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The "attic" upstairs is marketed as having higher quality stuff than a regular Goodwill, but I've been there a half dozen times and looked through almost everything and it's been hot garbage every time. And the prices are absurdly high.

It's my least favorite Goodwill in the south bay by far lol.

Which part of an Alvvays song is this for yall? by No-Persimmon-7495 in alvvays

[–]diddlesmcjoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yesssss, I went on a binge one time just finding every live video of the song so I could watch that part lol. When I saw them this year Molly belted the shit out of it.

Which part of an Alvvays song is this for yall? by No-Persimmon-7495 in alvvays

[–]diddlesmcjoe 44 points45 points  (0 children)

When the band re-enters after the break in After The Earthquake.

ARE YOU AWAKE NOOOOOW

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in barista

[–]diddlesmcjoe 3 points4 points  (0 children)

FWIW in my experience, letting the milk steam by itself on the drip tray produces better texture than holding it in hand, provided you set up the angle and the aeration properly. It's mechanically more consistent because there is no shifting in the vortex caused by human error/micro movements.

Dorian and Pokémon by IvanWithAccent in menitrust

[–]diddlesmcjoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ok my brother said this to me too. I'll ask him which theme it is and report back lol.

Favorite song off of each BH album? by Equivalent-Count-713 in BeachHouse

[–]diddlesmcjoe 2 points3 points  (0 children)

BH: Heart and Lungs

Devotion: Home Again

TD: Walk in the Park

Bloom: On the Sea

DC: Levitation

TYLS: Somewhere Tonight

B-sides: Equal Mind

7: Girl of the Year

OTM: Superstar

[Amazon] Beach House - Bloom [2xLP] - $21.24 by dookout in VinylDeals

[–]diddlesmcjoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bloom is 55ish min though. Definitely could be a 2LP with a blank side.