I'm not there

So, in a rather predictable move, I've gotten somewhat addicted to prowling the shelves of City Lights (state college's very own cd/record store). This place has an awesome mix of cds, obscure and popular stuff. Happening to be in a soundtrack mood, I picked up the both the "Juno" and "I'm not there" soundtracks. Both are awesome. Juno's music is suited perfectly to the movie. The songs are simple, yet poignant. My personal favorite is the song tree hugger by kimya dawson. "I'm not there" is a collection of covers of Bob Dylan songs. I'll admit I don't know a whole lot about Dylan, But he is an undeniably good lyricist. The artists create some amazing covers. Often, the leap they make to incorporate their own style is risky. But i think the risks pay off, because some of he songs blew me away. Sufjan's "ring them bells" and Mason Jenning's "the lonely death of Hattie Carol, are probably my two favorite songs right now.

Some things that are awesome

There are two people in my life that i sometimes (in my head) call Gods of music. From ACDC to Zero 7, they are all-knowing. One of these people I've known for less than a year, while the other I've known for almost a decade. One is a more... angry god then the other. This person, who's name rhymes with shmevin, he'd be the Jupiter to her Juno. As far as I know, neither of them are aware of my undying admiration and acute jealousy, although i think i may have said so on at least one occasion.
Anyway, Juno is leaving me soon. She's off to the Outback to wrestle dingoes and maybe learn a thing or two from the Aussies. Our last day we celebrated by eating her dad's famous cookies, playing video games, and stealing music from each other. It was just like high school. In the process I've found about a thousand songs/singers that i am now infatuated with. so, here's the list of stuff i think is awesome.

The Ataris- Now, in high school it was nigh impossible to avoid "boys of summer" and as a result I absolutely hated this band. However "Takeoffs and Landings" is pretty kickass. so I've decided to give them a second chance.

Ben Lee- I was already obsessed with Ben Lee. However, I had not heard the live version of "Catch my disease." I was thrown off when i tried to sing along and some of the words changed. It's less "Full" without the plethora of background singers. But it's got a more fervent energy than the album version. I feel like he's bursting with happiness, and it is awesome.

Blonde Redhead- this is a band I've always heard about, but never got around to listening to. Though the girl's voice can occasionally get on my nerves a bit, the song "Melody" is heart-wrenchingly good. I feel like it's just asking to be on the soundtrack of some Indie movie.

Brunettes- I honestly cannot make up my mind about whether i like this band or not. The song "Polyester Meets Acetate" has an old school feel to it. The singer reminds me of someone. I want to say velvet underground, but i can't be entirely sure if that's what i was thinking of.

Carbon leaf- This band is like train. They get me pumped and dancing in my bedroom, but I'm always a little embarrassed to say I like them. They're too catchy, too produced, too... early nineties. Also, it's got a little more of a country vibe than i'm entirely comfortable with. Yet "Life Less Ordinary" has managed to play four times in the last three days.

Dinosaur Jr- This is a band I had heard of as well. I only have two of their songs, so it's hard to be the best judge. Right now all I can say is they should definitely be somewhere on guitar hero.

Elf Power- I was a little sad when i realized i had heard all the apples in stereo songs I could find. Then i heard "Jane", by Elf Power. While there are significant differences between the two bands (Jane has more of an acoustic vibe than most of apples in stereo's stuff), It still has that incredibly peppy vibe that gets me hyped.

Alphabetically, this is about as far as i have gotten. But I think finding seven bands to ruminate on is a good start. So I think I'll settle into these for a while, then maybe work my way through the rest later in the semester.

Radiohead fans are rabid

Now, this is not to say that everyone who likes the above band is a crazy person. I liked Ok Computer as much as any sane person. But in my first class today, the kid who sat behind me dared to say that Radiohead was the "best band ever." One of my ex-boyfriends was the same way. While I'm grateful to him for introducing me to the band, I was a little freaked when I listened to what he said he believed was perfection in music. Now I'm not denying that they aren't original, influential, and downright awesome at times. But best band ever? Seriously, some of their songs are the musical equivalent of my fifth grade teacher's nails running down a chalkboard.

Furthermore, in a tide of "Best of 2007" lists in every magazine from Rolling Stone to Time, it seems like people across the country are head over heels in love with In Rainbows. And there's nothing I hate more than puppy love. It's obsessive, silly, and not thought out.

It was good, sure. And varied as well. The first song, "15 step", is compelling enough with a solid driving beat and satisfactory lyrics. But it's not amazing. "Body Snatchers" is a nice change, heavy on the guitar with much less of their normal computerized tinkering bullshit. However, "Nude" was deeply depressing. While it starts off morose and soulful, halfway through the singer just turns into this wailing, really annoying person that i want to hit in the face. The same can be said for "Arpeggi". Then, "All I Need" drags on for what feels like eight-million years. The lyrics, "I am a moth/ Who justs wants to share your light/ I’m just an insect/ Trying to get out of the dark" are quite intriguing, but the sheer repetitiveness of that song is well, lame. "Faust ARP" intrigued me with the title alone, and that song did not disappoint. "Reckoner" has a great riff, that is almost entirely drowned out by a tambourine. The mellow guitars in "House of Cards" remind me of the music i listened to when i was younger, though the rest of it is pure Radiohead style. "Jigsaw Into Place" is so kickass that for a second i thought I was listening to a different band. Then, of course they close with "Videotape", which though it has alright lyrics, simply bores me.

It's a solid album, with a few really awesome songs. But none of it is really revolutionary. With their slower songs, I get the feeling they're trying to reach the emotional pull of Flaming Lips' "Do You Realize," but just can't make the jump from "okay" to "fabulous." Maybe I'm just easily annoyed. After listening to all the hype about this album, I put off listening to it so that I wouldn't be swayed by the opinions of others. Now I have. And I found that I still feel the same way about Radiohead as I felt 6 months ago. They are better than good, less than best ever, and their rabid fans are really annoying.