We now return you to your regular scheduled programming...

Expect this entry to be a little disjointed. It's been awhile and I have a few things to say that aren't at all related to each other.

I call this The Good, The Sad, and the God-awful.

The Good:
First, a quick summary of things that i think are awesome.

I love Four Year Strong. Honestly, I haven't listened to punk music since high school (though i was pretty obsessed back then). I told a friend of mine this and his reaction was "really? the same person whose favorite band is margot and the nuclear so & so's?" uh... yeah, i guess it's possible. My two favorite tracks are "Bada Bing! Wit' a Pipe!" and "Wrecked 'em? Damn near killed 'em!" But really the whole album (Rise or Die Trying) is really good.

Another band i recently fell in love with... The Howlies. They can only be described as surf punk. I saw them last wednesday. despite the small crowds, they put on a fantastic show. That means a lot to me, because i feel like too often bands get pissy when there isn't a "big enough" crowd and don't really give it their all. The Howlies were great; the lead singer was just precious, and their harmonies were fantastic. Some clutch songs were "Aluminum baseball bat" and "angelina"

Random songs to give a listen-
M. Ward- never had nobody like you
Ivan Ives- got it
overnight- I know
golden bloom- doomsday devices


The Sad:
When i went out to buy paste magazine the other day, i was a little saddened to find they've decided to stop putting cd's in their issues. You still get music. But you have to go to their website and enter in a little code that can be found in your issue. This gives you access to a zip file with all the songs on it (and album art too). While I understand the logic of it (most people immediately rip it onto their computer, they are wasting a lot less plastic, etc.)I'm still going to miss having something tangible. Long after everyone traded in their cd cases and sony disc players for a sleek little ipod I've still got my alphabetically ordered cd collection. It's sad to know that i'll never get to add another Paste cd to that section. I really liked watching the cd art evolve. I'm just being overly nostalgic, i know. But the free cd was what drew me to the magazine in the first place. If i had the money i'd probably go back and order the thirty issues i don't already have so that i could have them all. yes, like pokemon.


The God-awful:
I would like to commend Hipster Deathmachine for duping me into seeing their horrible horrible set. This may seem obvious to some, but i think the band needs to be reminded that just because your band has a trombone does not mean you can call yourselves a ska band. It's been a long time since i've sat through something that...painful.



yeah... that's it.
:/

So, i've been reading too much of spin.com

And now i'm all jealous because there have been thousands of concerts and i missed them all (except for ham1 and elfpower @ chronic town), wrapped up as i was in my internships.

So, this isn't really a post so much as it is a list of upcoming concerts i really want to go to (in order of preference), if anyone wants to join me on an adventure.

broken social scene @ the electric factory (philly)- Nov 9th
margot and the nuclear so & so's @ crocodile rock (allentown)- sept 6th
of montreal @ the electric factory (philly)- oct 31st
tilly & the wall @ cornell 0ct 14 or @ starlight ballroom(philly) 24th
ryan montbleau band @ the kenswick theatre in glenside(near philly) nov 14th
Weezer(& tokyo police club!) @ susquehanna center Sept 27th
Ryan montbleau @ Philly folk festival Aug 15th (impromptu road trip, anyone?)

I tend to look for stuff in the philly area because 1) i know where all the good venues are and 2) I have a built in place to stay. So that's what i want.

I'd also like to implore the fratellis to come back to the us. Their "tour" of new york, california, and washington (wtf?) left much to be desired. Though it did give me yet another reason to move to seattle.

The rhythm is gonna getcha

Today's blog serves two purposes:
1- I wouldn't say i'm hungover, but my brain feels like mush right now. I think if i start writing about something it'll give me the figurative kick in the head that i need to stop being a lump today.

2- I've found a lot of bands and songs that i really like. It is mainly due to spin magazine's website, with some help from Pandora's radio stations and the alt rock station on sirius radio.

And so, without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, I give to you my list... of stuff you just have to listen to.


Cold War Kids: So, I probably hear the cold war kids every single time my friend matt throws a party. Almost every time I say, "I love this song! who is this?" the last time he said, "if you ask me that one more time, i'm going to hit you." But anyway, I finally started listening to them sober, and they're still awesome. My favorite song is probably "We Used to Vacation."


Matt Costa: Pandora has this thing about playing Matt Costa songs no matter what kind of station I try to create. I guess it's because he has a very diverse style of songs. so no matter what kind of music you enter in, it's a pretty good bet that there's a Matt Costa song that sounds like it. He's on Jack Johnson's label, and you can definitely hear the influence. But i think he mostly reminds me of Ben Lee. His newest song, "Mr. Pitiful," was featured in the trailer for Ricky Gervais' newest movie. I think.

Mgmt: I originally saw this band on spin's website. there was a clip of them demonstrating the different types of dancers you see at festivals. it was quite funny. Turns out their music is just as entertaining. They're described as psychedelic synthpop. You can hear hear surf, and R&B influence at times.Their most popular single , "time to pretend," was in the movie 21. It's definitely one of their most "manufactured" songs, and strikingly different from my other favorite song by them, "pieces of what."

Port O'Brien- It's not really surprising that i like this band. It started with broken social scene, but pretty soon I realized i'm in love with pretty much any indie group that can keep the sound tight with 5 or more people. Their most popular song is probably "I woke up today." I'm kind of attached to the less popular acoustic version, probably because i heard it first. It's a tad slower, and more raw sounding. The singers are singing together, but the lyrics invoke alienation. "stuck on a boat" is pretty good too. I love hearing when a girl and boy harmonize well. which brings us to...

The Hush Sound: I'm a big fan of peppy, upbeat songs with semi-depressing lyrics (let's call them poignant, kay?) So when i heard "wine red" I got addicted pretty fast. Bob (guitarist) and greta (pianist) take turns singing for most of the songs. I like it best when they sing together rather than when one steps up alone, their voices just work really well together. Of the bands listed here, they're probably the only one where I like all of their songs across the board. "sweet tangerine" is a good one, as is "Lions Roar."

Okay, that's enough for today i guess.
toodles!

There's something to be said about having a hangout

For those of you who don't know my college habits that well, I pretty much live at the local coffee shop/bookstore. It has it's perks (hey-oh!); everyone knows me by name, they are extra friendly, i don't even have to tell them my order anymore (which is good, b/c I'm grumpy before I've had my coffee), occasionally i get to taste something for free, etc. But the best thing is all the crazy-friendly people i meet there. Which is where this story comes in...


So, I was sitting there, sketching out the web comic I'm thinking about starting, when these two guys walk up. They were probably in their mid-late 40's. One looked like a teacher. The other
looked like a mix between a lumberjack and a hippie.

The second one looks at me.

guy: You know about the Beatles?
me: huh?
guy: your shirt.
*i look down. I'm wearing a lime green Sgt. Pepper's shirt *
me: yeah.
guy: what'd you think of Across the Universe?

Now, since i had planned a whole series of posts on that subject (which i abandoned for media planning homework), I had my opinions all laid out. So we talked a bit about the movie, it's departure from classic movie-musical formats, it's portrayal of the time-period, the song covers, blah blah blah.

then...

guy: okay, last question. this is a two part-er. 1- If you could name one Beatles' album that everyone should listen to, what would it be? 2- same question, but you get to pick three songs.

Now, this is a good question. so here's my answer...

1) I'd pick Revolver for my album. I really kind of picked it as a reflex. But it really is an excellent choice in my opinion. First off, there's Yellow Submarine. This was the first Beatles' song i can remember hearing. It also represents their earlier stuff and their ability to keep things light. Then, Eleanor Rigby, Doctor Robert, and Taxman all show how they were icons who were aware. In a way that todays pop stars do not, many of their songs had social and political commentary. I also love Taxman because it's one of the few songs written by George (if i remember correctly). Good Day Sunshine, For No One, Got to Get You into my Life, and I Want to Tell You are seem to be their classic songs. They were real crowd pleasers, but somehow more than just pop songs. Then, of course, Love You To and Tomorrow Never Knows show them branching out from pop.

2)
a)And I Love Her- I feel like it's important to showcase one of their early, teeny-bopper songs. But I feel like everyone's heard the classics, you know, Help or Can't Buy Me Love. This song is good because it is so sweet that it effectively shows why the entire female population fell in love with them.
b)Get Back- This was mostly just because I love the songs where they are just talking and goofing around before or after they record (quick, where's this from- I've got blister's on me fingers!!!). It shows how they can tell great stories in four lines, though this particular story makes absolutely no sense. I'm actually just making this shit up, i just love this song.
c)Mother Nature's Son- This is one of their hippie songs, I think there should be one on the list.

I realize none of these songs would be on Rolling Stone/Spin/ whatever's top 20 Beatles songs list. But, that's why I think they are important. They aren't their best songs. They aren't the most well known. But what's the use of making everyone listen to the songs they already know about? Also, I'm not gonna regurgitate whatever music critics/ my father told me. These three songs are the ones that have stuck with me for whatever reason. They're the ones i like, not because someone told me to, but because i can feel it in my gut. So... yeah.

your thoughts? that's what the comments section is for. I heart comments!

Also,
I was super psyched that there's someone else out in the world that likes to make up random questions and quiz people they've just met. Yeah, i have an arsenal of those. They make the conversation more interesting than the typical "what's your major?" crap whilst simultaneously separating the cool people from the people who have nothing to say. I like people with opinions.

New music

So, there I was, on last.fm radio listening to iron & wine's similar artists. Out of nowhere (well, out of someone's shuffle mode) came this amazing, amazing man. His name is Jose Gonzalez, and the song was killing for love. It has this driving beat, but his voice is so mellow. So I looked him up. The song Storm is another one I love. It reminds me of a mix between iron and wine and ani difranco when she's not rocking out too hard. I love it.

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.