An American journalist working for an Australian music magazine talking about music.
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So another year has come and past. At twenty-four I feel very old and I'm not sure why, which is somewhat alarming. Anyway, there was one thing I wished for to come true in the New Year and as of yet it hasn't happened, so maybe in the next three-hundred and sixty-five days something good will happen to me. Anyway, there has been so much music to cover the entire year so I'm just going to focus on three of my favorite releases of 2008.
I'll admit it. I watch the Maury show when I get home from school in the afternoon. I don't watch it intently, however I do always have it on, sort of like a hilarious trailer trash soundtrack that accompanies whatever it is happen to be doing on any given day. The best episodes are the paternity test ones, which apparently, are all they ever have. They even sell cute little onesies that your baby can wear that read "I met my Daddy on Maury!" I really wish they sold adult size t-shirts. I'd totally buy one, or give them as gag gifts for the holidays and birthdays. Anyway, when I saw the above picture I couldn't help but laugh. With Hanukkah starting on the 22nd and Christmas a mere three days after that, the joyousness of the holidays are almost upon us. So, here is the last of this years holiday mixtapes, and I hope that this one, coupled with the previous three, have made your holiday season that much better.
Have a great holiday everyone, and if I forgot to include one of your favorites, I'm terribly sorry. It is very difficult to keep track of all of these tunes.
So we're all familiar with all of the holiday classics, and I think it's safe to assume that most of you share the same sentiments as I do, in the sense that they are all extremely dull and boring. The fact that we hear the same versions year after year doesn't help matters. While all the sixty-plus crowd is huddled around the fire, eyes closed, gently swaying back and forth to the sound of old Bing's voice like they were hippies at a Phish concert, the rest of us roll our eyes and wish the Holiday's didn't bring out such dullness. Well, fret not, this year will be jammed packed with classic tunes that your grandmother will recognize, but appease you as it will totally rock your socks off. Enjoy.
The following songs are repeats of the ones above, but they are certianly different versions, so I didn't want to deprive you of expanding your Holiday music collection, call it an alternate collection.
So, while some of you may not enjoy my musical taste and my choices of Holiday related tunes, I decided to dedicate the next installment of the Holiday Mega Mix to the songs that I personally can't stand to hear. It seems as though it is the following collection of songs that plague the airwaves starting the day after Thanksgiving. Whether it's Paul McCartney's incessant synthesizer drone, the incredibly creepy sounding Billy Corgan singing about the rather, ahem, ambiguous, things he does on Christmas to make children happy, the incredibly lounge cheese that is Coldplay's version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", or the "punk rock" stylings of Fall Out Boy, these songs are likely to be mood killers. I swear if I hear Bing and Bowie sing "Little Drummer Boy" for the umpteenth year in a row, I am going to stick freshly sharpened #2 pencils directly into my ear canals.
So it's that time fo the year again, and as early as a few weeks before Thaknsgiving, I have been compiling some of my favorite Christmas/holiday tunes of yesteryear and today, as my friends and family tend to look forward to my annual Holiday mixes. Last year the mix was only one disc long, as I overdid it in 2006 with a four-disc monstrosity that I just couldn't seem to reproduce fast enough. Anyway, I was commissioned to play a little Holiday themed acoustic set at a private party, and while I was learning some of my favorite holiday songs, I noticed that a large number of them were sad songs, depressing really. This revelation, in turn, made me remember an article I had read a few years back that talked about how while the holiday season brought feelings of joy and sentimentality for some, others felt an increased sense of isolation and despair for a number of different reasons that I'm sure we're all familiar with. On top of that, the increased frenetic activity, namely juggling shopping, work, social obligations, etc, all lead to a rise in physical and emotional stress. So I figured that this year, instead of just making random mixes, I would make themed Holiday mixes, so to coincide with the stress and sadness we're all bound to feel at some point, here's the first holiday mixtape installment, the sad songs. Now, just because thy're melancholy doesn't mean they're bad, in fact a lot of my favorites are classified as "sad songs" so don't discriminate.
I've been meaning to post something about this show for months now, and I apologize that I haven't done so. I have to say that this show was absolutely incredible. Even though the venue (formerly known as the Oakdale) is called the Chevrolet Music Theatre (blah). Anyway, Ben Gibbard and company played an amzing set...definitely by all means an extremely early Christmas present. Each note played and and every word sung was bliss...you guys ever get the chance to check them out do so. Anyway I forgot my camera like an idiot, so check out some video from the show below. (Sorry for shitty quality)
Clips from The New Year, Title and Registration, We Looked like Giants, Expo 86
So the band called Friendly Fires, that made somewhat of a splash in the blogosphere last year, has come out with their first full length disc. When I first heard the super sexy (but not as sexy as me) song "Paris", and saw the ridiculously absurd video for "On Board", i thought that these guys might have something and i began to eagerly await something a little more substantial than an EP release. Well, I now have something a little more substantial, and what can I say? Well, all of the songs are cut from the same mold, however, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Friendly Fires craft fun songs. They're kind of like The Kooks or The Bravery, mixed with the inane flavors of MGMT. A disco-infused band that can be reminiscent of the Klaxons at times, only less serious. You might want to look ito acquiring their debut disc if you're really into their sound, which unfortunately is one we've all heard many, many times before.
So, Bloc Party finally graced their highly anticipated third album with some halfway decent cover art. I know I already posted some thoughts on the new album (summarization: I said it sucked), however it seems as though I was a little too harsh the first time around. As it turns out, after a few listens, the album has grown on me. That being said it does not hold a special place in my heart like Silent Alarm or A Weekend in the City do, however Intimacy does have its moments. It lacks the cohesiveness of the previous two albums, and the fact that the songs weren't really tested out and played live, means that sometimes the songs sound mroe like demos than the finished product. You can definitely tell that Kele and the boys are trying, and sometimes they are trying way too hard. "Zephyrus" is just a complete mess, and the opener "Ares" gets lost in it's own overlays. The only reason "Mercury" (a song that is just god awful terrible) was chosen as the first single is because of the sheer repition of it's one line hook of a chorus. Intimacy is not a perfect album. It is a combination of the raw sound of Silent Alarm and the smooth production of A Weekend in the City with a little bit of "Flux" sprinkled throughout.
The physical release of the album is actually the reason why I chose to do a second review on the album because it now includes the awesome song "Talons" as the ninth track in between "Zephyrus" and "Better than Heaven", and if you get the limited edition of the disc you will get an extra two tracks "Letter to my Son" and "Your Visits Are Getting Shorter", and if you live in the U.S. like I do, you get "Flux" tacked on to the end for some reason. I read somewhere that since Bloc Party signed a four album deal with their label, each one of the albums is going to be influenced by one band member in particular. Apparently this one is the Drummer Matt Tong's baby, whatever. It's decent, but not as good as the others. There are times when Bloc Party exhibit their ability to be potentially one of the most exciting bands in the world, however they are packed in between songs that just sort of last their way. Below is the closing track off of the album (if you don't count "Flux"), and it is one of the truly great songs off of Intimacy.
So, clowns are creepy. Moving on, I have assembled a pretty sweet mix of tunes for this years Halloween mixtape. And while I say it is a Halloween mixtape, do not get the impression that the songs included in this collection are solely there because they are scary. in fact, some of them aren't scary at all. The loose thread that ties them all together is that they at least have something that remotely relates to the holiday of Halloween. Anyway, hope you enjoy and Happy Halloween!
So this past Tuesday, I decided to give the new Keane disc, Perfect Symmetry, a spin. I'll be the first person to say that I never really went for Keane's brand of what I always perceived to be, adult contemporary radio-friendly piano ballads. That and the fact that they have totally shunned the guitar, well let's just say I was never very interested *yawn*. But I decided, with nothing else really coming out this month besides the new Oasis disc (which is, as I expected, pretty amazing), I'd give Keane a shot. Besides, this is their third album, they have to be doing something right...right? Upon the first listen of the first track/single "Spiralling", I was hooked. The absence of guitar is cleverly and beautifully unnoticable. There are some moments where the boys seem to be reaching a little much...trying to evoke that sense of grandiose melancholic acceptance on an epic, deep space stage light years away, however it all pulls together and most importantly, it all comes back to Earth for an extremely pleasurable listen. And the video is the sort of 80's cheese I love. Sometimes. In moderation. Kind of reminds me of that Dire Straights song...the video I mean...I have to say that I wrote off Keane far too soon. I should've given them a shot. Oh well. I'm somewhat of a late bloomer in a lot of things. Puberty was not fun. Anyway, I highly recommend you check this out.
Sorry for the delay, I realize it's been well over a month and I totally agree with you, it's been too long. I do have a valid excuse however, student teaching is officially eating up all of my free time. Those little bastards are running me ragged, all the papers and lesson plans I have to correct and prepare are very time consuming. But, in my absence, my birthday has come and gone (notice the sweet telecaster above that is now in my possession), and I have a couple of things to say about two bands that are arguably the biggest in the world.
First up...Bloc Party. Intimacy sucks. I want Silent Alarm back. Hell, even A Weekend in the City (which, may I add, the b-sides to that record are better than the actual album itself) is better than this garbage. I know some of you out there are going to rip me apart, and I understand and appreciate artists trying different things and going in "new directions" to keep things fresh and interesting, but when it sucks, it sucks. And boy does Intimacy suck. Let's just say that it's rather disheartening when your band's "second" single is a song that isn't even on the album (apparently it will be released on the physical album and I frankly don't blame them, they need some sort of selling point after the disappointment of virtually every track off the digital release). I will admit, "Talons", is a kick-ass song that I absolutely love. I want this Bloc Party back. Hopefully they're not that far off.
Bloc Party - Talons
Next up...The Killers. Everything they have done sicne their debut album has been a giant misstep. I don't even know if it is possible for me to like them anymore, and a huge part of the reason is the fatc that I think Brandon Flowers is a giant, pompous toolbag. Hey Flowers, fyi...Sam's Town blew. I read in Rolling Stone that their next album was going to be more "stripped down" whatever the fuck that means. Here's a tip for the Killers boys, bring back the synths. You aren't Bruce Springsteen. You didn't make some magnificent rock opus...no you made silly songs about my bones and your bones and his bones and her bones and everybody's bones or something equally retarded. Get back to the basics. Anyway, they have a new single out called "Human" (human...bones...humans have bones...oh my god...this...can't...be...good...), and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. Have a listen for yourself (and I apologize in advance for the crappy video that goes along with the song...I wasn't about to troll youtube for some sort of official video, sorry)
When I conducted a Google image search of "labor day sexy", this was the first result. I thought it was mildly amusing so I decided to put it up for your viewing pleasure. Anyway, Labor Day is tomorrow, which means a whole bunch of Americans are getting drunk and consuming foods incredibly high in calories while persumably playing volleyball or swimming or whatever it is people do. We, as Americans need Labor Day because we tend to overwork ourselves, and while other countires have mid-day nap breaks and mandatory five week vacations, here in America we run on four hours of sleep, lots of caffeine and a false sense of accomplishment when we complete some arbitrary and mundane task for our employers. For me, Labor Day marks the very end of summer, as my student teaching begins the very next day. Anyway, have fun, and to celebrate Labor Day, I was able to track down the hilarious song from Team America: World Police. Enjoy and happy Labor Day and remember to do your own thing, baby.
Earlier today I was doing some writing and I was listening to my ipod...it was set to shuffle because I like being pleasantly surprised when a hidden little gem works itself through my stereo speakers, a song that I might not have heard in a while or totally forgot I had, which is why when "That's the Way (My Love Is)", a track off of the newest Smashing Pumpkins disc, Zeitgeist, I decided to give the whole album a listen. I initally wrote the album off as being a sort of over-produced, self-indulgence that we ahve co0me to expect from Billy Corgan, and with only Jimmy Chamberlin coming back, it truly sounds and feels like a Billy Corgan project. So, with the absence of Iha and D'Arcy, it kind of feels as though Corgan was releasing this disc under the Smashing Pumpkins moniker in order to seel albums, since his previous projects came and went relatively ignored. So Zeitgeist isn't a compelling listen like Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness or Siamese Dream, and it is much heavier than the Pumpkins' previous albums, absent are the dream-pop songs like 1979 and Thirty-three, but it shouldn't be ignored completely, granted it's not in the same league as their previous work, but the album itself is worth a listen, so if you passed it up when it came out last year, you should check it out, or at least download some of the mp3s below.
So if you haven't already heard, Leroi Moore, the saxophonist for Dave Matthews Band passed away a few days ago, apparently due to complications arising from an earlier ATV accident. That sucks. The guy was only 46 years years old, had a boatload of cash, was talented, and I mean just look at the fucker...you know he's heard that Corey Hart song "Sunglasses at Night", but you can tell he just doesn't give a fuck. Anyway, I think its safe to say that we've all liked DMB at one point or another, and even if you didn't I'm pretty sure you never wished ill or bodily harm on any of its members (I hope not you sick bastards), but whichever side of the fence you guys happen to fall on, I'm 100% sure that all of you would agree with me when I say that it sure does suck dying from a hobby that ten year olds take part in. In conclusion, here's an old (1992, wah?!), live version of one of DMB's oldest tunes, so enjoy.
So the song is called "Mercury", and apparently Bloc Party released it on the Zane Lowe radio show a few days ago. After listening to it once or twice, I have found myself asking what in the world has happened to Bloc Party? This is definitely not the Bloc Party of the Silent Alarm days or even the Bloc Party of A Weekend in the City, rather this is a rather jarring listening experience, and because it is Bloc Party I'm not sure how I should react to it. I really don't want to voice any sort of opinion at all, mainly because I'm somewhat flabbergasted. Bloc Party has been a consistently interesting and progressive band, constantly changing and evolving their sound, maybe this is an indication of where the new reocrd is going, maybe it's just a product of creative imagination. One thing is for sure, don't listen to anyone else's opinion, listen to the song and decide for yourself.
So since I've been on a bit of a Radiohead kick recently, and I have been looking for something to post about (I don't know if you were able to discern that based upon my last post which, I will admit, involved very little effort on my part), I'm devoting yet another post to Radiohead. Looking back on my rather extensive previous post, I noticed that I left out quite a few b-sides that I particularly love, and if you're a Radiohead fan who doesn't have them, well then I guess you're in luck. First I'm going to post a rather awesome video of one of my favorite Radiohead songs, along with a link to grab the mp3s from that show. Enjoy.
Flight of the Conchords is a Grammy Award-winning New Zealand comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Billing themselves as "Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo", the group uses a combination of witty observation, characterisation and acoustic folk guitars to work the audience. The duo's comedy and music became first the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007, also called Flight of the Conchords (yea, I stole that from Wikipedia, I'm lazy and it's accurate enough so deal with it). Anyway, check out the show on HBO it's pretty hilarious, and I just recently snagged a copy of their album thanks to my brother, who insists "Businesstime" is the greatest song ever written (he lacks what most would refer to as maturity, although it is pretty funny I have to admit). So check out the video below for "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room". and maybe when you're plastered enough you'll remember one of the lines he spits out and actually use it on a real life girl (also enjoy the mp3s posted below the video)!
As anyone who knows me in the slightest bit, I am a huge Radiohead fan. I am one of those who absolutely must have every single track ever released/recorded/covered. You can call me what you like, but ever since I got The Bends (I was ten), I've been hooked. Every album is a masterpiece in my opinion and if you disagree, well that's you're opinion and you might want to skip this post. We are all familiar with the pay-whatever-you-want/publicity stunt that they pulled with their latest release, and despite the reasons/outcomes of trying it, it is truly an incredible album (hint: if you don't have it get it, but who doesn't already have it?). in the meantime their old record label is trying to cash in by releasing a box set of all of their albums and a 2-disc greatest hits package, neither of the sales derived from these two monstrosities will ever reach Radiohead's pockets, may I add, and frankly in my opinion it's another example of corporate greed and how anyone will do anything to make a buck, artistic integrity or not. Don't get me wrong I'm not some sort of art-mongering zealot on a soapbox, but seriously, skip the greatest hits album. Besides as you'll see below, I've compiled a number of my favorite Radiohead tracks, along with some of their more rare tracks and B-sides, to give you a more comprehensive summation of their career thus far. So as you can probably guess, the following tracks are choice (but then again every Radiohead track is top-notch, but I didn't know how else to describe them), and if you don't already have all of these albums, go out and buy them, because seriously, what have you been waiting for?
I hope everyone enjoys all that, and if you live on the East coast (like I do), check out the All Points West festival, Radiohead will be headlining Friday and Saturday (August 8th and 9th), and tickets are relatively inexpensive considering the talent they have lined up.
They're not teenagers nor are they from Tokyo, but the band hailing from Sydney, Australia who call themselves Teenagers in Tokyo are a lot of fun. They're keen sense of style don't hurt matters either, but that's hardly the issue. Whatever other folks are labeling this new band, (post-punk-electro-pop, perhaps?), they're seriously worth a listen, mainly because I said so, and since you and I both know that I have impecable taste in music, you can rest assured that you'll probably like them too. A little bit CSS, a little bit Interpol, they employ a sound that isn't necessarily unique, but fun nonetheless.
So I finally got to see Stone Temple Pilots after eight years of wading through the terribly overrated mess that was Velvet Revolver. Stone Temple Pilots was one of the bands that I grew up with, ever since I first heard the entire album Purple when I was the tender age of eleven. Even as my musical tastes varied over the years, Stone Temple Pilots were always a fond part of my rotation, so it was great to see them come back together and perform. The energy and stage presence of the band was incredible, it was as if they hadn't spent a day apart (Scott Weiland, although an incredible performer, didn't look so great, however it did not affect his awesome performance). We had really good seats, however the last time I saw a show at Mohegan (Bob Dylan), they didn't allow the use of cameras, and although that policy didn't change for STP, it seemed as though there were a hell of a lot of people taking pictures, which I'm pissed about because I didn't bring mine. Anyway, it was a great show consisting of all of the classic tunes from their previous five albums, and let me just say that I am pretty pumped for their next release (you know it's coming). Anyway, after the show my buddies and I decided to wander around the casino for a bit to spend even more money, at which point we heard "Scott Weiland, your party is waiting for you at the lost and found desk...Scott Weiland..." over the loudspeaker, which was a pretty humorous cap to a truly fantastic show. I was able to find some video clips of the show (WARNING: not all are of the greatest quality), so check them out if you don't have the opportunity to see STP during their reunion tour.
Interstate Love Song:
Plush:
Dead and Bloated (crappy quality, takes about a minute to get into it):
So another year has come and past. At twenty-four I feel very old and I'm not sure why, which is somewhat alarming. Anyway, there was one thing I wished for to come true in the New Year and as of yet it hasn't happened, so maybe in the next three-hundred and sixty-five days something good will happen to me. Anyway, there has been so much music to cover the entire year so I'm just going to focus on three of my favorite releases of 2008.
