Faraquet - Carefully Planned

This is a nod to all of the Goulds of the world. I've been listening to a lot of the older Dischord bands that i liked in high school and first few years of college (Jawbox, Q and Not U, etc.) Faraquet is probably the nerdiest out of them all. I think they paved my way to the land of 31 Knots.

Like all things that happen in the unjust world that i live in, they played a reunion show in September and i found out about it today.

Silver Jews - Random Rules

The Silver Jews have written two of my favorite albums of all time, American Water and Starlight Walker. Both were co-written with Stephen Malkmus and both were when David Berman (lead singer) was trashed all the time. I'm not a fan of Berman sober and sans Malkmus, but hey, maybe i'm just a 'Joos purist.

David Berman has written 30 of my top 35 favorite lyrics in songs. I think he's hilarious. Some samples:
"when the sun sets on the ghetto all the broken stuff gets cold"
"suburban kids with biblical names"
"on the last day of your life, don't forget to die"
"He can afford anything, he's got dogs that blow on trumpets"

This video gets huge cred because for some inexplicable reason it's just Connery clips from some biblical-looking movie (cue the "you've never seen ___!?!?!??" comments).

I think Bri's term 'charmingly sloppy' applies to the silver jews in songwriting, guitar playing, and singing, but it somehow stays together and keeps me coming back for more, time and time again.

Portugal. The Man - M80 the Wolf

I just read about these guys. This is the first song i've heard by them and it's awesome. Really awesome. be prepared for a lot of 3am text messages extolling the virtues of Portugal. The Man. They get huge bonus points for being from Wasila, Alaska, hometown of a certain former vice-president nominee.

Now, if you'll excuse me, i'm going to listen to this song 37 more times.

Black Keys - Strange Times

Few bands are cooler than the black keys. I could have taken the door guy's advice at a Drowningman concert 5 years ago, but i decided against it (probably because of the hype from a certain Nate Briggs). Finally i got off my ass last year and started listening to them. man was I a prick. they are so cool. and, they are great live to boot. They will be at the State Theater a week from thursday. Please consider seeing them with me.

They have a great music video for this. They were playing laser tag with these 10 year olds, but they had real lasers. it was pretty funny. But, it has apparently been yanked from youtube. it seems like a lot of videos have been pulled from youtube recently. i don't get it.

Here's a pretty funny homemade video someone made for it.

Matt and Kim - Daylight

In september BJ and I, among many other people, saw the High Strung play. Bri made a great point - their guitar player had gone from 'charmingly sloppy' to a legitimately good guitar player. We had both loved his playing before, but it was definitely 'charmingly sloppy'. Ever since Bri said that i've noticed more and more songs that fall under that category.

Although this song doesn't necessarily fall under that category, everytime i hear the piano part at the start i think 'charmingly sloppy'. This is such a fun song to me. Their first album is an obvious first album. it was cheaply produced and isn't that great. Then they released this song as a single last summer. I've been listening to it multiple times a day since then. they new album comes out tomorrow. i'm looking forward to it.

James Maskill said to me at a recent My Dear Disco concert, "My cousin said he couldn't figure out if the singer for My Dear Disco is hot. I said, 'She's in a band, of course she's hot!'" This theory applies to Kim.

Kinks - Sunny Afternoon

Holy shit did i find a goldmine in this video. Everything about this is hilarious; the dogs at the start, what is probably the first flying V ever made, some of the ugliest british dudes you've ever seen, a huge turtleneck sweater, and the last 20 seconds of cut shots and slomo. take your pick, this video has it all.

My sister told me about this song 4 or 5 years ago and i've loved it ever since. thank you janine.

Hum - Green to Me

There are about 20 songs that i listened to tonight before i decided on this. I was going to put up a song for Bri, a song for Osman and a few that i thought might appeal to the constituents of this blog in general, but in the end i decided to please myself.

Hum - Downward is Heavenward is my favorite CD of all time (Gould, even your cynical ass has to admit i've been consistent with this since i've known you). Everyone knows the song Stars by them (she thinks she missed the train to mars, she's out back counting stars). That was on the previous album. This album is approximately 200 times better.

They broke up in '99 or 2000 i think. Before i knew they were perfect. We decided on monday to go to the Winter Classic in chicago for New Years this year. Well, about 20 minutes after making that decision over going to Tampa I found out Hum are playing a reunion show on New Year's day in Chicago. So, in conclusion, 1/1/09 will be the culmination of my being. I'll watch the magic that is Henrik Zetterberg on the ice during the day, then reach Nirvana through the majesty of Matt Talbot's searing guitar riffs (I would love to write for columbia house).

After a lot of indecision it was obvious to choose Green to Me off of this album. For one, some of the best songs don't have a video. But also, this song epitomizes what is so great about them. The sheer enormity of the guitars in all of their songs is incredible. Listen to this with headphones, not shitty laptop speakers. There are at least 5 guitar tracks layered over every part. And his voice is so amazingly calm over all of it.

Mew - 156

Well fuck it, i'm just going to use this page as a method of self-fellatio and to keep all of the videos i like in one convenient spot.

There are probably 35 pertinent things to say about Mew, but i'll try to limit myself. First of all, if you combined all of their best material it would be the greatest album ever recorded by man or woman. I can probably only narrow down my favorite song to 6 different options. This shit is so dreamy. And...they have the added bonus of saying 'Thank you Chicago!' to a crowd of 25-30 people at St. Andrews in April '07. The show was still incredible. The singer looks like a timid schoolboy who's still dressed by his mom. He held the mic to his face the whole time and kept his other arm rigid at his side. He didn't speak once the whole time. It was the Matt Dillon in There's Something About Mary-looking guitar player with the Chicago shout-out.

This video has the huge advantage of being the funniest thing i've ever seen in my life. Please enjoy it.

My Bloody Valentine - Only Shallow

Alright, so we've all obviously heard the hype about the album Loveless "greatest album ever written", "more beautiful than Dave Emmons" etc. I never really understood the hype until right now. I just listened to the song Only Shallow about 10 times in a row. This song is so fucking cool. Oh man. I'm overwhelmed right now.

Mojave 3 - Breaking the Ice

This is such a beautiful song by Mojave 3. I wish i had some better information about them, but all i really know is they used to be in Slowdive (i'm sure Osman could tell us all about them) and this is off Mojave 3's 5th album. So, this dude was in a pretty popular indie band (slowdive), then churned out 5 albums and still managed to write a gem like this.

It's pretty shocking the first time you see his face in this video. He reminds me of a slightly more housebroken version of Mankind from WWF.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Shuffle Your Feet (live)

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are the absolute shit. I am very embarrassed that i only started listening to them last fall after seeing them open for Kings of Leon. Their singer was briefly in the (dysfunctional) band Brian Jonestown Massacre. If anyone has not seen the movie Dig, please watch it immediately. It chronicles the relationship between Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Dandy Warhols. I would be willing to pay $20 a week to have that movie play randomly during the course of my day. It's that entertaining.

Anyway, here is a live version of my favorite BRMC song. It is the first song on Howl. The album itself is ok, but this song is mind blowing to me. The only rip-off is this version is live from the Henry Rollins Show, but we don't get to see Mr. Rollins anywhere in the clip.

Dead Kennedys - Holiday In Cambodia (Live)

The Dead Kennedys are one of the few punk bands that I used to adore in middle/high school that i can still listen to. In fact, i still listen to them a lot. Although this is the most obvious DK song to play - especially after its inclusion in Guitar Hero - maybe it's because it's their best. Or, maybe its because it's the only live clip i found where he sings the whole song without losing the microrphone.

It is probably Jello Biafra's greatest use of sarcastic, politically-charged lyrics. I mean, talking about how some rich kid will 'work harder with a gun in his back, for a bowl of rice a day'? That line was his super bowl.

I think my favorite Jello Biafra story is from during his run for mayor in the 80s. There was one homeless guy who would always show up to his rallies wearing a shirt that said "Vote for Jello Biafra or i'll kill myself". You can't make that kind of stuff up. I believe Jello ended up 6th in that race.

Les Dales Hawerchuk - Dale Hawerchuk

Let me first of all point out that i would not know about this song if it wasn't for a certain Dave Emmons. Thank you, Dave. You improved my life.

This is a french-canadian band that pay tribute to Dale Hawerchuk both in name and in song. Dale Hawerchuk played for the Winnepeg Jets in the 80s and 90s.

This video cracks me up, and the song is actually really good. They have some other good songs as well, so it's not just a one-song gimmick. I'd love to plan a trip to the hockey hall of fame and a Les Dales Hawerchuk show, but they only play in quebec. Screw them.

You will have to be patient with the video. there's about 20 seconds of silence.



Here's the song with an English translation, as provided by someone with a very loose understanding of the english language. it's hilarious.

Caribou - Melody Day

Here's another amazing song i found as a result of Allmusic.com's year-end best of list. I can't tell you how many bands i've discovered for myself by looking at every writer for allmusic's top ten lists.

This song, and all of their (just one guy, so i guess his's) songs, sound to me like the Beatles, if they were 25 yrs old right now and in love with the current wave of indie rock.

All of Caribou's songs are this dreamy, and this great.

Flying Burrito Brothers - Christine's Tune

Alright. So, the book High Fidelity was a favorite of mine in high school. The main character, a music snob, is always talking about how his favorite album is by the Flying Burrito Brothers. I figured the author (Nick Hornby) just chose this band because they are obscure with a goofy name; just the kind of band a music store owner would love.

Finally, about three years ago, i decided to look up the burrito brothers. Ummm, i was dead wrong about them. They are the real deal. I really don't like music from the sixties, i definitely don't like country, and i have a fair amount of disgust for the white race in general. Nevertheless, this song, and the whole album, is phenomenal. My favorite song is Sin City (probably #4 or 5 on my all-time favorite song list), but this video is just too entertaining.

The guy with the hair is Chris Hillman. He was in the Byrds beforehand. The dude in the stupid hat is Gram Parsons, best known for having his corpse stolen and set on fire.

Please enjoy.

Black Angels - Black Grease

Well, i've never been bashed in the press before. I have to say, it was kind of exciting.

This is a peace offering to young Osman until i can return his book at the Future of the Left show in a couple weeks.

These guys are the black angels. I saw them open for Mute Math a few years ago, and they completely stole the show. All of the songs on the first album seem to be about the Vietnam War. I don't really understand how it could have that much relevance to a bunch of 20-somethings, but maybe they just want to be consistent with their 60s-style sound.

There are a ton of songs i want to put up, but i figured i owe Osman something first.

The Gutter Twins - Misery/Flower

I wouldn't say i have a huge passion for this song, but i have a ton of thoughts on the song, and it fascinates me in a lot of ways.

The Gutter Twins (worst name ever?) is a collaboration between Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan from the Afghan Whigs and Screaming Trees, respectively. I'm amazed that two guys that were in bands that peaked in the early/mid 90s can make new music that doesn't sound dated at all. Plus, Lanegan was in Soulsavers last year, and that album is the shit.

It is rare to have someone maintain a career and stay relevant. Although they are obviously not huge, they are a legit band on a respected label, and the music is good.

As for the song itself - I really don't fully understand this song. It feels like the biggest build-up of all time, but there's never any cathartic release at the end. But, i kind of like that, in a No Country for Old Men kind of way (has that become the standard for feeling unsatisfied at the end of a movie, song, book?). Plus, I love Greg Dulli's voice so much. He looks so funny behind the mic in this video. It's really easy to picture how he looked as a sullen 13 year-old, with his chin jutting out like that. i'll bet he wore a lot of dirty tank tops.

Sorry for doing two songs back to back. I'm not going to make it a habit. But, i felt like i all of a sudden had a ton to say about this song. Plus, i wasn't able to post the last two nights, due to the problem with Flash 9 and firefox.

Death From Above 1979 - Black History Month

this blog is a nice place for dilettantes and music snobs.

This is my first foray into getting Osman interested in some newer bands. Although they released this album in 2004, it's still way newer than Robert Pollard's old ass.

I have liked these guys for the past 3 or 4 years, but i finally bought the album, and the hype has gone into overdrive. Every single song is catchy as hell, and i really like all of their lyrics (they introduced me to the greatest word of all time - dilettante).

I also really like the fact that they put out this one album, and then decided to start a new band. I really like it when a band can put out some great stuff and leave their legacy intact. Heroin has been great throughout the years for preserving a band's legacy. other than that, most seem to go the elvis route and embarrass themselves with reunion tours and gimmicky new 'sounds'. The downside is the new band, MSTRKRFT, is a steaming pile of horseshit.

Also, i believe their name is a Simpsons reference. The water balloons used in Bart's attack on Nelson said happy birthday. the gun store guy said, "well, i'd rather have them say death from above."

So, without further ado, here it is:

Menomena - Evil Bee

ok. Since January, i have been completely obsessed with Menomena. They make the most intelligent and interesting music of anyone that I've listened to over the last few years. They are some art school nerds from Portland, and their videos are as sweet as their songs.

This song is the most epic-sounding song on the album. Who knows what they're actually talking about. For all i know, they just tossed together some words that sound good. But, i'd be interested to hear anyone's opinion on the lyrics.

So, enjoy:



ps #1: When you are on the youtube page that you want to embed (enbed? spelling?), on the right side of the page it shows the URL for the link, and the URL to embed the video. You OBVIOUSLY choose the URL to embed the video.

ps #2: I'm afraid that i'm going to blow my load in the first few weeks. I'm going to try to limit myself to only a couple posts a week.

ps #3: Let's try to be consistent with the labels for the posts. It would be cool to have helpful labels to sort through the posts. I suggest we include the type of music, and the person who posted the song. Let me know if you have more ideas.

The point of this blog

Friends,we have the ability to make this awesome. What we will do is post a song that we love, and say why we love it. It doesn't have to be new music, or even new to you in general. Just make sure you have a passion for it, and tell us why you have a passion for it. It can be funny, tuff (all of emmons' metal) or anything else. My only goal is to share music with my friends, and to learn about music from those same friends.

Right now, we need the 'internet space' to save MP3s and post them here. If anyone knows how to do this, super. Until then, we will have to settle for youtube clips of songs.

Bye Bye

-Aaron