ah-la song

she was going back to texas, to not have sex for money anymore. she said that she used to be the homecoming queen, but that’s hard to believe. the air was spread like butter on blackened bread. my heart was going back to my chest, to not be dead anymore. it seemed that this whole thing was poignant enough to write about someday, but poignancy is redundancy when you’re sitting on an ashtray of a couch with a soon to be ex-whore.

rockstar 101

Dear _____,

I just wanted you to know, that if zombies came; I’d come to find you. No matter what. Even if my rag-tag band of survivors called me foolish, even if the odds were against me. I’d get the last of my ammunition, a tank of gas, and I’d drive to the city to find you. And I hope I would, find you. And I hope you’d be glad to see me. If you were a zombie when I found you, I’d consider letting you bite me, just for a second. But I’d probably end up shooting you in the head. I would however, be really, really sad about it.

Sincerely, ______

walking down

you’re a lot like halloween. i used to love you, but now every time you come around, i end up disappointed.

if only she’d just kiss me, i’d be a little less confused

i’ve been busy as all get out lately, but i banged this out the other day on a break…

Antics – Interpol: by pure coincidence i wandered into a record store to buy “turn on the bright lights” a few days after antics was released. this led to me buying both albums, and to antics being the first interpol album that i’d listened to in its entirety. it’s a lush record that sticks to you. it’s like gum in your hair, but in a really good way. at no point while listening to antics am i compelled to skip forward. i even play some tracks over again immediately after their finish. although their similarity to Joy Division is what inspired my purchase, the record felt new and interesting; unlike some acts that bank on nostalgia, i’ve always felt that interpol was inspired by the past, not aping it. listen to “evil,” “slow hands,” “public pervert,” and cuz i seriously love this album, you get a bonus track: “c’mere.”

i sure had fun when i was you number one, but now i’m standing in number two

Americano – Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers: i’m not sure if any of roger clyne’s albums stand up to his work with the refreshments. it could be the legion of deadhead-esque fans that ruined it for me, it could be that he borrows pretty heavily from Steve Earle. if you’re going to check out his work with the peacemakers try Honky Tonk Union, cuz that record’s pretty great. the tracks off of americano that hearken back to that greatness are “counterclockwise,” “leaky little boat,” and “a little hungover you.”

…And Out Come The Wolves – Rancid: this is the only rancid record that i’ve ever listened to in its entirety. it’s one of the only records that i’d actually listen to all the way through and high school. people tell me i should listen to other things by rancid, some even claim that said things are “better.” to me however, this record is perfect. it’s delicious punk rock , and i’d hate to sully its perfection in any way by listening to something that would diminish my opinion of either it, or the people that created it. you’re probably familiar with the singles so let me get at you with some deep cuts off of this one. “olympia, wa,” “daly city train,” and “journey to the end of the east bay.”

Angel Dust – Faith No More: sometimes i think that i own faith no more records, just to avoid protracted arguments with faith no more fans who will insist that Mike Patton is a genius, and that you should drop everything and listen to his body of work, while they sweat and frantically wave their arms, and jump up and down until you admit that: “yes, he is a genius.” i like faith no more okay, and angel dust is my favorite of their albums. i guess however, that i am a dummy as mike patton doesn’t seem like a genius to me. just some guy who makes records, some of which i find mildly entertaining. whenever faith no more pops up on ipod shuffle, i’m happy, but never happy enough to listen to a record all the way through. i’d like it pretty well if “easy,”RV,” and “a small victory” came up more often.

Animal! – Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s: okay, these guys have a strike against them in my book, on account of being named after a character from a Wes Anderson film. they’re pretty mellow, indie rock from someplace where presumably, people wear lots of sweaters. the problem is: they’re really good, so i can’t hate them. not even a little bit. those of you who know me, know that i can really get behind hating something for no good reason. congratulations MATNSAS’s! you have won me over with tracks like: “as tall as cliffs,” “i am a lightning rod,” and “mariel’s brazen overture.”

Answer That And Stay Fashionable – AFI: hey, weren’t we just talking about punk rock that i listened to in high school? man, i was all wrapped up in this record back in the day. unfortunately it hasn’t stood the test of time as well as rancid’s record has. many current afi fans probably wouldn’t even recognize this as afi. “i wanna get a mohawk (but mom won’t let me get one),” “brownie bottom sundae,” which is a pretty good preview of what afi would grow into, and the track i hated then, but love now “cereal wars.”

half my heart needs you night and day, the other half just needs to know you’re far away

Alligator- The National: the national’s third album. you can watch these guy crawl to the candy coated polish of “the boxer” if you look close enough. i’m not sure but i may prefer the sort of sparse sound on this record to the others… listen closely to: “secret meeting,” “looking for astronauts,” and “all the wine.”

Alphabetical – Phoenix: wikipedia says that this was phoenix’s breakthrough album, but i really didn’t start listening to them until Pandora started spitting tracks off of “it’s never been like that” at me. i think that their pop leanings are the strongest on this record. i like “love for granted,” “if it’s not with you,” and “holdin’ on together” best of all, but all around it’s a delicious record.

American Gangster – Jay-Z: wow, a whole record with sound clips from a movie i’ve never seen, and probably won’t see. wow, another record of post retirement, pre blueprint 3 junk from jay-z. this record should have been a single, with “roc boys (and the winner is)” as the A side and “hello brooklyn 2.0″ as the B side. either that or an EP with a remix that no one ever made, of either of these songs, and “blue magic” starring as the song that’s not terrible.

American Psycho – The Misfits: i guess if you’re going to listen to the misfits without Glenn Danzig, the Michale Graves incarnation is best. i mean, it’s the only time that they’ve released *real* records without danzig, and it’s okay, but the squeaky clean pop punk version of the misfits never resonated with me the way the old school, dirty sex, horror loving, semi-affiliated with the dark one version did. and dang it, Famous Monsters is the better album of the two that this misfits produced. it’s great background noise… “dig up her bones, and “Resurrection” are all that really stand out from the pack.

American V- Johnny Cash:  posthumous records are kinda creepy. it’s hard not to find evidence of impending death in their content. this one is a gut punch. seriously, i can’t listen to it if i’ve even smelled alcohol. like the rest of the records in the american series it’s mostly covers. “god’s gonna cut you down,” “like the 309,” and “if you could read my mind,”  and “further on (up the road)” are my besties off of this record, but listening to it in its entirety should squeeze some chills out of even the most jaded soul. especially if you listen to it on your big headphones.

you be the captain, and i’ll be no one, and you can carry me away if you want to

Absence- Paper Route:  This record is really good. it’s the kind of record you should give to someone if you want them to think of you, cuz it’s too good to ignore, and it’ll just be associated with you from then on out. listen to: “enemy among us,” “be healed,” and “are we all forgotten.”

Aladdin Sane- David Bowie:  david bowie called this record “Ziggy goes to America,”  i call it “the one that has ‘Jean Genie’ on it” i’m not the biggest bowie scholar. this album has less pageantry than ziggy stardust, its predecessor, more of a rock sound, but also, i feel like bowie was tugging at the edges of things, beginning experimentation that he would re-hash for “Outside” which came much, much later. listen to: “Jean Genie,” which is one of my favorite songs of all time for largely sentimental reasons, “Drive In Saturday,” and “Time”

All Hallows EP – AFI: this EP  was basically an afterward to “Black Sails in the Sunset” in which they morphed from kinda poppy hardcore to this sorta goth punk outfit, soon to be followed by their terrible and currently popular, commercially successful spooky emo phase.  this  has four tracks one of which is a decent cover of the Misfits’ “Halloween.”  i’m also fond of “Fall Children,” and “The Boy Who Destroyed The World.”

All Hour Cymbals – Yeasayer: honestly, i don’t love this record. i’m sorry cool kids, but i already bought into minus the bear, all so you’d like me. get your asses down to SXSW and gush about these guys, about how they should have been on the mainstage. i’ll be listening to some psychedelic revivalists who matter, like The Black Angels or something really indie and pretentious like Gang Gang Dance.  i’m about to delete all the tracks, except the following: off of my itunes: “2080″ which is the banger which made me think i’d be down,  “Sunrise,” and “Germs.”

half way through my second manhattan, i realized who they remind me of

Acid Tongue- Jenny Lewis: this album has this whole kinda seventies sound that i found kinda overwrought at first. the more i listen though, it’s wormed its way into my brain. it’s comfortable, soothing and tragic. check out “carpetbaggers” which features mr elvis costello, “acid tongue,” and “trying my best to love you” if you’re feeling sentimental.

Acoustics – Minus the Bear: the best thing i *like* about minus the bear is the remix album for “minus el oso.” i keep listening to their records, honestly, because at least two really attractive people who i know totally buy into them, and love what they do… and i hope to someday impress attractive people with my knowledge of minus the bear. their songs kinda slot into the background like Jimmy Eat World does. very nice to listen to, but never making an impression. their acoustic album has the same impact but is  somehow more inoffensive.  pray that either this record, or for bonus points, the band themselves are playing at the next coffee shop you take a pretentious  date to. these cats really are a suitable mix of whimsy and underplayed talent. they could well be the next DMB. the only song i seek out this record is “pachuca sunrise,” with “we are not a football team” as a close second.

The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn: CocoRosie – please just read their wikipedia entry and save me the effort. cocorosie blows my fucking mind in a big way.  were you looking for the perfect thing to listen to out of your big headphones while enjoying yourself in decadent ways? if so, hit these girls up, better yet, buy all their damn records. this was my intro to them, and it fits like a glove. one girl is a classically trained opera singer, the other sort of raps, with this ridic european white girl flow that completely unhinges me with its cadence. mash that in with beatboxing, keys, and what sounds to be toy instruments sequenced in the mix. listen to this record, all the way through, pay attention, even if you hate it, you’ve been exposed to something really different, that takes pieces that have been used before and slots them together in a completely different way. at least do yourself a favor and check out the following: “werewolf,” “promise,” and the surprisingly accessible “japan.”

Aha Shake Heartbreak- Kings of Leon: hopefully i’ll live long enough to be right about the following statement: people are going to think that KOL are as big a deal as Lynyrd Skynyrd are now. it took me a minute to warm up to them, but damn they’re good. tight as shit live, the right mixture of talent, pretty and southern grime to really weather the ages. aha shake heartbreak is their second proper album, better received in britain than stateside, but it’s tasty. every KOL album has a different aural flavor to it, blame on the fact that these cats started recording amazing records in high school and ain’t fully grown yet. to me this record is like an amazing third date. nothing is solid or secure, but it’s exciting, and in it you find the potential for something truly brilliant. i’ve sort of set the standard of naming three tracks that i heart off of records, this one’s hard. get at “four kicks,” “slow night, so long,” and “taper jean girl.” but i won’t lie to you kiddies, just listening to “slow night, so long” which is the first track off this record has made damn sure i have to settle in for a bit and play Little Big Planet while i play this record in its entirety, it’s just that good.

to wallow in your scent i just flip that switch in my head

i take back all of it, those names i called myself (now with spell check!)

Abattoir Blues – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: So abattoir blues was part of a two disc set with “The Lyre of Orpheus.” like most two disc records i find that the fat could have been trimmed away to make one delicious record, instead we’re left with two so-so records. honestly my biggest gripe about nick cave is that i was too little and dumb to be able to appreciate his best musical work in the moment.  the best tracks off of abattoir blues are as follows: “cannibal’s hymn”, “hiding all away”, and the until my last listen through of this record the amazing, but initially under appreciated: “fable of the brown ape.”

About a Girl- Winter Gloves – Today i was trying to explain winter gloves to a friend of mine. all i could really express about this record is that i thoroughly enjoy it, and that much of my affection for the band is due to their use of  the organ and glockenspiel. there’s more going on here, but i’m just not smart enough to verbalize it properly. winter gloves are in a basket in my mind with some other bands that i’ve recently discovered and don’t really know how to quantify (passion pit, paper route, miike snow). they all have this sort of down tempo kind of techno sensibility, there’s a lot going on in their songs, and the male vocalists tend to lean toward the falsetto range. there’s a familiarity about the winter gloves album, but in a good way. wikipedia (which is the only resource i use for fact checking BTW) indicates that winter gloves is actually Charles F’s side project from the band Lady Grey. wikipedia also refers to winter gloves as “synth pop” obviously that’s the pigeonhole i’ve been looking for! my favorite tracks off of this record are the insanely poppy “factories,” “let me drive,” “glass paperweight,” and “hillside.”