Filed under: Guster, Monday Morning Shuffle, Norah Jones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Shins | Tags: Guster, Monday Morning Shuffle, Norah Jones, RHCP, Sublime, The Shins
The designer for my company is a great guy who is super talented and also loves music. We’re lucky because we have a small office in an empty building and we can pretty much blast music all the time and never worry about bothering anyone. The only problem with this is that the kid plays music constantly, and when you work with someone 40-50 hours a week and he’s really feeling one CD, you get to listen to it 50 times that week. Now, i didn’t care when he got into The Shins, but in the last 2 weeks i’ve heard the following without stopping: Fall Out Boy, Kanye, Maroon 5 and a mash-up of Kanye lyrics over Fall Out Boy tracks… Suffice to say, I’m about to throw his speakers (and maybe him) out the window. UPDATE: We’ve been listening to Maroon 5 over and over since 8 a.m. I FUCKING HATE MAROON 5. Adam Levine can fuck himself.
I added some new music this weekend: Arctic Monkeys, Band of Horses, LCD Soundsystem, Bloc Party and some really weird DJ music that i got at the POOL show a while back. Hopefully some of it will inspire my designer to switch it up a bit from now on…
On with the Shuffle:
1. Cisco Kid - Sublime, off of Robbin’ The Hood
This is by far the weirdest Sublime album ever. It’s not great, but it’s raw and the exact opposite of the relatively overproduced albums that made them famous (aside from the genius career move that is ”death by heroin OD”). Well the most interesting thing about this album are the “Raleigh Soliloquy’s”…Apparently someone’s brother spent some time in a mental hospital and taped his conversations with this guy Raleigh who is insane and would just ramble on…it sounds like a scene from a movie but it’s not, it’s just this guy spouting off. It’s like listening to a homeless guy talking to himself as he walks down the street. It’s pretty weird but abstractly fascinating.
2. Sunrise – Norah Jones, off of Feels Like Home
I’m pretty confident that i’ve already talked about this song before and even if i haven’t the only thing i would say is that it’s the best song on this CD…everything else is pretty mediocre unfortunately. But while we’re on the subject, i might as well discuss her song “Creepin’ In” which is maybe my favorite song from her ever. And here’s why that’s weird, because it’s straight country and i don’t like country. But there’s something about the catchiness of the song paired with the fact that her voice is so eclectic. Well, download it for yourself, because it’s good. And Dolly Parton’s vocals are also amazing.
3. Cabron – Red Hot Chili Pepper, off of By The Way
Cabron means asshole in Spanish, which, when listening to this chorus makes it extra funny to sing along to. Go ahead, sing along in the English translation, it’s funny.
4. Sea Legs - The Shins, off of Wincing the Night Away
They’re playing at Celebrity Theater October 9th…anyone want to go with me?
The only other interesting thing i can think to say is that i have 3 of their albums and yet this is the only one that ever comes up in the Shuffle. I’m telling you, this Shuffle is a weird thing. (I’m also thinking that it has just about ran it’s course…it’s been a year, i think we need something new. Thoughts?)
5. So Long - Guster, off of Lost and Gone Forever
I haven’t listened to these guys in a long time but i’m kinda feeling like i need to make some time for them in the near future. I listened to a few songs while running this weekend and, like always, i’m just a big fan. They’re a perfect mix of fun, upbeat songs and semi-melancholy, thought-provoking tracks, they’re good to run to, good to chill too, good to pay attention to, good to ignore. It was like they were made perfectly just for me.
Alright, that’s enough for now. Have a good week.
R.I.P. Big Matt
Because she’s a bastion of infinite entertainment, Paris Hilton has decided (probably while crying in jail) that she has far too many clothes (even if you don’t include her own awful fashion line) and that she should donate these to less fortunate children (does the less fortunate part include anyone who has been within a square mile of her Herpes-addled vagina? (am i using enough parentheses??)). While she’s at it, i think she should use some of her closets and storage spaces to open up a small chain of Paris Hilton-branded orphanages and hospices…i’m sure she has the space.
Paris Wants To Donate Clothes to Children (i love wwtdd.com’s take on this as well)
And this is just fantastic…i think this is the first time since he was standing on the smouldering rubble of the World Trade Center that i’ve heard Bush says that he’s sad. And of course, when this happens with our Army, it’s war, but when it’s a private security force, it’s sad. What a guy.
I don’t think i’m going to get to the Shuffle this week…does anyone care? I think not. It just doesn’t seem right writing it on a Wedesday night…defeats the whole premise in my mind. I’ll catch up next week.
Today, i’m in need of some comedy. I don’t know what it is but i’ve been having awful nightmares lately…work related, relationship related, me being a super-hero related…there’s no rhyme or reason, i just wish they would stop. It’s not so much that i mind waking up every hour throughout the night and wondering if the dream was real so much is it that A. my back is a pretzel from tossing and turning all night, B. i’m perpetually tired and C. i can’t avoid waking up in a bad mood.
It’s not that i want to, and i work for the first hour of the day to cheer myself up and move on (succesfully), but my subconcious is just so beat-up in the morning that it takes some effort to get it heading in the right direction.
I had a friend tell me, not too long ago, that she’s never had a bad day…when pressed, she mentioned that in her pre-med studies she discovered that your cells regenerate each day and when you have a bad day, you create a layer of cells that were created on a bad day…these cells stick with you until they reach the end of their life span…if you have enough bad days in a row, your entire make-up becomes a bad mood and all of a sudden you find yourself depressed and unable to escape it and unable to know why. Now, i don’t give the slightest shit whether or not this is medically true at all. To be honest, it sounds like a bunch of hooey, but i don’t care. It’s a terrific sentiment and a tremendous reason to demand of yourself to get out of bad moods and into good ones. I’ve been working on this for a while and although i was prepared to be in a bad mood all day, i had breakfast with one of my funniest friends this morning, laughed at a terrific Onion headline and turned the page on my FarSide Page-a-Day calendar.
In case you don’t have one, here are some of my favorites of the day, with Cows as the theme:
and since i couldn’t find my favorite one (a bunch of cows standing in a pen looking petrified as the cowboy heats up a brand that says, “THIS COW BELONGS TO DARYL JONES SO HANDS OFF!), here’s a good family guy clip relating to cows.
Laugh today and generate some good cells.
Filed under: catch up
I was in Colorado all weekend (including yesterday) without a computer and so, as you’ve noticed, the Shuffle hasn’t been posted yet.
I’m playing catch-up and will post the dirty bastard as soon as i get that far down my priority list…probably sometime this Thursday.
Filed under: Everclear, Jet, Monday Morning Shuffle, Neutral Milk Hotel, Talib Kweli, U2
Not a lot to share from my weekend other than my fantasy team sucks and i’m just so glad football is back so let’s get right down to it.
On with the Shuffle:
1. Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet, off of Get Born
Normally i’d skip this song because i’m just so bloody sick of it but i let it play and you know what? This song was really damn good. I mean, its awesome. But it just got overplayed and beat to hell and took a place on the list of overplayed songs right along with Creed “My Own Prison”, Nickelback “How You Remind Me” and Lenny Kravitz “Fly.” Too bad really.
The rest of the CD was pretty decent as well, although kinda gets exhausting towards the end.
2. Unemployed Boyfriend – Everclear
“This is going to sound a little obsessive…” but i was thinking about her just this morning. She always had a knack for finding these random songs off of mainstream band’s albums. I have a lot of them on my iPod still. It’s been a really long time since we’ve talked and lately, i’ve really been thinking about how much i could really use a conversation with her. Some people are just like that right? They stick in your brain and never go away no matter how long it has been since you’ve talked. I don’t know if that’ll ever change.
Anyway, this is a really random song (i guess you’d expect that from Everclear) but a good and catchy pop tune with a funny/random/ridiculous storyline in the lyrics, interjected with this girl talking on a friends answering machine about how she met a guy at the unemployment office. It’s weird for sure, but hey, don’t take my word for it. Right click on the link and listen for yourself.
3. Walk On – U2, off of All That You Can’t Leave Behind
I’m really ambivalent about U2, to be perfectly honest. Sometimes i just love them and cheer for Bono and would love to see them live and all that and sometimes i’m just over them. There is this air of pretension that throws me off sometimes. I think i missed them age-wise by about 2-3 years. Joshua Tree just wasn’t aimed at my demographic, and correct me if i’m wrong U2 fans, but i think that was the album that was make or break for most people.
4. Communist Daughter – Neutral Milk Hotel, off of In The Aeroplane Over the Sea
Some people think Neutral Milk Hotel is the most amazing thing since sliced bread…and of course, i missed the boat on these guys too. I like the songs i listen to, but i haven’t heard one complete album that just drops my jaw to the floor like some people claim.
Here’s my problem though…between The Decemberists, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Plain White T’s, OK Go, Sufjan Stevens and all these other “hipster” bands…how do you keep them all straight? I know you purists (Courtney) will think i’m a moron, but it’s hard to seperate them even in their own genre. I know they have different sounds, that’s not what i’m saying, but they all evoke the same kind of emotional response from me so at any given moment what’s making me listen to Arcade Fire over Neutral Milk Hotel or the Decemberists? I don’t have an answer to that question other than i listen to them when the shuffle randomly falls on that song, and it doesn’t give me any real rush or reason to dig any deeper into the album. It is what it is and that’s the end of it…and anyone who has read this blog for more than a week or two knows that just doesn’t cut it for me.
5. Oh My Stars – Talib Kweli, off of Ear Drum
I’m loving the new Kweli and loving even more that i got it leaked early and didn’t pay for it (sorry Talib…). So far the album is pretty rocking…the beats are good, but not great, and the lyrics are spectacular. My favorite line so far is, “Silence is golden but violence is platinum.” and i’m sure there are about 500 more that i haven’t picked up yet.
My only complaint about Kweli albums — and i guess rap albums in general — is that they’re too damn long. I want a CD to either leave me completely satisfied or wanting more, not exhausted. Take for instance The Shins – Wincing the Night Away…when i get to the last song on that CD i mentally say to myself, “Oh, it’s over already? Damn.” everytime. I’ve listened to that CD 50 times, and everytime i’m bummed it’s already over. I haven’t been able to listen to Ear Drum one time straight through without clicking next at least 3-4 times. Since the beats aren’t all amazing, they start to run together after a while. This is a problem.
Alright, hope everyone has fun with the new Kanye and new 50 Cent albums tomorrow…i’ve had them both for 2 weeks, suckers. HAHA.
Filed under: football
Football starts tonight and i couldn’t be happier. My season kicks off with the Broncos beating the Bills this Sunday while Bills Fan Extroardinaire Chris Perry sits on my couch next to me. Should be fun.
I absolutely will not discuss my fantasy team in this section, ever. I hate it when people talk about their fantasy teams to people outside of their fantasy leagues (although i do reserve the right to share my success/failure with every girl who tries to talk to me during Sunday or Monday nights.) However, this is a picture of our fantasy league at their draft last Monday. We are dorks, we don’t care.
And finally, this moment of bliss brought to you by the fattest little kid Colts fan ever. I hate the Colts.
Filed under: Ben Harper, Crosby Stills and Nash, Jimmy Eat World, Monday Morning Shuffle, The Roots
Yesterday was a holiday, and i treated it as such. So the Shuffle is on Tuesday, makes more sense anyway.
So i’ve dug a little deeper into these Torrent programs and man is that a better way to steal music than anything else. I found some amazing stuff and got some things that have leaked and aren’t released yet. In the past 4 days i got the new Common, the relatively new Modest Mouse, the new Talib Kweli and in the greatest move of all time, found someone who was posting every Radiohead song ever. So i downloaded 20 albums, live stuff, unmastered, mastered, remastered, side projects, b-sides, everything. A couple hundred songs easily. So even though i’ve never been a huge fan of them i can now back my opinions up.
On with the shuffle,
1. Cautioners – Jimmy Eat World, off of Bleed American
I love this song. The bass track is so infectious and the drum beat so simple, it’s just a good song all around. Jim Atkins vocals are as haunting as the lyrics are poignant. And they have a new CD coming out in October, or so i’m told.
2. Almost Cut My Hair – Crosby, Stills and Nash
This is one of those protest songs we’ve chatted about before and our generation really misses out on the symbolism of this one. Cutting your hair was a big deal at the time…short hair meant you were a square, you sold out to the man, etc. And this song embodies a lot of the frustration in the movement at the time, a subject which those of you apart of our Vox blog will know, i’ve experienced a bit of lately myself.
3. 3 Libras – A Perfect Circle (Massive Attack remix)
This is my favorite APC song and the remix is kinda crazy…if Massive Attack was in fact involved in this, kudos to them. I like them. There’s not a whole lot else to say about this really.
4. Sexual Healing – Ben Harper, off of Live from Mars
Can you think of a better cover for Ben Harper to do? Is there a better combination of talents, music and latent sex appeal? I say no.
5. Rhymes and Ammo – The Roots, off of Phrenology
This song would usually be semi-annoying to me because of the hook, but you got Kweli doing it up on the track and it actually comes through as a pretty good tune when it’s all said and done. Kweli and The Roots together…man, that’s pretty epic.
Alright, have a good short week.
Because it’s only a matter of time until Muslim terrorists stop using homemade bombs and 2-way radios to set them off and upgrade to submarines. We need to be vigilant people!
