Any Arrested Development fans out there must check out this blog post for mp3s of some classic lines from the show.
When I get my puppy, which will happen sooner than later, I'm debating between Buster and Maeby as names. It's either that, or Bob Ross.
Long live Buster Bluth.
Okay, so I'm finally off the medication so I hope I sound a little less "out there" this week. Nora yells at me a bit, I fumble with my words, but the music is GREAT. That's all that really counts...right?
Plus, we dedicate one of my favorite bands to our bloggers of the week: The Music Sluts. Listen to the show TODAY and ALL WEEK, and make yourself happy.
Playlist!
Parade Of Punk Rock T-Shirts - Maritime
Tearing Up The Oxygen - Maritime
Calm - Maritime
Parentheses - The Blow
Bonjour Jeune Fille - The Blow
Eat Your Heart Up - The Blow
Rainy Monday - Shiny Toy Guns
Starts With One - Shiny Toy Guns
Le Disko - Shiny Toy Guns
Down Now - French Kicks
Trial Of The Century - French Kicks
England Just Will Not Let You Recover - French Kicks
All The Holes In The Wall - Birdmonster
Head on over to www.breakthruradio.com and click on "The Blog Show."
On Sunday the roomie and I decorated our apartment for the holiday season. It helped the absence of a puppy and couch. We thought it was appropriate to play some Christmas music, so I made a mix. Too early? I don't think so.
Yesterday I arrived to work to find my first holiday card from the boys of Princeton. I have already stated how much I love this band, but now the love has reached that funny stage of adoration. They may just be my favorite band discovery of the year. The boys were sweet enough to send me an exclusive CD (I had #14 of 20), complete with a fantastically hysterical holiday song "Where Is My Christmas Morning?" They told me I was okay to post it for all of you to enjoy, because...well, this is the season to be merry.
I also had the honor to interview the boys a few weeks ago and the article is up on BreakThru Radio. Here's an excerpt of the interview:
Will you stick with keeping future recordings to a lo-fi, raw sound, or opt for something different?
Jesse: Lo-fi is something that we were forced into because of circumstance. If we could do it over we would have wanted to do more to the recording. But we also enjoy making our own records and using our own equipment, which means no studio and therefore sound quality is sometimes compromised. The goal for the next record is to take a long time and try every idea we have for every song. We want to use string and horn arrangements as well as electronic elements so it is going to be quite different.
Matt: We want to continue honing our own recording space and do the future records on our own. The idea of a large studio is pretty intimidating and I like the idea of living in the same place as I record. We can work at any hour with no restrictions, and hone the sound slowly.
Ben: Future recordings will offer a large variety of instrumentation, experimentation and spankin’ new harmonies, all with a home-recording feel. What I really like about A Case of the Emperor’s Clothes is that it sounds like we are playing right there in the room.
Read the whole thing here.
P.S. - My new years resolution? Get Princeton to NYC!
I try and provide myself with enough musical knowledge as possible. As I've stated here many times before, I don't have the background or experience to ever be considered an expert. I know I never will, but I'm trying to at least have some basis to be able to speak about music. Sure, ask me about any buzz indie rock band of today and I could spurt off a lot of info. But if we go back in time, I'm a bit lost. Call it naiveté, or just youth, but I'm working on it.
You probably have noticed that the "52 albums in 52 weeks" have been missing. Life has gotten a bit hectic and the actual purchasing of these albums a bit hard. Do not fret. I will make it in those 52 weeks. Hopefully this weekend I will catch up on the ones I've been missing and get back on schedule.
I've been meaning to post about a few films I've watched in the past couple weeks that have helped my musical discovery. About a month ago I rented Sid & Nancy. It had been on my netflix queue for about a year, and finally I decided it was time to put it at the top. I wasn't really sure what to expect. Naturally, I'd heard amazing things, and I've always been intrigued by Sid Vicious and the story of the Sex Pistols. The film boasted comparisons to Romeo & Juliet. Sure. I had to see for myself.
I watched the film one rainy Saturday afternoon in my apartment by myself. I found myself completely captivated by the screen. Nancy, brilliantly portrayed by Chloe Webb, was absolutely atrocious in all the right ways. Their relationship clearly fueled by heroin but genuine nonetheless is the kind of loyalty you don't actually think exists. But it did. And the final scene, whether it's what really happened we'll never know, was powerful, and yet oddly satisfying.
I found myself researching Nancy for the rest of the afternoon, fascinated by her life, background, and real story. It's one of those tales that will always live in infamy. I watched interviews with the two of them together. It really broke my heart.
The gasps I received when I said I had never seen Purple Rain scared me. I clearly miss out on far too much. So after a friend lent me his copy, it sat on my dvd player for a few weeks. There's no good reason for this. I just never got around to it. Luckily the sickness this past week forced me to sit still for extended hours, so I popped it in and gave it a shot. I always have liked Prince's music, and had listened to the album as part of the 52 album series. I'll be completely honest; I knew nothing about this movie going in. And yes, it was wonderfully cheesy and incredibly entertaining.
Purple Rain is like one long music video with exaggerated plot lines and simplistic dialogue. I wouldn't have had it any other way. Semi-autobiographical, the soundtrack basically makes the movie. Prince's performances are passionate, and ultra sexy. I never really found myself attracted to the guy, but damn. When he performed "Darling Nikki" I forgot about the fact that he was an obnoxious prick. Grind away, Prince. Not exactly the same love story as Sid & Nancy but still worked for me.
Last but certainly not least was Festival Express, a film I had read more about than actually seen, so I felt it appropriate to see the whole tale for myself. I've long been a fan of Janis Joplin, and watching her, especially in those last scenes literally gave me the chills. What a fantastic idea this whole thing was. It completely inspired me to think of something like this to do. Music and touring has become so corporate, I just want to get a van (or a train in this case) and get a bunch of musicians, booze, and document it all. Everyone was there for the right reasons. You could see it in their faces.
The movie proved to be much more of a comedy than expected. Certain moments caused me to laugh out loud. Especially when they ran out of alcohol. Genius. But of course the performances were incredible to watch first hand, and seeing the crowds really put you there. I love The Band more and more seeing them play in a live setting, and no one can dispute the talent of Jerry Garcia and The Dead. No, I'm no deadhead, but I can appreciate the fandom. The movie watching experience was a perfect musical high, and one I think should be replicated in today's setting. Who's with me?
Enjoy some tunes, and check out the flicks. They all come highly recommended.
Just today I was walking to work and a song came on, and i promised myself if there was ever a tv show or movie about my life (which, god help us, never happens) I would like "No Rain" to be my theme song.
Then i saw someone posted this, and it got me thinking...
Open Credits:
No Rain - Blind Melon
Waking Up Scene:
Lola Stars and Stripes - The Stills
First Day at School:
Golden Years - David Bowie
Falling in Love:
Lovefool - Cardigans
Fight Song:
Lithium - Nirvana
Breakup Song:
Where Does the Good Go? - Tegan and Sara
Prom:
Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger
Life's OK:
So Far We Are - French Kicks
Mental Breakdown:
Talk Talk Talk Talk - Love Is All
Driving:
California - Low
Flashback:
City Rain, City Streets - Ryan Adams
Getting Back Together:
Case Of You - Joni Mitchell
Sex Scene:
Kiss - Prince
Wedding:
All I Want Is You - U2
Birth of a Child:
Strawberries - Asobi Seksu
Final Battle:
I Might Be Wrong - Radiohead
Death Scene:
Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap
Ending Credits:
Come Sail Away - Styx
I was just beginning to make a mix for a "welcome back" from turkey vacay, but I couldn't just let this song get lost in the...mix. Beat Radio, a NYC band who has always been at the top of my list, has just released their debut album The Great Big Sea for FREE on their website. Yes. Free.
The whole album is simply fantastic, but I have always had a soft spot for "Ancient As The Stars" ever since I first heard that demo. It was a year ago that I saw them play for the first time. And yes, I still adore the song.
The newer version is even better than the first, adding in some banjo, which is always an underrated instrument. But seriously, go check out the whole LP. Did I mention it's free?
Beat Radio is playing The Lucky Cat in Brooklyn this Saturday as well as the Product Shop NYC party on December 23 at Pianos.
I didn't listen to a lot of music this past weekend. Most of the time I was sitting in my apartment watching Top Chef marathons, What Not To Wear (my roommate has given me this wonderful addiction) or countless cheesy movies while sniffling and coughing away. I was on a good amount of medication. If I sat in my room and just listened to music, I probably would have passed out.
However, I am back and breathing fairly normally again, and it feels nice to be out in public. The only time I went out was to take the puppy to the dog run at Tompkins Square, which is maybe the most fun place on earth. You can oooh and awww over so many dogs, and play around with them all day. It helped put a smile on my face during a quite depressing break.
Back to music loving and appreciation, so here's a mix I came up with this morning to help pump me back up into reality. Enjoy.
Exactly four months to the day I found myself listening to Everything All The Time and having a moment. I wasn't aware that it was exactly four months ago until I referenced that blog post, but it seems appropriate. I like going back to albums like this, where that obsessive listen is a clear memory in your head. The apartment was different. My hair wasn't the same. I could smoke inside. Life and time were drastically separate. And yet I listened to it now, with that same intensity and incredibly closeness as I felt that night.
Four months ago I thought I was going through some sort of pre-quarter life crisis which at the time seemed justified. I don't know. But I do know this album calmed me.
And I still find it.
Oh.
So.
Beautiful.
