something strange is in the air around here. people are at their worst it seems. it's quite scary to see, and i'm beginning to loose some hope, but that really shouldn't be happening. i know things will turn out for the better, it's just that we are hard pressed right now. through the thickness of everyday struggle we grow stronger, and i know this for a fact. as a christian, it's our entire life's work to conquer through struggle, and this isn't any different.
for these mad times we need some mad music. how about something a bit political, and with an awesome name to boot??? here is, This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb.
here's a funny story, but over the years this band has been together, people who have had their stickers placed on real bicycles have been reported by the cops for possible terrorist threats. it's funny, but also shows how serious these troubling times are. this bike is a pipe bomb, formed in 1997 in pensacola, florida as a nu-wave band at first, but then proceeded to become country influenced mixed with punk. they are now know as one of the forerunners in the folk-punk movement (Against Me!, Ghost Mice, Defiance, Ohio) and stand at the top when it comes to live performances and touring.
try this music out for yourself and discover something new!!! okay, so we first have the record, Dance Party With..., followed by, Front Seat Solidarity. after that we move onto the album, Three Way Tie For Fifth ,and then last we have, Convertible. be sure to give these a quick listen and get to folkin'!!!
my body feels weird today. i don't know if it's from all the sleep i've had, or the new meds, but i feel weird and can barely type this. its sort of scary...
okay, i want to make this quick, so here's the screamo/skrams band, I Hate Myself.
they have an awesome name, and took themselves not seriously at all. they existed from 1996 to some time later in the mid 90's. they released several splits and singles in their short career and most of those releases were on the No Idea record label. be sure to give then a listen and respect their awesome name.
oh, and here is their most popular release, the album simply called, Ten Songs.
i spent all of tuesday at the indian hospital in ada, oklahoma. i'm getting myself taken care of and now feel much better for my decision to do it. i have to go back in march for a follow up, but i'm hopeful that the next time i go things will be considered and looked at. in my body, i feel as if there is something foreign. i can't really explain what it is, but there is something not right with me. i think i'm sick in a different sort of way, and because of that i want to get checked out all over for any trace of anything. i'm trying my best to get to the bottom of this problem, and with some help, i'm going to be able to do just that.
on the drive back to the city, i listened to this old band that many people know of, but don't really know that much about. they seemed to be doomed from the start, what with bad drug problems and terrible ego's, but that hasn't taken away from them, the talent of which i'm a huge fan of. oh, and they were also the end result of that terrible, one-hit-wonder syndrome, but whatever!!! here is, The Verve.
what really strikes me about the verve, is how much they rule!!! well, you see, you have to get past their third album, the mega seller, Urban Hymns, and the song, "bitter sweet symphony" in order to see what else they have done. now, i'm a huge shoegaze fan. i just love that thick ultra layered guitar sound. it's also real druggy, sounding, but that's not bad in any way. the verve, or originally just, Verve, started in 1990 in england and were constantly ushered into the then emerging brit-pop scene with bands like, Blur, Pulp, and Oasis. but, despite that, the band managed to separate themselves and make their own style of rock, heavily influenced by drugs and the shoegaze/dream-pop scene of the 90's.
the band has had the misfortune of breaking up three different times, with the latest being in 2009 after their fourth album and festival comeback performances. (Coachella 2009) so, ha ha on them. anyway, i still like them and if you are into this type of shoegaze music, give their early music a try!!!
so here we have everything minus a b-sides collection album, which isn't that good. we first start with the self title ep, then we move into the full lengths. the album, A Storm in Heaven, is the bands first ever full length, and is a good place to start right here. it's a heavy shoegaze album, and it ranks up there with, My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, for it's thickness. second we have the album, A Northern Soul followed by Urban Hymns. most people know about urban hymns, but a northern soul is a good one also. and in last place we have their reunion album, Forth. this is almost a companion album to a northern soul, as it takes the band back to their highest roots with dream-pop goodness. try these out and enjoy!!!
it feels like a stream flowing today. i feel like a stream, gently flowing along, not caring where i will go. maybe it's the fact that i just woke up, or maybe it's because i'm thinking while listening to music. either way, it feels good and much much better than yesterday.
you know, as a writer, there comes certain words that i try my best to not use in any form of description, because i have a better selection in my mind than those. bbbbbbbuuuuuuuuutttttt, there is an exception to the rule, and i have been wanting to use this word for some time. it's the word beautiful, and i'm using it to describe the icelandic post-rock band, Sigur Rós.
sigur rós hails from iceland, which is home to other artists like, Bjork and Hum. the band formed in 1994 and are currently on indefinite hiatus. the group is led by lead singer and guitarist, jónsi birgisson, who has a distinct fallsetto vocal approach, bassist georg hólm, keyboardest kjartan sveinsson, and drummer orri páll dýrason. they also have other members who help fill in the gaps when playing live.
the group makes very large, sporadic post-rock music, with a lot of focus on melody and soft vocals. the songs tend to be long, with great buildups and conclusions. the song, "starálfur" was used in the movie, The Life Aquatic, and is often the most talked about. there really is something special about this music. it's very unique, and inspiring. the vocals are also sung in icelandic, with a sometimes scat-like style. recently, they also made a documentary film called, Heima. it's a fantastic film and one that should be watched if given the chance. (i saw it on the sundance channel.)
all their full length albums are here for your enjoyment. we first start with the debut album titled, Von. after that we have the second lp called, Ágætis Byrjun. this is my personal fave, and the song i mentioned above is on this album. okay, so in third we have the untitled album, also known as Brackets or Parentheses. this is followed by my other favorite album titled, Takk.... this is another pretty album, and one not to be missed. and finally we have, Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust. so, here we are at the end of the post. please PLEASE give these albums a listen, and flow along with me...
what a strange day this sunday has been. i'm back home now, typing this post and currently thinking about what happened to me. you see, i felt rather uneasy as i sat in church today. my chest was under a lot of pressure, and my thoughts were all over the place. it was my anxiety attacking me again and it happens all the time at church. actually, it's been happening to me almost everyday. i'm going to get myself checked out by a doctor somewhere as soon as possible. i need to get to the bottom of this. i'm really believing that my depression situation is being caused by a physical thing. if not, then it must be something else. recently, my personal problems haven't been hurting as much, and those old thoughts that used to plague my mind have been subdued somewhat, but there is still something wrong with me and i'm really tired of it.
my poor dog looks so sad when i give him notice. he has these eyes that just pierce straight through you. he looks at you with want and need. i'm not a good pet owner. i don't spend enough time with the poor thing. he lays on our back yard deck, usually staring at us through the glass door. i sometimes think he will die hating us, hating me especially. i gave him his name. originally it was chewy, because when he was a puppy he was always chewing on objects and biting us on the ankles. dad put a stop to that, and sent him outside. he's grown up in our backyard and over the years has seen it become smaller due to the deck, shed and doghouse that he's scared to use. his name is now chewbacca, and he answers to that. i should take him out for more walks, but i always forget. i'm too tied up in my own world of really bad crap to take notice to this living thing a few feet from this computer. my poor poor dog. i remember the two dogs i had from my childhood. there was otto, the white terrier and chloe, the very protective and pretty doberman. they were fun loving, happy dogs. they always chased each other and barked off strangers and other animals. eventually otto became sick and was put to sleep. shortly after that my parents divorced and we all left that house and chloe too. i hope she didn't hate me in her last moments. so, you might be asking, "why didn't you take her with you???" well, i don't really have an answer for that. were just terrible people sometimes. if you ever have pets, please treat them like you would a loved one, and by that i mean a person. animals know and feel more than you think they do...
here is some old dance music from the 90's that i fell in love with and have been a fan of ever since. this duo goes by the name of, The Chemical Brothers.
this is hard to write with a normal attitude since everything sucks right now, but here goes. the chemical brothers were first heard by me one late late LATE evening on MxTxVx, back when they actually played music videos and were not polluting people's minds with retarded crap aimed at the teenage and young adult demographic. you see, there used to be this show called, Amp, that aired from around 1997 to 2000 or so, and on this program you would get all the latest dance music video's shown from around the world. these stood out to me for their crazy experimental nature, as well as their length that had some of them being over five minutes or so. it was on this show that i first discovered dance/electronica music. artists like, the chemical brothers, Daft Punk, Cornelius, Aphex Twin, Autechre, The Prodigy, Future Sound Of London, Tricky, Goldie and Underworld, among others just as good. this was an awesome time for me when i first began my musical journey, and i hold it very close. the 90's are my favorite time in music, and nothing has topped it.
so, the chemical brothers formed in 1992, and have been performing their own dance music ever since. to this day, they have release over six albums of material as well as several live albums and compilations. they have toured the world over, and often get asked to play several large music festivals, usually during the late night hours. i still listen to these guys today, and it will never get old to me, despite all the hate i sometimes get from those who just flat out don't like techno/dance music. ha ha, oh well, whatever!!!
so, here you will find all their stuff!!! we first start with the debut album, Exit Planet Dust, then we follow that up with one of my favorite albums of all freekin' time!!! this particular album is called, Dig Your Own Hole, and it still ranks as my favorite electronic album of all time as well as favorite album cover of all time. there isn't really that much to the cover, but for some odd reason, i've always been attracted to that black-and-white picture. i'd often try drawing it, and it still inspires me when i take pics from a side angle which is my favorite angle to be shot from. (pictures i mean!!!) dig your own hole also has all their best tracks, like "setting sun" "block rockin' beats" "elektro bank" and "the private psychedelic reel". okay, so in third place is the album, Surrender, which features the awesome song, "how does it feel" which was made into a music video, directed by michel gondry. in fourth place we have the album, Come with Us. this also has some great tracks like, "it began in afrika" and "star guitar", the latter of which was made into a video by gondry again. after that we have two more albums, Push the Button and We Are the Night. i honestly have not listened to those two albums ever, so don't hold it against me if you think they are crap. they both won grammy's for best electronic albums of the year when they came out, so hey, they might not be crap. heh heh ENJOY!!!
okay, so this is a tiny post, but i found these through the org summit boards, and it's something really awesome and extremely hard to find. here are The Replacements playing on snl.
these clips are always taken down by the suits, but right here you can view them. this is popular footage because the band was totally drunk, and banned for life from snl after this.
here is the band performing the song, "bastards of young" from the album, Tim.
here is an article taken from the av club website, talking about that nights performance.
"In the years following the Fear debacle, SNL hosted plenty of classic rockers and acts from the MTV-sponsored "new British Invasion," but aside from one energized but not exactly dangerous performance by The Clash (circa Combat Rock), there show didn't even hint that the most influential bands of the new generation were plying their trade somewhere outside the studio doors. Then, in the middle of one of Saturday Night Live's bleakest seasons, critics' darlings The Replacements were invited on, in conjunction with their major-label debut, Tim. The band roared through a take-no-prisoners version of "Bastards Of Young" in the first segment, and then, after everybody in the band had changed into each others' clothes, returned for a passionate rendition of "Kiss Me On The Bus," the highlight of which came when Bob Stinson strummed his guitar exactly when he was supposed to. Why was that such a big deal? Because during both songs, the band members were mouthing profanities into the camera, stumbling into each other, falling down, dropping their instruments, and generally behaving like the apathetic drunks they were. The fact that they still hit all the notes was miraculous, and, to quote a later Replacements song, sadly beautiful."
the concert last night was awesome, but it was rough as far as beer slinging goes. lol still, i had a good time and the reverb from the speakers always makes me feel good. heh heh so, it's another saturday and i woke up late again. i decided to make dinner tonight and it turned out well. i'm happy to say, that my experiment was worth it. i won't say what all i made, but the shells and cheese turned out good. i just wish i had some commodity cheese to add to the mix instead of that slimy, bright orange/yellow stuff they send with the package.
i'm ready for another mega post, so here is a very influential band from the early days of american punk rock and nu-wave. they were ahead of their time, much like their peers, and they slummed it out in the clubs known for having such acts. (cbgb's and max's kansas city) i'm of course, talking about non other than, the Talking Heads.
the talking heads formed in new york city, in 1974 and played many shows all over the place until they broke up in 1991. (their first show was in 1975, opening for The Ramones at cbgb's.) led by charismatic lead singer, david byrne, the rest of the band consisted of chris farantz on drums with his wife, tina weymouth on bass and jerry harrison on guitars and keyboards. the band was highly influential in the early days of punk rock/post-punk/nu-wave/pop music in new york. they were always the odd one's out of the bunch when they played, what with their art rock and all being weird on the crowds who came. non-the-less, they started making huge noise in the city's underground and were snatched up by sire records. they released their first single, "love → building on fire" and then began the process of making their debut record.
over the next years the band released more albums, eventually making MxTxVx airplay for singles such as, "once in a lifetime" "burning down the house" and "road to nowhere". the band was documented in the live concert film, Stop Making Sense, and sadly, that was their final tour ever. they released three more albums after that moment in time, then called it quits. members of the band cite, "artistic differences" as the reasons why, but in a more juicy story, it came down to friendships and fame which is a tragic reality that happens to so many artists. the band reunited in 2002, to play at their rock and roll hall of fame induction. this would be the last time they played together. during the time off from the band and the subsequent break-up, members tina and chris went on to form the popular nu-wave band, Tom Tom Club, and david has released several solo records as well. despite those highlights, there will never be anything as awesome as the talking heads. several attempts to get the band back together has taken place, but alas, it seems it won't happen anytime soon. ego's aside, this band made stellar, experimental music that has reached the masses, and is held up high in today's modern music. without talking heads, there wouldn't be bands like, Man Man, LCD Soundsytem,The Killers, MGMT, White Lies, and Datarock. heck, even the mighty, Radiohead, owe them influence since they cite that they got their name from the song, "radio head". so, with that i hope your interest is peaking a bit...
going over this list, i think this might be the biggest one i've done yet. i'll eventually top it later with other artists, but for now i think this will be the record holder for most music. this, my friends, is the bands entire discography, minus their first live album and compilation records. we first start with the single, "love → building on fire" and then follow that with their debut album, Talking Heads 77. oh, and on a minor note, four of their albums appear in the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums, issue and talking heads 77 is one of them. next album is More Songs About Buildings and Food, which is another in the top 500. after that we have, Fear Of Music, and then the amazing, Remain In Light. this album was produced by Brian Eno, and it ranks the highest in the top 500, and for good reason. this is the bands high mark, and even though the next albums would conquer it in sells, it stands as their best work and my personal favorite. look for the tracks, "the great divide" "houses in motion" and of course, the infectious single, "once in a lifetime" so, after that they made the album, Speaking In Tongues. this is the bands breakthrough album. it garnered their first top ten single, ("burning down the house") and the tour to support it was documented in the film i mentioned above. with that film came the soundtrack to it, with the same title, Stop Making Sense. this is the last of the albums to make the top 500, and is considered one of the best live albums ever made. after their final tour, the band retreated back to the studio to make the album, Little Creatures. this was also a huge seller, and the last album by the band to make huge money heh heh... okay, so we finally reach the end, and the final two albums. they are, True Stories and Naked, both of which showcase the band with a more pop friendly sound, and less experimentation. actually, they went more pop with the album, speaking in tongues, but this was the final straw, and it all led to their eventual breakup. ssssssoooooooo, with that (i like that phrase!!!) we come to the end here. i hope you enjoyed reading my obsessive rant on music, and i hope it brings something different to ya. enjoy!!!
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