(no subject)
Okay, finally finished writing up the "liner notes" for that mix that I posted the other day. I've been writing them all week on the train.
1. The Candyskins - Let's Take Over the World
Fun song about anarchism. There aren't many of those. I've loved the Candyskins (a British alternative band) since eighth grade, but never had this album. I found it on soulseek a few weeks ago, and have listened to it countless times since. Plus, it's also about procrastination! "Let's take over the world/If not today, maybe tomorrow."
2. The Dears - You and I are a Gang of Losers
I love how Murray sings this song. He has such a range but doesn't show it in a lot of songs. I love, love, love his voice. Anyway, the Dears' songs are almost always, maybe buried sort-of deep, about social political problems. So for the most part, you can think about issues if you want to, or not.
3. CSS - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above
Just a fun song. I only know this one song from them, it was on a free sampler that I downloaded. All that I know of them is that they're not American. Still, it's a fun song to run/dance to!
4. The Golden Republic - You Almost Had It
I saw them open for Cold Duck Complex while I was at UMass, and they put on an amazing show. Plus, we talked to them after the show and they liked the Weakerthans! I bought this album and my roommate bought their live CD. Then I don't think I listened to it again, just like me. In November, I put them on my ipod along with a lot of other bands I should listen to more. I was hooked... until my pod died. I got the CD when I was back home last time and I love it.
5. Millencolin - Punk Rock Rebel
Millencolin is a really fun punk band. This song is really fun. It's about a punk that had a strong influence on him. Plus, the band's from Sweden and I love how Swedes speak English.
6. The Weakerthans - Civil Twilight
I didn't really pay attention to this song until I saw them in September. Amazing. It's about a bus driver. I like to get really crazy when I sing the parts that get more "rock" ("I ease us back into traffic..."). Also, the video is awesome. Watch it.
7. The Hollowbodies - Post-Punk Blues
I found the Hollowbodies the same day as the Candyskins (really), via a random music video channel called AEN that appeared one summer (I also discovered Placebo by this, the "Pure Morning" video). I've never met anyone who knew of them. I found their last CD, the one with the song with the video, after a few years of searching, and literally shouted with joy in the store. This CD I didn't find until I was at Hofstra. And it's taken me years to appreciate it, as it sounds very different from Viva La Dregs. I didn't *really* listen to this song until a little while ago...
8. The Lowest of the Low - Rosy and Grey
I don't know how I know this band. Probably crushileptic. I've had them for years but they were mostly background music. But not anymore. Besides, how many bands can put in a line like "I want to take a streetcar downtown/Read Henry Miller and wander around" and pull it off? Geek love.
9. The Pipettes - Judy
I love this song! Classic 50s doo-wop girl band styling... with lyrics like "my friends all thought she'd kick my ass all over the place"! This isn't your grandmother's music, likely.
10. A Static Lullaby - Calmer Than You Are
ASL is, I think, scremo. I like screaming this song. I listen to it when I feel like I'm going crazy. Which, you know, has been more often than not lately.
11. Unbelievable Truth - Stone
Love, love, love. I'm surprised that this isn't my top track on last.fm, but that may be because I usually listen to it on repeat on my ipod. It's just amazing. I love this band. Also, I didn't know until just now that the lead singer (Andy Yorke) is Thom Yorke's brother. Huh.
12. The Posies - Flavor of the Month
Another band that I know nothing about. A friend's brother, years ago, found a bunch of CDs left on an airplane or something. I copied them to my hard drive, and this has survived. I like to think this song is about ice cream, because I love ice cream, but it's probably not.
13. The Golden Republic - Not My Kind
Who can't relate to this song? I have a habit of singing along to this while I'm walking along the streets of Chicago. It's a fun song about hating someone. Come to think of it, most of their songs are fun songs about angry subjects...
14. The Dears - Who Are You, Defenders of the Universe
Oh man. Genius. I like to think it's about the FBI (or whatever the Canadian alternative is) and conspiracy theories and not actually caring about people. I'm probably way off, but in my musical world, I'm always right. So there.
15. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?
Who doesn't love Ted Leo? So much love. Now, I normally listen to "Me and Mia" the most, but this has recently been in heavy rotation. Their music is fun and bouncy and stuff.
16. Full Scale - Party Political
Fun political song! Well, the music's fun. I love the heavy guitar. It's about apathy in politics. And bad politics. And dissent. Because what political/punk song isn't?
17. Veal - Mexico Texaco
I discovered Veal with the Weakerthans and that whole Canadian music craze. I don't know how, but I'm guessing, again, through jessrawk (like I don't know how I found the Weakerthans, just that my first song was "Anchorless", my first Veal song was "Cauchemar"). I've had the same six Veal songs for almost ten years now, which is pretty amazing considering I've had four computers and about fifteen hard drive crashes (at least) in that time frame. Apparently, I'm meant to like them, despite the very non-vegan name. Anyway, I like to think of this song as not about escape, but discovery.
18. The Weakerthans - My Favourite Chords
How much do I love the Weakerthans? Oh, my soul. It's impossible to pick a favorite Weakerthans song, but this is definitely in my top fifty. It's so simple and amazing. I love John K. Samson because he writes about absolutely normal, every day things. It starts out with a slightly negative image, but it moves onto more positive things. And the lyrics are amazing. For a long time, my favorite lines in the entire world were "You are a radio, you are an open door, I am a faulty string of blue Christmas lights/You swim through frequencies, you let that stranger in, as I'm blinking off and on and off again". Seriously, genius. I'm going to get a tattoo that just says "These are my favourite chords."
Obviously, I can go on and on about this song so I'll stop here.
1. The Candyskins - Let's Take Over the World
Fun song about anarchism. There aren't many of those. I've loved the Candyskins (a British alternative band) since eighth grade, but never had this album. I found it on soulseek a few weeks ago, and have listened to it countless times since. Plus, it's also about procrastination! "Let's take over the world/If not today, maybe tomorrow."
2. The Dears - You and I are a Gang of Losers
I love how Murray sings this song. He has such a range but doesn't show it in a lot of songs. I love, love, love his voice. Anyway, the Dears' songs are almost always, maybe buried sort-of deep, about social political problems. So for the most part, you can think about issues if you want to, or not.
3. CSS - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above
Just a fun song. I only know this one song from them, it was on a free sampler that I downloaded. All that I know of them is that they're not American. Still, it's a fun song to run/dance to!
4. The Golden Republic - You Almost Had It
I saw them open for Cold Duck Complex while I was at UMass, and they put on an amazing show. Plus, we talked to them after the show and they liked the Weakerthans! I bought this album and my roommate bought their live CD. Then I don't think I listened to it again, just like me. In November, I put them on my ipod along with a lot of other bands I should listen to more. I was hooked... until my pod died. I got the CD when I was back home last time and I love it.
5. Millencolin - Punk Rock Rebel
Millencolin is a really fun punk band. This song is really fun. It's about a punk that had a strong influence on him. Plus, the band's from Sweden and I love how Swedes speak English.
6. The Weakerthans - Civil Twilight
I didn't really pay attention to this song until I saw them in September. Amazing. It's about a bus driver. I like to get really crazy when I sing the parts that get more "rock" ("I ease us back into traffic..."). Also, the video is awesome. Watch it.
7. The Hollowbodies - Post-Punk Blues
I found the Hollowbodies the same day as the Candyskins (really), via a random music video channel called AEN that appeared one summer (I also discovered Placebo by this, the "Pure Morning" video). I've never met anyone who knew of them. I found their last CD, the one with the song with the video, after a few years of searching, and literally shouted with joy in the store. This CD I didn't find until I was at Hofstra. And it's taken me years to appreciate it, as it sounds very different from Viva La Dregs. I didn't *really* listen to this song until a little while ago...
8. The Lowest of the Low - Rosy and Grey
I don't know how I know this band. Probably crushileptic. I've had them for years but they were mostly background music. But not anymore. Besides, how many bands can put in a line like "I want to take a streetcar downtown/Read Henry Miller and wander around" and pull it off? Geek love.
9. The Pipettes - Judy
I love this song! Classic 50s doo-wop girl band styling... with lyrics like "my friends all thought she'd kick my ass all over the place"! This isn't your grandmother's music, likely.
10. A Static Lullaby - Calmer Than You Are
ASL is, I think, scremo. I like screaming this song. I listen to it when I feel like I'm going crazy. Which, you know, has been more often than not lately.
11. Unbelievable Truth - Stone
Love, love, love. I'm surprised that this isn't my top track on last.fm, but that may be because I usually listen to it on repeat on my ipod. It's just amazing. I love this band. Also, I didn't know until just now that the lead singer (Andy Yorke) is Thom Yorke's brother. Huh.
12. The Posies - Flavor of the Month
Another band that I know nothing about. A friend's brother, years ago, found a bunch of CDs left on an airplane or something. I copied them to my hard drive, and this has survived. I like to think this song is about ice cream, because I love ice cream, but it's probably not.
13. The Golden Republic - Not My Kind
Who can't relate to this song? I have a habit of singing along to this while I'm walking along the streets of Chicago. It's a fun song about hating someone. Come to think of it, most of their songs are fun songs about angry subjects...
14. The Dears - Who Are You, Defenders of the Universe
Oh man. Genius. I like to think it's about the FBI (or whatever the Canadian alternative is) and conspiracy theories and not actually caring about people. I'm probably way off, but in my musical world, I'm always right. So there.
15. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?
Who doesn't love Ted Leo? So much love. Now, I normally listen to "Me and Mia" the most, but this has recently been in heavy rotation. Their music is fun and bouncy and stuff.
16. Full Scale - Party Political
Fun political song! Well, the music's fun. I love the heavy guitar. It's about apathy in politics. And bad politics. And dissent. Because what political/punk song isn't?
17. Veal - Mexico Texaco
I discovered Veal with the Weakerthans and that whole Canadian music craze. I don't know how, but I'm guessing, again, through jessrawk (like I don't know how I found the Weakerthans, just that my first song was "Anchorless", my first Veal song was "Cauchemar"). I've had the same six Veal songs for almost ten years now, which is pretty amazing considering I've had four computers and about fifteen hard drive crashes (at least) in that time frame. Apparently, I'm meant to like them, despite the very non-vegan name. Anyway, I like to think of this song as not about escape, but discovery.
18. The Weakerthans - My Favourite Chords
How much do I love the Weakerthans? Oh, my soul. It's impossible to pick a favorite Weakerthans song, but this is definitely in my top fifty. It's so simple and amazing. I love John K. Samson because he writes about absolutely normal, every day things. It starts out with a slightly negative image, but it moves onto more positive things. And the lyrics are amazing. For a long time, my favorite lines in the entire world were "You are a radio, you are an open door, I am a faulty string of blue Christmas lights/You swim through frequencies, you let that stranger in, as I'm blinking off and on and off again". Seriously, genius. I'm going to get a tattoo that just says "These are my favourite chords."
Obviously, I can go on and on about this song so I'll stop here.