108.
artist:Iron & Wine
album:Woman King
it kind of killed me inside to edit the title of this blog entry, because that's my FAVORITE Sam Beam line ever written, but with younger cousins on my fb feed, i knew that id better err on the side of caution (though i KNOW they hear that stuff at school all day long anyway, but even still.)
so I've made it pretty clear that I've been on an Iron & Wine kick lately, and haven't really wanted to listen to anything else. this is partly due, of course, to having seen them last week at the electric factory, and also partly due to the summerific weather we have been having around these parts lately. to me, summer is Iron & Wine and bonnaroo, and maybe some lemonade thrown in for kicks. i am hoping that after driving around listening to nothing but this EP all day, i can get some work done finally, because I'm running out of Iron & wine albums!
There is not a song on this EP that i do not like. I'm getting more critical in my old age, and starting to like less and less, but this record holds true, I'm assuming partly to do with the fact that there are only six songs, but they are six damn good songs. i really cant wait until i get around to the bonnaroo sets so that i can talk about the live versions of these songs. i keep seeing the track title "freedom hangs like heaven" and i just want to get up and dance. watch this video and tell me if you don't feel the same:
it stinks that this is the only live version on YouTube and that there is so much talking over the actual song, but as we learned last week, Iron & Wine crowds (that aren't at bonnaroo, at least) are full of stupid assholes.
because woman king is such a short album, i tend to forget that i have it in my collection (even though i do own it on both CD and vinyl) so i don't listen to it as much as i should. i do get my fill of songs on the live sets, though, which i do still listen to with some regularity.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
365 project "woke up to my cold sheets and the smell of new jersey."
107.
artist:saves the day
album:through being cool
okay, let me confess something before i start this entry. I've just spent the last twenty or so minutes listening to Styx on YouTube. not for nothing, but Adam Sandler's character was onto something in big daddy. just sayin'
okay, so, saves the day, huh? in proper flashback fashion, here is a link to the entry in which i first talked about saves the day, and what happened to finally make me fall in love with them. so, now that you have the back story, i can tell you this-i still saw them several times, including a really intimate Chris Conley acoustic show at the stone pony in asbury park, and i still wasn't really a fan. i really don't know know that I'm a big fan even now, though i kind of wish id heard through being cool before i saw that Chris solo show. everyone kept screaming for 'holly hox, forget me nots' and 'rocks tonic juice magic" which didn't mean crap to me at the time, but now that i know this record inside and out, i can see why people would be screaming for these particular songs.
my absolute favorite song on this album, without a doubt, is "shoulder to the wheel." i cant tell you the first time i ever heard this song, but i really started listening to it last summer, right before i headed down to Tennessee for bonnaroo. since that time, its been a part of any car trip longer than an hour, and has been included on both road-trip mix disks I've made since that time. there's something so meta about driving around in your car listening to songs written about driving around in your car.
HAHAHA. uh oh. in the comments for this video on YouTube, someone said "i wish people still dressed like this. that would be so cool." i really hope she is talking about the silly 80's hairband costumes and not the band-tee-jeans-and-track-jacket look that most of the people in the video have going on...otherwise I'm a lot older than i even realized. but maybe that's a good thing. I'm thinking about the way kids in the scene these days dress...its actually closer to the 80's hairband get-ups than it is the jeans and band shirts that i still wear. everything is cyclical, i suppose.
artist:saves the day
album:through being cool
okay, let me confess something before i start this entry. I've just spent the last twenty or so minutes listening to Styx on YouTube. not for nothing, but Adam Sandler's character was onto something in big daddy. just sayin'
okay, so, saves the day, huh? in proper flashback fashion, here is a link to the entry in which i first talked about saves the day, and what happened to finally make me fall in love with them. so, now that you have the back story, i can tell you this-i still saw them several times, including a really intimate Chris Conley acoustic show at the stone pony in asbury park, and i still wasn't really a fan. i really don't know know that I'm a big fan even now, though i kind of wish id heard through being cool before i saw that Chris solo show. everyone kept screaming for 'holly hox, forget me nots' and 'rocks tonic juice magic" which didn't mean crap to me at the time, but now that i know this record inside and out, i can see why people would be screaming for these particular songs.
my absolute favorite song on this album, without a doubt, is "shoulder to the wheel." i cant tell you the first time i ever heard this song, but i really started listening to it last summer, right before i headed down to Tennessee for bonnaroo. since that time, its been a part of any car trip longer than an hour, and has been included on both road-trip mix disks I've made since that time. there's something so meta about driving around in your car listening to songs written about driving around in your car.
HAHAHA. uh oh. in the comments for this video on YouTube, someone said "i wish people still dressed like this. that would be so cool." i really hope she is talking about the silly 80's hairband costumes and not the band-tee-jeans-and-track-jacket look that most of the people in the video have going on...otherwise I'm a lot older than i even realized. but maybe that's a good thing. I'm thinking about the way kids in the scene these days dress...its actually closer to the 80's hairband get-ups than it is the jeans and band shirts that i still wear. everything is cyclical, i suppose.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
365 project "remember when i knew a boxer, baby?"
106.
artist:the gaslight anthem
album:American slang
back in February, i talked about how much i love this band, and how angry with myself i was that i waited so long to get into them. oddly enough, the same things could be said about this album.
i don't know what i was thinking, but i was terrified to pick this one up. i kept passing it on the "artists on the verge" rack at target and would pick it up and then put it right back down. i was so scared of the commitment even after i already knew how much i loved them.
i don't know why I'm so scared to get into anything that this band does, because i really like what i have heard. i go though spells where i only want to listen to their first album. I'm not quite that way with the second one, but the song boxer is high on my list right now.
i think i need to stop being so scared of this band and to embrace them for all that they are worth. i really think that it could be a beautiful relationship between myself and the band, if id just let myself let them in.
artist:the gaslight anthem
album:American slang
back in February, i talked about how much i love this band, and how angry with myself i was that i waited so long to get into them. oddly enough, the same things could be said about this album.
i don't know what i was thinking, but i was terrified to pick this one up. i kept passing it on the "artists on the verge" rack at target and would pick it up and then put it right back down. i was so scared of the commitment even after i already knew how much i loved them.
i don't know why I'm so scared to get into anything that this band does, because i really like what i have heard. i go though spells where i only want to listen to their first album. I'm not quite that way with the second one, but the song boxer is high on my list right now.
i think i need to stop being so scared of this band and to embrace them for all that they are worth. i really think that it could be a beautiful relationship between myself and the band, if id just let myself let them in.
365 project "the morning's over, the day is in full swing"
105.
artist:brand new
album:2006 demos
i know that this probably shouldn't count, really, because these were never released as a proper album, but some of my most favorite Brand New moments happen over the course of these nine songs.
these demos were leaked a bit before the devil and God are raging inside me hit the shelves, but i didn't download them until well after that album's release, as i didn't want to ruin the experience of that album by knowing what i was getting into ahead of time.
one of my favorite tracks is demo 7, which later would become (fork and knife). as far as i know, this song has only been performed one time, and that was at the band's first show back after a few year hiatus, at the starland ballroom back in 2006. i was there, of course, and the energy in that show was something i think ill remember for a really long time.
this video is choppy and the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired, but here it is-the only time this song was played live.
the demos are some of my favorite pieces of music to listen to. it happens quite often that I'm just sick and tired of everything i have to listen to, and i need to change things up, and when i cant think of anything in the world to listen to, i pull out the demos and they just work for me.
today was actually one of those days-like i said, I'm struggling right now with this whole project, and i need a minute to refocus. hopefully this will work as a palate-cleanser and i can get back to work and get caught up now!
artist:brand new
album:2006 demos
i know that this probably shouldn't count, really, because these were never released as a proper album, but some of my most favorite Brand New moments happen over the course of these nine songs.
these demos were leaked a bit before the devil and God are raging inside me hit the shelves, but i didn't download them until well after that album's release, as i didn't want to ruin the experience of that album by knowing what i was getting into ahead of time.
one of my favorite tracks is demo 7, which later would become (fork and knife). as far as i know, this song has only been performed one time, and that was at the band's first show back after a few year hiatus, at the starland ballroom back in 2006. i was there, of course, and the energy in that show was something i think ill remember for a really long time.
this video is choppy and the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired, but here it is-the only time this song was played live.
the demos are some of my favorite pieces of music to listen to. it happens quite often that I'm just sick and tired of everything i have to listen to, and i need to change things up, and when i cant think of anything in the world to listen to, i pull out the demos and they just work for me.
today was actually one of those days-like i said, I'm struggling right now with this whole project, and i need a minute to refocus. hopefully this will work as a palate-cleanser and i can get back to work and get caught up now!
Monday, April 25, 2011
i think i can, i think i can....
i am finding myself losing steam on my 365 project.
i am about ten days behind, which i could easily catch up, but i cant find motivation to listen to anything right now. i have a copy of kiss each other clean in my car stereo and another in my stereo in my room and i really don't want to listen to anything else right now. its funny because when i first heard that CD back in the beginning of January i said right then that it would be my album of the year. people called me crazy for even attempting to make that call that early into the year, but here we are, almost may, and i still cant get enough of it.
i don't want to give up on the project. i just don't know what to do now. if you have a suggestion for a CD, feel free to let me know. I've been picking stuff that i know i have a back story for, and trying to avoid stuff that i know is going to make me sad.
I'm losing sight of what i set out to do here, and i want to get back on track, so please, if there is anything that you've found yourself thinking "hot damn i wish Genesis would talk about XX CD" fill in that blank. let me know. i have a whole mess of stuff upstairs that is a bit overwhelming when i think about. i just need help getting back on track.
i am about ten days behind, which i could easily catch up, but i cant find motivation to listen to anything right now. i have a copy of kiss each other clean in my car stereo and another in my stereo in my room and i really don't want to listen to anything else right now. its funny because when i first heard that CD back in the beginning of January i said right then that it would be my album of the year. people called me crazy for even attempting to make that call that early into the year, but here we are, almost may, and i still cant get enough of it.
i don't want to give up on the project. i just don't know what to do now. if you have a suggestion for a CD, feel free to let me know. I've been picking stuff that i know i have a back story for, and trying to avoid stuff that i know is going to make me sad.
I'm losing sight of what i set out to do here, and i want to get back on track, so please, if there is anything that you've found yourself thinking "hot damn i wish Genesis would talk about XX CD" fill in that blank. let me know. i have a whole mess of stuff upstairs that is a bit overwhelming when i think about. i just need help getting back on track.
365 project "how can i ever save the world on cup o' soup and student loans?"
104.
artist:five iron frenzy
album:the end is here
i have been really struggling with these entries lately, so i wanted to do something that i knew would be easy to write about, and i went with this album, because i remember pretty distinctly the very last time i saw five iron frenzy.
the "winners never quit: a farewell tour" was coming through town, making a stop about ten minutes from my house, and because they were my favorite band, and because this was the last chance i was ever going to have to see them, i knew that this was an opportunity that i couldn't pass up, even if it meant i had to go alone. i bought my ticket, requested off of work, and counted down the days until it was time to go see them for the last time.
i remember being in that theater and getting the chance to talk to Leanor "Jeff the girl" Ortega about her poetry and her plans after five iron. i remember sitting down in the seat i had picked and realizing that one of the boys next to me was a member of the board at that time. i remember going to the merch table and blowing most of my paycheck, knowing that id never have this chance again. i had wanted so badly to go to Colorado for the last show, but didn't know how to make that happen, so i ended up not going. do i regret that? no, not really. i thought i would kick myself forever for not going, but I'm pretty okay with just having it on CD and having my own final show memories from the Pitman stop.
my mom was kind of weird about me going that night. we were in a severe thunderstorm watch and even though i was only going ten minutes up the road, it worried her that i was going, especially alone. cell phones weren't as omnipresent as they are today, so i see why she would worry, but i have kind of always had the "I'm tough and nothing is going to happen to me" attitude.
the concert was pretty perfect. i heard every song i could have asked for in one form or another. the band was loose and silly and the banter back and forth between the crowd and the band made it all that more special. after all was said and done, i came outside and saw something i wasn't expecting-there were tree branches down in the road everywhere.
as i drove down the road heading home, the streets were darker than normal, and i realized that either everyone decided to go green at once and save electricity, or that the power was out. the stoplight wasn't flashing. the wawa was dark. it was eerie.
we ended up not regaining power for most of that night. i was able to go to the board and post about the show though because i had a laptop with a fully charged battery and a dial-up Internet connection. i remember going outside and just hanging out in the front yard, enjoying the silence.
this is one of those concert experiences that ill probably never forget.
artist:five iron frenzy
album:the end is here
i have been really struggling with these entries lately, so i wanted to do something that i knew would be easy to write about, and i went with this album, because i remember pretty distinctly the very last time i saw five iron frenzy.
the "winners never quit: a farewell tour" was coming through town, making a stop about ten minutes from my house, and because they were my favorite band, and because this was the last chance i was ever going to have to see them, i knew that this was an opportunity that i couldn't pass up, even if it meant i had to go alone. i bought my ticket, requested off of work, and counted down the days until it was time to go see them for the last time.
i remember being in that theater and getting the chance to talk to Leanor "Jeff the girl" Ortega about her poetry and her plans after five iron. i remember sitting down in the seat i had picked and realizing that one of the boys next to me was a member of the board at that time. i remember going to the merch table and blowing most of my paycheck, knowing that id never have this chance again. i had wanted so badly to go to Colorado for the last show, but didn't know how to make that happen, so i ended up not going. do i regret that? no, not really. i thought i would kick myself forever for not going, but I'm pretty okay with just having it on CD and having my own final show memories from the Pitman stop.
my mom was kind of weird about me going that night. we were in a severe thunderstorm watch and even though i was only going ten minutes up the road, it worried her that i was going, especially alone. cell phones weren't as omnipresent as they are today, so i see why she would worry, but i have kind of always had the "I'm tough and nothing is going to happen to me" attitude.
the concert was pretty perfect. i heard every song i could have asked for in one form or another. the band was loose and silly and the banter back and forth between the crowd and the band made it all that more special. after all was said and done, i came outside and saw something i wasn't expecting-there were tree branches down in the road everywhere.
as i drove down the road heading home, the streets were darker than normal, and i realized that either everyone decided to go green at once and save electricity, or that the power was out. the stoplight wasn't flashing. the wawa was dark. it was eerie.
we ended up not regaining power for most of that night. i was able to go to the board and post about the show though because i had a laptop with a fully charged battery and a dial-up Internet connection. i remember going outside and just hanging out in the front yard, enjoying the silence.
this is one of those concert experiences that ill probably never forget.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
365 project "its nine in the afternoon, and your eyes are the size of the moon"
103.
artist:panic at the disco
album:pretty. odd.
what a difference an album makes! this album sounds almost nothing like the band's first effort, and the remaining members of the band went back to that original sound, so the new album also sounds nothing like the second.
i like all three albums. I'm okay with the growth and change, and while i wasn't sure how id like the new album, i even enjoy listening to it. that being said, pretty. odd. is my favorite of the three.
i love how the opening track sounds like it was lifted right off of Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and how the entire album has such a summertime, happy feel to it. I have had the privilege of seeing Panic! a few times, and one of my favorite concert memories comes from one of their shows and a song on this album.
it was closing in on summer, and i was at the festival pier. the entire concert had been really awesome; the band sounded great, they played all of the songs i really wanted to hear, and we got to see a fireworks show that was happening across the river. it was supposed to rain, but it had held off to that point, which made it really humid out, but not so bad that i couldn't stand it. the band was coming up on the end of their set, and they started to play "northern downpour." just as they sang the lyrics "northern downpour sends its love" the sky opened up and it rained on us. it didn't rain long at all, just enough to calm the humidity and cool us off, but it was one of the more magical concert moments in my life.
artist:panic at the disco
album:pretty. odd.
what a difference an album makes! this album sounds almost nothing like the band's first effort, and the remaining members of the band went back to that original sound, so the new album also sounds nothing like the second.
i like all three albums. I'm okay with the growth and change, and while i wasn't sure how id like the new album, i even enjoy listening to it. that being said, pretty. odd. is my favorite of the three.
i love how the opening track sounds like it was lifted right off of Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and how the entire album has such a summertime, happy feel to it. I have had the privilege of seeing Panic! a few times, and one of my favorite concert memories comes from one of their shows and a song on this album.
it was closing in on summer, and i was at the festival pier. the entire concert had been really awesome; the band sounded great, they played all of the songs i really wanted to hear, and we got to see a fireworks show that was happening across the river. it was supposed to rain, but it had held off to that point, which made it really humid out, but not so bad that i couldn't stand it. the band was coming up on the end of their set, and they started to play "northern downpour." just as they sang the lyrics "northern downpour sends its love" the sky opened up and it rained on us. it didn't rain long at all, just enough to calm the humidity and cool us off, but it was one of the more magical concert moments in my life.
365 project "she said Lord, what do you recommend to a real sweet girl whos made some not sweet friends? Lord, what would you prescribe to a real soft girl who's having real hard times?"
102.
artist:the hold steady
album:separation sunday
after i discovered boys and girls in America, i immediately wanted to get my hands on everything the hold steady had recorded. for my birthday that year, my friend gave me a copy of separation sunday on vinyl.
there are a few songs on this album that i am absolutely in love with. your little hoodrat friend is one, of course, because i believe that when most people think about this band, that is the first song that comes to their mind. how a resurrection really feels is such a sad song, and it makes me hurt for holly. i guess i should expound on that a little bit. ths has five studio albums, mostly dealing with the life and struggles of the main character, hallelujah (holly for short) and some of her friends, including Charlemagne and Gideon. While not every song on every album name-checks these characters, they are all over the story arc on separation sunday.
this album makes me both so incredibly sad and yet so hopeful all at once. while we are witness to holly's demise, we also see her starting to make a comeback by the end of the album. the drug references are as liberal as the religious ones, and both seem to flow together seamlessly.
Craig Finn is one hell of a lyricist. even through ths dry-spells, ill still find myself quoting lines from his songs. i do burn myself out on their stuff because once i start listening, i get hooked and cant stop for a bit.
this is a band that i suggest you take some time to get to know. I'm so glad that i did.
(for extra credit:read this website that i stumbled across researching this entry.)
artist:the hold steady
album:separation sunday
after i discovered boys and girls in America, i immediately wanted to get my hands on everything the hold steady had recorded. for my birthday that year, my friend gave me a copy of separation sunday on vinyl.
there are a few songs on this album that i am absolutely in love with. your little hoodrat friend is one, of course, because i believe that when most people think about this band, that is the first song that comes to their mind. how a resurrection really feels is such a sad song, and it makes me hurt for holly. i guess i should expound on that a little bit. ths has five studio albums, mostly dealing with the life and struggles of the main character, hallelujah (holly for short) and some of her friends, including Charlemagne and Gideon. While not every song on every album name-checks these characters, they are all over the story arc on separation sunday.
this album makes me both so incredibly sad and yet so hopeful all at once. while we are witness to holly's demise, we also see her starting to make a comeback by the end of the album. the drug references are as liberal as the religious ones, and both seem to flow together seamlessly.
Craig Finn is one hell of a lyricist. even through ths dry-spells, ill still find myself quoting lines from his songs. i do burn myself out on their stuff because once i start listening, i get hooked and cant stop for a bit.
this is a band that i suggest you take some time to get to know. I'm so glad that i did.
(for extra credit:read this website that i stumbled across researching this entry.)
Saturday, April 23, 2011
365 project "i've got friends in all the right places, i know what they want, and i know they dont want me to stay"
101.
artist:manchester orchestra
album:mean everything to nothing
it took me a really long time to pick up this album after it was released. i wasn't the hugest fan in the world of the first album, and i was told that this one wasn't that great, so i shied away from it. then one night i was in the mall and had a gift certificate, and this was the only record in the collection at hot topic that i had any sort of interest in at all, and it was on sale, and it came with the CD, so i figured since it wasn't my money, it didn't matter, and i picked it up.
i came home and put it away in the crate and then just kind of forgot about it for a while. one day i was cleaning my room and decided i might as well put it on the turntable and give it a spin, since i owned it and all. i was pleasantly surprised with the sounds coming from my speakers, and decided that i definitely liked this album, which was more than i could say for the first one.
i have seen manchester orchestra in concert a hundred million times. I'm exaggerating, obviously, but the number is quite high. i started listening to them because i saw them with Brand New and i went through a long phase of "if Jesse Lacey likes it, it must be good, even if it sucks ass." i, thankfully, have grown out of this phase. they toured with Brand New a lot. they also toured with Kevin Devine a lot. sometimes all of them would tour together. these were generally "cant miss" shows for me, even if i was only pretending to like ManO. this album changed that for me, though, the pretending i mean, and i actually wanted to see this band.
they played opening night of bonnaroo last summer. i was in a rush to get over to see them, and by the time we got in, we were only able to see the last few songs. i was disappointed because it had finally come to a point where i was excited to see them for realsies and i missed out because of all sorts of things that i had no control over. this was the first time that i actively wanted to see them, and not because they were opening for someone else, and i missed most of the set.
i still spin this disk a great deal. lyrically it far surpasses I'm like a virgin losing a child, and musically i feel like i can get behind it, although its not that different from the first album. its so weird to feel so polar opposite towards these two albums.
artist:manchester orchestra
album:mean everything to nothing
it took me a really long time to pick up this album after it was released. i wasn't the hugest fan in the world of the first album, and i was told that this one wasn't that great, so i shied away from it. then one night i was in the mall and had a gift certificate, and this was the only record in the collection at hot topic that i had any sort of interest in at all, and it was on sale, and it came with the CD, so i figured since it wasn't my money, it didn't matter, and i picked it up.
i came home and put it away in the crate and then just kind of forgot about it for a while. one day i was cleaning my room and decided i might as well put it on the turntable and give it a spin, since i owned it and all. i was pleasantly surprised with the sounds coming from my speakers, and decided that i definitely liked this album, which was more than i could say for the first one.
i have seen manchester orchestra in concert a hundred million times. I'm exaggerating, obviously, but the number is quite high. i started listening to them because i saw them with Brand New and i went through a long phase of "if Jesse Lacey likes it, it must be good, even if it sucks ass." i, thankfully, have grown out of this phase. they toured with Brand New a lot. they also toured with Kevin Devine a lot. sometimes all of them would tour together. these were generally "cant miss" shows for me, even if i was only pretending to like ManO. this album changed that for me, though, the pretending i mean, and i actually wanted to see this band.
they played opening night of bonnaroo last summer. i was in a rush to get over to see them, and by the time we got in, we were only able to see the last few songs. i was disappointed because it had finally come to a point where i was excited to see them for realsies and i missed out because of all sorts of things that i had no control over. this was the first time that i actively wanted to see them, and not because they were opening for someone else, and i missed most of the set.
i still spin this disk a great deal. lyrically it far surpasses I'm like a virgin losing a child, and musically i feel like i can get behind it, although its not that different from the first album. its so weird to feel so polar opposite towards these two albums.
365 project:"when you feel embarassed, ill be your pride. if you need directions, ill be your guide"
100!
artist:death cab for cutie
album:transatlanticism
i am old and jaded, and that means that it is very rare that i find an album that i can sit and listen to all the way through without ever wanting to skip a single song. Transatlanticism is one shining exception to that rule. from the first notes of the new year to the ending of a lack of color, everything about this album is perfect. it evokes emotion in me like nothing else I've ever heard.
i love this album so much, and am having such a hard time putting that into words. i started this entry last night, and kept deleting what i had written, so i thought i could sleep on it and have a clear mind in the morning, but I'm still feeling really lost about what to write here.
i guess i could tell the story of how i acquired this album. for a while right out of college i was hanging out with this guy. we had a few things in common, but a lot more differences. at first, i didn't even want to hang out with him, really, but he tricked me into seeing a movie with him and then it just went downhill from there.
one of the things that i didn't realize was happening until the end was that he was slowly becoming me. while i like myself well enough, i don't really like the idea of someone else wanting to be just like me. they say that this is a form of flattery, but i just find it creepy.
he went to shows with me and really started liking the bands in the scene. if id mention a band, he'd go blow all sorts of money on their entire discography, seemingly just to impress me. death cab was a band that i kept hearing about, but i was so put off by the name that i never bothered checking them out. we were in the mall and he picked up this album and asked if i liked it. i explained why i hadn't heard it yet, and he bought it.
we were hanging out a few days later and he handed me the CD and told me that it just wasn't his thing...that he didn't like it. i threw it in my bag and didn't think much else of it. several months later i found myself bored of everything i had on my shelves and decided to listen to this album.
and then i kicked myself for waiting so long to listen to this band.
it remains one of my all-time favorite albums, and it is a must-have roadtrip disk. there is something about the song "we looked like giants" that makes it perfect for driving at high rates of speed. i feel that song in my bones. i love the bass lines and the low end sound the song carries, and the lyrics make me smile.
that boy is long since gone from my life, thank goodness, but this album remains in heavy rotation.
artist:death cab for cutie
album:transatlanticism
i am old and jaded, and that means that it is very rare that i find an album that i can sit and listen to all the way through without ever wanting to skip a single song. Transatlanticism is one shining exception to that rule. from the first notes of the new year to the ending of a lack of color, everything about this album is perfect. it evokes emotion in me like nothing else I've ever heard.
i love this album so much, and am having such a hard time putting that into words. i started this entry last night, and kept deleting what i had written, so i thought i could sleep on it and have a clear mind in the morning, but I'm still feeling really lost about what to write here.
i guess i could tell the story of how i acquired this album. for a while right out of college i was hanging out with this guy. we had a few things in common, but a lot more differences. at first, i didn't even want to hang out with him, really, but he tricked me into seeing a movie with him and then it just went downhill from there.
one of the things that i didn't realize was happening until the end was that he was slowly becoming me. while i like myself well enough, i don't really like the idea of someone else wanting to be just like me. they say that this is a form of flattery, but i just find it creepy.
he went to shows with me and really started liking the bands in the scene. if id mention a band, he'd go blow all sorts of money on their entire discography, seemingly just to impress me. death cab was a band that i kept hearing about, but i was so put off by the name that i never bothered checking them out. we were in the mall and he picked up this album and asked if i liked it. i explained why i hadn't heard it yet, and he bought it.
we were hanging out a few days later and he handed me the CD and told me that it just wasn't his thing...that he didn't like it. i threw it in my bag and didn't think much else of it. several months later i found myself bored of everything i had on my shelves and decided to listen to this album.
and then i kicked myself for waiting so long to listen to this band.
it remains one of my all-time favorite albums, and it is a must-have roadtrip disk. there is something about the song "we looked like giants" that makes it perfect for driving at high rates of speed. i feel that song in my bones. i love the bass lines and the low end sound the song carries, and the lyrics make me smile.
that boy is long since gone from my life, thank goodness, but this album remains in heavy rotation.
Friday, April 22, 2011
show review: iron & wine at the electric factory 4/21/11
Lauren and I were up in the air about whether we should go to this show. we were both worried about money and a few other things, but after some discussion, Lauren said "fuck it. lets go." so she bought the tickets a few nights ago.
This was probably one of the best decisions I've made since saying "that's it. I'm done. i quit."
There is something magical about Sam Beam and the music that he and his band bring to the table. on this tour, he has a 10-piece band backing him, and it was phenomenal. one of the things that i like most about Iron & Wine's live show is that the songs have a tendency to be totally different, and in that difference, Mr. Beam finds a way to make them better. for instance, last night's version of house by the sea was done in a calypso style that i loved!
Sam Beam was very talkative and responsive to the things being yelled out by the crowd. in my opinion, that makes the show even more special because the band becomes more human and less robotic and distant. Banter between the band and the crowd (to an extent, at least) is a good thing.
While the set was amazing last night, the crowd sucked. People talked over most of the songs, including a sick performance of fever dream. There was a particularly awesome dude behind me that pushed right into me and spent the next ten minutes making fun of Sam Beam right in my ear; this after almost getting into a fight with what i can assume to be was another douchebag on the same level. There were a group of hippie-wannabe girls next to us that talked about how they were "OMG LIKE SOOOO DRUNK" for the better part of the show. this show wasn't cheap. why anyone would want to spend 45 dollars to go drink seven dollar beers and talk to their friends is beyond me. stay home, put on the CD and drink the PBR or Natty that you'd normally treat yourself to.
And someone spilled beer on my new converses.
But after seeing the shins at the electric factory last year and having the same kind of horrible crowd, i knew what to expect, honestly, and (sadly) wasn't disappointed in that. aside from the douchefactory product that filled the room, the show was exactly what i wanted. i was able to dance, sing, and be happy. I'm sore today and cant stand up straight and I'm loving every minute of it, because its due to Iron & Wine.
***************************
the set list:
me & Lazarus
God made the automobile
Freedom hangs like Heaven
Summer in Savannah
wolves (song of the shepards dog)
boy with a coin
naked as we came
the sea and the rhythm
big burned hand
half moon
free until they cut me down
cinder & smoke
lions' mane
rabbit will run
house by the sea
woman king
fever dream
tree by the river
***
trapeze swinger was the encore. Sam Beam said "give the people what they want" after several requests for this song were yelled to him.
*********
some of my pictures from the night:
the opening band-The Low Anthem
Iron & Wine
(see all of the pictures in my facebook album.)
This was probably one of the best decisions I've made since saying "that's it. I'm done. i quit."
There is something magical about Sam Beam and the music that he and his band bring to the table. on this tour, he has a 10-piece band backing him, and it was phenomenal. one of the things that i like most about Iron & Wine's live show is that the songs have a tendency to be totally different, and in that difference, Mr. Beam finds a way to make them better. for instance, last night's version of house by the sea was done in a calypso style that i loved!
Sam Beam was very talkative and responsive to the things being yelled out by the crowd. in my opinion, that makes the show even more special because the band becomes more human and less robotic and distant. Banter between the band and the crowd (to an extent, at least) is a good thing.
While the set was amazing last night, the crowd sucked. People talked over most of the songs, including a sick performance of fever dream. There was a particularly awesome dude behind me that pushed right into me and spent the next ten minutes making fun of Sam Beam right in my ear; this after almost getting into a fight with what i can assume to be was another douchebag on the same level. There were a group of hippie-wannabe girls next to us that talked about how they were "OMG LIKE SOOOO DRUNK" for the better part of the show. this show wasn't cheap. why anyone would want to spend 45 dollars to go drink seven dollar beers and talk to their friends is beyond me. stay home, put on the CD and drink the PBR or Natty that you'd normally treat yourself to.
And someone spilled beer on my new converses.
But after seeing the shins at the electric factory last year and having the same kind of horrible crowd, i knew what to expect, honestly, and (sadly) wasn't disappointed in that. aside from the douchefactory product that filled the room, the show was exactly what i wanted. i was able to dance, sing, and be happy. I'm sore today and cant stand up straight and I'm loving every minute of it, because its due to Iron & Wine.
***************************
the set list:
me & Lazarus
God made the automobile
Freedom hangs like Heaven
Summer in Savannah
wolves (song of the shepards dog)
boy with a coin
naked as we came
the sea and the rhythm
big burned hand
half moon
free until they cut me down
cinder & smoke
lions' mane
rabbit will run
house by the sea
woman king
fever dream
tree by the river
***
trapeze swinger was the encore. Sam Beam said "give the people what they want" after several requests for this song were yelled to him.
*********
some of my pictures from the night:
the opening band-The Low Anthem
365 project "Jesus loved the outcasts. He loves the ones the world just loves to hate"
99.
artist:relient k
album:employee of the month
i am under the impression that this EP really does not exist other than the copy i have in my hands. this is probably a good thing, as i am so not impressed with it at all. i looked on amazon and eBay and turned up one other copy, going for fifty bucks plus shipping, without its case. no thank you. maybe since mine still has its case, i can put it up on amazon for 75 dollars.
i popped this sucker into my car stereo the other day and it was like i was hearing it for the first time, and i don't mean that in a good way. i didn't know the lyrics to the songs. i don't remember having ever heard them before. I'm sure i have, because i used to carry this CD with me everywhere. its weird how very little i remember of it.
i just read on wikipedia that the guy on the front cover was lost at sea. i thought that was a joke so i researched it a bit more, and i found this article. what a strange, strange story to me. strange and sad.
I'm not sure that ill ever listen to this CD again. i really wish i didn't have such a strong distaste for relient K, because Matty t is a great dude. i guess its okay to like a person and not their art, but it makes me sad that i used to be such a fan and these days i just really cant get into them. i have a few relient k albums left to try on during this project, so maybe something will click.
artist:relient k
album:employee of the month
i am under the impression that this EP really does not exist other than the copy i have in my hands. this is probably a good thing, as i am so not impressed with it at all. i looked on amazon and eBay and turned up one other copy, going for fifty bucks plus shipping, without its case. no thank you. maybe since mine still has its case, i can put it up on amazon for 75 dollars.
i popped this sucker into my car stereo the other day and it was like i was hearing it for the first time, and i don't mean that in a good way. i didn't know the lyrics to the songs. i don't remember having ever heard them before. I'm sure i have, because i used to carry this CD with me everywhere. its weird how very little i remember of it.
i just read on wikipedia that the guy on the front cover was lost at sea. i thought that was a joke so i researched it a bit more, and i found this article. what a strange, strange story to me. strange and sad.
I'm not sure that ill ever listen to this CD again. i really wish i didn't have such a strong distaste for relient K, because Matty t is a great dude. i guess its okay to like a person and not their art, but it makes me sad that i used to be such a fan and these days i just really cant get into them. i have a few relient k albums left to try on during this project, so maybe something will click.
365 project "whats a girl to do with friends like this?"
98.
artist:jack's mannequin
album:everything in transit
i didn't really get into Something Corporate until last summer, so when there was all sorts of buzz about jack's mannequin back in 2005, i didn't buy into it. but along the way, before the CD came out, something caught my attention. i don't remember exactly what it was...it may have been the story of what Andrew was going through during the time he was recording, producing and dropping this album. it may have been that i got tired of hearing about it. i cant remember.
what i do remember is hearing the line "its biblical how fucked my sleep can be" from the song miss Delaney and relating instantly to the entire album from that one line. the CD came out in august. i spent the next month or so driving around listening to it in warm weather, and because it talks about being in California so much, it is another one of those "summertime only" albums for me. it got colder outside, another album came along and took its place, and it was forgotten until the following summer.
every time i put that CD into the stereo of my car on the first warm days on spring, i get excited thinking about the adventures that the summer ahead is going to bring. since ill be jobless, this summer is bound to be the most exciting one ever, because I'm leaving myself open to what changes may come. wherever i find a job is where ill end up, fucked up sleep schedules and all.
artist:jack's mannequin
album:everything in transit
i didn't really get into Something Corporate until last summer, so when there was all sorts of buzz about jack's mannequin back in 2005, i didn't buy into it. but along the way, before the CD came out, something caught my attention. i don't remember exactly what it was...it may have been the story of what Andrew was going through during the time he was recording, producing and dropping this album. it may have been that i got tired of hearing about it. i cant remember.
what i do remember is hearing the line "its biblical how fucked my sleep can be" from the song miss Delaney and relating instantly to the entire album from that one line. the CD came out in august. i spent the next month or so driving around listening to it in warm weather, and because it talks about being in California so much, it is another one of those "summertime only" albums for me. it got colder outside, another album came along and took its place, and it was forgotten until the following summer.
every time i put that CD into the stereo of my car on the first warm days on spring, i get excited thinking about the adventures that the summer ahead is going to bring. since ill be jobless, this summer is bound to be the most exciting one ever, because I'm leaving myself open to what changes may come. wherever i find a job is where ill end up, fucked up sleep schedules and all.
365 project: "the needle on my record player has been wearing thin. i havent heard this record since the day you've been with him"
97.
artist:new found glory
album:new found glory
the sun was shining and the air was warm. that is the perfect set up for driving around with the windows down and pop punk blasting through the car's speakers. its been a while since I've listened to this CD, but that's not for lack of want.
I'm trying to think of a good story to share about this album. i know that i spent a lot of time listening to it in college, but i cant think of anything specific that happened while it was playing. the best i can do here is talk about skate and surf. if you don't know about skate and surf, you are missing out on some musical history, at least as far as the scene is concerned.
skate and surf is the precursor to bamboozle, run by some of the same people and under the same basic idea, only skate and surf was a thousand times more awesome. it was held in Asbury park, it incorporated most of the beach-end of town, including the convention hall, the park out front, the boardwalk, the big hotel who's name escapes me currently, and some of the bars in town including the bowling alley and the stony pony.
the first year that skate and surf happened, i was doing promotions for my college radio station and got to go for free, i had to work the table, but we kind of arranged things so that we could get up and wander away when a band that we really wanted to see was on stage. we were along the concourse of the top level anyway, though, so we could hear all of the acts. this was probably the year 2000, so it was right when the album was dropping. at any rate, i can remember walking in with our stuff to set up the table and seeing a bunch of dudes standing around playing hacky sack. they seemed like alright dudes so we hung out with them for a few minutes, not really knowing who they were. when NFG took the stage later that night, i happened to notice the same shirtless fat man on stage from the circle earlier that day.
that is one of my favorite memories of skate and surf, though i have tons. that festival was everything a festival should be, and bamboozle is the antithesis of that. skate and surf felt like it was about the music and the sports, but bamboozle really feels like its about corporate greed. I'm sure both were, in reality, but bamboozle doesn't seem to want to hide that at all.
its always interesting to see where these albums take me in this blog. i wasn't expecting a rant on corporate greed, either.
artist:new found glory
album:new found glory
the sun was shining and the air was warm. that is the perfect set up for driving around with the windows down and pop punk blasting through the car's speakers. its been a while since I've listened to this CD, but that's not for lack of want.
I'm trying to think of a good story to share about this album. i know that i spent a lot of time listening to it in college, but i cant think of anything specific that happened while it was playing. the best i can do here is talk about skate and surf. if you don't know about skate and surf, you are missing out on some musical history, at least as far as the scene is concerned.
skate and surf is the precursor to bamboozle, run by some of the same people and under the same basic idea, only skate and surf was a thousand times more awesome. it was held in Asbury park, it incorporated most of the beach-end of town, including the convention hall, the park out front, the boardwalk, the big hotel who's name escapes me currently, and some of the bars in town including the bowling alley and the stony pony.
the first year that skate and surf happened, i was doing promotions for my college radio station and got to go for free, i had to work the table, but we kind of arranged things so that we could get up and wander away when a band that we really wanted to see was on stage. we were along the concourse of the top level anyway, though, so we could hear all of the acts. this was probably the year 2000, so it was right when the album was dropping. at any rate, i can remember walking in with our stuff to set up the table and seeing a bunch of dudes standing around playing hacky sack. they seemed like alright dudes so we hung out with them for a few minutes, not really knowing who they were. when NFG took the stage later that night, i happened to notice the same shirtless fat man on stage from the circle earlier that day.
that is one of my favorite memories of skate and surf, though i have tons. that festival was everything a festival should be, and bamboozle is the antithesis of that. skate and surf felt like it was about the music and the sports, but bamboozle really feels like its about corporate greed. I'm sure both were, in reality, but bamboozle doesn't seem to want to hide that at all.
its always interesting to see where these albums take me in this blog. i wasn't expecting a rant on corporate greed, either.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
365 project"give me good legs, and a japanese car, and show me a road"
96.
artist:iron & wine
album:the Shepard's dog
imagine taking a 9 hour road trip with one CD. imagine that at the end of that nine hours in the car, you see the band that you just listened to in the car for nine hours, and then imagine having to drive nine hours home with that same one CD. would you ever listen to that album again?
for me, thankfully, the band that in question was iron & wine, and the album was Shepard's dog, which was one that i had been anticipating for quite some time. ill talk about seeing them at bonnaroo in another entry, because that is definitely something worthy of its own time. but i can distinctly remember being on the way home from 'roo, sitting in a traffic jam on the side of a mountain where we were more or less in three states at once, and putting this CD on for the umpteenth time that trip, and being happy about it.
i love iron & wine. i adore everything that Sam beam has ever written or sang or created. i don't think that i have the ability to dislike anything this man has done. it is perfection on plastic (or wax) and i believe that this album might be my favorite, even after listening to it for a million times in one weekend.
the song above is called "carousel" and its one of those songs that just ends up being played on repeat for hours because of the way that it makes me feel. I've been thinking a lot lately about the way that music makes me feel both mentally and physically. i did my senior thesis on the effects of music on our psyche, but i think its so much deeper than that. i often put myself out there in this blog, saying things that might make me seem insane, but that's what its here for...i think the best way to get to know me is by the music i listen to...i actually find that true of most people i meet. at any rate, i believe honestly that we can physically feel music as much as we do emotionally. when i hear a song that i really love, much like the one posted above, my heart beats faster and i can feel a twang where the music is connecting to me. i cant figure out how to put that feeling into words, but hopefully someone else out there knows what I'm talking about.
this is another band that i fully endorse. if you are in the mood for some good sitting-on-the-porch-drinking-iced-tea-on-a-summer-Saturday kind of band, this is it. absolutely.
artist:iron & wine
album:the Shepard's dog
imagine taking a 9 hour road trip with one CD. imagine that at the end of that nine hours in the car, you see the band that you just listened to in the car for nine hours, and then imagine having to drive nine hours home with that same one CD. would you ever listen to that album again?
for me, thankfully, the band that in question was iron & wine, and the album was Shepard's dog, which was one that i had been anticipating for quite some time. ill talk about seeing them at bonnaroo in another entry, because that is definitely something worthy of its own time. but i can distinctly remember being on the way home from 'roo, sitting in a traffic jam on the side of a mountain where we were more or less in three states at once, and putting this CD on for the umpteenth time that trip, and being happy about it.
i love iron & wine. i adore everything that Sam beam has ever written or sang or created. i don't think that i have the ability to dislike anything this man has done. it is perfection on plastic (or wax) and i believe that this album might be my favorite, even after listening to it for a million times in one weekend.
the song above is called "carousel" and its one of those songs that just ends up being played on repeat for hours because of the way that it makes me feel. I've been thinking a lot lately about the way that music makes me feel both mentally and physically. i did my senior thesis on the effects of music on our psyche, but i think its so much deeper than that. i often put myself out there in this blog, saying things that might make me seem insane, but that's what its here for...i think the best way to get to know me is by the music i listen to...i actually find that true of most people i meet. at any rate, i believe honestly that we can physically feel music as much as we do emotionally. when i hear a song that i really love, much like the one posted above, my heart beats faster and i can feel a twang where the music is connecting to me. i cant figure out how to put that feeling into words, but hopefully someone else out there knows what I'm talking about.
this is another band that i fully endorse. if you are in the mood for some good sitting-on-the-porch-drinking-iced-tea-on-a-summer-Saturday kind of band, this is it. absolutely.
365 project"committed, committed, i need to be committed. i need to be locked away."
95.
artist:jenny & johnny
album:I'm having fun now
this was my aoty for 2010. i was so excited for it before i even heard it, and then i did hear it and fell so hard for this album i scraped my knees. it was all i wanted to listen to from the day i had it in my possession. i had the privilege of going to see them in concert, and standing so close to the stage that we could see the baby hairs on jenny's legs. i was in love with everything about this whole package.
and then it stopped.
i didn't listen to the CD. i blamed it on this project, but really i think i just burned myself out. i haven't played the record since i brought it home. i keep "sleeping through" their performances on late night TV. they have been through town at least twice since we went to see them and i keep forgetting to get tickets.
so i listened to the CD again. its still as good as it ever was. i still cant get enough of "my pet snakes." i just read in entertainment weekly that busy Phillip's daughter asks for that song by name. that's a smart kid shes got there.
the end result is that i still love this album like i did the first time i heard it, i just cant listen to it quite so much anymore. too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
artist:jenny & johnny
album:I'm having fun now
this was my aoty for 2010. i was so excited for it before i even heard it, and then i did hear it and fell so hard for this album i scraped my knees. it was all i wanted to listen to from the day i had it in my possession. i had the privilege of going to see them in concert, and standing so close to the stage that we could see the baby hairs on jenny's legs. i was in love with everything about this whole package.
and then it stopped.
i didn't listen to the CD. i blamed it on this project, but really i think i just burned myself out. i haven't played the record since i brought it home. i keep "sleeping through" their performances on late night TV. they have been through town at least twice since we went to see them and i keep forgetting to get tickets.
so i listened to the CD again. its still as good as it ever was. i still cant get enough of "my pet snakes." i just read in entertainment weekly that busy Phillip's daughter asks for that song by name. that's a smart kid shes got there.
the end result is that i still love this album like i did the first time i heard it, i just cant listen to it quite so much anymore. too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
365 project "summer of 1978, my sister and i in the backseat just wait..."
94.
artist:five iron frenzy
album:our newest album ever
during my first year of college, the communication department was undergoing some massive renovations, and our radio station moved from a hole in the fourth floor that i barely remember to a closet on the third floor that i became well acquainted with. I'm not sure why i don't remember much of my first semester, I'm wondering if we had to shadow for the entire semester, or if we weren't allowed to start until late, or what, so if one of my fellow WC students from that time reads this and remembers, please fill me in.
at any rate, i remember being in that little closet on the third floor, looking around at the music selection in front of me and not even knowing where to begin. i had always thought of myself to be on top of the music scene, but here i was facing two walls filled of bands that i had never, ever heard of in my entire life. it was overwhelming in a way that id never found myself overwhelmed before. i needed to pick something to play, as dead air on a radio station isn't good for business, so i just started grabbing CDs by the appearance of the spines and picking songs from those CDs based on what was either marked as "safe to play" or "good track" or just whatever sounded good to me if the whole CD was deemed safe.
one of those CDs that i pulled from the wall was our newest album ever by a band id never heard of, five iron frenzy. looking at the back of the disk, i saw a mark next to a song called "suckerpunch" so i decided id have a go at it. this was the beginning of something that, even looking back on, i cannot fully grasp. is it sane to say that ones first great love affair was with a band? because i think that describes my relationship with this band.
i ended up playing a song from this disk during every show i jockeyed that semester. when i got home that summer, i bought that CD, as well as whatever else i could find by this band. i transferred colleges, but my love for this band went with me. i went to see them in concert, and it opened my eyes to bands like relient k, the oc supertones, the insyderz, and the w's. i was fully in love with CCM.
sometime in 2002, during my senior year of college, the band announced that they would be embarking on their last tour ever, and that after that, they would be breaking up for good. i was devastated. this band had become such an important band in my life that i just didn't know what i was going to do with myself. this may seem a bit psychotic, but if you love music the way that i love music, you'll understand how big of a deal this really was to me. my college roommates were too busy doing drugs to listen to my rambling about this band, and most of the friends i had made at MU that would have cared were no longer around. i didn't know what to do.
so i went to frenzyboard. i had been there off and on before all of this, but never really felt the need to stick around. but now was the time...i needed support and when i logged on, i saw that there were a whole bunch of other people that felt the same way i did. this was the right place for me to go to reach out and talk about the band...and as it turned out, anything else that was going on in my life.
the band has long since broken up, and my presence on the board is lurker at best, but most of the people i talk to and the adventures I've taken in the last 8 years have been thanks to this band and that board. it sounds corny and i know that, but this band really is more than just music to me. they will always be part of who i am.
artist:five iron frenzy
album:our newest album ever
during my first year of college, the communication department was undergoing some massive renovations, and our radio station moved from a hole in the fourth floor that i barely remember to a closet on the third floor that i became well acquainted with. I'm not sure why i don't remember much of my first semester, I'm wondering if we had to shadow for the entire semester, or if we weren't allowed to start until late, or what, so if one of my fellow WC students from that time reads this and remembers, please fill me in.
at any rate, i remember being in that little closet on the third floor, looking around at the music selection in front of me and not even knowing where to begin. i had always thought of myself to be on top of the music scene, but here i was facing two walls filled of bands that i had never, ever heard of in my entire life. it was overwhelming in a way that id never found myself overwhelmed before. i needed to pick something to play, as dead air on a radio station isn't good for business, so i just started grabbing CDs by the appearance of the spines and picking songs from those CDs based on what was either marked as "safe to play" or "good track" or just whatever sounded good to me if the whole CD was deemed safe.
one of those CDs that i pulled from the wall was our newest album ever by a band id never heard of, five iron frenzy. looking at the back of the disk, i saw a mark next to a song called "suckerpunch" so i decided id have a go at it. this was the beginning of something that, even looking back on, i cannot fully grasp. is it sane to say that ones first great love affair was with a band? because i think that describes my relationship with this band.
i ended up playing a song from this disk during every show i jockeyed that semester. when i got home that summer, i bought that CD, as well as whatever else i could find by this band. i transferred colleges, but my love for this band went with me. i went to see them in concert, and it opened my eyes to bands like relient k, the oc supertones, the insyderz, and the w's. i was fully in love with CCM.
sometime in 2002, during my senior year of college, the band announced that they would be embarking on their last tour ever, and that after that, they would be breaking up for good. i was devastated. this band had become such an important band in my life that i just didn't know what i was going to do with myself. this may seem a bit psychotic, but if you love music the way that i love music, you'll understand how big of a deal this really was to me. my college roommates were too busy doing drugs to listen to my rambling about this band, and most of the friends i had made at MU that would have cared were no longer around. i didn't know what to do.
so i went to frenzyboard. i had been there off and on before all of this, but never really felt the need to stick around. but now was the time...i needed support and when i logged on, i saw that there were a whole bunch of other people that felt the same way i did. this was the right place for me to go to reach out and talk about the band...and as it turned out, anything else that was going on in my life.
the band has long since broken up, and my presence on the board is lurker at best, but most of the people i talk to and the adventures I've taken in the last 8 years have been thanks to this band and that board. it sounds corny and i know that, but this band really is more than just music to me. they will always be part of who i am.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
365 project: "you see flowers in these weeds"
93.
artist:five iron frenzy
album:quantity is job 1
being as it is now spring time (even though the temperature doesn't always want to agree with that), it is time for the flowers and weeds and grass and leaves to all start budding and blooming. because i spend the majority of my day outside with little kids, I'm constantly answering the question "are these flowers or are they weeds?" in reference to the dandelions that grow everywhere. every time one of the babies asks me, i immediately want to sing back my answer, "He sees flowers in these weeds" but since that doesn't do much aside from gain me a few more dirty looks, i refrain.
but since I've been singing that song pretty consistently for the last week or so, i figured it was time to listen to the EP.
uh, i need to veer off track for one second, here. i just looked the album up on amazon so that i could look over the track listing, and did you know that each movement of the rock opera goes for 99 cents? every single one of them save the last one is under a minute long...and the hidden track goes for 1.99. i love five iron with all of my heart and soul, but i would never, ever, ever pay a dollar for 30 seconds of nonsense.
everything i had to say about this album has now flown out the window as i just cant wrap my mind around the 99 cent thing. criminey.
so here, watch this instead.
artist:five iron frenzy
album:quantity is job 1
being as it is now spring time (even though the temperature doesn't always want to agree with that), it is time for the flowers and weeds and grass and leaves to all start budding and blooming. because i spend the majority of my day outside with little kids, I'm constantly answering the question "are these flowers or are they weeds?" in reference to the dandelions that grow everywhere. every time one of the babies asks me, i immediately want to sing back my answer, "He sees flowers in these weeds" but since that doesn't do much aside from gain me a few more dirty looks, i refrain.
but since I've been singing that song pretty consistently for the last week or so, i figured it was time to listen to the EP.
uh, i need to veer off track for one second, here. i just looked the album up on amazon so that i could look over the track listing, and did you know that each movement of the rock opera goes for 99 cents? every single one of them save the last one is under a minute long...and the hidden track goes for 1.99. i love five iron with all of my heart and soul, but i would never, ever, ever pay a dollar for 30 seconds of nonsense.
everything i had to say about this album has now flown out the window as i just cant wrap my mind around the 99 cent thing. criminey.
so here, watch this instead.
Monday, April 11, 2011
365 project: "but i dont know the first thing about love"
92.
artist:thrice
album:alchemy index (earth)
haha. while sitting here thinking about what to write about this album, i made it almost all the way through the artist and the ambulance. and then i stopped writing again and am now halfway through something else. you can see how committed to my craft i am tonight, huh? (though to be fair, this is the fifth entry I've done today.)
the final installment of the alchemy index is the one that held up the arrival of my box set, and the prettiest of the four records, literally speaking. the earth record is brown with brown swirls. musically, its beautiful as well. earth and air are definitely the favorites to take the number one spot in this competition of which EP is the best, but from that point, i cant decide.
while i don't know that its my favorite on the album, "child of dust" stands out in my mind the most from this album because of the way that it ends. it was recorded to sound like a funeral procession and burial, complete with dirt being thrown on the casket, and i think that it is exactly how it comes across. in the liner notes for that EP, one of the members of the band (most likely Dustin, but i cant remember) talks about how, in order to get that effect, he actually buried a wooden box with a mic in it and recorded the sounds of the dirt hitting the top of the box. that stuck out to me as not only something different, but dedication to his craft.
really, there are no bad songs on this EP. "moving mountains" is one of my favorite thrice songs ever. its one of those songs that i cant move past...i just have to keep hitting repeat until i fall asleep or have reached my destination. "the lion and the wolf" plays like a tale right out of Aesop's fables. "come all you weary" might as well be an old time hymn.
overall, i really love this record. it tends to be the one that i go to first, and if i had to choose between this set or the first to take in the car, id almost always chose this one. its just that damn good.
artist:thrice
album:alchemy index (earth)
haha. while sitting here thinking about what to write about this album, i made it almost all the way through the artist and the ambulance. and then i stopped writing again and am now halfway through something else. you can see how committed to my craft i am tonight, huh? (though to be fair, this is the fifth entry I've done today.)
the final installment of the alchemy index is the one that held up the arrival of my box set, and the prettiest of the four records, literally speaking. the earth record is brown with brown swirls. musically, its beautiful as well. earth and air are definitely the favorites to take the number one spot in this competition of which EP is the best, but from that point, i cant decide.
while i don't know that its my favorite on the album, "child of dust" stands out in my mind the most from this album because of the way that it ends. it was recorded to sound like a funeral procession and burial, complete with dirt being thrown on the casket, and i think that it is exactly how it comes across. in the liner notes for that EP, one of the members of the band (most likely Dustin, but i cant remember) talks about how, in order to get that effect, he actually buried a wooden box with a mic in it and recorded the sounds of the dirt hitting the top of the box. that stuck out to me as not only something different, but dedication to his craft.
really, there are no bad songs on this EP. "moving mountains" is one of my favorite thrice songs ever. its one of those songs that i cant move past...i just have to keep hitting repeat until i fall asleep or have reached my destination. "the lion and the wolf" plays like a tale right out of Aesop's fables. "come all you weary" might as well be an old time hymn.
overall, i really love this record. it tends to be the one that i go to first, and if i had to choose between this set or the first to take in the car, id almost always chose this one. its just that damn good.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
365 project:"woke up to a brand new skyline. licked our wounds and mourned the dead"
91.
artist:thrice
album:the alchemy index (air)
this album is home to the song "broken lungs" which still shakes me up every time i hear it. its clearly a song about the events of 9/11 and the aftermath. while I'm not sure how much i agree with Dustin's political viewpoints in this song, the overall message of pain and sadness is one that i will carry with me for the rest of my life.
most of us remember that day quite vividly. its the day that our kids and our grandkids will ask us about. "do you remember what you were doing when you heard about the airplanes?" they'll say. with a sad look in my eyes, i know that ill be able to give them every detail, down to the color of the sweater i was wearing, the shape of the clouds in the sky, and later the taste of the dust that had blown across the bay.
as this is a music blog, I'm not going to get on my high horse about that day or the resulting war, because my views tend not to be the same as most of my friends, but i will say this...on that day, and for the days, weeks and months after we swore we would not forget. i can remember not being able to drive two minutes without seeing flags everywhere. i remember all of the we will never forget stickers on the backs of cars and the ribbons and everything else that went along with it.
now i know that it has been nearly ten years and i don't expect the ribbons and the flags to still be flying everywhere that they once were, because i am an American and i know how Americans are, but i feel like that day just passes by without an eyelash batted these days. i was talking to my friend Kaite about this the other day, and i was saying to her that i feel like people just forgot, like that day never happened, or happened so long ago that its a distant memory...like the JFK shooting or WW2.
this breaks my heart.
i know that i take things more personally than a lot of people. i know that i was in a lot closer proximity to the events of the day than most of the rest of the world, because while i wasn't in Manhattan, we were right over the bridge, and on a clear day could see the towers, so i wasn't far. i was so freaked out that day. i knew that it was never going to be the same again. i was wrong. it hasn't even been 10 years and things are right back to how they were.
i think the whole of the problem is that i was so close to it. i think that its the same thing as the earthquakes in japan or us bombing Libya. I'm not there. i cant physically see the destruction. i can turn the TV off and pretend that none of this horrible stuff is going on around me, and that outside of my house is sane and safe, although i know that's not the case. its just a lot easier to disconnect when you don't actually see it with your own eyes.
.
artist:thrice
album:the alchemy index (air)
this album is home to the song "broken lungs" which still shakes me up every time i hear it. its clearly a song about the events of 9/11 and the aftermath. while I'm not sure how much i agree with Dustin's political viewpoints in this song, the overall message of pain and sadness is one that i will carry with me for the rest of my life.
most of us remember that day quite vividly. its the day that our kids and our grandkids will ask us about. "do you remember what you were doing when you heard about the airplanes?" they'll say. with a sad look in my eyes, i know that ill be able to give them every detail, down to the color of the sweater i was wearing, the shape of the clouds in the sky, and later the taste of the dust that had blown across the bay.
as this is a music blog, I'm not going to get on my high horse about that day or the resulting war, because my views tend not to be the same as most of my friends, but i will say this...on that day, and for the days, weeks and months after we swore we would not forget. i can remember not being able to drive two minutes without seeing flags everywhere. i remember all of the we will never forget stickers on the backs of cars and the ribbons and everything else that went along with it.
now i know that it has been nearly ten years and i don't expect the ribbons and the flags to still be flying everywhere that they once were, because i am an American and i know how Americans are, but i feel like that day just passes by without an eyelash batted these days. i was talking to my friend Kaite about this the other day, and i was saying to her that i feel like people just forgot, like that day never happened, or happened so long ago that its a distant memory...like the JFK shooting or WW2.
this breaks my heart.
i know that i take things more personally than a lot of people. i know that i was in a lot closer proximity to the events of the day than most of the rest of the world, because while i wasn't in Manhattan, we were right over the bridge, and on a clear day could see the towers, so i wasn't far. i was so freaked out that day. i knew that it was never going to be the same again. i was wrong. it hasn't even been 10 years and things are right back to how they were.
i think the whole of the problem is that i was so close to it. i think that its the same thing as the earthquakes in japan or us bombing Libya. I'm not there. i cant physically see the destruction. i can turn the TV off and pretend that none of this horrible stuff is going on around me, and that outside of my house is sane and safe, although i know that's not the case. its just a lot easier to disconnect when you don't actually see it with your own eyes.
.
365 project:"i am drowning in a digital sea. i am slipping beneath the sound. here my voice goes to ones and zeros. im slipping beneath the sound."
90.
artist:thrice
album:the alchemy index (water)
initially, water was my favorite of the four EPs, i think because i took such a liking to digital sea, especially after seeing them perform it live. but as time has passed, this EP has lost some footing in the standings. its so hard to dislike anything that thrice does, though. I'm so in love with this band it amazes me sometimes. I'm not insane crazy stalker fan girl with them like i am with brand new, but at this point in my life, id take a thrice song over a brand new song most days.
speaking of brand new, i saw thrice and brand new play together a few times, once being right after this first half of the alchemy index stuff was released. i remember being nervous about going because i didn't really pay a whole lot of attention to the vheissu stuff, and i wasn't sure about this even newer stuff, either. i had seen the video for digital sea, though, and i knew that they'd play a few old songs, and anyway, what did it matter, really, as i was going to see brand new, not thrice. and of course, that was the night that everything changed.
i just tried to find a video on YouTube that would show you how awesome this song was live on that tour, but there was only one that i could find that was even from that tour, and it wasn't the full song and it was crappy quality. basically the light show that went on behind them was about as awesome as the actual video for the song, which is pretty awesome in its own right.
artist:thrice
album:the alchemy index (water)
initially, water was my favorite of the four EPs, i think because i took such a liking to digital sea, especially after seeing them perform it live. but as time has passed, this EP has lost some footing in the standings. its so hard to dislike anything that thrice does, though. I'm so in love with this band it amazes me sometimes. I'm not insane crazy stalker fan girl with them like i am with brand new, but at this point in my life, id take a thrice song over a brand new song most days.
speaking of brand new, i saw thrice and brand new play together a few times, once being right after this first half of the alchemy index stuff was released. i remember being nervous about going because i didn't really pay a whole lot of attention to the vheissu stuff, and i wasn't sure about this even newer stuff, either. i had seen the video for digital sea, though, and i knew that they'd play a few old songs, and anyway, what did it matter, really, as i was going to see brand new, not thrice. and of course, that was the night that everything changed.
i just tried to find a video on YouTube that would show you how awesome this song was live on that tour, but there was only one that i could find that was even from that tour, and it wasn't the full song and it was crappy quality. basically the light show that went on behind them was about as awesome as the actual video for the song, which is pretty awesome in its own right.
you really need to take four minutes out of your life and watch that video. its really awesome, and the time and effort that went into it astounds me. seriously, its something sick.
i left that show that night on a serious concert high, but looking back, i don't remember much of the night now, except for this performance.
365 project:"tell me are you free in word or thought or deed"
89.
artist:thrice
album:the alchemy index (fire)
I've been putting off this set of albums since the beginning of the year because i wasn't sure how i wanted to break them up, or if i even should, but since I'm like 11 days behind, i figured i could bang out all four as separate albums (as each element is its own volume) and get caught up a little bit.
fire is my least favorite of the four elements. i adore thrice, but am not as big a fan of their harder stuff as i am of the stuff where you can actually hear and understand Dustin's lyrics. the music is fantastic, but in my opinion the lyrics are what make the songs most of the time. that being said, i dont by any means hate this album. of the six songs, "firebreather" is my favorite. actually, I'm sitting here listening to the song live from the house of blues and i just got the chills. you need to check this out.
what i really wanted to talk about in this entry, though, was how awesome my friends can be. I've been a thrice fan for a while, and had both sets of disks already, but was really excited about the release of this album on vinyl. four records, four different colors. each was color coordinated to the element it represented. i wanted this so badly but knew that i didn't have 50 dollars to spend on wax.
at my birthday party Nicole made me open my card. in case you didn't know this about me, I'm really not a fan of opening gifts in front of everyone. I'm not sure why that is, but i don't like doing it, and prefer to avoid it if possible, though i always seem to get caught. at any rate, i opened the card and out fell this folded up piece of paper...Nicole and Anne Marie had gone in together and purchased this album for me. i didn't get it for about three or four months after this due to manufacturing issues, but now i own it and its probably my most favorite piece of my record collection...even beating out my copy of your favorite weapon on vinyl.
artist:thrice
album:the alchemy index (fire)
I've been putting off this set of albums since the beginning of the year because i wasn't sure how i wanted to break them up, or if i even should, but since I'm like 11 days behind, i figured i could bang out all four as separate albums (as each element is its own volume) and get caught up a little bit.
fire is my least favorite of the four elements. i adore thrice, but am not as big a fan of their harder stuff as i am of the stuff where you can actually hear and understand Dustin's lyrics. the music is fantastic, but in my opinion the lyrics are what make the songs most of the time. that being said, i dont by any means hate this album. of the six songs, "firebreather" is my favorite. actually, I'm sitting here listening to the song live from the house of blues and i just got the chills. you need to check this out.
what i really wanted to talk about in this entry, though, was how awesome my friends can be. I've been a thrice fan for a while, and had both sets of disks already, but was really excited about the release of this album on vinyl. four records, four different colors. each was color coordinated to the element it represented. i wanted this so badly but knew that i didn't have 50 dollars to spend on wax.
at my birthday party Nicole made me open my card. in case you didn't know this about me, I'm really not a fan of opening gifts in front of everyone. I'm not sure why that is, but i don't like doing it, and prefer to avoid it if possible, though i always seem to get caught. at any rate, i opened the card and out fell this folded up piece of paper...Nicole and Anne Marie had gone in together and purchased this album for me. i didn't get it for about three or four months after this due to manufacturing issues, but now i own it and its probably my most favorite piece of my record collection...even beating out my copy of your favorite weapon on vinyl.
365 project:(500) days of summer soundtrack
88.
artist:various
album:(500)days of summer soundtrack
i was out running around yesterday and saw this CD sitting on top of the stack in my dash, so i popped it in. i haven't listened to it in a while, actually, because when i first picked it up, i listened to it so much that i wore myself out on it. between the soundtrack and the movie i was on overload and needed to step back.
at any rate, yesterday was actually a perfect day to listen to this album. i think any sunny spring day would be, honestly. with artists like Feist, Zooey Deschanel and Regina Specktor, it has a very poppy, sunny feel to it.
I'm a huge zooey d. fan. even though she is a crazy nutbag, i kind of adore her a lot. with that being said, the anticipation for this movie was killing me. when we finally went to see it, i left the theater so angry i just wanted to go home and go to bed. the tone of the movie put me into a really bad mood, and i knew it was just best if i wasn't near anyone else that day. the next day i talked to my friend Melissa, who id gone to see the movie with, and she said the same thing. zooey is such a bitch in that movie, which started it off, but for me part of the problem was that in the end, they both fell in love anyway, and I'm jaded and angry and don't like "happy" endings so to speak so it bothered me that he found someone anyway, and that a psycho bitch like summer could even find someone that wanted to marry her, let alone two people. ugh. but anyway...
my favorite song on this album is the meaghan smith cover of the pixie's "here comes your man." i like the song a lot on its own, but i think that her cover of it is something special...i really like her voice.
i generally watch movies because i love the soundtracks, but I'm bored just sitting there listening to the soundtrack, which i think is the main reason why i haven't listened to this in a while. lots of times there are one or two good songs on the album, and the rest really only mean something to me in relation to the movie, or not at all.
ill end this with the zooey/joey Sid & Nancy mashup...beware, LOTS of cursing in this:
artist:various
album:(500)days of summer soundtrack
i was out running around yesterday and saw this CD sitting on top of the stack in my dash, so i popped it in. i haven't listened to it in a while, actually, because when i first picked it up, i listened to it so much that i wore myself out on it. between the soundtrack and the movie i was on overload and needed to step back.
at any rate, yesterday was actually a perfect day to listen to this album. i think any sunny spring day would be, honestly. with artists like Feist, Zooey Deschanel and Regina Specktor, it has a very poppy, sunny feel to it.
I'm a huge zooey d. fan. even though she is a crazy nutbag, i kind of adore her a lot. with that being said, the anticipation for this movie was killing me. when we finally went to see it, i left the theater so angry i just wanted to go home and go to bed. the tone of the movie put me into a really bad mood, and i knew it was just best if i wasn't near anyone else that day. the next day i talked to my friend Melissa, who id gone to see the movie with, and she said the same thing. zooey is such a bitch in that movie, which started it off, but for me part of the problem was that in the end, they both fell in love anyway, and I'm jaded and angry and don't like "happy" endings so to speak so it bothered me that he found someone anyway, and that a psycho bitch like summer could even find someone that wanted to marry her, let alone two people. ugh. but anyway...
my favorite song on this album is the meaghan smith cover of the pixie's "here comes your man." i like the song a lot on its own, but i think that her cover of it is something special...i really like her voice.
i generally watch movies because i love the soundtracks, but I'm bored just sitting there listening to the soundtrack, which i think is the main reason why i haven't listened to this in a while. lots of times there are one or two good songs on the album, and the rest really only mean something to me in relation to the movie, or not at all.
ill end this with the zooey/joey Sid & Nancy mashup...beware, LOTS of cursing in this:
Saturday, April 9, 2011
365 project:"change this something normal into something beautiful"
87.
artist:jars of clay
album:furthermore:from the studio from the stage
while driving to West Virginia to go see Jars of Clay, i figured i should probably listen to them a bit to refresh my memory, as it had been a long while since id really given them a good listen. i don't really own any of the newer stuff, so i figured the live album that i had made the most sense, because as i figured it, if they were going to play something old, it would be on that album, too...the way i figure it, most live albums work the same as a greatest hits album would, so i decided this was my best course of action.
at the show, they only played three songs that i knew (that's how long its been since I've paid any attention to this band, sadly) but i was right, those three songs were also on this album.
i cant really figure why i got away from this band. i had a good enough time at the concert, and was happy to be there after all of the crap the day had thrown at me, but i found myself thinking more about how bored i was, trying to frame the next picture (i took over a hundred at the show), or daydreaming about how excited i was for dinner the following night (i was both starving from not eating all day and thrilled that i was going to hang out with some of my favorite people for dinner the following night).
I'm "a sucker for anything acoustic" and i am a Christian, so it baffles me why jars bored me so much, and why this album didn't really do anything for me. I have a lot more Jars in my collection, so I'm going to have to work through this, i guess.
in the meantime, here are a few pictures from that night.
artist:jars of clay
album:furthermore:from the studio from the stage
while driving to West Virginia to go see Jars of Clay, i figured i should probably listen to them a bit to refresh my memory, as it had been a long while since id really given them a good listen. i don't really own any of the newer stuff, so i figured the live album that i had made the most sense, because as i figured it, if they were going to play something old, it would be on that album, too...the way i figure it, most live albums work the same as a greatest hits album would, so i decided this was my best course of action.
at the show, they only played three songs that i knew (that's how long its been since I've paid any attention to this band, sadly) but i was right, those three songs were also on this album.
i cant really figure why i got away from this band. i had a good enough time at the concert, and was happy to be there after all of the crap the day had thrown at me, but i found myself thinking more about how bored i was, trying to frame the next picture (i took over a hundred at the show), or daydreaming about how excited i was for dinner the following night (i was both starving from not eating all day and thrilled that i was going to hang out with some of my favorite people for dinner the following night).
I'm "a sucker for anything acoustic" and i am a Christian, so it baffles me why jars bored me so much, and why this album didn't really do anything for me. I have a lot more Jars in my collection, so I'm going to have to work through this, i guess.
in the meantime, here are a few pictures from that night.
365 Project: "now every February, you'll be my valentine"
86.
artist:Katy Perry
album:Teenage Dream
As i have previously mentioned, i recently took a roadtrip, and decided to spend some of that time listening to some of the newer stuff that i have recently acquired, Teenage Dream by Katy Perry being one of the albums. i really loved the first album, and i really dug the singles "firework" "teenage dream" and "California gurls" so i figured this was another cant miss album. i was wrong.
short of the singles, there wasn't a whole lot on the album that i care to ever hear again. most of the time i found myself downright appalled and embarrassed to be listening, even if i was in my car alone. the song "peacock" was one that i found to be too far over the top. i have decided to include the video, but I'm warning you, listen at your own risk.
yeah, i picked one that included the lyrics...i figured id let you get the whole shebang.
when i was listening to this album, i spent the whole time thinking about how many mothers went out to buy it for their tween-aged daughters, and probably gave it to them without listening to the lyrics first, or worse, how many of those girls downloaded it without their moms or dads even knowing what was going on. i just cant picture a time when it would be okay to let a kid listen to a song about getting drunk, stripping on tables in front of large groups of kids, and possibly having sex with someone, but not remembering...and doing it all again the following weekend.
maybe im just getting old.
artist:Katy Perry
album:Teenage Dream
As i have previously mentioned, i recently took a roadtrip, and decided to spend some of that time listening to some of the newer stuff that i have recently acquired, Teenage Dream by Katy Perry being one of the albums. i really loved the first album, and i really dug the singles "firework" "teenage dream" and "California gurls" so i figured this was another cant miss album. i was wrong.
short of the singles, there wasn't a whole lot on the album that i care to ever hear again. most of the time i found myself downright appalled and embarrassed to be listening, even if i was in my car alone. the song "peacock" was one that i found to be too far over the top. i have decided to include the video, but I'm warning you, listen at your own risk.
yeah, i picked one that included the lyrics...i figured id let you get the whole shebang.
when i was listening to this album, i spent the whole time thinking about how many mothers went out to buy it for their tween-aged daughters, and probably gave it to them without listening to the lyrics first, or worse, how many of those girls downloaded it without their moms or dads even knowing what was going on. i just cant picture a time when it would be okay to let a kid listen to a song about getting drunk, stripping on tables in front of large groups of kids, and possibly having sex with someone, but not remembering...and doing it all again the following weekend.
maybe im just getting old.
365 project: "when the sun goes down, we'll be groovin', when the sun goes down, we'll be feelin' alright"
85.
artist:Kenny chesney
album:when the sun goes down
wow...its been a while since i did one of these. i haven't forgotten about the project, life just got really busy. we had some family issues, some trips to the ER, and a road trip complete with the loss of a wheel on my journey, and all of this left little time for writing, though i have still been listening. I'm going to to my best to catch up.
warm weather automatically brings out the cowgirl in me...boots, hat and country music are a must every summer. one of my favorite artists to hang out with in the summertime is Kenny Chesney. i have a few memories of Kenny, but the one ill go with for this album takes me back a few years to the glory days of working at the job that i recently quit.
there was a time when i really loved that job. i liked getting up and going in every day, and i loved the crew i worked with. we were all around the same age, got along well and hung out after work a lot of the time. we even had fun with the kids that we didn't really get along with...even when we'd pick on someone, it was done out of love, not hate. there were never bad vibes and we had a great time. i didn't always hate that job.
this was right around the time that i really started getting into country music (because of a boy, of course) and we spent a lot of time listening to Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw in the store. there was a kid that we worked with, Justin, who was NOT a fan of country music at all, and used to give us all sorts of grief for torturing him with this stuff that he didn't like. for whatever reason, he had a particular distaste for "when the sun goes down" so that song became the anthem of the crew...down to text-message ringtones. to this day, i still check my phone for a new message when i hear that song.
we never did succeed in making Justin like that song. in fact, i think the only thing we accomplished was making ourselves bored of it, but i still like to listen to Kenny on occasion, in the warm summer air, and will always be fondly reminded of those old days when i liked that job and loved the people i worked with.
artist:Kenny chesney
album:when the sun goes down
wow...its been a while since i did one of these. i haven't forgotten about the project, life just got really busy. we had some family issues, some trips to the ER, and a road trip complete with the loss of a wheel on my journey, and all of this left little time for writing, though i have still been listening. I'm going to to my best to catch up.
warm weather automatically brings out the cowgirl in me...boots, hat and country music are a must every summer. one of my favorite artists to hang out with in the summertime is Kenny Chesney. i have a few memories of Kenny, but the one ill go with for this album takes me back a few years to the glory days of working at the job that i recently quit.
there was a time when i really loved that job. i liked getting up and going in every day, and i loved the crew i worked with. we were all around the same age, got along well and hung out after work a lot of the time. we even had fun with the kids that we didn't really get along with...even when we'd pick on someone, it was done out of love, not hate. there were never bad vibes and we had a great time. i didn't always hate that job.
this was right around the time that i really started getting into country music (because of a boy, of course) and we spent a lot of time listening to Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw in the store. there was a kid that we worked with, Justin, who was NOT a fan of country music at all, and used to give us all sorts of grief for torturing him with this stuff that he didn't like. for whatever reason, he had a particular distaste for "when the sun goes down" so that song became the anthem of the crew...down to text-message ringtones. to this day, i still check my phone for a new message when i hear that song.
we never did succeed in making Justin like that song. in fact, i think the only thing we accomplished was making ourselves bored of it, but i still like to listen to Kenny on occasion, in the warm summer air, and will always be fondly reminded of those old days when i liked that job and loved the people i worked with.
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