This brings me to an interesting point that was first presented to me in Chuck Klosterman’s Killing Yourself To Live. Klosterman relates a story about driving around listening to The Replacements and breaking down into tears. He broke down not because of anything Paul Westerberg was singing, but because one of his best friends adored The Mats and had recently died from cancer. His point was that all art, no matter the format, is always drawn back to the consumer’s experience, what they want to take from it, rather than what the artist is trying to present (which is inevitably colored by their own experiences as well). It seems like an obvious point, but I had never put it right before me and it made perfect sense.
For further insight into this point, please listen to Wilco’s “What Light.”
This one was tied for my favorite Current Song Of The Day this month. Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of the whole Wavves laid back, beach dwelling, stoner vibe (mainly because I don’t smoke weed and I hate being outdoors). Plus, the drama surrounding this group is a little nauseating.
However, this single, which, from what I hear is indicative of the whole album, is pretty killer. Gone is the fuzzed-out guitar, drums, vocals combo from their breakout album. Supposedly this one is a much more fully realized, full-band effort (and this single backs that up). Plus, after the month I’ve had, a chorus of, “You’re neeeeverr gonna stop me, no, you’re neeeever gonna stop me,” really struck a, “hey, fuck it” chord with me. See, it’s all the consumers point of view.
I put this one on as a throwback. That’s right, third-wave ska. I was there. I’m old and I love it.
Also, much like I mentioned before, my attitude for this month could be expressed in a chorus of, “Baby, if I cause you pain, why don’t you go his way.”
As a teenager looking for ways to rebel, West Coast hip-hop was where it was at. Snoop, Dre, Ice Cube… That shit killed. Plus, it was catchy, easily digestible, and full of parent-upsetting obscenities. As I get older and start digging deeper and deeper into hip-hop, I’ve developed a real appreciation for the East Coast sound. While the thug talk holds little appeal to me, the crackling vinyl, the spoken sung chorus, and lyrics that actually sound like reality (rather than gangster-parody. Hi, Tupac.), tend to strike closer to the indie hip-hop that re-kindled my love for the genre years ago.
This track is my favorite off of Nas’ debut Illmatic, an album so good that even former arch-nemesis Jay-Z wouldn’t dare attack. Plus, it sounds great rolling down 94 on payday (“Who’s world is this? The world is yours”).
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(Personal Sidenote: I wanted to put this one on the list because Nas is from Queens and, as far as I can tell, I’m the only person in MPLS who will go hard for
There are many better, catchier songs on Babyshambles Shotter’s Nation album that I could have put on here, but I just couldn’t get over the line, “How could I let go, since I caught a glimpse of you in your white plimsolls, twisting and turning to Northern Soul?” Yeah, I’m the whitest person who ever lived.
My favorite Minnesota Current Song Of The Day for the month.
Since then, they’ve returned as merely a two-piece. This is the lead single off of their home-recorded second album and I think it’s pretty stellar. Again, this has much to do with the mood I was in this month. A song about missing all of your friends hit a little close to home.
(Pet Peeve Sidenote: I hate people who say things like, “Respect and love.” At least they wrapped it in a hook.)
HaHa! Yeah, that just happened. Step ya noodle game up!
When I was back in Red Wing collecting CD’s from my parents’ house a few months back I picked up nearly all of my Ash collection (their first four records). Since then I’ve been on a bit of a kick. Even though their later albums are better, with catchier chorus’s and more mature songwriting, their first two albums (1977 & Trailer) will always make me feel like I’m 16 years old again (Sidenote to Sarah Elise: Act like you don’t know). While they achieved plenty of popularity in Europe, they never got their due in
I downloaded Dark Time Sunshine’s Believeyoume EP from the Strange Famous Records website for free a couple of weeks ago. I couldn’t believe what I was listening to! It’s like a mix of El-P & Sims. I was even more surprised when I dug a little deeper and found out that it was two Scottish dudes. Ladies and gentleman, the future of hip-hop is wide open.
Tied for my favorite Current Song Of The Day (see Wavves above). I know I went a little hard on the British bands this month, but that’s the mood I was in.
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like hooks like this just aren’t coming from American bands these days. Or maybe they just don’t sound as great without that accent. Ah well, killer single.
Maybe you remember months ago when I was counting down my Top 250 Songs Of The Decade and I put Radiohead’s, “2 + 2 = 5” in the top 20. If you don’t, here was my line of reasoning. It’s not my favorite Radiohead song of the last decade (they did put out, “All I Need,” after all), but it was my favorite because it was Phil’s favorite. And every time we listened to it he would do his best Thom Yorke impression. Now I can’t listen to it without picturing him performing this ridiculous ritual, and really, that’s what music is about, capturing a place and time.
That was my reasoning for putting “The Reeling” on the playlist this month. I’ve always thought it was a pretty good song (and I dance hard to this shit in my milk cooler), but after hanging out with my dude Mike all summer and watching him start bobbing around like a drunk every time this song came on the jukebox, it will always hold a special place for me.
Alright, first thing’s first, how great is this RJD2 beat? Goddamn!
Second, as much as I love Blueprint (and I really do), he can’t always match the quality of the beats RJD2 brings to the table. However, in this one, he absolutely nails the feeling of meeting a great girl for the first time. It’s not easy to walk the line between humour (“I want it so bad I just might player hate, tell these other dudes you got, like, 6 kids”) and honesty (“You thinkin’ ‘bout me? I’m thinkin’ ‘bout us. Yeah, I’m outta pocket, I’m thinkin’ ‘bout love.”). Not easy to do.
I put this one on the playlist before I mentioned it in C & O #2 up above. I don’t even really know what to say. This new Gorillaz album is just soooooo fucking good. I highly suggest everyone track down a copy this afternoon. Damon Albarn has never sounded more comfortable in his own skin (and the Gorillaz skin, for that matter). A track like this sincerely makes me hope that 20 years from now Damon Albarn is guesting on some young punk’s new album. Mark my words, within 20 years we’ll be talking about Damon Albarn in the same breath that we talk about David Byrne, Morrissey, and Lou Reed.
Alright, story time…
One of the things that was crazy about this month was the fact that my ex was back in town from NYC. Now, obviously, this would be difficult even if everything went according to plan. It was a very serious relationship and those things are always tough to revisit (especially when you know the situation is only a week long).
But first, let me go back even further, to the first time she visited after I moved back to MPLS. We spent nearly every day of the week together and it was just like old times. We went shopping, walked around Uptown, took Basset to St. Paul and let her run around, and basically spent a week acting like we were still together (despite the fact that we both knew that this was not a healthy approach). Well, her last night in town we went out and had a few drinks and came back to my place. Um, hmmm…, you know where that’s going. What was tough was that, the next day, she told me something along the lines.of, “Listen, that was really nice. I promise, whenever you need something like this, or need me in general, I’m going to be there.”
Now, in the interest of fairness and not completely upsetting her, she has been there every time I’m in a bad place and need someone to talk to. Every time. And I know she’ll be there next time. For this, she will always have my love.
Back to the semi-current. When she came back this time, I had mentally prepared myself to spend another week with her. I couldn’t have been more excited to see her and have another week that we could call, “ours,” y’know, separate from her life in NYC and mine in MPLS. Well, when she got back, we hung out at my place, played with Margaret Basset, and had a few beers and, honestly, it was the best night I’ve had in months. However, when I pushed for us to go out and have a night, it didn’t quite play out like that. She explained that she couldn’t come out with me because she has a man back in NYC and that if she went out and had drinks with me it would lead to “trouble.” Well, of course it would. That was the point.
Now, while I completely understand and respect her relationship in NYC, I was in the midst of a tough time (remember those 35W bridges?) and had really been counting on a week where I could put my troubles to the side. Obviously, this was an incredibly unhealthy approach and a bad decision (Of course, I’m so far removed I don’t even remember what, “good decisions” feel like anymore). The lesson, as always: I’m just not very bright.
Back to the real current. When I was putting this playlist, I was still coping with the sting of this rejection. Hence, a song with a chorus of, “How could you ever let me down? These promises were made for us,” hit me a little close to home. I don’t regret putting it on there, as that’s how I was feeling at the time, but I hope it’s existence on the playlist, and this summary, don’t make her hate me forever.
If you follow the playlist, you know I’m a junkie for a good hook. And this hook is as big as it gets. I mean, just listen to those drums! I love Kid Cudi regardless, but if he wants to go for a more “pop” sound, I’ll defend it to the end.
Also, you know I can’t make these playlists with a Kanye appearance. Yeah, it’s a problem.
(Personal Sidenote: See above. Still a bit bitter. Perhaps someday I’ll be in magazines & on TV and you won’t be able to escape me.)
16. Arcade Fire – Sprawl II (
Even though it’s been two months, I still don’t know what to make of the new Arcade Fire album. It seems really good, but whenever I listen to it, it all just kinda bleeds together. Of course, I thought the same thing about Neon Bible when it came out. This one caught my ear right away though, as it’s one of the few Arcade Fire songs I feel like I could dance to. Plus, who can’t relate to lyrics like, “I need the darkness, would you please cut the lights?” Perhaps that relates to my story above too.
