Red Hot

The last few posts - while brilliant and phenomenal - were sort of cheese festivals. To bring this all back down, a little Red Hot Chili Peppers with an incredible acoustic rendition of one of my all time favorite songs, "Under the Bridge". This song has more meaning to me than any other and this version especially tears at the heart.

Please enjoy.



Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner
Sometimes I feel like my only friend
Is the city I live in, the city of angels
Lonely as I am, together we cry

I drive on her streets 'cause she's my companion
I walk through her hills cause she knows who I am
She sees my good deeds and she kisses me windy
I'll never worry, now that is a lie

I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way
I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way

It's hard to believe that there's nobody out there
It's hard to believe that I'm all alone
At least I have her love, the city she loves me
Lonely as I am, together we cry

I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way
I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way

Under the bridge downtown
Is where I drew some blood
Under the bridge downtown
I could not get enough
Under the bridge downtown
Forgot about my love
Under the bridge downtown
I gave my life away

The Shins

I think I understand the appeal of The Shins to college kids: Intellectual-sounding, confusing lyrics about... confusion, and unexplained stories of love and lesbian experimentation (in the case of "Phantom Limb"). Somehow they also have a kiddie sound too - to me at least. I think this is proven by their appearance on Yo Gabba Gabba where they sing a song dedicated to youngsters but manage to make it sound like a regular Shins song.


I'm seeing them live for the first time on May 17th so my excitement and interest in them is mounting as the days go by although my eternal love for frontman James Mercer started years ago. I don't even think I should get into how exquisitely beautiful this man is or the mystery of how he can grow a perfect beard and still have those crazy, big brown eyes stand out like twinkling stars of perfection. See... I shouldn't go further.

The kitchy, quirky fun of this band always gets me as well. From their band name hailing from The Music Man to their strange relationship with Zach Braff, everything about them is undeniably unique. And honestly, in a really strange move, I actually love every one of their albums, especially the latest, Wincing the Night Away.

How often can you say a band just keeps getting better? They remain relevant and consistently impressive.

A top five list of my favorite Shins songs would go something like this:

1. Gone For Good
2. Sea Legs
3. Turn on Me
4. Split Needles
5. Baby Boomerang (cover)

... I think. It's difficult - I kind of love them all even though I wouldn't automatically characterize The Shins as one of my favorite bands. That might change after May 17th though.

Some Wild Hope for Moore

I am in love with this blog lately. I wish beyond wish that more people knew about it because it would give me more motivation to keep up with it and search for the greatest bands to post about. When it's just me it feels a little lonely but that's okay for right now. I still enjoy having a place to store my favorite videos and write little notes about my favorite musicians.

So today I'm obsessed with Yahoo's music site. They have these great, mini-sized videos that are easy to post to blogs and really have a great collection of artists videographies in general. They also have those little Yahoo Exclusive videos with musicians playing acoustic versions of their hits. I'm pretty into those.




Yahoo is actually where I first caught a glimpse of Mandy Moore's new video for "I Can Break Your Heart Any Day of the Week" and I'm almost ashamed to say that it's incredibly catchy and I respect her constant forays into different musical genres. She didn't rest on her laurels and reap in all the pop money from "Candy" - she actually sought out a real career she could be happy with and used inspiration, albeit in a strange way, from her idols, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, etc. It's important to keep in mind with someone like Mandy Moore that she has been in this business for over a decade and her image from ten years ago when she was in her early teens is not necessarily an indication of her current state of mind.

When I decided to explore her music further from the past two years or so, I also came across some other interesting exploits such as her cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella" that really makes the words come alive, and her video for "Extraordinary" off her last album, "Wild Hope". Believe me, I wouldn't even be mentioning Mandy Moore unless I was really, really impressed and I am. Take a look.

JM

I have seen John Mayer three times every summer since I was in 8th grade? It's difficult to believe it's been so long. I've gone alone, with friends, been in the first row, in the last row, on the lawn, through bad days, good days.. it's a religious experience for me. His music sounds best in summer - and rainstorms. This video reminds me of how far he's come in such a short time.. and maybe how far I've come too.

Regardless of whether you like Mayer or not, I'm sure we all have artists like that and that's the best reason I can think of to love people.

Still a favorite. May I present 'Clarity'.

My Soft Spot

Pete Yorn was my first introduction to modern day singer/songwriters. When I first got a copy of his album, musicforthemorningafter, at The Wiz (one of the first big music stores to close in the past decade!), I was completely enthralled. I don't think I stopped listening to it for two years straight - seriously. It was one of those amazing discoveries where you don't even want to talk about it with friends because it's so personal. I wasn't obsessed with it as much as in love with it. Later on he continued his "day" saga with Day I Forgot and Nightcrawler, neither of which I was able to get into as much as the first one but there were still exceptional standouts that move me every time I hear them. One of which is Crystal Village. I hadn't seen the music video until this week and I'm really disappointed in myself for that. It is exactly the video I would make if I were a musician. Other than writing about music, my second favorite topic is attraction and this is exactly what the song deals with on a sincere, human level.

Following that is a great song off his musicforthemorningafter - Life on a Chain. Not too much to say about the video but so much to say about his lyrics and the way he OWNS the song with that sad, battered, yet happily not whiny (aka Conor Oberst) voice.

Houses of the Holy

Let me first profess my guilt: I should be doing a lot of other stuff right now other than writing about music. I have a lot of things to think about, money to be making, work to be completing - but the only thing that matters to me right now is this album. Or rather: it is the only thing that makes sense to me.

Houses of the Holy is without a doubt the greatest fifth album a band has ever put out, let alone one of the greatest albums of all time in general. This incredible album opens with The Song Remains the Same, a song I appreciate although I'm never too fond of songs over five minutes. The intense excitement for me starts with the third song on Side One. From that song - Over the Hills and Far Away - to the end of the album, it captures my entire being and makes me forget everything I'm constantly worried about. Led Zeppelin really has the ability to transcend people, even still in 2009. They are undeniable.

I have to explain that D'yer Mak'er, Zeppelin's ode to reggae, is one of my favorite songs and one those songs specifically that makes me feel something. I know it came about more as a joke than anything (with a play on the word "Jamaica") but they captured something in that song that is as sexy as it is inspiring. No matter where I am when it comes on, I want to dance, I want to think, I want to smile - I want to be alive. I can't imagine what more a song is supposed to do than that.


Recently, I discovered The Crunge or maybe I should say I discovered that I love it almost as much as D'yer Mak'er. This too is a song that allows the band to do a play on a specific musical genre, this time funk in the James Brown style, but to me it sounds like a style all its own. Unfortunately, it seems that this incredibly unique, over the top creative song hasn't gotten the credit in musical history that it rightfully deserves. I tried for a half hour to find a video or some type of clip of it on the internet to add to this post and came up empty handed. Why? I even went on Last.Fm, one of my favorite sites, to see if the page dedicated to the song had anything extra I could add to this and found that several people admitted hatred for it. I suggest these people stop listening to music. The crazy funk and the infamous "where's the bridge?" references make this song undeniably Zeppelin in the sense that it has so much soul and mischief but uncharacteristic and special in the way that it's not really "rock". If Led Zeppelin is responsible for bringing heavy metal to mainstream than they're also responsible for bringing experimentation and ingenuity to mainstream rock singles. Robert Plant's voice, already god-like in so many ways, does an Otis Redding-like imitation in my opinion. It's simply and wonderfully different.

To even get into the brilliance that is Dancing Days, the opener of Side Two, is to open a can of worms that doesn't really end. Dancing Days is an absolute, uncompromising masterpiece that probably only comes around once every 20 years. It is mentioned on the Wikipedia page for this song that the band themselves danced on the lawn after the completion of this track - so proud of their success. Naturally, I don't know if this is true but it sounds about right. I could listen to this everyday for the next year and probably find something new each time. It's like a really good movie - but getting my head around the fact that they can do all that just audibly is magic.

If you haven't heard this album in its entirety, check it out. If you haven't heard it in a while, please revisit and fall in love all over again.

This Plant Can Get You High Too..

Another thing I love: Led Zeppelin.

You will be a better person if you watch this video. Communication Breakdown with a taste of D'yer Mak'er (pronounced "Jamaica").

I want to do an entire post dedicated to Robert Plant's fashion style later on.

Bang the Drum

I feel like I'm going through a musical dry spell. I haven't really come across any good music in some time and that's really disappointing as I'm typically an ambassador for new artists. I can't stand when people say ignorant things like "music has died" or "they'll never have another band like (insert any classic artist here)".

How could that be true?

Any honest music lover will tell you that a huge part of loving the music is embracing the new parts of it otherwise it's a dead art and we certainly know that isn't true. We're not talking about sculpture - kidding.

I am going through a strange time right now where I'm unable to be on the computer for very long due to an ulcer in my right eye. I haven't felt like going on iTunes, listening to music, or really even getting out of bed. The things I have managed to do though all pertain to music in someway. Let me create a list:

1. The day after I was diagnosed with this strange, very uncomfortable problem, I told myself that I couldn't let my Felice Brothers concert tickets go to waste and as I have a serious problem with scalping tickets, I went. Turns out the bright, creepy lights of Webster Hall were a little too much for me and I couldn't even have any alcohol to brace myself (the cruel work of antibiotics) so we left. I am usually the first person in line at a general admission concert and didn't even care that we got there right as the main act was coming on! I didn't even care to check out the merchandise table ... okay, that's sort of a lie but I barely glanced. I didn't even care to check out the venue further than the nearest seat since 1. I had never been to Webster Hall before and 2. I couldn't stand up without crying so it was impossible. I became jealous of girls in hipster cowboy boots doing mock rodeo dances in front of me and started grumbling something about how all these stupid young guys with glasses are only getting laid because of Woody Allen's effect on New York culture. The entire evening was grotesque... to say the most.



2. On the third day of this diagnosis I managed to get out of bed on a Saturday morning and go to my place of employment: a concert venue. There I sat in a box for five hours and watched 30 Rock while trying to get drops in my eyes for the first time in over two decades of being alive. It was unpleasant. I had to put sunglasses over my real glasses (hugely nerdy) and got a comment from a customer that he thought I was "trying to be cool" by doing it. I explained that nothing I do could ever be considered cool and managed to ramble enough to the point that he not only believed me but didn't say goodbye. I think he was buying a solo ticket to Amon Amarth though so he can be forgiven. He obviously leads a sad life. (kidding again)

3. Yesterday, fourth day if you're counting, I attended work once more during a nine band concert with the glorious headlining act of Napalm Death. Let me go off quickly and say I'm a huge John Mayer fan, I like sad, slow songs, I watch American Idol... and where do I work? A place where some of our recent headlining acts have included such novelty names as "Suicidal Tendencies", "Theory of a Deadman", "Deathlok", and I can't even remember what else... maybe Dead People, Tombstone Terrors, Rotting Corpses.. and also David Archuleta. All nonsensical music choices aside, it is the best venue in the world - I've never seen a more dedicated group of people in one place - it's infectous. BUT, getting back to the real story: With an ulcer in my eye I sat through nine death metal bands and generally I was okay. Why? Because these people were creating happiness with their musical sounds. Music just makes people happy. That's all.

4. Now that brings us to today. I have another eye appointment, I still feel like I'm going blind, and the one thing - other than searching for photographs of my incredibly hot, Latin professor - that has brought me to the computer is to write about music. I miss it. I needed to watch a youtube video of The National or see if any good concerts went on sale. I needed to see this blog! I love writing about music - and I'm high on a lot of good drugs right now so that must be the truth.

Strangers: If you're reading this for the first time, tell me who your favorite artists are. Although I pretend to understand when people use lines like, "Oh I have too many, I can't even name one" - I secretly think they're either embarrassed of listening to too much Barry Manilow or they don't like music at all and are afraid of being stoned to death if they admit it.

Shout from the top of your lungs like me: I LOVE JOHN MAYER. I LOVE THE NATIONAL. I LOVE TOM PETTY.

That's admittance of loving a gigantic jerk, a pompous indie band that copies sounds, and an old pothead. But that just makes them even more fantastic. My ears are their own people, they love what they love. Just like the people who see Napalm Death. It's all relative and WE are all relative - we all love music.

I also love big drum sounds. Drums thrill me.