Untitled

Maria inspired this song.

Well, not her exactly, but her idea of writing a song in 30 minutes. I figured I could do a song in 5 minutes, and do it as good, if not better (but that's partly my ego talking). So I thought of something, pressed record, and played. I practically made up the whole thing as I went through, as you can kinda tell, if you listen. Arrangement, chords, mumbled improvised lyrics (bet you can't tell what the song's about), everything. It's kinda-almost heavy metal influenced, with a bit of generic "alternative" rock in the chorus. I listened to "Only In Dreams," by Weezer right before this, so there's a similarity there. I don't really have a title, because I don't like it when musicians try to purposefully make their titles and lyrics mysterious on purpose. So I'm leaving mine untitled until I actually write real lyrics.

NEVERMIND

Did not have time to do a post on 20th anniversary of Nevermind. Blame chem. Anyway, it's been 20 years since the release of the most influential rock album of all time. Or maybe that's just my bias talking. I, like 98% of Nirvana's other fans (and "so called fans"), heard Nirvana for the first time by "Smells Like Teen Spirit." And boy does that song really hit you. When I first got the song, I used to just replay the first 24 seconds to hear the Kurt strum the opening riff over and over again. A couple of years ago I bought a used copy of Nevermind for $1.95. Best. Deal. Ever. Well, besides Kim. Nevermind, bad joke (and double bad pun).

Back to story; ANYWAY, every song on the album is amazing, and still sounds fresh. I believe there's nothing more to be said about SLTS. There's the Pixies dynamics (I hate to say that, but it is), the chiming two notes while the drums and bass lay a great foundation, the melodic verse-based solo, and lyrics that supposedly define the "apathy of a generation" or something like that. When you hear hundreds or thousands of people sing along to it during (mostly crappy) live covers, it sort of loses something in translation. It was a song by punk rock kids FOR punk rock kids. SLTS was never meant to be a generation defining anthem. But that's how it turned out to be, to Kurt's dismay. Funny how these things work out. This live, broadcast on TV version seems to encompass the meaning.

Then there's "In Bloom." I still consider this my favorite single from Nevermind. I'm listening to it as I'm writing this, and the I can really find no way to describe the riff, except for... Duhhhnnn ( ba dump), Duuhhhhhnnn (ba dump bump bump). And the verse should sound creepy, but it doesn't, even though Kurt's singing about selling kids and reproductive glands. Maybe it's cause you know it's about to launch into the best and catchiest chorus on the album (rivaled only by "Lithium"), and soon, the best solo. And ironically, the chorus is about people who sing along because they think the song is cool, and don't care about the lyrics.

"Come As You Are'" is all about the delivery. This one is delivered especially well.

I've always thought "Breed" was the perfect workout song. Whatever, but the hook under this song is the bass, courtesy of Krist Novoselic. And the "she said" vocals are pretty cool too.

I never cared for the Nevermind version of Lithium. I don't like how Nirvana used whole step down tuning for the song (although it works fine for CAYA and "Drain You"). I'd pick any live version over this one. But even though the chorus is just one word (YEAAAH), the melody is just awesome. The Reading version of the song is the most famous, but I prefer the version from the Roskilde Festival in '92. I don't know, Lithium's great when it's tuned half a step down (Eb).

Polly is very sparce, and is the biggest departure from Bleach, their debut. It's not rockin', it's not fast, but at the same time it holds the same amount of emotional weight as something like SLTS, probably even more. The story of a rape told from the offender's point of view, the mood of the song is rather contemplative, which is even darker than anger or insanity. But this performance is rather interesting. Note Dave.

And then we have the polar opposite, musically wise, of "Polly." "Territorial Pissings" is a criticism of macho men, and I can wholeheartedly agree with that idea already. A short, very sarcastic refrain of a song called "Get Together," sung by Krist, sets the tone for the short, pissed-off outburst that is just enough to bring you back from the bleakness of "Polly."

Kurt has repeatedly said that "Drain You" was his favorite Nirvana song. It's a love song, in the vein of "About A Girl," but there's a heavy medical theme throughout the song. The thing that distinguishes the song most is the bridge, which features weird object sounds from a rubber duck, a spray can, and chains (or things like that) over a rhythm thing that does bring to mind the word DRAIN. But it does set the stage for the restatement of the riff and verse, which does sound a bit happier after the weird bridge. And no, this song is not about Courtney. It's about Tobi Vail. Nevermind is about Tobi Vail. In Utero is about Courtney.

"Lounge Act" is almost as short as "Territorial Pissings," and is kinda like "Drain You," but less about love, and more about jealously. Which is very relatable. More than "vacuuming out the fluids." Then again...

Although this is the least popular track on Nevermind, "Stay Away" is a combination of many other tracks on the album. The drumroll and bass are straight out of "Breed," and the guitar and vocals recall "Territorial Pissings." And the lyrics are very punchy, to the point, and almost unintentionally funny. This is shot from the side of the stage, and is one of the last performances of the song.

"On A Plain" is one of my absolute favorites, single or not, on the album. I recall it was the last song finished for Nevermind, and the lyrics were written in the studio right before recording. Or maybe that was "Sliver." Both great songs. "On A Plain" is the one song that actually sounds... joyful? Happy? It can't be any clearer that "I can't complain." Or any more cryptic that "What the hell am I trying to say?"

And here's another acoustic song. Now unlike Polly, "Something In The Way" is just DARK. Quite the contrast from the fun outburst of "On A Plain," SITW is the resigned sigh that ends the bipolar album almost perfectly. Apparently it was the hardest song to record, and they had to use a click track to record the song, because Dave Grohl couldn't play softly. Even better than the Nevermind versions are the 1992 Japan versions. Just watch. Seriously. Pity it's not complete.

And 10 minutes later, you get the secret song. The iTunes generation has ruined the joke that if you forget to turn off your CD player after SITW, you'll hear this song just blasting out. The original was recorded after Nirvana messed up recording Lithium... again. Too bad there's no footage of the studio version. But this version is the definitive one (and I'm not just saying it cause it's THIS show). And the uncut Paramount show PRO-shot has just been released, so you can watch it later without the cuts.

So now there's these new 20th anniversary super deluxe editions of Nevermind. If Kurt was alive, he would probably NOT approve of it. But any new Nirvana is good. But out of the whole four CDs, the only totally new things were the boombox demos, the Devonshire mixes, and most importantly, the full Paramount video(the Smart City demos, BBC sessions, and Paramount audio have been circulating on the internet for a while). But the ONE song almost every Nirvana fan wanted, was the version of Sappy from Sound Studios, which is not in the package. I'm disappointed. All right Krist and Dave, start planning the In Utero deluxe box set.

So why did I do this obscenely huge post? 1. I love Nirvana, I love Nevermind, and I love music. #2. I don't want to study Chinese right now.

This Isn't Everything You Are

New song by Snow Patrol - they performed on Later With Jools Holland a few days ago...I'm not too sure what I think about it yet. It definitely isn't as upbeat/catchy as some of Snow Patrol's other stuff, but you've got to love how Gary Lightbody prononuces "kill". It's so cool. I wish I had an epic accent like that. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to Snow Patrol's new album Fallen Empires....I'm super excited for it to come out. A month and a half to go!

Finally through the roof

More Pixies anyone?

Interesting song. It's a bit weird, and the heavy accent is a bit off-putting, but I recall a quote that said "The Pixies took all the good riffs," and whoever said that was right. "Velouria" is rather pretty and creepy at different parts.

And here's a pretty good cover of it. It's probably the first song released by Weezer with their new bassist, Mikey Welsh, after their late 1990s hiatus, on the Where Is My Mind Pixies Tribute. I'm not amazed (reference) by the cover, because the singing is kinda hesitant, but hey, it kinda has a classic Weezer feel to it. And that's not bad at all.

Let's get off topic a bit. Here are two other rather good covers by Weezer.

Weezer also played a show full of Nirvana covers under the name Goat Punishment. But I don't feel like going into that right now.

It's The End Of The World As We Know It

R.E.M. just broke up.

Know that saying, "you don't know how much you miss something until it's gone?" After 31 years, it's kind of hurts to see one of the greatest (non-overrated) college rock bands cease to exist, even if it is an amicable breakup. Even though I never listened to them much, and all 4 former members are alive, it still feels like somebody died. Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills (and Bill Berry): we will miss you. I'm pretty sure everybody's heard of "Radio Free Europe," one of the biggest quote unquote "alternative" anthems, but let's all listen to it to celebrate R.E.M.

And this one of, if not the best song off Automatic For The People (GET THE ALBUM). It's a great song to just lay on the bed to in the dark, and just think.

The photograph on the dashboard, taken years ago

Turned around backwards so the windshield shows

Every streetlight reveals the picture in reverse

Still it's so much clearer

Never Found A Girl

Due to my recent obsession with power pop and boredom due to studying, I decided to record another cover. Y'know that one song "Stacy's Mom" with the really, really boring video? Yeah that one. The video is kinda cheesy except for the little kid dressed as Ric Ocasek in the beginning. That's the best part. It's a kinda generic new wave tune, but I kinda like it, for some reason. My singing's absolutely horrible during the verses, but I thought it was okay during the chorus (especially the last one).

And this is the best collaboration I've ever heard. There's this cover song called "Never Found A Girl" by Eddie Floyd that is, for lack of a better word, amazing. It's made even more beautiful by the fact that, like Kurt Cobain, Alex Chilton is dead. It's weird, even when people like Kurt and Alex and Benjamin Orr are dead, they're still singing those words of despair, joy, longing, or whatever. I'm pretty sure I should say something else, but I can't find the lines. Just watch the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZn9MlHlbvI

100th post! (kinda)

Landmark post (and I'm counting some of the posts that aren't published). And I'll put this. Because I'm pretty sure this is what we're all feeling. Plus it's a great song.

EDIT: actually 94th published, but who really cares?

Paradise

Oh how I wish I was in Paradise. A girl can dream. Anyways, "Paradise" is the new song from Mylo Xyloto (Out October 24th) by Coldplay. I'm not a huge Coldplay fan (Sorry people, but they just aren't The Strokes), but they are brilliant in their own way. The song is sort of repetitive and I'm not too sure I like it. It's different from their older stuff (duh.) but it basically says "it's paradise" over and over. It also sounds a lot like One Republic. Who knows. The piano part is pretty though.

Un chien andalusia

Surfer Rosa is an amazing album (yeah, fanboy praise, okay. Kurt's #2 favorite album of all time. #3? Pod.). That much is obvious. But after listening to a few of the more popular songs from their followup, Doolittle, I think I might like that one even more. And that's saying something.

This song encompasses everything I like about music. Well, not really. But it's pretty close. I can't really say why I like it. I'm not really good at explaining things, so don't listen to anything I say. And the chorus is screamed with an intensity I just don't hear that often. "I am un chien andalusia." It doesn't really mean anything in particular. But whatever. The video is pretty fitting. There's also that one part where he sings "Girl is so groovy, I want you to know," and there's a split second shot of Kim smiling (as some guy in the comments said). Yay.

This is supposed to be that one "pop" song on Doolittle (I'm trying not to listen to too many songs before I actually buy it). It's just as good as "Debaser," just in a different way. The song's best points are Black Francis's (very melodic) singing, Joey's lead guitar noodling and especially Kim's (very pretty) "so long" backing vocals. The video is unique too. The Pixies did not like recording music videos (like The Replacements, who hated the video format), so Francis and Kim don't lip sync, they just open their mouths wide. Which I respect, because, remember, I also think most music videos are crap. Not this one though. It's awesome. Except Kim could have gotten a cuter haircut.

WIM-sical

Lately I've been frequenting the iTunes "free" section. I actually normally don't buy too much music on iTunes (cause it's so expensive and I rather have the CD and all the artwork and everything) but of course, the price of free is the lowest you can possibly get. I found WIM on there last week...And for once, I liked the free music that iTunes offered. I can't stop raving about the song "Something For You" - it's the perfect mix of pop and indie. WIM has a very unique aesthetic - I would describe it something like Coldplay meets Snow Patrol and all stirred together with some Florence + The Machine. WIM's music tends to be really easy going on the surface, but you can tell that they're something lurking right below the surface. Like in the song "Something For You" - there is the main really upbeat sounding part and then for a whole two minutes it's just some really haunting piano melody. It's truly very good. I've been listening to it on repeat and after a few listens, the beginning and end of the song sort of blurs because the first lyrics is the same as the last and after the last lyric is the piano part...It's sort of like there is no beginning or end. It's wonderful, really. From what I've seen on Youtube, they aren't too fantastic live, but hey, I still like the song.

Those freakin Beatles

I don't really listen to the Beatles that much. Not right now at least. I used to think they were super overrated and all that, but now I respect them as songwriters, and as a massive influence on almost every single musician in existence. And they're kinda fun to listen to. Although I just read that they didn't play any concerts for paying fans after 1966, and basically became a studio band. Very interesting.

Everybody has their favorite Beatle. I'm not actually sure who my favorite is. I really like John Lennon (Kurt's favorite Beatle), but I just absolutely abhor "Imagine." The song just annoys me. I don't like the lyrics and the piano hook pisses me off. Just putting that out there. As for the others; Paul is pretty cool, George is a great guitarist (I actually mean that. He didn't try to show off how good he was), and there's Ringo, who is just Ringo. I really need to get used to them more before I pick my favorite (just like Otter Pops).

This is not a post about how I hate "Imagine," though (I probably could, but I know some people who love the song. Sorry Cat, didn't mean to offend you), it's about the Beatles. I'm not the biggest Beatle fan you could know, but I do have my favorite songs by them. Like "Happiness Is A Warm Gun." Great title. The song itself is pretty hazy, like a cloud of... yeah. There's a bunch of unnecessary time changes (like drugs/stuff), a warm/fuzzy guitar solo (like a needle), and a really, really great ending. The kind that you can sing along that's not a stupid cheesy stadium anthem (COUGH COUGH JOURNEY COUGH). The fact that the Breeders covered it on Pod has a little (read: a lot) to do with me liking it. I like the Breeders version better, except instead of the cheerful release at the end of the song, Kim pretty much whispers the title over the resigned sighs of an acoustic guitar. It works, but it's not as good as John's calls of jubilation. I also like "Yesterday," even though it's been covered way too many times. Wonder what it would sound with without the violins. My very favorite is "Octopus's Garden," and it's a Ringo song. Dunno. I like it. It's innocent without being corny, has a guitar solo worth the $10 I bought Abbey Road for, and after looking it up on YouTube, I realized I had heard it before. Like when I was really, really young. This version.

Called Out (for looking like a Weezer video?) In The Dark

 "Called Out In The Dark" video for Snow Patrol's single - This came out awhile ago so I have no idea why I haven't seen this until now. Fail updates. Anyways, it's the sort of new Snow Patrol single. \

I sort of love the video, but people have compared it to the "Perfect Situation" video by Weezer (sort of funny because I was listening to that earlier before I even knew of the Snow Patrol Video. And Weezer is pretty awesome. Also, kudos to Rivers Cuomo for filming Julian Casablancas in the studio.) I think I can see some of the similarities - you know, an imposter, the real one, the struggle....oh, and both are pretty hilarious.

I'll let you decide.

"Called Out In The Dark" - Snow Patrol

"Perfect Situation" - Weezer

Just looking for a way around

This is most total posts we've had in a day. Ever. So let's smash that record even more.

I really like this video. There's a song, then an interview, like all other musical guests. But I like this version of "Divine Hammer" particularly. Even though it's the one blatantly pop on Last Splash. Who cares. It's my favorite song on the album (sorry "Cannonball" and "I Just Want To Get Along." You guys are close seconds) Not only are there "happy people playing billiards" in the background, but Kelley breaks a guitar string (at about 1:50), then flubs some of her parts. I don't blame her. I've broken strings before, and it's not easy to play afterwards. Then both her and Kim miss the first part of the last chorus (maybe on purpose, not sure). Then there's the interview. And warning; Conan's jokes suck here. The interview's totally about the Breeders. And it's hilarious. I'm not going to ruin any of the jokes ("lazy one!"), but Jim: you're stupid. Sleep can't be THAT important. Just kidding Jim, you're awesome. Pod is the better album, but I think I like the Last Splash lineup more. They play well together. And that's also the version of the Breeders that played as an opening act for Nirvana.

I guess I like it when audio is a bit worse then usual. But not generation-mp3 audio hiss. Sometimes a song is recorded with certain equipment, and the audio is slightly distorted. In certain cases, that can make the song much more fun to listen to.

Observe. Okay quality picture. Obviously recorded with open mic. Maybe the sound is a bit harsh to some. To me it's ear candy. Dave's drums get excellent, ominous sounding reverb out of the big stadium, guitar and vocals get heavy sound. Awesome. But like any candy, too much is bad for you, and can hurt you permanently. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Hi

I'm so idea dead. So, here's a list of the music I've been listening to recently with video links and little "mini-reviews" for all of them. *These songs aren't in any particular order.

1) "Man on the Silver Mountain"-Rainbow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9nfVrusSMg

-With this song, the beat is so extremely catchy, Dio's voice is incredible, the bass groove is awesome. I don't know about you, but all that can be said about this one is that it's pretty darn amazing. Although it lacks a super crazy guitar solo that metal songs are famous for, it's great.

2) "Rainbow in the Dark"-Dio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYlDltwm-JY

-This one actually has a keyboard melody that pops around here and there within the song which I think is pretty cool. Once again, the beat is catchy, the guitar riff is great, the bass groove is amazing, Dio's voice is incredible as usual, and to top it all off, there's a cool guitar solo. "Rainbow in the Dark" is probably one of my favorite songs of all time now that I think about it.

3) "You've Got Another Thing Coming" - Judas Priest http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K7CNzFhnCE

-The syncopated rhythm in the beginning is pretty cool and makes the song a bit more intriguing. The beat is actually pretty prominent in this song and very catchy. I'm not a big fan of Halford in this particular song. There's nothing really unique about the vocal part except for the one "COMING FOR YOU!" scream. It's still a great song, but it's not exactly my favorite Priest song. Despite the slightly disappointing vocals, you should still listen to it for the instrumental part, it's awesome.

4) "The Elements" - Tom Lehrer. (I actually memorized all the lyrics lol) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFIvXVMbII0

- Haha, so, this song in my opinion epitomizes the combination of humor, chemistry, and pretty cool piano music. It's kinda annoying how the elements aren't in order of atomic number but I guess it was necessary.

5) "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" - Black Sabbath http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXtliOzw6QE

-This song is a beast. I wish I could simply leave it at that, but that's not really a "review". So the beginning has this really catchy guitar riff that repeats itself throughout the song which is followed very quickly by the bass and drum set. This kind of sets the base of the song which gets more intricate.

6) "Fear of the Dark" - Iron Maiden http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nba3Tr_GLZU

-The song has kind of a ABAB format, tempo wise. It starts out at the tempo for the majority of the piece and then moves into this slower tempo which I guess can be interpreted as a cut time meter. After that little bit, it moves back into the original tempo. Finally, it finishes off with the "B" tempo.

7) "Aces High" - Iron Maiden http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEcpwSenouQ

-The link that I've included is the music video with that strange introduction. I kinda like this one because it really links the lyrics to a tangible historical event as well as capturing the general idea of the song. Overall, the song is fast paced with kind of a steady riff/beat that repeats itself throughout the entire piece. Of course, similarly to most of Maiden's songs, it has an awesome guitar solo. Oh, Dickinson has this awesome hair style in this video, it's really different from his usual short and clean cut.

8) "American Pie"- Don McLean http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAsV5-Hv-7U

-So, this is really different from the stuff that I usually listen to, but it's still a good song. (Thank you Tommy) Instead of going into the meaning of the song and all that, I'm going to stick to the purely musical aspects of it. Similarly to "Fear of the Dark" by Iron Maiden, it's composed of slow sections and slightly faster sections. The bass is surprisingly prominent throughout the faster section which is pretty cool because I almost never really pay attention to bass parts which is not a good habit.

9) "Black Magic Woman" - Santana http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18rd5w7Bsjw&feature=related

-I actually heard this song on the radio and looked it up the minute I got home. It has this cool tambourine part that goes really nicely with the general feel in the beginning. In fact, the whole percussion part of this song is unique. Again, I don't really pay attention to the bass and percussion parts, but a song like this almost commands for the listener to do so. The guitar solo in the beginning is not really "crazy" but it goes really well with the feel of the song. I am aware that Fleetwood Mac was indeed the first to make the song, but I really like Santana's version.

10) "Honor Thy Father" - Dream Theater http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlX6iJEnYSg

-So, with this song, the first time I heard it I thought it was good but not really great. After a while, something like 3 months, I came back to it and immediately fell in love. The beginning drum solo by Portnoy was phenomenal and gave a really interesting first impression. The thing about Dream Theater is that all of the members of the band are truly talented and capable of spectacular music. The interesting vocals surprisingly add to an already quirky song instead of making it contemptible. The keyboard part at 6:25 is really cool. Rudess is a great keyboardist but I detest his thin beard, that has nothing to do with this song, but yeah, every time I see him I have the strangest urge to rip the beard off. Anyhow, definitely listen to this song if you don't listen to anything else on this list.

Hey Jude

Hey Jude is by far my favorite Beatles song. If you knew me personally, I think you would know why. Even though I kinda like Lennon better than McCartney, Hey Jude is pretty exceptional. I guess one could even call it a "legendary" song. There's not too much going on in a musical sense: no crazy electric guitar solos, no spectacular drum solos, no high pitched screaming of the lead vocalist, but somehow it manages to be a truly impressive and timeless song.

The beginning is kind of a vocal and acoustic guitar duet-ish thing which is soon added to by a tambourine and bass part. The tambourine is kind of a risky percussion instrument to use, but it matches the whole song surprisingly well. For the first 3 minutes or so, the song continues in this manner and then it switches to the well known "Na...na...na...na-na-na-na...etc." which continues for about 4 minutes. I actually didn't like this song for a while because of the four minutes of "na na na", but after a while it kind of grew on me and as I stated in the first sentence, it's my favorite song by The Beatles.

Basically, this song shows how simple rhythms and instrumental parts can be as effective as more complicated and intricate ones.

Sunday Morning

Gotta love my Nietzsche and Kant...and of course, my Arctic Monkeys

 The public library is pretty awesome - I went a few days ago and found a few CDs that I had been coveting for a while. I was shocked that I found an Arctic Monkeys CD and a Foxboro Hot Tubs CD - more so for the Foxboro Hot Tubs CD than the Arctic Monkeys CD. I also checked out The Velvet Underground & Nico (hence the title of this post. I do realize though, that it is no longer Sunday Morning but rather Sunday Afternoon. Whatever.). Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with them so I figured I would post on them.

Favourite Worst Nightmare - Arctic Monkeys
So this was the Arctic Monkeys CD I found and it's such a great CD. I think I like every single song on it, no joke. A few particular songs I enjoyed a lot- Brianstorm, Teddy Picker, D is for Dangerous, Balaclava, Fluorescent Adolescent, Only Ones Who Know, Old Yellow Bricks and 505. I know. That's almost  all of the CD but I just can't get enough of the angst-y and catchy Arctic Monkeys. Oh gosh how I miss the old Arctic Monkeys (Suck It And See just wasn't my cup of tea <---- you see what I did there?)

Stop, Drop, and Roll - Foxboro Hot Tubs
I had been looking for this CD for the longest time and could not find it ANYWHERE, so imagine my surprise when I find it at the public library and get it for free. It was well worth the searching - I of course, love Green Day, but Foxboro Hot Tubs is a little bit different and is equally as good if not better than the most recent Green Day CD's. I don't really like the singles off it too much actually...weird, right? I love the song "Dark Side of the Night" though. It's like pure awesomeness compressed into 2 minutes and 58 seconds.

The Velvet Underground & Nico
This CD is classic...I liked a few songs off of it (some of them were a little too raw for my taste). "I'm Your I Mirror" is probably one of the most haunting songs ever written - I'm so infatuated with Nico's voice it's unnatural. Her vocals I like much more than Lou Reed's (sorry people, but it's true). She has one of those rare female voices that hold just as much weight as a guy's. So haunting and enchanting, I can't stop raving about her. "Heroin" is also a pretty good song...I must admit though, there are a few songs on this CD that I think I don't understand enough to truly appreciate.

Let's have a ball

Yesterday I was forced to attend my sister's basketball tournament. Normally I would have been really, really bored (and I was), but I also got to go to the record store. That was worth having no Wi-Fi for almost the entire day. Strangely, I only got three CDs this time. And 2 of them were new. But I wanted them. So there.

Surfer Rosa - I'm embarrassed I haven't gotten this sooner. It's kind of hard to describe the Pixies, when every single great band in the 90s sounds like them. Well, are totally derivative of them, because Surfer Rosa is amazing. "Where Is My Mind?" is pretty good, but it gets annoying once every single Pixies interview uses the song. Actually, you have to listen to it as an album. To hear the Pixies as a unit. There are some tracks that stand alone, but the album as a whole does deserve the title as one of the best albums of the 80s ('80s indie rules). Of course, I only got this yesterday, so I can't do an in depth analysis, but there is one track that stands out. It's Kurt's favorite Pixies song, "Gigantic." It's the only song that has "Mrs. John Murphy" on lead vocals on the album (unfortunately). Hearing her sing makes me... happy, I guess. She sounds a bit different here, but I can't quite say why. During the pre-chorus, she sings "Hey Paul, Hey Paul, Hey Paul, let's have a ball." I'm pretty sure this isn't a reference to Paul Westerberg (considering the meaning of the song), but it'd be cool if it was. Collaboration? YES PLEASE.

Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash (Deluxe) - Finally! I've been looking for this for the longest time. And it is way worth it. Some of the songs on the album are much better live (and faster), but there are some real gems. "I'm In Trouble," is the first single the Mats released (backed by the very, very excellent "If Only You Were Lonely"), and it's really the first pop song Paul wrote. It's got a punk feel mostly, but the lyrics and singing are all very melodic. Actually, despite being more abrasive than their other releases (except the hardcore-esque Stink and maybe the awesomely-shambolic Hootenanny), it's more melody based than is let on. Especially "Shiftless When Idle," (that song on the album with the best chorus, the cool bass solo and rough, palm muted riff) which although not that popular, WAS popular enough to be included on Don't You Know Who I Think I Was, the fittingly named greatest hits compilation (which unceremoniously leaves out "I'm In Trouble," and to a lesser note; "Talent Show" and "Androgynous"). Sorry Ma does seem to rely on Bob Stinson's guitar solos than most of their other albums, and that's a good thing. Without Bob, the album wouldn't be half as good. This album isn't perfect, however (if I've been making it out to be). There are so many songs (many around the 2 minute mark) that some of them are going to be average or below. But a majority of them are really good. Especially some of the demo/outtakes ("Raised In The City," Bob Stinson's only songwriting credit "A Toe Needs A Shoe," and "Like You," which has a laughably good riff).

Tim (Deluxe) - I already have the original, but... this is the deluxe version. And Tim is one of my absolute favorite albums (although I actually like Pleased To Meet Me a bit more right now...). But I really got it for the bonus tracks. And there's new liner notes too. There's two versions of "Can't Hardly Wait" (and "airshaft version" and an electric one), and while not as good as the version on All For Nothing/Nothing For All (the so called "Tim Version"), they are still WAY better than the crappy, super-overproduced version on PTMM (the only bad song on the album). And alternate versions of "Waitress In The Sky" and "Here Comes A Regular," that sound much more natural than the versions on Tim, and shows how bad/weird/too trebly/tinny the mixing is on Tim. I don't hate Tommy Erdelyi (well, sometimes I do) but I wonder what it would be like if Peter Jesperson and Steve Fjelstad had helped with the original record. And then we have the two highlights of the reissue. "Kiss Me On The Bus" (the demo) was also produced by Erdelyi, but has the impact of the mixing on Let It Be. What happened? Oh well. This version is way different (read: straghtforward) than the album version, but not necessarily better or worse than it. It depends what kind of mood you're in. And of course there's "Nowhere Is My Home." Produced by the legendary Alex Chilton (who produced the two alternate versions of "Can't Hardly Wait" and was SUPPOSED to produce Tim. Again, what happened?) Best Replacements song never released on an album. I'd already heard the song, but it was in lower quality, so when I heard the remastered version, the opening chords and drum roll were pretty awesome. I can really connect with the song, especially the chorus. I know everybody says that for almost every song in existence, ("Like, OMG that song was written for just 4 me!!!!! <3 <3 <3"), but it's like Paul knows what I'm going through. Its like he's saying he doesn't belong anywhere, he's not sure about anything, and that nobody else cares what he's going through. And that's pretty much how I feel. I ain't got no answers. That's why I love Tim, by the Replacements.

On another note, you can now listen to previews from the Nevermind 20th anniversary box here: http://store.universal-music.co.uk/euro/box-set/boxset-nirvana-nevermind-super-deluxe-box-set-2011/invt/0602527779058/

You can also listen to most of the bonus tracks from the Replacements albums on Grooveshark. Because nobody cares enough to put them up on YouTube. And that's fine with me.

EDIT: Surfer Rosa was recorded by Steve Albini. In case you didn't know.

Octavarium

So... some random person out there may be wondering how I got the name "Octavius." No, it wasn't because because of that one Roman guy you might have learned about in history class. It was actually supposed to be based off of Dream Theater's song "Octavarium" (and unfortunately, that explanation doesn't really sound any less nerdy).

Therefore, it seems fitting that my first post on this blog will be a huge (and by huge, I mean huge) analysis/rant/review on the song Octavarium. Let us begin.

What I like about this song is that it has a great sense of continuity, as does the rest of the album. It revolves around the theme that everything ends where it began. There are five parts to the song. The first part, Someone Like Him (up to 8:47), starts off with a continuum and lap steel guitar solo (a continuum is basically a flat keyboard). At around 2:40, the first main theme appears, with the second main theme making its entrance at around 3:50. Both of these themes reprise later in the song, which I find really cool since classical piano concerti are structured in a similar manner. After the guitar intro, a flute somehow finds its way into the mix and repeats the first theme in a more "understandable" manner. The singer finally starts singing at around 5:30. The chords are a development of the chords in the intro solo (already, the song's getting quite structurally complex). The lyrics describe a man who initially wants to be different from everyone else. Later, though, he still isn't satisfied and wishes that he'd be ordinary, hence the title "Someone Like Him."

The bass makes a nice, smooth transition from the first part to the next (John Myung doesn't get nearly enough of these moments). This part is called Medicate (Awakening). Notice that the song has shifted from the key of F minor to A major. In layman's terms, that's kinda weird. Dream Theater has the ability to do that.
These lyrics describe a person who has spent the past 30 years in a catatonic sleep (essentially a coma, although I don't really know how realistic this is). His doctor thinks he's cured him, but he eventually ends up back in the state he started in. A keyboard solo follows this, but I don't think it serves any thematic purpose other than as a musical transition back to the home key of F minor.

This next part is titled "Full Circle." The first "verse" of this part is in 7/8 (3+2+2), but after the "chorus", it turns into 5/8 (3+2). To the "average Joe," it'll sound the same, but if you try counting through it, it'll be slightly different because of the extra two beats. Pay attention to the hi-hat, too. As a percussionist, I respect the ability of the hi-hat to do miraculous things.
Anyways, this is where the lyrics probably get the most complicated. It starts with a Pink Floyd reference and ends with a Pink Floyd reference (following the theme, as usual). The lyrics in between are all references that the drummer felt like putting in. These references are connected by their words, literally. The first reference is "Sailing on the seven seas" while the next one is "Seize the day." They combine them using a little pun, so it becomes "Sailing on the seven seize the day." They then add the song "Day Tripper" by The Beatles to the reference chain, so it becomes "Sailing on the seven seize the day tripper." From then on, they keep on adding references (and the occasional transition, since it's quite difficult to write lyrics purely out of references). One random thing that I'm excited about is that in the song Breaking All Illusions from Dream Theater's new album, I think they reference Octavarium. One of the lines in Octavarium says "Looking outward, reaching in" while a line from the snippet of Breaking All Illusions that they've released says "Searching out, reaching in, to arrive where I begin." I hope that's an intentional reference (which it probably is) because cross-album referencing is so cool.
After the lyrics end, more multiple-voice craziness ensues. At 16:07, the guitar plays a riff based on the diminished scale while the keyboard plays a higher string part. This part reminds me a bit of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto no. 2, but that probably wasn't intended. Eventually, Jordan Rudess kinda ditches the strings to play a unison with John Petrucci on guitar (these unisons happen pretty frequently).
After the Jingle Bells-y part, the guitar plays a version of the keyboard solo's theme and eventually descends back into the key of F minor (what a surprise).

This part is titled "Intervals" because it references all the songs in the album by naming them as intervals (the first song being "root," the second "second," and so on up to "octave" (eighth). The lyrics for each interval paraphrase the song in question, with the last interval paraphrasing the song Octavarium's first section. In addition, part of each song is played in the background while being referenced, although you can't really hear much. It ends with four repetitions of "Trapped inside this Octavarium," with each repetition getting more... insane than the last. While he's busy screaming, the guitar plays a bit of the second main theme that was introduced 15 minutes ago. It sounds a bit strange at first, but I got used to it.

The last (and possibly the best) part of the song is Razor's Edge. The orchestra reprises the first main theme with the whole band playing along. The lyrics describe how everything moves in circles. After he says "A perfect sphere," the piano plays a G and then a lower C, which I think of as a reference to the perfect 5th interval (it makes more sense with a bit of music theory). After another line, he says, "The story ends where it began," which is obviously the theme of the whole song. Petrucci now proceeds to blow our minds with another hair-raising solo based on thematic material from Someone Like Him. After a final climactic buildup, the orchestra closes with a reprise of the second main theme. The last "important" chord is played and a horn plays a slight afterthought, although I don't know if it has any real significance. This last chord is not entirely minor, but made up of perfect intervals (5th and 4th, which combine to make the 8th). Again, I'm not sure if they intended the "perfect" intervals to mean anything.

But it's not over yet. At the end, you can hear something very faint playing. That's also the beginning of the first song of the album. That means that you can put the tracks back to back while still making musical sense! Both are in F minor, as the band intended them to be.

So that's it. Any comments? Was it too terminology-intensive? I'd like some constructive criticism.

Another reason why I hate airplanes...

I open up Yahoo today and staring back at me is Billie Joe Armstrong. Of course, my first reaction is elation because it must be some Green Day related thing. Then I read the heading."Singer booted from flight". That's right, Billie Joe Armstrong got kicked off a flight for sagging his pants to low. Yes, you heard correctly. Sagging his pants too low. Is that new airline policy or something? Some guy in San Fran awhile ago also got booted from a flight for sagging a while ago. These airline people need to calm down - we don't like their uniforms but do we kick them out flights? Yeah, we don't. People make such a big deal out of something nowadays.

As for Billie Joe Armstrong, I love his response when they asked him to pull his pants up - " Don't you have better things to do than worry about that?".

Long live Green Day and Billie Joe Armstrong's sagging pants.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/various-artists/news/green-day-singer-ejected-from-flight-over-pants--62013376

Just What I Needed

Yep. Mixing is pretty bad compared to "On A Plain" (which is kind of my standard for all subsequent covers). Last time I record vocals (badly) on the same track as a guitar part (especially if they're not synched very well). It's very rough, and although I did record rhythm guitar, it made the song too muddy. And another thing; this is an awesome song. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.

Happiness is two different things - what you take and what you bring.

And for those days when there are none, there is music. Lately I've been into sad but beautiful songs...I'm in a somewhat contemplative mood.  There's just something so elegant about them  - whether it's reminiscing about youth or trying to forget there is really expressive. Below are some of my favorites....

"Northern Downpour" - Panic! At The Disco
This is such a beautiful song...the haunting lyrics, the airy melody and the simplicity of it make for a song that never gets old.

"Under Control" by The Strokes
(I prefer the live versions of this song better but I couldn't find the one I usually listen to - Outside Lands 2010) This song is one of my favorites, possibly ever. I just love the message, the music, the idealism that it presents. If only things could be that simple.

"Whatsername" Green Day
Another one of my favorite songs...So sad, but it's so true. I also think it has a glimmer of hope in it that's just so heart breakingly lovely. Still living in the past and remembering someone you once loved...

"Soldier's Poem" Muse
 Probably, the best Muse song ever. The lyrics, the music, I could rave on and on...It makes us stop and appreciate things just a little more.

"Set Fire To The Third Bar" Snow Patrol
I love this song...Gary Lightbody's voice intertwined with Martha Wainwright's make for the perfect harmony and the song is just so,so,so sad.