All By Ourselves - Sloan - Between The Bridges - 1999

I was living in Cincinnati in 1999, and if you need further evidence of why I have such ambivalent feelings about the place, absorb this fact. In 1999 the local independant weekly picked Sloan's Between the Bridges as the best album the year, with The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin as a #2.

Now don't get me wrong, Sloan can be a tremendously entertaining band and they can write a good hook...there are quite a few of them on this album, including this song. And The Flaming Lips have lost some of their cool through computer ads, endless hippy festival appearances and one really bad album. But seriously, don't forget what an amazing pop symphony TSB was at the time...and despite it's charms what an unremarkable power pop album Between the Bridges is.

Anyway...

All Blues - Miles Davis - Kind of Blue - 1959

Jazz...though if you want to feel like you are walking around in a 1950's police procedural, this is the way to go. Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go question a dame about that pick up on south street.

All At Once (It's Not Important) - The Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops - 2006

So an old college buddy and I used to have a discussion about the merits of the "peaks and valleys" album verses the "plateau" album. In the Peak and Valley album you have 3-5 great songs sandwhiched in between some filler...forgetable or even bad songs. Whereas the "Plateau" album stayed consitantly good throughout, but without ever achieving greatness. Jason was of the opinion that consistance was the mark of a great band, and in theory I agree with him.

But it's albums like the second (and final) Secret Machines record that sort of belie that theory. There isn't really a bad song on the second record, this song included, but I never feel compelled to listen to it. The first record on the other had quite a few clunkers on it, but 3-4 really entertaining songs....quite the delima.

All Around The World - The Jam - All Around the World Single - 1977

Sorry to all five of my readers for the lack of updates. It's been a busy week.

Anyway, I was hanging out with one of my lady friends on Sunday playing video games (yes, I am exactly that cool) when I discovered that she gets the munchies like a 14 year old girl. We go on a simple beer run, and I buy one six pack and one bag of chips. She on the other hand bought an entire log of cookie dough, a pack of honey roasted nuts, and a bag of swedish fish.

I'm not sure if there is a fetish for watching tall, skinny vegan chicks eat an entire log of cookie dough, but if you want photos, I could probably arrange that.

Anyway, more of The Jam doing their thing.

All Apologies - Nirvana - In Utero - 1993

Man, Nirvana...okay...so here is my In Utero story:

I had tickets to see Nirvana at Dayton's Hara Arena in October of 1993, but I had a date. I figured, "hey, they'll be back around." and gave the tickets away. Who knew, right? The girl I went on a date with ended up being my girlfriend for many years. In hindsite, I would have been better served going to the concert. But you learn...I guess.

All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower Single - 1968

With all due respect to Mr. Dylan (and Neil Young, Bono, Eddie Vedder, etc, etc, etc), this is probably the definitive version of this song. Jimi just rocks it hard.

All Along The Watch Tower - Eddie Vedder and the Million Dollar Bashers - I'm Not There Soundtrack - 2007

Wait...this was a Bob Dylan song?

I kid, I kid...anyway, with Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young doing versions that are more definitive than the original already, I'm not sure why we needed Eddie to churn out another version, but whatever. As you would expect it's reverant and workman like. Not without it's charms, but "no reason to get excited"

All Across The Sand - The Stone Roses - Sally Cinnamon EP - 1987

The Stone Roses always make me think of Driver's Ed...which is mostly a good thing.

I always found them just a little too anemic, too pasty and British...but I have to acknowledge their influence and that they could write a song when they chose too. Plus, I really wanted the girl who always played The Stone Roses in my driver's ed car. Any girl cool enough to be listening to The Stone Roses in Kokomo deserved my attention, sadly she didn't really see it the other way around.

All About Us - Brazilian Girls - Talk To La Bomb - 2006

Brazilian Girls basically sound like cold, disaffected, joyless european sex. Like the kind of sex mimes would have.

Also, be careful when you Google image search for Brazilian Girls...if you are at work...that could end badly.

This is the first of 66 songs begining with "All"...brace yourself kids.

Alison (Live) - Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Armed Forces (Disc 2) - 1978

Okay, it occurs to me that perhaps I've been a touch harsh on Indiana in the past few days. It didn't help that my family spent the entire weekend driving me insane, and that I missed that first beautiful weekend in NYC, but perhaps I was a bit harsh on the Hoosier State. I will say, as lame as it can be, it was absolutely gorgeous there on Friday. And that I had a really great time hiking through the woods with my dad and my brother. Also, in it's defense Indiana did produce both James Dean and Steve McQueen...two of the most classic icons of cool there are. And of course Izzy and Axl of GnR. And then there's the Jacksons...which is obviously a mixed bag. On one hand you have "Rock with You" and Tito...but on the other hand you have Jesus Juice and LaToya.

Anyway, I've also been hard on Elvis Costello...but I've yet to reach any of the songs in which I can wax rhapsodic about him. Sadly, this live version of Alison is yet another precursor to the modern Elvis, stripping away the little bit of grit the studio version has for a torch song rendition. For a guy who could tremendously, wonderfully angry (Despite his protests to the contrary) he could also be a tremendous sap.

Alison's Starting to Happen - The Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray - 1992

Now that the Pitchfork crowd has reclaimed The Lemonheads, I feel less bad defending them. Though honestly, on one hand, I only ever really liked this one album, and on the other, I never really stopped liking it. Sure, circa 1994 Evan Dando was a gigantic smelly tool bag, but that shouldn't detract from what is really a pretty solid folk-pop-rock album.

And as for this song in particular, probably the song with the most spiky punk attitude on the record...I always...you know how some songs you have a very specific memory associated with? This is one of those songs.

I was 19 and starting work as a summer camp counselor in Northern Kentucky. My buddy and my girlfriend at the time had both been counselors and had talked me into signing up. I realized pretty quickly that A) new counselors were not quickly taken to and B) my buddy and my girlfriend were not members of the cool crowd. But late at night after the first day of staff training...I was hanging with the hippy counselor girls and realizing that THESE were the people I should be hanging out with. We had a lengthy discussion about this song, and the girls were mildly scandalized by the "Alison's getting her tit pierced" part (piercing, in 1993, in Northern Kentucky, was still pretty outre...as were The Lemonheads)...I guess in my mind that was the beginning of another phase in my life.

Alison - Slowdive - Souvlaki - 1993

More Things I Learned in Indiana:

D) My family talks a lot about the surguries people have had. This is especially disconcerting as they have no objection to doing this during dinner. There's nothing more appetizing than hearing about aunt Zelma's gall bladder surgury while eating potato salad.

Clearly Alison is a very musical name...

Slowdive's Souvlaki is basically the quintasential Shoegazer album, and this is one of the best 2-3 songs on the album. I am continually amazed by the degree to which shoegaze sounds have infiltrated so much of modern music. It seems like everybody loves a delay pedal these days.

Alison - Pixies - Bossanova - 1990

More Things I Learned in Indiana:

C) Fine. You got me. I'll admit it. Baby sheep and cows are pretty darn cute.

I said it, are you happy?

I still have every intention of eating and wearing those animals when they grow up.

Alison - Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True - 1977

More Things I Learned in Indiana:

B) Apparently, there is a desperate shortage of early 30 something men in Indianapolis who are neither fat, bald, or saddled with 37 children. Here in NYC, in a sea of the model thin and perfectly coiffed, I'm a drunk slob coasting on Irish charm and Midwestern "Aw shucks" manners...but back there it was like I was Brad Freaking Pitt. Waitresses, clerks, and bar tenders were all over me. One poor cashier at Trader Joe's was basically ready to jump me across the counter.

Look people who know me know that I am not a vain man (intellectual vanity doesn't count)...I'm not a "She was all over me" kinda guy...this shit was just really happening. It was a tremendous ego boast. If I weren't also a principled man (and staying with my grandparents) I might have nailed a swath right through the city of Indianapolis.

Anyway, Allison...what was once the pretty ballad on an angry album has become the prototype for any new music Elvis puts out. Still a great song though.

Alice Childress - Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five -1995

Back in the summer of 1998 I had a couple of friends move down to Bowling Green, Kentucky. I went down to visit them a few times that summer, as even they realized pretty quickly that Bowling Green is one of the more hellish places in this country. I was in the Ben Folds phase then, so this album as a whole and this song in particular always make me think of that summer. Sitting on the porch in the ungodly southern summer heat, sweating out the beer you were drinking, and waiting for the grill to get going. There was really nothing else to do.

It had it's charm, of course, but I like my life to have more gears than 1.

Alexander Bends - Butterglory - 5 Rows of Teeth: Merge Records 5 Year Anniversary Comp - 1992

So some other things I learned while in Indiana:

A) The latest in mall design is bizarre. The trend towards open air malls has been combined with the urge to pen your customers in. This has resulted in malls being designed to look like a town block in a hippy village. It's all fake streets with generic names, sort of like "Main Street USA" at Disney World only replace the faux 1900's candy stores with Vicky's Secret and Claire's Boutique. Also, the name of this mall was "Metropolis" which I knew because of the Hollywood Sign size gray steel letters out in front of the entrance to the parking lot. I was unable to find the Daily Planet's offices however.

Alexander Bends is pretty much what Indie Rock sounded like when I was in college. Striped absolutely bare, but deceptively poppy, short and to the point. Pretty much the entirity of that Merge 5 year comp is worth having, but even at a minute and a half, this is one of the highlights.

Alex Chilton - The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me - 1987

What's almost better than a first rate Big Star song? A fantastic Replacement song about Big Star, that's my answer...also, I love that Westerburg's vision of Chilton is slightly unhinged (Appropriately, on both men's accounts): Chilton is from Mars, children follow him like the pied pipper, he rapes and pillages through villages...only slightly less absurd is the idea, that actually existed for a few days, that Chilton had been lost in Hurricane Katrina...turned out not to be true, but it would have been an appropriately Westerburgian end to a man who was a legend to a depressingly small following.

One final note on the song itself, you can't go wrong with handclaps in a song. Much like cowbells, synchronized stops, and "na-na-na" choruses, it just always works.

Incidentally, this is song #100 in this little project. I'm 1% finished...swell...

Alec Eiffel - Pixies - Trompe Le Monde - 1991

Ok, so I was in Indiana less than 12 hours when they had a 5.8 on the richeter scale earthquake...in FREAKING INDIANA...not exactly the earthquake center of the world. Sure, tornados, we get those by the sackful but there are not supposed to be earthquakes there. Clearly this is a sign that God is displeased that I visited the midwest.

One of the more solid tracks off of Trompe Le Monde. My friend Rance is a big defender of this album, I find it mostly lackluster with a couple of winning tracks (No one can deny U-Mass is a great song).

Two songs from 91 in a row...sometimes this project has funny results.

Alcoholiday - Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque - 1991

I once took an Alcholiday...well several actually, but the big one was last year. I got my 3 best friends, my brother, and one of my buddy's brothers and headed over to Dublin and Amsterdam to have a little adventure. Part of the point of the trip was to show my brother the world, but basically it was just a chance to go on an international bender. I had been to Dublin twice before, once on a solo "go see the land of your ancestors" trip, and once with a girlfriend who spent the entire trip zonked on sinus medicine and in bed. This was my chance to tear Dublin up right proper. Needless to say, we put a hurtin' on that town...but by day 5 we were definitely a bit sick of each other's company. Therefore, Alcoholiday's should be limited to 4 days...heed my words children.

As I've pointed out before, I spent my late teens/early twenties obsessed with Big Star-ish power pop bands...this obviously included Teenage Fanclub.

Alcohol - CSS - Cansei De Ser Sexy - 2006

Alcohol...what I will be drinking a lot of with my brother over the next couple of days. Despite the occassional theory that I will use my time in the midwest to detox from my decadent NYC existence, I actual end up drinking more in an effort to cope with the tedium.

More CSS, still catchy and fun...and makes me want a drink.

Alarmed - Built to Spill - Ancient Melodies of the Future - 2001

So, I remember the first time I heard this record...It was early 2001 (pre-9/11) and I was living in a one room studio on 14th St. btwn 8th and 9th...back before that area was taken over by Stella McCartney. It was my first apartment in NYC and I was the only one of my crew to live in Manhattan, so my place was a frequent hang out. One of my friends had gotten a hold of an advance copy of the new BTS album and we were all excited to see it. Me and two of my fellow UK alums got together in my little room with a few six packs and sat back to listen. In hindsite, AMOTF is pretty lackluster, but I find this track to be one of the keepers. Martch was clearly trying to recapture a little of his Perfect From Now On mojo, bringing back Brett Netson for some fine space guitar, keeping Sam Coomes keyboard contributions appropriately eerie, and rocking the menacing vibe that made that earlier album so great.

As a history nerd, I also find something particularly evocative about the line "keep your lamps all trimmed and burning/might be alarmed at what you see". It speaks to something primordial in us, from before science had explained to us every creepy thing in the dark. I think leaving in early colonial america must have been terrifying. The darkness must have been positively Lovecraftian...

Yeah, anywho...

Alarm Call - Bjork - Homogenic - 1997

So, I have to go back to Indiana for my father's birthday. I haven't spent nearly enough time with my fam lately, so I shouldn't be so bitter about it however...I will be missing a 77 degree sunday in NYC...the first one of 2008. Spaghetti string tank tops and short skirts will line the streets, outdoor drinking will be in full effect, and I will be making a turban out of paper towels while playing Risk with my dad and my brother. I will be surrounded by corn and old relatives, while my friends eat, drink and be merry.

There is no justice in this world.

Anyway, Bjork when she still knew how to write a melody. Good stuff.

Alanson, Crooked River - Sufjan Stevens - Greetings from Michigan, The Great Lakes State - 2003

Sufjan Stevens
Instrumental
One minute, nineteen seconds
'nuff said

Alameda - Elliot Smith - Either/Or - 1997

I started writing this yesterday, when I was full of energy and spring time enthusiasm. At the time, Elliot Smith was too morose, too wistful and sad for my mood and I was going to write all about how ES had invented the quiet indie boy voice and how his death had given him a certain cache that I'm not entirely sure he earned...but today, dead tired from a late night of fun and a long day at work, wired from too much coffee, but wiped out and listless...and with no bed in my immediate future, Elliot is exactly my mood.

Don't get me wrong, there are Smith songs that inspire me (Baby Britain, Cupid's Trick, Bled White, among others) but this quiet whispery Elliot is rarely my choice...but it takes days like today to remind me of their uses.

Alala - CSS - Cansei De Ser Sexy - 2006

Saturday night I'm walking down Avenue A on the path from one bar to another. I'm relatively tall, and a fast walker to boot, so I was cutting past a group of Frat boy or ex-frat boy looking dudes and I heard this little gem "It's not that I'm not attracted to her, or that I don't think she has a great body, it's just that I was introduced to her as 'Cow-Pig', you know?"

I'd love to know the context, but I'm sure it would be dissapointing...

I have no idea why I like CSS, but I kinda do.

Alacran - Calla - Televise - 2002

So this is a less than 90 second instrumental by Calla...not much to say here, so how about a little wisdom from Jack Burton.

You just listen to the ol' Pork Chop Express an' take his advice on a dark and stormy night. When somewild-eyed eight-foot tall maniac grabs your neck an' taps the back of your favorite head up against a barroom wall. An' he looks you crooked in the eye an' he asks if you've paid your dues. You look right back at that big sucker an' remember what Jack Burton always says at times like that. "Haveyou paid your dues, Jack" "Yes sir, the check is in the mail."

Words to live by Jack.

Alabama - Neil Young - Harvest - 1972

Ok, so here is a moral delima. On one hand we have a pretty good song by Neil Young during his heyday...on the other hand, this is the song that prompted the Lynard Skynard douchebags to write Sweet Home Alabama to defend their home land. So, should I hold the results of this song against it. I mean it's well meaning "the South has an ugly history of racism" stuff from a Canadian...and it has a decent guitar line and the great harmonies Young had on Harvest...but again, fucking Sweet Home Alabama...

You know what, I side with the Canandian. Fuck Bama...fuck it hard.

Airportman - R.E.M. - Up - 1998

As I've stated before, I have a complicated relationship with R.E.M. Among the consequences of this is the fact that I will defend Up as a halfway decent album. It was a dark time for the band. Bill Berry had just had his aneurysm scare and had left the band under the condition that the band would not quit, Stipe's growing friendship with Thom Yorke had convinced him that the band needed to be more experimental, and the novelty of the Spice Girls had blossomed into a full fledged teen-pop movement led by a crazy girl in plaid schoolgirl skirt.

Under these circumstances R.E.M. did their best to put out a solid album and mostly hit the target by being relatively modest and not shying away from being moody. This song however completely blows. Just a bunch of keyboard beeps without a distinctive melody to cling to...and worse yet, it's the album opener. Give the album a chance, just start at track 2.

Airbag - Radiohead - Live at the BBC, April 1st 2008 - 2008

I can't remember who said this, but I remember reading an interview with someone who stated that in order to be truly great, every band needs a member who kinda sucks...or else they end up sounding like Rush. This is the Ringo Starr theory, if you will. In Radiohead, this member is Ed O'Brien. And for this reason, and many others, Ed is my favorite member of the band.

First of all, at 6 foot 4, Ed towers over the rest of the band. Seeing him and Thom standing next to each other is rather like a scene from Lord of the Rings. Also, Ed is almost always stoned. There are a few songs in which he does not have a part to play...you can generally see him off to the side of the stage smoking up during these songs. Ed is the only one who seems to really enjoy being a rock star, and the most willing to take the piss out of Thom. But beyond this, Ed's limited technical skills have actually forced him to become one of the more interesting players in the band. Basically, he plays effects pedals. Only on the older songs (or the throw backs like Go TO Sleep) do you see him playing a traditional second guitar player's role...most of the time he just makes weird noises.

Airbag is a great example of "What Does Ed Do Exactly" (my favorite game to play at a Radiohead show)...he is the guitar line that comes in at about the 10 second mark...neither that monster riff of Johnny's, nor Thom's crunching rhythm part, but the tinkling little, The Edge inspired bit that comes in underneath it all. Additionally, you get Ed's capable background vocals on the "Woah-oh-oh" part at the end...well, on live versions, Thom usually over dubs him in the studio...

Yes. I do realize I'm a giant nerd.

Airbag - Radiohead - OK Computer - 1997

Well...shit...what the fuck do I say about Airbag. When I started this project, I assumed I would have plenty of things to say about each and every Radiohead song...but now that I'm faced with it...I'm like an ape before the monolith.

Alright, if you haven't picked up on this yet, I'm part of the legion of Radiohead obsessives. And this is my favorite album of theirs, and in my not even slightly humble opinion the best album of the 90's. And like any great album it needs to come roaring out of the gates, and Johnny's steam roller of a guitar riff just about does that on it's own.

Also, incidentally, I have had 4 serious car accidents in my youth (I drove way to fast when i was a kid)...the last one saw me flip my dad's car into a telephone poll...when the wreck was done I could reach my hand into the back seat and touch the telephone poll right behind my head. Having come away with nothing but a broken rib and some cuts from broken glass, I was a lucky guy...and I knew exactly what Thom meant..."My god, I cheated death...I am ready to take on the world!!!" Crazy stuff...

Airbag - Doveman - Stereogum Presents OKY: A Tribute to OK Computer - 2007

I downloaded this album out of curiosity, but without much hope for the possibility of a bunch of Stereogum-y artists ability to recreate my favorite album (yes, I'm that cliche). Happily, more than a few of the songs actually work...this one however, not so much.

They've slowed it way down and made it delicate. The guitar has been replaced by a tinkling piano line, the vocals are whispered, the drums, brushed...it's not bad per se...just boring.

The Air Near My Fingers - The White Stripes - Elephant - 2003

Despite it's billing as a WS song, this actually sounds a lot more like White's work with The Raconteurs, which honestly I'm more of a fan of than his bluesier work. I probably barely noticed this song when Elephant was released, but now I'd say it's probably one of the WS songs I enjoy the most.

Air Aid - Menomena - Friend or Foe - 2007

A few nights ago, a friend of mine that I hadn't talked to in seven years got in touch with me via MySpace and let me know that he'd be in town in a couple weeks. Ordinarily, if one of my old friends from the Midwest suddenly dropped in on me, I would conveniently have "The busiest week of the year" scheduled at work...but I was honestly glad to hear from this guy. He's basically one of the most decent human beings I've ever met, and totally look forward to his visit. He called on the phone and we had a good, if slightly awkward chat...anyway, it was a nice touch to the week.

I've been really into Menomena. They are kind of like a less annoying version of The Liars, or The Secret Machines with the Bombast dialed way down.

Air - Talking Heads - Fear of Music - 1979

I downloaded Fear of Music following reading a book of essays by Jonathan Letham. In one of the essays he described his love for this album. It's a TH album, produced by Eno, with a significant contribution by Robert Fripp...sounds like a sure thing, right. Actually it leaves me a bit cold. There are definitely some interesting Eno-esque textures, and great moments...but at the end of the day, I find the songwriting lackluster.

This song ain't bad, nothing on the album is bad...it just doesn't thrill me.

Air - Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen (Expanded Edition) - 1997

My friend Dave loves to hear about my first couple of years out of college, primarily because it was one of the most miserable, painful periods of my life. And while there were many things about that period I am embarrassed about: living my bloated life, with my bloated girlfriend, in a shitty Northern Kentucky suburb, working at a cubicle farm, eating fast food...few things are as embarrassing and painful as admitting how much I LOVED the Ben Folds Five at the time.

All in all though, this isn't a terrible song.

Ain't Never Been Cool - Lucky Soul - The Great Unwanted - 2007

It's the first 70 degree day of 2008 in NYC. If I haven't made this abundantly clear, I'm a huge fan of the spring. Everything is better in the spring, aside of my stupid allergies. Can't wait for sidewalk drinking though. Good stuff.

So, this is Lucky Soul sounding a bit more Martha and The Vandellas than The Supremes this time, which is appropriately spring-like. And no darlin', I ain't never been cool either.

Ahimana - Tinariwen - Aman Iman: Water is Life - 2007

So the other day I was coming out of the subway at Union Square and I saw a middle aged Asian-American woman on her cell phone, standing right by the entrance. Clearly she was finishing a conversation before getting on the subway. Also, conversation might be a slightly generous description as she was clearly having a fight with someone. I only caught two things she said as I walked past but those two lines paint quite the picture. "I just don't see what I'm getting out of this." and even better "Is that what you do for fun, you insult a two year old?"

Clearly, whoever was on the other end of that phone conversation is someone I want to hang with. Also, yes, I'm a shameless people watcher/eaves dropper.

Tinariwen is one of my attempts to broaden my horizons. It is working with limited success. This isn't their best track though.

Ah-Leu-Cha (Take 5) - Miles Davis & John Coltrane - Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Colombia Recordings

Seriously, people...aren't you paying attention?

Ah-Leu-Cha (Alternate Take) - Miles Davis & John Coltrane - Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Colombia Recordings

Yup, still Jazz

Ah-Leu-Cha - Miles Davis & Thelonious Monk - LIve at Newport - 1958

Still jazz

Ah-Leu-Cha - Miles Davis & John Coltrane - Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Colombia Recordings

Jazz

The Agony of Laffitte - A Series of Sneaks - 1998

This is pretty much where the legend of Spoon begins, like the most delicate version of NIN's Broken EP, this is Spoon railing against their mistreatment by a major label. Of course, in hindsight it's pretty hard to feel bad for them. In the interim they signed with artist friendly Merge records, had each record grow in both commercial appeal and critical respect, have had their songs used in car commercials, movie trailers, and tv shows. Britt even got a cameo on Veronica Mars.

Still Ron Laffitte (the A&R rep railed about in this song) was clearly an asshole.

The Agony of Laffitte - Britt Daniel - 2001 NYU

So, when I think of the studio version of this song in my head I tend to think of it as just Britt and a guitar, but this live version, in which it actually is just that, is actually fairly useful in demonstrating how much atmosphere there is to the studio version. Not that this is a bad version, Daniel has an amazingly persuasive voice, but I find myself missing the multi-tracked vocals, the little bits of ambient noise (the ocean? traffic?), the subtle drums, the xylophone.

Bet you didn't even know all that stuff was there, did you?

Ageing Faces/Losing Places - Kevin Drew - Spirit If... - 2007

So, a week or so ago one of my female friends was mugged. She lives out in the aluminum siding district in Bushwick and got jumped coming off the subway. As a result she suffered a broken wrist and a pretty nasty black eye.

Now, surliness aside, I'm still a good catholic boy at heart, so I volunteered to help her on a run to the Container Store to buy a new closet thingy. We're standing in line and getting assistance from the CS dude...he asks her what happened. Understandably, she didn't want to go into it so she just says "I fell". Well of course the guy spends the rest of the transaction giving me the stink eye. If I had thought my friend wouldn't have minded I would have just told the guy "Yes, I beat her. I throw her down the stairs for fun..."

Look, mother F-er...I'm doing a good deed here...don't look at me like I'm Connie Corleone's first husband...geez. A guy just can't win...

Anyway, this is Kevin Drew trying to recapture the magic of Anthems for Seventeen Year Old Girls. He doesn't quite pull it off...but not bad.

Ages of You - R.E.M. - And I Feel Fine... - 2006

This is actually a live take from their Boston show in 1983. The track demonstrates what a solid drummer live drummer Bill Berry was. Back in the day when they were America's best college band, they were amazingly tight from non-stop touring. The ease with which they spring into this song is breathtaking.

Ages of You - R.E.M. - Dead Letter Office - 1987

A friend of mine recently played the new R.E.M. album for me. I haven't decided if I'll be adding it to the Pod yet or not, but what struck me most about it was how much they wished they were still this band...but this track, which had been floating around since their bar band days, and never made it on a proper studio album still has more energy and spirit than anything on that new album.

I have a complicated relationship with the boys from Athens...but there will be plenty of time to go into that later. For the moment, I'll enjoy them at their youthful best.

Agenbite of Inwit - The Most Serene Republic - Population - 2007

And speaking of The Most Serene Republic.

This is a pleasant but unremarkable instrumental.

Not much else to say.

Ageless Beauty (Most Serene Republic Remix) - Stars - Do You Trust Your Friends - 2007

Well, rather than the usual remix that makes a song sound more electronic, the MRS peoples remixed this to sound like a something off of disc 2 of Wilco's being there. The back porch sing-a-long vibe and barrel house piano ads the right amount of hoedown to make it work.

Ageless Beauty - Stars - Set Yourself On Fire - 2004

So I was recently given a new team of developers to manage, and like many developers they are somewhat prickly folks. As they hadn't really taken to me, I was starting to feel a bit like Lt. Goreman in Aliens...the callow commander without the respect of his troops. So, I fixed this in the only way an Irishman knows how. By going out drinking with them and displaying my inner rock star. This also ended up involving karaoke...I'm not sure how, exactly, I ended up singing both Rick Astley and Mr. Big...but it seemed to have done the trick. Also, So-Co and Lime shots on an empty stomach, always a terrible, terrible decision.

I'm into this Stars song. Occasionally, there music can be a bit fey for my tastes, but this one has the right mixture of 90's girl-rock/Canadian-collective rock to keep me happy....Belly as backed by Broken Social Scene if you will. Decent stuff.

Age of Consent - New Order - Power, Corruption, and Lies - 1983

Aside of a typically infectious Peter Hook bassline, this is easily one of the most dull New Order songs of the period.

Agaetis Byrjun - Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun - 2000

What the hell do you think happens in Iceland? Do they all walk around in swan dresses, speaking their own version of Esperanto? Do they live in Pycrete hotels and eat pickled herring? Do they soak in hot springs and just smoke a lot of pot and listen to Sigur Ros?

Whatever, they're clearly happier people.

Afterward/Rag - M. Ward - Post War - 2006

M. Ward makes albums that sound like albums my grandparents would have loved when they were young. Either that's your thing or it isn't. But you really can't argue with the guys talent or his distinctive voice. Plus you gotta love the creepy David Lynch organ that runs under this particular song.

Another quality artist brought to us by mighty, might Merge.

After You Left - Mirah - Advisory Committee - 2001

I've now had 2 Mirah songs and still zero Radiohead songs...this should not be viewed as representative of my musical tastes in general.

This one is short, and is accompanied by an exceptionally ominous bass-y keyboard. Otherwise it isn't even a particularly noteworthy Mirah track.

I stayed in, stayed sober, and went to bed early last night...so I can't even regale you with drunken antics.

After the Rain - John Coltrane - Legacy 1 - Harmonic & Melodic Disc - 2002

Sadly, this is not the Nelson song of the same name.

Actually, it's super cool Coltrane, but you know the rule about jazz.

After the Laugher - ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Our Dead - Sources, Tags, and Codes - 2002

So, I was walking in front of this woman yesterday on my walk to the corner store. She was on her phone and at first I thought she said "I just got offered a position at Wookie Magazine". Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) the person she was speaking to didn't hear her either so she had to repeat "I got offered a position with LUCKY magazine". So this got my thinking, Wookie Magazine! Why doesn't this exist? I would totally subscribe to Wookie.

Actually, now that I think about this, there probably is a Wookie Magazine and it's probably for gay men that like "bears". Let me state that I would categorically never subscribe to Wookie Magazine, and I'm offended that you thought I would. Just cause I lived in Chelsea for a year and a half...

Anyway, this is really just an interstitial piece from Trail of the Dead. It sounds old timey and doesn't really do anything.

After the Last Laugh - Archers of Loaf - White Trash Heroes - 1998

A few words about Sake.
Sake is awesome.
That is all.

My buddy and I were talking yesterday about how White Trash Heroes is probably the Archers album that most resembles Bachman's later work with Crooked Fingers. The outro on this song, for instance, seems a pre-cursor to New Drink for the Old Drunk. Which is what I was last night. Because of the sake.

See, I brought it full circle.

After the Goldrush - Neil Young - After the Goldrush - 1970

I find it massively appropriate that this song is from 1970...it sounds like a burned out Sunday afternoon hangover following a crazy weekend, with Monday looming like a shadow.

And who doesn't love a good French horn solo?

After the Goldrush - The Flaming Lips - The Bridge: A Tribute to Neil Young - 1989

This song is probably a lot less surprising now than it was in 1989. We are now pretty aware of the fact that the Lips can be delicate and melodic, as well as messy with the sonics. Other than some gratuitous drum fills and a little dialed back noise guitar, this is pretty much a faithful cover with Wayne doing justice to the Neil's vocal style.

After the Afterglow - The Comas - Spells - 2007

This song is simply lovely. Probably the best thing I've discovered on this project thus far (all of 58 songs in so far). No clue what the "13 Evil Buzzards" are all about, but there are many things to recommend this song: The faux vinyl crackle, the angry guitar pushed way down into the mix, the heartbroken vocals...really good stuff. But what really gets me are the backing vocals that come in during the last minute of the songs...something about them reminds me of the Lost Boys soundtrack...and I mean that as a compliment.

After It All - Cat Power - The Greatest - 2006

I maintain that sobriety will be the death of Chan Marshall. You can accuse me of glorifying substance abuse or buying into the myth that art is only produced through misery and self-destruction (which I do), but seriously listen to this song...under the classy Memphis soul arrangements...isn't this really a Norah Jones track?

Sure, Hipster moms need music to let them feel cool in their pimped out mini-vans, but I miss the bat shit crazy girl who'd cry on stage. We have too many professionals running around as is.

After Hours - Caribou - Andorra - 2007

I ended up playing bass with my boys last night. No idea how bass players do it. My fingers are absolutely killing me. It's like pressing down on telephone cables.

Despite not being the hugest of electronica fans, this Caribou album has stealthily crept up to be one of my favorite albums of the last year. And this is one of the better tracks. The guy certainly knows how to layer a song and despite it's electronic underpinnings there is still a strong a surprisingly Byrds-y melody at the heart of the song.