33 Forever - Indie Music, Playlists, Concert Information | SF Bay Area

Monthly Music Fix - Feb 2013 - Chill

2013-02-09T19:34:00.001-06:00

Some super new, somewhat new, old and very old music to sit back and relax to.

Lo-HI - Peaking Lights
We start things off slooooooow. The ambient sounds give the feeling of being light and floating. I think this is a super arty pop song talking about parenting.

Ganja Smuggling - Eek a Mouse
After a trip to Kauai, I am more into reggae/island music. Something about the beat and music, just makes you want to sit back and relax. And maybe bounce up and down abit.

Goin' Against Your Mind - Built to Spill
I don't know what I like more: "thought twas an alien, turned out to be just god" or "goin gainst yur mind, goin gainst yur mind....." over and over.Or, "if you're not sure who not to believe/Who has better reasons to deceive" Its all just really good.

Property Lines - Dusted
This is alittle dark for a chill song. But, I think its just easy to get lost in music in this one.

Heavy Feet - Local Natives
Saw these guys live. The multi-instrumentalist/drummer dude is amazing. definitely exceeded my expectations. If you have a chance to see these guys live, do it.

Default - Django Django
This was a big miss for me in 2012. I really, really dig this album and I've been listening to it alot. I'd expect these guys to be amazing live. Its awesome and dancy.

Breezebocks - Alt-J
Another miss in 2012 for me. Such a crazy weird voice, but like Django Django above, its upbeat and fun. I'm sure both bands would probably hate to hear me describe their music as fun.

No Destruction - Foxygen
Foxygen is awesome. And doesn't this song sound like a cross of bob dylan and the beatles? And, it includes this line, "there's no need to be an asshole, you're not in brooklyn anymore."

33Forever Top Albums of 2012 - Top 5

2013-01-22T02:13:00.001-06:00

These top 5 albums standout as awesome albums that I enjoyed listening to in 2012.

1. good kid, m.A.A.d City - Kendrick Lamar
2012 was the year of the black hippy crew. Kendrick's section 80 came out in late 2011, followed by Ab-Soul and Schoolboy releasing two amazing albums...but those all seem like openers for the main act that is good kid, m.A.A.d City...Which blew me away. It captures hip hop right now. But, I don't think it will sound dated in a few years. And, this may come across as "rockist," but its ALBUM, rather than a collection of singles. There's a real, emotional story going on. It represents everything awesome about awesome rock albums.

2. Attack on Memory - Cloud Nothings
Attack on Memory seems to perfectly capture the marriage of teen angst and mature, punk rage. And, not unlike gcmc, above, it does it in a way that very much sounds like today, but I don't think will seem dated in a few years. "We started a war! Attack on memory! No easy way out! Forget Everything! No Nostalgia! No Sentiment! We're over it now, we were over it then!"

3. Gossamar - Passion Pit
You can listen to this album from start to finish and think that you just listened to a fun album. You could play this album for your most mopey friend and they'd be up, about and shaking their booty. That awesome dancy, upbeat sound exists soley to mask the depressive, anxious, destructive thoughts and feeling expressed throughout the album. Here are a few examples:
"I drink a gin and take a couple of my pills."
"I'm so self loathing that its hard for me to see."
"My brain is racing and I feel like I'll explode."
"Sorry I couldn't be there, I was tied to a rocking chair, I was beat down to a pulp, rocking back and forth somwhere. If you knew, If you saw, you'd have said it was the final straw, that my life was bound and tethered on a porch by the shore"
"And yes, I drank all those drinks on my own/My life's become some blurry little quest"
"Don't once think that/this madness is my fault alone."
"You don't mean to/hurting her is too maddening"
"Its not fair, Its not fair, still I'm the only who seems to care."
"love, love, love, is just greed."

4. Control System - Ab-Soul
This a sneaky good album. Start to finish a great flow. This is the second of three Black Hippy Crew albums on the list. This album is probably the most *interesting* of the top five. I love the beats and production. The flow of tracks from Terrorist Threats through A Rebellion come together to create a fresh, interesting groove that combine some of the best parts of weird edm production, weed rap and some crazy literate rock.

5. Habits Contradictions - Schoolboy Q
And the third Black Hippy Crew album in the top five. I will forever associate 2012 with the Black Hippy Crew and very specifically this album. I listened to this album alot this year. And, I'm fairly confident that I listened to at least one song from this album every day since sometime last spring.

33forever Top Albums of 2012 - #6-#15 (rest of the Top 15)

2013-01-22T02:13:00.000-06:00

6. Celebration Rock - Japandroids
Do you like rock n roll music? Then you will love this album. It includes every single awesome thing that an awesome rock n roll album has:
- "oh oh oh oh ohs"
- Telling everyone who doubted you/hated you/never gave you a break, to eff-off
- Waking up tired/hungover/still drunk/in a gutter/not sure where you are, but it being ok, because it was all worth it for the raging night last night
- Talking about how hard we partied last time/last week/when we were younger...and it was awesome
- Giving up all your fears/throwing it all way for that one moment of awesome!
- That girl who loved you/loved me/didn't love you/didn't love herself, but man if you just had one chance...
- Heaven/Hell, the direction of your soul, my soul and everyone's soul
- awesome solos
- paradise
- anthemic choruses
- banging on the drums
- that nod to the stones
- that nod to zepplin

Here's the thing, I just wrote all those things not being able to pinpoint if in fact that any of that list occurs in the album, but because this is a classic rock n roll album in the way that thin lizzy does straight ahead rock n roll, I'm confident I can find an example for each point above.

7. Visions - Grimes
I'm not sure how to classify the genre of Visions. Its dark, dancy, uplifting, sometimes dark and uplifting at the same time, chill, sometimes passive aggressive. I've listened to this album a ton and i really have no idea what any of the songs are about, but I know how she feels. and, for the most part, I don't think she feels very good.

8. Transcendental Youth - The Mountain Goats
I mean, basically without having heard the album I could have told you it would be in my top ten. Here are the facts:
- I fan-boyed out this year when John Darnielle played a solo acoustic set at Swedish American Hall
- this album includes on of my top 10 favorite Mountain Goat lines: "I hide down in my corner, because I like my corner," which is in a song that is dedicated to Amy Winehouse and is now on my I've now added to my, "must see live bucket list,"
- It covers every sort of crazy or slightly crazy.
- He sings, "long black nights, morning frost, I'm still here, but all is lost!" with his happy voice in the only way that John Darnielle can do it
So, yeah. Its pretty awesome.

9. Lonerism - Tame Impala
This feels like one of those where i'll feel dumb for rating it too low because I listen to it all the time or I'll look back and think that it was a good album at the time, but I'll probably never listen to it. My sense is that this will become a staple of my, "I want to listen to a good album," collection.

10. Cancer for Cure - El-P
There is an urgency to Cancer for Cure that grabs you immediately and never lets you go. Its sort of reminiscent of Pretty Hate Machine. PS I love how El-P has totally solidified his position as godfather of underground hip hop.

11. Local Business - Titus Andronicus
The third album from Titus Andronicus begins with, "Ok, I think by now we've established, everything is inherently worthless, and theres nothing in the universe, with any kind of objective purpose." Sang in a way that combines born to run with thunder road. So, thats all you need to know about this album to determine its awesomeness to you.

12. American Weekend - Waxahatchee
I'm fairly confident that if you check in with me in five years, this album will have far more plays than any other album. I mean, its a girl, strumming a guitar into a tape recorder in her parents house, singing about heart break. And it has so many over the top emo lines that i can't imagine that this girl doesnt have 50% her audience sittting on the floor with their hands in their face, crying. I mean, of course i am going to listen to this album all the time. I mean, "And I'll fish for compliments, And, I'll drink until I'm happy, and I'll wonder what you're doing, but I won't call."

13. The Only Place - Best Coast
I was in love with San Francisco before, but this year, I fell in L-O-V-E. Love with San Francisco. I know this album is about SoCal, but man, "why would you live anywhere else?" This is just great California pop with an updated twist. Bethany Cosentino is singing California pop and talking about California, but talking about her version of California where she wants to be happy because she's surrounded by the sun and the fun and the California awesomeness, but she isn't happy...and she keeps trying to get happy.

14. Fear Fun - Father John Misty
A superb album. And, I bet it sounds amazing live. And, Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings might be the best song of 2012.

15. Put Your Back N 2 It - Perfume Genius
Almost all you need to know about this album is that it begins with a loud, heavy, hopeless sigh. and then its gets more and more depressing, ending with "dont stop till you know you're gone," and including, "you would never call me baby, you knew me truly."

33Forever 2012 NSFW Annual Playlist

2013-01-14T03:16:00.002-06:00

My 2012 NSFW Playlist. Descriptions below the playlist. Please let me know what you think.

Some Nights - Fun.
This is a great pop song. And, since its such a well done pop song (from an under-rated pop album), it's played everywhere and its strange because its a super depressing song, with some pretty real lyrics, but with the nice sheen of high production it sounds like pop awesomeness.

Fun - Some Nights - SNL 11-3-12 by IdolxMuzic

Amy aka Spent Gladiator 1 - The Mountain Goats
Amy here is Amy Winehouse, but its for all the Amy Winehouses. One of my new favorite mountain goat lines, "I hide down in my corner, because I like my corner." Or, maybe its, "play with matches if you think you need to play with matches."

Sail - AWOLNATION
I don't know very much about AWOLNATION other than, this song rocked at Coachella and they seem to blame everything on ADD, which makes alot of sense. At Coachella, Macy Gray joined them on stage for this song and the crowd cheered and it was actually pretty cool.

Werewolf - Fiona Apple
This is an entire song of her deciding to split blame. Which is awesome and confessional and only sorta weird. But, cool. "But, I admit I provided a full moon."

The Only Place - Best Coast
Another highlight of the year was hearing Best Coast at Treasure Island, sing this song as the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge. Really Dug it. And, very obviously a great California song: the breezy sound, the honest confusion as to why someone would actually want to live anywhere else, because you know, its perfect out here. I mean, I wore flip flops and shorts to work pretty much every day this summer.

Hands on the Wheel - Schoolboy Q (ft A$AP Rocky)
I listened to this song...alot. A) I caught it just as I had sort of exhausted A$AP and was looking for new stuff from him and/or another artist to follow B)I caught this song just as I was discovering Schoolboy. C) It includes Lissie's Version of Pursuit of Happiness. So, yeah, this song is pretty freaking awesome. We're now fully into the NSFW part of the playlist. Speaking, of I was reminded that not everyone knows that NSFW = Not Safe For Work. It generally means, its got bad stuff, so don't play this in front of anyone but you and your friends. Kids, Parents, Teachers, Co-Workers, Bosses, People that work for you, etc, etc.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery ~~Blues~~ Sings - Father John Misty
So, this video is pretty awesome, huh?

Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings from thatgo on Vimeo.
Emotion, cool lines, a great Drum beat. Good stuff.

In a Big City - Titus Andronicus
"I grew up on one side of the river
I was a disturbed, dangerous drifter
moved over to the other side of the river
now I'm a drop in a deluge of hipsters"

Titus is probably now in my top 5 favorite bands that I love right now. Patrick Stickle's lyrics are so so good. He's like the punk rock version of Connor Oberst. He's like the bastard love child of Bruce Springsteen, Paul Westerberg, the dude from Thin Lizzy, Bob Dylan, Dee Dee Ramone and some garage band that no one has ever heard of in some random suburb somewhere.

The House that Heaven Built - Japandroids
this song is straight ahead rock n roll. These guys just do rock music really, really, well. hooks, sing songy choruses about living-your-life-the-way-you-want-to-live-it-but-man-bills-and-work-really-get-me-down. Things are written in the skies. And people can't slow you down or keep you back and ultimately everyones gonna love you and its gonna be awesome.

I'll be Alright - Passion Pit
Keeping with the "great pop song" theme, here is another take on dance-pop. I love the whole, sing sad songs to fast and up beat tracks with lots of places where it just sounds like the singer is smiling. I never heard any of these lines said in a way that sounds so happy...ever:
"I drink a gin and take a couple of my pills"
"I'm so self loathing that its hard for me to see reality from what I dream"
"My brain is racing and I feel like I'll explode"

Monkey Riches - Animal Collective
And, now we're about to get alittle weird and dancy. My favorite song off their latest album. There wasnt as much excitement around this album compared to merryweather, but this is still a pretty interesting album and another that may be under rated. Their live show is trippy.

In the Grace of Your Love - The Rapture
# 1 musical moment of 2012 was this. It was a good show, it became a great show and you could feel this energy building up in the crowd as we were all collectively realizing that we were all about have that one amazing music moment that we all hope for, but proves more and more elusive. And then it happened during this song. And it was amazing and just wow. And then 3:11 to about 4:18 in the song happened and it was pretty much perfect.

Genesis - Grimes
As much as I've talked about Pop Music in this post, I think the Grimes album is probably only second to Good Kid M.a.a.d City in terms of capturing what 2012 sounded like to me. The long drones, high production, some singing with the words effectively inconsequential to the mood the sound creates, but in a darker way.

Everything is Embarrassing
Former young/poppy/model girl goes emo, like super emo. And makes a great pop album. Again, dark, but poppy. And this performance on Fallon was great!

***WARNING***
We're now entering the fully and totally not safe for you to listen to in front of anyone. There's sex, drugs, cursing, more cursing, more sex, doing drugs, selling drugs
***WARNING***

Rolling Stone - The Weeknd
The Weeknd has sortof reinvented and reinvigorated classic R&B. I'd argue moreso than Frank Ocean. But, thats mostly because I love the dark, more real place he took it. This line is so fantastic: "yeah I got my issues/why you think I fuckin flow/and Ima keep on smokin/till I can't another note."

Mercy - Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha-T, 2Chainz
This is just such classic Kanye. He makes Big Sean awesome and bad ass. The last two versus are two of my favorite hip-hop versus this year. Whats crazy is Kanye's verse. Most of the time rappers are talking about how awesome they and taking some liberties with the truth in terms of how many G-6 jets they actually own. Kanye's verse is actually not overplaying his life too much. He could pretty much name his price at label at this point and can add suicide doors to his tour bus, I mean, hes sorta the king of the world at this point.

Fuckin' Problems - A$AP Rocky featuring Drake, 2Chainz, Kendrick Lamar
Just some great hip-hop. And, Kendrick Lamar's line, "My pep talk turned into a pep rally," is pretty killer.

Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst - Kendrick Lamar

Lots of reasons why i love this song:

7:23-10:07 is my favorite 2 minutes of rap this year.
It includes Maya Angelou
"My best days, I stress days"
"Its hard to channel your energy, when you know you crooked"
"Money, p***y and greed, whats my next crave? Whatever it is, know its my next grave"
"Choirs is humming, Tell us to visit, we lie about coming"
"Somebody send me a well for the drought"
"What happens if today is the rapture and you completely tarnish"
It ends with the sinners prayer.

Best Cities for Live Music - Improvement Center Map

2012-12-13T00:58:00.001-06:00

Shout out to My sister in law for putting together a cool list of music focused cities. Its pretty handy and its cool, because its from my sister in law.

Improvement Center Top Music Cities

Monthly Music Fix: Birthday 2012

2012-12-10T02:19:00.001-06:00

Okkervil River - For Real
This song. Man, this song is just so great. Almost emo.
"And I don't want to hear you say it shouldn't really be this way, because I like this way just fine."

Modest Mouse - Interstate 8
I've been listening to more and more modest mouse.
"I'm on a road shaped like a figure 8/I'm goin nowhere and I'm guaranteed to be late."

Sia - Breath Me (Four Tet Remix)
I don't know what it is about this remix, but it definitely made me hear the song differently and really like it. It must be something with the drums that make it almost less depressing and more...crazy?

Schoolboy Q - Sacrilegious
This is the first song off of Q's Habits and Contradictions. the few guitar notes followed by the deep bass in the background that continues the whole song and then the first lines of the album, "Gloomy on sunny days/Shadows, no house of trees/Prayers, not close to me/As I bow down to take knee/Hell goes as far the eye can see," provide an excellent overview of the dark demons the he's about to explore in the album.

Curren$y - Michael Knight
"I wasn't born yesterday, nor later on that evenin'"

The Weeknd - Lonely Star
I loved the Weeknd last year (House of Balloons/Thursday combo was my number one album of 2011), and I'm feeling pretty good about that ranking considering that I'm still listening to the albums...alot. However, i have an even great appreciation for Thursday today. The album is built around people having time and situation specific identities. This song, the first on the album, begins explaining, that for Lonely Star, he only exists on Thursdays.

Misha - Summersend
Um, we had quite a string of dark/heavy songs. So, lets lighten things up abit.

Modest Mouse - Dramamine
Probably in my top 5 live music experiences this year was hearing Dramamine at the Warfield. Just awesome.

Schoolboy Q - Grooveline Pt. 1
A key part of my enjoyment of this song is when the girl says, "Dom Kennedy." This is important for 2 reasons:
1. Today, I am a fan of this trend of beginning or ending your songs or verses with some sort of recorded girl saying the Band/Rapper's name in a sort of sexy voice. The most notable person doing this is probably Rick Ross's "Mayback Music." araabMUZIK has a girl say, "You're now listening to araabMUZIK." Today, I'm all in favor of it, I'm sure I'll hate it at sometime. But, right now I love it.
2. I liked the Dom Kennedy part so much that I sought out other songs by Dom Kennedy because I dug the way the girl said, "Dom Kennedy"

The Weeknd - Rolling Stone
"Yeah I got my issues/why you think I fuckin' flow"

Schoolboy Q - Gangsta In Designer (No Concept)
Man, Q's flow is just awesome in this.

Joe Budden - 10 Mins.
This song, called 10 Mins, is actually 10 minutes long. you don't hear epic 10 minute hip hop songs too often (or, well, I guess Kendrick Lamar has a few longer songs), because its hard I'd assume. But, the length here gives him the opportunity to just ramble and re-explore and well, just really seem like he's spitting on the stop and this is just him getting some frustration out.

The Weeknd - The Zone
So, this is probably the climax of the thursday album. I almost get the impression that this is the point where The Weeknd/Abel are starting to realize what his life is like and he's not sure how he feels.

Iron and Wine - The Trapeze Singer
Here's the thing, I'm not sure if it really matters what exactly Sam Beam specifically had in mind when he was writing this song. The stories are so specific that they're actually universal. Because you don't have had to have the exact same experience to have felt whatever Sam was feeling. And, you know he was feeling something. the album version is fantastic. But, the live versions are pretty ridiculous. Especially when his sister comes in. Here are a couple examples, even with the annoying clapping along rocks (PEOPLE: just please, please, please do not clap along unless someone in the band has asked you too join in).

But please, remember me, my misery
And how it lost me all I wanted
Those dogs that love the rain and chasing trains
The colored birds above their running
In circles around the well and where it spells
On the wall behind St. Peter
So bright, on cinder gray, in spray paint
"Who the hell can see forever?"

Monthly Music Fix - Spring 2012 Rocking Out!

2012-11-22T23:24:00.000-06:00

AWOLNation - Sail
I had never really heard of AWOLNation before Coachella. And, I had no intention of seeing them at all. In fact, we were grabbing some beer at the beer tent when they were on stage. Coachella is set up so that a) you can't drink outside of the beer tent, but b) you can see and hear the main stage music from the beer tent. The crowd goes nuts when this song comes on. And, you can tell why:
1) the song and the beat strongly encourage you to stand up and move your arm up and down and side to side.
2) he says blame it on my ADD like 20 times.
3) during the second verse, the songs goes off beat for the line, "maybe i should kill myself." And he shouts that. Including this line while shouting, in any song is sure to get all 14-20 year olds to cheer.
4) Its not really clear why he keeps saying sail.
Add these 3 things together and you've got an instant live alt-rocker.
But then, Macy Gray shows up and i don't why, but its pretty awesome and crowd loves it.

A Place to Bury Strangers - Onwards to the Wall
Dark and rocking and sounding an awful lot like Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine had a baby. How often to i mention droning guitars in this blog? Well, there are lots of droning guitars, feedback and a girl singing that you can barely hear from the shoegaze that swallows her voice.

Modest Mouse - Tiny Cities Made of Ashes

"So we're drinkin, drinkin, drinkin, drinkin, coca coca cola"

The Men - Open Your Heart
Some great straight ahead rock n roll. Really, just straight ahead rock music, with some straight ahead lyrics. "there are no mirrors here, do what you want, be who you want to be."

Japandroids - The House that Heaven Built
Speaking of purely straight ahead rock n roll. You might be thinking that this is a new Thin Lizzy album. You'd be about 11.3% right. This is probably what Thin Lizzy would sound like if they were in their mid-twenties today. In addition to the epic hooks and driving beat, here are some examples of the straight ahead rock things mentioned in this song.

Oh Oh Oh Oh oh oh oh oh - like 20 times
Souls and Cities
being left for dead
nights that are forgotten
living light
things that are evil
disappearing and dying
Loving you
Telling people to go to hell
Flesh, heaven, hell, lifeless life, shadows
Living

Parenthetical Girls - Young Throats

I discovered them opening for Perfume Genius. they killed. The lead singer is perfectly gregarious, loud and dramatic. It seemed like every word of every song was meaningful to him. And there is that orchestral pop sound in the background.

The National - Mr. November

I won't fuck us over, I'm Mr. November. I'm Mr. November, I won't fuck us over.

The Men - Candy
Ending with another great straight ahead rock song.
I just quit my job now/I can stay out all night long.

Spring Monthly Music Fix - Dance/EDM

2012-11-22T21:01:00.001-06:00

Tanlines - Brothers
Kicking things off with some dark dance music. My favorite part about this song is the deep bass that continues in the background. Da duum da duum da duum..

I'm just the same as I ever been,
But I'm the only one who doesn't notice it

Grimes - Genesis
Some more dark dance music. We saw Grimes recently at Treasure Island Music Festival. Yes, she looks as weird on stage as you might think. But, this song is great. I love when the beat breaks down and picks up. Usually right after she says, "My"

Miike Snow - Devil's Work
Doesn't this just make you feel like you're in the midst of a late evening at club...in a movie? You step outside, its dark, you're hazy. And this song plays in the background as you figure out where you're going to next.

The Rapture - How Deep is Your Love.
The absolute musical highlight for me was dancing to this song at Coachella. I was interested in seeing the Rapture, but mostly as filler, not as one of those amazing musical moments. Its dark, this is in the mid to later part of the set. And this happened. 0:52. The music picks up. People start dancing crazy. And then 3:12 happens. and man, that was awesome. Its taken my about 20 minutes to write this one paragraph because i keep watching the video over and over and it gives me goosebumps. Who knew it would be such a release to go crazy dancing and singing, "Let me hear that soooooong" with a few thousand other people."

And, its not just me. Lots of people felt this way. Here is Rembert Brown at Grantland talking about it. If i speak to other folks who were at Coachella and saw this set, most will mention this experience. It was just so ridiculous. The video doesn't do justice to how awesome it was, but hopefully it will give you an idea. I go to concerts specifically for this exact experience. Lost in the moment, so happy about life and sharing the experience with thousands of others.

Grimes - Vanessa
This is off an early Grimes album, but I discovered it while exploring the newest Grimes album. With this is that great deep repeating beat in the background counterbalanced by the higher pitched and almost childlike singing. Very easy to lose yourself here.

Lower Dens - Brains
I love the build up at the beginning of the song. And then, the tempo, pace and urgency build throughout the song. I'm not sure if this is totally a dance song, but i think it fits in with the rest of the songs.

Madeon - Shuriken
This song is included only because I received this text from a friend while at Coachella. "Madeon, ridic 17 year old DJ, get here now." I tried to get there then. But, it was sooo packed.

Blondes - Water (Bicep Remix)
I don't love the Blondes album, but i love the remixes from the album. the pounding beat with the background music is fantastic.

Monthly Music Fix - March Dance Punk

2012-03-28T23:44:00.001-05:00

Chillout, Dance Punk DubStep.

33forever Monthly Music Fix - March Dance Punk from 33forever on 8tracks.

This Moment (Progressive Mix) - Nic Chagall

Genesis - Grimes

Intersteller - Frankie Rose

Express Yourself - Diplo

D.D. - The Weeknd

Road to Hell - Sleigh Bells

Street Halo - Burial

Far Nearer - Jamie xx

Save the World - Swedish House Mafia

Monthly Music Fix - March Hip Hop

2012-03-28T23:27:00.000-05:00

33forever Monthly Music Fix - March Hip Hop from 33forever on 8tracks.

Ronald Reagan Era - Kendrick Lamar
This mix tape came out in 2011 and i was slow on the pickup. Totally into Kendrick Lamar right now. Chill, great beats and an awesome flow. Excited to see what he ends up doing.

The Other Side - The Roots
The Roots released this as the end of 2011. The album is good, but i love this song.

Hands on the Wheel - Schoolboy Q (ft A$AP Rocky)
Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar are apparently in the same crew. Love the use of Lissie's cover of Pursuit of Happiness. "Crush it bit, little bit, thats my pursuit of happiness."

Do Ya Thing - Gorillaz (ft Andre 3000 and James Murphy)
I like anything that could include Andre 3000, James Murphy and the Gorillaz. "New word: onomatopoeia."

Oxy Music - Schoolboy Q
Another great Schoolboy Q song.

So What? - Die Antwoord
These two or weird and crazy and alittle bit over the top. But, for some reason i dig it.

HiiiPower - Kendrick Lamar
More Kendrick Lamar. This set of lyrics from his second verse is awesome:

"Sorry mama, I can't turn the other cheek
They wanna knock me off the edge like a fucking widow's peak, uhh
And she always told me pray for the weak, uhh
Them demons got me, I ain't prayed in some weeks, uhh
Dear Lord come save me, the devil's working hard
He probly clockin' double shifts on all of his jobs
Frightening, so fucking frightening
Enough to drive a man insane, I need a license to kill
I'm standing on the field full of land mines
Doing the moonwalk, hoping I blow up in time"

I Fink U Freaky - Die Antwoord
You have to like moving alittle bit. I know, weird, crazy, over the top.

33forever Monthly Music Fix - Indie Rock

2012-03-28T22:43:00.001-05:00

33forever Monthly Music Fix - Indie Rock from 33forever on 8tracks.

Sunshine In Chicago - Sun Kil Moon
You'd be forgiven for thinking this song is happy. Its not. Its about growing old. And now you're just doing a job that you used to think was awesome. my favorite line, "and fuck those girls were cute, now I just sign posters for boys in tennis shoes."

Rented Room - Craig Finn
This song made me realize why Craig Finn made this album. This is me paraphrasing Craig Finn's intro of the song at his Bottom of the Hill show: "remember when you were in college or in your twenties and you were living in a big house with all your buddies and every night you'd 'crush brews' and smoke weed? That was awesome. Heres the thing, when you're in your late thirties and your wife divorces you and you're living in a big house with a bunch of dude and crushing brews every night, it isn't awesome. It sucks. And its depressing." Great line in this song, "My pillow still tastes like your perfume."

Little Black Submarines - Black Keys
This is a black keys song. It is awesome.

Gasoline - Silent Comedy
This is a perfect song. The buildup and the lyrics.

No Future/No Past - Cloud Nothings
Punkness.

No Future - Craig Finn
Great Craig Finn tune, again capturing growing older and again reflecting on the divorce. So many awesome lyrics in this song. here are a few of my favorites:
1. I guess that I was pretty much prepared for it, I was just stuck in my own sense of time/Rigid and depressed, needy, halfway-pissed and resigned
2. Parking lots and the office talk/Then punch my card at the coffee shop/Pretty sure we're all gonna die/Pretty sure we're all gonna die
3. Best advice that I've ever gotten was from good old Johnny Rotten/He said "God save the Queen"/He said "no future for you, no future for me"

Dramamine - Modest Mouse
Finally saw modest mouse live for the first time. I own every album and for one reason or another, I always missed them. The show did not disappoint and met my expectations. This was a great highlight from the show.

This Boy is Exhausted - The Wrens
For some reason I thought I had put this song on a playlist, but I couldn't find it.

Wasted Days - Cloud Nothings
Just saw cloud nothings and it was a great show. This song is as awesome live as it sounds, "I thought i would be more than this."

2012 Valentines Mix - March Monthly Music Fix

2012-03-05T01:29:00.000-06:00

33forever 2012 Valentines Day Mix from 33forever on 8tracks.

Valentines day mix that captures deep dependence. Enjoy!

Going to Georgia - The Mountain Goats
"The most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway, is that its you and you're standing in the doorway"

Home - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
"Well hot and heavy/pumpkin pie/Chocolate candy/Jesus Christ/Ain't nothin pleased me more than you."

Plea From a Cat Named Virtue - The Weakerthans
"I swear I'm going to bite you hard
And taste your tinny blood
If you don't stop the self-defeating lies
You've been repeating since the day you brought me home
I know you're strong"

The Ballad of Love and Hate - The Avett Brothers
"He says, "Love, I'm sorry," and she says, "What for?
I'm yours and that's it, whatever
I should not have been gone for so long
I'm yours and that's it, forever
Your mine and that's it, forever"

Conversation 16 - The National
"I'm a confident liar
Have my head in the oven so you know where I'll be
I'll try to be more romantic
I want to believe in everything you believe"

Please be Patient with Me - Wilco

This Year - The Mountain Goats
"and then Cathy showed up
and we hung out
trading swigs from a bottle
all bitter and clean
locking eyes
holding hands
twin high maintenance machines"

Slow Show - The National
"I wanna hurry home to you
put on a slow, dumb show for you
and crack you up"

So Fly - Childish Gambino
"You are the bestest, I will obey you"

Queen of Hearts - Fucked Up
"Hello, you must be David, I am Veronica - let’s be together, until we’re all finally crushed.”

Monthly Music Fix - Top Albums of 2011: #'s 1-6

2012-02-20T01:40:00.003-06:00

33forever Top 6 Albums of 2011. from 33forever on 8tracks.

The Year of Hip Hop albums continues. 4 of my top 6 albums are hip-hop based (I'm not sure if you consider the Weeknd hip hop or not). In addition, I've combined both Weeknd albums as one album and combined The Childish Gambino's Camp and his EP dropped earlier in the year.

1. The Weeked - House of Balloons/Thursday.
The Weeknd dropped two amazing mixtapes in 2011. There was alot to love about the mixes: super chill beats, winding, sometimes coherent lyrics and a mystery behind the story. Mostly, just listen. "All these broken hearts on that pole/Man if pole dancin an art/you know how many fuckin artists I know." And then later, "She said make enough so I can try some/I thought takin drug just ain't you."

2. Drake - Take Care
I could never have imagined that a Drake album would be in my top 5. Hate all you want. This is a great pop album and I am totally into Drake's emo album. "I be yelling out money over everything, money on my mind/Then she wanna ask when it got so empty/Tell her I apologize, happened over time/She says they miss the old Drake, girl don't tempt me"

3. Childish Gambino - Camp/EP
If Kid Cudi, Drake, Connor Oberst and Issac Brock created a child, it would be something similar to Childish Gambino. Fantastic word play, over the top emotional lyrics with a great combination of self hatred, self awareness, over the top confidence, alot of pressure put on himself and more pop culture references than you can keep track of. Two samples from the two songs, I've picked.
From "Not Going Back" off of EP
"Whiskey-sippin,wanna drink the whole bottle
But these smart middle-class black kids need a role model
Fuckin hate me, that's what I'm used to
Suck a dick, we the shit, Metamucil
God damn, man, there's gotta be a better way
Than pill-poppin all these drugs so I can stay awake
Like I'm Jessie in this bitch, I'm so excited
There's a party at the top, you ain't invited"
And from Bonfire
"These rappers are afraid of him
Cause I’m a beast, bitch, Gir, Invader Zim
Gambino is a call girl, fuck you, pay me
Brand new whip for these n****s like slavery
Told me I was awful man, that shit did not phase me
Tell me how I suck again, my memory is hazy"

4. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
I like this album when it came out and then it just grew on me. Everyone comments on the beautiful voice. I love the longing in this album. For Emma was a great album about heartache. But this album captures a longing...a mature longing. "Sold, I’m Ever/Open ears and open eyes/Wake up to your starboard bride/Who goes in and then stays inside/Oh the demons come, they can subside"

5. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life
A punk rock concept album. And, abit of a love story at that, as evidenced in Queen of Hearts. "Hello my name is David, Your name is Veronica, lets be together, lets fall in love." But, my favorite song off the album is The Other Shoe. Its a combination of anger and acceptance that the world is a crappy place. Everything is going wrong. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. Even when it looks like something good is going to happen, you know that there is shit coming your way. "It can't be comfortable, when the whole things about to fall."
"We settle in but it's time to go,
Taken to sea by the undertow.
Love the smell but I hate the taste.
Feeling good is such a waste.
Loved the book but I hate the end,
Gained a lover but I lost a friend.
Straight to worst, from the best.
Nothing fills that hole in my chest."

5. Kanye West/Jay-Z - Watch the Throne.
Includes the song of the year, "Ni**as in Paris." Its loud, garish, escapism "You escaped, what I escaped, you be in Paris gettin fucked up too." And I think its exactly what we all needed this year. "Ball so hard mutherfuckers wanna fine me."

Playlist:
Kanye West and Jay-Z - Ni**as in Paris
Fucked Up - Queen Of Hearts
Childish Gambino - Bonfire
Kanye West and Jay-Z - Otis
Drake - Headlines
The Weeknd - The Zone
Bon Iver - Holocene
Drake - Crew Love
Bon Iver - Calgary
The Weeknd - Glass Table Girls
Childish Gambino - Not Going Back
Fucked Up - The Other Shoe

Monthly Music Fix - Top Albums of 2011: #'s 5-15

2012-02-03T01:21:00.000-06:00

Next up the top 5-15. Again in alphabetical order.

33forever 2011 Top 15-5 albums from 33forever on 8tracks.

A$AP Rocky - LIVELOVEA$AP
The flow is old school, but mellow mixes in the background. "a weirdo, but I'm real though."

Das Racist - Relax
A crazy freaking hip hop album. Can we start calling this art-hop, challenging common notions of what music and hip hop are? Further emphasized by the stage presence which is a combination of weird and flat out ignoring the audience. "Yeah, I'm fucking great at rapping."

Dan Mangan - If I am Dead
This might be my only indie singer songwriter album. It received very little play, but its got a great mid-2000's sound to it. The album deals alot with mortality, death, dying, living life. "Burn my remains/My stuff, the same/Bury my name/It's yours now anyway"

Danny Brown - XXXThis album was very close a top 5 album for me. Danny Brown has a unique perspective in that he writes both from the perspective of a fiend and a dealer. Dude looks like some homeless drug addict as well. The song XXX is a great example of this with some great lines:
"Dark nights tryna sleep stomach on fire/Delusional from hunger so I couldn't get tired"
"Words that rhyme together just appear all in my head/Sorta like Neo with them Matrix codes/I try to escape it hoping drugs a numb a soul"
"I never leave the house ain't slept in three days/Popping pills, writing, drinking and smoking haze"
"Cause if this shit don't work, n***a I failed at life/Turning to these drugs, now these drugs turned my life/It's the downward spiral, got me suicidal/But too scared to do it so these pills will be the rifle"
"Cause now its my turn if I fuck it all up/Took a while to get here now I depend on these drugs"

EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints
Weird emo chick rock. "Fuck California, You made me boring"

Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Beautiful, dark, depressing, melodic. "Nights I spend alone/I spend 'em runnin' 'round lookin' for you, baby"

M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming
This album was played with regular consistency. You just feel good listening to it, I'm not sure why. You just bounce your head up and down. Incidently, the song on the playlist, "Midnight City" was Pitchfork's # 1 song of 2011. "The city is my church, it wraps me in its blinding twilight."

Tyler, The Creator - Goblin
Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. It seems there are two camps:
1. Buy into this album as a raw, authentic fantasy of someone with who is frustrated, upset and angry. Yes, its juvenile, but thats sort of the point.
2. Hate the album for the mysoginistic, anti-gay, raping, killing, etc elements.
I am clearly with point 1. Its art and the shows are fun. I got to mosh.
"Fuck a mask I want that ho to know its me."

Wilco - The Whole Love
Here's the thing. You know you aren't going to love the Wilco album when you first listen to it. But you know that 5 years from now of all the albums that people were talking about in 2011, you're probably pretty confident you'll be listening to this one. Remember what thought about sky blue sky and now you go to shows and hear Nels rip shit up on "Impossible Germany" and you're like holy shit, thats a great song. This isn't Wilco's best album, but an average Wilco album is better than almost any other album...and if this album had been released by a random band that was not named Wilco in 2011, it probably would have received an 8.5 on pitchfork. And Nels. my god, that guy just freaking rocks hard. "I froze, I can't be so far away from my wasteland"

WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
No one really knows what the dude is saying 99% of the time, but it almost doesnt matter because you feel the longing, heartache and raw emotion coming out.

The Playlist:
Midnight City - M83
Trilla - ASAP Rocky (feat. ASAP Twelvy & ASAP Nast)
XXX - Danny Brow
The Grey Ship - EMA
If I Am Dead - Dan Mangan
Vomit - Girls
Such A Sad Puppy Dog - WU LYF
Art Of Almost - Wilco
Michael Jackson - Das Racist
Sandwitches - Tyler, The Creator (Featuring Hodgy Beats)

Monthly Music Fix - Top Albums of 2011 Honorable Mentions

2011-12-31T15:27:00.002-06:00

The start of the 33forever top albums of 2011. The following is a alphabetical list of albums that didn't make my top 16 albums of the year, but deserve a shout-out. I listened to them alot (James Blake and Washed Out were played nearly every friday night for a couple months), had a cool concert experience (Bright Eyes closing a show with the ladder song on piano), having long term staying power (My Morning Jacket, Radiohead), blew my mind for some reason or another (tUnE-YarDs, Shabazz Palaces, St. Vincent, Liturgy). All of them have at least one song that I love.

33forever 2011 Honorable Mentions from 33forever on 8tracks.

The Antlers - Burst Apart
This album is not nearly as ridiculously emotional as the previous album, but still packs an emotional punch. "You can't keep running out/kicking yourself off the bed/kicking yourself in the head/cause you're kicking me too."

Bright Eyes - The People's Key
Abit of a different Bright Eyes album. The narration throughout is strangely appropriate and works well with the albums theme of trying to understand...life and the afterlife. Connor on a piano, playing The Ladder Song solo was a live show highlight for me this year...killer. "I know now/how its gonna turn out/we got a calm down/or I'll lose my place/gotta get to the center/gotta get to the concern/run off with a dancer/gonna celebrate"

Cults - Cults
This years, indie poppy, who knows where they will be in two years album. It sounds poppy, but the lyrics are certainly dark. This song is about giving up all the happiness to rave on. Sorta punk!
"on a boat on the sailing ship, of my own /far away from it/give me death but don't give me this /i'll pass if that's ok /to rave on"

James Blake - James Blake
I probably played this album every friday evening for 2-3 months. Its a great album to just chill to. "I don't know about my dreams/I don't know about my dreamin anymore"

Liturgy - Aesethetica
You can just rage to this album. All the screaming and drumming and guitars. it doesn't even matter what they are saying.

Mr. Mutherfuckin eXquire - Lost in Translation
Love this street rap mix tape. There is nothing about this mix tape this is remotely acceptable to play at work or with any sort of mixed company. It also includes one of my favorite hip hop lines of the year: "What's my name bitch/'Mr. eXquire'/don't forget the mutherfucker/without that its nothin"

My Morning Jacket - Circuital
Probably not the greatest MMJ album. But man, they rock so hard.

Radiohead - The King of Limbs (including the TKOL Remix album)
The album makes the list if only because of the TKOL remixes. Its another great Friday evening album.

Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
While I've got alot of hip hop on my top lists, this is really the only "indie" hip hop album. This album has a great mix of awesome beats, smooth flow and intelligent lyrics. "Dynamic electromagnetic style sensors/Golden-tempered circles enjoyed only by the members/Heat sparkles, raining octaves upon the spinners"

St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
This is more of an art-rock album; with a huge rock edge. Annie Clark rocks hard. "I don't want to be a cheerleader no more."

tUnE-YarDs - w h o k i l l
The most creative album on my list. Arty, dancy, rocky. Its all that and more. It may blow your mind. "I am no longer who you thought this would be"

Washed out - Within and Without
Another regular Friday night chill album.

Wiz Khalifa - Rolling Papers
I was looking forward to this album so much. It was good, just not great. Or, at least it just didn't live up to my expectations. Still a good album. "back in the day/money was short/I'm making it taller"

Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation
Dreamy, basement tape lo-fi, hipster, indie...chill-wave. "my whole wall is filled with posters/my whole life is filled with posters"

And here is a playlist with some selections from

Radiohead - Little By Little (Caribou Remix)

Washed Out - Eyes Be Shut

James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream

Youth Lagoon - Posters

Cults - Rave On

My Morning Jacket - Holdin On To Black Metal

St. Vincent - Dilettante

The Antlers - Putting the Dog to Sleep

Bright Eyes - The Ladder Song

tUnE-YarDs - Bizness

Shabazz Palaces - Swerve...the reaping of all that is worthwhile

Wiz Khalifa - When I'm Gone

Mr. Mutherfuckin eXquire - Huzzah!

Liturgy - True Will

Monthly Music Fix - Dance Punk/Dubstep/Electronic

2011-12-14T02:39:00.001-06:00

I don’t have much in the way of descriptions here. These are a combination of chill-out and get you out of your seat and dance music.

Skrillex - Kill Everybody (Bare Noize Remix)

DeadMau5 – Sofi needs a ladder

M83 – Midnight City

Neon Indian – Era Extrana

Zola Jesus - Vessel

M83 - My Tears are Becoming a Sea

DeadMau5 – Strobe

Chemical Brothers– Dig your own hole

Skrillex - Rock N Roll (Will Take You to the Mountain)

Monthly Music Fix - Hip Hop

2011-12-14T02:18:00.000-06:00

The list below is pretty much NSFW. So please read and listen with that in mind.

Drake (ft The Weeknd) – Crew Love
I’m not sure if this is really a Drake song or The Weeknd’s song. This could have easily ended up on the The Weeknd’s Thursday Mix Tape. And dude, god damn, the drake rap is so dopeness.

Jay-Z and Kanye West - Otis
This whole album is all about partying and being awesome with super fly ass beats. “I made Jesus walk/so I’m never going to Jail.” If My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was “genius hip hop summer camp perfection” this album is the celebration victory dance and victory lap. And you know – fuck it, these mutherfuckers deserve it.

Das Racist – Michael Jackson
I just gave you two songs that you could possibly hear on the radio. Please do yourself a favor and give this song a listen. Its jarring, its weird, but man, this is some innovative stuff. Jay and Kanye can only make great music today. They can’t be innovative. You can’t be innovative when you can fly in your G-4 to paris to drink expensive champagne. These dudes are innovative. They are making crazy rap. And, “I’m fucking great at rapping.”

Childish Gambino - All The Shine
Childish Gambino can not get any respect. Pitchfork gave him a 1.6, which was really done as a double wammy with giving Mac Miller a 1.0 to say they gave him a lower score than Childish Gambino. I fundamentally disagree with the Pfork premise of Childish Gambino. Their argument: CG tries too hard and has too much of a chip on his shoulder; he cares too much about what people think of him. They completely missed the point. CG keeps it real yo. He talks about whats important to him. Its fine if you don’t connect, but I don’t understand the push-back on realness. “My n***a like I get you mtv if I could man/but pitchfork only like rappers who crazy or hood man.”

State Property - 666
In case you needed some hood shit after CG.
Download for free on Stereogum.

Danny Brown - XXX
In case you needed some crazy shit after CG.
Download for free here.
Or stream the mix tape below:

Danny Brown "XXX" by foolsgoldrecs

Childish Gambino - Backpackers
Love the vitriol in this rap. Fuck a backpacker.

A$AP Rocky - Trilla
Less crazy, more poppy A$AP Rocky. Expect some huge buzz around this dude in 2012. Click the image below to download

Pusha T – What Dreams Are Made Of
This is sorta aligned with Watch the Throne theme. Talking about reaching success even with the odd against him. “Cocaine Ronald gave us/Then Nancy tried to save us/By that time we had Motorola pagers” Such a great eff you.
Download for free at Pitchfork.

Jay-Z and Kanye West –No church in the wild

This is more of that real shit from Watch the Throne.

A$AP Rocky - Demons
I don’t think you’ll hear songs like this whatever comes out in 2012. This is definitely his darker stuff. Click the image below to download

Drake - Take Care
I know its poppy. I know people hate Drake. But, dude, this album is awesome. And, Rihanna is probably the hip hop equivalent of Jenny Lewis. I love the theme of this song: too hype-dysfunctional people talking about being dysfunctional and taking care of one another.

Monthly Music Fix - Indie Rock

2011-12-14T01:25:00.002-06:00

John Heart Jackie - When You Were Mine (Prince Cover)
I like the original, but I *L-O-V-E LOVE* this version. Prince’s disco-esque song about obsession and a ridiculously unhealthy relationship sounds so much darker in this cover version.
You can get this song for free on the ridiculously awesome I am Fuel, You are Friends blog

Lana Del Rey – Video Games
Getting abit head of myself here. Lana Del Rey’s album isn’t even out yet (drops in Feb 2012), but love this song. I’m not even totally sure what this song is about (maybe has something to do with how her boyfriends treat her shitty and she loves it). But, her voice with the strings in the background (and the ever so light snare drum) create a both dreamy and haunting sound.

Youth Lagoon - 17
Love this Youth Lagoon album with the low-fi, bedroom recording sound.

Only $5.00 on Amazon

Deer Tick - Christ Jesus
Heart wrenching
“Christ Jesus/as I’m drownin/And I struggle to breath/its your face I don’t see/Christ Jesus/Please don’t leave us.”

Joe Purdy – San Jose
The writer singing to someone who is doing some not awesome shit (all of the boys and all of their poison) and wishing they were not doing the not awesome shit.
“you wish things were different/the hand you were given/it just don’t seem fair/yeah you play with what you’re givin/you’re doin fine/yeah but you try not to think about it/most of the time/you just do what you have to/to make sure you get through/yeah but sometimes it hurts” and of course there is the great line (reminiscent of The Hold Steady's Lord I'm Discouraged), "And I can't fight your demons/yeah/cause I'd have to fight you/cause they're so far inside you/and I just can't seem to get through"

You can download this song for free on the totally awesome, I am Fuel, You are Friends blog.

Dan Mangan - Oh Fortune
I don’t think this album is on anyone’s top 10 of 2011 (or even top 50), but It may end up on mine. I think the album comes across as alittle too deep for some.

Damien Rice - One (U2 Cover)
This is not the first and this definitely won’t be the last cover of U2’s, One, but its my favorite so far. Its more haunting, more desperate, more sparse. And, it emphasizes the importance of lyrics – Damien Rice merely changes the “You” to “I” and the song has a completely different tone, approach and meaning. “Did I ask too much?/more than a lot?/I gave you nothing/now its all I got” And then later, “I asked you to enter/and then I make you crawl/and you can’t be holding on/to what I’ve got/when all I’ve got is hurt”
Another song you can get from the Fuel/Friends blog

Red House Painters – Cruiser
Lots of melancholy even though I don’t know what the song is about.

Dan Mangan - Regarding Death and Dying
I was likely going to put this song on this playlist, but wasn’t sold. My paternal grandfather died last week and I’ve been thinking about Death and Dying, so it seemed like an obvious, if cliché, choice. “Oh when death does walk you home/they will take your bones/and rest them peacefully.”

Monthly Music Fix - Birthday 2011

2011-12-09T01:53:00.000-06:00

I try to keep a few rules when making playlists:
1. Don't put the same version of a song on more than 1 playlist
2. Do try to create a good flow for the playlist
3. Do introduce people to new music (song, versions, artists, genres) they may have not heard
For my birthday playlist, I take a break from these rules and just put together some songs that I just want to hear...all the time...right now.

Pearl Jam - Release
"I'll ride the wave/where it takes me/I'll hold the pain/release me"

Rilo Kiley - Better Son/Daughter
Oh Jenny Lewis.
"And sometimes when you're on
You're really fucking on
And your friends they sing along
And they love you
But the lows are so extreme
That the good seems fucking cheap
And it teases you for weeks in its absence"

The Walkmen - The Rat
"When I used to go out, I would know everyone that I saw/Now I go out alone, if I go out at all"

The Mountain Goats - No Children
"Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises
We're pretty sure they're all wrong
I hope it stays dark forever
I hope the worst isn't over
And I hope you blink before I do
Yeah I hope I never get sober"

The Mountain Goats - Game Shows Touch Our Lives
"People say friends don't destroy one another/what do they know about friends?

"Maybe everything that falls down eventually rises/Our house sinking into disrepair/Ah but look at this showroom filled with fabulous prizes"

The Antlers - Sylvia
Sylvia, get your head out of the oven
Go back to screaming and cursing
Remind me again how everyone betrayed you
Sylvia, get your head out of the covers
Let me take your temperature
You can throw the thermometer right back at me
If that's what you want to do, okay?

2Pac - Thugz Mansion
"no one knows my struggle/the only see the trouble"

Avett Brothers - If its the Beaches
This is the saddest song. but, so good. Damn, that phone from the girl in the middle is amazing. And the end, when seth avett comes with:
If it's the beaches
If it's the beaches' sands you want
Then you will have them
If it's the mountains' bending rivers
Then you will have them
If it's the wish to run away
Then I will grant it
Take whatever what you think of
While I go gas up the truck
Pack the old love letters up
We will read them when we forget why we left here

You have to feel something there.

LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean
I dont care a ton about the lyrics, because man, that point from 3:00 to 4:00 is ridiculous. You just want to shake it. But there are these lyrics:
Don't you want me to wake up?
Then give me just a bit of your time
Arguments are made from make outs
So give it just a little more time
We've got to bring our results
I wanna play it 'til the time comes
But there's a string of divorces
You go and throw your little hands up
I miss the way the night comes
With friends who always make it feel good
This basement has a cold glow
Though it's better than a bunch of others
So go and dance yourself clean ..ooow
Go and dance yourself clean yeah

Weezer - Can't Stop Partying
Rivers lyrics are great:
"Screw rehab/I love my addiction/no sleep no sleep/I am always on a mission"
But Weezy's rap is dopeness
"Party like tomorrow is my funeral/gotta stop mixin alcohol with pharmaceuticals/ and the unusual/is the fuckin usual/man my life is beautiful/and my girl are mutual"

Outkast - B.O.B.
"Pow-er Mu-sic Electric Revival!"
"Cure for cancer, cure for AIDS
Make a n***a wanna stay on tour for days
Get back home, things are wrong
Well not really, it was bad all along
Before you left adds up to a ball of power
Thoughts at a thousands miles per hour
Hello, ghetto, let your brain breathe
Believe there's always mo', OWWWW!"

Pearl Jam - Unthought Unknown
"Feel the sky blanket you/with gems and rhinestones/See the path cut by the moon/for you to walk on"
And of course:
"Dream the dreams of other men/You'll be no one's rival"

Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror

2011-12-03T21:38:00.002-06:00

We haven't done best of 2011, but i already have a vote for best album of 2012.
Sleigh Fucking Bells!!

Monthly Music Fix - Indie Rock

2011-11-25T00:41:00.001-06:00

Back to our regularly scheduled indie rock

Bright Eyes – Nothing Gets Crossed Out
My token ridiculously depressing song of the month. There are great individual lyrics in those songs, but the story line/theme is also great. I interpret this song as the writer’s self consciousness of his depression and hes trying to figure a way out of it. Towards the end of the song he says he “doesn’t want lay here no more,” but, at the end, he gives up, “well everything that happens supposed to be and its all pre-determined, can’t change your destiny.”
I love the line, “I keep making these to do lists, but nothing gets crossed out.” And, this was the first line to get me excited about the song. However, I think my favorite set of lines, “well the future’s got me thinkin such awful thoughts/my heads a carousel of pictures/the spinning never stops/I just want someone to walk in front/and I’ll follow the leader.”

Bon Iver – Beth/Rest (Solo Piano Version)
Justin Vernon on a piano is pretty cool. So, if you hated this song on the album, please give it another shot with him on piano. Killer. I didn't totally hear listen to the lyrics, but with such emotion in this version, I had to check them out. I'm not even sure I totally understand what he's talking about. but this line is great, "I ainʼt living in the dark no more/it's not a promise, Iʼm just gonna call it"
you can download it here on stereogum.

Dan Mangan – Jeopardy
Quickly becoming one of my favorite albums of the year. A song full of questions. “where did I go? What am I doing? What time is it? Have I always been filled with questions?”

Wu Lyf – Concrete Gold
You can't understand what this dude is saying. And, having just seen them live, I can assure you that you'll understand the lead singer less. But, the pure, raw emotion in the singing and the music is clear. And, the lyrics are pretty good and actually help understand the emotion and power behind his bellowing. Mostly though, they just rock.

Youth Lagoon– Posters
Great indie low-fi. This is a 22 year old kid from Boise, Idaho that records in his bedroom.

Waxahatchee – Grass Stain
I know absolutely nothing about this group. But, discovered it on blog radio from the great My Old Kentucky Blog. Great freaking line: “And I’ll fish for compliments/and I’ll drink until I’m happy/and I’ll wonder what you’re doing/but I won’t call”
you can download it from the MOKB for free here.

The Mountain Goats – Thucydides II-58

When The Mountain Goats reached 25,000 followers they released (or rather John Darnielle released) a free song, that he called a false start. Quote from John, ""By downloading you sign e-blood oath not to be That Guy goin' "T58:2 sooo much better than [album track]" next year".

You can download it here.

Mates of State – Mistakes
“oh, I need you/but its not normal/if I refuse/to be by myself”

St. Vincent – Dilettante
This song rocked at the treasure island festival
the album is under $5, get it now:

WU LYF – Heavy Pop
Just rocks. totally freaking rocks

Monthly Music Fix - Chillout/Dance-Punk/Electronic

2011-11-25T00:41:00.000-06:00

I've been getting more into dance music. you'll start to see more of that on the blog.

M83 – Intro
This album is pretty fantastic and a great example of the dubste/dance punk/indie electronic/chillwave/whatever genre definition you want to give it that I’ve been listening to a lot more of lately.

The Rapture – House of Jealous Lovers
This is classic dance punk. A funky beat you want to shake it to; but with screaming, emotion and guitar feedback.

Deadmau5 – Some Chords
I am so ridiculously late to this party. I challenge you to not want to get out of your seat to shake your ass and dance. Maybe even get a glow stick and raise your fist in the air.

Radiohead – Little by Little (Caribou RMX)
I think I prefer the remix of TKOL to the original album.

Washed Out – You and I
Totally love this washed out album. If I could I play it every Friday night when I come home from work.

The Weeknd– Thursday
The Weekend’s ode to a Thursday night. I’d be surprised if the combination of the 2 Weeknd mix tapes don’t make my end of year list.

Download the album here (via The Weeknd's website)

HEALTH– Goth Star
This is probably the most accessible HEALTH song I’ve heard. Very danceable and less noisy. Probably because this is a pictureplane cover.

Download for free here(via Gorilla vs Bear and via NME)

The War on Drugs – Brothers
I couldn’t decide if this song fit on this list or an indie rock list. I decided it flows better here.

Sigur Ros– Inna
My mom hipped me to this song. Like it.

Monthly Music Fix - Hip Hop (NSFW)

2011-11-25T00:40:00.000-06:00

My hip-hop list. As always this list is ridiculously Not Safe For Work…or Not Scott Orn Friendly. Please keep this in mind before hitting play…or reading for that matter.

Childish Gambino – Not Going Back
By far my favorite discovery of 2011. Not a street rapper, but wow, a great poet.
That’s why these fuckin mc’s want their asses back
Don’t you know that I’m a rapist/ask a track
Whiskey sippin/wanna drink the whole bottle
But these smart, middle-class, black kids need a role model
Fuckin hate me/that’s what I’m used
Suck a dick/eat a shit/Metamucil
God damn man there’s gotta be a better than pill poppin all these drugs so I can stay awake

Kanye West and Jay-Z – N**gas in Paris
Man, I wanna get out of my seat an shake it. This shit is cra… a great story about just partying in paris.
Doctors say I’m the illest/cause I’m suffrin from realness

Mr. Mutherfuckin eXquire – Last Huzzah
Whats my name, Bitch, “Mr. Esquire” Don’t forget the mutherfucker/without that’s it nothin
Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire - Lost In Translation by Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire

Danny Brown – Monopoly
Danny Brown looks like a ridiculous crack head and sounds weird. And this dude is coming up. I love this guys flow and his lyrics.
“my n**ga you ain’t been what I been through/and if so you would take a pencil to your temple”
Danny Brown "XXX" by foolsgoldrecs

Mr. Mutherfuckin Esquire – Last Huzzah (remix) ft. Despot, Das Racist, Danny Brown, EL-P
A remix of the previous song in the mix. I love the bad boys reference. “You know we gotta do the remix, right.” I also love how this song includes some big up and comers: Danny Brown, Mr. Mutherfuckin Esquire, Das Racist and the godfather of underground hip-hop, El-P. This is missing A$AP and Tyler the Creator and we’d be set. The whole Das Racist set is fantastic and I love this line, “The worst rapper on this track/3rd coolest”
Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire - Lost In Translation by Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire

Danny Brown – Adderall Admiral
Another Danny Brown joint. The song is pretty dirty.
Danny Brown "XXX" by foolsgoldrecs

A$AP Rocky – Palace
Great mix tape. This is sorta the intro track. Has a wiz khalifa sound. I think he got a $3M record deal.
Another free download here

Shabazz Palaces – Swerve…the reeping of all that is worthwhile (Noir not wi)
The dude from Digable Planets. Very chill hipster rap.

Childish Gambino– Break (all of the Lights Remix)
Another childish gambino track. I love this line, “man I went to the W from doubletree.” And the fandom “dopeness” in the middle of the song….and “I’m so cheesy/my swags got high cholesterol” And how many people find a way to reference Gargamel in a rap.
Childish Gambino has his first LP out: Camp

Tyler the Creator – Goblin
The first song on Tyler’s Goblin album. The entire song is great, but the intro, which basically kicks off what is going on in Tyler’s head: “I’m not a fuckin role model.” And finally ending the intro with, “bastard intro, how the fuck I’m gonna top that” That bastard intro was good. Wow. Just a great kickoff to the album. For those not familiar, the dark sounding voice is Dr. TC (tron cat) his shrink… in his mind. Which adds to impact of when TC agrees, “But they don’t get it/cause its not made for them, the n**ga rappin in the mirror its made for them.” This is definitely the “fuck fame” album, “this is not for you!”

Monthly Music Fix September Indie Rock

2011-09-25T02:16:00.001-05:00

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program. A bunch of new indie rock. Good stuff, good albums. Check this stuff out.

UPDATE:
I forgot to embed the playlist...oops.

Vomit - Girls
There probably aren't alot of love songs that are titled vomit. And if there are any they are probably really, really, hard to digest and don't sound as pretty as this song. I've been a fan of girls for a while, but this is by far their most ambitious album. I don't think i've seen it go below the current price of $7.99 on amazon.com yet and that could be because of the focus of the buzz around their album, "Father, Son, Holy Ghost." Here is what the lead signer had to say about why its called vomit, "It reminded me of this proverb I was told a lot as a kid: As a dog returns to his vomit, so does a fool return to his folly. You can be very aware of how crazy you’re being sometimes, and be very aware of how you’re not able to help yourself." Classic indie rock love song, boy loves girl, girl hates boy and treats him like shit, boy pines for girl and does stupid stuff.

C'est la Mort - The Civil Wars
As my friend Matt Bender says, "I can't decide if I like the Civil Wars or not." Is this just a poor man's Swell Season. I don't know. I like the album though and its only $5.99 on amazon:

California - EMA
Fuck California. Indeed. Wow. She is pissed. Story of a girl who leaves her friends in the boring, small town, midwest to get to the big time in California...and well, it hasn't turned out.
What does failure taste like? To me it tastes like dirt/and I'm begging you please to look away/i bet my money on the bobtail nag/somebody bet on the bay

Only $5.99 on amazon.com

Lounge Act - Jessica Lea Mayfield
I'm not sure I ever loved the Nirvana version of this song. But, wow. Jessica Lea Mayfield owns this song.

You can download the album for free here.

Damn These Vampires - The Mountain Goats
This song could go alot of ways, but really, I just like the way John says, "God Damn these vampires and what they've done to me."

Putting the Dog to Sleep - The Antlers
This song could have easily been on the previous album, Hospice. The theme is very similar in that its about a disfunctional relationship.
"Prove to me/I'm not gonna die alone."
And
"You can't keep running out
Kicking yourself off the bed
Kicking yourself in the head
Because you're kicking me too"

Only $5.99 on amazon.com

Down in the Valley - The Head and the Heart
My buddy Thad Rahn clued me into the head and the heart. Apparently they are supposed to rock live and unfortunately I keep missing them when they come by.

I Used to Be Someone - Kevin Devine
Kevin Devine just released a new album and its pretty ambitious for a guy that i first heard in a small theater, about 2 feet away from him with a shitty acoustic guitar. A pretty big step forward and I'm abit surprised there isn't much more buzz around him.

Amy's Room - We All Have Hooks for Hands
I have no idea who these people are, where they are from or what this song is about. But its catchy and has some pretty cool lyrics...or at least my understanding of the lyrics. I can't find them anywhere. Post on the dude's webpage and tell him to post the lyrics.

"Gettin with the kids who got cancer"
"Guess what we think when we get hurt"

You can pick up the album for free here.

Monthly Music Fix September Depressing Discoveries

2011-09-25T00:51:00.001-05:00

Some sad songs I've come across...

UPDATE: I forgot to embed the link:

If It's The Beaches - The Avett Brothers
God Damn this song is heartbreaking. From the first line, "Don't say its over/cause thats the worst news I could hear/I swear that I will/do my best to be here just the way you like it" to the line, "if its the beaches" just as the piano comes in and the final line, "take whatever you think of/while I go gas up the truck/pack the old love letters up/we will read them when we forget why we left here." But, wow, that voice mail message is just killer...so heartfelt...so freaking real.
"Scott, where are you? Really. I need you, you know? I need you. And, um, I really cant wait to talk to you, so please call me, okay? Don't forget, okay? I love you. I miss you... so bad. Buh-bye."

What Sarah Said - Death Cab for Cutie
So many great lines about watching someone die.
"As I stared at my shoes in the ICU/the reeked of piss and 409"
"And I looked around at all the eyes on the ground/as the TV entertained itself"
"Cause there's no comfort in the waiting room"
"But I'm thinking of what Sarah said/love is watching someone die/so who's gonna watch you die"

Between the Bars - Elliot Smith
Nothing beats a good alcoholic song about indecision
Drink up with me now and forget all about
The pressure of days, do what i say
And I'll make you okay and drive them away
The images stuck in your head

Lover I Don't have to Love - Bright Eyes
I loved this song and then I heard Connor go nuts on state playing this song earlier this year and I'm now totally hooked on the song. This was during Connor's huge drug phase. Disfunctional relationship with a not desperate girl.
The first chorus is great:
I want a lover I don't have to love
I want a girl who's too sad to give a fuck
Where's the kid with the chemicals?
I thought he said he'd meet me here but I'm not sure
I got the money if you got the time
He said, "It feels good"
I said, "I'll give it a try"

Broom People - The Mountain Goats
This is on John Darnell's album about being an abused kid. This version is more or less describing the hell he lives in and his escape into the arms of a girl. But, i love his super descriptive lines:
Floor two foot high with newspapers
White carpet thick with cat hair
Half eaten gallons of ice cream in the freezer
Fresh fuel for the sodium flares
I write down good reasons to freeze to death
In my spiral-ring notebook

Get Me - Dinosaur Jr.
Confused desperation. His girlfriend is not going to help him get through his situation. And...lots of distortion.

Plea From a Cat Named Desire - The Weakerthans
A cat writing to his depressed owner, to tell him to stop being depressed. But, really any loved one to their depressed friend. While the whole song is freaking fantastic my few favorites:
"Why don't you ever wanna play/I'm tired of this piece of string/You sleep as much as I do now/and you don't eat much of anything"
"And listen/bout those bitter songs you sing/they're not helping anything/they won't make you strong"
"All you ever wanna do is drink and watch tv/and frankly that thing doesn't really interest me/I swear I'm gonna bite you hard and taste your tiney blood/if you don't stop the self defeating lies you've been repeating home since the day you brought me home/i know you're strong."
That being said, the actual plea from the cat comes in the middle verse. There isn't one great line, but the entire verse is the cat asking the owner to please just not think about the bad stuff and just try to enjoy life.

Unthought Unknown - Pearl Jam
I went to pearl jam 20 a few weeks ago with my long time best friend mark. We think we've been to over 20 Pearl Jam shows together. The show was amazing and we were surrounded by huge pearl jam fans. As usual, hearing a song live can completely change your appreciation for it (see wilco who make great albums but take their albums to a completely different level live). I didn't appreciate this song until I heard this song live. The passion and meaning, sitting outdoors under the midwest sky in Wisconsin. After a playlist full of depressing songs this song can put it all into perspective. This song gets to the underlying themes of why those folks are depressed. And, most of pearl jam's music comes from a pretty dark place. But, there is a great end to the story.

While the song starts off in that dark place:
All the thoughts you never see
You are always thinking
Brain is wide, brain is deep
Oh are you sinking?

Feel the path of everyday
Which road you taking?
Breathing hard, making hay
Yeah this is living

Look for love and evidence
That you're worth keeping
Swallowed whole in negatives
It's so sad and sickening

It ends in a positive place

See the path cut by the moon
For you to walk on
See the waves on distant shores
Waiting your arrival

Dream the dreams of other men
You'll be no one's rival
Dream the dreams of others then
You will be no one's rival (2x)

Distant time, distant space
That's where we're living
A distant time, a distant place
So what are you giving?