3/26/13

2013 is shaping up to be a truly amazing year for records. Among the long list of releases I have been excited for, I added a new one to the list when I learned the Cold War Kids are coming out with a new album in a couple weeks. Remember them? Yeah, they still make music, and it is pretty good. My tags told me I haven't posted their stuff before, though I enjoyed Robbers and Cowards immensely back in the day. Who didn't, though? I remember it being rather ubiquitous, one of those records I came across upon on my own, then heard tastemakers jamming out to elsewhere else, then saw while thumbing through someone else's iTunes with completely different time.

There's something a little off about their sound I really get into, something busted-carnival in their bright pianos and just-ever-so-slightly out of tune vocals. Discovering CWK's latest single was courtesy of the local college radio, and I found it was an enjoyable soundtrack on the drive home from the grocery store. 

"I was supposed to do great things
I know the road was long
But I wasn't raised to shoot for fame
I had the safety on

I cut my ties, I sold my rings
I wanted none of this
If you start from scratch you have to sing
Just for the fun of it

I’d be alright, if I could just see you
Come up for air, come up for air
A miracle mile, where does it lead to
Come up for air, come up for air
I feel the air upon my face
Forget the mess I'm in
Hold me again, don't count mistakes
I lost track of them

I’d be alright, if I could just see you
Come up for air, come up for air
A miracle mile, where does it lead to
Come up for air, come up for air

I was in the mud, I was in the dirt
Went underground and I found what I was worth
All alone and I know I can't stay
But we're walking up and down the streets to stay awake

Come up for air, come up for air, come up
Come up for air, come up for air, come up
Come up for air, come up for air, come up
Come up for air, come up for air, come up

Get outside, get all over the world
You learn to love what you get in return
It may be a problem and it may be peace of mind
Put your head down down and breathe one breath at a time

Come up for air, come up for air, come up
Come up for air, come up for air, come up
Come up for air, come up for air, come up
Come up for air, come up for air, come up

I’d be alright, if I could just see you
Come up for air, come up for air
A miracle mile, where does it lead to
Come up for air, come up for air

I’d be alright, if I could just see you

A miracle mile, where does it lead to?"

~Miracle Mile 

Cold War Kids, Dear Miss Lonelyhearts

3/19/13

Listen to how perfect this song is:



"I got a girl in the war, Paul, her eyes are like champagne, 
They sparkle, bubble over, and in the morning all you got is rain." 
~Girl in the War
Josh Ritter, The Animal Years
(As performed with Emmylou Harris at SXSW2013)

3/18/13

Isn't it just the most frustrating feeling when someone is entirely too predictable?

My ballet teacher used to say, "Shape up or ship out." Kind of applies to life.

I'd love to be nonchalant, but it's in my blood to be angry. Some feelings you just can't fight, like when you're angry with someone for keeping you up late at night when sleep is all you need. Gonna try to get over it, pretend nothing ever happened until I have the time to deal with it, and chill the fuck out. Fugazi is good for this, great, in fact. Distort me, please.



"hey what's your name?
do you feel the same way too?
siphon fuel
don't make a sound
and most of all
don't let me down

it comes as no surprise."

~No Surprise
Fugazi, End Hits

3/17/13

Such a good night for Anberlin. One of those bands I don't listen to on any regular basis, but then they crop up on my recommended YouTube and I think "Yes.....what is that hook?" And I remember this one, the "Dismantle me," line. For a band that I never really classified in the heavier side of the scene, they've got some real biting darkness lyrically, and never shy away from a dramatic, melodic near-throwdown.

Also, I can't believe this is from 2007. Years, they keep going by.



One last glance from a taxi cab
Images scar my mind
Four weeks've felt like years.
Since your full attention was all mine
The night was young and so were we
Talked about life, God, death, and your family
Didn't want any promises,
Just my undivided honesty, and you said,
"Oh oh, things are gonna change now for the better
Oh oh, things are gonna change, oh, they're gonna change..."

I am the patron saint of lost causes
A fraction of who I once believed, 

Change, only a matter of time,
Opinions I would try and rewrite,
If life had background music playing your song,
I've got to be honest, I tried to escape you,
But the orchestra plays on, and they sang

"Oh oh, things are gonna change now for the better
Oh oh, things are gonna change..."

Hands, like secrets, are the hardest thing to keep from you
Lines and phrases, like knives, your words can cut me through
Dismantle me down, repair,
You dismantle me
You dismantle me
Give me time to prove
Prove I want the rest of yours,
Call this a prelude to a lifetime of you
It's not that I hang on every word
I hang myself on what you repeat
It's not that I keep hanging on
I'm never letting go
Hands, like secrets, are the hardest thing to keep from you
Lines and phrases, like knives, your words can cut me through
Dismantle me down, repair
You dismantle me
You dismantle me

Save me from myself
Save me from myself
Help me save me from myself
Save me from myself

Oh oh, things are gonna change now for the better
Oh oh, things are gonna change

Hands, like secrets, are the hardest thing to keep from you
Lines and phrases, like knives, your words can cut me through
Dismantle me down, repair
You dismantle me
You dismantle me"~Dismantle.Repair.
Anberlin, Cities

3/14/13

I have a ton of respect for Pete Yorn, even if I've  never really delved into his catalog too far. Hell of a songwriter. But I love this song for his voice, for how broken and defeated he sounds. Really glad it exists right now.



"I’m taking a ride off to one side
It is a personal thing.
Where?
When I can’t stand up in this cage I’m not regretting.
I don’t need a better thing
I’d settle for less
It’s another thing for me
I just have to wander through this world alone.

Stop before you fall
Into the hole that I have dug here
Rest even as you
Are starting to feel the way I used to
I don’t need a better thing
Just to sound confused
Don’t talk about everyone
I am not amused by you.

Cause I’m gonna lose ya
Yes I’m gonna lose ya
If I’m gonna lose ya

Cause I’m gonna lose ya
Yes I’m gonna lose ya
If I’m gonna lose ya
I’ll lose you now for good."

~Lose  You 

Pete  Yorn, Musicforthemorningafter

3/11/13

After a day where I wasn't on the same with about 95 percent of the rest of the world, all I've needed to feel like myself again is mosey around the ole Internet and explore a little new music.



"See the black water, stressed out there,
Catches the moonlight and now it’s pulling me near.
Taking me under, now I’m losing my bet,
You said it’s the last time, but it will happen again.

Oh, black water, will I fall in your arms again?
Oh, black water, will I fall in your arms again?

You saw the black water for miles and miles,
Catches the city lights and now you’re happy, you smile.
Looks like I found a way to people fear, not hear
But it’s taking a long time for this to disappear.

Oh, black water, will I fall in your arms again?
Oh, black water, will I fall in your arms again?"
~Black Water
The Dig, Midnight Flowers

Some nights (most nights) I feel too unsettled to sleep, shutting off the rest of the world and tuning into my head and my dreams and my thoughts(the ones that don't get blasted out in binary). But tonight, The Dig's patient indie rock melodies, dreampop falsettos, and post-punk blend of grungy/beachy guitars seems to be playing some kind of fresh-but-familiar trick. I will take it, as well as whatever else I can get in the form of inspiration tonight. Lord knows I've been all over the place - focus is never my strong suit - but every now and then you stumble upon something worthwhile, something that brings just the right pause.

3/9/13

"Now I'm all messed up
Sick inside, wondering where
Where you're leaving your makeup
Now I'm all messed up
Sick inside wondering who
Whose life you're making worthwhile

Go, go, go if you want
I can't stop you
Go if you want
I can't stop you"
~Now I'm All Messed Up

Tegan and Sara, Heartthrob

I have NO doubt 2013 is going to be filled with amazing albums coming out, but there still a few weeks away from where I'm sitting. So I stumbled across Tegan and Sara's "Heartthrob" and it's a decent change of pace as I find myself listening to the same ole, same ole waiting for new releases. Mostly because I'm probably slowly losing my mind, but also because it is a fun pop record and I think that's what my head and heart might need right now.

This album (and this is very intentional, I think) sounds like it could've been recorded by The Bangles or "Like a Virgin"-era Madonna, which is kinda awesome. It seems to me, after a couple of through-headphones through-listens, Tegan and Sara take their evolution into pop very seriously. "Heartthrob" is pretty one-note, in terms of melody and song structure and rhythm and tones. But it's catchy as fuck.  Like this track, "Now I'm All Messed Up," that's some "we-picked-the-right-chord-changes" decisions at work. And overall the whole thing kind of makes me want to be at a hipster dance party.

Lyrically it's not groundbreaking, it's not full of beautiful lines and scenes and twists of turns of phrases as you might expect from artists with such a folksy background as T&S, But it is so hard to fuck with the straightforward, something like "Goodbye/Like the first time." Four words and I know exactly what they mean.

Why waste time on fanciful phrasings when you can be straight up about it? And since it's pop music, you can decorate in other ways. So the whole listen-to-my-hurt-heart message with a bunch of synths and back-up vocals and retro drum samples has been done to death. It's like marshmallow flavored icing, with pointless but pretty pink sprinkles. You know it's bad for you but it's so hard to not go back for a second taste.

"How come you don't want me now?
Why don't you want to wait this out?
How come you always lead me on
Never take my call, hear me out?
Why don't you want to win me now?
Why don't you want to show me off?
Tell me why you couldn't try,
Couldn't try and keep me here?"
~How Come You Don't Want Me Now? 

Tegan and Sara, Heartthrob

Yeah, did I mention these songs are honest as hell? More candy, please.

3/6/13

OMGOMGOMG! THE WONDER YEARS ALBUM COMES OUT ON MAY 14, AND MARK TROMBINO MIXED IT OMGOMGOMG.



"I'm not even sad anymore, 
I'm just so tired most nights."
~Logan Circle
The Wonder Years, The Upsides

I am fully prepared for this upcoming album, with the promising title "The Greatest Generation," to soundtrack yet another summer full of life and love and sundresses and growing pains (can you still call them that in your mid-20s?). I've let someone break my heart every summer since 2010. We'll see what happens this time.

3/6/13

Apex Theory just had it going-the-fuck-on, such grooves, such a unique sound, but a face-melting breakdown ability and an incredible way of building up to it, like they're twisting time signatures into knots and literally bending the seconds into longer and shorter versions to fit their notes. It is seriously amazing what they do, I have not heard much if anything really like them before. Look at this EP, look at how it starts so slow and dreamy - 23 minutes of wave after wave of sound later it ends on a howl.

You don't make songs this strange and complex and beautiful by not trying at all, it doesn't just happen by sitting around saying "Hey, I feel like writing a song, think I'm gonna go write a song." You get there by knowing what you want, by working at it, by not caring how batshit it might sound to people who expect you to do something else or think you'd make more money doing something else.

Apex Theory, who became Mt.Helium, never took off too far, and the last LP was 2008, practically an epoch ago. Did no one get them? Did people not understand what they were doing? The fans they did have were obsessed, and still are, according to YouTube comments.

I love this EP. Not just because it's badass, but because it reminds me of different times, when day in and day out I felt emboldened by rebelliousness and a had a knack for the contrary. When I just felt like I owed the world nothing but to be me, answered to no one and gave zero fucks what anyone would say. What would she think of me and all these "accomplishments?" (their words, not mine).

Every now and then, it's good to remember where you came from. Working hard is working hard, and there's all kinds of benefits there. But I think nothing could be more rewarding than knowing you never sacrificed who you were. Every now and then it's good to remember what got you where you are. I'm not giving up yet.

"time to wrap your head around it/to grow, to grow/time to wrap your head around it/to grow, to grow out" ~Burglar Soup, Apex Theory, Inthatskyissomethingwatching

3/1/13

It's all in the words this time.



"The clouds move over Pontiac skies
Their silent thunder matches mine
I know this feeling from long ago
I wonder if it's gone now I know

So when she calls don't send her my way
When it hurts you'll know it's the right thing
Michigan's in the rearview now,
Keep your hands where I can see them
You took the words right out of my mouth
When you knew that I would need them
What am I supposed to do now
Without you,
Without you..."
~Michigan
The Milk Carton Kids, Prolouge
The rest of the album also seems very beautiful  - and there are lots of references to states (which I love), with a track I haven't heard called "New York" and a Minnesota shout out in the chorus of "No Hammer to Hold." Truly, the words are the star of this album, and everything has amazing, amazing harmonies to highlight that. Very Simon & Garfunkel. Everything is underscored by soft chord structures spruced up with some more of those twang-folks riffs, as well some really pleasant and gentle picking.

It's a soft-sounding album but most of the lyrics are anything but; they expose so much hurt and regret and longing. They sing on "One Goodbye": "The things you wanted/the things you would/the things that haunt/I never could."

"Michigan," though, sends arrows through my heart, every time. Please put this in my biopic.