Ryan Adams - Come Pick Me Up

I've always loved this song. Well, actually I love Adams. I think he's terribly crazy and terribly good at writing catchy songs. I'm not to much of a slow ballad kinda guy, I like rocking tunes (hence being one of the few people who really enjoys Rock N Roll).

This song definitely has played a significant role in my melancholy. Not that it places me in it. It makes me turn the volume up and pound my fists and sing real loud (kinda like my favourite band, Low). This song has one of the most amazing choruses. Beautiful and profane. I love it.

I originally bought this album after my friend , Hadley, let me borrow all her Adam's albums. I had heard a track off the Slaughter Rule Soundtrack, and was flabbergasted. Who was this guy? He was awesome! And Neko Case! Which is another story. I bought Heartbreaker and got rid of it. I only liked the few rockier tracks. When I went home, Matt insisted I take this album. Okay, I'll give it another chance, and with 80 gigs of space, I can afford to. It is awesome. And this song! When the shit gets bad: Play this track. Pump fists. Clean house ferociously. Sing loud. It's the first rung on the ladder to happy times.

Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.0

Oh, mom. You did good.

When I went to Americaland for home leave, I bought an iPod. I also wanted, because it has the ability, to get a TV show. You can watch TV on an iPod, how cool is that? Well, I tried to download one, but being gone for two years meant I didn't know any of the shows being advertised. I had watched a little Arrested Development (hilarious!) but one cannot download that at iTunes. I had seen Battlestar Galactica from the numerous reruns on the SciFi channel. But I had heard bits and pieces about a remake. A miniseries. I love SciFi. It's a guilty pleasure. It's a genre where anything can be done. It works best when married with other genres like scifi/film noir (Blade Runner) or scifi/horror (Alien) or scifi/action (Aliens) or scifi/children's (ET) or scifi/western (Firefly). Anything is possible. I love it. And endless array of goodies from well-done to camp. Unfortunately, except for Star Trek not much scifi hits the mainstream...except for this Battlestar Galactica remake.

I downloaded season one. It was addictive and well made. Edward James Olmos is amazing, again. He was phenomenal in Miami Vice and he is phenomenal in this. He's not the only one. All the characters are well done. So flawed. So good. And the writing, superb! I love it. This is the science fiction I was craving. And Season Two? Just as good. I'm not even through the second disc of the first half and I'm loving it enough to write about it. My mother sent it in a package and by-god it is a good package. More after I've finished.

the Notwist - Neon Golden (Console Remix)

Not the best as remixes go. I enjoy the original. More so the song "Pilot." Its a fun song that makes me want to dance like a hipster.

But this remix on the Different Cars and Trains album? Not as good. These versions are just not as fun. If one wants a good remix you have to take an element that makes the song good and blow it out of proportion like the dancable beat in Echo Image's "Skulk (Icon of Coil mix)" or one has to take the song in a different way like taking a slow ballad and making it highly upbeat, such as "Missing" by Everything but the Girl. These Notwist mixes just kind of pitter patter there way through. One hopes that they'll kick into gear at any moment and, alas, they do not.

The Bird and The Bee - Fucking Boyfriend

This just sounds like Music from Grey's Anatomy. That's probably because I just watched half of the first season last night thanks to another Matt at the office I work at. The keyboards and vocals just fit the show, I am looking online and it looks like I was right.

Fucking Boyfriend just sounds catchy. The little rift that makes me wish this girl was singing to me. Very melodic. I really enjoy this but this song is very different from the rest of the album.

"I'll be your fucking boyfriend, oh oh, pick me pick me. Aghh."

It's definitely a little retro sounding in the keyboards but the vocals are pretty modern. Very Feist-like. You know Feist, that fun singer from Broken Social Scene that has a very successful solo album. Okay maybe the vocals aren't too modern. Just really well produced. I also like this song because it has cheesy synth clapping. I like that. And chimes. I like chimes. Kind of like how Dr. Shepherd likes Ferries.

Girl-you-like-just-gave-you-the-lets-be-friends-speech-on-the-stoop-after-eating-out-and-then-you-walk-home-&-almost-get-killed-by-a-drunk-driver Mix

1. Dress Rehearsal Rag - Leonard Cohen : This could be depressing. But everythings okay because life is just a dress rehearsal.

2. Love is Like a Bottle of Gin - the Magnetic Fields : Yep, that's love.

3. Note to Self - the Divine Comedy : Yeah, talk about restating your assumptions. I love the part where he screams, "what the fuck is happening?" Yeah, he's alone. "There is nothing as frightening as being alone." And one has to restate their assumptions.

4. We're Just Friends - Wilco : I'm new to this song. I just got it from Matt. It seems to capture some of what's going on. Maybe a slightly different view. A view askew if you will.

5. Car Chase Terror - M83: Yeah, listening to these girls scream in terror about the crazy maniac is a little more melodramatic than how I responded to fast swirving SUV.

6. Why Does It Always Rain On Me? - Travis : It sounds happy but its all about life continuing to put you in the suck. Why do I deserve this? What did I do? Did I lie when I was 17?

I will edit this as I continue to listen. It should take days to compile a mixtape.

Pedro the Lion - Big Trucks

I like this song. About patience. I know a lot of people like the main character of this track. As for me I think I'm the father. I have no problems cruising behind an oversized load truck. But a lot of people cannot and feel a need to show there anger. I was patient before Peace Corps but I'm definitely even more so now. Long long long uncomfortable rides on shitty transport.

This track is fun. The rest of the album is pretty cool. I prefer his album Control, for sheer awesomeness. This is a good track.

Applesauce

This is not music but my mother did send me a gift from the States - Applesauce. Several containers of single serving applesauce. I think I ate a whole container while I was home so now my mother remembers and is sending me oodles of the mashed stuff. It's a good thing to receive. In this particular package there was a letter (yay), two nature valley granola bars, 3 packs of tuna/salmon, and some dried strawberries. It was a good package and a splendid gift. Mmmm. . . applesauce.

Iron & Wine - Woman King [EP]

I first heard this two years ago in a mud hut. Matt and I were probably chatting about comic book movies and he thought I should hear the newest from Iron & Wine. It's really good. This EP is much better than there other stuff. I like their folky-sounding approach but the super lo-fi made it difficult for me to finish an entire album. But this starts the new sound. I like the multiple layers: gentle guitar, waify angelic background vocals, harpsichord? And that percussion! I love the use of tambourines! I just groove, I squint my eyes and just bob my head softly up and down.


I finally received this album from Matt when I went on home leave to Americaland. He loaded me up on a bunch of Iron & Wine. I look forward to learning more and who knows, maybe it'll open me up to their older catalogue.

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

I like David Bowie. He's one of my favourite performers from the 70s. and the 80s for that matter. I have very fond memories of putting on Station to Station. What an amazing track. The long train intro is pretty cool and then the song just starts to slow kick in and then half-way through the track BAM! it hits. The song really grooves. It ceases to be a ballad and becomes this true rockin' tune.

Sound of Silver sounds like Bowie. I love it. It's the equivalent of Bowie mating with Underworld. Just fantastic. I usually hate repetitive - for instance my disdain for modern rap with it's same sampled hook being repeated over and over and over and over. I like the repetitive here. Like mid-range Underworld, but, I digress.

"Innocuous" is this brilliant little song that just sounds like Bowie, hell, he might actually be singing on it. I wouldn't know. As for the rest of the tunes they remind me of my college days - when all these bands were coming out with the leading the title. Like the Hives, the Shins, the Coral, the Strokes . . . all of which are trying to reopen the post-punk days of ole. Remember Television, Elvis Costello? These bands have that spirited vocalist singing with spunky inflection and waxing witticisms. The vocalist of LCD Soundsystem reminds me of these singers. "North American Scum" just says it all. I. Love. It. I could dance to this stuff all day . . . unfortunately, most Americans cannot dance to this stuff. They need bland R&B. Blah. I like this stuff. Just Fun. The pop melodies are there but they are put over these EBM (Electronic Body Movement) Industrial Dance sounding screechings. It mixes really well.

Wow, this review is all over the place. All these references that sound pretentious. Tehehehe.

Sway - This is my Demo

This is a fun little album given by Matt. I like the very British voice, it's refreshing. I like to hear rap/hip-hop from Britain because they tend to have better music in the background, not just the p. diddy way - "Hey let's sample a song and just put a beat to it, yay!" Sway is better, Sway is fun.

It starts off with "Little Derek." I like this song but I wonder . . . is he crowing? Every time he says, "fine" I think he's doing some sort of bird call. The song "Products" is really cool, makes wish I could perfect the stutter-rap. I like the line 'Not even a Jamiroquai hat/could fit my ego.' That's a funny rhyme for a nationality that seems to have Jamiroquai on their tele every few days. As for "Pretty Ugly Husband" the subject matter is slightly uncomfortable but the drum&bass in the background works beautifully - really frenetic. Like Busta Rhymes arms when he raps. The song "Sick World" is really cool. If Eminem was a Brit I think he would sound like this. The same style of rhyme. The same background noises to illustrate his points. But what is up with that wee wee sound? Is it the quintessential rap noise? I think Snoop Dogg uses it in every 3 songs or so. Weird.

This is a fun album. Matt did good by this one. I like it better than Dizzee Rascal; the music is better, plus I understand his raps.

Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks

This song was also provided by my brother, but Matt gave me the entire CD (via iPod). It's the whistling that gets me. It has this great melody. What a song. I saw the video whilst on my homeleave in Jersey, it was fitting. I cannot help but think about walking when I hear this song. If I have friends over at my place and I want to go out I just stick this little ditty on and eventually everyone is swinging their arms and ready for leaving the house. It does a good job at that.

I originally (and incorrectly) thought this was two gents performing but alas, it is actually three different people and get this; one's name is Peter, the other Bjorn, and the last John. I'm really intelligent. I like bands that have names like this, it's simple. Ian & Sylvia. Belle & Sebastian. Simon & Garfunkel. I think all these bands have a common thread. Not just the ampersand but the sound. I picture tweed. Straight cut trousers (no pleats). And a slight hint of folkie sophistication. Just so you know, that would describe me. This review is told by a guy that buys sweater vests with reckless abandon. The artwork on the CD cover is good too. Unfortunately, I have this on my iPod so I only get a small thumbnail of a view. Still, it makes me think of Wes Anderson movies. I bet this band loves Rushmore.