Currently Playing Universal Audio By Delgados see related

And Now For the Music…………

I’ve been having great fun downloading music recently, and to further my amusement I’ve decided to write about what I’m listening to. Warning: THIS BLOG ENTRY CONTAINS OPINIONS.

 Interesting Discoveries:

     I was always too put off by Frank Zappa’s grotesque moustache to listen to anything but “Valley Girl” (one of my favorite childhood songs), but his early non-jazz albums such as Freak Out! are really awesome and totally ahead of their time. Also, just about everything Ween does is a complete rip-off of Zappa.

     I had also never listened to Social Distortion, mostly ‘cause I thought they sounded like the rest of that obnoxious (Bad Religion, NOFX) Southern Cali punk, but it turns out they sound more like an American Pogues. Yay!

     I have read a lot about early feminist punk bands such as the Raincoats, the Slits, and Kleenex/Liliput but why I have never seen anything about Crass’s 1981 album Penis Envy? It’s a fantastic album that delves farther into feminist/leftist politics than any of their contemporaries’ music did. – Oh wait, that’s why I’ve never heard of it.

3 Bands who are a sign that “token black singer/musician” has replaced “token hot girl bassist” as the favorite new gimmick to elevate an otherwise mediocre indie band:
1) TV on the Radio – Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes: “Staring at the Sun” is an addictive song. Otherwise it’s all just - “Look in my eyes, what do you see, the cult of personality.”
2) The Dears - No Cities Left: Montreal band with a black singer who sounds exactly like Morrissey on over half the songs. Those songs really suck. However, their non-Morrissey songs are actually quite brilliant.
3) Bloc Party – Silent Alarm: 3 young, nerdy, London white dudes and one black dude in nerdy white clothing who really like The Fall. Inconsequential, but grows on you with repeated listens.

                                                             Reviews of 15 Albums from 2005

1) Low – The Great Destroyer: Not unpleasant, but ultimately a disappointment. Low “rocks out” on this album and often ends up sounding like a low rent Yo La Tengo with some truly inane lyrics.
2) Doves – Some Cities: Better than Lost Souls, not as good as The Last Broadcast, loses momentum a bit after the first few songs, but is the perfect album for a cold NYC day.
3) Chemical Brothers – Push the Button / Daft Punk – Human After All:  Rose Marshack of the Poster Children once said in and interview that all music should come with an expiration date. Both of these albums are great, but unfortunately both bands expired in 1999.
5) The Kills – No Wow: The album PJ Harvey should have put out last year. Sexy, cool, garage sound by a guy and a girl, but sounds nothing like the White Stripes.  
6) LCD Soundsystem: More trendy, irritating, soulless, cooler than thou electro-bad wallpaper music for fashion shows, but critics think these guys are special just because they reference and make fun of indiedom in their lyrics, like that's never been done before.
7) Mercury Rev – Secret Migration: Typical Mercury Rev album, but not nearly as good as Deserter’s Songs. Kind of weak lyrically and the vocals are too up front in the mix. I think I can’t take anymore male singers with whiney, cutesy, helium voices right now.
8) Beck – Guero: For anyone who has been missing old school Beck, you’ve got him on this album, but like Daft Punk and the Chemical Brothers, I think Beck expired in 1999.
9) Stars – Set Yourself on Fire: Montreal band. Very good. I would buy this.
10) The Delgados – Universal Audio: Scottish band. Very good. I would buy this.
11) New Order – Waiting for the Siren’s Call: Sounds a lot like their 2001 album Get Ready, but without a great single like “Crystal” to carry the album.
12) The Fiery Furnaces EP: The Fiery Furnaces somehow succeed at everything Mates of State fails miserably at. Male and female eccentric vocals with mundane yet esoteric lyrics over weird piano instrumentation. I should hate them, but instead they are one of my new favorite bands. However, I would recommend last year’s full length Blueberry Boat over this EP.
13) Queens of the Stone Age – Lullaby’s to Paralyze: Queens of the Stone Age reminds me a lot of  Urge Overkill with their 70’s rock shtick. No singles as fun as “No One Knows” or “Feel Good Hit of the Summer” here but still a good album of  “rock” music.
14) And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead – World’s Apart: Overbearing, pretentious album that kinda sounds like commercial emo or like Trail of Dead are trying to be this decade’s Yes. That said, I do like some of the songs individually, like “The Rest Will Follow,” and the fact that they have two drummers is pretty cool,  I guess.

     For another interesting/disturbing discovery, I have been listening to the recently downloaded album Undertow by Tool, and it seems that I now really like this band for some reason.

Currently Watching Dick By Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams, Dan Hedaya see related

Our bus broke down on a desert lot
Nowhere to go, have to pop a squat.
Please turn around, don’t stop and stare.
I think I’ve ruined another pair.
--Chorus--
No intermission until Act IV.
What can you do when your bladder’s so sore?
Get ready to wait in that big long line,
With all the ladies taking their sweet time.
--Chorus--
For all the women across the land.
A lady pee tube for every hand.
Don’t want no bottle, don’t want no cup.
Just want to pee while we’re standing up.

Currently Playing Candyland By Rackets & Drapes see related

In order to expand the Candyland Family Band catalogue I have written two new songs that could be considered companion pieces to the psycho farmer rap and Jesse’s rat bait song.  The first should be set to hair metal guitar ala Bon Jovi. The second needs a Wire/Gang of Four beat.
Psycho Farmer #2-
Driving fast, sunny day through a southern wood
Beer cans out the window, we were feeling good
A horse of iron waiting to be found
Green fields of corn cover muddy ground
Little blue Accord don’t you try your luck
Wheels spin quick and now we’re stuck
We asked that old farmer could he give us a hand
He said, “Hey kids, get off my land!”
Chorus:
    He’s a psycho farmer, a redneck charmer
    Been smoking bad dope, better get him a rope
    A psycho farmer, riding horse in armor
    Gonna run far away leave my Birkies in clay
Back in Athens now we’re shaken up
We shoulda called Ali and her big black truck
A crazy eyed stare and a rebel yell
That farmer’s barn flamed up straight from hell
--Chorus: 2x --
In a dark staircase he’s waiting for you
With a rope, it will break, but it’s meant for you
Dom mon yes he’s psycho and he’s coming for you
Dom mon yes he’s psycho and he’s coming for you!

The 560 Franklin song-
Verses: 4x
Smart mice don’t eat cheeses
Hole in kitchen, carry diseases
Chorus:2x
    Instamatic trap a rat into a detour
    Scratchy scraping no escaping under my floor
Get out the lime, perfume spray
Sick sweet smell won’t go away
--Chorus--
Mr. Bush come clean my house
Please get rid of that dead old mouse
--Chorus--
To the rescue Mexican man
He does what no gringo can
--Chorus--
Now I know my room’s still stankin
But I love 560 Franklin

Currently Playing Look at Us By Sonny & Cher see related

And now for the therapy….let’s first talk about feelings

Everyone who has either taken psych 101 or watched a lot of soap operas knows that most modern day therapists place an emphasis on having their clients discuss their feelings. As in, “How did it make you feel when your mother ran your drunken father over with the car, set the house on fire, and sped off in an 18 wheeler with a man named Tooter when you were 6 years old?” While listing a feeling would on the surface seem like a rather simple and innocuous task, you would be surprised at how hard it is for people to share their feelings. Client: “umm…I don’t know.” Therapist: “I don’t know is not a feeling.” Client: “Well, I…I felt ok.” Therapist: “Ok is not a feeling word either.” Client: “Jesus, I felt bad!”  Therapist: “Bad is not a feeling word. Try again.” Client: “Oh goddamn it to hell! I felt angry alright, really, really pissed off, like I’m really, really pissed off at you right now!” Therapist: “Great, now we are getting somewhere!” 

            We really just can’t stand to deal with our feelings, especially the unpleasant ones.  Women often think that they are far superior then men at emotional intimacy. I have made accusation to my own man at times. Yet usually women are often merely superior at sharing their moods rather than their true innermost feelings.  In a mood we may scream, laugh, yell, cry, shake, and grimace but there is a difference between being emotional and being emotionally honest. Moods act as buffers. They are sometimes sloppy and irrational and sometimes well conceived, but in any case they act as defense mechanisms. They protect us. They give us CONTROL. And that is the key difference.  In order to truly be emotionally honest, we must give up this control. The reason we can’t stand to share our real feelings is because we modern people absolutely cannot tolerate giving up control (even though control is just an illusion).

When it comes to emotional intimacy what are we most afraid will happen if we give up control and let our guard completely down? One word: SHAME. “I’m not afraid anymore!”  Well you may not be afraid but you are still ashamed that you are a short chubby kid who sleeps in a diaper. Shame is the worst emotion a person can experience even though in most cases, we shouldn’t have to.  Human beings by definition have weaknesses.  Yet churches teach children from a very young age to feel ashamed about their imperfections. We are all sinners.  Praise the lord and follow the 10 commandments or you will burn in hell. 

The real tragedy is that these Christians are so caught up in their moral codes that they fail to realize that true spiritual fulfillment comes from accepting and acknowledging all our human failures, mistakes, wrong doings and inadequacies, everything that we tend to be ashamed of rather than striving for the impossible task of divine perfection. Jesus was perfect so you don’t have to be.  There is no reason for anyone to ask Jesus forgiveness for being not Jesus.

So what happens when we finally do allow ourselves to be vulnerable and let go of control? It is the true meaning of that dorky phrase, “let go and let god.” Jungian analyst Robert A. Johnson commented on how obsessed western people are with romantic love. He said this is because to love is to touch the divine. When people enter into their first romantic relationship it is often their first true experience of letting go of control, of real emotional intimacy, of spiritual connectivity.  Yet, as it is dangerous to spend too much time with the divine, even the greatest of lovers must come back down to earth eventually. Back up go the defense mechanisms and we are right back where we started. Some relationships can survive this and some can’t.  

            Emotional intimacy is beyond hard, and those defense mechanisms are there for a reason. There is a lot out in the world that can hurt us. However, in order to change, mature, and grow as people we have to take some risks. Sharing real feelings with someone, whether it’s with your best friend, your lover, or your therapist is very scary. Yet it is also a profound spiritual process, and there are few things more directly healing to our shame ravaged psyches.