Friday, April 30, 2010

Violent Femmes Bring All Their Equipment on the Bus

I grew up on a steady diet of Violent Femmes, The Cure, Depeche Mode, and U2. My sisters are both around 10 years older than me, so some of my fondest memories at 7 were of getting to drive around in the car with them and get to listen to the Violent Femmes. I particularly loved Add It Up and Blister in the Sun. I never had any idea what they were talking about, but the music was super cool. Even as I got older, I’ve always loved the Violent Femmes. At their Jannus Landing show, the “White Spawn” singled me in what has probably scarred me for life. Then, in freshman year of college, they played our homecoming and after the show Gordon Gano was standing next to me in the crowd. I still regret that I didn’t turn to him and say: “The Violent Femmes bring ALL of their equipment on the bus!” That would have been super rad.

Anyway, rock out to Add It Up:



“Why can’t I get just one kiss?”

The Cure is an entirely different kind of love. Robert Smith is so super swoony. I wonder how many teenagers would make it through those horrible angsy years without the musical love and affection of Robert Smith.



“Just try to see in the dark
Just try to make it work…”

Monday, April 26, 2010

Heard It All Before

I blame Glee. Why is that show so freaking good and why did they have to feature Madonna? All weekend, I was on such a Madonna kick and have listened to Confessions on a Dance Floor on repeat. Good times.

It takes me back to the late 80’s when I would take my cassette tape copy of Like a Virgin (I was like 7, I totally didn’t understand what it was about!) and my mini boombox and would dance and sing on top of the air conditioning units behind our apartment. Now I want to watch Desperately Seeking Susan and get all swoony over Aidan Quinn.

Anyway, here are two fun songs, which are great for singing and dancing along to.


Hung Up: I love the Abba sampling at the beginning of this song. It gets me every time.



“Every little thing that you say or do
I'm hung up
I'm hung up on you
Waiting for your call
baby night and day
I'm fed up
I'm tired of waiting on you”
Sorry: Couldn’t embed this video, but this song is seriously kick ass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5OPMI13qng
“I don't wanna hear, I don't wanna know
Please don't say 'forgive me'
I've seen it all before
And I can't take it anymore”

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Washed in Black, Tattooed Everything

Last week, I saw Colin Hay at the Capital Theater. I’m always amazed at how great both his solo and Men at Work songs are. I started listening to his solo work after hearing the Garden State soundtrack and then seeing him tour with Ringo Starr a few years back. He has great melodic songs with powerful, yet beautiful lyrics.

“I can't get to sleep
I think about the implications
Of diving in too deep
And possibly the complications”
Second up this week is Pearl Jam’s Black.. I was seriously into Pearl Jam back in the day… that day being late middle school when I was wearing flannel and combat boots and my idea of a philosophical debate was if Eddie Vedder or Kurt Cobain was hotter. I always sided with Vedder. I mean that voice, those lyrics, and all that emotion. And oh man, if this isn’t just the epitome of Eddie Vedder’s hotness, I don’t know what is. How I miss grunge guys with long hair, chain wallets, and skateboards. Excuse me while I have myself a nice little Ethan Hawke in Reality Bites daydream.


“I know someday you'll have a beautiful life,
I know you'll be a sun in somebody else's sky, but why
Why, why can't it be, can't it be mine...”

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

God is a concept.

I had my first chance to visit New York City a couple of weeks ago. Considering my lifelong love of The Beatles, the things that I wanted to see the most while in the city were the Dakota and Strawberry Fields (George and John in the Big Apple). Both were extremely emotional experiences for me and have kicked up the number of Beatles, John Lennon, and George Harrison spins on ye olde iPod. So in honor of getting to see those things on my trip, I give you a beautiful cut of Imagine with just Lennon and his piano. It doesn’t get any better than this.



"You may say I'm dreamer, but I'm not the only one..."
And because I can never pick just one song, this is my favorite John Lennon song God. It would just feel wrong not to include it.



“I just believe in me.”