Feel Good Friday ~ camp songs!

Does anyone else sing their old songs from camp when they feel down, or overwhelmed by the world?

Sometimes you just need ME AND MY DINOSAUR! or BOOM CHICKA BOOM! or my personal fave, HOT DOG, I LOVE THAT WEENIE MAAAAN!

Now tell me this isn't a mood for 2018.



Eight year old me once sang "I'll be his weenie wife" with no trace of irony and hot dog, that makes me happy. Try it! It's better than therapy. Really. :)

Feel Good Frightful Friday ~ Gerard Way

Okay, how about something positive for the last weekend of Rocktober? This new Gerard Way song is amazing! Super catchy with maybe the best title ever. This has almost 900 likes to one dislike. ONE. On the cesspool that is youtube. Enjoy!

Feel Good Friday ~ Boston playlist!

Hey, did you hear the Red Sox are in the World Series?? To enhance your rooting experience, here's a lil playlist of Bostony goodness. I could have made it longer but it would have been just 12,000 more Dropkick Murphys songs.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6m6aBNKZPlJN5J3wkhFxa5

Feel Good Friday ~ Heart

Underrated album alert!

It's that time of year when I listen to pretty much nothing but 70s and 80s rock, and I've been on a Heart kick. I'd never heard their 1983 album Passionworks, save for the song "Allies," and boy am I glad I checked it out! Apparently it didn't do well critically or commercially, and I'm scratching my head why. It's not quite up with their 1985 self-titled album, but it sounds damn good to me.

Feel Good Friday ~ best musical moment of 2018 so far!

Where else are you gonna find a "feel good" post dedicated to a song from an album about the plague? Nothing but Quality Content™ here, folks.

But seriously, is there a more cathartic moment in music this year than at 1:39? *drums* THIS IS THE MOMENT OF JUST LETTING GO! That's how music is supposed to feel. I'm glad someone still gets it.

Feel Good (Inc) Friday

This long weekend, you could listen to 25 Drake songs, or you could listen to this fun, funky, fresh new album from Gorillaz, The Now Now. I know what I'll be doing.

Feel Good Friday

A bittersweet one today, as Lari White passed away this week, but she left us with one of my favorite feel good songs of the 90s. RIP. Thanks for the sunshine.

BONUS! Feel Good Friday

Because I can't stop listening to this album OMG

Feel Good Friday ~ it came out magical

I've been listening to a lot of New Pornographers lately. I kinda burned myself out on this band about 10 years ago - listen to Mass Romantic, Electric Version and Twin Cinema and you'll see why I played them over and over and over and over and AGGGHHHHH. I did it to myself, I did, and that's what really hurts. I don't know what Radiohead has to do with this either.

But I guess 10 years is the sweet spot for coming back around cause I am totally feeling these guys again, both their old stuff and newer stuff which I hadn't heard. If I had to pick ONE favourite, damn, it's a tough choice between The Laws Have Changed and From Blown Speakers. There's just something about this one though, something... magical.



Next week begins my winter/holiday themed horror marathon, so I'll be back to Frightful Friday for a while. Scheduled movies:

Gremlins (maybe Gremlins 2?)
Krampus
The Visit
The Thing
The Shining
Black Christmas
Nightmare Before Christmas
Not sure I can handle Silent Night, Garbage Day again, maybe if I really get 'nogged

Feel Good Friday ~ soundtrack by my little brother's Casio!

Frightful Friday is on hiatus this week, but I do plan to get up to 10 so I can have Friday X: Friday in Space. Cause these are the important things in life.

So in honour of Season 12 of MST3K being announced, here's the most feel good, inspirational movie song of all time, the Pumaman theme!

Feel Good Friday the 13th

Rewatching The Midnight Hour reminded me of how much I love this song. Awoooooooo!

Feel Good Friday ~ 80s Fall playlist

I grew up in the 80s, and for me three things are forever linked with the decade of my childhood - Fall/Halloween, horror movies, and rock music. GOOD rock music, back when it popped, before it sludged into Nickelback and wannabes. 😡

(Forgive me if I'm a little salty. They were playing that awful "I'm sorry I'm bad" song at the supermarket.)

Anyway, here are some classic power pop/rock songs that are perfect for long walks in the crispy leaves. You can close your eyes* and pretend Journey is still together. (Just open them again before you cross the street.)

*When you close your eyes, do you dream about me? Okay, guess I have to add Night Ranger now.

Way too many songs to post videos, so here's a Spotify playlist. 31 songs (cause there's 31 days in October, GET IT??) Ft. Journey, Pat Benatar, The Cars, Huey Lewis, Marshall Crenshaw, Stevie Nicks, Asia, The Moody Blues, Prince, Tom Petty (RIP), and more.

https://open.spotify.com/user/emperorcupcake22/playlist/0jiriOlHOHVvHRMGBrwj2q

Have a spooktacular Rocktober!🤘

Feel Good Friday ~ Top 8 favourite songs of 2017 so far

One song per artist, playlist link at the end.

1. Black Rain - Creeper

Eternity, In Your Arms is already a lock for my favourite album of 2017. Um, spoiler alert lol. And this glorious, scream-out-the-chorus arena-ready goth rocker is the crown jewel. "They don't make music like this anymore," I might have said last year before I heard Creeper. But they do. THEY DO. And Creeper is coming to Edmonton in November and I'm probably going! eeeeeeeeeeee!

2. From Outer Space - Jaime Wyatt

"Honey, it's a long way home from outer space." Country music that's actually about something is the best. And that's exactly what Jaime Wyatt is making. I've never been to prison, but this song resonates with me. I guess outer space is a big place.

3. Idle Worship - Paramore

First of all, this is an album that needs to be listened to as a whole. Picking just one song was tough, but I guess this one spoke to me the most. It's also really catchy and pretty indicative of the album. Basically the message is, your heroes are human and just as messed up as you are. Don't put anyone on a pedestal, they didn't ask for it and you'll just be disappointed. Hayley Williams has been through some shit, she's pulling no punches, and it's amazing.

4. Redbone - Childish Gambino

Get Out is my favourite movie of 2017, even beating out Guardians of the Galaxy 2. And hey, they both have cool music. This is a soul song, in every sense of the word. A good soul jam immediately takes you back to the 70s, the glory days of the genre, but this manages to sound both retro and fresh. Even without the amazing movie attached to it it's a fantastic journey of a song, but I love that the two are connected forever. A couple of bright spots in a year that's been... well, better than 2016 at least?

5. I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight - Sunny Sweeney

I doubt I'll hear a more beautiful song than this all year. Chills. Apparently this is a cover (I haven't heard the original), but Sunny sure sings it like she wrote it. And lives it. I mean, I guess we all live this from time to time. That's the point. Again, nothing resonates like country music that's about something. The radio's lost that, but happily artists like Sunny Sweeney have not. Great song, great album.

6. Tin Man - Miranda Lambert

I hate damning this song by calling it the second most beautiful song of 2017, but that's still pretty high praise, right? I love songs that make pain beautiful. More than anything. Miranda's been kind of hit or miss for me these past few years, but this is right in the centre of the bullseye. "Take it from me darling, you don't want a heart." Well, shit.

7. I Feel it Coming - The Weeknd and Daft Punk

It's been a surprisingly good year for mainstream r&b. A bright, catchy, 80s-ish jam with some of the tightest production you'll ever hear. The Weeknd is becoming one of my go-to artists for quality mainstream music. Don't let me down.

8. Kiwi - Harry Styles

Guys... I don't know how else to say this, but Harry Styles kinda rocks? Seriously, if you like 70s rock, or Cage the Elephant for that matter, check out his stuff. Close your eyes and pretend he's ugly and was never in One Direction. Cause this is a killer track from a pretty damn good album. Maybe he'll be the one to save rock n roll, cause Fall Out Boy sure as hell didn't lol.

Honorable mentions: Crickets - Creeper, 26 - Paramore, Stone Hotel - Jaime Wyatt, Broken Halos - Chris Stapleton, Black Butterflies and Deja Vu - The Maine. My fun summer jam, Parking Lot - Blink-182 ("Fuck this place, let's put up a parking lot!" You said it, Blink-182.) And my country summer jam, One Beer Can - Brad Paisley. I haven't been super impressed with Brad Paisley lately, but this one does it for me. Prominent guitar and fiddle, catchy and fun with good energy. It's basically 2017's "Chattahoochee."

EDITED TO ADD: Margo Price just dropped an EP! It's really good! After a couple listens my favourites are "Paper Cowboy" and "Weakness." I'll just call them honourable mentions for now, since I literally just heard them.

https://open.spotify.com/user/emperorcupcake22/playlist/1Wwzl8TKhdEvfdln9y46Gn

Albums in my to-listen queue:
Childish Gambino
Chris Stapleton, again (listened once but was distracted)
Angaleena Presley
Aaron Watson
Killers Battle Born (not from this year, but still)

We're getting new albums from Weezer, Beck, The Killers, and maaaaaybe System of a Down? this year, so hopefully lots more to come!

Feel Good Friday ~ The Killers

You ever hear a song and think welp, this was pretty much made just for me? I guess Brandon Flowers was reading my blog because this is precisely the kind of music I wish for people to be making. It somehow sounds like every 80s power-rock hit and none of them at the same time. The opening kind of reminds me of that "believe it or not, I'm walking on air" song, there's a riff that reminds me of "Heat of the Moment," a little "Don't Stop Believing," a little "Livin' on a Prayer," and probably a dozen other songs I can't put my finger on. It's the perfect homage, is what I'm saying. And I love it.

Feel the Love Friday ~ Daryle Singletary

I tried to not overload my "love songs" list with too much 90s country, but this was an unforgivable oversight.

Feel Good Friday

The triumphant return of feel good Friday, when we need it the most! On this sad, confusing day, let's celebrate finding common ground.

Feel Good Friday

Rocktober album releases:

Green Day
Letters to Cleo EP
Blackberry Smoke
The Pretty Reckless

Suddenly, everything's coming up me. I better listen to 'em all now in case the rapture happens next month!

I'll just leave this here.

Feel Good Friday ~ cause we still have Rocktober, dammit

The world may be going to hell, we might have just had a bloody snowstorm in the middle of October, but dammit, it's still Rocktober! So here's some seasonal-feeling classic Canadian rock. Enjoy, and let's go Blue Jays!

Feel Good Whiskey Soaked Friday ~ The Pretty Reckless

Well, this is good. I just found these guys thanks to a youtuber I subscribed to because they like The Maine. I love when life happens that way! This is, I don't even know what to call it, just solid rock and roll. Music to drink to. So happy Friday, and rock on!





They even have a gorgeous rock ballad.



This song is from their new album coming out in November, so I'm pretty pumped for that!

Feel good Friday ~ Stranger Things

Stranger Things is like a lost, classic, early Stephen King story. If you like It you'll love Stranger Things, and it doesn't have a terrible ending like It does!

They clearly put a LOT of effort into getting the tone and look of the early 80s just right. The clothes are spot on. The furniture looks just like the stuff I grew up with. And in case you were wondering if they cut any corners authenticity wise - in the episode "The Monster," there's a mobile that plays Brahms Lullaby, and it is the exact same mobile I had as a baby. I know this because I had the little yellow music note part that played the lullaby well into adulthood. It might still be in my mom's storage, for all I know. When I saw it I had this immediate jolt of recognition and an even bigger respect for the show. They researched everything.

I won't get into details of the show here, just watch it. I want to discuss why it resonates so much. One, Winona Ryder is awesome, and clearly something I've been missing in my life all these years. She was one of my idols growing up (Beetlejuice is easily my 2nd favorite movie), and I was so sad when she just kinda disappeared. I understand she needed to take a break for her mental health - I can't imagine being a genuine person like her in the Hollywood scene. Good lord. But I'm just glad she's back. With a vengeance. Cause she is AMAZING in this show.

Two, the nostalgia. Soo I have kind of a love/hate relationship with nostalgia, especially the 80s variety. I can't stand how much cynical pandering there's been to 80s nostalgia in the last several years, mostly to make a buck. This is why the idea of a Ghostbusters reboot pissed me off. But let's put the hate aside and get into the love, because Stranger Things is an example of nostalgia done RIGHT. Not just because they lovingly crafted every detail, but because it's a completely original project. It pays homage to some older stuff like Stephen King, but it's very much its own idea. This is what I've been asking for!

And it doesn't only appeal to 80s kids. People who weren't even born in the 80s are eating this up. And why not, it's a tight, suspenseful show with flawless acting. But I think there's even more to it, and this goes back to when I discussed the appeal of Walking Dead. From my post:

"You know an odd reason I think Walking Dead works so well? It's timeless. It doesn't pander to any demographic, because by its nature, it really can't. It appeals to a wide audience because it's life boiled down to its essence. There are no trends, no buzzwords, nothing that will make it seem dated as fuck in 5 years, in a world where things are dated increasingly faster all the time. By not trying to be cool, it's adopted a very timeless sense of cool.

People are kind of more interesting in a zombie apocalypse, is what I guess I'm saying. They're trying to find their humanity rather than escape from it. As scary as it is, I enjoy watching the simplicity of that world."

I'd say the same thing about going back in time. I think we're going to be seeing more and more shows set in a different time/place/world than our own, with how popular stuff like Stranger Things, Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones are. (I don't watch GoT, but everyone else does.) Fantasy and nostalgia are nothing new, there's always been a need for that escapism. But I think that need has reached a fever pitch in today's world, and many people might not even realize it. The truth is, I don't think too many people like the modern world very much. Oh, there are some great things, but everything has just run amok with no sense of checks and balances.

You know what I remember about the early 80s? How quiet it was. No smartphones, no social media, no 24/7 news blaring doom into your ears all day. Not that those things are inherently bad, except 24/7 news. That was a horrible idea. I couldn't go back there, knowing what I know now. I'd miss the internet, and my iPod*, and having more than 3 channels. But man, if I could go back with a clean slate? That would be tempting. I'm taking a social media break right now (except this blog, obviously), but it's not the same. Knowing it's out there, being tempted to look because there might be something positive, is not the same as the blissful quiet of negation.

*having a mix of 100s of songs at your fingertips might be the only thing I can say is 1000% better now!

I think a lot of people, even plugged-in millennials, are subconsciously yearning for simplicity. Maybe especially the more plugged-in you are. The human brain, and soul, have needs that are different from our immediate wants. Today's world is overstimulating and exhausting, and I think most of us need a break. We don't have time machines, so a show that takes us out of the noise for a while is the next best thing. And it helps that it's so damn good.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying technology is bad. I think it's great, but we've done some bad things with it and let it get out of control. The only thing I'm saying is all bad is 24/7 news, which is literally a piranha eating all our faces right now. There's just... so much that needs to be dialed back. Toned down.

So don't be surprised to see more and more hits that are somehow... off from today's society. American Horror Story is another example. Even the seasons set in the present have a certain... disreality to them. Consciously or subconsciously, we want to escape this madness we helped create. I don't know where we go from here, but as usual, art is the best outlet from reality. And, I'd argue, also helps create reality. Or creates a dialogue, anyway.

Speaking of art, the last thing I want to mention is the music in the show! A great mix of rock, pop, punk and new wave that perfectly captures the 80s landscape. Here's an awesome classic rock tune that takes you right back. I'm surprised this hasn't shown up on SPN yet. (This is actually from the late 70s, but a lot of 70s stuff was still big in the early 80s.)



Happy weekend! Raise a little hell! And I'm off on a much needed vacation. phew.