Wicked Good Wednesday ~ Don't stop listening to rock and roll

If I had to thank any band for my renewed interest in modern alt-rock (besides Weezer and their last two amazing albums), it would be The Maine. It's one thing getting back into a band you used to love, but discovering a new band you love is like discovering a new continent.

I CLAIM THIS FOR SPAIN

I can't believe I just got into these guys last December. It feels like I've known them forever. Thing is, I don't really know how to describe The Maine. Alt rock with some pop punk influences, especially in their earlier work. But their sound is more varied than that description lets on. I can't really compare them to another band either. Sometimes they sound influenced by bands like Jimmy Eat World and All-American Rejects, sometimes more classic rock, sometimes there's an almost folk element in there. All I can tell you is the big picture is really, really good. I'd describe them as not a very heavy band, more leaning towards melody and lyricism, but then they give me a classic style riff that knocks me on my ass and I wake up and it's Tuesday. I just don't know, is what I'm saying. So why don't I let the music speak for itself.

Their first album Can't Stop Won't Stop is the most poppy, but not in a bad way. This is probably my least favorite of their albums, but only because their sound expanded so much after this. Still, you get gems of the genre like "I Must Be Dreaming," "Everything I Ask For," and "Count Em One Two Three." I guess this album sounds the most of its time? It has kind of an All-American Rejects, etc. vibe to me. I liked a lot about that time in music, but their next albums have more of a timeless rock feel. This song makes me all kinds of happy, though.



Their second album Black and White features three of my favorite Maine songs: "Growing Up," "Colors," and "Don't Stop Now." The album has an uplifting pop-rock sound that's just fun to listen to. This is them starting to come into their own, I think. "Growing Up" is a beautiful, old school by-God anthem, with the iconic line "growing up won't bring us down." This could be straight out of an 80s arena rock playlist.



This brings us to Pioneer, which might be my favorite of their albums? It's definitely the hardest, most classic rock influenced, which obviously appeals to me. Check out this opening riff:



This song is such a hidden gem on the album. Another great riff, and beautiful lyrics:



My favorite song from this album will be at the end of the post!

Then we get to their most interesting and experimental album, Forever Halloween. Two of the first, and completely different-sounding, songs I got into from them are here, "Love and Drugs" and "Birthday in Los Angeles." They're still probably my favorite Maine songs, actually. This isn't my favorite album, which isn't to say I don't love it. The album cover is simple black with a skeleton, which of course appealed to me as I love anything creepy and Halloweeny. It's funny though, because they aren't really a gothy, Hot Topic-y band at all. But yeah, despite the sunny, upbeat "Love and Drugs," I guess this is their darkest album. Songs like "Forever Halloween," "Fucked Up Kids," "Happy," and the amazing "Birthday in Los Angeles" do fit that vibe. They're just not a very dark band. Something about the instrumentation makes me want to smile and hold up a lighter.





This next track has become one of my favorite songs, period. I love the kind of gritty folk-rock vibe, and the lyrics on this thing! "This ain't my birthday party, it's just a fashion show. Yeah this is something, it just isn't me, So long L.A." Did I mention I love dark songs about California? Because I do! And this might be the best one yet. (And yes, Murder House is my favorite season of AHS. That seemed relevant, suddenly.)



Finally, we get to 2015's sparkling, career-defining American Candy. I feel like this is my favorite because it kind of hits you like, BAM! This is The Maine. This is their signature sound. Their next album might sound completely different, and I kinda hope it does, but I think this will always define them for me, like Murmur defines REM. I don't know what modern rock radio plays anymore, but to me this album is radio-friendly in the BEST way. The hooky-and-well-produced-music way, not the "here's a dumb trend we're gonna squeeze dry" way. There is nothing trendy about The Maine, and that's probably the biggest compliment I could give anybody. Just pure music that obviously took effort, yet seems effortless.

If I had heard this in time, it would have made my top albums of 2015. I'll remedy that this year, along with a couple other albums.

"They've got American candy, for the American kids." Yesssss kids, take the candy, take it! Just don't get in the van.



Love the lyrics on this next one.



Anthem alert! These guys are really good at making these.



If, like me, you grew up with 80s and 90s radio, The Maine is a friendly, accessible band in these uncertain days. Catchy and melodic with quirky, insightful lyrics and the kind of crisp instrumentation the music world seems to have forgotten we like. Their albums are varied in sound so they invite repeated listens. Some of the songs hit you right away, others grow on you and have even more staying power. Unlike some samey-sounding pop punk bands that are immediately catchy but can wear thin, you won't get tired of The Maine. They're more like Weezer that way.

And while I feel they'll appeal to 80s and 90s kids, this is not a throwback band at all. They are, to me, a natural evolution of the rock/pop I grew up with. Even their own discography is an interesting evolution, as I tried to show here. I can't wait to see what they do next. A band like this, and the fact that they're popular with teens and 20somethings, gives me some hope the future of music won't be all artificial, disposable crap. Long live rock and roll.

Dear millennials.

I'm sure I've talked some shit about millennials on here, and it's not unwarranted. Today's popular music is crap and millennials are the target audience, which means they're mostly responsible since they're buying/streaming/vining(???) it. THANKS. Thanks, especially, for that exciting hip-hop sound of "about to slip into a coma." That was a great idea.

Sarcasm aside, some of you are awesome. Some of you are out there buying Weezer on vinyl which automatically makes you cooler than me, as I don't even own a turntable. But let's move beyond music for a moment, which is hard for me to do as I tend to judge everything through music. Clearly, millennials are not the problem in the big picture of the world. Old, scared people are. My older relatives are open-minded and lovely, but apparently some of y'all aren't so lucky. Millennials might buy shitty Drake records, but at least they're not afraid of everything and everyone that's different from them. So I'd like to issue a sincere apology. I'm sorry, from the bottom of my cold, dark, gen-x heart. Maybe someday you'll make the world a better place. I hope so. Just remember that music is supposed to sound like it has a pulse. That's all I ask of you.

Cheers.

New Music Tuesday ~ wearing black to the beach

One thing I didn't think I'd be doing in 2016 is talking about a Blink-182 album, much less downloading it. Green Day, sure. Weezer, absofrickinlutely. But Blink is a band I thought I'd left squarely back in the 90s, or at least the early 2000s. A band you'd expect to naturally outgrow.

Then I heard the song "Bored to Death" and it really grabbed me. A couple positive reviews later and I was listening to the whole album. If you never liked their old stuff, this album probably won't change your mind (unless you're an Alkaline Trio fan). But if you're like me and liked some of their stuff("Dammit" and "The Rock Show" are great songs) without getting really "into" them, California might have some appeal. Let's run down a few things.

1. Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio is a huge upgrade over Tom Delonge. I'm sorry, fans, but it's true. His contributions are probably the top reason I like this album so much, as it really sounds like a Blink-Alkaline hybrid at times.

2. I didn't realize I felt nostalgic for Blink until I listened to this album. That's a rare feat to pull off, making new music that automatically releases a wave of nostalgia, but it's the best feeling.

3. I really like music about California. I'm from there, so that makes sense. Doesn't really matter if it's negative or positive. This album is called California, and has songs called "Los Angeles," "San Diego," and you guessed it, "California," which are three of the most interesting tracks. "California," especially, is a kinda trippy song with a different and well-earned sound for the band. I'm impressed. The lyrics are bleak and genuinely evocative, which is not a word I'd expect to use in a Blink review.

"Beige little boxes in a row
Neighbors and friends that you don't know
Here's a form go wait in line
Can't you see I'm doing fine
It's what I've always wanted

Two little kids out on the lawn
Once we had love now it's gone
Good things haven't happened yet
I'm empty as a movie set
It's what I've always wanted"

Damn. I'm feelin' ya.

4. The album cover artwork!!! I want a print of that. It's creepy and beautiful.

This album feels really fresh; it's not a gimmicky, throwback record, this is clearly the band moving forward with a more mature, yet somehow even catchier sound. It will take you back to the 90s at times, and I think that has to do with the energy. It has the "full of life" feeling of an early project, with the polish of a later project.

Did I mention this might be their catchiest work ever? You get melodic, ear-pleasing songs like "Teenage Satellites," "Left Alone," "Kings of the Weekend" and "Bored to Death," mixed in with fun, short rockers like "Cynical" and "The Only Thing that Matters." And as I mentioned earlier, songs that really push the band's sound and work, like the harder-edged "Los Angeles" and more stripped-down "California." The production overall is bright and clear and well-suited to the band.

I don't know if this will make my top albums of the year, as it's not as substantive as say, Brandy Clark's album, or even Weezer's, but it is a fun, dark, and ultimately very rewarding surprise that should make my honorable mentions. It's the best thing they could have released, and I'm gonna be listening to this all summer. Man, do I love dark summer songs. "Wearing black to the beach," a line from "California," pretty much sums this up perfectly.

"Left Alone" is probably my favorite track. Great melody and a real showcase for Matt Skiba's voice.

#introvertproblems

Random strangers who try to make dumb chitchat while I'm wearing earphones:

I can barely hear what you're saying. I assume if you had something actually important to say, like "OMG your butt's on fire!" or "OMG there's a pack of wolves chasing you!" or "OMG there's a pack of wolves on fire chasing you!" you'd probably talk louder.

No, I will not take them out to hear your stunning observations about the weather. I'd rather keep listening to music, even if it's that stupid Kesha song I like for some reason. I don't know you, and I don't owe you anything, so don't be offended.

Do people not realize how much that shit annoys introverts, or do they just not care? I'm banking on the latter, considering how many people seem to view introverts as unconverted extroverts. *sigh* THAT"S NOT THE WAY IT WORKS.

/end rant

Just so this post isn't 100% bitchin', my tbt post was originally gonna be about old Mariah Carey videos, which are a major nostalgia blast if you were a teen in the 90s. Trust me. But after thinking about Kelsea Bananadaiquiri yesterday (something I don't recommend you do), I had to give a shoutout to some great women of country radio past. So, next Thursday will be Mariah. Her "Emotions" video is a real treat, if you can tolerate that high-pitched squeak thing she does. I think being around in the early 90s I'm automatically immune to it.

Wolves on fire would be terrifying.

TBT ~ the quest for lost female country hits

If you wanna be happy, they tell you, don't live in the past. Embrace the present, look towards the future. But if you wanna live in a world where good country songs by women are played on the radio*, you have to live in the past. They're not giving you a damn choice. So this throwback Thursday, let's excavate The Lost City of Country Women. Sounds like something the MST3K folks will be riffing soon. I'd like to look towards a future where Kacey Musgraves, Ashley Monroe and Brandy Clark are played on the radio, but I don't think that's gonna happen. Corporations who think we have shitty taste have bought our present and future. But they can't buy our past.

*or good country songs, period, but it's even worse for women.

So here are some ghosts of radio past. Enjoy, and try not to be too sad. We are living in a time when we can essentially make our own radio playlists with no shitty songs or ads, and I wouldn't change that to go back. I do miss these old songs, though. Nothing really sounds like this anymore. Try listening to the last song without smiling and tapping your feet. It's impossible!

Wicked Good Wednesday ~ Creeper

And now for something positive, or at least as positive as I get these days. When I heard this band described as "AFI meets Jimmy Eat World with some My Chemical Romance" I was like um, okay?? Sign me up? I've been feeling the 2000s rock nostalgia hard lately and this past week, with the whole scammer thing, I've been raging to it pretty much nonstop.

So I gave Creeper a listen, and wow. They have a catchy, driving hard rock/punk sound that's just jibing perfectly with me right now. If you sorely miss MCR and want a band that will remind you of them at times but is very much their own, modern take on the genre, check out Creeper. They have 3 EPs, I've listened to the 2 most recent ones and really dig them both. Good rock in the 2010s, hallelujah! This band just formed in 2014 and already sound tight AF, so I can't wait to hear more from them.

And THANK YOU to ARTV Reviews for shouting these guys out!











Is that enough songs?? I'm not sure!

My "positive" post is for a band described as "horror punk." Sure, why not. I find that acceptable. Music makes everything okay.

Oh and I gave that bitch ass, would-be scammer a piece of my mind. It felt pretty good, as such things go.

Worst Billboard chart EVER??!

Here is the current Billboard top 10. If you haven't heard these songs, don't. They're not even worthy of a curiosity listen. I don't know why I subject myself to this. Every time I think I can't be shocked anymore things hit a new level, or in this case, a new amount of bad. But I guess I'm feelin' a mini rant (a rantlet?) so let's do this.

1. One Dance - Drake ft. some people
Drake drones his way through another snoozer. It'll probably be #1 forever. People suck.

2. Can't Stop the Feeling! - Justin Timberlake
He actually has some talent, but this generic dance pop is so not worthy of that exclamation point. I am revoking your punctuation privileges, Justin Timberlake.

3. Panda - Guy with gratuitous extra "I" in his name, fuck you
This is not music. I refuse to believe this is music. I don't know what this is, but I hate it, and it's not music.

4. Don't Let me Down - The Chainsmokers ft. Daya
Oh goody, it's the "Selfie" guys paired with the "fly as a mother" chick! And it's not even entertainingly bad like those songs were, once! It's EDM, I guess, which seems to stand for "chick singing over annoying noises." I don't know why they don't just call it CSOAN. Come on, that has a real ring to it!

5. This is What You Came For - Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna
Oh god this is insufferable I want to punch it. If this isn't why T-Swift broke up with this guy, it should be.

6. Cheap Thrills - Sia ft. Sean Paul
Does EVERY song have to have a bloody feature on it?? I'm gonna dig out my old post on that from a couple years ago. That was funny. This is just more pointless CSOAN. (If I keep saying that it's gonna catch on, right?)

7. Work from Home - Fifth Harmony ft. (sigh) Ty Dolla $ign
It pained me to type that. I think I have carpal tunnel now. Anyway, remember "Work," that dull drone of a Rihanna song? You probably don't, even though it was #1 for like a hundred weeks this year. And that's not even possible! Yeah, this is the same thing but even MORE mindless and boring! Yay! This is my least favorite song on this list, and wooooooow, is that saying something. A shoo-in for my top 10 worst of the year. It's boring, yes, but it's that special kind of boring that goes into bad. You know it when you hear it. I'll call it "Fight Song Syndrome," but that might be an insult to Fight Song.

8. Needed Me - Rihanna
Oh god, why isn't this my least favorite? And why in the name of almighty Zeus is this noise considered "radio friendly??" Remember in the 80s, when radio friendly was... friendly? Or hell, even older Rihanna songs like "Pon de Replay" and "Don't Stop the Music?" That shit is all up in my walking playlist. Fun stuff. But THIS? It sounds like an industrial accident. I'm not saying it shouldn't exist, or you shouldn't listen to it if you like it, I'm asking why in the hell is this played on the RADIO instead of songs that are... catchy... melodic... pleasing to the ear... you know, songs?!

9. Don't Mind - Kent Jones (WHO?)
Well, this barely exists. Next!

10. Ride - twenty one pilots
And we reach the one somewhat tolerable song, way down at the ass end of the list. I like some top, but this is far from their best. I'll give it a pass because it does have a bright, summery vibe. But I've been listening to "Car Radio" a lot lately because it's a freakin lyrical masterpiece that really speaks to me, and this seems pretty average by comparison. Not bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way for.

This could easily be my top 10 worst of the year, minus Justin Timberlake, top, and whoever Kent Jones is because he doesn't exist. So... top 7 worst right here, without even breaking a sweat. I can safely say I'd rather listen to "Ice Ice Baby" 10 times in a row than this current top 10 even once. I know that because I did it. For science.

...and there wasn't even a single Meghan Trainor song in there. Holy crap, people. This feat was achieved without the Queen of Smug Entitled Suck Music. I don't even know what to say.

List of alternate Kelsea Ballerininini names

Cause you can't have too many!

Kelsea Bacardibreezer
Kelsea Ballandchain
Kelsea Balloonerini
Kelsea Ballisticsreport
Kelsea Belladonna
Kelsea Bellybutton
Kelsea Belugacaviar
Kelsea Belalugosi (my personal fave)
Kelsea Baloneyonrye
Kelsea Billnyethescienceguy
Kelsea Barbarella
Kelsea Blandasfuck
Kelsea Bollweevil
Kelsea Ricearoni
Kelsea Itsybitsyteenyweenyyellowpolkadotbikini

I guarantee that was more enriching than listening to any of her music. And HELL YEAH I'm pissed that she and Carrie are the ONLY consistent female presence in mainstream "country" for the past damn year!!

Music Monday ~ your popsicle's melting

A couple funky, tropical, summery tunes from Beck!

P.S. - I did get to say to my husband, "In the wise words of Taylor Swift, shake it off!" and received a very rewarding eye roll. :D

...Friday...?

Should I do a feel good Friday, or not? Should I write about the weird-ass thing that happened last night, or not?

Okay, here goes. I stopped writing personal stuff here many years ago for the love of all that's decent, but I think I can safely say I'm well out of my emo years and heading into my "salty anecdote" years. Let's just say my tolerance for humanity is at an all-time low. No, not the band.

It's hard to be an adult. Specifically, it's hard to make friends as an adult. Most people I've known with a circle of friends have stayed in the place they grew up, and have known their friends since school days. When you move around, as both my husband and I have, you find yourself untethered to the kind of life many might take for granted.

Making friends as a kid isn't too hard, even for a shy person like me. There's just so much help out there. School, activities, youth groups. Adults generally go to work and come home, so unless you happen to like your co-workers, how exactly do you go about meeting people? (My husband dislikes his co-workers.) Even things like church or adult ed classes don't really seem to be structured towards adult friendships. There seems to be a prevailing notion that adults, being adults, are just fine on their own and can take care of things themselves. When in fact this mindset can lead to just the opposite result. It's lonely out there. Unless you "already" know someone, you don't know anyone. We need some help, because meeting kindred spirits, as adults in an area you didn't grow up in, can be like waiting for lightning to strike.

Cue the Edmonton Craft Beer Fest a few weeks ago. The last group of friends I had were all craft beer geeks/homebrewers, and my husband's getting into beer, so it's as good a setting as any to possibly jibe with people. We were well into our stouts and bacon-wrapped goodies when a couple sat across from us. Somehow my husband and the guy started talking. It was about politics, which I hate, so I excused myself to the ladies' room. When I got back the couple had moved on, but apparently my husband and this guy had hit it off and exchanged numbers. Cool. Beer friends are good friends, even if I personally hate political discussions. Maybe something good can come from this.

They met for a beer, had a great time, talked a lot on facebook, and we had planned to go out with him and his wife to a craft beer restaurant this weekend. Until last night happened. I was a little suspicious when my husband mentioned this new friend wanted to meet with him to discuss some sort of "social business venture" thing?? (still not really sure what it was), but I wanted to support a possible friendship. I joked with him before he left to not drink any Kool-Aid. He laughed. I was joking... mostly. :(

BUT, apparently, this guy was trying to sell some kind of scheme, one of those barely legal, vaguely cultish things that requires you to pay for stages of information with the promised result of "success!!!" Of course when I hear such things, I immediately think of



My husband, not being born 5 minutes ago, knew what was up and extracted himself from the situation. Our dinner plans were cancelled and faith in humanity, a little shaken. Because these scammers KNOW how hard it is to connect with people; that's how they get you. They rope you in with friendliness. And that's a rotten thing to do. (This sounds like pretty much what happened. It even went down in a Starbucks. So beware. Beware of humans. http://lallouslab.net/2015/03/25/7-tips-to-help-you-spot-amway-wwdb-recruiters-in-coffeeshops/)

So I'm angry and a little frustrated today. Trust no one, I guess. Or trust everyone, and let the chips fall where they may. I don't know. I don't have any answers. Or peeps. All I have is a growing collection of anecdotes from a strange world.

I can say, if life is a personal journey, so be it. Embrace things like the way music makes you feel, or a good glass of wine, or a walk in the woods. The way it smells after it rains. These are valid life experiences that are not diminished by lack of other people. Sometimes, they're enhanced. I guess what I'm saying is, even when something shitty happens, it's still okay. You're still you, and life goes on. But damn, some people suck.

Now let's listen to some old Green Day, because why not.

tbt ~ ghostbusters!

In light of Fall Out Boy's pretty damn terrible Ghostbusters theme, here's Bobby Brown's pretty damn fun Ghostbusters II theme.



I'm not posting the official video because DONALD MOFOIN' TRUMP is in it. There is no escaping that asshole. Yeah Bobby Brown is also an asshole, but at least he made some good music and doesn't want to destroy the world (as far as I know).

BONUS! I've sort of come around on Fall Out Boy, so I don't want this post to be a slam on them. Their debut album is pretty damn good if you like that old pop punk sound, and their next two albums are also decent if you can look past the ego and just enjoy the music. It's not my favorite style of rock, and a lot of their later stuff doesn't do it for me, but you could do a hell of a lot worse than early Fall Out Boy. I kind of regret overlooking them at the time. I think I brushed them off as a more smug, less rockin' version of MCR, which is unfair. I loved MCR, but you shouldn't judge one band by another.

So here's one of my favorite FOB songs, which happens to feature Motion City Soundtrack frontman Justin Pierre. Hmm, coincidence??



Actually, that makes the Ghostbusters thing even more depressing by comparison. This was a mistake. *goes back to jamming to Bobby Brown* Ya ya ya know it!

Worthless Yahoo Headline of the Day

"Bridezilla Demands Bridesmaids Pay for Her $10,500 Wedding Dress"

I... can't believe that's actually some people's lives.

FUN FACT: My wedding cost $100. The Las Vegas Wedding Wagon came to our hotel room. I wore an A&F sundress and a cardi I already had in my closet, and I REGRET NOTHING except that hideous gold curtain.

What part has that hideous gold curtain played in my actual married life? None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. A big fat gold doughnut*. You see what I'm trying to say here? MORE PEOPLE SHOULD BE LIKE MEEEEE. Stupid entitled brats. These are the people who are buying Meghan Trainor songs, aren't they? I see you. I know what you did and you should be ashamed!!

*mmm, gold doughnut.

Happy summer! Mid-year music report ft. country women, alt rock, 2002emo! me, and more

Tuck in, this'll probably go long.

This blog was pretty much built on snark. Actually, it was built on my early 2000s emo ramblings, but give me a break. Everyone was emo in 2002. 9/11 happened and, while not as horrific, 9/11 happened to country music, which sent me scrambling to find musical options that better suited my mindset. No, I didn't have a stupid myspace haircut, I was just emotional and listened to higher-than-recommended doses of Jimmy Eat World and Motion City Soundtrack, okay?* ... I still like those bands. Anywayyy, when I returned after a hiatus about 5 years ago, it became all about snark. Then I focused on music snark, specifically. And, sadly or not, there's been a dearth of snark here lately. Which might make for less interesting reading, and I do love me a good rant, but we just have to face it: 2016 has been a good year for music so far. Um... sorry?

Oh nonono, not mainstream music. Not the charts. That shit is shittier than ever. Todd in the Shadows covered it perfectly in his "7 Years" review. A song that is terrible, but at least recognizably terrible, unlike stuff like "Work" or "Panda" which is basically just white noise at this point. The country charts are the most boring and soulless they've probably ever been. So, fuck all that. I'm done. It ain't getting better, that ship has sailed, etc. And that's the thing. When you reach maximum suck point, there's no going back. I genuinely don't care anymore. I'll still follow the charts, but now it's like following a stranger, rather than a friend I'm concerned about. Okay, that sounded creepy.

*"The Future Freaks Me Out" by MCS was my jam for a good part of the early 2000s. If I knew what the future actually held, I would have been significantly freaked out-er. I mean, this is a post I made in December 2002:

MTV continues to upset me. I was reminded the other day of how exciting it seemed when it first came out; even if it was mostly crappy videos by Men Without Hats, at least there was a sense of adventure to it. Now it's like this endless commercial for an empty culture that people are actually buying. Am I taking Britney Spears and N'Sync and Thong Songs too seriously? Should I be thinking about President Doofushead and Iraq instead? Perhaps, but I do take the seeming death of culture seriously. By culture I mean uniqueness, a sense of exploring new ground, not necessarily anything highbrow. I'm sick of the same stale things being mass-produced and spit out by the media combine.

I watch too much TV. I don't even like TV very much. I need a new life.

Oh 2002 me, you have no idea how bad it's going to get. Jeez. TV did get better though, so cheer up. You have Breaking Bad and Walking Dead and Supernatural to look forward to. Just not MTV. Sorry.

Okay, enough throwbacking. It's not even Thursday, what am I thinking? On to 2016!

You'd never know it by the charts, but 2016 has been a great year for country women. From Miranda's beautiful contribution to the Southern Family album, to Brandy Clark's just-released masterpiece, to Margo Price's haunting debut, I can't get enough.

I talk a lot about 90s country men, because Garth and Alan and George and Clint and Brooks and Dunn were like, my life, and I still listen to them all the time. But let's never forget about Patty Loveless and Trisha Yearwood and Pam Tillis and Mary Chapin Carpenter and LeAnn Rimes and the Dixie Chicks and, possibly the funnest guilty pleasure artist ever, Shania Twain. Actually, no. I like Shania and I'm not even guilty about it. Come at me, internet. I can tell you why I like her better than today's crop of pop-country starlets. One word: charisma. She had immediate star power that was like, "yes, I see why this person is popular" even if you weren't into her. Her music very much had its own unique sound. I remember the first time I heard "Any Man of Mine" and how fun and catchy and different it was. I couldn't tell you a damn thing about Kelsea Belugacaviar or even hum one of her songs, but Shania was the real deal.

And now we have this amazing current crop of country women, who are sadly not played on the radio like their 90s forebears, but are every bit as worth a listen. Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark, Elizabeth Cook, Margo Price, Aubrie Sellers (the daughter of the awesome Lee Ann Womack), Sunny Sweeney, to name a few. Spoiler: Brandy Clark's Big Day in a Small Town is already a strong contender for my album of the year and her song, "Since You've Gone to Heaven," is actually the main reason for this monster of a post. Yes, we've finally reached the point! *claps*

This song is gorgeous, and I'm declaring it the official anthem of 2016. Nothing could possibly beat this. Why? Well, the song itself is about the death of a patriarch and the grim effect it has on not only his family, but the small town he lived in. The song is both personal and a bigger allegory to the death of small town American life. Basically, everything country music SHOULD BE. CAPSLOCK AND ITALICS BECAUSE SERIOUSLY, FUCK SONGS ABOUT SNAPBACKS. "Since you've gone to heaven, the whole world's gone to hell." I don't know about you, but that kinda rings the bell for 2016 as a whole, doesn't it? We've lost so many amazing people this year, which seems even more tragic in the midst of an already dying culture. It works on so many levels.

(I'd embed it, but it's not on youtube.)

As for albums... wow this is gonna be a tough year to pick favorites, and it's only half over. Weezer, Sturgill, Brandy Clark, Margo Price, Elizabeth Cook, Southern Family. There are also some albums from 2015 that I LOVE and only just listened to this year, so they obviously didn't make my 2015 list. I hate to leave them out due to my being slow as molasses running uphill sometimes, especially since three of them are among my favorite albums this decade (really). So I'm gonna have a lot to write about come December. I'm not going to talk about any albums in-depth til then most likely, so I don't repeat myself.

In addition to this year's killer country albums, I'm pleased to see alt-rock isn't dead. Weezer's White Album is a favorite contender, I'm enjoying both Catfish and the Bottlemen albums, and I've gotten pretty obsessed with The Maine. (American Candy is from 2015, but I've played it as much as anything this year.) And... I kinda dig that new Blink-182 song. Is a thing I just said in 2016. Who knew?? I've been in serious nostalgia mode for that early-mid 2000s rock period lately, so I'm glad the genre still has a pulse. Heck, even that new Panic at the Disco record is kind of a guilty pleasure. Idk, are they a guilty pleasure band? I kinda feel like they are. But hey, whatever rocks your socks.

I know a lot of things suck, and sometimes I feel an Emo Part Deux phase coming on, but it's a pretty good time to be alive. Just find some great tunes and good beer. hell, even a depressing song like "Since You've Gone to Heaven" feels good in a way, because it's real. It resonates in the bones. And what more can you ask for, really?

Happy Summer!

On fire and about ready to bust a move,
M.

Feel Good Friday - Supernatural/Foreigner/CtE/Kansas

So Supernatural, one of my all time favorite shows, is coming back for a staggering 12th season. While the show has lost some of its storytelling and character magic that made the first several seasons so great, not to mention its two best supporting characters in Bobby and Charlie, a very important thing remains. This is something only a music dork would care about, but that's why it's being written about here. Duh.

Every year SPN stays on, more teens and 20somethings hear great music and get into it. The show primarily plays classic rock of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, the kind of music you wanna crank driving down a dusty Kansas road in your Impala. Getting young people into classic rock they might not have heard otherwise is wonderful, but it doesn't stop there. Last season also featured "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" and Patty Griffin's beautiful "Go Wherever You Wanna Go" (which was the ONLY acceptable part of Charlie's death.) :( Considering this is a show primarily watched by young women who are socially expected to listen to the latest top 40 dreck, I have to stand up and cheer.

Because whenever I cross paths with a teen or 20s SPN fan online, I see how much they love this music. Everyone owns "Carry on Wayward Son," and not just because OMGSAMANDDEAN<3<3!! but because it's damn good music. I'm not surprised by this at all. We should expect better out of young people than the mainstream music industry does. Which isn't to say these fans aren't also listening to Drake and Justin Bieber, maybe they are. And that's fine. 10 years from now they'll probably roll their eyes at that stuff and only listen to it out of nostalgia. But I bet they'll still be listening to Kansas, CCR, and Journey. Timeless music belongs to everyone, and I thank Supernatural for bringing that aesthetic to a new generation.

Hell, even I've discovered some new music from the show. While I'm a classic rock fan, anything pre-80s is before my time so I obviously haven't heard everything. SPN introduced me to that delightful yodel rock song, as well as this gem by Foreigner, which is now my favorite of their songs.



Not only that, I think the show creates excitement about rock in general, something which is sorely missing from the world right now. I like to think about which current bands would fit into Dean's playlist. I think he'd like Royal Blood and Cage the Elephant. This would be a really cool song to play on the final episode, if there ever is one lol. (Side note: Tell Me I'm Pretty is a really unfairly maligned album. I like it a lot.)



I wonder how many fans have gotten into rock at least partly because of SPN, including current rock. Youtube comments seem to alternate between "Supernatural got me into this song!" and "I knew about this band BEFORE Supernatural" hipsters. Really snobs, you're not helping. Don't you want people to get into good music? Music isn't, idk, beans, you don't have to hoard it all or it'll run out. Share the love! So, what better subject for feel good Friday than a shout out to a force for musical good? I salute you, Supernatural. And my Jensen Ackles crush will never die. (Sorry, once a fangirl, always a fangirl.) Play me out, Kansas!

A brief illustration of how my brain works

In lieu of throwback Thursday, I present something completely different, for no reason other than it made me laugh. The "kids today" love saying how OMGRANDOMLOL!!!1 they are, but... my brain is seriously random. That is probably evident by some of the stuff in this blog. Especially when I'm faced with something already made random by life. So, this.

Pharmacist, handing me meds for a dental procedure: Make sure you don't eat grapefruit while taking these! (Now I can't remember the last time I ate a grapefruit, since they're generally breakfasty and I don't eat breakfast. "Not a morning person" is not just a pithy coffee mug saying for me, it's a lifestyle brand. Anyway.)

Me: Okay...? *implied ellipses and question mark, like ok I won't but that's weird!* *turns to husband* I guess someone had a bad grapefruit experience. *AND THEN THE ACID KICKED IN, APPARENTLY* OMG, that would be the best name for a jam band! The Bad Grapefruit Experience! Like the String Cheese Incident!

Husband: ... (clearly, he has not heard of String Cheese Incident. Understandable. However, I learned this year that he's also never heard of Merle Haggard or My Chemical Romance, the latter making me almost scream out loud in a movie theater. I didn't because the movie hadn't started yet, and also we were seeing Zootopia and not like, Insidious 4 or whatever, so yeah. Merle I at least kinda understand, he's our parents' generation and my husband isn't into country. BUT I DIGRESS.)

Me: You don't understand, this is amazing, I could make so much money off of hippies!

Him: ...

Me: You wouldn't think hippies would be a lucrative market, but the amount and career longevity of touring jam bands says otherwise!

Him: ... you need help.

Me: Maybe I have a grapefruit deficiency.

THE END! And OMG, what if that's been my problem all long? I guess I can't find out til I'm done taking these pills, dammit.

Actually, I will do a throwback Thursday, since I feel like Merle needs some love now. This is my favorite of his songs, btw. I use this line possibly more than I should, but it's just so damn fitting for life in general.



This blog started at grapefruit and ended at Merle Haggard, which is really all you need to know about me, I think.

Let's... look at the charts.

Wow, it kinda feels like everything is a big ol dumpster fire right now, doesn't it? Well let's dive right in to the dumpster that is the Billboard country top 25! Cause I'm feeling reckless today.

First, let's count on my one hand here the number of songs I actually like. (Note: there are a few songs on the list I haven't heard.)

There's Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw, which pretty much sounds like the BEST SONG EVER right now, by sounding like an actual country song with a heart. Tim's been doing that a lot lately. Keep it up. I'm glad there's one 90s artist left who's still popular and making good music. (No, I haven't forgotten about Kenny. We'll get to him.)

My Church by Maren Morris. I was so intrigued by this cool, different song that I immediately listened to some of her other songs after I heard it. Pop crap, like what Kelsea Ballerinininini might do. Very disappointing, especially since I thought this might be another Cam situation. (I don't love everything Cam has done so far, but I think she's the real deal.) I have no idea what Maren Morris is about. This is a good song though, delivered with conviction that gives me a tiny shred of hope she's got more good in her.

Church Bells by Carrie Underwood. Really people, when I have to keep holding up Carrie Underwood as an example of good country music, or at least good pop/rock-country music, you know things are dire. Not my favorite of her songs, but I actually enjoy listening to this. It has a kind of Reba vibe.

Record Year - Eric Church. Might be my #1 hit song of the year. I can't believe something this good is climbing towards the top 10, but I'll take it! This is a song about dealing with heartbreak through one of the few things that inspires the same kind of passion as love - music. I LOVE how this song is framed, and how relatable it is as a music fan. When he sings about spinning Hank and Jones and Jennings, you believe it. My favorite part? "I rediscovered Red Headed Stranger, Got down with old James Brown, And found New Grass Revival
If you find your way back, I owe you a beer, For my record year." A serious song for serious music lovers. Bravo, Eric Church. I love this album SO MUCH.

And... that's it. Unless one of the few songs I haven't heard is secretly great, I like a whole 4 songs out of 25. Considering in the 90s, when I got into country music, I enjoyed the majority of songs on some level, that's a pretty sad state.

Before I go any further, I need to say this. In the 90s, you could hear a song like "Hurtin (On the Bottle)" on the radio. Chris Stapleton would be a radio *cough* staple (sorry). A slew of artists I haven't even heard would be popular, if they weren't shut out by the massive "talents" of Thomas "Nepotism" Rhett, Kelsea Ballerninininin, Old Fucking Dominion, etc. So please, mainstream country fans and media, stop trying to tell me that things aren't worse now. This is by far the most cheap, lackluster "country" music I've heard in my lifetime. No, I'm not stuck in the 90s. I've happily followed current artists like Miranda, ZBB, Dierks, etc. who have made overall good music. Hell, I've praised Carrie Underwood multiple times on this blog. I even accepted the clearly non-country Taylor Swift because she wrote some good songs. But enough is enough. Maybe popular music has always been a factory of sorts, but this is the first time it's really sounded like one.

Speaking of Dierks... there's a duet out by him and Elle King. DIERKS BENTLEY AND ELLE KING. And... I don't really like it. :( Dierks is fine on it, he has this kind of warm, reassuring voice, like even when it's not his best song it's still gonna be ok. But Elle King... where are you?? This song sounds nothing like her! Elle King has this larger than life voice and personality, and she's so subdued here I don't even recognize her. "Different for Girls" is the polar opposite of "Ex's and Ohs" and no, I don't want her to make the same kind of songs over and over, but this is like making her into a Disney princess or something. Actually wait, that would be awesome. I would buy tickets for that. My point stands, though. This song does not suit her or her voice.

There's also a duet by two more vocal powerhouses, Chris Young and Cassadee Pope, both of whom I really like as singers. This one's a little better, but not by much. It's pretty forgettable, and they could do so much better. It's like people WANT all this current music to be forgotten. "Take the money and run!" Seriously, how many of these songs will be remembered next year? And how many 90s songs are still remembered today? Still think there isn't a problem?

Okay, I'm gonna sort the remaining songs into 3 categories: hot garbage, boring, and inconclusive. Whee, I can't wait.

HOT GARBAGE: FGL (not their worst song, but that's not saying much), Somewhere on a Beach (sorry Dierks, but this is dreadful), T-Shirt (shudder), Snapback (yes, let's have two top 10 songs that are literally just about articles of clothing! That's good songwriting!), Make You Miss Me (yeah, the pass I gave Sam Hunt for the enjoyable "Leave the Night on" has worn right out. This is Old Dominion-level dreck), Fix (I love me some Breaking Bad, but it's probably the least romantic show ever. BAD REFERENCE CHRIS WHOEVER-YOU-ARE, BAD!!)

BOOOOOOORING: Blake Shelton, the most boring artist in country today. Talk about coasting. Huntin, Fishin' and Bein' Country As Fuck Erry Day - not as bad as the title suggests, just boring! Lights Come On - I don't hate this, but it's pretty generic. Wasted Time - pop garbage with a spamjo. Not interesting enough to be hot garbage. Noise - well-intentioned, and I do like Kenny, but just not interesting to listen to at all. American Country Love Song - woooooow generic. Do I have to bust out all my "Fight Song" material again? Cause I will. Peter Pan - by far the best I've heard from Kelsea Bacardi, but still completely uninteresting and unengaging. You Should Be Here - I wrote a whole blog post about the frustration of this song not making me cry. Go read it!

INCONCLUSIVE: Head Over Boots - I heard this once and I think I liked it? It didn't stick with me though. From the Ground Up - I don't think I've ever heard a single Dan + Shay song, or if I did I don't remember. I think I wanna keep it that way. Night's on Fire - just haven't heard this one. Ditto Frankie Ballard, who I don't think I've ever heard at all. And finally - "You Look Like I Need a Drink." Okay, I haven't listened to this cause Justin Moore's voice is like rusty nails on a chalkboard in hell, but that title makes me laugh, I admit it. And it's kinda classic country wordplay. Maybe I'll give him a shot... when I've had a few drinks. (Get it, a SHOT? GET IT???)

Okay, I'm done. I'm not even touching the pop charts. That dumpster has flaming dirty diapers in it, and my hazmat suit is at the cleaners. Peace!

Girl Power! Playlist

I discovered, somewhat accidentally, that the music of Kacey Musgraves and Paramore actually jibes quite well. So I had to make a big ol' rock/pop/country playlist of awesome songs by women!

Feat. Kacey Musgraves, Paramore, Ashley Monroe, Alison Krauss, 100 Watt Smile, Best Coast, Elle King, The High Water Marks, Jenny Lewis/Rilo Kiley, Lady Gaga, Lydia Loveless, Miranda Lambert, The New Pornographers (Neko Case), Kay Hanley/Letters to Cleo, Aubrie Sellers, Lana del Rey, Lucy Hale, Margo Price, Pistol Annies, The Pierces, Stone Poneys, Sunny Sweeney, The Wreckers, Lee Ann Womack.

https://play.spotify.com/user/12177235955/playlist/0XdRqRb3JXYhNh1pBjkrCs

New Music Tuesday

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Miranda Lambert is AWESOME.



THE END.

Feel Good Friday - hey it's modern rock!

I'm glad yesterday wasn't Friday, cause I was just in a terrible mood. Today isn't much better but rock n roll can still save your soul.

1. ROYAL BLOOD



I LOVE THIS BAND THEY ROCK SO HARD AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. I can't recommend this album enough, and eagerly anticipate new music!

2. NOTHING MORE



Umm this is not a feel good song, it's about mental illness and death. I'm sorry. But the musical structure of the song, and this band's music in general, makes me feel good. It's a modern update on a classic rock sound, with that big, 80s-type chorus, and I love it. Eagerly anticipating new music from them as well.

3. THE STRUTS



Just good, catchy, timeless rock, again with the big 80s arena rock chorus, and a bonus glam vibe. Thumbs up from me!

4. THE MAINE



This is a band I got into, I think late last year when I went on my epic FIND NEW MUSIC quest. I may or may not have worn a cloak and carried a longsword. Anywayyyy... they're more of a rock/pop band, I've seen them called pop punk, but they kind of defy description for me. Like Weezer. I mean, you hear pop punk you think, idk, Blink, Green Day, etc. right? And I like a lot of that music, but The Maine is kind of bigger than one sound. Their latest album American Candy is my favorite so far, but I've enjoyed all their albums. My favorite song is probably this weird little thing called "Birthday in Los Angeles" from Forever Halloween that doesn't really even sound like most of their music. That's what I mean about them. They're interesting. And boy, do those lyrics speak to me.

5. ELLE KING



Of course I've gotta have badass chick music. Elle isn't strictly a rock artist, her songs are heavily blues leaning and some have a more country vibe as well. But this song rocks hard, and everything about her just says ROCKSTAR. "Ex's and Oh's" was my favorite hit song of last year, and one of my favorite songs of recent memory, period. I finally delved into her album earlier this year and WOW. She is not just about a catchy single, the whole damn album is great.

6. last but not least... WEEZER



I LOVE THE WHITE ALBUM. I love that they made the bold move of making a motherfucking white album and it totally paid off. Call it off-kilter beach music. I like to play this back to back with Best Coast's California Nights for a weird but melodic vacation in my head. I have strange hobbies. This is probably my third favorite Weezer album, after Maladroit and Everything Will Be Alright. It's that good. And yes, I do love the Blue Album and Pinkerton. We're talking about Weezer here, I can't make everything my favorite even if I want to! Anyway, if you like Weezer, or want to get into them, I can't recommend this album enough. I've been playing it constantly since its release date.

And that is all. Have a rockin' weekend. Tomorrow is our craft beer fest, so a rockin' weekend is all but guaranteed here.

TBT ~ some late 80s country

Damn, I love this song. Perfection. Does anything sound like this anymore? Cause I'd like to hear it.

Pissy headline of the day!

Okay, the judgy nature of this one really made my skin crawl. I'm not even linking to the preachy article, fuck that. That's what I get for clicking on random crap on the internet, I guess.

"Saying Your Dog Is Your "Baby" Is an Insult to Moms Everywhere"

Boo freaking hoo. I don't have kids, my cats are my babies to me, and I'll call them whatever I please. You do you, honey, and I'll do me.

Remember when you only had to deal with people's opinions in like, newspapers, and once a year at Thanksgiving? Why, you could go days without seeing or hearing anyone's opinion! Those were good times, weren't they?

Okay, back to music.

Issues I have with Spotify

*If any of these things are paid features, well whatever. I can't pay for streaming AND buy actual music, so I choose to buy music. That said -

I see no way to embed playlists, thus making me litter my blog with ugly text links (that don't even link on blogger for some reason, but that's an issue I have with Blogger). According to their help page, there should be a "copy embed code" option when you right click on the playlist. BUT THERE ISN'T.

No way to reorder songs in a playlist. Seriously??

No way to change your username. These are really BASIC things, folks.

Mistitled songs. I ran into several of these while making my playlists.

Some artists, like Garth Brooks, Prince, and Taylor Swift don't have their music on Spotify. Okay, I get it. But what's up with missing material from artists who are on there? An entire MCR album is missing. Two of my favorite Paramore songs. One of my favorite Pam Tillis songs, which was a top 10 hit. This is not obscure music, dammit.

Okay, I just had to vent about that. I'm sort of addicted to making playlists right now, but they could make it a lot less frustrating.

TBT

Nothing says summer like 90s country. It just feels so good.



And here's my summer country playlist (there's also a rock/pop one), 100% bro-country free! Sorry about the Jason Aldean, but come on, Night Train is just a good song.
https://play.spotify.com/user/12177235955/playlist/7vSMwxxhFlq2vhwBnah9XT

Music Monday

Really freaking random spring playlist. This kind of encapsulates my odd assortment of music tastes. Only a few songs are really spring-themed, others say spring to me for whatever reason, like I just like to listen to them in the spring. idk. The idea was inspired by "In Bloom," so there's that.

https://play.spotify.com/user/12177235955/playlist/4lPJRRBa704WuQ3tsJCyZj

I feel like you should be able to embed from Spotify? But I don't see how to. Maybe you have to pay for that. I buy actual music instead, so enjoy my ugly ass text link.

My summer playlist will be more "on the nose," for the most part. And it will top 50+ songs. Just the ZBB stuff alone...

Favorite Song Friday

I can't in good conscience call this "feel good Friday," since my favorite songs seem to be about heartbreak, dying of cancer*, and... drugs? Idk what Crimson and Clover is about, honestly. But it sounds like drugs.

*I'm really fun at parties.

Favorite classic rock song: This was the toughest call. I love classic rock, and this just beat out "Strange Magic."



Favorite modern rock song: Yes, the most obvious MCR song I could pick. But this song is Queenlike in pure epicness, and I never get tired of it.



Favorite 90s country song: Surprisingly, not a tough call. This is what country will always be to me, and it's another song I never, ever get tired of hearing.



Favorite modern country song (last 10-ish years): The song that got me back into country, and made me an unabashed Miranda fangirl.



Sooo there's some mainstream music through the years that doesn't suck, even if most of it was depressing! Happy Friday!

TBT ~ Let's compare! 90s country vs Cole Swindell

Cole Swindell's "You Should Be Here" is this year's "See You Again."* A song inspired by the death of a real person that should resonate emotionally, but instead comes off bland and lacking despite whatever good intentions it might have. I'm not saying this to be a cynical bitch. I want songs like that to make me feel something. I'm begging you, elicit an emotion! But while these songs might not be doing anything for me, I guess they are for somebody, A lot of somebodies, actually, cause these are huge hits. Somebodies who like their grief on the shallow side. Grief Lite, you might say.

*a song so "memorable," I forgot the title and had to google it.

Cole Swindell and Charlie Puth are a perfect comparison, like comparing a loaf of Wonder bread with another loaf of Wonder bread. The fact that boring ass people like this can become famous makes the loss of Prince, Merle Haggard and David Bowie even more tragic. WHAT HAPPENED TO US?? I guess if you want a hit, make a damn generic death (or wedding) song that will somehow resonate with everyone despite actually resonating with no one. It's a phenomenon. I don't understand it. But was it always this way?

No. No, it wasn't. Okay, pop music has generally been on the shallow side. Every once in a while you'll get something with real emotional pull, like "Every Breath You Take" or "The Greatest Love of All." And even the latter you could argue is kinda motivational poster-level emotion, but Whitney Houston sings the hell out of that shit. End of story. And the former is a scary ass stalker, but he sells it man. So yeah, maybe "See You Again" is about as deep as pop's gonna go. It's not a song about underwear or ho's not being loyal, so I'll take it.

But that brings us to country. Country music, at its core, is not shallow. Sad country songs tend to be cutting. Genuine slices of life that make you feel, even if it's something you haven't experienced. You empathize. You feel like it could happen to you, because life.

I was originally going to compare "You Should Be Here" straight up with this, one of my favorite sad 90s country songs, a song that I can't listen to without crying. Hell, just thinking about it makes me tear up a little. But I'm going to include a couple others as well.



Everything about this song reduces me to a pile of goo, from the gut-wrenchingly specific lyrics to the pretty, simple melody, to Tim's heartfelt but not overwrought delivery. And that was when I thought the song was just about a marriage ending. Then I saw the video, which clearly indicates the woman died of cancer. SHIT. This is too much for me to handle. Okay, let's move on to another 90s gem.



*sniffle* This hits me on a personal level, but even if it didn't, the emotion is palpable. Reba kills this song, but the beautiful and undeniably real lyrics come in a close second to her delivery. And finally, the incomparable Patty Loveless.



What do all of these songs have in common, besides haunting vocals and my lack of ability to get through them without tearing up? They tell stories. They offer details of these people's lives that flesh them out, make them into real people you feel sad are gone. And I just... don't get that from "You Should Be Here." I feel like they held back, and it's really to the song's detriment. He sings, "it's one of them moments that has your name written all over it" without going into any specifics about said moment. The weather's nice and the bros are over drinking some beers. Okay? Is that really unique and special? It's like they're trying to appeal to everyone - "hey, I drank a beer outside with my dad once too! OMG it's like he's singing about me!" - without offering the little details that will actually cut you down, if you think about them. But it's mainstream country, who's thinkin'??

Bottom line: while I empathize with Cole losing his father, I did too, the song doesn't make me cry. AND IT SHOULD. It's not a bad song. But the fact that I even entertained the thought, "would this be better with Wiz Khalifa on it?" indicates it's not the anthem it wants to be.

A brief rant about rampant willful ignorance

Willful ignorance is like kudzu. It grows willy-nilly over everything, obscuring whatever was once there into vague shapes of their former selves.

I rarely talk about current "events" on here, and boy do I use the word "event" lightly, but this one thing seems like a perfect microcosm of everything that's gone wrong with modern discourse. I blame the vultures that are 24/7 "news" outlets for this and many other things, including the Trump beast. I somewhat blame social media as well, but unlike the so-called news, it can at least be used as a voice of reason too. Social media is today's free press, for better or worse.

So WTF am I talking about? Well, let's start with one of my favorite things in the whole wide world, the 2004 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox. Nothing takes me to my happy place more effectively than thinking about that glorious October. My favorite story from that favorite year was, of course, Curt Schilling and his bloody sock. I may have idolized this man and his grit a bit excessively, including bowing down to the bloody sock "we're not worthy" style at Cooperstown, but IT WAS THE STUFF OF LEGENDS. It still is. The man did have grit, and he put his money where his mouth was, and I loved him for that.

Unfortunately, he also puts his mouth where his ass is. And thus, my introduction to BATHROOM PANIC 2016. Or maybe we'll call it Bathroom 6. Y'know, like the motel. Cause that's what we name shitstorms after. I'm not here to judge him or anyone for their political or any other beliefs, but I will judge you if you post something knowingly stupid and bigoted with the intent to fearmonger.

Now, this bathroom thing is incredibly stupid, and this is what I mean by a microcosm of what's gone wrong. This is the kind of dumb, petty issue that gets blown up into this huge thing, fueled by "news" networks and social media, because we have no effin clue how to tackle the real problems like say, homeless veterans or police brutality or working families who can no longer get by. So this dumbass shit becomes a HYPERFOCUS, because hey, maybe we can micromanage who uses a damn bathroom, even if we can't solve starving children or people dying of curable diseases. I CLAIM THIS BATHROOM STALL FOR ME, BITCHES. FOR GREAT JUSTICE.

So imma burst this bubble real damn fast. Transgender people are not a new thing. It's something that's talked about more, because everything is talked about more on the internet, including the color of a damn dress and the miracle way to slice a pineapple (really - https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/internet-freaking-over-crazy-way-135943958.html - but that page crashed my Chrome so I don't recommend going to it. Sorry, pineapple lovers.) That means men who were born women and women who were born men have been sharing public bathrooms for a long time already. So... where are the reports of all these vicious attacks that must have been going on for years? I've never heard of a single one. It must be a cover up!

Or maybe, it's not an issue at all. Maybe everyone just wants to pee in peace. The people making this an issue are afraid, but not of being attacked while doing their business. They're afraid of change, and people who are different. And that's the real issue, and the one that should be talked about without getting into all these damn distractions. I mean, you have to try really damn hard to make this an issue.

Finally - I'm not here to tell people what they should think, or believe. No one should. But when you think your own thoughts and beliefs should actively impede others' rights, especially when it doesn't even affect your own life, that's when we have a problem. You don't have to accept another person's lifestyle, and no one can force you to, but you do have to share the planet with them. So just try to be decent however you can.

Feel Good Friday ~ Kids alright, alright as they'll ever be

This might be my favorite Green Day song.

Worthless Yahoo Headline of the Day

Or, thing I care least about in the whole wide world: "Taylor Swift's Squad Allegedly Unfollowed Demi Lovato for Posting a Selfie With Hailey Baldwin"

Seriously, tell me all about your toenail fungus. I'm all ears. Can't be any worse. I think my favorite part is the "allegedly," as though a crime may have taken place. Law & Order: Stupid Celebrity Tweets *chung chung*

Feel Good Friday ~ Cage the Elephant

The rest of my music report is coming. Want to listen to a couple more albums first. I let the Sturgill album cut in line. :) But it's really good!

Quarterly State of Music, part one - "No."

I haven't sat down and talked about music for a while, mostly because of the reason mentioned in previous post, but also because -

Current mainstream pop and country is BORING. BORINGBORINGBORING.

I've been busy enjoying some music I actually, y'know, enjoy, which I'll touch on in part two. But let's get the shit out of the way first.

Luke Bryan's new song is called "Huntin', Fishin' and Lovin' Every Day." Aww shit son, someone amped up the "country" to 11!! Damn, and I thought "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" was a cheesy song title.

There's actually a top 10 country song called "Snapback." An ode to a damn hat. Now I miss "Red Solo Cup." It might be an ode to a piece of plastic, but at least you can put a beer in it instead of some bro's douchey head.

The rest of country is either boring AF or actually good, so onto pop.

"Work" - Wow, if this doesn't embody the dull drone that pop music has become, I don't know what does. I can only guess this has stayed at #1 for so long by default, like when you hear an annoying noise for so long you start to tune it out. Like your neighbor's leaf blower. I am officially renaming this song "Leaf Blower." And that's the last I'll ever think of it again. Next!

"7 Years" - Apparently, the way to have a big hit in 2016 is to rip off "100 Years" by Five For Fighting. From 2006. What's next, that "you had a bad day" song?

Zayn is not a name, but I like that it's almost "zany." Haven't heard the song, don't care.

..."Panda?" Somebody wrote an ode to Pablo Sandoval and his belt-exploding gut? Awesome!

Umm this Fifth Harmony bullshit is awful. AWFUL. How did we let this happen?

MIKE FRIGGING POSNER has a top 10 hit, speaking of "how did this happen?" I haven't heard it. The buzz is it's actually not bad, but I heard the same thing about Bieber's current shit. I think my not-bad-o-meter is tuned differently.

Charlie Puth might be the literal worst. WHY is this person famous? My shoes would be a more interesting popstar than this.

And finally... "No." Well, I'll give Meghan Trainor one thing: she's not boring. She gives me solid ranting material pretty much every time. So allow me a moment.

"No" is probably her worst song yet. Yes, I know she did "Dear Future Husband" and "Marvin Gaye." Ironically, "No" is the perfect response to "Let's Marvin Gaye and get it on." But you know what it's not? It's not the "feminist" anthem you probably think it is, Ms. Trainor. See, "feminist" =/= "bitchy." Nor does it equal "controlling" or comparing your sexuality to "a dog without a bone," but we've covered those atrocities already. I don't think I've ever seen anyone try SO hard to be "feminist" and "empowering," fail SO HARD, yet still have so many people buy into it!!!

I don't go to clubs. Never have, except to see a show with a date, or a country bar for line dancing or karaoke. The whole "hook up" scene is as foreign to me as Siberia. I don't even know what "clubbing" entails, exactly. I'm all about music, and club music is shitballs on toast. That said, I understand a woman might want to go out with her friends and not have guys hitting on her. I really do. But, unless the guy's being a total jerk, does it really hurt to turn him down politely, instead of that mean girl crap? Guys are actual humans, you know. And you're not in high school anymore. And bitchiness is not empowering. I don't know where that ever came from. People respecting each other is empowering. Sigh. Okay, let's break this shit down.

"I think it's so cute and I think it's so sweet
How you let your friends encourage you to try and talk to me
But let me stop you there, oh, before you speak"

That's right, she didn't even let him speak. Maybe he wanted to know where the bathroom is! Maybe he wanted to tell her a knock knock joke! Maybe he needed medical attention! But we'll never know now, will we, Meghan. Geesh.

"Nah to the ah to the no, no, no
My name is no
My sign is no
My number is no
You need to let it go
You need to let it go"

Considering you didn't even let him open his mouth, I think you're the one who needs to let it go. He's just standing there, confused and wishing he'd approached literally anyone else. Also he might be bleeding.

"First you gonna say you ain't runnin' game, thinkin' I'm believing every word
Call me beautiful, so original, telling me I'm not like other girls"

But he didn't actually say any of those things. This song is based entirely on assumptions. Look - I don't wanna sound like I'm "blaming the victim" here - but she's not even a victim because the guy didn't even open his mouth and his medical alert bracelet is possibly going off now and GEEZ, if you're really SO DAMN SICK of guys talking to you in clubs, maybe it's time to take a break from going to clubs? Maybe check out the planetarium, or youth night at church? Yes, of course a woman should be able to go anywhere she wants without being harassed, but this song does a damn good job of showing no harassment whatsoever. It's really off point, is what I'm saying. Like I was thinking, "hey, this would actually be interesting if it was a response to the whole "Blurred Lines"* thing - like, "no blurred nothing, just NO." But there's no sleazy guy saying "I know you want it" here. We don't know what he was going to say, we're just meant to assume that GUY = JERK. And that doesn't work. And it sure as HELL isn't "feminism."

*Blurred Lines, a song whose only good lyrics are "woo!" and "hey hey hey."

And that brings us to the most befuddling line of all:

"All my ladies, listen up
If that boy ain't giving up
Lick your lips and swing your hips
Girl all you gotta say is
My name is no"

Umm, speaking of blurred lines? "I don't want a man, so imma do shit that men find alluring just to be a bitch, tee hee!" SCREW. YOU. And finally -

"I was in my zone, before you came along, don't want you to take this personal"

How could he take it personal? He didn't even say anything! If he does though, maybe it's because you're jumping down his throat like a spoiled, catty teenager. "Don't take this personal" is the "Nah, I'm just playin!" of this song. It's meant to soften the edge, say "see I'm not a total bitch!" but it does just the opposite by being so obviously transparent.

A woman, a person, has every right to say no in any situation. But it's also natural for men to approach women, and not get a reaction like it's the most offensive thing EVAR!!!1OMGCOOTIES!1! I exist because my dad talked to my mom in a bar. There's a biological imperative here, is what I'm saying. Let's all just respect each other, and maybe you'll even end up meeting someone nice. Or not. But there's nothing wrong with keeping an open mind, even just a little. Sheesh, I never thought I'd miss "Call Me Maybe." But at least "maybe" sounds a bit more mature than "NOPE. NOPENOPENOPENEOPE. *sticks fingers in ears* lalallaala I can't hear you but I'm gonna shake my hips at you neenerneener!" Seriously, fuck this song. YOU JUST MADE ME SAY "CALL ME MAYBE" IS MATURE BY COMPARISON FUCK.

Meghan Trainor just keeps cementing her position of everything I hate about young women today. Come on girls, you're better than this. Really think about what she's saying, not just how the shallow "empowerment" makes you feel. Because it's designed to make you feel, not think. Which can be fine in pop music. But this isn't even well done, there's zero substance here; it's the Bratz doll of empowerment. Yeah, I'm probably reading too much into a stupid pop song. But it's what I do. Sigh. And like it or not, popular music does affect culture.

Oh, the sound of the song. Well, she's moved away from the 60s into a... late 90s-early/mid 2000s pop/r&b vibe? Like Destiny's Child kinda? Which isn't necessarily bad, but man does she not pull it off. Meghan Trainor is not Beyoncé. Yeah, you heard it here first. Nothing but bold statements on this blog, folks. But yeah. Bringing that sound back could be a breath of fresh air on the charts, but not this way. This is awful, and already a candidate for my worst hit song of the year.

But, at least she's not boring. *coughRihannacough*

Feel Good Friday - Crash Kings + Paramore

I haven't posted in a while. Nice weather + baseball season = welcome respite from social media.

These songs played back to back on my walk yesterday, which put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. (The Jays beating the Yankees contributed to that as well.) ;)

I might have used this one before, but it's one of the best songs I've ever heard. Seriously, a shot of pure happy energy.



One of my favorite, and most underrated, Paramore songs. I like this better than any of their hits.

Walking Dead season finale

I've seen a lot of criticism of TWD's cliffhanger finale, and it's both deserved and not deserved IMO.

The episode itself was great. Full of tension and suspense and everything you'd want it to be. I felt the cliffhanger was actually earned in this episode, both in the buildup and by it being a season finale.

If anything cheapened the episode, it was the Glenn fakeout earlier in the season, which was easily the worst thing the show has done. And also whatever the heck happened with Daryl the previous week. They've gone to that well so many times now that even when it is earned, it feels cheap. Which is too bad, because I thought it was a strong episode. Basically the criticism is justified not for the finale itself, but for the season overall. So I will just take it for what it is, and hope they save the cliffhangers for truly pivotal episodes in the future.

As a SPN fan, I'm still adjusting to evil John Winchester. JDM is making it a pretty easy sell though. Damn. I need to watch some season two SPN to feel warm and fuzzy about him again. Fun side note: JDM is only 11 years older than Jensen Ackles, and 16 years older than Jared Padalecki.

I think Negan's victim has to be either Daryl or Michonne. Most articles I've read narrowed it down to those two or Glenn, but apparently Glenn was his victim in the books so I seriously doubt they'd do that. It could be Daryl after the fakeout last week. Michonne would be more of a surprise, and also a horrible gut punch to Rick. We know that it's not Rick or Carl from what Negan said, but what if it's the woman who's basically been Carl's mom for several seasons and now Rick's partner? Feels like foreshadowing? I hope I'm wrong because I really like Michonne, but I'd also have to give the show props for killing off a main character.

Also? I'm glad they stated it would be a character "beloved" by many, cause I've been worried Eugene was gonna die this whole season and I'm pretty sure he's only beloved by me lol.

It's gonna be a long 6 months.

Feel good Friday, zombie edition

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. There's nothing in it to alienate any group of people, except those who are turned off by zombies eating guts, of course. By not trying to be cool, it's adopted a very timeless sense of cool. This is why the original Night of the Living Dead still works too.

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.

And I'm scared as hell what's gonna happen this week. :(

Also, they play some DAMN good music.

TBT - Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson rocks out, and it's awesome. I still listen to this song all the time.

Silly Headline of the Day

"Racine, Wisconsin: 17-Year-Old Girl Unexpectedly Gives Birth in Bathroom"

I'm not familiar with the customs of Racine, Wisconsin, but does anyone plan to give birth in a bathroom?

TBT - Gonna drive past the Stop n Shop, with the radio on

Sometimes I miss New England. This is one of those times. So here's a classic, ahead of its time rock song featuring one of my favorite riffs.



In other news, I seem to have lost the will to snark on terrible music. Is it because mainstream music, especially country, has gone from egregiously bad to so egregiously BORING there's nothing to say about it anymore? Is it because what's going on in the rest of the world makes the latest Florida Georgia Line song look piddling, on a scale of piddling to OMFG WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE?? Or did 3 Justin Bieber songs in the top 5 at once finally break my spirit? Who can say.

What I can say is, I'm listening to a lot of good music. Mostly rock. Spring has arrived early. St. Patty's Day is almost here. Maybe sanity will prevail and we won't all die. At least, not any time soon. So for the near future, I'll probably just do sporadic Thursday and Friday posts, unless a brand new musical plague hits that I can rant about. I... probably shouldn't hope for that.

Cheers!

Can every day be Throwback Thursday?

Throwback to when, I don't care. Just anywhere but here.

Well, let's start here. "In 1983, 90% of US media was controlled by fifty companies; today, 90% is controlled by just six companies."

That sentence is relevant to pretty much everything horrible that is happening right now, from music to politics to pop culture in general. The same corporate media responsible for today's shitty radio also helped create the Trump monster. This is a HUGE problem. When our media is no longer concerned with facts, reason or quality but only the bottom line of $$$, this is what happens. Bro-country, Kardashians, Trump, it's all the same junk product peddled by media desperate for our money. DON'T BUY IT. Maybe it was funny and stupidly entertaining for a while, but this is the end game. This is how media control becomes dangerous.

So let's go back to 1983, and my favorite song of a truly classic year in music. The day Chrissie Hynde's voice stops making me cry wistful tears of joy is the day I'm truly dead inside. I'm happy to report, I'm not dead yet.

TBT

A throwback... to when I actually used to post on this blog! Yeah, I haven't really been doing the social media thing with all the political crap everywhere. Politics is so inherently spammy. Just endless ads for a product that doesn't even work. NO THANK YOU. Instead, I shall re-bingewatch Gilmore Girls, because why not, and listen to some good ol' 90s tunes.



I love Beck. My favorite song of his, off an album that sounds even more fresh and relevant now than it did in the 90s. An album that combines elements of rock, pop, country, hip hop, and electronic music, and it's FANTASTIC.



I love Brooks and Dunn. Yeah, I sure do miss you. :( And most of the other 90s country acts too. That was just the best time.



I love Weezer. And they're making some of the best music of their career right now! To end this on a positive note. :) I still miss the 90s though.

AWESOME Yahoo Headline of the Day

"Discarded Christmas Trees Transformed Into an Ethereal Forest"

Beautiful and kind of eerie.

https://www.yahoo.com/makers/discarded-christmas-trees-transformed-ethereal-212032864/photo-a-new-home-for-your-1452635742726.html

New music Tuesday

From their 2015 debut album, here's some lush, jangly, 90s-esque girlypop from Wolf Alice.

Stupid clickbaity headline of the day

"12 Archaeological Finds You Won’t Believe Were Found On Earth"

I will though, since I'm pretty sure "space archaeology" doesn't actually exist as a field.

Something to think about

If an artist like David Bowie emerged today, what would happen? Would he still become an international superstar by sheer force of talent and personality, or would he be relegated to indie icon by the music industry that squeezes the creative life out of everything?

I'm glad Bowie's star was able to shine so bright. There will never be another like him, but I hope future artists with a similar spark will still be able to find an audience. Imagine a world without these classic artists. We might have already lost a Bowie, McCartney, etc. level talent in all the computer-generated noise. We might have lost several. My hope today is that organic music, created by musicians rather than studios looking for a quick buck and things that need to be plugged in to have a soul, can keep living on.

Remember. This is what we might be missing. This is what's at stake. Don't let the classics exist in a vacuum of "the good old days." Another legend is gone. Let's honor his memory by honoring music, the kind of music that comes from an intangible place inside the creator and is theirs alone. Music that is created rather than programmed. It can be acoustic, it can be electronic, as long as it comes from the opposite of cynicism.

Worthless Yahoo Headline of the Day

um.

"John Stamos Talks Rehab and Surprise Pregnancy"

...what kind of rehab was that, exactly?

TBT

For today's throwback Thursday, I'm gonna talk about something that clearly belongs in the throwback category - self-empowerment songs! With the near-universal negative critical reception of "Fight Song," as well as the dull "Roar" a couple years ago*, I think this well has pretty much run dry. Exactly how many times can you say, "NO, I'm awesome, take THAT!" and make it sound fresh?

*remember when you were a kid enjoying some sweet tunes in your room and your mom asked you to keep it down to a "dull roar?" Yeah. And that was definitely not the sweet tune you were listening to.

Let's start in the 1970s. One could ask the question, did we really need any song like this other than "I Will Survive?" Doesn't that kinda say everything, while also sounding ridiculously awesome? Well... here are a handful of other empowerment anthems I actually find worthy. This is just off the top of my head, no research this time so if I forgot something, maybe I'll revisit it.

The Greatest Love of All - Whitney Houston was amazing. She was my favorite artist for a time, because I've always been about vocals. This song nails it not so much because of the melody or lyrics, which could sound trite in the hands of a lesser vocalist, but because Whitney owns the shit out of this. Like she did everything in the 80s.

Eye of the Tiger - Not so much an empowerment anthem as a kickass rock song, but it's from a Rocky movie and there are like, none of these songs sung by men, so I'll take it. And it sure gets you pumped up. Just ask Dean Winchester.



My favorite thing in the world, ladies and gentlemen.

One Way Ticket - LeAnn Rimes - I like this one because it focuses on something different, and rather specific: I'm going to have adventures! I'm not just going to feel good about me, I'm gonna do it in... Paris! or wherever. Drink champagne! Sail the seas! Arrrrr! This song doesn't just say "hey, I can do things," it lists actual things you can do. You go, girl!

Born This Way - A gay empowerment anthem from Lady Gaga, because duh. Obviously it can appeal to more than just gays, but this is a rare one of these songs I could actually see saving someone's life, or at least cheering someone up if they're getting bullied or something.

Follow Your Arrow - Another smart and modern take on being yourself. Some people might be put off by the pot and lesbian references, especially in country music, but it clearly speaks to its audience. I neither roll joints nor kiss girls, and I dig the hell out of this. Because I drink wine and kiss cats. I'm following my arrow. Yeah!

Firework - This one borders on generic territory, but Katy Perry saves it. Her voice can be underwhelming at times, as I pointed out on Roar, but she brings a real power and intensity to this song that's undeniable. That said, this is the last pop song like this we ever needed. Katy closed out this chapter with um, a bang. (sorry.)

AND YET, we still got "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger," which I thought would be the worst, most generic example until "Song Song," I mean Fight Song came along. (First rule about Fight Song: don't talk about Fight Song. Seriously, there's nothing to say about it. Go read a book or something.) And that's a shame, because Kelly Clarkson is both a great vocalist and a likeable artist. But not even she could save, "You know the bed feels warmer sleeping here alone" - WHY? Did you move it next to the fireplace? Is your cat sleeping on your head? - or "You think you got the best of me, think you had the last laugh" MUAHAHAHA! MINE IS AN EVIL LAUGH! God, I hate that song. And Fight Song one-upped it. Or... one-downed it. Whatever.

Oh yeah, "Shake it Off" is in a whole other category, cause it's not really a self-empowerment song, it's a Taylor Swift-specific-empowerment song. It's pretty bad, but it's catchy and harmless, so whatever. I can't work up much hate for Taylor Swift, if anything I like her more since she dropped the country shell and went full pop. THAT is kind of empowering, to be honest.

So, since this kind of song is clearly played out, where do we go from here? Well, I like the idea of more specific themes. Maybe not "empowerment" songs, per se, but... let's look at two interesting, personal songs from 2015.

Kacey Musgraves' Pageant Material - I wouldn't call this an empowerment song, more of a humorous slice of life with a message, but the message is an empowering one. "I ain't pageant material... I'd rather lose for what I am than win for what I ain't."

Alessia Cara's Here - This is almost an anti-empowerment song ("I HATE THIS PLACE AND EVERYONE IN IT") and yet... well, it kind of is empowering for us introverts and other people who don't like loud, stupid parties and just want to hang out with the people we actually like. It's empowering because people just don't say stuff like this, usually. The introvert narrative just isn't out there. So for people who find this song empowering by way of being relatable, I get it.

And that's what I think the future is. Relatable songs using specific anecdotes, rather than broad platitudes we've heard a million times before. Bring something new to the table, and you might actually change someone's life for the better instead of putting them to sleep. Unless the person is an insomniac, then awesome, you solved their problem.

Oops, I missed New Music Tuesday. Well it's Wednesday, and here's some music. I'm a rebel.

Eric Church is an artist I haven't mentioned much, other than I really like "Springsteen." He's someone I feel like I should be into more, but just hasn't pulled me in. He's obviously a talented musician, he probably listens to a lot of cool stuff, but most of his songs just leave me wanting. I don't know if his own conceit got in the way, or he was trying to straddle mainstream and indie and not really succeeding at either, or just hadn't found his groove, or whatever. That said, I've only heard his singles, so I understand he might have good album material. But until Mr. Misunderstood, I was never inclined to check out one of his albums.



How can I describe this song, besides "it's really good?" Well, this is pretty much what I wanted Eric Church to be. Finally, a single that doesn't fall short of his artistic perception. He definitely went with the "indie" side, and that was 100% the right choice. It suits him, and it's just damn good music. Because he's an established radio artist, I imagine this will get some airplay. I don't know how much play it will get since it's clearly too good for radio, or if it will resonate with mainstream listeners. But I applaud Eric Church for putting quality music out there, and this song and album will have much more lasting appeal than the latest Luke Bryan dropping, in the long run. That's the sign of a musician, an artist. I never thought he was a "poser" like some seemed to, but this is the first I've heard him live up to his potential. This is that perfect mix of country and heartland rock I was waiting for.

I hope this at least cracks the top 20, so I can put it on my best hit songs list of 2016. It's only January 6, but I guarantee this song is a shoo-in. I love it. EDIT: Mr. Misunderstood is currently at #17. Hot damn, pencil it in. I've only just started processing the album so I don't have all my favorites down yet, but I can tell you it's rich, textured, smart, and deserving of many listens.



Church's album is the first country album I've listened to in a while, since Ashley Monroe's excellent The Blade (which I got to late). I've definitely been more on a rock kick, especially alt-rock lately. I needed a break from country. (Though surprisingly, Church's album fits right in with my alt-rock mood. It's a cool, indie record store kind of album. In the good, non-pretentious way.)

The album that kind of took over my life when I first heard it last month is Weezer's 2014 release, Everything Will Be Alright in the End. First of all, what a great title. It might as well have "Don't Panic" written on it in large, friendly letters. Second, the title doesn't lie. After a string of mediocre to almost bad albums, Weezer came back BIG TIME here. Like, this might have actually unseated Maladroit as my favorite Weezer album. (Maladriot is hard to beat, as it's basically Weezer catchiness set to hard crunchy rock music.)

If you like Weezer, especially their classic early stuff, Everything Will Be Alright will probably be one of your favorite albums of the past few years. It's definitely one of mine. Just one great, catchy song after another, from "Back to the Shack" to "Lonely Girl" to "The British are Coming" to "Foolish Father" to the burst of an opening track "Ain't Got Nobody" and my personal favorite "Go Away," with Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino. (Which I posted previously.) Pure OMG sonic yumminess.







I lost the thread of Weezer post-Maladriot (I guess you could say, I came undone) since I didn't care for anything off Make Believe other than the ubiquitous "Perfect Situation." That's actually a great song. I gave brief listens to the unremarkable albums they released between that and Everything, and came up with only one song I really liked, off of Hurley. But wow, what an awesome song. This would fit right in on Everything. Despite a few missteps, I count Rivers Cuomo as one of the top songwriters of my generation.



So there you go, two unrelated artists who have expanded my musical happiness lately!

Worthless Yahoo Headline of the Day

"MIRANDA LAMBERT: TWEET LIKED BY GWEN STEFANI, ALTHOUGH GWEN STILL DOESN’T FOLLOW HER"

LIKE OMG YOU GUYS!! Hurray, apparently both Gwen and Miranda are more mature than the people who write Yahoo news headlines, who are clearly twelve. (I'm not betting the farm on Blake, though. Seriously, how does that corny doofball get these amazing women?)

I hate when celebs I love become tabloid fodder. Miranda might be the first one. I wish her happiness, dignity, and great music in her new relationship.