The post where I try to make some kind of sense out of things

Even if it only makes sense to me.

We are living in "interesting times," and hoo boy is there a good reason why that's a curse. There's probably an argument to be made that the world, specifically the US, has been going off the rails on the crazy train for quite some time now, and social media/the general connectedness of all things has just brought it to the forefront. And also escalated it. There's no way to know that for sure, so I'm just going by what I see happening now. Remember, I live under a delightfully hobbit-sized rock most of the time, so I probably miss about 95% of the world's vitriol. Just the 5% I do see makes me want to run screaming for the hills.

Here's the main thing I think right now. It's sad that there are so many bigots out there, especially white supremecists. Like, you think that shit is just fringe groups and then it turns out they're OUT THERE. Lurking, waiting to strike. No one really comes out and says it, but everyone knows what the buzzwords are. And that's the first step towards being able to actually come out and say it. Which I think is the end goal here, even if people won't admit it. "Make America Great Again," etc. What, exactly, does that mean?

It should mean putting Americans back to work. Building infrastructure. Reopening US factories that were moved overseas to make a buck. Paying a fair wage so workers can comfortably provide for their families. You know, the American Dream, right? The one that's been bought and sold to corporations by BOTH political "sides?"

But it doesn't mean that, does it? It means "America Was Better When It Was Mostly White Ppl, Amirite? Wink, Wink." Seriously, what else do you think that means? Mostly old/middle-aged white people feel they're losing power, and they're panicking. As if they were entitled to that power all along. As if anyone different is just an interloper.

So the question we have to ask ourselves, if we feel threatened by someone who is "other," is WHY do we feel so threatened? Why the instinct to focus on differences between people, rather than similarities? Is it some kind of misguided self-preservation to lash out at people we see as "different?" Like, if they're equal, we're suddenly.... not anymore? That's not how equality works. If we view someone different being seen as equal to us as a TAKE OVER... wow, think about that. That's basically saying we don't see them as human. They're 3/5 of a person, or whatever it was back in slavery days. And no, I don't usually use hyperbolic words like "SLAVERY," but if some people are threatened by a black (or Muslim, or gay, or female) person being their equal - basically, being a person- what does that say? They feel that white (or straight, or male) people are inherently superior. That's what "making America great again" or "taking America back" boils down to. People who are used to being in power not wanting to risk losing that power to the "other." The "lesser." This is not based on pride, it's based on FEAR. We've had a black president with a foreign name now, and apparently that's just the end of everything. Not the beginning, not a chance to work together and find common ground, but the DAMN END OF AMERICA.

Isn't that kind of the opposite of everything America was founded on?

So here's the conclusion I've come to, in these crazy times. I hate Trump with every fiber of my being, but I'm glad he happened. This is a good thing. No, not if he actually becomes president, but clearly this is something that has been festering and needed to be exposed. We can't talk about a problem, and attempt to solve it, if we don't know it exists. Or the extent to which it exists. So we've learned there are a lot more bigots out there than we might have guessed. They've now been given a voice. Some of them probably wouldn't admit or even recognize that they're bigots, but that could change now that they feel empowered. Scary, yes, but it would be a lot scarier if it was still festering below, like mold under your floorboards. At least now, we know what we're dealing with.

This could be a real turning point in our culture. I hope it turns toward a future of not just forced tolerance, but real understanding, and not back to the 1800s.

I think the idea of forced tolerance is why a lot of people are angry, and I get it. But that's why it's up to all of us to find real ways of living and dealing with each other. Because it's either that, or the shitshow that's happening right now. I think it involves soul-searching more than anything else. Letting down defences, getting rid of any sense of entitlement and need for "power." If you are religious, prayer is a really good time for this kind of introspection. If not, some form of meditation. Or something, anything, that takes you out of this world and out of yourself. A place where you feel humbled by the vast scope of life, and free from your own agenda. Humility is all but lost in today's world, but I think it's a good start.

We all know the narrative of good and evil. We watch superhero movies, or read Harry Potter, or whatever. So how have so many people missed the point, and voted for the obvious corporate supervillain and FUCKING VOLDEMORT? I genuinely don't get this. How do people not see it? I try to avoid getting all moral-preachy, but here are three things that are just bad across the board: greed, dishonesty, and bigotry. Sound familiar? I guess those lessons I thought we all learned from childhood still need to be told.

Peace, and now back to our regularly scheduled music. :)

Wicked Good Wednesday ~ California album playlist

First of all: SOMETHING IS GOING ON WITH MCR! Are they reuniting? New music? Tour? I don't know, but I plan to be there and buy a t-shirt. Another t-shirt. Their new logo is MCRX, denoting the 10 year anniversary of one of the greatest rock albums ever in my totally not humble opinion, Welcome to the Black Parade. So we shall see. 9/23/16. Close to Halloween. Dudes know their fanbase. :D

Anwyay, that is both exciting and somewhat relevant to today's post! I was listening to Weezer's White Album and Blink's California back to back, since they're both basically concept albums around CA, and it got me thinking. What other albums are either about, or perfectly evoke my home state? (Can you tell that every summer, I start missing LA and the beach?) Consider this an expansion of my California songs post.

So if you want that California feeling, here are some albums to get you in the mood.

1. My Chemical Romance - Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

Of course! Not the great Black Parade, but a SUPER UNDERRATED concept album about a band of outsiders fighting against the man in post-apocalyptic LA. If that doesn't sound like the coolest thing ever, then you are wrong because it is. Well, it's awesome anyway. I love this album and it's a perfect, energetic leadoff to this playlist, even if it does have a bonus track called "We Don't Need Another Song About California." Which is awesome, btw.



2. Weezer - White Album

3. Best Coast - California Nights

Or any of Best Coast's albums, really. Modern Beach Boys-esque songs with a female vocalist.

4. Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

A lot of good music exists because of this album, and it's amazing.

5. Blink-182 - California

This album has only grown on me. "Los Angeles" is probably my favorite Blink song. If they wanna continue in that harder-edged direction, I am totally on board.

6. No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom

One of my favorite 90s albums. Their next album and most of Gwen's solo work have been disappointing, but this is a classic I still listen to. And so very CA.



7. Sublime - Self Titled

Fuck drugs. So sad we didn't get more music from these guys. At least we have this classic.

8. Blondie - Autoamerican

For a NY band, their music sounds totally LA to me. This one features the classic "The Tide is High" and the beach-rocky "T-Birds."

9. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Greatest Hits (2003)

These guys have so much material, I had to do a compilation album for this. This one features personal favorites like "Scar Tissue," "Higher Ground," "Soul to Squeeze," and of course the melancholy LA favorite, "Under the Bridge." If you want more RHCP, Stadium Arcadium and some of their early, funkier stuff fits the bill too. Also check out their latest single "Dark Necessities." It's really good!

10. Beck - Odelay!

My favorite Beck album. I lived in LA when this came out, and Beck is from there of course, so this will always remind me of LA in the 90s. I can't say enough what an amazing, visionary, genre-bending album this is. If you wanna hear a mix of pop, rock, hip-hop and even some country elements that totally WORKS, listen to Odelay! This album invites endless replays because there's so much going on. Side note: someone I knew briefly met Beck at (I think) a laundromat in Silverlake, and Beck told him he thought humans were becoming more insectlike. This would have been between Mellow Gold and Odelay I think? Like he was famous enough for my friend to recognize him, but not so famous he wouldn't be in a laundromat. Anyway, there's your LA celebrity anecdote for the day. Beck thinks we're turning into bugs, or he did back in 1990whatever. Maybe he was just high and the laundromat needed an exterminator.



11. Go-Go's - Vacation

Let's end this on a happy note! Does it get any more bright California sunshiney than the Go-Go's? This band was super influential on my music taste to this day, and I can't thank them enough.

Feel Good Friday ~ ZBB

Amen.

tbt ~ entertainment from the depths of my childhood!

This might be my throwbackiest Thursday yet. Today it just feels right to go WAY back to early childhood, and a couple videos that fellow 80s kids might remember fondly.

My young childhood was spent in a small town, and many of my fond memories involve walking from school to various places. The huge indoor pool was right next door, the rec center was an exciting walk several blocks away, and behind the school lay the wondrous convenience store filled with candy and Hostess cupcakes. But across the street was my favorite place of all, the library, where we attended after school programs a couple days a week.

Bonus throwbackiness: wee! me at a Halloween party at the library. I appear to be wearing train pajamas as a costume. idk. yolo, bitches.

I still remember several of the videos they showed us after school, probably because they showed the same ones multiple times, but we didn't care. We got Dr. Seuss a lot, especially the one about the star-bellied sneeches. We also got these two classics from the 70s. A lot of stuff from the 70s was still around in the 80s. I don't know if either of these videos are still shown to kids today. I'm guessing they stopped right around the time cartoon characters started rapping, but don't quote me on that.

First up is "Really Rosie." This one might still be around because it's based on the works of Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are), and has a classic soundtrack by Carole King. Once you hear "Chicken Soup with Rice," it will be with you forever. Man, I hope they still show this to kids. I had the soundtrack album to this too. It was a rockstar.



Next up is "Free to Be You and Me," which just might be the most 70s thing to ever exist.


Free to Be... You and Me (1974) by QzDaddy

Before yesterday when I rewatched these, I hadn't seen either since I was 6-7 years old. It's amazing how they stuck with me through the years. One thing you might notice about these is how they don't talk down to their audience. This seems normal for older kids specials, like the Peanuts cartoons and Dr. Seuss too. The kids talk like people, not precocious Disney channel turds. There aren't obnoxious, shoehorned in pop culture references, making these 70s specials possibly less dated than something made last year.

They also know kids can handle and even enjoy scary things. Neither of these specials are scary per se, but I love how they casually include things like man-eating lions and a girl ending up in a cookpot. And we loved it! No one screamed or was scarred for life. Would they even make stuff like this in today's overparenting, offended-by-everything culture? Kids like to have their boundaries pushed and imaginations tested. I'm SO GLAD I grew up in the 80s! I'm also really glad I don't have kids, just cats. Though I'm sure I'd get cat-shamed at some point if I put myself out there. Seriously, screw today's culture. Screw it right in the ear!!

Um.

... throwback Thursday, everyone! *bows*

Oh, and keep circulating the tapes... err, links. :)

And while I'm at it...

here's my obligatory, pre-emptive Ghostbusters post. I don't usually hop on these trains, but the original Ghostbusters IS my favorite movie, and has been since 1984 when wee me saw it in the theater and didn't get all the jokes but loved it anyway.

I'll start by saying I won't see this movie in the theater, because reboots are cash-grabs by design, and screw that. I'm sure I'll stream it sometime out of curiosity. So obviously this is not about the actual movie, but all the crazy shit surrounding it. Most of which I hate. So, the usual.

Much of the discussion of this movie has veered away from what it should be, the lack of original content and dependence on "reboots" to make a quick buck, and of course gone into the usual shit. "You're misogynist!" "Shut up, 'SJW'!" Sigh, remind me why I ever signed up for the internet again? I don't give a rat's ass about stupid terms like "SJW" - what's smaller than a rat's ass? A mosquito's ass? Do mosquitoes have asses? These are the places you take me to, internet. I hope you're happy.

I WANT to see movies starring women. Especially comedies. I want to see strong, funny, real women characters who are cops and doctors and waitresses and wives and mothers. You can make anyone a strong character if you write them properly. But I want to see it done with original ideas. That's all. No political crap, just make more original movies! That said, I wouldn't actually mind if this was a sequel, because I enjoy the GB franchise. The "reboot" thing bugs me, since that essentially wipes the original I loved so much from the slate. Maybe that's where that silly "ruining my childhood" crap comes from, if anyone actually says that unironically. I wouldn't go that far, but it does leave a bad taste in my mouth. Why not just make them proteges of the original Ghostbusters, so they still... exist? :/

Anyone badmouthing the movie JUST because it stars women: YOU SUCK. It's just like the "all lives matter" thing. "What about MEN?" Yes, what about men, who star in almost every action and comedy movie ever, while women are relegated to stock girlfriend roles. But here's the other side. If someone thinks a movie that happens to star women is shit, that doesn't make them sexist. If someone hates a political candidate who happens to be a woman, that doesn't make them sexist. Making everything surrounding women automatically about sexism, even when it isn't, IS SEXIST!

Because some people have invalid complaints doesn't mean all complaints are invalid, is what I'm saying.

I already mentioned this, but I really enjoyed the theme songs to the first two Ghostbusters movies. This Fall Out Boy thing is a trainwreck. That may or may not be indicative of the movie's quality, but it sure as hell doesn't get me hyped. If you want to use a FOB song in your ghost movie, might I suggest this actually cleverly-titled one?



I've come to the conclusion that, a few good songs and a decent pop punk album aside, I don't really like FOB. I tried. They're about the last people I would have picked to do a Ghostbusters theme. Maybe, idk, Bruno Mars? He's really good at recreating old, nostalgic sounds into fun new songs. Actually never mind, I don't want to drag him into this. Fall Out Boy it is!

Final point: I watched the first trailer for this thing and found it cringingly awful. Cue apologists saying "don't judge a movie by one trailer!" Um yeah, actually I will. That's kind of the job of the trailer, to make me want to see it, not run away from it screaming. It's like when people say "the single sucks, but the album is really good!" Why would a bad single make me want to listen to an album, when there are so many other albums to choose from? It's not exactly the same thing, sometimes shitty singles are chosen from good albums because radio sucks, but it's a similar mentality. If a movie is good, you should be able to make a good trailer out of it. If you can't, either the movie sucks or you should be fired, because you suck at your job.

THAT IS ALL. Now I can properly ignore the internet on the day this thing actually comes out. When I watch it, probably in a few months, I'll give a fair assessment. I hope it's either surprisingly good or rant-worthy bad, but I suspect it'll be somewhere in between. Which will be boring.

All Star Breakdown!

Damn, if I'd included "The Tenors" on my list of Canadian bands yesterday, I'd be topical AF. Unfortunately I'd never heard of them.

So in case you live under an even bigger rock than I do, "O Canada" was hijacked at last night's All Star Game by an "all lives matter" activist. That is an actual sentence I just wrote. Obviously, it's wrong to change the words to any national anthem; you're there to do your damn job. Said person no longer has said job, which is perfectly reasonable since he failed to do it. I'm sure he and whatever followers he has will consider him a martyr for that, cause that's how we roll these days. No self-reflection, no apologies. Just "haters" and martyrs.

That would be an interesting band name.

And does anyone really believe ALL lives matter? What about terrorists? I mean, I don't see anyone all-lives-mattering for the shithead who shot up the club in Orlando. It's just personal agenda crap, like everything else. It's also a trap. "How can you possibly argue with all lives matter? We're being inclusive!" Um, because I understand nuance and don't think everything has to be about me? It's yet another symptom of entitlement. "What about ME? Don't I matter?" No one said you didn't. That's kind of the point.

But! outraged Canadians (and Americans, and Norwegians, and any sentient squirrels that might have been watching) didn't have to feel too outraged for too long, because it turns out the dude is a complete nutbag.

Nice lack of perspective, buddy. He probably thinks this guy is really crushing someone's head too!

People are gonna see what they wanna see. We do not live in a good time for facts. Why is "flat earth" even a thing, anyway? It's like arguing that trees aren't made of wood. Wrong, and lacking an actual point. What do you get out of believing the earth is flat? Does it come with a snazzy t-shirt? A free toaster, maybe? Or do you just like the image of an earth a giant could eat like a big saltine? Cause that is a pretty funny image, I'll give you that.

And oh yeah, a baseball game happened. The AL won, which might be good for the Jays. Hopefully they get someone qualified to sing the anthem in that case, like Nickelback OH NO I DIDN'T!!

Oh, Canada

So my adoptive country of Canada spawned has some of the worst, most inexplicably popular musical acts of recent memory. It's ok, I'm not bitter or anything. But if you judge by Nickelback, Simple Plan, and *sigh* Bieber, Canada must be a vast wasteland of crap... BUT WAIT! The little music-fan voice in your head cries out. There's Rush! What about RUSH? Rush is certainly one of the best and most enduring classic rock bands out there, but are they enough to cancel out the unholy trinity of suck?

Of course not. Are you high? I said Nickelback, Simple Plan, and Bieber. These aren't even artists, they're walking punchlines. How has Canada produced three of the lowest common denominators of three different genres? Or better question, why did America import them so enthusiastically? Surely America has enough crap of its own? But no, crappy music seems to be one of Canada's principal exports.

No, I don't know why. This isn't a social studies paper. I'm as confused as the rest of you.

Before I discuss some Canadian artists: this is coming from someone who spent the majority of her life in the US, and is not in any way comprehensive of Canadian music. I've lived in Canada for four years. In that time, because I don't listen to the radio, I haven't really heard any current Canada-unique music. I know the same stuff folks in the US do, and that's the perspective I'm coming from. I have checked out a few songs from current, popular Canadian country artists that haven't hit the US, and so far haven't been impressed. Kinda the same stuff as the US charts, but watered down. Which isn't to say there isn't good, mainstream Canadian country; I've only listened to a handful of tracks. I know nothing about the rock scene here. Once Nickelback'd, twice shy. And pop? Not only did Canada give us Bieber, it gave us a backup Bieber. That "Stitches" guy. That guy is spared my ultimate wrath only by not being Charlie Puth.

... Charlie Puth is not Canadian. Okay, whew. He could be though. He probably should be. And that's kind of the problem. Okay, let's go!

Barenaked Ladies - I actually like this band. Not love, but generally enjoy. They're a lot more than "One Week" and sitcom themes. "Brian Wilson" is amazing, and I heard some recent stuff that was just good, melodic pop-rock. This is probably the closest thing Canada has to Weezer and no, they're not as good as Weezer. But they're definitely worth delving into deeper if you've only heard their cheesier, popular stuff. It's like only hearing "Beverly Hills" and thinking that's Weezer. Good God, I feel like I just blasphemed by typing that.

New Pornographers - I love this band, but Canada only gets partial credit because Neko Case is from Virginia. Still, a partial New Pornographers credit is something to brag about. I listened to Electric Version so much back in the day that I couldn't listen to it again for YEARS, even though it's one of my favorite albums. If you love well-crafted, ultra melodic indie rock, this album will melt your brain in the best way. Listen to "The Laws Have Changed." Let it soak in. Then listen to... everything else. You can't go wrong with this band.

Drake - Yeah, his "music" is pretty terrible. I considered including him in the unholy trinity, making it an... unholy rectangle? but couldn't quite do it. You could say he does to hip-hop what the other three do to pop, rock and pop-punk, but I see two differences in Drake. Unlike the others, he's not actually punchable as a human being. He's quite charismatic. Why that doesn't come out in his music, I HAVE NO IDEA. And because of that, I hold out that he has some potential... somewhere... if he ever decides to wake up. Seriously, does this guy wear his pajamas to the recording studio?

The Weeknd - I liked "Can't Feel My Face?"

Avril Lavigne - What a waste of talent. She's like a reverse growth chart. At 17: "Why you have to go and make things so complicated?" At 30: "HELLO KITTY HELLO KITTY KA-WA-IIIIII!" What the hell, indeed. Not saying she was ever deep and amazing, but she has a cool voice and I still listen to "Losing Grip" and "Complicated." I get that you'd want to move away from "angsty teen," but when angsty teen is your more mature career move, that's a problem.

Sum 41 - I just found out this band is Canadian. Um, I don't really have an opinion of them. They're pop punk. Better than Simple Plan, not as good as Blink. I think they had some kind of whiny stuff that turned me off back in the day? "I don't want to waste my time, become another casualty of society.
I'll never fall in line, Become another victim of your conformity" OH GOD NO TURN THAT OFF that's some Simple Plan shit right there! Darn you, Canada. To be fair, they seem to have actually matured. I gave their latest song "Fake My Own Death" a listen and it's surprisingly rockin'. Seriously. So, whatever. That's my opinion of most of these bands, honestly. Whatever.

Crash Test Dummies - MMMMMM MMMMM MMMMMM MMMMMM. Also just found out these guys are Canadian, so maybe they were enjoying a delicious Tim Horton's donut the whole time?

Tegan and Sara - And here's where I feel woefully uneducated, because by most accounts they're actually good and I've only heard a couple of their songs. Consider this a placeholder.

Triumph - When I first heard this band - actually wait. When I thought I first heard this band, they were introduced to me as "the other Canadian rock band," and I liked what I heard. I made a joke about Triumph the insult comic dog, because that was the time we were living in. Then one of their songs "Fight the Good Fight" was featured at the end of a Supernatural ep, one of the ones with Dean and Sam driving off in a cloud of awesome music, so yeah. It's that kind of band. BUT, it turns out I really first heard them waaaaay back in 1986, when they had an MTV hit called "Somebody's Out There." I liked that song. I liked it a lot. It sounds like a Journey song, which is probably why I liked it. Yeah, it's definitely a more polished, mainstream rock sound than their earlier stuff, but... DAMMIT I STILL LIKE IT. It's catchy, it has a huge 80s arena rock chorus, of course I like it! Triumph is definitely one of the better bands to come out of Canada, and not just "that other rock band."

Bachman-Turner Overdrive - made a couple 70s ultra-classics. I never looked into them beyond that, but these guys definitely made their contribution to rock. You could say they "took care of business" NO NO DON'T SAY THAT!!

The Guess Who - pretty much same as above. I dig "No Sugar Tonight."

Carly Rae Jepsen - Oh God, "Call Me Maybe" was the bane of my existence for a while. I'd managed to avoid it, but then once I heard it it was EVERYWHERE. Those were dark times. Apparently her last album was actually fun retro 80s stuff, but meh. Once called me maybe'd, twice shy.

Bryan Adams - I LOVED Bryan Adams growing up, and honestly his 80s albums are pretty decent. Think "Cuts Like a Knife," "Run to You," and "Summer of '69," not "Everything I Do (I Do It For Boring Adult Contemporary Radio)". Man, that's a cumbersome title.

Celine Dion - I'm not into this kind of music at all, so not much to say. She has a good voice and other than that overplayed Titanic dreck, she seems fine for people who like this sort of thing.

Joni Mitchell/Leonard Cohen/Gordon Lightfoot- I'm not really into folk music either, and this is very much my parents' music, but these are all obviously legends. What Canada taketh away from rock and pop, it giveth in folk icons. Or something. "Big Yellow Taxi" is a favorite, and I swear it gets more relevant every year.

Paul Brandt - OMG, "I Do" is one of my favorite 90s country ballads. If I'd had music at my wedding, it would have been that song. I don't remember if he had any other hits, but that one's a standout for me.

Terri Clark - She had some fun 90s hits like "Better Things To Do." Another of those 90s artists that had a few hits and disappeared, at least in the US.

Shania Twain - I've already discussed Shania, so briefly: While she had some genuinely stupid hits, she also had some really enjoyable ones, as well as a lot of charisma. "Any Man of Mine," "No One Needs to Know," and "Love Gets Me Every Time" is some insanely catchy pop-country with personality. Her unique sound lends itself well to nostalgia, and I think she'll be remembered fondly overall. (Not by staunch traditionalists, obviously.)

DID I MISS ANYONE?? Yeah, probably. This was all off the top of my head, cause I like to test myself. If I forgot someone, so be it. So what does it all mean? I'd say the aggregate score is a solid "meh," which considering the low peaks are the aforementioned unholy trinity + Drake, really isn't too bad. There are some definite standouts too. Guess I'll never know why so much Canadian crap makes its way south. Maybe we're just trying to get rid of it.

On another note, I'm just glad I moved to Canada before I had to feel any moral compunction to vote for a slimy crook over literal satan. I don't know what happened to you in my absence, America. Maybe my leaving made you fall apart. If so, I'm really sorry and OH LOOK, A SHITTY RAPPER FROM TORONTO! *dashes off*

Feel Good Friday ~ the good, the bad, the California

This blog has been keeping me sane lately. Hurray for sanity!

Let's finish the week as it began, with songs about or featuring my home state of California. There are a TON of songs throughout time that mention CA, obviously, so I'll be focusing on some favorites.

"Thank you for your wine, California, Thank you for your sweet and bitter fruits."



One of my top favorite classic rock songs. I wasn't alive during this time, but I feel the energy of the late 60s/early 70s whenever I listen to this. It's still incredibly potent. And that line about CA really resonates with me.

"It's a long day livin' in Reseda, There's a freeway runnin' through the yard."



I lived in Reseda. There are freeways everywhere. The struggle is real. (But at least it's not Van Nuys.)

"Why would you live anywhere else? We've got the ocean, got the babes
Got the sun, we've got the waves, This is the only place for me."



A fun, jangly love song to CA. Why would you live anywhere else? Well, in the 80s and 90s I would have agreed with you. But, having lived in the LA area again from 2011-2012... I recommend living somewhere else. Unless you're very rich and don't mind spending literally half your life in traffic. And you better live right at the beach if you wanna go (see: very rich), because parking is non-existent. Still, a cool song from kind of a fantasy perspective. This is like, Baywatch-era California.

"California nights, Make me feel so happy I could die, But I try to stay alive."



This song feels exactly like when you've been swimming too long, but don't want to get out of the water.

"Now don't you cry another night about me, In this city I've got angels all around me."



A beautiful, underrated Miranda song, the story of a young woman who leaves her family and small Texas town to go to L.A. While I'm pretty sure those aren't angels all around you (unless angels are made of smog), I have no doubt she's "strong just like you prayed I'd be."

Can you see I have a love/hate relationship with L.A.? :P

"You were the biggest fish out here, You should have never gone to Hollywood."



And here's the other, darker side of the coin. One of SOAD's best songs. I know, not exactly feel good, but I love dark songs about sunny places. That's kind of been the theme this week. (And thank you, Blink-182, for that.)





I already talked about these songs when I discussed the album, but they needed to be included. And seriously, that album artwork. I need that in my life.

"Some dance to remember, some dance to forget."



Possibly the original "dark California" rock song? Yeah, this is one of my favorite songs since like, ever, and is probably a big reason I'm drawn to this aesthetic. There's something so enticing about finding the dark in the light, especially when the light might be a trick. It's like uncovering the truth. It's also wonderfully creepy.

Okay, we need another happy song!



Noooo... darn you Rivers Cuomo and your seductive ennui! Okay, here we go.

"And if you're up all night, Thinking about some thing you did
The California kids, Will show you the sunshine."



Because sometimes, the sun really is sunny. And those are good times.

"Old days are fine, but are left so far behind, From California to Jane Street.
Kids alright, alright as they'll ever be, Cause you will always be my sweet 16."



A genuinely sweet song about a couple's journey together, geographically and emotionally, based on Billie Joe Armstrong and his wife. Aww.

I already discussed The Maine's "Birthday in Los Angeles," but seriously check it out. A very well-written song that will resonate if you've ever felt out of place somewhere.

Well, what say you, My Chemical Romance?



Oh, okay. I guess I'm done here.

Next week, I will tackle the difficult subject of Canadian music. Can I finally answer the question of whether Rush is awesome enough to cancel out... almost everything else*, without getting kicked out of the country? Stay tuned!

*seriously Canada, Nickleback, Bieber, and Simple Plan? Why you gotta hurt me. :(

tbt ~ when pop was pop and MTV played videos

Doesn't get much more throwbacky than that.

I still love early Mariah Carey. While I hear her songs in my 90s playlist quite often, I had a hankering to go back and watch some of her old videos. These are from back in the day when MTV still played lots of videos, and I still watched lots of MTV. Because I was a teenager. So was seeing these videos for the first time in 25 years as big of a nostalgia blast as I hoped?

Hell yeah it was!!

The one that started it all, "Vision of Love." I was obsessed with this song and video. And her hair. This video made me get a perm. A giant, poodly 80s perm and I am NOT ASHAMED. I just wish I'd looked this good.



After that one song/video, she was everywhere. And it's easy to see why. Her voice was instantly recognizable, and she put out one great song after another. I also liked the (for lack of a better word) wholesome image she had at the time, as this was when Madonna was transforming from "sexy rebel" to "sexual for the sake of being sexual," so Mariah was a refreshing change. (Ugh, do not get me started on the unmusic that is "Justify My Love" again.)



This next video is amazing. It has a random like, wombat or something in it. She hits that high note and then boom! sudden marsupial. I miss the 90s.



Okay, it's not a wombat. Or a lemur. A wallaby?? I'm feeling woefully uneducated about marsupials now. Questioning my life choices.



That might be her prettiest song, and that's saying something. Man, every one of these videos just takes me back instantly. I loved this time. Maybe it's because I was a teenager, and that's the time we all tend to remember rosily, but -- I was a miserable teenager. I was one Morrissey CD away from utter despair. (I did not ever own a Morrissey CD. I did have that Smiths one with "There is a Light" though.) So why the hell would I remember that fondly?? Maybe the music was just actually better, and pop culture was more fun. (Except for Morrissey.)

I eventually lost track of Mariah's career, as I got more into country and alt-rock than pop. I remember she eventually did the sexy video sellout - hey, at least it took her longer than it takes today's "stars." While I may not have followed her past her first few albums, those are AMAZING, classic pop albums I still listen to. As of now, I'd say Mariah was the last truly great pop star. As music becomes more and more disposable and inorganic, I wonder if we'll ever have another quite like that. I do like Lady Gaga, but she's not quite on that tier yet, legacy-wise. Also, she hasn't released an album in a while. We'll see how Adele's career shapes up too. I think she's great, but I'm disappointed her recent songs have been passed over for vile things like "Panda." BLECCH. You kids don't know what's good for you!

Okay I think I officially just died. BYEE

Choose your focus

I hate pretty much every part of our current "culture," but there's a big beautiful world out there that's (mostly) free of these human constructs. I try to focus on nature, animals, the beauty of God's creations. Also, while many humans seem focused on making the world as ugly as possible, there are people out there saving animals. Making meaningful music. Brewing yummy beer. Going out of their way to be inclusive to others. It's actually pretty easy to drop out of the culture of ugly. The politics, the drama, the constant negativity. Change your focus, choose your focus, and say NO. Yell it, if you have to! I've yelled NO! right at my computer when I found myself drawn into something ugly. It confuses my cats, but it also nips the desire to gaze at the trainwreck right in the bud. And, the kitties get snuggles afterwards. So win/win.

Always, always help when you can. And block out the rest, cause it's not doing you or anyone else any good. And most importantly, don't be a dick. That's the biggest contribution most of us can make to the world, sad as that may be.

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.