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.