I Have Returned... With Music.

So I'm back in Madison after spending spring break in my hometown. I didn't write over break, not because I don't have a computer, but because A) I was busy, and B) Most people say they read this when they are bored, so I figured that if you were like me you were never bored over break because you were busy catching up with friends that you rarely have a chance to see during the school year.

The consequence of spending so much time with people was that I didn't get any work done, with the exception of getting Allison a summer job and paying $130 to take a stupid ACT-type test called PRAXIS I that I have to take to get into the School of Education. That's like paying $130 to get punched in the face. But getting back on subject, I didn't read the 300 page book I was supposed to read on Louis XIV to write a six-page paper on it by Thursday. My progress tonight? 30 pages because I am easily distracted, especially considering the fact that I gave up video games for Lent and have been itching to get to the March Madness 2004 game that I purchased for $2. Guess what I spent two or three hours doing instead of reading about a dead French guy that no one liked.

On the bright side I have a lot of new music to help me get through the rough times. While in the Milwaukee area I went to CD Max, the used CD store in Brookfield. I picked up Version by Mark Ronson which features sweet brassed-up, funky covers of popular songs in England featuring guest vocalists. Highlights include "Oh My God" (Kaiser Chiefs cover) featuring Lily Allen, "Just" (Radiohead cover) featuring Alex Greenwald of Phantom Planet, and my personal favorite, "Stop Me" (The Smiths (a favorite band of Radiohead from the '80's (You may have heard of the lead singer, Morrissey) )cover) featuring Daniel Merriweather, who has a fantastic voice. Additionally I picked up the Knock Knock Knock EP from Hot Hot Heat, which is pre- Make Up the Breakdown, their first LP (aka it doesn't suck like their newest album).

Additionally, I cashed some checks that I forgot I had this week. Thus, I treated myself to some music from iTunes. I picked up Kings of Leon's newest album, Because of the Times, which features the song "Charmer", which was the song of the day on an earlier post, and "Fans", which there is an amazing live version of on YouTube.

But the album I'm most excited that I purchased is Georgie James' Places. Though it might be easy to assume Georgie James is a person, it's actually a band, featuring the dual vocals of former Q and not U drummer John Davis and Laura Berhenn. They produce bubbly pop songs that fans of Headlights will enjoy, but which feature more guitar and less keyboards. The song that attracted me to them is called "Need Your Needs", which is the song of the day for today.

Need Your Needs by Georgie James at YouTube.

Warm Weather Bands

Today, I've been in the best mood. I can't remember the last time I was this happy. After a long period of very little going right, this week nothing can go wrong. The weather was amazing today, and no one can help but be happy. The feeling on the streets is indescribable, everyone's moods have been lifted. In a time like this, your musical choices must go along with your mood to enhance it even more. Today I listened to sunny bands that only made me smile more. There's music that I only whip out during the warm months because they have that warm feeling that you don't want to ruin by bringing out during cold weather. Here are my three choices for music today:

Headlights
The epitome of good-feeling music. For real. You can't help but feel happy when you listen to "TV" or "Cherry Tulips". It's in no way corny either like some poppy, happy-go-lucky music can be. You just want to give people hugs when you listen to it, or dance around in colorful outfits with Leslie Feist.











Kings of Leon
Everything is in a major key and every drum beat and tambourine shake calls for you to run wherever it is you're going. The amped-up bass-lines scream Jet, and the twangy guitars resemble the Strokes. Caleb's 'let-go-of-all-your-
inhibitions-and-yell-out-however-you-want- even-if-it-comes-out-as-something-no-one-can-
understand-just-because-it-makes-you-feel-
good' lyrics make you wish you were in his place. Everyone just sounds like they're having fun.





Minus the Bear
This mostly applies to Menos El Oso. The whole album makes you feel as if you're sitting "on a Beach in the Mediterranean". It's hard not to throw the word "Romanticism" around when considering their lyrics. You can feel exactly what Jake Snider was feeling as he wrote the songs when you hear such lyrics as he says "Is it possible to put this night to tune and move it to you" or "I hope the weather holds / But you don't need the sun to make you shine. / These island towns don't care for city folk / but I think we can starve the city from our minds."

I couldn't hold it in. I felt I needed to share my good mood bands to spread joy.

Will you?

It's easy to say you would if you could when you can't, but then when it turns out you can, will you say that you will and can, and will you?

Late Night Findings - Liam Finn

I've been obsessing over Liam Finn's song "Second Chance" since I heard it two weeks ago, and I want to share it with you guys in my new segment. It is a late night finding because I found an amazing live version of the song on David Letterman where Liam concedes the mic to friend EJ Barnes to play drums.

At first listen, Finn may sound like your usual acoustic singer. But the New Zealander has some amazing pipes, as is evident by the end of the studio version of the song. Much of this may be attributed to his musical royalty genes, as his family is one of the most prominant musical families in New Zealand. His father Neil and uncle Tim were both standout musicians in the 70's and 80's and still sell out shows. Neil can count Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway of Radiohead, Johnny Marr of the Smiths, and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam among friends and musical collaborators. Oh, and Neil appeared on a little show called "Flight of the Conchords". Liam has also earned the seal of approval from Vedder, touring with him this spring. Liam was thrust into the musical spotlight of New Zealand with the grundgy band Betchadupa in 2000, at the age of only 17.

Liam plays every instrument himself live, with a few minor exceptions when EJ is accompanying him. He does it with the help of a looping system. This causes his songs to have a slightly predictable build sometimes because he is constantly adding parts, but what do you want? He's a one-man band for God's sake. And he's a great musician at everything he does. Here's a better example of his looping. The Letterman video is great purely because the song is amazing.

Liam Finn's "Second Chance" on Letterman on YouTube

The Case Against St. Patrick's Day

I am part Irish. My grandmother's maiden name was Haggerty. Thus, St. Patrick's Day has some relevance to my life. However, I am actually in opposition to the fight to make St. Patrick's Day a national holiday.

I have been getting Facebook invites to a group that insists on making St. Patrick's day a national holiday. There is a petition that states that if it gets 1,000,000 signatures, St. Patrick's Day will become a national holiday. News stations have also begun to report on the fight for making St. Patrick's Day a national holiday.

St. Patrick's Day is in fact an exclusive holiday, only truly pertaining to the Irish, particularly Catholics, although St. Patrick was made a saint when the Catholic church was the only church around. St. Patrick's Day should not be a national holiday because it has nothing to do with the United States of America. All national holidays are in celebration of American history, not British, Irish, German, Candadian, or Djiboutian. Additionally, this is in no way a major religious holiday, therefore there is no reason to get out of work or school, the true reason people want to make St. Patrick's Day a national holiday.

To make St. Patrick's Day a national holiday would be going against the diversity of America. Every federal holiday has to do with American history with the exceptions of New Year's Day and Christmas. Christmas is the only Christian holiday that is regarded as a federal holiday, and that is due to the tradition of this country based on its founding upon the Christian religion. Its national status has been reduced in years past due to such inventions as the "holiday tree" and the fact that celebrators of other religions must be given off of work and school for their respective religious holidays.

Lastly, I would like to educate you on the color green in regards to St. Patrick's Day. Green represents Catholic Ireland, as it is a Catholic holiday. I actually wear orange every St. Patrick's day because my family is Protestant Irish.

I'm not trying to scream "USA! USA!" while drinking beer with my shirt off perched on top of a camper in the infield of a NASCAR race right now. I am merely stating that if we were to celebrate an Irish national holiday as one of our own, how would the other ethnicities and religions of the U.S. feel? I know you are all looking for a way to get paid or get out of school while getting plastered, but if it's that important to you, can't you take a sick day or something? Just a thought.

Here's the song of the day. I'm going to go to some all-American boys. The Kings of Leon are all either brothers or cousins, with the same grandpa whose name happened to be Leon. Their sound is similar to the Strokes sometimes, but it has a mostly has a more prominant bassline and even less decipherable lyrics. Caleb Hollowill has a delightfully raspy voice, which he has amazing control over. Rolling Stone named them the 16th best live band still existing in July of '07, and from what I've through live videos on YouTube seen they live up to that ranking. Caleb does every high pitched scream and voice inflection just as it sounds on the record, and every guitar solo is tight.

"Charmer" by Kings of Leon at YouTube

Update on 2/10/08 Only in Madison...

Allison found me this photo of the Jebus Loves Sluts girl. Just remember that there is a windchill of negative 30 degrees. Here's a link to the original article.

Gah!

...It's all gonna be alright... shh... it's gonna be okay... NO IT'S NOT!

It's so weird that I've mentioned Brett Favre in a couple posts in the last week, about how his streak was going to end someday, and the next time Wisconsin makes it into the news will be when Brett retires. Yet I was totally unprepared for it. Or perhaps in denial. At the end of the season this year, I said to myself that in the last three years, this is the year that would make the least sense for Brett to retire. But that scared me, because he's always done the opposite of what people expected him to do. Sure enough, he goes and does it.

The media coverage just depressed me. It felt like Brett had died because there was no press conference, no interview, no nothing. I didn't want to post on it because I didn't know how to. Every blogger in Wisconsin will be attempting and failing to express their feelings on the issue adequately. It comes across as stereotypical Brett-Favre-determines-the-lives-and moods-of-Wisconsinites. People (including myself) have been reacting with hysterical away messages and Facebook statuses and everything. But to an extent, it is true. It's the end of an era, the only one I've ever known.

Let's look outside of the box here. Brett's been the starting quarterback since I was three. Who else in Wisconsin sports has been here since 1991, other than Bob Uecker (who is the man, too. Nick has often said that the only fitting way for Bob Uecker to die will be to get hit by a baseball in the announcing booth, and I wholeheartedly agree. Hopefully that doesn't happen for another 20 years or so). No Brewers. No Bucks. No other Packers. No one from the 1996 Super Bowl team was left. Brett's retirement is sad purely because of his greatness, but also because he's the last staple that has been around since I can remember. Sports are constantly changing, especially in a day of $30 million a year contracts. But Brett Favre was always there, goofing around and smiling. I've not only mourned for the Packers, but realized that my childhood is nearly over.

I don't think Brett's coming back. I don't think this is a publicity stunt. I think he's telling the truth when he says he's tired. I also think he feels the pressure of living up to this season, and a little responsibility for the NFC Championship loss. Who knows what will happen next year, or in the entire future of the Packers' organization for that matter. But it's obvious that no one could ever replace Brett Favre. That's not to say there won't be anyone better, but there's no other figure that I will ever associate with my childhood like I do Brett Favre.

In his honor, I'm making the song of the day "Last Goodbye" by Jeff Buckley. I've listened to Jeff Buckley for a year or two now, but I just recently got reacquainted with his music again since I've become what is known as "broke" and am unable to buy new music. Jeff Buckley was one of the most influencial musicians on today's music scene, including the likes of Radiohead, who have influenced a few bands here and there themselves. Before drowning in a tributary of the Mississippi River in 1997, Buckley made one of the greatest albums ever in Grace in 1994. The album features the famous cover of "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. It's much different from the original, yet the version that multiple artists have covered, including Rufus Wainwright for Shrek and approximately 50 other artists. It is the epitome of beauty. But the album has many powerful songs too, like the title track and my personal favorite, "Eternal Life". Buckley's diverse influences developed his intensely falsetto dominated voice and unique guitar work. This is an understatement, as getting into the details of his influences would take pages.

"Last Goodbye" - Jeff Buckley at YouTube.

Every Great Streak Must End.

Even Cal Ripkin missed a game eventually. Brett Favre will eventually miss one too, either through retirement or injury. Well, today, a great streak ended for me. Before you get excited, it's not that I drank or anything.

I've been taunting the ice here ever since October. I do not own boots, so I walk around in my usual nike skater/tennis shoe breeds, constantly slipping, but never falling. My quick hand-eye coordination saved me probably 500 times in the 4-month winter we've had thus far. Every time I cheated wet pants, I laughed at the ice and dared it to try it again. I was a naive young man, nowhere near experienced as I am now.

Today, the ice fought back in full force. It gathered up all the times I taunted it, and thrust them back me in a cluster of karma. It was 47 degrees tonight and rainy. This meant that you had to choose between walking on ice or walking in 6 inches of water in some areas. Naturally, I picked ice. I had some close calls and addressed them with my usual arrogance. But a mere block from my apartment disaster struck and I wound up with a drenched side. Dejected and dethroned as the king of balance, I carefully stepped with a new-found respect for frozen water.

Don't cry for me, I learned a valuable lesson.

I will make the song of the day "The Ice of Boston" by the Dismemberment Plan. They were a very influential band on the indie music scene, buddies with Death Cab for Cutie, and a favorite of Pitchfork Media (not that that means anything to me). Hailing from Washington, D.C., they released four albums before disbanding in 2003. They, like the Toadies, often have reunions in their hometown, usually for benefits. The Dismemberment Plan, at least for their first three albums, were a unique blend of spoken word, screaming, and singing, employing dischords and funky basslines similarly to Primus.

The Ice of Boston by the Dismemberment Plan on YouTube.

To be honest...

Semi-pro doesn't look like a very good movie. Sorry, Will Ferrell.