Posts Tagged ‘special songs’

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The Decade List – Part 5

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

And so it ends how it begins.  With reflection and a hint of regret.  I’ve saved some of my favourites for the finale here, hope you’ve enjoyed this feature!

The Decade List

Just to recount, here are the first 20 songs that bring us to where we are now…

1.  The Killers – All These Things That I’ve Done

2.  Bloc Party – This Modern Love

3.  Beck – Lost Cause

4.  Stars – Your Ex-Lover is Dead

5.  Arcade Fire – Rebellion (Lies

6.  Matthew Good – Weapon

7.  Metric – Monster Hospital

8.  M.I.A.  – Paper Planes

9.  The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army

10.  Ryan Adams – New York, New York

11.  Feist – 1234

12.  Broken Social Scene – Cause = Time

13.  Flobots – Handlebars

14.  Kanye West – Jesus Walks

15.  DJ Dangermouse – Encore

16.  Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out

17.  Justin Timberlake – Sexy Back

18.  Flo Rida featuring Kesha – Right Round

19.  Outkast – Hey Ya

20.  Rihanna featuring Jay-Z – Umbrella

And that brings us to…

(more…)

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The Decade List – Part 4

Monday, December 14th, 2009

After a few times focusing on such serious things as war and slefishness, it’s now time to look at some of the best additions this decade has had to help crowd the dancefloor.

The Decade List

But to recap, here are the first 15 songs:

1.  The Killers – All These Things That I’ve Done

2.  Bloc Party – This Modern Love

3.  Beck – Lost Cause

4.  Stars – Your Ex-Lover is Dead

5.  Arcade Fire – Rebellion (Lies

6.  Matthew Good – Weapon

7.  Metric – Monster Hospital

8.  M.I.A.  – Paper Planes

9.  The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army

10.  Ryan Adams – New York, New York

11.  Feist – 1234

12.  Broken Social Scene – Cause = Time

13.  Flobots – Handlebars

14.  Kanye West – Jesus Walks

15.  DJ Dangermouse – Encore

And now we have…

(more…)

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The Decade List – Part 3

Sunday, December 13th, 2009

More than any political or philosophical force, this decade saw the rise of one thing:  individualism.  This past decade doesn’t really have a name but it could easily be called the “Me Decade” and all of us could be called members of “Generation M-E”.  With the increase role that technology has on our lives, the entire world is at our fingertips.  We can now decide what we want, when we want it.  While I think that the consequences of this shift are still a long way away, the early years of the 21st century will surely be known as the beginning of the “Individual Revolution”.  Today I’ll look at the five songs that really make me think about me the individual.

 

The Decade List

Just to recap, here are the first 10 songs that made the list:

1.  The Killers – All These Things That I’ve Done

2.  Bloc Party – This Modern Love

3.  Beck – Lost Cause

4.  Stars – Your Ex-Lover is Dead

5.  The Arcade Fire – Rebellion (Lies)

6.  Matthew Good – Weapon

7.  Metric – Monster Hospital

8.  M.I.A. – Paper Planes

9.  White Stripes – Seven Nation Army

10.  Ryan Adams – New York, New York

The next five additions are…

(more…)

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The Decade List – Part 2

Monday, November 30th, 2009

The past decade has been filled with conflict, from Iraq to Afghanistan, to rising crime in the Western World.  Today I look back at the songs from the past 119 months that have had the most impact on me personally that all have to do with conflict.

The Decade List

Before we start, just a reminder from last time our playlist so far was:

1.  The Killers – All These Things That I’ve Done

2.  Bloc Party – This Modern Love

3.  Beck – Lost Cause

4.  Stars – Your Ex-Lover is Dead

5.  The Arcade Fire – Rebellion (Lies)

The next five additions are….

(more…)

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The Decade List – Part 1

Monday, November 16th, 2009

As the first decade of this millennium draws to a close, it is time to start looking back a bit.  One of the ways that I intend to do that is by creating my own personal playlist of the decade.  This includes 25 songs that have made an impact on me in the past 9 years and 11 months.  I do not think that I have the ability or desire to rank pieces of art objectively.  So my criteria are simple.  All songs on the list must have been released in a year that begins with 20.  Also, for the purposes of accessibility, they are all going to be singles.  With that specific definition left up to me.

I plan on releasing the list in groups of five over the next month and a bit.  I do not have any schedule, they will just appear when I see fit I suppose.

Interestingly enough, I found that most of these songs were released in between 2004 and 2007.  These two years are significant to me both musically, as they are the year that my favourite band, Arcade Fire, released their two albums, and also personally, as they are the two years that I received University Degrees.  I am not certain if there is a connection or not, but it does add a certain credence to the notion that we need music when we are seeking meaning to our lives.  Something that certainly comes with facing the unknown world outside of the comforts of Academia.

Enough dither, there is plenty of time for that as the list goes on.

The Decade List

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Lover’s Music – Part II

Friday, February 13th, 2009

Hello one and all, it is that time of the year for everyone’s favourite Hallmark fueled holiday! As I have done in the past two years, I will be making a romantic playlist, should any of you out there need any inspiration for anything romantical. If you are still getting ideas/suggestions for your special someone, slap all of these songs onto a CD and pray for the best.

Enjoy…

1. My Morning Jacket — “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Part 2″. Not the most traditional romantic song, especially with the bizare spacey introduction, but trust me this is a great song, that really can be quite sappy. Also, it has an exciting energy to kick things off well.

Most Romantic Line: “I can see it all…by the way you smile/I’m smiling too, I see myself in you”

2. Broken Social Scene – “Major Label Debut”. I continue with the excellent uniquely sappy songs from Drew et. al. There are a vast amount of options that are always open. I quite like this song, and think that it fits as a nice followup to the opener. There are two versions of this song (Fast and Original) I would stick with the Original, since you want to slow things down soon, but the Fast is not bad itself.

Most Romantic Line: “I could be here, I could move town/Forced to live like it’s a curfew/Translation, means I love you”

3. The Eels – “Fresh Feeling”. This really is one of the most romantic songs out there. It is really straightforward and explains things quite well. The lyrics are easy to hear and relate to, and bound to get a tear and an “awww” from even the most jaded listeners.

Most Romantic Line: “Words can’t be that strong/My heart is reeling/This is that fresh/That fresh feeling”

4. TV on the Radio — “Ambulance”. I know, I’ve talked about this song before, but I really think that it is the most romantic song ever made. Listen to it, play it for her, thank me later.

Most Romantic Line: “I will be your one more time/If you will be my one last chance/Fall fast, fall free, fall for me”

5. Mates of State — “Like u Crazy”. A rather cute addition to this list. The light hearted intro and chorus that repeats “I like you crazy” is very catchy and can make you float in the clouds.

Most Romantic Line: “I can’t wait to say, all the things you can’t see/All the things that make you better”

6. Feist — “Tout Doucement”. An adorable french Feist song. It has a certain charm, even if you don’t understand the language, it’s still really cute.

Most Romantic Line: “L’amour alors viendra”

7. She and Him — “I Was Made For You”. A great song off an incredibly cute album. For the record, this was made in 2008, and not 1958 like it may sound, it adds a certain nostalgia trip to it all. If you don’t like this song, just look at almost any other song from their album, and it’ll make your heart smile a little bit.

Most Romantic Line: “When I saw you smile/I saw a dream come true”

8. The Constantines and Feist — “Islands in the Stream”. BEAUTIFUL cover of the Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers classic. This doesn’t have the same campy appeal of the original, but it comes across as being slightly more real. I can just imagine people in love singing this to one another.

Most Romantic Line: “We start and end as one/In love forever”

9. Stars — “Umbrellas”. (Stream unavailable, my apologies) A great and cute some from the masters of the great and cute. Like the last few tracks, it has a certain nostalgic feel to it, and feels like a perfect song to dance a slow waltz to.

Most Romantic Line: “I counted all the lights/They don’t shine as bright/They don’t pierce the night/Like you do”

10. Dispatch — “Walk With You”. From the extended flute intro, to the powerful and easily identifiable romantic imagery makes this one a winner. Go for this one for sure!

Most Romantic Line: “I will walk with you/Using the stars as guides.”

11. Matthew Good — “Song for the Girl”. Looking back at my previous lists, I honestly can’t believe that this song did not make a previous list!!! It’s a great song by a great singer, describing how special his one girl is. It has just enough rock to it to get you out of the comfortable lull that the playlist has probably put you in by now.

Most Romantic Line: “Up again, down again, out of your heard/When she’s beside you, you’re really not so dead.”

12. New Radicals — “Flowers”. A fantasic track from one of the most underrated albums of the 90s. The love story about a guy chasing down a hippie who has been heartbroken before, may not entirely fit your situation, but it’s got some great things for just about everyone.

Most Romantic Line: “My love is real/As real as the flowers you smoke to high”

13. Joseph Arthur — “Honey and the Moon”. A great song made famous by the O.C. Like all Joseph Arthur songs it has a bit of sadness to it, but it is still sappy enough to make the cut, especially since it is not going at the end (where it’s sadness would be magnified).

Most Romantic Line: “Don’t know why I’m still afraid/If you weren’t real, I would make you up”

14. Ingrid Michaelson “The Way I Am”. This song makes me just plain happy. I am not going to lie, I have a MASSIVE crush on Ingrid Michaelson, and everything that she does makes me smile. This song is just too sweet for me to describe, so listen to it yourself.

Most Romantic Line: “Cuz I love you more than I could ever promise/And you take me the way I am”

15. Coldplay — “Strawberry Swing“. I know that the internet is rife with Coldplay haters these days, but they are still capable of putting out some great songs, and Viva La Vida or Death and All of His Friends was a fine example of that. This song just sounds nostalgic and is reminiscent of a powerful and young love. Even the biggest haters can’t deny something that powerful!

Most Romantic Line: “Now the sky could be blue/I don’t mind/Without you it’s just a waste of time”

16. Moxy Fruvous — “I Will Hold On”. And we finish this list of cute songs with one of the cutest. This is a great, slow, romantic song by a band who is better known for their faster comedic works. It is just a repeat of a bunch of things that a guy would be willing for his love, and boy are they sweet. Just know that if you put a song this nice on your playlist, you will need to deliver yourself. Tread carefully with this one!

Most Romantic Line: “I’ll hold the hope that we won’t part”

And that just about concludes the playlist here. Let me know if it helps!!!!

Until next time,

G

Archieved Posts:

Lover’s Music
Music to Swoon To

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Musical Thumbs Up and Down

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008

Welcome to the second installment of the regular(ish) feature, Musical Thumbs Up and Down. Where I give some pretty random thoughts on some pretty random songs.

Thumbs Up to “Lonelily” by Damien Rice!! Fans of Mr. Rice will know that this song has been out for several years now, but I have recently rediscovered it, and completely fallen for it this time. I absolutely love the story about not wanting to be alone that you’d sacrifice anything, even your integrity. That kind of loneliness is something that is so incredibly easy to identify with, making this song just perfect for dealing with those kinds of feelings.

Favourite Lyric: “In a way, I’ve lost all I’ve believed in, and I never found myself so alone. And let me down”

(Not an official video)

Thumbs Down to “Gotta Be Somebody” by Nickleback!!! If you are a fan of Canada’s most boring musical export, then I advise you to scroll down, because this will not be kind.

Still here? Good, that means that you have some sense. This song completely blows!!!! These guys are the absolute pure epitome of sell-outs. Their first album had some decent songs and a bit of a rock edge, but since then it’s been bad, really bad. “Just like a paperback novel” ranks among the most one dimensional and forced rock similes, which is a shame given the potential they showed with such songs as “Leader of Men”. But I guess record sales are all that matter, and Kruger and co. will still be able to sleep at night on their piles of money, even if nobody remembers their work for producing anything of substance a few years from now.

With this song, Nickleback have neared, or perhaps eclipsed a new low for generic boring lyrics with some passable at best music thrown in there.

Least Favourite Lyric: “Someone to love with my life in their hands. There has gotta be somebody for me Ohhhhhh.”

(Not an official video)

Thumbs Up for “Family Tree” by TV on the Radio!!!!! Another amazing song from a simply amazing band. Their new album Dear Science has got to be considered one of the best of 2008. In the spirit of “Ambulance” (which I have mentioned two different times on this very blog), they produce another amazingly romantic song. As they describe the often-described-indescribables of love in new and exciting ways, this time talking about getting together underneath a family tree. I mean coudl you have any more powerful of an image?

Favourite Lyric: “It’s echoing moonlight on to the blue nightmare of your heart. In cosy red rainbow, it’s shaking off halos,
and the memory of our sacred so and so’s”

(Not an official video)

(For the record I wanted to find “DLZ” off of this album, but had no luck. Should you have the chance to hear that song, be prepared to be amazed)

Thumbs Down for “Hot n’ Cold” by Katy Perry!!!! Uggh….I hate this woman, she tries to be subversive and edgy, but is really just as prepackaged as the Jonas Brothers. She seems like she’s writing the rest of the song around such cutting edge lyrics as “PMS” and “bipolar”, which completely makes them lose their power and seem insignificant.
On top of that, the cheesy 90s pop beats are not-yet-nostalgic, so they just seem bad.Italic Do yourself a favour and skip this one, although I doubt you will be able to…

Least Favourite Lyric: “You change your mind, like a girl changes clothes”

(The official music video!!! For “Hot” by Avril Lavigne….with this song dubbed over)

Thumbs Up for “Disturbia” by Rihanna!!! Man this girl is talented!!! When she first debuted, she seemed like she may be another flash in the pan songstress, but she has proven any of her detractors wrong by producing some legitimatly fantastic work. After suffering through all that is Brittney, Christina et al., it was easy to discount the genre of girl pop, however Rihanna proves time and time again that there can be substance to go along with the style.

I simply love this song, not only for it’s solid beats, but for the incredible story that Rihanna is able to tell. She sings a song about losing her mind, but as her paceing gets more erratic as the song progresses you get the legitimate feeling listening to it (not to mention watching the video) that she may actually be doing losing it.

Favourite Lyric: “It’s a thief in the night to come and grab you, it can creep up inside you”

(Actually an official video)

Thumbs Down for “Paper Planes (Remix)” by Lil’ Wayne!!! This really just doesn’t do it for me. Partially because of my ambivalence for ego-rap, but mostly because I adore the original version of this song and this one just doesn’t feel right. It includes the incredibly unique chorus, but all of Lil’ Wayne’s lyrical masturbation just takes away from any of M.I.A.’s original, and poignant lyrics. While I am not against remixes as a rule, I feel that they need to add something to the original, this one clearly robs the original of its intelligent.

Least Favourite Lyric: “Banana in ya ass, its what you hear right behind ya”

(Yet again, not the official video)


Thumbs Up for “Paper Planes” by M.I.A.!!!! After raving about it in the last song, it only seems natural that I talk about this one. The major difference here, is that this song is never really about the artist, it’s about her actions. It’s about her living a life of crime. Plus this song is just so original and poignant, something that the remix, by its very definition, lacks.

Favourite Lyric: “We pack and deliver like UPS trucks, already going to hell, just pumping that gas.”

(Sorry, yet another unofficial video…and the audio kind of sucks too)

Hope you enjoyed that as much as I did…

Until next time,

G

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Logging My Journey…

Sunday, August 24th, 2008

Well hello there everyone, it’s official, I’m back in business!!! Welcome one and all to the season premiere of Getting Glenergized, coming to you live and direct from the People’s Republic of China!

For my first post of the season, I decided to do a live log of my Trans-Pacific Flight, since well I was pretty darned bored. Here is the journey of my flight, taking place on August 20-21st….enjoy!!!

*********************************************

Current Time: 1:26PM EDT
Current Mood: Excited
Current Soundtrack: The Arcade Fire – Keep the Car Running

The captain has turned off the seat belt light, and I have moved my way back to a free row, where I now sit. I’m bunking in seat 40D for the next 14 hours or so of my life. The take off was smooth, but is now a little bit bumpy, I can’t help but feel that is some sort of an omen.

I have spent the last several days, if not months, preparing for this trip. I got my passport renewed, my visa sorted out, said all of my goodbyes, and now here I am way thirty thousand feet above the country I have called home for most of my life, and there is no turning back. Since I left my school back in June, I have been saying goodbye, and quite frankly, I am a little sick of it. While it has been nice to bid everyone farewell, and given me a great deal of closure, this time has been long overdo.

Every goodbye, from my friends to my students to my parents, carries with it a certain amount of emotion, and dare I say, a hint of regret. Did I say all that I need to? Did I do everything with this person that I wanted to? How much of my time did I waste that I could have spent with this person? In the end, it doesn’t matter, because what’s done is done, and nothing can be changed. There are all sorts of people that I will miss greatly over the next year or two (or more?) but such is life, especially the life of a nomad like me.

Anyway, I am going to be off to find some way to entertain myself for the next little while, I’ll be back to post whenever that bores me.

Current Time: 2:37PM EDT
Current Mood: Schemy
Current Soundtrack: Wolf Parade – Grounds For Divorce

After playing a bit of Civilization III, I decided to watch an episode of “Kenny vs. Spenny” on the enRoute TV, and it got me thinking. Why don’t I have horrifying challenges with friends of mine? I think that I am equal parts diabolical Kenny and neurotic Spenny. It would be pretty hilarious. Anyone out there in the blogosphere want to engage in some sort of maniacal and humiliating challenge? The possibilities have endless hilarious outcomes.

Alright time to go, off to scheme.

Current Time: 3:35PM EDT
Current Mood: Accomplished
Current Soundtrack: Tegan and Sara – Call it Off

I played a bit more Civizilation and I got a pretty easy (and dare I say) impressive Domination Victory as the Persians. I am pretty proud of myself for that one, so I think that I’m going to either erect a statue to my greatness, or maybe just start a new game soon enough.

Sadly, all of the windows are closed, and the on screen map is not working, so I really have no idea where the heck I am, but I would guess that I am probably leaving Ontario shortly (if I haven’t already) which actually means that I have crossed the first of the 11 time zones that I will pass today. For simplicities sake, I’ll keep writing in Eastern (Toronto) time, no point in trying to wrap my head around that one, although it could be kind of funny, especially when daylight savings are taken into account of it all. What a crazy world we live in.

I have the entire three rows to myself, and I have yet to try putting my feet up, as I have left my computer bag on the middle seat next to me, I guess I want to make it as comfortable as possible when I try to lie down and have a nap, which may just be soon.

I just took a second to peruse the movie choice, and I think that I am going to give 21 a try. Partly because I heard it’s awesome, partly because it’s about math geeks like me, and partly because Troy says one of the guys reminds him of me, I want to see how right he is.

Current Time: 5:51PM EDT
Current Mood: Enthusiastic
Current Soundtrack: Rebelution – Safe and Sound

21 kicks ass, make a point to watch it. Also of note, it has one of the greatest soundtracks for any movie I have seen in a while, from Peter Bjorn & John to LCD Soundsystem to the sweet Rolling Stones remix at the end, it was a tour de rock.

For the record, the main character is a touch Glenish, but not quite as much as Troy let me believe. Mostly because I don’t think that I could land a gal as gorgeous as he did. (Note to the Future: If a significant other of mine is reading this somewhere down the line, I was clearly wrong on that one)

Still not really sure where I am, but I think that I am somewhere over the Pacific Ocean right now, and lord only knows what time zone it is, it is probably best not to ask such questions for it will only make me feel small. A lot of people are sleeping on the plane right now, and I’m not really sure if I should try or not, I feel tired, but only because it is dark in here, and there isn’t much else to do. However, Shanghai is waking up now, so I feel a certain sense of energy and enthusiasm at this point. I think that I will celebrate by making a second case for world domination.

Current Time: 6:54PM EDT
Current Mood: Reflective
Current Soundtrack: Jeremy Fisher – Left Behind

“You’re always dreaming so far ahead, I feel a little left behind. We’ll never find each other my love in the same place, at the same time“

That’s a quote from the above mentioned song. It seems appropriate considering how far away I’m going and for how long.

Here’s hoping those lyrics ring true for someone special out there.

Current Time: 7:47PM
Current Mood: Confused
Current Soundtrack: Hawksley Workman – Jealous of Your Cigarette

I think that it’s dinner time, or maybe it’s breakfast. I’m not really certain. Either way, they are serving me food, so I guess it is time to eat.

Note to Future Travellers: Request a special meal on the plane, you’ll get served way before anyone else. Score another point for veganism, take that omnis.

I noticed that I have a chance to watch Batman Begins. While I have seen it before, I think that I will love it even more now that I have seen Dark Knight three times, in theatres. For the record, I would like to nominate that film for an Academy Award for Best Movie EVER MADE.
Maybe I’ll try and get some sleep soon, although Batman gets me really excited so it may be a bit of a challenge, ahh well, I shall do my best.

Current Time: 10:09PM EDT
Current Mood: Inspired
Current Soundtrack: Neil Young – Keep on Rocking in the Free World (Live Acoustic)

Three simple words: Batman Kicks Ass

I forgot how fantastic the first installment in the Nolan Reboot actually is. Granted it isn’t half the movie that Dark Knight, but I don’t think that much really is.

A few hours ago, I wanted to have humiliation contests with my friends, now I want to be come a ninja and fight crime. I guess I should start putting “Impressionable” as my mood from here on out. I chose this song to listen to because of that desire to help out, and also for cheeringly ironic reasons, considering my destination.

Watching Batman, and listening to Neil, I can’t help but wonder exactly what I can do to make the world a better, more just place. I chose to become a teacher to be a guiding light, and good influence on others, and I like to think that I have the power to accomplish that, but I wonder, is it enough? The world is a massive place, full of some very bad people, surely a good person such as myself can do something to help, can’t I? I guess I have to figure out some way to save the world. As I re-read that last sentence I can’t help but wonder, maybe that is the meaning of life and everyone’s grand purpose, saving the world from itself.

Or maybe my purpose now is to try and get some sleep, only five hours left to go.

Current Time: 12:00AM EDT
Current Mood: Restless
Current Soundtrack: Sigur Ros – Starlafur

I’ve been on this plane just short of 11 hours and have yet to get a wink of sleep…uggh.
I really have nobody to blame for this at all, the other passengers have been reasonably quiet and I have three seats all to myself. I guess I’m just anxious. Perhaps I should title this blog post “Confessions of a Travelling Insomniac”, or maybe not, that is kind of lame.

When I look at the time, it occurs to me that it is now August 21. However, I crossed the international date line awhile ago, so it has been the 21st for quite some time. Damn time zones, so hard to wrap your head around.

Well, hopefully this is the last post I make until I arrive at my pad in Suzhou. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Current Time: 1:57AM EDT
Current Mood: Exhausted
Current Soundtrack: The Killers – Read My Mind

I got about an hour and a half of sleep, and I think that will probably be it.

I was woken up a little while ago for breakfast, or lunch, or maybe it was a midnight snack, I really don’t know anymore. Ugh, tomorrow is going to be rough. Or rather, today is going to be rough. Either way, I’m pretty damn excited about it.

Descending time will start soon, the computer should get packed up soon. China, here I come!

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Current Day: August 24, 2008
Current Time: 4:05AM EDT
Current Mood: Serendipitous
Current Soundtrack: Children playing

I’m here now in Suzhou, as I have been since I finished the above post, and all is well. My apartment is fantastic, my colleagues are wonderful, and everything looks like it is going to work out just fine.

I will post back with new information soon as things start to settle down. If any of you out there are worried about me, please stop. All is well.

Until next time,

G

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Musical Thumbs Up and Down

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

Welcome one and all, to what I hope to be a regular(ish) feature here. As you’ve probably noticed, I’m a huge fan of music, and I always love an opportunity to talk/rant about it. Anyway, here I’m going to find some songs (not necessarily current) to give a thumbs up to, and some to give a thumbs down to. Simple enough, right?

Thumbs Up to The National – “Fake Empire”. I think that this may just be the best song made of 2007. From the slow intro to the amazing jam at the end, this song just brings it. While I absolutely love the trumpet and trombone duet at the end, the highlight for me definitely Berninger’s vocal work. He just sounds so very raw and emotional throughout the song.

This song is such a great description of the hollowness of modern life, living without direction. If you haven’t heard this song (and album) than you are really doing yourself a great disservice.

Thumbs Down to Katy Perry – “Ur So Gay”. Man, I loathe this song! First off, I hate that the word gay is used as an insult. I know that the song is intending to say that the guy acts gay despite his heterosexuality, however, with the climate of the word being used as synonymous with stupid, it really just further enforces that use of the word. So MASSIVE thumbs down for that.

On a more personal note, I hate this song because, well, it more or less describes me to perfection. Seriously. Readers of this blog will know that I am a vegan, I care about the environment, and I am an Indie Music Geek. Just like the guy in the song. Also, lord knows I have had many people assume that I was gay (probably for those above reasons) despite my heterosexuality.

I can just picture any of my ex-girlfriends blasting this song as they angrily think about me, and I HATE that!!!!

The third reason that I can’t stand this song, is because it’s so damned catchy! Despite my disagreement with some of the lyrical choices, there are some really clever lines in this song, and the beat just makes me want to sing along…thus making it even harder for me to truly hate! You win this round Perry….

Thumbs Up for Estelle featuring Kanye West -”American Boy”. Once more Kanye strikes gold! This song is such a great summer sing-a-long track. It’s so hard not to get caught up with it’s optimistic beats, Kanye’s well placed rhymes, and Estelle’s angelic voice. Really there is nothing not to love about this song, it’s a great club track, a great road trip song, and really just a great song all around.

I haven’t had the chance to check out much more of Estelle’s stuff, but I hope that it’s all just as awesome!

Thumbs Down for G-Unit – “I Like the Way She Do It”. Shouldn’t he have retired by now? That is what he said he would do if Kanye out sold him back in September, and well, Kanye won that round, but yet here we are with another Fity song.

While the beat is great to bump and grind to, the lyrics are exceptionally unimaginative. I don’t know if anyone has told any member of the G-Unit this yet, but it’s not 2001, and he’s not fresh anymore. Perhaps something new is in order.

Thumbs Up to Final Fantasy – “Peach, Plum, Pear”. I legitimately think that this is one of the greatest covers of all time, and considering my love of Johnny Cash, and Cake, that is a huge compliment.

Owen Pallett totally takes this great song by Joanna Newsom and makes it his own. Listen to the way he sings “The gathering floosies, are born to be choosy”, it sounds almost like he wrote it himself. Before I saw Final Fantasy, I never thought that I could see someone play the violin angrily, but once more I was proven wrong. In watching the video, I hope you notice just how masterfully Wilson loops his songs back, and plays with himself. Sure he does it in all of his songs, but it just came together even more so in this one.

Thumbs Down for Katy Perry – “I Kissed a Girl”. Strike two for Ms. Perry here! I personally can’t stand this song at all. While it is catchy, and will no doubt be the breakout hit of the summer, it is just plain wrong. She is trying to go for an edgy sexually-liberated vibe here, but I think that it totally fails.

First off, this is not a song about sexual-liberation at all. This is a song done by and for “Look-At-Me-Lesbians”. Gals who are sexually liberated not for their own sake, but for the sake of men. It’s simply disgusting and totally take the women’s lib movement back decades by subverting it. GAH!!!!!!

Secondly, by latching on to the popularized subversion of a subversion, it’s not edgy at all! You want an edgy gal singer, go for Lily Allen instead….

That being said, like her other entry here…it’s damn catchy, and hard not to sing a long to.

And that should about do it for this first entry. I’ll put more out later that won’t just feature Katy Perry…I swear :)

Until next time,

G

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Music to Give to a Stranger

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008

The other day, while perusing McNutt’s blog, I noticed his post about Operation Disc Drop, put forward by CBC show The Hour. Now I was obviously very intrigued by this project, as I love both sharing music and random acts of kindness, so obviously an opportunity to do both was a great idea. The instructions for the project are really simple, and can be found on The Hour’s Disc Drop Blog:

STEP 1: Make a mixed CD of your favourite tunes. Somewhere on the disc write: “DISC DROP – cbc.ca/thehour”
Be sure to include a track-listing so people can track down more music by the artists on your disc.
STEP 2: Drop off your disc in a random public place.
STEP 3: Go to the “I Dropped a Disc – What Now”, click on the comments, and write down where you dropped off your disc and the track-listing. Check back later to find out who picked it up, and where it’s heading next.


So I spent a few days thinking about what kind of a disc I would make, and where I would put it. After a bit, I decided to make a playlist to introduce people to some “Indie” bands, and give them a few songs that I felt had some deep meaning and could have those “Change your life” type moments. Here’s the catch though, I wanted to leave it at school and aim it at some High School Students, so I had to be especially careful in my selection.

Here’s what I ended up coming up with, complete with YouTube links to the songs in question:

1. Feist — “1,2,3,4″. I started out with this song as a bit of a Trojan Horse. I figured that most teenagers would know it from the iPod commercials (something that I have mentioned on here before) , and probably love it since they would associate it with their most prized possessions. I wanted the people to find this CD to want to listen to, and I figure starting it out with a familiar, and trendy song would make them want to give this a listen.

2. Guillemots — “Trains to Brazil”. Now here’s were we start the education. I wanted to follow up the song that most of them would know with a song that most of the would not know. Also, the trumped themed joy of the first song led well into the trumpet themed optimism of this song.

3. The National — “Fake Empire”. I decided to make this CD follow a very typical structure. Start out with a bang, up it, and then bring it down. Here we are bringing it down a bit. I decided to go with one of the best songs, off of one of the best albums of 2007, and I kept with the trumpet theme, by going with this one.

4. Apostle of Hustle — “My Sword Hand’s Anger” (Sorry this was the best video of this song that I could find). And we take things down a bit more. I have talked about Apostle of Hustle before on here, and I must say, that they have been one of my favourite musical discoveries of 2007. I mean, I had heard them before but I hadn’t really LISTENED to them before, and seeing them live was one of my musical highlights of the year. I really like this song, and I feel it went along with the slow descent that is going on in the theme of this disc.

5. Matt Weddle — “Hey Ya”. Here’s where the fun starts. This is the first of three covers that I used on this CD. Now more than any other, teenagers are very protective of their musical tastes, and often say things like “[Insert particular genre] rulez, everything else is teh suck”…or something like that…as such, I decided to take a few songs that they may find familiar, but were reinvented a bit to expand their horizons a bit, and maybe introduce them to a different type of genre. Here is the first one as Matt Weddle, takes one of the best songs of the 00’s, “Hey Ya” by Outkast and changes it from a dancy-pop-love-fest to a sad-acoustic bit of brilliance. Plus it really fits with the slow descent that I’m going for here in the middle of the playlist.

6. Broken Social Scene — “Marketfresh” (Sorry, I coudn’t find a video to this one…). I knew that I needed to include some Broken Social Scene on this one, but I had to remember that I was making this one for students, and there was an outside chance that my principal could find it, so I knew that I could have any swearing, or strong sexual references, thus eliminating “Time = Cause” and “Lover’s Spit”, the two songs that got me hooked on this band. So I decided to go with a brilliant bit from Beehives their forgotten album. Also, I figured that there was less of a chance that someone would have heard this one, making it more likely to be a discovery for more people.

7. The Shins — “Young Pilgrims”. This song is aimed clearly at the Garden State crowd. I totally agree that “New Slang” is a brilliant song, but there is SO much more to this band than that one track. Chutes Too Narrow is very overlooked, since it came out slightly before Garden State and it does not have “New Slang” on it, but it is probably their best work to date. As such, I took this great track from that great album to expose people to this band as a whole.

8. Joseph Arthur — “Echo Park” (You owe it to yourself to find a better recording of this song, it is brilliant). I went with another slow, melodic song here. I took this song, one that very few people would have heard as a gem for people looking to really expand their musical horizons. For people who weren’t, I sandwiched this track between two songs that would have some appeal to the average person, as a way to essentially, make them listen to it.

9. Tori Amos — “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. Here comes Cover #2, this time of one of the greatest songs of the 90s, as Tory Amos rethinks the Nirvana classic, with just her voice and the piano. It is haunting and amazing. Like I was hoping that The Shins song would go for the artsy crowd, I’m hoping that this one speaks a bit to the grungy kids.

10. Dispatch — “Hey, Hey” (You’re going to have to jump to about 3:50 of this video to hear the song, before that it has “Free Falling” by Tom Petty…not a bad song either). Now here’s where I get a teachy and preachy. I didn’t want to go too over the top with strange music, so I think that this one stays in people’s comfort zone, plus it has some pretty solid life lessons in the chorus saying “Question yourself, are you really what you seem?”, which is a solid lesson for any teenager.

11. The John Butler Trio — “Nowhere Man”. I mentioned this song back when I did my travel playlist, when I said ” [The song] is a great way to sum up those long bus/train trips when you feel like you aren’t anywhere.” And really that’s the main reason I put it here, I just think that it’s nice and hopefully awaken the wanderlust in some of these kids.

12. Hawksley Workman — “Don’t Be Crushed”. This song really is gorgeous, and touching. I thought it may be a good one in case one of the students was going through some sort of teen angst thinking that their life is over and maybe this one will help. Also, I wanted to include a song by Hawksley, but I ran into the same problem that I had with Broken Social Scene, too much swearing and raw sexuality…

13. Eva Cassidy — “Time After Time”. Here is cover #3, and the slowest portion of the CD. While I know that most of the teenagers out there don’t know much Cyndi Lauper, but I know that this song was used on the Smallville soundtrack, so it may appeal to some of them. Plus, it really is awesome.

14. Wilco — “What Light”. I knew that I needed to feature Wilco somewhere on this disc, and I originally had “Heavy Metal Drummer” as my song, but I decided that I needed to give people something a little bit more familiar, so I went with the best of the Wilco songs that has been used on Volkswagen commercials this year. Plus, it has the whole “Be Yourself” message that seems to be so popular with the kids these days.

15. Death Cab For Cutie — “Soul Meets Body”. Death Cab is one of the popular “Indie/Alternative” bands out there, so I figured it would be nice to have a song that would appeal to any kids who may have heard of them. With this song (and the last two) I was trying to give some kids a reason to pop this into their CD player, and keep it playing. Plus this really is a great, soft, song, whose poppy beats help bring the tone of the playlist up as we near the end.

16. Peter, Bjorn & John — “Young Folks”. Speaking of poppy beats, we have PB&J, one of the greatest Indie Pop bands you can find. The opening whistle of this song is a great hook, and hopefully will keep the recipient of this disc interested. This song really speaks about a teenage romance saying “We don’t care about the young folks, talkin’ about their young style. We don’t care about the old folks, talkin’ about their old style too.”, and has some rebellious teenage undertones.

17. The Arcade Fire — “Rebellion (Lies)”. Speaking of teenage rebellion, we have one of the greatest songs ever made on the subject! This is probably my favourite song ever made, and it really speaks to my cynical, slightly rebellious side. A side that I know is loud and clear in teenagers.

18. Sufjan Stevens — “Chicago”. Sufjan needed to present, it’s really that simple. This is one of his most accessible and catchy songs, and it has that added bonus of being a song that people will say “I know this song from somewhere” (i.e. The Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack)

19. Stars — “On Peak Hill”. I devoted an entire post to my pure love of this song, and I have to say, that not much has changed since then. I simply adore this song, and this band. I had a ton of their work to choose from, but I went with this little ditty from one of their earlier albums, since it is less known, and because it helps cool things down near the end.

20. The Weakerthans — “My Favourite Chords”. I couldn’t think of a better way to end this CD with this simple, eloquent, lullaby. It’s just like a warm musical hug.

So that’s my list. I decided to make 5 copies of this CD and put them in five pretty random places around campus (I left one in the staff room, one in the art classroom, one in the main reception area, one in a popular student hang out, and one in a random hallway). I know that the one in the staff room got picked up, and I’m hoping that the other ones will get nagged soon, and that other people keep this great idea alive. I know that I want to get one…

Until next time,

G

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