Tuesday, November 29, 2011

There is nothing like working in retail to kill the Christmas spirit

As I've mentioned before, I work in retail. This time of year is probably my least favorite for several reasons, but don't worry, I won't bore you with all of them, just one. Pop Christmas music is horrible. Listening to it for 8 hours straight makes me want to stab my ear drums with a dull pencil. First of all, there are only about 20 songs out there and everyone from Neil Diamond to Steven Tyler have covered them. Secondly, they all sound alike. It drives me crazy. There is one piece of Christmas music that I absolutely love and it is Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. It is absolutely beautiful and I listen to it constantly during the Christmas season. If it were on repeat at work, I would be much happier. Today's musical selection is The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Children's music

I've mentioned before about my nephew loving Yo Gabba Gabba. Over Thanksgiving break I spent some time in the car with my sister and nephew and got to hear some of the music he loves. Most of it is from Yo Gabba Gabba, and I have to say, I enjoyed it. Kid's music is improving in that it can appeal to both children and their parents. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that the creators of Yo Gabba Gabba are involved in the music industry. Here is a song that I particularly enjoyed.

Monday, November 21, 2011

My mother's birthday was this weekend, so my dad put together a surprise party for her. My sister flew in on Friday with my nephew and I got to pick them up at the airport. I love getting to spend time with my nephew but sadly he lives far away so I only get to see him a few times a year. Every time I see him I am amazed by how much he has grown up. He loves the show Yo Gabba Gabba which was created by Christian Jacobs, also known as MC Bat Commander of the Aquabats. This means he is being exposed to lots of good children's music that is also adult friendly, as well as some great musicians. The kid loves to dance and is a bit of a music addict. My sister played this song for me while we were driving back from the airport, and it made me love the Talking Heads even more than I already do.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Misfits

There is a great show on Hulu called Misfits. It is about a group of British juvenile delinquents who are struck by lightning and gain powers. Now before you start comparing it to Heroes, the two shows have hardly anything in common. First of all, the second season of Misfits is just as good as the first. I've been watching it with a friend of mine and I am hooked. Today's song is the opening theme to Misfits. Hope you enjoy.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The penguins in the suits, they know nothing but greed

A friend of mine posted this link to a story in the Huffington Post today about an incident at Berkeley involving student and faculty protesters being assaulted by police officers. One person assaulted was former Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Hass. This story is one of many involving Occupy protesters who are subjected to unnecessary force by authority figures simply for protesting what are unfair conditions. The Berkeley students and faculty members were protesting the rapidly rising tuition and pay cuts and lay offs while administrators continue to draw large bonuses. Rather than reply to these demands, university officials sent riot police to clear out the protesters. This story made me sick to my stomach. The current state of American affairs is deplorable. Banks have defaulted on loans due to irresponsible lending practices and have to depend on government bailouts, while if a person defaults on a loan owed to that bank, they are subjected to fines and penalties. Corporations cut jobs of people who are the support of the company, the people who actually produce, in order to justify giving large bonuses to executives. CEO's making bad decisions that cause a company to go under receiving large severance packages anyway. This whole situation is what Flogging Molly discuss in their most recent album Speed Of Darkness. The album was written while Dave King was living in Detroit during the fold of the American Auto Industry. It deals with the plight of the working man trying desperately to scrape by with what little they managed to get from the companies they worked for while CEO's live a life of comfort. Today's song is The Power's Out.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

At a concert recently, one of the bands said something that stuck with me. He said that people listen to punk music because they are not happy with the way their life is and want some sort of outlet from it, whether they just got out of a horrible relationship or they work a dead end job that they hate. Now I don't necessarily agree with his statement, but I have noticed that the more unhappy I am, the harder the music is that I listen to. This isn't meant to be a post complaining about my life, but to give you perspective on my taste in music. I have two degrees, one in Physics and the other in Materials Science and Engineering. I am very smart, but with the way the economy is, finding a job is very difficult. I currently work at a home improvement store where I have worked for the past three and a half years, and I feel like I am constantly wasting my potential answering the same questions over and over that people could find the answers to on their own after five minutes on Google. Not to say I'm not grateful for having a job that pays fairly well for what I do and gives good benefits, but I wish I were doing something more with my life. I feel like I am at a standstill. Because of this, I have been listening to heavier and harder music when in a bad mood, which is happening more frequently. Here is an example of the music I listen to at work after we close and all of the customers are gone.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Here's a quick post before I go to work. I've mentioned before that I like Flogging Molly. This is an understatement. I've seen them live three times and have all of their albums. I highly recommend going to one of their live shows, it is a truly amazing experience. They come through town every February at the beginning of their Green 17 Tour, and I've seen them on the very first night of their show. Energy doesn't even begin to describe it. Here is my favorite Flogging Molly song, Us Of Lesser Gods.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Some of you might recognize today's song as the theme song to House. I remember when I watched the show for the first time, I was so excited that they used this particular song. And the music selections on the show never fail to make me happy. I've even heard Soul Coughing used. Today's song is also on my bad mood playlist. I have a playlist put together to help pull me out of bad moods which includes Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles, Elephant Gun by Beirut and many others. Here is Tear Drop by Massive Attack

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Somehow yesterday I ended up watching LMFAO videos on youtube. This one in particular made an impression on me. These guys obviously do not take themselves seriously, but in this video they turn the tables on a very obvious music video theme for party rock music which is objectified scantily clad women. In Sexy and I Know It, they objectify themselves and other guys. It made me laugh, so here you go.

Monday, November 7, 2011

So I meant to post this song on Halloween, but it completely slipped my mind until today. This piece of music is the fifth movement of Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz. In this symphony, the main character falls in love with a beautiful woman, only to have his love rejected. In a state of depression, he poisons himself with opium, but does not use enough to kill himself. The drug causes a hallucination in which he kills his love and is caught and sentenced to death. The fifth movement takes place after his execution and he sees his funeral as a witches Sabbath.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Anyone who has played Borderlands has heard this song. Chances are, even if you haven't played it, you have heard this song.

Friday, November 4, 2011

As I've said before, certain songs/albums/artists remind me of people. This is a prime example. One of my friends in high school introduced me to this band, and he an I would listen to them pretty much any time we were in the same car or just hanging out. Every time I hear this song, I remember being in high school and riding to football games (we were both in band) or just hanging out at someones house.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

I saw Wild Flag do a cover of this song last week at their show. Carrie introduced it by saying "This guy did a really messed song about this town (Dallas), but I'm not going to sing that one." At the time, the song was familiar but I couldn't place it until we were driving home. I think I scared my friends when I realized it was a Misfits song, and the song Carrie was referring to was Bullet. Anyway, here is She by Misfits.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

I keep hearing this song at work, and since it is one of the few good ones that actually plays there, I thought I'd share.