Wednesday, February 29, 2012

I'm sure everyone has heard by now, Davy Jones died today. I grew up watching reruns of The Monkees mostly because my mom was a huge fan, but also because the music was good. They are probably the reason I have such a soft spot for pop punk love songs. Both styles are very simple and almost innocent. While it might have been bubblegum pop, it is still leaps and bounds beyond what is considered pop today. Justin Bieber could take a few lessons from these guys. One of the things I respect about The Monkees is that even though they started out as a creation for a show, they fought for musical supervision of everything put out under the bands name rather than just blindly doing what others told them to do. One of my favorite songs by The Monkees is Daydream Believer.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

As I have mentioned a few times already, I get to see Flogging Molly in March for the fourth time and I am super excited. One thing I try to do before a concert is check out the opening acts. I've already posted about one of the openers, Devil Makes Three, and here is one of the other bands that will be opening, but sadly not for the show I am going to. Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears are a great funk/blues band out of Austin, TX and are heavily influenced by James Brown. This song in particular cracked me up the first time I listened to it.

Monday, February 27, 2012

So some of you might be visiting my blog after reading my post on Forever Young Adult. Welcome! I recently read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and absolutely loved it. After reading the first couple of pages, I began to think how awesome it would be if when you opened the book, or booted it up on you e-reader for the first time this song started playing. Today's song is by Anamanaguchi, an amazing chip tunes band out of NYC. I saw them a couple of years ago and it was a blast. Hope you enjoy.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Tomorrow is my friend's birthday and we are going to have an awesome party tonight. So in honor of this special day, here is an awesome birthday song.

Friday, February 24, 2012

On the drive to and from my parent's house I had a chance to listen all the way through Fun.'s new album Some Nights in one sitting. It is good, not great, I definitely prefer Aim & Ignite. Still it is a good album. One thing I noticed was in the song All Alone
It sounds like a combination of beats from a Lilly Allen song and Jude's Everything I Own
But then again I could be wrong and I just hear what I want to hear.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

I'm visiting my parents for a couple of days of rest after a brutal two weeks at work. I love being here because it is quiet and I don't have to worry about much. All in all it is very relaxing. So to celebrate my relaxation here is a mellow relaxing song for you.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

flashback

I went out with some friends after work for a couple of drinks and while at the bar, a song came on that I hadn't listened to in several years. In college (my first time) I went through an emo phase. Not so much in the dressing in black and crying about every little thing, but I did listen to a lot of the music. This song brought that time back in full force.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

I was talking with a friend of mine about guilty pleasure bands and I got to thinking about some of mine. One in particular is the Spin Doctors. Of course I have only listened to Pocket Full of Kryptonite, so I can't really say anything about their other works, but I really do love the album. Jimmy Olsen's blues was probably the first song I heard by the Spin Doctors and I immediately loved it. Granted I have been made fun of pretty much constantly for liking this band, but I guess that is why it is called a guilty pleasure.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Interesting night

Tonight was interesting. A friend turned 21 today so several of us went out to celebrate in the traditional way, with a bar crawl. There are some bars in town that I really like, and then there are some I don't. My least favorite bar happens to be at the end of most people's crawl and usually people go in, get their shot, and leave as soon as possible. This place attempts to be a club (which I'm not a huge fan of anyway) and is full of obnoxiously drunk people dancing to loud, bad music and crowding around the bar. Of course tonight, my friend wanted to stay there for the rest of the night and since I was her designated driver, I stuck around too. The entire time I had Terminal Preppie by Dead Kennedys stuck in my head. I really wish I could have blared it on their PA system, but I doubt anyone would have realized what the song was about.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Since today is Valentine's Day, I feel I should post a song that shows how I feel about the holiday. Honestly though, I don't care one way or the other about it. I guess the main reason is that I am the type of person who isn't miserable when I am not in a relationship. I am content when I am single and I am happy when I am dating someone, but I don't let my relationship status determine my outlook on life. I also believe that if you love someone, you should tell them every day and not just wait for that one "special" day of the year. Every time I talk to my parents or sister, I tell them I love them. So here is a song that has nothing to do with Valentine's Day, not out of protest but from lack of any real interest.
I've mentioned before that I make playlists that match whatever mood I am in. I have several that range from 45 minutes to several hours. One in particular, I believe it was the first one I put much effort into, is my Bad Mood playlist. Now this doesn't mean I am feeling cranky or angry, just down and a little detached from everything. The music I put on it is very calm and relaxing, and helps me center myself. And I don't always listen to it when I am in a bad mood, it works equally well as something to listen to when I read or as background music when I am with friends. One song in particular off of this list that I love is Elephant Gun by Beirut. I love Zach's sleepy voice and the horn arrangements throughout the song.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Today's song is by the first British punk band to release an album. Here is Neat Neat Neat by the Damned.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Yesterday I pre ordered Fun's new album and in the checkout process I clicked on the box that allowed me to be entered in any contests that the band or label might have. Today when I checked my email, I was informed that I had won a one of a kind personalized Fun basketball jersey and a 3 on 3 basketball game with the band when they come through for their show in March. Talk about a complete surprise. So in honor of that today's song is off of Fun's new album Some Nights.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Opening bands

Before going to a show, I usually try to familiarize myself with the opening acts. I've had pretty good luck getting to see some amazing opening bands like Frank Turner, Matt Nathanson, Slow Runner, and Andrew Jackson Jihad, but I have also seen some pretty awful opening acts. I am going to see one of my all time favorite bands, Flogging Molly, in March so I have started researching who the opening acts are going to be. I have to say I am impressed so far. One of the openers is The Devil Makes Three, a wonderful three piece bluegrass band. The two albums I have listened to are fantastic and I can't wait to see them live. Here is Ten Feet Tall off of the album The Devil Makes Three.

Friday, February 3, 2012

It has been raining on and off all day so I thought I'd share some weather relevant Pixies music.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Today's song is one of my favorites by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. It is about waking up to a bright sunny day after being dumped and being annoyed that the weather doesn't reflect  your mood. What I like so much about the song isn't entirely the subject matter, but the way it is presented. The way the music doesn't match the subject matter puts emphasis on the lyrics and the way the weather doesn't match the singers mood.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012