"Julia"The Beatles
The Beatles (White Album)
A hauntingly beautiful song.
The opening line that Lennon uses ("Half of what I say is meaningless / But I say it just to reach you") isn't nearly as good as the original line of Khalil Gibran's poem "Sand and Foam" that he was inspired by ("Half of what I say is meaningless, but I say it so the other half may reach you."), but that's just a minor complaint.
"Never Meant"
American Football
American Football
When it comes to those one-man singer/songwriter wonderkids, Mike Kinsella lags far far behind the rest of the pack (Dylan, Oberst, Ryan Adams, etc., etc). But what I will give him credit for is his obvious appreciation for fine literature. In his body of work, he's referenced the work of Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, J.D. Salinger, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Anyone who name-drops characters from One Hundred Years of Solitude in his song titles is cool by me.
"One More Night"Stars
Set Yourself On Fire
"The best indie rock on the planet right now comes from Canada."
Find a way to inconspicuously sneak this quote into a conversation at any party/show/dinner/Whole Foods/Obama rally and you're guaranteed to sound like the smartest person in the room. And that because a) everyone will undoubtedly agree with you, and b) it's true.
This isn't my favorite song though, just because I prefer it when Amy takes lead vocals.
"Change Clothes"Danger Mouse
The Grey Album
Opening the track with a sample of "Piggies" was perfect. And the bassline from "Dear Prudence" is there too, you just have to pay extra attention at the very end.
I don't even like the original version of this song that much, but this really puts me in the mood for more Hov now.
"Say It Ain't So"Weezer
Weezer (Blue Album)
"Flip on the tele' / Wrestle with Jimmy"
Haha.
And my favorite thing about the video is the four of them standing around playing hacky sack.
Oh, and I don't know if they've definitively settled on this one yet, but here's the amazing photo of what will most likely be the cover for their upcoming Red Album:
"Grace Kelly with Wings"Piebald
If It Weren't for Venetian Blinds, It'd Be Curtains For Us All
It's album titles like these (along with dozens other album and song titles) that I love this band so much: they're able to be tongue-in-cheek funny without being eye-rolling obnoxious.
And this song really picks up around the 1:00 mark.
"Shampoo Suicide"Broken Social Scene
You Forgot It In People
Again, "the best indie rock on the planet comes from Canada" would be entirely appropriate here. Say it and you'll be universally applauded.
If you've got four uninterrupted minutes to listen to listen to all-enveloping, wide-spread jamming, this would be a decent choice.
"Shake That"Spank Rock
Spank Rock and Benny Blanco Are...Bangers & Cash
The thing I like most about Spank Rock is that his lyrics are so outrageous, so overtly sexist and blatantly over-the-top that you can't get offended by any of it -- it's all in the name of fun.
And I'm not joking, I want to incorporate gold rope into my wardrobe:
"LAX"Big D and the Kids Table
How It Goes
There are a lot of things I like about ska -- the checkerboard vans slip-ons, the suspenders, the skanking. But my absolute favorite thing is the horn section. And this song has great horns in abundance.
"Don't Hate Me"The Get Up Kids
Four Minute Mile
Simply put, my favorite Get Up Kids song off of my favorite Get Up Kids album.
"Come Close"Common
Electric Circus
This album ranks decisively behind (and by a wide margin) Resurrection, One Day It'll All Make Sense, and Be, but I can appreciate how he stuck his neck out and really experimented with this album. It's different, it's spaced-out, and it doesn't always work, but at least he pushed himself by reaching for something new. I can respect that. And when in doubt, regardless of the outcome, it's always better to add MORE funk to your album than less funk. Haha.
And I like the guest vocals by Mary J. Blige on this track.
"What Goes On"The Beatles
Rubber Soul
It's a Ringo song, which is usually fun. And even if can't enjoy his vocals (which are always endearingly flat and nasally), just take out your left headphone and listen exclusively to the right one; Ringo's vocals will drop out and you'll only hear John's pitch-perfect harmony.
"The Razor"Head Automatica
Decadence
What I can totally appreciate about Daryl Palumbo is the seamless transition he made from the post-hardcore Glassjaw to dance/electronica side project in Head Automatica (and by the same token, Gabe Saporta made the same transition from pop-punk Midtown to dance/electronica Cobra Starship). He wanted to do something fun, so he went ahead and did something fun. None of this stuff is meant to be taken too seriously; it's only supposed to be enjoyed. I can really buy into the care-free mindset. As a matter of fact, if I were to start up a little side project of my own, I would follow the EXACT same blueprint. I'd have a keytar, a couple of able guitarists, funky basslines, synthesizers, drum machines, and a single, unquestionable frontman. None of my song will be about ex-girlfriends. We won't try to solve the meaning of life. I'd purposely avoid making any of our material overly deep or profound; absolutely no metaphors or allegories that are too heavy. My band's only object would be having fun. We'll sing about dancing, making money, chasing girls, buying things, getting laid, dressing sharp, and being beautiful -- that's it, I wouldn't be interested in focusing on too much more beyond that. My band would be an endless party.
...now, with all of that being said, I like this song's chorus, but overall I rank it one of the lesser tracks on the entire album.
"Just The Way You Are"Billy Joel
The Stranger
It's in Billy Joel's nature to often be schmaltzy, but this is too schmaltzy. And the saxophone in this track is monumentally lame...and this coming from someone who fondly remembers his days playing alto sax in band class as a kid.
And I disagree with the underlying message of this song: it's okay to love someone just the way they are, but that it isn't to say you shouldn't also encourage them to continue to grow and learn and adapt and improve. This song seems to be a subtle endorsement of complacency.
(Disclaimer: the Beatles' "Hey Bulldog" came up here, but I already blogged about it in another entry, so I think it's fair to skip on to the next song)
"You're So Vain"Carly Simon
No Secrets
I wonder if Warren Beatty has this song on his iPod?
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