"I get by with a little help from my friends..."

Today's post is brought to you by the the letter J, as in Jake. Since I have been lame with my posting habits lately I an pleased to present a guest RopBop post!! I also want to send a big thank you to him for taking the time to do this. He's got a lot more going on than I do. Much appreciated, man! With that said let's check out his jams!

First off is a flashback from the vault. Being only a casual follower of music, I’ve generally depended on more knowledgeable friends for new tunes. This song by The National was part of RopBop’s inaugural post. (Check the archives on the right.) Only recently have I discovered the Kent District Library, and without getting too much into the benefits of taxpayer-funded public services, I’ll only say that the library is the best place in the world. In addition to all of the children's books and Star Wars graphic novels one could ever want to check out, it’s also allowed me to listen to all of the music I’ve always wanted to, but have been too cheap/broke to purchase--in this case, The National’s “Alligator”. Good stuff!

The National- Mr. November

If any of you out there have small children, you’ll know how rare it is to find kids’ music that parents can enjoy, too. Yeah, some of you may like Raffi, but I hope you keep that to yourselves. “If You Ever See An Owl..." however, is a staple of my ipod rotation. I discovered these guys while listening to Pandora a couple years ago by recognizing the singer’s voice from The Get Up Kids’ version of “Close To Me”--a cover song RopBop-worthy in it’s own right--which was made known to me courtesy of Brad.
The Terrible Twos - Old Man Miller (not from album)

Back when we were living on Paddock Ave., Brad and I also had a musical goldmine next door named Dice. There among the treasures unearthed was that of Dinosaur Jr. Screaming guitar solos rule, and the last three minutes of this song understatedly wail.
Dinosaur Jr - Pick Me Up

This is my cousins’ band (as in both singers, Max and Rory) and their inclusion here is more than just a nepotic plug. I really, really like this album. It’s got a double entendre title, a few subtle Wilco, Pearl Jam, and Ishmael references, and a strong social conscience that makes me re-evaluate my existence every time I listen to it. Keep it up, BDR, and check it out, readers.

Big Dudee Roo - Michigan


I hope you all enjoyed my post, and I hope Brad will invite me back, because I got more songs! Thanks, Brad! And Happy Easter, everyone.

Because guitar solos are awesome

As odd as it may sound The Smashing Pumpkins and T-shirts seem to be a reoccurring theme in my life. The first time I ever became aware of the band was in my eighth grade science class. There was a girl named Angie who was the skater type, a crowd I was way to nerdy to be a part of, and she wore a t-shirt with the cover of Siamese Dream on it. I thought the picture was neat and the band name made me laugh. This was all well before they burst out of obscurity with the smash hit Disarm (which I had totally forgot about until writing this). Once that song hit I instantly went out and bought the album and wore the hell out of it. The next time I learned about Smashing Pumpkins from a t-shirt I saw a few years later in my high school art class. By now I knew who the Pumpkins were and I knew I liked their music but I didn't have many of their albums other than Siamese Dream. This kid had a purple shirt Pumpkins shirt that had lyrics on the back that I found to be fascinating for some reason.

soon, soon I'll be leaving
i hear all you're saying
i hear all you're failing
serve yourself
no one else can do for you like you
no one else fails like me
in my eyes i burn alive
fly like a bird
no more words just you and i
high in the sky

At the time I didn't know it was a song, I just they were pretty words on the back of a band shirt. That was all changed when I bought Pisces Iscariot. Not only does this song have a massive guitar solo that almost feels like a battle, but it is my all time favorite Pumpkins song. I love how it's beautiful and soft and then it becomes this epic chaotic fireball at the end. This song is worth the price of the album alone.
Smashing Pumpkins - Starla

I used to live next to this guy named Dice who was the most eccentric yet awesome dude I know. In fact if he was into the internet at all I am sure he'd dig this blog and probably loan me more CD's than I could carry. Walking into his residence was like walking into the best record store ever. Wall to wall music, and a huge selection of books that would make any pop culture fan drool. I can remember (well sort of) many times sitting in his kitchen smoking good pot, listening to great and sometimes not so great music and just talking about music and the Simpsons and the Cubs. If you asked about a band he would randomly disappear and bring you a stack of 10 different CD's to look at and would insist that you borrow them. Needless to say I thought he was pretty cool for an old guy. One day I a friend and I asked him about Dinosaur Jr and he let us borrow the brand new album they had put out. I really only had heard Without A Sound which had the song Feel The Pain on it. Chances are you might not recognize the song but I bet if you heard it you would be like "Oh yeah...this song." Anyway the singer J. Mascis plays a mean guitar, as an awesome smoked out croon and knows how to play some real 90's sounding alternative rock.
Dinosaur Jr. - We're Not Alone

Winner of the most awesome name contest goes to this next band, Dragonforce. If you don't own Guitar Hero 3 you should go and get it now because there is a song by them on the game that is sooooo much fun to play! If you have no clue who Dragonforce is I can sum it up in one word. shredal. You can combine two words into one right? Does that still count? This band features the amazing powerhouse of Herman Li and Sam Totman who, in my humble opinion, are not only the best but also the fastest guitar players in the world. If you like semi cheesy metal with high vocals, fast insane guitar solos, and apocalyptic fantasy songwriting then check them out. If not still check them out at least for the awesome guitar playing. Want to see something awesome? Look up Herman Li on you tube. Insane!
Dragonforce - Trail Of Broken Hearts

The Hold Steady are my second favorite band after the Stones. I have featured them here before, in fact I am pretty sure I featured them in my first post ever made on RopBop. For a lot of people this is a love-or-hate band. I am a fan because of the clever lyricism, awesome organ playing and for the sweet guitar licks that seem like the were ripped out of the rock and roll handbook. They Put on a good show too. This is a great song but every time I hear it I am always disappointing by the sudden cut off at the end. I could listen to the solo for at leas another five minutes if it continued to be that sweet. That's all I am really going to say because I am sick of typing, and I am a critic and a DJ.
Hold Steady - Most People Are DJ's