The The Clever Girls in the Valley Think Emmy is great

If you've never seen Valley Girl, like, totally do yourself a favor and watch it. From the opening scene of mall craze nostalgia and valley vernacular to the closing culture clash high school prom trope, this movie is pure 80's perfection. Here are just a few things that you get. A young punked up Nicholas Cage giving great blank slate Nicholas Cage type stares, hilarious parodies of 60's era hippie parenting, a high school clique based drama story, and a great soundtrack. this file host a plethora of New Wave artists like Men At Work with "Who Can It Be Now" and Modern English with "Melt With You" but it also features performances by the Plimsouls and Josie Cotton in the actual film making this a music and 80's lovers dream. There are quite a few scenes in this movie where audio and visual come together to create big screen perfection, especially with the song "Eaten By The Monster Of Love" by the oddball 80's band Sparks. The other great music moment in this film is the Josie Cotton performance near the end of the movie. However, I don't want to spoil the movie so I'll let you discover that on your own by seeing the film. Instead I am going to post the other Josie Cotton song that was used in the movie as well as the Sparks song I mentioned. Seriously though! You like, totally need to see this film!

Sparks - Eaten By The Monster Of Love
Josie Cotton - He Could be The One


I haven't been a fan of these guys for very long. I was clued in about them by a former co-worker who has excellent taste in music. We did one of those Facebook challenges, which mostt of the time I never complete, but it was fun for the few days I did do it. He suggested I check these guys out and I am really glad he did because I can't get enough of them. This might come off as sounding like an insult but I assure you it's not. The best way I can describe them is if your favorite pop punk band from the 90's sold out and became radio friendly. Now I have long since been out of the know with current music trends but I don't recall ever hearing about this band before (and you know that I am always on the lookout for music). I am pretty sure they were never played on the radio and to that I cast shame on those who decided what is hears on the airwaves. These guys are ear candy with an attitude. Their music is super pop driven, accessible energetic fun, filled with brain searing hooks and polished vocal melodies. If you are ever looking for a feeling cool don't care rock out with the car windows down rock song this is the band you want. I should also mention that one of their album covers looks like the Goonies movie poster. I mean come on...what more do you need to know.

Marianas Trench - Celebrity Status



This song is a folk rock sundae of wonderful, drizzled with Leonard Cohen sauce and topped with a sweet vocal cherry. Emmy IS great and I doubt that title is self proclaimed.

Emmy The Great - First Love


EDIT: After writing this I discovered that I had talked about this band and album a few posts back. In fact I think I ranted about my dislike of 80's music there too. However this blurb was a lot more researched so I am leaving it in and just going to post a different song from the album. Sorry for the repeat.
I'm usually not a huge fan of 80's rock music. I get that it was a time when the introduction of electronic instruments was huge and I appreciate the era for what it did for music and technology, but I just cant get around the manufactured sounds. The electronic drums beats and synths just all sound to similar for my tastes and I find myself getting bored of it rather quickly. Don't get me wrong there are some songs and bands that love from the 80's, but I would say it's really my least favorite decade. However, I did end up picking up a small handful of of 80's rock albums on one of my many thrift store runs. One of the, or should I say The The, albums I picked up is the second full lenght album Infected by The The (see now you get the joke). I have been putting off listening to it for close to half a year and this morning I actually gave it a spin, and I am not sure if it was my sleepy brain tricking me but to my surprise I really liked it. Now most might know this band best for their hit song off their first album Soul Mining titled "This Is The Day". An early morning accordion drenched tune that is a staple for any morning routine. However, the majority of their music has a darker tone. If you like bands like INXS but want something a touch more on the sinister sounding side and a little bit harder, you will really like this. On Infected in particular you can hear hints of later artists like Nine Inch Nails on songs like "Twilight Of A Champion" or Morphine on "The Sweet Bird Of Truth". It's also go a nice post punk edge most notable on the title track "Infected". There are two interesting things worth notating about Infected First is the artwork. The artwork for most of The The during 1983-1992 was done by front man Matt Johnson's brother Andrew Johnson, A.K.A Andy Dog. I really like the artwork a lot and it is one of the biggest reasons I picked up the album without really knowing what they sounded like. The single for the title track featured artwork that was deemed inappropriate and had to be edited and was eventually changed. The artwork depicted a picture of a masturbating devil. The second interesting fact is that the album was one of the first to feature the use of a film to promote the album. Every song on the album featured a video and was then released as a film, which at the time was unheard of. Not to mention that the amount of money, £350,000, was rare to be given to such a small band to create anything. I wasn't able to find the actual movie but I did happen to find this interesting 5 minute documentary from ArtBeat.TV. All in all this is a band that I really recommend delving into, I know I will for sure be checking out more by The The.

5-minute doc: THE THE’s pioneering Infected film/video album
The The - Twilight Of A Champion


I will always be a fan of math rock. If your not familiar with the term math rock it's a musical style that branches off of the indie rock tree that combines post-hardcore with progressive rock. Or another easy way to explain it is Emo Jazz. Math recognizable by it's complex rhythmic and atypical song structures. You'll notice a lot of starting and stopping with in the music and angular melodies and dissonant chords that often change and morph throughout a single song. Think bands like King Crimson and early Yes but more modern. Early influences are noted in bands like Canadian punk rock group Nomeansno and even somewhat on Black Flag's album My War. Modern examples would be Don Caballero or, one of my favorites Toe. This song is by London, UK banc Clever Girl, which is definitely a nod to the movie Jurassic Park when game warder Robert Muldoon utters those final words just before getting jumped by Raptors. While the bands mentioned above might not be as accessible to new comers to the genre of math rock, Clever girl manages to make the introduction to the genre very very easy. The band mixes jazzy melodies that feel very breezy and laid back but engaging and interesting at the same time. The musician ship is tight with great drumming and pretty twinkling guitars all backed by a soft horn section that adds a nice golden touch. It looks as if they only have one album out at the moment titled No Drum And Bass In The Jazz Room that was released in late 2018. The album is the perfect length clocking in at just over 20 minutes and the songs flow together very nicely. I tend to like to try to match albums up with the seasons, if you haven noticed by reading this blog I really like to base me music on themes, but this is one of those albums that really would fit well as a soundtrack to any season and weather condition. I will for sure be keeping any eye and ear out for this Clever Gril, unlike poor old Muldoon.

Clever Girl - Elm

Attention Thrits Store Shoppers

As with most thrift store shopper I love when I hit a payload of good stuff. My many years working in thrift stores has given me a serious case of thriftitis. I frequent these places very often and I find it difficult to not buy all the things. I'm not a hoarder by any means, but I love getting a deal. there is a common misconception people have that if you work in a thrift store, you get all the good stuff. What many people don't know is that there are usually pretty strict rules about buying things. Truth be told, in my experience, most of the good stuff that is put out is gone in a matter of an hour or less. I laugh when I see comments about how all the workers hoard everything. I will say there are advantages to working in a thrift store. We get to see everything that comes in, and yes, we know of the gold that is out there to be snatched up. that is called a perk of the job. Just like any other job someone works at. If we snatched up everything that was awesome, we probably would need a second house. You need to ask yourself this question if this is your thought process. If you saw something you really liked or that was interesting and priced super cheap would you pass on it? Of course not! Neither would anyone else! thrift store shopping is all about being in the right place at the right time, hitting the specific sections you are interested in right away, making sure you look hard at everything, and going in on a constant basis. If you go in expecting to walk out with a pile of sweet stuff all the time you are going to be very disappointed. You should go in with no expectations at all. Some places allow shady tings to happen, this is true, but most often places are regulated by restrictions for the workers. I have seen people get fired and had to fire people because they did not follow the rules. My job was too important to risk letting someone get cheap or free shit. I would challenge anyone who disputes my claim, and many have, to go and volunteer at your local thrift store and see how it really all works. I bet you your view will change. Rant Over! Now lets get down to business...music type business. Since I am talking about thrift store hauls (did you know there is a subreddit where people post their thrift store finds?), I will post songs from a recent nice haul of much I picked up. This trip was a bit of a bummer though, there were a boatload of CD's I really wanted but a lot of them were pretty trashed. I just couldn't take the risk. What can I say I'm a cheap bastard!

I never really have taken the time to listen to many of Gram Parsons songs. I know of the name and I know he's pretty widely listed as an influence of many musicians. Since I don't know much about him I am going to share a few things I learn about him as I am writing this, so please forgive me as this is just going to be a bunch of random facts. Parsons is best known for is time it the band the Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. He is well known for being a key musician that blended country and rock genres in a masterful way. His love of country music started when he was a student at Harvard and founded the International Submarine band, whose only album was released after the group had split up. His early life as a child was a tough time as her endured his fathers suicide and his mothers alcoholism, and grew up with his sister Avis. His real name was Ingram Cecil Connor III. His mother was a wealthy Florida citrus heiress. His collaborations with country singer Emmylou Harris are some of the best songs I have ever heard, and a must listen for any music fan. For a short period of time Gram moved to France and lived with Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones at Villa Nellcote, which is where the Stones album Exile On Main St. was recorded. Parsons was replaced while in the Byrds, due to debilitating health issues from drug abuse, by Clarence White and died just two months after at the age of 26. In his last days parsons traveled to Joshua Tree National park where he spent his days in the desert and nights in the local bars taking barbiturates and drinking heavily. Parsons death, Spetember 19 1973, was due to a morphine overdose. Parsons is listed number 87 in Rollings Stones list of "100 Greatest Artists Of All Time." These songs are from the album Alternate Takes from GP & Grievous Angel.
Gram Parsons - She (Alternate Version)

Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris - Return Of The Grievous Angel #1 (Alternate Version)


I have always thought it would be sweet to be a DJ. I would love to learn how to scratch records. I don't mean scratch as in "I fucked up my favorite record by doing a flying rock star leap off the couch and landed too hard on the floor". I mean like make that wiggita wiggita sound like DJ shadow does. It would also be a lot of fun to make beats that cause people to dance and I bet it's super fun coming up with songs to mix together. I would never be on the oppisite side of the turntables though. Why? Because I am 100% white boy robot. The best dance move I have is bobbing my head, which this song definitely does. I do dance, but the shades are drawn and no one is around. While I can't get my body to move fluidly to music, it definitely moves my soul. So I have that going for me. this song is from the album Preemptive Strike. It's a compilation of early singles by the shadow man. While I do prefer his more recent stuff, this is a great laid back 12 minute journey into space and time.
DJ Shadow - In/Flux


I have never been a big fan of 80's music, in fact I'd say it's my least favorite decade of music. I just can't get down with the synth driven stuff. I do love the popular stuff, but digging down deep into the decade usually leaves me unimpressed. I understand that the 80's were huge in the emergence of electronics, not only in music, but in pretty much everything. I could see how everyone wanted to get on the bus and ride the new wave sound. It's just not for me. I'd say around the late 80's is where I really start to begin liking the music put out. It was heading to a much less used electronic sound and started incorporating rock elements back into the mix. The The are a band that teeters right on that verge for me. I like them because their sound, while still heavily electronic based, is more experimental and less repetitive sounding. I'm not getting an album full of keyboard songs that sound just like the last one. This band reminds me of a less polished, and more electronics driven INXS (a band which I love). It's less pop, a little sinister, and still rocking. It's perfect music for doing art projects, putting up Halloween decorations or walking around on a misty eerie night. These songs are off their second album titled Infected, which earned them UK Gold Record status.
The The - Out Of The Blue(Into The Fire)

The The - Infected


Oh man, if you haven't heard this band before you are in for a treat. Primal scream is a Scottish band fronted by former drummer of The Jesus And Mary Chain, Bobby Gillespie along with a revolving cast of performers. The band was a key player in the late 80's indie pop scene and didn't really see commercial success until the early 90's with the album Screamadellica. The music is a mix of pop, dance and neo-pscyhedellic rock. This is one of those that I would instantly suggest to any music lover. It's filled with spacey sunshine filled sing along songs to pleasant yet odd experimental soundscapes. This album was the first to win the Mercury Music Prize, beating Gillespie's former band The Jesus And Mary Chain. If you ever see this album be sure to pick it up and if you make playlists at all keep this band in your arsenal. You could probably pick a song from any album in their discography and it will be worthy. both of these songs are from the album Screamadellica.
Primal Scream - Movin' On Up

Primal Scream - I'm Coming Down