This is to let you know I am still alive!

This is to let them know I am still alive. I do breathe, and I do speak until my throat is dry. I'm sweet as sugar but unmovable like stone. To and from to and from. The daily blacktop and questioning voices. My new empire. It's caving in, I'm buried in all that I wanted and all I forgot.
Metric - Help I'm Alive

Tonight I was bored so I decided to pretend I was Paul McCartney and I imagined that someone else was John Lennon and we were re-enacting the scene where John told Paul his plans of jumping ship on the band. John told me how he made love to Yoko and cried for 20 minutes afterward. While listening to her breathe he decided he wanted to make music come out of her. He wanted to record with her. I told him he was losing his mind and this was the worst idea ever. He preached that it's art and love and I wouldn't understand, nor was I expected to. I told him if he did this it would be the death of him. He accused me of calling her ugly. I threatened I'd marry horsefaced Linda, as he called her, and I'd make some mid level hits with a new band. We'd show him! My married couple band is better than yours. Then I'd continue to ride my fame for 40 more years, and eventually sell the rights a pop star with childhood issues. Days later John was still talking about this idea with a head full of hearts and day dreams. I saw through what stood behind the haze, it was a nightmare. I tried to convince him to not make the album. "If you want to leave, fine, I don't care. Just don't make the record for Gods sake." Ringo interrupted looking for bananas, stoned out of his mind. I told him where he could locate a banana and pointed at my trousers. I told him to get his 'nana eating, skin slapping, squish face out of the room. He sulked off making death threats under his breath. John yelled at me scolding me for my actions with words like a knife. "THAT is why I hate you, Paul!" I simply said "THAT is why I am awesome, John! There CAN be two great ones in this band! Your not the only one, John!" He looked at me with fire in his eyes and said "HOLY SHIT! I have a great idea for a new song!!" He grabbed his notepad and began writing with a fury. He mumbled through a small dreamy harmony and at the end said "...But I'm not the only one, I hope someday you'll join us, And the world will live as one." As I walked to the door to grab my hat, George walked in smelling of patchouli and looking cosmic. He looked at John and asked "What is his deal?" I looked at him with downtrodden eyes and said "He's gone bonkers, mate? I'm sorry, Georgie. It's over. You will tell Ringo, won't you? I am sure he's a bit sore with me." George explained to me that he was not able to tell Ringo because they were not on speaking terms and George had fooled around with Ringos wife. "I looked at him and said, "Well then, fuck 'em! Right, John see you tomorrow when you don't have a case of the crazies. I'd like to see that white piano when you buy it. So tomorrow then? We'll talk more and get high? Yes!?" He told me he would be there for sure because I always had the best weed. Then he looked down and kept writing.
Kennedy - John & Yoko featuring Yelle

Might be my new favorite song. Sounds like Okkervil River only more jangly, laid back and less whiny.
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - My Good Luck

I'm staying up late to do this for you. I should be getting ready for bed. I thought this was a night time appropriate song. Put it on low and let it build.
Meursault - Crank Resolutions

So I decided I need to get 5 songs up, so here is number 5. It's emo, and I like the counting part. It really makes the song worth listening to. And it's fun to scream "You are my shining sun" over and over in your car.
Algebra One - Fireball (No Longer Available)

Last night I discovered that I have a love hate relationship with the "boy and girl are friends and then go on some wacky misadventure and in the end find out they secretly love each other" movies. I love them because the wacky situations are usually hilarious and I am rooting for the two to get together by the end. When they do I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. However, and this is totally biased on my end since I have no current significant other, I also end up feeling totally sad. Kind of like "Damn, where is my nutty story line where I fall in love?" Love has been on my mind a lot lately, mostly in part to a good friend of mine getting married. I was asked to make a dinner party mix of music for the wedding and of course I said yes. As I was going through all my music I realized that I don't have many "love" songs. I have a lot of teenage feeling love songs, or the emo cry me a river songs, which I didn't think either would be appropriate for a wedding. I did a little hunting and managed to find some really great stuff and thought I would share a few of the finds.

I have heard a few Big Star songs before but never really been a big fan, but this song makes me want to give them a second chance. It's laid back and kind of has a carefree air about it. As if being in love makes the singer forget about all the problems in the world. Man, love is a powerful feeling!
Big Star - I'm In Love With A Girl

This one is more about the search for the love of your life, rather than being in love. I do love how it's got the rocking repeating lyrics that are fun to sing loud with.
Wreckless Eric - Whole Wide World

A friend told me about this song quite a while ago and I never checked it out until last night. Which is strange because I am a bit Tow Waits fan. This is another "since you came into my life" song. It's a pretty song with a sort grit that makes it a perfectly acceptable song for a man to have on his in his collection without having to worry about feeling like a sissy.
Tom Waits - Picture In A Frame

I am a huge podcast nerd and I listen to a podcast called Comedy Death Ray Radio quite often. It's mostly a talk show where comedians get together and shoot the bull and tell funny jokes and play fun games. The podcast also mixes in some comedy related songs. Most of them are alright, but every now and then I end up hearing a song I absolutely love. I have heard this song played on the show many times and could never figure out who the band was until now. The song is called Austin Powers by Don't Stop Or We'll Die. It's an insanely infectious tune with simple goofy lyrics. The part I love best is the piano in this song. It's just so up beat and then you add on an chanted lyric like "Austin Powers you ain't nothin' but 5 years old/ Ace Ventura you ain't nothin' bu 10 years old" ad you have one golden shiny happy nugget of tuneage.
Don't Stop Or We'll Die - Austin And Ace (No Longer Available)

Last but not least I need to mention that I will be another year older come tomorrow morning. I'll be the big 31. Too bad I am still in training and have to go to work. Woohoo I get to spend my day of oldness talking to people about their bank accounts in a cubicle!
Drive By Truckers - Birthday Boy

What in the world happened to you?

Hello fellow readers,
Long time no see huh? I am sure most of you know that I have a real job now, which I am really glad to have, but it makes posting tough to do. Is that just an excuse? Maybe, but after sitting in front of a computer all day at work most times you want nothing to do with more sitting down in front of a computer again. Do not fear though, I have not and will not give up on this blog. I am finally starting to get into the routine of things again, and once I get back in the swing I will also be posting more. It may not be every 4-5 days but I will make it a mission of mine to post at least once a week. I don’t want to get too into the job subject, because really who wants to talk about work when they are not at work? I will say that I work at a bank and that the job seems like it’s going to be a good fit for me. Things are going well, training is coming to a close and I like the people I work with. Good things. There is one aspect of the job I do not like that much and that is the hour commute. Especially right now since me training schedule is 8-5pm. Highway traffic sucks! In the morning I don’t really mind it, it’s usually super fast but still hair raisingly crowded. The evening traffic is a different story. When I get out I want to go home in as less time as I can, not sit in a jam for 30 minutes before I even get out of the city. I just need to move but I like cheap rent and being close to family. The one thing sitting in traffic is good for would be the time I get to listen to new music. I’m not going to waste too much time with long stories today for each song. Without any further ado lets break out the paddles and shock this blog back to life. CLEAR!

I heard this song on NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast, which I really really recommend to any fan of music. This band has been around forever and have put out some great theme albums ranging from 69 Love Songs to Distortion Songs. This song has a what are you thinking mentality about it. Almost like if you went to a good friend and confided in them and they told you the truth like a good friend does.

The Magnetic Fields – You Must Be Out Of Your Mind

Since the last two songs were sort of downers how about something to bring you back up and make you feel like you have no care in the world. With a name like Groove Armada one has to think that the music they make is either really bad or really good. There is no in between. Thankfully, they are exactly how their name sounds, AWESOME.
Groove Armada - At The River (No Longer Available)

I am Seamore ButtzI and I approve this message. The video explains exactly what the song is ment for you to do. Shake some ass. I can NOT stop listening to this song! Throw it on when you get out of work on a Friday and crank it.
Galactic ft. Cheeky Blakk – Do It Again

I wish I was born in 1977. I was born in 79, so technically I was born in the 70’s but everyone knows 79 is just 80’s. I wish I knew how to dance with out looking totally white. I wish I knew Spanish. I also wish this horn laden back drop would play wherever I walked.
Ana Tijoux – 1977

Since it’s Mothers Day I figured I might as well throw on a great female-power song. Ladies these is for you.

Koko Taylor – I’m A Woman

Barbara Lynn – Good Woman

Car ghosts, bad sitters, beach zebras, sad goodbyes, and some video.

I know I have been slacking a lot on posts but I have been busy with things. So lets get into it.

Four days ago, on a bright sunny mid morning, I was up and about getting things done and I decided to take a trip down to the library to return some items. I get ready to go and walk down the stairs happily, jump into the car, throw the key in the ignition and wouldn't you know it the damn thing won't start. Not a good way to end that story, huh? I didn't think so either. I notice that the clock and odometer funky looking. Sort of like a dying calculator display. Pissed off, I make a few calls. I eventually get a place that knows about Volkswagen's enough to give me a non dumbfounded answer. They tell me to take a cable off the battery, let it sit for an hour and re-attach it. Sort of do a reboot of the cars computer systems. So I did and when I hooked it back up it started no problem. I was pretty happy, I spent nothing other than an hour and a few phone calls. I decide to take it to a near by auto parts store do do a quick diagnostic check and everything turns out good. As I drive it back to my house, the airbag light comes on and the door/lights alarm starts going off. Grrrreat! The next day I take it to a VW auto shop (not the dealer! You think I am nuts!) The hook it up run a full diagnostic scan on everything and get the problem fixed, no charge. Sweeeet! I drive away happy. The next day I drive all the about 60 miles round trip to an interview, including various stops along the way. No problems at all. I get home and decide to take that trip to the library again. On the way there I get the alarm sound again, no lights this time though. The alarm is on and slowing down and speeding back up randomly. I do the library thing (of course I got overdue fees on a few things), and I drive it to the shop again. They take a look can't pinpoint what is going on. It didn't help I got there 15 minuets before closing. they tell me what I need to check for to help them pinpoint the problem. Again no charge, which is nice. I drive back home, very annoyed because; A. My car is going crazy with issues B. That alarm sound is so annoying. You think a few seconds of it is bad try a good 10 minutes of it. I go home, and decided to deal with ti tomorrow. I go to take a ride this morning to see if I can pinpoint it better so I can take it in. The damn thing doesn't do it. Everything is fine, no dinging, no lights, it's running fine. To be continued...
Royal Bangs - My Car Is Haunted

For the past few weeks I have been helping out my sister by taking care of my nephews. I absolutely love them to death, and don't mind helping out my sister at all, but man kids are a crazy world that I am not accustomed to. They are exhausting! I have a new found respect for any mother or father with little kids. Not only that but all the gross things they do. I have dealt more with puke, pee, snot and poop in the last few weeks than I care to. I am a pretty sensitive stomach sort of guy too. With all that being said, I wouldn't trade my nephews for the world, and I still want kids someday. I just think they are a little more gross than before. This was the only babysitter song I could think of. I'm not like this when I babysit, I just think this Princess Superstar song is hilarious. Just thought I should put that out there.
Princess Superstar - Bad Babysitter

Since my interview went so well I decided to treat myself to a new CD. I haven't spent much on myself other than food so I thought it would be something nice for once. I was at Best Buy and I couldn't find anything I wanted so I just went random. I have heard two songs by the band Beach House before. One live on Jimmy Fallon, and one on a music blog. I liked them, but didn't really look into them much. they didn't strike me as anything special. Well they have a semi-new CD out titled Teen Dream, and it was on sale for $7.99 at Best Buy with a DVD of music videos for all the songs. I figured it's cheap if I don't really like it and there is double entertainment in it if I do. Well I am happy to say that I made a good solid purchase. The album is really good. Beach House have a very laid back dreamy electro pop sound. As I was listening to it I could see the album working on a warm breezy day or a drab rainy day. Victoria Legrand has a voice that can range from a low wispy hush to a soaring soulful tone. With a deeper range it makes the vocals almost sultry sounding. The music is kept very simple, subtle and somewhat repetitious but it also varies enough through out any given song that it doesn't seem boring. It almost makes you listen more to catch the tiny changes. The drums and keys are the biggest driving factor for this band. If you are looking to rock out and jump around doing ninja kicks and air guitar solos you might want to look elsewhere. However if you are interested in kicking back with a nice drink in hand, a good book or a sunny Sunday drive I would definitely pop this album in.
Beach House - Zebra

"NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Mark Linkous, the singer-songwriter who released his music under the band name Sparklehorse, has died after shooting himself in the chest in Tennessee. He was 47. Knoxville Police Department spokesman Darrell DeBusk said Linkous shot himself outside a friend's house around 1:20 p.m. Saturday with his own rifle. DeBusk said Linkous was staying with friends and became upset after receiving a text message." Read full obituary here. RIP Mark.

Sparklehorse - Sick Of Goodbyes

I am going to throw some videos I came across into the mix to end this post. the first one is a cover of Life On Mars By David Bowie sung by Brazilian musician, singer/songwriter Seu Jorge. You may recognize him from the movie The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou which is where this unique on set recording session takes place. He has an album out of all Bowie Covers sung in his native language, and also has been a many movies including one of my favorites City Of God.


This next video is just some kid screen named Funtwo playing Johann Pachelbel's Cannon. This is a great musical piece by itself, but then you add in some AMAZING guitar playing and you got a killer track. I can only dream of ever playing this well. Check out Funtwos other videos as well. This kid rocks!

The progression of termination and reclamation

Great news sports fans! I got a job! After a year and two months, I finally nailed one down. I will be doing the same thing I did before, call center for a bank, only for 2 dollars more and I get out an hour and a half earlier. Oh yeah and I don't have to do sales! Noice! Today I decided that I am going to post some songs that sort of tell the story of the past year without a job.

I was let go pretty quickly, no advance notice. I mean, I knew I was hurting for sales and trying like crazy to get them, but I never thought that I would be leaving a few short hours after starting my shift that day. Unlike Fred Jones, I did not have the nostalgic time of clearing my desk and saying good bye to fellow employees. It was all done for me. I was pretty bummed about being fired and then on top of that I didn't get to say "Later" to my co-workers. Sucktastic, indeed!
Ben Folds - Fred Jones Pt. 2

After getting over the initial shock of being fired, I started to think about the job I was doing. I went through the "what if's", and "coulda, shoulda, waouldas". I also came to the realization that sales is not my strong point. I didn't like being driven by incentives or selling goals, over genuinely helping people out of the problem they were in. I felt shitty reflecting on what I could have done and didn't do, but in a way,I felt good about getting away from something I wasn't comfortable with. Not to up myself here, but I'm a nice guy, not a hidden motives guy with a nice guy covering. That might be bad, but it's the way I am.
Frightened Rabbit - I Feel Better

There was a while where I decided that I had to do it alone. I didn't need any help from anyone. I was too proud to let people do things to help me out. I didn't let my parents pay for dinner for me. When told that if worse comes to worse I had a place to live by my Sister and my Dad I would tell them that would not be needed, I'll be fine (which was true but still). I also had this complex that I was one step above the others who were applying for jobs. When things didn't happen I got angry, depressed, indifferent. "Why even try anymore? All the work I do, and I get no results. Of course I was knocked down quite quickly. I wanted to be alone, and when I finally felt alone it wasn't a good feeling.
Kid Cudi - Do It Alone

With that thinking came the slow realization that I wasn't one step ahead. I had a good work history but that didn't mean anything without college. Even with college it was tough to get a job. So there I was, not king of the castle. Was it a tough thing to learn? Hell yeah. Was it all my fault? No, not entirely. Once I got a grasp on that I seemed to move on to accepting it and dealt with it accordingly. Doing what I needed to do to get by.
Herman Dune - Not On Top

I began to really see the economy as the shit hole that it was. I understood that I wasn't the only one with troubles. This was both a comforting feeling and also a scary feeling. I wasn't alone, but there were thousands like me going through the same crap. Most probably having it ten times worse than I did.
Lee Rogers - Troubles

You can only take so much rejection, so many days of feeling sorry for your self, and so many days of getting angry. One day you wake up and you just decide it's not worth it. By that I mean you go from feeling crappy about everything to feeling like there has got to be a change around the bend. That is when faith kicks in. It's different for everyone. For some it's family and friends urging you to keep your head up, laughter, a great day that just makes the week seem better, or religious beliefs. I am pretty sure I got to that point of saying "It's not doing me ANY good getting pissed off, or upset at the things I can't control. Lets take what hope is left and build upon that." Faith is a good motivator, a good anchor, and better than all those negative feelings. It's just a point of finding it.
Gene Allison - Have Faith

I chose this song because I think it really represents everything described above. It's a soundtrack to a long journey filled with snares and the unknown. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel and though it's a rocky trip, if you keep your eyes on the prize good things will come. Daniel Johnston wrote simple songs that knew exactly what to say.
Guster - The Sun Shines Down On Me (Daniel Johnston Cover)

Last but not least is the inevitable song. The song you rock out to when everything turns around for the better. The celebration, the weight lifted off your shoulders, high-fives, woohoos, and praises. The time when you can finally look backwards and say "Whew, glad that is done with."
Jackyl - Down On Me

This post feels good!

"Put On That "Feel Good" One"
Tickle my ear with hi hats and jangly strings
Fill my head with hazy dreams and memories of sunshine
Electric shock to the body "3, 2, 1, clear!" Now I move.
I feel more alive.
Filling my blood with sweeping crescendos like the addicts
Bubbling with the build up peaking with the pop
There is thunder in my soul, a beast in the rib cage.
Shake, rattle and roll.
My stomach on fire with the riff of 10,000 notes
Tasty licks, open your mouth and spit fire
When it hits open air it turns to clouds
Precipitation raining down.
It soaks into me, it soaks into you.

If asked to pick one of the few pure pop song craft-persons of modern music I would instantly say Jens Lekman. I was on the fence about this guy when I first heard his song "And I Remember Every Kiss". I played it more and more and eventually looked into Jens a little more and found the true genius in his songs. Great witty lyricism, day dreamy instrumentation, and a little of that extra danceable feel without being overly computerized. Also he has a voice like velvet.
Jens Lekman - Kanske Ar Jag Kar I Dig

When I hear this song it makes me wish I lived on some golden sunshine laden coast, with the smell of fresh seaside air, and a long stretch of highway. All windows open please, cause I'm about to blast the radio.
Surfer Blood - Floating Vibes

I have never visited a gym to work out but I am sure if I did I would make a playlist of fast upbeat music, such as Everybody's Dancing. It does exactly what the title says. Great bouncy bass, nice drum fills, and when that keyboard hits in the first minute of the song, there is no doubt that it's go time!
Sleepless Nights - Everybody's Dancing

You have to be dead not to feel the funk. Seriously if you don't move your hips, you must have blue lips.
Preston Love - Cool Ade

I have no idea what this guy is saying but, that's okay cause it blazes. Superb percussion is what fuels this track. Check those horns, man. Crazy!
Manny Corchado - Pow Wow

I don't think McDreamy is some character on a lame quasi doctor show. This song is McDreamy Dreamerton.
School of Seven Bells - Half Asleep

With Today marking the last day of the 2010 Olympic ceremonies I thought I should get this post out there before it expired. I jotted down some ideas for the blurb last week but haven't got around to typing it yet. There were a few things I feel I needed to talk about here and the first one is my adamant detest for the sport of Ice Dancing. Seriously?! Ice Dancing! Why not just have an event called synchronized dish washing. This has to be the most boring thing to watch. the whole time I was waiting for someone to throw someone else or do a flip or...just do something for Gods sake. I say scrap that and start a new event called Ice Road Driving. You get a huge hill that is iced over with parked cars on both sides, send it down and whoever can hit the least amount of cars wins. The other thing I was pretty miffed about is that for some idiotic reason NBC decided that it didn't really need to show a lot of hockey. Seriously this is huge not only in Canada but in US as well. I thought they would have showed way more. However I am hyped because in about an hour the puck drops for the Canada vs. US hockey game. Go USA!! The other thing that always blows me away is the Bobsled and Luge speeds. These dudes are going friggin' 90-100mph in or on a sled. Rarely do I go over 80mph in my car for fear that any faster I might die! And I'm in a CAR! Also I need to give props to, Shaun White for getting sick with it, Lindsey Vonn for being, as Adam Sandler would say, "Soooo HOT" and Apolo Ohno for having a great last name and looking a lot like a good friend of mine.
The Decemberists - The Sporting Life

Politics is not my forte and I really have no loyalties for either side. My views criss cross between the two parties and to be honest I don't trust any politician, for any reason, what so ever. I see them all as crooks and liars with their own hidden agendas. Although I do respect Abe. That guy was pretty cool and had a sweet beard and hat combo going on. However I heard this story the other day about KY senator Jim Bunning and I thought it needed to be brought to light. Just because he's an a-hole. If you weren't aware there is a job crisis going on in this country. A lot of people are unemployed because of this. Which means benefits are a hot issue. Feb. 28 is the deadline set for benefits to expire for many unemployed workers. Congress took a vote to extend those benefits this past week and the vote was turned down. Why? because of one person and that person is Jim Bunning. Rather than worrying about the needs of his fellow country men who are struggling to make it, he was more worried about a college basketball game. In fact he was quoted saying so. When they pleaded with him to change his vote his response was "Tough Shit." This guy gets my pick for the big middle finger a-hole of the year award. Read the full story here.
WIld Billy Childish & The Buff Medways - You Piss Me Off

As I have mentioned many times here I am always messing around with my iTunes. The past few day I have been going through my music and getting rid of all the junk. It seemed like a task that would never end but I got through it yesterday, however during that time I was also adding new stuff and stuff from my library I have long forgot about, which was not a bad thing at all. With that being said the rest of this entry will be filled with some of those songs.

I love the Faint. Darkwave dance music that will make you want to dance spasmodically.
The Faint - Worked Up So Sexual

Everyone knows who Joni is but this song is one of my absolute favorites. Beautiful and amazing lyrics.
Joni Mitchell - A Case Of You

A local Michigan group. These guy make some great heavy songs and put on a rocking show. I can't tell you how many times I have seen these guys live. Originally formed with brothers Ben and Mike Reed, who are both real nice guys.
Small Brown Bike - This Is My Holiday (No Longer Avaliable)

If you don't know who Atom And His Package is you aren't cool, well at least not until you listen to his nerd driven synth punk rock. If you want to laugh a lot I suggest you look this guy up.
Atom And His Package - She's In The Bathroom