There have been no comments so I will provide you with videos for which I have no comment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAsBZB4pjHM
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Owen
The thrill of discovery is one of the best feelings in the world. I've mentioned this before, and probably will mention it every time I talk about a band or artist, but discovering music is one of my hobbies and passions. I like to constantly think that my favorite song is one that I haven't heard yet (it may not even be recorded or conceived yet, but I'll ignore those more astronomical thoughts so I don't drive myself batshit insane).
I had heard of Owen but never listened. On this message board I used to go to sometimes, everyone loved Owen. I read the name all the time but for some reason didn't feel the urge to listen. It's difficult to make the effort to listen to something new. Listening intently to new music is a consuming process, it takes a lot of energy to "get into" something. It varies from artist to artist but I think it's true. Do I pay attention to the music? Do I pay attention to the lyrics? Do I pay attention to the singer's voice? It's really easy to feel safe with a static music collection, with songs you know. I urge people to challenge their current tastes and start listening to everything. Come across a band name and instead of ignoring it, go to Hype Machine and search for it. Listen to a song and understand why it's good and bad. We don't learn too much from quality sources. After hearing Nickelback songs, I understand why I would never write songs like theirs. After seeing Gran Torino, not only do I just NEVER WANT TO SEE A MOVIE EVER AGAIN, but I know that I will never write a script like that (you know, when I get around to it...).
Owen is Mike Kinsella, veteran of the Chicago music scene who played in Cap'n Jazz and American Football (who I will probably write about soon). After those bands broke up, he started a solo project, recording songs late at night in his parents' house on a Digi 001 setup. Most of his songs have a very similar musical style. Layered acoustic guitar parts with lush, airy parts floating all around. Every once in a while there will be a clean, electric guitar part and maybe a short, distorted guitar solo. As fantastic as the music is, what really makes Owen shine is the lyrics. In my opinion, Mike Kinsella is one of the most gifted lyricists of his time. And I don't think too many people even know who he is. He doesn't sell out shows and he doesn't tour all that often.
"Breaking Away" is one of his most beautiful songs, with an awesome movie-and-bicycle-referencing title. After being at the bar, he sings, "I'm a bicycle. I'm too tired to ride home." Two-tired. Brilliant. (Lyrics)
I also really admire lyrics that can be read linearly, in a paragraph. "The Ghost of What Should Have Been":
"What else in this room reminds me of you? The windowsill with a crucified pit of an avocado still sits in water. What else in this room reminds me of the relationship I’ve ruined. The tables I made strong enough to hold your magazines, but not your tired legs. One more week in this apartment, one more week of being haunted by the ghost of what should have been. What else in this fucking empty room reminds me of fucking you? An orphaned couch where I spent some long nights while you went out with our friends. What I wouldn’t do to be a ghost like you, to be somewhere new. To leave everything, the way you left everything that reminded you of me. One more week in this apartment, one more week of being haunted."
The "crucified pit of an avocado" refers to an avocado plant, which is when you stick toothpicks into an avocado pit and place it in a glass of water.
The observation that it looks crucified is so simple and poetic. What I also love in this song is the parallel structure. "What else in this room reminds me of you?" becomes "What else in this fucking empty room reminds me of fucking you?" The tone and meaning of the line changes completely with the addition of a few words.
In "Poor Souls," he narrates his desperate search for a one-night stand:
"long night. last call. blood-shot eyes from some drinks too tall. i breathe in deep and i swear to god i'll die if i go home alone tonight. i raise my head slow hoping to find a girl i don't know, but wouldn't mind showing a good time to, feeling alright with, doing something we might regret in the morning. you, in the cardigan - you're tired of all your friends. and you, with your hair pulled back just right --you're bored with all your friends. i want to be with you tonight. our legs crossed and our tounges tied. now which one of you poor souls wants to drive me home?"
His songs are simple but that is exactly what makes them so poignant. Simple but extraordinary.
"Tell me again what you were thinking when you got that bruise tattooed, forever black and blue."
Stream "That Tattoo Isn't Funny Anymore" (Lyrics)
I had heard of Owen but never listened. On this message board I used to go to sometimes, everyone loved Owen. I read the name all the time but for some reason didn't feel the urge to listen. It's difficult to make the effort to listen to something new. Listening intently to new music is a consuming process, it takes a lot of energy to "get into" something. It varies from artist to artist but I think it's true. Do I pay attention to the music? Do I pay attention to the lyrics? Do I pay attention to the singer's voice? It's really easy to feel safe with a static music collection, with songs you know. I urge people to challenge their current tastes and start listening to everything. Come across a band name and instead of ignoring it, go to Hype Machine and search for it. Listen to a song and understand why it's good and bad. We don't learn too much from quality sources. After hearing Nickelback songs, I understand why I would never write songs like theirs. After seeing Gran Torino, not only do I just NEVER WANT TO SEE A MOVIE EVER AGAIN, but I know that I will never write a script like that (you know, when I get around to it...).
Owen is Mike Kinsella, veteran of the Chicago music scene who played in Cap'n Jazz and American Football (who I will probably write about soon). After those bands broke up, he started a solo project, recording songs late at night in his parents' house on a Digi 001 setup. Most of his songs have a very similar musical style. Layered acoustic guitar parts with lush, airy parts floating all around. Every once in a while there will be a clean, electric guitar part and maybe a short, distorted guitar solo. As fantastic as the music is, what really makes Owen shine is the lyrics. In my opinion, Mike Kinsella is one of the most gifted lyricists of his time. And I don't think too many people even know who he is. He doesn't sell out shows and he doesn't tour all that often.
"Breaking Away" is one of his most beautiful songs, with an awesome movie-and-bicycle-referencing title. After being at the bar, he sings, "I'm a bicycle. I'm too tired to ride home." Two-tired. Brilliant. (Lyrics)
I also really admire lyrics that can be read linearly, in a paragraph. "The Ghost of What Should Have Been":
"What else in this room reminds me of you? The windowsill with a crucified pit of an avocado still sits in water. What else in this room reminds me of the relationship I’ve ruined. The tables I made strong enough to hold your magazines, but not your tired legs. One more week in this apartment, one more week of being haunted by the ghost of what should have been. What else in this fucking empty room reminds me of fucking you? An orphaned couch where I spent some long nights while you went out with our friends. What I wouldn’t do to be a ghost like you, to be somewhere new. To leave everything, the way you left everything that reminded you of me. One more week in this apartment, one more week of being haunted."
The "crucified pit of an avocado" refers to an avocado plant, which is when you stick toothpicks into an avocado pit and place it in a glass of water.
The observation that it looks crucified is so simple and poetic. What I also love in this song is the parallel structure. "What else in this room reminds me of you?" becomes "What else in this fucking empty room reminds me of fucking you?" The tone and meaning of the line changes completely with the addition of a few words.
In "Poor Souls," he narrates his desperate search for a one-night stand:
"long night. last call. blood-shot eyes from some drinks too tall. i breathe in deep and i swear to god i'll die if i go home alone tonight. i raise my head slow hoping to find a girl i don't know, but wouldn't mind showing a good time to, feeling alright with, doing something we might regret in the morning. you, in the cardigan - you're tired of all your friends. and you, with your hair pulled back just right --you're bored with all your friends. i want to be with you tonight. our legs crossed and our tounges tied. now which one of you poor souls wants to drive me home?"
His songs are simple but that is exactly what makes them so poignant. Simple but extraordinary.
"Tell me again what you were thinking when you got that bruise tattooed, forever black and blue."
Stream "That Tattoo Isn't Funny Anymore" (Lyrics)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Proscuittitarian
pro-sciut-ti-tar-i-an |prəˈ sh oōtˈte(ə)rēən|
1. a person who only eats prosciutto, the Italian ham cured by drying that is typically served in very thin slices.
2. Carmen Petaccio
1. a person who only eats prosciutto, the Italian ham cured by drying that is typically served in very thin slices.
2. Carmen Petaccio
New Music
Facebook embodies the best and worst of technological advancement and convergence. The worst of it is when I'm bored and get lost clicking around, engaging tons of useless data. It's great! Sometimes you find someone that you have an unexplainable mutual friend with. And sometimes you randomly find the name of a band and you decide to look them up. I found The Motorcycle Industry somewhere and gave them a listen. Great, fun pop-rock(/punk?-who the fuck knows) band out of the Bay Area/now-NYC/NYU. Just released an album called Electric Education.
"Jesse From The Program" is a killer track. The lyrics are modestly awesome.
"Five dollars for a whiskey/Please don't ignore me when we get to class on Monday, okay thanks/Ten dollars more for the door fee/Dude, this band I'd ignore in a heartbeat/So could you find it in your soul to evaluate whether you want to be friends with me outside of a really super duper shitty social situation?/'Cause fake friends are better than nothing at all/And fake friends will get you nowhere/'Cause fake friends go better with drugs and alcohol/And fake friends are there after all." Probably not completely accurate as I just transcribed the lyrics but whatever. Remember all those friends you added before freshman year to cope with the overwhelming amount of people in your class you'd probably never meet? Fake friends. I still have one or two. I keep em around.
Or "Everything Sounds Better With Drums"
"Dude, I just want to make ten dollars an hour so I can go to Amoeba records and buy colored vinyl that I'll never play. Or vintage t-shirts. Maybe some novels that I'll get halfway through. Or imported DVDs with subtitles too. I'm hitting on the same girl at the NYU Bookstore, oh my god, not again."
Fuck. Yeah you know EXACTLY what I mean.
All the songs are great. I'm going to buy it soon.
Check out this band, they have some NYC dates coming up.
http://www.myspace.com/themotorcycleindustry
"Jesse From The Program" is a killer track. The lyrics are modestly awesome.
"Five dollars for a whiskey/Please don't ignore me when we get to class on Monday, okay thanks/Ten dollars more for the door fee/Dude, this band I'd ignore in a heartbeat/So could you find it in your soul to evaluate whether you want to be friends with me outside of a really super duper shitty social situation?/'Cause fake friends are better than nothing at all/And fake friends will get you nowhere/'Cause fake friends go better with drugs and alcohol/And fake friends are there after all." Probably not completely accurate as I just transcribed the lyrics but whatever. Remember all those friends you added before freshman year to cope with the overwhelming amount of people in your class you'd probably never meet? Fake friends. I still have one or two. I keep em around.
Or "Everything Sounds Better With Drums"
"Dude, I just want to make ten dollars an hour so I can go to Amoeba records and buy colored vinyl that I'll never play. Or vintage t-shirts. Maybe some novels that I'll get halfway through. Or imported DVDs with subtitles too. I'm hitting on the same girl at the NYU Bookstore, oh my god, not again."
Fuck. Yeah you know EXACTLY what I mean.
All the songs are great. I'm going to buy it soon.
Check out this band, they have some NYC dates coming up.
http://www.myspace.com/themotorcycleindustry
The Hump
It's a weird time of year. Winter break just ended and classes for the Spring are starting up again. My midlife-college-crisis brain is applying nostalgia to everything. Three more semesters and I'm no longer a student. But hey, as the great MrChiCity3* says, "Fuck that shit, fuck that shit." I have to concentrate on the now. As Kevin Devine sings in "Less Yesterday, More Today," well... "Less yesterday, more today. I've got to start living that way." So that's it. I can find all my answers in songs. Can you?
Lyrics
Kevin Devine's Put Your Ghost To Rest came out in October of my freshman year. On the day of its release I walked in the cold to the Purevolume loft on Broadway, close to or in Chinatown, to sit with 10 people on beanbag chairs and watch Kevin play a few songs. It was special.
WHATEVER. Rediscovering music that I haven't listened to in a while is always a great experience. Thanks to Stereogum I found out that The Wrens recorded a new song live at Abbey Road Studios called "Pulled Fences." It's a reworked, somewhat spontaneously created version of a demo that was released a while back called "In Turkish Waters." It's great. Right after I listened to the song, I listened to The Meadowlands in its entirety. The album is so perfect that it doesn't make sense. It's rough in parts but it's entirely beautiful. I'm going to write an essay about it soon. I had an amazing experience being introduced to The Wrens at the CMJ show NYU hosted in October of my freshman year. The Walkmen, The Wrens and Friday Hyvonen. In my opinion, Frida and The Wrens blew The Walkmen out of the water, even though lead singer Hamilton brought out a buzz saw to cut into the band's piano (TOTAL GIMMICK, ass) and they smashed a guitar (possibly a Telecaster). I had heard of The Wrens as they were "signed" to Drive-Thru Records, my favorite label when I was younger, for a brief period. Why I chose to listen to Midtown and New Found Glory instead of The Wrens is something I will attempt to answer FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
Here you go guys. You ever really want to be able to cry to something (but you can't... or don't want to...)? Carmen used the word transcendent. Do it.
Stream "Ex-Girl Collection"(Lyrics)
Stream "Hopeless"(Lyrics)
Download The Meadowlands
*Ignore this entire post and just watch this video:
Lyrics
Kevin Devine's Put Your Ghost To Rest came out in October of my freshman year. On the day of its release I walked in the cold to the Purevolume loft on Broadway, close to or in Chinatown, to sit with 10 people on beanbag chairs and watch Kevin play a few songs. It was special.
WHATEVER. Rediscovering music that I haven't listened to in a while is always a great experience. Thanks to Stereogum I found out that The Wrens recorded a new song live at Abbey Road Studios called "Pulled Fences." It's a reworked, somewhat spontaneously created version of a demo that was released a while back called "In Turkish Waters." It's great. Right after I listened to the song, I listened to The Meadowlands in its entirety. The album is so perfect that it doesn't make sense. It's rough in parts but it's entirely beautiful. I'm going to write an essay about it soon. I had an amazing experience being introduced to The Wrens at the CMJ show NYU hosted in October of my freshman year. The Walkmen, The Wrens and Friday Hyvonen. In my opinion, Frida and The Wrens blew The Walkmen out of the water, even though lead singer Hamilton brought out a buzz saw to cut into the band's piano (TOTAL GIMMICK, ass) and they smashed a guitar (possibly a Telecaster). I had heard of The Wrens as they were "signed" to Drive-Thru Records, my favorite label when I was younger, for a brief period. Why I chose to listen to Midtown and New Found Glory instead of The Wrens is something I will attempt to answer FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
Here you go guys. You ever really want to be able to cry to something (but you can't... or don't want to...)? Carmen used the word transcendent. Do it.
Stream "Ex-Girl Collection"(Lyrics)
Stream "Hopeless"(Lyrics)
Download The Meadowlands
*Ignore this entire post and just watch this video:
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