Some of the things I love come under intense fire and scrutiny, and I am forced to intensely defend them. Conversely, there are things that I am done defending – they have crossed a certain line of mediocrity that I cannot follow. And then there are a few things that certainly have made mistakes, but I have not given up on yet.
So, because, as you know, I love lists, after the jump you will be treated to five things I constantly defend, five things I’m done defending, and five things that I feel still deserve defense, even if they’ve slipped up recently.
I imagine Lafayette, Colorado, feels like Lubbock in many ways. It’s probably not as isolated as we are out here in West Texas, five hours from anything. After all, it’s a skip away from Boulder and is close enough to Denver to be a legit suburb. But when I listen to Gauntlet Hair, I get the feeling that there is a small, dedicated group of kids looking for something more than what is being offered, far from the shopping malls and skate parks, far from the Coca-Cola-sponsored arenas and dingy hip-hop night clubs, far from the culture-less void that is a quiet mountain town.
The single in question, the most-blogged about track from the group, is called “I Was Thinking.” You can listen/download below.
Prefix Mag described the song better than I ever could:
“…a pretty insatiable guitar stomp that throws some R&B and soul into the lo-fi revival pot, mixing heavily-reverbed guitars with a simple, but undeniably booty-shaking beat. Add in some Animal Collective-style vocal melodies and you’ve got something pretty fantastic.”
One of my favorite bands, the Sacramento-based Deftones, are preparing the release of their sixth full-length album, Diamond Eyes, on May 4. In light of this, I am going back, re-listening to, and analyzing their previous albums to gain a perspective of the band’s past while waiting in anticipation of the band’s future.
I have been super lazy with the blog as of late; hopefully I’ll shape up tomorrow and actually write something. In the meantime, however, I figured I would share with you the funniest sketch of this weekend’s SNL, hosted by Tina Fey. Happy Monday!
Today I continue my ten-part series showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of last year.
80. Nickel Eye – Brandy of the Damned
Seems like all last year, the Strokes were running around doing all kinds of different things unrelated to their core band. Julian and Albert pursued solo projects, while Fabrizio started Little Joy. The only one that sat around and counted money was Nick Valensi. Bassist Nikolai Fraiture started the Nickel Eye project, churning out a debut album in January of 2009. While I was mostly underwhelmed with the majority of the disc, “Brandy of the Damned” is the ultra-repetitive, ultra-catchy standout.
I grew up shaking my booty to “Celebration,” but thanks to my boys in Girls We Never Slept With, a resurgence of this 70’s funk powerhouse has made its way back into my life.
Kool and the Gang have sold over 70 million records worldwide, but that should come as no surprise after hearing pop-funk jams like “Hollywood Swinging” and “Ladies Night.” But their breakthrough hit is one that was somewhat forgotten until 1995. That was the year that Quentin Tarantino put the song in question, “Jungle Boogie,” in his seminal flick Pulp Fiction. Listen to that song, and then listen to their biggest hit, the aforementioned “Celebration.” We can clearly hear Kool and the Gang’s transformation from the early 70’s straight-funk sound to a more disco-based sound, the latter of which the group is best known for.
However, whether you like your Kool and the Gang raw and dirty, or if you prefer their polished later work, one thing is clear and consistent throughout – they bring the funk.
A sampling of funky fresh joints after the jump, y’all.
I’m too lazy to post anything significant today, but I contributed to a post over at Mucho Mucho Bueno Bueno regarding SXSW. For those of you not in the know, my name is Ben. Enjoy!
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
280. Say Anything – Wow! I Can Get Sexual Too
At this point I feel I need to make a quick reminder (especially to my music snob friends) that a lot of the songs in this list are not really songs I listen to on a regular basis. Most of them are here for nostalgic purposes and to give a perspective of my preference and its evolution over the past ten years. Having stated that, I love all these songs; they all hold a special place in my….uh, music heart. And, as they say, much like most countdowns, as the numbers get smaller, the hits get bigger. So hang in there, hipsters!
That being said, this song is really dumb. The lyrics are stupid, in a Bloodhound Gang kind of way (look for them later in the list, kids!), and this band really does nothing for me. But when this song came out, I rocked this bitch like it was “Stairway to Heaven.” And just try not to smile once while listening. The guy’s voice is humorously absurd, much like the story he’s telling.
Some of the things I love come under intense fire and scrutiny, and I am forced to intensely defend them. Conversely, there are things that I am done defending – they have crossed a certain line of mediocrity that I cannot follow. And then there are a few things that certainly have made mistakes, but I have not given up on yet.
