DMB

A couple weeks ago Elliot had a little baby boy who he named Jonas. When I first had a chance to talk to him after the baby was born, he told all about the baby and the the delivery. Then he was quick to tell me about this new album of Dave Matthews Band that he could not get out of his head. While this does not reflect on Elliot as a father, it does show how much he loves music. While participating in the excitement and drama of child birth, Elliot was sing "Shake me like a monkey, baby / Forever I'm yours..." or maybe he was singing to his boy, "...I'll be right here, lying in the hands of God..."

Anyway, After his recommendation I immediately checked it out. And just as quickly it was stuck in my head as well. I was sing to myself, "It's why I am, it's why I am..." And it is not just the fact that it is stuck in my head, it is really all I want to listen to. While I have been forcing myself to listen to other things, many times I have found myself straying not far but to another Dave Matthews Band album.

I have thought a lot about what I want from my music and near the top of the list is, I want to be amazed. I want to feel the music. For example, when I heard the bridge in the song "Funny the Way It Is" it gave me the chills. And that is what I want from music. I want to be blown away by the genius of it.

In fact that is the best word to describe what I want, "genius." I think Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King is genius. While the whole album is good, the genius can be seen most easily to me in the following songs:

Shake Me Like a Monkey
Funny the Way It Is
Why I Am
Dive In
Seven

I write this in an attempt to free myself from the grasps of this music. And probably more effectively catch others who brave the music in the snare.

Mr. Mastadon Farms

"Birds fall from the window ledge above mine." This is a line from my favorite cake song. How could anyone not like Cake. They did a cover of "I will survive" for craps sake. In the song Mr. Mastadon Farms the dude talks about how the birds falling from the window ledge and then flapping their wings at the last second is somehow linked to his need to see them flap their wings at the last second or else it means that his life would not be able to go on. He needs to see their last second flight. It is a genius song. It is weird though. Cake is like They might be Giants for cool kids. They might be giants are cool but lets face it only weirdos listen to them or own their albums (self proclaimed weirdo here.) But Cake gives you just enough weird mixed with some awesome funky shiz (small funk ensemble with 0ne trumpet) and a unique talky voice. The song is Mr. Mastadon Farms. The band is Cake. Check it. Word. (I'm a nerd)

Finally Some New Assignments

I am going to try a little bit different format. I am just going to give you an artist this week and you can comment on the artist or choose a song by that artist. Make sense?

Isaac - Cake

Elliot - Andrew Bird

Eric - You can choose whatever you want.

Let me know what you have chosen and I will update the player above. Hopefully we can get back into it. Next week Elliot will make assignments.

Daniel Johnston- Speedy Motorcycle

"Speedy motorcycle, won't you change me."

This song sounds like some dude in his basement with some toy instruments. I seriously don't know what instruments he uses in this song. Despite the poor sound quality and that of the vocals and the strange instruments, this song gets stuck in my head and I kind of like it. Its catchy. 

I don't know exactly what the lyrics say but from what I can gather, he is using the speedy motors as a transitory metaphor. He describes many situations in his life by comparing them to a speedy motor cycle.

"Speedy motorcycle of my heart."

I just listen to the song I again and I got it all wrong. Oh, well.

Reprieve

Hey fellas, I'm gonna need to put all blog-assignments on hold until the week of May 17th. Is that ok? I have finals and there have been about a dozen extra-curricular distactions on top of preparing for finals--which I'm terribly under-prepared for. Anyway, sorry about that, but it makes me feel better letting y'all know rather than ignore my assignments.

Keep me posted on who's up for the week of May 17th and where we stand and stuff.

Elliot

Degausser

I loved the choir of, what seems like, children singing. I like what elliot said about the bipolarness of the music. That is a great way to describe this band and music in this genre. I read a little bit about this album and found out that the title of the album was inspired by Daniel Johnston. If you don't know about him you should. I myself only know a little bit about him. I am going to find out more about him. He became well known when Kurt Cobain wore a t-shirt of one of Daniel Johnstons Album Covers. (Daniel is also a respected artist) I am all about roots. I always feel like I can't understand music unless I know its roots. Nirvana is certainly a root to the Brand New tree but lets dig deeper. For my assignment I want you guys to review Daniel Johnston. I am going to do some more research and get back to you with specific songs. In the mean time google Daniel Johnston.

Sowing Season - Brand New

[Sorry I'm late. I turned in a 25 pg. paper today that I didn't start until this last mid-Saturday due to a trip to the ER, among other things...]

Okay, so it's no secret that I'm a fan of Nirvana. When I was experiencing my teenage apathy, I finally understood why similarly lame teenagers had connected so strongly with Nirvana half a decade earlier.

Where's he going with this?

Many people don't like/appreciate/connect with/recognize Nirvana, but for those who do (yes, those that do all of those slash-separated items!) they understand that Kurt was a master of the bi-polar, schizophrenic sound.

This isn't Nirvana, it's Brand New. Again, where's he going with this?

So too with this song. I don't want to sell the song short, but you don't have to understand what the lyrics mean to understand this song. You don't even have to speak English.

This guy's too liberal for me. . .

If you're an impatient person and just want my conclusion now--skip forward to 0:45. Let the mood sink in quickly, because in 18 seconds you're going to be hit in the ear-hole with a passionate "YEAH!!!"

I still don't get it.

This is a song that you blast when you are heart-broken or angry at life or just frustrated with something unsettling. You feel pensive moments when you're depressingly sensitive, followed by moments of mania--when you want to angrily lash out at anything or nothing at all.

This is too abstract and pretentious for my taste.

Then, 3:33 happens. Naked expression. Something you yell in the car as you drive away from something that didn't go right. This naked expression is followed by a rush to your head--similar to the swell you start to hear at 3:45.

It's a beautiful song.

It's a great song. But I wonder if I was listening to the same thing as you.

Brand New, "Jesus Christ"

I like the song because it is full of feeling. The same reason I like any song for the most part.  But it is difficult for me to go any further than that. I almost feel like it is analyzing a pray. All it needs is an "amen" at the end. But then again, it is published and produced for the world to hear and in that way, I guess it is open for commentary. 

Here are a few lines that I feel are most important to the song:

I know you're coming in the night like a thief...

...But I'm scared I'll get scared and I swear I'll try to nail you back up
So do you think that we could work out a sign
So I'll know it's you and that it's over so I won't even try
I know you're coming for the people like me
But we all got wood and nails
And we turn out hate in factories...

...And we sleep inside of this machine

This reminds me of that common story that we hear at church about a guy being interviewed and asked if he knows Jesus and if so, how. He then leaves the interview. The next interviewee walks into the room and falls on his knees and says, "my Lord my God." We are all familiar with this story, correct?  

I also thought of a question that I think I have heard asked in church, "What would you have done if you were a jew in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus?"

   

The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me (again)

Well... since no one (besides me) reviewed songs the week that I assigned songs from this album I'm going to do it again. Now, to decide what to give to whom.

Elliot - Sowing Season (Yeah), Brand New

Ryan - Jesus Christ, Brand New

Isaac - Degausser, Brand New

I find songmeanings.net to be very helpful, if you need ideas or anything.

Jackson Square

Upon first listen to this song I was kind of confused. I kept waiting for a chorus that never came. I usually like when songs step outside the norm like that. I like the song I just don't like that there isn't a chorus. I think that this song would be better with it.

This song is about Jennings and a woman he met in New Orleans. It's about their story. It ends up being a very sad story.

One of my favorite lines is:
"you smiled at me and i jumped right in
before i knew it you were all i knew"
I just love this kind of "love line" if you will. I guess this is something that I've always wanted to happen to me and it has, and I like it. Haha. He then talks about how they moved in together and rented a room above Jackson Square.

The story then takes a turn. He talks about how everything changed and how her "eyes got strange". I think that she probably started having problems with depression and that it just keeps getting worse. I just reread these lyrics and they amazed me:
"i can hear her crying through the bathroom door
she says she hears spirits all around the room
and they're telling her things that make her feel scared
i have no idea what to do"
I just really think that the last line is awesome. For some reason his admittance to helplessness is really cool.

The next verse talks about her suicide. I like what words he uses when he says he has a weight on his chest. This is the reason that I think that she had depression but I guess there could have been insanity or something.

Jackson Square is place where Jennings experienced love and then hardships and then loss of love. It was the place where a lot of great and horrible things happened in his life.

The Ghost of Tom Joad

It begins...

0:01 -- 0:22  Random guitar noises. And it starts to build. I recommend listening to this with head phones on.

0:23 -- 0:36  Classic, yet top notch, Rage guitar riff. Probably their very best.  

Durning the verse, while Zack de la Rocha thrash raps Bruce Springstein's lyrics, Tom Morello plays a simplified version of the above mentioned riff. 

At 1:11, what I can only describe as guitar squeaks begin. And the songs continues to build. Note the clicking that starts a 1:24.

2:06 -- 2:19  A riff variation with a sort of drum solo adds some diversity and more building.

2:19 --  Esspecial not worth is the solo-type riff that begins now. I will continue through much of the rest of the song. Another very cool riff.

2:50 -- First riff, second riff and squeaking. Tell me that something is not building.

3:30 -- An almost siren sound begins.

4:24 -- What I call the frustrated guitar/drums begin. By this point de la Rocha is paraphrasing the famous lines from the story of Tom Joad, Grapes of Wrath, which I think is essence of the song. 

4:39 -- He first ends the list of antecedents true to the book, "I'll be there." But at this moment in the song, noise is building to accentuate the paraphrased version, "You'll see me," which is repeated several times.

"Now the highway is alive tonight

No one is fooling no one as to where it goes

I'm sitting down here to the campfire light 

with the ghost of Tom Joad"   

     

"Fred Jones was worn out,...

...from caring for his often, screaming and crying wife during the day but he couldn't sleep at night for fear that she, in a stupor from the drugs that didn't ease the pain, would set the house a blaze with a cigarette." These are the lyrics from a song called "Cigarette" on the Ben Folds Five album called "Whatever and Ever Amen." One of the geniuses of Ben Folds is the way he tells stories with his songs. In the song "Cigarette" he tells a story about Fred Jones in one sentence. Go back and read it again to make sure. In the song "Fred Jones Part 2" he tells a more detailed story about Fred. Both songs are great stories about one sad dude. His wife seems to be sick and dying of something, maybe cancer, in the first song. In the second song he loses his job at "the paper" after 25 years. Each song deals with the element of time in interesting ways. The first song has a minute long intro where the piano plays most of a whole verse and then he sings the whole sentence in one verse and a bridge. The last word of the sentence happens as the piano plays what could be the beginning of another verse, leaving the impression that the song could go on or that Fred goes through the same thing again over and over. The refrain of "part 2" is "and I'm sorry Mr. Jones, it's time." It also deals with one of the biggest measurements of time called life. It barrels on like a run-away train.
Each song also deals with lonliness. I really like both of these songs a lot. They are really sad. The cello in "part 2" kills me. They are both beautifully written and recorded. The back up vocals from the dude from Cake are notable and well placed. Ben Folds is definitely a great story teller.
Other songs of his that profile characters that I like are; Kate, Losing Lisa, Zak and Sara, the Army, the ascent of Stan, the battle of who could care less and many many more.

Assignments - Songs from Elliot's personal top 10

[Ryan I'll need help getting the songs on the website so you, Eric, and Isaac have access to them. Did that need to be said, or is it assumed?]

*Caveat: even though these are songs from my personal top 10, I do not expect you to exhibit any type of deference toward that.

Eric: Jackson Square, Mason Jennings

Isaac: Fred Jones, pt. II, Ben Folds

Ryan: Ghost of Tom Joad, Rage Against The Machine

(If you want, after you've all posted I could tell you where exactly these three songs rank in my top 10)

After all this, won't you give me a smile?

Our first picture. I thought it was a good idea. I decided to write my response before I even read the other ones. I'm not sure if this will help my review but it just seemed right to me.



As I listen to the song on repeat I'm still not exactly sure what all I'm going to write about. I like the music and the way that his voice sounds. It's like authentic punk, which I think is really cool. I think there is some popular clash song that I know but I have no idea what it is. I also probably wouldn't regularly listen to them just cause I feel there are better bands to listen to.

Now onto what the song is about. The reason that the song was written was because of an accident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. There was an accident with a pressurized water reactor and this was the "nuclear error". The Clash singer, Joe Strummer said that he thought that "we were about to slip down a slope, or something".

"A nuclear error, but I have no fear
London is drowning-and I live by the river"

I think that these ending lines to the chorus show the "I don't care" attitude of this type of music. The line about London drowning has to do with the Thames river in the center of London. It has been said that if the river flooded that all of central London would drown.

The next lines I'd like to talk about go as follows:

"London calling, now don't look at us
All that phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust"

When I first read this line I thought it very interesting that they would hate on the Beatles. Wikipedia begged to differ. Haha. I guess the band was having a lot of issues at the time with debt and with their label. Some say that the line referred to the end of the "punk boom" in 1977. Another point of view is that the line isn't about the Beatles at all but about the Broadway production of Beatlemania. So "the line castigated late 1970s culture for its lack of substance, such as consuming "phoney Beatlemania," essentially a simulated, rather than actual, experience."

Overall, I think that "London Calling" is a good song. I wouldn't mind enjoying it every once in a while.

The Clash - Armagideon Time

"Lot of people a runnin' and hidin' tonight . . . a lot of people won't get no justice tonight"

First of all, let's just say what everyone's thinking: this song must've been the spring-board for Sublime's entire career. Honestly, just think of Sublime one time while listening to this song. Can't you see them as teenagers hearing this and saying, "This song is what I'm basing the rest of my life off of!"

It starts with that awesome reggae beat, but not a typical reggae beat. It sounds almost oppressive. The recurring guitar fill rocks. It's so chill, so simple--I don't smoke pot, but I'm almost tempted to light up a joint and watch a lava lamp for a couple hours talking to a fellow stoner about the end of the world. Okay just kidding (was that too detailed to just be kidding? Yikes.)

"No one will guide you through Armagideon Time"

So long as I'm just writing this off the top of my head (I have like 50 pages of junk to read before noon tomorrow and it's passed 10pm already!), this line shows more lyrical sophistication than any of my experience with Sublime. I don't really know what the song is about, but the lyrics mirror the overall feel of the song. Though it's got that hit on 2-4 reggae beat--which is often thought of as some of the most inherently joyous-sounding music around--it still manages to sound bleak, full of angst, and almost like an nomadic, reggae chant.

I'd like to think that this is a classic, societally pessimistic song--along the vein of common teenage apathy. Specifically about how young people often think that the world's out to get them--that it's set up to do that.

Long story short: melancholy reggae chant; oppressive feel; possible feeling of teenage angst bleeding through.

Train in Vain (Isaac)

I have always wanted to know more about the Clash. One of the most frustrating things in life for me is the fact that I will never be able to listen to all the music I want. I am glad that Ryan has given me a reason to learn more about the Clash. Train in Vain is effectively an after thought on the album London Calling. On the original release the track doesn't even show up on the list of songs instead it fades in after the last song and fades out at the end. It seems that it was written to be given away as part of a promotional packet in a magazine but the cost was too high and so they tagged on to the end of the album. Train in Vain became one of the Clashes biggest hits. It was the first Clash song to crack the United States Top 30 charts and in 2004, the song was ranked number 292 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.


I love how simple this song is. It is really rootsy. It has elements of country in the lyrics, and blues in the rhythm and harmonica. There really isn't much to this song. Three or four chords and repetitive riff from the guitar and harmonica. The lyrics never actually say the words train or vain but it seems that they named it that to avoid confusion with the Ben E. King classic song Stand by Me which is the other title of Train in Vain. It seems that this song draws on not only Kings Stand by Me but also Tammy Winnettes Stand by Your Man. Train in Vain could be an answer to both songs. In the Ben E. King song he pleads "oh darlin won't you stand by me?" In the Winnette song she exhorts women to "Stand by your man." In train in Vain Mick Jones asks "did you stand by me?" and answers his own question "no not at all." This refain is repeated as if to say emphatically that no you didn't stand by me. Not even when "the walls came tumbling down" or when I had to "keep the wolves at bay. Did you stand by me? No not at all."
It is my opinion that all bands need a good song about a train. Though this song doesn't mention a train it does have a train like drive, something that others have noticed, and like a good train song it talks about waiting in vain for something that didn't come. So this is the Clashes good song about a train and I think that as after thoughts go this was a good one.

Assignments: The Clash

I didn't know much about The Clash. I had only heard that they were an influential band and I knew that one of my past favorite bands, 311, covered one of their songs. But that was about it. Well, I listened to some of their stuff that I found on my computer and I read over their Wikipedia page and now I am pretty much and expert and a die-hard fan. All kidding aside, I have chosen songs that I like and that I think you will like.

Elliot-The Clash, "Armagideon Time"

Isaac-The Clash, "Train in Vain"

Eric-The Clash, "London Calling" (I didn't know what I was going to give you until the moment I typed. For some reason, I just really want you to enjoy reviewing this one.)

Enjoy. And feel free to check out their Wikipedia page, it is quite informative.

I am all you've ever wanted, what all the other boys all promised.

Brand New, Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't, Deja Entendu

When Elliot assigned this song to my I got pretty excited. It's one of my favorite Brand New songs ever. It is pretty amazing. I love the introduction, how it's just Jesse and the guitar. Then they throw in another guitar for the verse. I love songs that sound that way. It's almost a vocal solo. I'm not sure what a vocal solo is, so maybe it is one.

In the verses the lyrics mostly focus on one topic. How great Brand New is. Talking about being "heaven sent", "all you've ever wanted", "entirely smooth", and "the best at what we do." Ha. Even as I write this I'm listening to this and I realized that the beginning of the song isn't as much about that as I thought. At one part before the first choruses he focuses on a past love that he doesn't want to "write about anymore" and even wishes a terminal disease on her.

The chorus kind of conflicts with the bragging part of the verses:

"We're concentrated on falling apart
We were contenders, now throwing the fights
I just want to believe...I just want to believe..I just want to believe.. in us"

This part talks about being great and then falling apart on purpose. Apparently because it will help him believe in the band and what they are doing? Yeah, I'm unsure. That's how I roll.

As I said earlier I love this song and this album. I think that Deja Entendu is a great album. Deja Entendu in French means, already heard. I remember reading somewhere that Jesse said that the reason for the name was because they weren't coming out with anything that anyone hadn't heard before.

By the way I do wish that that was the way my voice sounded.

Administrative Business: New Format

We are changing the format a bit. One person selects all of the songs one week (we will call him the selector). So the selector choose three songs, one for each of the other three writers (we will call them the commentators). The commentators will then write a post on the one song they were assigned. This does a few valuable things: One, it guarenttees no assignment from the selector goes to waste. Two, it may help avoid any possible burnout by giving the selector a week off from commentary. Three, it makes fun weekly themes easy, the selector can do anything he wants. The selector posistion will rotate, starting with me (Ryan), then Elliot, then Eric, then our newest member, Isaac. 

sorry

Hey guys, I'm sorry I've slacked off this week. It's been CRAZY. I guess that happens sometimes. Honestly, I'm sorry.

I'll just forego last week and combine it with this week's assignment. So Ryan, if you want to assign me something new you can, if not, I'll just consider your assignment for last week.

Here are this week's assignments (it's sentence-long-title week):

Ryan: "Please Don't talk about murder while I'm eating," by Ben Harper

Eric: "Okay I Believe you but my tommy gun don't," Brand New

The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me

Elliot - Jesus Christ, Brand New, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me

Ryan - Sowing Season (Yeah), Brand New, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me

I'd also like you guys to interpret the name of the album as well. :)

Both Songs?

I think that at least mentioning something about both songs is a really good idea. Personally I'm going to focus mostly on the Dear and the Headlights song.

I apologize for taking so long. I should be ashamed of myself. Too bad I hardly ever feel shame bahahaha.

Anyway, lets get to the reason we are all here. "Young Pilgrims" by the Shins is a fantastic song. It is very pleasing to the ear and I thoroughly enjoy listening to it. I love the music parts in it and I also love his voice and the different ways that he sings the songs. As to what the song means I'm still kind of in the dark about that. I guess that's why my focus will stay on D&TH.

"A cold and wet November dawn
And there are no barking sparrows
Just emptiness to dwell upon
I fell into a winter slide
And ended up the kind of kid
Who goes down Chutes Too Narrow
Just eking out my measly pipes"

I love the beginning of the song (above). I think that it really grabs you and makes you love the song in the first moments, which for artists today can be really very important. I especially like the last line as a mention of his voice.

"It's Getting Easy" by Dear and the Headlights is an amazing song. I love Dear and the Headlights. They are in my top 5 all time favorite bands. This is mostly because of the passion that the singer has and you can tell by listening to their songs.

This song starts off with piano that brings in the voice. This song is hard to figure out as well but I think that I've got it:

"In this act I'll disguise those dead eyes,
stretch tight the lips, a glistening gum line
Mouth curtains pulled I shine.
My yellow stage light smile distracting
Dancing puppets on short saliva strings
So you'll find comfort in a lie."

This starts out by using the word "act" which means that he is faking. It's about his smile and how since he's smiling someone (you) will find comfort.

The song continues on and it can get confusing. At this very moment I'm pondering what the line that shares the title means. I guess it means that acting is getting easier and easier. (Wow, it's amazing how stuff will come to you and it'll be so simple and you're like 'gol I'm dumb')

I can relate to this song because I've had people in my life who have dealt with depression. He talks about taking pills and it sounds exactly like how those pills made my friends feel. They told me how most of the time in order to get through their depression they would just have to act happy so that people around them wouldn't know what was going on.

Something that those pills do is they take away your real feelings which is why he says:

"The pill, dissolved, it's flushing out
Everything I care about
And not replacing it with anything substantial"

The pills take away important things and doesn't replace them.

Don't worry I'm almost done. He talks about not being able to express himself. I'll end with a few lines that show depression.

"I wish I had a single thought the least bit legitimate enough
To open up my mouth and say anything I mean, I don't mean anything!"

I Can't Decide

I just don't know. I like both of the songs but neither are are my favorite from their respective artist. I have decided to just give a brief commentary of both.

"Shankill Butchers" - The Decemberists
It is funny that I have listen to this song many times and I like it but I have never really thought about what the song is about. Not event the title really made me think twice. What is a Shankill Butcher?

Thanks to Wikipedia I found out.

"The "Shankill Butchers" were a group of Ulster Volunteer Force members involved in a large number of loyalist paramilitary activities in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the 1970s. The Butchers' chief notoriety came from late-night abduction, torture and killings (by throat slashing) of random members of the Roman Catholic community."

It is very strange subject matter for a song but that is how The Decemberists roll. I may opinion this is the crucial section of the song:

"They used to be just like me and you
They used to be sweet little boys
But something went horribly askew
Now killing is their only source of joy
Cuz everybody knows if you don't mind your mothers words... etc."

What that means exactly... I don't know. Maybe some commentary on how society uses scare tactics to teach children or maybe how even the most heinous criminals are not that much different than you and me.

"Mother Make Me Golden" - Dear and the Headlights
This song is definitely growing on me. I like the music. but again I am going to focus on the lyrics. This is a sad song. I don't know if the "blakened" or the "you and him" phrases denote a bad experience with this mother in a tragedy in the family and I don't really care. I like to think that it is just a childlike call to mother to bring back the simple days of childhood. Eric and I where just talking about our childhood. Watching Micah bring thoughts of how nice it would be to have such a simple life, the life of a child, although completely impossible.

"With the stitches, no tag backs
And the red Kool-aid mustache
We can race there and then back
Just sodas and best friends

Waging war on the ant's nest
And a card in your spokes clicks
Like the buttons on a joy stick and
I loved it"

Dear & the Headlights

Elliot - Sweet Talk, Dear & the Headlights, Small Steps Heavy Hooves

Ryan - Mother Make Me Golden, Dear & the Headlights, Small Steps Heavy Hooves

Assignments

Elliot - Bob Dylan, "Subterranean Homesick Blues" in conjunction with Radiohead, "Subterranean Homesick Alien"

Eric - Dear & the Headlights, "It's Gettin' Easy"  

Assignments

Ryan: "Shankill Butchers" The Decemberists

Eric: "Young Pilgrims" The Shins

"In Bloom" - Nirvana

I'm a wee bit late... I apologize.

When I first read Elliot's assignment this week I was really confused and actually kind of peeved about it. I've never liked Nirvana. The song selection is what confused me though because at first glance I thought that the song was pretty lame and the lyrics didn't have much to them.

This morning I decided to think it over again because I wasn't set on the Pearl Jam song even though I was leaning that way. Then I realized that this song has a lot more to it.

This song is on Rock Band and I've sung it many times on the game. It's not that difficult to sing and actually it's kind of fun.

Even as I write this I'm still not sure if the verses have any meaning or that they have no meaning to give the chorus even more meaning. The lines in the verses kind of seem like they might have connection with one another but then again they may not.

The chorus is the main point of the song. It talks about a man that likes to sing along to "all [their] pretty songs." First off... in my opinion Nirvana has no pretty songs. I don't really like Kurt Cobain's voice. I would say that Nirvana's "pretty songs" would probably be the ones that are on the radio, or the popular ones.

I think that this song is about how people like songs not because of the lyrics or their meaning but because they sound good (they are pretty). The reason that the verse may or may not contribute to this is because people probably sing the verse without even realizing that it doesn't make any sense or have any particular meaning.

Well, there is my first post. I hope it wasn't too boring or scatterbrained for you. They'll improve for sure.

Flowing - 311

When I was younger, a teenager, this was my favorite 311 song and 311 was my favorite band, so excluding any anomalies, this might well have been my favorite song. But why? I think one of the big reasons is because it is in my vocal range so I could sing along and feel good about myself. It is quite enjoyable to sing along to, if you haven't tried it, I recommend it. 

It is about dreaming -- from what I can tell -- and I think I had a thing for that topic. I only says this because I have written a song or two about dreams and dreaming. 

Another thing that sticks out to me with this song is the music video. This is one of those songs with which I have a hard time separating it with its video (even though I haven't seen the video in years.) From what I remember it is a killer video. It feature a lot of people in orange suits including all of the band member. It fellows a man through a dream like journey from one situation to another. 

Overall, I am not feeling for the song what I used to feel. Clearly 311 has better songs but not only do they have better songs in there library of albums, the majority of songs on Soundsystem (one of my favorites) are better than the song Flowing.  Freeze Time, Large in the Margin, Can't Fade Me, Sever, Eons... And I could go on.

With that said, Flowing does have its place in the album as a whole. Flowing anchors Soundsystem. When looking a the album as a creative work, rather than each song individually, the album just wouldn't be as good without it.

"Freedom" - Rage Against The Machine

"ANGER IS A GIFT"

Okay, here's my take on this song's first 1:40: it's an average Rage song. The beginning is probably the best part. It grabs you--the classic Tom Morello hook with ZDR's angry fills. But beyond that, the lyrics aren't super insightful.

If the song continued like the first 1:40 does, I would absolutely have chosen to review 311's "Jacks Rule the Realm" --which I love (honestly, someone needs to review that song).

But one of the last times I listened to this song before I dismissed it for review and went with the 311 song, I had the volume up in my headphones and 1:42 came and I heard the quiet phrase: "Anger is a gift..." (repeated at 3:40, followed by a truly angry growl and his seeminly favorite phrase: "bring that s*** in!"). That phrase stuck with me, and it rang in my mind for a days.

That song tells so much about the genius of RATM. Let's be honest, if they didn't have that directed anger and instead were sing/rapping similar to Linkin Park or (heaven forbid) Limp Biskit, they'd just be an average band. Fading into the oblivion that was the turn of the 21st century.

As I parenthetically mentioned above, "anger is a gift" is repeated at 3:40. This is followed by a quintissential example of how they effectively harness their anger. With his growl-screams of "FREEDOM!!! YEAH, RIGHT!" with the guitar and bass repeatedly climbing that blues/rock scale--at the very least, one can't deny the emotion. But with me, I can't help but get angry as well.

"Anger is a gift." I can't really explain it, but that speaks so much to me. Like many, when I was a teenager I gained a certain degree of apathetic angst. It then turned to spiritual angst, then to societal angst, and on to nihilistic angst. All the while, I've had the Christian teaching of contention being of the devil and of not turning wrath upon one's fellow man in the back of my mind. This obvious conflict only produced more angst.

When I listen to RATM, I sort of set my angst free. This, to me, is why RATM is so genius. I love the anger while experiencing it. Even afterward, somehow if the anger is channeled, it almost seems productive--which, at least facially (if not in fact), helps remedy the conflict I have with my anger. It's cathartic, in a way that's entirely different than most angst-laden songs by other artists.

For years now I've wondered why it seems that I have anger sewn into the essential fabric of who I am. But I guess that anger is a gift.

In honor of 311 on March 11th

Elliot - Sometimes Jacks Rule the Realm, 311, Evolver

Ryan - Flowing, 311, Soundsystem

Assignments

Elliot - Rage Against the Machine, Freedom

Eric - Pearl Jam, No Way, Yield
(Give it a chance. Think about his voice and anything else good about the song.)

Assignments - Nirvana

Eric: In Bloom, Nirvana, Nevermind

Ryan: Where Did You Sleep Last Night, Nirvana, Unplugged (fyi: they covered this song, it's not their own)

Coldplay: Lost!

I don't know what that exclamation point is for...

Here's the thing: I wanted to comment on either one of the other two songs you assigned, but when it came down to it, I felt that if I did one of the other two I'd end up either writing a 10 page essay or writing something that sold the song short or both. So here's Lost!

Two things at the outset: (1) when I first listened to this album I felt that it was amazing for its presentation of sound--I don't know how to describe it--for its blending and presentation of an album with one similar sound. I loved it. I felt that Lost! was the epitome of the feel of the album. (2) I like Coldplay's lyrics, I don't love them. Lyrically, I think Coldplay is good, but they're a little too pastoral for me. Not to say they aren't effective or even advanced at what they do, it's only that they seem too universal, which some people really enjoy/need, I just don't latch on to that style of lyrics as much. With that said, they do a great job at what they do.

0:00 -- 0:10 - If this organ/clapping/weird percussion hook doesn't grab your attention, then you should be required to forfeit your sense of hearing. Honestly, if you don't perk up when you hear this, then pull a Van Gogh and slice off your ear(s).
Some other artists have tried to put forth a sound like this and failed. Kudos Coldplay.

Side note: I saw these guys on some late night show and they rocked it. Seriously, I imagine these guys being an amazing show.

0:56 - The chorus isn't as amazing as the rest of the song, but I do like when the melody and the rhythm match. The guitar on the end is also sweet.

1:22 - the added bass (I think it might be more organ-bass, like the pedals underneath the organ maybe? I don't know organs...) add so much. Is it just me, or is this a "big" sound? Isn't this the type of thing to put you over the threshold of being a "small" band?

2:23 - Okay, this is one of the coolest guitar-bridge things around. It's like the guitar player said, "Ok, hold on fellas, I'm gonna do something for a second." Plus, the haunting chorus in the background--amazing.

3:30 - I know it's a small thing, but honestly, how would you end a song like this? I think this is an appropriate ending to an amazing song. (ps. everyone should do themselves a favor and just let the disc run on to the next song!)

Summary: This song is undeniable. It starts out by interweaving an organ hook and a jungle beat--seriously, if that's not innovation then nothing is. I have no idea why some people rag on Coldplay, because they are amazing to me. U2 gets a lot of publicity, but honestly, 95% of U2 songs sound the same, which gets old, and the other 5% of their songs suck. But Coldplay seems waaaaaaaaay more aware of what is going on inside their songs and albums. They move through a song or an album the way only truly great artists do (at least, or especially, on this album).

Modest Mouse, "March Into the Sea"

I think you see Modest Mouse first as philosophers (Sorry for judging you and I could be wrong but that is the feeling I get). In thinking about these three songs, I have started to see the band more as amazing musicians, in spite of his voice. He is no Josh Groban. (And I sure you see their musical viability also). I think I have a problem with the philosophy in their music/lyrics because it goes over my head for the most part but I still love them. I think it is because of their amazing use of rising action and climax. It is like musical literature. I see them as story tellers because I follow each song emotional in the rising action and climax. But like true philosophers (I think, I don't really know that much about true philosophers)--at least in these songs--there seems to be no resolution, only the posing of a question or some other thought provoking device.

Parting Of The Sensory - "Some day you will die somehow and Something's going to steal your carbon" If this doesn't make you think then... I don't know.
Little Motel - "That's what we're waiting for aren't we?"
Etc.

In "March into the Sea" I think there is some playing with reverse evolution. "Our tails wagged and then fell off but we just turned back, marched into the sea."
"Let's shake hands if you want but soon both hands are gone, ha-ha-ha!"
It seems as though he could be talking about losing our humanity, hence the reverse evolution.
"Well treat me like the sea oh so salty and mean"
"Treat me like the disease like the rats and the fleas."
"Cut me down like a tree like the lumber or weeds, well discard who you please like the leaves off a tree.
"Well we all stumbled round tangled up in the cords from our phones, V.C.R. and our wordly woes.
March on!"

Now this line:
"Drag me out of the sea and then teach me to breath. Give me forced health till I wish death on myself."
I really don't know what it means. But it seems like an important line.

So basically I am saying I don't really know what this song means. But I love the feel of it. The rise in emotion the peak and then the abrupt ending. All the yelling that goes along with... I like it all.