(no subject)
way way overdue for a top five. the year long month in review
1. "It's Rough"-(smog): my friend becca burned me "a river ain't too much to love" years ago but it never really piqued my interest, and then, for some reason, i suppose a random whim, i went out and bought three smog CDs, one after the other: dongs of sevotion, the doctor came at dawn, and wild love. i can't pick a favorite song yet, i haven't really absorbed it all thus far, all i know is that these moods are perfect for me right now. It's rough is just the song i'm listening to right now, although if i were forced to pick specific favorite songs, this would be one of them, along with "bathysphere" (much better than the cat power cover) and probably "all your women things". if you haven't ever listened to smog, or if you've only heard his newer stuff, these are definitely worth checking out. he's that perfect blend of unsettling darkness, wallowing meloncholy, and just enough humor to take him seriously...i guess i haven't been doing so great lately but this is perfect for that. and fuck, joanna newsom fell in love with him. proof positive he's wonderful.
2. "tide to the oceans"-the silver jews: i guess (smog) is my new silver jews, but i still love my silver jews. and this song...for one, its perfect for that bizarre, static, almost unsettling sadness i was talking about, at least in that slightly off kilter but painfully simple guitar line in the verse. and the chorus, shit man...i remember this one time, me and my good friend lee were driving around highland park at night, probably a little drunk, probably a little sad but in that happy way, and listening to music cause one of the things i love about lee is how easy it is to be quiet around her, so we were just sitting there, not talking, and this song came on...and i don't think she'd ever heard it, but once the ooh ooh ooh ooh oohs, we both started singing along...beautiful. elipses beautiful. julia knows.
3. "all fires"-swan lake: odds are if you've spoken to me in the past two weeks you know that i haven't been able to shut up about this fucking swan lake CD. cause it somehow actually lives up to my ridiculously large expectations, or it at least holds up enough for me to be satisfied. and this song especially; spencer krug is probably my favorite current songwriter out there, and it's obviously his song, and its so beautiful, and the lyrics are so great. they kinda remind me of conor skully's whole memorized poem about the church in the village (which all you putney kids will remember), only simpler. jeez, great.
4. "snowstorm"-galaxie 500: an obviouse choice because i just got my galaxie 500 CDs back and it snowed yesterday morning. heavily. and i got to see it. it's all gone now, of course, it only lasted a few hours, but i never get to see snow, much less listen to this song while seeing snow. which, like i said, is an obvious combination, but fuck if it doesnt work spectacularly. ice metaphors are already so carelessly tossed around when talking about their music; and while they've always worked wonders with simple parts, i dont think they, or maybe anyone, have ever taken two chords to such beautiful heights as they do here. the infomercial quip: "if you only hear one galaxie 500 song in your lifetime, make it this one." but please, for me, don't restrict yourself to just one galaxie 500 song in your lifetime.
5. "untitled 3"-sigur ros: there's an actual title for this, i know it, i just can't remember right now. from the "()" album, natch. an album, i think, which is unfairly underrated, as it comes within a millimeter of topping agaetis byrjun in my book, and certainly trumps it when it comes to certain headstates. a song so beautiful i found myself alone in the house one day over the piano, an instrument i never learned, for hours trying to figure it out, with some slight success. and i saw mysterious skin again the other day (i finally bought it), which is beautiful all the way through, both visually and musically, but never as much as the very end, when this song plays and the the camera fades away. far more effective than when vanilla sky stuffed some sigur ros in at the end. i dont know what im getting at. alison by slowdive still makes me cry. but this song comes awful close. fuck all. im off.
and next time julia i promise not to leave you for breakfast.
1. "It's Rough"-(smog): my friend becca burned me "a river ain't too much to love" years ago but it never really piqued my interest, and then, for some reason, i suppose a random whim, i went out and bought three smog CDs, one after the other: dongs of sevotion, the doctor came at dawn, and wild love. i can't pick a favorite song yet, i haven't really absorbed it all thus far, all i know is that these moods are perfect for me right now. It's rough is just the song i'm listening to right now, although if i were forced to pick specific favorite songs, this would be one of them, along with "bathysphere" (much better than the cat power cover) and probably "all your women things". if you haven't ever listened to smog, or if you've only heard his newer stuff, these are definitely worth checking out. he's that perfect blend of unsettling darkness, wallowing meloncholy, and just enough humor to take him seriously...i guess i haven't been doing so great lately but this is perfect for that. and fuck, joanna newsom fell in love with him. proof positive he's wonderful.
2. "tide to the oceans"-the silver jews: i guess (smog) is my new silver jews, but i still love my silver jews. and this song...for one, its perfect for that bizarre, static, almost unsettling sadness i was talking about, at least in that slightly off kilter but painfully simple guitar line in the verse. and the chorus, shit man...i remember this one time, me and my good friend lee were driving around highland park at night, probably a little drunk, probably a little sad but in that happy way, and listening to music cause one of the things i love about lee is how easy it is to be quiet around her, so we were just sitting there, not talking, and this song came on...and i don't think she'd ever heard it, but once the ooh ooh ooh ooh oohs, we both started singing along...beautiful. elipses beautiful. julia knows.
3. "all fires"-swan lake: odds are if you've spoken to me in the past two weeks you know that i haven't been able to shut up about this fucking swan lake CD. cause it somehow actually lives up to my ridiculously large expectations, or it at least holds up enough for me to be satisfied. and this song especially; spencer krug is probably my favorite current songwriter out there, and it's obviously his song, and its so beautiful, and the lyrics are so great. they kinda remind me of conor skully's whole memorized poem about the church in the village (which all you putney kids will remember), only simpler. jeez, great.
4. "snowstorm"-galaxie 500: an obviouse choice because i just got my galaxie 500 CDs back and it snowed yesterday morning. heavily. and i got to see it. it's all gone now, of course, it only lasted a few hours, but i never get to see snow, much less listen to this song while seeing snow. which, like i said, is an obvious combination, but fuck if it doesnt work spectacularly. ice metaphors are already so carelessly tossed around when talking about their music; and while they've always worked wonders with simple parts, i dont think they, or maybe anyone, have ever taken two chords to such beautiful heights as they do here. the infomercial quip: "if you only hear one galaxie 500 song in your lifetime, make it this one." but please, for me, don't restrict yourself to just one galaxie 500 song in your lifetime.
5. "untitled 3"-sigur ros: there's an actual title for this, i know it, i just can't remember right now. from the "()" album, natch. an album, i think, which is unfairly underrated, as it comes within a millimeter of topping agaetis byrjun in my book, and certainly trumps it when it comes to certain headstates. a song so beautiful i found myself alone in the house one day over the piano, an instrument i never learned, for hours trying to figure it out, with some slight success. and i saw mysterious skin again the other day (i finally bought it), which is beautiful all the way through, both visually and musically, but never as much as the very end, when this song plays and the the camera fades away. far more effective than when vanilla sky stuffed some sigur ros in at the end. i dont know what im getting at. alison by slowdive still makes me cry. but this song comes awful close. fuck all. im off.
and next time julia i promise not to leave you for breakfast.