This is a new collaberation between Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend, and Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot. I'm not gonna post any reviews.... We are free thinkers and we know what we like. For me, what you guys think is more important than some music reviewer I've never freaking heard of.
I have kissed a lot of girls. Bunchs. Like, in the hundreds probably. I really enjoy kissing. It stared in the 4th grade. I was "going steady" with Nadia. A thick girl in Mrs. Henderson's class. I think she was of Russian descent. She had a haircut just like Mary Lou Retton. Anywho, one day I was out in the front yard putting the Pennysavers on my bike in preparation for my route when Nadia showed up with a gaggle (I think girls travel in gaggles) of girls. The lead girl pushed Nadia towards me and said "Nadia says you haven't kissed her yet." This was true. The thought of kissing Nadia scared me and made my still developing testes retreat into my skinny white boy abdomen. I tried to ignore them for a while but they just stood there in a line on the sidewalk staring at me. And Nadia was just standing there in the no mans land between me and the sidewalk looking sad. I kept racking my brain trying to think of a cool way to get out of kissing her for what seemed like hours. I came up blank. So I did the only thing a respectable 4th grader could do. I dropped my Pennysavers, walked up to her, grabbed her, threw her over my knee and planted one on her a la Clark Gable, which was the only kiss I could visualize at the time. When I let her up she looked completely dumbfounded. I looked at her gaggle (that still doesn't seem right..) and they looked as stupefied as Nadia did. But then they all smiled at me, Nadia walked over to them and they all left. I was a hero. Word of my smooching prowess traveled quickly and soon I was the kissing king. And it didn't stop in grade school.
In high school I was kinda even more of a mouth slut. That's what the girls told each other. And what they told me after I kissed them. The funny thing is I would meet some girl, flirt with her for a few days at school and some girl she knew who knew some girl I knew who knew a girl I had made out with would tell her what a player I was. They would almost always ask me about it. I even had a whole speech worked up.
"Suzie says you kiss a lot of girls"
"That's true, I do."
"Why?"
"I like to kiss, I think people should kiss more often. If I had my way we would kiss each other hello. To me its my way of telling a girl that I think shes pretty and that I like being around them. It's not a big deal"
And then they would get this look in their eye. They knew I was full of crap but they were curious. 90% of the time they would make out with me within 48hrs. And I never had an unsatisfied customer. I was an amazing kisser. I knew what girls liked and what they didn't. I could tell just by looking at a girls mouth what kind of kisser she would be. I loved teaching girls new things to do with their lips.
Then I met the future Mrs Chops. I had just gotten back from my mission in France so I was kinda out of practice. The first time I saw her I was absolutely mesmerized by her mouth. It was small but pouty. And I knew I wanted to kiss it.
When I was in High School I went on maybe 2 dates in 4 yrs which did not end up in a kiss. But the first time out with Mrs Chops I was too scared. And the second time. And the third. But the fourth time we went out we ended up back at her place and she broke out her guitar to play some "Jewel" for me. She played "Hands" and as she was playing I couldnt take my eyes off of her mouth. I was moving in delicous ways and I wanted to taste it so bad. She finished singing and I just stared at her for a second. Then I asked.
"Can I kiss you"
"What kind?"
Oh crap. I had been gone for two years and all of a sudden there were "kinds". Dangit.
"I.. I dont know... What do you mean?"
"Regular or foriegn?"
"Umm... regular?"
And then she kissed me.
Best. Kiss. Ever.
Bar none. And I knew I loved her. And that I would never kiss anyone else again. And I was totally happy with that.
And so I give you songs that make me think of making out with Mrs Chops. Because 12 years later very little in this world makes me happier than being kissed by Mrs Chops.
He will be sorely missed. I mean, I didn't really care for the dude that much, but his older stuff was good. Like the stuff he sang before he turned all beige and stuff.
Wow... I always kinda felt sorry for his baby mama, but I guess today is a good day for her bank account.
His plastic surgeon on the other hand.... that guys' kids are gonna have a tough life from now on. I mean seriously... public school? Shopping at WalMart? Ewwwwwwww!!!!!!!
He is survived by his children (who are, oddly enough, petrified of heights), 18 brothers and sisters (only one of them has the most unfortunate luck to share the genetics that made him beige) and his "nose". Oh yeah... and all his "special friends" who had sleep-overs with him at Neverland Ranch.
OK, OK.... gosh.... I'm just kiddin' (sorta)
He may have been totally Wacko, but he still made some pretty good music.
Phoenix is a French Alternative-Pop group out of Versailles. Thomas Mars (vocals), Deck D'Arcy (bass), Laurent Brancowitz (guitar), and Christian Mazzalai (guitar). Their album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was released on May 25th 2009. With Lisztomania as the first single.
This is the latest release "1901"
"Rome" This is probably my favorite song on the album. And the whole thing is pretty damn good.
I'm a little worried about our boys. Chops is sporadic at best. And cdahle, well, I'm starting to think that something truly terrible has happened to him. If anyone in St. Charles Missouri reads this please go to his house and make sure Amberd didn't bury him in the backyard before she left on her trip. If she has, would someone please feed Elsie. That poor dog.
In their absence I am taking it upon myself to bring you Manly Music Tuesday. Which unfortunately may actually have more testosterone running through it than anything our sweet Chopsie has ever posted. He is such a tender soul. I am a firm believer that there is a special place in heaven set aside just for men like him.
Now, I'm just going to pick a few of my favorite songs from da boys...Give a shout out to "Mike D", "MCA", and "Ad-Rock"....HOLLAAAAAAAAA
And the brand spankin' new one...which is awesome...in case you were wondering.
I love this song. I also love the verson by Ra Ra Riot (Chops totally has a man crush on Mathieu, the bassist); but there weren't any good quality videos of them perfoming this one.... I added the lyrics and a little something that Kate said by way of explanation.
Out in the garden There's half of a heaven, And we're only bluffing. We're not ones for busting through walls,
But they've told us Unless we can prove That we're doing it, We can't have it all, And I want it all.
He's gonna wangle A way to get out of it. She's an excuse And a witness who'll talk when he's called.
But they've told us Unless we can prove That we're doing it, We can't have it all, And I want it all, And I want it all, We can't have it all, And I Want it all.
"I caught a glimpse of a god, all shining and bright."
Suddenly my feet are feet of mud. It all goes slow-mo. I don't know why I'm crying. Am I suspended in Gaffa? Not till I am ready for you, Not till I am ready for you Can I have it all?
I try to get nearer, But as it gets clearer There's something appears in the way, It's a plank in me eye, With a camel Who's trying to get through it, Am I doing it? Can I have it all now? And I want it all.
I pull out the plank and say "Thank you for yanking me back To the fact that there's Always something to distract."
But sometimes it's hard To know if I'm doing it right. Can I have it all now? And I want it all, Can I have it all now? And I want it all Can I have it all? And I want it all, I can't have it all.
"We all have a dream...maybe."
Suddenly my feet are feet of mud. It all goes slow-mo. I don't know why I'm crying. Am I suspended in Gaffa? Not till I am ready for you, Not till I am ready for you Can I have it all.
I won't open boxes That I am told not to. I'm not a Pandora. I'm much more like
That girl in the mirror. Between you and me She don't stand a chance of getting anywhere at all. And I want it all, Not anywhere at all. And I want it all, No, nothing. And I want it all, She can't have it all.
"Mother, where are the angels? I'm scared of the changes."
Suddenly my feet are feet of mud. It all goes slow-mo. I don't know why I'm crying. Am I suspended in Gaffa? Not till I am ready for you, Not till I am ready for you
Suddenly my feet are feet of mud. It all goes slow-mo. I don't know why I'm crying. Am I suspended in Gaffa? Not till I am ready for you, Not till I am ready for you
Can I have it all now?
Kate's notes:
Whenever I've sung this song I've hoped that my breath would hold out for the first few phrases, as there is no gap to breathe in.
When I wrote this track the words came at the same time, and this is one of the few songs where the lyrics were complete at such an early stage. The idea of the song is that of being given a glimpse of "God"--something that we dearly want--but being told that unless we work for it, we will never see it again, and even then, we might not be worthy of it. Of course, everybody wants the reward without the toil, so people try to find a way out of the hard work, still hoping to claim the prize, but such is not the case. The choruses are meant to express the feeling of entering timelessness as you become ready for the experience, but only when you are ready.
Okay...So I admit it. I never really got on the Green Day bandwagon. I mean Dookie was fun because I was at that age that it annoyed the HELL out of my parents when I would blare it as loud as I could out of my speakers. But, if I'm being honest, they were never really my favorite. So you can imagine my surprise when I found that I really really like this song. I mean...I really like it. Green Day got some depth dawg. It's not all masturbation and hookers anymore. I'm actually considering making Cleo put it on our BFF play list. And only the best songs go on the BFF play list. So...here it is...Green Day's 21 Guns.
Like my partners in crime here, with the exception of Chops, I must admit that I have an extreme soft spot for dark haired brown eyed boys named Brandon that can sing. However, on occasion I do like to venture outside of the box and try something a little different. Natasha Khan here dreams of a boy named Daniel.
I bet Daniel has dark hair and brown eyes too. Yum!!
I am gonna start showcasing a song I love once a week. There are no rules. I will do what I want. I gotta start it off with one of the best songs EVER. Period. Chops ain't gonna like it prolly, but we all know that I don't care about that. This is a kick @$$ song. It also happens to be on, in my opinion, one of the most UNDERRATEED albums in the history of music. How can anyone not enjoy this song? Just try not to tap your foot.... I dare ya.
I've been tryin' hard to do what's right....
Listen to the sound of the world and watch it turn but shake a little....Sometimes I'm nervous when I talk I shake a little.... Sometimes I hate the line I walk.
I never did get along with everybody else....
The circus and the crew, well they're just passin through, makin' sure that merry still goes round....
Let me be perfectly clear. I do not like this song. I wouldn't punch you in the throat if you played it at a party but I would glare at you over my drink and then go hang out on the porch till it ended and make a mental note never to let you control the radio if we get stuck in a car together. But Mrs Chops loves it. And I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure Ginger and Amberd are going to/do love it as well. I have no idea what Cleo is gonna say, I don't get that girl at all. But I owe them all so this is me repaying the debt. Please remember that this dude is WAY to sappy even for me. Heck, you could probably tap his leg next winter and distill maple syrup from the drippings. I mean, come on, look at the dude.
He's all, "Hello, I'm slightly self conscious and shy. You can tell cause I don't use hair care products and shave infrequently. Would you like to be my friend for several weeks while I gain your trust and demonstrate how non-threatening I am by listening to all your deepest secrets and never making a move till I get you drunk one weekend while we go camping and then take advantage of you? Yes? Of course you do. Your dadddy didnt love you enough, I could see that from 2 blocks away. Now hop on the back of my ten speed and we'll go get ice cream and roofies. Uh! I mean, root beer."
I'm not saying ole Matthew here has done that personally but I think we all know that's probably going to happen. On the other side, ya gotta give the dude props. He probably gets more tail than a lobster fisherman. His last album was called "Swallow the Sea" for petes sake. Real subtle dude.
Anywho, I kinda got off track there but I stand by my narrative. So ladies, enjoy!
Who remembers this song? Oh man...I love it. I have some really awesome memories that go along with this song. I can't relate them for you because Mr. Snaps reads this blog on occasion and I would prefer to keep him out of it. But anyway...Good times, Good times.
Dude...I'm totally having flashbacks right now. I think I actually felt my coccyx crack that time Cleo, OUCH!!!
So...Info on these guys is sparse at best. The group consists of Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore. They are Australian so Captain feel free to chime in. The album is Walking on a Dream and was released in 2008.
We Are The People
Walking on a Dream
Standing on the Shore
Okay...so the dudes are a little strange. But really...aren't we all?
Cleo has been blue lately because we are seeing Brandon in a couple of months and she's been feeling a little...well..inferior. So I just wanted to let her know that not all men dig scrawny chicks. Plus, you friggin rock!! And you got them fake pretty eyes that came with the suit.
I have two kinds of music I listen to. Leslie Feist and everything else. Almost everything can be placed in one of those categories. It's pretty convenient. The majority of what I listen to falls into the first category. I generally only listen to the second when I am alone. Mainly because most of it is pretty embarrassing. Not if you were, oh, I dont know.. a 13 yr old girl. But most folks tend to snicker when they see a 30ish bald guy with prominent chops cruisin down the boulevard in his Saab with all the windows open jammin to Cansei de ser Sexy or The Ting Tings. Not that I care mind you, its just, well, I tend to avoid embarrassment unless it comes knocking. Well.. knock knock.
The video made me smile but the song is the thing to which I am referring. It's by a band called "Natalie Portman's Shaved Head". Natalie Portman is not in the band. She is apparently vaguely aware of their existence and has a standing invitation to all of their shows but so far as not availed herself of that opportunity.
From Wikipedia:
Natalie Portman's Shaved Head was formed by Luke Smith and Shaun Libman, who met while attending The Center School, an arts-based college preparatory school in Seattle. Their early work was centered around keyboards and drum machines, the only instruments that the pair knew how to play at the time. Their decision to start Natalie Portman's Shaved Head was made in the food court of the Space Needle, in 2005. The name of the band is a reference to Natalie Portman's physical appearance in the film V for Vendetta. Smith and Libman's first written songs for Natalie Portman's Shaved Head were about "fruit snacks and partying". The band claimed one of the reasons they formed the band was to get girlfriends.
How cool is that?!
"Dude, we need to get some babes."
"Totally."
"You know what chicks dig? Guys in bands. I read that in Cosmo so you know it's true. You can play the keyboard cant you?"
So swallow your pride, roll you windows down and feel the joy of what two college dudes trying to impress some chicks can do with a couple of Keyboards and a drum machine. And what appears to be heavy doses of influence from Napoleon Dynamite.
Chops is sucking it up with his Manly Music Monday performance, so I figured I'd do my pick early.
Cage the Elephant comes from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Their album debuted in 2008, and in my opinion was totally underrated.
This single, "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" hit #32 in the UK. As for America, well, I got nothing to say about the over processed garbage screaming into our living rooms on a daily basis. Well, I do, but you've heard it before and it gets old.
My dear ol' Bumpa just celebrated his 70th birthday on Saturday. In his honor, I felt inspired to post a few songs. Now, as you already know, I am in no means a country music fan. Frankly, I think most of it is pretty retarded. I know it's harsh, but it's how I feel and you know that I'm not one to mince words.
There are a few times when country music is acceptable. And whenever I visit New England I get them all bottled into one. Here they are...Riding around in a pick up truck on the dirt roads of Stark, New Hampshire at a whooping 15 MPH (I'm not kidding people)with a 70 year old man as he sucks down a package of Marlboro reds and drinks Budweiser from a Styrofoam cooler. Every now and then stopping so he can pee on the back tire of the pick up because he has drank so many of those Budweisers from the styrofoam cooler.
See...that criteria makes country music TOTALLY acceptable. Remember that the next time you get a hankering for it.
So, in honor of my Bumps, and his 70th birthday. I would like to post a few of "the classics" from his pick up.
Also, country music is acceptable at Christmas. I would die without my Jim Reeves and Alabama Christmas albums.
