PLAYLIST OF ADDICTON: For real this time!

1. “Semi Precious Weapons” by Semi Precious Weapons- Though I must admit that this song reminds me of “It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll” by AC/DC and remade by the cast of School of Rock more that the beats of “Ice Ice Baby” remind ANYONE of “Under Pressure”, this song is amazing. It’s in the Apple-sleek-commercial-song genre (see song #6), because it’s just awesome. I’d also like to note that I’ll bet any amount of money that the phrase “I can’t pay my rent, but I’m Fucking gorgeous” will describe many of my colleagues perfectly in about 7 years.
2. “Favorite Radio” by Stereo Deluxe- This is the sort of song that you listen to and go, “well, this sounds silly” and then can’t help but like. It doesn’t really make any sense why I like this song so much; the genre can’t exactly be classified, there are weird, almost childish sound effects made, and the lyrics remind you of some of those songs you were spoon-fed as a child by networks like Noggin (if you’re from that generation). And yet, it’s a pleasure to listen to. Who knew?
3. “Jimme’s Song” by Emanuel and the Fear- To put it quite simply, this song is a song about a kid who wants to be a rock star, but isn’t willing to grow up, get a job, and earn anything to get there. It has a latently sad theme to it of a person who just thinks their dreams will just happen without any work involved. But, in the ways of the fear, the song begins with a simple whistling melody and beat, and ends with a full blown, almost orchestral melody.
4. “The Rain Becomes the Clouds” by Emanuel and the Fear- Another song by Emanuel and the Fear. This, however, is my favorite song of their repertoire because it exemplified their true strengths, not only as a band, but as musicians in general. To me, this song emphasizes the beauty of nature and, in particular, the nature of human beings coinciding with the nature of the Earth itself. The reason why I love Emanuel and the Fear so much is because they have a sound which takes work; it can’t really be manufactured with a Casio and a computer. This eleven-piece gang doesn’t hesitate to serve you amazing lyrics and musicianship, which is hard to find these days. So, my hat is off to Emanuel Ayvas, Chris Colletti, David Nelson, Brian Sanders, Tom Swafford, Nic Cowles, Dan Tirer, Liz Hanley, Dallin Applebaum, Colin Dean, and Jeff Gretz. I applaud you for making me think of music as something truly greater than music through your refreshing songs.
5. “The Plank” by The Devil Makes Three- This is, literally and legitimately, a great “go to hell” song, which I’d love to have a chance to listen to  the next time I get angry for whatever reason. With lyrics like “to all our enemies, I’ll see you in hell. We’re gonna walk them off a plank into a wishing well. Down to Davie Jones’ locker where the fishes sleep. I won’t be praying for you, so don’t be praying for me,” it has to be a great song to listen to when you feel like venting.
6. “No You Girls” by Franz Ferdinand- The latest song recruited to the “iPod commercial” club, the song tickles your ear with another addicting melody. I promise to any readers whom have even bothered coming back to my site, the day Franz Ferdinand stops making amazing music will be the day I die. Luckily for me, it doesn’t seem as though that will be anytime soon (unlike the disappointingly mediocre U2).
7. “Little Toy Gun” by Honeyhoney- I didn’t know what to expect from this song, mainly because of the, in my opinion, tacky gunshot sound effect in the beginning. However, the song pays of by coming through with a strong, confident melody, and a sort of (don’t laugh) remixed-Yiddish feel (referring to the flowing, slurred refrain).
8. “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” by The Script- The song you will most likely remember from the latest Rhapsody commercial, this song from the Script feeds me the right kind of melody. What really attracts me to this song is the harmony added. I know, it’s pop cliche. I know, it can be a cop-out with bad songs. I know, it’s one of the weirdest things to record for a song. But it works for this song because it’s been described by many as a new brand of Celtic soul. That being said, don’t you think i should listen to a bit more Celtic soul music?!?
9. “Bang Bang” by K’naan & Adam Levine- Though this isn’t a song I liked immediately, really only because the beginning of the song didn’t rub me the right way, this song has grown on me. I found it two ways, almost simultaneously; first through the Maroon 5 website (there out of curiosity of what had become of the band I was once borderline-obsessed with), then, literally seconds later, through the iTunes store. This song reminds me of southern Floridian songs heard on the boardwalk, and I like that.
10. “I Love College” by Asher Roth- Now, let’s get one thing straight from the chase; I don’t approve of the message this song is sending. Call me whatever you’d like, but I don’t think I’m going to treat college as such a joke. I mean, I feel like spending my years in college late to classes, smoking weed, and drinking all the time would be a waste of about $25,000 a year. On that same note, I feel like after he’s graduated from college and has spent all of his money earned from this song on drugs and drinks, Asher Roth will start repaying his college loans, and then he’ll be a bit regretful of his old lifestyle. With that, I’d like to say that I love the melody and the rhythms of this song. Though I don’t approve of the lyrics, I can’t see this song doing well without them. Let’s just say I have a love/hate relationship with this one. But hey, it’s on the playlist!

Best Playlist on my iPod; The REAL Playlist of Addiction

I made a playlist on my iPod of all of the songs I love, and I can’t stop listening to it. I’ve written about most of them, but I’m just putting them all on one post for fun. The playlist is always on shuffle, and is generally amazing. It’s also an iMix on iTunes, so if you search “Totally fly Flying Kites”, it should be there!

1. “That’s Not My Name” by The Ting Ting’s- Is it possible to have a sexual attraction to a song? I think it is.
2. “Ottoman” by Vampire Weekend
3. “Time to Pretend” by MGMT
4. “Womanizer” by Britney Spears- I think I’m the only person in America who hasn’t gotten tired of this song.
5. “Human” by The Killers
6. “Give it 2 Me” by Madge (Madonna, deary)- So, she’s as old as Methuselah. Doesn’t mean she can’t serve up a hell of a dance tune. Queen of pop + Pharell = Earth Shattering.
7. “No More Gas” mixed by DJ Earworm
8. “One of the Boys” by Katy Perry
9. “Happy Together” remade by The Flobots – The bad sound quality and weird keyboards in this song tend to give me remission, but I still love it!
10. “Untouched” by The Veronicas
11. “United State of Pop” mixed by DJ Earworm- DJ Earworm rocks my world, because not only does he give away his mixes for free on his website, but his mixes also integrate many different genres and are incredibly daring and bold.
12. “Bassment Party” by The Cool Kids
13. “Xavia” by The Submarines
14. “Circus” by Britney Spears
15. “Middle Management” by Bishop Allen- This song is so upbeat and sweet, I can’t help but listen to it!
    
16. “Supermassive Black Hole” by Muse- Incredibly awesome song, which has been used on numerous TV shows, including most of my favorites. Includes an ingenius beat.
17. “Dynamo of Volition” by Jason Mraz
18. “‘After Hours” by We Are Scientists- I was originally introduced to this song through Akiva Schriver’s amusing video for it, but I came to love it through the “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” soundtrack.
19. “Make it Mine” by Jason Mraz
20. “Butterfly” by Jason Mraz- This song is kind of dirty in an unconventional way, but I love the addictive melody and the amazing guitar licks.
    
21. “Mudhouse/Gypsy MC” by Jason Mraz- I recently titled a note on Facebook “I’d like to give a shout out to all my VIP’s”. I love this song.
    
22. “Electric Feel” by MGMT- I love this song because I was kind of scared by the video at first, then I listened to the song and I said “Wait, this is totally my life”.

IMPORTANT NOTE: On iTunes, DJ Earworm’s mixes and “Happy Together” by the Flobots are not included. DJ Earworms mixes are available, free from source right here, and the Flobots cover is found here.

Crazier Than Me: Alec Baldwin

I thought this went without saying, but the other day I referred to Alec Baldwin as crazy, and no one understood, so… Fourth period ICP, this one’s for you.

First of all, there is no excuse for his actions towards his daughter. The girl was undoubtedly having a hard time anyway, with her parents gong through a divorce. Then he emotionally abuses her with that message! It’s disgusting. Quite frankly, I’m glad the message got out to the public. Scumbags like that deserve bad publicity. Secondly, in the downtime he had between seasons one and two of “30 Rock”, he went around and pissed off all of the other NBC producers. Baldwin basically said that the reason “30 Rock” wasn’t a ratings giant was because NBC was promoting “My Name Is Earl” all season. That may be partially true, but his mediocre acting couldn’t have made things any better! So, maybe I’m splitting hairs, but I think that if he’s gotten this much horrible publicity since the start of “30 Rock”, he’s definitely crazier than me.

Crazier Than Me

PLAYLIST OF ADDICTION

1. “Rock ‘N Roll train” by AC/DC- I’ve become completely obsessed with this song. It is amazingly catchy and let’s face it: it’s hard to hate an AC/DC track.
2. “Car Alarm” by The Sea and Cake- An awesome indie track with great guitars and simplistic vocals, aka just my style. The song has a pretty awesome ending, and the melody reminds me of another amazing indie track, “London Bridges” by This Is Ivy League.
3. “Snowblind” by Plus Minus- Another great indie song. It starts out pretty slowly, and I’m sure that if the song were abridged, most of the beginning melody would be cut. That being said, the melody and beat jumps into overtime in the middle of the song, which is perfect for those of us with patience.
4. “Life Like” by The Rosebuds- I chose to add this song because it surprised me. When I heard the beginning melody, I expected a soft, light, feminine voice to accompany the strong melody. The typical, indie-alternarock song. When I heard the vocals, I was pleasantly surprised by the male voice, accompanied by the female voice. Thus, introducing me to The Rosebuds, a duo from North Carolina.
5. “Bitch of Living” by The Cast of Spring Awakening- RIP Spring Awakening. I will have never gotten a chance to see the Tony Award Winning musical before it’s closing on January 18th, 2009. This song always makes me think about my life, and how hard it can be living in this world as a teenager. It’s a truly amazing song, and a great musical. It’ll be back with time.

VID OF THE DAY: I’m not sure if I like it… What do you think?

I love this song, but I’m not too sure about the video. Plus, what’s with Adam’s beard?!?! Comment!

Just My Luck… PLAYLIST OF ADDICTION!

So, last week, I brought my computer in to get some software installed, and all of my files ended up being deleted, INCLUDING my iTunes, so, off the top of my head, I’m going to try to list my playlist of addiction! {Dang- I just read it over, and most of these songs are from FNMTV… sorry! [Also, comment if you want there to be videos with this segment!]}

“Love Addict” by Family Force Five- Probably one of my favorite modern rock songs ever. EVER.

“I’ll Run” by The Cab-Once I heard the keyboard at the beginning of the song, I knew it was love. I love the vocals. I love the keyboards. I love the guitars. I love the drums. I love pretty much everything about this song.

“Cookie Jar” by Gym Class Heroes- I only like the song; it’s way more hip-hop than rock, which is refreshing coming from a band like Gym Class Heroes.

“Sugarbaby” by Morningwood- The band’s name is hilarious, first of all. I mean, how can you go wrong with a name like Morningwood? Second of all, the song is just awesome. Third of all, the music video is so interesting and funny and weird and sad and spontaneous and everything at once! The video blew my mind.

“Bad Girl” by Danity Kane- Let’s get something straight; I HATE DANITY KANE. I bought their first album, and it sounded like they rushed the album and the quality of the songs was compromised. That being said, this song just gets stuck in my head so much. It was written by my favorite member of the band, Dawn, who’s a great singer and, in my opinion, one of the most likeable members of the band.

VID OF THE DAY: I don’t even watch the show; I just like the song!

VID OF THE DAY: This vid and song cracks me up!

Thanks to Charlieissocoollike.

LISTEN TO THIS: Old 97’s

The old 97’s are an indie rock band that hyponotized me with the song, “Dance With Me”. The band is a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll, but a heck of a lot better than Donnie and Marie. Their country songs are enlightening and sweet, while their indie, alternarock songs are extremely different; they could almost pass off as two different bands, like Green Day and The Foxboro Hot Tubs (look them up; look them all up). Their rock songs use great guitar riffs, as exemplified in, already mentioned, “Dance With Me”. I keep mentioning the song because the song is essentially a rock-tango, which is so unique and hard to find these days and so amazing to hear. While one of their country songs, “My Two Feet”, is reminiscent of The Counting Crows, and is a song about taking it easy, which is always refreshing. Overall, the group, exploring multiple genres, is twice as good because of their versatility.

Listen to This

LISTEN TO THIS: Cake

So, I know this one is kinda lax since Cake has been on the music scene for quite a while, but they’re still picking up speed to me. Cake, an indie rock band, has been the genius behind many anthems, including the radio smash hit, “Rock and Roll Lifestyle”, and the theme song to the animated cult hit, Mission Hill, currently airing on Adult Swim, usually at about 2 AM (I would know). The band, having erupted onto the scene in late 2004, has an extremely distinctive taste, which separates them from every other indie band. My favorite element of the band is the amazing amount of work done by Vincent DiFiore, the bands trumpeter, keyboardist, percussionist, and background vocalist. The jazz trumpet really helps the band stand out, and, as a percussionist of many years, I feel it neccesary to give some props to one of the hardest working men in indie If you haven’t already, you should definitely give Cake a try.