Showing posts with label boo music posts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boo music posts. Show all posts

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Let's See How Long This Lasts...

I don't know if it's the new year or what, but tonight I felt compelled to write something on the blog. It seems like this place has been dying a slow death for a while now, and Twitter is a big reason for that, but it was really only early last year that the post count started doing a nosedive.

I'm not pulling a Barstool (obligatory shot at another blog member) or anything by demanding that everyone start posting here again. To be honest, I don't really give a damn what any of you do (unnecessary shot at everyone while I'm at it). But for some reason, I just decided to come back.

As someone who claims to be attempting to make a living as some kind of writer, it's probably a good idea to actually write some non-work stuff on occasion -- even if it's at a place that's going to get us all fired one day. I don't have anything specific to talk about tonight, but I had to get the ball rolling somehow.

This is starting to feel like a livejournal entry from 2003 about now, so I'll wrap up with a top five for old time's sake. Hopefully I don't get banned before I can make another post.

Top Five Songs of 2011

State Champion -- The Basement
Dum Dum Girls -- Coming Down
Wilco -- Born Alone
Drive-By Truckers -- Mercy Buckets
Lydia Loveless -- Crazy

Early front-runner for 2012: Justin Townes Earle -- Am I That Lonely Tonight?

Monday, December 13, 2010

Music Posts Back With a Vengeance

This may or may not be a total disaster, but it's been in the works for a while so I'll go ahead and post it. You know I spend an inordinate amount of time listening to new records and I've got to talk about them somewhere.

In lieu of a bunch of lists for this year I made a top 25 in no particular order. I'm not about to get the blog shut down for music piracy, but if someone wants the album versions let me know and I can help you out since there aren't videos of some of the songs I listed. I doubt you will, but thought I'd put that out there.

Superchunk — “Digging For Something”
Drive-By Truckers — “Birthday Boy”
Scott Lucas and the Married Men — “Positively 4th Street”
Ryan Bingham — “Depression”
Justin Townes Earle — “Wanderin'”
Mavis Staples — “Wrote a Song For Everyone”
Joe Pug — “Bury Me Far (From My Uniform)”
Futurebirds — “Ski Chalet”
Old 97's — “Champaign, Illinois”
The Secret Sisters — “Why Baby Why”
Jamey Johnson — “Good Morning Sunrise” (Can't find this anywhere, so here's one from his album that sounds like a lost Gregg Allman song.
Alejandro Escovedo — “Anchor”
The Goodnight Loving — “Doesn't Shake Me”
White Mystery — “Respect Yourself”
Heavy Cream — “Watusi”
The Hold Steady — “The Weekenders”
Jenny and Johnny — “My Pet Snakes”
Best Coast — “Boyfriend”
Diamond Rings — “Wait and See”
Dum Dum Girls — “Baby Don't Go”
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart — “Say No To Love”
The National — “Anyone's Ghost”
The Gaslight Anthem — “She Loves You”
Titus Andronicus — “Theme From Cheers”
State Champion — “Just an Answer” (This isn't anywhere, just like most all of their songs. These dudes made the album of the year by a long shot, but they're still playing house shows in Little Rock. Hope that changes next year.)

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Lots of Posting Lately

I listen to records the way my friend Slic watches movies. Mr. Starr might not feel this way with his hobby, but a lot of times I have little moments when I wonder why I waste so much time doing it.

Then, maybe once a year, it all makes sense, and I feel compelled to write a blog post about it. This happened last summer with Those Darlins' debut. But the album I'm obsessing over right now is something like that times a billion.

So anyway, there's this band -- really, just some dude from Kentucky -- called State Champion. I heard their record Stale Champagne a few weeks ago and, I know I'm prone to hyperbole, but it's the best thing I've heard in about five years. Possibly much longer.

It's this sprawling, drunken country-rock record that's basically what I would have wanted my band to sound like if I'd ever had any musical talent. The whole thing sounds like it could fall apart at any second. So...I don't know. I just felt the need to talk about this in public somewhere.

There are only two songs from it on YouTube as far as I can tell. They're right here, if anyone cares.

“Bite the Dust”

“The Years”

Edit: More here. And here.

My tailgate CD recommendation: load up on the Lady Gaga singles and you can't go wrong.