2.4.13

On February 4th I listened to A Tribe Called Quest The Low End Theory, The Beatles Rubber Soul, and Biffy Clyro Opposites.

A Tribe Called Quest’s first three albums are a magnificent blur to me. They all came out when I was in college and I didn't own them, but I didn’t have to. The vibe those albums created worked pretty much everywhere I hung out. Meat market bars? A Tribe sounded great between “Brown Eyed Girl and “Solsbury Hill.” Hipster bars? A Tribe fit right in between Jane’s Addiction and Uncle Tupelo.  Hip Hop bars? Duh! Gay bars? Nobody seemed to notice A Tribe between Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys. Old man bars? If it was on the jukebox and didn't upset the real drunks at the end of the bar, it worked.

Low End Theory is the band’s second and probably most "on point" effort. Granted, this is the disc that spawned “Scenario,” Low End is the real deal from front to back.

It sounds like the early 90’s to me, but it doesn't sound dated. I love how “Excursions” opens right up with a “pager” reference. What’s a pager? Right, 20-year-old puke?

Did you know “Check The Rhime” was the first single from this album?

“Buggin’ Out”, “What?” “Jazz (We’ve Got),” “Show Business,” and “Infamous Date Rape” are some of my favorites, just to cherry pick a few.

“What’s Ralph Kramden, if he ain’t yelling? At Ed Norton. What’s coke snorting?”

At some point in the late 80’s I came to the conclusion that Revolver is, in fact, the best Beatles album. I did that all by myself too. In the radio world they have something called TSL and that’s time spent listening. My TSL for Revolver was through the roof and that's how I based my decision. 

Revolver has all the best songs and it literally takes you on a musical journey! From the breakfast table, “Good Day Sunshine,” to a late night freak out, “Tomorrow Never Knows,” Revolver does it all in a “Yellow Submarine.” I’ll write more about this album later in the year.

After I made my Revolver proclamation, it seemed like every half-assed Beatles fan was saying the same thing! How annoying! Get your own favorite Beatles album, you fucking jerks! 

So, anytime I became involved in a heated Beatles discussion and some wiener beat me to the Revolver-is-the-best-Beatles-album punch, I would say, “Oh, I thought Rubber Soul was your favorite album.” This usually pisses off devote Revolver disciples.

OK, the point! I picked Rubber Soul as the second Beatles album that I would listen to this year, because it’s kind of a joke. Rubber Soul has got giant Beatles smash hits on it, “In My Life,” “Nowhere Man,” and “Michelle.” (The version of “In My Life,” that Sleepy’s, mattress company, is using in their TV ads is downright criminal!)

I was hoping I could polish up the turds on this album and find something shiny. It didn’t work. I even walked away from this listen realizing, “Drive My Car” is a fairly dumb song.

“What’s that? You like Revolver? I thought you were a Rubber Soul guy, no?”

Biffy Clyro Opposites is the best album of 2013… so far.

It’s a GD shame that this band has been around for over ten years, has tons of amazing songs, plays giant festivals abroad, and can NOT get arrested here in ‘Merica!

You can almost hear why on Opposites, dude’s Scottish accent can be a bit of a pill. I, however, love it!

“Biblical,” was the big standout track for me after one listen, and I really dug the first three offerings too, “Different People,” “Black Chandelier,” and “Sounds Like Balloons.” 

1.4.13

(Editor’s Note – I kinda fell off my New Year’s Resolution for a bit, but I’m catching up with the listening and am going to definitely catch up on the writing.)

On January 4^th, I listened to The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour, The Smiths The Smiths and Two Door Cinema Club Beacon. I guess this was England day, the first of my very loose themed days.

If you remember from my New Year’s manifesto professing 2013 The Year Of Music, I have a deep emotional connection with The Beatles. I also feel like writing about them is a fool’s errand. So, here we go.

I made Magical Mystery Tour the first Beatles album I would listen to this year because BBC America just showed the movie. I watched it like five times, was fucking mesmerized each time and I’m convinced Monty Python stole their ENTIRE shtick from it! The foot race definitely inspired the Twit Olympics. 

Every song on MMT is a masterpiece, but for some reason my favorite has always been “Your Mother Should Know.” I love how they end the movie with it and they couldn't look creepier walking down the stairs… especially John.

I could listen to this album every Sunday for the rest of my life.

Fan fact: Remember the whole Paul is dead thing? I put the album cover upside down because the way The Beatles is spelled out was supposed to be some guy’s phone number you could call and he’d tell you how Paul died. I dunno, maybe. So, punch up the UK dialing code and call 537-1438.

I guess my relationship with The Smiths started in 1987. That Spring I got suspended from High School cause some psycho jumped me in the hallway and all I did was defend myself. So, with three days off I spent one of them driving to Home Of The Hits, Buffalo’s long gone hipster record store, and came home with the The Smith’s Louder Than Bombs on cassette. I would spend the next several years listening to The Smiths and/or Morrissey a lot. I just realized I got into a fight and ran out and bought a Smith’s record. What a pussy.

Speaking of pussies, years later when the little pussy Emo thing was happening around the turn of the century, I came to a realization. While everyone was crying at the Dashboard Confessional show, I remember thinking that I like my emotional singers FA-LAMING with Johnny Marr backing them up.

I’m way off track here. The Smiths The Smiths! I like this record. It’s not my favorite proper album from the Manchester boys, but it does have “What Difference Does It Make,” and “This Charming Fuckin’ Man!” Some of it is too much of a downer, but a solid debut!

My two favorite lines from the album are from “You’ve Got Everything Now,” “No I’ve never had a job, because I never wanted one.” Fucking ridiculous! And “Pretty Girls Make Graves,” “She’s too rough, and I’m too delicate.” Probably one of my all time favorite tracks from the band, and I always thought, “I’d like to meet a rough girl and mess around with gender roles,” which is weird because that then became a line in a James song and it freaked me out. I dunno, maybe.

This is the girl that inspired the “I’m too delicate” line. I'd let her beat the shit out of me!

Two Door Cinema Club kinda fits right in with The Smiths. I remember not really caring for their first one and some guy I know told me to go back and give their second album Beacon a shot. I did. It’s not bad, I liked the single, “Sleep Alone,” and the cover is pretty cool. (I also put it upside down, cause it looks dirtier that way.) Overall, I was washing dishes when I listened to it and it was just kind of there, but I didn't hate it.