Thanks to the help of some friends here at Arcadia and some online activity that would piss off the RIAA to no end, I now have 6 of Radiohead's 7 studio albums (only missing Hail to the Thief, which someone has already promised to let me borrow). After finally hearing what people like about In Rainbows, I decided to go back and look at the rest of their catalog, see how I felt about it. I've already listened to Pablo Honey and The Bends, and am relatively impressed, moreso with Pablo Honey (this is where I duck as all the hardcore Radiohead fans throw things at me). Expect a more thorough reflection next week once I've heard it all.
If you were to look at my last.fm stats for the last day or two, you would encounter lots of music from the following:
Radiohead (See above)
Nine Inch Nails (broke out Year Zero and Downward Spiral for another round)
Pink Floyd (long story involving a strange card game)
Pearl Jam (going through that Live at the Gorge box set)
Nirvana (currently playing through a bunch of tracks from With The Lights Out)
Clearly a very '90s alternative heavy set, and the weird stuff from that era, too. Not sure why I'm entering a premature crotchety old fart phase, listening to stuff from 15 years ago, but I am nonetheless. The question is, where is this gonna go? After I go through the Nirvana rarities, what's next? It'll probably be more Pearl Jam, as I continue trekking through the Live stuff, but I just thought my current taste has been a total reversal of what it's been in the past and worth noting.
Radiohead - Stop Whispering (AmazonMP3)
Nine Inch Nails - Heresy [iTunes]
Pearl Jam - Love Boat Captain (Live at the Gorge 9/1/05) (Not available online)
Nirvana - Polly [Demo] [iTunes]
Back tomorrow with Weekend WTF. Sneak preview; it feature one of the above bands.
==TJ==
Showing posts with label Nirvana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nirvana. Show all posts
Friday, February 29, 2008
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Burning On, Just Like A Match You Strike To Incinerate...
The right combination of location, people, and emotion can alter the meaning of a song, and the effect that song has on the listener; for example, anyone who was there the first time Nirvana played "Smells Like Teen Spirit" live would have a different reaction to it than the person who randomly hears it come across the radio. And then there are the lovers who hear "their song" and remember fond memories. And for some a song can just bring back memories of being with friends, having no cares in the world, and just enjoying life. You wouldn't expect My Chemical Romance to bring about such enjoyable thoughts, but again, with the right people in the right place, it can happen.
Rewind to several summers ago, while I was still in my high school years. I'm with my friend Kevin, in his room, wasting time like usual. Also like usual, we were talking about music. There was a time when Kevin and I could hang out for hours on end and all we'd talk about was what music we were into that week, what we were eager to hear, and what we wish would just go away. The conversation turns to My Chemical Romance, who at this point were just beginning their ascent to stardom, with "Helena" rising the video charts. I had just picked up Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, while Kevin has been raving about it for a few weeks now. As soon as I bring up the topic, Kevin leaps up and puts the album into his stereo (whose volume is generally cranked up to 9 or 10). As "Helena" comes blasting through the speakers, Kevin and I are suddenly rock stars. Kevin does the best/worst air guitar he can, while he tosses me an empty Snapple bottle as I leap up from the imaginary drum kit in front of his bed and assume the role of a wannabe Gerard Way. The track (and us) barrels through two verses and choruses before we hit the bridge, a small breather before the final push to the end of the song. On the final line in the bridge (Will we meet again/When both our cars collide?) do our best 80s-rockstar jump in the air and finish out the track in a manner worthy of an unintentionally funny YouTube video.
Neither of us realized it at that point, but we caught lightning in a bottle during those 3 minutes. In various forms with various songs with various people, I've tried to recreate that experience, return to that feeling of raw energy flowing through the room, but it never came out quite the same. The closest I've come was in the radio station this past spring, rocking out to Sum 41's "Fat Lip" for passersby to see and gaze at in confused amazement. Perhaps it's for the better that it's never been perfectly recreated; some things are best when they are unique. It just makes me wonder if artists realize what they're doing when they do it. Did Bob Dylan intend for "Like A Rolling Stone" to become an entire generation's mantra? Did Led Zeppelin know that "Stairway to Heaven" would become one of the most played songs on the radio 30 years later? Probably not. But it does show how circumstance can alter the course of a song's meaning.
My Chemical Romance - Helena
==TJ==
Rewind to several summers ago, while I was still in my high school years. I'm with my friend Kevin, in his room, wasting time like usual. Also like usual, we were talking about music. There was a time when Kevin and I could hang out for hours on end and all we'd talk about was what music we were into that week, what we were eager to hear, and what we wish would just go away. The conversation turns to My Chemical Romance, who at this point were just beginning their ascent to stardom, with "Helena" rising the video charts. I had just picked up Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, while Kevin has been raving about it for a few weeks now. As soon as I bring up the topic, Kevin leaps up and puts the album into his stereo (whose volume is generally cranked up to 9 or 10). As "Helena" comes blasting through the speakers, Kevin and I are suddenly rock stars. Kevin does the best/worst air guitar he can, while he tosses me an empty Snapple bottle as I leap up from the imaginary drum kit in front of his bed and assume the role of a wannabe Gerard Way. The track (and us) barrels through two verses and choruses before we hit the bridge, a small breather before the final push to the end of the song. On the final line in the bridge (Will we meet again/When both our cars collide?) do our best 80s-rockstar jump in the air and finish out the track in a manner worthy of an unintentionally funny YouTube video.
Neither of us realized it at that point, but we caught lightning in a bottle during those 3 minutes. In various forms with various songs with various people, I've tried to recreate that experience, return to that feeling of raw energy flowing through the room, but it never came out quite the same. The closest I've come was in the radio station this past spring, rocking out to Sum 41's "Fat Lip" for passersby to see and gaze at in confused amazement. Perhaps it's for the better that it's never been perfectly recreated; some things are best when they are unique. It just makes me wonder if artists realize what they're doing when they do it. Did Bob Dylan intend for "Like A Rolling Stone" to become an entire generation's mantra? Did Led Zeppelin know that "Stairway to Heaven" would become one of the most played songs on the radio 30 years later? Probably not. But it does show how circumstance can alter the course of a song's meaning.
My Chemical Romance - Helena
==TJ==
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
My Chemical Romance is Sarcastic...Again...
After a month long delay out of respect for those killed in the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April, My Chemical Romance finally released the single and video for "Teenagers", the fourth single off 2006's The Black Parade.
The video is pretty straightforward by MCR standards. Band performs, kids riot, twisted cheerleaders...the usual really. In an effort to show respect for the VT tragedy, the band tacked on a public service ad at the end of the video encouraging people to reach out and seek help instead of turning to violence (the song alludes to a school shooting, hence the delay and PSA). Idolator was one of the first to notice the similarities between the videos for "Teenagers" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit", complete with rioting teens in a gym, cheerleaders and the whole reaching out motif, but like always, MCR does so with its tongue firmly planted in its cheek. All in all another great video from My Chemical Romance. Now I'm just waiting for the inevitable B-Sides to hit iTunes.
Oh, and one more thing; congratualtions to MCR frontman Gerard Way, who late last week announced his engagement to his girlfriend, known only as Eliza.
==TJ==
The video is pretty straightforward by MCR standards. Band performs, kids riot, twisted cheerleaders...the usual really. In an effort to show respect for the VT tragedy, the band tacked on a public service ad at the end of the video encouraging people to reach out and seek help instead of turning to violence (the song alludes to a school shooting, hence the delay and PSA). Idolator was one of the first to notice the similarities between the videos for "Teenagers" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit", complete with rioting teens in a gym, cheerleaders and the whole reaching out motif, but like always, MCR does so with its tongue firmly planted in its cheek. All in all another great video from My Chemical Romance. Now I'm just waiting for the inevitable B-Sides to hit iTunes.
Oh, and one more thing; congratualtions to MCR frontman Gerard Way, who late last week announced his engagement to his girlfriend, known only as Eliza.
==TJ==
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Remembering the Fallen
"It's Better to Burn Out Than Fade Away"
~Kurt Cobain (quoting Neil Young)
"Layne is irreplacable, not only as a singer, but as a person. We all loved him".
~Jerry Cantrell (on Layne Staley)
RIP Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley
Nirvana - Come As You Are
Alice In Chains - Heaven Beside You
==TJ==
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