she put down in writing what was in her mind

The perfect late summer song. Soulful. Oozing. Syrupy. Beautiful

Bob Dylan – Not Dark Yet  

Love is all

The Tallest Man On Earth – Love Is All

Well I walk upon the river like it’s easier than land
Evil’s in my pocket and your will is in my hand
Oh, your will is in my hand

And I’ll throw it in the current that I stand upon so still
Love is all, from what I’ve heard, but my heart’s learned to kill
Oh, mine has learned to kill

TSA Pat Downs For Everyone!

Wednesday is supposedly the most popular flying day of the year. And given the new possibly dangerous full body scanners, many people will be opting out of the scanner and settling for a supremely uncomfortable pat-down. Even if you go for the scanner, there’s still the possibility that you’ll get patted down by TSA employees.

I’ve heard and read of a bunch of suggestions of what to do: wear a kilt or strip down to your boxers; employees aren’t allowed to pat down under skirts or underwear, so these clothing options will leave you relatively free of a pat-down. It’s a pretty big fashion statement just to make a point, but I do respect those who make the effort to do that.

What will I do? I’m not entirely sure, but I’ll probably listen to of these songs to prepare for the inevitable uncomfortable situation.

My Morning Jacket – Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Part 2 (live)

Way Down In The Hole

Busy week means fewer posts. Sorry about that guys. But for your weekend listening, I figured I’d do something a bit fun. For those of you familiar with either The Wire (the best TV show of all time, about crime in Baltimore) or Tom Waits (the musician who sounds like cookie monster) you’ll enjoy this. I’ve collected a few different versions of Way Down In The Hole, the theme song from The Wire, originally written and recorded by Mr. Waits.

Enjoy!

Tom Waits – Way Down In The Hole

Steve Earle – Way Down In The Hole

The Blind Boys of Alabama – Way Down In The Hole

M.I.A (feat Blaqstarr) – Way Down In The Hole

Beatspoke – Way Down In The Hole

Teenage Tunes – Part 3: Why Did I Ever Listen To These Songs

Lots of the songs suggested were pretty terrible. I’m sure we all realize that now, but back then, these were the biggest songs and bands in the world. It’s not just that these songs were overplayed on the radio – it’s actually that they’re straight up bad – especially lyrically.

Teenage Tunes – Part 2: Songs I Wish I’d Heard As A Teen

When y’all sent in your suggestions, I was faced with a bunch of tunes I’d either never heard before, or didn’t hear until after my teenage years. I was too cool for Bruce, not cool enough for Fugazi, too mainstream to listen to Pinkerton, and too stupid to appreciate Tupac.

But for many of you, these were the songs of your teenage years. These were the songs that propelled you from childhood to adulthood. These are your songs.

Fugazi – Waiting Room

Teenage Tunes – Part 1: Classic Rock

Today’s Teenage Tunes will feature older songs. Some of you actually grew up in these ears. Others of you must not have realized that you were allowed to change the dial from your parents’ classic rock stations. Still, more of you may even have chosen on your own to avoid the alternative rock of your youth in favor of the music of your parents.

Whatever your reason, these are a collection of your songs – those songs that you listened to during those ridiculous years of teenagehood (sic).

Janis Ian -At  Seventeen

Teenage Tunes – An Introduction

When I put out this request, I wasn’t sure what to expect. In the past, when I’ve put out a request like this I’ve been consistently underwhelmed; with a few devoted blog-fans responding to my pleas for feedback, and the rest of the world continuing to ignore. But not this time. For some reason, the idea of songs that got you through your teenage years was one that resonated with you.

Enough for me to get 182 responses from from 28 people. Great job guys – I’ve got about a week’s worth of material:

Monday will feature older songs that were suggested. It’s not that I don’t like classic rock; it’s just that I didn’t grow up during those eras. For those of you who did (or who listened exclusively to classic rock during your teenage years), this one’s for you. Tuesday will feature songs that I wish I had heard when I was a teenager. Wednesday is a surprise, and Thursday will be feature a ton of songs that I connected with as a teenager.

So get your Walkmen out, put those foam covered headphones on your ears, and push the clunky play button to these songs that got you through your teenage years.

 

Cee Lo Green – F*** You

The second album I ever purchased was “Smash” by Offspring. I remember taking the cassette out of the packaging, putting it in my Walkman (which apparently was just discontinued by Sony, but more on that later in the week), and pressing play.

The first track was pretty awesome, but what really struck me was the second track – Bad Habit. It wasn’t the song itself that floored me – musically it’s one of the worst on the album. It was the absurd use of obscenity. I wasn’t much older than ten years old, and this song immediately became an important educational tool for me, teaching me the one thing all ten-year-olds want to know how to do – how to curse.

I realize, that in this day and age, this knowledge is much easier to obtain for a ten-year-old; I didn’t have the internet or cable TV, and network shows were much tamer back them. I remember sitting there, in awe, listening to Dexter Holland spew out an angry string of curse words, and thinking – “I wonder what his mother thinks of him.” That’s right. At the ripe old age of ten, I was worried about Mr. Holland’s relationship with his mother, and wondered if she had any idea how filthy her son’s mouth was.

So whenever a song, featuring excessive expletives, comes out, I feel a pang of nostalgia for my youth (Note: w/r/t this, the Teenage Tunes post will be coming soon, as will an ode to Walkmans). Cee Lo Green, of Gnarls Barkely fame, has released such a track. You can check out the entire album on NPR, or listen to this track here.

Cee Lo Green – F*** You

Happy-child indie-rock

[Note: Today’s post was written by a friend and camper of mine, Aaron Gold. Enjoy his happy-child indie-rock. Also, he’s running a half marathon to raise money for seriously ill children, so support him here.]

Today will forever be known as the day after 10/10/10. [Edit: Obviously he sent me the post on the 11th. My lack of ambition had me post it two days late.] My highlighter has a better chance in going down in history as something greater then this day. What’s the point? The point is, life is too fucking short to keep playing the same song over and over. How many times do we have to listen to Lady Gaga before wanting to put our heads in a wood-chipper? (according to my iTunes, 121 times)

So as some of us find ourselves stuck in the midst of a grueling semester, grinding out long hours in the library, it’s time for a change. I’m not talking Barak Obama change, I’m talking Che Guevara change, full-on communist takeover change. [Edit: I do not promote these political views. Che was a brutal revolutionary who horribly murdered many innocent citizens.] Here’s a little indie swag to brighten your day.

Matt & Kim – Daylight