Almost Killed Me

Monday morning is gonna land on your head like a ton of bricks. At least it did for me. Here's some help procrastinating at work:

• Salon reviews The Hold Steady's "Stay Positive"
• Muzzle of Bees talks to Centro-matic's Will Johnson about "Dual Hawks"
• Charleston City Paper has a live review of Modest Mouse at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach
• You Ain't No Picasso interviews Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes
• The Onion asks the tough questions

...and my iTunes library just took me from Thelonious Monk Quartet to Third Eye Blind...I am currently attempting to adjust.

It's Pudding Time, Children

I did make it out to see The Helio Sequence and The Explorer's Club Friday, at the Village Tavern. I'll have pics by the end of the week (I know, I know...my promises are empty shells of human disappointment).

Saturday I spent painting the garage at the in-laws house. Sunday I cleaned for four hours, but only got in one album b/c the vacuum is loud. Here's the playlist (CD images link to Amazon):

Modest Mouse--We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

What the hell happened to this album? So much hype surrounded it and then so many fairweather fans and critics disappeared. It may be their finest moment. Have I said that already?

Primus--Frizzle Fry

The tightest album of the 90s; the best moment comes in the breakdown during "Pudding Time." And the lyrics are insanely poignant...not just throwaways.

Built to Spill--There's Nothing Wrong With Love

My love affair with BTS continues. Leave me alone. I know it's unhealthy. I can't help it I want to curl up in Doug Martsch's beard and sleep forever.

Nirvana--Nirvana

Purging Nirvana from my system for years now has only made me appreciate them more. "You Know You're Right" should be required listening for anyone considering starting any type of angsty-knock off band. That should be enough to convince your shitty group to pack it in before you start.

Saturday Night's Alright...For Being Alone

The weekend was spent in the comfort of my home, mostly due to the fact that I locked my keys in my car Friday morning at work. With no way to get in until Monday, I hunkered down and did what any late-twenty-something would do on a Saturday night in a bustling town: painted my guest room.

The soundtrack of our nights:

Ryan Adams--Rock n' Roll

...still just a genuine throwaway CD. I was really only in the mood to hear "So Alive" and "Note to Self: Don't Die."

Various Mix CD

...compiled by Fletch in 2003. Lots of emo, the irresistable kind; especially from a band called, Believe In Toledo. (Now defunct?)

Braid--Frame & Canvas

...is it wrong to call it emo? Doesn't feel like it. This album might crack my Top Ten. The first three songs are flawless.

Modest Mouse--We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

...completely overlooked in my opinion. It received above-mediocre reviews mostly, I believe, due to the fact that critics only focused on the fact that Johnny Marr was now a part of the band. Isaac Brock's songwriting on this one was the gem, though. Don't believe me? Listen to "Missed the Boat" and "Parting of the Sensory."

Silversun Pickups--Carnavas
...summed up best by Nick Frost as "the band that Smashing Pumpkins could have been, if the Pumpkins didn't suck."

The Thermals--The Body, The Blood, The Machine

...stayed on my player all last summer. Still a solid album and great freakin' songwriting (e.g., "I regret leaving my mind/I forgot I needed it to think/and maybe to keep me alive/can't believe I got so far with a head so empty")

Never made it to:

Constantines--S/T

...but I plan on rectifying that siutation today. In the meantime, looking forward to the new Constantines, Kensington Heights. (Those boys look like extras from The Lost Boys in that picture, don't they?) Here's an mp3 link courtesy of Sixeyes.

Link for today:

Test your music IQ. 30 questions, and it's a lot of fun. Although what's scary is how accurate the descriptions of the your music personality are. I'm a Mix Tape DJ--what the hell are you?