Albums of the Year #40-11

#40: Brandon Boys - The Wild Trapeze

The Incubus frontman let his musical experience take over, providing all the instruments that shows Boyd taking a sidestep from the band. (Song highlight: Runaway Train)

#39: Sky Sailing - An Airplane Carried Me to Bed

The project that came before Owl City strips out the electronic similarities to the Postal Service and brings in the acoustic guitars needed to make it sound enough like Owl City to bring in the same audience, but different enough where fans can tell the two apart. (Song highlight: Tennis Elbow)

#38: Wavves - King of the Beach

An old school sound with a new school style. (Song highlight: Post Acid)

#37: Best Coast - Crazy for You

See above, but switch male for female. (Song highlight: Boyfriend)

#36: Eminem - Recovery

The ultimate comeback album for Mr. Mathers, that would be a lot higher if it had a few more hits other than an overplayed single that seemingly glorified domestic violence. (Song Highlight: No Love featuring Lil Wayne. This is a track that highlights the best of both rappers and is one of my top songs of the year)

#35: Jimmy Eat World - Invented

An alternative band that shows they don't slow down with age. (I have to admit, this was one that I flip flopped on having on the main list. But I put it in the other day and realized I had learned most of the tracks. Song highlight: Stop)

#34: She and Him - Volume Two

Zooey Deschanel and M Ward return for a more polished product than their first outing, which was a breath of fresh musical air in its own right. (Song highlight: Lingering Still)

#33: The Black Eyed Peas - The Beginning

The guilty pleasure album of the year that you want to dismiss but you're too busy dancing. (Song highlight: The Time (Dirty Bit)

#32: Lostprophets - The Betrayed

The fourth studio album from Lostprophets didn't get much notice because for some reason it wasn't released in the states. However, the band came back and released one of the best records of their career. (Song highlight: It's Not The End Of The World But I Can See It From Here)

#31: Sleigh Bells - Treats

An album that takes a while to get into, it was fine debut by an alternative band with an electronic twist. (Song highlight: Infinity Guitars)

#30: B.o.B. - The Adventures of Bobby Ray

Riding off singles that featured appearances from other stars (Bruno Mars and Hayley Williams) this ATL rapper showed he could do it on his own, filling an entire album with hits. (Song highlight: (Ghost in the Machine)

#29: Terrible Things - Terrible Things

Featuring a line-up of artists from former bands (Taking Back Sunday, Coheed and Cambria, Hot Rod Circuit) this alternative super group released one of the great rock albums of the year that shows potential for when they acquire some experience together. (Song highlight: Wrap Me Up)

#28: Isles and Glaciers - Hearts of Lonely People

Another supergroup, this time from the screamo scene. Featuring members from Vic and Mike Fuentes from Pierce the Veil, Jonny Craig from Emarosa and Dance Gavin Dance and Craig Owens formerly from Chidos and currently from D.R.U.G.S., the only thing disappointing about this release was the short lenght. (Song highlight: Hills Like White Elephants)

#27: Evolett - For Your Consideration

This is a local pick as Evolett is a Paramore-resembling band from Montgomery. But they don't get special treatment, the release is honestly that good. (Song highlight: The Compromise)

#26: Envy on the Coast - Lowcountry

A great sophomore release from a great California band that is also bittersweet due to the fact the band split up before the end of the year. (Song highlight: Like I Do)

#25: Matt and Kim - Sidewalks

There seems to be a new musical takeover, with an alternative base mixed with electronic beats and Matt and Kim are the leaders. (Song highlight: Cameras)

#24: The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards

Jack White finds success with yet another band, creating a harder blues and rock outfit than the the combined RaconStripes. (Song highlight: I'm Mad)

#23: Death in the Park - Death in the Park

Andy Jackson, formerly of Hot Rod Circuit and currently in Terrible Things, releases this solo side project that turned into a band with Dexter influences but an indie feel that sounds like it's straight out of the early 2000s. (Song highlight: Laws of Nature)

#22: Rick Ross - Teflon Don

With the spotlight on Kanye and Eminem and Drake this year, Ross provided the sleeper rap hit of the year. (Song Highlight: Aston Martin Music)

#21: New Politics - New Politics

This fun Denmark band did something that is really hard to do; make good rap/rock music. (Song Highlight: Dignity).

#20: Pendulum - Immersion

An import from Australia, Pendulum's first album was straight Drum and Bass and the second was mostly a rock effort. Immersion combines the two to provide a soundtrack for dancers and rockers alike. (Song Highlight: Witchcraft)

#19: Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns

At first listen, A Thousand Suns almost becomes one of the most disappointing albums of the year. But that's when you compare it to past albums. If you judge the release on its own merit, Linkin Park make a pretty solid album from start to finish.

#18: Circa Survive - Blue Sky Noise

Anthony Green and company release their third album and while showing no signs of slowing down, they also release one of the most underrated albums of the year. (Song highlight: Imaginary Enemy)

#17: Drake - Thank Me Later

A rapper who seemed overhyped by peers and the media, Thank Me Later turned out to be one of the greatest R&B/Hip Hop albums of the year. While you go in thinking you were about to be blasted with beats and in your face rhymes, Drake actually slows it down to provide a good "put on and just enjoy the music" release. (Song Highlight: Miss Me)

#16: Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life

With quirky lines fused with a growing alternative sound, Motion City Soundtrack provide the, uh, soundtrack to a good music filled night. (Song highlight: A Lifeless Ordinary)

#15: Pierce the Veil - Selfish Machines

After the success of their debut album, PTV came back with an album tailor made for concerts and turning up the sound in your car stereo. (Song highlight: Caraphernalia)

#14: Anberlin - Dark is the Way, Light is a Place

Anberlin release their fifth studio album at a quality that rivals people that have been in the business much longer. Much like their previous outings, Dark is the Way has relatable lyrics and smooth melodies that show Anberlin is a band that can be around for a long time. (Song highlight: Art of War)

#13: Chiodos - Illuminaudio

After parting ways with former front man Craig Owens, fans were curious to see what Brandon Bolmer was going to bring to the table. The result? A release that shockingly may have been better than any previous Chiodos albums. (Song highlight: Those Who Slay Together, Stay Together)

#12: Minus the Bear - OMNI

Minus the Bear take their chill out style, add some synthesizers and put in some suggestive lyrics to put out a record that is one of the best releases to put on and relax to. (Song highlight: Excuses)

#11: Bruno Mars - Doo Wops and Hooligans

Bruno Mars is a contender for artist of the year, as the guy was everywhere. And this release proved it wasn't just a fluke. The album title says it all - soulful vibes and fun jams. (Song highlight: The Other Side)

2010 Music - Songs, Disappointments and Albums that Didn't Make the Cut

So I finally wrote down my list of the music of 2010 and as soon as I get done with this write-up, I will get to work on my albums of the year post.

What this entry will cover are the songs of the year, "Best of the Rest" albums of the year and disappointments.

Songs of the Year

*The following are songs that are not found of my albums of the year (There will be 40 and anything in that post will not show up here). Disclaimer: I listen to an alternative station on my Sirius radio so that's why this list is so alternatively influenced. But I will throw a couple curve balls in there as well. And I know I will have most definitely forgotten some, but that happens.

In no particular order...

Metric - Black Sheep

A Silent Film - You Will Leave a Mark

Willow Smith - Whip My Hair

Young the Giant - My Body

Ra Ra Riot - Boy

Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks

Eminem and Dr. Dre - I Need a Doctor

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat the Devil's Tattoo

Muse - Neutron Star Collision

Yeasayer - Madder Red

Usher - O.M.G.

The Dirty Heads - Lay Me Down

Travie McCoy feat Bruno Mars - Billionaire

Coldplay - Christmas Lights

Birdman feat Lil Wayne and Drake - Money to Blow

The Drums - Let's Go Surfing

The Constellations - Felicia

Fences - Girls With Accents

Civil Twilight - Teardrop (Massive Attack cover)

Hugo - 99 Problems

Train - Hey Soul Sister

Atomic Tom - Take Me Out

Freelance Whales - Hannah

Interpol - Barricade

Albums Left Off the Top Spots (Best of the Rest)

*The following are albums that at one point or another I acquired but just didn't get into as much as everybody else or as much as I thought I would. Who knows, maybe sometime next year I will pop them back in and add them to "Albums I should have spent more time with." I know I'm going to catch some grief for leaving some of these off, and for the sake of space will let this paragraph serve as reasons why.

(Song highlights are my favorite tracks; albums that don't contain one is just from not obtaining a favorite due to not enough time spent with it)

Once again in no particular order...

The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang (Song Highlight - Boxer)

John Legend and The Roots - Wake Up

Broken Bells - Broken Bells (Song Highlight - The Ghost Inside)

The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (Song Highlight - Rococo)

Emarosa - Emarosa

Brandon Flowers - Flamingo (Song Highlight - Crossfire)

VersaEmerge - Fixed at Zero (Song Highlight - Fixed at Zero)

Maroon 5 - Hands all Over

Weezer - Hurley (Song Highlight - Where's My Sex?)

Angels and Airwaves - Love (Song Highlight - Epic Holiday)

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (Song Highlight - Rhinestone Eyes)

Band of Horses - Infinite Arms

Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

Also, I left the following off the Top Albums post because I wanted to keep it as straight studio albums. These are good live sets, mixtapes, compilations, etc

Punk Goes Classic Rock (Song Highlight - Free Fallin by The Almost)

The Black Keys - iTunes Session (Song Highlight - Next Girl)

Taking Back Sunday - Live from Orensanz (Song Highlight - Cute Without The 'E')

Girl Talk - All Day

B.o.B. - No Genre Mixtape (Song Highlight - Lost)

Vampire Weekend - iTunes Session (Song Highlight - Holiday)

Disappointing Albums

There really weren't that many disappointments from this year, even the ones above where just ones I didn't have time to get into. But since there are only a few, I will give a brief description of why.

The Devil Wears Prada - Zombie EP; I don't know why I thought this was going to be good. I can only really stand a few of their songs, but a concept EP based on the zombie invasion sounded like a good idea. Too bad it wasn't.

Travie McCoy - Lazarus; Though I have his song "Billionaire" at the top of the post, this album was extremely forgettable. I really like Gym Class Heroes and was anticipating what McCoy would bring to the table by himself but it turns out the band does make the man.

MGMT - Congratulations; I wouldn't even begin to do justice to why this album wasn't good, so I will transfer you over to Mike who did a good job of calling them out on his own blog.

And with that, I don't want to end this post on a ranting note. Here is the new music I'm looking forward to in 2011

Cage the Elephant

Manchester Orchestra

Lupe Fiasco

Bayside

Blink 182 (hopefully)

Red Hot Chili Peppers (hopefully)

Coldplay (I think this has a better shot than the above two, but still... hopefully)

Panic! at the Disco

Jay Z/Kanye West

And I know I'm forgetting some, but the biggest one I am looking forward to, without a doubt, is Taking Back Sunday. Get ready to see plenty of talk when that album drops.

(50) Sundays of Music: #1

#1: Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want To Be

Someone asked me a short while back when I started liking music. Like, when did I get to the point I am now, where it's basically an obsession - where new music put me in a great mood, concerts are life changers and a good cd can give me a high that drugs won't be able to touch. I thought about it a second and then immediately came to this cd.

You know how some senses take you back to time periods? Like if you eat a fruit that is grown the best in a certain area or smell a perfume that your first kiss was wearing. When I hear the beginning to the opening track of Where You Want to Be, I become transported back to the early years of high school.

I went to school in a small town, but technically lived in an even smaller town. Another resident of said smaller small town would go on to become one of my best friends. One year for her birthday I got her a cd holder thing and I put the Spider-Man 2 soundtrack and this release by Taking Back Sunday in there. Being the clever guy I was, I listened to the music before I gave it to her.

And I fell in love.

Maybe it was the dual vocals, the lyrical angst, the pounding drums; whatever it was I was mesmerized. Taking Back Sunday was a band I had always heard of and after putting this cd in my player I needed to hear more. It was after this cd that I actually went back to Tell All Your Friends and prepared myself for the albums that were to follow.

At the time, I think I was just singing along to the music, but not really hearing it. To be quite honest, as much as I liked the band, a part of me felt the second half of the album was kind of lacking. Fast forward a few years later and my eyes re-opened.

A cd I first listened to in my early years of high school came back to me in my middle time period of college. I went through a long, drawn out breakup, the kind that you mix equal parts of sadness and anger. One day, I randomly put this album and it spoke to me in a whole new way.

Taking Back Sunday was the first band where I started to read into the music. And they have a way of taking words that look good on paper and make them sound even better coming through a stereo.

I think it speaks to the musicianship that I may not be in "that place" where these songs speak to me, yet I can still put this on and get totally immersed in the music.

Fight Club will always be my favorite movie. Where You Want To Be will always be my favorite album.

And to switch things up for the finale, no videos. Instead, I want to focus on what I feel are some of the best passages of these songs, the ones that I re-discover time and time again.

"Well there's a secret I've been perfecting,
I swore I wouldn't but you let me
I'm comfortably confused
(and you...) You've gotten so removed"

"Now I'm lying on the table
with everything you said
it will all catch up eventually
well, it caught up and honestly
the weight of my decisions
were impossible to hold
but they were never yours
they were never yours"

"I always hoped to avoid the issues
Got me alone so I couldn't address you
Home is where you make it, Love,
Don't get yourself confused
Besides what's it to you?
I traded my conscience for your
For your confidence
Attacked my lungs with lies to pass the time
Made states move like regular days"

"See the months they don't matter it's the days I can't take
When the hours move to minutes and I'm seconds away"

"She says live up to your first impression (Come on, just say it),
Well my best side was your worst invention (Come on, just say it),
Why can't you live without the attention (I need you defenseless, dependent),
Why can't you live without the attention (alone)."

"Well I'm blowing smoke out of your window
And you're slipping back into your dress
You know you were always such a lady
I've always been impressed
But gentlemen
They don't ask questions
Just keep quiet
She'll pay attention
Gentlemen don't ask questions
We could pay attention"

"This glass house is burning down (open all night, know it...)
You light the match, I'll stick around (open all night, know it...)
I'll give you everything you want (open all night, know it...)
And wish the worst of what I was (open all night, know it...)"

Hiatus

Ok, it's kind of obvious that I'm not posting much or showing up for other people. But this isn't one of those "need a break" posts, just one of those "hey, i'm gonna be gone for a little while" posts.

I've yet to write my post for this Sunday, but when it's up it might be my last for a good minute. The only reason is because this Sunday I will be in South Dakota.

I'm really writing this to take myself off the hook. I had a lot of "best of" posts planned, but a friend of mine just said December was kind of stressful and he is going to do his in January, so I'm taking the same approach.

So during my SD downtime, I will be working on said posts and hopefully you will see some good stuff in 2011.

Till then, here is the other reason for this post. Whether you celebrate holidays, whether you love or hate your family, whether you're going to be busy or relaxing - I hope everybody enjoys the next week or so. Treat yourself to a good time.

I know I am.

Gotta take the good with the bad

I literally just turned 24 and I already I feel like I am starting to become cynical. Case in point - I refuse to make New Year's resolutions. I've had "learn the piano" on there since 2007 and my keyboard in my room continues to gather dust.

With that said, it doesn't mean I don't have goals for the new year. It's just that I don't want to look at it it as "I am only doing this because the last two digits whenever I write down the date has changed." More like: "I need to lose weight and get in shape. So that's what I'm going to do."

Last week, great things were happening to the people around me. Very recently, one of those great things took a terrible turn for the worst. I just don't understand. People can be absolute saints and still shitty things will happen to them. And yet complete scum of the Earth live the good life. It's not fucking fair.

And I know it's a tease, but I can't really go into the details. But I feel good about that above paragraph. Just needed to vent it.

So as to not be a downer, let's try to end on some positive vibes:

*I am really liking my job

*I saw my dad this past weekend and I feel like we are getting closer. I really like it and I only wish it would have happened long ago.

*I will show up for work on Christmas Day, then come home and put some clothes in a suitcase, maybe get a few hours of sleep, then by Sunday evening I will be in South Dakota with my family. I can't wait. I need to be there.

(50) Sundays of Music: #2

#2: Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head

This is the post I feel everyone (or maybe just a couple people) were waiting for. I mean, when you name your blog after a CD, you know that it has to be somewhere at the top.

As someone who considers Coldplay either my #1 or #2 favorite band, depending on when you ask, I feel A Rush of Blood to the Head is Coldplay's defining album. It shows off what Coldplay can do best - emotional ballads with piano backgrounds - but also shows that they can carry a CD from start to finish and even rock out a bit.

The beginning intro track "Politik" crashes you into the experience that you are about to partake in before the symphony of sound that Coldplay has been known for comes in with "In My Place."

From there, the album navigates through meaningful vocals and moving instrumentals. Some of my favorite songs from all music come from this cd: "Green Eyes," "The Scientist" and "Clocks."

However, I think what puts albums on this countdown is the personal experience I have with them. And personal stories is something I have plenty of with A Rush of Blood to the Head.

*"Amsterdam" - This song may be one of the most meaningful I have ever heard, and is one of those rare songs that is truly an experience when you hear it out, containing some of the most heartfelt lyrics I've ever heard come from Chris Martin "You can say what you mean / But it won’t change a thing / I’m sick of the secrets / Stood on the edge, tied to a noose / You came along and you cut me loose." I've heard rumors that Coldplay's next album will tell a story and if this song is any indication of what Coldplay can do with that method, music fans are in for a treat.

*"Green Eyes" - For a band that is considered "deep" (or whiny, depending on who you ask), this is one track where they are positive with a good vibe. Also, it was one of my favorite songs to sing along to when Martin performed it acoustic at the concert I attended.

*"Clocks" - If I ever get around to learning the piano, this is the track I will jam out to.

*"In My Place" & "Warning Sign" - Here is where I am going to be completely honest with anyone who reads these things. These are the only two songs in my musical history to make me shed tears by listening to them. Of course, I had to listen to them at the right time for it to hit me in the right way, but when they did they took a hold of me. Both times were from different break ups with the same girl, but both are still tracks that I hold close to my heart even today.

So for those who wanted this album to be #1, sorry for the disappointment. But hopefully you will still come back the day after Christmas to see who claimed the top spot. Until then, check out some of the songs I mentioned.

Movie Thursday: #7

Saw this the other day on Tumblr.

The description goes:

"This year's movies have legitimately transformed my idea of what is creatively possible. To commemorate, I've remixed 270 of them into one giant ass video."

(50) Sundays of Music: #3

#3: Lostprophets - Start Something

This is the one that I was thinking there would be a possibility of a surprise with. Not so much because of the band, but because they are so high among such worth contenders of the top spots.

But the reasons for me putting this album at #3 are simple: it is well made from start to finish, they are memories associated with it and it rocks.

I was first introduced to Lostprophets like most everyone else at the time, with the release of the song "Last Train Home." That tracks continue to this day to be one of the biggest sing alongs among people my age, no matter which musical genre you prefer. I will always remember the day I was visiting my family in California and my brother and I took a drive to Sacramento and on the way back we belted out this song. I also took the song "Last Summer" and set it to a slideshow of pictures from the summer between high school and college.

However, one of the main reasons I will always go back to this cd is it was one of the first ones to introduce me to how a band can make an album an entire experience. Now, this wasn't an experience in the sense of the album had a theme or anything. It's just that each song flowed into one another. Some with interludes and others it was just a case where the music didn't stop. I still compare current releases to this method of musicianship whenever artists try something similar (I'm not saying they were the first ones to do it - just that they were the first ones I heard).

But what is a good thought process without good music? Luckily, Lostprophets deliver in that aspect as well. With tracks that have been featured in racing video games (such as "To Hell We Ride"), a majority of the album is a pure shot of adrenaline. The quality doesn't suffer when they slow it down, however, as it is actually enhanced. I remember piecing together a music video in my head for "Hello Again" (ironically, it had them on rooftops, which would be the name of a single from their next album) and the closing melodic style of "Sway" is still one of my favorite tracks.

If you haven't heard this before, I urge you to give it a shot. If you have, well then I urge you to pull it out and give it another listen like I just did. And then sit there and rock out.

And today was a day just like any other

Normally on my "weekends" (I'm off Sunday and Monday - it's weird but I've gotten used to it) I do my laundry on one of those days. It takes a couple hours of my day as I have to drive down to the laundry mat, so it's always something I have to plan around. This weekend, I didn't have to go in to work until the afternoon on Saturday, so I got my laundry out of the way then and I had Sunday and Monday to enjoy with no plans.

And I did.

Yesterday, I randomly drove up to Auburn and finally watched Faster with Frisco (sounds like a morning show). I liked it, but of course I'm biased. At least it wasn't disappointing.

Today was a mix of video games and movies. I finally watched Van Helsing, a movie that some how made it's way to the top of my Netflix queue and has been sitting on my entertainment center for almost a month, and made a trip to Books A Million. I went on picked up Decoded by Jay Z for my South Dakota trip and wanted to give Darkly Dreaming Dexter a shot after we finished Season 2 Saturday night.

I think this is one of those "random update" posts. So here is a continuation of what's been going on/what's coming up:

*My work is back and forth sometimes. Two weeks ago, I didn't have but a couple stories go in the paper. Last week, I was all over the place. Some crime stuff has gone down; there were a couple shootings I had to go out to, which was kind of depressing. But the next two days I covered three parades and went to the Christmas tree lighting (and got a small interview with the governor). So yea, I never know what to expect.

*I've been working on my 2010 music lists. And I think I'm putting too much thought into it haha. Also working on some 2010 movie stuff, but that's not as an important.

*I don't know how many people reading this follow college football, but the school I just graduated from in August (Auburn - woot!) is on their way to the national championship game, bringing an undefeated record with them. Of course they would do it the year after I leave.

*My birthday is coming up, the 15th to be exact. (this would make a good present) I don't even think I mentioned my birthday on my blog last year and it's kind of redundant because most of my blogger friends are facebook friends as well. But I actually have some vacation days to use up so I will be off for four days next week, so that's kind of awesome. I'm not hating on people that have to throw big parties, but it's just not me. Maybe if I was in the same city as people I would do something big, but honestly, at this point I just want to hang out with my friends. And so far that is happening. Frisco is going to hang out with me in Montgomery on Sunday and then I have a couple days after that to possibly hang out with Jme. Don't even care what we do, it's just nice to spend time with friends.

*Speaking of the people that matter to me, good things are happening for them. And it's making me really happy.

*Let's go out on some music news. With all the concerts I've been too, I actually still have a list of top bands that I haven't seen. #1 is the Red Hot Chili Peppers but #2 is Linkin Park. This weekend, I will buy tickets to see LP in Atlanta in January. Opening for them is Pendulum, a pairing I would have never thought I would see, but it's got me really excited. Who is Pendulum? Click this and find out.

Random lyric of the day (throwing back to the post title):

I am aware, I've been misled
I disconnect my heart, my head
Don't wanna recognize when things go bad
The things that you'll accept
Except that I am finding the words... to say

(50) Sundays of Music: #4

#4: My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge

I discovered My Chemical Romance like all great bands should be discovered - through a mixed cd. I know it sounds like a recurring theme for this countdown, but that's how I discovered a lot of music in high school. And after that sample led me to purchase this album, it became a staple of that time period.

There's two different ways to talk about this album. The music itself and the impact it had.

As far as the music, two words come to mind when I think of this album (and the band itself really): energy and theatrics. It's like they are the punk version of Queen.

"I'm Not Okay" is a classic track and one of my top songs of all time. "Helena" is also one of those theatric style songs, with a theatric style video to add to it.

But the thing about Three Cheers is that the energy and the overall feel of the songs stays throughout the entire album. It never stops, even when it dips, such as in "The Ghost of You" the only time the album comes close to a slow song (and another one of my all time favorites).

What I like about it now is the same thing I liked about it then. It's the fact that I can really get into the songs. And not really in an "I can relate" sort of way, more of a "put on a concert in my car" kind of way. I could put on a show back in the day and I can still do it now. From how Gerard Way quivers his voice, to the way the drums blast your chest and everything in between, this album is a complete show.

But on to the impact. I've read different stories from different places about how My Chemical Romance helped teenagers. I remember a story where their music literally saved a kid. He was considering suicide but listened to their music and for whatever reason re-thought his decision.

Now, that wasn't me. Nor did I paint my fingernails black or dye my hair because of new found music. But I did enjoy the hell out of it. And I am not one of those people who hated high school as I actually enjoyed my time. It was the coming home part that I hated.

My dad and I got along fine, but we were never close. When I was home, I spent a lot of time in my room. Not as a loner or anything, I would come out and mingle, but my room was my little slice of the world so to speak. And albums like these were what was on constant rotation in there.

Here are some of the tracks I can still give a good performance to. (But read on, there's more).

While their first cd (I Brought You My Bullets You Brought Me Your Love) and their latest (Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys) are both great releases, it was their third album, The Black Parade, that almost got its own spot on this countdown. Though they started getting play on the radio, the theatrics continued while the progression into a solid rock band began. The songs below are still ones that, like those contained in Three Cheers, I can put on a solid performance to. (And note to Sara: I smiled hard at the fact that "Mama" was one of your favorites, as it is one of mine too).

*Please take a minute to check out this epic video. I don't know who made it, but it's wonderful.

(50) Sundays of Music: #5

#5: Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend


I remember it was the late winter/early spring of 2008 when my roommate said he was going to take up an offer that our college radio station WEGL had put out and go to DJ training. They said I should get on it but I decided to apply my time to volunteering for the school newspaper (sidenote: I ended up doing one volunteer article and joining the radio station in the summer, staying until I graduated in the summer of 2010).

Now that WEGL was in our crosshairs (if my roommate was going to be a DJ, I was going to go up there as well) we started listening. I was riding in the car with one of my other friends when we decided to tune in and heard two back-to-back songs from this "new artist" that the DJ really liked. WEGL was real big on listeners calling in so I dialed the number and asked what those songs were because we really liked them. His response was "oh yea man, that was Vampire Weekend. Their cd just came out. You should pick it up - it's really good."

The two songs he played were the leadoff singles, "Mansard Roof" and "A-Punk" off Vampire Weekend's self-titled debut. I was hooked.

I give a lot of credit to WEGL for my discovery of a lot of bands, including Mumford and Sons and MGMT. And that station definitely gets credit for Vampire Weekend. When we went up there, we started playing some of the tracks other dj's had put in rotation. We fell in love with "Oxford Comma" if not for the intensely amusing line "Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?" in a song that also contained a shout-out to Lil John.

Vampire Weekend's sound was different to a guy who had never really tapped into that genre before. I remember finally picking up the full cd for myself and loving every song, a true rarity. Even when I put it on now, I have visions of sitting in the hall waiting for my teacher to arrive, meanwhile trying to figure out what he was saying in some of the songs.

The music to me was just plain fun. All the instruments combined to provide a sound that just made me smile, such as with "M79" and "Walcott." Other tracks such as "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and "Bryn" made me want to go to the beach and just chill.

But as with most of my favorites, what places them on my top 5 is their ability to slow it down as well. "I Stand Corrected" is a heart-felt song where I actually feel the emotion with the buildup and the album closer "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" is the perfect way to close out the hurricane of sound found on the cd.

And then there's "Campus." Like I said, this album is timeless, as I can still listen today and get into it, but I put it on when I was stressing about my ex-girlfriend coming back to school and this song spoke to me with the lines "And I see you, you're walking across the campus"..."How am I supposed to pretend, I never want to see you again?" I know the context was different than what I was going through, but it spoke to me nonetheless.

A lot of people have their "college-defining" music. Vampire Weekend's debut release is certainly on that soundtrack for me.

Movie Thursday: #7

Thanksgiving with The Rock

Do you have that favorite actor or actress where as soon as their name pops up under the "Starring" section, you start thinking of when you are going to see it, regardless of what the movie is about? I have a short list of people with that distinction - Johnny Depp, Will Ferrell have always been there but recently Robert Downey Jr added his name up there.

But one man who earned that title long before he even starred in a movie? Dwayne Johnson.

Otherwise known as The Rock.

He first got a role in a movie starring as the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns, the sequel to the Mummy. It got enough of a reaction that he received his own spin-off movie in The Scorpion King.

It was early 2001 when that movie came out. And it was early 2001 that we as wrestling fans began to say goodbye to the wrestling career of The Great One.

After his own movie, he began to alternate between movies and wrestling. He would come back to get involved in a storyline before heading back out to film another film. At one point, it actually turned him into a Hollywood "bad guy" when the fans started to boo him instead of cheering because of him showing which path he had chosen. After a while, we couldn't boo for that long and our appreciation grew.

During the times when he would alternate, movies such as The Rundown, Walking Tall and Doom were released. Some were hit and some were definitely miss. At one point, The Rock's WWE contract ran out and he simply dedicated his career to acting.

An small indie movie was released called Southland Tales that to this day I still can't make sense of. But it was his turn as a football coach in Gridiron Gang that got a new audience talking - families.

From there, he turned in roles in Get Smart, the animated Planet 51, and then went on the Disney path of roles in The Game Plan, Escape to Witch Mountain and the Tooth Fairy. He raised a lot of criticism for the roles as taking the family way out and not being an action guy anymore. Which is kind of hard to do when you're playing a fairy.

(For what it's worth, I actually enjoyed those movies. My sister and I both did).

Then came The Other Guys, the taste of the other side of The Rock where he plays alongside Samuel Jackson in the same movie as Will Ferrell (a pairing that nearly caused me to have a heart attack).

This week marks his ultimate return to action with Faster. I have been waiting for this return for a while. I read a random review that said "Most people will be buying a ticket to see The Rock kick ass again. And if so, you will be happy."

And besides eating some cranberry sauce (my thanksgiving necessity) and seeing some family this weekend, I plan to at some point watch The Rock kick ass.

Driving slow on Sunday morning / And I never want to leave

About a year ago I pulled out a notebook and began jotting down some of my favorite albums. I had thought of this great big theme of "Music Sundays" where I was going to countdown my top 50. This upcoming Sunday will mark the first selection of only five left before we get to #1.

My #1 favorite album. That's kind of a big deal for a music junkie.

I want to take a second to thank anyone who has left on a comment on the 45 posts so far (and the guest posts as well). It's been nice to get feedback on something that is actually kind of personal - stories of how these albums left an impact on my life.

And make no mistake, each one has left an impact. It's why I always tried to write the post from the perspective of how it felt to listen to the cd, rather than a review. Because if this was a "Best" list, it would be dramatically re-ordered.

With all that said, I want to take a minute to tease the next five selections come up. The thing about them is this: when I made this list around this time last year, these five I already had set. It was the other 45 I had to figure out. That's why they are so special to me.

#5 - A cd that clearly defines my college years. I heard of it through, and continually played it because of, my college radio station. Man I miss being a dj there.

#4 - A cd that clearly defined my high school years. Apparently I wasn't able to let go as there was a poster of them on my wall during my freshman year of college.

#3 - When I think of all the selections, this one may get the most surprise for being so high. But for it's simplicity, it was one of the first to make me look at an album as an experience from the first track to the last.

#2 - A selection that won't come as a surprise to anybody. Even you have visited this blog only once.

#1 - Not to spoil the beginning of the eventual post, but someone recently asked me if I know why I started getting so into music. This album was part of my answer.

(Note: Maroon 5's Songs About Jane isn't one of them, but "Sunday Morning" is one of my favorite songs ever. I just thought it fit).

I'm a Loser

No, seriously. I lost.

Girl Talk dropped a new mashup mix a week ago and I wanted to spice things up a little. I felt like someone should appreciate his work and the fact that he brings so many genres into the mix. So I placed a friendly challenge over to Sara to see who could identify the most samples.

I put it out to her because she is someone I know is just like me and listens to ALL kinds of music. I thought it would be fun to pick them out and truly see how many we can find (since some he literally drops for a second).

After the initial challenge, there were words of "you're going to kick my ass but I'll try" from her side and I have to say - I think I was hustled.

She tried to intimidate me on my facebook wall saying she had found 69 samples. After reaching 70 by around the 8th track of 12, I thought "no way" and told her to listen again. She did and came up with 120.

After it was all said and done, I only had 95.

Though we never put a "prize" on this since it was a challenge and not a wager, I will humbly accept my loss and will announce her prize here. Since I lost by 25, and have been a ghost on other people's blogs, I will commit to 25 straight comments on her world of organized chaos.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to go sit on the loser table...

(50) Sundays of Music: #6

#6: Pierce the Veil - A Flair for the Dramatic

"Like a rush shot through you..."

Those are the opening words to this release from the San Diego band who are slowly working their way up the ladder of their respective screamo/post-core/whatever identifier you want to call it scene. And years later after its release, I still get a rush when listening to it.

Here is my disclaimer: I realize as we get to the top of this countdown that more people will recognize the ones selected. However, I don't expect many to know this band (even I stumbled upon them by chance). Unless you listen to the Warped Tour scene deeply you may not have heard of them and I personally feel in due time they will be mentioned at the top. But with that said, my goal is to give you a few minutes of entertainment with a story. So here we go.

I was visiting my family one summer in California when my brothers said they wanted to go to a show headlined by a band out of Sacramento called Dance Gavin Dance. I was getting into DGD because they had slid me some music and while I usually do not gravitate toward the screaming/singing type, I did like it.

As we packed into the small club in Stockton, some of the opening acts took the stage. One contained a band with a ton of energy, featuring this skinny lead singer who looked like he would flinch at a fly but when the music started he turned into a beast. His high-pitched (at times whiny) voice was the type where you either loved or hated it, there was no in between. And I was immediately hooked. That opening band was Pierce the Veil.

I got their cd a few days later at the local Hot Topic and listened to it that entire summer. When I got back to Bama, I saw PTV was opening for Emery in Atlanta. I dragged a friend and once again, they stole the show. They did exactly what an opening band was supposed to do - impress you enough where you ask questions and take a chance on the cd.

What I remember about that show was wanting to take a picture with them and they couldn't have been any nicer about it. They were behind their merch table and I was standing in front of it and they said "hey, come around here" and they posed with me. The moment that grainy cell phone pic was snapped, they instantly were thrust into one of my favorite bands.

I would see them two more times at two different Warped Tour stops. Both times they did autograph signings and both times I got to chat with them for a second.

So as much as that may be a nice story about the band, what about the cd landed it at #6 beside memories of shows? Well, that was one reason. The tracks bring me back to those memorable live experiences (such as sliding in covers of pop songs - see below for an example). But the other is that it's a damn good cd.

The tracks are labeled "Act 1" and so forth before the song title. As previously stated, I love when bands put effort into their music like that. A Flair for the Dramatic is one of the few cds where I have pressed play and read the lyrics while the music played for the entire album.

If I ever can figure out how to go about it, the song "Currents Convulsive" contains a line that I would like to get tattooed at some point: "So I'll toast every beat of my heart like a miracle."

The music may not be for everybody, but I wish there were more bands like this. Bands that put effort into the overall package of the music and genuinely care about their fans.

And here is that pic:

Cover of NeYo's Closer before going into one of their songs:

Movie Thursday: #6

The Double Feature

Not counting Grindhouse, I've only pulled watching two movies in theaters in one day one time. I was visiting my friends in Tuscaloosa and they waited to see Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift and I wanted to see Nacho Libre. We couldn't agree so we just saw both. Ironically, I ended up liking Tokyo Drift and not really caring for Nacho.

That was nearly five years ago. Two weekends ago, I pulled my second double feature. I wanted to see both Megamind and Due Date and I've made a friend around here that has same sense of cinematic adventure so I proposed the challenge and she accepted.

I have to say, it was a success.

We were scheduled to watch the non 3-d Megamind at 4:20 but didn't get there till like 4:50 so we ended up watching the 3-d version at 5. The feature wasn't necessary, but the movie was great. I have heard some people saying it was terrible so maybe you shouldn't trust me, but I absolutely loved it. You could say it's because I like animated movies (Finding Nemo and Up are straight up classics) and I am a huge Will Ferrell fan (I did a happy dance when I saw Anchorman was released on blu-ray). The two combined to bring me a animated movie with a PG version of Ferrell's humor. So for me it was win-win and I enjoyed myself.

Then we left to meet a friend of hers who just got off work. Chilled with him for a minute before headed back to where the theater was and enjoying some Arby's. I admitted halfway through my curly fries that I was a wee-bit tired. But a challenge was a challenge and we decided to finish this thing.

Like I said, the double feature was a success, but part of it's triumph was that both movies were great. Due Date had me laughing and made me forget I was tired. Being from the south, it was actually funny to watch them eat at a Waffle House (that's a whole nother blog post though). And without spoiling anything, it was cool to see them take near the exact same route we did when we did an Alabama to California trip.

I do have one gripe about Due Date. I love Robert Downey Jr and Zach Galifianakis (and before I saw this, I did like the movie) but I felt like they played the same exact characters they always play. Downey with the hard shell you have to remove before seeing he's not so bad and Zach pretty much playing his Hangover well. Like I said, it's not a complaint because it worked, especially Downey. But as funny as Zach was, I couldn't help notice it was the EXACT same character from the Hangover. But I guess that's what you get when you have a director who had success with one movie and wants more success. I can't stress this enough: It's not a complaint, more of an observation.

Both movies were fun and the double feature was a success. If you haven't done one, you should try it.

Newness

It seems like in life, new things always come along that grab your attention. When The Office invaded my life, I lost interest in Scrubs. When Community came into my life, I lost interest in the The Office and so on and so on.

After a plethora of my friends told me I would enjoy Dexter, I gave it a shot on Friday night. It is Tuesday night and I just finished episode 8. I want to keep going but I need some sleep.

I love this show.

I am also enjoying a new song posted by Taking Back Sunday. Definitely came out of nowhere and made me pretty happy.

And I am pretty pumped that both Kanye West AND My Chemical Romance have new cds coming out next week. I've previewed them both and I feel like I won't be disappointed.

sidenote: A friend asked me what I was doing over Thanksgiving break. As this is my first year in the "real world," I told her I no longer had a break :(

And to end this random post, it's hard to call myself a reader when all I read are autobiographies. But is it bad that I am really interested in Jay Z's book and will probably get it for my South Dakota flight in December?

(50) Sundays of Music: #7

#7: Death Cab for Cutie - Plans

If I could go back in time, I would have gotten into Death Cab for Cutie much sooner. Instead, they were a band I had always heard of, but never heard. It wasn't until my freshman year of college, when I was living with one of the people I had heard of them from, that Ben Gibbard's voice started coming through the speakers in my house. (Which you can read more about at the end of this post).

Then, all of a sudden "Soul Meets Body" got on the alternative radio I listen to. I remember the roommate and I were at FYE in our college-town mall and I saw this cd, thought "what the hell" and picked it up.

I want to say that I went home and was mesmerized, that it completely took hold of me. But I can't, because it didn't. I read a piece on the website for Alternative Press recently where he was talking about not appreciating a Radiohead album till years after he obtained it. He said he had to be ready to hear it, and that's how I felt about Plans.

As depressing as this might sound, I got into a lot of music in the time during a very bad breakup that I went through. Though, when you look back at Plans, I wouldn't necessarily call it "emo." I don't know if this is a classification, but I would call it "well thought out" music.

What Plans did for me was introduced an appreciation for the piano. The opening track "Marching Bands of Manhattan" and "Summer Skin" are two good examples, but without a doubt the songs that I keep coming back to are the back-to-back masterpieces of "What Sarah Said" and "Brothers on A Hotel Bed."

While my major was journalism, I also graduated with a minor in psychology. One of the classes I took was called "Psychology of Aging" and we given an assignment to analyze a song or movie - anything that tells a story of growing older or the struggles elderly people face. I actually submitted a piece on "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" and received an A.

But it's not just the piano-background, there is also some cool tracks like the already mentioned "Soul Meets Body" and the classic "I Will Follow You Into The Dark." However, if I were to list my favorite tracks from this cd, in the top three would have to be "Crooked Teeth." I just love how it gives a sort-of bouncy vibe to an otherwise deep cd.

I love this album so much. I could put it on to fall asleep to, to relax to and when I'm tired of jamming on road trips, to channel reflection mode.

BONUS

The good thing about music is that even if you miss out, it will always be there. I mean, how many Beatles fans do we have today? It's because their music is timeless. Because of this aspect, I was able to go back to the time I missed out on and I have to also include Transatlantacism to my favorite cds as well. As mentioned before, I went through a pretty rough breakup and there were certain songs that spoke to me. "Tiny Vessels" was one of those tracks.

Movie Thursday: #5

Mr O vs. Jeanette vs. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

This week marked the DVD/Blu-Ray release (yes, I'm a hi-def junkie) of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I'm pretty excited as this was one of the few movies in history that I saw more than once in theaters. And as soon as I get some money aside, it will be viewed in my household more than once as well so I can fall in lesbian with it all over again.

So in celebration, this week's Movie Thursday is all about the epicness of Scott Pilgrim vs The World. To help me out, I enlisted the help of my good friend jeanette. We never publicized it, but we were once going to start a movie blog but, well, our lives got in the way. So consider this post a preview of what may have been.

(editor's note: Before we get started, there is a sidenote of cool Toronto/Canada stuff from the movie that we vaguely touched on. For more in depth details, check out Allison's Scott Pilgrim post.)

Mr O:

so jeanette. I, like many people, had not heard of the graphic novels (is that the official term?) before I saw the trailer for Scott Pilgrim. But you were, correct?

jeanette:
Oh for sure... I've never been a huge comic book nerd before. Nerd, yes, but comic book nerd, no. But a few years back I stumbled upon the graphic novels and then waited patiently for the last few to come out. HOWEVER, reading them has only made me mildly more interested in other graphic novels. I think with Scott Pilgrim it's more the story than the format.

Mr O:
Interesting. Because as someone who only became aware the entire concept only when the movie was announced, I was impressed with the format, in reference to the movie. The story was good, don't get me wrong. But it was all the effects and what not that left an impact on me. Do you think the movie lived up to the comic?

jeanette:

Yes and no. No because it strayed A LOT from the movies. Up to ex number two I was like this is AWESOME it was just like the book but then they kind of went crazy taking liberties and that ending was really different. That being said, the movie was still AMAZING so I was really happy that they kept with the "spirit" of the novel and that it hopefully created a few more fans who can now go back and read the novels (nudge nudge)

Mr O:
Nudge noted. With the comic talk out of the way, let's focus on the movie. What did you think of the cast? I actually could see this as Micheal Cera showing he doesn't have to be a total shy geek to carry the movie (he was actually trying to get with the girl instead of the "aw shucks" we usually see). Thoughts?

jeanette:

Yeah, I'm a huge Michael Cera fan, ever since Arrested Development so I'm oblivious to him playing the same character. To me, if a person plays the same role every time it's probably because they're good at it (i.e. Zack Galifinakis playing the semi-crazy guy in every movie). That being said, having read the comics I was a little worried about the cast after it was announced. The one that threw me off the most was Kieran Culkin being cast as Wallace Wells. This was a shocker because if you have read the comics Wallace appears to be asian (as asian as a crudely drawn comic can look) but I was pleasantly surprised by his role. I also wasn't 100% sold on Mary Elizabeth Winstead having only seen her for a few minutes in the last Die Hard movie, but again I think she did an extraordinary job. The whole cast was amazing to me, espeically Cera, Ellen Wong as Knives Chau, and Alison Pill as Kim Pine. I think a lot of this had to do with Edgar Wright's concept of comic timing being amazing

Mr O:
Yea, for an unknown actress (to me), I actually kinda dug Winstead's Ramona Flowers. I usually like Cera in that role as well, but it was nice to see him get his mean-face on. But speaking of Arrested Development, I geeked out at having him share screen time with the former Ann Veal from that show (a nice thanks to you for getting me into AD). I actually never really cared for Jason Schwartzman but I liked his "villian" here. I also enjoyed seeing someone who was once Superman play the role of a Vegan (who loses his powers)

jeanette:
Yeah Winstead definitely earned my respect. haha YES! Good 'ol Egg... I mean Ann (and you're welcome). SO GLAD that someone else never really cared for Schwartzman, I never got that fascination some others did, but I was only mildly impressed with him in this movie (again, I think this stems from having read the comics). Yeah, Brandon Roth was awesome. I also forgot to mention that Brie Larson kicked ass as Envy Adams, there's this interview that Bryan Lee O'Malley (the author) posted of her doing the whole interview as Envy Adams and it cracked me up.

Mr O:
thank you for the perfect segway... before we wrap this up, we HAVE to talk about the music. For as much as it was a video game/comic book movie, it was also a music movie as well, with the battle of the bands and such (and even a battle with a band versus DJ's that was pretty basstacular). I had heard "Black Sheep" on the alternative station I listen to and rocked out when I heard it on screen. And then thought it was really cool that though Metric did it, they had Envy singing it like it was hers. Plus, that song is just pretty kick-ass itself.

Click here to check out the "Black Sheep" - Scott Pilgrim video

jeanette:
Yeah the music was definitely INSANE in the movie. I was really glad that with the movie (and novel) being set in Canada they opted to get the word out on a bunch of awesome canadian bands (except my favs, Tegan and Sara). Between Broken Social Scene writing the songs for Crash and the Boys and Metric being the influence for Clash at Demonhead it was an all out Canada-fest. I also think it's awesome that the clothes Envy Adams wore were designed by Emily Haines of Metric. But the music definitely kicked up the movie a notch or two. I just felt so pumped the entire time, the soundtrack is one of the better soundtracks to come out in a while

Mr O:

There were some tidbits in what you said that I was not aware of. I had heard of the Canada stuff, but not the fashion things and what not. That's the great thing about these convos.

So let us recap: pretty good cast, awesome visuals, cool "little things" and a kick-ass soundtrack. Is there anything that needs to be said?

jeanette:
It was definitely the funniest movie I've seen in a really long time, and I think the video game theme of the comics translated really well to the movie. Which I think might have been the downfall of the movie in the long run... people not of our generation really didn't "Get it" which sucks because more movies of that caliber need to be made. I'm really hoping it becomes a cult classic.

Also I kind of want to rollerblade everywhere and work for Amazon in Canada

Mr O:
Definitely an "our generation" movie. I would also like to defeat my enemies and have them turn into coins. That would be cool.

jeanette:

haha unless you only got two coins for beating them, that'd be a bummer.

Mr O:
True bummer. It wouldn't even be enough for the bus ride home.

jeanette:

And walking in Canada can be cold... I don't think you'd be able to handle it being from the south ;)

Under My Covers, Vol. 7

Oh yea, dusting off a classic.

It's been OVER A YEAR since I've done an "Under My Covers" post but it's something I want to get back into. Especially when inspiration strikes like it did today.

I was driving home from work when the DJ on the alternative station I listen to starts talking about Jay Z. It made me curious because usually she will bring somebody up before going into a song of theirs and an alternative station doesn't really play hip hop (though they did play Kanye West's "Homecoming" - but that's because it featured Chris Martin).

So I realize it's because she is introducing a cover. It's by an artist named Hugo and he took a shot at covering "99 Problems." I have no idea if this is old or new, but it's the first time I had heard it.

It was one of those moments where I just laughed and smiled. I absolutely loved it and I hope you take a minute to at least try it out.

Original Version by Jay Z

Cover Version by Hugo *edit: the video is kinda weird, but nevermind that. Unless you like that sort of thing, then enjoy it even more :)

(50) Sundays of Music: #8

#8: Taking Back Sunday - Louder Now

I remember specifically sitting in the living room of my first apartment during my freshman year of college and reading about the latest music news and becoming excited that 2006 would not only bring a new Red Hot Chili Peppers album but a new one from Taking Back Sunday as well. Both bands were (and are still) in my top 5 favorites so anything new from them creates excitement for me.

The lead-off single that got passed around many MySpace players was "MakeDamnSure" - probably the biggest hit in the career of TBS at least in terms of radio play (at least rock radio - not sure if it ever made it to the pop and mix stations). It's still a crowd pleaser, one that people wait for at shows.

And of course you know where the story goes from here. As soon as more people started knowing the name Taking Back Sunday, the more some fans shunned them. I, for one, was happy with the change.

Louder Now was more rock to the previous albums that had been labeled emo. I'm sure there is some kind of sub-genre of emo that TBS fall under, I just don't know what it is. But I was getting older. And honestly, I was happy to just rock out with a good rock band. And in my mind, that's what Taking Back Sunday had become with Louder Now.

While "MakeDamnSure" is still a classic, this album contains a couple of not only my favorite TBS songs but some of my favorite songs period. "Spin" and "Error: Operator" are two songs that I listen to when I need to get pumped up, or when I need a pick-me-up during long road trips. And then the melody of "Divine Intervention" shows that TBS can take it down a notch and still produce hits.

Lyrically, this is one of the best albums I have ever heard and solidified their place as my #1 favorite band (until Coldplay came along and began a constant struggle for that top spot). I love analyzing the song writing, which I will give credit to Fred Mascherino who helped with that aspect. This album marked Fred's last with the band as the two parted ways shortly after and took with him the dual vocals that made the slow-brooding then punch you in the face "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" so amazing. As an example, check out the lyrics to "Twenty Twenty Surgery."

To end this, I want to address those familiar with the band. They have their big anthems such as "Cute Without The E" and "Decade Under the Influence" but I really think when it's all said and done, there is one song that is GROSSLY underrated. And that would be Louder Now's closer in "I'll Let You Live." It was one of those rare songs that I had heard a ton of times but at one point in my life it really spoke to me ("Tell me just how dangerous is second best / You've settled for less and I'm sure you'll settle again"). And that's why I love this band - and this album.