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...

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 ;)

I have tumbled

There will be more discussion about this later, but I have started a tumblr.

One of the things I want to do on there is a do picture post for every day in October. Anybody have any suggestions of any themes for the days?

http://themroshow.tumblr.com/

Sunday Music Guest Post #5

In celebration of reaching the halfway point of my (50) Sundays of Music countdown, I wanted to do something to celebrate. I figured what better way than to turn the tables around and hear about other people's favorite music. So I asked some of my blogger friends (and a special guest) to give me a week full of guest posts talking about one of their favorite artists, albums or songs and to give the reason why. Today's guest post comes from...

JerseySjov! I remember lurking around the 20something bloggers web site when I came across a New Jersey girl asking for more followers around her age. I showed up and was immediately interested. Her weekend recaps make me wish I had a cooler life. I read all the crazy situations she gets into and it makes me think about how some of my weekends consist of... Lost. However, (and you know this was coming) what got us to become more than just blogging buddies is our mutual appreciation for different kinds of music. When we became facebook friends, we started trading various mixtapes. What's that you say? A nice segway into her post? Find out if it actually was below:






When I first sat down to write my guest post on the most influential album in my life, I plugged in my headphones and got to shuffling around my current iTunes library. I quickly realized that my digital library doesn’t contain any full albums; In fact, of the 637 artists in my collection, only 8 have more than a CD’s worth of music: Beastie Boys, The Killers, Basement Jaxx, Girl Talk, TRVS/DJ AM, Kanye West, Jason Mraz, and Modest Mouse. Further clicks and scrolls reveal that I have about 400 artists represented by just a single song. How, was I supposed to pick a CD to write about when I apparently haven’t listened to a full CD in ages?



Disheartened and a little worried that I might have to bail on my guest posting commitment, I looked at all the stats that iTunes has to offer -Play Count, Skip Count, Last Played- and still couldn’t find any one artist’s release that captured any specific moment in my life. One last pass through my albums finally brought a pattern to light and caused the memories to start flowing. Suddenly I couldn’t just pick one album to write about.

So what digitally stored albums are the most important to me? The list is pretty long: Ali’s Mix CD. Gloria Thumb Drive. PA Presents. Julie & E Go to UConn. Mixes from Sarah. Modern Dance II. Old Pop Business. Represent Curacao. Julie Goes to France. And more.



Whether the songs were ripped from a physical disc made for a special roadtrip or an unmarked burned CD found on the floor in a dorm room, if they came to me as digital files during a hard drive raid, or if the album title was just a way to compile old favorites into one easy to find playlist, those are the titles that kick me way down Memory Lane. Songs on the mixes don’t come from the same era, they don’t always tell a story the way the musician and the studio mixer would like, and they don’t have to have significance to anyone but who they were made for.

That being said, if you’ve ever received a Mix CD, you know the sentimental value of music chosen for you by someone else is massive. Thanks to my freshman year roommates Ali and Charlotte, I can never hear OK GO “A Million Ways” without expecting Dr Dre “Still” to come on and merely hearing the opening plinks of Fiona Apple’s “Tymps (Sick in the Head Song)” brings to mind my 18 year old self participating in impromptu singalongs with my roommates, often with surprised guests in the room. If I had never asked my highschool friend Sarah to make me a CD with silly pop songs she downloaded from LimeWire, she would have never forced her twangy indie-ish country music into my head in a successful attempt to get me to listen to more interesting music.

The album title “Mix CD from Michelle” was changed to “Mix CD” when Michelle and I had a falling out; I felt so attached to the idea that she had made the CD for me I had to change the name to something neutral in order to enjoy the music again. When she and I resolved our differences years later, she got put back into the title. She had and has no idea that I did this, but to me it made all the difference.



There is nothing I love more than getting a mix CD as a gift, because you can tell a lot about how people perceive you based on what music they think you’d like. I have an open-to-a-fault mind when it comes to hearing new sounds [“except for new country music” like everyone says. Sorry, but it just all sounds the same to me!], so I’ve gotten some insane buffets of music over the years. I received one such mix as a pre-show gift from a girl I danced with that had 20 tracks with everything from Michael Jackson to Rilo Kiley to an instrumental gospel-sounding song I’ve been trying to identify for over 4 years now.

Sometimes it doesn’t work out so well, and I’ll whittle away at a CD’s presence on my iTunes until there are only a couple tracks left, but I find myself being deeply attached to certain bands despite only having one song from them due to the way that song came to me, like Magnet “Where Happiness Lives”. Other times I’ll get a listen of someone new and obsessively collect their tunes any way I can until I have an extensive collection, which is what happened when one of my favorite bloggers made an offhand reference to the Fu-Shnickens a while back.



Lately, one digital compilation list has been growing by leaps and bounds: Blog Finds. I suppose it’s true that “birds of a feather flock together” because almost every blog I read eventually wanders around to the subject of the writer’s diverse musical taste. Some analyze lyrics or post songs of the day, others put up youtube videos that cross their computer screens, and still others count down their top 50 favorite albums. [Just kidding with that last one: Mr O, you’re the only one I’ve seen so far who’s doing a top 50!] Listening to music, talking about favorite songs, and, above all else, asking “Hey, have you guys heard this?” is a big part of what the people I surround my digital self do.



I hope you guys found a way to connect with my Mix CD story time. Because I’m a believer in little presents, I’m going to leave you with JerseySjov’s Mini-Meta-Mix Playlist: 5 songs I now love that came to me on a Sharpie-covered Memorex CD, packed into a thumbdrive, or in my Blogger Reading List. As with any mix, I can only hope that you all listen and find something in here that you end up loving, and that you think of me when you spin it.



1.From Hex’s blog Sleep Dirt: Astronautalis “Trouble Hunters”

2.From Modern Dance II: Leona Lewis “Run”

3.From one of my best friends in highschool, Sarah: Old Crow Medicine Show “Wagon Wheel”

4.From Julie Goes to France: Make the Girl Dance “Baby Baby Baby”

5.From Mr O’s blog A Rush of Blog to the Head: Band of Horses “Our Swords”



And of course, any mix CD worth the plastic in its jewel case has a hidden track



Thanks for reading, yall! Catch me at A Bit Unaware [http://jerseysjov.blogspot.com] if you liked what you read. Many thanks to Mr O for giving me my first guest appearance on another blog; this was a lot of fun to write!

Sunday Music Guest Post #4

In celebration of reaching the halfway point of my (50) Sundays of Music countdown, I wanted to do something to celebrate. I figured what better way than to turn the tables around and hear about other people's favorite music. So I asked some of my blogger friends (and a special guest) to give me a week full of guest posts talking about one of their favorite artists, albums or songs and to give the reason why. Today's guest post comes from...

Allison! Though she is my most recent loyal follower, we have made up for time for almost being guaranteed comments on each other's posts (except for the post crossing ones -- I am a slacker on those). In my time following her Quarter-Life Crisis, I have loved her photo series and enjoyed seeing random Canadian facts pop up like grease off of bacon. But what ultimately gets me coming to her blog every week is her iTunes playlist Tuesdays. She is always good at coming up with unique themes (and even let me do a guest post for her last week). See what she came up as her guest post this week below:

A few weeks ago Mr. O asked me if I wanted to write a guest post for him and obviously I said yes. He mentioned that he wanted some of his readers to write about one of their favourite albums – not necessarily our #1, but an album we consider an absolute favourite. I made a short list and because I’m on a bit of a White Stripes kick right now I’ve chosen White Blood Cells by The White Stripes.

The first song I heard by the band was “Fell in Love with a Girl.” It was playing in my manager’s car as we were driving to a meeting for my first job in high school. I believe we also listened to The Strokes’ “Last Nite.” In 2001, when these albums came out, it seemed to be the beginning of the era of the “The’s.” A lot of bands came out with “The” at the beginning of their names – a minimalist approach to Rock & Roll. I really dug it.

I have all the songs from White Blood Cells – but guess what? I never bought the CD. Yeah, I’m a terrible person. It came out during the golden age of music downloading. The Napster craze – before the lawsuits started (fueled by bands such as Metallica). I did buy Elephant when that came out though.

Anyways, I think it would be best to explain why I love this album song by song. A journey through the track list of this masterpiece:

(Editor's Note: I actually listened to this cd while reading what she had to say. It was a great way to experience it.)

1. *Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground* – What can I say? This is a
kick ass track one. “If you can hear a piano fall, you can hear me coming
down the hall” is my favourite line.

2. *Hotel Yorba* – Jack White worships Bob Dylan, and when I hear
this I can hear a bit of Bob in it. It’s more country than the rest of the
album and it’s a bold choice for second track.

3. *I’m Finding it Harder to Be a Gentleman* - This song makes me
think of a guy who was once in my life, and he was one of those guys who was
overly chivalrous in public. He held the door open for EVERYONE. But in
private he was a douche. The line that gets me is: “Well I never said I
wouldn't throw my jacket in the mud for you / but my father gave it to me so
maybe I should carry you / then you said, ‘You almost dropped me’ so then I
did and I got mud on my shoes.”

4. *Fell in Love With a Girl* – Everyone knows this song and video.
No need to explain.

5. *Expecting* – I love how simplistic, yet epic this song sounds. No
lines I like in particular – just love the whole sound of this one.

6. *Little Room* – Is it weird that I love this? I like how it sounds
so improvised and raw – when really, Jack White is so calculated about
everything he does, I’m sure it was well planned out.

7. *The Union Forever* – Pretty cool song. I read it was about
Citizen Kane.

8. *The Same Boy You’ve Always Known* – This song seems bittersweet
to me. It seems to be about how people don’t change as much as we’d like to
believe. I like the line, “And if there’s anything good about me, I’m the
only one who knows.”

9. *We’re Going to Be Friends* – Jack White is actually a huge
softie…proof: This song.

10. *Offend in Every Way* – I like how slow and bluesy this one is at
times.

11. *I Think I Smell a Rat* – Not my favourite track – but it’s hard
not to like it a bit.

12. *Aluminum* – No real lyrics aside from “Ahhhhh.” An excuse for Jack
to rock out? I think so.

13. *I Can’t Wait* – Great song for times when you feel bitter and
alone. Basically a big “F You” to someone who left and will likely come
crawling back.

14. *Now Mary* – The White Stripes are amazing in that they can include
so much in one song and it’s just two people. This song is the perfect folk,
country, rock mix.

15. *I Can Learn* - “I don’t know any lullabies, don’t know how to
make you mine, but I can learn.” Amazing.

16. *This Protector* – When I was in university I used to listen to
this one over and over and it made me wish I could sing a duet like this
someday. It’s raw and beautiful. I imagine two people at a piano just
singing like no one’s listening. I love it when Meg sings (on *Elephant* she
sings solo on a track). Love the line: “300 people living out in West
Virginia have no idea of all these thoughts that lie within ya.”

Well that’s my take on White Blood Cells. I think it’s time for me to peace out – I hope this didn’t disappoint.

Cheers,

Allison

Sunday Music Guest Post #3

In celebration of reaching the halfway point of my (50) Sundays of Music countdown, I wanted to do something to celebrate. I figured what better way than to turn the tables around and hear about other people's favorite music. So I asked some of my blogger friends (and a special guest) to give me a week full of guest posts talking about one of their favorite artists, albums or songs and to give the reason why. Today's guest post comes from...

Lola Lakely! In the blogosphere, I have came in contact with: bloggers I know in real life, best blogging friends forever, musical blogging friends and blog besties. But only one has become my blog crush. My dearest Lola started pulling on my heartstrings last year when she started leaving random questions on my posts. She secured her grip on said heartstrings when our relationship evolved to texts that included gibberish, but the word "cupcakes" could clearly be made out. Lola takes on a lot of subjects in her blog, but today she takes on a song that gives her that special feeling. Let her give you that special feeling, and take a grip on your heartstrings as well, below:

Lola vs. Supermassive Black Hole

When my dearest (and blog crush!) Mr. O asked me to write my first ever guest post, I was flattered and then was quickly filled with trepidation. I mean, I write about dirty, inappropriate things often involving sex, alcohol, and dating. How could I ever live up to his wonderfully written Sundays of Music posts?

Then I thought- a naughty redhead’s got to do things her own way now, doesn’t she?

So of course, I decided to write about a song that never, ever fails to turn me on. Mr. O knows that I’m incredibly passionate about music but there is one band above all others that has the power to set my “soul alight”. It’s Muse. By now, most everyone has heard of Muse. I’ve been a fan of theirs since before their music was released into the states, circa 2001, and now I’m proud to say that they’ve exploded into Madison Square Garden sell-out status with “The Resistance Tour”. Even if you don’t like their music, you have to admit that they are incredible musicians. Seriously,Bellamy's riff from "Plug In Baby” was ranked #13 in Total Guitar's poll of the Top 100 Riffs of All Time. And come on now, how can you not respect a band who can mingle progressive rock, electronica, opera, as well as African and southern Italian music?

I’m done with the gushing. Now, let’s get to the lusting…

The song I’ve centered this post around is Supermassive Black Hole. Before it was stamped on that vampire movie soundtrack, Supermassive Black Hole was the first single released from Black Holes and Revelation. It’s a bit funkier than the album itself, and mixes a bit of electronica, R&B, and alternative guitar. Apparently the group was going to a lot of NYC clubs at the time and some of the songs on the album, including Supermassive Black Hole, were influenced by the time they spent there.

Now, Supermassive Black Hole is not my favorite song of theirs and it’s not even the one that I most often recommend to people. It’s just a song that has the power to give me that long, slow pull in the belly that’s hot, tingly, and delicious all at the same time. Whenever this song comes on, no matter where I am, my mind starts to blur into a haze of desire. I picture a smoky bedroom, mostly dark, with just peaks of moonlight glinting through the shades. A woman, dressed in a sexy black teddy with a garter belt and thigh-high sheer black stockings, crawls slowly toward the man lying on her bed, her skin ruffling softly against the silk sheets and his quivering body.

Did I mention he’s blindfolded?

Ooh, baby don't you know I suffer?
Oh, baby can you hear me moan?
You caught me under false pretenses
How long before you let me go?

Ooh, you set my soul alight
Ooh, you set my soul alight

See, what I mean? These lyrics are hot.

I thought I was a fool for no one
But ooh, baby I'm a fool for you
You're the queen of the superficial
And how long before you tell the truth?

Ooh, you set my soul alight
Ooh, you set my soul alight

I’ve had an experience recently where I was completely blindsided by lust with someone utterly unexpected. When that spark, that fire, erupts between you out of nowhere, it’s incredibly hard to resist. Even when you know it’s probably superficial, or inappropriate or just plain headed for disaster, why would you want to resist?

For me, it’s all about that moment when chemistry just overloads your senses and you are pretty much powerless to stop whatever happens. When just kissing them feels like they are burning inside you and you have no choice but to jump in and be absorbed by them. At that point, you are just a victim to your desires, suffering at the hand of whoever has you in their grip.

So I hope you enjoyed being in my grip, even if it was just for this brief time. And please enjoy Suppermassive Black Hole.

Sunday Music Guest Post #2

In celebration of reaching the halfway point of my (50) Sundays of Music countdown, I wanted to do something to celebrate. I figured what better way than to turn the tables around and hear about other people's favorite music. So I asked some of my blogger friends (and a special guest) to give me a week full of guest posts talking about one of their favorite artists, albums or songs and to give the reason why. Today's guest post comes from...

Mike! I know it may be weird to gush over a male blogger, but that's exactly what I'm about to do. Mike talks about music in the way I wish I could. Even his comments on my Sunday music posts are worded in a way that always make me go "That's exactly what I was trying to say -- I just didn't know how." Our musical tastes are eerily familiar, however we are not afraid to disagree from time to time. Feel free to disagree (because he can take the criticism) or marvel at his words (like I do) below:

50 Sundays Of Music: Howl by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

When Matt so graciously asked me to contribute this piece for his "50 Sundays Of Music" series, I was immediately thrilled. I'd been following Matt's blog for a while, and I love the reflective nature and intimacy he brings to music discussions, something I've always attempted with my own writing. And after thinking about what a privilege it is to write something like this, I decided to comment about a record that has, only recently, made an impact on my life, rather than simply being one of my favorites.

Back in 2005, the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC) released an incredibly polarizing record that split their fan base down the middle. It was called Howl, an homage to the poem by Allen Ginsberg as well as a thematic summation of what was inside its jewel case. I suppose if you'd been a fan of the group's blues-by-way-of-shoegaze cool, the record would have been incredibly off putting due to its acoustic character. There are no flashy guitar solos and no messy bridges on Howl. The record doesn't contain BRMC's signature drone, and it doesn't require amps that go to 11. Instead, it shuffles along, finding its pace in shimmering reflections and slow burning theatrics.

Yet the album is far from a collection of stripped down, "Unplugged" style b-sides.

The songs on Howl have an incredible weight to them, and that's the first thing I noticed when I spun the album. Like I said earlier, it's not so much a collection of stripped down songs, but an exploration of older, more organic ways to create music. These tracks are held together by the jangle of acoustic blues and folk, but they're fleshed out with weeping electric guitar, lumbering piano, and solemn strings. It's almost as if tinkering with these old (By 2010 standards) sounds puts an emphasis on how universal BRMC's lyrics are, a sense that no matter how far you travel, you'll always arrive somewhere familiar. So suffice to say, BRMC's lush harmonies and high production values make it a work to take seriously, an album that is more than just an acoustic novelty.

When I put it on, that's the quality that shines through the most: Authenticity.

There's an honesty through which these songs were assembled, and an earnestness to the truths they examine. Lyrically, Howl isn't so much a protest record as it is a lamentation on the choices men make. Throughout the album's 13 tracks, both Robert Been and Peter Hayes look at human morality as determined by pain and struggle. They don't necessarily come to a finite conclusion, but their journey has captivating highs and lows. Whether it's in exploring the anguish of change on "Promise" ("All lines are broken/And we need you to hold on/Your eyes have opened/But you've got to go on/I'll comfort you, I'll stay with you/It's a promise not forgotten") or the world-weary connectedness of "Shuffle Your Feet" ("Tiiiiiiiiime/Won't save our souls") BRMC's refreshingly grand scope makes Howl a deceptively thoughtful record through modest means.

Yet as true as these qualities are for me, as well as other fans of Howl, I suppose it doesn't say an awful lot about why this album is important to me.

To that, I have to simply reply that it's an album that perfectly parallels my present outlook on life. Suddenly, almost overnight, my world got bigger and my fears scarier in this post-college world. I often joke about how I feel middle aged at 22, but I'm beginning to feel a disconnect from young people that are hedonistic, and I yearn to connect with others that are searching like I am. You won't find any songs on Howl about romantic relationships, or nights out with your friends, and while those are all important aspects of life, Howl touches on the soul, spirituality, and the stuff that men are made of. At a time in my life where I'm confused about the future, it's comforting to have a piece of music that so eloquently asks the same questions I'm asking.

There's a vulnerability on Howl that really rings true for me, a quality absent from the vast majority of music today. Maybe it has to do with the way Been's naked voice sounds over plucked strings, or maybe it's because I've developed a voracious appetite for the blues. I suppose it might have to do with the idea of life as one loud cry for something intangible. Maybe everyone is howling for understanding, and confusion runs rampant because we can't hear each other over the noise.

Honestly, I'm not 100% sure.

Whatever it is, I find Howl instantly relatable and endlessly applicable, the sign of any timeless record. Perhaps if you take it for a spin, you'll feel that way too.

Sunday Music Guest Post #1

In celebration of reaching the halfway point of my (50) Sundays of Music countdown, I wanted to do something to celebrate. I figured what better way than to turn the tables around and hear about other people's favorite music. So I asked some of my blogger friends (and a special guest) to give me a week full of guest posts talking about one of their favorite artists, albums or songs and to give the reason why. Today's guest post comes from...

jeanette! I don't know if you guys are getting tired of our declared friendship, but she wins the award for the longest, most consistent follower that I didn't already know in real life. But that sort of changed last month when she became the first (and to date, only) blogger friend that I have met in person. And wouldn't you know, as we ate our Mellow Mushroom pizza the conversation was dominated by music talk. Enjoy her music talk about one of her favorite artists, and one of her favorite releases from said artist, below:

Hello everyone, I'm so excited Mr. O asked me to participate in this,
I love reading his top 50 albums every Sunday, in fact, I tried my
hardest to get him to reveal the top of the list to me when we met up
in Georgia recently (I figured out a few!). Anyways, when Mr. O asked
me to do this post I'm sure he could've guessed the direction I've
decided to take. He gave me quite a bit of freedom telling me only to
pick a favorite artist, song, or album and talk about why I love it.
So here goes, my pick is actually a DVD of a concert that has an
accompanying CD.

Tegan and Sara : It's Not Fun Don't Do It : released 2006

It's no secret to anyone who has read my blog or knows me in real life

that Tegan and Sara are my favorite band. I've been listening to them
since 1999, since I was 11, that's insane! As you can imagine it was
tricky to choose my favorite cd, which is why I sort of cheated and
chose this live cd. It's got quite the track list, as it's from a
concert so it covers songs from several of their c.d.s. I also prefer
this album because it's live recordings and let's be honest with good
bands, live recordings are the way to go. I love being able to feel
the emotion in songs and KNOW that the artist really feels what
they're singing about.

There is one downside to this album, the Canadian duo is known for
their on-stage banter during shows.. it's kind of their thing. And for
some reason (probably to make it a reasonable length) they cut out all
of the on-stage talking with the exception of some song intros.
However, this DVD was a totally awesome buy because not only does it
include the whole show, it also includes the making of a record, as
well as some tour videos, and every music video made up to that point
along with commentary from the band.

If you've never heard of the band I definitely recommend checking them
out, if the first songs you check out aren't your cup of tea, keep
trying, every c.d. is so different and you can usually find at least
one that suits your fancy. And if you ask my friend, once you find the
one you like you fall in love with the rest of them.

I'm sure Mr. O expected a Tegan and Sara post, but what can I say,
they're some of the most talented lyricist of our generation. Over
their 15 years of touring they've written songs for everything. Before
I go here's one fun fact: Up until the latest album Sainthood, Tegan
and Sara had never collectively written a song. They both write
separately, when recording they alternate singing on their respective
songs. What are the odds that sisters, let alone twins are that
talented. If anyone knows how to get in touch with them, let them know
I want to be friends.

Thanks Mr. O for letting me do this! Can't wait to find out the last
part of your top 50 albums!