Friday, April 20, 2007

Friday CJ Random 11

It’s one more random than 10!

1) “Not Behind the Fighter Jet,” Guided by Voices. I needed a shot of this today. I’ve been in a bit of a funk all week—tired, still a bit sick, and feeling particularly unfunny, which is hell for me. This bit of catchy GbV is like a Red Bull for my mood.

2) “Dear Prudence,” The Beatles. You know when you’re making the transition from winter to spring, and you get that morning where it’s still cold, but you can tell you’ll be able to lose your jacket later in the day? This song sounds like that morning.

3) “Get What You Need,” Jet.

Butt-Head: Uh, huh-huh, what the hell is this?
Beavis: I think it’s AC/DC. Fire!
Butt-Head: No way, buttmunch. This sounds like a bunch of wusses trying to sound like AC/DC.
Beavis: Oh yeah, um, that’s what I meant to say. These guys are like too pretty to be AC/DC.
Butt-Head: You think they’re pretty? Huh-huh-huh-huh.
Beavis: Shut up, Butt-Head!
Butt-Head: You know, I’ll get what I need when I get a guitar solo that doesn’t suck.
Beavis: I’ll get what I need when I get some nachos.
Butt-Head: And boobies.
Beavis: Yeah, yeah, boobies! Boing!

4) “The Fall of the World’s Own Optimist,” Aimee Mann. Never has such pessimism sounded so catchy. Plus, I love any song that works in a rhyme with “beheading.”

5) “Debaser,” The Pixies. I am un CHIEN Andalusia! Love this song. And it works so well today, because who doesn’t want to debase our culture a little right now? You know, take both hands and yank that pole out of America’s butt?

Butt-Head: Heh, heh, you said “pole.”

6) “Mission,” King’s X. Here’s how you make Christian rock that doesn’t sound like the Gospel According to Creed or Bon Jovi singing psalms. Thick guitar riff, soulful singing, and lyrics that remind us that the point of Christianity is not to climb into your religious treehouse every Sunday to give your fellow congregants a smug reach-around.

7) “It’s a Shame About Ray,” The Lemonheads. Smells like MTV Buzz Bin. Just like the candy, the Lemonheads started out sweet but ended up sour. This is them at their sweetest.

8) “You Don’t Care Nothin’,” Rancid. Oh, but I do care about this album so very much. It was the soundtrack for my subway commute when I lived in New York. It has a glossy grit that really fit the Guilani years there. And now it would be a perfect theme song for McCain's campaign.

9) “Yellin’ in My Ear,” Operation Ivy. The iPod channels its inner Pitchfork nerd to lecture me on how Operation Ivy begat Rancid. I tell it to shut its cornhole so I can enjoy this classic bit of ska punk, with its hyper shaky guitar riff and lots of yellin’ in my ears.

10) “Hot Hot Hot,” The Cure. Oh, how TLB and I used to groove to this back in the day. Probably the most un-Cure song in their catalog, because it lets loose with unabashed fun without bludgeoning us with lyrics that say, Look, I'm not a depressed, lipsticked, power AquaNet user all the time! I can be happy! No, seriously, let me sing over and over how happy I am! I’m looking at you, “Friday I’m in Love.”

11) “Tear It All Away,” The Church. Wow, all this late 80s and early 90s music makes me feel like I should be buying an acid-washed jean jacket at County Seat. Thankfully, I’ve only held onto the music and not the fashions. Except for the skinny white leather tie in my closet. I’m getting buried with that on.

Have a good weekend. The funny will return, possibly over the weekend, as I can feel my brain hamster running in his wheel again.

12 comments:

bjkeefe said...

Try to find the Dead's (or was it the Jerry Garcia Band's?) version of "Dear Prudence." *That* will lift you up. One of the few Beatles songs where I actually prefer the cover.

But I think your characterization of the song is spot-on. A truly dependable pick-me-up.

TJ said...

Each week, I inevitably cue up at least one or two of the songs you come across randomly. It's "Debaser" right now. AndaLOO-shah!

I like "Hot Hot Hot" because it's a little manic, but I find the Cure's happy songs insufferable. "Doing the Unstuck"? Awful. Has anyone ever sung "It's a perfect day" and sounded less sincere?

Anonymous said...

"...without bludgeoning us with lyrics that say, Look, I'm not a depressed, lipsticked, power AquaNet user all the time! I can be happy! No, seriously, let me sing over and over how happy I am!"

Very funny! And right on the mark.

fish said...

I should point out that 11 is only 1 more than 11 for very small values of 1.

Brando said...

LOL, fish, I was rocking too much to notice.

Brendan, I'll have to check that cover out. I have my own collection of covers I like more than originals -- that might make for a good non-random 11.

Jennifer, thanks! I am actually a big Cure fan.

Trevor, Frank Black's delivery is the whole key to that song. It's so awesome. On an unrelated note, are you going to Ted Leo next Friday?

Anonymous said...

AG loves 'It's a Shame About Ray'. Of course when she hears that song all she can now think of is Pop Ren.

TJ said...

Wouldn't miss Ted for anything. It's going to be one of "those" shows, you know. See you there?

Churlita said...

"...lyrics that remind us that the point of Christianity is not to climb into your religious treehouse every Sunday to give your fellow congregants a smug reach-around."

What do you mean, "The funny will return"? It's here right now.

Brando said...

Trevor, Bob Hillman and I are going to Ted Leo, so we will definitely see you there.

AG, I do really like "Ray." Just a classic early 90s bit of alternative pop.

Thanks, C. I feel bad for not writing more skits and bits the last couple of weeks. I've just been tin roof rusted as the B-52s would say. But I have some good ideas I hope to flesh out this week.

Chuckles said...

Someone said boobies?

Anonymous said...

Hey, I heard it too, Chuckles.

Brando, have you listened to the new Lemonheads CD? Prof. Booty claims it was his favourite CD of 2007, but I really just don't get the whole thing. Shame about Ray is really good, though. AG made me listen to it while trying to get me out to one of their live shows.

Fall of the world's own optimistic, is possibly my favourite Aimee Mann, song, tied with about 15 other equally perfect songs.

Well, I could have objections
which you could override
but what's the point--we're only flogging the horse
when the horseman has up and died
once I testified
and swore I'd never leave a stone unturned--
I bet you're really glad that I lied


I mean, seriously. Who can actually write lyrics that good?

Brando said...

Aimee Mann's couplets are just amazing. She's so creative the way she plays with language. I like a lot of her work, but her first solo album and Bachelor No. 3 are pretty much perfect records. There are some great Til Tuesday songs, too, although the production dates them a bit.

Haven't heard the new Lemonheads but perhaps I will seek it out. I'm currently being disappointed by the new Fountains of Wayne, at least after the first listen. But I am going to see Ted Leo on Friday, which I'm very jazzed about (see you there, Trevor!)