Tours Tuesday

Summer is over. Winter is upon us. That doesn't mean that you can't still have summer fun.

Lo-fi, beachpop bands Wavves and Best Coast are going on an international tour this winter. I hope to be able to see them when they make their way to Boston on February 2nd. The neat thing about these two bands is that the frontmen and front women are dating! Isn't that neat? Also they smoke a lot of weed.
Here's the complete list of dates

Best Coast: Boyfriend
Wavves: King of the Beach

Girl Talk released a new album yesterday. Girl Talk will be touring around the world this winter as well. The last three years on New Year's Eve I spent in my basement playing Rock Band with Matt. This year I will be at a Girl Talk concert. He's in Milwaukee on New Year's Eve. Here's the complete list of dates.

Girl Talk Tour

Music Monday

It's a great day to be a music fan. Today Girl Talk (Gregg Gillis) released his new album for free! You can download it below.
Download Here

In less interesting music news I picked up Bad Books first album. I've written before about how much I enjoy the musical stylings of Manchester Orchestra as well as their numerous side projects (Right Away, Great Captain and Gobotron). This band is all of the members of Manchester Orchestra as well as label-mate Kevin Devine. There are definitely influences of some of Manchester Orchestra's older music as well as a new voice, found in Devine. Hearing this album gets me all the more excited about Manchester Orchestra's upcoming third LP.

You Wouldn't Have to Ask
"You Wouldn't Have to Ask" is one of the best songs on the album.

Two Thoughts

-Pinkerton is Weezer's best album. Why did it take me so long to hear it?

-Studio 60 is an awesome show. The only reason it got canceled was because America is stupid.

New words

Rivers are crazy huh? Just yesterday I was flying to Washington D.C. for something or another. For the majority of the flight all I could see was clouds and farmland. Brown farms followed by white clouds. Then as I was looking out that airplane window I saw a river blue as the sky. This was no stream either. It was big. And wide. I think. There's no way for me to know how big it actually was. I'm terrible at sizing things up, especially from an airplane. Much bigger than the house next to it at least. Was this super river? It very well may have been.






Writing is hard. And math.

Life's Greatest Mysteries- Lakes

Today we explore one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern time. It seems nobody has been able to answer these questions in the few decades we've had the internet.

How many fish are there in a lake?
A hundred? A thousand? A thousand fish in one lake? You could tell me any number really and I would have no idea. Who knows how many fish there are hiding in their secret lake lairs?

How does one go about draining a lake?
A large wet-dry vac? Is there a cork that is removed at the bottom of the lake?

When a lake is drained of all it's water, where does all the water go?
It sure as hell isn't in the lake, so where is it? Peoples backyards? The sky? Other lakes? Nobody really knows. Stop kidding yourself.

What about the fish? Where do they go?
I don't know. You don't know. I don't believe that anybody knows.


I hope that you'll join me next time as I continue to ask the hard hitting questions on today's greatest mysteries.

Daily Dose- Surfer Blood

I got turned on to these Florida surfer boys by one of my friends. He had sent me a message that simply said, "You will like Surfer Blood." He was right. The way that I've been describing this band is by telling people to imagine that Weezer's blue album and Vampire Weekend's African drum beats had a music baby and they named that baby Surfer Blood. Tracks like "Swim" and "Floating Vibes" capture not only the joy of a warm summer day in the water, but also effectively channel that classic "surf movie soundtrack" sound. This is one of my favorite albums so far this year.

Listen:
Swim

I hate you

Listen to this song while you're reading please

Click ME!


I don't know why I periodically write in this blog. In my head it is so that I can share with you, the uninformed world, some of the movies, music and other culture that I personally enjoy. Maybe you will enjoy it too. Here's the thing. I hate everybody else that likes things that I like. Pretty much none of my friends that I see on a daily basis are interested in the same things as me. The people that I do share these things with seem to hate me as well. That's fine. In my head they are all phonies anyway. I assume that they only like these things because they think it is the popular thing to do. Maybe that's true for some. Maybe I'm only contributing to the problem that I believe exists. I hate those that "claim" they like the same things as me, but I also look down those that have never heard of anything that I am talking about. Maybe these things just seem to make people less friendly or open to new friendships. In my head there's a war raging between the ignorant that I believe only listen to Nickelback, think Dane Cook is "mad funny", and hail Transformers 2 as the best movie ever and the people that only shop at Urban Outfitters, orgasm at the very thought of Monsters of Folk, and "am a vegan now".

I know what you're probably thinking because I am thinking the exact same thought. "Jon, you just described yourself." That's what I'm afraid of. The last thing that I want is to come across as a self righteous hipster that will do anything to let you know I found out about a band or other popular thing before you. If that's what seems to be going on then I need to just stop writing this thing forever. The most important thing in life to me is honesty. There is nothing that I hate more than a faker or a phony. If you have to change yourself so much in order to get others to like you or at least accept you, then you are a phony. Do what you want and don't care what others say. Look at me. I don't honestly think that my long hair looks good. I just wanted to grow it to the longest it will ever be. When I deem it acceptable, I will cut it off. My "mustache" has obviously not been occupying my upper lip for the past two months in order to pick up chicks. I just think it looks funny and that's all. I also don't ride a scooter to impress girls. It's just something that I love to do. I know it's not cool or popular, but there's nothing I love more in this world than having scooter practice by myself in a parking lot listening to whatever is inspiring me to ride. In my own eyes, I'm too eccentric and like too much weirdo stuff to be normal, and I'm a little too normal to get along with the people that share my passions. I know that this entire entry probably sounds like I am an elitist hipster douche. There's nothing I can think to write that will change your mind. All I know is that there is nothing that I hate more than a faker or a liar and I am able to live with myself quite alright. I must be doing fine. Be true to you. Don't listen to me. Don't listen to anyone. Be you. Don't be somebody else. Do whatever you want. Live your life. Not the life you think somebody else wants you to live.

Maybe I'm jaded from subconsciously absorbing and taking on the attitudes of all the broken, cynical, pathetic song writers that I love and look up to. God knows that I have never had any real trauma in my life, and I will be the first to admit that. I have been extremely blessed to never have had to go through anything that broke my soul or changed my life for the worse.


HERES SOME STUFF
Local Natives- Basically Copeland with Fleet Foxes melodies featuring Arcade Fire.
Wide Eyes

Death at a Funeral- Great British film being "Americanized" by black people. Do yourself a favor and watch the original. (with white people)

If you haven't seen Shutter Island yet, you are missing out. I was literally pooping my pants with excitement the entire time I was watching. Intense stuff! Go see it. I may do a post on it soonish.

I BOUGHT THINGS TODAY

MOVIES. ONE YOU HAVE HEARD OF. ONE YOU HAVE NOT.

FIRST: (500) DAYS OF SUMMER
YOU HATE IT BECAUSE YOU THINK IT IS EITHER
A. CHICK FLICK
OR
B. TOO INDIE FOR ITS OWN GOOD.
FIRST OF ALL. GET A LIFE. YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING, WHICH IS WHY YOU'RE READING THIS BLOG. THIS MOVIE HAS THE FUNNIES AS WELL AS THE LOVIES. I BET YOU LAUGH WHEN YOU WATCH IT.

SUMMER IS HOT.

SECOND: THE FOOT FIST WAY
THIS IS THE MOVIE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE NEXT TALLADEGA NIGHTS OR ANCHORMAN, HAD ANYBODY ONLY SEEN IT. NOW YOU CAN SEE IT BECAUSE I TOLD YOU TO. I GOT IT FOR $5 AT BEST BUY AND YOU CAN DO THE SAME ANYTIME IN THE NEXT WEEK. STARRING DANNY MCBRIDE OF MOVIESTAR FAME, IT IS FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY. GO DO IT NOW.

MAYBE I WILL BUY MORE THINGS SOMETIME SOON?!

Daily Dose- Fratellis

Daily Dose


Fratellis- Costello Music
Just picked up this album. I like it quite a bit. Every song is so catchy and infectious, it's impossible not to bob your head along with the beat. One of their songs was on an iPod commercial a few years ago I believe?

Listen to- Flathead

7 Months of Updates

This post is for everybody. It will be quick and painless. These are things that I experienced and you need to as well.

Music

Vampire Weekend- Contra.
Sophomore album from the New York prepsters. More quirky drum beats. More talk of east coast. More fun.
Try White Sky

Say Anything- Is a Real Boy...
Concept album originally meant to be a rock opera epic. Huge songs and grandiose ideas. I love that sort of thing, so this was one of my favorite albums last year. I do realize that I am a few years late to the party.
Try Alive With the Glory of Love

Every Beatles album ever
Not much more to say. The Beatles were huge last year. As well as every other year.
Try Magical Mystery Tour

fun.- Aim and Ignite
Exactly what it says. Lots and lots of fun. Format and Steel Train alum join forces to form one of the best new bands of 2009. Saw them in September and they did not disappoint.
Try All the Pretty Girls

Bon Iver and Volcano Choir
Two projects headed up by Justin Vernon. Both excellent soft albums. Volcano Choir is eerily beautiful.
Try For Emma

Fleet Foxes LP and Sun Giant EP
You think that you don't like folk-pop. But you do. You really do a lot.
Try White Winter Hymnal

Manchester Orchestra/Right Away, Great Captain/Gobotron
Manchester Orchestra is probably my favorite band ever. Their ability to take you places in songs that you didn't even know existed is incredible. The highest high one moment and the lowest low only to redeem itself seconds later in the song gets me every time. I cannot sing the praises of this band enough. Do yourself a favor and check them out. Right Away, Great Captain is the lead singer, Andy Hull's, side project. Each song is meant to be an entry in the journal of a sailor many years ago. Gobotron is another side project of Manchester and is just great pop fun.
Try Shake It Out

Johnny Foreigner- Waited Up Til It Was Light
Frantic guitars. Frantic dueling vocals.
Try Salt, Peppa, and Spinderella

Film

The Hurt Locker
Think war movies are overdone and played out? This gritty, emotional look at the war in the middle east will change your mind.

(500) Days of Summer
Yes. I'm straight. Great movie. Hilarious. Real. Not a traditional love movie.

NOT AVATAR
This movie blows. That's all.

Inglorious Basterds
Love Tarantino. Enough said.

Moon
How can a movie with a cast of so few people be so incredible? I have no idea.

District Nine
A great performance from newcomer Sharlto Copley in the lead role helped this movie immensely. Best science fiction movie I've seen in a long long time.

Why have I not seen Fantastic Mr. Fox yet? That is a great question that I do not have an answer to.

That is all.