Jens Lekman and the wind.

Over the last few days, it's been beyond cold outside. I can feel myself slipping into a cold, but for some reason, I haven't quite fallen face first into it yet. It's been about a week of waiting for something to happen; it feels an awful lot like this:



You know what's coming, but you just can't wait to jump out of the theater seat, screaming, "OH HELL NO YOU BETTER GET OUT OF THERE."

It's actually been beyond cold; the wind is getting a bit ridiculous. I can usually survive most of the cold weather we get in Los Angeles, but these last few days have just made me want to stay inside. I know that if I go outside and especially if I go to the gym, I'm asking to get sick. It's just going to push me a little too far, however, I don't really feel like doing anything else. I sit in my apartment, essentially doing nothing. Over the last few days, I've been somewhat busy, but every time I'm here, it seems like I'm here alone, making me think that I'm not actually that busy.

The other day, as I was sitting in my room, avoiding the cold, I was looking for something new to listen to and came across something I'd never seen before: An EP for "The Opposite of Hallelujah." I thought of myself as (at least) moderately knowledged when it came to all things Jens Lekman, yet somehow I let this one slip past me. Apparently, the EP came out in 2005, which means that one of the best Jens Lekman songs has been floating around almost as long as he's been on my radar without me knowing about it. The version of the song included on the EP is very similar to the album version, however, a skilled ear will hear that this version is a bit closer to the version Jens plays live. The bassline is a bit more pronounced, the harmony vocals are much more prominent, there's a really great string bit that got cut from the album version and Jens' stumbling vocal meter during the second pre-chorus is just beautiful.

Side note: the attached video isn't for one of the songs on the EP, but for the song that I've recently come to appreciate more off of Night Falls Over Kortedala, "Your Arms Around Me." You can't tell from just watching the video, but if you listen very closely, you'll be able to tell that someone that isn't in Jens' live band is playing the string part in the song; Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy always manages to bring something special to songs that don't even need the help.

Check out the EP; not only is there a great version of one of last year's best songs, but there are three other b-sides that never really made it out of the vault. All of the b-sides have that classic Jens Lekman sheen that seemed a bit more prevalent on the singles collection (Oh, You're So Silent Jens). "I Don't Want To Die Alone" is particularly great; you'd think that I only like it for one reason (the title makes it sound like a Morrissey song), but the song is so much more; it really showcases the transition between Jens' older material and his 2007 masterpiece.

The Opposite of Hallelujah EP

On the "To Ruin" List: the year 2008.

2007. What can I say?

I'm 21 now and my life up to this point has pretty much revolved around school. I think in terms of school years, so the traditional calendar year means very little to me. After a long period of looking over LiveJournal entries for the last year or so (which took longer than I'd like to admit), I'm beginning to remember how it all happened. The beginning of 2007 was the end of "The Spirit of '88," which wasn't as effective as I thought it was going to be. It was supposed to be like this:

but really ended up like this:

It was really difficult seeing everyone around me go places and do things that I just didn't have the motivation or skills for. I can remember days of listening to those albums by Youth of Today or Gorilla Biscuits and thinking, "This should be easy. Why can't I execute?" I was tired and I just couldn't find the passion to really attack every day. I started running on survival mode, hoping that each day would bring me something rewarding, something to look forward to. Friends, believe me when I tell you, this is no way to live. The end of the school year came fast and summer was halfway over before I even knew it.

I saw some great things over the summer and had amazing moments of fun, but it was also where I turned the corner. Chris and I got fired from KXLU and we're not really welcome there ever again. To think, that Christopher Esteban Torres and I, of all people, are not allowed in the most libertarian place on campus, is hilarious. It was also when I decided that I needed to figure out my next move. The station, in all actuality, was holding me back. I was saving my greatness for when I would work there, thinking I was going to save everyone there, as arrogant as that sounds. That was easily one of the dumbest things I could've even thought about. I was planning on salvaging a sinking ship, expecting that something great would come out of my time there, not seeing that I was only setting myself up for drowning.

Once things started to fall together, things also started to fall apart. I realized that I was to be alone after the dream summer was over. What I was too stupid to realize was that I wasn't ever really going to be alone, but it was just going to take a bit more effort. Uncertainty, which lead to more uncertainty paved the way for "The Year of Change."

In short, nothing was the same as it had been before. My friends had evaporated right in front of me and I was terrified that I wasn't going to be happy. I made the conscious choice to really throwdown on school. The time seemed right to get serious. The next thing I know, I'm sprinting at record pace towards one of the best academic semesters I've had since high school. Once things started moving in that regard, everything else started to move that way as well. My life, as I have known it, has not been the same since the year of change started; it's harder and much more terrifying, but I know it's better and I wouldn't have it any other way. Things aren't perfect in any sense of the word. Things aren't even close, but they're pretty damn good.

I've already started a new semester. I would still consider this a part of the year of change, but really, I feel like that's all over. The changes have taken place and now, it's time to see what it all meant and where it's taking me, thus I dub this semester/calendar year "The Year of Change, part 2: the Launch". This is really where things have to take off for me or else I won't make it out of the atmosphere in one piece. There have already been challenges and it's already starting to weigh down on me, but I have this strange feeling that I'm going to be able to handle it better this time, knowing what I know and having amazing friends who are there to support me.

The first great album of the year: Thao Nguyen and The Get Down Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings And All

Upon first inspection of Thao Nguyen's first full length album, you'd think that she wasn't much more than some lazy Cat Power ripoff, but that's because her first full length was a lazy Cat Power ripoff. Of course, this is a bit of an overstatement, especially considering how much I really liked that album and how much I still like it, but in this moment, I am comparing that album to her new album, We Brave Beestings And All.

The thing that's the most startling about the new album is the huge amount of collaborative songwriting that is apparent throughout. This is made obvious by the change from Thao Nguyen to Thao Nguyen and The Get Down Stay Down, which is her backing band. Of course, the production, helmed by Tucker Martine, shows a great amount of growth, but this only enhances the amazing, lively arrangements laid out by Thao and her band.

This album is difficult to talk about. It's 3am and I'm sitting at the table in my kitchen. I'm supposed to be reading, and yet all I can think about is how great this album is. There isn't a dull moment I can think of. The hooks are all so simple, and yet so well thought out in terms of their placement in the songs. The production is clean and radio friendly, which comes in direct conflict with the music itself; the music isn't intentionally being difficult, but turns out that way due to the nature of Thao's songwriting.

From "Beat (Health, Life, and Fire)" to "Bag of Hammers" and "Big Kid Table", the transitions are nearly flawless without being intentionally strung together. The lead guitar parts on "Beat" are so clean and match so well with the horns that slowly worm their way into your brain without you noticing. The drums on "Bag of Hammers" are reminiscent of "Float On" in the best way possible and the long, fingerpicked drawl of "Big Kid Table" is just too good to pass up. Basically, this is one of the first great album of this year and shouldn't be overlooked.

Thao Nguyen and The Get Down Stay Down - We Brave Beestings And All

One of the three good things Philadelphia has given us: Dr. Dog

If you had come to me three years ago and asked me what good Philadelphia was to me, I wouldn't have given you a very good answer. I probably would've said that Philadelphia's only contributions to society were The Starting Line and Philly Cheesesteaks. Now, I realize there is something more (like the integral role it played in helping to build our democracy).

I thought about the path I've come down the other day, in regards to what I listen to. In middle school, my friend Erin and I were nearly inseparable. We listened to pop-punk and loved our lives. As we entered high school, Erin got into punk and I got into really technical hardcore; a year or two later, Erin was into goth and metal and I was into emo from the mid-90s. Now, Erin listens to a combination of everything she used to listen to and I basically only listen to pop music. I've long been an appreciator of jangly pop songs, but only recently have I admitted to myself that that's what I really love; it's not about whatever avant-single note, 32 minute composition your friend just turned you on to, but it's really about anything that can be said in three minutes.

The three things that came from Philadelphia that I now appreciate are: democracy (close enough, right?), Man Man and Dr. Dog. Today, we're here to talk about Dr. Dog.

When Dr. Dog and Cold War Kids were touring together, I didn't know what to think. I hadn't heard much and I basically wrote them off as being some sort of trendy, hipster, atonal nonsense. Little did I know that Dr. Dog was one of the most fun, melody loving bands out there today. Take, for instance, the first video attached. It's a live performance of "Ain't it Strange," a song that was originally released on the 2006 Takers and Leavers EP. This song is pure genius as far as I'm concerned. The subtle organ parts, the very obvious, but not heavy-handed solo/outro, the perfectly recorded harmony vocals and that reggae bassline that you can't seem to ignore are all reasons for you to listen to at least the one song, if not everything else they've ever recorded.

It's raining again and something tells me that this album will bring a little sunshine into your day.

Dr. Dog - We All Belong

Destroyer and dark days.

Destroyer - "Dark Leaves From a Thread"
Destroyer - "Foam Hands"

There's something so charming about Dan Bejar's songwriting; there's something I can't quite describe about it. I've been doing a lot of sitting at my desk, thinking about things I should be doing. Because it's so damn cold outside, I don't feel like doing anything, which is a problem, considering the fact that school is actually starting to pick up. Anyways, the new Destroyer album leaked a few weeks ago and I haven't had a chance to listen to it until just now. Listening to the rain on the roof and "Dark Leaves From a Thread" makes me feel like I've been here before, but it's just because Bejar's songwriting is charming in that familiar, comfortable way.

I will admit that for a very long time, I did not understand Destroyer. It seemed like a task to get through the nine minutes of Bejar's rambling lyrics, but somewhere along the way I began to appreciate the little moments of pop genius, such as "Dark Leaves," or "Your Blood." The only reason I gave any of these songs a second chance was listening to Bejar's genius songs on the New Pornographers records. I figured there had to be something there. From then on, my appreciation only grew.

Listening to the organ track and the shaky synthetic strings on "Foam Hands" makes me realize why this all seems so familiar. It was on a rainy day, much like today, that I began to appreciate Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in all of its glory. I listened to songs like "Heavy Metal Drummer" and "Pot Kettle Black" over and over, but never understood "Reservations" until I listened to it in the driving rain, focusing on nothing but the clouds and the cars passing by.

By no means am I comparing Destroyer's Trouble in Dreams to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, because god knows that Jeff Tweedy just about blows any other songwriter away in my book, however, I realize that much of what's going on in the album is treading a similar emotional path to the depths of what it is we've come to know in our more reflective moments. The watery, wavering guitar lines, the piano parts and those amazing synthetic string arrangements draw back to moments like Slowdive's "Machine Gun" or even "Five Years" by Bowie; they draw back to the idea that there is beauty in stillness. I get so caught up on a day to day basis, just thinking about what I'm supposed to be doing. Even though I think to myself, "God, I ended up being so unproductive," just because I sat and had a chance to catch up, I am beginning to realize that I must put myself in these situations for a reason. I must know, deep down inside, that I need to stop for a moment and just be where I am.

Neko Case and the WGA Strike

No, I haven't been on strike, however I've been having just as much trouble filling a page as Conan and Colbert.

As often as I check Pitchfork, I really don't like admitting it. Every once in a while, they post something interesting, be it an interview, a controversial review that gets all you hipsters chatting around the hip equivalent of the water cooler or even a news item. Today, there was an interesting item in the latter. It was mentioned earlier that Neko Case would be doing a guest spot on Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Now, don't get me wrong. I understand there are serious problems with Aqua Teen, but even though I'm not stoned, some of the jokes are funny from time to time and any show that has Zakk Wylde voicing himself riding into the scene on a chariot pulled by white stallions is genius. An update to this was posted late today, saying the creator of Aqua Teen was writing a new pilot with Neko Case slated to be the main voice actor.

"And that CGI pilot? Brace yourselves: it's called "Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge", and it features what Willis describes as "a Strawberry Shortcake pop princess that lives in a candy wonderland just outside of Detroit. She comes into Detroit and helps solve problems of racism and teen pregnancy with the power of love and teen pop songs."

Unlike her "Aqua Teen" appearance, Neko is lined up to provide the speaking voice of Cheyenne Cinnamon, but won't be doing any singing-- "which is consistent with every other pop princess," Willis notes. "But her character will lip-synch it, and then a decidedly different-sounding voice sings all the songs." He isn't certain who will provide the singing voice just yet.

The songs in question were penned by pop-rocker and producer Butch Walker, and Willis is pretty psyched about them. "Butch turned all the music around in less than a week, and it sounds exactly like something that you would hear all over the radio, like something that would sell 20 million records."

"Cheyenne Cinnamon" is only in the pilot stages right now, but with any luck it will be confounding late-night television viewers soon enough."

UH WHAT?





I think I'm going to explode. If this doesn't make it onto Adult Swim, I will die. Seriously.

Anyway, Neko Case is one of those musicians that I can go for months without thinking about, but when I come back, I have to listen to like six hours straight. Listen to Fox Confessor Brings the Flood and meditate on how awesome this show would be and send positive vibes towards Adult Swim in hopes that this actually comes to fruition and doesn't turn into Freak Show or Lil' Bush.