Prettiest Song Ever

Latika's Theme from the Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack is the prettiest song ever. I've been listening to it on loop for the past hour or so and I can't help but replay the last scene of the movie over and over in my head...you know, when Latika and Jamal FINALLY get together :-)
Listen to it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfjj8BOebMM&feature=related

The Enemy of All That's Good and Holy in the World

How do I hate thee, Nickelback? Let me count the ways.
I actually only hate Nickelback because they and their music sucks. All of their songs sound EXACTLY the same: the same chord progression, the same rhythm, and the same mind-numbingly stupid lyrics. Here’s a sample of their eloquence:

“Look at this photograph
Everytime I do it makes me laugh
How did our eyes get so red
And what the hell is on Joey's head.”

What is that even supposed to mean? Nickelback is the carefully packaged product of the same record industry that has produced other musical gems such as Creed and Daughtry. Thank god Creed is now defunct because it makes choosing the worst band currently in existence that much easier. (hint: it starts with an N)
Now I’m not some kind of musical elitist since I listen to a wide range of genres and everyone’s entitled to have their opinion. But with all due respect, if you like Nickelback then you’re a fucking retard. No disrespect to the mentally handicapped.

Some bands out there I have a smidge of respect for because even though they fail, at least they try to do something different. But Nickelback churns out the same festering turd of a song time and time again. Bands like Radiohead, for example, do have a distinct sound that makes them undeniably recognizable but they’re also innovative musically, always pushing the envelope. The only thing that Nickelback manages to push is my buttons.

My question is: Who listens to this music?? I mean, some people have to purchase their records since they’re doing so well. I don’t want to believe that Americans, as a whole, have such shitty-ass taste in music. I need some answers!

Music Musings- Jeff Buckley

Today is gloomy and depressing. My whole body hurts from working out last night and I really could use some Vicodin. Naturally, this is the perfect backdrop for a Jeff Buckley binge. Oh Jeff, you were so brilliant. Your songs speak to the millions of people who’ve experienced love in its most dismal forms: heartbreak, cheating, disenchantment, fear of commitment, unrequited love. Sometimes I just need to feel miserable and you always do it for me. But this is not some self-indulgent, “oh you should feel sorry for me” post (well, because I thoroughly enjoy my misery, thank you very much!)

I’ve talked about music a little bit before and now I’d like to expand on that, specifically on Jeff Buckley. His music touches the heart and stirs the soul. He’s undoubtedly one of the most talented singer/songwriters of the 90’s and it’s just so tragic that his career was cut short by a freak accident. Buckley’s vocals are alternately ghostly and desperate, as if they’re being weighed down by some inner tumult that has no other way of being released. That’s a common theme in his lyrics: turmoil, intense depression and elation, lust, and love. His songs aren’t always smooth, in fact, they are often jarring: lyrically and musically.

Despite The Tears is a good example of this. The song starts out melancholy with:
“He found a letter from his lover
She said she’s never coming home
His things were lying on her doorstep
And his tears they fell like rain”
Like in a lot of his songs, the lyrics tell the story of a love gone wrong with a tone of regret and relegation to the status quo permeating throughout. The track culminates with a wrenching repetition of “despite the tears” and “he would always lover her” that is contrasted with the musicality of the rest of the song.

Buckley’s music really speaks to my tormented inner self. Lord knows that I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my love life and I guess it’s nice to know that someone out there feels the same way.

Music To My Ears

My taste in music has been described as "eclectic." It's true, I listen to just about everything with the exception of country which I just cannot stand. If I hear anything about tractors and other farm machinery I might puke. So with that one genre aside, everything else is pretty much fair game. I used to be very much a music snob, especially in those oh-so-difficult teenage years when my affiliation with a particular musical style meant everything. It was a time when I had to prove my moral and intellectual superiority by shunning anything that was too "pop-py." Hence...my musical exploits were limited to classic rock, hard rock, and alternative. Pretty narrow, huh?

Well, since then I am proud to say that I've evolved as a person and no longer feel ashamed to say that I fucking love Justin Timberlake and occasionally groove along to some old school Britney. In addition, I've branched out into more experimental type music and genre-mixing bands. Yeah, I'm secure enough with my "coolness" to realize that my liking Rihanna and Beyonce doesn't take any of it away from me.

So in the grand old tradition of list-making, here's a small list of artists currently on my ipod. You should check them out because I say so and I know what the fuck I'm talking about :)


Brazilian Girls- not Brazilian, and only 25% female. They mix quadri-lingual lyrics and funky, catchy beats. NPR favorites.
Download: "Jique," "Pussy," "Talk To The Bomb"


Orion Experience- New York City based indie pop group. They are "better than cocaine" (thnx Perez)
Download: "Obsessed With You"

Lupe Fiasco- representin Chi-town. Killer rhymes and thought-provoking lyrics (if you're sharp enough to follow), it's rap with a conscience and a social message. Oh, he's kinda cute too. Download: "Hurt Me Soul," "The Coolest," "Day Dream" (featuring Jill Scott)

VHS or Beta- St. Louis rockers that remind me of The Cure. Craig Pfunder, the lead singer, has one of the most hypnotic voices I've ever heard. Download: "Can't Believe A Single Word," "Bring On The Comets," "You Got Me"


Rihanna- love this girl!!! Good for listening to when you want something light and girl-powerish
Download: "Umbrella-ella-ella-eh" (sorry, couldn't help myself), "Take a Bow"

Elliott Smith- le sigh. Very talented singer-songwriter with lots of problems (RIP) I wouldn't recommend listening to him when it's dark and gloomy out because it will lead to a minor bout of depression.
Download: "Waltz #2," "2:45 AM," "Bottle Up and Explode"

Jeff Buckely- yet another dead singer songwriter. His version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is heart-wrenching. His stuff is generally dark. This blog is not called Angst in the City for nothing!
Download: "Hallelujah," "Despite The Tears"


Radiohead- Hail to Thome York! This man can do no wrong. I would also suggest checking out his solo album "The Eraser" which was part of the soundtrack to "A Scanner Darkly."
Download: everything

Indochine- French New Wave group. I think they split up but you can still enjoy their music.
Download: "J'ai demande a la lune"

The Killers- yeah, a little cliched but whatever. It's indie rock and roll for me! They recently released a B-Sides album which rocks, if I don't say so myself.
Download: anything from "Hot Fuss."

Amy Winehouse- girl has issues but she's GOOOOD. R&B, soul, and jazz all rolled into one fucked-up, bee-hived package. I'm eating it up!
Download: "Back to Black"

Sara Bareilles- unlike her so popular "Love Song" most of her other songs are surprisingly moody, which is just fine with me. It's rather amazing she has no formal musical training.
Download: "Gravity," "Come Round Soon"


Regina Spektor- Soviet import from Brooklyn. She plays the piano and has a really quirky style of singing. Her lyrics are very New York-centric and use a lot of typical slang (she does the accent sometimes too!)
Download: "Hotel Song," "Better"

That was just a really small sampling of my far-reaching musical tastes. I'll try to do a follow-up at some point because there's a lot more where that came from.

Happy listening!

Adam Levine- just hot or really hot?

Ok, so I didn't want to do two "Man Candy" posts in a row today that's why I'm going to disguise this one as some music babble. Actually, part of what makes Adam Levine so hot is his music. I've been a closeted Maroon 5 fan for a while now (details of which I won't go into) but now I'm out and it feels SOOOO good. Listening to Levine's sexy voice on my way to work every morning is exactly the kind of pick me up I need before my first cup of coffee. His lyrics are enough to make me want to drop my panties. I guess what I like about him is that he's not afraid to write racy lyrics but at the same time he does it tastefully and they don't come across as vulgar. Also, any man who sings about wanting to pleasure a woman orally is OK in my book (see "Kiwi"). AMEN

John Mayer's Guitar Face...Endless Entertainment

John Mayer has the most impressive range of guitar faces I've ever seen. Ok, so maybe he looks like he might cum all over his guitar at any moment but his facial expressions are amazing. There's the pure ecstasy face, the "I'm pissed but still enjoying this" face, the "it's so good it hurts" face, and many more.
Just imagine...this is what Jessica Simspon saw every night she was with him! Which brings me to the question: "Can you fake guitar face?"

What the F**k?

It's a sad, sad day for music. They just announced the top-selling albums of 2007 and the #1 spot goes to...Daughtry? WTF? I don't actually know anyone who listens to this shit (or maybe I do but I'd rather not think about it.) Actually, I can't even tell the difference between Nickelback, Creed, Daughtry, and other generic rock bands. They're just SO mediocre and unmemorable, it all sounds the same to me. It's not like the music is that God-awful but the fact that it's so utterly and undeniably AVERAGE makes me hate it. HATE!

Blast From The Past

For some reason I'm in a really good mood today. So naturally I searched for bubbly 80's videos on You Tube. An all-time fave has to be Cherish by Madonna (from 1989! holy shit, I'm old)
So yeah, enjoy.