Happy Birthday, White Horse!

Today, one of my favorite albums of all time turns two years old.  Ryan Schmidt's White Horse EP was released the day before my birthday and with it's intelligent lyrics, stunning vocals, finger picked guitar, and Paula Kelley string arrangements, it is definitely my favorite accidental birthday present ever.  Even though it's only been around for two years, this album (and one song in particular) has been very important to me.


When White Horse EP came out, I was in a pretty bad situation career-wise and change was looming on the horizon.  I knew that change was imminent and that always freaks me out.  I listened to this album every single day on the way to work for months.  It was just such a calm, serene place to spend my mornings, it made it possible for me to face the days.  Then on the way home, I would listen to it again to clear my mind and shake loose the day.  It was quite literally this and two Betty Goo albums that got me through those last few miserable months at that job. 

Several months after White Horse EP came out, the aforementioned change came into my life and I had to make some decisions.  When I decided to do what I felt was going to make me happiest in my everyday life and not necessarily what was the most popular decision or the one everybody around me understood, I needed support.  I found that support in a little song called "Go Where You Belong".  This is far and away my favorite song on White Horse EP and probably my favorite Ryan Schmidt song, period.  When I started my new job, I made it a point to listen to "Go Where You Belong" last thing every morning before I got out of the car.  It's kind of my own 'lucky song'.  Whenever I need a little boost, a little encouragement, I listen to this song, sometimes several times in a row.  As a matter of fact, I fully intend to have a bit of the lyrics tattooed on me next time I get inked.

So, Happy Birthday, White Horse!!  And Congratulations, Ryan, on the 2 year anniversary of having made the world a more beautiful sounding place. 

For everyone else, here's a link of where you can buy White Horse EP (I tried to embed it, but for some reason that wouldn't work for me), but trust me, one little click is not too much effort.  You can also go there and listen to the entire album and many of Ryan's other releases as well, including his newest stuff, which I would highly recommend doing.

http://ryanschmidt.bandcamp.com/album/white-horse-ep

Good Stuff 2012

So here it is, the obligatory "year in review".  I don't have the typical "best of" list for you or any of that crap.  Instead, I thought I'd recap the live shows that we saw this year (since those are always highlights) and then tell you some of the stuff I loved the most this year.  That's it, short and sweet.  Well, probably more sweet than short, I've never been known for my brevity.

We saw four live shows this year.  I know that's not very many for a lot of people, but for me it was a huge increase.  Hopefully 2013 has even more shows in store for us!  (We already have tickets to see Matchbox Twenty in February, so that's a good start)  In February we saw Matt Nathanson at Headliners Music Hall in Louisville, KY.  Rachel Platten opened for him and it was a great show (as always).  It was far and away my favorite show of the year because we met Aaron Tap after the show.  I was totally star struck and probably didn't say anything intelligent to him, but he was very friendly nonetheless and it was totally cool to be in his presence.  Maybe someday I'll run into him again and be able to string more than 2 words together in a row, that would be cool. 

In June my sister and I sold merch for the aforementioned Rachel Platten when she came back and played Headliners as a headliner.  Madi Diaz opened for her and they really put on a great show.  So good in fact that our next show was a week later when we went to see Madi open for Harper Blynn at zBar in Louisville.  She is so great that we just went to see her. We both had to work the next day so we only stayed for one song of Harper Blynn's set. 

Our final show of the year was Dr. Dog at Marathon Music Works in Nashville.  The openers for this one shall remain nameless to protect the sucky, but I cannot say enough about Dr. Dog live.  They are absolutely amazing and I loved every second of it.  Which leads me one of my great loves of 2012 - Dr. Dog.  If you're not familiar with this band, I suggest you get that way.  I have 4 of their albums so far and I have yet to hear them make a sound I don't love. 

I've also been very into Paula Kelley's work this year.  I can't get enough of her vocals and all of her arrangements are genius.  Every time I listen to anything by her I hear something new and wonderful in it.  And it's not only the music, her lyrics are so intelligent and crafty - seriously, what's not to love about this woman?  On a related note, I've also been totally obsessed with Betty Goo (which, admittedly makes me kind of sad since they're not active anymore).  Betty Goo was fronted by the multi-talented Aaron Tap and they are just awesome.  I love the quirkiness of them and I love that it feels like 90's rock (which it is) but with so much more soul and brains.

I've also come to really love Simon and Garfunkel this year.   Yes, I'm aware that I'm about 40 years late to that party, but better late than never, right?  They are just so amazing, there is a reason their music has stood the test of time.  Another band wagon I'm a little late to is Carbon Leaf.  Their music is so good, so heartfelt, and they seem like such nice guys.  I highly recommend you give them a listen.

A measurable amount of 2012 was spent in record stores.  I've been collecting vinyl this year and there are few things I like more than leisurely browsing through racks of old vinyl.  Our local record store (Joe's Records) is my favorite in the area, but it was blown out of the water when I visited Grimey's in Nashville, TN.  However, Joe's is 10 minutes from my house and Grimey's is 3 1/2 hours away, so I'm pretty sure Joe's will get the majority of my business. 

Finally, my absolute favorite musical thing of 2012 is Ryan Schmidt's White Horse - EP.  It was released January 10, 2012 (the day before my birthday, coincidentally) and I've been listening to it all year.  I just love it.  It's raw and emotional and stripped down - just wonderful.  I get the feeling that we're not going to get another record from Ryan that sounds like this one and that's okay.  I'm just glad to have this one.  I like that so far all of his records sound different, you can hear him feeling his way around and finding his voice.  It's such a fun journey to listen to.

Here's a few more artists who's work I've loved in 2012 that you shouldn't miss:
- The New Complainers
- Jesse Macht
- Boy Wonder
- The Black Keys
- Violent Femmes
- Plants and Animals
- Rooftop Suicide Club (this one may be tough to find, but totally worth it if you can get it)

Okay guys, that's it for me for 2012.  This year had a little bit of everything - some fun, some hard times, some great music, some total crap, some awesome experiences and some low-key peaceful days.  Overall it's been a totally decent year.  I hope 2013 is even better for all of us. 

Who Do You Let In Your Bedroom?

As I would imagine is evident, I listen to music pretty much all the time.  Or at least every chance I get.  For instance, today while I was re-grouting our kitchen floor I listened to Rooftop Suicide Club's Always Like This (Which I came to own recently as the result of one person's awesomeness and generosity.  How I deserve to be on the receiving end of that, I'm still not exactly sure, but I totally dig it.) and Betty Goo's Superchthonic and Gooicide. Then to cap off a busy day we sat on the back porch with a big old glass of spiced apple wine and listened to Paula Kelley's Nothing/Everything.  No event is too small to have a soundtrack. 

Speaking of Nothing/Everything, it is a beautiful record and you really should own it.  I mean, if you like awesome things, of course.  It is dimensional and fun and sad and, I think, is perfectly complimented by her earlier release The Trouble With Success or How You Fit Into the World.  Honestly though, you just can't go wrong with anything The Divine PK has written, it's all...well...divine. 

But that's not what I'm here to ramble about (all evidence to the contrary). My second favorite thing in the world to soundtrack is going to sleep (the first is driving, so settle down pervs).  I know that sounds weird but I don't go to sleep like normal people.  My Husband, for instance, falls into bed and is generally asleep within mere moments.  I, on the other hand, will stare at the ceiling (or into the darkness) for half an hour at least, sometimes a couple hours before the Sandman comes to visit.  It's my own charming version of insomnia.  I like to see the silver lining though and the fact is, my lack of sleep affords me a great opportunity to listen to some of my favorite songs in a near perfect setting.  In my headphones, in the dark, with little else to distract me.

There is a certain openness of the soul that happens as I lay in the dark waiting for sleep.  A kind of vulnerability that just cannot be attained when I'm dressed for the day ready to face the world.  I mean, when I'm there, makeup scrubbed off, hair down, contacts out, jewelry off, there are no defenses, no mask, no bullshit.  Just me and the sounds pouring into my ears.  So naturally I choose my nighttime songs carefully.  I can't just put my iPod on shuffle and risk some kind of crap happening to my impressionable ears. 

Most nights, this is the time I want to listen to the stuff that really gets in.  I want to hear the arrangements with the most dimension, the lyrics that really hit home, sometimes even the songs that cause big cathartic tears to slip out of the corners of my eyes.  To that end, here's my most recently sleepy time play list:

1. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon and Garfunkel
2. "Relapse" - Betty Goo (This is one of those with a lyric that is so ouchie that I'm pretty sure I'm hearing it wrong, but I swear he says "so take my hand, Jeanne, smooth my hair and show me that I'm loved and you really, really care".  Jeanne was my mom's name and that line, wrapped up in that song, kills.)
3. "Hate Me" - Blue October (I'm pretty sure this song is not really very good, but something about it just slays me)
4. "Long December" - Counting Crows
5. "Someday" - Dr. Dog
6. "Lost Horizons" - Gin Blossoms
7. 'Sunday Morning Coming Down' - Johnny Cash (this song makes me cry every single time, I can't really explain it)
8. "Heavy Heart" - Madi Diaz
9. "All We Are" - Matt Nathanson (I love this song and it takes me back to the end of the concert in Nashville which was an absolutely perfect night, so now it's doubly perfect)
10. "Farther Down" - Neon Trees
11. "Thinkin Bout You" - Pat Monahan
12. "Night Racer" - Paula Kelley
13. "Heavy" - Train (far and away my favorite Train song, it's so wonderful and bluesy, I wish they'd go in this direction again, even just for a song or two here and there)
14. "Remark" - Rachel Platten
15. "Night the Bells Rang" - Ryan Schmidt
16. "Then I'll Be Smiling" - Matt Nathanson
17. "Who Wants to Live Forever" - Queen
18. "Disarm" - Smashing Pumpkins
19. "Perfect Blue Buildings" - Counting Crows
20. "The Boxer" - Simon and Garfunkel

Freaky Friday Presents Redneck Realness

So here it is, today's little taste of oddness.  Of course, everything Betty Goo did has a touch of oddness which is part of what makes them so amazing.  It goes without saying that I love this song (it IS Betty Goo, after all).  But seriously, it's about the fucking Dukes of Hazard for pete's sake, how can you not love that?  AND there is a Roscoe P. Coltrane impression.  Obviously it's not earth shattering or soul shaking, but it's fun and nostalgic (used to watch the Duke brothers with my dad) and just thinking about "The Ballad of Bo & Luke" makes me smile.  I'm pretty sure that qualifies it as awesome.

Current Play List (I'll Get To It!)

I don't sleep very well or very much.  I've been that way my whole life; although, it did get notably worse a couple years ago.  More on that...um...never.  Anyway, as a result, every night when we go to bed, I listen to my iPod and play my gameboy until I get sleepy.  Last night the following conversation took place:

Me: These are snore cancelling ear buds, but I leave the left one out until you fall asleep so I can hear you when you say some random shit.
He: Do I say random shit?
Me: OH YEAH.
He: What's Pi to the fifth place?
Me: .....
He: Random like that?
Me: (after laughing hysterically) No, not usually quite that random.
He: You should tweet that.
Me: Whaa?  Now we're deciding what to say based on whether or not I'll tweet it?
He: Well yeah, I'm playing to a bigger audience now.
Me: Hahahahaha
He: You should tweet that too.
Me: HAHAHAHA

How could this possibly relate to music you ask?  Well, I'll tell you.  During this exchange, the unequalled Paula Kelley was singing in my right ear.  How did that impact the aforementioned conversation?  Well, because the song she was singing ("You Gonna Make It?", by the way) is part of the little play list that has kept me sane here lately.  That bit of sanity is what has allowed me to have even a shred of humor left in me after all that has happened the last couple (horrible) weeks.

So, just in case a shitty couple weeks befalls you in the future, let me share with you my musical Prozac:
1. Brollo (Acoustic) - Jon Palmer & the New Complainers
2. Radio - Jon Palmer & the New Complainers
3. Handbag - Betty Goo
4. Horseface - Betty Goo
5. Vanity - Betty Goo
6. Uncommon Courtesy - Betty Goo
7. Washed Up - Betty Goo
8. Over Your Head - Boy Wonder
9. X-Large - Boy Wonder
10. What About Everything? - Carbon Leaf
11. Lonesome - Dr. Dog
12. That Old Black Hole - Dr. Dog
13. Get Away - Dr. Dog
14. You Gonna Make It? - Paula Kelley
15. Slug - Paula Kelley
16. Lucie - Paula Kelley
17. The Girlfriend - Paula Kelley
18. The End of That - Plants and Animals
19. Song for Love - Plants and Animals
20. Don't Care What Time It Is - Rachel Platten
21. 53 Steps - Rachel Platten
22. You Don't Have To Go - Rachel Platten
23. All I Seem To Do - Rachel Platten
24. Don't Wanna Be Here - Rachel Platten
25. I Could Be a King - The Dunwells
26. Get Gone - White Arrows
27. Landslide - Steve Adamyk Band
28. Lost and Found - The Kill Van Kulls
29. My Time Has Just Begun - The Dead Trees
30. Pineapple Girl - Mister Heavenly
31. Sing In My Meadow - Cowboy Junkies
32. I Want to Forget - Psychic Twin
33. Church Clothes - Matt Nathanson
34. Lost Myself in Search of You - Matt Nathanson
35. Mercy - Matt Nathanson
36. Under Attack - Ryan Schmidt
37. White Horse - Ryan Schmidt
38. Go Where You Belong - Ryan Schmidt
39. Wasted - Micah
40. Yellow Ledbetter - Pearl Jam

Wake Up!!

Someone told me that I would attract more readers here if I talked about more personal, day-to-day things.  Honestly, I don't know what could be more personal than how music affects us.  And I mean, my "Who Is She" page is pretty detailed and goodness knows I'm candid enough on twitter - what more could anyone possibly find interesting??

However, in the interest of, well, whatever this is in the interest of, let me tell you about my morning.  (Of course, it ends with a wicked good play list so just hang in there).  So I get up at 6:15am (give or take a snooze button or two) and let the dogs out.  The dogs are always taken care of before the humans in our house - that's how we roll.  Then I grumble around the house for an hour or so, mostly trying to convince myself to get it together and go to work.  After all that, the dogs, the shower, the cereal, the daily fight with my bangs (which I've been winning lately) and the decision of what to wear - I'm off.  And that's when the good stuff starts because during my commute, I get to pick the Wake Up music for the day. The stuff that'll clear the cobwebs out of my head and make me fit for human consumption by the time I get to work. 

As a side note, my husband exists in the house with me in the morning, but we don't really interact too much.  We're not one of those barfy couples that sits around having breakfast, reading the paper and making small talk in the mornings.  We sleep as long as humanly possible and there are no profound conversations going on.  Fortunately, we both agree that mornings suck major ass.

Anyway, I've determined over the last year or so that I need a longer commute.  I'm simply not done singing badly at the top of my lungs in 30 minutes!  I've only just gotten cranked up by then.  There just isn't enough time to get in a really fleshed out play list.  However, here's what I managed for this morning's wake up call:

"These Days" - Dr. Dog - Be the Void - I am loving the shit out of this record right now.  I have it on vinyl, CD and on my iPod so I can listen to it pretty much whenever and where ever - and I do.  But in the morning, I go for this song - the intro alone is like a shot of caffeine to the system. 

"When I'm Drunk" - Betty Goo - Gooicide - this one mostly made the list today because I wanted to hear the next song and it just doesn't sound right without this one playing first.

"Herve Villechaize" - Betty Goo - Gooicide - I'm still trying to spit out the second line of the chorus to this song successfully.  I'm pretty sure I'll never manage it, but trying to remember the words and fit them all in my mouth at once at least gets my mind moving.

"Lemonde" - Betty Goo - Gooicide - another song that I'm attempting to learn, which is a bit of a challenge given that I speak no french whatsoever.  So far I've gotten the word for "gasoline", so I mostly wait around for that line.

"Horseface" - Betty Goo - Gooicide - another song that has some very fast lines that I can't quite get.  Perhaps I can't get them because I'm trying at 7:30 in the freaking morning!! (By the way, I end up with so many off Gooicide because I just hate to break this album up.  I don't know what it is about it, but I just really prefer it as one big 46.7 minute song.)

"Don't Care What Time it Is" - Rachel Platten - Be Here - this song was my first favorite on this record and it is still really high on the list - especially after seeing it performed live.  Such a fun song, great to sing along with and absolutely perfect for car dancing!!

"X-Large" - Boy Wonder - Break the Spell, Etc. EP - another one that moves pretty quickly but I can actually sing this one without screwing it all up.  Well, I don't screw it up lyrically, I'm sure I'm butchering it otherwise.  And I love the arrangement on this one so much.  It's so fast and there's so much going on, I'd love to see it performed live.  And the drums are like punctuation marks - it's genius!  Clearly, I love it - I'll listen to it 2 or 3 times in a row if there's time - and there was this morning because I got behind Farmer Bill (my generic term for any slow-driving old farmer dude that I get behind on the road) and he was in no hurry to get anywhere.  As a matter-of-fact, I'm listening to it right this minute, but I can't sing along because I don't want to subject my co-workers to that.

So there you go, if that play list doesn't wake you up in the morning you should give some serious consideration to caffeine...or amphetamines.

I Don't Mean to Be This Way

I want to offer you new and different (and wonderful) things to listen to - I really do!  I want to find all the awesome music that I know is lurking out there and share it with you, but I am not shitting you when I say that this:


This:



And this:
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/boy-wonder/album/break-the-spell-etc

Are seriously ALL I've been listening to lately.  I understand that I'm not well, but nothing else sounds good right now, so I just listen to what sounds good to me.  But I also understand that you're sick to tears of hearing about them.  So...yeah.  I'll get over it one day and let them blend into my play lists...but today is not that day.

Betty Goo - Superchthonic

Album: Superchthonic
Artist: Betty Goo
Release: November, 1995

As you may have noticed, I've been searching for Betty Goo's Superchthonic for a while now.  (Of course, you know by now that Aaron Tap sang and played guitar for Betty Goo...right??)  I can't even remember exactly when I started searching for it but it's been a while. Finally some dude in Pennsylvania let go of a copy of it (who knows why).  It's in perfect condition and ripe to be signed (someday).  My level of excitement at actually finding it was made apparent by the amount I paid for it and considering it's only 7 songs, my cost basis per song is kind of sick but let me tell you, it is 100% worth it.

Superchthonic (pronounced superthonic, by the way) did not blow my mind clear out of my head the first time I listened to it like Gooicide did, but it is still pretty amazing.  Of course I liked it right away, but to really love it, it kind of had to creep in quietly, it seeped in over time and as a result it has taken a firm hold.  It is just that damn good.  It makes me sad that I missed this band when they were around - that I missed these albums when they were new.  What the hell was I thinking in 1995??  Oh yeah, I guess I was busy finishing high school in the Midwest where Betty Goo wasn't exactly heavily marketed.  At least I've found them now and even with 17 years (good lord) stacked up on top of them these songs are no worse for wear.  They still sound new, at least to me, they're not crusty like some stuff from the 90's sounds when I listen to it now.

These songs cover everything from a distorted self-image to chauvinism to...is it drug use? Anxiety? Both?  When taken as a whole, it's like a broad commentary on how fucked up everything can be, but from a very personal perspective.  Betty Goo strayed pretty far from the typical songs about romantic relationships - good, bad or indifferent - on this record and bless them for that.  Of course, from what I've heard, there is very little about Betty Goo that could be described as "typical".  At it's heart it's still largely guitar-driven rock music, but somehow it transcends that and becomes, you know, kind of magical.

The only overt references to the relationships between men and women deal with male chauvinism...when was the last time you heard that in a rock song??  "Thom Thumb" is perhaps the most satisfying 51 seconds of music I've ever heard.  It's the story of a man who is kind of a pig, the woman who lives in the shadow of that and her possible options for making him pay. Right in the middle of the song is this line: "a man needs a place to put his cock and a woman should do everything but talk" which is so completely perfect in the context of that song.  (and pretty sweet out of context too, to be honest)  And yes, all of that really is contained in 51 seconds - it's amazing.

Let me give you a few examples of what I love about Superchthonic (besides the title).  The line "b-e-d is an alphabet of self-hatred and mockery" in "Vanity".  That whole song is so quick-witted, you really have to pay attention, and I love that.  "Relapse" - the whole thing.  Which I've already rambled about here.  The mastery of the "choose-your-own-adventure-song" (at least, that's what I call them).  "Vanity" ends with "because you know I think I'm...." and "Thom Thumb" ends with "cause there's a good opportunity when the man has had 2 or 3 and he's sleeping sound as sound could be to..."  I dig it when songwriters leave open spaces like that.  When they give their listeners credit for being intelligent enough to get it without necessarily having it spoon fed to them.  "Uncommon Courtesy" (especially the plaintive delivery of the line "how could he do this to me") and "Washed Up" (I'm pretty sure I'm going to make this one my new theme song) both are pretty perfect.  That dramatic pause at the end of "Dear John, I'm Still Smiling" (which I've heard from an extremely reliable source was pretty epic when performed live) when you think it's over, but then it comes back for 30 more seconds of awesome.

There is just something so unique and intelligent about this record...and Betty Goo in general.  I sincerely hope that you'll look for it and find it and love it - everyone should get to experience some incredible stuff like this in their lives.

New Music Monday

I only have one legitimately new song for you, but I have five legitimately awesome songs for you, so it seems like a fair trade.  All of these are relatively new to me, as in I've come to own them recently, so by my broad definition of "new music", they qualify.

"Relapse" - Betty Goo
This song is from their album Superchthonic.  I just got that one in the mail this past Wednesday but I already know all the words to this song (and two others) because I can't stop listening to it.  Have you ever heard a song that literally made your heart ache from the very first listen?  Like, the first time you hear the lyrics and the delivery, it just slices right through you?  That's this song for me.  I kind of hope, for your sake, that it doesn't strike you that way.  But either way, it's a great song.

"Another Relapse" - Betty Goo
From Gooicide, this is another one that got in immediately.  Well, as I'm sure you know by now, this entire album infected my brain pretty instantly, but this song stands out.  No wait, that's not really right - there are a lot of standouts - I just picked this one because it fits so nicely with my first choice up there and it causes a lot of that same feeling of a literal ache.  The difference is that "Another Relapse" has some loud parts that are less brooding and more cathartic and singing it in the car just feels so ridiculously good.

"X-Large" - Boy Wonder
I got this album, Break the Spell, Etc. Thursday night and I loved the shit out of this song immediately. You know how fond I am of Paula Kelley and Aaron Tap's work, but when the lyrics were written by him and the music was written by her and the song is a duet??  Are you fucking kidding me?  It doesn't get any better than that.  The juxtaposition between the dark tale of a relationship gone to hell in a hand basket and the fast-paced music is pretty sweet.  Also, it gave me a fun new goal which is to learn the words (you'll know what I mean when you hear it) and I'm getting there.  I know what they're saying, just haven't been able to quite keep up for the whole song. 

"These Days" - Dr. Dog
I haven't listened to this one enough to have any profound (HA!) insight, but I do know that I dig it.  It's one of those songs that has a little of this, a little of that, a little piano, a little something I can't identify, but what really draws me to it is the vocal.  Somehow it is face-paced and kind of sleepy at the same time.  He sounds like the most laid back person on earth, I love it.  By the way, this is from their latest release Be The Void (so see?  Pretty new!).

"Thickfreakness" - The Black Keys
I told my husband that I had been so fixated on the same couple artists lately (like he didn't already know that) that I was lacking in variety for this post.  He suggested this song off the album by the same name.  And he offered to tell me what it sounds like.  Here's what I got from him: "It makes you feel like you should be in some sweaty bar in New Orleans with some hot Creole girl [and I think I know the one he means] grinding on you.  The cover art of that album says everything you need to know about that song."  So I'm listening to it right now and you know what?  He's not wrong.  Hell, it makes me want to be in a sweaty bar in New Orleans with some hot Creole girl grinding on me!  Just in case you don't know, here's the cover art he's referring to:

So Perfectly Nasty

Tour Genius

During my weekly (biweekly, whenever-I-think-of-it) internet search (by the way, I search for them in real record stores too, but my chances of finding them there are even less) for a couple obscure cassettes that I'm becoming more and more convinced I'll never find, I came across the Stop Pop and Roll website.  From this website, I learned that Betty Goo broke up in 1999...so this means that we will soon be due for a 15 year reunion tour!!  However, because I'm impatient, I think the tour should be in 2013 which would be 15 years from the last full year they were together (and, incidentally, will also be the summer we celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary).  So it all makes total sense, right?

Then I had a total epiphany a few minutes ago while I was lounging in my giant bathtub (totally unrelated, I promise).  They should come over here - "over here" being the eastern half of the country - and do their 15th anniversary reunion tour as a co-headlining tour with The Paula Kelley Orchestra!!

AND, they can have Ryan Schmidt open for them! 

How fucking perfect is this plan??  How blown would my mind be by the end of that show?  Totally, that's how much.

Latest Purchases

You know me, I'm always buying some music.  I can't have a drug habit because it would cut into my music fund and that would not be cool.  Wednesday and Thursday were lovely days for procuring music.  Here's what joined my collection:

First, the first Betty Goo CD Superchthonic arrived in the mail Wednesday afternoon.  I say the first "CD" because they had a debut release that was only released on cassette (want, want, WANT).  I scoured the internet for Superchthonic for months until some dude in Pennsylvania finally came off a used copy of it.  I found Gooicide first and LOVE it...like, in a big way.  I've been looking for that debut cassette just as long but I have a feeling that search will carry on for some time to come.  Anyway, I've listened to it a couple times and while it isn't quite the religious experience that Gooicide is, it is pretty sweet.  Some of these Betty Goo lyrics really hit home and while that probably means that deep down I'm totally fucked up, that's cool, I've never minded that too much.

Then Wednesday night I got The Black Keys' The Big Come Up (which is their debut) from iTunes (mostly for my husband) but I listened to it this morning and all I can say is that it's like getting slapped in the face with a handful of awesome.  I mean, seriously, where do these two young white boys get that sound??  Amazing.

Then, the most exciting thing ever happened (ok, maybe not EVER but it was pretty cool).  My music guru (don't say "Who?" you know who I'm talking about) actually recommended an album to me.  Not like, in a "Song of the Week" kind of way, but in a "Here, try this one" kind of why.  Very awesome.  (Can I do that?  Can I use very and awesome together?  Well I just did and the grammar police can suck it)  Oh, and you know what the best part is?  It's an album by Boy Wonder - a quartet, half of which are none other than the wicked talented Paula Kelley and Aaron Tap.  Built-in amazing. So, naturally there was nothing else to do but immediately become the proud owner of a digital copy of Boy Wonder's Break the Spell, Etc.  Of course, I have a sneaking suspicion that this is going to be another band that I want to see live and can't. 

New Music Monday (...or not)

No new music this Monday morning.  I'm sorry.  The simple fact is that I'm still completely ate up with the Betty Goo album that I got last week and I haven't made time to listen to anything else.  Well, except for Nothing/Everything by Paula Kelley which came in the mail Saturday, but I've scarcely listened to it enough to have an opinion. 

I have a plan for upcoming Mondays though, so in a weak attempt to make up for my slacker ways, I'll share the plan with you:

Green River Ordinance - I have 7 songs by them that I haven't even listened to yet, so I'm going to check those out this week and I'll ramble about them next Monday.

The Walla Recovery - I've only listened to them a little bit while I was at work one day, but I think I like them so far.  They kind of remind me of Mumford & Sons which is cool.  I'll be talking about their album With Trembling... (already I love the title, so that's a good start).

Chelsey Scott - after that will be Chelsey Scott's The Little Boat EP.  I've actually had this one for a while but haven't listened to it yet.  I got it at the end of December, but it's just been sitting there.  So I'm putting it in the New Music rotation to make myself take the time to give it a chance.

The Commuters - I got their album Rescue a couple weeks ago and it's another that's sitting in iTunes gathering virtual dust.  I don't even remember where I got it or where I heard about them, but you never know, maybe I'll love it!

So there you go, that's what's coming.  But for right now, I'm going to listen to Gooicide again...

Betty Goo - Gooicide

Album: Gooicide
Artist: Betty Goo
Release: 1997

Just when I thought I knew how much of a genius Aaron Tap is, I got ahold of a copy of Gooicide by Betty Goo, which he sang and played guitar for in the 90's and...Holy Shit.  I had found bits and pieces of this record online and had listened to as much of it as I could find, but I've only listened to the entire thing twice now (give me a break, I just got in the mail yesterday) so I don't feel like I can do one of those in-depth pulling out lyrics, telling you what it's about kind of reviews.  But at the same time, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to do that with this one.  Trying to talk about this record song by song or in great detail is like trying to remember a dream.  The more I try, the more it slips away, which is why I'm going to go ahead and just sing its praises now while I'm still high on the first couple spins.

I was told (warned?) that the record was kind of schizophrenic before I had a chance to listen to it.  That was a true statement, but it is all over the place in the best possible way.  In that regard, it kind of reminds me of Violent Femmes because I never know where it's going, but it is always going somewhere awesome.  Mr. Tap's vocal calisthenics and the sick shit he makes that guitar do just get down inside my head and refuse to let go.  There is a sound to this record - I can't put my finger on it, it's just like some people playing music and just letting it happen.  Maybe that's not at all how this record was made, but it sounds organic and cathartic.  It is one of very (very!) few records that I have no desire to shuffle or split up into multiple playlists, I just want to experience the entire thing, all the way through, just the way it was recorded.

My only complaint about this album is that I can't ever hear it for the first time again.  I will only get more and more familiar with it and soon I'll know it like the back of my hand.  Which is not to say that it won't still be blowing my mind then, but never again will it have exactly the same effect it had on me last night.  I got it in the mail yesterday, and I quickly ripped it to iTunes and put it on my iPod.  Unfortunately we didn't go to bed until midnight (even though my alarm goes off at 5:45am) but I started listening to it anyway (I always lay in bed and listen to something before I go to sleep, it's a habit I got into during a time when sleepless nights were the norm). 

Big mistake.  Once I got started and this thing borrowed its way into my brain, there was no possible way I could turn it off and just stop listening to it until it was over.  Listening to this record, laying there in the dark with nothing to distract me, was an experience to say the least.  Betty Goo is taking you on a trip, and I'm pretty sure they don't even know the destination, but you are sure as shit going where ever they want to take you and you're going to like it.  Or at least, I did.    I'm not sure it's possible to walk into a record store and buy this one and I know for sure that it's not on iTunes, but trust me, if you dig things that are inventive and interesting and unusual, it is definitely worth putting some effort into finding it.