Simon & Garfunkel - Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.

Album: Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.
Artist: Simon & Garfunkel
Release: October 19, 1964

Perhaps the greatest gift an artist can give us is the gift of music.  I don't necessarily mean their own music (although, that is a precious gift to be sure), but the music that inspires them.  The music they listen to.  It not only gives us something new (and possibly awesome) to listen to; it also gives us some insight into where they're coming from as musicians. 

So you have to love it when you go to a live show expecting to hear that artist's music and then he gives you 3 other (classic) artists' music too!!  And that's exactly what happened at the last show I went to.  That's how my interest in Simon and Garfunkel was stirred.  They (him and him) did an amazing acoustic version of "The Boxer" that inspired me to go find the original and partake in the awesome.  I was so blown away by it that I've decided to start at the beginning and take the full Simon and Garfunkel trip.  I've been a fan of "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon forever (love, love, love that little bass line in the middle) - but this music is much, MUCH different from that.

Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. was their debut album which, thanks in large part to at little band called The Beatles busting out in the U.S. at about the same time, saw little commercial success.  It took a couple years for people to really come around to appreciating their music (seems like that happens to some of the best albums).  This one is kind of a mix of gospel and folk music.  Personally, I could do without the gospel-feeling songs being as I don't exactly believe in them and therefore am not really inspired by them.  But I have to admit, there is something simply hypnotic about "Benedictus".  It kind of makes me wish that I wanted to go to church. 

This is not one of those albums (and "The Boxer" is not one of those songs...so I think it might be a Simon and Garfunkel thing) that you can listen to in passing and really appreciate it.  You can't let it bounce off of you, you have to let it soak in.  Ear buds and dark rooms were made for this kind of music.  Listening to this record felt like having my head underwater in a hot bathtub.  The music and the vocals come together to just fill up all the spaces.  I'm not sure everyone on earth would love this record, but I should think that everyone could at least appreciate the raw talent and brilliance that was involved in creating this sound 48 years ago.

I thought I would have to approach this album with my mind full of the social climate in 1964 in order to really appreciate it.  But as I laid in bed last night listening to it, I realized that perhaps the world we live in now is not so different from the one these songs were written in.

"He Was My Brother", a song about a soldier lost in war could easily be written today.  And if this song doesn't make you break out in cold chills then you need to check your pulse.  Another timely tune on this record is "The Sound of Silence".  Even if you think you don't know any Simon and Garfunkel, you know this song.  It's the one that starts out, "Hello, Darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again."  It's a beautiful song.  They're all beautiful songs.  Paul Simon's songwriting is genius and Art Garfunkel's voice is enchanting and together, it's just magic.

My Current Addiction

This song was wrapped in an amazing bow (in the form of Matt Nathanson and Aaron Tap) and given to me as a gift November 5th at The Cannery Ballroom.  My packaging isn't as awesome, but here it is for you:

Genius.

I Thought of Another One!!

If any of you own the Matt Nathanson album At The Point then I am sure you are fully aware of his cover of Drivin' and Cryin's "Straight to Hell".  Before I owned this record, I had never heard the song.  In the interest of comparison, I went in search of it.  Holy crap - what a stinker!  I would rather paper cut the web between my thumb and first finger than hear the original version of this song.  Blech.

Here, give it a listen:

Now what made Matt Nathanson listen to that song and think, "I want to sing that - it'll be awesome!"??  But, believe it or not - he did it!  And it sounds awesome.  It's a great song when he sings it (so, yeah, it was probably a great song before he sang it, I just couldn't hear it that way).

For comparison:

See??  So much more wonderful.

I Tried To Fight It

Have you all heard this new Jessie J. song "Domino"?  I tried to fight this song, I really did.  Between the opening line "I'm feeling sexy and free" and the jewels glued under her eyes in the video, I was certain I would never like it.  It is all so contrived...like a doll in a package. 

But, when the powers-that-be at VH1 want you to listen to a song and want it embedded in your brain, you are by-god going to listen to it.  Those bastards.  And now, just like they intended, this song is stuck in my head. 

It's definitely a pre-packaged pop song of the first order, but I don't hate it (anymore). It's kind of catchy, I even kind of like the first line and you have to admit (eye-jewels aside) her hair is super cute in the video.   However, that being said, I'm not sure I can ever forgive her for her part in co-writing "Party in the U.S.A." which was played on the radio so much this summer that I accidentally heard Miley Cyrus "sing" a couple times.

Scars on 45 - Give Me Something

Album: Give Me Something - EP
Artist: Scars on 45
Release: January, 2011

So I took the advice of "Anonymous" (who, I'm fairly certain is closely related to "They") and bought Scars on 45's first EP Give Me Something.  "Anonymous" said that it was far better than Heart on Fire so for that reason, I should check it out.

I have to respectfully disagree.  I'm not saying it's bad, not by any means.  In fact, it is really growing on me.  I didn't instantly like it as much as I did Heart on Fire, but the more I listen to it, the more I like it.   These are just really good songs sung by people who have genuinely good voices (I've seen them live at a small venue where there is nowhere to hide, so you can belive me when I say that).  There is also an acoustic song ("Don't Say") on this one which is always a good way to get a feel for a band because you can hear what they really sound like.  This one is particularly nice because it features the beautiful harmonies that happen when Danny Bemrose and Aimee Driver sing together. 

Once again, all four songs sound different, which showcases the band's diversity.  Still, they all somehow sound like Scars on 45.  It's a special treat when you find a band that understands that having a "sound" doesn't mean that all of your songs have to sound the same.  For me, the only thing missing on Give Me Something is Aimee.  She is almost like a backup singer on this one, rather than a co-lead singer.  She has a  really beautiful voice, so I'm glad they feature her more on Heart on Fire.

Overall, I'm really liking Give Me Something, but I still don't think it's better than the second release.  I like that though because you can track the development of the band between the two releases, and that's always cool to witness.  After hearing some more from them, I hope they come close soon as I would really like to see them live again.

Video Watching

In an effort to clear out some of our DVRed stuff, I watched a couple episodes of 120 Minutes with Matt Pinfield the other night and I saw a couple things worthy of mention.

First, "First of the Year (Equinox)" by Skrillex.  Have you heard this song?  If not, don't bother, it's pretty awful.  It's like a traffic jam in my eardrums, just noise and chaos.  Not only is it noise, it's offensive noise.  I actually muted the TV about 3/4 of the way thru it because I couldn't even tolerate it.  I watched it though because the video is fucking awesome.  I highly recommend you watch it.  The little girl is freaky as hell. 

I also finally got a good listen to Mutemath's "Blood Pressure".  I'm really digging on this song right now.  The video, well, it looks like a lot of work.  It looks like it took forever to film and probably ten times as long to edit - I can appreciate that.  But I hate it.  It's seizure inducing!  And it's distracting as hell.  I had to close my eyes and block out the video in order to really hear the song.  And it's a good song, they shouldn't hide it behind all that visual racket.

"The Sound of Winter" by Bush was played on there too.  Such a good Bush song.  And Gavin Rossdale is even better looking these days.  How awesome is it that he and Gwen Stefani are still together?  So sweet.

This morning, VH1 let me down and played some crap I couldn't stand (probably Brittany Spears...I don't remember) so I flipped over to AMTV and caught the new Hot Chelle Rae song "I Like It Like That".  It isn't nearly as good as "Tonight, Tonight" is (which, by the way, is not a remake of the totally awesome Smashing Pumpkins song of the same name).  I also question the wisdom of releasing what totally feels like a summer party song the end of November.  But perhaps that's all Hot Chelle Rae has to offer us?

Tonight, I just witnessed Fall Out Boy's version of "Beat It" (or as some of you might know it...Cheetah Penis*).  Good grief.  Look, it's simple, if you're not Michael Jackson, don't record his songs.  Just don't.

*If you don't get the cheetah penis reference, do yourself a favor and go buy Matt Nathanson's "At The Point".

Who Did It Better?

As you may or may not know, Matt Nathanson is somewhat known for doing covers during his shows.  He often works other songs into the middle his own stuff, or uses them as intros to his songs (he frequently leads into his *perfect* song 'Pretty the World' with Florence + the Machine's *less than perfect* 'Dog Days').  The amazing part about this is that his covers are always just as good and sometimes even better than the original. That is a rare thing. 

A perfect example is his version of 'Alison' by Elvis Costello:

The orginal:

See?  Totally better, right??

Evil Sampling - Gone Right!

I hate sampling.  For years, there hasn't been a good song out there that contained any amount of sampling.  If you want to cover a song, cover the damn thing, don't butcher it.  Don't pick it apart and turn it into something it was never supposed to be. 

Unless, evidently, you're Train.  Apparently if you're Train, you can pick apart a classic, a song I love, and rearrange it and put it back together Frankenstein-style and still not make me hate you.  In fact, I might even like it a little bit, in spite of myself.  (or, in spite of "my elf" as I typed it 4 times before getting the s in there).

You see, on their latest album "Save Me, San Francisco", which we all know I'm not in love with, they sampled/covered a great song.  When I first heard the intro to this song, I actually paused it.  I was so scared of how bad it was going to suck and how mad it was going to make me that I had to take a minute to forgive Train their trespasses.  However...check it:

It doesn't suck at all!  Sure, it's no Doobie Brothers, but Pat sings the hell out of it.  In fact, I like what they've done with 'Black Water' better than I like the original parts of the song.  Go figure.

Angry Songs

Because I am in a terrifically crappy mood today (Happy Holidays, my ass), I thought I'd make of list of my top ten angry songs.  So just in case you are loving this time of year too, here is a little play list for us to share:

10. You Oughta Know - Alanis Morisette - Jagged Little Pill
      This was Alanis at her angry, angsty best.  The song doesn't fit all aggravations, but it is fun to sing loud when you're just pissed.

9. Crazy Bitch - Buck Cherry - 15
     Probably not really a great song in general, but any song with "fuck" in it 13 times is good on a bad day.

8. Stupify - Disturbed - The Sickness
    Really, almost any Disturbed song would fit here - it was a toss up.

7. Keep Away - Godsmack - Keep Away
    How fun is this one to scream??

6. Freak on a Leash - Korn - Follow the Leader
    I dig this song in any mood, but especially love it when I'm irked.

5. One Step Closer - Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
    "One step closer to the edge, and I'm about to break!!!!" - what more can I say?

4. Ain't My Bitch - Metallica - Load
    Obviously, heavy metal (although, it is a bit of a stretch to call Load "heavy") is written by angry people - thank goodness!!

3. Last Resort - Papa Roach - Infest
    "Do you even care if I die bleeding?" - perfect angry lyrics.

2. Fuck You - Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
    This one needs no explanation.

1. Killing in the Name - Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
    If you don't own this song (in fact, the whole album) and crank it up every so often...then there is just no help for you.

I'm sure I missed some - any suggestions?

Maybe soon I'll post a "songs to cheer you up" list!

More "New" Music, A Gift for Me

After someone inquired about my red vinyl copy of "Modern Love" recently, I did some looking around and found that not everyone who bought one got a red see-thru copy like mine.  So, because I'm a nerd like that, I have ordered myself another copy.  If this one is red too, then sweet, I'll get to watch the beautiful red vinyl spin on the turntable.  If not, then I'll play the black one and hide the red one away for safe keeping!  I would love to someday have the red copy signed (the cover, not the vinyl), we'll see if I can ever make that happen.  Oddly enough, even though I already own a copy, I'm still excited to get this one in the mail.  I wish I could go to an actual record store and flip through the stacks until I found it and buy it (there is just something cool about that), but nobody around here is carrying "Modern Love" on vinyl, so I have to click-and-wait.

This morning, while doing my usual VH1 and cereal routine, they played "Run Away Train" by Soul Asylum!  It's not even my birthday or anything!  I can't even count the ways in which I loved that song when it was new (and for about, oh, 3 years after it was new), but somehow I had never seen the video.  I'm guessing that was because we didn't have any music channels (or weren't allowed to watch them, I'm not 100% certain which), so the only videos I ever saw were at friends' houses or on Night Tracks on TBS - which, sadly was no longer on the air by the time 'Run Away Train' came out.  So I got to see the video this morning and that was cool, and only 17 years late.

Speaking of Night Tracks - did you ever watch show?  (Are you old enough to know what I'm talking about?) My dad used to let me record it (yes, on VHS...can you believe it??) and I would wear those tapes out.  My favorite episode had 'Dead or Alive' by Bon Jovi, 'One' by Metallica, and 'Fire Woman' by The Cult.  Man, that was awesome.

Vinyl District

If you aren't spending all of your free online time over at Vinyl District then what is your problem??  If you're like me, it is only because you didn't know it was there and now that I've enlightened you, you'll change your evil ways.

Earlier today I was followed by @Rachelanthecity over on twitter.  What possessed her to follow me?  I have no idea.  She (Rachel Hurley) has a very impressive resume both online and irl, so I'm glad to have her, no matter what level of insanity brought her.  Also, she is the editor of The Vinyl District - Memphis, so I was introduced to it through her profile.  I fucking love this website!!

There are interviews, articles, reviews, everything you could ask for.  And the best part is that it focuses on independent artists that aren't getting a lot of press elsewhere.  There is no way you could visit this site and not find at least one new artist to check out, every day.  Plus, there are several different cities represented, so no matter where you live, there is a Vinyl District for a city within driving distance of you.  Well, I guess that depends on what you consider driving distance for an awesome live show.  I focus on Nashville and Memphis, the former being about 2 1/2 hours from me and totally doable for an awesome night out.  But it's fun to check out what's going on other cities too and what artists are making noise there. 

Check it out, you'll thank me. 

Backstage Riders

Have you seen this list of backstage riders over at The Smoking Gun?

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstage

If not, you should check them out.  Who knows if they're real, but some of them are really hilarious.

Train - "Save Me, San Francisco"

Album: Save Me, San Francisco
Artist: Train
Release: October 27, 2009

I would like to preface this post by saying that I love Train.  I love them.  I've seen them twice in concert, I loved Pat Monahan's solo album, I loved their live album.  What I'm saying is, I'm a fan. 

But, and this is a big but, I'm not in love with this album.  In fact, there are parts of it I don't even like. Still, one of my favorite Train songs ever is on "Save Me, San Francisco", so I have to at least rate it as "like it". 

"Save Me, San Francisco" was released almost four years after "For Me, It's You" which has been called a commercial failure.  Personally, I thought it was a much better record, but what do I know?  Apparently they considered breaking up after that one, and Pat did a solo record, but they got back together (thank goodness!) which I thought was a wonderful thing.  Then they released this record.  Bah.

The first single, 'Hey, Soul Sister' does sound like classic Train, I'll give it that.  But the radio stations around here ran that thing into the ground so badly that by the time we saw them perform it live, my sister and I actually looked at each other and rolled our eyes.  We're that sick of it.  It's not a bad song, but it is not one I want to hear over and over and over. 

The next single was, 'If It's Love".  Ugh.  My least favorite Train song ever.  It is hugely popular and goes over great when they perform it live.  But I just don't get that. This one feels to me like they were just phoning it in big time.  I have come to expect so much more from them, lyrically, over the years.  I mean, "Can't be a bee without a bee throne"?  Are you fucking kidding me?  The same guys who brought us lines like "What am I gonna do without you?  What am I gonna do about you?" ('Your Every Color' - "My Private Nation") expect me to take lyrics like "We can travel to Spain where the rain falls mainly on the plain, sounds insane cause it is, we can laugh, we can sing, have 10 kids and give them everything" that fit awkwardly in the music and just be cool with it??  Frankly, I'm kind of insulted.

But, not to be a total downer, this record also contains 'Parachute', which is a really great love song.  And also 'Half Moon Bay' which is one of my favorite Train songs ever.  It is very sweet and upbeat and just fun to listen to and sing along with.  Lines like "This ain't a threat but I think I better warn ya, you're gonna fall in love if you go to California" are clever and well constructed.  It's a good song. 

Overall, if you're not familiar with Train (shame on you!!) don't start here.  I just think they're better than this.  I would recommend starting with "My Private Nation", it is a great record, then go back to "Train" and "Drops of Jupiter" to see where they came from.  Then once you appreciate them at their best, you can give this one a listen and enjoy the high points, and overlook the "meh" points.  Myself, I can forgive them this one because I love them and they have done enough incredible music that I know it is just a fluke.

Inspired By or Stolen From?

So the other morning I was innocently eating my cereal watching VH1, hoping against hope that they would come to their senses and play 'Faster' for me.  No such luck.  They did, however, play this new song by Sara Bareilles, 'Gonna Get Over You'.  Have you heard this one?

It's just a peppy little pop ditty.  Frankly, nothing special, except for this one line, "I'll be alright, just not tonight."  Clever, huh?  And...um...sound familiar?

Yeah, so, a couple years ago this guy named Rob Thomas (you might know him from this band he sings for sometimes, Matchbox Twenty) released a solo album called "Cradlesong".  It is a beautifully crafted hour of music.  Really a great record.  The lead single from "Cradlesong" was a song about his wife called 'Her Diamonds'.  In that song, he sings, "She'll be alright, just not tonight." 

Coincidence?  Personally, I think not.

Play List Wisdom

The night before last, I made myself a little mixed tape to bring to work to listen to (and by that I mean that I created a play list in iTunes and burned it to a CD, of course).  Here it is:

1. U.R.A. Fever - The Kills - Midnight Boom
2. Curve of the Earth - Matt Nathanson - Beneath These Fireworks
3. Sour Cherry - The Kills - Midnight Boom
4. White Blank Page - Mumford & Sons - Sign No More
5. More Than This - Matt Nathanson - At The Point
6. Snowblind - Rob Thomas - Cradlesong
7. Airplanes - B.O.B. featuring Hayley Williams - Airplanes
8. Pretty the World - Matt Nathanson - Beneath These Fireworks
9. Fire On The Mountain - Rob Thomas - Cradlesong
10. Bottom of the Sea - Matt Nathanson - Modern Love
11. Mockingbird - Rob Thomas - Cradlesong
12. Don't Come Around Here No More - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits
13. Princess - Matt Nathanson - When Everything Meant Everything
14. Getting Late - Rob Thomas - Cradlesong
15. Faster - Matt Nathanson - Modern Love
16. Sleep Til The War Is Over - Rob Thomas - Cradlesong
17. Bed of Lies - Matchbox Twenty - Mad Season
18. Until I Fall Away - Gin Blossoms - New Miserable Experience
19. Drop To Hold You - Matt Nathanson - Modern Love
20. Losing My Mind - Maroon 5 - The B-Sides Collection

So now that I'm on day 2 of this CD, I've determined a couple things about my mad play list making skills. 

First, putting 'Curve of the Earth' between two The Kills songs was pure genius, my ears delight in the juxtaposition. However, following that up with Mumford & Sons was a bad move.  Also, B.O.B. should not ever be wedged between Rob Thomas & Matt Nathanson.

After the awesomeness that is contained in this play list, 'Losing My Mind' (which I love when listening to other Maroon 5) just sounds like a mess.  And 'Don't Come Around Here No More' needs to be turned up louder than is appropriate at work to really be enjoyed.

I have also determined that while Matt Nathanson is the protein of every play list I create lately, Rob Thomas is clearly the side dish and everything else is just seasoning.

Finally, I'm glad that I'm not responsible for creating the sequence of any album, ever.  I would never settle on a "correct" order.  I have multiple play lists on my iPod of the same songs in different orders, or just adding 1 song that will make the list *perfect* or removing a song that was messing it up and I still end up shuffling half the time.  In the end, it all just heightens my respect for these artists because just listening to the whole albums, the way they were given to us, is almost always the best way to hear these songs.

Bush - 'Sound of Winter'

It dawned on me the other day that I neglected Bush's new release in the retro post.  This song is classic Bush, but brand new.  I love it.  Gavin Rossdale's voice is still just as magical as it was 17 years ago and my heart still dances like I'm 16 when I hear it.  Enjoy.

'Sound of Winter' (2011)

And for a little nostalgia - 'Comedown' (1994)

Scars on 45 - Heart on Fire

Album: Heart on Fire - EP
Artist: Scars on 45
Release: October 24, 2011

I finally got Scars on 45's new release Heart on Fire EP tonight.  Apparently their song was featured on Grey's Anatomy, but I never watched that show so when I saw them open for Matt Nathanson (there's that guy again) a couple weeks ago, that was the first I had heard of them.  Even though I couldn't sing along, their set was fun and I looked forward to getting to know their music better.  So far, I'm on listen number 4 and I'm really enjoying it.  Of course, having already heard them performed live I have an instant affinity for these songs.

It really isn't logical for me to like them since I'm not usually a fan of bands with multiple lead singers and I have very few female singers in my collection.  However, these two both have really good voices and they harmonize beautifully, so I'm just going with it.  Right off, my favorite part is the fact that you can really hear Danny Bemrose's English (or British...which is right?) accent (particularly on "Heart on Fire") when he sings, which is rare.  That's another thing I enjoy, like the breathing thing, I can't explain it, I just like it. 

This Heart on Fire EP is only 4 songs long and I'm not sure that's enough for me to really get to know this band.  That being said, each of the songs is unique, so there is a good sampling here of what they have to offer.  "Heart on Fire" is a big, full love song full of longing and genuine emotion (especially when performed live).  It is followed up by "Tomorrow Won't Die Too Soon" which does a really nice job of featuring both voices. 

I think my favorite of the four is "Two-Way Radio".  A tasty little tune about two people getting through the hard times and getting back to a good place.  With lines like, "They can take what they want, you're my only obsession now," you cannot deny this song.  The final track, "Promises & Empty Words" features the female singer, Aimee Driver's soft melodic voice.  In it, when she sings, "I'll never hear another lie fall out of your mouth...why should I be the one to give this everything?" who can't relate to that?

This collection of songs is driven by an insistent drum beat and well-crafted harmonies that make you want to keep listening and really should appeal to just about everyone.  While the gentle melodies don't inspire me to dance around (although, they did when I heard them live), I definitely look forward to knowing the words so I can sing along!  The only thing stopping me from loving this collection is time, but I'm pretty sure after I've had time to get attached to it, it will fall in the "love it" category.

Violent Femmes - "Violent Femmes"

Album: Violent Femmes
Artist: Violent Femmes
Release: April 1983

I am, admittedly, a late bloomer (very late, perhaps) to the Violent Femmes scene.  Of course, I was familiar with 'Add It Up' and 'Blister in the Sun', but that was pretty much the extent of it.  After having 'Blister in the Sun' implanted in my head at a recent live show, I finally bought it.  I wore it out for a few days and then broke down and bought the whole album.  Wow.

I fucking love this record.  It is so...out there.  This is a perfect example of the good kind of unexpected.   I never know where Gordon Gano is going with the lyrics, or the vocals for that matter, but it is always somewhere good.  The music is almost like a lighter version of punk and there are some awesome lyrics on this record.  This would be a great summer time record - it is perfect windows-down-driving-fast music.  It just makes me want to dance.

Right now I'm hung up on 'Kiss Off', the second song.  (When I say "hung up", I mean I listened to it 5 times in a row on the way to work this morning, completely forsaking Matt Nathanson - but I'm listening to him right now to make up for it).  Honestly though, there isn't a bad song on this one, they are all catchy and quirky and fun to listen to.  If you're not familiar with them, I would start with 'Blister in the Sun'.  It is probably the most, um, user friendly song on the record.  Its possibly more palatable to people who maybe aren't into music that is quite as off-beat as this than, say, 'Add It Up'. 

Although they came along after the punk movement, Violent Femmes feel like pioneers in angst.  Every song is fraught with longing.  He wants everything from "someone to talk to" ('Kiss Off') to "just one fuck" ('Add It Up') and you get the feeling that no matter what he gets, there is still going to be a yearning for more.  Which makes great music.  The awesome thing about this record is that even with all the heartbreak and misery, it's not a downer.  Instead of making you sad about the things that suck, it makes you want to scream them at the top of your lungs and get even for the wrongs that have been done to you.  "You can all just kiss off into the air, behind my back I can see them stare, they hurt me bad, but I won't mind, they hurt me bad, they do it all the time!" - 'Kiss Off'

I'm hoping this one is still available on vinyl (or that I can find it) because it is exactly the kind of record you want to experience all the way through, not in little digital bites.  Every song stands alone, but together, this record is greater than the sum of its parts.

This is gonna suck

I'm about to watch an interview with Axl Rose on That Metal Show.  I'm pretty sure this is going to be almost as painful as listening to Chinese Democracy...or a root canal.

Appetite for Destruction

Appetite for...um...fur and feathered hair?  WTF?

Good Lyrics Are Essential

You know how I'm always saying that so-and-so's* lyric's are perfect?  They aren't awkward or weird or forced, they just flow naturally?  Well, I have found of a perfect example of lyrics that are the exact opposite of that, just so you'll know what I mean.

Have you heard this relatively new Dawes song, 'Time Spent in Los Angeles'?  Personally, I don't like it, it's too whiny and sounds out of tune to me.  But, my biggest problem is this one line in the song.  This one awkward, weird, wrong line.  The rest of the song could be the greatest thing ever and I would still cringe when I hear it.

So what he sings is: "I always thought someone would love me, for the places I have been, and the dirt, that I've been gathering, deep beneath my nails."

ARGH!!!!  It just makes me uncomfortable to hear it.  My ears don't expect it, it just doesn't go.  And not in that good unexpected kind of way either.

What I want him to sing is: "I always thought someone would love me, for the places I have been, and the dirt, that I've been gathering, underneath my skin." 

Isn't that just better??

Also, another one that kills me (in a bad way) is 'Love and Understanding' by Cher.  She says, over and over, "The one thing there's just not enough of is love and understanding."  THAT'S TWO THINGS!!!!

I really like that song, but I literally deleted it off my iPod and out of iTunes all together because of that line.





*of course you know I mean Matt Nathanson, but I promised not to talk about him anymore (for a while) so I'm not going to