hey, I remember those guys..

REM was my favorite band and soundtrack for my life for many years. If bands were significant others (if only!), REM would be my long term relationship. But as often happens with LTRs, things got a little stale as the years went on. We tried to stick together for old time’s sake, but the magic was gone, and finally REM and I parted amicably. For the past few years I’ve been seeing other bands, and I’ve gotten pretty serious with one in particular. I’ve moved on, but REM, I’ll never forget you and the times we shared.

Oh god. Anyway, with REM reappearing on the scene with a new album (April 1?) and tour (June 13!), it hit me that it really does seem like a lifetime since I’ve thought about them. Their new album is supposed to be a “return to form”, whatever that means. My hopes aren’t high since they’ve said that about the last 3, but I’m looking forward to it anyway.

From one of the last times I saw them in concert:

Me (standing in line for hot chocolate): “Why is the line for hot chocolate way longer than the beer line at a rock concert?”

Woman behind me in line: “Because we’re old!”

clickX4

Well, it’s too late to post much of anything tonight, since I put off something that was due Monday morning until 10:30 Sunday night. So here’s the Bishop Allen video for “Click click click click”. It’s a simple, cool little idea. I can’t believe this hasn’t been done before, but the youtube commenters seemed to think it was original, for what that’s worth (probably not much since the average age of your typical youtube commenter seems to be about 12). On the other hand, I just saw the exact same idea used today in a PBS promo piece, so either it’s a over-used technique, or PBS is ripping off Bishop Allen.

My only complaint is that I don’t think the video really complements the song all that well.

Would..

..seeing the B-52s at the Paradise in April be a) fun, or b) sad? I need to figure this out because tickets go on sale tomorrow.

Bishop Allen!

I went to the Middle East (a small club, not the cradle of civilization) Friday night to see a band I’ve wanted to see for a while- Bishop Allen. But first there were two opening acts (actually 3, but the first seemed quite missable, based on their myspace page, so we made it a point to miss them).

1. A Northern Chorus: Actually, we almost missed them too, catching only about 4 songs, which is a shame. All the elements were there for being my kind of band. Cello, violin, trumpet, male and female vocals.. Based on their myspace page, they sound somewhat Broken Social Scene-ish. I think I’ll buy their latest CD. (Apparently a Pitchfork review of an earlier CD said “A Northern Chorus has turned out the record that Death Cab for Cutie might make after taking an on online classical composition course and a near-fatal overdose of tranquilizer cocktails.” Ouch! I’ll let you be the judge as to whether they’ve perked themselves up since then.)

2. Aereogramme: My god. Where do I start? See, my hopes were high, since they are from Glasgow, like other bands of which I am fond. And I was under the impression, based on at least one of these bands, that the men in Glasgow were all delicate, bookish waifs about as wide as my forearm. Not so! These guys were huge! And hairy! REALLY hairy! And their music was LOUD! Seriously, though, for a band whose music wasn’t my cup of twee (heh), I have to give them credit- they put on a really good show. But seesh, I’m still a little traumatized.

Finally- the main act, Bishop Allen! Wow. For a band that sounds like they rely heavily on the ukulele, xylophone, and various horns, these guys (and girl) rocked! What a great show! And they have a very charismatic frontman, which I think is somewhat essential if a band is truly going to make it. What fun. Go see Bishop Allen if you have a chance. Lots of free downloadable stuff can be found here. [edit: Looks like the downloads are no longer free. Hey, I guess they have to make a living like the rest of us. Oh well, you can still check out their myspace page, or listen to 3 songs on the band's website.]

opposites attract?

So the music at my coffee shop is going decidedly downhill. All they ever play now is stuff from the late 80s, and not even the “best of”, just bland radio hits. But anyway, today that Paula Abdul classic “Opposites Attract” came on, and I really listened to the lyrics for the first time. And I realized that the song sends a horrible message. Putting aside the question of whether opposites can really be in a relationshiop with any long-term potential, lets look at the two individuals in the song:

She: likes TV, takes things serious, goes to bed early, moves slowly, likes it quiet, makes the bed, likes it neat, takes it easy, has money, doesn’t smoke

He: likes movies, takes things light, parties all night, is fast, loves to shout, steals the covers, makes a mess, gets obsessed, always broke, and smokes

Now, aside from the TV vs movies thing, this is more than just two people with different tastes (and problems with adverbs). This is a responsible adult and an overgrown kid. How many times have we seen relationships exactly like this? How many times have we gotten that late night call from a friend in distress because they’re dating exactly this type of guy, and he’s off god knows where spending her money getting into god knows what kind of trouble? I’m sorry Paula, but this does not sound like a healthy relationship to me. It sounds like you’re probably forever cleaning up his messes, lending him money, calming him down, waiting for him to come home, sleeping in the cold, and breathing second hand smoke. What kind of message are you sending here?