men i want to date (boner remix) : adam olenius

is love at first sight real? how about if you've never actually seen said love in person? is that just creepy fantasy stalking? or is that tug in your heart strings and the weakness in your knees still as legit? fuck if i know man, but i don't have 10 reasons for wanting to date this particular beau. but that doesn't mean my heart doesn't thump like mad crazy when i see/hear this swedish gentleman. i've been a longtime fan of the swedish indie pop sensation the shout out louds since i first spun their 03 (or was it 04?) release 'howl howl gaff gaff'. i could go on and on and on about how influential their album was to me in my college years and how closely i've followed their musical career paths since. 07's 'our ill wills' and this year's 'work' were both stellar releases as well. but you know what? this isn't a music review. this is a man i wanna bone review. and boy oh boy, would i like to become better acquainted with adam olenius. does it matter that i didn't know this singer's name or see how fucking boneable he was in his video up until an hour ago? ab-so-lute-ly not.

reasons why i want to date adam olenius.

1. i'm pretty sure he's the most beautiful human being ever.
2. if he was with me, i prob wouldn't cry (for once) when listening to 'very loud'
3. i want to touch him. very. very. much.
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEEiJ8Pfch0
5. free shout out louds lullabys to sleep (preferably naked, in my bed)
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyYd9W3t_Hc
7. do i really need a reason #7? obviously this is the dude of my dreams. i can't come up with a single legitimate reason why i wanna go out with this dude other than the fact that he is an amazing sappy lyricist of an incredible pop band who happens to be fantastically boneable and i wanna do him. so yeah, adam olenius, let's go out sometime, yeah? i think i need to start a new column called 'men i want to bone' and leave super heartthrobs like this outta my clever 'men i want to date' posts. cuz. good lord.

9/30/10 : chicago's initiation.

as we all know, i'm pretty fond of justin vernon. bon iver was my SHIT in pretty much all 2008 & 2009 (and then most of 2010, cuz let's face it, i'm a sap). doomtree? i got nothing but maaaaad props for my minneapolis hip hop. p.o.s., dessa, damn. and as magical as andrew bird is, he prob wouldn't be half as incredible without his back-up band. and while the dudes from solid gold are a bit on the overdoing it cheesey side, i can't deny they got mad guitar/synth sex appeal. so what am i getting at? throw in a tad of falsetto, a fistful of r&b, slinky guitars, sexy synth, some indie rock and a whole lotta creative midwestern collaborating musicians, and you'll walk away with the ultimate supergroup mega music collective. aka: GAYNGS.

if any of you have been following my unpolished rambles throughout the past year or so, you've noticed i've given a good chunk of attention and mad props to what my fellow midwestern minnesotan/sconsinites have produced when they busted out earlier this year with their debut effort RELAYTED. shit's awesome. 'the gaudy side of town' and 'faded high' make me wish i was in the 80's, sexing it up and snorting coke off some yacht rock dude with bad hair's chest. (well, not quite). but it's sexy. and it's hip. and it's fucking authentic, swear to god, gimmickless talent. and guess what chicago, while all 23 band members of this outfit have regular 9-5 musical obligations, they're getting together long enough for a tour. and yes, my beloved windy city music afficianados, you yerselves get a chance to partake in the gayng bang of 2010.

mark yer calendars now, metro, chicago, september 30th, 2010. for a mere $21 fucking dollars (seriously, people so cheap for what it is i cant believe it), you can witness magic unfold first hand. i've seen more than 50% of these members perform individually in said 9-5's and i wasn't disappointed with any of them. so together? fuck man, i can't wait to attend 'the last prom on earth.'

i'm her mom. no she's nawt!

typically i'm immune to cute kids' charm. been there, done that. lame. but i'm def not immune to cats. or hilarity. and this kid's amazing. i wanna go read kitten books with her every day. thanks to kitteh roulette (my new obsession i'm not even kidding i spend at least an hour a day blindlessly clicking on it) for leading me to this clip. 'i want pie! i want beef jerkey!' 'double head!'

revisited : set yourself on fire.

obviously stars rules. when your band is made up of revolving members of the broken social scene collective and amy millan's your main girl, it's pretty difficult to fail. (although in our bedroom after the war is obviously the exception woopsy to the rule). the five ghosts will most definitely be making a significant appearance on my top ten albums of 2010 as well as their june performance at lincoln hall for top shows. but today on the bus after a pretty exhausting week (thus far), 'one more night (your ex-lover is dead)' played on my ipod.

i'm pretty sure the guy next to me on the bus saw my face crumple and fall into defeat. he kept looking at me as i morosely peered out the bus side window. well, dude, it's a pretty emotional song. 'specially if you've recently come to terms with a dissolving relationship. or even, if not. i've got years of memories associated with this song. i remember the first time i heard it, not even in a relationship. still listening to the lyrics, before my first love, thinking, man. i've never really cared for anyone this much, but i can absolutely decipher how much the situation sung about in this track would sting. and you know what, it does.

you don't necessarily need to be in the situation of bedding your former lover, accepting terms of its dissolution, but even thinking of a former flame and imagining the tearful emotional realization of unhealthy closure and facing fears of what could come post-honeymoon. i have a pretty amicable relationship with my ex suitors and was able to make clean breaks for the most part. but thinking of, what if it wasn't that easy? gets me a little misty. i can't imagine how much more rough it would have been had my situation with my 4-year beau been relatable to when torquil campbell sings the second verse: 'when she's breaking his heart, she still fucks like a tease. released to the sky, look him straight in the eye and tell him right now that you wish he would die. you'll never touch him again, so get what you can. bleeding him empty just because he's a man. so good when it ends, you'll never be friends. one more night, that's all they can spend.'

these are honest and raw lyrics. i truly wish i couldn't relate to what this song is saying. let's just say ouch. . .   long story short, it's a sad fucking sappy song. amy and torquil's soft sigh like melodies compliment one another superbly, and the layers of crying strings, bursting percussion and steady bass throughout are enough alone to make me misty eyed. it achieves its mission in being a perfect song. opening track 'your ex-lover is dead' is another example of an unavoidable break-up confrontation, also complete with complex instrumentation showcased with heavy stringwork, lazy harmonica and xylophone. sappy it's over lyrics comence as a former pair are introduced by a mutual friend, complete with resentful stings such as 'and all of the time you thought i was sad, i was trying to remember your name.' again, ouch.

but really, as fantastic as it is to feel sad and like shit, what makes this album absolutely timeless and a masterpiece is not the ability to waste a complete box of kleenex and a pint of ben and jerry's, but its seamless transition into absolute reverse, upbeat, delicate and joyous even, pop songs. 'ageless beauty,' i mean, man. what a fantastic song. amy millan's got such a precious, delicate and lovely voice. she is the definition of femininity, with her soft childlike speak singlike tone and soft cooing hooks. even torquil's cheesey and jittery, synth driven 'what i'm trying to say' is irrisistable when it comes to foot tapping and underpants bedroom dance parties. 'he lied about death,' another torquil synth jam, is a little heavier with more electro bass infusion, sped up chaotic drum machines and his (i cant take them seriously) threatening lyrics, 'what gives you the right, to fuck with our lives?' and the hating on bush cuz its totally 2004 and that's the hip thing to do tongue in cheek stab, 'i hope your drunken daughters are gay. you are the shadow of fear. you scare the love out of here. like an ape in a cage.'

filler tracks like 'reunion,' 'sleep tonight,' 'the first five times' and 'the big fight' are hardly filler. they're just not as magical as the other numbers. throw them on any other stars album and they're the singles. but really, the ending chapter, 'calendar girl,' is the epitamy of what makes stars so fantastic. like a peaceful dream you never want to be rousted from, amy and torquil breathlessly sigh and sing their hearts content, reflecting on their eventual demise and their peace with this destiny. maybe i'm just a sucker for big strings and soft piano, but this song is the perfect modern lullaby. epic percussion. slow guitars. very magical pop music.

it's definitely worth checking out this album. regardless of whether or not you know of stars, have any of their records, or probably like me, have this and love it, it was a pleasure revisiting tonight. i sadly reflected on past loves, clenched my fists in jaded resentment towards former flings, smiled and sang along at the top of my lungs, reminisced fondly on where i was 6 years ago and felt shaken up, near tears, happy as an 8 year old with a fresh lollipop, girly as a 17 year old in love for the first time, and most importantly, at peace. not many bands or albums can evoke one, let alone all of those reactions. that's why you should all (re)visit set yourself on fire. it's truly a masterpiece.

wiscompton pride.

I have lived in Chicago for four years now. It's hard to believe. I was born and raised in a small village in southwestern Wisconsin called Argyle, population 789 (now 823 some ten years later). I went to a small school shared with kindergarten through 12th grade. I had the same teachers from preschool up until high school. If I was to return tomorrow, I would be recognized by the greater majority of the town. My mom's still there, but I haven't returned in over a year.

After high school, I relocated to serve my next 5 summers working for Tommy Bartlett in Wisconsin Dells. I lived in a trailer park in the parking lot of Robot World. It was a bit of a culture shock and wakeup call, working with kids who weren't farmers, especially of the European descent. I went to college for 3 semesters in the farmy/small University of Wisconsin River Falls which was cool since it was 5 hours away from Argyle, and 30 minutes from Minneapolis, but wound up getting claustrophobic with the 3,000 student population and transferred halfway into my sophomore year to Oshkosh, WI. Ended up sticking around for 3 years there, made a few friends and found myself with journalism and music working for the school paper and radio station. Kinda figured out my adult youthful self in a way, at least with my passion for music journalism and tattoos.

Post graduation, made the trek to Chicago. I love it here. I don't see myself ever returning to Wisconsin, yet even with my 'ohmygod that was my life' kinda reflection, I'm proud to be a Wiscomptonite. Sure, I encountered a lotta weird ass shit that prob isn't normal to other people, but you know what, they make really good stories and I love flipping through my old photo books. I'm proud to be from Wisconsin, my memories (good and bad), but I also am proud to have moved away on my own discretion, to have escaped, I guess you could say. That is why I got a tattoo of the outline of the dairy state on the inside of my upper right arm. It's a part of me. But it's also a reminder that I can do whatever the fuck I want if I just fucking do it. That being said, I recorded a few trivial rambles of my youth below and stereotypes of what it was/is like back there. I am def glad, though, that growing up in suburbia was not my story, because that would just have been super boring and lame.

1. Homemade welfare shoes.  In those extra frigid, slushy snowy winters, my holey rubber wal-mart boots just weren't up to par for walking the half mile to school in the mornings. We weren't the type of family to waste and throw out said holey boots to purchase a $16  replaceable warm pair, however, instead we had a very McGyver like and resourceful grandmother who was quick to cover our feet with empty plastic bread bags and twistie ties. That wasn't embarassing slipping off in front of the 3rd (through 6th) grade class, nope, not at all.

2. Make yer own meds. I have a disgusting allergic reaction to any sort of insect bite. Not to the point where it requires emergency room medical attention or anything, but I'll swell up 3-5 times the normal bitten victim and turn a rosy salmon. It's really attractive (any of you who attended the lake house in Portage this summer know EXACTLY what i'm talking about). Well, instead of shelling out the 6 bones on hydrocortisone cream, we'd just mix some good ole arm & hammer baking soda with some water into a white paste and slather it all over. My aunt julie was maybe the one exception in our family who would shell out the 89 cents per bottle for some of that pink calamine or whatever the crap it was called pepto bismol bug lotion. Kids with mullets covered in white and pink splotches, itching like crazy. Yep.

3. Lice. Oh. My. God. I'm pretty sure it wasn't normal to have a regular Nix shampoo session every year, but for me and my cousins it was a regular event. 'Oh shit, time to clean all the furniture!' My mom would plastic bag the shitty sinking sofa and the springy floral arm chair and pick at my head for hours with this eye stinging shampoo shit. I was never embarassed (the first 3 or 4 times) cuz all my creepy cousins would rock the same skull cap, but I'll never forget that day in 4th grade when the nurse caught the creepy crawlies on my scalp and the class watched me get sent home. One little rudeass fourth grade bitch even made up a song about it, "LICE, STRIPES, FRUIT LICE GUM!" cuz that shitty tattoo rainbow gum was popular. Whore. I am proudly a 17 year going strong lice survivor. And people wonder why I hate on bugs.

4. Homemade haircuts. Who needs to go to the salon when there are flowbees? I actually was never the victim of that vaccuum infomercial device (although some of my cousins were). Nope, instead I got the fashion mullet. The spikey top, curly sideburns and curled out straight mullet at the bottom. It was my mother's haircut. She thought it was cute we had the same 'do. My second grade picture still haunts me to this day. Every kind of personal homegrown mullet, I've rocked it. Surely.

5. Animals. Farming. Hunting. Everyone in my family was either a hunter, farmer or a combination of the two. (at least if you were male, the women were appropriately the homemaker/kitchen type). I've had enough animal wildlife horror stories to release a novel, but here are a few highlights.

• A) Witnessing chicken butcher fest at age 8, being instructed to pick up chx who ran 100 yards sans cranium. Leaning into pick up said headless fowl only to have foghorn leap up from the dead, spray blood all over my face and run an additional 30 feet (to the howling amusement of my uncle/grandfather.
• B) You've all heard the Missy story before, but I'll tell it again anyway because half of you don't believe me. My aunt really loves animals. So much so that she scooped up a fawn alongside the highway when she and my uncle discovered the mother doe dead beside it. Named fawn Missy. Adopted as pet. Lived in concrete doublewide in Avoca, Wisconsin. Fed baby Missy goat milk from a bottle. Missy let you pet her. She also let me and four other dirty cousins cuddle with her on the living room floor in sleeping bags. I awoke, clutching Missy's cold, stiff backleg in a spooning position. Missy was dead. We all poked her. My aunt cried. At least they didn't hunt her, though.
• C) High School it was completely socially acceptable for kids to drive their trucks to school and leave dead deer carcasses in the back of their pick-ups to show off at recess. One kid I worked with at Pizza Hut took it too far, though, and drug the deer in the back of our kitchen. My manager was not pleased. I wasn't really surprised, though. Deer hunting is a really big deal in small town Wisconsin, kids were allowed a whole week off for each hunting season.
• D) If you haven't hit at least one deer in your life and you grew up in Wisconsin, you are either A) from Milwaukee, B) from Madison or C) never had your driver's license. I was fortunate to only hit one in my lifetime, and it exploded in half when I was going 35 mph. I faked a head injury so my mom wouldn't be pissed that I morphed her ride into a combo-car. To this day, when I'm in Wisco, I'll instruct the driver as my mom did me, "KEEP YER DEER EYES OPEN."

6. Alcohol. Now in my life as a mid-to-late twenty something, drinking an abundance of booze and cheap beer doesn't seem like that big of a deal. But it didn't back as a kiddo, either. It didn't matter if it was your 6 year old cousin's birthday or your grandparent's 30th wedding anniversary, if there was any sort of social gathering, you better goddamn well believe there was a keg present. I didn't realize until I turned 21 that Wisconsin is the only state (still to this day) that allows underage kids to drink in bars/restaurants (upon the business's discretion) as long as their parents are present. Five year olds running around the pool table in the townie bar? Yep, been there done that (me). 18 and out with mom eating chicken strips, sipping on malibu & pineapples, yep. Stealing cups of beer at 11 for Uncle somebody's wedding, duh. It wasn't just my family either, it was EVERYBODY'S. Plus, where do you think all the best and shittiest beers are made? WISCONSIN. Schlitz, PBR, Miller Lite, Hooch's, Beast, Keystone (light), Natty Ice, New Glarus Spotted Cow, Leinenkugels, the list goes on and on. . . .

7. The Fucking. Green. Bay. Packers. Good Lawd! I never got into sports and to this day I still could give two shits if whatever overpaid team of pudgey, egotistical men wins or loses. Whatever. But Packers fans? Good christ! Maybe it was just b/c when I was growing up they actually won their games and had that whole Superbowl string. Packer Playoff parties, ESPECIALLY super bowl parties were more intense and scary than an ICP family gathering. If they won, everyone got trashed and it was time to hit up your folks for that new gameboy game or whatever you'd been jonesin. If they lost, or were losing during the game, you stayed the fuck away from that television set. I never remember being more freaked out than at one playoff game at my cousin's house where the room was full of red-faced, drunken, violent cheeseheads. (Yes, they even wore those ridiculous hats). Green Bay Packer freaks are one of the reasons I was embarassed to hail from wisco and got the fuck out when I did. *shudders* Those creepy ass foam hats. . .

8. Illinois hatred. Yep. FIBS. ever hear of em? Fucking Illinois Bastards. That's what Wisco hoodrats call any Illinois peeps. Given, the majority of Illinois residents who drive through our sleepy subdued state are tourists and don't have "their deer eyes open" and drive much more recklessly, agressive for the tractor filled roads, but it's not even just the Illinois license plates that fuel the fire. It's the Bears. It's the Cubs. It's the resentment that ohmygod there's city folk and they're too weird for us normal folk. I don't get it. But as a kid, I would too, scream "FIIIIIIIIB" upon seeing an out of state vehicle. Well, I now embrace my fibness. Maybe that should be my next tat. . .

9. Cheese. It's true. Wisconsin has fantastic cheese. You can tell, look at all the fat pussies and beer guts on half the state's population. Plus, there's a cheese shack nearly every 70 feet. Whether it's a gas station, a cheese chalet, castle, shop, you're going to find a variety of at least 500 flavors. I'm not hating on this, to this day if I see a Wisconsin cheesecurd (which to my astonishment, more people than not are still not familiar with the majesty that is a cheese curd), I freak out and devour it in zero seconds flat. But the best cheese location I've spotted to this day is hands down outside of Hudson, Wisconsin. Right along the highway there's "Wisconsin's Finest Taxidermy and Cheese." So not only can you get your curd on, but you can also pick up a stuffed Missy to replace the goat milk exploded belly version that long past away in your aunt's double wide.

10. Hicks. They're everywhere. Bib overall sportin, rider lawn mower drivin' (most likely to the high numbers of DUIs), backward baseball cappin', dip chawin' rednecks. 80% of my graduating class (which I guess would be like 25 out of my 33) were farmer dudes who rocked the sleeveless t and often drug cowshit on their shoes to school. I know songs like "Me and You gone fishin in the dark," Metallica's entire catalog, that horrible "dont know how you do what you do, so in love with youuuuuu, jus' keeps gettin betttttter (prom song)". I know the definition of "coon bashin" (and no, it's not a racial hate crime, it's a recreation involving bright lights, a pick up truck, a baseball bat and wild raccoons), "deer shinin'" (again, same as 'coon bashin,' but with deer and no baseball bat, just a bright light), "cow tippin'" (although this wasn't so much a typical recreational activity for my town's youth, at least because we knew everybody else and didn't want to disrespect their farms. Anyway. As feeble minded as some of us may interpret their slower speech mannerisms and less than ideal fashion choices, these dudes are typically pretty good guys. (as long as you're white, jesus lovin', straight, OR 'from round these parts'.) I fit into the latter category. Since I'm their former prom queen, born and bred, they still got love for me. But out of towners may want to just keep driving through . . .

devon sawa got really fat, you guys.

ummmmm. watch this trailer. now watch it again. this is a real movie, dudes. i know this because my friend kidnapped me for a mental health day. AND IT WAS PERFECT. we basked in the beach, frolicked in the waves ala baywatch style, laughed at gross gay guy's super speedo thongs. made delish tacos. then of course, topped it all off with a redbox movie. CREATURE OF DARKNESS. ashley's plot was to the tee "basically devon sawa got fat and there's a guy in a dark cloak running around and their friend falls in a hole in the ground. oh, and there's this alien thing." she neglected to mention the badass dirtbiking and top notch thespian work, but bonus points for matthew lawrence co-starring for about 6 scenes. (don't pretend you don't know, joey's younger eyebrow brother? although now he has a faux hawk thing, soooo that's cool).

anyway. yeah, as badass as this trailer is i would prob advise to not redbox this flick. i mean, maybe if you're stoned or something, but even with 2 glasses of merlot i was bored after 8 minutes. there were some pretty radical one line zingers, though. and it is kinda worth it to witness how chubster mr. sawa became. all the girlies are sporting skanky booty shorts and camis where he's in a long sleeve flannel even after kicking alien ass for 2 days. plus, there's a dope ass hip hop joint at the ending credits. AND the behind the scenes reel? (i wish i was kidding when i said i watched it for 12 minutes before i turned to my friends and said, 'dude this is stupid, why are we watching this'). anyway. maybe you should watch it. i dunno. OH AND THE ALIEN'S SECRET WEAPON IS A HUMAN VERTEBRAE. SO ACTUALLY YOU DO NEED TO SEE THIS.

FATSAWA.

oh sweet mazzy. . .

today i heard regina spektor playing in the background. wasn't expecting to hear her sugary pop vocals. it was refreshing. the last few weeks have been a bit dark and hazy. blurry. busy. stressful. monotony. contradictory, yes? well, whatever. it was nice to hear some refreshing female vocal work. a very minor detail in a surprisingly productive day. made me realize i've been so distracted with 'ohmygod how hip is this new band' garbage that i forgot 'bout the basics. like, man. this song really moved me in 6th grade. i actually tried to listen to mazzy's 'five string serenade' vs. her breakout mega hit above, but it failed to have the same connection. still loved that other track, but c'mon. even in junior high i knew this was  a pretty impressive track. not sad, no girly angst. just soft vocals and light guitars. i really dig this track. it happened to play on my ipod's shuffle settings a few hours ago and i knew i needed to post about it (regardless of whether it was between wu tang's 'bring tha ruckus' and girl talk's 'play your part pt 1". anyway. enjoy this flashback, i know i did.

justin bieber's dad is totes gross.

i had a total wtf gag in my mouth moment today. understandably so, it had to do with tha biebs (of course). but this time it wasn't his tunes or a cat hissing at his teen bop image, but instead, i somehow clicked onto some pics of him and his dad. and omg, what a sicko, papa beibs is. homeboy's gotta be pushing 40s and he's rocking a soul patch, wrap around shades and ed hardy t-shirts. talk about gross. i just feel really dirty looking at these pictures, don't ask me why. sickkkk.

you should probably listen to this : crocodiles

wow, this is certainly an entry i never imagined writing. well, maybe for like, 5 minutes last year i might have. but after their pretentious display of douchebaggy bravado last year at the empty bottle, i had sworn myself off of this san francisco based rock duo. i mean, hell, of course i loved their breakout single "i wanna kill." and "neon jesus" or whatever track it was that no age gave em props for in 08, which essentially was the driving force behind their catapult into the blogger spotlight for 3 minutes.

anyway. i always confuse crocodiles with girls. it's the wavves syndrome. it's like, 'whoa look how bare bones and INDIE and DIFFERENT this band is! it's so bare and simplistic. WHO WOULDA THOUGHT?' when really, it's a couple young cocky dudes who do too many drugs that happen to know how to knock off jesus mary chain or whatever 'surf rock' irony flavor of the week throwback genre happens to be in style.

ok. i'm spouting an abundance of haterade and not enough righteousness, which is essentially the point of this posting (believe it or not). ok, so i had their first album. and i liked 2 or 3 songs. and then i even supported their show at the bottle when they opened up for holy fuck last summer. but as i told dan and alexi of the handsome furs (who happened to be in attendance of this particular show), my personal review of their hipster we're-too-cool-for-our-fans motif parade was, 'they were ok, but mostly just really faggy.' i didn't mean that in any sort of homophobic context of course, i just had been watching too much of the office and adapted steve carrel speak for the hell of it. but yes, they were faggy extreme. tight pants. SUNGLASSES (at eleven fucking pm people). one dude played guitar. one sang and danced around behind a drum machine. hardly the performance of a lifetime.

anyway. tangent rant aside. . .

when my editor emailed a blast full of assignments a few weeks ago, i volunteered to review these dudes' newest release for two reasons. 1) i thought it would be fun as hell to tear them apart. 2) i hadn't gotten shit assigned to me in a month so i just took on whatever they would give me. 3 weeks later, i get an email from my editor with this album's press leak. for the hell of it, i clicked play outta curiosity while on a stroll in logan square yesterday. thought i'd wind up getting bored and just cram a few listens in the day before the deadline in 3 weeks.

instead. . . it's all the same as before. (reverby, big echoes, lazy vocals and jesus mary chain rip off). but, this time around it's not boring. this time the hooks are a bit tighter. the riffs are more dead on. there are actually melodies present. it's not just a bunch of stupid pretentious noise. it's actual real rock music! and you know what, as big of a sucker as i am for the electro-dance-hip hop craze, (i mean and i am, duh), i can only stomach xyz listens of 'chillwave' or 'indie electro ______' before i crave some guitars and good old fashioned rock music. i can't even remember the last 'rock' record i've listened to. not indie, not electro, not pop, no prefaced gimmick-rock. just rock. and this is it. the new record is called Sleep Forever and it's 8 tracks of concise, decent, barebone rock music. it's nothing ground breaking or new, by any means. but it's an enjoyable, albeit temporary, distraction from whatever kanye west is tweeting about this week.

so yeah, when this shit drops on 9/14 (or when you ask me to burn you a copy), you should probably listen to the crocodiles. even if only for a spin or two. sometimes the basics are the most refreshing. a cleanse of the hipster palette, if you will.

you should probably listen to this: robyn (duh).

BODY. TALK. PT. TWO. in tha houssssse. if any of you know me. have read any of my ramblings. or even seen me. you know. robyn is my shit. like, disgustingly so. and at first, i'll be the first to admit i thought body talk pt 1 was a bit blah and lacked the banger anthems i know bitch is capable of busting out. but then, yeah yeah yeah, we all know, shit grew on me. and i progressed into her once again biggest fan ever. (minus that shitty swedish lullaby garbage).

wellll. for those of you who are curious, YES, the new robyn ep is fantastical. it picks up where the first installment of the body talk trilogy left off. follows a very distinctive formula. there's an obvious super dancey single, (pt 1 - 'dancing on my own,' pt 2 - 'hang with me'); said single was an acoustic version on prior disc ('hang with me' -- acoustic pt 1, 'indestructable' is chosen acoustic number on pt. 2, but is obviously going to be MIND BLOWING as a single on pt 3). there's a monotone robotic yet dancey repetitive joint (pt 1 - 'don't fucking tell me what to do,' pt. 2 - 'we dance to the beat.') and of course, some cheesey ass filler (but i still love it so much it doesn't even matter how 8th gradeish the lyrics are.) Oh, and need I mention there's a cameo by Snoop? For realz. This album is the dancey equivalent we were missing with part 1. Can't even begin to imagine the possibilities for how tough pt. 3 will be this winter. . . .

track listing and jodiriffic star rating:

Body Talk Pt. 2
1. In My Eyes - PERFECT album opener. So good, prob best song on album. 5/5 stars
2. Include Me Out - Another fun dancey banger, kinda cheesey but who gives a fuck 4/5
3. Hang With Me - At first I was mad this was the single. Not anymore. 4.5/5
4. Love Kills - Lame ass lyrics. Booty shaking madness regardless. 4/5
5. We Dance to the Beat - A little less tempo, heavier BASS. i'm ok with this. 4/5
6. Criminal Intent - Hilarious lyrics. (Somebody alert the authorities, I've got criminal intent). Really? 4/5
7. U Should Know Better (ft Snoop Dogg) - No description necessary. Robyn was present at Watergate. The Vatican knows not to fuck with her. Snoop likes to chill in Amsterdam. 6/5
8. Indestructable (Acoustic) - 4/5, but that's only because it will be so fucking HUGE on part 3.

omg.jodiluvsrobyn.com

that is all. you really all, should probably most definitely be listening to robyn. body talk part two drops  september 7th.

men i want to date : justin vernon

omg. no idea why i haven't thought of mr. vernon sooner for this post. there are probably 1,000 reasons i could come up with easily why i wanna date him, but this quote alone makes me wanna DIE inside. (from this amazing pitchfork interview with the best news i've read in my LIFE). "I'm just living in Eau Claire, not really leaving for much. I go to the farmers market, go to the studio, go home and play with my cats. I don't know if I've ever been this happy, which is really awesome." ya'll know how i feel bout cats. and sconsin's my stomping grounds. droooooooling.

reasons why i wanna date justin vernon

1. i know he's a hopeless romantic, cuz let's face it, if he wrote 'for emma forever ago' broken hearted, imagine what he must feel at the heights of a romance. HOLY SHIT.
2. he's a wisconsinite. i'm a wisconsinite. we could just eat cheese curds and drink leinenkugel's and spotted cow. i would move back to my home state for him.
3. his falsetto pipes get my girly feminine side all in a tizzy.
4. i could hang out with GAYNGS on the weekend. hey p.o.s, dessa, WHAT'S UP?
5. did you read that quote above? HE LIKES AND HAS CATS!!! (any dude with kitties is def a winner in my book.)
6. if we dated, i wouldn't feel so sad/depressed when i listen to 'for emma forever ago' anymore.
7. he's really adorable, in that skinny, dirty, midwestern kinda way. i don't wanna date no boys prettier than me.
8. HE COULD INTRODUCE ME TO KANYE WEST, DUHHHHHHH.
9. we could sing 'your love' together after getting crunk on some IPA's.
10. i would probably be the happiest girl in the world with him ever. jodihasahugecrush.com

men i want to date : charlie day.

oooookay. so maybe i'm more in love with the illiterate, pants pissing "fictional" charlie on it's always sunny, but regardless, this dude's squinty facial expressions and excitable shrieking really lights my fire. what can i say? i'm a sucker for short, dirty dudes.

why i want to go out with charlie day:

1. he played a creepy sinister killer guy on an episode of law and order. i mean, LAW AND FUCKING ORDER, CMON.
2. he could introduce me to danny devito and we could all get blitzed on lemon drop shots or whatever he was drunk on with george clooney.
3. if he went home with me, and i had trouble falling asleep, he could sing me 'nightman' as a lullaby and i would probably zonk out immediately.
4. he's technically married in real life, so this could be my one affair with a married man. (talk bout sexxxciting).
5. he's in a movie with jason bateman and jason bateman was in arrested development with david cross, so i bet if we really hit it off we could have dinner parties and invite david cross to tell us some good jokes.
6. there's something about him, 'specially when he's fictional charlie in always sunny that is CRAZY attractive. like, the dirty twitchy, shakey, short, messy hair thing. gets me.
7. i bet when he gets drunk he screams really loud like he does on its always sunny. for once, i wouldn't be the loud obnoxious drunk of the group.
8. my ex-bf's name is charlie, so if i hit it off with this charlie, people would stop me mid-conversation and be like, 'wait, you and charlie got back together?' to which i could bust out bragging rights for dating a famous dude and be like, noooo, i'm talking about the law and order murderer actor guy. DUH.
9. i bet our makeout seshes would be pretty rad. plussss he could bust out green man in the bedroom. #kinkwin.
10. he could make molly some kitten mittens.

OMGWTFROFL : they have sharp parts.

you should probably listen to this : freddie gibbs

dude's from gary, indiana. he's attractive. 28 years old. but most importantly, is one of the dopest, freshest rappers we've got going right now. i just got assigned to write a review for his ep, str8 killa, and prior to this exposure, had only known him as a rising name from blurbs on p4k. well, damn. if you like hip hop at all, you really honestly should probably listen to this.

his rapping style is somehow reminiscent of tupac, his beats are not necessarily the most intricately woven, yet somehow manage to hold up from the competing filler, somehow original but not. there's no kitsch to him. he's not trying to out thug anybody. he's not just rapping about how much booty he can cop. but when he throws his fingers up and exclaims 'fuck the world,' you just wanna join him on his haterade tirade. he also made me realize that chicago's chuck inglish (of the cool kids) isn't quite horrible either. on 'oil money,' he shares the mic with fellow cool kid and bun b and puts out one of my fave hip hop joints of the year. he's a personal OG and he likes replacing the syllable (ate) with 8. that to me is reason enough to check him out. the fact that he's gorgeous and well versed def helps too.

just watch the vid above. dude is sick as hell. you really should probably listen to freddie gibbs.

Revisited : Radiohead

i love radiohead. a lot. but they're also one of those bands i admit to taking for granted. assuming that because i love them as much as i do, as do a good number of my acquaintences, that everyone hearts thom yorke and his lazy eye. this isn't really the case. but even if you are a non-head, there's one particular track that always evokes some sort of emotional reaction from me. that is 'street spirit (fade out)'. i wanted to embed the video above, but guess what? major record labels are whores and disabled the ability for me to do so. so if you want to see what i'm referring to in my numerous word ramble, you can visit youtube and check this clip hurrr: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APLOFNMIabM

i'm not sure if it's the imagery. or the somber tone of this single. but i think it eloquently and simply captures everything about radiohead that makes them who they are. showcases their intricacies in musicianship without any unneeded bravado. and it's just a fucking pretty song.

when this came on my ipod yesterday morning on my bus ride, i was immediately taken back to a different place, different time. when, where, with whom. no idea. i never really had a personal moment where i connected a situation with this song. maybe that's half the appeal right there, it's a song for me without any unwelcome memories.but i still felt moved, somehow. and that's what music's supposed to be all about. that haunting chorus. anyway. i'm done raving about this jam. i just think radiohead's boss. and regardless of whether or not yer aboard the electro-trippy kid-a-ok-computer train, i think mostly anyone can appreciate this track. it's something i was really happy to revisit today.

Revisited : Jimmy Eat World

Man oh man oh man. How I get taken back whenever I pop in some of my older Jimmy Eat World cds. I'm not talking that blasphemic most recent release chase this light with fucking rainbow skittles or whatever the fuck that noise was, but more Futures, Bleed American or Clarity. Those were good ass jams. Your New Aesthetic? My fury jam. Lucky Denver Mint? My sappy jam. A Praise Chorus? My undeniable guilty pop candy addiction. (along with pretty much any other sugar pop jam on bleed american, minus the even-though-it's-super-cheesey-and-i-shouldnt-admit-it sad/nostalgic guilty pleasure cry baby jam Hear You Me.) Fuck, man. Jimmy Eat World really had the potential to keep on kickin' ass for a while there. I still have their stick radio drawing navy hoodie from the time I roadtripped it to Milwaukee for their Bleed American tour back in 2003. Good times.

Anyway, the producer who was responsible for Bleed American and Clarity (Mark Trombino) is back at it with a new attempt, Invented. I won't get my hopes up as the last time I was intrigued I nearly vomited with disgust of the over produced garbage they put out (and it's listed at a mere $10 on amazon.com), but the new track isn't complete trash and here's to hoping I can revisit my yonder pop years with a hint of optimism. Maybe? Maybe not, the new joint is here. I give it a 5.5/10, but compared to the last shit i heard which was a .5/10, this is a vast improvement. There's always Clarity. . . .

http://www.jimmyeatworld.com/my-best-theory/

Volunteers Needed for North Coast Music Festival!!

Sooooo, you know you want to. I just got appointed the Volunteer Coordinator for Chicago's newest 3-day music sha-bang, North Coast Music Festival. It's a bit of a departure from the typical Chi music banger, meaning less of an emphasis on indie acts, more of a focus on hip hop and electronic acts. There really seems to be a little something for everybody here. (For me, I'm stoked for Phantogram, Lupe Fiasco and De La Soul). Anywho, the production will blow away what P4K had and it'll be smaller than Lolla, at Union Park on Labor Day Weekend. I gots to take a second to pimp this shit out. . . I need some helpers!!

We're looking for people to work in ticket booths, (for like beer tickets and shit), work the gates to take tickets, clean-up crew, work willcall and a few other tasks. All in all, it's easy simple work, and plus you get to listen to the bands play while you're working! After the shift, you get your choice of a day to enjoy the fest sans any duties. So work five hours, one day free shows. THAT easy. PLUS you'd report to me. (Insert evil guffaw). No for realzies though, how fun would running around in the sunshine remiscing to the late 90's vibes of Moby and Nas would it be, chillin' with pals and causing trouble. (answer: lots).

SOOOOO. If yer interested in signing up for a shift, I know I'd def appreciate seeing some familiar faces :) Plus, my new apartment which I will be moving into a few days prior to the fest is a mere 20 minute stroll, 10 minute bike ride away, so after parties at my crib are to be expected. (I got a sick ass roof deck). Holler at me at jodi.root@gmail.com for more deets.

ex-oh-ex
j.diddy

you should probably be listening to this : big boi

i mean, really. is there a single human being who wasn't at least a partial fan to the greatness of outkast? big boi and andre 3000 are legendary in the hip hop scene, commercializing it into the mass pop appeal, yet keeping it real enough for their genre to not get bombarded with haterade. after catching big boi's stellar set at p4k this past july, i knew it was bout time i checked his recent full lenght, sir lucious left foot, the son of chico dusty, and man. that's some good shit. this ain't nothing like speakerboxx, sir lucious is in his own game now. at first i spun it and was like, aight, this got some clever hip hop noise on here, but nothing ground breaking or quite worth the orgasmic hype its been getting from p4k or other blogs. but then, upon further inspection - there really is something for everybody. 'be still' has the velvety sugar vocal work of janelle monae, there's the endearingly kinda cheesey but still ok 'follow us' ft vonnnegut, the marching band infused 'general patton', ft big rube (whoever the fuck he is), the bumping bu-bu-bu-bu-buh single "shutterbug,"  the sexy shimmy worthy 'tangerine' ft t.i., the i-really-don't-wanna-admit-to-liking-this-song-but-i-do-oh-fuck-it jamie fox featured "hustle blood," and the fucking contagious baller joint "shine blockas" ft my love gucci mane, bonus points for the remix version with project pat and bun b.

shit is tight. ultimate summer party disc. for realz. you really honestly should probably be listening to big boi right now.

revisited : rainer maria.

i will never, ever tire of this song. takes me back to the summer of 2004. trailer 8 in the parking lot trailer park behind robot world in wisconsin dells. (r.i.p. trailer 8, who fell victim to the gr8 tommy bartlett trailer park fire in summer 2007). being 21 and angsty. feeling suffocated in the small wisconsin pack. being severely sick of my fellow dells workers' music of choice (o.a.r., phish, dave matthews) and just wanting to rock out like the girl from rainer maria. this was one of my first flirtations with indie music. and rainer maria's not a bad place to start, they were from madison. too bad their last album before their breakup a few years back sucked ass, knives out (the album this song's on) and their live album both kicked ass. whenever this song hits my itunes shuffle, i'm instantly barefoot, chugging a can of pepsi, and screaming along "HAVE FAITH! IN THE BLUE, LADEEEEEY!" good times.

revisited : the smiths.

well, it's hard to say i'm really revisiting the smiths, b/c i never really visited them that much previously, but they were always one of those bands on my backburner. i knew a handful of tracks, surely, but never really had my super in depth facination phase like i did with the replacements, the cure, siouxsie and the banshees or the pixies. but of course, i knew OF them and had a couple morrissey solo cd's, (WHY i don't know, but i did and still do). anyway, in preparation for my upcoming move, i spent an afternoon sorting through my cd collection. in addition to like 5 cd wallets full of shit and 2 cd towers, i have/had like 6 or 7 blank cd spindles stacked full of burned and random mixes. needless to say, all my dashboard confessional, unwritten law and lucky boys confusion 'mixes' (yes, i was so lame the full lengths weren't enough for me, i had to make MIXES of this blasphemy pop garbage), went to the "throw out" pile. i managed to get 7 spindles to 1 1/2 of keepers. not bad. on the bottom of one random spindle, i spied an old mix cd created for me by my lovely pal mr. arlo paust somtime in early college of his own smiths greatest hits and select tracks from the queen is dead.

perfect! i had been meaning to get around to a smiths phase and here it was, ready for me. popped it into my comp and threw it on the ole ipod and it's been in heavy rotation ever since. other than what i've heard in various movie soundtracks or the occassional dance party at darkroom or debonair (i know, gross), i still had a lot to learn on these dudes. the mix i have is perfect, though. there's sad and desperate shoegazeyish dark songs that make me wanna paint my eyes in black liquid eyeliner. then there's cutesey loveydovey 80's flashback makeup montage dance party numbers. and of course, the regular hits. girlfriend in a coma. panic. how soon is now. this charming man. there is a light that never goes out. stop me if you think you've heard this one before. please, please, please let me get what i want.

it's all soooo good. and after a weekend getaway with some pals, i tried to get some smiths talk flowing so i could learn more, but to my astoundment none of my peeps were interested. instead, i got way more than my fairshare of phish, grateful dead and yonder mountain string band. i really gotta quit hanging out with hippies. ughhh. but you know what? i'd rather have the smiths as my own personal little experience. the way the new wave dark synth action gets me to hairbrush lip sync singalongs in my full length bedroom mirror make me feel powerful, like a lonewolf girl version of morrissey. (except i know i like sex, where he prefers to remain "adrogynous," aka gay, aka yearight who are you kidding dude).

whatever. it's a fun time. i like revisiting or visiting, i guess, the smiths. up now: 'girlfriend in a coma'. nice break from all the flavor of the week indie shit i've been drowning in for so long. . .

revisited : amanda palmer

so back in the day there were the dresden dolls. i mean, c'mon, as corny and cutesy as some of their tracks were (i'm looking at YOU 'coin operated boy,') they were pretty badass. the song 'sing' was a cute anthem for lonely music lovers, then there was that girl anchronism track or whatever it was called, fuck im bad with remembering song titles. but 'yes, virginia' was an amazing album. (god, i need to dust off my ddolls albums, i don't even remember if that was accurate.) but when the beautifully androgynous amanda palmer kicked shit off solo with her debut album 'who killed amanda palmer'  a couple years back, i was smitten. the ironically controversial date rape single "oasis" may have pissed off some radio stations, but i was dancing and singing along at the top of my lungs. then there was the angry 'runs in the family,' the melodic 'astronaut,' "blake says" and "ampersand." i mean, from front to back, the album pretty much ruled. (with the exception of "strength through music," i just never really fell in love with that track).

but overall, amanda palmer is a badass. and she is a wonderwoman. girl is so busy, working on a cabaret project, her evelyn and evelyn side project, and she still had time to pimp out a do it yourself release of radiohead covers. you can purchase the album for pay what you want with a minimum of 84 cents to cover radiohead licensing fees, and homegirl made 15k  in the first week or two of the release. impressive, to say the least. she's proving that artists can blow off the labels with the right amount of dedication and hard work (and fan base).

i'm just saying. she's awesome. i saw her perform radiohead's 'creep' on her lil ukelelee in person at sxsw in 09 (see video above) and it was a super fun time. i just think it's time for all ya'll to revisit some dresden dolls and amanda palmer. she's one of few left in today's music scene that hasn't let the fame or spotlight fuck with her or slow down her intentions of making rad music. i heart amanda palmer.

you should probably listen to this: major lazer

Major Lazer "Keep it Going Louder" from Eric Wareheim on Vimeo.


ever since p4k, i can't seem to de-major lazer myself. this song, specially is ultra wicked and addicting. throw in the mix that eric from tim n eric directed this wtf-madness and it's even kewler. if those ladies are considered hot, than it shouldn't be too hard for me to cop a date. right? right????? even if not, i'm happy with my panties dance party for one in my bedroom if this joint is bumpin. do yerself a favor and check out major lazer. diplo = awesomeextreme.

you should probably listen to this : arcade fire - the suburbs

i've had this long anticipated record in my grubby little paws for a week plus now. i really wanted to digest it thoroughly before i posted any sort of review anywhere. knew i might flip flop between omgiluvthis album of 2010 or meh, neon bible syndrome, check it for a few weeks then shelve that bitch. after much contemplation and SEVERAL listens and re-listens, i'm delighted to say it's more of a 2010 contender vs sophomore slump. my biggest difficulty with writing anything, though, is the album's ability to suck me in. i want to separate myself from the listening experience and analzye the lyrical content, i want to compare the musicianship to past efforts, i want to be able to really dig deeply. but this record, just won't let me. whenever i hit play on the first of its 16 tracks, (title track 'suburbs'), despite it being a lengthy release, the next thing i know, the album is already completed. and i haven't analyzed shit. i've just sat back, enjoyed and listened to the shit outta it without even realizing it. sort of like hypnosis or something.

talking to a pal last night about the record made me realize that this is exactly what's been missing in modern music. so many albums are disposable and flavor of the week type shit, things you may really dig for a week and then forget about. it's those releases that make up 90% of whatever's hyped on the blogs or whatever, that control the scene. those records are easy to sit back and subtract yourself from the experience. critique, critique, compare, contrast. repeat. well, the albums where you find yourself absorbed (against your will!) speak volumes. sure, i can (and will) take each track apart and ramble on what makes it so great - but the only way i can actually review this album is to separate each song as an individual. i can say right now that The Suburbs is one of very few records that seamlessly transitions song to song, without the feeling of too much filler (with enough listens, i think i can even say NO filler).

Suddenly, Beach House's "Teen Dream" may have a run for their money for Best Record of 2010. We shall see. . .

This is going to be a long ramble, I can tell already. So if you're bored and just want the bottom line, here it is. The Arcade Fire's third album is a 10/10 on the jodifer rating scale. At first listen, i was half bored and looking for a "No Cars Go" or "Rebellion (Lies)." Once I quit looking for comparable singles, I instead became enthralled with the magic of such tracks as "The Suburbs," "Empty Room," "Month of May," "Ready to Start" and "Half Light II (No Celebration)."

This album's worth it, kids. Fuck, you can still buy it digitally on Amazon for $3.99, so really you ain't got no excuse not to pick it up. It lacks the rawness of Funeral; unfortunately I think our lackluster days of nonharmonious Regina/Win melodies are longgone, and the brokenness was what was so originally endearing, but they managed to work with their polished production in a way more effective than that of the 'mehness' of Neon Bible. It's a good in-between record, but more advanced than any prior release. It's just really pretty, advanced and well, just listen for yourself. It's good shit. I wish I could focus more and pick apart the theme of The Suburbs, even with a casual listen it's apparent to the listener that Win Butler and crew are reminiscing on suburbia, tearing apart the small intricacies of "easy" living. The Butler bros wrote the album in mind with their experiences of growing up in the suburbs of Houston. But the rest of the band is from Canada. Sooooo, it is what it is. And what it is is damn good.

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

1. The Suburbs : One of the two first released singles, it's fitting that the title track joint is the opening number as well. It's the epitemy of Arcade Fire. Win's lethargic, yet straight from the gut vocals, wavering in his pseduo falsetto, "Sometimes I can't believe it, I'm moving past the feeling," atop a comfortable bed of mellow guitar strumming, soft strings and a progressive clomp-along melody. It's chill, enjoyable, and a nice melody. Can't really relate to his desires of wanting a daughter while he's still young to show her beauty or whatever, but that's what they do in the 'burbs, right? Still a damn solid song. Awesome opening way to grasp listeners attention STAT.

2. Ready to Start :Next we move right along into the fast tempoed second single. The immediacy of the steady percussion/guitar riffs keeps us interested in hearing what's up on this album. If you have a radio (and actually listen to it), chances are high this is the song you've heard from the new album. With Win's repetitve steady chorus build-up/fake-out, "If I was scared, I would. If I was bored, you know I would. If I was yours, but I'm not," the track progresses with added instrumentation each round. When Win finally clinches the chorus with a "Now, I'm ready to start!", it's a welcomed opportunity for a chill synth driven break down. What I love most about Arcade Fire is their ability to blend so many different instruments, yet create a very solid hyrbid without anything sounding outta place. Synthesizers are used as they should be, as an enhancement to the current sound, not as an out of place prop. Chill tune, solid, good choice for a single.

3. Modern Man : Our humble narrator takes us on a four and a half minute journey into the definitions of what it takes to be a man in today's indie rock society. Apparently, he doesn't know what this is himself. There's a lot of "don't understands", "clock's tickin'," "dreams he had he was dreamin', where he was losin' the feelin," etc. The guitars are low, yet steady. The basslines are the foundation of the track. For the "chosen few, who were wasted," this seems to be the most lyrically thought out reflection of not understanding what the fuck adulthood is about. I bet my older brother could relate to this track, on more than a handful of occassions, he's wistfully reflected to me about his successes within his profession, his family and his securtity, but still yearns for more and dwells on his uncertainties in suburbia, envying my cityhood experiences. But still, I'm not so sure we'll ever get it, maybe this is what Win's trying to say when he dreams aloud, "Maybe when you are older, you'll understand why you don't feel right - why you can't sleep at night now." Hopefully, Win.

4. Rococo : Dreamy strings, casual guitar strums, layers of percussion and a lazy back melody. This song is a floater, "They build it up just to burn it back down," Butler nonchalantly sings, prior to a repetitive chorus of "Ro-co-co-Ro-co-co-co-co's" which then leads into a more pissed off strings and heavier guitarwork. A little darker, heavier, but still melodically solid. I guess if this album was capable of having filler tracks, this might be one, 'cept for the inevitably catchy and stubborn repetition of Ro-co-co's that get stuck in your head, hours after hearing the track.

5. Empty Room : I am 90% positive the opening whirring violin action belongs to a Mr. Owen Pallett (aka final fantasy) as it sounds EXACTLY like his craftmanship, but even if its not, it still nails the effect he so enchantingly possesses. Demanding, fast, huge. The strings lead into one of the album's more upbeat numbers, full of soaring strings, addictive drumming, and an overall pop madness. With Regina's vocals sharing lead responsibility with Win's, it's a throwback reminscent reminder to Funeral's days. If it was a little more clumsy, it'd easily be able to be mistaken for a debut album track, but the beauty is that it's not. It's new shit. And it's one of my fave tracks on the record.

6. City With No Children: Happy go lucky, lazy melody. While I'm not sure I agree with Win's comparison of a city with no children to a private prison, I agree that this song is delectable and the perfect soundtrack for lounging with a book or folding your laundry. I'm starting to get sick of listening to our leadman whining about wanting kids, but luckily for me, I'm really good at tuning out lyrics and focusing on the eloquent musicianship instead.

7. Half Light I: Four minutes of light, soaring string/guitar melodies sugared with Regina's off kilter vocalwork. Dizzying at times, nostalgic at others, this track is a gorgeous trip into a welcomed trance of relaxation and laziness. I guess this could be filler if it wasn't so darned easy on the ears. . .

8. Half Light II (No Celebration): From the days of Funeral's numerous "Neighborhood" tracks, any Arcade Fire fan knows these dudes are big do-er's of sequels or song title series. This is the first of two, between the "Half Light's" "The Suburbs's,"  and "Sprawl's," they're still abundant on the record, but whatever works for them man. If it ain't broken, don't fix it. This particular track, the sequel to Half Light, is more enjoyable than the first. Wherease Half Light I was a lazy, pretty four minutes of forgetfulness, Half Light II picks up the tempo and throws in some jittery synthwork to up the stringwork melodic ante. It's like you're on some sort of journey into no celebration land, not sure what's ahead, but wanting to progress regardless. Win throws out references to watching the markets crash, how much this city's changed since childhood (NYC?), paying the cost for what's been lost and being left behind. I guess this could be analyzed to the state of affairs in our country's currently rotting in, but that's boring and I hate politics. So instead, I'm just gonna say it's a faster tempoe'd track and them Canadians are just crazy. Synths can really work to the advantage of the Arcade Fire, this track is evidence of that.

9. Suburban War: Again, this is a very Arcade Fire esque song. All the regular formulas are in place, delayed, yet timely build ups, slower beds, Win's reminiscent vocals and lyrics, reflecting on learning to drive in the suburbs, starting wars that remain unwon, the power of music, and long lost friendships. This builds into loud clammors near the end with epic percussion and falsetto buildup. The result is an overall chill, yet enjoyable four and a half minutes.

10. Month of May: Fave song on the record, easy. It's in your face, driven, upbeat and loud. It may only be about recording an album in May, or an observation on hipster tudes ("while some things are pure and some things are right, the kids are still standing with their arms folded tight,"), but May happens to be my favorite month anyway, so its only fitting that the most energetic and tight track is titled as such. This is The Suburbs' equivalent to Funeral's "Rebellion (Lies)."

11. Wasted Hours:  Dreamy, slow, melodic. This is probably the anthem to my summer of unemployment and lethargy. Wondering where all the time went--lazy, almost remorseful, but not having enough energy for any regret. Just enough uumph for observation. I can relate to that.  "All those wasted hours, we used to know. Spent the summer staring out the window. A wind that takes you where it wants to go."

12. Deep Blue: I really like what Win does with his vocals on this track. Speaklike verses. Slow guitars, percussion, throw in some heavy piano clinkwork, building up to a peak where Win slowly starts to add more effort from an apathetic, "La la la la la la la, Woooo," before progressing to a more melodic blend later into the four and a half minute ditty. Nothing super standoffish, but just beautiful in its own simplistic way. Very Arcade Fire, but probalby not for the average non-fan.

13. We Used to Wait: Choppy yet consistent, this track is no doubt driven by the chunky piano work, accompanied with its soft percussion, and topped off with Win's nostalgia of pre-fame days.

14. Sprawl I (Flatland): Super quiet and probably way too lenghty of an opener and when it finally does open up Win's just flat out whining.I take back my "no filler" comment. This is definitely filler. Unless you're Arcade Fire Super Fan Extreme. This one kinda sucks. Bah.

15. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) : The one upside to Sprawl I sucking so bad is that Sprawl II is welcomed warmly in transition. With Regina's childlike wavering female vox, gasping and sighing atop a tinkering bed of keys, warped guitars and an overall upbeat tempo, I'm def more taken by the idea of Mountains beyond Mountains than Flatland. This is a pretty solid track.

16. The Suburbs (continued): Shortened, slower rendition of the title track. Normally this would bore me, but it's extremely fitting for the album's closer. Whispery vocals vs the strong opening rendition, gentle, beauty. An epic album. This is a reminder of what we've all just experienced. Not to listen to on its own or in shuffle, but the ideal closer for an ideal listening experience. Such a good record, you guys.

men i want to date : joseph gordon-levitt

well, at least i know i have zilch chance in billions of ever nabbing this gorgeous thespian, but what the hell. who cares. for a while i was against jumping on the JGL bandwagon just b/c he grossed me out as that nerdy kid on that alien show with the dad with the bug eyes and the man woman mom, but my female body parts are undeniably in a frenzy whenever i see this cutie's sexy squinty eyes and dissheveled mane. let's face it, joseph gordon-levitt is definitely one dude i def wanna date (screw).

reasons why i wanna date JGL:

1. he is undeniably smoking hot.
2. he was on an episode of quantum leap - that, in my opinion, is pretty badass.
3. he was george on roseanne, i bet he's got some funny deej stories for a first date.
4. it doesn't matter if he has his hair grown out, middle length, or buzz cut, it always looks damn good.
5. he went to college, so he's no mimbo. columbia, at that, so the only thing sexier than JGL might be his brain (but i doubt it).
6. did you see 500 days of summer? sometimes i wish i didn't, but that scene where he drunkenly karaokes to the pixies' 'here comes your man' made my heart melt even though it was totally not real. (but i wish it was, the first man to karaoke this or any pixies song to me will win my hand in marriage, or at least get laid).
7. i just saw a picture of him this week from shooting his current film and he had accidently flipped his bike and landed thru a cab rear window. his arm was very very bloody. part a) blood is sexy on a man, part b) he was smiling about it.
8. JGL is only 2 years my senior, so he's probz more suiting for me than former past men i'd like to date, say like, danny devito or bill murray
9. i want to kiss his face. every single minute. every single day.
10. i read somewhere that he smokes pot sometimes, but not too much, just like, once a month. i bet when he does smoke weed, he geeks out and giggles a lot. this would be really cute, i think. plus, i bet he can afford some really good snacks.