All posts in Music
Mermaid Music Volume I
I have FINALLY rescheduled my trip to DC for the TBSE party after Hurricane Irene ruined the one back in August.
Let’s see if any of the boyos even show up. I am the only one that still cares about TBSE, I swear.
So awhile back I promised Danger that I would post an original Mermaid song. It seems like Danger may have died but I am sticking to my end of the bargain. I played my first show in literally a year on Saturday so I just got down to business on garageband so I wouldn’t forget this one. (I have a habit of doing this. I write songs, play them all the time, never write down the chords and proceed to forget them forever.) There is a teeny bit of ambient noise, and hey you can even hear the Red Line in the distance.
jams after the jump >>
Breaks & Brakes
walrus of TBSE has a new song with his band and I want to share it
Walrus, who used to write more often, and is still currently a writer for TBSE is in a band freshly named Free Hat. Nice little funk jaunts for your Friday afternoon.
Enjoy.
This is why the internet exists.
My cousin just sent me this, which I so desperately needed, considering I am sitting at work after a 4-day stint in NYC, during which I got about 17 hours of sleep.
Today just got not so bad:
http://who-is-bon-iver.tumblr.com/
“LMAO wait what? Who the f is Bonny Bear?”
Oh, Liz. Life is going to be so hard.
*Merry Christmas* from Wham!
My first TBSE post payed homage to Wham!’s music video for “Club Tropicana.” Thanks to the inexplicability of a variety of incidents in the video couple with some heavy homo-erotic undertones, I was inclined to call it the best music video ever. And if you’re anything like me, one music video isn’t enough.
Fortunately, Wham! left a veritable treasure chest of 80’s absurdity on for us to peruse on YouTube for all occasions. Feeling jilted by a one night stand who made a speedy exit and you want to be comforted by an 80’s choir sporting white oversize tees? Wham! has got you covered. Has it left you so down in the dumps that you think you’re never gonna dance again? Wham! is happy to join you on the emotional roller coaster with wailing saxophone to mirror the heights and depths of your pain.
Fortunately, the holidays are no exception, thanks to 1984’s “Last Christmas.” Think “Club Tropicana” with snow, more Jeeps, no donkeys and a dash of heartbreak. If you haven’t seen it before, you can consider the next 4 minutes and 38 seconds as my Christmas gift to you.
Highlights George Michael and Jim Moret’s Christmas outing with friends to a secluded cabin atop a mountain include:
- 0:10 – Jeeps
- 0:23 – Everybody starts waving to each other like Forrest Gump waving to Lieutenant Dan before he leaps off his shrimping boat.
- 0:50 – Skis and a gondola ride.
- 1:15 – The gang begins decorating their cabin for a Christmas bash.
- 1:28 – Awkward moment between George Michaels and who we can only assume at this point is his former lover while decorating the tree.
- 1:30 – Michaels whispers, “Merry Christmas.” On a side note, last year during a Christmas party at my brothers’ house we spent nearly the entire night in suits dancing to this song and cracking up every time we heard this part of the song. I’m not kidding. The only part of the night where this wasn’t the status quo was when we went out to a bar and snuck up behind strangers and whispered “Merry Christmas” in their ear. A year later, I can’t decide if I’m proud of this or not. Either way, you can bet your ass a sequel is coming this weekend.
- 1:53 – The group barrels down a hill behind the cabin and makes their way over the fence at the bottom of the hill. Inexplicably, the second guy over the fence gives a leap of joy, which is my second favorite moment of the video, just behind what takes place 1 minute and 7 seconds later.
- 2:01 – Snowball fights and snowman construction.
- 2:05 – Wham! spices up the season with hints of Fourth of July when Moret strolls into the dining room with a cake featuring a dozen sparklers to an adoring crowd.
- 3:00 – Flashback to last Christmas and George Michael chasing his old flame. If you haven’t played the video yet, do it solely for the opportunity to see him running through the snow. I don’t have the words to describe his form and technique, so I’m not even going to try.
- 3:18 – The gang flees the cabin after a stellar Christmas celebration
- 4:03 – Michael whispers, “Maybe… next year.” Which I should probably mention is the other thing we whispered to randoms during last year’s Christmas bonanza.
In case you hadn’t noticed, I love this video. If you don’t, I doubt we’d get along in real life. The fact of the matter is that when TBSE blows up, I’m demanding a Christmas retreat to some remote cabin atop a snow covered mountain with the rest of the writers so that we can recreate this video. If it doesn’t happen then Tuna and DangemMike can go straight to hell, because I’ll start my own blog where Christmas dreams like this do come true.
In the meantime, I hope all of yours come true. *Merry Christmas*
Well This is Silly
Just when you think Lady Gaga’s music couldn’t get any crazier, the world brings you this amazing cover.
Check this shit out!
Exploring the importance of a Playlist
There's a whole movie dedication to their playlist!
I know there has already been discussion of mixtape making. While mixtape making or CD creating is important in its own right, the playlist for that mixtape is at the center of it. The playlist is the quintessential element at a good bar, a good coffee shop, or any quality party that you may happen to attend. While at a restaurant, your meal could be made by the music they play or broken by the tunes they choose. Why do you think Chinese, Indian, and Thai food is so good? It’s the playlist that they have on while you are scarfing down some drunken noodles.
The importance of the playlist goes beyond your palate. Any major event requires a sick playlist. Take, a wedding, for example. If the DJ didn’t play Shout or the Macarena, I’m pretty sure the bride and groom would fire his ass immediately. The same is true of a party. If you are going over for a friend’s housewarming, I’m pretty sure you are going to walk right out if Sarah McLaughlin is the only thing on for the course of the evening. That said, however, a little Sarah here and there is quite ok.
This brings me to my point. The art of mixtape making is to provoke an emotion for the listener that you are making the mix for. The playlist is so much more. While thinking about my flight to LA, I spent a good amount of time getting together the best songs that either reference California or LA in name or give of the feel that California has. A playlist allows you, the listener, to get pumped the fuck up. There is nothing like a good playlist en route to a show, another event, or some far off destination. If you can’t get excited for what you are about to do, you – friend – need to develop some serious playlist making skills. Here are a few words of advice to help you out:
- If you are going to a state, city, county, country, or planet, explore songs with the name of said place in it. For example, Carolina on my Mind would be a great hit if you are heading for NC. If you are heading to SC, keep looking because that song is NOT for you.
- Picture any commercial, TV show, or movie that you’ve seen and steal some of their musical choices. If you are going to something sad, these three examples might help you find a great jam to prepare you for sadness. For instance, who can forget Dust in the Wind played at Blue’s funeral in Old School.
- Lastly, remember the emotional involved with where you are going or what you are hosting. As I suggested before, movies and TV can help you pick these songs by seeing how they are used in different scenes. For you, just listen to a song and see if it strikes you for the emotion you are going for. America the Beautiful – the Ray Charles version, is perfect if you are going for that patriotic/feel good vibe. At the same time, if you are looking to get pumped up and angry, maybe Down with the Sickness would be good for you.
Take care in how you put together your playlists, they will make or break what you are about to do. Spend an hour or two getting together this important list, use friends to help you make up one epic hour or three of music. Lastly, turn up the speakers and rock out because music is not supposed to be listened to below 50% volume.
