Song of the Day

Metallica humiliated me. One song single-handedly humbled me into admitting the one thing I never thought I would admit; Metallica is pretty damn good. It's true. Ever since I first knew of them I hated on them. Throughout middle-school, high-school, and college I addressed them as stale, thin, butt-rockers who had no idea of what metal was. But the truth slowly crept in and smacked my snobby ass square in the face... I had no idea of what metal was. It all started with a little song called “ For Whom the Bell Tolls ”. I remember my co-worker playing it. I instantly knew who it was but just waived it off. But after that gnarly intro and the unforgettable chorus followed by the cymbal syncopated lyrics of " time marches on! " . I gave in. And I immediately started floating through some of their earlier albums.  Which led me to “Kill ‘Em All”. “Kill ‘Em All” is thrash metal at its finest. The guitars are sharp, the drums are fast, and James Hetfield's vocals a...

" You know her life was saved by rock 'n' roll "  Lou Reed (R.I.P), who sadly died of liver disease four years ago, had an enormous influence on music and has become a well-respected contributor of art rock glamour. Fortunately, he left a trail of memorabilia and over 50 years of music behind for everyone to remember him and his time as vocalist and guitarist of The Velvet Underground by.  One of those being a lil ole' song called "Rock and Roll", a fun tune that, according to Lou himsel f, is about him finding rock and roll. " I would have had no idea there was life on this plane t" Lou admits. It's easy to feel the joy Lou conjures up about rock music on this song; it's a fun and thumpy jam. The guitar melody is euphoric and John Cale's bass is warm and up close. Reed is vocally happy on this thing. From his giddy shrieks of " fine, fine, music"  to his shaky chants of " it's alright, now " ...

Have you ever listened to a song that had a melody or riff that you just couldn't get enough of? You could have it playing on loop and it would never get old. And sometimes the actual song doesn't play that section you want to hear long enough. Frustrating huh? Sometimes I get so into a melody that I just want to chew on it. For as long as I can. I love getting lost and just completely smothered by a groovy melody. A great example of this is Comets on Fire's "Blue Tomb", the last track off of their flawless album "Blue Cathedral". I must warn you though, Comets on Fire is probably one of the most erratic and spontaneous bands out there. You may find yourself worn out from what all is going on in their music. But if you allow them to conquer your ears and let everything seep in, you wont regret it. I promise. This is pure psychedelic music. "Blue Tomb" starts off with one of the most ear-tugging guitar riffs I have ever heard. And to my ...

"Waitin' on a train, that's already come" Ever have one of those days where you feel like you just can't get ahead? Nothing is going right. You're overwhelmed and second guessing yourself? I know I have. I've had plenty. And apparently so has Kevin Morby. Morby admits early in the song "I am lost, all around, I am barely, on the ground" as if he is in world of confusion and unsure of where he is going. He waits on the platform for this "slow train" only to find out that it "already came". Bummer. But why is he waiting for this slow train? Why is he " waiting out the rain, waiting for the sun "? Because he knows that things change. Things eventually get better if you allow them to. "Slow Train" may be a lonely tune, but it plays out like a sigh of relief; a shoulder to lean on, if you will. It's a good reminder that everyone goes through shit. Everyone second-guesses themselves. And ever...

Everyone’s got em. The summer jams. You know those songs you reserve until the heat settles in and the sun is is out? The ones that encapsulate everything about summer. What is it about those songs that fit the mold? What makes those songs worthy of our commutes from work or our road-trip soundtracks? Though they are different for everyone, they all seem to share the same qualities: up-beat and positive. They evoke happiness, fun, and peace.  Now, this is by no means the “formula” for good “summer songs”. But from my interactions with others they normally mention songs that have one or more of those qualities. Perhaps you have music that reminds you of past summers or experiences during that time of the year. Are they happy? Do they have those same qualities? Maybe some of you  have summer songs that aren’t happy. There are no rules for these things. That’s the beauty of music. Whatever it is that makes songs “summer songs” , one this is for sure; it’s all complete...

Thee Oh Sees. Oh Sees. The Ohsees. Orange County Sound, OCS. All names of the same Jonathan Dwyer fronted group. They have just recently dubbed themselves simply Oh Sees. Confusing huh? It doesn't stop at just their name. They are equally as proliferate in their music as they are changing names. They just put out their 19th full studio album. Crazy huh? So where do you start with these guys? I'm honestly not sure. They have gone through complete band line-up changes and every album seems to veer off to another vein of their established rock psychedelia. My first exposure to them was off of their 10th full studio album "Warm Slime"; this fuzzy and sludgy song called " I Was Denied ". Pretty much a dancy punk song about getting really messed up. It's still one of my favorites. I admit they can be difficult to get into. Every album of theirs has its own home but they all exist with the staples that built the Thee Oh Sees neighborhood. The "woo...

We've all heard it before. Remember that famous scene in "The Sandlot" when "Smalls" and his friends get sick on the carnival ride after trying chew for the first time? Or maybe Pee-Wee Herman's dance on the table top at the motorcycle bar? It seems we all have heard this jam somewhere before. It goes so well with so many things: dances, summer-drives, bar music, background music, skate-video songs . This Latino-inspired gem came together as a filler b'side to Dave Burgess's single " Train to Nowhere ". It's hard not to groove to that dirty sax melody. And of course you're obligated to chant "Tequila" just as Danny Flores does when you hear it. Give er' a listen Whatcha know bout writers block?