Driving Music

Layla over at Writing From the Inside Out posed the question of naming five songs you love to drive to. This is a great question because I find myself enjoying long drives simply because it's an oppurtunity to blast the music. Also, the music I listen to while driving isn't necessarily what I listen to when I'm home (I like to rock out a little more in the car.) Here are five songs that have currently been getting a lot of play in my car (In no particular order):

1. The Who: Baba O'Riley

2. Muse: New Born

3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Y Control

4. The Who: Won't Get Fooled Again

5. Muse: Feeling Good


More or less I've been listening to a lot of The Who, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Muse in my car. I guess there is an emphasis on those songs.

Clapton and Communism

Rock icon Eric Clapton has been invited to play a concert in the North Korean capital Pyongyang, an official at the country's UK embassy has confirmed.

If he accepts, the 62-year-old will become the first Western rock star to perform in the Communist country.

According to newspaper reports Clapton has agreed in principle to the concert, suggesting it takes place in 2009.

News of the invitation follows the New York Philharmonic Orchestra's landmark concert in the North Korean capital.

The North Korean State Symphony Orchestra is due to perform in the UK later this year.

According to embassy officials, an appearance by Clapton would be "a good opportunity for Western music to be understood better by Koreans".

A spokesman told the BBC the invitation had been received by the singer's management and brought to his attention.

The singer's management, however, would not confirm the approach.

Clapton is in New York this week, performing a series of concerts at Madison Square Garden with Steve Winwood.

Kim Jong Chol, the son of national leader Kim Jong Il, is said to be a Clapton fan.

Source: Ultimate Guitar


I'm a little torn on the idea, mainly because of the fact that Kim Jong Il has violated numerous human rights. On the other hand it would be nice to provide the citizens of North Korea with what is sure to be a pleasurable experience. Kim Jong Il is known for isolating his citizens who in turn are very out of touch with the outside world, and this is an opportunity for them to see an integral part of western culture. For me, the fact that North Korea is Communist country doesn't matter, the problem solely rests in the fact of the human rights violations.

So what does everyone else think about Clapton having the opportunity to play in North Korea?

Juno Soundtrack Review

After seeing Juno in theaters, I was blown away by just how great of a movie it was. Especially how well the music went hand in hand with the story. It is very rare for a movie to have a soundtrack that fits so well, but Juno does it better than any movie I have seen in a long time. The main character of the movie Juno is a quirky oddball who seems so weird but yet so down to earth. This is exactly what the soundtrack sounds like, quirky, odd, and so incredibly simple.

When going through this album a few times it felt so wrong to enjoy the music, but yet it sounded so right. Most of the material on this album is your typical indie low-fi music which often sounds fitting for a dysfunctional funeral. A good chunk of the songs sound as if they were recorded in a garage without any editing, and I wouldn’t make any assumptions otherwise. It’s a very unpolished sound but that’s what makes this soundtrack work so well with the movie. Juno’s herself is unpolished.

There are a few known bands/artists on this soundtrack. Some of the bigger names are Sonic Youth, The Velvet Underground, The Kinks, Buddy Holly and Cat Power. One of the best tracks on the album comes from Cat Power. The song is a cover called “Sea of Love”, her vocals are so moving and the passion is just glowing. They lyrics are simple but yet very touching. Her unbelievable voice has landed itself on other soundtracks as well (i.e. V for Vendetta.) From The Kinks we have “A Well Respected Man”, a quirky song with foolish lyrics but by the end of the song you will definitely be tempted to press repeat thanks to its fun bouncing rhythm. For those who have seen the movie, this song will take them right to the scene in which it was played.

Also, featured as the final song of the album is a cover by the two stars of the movie Matt Cera and Ellen Page. They cover "Anyone Else But You" by the Moldy Peaches, and actually make it sound better than the original. Both Cera and Page appear to have better sounding vocals than the Peaches. For those who want the original, that is included as well.

Kimya Dawson, vocalist from the Modly Peaches has a large amount of solo work on this soundtrack, six solo songs to be exact. This material will appeal to those who are into the indie scene with its sublime sound. The lyrical content is unique to say the least and her playing style is very straightfoward. Vocally Kimya rarely tries to change the tone of her voice, it's almost as if the whole song were sung my someone who was completely mono-tone. All of these characteristics make her music very charming.

The Juno Soundtrack is irresistible, I don't understand why exactly I find myself listening to it over and over again, but yet I am. I almost feel as if I'm not intelligent enough to understand the music due to its over simplified nature but it all works, especially in context of the movie.

Grade: B+

Michelle Obama's Quote Distorted

All over Conservative programming today I have witnessed people ripping apart Michelle Obama for her recent quote: "Let me tell you something. For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country, because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback." Unfortunately political spin has hit us again. Conservative shows are deleting the word "really" from the quote. The difference between really proud and proud is quite substantial. Someone who says "really proud" has been proud in the past and someone who simply says "proud" has never been proud in the past. While I think it is a petty remark to jump on in the first place, this is politics. When taking her whole speech into context it was pretty obvious she was critiquing the political process and not America itself.

Now the misquoting on print is definitely bad, but it has been taken a step further. The actual video of the quote has been edited to chop out the word "really." Below is a video of the quote, and you can clearly see that there is a little hiccup in the video right before she says proud. This video is via Bretbart.tv, and just as a little aside, Andrew Bretbart is a well known conservative. There is obviously something going on here, see for yourself...

Yes: Their Definitive Fully Authorized Story (DVD)

I was very excited to review this DVD. I find Yes to be one of the supreme talents in rock history. Their sound has and always will be revolutionary, and albums like Fragile and Close to the Edge define progressive rock. This DVD is a two disc set which is packed with interviews, music videos, rehearsals and more.

The first disc is a lengthy biography chronicling the history of Yes. The interviews and stories are interesting but even as a big Yes fan it seemed a bit drawn out. I found myself losing interest fast in the biography. Despite its length the information is interesting, especially if you are a Yes fan. The best option would probably to watch this in two sittings opposed to one. The interviews range from the band members themselves (former and current) to people who had an association with the band. It was fascinating hearing the stories going behind what led to their unique sound, which came from the members styles, and influences from bands such as the prog giant King Crimson. The biography gives insight behind each album and all the moments of turmoil within the band. Yes doesn’t necessarily have the perfect story, their history wasn’t filled with excess and outrageous events which can make this a tougher watch for an outsider, but if you are interested in hearing about the music then this will probably be worth your while. One of the overriding issues however, is that there is a lot of information to sift through but not enough music. It would have been very nice to throw in some performances of songs throughout the biography but more or less it is just like watching a straight up interview.

The second disc has three music videos and informal recordings of rehearsals which are a nice little extra. On this disc there are also more interviews that didn’t make the first disc along with a grouping of still images. The music videos are for "Owner of a Lonely Heart", "Wondrous Stories" and "Tempus Fugit".

Considering this DVD is under $20, I would recommend it to fans of Yes but if anyone is just searching for a good rockumentary, this probably isn’t what you were looking for. There is a lot of information about the band, and PLENTY of interviews but it would be nice to see some more footage of live performances and anything where I can see Yes performing their music.

Grade: B-

Kissology: Volume 3 (1992 - 2000)

By no means am I a Kiss fan, in fact I'm typically the one bringing down their musical talent. One thing I can't deny however, is the fact that they put on a phenomenal show. Volume three unfortunately shows them in their later days, but none the less they still have an unbelievable amount of energy and intensity. I have never seen a Kiss performance in person, and after watching this DVD, I do regret it a bit. What I feel they lack in music they make up in stage presence. This DVD set packs quite a lot of matieral to choose from, unfortunately some of the concerts are edited down and don't include their full sets. I feel one of the high points of the DVD is the Unplugged set which was not edited down. In this Unplugged set we can see Kiss stripped down and acting like themselves, joking around and having a good time. In this unplugged setting I actually enjoyed their songs a bit more. On the fourth disc there is something which definitely doesn't belong on this final volume of the Kissology series, but none the less is possibly one of the best jewels for a Kiss fan. It is a recording of their earliest shot live show from 1973. This is a time when Kiss was working hard to garner any attention they could grab and while I'm not Kiss fan is probably amongst their peek performances in their career. I would recommend this to any Kiss fan, especially if you are looking to complete the Kissology.

No Class Move From a Man With No Class

I despise Bill Belichick more than anyone in the world, and I truly mean that. In his history he's walked away from a team that he was obligated to coach, cheated multiple times, and for today, walks off the field before the game is over. How can anyone in the world defend this man? He is despicable to say the least.

If I recall correctly, Patriots WR Randy Moss pulled this kind of move when he played for the Vikings. He walked off the field before the clock reached zero and was torched by the media. If there is any justice in the world then Bill Belicheat will receive the same harsh criticism that Moss received. As coach of a football team you should be out on the field until the very last play. If anything you should be the last person off the field. What kind of message does that send to your team? This is one of the worst displays of class I have ever seen in football. I just cannot comprehend how people can back a coach that is not even present to send his team on for their last play.

Even though the Giants are my second most despised team behind the Patriots (At least for this season) I have to give them a lot of credit. Eli Manning, who I always claimed as being overrated showed one of the guttsiest performances I have seen in a long time. On that 3rd and 5 with a minute left, he was sacked for sure, but some how breaks away and throws a huge pass to keep the drive alive. What a Super Bowl this was!

The one thing I will take away from this Super Bowl is the fact that Bill Belichick is the biggest idiot in all of sports!

Worst NFL Team Song

Well everyone is full of football spirit for the Super Bowl, everyone except me. My two most hated teams are the Patriots and the Giants. This Super Bowl is basically a Jets fans nightmare, so I decided I would have a little fun with this post. In NFL history we have seen numerous teams making their own rap or pop songs. The definitive being the Super Bowl Shuffle by the Chicago Bears. I figured there are some truly horrific songs out there made by NFL teams and I would post what in my opinion are the two worst/funniest. I honestly can't decide which one is funnier. On the top you have one created by the LA Rams, the highlight of that song would probably be when a big bearded man claims "I like to ram it as you can see, nobody likes ramming more than me." Below that is one created by the Patriots for Super Bowl XX when they were facing the Bears. This song is just funny all around, I can't even choose a funniest part. One of the best parts about it is how bad the Patriots were slaughtered in that Super Bowl. Well enjoy watching these two, HILARIOUS videos.


LA Rams: "Ram It"



New England Patriots "The Patriots and We"