Some Thoughts On This Week's Music

I have installed an imeem music player so people can actually hear the songs I'm referring to. I'll try to cycle in a new list every week. The imeem player appears in the right column. If you don't see it, you probably need "java," whatever that is. And for whatever reason, some songs will not appear as full songs when embedded off the imeem site (songs 3 & 4 here), but rather 30 second iTunes-esque previews. Something about "permissions" from the artist to stream songs, even though if you're on the imeem site itself you can hear the full song. I don't know. But if you hit "launch standalone" I think they'll play in full on a popout player. In any event, songs 1, 2, and 5 from this week are all full versions, anyway.

Song #1: "Makin' Room for Youth" by Social Unrest (1981)
"Epic" is a funny word when it comes to punk music. It is often associated with bands that released 40 copies of one seven inch decades ago, and have been heard of by 85 people on planet earth. On that note, here's an epic track from epic SoCal hardcore band Social Unrest, from an epic 1981 seven inch. But in all honesty, I hear songs like this and don't understand why people hate punk so much. Did I mention that in addition to being epic, it's also seminal?

Song #2: "Parasites" by Ugly Casanova (2002)
Funny story about Ugly Casanova. Isaac Brock, of Modest Mouse fame, claimed that a mysterious stranger named Edgar Graham gave him versions of these songs he'd written under the moniker Ugly Casanova on a rough cassette tape, and then disappeared forever. In order partly to try to smoke him out, Isaac and some buddies recorded all of these songs using the name Ugly Casanova. Isaac Brock later admitted this was all made up, a story concocted to save him from having to be interviewed about the band. Yeah, Isaac. Making up a story about a mysterious stranger leaving songs behind is likely to lead to far less interviews than simply admitting you've put together some stupid Modest Mouse side project. Later, Isaac would accomplish several other feats, like being accused of date rape. Actually, that happened way before this album, and I have no insight into its truthfulness. As for this song, it's pretty good, if you like things that sound exactly like Modest Mouse in every conceivable respect.

Song #3: "I Can't Forget" by The Pixies (1991)
I can't tell you how upset I was to find out that there existed a studio recorded Pixies song I didn't have in my collection. Yes, I'm that pathetic. I was all the more disturbed to find out the song in question is a Leonard Cohen cover. How could this have happened? In any event, this song contains a truly fine example of Joey Santiago's revolutionary guitar work. It also contains the lyrics: "And I promise, cross my heart, they'll never catch us, but if they do, just tell them it was me." Oh, Lenny. Boston & Montreal, together at last. Well, other than when UMass students head north to puke on rue Crescent. Or when Quebecois head south to either take photos of the First Church of Christ, Scientist every day of the week, or get the shit beat out of them at Bruins games.

Song #4: "Hybrid Moments" by The Misfits (1978)
Mssr. Danzig shows off his pipes on this track like on no other. It's so catchy. My man is crooning. Unfortunately(?), my personal interpretation of this song is that he's in the middle of killing someone. If interpretting this song was a rorschach test, I'd be committed as criminally insane, because most people seem to think it's either about sex, or maybe a werewolf. Sorry, suckers. It's clearly murder.

Song #5: "The Swimmer" by Frank Black (2001)
Speaking of crooning, that's what Frank Black Francis does on this track. Some people say Frank Black's solo work sucks. I only agree 45% of the time. This is not one of those times.