Thinking, That's All

Since I seem incapable of finishing my best albums of the year post (its coming someday, i swear) here are some random thoughts to tide me over

1. This is my new favorite website to waste time on
http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/

2. Elliott Smith writes some of the cleverest lyrics of all time, and they stick in my head. Stuff like
"The ghost in your smile's always looking for new bodies to haunt" in New Disaster or
"Cuz when I talk to you on the phone/well it's just like being alone" from Half Right...and those were his first songs or bootlegs. I mean c'mon. He is missed.

3. I watch too much Law and Order. Way too much.

4. Commercials I: I understand that Chuck Norris=Hilarious, but how can anyone who has had that much obvious plastic surgery be intimidating or tough?

5. Commercials II: I have a guilty soft spot in my heart for the Garmin commercials...especially the one where the guy is lost (you know, "look there's a moose/give me a noose...) the two scary bikers and the homeless guy singing in the backseat is priceless.

6. Everyone should read the avclub, see I'm Not There, listen to the Mountain Goats, and give me five dollars.

Naked and Famous

I am at least one of those things.

This is barely a list, but hey, my blog, my rules

List of videos on YouTube featuring me (this post should be called Bored and Self-Aggrandizing)


1. Avi plays Seatlle


2. Legend of Moosehead


3. This one is GOOD

Everything. Hits at Once.

For those of you out there who with limited attention spans or who found my charming song based anecdotes too onerous or banal to read through, here is my 100 favorite song list, all in one place, with no elaboration or annotation. Print it out and carry it in your wallet.

1. This Must be the Place (Naive Melody)- The Talking Heads
2. Duk Koo Kim- Sun Kil Moon
3. Motorcycle Driveby- Third Eye Blind
4. I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams- weezer w/ That Dog
5. Tonight, Tonight- the Smashing Pumpkins
6. Ooh La La- the Faces
7. Only in Dreams- weezer
8. I Didn't Understand- Elliott Smith
9. The City- the Dismemberment Plan
10. Lady Liberty- Okkervil River
11. For No One- the Beatles
12. Busby Berkeley Dreams- the Magnetic Fields
13. Jesus, Etc.- Wilco
14. I'll Catch You- the Get Up Kids
15. A Stone- Okkervil River
16. Leif Erickson- Interpol
17. The Fairest of the Seasons- Nico
18. Everlong- Foo Fighters
19. Wooly Muffler- Harvey Danger
20. New Slang- the Shins
21. On the Bus Mall- the Decemberists
22. For Meg- On the Might of Princes
23. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight- the Postal Service
24. Lemmings- Blink182
25. Idiot Wind- Bob Dylan
26. Catamaran- Bear vs. Shark
27. The High Party- Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
28. Jack-Ass- Beck
29. Brace and Break- the Thermals
30. I Spy- Guster
31. Twilight- Elliott Smith
32. 2Wicky- Hooverphonic
33. Always New Depths- Bloc Party
34. Pictures of Success- Rilo Kiley
35. Man and Wife, the Latter (Damaged Goods)- Desaparecidos
36. Smash- the Offspring
37. No Cars Go- Arcade Fire
38. Ashes to Ashes- David Bowie
39. Light Up my Room- Barenaked Ladies
40. Lullaby for the Sleeping Elephant- Mayday
41. If Winter Ends- Bright Eyes
42. Sparks- Coldplay
43. Promise- Pedro the Lion
44. Neverending Math Equation- Sun Kil Moon
45. Trying Your Luck- the Strokes
46. X-Static- Foo Fighters
47. Guess I'm Doing Fine- Beck
48. Epitaph- Badly Drawn Boy
49. I Want to Conquer the World- Bad Religion
50. Diamond Sea- Sonic Youth
51. Simple Things- Belle and Sebastian
52. Poison Oak- Bright Eyes
53. Dead of Winter- Eels
54. D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S- Modern Life is War
55. Waltz #2 (Xo)- Elliott Smith
56. The New Denail- The Good Life
57. End of the Line- Murder by Death
58. Icebox- Nada Surf
59. Rock Lobster- B-52's
60. A Picture Postcard- The Promise Ring
61. So Long- Rilo Kiley
62. Sweet Jane- Velvet Underground
63. Galapagos- The Smashing Pumpkins
64. Pool Shark- Sublime
65. Born of a Broken Man- Rage Against the Machnine
66. Via Chicago- Wilco
67. Bloodgiver- Bear vs. Shark
68. Mayonaise- the Smashing Pumpkins
69. Chapter 8- Seashore and Horizon- Cornelius
70. Sea Anemone- Jets to Brazil
71. Ben Folds Five- Missing the War
72. Only a Northern Song- the Beatles
73. Table for Glasses- Jimmy Eat World
74. Hey- Pixies
75. 80 Windows- Nada Surf
76. Idioteque- Radiohead
77. A Skeleton on Display- Now Its Overhead
78. Buses/No Buses- Bear vs. Shark
79. Don't Hate Me- the Get Up Kids
80. For the Enemy- Okkervil River
81. American Music- Violent Femmes
82. Alone Again Or- Love
83. Time and Time Again- Counting Crows
84. Anthems for a 17-Year-Old Girl- Broken Social Scene
85. La Cienaga Just Smiled- Ryan Adams
86. Excerpts From Various Notes Strewn Around the Bedroom of April Connolly- Cursive
87. Don't Think Twice It's Alright- Bob Dyaln
88. Scared Straight- The Long Winters
89. From the Trapeze- Mayday
90. Happiness is a Warm Gun- the Beatles
91. Problems and Bigger Ones- Harvey Danger
92. China Girl- David Bowie
93. Half a Person- the Smiths
94. Between the Bars- Elliott Smith
95. The Crystal ship- The Doors
96. Chinatown- Jets to Brazil
97. St. John the Divine- Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
98. B-13- Jump, Little Children
99. Plans- Bloc Party
100. Inmates- the Good Life
101. A Certain Cemetery- Pretty Girls Make Graves

You're the Best Around: Songs 20-1

And now, of course, the moment you've all been waiting for, oh imagined cyberspace masses, my favorite 20 songs of all time. I promise you a more comprehensive or reputable list doesn't exist anywhere. NASA has contacted me, hoping to send these 20 songs into space in case alien civilizations are seeking to find out what a music lover with impeccable taste on Earth listened to in 2007. Comments, as always, are appreciated.

20. "New Slang"- The Shins
In spite of its unfortunate name drop in Garden State, this song is almost life changing (thank you, weird little girl in doctors office). I remember the first time I actually listened to the words, and not just the haunting melody, being blown away that such a song could exist. It may have been knocked down a few slots because of overexposure (it was by far the most played song on my itunes for a long time, and, did i mention garden state?) but its no worse for that.
19. "Woolly Muffler"- Harvey Danger
Is the songs you loved first you love best an adage? Because long before I knew the words "emo" or "indie" or had realized that the pain I felt at being rejected by a girl the first time was probably the easiest I would have it in my young adult life, this song was my anthem. The year was 1998, the girl was Aly Post, andI first tasted the joy of reveling in my misery. This song was an integral part of my music education and maturation process, and it has aged just fine.
18. "Everlong"- The Foo Fighters
I guess I'm surprised how many of these songs are from middle schoolish times. Once upon a time, the Foo Fighters were my favorite band, I worshipped Dave Grohl, and while it wasn't my favorite, this is undoubtedly their best song, and sounds just as sweet now as it did in those halcyon days. I actually caught them on SNL last night, and I was trying to figure out whether their style has changed or whether just my tastes have. I think both are true, but probably more of the latter, and that makes me sort of sad, because I LOVED them back in the day. In five years will I feel the same way about Elliott Smith? And then what will I play for my kids? The fact that these questions keep me up at night gives you a pretty good indication why I take the time to do this stuff.
17. "The Fairest of the Seasons"- Nico
Like Don't Hate Me, every time I leave a place (which has happened a shocking amount the last three years or so) I can't escape this beautiful song. Its use in Wes Anderson films doesn't hurt either. but mostly its "I want to know/Do I stay or should I go/And do I have to do just one/And can I choose again if I should lose the reason". London, Chicago, LA, Portland...this song's for you.
16. "Leif Erickson"- Interpol
I don't really know why I like this song so much. Some of the lyrics are cool, but a lot don't make sense. Sonically its cool, but not particularly interesting or groundbreaking. But there's something about it, and some of the lines that have just stuck with me since i first heard it and reach down into something that I can't really explain and hold on (I know why I respond to Nico or to a GUPK song. this is shadier). But i still love it. It's like a four minute musical version of a great noir film. If that makes any sense.
15. "A Stone"- Okkervil River
There's no mystery here. Another song that when I bought an album I was anticipating to be great, grabbed me at first lesson and exceeded those expectations. Songs like this and catamaran are why I say Okkervil River and BvS are my favorite bands, even if their entire body of work isn't as grand in scale or brilliant as, say, elliott smith. overly melodramatic in the best way possible, the songs is great but kicks into another gear in the bridge/breakdown. I won't type the whole story about the stone and the prince, but its worth listening to if your tastes run anywhere near mine. And if you don't like it, don't tell me. This is the only band I hate sharing, because I can't bring myself to hear that anyone doesn't love them as much as I do.
14. "I'll Catch You"- the Get Up Kids
oh my true emo days. Life was so much simpler then. No politics, no nuance, just plain simple heartache and lots of argyle. And if one song represented that whole pouty time of my life, its this. And its still great. by the way, if jonathan (or any else who might know) is reading this, is the line "still remembering/jinx removing" which never made any sense to me, a reference to the Jawbreaker song? Inquiring minds want to know. This song is worth it just for the last sonic crash in between after "No need for reminding/You're still all that matters to me".
13. "Jesus, Etc."- Wilco
On of the most simply beautiful songs I've ever heard, period. Another one whose lyrics are somewhere between poetry and nonsense, but when those violins kick in, man, who cares what "Our love is all of god's money" means. Jeff Tweedy can sing whatever he wants, as long as sings it in songs that sound like this.
12. "Busby Berkeley Dreams"- the Magnetic Fields
Speaking of beautiful songs (am i the only one who has noticed that songs on this list tend to come in twos or threes? two songs from eighth grade, three punk songs, etc.? Probably). What a fantastic conceit from an expert song writer. This is one of those songs that whenever you meet another fan of the band, theres an immediate consensus as to the best songs.
11. "For No One"- the Beatles
Its always hard to pick a favorite beatles song for me. I love this one, but I love others, and have loved others. as my first favorite band (and still hands down the best band of all time period ever) we've been through a lot together, and while this is a great song, this spot probably represents more my love for the beatles as a band and what they meant to me and to the music i listen to than my fondness for this particular 2 and a half minutes of music.
10. "Lady Liberty"- Okkervil River
Originally, this song wasn't nearly this high, but that's just cause i hadn't listened to it in a while. The first OR song I ever heard, and everytime i hear it, its like that first time, and I love it even more. a great story, great music (horns!), just so so good. And this song, more than any other song on this album, lets Sheff's biggest strength (song writing aside) show through, his ability to contain emotion in his singing, and the ability to let that emotion seem real and natural and felt, not put upon. I know its number ten, but this would probably be in my top five desert island songs. Its short and sweet, but I can't see ever tiring of it.
9. "The City"- the Dismemberment Plan
This song was love at first listen. I remember like it was yesterday...our sound designer junior year for boomshaka was using some rock songs to test his levels, and all of a sudden this song came on, and i had never heard it, and was instantly obsessed, and haven't stopped being. sadly, though I listened to his later band more, this song was miles better (and more than fifty spots superior) to anything the Promise Ring ever wrote. Evokes such a strong picture for me, and is rocking on top of that. Just a great great song.
8. "I Didn't Understand"- Elliott Smith
The more I listen to Elliott Smith, the more I love him, and the sadder I am that he is gone, and the more appreciation I have for his work. One of those great rare artists where almost every CD has been my favorite at one time or another, and where half the songs on each album were my favorite. I didn't have much use for this song, once upon a time, but sparse as it is, its one of his most haunting and most powerful.
7. "Only in Dreams"- weezer
Ah, a sea change. Long long listed as my favorite song, I fear I've outgrown its usefulness, and while it still has a place in my heart, it lacks a spot in my playlist. The song that made me love long songs (and i do love long songs), the ulitimate emo song, the song i used to drive around listening to over and over again when i was down, the source of a screen name and goosebumps alike, listening to it now it brings me back to a time more than anything else. And while that is great and useful, its not enough to keep it up top.
6. "Ooh La La"- the Faces
Another wes anderson featured song. surprising, no? While this song was and is perfect for its spot in rushmore, its also great on its own. who knew Rod stewart could be so cool. Its always great for me when a song, amidst all my mopiness and melancholy and gloom, puts a smile on my face without making my pulse race (i love the thermals, but sometimes you want a nice, simple, happy song). And who doesn't wish they knew what they knew now, when they were younger?
5. "Tonight, Tonight"- the Smashing Pumpkins
Its rare for me to love a single this much, even a single from a CD that yielded five. And while I've never had the connection or relationship with Tonight, Tonight that I have had with many, many other pumpkins songs (mostly ones about loving girls and wanting to cry) I cannot deny that this is their best song. so epic and powerful but in half or a third of the time most of their powerful epic songs are, so musically sweeping, beautiful instrumentation, probably another desert island song that just never got old. Oh billy corgan, why hast thou forsaken me?
4. "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams" weezer w/ That Dog
Where as most of the other songs in this top ten are big full meals (just wait for number two, which is like an eight course meal at Trio) this song is the best dessert I've ever had..filling, delightful, leaves you wanting more, but compact and short and sweet. So much emotion, so much heart, so much power and longing in the voices. A weezer song that isn't really a weezer song to me, but exists sort of on its own. A song I've always dreamed of performing live somewhere for some reason.
3. "Motorcycle Driveby"- Third Eye Blind
But Josh, you might ask, aren't you embarrassed to have a 3eB song in such a prestigious position on your list. No, and I'll tell you why. I can vividly remember the first time I heard this song. I remember KROQ playing it, though I can't imagine why since I wasn't a single, and being rooted to the spot in the middle of my room staring at the radio. I was in love. I rushed to my brothers room and dug around in his stuff til I found the CD (he owned it, I didn't) and promptly offered to trade him Less Than Jake's Losing Streak for it, which I managed to coerce him into doing. This has been one of my favorite songs since that day in middle school, and every time I think I'm over it, it comes on, and my love rekindles. And I'm not ashamed of it. I relish it.
2. "Duk Koo Kim"- Sun Kil Moon
Boy do I love long songs. I don't know why, I didn't use to. I used to skip them out of hand, decide they were too much work, and prefer my music in 3ish minute punk/classic rock doses. But I've changed as both the highest "long song" and, at 14:34, by far the longest song on this
list can attest to. A hauntingly beautiful song from first listen, but a little wikipedia research (Duk Koo Kim was a Korean boxer who was killed in the ring) and repeated listenings makes it the kind of song that reaches down into your soul and tries to pull desperate yearning out of you. Ive been rather obsessed with Mark Kozelek lately, and its largely because of his song writing, and this is the best example. After the weight of the lyrics (which come largely in the first 5 or 6 minutes) the soaring, crescendoing, crooning section that follows is not just right, its necessary.

Fanfare?

1. "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)"- Talking Heads
Okay, so, I must admit, I only found this song cause a girl I liked liked it. But some of my favorite things (The X-Files, Boondock Saints, the Barenaked Ladies, a Bright Room Called Day) were first invested in in an effort to impress/get closer to/understand a lady (it should be noted that with the exception of a couple of chaste dates, this effort netted me absolutely zero in the romance department. but i found some good stuff). So maybe my original intentions were not artistically pure, but that doesn't at all diminish my love for this song. Musically great ( i do love new wave) and lyrically simple yet complicated enough to make me feel both happy and lonesome and wistful at the same time (most songs I listen to just hit the latter two). Also the idea behind the lyric "hi oh/sing into my mouth". This, of course, is where I want to be.


So there you have it. You being me. probably.

Second Best oh Second Best: Songs 40-21

I could learn to live with that

anyway. you didn't think in the move I forgot my list did you? Of course not. In fact, day two of the Portland-LA drive (not to be confused with the LA-Chicago drive) was spent listening my way from top to bottom of this list. it sounds good, trust me.

without further ado...

40. "Lullaby for the Sleeping Elephant"- Mayday
is the overall metaphor heavy handed? sure. but is it a beautiful and angry protest song nonetheless? you betcha.
39. "Light Up My Room"- Barenaked Ladies
I may have outgrown BNL (they were my favorite band for the early part of high school, along with other unfortunate choices Dave Matthews and Blink 182. How far i've come) but I can't shake this song, my favorite of theirs then and one of my favorites now
38. "Ashes to Ashes"- David Bowie
37. "No Cars Go"- Arcade Fire
this was my favorite of their songs even before they re-recorded it for Neon Bible, and that version is even better.
36. "Smash"- the Offspring
this song is just plain awesome. remember when the Offspring were punk? that was great. way to fuck it up, offspring.
35. "Man and Wife, the Latter (Damaged Goods)"- Desaparecidos
more concept album fun. I always imagine this song as the climax in the worlds most awesome rock musical, with the two guitars representing the couple...maybe someday...
34. "Pictures of Success"- Rilo Kiley
simply for the bridge: "they say California/'s a recipe for a black hole/and I say I've got my best shoes on/I'm ready to go"
33. "Always New Depths"- Bloc Party
The song that got me into Bloc Party, although I am a little ashamed to say I first heard it on a target commercial. One of my favorite songs to blast with the windows down.
32. "2Wicky"- Hooverphonic
I can't really explain why I like this song so much, but its stuck with me since eighth grade (another KROQ special) so there must be a reason for it)
31. "Twilight"- Elliott Smith
30. "I Spy"- Guster
This was number two or three a couple years ago, another song from a band i don't listen to at all anymore that i used to love that just stands so far above the rest of their catalog it won't go away
29. "Brace and Break"- the Thermals
Offspring take note...this is how you sound awesome.
28. "Jackass"- Beck
27. "The High Party"- Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
26. "Catamaran"- Bear vs. Shark
I'm pretty sure I've praised this song and this band enough for now
25. "Idiot Wind"- Bob Dylan
Thanks dave, for pointing out how much better this song is than Don't Think Twice, Its Alright and any other dylan song I may have trotted out as my favorite. I was wrong. We are idiots babe/its a wonder that we still know how to breathe.
24. "Lemmings"- Blink182
This seems to be a theme of this section. But i don't care what anyone says about this band or the stuff they've released since, this song is great. There are plenty of songs we've been listening to the last few years by BTMI! and One Reason and stuff with the exact same sentiment, and its done just as well here. Its good enough to include in your aol screen name. if youre me.
23. "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight"- The Postal Service
Though the first time i professed my love for this song i was told that that was so last year, I still love it, even though at this point that would be so three or four years ago. So melancholy and heartfelt and beautiful and awesome and full of Jenny Lewis background.
22. "For Meg"- On the Might of Princes
For me, this is the unofficial GP anthem. I'll scream it til your ears bleed/you'll always have a friend in me. Damn straight
21. "On the Bus Mall"- The Decemberists
What a beautiful song. One of those precious few songs that still can give me goosebumps after a hundred listenings (and the four right chords can make me cry...oh wait, thats something else). even better once i learned what the bus mall was.

almost there!

j

Drove to Chicago

Hey you three...

sorry for the break. as you probably know, i moved. I no longer live in portland, nor am i at my parents house in the mb, but here i am, back in chicago. so if my posts focus less on the shins, the decemberists, and elliott smith and more on wilco and jazz, thats why.

j

Stuck in the Middle with You: Songs 60-41

Ah, the middle. Not quite the best, but better than the rest. What song has the prestigious honor of being exactly halfway between my favorite and the best of the rest? Read on, blogspot faithful, and find out...

60. "A Picture Postcard" by the Promise Ring
Ah, to be young and emo again. Those were the days, no?
59. "Rock Lobster" by the B-52's
58. "Icebox" by Nada Surf
Matthew Caws, if you're reading this, sorry about making an ass of myself backstage at the metro, but still, thank you for playing this song
57. "End of the Line" by Murder By Death
I still want to adapt this album into a screenplay, but this song could probably be a whole miniseries on its own
56. "New Denial" by the Good Life
55. "Waltz #2 (xo)" by Elliott Smith
54. "D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S" by Modern Life is War
Play this one as loud as you can stand
53. "Dead of Winter" by the Eels
This song sneaks up on you. If you've listened to it less than, oh, 53 times, it hasn't fully hit you yet. I remember exactly where I was when I cracked the (perhaps not too difficult) code of this song (a hotel parking lot in Oklahoma City, on my way to Chicago) and I nearly burst into tears
52. "Poison Oak" by Bright Eyes
51. "Simple Things" by Belle and Sebastian
This girl in my dorm sophomore year told me this was the best song on this incredible album, and i scoffed at her. While I do love others as well, I've come around. Sorry Brenna, you were probably right.
50. "Diamond Sea" by Sonic Youth
The centerpiece track on my "Songs They Played on KROQ When It Was the Best Radio Station on Earth" mix (alternately titled, "Hey! Remember Middle School?") Congrats Sonic Youth, we're halfway home.
49. "I Want to Conquer the World" by Bad Religion
Someday this will be the curtain call music for a show I direct. Mark my words.
48. "Epitaph" by Badly Drawn Boy
47. "Guess I'm Doing Fine" by Beck
46. "X-Static" by Foo Fighters
I listen to a lot of sad bastard music, but there are few that do it better than the way Dave Grohl sighs "Wish I could have felt I'd won/For once" at the end of this one
45. "Trying Your Luck" by the Strokes
44. "Neverending Math Equation" by Sun Kil Moon
This might be the only cover on here. I don't know. I do know that I am the same as I was when I was six years old.
43. "The Promise" by Pedro the Lion
Is this song about being Christian? Perhaps. Can I still relate? Absolutely.
42. "Sparks" by Coldplay
Say what you will about Chris Martin and Coldplay (and i've said a lot, just ask my old roommate) and how much they suck now (also a lot), theyre first album was pretty great, and this song is still fantastic
41. "If Winter Ends" by Bright Eyes
I couldn't have appreciated this song before I lasted through my first Chicago winter, and I plan on appreciating it during my next.

almost there kids! excited? i sure am.

The Fourth Quintile 80-61

Thanks for the heads up Jesse

Ah, the bottom of the middle. Not prestigious enough to be in the top half, not distinguished enough to be at the bottom. The lost fifth, if you will. Here they are. Give em some love.

80. "For the Enemy" by Okkervil River
Just saw them play live, and it was incredible. They didn't play this song, which was too bad, cause its my 80th favorite song of all time. They did, however, play my 10th favorite song, so that was cool.
79. "Don't Hate Me" by The Get Up Kids
The theme song of every parting since high school. Just as applicable this week as it was then.
78. "Busses/No Busses" by Bear vs. Shark
My other favorite band (see 80). Thanks for this song, Dave.
77. "A Skeleton on Display" by Now Its Overhead
76. "Idioteque" by Radiohead
Try interpretative dancing to this song. There's really no other way to really appreciate it.
75. "80 Windows" by Nada Surf
I was at a club in LA to see Kevin Sousa's band, and this album was on, and no one I knew listened to it besides me, and I mentioned that to the DJ, and he said it was good, but especially that one song, that was so good, and his band was going cover it and become famous, and when I asked which song he said "you'll know". It was this one, and I did.
74. "Hey" by The Pixies
73. "Table for Glasses" by Jimmy Eat World
72. "Only a Northern Song" by the Beatles
Also my essence song, circa my sophomore year acting class
71. "Missing the War" by Ben Folds Five
70. "Sea Anemone" by Jets to Brazil
69. "Chapter 8- Seashore and Horizon" by Cornelius
68. "Mayonaise" by the Smashing Pumpkins
Held the top spot, once upon a time in middle school
67. "Bloodgiver" by Bear vs. Shark
66. "Via Chicago" by Wilco
I'm coming home, I'm coming home, Via Chicago
65. "Born of a Broken Man" by Rage Against the Machine
64. "Pool Shark" by Sublime
The acoustic version, but also, the punk version
63. "Galapagos" by the Smashing Pumpkins
62. "Sweet Jane" by the Velvet Underground
61. "So Long" by Rilo Kiley

In other news, TBA is awesome.

Not a list

Hey, TBA is fun. So was Musicfest NW. I got my haircut by a ten year old. You can read about it here.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/aenow/2007/09/tba_notebook_haircuts_by_child.html

I'm super famous

j

The Omega section: Tracks 101-80

The bottom quindrant (whats a quadrant thats actually part of five? anyone? quindrant can't be correct), but still, that still makes them better than the 6000+ songs in my library that failed to make the cut (take that, Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn"). Of course, I couldn't cut it down to just 100, though i suppose just not including number 101 would have done just that. But I can't bear to. So here goes:

101. "A Certain Cemetery"- Pretty Girls Make Graves
100. "Inmates"- The Good Life
The centerpiece on a great concept album/song cycle, great wordplay from Tim Kasher, and the first of many songs on the list that a) top the eight minute mark and b) have a female guest singer
99. "Plans"-Bloc Party
98. "B-13"- Jump, Little Children
One of three or four songs I like by a band I'm mostly indifferent too, yet seem to keep making these lists
97. "St. John the Divine"- Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
96. "Chinatown"- Jets to Brazil
95. "Crystal Ship"- The Doors
94. "Between the Bars"- Elliott Smith
93. "Half a Person"- The Smiths
92. "China Girl"- David bowie
91. "Problems and Bigger Ones"- Harvey Danger
Someday I'll make a mix of the songs that got me through eighth grade, and I'll probably call it Problems and Bigger Ones. Either that or, Aly Post, why won't you go out with me?
90. "Happiness is a Warm Gun"- The Beatles
At one point in time, I think this was my favorite song. I'm not sure why. I think I was troubled back then.
89. "From the Trapeze"- Mayday
Heres the dilemma I have with these things. I've absolutely adored this song for about three months, whereas I've counted the previous one as among my favorites since elementary school. How do you judge those together? How do you weigh that? The obvious answer is probably you spend your time worrying about more important things, or, more succinctly, who cares, but still. Inquiring mind wants to know.
88. "Scared Straight"- The Long Winters
87. "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright"- Bob Dylan
86. "Excerpts from Various Notes Strewn Around the Bedroom of April Conn0lly, Feb 24, 1997"- Cursive
Definitely the longest song title on the list
85. "La Cienega Just Smiled"- Ryan Adams
84. "Anthems for a 17-Year-Old Girl" Broken Social Scene
83. "Time and Time Again"- Counting Crows
What still gets me about this song is Adam Duritz's sarcastic exhalation in the line "maybe someday I won't be so lonely/and I'll walk on water (ha) every chance I get." Its kind of fantastic, in a dorky, bitter sort of way.
82. "Alone Again Or"- Love
seriously people. go buy a Love album. thank me later.
81. "American Music"- Violent Femmes

that's the first entry. four more where that came from.

the suspense is terrible...I hope it lasts.

The List of Lists

That's right folks. A months long labor of love has finally been completed as I have....

Made a complete list of my top 100 songs of all time!
Now, I know this excites exactly one person (and he is typing this while listening to Ted Leo) but still, it took forever, and was surprisingly hard. (go on, you try it. you do it...) but I did it, at least for today (every time I looked at it I changed it, and even after I "finished" I swapped in six new tracks, one landing as high as the forties) and I'm excited. And I'm listening to it on my new expensive headphones, which is also exciting. so i want to share it with you. In easy to swallow, 20 track chunks. Will there be pithy running commentary? Most likely.

so, in particular order...

12 Tracks that Start an Album Right

Among the many, many arguments Sebastian Clark and I had in high school was what the best album opener of all time was. Both his argument and mine (at the time) made this list of the best ways to start an album, though upon further investigation, neither are the best. This is not just the best first track of all time, but the best way to kick off an album. These are the songs that have the best 10 seconds, or set the tone for whats to come in exactly the right way. 12 tracks that get you right from the beginning.

1. Nirvana- "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from Nevermind

The fact that anyone born in the last 30ish years will recognize this power chord sequence makes this the most obvious choice on the list, but doesn't lessen the fact that it deserves a place here. An explosive kick off to one of the great albums of all time, its easy to forget amidst the significance of this song, this band, and all that came after it just how great it is. Like the Beatles, its hard to imagine or remember just what it sounded like to pop this cd in the first time and hear the opening barrage and how great the oft-replicated slow fast slow formula was. Theres nothing to say about this song that hasn't been said, but as far as kicking off an album (or a list) goes, it doesn't get much better than this.

2. Cursive- "The Casualty" from Domestica

Tim Kasher and Co. are good at many things, but their best trick may be the one they pull out most often...their ability to go from whisper to rocking and back again on a dime. This track, which sets the stage for their mini-opus on domestic troubles, goes to work as soon as the play button is pressed, taking you from silence to bombast in a heartbeat before settling back into nothing again as Kasher begins to spin the first of many tales of woe. Its hard to imagine what could have set the stage better for the album thats to come.

3. Jump Little Children- "Not Today" from Magazine

My (perhaps shameful) entry into the debate with Sebastian. While it may not be the best song on the list, and certainly most of the album is forgettable, there is still a lot of joy and triumph in the first experience of an album being a defiant yelp of "I'm sure someone would hear me if I scream". What follows may never live up to that opening blast of promise, but the first three seconds are definitely worth noting.

4. The Thermals- "Here's Your Future" from The Body, the Blood, the Machine

A distant church organ, followed by "God raised his hand up to the sky/He flooded the land and he set it afire". Certainly not the opening anyone familiar with the Thermals back catalog was expecting to open their third album. In fact, upon first listens (especially if you don't make it past this incredible first track), many thought the band had ditched their brattiness and found God. Neither is true, and with closer inspection even this rock and roll retelling of Genesis contains the anti-organized religion message that flows through the whole album. Heres Your Future sets the tone for whats to come, and the band delivers 100 percent.

5. Boy Sets Fire- "After the Eulogy" from After the Eulogy

There's no doubt about the message of this one. Defiant from the word go, Boy Sets Fire kicks off with as powerful a modern day protest song as you can find. From the opening chorus of voices swelling to the group chants of "wheres your anger/wheres your fucking rage", BSF offers to apologies and no quarter. If anyone needed a call to action, this is the song.

6. Bear vs. Shark- "Catamaran" from Terrorhawk

Okay, so maybe the lyrics don't make sense per se, and maybe I talk too much about this particular band and how good they are, but this song is just awesome. Its one thing to have a song grow on you over time, but its another to wait and wait for the new album by your favorite band to come out, take it home, pop it in your cd player, and hear within the first 30 seconds that they've surpassed your expectations. this song makes me miss this band every time i hear it.

7. Johnny Cash- "Folsom Prison Blues" from Live at Folsom Prison

I know there are other tracks on this list, but seriously, is there a better way to open an album (or a concert, or a debate speech, or anything, really) than "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash"? I don't think so.

8. Bob Dylan- "Tangled Up in Blue" from Blood on Tracks

"Early one morning the sun was shining/I was laying in bed./Wondering if she'd change at all/If her hair was still red" Doesn't sound like much, maybe, but like so many other seemingly insignificant lines, in the hands of Dylan, it's poetry. And not just poetry, but amazing, picture painting, storytelling poetry. one of his best songs kicks off perhaps his best album, and from those first lines, pedestrian or genius, you know exactly what you're in for.

9. Reel Big Fish- "Sell Out" from Turn the Radio Off

Perhaps a sentimental favorite, and you probably wont see many lists that feature Bob Dylan and RBF next to each other, but I challenge you not to be cheered up by the first 10 seconds of this song. Go on, try it. Its a great build. Trust me. And the song, if you can forget how many times you heard it in 1996, is still pretty great, a nice slice of pop that reminds me of my so cal home. I'd put it on a first track mix any day of the week.

10. Elvis Costello- "Welcome to the Working Week" from My Aim is True

Now that your picture is in the paper being rhythmically admired. I'm not sure what it means, precisely, but I do know its one of the better first lines to an album in history. It just is. This song is short, sweet, and, like so many of Costello's tracks, to the clever, snarky, biting point.

11. Blondie- "Hanging on the Telephone" from Parallel Lines

Not the only album in my Itunes that starts with a phone ring sfx (I'm looking at you, coheed and cambria) but definitely the best. A great, surprising start to a great new wave pop song. Who wouldn't want to be stalked by Debbie Harry?

12. The Beach Boys- "Wouldn't it Be Nice" from Pet Sounds

It would be disingenuous of me, surely, to exclude the other song that started this whole argument way back when. Sebastian's pick for the best opening of any album in history...I still don't hear it the way he does. Its a good song from a great album, undeniably, and it does kick off the album in a way that does promise what is to come...the sparkly pop shimmer that the boys were known for, that little twinkle, but with a little something more behind it. Does it deserve a place on this list? Probably. Is it the best? Sorry seb, like so many other things in our up and down past, I'm gonna have to disagree with you on this one.


As always, if anyone reads this, let me know where you think i'm wrong. Unless you picked the same twelve.

Led Zeppelin songs in my Itunes if the song titles accurately reflected their content

Sexual Innuendo
Vikings
Sexual Innuendo
Lord of the Rings References (Love Song Version)
Lord of the Rings References (Protest Song Version)
Mostly Ohs and Ays
Love Song that Becomes Fantasy Song
Fantasy Song that Becomes Love Song
Short Classical Guitar Song That Bears Zero Resemblance to Any of Our Other Work
Song That You Think is About a Girl but Is Really About My Dog
Song About Mortality, Err, Fantasy Song, Err...Maybe its about Materialism? Or the Beauty and Transcendental Nature of Life and Death? Okay, We'll Be Honest, Even We Have No Idea What All That Stuff About Bustles and Hedgerow's Means, Robert Was So Frickin' High When He Wrote Most of Those Lyrics Not Even He Can Remember What He Meant

Not a list

this makes me sad



if anyone has sir paul's number, would you please call him and remind him
THAT HE WAS IN THE FUCKING BEATLES!
just stop paul, just stop.

MIxed Drink or Tom Waits Song

(according to my ITunes and Webtender.com)

1. Grapefruit Moon
2. Chocolate Jesus
3. Moscow Mule
4. Cold Water
5. Jockey Full of Bourbon
6. A Night in Old Mandalay
7. Walking Spanish
8. Abe's Tropical Night in Hell
9.Pasties and a G-String
10. Call of the Snowfields
11.Whop Me Down Sweet Jesus
12. Big Black Mariah
13. Five in the Morning
14. Singapore

Mixed drink: 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13
Tom Waits Song 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14

Random Sampling of Tracks from a Radio Set I've Always Dreamed of Doing, Were I to Have a Radio Show

The show would be themed (obviously) and this theme would be "Songs with Great Wordy Titles"

the set-list* might include

Of Minor Prophets and their Prostitute Wives by Pedro the Lion
Holy Lord, Shawshank Redemption is Such a Good Movie! by Murder by Death
Sorry Brooklyn, Dancing Won't Solve Anything by Bomb the Music Industry!
The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This by Love
Late Night Bedroom Rock for the Missionaries by Broken Social Scene
The Velocity of Saul at the Time of His Conversion by Okkervil River
Excerpts from Various Notes Strewn Around the Bedroom of April Connelly, Feb 24, 1997 by Cursive
Tit Smoking in the Temple of Artesan Mimicry by Devendra Banhart
What the Snowman Learned About Love by Stars
Theme for a Pretty Girl that Makes You Believe God Exists by the Eels

yup. thats it. anyone have a station for me?

j

*list. get it? so far, ive managed to stay on course for at least 15 hours. **

**also, forgive the footnotish things, but ive been reading a lot of David Foster Wallace lately

People who have given me flowers since I moved to Portland

my first blog list:

My director, Michael Rohd
A high school girl
Portland Mayor Tom Potter

true story

j

PS I know i said no biography anymore, but i am in a show and its pretty fantastic so if youre in or near portland and interested, check it out here
www.sojourntheatre.org
very few tickets left

Time may change me

And this blog.

I was tired of my old one. So now, I've slimmed it down, brightened it up, and have a new idea of things i might actually post.

I love High Fidelity. I also love McSweeney's. If you also love those things, or have even a passing familiarity with them, you might be able to infer that I love lists. Lists of songs, lists of movies, lists of things that no one else cares about, put some numbers or bullet points next to them and maybe a snappy title and you've got me. So, for now, this is lists. No one cares what I'm doing up here anyway, and if you do, feel free to ask.

ttfn (he said ironically)

j

Mixmaster

so first i guess i have to figure out how to let people know im still posting

but, music stuff

so i really want to start a mixtrading network. ive written about this on facebook and myspace, and so far gotten very little interest. so maybe its just me. but, i do like the idea. Ive already made one and sent it out, so Alex hartzler in evanston is going to be the recipient of the very first josh theme mix, which he requested to be entitled "Just Say No" and be all songs that have either overt or possibly implied antidrug messages. Heres what his mix looked like:

Prologue: Don't Do It!

1. minor threat- straight edge
2. bane- superhero

Act 1: Gateways

3. weezer- say it ain't so
4. the rolling stones- mother's little helper
5. the modern lovers- she cracked
6. tori amos- spark
7. the postal service- this place is a prison

Interlude: Addicted

8. counting crows- perfect blue buildings
9. bright eyes- a line allows progress, a circle does not
10. sebadoh- too pure
11. the offspring- what in the world happened to you?

Act 2: The hard stuff

12. pretty girls make graves- all medicated geniuses
13. dandy warhols- not if you were the last junkie on earth
14. jets to brazil- king medicine
15. third eye blind- semi-charmed life
16. fluorescein- cathy's on crank!
17. sublime- pool shark
18. neil young- the needle and the damage done
19. elliott smith- needle in the hay


i put a lot of time into this one, and im proud of it, but im eager to make more, plus to receive from people (it is a trade after all) so if you have an idea, or just want a mix and want me to come up with an idea, let me know! i really want to do this, it gives me something to think about during these long portland nights (thats not true, im actually both busy and fairly content up here).

so yeah. lets do this.

j

ps i would be remiss if i didnt link to the other thing ive been spending my time doing
Moosehead Challenge