What song are you listening to?

[Czech]

I don't have a favorite KISS song and I'm totally fine with that. Well, I like the Mats' cover of "Black Diamond," if that counts. Who cares about KISS, though, really.

Nothing much to report in terms of new ground here, as I've had OK Computer on in the background as I was reading Radiohead and Philosophy (full disclosure: I didn't buy it, it was a gift), one of those pop-philosophy essay collections like the one about The Simpsons. Easy breezy read as it should be for the most part, though certain writers' efforts to pack every paragraph to the gills with references to song titles can really get in the way of conveying a point. Just say what you want to say without getting bogged down in "you won't be let down by the moral dilemma that exists when you find yourself bulletproof and lucky though packt like sardines by our kinetic polyethylene world." That doesn't even mean anything! It isn't cute! Shut up! There are some nice essays about why we appreciate depressive artwork, and a surprisingly interesting piece about The Eraser that devotes much more thought to that one than I ever bothered to give it, but it's probably something I'll wrap up tonight/tomorrow morning and shelve till I find myself on another crazy Radiohead kick.

EDIT: It's also worth noting that they really went the extra mile when it came to the typography in this book, using Eurostile Wide Heavy (that's the one on The Bends and OK Computer and lots of sports telecasts around the late '90s), Plakatbau (Kid A/Amnesiac), and Mrs Eaves (Hail to the Thief.). Nice touch. I think In Rainbows uses something from the Interstate family, though it's hard to tell without the telltale lowercase g.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

This guy sort of cared about KISS. Favorite band in 7th grade.

The Beach Boys - Darlin'

Listening to Wild Honey right now. I've explained my thoughts on this album several times on the old board (in short; I enjoy it more than most). Fun fact; This was originally written for Three Dog Night

 

[tominator89]

Bad Company - Bad Company

 

[Kinetic]

I went through a brief Kiss phase in 7th grade or so. I read a long article in Metal Edge magazine about their reunion while I was serving a weeklong in-school suspension, and pulled out all of my dad's old records when I got home. My mini-obsession was serious enough to warrant me buying a t-shirt that featured the Destroyer cover. I couldn't really tell you what my favorite Kiss song is (probably "God of Thunder" or "Strutter") but I can tell you that "Beth" is incredibly lame. "Hard Luck Woman" is the superior Peter Criss song.

I'll also say that "I Was Made For Loving You" is the perfect soundtrack for riding carnival rides with hillbillies in the middle of bumfuck nowhere.

 

[BUTT]

I'm sure there must be, somewhere out there, a KISS song that I would like. It just must not be any of their greatest hits 'cause I've heard 'em all and they all blow. I'm certainly not averse to enjoying my fair share of butt rock, so you'd think I'd like them. I'D think I'd like them. But I don't.

 

[Agent of Oblivion]

I often find myself singing KISS songs in the shower. I typically remix them into either opera or country.

 

[vivisectvi]

Good times, Bad times - Zeppelin

 

[Czech]

How'd you get that ISS, Danny? At my middle school, you had to really fuck up or not be white to get put in solitary for a week. I assume that's what ISSs were for you as well, or were we unusual in that we punished our miscreants by putting them in 6'x6' cells for seven hours a day?

Oh, and I'm listening to "September 15, 1983" by the Mountain Goats. It's about a murdered reggae musician! Coolest bass part the Mountain Goats have ever had, I'll wager.

 

[Kinetic]

How'd you get that ISS, Danny? At my middle school, you had to really fuck up or not be white to get put in solitary for a week. I assume that's what ISSs were for you as well, or were we unusual in that we punished our miscreants by putting them in 6'x6' cells for seven hours a day?

That was during a period where I, along with my redneck posse, was getting into trouble on an almost daily basis. Our ISS was on the campus of some reform school about ten miles away. They gave you a bunch of mindless busy work and shut you away in a cubicle for seven hours. If you finished your work, you were allowed to read something of your choosing. My most vivid memory of this place is listening to Mariah Carey and Garth Brooks's respective Christmas albums on a seemingly endless loop, as it was close to the holidays.

Anyway, I was there for implying that I'd shoot one of my teachers if I had a gun handy. It wasn't so much threatening as it was just sort of a broad, goofy gesture, but the administration certainly didn't think it was funny. This was in 1995 or so. If I'd done the same thing four or five years later, I almost certainly would have been expelled.

 

[Sex Machine Gun]

You had a redneck posse?

 

[EHME]

Mack 10 "Foe Life"

Grew up a huge Mack 10 fan. This is one of my favorite solo songs from him. Banging beat, and raw lyrics.

 

[Kinetic]

You had a redneck posse?

This was in Valdosta, so circumstances dictated that any posse I got together would be of the redneck variety. I even lived in a trailer park of sorts at that point. Kind of a weird period to look back on.

 

[Czech]

I had a posse of social detritus in 5th grade. We were the kids who watched wrestling, and used some sort of weird cage-shaped jungle gym on the peripheries of the playground (like practically against the hedgerows that separated the playground from someone's yard) to have wrestling matches out of view. The fun came to an end when I lost a match and one of us, acting as the "commentator," laughed at me, so I kicked him square in the face which knocked him backwards off a swing. That was the end of rasslin' with the posse, but I finally gained a little respect that had been severely lacking at my new school, where till then I was just the nebbishy little "human dictionary" from the (suburb of a) big city. My transgression only cost me a recess, but it earned me a host of benefits: I wasn't picked last for dodgeball following the incident (this faded after one or two gym classes), I was asked to play soccer with the cool kids (didn't even make it to second recess of that day); and trust when I say that this is the best of all, I didn't have to demean myself for "the leader" of the posse, a kid named Gary. One of us from "the group" (as we called it) had to lick the sole of his shoe (said it tasted like cigarettes), and another had to let Gary kick him in the balls while taking a leak (it splattered). I earned my way out of that bullshit. Surprised I went into so much detail about this. I'd almost completely repressed the 1996-97 school year (it should be obvious why), along with 2000-01 (not sure on this one, I think it was just boring).

Anyway, I'm listening to "Incident on 57th Street," transitioning into "Rosalita" now as I go back and flesh out that opening anecdote, off Springsteen's splendid sophomore effort, The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle. And to tie it all together, if you tell me that there's a better Springsteen album, I'm gonna kick you square in the face...with argumentative posting!

 

[Incandenza]

I don't see how kicking the balls of someone who's peeing benefits either person involved.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I used to be more of a Darkness on The Edge of Town fan myself but Czech's argumentative posting and repeated listens won me over to The Wild, The Innocent, and The E Street Shuffle. I've been kind of over my Boss phase for a few years but I still find myself returning to that album every few months.

Oh and I think my favorite KISS song is either "Black Diamond" or "Got to Choose". Their first two albums are honestly my favorite of their studio stuff besides Destroyer. I'm also not ashamed to admit that I listen to Music From "The Elder" once or twice a year. I can't help but enjoy a record that audaciously bad.

Fake edit: Oh shit, I forgot "Goin' Blind". I love that song....so damn goofy and I think I mostly like it ironically like these days but sometimes (mostly when I'm drunk), it really hits me.

 

[Incandenza]

I don't think I've ever heard the Kiss version of "Goin' Blind." The Melvins cover is so stupidly, wonderfully melodramatic.

 

[Czech]

I don't see how kicking the balls of someone who's peeing benefits either person involved.

Laughed harder at this than a lot of stuff on here in some time. Some things just defy explanation.

 

[Kinetic]

"Goin' Blind" is one of the dumbest songs ever recorded. The pure naked earnestness in Gene Simmons's voice as he sings lines like "I'm ninety-threee, you're sixteeeeen" makes the whole thing more than a little embarrassing. Even as a pre-teen, I couldn't get down with that one.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

See, I like the song for the exact same reason you dislike it...interesting. Simmons' conviction to the dumb lyrics just won me over.

Speaking of dumb lyrics, I'm watching this thing yet again;

Kanye West - Robocop (VH1 Storytellers) HD

 

[Jaxxxson Mayhem]

Journey - Lights - Free MP3 Stream on IMEEM Music

and

Journey - Any Way You Want It - Free MP3 Stream on IMEEM Music




My two favorite Journey songs.

 

[Byron The Bulb]

The Dirty Projectors - "Stillness is the Move"

This is incredible. Easily the best thing I've heard this year. I remember not being too impressed with that Rise Above album that everyone was creaming their jeans over a couple years ago, but in light of how much I'm digging this I'm thinking about revisiting it. Maybe I missed something on the first go around.

 

[Edwin]

My Iraqi-American coworker from St. Louis is the whitest dude I know, and he loves KISS. I've become quite familiar with their 80s, off-comes-the-makeup work, which is his favorite period by far:

Kiss- lick it Up

Kiss - Who Wants To Be Lonely

Kiss - Crazy Crazy Nights

 

[Smartly Pretty]

The only Dirty Projectors shit I've heard is The Getty Address and I don't think I "get it". Maybe I'll give this new stuff a shot.

 

[Agent of Oblivion]

Czech's posse. Awesome.

My circle looked more like this:

and

As teenagers.

Consequently, I still listen to music made by people that look like that (well, that are that, but you get where I'm going here)

Orange Goblin-"Quincy the Pigboy"

Horrible horrible name in the context of a messageboard founded on wrestling, but truly one of the best stoner metal bands ever.

 

[Kinetic]

I'm sure that I would have wanted my posse to look like that, but alas we were all either too fat or too thin, had horrible clothes, and were covered with pimples. Curiously enough, one of the nerdy, bookish friends that I subsequently made in suburban D.C. is the singer in an industrial metal band. I would imagine that the members of my redneck posse are all either working at Dairy Queen or driving big rigs, but I have no way of knowing.

I've been listening to a lot of Camper Van Beethoven recently. This is one of those bands that, due to buying Gina Arnold's Nirvana book when I was 11, I've been aware of for well over a decade, but didn't start exploring until a few months ago. "Sad Lovers Waltz" is on right now.

 

[Gary]

King Crimson-The Great Deceiver

 

[Zorin Industries]

Tangerine Dream: Ultima Thule Part 1

 

[Czech]

I'm listening to "International Geophysical Year" by Donald Fagen. I know that I am roundly mocked for my Damascene conversion regarding Steely Dan, and I should be, but this song is really well done. Contextualized within the whole Fagen/Becker narrative, with them being big jazz/sci-fi fans as kids in the '50s, it makes perfect sense to synthesize those interests in a song about space age propaganda: it's sort of jazz, but executed with machines, which in theory, should be even better! It's not, of course, but the effect is pretty cool anyway, with the sterility adding an interesting dimension to the song. Even if you hate the music, you have to concede that The Nightfly has some really good engineering and mastering. The really serious audiophiles who invest considerable funds into their sound systems have gotta love this record.

 

[Jaxxxson Mayhem]

Self Esteem - The offspring

No comment.

 

[EHME]

Ne-Yo - Miss Independent

I don't care what anyone says, I'm a big Ne-Yo... His song writing ability is amazing.