The Top 5 Muse Songs

From time to time I’ll just be completely lost as to what to make my biweekly Top 5 list about. When such a thing occurs, I typically just pick a random artist and then list their top 5 songs. Sounds simple right? It is! That’s why today I’ve decided to list the Top 5 Muse Songs. Enjoy.

#5: “Shine Acoustic” from the album, Hullabaloo Soundtrack – Muse has always been a band with fantastic range. They are able to rock out amongst the best of them, and still make some of the best ballads in modern rock; sometimes in the same song! “Shine Acoustic” is one of the band’s better ballads and was featured on the live/compilation album Hullabaloo Soundtrack. Matt’s voice croons in a piercing falsetto over some frantically-played acoustic guitars and organ synths, pleading, “Please don’t break my idea!” There’s a little bit of moodiness in there as well, as the sound of thunder and raindrops can be heard throughout. It’s a rarely-heard song, but it is one of their best.

#4: “Butterflies and Hurricanes” from the album, Absolution – Absolution is definitely my favorite Muse album, and one of the best albums in recent memory. This song is my favorite “heavy” song on the album. Matt sings, “Best, you’ve got to be the best. You’ve got to change the world and use this chance to be heard. Your time is now,” while piano keys are forcefully clanked down, a mini-orchestra flutters in the background, and drums and guitars are absolutely chaotic! Halfway through, the song winds down and what sounds like a well-composed reprise is actually just an interlude. Before you have time to take it all in, the band is once again rocking out at full force. I love this song because it’s so different and it’s always changing. I’m sure you will too.

#3: “New Born” from the album, The Origin of Symmetry – I always knew that “New Born” was a great song, but it wasn’t until I saw it paired with the French horror film, “High Tension,” that I realized just how awesome it could be. The song comes in during a scene in which the victim suddenly decided to turn things around and become the hunter, and the usage of this song is highly effective. Like a lot of Muse songs (too many, in fact) it begins with a piano arpeggio before tearing that same arpeggio a new one with the unruly might of pure rock! As far as Matt’s vocals go, I don’t think they’ve ever sounded better than they do on this one. Everything is perfectly played and executed, and at 6 minutes long, you’ll be well-entertained throughout.

#2: “Blackout” from the album, Absolution – It took me a while before I figured out how great of a song “Blackout” really was. As one of the few ballads on Absolution, it sometimes felt out of place or weird. But after a year or two, it finally dawned on my how beautiful this song really is. It tells of a love that “is too good to last,” and as Matt poignantly adds “I’m too young to care.” By the time the last verse rolls around he’s crying it at the top of his lungs over brooding strings and a steady jazz kit. It truly is a heartbreaking song, and undoubtedly on of their best! I also featured it on my Top 20 Songs About Love list a few months back. You know, in case you’re interested.

#1: “Citizen Erased” from the album, The Origin of Symmetry – For some strange reason, Muse has always been compared to Radiohead. I can’t possibly imagine why. Their style of music is entirely different, and while Thom and Matt share similar vocal qualities, they’re often utilized in different ways. However, I have always found myself comparing “Citizen Erased,” my favorite Muse song, to “Paranoid Android,” my favorite song. They don’t really sound all that similar, but each song takes the listener on a journey, and when it ends, you find yourself wanting to experience all over again! It’s my favorite for that reason, and also because it goes from balladry to rock-goddotry effortlessly and quite amazingly! I’ve probably listened to this one hundreds of times in my lifetime, and I still love every single moment of it.

Below is a playlist containing all 5 of these songs. And for those wondering why I left out two of their albums, well, I just didn’t like the songs as much. Makes sense right?

Moods – Brooding

A little poetry:

My heart is sad, my hopes are gone,
My blood runs coldly through my breast;
And when I perish, thou alone
Wilt sigh above my place of rest.

“An Wilt Thou Weep When I Am Low?” by Lord Byron, 1808

Brooding, as defined by Websters:

1. preoccupied with depressing, morbid, or painful memories or thoughts
2. cast in subdued light so as to convey a somewhat threatening atmosphere

Brooding isn’t something I do often. I personally prefer to ignore whatever thoughts I have in my head and to push them so far back into a place in my mind where they virtually don’t exist. I let them fester there until they either make me sick with stress, go away, or work themselves out. Brooding is dwelling and I don’t really like to dwell, but alas it happens. I have always associated brooding with poets like Lord Byron and D.H. Lawrence who appeared to be overwrought and depressed with some unknown event in their past. That somehow makes the process a masculine thing, when really, brooding is for everyone. While it doesn’t feel ladylike and genteel, it is a process for those who can’t forgive others, who let their problems weigh them down, and who certainly can’t forgive themselves for any wrong doing.

It is a process for those of us who like to punish ourselves in fantastic mental ways.

You can brood about a million things, from the lover who cheated on you to the type of shoes to wear with today’s outfit to the time you were 5 and shoplifted a pack of gum while your mother was grocery shopping. You can work yourself into a frenzy over death, over taxes, over the moment you screwed up your first kiss. You can hurt yourself over and over again with the pain of hurting someone you love, the loss of breaking a favorite tea cup, or that time you didn’t stop to help someone in need that always stuck with you. You can mull over the flaws you hate about yourself, the horrible things someone once told you when they wanted you to know how they felt about you, and that one time you did something most people would consider socially unacceptable.

Brooding is where those eternal should have, could have, would have thoughts are played out. It’s not a bad thing, but it isn’t always the easiest experience ever. How that plays out musically I’m not sure, but I do know I’ve put together this week’s play list chock full of songs that I think fit brooding, my brooding mood, most perfectly.

Brooding is an all encompassing emotional thing. Why shouldn’t the soundtrack for it be the same way?

Video of the Week – Week 60

Type something. Delete it. Type something else. Delete it. Third, fourth, fifth time. Delete, delete, delete. I don’t normally have such an issue with the Video of the Week.

I would like to be able to find the words to express how much I love this particular Stills song. About how much it tells a story, more or less, that fits into my life in such a perfect way. Only I can’t because the words evade me.

I don’t know much about The Stills and I know that this album came out a few years ago, but this song has always struck a chord with me. Staring Emily Haines from the band Metric, it’s a tale of lost love and the unwillingness that some people have to let it go when they should. I picked it for it’s story. I picked it because I love the stapler thing in the video. I picked it because it’s dark and moody and believe it or not, I find it bring about a certain sense of calm.

So, The Stills “Love and Death” for a chilly February noontime it is…because some people really do only think about love and death…

Los Campesinos!: "Hold On Now, Youngster…"

If you keep up with the hype-mongering indie rock blogs and sites out there, then you’re probably familiar with the name Los Campesinos! The band, formed just barely 2 years ago in Cardiff, Wales, has been making the rounds, so to speak; drawing rave reviews from almost every music publication that has had the opportunity to hear their music. Sporting a distinct “we don’t give a f*** what our music sounds like” attitude, Los Campesios!’s music is lo-fi, messy, raw, punk-influenced indie rock that is just as plagued with missed notes and shoddy performances as it is with genuinely awesome sounds that are either squandered or shot to hell by all the other nonsense that is going on. No, I’m not going to be hopping on the Los Campesinos! bandwagon any time soon, which is unfortunate because the exclamation points would make much more sense if I did.

The band released their Sticking Fingers Into Sockets EP a few months back, and to be completely honest, it wasn’t that bad. I found the band to be unique, catchy, and a lot of fun to listen to. Call me crazy, but perhaps it’s the small dose of Los Campesinos! that made that EP much more enjoyable than this album. From the very first second, the band is out to assault your ear drums with obnoxiously loud and messy instrumentation, vocals that aren’t anywhere close to being in key, and an audio mix that screams “Hey, check out what we were able to do with just one $5 computer mic and a copy of Windows Sound Recorder!” They rarely let up, and even when they do, they are more than happy to break the silence with more of the same nonsense.

That’s not to say that Los Campesinos! is a flat-out terrible band. On the contrary, I find them to be highly talented and entertaining despite their more notable flaws. The instrumentation, though unpolished and far too cluttered, is actually very good when taken in individual parts. The guitars, for example, are almost always a blast to listen to. Background vocals and shouts are perfectly presented and a welcomed addition. The problem with everything lies when the band tries to do too much. Just because there are 64 tracks at your disposal doesn’t mean you have to put every one of them to use! Even, “You! Me! Dancing!,” with it’s wonderfully catchy sound just becomes too much to handle by the time Tom (or is it Garreth) Campesinos begins hurriedly talking over the chorus. What’s the point? Sure what he’s saying it somewhat funny, but musically it doesn’t make sense. Why squander a decent song with something that is completely out of place?

I understand that Los Campesinos! probably isn’t shooting for the same aesthetic that I’d like for them to put forth. That’s fine with me. In fact, there are several songs on Hold On Now, Youngster… that I’m more than okay with. The aforementioned “You! Me! Dancing!” is one of them, as is the loud, yet sweet, “Don’t Tell Me to Do the Math(s),” with its varying styles and levels of momentum. Likewise, “Drop It Doe Eyes” is so fun and catchy that I’ve found myself listening to it on repeat out of sheer joy! Of course the album’s best song is also its first (never a good sign). “Death to Los Campesinos!” has been around for a while, so such a thing makes sense. It’s also the album’s most polished track. However, despite this handful of good songs, the total package that is Hold On Now, Youngster… just seems to disappoint. Whether it’s because of the true lack of diversity on the album, or just the flaws of the vocalists that go from “real and charming” to “a god-awful annoyance,” I haven’t yet figured out.

Maybe I just don’t “get it.” I’m almost positive that the band puts on an amazing live show (I mean, they have to, right?) and that the basis of their appeal lies in their ability to convey the madness of their music to a live audience. My lack of ability to fully embrace Hold On Now, Youngster… as a quality piece of music probably has a lot to do with the fact that I haven’t experienced such an event. While, I sure would love to, all I have to judge Los Campesinos! on at this point is an album that is decidedly over-hyped and disappointing. The band is young, talented, and they have a lot of room to grow into something that is more generally appealing. Until that time, however, I’m left with a quirky letdown of an album; one that I’ll soon forget about and place on my CD shelf right next to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s debut album, where an uncertain future of dust and gloom await.

Key Tracks:
1. “Death to Los Campesinos!”
2. “Don’t Tell Me to Do the Math(s)”
3. “Drop It Doe Eyes”
4. “You! Me! Dancing!”

6 out of 10 Stars

myspace music monday: The Cyanide Valentine

Talk about perfect timing.  I’m sitting at my computer, getting ready to start my weekly scouring of myspace in search of an artist worth listening to.  I check my email –nothing of note– go to check my sites (Engadget, Pitchfork, The Superficial), and then decide to swing back by my email once more.  What’s waiting for me but an email from Jake Zavracky, lead vocalist and guitarist of Boston-based The Cyanide Valentine, asking me to review a downloadable copy of their new album, The Three Sides of The Cyanide Valentine. Unfortunately, it has always been a policy of Audio Overflow to not review non-physical copies of CDs.  But I downloaded it, liked it, checked out their myspace page, and then decided to feature them on today’s myspace music monday.  It’s funny how things work out…

The Cyanide Valentine

I was informed  in my brief correspondence with Jake that “it isn’t emo despite what everybody seems to expect from the name,” to which I responded to myself, “Yeah right, these guys are totally going to be emo.”  But I was proven wrong from the moment I headed over to the band’s myspace page and began hearing the first song, “Neanderthals.”  The band’s sound is heavily electronics-based, and gives off a sort of Cibo Matto circa Viva La Woman vibe.  Of course, I’m also hearing a distinct Radiohead influence as well, perhaps even just a touch of Flaming Lips (though I’m far less sure of myself on that one) and Death Cab.  The song is perfectly executed by everyone in the band.  Jake’s vocals seem a little out of place at first, but by the time that the chorus rolls around and he’s shouting, “They won’t make us crawl, they’re all neanderthals,” he’s right at home!  Kate Papineau provides backup vocals here as well, and she sings very delicately, never giving it more than she should.  Overall, the song is flawless.  Really.

“Nosferatu” is another great song, utilizing a funk disco groove to great effect, complete with Bee Gees-esque “aahs” in the background.  Jake sings, “You may be invincible, but inside your heart you’re dead.”   Just as “Neanderthals” was virtually perfect, “Nosferatu” shows a band who is completely focused with a clear direction.  Everything is so perfectly executed, so polished, that it becomes difficult to not get into it.  The refrain of “Inside your heart, you’re dead,” is simplistic, but equally effective and poignant.  The band set the song to a video about the infamous Jonestown Massacre and it winds up being a surprisingly decent match for the tragedy.  

“Sugar Coma” is an all-around softer song.  Here, Jake swoons, “Give me just one kiss before I am washed up on the shore,” over soft, minimalist synths and guitars.  It’s not my favorite song on the site.  It’s far from bad, it just doesn’t really hit the spot for me.  The final song on the band’s myspace page is called “Milk in the Gutter,” and it’s another softer, more somber song.  This one is a bit more effective though.  While Jake may have been trying to convince me that The Cyanide Valentine is, in fact, not an emo band, something tells me that a lyric like “Smear my blood all around like the lipstick and makeup that touch your mouth,” isn’t going to work in his favor.  Still, the song is a nice, touching track that is (again) well-executed by the band.  It ends with some very cool, spacey peripheral vocals that I absolutely love.  I guess if there’s a good last-impression to leave on someone who may visit your myspace page, that would be it.

Conclusion
The conclusion is this:  head over to cyanidevalentine.com and download their album.  Listen to it.  Prepare yourself to hear a lot more from this band.  It’s inevitable.  Their music is unbelievably polished, undeniably irresistible, and unquestionably talent-ridden.  I don’t consider myself a lucky person.  Quite simply, things don’t always go my way.  But I consider myself extremely lucky to have decided to recheck my email less than a few minutes after The Cyanide Valentine’s Jake Zavracky emails me about his band.  And you should consider yourself lucky that I have good enough music sense to write about them and introduce them to you.  You’re welcome, by the way.

Links

The Cyanide Valentine’s myspace Page

The Official Site (+ Free Album Download)

Allison Pharmakis’ myspace Page (Photographer: above band image)

Mesh STL: Lowercase

In the summer of 2001, I had come home from college for the break and discovered that my younger brother had bought a cd titled Lowercase from a band called Mesh STL. When I’d taken on the task of painting a room in my dad’s house, my brother decided that I should listen to them. He put their cd into the player, and I listened while I painted. I thought they were pretty cool at the time, however, years later I’m wondering, “What were we thinking?” Don’t make the mistake of figuring I think that Mesh STL is a bad band, or that the album is terrible. It’s far from terrible. I’d even venture to say it’s not bad, but do not misunderstand that it’s not a good one either. They’re one of those bands that I wonder if I’d prefer their live music to their recordings. I’d be curious to find out, but it’s their debut, and to my knowledge, their only album, that brings me to this retro review.

Lowercase begins with a song titled, “I Don’t Know”. It’s comprised of some heavy guitar riffs intermingled with similar vocals. At times, the vocals resemble those of Rob Thomas and at other times, they resemble Puddle of Mudd’s, Wes Scantlin, though I’d lean more to the Rob Thomas/Matchbox 20 resemblance. During this song, it is likely that you will not be drawn in. The lyrics are not memorable, the vocals/lyrics are not impressively creative, and the instrumentation is quite simple. Overall, you’d likely hear a better track from either of the forementioned artists. “Gray” is slightly better than its predecessor in a few areas. The musical melodies are more appealing and the chorus of this song is also a bit easier to sing along to. The vocals get a little more gruff and fascinating and there are a few interesting chord choices made. The chorus simply sings, “Sometimes everyone sees gray, and I don’t need to change”. Other than the mentioned improvements of this song, it’s nearly on the same level as “I Don’t Know”. One of the best songs on the album, and I use the term “best” lightly, is titled, “Maybe Tomorrow”. It’s slightly more intriguing with it’s different, lighter intro and the vocals collaborate with the percussion to draw you a little further into the song than you might expect to go, having heard the first couple of songs. The intro remains in the background throughout most of the song, used as a theme. The bridge pulls you right into the chorus with “All you ever wanted, my love. All you ever needed, my love. All the time that’s wasted…” It really prepares you for the abrupt rhythms presented in the chorus. This song also makes several unique rhythmical changes, particularly in the instrumental break after the second chorus. “Maybe Tomorrow” is definitely one of the better experiences you’ll find yourself having with Mesh STL.

Moving right along, you come to a happy little track known as, “Little Star” in which the chorus asks, “Little Star won’t you shine your light down on me? Pick me up when I lose the will to breathe”. It really is a pleasant sounding track in which the percussion remains heavy, but the guitars and vocals have managed to devise melodies that move me into feelings of optimism, however mild they may be. Not their best, but far from their worst on Lowercase. “Contagious” is the fifth track which sounds hopeful for about 16 seconds as you hear a introductory guitar riff that’s slightly reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine. However, after those few seconds are up, you’re immediately brought back to the realization that you will not be so lucky. Mesh STL doesn’t deliver a bad song with “Contagious”, but it’s as if they don’t go the extra mile to give you a winner. For example, after the initial riff (which does repeat itself several times), they have a “random note fest” and completely digress, all the while mixing in some vocal distortion. After that, the vocals and instruments come together for a unified sound, that once again sounds hopefully good, yet they lose me with the melody of the chorus, in which “Contagious” gives up a bit of the harshness that makes it initially appealing. Not a winner either. The next on the list, “Sunday Comes Around” is probably my favorite on the album. Not only does it begin with a good soft guitar melody, it quickly delves off into a bit of roughness, that is appropriately toyed with throughout the entire track. It’s quite singable and you’ll likely want to do that with this track. The bridge in this song is so fun an almost “grunge-esque” before you’re brought back to the familiarity of the song. The thing I don’t like most about this album (the musical choices made that usually ruin the track) are the things which I love most about this song. I’m never expecting the elements that they throw at me, but I’m loving the changes made in this one. “Rather Be Alone” is hardly worth mentioning in that it sounds like every other song you’ve ever heard. As many times as you can listen to this album, you’ll likely forget this track every time. I know I have. Everything in “Rather Be Alone” from rhythms to vocal melodies to lyrics to overall feel are quite cookie cutter. It’s almost as if someone said, “Here, have the recipe for a standard rock song. If you follow this recipe, you’ll surely succeed in being standard.” It’s very forgettable.

“Believe Me” is another one of my favorite tracks on this album and the reasons are definite to me; sounds of two other successful bands are present in this song. During the intro/verses, you can almost bet that you’re listening to the track, “Blurry” from Puddle of Mudd (a musical selection I’m sad to admit that I don’t hate). They didn’t copy anything because POM’s album Clean wasn’t released for another year, but listen to both and you’ll surely notice the similarities. Then, as you move into the chorus, it’s like, “OMG, Finger Eleven stopped by for a visit”. Funny enough, the chorus is not very long in length, so you won’t be graced with their traces for a large amount of time. The resemblances to both bands are super prevalent in this song. That’s my reasoning behind my liking. “Leave” and “No End” are similar to “Rather Be Alone” in that they’re pretty standard. In fact, I often mistakenly confuse them all. While you could maybe listen and hear distinctly different songs, they’re so alike to me that I’d almost repeat myself about the other track. Having said that, here are the key elements of these songs: they sound like another song on this album, they sound like every other mediocre rock song ever, and you’ll probably either forget them or hit your forward button on your iPod/cd player at their intros.

I’m a firm believer in going out strong on your album, and although you’re going to be shocked (oh yes, thick sarcasm), “Falling Into Me” fails to meet my high expectations. This song is best described as being one of their worst on the album, if not taking the cheese altogether. It begins as though it might be a cool track, but what kills this song is a collaboration of mediocre instrumentation and terrible vocal melodies and what sounds to me like forced vocal rhythms. Since the vocalist is consistent in rhythms, you know it’s not a mistake but it still sounds off to my ear. It’s likely just the added notes in the melody that give it that feel, but whatever the case, it’s not good. I’ve heard better musicianship, writing, and performances from teenagers. Crap, I like anything by Creed better than “Falling Into Me”, which should let you know how little I think of it.

Again, Lowercase isn’t a bad album, but it’s terribly mediocre. It’s average to the absolute utmost and that is Mesh STL’s biggest problem here. They sound like decent musicians, and as I said before, I may even like the songs better performed live, but as far as Lowercase goes, it was probably difficult to develop a huge fan base with this album. Oh well, better luck next time.

Key Tracks:
1. “Maybe Tomorrow”
2. “Little Star”
3. “Sunday Comes Around”
4. “Believe Me”

5 out of 10 stars

Headlights: "Some Racing, Some Stopping"

In 2006, I opened my mailbox to find a bubblewrap-lined envelope with my name written on it.  Who doesn’t love coming home to that?  I excitedly tore open the brown mailer to find what would soon become one of my favorite albums of that year; Headlights’ debut LP, Kill Them With Kindness.  It was such a fantastic piece of indie rock, flawless from start to finish, and never letting the 14-song tracklist get the better of them.  If there was any complaint to be found against the album, it was that it lacked focus.  Some songs would be bombastic California rock jams, others meek, reflective indie rock ballads.  This certainly didn’t take away from the greatness of the songs themselves, but it was a feature that some took issue with.  For their second album, Some Racing, Some Stopping, Headlights has tightened their focus; creating 30+ minutes of dreamy, whistful indie pop.  But does this change of style and pace benefit the band the way one would hope?  Keep reading.

Album opener, “Get Yer Head Around It,” starts with a pleasant, innocuous guitar riff that runs into Tristan Wraight’s equally inoffensive vocals.  The one-line hook of, “In silence we’ll both walk away,” is beautifully presented, softly sung over the surrounding instrumentation.  In typical Headlights fashion, the song picks up soon enough and finds Tristan and Erin Fein trading off “bas” and “oohs” in a very Mates of State-ish manner.  It’s a gorgeous song that doesn’t try to do too much.  The next song and first single, “Cherry Tulips,”  is a dreamy, airy indie pop song that is so reminiscent of Rilo Kiley’s The Execution of All Things album, that I found myself wanting to go and listen to it as soon as this song wrapped up.  Fein sings of a sea of Cherry Tulips, confessing, “I want the sea, I want the whole sea for you and me,” as haunting vocals echo her words in the background.  

“Market Girl” is my personal favorite track on the album, due, in part, to the fact that the opening guitar line is so contagious and danceable.  It is indie pop at its most flawless and entertaining.  Tristan takes over on vocals again here, spitting out verses like a tommy-gun spits out bullets (fast),but Erin backs him up gently.  I’ve listened to this song at least a dozen times now, and I still can’t get enough of it.

“On April 2” is the album’s first misstep, finding Fein singing an unaffecting vocal melody over an unrefined and muddled composition of organs, guitars, and drums.  To be sure, this is the first time that Headlights has ever really done such a thing, as every other song of theirs that I know of is at least somewhat catchy.  This one just seems to fall short on so many levels.  It’s short though, so you won’t have to put up for it for too long.  “School Boys” is a softer, more reflective song that once again finds Fein and Wraight trading vocals.  Tristan take the lead, while Erin provides some very well-placed “do do dos.”  The ending of the song finds trumpets and strings harmonizing with one another, adding a small but terrific touch to this simple, yet admirable song.

Title track, “Some Racing, Some Stopping” is equally as simple and impressive, featuring minimal instrumentation and a distinctive lo-fi sound.  Fein sings softly over a rhodes organ, “If you could hold, hold, hold your heart in your hand would no one demand to know how you’re feeling cause you’ve shown them already?” later adding, “With your heart on your sleeve, there’s no secrets you can keep anymore.”  It’s a very touching song, and one that is made better by the fact that it’s so low-key and calming.  “So Much for the Afternoon” is a strange song to say the least.  Featuring no real vocals other than Erin’s airy “oohs” and “aahs,” — which, frankly, we’ve already heard enough of by this point — it fails to capture the attention of the listener.  By the time she actually starts singing actual words, there’s so much reverb on them that it hard to distinguish what she’s actually saying.  It is another unfortunate, skippable track.

“Catch Them All” is, in fact, not the theme song to Pokemon, but how cool would that have been?  Despite that fact, this is one of Some Racing, Some Stopping‘s better tracks that once again picks up the tempo in a way that fans of Headlights are more accustomed to hearing.  It’s got a very bouncy, guitar pop feel to it, and it’s perfectly executed by the band.  “Towers” brings back the organ to complement a very playful, Erin-sung melody.  She sings, “Whisper like a summer breeze, all the secrets secrets keep,” with an innocent tone.  As usual, things eventually build, adding in more assertive drums, and strings all the way to the song’s abrupt end.  The album ends with “January,” a solemn, comedown track.  Wraight does vocals here, which is good because his voice is more suited to this type of song.  Xylophones, steady guitar strums, and what I believe is the faint sound of a harmonium really carry this song and make it more poignant that it should be.  Wraight is able to slip out a tired line like, “Time just marches on,” on more than one occasion, but everything is so perfectly orchestrated that it’s difficult to not let it come in and affect you.

In the end, Some Racing, Some Stopping, is not as flawless as its predecessor.  It’s biggest drawback is its lack of immediate appeal.  It took me a few listens to get used to the band’s new style and sound, and even more for me to appreciate it as it deserved to be.  But after all those listens, I can’t help but be pleased with my experience with Headlights’ new album.  While it does have a few low points, the majority of Some Racing, Some Stopping is a beautiful, though not entirely unique, piece of indie pop that is sure to be playing in my stereo well into 2008.  I highly recommend this album to everyone that liked Kill Them With Kindness (especially the tracks, “Signs Point to Yes (But Outlook Not So Good),” and “Pity City”).  It may take a few listens to get your head around it, but it will be worth it.

Key Tracks:

1. “Get Yer Head Around It”

2. “Cherry Tulips”

3. “Market Girl”

4. “Some Racing, Some Stopping”

5. “January”

7 out of 10 Stars

Top 5 Friday: My 5 Favorite Places to See a Live Show

I sat down and made a list of all the shows I’ve ever been to. No dates, just acts and places. Three pages later, I had a list that spanned several states, countries, and continents. Narrowing it down further, I managed to come up with my Top 5 Favorite Places to See a Live Show…and while three of them are here in Texas and one of them is a sentimental favorite, they are truly 5 places I love to go to see a live act. I have a lot of fond memories of these places and I’ve spent a lot of time waiting in line at all but one of them and if I had to, I could break it down by best performance of my favorite song by a specific group in each and every venue on my list.

And please, if you feel compelled, let me know what your favorite concert venues are. I’m always curious…

5. Southpark Meadows: Austin, Texas

425 acres of nothing at Slaughter Lane and I-35 in Austin. Well, I can’t say for sure there was nothing else there because 425 acres is a lot and it wasn’t like you could just tour it at will. What was there once? Southpark Meadows, the outdoor concert venue. You drove in, parked in a field, walked down hill and there it was…a stage in all it’s glory with trees as a back drop and enough space to sit with some privacy should you so desire it. (That really depended on the show, though.) A building off to the left and a corral, basically, where you could see tour buses parked. In the background, those famous Texas oaks and cliffs. I saw Phish, The Dave Matthews Band, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, and Erykah Badu there, all at seperate times and all putting on fantastic shows in the summer Texas heat.

Now? Southpark Meadows, or 1.2 million square feet of it at least, is an upscale shopping/eating/living complex with condos, family homes, and doctors offices galore. Until recently, the old Southpark Meadows sign was still up and it made me so sad to see it. Sure, it was nice for the memories, but it’s bittersweet all the same. Do we really need yet another Best Buy and Chilis? (I’m sorry, a Borders and Cinemark Theater according to the pictures in the link.)

4. The Backyard: Austin, Texas

Let me paint you a picture of what used to be my most favorite place to see a show. Bee Caves Road and Highway 71 West? There was nothing there but a convenience store and a small coffee shop in front of the Backyard’s main offices. Up the way in one direction is a small suburban-ish type town and in the other direction, the Texas Hill Country. Huge dirt and gravel parking lot with a concrete area in front of a rickety old ticket booth. A long arm painted green and chained to a fence kept people out until it was time and was the entrance to a short walk downhill into the actual amphitheater. You lined up starting at that long green arm for shows and directly opposite of that was a gate that went downhill into where tour buses waited. The backstage area, basically. There were Oaks and misc. other assorted trees and on a clear night, there were stars. Lots and lots of stars. If you were there early enough, as I was for many an Ani diFranco or Willie Nelson show, you were treated to a sound check in a very majestic setting and if you stood in the right spot, you could see everything on stage. There was literally nothing out there and it gave it a very isolated feel, but it was oh-so-beautiful and a nice drive.

Now? The Backyard is still there but it’s lost it’s charm to those unsightly mini-malls that seem to be popping up everywhere in suburbia. This one is called the Shops at the Galleria and if you want to get to the Backyard, you have to basically walk through it to get to the entrance and rather than be surrounded by a dark Texas 11 p.m. with stars, you’re surrounded to the vapor lights of a Best Buy parking lot. This makes me sad because I used to love going to the Backyard. The waiting, the trees, the stars, the being in the middle of nowhere quality it had to it. My favorite time ever? Being the first in line and the first person to walk into the amphitheater, where I turned around to look for my friends and discovered I was the only person in there. It lasted for about 30 seconds, but it’s something I’ll never forget.

3. The Shoreline Ampitheater: Mountain View, California

We venture out of Texas and to California where I once had the pleasure of seeing New Order and The Cure at the Shoreline. And the BareNaked Ladies. (Who, believe it or not, put on a GREAT show.) It has always reminded me of Space Mountain at Disneyland, with it’s white tent that houses the stage. There are nearly 7 thousand fixed stadium type seats and a grass area that makes it a place that you can rock out (to borrow a lame phrase) with 25 thousand of your closest friends. It’s so big that not only have I gotten lost there (twice) I’ve never felt like I was with 25 thousand other people. Really, that’s a blessing because being around 25 thousand all black clothing wearing, eyeliner loving, Clove smoking kids is really not that fun after about an hour, no matter how much you like The Cure. Awesome views of the Bay Area make up for the sometimes poor sound and the fact that you can roam and listen to your favorite songs live always made it an enjoyable place for me. Too bad it’s so far away.

2. Tomorrowland Terrace: Tomorrowland, Disneyland, Anaheim, California
No, really. Tomorrowland. It was the first place I ever saw a live show. After the Adventure Thru Inner Space building (a ride, for the record, that terrified me. Google it and you’ll know why) and in the shadow of Space Mountain was a food court. Tomorrowland Terrace. Ride Space Mountain a few times, eat something, go over to get on Captain Nemo’s submarine. It was the normal course of events for a Disneyland visit.

I’d been there like a thousand times before that fateful day of my first live concert. Open and airy with lots of potted plants and this circular area there in the middle that no one ever sat on. And there were spires. White, silver, and blue spires to match the top of Space Mountain. They had the best french fries, those crinkle cut ones, that came in a red and white checked boat. I was 12 that day, I mean, it was literally my birthday and up from the ground, there on that round section in the center of the Terrace, like a Phoenix rising up from the ashes was…Donnie and Marie.

That’s right. My first legitimate concert experience was Donnie and Marie, by surprise and quite by accident, at the Tomorrowland Terrace. They did two songs and I only remember one, “I’m A Little Bit Country…” They were decked out in matching white satin-esque outfits covered with rhinestones that carried on the Space Mountain theme. They looked so very…futuristic with the costumes and the mist and the rising. They came up out of the ground out of nowhere. No announcement, no fanfare, nothing. The potted plants and the spires disappeared and there was Donnie. And Marie. There were lots of screaming girls and it was as if the entire visitor population in the park that day suddenly appeared in Tomorrowland.

1. Floore’s Country Store: Helotes, Texas

Hey, it’s like 5 minutes from my house! (Or 55, depending on how you hit traffic in my immediate neighborhood.) Part bar, part restaurant, you can’t really tell from the outside that there’s a stage and a huge area for standing, dancing, or sitting at the picnic tables strewn about. There are some epic historic signs out front, including the one that still advertises Willie Nelson playing there every Saturday night and inside there’s a stall in the ladies with graffiti that reads “Sex can wait masturbate!” (Oddly enough, when they repainted that particular bathroom last year, they left that bit of graffiti in tact.) The tables in the bar are bolted to the floor, there are signs that declare you’ll be fined at least $250 for fighting, and there are old cowboy boots that hang from the ceiling, signed by each person who’s ever played live there. It’s in downtown Helotes, which really isn’t much of a downtown considering it’s on a Main Street that consists of 2 antique stores, a Survey company, some yuppy eatery that’s always busy, and a bicycle shop. It’s a small stage and I’ve been there for Nickel Creek (three times), Dwight Yoakam, and Lucinda Williams. What I love about it is that there’s about a two foot gap between the stage and the front row, which is my essential spot for concert going. Sure, there’s a guard rail there, but two feet gives it the best intimate feeling ever. Nothing says a great show like being close enough to touch someone.

Bonus: two feet, 3 instances of near tragic experiences that would have been so awesome. Twice nearly kicked in the face by Chris Thile and once had a Mandolin string bust and hit my arm, avoiding my precious eyes.

Double bonus: they have the best Mac-n-Cheese and if you’re ever in Helotes for lunch (and have a desire to kick it with the farmer/contractor/sherriffs department crowd), I’m there at least 3 times a week either on the porch or under the Willie Nelson boot #5 in the bar.

Moods – Sickly

I said to Cale the other day via email “I would really like to take a bottle brush to my throat and scratch it. Horrid graphic, I know, but I want every one to know how miserable I am.”

Itchy, raw, even itchier…my poor throat. All I wanted to do was scratch that itch.

I’m not sure he really wanted or needed that graphic. I’m not sure that anyone that got an email from me that day really needed that graphic, but I shared it because I could. I shared it because I was downright miserable for days with a sore throat. In fact, it wasn’t until yesterday that I regained any sort of voice and when I do speak, my voice fades quickly.

I have to be able to talk. I’m the “talky” type. It’s in my blood to yap. Stupid sore throat.

Here’s what I don’t get about “flu season”: you’re sick. Your kids are sick. Your spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, grandma, great aunt Jane are all sick. Why do you still insist on carting them around creation where they drop their used Kleenex, sneeze without covering their noses, and cough while trying to speak, polluting the non-“flu season” air with their disease? There honestly isn’t enough hand sanitizer in the world that’s going to keep your illness at bay, yet there you are, willingly spreading it as you go to the movies, the post office, the grocery store, or just…anywhere. And why — why — do you always have to say “Oh, I’m over it, you won’t catch it?” when we all know you aren’t over it and you’ve given it to about 45 people before me. I mean, are you so miserable you have to make everyone else miserable with you? Do you like watching people suffer? Is this your revenge for being picked last in grade school Dodge Ball?

Clearly, being ill makes me a little cranky too. But really, I stayed home sick, why couldn’t everyone else?

So in honor of my disease, whatever it may be, a play list of songs about the various ailments that one can find themselves victim to. Of. Songs about drugs, seizures, heart attacks, and the desire to just be sedated until it all passes…I only wish I felt less sickly to enjoy it as much as I’m sure some of you will.

Sickly, as defined by Websters:

1. not strong; unhealthy; ailing.
2. of, connected with, or arising from ill health
3. marked by the prevalence of ill health, as a region
4. causing sickness.
5. nauseating.
6. maudlin and insipid; mawkish
7. faint or feeble, as light or color.

Video of the Week – Week 59

My apologies. My intention was to have Headlights’ new album, Some Racing, Some Stopping reviewed by yesterday. Unfortunately, my copy didn’t come in until yesterday afternoon (darn you Presidents Day!), so you’ll have to wait a few more days for that one. In the meantime, here’s the video to the album’s first single, “Cherry Tulips.” Headlights seem to be content with filling the gap in the indie rock scene that Rilo Kiley left when they went all Fleetwood Mac, and I’m cool with that. It’s definitely a different sound that we’ve heard from them in the past, but sometimes different is good.

Enjoy!

“Cherry Tulips” – Headlights, from the album, Some Racing, Some Stopping.