Getting my Shit Together!

So on a depressing Sunday morning (even though it's sunny out) I decided to read last year's New Years resolutions. Not sure I met any of them but the one I found most prolific was to stop bashing bands on my blog. That must have been before I kicked the Valium habit (that was another resolution) because I did continue that and plan to continue this tradition through the year of 2008.

I never actually stick to resolutions but more or less write them so I have something to laugh at the next January 1st. So here we go. Buckle up, sit back and read 10 things that will probably never happen.

1) Get a boyfriend
-This has nothing to do with wanting a boyfriend. The whole concept really turns me off and I don't think I have ever enjoyed being single as much as I do now. However in order to discontinue some of my current behaviors I can only imagine a boyfriend would do this. The other option of a chastity belt and rehab just doesn't sound too appeasing.

2) Continue acting like I am 24 without guilt.
-Ever since I have moved back from LA I have finally started having fun and not being the ass hole at home on a Friday night. However some of my actions have derived a decent amount of this thing called guilt. Maybe without it I would actually get out of control but I am sick of waking up and cringing due to the night before. I am one my youngest friends so I should revel in this and remind all the 30 somethings how awesome that is.

3) Try to remember what a life plan is
-I used to have pretty much everyday of the next 5 years mapped out. Now I am lucky if I can figure out Wednesdays. Then again I am supposed to be in D.C. working as a journalist in some brownstone by now. After LA I just gave up on knowing what I should be doing with myself. Its actually way less stressful. Actually I think its a good thing. nevermind.

4) Dust more.
-I can see the dust on the tv and the wall clock. People must judge me.

5) Stop telling people I have a cat and then say he only has one eye.
-It's not even a disability and yet I feel the need to enlighten everyone of this fact. It's like when my grandma starts out a story with "I was talking to this Black man..." only to finish the story and realize race had nothing to do with it. I am sorry Odi.

6) Be on time.
-I am such a procrastinator and its already 2. I am going to be late. Sorry I didn't make it to 10.

The Shortcomings of Bloggers

You can read the other (wrong) opinion here

99.9% of people who write about music, do it for the wrong reasons. These hipster douche bags possess high trafficked blogs for one purpose. They want to be the tastemakers. These were the kids in high school who sat in the corner picking their noses, had their first sexual experience at 25 and still own an Atari. Lucky for these freaks, unattractive traits are now dubbed "cool."

Then there is me. Heather "the one" Nordeen. My awesomeness is not transmitted by a 3,000-word essay on the technical innerworkings of Grizzly Bear’s new single. No! I am here to pull the reproduction shag rug out from under all the ass holes who think they are making amazing music and in turn, remind the music blogging community that we have a responsibility to blog the bad.

This isn’t about YOU, the blogger and how extraordinary your music tastes are. This is about outing all the artists and bands who are taking us down a very dark road.
They are forcing my peers and I to be remembered with the same disdain as the disco generation. This is the red scare and I am Joseph McCarthy.

I have been on many a first date where things are going well and then after too many vodka-crans I ask the infamous question, "Who are your favorite bands?" Soon a small about puke wanders its way up my throat as the person in front of me responds with "Jens Lekman, Xiu Xiu, MIA, Deerhunter, Animal Collective. You know." I suddenly realize the person who I was considering sleeping with is absent a brain and a walking Stereogum blog.

As bloggers, we must remind these impressionable idiots that there is such a thing as your own opinion in music. Yes its possible you might loose some of your "hipster cred" (which some people I know hold on a pedestal) but at least when Brooklyn Vegan posts about how great Ashlee Simpson’s new album is you will be able to stop and say NO! This is wrong!

We can’t continue to allow these bloggers to let their narcissistic music picks dictate our lives. Of course some of the bands that these blogs say are wonderful, are wonderful. But I am not here to say "good job!" I am here to tell Brandon Flowers he is a Mormon douche obsessed with early Springsteen. God has put me on this earth to remind people that just because a band has an animal in its name does not make it groundbreaking.

You can call me a hypocrite and say I am no different than the rest but you are wrong. What separates me from the music-nazi bloggers is that I am never wrong. I am amazing. I am Heather "the one" Nordeen and my criticisms are as good as the word of God.

Blog WAR

If my rantings on musical blasphemy aren't enough conflict for you, the blog of all blog wars has begun between my #1 BFF and myself. Though he may present some sort of challenge I have confidence that I shall come out as the winner of each and every entry. There has been some misgivings about how this conflict originally began. Though he may have impregnated me with Satan's offspring, I believe the issue started in the recovery room after his unfortunate accidental sex change. He couldn't seem to find humor in having his genitals removed instead of his tonsils. His lack of regard for this amusing situation forced me to start the blog war, as a means to help him cope with the loss. Though I may hold some sympathy, I will crush him. Let it begin... And one more thing...who the hell is Ben Goots?

The Obligatory Rivers Cuomo Post

First I want to make something clear: I haven’t listened to this album and have no plans to. I devoted a good seven years of my life to this man so don't tell me I am being a hypocrite. I don't have to listen to it to rail on it. Do you go to the wedding of the ex who is getting married to the girl he cheated on you with before you bitch him out? NO!

Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo is full of eighteen tracks of music that Rivers recorded from 1992 to 2007. I admit that I might really appreciate hearing the original recording of Buddy Holly or unheard songs from the ominous Black Hole album. However, I got fucking principles. Not to mention there just happen to be three other band members involved and yet this is a Rivers Cuomo album?

So why blog about an album I have never heard? Because to this day I cannot retire the disdain and anger I have towards Rivers reprehensible behavior that started with The Green Album. Its not just what happened after Pinkerton, it’s the fact that to this day Rivers still doesn’t realize what he did to some of us. Ten years later he thinks we have all gone away or forgotten. Well I haven’t forgotten about Hash Pipe and I am not alone. If hell continues to freeze over Weezer will make another album and unless time travel is invented and Rivers can go back and tap that talented naïve little boy, we are in for another musical disaster.

People tell me I need to move on with my life, leave The Blue Album and stop singing My Name is Jonas when I am getting fisted by the gyno to calm myself. But I won’t. I refuse. If it wasn’t for that album I wouldn’t know the difference between Three Dog Night and Nate Dog. We can’t forget until one day Rivers is sitting in his Asian pagoda, clutching his guitar, singing El Scorpio in between sobs as he realizes what he did to us. I will never forget.

Back

I left the blogging planet for a short while but I am now back. Though I seem to focus on music I have decided to make things a bit more general since the Killers won't have a new album out anytime soon. I have an inclination that this is going to be the biggest thing to hit the internet since porn, so sit back and enjoy my pure wit, intellect and life lessons.

Control-Now Shall I Hang Myself Too?

I've had enough tormented musician ex-boyfriends, though fortunately for
me they never it made it big, never got me pregnant and never hung
themself by a closeline. As much as Ian Curtis was a talented and confused
soul, I felt that "Control" contectualized his story as opposed to
glorifying his life and choices. I have many times found myself wanting to
be part of the band of characters in films like Almost Famous and The
Doors. I have always wanted to play a quintessential role in a band and no
I don't mean the groupie. However after watching Control I was reminded of
all the shit that went along with it and that in the end its not all its
cracked up to be.

Although most people liked 24 Hour Party People, I didn't. Maybe it was
because the idea of having to be in a room with a douche like Tony Wilson
threw me off but in all reality I don't feel that Ian Curtis was explored
in the film correctly. Sam Riley embodied him well but to my recollection,
he sings a song, has an epileptic fit then committs suicide only for
Wilson to say something nasty at his funeral. Maybe Curtis was an idiot
for taking his own life but I do think that his life and Joy Division's
contribution to Facotry Records should have been more emphasized in this
film.

Control only neglected two things for me when it comes to showing who Ian
Curtis was. First his childhood and family life. There are only two scenes
including his parents and we never get a feel for them. Despite being
offered a scholarship, Curtis never took his academic abilities anywhere
despite his talent for writing but this is left out. More time is spent on
Curtis and his friend at an older woman's house finding prescription
drugs, however that is the only scene in the film dedicated to drug use
that isn't part of Ian's epilepsy, though drugs and mainly alcohol played
a role in his downward spiral. I suppose as a director Corbijn choose to
focus on certain things, along with Debbie Curtis' book and Curtis' main
problems was his depression, relationships and epileptic fits.

What bothered me most in the film was the relationship between Debbie, Ian
and his mistress Annik. Being based on Debbie Curtis book I thought more
symphathy would go along with her character, played by Samantha Morton but
her naive and passive choices made me dispise her as much as I did Ian. I
feel that "Love Will Tear Us Apart" has just become another clique in the
world of dead musicians but Control made me realize why this sentence is
so true. And no it isn't some glamorized truth about love and tortured
souls, its about people who make poor and selfish decisions and how they
effect those around them. Musicians are people too and just because they
overdose, drown or hang themselves doesn't mean that their legacy trumpts
their mistakes.

The Police at The Grammy's-Someone Shoot Me

Was it the leather vest, the hints of geriatrics or possibly the fact that Sting wasn’t able to move from the waist down while performing? I’m not sure but after last night’s Grammy performance I hope that The Police reunion comes to an abrupt end via Sting injuring himself during tantric yoga.
From about the age of three I listened to The Police. I loved every song, though I couldn’t appreciate it for what it was at the time; now I can. An album like “Brand New Day” is truly unforgivable but for some reason I thought they might be able to resurrect themselves. It would have made more since to do it at Coachella but signing on for the Grammy’s was the first sign of disaster.
Just because you had a good thing doesn’t mean you can come back to it 20 years later and it will still be the same. I don’t believe there is anyway to salvage The Police and its time for them to throw the towel in. Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland could have had the balls to just say no to Gordan Sumner and his black leather vest. When your front man turns to the dark side of adult contemporary you have to just keep walking.

SXSW-The Pain I Feel

I’ve been waiting for this day for quite some time now and I just don’t feel whole again like I had expected. Is it Interpol, is the ridiculous $425 I am supposed to drop or maybe it’s the fact that I have had such a shitty week not even SXSW can make it better.

Let us begin with Interpol. In the big scheme of things it doesn’t make any sense for a band like Interpol to play the festival or at least not be part of the line-up. But then of course rumors, along with an initial list said that they would be playing. Today the official list did come out and their name was very apparently missing. Now I realize I will get to see them at Coachella but it will also be with a few thousand sweaty drugged out people. I rather see them in an intimate setting and at a festival like SXSW . So most likely they will play but it will be one of those super secret, announced at the last minute things. My relationship with Capitol is not what I would like it to be and I am worried that disaster may occur and I won’t get in. This leads me to my next point…press passes.

I won’t name names, I won’t be specific but despite my job, company and previous involvement in Austin but since when did press passes have a dollar amount? I called bullshit on this but still nothing. I am not going down there to pay to interview bands on top of having to drop massive amounts of cash on the a hotel, flight and what not. Now of course this isn’t just for me this is for all registrants who are expected to pay that amount for their badge. I realize these people have to make money but I think it is absolutely outrageous. Why should music cost so much? They are going out of their way to make it an environmentally friendly festival well while you are at it why not make it affordable to the normal fan who doesn’t have 500 bucks to drop to see bands. I can understand a figure somewhere around 250 but the badges are just too fucking expensive.

I really didn’t think I would ever get down on SXSW but from I have never encountered such blatant rudeness in a professional setting. I hate that people should have to pay all this money to see all these amazing bands. It gets to the point where you have to be somebody or have some real cash to go there and that’s not right. Of course there has to be money to pay these bands, there has to be profit but something tells me those badges are paying for more that five days of music.

Don’t get me wrong I am still really excited about some of the artists who will be there. Its going to be an amazing five days but its also going to force me to eat Macaroni and Cheese for months at a time. I like compromise but I just don’t see any here.

The Theory of Integrity

When one sets out to write the next great American novel, the most influential album of the century or become the most radical artist of the past twenty years, ambition takes hold and disappointment soon follows. Then there are those who make their mark and are compared to those who have changed the world forever, and many times join those ranks. These people succeed because this was never their sole purpose, only a result of an unassuming attempt. Not all efforts lead to the golden road of succe

ss but the pretentious ones will never find their pot of gold because they were searching for it from day one. They disregard the fact that you can’t create something extraordinary when you loose your integrity along the way or never had it in the first place.

So of whom am I speaking of? In this oversaturated materialistic world we live in, unfortunately most everyone but for now I would like to focus on a few that make this decree a rule in music. The Killers, Sam’s Town is “one of the best albums in the past 20 years". If only someone other than Brandon Flowers had said this they might not fall into my law of egotism. Unfortunately, Flowers was quoted saying this while still recording the record. Sam’s Town is definitely an attempt at greatness but the blatant goal of being the next Pink Floyd is more apparent than their talent in the 12 tracks that litter the polycarbonate plastic it resides in.

So what was running through Flowers mind as he crafted the imagery of cliché archetypes, religious references and imitated personas? When one tries too hard it becomes blatant in what they create. After a few times through Sam’s Town it becomes sadly apparent that while writing the album Flowers was not only listening to Springsteen, he was studying it. When Springsteen recorded Nebraska in his room on a four track player I doubt his ambitions took over as The Killers did. This unpretentious effort is what allowed Springsteen to create musical masterpieces. Hot Fuss came out of nowhere and although it wasn’t an album to remember for centuries, it introduced a few well crafted pop songs. Whether Mr. Brightside was a fluke or someone in that band happens to be a genius is not the issue at hand. The fact is the band still had the opportunity to make a decent follow up but their success from their debut overshadowed any integrity they at one time possessed. Unless a miracle occurs I predict their third album will be the beginning of the end and they will soon fall into oblivion.

Now to those who achieve greatness while exerting humbleness. Arcade Fire’s most recent creation, Neon Bible exemplifies this fact. The record showcases a darker side while every song has a strong driving force behind it that emits a certain feeling to the listener, reminiscent of Born to Run. Already many people have compared Neon Bible to Springsteen and the similarities are clear. However, they are in no way carbon copies of each

other, but each reflecting the same key elements that create these amazing records. Neon Bible doesn’t make me think that Arcade Fire set out to write the next Born to Run, where Sam’s Town does just that. Neon Bible has already surpassed my expectations and has forced me to throw it on repeat. It’s not just the power of the album but the overall feeling I get from the band that are just trying to make good music and won’t let fame, hype or ambition cloud that purpose.

By the time Arcade Fire releases their third album, Brandon Flowers will meticulously be listening to Queen, Zeppelin or even Funeral trying to scrape together some sort of sound he can pass off as original and epic, still in an attempt to make the next best album of the century. Unfortunately for him ambition fueled by arrogance will only lead to a very public failure.

It’s Not the Road We Used to Know-Bright Eyes’ Homecoming

Despite yesterday’s post, not even selling out can defer me from good music. I opened my inbox this morning to Bright Eyes new single, Tourist Trap and it’s been on repeat since.
I was really torn the last year and a half with Digital Ash and I’m Wide Awake. To me Fevers and Mirrors and Lifted have yet to be surpassed. I feel that Connor’s recent dappling with fame and added addictions led to not being able to meld his musical intrigues together. I’ve tried, but Digital Ash can only take me so far without pushing the eject button in my car. I’m Wide Awake its Morning is a different story. I think it might be missing some of the haunting melodies that the other albums have but it’s still an amazing piece of work.
My obsession with music that contains synthesizers can only last so long and its time for a change. And just in time Connor comes along. Tourist Trap is definitely a melodic Yee-ha, with his typical lyrical grandeur. I think that this single is a brilliant prelude into the upcoming EP and hopefully an even better introduction to Cassadaga, which will arrive April 10th.
Bright Eyes is going on a preliminary tour before the release and will be playing in Los Angeles in March. The last time Bright Eyes came through he was only playing Digital Ash tracks so I chose not to go but this time I will definitely be at The El Rey with stirrups on.

Soul For Sale, Do I Hear a Bid?

http://www.betweenplanets.co.uk/2006/12/20/bright-eyes-announce-new-album-and-free-download/
“Selling Out”…such a nasty phrase. These days I try my hardest not to use it or force my judgments on artists that choose to go to major labels. I feel that any artist should be given a chance to come out with an album on a major, and only if the selling out is apparent do I comment. Death Cab, The Decemberists, even Interpol, but its not always bad. There are always going to be different results. We have on one end the amazing The Crane Wife by The Decemberists and on the other the horror that is now the overproduced Modest Mouse. However, there are some artists who stood for something in a very vocal way who do look hypocritical when they make this decision.
I have been listening to Bright Eyes for a long time and despite his sometimes whiny tirades, Connor is an amazing songwriter and capable of things that most musicians can’t touch. At the same time he has also spent a lot of his tracks speaking of his pledge against sell outs, critics and this country. He has always been outspoken in his views and until now I have found this trait highly respectable, despite his manic depressive issues.
If you read the occupying article you now know that Bright Eyes has signed to Polydor in the UK, which is under the Universal Umbrella, otherwise known as the Evil Empire. I know what all you indie snobs are thinking, it’s ok, if not respectable because the only reason he did this was to get distribution on a world wide level, especially in Europe. His publicist even said, “Bright Eyes have been on numerous labels outside of North America over their recording history and the move to Polydor is the newest endeavor to reach as many fans as possible.” Well that’s a nice thought but not true.
Saddle Creek also has an office in London along with distribution throughout Europe, and through many other independent labels. In the year I spent on that side of the ocean I had a boyfriend who would force me to stay in obscure record stores for hours at a time and without fail I could always find Bright Eyes albums, even rarities that I couldn’t get in the US. Maybe he will get a bigger shelf in the Virgin Mega store but it wasn’t like his albums weren’t there in the first place. If there is anyone I expect to hold to their principles its Connor Oberst. The next you know he will be backing Hilary Clinton and dating Cameron Diaz.
Connor once sang, “I feel more like a stranger each time I come home. So I’m making a deal with the devils of fame. Saying “let me walk away, please”
Looks like someone broke their end of the deal.

Jesus and Indie Rock- A Hipster's Nightmare

After reading the recent press on The Cold War Kids and their debated Christian faith I feel it is necessary to give my two cents on the issue of indie rock and Christianity.
http://www.sdcitybeat.com/article.php?id=5267http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/39188/Cold_War_Kids_Robbers_and_Cowards
As Pitchfork so eloquently put it, “hipsters hate Jesus.” This I can understand but when it comes to music I think that some open mindedness should be expected. Plenty of artists sing about things I am not terribly interested in or would ever do, like shooting up heroin, being famous or sleeping with large numbers of women. However, lyrics don’t usually hinder me from getting into a good band. I am sure many of you Jesus hating cool kids are disagreeing with me but let me share some personal experience.
After growing up in a family where my only religion was watching Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth around Christmas time, I didn’t really believe in much, just some form of God. My senior year of high school I randomly found God and Jesus and all that other jazz due to many different circumstances. I then arrived at Seattle Pacific University as a freshmen and though I had found some faith I still had a lot of questions and not much of an understanding of popular Christian culture, especially in my age group. In the year and a half I spent at this school I began to realize just who these “Christians” were. I was forced to go to 20 hours of Christian events a quarter which included guys talking about how they had lost faith and become gay only to be “fixed by Jesus” and were now straight enough to share their stories. I went to the famous Mars Hill Church in Seattle, run by Satan himself Mark Driscall who believes women can not be ordained. Professors who were closeted themselves or ones who cried at the beginning of class begging everyone to spend their big Christian bucks on the starving children in Africa. The main theme in the freshmen dorms was “ring for spring” which quickly led to my rebellion of dating one of the only other outsiders, a guy who wore a tail for fun and would flash his homemade porn belt in the school cafeteria. I would walk a mile just to hide in the woods so I could smoke a cigarette. In the end this school made me loose complete faith in Jesus and I buried myself in music and anything that wasn’t religious, anything. A year and a quarter later I woke up one morning, looked out the window, threw all my crap in my Honda and drove back to Portland. Best decision of my life. I am now an agnostic at best and proud of it.
So why do I tell you this long, pointless story? No it is not my personal pity party. I want to justify the fact that I have had my own horrendous Christian experience before I go on with my argument for hipsters to get off their high horse. And no not all Christians fall into this category, of crazies and hypocrites.
Many amazing bands have Christian jargon or visuals in their music that scares off listeners in tight pants with perfectly placed holes. Or the running phrase I have heard too much of, “They aren’t a Christian band, they are Christians in a band.” In the end who knows if many of these bands are Christians or not and does it really matter if the music is good? To name a few bands that have at some point been associated with Christianity:
Sufjan StevensPedro The LionCold War KidsMute MathU2Bob DylanBelle and Sebastian
I once saw David Bazan of Pedro the Lion get quite angry at a show after having too many interviewers ask him if he was a Christian. I seem to remember him even using the word “Fuck” to show his distain. Of course I also think that there are exceptions to all this. Such as bands that start out as extremely preachy and one sided, only to suddenly not want to talk about their beliefs or no longer sing about them in a direct way because they are picked up by a major label. This is hugely hypocritical and a metaphor for many of the people I went to college with. I think that we can put Switchfoot and POD into this genre, though they were never decent in the first place.
Music is an art form and many people can be deterred because Jesus gets involved. However, Jesus didn’t make the music and as long as no one is asking you to believe in him, you might as well listen. It’s taken me a long time to get to this point of acceptance and I understand that some people just can’t do it. But being a music snob doesn’t mean that you can’t open your ears to bands like Cold War Kids because of their implied beliefs.

This Is The End-Rivers Cuomo Has Broke My Last Straw

Before I begin my tirade, here is the article that Rivers Cuomo of Weezer contributed to The Harvard Crimson Best of ‘06 list. http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=516461Try not to purge your lunch.
I lost faith in Rivers and Weezer a long time ago but this article has completely ripped the groundwork from under my feet and made me question River’s integrity from Day 1 of the Blue Album. Can one person possibly come to these conclusions after being a gimp, losing half their fan base and leaving music behind? Or has he always been this heinous, absolutely nonsensical person? It truly makes me ill to even comprehend such a tragic idea. Not even Shakespeare could imagine such a one sided monstrous person.
Let us first review some of the highlights (if you can call them that), sections of the article.
Danity Kane—“Show Stopper.” I am biologically incapable of not being attracted to this song.
Did he just say that? Biologically incapable? Are you also biologically incapable of being true to your fans and not deserting them? Excuse me, that is an understatement. Forsaking them after Pinkerton to force them to listen to your bullshit ranting on being on an island with a hash pipe? Speaking of islands lets go to the next excerpt.
“Lost”—I’m just about finished with the first season but I think I’m going to have to give it up because it’s too violent.
You have got to be fucking kidding me. Too violent? What is violent is the emotional pain you have caused me since ‘01. This just happens to be my favorite show and the only intelligent thing on television. Who is this guy? There are even Asian women on the show to play to his yellow fever.
And finally to top it all off, this:
Panic At The Disco—“I Write Sins Not Tragedies.” This song seems so avant-garde and yet it’s structurally very simple and repetitive. Good job, kids.
The irony about this statement is that he points out one of the main reasons Panic is such a horrible band; they are simplistic and repetitive, but to him this is a good thing?
On a personal note (not that this whole thing isn’t personal) I came into work today late because I am very sick and while I sat at my computer coughing and sniffling I ran across this article. Not only am I physically ill but I am now emotionally wounded. I feel that this man has no sense of reality anymore. He sits in his little dorm room, listens to Danity Kane and is no longer, if ever, was the Rivers I knew.

The Horror! The Horror!

I know this may sound conceited but they are out to get me. Brandon knew that there were few other things in life that could piss me off more than a Killers cover of Joy Division, especially in a movie about Ian Curtis. He is turning over in his grave. The majority of the soundtrack is done by New Order so of all the other bands in the world to add to this compilation, why The Killers?

Well if you are wondering why this is I have the answer or a portion of it. The film titled, “Control” and based on Ian’s wife Deborah’s book is being directed by Anton Corbijn who is no idiot. He is a famous photographer and music video director. You probably know him from the U2 Joshua Tree cover seen above. He has directed music videos such as the very disturbing Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana, pretty much every Depeche Mode video, and of course The Killers “All These Things I’ve Done.”

Anton Corbijn has an amazing portfolio; he has had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and interesting artists of the past 20 years but I am not sure how The Killers fit into this. Of course any photographer/director is going to work with artists that aren’t so great but why would you choose the Killers to cover Joy Division, who is supposedly one of Corbijn’s favorite artists. It seems that he has close relationships with U2, Depeche Mode, even Morrissey and yet he asks the Killers to contribute to this film. All I can imagine is that he wanted the press, or lost his musical ear sometime after Curtis’ death.

Then again maybe I am being too harsh. This guy has obviously put his all into this film along with Deborah Curtis and I am just bitching about a soundtrack. So many bands that I love have been deeply influenced by Joy Division and I am sure that they effected The Killers along the way also. If I was making this film of course they would be excluded but considering the amazing body of work that Corbijn has created along the way I will have to wait to see the movie before I make any final conclusions on its integrity.

As for The Killers, I can confidently lift my middle finger and ask “how could you?”

I Love You Jimmy

Jimmy is finally going to come out with another album. Futures wasn’t my favorite but it was definitely worth listening to. Butch Vig, producer of the record said “The record is quite eclectic. There are three or four songs that sound like classic Jimmy Eat World, with angular, razor-sharp guitars. There are a couple that are a lot more dreamy, and some that are very groove-acious. Anybody who is fan will like this record.” That right there says it all. Nothing will ever match Clarity but I am counting the days.

Morrissey Takes On Eurovision In A Non-Confrontational Way

Ok so in case you don’t know what Eurovision is its an American Idol meets hell, European style. Morrissey seems to think that he should write the song contest. He never seizes to amaze me by his utter arrogance matched with wanting to be involved with a contest as shit as Eurovision is. Don’t get me wrong I will always be a Morrissey fan but I am not die hard enough to grasp why he is wanting to be part of this crapshoot.

You can read the article at :
http://www.nme.com/news/morrissey/25706

Finally, A Reason To Live

It’s still a few more months before the release of Neon Bible, but with the recent outing of Intervention and Black Mirror I am starting to feel like a whole person again. Unlike a lot of my other favorite bands I had few doubts that Arcade Fire would do anything less than blow me away with this album. They bring a sound that is not only unmistakable but so unlike anything else you can’t escape their brilliance.

Many bands (I won’t mention names) attempt to make an epic album with a lasting resonance but fail because they are so aware of their objective and allow their ambitions to take over. Arcade Fire creates an extraordinary sound but lack the hedonism that engulfs others. In the musical world of facades and self importance, this band reminds me what music is about, instead of getting lost in all the mess of spectacle along the way.

If all goes well in the world of 2007 Arcade Fire, Interpol and Bright Eyes will bring me a new respect for music and remind me why I got into this mess in the first place because the past year of music and exposure to this industry has managed to dissuade me from my original purpose.

Modest Mouse-Dead On Arrival

I know I know this has happened so many times to me but everytime I still feel the need to complain and take offense. I started listening to Modest Mouse many many years ago while living in Seattle and being angry at the world. Despite the many horror stories from people who were one time close to Issak and his craziness, I still appreicated his raw honesty and blatantly destructive outlook on the world. It can really cheer you up with all the rain and fir trees looming around. I have been appeased until Sony came along and ruined my party and I can only assume Issak got money hungry. At the same time I don’t like blaming the major labels for the artists choice to go more mainstream with them music. I remember when they used to play off of a laptop on stage, before they had someone for every instrument and strange noise that he feeds off of.

The point is I listened to Dashboard today (www.myspace.com/modestmouse), their new song from the new record and well its overproduced (for Modest Mouse that is) and just even more mainstream than the last album. I can’t help but get bitter when my favorite bands from previous years loose their integrity. Usually crazy whack jobs like Issak are so errogant and stubborn they don’t let the influences get in but obviously something has taken over because the raw, unihibited Modest Mouse I once knew is gone. I realize there are still at least another 10 songs to change my mind that I have yet to hear but I am going to just prejudge and say that the band is right and they were dead before the ship even sank.

The Beginning of the End-Or the Best Five Days of My Life?

So this is it, the initial line up, my motivation to look both ways and not get run over for the next three months, but is it true? Can it be true? Sure Interpol isn’t Smashing Pumpkins or The White Stripes and they will have a new album to push but will they really play SXSW or pull out like all the other mother fuckers on a major label? One can only hope. Of course if they play I will be able to see them for the millionth time but life was just a lot better when they were on Matador. I have been worried since the switch that this third album will be the sequel to my lifetime Weezer nightmare. Of course Antics isn’t Pinkerton but they are well on their way to prove $$$ signs count over talent and integrity.

But going along with my New Years resolution I must convince myself that their third full length is going to blow my mind, that they won’t pull out of the festival and somehow one of the Capitol peeps will come through and I will get to share my thoughts and feelings from the past three years with the band so that they don’t pull a Rivers on me.

As for the rest of the line up Bloc Party will definitely make me happy as long as Panic doesn’t tag along as they have been and you can’t go wrong with Cold War Kids. I have also heard rumors that Snowden shall be attending, a band who wouldn’t pull out and who I think is amazing and sadly left out of a lot of the best of ‘06 lists. Despite my accommodation at the Rodeway Inn I think it should be a good SXSW .

New Years Resolution or Restitution

I don’t enjoy doing the whole New Years resolution thing but I think that a slight compromise might be in order this year. I seem to spend most of my time on my blog and Mog bashing bands such as The Killers and Panic! but I feel that all the negativity is really getting me down. I think we all know my glass will never be half full but at least I can fill it with chocolate milk as opposed to rat poison.

Of course I still don’t find anything compelling about Sam’s Town but after a long conversation I recently had with some musically inclined people, I have found that if it wasn’t for bands like The Killers I wouldn’t have as great of appreciation for the artists I think are doing something completely original.

We’ll see where this leads me, maybe a little sprinkle of happiness or possibly explode in my face, due to my normal blog repertoire.