24.6.08

Find your own way back to the center

I stumbled upon San Francisco's Lovelikefire about a week ago. Sorry, I have no idea why it's all one word. Maybe all the good band names really are taken. I already had plans to go to Los Angeles over the weekend, so I missed their gig here this past Friday night. So far, I like what I've heard of them, it's kinda guitar-oriented dream pop or indie rock. Take your pick, or make something else up.

I like the singer's voice, she sorta reminds me of Siouxsie Sioux, just in the way she enunciates her words. They're in the studio working on their debut album, which apparently is coming in the fall. In the meantime, you can stream the entire
An Ocean In The Air EP here and you can click here for other miscellaneous tracks.

So far, S.O.S. is my favorite track. I love the way it flows, and when she wails, "find your own way back to the center", I dunno, it just soars. It's a solid EP, so here's hoping the debut comes out just as good, if not better. You can buy
An Ocean In The Air, along with their Bed of Gold EP, on their website. They have tshirts, too!

Lovelikefire > S.O.S.

18.6.08

California Love #9: Tool > Aenima

I'm off to Los Angeles this weekend, heading down with a friend to go check out the new Largo location. Jon Brion is playing, it should be pretty cool.

In any case, the LA trip brings me to another song about California, Tool's Aenima. From what I know, this song is based on part of a Bill Hicks routine about how he hates Los Angeles. Part of the song refers to Arizona Bay, which is what might be left if California fell into the ocean. Arizona Bay is also the title of an album by Bill Hicks.

The singer calls LA a "great big neon distraction" and warns listeners that they'd best "learn to swim", as he is hoping for the big one to hit. My favorite part is his rant about the Los Angeles inhabitants.

Fuck L Ron Hubbard and Fuck all his clones. Fuck all those gun-toting Hip gangster wannabes. Learn to swim. Fuck retro anything. Fuck your tattoos. Fuck all you junkies and Fuck your short memory. Learn to swim. Fuck smiley glad-hands With hidden agendas. Fuck these dysfunctional, Insecure actresses. Learn to swim. Cuz I'm praying for rain and I'm praying for tidal waves I wanna see the ground give way. I wanna watch it all go down.

I don't know. I joke about hating LA quite a bit, but I really don't care in all honesty. I wouldn't want to see it obliterated like in the song, LA has its charms, and I suspect that Tool might be being a bit cheeky since they are still based there. It's still a great song, though, so check it out if you're unfamiliar with it.


Tool > Aenima


15.6.08

I thought my life would be different somehow

Aimee Mann really hits a nerve sometimes. Man, she just hits it right on the fucking head. I love this. She's brilliant. I love her. Awesome. Check this off her new album, Smilers.

Aimee Mann > 31 Today

12.6.08

California Love #8: The Ramones > California Sun

It's been a while since I rocked a California song, so here I am. Originally performed in 1961 by a dude called Joe Jones, California Sun hit the charts a few years later when a band called The Rivieras covered it. I discovered it by way of the Ramones.

Way back when, I was friends with this guy who was into the Ramones. A bunch of us used to hang out after school and watch Rock n' Roll High School, which is still one of my favorite movies, and that was how I came to know this song. The weather has been really warm this week, and I overheard somebody say something about the "California sun" while going to get my lunch today. Voila.

The Ramones > California Sun

7.6.08

Saturday Night Church

Let's start one up. Mysterious. Shadowy. Enigmatic. Ominous. Sinister. People will speak in tongues. We'll have a snake-handler. Blood will drip from the walls. We'll have a secret handshake. We'll sing the praises of robots and ninjas while shunning pirates (because pirates are lame). We'll watch monster movies from sundown to sunrise. I'll bring beer, chips and guacamole. This will be our theme song. Anybody in?

Tuatara > Saturday Night Church

2.6.08

Finding my way back home...

Every so often, I get emails from this guy I know. I met him a long time ago, maybe around 91ish or so. I don't see him much anymore, I think he and his wife are working on their third or fourth kid. One of the things we had in common was (don't laugh) a love for the band, Rush. I know, I know, I've heard all the shit whenever I mention that band, so don't bother telling me now. The point is, we liked them and we still like them.

So this friend of mine emails me Rush news every other year or so, and that's pretty much our communication these days. Last week, I get this succint email:


John Rutsey is dead.

For the uninitiated, John Rutsey was the original drummer for Rush. He played on the first album, which was released in 1974, and left the band afterwards for health reasons. Neal Peart was brought on to be the replacement drummer, and that lineup continues today. Here's a track from that first album,
R.I.P. dude.

Rush > Finding My Way