Category Archives: Hello Sadness

Nov22

Best Band Shirt Contest Results

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I know I said 7ish for the results.  But, in my defense, I had to print some business cards, wash my hair and watch TV.  Vital things, people.  Oh, and if you haven’t listened to “Hello Sadness” by Los Campesinos! yet…do it.  For real.  This album is rocking my world AND I’M ONLY ON THE THIRD SONG.  Don’t worry, chicks.  An album review will be forthcoming.

But, before I get to excited talking about Los Campesinos! and my desire to stalk them and squeal like a little girl when I meet them, let’s get back to the contest.

The contest has come full circle (please hear that last sentence in a Darth Vader voice…it’s necessary).  And there is, as it turns out, a decisive winner.  But first, the up-runners:

 

Tying for 5th place:

Sleigh Bells and Linkin Park.

The Sleigh Bells shirt, entered by Jimmy Proszeck:

“I chose it because I think music should reflect pop culture, even if it feeds on itself, which actually happens a lot.  So I chose the Sleigh Bells jersey because it parodies the old Chicago Bulls jersey basketball legend Michael Jordan wore.”

Oddly enough, I picked the shirt for the poll for the same reason that Jimmy picked it.  I liked the throwback to Jordan’s jersey.

The Linkin Park shirt was entered by Ashley Gatlin, but she was unavailable for comment (Note: I love saying that.  Unfortunately, she left her phone in Chicago in an attempt to evade my desperate attempts to reach her.  I find this rude and shall immortalize that rudeness here.  The perfect revenge!).

I picked the shirt because I loved the little video game-esque people on it.  Made me giggle.

In 4th place:

Mister Heavenly.

The Mister Heavenly shirt, entered by Nicole Montgomery:

“The pineapple skinned Noriega, cause he had the nickname Pineapple…face?  Something like that.  For his acne scars.  So, clever, clever shirt.”

I picked it because I thought it looked fun.  After reading what Nicole sent me, I realized that I picked it for all the wrong reasons.  I have been put ever so in my place.

In 3rd place:

Tommy & The High Pilots.

The Tommy & The High Pilots shirt, entered by Brett Zeiler:

“[I picked it] because I knew you liked the shirt and it would give me the best odds of making it to the final poll.”

Yeah.  He pandered.  Did it work?  Yeah.  But only because the shirt is really sweet.  Oh, and have I mentioned that I’m going to a Tommy & The High Pilots concert this Friday?  I have?  Well, just thought I’d remind you.

And now.  The moment most of you probably didn’t bother reading through the post to see…the runner-up is:

Regina Spektor.

The Regina Spektor shirt, entered by Katie Rauhoff:

“1. The shirt “name” is “No Surprises”
2. The proceeds of the shirt go to help Doctors Without Borders. Regina Spektor sold it at a Haiti Relief concert and continues to sell it for the cause of helping the good doctors.AND
3. The person with an unusual head is reading a book. YAY reading!
PS-The name is also a Radiohead song, “No Surprises” I like that it combines two musical talents.”

I loved this shirt.  I mean, who sees shirts like that ever?  Also, it was a refreshing change from some of the more bandcentric shirts on the poll.  Of course, knowing that the shirt was named for a Radiohead song makes the winner that more fortuitous…

In 1st Place:

Radiohead.

Radiohead Shirt, taken by Sherrie G., available at her Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/people/optionthis/

The Radiohead shirt, entered by James Strickland:

“I picked [it] because it was a) clever, what with it being a cover for a body, (b) being rainbow tape for the In Rainbows shirt and (c) the running computer HTML language love affair.”

Have to admit, this was my favorite shirt on the poll, so I’m delighted that you all voted in accordance with my wishes.  I mean, it’s SO clever.  And adorable.  I would wear that shirt.  In fact, I’m currently lusting after it.

Congratulations, James!  You win the $10 iTunes gift card!  Huzzah!

And with that, I wish you a good evening.  And take heart, lovelies.  There will be another contest announced soon.  I have too much fun with these.

Oh, wait!  One more thing.  Did I tell you about the Tommy & The High Pilots concert happening this week in St. Louis.  Yeah.  IN YOUR FACE (unless you made the right decision and are going…then you’re cool and we’ll hang out later).  G’night!

 

Nov14

Best Quotes From Songs – The Love Edition

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I don’t want to get mushy on you all, but there are some quotes about love from songs that I go gaga over.  And you’re going to hear all about my favorites.  Not because you should.  Not even because I want you to.  It’s because you NEED to.  I’m looking out for you.  You’re welcome.  And there are seven because I felt like it.  Have recommendations?  I’ll consider them.

So.  Running in at number 7…

7. “Pink Squares” by I Was A Cub Scout

“Oh, oh, oh, am I in trouble? / Darling, I apologize. / I need you more than anything / Please come back with me tonight. / Oh, oh, oh, am I in trouble? / Darling, I apologize. / I need you more than anything / Please don’t ever leave my side.”

To me, this is a perfect example of a love song.  It’s wonderful.  The thought is so simple, but so right.  A couple has a disagreement and the person that (presumably) started it is trying to make sure the disagreement doesn’t end things for them.  Like I said, it’s simple but seems right.

6. “Lonely Place” by Tommy & The High Pilots

“Oh, and just like me / She wants a family / Create us some energy / Out of the blue. / That we’ll do. / Oh, and maybe she’s someone I’ve made up / And maybe she’s somebody true / But I won’t rest until I know you.”

I adore this song so much.  And I love this thought: maybe you haven’t found the perfect person, but that shouldn’t stop you from looking for them.  I find this song wistful and hopeful and, like I said, I adore it.

5. “King of Carrot Flowers Part. 1″ by Neutral Milk Hotel

“And this is the room one afternoon I knew I could love you / And from above you how I sank into your soul / Into that secret place where no one dares to go.”

This is my favorite Neutral Milk Hotel song, and it’s probably because of this stanza.  I’m not sure if it requires an explanation.  It’s just lovely.

4. “Rise To Me” by The Decemberists

“My darling, my sweetheart, I am in your sway / Two cold climes, come spring time / So let me hear you say / My love / I am gonna stand my ground.”

I love The Decemberists way too much to not include them in this list.  Particularly when this song has such powerful worlds.  I can’t help but be moved when he says “my darling, my sweetheart, I am in your sway.”  It’s beautiful.

3. “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” by Death Cab For Cutie

“If heaven and hell decide / That they both are satisfied / Illuminate the nos on their vacancy signs / If there’s no one beside you / When your soul embarks / Then I’ll follow you into the dark.”

I think this song has become a classic, and rightfully so.  I mean, how wonderfully romantic/soulful/EVERYTHING is it to tell someone that you’d follow them into the dark.  That they wouldn’t be left alone.  EVER.  I think the simple melody underscores the sheer power of the lyrics.

2. “Anything For You” by Ludo

“I’d give up anything. / Anything for you. / I’d give it all. / All of this is true. / But the best story that I could ever tell / Is the one where I am growing old with you. / All I’ve ever wanted, see, was to tell you honestly / I’d do anything for you. / I’d do absolutely anything for you.”

This might be my favorite concept for a love song ever.  The person singing is describing all of these ridiculous, absurd scenarios, then saying that “the best story that I could ever tell is the one where I am growing old with you.”  You get the honesty of the feelings from the lies he tells.

AND, number one!

1. “Slow Hands” by Interpol

“But I am married to your charms and grace / I just go crazy like the good old days / You make me want to pick up a guitar / And celebrate the myriad ways that I love you.”

This quote is brilliant and wonderful and fantastic.  That last line.  How does it not conjure up warm, fuzzy feelings?  ”Celebrate the myriad ways that I love you.”  I’m convinced that if you tell your significant other this, they will swoon.  Better if you serenade them (but only if you can sing).

And that’s that, lovelies.  Just a few thoughts for you all on this absurdly warm evening (for real, it’s November, weather).  Of course, I have a few closing statements:

  1. “Hello Sadness” by Los Campesinos! is available in the US tomorrow.  I highly recommend buying it, listening to it, and falling as in love with that band as I am.
  2. How excited are you for the Ha Ha Tonka/Tommy & the High Pilots concert in a couple of weeks?
  3. Have you submitted shirts for the Best Band Shirts contest?  IT’S GONNA BE GREAT. ENTER NOW.

Nov2

Los Campesinos! – Hold On Now, Youngster…

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So, you know how I like music and stuff?  Well, I have a treat for you this fine evening.  And that treat is Los Campesinos!.  This band is comprised of a seemingly infinite number of people (for real, there are a ton of people in this band.  And they all add Campesinos! as their last name…so it’s Ellen Campesinos!, which is really adorable, and I’m rambling because I’m so in love with them) and they’re from Cardiff, Wales.  And you can REALLY hear their accents and I love it so much.

Los Campesinos!

Okay.  I will now begin to speak coherently about them.  I’ll confess.  I’m only really familiar with their first album right now which is “Hold On Now, Youngster…”  and it’s pretty great.  The first track is “Death to Los Campesinos!” (link to the song below), and it is catchy, dancey and has super clever lyrics mixed with a healthy does of whimsy.  Take the following lines, for example:
“If you catch me with my hands in the till / I promise sugar, I wasn’t trying to steal / I’m just swimming in copper to smell and pretend like a robot.”
Tell me you could resist smiling at that, and we’re no longer pretend friends.  And reading the lyrics (as is usually the case with fun songs), doesn’t even begin to do the song justice.  Please.  If you don’t listen to any of their other songs (which would be a mistake), at least listen to this one.
Of course, the fifth track on the album is also worth a mention.  ”My Year In Lists” has probably one of my favorite self-deprecating lines in it.
“You said, ‘Send me stationary / To make me horny’ / So I always write you letters / In multicolors / Decorating envelopes for foreplay / Damn extended metaphors / I get carried away.”
There are some songs where I just stare at the lyrics, loving how they fit together, but with no idea how they were fit together in the first place.  This is one of those songs.  And, dear Methuselah, the harmonies in this song.  They blend seamlessly (even though you know there are three voices there), and it’s really hard to imagine them without the others.
But, of course, harmonies and clever lyrics aside, the band also has some surprisingly poignant moments.  I know I’ve mentioned “Knee Deep At ATP” before, and here’s the reason why:
“And every sentence that I spoke / Began and ended in ellip…sis / Each of eight fingers gripping what he wrote / Clung on tightly / Like parenthesis / And for each correctly used apostrophe / I could feel my heart sink inside my chest in front of me / So maybe the lining of a winter’s coat / Mightn’t be the best place / To hide a summer’s secret.”
This song, with the violin in the background and the mute longing and loss in the lead singer’s voice just gets me every time.  And the ending of the song…well, listen to it and figure out why I swoon yet simultaneously scream the last lyrics like a banshee.
Then there’s arguably my favorite song on the album.  ”This Is How You Spell, “HAHAHA, We Destroyed The Hopes And The Dreams Of A Generation Of Faux-Romantics.”"  You know how parents name their children with the hopes that the name chosen will allow the child to do great things/be whatever they want/become president?  That’s how Los Campesinos! named this song.  They gave it the very best chance at gaining happiness.  And judging by the number of listens this song has gotten on MY iPod…SUCCESS.  Here’s a sampling of the gloriousness of this song:
“I left your shallow skin / And a note on your kitchen sideboard / It read I have left you / Please never try to find me / This is no existential crisis / Just turn your pain into piety / And I set your alarm clock / For 4 AM the next morning.”
Also, Gareth (the lead singer) has a tendency of busting out with some of the most amazing spoken bits of song I’ve ever heard (and I’m kind of a sucker for those moments…).  In “This Is How…” (You know the rest):
“…And the trains on your skin spoke more to me than the reams and reams of the half-finished novels you kept lying around all over the place / And every quotation that dribbled from your mouth like a final, fatal life journal entry / I know / I am wrong / I am sorry.”
This song is brilliant.  And there’s so much more on this album that’s worth a listen.  I don’t know that there’s a song I don’t like (though I certainly have my least favorite [# 2]) and I can’t say that about some of my favorite artists (yes you clever people, that includes the Decemberists).
Unfortunately, I can’t give you a more complete review of the band.  I’m working my way through their EEP “We Are Beautiful, We Are Damned” right now, and it’s rocking my world in a crazy axis-shifting kind of way.
With that final thought, here is the track list for “Hold On Now, Youngster…”  I recommend listening to all of them.
  1. “Death to Los Campesinos!”
  2. “Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats”
  3. “Don’t Tell Me To Do The Math(S)”
  4. “Drop It Doe Eyes”
  5. “My Year In Lists”
  6. “Knee Deep At ATP”
  7. “This Is How You Spell, “HAHAHA, We Destroyed The Hopes And The Dreams Of A Generation Of Faux-Romantics”"
  8. “We Are All Accelerated Readers”
  9. “You! Me! Dancing!”
  10. “…And We Exhale And Role Our Eyes In Unison”
  11. “Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks”
  12. “2007: The Year Punk Broke My Heart”
And, just in case you decided you wanted to listen to all of them, here are the songs in playlist form: Spotify and Grooveshark.
I’m sure I’ll be mentioning this band again, particularly since there new album “Hello Sadness” comes out on November 15.  And “Hello Sadness” happens to be this month’s theme song.
It’s gonna be a good one, folks.
Nov1

Hello Sadness – Los Campesinos!

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November's Theme Song: "Hello Sadness" by Los Campesinos! Squint to read.

It’s November already.  Almost time for turkey and gravy and mashed potatoes and the Ha Ha Tonka and Tommy and the High Pilots concert.  Yeah.  I’m excited.

But, a new month also means a new theme song.  And I’ve picked this one for a multitude of reasons.  1, I like it. 2, it has the word wishbone in it and c, the album “Hello Sadness” comes out on November 15.  I’ve become real addicted to Los Campesinos!.  New post about them tomorrow night.  You’ve already seen some of there stuff on the site, and it’s time to introduce you properly.

So, ladies and gents, with no further fanfare (unless I feel like it), November’s theme song is:

“Hello Sadness” by Los Campesinos!

And remember.  Best song title contest ends at midnight tonight.  You must have your entries in before then.  The poll will go up tomorrow and I encourage everyone to vote for their fave.  The winner could be…YOU.  Or you.  No, not you, the one behind you…with the hat.  It’s adorable, btw.

VOTE!