Music notes

I recently learned from the band Spoon that I have no fear of the underdog and that this is why I will not survive.

Apparently, I also have my cherry bomb.

Music soothes...

Recently I've been listening to two albums almost exclusively.

One is the debut from Vampire Weekend, a band of Columbia grads.

They've apparently been described as "the whitest band" by Stuff White People Like author Christian Lander as well as "trust-fund frat rock" by other musicians.

This is probably true. It is difficult to imagine over-estimating the snobby eliteness of a band with songs named for obscure punctuation terminology (the excellent "Oxford Comma"), bizarre architectural details (the also excellent "Mansard Roof") or that uses African pop-music influences to construct a song about WASPY summertime activities (the very excellent "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa").

They've also got a song called "M79" about taking the crosstown bus to meet up with your lady. I've been lucky to always date within my side of the city but being a man-of-the-people, I've taken various crosstown buses -- including the M79 -- many, many times. (fn1)

The songs "A-Punk" and "Campus" are also very good.

The other album I've been listening to, though perhaps somewhat less than Vampire Weekend, is "Under the Blacklight" by Rilo Kiley.

Rilo Kiley is an LA band whose lead singer, Jenny Lewis, was the female lead in the childhood advertising classic The Wizard.

My favorite songs on the Rilo Kiley album are "The Moneymaker" (fn2), the jaunty "Smoke Detector"(fn3), and "15". (fn4)

The songs "Close Call" and "Breakin' Up" are also pretty decent, though you kind of have to be in the mood for them. (fn5)

Both of these albums are many months old, of course, since I am now middle-aged and thus hopelessly behind the times. Such is life.

(fn1) Note that bus-taking is not Stuff White People Like, as evidenced by a friend of mine who is the George Wallace of anti-bus-bigotry and who gets upset when I reference stuff we've talked about without referencing his name. So: WFA. There.

(fn2) The video for which features real, live pornstars! Just to keep the blog's prostitution vibe going...

(fn3) A song that sounds like a slightly dirtied-up early 60's dance tune.

(fn4) The subject matter of which is fairly wrong. And by "fairly", I mean "very". Especially considering that it was penned by a female former child-star.

(fn5) But then again, I suppose that's kind of true for all music, to some degree. Does the song exist that you appreciate hearing regardless of current mental state? I would posit that it does not. There are many songs which have tremendous power to alter mental state, but I would think that even those require certain baseline mental states to be effective. That is, you're not going to go to pieces for "Danny Boy" if you're in the middle of a murderous rage. (fn6)

(fn6) Or ever, if you're me, as I use that song mostly to humorously jibe my friend Danny. (fn7)

(fn7) Wow, I've really kind of gone nuts with the footnotes this time out, huh? Perhaps I'll join a group.

Here comes the...

Did you ever have that feeling, when you're listening to your iPod on the train ride home after a long day at work, that certain songs would be perfect for certain occasions? Nah, me either. That would be lame. Yeah, totally lame. So anyways...

For no particular reason, the top cheesiest songs to play at a wedding. Which I guess are mostly just love songs, as I look my selections over, but whatever. Suggestions for additions are welcome.

1) First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes. Cheesy? Check. Awesome? Check. Note cameo appearance in this entry from Stuff White People Like on Wes Anderson movies.

2) Sweetest Thing - U2. Should be called The Sweetest Song, am I right? Eh? Eh? Yeah. Note that this song is personally almost perfect, except he totally screws it up by saying "blue eyed boy meets a brown eyed girl" instead of vice-versa. That and my eyes are actually hazel, not brown. But since hazel is like a cross between green and brown, we'll give partial credit.

3) Dirty Old Town - The Pogues. Ah love. Ain't it grand? Almost makes me wish I'd grown up in a post-industrial pit of a town in Northern England. But not really. Still: a great tune.

4) Baby Love Child - Pizzacato Five. This song has long been a fave of mine. One of the better love songs, I think. Note that the video in the link is about as Japan-a-riffic as you can possibly imagine. Proceed with appropriate caution.

5) You're The First, The Last, My Everything - Barry White. Good tune this. Personally, I'm more into "Can't Get Enough of Your Love" but you gotta go with what the ladies like, am I right, fellas? Eh? Eh? Note: yes, that's Pavarotti in the video with Barry. That's how Barry rolled.

And the top awesome-est songs to play at a wedding -- with explanation. Suggestions welcome here too.

1) Total Eclipse of the Heart - The Dan Band. Yes, it's from Old School. Yes, it's awesome: "And I need you now tonight! I fuckin' need you more... than ever!"

2) Fairytale of New York - The Pogues. This was actually the first dance song for my friends Ben and Michelle's wedding. A+ for choosing the Pogues. Extra credit for rocking out for your first dance to a song that not only changes beat halfway through the first verse but also contains this gem in the second: "You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy faggot". Yes it's a song about a young couple of wastrels who fell in love on Christmas in NYC and are now old and hate each other. Mazel tov!

I feel like I had many more songs in mind when I thought this post up on the subway last night. I'll pull my revise-and-extend trick when and if they occur to me.