MOG - garrick's Posts

Siouxsie & the Banshees

garrick — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:25:54 GMT

Everywhere I go these days I keep running into Siouxie songs, clips, as if the universe is trying to get my attention. Then again, there's a new Siouxsie record coming out, so maybe a PR firm is trying to get my attention. But in any case, it's made me rediscover one of my favorite bands. Reminding me of I saw them live on the Boston Common years ago, or riding the submway with Siouxie in my walkman (that's an old school i-pod for you kids :)

Enjoy!

I'm Back-ish

garrick — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:16:16 GMT

Sorry MOG but I've been really busy losing my mind for a month or two. I'm still quite insane, but seem to be experiencing a moment of lucidity that I've decided to use to see if MOM works on Vista yet.

So much new music since I've posted last. I think I'm a placebo fan now. And new pornographers are coming to my town. I hope i'm not insane that day. Where are my pills? Doctor! Have I had my pills today?

I lost MOG

garrick — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:56:02 GMT

Wow - I haven't been here in months! My computer was upgraded and I couldn't get Microsoft Vista to work with MOG, but I truly LOVE and MISS you ALL very much, so I'm gonna see if I can make it work again RIGHT NOW. Then I can mog blog about the new interpol and the new white stripes.

Weeks Old Body of Man Found Dead in Downtown Loft

garrick — Sun, 13 May 2007 18:25:15 GMT

San Diego CA, May 13 - The body of a local man was found in a downtown loft early Saturday afternoon after neighbors complained about music and a bad smell coming from the 5th floor of the building.

"I started noticing music playing every time the elevator passed by that floor. The same set of 19 songs, over and over. It's been going on for a while - over two weeks," a neighbor told this reporter, "then the smell started. I knew there was something wrong at that point."

Police found the man dead, face down on the floor, clutching a listing of songs - apparently the same songs that neighbors reported hearing. A CD recording of the songs was playing on the victims computer, set on repeat.

Authorities estimate that the man had been killed some three weeks ago.

Police also discovered an extremely large cat on the property. The cat seemed unfazed by the body, but extremely pleased by the music that was playing.

When interviewed, the cat said "He was talking to some really odd people online. Then a package arrived for him a few weeks ago - a CD.It was from someone called Fistula Spume. He played it and immediately dropped dead."

The cat added "I would have called an ambulance, but the music on the CD was so damn good, I couldn't bring myself to stop grooving to it. I think it has mystical properties."

No charges are being brought upon the Cat, who identified himself as "Woobie" and the dead body as "Garrick". Police are classifying the death as "natural causes" pending an autopsy.

New Song Idea

garrick — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 22:34:46 GMT

I've been playing with a drums/guitar/backing vocal idea that's starting to sound like a composite of several old Love and Rockets songs.

If anyone out there has some 80's style Daniel Ash-esque lyrics to add, let's collaborate! Hell, if She Wants Revenge can do it, so can we!

Interweb Radio Stations

garrick — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 11:19:03 GMT

Apologies if this has been asked before, but I'm curious to know if anyone out there actively listens to any internet radio stations (virtual or broadcast), and if so, what are your favorites?

NIN - Survivalism

garrick — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 17:09:03 GMT

I'm beating Gakker to the punch here - cuz he actually told me about this - so I'll put it in his words...

"Lots more of the “hidden” messages and websites for the new NIN album… He has a video posted for the new single here:

http://yearzero.nin.com/survivalism/survivalism_hi.html

Kind of a “security camera video panel” concept…lots of people at home, doing nothing…only one monitor shows anyone having sex….and it’s two guys… Go trent!"

MOG Works!

garrick — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 16:38:51 GMT

I was just going through my music collection, and holy jebus, I have SO MUCH new stuff now. It's almost to the point where I have TOO MUCH stuff, and option-paralysis sets in. ALL of this is due to joining MOG.

In my teens and 20's, being turned on to great new music was easy - maybe because everyone I knew was a true music lover, each with their own little niche of specialized knowledge, and sharing this knowledge was a given. As I got older, many of my friends became less interested in music (or more distracted by other things), or people's tastes changed, or I befriended new people who just weren't into music.

I guess my point is, I really didn't realize what an impact MOG would have on me when I joined, but now I realize it's filling a void that I didn't realize needed to be filled.

So thanks MOG - and thanks MOGGERS, for being here. I heart MOG.

Iron & Wine VS. Pat Benatar

garrick — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 15:34:40 GMT

Okay - I'm at my computer, right-click on Iron & Wine, and click "play". What do I hear? "Hit Me With Your Best Shot". Whu??? Somehow Pat Benetar's Greatest Hits got tagged with Iron & Wine's The Creek Drank the Cradle.

They're SO similar, I hardly noticed the difference :)

Thank you Microsoft Media Player.

The new Damien Rice

garrick — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 18:49:53 GMT

So I got the new Damien Rice CD. I saw it in Starbucks. I guess that means he's huge. So I ripped it. I hit play. I heard a piano. Nice. I heard some other songs. Nice. But not as good as the songs on "O".

I've only listened through to the end one time, and I'm currently giving it another listen as I type, so maybe it will grow on me, but my first thought is that the songs aren't really masterpieces, and I like Damien Rice specifically for the songwriting, so no amount of harmonies or arrangements are going to make up the difference.

I really wanted to love this record because I really loved discovering the first one. It inspired me. I wanted that agaion, but I guess that's a lot to ask for.

Back from Vegas

garrick — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 16:59:07 GMT

Thanks to an iPod miscalculation, I've been away for a weekend in Las Vegas with nothing to listen to but some Michael Moore audio books there and back. Las Vegas offers many things, but music wasn't one of them. Sure there was some show tuneage and some Manilow and some Liberace in the elevators, and lots of theme music, but nothing to listen to per se.

It was a reunion of sorts with some friends of mine from the east coast, who all happen to be big and fairly discerning music fans, but to my surprise, none of them had heard of MOG. I spread the word, and maybe one of them will join.

I'm listenign to the Doves, Some Cities, on the computer at home that MOM won't run on, so you'll have to take my word for it. Is there a new Doves record coming out soon?

Electronic Recomendations?

garrick — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 18:29:47 GMT

I've spent the past 5+ years immersed in Canadian alt rock, british guitars, and nu-folk singer-songwriters, and while I love it all, I actually spent the bulk of the 1990s as a total house head, listening to DJ sets with tracks from Eric Morrillo, Angel Alanis, Peace Division, Olav Bassoski, etc...

Being completely out of touch now - can anyone tell me whats happening on the indie-underground House / Electronic / Chill front? Is Patrick Lindsey a pop star now? Who will Maddonna be stealing her new sound from in 2009?

Nerd Rock

garrick — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 16:28:56 GMT

Hey to any San Diegans with no plans Saturday - my friend Amber's band is playing at the Ken Club. They are very fun sounding, and their songs are really upbeat and rarely reach 3 minutes in length. And if you're a nerd boy in eyeliner Amber will make the flirting on you maybe.

http://www.secretapollo.com

SECRET APOLLO

The Blow

garrick — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 15:30:52 GMT

Okay, so I was in the Mogosphere and someone had posted a list of bands they discovered, and one of them was The Blow, described as "tasty back to basics electropop".

So I'm like, "Hey - I saw a band called The Blow" open for "Architecture in Helsinki" here in San Diego a few months ago.

It was an odd night - the venue was a teen center in the suburbs, next to the high school, it was all ages, and the crowd was 50% alt-rock adults and 50% jr. high school kids dressed in thrift store 80's clothes (with no regard to the way actual 80's fashion was worn in the 80's btw - imagine Crystal Carrington of TV's Dynasty mixed with Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders mixed with my Mom's purse in 1982). Anyway, I digress...

So this girl walks on stage and starts singing - while her counterpart in the sound booth operates a laptop with all the backing tracks. She was amazing. And funny, and all around impressive. It was so bare bones, and she looked so small up there on the big, makeshift, teen center stage, I thought she may have been from a local high school. I should have know better, as her sound and voice made me think she'd been at this for a while, but her earnest, honest delivery made me think she was just this nice, cool (albeit talented) girl from down the street.

Anyway - The Blow is Khaela Maricich and Jona Bechtolt, and they're from Portland, OR. They're on K Records, their album is called Paper Television, and they're my new favorite band now.

Oh HELL yes

garrick — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 21:51:13 GMT

LOVE AND ROCKETS
Mirror People

LOVE AND ROCKETS
Yin and Yang and the Flowerpot Man

"...alchohol is your yoooogaaaaa baaaaaaaaby...."

Love and Rockets

garrick — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:39:48 GMT

I've been reading lots o posts re: 80's music and HAD to remind the world just how good and underrated Love and Rockets are/were.

If you haven't already, go get the albums Seventh Dream Of Teenage Heaven, Express, and Earth Sun Moon for a sometimes rockin', sometimes psychedelic, sometimes dark, sometimes pop ride on kundalini express!

I think Peter Murphy got more attention in the late 80's because his sound was more of an expected pop progression from Bauhaus, where Love and Rockets chose to explore acoustic/electric textures, less formulaic song structures, and had a more understated approach to their songwriting. But don't get me wrong - there were hooks. Lots of hooks.

The album after Earth Sun Moon is where they lost me. A sad end to a great band.

28 Days a Habit Makes

garrick — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 17:33:13 GMT

Wow - I've been here for 28 days. Isn't that the magic number for things like quitting smoking, going to the gym, kicking herion, etc.? Am I addicted to MOG now?

Random, I know... just thought I'd babble. I'm home for Xmas without my music. Getting shaky....

MIX CD TIME!

garrick — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 14:34:57 GMT

So every Xmas, I make my friend Hannah a mix CD. Last year it included Elliott Smith, Iron and Wine, New Pornographers, Air, Royksopp, Super Furry Animals, Rogue Wave, Death Cab, some 80's brit stuff, and other bands I cant remember. Basically it's a personal year in review.

I have till Friday to make this years disc and I'm open to suggestions for tracks...

This year I'm thinking something from the Stars record, something off Sufjan Stevens' Avalanche, Raconteurs, what else? What came out last year that is a future classic, but severely under rated?

HELP?

She Wants Revenge

garrick — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 05:31:47 GMT

Okay - so my friend Amber tells me that the guys in She Wants Revenge used to be hip hop artists.

Now, if a hip hop artist decided to go for an 80's sound, shouldn't they sound like Kool Moe Dee, Salt n Peppa, De La Soul, or vintage LL Cool J?

Mmmm.... De La Soul.... haven't heard THAT in a while....

I must be getting old...

garrick — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:37:30 GMT

I just watched the video for She Wants Revenge on youtube and I can't believe this band got past me. Granted, I tend to live in my own world of 80's favorites and un-hummable Spacemen 3 tracks, but you'd think that someone would have turned me onto these guys before they got a nice glossy video out. Or maybe I'm under estimating the size and power of this 80's revival thang.

I remember listening to Joy Division and thinking, "if these guys were a bit more pop, they'd be huge here in the states". 20 years later we have She Wants Revenge. Or as I'd like to call them - "If New Order Never Happened and Prozac Was Available to Ian Curtis".

I wonder what Ian Curtis' solo career would have been like? It would have had to have been better than Peter Murphy's solo stuff. Uh oh. Let the flames begin...

garrick — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 14:23:12 GMT

Under the Influence

garrick — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 21:14:04 GMT

Wow. Finally a new band I can get excited about!

Bands that I dig at first listen come far and few between. This is an on going topic of conversation between me and my friend Gakker (on Mog and in real life) - why are all these new bands, even the critically acclaimed indie bands, all so slow to grown on you? Then they grown on me, and I end up a big fan, but rarely do I sit up and take notice like I did for In The Clouds by Under the Influence of Giants.

It was the same feeling I got when I heard Bigmouth Strikes Again by the Smiths or Evil by Interpol for the first time. An instantly delicious drink of pop that sucks you in with it's hookiness and makes a home in your head because it's smart.

Other bands I love didn't do that. I'm a huge Elliott Smith fan, but it was a process. Each song had to soak in first. Same with Deathcab. I discovered each chord change and melody line over time. But the end result was love, so I'm certainly not complaining. It's just interesting. What makes a song an instant personal hit versus a slow cooked favorite?

Okay hooker, I'm here...

garrick — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 03:51:20 GMT

Now what? :)