MOG - you so groovy's Posts

how often do you re-index?

you so groovy — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 08:19:05 GMT

this is the first time i've done it since i joined almost 6 months ago. i was really confused by my top rated tracks and artists... since they barely reflect what i've been listening to lately. weird! now i know!

this is not about love

you so groovy — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 06:35:40 GMT

i am not in love. in fact i can't stop falling out.

The Violent Femmes @ Warsaw

you so groovy — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 01:35:38 GMT

NPR's pledge drive drove me to change to a regular FM station on my radio and to my surprise, I hear the opening riff to Gone Daddy Gone... only it's not the Violent Femmes. This is actually possibly worse than when 311 covered the Cure.

Last Friday night I saw the Femmes play an incredible nearly 2-hour set at the Warsaw in Brooklyn. The venue itself being a favorite of mine only amplified my excitement (get the pierogies if you go there, trust me). Gordon Gano came out smoking a joint and that basically set the mood for the party that would be their entire set. They played through just about every song they've written with a backup band that included a horn section, a steel washboard, and a mandolin. This is a good year for live acts / middle-aged musicians.

my love, I swear by the air I breathe: sooner or later, you'll bear your teeth

you so groovy — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 17:09:15 GMT

This was a surprising direction after the poppy sweetness of Milk-Eyed Mender. This album of 5 10-minute+ songs plays like a movie score. It's much more produced but much more beautiful and mature than MEM. Jim O'Rourke (Sonic Youth) and Van Dyke Parks (Beach Boys collaborator) scored, directed and generally had a hand in the arrangement of the album.

Ys is coming out November 14th on Drag City, but leaked on the Internet over a month ago. I'm prematurely calling it album of the year.

In summary, I fully support pirated music.

Touch and Go 25 REVIEWED

you so groovy — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 21:12:09 GMT

[ This is taken from a messageboard post I made last night after not sleeping for almost 36 hours so it's not my best work.. but you'll get the jist ]

big black played racer x and dead billy. they were underpracticed and playing off cheat sheets, but i thought it was great. shellac was my favorite set of the show. there were so many people watching them it was surreal. a prayer to god. it would have been cool to hear wingwalker... but i seriously couldn't complain about that set. the monorchid quit twenty minutes into their 'set'... i love this band and i couldn't figure out what was going on most of the time.. the stage banter was better than the performance. scratch acid was so tight it was surprising/amazing. ted leo was wearing a knee-length fred perry raincoat on sunday and i couldn't handle it... he also closed his set with suspect device on friday. the new songs are pretty cool. i was anticipating great things from didgits and they didn't at all deliver. enon was boring. killdozer didn't grab me either. negative approach wasn't as cool as i thought it was going to be. i fell asleep in the car during quasi and accidentally three mile pilot... the black heart procession was really wonderful. the tropics of love was really beautiful.

the announcer from the hideout was the coolest dude there and the crowd was generally pretty friendly. i don't think chicago dances though... this is the second festival that i've seen minimal movement during upbeat sets... which is kind of weird.

Part I: Documenting My Slow Demise

you so groovy — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 03:23:53 GMT

This week in records. [ These are all currently paid for and either in the mail or now in my collection ]

I'm Not on the Mog Homepage Anymore

you so groovy — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:39:53 GMT

My ego has been deflated. What a sad day. I really have to start blogging more.

Things I'll probably talk about soon: The (Young) Pioneers. Chicago being the hub of all good music festivals in recent months. Murder City Devils reunion reviews seem pretty awful. I just got a ridiculous amount of new records but I can't make rent this month... I think I officially have a problem.

Stay tuned.

The Swedes Do It Cuter

you so groovy — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 20:35:40 GMT

Thursday, July 20, 2006. R5 Productions. First Unitarian Chuch. Philadelphia, PA.

Jens Lekman.

You are the light, Sweet summers night on hammer hill, Black Cab, Pockets full of money... He closed with Julie.

I would have liked to have have heard him play Higher Power or the title track to When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog.

The fact that he only toured with really attractive Swedish girls who couldn't coordinate their clapping/snapping patterns... was the most endearing/amazing part of the whole thing. The only other band that has ever made me smile so much is Mates of State.

This is a mildly lame review, but I don't have time to put thought into this entry. Needless to say, if you have a chance to catch this guy live, do yourself a favor and go.

Elevate Me Later

you so groovy — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 20:10:33 GMT

I think I need to come up with an elevator speech for what kind of music I listen to so that when I get in I can come up with an answer by the time we get to my floor. I get so incrediably flustered. I can't forumlate an answer. It's not even just that I can't explain my music taste to someone who has no idea what I'm talking about, but how do you explain music taste to someone who does have an idea of what you're talking about? It's like the discomfort of someone asking me "What concerts have you been to?" matched with the frequency and tedium of asking "What are your plans for the future?"

< /rant >

up the punx. seriously, up em.

you so groovy — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 20:30:51 GMT

I think that since my mog hasn't updated in a week and every band currently displayed is seriously cutesy (though I can' t lie... that's pretty indicative of my music taste...), that this is a good time to talk about other stuff.

I'm always excited when a song on the jukebox turns bar banter into a heated dicussion of musical favorites. The Clash's "Death of Glory" became "Favorite UK punk rock songs of all time" which led into "Favorite US punk rock songs of all time"

I'm sure there are songs I am missing and possibly better songs from these bands.. but this is where I stand on the issue at this very moment and at that very moment of Pabst-influenced decision-making:

UK: Crass - Punk is Dead or Big A Little a The Rezillos - Destination Venus or 2000 AD Billy Bragg - To Have and to Have Not Sex Pistols - Bodies Elvis Costello - No Action Wire - Strange The Slits -Typical Girls

US: Ramones - Judy is a Punk Minor Threat - Salad Days Television - See No Evil X - Los Angeles Descendents - Bikeage Mission of Burma - Academy Fight Song Fugazi- Blueprint

A Tape Trade. A Contest.

you so groovy — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 19:17:36 GMT

To cry. From a tape. A player will play these tracks. In this order. I will win.