I simply love this show. So much.
Anywho, on to some music. First, some bracket action!
Round 1d:
1. Kanye West vs The Suicide Machines
Kanye West - Champion from Graduation
The Suicide Machines - Did You Ever Get a Feeling of Dread? from A Match and Some Gasoline
2. Bad Religion vs No Use For a Name
Bad Religion - Requiem for Dissent from New Maps of Hell
No Use For a Name - Part Two from Keep Them Confused
Happy Voting! Please vote!
In other news, Weezer has released their Red album. And it's certainly an improvement from their recent efforts. Maladroit was ok. But the Red album almost makes a Blue Album/Pinkerton-esque showing. I'm going to post one track, but I'm saving my favorite track for the end of the year. The funny thing is that I've read some negative reviews of that very track...more on that later.
But here's the track.
Weezer - Troublemaker
Finally, I'm going to start a new feature on this crazy thing. I'm thinking of calling it CP B-sides!
Basically, I will use this feature to allay the anxiety of wanting to post more songs to the Contrast Podcast than I'm allowed to. For instance, this week was Babies. And I submitted this:
Alan Wilkis - Bad Mamma Jamma from Babies Dream Big
but I wanted to submit this, too!:
Barenaked Ladies - Baby Seat from Maroon
and now everyone can enjoy both of them! Hooray Internet!
OK everyone! Have a great week or so!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
I Posted More When I Didn't Have a Hard Drive...
...But I'm going to make an effort to correct that. I think one of the problems is that I feel like I have to get a post out in the same sitting as I start it. And if I want to include music (which I always do!), that can seem a little daunting. But I'm going to try to realize that it's not like that. It's like writing a paper for school (only more fun!): you have to write drafts. Take it slow (I never used this concept in school, either.)
OK, so, first order of business. Remember the brackets? The battle of the bands? Well, I'm going to Sally Forth on that. We have some Round 1b business to take care of. Thanks to a certain Ms. Wells, I am lacking a vote in the NOFX vs Strung Out match-up. So, the first person to vote for one of them in the comment section of this post, regardless of if you've already voted in this round, will be the deciding vote!
Now: Round 1c!!!! (exclamation points make things more exciting.....!!!!)
1. Red Hot Chili Peppers vs. Sublime
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Readymade from Stadium Arcadium
Sublime - Seed from Sublime
2. Outkast vs. Ben Folds Five
Outkast - Morris Brown from Idlewild
Ben Folds Five - Army from The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
Now: Trent Reznor wants to give you 1.25 free albums!!
That's right. If you have ever had even a passing interest in Nine Inch Nails, here's your opportunity to pick up the new NIN LP "The Slip" and "Ghosts I", the first part of "Ghosts I-IV" which is a series of instrumentals composed in 10 weeks in late 2007. It's free! And worth checking out! Go here for The Slip and here for Ghosts I
Here's a song from each!
Nine Inch Nails - 1,000,000 from The Slip
Nine Inch Nails - 3 Ghosts I from Ghosts I
Ok. Despite what I said up there above, I'm going to go ahead and post this. I just get so excited with the links and the words and the public reading my stuff!! Plus, I only crossed like 2 things off my list of things to talk about, so maybe I'll come back in a couple days and cross some more off!
Have a great day!
OK, so, first order of business. Remember the brackets? The battle of the bands? Well, I'm going to Sally Forth on that. We have some Round 1b business to take care of. Thanks to a certain Ms. Wells, I am lacking a vote in the NOFX vs Strung Out match-up. So, the first person to vote for one of them in the comment section of this post, regardless of if you've already voted in this round, will be the deciding vote!
Now: Round 1c!!!! (exclamation points make things more exciting.....!!!!)
1. Red Hot Chili Peppers vs. Sublime
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Readymade from Stadium Arcadium
Sublime - Seed from Sublime
2. Outkast vs. Ben Folds Five
Outkast - Morris Brown from Idlewild
Ben Folds Five - Army from The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
Now: Trent Reznor wants to give you 1.25 free albums!!
That's right. If you have ever had even a passing interest in Nine Inch Nails, here's your opportunity to pick up the new NIN LP "The Slip" and "Ghosts I", the first part of "Ghosts I-IV" which is a series of instrumentals composed in 10 weeks in late 2007. It's free! And worth checking out! Go here for The Slip and here for Ghosts I
Here's a song from each!
Nine Inch Nails - 1,000,000 from The Slip
Nine Inch Nails - 3 Ghosts I from Ghosts I
Ok. Despite what I said up there above, I'm going to go ahead and post this. I just get so excited with the links and the words and the public reading my stuff!! Plus, I only crossed like 2 things off my list of things to talk about, so maybe I'll come back in a couple days and cross some more off!
Have a great day!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Round 1b
Hi,
Just a really quick post to put up the next round in what's looking to be a year-long Battle of the Bands, if I don't get my act together.
1. Sufjan Stevens vs. MxPx
Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy, Jr. from Come On Feel the Illinoise!
MxPx - Kings of Hollywood from Before Everything and After
2. NOFX vs. Strung Out
NOFX - The Marxist Brothers from Wolves in Wolves' Clothing
Strung Out - Party in the Hills from Blackhawks Over Los Angeles
So where have I been? Well, work's been really busy and also...um...WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! It's about 5 minutes closer to my work, so it shouldn't be that bad of a move and it's basically our dream house. We really lucked out here, folks. I'll post pictures as soon as we can figure out how to get them out of K's camera.
Just a really quick post to put up the next round in what's looking to be a year-long Battle of the Bands, if I don't get my act together.
1. Sufjan Stevens vs. MxPx
Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy, Jr. from Come On Feel the Illinoise!
MxPx - Kings of Hollywood from Before Everything and After
2. NOFX vs. Strung Out
NOFX - The Marxist Brothers from Wolves in Wolves' Clothing
Strung Out - Party in the Hills from Blackhawks Over Los Angeles
So where have I been? Well, work's been really busy and also...um...WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! It's about 5 minutes closer to my work, so it shouldn't be that bad of a move and it's basically our dream house. We really lucked out here, folks. I'll post pictures as soon as we can figure out how to get them out of K's camera.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
I'm so excited!
Ok so I was super stoked when I received an email from the artist I'm about to talk about. One of the things I was hoping for when I started this blog was that bands and musicians would start to send me their stuff to listen to and talk about. Well, it's begun. I hope it doesn't end here.
The artist's name is Alan Wilkis and he's made an album called "Babies Dream Big". It's one of the few times in my life that I've pressed play at the beginning of an album and had almost no idea of what to expect. He described his album like this:
"The album does a fair amount of genre-hopping, but it's pretty firmly rooted in 70s - 80s soul, electronic, and soft rock music, and it features a few special guests: Jason Treuting of So Percussion and Eric Biondo of Antibalas."
So, I'm all about the genre hopping and he's very true to his word. You know the Beck album Midnite Vultures? Certain parts of this album feel like the lost sequel to that album. Other parts feel like Ben Folds when he's feeling particularly funky. Genre-hopping indeed. Oh, and this is pretty much specific to Nat from Mini-Obs. The song "Astronaut (Would You Be One?)" is something maybe you should check out. I'm no expert, but I think it's pretty psychedelic. "Far out", you might say. I don't recall your opinions on Pink Floyd, but this sounds like really early Pink Floyd stuff.
So you see? It's something for everyone on "Babies Dream Big"
Here's what I mean
Alan Wilkis - Bad Mamma Jamma
Alan Wlkis - In My Dreams
Alan Wilkis - Astronaut (Would You Be One?)
Here's the link to more info about the album
Here's his myspace
The artist's name is Alan Wilkis and he's made an album called "Babies Dream Big". It's one of the few times in my life that I've pressed play at the beginning of an album and had almost no idea of what to expect. He described his album like this:
"The album does a fair amount of genre-hopping, but it's pretty firmly rooted in 70s - 80s soul, electronic, and soft rock music, and it features a few special guests: Jason Treuting of So Percussion and Eric Biondo of Antibalas."
So, I'm all about the genre hopping and he's very true to his word. You know the Beck album Midnite Vultures? Certain parts of this album feel like the lost sequel to that album. Other parts feel like Ben Folds when he's feeling particularly funky. Genre-hopping indeed. Oh, and this is pretty much specific to Nat from Mini-Obs. The song "Astronaut (Would You Be One?)" is something maybe you should check out. I'm no expert, but I think it's pretty psychedelic. "Far out", you might say. I don't recall your opinions on Pink Floyd, but this sounds like really early Pink Floyd stuff.
So you see? It's something for everyone on "Babies Dream Big"
Here's what I mean
Alan Wilkis - Bad Mamma Jamma
Alan Wlkis - In My Dreams
Alan Wilkis - Astronaut (Would You Be One?)
Here's the link to more info about the album
Here's his myspace
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Round 1a!!! and something of an actual update, too!
Ok everyone. We're starting. This is the real deal. The first two match-ups of the first round are:
1. Barenaked Ladies vs. Alkaline Trio
Barenaked Ladies - What a Letdown from Are Men
Alkaline Trio - Back to Hell from Crimson
2. Green Day vs. Pearl Jam
Green Day - American Idiot from American Idiot
Pearl Jam - Nothing as It Seems from Binaural
In other news, we are putting the hammer down when it comes to buying a house. It's a big scary process to buy your first house, but we have a kickass support system and things are looking good on that front. I'll post here if anything big happens (after the family knows), so check this page for all my incredibly interesting adventures in real estate.
Also, has anyone heard the new R.E.M. album? I'm hearing really really good things about it and I'm seriously considering picking it up. They can be hit or miss, but when they're hitting, they hit HARD. Automatic For the People is one of my all-time favorite albums and if you haven't heard it, you should check it out. Here's a great song from it to whet your whistle.
R.E.M. - Ignoreland from Automatic For the People
1. Barenaked Ladies vs. Alkaline Trio
Barenaked Ladies - What a Letdown from Are Men
Alkaline Trio - Back to Hell from Crimson
2. Green Day vs. Pearl Jam
Green Day - American Idiot from American Idiot
Pearl Jam - Nothing as It Seems from Binaural
In other news, we are putting the hammer down when it comes to buying a house. It's a big scary process to buy your first house, but we have a kickass support system and things are looking good on that front. I'll post here if anything big happens (after the family knows), so check this page for all my incredibly interesting adventures in real estate.
Also, has anyone heard the new R.E.M. album? I'm hearing really really good things about it and I'm seriously considering picking it up. They can be hit or miss, but when they're hitting, they hit HARD. Automatic For the People is one of my all-time favorite albums and if you haven't heard it, you should check it out. Here's a great song from it to whet your whistle.
R.E.M. - Ignoreland from Automatic For the People
Monday, April 7, 2008
Clarification
So, I think I may have been confusing about this bracket thing. You need to vote in the comments section. I'm going to extend this to 11 pm EST on Wednesday (4/9) for you to vote on the matchups in the last post. Let's get voting, people!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Brackets
Ok. So NCAA Basketball March Madness is pretty much over now, but I decided I wanted to try something related to tournament brackets. The classic rock station that we occasionally listen to at work is having a battle of the bands with this tournament bracket and everything. So that's what I'd like to do too.
I'm a part of this website called Last.fm that keeps track of music that I listen to on my iPod or computer. And so, using the chart that it has for the Artists I've listened to most, I have made up a bracket of my own. It's really neat, but I don't think you get to see it yet. First, I'm going to gauge the interest in this endeavour with something of a pre-tournament set of match-ups. There are some positions on the bracket that are ties (basically, I've listened to two or more artists the same number of times) and so we're going to pick who gets those positions right now.
RULES FOR SAMPLE SONGS (Pre-tournament and Round 1):
For the first two contests, I will be posting songs from the contestants' most recent LP (not including greatest hits, live, or B-sides collections) that I own. Round 2 will have a different set of rules.
Oh, and the winner of the whole thing will have an entire post devoted to them including a playlist created by yours truly that you can download and burn to a CD in memory of the time we've spent together! Awww.
OK. So here are the pre-tournament match-ups and their sample songs:
1. Fall Out Boy vs. Sufjan Stevens
Fall Out Boy - You're Crashing, But You're No Wave from Infinity on High
Sufjan Stevens - Decatur, or, Round of Applause For Your Stepmother! from Come On Feel the Illinoise
2. Outkast vs. Blink-182
Outkast - Idlewild Blue (Don't Chu Worry 'Bout Me) from Idlewild
Blink-182 - Easy Target from Blink-182
3. Coheed and Cambria vs. Catch-22 vs. Taking Back Sunday
Coheed and Cambria - Feathers from Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV: Volume 2: No World For Tomorrow
Catch-22 - So Cold from Dinosaur Sounds
Taking Back Sunday - My Blue Heaven from Louder Now
4. Jack Johnson vs. Sublime
Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static from Sleep Through the Static
Sublime - Jailhouse from Sublime
5. Alanis Morissette vs. MxPx
Alanis Morissette - Everything from So-Called Chaos
MxPx - Well Adjusted from Before Everything and After
6. Ben Folds vs. The Get Up Kids vs. Foo Fighters (Now, that's Ben Folds (solo) not Ben Folds Five)
Ben Folds - You to Thank from Songs For Silverman
The Get Up Kids - Martyr Me from Guilt Show
Foo Fighters - Let It Die from Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace
7. Descendents vs. Linkin Park vs. No Use For a Name
Descendents - I Won't Let Me from Everything Sucks
Linkin Park - Given Up from Minutes to Midnight
No Use For a Name - Bullets from Keep Them Confused
So, take a listen if you don't know the artist, leave a comment with your votes and I guess the voting will close at like 11 pm EST on Monday. Thanks in advance for participating!
I'm a part of this website called Last.fm that keeps track of music that I listen to on my iPod or computer. And so, using the chart that it has for the Artists I've listened to most, I have made up a bracket of my own. It's really neat, but I don't think you get to see it yet. First, I'm going to gauge the interest in this endeavour with something of a pre-tournament set of match-ups. There are some positions on the bracket that are ties (basically, I've listened to two or more artists the same number of times) and so we're going to pick who gets those positions right now.
RULES FOR SAMPLE SONGS (Pre-tournament and Round 1):
For the first two contests, I will be posting songs from the contestants' most recent LP (not including greatest hits, live, or B-sides collections) that I own. Round 2 will have a different set of rules.
Oh, and the winner of the whole thing will have an entire post devoted to them including a playlist created by yours truly that you can download and burn to a CD in memory of the time we've spent together! Awww.
OK. So here are the pre-tournament match-ups and their sample songs:
1. Fall Out Boy vs. Sufjan Stevens
Fall Out Boy - You're Crashing, But You're No Wave from Infinity on High
Sufjan Stevens - Decatur, or, Round of Applause For Your Stepmother! from Come On Feel the Illinoise
2. Outkast vs. Blink-182
Outkast - Idlewild Blue (Don't Chu Worry 'Bout Me) from Idlewild
Blink-182 - Easy Target from Blink-182
3. Coheed and Cambria vs. Catch-22 vs. Taking Back Sunday
Coheed and Cambria - Feathers from Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV: Volume 2: No World For Tomorrow
Catch-22 - So Cold from Dinosaur Sounds
Taking Back Sunday - My Blue Heaven from Louder Now
4. Jack Johnson vs. Sublime
Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static from Sleep Through the Static
Sublime - Jailhouse from Sublime
5. Alanis Morissette vs. MxPx
Alanis Morissette - Everything from So-Called Chaos
MxPx - Well Adjusted from Before Everything and After
6. Ben Folds vs. The Get Up Kids vs. Foo Fighters (Now, that's Ben Folds (solo) not Ben Folds Five)
Ben Folds - You to Thank from Songs For Silverman
The Get Up Kids - Martyr Me from Guilt Show
Foo Fighters - Let It Die from Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace
7. Descendents vs. Linkin Park vs. No Use For a Name
Descendents - I Won't Let Me from Everything Sucks
Linkin Park - Given Up from Minutes to Midnight
No Use For a Name - Bullets from Keep Them Confused
So, take a listen if you don't know the artist, leave a comment with your votes and I guess the voting will close at like 11 pm EST on Monday. Thanks in advance for participating!
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