It's Been A While (Songs For September 24th, 2013)

At the moment, I am on a much-needed two-week break from work. In addition to using this time to recharge, get exercise, and catch up on work, I am also going write another blog entry. My musical tastes haven't changed since my last post, but my this list will be completely new. Sadly, many songs (far too many to remember) have come and gone in the interim but this list serves as an honest representation of what I am listening to now.

The List:

1) One For The Road by The Arctic Monkeys. I have never been too big on the Arctic Monkeys, but their most recent album, AM, is a really good showing. It seems to me that they have kept their strong lyrics, but have ditched the overly dance-y, punk sound.

2) Given The Chance by The Kite String Tangle. Moody, atmospheric, and catchy.

3) Not Fair by Lily Allen. A lovely spaghetti-western style song about a sexually unsatisfied lady.

4) Take My True Love By The Hand by The Limeliters. If it wasn't for Breaking Bad, this song wouldn't be here.

5) Washington DC by The Magnetic Fields. I am a huge fan of songs to, or about, places.

6) Abigail, Belle of Kilronan by The Magnetic Fields. It's a little off-putting when listened to with headphones. But after a while it starts to work to the song's favour.

7) Ghost Lit by Diagrams. Nothing much to say, I just like it.

8) John Allyn Smith Sails by Okkervil River.

9) Putting Up With The Joneses by Spirit of the West. "And in this rat-raced twirl of our computer-guided world, he stands no chance of winning, let alone to blaze a show!"

10) Grand Optimist by City and Colour. "I guess I take after my mother...."

Until next time.

Songs For March 23rd, 2013

Why not add photos? Blogs with content solely composed by mediocre writing have a short shelf life. I'm diversifying. Yes, now with addition of this picture this blog will stand the test of time. I like to take photos of neat things, and if I can share my musical tastes, why not share some neat photos that I've taken? -- and by extension, things I've seen that I've felt warranted a photo. I read somewhere that men are more likely to take photos of places, rather than people and women are the opposite. I don't know if this is true, but I can say that I am a man and most of my pictures are pictures of places. I think once I've finished this blog entry, I'll go back and add photos to my other blog posts.

Anyway, on to My Songs For March 23rd, 2013.

1) "Hope In The Air" by Laura Marling. A friend of mine suggested that I listen to Laura Marling's work. Depending on the person, I will indulge or I wont. I did, and I am thankful and glad I did. I have been circling her 2010 album "I Speak Because I Can"and there are many standout tracks, but "Hope In The Air" is my favourite at the moment.

2) "Take This Waltz" by Leonard Coen. The sections of this song where it turns to a duet is nothing short of powerful.

3) "Cameo Lover" by Kimbra. In all honesty, this song can get old quickly but it builds and builds into a flash of pure brilliance. From 2:35 to 3:06 is why I listen to this song -- in fact, sometimes, I wish it was just its own song.

4) "Reno Dakota" by The Magnetic Fields. This week I have been kind of fascinated by songs written to places. I often think of cities as characters, and in this way, a song to a city doesn't seem to out of place. It's strange, often a song about a place can reveal more about the writer than a personal passage.

5) "El Paso" by Danielle Ate The Sandwich. Again with the theme of songs to places. Another strong example.

6) "Trinity (Titoli)" by Annibale E I Cantori Moderni. This song is on the 'Django Unchained' soundtrack. It's a showboaty, broadway show kind of song. It's over-the-top, ridiculous, and that's not a bad thing.

7) "Devil's Spoke" by Laura Marling. This is the opening track to "I Speak Because I Can" and it builds into this angry folksy, country, banjo-picking, foot stompin' thing of beauty.

8) "Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane. I re-watched "A Serious Man" the other day. Enough said.

9) "Ginger Bread Man" by Rapskallion. I was told that this carnivalesque band hung out in Melbourne side-streets and that they put on a really good show. This is a song they wrote describing the "eternal optimism" of a smiling gingerbread man. As they aptly explain, it's strange that this "cheeky chappy... will soon be eaten.".

10) "City Middle" by The National. This is easily one of my favourite songs. Ever. Just because it snuck on my top ten for the week shouldn't suggest it would rank any lower on "My Top 10 Favourite Songs" list.

A student asked me yesterday what my favourite song was. I told him that I wasn't sure, but that I would think about. I have thought about it and I think that will be next week's entry: Jakob's Favourite Songs. I'll pick 10 to make it challenging.

Songs For March 16th, 2013

Nearly another week has rolled on by and here I am, back at my laptop, ready to share. Most fads and phases of mine don't stand the test of time, and I am eager not to let my writing grow stagnant. Anyway, here I sit on a Saturday morning, with steaming coffee in my favourite orange mug beside me, and a chess board with a losing configuration behind me. Just to my left (and to the front) is a brown leather bag holding marking for this weekend, but that can wait. Yes, yes it can. Right now I am sharing my Top 10 Songs For March 16th, 2013.

1) "Rylan" by The National. "Rylan you should try to get some sun, you remind me of everyone." This song has been in my head all week possibly because The National have a new album out in May, and I am pretty excited for it. It's slow, but it moves with confidence. 

"Rylan" by The National

2) "My Number" by The Foals. "We don't need the city, the Queen or the culture now." This is a pretty bouncy, and poppy song from what is usually a relentless precise, math-rock band. It's catchy, and for some reason, I like it. 

3) "Someone's Going To Break Your Heart" by Fountains of Wayne. "And the traffic goes round and round, swallowing the road and spitting out clouds." Fountains of Wayne have always had a place near and dear to my heart. They can write diverse, catchy and meaningful songs -- I don't know how they come up with the lyrics, but you get the feeling that they would only work with their music. 

4) "When I Go" by Joel Plaskett. "Don't say a word if you're going to say no." I discovered Joel Plaskett years and years ago when he played in my hometown, Sault Ste. Marie. Now, years later in Melbourne, Australia he still sounds good. I don't think it matters where you go, Joel Plaskett will sound good. 

5) "Homecoming" by Kanye West ft. Chris Martin. "Fireworks over Lake Michigan".  I can't this into words, I just like it. 

6) "So Long, Marianne" by Leonard Coen. This is a classic. I usually find myself listening to it on the train on the way home, with the cityscape whizzing by. 

7) "We No Who U R" by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. This, to me, is the most accessible track on what is otherwise a difficult album. I don't mean to say that it's bad, I just have a hard time wrapping my head around it. But already it's opening doors to other songs on this album, "Jubilee Street" is starting to grow on me as well. 

8) "Violins and Tambourines" by Stereophonics. "Violins and tambourines, candy canes and movie screens." This song starts slow and builds into something that sounds like it could be a James Bond theme song -- trumpets included. 

9) "Anything Goes" by Cole Porter. Maybe I am suffering from own sort of "Golden Age Syndrome" but I watched a short film called "The Butterfly Circus" which was set in a carnivalesque 1920's. You know the kind of period where bouncy jazz plays in the background? Maybe I would like to live in those times, but I am thankful to live in a time where I can play this song with the a click, anywhere in the world. 

10) "The Queen of Lower Chelsea" by The Gaslight Anthem. "American girls, they want the whole world -- they want every last little light in New York City." I think, for this week, this is my favourite song. Normally these guys can descend in rock madness and clutter, but this song holds its head high, moves confidently forward, and stays on track. 

These are them, my Top 10 songs for this week. 

Songs For March 10th, 2013

My playlists fluctuate and are ever growing. It's strange. The key, definitive, flagship track of a playlist won't even make it on the next, and even stranger, the outlier, or "sleeper" pick will be building block for the next playlist. The songs, lyrics, bands and musicians that someone listens to can reveal a lot about a person. And since my musical tastes seem to change from week to week, that would suggest that I am changing as a person -- week by week.

So, in a way, by posting a "Top 10 Songs Of The Week", I am offering not only what tunes I am digging this week, but also (to those who care) a sort of snapshot of where I am psychically that week.
So here it goes.

1) "My Love Is Real" by The Divine Fits. "Throw up you hands for South California..."

2) "Bourbon (Crack Song)" by KO. "You're a whole lot smarter than you think, put a bit more bourbon in your drink."  I don't know why this long-forgotten song has made its way back onto my playlist. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I tried bourbon for the first time last week. Nevertheless, it's a cool groove.

3) "Song To Woody" by Bob Dylan. "That comes with the dust, and is gone with wind." It's a neat song to listen to in the hustle-bustle of a bigger city -- a good, slow soundtrack to people scurrying about a train station, on their way to wherever they are going.

4) "Andrew in Drag" by The Magnetic Fields. "I'll never see that girl again, he did it as a gag. I'll pine away forever more for Andrew in drag." Foolishly catchy.

5) "Wait For Summer" by Yeasayer. To be honest, even after many listens I am not sure what's being said and I don't care. This song is receptive but that doesn't matter if you like what they're selling. And I do.

6) "Ho Hey" by The Lumineers. I'm not sure what a "lumineer" is, but I like to think it's someone who enlightens. My sister suggested this song to me a couple months ago and I listened to, and somehow, months later, it found its way into my head.

7) "The Men Are Called Horsemen There" by Sunset Rubdown. "But if you ride over there, they'll put bows in your hair. They will stand back and stare at you in Spain with their eyes..." The lyrics are so out there, but somehow it sings. I listen to it purely for the passage at 1:40. I don't know why, but it feels like a climax, but with so much left to go.

8)"That's Entertainment" by The Jam. "Feeding ducks in the park and wishing you were far away..." 

9) "Helpless" by KD Lang. "Dream, comfort and memory to spare..." This is a very solid cover of Neil Young's "Helpless". I don't know if I would like it if it wasn't about where I am from. Being halfway around the world, I do sometimes think of home and how far away it is.

10) "Blame Game" by Kanye West. I am a huge fan of the album, and even a bigger fan of Chris Rock's lovely monologue.

Lastly, this is meant to be an experiment. I hope to write what I am listening to and what passages or parts stand out to me at this time. This provides a snapshot of my musical tastes for March 10th, 2013. We'll see next week if they change any. They usually do.

I've Always Thought (Introduction)....

I've always thought the most valuable quality in a person is their ability to accurately "know where they stand". To do this, someone needs to accurately assess and understand themselves, their surroundings, and the people in those surroundings.  This monumental task is not easily done, and it is not something I can personally claim to be an expert at. But I do recognize its importance.

To do this effectively on a personal level, a person has to understand who they are now, not who they want to be, or who they were. A person who does this well knows their own strengths and weaknesses; there is no room for a headstrong or defeatist attitude. As for myself, I am a 25 year-old who, last year, moved from Sault Ste. Marie, Canada to Melbourne, Australia. I did this on a $1500 plane ticket, a not-yet-completed MA, a Bachelors of Education and nothing more than a vague ambition to "shake things up". Last year I worked as a Casual Relief Teacher (Substitute Teacher) in Melbourne, met a lovely lady, and currently work as an English Teacher at a high school in Melbourne. I don't mind my job; it will do for now.

During my Bachelor of Arts in History, I took some creative writing classes, enjoyed them (truly), and often think back fondly of those memories. It is through these memories that this blog is born. I have been  encouraged to write I have always been to lazy to actually sit down and do it.

I intended to write a fuller introduction then what I have written here. I wanted to write a full, structured piece about what I thought of myself, my surroundings and the people in it. But the following conclusion is all my laziness will allow.

This blog is written for "Those Who Care (And Those Who Don't)" and somedays I sit in both categories. I write with the full understanding that this blog is nothing special -- I'm not the first to think my thoughts, and I won't be the last. I write knowing I'm not the best writer, but I'm not also the worst. Occasionally, I hope to have a solar flare of brilliance and I hope they far outweigh the shit. I don't write with the intent of creating a soon-to-be global forum to discuss the prominent and important social, political and ethical issues of today. This blog won't change my life, or yours. I only hope that I get enjoyment out of writing it, and that you (if you choose) get enjoyment from reading it.