Black Sabbath

So, when we first started listening to Black Sabbath's first album, I was like no no nooo, this is not for me. I know how much Mr. A hates when we stereotype music into strict genres and make judgement based upon them, but I just really don't do metal. No. Not for me. And I know that Sabbath isn't even that heavy, I just wasn't having it. It sounded like the track list of Guitar Hero, and without my toy guitar to button push/ rock out on, I was left unsatisfied.

So, for the sake of forced tolerance and learning, I have forced myself to listen to more of their work and find some I like.



I guess I sort of like "Children of the Grave". It's one of those songs that if I was listening to while driving, I would be rapidly speeding or doing something stupid and reckless.

Also, "Wizard" is okay with me.



First of all, harmonica = yes. Any song with harmonica gains an automatic 2 points on a 10 point song scale, for me at least. Also, there are some pretty sweet guitar riffs in this song.

I just can't get into this genre of music. I feel like the only way I would ever really enjoy this music is if I was magically in Freaks and Geeks smoking a joint with James Franco. I just, I can't sing along, hum, or most importantly, wave my hands in the air like I just don't care, Frankly, it just makes me anxious and gives me a lil' bit of a headache.

The Cults

The Cults were an ACL discovery about a year ago, I do believe.

Here is my favorite, "Go Outside"



And here is probably their most popular song, "Never Saw the Point"



I personally find them super catchy and easy to listen to, I find that their music style is comparable to that of black keys or the XX, their music is a bit slow with heavy bass and their is always the presence of a quirky instrument like a xylophone or a funky keyboard.

One thing I wish that Cults would do is give their music a larger sound variety; if I am passively listening to their album, I can barely notice song changes or transitions. One band that I think has incredible versatility is Imagine Dragons, their style ranges from somber Coldplay sounding to almost dubstep-y then super upbeat and pop-like. Seriously, I am obsessed. But this blog post is about Cults, so I'll resist.

Here are some more jams I really like:








OH YEAH and one more cool thing, these guys do vinyl recording. That's pretty rad.

CEO out.

Empire of the Sun

First of all yummmmmmmmm, soak this in. Get it, sun. AHhhhh



Empire of the Sun is just perfect. They are a combination of MGMT, M83, and Passion Pit and I love it all. I saw them live at ACL in 2011 in they were amazing, which I think is so unfortunately rare these days. It's a kind of soft, techno-fied rock sound, and their songs are all very catchy and smooth.

Here is a slower song called "We are the People" and no, unfortunately it is not tied to the Preamble.




And here is my third favorite, "Standing on the Shore"



Once again, there is a ravenous puppy I have to take care of, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Empire of the Sun, I had a little re-discovery of them while writing this blog post and I will definitely be listening to them for the rest of the night.

Led Zeppelin

So, here's the skinny: I like Led Zeppelin, but I would not listen to them on my own time. I can acknowledge that they are some talented dudes, but I don't find their music catchy/ fun to sing along too/ or most importantly, I can't relate to their lyrics.

I am a lyrics girl, I think they completely make or break a song. For instance, "Say What You Need To Say" by John Mayer would probably be my jam if he would say something other than those 6 lyrics. Ay Carumba. It's like common, I'm not even that picky, if a song can have at least 4 distinct lyric stanzas and they're semi meaningful, I'm game, I really don't think it's that hard.

So, first of all, can we just acknowledge how hard I used to rock this song on Guitar Hero. Just putting that out there.


Anyways, while I really like their classics like Stairway to Heaven, some of their song's lyrics are just so nooooooo:

Baby, baby, I don't wanna leave you,
I ain't jokin' woman, I got to ramble.
Oh, yeah, baby, baby, I believin',
We really got to ramble.
I can hear it callin' me the way it used to do,
I can hear it callin' me back home!


Okay, so there is a brand new puppy here and I am home alone and he is eating my pants, so this blog post is gonna have to be cut rather short. Sorry but now he is biting my toes and owwwwww.

Woodstock: Not for me

So let me start off by addressing what a huge ACL baby I am. While I continually find myself regretting spending my money on the festival after the eternity-feeling weekend is over, I somehow always find myself buying tickets for the next festival. To set the stage, let me first announce how I have a strong theory that I am an old, cranky man stuck inside an angsty teenager's body. And let me tell ya, while there are several things I LOVE about ACL, there are even more things I could definitely live without.

Things I like:
- The music, duh. However I make a rule of only buying a ticket if there are a minimum of 3 bands I like and know well per day.
- The FOOD. Oh man, mighty cone get in my belly. I could eat those delicious fried geometric taco things day and night.
- The atmosphere (to the extent of being able to trot around outside)

Things I do NAHT like:
- The crowds: I never told the peasants they could touch me! How dare they.
-The prices: As much as I love that mighty cone, it is mighty pricey. Like eight bucks for a taco thing? Boo.
- The sass: I swear, the people at ACL get meaner every year. I get stepped on, shoved, cursed at, you name it. And excuse me for shoving you to the ground and pitching your dollar sunglasses after you performed an open beer-helicopter over my head, then vomited where I was standing.
-The exhaustion: I am not made to stand all day and wander from stage to stage in the heat. I am a religious napper, and I get wiped out.
- The sunburn: I am ginger, hear my dying skin roar.

Anywhoo, Woodstock pretty much seems like ACL on hippy steroids, and I don't think I could last a day. However, I have a really nice appreciation for Woodstock, in regards to the dedication of the millions of hippies, the inspiration it induced as the first of many spectacular music shows, and the revolution it created in the music world. Those fans sat through a wild rain storm, and if I thought ACL wore me out, they didn't even get to go home at night! Woodstock was simply incredible, however, I just simply am not hardcore enough to handle it.

Zola Jesus

I was introduced by none other than my other music geek teacher, Mr. Earhart. She was at ACL this year too, so I got a chance to check her out live, and I honestly thought she was one of the best of the day. Plus she was wearing a weird like Luke Skywalker outfit, which made it even better.

She is like a super-eerie/ spiritual Florence + The Machine, and I diiiiggg it.








My god, isn't her voice incredible? She sounds SO much like Florence Welsh, they could be sisters. Anyways, Zola sings some beautiful/ impressive stuff (although admittedly I can barely understand her,she could be singing about taxidermy or something weird and I would have 0.00 clue) then throws some funky bass in there and some crazy laser noises and stuff and it's perf.

However, she's one of those artists where I really like some of her stuff, and I don't really care for her other songs. But, I think it would be weird if I liked every one of her songs, and anyways it shows that she demonstrates diversity and creativity in her production range. Go Zola.

Bill Withers

Can we all just stop and admire the beauty that is this song and man for a sec?



I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I

I like the original version better than the live version, however only because it is lacking the super awesome orchestra accompaniment, not because Bill Withers isn't jammin:



Anyways, Bill Withers will always have a super big place in my heart, his voice is so smooth and melodic, the beats are so catchy, and he has me hooked. I find myself leaning on him when I'm not strong ;) Anyways, Bill Withers, in my opinion, truly is a classic example of the talent that seems to have disappeared from today's popular music culture. Bill Withers' smooth R&B will forever ease my soul.

Here are some more favorites:

Just the Two of Us:




Lovely Daaaaaaay: