top 5 videos of people smashing their instruments

if you've ever been in a band or seen a band live that had a destructive streak then you are probably aware of how much fun it can be just watching someone recklessly destroy a piece of musical equipment. here are 5 videos on the youtube of people doing a good job of it.

Guitar Wolf Bassist vs. His Bass


...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead doing their thing


Nirvana with a full on sonic assault before going apeshit


The Who explaining the ART of Destruction


and then Spiritualized show us the fun that can be had if an orchestra were to smash their shit

20 Albums That Changed My Life

Via The Facebook...

Think of 20 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums that no matter what they were thought of musically shaped your world. When you finish, tag 20 others, including me. Make sure you copy and paste this part so they know the drill. Get the idea now? Good. Tag, you're it!

1. Nirvana- Nevermind (i don't even need to explain this. if you are around the same age as me and were a teenager when this came out you know what it meant. but even more importantly than this actual record was all the cool bands that i discovered in the wake of listening to Nirvana and buying everything that Kurt Cobain name dropped in interviews) also this album directly changed the way i looked as i went from short haired baseball player to long haired grunge poseur which in turned helped me get laid in highschool.

2. Michael Jackson-Thriller (this album was my childhood. i used to dance around my room and act out the videos all the time when i was alone pretending to be Michael. i wore Pennyloafers almost everyday in 1st grade. i was Micheal Jackson as the Werewolf from teh Thriller video 2 years in a row. i fucking LOVED Michael Jackson.)

3. Guns N Roses- Appetitie For Destruction (a friend dubbed me a copy in 5th grade. the 1st album i ever owned that made me feel cool for listening to it. also the album that made me ask my parents for a guitar...that i never bothered to learn how to play)

4. NWA- Straight Outta Compton (i stole a copy from Camelot music in the Mall the summer after 6th grade. i hid it in a shoebox in my room inside a Bon Jovi tapecase so my mom wouldn't find it. the first thing i ever owned that felt like i was doing something bad for listening to it. still my favorite rap record of all time)

5. Sonic Youth- Dirty (after Nirvana, Sonic Youth were my favorite band ever and Dirty was my introduction)

6. The Clash- The Story Of The Clash (in 10th grade i started going back and learning about all the punk bands of the 70s. this double disc Greatest Hits cds was my favorite CD ever at the time.)

7. Fugazi- Repater (got me into hardcore and underground music, the first band i ever liked that not every kid at my highschool listened to)

8. Black Flag- First Four Years (still my favorite punk record ever made)

9. Beastie Boys- Check Your Head (this album is the 90s)

10. The Jesus and Mary Chain-Honey's Dead (i discovered them in 10th grade and this is just one of those records to defines highschool and the 90s for me)

11. Gang Of Four- Entertainment!

12. The Replacements- Let It Be

13. Belle & Sebastian- If You're Feeling Sinister

14. Jawbreaker- 24 hour revenge therapy

15. Nation Of Ulysses- Plays Pretty for Baby

16. Radiohead- OK Computer

17. Elliott Smith- Either/Or

18. The Smiths- Hatful of Hallow

19. Refused- The Shape Of Punk To Come (came out in 1998 and saved my love of punk rock. also reignited my desire to be in a band)

20. The Agenda- Start The Panic (hey, i made this record and this is the reason i've seen the entire US and went to the UK which was my first time out of the country. so yeah, this changed my life for sure.)

i'm having a Wu Tang revival moment

ah the Wu Tang Clan...how i've missed you. what took me so long to start listening to you again?

15 favorite Wu Tang songs of all time

1. GZA/The Genius- 4th Chamber
2. Ghostface Killah- Daytona 500
3. Wu Tang Clan- Shame On A Nigga
4. Wu Tang Clan- C.R.E.A.M.
5. Ol' Dirty Bastard- Shimmy Shimmy Ya
6. GZA- Shadowboxin'
7. Wu Tang Clan- Method Man
8. GZA- Liquid Swords
9. Wu Tang Clan- Visionz
10. Ol' Dirty Bastard- Got Your Money
11. Wu Tang Clan- Dogshit
12. Ghostface Killah- All That I Got
13. Method Man- Release Yo Delf
14. Raekwon- Ice Cream
15. Wu Tang Clan- Can It Be All So Simple

Freaky Japanese Space Jams For Your Ass

this is Les Rallize DeNudes.

they were a Psychedelic Rock band from Japan that existed from the late 1960s and into the mid 1990s. they're sort of a Japanese version of the Velvet Underground...meaning nobody ever heard of them when they started out but it's pretty obvious if you've ever bothered listening to Japanese rock bands like the Boredoms and Acid Mothers Temple that they were a huge influence on the underground rock scene. their sound is somewhere in between The Jesus And Mary Chain during their heavy-feedback era playing long spaced out 13th Floor Elevator songs by way of Sun Ra and the entire No Wave movement....or something like that. maybe a little Can and Spaceman 3 thrown in for good measure. honestly None of those bands really hit the mark at all. they were involved with some left-ist political organizations so an MC5 comparison is probably in order as well...other than the fact nobody in the MC4 ever hijacked a motherfucking airplane like the original bassist did back in 1970.

this is music for noise freaks and obsessive nerds...so if you fall into either of those categories then you will probably enjoy. if not, well then i hear there's a new album by The Fray coming out.

some youtube footage

Yelle, will you marry me?

i'm spending the better part of the day indulging in one of my guilty pleasures...Yelle. she's the perfect combination of many things that hold a soft spot in my heart...French girls, weirdo fashion, and electro pop that sounds like Tom Tom Club. be still my beating heart. my crush on Katy Perry (who was really just fake Zoe Deschanel) is now officially over.

this is the video for Yelle's newest single "ce jeu".

seriously i've watched this like 20 times today.

this video is slightly more boner inducing...mostly for the inclusion of American Apparel booty shorts.

i think i'm in love.

i feel apocalyptic today

listening to Godspeed You Black Emperor tends to do that to you.


top 10 Ways i hope the World Ends.

1. Zombie apocalypse

2. The Sun Explodes

3. Nuclear Holocaust
4. Alien Invasion
5. meteor the size of California detonates in the Earth's atmosphere killing all life
6. wide spread plague wipes out mankind
7. giant tidal waves drown the continents
8. BLACK HOLE!!!!!

9. super volcano
10. the machines turn on us

Another Ode To the Ass

the only thing i love more than a girl with a nice ass is a song about nice asses.

as long as i live i will never grow tired of Booty Jams. NEVER EVER NEVER EVER NEVER EVER.

oh yeah, and it's not like anyone reads this blog and i already made one post...but here's another.



come to The GO BAR. get wasted. listen to me & dj Bloggins drop a thousand tons of hits on your motherfucking ass. dance like a fool. watch the girls drop it. get your lady to take part in the P Popping contest. then i'll play Black Flag and The Stooges and you can smash something. get kicked out. sneak back in. get more wasted. find a lady. get laid. it'll rule. nuff said.

Turf War MTHRFKR

maybe i'm biased but if my brother's band Turf War were from Athens they'd be the best band in town. the most fun i've had at a local show in a long long time. that kid might just make it after all. good times.

had a great x-mas vacation. that's the best time i've had in Augusta since i was 17.

but now i'm back in Athens.

i'm officially addicted to my phone. G1 bitches!

new york's the greatest if you get someone to pay the rent

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM- North American Scum

best line ever:
"and for those of you who still think we're from england
we're not, no."

She's lost...Bye Bye Bye

i'm feeling dream-popish today.

The Chills "Pink Frost"


My Bloody Valentine "You Made Me Realize"


M83 "Teen Angst"


The Lilys "Nanny In Manhattan"

my new favorite band that i discovered this year

besides M83, the band most likely to end up with a song being used in the next Sofia Copalla movie is the Shocking Pinks. they combine every cool sub-genre of the 80s indie scene into one perfect shoegaze/post-punk/kiwi pop/sad bastard explosion. last year the DFA collected all of their singles and eps as well as some album tracks from older releases and put out a self titled compilation for American release. each track on the comp reminds me of some long lost lo-fi gem that could have existed on college rock radio circa 1991 and fit perfectly inbetween sebadoh and pavement. if you are a fan of isn't anything era my bloody valentine, early lilys, psychocandy era jesus and mary chain, the clean, the verlaines, & a certain ratio then do yourself a favor and check them out.

here's a video for my favorite track, "the end of the world"

Last.FM top 10s of 2008.

so according to my Last.fm profile these are my personal top 10's for 2008.

top 10 most listened to songs in 2008
1. vampire weekend- campus
2. vampire weekend- walcott
3. vampire weekend- oxford comma
4. the radio dept.- where damage isn't already done
5. the shocking pinks- end of the world
6. white lies- death
7. the apartments- help
8. devendra banhart– lover
9. the faintest ideas- you're beautiful
10. the virgins- rich girls

top 10 listened to artists in 2008
1. elliott smith
2. spiritualized
3. no age
4. vampire weekend
5. the misfits
6. the jesus and mary chain
7. joy division
8. jay reatard
9. the shocking pinks
10. my bloody valentine

The Best Albums Of 2008 (the year Indie Rock quit sucking)

1. Vampire Weekend- vampire weekend
when it came out, i wanted to hate them...every time something new came out i wanted that record to take it's place...much like the Strokes before them, it's hard to deny Vampire Weekend and their self titled debut album. if there was a more enjoyable pop record in the year 2008 (hell the last 3 years) then i don't know what it was. surrender to the afrobeat/indiepop/masterpiece and just move on.
the video for "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"


2. No Age- nouns
No Age lands my second spot for putting out an album that reminded me of why i loved Sebadoh and Husker Du so damn much, this band really should have been around in the early 90s (too bad noone in Athens seems to give a shit about them). this is music for music nerds.

3. M83- saturdays=youth
like if My Bloody Valentine had been a synth-pop band from the 80s. M83 were the perfect soundtrack to my fall pity party. lush and dreamy, it reminded me why i love shoegazer bands so damn much. you can pretty much bet the house that the next Sofia Coppola movie will have a couple of tracks from this album on it's soundtrack. plus is there anyone out there with better videos? Kim & Jessie have an answer for you...


4. Deerhunter- microcastle
i've definently accused this Atlanta band of being overrated/pretentious/bullshit after seeing them live a couple of times, but then they dropped Microcastle on my ass which is a surprisingly catchy indiepop record with just the right amount of weirdness to remind me of mid-90s Sonic Youth.

5. Jay Reatard- matador singles 08
my favorite pop punk songwriter discoverd his inner indie popster and put out an assortment of Clean/Tall Dwarfs inspired gems and Matador collected them all for us to enjoy without hunting down all those damn singles.

6. MGMT- oracular spectacular
the perfect weirdo pop combination of the Flaming Lips and the Unicorns...but with a huge Prince influence (or maybe that's just what i hear in them). MGMT released 3 of the best singles of the whole year (Kids, Time To Pretend, Electric Feel) and the rest of the record is pretty solid too.

7. Spiritualized- songs in a&e
after several so/so records, J.Spaceman finally put out an album that is the equal of Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating Through Space. it only took him a decade.

8. The Kills- midnight boom
the Kills finally put out an album that's as cool and sexy as their image. all the reference points are still the same (suicide, jesus & mary chain, pj harvey, etc...) but finally they learned how to take those influences an write some songs to go with the sound.

9. Fucked Up- the chemistry of common life
i may be 30 years old, but i still love a good fucking heavy rock record as much now as i did when i was 17. Fucked Up delivered the best hardcore/post-hardcore/whatever the hell you wanna call it...album in a good long time. the spirit of Black Flag lives on...and it's Canadian....who knew?

10. The Walkmen- you & me
more of the same from one of my favorite bands of the decade. lots of songs about heart break and regret...which is always good for me cuz i got both of those in spades. not nearly as classic as Bows & Arrows or their debut, but a solid album none the less. here's the video for my favorite track, "in the new year"



11. TV On the Radio- dear science
maybe i'm just starting to get bored with TV On The Radio, but this is by far my least favorite release they've put out yet...still it's better than 90% of what other people are putting out, and the song The Golden Age was one of the best singles/videos of the year.

12. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds- dig!!! lazarus dig!!!
so it's pretty obvious that last year's Grinderman project infused a desire to rock and roll in Alternative's elder statesmen. Lazarus is a sex,drugs/rock n roll boogie fest from a band that's been pretty somber this past decade or so. i'm digging it. Nick Cave still has it. here's a video of the song "Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!"


13. Albert Hammond jr- como te lama?
not nearly as good as his first solo record, but still better than that 3rd Strokes album. a good indie pop record.

what the world needs is more popstars who break things

i miss the comfort in being sad

top 20 depressing albums to curl up in your bed and wish you were dead

1. joy division- closer
2. nirvana- mtv unplugged in new york
3. leonard cohen- songs from a room
4. radiohead- the bends
5. nick drake- pink moon
6. elliott smith- either/or
7. nirvana- in utero
8. the cure- faith
9. the smiths- hatful of hollow
10. bob dylan- blood on the tracks
11. husker du- candy apple grey
12. bonnie prince billy- i see a darkness
13. john lennon- plastic ono band
14. cowboy junkies- the trinity sessions
15. godspeed you black emperor- f#a#infinity
16. red house painters- red house painters
17. lour reed- berlin
18. the cure- pornography
19. big star- third/sister lovers
20. bruce springsteen- nebraska

Awesome Tapes From Africa Is Pretty Awesome

today i discovered a new blog...or i should say my co-worker told me about a new blog that is truly going to become an obsession. awesome tapes from africa has both an awesome name and awesome music. the guy who runs it was in the redcross in africa and started buying weird tapes he'd find while he was there and then he started this blog where he posts music and album artwork. you can listen to free mp3s and enjoy bizarre world music that doesn't fucking suck.

another random video from a band i used to like

Idlewild "roseability"

actually this isn't really a band i was that into, i mean i owned exactly one album and that album had exactly 3 songs on it that ever made it onto any mix cds... but i did love this song back in 1999 or 2000 or whenever the fuck it came out.

Axl should have done himself a favor and died in the 80s

i've heard the new Guns N Roses. someone at work was listening to it.

it is beyond awful.

you have been warned.

The new TV On The Radio video is like pretty cool and shit

so i discovered that i have mtvU last night. it's like M2 was when it first started in the late 90s...nuthin' but videos. i watched for like 2 hours last night and saw exactly one awesome video.

TV On the Radio "The Golden Age" which i swear sounds like Off The Wall-Era Michael Jackson. totally rad.

NO AGE @ The 40 Watt, Fri. Nov. 14th

i decided i'd review the No Age show anyways. it's not like i've got anything better to do.

so yeah No Age played last friday at the 40 watt and as i've mentioned in my earlier post, not a lot of people made it out. somewhere around or less than 100, but it's always hard to tell when shows aren't full at the Watt. they played all their jams and they played two covers (gun club's "sex beat" and the misfits "night of the living dead"), they asked for a show of hands how many members of the crowd were members of Dark Meat, they were loud, they we're good. i kind of expected them to be a lot louder...seeing as how they are only a two piece, but it might have been the fact that i was standing in back with all the other 30 year olds. i also expected them to be a little crazier...but the pretty much just get up there and play the tunes and if you like it then you like it and if you don't then whatever...yeah okay, not much else to say about them. if you like their records then go see 'em live. it's worth the price. here's a live clip of them doing "every artist needs a tragedy" (my personal favorite).


the real surprise of the show was that i really enjoyed the opening band Titus Andronicus and i can't honestly remember the last time that those words came out of my mouth. they were sort of if the Replacements and the Walkmen took all their band members and decided to start a new band and that band was gonna sound like the Pogues with some Springsteen and the E Street band influence thrown in for good measure as filtered through the ears of kids who obviously all grew up playing in punk bands. so yeah, it was good old fashioned, high energy rock and roll. harmonicas, sing along lyrics, and 3 guitars making a lot of racket. some of my friends said they reminded them of Athens band Jesuis France...which i could maybe see. but not as sloppy. regardless i enjoyed them and if they played in Athens again, i'd probably go check them out. can't say if i'd bother to buy a record though...maybe i'll download a track off itunes. anyways, they are a good time and you should check em out.

here's some live footage of them from the Pitchfork festival.