2016 Contenders

The past couple of years I've put together a favorite albums of the year list. This year didn't start out very promising with a couple of albums that I was anticipating and, honestly, disappointed me. But later, little by little, there were almost too many to keep up with. In any case, in the next few weeks, I'll finalize my list, so keep an eye out. Some good things did happen this year.

As always, these are not necessarily the best critically, just my favorites. There may or may not be some overlap with the deluge of lists that will start hitting the web soon. I don't care, either way.

I pretty much have my top 5 decided. I am certain what number one will be. The rest, I'm still sorting out. I'm still going through several albums again and I may add more for consideration, so if you give a shit what I think, you might want to follow my playlist of 2016 Contenders. I have no idea when I'll even have the time to do my posts like I did last year, since I'm toying with the idea of having more than 10. But we'll see. In the mean time, listen to the playlist but go through to listen to each album represented.

Summer 2016: Chaos Reigns

So much has been said about how 2016 sucks. Deaths of icons. An election that seems to be taken from some parody within an apocalypse within a farce of a nightmare. A climate that is rightfully trying to kill us all with fire, if we don't all just shoot each other first. Race not "still" being an issue, because that's not surprising, but what seems to be an escalation in willful denial about inequality has ignited some truly insane shit. Anyway, the world is on fire figuratively and almost literally. I swear I felt the sun laugh flames in my face the other day as I stepped outside.

I see so many ridiculous arguments on every side of issues with very few people being consistent about a damn thing. I'm constantly amazed about how much people are willing to give up to systems that are clearly broken just because that's "the way it is." The idea that change is incremental is something only people that benefit from the status quo can say with a straight face, as if that was somehow ok. People looking to change things are called naive by those supporting candidates simply because they pledge the right mascot. Everyone is offended but somehow calling out actual offenses is also offensive. It's mind-boggling.  But anyway, about music. . .

I've been listening to a lot of Nick Cave this summer and it's been the perfect voice for all of this. We've partied like it was 1999, but no big time apocalypse came. Instead, it's been a descending spiral for several decades. Cave's narratives are the soundtrack of our elongated doom. But, of course, there's other songs, other voices. Hence my playlist, Summer 2016: Chaos Reigns. Metallica released a song that is not only a great reminder of why they were my band back in the 80s, but is one of the most timely things I've ever heard. And of course, Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows" plays in my head every time I'm reminded how shitty the world can be. It's not all doom and gloom, though.  Deap Vally's "Smile More" is an anthem for every woman who's ever been, well, a woman in a supposed man's world, but also for anybody who's ever been outside the norm or just generally feels like they should be left the fuck alone. (Hint: leave everyone the fuck alone). The point is, there's a sense of rebellion here and maybe even hope as well. But, always, unfortunately, for most of us, struggle. Still, at least we're not alone, even if we don't always realize it.

Anyway, listen and think and hopefully enjoy. And I'll try to post more often again, if anyone cares. 

2015 Week 52: The Last Playlist

And just like that, the year is over. I actually stuck to this weekly playlist thing the whole year, even though I honestly had a hard time coming up with anything resembling a theme most of the time. I will not be doing it next year, though. I want to try to listen to some audio books next year which is going to be an interesting experiment in time management. It's weird that I sometimes wish I had a longer commute. I might post playlists form time to time, when I think of a good theme, but it won't be steady. And I need to get back to the Tom Waits discog soon.

The year started out with me writing for FDRMX, but that quickly stopped for several reasons. They've since changed their name and my stuff is still there (they've actually republished a couple recently for some reason) but since I'm not actually paying bills with my writing, I'd rather find a better match or just try to somehow (impossibly) grow my own site. I don't know, I could use an editor, though. A good one. But it's not like I have all the time in the world for writing, either. The year is ending with this sort of becoming harder for me to find the mental energy for and I feel like it shows. So, while having some sort of consistency throughout the year was an accomplishment, I'm not sure I'm in a place where I can really force this.

Next year I'm anticipating several new albums. There's The Last Shadow Puppets and Lucius and possibly Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I'm hoping to see some good shows. Right now, my list of people I most want to see is, in no particular order:

Nina Diaz/Girl in a Coma: Nina's solo album is due out next year. I'd love to see her with Girl in a Coma or solo. Either way.

Rachel Fannan/Only You: One of my favorite songs this year was "The Pressure," but everything I hear from her and see on YouTube is right up my alley. A full album would be great too.

Ruby the Hatchet: My number 9 album this year was Valley of the Snakes. I want to see it live.

Royal Thunder: My number 1 album of the year was Crooked Doors. Been wanting this for some time. There's a slight chance.

The Fantastic Negrito: Also one on my top albums of the year. This guy is electric.

Nathaniel Rateliff and The Nightsweats: Number 2 album of the year was. . .

The Last Shadow Puppets: With a full orchestra, of course.

Anyway, for the last playlist I gathered some songs that I feel captured the year for me. It was a year with some struggles and some good stuff in there too. Which I guess is every year, really. It's kind of stupid to try to some up 365 days of the complexities of everyday life with one big generalization. Still, I think this comes pretty close. And it features some of of my favorite songs to come out this year. So, there it is.

2015 Week 51: It's The Fucking Beatles

The Beatles are now on every streaming service. Sort of makes the arguments from some of today's artists against streaming seem silly. All the biggest names in the history of music are pretty much already available. I believe artists should get paid, but the issues most have with streaming services like Spotify are really fights they should be having with their record labels. But whatever, there's always going to be a fight over this sort of thing I guess. It happened when CD's came about and later with iTunes. It happens with everything. Then it just sort of becomes accepted.

One complaint about The Beatles streaming is that they are only including the original Let It Be, as far as I can tell. I prefer Let It Be. . . Naked, the version they released in 2003. Paul never liked the original's overproduction by Phil Spector and I totally agree. The Naked version is stripped down and features a different track list with different takes and edits. In particular, I always hated "The Long and Winding Road" until I heard it without all the strings and orchestration it doesn't need. Also, Naked brings in "Don't Let Me Down" which is one of my all time favorites. Let's hope at some point they decide to add this version to streaming. Also missing, so far is the Anthology series which gathers tons of outtakes, alternate takes and miscellaneous bits. I would also like to see the full mono and stereo albums offered side by side. But maybe I'm just a dreamer.

Anyway, here's a list of my favorite Beatles songs. I could probably edit it down further or go the other way and add more. It's the fucking Beatles.

2015 Week 50: Top 100 Tracks Streamed

Spotify's year in music is one of the great things about streaming. You can get a wrap up of at least some of your music habits in a way that would take way more obsessive nerdetry to do offline than I think even the most insane among us would never do. So, even though I do listen to vinyl and this year started using Google Play to stream my own collection, this number is pretty damn close to reality. 62 thousand minutes. Take that! But what was I listening to? Was it all the same band? Not quite. I don't think I can name 4, 526 artists, but that's what I listened to, at least once. I give everything a chance. How else would you find anything? Spotify also tells me I listened to 12,000 different tracks, mostly in the following genres.

But who gives a shit about genre? Not me, apparently. My top artists where:

1. Tom Waits - 247 Streams
2. Elvis Costello - 189 Streams
3. Arctic Monkeys - 156 Streams
4. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - 144 Streams
5. Ana Tijoux - 121 Streams

So I guess, technically, Elvis Costello should be number 1, but that's how Spotify breaks it down. I'm not sure what they consider a stream though since I get the sense the individual numbers might be too small.  Anyway, next measure was albums and no surprises there either:

1. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs - 117 Streams
2. Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones - 77 Streams
3. Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie, etc. - 58 Streams
4. Royal Thunder - Crooked Doors - 54 Streams
5. Thunderbitch - Thunderbitch - 52 Streams

Which brings me to my top tracks. I won't get into the top 5 tracks and instead just direct you to this week's playlist, which is just my Top 100 for 2015, according to Spotify. I've been listening to it the past couple of days and while there really aren't any complete surprises, there are a few songs I hadn't actually heard in a while, but I guess I played them a lot at the beginning of the year. There are a lot of newer songs but mixed in with some of my old standbys. Shuffle this playlist and it's pretty much what riding around with me is like.

2015 Week 48: The Weiland Show

I hope everyone (all 2 of you) is following along and listening to my top 10 albums of 2015. I'll be back with number 6 next week. I'm pretty sure my list is unlike any of the lists put out by the major music publications. So far I haven't seen too much overlap, if any. I feel like my picks are exactly that: mine. I'm not picking things that are somehow technically flawless but don't actually move me. I'm picking things I actually enjoy listening to and will likely continue to enjoy. I certainly don't pick things just because they are popular and might get me a lot of hits, which really only shows why I actually suck at this blogging thing, but I digress.

In the meantime, let me bring your attention to a couple of albums coming out early next year that I am highly excited for. One of my favorite albums of the last few years is The Age of the Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets, the side project from Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner and Miles Kane. I've been hoping for a second album from them since immediately after hearing the first one. And now, it's finally happening. This week they released a vague trailer for it and I was squealing like a Beatles groupie.

Also this week, Lucius announced their upcoming album, Good Grief. They also released the first video and single, "Born Again Teen." The song is instantly infectious and seems to indicate a slightly more frenetic, high energy and more electronic direction without losing any of the harmonies and well crafted songs of their previous work. The metaphor of the title is perfectly illustrated by the hyped up, frenetic drums of the chorus which kind of remind me of an album that (spoiler alert) almost made my top 10 this year, Mini Mansions' The Great Pretenders. Anyway, watch and listen.

I woke up this morning and the first thing I learned was that Scott Weiland died. While it wasn't a surprise, at first I thought it might be one of those hoaxes that come up once in a while, because he's exactly the type of celebrity that those hoaxes usually start about. Anyway, I wouldn't say I was a huge fan, but I do love Purple and Tiny Music a lot. So I put together a playlist that's not so much a greatest hits, though it kind of is, but plays more like a set list (I think). This is the concert he should have been playing if he could have beat his demons. In putting it together it really stood out to me how much his and Stone Temple Pilots' sound evolved from the Nirvana Jam in Chains sound of their first album. And even then, I can't really knock that first album, because imitation that good, when those other bands had literally just hit does demonstrate a certain level of talent that can't be denied. And their second album was a rapid evolution toward a sound that is really all their own. And all his, since he brought his flair to every other project he was involved in. Anyway, just enjoy The Weiland Show.

2015 Week 47: Contenders

I've spent the whole week going over some of the albums that stuck out for me this year and I'm narrowing my list down to my eventual 10 for 2015. Last year I didn't rank them, and instead just presented them in any order, because I generally hate rankings. But I might challenge myself this year and actually impose an order and pick one that is the best. But it's going to be tough. There are several that could fit the bill and at least one I hadn't actually heard all the way through until this week. In the meantime, this week's Spotify playlist will give you a little taste as it features one song from each of the top 23 contenders. The possibility of something else sneaking in at the last minute is still open, so if you feel something is missing, let me know quick and I'll give it a listen.

2015 Week 46: Shades

It's been a pretty shitty week for the world. I've been stressed at work, but shit going on all over the planet just puts things in perspective. And that perspective is that people basically fucking suck. From the guy who pulled the trigger to the gaggle of assholes who use it to further agendas. Always the fucking agendas. But whatever, really, there's only one song that is really worth listening to at a time like this, when there's really nothing you can do about any of it.

Anyway, that should allow you to decompress a little before putting on this week's Spotify Playlist about real, out of time, hipster swagger. This one cool kid who truly never cared what anybody thought, and maybe also was a time traveler, put this list together on his phone in 1940, while sitting on the hood of a '57 Chevy, wearing Ray Bans and smoking a cigarette from the future. He simply called it Shades and disappeared forever. I found it by accident while drinking a craft beer and riding my pogo stick to work one day and now it's yours. Enjoy.

2015 Week 45: With a Thrill in My Head

Those days you wake up with a song inexplicably stuck in your head will throw you for a loop sometimes. Especially when it's a song you may not even like so much or even if you do, you haven't heard or thought about for many years and really wouldn't have on your own. But, as I've mentioned on occasion, my mind is an asshole. Why do I find it hard to write the next line? I want the truth to be said. . . .

I mean, I don't hate the song, but I wouldn't necessarily listen to it voluntarily. Yet, Friday morning I had to listen to it first thing in the morning because it was playing in my head out of the fucking blue. And you know what? Fuck it, it's a good song. There are some pretty interesting lyrics in there. "With a thrill in my head and a pill on my tongue listening to Marvin all night long, this is the sound of my soul"? That's somehow unhinged and beautiful at the same time.

By the way, from Wikipedia: "The expression "Spandau Ballet" was slang used by Allied troops in the trenches in the First World War referring to the twitching of the corpses hanging on the barbed wire and repeatedly hit by Spandau machine gun fire from the German lines." So, pretty fucking hardcore for a band featuring smooth 80s sax. Also, now I want to watch this:

So then this week's Spotify playlist gained a framing device, as you'll see. Buy a ticket to the world, and come back again after you've heard the thrill in my head. It's not really anything more than a bunch of songs, but maybe you can find some meaning in it. If you do, let me know.

2015 Week 44: It Is What It Is

I finally loaded my music library onto Google Music. I don't think I'll be switching to Google, only because I do like the interface, music discovery and social features better on Spotify, but it's nice to be able to stream my Beatles and other obscure garage and shit. So I guess I just have two music apps now. What are you gonna do?

So I accidentally deleted this week's playlist and had to create a new one. I tried to more or less capture what I had before. It is what it is. Not much else to say about it, really. Just some songs.

2015 Week 43: Tombstone Waits & The Rockin' Ghouls

So I guess I started a tradition last year that I'll continue. I've warmed up to the idea of Halloween somewhat so I've really embraced the concept of the Halloween playlist. I'm repeating a few songs from last year because I never did that as an actual playlist, so it's acceptable. But still, I try to stay away from the more common stuff and go more to the slightly obscure while keeping it pretty light and fun.

So this year, it's about that time Tom Waits decided to hang out at a graveyard to get inspiration for his next song. Legend has it that as he composed his song, some ears that nobody thought were listening perked up and by the time he started humming the piece a band of zombies were accompanying him on bone instruments. Soon enough, coffins full of ice and beer were there and the band was jamming hard. I can't be sure of all the songs Tombstone Waits & The Rockin' Ghouls played that night, but I think it might have gone something like this.

 

2015 Week 42: Hoodlums at the End of the World

They don't seem that dangerous.

I find more darkness and danger in less obvious musical places than you'd expect. At some point, if we make a big generalization, we can say rock splits into two different paths of darkness with one path going theatrical - metal, goth - and the other going more gritty - punk, bluesy Stones type shit. (Just go with it for a second, I know it's a huge oversimplification.) Historically, I think we tend to associate things getting really dark in the more theatrical genres with bands like Black Sabbath, Slayer, Sisters of Mercy, etc. Sure, we associate punk with nihilism, but especially with the more pop balanced punk going back to The Ramones, it's rooted in the feel good, early rock n roll vibe. But the thing is, that early rock n roll vibe does have a certain darkness to it that I think gets glossed over a bit in hindsight. It was always rebellious, but the nihilism in punk was always there in a way that it's hard to express. The only thing I can think of to illustrate the point is (wait for it) Eddie and The Cruisers. Yeah, the movie. Bare with me.

Eddie (Michael Pare) in the movie was basically Jim Morrison, and while Jim was way more theatrical and The Doors were working far from the early rock sound that The Cruisers were playing, I think it still rings true. Rock n Roll was born after World War II. Sure, we won, but when the death toll of the Holocaust and the implications of Hiroshima and Nagasaki sunk in, was there ever a more ripe breeding ground for nihilism? Much has been written about this by the beat poets and beyond. But my suggestion is that Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and all the other founding fathers of rock were also addressing these realities whether they knew it or not and it comes through in the music. But at the risk of getting into a long academic thing about this, let's just use this as a setting for what this is really about: Thunderbitch.

Crazy fucking shit going on at this show, I bet.

Thunderbitch is the side project of Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard along with members of Fly Golden Eagle and Clear Plastic Masks. It is, quite simply, unadulterated rock n roll. It's fast, nasty, greasy, a little obnoxious at times and while it's tons of fun, there's ultimately a certain danger and darkness in the heavy reverb and distortion that makes it come across as somewhat apocalyptic. It's grand without trying to be theatrical. It's that second path I talked about taken to it's furthest extreme while remaining rooted in the heart of the music. The album opens with a song about leather jacket and ends with one about a motorcycle and even though those are very simple things, what they symbolize is not giving a fuck. About anything. It's like this band is playing at a dive bar to celebrate the day the sun explodes, but without calling attention to the cosmic shit, because fuck that, just light another joint and let it rip.

So I liked the album so much that it inspired a Spotify playlist where I just built around it with some songs I thought of as I was listening to it that might better explain what I'm talking about. In addition to the full Thunderbitch album, there's some punk, some rockabilly and some bluesy Stones type shit (yes, that's a genre!). Remember to play this in the order it's presented for best results but if you say "fuck you" and shuffle it, you might be getting the point even better than I intended. It's teenage delinquent music for hoodlums at the end of the world.

2015 Week 41: Heavy Soul

So here's the guy I most want to see live right now. The Fantastic Negrito is Xavier Dphrepaulezz and from the little I've read about him he's had one hell of a life with ups and downs and ins and outs of the music business. All that is well and good, but this version of him, is, well, fantastic. He merges gospel, blues, soul, R&B and just basic roots of all kinds with a certain palpable tension that is very much of the moment. It's raw and undeniable and as good as it is in studio form, from the videos I see on YouTube, it must be incredible to behold this dude live. It needs to happen soon before he gets too big and ends up in a giant venue. Maybe he can come play at a corner Cuban cafeteria.

Anyway, go check out all his stuff. Meanwhile, here's this week's Spotify Playlist, a little heavy soul for you to do with as you will. It has a bit of an attitude. Use it wisely.





2015 Week 40: Josie's Vacation

I started listening to The Goodfellas Minute podcast and it served, not as a reminder, but as a, ok a reminder of Martin Scorsese's mastery of using music in movies (among the rest of his complete mastery of the medium). Is there a more perfect moment than that "As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster," punctuated immediately by loud horns and Tony Bennett's "Rags to Riches"? I can't think of a single more iconic musical moment in a movie, ever. And any that come close are likely also from Scorsese films. Or. . .

The only other guy that comes close to Scorsese's musical genius in my book is Tarantino. The difference between them though is Marty tends to find a way to make fairly well known, big songs work without falling into cliche. Tarantino excels in finding more obscure or forgotten gems that probably should have been bigger and captures their energy in an unexpected way. Or even just the most obvious, but goose bump inducing way, as he did with Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" in Kill Bill. 

Anyway, at some point I should do a full post on my favorite musical moments in movies. I'll have to figure out how to get all the scenes together and post-able, though. Not easy. Or totally legal. But, hey, I'm just a wise guy doing his thing.

Anyway, as is typical, this week's Spotify Playlist has absolutely nothing do with any of that. This one wasn't going to be this, but then a certain song popped in my head and I wound up having to listen to it over and over for some reason, even though I don't really like it. Fucking brains are assholes, but that was a previous playlist. Guess which song on this list is the culprit. Here's a hint: the playlist is called Josie's Vacation and it's vaguely about what Josie was doing far away while this guy was cheating on her. At least I think that's what the song is about. Anyway, Josie seems to have been off on some sort of adventure of her own, though I don't know what kind exactly. Maybe she's on tour. The point is she finds herself and by the end, I get the sense she doesn't come back, because fuck that dude. Let him use his own damn love. Asshole.

2015 Week 39: Hand Me a Drink

It's been 10 years since System of a Down released their last albums, Mesmerize and Hypnotize. In that time, their music, not just from those two albums, is not only still relevant, it's almost more relevant. I was listening them almost exclusively when these albums first came out and it was strange comfort of some kind in a world that was going to shit with more war (WHY DO THEY ALWAYS SEND THE POOR!!!?) and more right wing extremism being shoved down our throats every day. They never offered answers, but they did point the finger and took shits on holy grails. That alone was heroic and sent the message that all was not ok and that if you thought so you were not alone. But any political message was always tempered by a surreal and absurdist humor and music that defied categorization of any kind. It was anarchy in your earhole that could shock and confuse you one minute and lull you with beautiful melodies and harmonies the next. Truly one of the greatest bands of the last 20 years.

Also, here's this week's Spotify Playlist, Hand Me a Drink. 'Nuff said.

2015 Week 38: Don't Fucking Call Me

The other day this song came up in the car from my favorites and I guess Shayera loved it. When we were dropping Zoey off at daycare, Shayera kept singing it. Her way: "You need your medicine, don't mess with your mama. . . " Still cool.

The new Dead Weather album, Dodge and Burn showed up on Spotify today and it's amazing. Just ordered the vinyl. It's not as dark as Sea of Cowards but still has that Gothic funk badass vibe they are so good at. It's steeped in groove and swagger and pulses with implied sex. This is without a doubt my favorite of Jack White's bands, and I loved The White Stripes. But there's something kind of mythical about this band with the leather and the beats and the danger. Alison Mosshart is maybe the best rock singer around right now, not just vocally but with that certain aura she brings that comes across in her voice. It's in your face and vulnerable, seduces and frightens, intimidates and soothes all at the same time in a way that perfectly captures the angst and abandon of rock n roll. It's the only Jack White band I haven't seen live. For all that is unholy, please tour soon and come down to South Florida, damn it.

This week's Spotify playlist is framed by a phone call. Bet you didn't know that Jayne Mansfield recorded an answer song to The Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace." Well, she did, it's called "That Makes It" and it closes off the playlist. In between, it's mostly about loud and in your face because to me, that's what a phone call is. If you know me, you know my motto is "don't fucking call me." Man's greatest achievement is the text message. Use it. A ringing phone is an obnoxious interruption with you on the other end demanding my attention against my will "HEY HEY HEY!!!" Fuck that. My phone's on silent, man's other great achievement. OH BABY YOU KNOW WHAT I LIKE!!

2015 Week 37: Vigilante

Getting kind of excited for a bunch of shows coming up. First up on October 15th there's Buddy Guy, who I saw once before about 10 years ago. Back then he was pretty crazy live, jumping from song to song with no warning and yet the band somehow kept up. He's basically the last real blues guy left so this is special. A couple days later, on October 17th, Raquel Sofia who I discovered through NPR's Tiny Desk and instantly loved. Her brand of loose, organic pop brings in elements of just about everything from folk, rock, salsa and jazz and beyond. Here, check her out for yourself.

Really looking forward to this one because she's not HUGE yet and it's a relatively small venue at University of Miami's Frost Theater. Stay tuned. Anyway, then in November there's Broncho, a band I came across last year and really liked. It turns out they're opening for The Growlers, who are cool too, but in true hipster fashion, I'm going for the opening act. And then in December I get to end the year the same way I began it by seeing St. Paul and The Broken Bones again! This is the one I'm most excited about since that show in January still stands out as the best of the year for me and the best ever really. Simply amazing band.

In the meantime, this week's Spotify playlist is jazzy, mysterious, dark and thrilling. It's sort of about Batman, maybe. The lonely vigilante, gloomy and heartbroken, going through his adventures in the city at night and occasionally being reminded how lonely he is. But he dusts himself off and goes back to his mission because it's the only way to forget. Forget the past. Forget the pain. Forget the love and the lack of. Gotham is a hard place for love. 

2015 Week 36: The Psychedelia of Dry Heaves

My week was kind of derailed by a stomach virus. I'll spare you the details I wish I'd been spared. Anyway, I still have little energy or desire to do anything more than just laying around scrolling through Netflix, never deciding on anything to watch. So, I guess back to normal then. So this week's playlist was just sort of thrown together haphazardly. It starts out with something I was thinking about early in the week that I can't remember anymore because it probably got flushed down the toilet with my soul and spleen. Then it gets a bit weird. It's a sonic representation of the ups and downs and mental state of this thing so it's jarring and a little psychedelic at times. I hope it's the closest you come to the psychedelia of dry heaves. It really sucked.

2015 Week 35: My Mind is an Asshole

Thursday morning, like any other day, a certain song came up on my Spotify from my favorites, as I dropped Shayera off at school. And as she was about to get off the car, she gave me the secret code that tells me she wants me to add it to her playlist so she can hear it on her tablet later. That secret code is "I want that song." Now you know it too. Anyway, I had instant mixed feelings that had to be conveyed in the seconds left as she exited the car. On the one hand it was a proud moment that she responded to it but on the other, well, here:

So, yeah, my answer was "I don't think so," but followed up quickly by saying it had some words I didn't want her singing on her own, but I didn't mind if she heard it with me. She's 6, so that's all I got for now. And to a certain extent it's a compromise I'm making with society because truth be told, I would actually have no fucking problem with putting this on her tablet otherwise. But I really don't want to wind up having to go into the school one day because she was singing it or something, so I'm a little cautious for the time being. At the end of the day, though, I'm pretty sure this song is MUCH less offensive than a lot of the more accepted mainstream pop out there that is just glorifying stupidity. Anyway, as she gets older the gates will slowly be let open on stuff like this, but then again, making it somewhat forbidden is part of the appeal and what will hopefully drive her towards it, so it's a balancing act like no other. And by the way, little did we know that morning how that song was the perfect opening theme for the not so funny sitcom that was my day, but that's a whole other story.

So the other day, I was exhausted and took a nap. Except I dreamed that I couldn't sleep, so when I woke up it was like I hadn't. So now I was tired AND confused. My mind is an asshole. And that's the basic idea of this week's Spotify playlist, more or less. It's a little tense, confusing and it's over before you know it. It's a bad nap, but a good set of songs so go listen to it, but don't go to sleep (RIP Wes Craven).

2015 Week 34: Back to School Mofos!

Grew up on these guys.

I don't get the whole "can't wait until the kids go back to school" thing from parents. Now we gotta deal with homework and the hassle of waking them up early. I guess we're too involved. In any case, Shayera's still at that weird age where she loves school, so that makes life a little easier for us. And while it's just first grade, I see a huge difference in the amount of independence she's expected to develop now. This is a good thing.  I went through phases of loving and hating school, getting good grades and barely passing due to indifference before settling into a deep, reclusive depression by high school, where I either skipped school entirely or wasn't there when I was there, so my goal at this point is just to avoid that shit with my kids.

Meanwhile, those of you that are teachers are back to the frustrations and bullshit of having to teach a standardized curriculum, shitty parents and let's face it, some shitty kids (which is usually because of the aforementioned shitty parents), but that's life I guess. The better ones figure out how to make it work and squeeze in some real shit. So far, so good on our end, I think. It's early in the year and early in our journey. So we'll see. I'm way more involved than my parents were, that's for sure. They didn't have much choice with the language issue, but that's beside the point. Thanks to them, I understand the importance of an education, so there you go.

Brilliance, pure and simple. 

Anyway, I've strayed way off topic, but this is all context to get you in the mood for this Spotify playlist. Back to School Mofos! There's a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Some fun stuff in here for everyone from parents to teachers and the kids in all grades. Wake up! Get your backpack on and raise hell in the halls before the bell rings. And fuck it, after the bell rings. At the end of the day, that's part of the learning process too. Do it.