Archive for the 'Listening Tonight' Category

What I’m Listening to Tonight: Thriller

Published
by
Alfina the Vague
on June 7, 2008
in Dance Shows, Listening Tonight, Music, Pop, Reality and TV
. 2 Comments

Obviously, you need no introduction to The King of Pop. What you may not know, though, if you don’t watch all of the dance shows I do, is that this year is the 25th anniversary of Thriller, one of the greatest albums of our time. Oh yes, indeed.

Dance shows have been capitalizing on the excellence of Thriller, making contestants do Thriller-related routines as part of the competitions. Rightfully so! MJ’s awesomely funky beats will make anything and everything better, even if that anything is a badly produced and badly edited dance crew competition show that should have been replete with extreme awesomeness and, disappointingly, was not. Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew, I am looking at you.

The reason Michael Jackson makes everything better is that when listening to his music it is completely impossible not to jump up off of your butt and start shaking your thang. This is as true today as it was 25 years ago. When the album came out, I was in kindergarten. I listened to it day in and day out, until my stupid mother got so sick of it (and so sick of the awesome dace routine I was choreographing to it, which necessitated a lot of couch jumping and, possibly, some crashing around into other furniture) that she took the cassette tape away. Luckily I am an adult now with my own furniture to jump on and my own very loud stereo. Well, what are you gonna do NOW, MOTHER? MWA HA HA HA HA.

Now that that’s out of my system, let’s listen to some tracks:

Billie Jean


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Beat It


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Thriller


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What I’m Listening to Tonight: Death Cab for Cutie’s Narrow Stairs

Published
by
Alfina the Vague
on May 7, 2008
in Country, Indie, Listening Tonight and Music
. 5 Comments

Death Cab for Cutie is absolutely one of my favorite bands — and I say this after having been ridiculed for that fact just the other day. My friend S., upon checking out what I had put on the iPod in the car, gave me a brutal Nelson Munz impersonation: “HAH hah. YOU like Death Cab for CUTIE!” I was all, “OH YES I DO AND YOU HAD BETTER BELIEVE IT ETCETERA!”

I honestly fail to see what is ridiculous about liking Death Cab for Cutie. Yes, they are one of those Sensitive Guy Bands, à la Iron and Wine or Ryan Adams, but hey, those are artists I also love. Death Cab for Cutie I love with a fucking passion. I had always liked them and listened to them frequently and with great pleasure, but Plans, their first major-label album, really sealed the deal for me. I get that hard-core fans who have all the early stuff on cassette tape may quibble with me on that one, but I wholeheartedly believe Plans is a brilliant fucking album. Furthermore, it was released at the absolutely perfect time for it to weave its way seamlessly into my consciousness — the songs on that album seemed like they had been written specifically for that year of my life, and I kept the album on repeat for a good 12-18 months. For real.

It would be a lie to tell you that I did not await the release of the new album, Narrow Stairs, with literally bated breath. I really, literally, held my breath while it was downloading; I was that excited. In fact, I couldn’t really wait for the real release date, so I managed to obtain it early and through questionable means (but means encouraged by the band, so).

The album is really fucking great. It’s a bit louder and grittier and darker, over all, than what they have done before, which I love. It’s complex and exhilarating and completely addictive. Go get it now (or wait until May 13th if you’re all law abidin’ and a total prude, whatever), and just try to turn it off, I dare you.

Here are a few tracks I am liking best so far, the last one being my favorite of the day.

Bixby Canyon Bridge


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Your New Twin Sized Bed


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Talking Bird


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Long Division


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What I’m Listening To Tonight: Camper Van Beethoven

Published
by
Alfina the Vague
on April 23, 2008
in Country, Indie, Listening Tonight, Music and Rock
. 0 Comments

Yeah, yeah, I know it is not even nighttime, so I probably shouldn’t be posting a “What I’m Listening to Tonight” entry, but let’s face it: it is my office hours and I am stuck on campus, so I might as well be doing something productive. Rather than research or grading, I think my time could better be spent telling you all about how much I have been loving some Camper Van Beethoven lately and giving you a few tracks to listen to. This is what I have been listening to for the past several days — ever since my friend S. and I decided to put on an album of theirs on the way home from the local music show on Saturday.

I started listening to Camper Van Beethoven in high school and have loved them ever since. I like them oodles better than Cracker, by the way, for their sort of quiet-but-unabashed weirdness. Here are a few tracks from the album Camper Vantiquities, a rarities collection that has some truly wonderful songs not heard elsewhere, including the song my heart dedicates to my students each and every day, “(We Workers Do Not Understand Postmodern Art).” Here are my favorites (try to guess which one was my predictable angsty teenage anthem*):

Axe Murderer Song


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I’m Not Like Everybody Else


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Photograph


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My favorite regular Camper Van album was always Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart, the title of which is a reference to Patty Hearst. Here’s the Hearst-related song plus two other favorites (the last one is the best of all):

Tania


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Eye of Fatima, Pt. 1


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She Divines Water


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*Which was not, ironically, Cracker’s “Teen Angst.” Heh.

What I’m Listening to Tonight: Yelle — Pop-Up

Published
by
Alfina the Vague
on April 2, 2008
in Listening Tonight, Music and Pop
. 3 Comments

This is French techno-pop-type stuff with a distinct 80s sound. It’s cheesy and dancy and you probably don’t even need to understand French to enjoy it. If you do, though, it’s that much better because the lyrics are awfully clever and witty. Here are two tracks from the album Pop-Up:

“À cause des garçons” (A cover - the original band is also called “à cause des garçons.” Confusing, non?)


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“Je veux te voir”


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What I’m Listening to Tonight: Willie Nelson - The Rainbow Connection

Published
by
Alfina the Vague
on April 2, 2008
in Country, Listening Tonight and Music
. 2 Comments

Willie Nelson is one of the greatest, and if you don’t admit that, there’s something wrong with you. For some reason, though, I find this album full of children’s music (and some grown-up tunes, too) to be strangely and especially wonderful. Just try to listen to this song without crying.


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