The Hour Lost

Best emo band name ever?

The idea of losing an hour is so uncomplicated, but for some reason it just beats me half to death every year. It's times like these I wish we all lived in Arizona, where they don't even fuck with Daylight Savings Time. Or at least I think I'm remembering that right from when Mike lived there.

That doesn't seem right.

I'll look it up tomorrow to confirm.



"M79"
Vampire Weekend

What Made Dexter Freebish Famous

OK, so I love this Austin-based band called What Made Milwaukee Famous. I first heard them when they opened for Arcade Fire years ago at an ACL after show. You know, the one where Gweneth Paltrow sat on Lauren's jacket and Lauren glared at her before realizing that it was fucking Gweneth Paltrow. Anyway, they just released a new album and I like it a lot, but there is an unreal similarity between their new single entitled "Sultan" and Dexter Freebish's 2000 ditty from Life of Saturdays called "Deeper." I mean, I can remember hearing "Last Nite" by the Strokes and thinking it vaguely sounded like something I had heard from Tom Petty ("American Girl") but I usually don't dwell on songs from different bands that sound exactly the fucking same.

Of course, I exaggerate a bit, but it's just odd that they're both bands from Austin and write self-aware ballads and alternative songs that sound an awful lot like each other. It is a wonder to me why Dexter Freebish was never bigger than it was. I guess they probably should've come out with a much, much better follow-up to Life of Saturdays than they ultimately did.

Goodness, same with Lovedrug. What the fuck happened there?

I can remember listening to Pretend You're Alive and thinking, "If these guys aren't the biggest little indie band on the planet in three years I'll just fucking snap." I was so excited for their sophomore album, but it was probably the biggest musical disappointment I've ever experienced.

Actually, the fact that Third Eye Blind won't get their shit together and will probably never, ever release another album until the day they all die is my greatest musical disappointment. I was pretty optimistic after hearing a few of their new songs in concert, but Jenkins is just kind of a tool box. Judging by the minutes leading up to their show, he's way more interested in bolstering the career of Vanessa Carlton (even though I don't think they're dating anymore) than writing new material for 3eb. Before a band takes the stage, they usually pipe similar music through the speaker system to get people psyched for the show, but all we got were songs from Carlton's newest album. I don't really have a problem with Carlton, per se -- I've been known to rock way the fuck out for "White Houses" -- but Jesus with Out of the Vein it was all about Charlize fucking Theron and now it seems like he's all about this piano-playing, Jay Leno doppelganger who probably couldn't buy another hit if she sold her strong jaw to a desperate transsexual looking to find the missing piece that doesn't rhyme with "weenus."

I'm a man who's passionate about my 3eb. There isn't a world that can exist where people value new 3eb albums less than Vanessa Carlton's entire career.

I am serious, though, I love "White Houses." It's almost like Ste......oh wait he did co-write and produce that song. Well. Jimminy Shitmas.

Maybe Jenkins can just write a billion songs for Vanessa Carlton. I mean, it's better than nothing, I guess. JUST GIVE ME SOMETHING, STEPHEN JENKINS.

I guess we'll always have The National. I swear, Boxer has to be one of the better albums front to back that I've ever heard. I like most of their other stuff, too, but Boxer is just sublime through and through. I can't stress that point enough. You want me to do a little flow chart? I think you do. Here we go!

John's Amazing Albums Through the Years Flow Chart:
The Offspring Smash --> Third Eye Blind Third Eye Blind --> Incubus Morning View --> Pete Yorn Musicforthemorningafter --> Interpol Turn on the Bright Lights --> The Killers Hot Fuss --> The National Boxer

It's something like that. I've probably forgotten something. Wow I'm tired. I have to get up at eight.



"Self-Destruct"
What Made Milwaukee Famous

Red Ring of Death

It only took six months for my Elite to fry. Hoo-ray.

I'm a little miffed, although I am really surprised they didn't ask me to send my entire hard drive with it. I don't know why they would ask for it, I just expected they would for some unknown, stupid reason.

What's even more frustrating is that it started to work after I called the problem in. I mean it's probably best to just send it in anyway, but it's still lame.

Peter alerted me to an article about a guy who had his 360 signed by a ton of Halo developers and sent it in to be worked on. He wrote them a really long letter about how he would prefer to fix the system instead of replacing it for obvious reasons. When he got his system back, it was totally blank with faint streaks on it resembling scrubbed-off permanent marker.

To my knowledge nothing has been proven, but it takes a special kind of dick to obey the request of a letter from a paying customer just to erase what made the request relevant in the first place.

Maybe I should forge Bill Gates' signature and see if they scrub it off.

Also:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cl90RGpB1EQ



"Lucky You"
The National

Life's Spoiler Alert

Do your damnedest to act like you didn't read this here (Ben and Shelley, I'm talking to you two since I believe you two are the only ones who ever read this thing besides those who already know) in case they really, really want to tell everyone in person like they did Jeremy, Lauren, and I, but I just really, really wanted to document the fact that I am quite stoked that Mike asked Rachel to marry him and she said "yes."

You gotta lock that down.

And he has.

Good one, Mike.



"Mr. November"
The National

Things to Remember: Shelley, Part One

Remember when we all went over to your dad's place for a summer barbecue thing? Remember how much fun that was?

What time did we all go home that night?

I think that might have been the first time we all hell of gossiped for that lengthy amount of time.

I find fighting nostalgia with nostalgia works alarmingly well. Does that make sense?

It was a red-letter night, that's all I'm saying.

Feel better, Shellphone.

Things to Remember: Mike, Part One

I can recall a day between second grade and fifth grade that Mike and I had a very, very heated discussion (read: pissy argument) about which conference the San Francisco 49ers belonged to.

He insisted that it was the AFC, but I knew better. It wasn't enough that I knew better, though. It was that I was a huge, dicky brat about it. I stormed into the kitchen and asked my mother and father. They backed me up, of course, but I could tell even then that they were appalled at how demonstrative I was about something so inconsequential.

In my defense, Mike was being a dicky brat about it, too. He just wouldn't let go of the idea that if the Cowboys and 49ers played each other in the playoffs, it meant that the 49ers were in the AFC.

It wasn't horrible logic for an elementary school student who knew the Super Bowl was always played between the NFC and AFC and that the Cowboys and 49ers almost never played each other during the regular season.

I wouldn't let it go, either.

I really, really doubt he remembers that. Maybe I'll post it on my Xanga to see if he does. In a way, I still feel bad about it to this day.

It was the kind of stubbornness that brought us back together after a year of fighting in fifth grade, though. I have to be thankful for that.



"Here Comes Your Man"
Pixies

The Band

1) A male singer.
2) A female singer.
3) A guitarist.
4) A bassist.
5) A keyboardist/pianist.
6) A drummer.
7) A violinist.
8) A brass/woodwind player.
9) A good songwriter.
10) People with eclectic tastes.

Obviously, there can be some overlapping here. I'm sure we can compromise on what's necessary and what isn't.



"Squalor Victoria"
The National