Blog

1. How did you get into 31?
Augustana - I think it was the phase I was in (right after installing Limewire) when I pretty much downloaded every band I'd heard in passing.

2. What was the first song you ever heard by 22?
The Canon Logic - 'I've Been Sleeping with Your Best Friend.' It was amusing.

3. What's your favorite lyric by 29?
Manchester Orchestra - I am but a clean man, stable and alone man / Make it so I won't have to try / The faces always stay the same / So I'll face the fact that I'm just fine / I said that I'm just fine. But the whole song is pretty amazing.

4. What is your favourite album by 49?
Every Avenue - Shh. Just Go with It. But that's only one I've heard, so not much competition.

5. How many albums by 13 do you own?
Maroon 5 - Two. Songs About Jane; It Won't Be Soon Before Long (2 Disc DVD edition).

6. Favorite song by 50?
Bloc Party - 'This Modern Love.' It was used in the season 1 finale of How I Met Your Mother (this is a good thing).

7. Is there a song by 4 that makes you sad?
Josiah Leming - Not really. His songs are surprisingly upbeat for a singer/songwriter, but 'Angels Undercover' is beautifully melancholy.

8. Favorite song by 15?
Lydia - I truly can't choose. Illuminate is honestly the only 5-star album I own, surpassing everything by even my most favorite of artists. I love all the songs on it.

9. Favorite song by 5?
Monty Are I - Regarding 5-star albums, Wall of People comes pretty close: 5/11 are 5-starred in my iTunes. Overall favorite songs are 'Dublin Waltz,' 'Just in Time,' and 'Tie Off Your Veins.'

10. Is there a song by 6 that makes you happy?
Yellowcard - I haven't listened to them in a long while, but I'm particularly fond of 'Breathing,' and 'You and Me and One Spotlight.'

11. Favorite album by 40?
The Avett Brothers - They were playing on Letterman while I was channel-surfing, so I'd like to think it's fate that I discovered them. They performed 'I and Love and You,' and that album has to be my favorite.

12. Favorite song by 12?
Coldplay - Let me be cliche and predictable but I adore 'Yellow,' 'Don't Panic,' and 'Fix You.' I also have a (very) soft spot for 'Swallowed in the Sea.'

13. What's a good memory involving 33?
Jonathan Larson - One of my best friends and I drove eight hours to Atlanta to see 'Rent' performed by the national touring cast. It's one of the happiest memories of my life.

14. Favorite song by 37?
Copeland - 'The Last Time He Saw Dorie.' The perfect combination of lushness and melancholy.

15. Is there a song by 19 that makes you happy?
The Honorary Title - 'Frame by Frame.' It's the only one I could think of that wasn't depressing. Or maybe I'm just not listening to the lyrics. But either way, it's a terrific song.

16. How many times have you seen 24 live?
Good Old War - Zero. They would be great to see, though.

17. What was the first song you heard by 23?
Luna Halo - 'Kings & Queens,' and needless to say, I was instantly in love.

18. Favorite album by 11?
Death Cab for Cutie - Even though there are better songs on other albums, I'd say Plans is the most consistent and listenable. At least there aren't any of those song which meander aimlessly for 6+ minutes.

19. Favorite member of 1?
Blue October - Justin, undoubtedly. Lead singer, principal songwriter, what else can you ask for? He's amazing.

20. Have you ever seen 14 live?
Elliott Smith - No. Umm, he's kinda dead.

21. What's a good memory involving 45?
Lights - I was at my best friend's house, and he bought from iTunes the songs I couldn't find on Limewire. Good times.

22. What's your favourite song by 16?
The Living End - These guy kind of remind me of Green Day: their songs were hilariously irrelevant before they decided to go all political and shiz. Favorites are 'Maitland Street' and 'Hey Hey Disbeliever.'

23. First song you ever heard by 47?
David Cook - I don' t remember, but it was something he sang on American Idol.

24. Favorite album by 21?
A Fine Frenzy - As much as I appreciate the new direction she's taken in her latest album, I still have a soft spot for One Cell in the Sea. Besides, the album cover is way better.

25. Favorite song by 18?
My Chemical Romance - 'Thank You for the Venom.'

26. First song by 38?
Head Automatica - 'Beating Heart Baby.' But it's far from my favorite at the moment.

27. Favorite lyric by 3?
The Rocket Summer - And all I have is all of me / And it's all that I can give.

28. Favorite song by 2?
Bright Eyes - There are way too many to choose from, but I'll try. 'Four Winds,' 'Reinvent the Wheel,' 'A Scale, A Mirror, and these Indifferent Clocks,' 'Gold Mine Gutted,' 'A Perfect Sonnet,' 'Something Vague,' 'Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh.' I'm pretty sure there are more, though.

29. First song you heard of 10?
Marianas Trench - 'Cross My Heart.'

30. Favorite song by 8?
Matchbox Twenty - 'Downfall,' 'So Sick So Tired.'

31. How many times have you seen 17 live?
Rob Thomas - Zero.

32. Is there a song by 44 that makes you happy?
Donovan - Pretty much everything. 'Happiness Runs,' 'Celia of the Seals,' 'Sunshine Superman,' 'Hurdy Gurdy Man.'

33. Favorite album by 12?
Maroon 5 - I can't choose; I love both.

34. Worst song by 9?
Owl City - Probably 'Dental Care,' because it's absolutely pointless. I mean, it's about going to the dentist.

35. What's the first song you heard by 34?
Faber Drive - '24 Storey Love Affair.'

36. Favorite album by 42?
Her Space Holiday - 'The Young Machines.' Adored unconditionally.

37. How many times have you seen 39 live?
Monty's Fan Club - Zero. Sadly, they don't exist anymore.

38. What's your favorite album by 35?
Regina Spektor - Even though Begin to Hope has the classic songs, I think I might prefer Far, just because of 'Dance Anthem of the 80s.'

39. What's the first song you heard by 28?
Ludo - 'Love Me Dead.'

40. What's your favorite album by 7?
The Wallflowers - Even though all their albums are amazing, Breach just hits closer to home personally.

Because I've basically saved every song I've ever collected in my long life of music listening, I figured it would be fun to compile CD length playlists containing songs that best represent my music taste at various stages in my life. What's interesting is that there are very few bands that I used to listen to that I now say are terrible. It seems like my tastes haven't exactly changed; I've merely added new genres and bands to my collection, and I still listen to artists that I rocked out to as a wee youngin. See what you think of my former selves, and sound off on which one's taste sucks the most if you want. It's all kosher here.

Age 13 (When I was an awkward, fat teenager)
Beastie Boys - Intergalactic
The Beatles - Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Blue Oyster Cult - Don't Fear the Reaper
Collective Soul - The World I Know
Dave Matthews Band - What Would You Say
Kent - Things She Said
Meja - All About the Money
Mikael Wiehe - Flickan och Krakan
Oasis - Wonderwall
Robbie Williams - Millenium
Seal - Kiss From A Rose
Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun
Sugar Ray - Falls Apart
Sweet - Ballroom Blitz
The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
Verve pipe - Freshman
The Wallflowers - One Headlight
The Who - My Generation

This playlist shows the beginnings of my exploration of music. At this point in my life, I got music from two sources: my parents and my radio. My mom would buy me popular bands such as Dave Matthews Band, Sugar Ray, The Wallflowers, etc. My dad would play me records and CDs by artists such as The Beatles, The Who, Sweet, and Black Sabbath. The radio introduced me to the grunge movement, alternative rock, and The Beastie Boys. I even distinctly remember a short fascination I had with the Aqua song Barbie Girl... anyways, you might notice a few outliers there, namely Meja, Kent, and Mikael Wiehe. I spent one semester of 8th grade in Sweden, where my friends and neighbors had a considerable impact on what I listened to. So that's that, then.

Age 17 (senior year of high school)
Alizee - Moi Lolita
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - For Tha Love Of Money
Bright Eyes - The Calendar Hung Itself
Death Cab for Cutie - Photobooth
Finch - What It Is To Burn
The Get Up Kids - Long Goodnight
GLAY - Two Bell Silence
Jay-Z - It's Like That (w/Kid Capri)
Jimmy Eat World - Sweetness
L'Arc~en~Ciel - Spirit Dreams Inside
Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song
Noir Desir - Le Vent Nous Portera
Poison the Well - Torn
The Rasmus - In the Shadows
Red House Painters - I Feel The Rain Fall
Sigur Ros - Hjartao Hamast
Something Corporate – Hurricane (Changing Weather Patterns)
The Used - Buried Myself Alive

Ah, I remember this time in my life so clearly. This was probably the biggest change in my listening habits. I had tapped out radio-friendly music and, becoming more internet savvy, I decided to expand my music horizons through talking to people online and, probably the most effective way, searching for random words in file-sharing programs. By searching for “spirit,” I got “Spirit Dreams Inside” by L’Arc~En~Ciel. By searching for “hjarta” (Swedish for “heart”) I got “Hjartao Hamast” by Sigur Ros. By searching for “vent” (French for “wind”), I got Noir Desir etc etc. I also discovered an online game called “The Emo Game” that introduced me to bands like Bright Eyes and The Get Up Kids (although they’re admittedly not emo). I also got some rap music for blasting in my car like pretty much every other idiot jock.

Age 18 (after my first year of college)
Abandoned Pools - Start Over
Avenged Sevenfold - Remenissions
The Beautiful Mistake - Circular Parade
boysetsfire - Full Color Guilt
Dave Matthews Band - Grey Street
Erase the Grey - Rain
From Autumn to Ashes - I'm The Best At Ruining My Life
Guided by Voices - Liquid Indian
Her Space Holiday - My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
Jimmy Eat World - Claire
Keepsake - Cartoon Life
Murder by Death - I'm Afraid of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Radiohead - My Iron Lung
Rise Against - Like The Angel
Sparta - Light Burns Clear
Sunny Day Real Estate - Pillars
Thrice - The Artist in the Ambulance
Thursday - Standing on the Edge of Summer

In college, I connected with people on my hall that had similar music tastes. Two of my closest friends got me into Avenged Sevenfold, Thrice, Thursday, Sparta, From Autumn to Ashes, Rise Against, all that jazz. I randomly heard Abandoned Pools while I was walking past a kid’s room once, and I ran in there and asked him what it was because it was so incredibly beautiful. I continued finding stuff on my own, introducing myself to Radiohead, Guided By Voices, and Murder By Death. I also had my second Dave Matthews Band resurgence; after hating Everyday, Busted Stuff and the Lilywhite Sessions came out and blew my mind with yet another sound, this one more folk/bluesy. It seemed like every other album they’ve put out are the ones that everyone cracks on for being lame (Crash (though it’s only because of Crash Into Me, the rest is awesome) Everyday, Stand Up), and the good ones they do so well on (Under The Table and Dreaming (aside from Ants Marching and What Would You Say), Before These Crowded Streets, Busted Stuff, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King) go unnoticed… but enough legitimizing my on-again-off-again romance with a band that’s trendy to hate. I listed Jimmy Eat World again because while the band moved in their mediocre pop direction (Futures, Chase This Light), I started going back in their history, checking out Static Prevails and Clarity and the various underground comps they lent singles to. They used to be so good, so raw…

Age 20 (senior year of college / becoming a music snob)
The Album Leaf - On Your Way
Arcade Fire - Wake Up
Ariel Kill Him - Ca-cao
Atkins Lane - Everything Was You
Bishop Allen - Ghosts Are Good Company
Dinosaur Jr. - Even You
Fugazi - Give Me The Cure
Iron & Wine - He Lays In The Reins
JR Ewing - Fucking & Champagne
Life at These Speeds - Land Filled
Love Lost but Not Forgotten - Perfectly Fucked
M83 - A Guitar And A Heart
Marc Broussard - Home
Matt Pond PA - The Trees And The Wild
Minus the Bear - This Ain't A Surfin Movie
Rites of Spring - For Want Of
Saetia - Venus And Bacchus
Tujiko Noriko - Aru Choten
Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start - Come Away
Wilco - At Least That's What You Said

This was when I truly got into underground music. The girl I dated at the time started hating the music I listened to (and we actually broke up not long after I refused to go to a Brand New concert with her). I had a torrid love affair with Dischord and Level Planes (my man crush on Guy Picciotto supercedes all other musical emotions even today) caused by a single listen by Saetia’s Venus and Bacchus that lead to me buying over a dozen CDs in a week, including Love Lost But Not Forgotten, Fugazi, JR Ewing, Life At These Speeds, Saetia, Rites of Spring and so many more. I also started moving in the exact opposite direction, away from drum- and guitar-driven rock and hardcore and towards minimalist indie and vocal work. I bought The Album Leaf album without even hearing it, which started me on the road towards Ariel Kill Him, Tujiko Noriko, Iron & Wine, and M83. I also started seeking out rising indie bands like Arcade Fire, Up Up Down Down, and Minus The Bear, catching on right before the huge upswell in popularity. I had my first Wilco moment, and fell in love with Marc Broussard’s voice and writing at first listen even though I only listened to him to be able to mock him (I saw him on Yahoo! Music and thought he was another boy band reject from his looks). I also began getting into unknown bands through random concerts around town (Atkins Lane, matt pond PA).

Age 22 (Wasting time / looking for a job / The Guitar Hero era)
All That Remains - This Calling
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - A Classic Arts Showcase
The Appleseed Cast - Here We Are (Family In The Hallways)
Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You
Carissa's Wierd - Ignorant Piece of Shit
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Details of the War
Greenleaf - Agents of Ahriman
I Would Set Myself on Fire for You - Seven
Lightheaded - Poetry in Motion
Mac Lethal - Turn Off The Radio
The National - Fake Empire
Othello - Seasons Greetings (feat. Sirens Echos)
Scar Symmetry - Artificial Sun Projection
A Silver Mt. Zion - Take These Hands and Throw Them In The River
Strange Fruit Project - Get Live (feat. Erykah Badu)
Strata - Night Falls (The Weight of It)
Suis La Lune - Quiet, Pull The Strings
Trophy Scars - Alchemist. Alchemists.
65daysofstatic - This Cat Is A Landmine

I call this the Guitar Hero era because being introduced to that game hearkened back to high school when I actually used to try to play instruments… I returned my focus to instrument-driven work, paying more attention to technique and individual performances instead of the whole song. This lead to a lot of progressive rock and metal. Mike Martin and Olin Buchanan of All That Remains single-handedly slated my guitar-shredding thirst for almost a year. Trail of Dead, Appleseed Cast, The National, Strata, and Trophy Scars kept me happy with unusual drum-work and time-signatures and variations on the 4/4 that would blow most musicians’ minds. Suis La Lune, I Would Set Myself On Fire For You, 65Daysofstatic, and A Silver Mt. Zion created beautiful and off-kilter music. Bands like Greenleaf and Scar Symmetry gave me the guitars to fill the void that All That Remains couldn’t. I also began my foray into undergroup hip-hop, using Mac Lethal as a springboard into balding white rappers and Lightheaded and Strange Fruit Project introducing me to rap music that can uplift and energize. Finally, I continued to get into indie music, playing Black Kids, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and Carissa’s Wierd till my roommates wanted to kill me (insert music asshole joke about how one play is all it took here).

Age 24 (Gainfully employeed / the man I am today)
The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You
Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You
Bottomless Pit - Leave The Light On
Dave Matthews Band - Why I Am
Fleet Foxes - Blue Ridge Mountains
Jacobi Wichita - I Only Draw Chairs
Justice - D.A.N.C.E.
The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement
The Mae Shi - Run To Your Grave
Mars ILL - Fade to Black (feat. Sintax)
MGMT - Time To Pretend
Nizlopi - Last Night In Dakar
Pierce the Veil - The Cheap Bouquet
Restiform Bodies - Foul
Silversun Pickups - It's Nice to Know You Work Alone
United Nations - The Shape of Punk That Never Came
WHY? - Good Friday
Zolar X - I Pulled My Helmet Off (I'm Going to Love Her)

Once I got my life on track and got into the real world, my music tastes matured with me. The “My Grass Is Blue” movement in Blacksburg got me into The Avett Brothers and Fleet Foxes (not exactly related, I know, but bear with me), Carissa’s Wierd led me to Band of Horses, peeks at Pitchfork and last.fm led me to Justice, The Knife, and MGMT, and random music review sites turned me onto Jacobi Wichita (still only 250 listeners on last.fm is a crime!) and Zolar X (extremely awesome David Bowie’s mind meets Styx’s sound meets Rush’s instrumental insanity space-age love progressive rock). I also continued to find underground hip-hop, experiencing a love for half of Anticon (Restiform Bodies, Why, Odd Nosdam, etc) and a mixture of disgust and pity for the other half (all the straight-edge assholes like Non-Prophets). I had my third DMB sighting after Stand Up made me hate the band, but Big Whiskey made me their bitch again, and I continued to find bands in genres I thought I already nailed down (Bottomless Pit, Pierce The Veil, Niz, Silversun Pickups, United Nations).

Hummingbirds are among the smallest of birds and feed on the nectar of plants. They can hover in mid-air — their tiny wings beating at a frequency of up to 90 times per second — and can even fly backwards.

Today's playlist includes tracks by: Head Automatica, Hell Is for Heroes, Her Space Holiday, HORSE the band, The Hush Sound

Further reading: Wikipedia on hummingbirds

1. How did you get into 29?
I bought Silent Hill 3, and it came with the soundtrack.
Akira Yamaoka

2. What was the first song you ever heard by 22?
"Girl Anachronism", and I'm pretty sure it's a remix, but my MP3 isn't labeled with which.
The Dresden Dolls

3. What's your favorite lyric by 33?
First time I had read the Bible,
It had stroke me as unwitty,
I think it may started rumor,
That the Lord ain't got no humor
Gogol Bordello

4. What is your favorite album by 49?
The only album I have by them is "Surfing to Some Fucked up Shit"
Agent Orange

5. How many albums by 13 do you own?
None. But I downloaded quite a bit.
Download

6. What is your favorite song by 50?
I don't really like them...I guess, "Warning"
Green Day

7. Is there a song by 39 that makes you sad?
MSI? Sad? Does not compute.
Mindless Self Indulgence

8. What is your favorite song by 15?
"Wonder Boy" ...or "Strangers", depends on my mood.
The Kinks

9. What is your favorite song by 5?
"I Must Belong Somewhere", in the respect of it filling me to the brim with hope, as opposed to, ah, some of his songs which I also love, but tend to make me very depressed.
Bright Eyes

10. Is there a song by 6 that makes you happy?
Hmm, "Twenty-Five Minutes" because it's funny and twisted, like much of their work.
The Tiger Lillies

11. What is your favorite album by 40?
I've only listened to "The Black and White Album"..., though I downloaded a few more recently, I haven't really listened to them yet.
The Hives

12. What is your favorite song by 10?
GOODNIGHT, SWEET PRINCE. Umm, god that's an impossible one. I'm basically in love with their entire "Slick Dogs and Ponies" CD aside from the song, "Tina" which I don't really care for. I guess I'll go with "Guilt by Association"
Louis XIV

13. What is a good memory you have involving 30?
When me and my friend had first got really into them together. We fagged like faggots.
Johnny Hollow

14. What is your favorite song by 38?
"Teenagers"
My Chemical Romance

15. Is there a song by 19 that makes you happy?
Yes! ..."チューチュー ラブリー ムニムニ ムラムラ プリンプリン ボロン ヌルル レロレロ" which is, according to google: "chuu chuu lovely muni muni mura mura purin purin boron nururu rero rero", and now you know why it makes me happy.
Maximum the Hormone

16. How many times have you seen 25 live?
None. ;____;
She Wants Revenge

17. What is the first song you ever heard by 23?
"Destroy Everything You Touch" because my friend had drawna picture of my character #00401 to it...:D and that makes me want to bring him back so hard.
Ladytron

18. What is your favorite album by 11?
I haven't really listened to any of their albums straight through, so I dunno.
The Beatles

19. Who is your favorite member of 1?
Voltaire, duh!
Voltaire

20. Have you ever seen 14 live?
I wish. ;_;
Her Space Holiday

21. What is a good memory involving 27?
They themselves are a good memory to me. Also me and my friend watching the "Once in a Lifetime" video together and lolling/loving it.
Talking Heads

22. What is your favorite song by 16?
"The Baker", which I don't have on MP3 anymore for some reason...
The Aquabats

23. What is the first song you ever heard by 47?
Uh...I don't know. I'm pretty sure I heard some of his stuff before I knew who he was so.
Richard Cheese

24. What is your favorite album by 18?
"The Greatest Show Unearthed", the only have one. ;_;
Creature Feature

25. What is your favorite song by 21?
I'm just on equal grounds with most of their stuff.
Gorillaz

26. What is the first song you ever heard by 26?
I think it was "Micheal" but who knows.
Franz Ferdinand

27. What is your favorite album by 3?
"Sam's Town"
The Killers

28. What is your favorite song by 2?
"We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank"
Modest Mouse

29. What was the first song you ever heard by 32?
"(Hospital Vespers)"
The Weakerthans

30. What is your favorite song by 8?
"Only"
Nine Inch Nails

31. How many times have you seen 17 live?
I wish, but he was a bit before my time. ;_;
David Bowie

32. Is there a song by 44 that makes you happy?
Hahaha...ahh, "La Resistance"
South Park

33. What is your favorite album by 12?
Jesus christ this is hard...I've been listened to like a handful of their albums lately. I really like, "Live & Rare", which is sort of like a compilation more than anything.
KoЯn

34. What is the worst song by 45?
I'm really not a huge fan of them to begin with, they're good they're just...I dunno. Some of their stuff just seems...I DUNNO. Let's leave it at that.
Goldfinger

35. What was the first song you ever heard by 34?
Honestly I couldn't name a single song by them, the fact they have so many plays lies merely in the fact they've been on my itunes quite some time.
the pillows

36. What is your favorite album by 48?
I only have "It Won't Be Soon Before Long"
Maroon 5

37. How many times have you seen 42 live?
Lol I only have two 41s, so I pick the second. Which is none. ;_;
Vermillion Lies

38. What is your favorite song by 36?
"Peacebone", off the top of my head.
Animal Collective

39. What was the first song you ever heard by 28?
No idea, since I listened to like 4 of their CDs the first day I ever listened to them...
The Psychedelic Furs

40. What is your favorite album by 7?
"Flashy" for the fuck yeah
Electric Six

41. Is there a song by 31 that makes you happy?
"Take a Bow", because the way he sings YOU WILL BURN HELL, YOU WILL BURN IN HELL FOR YOU SINS sort of gives me a boner. (okay it totally gives me a boner)
Muse

42. What is your favorite album by 41?
I only have "Life in Cartoon Motion"
Mika

43. What is your favorite song by 24?
"Bringing Knives to a Gunfight"
The Stock Market Crash

44. What is a good memory you have involving 46?
I actually don't have a 46, I have two 45s...lol, so I'll pick the second one. Good memories? DISCOVERING THEM.
Hot Hot Heat

45. What is your favorite song by 35?
"Wonderboy", idk lol.
Tenacious D

46. Is there a song by 9 that makes you happy?
"The Trial", happy in a THIS SONG IS FUCKING AWESOME kind of way.
Pink Floyd

47. What is your favorite album by 4?
Ahh, I dunno, probably "La Mécanique Du Coeur" ...I haven't listened to their CDs straight in awhile.
Dionysos

48. Who is your favorite member of 37?
Jimmy Urine? lol idk.
The Left Rights

49. What is the first song you ever heard by 43?
Hell if I know. I've listened to them since before I had a choice about whether or not I wanted to listen to them.
Guns N' Roses

50. How many albums do you own by 20?
None. :(
Scissor Sisters

1. How did you get into 29?
(Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin)
pretty sure i just heard them on the last.fm radio a year or so ago and liked what i heard. i remember i thought constellation was really catchy or somethin'.

2. What was the first song ever you heard about 22?
(Azure Ray)
the first song i heard was Sleep.

3. What's your favorite lyric by 33?
(Neutral Milk Hotel)
oh man are you really making me pick favorite lyrics from a band that writes things like two headed boy, she is all you could need, she will feed you tomatoes and radio wires? that's tough, man. tough. seriously. their lyrics are like very odd poems. i don't know if i have a favorite.

4. What is your favourite album by 49?
(Her Space Holiday)
most of the songs i listen to by them are from the past presents the future, so i'm gonna go with that one.

5. How many albums by 13 do you own?
(Tilly and the Wall)
bottom of barrels, beat control EP, O, and wild like children.

6. What is your favourite song by 50?
(Peace Harbor)
i don't have a favorite. they're one of those bands i listen to for relaxation more so than actual music listening, if that makes sense.

7. Is there a song by 39 that makes you sad?
(Russian Red)
nope. oops. boring.

8. What is your favorite album by 15?
(Electric President)
electric president! their first album is what got me into them, especially the songs Insomia and Good Morning, Hypocrite.

9. What is your favorite song by 5?
(Elliott Smith)
easily Waltz #2.

10. Is there a song by 6 that makes you happy?
(Bright Eyes)
ha! not anymore. if i had to pick, it'd be I Woke Up With This Song in My Head This Morning

11. What is your favorite album by 40?
(The Decemberists)
castaways and cutouts only because July, July! is on that one.

12. What is your favorite song by 10?
(Great Lake Swimmers)
either Moving pictures silent films or Stealing Tomorrow. i can't pick.

13. What is a good memory you have involving 30?
(Wolf Parade)
i dunno, my heart was on fire.

14. What is your favorite song by 38?
(Belle & Sebastian)
The Fox In The Snow.

15. Is there a song by 19 that makes you happy?
(Badly Drawn Boy)
nope, but The Long Way Round makes me sad.

16. How many times have you seen 25 live?
(Fleet Foxes)
NONE EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE JUST HERE, WAH.

17. What is the first song you ever heard by 23?
(Damien Rice)
The Blower's Daughter, like 42308429 years ago.

18. What is your favorite album by 11?
(Stars)
in our bedroom after the war

19. Who is a favorite member of 1?
(The National)
GONNA HAVE TO GO WITH MATT BERNINGER ON THAT ONE. <3

20. Have you ever seen 14 live?
(Bon Iver)
no but that is a show i'd really, really like to attend. damn. DAMN. i have heard him live through a bad quality phone call though. :p

21. What is a good memory involving 27?
(Sea Wolf)
UM being all cute with jessica and ally in the winter/spring of 2008. yes that is sea wolf for ya.

22. What is your favorite song by 16?
(Midlake)
Chasing After Deer, i guess. i love all their songs pretty much equally though. they are such a sitting-out-in-the-woods-while-collecting-berries kind of band. (cute.)

23. What is the first song you ever heard by 47?
(Windmill)
i cannot remember this at all.

24. What is your favorite album by 18?
(The Mountain Goats)
the sunset tree

25. What is your favorite song by 21?
(Ben Kweller)
Falling.






pity this survey didn't even ask me about sufjan, seabear, sigur ros, the weepies, iron & wine, etc etc etc </3 those are some real favorites ;-;

holy shit i'm tired

Well I believe not updating my last.fm journal for nearly 2 years is shocking, but I have been uber busy and well Facebook happened, so did Twitter and Spotify almost stole the limelight, aside from all that; my passion for music and live music seemed to reward me with a huge amount of serendipity. Anyways I can't sleep and around this time of year I come up with contenders for my end of year Mix CD, so here are a few songs (well more than a few) I fell in love with this year.

Electronic
Cosmic Love - Florence & The Machine
Nocturnal Hum - Short Stories
Fin Song 8 (Orange River Remix) - Gregory & The Hawk
The District Sleeps Alone - The Postal Service
Snow - Kuryakin
Smile Upon Me - Passion Pit
Hot Pink - Halloween, Alaska
True To Life - royksopp
Rise - Azure Ray
Sleepless - Kate Havnevik
Daniel - Bat for Lashes
Collapsing At Your Doorstep - Air France
Jump In The Pool - Friendly Fires
Far Away - Cut Copy
Tonight's Today - Jack Penate
stranger - Figurine
Shh - Frou Frou
I'm Not Alone - Calvin Harris
Move - CSS
Misery loves company - Her Space Holiday

Acoustic
Alice In Wonderland - Lisa Mitchell
Make It Mine - Jason Mraz
Tu es ma came - Carla Bruni
Hell Yeah - Ani DiFranco
Heather's Song - Andy McKee
Why Georgia - John Mayer
Riot On An Empty Street - Kings of Convenience


Indie
Lady Fingers - Luscious Jackson
Girlfriend - Phoenix
Intentions - The Whitest Boy Alive
We Are The Opposite Of Thieves - Reverie Sound Revue
Big Big Love (Fig. 2) - Foals
You Don't Know Me - Ben Folds
Kingdom Of Rust - Doves
Tokyo - Athlete
Lovers In Japan - Coldplay

Pop
Linger - Cranberries
Wishing Heart - Lisa Lobe
Spellbound - Rae & Christian
Wish I - Jem
Dignity - Deacon Blue
The Loving Kind - Girls Aloud

A mention of Jem
(Whatever happened to Jem) I got caught humming along to Wish I in Wilko's :)

Special Mentions - Serendipity
The Paddy's Day Parade - The father Teds
Whiskey in the Jar - The father Teds
Toss The Feathers - The father Teds
First Train Home - Imogen Heap
Arms Control - Rogue States
It's Good To Get Away - Dan Whitehouse
Until Something Fits - Rod Thomas
Right To Be Wrong - Joss Stone

The father Teds get a special mention, being based in my hometown the band got in touch with me out of the blue and asked me if I wouldn't mind letting them use one of my photos for a single cover. The serendipity of this year in relation to music didn't start here; but it turns out that I had already met the lead singer, Rich McMahon, in a pub through a local contact I met on a flickrmeet. Things progressed and I boarded a float with them on one of the biggest St Patricks Day Parade outside of New York, in the Irish Quarter of Birmingham in the UK. It was a great day! Though I had seemingly got "There's A Whiskey In The Jar" on my mind for the next week, being as it is that infectious. Being a huge fan of The Corrs of course their version of Toss The Feathers on this CD is amazing as is seeing my work printed on a CD!

Imogen Heap, now there's a Whole Heap of serendipity to this one too. First Train Home, agonized over for months, became a hit as soon as we heard it on the vBlogs. It became the first track on the the album which is due out within the next week-ish. I loved Imogen from the first time I heard Frou Frou. The serendipity came in the form of friends and it's fair to say on reflection any chaos in this year was eradicated by the creative process of Ellipse, which seems to be more than an album to me; kinda embodies the year and I have a feeling I'm gonna fall head over heals for Tidal.

In full circle with serendipity, we come back to where I live, quite literally. I seemed to be bumping into this bunch of friendly locals going under the name Rogue States, a British band with a very bright future. Arms Control was a track I'd heard on their facebook page back in September of last year, after being invited down to a gig with local Dan Whitehouse I was blown away by the track live. Having seen them a fair few times live, I'd say watch this space, it's gonna be good! Dan Whitehouse continues this almost "you couldn't make this up" aspect to the year and his track It's Good To Get Away is amazing on the EP.

Rod Thomas also gets a special mention here just because he's so sweet and he drew me back to The Marrs Bar for one hell of a great night in Worcester. It seems I only ever see the Welsh there, given the last time I was there was with the very lovely Julia Harris. Such an Intimate gig, I was sold a wristband by a local guy I adore Sam Isacc similar to Nizlopi and while we are on the local music scene out that way, Kristy Gallacher just keeps getting more awesome by the second! Ooooh and Joss Stone, intimate gig at the Rainbow in Birmingham, AMAZING!



So all in an ace year for music that got really serendipitous

1. How did you get into 29? (The Decemberists)
Back in high school, my friend Clement gave me the song The Legionnaire's Lament and that's pretty much when I started listening to them.

2. What was the first song you ever heard by 22? (We Are The Physics)
Less Than Three. and it's just as awesome now.

3. What’s your favorite lyric by 33? (Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer)
"This autumn's got me feelin' kind of strange, but then it's just like every season." - So Scared

4. What is your favourite album by 49? (The Mountain Goats)
Not quite sure, I mostly just have favorite songs.

5. How many albums by 13 do you own? (The Beatles)
Um, between my mom, sister, and I, we own -all of them-.

6. What is your favorite song by 50? (The Blood Brothers)
Love Rhymes with Hideous Car Wreck. obviously.

7. Is there a song by 39 that makes you sad? (IMA Robot)
Not really, though Lovers In Captivity probably gets the closest

8. What is your favourite album by 15? (Sherwood)
I actually like A Different Light the most. I can't wait for their new album due out later this year though :)

9. What is your favourite song by 5? (The Higher)
Oh god, why are they so high up on my charts? Definitely Guts, but I really need to fix their position in my music listening life apparently.. goddamn you catchy pop punk.

10. Is there a song by 6 that makes you happy? (The National)
WON'T FUCK US OVER, WON'T FUCK US OVER, I'M MR. NOVEMBER. And Apartment Story. But both for very different reasons.

11. What is your favorite album by 40? (The New Pornographers)
Twin Cinema. Easy.

12. What is your favorite song by 10? (The Faint)
I really love Fasciinatiion, but Blank-Wave Arcade is also brilliant.

13. What is a good memory you have involving 30? (This Is My Suitcase)
I don't have any bad memories of TIMS. Joe coming to UE was awesome, and seeing them again at Doug's was also epic. This next time will be even more so.

14. What is your favorite song by 38? (of Montreal)
COME ON, CHEMICOH-UH-OH-UH-OH-UH-UH-UHLS.

15. Is there a song by 19 that makes you happy? (Rainer Maria)
Catastrophe, for very special, cannot-tell-you reasons.

16. How many times have you seen 25 live? (Her Space Holiday)
ONCE, finally, just this May. It was epic.

17. What is the first song you ever heard by 23? (Hellogoodbye)
Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn. I still love that song.

18. What is your favorite album by 11? (Architecture in Helsinki)
In Case We Die, mostly because the title track is my favorite song by them.

19. Who is a favorite member of 1? (Motion City Soundtrack)
That's like asking me to choose a favorite child. I'll go with Jesse solely due to moogstands. But it's really a toss up.

20. Have you ever seen 14 live? (Anberlin)
Yes! Just once at the beginning of this year. Hopefully again soon.

21. What is a good memory involving 27? (Jonathan Coulton)
Seeing him live was awesome. Before that I had only heard Code Monkey and it really opened me up to how creative and nerdy his music is (ANDILOVEIT)

22. What is your favorite song by 16? ()
Oh god, um, probably 8 1/2 Minutes. Best song about the apocalypse, ever.

23. What is the first song you ever heard by 47? ()
I think Hash Pipe, I remember watching the video on MTV and they bleeped the word Hash and I had no idea why. Little did I know..

24. What is your favourite album by 18? (Death From Above 1979)
You're A Woman, I'm A Machine. Not like I have much choice, though :P What an epic album, though.

25. What is your favorite song by 21? (Stars)
Geez, hard choice again. I'll go with You Ex-Lover Is Dead because it's freaking gorgeous.

26. What is the first song you ever heard by 26? ()
Probably Bandages, something off of Make Up The Breakdown at the very least.

27. What is your favorite album by 3? (Death Cab for Cutie)
The Photo Album, followed closely by Transatlanticism.

28. What is you favorite song by 2? (The Matches)
DIDI. BOTH PARTS. GODDAMN I MISS YOU :(

29. What was the first song you ever heard by 32? (St. Vincent)
Something off of Marry Me, probably just the first track :P

30. What is you favorite song by 8? (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
Tie between Tick and Cheated Hearts.

31. How many times have you seen 17 live? (The Pipettes)
NEVER. and probably never will since they're all.. not the same band that I enjoy anymore.

32. Is there a song by 44 that makes you happy? (Saturday Looks Good to Me)
The Girl's Distracted (and it's just no use!)

33. What is you favorite album by 12? (Saves the Day)
Ups & Downs: The Early Recordings and B-Sides. Tons of quality music there. Stay What You Are is also very good, though.

34. What is the worst song by 45? (We Are Scientists)
I'm not versed enough in their discography to really answer that question.

35. What was the first song you ever heard by 34? (菅野よう子)
Tank!, the Bebop into song.

36. What is you favorite album by 48? (Math the Band)
Math the Band Banned the Math, though mostly because I haven't had a chance to listen to their new release. I hear it's really good, though.

37. How many times have you seen 42 live? (The White Stripes)
Never, probably never would because that would mean having to watch Meg White play drums (GUH).

38. What is you favorite song by 36? (Polysics)
I My Me Mine!

39. What was the first song you ever heard by 28? (The Postal Service)
Either Natural Anthem or Nothing Better, I cannot rememberrrr.

40. What is your favorite album by 7? (Arcade Fire)
Funeralllllllll.

41. Is there a song by 31 that makes you happy? (Regina Spektor)
Us.

42. What is your favorite album by 41? (Incubus)
Morning View, actually. Some gorgeous music on that album

43. What is your favorite song by 24? (Jump, Little Children)
B-13. So much sentimental value attached to that song. And that album.S

44. What is a good memory you have involving 46? (She & Him)
Falling in love with Zooey Deschanel.. :P Man, she is marrying Ben Gibbard. What is this world?

45. What is your favorite song by 35? (Tegan and Sara)
Living Room

46. Is there a song by 9 that makes you happy? (Los Campesinos!)
EVERY ONE OF THEM. But also miserable at the same time. Damn you Los!!!

47. What is your favorite album by 4? (Patrick Wolf)
Holy crap I have no idea. Wind in the Wires, probably.

48. Who is a favorite member of 37? (!!!)
Whoever wrote All My Heroes Are Weirdos.

49. What is the first song you ever heard by 43? (Does It Offend You, Yeah?)
Something off of You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into, odds are.

50. How many albums do you own by 20? (Troubled Hubble)
None, just what I've been able to scour off of the internet. I wish they were still together :(