Peter Gabriel (1980 album)

Released: May 30 1980
Recorded: 1979–1980 in Bath and at the Townhouse, London
Length: 45:32
Label: Charisma (United Kingdom),Mercury (Original US LP pressing),Geffen (United States, Canada) Producer: Steve Lillywhite
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Having always heard something in the back of my life about the band "Genesis" I've had a passing understanding that Peter Gabriel was a deeper musician, but like everything I understood as a child, nothing hit me till adulthood. And always hearing "Games Without Frontiers" I always appreciated the song, never did I really enjoy it.

When I finally broke down and bought the album, only then did I appreciate the treasure that was before me. The beginning tracks are great, but what really caught me with a fury was the track "I Don't Remember". "Where did this fury come from to me?" there was an aggression in this song about breaking off to me, like a clean break, that tries to fray at the ends for a stupid cut.

After having drove so many stupid circles in southern California, doing so many mindless jobs I heard "And Through The Wire"  did I hear what my life should say. There is some kinda love through all the hate and stupidity, there is some kind of love that I can't understand.

At the of this madness that I speak I have to give all the respect to the cornerstone track "Games Without Frontiers" the track that got my attention. There are so many notes and references in this track that scare me about the future.

There is something that is still trying to break out in this album after all the anger and striped down emotions of the 90'a there is something more in this album what is poisoning this new generation.

So with that I will say Pass it on because there are so many fucking albums and songs that should be heard.... btw Thanks to my friend Julian for pushing me into Peter Gabriel
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Cat Power... Sun

Released August 29, 2012
Recorded 2007–12 in Malibu; The Boat Studio, Silverlake; South Beach Studios, Miami and Motorbass Studio, Paris
Length  48:50
Label Matador Producer Cat Power


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As Chan did with this album there is not a set timeline no matter how hard you try. With that being said that's what makes this album jump out at me. I had heard of Cat Power years before, so I had an appreciation of her work. So when I heard the track Ruin on KCRW I had to Sound hound this song, because it blew me away as most most the songs I've heard of Cat Power were acoustic and these song felt deeper. Not that she wasn't deep before(in my opinion most songs that are intimate and acoustic are deeper than electric). But hearing her in electric is almost like the third dimension going 4D... straight fucking trip.

every time that i turn on my stereo in the work truck or my mp3 player Cat Power's Manhattan is always playing and it always seem's fitting for every moment, which is rare for anything and especially that seems like  an accusation of not having enough to be a proper lie. She's so subtle but so obvious of common themes.

During plenty of time when I've been floating between tracks I get caught on a track that makes me stop. And in of those moments recently I was caught by Cat Power's Nothing But Time... not because Iggy Pop is on this track. But because of Chan's soul she gives in this song. She's screaming about fighting to keep above water long enough to breath and to enjoy what matters aside from every expectation. She is a poet that can inspire beyond me, I wish I could be as great with my words.

So with that being said I wish you would give this album a chance and I would wish that you would
PASS IT ON and don't forget to listen to my friends on http://www.skidrowstudios.com/ LIke LEE on the PInata Hour or my Friend Mindee from the hotbox
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1."Cherokee" 4:45
2."Sun" 3:19
3."Ruin" 4:33
4."3,6,9" 4:00
5."Always on My Own" 2:23
6."Real Life" 2:37
7."Human Being" 3:28
8."Manhattan" 5:16
9."Silent Machine" 4:00
10."Nothin' But Time" 10:55
11."Peace and Love"

Exquisite Corpse... Warpaint

Released: 2008 (self-release)
October 6, 2009 (U.S.)
December 7, 2009 (UK)
Recorded: 2007
Length: 33:32
Label: Manimal Vinyl ________________________________________________________________________
Sometimes in life we need to sit back and let the world move without us... to unplug if you will. When I feel myself in the need of disconnecting, I turn off the lights pour myself some kind of hard drink and blend into a song like Stars by Warpaint. The tempo keeps me low and the lyrics aren't accusing as many other bands. For me that's when my mind starts to relax enough for me to start writing again... this maybe a trade secret to get into my own writing ritual, but I think this band needs to be given credit for inspiring me.

Sometimes when I get disturbed when I'm writing, either by someone asking me a question, technical issues, or I run out of something to drink. That jarring emotion can be good to get you out of a loop or whatever, I take it as an intermission. Usually shit bugs me around 20 minutes into anything I do...I try to use that as a change in mindset or mood, that's what I get from the song Beetles. It starts kind of angry, but it moves into a sensual statement that is a change in mindset or mood. When I hears songs like that it makes me think of the last moments of everything and just being there with someone, there's a subtle epic tone to this one in my mind.

And when the night is over and the closing starts, things are slow without stopping a good song that doesn't overpower the moment can carry things to the next day without notice. If you missed that I was speaking of something like romance, not everything can vicious, there's timing to everything you experience. Having said all this kind of madness Burgundy seems like a great way to surmise everything in the throws of passion.

Ok another album I think you should all respect has been spoken... so remember to listen to my friend Mindee from The Hot Box and also most importantly PASS IT ON

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All songs written by Warpaint. "Billie Holiday" contains a portion of the song "My Guy", written by Smokey Robinson.
"Stars" – 6:25
 "Elephants" – 4:44
 "Billie Holiday" – 6:44
 "Beetles" – 6:57
 "Burgundy" – 4:40
 "Krimson" – 4:02 (not included on original release)

Black Love... Afghan Whigs

 
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Released: March 12, 1996
Recorded: August/September 1995
Length: 51:56
label: Elektra (CD)Sub Pop (vinyl) Mute
Producer:Greg Dulli

I guess this one comes from a darker place. I don't know why it's like that, but I feel like I need to actually write about something isn't always life affirming. Somethings are easy to write about, that way. I guess that's why, I choose the Afghan Whigs Black Love... I guess at this point in my life I can really look back at relationship and lifestyle as an adult. There's nothing wrong with how things have been to this point, but listening to songs like Double Day I can see where I came up short. Obviously there's anger in some of the outcomes in life, but you learn to with things as they happen... and sometimes that outcome is better.

Aggression comes in many forms, frustration is one of the ways it comes out. The realization of wasting time is one that's always been my trigger. That's when I make I usually move, like when I feel a relationship is going nowhere and I'm wasting my time. I've been there in the past and I know when things are gonna end up that way, from this point in my life. And that's were the song Honky's Ladder comes in, its because its about taking charge of the short comings and making it your own.

And when all is over and the dust settled in your lungs, you understand something about where you failed and where you need to grow. So when I hear the song Faded it sounds like an understanding of how things went but that there is a hope you don't understand now, but sometime in the future you'll appreciate that pain.

I know this is another 90's album but I think this is an album that should not be forgotten, not just because its part of me growing up, but because it speaks to more people than myself so that's why I say PASS IT ON... so at this point I'd to shout out my Homie Mindee @ The Hot Box
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All tracks composed by Greg Dulli.
 "Crime Scene Part One" – 5:59
 "My Enemy" – 3:10
 "Double Day" – 4:40
 "Blame, Etc." – 4:11
 "Step into the Light" – 3:40
 "Going to Town" – 3:16
 "Honky's Ladder" – 4:15
 "Night by Candlelight" – 3:40
 "Bulletproof" – 6:37
 "Summer's Kiss" – 3:55
 "Faded" – 8:25

Caress of Steel.. Rush

Artist: Rush
Released: September 24, 1975
Recorded: June–July 1975
Length: 44:51 Label Anthem (Canada) Atlantic (Japan) Mercury
Producer: Rush and Terry Brown
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Ok so Im pretty sure everybody knows Rush from the song Tom Sawyer... as well they should, Rush is a great band (also Canadian). But they have more than Moving Pictures to be an awesome band. Take Caress of Steel which by the way is one of my favorite Rush albums, the last 2 tracks The Necromancer and The Fountain of Lamneth are EPIC beyond anything that had been seen before.

Obviously The Necromancer is a dark sounding name for a song, it is till you spend the time to follow the story laid out in sound and word. All the words give the feeling of death till you get to Act III Return of the Prince song and it just rises high and gives you a happier feeling that isn't hokey. I love that part of the song, to me I hear something similar in The Talking Heads song Heaven, something about it being an ending sound that seems proper.

And with The Fountain of Lamneth life is one of the most obvious themes in the beginning Act I In the Valley, the optimism and the excitement of what is to come behind the next sunrise. The part that comes at the end of Act I around 4:02 reminds me of The Kills song Monkey 23 (which is also a great song). Its a great break for the next Act.

Ok I can go on forever on how much I love this album, but I want you to enjoy the discovery of these tracks and what they later influenced.

So with that I need to say to PASS IT ON and to remember to listen to my buddy Lee @ The Pinata Hour also I would like to give a shout out to my homegirl Mindee of The Hot Box
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All songs written by Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee and Neil Peart, except where noted.

1. "Bastille Day" – 4:37
2. "I Think I'm Going Bald" – 3:37
3. "Lakeside Park" – 4:08
4. "The Necromancer" – 12:30
   • "I. Into the Darkness" – 4:12
   • "II. Under the Shadow" – 4:25
   • "III. Return of the Prince" – 3:52
5. "The Fountain of Lamneth" – 19:58
• "I. In the Valley" – 4:18
• "II. Didacts and Narpets" – 1:00
• "III. No One at the Bridge" – 4:19
• "IV. Panacea" (music: Lee) – 3:14
• "V. Bacchus Plateau" (music: Lee) – 3:16
• "VI. The Fountain" – 3:49

Jeff Buckley... Grace

Released: August 23, 1994
Recorded: Late 1993–1994 Bearsville Recording Studio (Woodstock, New York)
Length:51:44
Label: Columbia
Producer: Jeff Buckley, Andy Wallace
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Very few albums can get me from my different moods, but Jeff Buckley's Grace really hits me. Hearing the first track "Mojo Pin" can mean different things to me at different times, like a victory or a goodbye. It has a soul that is obvious and has an aggression that really speak to me in different ways, because of the slow start and the harder elements that scream to you.

Have you ever left something that meant more by leaving? ...Afterwards you just play it over and over in your mind, and it makes you angry to have to be that mature about things. I myself was there just over 4 years ago when I walked out on something that was going nowhere, and every time I hear "Last Goodbye", I remember that day. It was hot and uncomfortable, not because of the heat but having to leave something that was floating for 2 years, you just run as fast as you can to do right in life.

Everybody talks about "So Real", because everyone feels like its a prophecy Jeff Buckley sang about his life. But to me it feels like an epiphany of what your destiny is suppose to be and how far you are off that path. There are real emotions in this song that make those feelings stronger for me.

To me the 90's had a gritty honesty, that's been taken over by a glossy veneer. All of everything that the 90's were to me are encapsulated in the song "Hallelujah:. I know that Jeff Buckley didn't write this song, but it really felt the darker and truer things, that aren't here in this modern prepackaged reality. I actually like this version better than the Leonard Cohen version because it's simpler.

With all of that being said, I hope all of you young kids give this album a chance and to PASS IT ON to your friends... Like I share about my friend LEE at the Pinata Hour 


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1.Mojo Pin                                         Jeff Buckley, Gary Lucas                              5:42
2.Grace                                              Jeff Buckley, Gary Lucas                              5:22
3.Last Goodbye                                 Jeff Buckley                                                  4:35
4.Lilac Wine                                      James Shelton                                                4:32
5.So Real                                          Jeff Buckley, Michael Tighe                            4:43
6.Hallelujah                                       Leonard Cohen                                              6:53
7.Lover, You Should've Come Over Jeff Buckley                                                    6:43
8.Corpus Christi Carol                     Traditional, Benjamin Britten                            2:56
9.Eternal Life                                   Jeff Buckley                                                     4:52
10.Dream Brother                          Jeff Buckley, Mick Grondahl, Matt Johnson       5:26

Bob Dylan... New Morning

Released: October 19, 1970
Recorded: June – August 1970 at Studio B and Studio E, Columbia Studio Building, 49 East 52nd Street, New York City
Length: 35:21
Label: Columbia
Producer: Bob Johnston
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Ok first off sorry that I didn't write anything last night... I was kinda in a writers block from writing late into the night before. But this morning when I woke up, all could think about what album I should've written about. I spent most of the day listening to all kinds of music that didn't really hit me. Till I got out of the shower and it came to me while I was singing it... Bob Dylan's "New Morning". This album and song make me feel happier about things in my life, its a real big change in my life, because I use to hate Bob Dylan's voice.

I hated him till I heard "The Man In Me" in the movie the Big Lebowski. Actually I didn't know that was him till years later after I bought it on DVD. This song makes me think about the future and where I've been in my life. Like where will I meet that one woman that's described in the song, one to kick me in the ass hard enough to encourage me to be stronger, well I think that's why its a great song.

Proper endings are always hard to find especially in music, "Father of Night" is a perfect way to easy out with a memorable sound. I love that its simple and the piano sound gives a perfect tempo to this song. The lyrics of Dylan are always poetic but this one almost seems like an acknowledge of something higher... and that's not a bad thing in my book.

I don't know if anyone was waiting for this weeks Blog but here it is, so remember to PASS IT ON
and to Listen to LEE on the Pinata Hour


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All songs written by Bob Dylan.
"If Not for You" – 2:39
"Day of the Locusts" – 3:57
"Time Passes Slowly" – 2:33
"Went to See the Gypsy" – 2:49
"Winterlude" – 2:21
"If Dogs Run Free" – 3:37
"New Morning" – 3:56
"Sign on the Window" – 3:39
"One More Weekend" – 3:09
"The Man in Me" – 3:07
"Three Angels" – 2:07
"Father of Night" – 1:27

My Bloody Valentine...You made me realise EP

Released: August 8, 1988
Recorded: 1988
Length: 17:06
Label: Creation Records
Producer: My Bloody Valentine
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Have you ever heard a band that after years of hearing about, you finally sit down and listen to, only to be amazed at how great the band is. That's the feeling that I got when I first gave My Bloody Valentine a chance. I've said it plenty of times that I missed out on allot of music, because of my surroundings and ignorance to other sounds, and this is another example of it.

When I first heard the song "Slow" I feel in love with the grittiness of it. Its unpolished, but it has a real strong emotion in it. Like falling in love with someone and the moment when you first get close to them. The sensual slide of this song makes me think of some of the girls I've dated and how they ranked to this song.

Mornings always are a little chilly from a night of partying or waking up next to someone your with. Those times don't need to be loud or fast, just slow and enjoyed. That's the feeling I get from "Cigarette In Your Bed". Not that any girl I've ever dated would let me smoke in bed(when I did smoke), but this track just says Sunday morning to me, with every note.

This week I'm gonna leave you kiddos with the full E.P. because it's that fucking good and its only 5 tracks... so with all that being said I need to tell you to check out my buddy LEE on the Pinata Hour every Wednesday evening @ 7pm.

And Remember Kiddos to listen to things you don't normally listen to and you might be surprised. Also remember to PASS IT ON

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"You Made Me Realise" – 3:46
"Slow" – 3:11
"Thorn" – 3:36
"Cigarette In Your Bed" – 3:29
"Drive It All Over Me" – 3:04`

Tune-Yards... Whokill

Released: April 19, 2011
Length: 42:12
Label: 4AD
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When I first heard Tune-Yards, I thought they were dudes. But when I actually saw the video for "Bizness", I was pleasantly surprised that it was a woman singing. This song has an energy that infectious and you find yourself singing it later in the day. And what makes it even cooler is that they actually made a music video... seems like a lost art really.

After I first heard "Bizness", I came home and downloaded the album and found some really good tracks that caught my attention like "Gangsta". I guess I'm not the only one who liked the song because I caught it on Weeds some time later. Its kind of funny song that's for the most part true, if you listen to the words.

Most of these songs got a happy kinda feel to them and are really light hearted, even with songs like "Killa". When I first downloaded this album, I listened to it continuously for the next week or so. And it was these 3 songs that really caught my attention, not to say the rest is boring but that these songs should be heard more.

This week I gotta say one thing before I get into my good nights. Last week Adam Yauch died at age 47 on May 4, 2012. He pushed allot music and ideals in many new ways that some people are still trying to catch up to. R.I.P. Adam

So if you missed it, last night was Drinko De Mayo hosted by friend LEE of Pinata Hour fame. We had fun and had a few drinks with friends and saw some good bands last night... good times.

All that being said means that it nearing time for me to move on for the night. But remember to give something new a chance and to PASS IT ON

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1."My Country" 3:40
2."Es-So" 3:29
3."Gangsta" 3:58
4."Powa" 5:03
5."Riotriot" 4:13
6."Bizness" 4:23
7."Doorstep" 4:16
8."You Yes You" 3:33
9."Wooly Wolly Gong" 6:06
10."Killa" 3:12

2Mex... Gloria was a Kroqer

Released:2006
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OK so this weeks choice is by an artist that I've reviewed before 2MEX, but what this guy does is insane. 2MEX blows my mind every time I hear something new from him, who does that anymore? With this one Gloria was a Kroqer he did more of a mash-up than sampling.

"So many more words" mashed up with Weezer's "Say it ain't so" was the first time I had actually heard a mash-up that was decent. And with those lyrics is really took me back to being a dumb kid wishing and pining for some one that doesn't care anymore. the line that always gets me and seems like a cleaver stab back at the situation is "saw you at the show, You pretended that you never knew me, I don't know I guess ill act like I rented you like a movie".

2MEX tends to write about relationships that don't work and the angst of life. But he does it with a cleaver back hand complement. Just listening to 2MEX's choice to mash-up with on "Silly Girl", The Descendents was a great choice... I would have never thought anybody would ever mix punk with hip hop ever in my life.

The Best track on this one most definately have to be the mash up with The Talking Heads. I love that band and those lyrics for "Naïve Melody"... just blow my mind. It almost seems the way that this song was written, was as though they all wrote it together, Good Stuff.

Don't forget Boys and Girls to listen to The Pinata Hour Featuring my homie LEE


Remember to PASS IT ON when your done listening to this one.
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1 Naïve Melody (2Mex Vs. Talking Heads) 4:56
2 Beautiful Freak (Eels Cover) 4:29
3 So Many More Words (2Mex Vs. Weezer) 4:54
4 Elizabeth On The Bathroom Floor (2Mex/Eels) 3:13
5 Silly Girl (2Mex/Descendents) 1:57
6 Before You Say No (2Mex Vs. Weezer) 2:43
7 Oddessy Honestly (2Mex Vs. The Cure) 3:36