Uncontrollable Excitement

So Jeff Mangum is one of the most elusive people in the music industry -- not that he really is IN the industry anymore. Ever since their magnum opus In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Jeff and the rest of Neutral Milk Hotel have kept themselves out of the public eye, unfortunately, and for reasons unknown.



But! Over the past year Jeff has come out of his self-imposed isolation to play some shows, both secretly and publicized. And this fall he's embarking on his first solo tour in YEARS.

And guess who's going to see him play in September?

MOI! Let's hope this doesn't turn into another JGL thing where depressing circumstances cause me to miss out on what will surely be the greatest night of my exceptionally young, college-bound life. I'm super excited to see him play and I'll let you guys know how it is.

Happy Birthday Anne Frank

Today would have been her 82nd birthday.

I've been a huge Anne Frank fan since I was in elementary school. I've always had a thing for epistolary novels, whether it was because of her or just because they feel more personal than other books. I'm big on dialogue, and letters are just constant dialogue.

I've read her book several times and each time it means something different to me. It's hard for me to articulate. Maybe because I'm tired and lazy. But if you haven't read The Diary of Anne Frank, you definitely should.

Whenever I rave about this book to my uncultured friends they ask me why I like it so much, and I don't really know how to answer them. Maybe it's because I can relate to Anne in a way I can't really with other "characters". It helps that we have the same last name, sure. But there's just something about this girl unself-consciously delving into herself through writing like this that I always liked. I can't explain it, but it's the one book that I've never gotten sick of.

Also, one of my favorite albums of all time is inspired by it, so that helps.

To play us out, here's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel.

The Problem with iPods

OKAY. SO. ALL CAPS TIME, PEOPLE:

My BLEEDING iPod, whom I named Floyd after Jason Sudeikis' wonderful character on 30 Rock, has decided to stop scrobbling my play counts WHICH I AM QUITE OBSESSED WITH MAINTAINING. OKAY, FLOYD, BE A JERK. THAT'S TOTALLY COOL. REALLY.

I'm going to murder this iPod one day. If only it wasn't so shiny and red and otherwise quite competent. BLARGH.

Since listening to my iPod is a worrisome process now, since Floyd is apparently extremely finicky and I guess only likes me listening to, like, "Move Your Feet" by Junior Senior as opposed to the album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel like I'd RATHER be listening to (even though "Move Your Feet" is a really awesome song, it's probably one of the only songs my iPod will actually properly sync these days and it's frustrating, urgh), here's a little playlist of the songs I'd actually be "jamming" to, once again, if Floyd WASN'T SUCH A BRAT. Yeah, Floyd. You stay in Cleveland. YOU STAY IN CLEVELAND UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND HOW TO LOVE A WOMAN. ;_;



Create a playlist at MixPod.com

1. "Ghost" by Neutral Milk Hotel
From Aeroplane Over the Sea, this song is my latest favorite. Jeff Mangum, who if his last name was a Latin neuter singular noun as it looks to be would be called Jeff Manga in the plural, is/was a talented songwriter, even though his lyrics are quite out there sometimes (see: "The King of Carrot Flowers," Pts. 1, 2, and 3, the second of which features the repetition of "I love you, Jesus Christ/Jesus Christ, I love you, yes, I do"). This song can be a bit odd in parts but overall I think it's coherent. Either way it's wonderful. And the transition from this to the next song on the album, "Untitled," is perfect. Favorite line: "One day in New York City, baby/a girl fell from the sky/from the top of a burning building/fourteen stories high."

2. "Becoming a Jackal" by Villagers
Hopefully you remember this brother from a post I created a week ago by literally banging around violently on the keyboard until something made sense. Not to discredit this guy or that song ("That Day") but that post was extremely lazy. I'll make up for it by waxing philosophical about this song! Hahaha, just kidding. I do love this song, though. It's just very sweet and a little idealistic, maybe, and it just sounds like the musings of a dreamer. That's why my favorite line is: "I was a dreamer/staring out windows/out onto the main street/'cause that's where the dream goes."

3. "The Transfiguration" by Sufjan Stevens
This song is great, but something about it puts me off. The whole "Lost in a cloud/a voice/Have no fear!/We draw near!," although my favorite part of the song, sounds really familiar: it sounds like Stevens' "Chicago!" Apparently I'm not the only one to think so, either. The comments there say that they hear "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!" as well but I haven't noticed that yet. Let's listen to it again...together. It's interesting how this song is SO EXPLICITLY about God and yet no one would consider Soof a Christian artist...at least, not in the same way as, like, Relient K (whose song "Sadie Hawkins Dance" I just listened to, haha) are. It's also interesting that much of his fanbase is made up of completely non-religious people. Favorite line: "Lost in the cloud/a sign/Son of man!Son of God!"

4. "Firework" by Katy Perry
Wow, this is a fantastically weird transition. I personally think "Firework" is an awful song; so then, why is it on my list of songs I wanna listen to? (Please note, this song is not on my iPod.) It's because it's in that Just Dance 2 commercial! The version in that commercial is a much catchier remix of the boring and conventional original, so I like that one better. "Firework" is probably the most boring Katy Perry song I've heard, honestly, but it is also one of the catchiest. It's ALWAYS stuck in my head. Always! Favorite line: "Baby, you're a firework/Come on let your colors burst/Make 'em scream/"Aah, aah, aah!"/You're gonna leave 'em all in/awe, awe, awe!"

5. "Each and Every Day" by Best Coast
I think a lot of people find this band to be overrated, but I really like them! They just make simple "surf pop." All of their songs are about wanting people to be their boyfriends, or being hopelessly in love with people, and their lyrics are just simple and cutesy; the music itself is catchy and fun. What's to dislike? I think this is my favorite song by them (not that I know that many, I only know 3), and you know, now that I think about it, it's the saddest one of theirs that I know. Actually, no, that's "Boyfriend." But with lines like "You will never fall in love" this comes close. Also I like this song because it mentions being seventeen and I'M seventeen so obviously we are perfect for each other and are going to get married. Favorite line: "Everything I said to you last night might have been crazy/but I want you to know that I meant it/I meant it/I meant it/Oh, baby!"

6. "My Night With the Prostitute from Marseille" by Beirut
I love dramatic singers. Zach Condon, which is an unfortunate last name I'd think, is one such dramatic guy. "And weeeee/belieeeeeeeved/her thennnn/oh, ohhhhh" is the line that justified my purchase of this song. Even though I bought it for $0 from Amazon. But still! I don't know a ton of Beirut songs, just this and "Scenic World" and something else, but I should check them out, I guess. (I really like this song despite this seemingly apathetic review!) Favorite line: "And now/outside/I see your eyes meet the sky/and I/I won't lie/I kept you hear tonight." Subtly sad.

7. "I'm in Love" by Antony and the Johnsons
My favorite drama king! Just a great voice. This new album of his seems to be his happiest ever, if this song is any indication. It's definitely the least depressing thing I've ever heard him sing, and I've heard him cover "Crazy in Love." I read a review that said that in this song Antony sounds like he's about to "pass out" from his delirious, mad loving and I think that's apt. Favorite line: "I've been touched/oh, I've been touched/It means too much/it means too much!"

8. "Black Sheep" by Metric
From Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, this was the song by The Clash at Demonhead. The music was one of the best parts of this movie, and this song was my favorite! It's just a great song to listen to; a sing-along, I promise you, you will want to sing along to constantly. It's just plain addicting. Try not singing the chorus!: "Send you my love/on a wire/Lifts you up/every time/Everyone/ooh, pulls away/Ooh, from you!" Love it. Favorite line: "Hello/again/friend of a friend/I knew you when/our common goal/was waiting for/the world to end."

9. "Holiday" by Vampire Weekend
You may recognize this song from one of the 12,000 commercials it features on at the moment, most notably a car commercial and a preppy clothing commercial. Floyd and I, we get it. This is the perfect time for this song to get popular; it's holiday season! It's about a holiday! Although I always perceived it to be about a vacation type of holiday, not a Christmas one, kind of like "Holiday" by Weezer (similarly great, featured on my last playlist), but it still works, right? New York called Contra the best album of the year and while I liked it, I definitely disagree. The album was kind of boring, this, "Cousins," "I Think Ur a Contra," and my personal favorite "Diplomat's Son" aside. My album of the year personally is Gorilla Manor by Local Natives, and I even liked the mildly-received Champ by Tokyo Police Club more than this. But "Holiday" is still a catchy tune. Favorite line: "To go away/on a summer's day/never seemed so clear."

10."Rill Rill" by Sleigh Bells
This song makes me nostalgic for sixteen. How I miss it! This song is like a slow jam that I'd play at the prom I'm DJing in my head. Guest list: 1. Floyd. Floyd, I'm trying to win you back, you see? Stupid iPod. But can't you see people slow-dancing to this song, sort of? Maybe slowly dancing? I don't know. I tried. This song is pretty adorable and inoffensive but the album cover for this album is so darn ugly, I hate it, it detracts from the song even, so that's the one good thing about not listening to this on my iPod, because it means I don't have to look at the stupid album cover (which I theoretically could delete but what's the fun in that, man?). Favorite line: "Wonder what your boyfriend thinks about your braces/What about them/I'm all about them!" I find that so funny!

Now, back to whispering sweet nothin's to Floyd the iPod so that he will work properly the next time I sync him to my computer.(If anyone else is having the problem of their iPod Nano 5G not counting their plays after syncing to iTunes, please let me know! Let's find a solution, darn it!)

And take your money! (Or, the Most Random Post Yet.)

The Swell Season covers Neutral Milk Hotel

I saw this on the AV Club this morning while searching for something to write. This cover is truly excellent, although the addition of "King of Carrot Flowers, Pts. 2 and 3" is a little...awkward. Mainly because that song alone is a little awkward. But whatever, that doesn't last that long! (P.S. I like "Two-Headed Boy, Pt. 2" better so you should go hear that song sometime, although Pt. 1 rules too.)

That aside - did I find something to write about? Sort of: Weezer revealed their new album cover. It's a picture of whatever Garcia's ugly face. People were joking when they heard that it was called Hurley that the cover would be a picture of Hurley from Lost's face, and unfortunately, it turns out that they did that exactly. So, for the third album in a row, the cover is AWFUL and seemingly a cruel joke. It's time I learned to stop caring about Weezer. The last time they made an album I actually liked was when I was 3 years old. I know that's cliche to say, that you don't like Weezer post-Pinkerton, but really, it's true. I find songs I like on all of their albums, but that doesn't mean I think they're comparable. (Hey, I can fit a shameless plug to an old post in right here!)


The Clientele covers M.I.A.

Here's another cover I like. Everyone knows "Paper Planes," yes? That song was probably my favorite thing about Slumdog Millionaire, which, in case you were wondering, is not nearly as good as everyone said it was. When it came out my parents both saw it somehow and insisted that my sister and I go see it because it was SO GOOD OHEMGEE. So then we saw it with our mom a few days after Christmas. I didn't like it that much, really. It's not bad or anything, just not as spectacular as everyone says. But what do I know? I saw it a day after The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and even though most people I know seem to think that movie sucks, I think I might have liked it more than Slumdog. And I mean, I don't even ever want to see it again, ever. So.

Speaking of things I don't like very much, I don't like very much that I lost that Charizard card of mine. You know, the really expensive one? It's just...gone. It makes me upset.

On an actually relevant parting note (since I need to go bury my head in shame now), here's a fanciful, helpful Pokemon "guide" that I found on Kotaku (CLICK FOR BIGGER):

Good day.