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“Hey, Look What I Found In My CD Stash…” Part II
Charissa’s Pick
The Clash’s London Calling
“London Calling” tends to find itself spread across the entertainment industry, from romantic chick flicks to HBO spectacular “Entourage.” It gets me every time. Yet, you don’t realize how exceptional the entire album is until you give it a re-listen. And that folks, is exactly what I did after continuously telling myself it was detrimental to my musical sanity.
“Brand New Cadillac” comes blasting through, with its 60s surfer riffs and Strummer’s ever passionate vocals (“Jesus Christ where’d you get that Cadillac?”). One of my favorite songs of all time. You start remembering how brilliant this album is shouting “No, no..THIS is my favorite” while dancing your brains out as “Jimmy Jazz” zooms by followed by “Hateful” and “Rudie Can’t Fail.” And it doesn’t end there, every song here is extraordinary, different, new, unique, and welcoming artists since to steal everything and anything they can. “Rudie Can’t Fail”’s ska influences are probably heard on every ska album ever post 1979, Say Anything’s “I Hate Everyone” clearly “Rudie Can’t Fail,” not forgetting the Bo Diddley guitar solo. And that’s just one song.
Go ahead, just try naming a genre for this album. The list consists of this plethora of ska, rockabilly, jazz, reggae, etc, etc. This splendid mixture results in upbeat compositions where you are shocked at what you’re hearing was constructed 40 years ago (yeah, 1980 was that long ago..don’t worry I feel old too). My love for this album spikes in jubilation as the album keeps hammering home hit after hit. It would probably be a fantastic and efficient idea to just let London Calling play at your wedding instead of paying a dj.
Matt’s Pick
I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness – I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness
10 years have gone by and I still listen to music that a 15 year old girl would like. The Austin 5 piece helped get me through long nights of poker playing and the end of a long-term relationship. Its weird to look back at an album that was a pre-chorus to the music I listen to now. This EP feels like something Ben Gibbard and Explosions in the Sky would put together in an afternoon studio session. All the best parts of feeling melancholy and crescendoing delivered to you in about 18 minutes. The first track “We’re Still the Weaker Set” gets you setup for the show and “Your Worst Is Your Best” takes you home safe and sound. It feels like these songs were written to be performed at the end of the night for just me and only me. ILYBICD layers you, bring you up and bring you down again kind of like all the relationships in our lives; the good ones that is.
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TAGS: The Separate, You Hate My Guts Or You’ve Been Selected For Heaven, Capital Cities, Rockstars and Heartbreaks, 250 words or LESS