I know what you are thinking. That title makes absolutely no sense. Allow me to ellaborate. Throughout the year, I will listen to a wealth of new music. However, not all of this music was released in the current year, and then I never get a chance to include it in my year-end lists (which are still to come this month). The way I see it, I have spent the whole year listening to this music, and it deserves some recognition. As such, this year I decided to put together a (mini) list of musical odds and ends that I discovered this year. The only criteria was that it was "new to Jameson" in 2007. Here they are, in no particular order.

Music from Hotel Chevalier/The Darjeeling Limited
Wes Anderson is notorious for his expert use of popular music in his films. Whether it was Elliott Smith's, "Needle in the Hay" as Richie Tenenbaum carved gashes into his wrists in The Royal Tenenbaums, or David Bowie's, "Life On Mars" as Steve Zissou first meets the man who may be his illegitimate son, Ned Plimpton, in The Life Acquatic, Anderson has always managed to find the perfect songs for his not-so-perfect characters. In 2007, Anderson released one full-length film, The Darjeeling Limited, and one short film, Hotel Chevalier (which served as a prequel to the aforementioned full-length film). I have probably watched Hotel Chevalier at least ten times since i first acquired it (Late September 2007), and I have seen The Darjeeling Limited twice in the theatre. As you could have guessed, I am quite fond of both films, and suggest you make whatever efforts necessary to see them.

As far as the music is concerned, these films are right in line with his prior efforts. Once more, Wes Anderson has found the perfect balance of familiarity and quirkiness to frame these two films. Hotel Chevalier, Anderson's story of a heart broken man whose lover suddenly reappears in his life, is soundtracked entirely by 1960's singer-songwriter, Peter Sastedt's, "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)". Sarstedt's crooner style translates perfectly into the French hotel room (where the film's entire 13 minutes transpires), and the song's tale of a rags to riches socialite who has left the song's narrator, along with her impoverished past, integrates seamlessly with Anderson's anecdote. As for The Darjeeling Limited, Anderson chose the somewhat less prominent British Invasion band, the Kinks, to outline his chronicle of three brothers' trek across India. There are three Kinks songs that appear in the film: "This Time Tomorrow" plays during the opening scene as Peter (Adrien Brody) runs to catch a speeding train, "Strangers" scores the brothers' entrance at the funeral of an Indian boy (perhaps my favorite scene from the film), and "Powerman" brings the film to a close as the brothers run to catch (yet another) speeding train. These songs all hail from the Kinks' 1970 album, Lola vs. the Powerman & the Money-Go-Round, Pt.1, which displays a substantially more folkier incarnation of the Kinks. To be honest, I would never have guessed that the Kinks' unconventional brand of pop music would serve as the perfect counterpart to a movie with this setting (India) and this subject matter (three brothers finding eachother and themselves), but not only does it work, it is wildly successful. I guess that is why Wes Anderson is making remarkable movies, and I am writing a music blog read by 6 people.

Big Star - "Thirteen"

In all honesty, I did not stumble upon Big Star's track, "Thirteen", on my own accord. At some point during the first half of 2007, I innocently bought a book written by Rob Sheffield that altered my outlook on "things". The aforementioned book, Love Is A Mix Tape, is the story of Sheffield's life, outlined by the mix tapes that he made throughout the years. While there are some comical pre-pubescent tales and early lost-love stories, the majority of the book centers around the rise and fall that was Sheffield's life with his (now deceased) wife. So the story goes, Sheffield first met his wife in a Charlottesville, VA bar when he noticed she was the only individual in the bar to "perk up" when the bartender put on Big Star's second album, Radio City. The two started talking, and they realized they had the same favorite Big Star song, "Thirteen". The couple ends up getting married, dancing to the song at their wedding, and then (after five years of marriage) Sheffield's wife, Renée, suddenly collapses and dies of a pulmonary embolism, leaving Sheffield shattered (It should be noted that up to Renée's untimely death, this story is more or less my idea of a modern-day, fairy tale romance.). The remainder of the book follows Sheffield as he picks up the pieces, detailing the music that he listened to along the way.

Love Is A Mix Tape is both heart-breaking and inspirational, and I would encourage everyone (specifically anyone who has ever meticulously slaved over a mix tape for a girl) to check it out. However, this post was intended to be less about the book, and rather more about the song, "Thirteen", which I discovered from it. A simple acoustic ballad, "Thirteen", is an equally simple tale of adolescent love. With innocently painted lyrics of walking a crush "home from school", and asking her to a dance, Big Star's, Alex Chilton, captures the nervous feeling of one's first love perfectly. Chilton even ends the song with a verse akin to a middle school note, asking the object of his affection: "Won't you tell me what you're thinking of / Would you be an outlaw for my love / if it's so, well, let me know / if it's "no", well, I can go / I won't make you" (read: Do you like me? Check yes or no in one of the boxes below).

The whole song is only 2:35, and its perfect from start to finish. It is (currently) the most played song on my (one year old) computer (86 plays and counting...). On one level, it delivers us to a time when love was (presumably) much easier (purer, even). When words like "commitment" meant you had a date to the dance, and you felt like you "scored" because a girl agreed to meet you at the pool (nevermind the fact that you both brought 5 friends along). The narrator is neither scorned, nor familiar with the phrase "We need to talk", but rather just a virginal romantic, venturing out of his shell for the first time. On another level though, the song is still applicable to those beyond their first crush because the emotions expressed in "Thirteen" (most notably excitement and anxiety) are a part of the experience of love no matter how old you are. This uncanny ability to extract nostalgia while delivering modern-day relativity to listeners makes "Thirteen" the perfect rock ballad. Evidently, rock and roll is here to stay.

The National - Cherry Tree EP

As I have previously noted, when a band releases a new album, I will often find myself revisiting their old material. It's almost like discovering the band all over again. 2007 saw the release of the National's fourth full-length album, Boxer. (I will not talk about Boxer here because I have a feeling it may get mentioned - in depth - somewhere else on this blog before the year is over). With the release of Boxer though, I found myself going back and listening to the National's (spectacular) third album, Alligator (My #2 album from 2005), a number of times. After repeated listens of both Boxer and Alligator in 2007, I needed more of the National. One day, while reading a review of Alligator (this is what I do in my free time - scour the internet for record reviews of old records that I already like...hoping to find another "quality" music site to waste time on), I saw mention of Alligator's predecessor, a seven song EP, Cherry Tree. Being quite fond of both Boxer and Alligator, I decided it would be worth my time to check the Cherry Tree EP out.

The only regret I have about this collection of seven songs is that it took me so long to actually listen to them. I would argue that the otherwise unreleased original material ("Wasp Nest", "All Dolled-Up In Straps", "Cherry Tree", and "About Today") on this EP rivals anything the National has released on their other albums. Opener, "Wasp Nest", fades in with bells reminiscent of a Christmas song, but Berringer's deadpan delivery and bittersweet words about a beautiful woman that is nothing but trouble ("poison in a pretty glass"), remind us quickly we are not on holiday. An early version of the Alligator track, "All the Wine", follows, serving as a seamless preface to what I would argue is the best "three song-stretch" on any of the National's releases (writer's note: I may retract this statement someday if/when I write about the three songs that close Alligator: "The Geese of Beverly Road", "City Middle", "Mr. November"). The first of these three songs, "All Dolled-Up In Straps", is the story of a man tied down by the memories of a past relationship. Told over minimal piano and strings, Berringer speaks for a man who cannot get beyond the loss of his former lover ("My head plays it over and over"), and as a result he sees her everywhere and in everything. Next comes the EP's title track, "Cherry Tree". Starting as a solitary finger-picked guitar, "Cherry Tree" swells slowly into a turbulent climax, eventually bursting with feverish piano, frantic strings, and crashing drums. Amidst the chaos lies Berringer's chilling baritone alternating between a cautionary declaration ("Loose lips sink ships") and a condescending inquiry ("Can we show a little discipline?"). Rounding out this stellar stretch of songs is "About Today", the straightforward account of an individual in a fading relationship. The song's narrator is cognizant of the dire situation, and Berringer hauntingly conveys this sentiment ("Today you were far away, and I didn't ask you why. What could I say? I was far away. You just walked away, and I just watched you"..."Tonight you just close your eyes, and I just watch you slip away"). As Berringer exhales the final words of the song's foreboding last verse ("Hey, are you awake. Yeah, I'm right here. Well can I ask you about today? How close am I to losing you? How close am i to losing..."), "About Today's" soft steady drums also breathe their last breath, fittingly leaving listeners with the sonic equivalent of emptiness. After this epic stretch, the EP closes with (perhaps the only misstep on the release) a live version of Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers' rocking track, "Murder Me Rachel", and then a raw (but well done) cover of Padma Newsome's, "Reasonable Man (I Don't Mind)".

I would love to preach about the National in this closing paragraph, or perhaps talk about how the Cherry Tree EP soundtracked a portion of my 2007 (I honestly spent about 2-3 months of 2007 where I almost exclusively listened to the National and Okkervil River). However, I will leave my sermon for the not-so-distant future, and save the personal story for a rainy day. Right now, I am on a good mixture, and I don't want to waste it.

-Jameson

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If one picks up any current magazine dealing with the music industry in any way, be it from a business, critical, or fan boy perspective, one will inescapably run into an article or series of articles dealing with the recent release of Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” as well as the huge deal that Madonna has recently signed. Both are looked at by those outside the industry as indicative of what we can expect from a 21st century music business and by those inside as the death knell of profitability within the industry. Of course, the fact that Radiohead released an album with absolutely no press lead-in and then charged fans anything that the fans felt like giving them, does seem like quite a dramatic turn of events. However, it would be foolish to believe that Radiohead has done anything that will bring down the machinations of the music industry as a whole, and in all likelihood, might actually be forging a way for the industry to revive its’ plunging profitability.

All of this boils down to the economics of the market for music. The industry has been suffering horribly since Napster first began the world’s obsession with downloading music for free in the late 1990s. Lawsuits, piracy protection, and simple finger pointing have all gotten the industry absolutely nowhere as sales have continued to fall. Some fault the industry for not developing talent that is in any way interesting and simply trotting out ‘manufactured’ pop music that they think will sell. There is some validity to this line of reasoning but the real reason for the problems within the industry have much more to do with pure market economics than anything else.

Demand for music, despite the sales figures for material CDs and DVDs, has actually increased since Napster began hurting sales figures. Music is much more accessible in today’s modern ‘click it and its here’ world and music fans are taking advantage, amassing huge collections of music which would be unaffordable if money was actually paid out for each piece. This increase in demand usually, in simple economic terms, leads to a new market equilibrium with a higher price and a higher quantity produced, leading to a larger amount of profit (using a standard microeconomic model of supply and demand of the market for music). This is what the big wigs of the music industry are expecting to see, and the fact that these larger profits are not appearing is what is leading to the panic within the industry. (Note: I’m using the term ‘profits’ to describe the short-run and with the caveat that it is used to describe higher output and price compared with a previous time period. Thinking macroeconomically, in the long-run there are no actual profits as the market moves into long run equilibrium.)

So what is the matter? What externality is preventing the effects of an outward shift in demand from positively impacting the music industry?

The answer, to quote Raiders of the Lost Ark: “They’re digging in the wrong place!”

The demand for music has, indeed, increased, but the demand for physical units of music (CDs, tapes, records, DVDs) has greatly diminished. Thus, the demand curve has shifted to the left, resulting in the problems we see in the industry. So, what does this have to do with Radiohead and their “pay what you want” CD release?
In a standard model, there are two ways to offset a decrease in demand: shift the supply curve outwards or increase the quantity demanded at a given price. Increasing quantity demanded is very difficult to do and shifting the supply curve outwards (producing more CDs) does not necessarily mean that CD sales would increase. Radiohead managed to deftly increase the quantity demanded by doing several extremely important things:

1) They circumvented any leaking of their album by releasing the album online themselves.
2) They released the album at a (relatively) low bit rate.
3) They charged a high amount for a special box-set with extra songs.
4) They plan to also release the album in a standard CD format through a label early in 2008.

Releasing the album and not charging an actual rate for it is the most important part of these different aspects, because they, in essence, leaked their album themselves. This doesn’t seem to be important in changing the quantity demanded because so many people didn’t pay a single thing, but the people that didn’t pay for the download are the same people that would not have bought the album in droves in a CD format. Those that did pay for the download are most likely going to also buy either the CD in its standard release, the box-set, or both, resulting in Radiohead basically charging people a higher price rate than the sticker on any CD purchased actually states. Radiohead also served to further this ‘double charging’ by releasing “In Rainbows” at a bit rate much lower than would be found on a standard CD, meaning that people who want to hear the album in its true glory will be forced to pay for a hard copy of it.

The self-release basically amounts to a hidden charge, and the beauty of it is that Radiohead really doesn’t even need a high rate of people paying for the ‘free if you want it’ download (by some accounts 2/3 didn’t pay) because any amount of money actually paid is still gravy on the mashed potatoes of CD and boxed-set sales to come. The real question is whether the free downloads will impact the actual sales figures of the standard CD release. It will be interesting to see what truly transpires, but even if the sales suffer a bit, it makes logical sense that the sales would be similar because of the way the market has worked since Napster. Nearly all major, and most minor, releases have been leaked in advance of their actual release dates and, since Radiohead in essence leaked the album themselves, their CD sales should continue to be just about what they would have sold regardless of the early release. This just further fortifies the theory that Radiohead have managed to increase the quantity demanded at the given price of their actual CD.

Of course, Radiohead is a very successful and, by all means, a ‘huge’ act and the economics might not relate to smaller, indie bands, but they really don’t have to. The indie community has always, and will continue, to survive on word of mouth, ticket sales, and critical praise. The real problems in the music community are with the profitability of the major labels, which don’t profit off of illegal downloads like the indie community can. Radiohead’s precedent is a sound model which should be verified as a viable way to increase success in the music industry in 2008, but its success also depends on the industry managing to curb leaks and increasing the agility to release albums online quickly and change with the evolving market.

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Who here wants to have some fun? Now I know that the "Radiohead B-Sides" post was not all that much "fun", and to be honest, I haven't exactly been "bringing the fun" to Tuesday's On The Phone, in general. It is safe to say that my tilt towards the "dark-side" of the musical spectrum could probably be attributed to the fact that I tend to listen to music that fits my mood (i.e. I listen to sad music when I am depressed because it makes me feel normal...gives me something to relate to). You have no idea how hard I am fighting the urge right now to go on a tangent about how counter-productive this behavior is, but I will forge ahead in the name of "good times". Anyhow, I have been listening to a lot of (emotionally) "heavy" music as of late, and its time to lighten things up. Ironically enough, it took a band named Black Kids to do this.

All I can think of when listening to the Black Kids' debut EP, Wizard of Ahhhs, is how much fun this four song gem really is. Hailing from Jacksonville, FL, Black Kids are in the business of making upbeat (intelligent) pop music in every sense of the genre. From the very start (all the way to the very end) of Wizard of Ahhhs, Black Kids have this effervescent air about them, that just makes me want to move (dance! dance! dance! dance!). Every track here is worthy of mention, as they could all be on the radio right now. "Hit the Heartbreaks", the EP's opener, swaggers along to a synthy guitar rock line that sounds familiar, but manages to maintain a completely fresh incarnation here. "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You", Wizard's strongest track (an MVP amongst all-stars), continues the Black Kids' brand of coalesced guitar/keyboard rock, accented perfectly with the kind of fraternizing sing-alongs that appear on most of Wizard of Ahhhs' tracks. The EP's third song, "Hurricane Jane", is more synth, framed by a staccatoed guitar, and (yet another) spectacular chorus. "I've Underestimated My Charm (Again)", closes the EP with a blast from the past that starts out early 1960's rock and roll, and ends up sounding like it could have doubled as the theme to a show like Happy Days (I say this as a compliment).

In addition to its pop bliss, Wizard of Ahhhs is littered with spectacular tongue and cheek lyrics that remind me of Jens Lekman, and are already leading to Black Kids' main man, Reggie Youngblood, collecting the ever-so-popular Morrissey comparisons (something Lekman still gets pretty regularly as well). Whether it is the brash chorus of "Hit the Heartbreaks" ("What can I do, it's not me, it's you"), the self-deprecation of "Hurricane Jane" ("It's Friday night and I ain't got nobody, what's the use in making the bed"), or the backhanded passive aggression on "I'm Not Gonna Teach..." ("The second I do, I know I'm gonna be through, I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you, you don't suspect a thing, I wish you'd get a clue"), Reggie Youngblood is spinning gold here. Amazingly enough, no matter what Youngblood and company are singing about, they maintain a certain level of playfulness, that keep the songs light, and avoid them from getting weighed down by their own sentiments.

With an introduction to the world as remarkable as this, it will be difficult for Black Kids to stand toe to toe with a hype machine that has already taken down their name and number. However, if Wizard of Ahhhs' versatility and incredible hooks are any indication, I am confident Black Kids won't have any trouble filling out an album with their brand of catchy pop rock, drenched in wit. I guess it was about time we learned how to have fun (again).

Listen and Download the Wizard of Ahhhs EP (for free) at the Black Kids MySpace Page: http://www.myspace.com/blackkidsrock

- Jameson

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While I will never fully commit to one band as being my end-all-be-all "favorite", I can, with all the confidence in my 5'6", 150 lb. frame, say that Radiohead is currently the best band in the world. No other (relevant) band in the world can tout the catalogue that these guys have. In the 14 years that this band has been making music, they have released six INCREDIBLE albums, and one OK album (Pablo Honey). The latter just so happened to be their first album, so that pretty much means that every album that Radiohead has released since 1995 has been spectacular.

With the new Radiohead album coming out this past week, I find myself in the middle of a Radiohead binge. It is crazy how when a band releases a really good album, not only will you beat the hell out of that, but you find yourself revisiting all of their old albums as well because you are reminded of just how much you love that particular band. This has been no different with the release of Radiohead's seventh LP, In Rainbows. One of the interesting aspects of Radiohead's most recent release is that it finds the band venturing away from their laptops and back to their guitars and drums, leaving us with a relatively "minimalist" rendering of Radiohead. This got me thinking. There are very few songs on any of Radiohead's "official releases" (their 7 LPs) that I would describe as "sparse" or "bare". However, there are quite a few (fantastic) Radiohead b-sides that fit this mold. Accordingly, I thought I would put together a list of my top five Radiohead b-sides. (For those unaware, b-sides are tracks that don't appear on a main album, but were recorded and released by the band in some alternative form - i.e. EP, single, etc. They got their name from the A-Side and B-Side of 7" single records that were released back in the day. Basically, record labels would release the radio single (the "hit") on the A-Side of the 7" vinyl, and then just another random track on the B-Side - traditionally a track that was recorded but didn't make the cut for the final LP.) Getting to the point, here are my top five Radiohead B-Sides (songs that Radiohead had released, but just not released on any of their seven LPs).

5. "How I Made My Millions" - No Surprises CD 1 (Single)
"How I Made My Millions" was recorded by Thom Yorke, by himself, in his home, on his personal four track. If the recording you have sounds like a demo, that is because it is. When Yorke took this solo recording into the studio to show his bandmates, they all agreed that it was perfect as it was (Radiohead members Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway said it "blew them away"). As such, the band did not touch Yorke's original recording, and released it (as is) on the No Surprises single (pretty rogue for a band known as being studio perfectionists). If you listen closely, you can hear Yorke's girlfriend moving about in the kitchen as Thom sings over a foreboding piano (Why do I get chills when I picture Thom Yorke's girlfriend putting away celery as he labors away in the next room on the piano?). As with many Radiohead songs, the meaning could be a number of things, but I think the ambiguity of this one makes it that much better.

4. "Fog (Again)" (Live) - Com Lag: 2+2=5 (EP)
This is actually the second countdown appearance this track has made on the blog (see: http://tuesdaysonthephone.blogspot.com/2007/01/farewell-to-orange-county.html). Another Thom Yorke solo piano track, "Fog" made its debut at a Radiohead concert in Israel. This has lead to much speculation that the song is about the impact that the Israel/Palestine conflict has had on all of the children living in Israel (and its surrounding areas). It is difficult to know if Yorke was truly trying to make that cultural statement by choosing to unveil the song in Israel (I would not put it past him, but I can also see him emphatically dismissing the claim). On a larger scale, "Fog" tells the story of an individual (or individuals) that has been altered forever by a significant event. Something everyone can relate to. Some of my favorite Yorke lyrics at the end of this song: "How did you go bad? Did you go bad? Some things will never wash away. Did you go bad?"

3. "Gagging Order" - Com Lag: 2+2=5 (EP)
Formerly known as "Move Along", "Gagging Order" is the story of a homeless man that died in the street, and no one even stopped to notice (I think the former title was more appropriate, but the latter title is more "Radiohead"). The song is nothing more than a finger-picked guitar and Thom Yorke (seeing a trend here?). Despite the fact that the song's subject matter is completely depressing, I find this to be one of Radiohead's most beautiful tracks, but I cannot explain why.

2. "Talk Show Host" (Nellee Hooper Remix) - Romeo & Juliet Soundtrack
True story here. During my freshman year of college, I went through a stage where I would download movies that I was too embarrassed to watch with other people, so I watched them on my computer with headphones on. One movie in particular that I remember doing this with was the new version of Romeo & Juliet (I also watched Meet Joe Black in a similar setting...). I remember watching a young Leonardo Dicaprio in Romeo & Juliet though, and thinking that the song that kept playing during all of the important scenes sounded really ominous. No surprise (pun intended), it was Radiohead. Sidenote: I have always thought that Radiohead's versatility would give them the ability to score an entire film, and that that movie would stand on its own just because the music would be so incredible. However, it would be a horrible move for any band to commit to something like that without having complete control over the movie, and that is exactly why this would never happen. Anyhow, "Talk Show Host" has a hollow, industrial feel that fits perfectly with Baz Luhrman's chaotic depiction of modern-day Verona. Additionally, the lyrics, while not written exclusively for the film (see: "Exit Music (For A Film)" for the Radiohead song specifically written for that version of Romeo & Juliet), seem to fit perfectly with the tragic story of star-crossed lovers: "I want to, I want to be someone else or i'll explode".

1. "True Love Waits" (Live) - I Might Be Wrong - Live Recordings
Now this song is almost the entire reason I wanted to make this post. Make no mistake, I love the other four songs on this list, but "True Love Waits" is hands down my favorite, non-LP Radiohead track. I could easily write a "Certain Songs" post based on this song (and i might). There are actually only three songs that have a higher "Play Count" in my itunes than "True Love Waits". Once again, this is a solo Thom Yorke track, and its just Thom strumming an acoustic guitar, singing his heart out. So much is made about the sonic walls that Radiohead has torn down over the years, but it all comes back to the songs, and "True Love Waits" is simply a well written song. Has anyone read the lyrics? You'll have to excuse me, but they're fucking fantastic. I mean, it's heartbreaking, and Yorke's delivery only accentuates this, but the desperation in "True Love Waits" captures the feeling of helplessly being in love more than any song that I can think of ("I'll drown my beliefs to have you be in peace"..."I'm not living, I'm just killing time"...are you kidding me!? This is a B-SIDE!?). I don't know, perhaps I am just too fanatical when it comes to Radiohead to even write about this band. I probably need to bring it back a couple notches. I'll be up in the attic trying to live off of lollipops and crisps if you need me.


- Jameson

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I have been reading a lot of Chuck Klosterman lately. I love his writing because, while it may not be teaching me a lot, it provides me with the solace that there are other people out there over-analyzing life's (insignificant) minutiae as much (if not more) than myself. Plus, he pretty much relates every relationship/situation in his life to music, or music to every relationship/situation in his life...either way...he's right up my alley. I recently came across the following passage in his book, Killing Yourself To Live, in which he (tries to) deconstruct the young male's love for Led Zeppelin. I enjoyed it so much, that I thought I would post it here. It is perfect because, like most anything that is perfect, it is true.

Disclaimer: I DID NOT WRITE THIS. CHUCK KLOSTERMAN WROTE THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE. YOU SHOULD GO BUY HIS BOOKS.

"Whenever I find myself in an argument about the greatest rock bands of all time, I always place Zeppelin third, behind the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. This sentiment is incredibly common; if we polled everyone in North America who likes rock music, those three bands would almost certainly be the consensus selections (and in that order). But Zeppelin is far and away the most popular rock band of all time, and they're popular in a way the Beatles and Stones cannot possibly compete with; this is because every straight man born after the year 1958 has at least one transitionary period in his life when he believes Led Zeppelin is the only good band that ever existed. And there is no other rock group that generates that experience.

A few years ago, I was an on-air guest for a morning radio show in Akron. I was on the air with the librarian from the Akron public library, and we were discussing either John Cheever or Guided by Voices, or possibly both. Talk radio in Akron is fucking crazy. While we were walking out of the studio, the librarian noticed the show's 19-year old producer; the producer had a blond mullet, his blank eyes were beyond bloodshot, and he was wearing ripped jeans and a black Swan Song T-Shirt with all the runes from the Zoso album. The librarian turned to me and said, 'You know, I went to high school with that guy.' This librarian was 42. But he was right. He did go to high school with that guy. Right now, there are boys in fourth grade who do not even realize that they will become 'that guy' as soon as they finish reading The Hobbit in eighth grade. There are people having unprotected sex at this very moment, and the fetus spawned from that union will become 'that guy' in two decades. Led Zeppelin is the most legitimately timeless musical entity of the past half century; they are the only group in the history of rock 'n' roll that every male rock fan seems to experience in exactly the same way.

You are probably wondering why that happens; I'm not sure, either. I've put a lot of thought into this subject (certainly more than any human should), but it never becomes totally clear; it only seems more and more true. For a time, I thought it was Robert Plant's overt misogyny fused with Jimmy Page's obsession with the occult, since that combination allows adolescent males to reconcile the alienation of unhinged teenage sexuality with their own inescapable geekiness. However, this theory strikes me as 'probably stupid.' It would be easy to argue that Zeppelin simply out-rocks all other bands, but that's not really true; AC/DC completely out-rocks Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC is mostly ridiculous. Whatever quality makes Led Zep so eternally archetypal must be 'intangible', but even that argument seems weak; here in Big Sky Country, I'm listening to 'Heartbreaker' at rib-crushing volume, and everything that's perfect about Led Zeppelin seems completely palpable. There is nothing intangible about the invisible nitroglycerin pouring out of the Tauntaun's woofers. Everything is real. And what that everything is - maybe- is this: Led Zeppelin sounds like who they are, but they also sound like who they are not. They sound like an English blues band. They sound like a warm-blooded brachiosaur. They sound like Hannibal's assault across the Alps. They sound sexy and sexist and sexless. They sound dark but stoned; they sound smart but dumb; they seem older than you, but just barely. Led Zeppelin sounds like the way a cool guy acts. Or - more specifically - Led Zeppelin sounds like a certain kind of cool guy; they sound like the kind of cool guy every man vaguely thinks he has the potential to be, if just a few things about the world were somehow different. And the experience this creates is unique to Led Zeppelin because its manifestation is entirely sonic: There is a point in your life when you hear songs like 'The Ocean' and 'Out on the Tiles' and 'Kashmir', and you suddenly find yourself feeling like these songs are actively making you into the person you want to be. It does not matter if you've heard those songs 100 times and felt nothing in the past, and it does not matter if you don't normally like rock 'n' roll and just happened to overhear it in somebody else's dorm room. We all still meet at the same vortex: For whatever the reason, there is a point in the male maturation process when the music of Led Zeppelin sounds like the perfect actualization of the perfectly cool you. You will hear the intro to 'When the Levee Breaks', and it will feel like your brain is stuffed inside the kick drum. You will hear the opening howl of 'Immigrant Song', and you will imagine standing on the bow of a Viking ship and screaming about Valhalla. But when these things happen, you don't think about Physical Graffiti or Houses of the Holy in those abstract, metaphysical terms; you simply think, 'Wow. I just realized something: This shit is perfect. In fact, this record is vastly superior to all other forms of music on the entire planet, so this is all I will ever listen to, all the time.' And you do for six days or six weeks or six years. This is your Zeppelin phase, and it has as much to do with your own personal psychology as it does with the way John Paul Jones played the organ on 'Trampled Under Foot.' It has to do with sociobiology, and with Aleister Crowley, and possibly with mastadons. And you will grow out of it, probably. But this is why Led Zeppelin is the most beloved rock band of all time, even though most people (including myself) think the Beatles and the Rolling Stones are better. Those two bands are appreciated in myriad ways for myriad reasons, and the criteria for doing so changes with every generation. But Led Zeppelin is only loved one way, and that will never evolve. They are the one thing all young men share, and we shall share it forever. Led Zeppelin is unkillable, even if John Bonham was not."


- Jameson

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When i went off to school (Miami University), I would not say I was a particularly happy person. I can honestly say that the summer that lead up to my freshman year at school was one of the worst summers i have ever had (the worst you ask?...well, that's another song). My off and on again girlfriend of the past couple years had officially turned off (which i think everyone involved would agree was for the best). Additionally, there was this other girl that i had somehow construed into being the "end all be all" of all girls on the planet (well at least Ohio). Unfortunately for me though, this girl also was not reciprocating my admiration (which i think everyone involved would agree was for the best), so strike two. On top of all this, and in the confusion of all the aforementioned girl troubles, i had misplaced all my friends (for which i was probably to blame...and certainly was not for the best). Anyhow, that was the third strike, making it a long, lonely summer. I counted down the days until my move to Oxford, and accordingly, the days went by as slow as possible.

Eventually though, I found myself in this totally new environment...and most of that summer fell into the background of my mind. All of the sudden there were all of these new people in my life, and we were all going through the same things. They were good things too. We were all getting used to the significantly less structured academic world of college, while trying to juggle video games, nap-time (freshman year of college i actually took naps...me...naps), and of course the most recreational drinking we would ever experience. My freshman year of college will go down in history as the most accepting social experience of my entire life. I was hanging out with all sorts of characters that I never would have known in high school (most of whom ended up being my best friends). I fell in love with school, and loved it for all four years I was there.

I know what you are thinking though: 1) What's the point, so you had some post-high school/pre-college girl troubles and made some new friends in college? 2) More importantly, where's the music? My response to these thoughts: 1) This is just lying the groundwork for the rest of the story, a brief history so to speak (sidenote: those who know me well will appreciate this as being my most brief recollection of these events i have ever told). 2) There are volumes of mixtapes that could stem from these two time periods alone (Summer of 2002 and Freshman Year of College - "New Friends" Chapter), so rest assured there is plenty of music here. However, today's Certain Songs subject, "Anna Begins", would not appear on either of those mixtapes.

No, up until today, "Anna Begins" would have ended up on a mixtape marked "for my ears only". Unlike most of the music in my life, I tried to hold this song close to me because it hit too close to home, and by praising it to others, i would potentially be hinting that it somehow applied to me. Getting off track for a second: This pretty much encapsulates how i give people far too much credit when it comes to connecting the dots (read: my paranoia). Honestly, could you imagine how difficult of a world it would be if everyone was dissecting things as much as i do? I know this comment comes off as pretentious, but trust me I view it as a weakness of mine. Analysis becomes a deficiency when it becomes a conviction. Let's be realistic, is my passing comment expressing my enthusiasm for a single song really going to trigger someone into thinking that i am fighting with something internally? Most likely not. However, maybe you should remember that is how my mind works before telling me you like the song "Rocket Man" (not that there's anything wrong with that). Getting back on track though, this song struck a chord with me because, like most of the songs we fall in love with, it meant something to me (*it means something to me).

Freshman year at school I discovered a double live Counting Crows album that had been out since about 1998. This album, Across A Wire: Live in New York City, consisted of two discs. The first disc was an acoustic show that the band played for VH1 Storytellers which showcased a number of the band's best tracks in a (semi) unplugged format, and the second disc was a full band (fully plugged-in) live show that was recorded for MTV Live at the 10 Spot. I will be honest, I don't think i have ever listened to the second disc all the way through, and this is mainly because disc one is how the Counting Crows should be heard live. I have seen the Crows twice, and while both shows have been quite solid, neither has held up to disc one of Across A Wire. This mainly can be explained by the fact that the strength of their songs does not lie in the band's ability to "rock out", but rather their ability to convey emotion. This, in turn, can primarily be attributed to the unbridled passion of Counting Crows lead singer, Adam Duritz, who makes me look like a stone on his least sentimental days. The stripped down setup of the unplugged format showcases Duritz at his best, letting him rise above the band where he more or less resides anyway. The version of "Anna Begins" that i fell in love with resides on disc one of Across A Wire.

Ironically enough, "Anna Begins" is one of the least "unplugged" songs on disc one, but this is neither here nor there because Duritz had already declared the evening "his" about five minutes into the show when he brings "Round Here" to fervent close atop a single acoustic guitar ("Would you catch me if i was falling? Would you kiss me if i was leaving? Would you hold me because i am lonely, without you?"...those words don't appear on the studio cut...i like to assume - because that's what i do when left to my own devices - the omission was intentional because Duritz knew these saved-up lines would take the song to the next level in the live setting...although he probably just thought of it after the track had already been recorded). Either way, from there on out he owns the whole night, and despite a full band backing him on "Anna Begins", he still manages to rise well above the mix, a beautiful climax to an unforgettable show.

What allows Duritz to get so lost in the music though is that these are his stories (his life), and each night, he is reliving them in front of a crowd of strangers. "Anna Begins" is Duritz's story of two friends (a guy and a girl) that are wrestling with the fact that they are falling for eachother. The male in this story (presumably Duritz) spends pretty much the entire song denying the situation ("I am not worried, I am not overly concerned"), while the female (via Duritz) spends the same amount of time trying to persuade him into surrendering to, or at least acknowledging, what is happening. The narrator's denial at first comes off as cold, but the repetitive nature reveals that he is just trying to convince himself that "this is not love" because "if it's love", as the female character notes, "then we're gonna have to think about the consequences". As the song progresses, we find Duritz starting to let his guard down, but quickly putting the fences back up, and letting us know (multiple times) that he's "not ready for this sort of thing". It becomes clear though that Duritz's denial is really just a mask for his realization of the potential of what is standing before him, and he just doesn't want to fuck it up (risk losing this friendship, this person). Eventually though, Anna begins to change his mind, and he let's himself fall for her. Duritz does an unbelievable job of depicting the reality of this feeling ("Everytime she sneezes, I think it's love" and "She's talking in her sleep, it's keeping me awake...and every word is nonsense, but i understand"), hinting at the little imperfections he has fallen in love with . Unfortunately though (and perhaps something that is often missed by listeners), Duritz missed the boat here. Just as he submits to the feelings he fought for so long, "Anna begins to fade away" and eventually "disappears". As the song comes to a close, Duritz tells us once more that he's "not ready for this sort of thing". At this point though, it clearly is not Anna's love he's not ready for, but rather the loss of her.

I started listening to "Anna Begins" alot during the second half of my freshman year of college, and pretty much beat the hell out of it for a full year after that (and then some). Eventually, things in my life came to a breaking point, and like Mr. Duritz, i chose not to fight the situation any longer. How did it turn out? I think i fared (a little) better than Adam, but in the end i was left with circumstances i wasn't quite ready for as well. I like Duritz's take on the situation though: "... And it's a terrible thing to find out because it's too late, which is what it ended up being at that point and...it's funny she's married now and she's got a kid and she still lives in Sydney. I still talk to her every once in a while, not too much, but whenever I talk to her she says that she still loves this song, and I do too..."

Heavy huh? Yeah, i don't get no sleep, man, i never sleep.


-Jameson

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For some time I had been considering making a top ten list dedicated to "those songs" that just have always struck a chord with me. It was not necessarily going to be an "end all, be all" list of my favorite songs or anything, but just a list of those songs which will always hit me like a ton of bricks when they come on. The more I tried to compile said list though, the more difficult I realized it would be to do a couple of things: a) Reduce the list down to just a definitive ten songs, b) Capture the emotion/feeling that each of these songs held/holds for me in a small paragraph. Presented with this predicament, I began to think that these songs deserved more than just a little blurb amongst a top ten list which people may or may not read anyhow. As such, I decided to start another "segment" of this blog that I am going to title "Certain Songs". Those hip to the Hold Steady will realize this is a direct "lift" from one of their songs, but the point is so well made by them, that it just makes sense. The theme of the song (and this segment) is best summed up by Craig Finn: "Certain songs they get so scratched into our souls." (sidenote: this is the second time I have actually alluded to this line on the blog). That's what I will be trying to capture with the "certain songs" posts. Just discussing how certain songs have hit me at a particular moment in my life, and how they will be with me for the rest of my life.
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What better place to start than the beginning then? Those who know me best, know that I have always been pretty into the whole music thing. It has clearly escalated in recent years, but I have always been "moved" by music in some form or another (I am pretty sure this stems from the fact that I have two of the most emotional parents in the world, who, I have both seen tear up at the playing of particular songs). Anyhow, one of the first songs (that I can remember) having this effect on me is "Glycerine", by Bush. While Gavin Rossdale and company may have fallen off the map since their reign at the top of mid-90's alternative rock scene, the songs that got them atop of that vast heap have stood the test of time, and are still great today (I realize that I probably believe this because these songs have been with me from the beginning, but that's what music is all about, right?).
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A little background would be appropriate. Bush's first album, Sixteen Stone, was released in late 1994, a year that was just loaded with great rock albums (Want a not-so-brief list?...Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album), Jeff Buckley - Grace, Oasis - Definitely Maybe, Green Day - Dookie, Soundgarden - Superunknown, Beck - Mellow Gold, Stone Temple Pilots - Purple, Pearl Jam - Vitalogy, Blues Traveler - Four, Live - Throwing Copper, The Offspring - Smash, The Smashing Pumpkins - Pisces Iscariot...). To be honest, I must say I am taken back by that list...are people seeing all of that 1994 greatness? It is like my entire awkward youth all right there in your face. Anyhow, the point is, with all these great albums coming out, Bush was right in the thick of things as one of the best in the crew.
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I still remember the first time I heard "Glycerine". It was not until a little over a year after Sixteen Stone was released, so I was about 11 or 12 (5th grade). I saw the video for the song on MTV, and I still remember the first time I heard the somber strings closing out the song, and thinking that they seemed oddly out of place (eventhough now they seem oddly appropriate). The song immediately "clicked" though, and has been with me ever since (talk about loyalty...on a two-way street).
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As nothing more than Mr. Stefani himself, an electric guitar and an array of strings flowing underneath the entire song (swelling and receding at exactly the right moments), "Glycerine" has all the makings of a song that I could absolutely beat the hell out of, and still love. It is sparse, with lyrics that are just ambiguous enough that they can apply to any relationship you have (although I must admit, as with most solo songs, "Glycerine" is most appropriate when the relationship is ending or over). By the way, did I mention the strings?
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Looking back at the time period in my life in which this song would have received the most heavy rotation, "Glycerine" would have most likely been seranading me to sleep throughout the most awkward years of my life (5th - 10th grade...ouch...five years). In fact, this song was not applicable to any relationships I was having because there were no relationships for the song to apply to. Relationships require two people to be involved at some point, and my life was pretty bereft of that second player in that aforementioned time period. That doesn't mean I couldn't relate to "Glycerine" though. Back then, the song was helping me deal with one of art's favorite topics, unrequited love. While I wasn't in relationships, it doesn't mean that I wasn't feeling heartbreak. As anyone who has ever had a non-reciprocated crush knows, you can feel great agony and never gone on a single date with someone. That's what "Glycerine" was doing for me during those years - helping me through my first encounters with heartbreak. However, anytime (going forward) I have found myself in the role of "unrequited lover", I find myself getting re-acquainted with "Glycerine".
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There was a (foolish) time when I would try to argue that "Glycerine" was the name of one of Rossdale's former lovers. In retrospect though, this was downright asinine. First of all, who has a name like Glycerine? Second of all, I am gonna go out on a limb and bet that Rossdale was singing about Glycerine and leaving off the word "Nitro" for songwriting ease. When the song is thought about in this sense, it all becomes a little more clear. I believe that Rossdale is singing about a relationship that grew to be so volatile ("I treated you bad, you bruised my face") that he was afraid to do anything because, like nitroglycerin, if you fuck with it too much, its gonna blow up in your face. In the end, something had to give though ("I needed you more, you wanted us less"), and his idle behavior made no difference because Rossdale's fears came to fruition, and he was left with nothing but sorrow and regret ("Could've been easier on you, I couldn't change, though I wanted to"). The song perfectly frames the role of the one-way lover, who is aware that all is not well, but is too attached to let go, so he just sits there as it all comes crumbling down in front of him.
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Like an old friend, "Glycerine" has been around since the beginning. Before girls ever gave me the time of day, and probably before I had even experienced enough to truly appreciate the song. Songs don't discriminate though. They can be whatever each individual makes them out to be, and for that we should be grateful. Looking back though, I am not sure if those "awkward" years ever ended. It seems like everytime you start to get comfortable with who you "think" you are, life throws you a curveball, and it is back to those "awkward" years all over again. Trying to adjust just enough to fit in. Sure, we don't have braces and ill-fitting clothing anymore, but have we really evolved that far from our early teenage selves? It might just be. Clear, simple, and plain.


- Jameson

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