"Boo Bop Bopbop Bop (I Love You, Too)"

I promised when I created this blog that I would run it honestly.  I promised that I would write on whatever song was stuck in my head, no matter how hip or lame it was.  The time has come to prove that I am a man of my word. 

The song stuck in my head today is from a lesser known Disney film called "Pete's Dragon," the story of a red-headed, overall wearing little orphan and his big cartoon dragon.  It's pretty weird and even features Mickey Rooney as a drunken lighthouse keeper.  If you haven't seen it I highly recommend you rectify that.  There are a lot of odd songs in "Pete's Dragon" (one entitled "Passamaquoddy" really stands out as a classic.  The movie takes place in a town of the same name in Maine) but "Boo Bop Bopbop Bop (I Love You, Too)" really stuck itself in my head today.  No idea why but a promise is a promise.

Enjoy this obscure Disney classic here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7Woo4oBWDA

Today's Runner Up: "Montezuma" - Fleet Foxes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdN2bfov9JQ

"Lorelai"

A few years ago I told my brother that I could not consider the Fleet Foxes one of the best bands in existence because they only had one album.  "Yeah," I smugly declared.  "I love their album but just because they made one awesome record doesn't mean they have lasting appeal.  Check back with me after they release a second album."

Well, they did.  Here's how the second conversation went: "Dude, remember what I said a few years ago?  Screw it.  Fleet Foxes are one of the best bands of all time."

And they are.  The echoing harmonies, the songs that change and shift and evolve as you listen, the quiet strumming and the sudden bursts of energy; this band makes music a journey.  Each song feels like a piece of ancient folklore being told over a popping campfire.  The lyrics speak of love, loss, joy and toil from the perspective of a simpler time long since forgotten.  Let me tell you from experience there aren't very many bands better to listen to whilst riding a train through the countryside or chopping wood in the forest. 

Lorelai, the song that has been stuck in my head all day, sounds like the opening credits to a Wes Anderson movie.  The shuffling snare reminiscent of a coming steam engine and the layered chanting are motifs that no band even attempts, probably because they know they couldn't do it better than the Fleet Foxes. 

Here is a video of Lorelai, from the album "Helplessness Blues": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtFrGCJrnKc

Today's runner up: "Heart It Races" - Dr. Dog 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QvJ3dXqmvw

"Take It Easy"

No, I'm not talking about the classic Eagles single; this song is by a rock/surf band aptly named Surfer Blood.  I'm not going to lie, I only recently got into this band after a friend told me I would love them and so far he is right.  I haven't heard much but every song I have listened to so far is catchy and clever.  I've always been a fan of good surf music (see my first ever post on the Growlers for proof) and Surfer Blood is probably one of the best modern surf bands I have heard.  The thing that sets Surfer Blood apart, however, is the fact that they could hardly be considered solely a surf band.  Instead, they are more of a indie rock infused surf band, which is just as good a combination as it sounds. The echoing reverb on the guitars and simple yet memorable guitar riff coupled with a vocal line that is both modern and retro make Take It Easy a perfect example of what I mean. 

It's been raining on and off here in Oregon but when I play this song it reminds me that the sunny coast of Santa Barbara is where I'm headed and the surf is calling my name.

I also highly recommend you follow Surfer Blood on Twitter.  They are hilarious.

Here is a video for Take It Easy off Surfer Blood's album "Astro Coast": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSeAwowu8GE

I realize it's been a few days since my last post and for that I must apologize.  To make up for it, here are a few other songs that have been stuck in my head the last few days with their appropriate links.  Enjoy.

"Julius" - STRFKR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKQqefnTsWQ&feature=fvst
"Up, Up, Up" - Givers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLM5pzqErYw&feature=related
"From Me to You and You to Me" - JBM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fLtK65LZXE
"I Don't Mind" - The Decemberists http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD6sU2X94Cg

"Creature Fear"

My dad and I used to play this game, usually during long drives between the beach where we would surf and our home, where we would each take turns naming "perfect" albums.  Now the word "perfect," in this context, is not to be associated with its traditional definition.  We didn't mean "flawless."  Instead, a perfect album was one where every song is either: 1.) a song worth listening to outside the constraints of the album or 2.) a crucial building block to the structure of the album.  A lot of names would be tossed around: Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The White Stripes.  Bon Iver's debut album "For Emma, Forever Ago" is one of those albums.  Not only is every song wonderful on its own but the entire album flows with a perfect continuity.  Every song builds into the preceding song just the way it should. 

Normally songs like "Flume," "Lump Sum," or "Skinny Love" stand out the most from this album but today it was "Creature Fear" that got stuck in my head.  The way the song transitions from soft spoken vocals accompanied by a minimalistic guitar to a steady driving chorus is magic and makes my heart beat faster every time I hear it. 

I have been spending my summer in Oregon with my grandparents, trying to get away from my regular California life before going back to school, and during my time here I have felt a special kinship with this album.  Justin Vernon, Bon Iver front man, wrote the album holed up in a cabin in the cold Wisconsin woods during wintertime.  I am not trying to compare my experience to his by any means, my trip is significantly less drastic than his was, but in these dense Oregonian woods, reading, writing and playing guitar, I feel a shallow connection to "For Emma, Forever Ago."  Also, the fact that Bon Iver's self-titled sophomore album debuted while I was up here only makes that link feel stronger.

However or wherever you look at it, this is a great song from a great album.  I hope you enjoy it.

Here is a link to a video for Creature Fear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUghkqG8UGY

Today's Runner Up: "The Wolves (Act I and II)" - Bon Iver (it was just one of those days)

Here's a link to that one too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YgjZ4oPrj4

"We Both Go Down Together"

This one comes as no surprise to me.  The Decemberists will be playing at this year's Britt Festival in Jacksonville, Oregon, a show that I will be attending, and in anticipation I have been listening to them often.  You can expect a few more of their songs appearing on this blog in the anticipatory days to come. 

This particular song contains all of the elements that make The Decemberists stand out amongst their folk contemporaries: a detailed story told in an ambiguous historical setting (although it has the roots of another time, filled with tradition and hardship), poetic lyrics that place you within the story, a beautiful vocal harmony, folk roots that bring Neil Young, The Grateful Dead and REM to mind and a terrifically written musical composition where each instrument is gorgeous within the piece as it would be apart from it.

We Both Go Down Together, from their album "Picaresque,"tells the story of two star cross'd lovers from different social backgrounds that engage in a forbidden romance, only to pitch themselves off of the rich man's veranda towards death and freedom in the end.  The morose narrative of this song is a common theme in The Decemberists' work and one that I am quite fond of.  You can hear this particularly well in "The Mariner's Revenge Song" and "The Chimbley Sweep."

This sad story has clouded my brain all day but sometimes that's not such a bad thing.  Listen and enjoy!

Here is a clip of We Both Go Down Together: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExTsO_q19II

Today's Runner Up: "Little Hands" - Beck, Wilco, Feist, Jamie Liddell
Here's a video of that one too, just cause I love you guys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RQRcBTuxHU

"Sea Lion Goth Blues"

I once heard that the Growlers have labelled their style of music as "beach goth" and that has always struck me as a perfect title for their particular style of music.  It has a dark macabre sound that brings images of spooky nights lit by cheshire moons to mind.  However, it also has the echoing reverb, splashy symbols and twangy guitar rifts of an old 1960s surf band.  These two sounds, brought together, create an atmosphere that makes you want to hoist a jug of rum over your head and dance like a swashbuckler.  A friend of mine once said it sounded as if Jim Morrison decided to start a beach band and I couldn't agree more.

I've seen the Growlers in concert twice and both times they were phenomenal.  I'm not very mobile during shows (more of a nod your head and comment at the beginning of every song "I like this song" kind of guy) but at a Growlers show it is nearly impossible to not sway to the music.  The band is fun and lively, with a lead vocalist (Brooks Nielsen) who constantly engages with the audience (I vividly remember him screaming at the audience that this next song was "gonna be an acid trip" and then laughing and saying "kill your parents!") and also wears very pretty old lady hats and sweaters on occasion.  If they come to your area I highly recommend you see them.

"Sea Lion Goth Blues," from their album "Hot Tropics" is more of a surf song than a macabre dirge but it is still a pretty good example of the kind of music they play.  I've been humming this song for two days now which makes it the top candidate for my song of the day.  I hope you enjoy this catchy surf beat as much as I do.

Here's the music video for Sea Lion Goth Blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlrrrjTSj50

To Start, an Explanation...

I got the idea to design this blog earlier this year when, while sitting through a rather tedious lecture (the context of which I can no longer remember), I found myself humming the same melody over and over again.  It was incessant.  I couldn't shake the tune no matter how hard I tried.  At this time I can't honestly remember what the song was or even whether or not I liked it.  When a song is stuck in your head it doesn't matter if it is a pleasing melody or not; once it is becomes lodged in your brain it is the bane of your existence, driving you insane no matter how you felt about it the first time you heard it.  

I remember sitting there and thinking about how peculiar this phenomenon is.  I have a good friend who claims to have had the same song stuck in his head for months or even years at a time.  Can you imagine that?  What if it was the "Jeopardy" theme song, stuck on replay inside your ears?  How could you even stand it?  Since that fateful class I have noticed that I get at least one song stuck in my head every single day.  The same tune playing over and over and over.  Sometimes it's not only one song; sometimes I have two or three shoved inside there, playing after each other like an overstimulated playlist or even shouting obnoxiously over each other.    

And so I decided to document this daily occurrence, for more reasons than one.  First, I would like to think I have a fairly broad arsenal of musical tastes.  I know people with far larger iTunes libraries and a wider range of styles than myself but I would still like to think that I have some insight to add to the music world.  Basically I thought it would be nice to share music with anyone who happened to read this blog.  Second, it would be therapeutic for me to write about the songs stuck in my head, simply because I think this will get them out of my head.  Third, like all college students, I have an abundance of time on my hands that is better spent doing anything other this and I have chosen, like all college students, to ignore that practicality.

So there you have it: everyday I will post a new song on this page; whatever song has been spinning around the most in my brain that day.  I will write a little about the song, post a video (if available) and even try to get a file of the music on here if I can.  The songs may be old, new, terrible, awesome, popular, underground, a TV show theme song, etc. It all just depends on whatever is stuck in my head that day.  Thanks for reading and please enjoy.