I know I'm a little late on this, seeing as how we're over halfway done with January. But hey, when you have a chance to blog about things like imaginary grandparents and spitting chew on yourself....well, you can see why this one got pushed back a little bit. As always, these aren't all songs that were actually released in 2013, they're songs that I heard for the first time in 2013.
Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines
Hey, it doesn't happen often, so you guys gotta give me this one..... I TOTALLY LIKED THIS SONG BEFORE IT WAS POPULAR.
Supernova- Chewbacca Song
From the movie Clerks, the scene where they have the Death Star argument. I bet you can learn all the lyrics to this song really fast. And I swear I would like this song even if it wasn't Star Wars-related. It could be called 'The Grey's Anatomy Song' and I'd still think it sounded kinda badass.
LCD Soundsystem- Dance Yrself Clean
This song is
pretty slow for the first couple minutes, but the build-up is so
worth the wait once you hit the 3:08 mark. Fucking A, the switch gets
flipped, and this jam gets
tremendous and stays tremendous...until it slows down again. Normally, I
love songs that are in the 7-9 minute range, much to the chagrin of
every girl I've ever dated. Generally speaking, Teens starts getting
bored around the 5 1/2 minute mark (there's DEFINITELY a joke to be made
there, but I'll refrain from making it), but I love it when a song
really gets out there and explores the studio space for upwards of ten minutes. My point is that
even I think this song doesn't need to be nine minutes long. Six or so
would probably work just fine. Other than that, fantastic tune.
Fleetwood Mac- I Don't Want to Know
I heard this song during a Saturday Night Live sketch with Paul Rudd about a month ago (if I could find it I'd link it) and we were Soundhounding it immediately. It's only grown on me since then, and might be my favorite song at the moment. Such a happy song. In addition, Kari and I were discussing The Eagles at work the other day, and I was doing the whole Lebowski thing (I just fuckin' hate The Eagles, maaan) and she asked how I can be in love with songs like this by Fleetwood Mac, but still say the The Eagles are lame. The best I can explain it is that songs like 'I Don't Want to Know' are poppy and/or cheesy enough to be awesome, whereas The Eagles are trying desperately hard to be cool. This song inadvertently helped me shape my previously unexplainable basis for hating The Eagles. So thanks for that, Stevie Nicks.
Vampire Weekend- Diane Young
The Ol' Weekend had to have a representative from their new album on here, and this track is my favorite. Show me another lead singer who can pull off the "Baby, baby, baby, baby, right on time" part without making me want to punch him in the face, much less enjoy it.
M83- Raconte-moi une histoire
This song is pure magic. A song that just builds and builds and builds and doesn't...quite....ever....get there. It always leaves me wanting more, in a good way. I love everything about it, including the fact that the only lyrics are little kids basically talking about tripping balls. It just fits, somehow.
The weird thing about this song for me, personally, is that I heard it for the first time while playing golf on a gorgeous summer day, without a care in the world, and it still hit me in the chest immediately. It feels like a song that I should've heard for the first time when I was like 19 years old, hammered drunk at the end of a party, sitting on the Culligan roof at 4am, listening to it on repeat, and quietly reflecting on inconsequential relationships, as only a drunk, self-absorbed college kid can. "Damn, this song is beautiful. Why did I ever break up with Amanda again? She was smart, funny, laughed at my jokes....she was perfect for me. AND she made me a better person, that's what was great about her. I'm totally gonna call her tomorrow. Yeah.....tomorrow."
The Replacements- Can't Hardly Wait
I started really getting into The Replacements last year, after meaning to for a long time. I never should've put it off. They're fantastic, especially if you like bands that really sound like they're British, but really are from Minneapolis. It's a small subset, I know.
Warren Zevon- Keep Me In Your Heart
How I can make Teens cry laughing whenever I want: Bust out my Warren Zevon impression-- this song in particular. It's probably only about 60% Zevon and 40% Kermit the Frog, which is probably what cracks her up every time. In my mind though, I'm spot on.
Gang Starr- DWYCK
How I can piss Teens off whenever I want: Reference this song, which stands for Do What You Can, Kid. I haven't really figured out why yet, but I do know that this acronym drives her crazy, so naturally I use it whenever I can.
"Teens, will you make me a couple of turkey sandwiches for lunch tomorrow pleeeease?"
"Yeah I can do that, but we're out of spicy mayo..."
"Oh well. DWYCK."
"THAT IS SO DUMB!"
"Why, because you hate rap music? What's that supposed to mean, 'YOU PEOPLE'? Attica! Attica!"
"You can go ahead and make your own sandwiches now."
Creedence Clearwater Revival- Long As I Can See the Light
Damn, this is CCR? The only Creedence songs I've previously been familiar with are the most popular ones, the ones that belong on the soundtrack of a movie depicting Vietnam, like Forrest Gump or something. If I would've known this song existed before our wedding, I definitely would've incorporated it somehow. Not that I regret our first dance song as a married couple or anything, but this one could've been good too.
JJ Jackson- But It's Alright
I effing love these kinds of songs, especially when I'm on the treadmill. These Motown-y, 'Girl you done me wrong but you ain't gonna keep me down for long' type of jams. If you were to do an arc of my music tastes over the decades, I feel like it almost perfectly mirrors a black man born in like 1962. I think that was supposed to be my true self. Right now I'd be 52 years old, working as an electrician in Queens, coming home from work, popping open a 40 and rocking the shit out of JJ Jackson. Probably named Clarence or something.
Tower of Power- So Very Hard to Go
Things NOT to say when you're on an airplane waiting to take off, talking to your wife with your headphones in, and you have no idea how loud you're actually speaking: "Teens, you should give this a listen. Someday we're going to conceive a child to this song." Just a lil' something for future reference.
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Coming soon, my favorite songs of 2012, because I just realized I never wrote that post last year. The holidays were busy that year, what with running around New York, defending toy stores from the Sticky Bandits and befriending homeless pigeon ladies and everything.
