Sunday , June 13, 2010
Heavy Rotation: Nine Inch Nails, Bjork, Don McLean, Karen O and The Kids, The Kinks, Sloan
Nine Inch Nails, "That's What I Get"
God, I feel like my two selections for Heavy Rotation this week are SO EARLY 90s ALTERNATEEN. Luckily, I don't give two fucks! Being an actual early 90s alternateen was one of the best things that ever happened to me! I'm putting this song here because yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the release of Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine. I would have entirely not noted this except that it was a trending topic on Twitter, which is pretty much how I know anything is happening in the world these days. I actually kind of hated this record when it came out 'cause I was all "It's not HARD enough!" But then I realized Trent Reznor wrote great pop songs that he gussied up with industrial/punk sounds -- nearly every song on Pretty Hate Machine got stuck in my head at some point or another, which is kind of hilarious considering some of the lyrics that would run through my brain: "I'D RATHER DIE THAN GIVE YOU CONTROL!" And the record kind of annoyed my parents, which was great at the time. (Although now in retrospect it puzzles me that they would choose this record to complain about, considering that I was also listening to shit like Revolting Cocks and what not. Maybe they just didn't understand what Al Jourgensen was singing half the time?) Now my former Twitter boyfriend is a married man and mellowing out and, wow, isn't it amazing where life takes you? Trent, wouldn't you agree? (Kat)
Bjork, "Hunter"
I always feel like I should love Bjork a lot more than I actually do. I mean, yeah, I really like her music a lot -- I oddly have collected every single major record in her discography throughout my long career as a music buyer and collector, and I absolutely adore many of her songs. But she's never been as necessary to my emotional DNA as a human being than perhaps others of her "generation," that great moment in the 90s when all those alternaladies were emerging. I felt guilty about this in a strange way that I can't quite explain. It's kind of like that super-cool girl you went to junior high and grade school with and she was always doing her own thing and you were doing yours and you kind of both took each other for granted till years later when somehow she pops up on Facebook and you're like, "God! She was so cool! Why didn't we hang out more?" That's kind of like my relationship to Bjork. But perhaps this is changing. Maybe it's because of my recent foray into spiritual Scandinavia as well as my own sojourn to her Reykjavik stomping grounds, but I've come to appreciate the Bjorkian spirit a lot more lately, her general message of self-reliance, resilience, imagination, emotion and independence, her old-woman melodies and ancient/pagan/futuristic mythologies. Anyway, this is one of my favorite songs by her in a strings-only version done with the Brodsky Quartet. It's pretty fab for late fall. (Kat)
Don McLean, "Babylon"
The other night I fell asleep with the last DVD of the first season of "Mad Men" playing in its entirety, and then accurately dreamed all the lyrics to "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" by Bob Dylan. Which at first made me feel like I'm really crazy - but then I found out that the song's actually used in the season finale, and now I'm completely sane again, I think. "Babylon" is also used in the first season of "Mad Men," on the episode where Rachel from Rachel Getting Married takes Don Draper to see her friend play in some club and he sings this song and that buzzkill beatnik dude asks Don how he sleeps at night and Don says "On a bed made of money." (Nice one, Don!) So, "Babylon" is really by Don McLean, aka Mr. American Pie, and it's very very "haunting." All I can see is Joan standing in the street with her birdcage. (Liz)
Karen O and The Kids, "Hidaway"
Not everybody loved Where The Wild Things Are, turns out. But I loved it lots; I'm happy it was so sad. I love being emotionally manipulated, sometimes! And I didn't cry till this song came on in the closing credits and now it still makes my cry. Also I'm so disappointed by the Internet's lack of Bob & Terry content and have seriously considered starting a Bob & Terry fan page on Facebook, but that all seems pretty complicated and I'm probably way too lazy. I really wish I could tell their knock-knock joke!!! (Liz)
The Kinks, "Supersonic Rocket Ship"
OPINION POLL: Is, or isn't, this song about fucking? I can't figure it out. If yes: that's the cutest thing in the world! "On my supersonic rocket ship, nobody needs to be hip, nobody needs to be outta sight!"? Cuteness! If Ray Davies had a Facebook "Looking For" status, it would be "Whatever I Can Get." And, if no: that's the cutest thing in the world! Because it means sweet baby punkin buttercup Ray was too adorable of a human to pick up on how "Up and down, round and round, on my supersonic rocket ship" might insinuate sexual intercourse. Cuhhh-ute!!!! Either way: I am madly in love with Ray Davies forty years ago. If you think your fucked up dude situation is complicated, take a step back and think about how poor I must feel. The Kinks are like comfort food, only made of music. (LJ)
Sloan, "Penpals"
If there had to be a The Beatles of Canada, I'm pretty sure it'd be Neil Young. But - if there was a Canadian Beatles of the Early Nineties, it would definitely be Sloan, if you catch my drift. I think, maybe, I have no drift. But isn't this song cute? Sloan's penpals can't speak English! The band is dudes, but they say "I'm a girl," because their girl penpal did! Awww! Here is a Sloan anecdote from my life: on October 9th, 2002, I lived a day named "Operation Rocktober", and saw Sloan open for the Strokes, which I suspect must have been a demoralizing (though profitable) experience, for Sloan. After the show, I met Sloan, and also George Stroumboulopoulos and the Strokes' manager, but none of the Strokes, I think. I wanted to get Sloan's autographs, but I didn't have a Sloan CD on my person (cuz, like, I'm not lame); all I had was The Blow-Up by Television, so I asked them to sign that. Said Patrick Pentland, assily: "Girls aren't supposed to listen to Television." At the time, that made me feel really cool about myself (being seventeen and having low self-esteem and all), but in retrospect: WTF? Laura Jane Faulds of nogoodforme.com endorses Patrick Pentland of Sloan as an official Sexist Asshole. Tell your friends! (LJ)
Tags: Bjork, Bob & Terry, Canada, Don Draper, emotional manipulation, Karen O, knock-knock jokes, Laura loves the Kinks, Mad Men, Neilers, Nine Inch Nails, owls, Raymond Douglas Davies, sexist assholes, Sloan, Television, The Strokes, Trent Reznor, Twitter, Where The Wild Things Are
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Posted by Kat in Heavy Rotation |
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3 Comments!!
Say something so insightful and witty, it will blow us away. (No pressure.)
Got something to say? We'd love to hear it! Name, email and "type in the weirdo drunken text" thingie are all required to comment; don't worry, we won't email you or anything, we just want to make sure you're not an evil spambot. Keeping in mind the good-times mentality we like to keep going here, we've worked hard to keep NOGOODFORME.COM as fun as possible. We welcome all kinds of comments, but insults/abuse/general bitchery are not tolerated. In other words, we put the smackdown on evil troll posts. If you want to be a hater, please go elsewhere. Now, as Salt 'N Pepa say, "Only the sexy people..."
WTF Patrick Pentland?! I totally expected it to be Chris Murphy when I saw your Twitter update about this post, LJ.
I'm gonna YouTube some Television RIGHT NOW.
By Anabela on October 21, 2009 11:12 AM
Interestingly, Televesion's Tom Verlaine has been quoted as saying, ""Would I ever have a woman in our band? What kind of crazy, real nuts question is that? Why didn't the Rolling Stones have one?" I guess sexist rocker doods think alike!
By kerrry on October 21, 2009 3:08 PM
Ew! Tom Verlaine is officially scratched off my Dream Dudes list forEVER
By Laura
on October 21, 2009 6:17 PM