Sad Moth Musical Knowledge Episode 1: Pet Soundz

Sad Moth Musical Knowledge Episode 1: Pet Soundz from Noah Stafford on Vimeo.

Screenshots of comments from a youtube lyric video for Hoobastank's "The Reason", presented without editorialization.

!!!!!With one WIERD trick, Sad Moth Noah's DICK grows 6 INCHES and he writes about his TOP 10 ALBUM'S OF THE YEAR!!!!!! you wont BELIEVE #1 !!!! (must read all the way to the end)

You will never believe what I put for some of these guys! So many hot albums and mixtapes adn eps and singles this year!   I had a hard time choosing 10 but here ya go.....

The Seas of Pleasure: Two

1. Steely Dan - Aja
2. Toto - Africa
3. George Benson - Breezin
4. England Dan & John Fore - I'd Really Love to See You
5. Stephen Bishop - On and On
6. Kenny Loggins - Keep the Fire
7. Crawler - Stone Cold Sober
8. Ambrosia - How Much I Feel
9. Ween - Joppa Road
10. Loggins and Messina - Angry Eyes
11. Paul Davis - Cool Night
12. The Doobie Brothers - Minute by Minute
13. Steely Dan - Hey Nineteen

One nation under smoothitude

The Seas of Pleasure: One

The beauty of the sea is it's mystery, it's majesty.  And the silky smooth grooves that it inspires.  Presenting: The Seas of Pleasure, a weekly radio show on WNUR FM Evanston Chicago,

simulcast on the Sad Moth Radio Network.  This week, we've got some Dan, some Doobies, and an appearance from the jazz cat himself.  Check out the maiden voyage below.

Sad Moth Radio Network in Conjunction with WNUR Rock Show -- Wisconsin Punk In The 80's

We're starting something new on Sad Moth Music!  For those of you who don't know (some of you), and for those of you who don't care (all of you) I (sadmothnoah) have a radio show.  If i do a good one, I'll post in on here for your low-quality-audio listening pleasure. This week, SadMoth Noah plays all the hits from the state that's better than the one he lives in now, that's for sure.  Originally broadcast in front of a live studio audience on WNUR FM Evanston Chicago.

Once again I apologize for the bad audio quality.  I think there's a way to get better quality but I'm not sure how to do it.  Maybe I should figure that out. Or not.

A Brief Conversation with Aaron Carter

Transcript of conversation with Aaron Carter (from memory)

*phone picked up on second ring*

Me: Is this Aaron?

Aaron: No.....(long pause)

Me: Damnit!

Aaron: Just kidding this is Aaron

Me: Oh!.... SHIT!

Aaron: So what's up?

Me: Man, I was just calling to tell you what a big fan of your music I am, I guess.  I saw one of your shows a while ago.

Aaron: You know I got some new music out?

Me: Yeah, It's called Fools Gold, right?  I haven't listened to it yet....

Aaron:  Aight, I gotta go *hangs up suddenly*


The tweet you see above was deleted about a minute after I screen-shotted it.  You may think I censored the phone number for ethical reasons -- nah, I did it 100% because NOW I GOT AC'S NUMBA AND NONE OF YOU SORRY MOTHERFUCKERS DO BIIIIITCH

Check out my buddy Aaron's new single "Fools Gold" below.  The album'll be dropping soon.  (We're pals now, I don't know if I told you, but I have his number and we've talked before).

The Great Music Canons of the Internet

The internet is full of publications, communities, and individual people who think they know where the good shit is at.  Many of you may roll your eyes at the very sight of the words "___hundred Greatest Albums of All Time".  But, regardless of how futile the exercise of ranking the 'best music' is, it's being done and it will continue to be done, and what a website ranks as good music tends to be incredibly revealing about its tastes.  Certain websites have come to represent distinct canons in music, with clearly defined features, strengths, faults, arguments and counter arguments.  I find it interesting how these places differ, and how they are similar.  After examining these websites, I've learned a lot about how different types of music are regarded on the internet.  I hope you find it interesting as well.  Nine websites are discussed below: three publications, three communities, and three created by individuals.

Sad Moth Concert Tour Part. 9 by SHIG: Don Henley at the Minnesota State Fair

The thoughtful author ponders the cryptic
lyrics to "Boys of Summer" while sporting
a "Squirrel: The Other
White Meat" t-shirt

Editor's Note: This review was dictated by SHIG to his inferior brother Sad Moth Noah.

As Noah and I were tripping down our merrily way at the Minnesota State Fair, we happened to come across some tickets lying on the ground.  You couldn’t really read the writing on there, but I guess they said, “Fon Henvley” or something like that.  We also noted that the date was, in fact, that night.  So Noah and I went through the State Fair grandstand buying everything we could and then Noah had to stop for a urinal break.  And then we finally went to the concert.  Unfortunately, we also had to bring mom with us, which made the whole thing a lot more nostalgic than it should have been.  So we sat for a couple minutes listening to a guy singing so high it sounded like he just got kicked in the balls.  Honestly, there weren’t many complaints, except for the audience members being comprised mainly of old men, and the back up singers being from Twilight.  It was then during his uhh....... “Motel Colorado” song that I realized the truth.  

The current trends are SHIT!!!!!  In music today we are listening to some little “Justiene Bieber” hitting “high” notes when there is a man at least triple his age singing exactly as high as he can.  Not only that, but today songs are all the same.  Love, dumping, sex, drinking, etc.  But Fon Harvley’s songs actually mean something.  Like a drug addiction, or most importantly, recovering from a traumatic experience (but not like love).  Adele couldn’t even say “Hello” from the other side of the stadium compared to this guy.  

STEP. UP. YOUR. GAME. Modern artists, because even this grandpa can sing better than you!

Sad Moth Podcast Episode 1!!!

The Definitive History of Shoegaze by Noah Wong

Shoegaze is an experimental genre of rock music, beginning between the late 80s and early 90s with the pioneering bands like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Ride. All early shoegaze bands were from Britain, or in My Bloody Valentine’s case, Ireland. Although early bands produced a new and creative sound by pushing waves of reverb through guitars, adding in bass, drums, and soft vocals to create rock songs with only a few chords, music critics didn’t initially take too kindly to shoegaze. The name “shoegaze” was started as an insult due to how the guitarists stood still while looking at their shoes onstage. The movement was also called “The scene that celebrates itself” because shoegaze bands would often attend each other’s concerts. While their sound was unique and groundbreaking, it was not unheard of. Other bands had experimented with similar ideas, but none had based their music around them. Shoegaze was influenced by bands like Cocteau Twins and Jesus and Mary Chain.

Sad Moth Interview: Buzz Osborne of the Melvins

Pc: Anmol Gupta

This is it fuckin it dudez.  Sad Moth Music has made it big tyme.  This is an interview with Buzz Osborne, singer/songwriter and guitarist of the Melvins.  We were given the opportunity to conduct this interview by the gracious media relations staff at the Eaux Claires music festival, and Melvins management.  Thanks to all involved.

What follows is a poorly moderated, meandering conversation about many things, including the Melvins' new album, an awkward tv appearance in 1995, good seats at a White Sox/Twins game, Alex Rodriguez, a theoretical fight between Robert Plant and Ozzy Osbourne, and novel masturbation techniques.  I added a good amount of links for those not familiar with various topics of conversation.  I conducted the interview, but Patrick gave me some of the best questions to ask.  Anmol Gupta was there also for some fucking reason and took the picture above.  No that's not me.  I'm a little off to the right.  An mp3 of this conversation exists, but I'm not showing anyone unless they really don't believe this happened and ask for proof or stfu.  It reads much better, as you don't get all of my long pauses, "ums" and annoying, waifish voice.

De-Moth-Cracy: Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens vs. Kasimir S. Pulaski Day by Big Black

Casimir Pulaski was a Revolutionary War cavalry officer born in Poland.  He is known as the "father of the American cavalry" for his contributions to the American Revolution on horseback.

Casimir Pulaski Day is celebrated in areas with historically Polish populations in the lower midwest, such as Chicago and Bloomington. It is a public holiday where public employees get of work, banks close, and school is out.  According to wikipedia, Casimir Pulaski Day is a state holiday in Wisconsin as well, and schools are mandated to "observe" the holiday, but this loose language allows schools to pretty much ignore the holdiay unless they want to (Fuck Herrmann).

So it would make sense that a band from Chicago, Big Black, and a musician making a concept album about Illinois, Sufjan Stevens, would be the ones to name songs after the event.

But which is better??? Let's be honest, the minute these dudes decided to name their songs the same thing, they were asking for it.  It's time for some De-Moth-cracy!  It's time for stump speeches, it's time for point-counterpoint, it's time restore our faith in the democratic process (it ain't lookin too great right now ifyaknowwhatimean).  I highly encourage you fucks to hash it out in the comments, 1776 style.  Keep the debate dirty guys. Always hit below the belt.

The Case: Kasimir S. Pulaski Day -- Big Black A solid cut off of Big Black's undeniable 1987 album Songs About Fucking, Kasimir S. Pulaski Day is a ferocious slice of noise rock.  Albini snarls the vocals while Big Black's sheet-metal guitars pound through acidic riffs. The lyrics concern a narrorator encountering the news of a brutal mob murder on the south side of Chicago, "down on Pulaski" (also a major Chicago thoroughfare). A lyrical highlight -- "Down on the south side, out on Pulaski There were pieces of a man all over the skyway"

The Case: Casimir Pulaski Day -- Sufjan Stevens The 10th track off of Sufjan Stevens' fantastic 2005 album Illinois, Casimir Pulaski Day is a lovely piece of chamber folk that features a beautiful, simple horn solo in the middle.  The lyrics concern a child narrator whose female friend contracts leukemia and suddenly dies (on Casimir Pulaski Day). The lyrics also go deeper to elude to the problems of believing in a benevolent god in a world of pain and sadness. A lyrical highlight -- "In the morning when you finally go And the nurse runs in with her head hung low And the cardinal hits the window"

So what do you think?  Which song is better?  Which better encapsulates the Casimir Pulaski holiday spirit?  Do you think one is way better?  Do you think one sucks?  Do you think they both suck? Do you think this post really stupid?  Let us know in the comments, and vote for your fave in the poll below!

De-Moth-Cracy: Casimir Pulaski -- Who Did It Better?

Sad Moth Reviews: Weezer -- White Album

Reviews By:

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Noah                       6/10
Go To Review >>>>

---

Patrick                    8/10
Go To Review >>>>

---

Aggregate Score:     7/10

Sad Moth Music brings you the new Chance the Rapper Concert Experience

We haven't written about o'l Chancey B Raps in weeks now, so I thought it was time to fill the quota.  This whole thing happened because I guess Peter Cottontale of the Social Experiement is some Bienen kid's roommate, so he decided to show up at Northwestern last month for what was dubbed very mysteriously as an "idea party".  I have a lot ideas, so many in fact that I decided I was willing to suggest a few of the shittier ones to Chance the Rapper.  For a price, of course.

The first thing that occurred when I walked in was that we had to sign an honest to god fucking waiver, so when they stole my amazing ideas I wasn't gonna see any of the coin.  You think I'm fallin for that shit Chance my man?  If it's hardball you want, it's hardball you'll get.

As you can see, I used one of my many super-secret identities instead of my real one.  Checkmate Chancelor!  You think I'll just sign away my life that easy?  

The event began as a Q&A with Peter Cottontale, the dude who plays the keyboards and arrange's Chance's production.

Peter Cottontale and his favorite
facial expression

The conversation was pretty much a whole lot of mundane questions about how Peter makes music and what's going on in his life and stuff.  There were some terrible questions laced in their too, like, "I've noticed that recently rappers such as Kanye and Chance have been using gospel influence on their albums.  Can you talk about how gospel influences the music you create?" some kid with an overly articulate voice and his question written down on a notepad asked.  "Uh, yeah, that's just like, music I grew up with." Peter Cottontale responded.

But after the Q&A came the real event.  We were ushered into another room for the "idea party".  We were sat down at tables with various tools of the brainstorming trade -- construction paper, glitter, streamers, markers, crayons, all the good stuff.  We were told that we were going to help design the new Chance the Rapper Concert Experience®.  Over the course of the next hour, I worked feverishly, developing a complex schematic to maximize performance energy, fan engagement, and general dankness.

Let's break down what we're seeing here.  On the top left, we have a drone that looks like Parliament's mothership using its soda cannons to spray different flavors of Fanta on the audience (represented here by some fun confetti).  This is in no way inspired by Insane Clown Posse I assure you I came up with the idea independently.  In the center, dominating the stage, is a 250 foot tall inflatable Chance the Rapper that may or may not shoot flames out of its mouth.  On stage right is a projector projecting a live feed of the concert onto the moon, so the concert can be seen on one whole hemisphere.

"Wow, great going sport! That's so creative!" Peter Cottontale said when I gave him a look at my schematics.  He bent down to my height and tousled my hair.  "We've got some macaroni and glitter glue on the table over there, you wanna really make that thing sparkle!"

"No sir," I replied shaking my head adamantly, "It's perfect just the way it is."

"Hey, you're perfect just the way you are, and don't you forget it," he replied, bopping me on the shoulder and giving me a sticker.

Look for my innovative ideas at the nearest Chance the Rapper Concert, coming to a town near you!

Weezer: The Last Weez?

So Weezer came out with a new album, and I was kinda excited.  It's the follow up to 2014's Everything Will Be Alright In the End, an album that I really liked, and a listening experience that was made even more satisfying by the fact that it was the first listenable album the band had put out in more than a decade.  The album even addressed the awfulness that had come before it -- Rivers Cuomo actually apologizes for making shitty music in the lyrics of "Back to the Shack", which is a classic super lame, borderline cringey Rivers move.  But, as opposed to the incredible amount of crap that came before it, EWBAITE has good songs on it.  And it was consistent, something the Weez can't claimed to have pulled off since Pinkerton, probably.

So now we have the White Album.  Will Weezer run out of colors?  I hope not.  Count me in for the Mauve Album.

The White Album is alright, but it's complacent alrightness is exactly what annoys me.  I really hoped that Everything Will Be Alright In the End was a real turning point for a new phase of Weezer's career.  That album seemed to signal a new era of Weezer records, with quality that didn't reach the Blue/Pinkerton era but definitely beat out the Green/Maladroit tier of things.  But now I'm really not sure.  This is.... decent.  After a couple listens, it's grown on me a bit.  I like the first track the best, California Kids, as well as (Girl We Got A) Good Thing.  But the latter song is indicative of the larger problem here.  The song has this good palm muted chug going on, some decent arpeggios, some feedback-y hooks, but it's all buffed clean and mixed into the background by the production.

Weezer was always very poppy, but the way they're presenting their music now, they're pop-first and rock second.  It's annoying.  There's a bunch of light pianos on here too.  I don't need pianos.  One of the coolest things about Weezer is the chugging, heavy, surprisingly aggressive guitars with this strange, awkward dude singing over the top.  This album really limits that, or at least really smooths the rougher edges.  With the direction they took with the production and arrangements, I think Weezer is playing away from their strengths.  But I guess that's really a stupid criticism.  Weezer, somehow, has survived as one of the most prominent mainstream rock bands around, so it's not like they're gonna be recording on a 4-track.

The lyrics here are also weaker than Everything, and occasionally Rivers Cuomo goes back to the well of facepalming, stupid, cringey stanzas that he has visited all too often in the last decade.  I.e. on "King of the World".

Dad hit you on the hand

Just for holding your chopsticks wrong

Then your Mom locked you in a shed

And Uncle Sam dropped an atom bomb

I guess this really doesn't happen too often, but often enough to matter.  Most of the lyrics are fine, and are all California-centric, which is is neat.  It's why some jabronies are calling this a concept album, but that's freaking stupid.  Yeah, the lyrics are fine. But that's all they are.  Rivers Cuomo has shown the capability to be really clever or illicit complex emotions, and that's not really here.

Of course, I've failed to mention "Thank God for Girls" up until this point, and I'd like to point out that everything that I've said so far applies to the nine other tracks on this album.  "Thank God for Girls" gets its own paragraph.

This song is fucking horrible.  Rivers Cuomo still thinks rap-rock is OK in 2016, and either he completely missed the music of the early 2000s, likes Sum-41, or is a hyper-ironic meme lord.  The atrocity of this song is only to be rivaled by it's "lyric video", which features a horrendously long-haired and mustachioed Rivers smashing cannolies into his face.  The song's instrumentation is pretty bland, with that stupid piano bopping along to the beat for most of it.  The lyrics themselves are really where the action is.   And guess what?  They're conveniently annotated and verified by Rivers himself on Genius!  Let's take a look-see.

The truth is that I’m just as scared I don’t know how to act

I wish that I could get to know her better

But meeting up in real life would cause the illusion to shatter

Rivers' Annotation: "That's what happens with Tinder!"

Deep shit man.  Luckily you're married with kids, so you have a great perspective on the emotional intricacies of Tinder.

God took a rib from Adam, ground it up in a centrifuge machine

Mixed it with cardamom and cloves, microwaved it on the popcorn setting

While Adam was like “that really hurts”

Rivers' Annotation: "*picture of a microwave with a popcorn setting*"

That's not the part I was confused about.

I’m like an Indian Fakir tryna’ meditate on a bed of nails with my pants pulled down

Rivers' Annotation: "*picture of Indian Fakir meditating on bed of nails*"

Dude, what the fuck is this line.  Don't just post a pic and move on like everything is normal.

She’s so big

She’s so strong

She’s so energetic in her sweaty overalls

Rivers' Annotation: "I’m so jealous of the hooker-uppers

Seems like it’s so easy to get laid now

all these good looking atheletic young guys

r getting so much free sex

it kills me

laxitutes.

Such a bummer. Such a bummer.

To be evaluated by women. To be graded. To be rated.

Where do I stand? How big? How strong? How enduring? How energetic? How inventive?

So sad that it comes to this. So sad.

It IS a competition and I AM being compared"

Woah.  A lot to parse here.  First of all, terrible, terrible line.  Second of all, is this annotation supposed to be a poem?  And what the fuck?  You are 45 and married with two children.  And you're jealous of how "athletic young guys r getting so much free sex"?

Of course, Rivers Cuomo acting like he has the problems of a 14 year old has been an issue for a while now.  Anyone who made it through the first eight tracks on Raditude to get to "The Mall" knows that all too well.  And this album is no exception.  These are fourty-something white dudes playing songs about getting high and "LA Girlz" and other such things.  It's kinda weird and it'll only get weirder, given how time tends to go in one direction.

Yet, in the end, this album is good.  It proved that Everything Will Be Alright In the End wasn't a fluke, and that Weezer plans on actually making decent music in the foreseeable future.  This album has real consistency, as in I want to listen to more than three songs on it, which can't be said for really any other album after Pinkerton and before Everything Will Be Alright.  But they do seem to be leaning towards a watered-down sound, and goddamn, "Thank God for Girls" is just so bad.  A lot of the problems with Weezer are still present, and they seem intent on sticking with their formula, but the fact remains that they're just doing it better now.  If I'm ranking Weezer albums, I'd put it in the vicinity of Green Album and Maladroit, and well above the mid-2000's string of garbage.  And anything that prevents another "Hurley" or "Death of False Metal" from being unleashed on the world is alright in my book.

6/10  

Jazmine Brown's Review: Weezer -- White Album

Review

By: Patrick Dillon


Artist: Weezer
Album: Weezer (White Album)


Like so many other people Weezer’s music deeply effected me during probably the worst series of years in a persons’s existence: middle school.  Records like Blue Album and Pinkerton with their lyrical sharpness and angst melded beautifully with their sense of humor and pop rock sensibilities, they really helped to define that point in my life (I know all the words to both…).  Although Weezer and I started to go our separate ways, particularly their mid-late 00’s output, I never really stopped listening.  Weezer brilliantly touched on the alienation, anger, and general malaise of these years, in an unpretentious and honest light that so few can truly emulate.  Rivers and Co. are in their forties now (far from youthful) and although they may be far past their best, their latest record proves that their creative moments are anything but fleeting (despite what Raditude may have you believe!)
While this may not be a ‘concept’ record pre se, it does try to emulate the sound and feeling of those magical California summers.  This is, after all, a beach record, and you can hear a certain group of Boys (who may or may not play songs about the beach)  influence all over this record.  Not least of all the closing track appropriately styled after the seminal Beach boys compilation Endless Summer) complete with the sunny harmonies and love lorn lyrics you’d expect.  In fact if you’re at all familiar with Weezer you probably know exactly what to expect here, catchy pop rock gems with explosive choruses, “clever” sometimes funny lyricism, and the best goddamn bridges in the business (at least on this record but more on that later).  All of these tracks rest snugly in that 2:45-3:30 comfort zone, sans the closer, with very few curveballs thrown at the general sound Weezer is known for.  For some that may be seen as a weakness but I argue that Weezer hasn't sounded this musically put together in a long time.  Even 2014’s surprisingly solid Everything Will Be Alright In The End, lacked the punch and fine details that i believe make this record their most compelling since Maladroit.
The record opens with “California Kids”, as anthemic a song as Cuomo has ever written, complete with soaring guitars and a typically killer refrain. Appropriately kicking off with the sounds of an ocean, complete with seagulls flying lazily in the breeze, it evokes the kind of idyllic exaggerated caricature of California the lyrics themselves paint throughout the song. Of course real California kids won't actually throw you a lifeline in any way shape or form, but this idealized image of the California dream fits snuggly in the concept and sound of this record.  “Wind in our Sails” continues the redemptive spirit of the opener with the one of the more clever hooks on the record.  I love the plinking piano throughout, and lyrically in continues Cuomo’s more recent streak of cleverly hip historical references and characters, perfectly utilized on the first excellent bridge on this record.  Really almost every track here features an excellently crafted pop formula, these bridges not only sound great, they lyrically tie these tracks together.  My favorite is probably on “Summer Elaine and Drunk Dory”, where after mentioning that god was a girl earlier in the track he pines: “Remember when we were only sixteen, you made me believe in God, but when I finally wake, both girls are gone”.
Lyrically this may be one of my favorite Weezer records, it’s jam packed with clever character allusions, hip biblical references, and genuinely excellent pop song craft.  Some of these tracks are actually some of the darkest Weezer’s sounded since Pinkerton like on the track “Do You Wanna Get High”.  Lyrically Cuomo recalls memories of his past relationship with not only his girlfriend (also mentioned on Green Album’s “O Girlfriend”) but their pill addiction.  Sonically it could be a Pinkerton outtake with blissfully distorted guitar and a killer drumbeat.  I love the descending chorus harmonies and Cuomo’s impassioned falsetto on the bridge.  “Thank God For Girls” is another lyrical standout, it confronts Cuomo’s hangups about the typified version of masculinity and the struggle to retain that facade, it also throws in a great deal of biblical imagery and characters with a healthy spoonful of absurdity and surrealism.  The piano returns from the previous track “Wind in our Sails” though it sounds much more dramatic and emotive here it perfectly compliments River’s rap like delivery (Not new for a Weezer track) with the fuzz of Brain Bell’s guitar.  There’s even a line here that dates back to 1997: “I'm so glad I got a girl to think of even though she isn't mine, I think about her all the day and all the night it's enough to know that she's alive”.
Sandwiched between the two darker songs of the album lies what may be one of the prettiest.  “Girl We Got A Good Thing” is the breeziest track here, the tambourine is lovely (and I love how they even make reference to tambourines and jingling in the lyrics, its the little things for me man) the 70’s California soft rock guitar sounds great with a little extra fuzz, and the returning piano comes in really nicely.  This may be the finest realization of the Weezer sound in a “Beach Record”, it’s upbeat, sunny, and (again) lyrically clever.  “King Of The World” is similarly lovely but not for all the same reasons.  While many of the songs on this record reference the sound of their older catalogue, this track sounds more like their later output, which at first was a little jarring but this song is definitely a grower, particularly when you look into the lyrics. This is first and foremost a song for his wife, it’s personal and familiar, and although the sound of the song is not nearly as intimate as the lyrics, it maintains the sharp song craft of the rest of the tracks here.  The guitar intro just launches you headfirst into that classic 00’s Weezer sound and continues to warp, twist, and change tone.  Brain Bell is really a great guitarist and his instrument soars over and plows through each of these tracks with energy and creativity, it sounds like he’s having a blast.
The wall of sound and guitar on “L.A. Girlz” is immense and lovely, contrasting well with the bright melodies of this ballad track and the result is, I think, a song that ranks as one of the best the band has ever put together. The sweet melodies work well with Cuomo’s bitter lyrics: “L.A. Girls please act your age”, a little unfair seeing as Weezer are hardly playing songs any traditional 40 year old men would.  Still the tune is undeniable and features another gorgeous bridge: “Does anybody love anybody as much as I love you, baby?”  Plus theres a Jaberwocky reference in the lyrics so what more do you need here? (seriously read the disney picture book based on the novel its brilliant).  The tail end tracks here end on a similar bummer note lyrically with Cuomo’s laments over being “Jacked Up” over a failed romance. The song features a great drumbeat and lovely impassioned falsetto.  It also features some of my favorite lines from the record: “Oh, why, why, why do my flowers always die?” and “We’ll sleep together minus one”.  The closer “Endless Bummer” may be the most explicitly Beach Boys song here with its acoustic harmonies and gentle melody (not to mention the title) but it doesn't get lost in the influence, this is still Weezer and this quaint guitar ballad builds organically to a nice finish before the sounds of the ocean appropriately bookend this record.
With only 10 songs on this album and  only one of them even approaching anything more than 4 minute length its very hard for this record to wear out its welcome, each song is sharp, instantaneous, and memorable.  Its not without its flaws, it can be cheesy, self referential, a tad formulaic at times.and for some those may be a legitimate problem but for me, when the formula is this well put together its hard to argue that this is the best Weezer record in years and stands as a worthy successor to their earlier work.  It really brings me back to being a kid again listening to Weezer effectively get the wind back in my sails (get it?).  Here’s hoping Black Album is even better.


8/10

For Sale: Dean Ween's 2004 Toyota Highlander

As someone who may or may not be a member of a handful of Ween-related facebook groups, there is certainly one that is superior to all the rest.  And that one is the "WEEN Appreciation Society (Rise of the Boognish)" which is admined by none other than Mickey Melchiondo, aka Dean Ween, lead guitarist for the band Ween.  He is admirably active, posting facts and little-known trivia about the band at least weekly.  And he is, as of now, selling his 2004 Toyota Highlander.  "Changed the oil every 3,000 miles, there's nothing to hide. It has a DVD player for the kids with a screen in the back, AWD, heated seats. leather, etc...." he says, "It is just getting broken in, it should run for another 20 years."  The ebay listing makes sure to note that it, "has brand new cloth seat covers. Not cheap ones." Sounds reasonably refurbished, and well taken care of!  Check out the link below, and you too could own this reasonably priced point a to point b vehicle (with power moonroof) and piece of rock history.
Link

The Kan-spiracy

Much has been made about the many name changes, track-listing alterations and post-release re-workings that have plagued the lifespan of The Life of Pablo, Kanye West's recent album release.  The changes have been conspicuous, to say the least.  But have they also been suspicious?  This thought crossed my mind upon the album's release a few months ago.  Because all of Kanye's changes have certainly been unnecessary.  But is that just Kanye being Kanye?  Or is there something bigger going on here?  As someone who firmly falls into the camp of "Kanye is a genius who knows exactly what he's doing and even when he does something that appears stupid he is actually doing it to troll us all."  Is Kanye trying to tell us something?

On a scale from 1 to Ka-chow, how Lightning McQueen is Jack White?

We all know that Jack White his one rootin' tootin', rockin' and rollin', pedal-to-the-metal m-effer.  And you know who else embodies all of of those qualities?  Our main man Lighting McQueen.  In this investigative report, Sad Moth Manny and Noah will take an in-depth look at the ebbs and flows of Jack White's Lightning McQueen-ness at different times in his career, on a scale from 1 to Ka-chow.

My Favorite Online Cover Artist

You know the state of YouTube covers are bad when there is a channel called "Cover Nation"

Covers on YouTube are super lame most of the time because the hordes of Ed Sheeran and Lorde songs that people play drown out a lot of other artist's content. They're really all the same, it's a bunch of indie posh kiddos with a guitar who sing songs way more seriously than they were originally written to be. They do it in this kind of airy like groove where they close their eyes, and stick their mouth out, slightly swaying to the guitar strum, only to smash the song full of vibrato because I guess that's how to make a song original and yours? Also there's this lame thing that they do where they make a song down tempo like it's some cool and original thing they're doing. This is all until they do the YouTube cover artist signature move of course; head down to looking into the camera with sad puppy eyes. Also I don't know what it is but they all have the same voice in my opinion, they just all sound the same...Here's an existential question for you, if everyone is indie, then is anyone indie? 

Anyway, among these clone-like artists lies a man who has become a personal hero of mine. But wait! He's not just one man, he's a One Man Band...(Reborn). OMBreborn is a YouTube Channel where the creator does very produced music video covers of classic rock artists like Billy Joel, David Bowie, The Beach Boys, etc, and honestly I just don't have words for how much I love his videos, You just have to see it for yourself:

Isn't that just the most rad thing you've seen in such a long time? His videos bring me so much happiness. Not to mention that he's extremely talented as well. On a first viewing the question of whether or not he actually knows how to play all the of the instruments in the track is begged. A lot of music videos do a good job of faking the playing. However, he knows how to play everything just based off of his form and how he holds each instrument in the video--he is a One Man Band you know. It would be interesting to know whether or not he produces all of the music and videos, as well as what his creative process for each video is considering that every part of the songs he covers are entirely redone. It's interesting because the covers themselves are self aware in their roots to the original song but also retain a unique sound as well--it's interesting. I also really enjoy the format of his videos as well. Other YouTube cover artists drag on to the point where you just want to listen to the original song where OMBreborn does a medley of covers for each video. How he orders it is cool too because he usually has one or two b-sides or less popular singles and then grand slams it home with the big single that the artist has. It makes the content short, sweet, and makes it anticipatory because you're waiting to hear him play the big song. 

Here let's compare:

This...

To this: 

I'm not going to go into it because it's not about who's better, it's about the music. But if it were a contest let's just say the cream rises to the top...

The aspect about his videos that needs to be noted is that a lot of time and creative energy are clearly put into them and he has a criminally low amount of views and subscribers. His channel has been around for a couple years now and he consistently adds quality content. This shows that he does this for the enjoyment and for the music that he loves. The well produced recordings, his cool unique singing voice, and edits for the video make his covers digestible, sonically pleasing, and an overall awesome experience to watch. I hope that one day I too can be this driven, passionate, and awesome about something.

To the most rad dude alive,

One Man Band (Reborn) rock, rock on, 

Emanuel

Chance 3: Coloring Book is Out Now!

No article or first impressions yet. Just enjoy the music!

 

Dat Piff Download

I'm very excited about this one, I'll write about it within the coming weeks.

Check out other Chance the Rapper Sad Moth related content here:

Chance the Rapper Profile Piece

Thoughts on Sunday Candy

Surf Review

--Emanuel

Sad Moth Reviews: Animal Collective -- Painting With

Reviews By:

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Manny                     2/10
Go To Review >>>>

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Noah                       1.5/10
Go To Review >>>>

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Patrick                    3/10
Go To Review >>>>

---

Aggregate Score: 2.1666/10

Sad Moth Reviews: Kanye West -- The Life Of Pablo

Reviews By:

---

Patrick                     6.5/10
Go To Review >>>

---

Manny                      6/10
Go To Review >>>

---

Noah                        6/10
Go To Review >>>

---

Aggregate Score: 6.1667/10

OMG NIMBI CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD AND HE DIED AGAIN, RIP NIMBI (AGAIN)

Last night, amidst the cold howls of the wind, and the ominous distant murmurs of a storm I sat in the high rise of Sad Moth headquarters. An uneasy feeling came over me as I drank my last gulp of scotch (Glenmorangie Pride 1981), and cut my last Cuban of the night.

"Our ratings must've taken a dip again," I callously sensed as I reached for the intercom button to the basement's writing room. "Sad Moth Noah get up," I snarled, " our articles must still not be interesting OR dynamic enough!"

"B-but sir," Noah's tired voice replied, "it's almost midnight, I've been here since six A.M. I need to get home to see my family."

"Gah," I scoffed as I brought the security feed of the cold concrete walls of his occupancy onto my desktop monitor, "I poured your-uh I mean my blood sweat and tears into this company, and now you're making excuses!? Maybe you should take a week off, so I can think about docking your stipend once again."

"N-no sir," Noah looked into the camera, "I must have not been thinking straight, I apologize"

"That's more like it, get back to work, now if you'll excuse me I have a podcast to 'edit' " I cackled.

It was at this moment at my mahogany desk in my aged leather and ivory chair where I was disrupted by the chimes of the luxurious gilded grandfather clock in the corner of my office.

"Midnight already, man I've been working all day, I should take a rest." I yawned as I dropped the monocle from my eye, "big day of work tomorrow."

However, just as my eyelids drooped thunder and lightning cracked in the city (madcity) skyline startling me and knocking out the buildings power with one fowl swoop.

"Sad Moth Noah?" I frantically pressed the intercom again, "my office power supply is down, I need you to reset it, and remember you're not allowed to use the elevator."

"Right away sir," Noah sighed in defeat.

Then suddenly from the shadows a ghastly figure called to me, "OoOooOooo, it's been awhile Emanuel."

"Emanuel? I don't know who you're talking about," I called out.

"I'm not going to call you that."

"Then I'm not going to talk to you..." I replied crossing my arms and turning my head away.

"Seriously? Fine. OoOooOooo it's been awhile Sad Moth Manny"

"Gah," I gasped, "Sad Moth Noah!? Cut it out! How'd you get up here so quickly!?"

"I am not Noah, it is I," he appeared in the whip and crack of another bolt, "NIMBI!"

He stuck out his arms circled with the rattles of chains, his skin was pale as snow, and his eyes pulled into the dark bags that surrounded them. "I'm here to warn you..." he howled, "you must change your ways!"

"W-w-what are you talking about?" I shook as the now warmed scotch ran down my pant legs, "S-s-Sad Moth is the best it's ever been!"

"Yes, but you haven't written anything for it in months," his ghastly voice moaned.

"That's not true!" I cried, "I wrote a Life of Pablo review, it's just in my Google Docs! I swear!"

"I will give you until this Sunday! Or else I'll be back..."

"B-b-b-back for what?" I timidly replied.

"YOUR SOUL!" He pointed out his finger, shaking his chains once again. The minimal light from the window basking his gaze in the blight of a thousand other collected souls.

(Beat)

"Oh. Well that's not that big of a deal,"

"It is."

Noah, toolbox in hand entered the room, "What's going on? N-Nimbi is that you?"

Nimbi turned to Noah with a haunted glaze,  "Yes Noah, it is I, Nimbi and I am here to free you from this tyrannous brute. No longer are the days of your suffering, no longer are the days of you being forced to go to Aaron Carter, or Josh Groban. You- "

*BANG*

"Happy listening mother fucker," golden gun in hand, I gritted my just finishing cigar between my teeth into a victorious smile, ash and ember spewing from the end. "Thanks for buying me time Sad Moth Noah, I was really in a pinch there."

"You fucking asshole, god dammit," Nimbi rolled on the floor.

I quickly raised my gun again, "OH SHIT! He's not dead!"

"Don't fucking shoot me again. I was never dead you assholes."

"What!?" Noah and I exclaimed in unison.

"Yeah, I never died," Nimbi ached, "you jerks just 'killed me off' for no reason at all. It really hurt my feelings. You know you guys used to be somebody," Nimbi picked himself up from the floor holding his wound, "you guys used to write album reviews, all of you, even Patrick. Now you're washed up."

I looked down at Nimbi, "well jeez dude, I'm sorry...man maybe it took shooting you again to realize the err of my ways."

I looked up around me at the mantels, and the luxury I posted myself in. "All of it! All of it must go! We're liquidating it all! Sad Moth is going to start anew! We're back from the dead!"

"...weren't we back from the dead in December?" Noah frowned.

"This time we're REALLY back from the dead, we're going back to our roots!"

Nimbi filled with life. Rays of sun bursting from his smile. With a twirl and a poof Nimbi's tattered zombie rags turned into a bright yellow tuxedo."Why by golly," he remarked, "that's a grand idea, now we can all go back to reviewing albums. Album reviews that are done in an interesting AND dynamic way."

*BANG*

Noah stood still, his arm stretched out, my pistol in his hand, "first thing's first, THAT is done." I stood in horror as Noah turned to me, "And you! No more me just making posts for shit, I'm done! It's either we're all together or none of us are!"

"Y-y-you just killed Nimbi!"

"Now you know I'm serious, you get your shit done by Sunday or you're dead. You hear me," Noah picked up a stogie from my desk and lit it, "dead!"

"Okay."

Another figure entered the room, "Wha? Deed I meese someting!?" It was Patrick!

"Oh Patrick!" Noah and I shrugged in unison, and the live studio audience roared with laughter.

RIP Nimbi 1995-2015 and 2016-2016

Expect a large Sad Moth content dump this Sunday! April fools? ;)

Thanks for holding tight, Happy list- uh see you around kiddos,

Emanuel Aviles

Sad Moth Concert Tour Pt. 8: Aaron Carter

Sometimes, something is so gross, so excruciating to experience, so irredeemably fucking awful, it reaches a level where suddenly it becomes the greatest thing you have ever experienced in your life.

Ol Pat's Review: Animal Collective

Meh.

3/10

Animal Collective is still making music and somebody needs to do something about it

I hate to do this but it needs to be done.

Scratch that.  I'm going to savor every minute of this.  But it still needs to be done. 

Animal Collective is a shitty, bleeding asshole of a band and they always have been.  They do not make good music now.  They did not make good music in the past.  They have never been a good band.

If you like Animal Collective, if you love Animal Collective, it is not your fault.  You are wrong, but it is not your fault.  The success of Animal Collective is a disturbing example of how mainstream music criticism influences our tastes a lot more than we may realize.  I once thought I liked Animal Collective.  We will get to that.  So try not to take what is written below personally.  I hate when people shit on music I like.  I know it doesn't feel good.  But reading this isn't supposed to feel good.  It is supposed to be a metaphorical back-hand bitch slap to the face, because sometimes when you're being a numbskull you need one of those.  Because goddamnit Animal Collective is really really bad guys. Please stop listening to them.  Please.

This is an album review, also, not just a scathing indictment of the band as a whole.  They came out with an album recently, the first one in four years.  It is called Painting With.   Which isn't their worst album title by a decent margin.  But the music is really bad. 

Track 1: Floridada

Even before you listen to this album, it's obvious Animal Collective has fucked up.  Just say that word "Floridada" out loud.  Now would you rather:

           

            A) say the world "Floridada" out loud ever again

or

            B) put your face on a running belt sander

I heard "Floridada" in the background at a party and thought it seemed catchy.  Then I listened to it through headphones.  It's the best song on the album, but that's more of a passive aggressive insult than anything else.  It's the best song on this album in the way that Steve Buscemi was the funniest character in Grown Ups 2.  The song itself is a good example of how Animal Collective continues to ruin their own music.  There's a good melody in there somewhere.  But then they insist on cramming five more instruments/sound effects into the track then necessary, and then they throw their overly fast, chanty vocals on the top of that, and suddenly the whole thing is so fucking busy whatever tune they thought up is crushed under the weight of all the racket.

A word that gets thrown around a lot with Animal Collective is "complexity".  And that's where a huge part of the problem lies.  Because, sure, Animal Collective make complex music.  But that complexity does nothing.  Animal Collective's music is complex is the stupidest, most pedantic, annoying way possible.  In "Floridada", they pull out all the typical stuff, a multiple vocalists chanting in weird rhythms, an off kilter synth riff to add to the edginess.  Stupid sound effects popping in and out for no fucking reason, topped off with lyrics that you can't understand but are shit-sniffingly stupid when you look them up online.

" If you could rest
A minute to tell
Get me some grass
Iridescent shells
I know there's a nest
Fit with a hatch
Sunset a glowin'
Makes us all sweaty" - Floridada

This superficial veil of complexity is what Animal Collective seems to be able to hide behind.  But that's all there is. 

When I first listened to Animal Collective, I really dove in.  I got all the acclaimed albums.  I listened to "Sung Tongs", "Strawberry Jam", "Feels" and "Merriweather Post Pavilion".  And I specifically remember having almost no reaction to any of them.  Referencing the multitude of acclaim for each and every one, I was sure that these albums were growers.  That's fine.  A lot of good music takes time to wrap your head around and understand.  But that's what so insidious about this band.  They make music that sounds inaccessible and complicated, something that will pay off after multiple listens.  But there's just nothing there.  I find Yosemite Sam's attempt to charge through this dark tunnel to be analogous to the experience I am describing.

 

Many people, I feel, sense this in Animal Collective's music, but their opinion is overwhelmed by the enormous amount of critical acclaim for this band.  They move on, and intend to revisit these albums, maintaining the assumption that they are good.  And it's hard to break out of this mindset, because everywhere you fucking look, some member of the music press is holding this band's dick.  To this day, publications can't give it up and acknowledge that they've been hyping up a whole lot of shitty music for years. Pitchfork has given four of their albums 9+ ratings. The reviews for this album are not as good as that, but are still generally positive. Allmusic says Painting With is, "Undeniably great sounding," and, "the record puts Animal Collective's brightest colors forward."  Rolling Stone calls it, "weirdly addictive and enjoyably absurd."  The 405 says it's, "closest thing this generation will have to getting a new Pet Sounds." 

Hold your horses there.

It makes some sense that critics would continue to love a band like Animal Collective.  Because they are complex, and they do have a unique sound and approach to music that can be placed under the hallowed label of "experimental".  But just because something is complex doesn't mean it's good.  Just because something is experimental doesn't mean it's influential.

It's just too bad.  Music reviews are just a service, after all, but reading any of these reviews isn't going to help any one any.  I go back to the beginning when I said I don't blame anybody for listening to a lot of Animal Collective.  When you go into an album with "the new Pet Sounds" rattling around in your head, it's hard to separate yourself from that and acknowledge that the music is mediocre and that you're really not enjoying yourself very much.

But that's why I'm here.  And I'm telling you to go back and listen to this band's discography not with the presumption of genius, but with skepticism.  I did so recently, and, lemme tell ya, it's really baffling how medicore every single one of their widely-acclaimed albums are.  I was surprised especially at how much I hated Merriweather Post Pavilion.  I remember listening to this album as recently as last year on campus, and not having a very adverse reaction.  But I also remember gravitating towards one song, "Bluish", as I let the rest of the album un-memorably blow by.  And I stand by "Bluish" as a good song.  But that song sounds nothing like the rest of the album.  The rest of the album makes me feel physically nauseous.  Stare at the cover art of MPP for 45 minutes, and that's pretty much what the music inside makes me feel like.  It's the audio equivalent of motion sickness. 

Track 2: Hocus Pocus

"Well if you're out and about

on the freeway this morning

noooooooooooo

dinosaurs to worry about."

- Hocus Pocus opening sample

           

Are these guys for fucking real?  What?  Are they trying to be funny?  Are they trying to be quirky?  My guess, which is as good as anyone's, is yes.  Look at this picture. 

Look these fucks in the eyes.  Look deep.  They think they're funny, don't they?  Oh god, they think they're quirky!  WATCH OUT FOR THE FUCKING DINOSAOURS ON THE HIGHWAY OMFGLOOOOLZOOEYDESCHANELLMFAOOOOO.

Animal Collective think they're funny and quirky like lolsorandom teenage girls think they're funny and quirky.  But they are not teenage girls rotfling and nerd-glassing their way through middle school.  They are men in their mid-thirties wearing tight shirts with stupid names like Panda Bear and Geologist.  They are men that were somehow ok with the technicolor nightmare of a music video for "Floridada" that features multicolored undulating Floridas/penises. They are professional musicians, and people buy their albums and pay money to go to their shows.  Well, some people still do, I think.  After these last two albums they certainly aren't doing as well as they used to.

And that's the most incredible thing about Animal Collective.  They manage to make music that their own fans hate.  Centipede HZ was really bad for them.  Released after their enormously successful Merriweather Post Pavilion, Centipede HZ was so bad that it alienated a lot of their fan base.  Painting With doesn't seem to be doing much better.  Both have sub-3 rating on rateyourmusic.com, which is very bad for such a popular band with so many ratings.  This band was one of the most famous on the indie scene five years ago.  The last two albums have completely killed that momentum, which makes the press's insistence on saying this is good music even more inexplicable.

Track 6: Natural Selection

"Decide to be AIDS, AIDS, AIDS, AIDS" --

what it sounded like they were saying in the

chorus of this song.  Maybe my subconscious

is telling me something.

"Strings tied to the hands, hands, hands, hands, hands." --

What they are apparently saying

Track 10: Summing the Wretch

I remember going to watch a basketball game in second grade for class. Colin Masnica was sitting behind me and he kept pinching my neck on the pressure point, and I kept telling him to stop but he wouldn't and I was too wimpy to do anything about it, so he just kept doing it and I had to submit to his will.  I relate strongly to this memory when I listen to a song like "Summing the Wretch".  Animal Collective is going to make painfully annoying noises for 3+ minutes, and then on the next track they're gonna do it again, and there's nothing I can do about it except wait for the whole thing to mercifully come to an end.  It gives me anxiety, it really does.

Please stop assuming Animal Collective is good.  If you are a fan of this band, take a moment to ask reflect on your past choices, identify the ones that lead you to liking this band, and feel ashamed for making them.  I just finished listening to this album for the fourth time.  It is a chaotic, hellish mess of annoying vocals, terrible songwriting, and stupid synths that sound like they're being played by untrained 8 year olds who're off their ADHD medication. After listening to this I feel physically drained, tired, and angry.  This music is not just shitty and dismissible.  It is aggressively bad.  It enters through your ears and eats away at your sanity like a parasite.  

I remember a night when me, Sad Moth Manny, Patrick and others decided to play a video game known as Sonic '06.  We knew it was a renowned horrible game.  What we did not anticipate was how nauseating, disorienting, and aggravating the game would be to simply play.  Some art is bad, and we know it's bad and we leave it alone and that's the end of it.  But some art is bad, and as you turn to walk away it tackles you from behind and starts punching you repeatedly in the testicles.  This album is like that.

Fuck Steve Harvey.

1.5/10