Break Up Your Band

Dishwalla - “Counting Blue Cars”
Pet Your Friends, 1996

If you get in an elevator with other people and leave your music playing through your headphones at full blast, you are a dick. But if you are listening to Dishwalla’s Billboard and ASCAP award-winning single “Counting Blue Cars”, like the guy I rode an elevator with this morning was, I’ll overlook it.

Rockell - “In A Dream”
What Are You Lookin’ At?, 1998

Okay, here’s how this is going to work. Let’s just get it out in the open now. First you’re going to affirm your coolness by saying to yourself, “What?! Rockell? What is this dumb dancehall bullshit? Where’s the Sonic Youth? I’m a cool person who only rocks Pavement.” Then, you’re going to put on your headphones, minimize your browser, and listen to this song eight times in a row.

It’s okay. We all do it.

Duran Duran - “Ordinary World”
Duran Duran (The Wedding Album), 1993

You’ve got long day of TV watching ahead of you, America. Meet the challenge with Duran Duran.

Sonic Youth - “Sunday”
A Thousand Leaves, 1998

Hey, it’s Friday. It’s almost 4pm EST. Walk into your boss’ office, lean against the door frame and say, “You know what? You’re not so bad.” Then say you’re taking off early and you’ll be back Tuesday morning.

songsthataregood:

#2. Fugazi - The Argument

The Argument may not be their absolute best album (that being Red Medicine*)…

*What?  You want to fight?  You’ll have to catch me first.

Agreed! Red Medicine is the best Fugazi record. Now it’s an army of two!

G. Love & Special Sauce - “Cold Beverage”
G. Love & Special Sauce, 1994

Yesterday, thelinsee had this to say about my posting of “Scooby Snacks” by Fun Lovin’ Criminals:

I ALWAYS, ALWAYS quote this song and NO ONE EVER gets it. Hooray for validation by tumblr!

Stick it in the fridge, stick it in the fridge, stick it in the fridge…

While I consider validating people’s musical memories one of the main goals of BUYB, the problem here is that “Stick it in the fridge” is not a lyric from “Scooby Snacks”, it’s from Philadelphia’s slacker-blues band G. Love & Special Sauce’s song “Cold Beverage” from their ‘94 eponymous debut album. I loved these guys in college, where I had the pleasure of seeing them live in the MSU Amphitheater when it looked like the picture on the left, before being remodeled to look like the picture on the right. G. Love makes sloppy, “I don’t give a fuck let’s have fun” grooves that are, in fact, fun. They are part of a soundtrack for living in an endless sophomore year of college.

So the moral of the story, thelinsee, is that if you hung out with me I would’ve gotten references to either one of these songs.

Fun Loving Criminals - “Scooby Snacks”
Come Find Yourself, 1996

When I talk about how great music from the ’90s is, bear in mind that it’s a revisionist historical perspective that whitewashes out the garbage that snuck onto the airwaves and into our consciousness. Music can be both beautiful and horrible for the same reason. The power of catchy songs to embed themselves into our brains and run rampant through our neural pathways is great when it’s something powerful that moves us. But when it’s this tune by the Fun Lovin’ Criminals (or FLC, as they are referred to by people I never want to be sat with at a wedding) it feels like a scared, disoriented and powerful animal that escaped from a zoo and into the city streets that you just want someone with a firearm to put down before it gets to the children.

This track contains samples from various Quentin Tarantino movies, and when played backwards reveals secret messages telling you to buy a visor, drink lots of Malibu rum and recite lines from “Swingers”.

Pantera - “I’m Broken”
Far Beyond Driven, 1994

On this day in 2004 metal lost one of its best guitarists, Dimebag Darell, to a crazed gunman who jumped onto a Columbus, OH stage and shot Darrell during a set with his post-Pantera band, Damageplan. RIP Dime.