Some older Thrice photos to enjoy:

1. Hot Water Music Gainesville, FL

They're earthy, gritty and just melodic enough. HWM is quite possibly the most influential band on the crop of punks performing now (for how they continue influencing up-and-coming bands, see Make Do and Mend).

2. Jawbreaker San Francisco

Similar to HWM in influential power, Jawbreaker is more or less known for packing poetic emotion into their music, without sounding like it. They also made shitty recording quality awesome. Chicago-based The Smoking Popes hold a similar, though cleaner, sway.

3. The Lawrence Arms Chicago

They're kind of a big deal.

...You should also know: Alkaline Trio Chicago

The most popular punk band out of Chicago that I won't scoff at. They're sort of old-school at this point.

4. Dillinger Four Minneapolis

Influential to both hardcore, political punks and melodic bands, D4 casts one of the biggest shadows in punk rock.

5. Against Me! Gainesville, FL

Their early efforts combining folk and punk changed the sound, leading to...

...5 and 1/2. Fake Problems Naples, FL / Nothington San Francisco

Proving AM's worth, these guys took folk to a whole new level and introduced *gasp* country.

6. The Gaslight Anthem New Brunswick, NJ

The most exciting band to arrive in punk rock in the past couple years. They combine punk rock with Bruce Springsteen. Most importantly, their emphasis on story-telling lyrics and a sound influenced by the past (and not past punk), will prove to be influential; I'm sure.

And of course, if you happen to dig up your own primers that focus on different strains of punk, that'd be cool.

Alkaline Trio is een band uit Chicago en de bezetting voor dit album bestond uit Glenn Porter (88 fingers louie - drums), Dan Adriano (slapstick - bass, zang), Matt Skiba (jerkwater - gitaar, zang).

Dit is het eerste Alkaline Trio album dat ik gekocht heb. Toevallig is het ook het eerste full album dat zij hebben uitgebracht.

Ik heb het in 2002 gekocht in Hull, Engeland, en zonder de band eigenlijk echt te kennen. Ik had er al ooit van gehoord en had 1 nummer van hen op een verzamelcd staan, ergens.

Het album is uitgebracht op Asian Man Records in 1998, waar het in de zomer van dat jaar in 3 weken is opgenomen. Of was het drie dagen? In ieder geval snel en met alle instrumenten tegelijk. En dat hoor je achter de muziek. Het hele album klinkt gewoon heel energiek en ruw. De backing (en lead) vocals van Dan Adriano zijn ingezongen voordat de zanglijnen van Matt waren ingezongen, omdat hij op tour moest vertrekken met een andere band. Dit geeft soms vreemde en interessante timing op de zanglijnen. Iets om op te letten!

Ook was het voor die tijd nog vrij vreemd om 2 akoestische nummers te zetten op een punkrockplaat. Het gebeurde al wel eens dat er een akoestisch nummer als hidden track werd meegegeven, maar 2 nummers? 1 in het midden van de cd (enjoy your day) en 1 aan het eind (sorry about that) was veel. Nu is dat hip en doet iedereen het. Tot pianoballads toe (nee Tony, slechte keuze).

Vanaf deze cd ben ik een trouwe fan van hun werk, ook al gaan ze recentelijk wel een beetje de midlife crisis weg op met geblondeerd haar en Nike signature schoenen en zo.

De plaat is nog steeds mijn favoriete A3 album, en van zodra dat ik ze nog eens in mijn cd-speler steek, dan blijft ze er voor de volgende 2-3 weken inzitten. Alkaline Trio is 1 van de weinige bands waarvan ik hun albums gewoon op repeat kan zetten en kan blijven luisteren zonder dat het begint te storen.

Er is recentelijk ook een reissue uitgekomen van dit album, waar ze het hebben ingespeeld met hun huidige bezetting (enkel de drummer is veranderd, dat is nu Derek Grant (walls of jericho)). Maar eerlijk gezegd is dat niet meer dan een collectors item. De originele CD is gewoon beter, omdat de nieuwe iets gepolijster is, wat je net niet wil. Maar de DVD die er bij komt is wel de moeite.

Favoriete nummers: euh... kies maar...

Lately I have been thinking that we will end up back in San Francisco.  I checked the weather there last night:  classic San Francisco evening... clouds, 58 degrees, and a WNW wind at 12 MPH.  When I try, I can almost - but not quite - feel what that feels like from memory.  Like so much about San Francisco the weather makes it a one of a kind city.  San Francisco's sense of place is astonishing.  Photos like this one in another great post from Anna sum it up.  This is San Francisco.  It cannot be duplicated.  I can almost step into that photo and feel it.  I wish I was able to put into words precisely what I am trying to say.  It's frustrating, but maybe somebody understands.

I have been working hard lately on the Skid Row book.  I hope to have a proposal with sample chapters and a query letter done by the end of October.  That should not be a problem.  After dropping out of grad school, I felt a lot of guilt - why are we here in Southern California?  Why did we leave San Francisco when, as it turns out, I won't be getting a PhD after all?  I step back, though, and think a few key thoughts.  Grad school brought me the Skid Row experiences I have had.  Doing research in Skid Row and now writing about it has been incredibly meaningful.  And now that I feel like I have something with this book... it gives me a sense of purpose, a reason for being in Los Angeles.  After all, there are worse places to kill a couple of years.  Maybe staking my claim as a viable writer while in Los Angeles as a result of the Skid Row work is the reason why we came down here...

Our lease is up in the first part of 2010, and I think we will head back to San Francisco by that summer.  We have no plans... my wife and I only discuss it somewhat directly, but we both know.  Our daughter was born there and she deserves to grow up there and have the honor of calling herself a San Franciscan!  Don't get me wrong.  I like LA, especially the part of it where we live.  And our apartment is the by far the best one I have ever lived in.  Again, I stress, there are worse places to bide one's time than the nation's second largest city.  There is lots to be said - positive things - about Los Angeles.  But it is not, nor will ever be in a class with San Francisco.  Neither will Manhattan, though, as far as I am concerned.

When you live in San Francisco, you are part of a club... a club with no membership rules really.  The best kind.  You understand how the weather feels.  You understand what it feels like to stand on a San Francisco street and be part of the streetscape.  You understand that you never lose that feeling, but yet... you can't quite feel it when you are no longer there.  You know will be back.  It's in your blood.  Cheesy, yes, but true... your heart is still here.

---

I wrote that last night and saved it.  I still think the writing sort of sucks, like I can't quite express what I am feeling... but I don't think it's getting any better.  I have lots to say, but not sure how to best put it out there.  I think the core sentiment is there, though... I lived in San Francisco for seven years... it became home as only it could.  I feel like I belong there.  I feel right there.  When I am not there, still, after two years, I can still feel it, sort of, but not quite.  It is where my family and I belong... and we will be back there in due time.

Into the fray: to know where I’m going, you first have to know where I’m coming from. So here’s a punk rock primer, specifically my punk rock primer: an introduction to the music I love and conveniently also deem influential and important. The list is representative, but limited in size and scope, for sure. Review the italicized section to find out why. Follow the links for a News Corp-filled listen.

1. Hot Water Music Gainesville, FL

They’re earthy, gritty and just melodic enough. HWM is quite possibly the most influential band on the crop of punks performing now (for how they continue influencing up-and-coming bands, see Make Do and Mend).

2. Jawbreaker San Francisco

Similar to HWM in influential power, Jawbreaker is more or less known for packing poetic emotion into their music, without sounding like it. They also made shitty recording quality awesome. Chicago-based The Smoking Popes hold a similar, though cleaner, sway.

3. The Lawrence Arms Chicago

They’re kind of a big deal.

…You should also know: Alkaline Trio Chicago

The most popular punk band out of Chicago that I won’t scoff at. They’re sort of old-school at this point.

4. Dillinger Four Minneapolis

Influential to both hardcore, political punks and melodic bands, D4 casts one of the biggest shadows in punk rock.

5. Against Me! Gainesville, FL

Their early efforts combining folk and punk changed the sound, leading to…

…5 and 1/2. Fake Problems Naples, FL / Nothington San Francisco

Proving AM’s worth, these guys took folk to a whole new level and introduced *gasp* country.

6. The Gaslight Anthem New Brunswick, NJ

The most exciting band to arrive in punk rock in the past couple years. They combine punk rock with Bruce Springsteen. Most importantly, their emphasis on story-telling lyrics and a sound influenced by the past (and not past punk), will prove to be influential; I’m sure.

And of course, if you happen to dig up your own primers that focus on different strains of punk, that’d be cool.

Derek Grant - Meets The Reaper

Letra Armaggedon
I wrote the words to this song on the back of a photograph behind your back it goes a little something like this is way too big to miss i got a letter in the mail the sender failed to let me know where it came from opened it up and sure enough there we were arm in arm (up in arms) again I know itand's small but my last calland's been called half an hour ago i know itand's late but do you think you could at least fix it for me the iand'll go iand'll go alone i swear i wonand't tell a soul iand'll drink this beer and write in fear of a song that everybody hates Armageddon, let the light in before we say goodbye give us something to believe in armageddon, weand're not begging for too much i donand't think just need a goodbye kiss (one last salute) before we sink I wrote the words to this song on the back of a photograph behind your back it goes a little something like this is way to big to miss i got a letter in the mail the sender failed to let me know where it came from opened it up and sure enough there we were arm in arm (up in arms) again Armageddon, let the light in before we say goodbye give us something to believe in armageddon, weand're not begging for too much i donand't think just need a goodbye kiss (one last salute) before we sink we sink We sink We sink We sink We sink Armageddon, let the light in before we say goodbye give us something to believe in armageddon, weand're not begging for too much i donand't think just need a goodbye kiss (one last salute) before we sink

Letra Radio
Shaking like a dog shittin' razorblades, waking up next to nothing after dreaming of you and me I'm waking up all alone, waking up so relieved while you're taking your time with apologies, I'm making my plans for revenge Red eyes on orange horizons If Columbus was wrong I'd drive straight off the edge I'd drive straight off the edge Taking your own life with boredom, I'm taking my own life with wine - it helps you to rule out the sorrow, it helps me to empty my mind Making the most of a bad time I'm smoking the brains from my head Leaving the coal calling the kettle black and orange and red This kettle is seeing red I've got a big fat fuckin' bone to pick with you my darling In case you haven't heard I'm sick and tired of trying I wish you would take my radio to bathe with you, plugged in and ready to fall Shaking like a dog shittin' razorblades, waking up next to nothing after dreaming of you and me I'm waking up all alone, waking up so relieved while you're taking your time with apologies, I'm planning out my revenge Red eyes on orange horizons If Columbus was wrong I'd drive straight off the edge I'm seeing red I've got a big fat fuckin' bone to pick with you my darling In case you haven't heard I'm sick and tired of trying I wish you would take my radio to bathe with you, plugged in and ready to fall Plugged in and ready to fall Plugged in and ready to fall Plugged in and ready to fall

Thanks to my amazing job and co-workers, I have the luxury and privilege of attending A LOT of shows.  This is great, of course, but sometimes I find I get a bit burnt out, between attending so many shows, staying out late, and then getting up to go to work in the morning.  So often about two weeks before I go to a show I'm REALLY excited about, I tend to cut out all non-essential shows from my schedule.

I have other weird pre-show rituals, like:
- keeping a count of "days 'till _______" on my whiteboard at work
- listening to each band's entire catalogue (if I own it) each day
- wearing band merch from one of the bands playing the show every day for as long as I can sustain it (in this case, 2.5 weeks)

Some people think I'm really weird, and they're right, but I don't see anything wrong with being committed to something.

So I've mapped out my fall concert going and purchased tickets and such. Here's the lineup:

*Sept 5: Matt Pryor

*Sunday Sept. 7: Reggie & the Full Effect, Leathermouth, Warship, MC Chris

*Sunday Sept. 14: Jonah Matranga @ Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ

*Wednesday Sept. 18: Umbrellas @ The Knitting Factory Tap Bar in NYC

*Monday Oct. 13: Revival Tour (Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music), Ben Nichols (Lucero), Tim Barry (Avail) @ The Grammercy Blender Theater in NYC

*Tuesday Oct. 14: Rise Against, Thrice, Alkaline Trio, The Gaslight Anthem @ Roseland Ballroom in NYC

*Monday Oct. 20: This Providence @ The Knitting Factory Main Space in NYC

*Wednesday Oct. 22-Saturday Oct. 25: Coheed & Cambria Presents Neverender @ Terminal 5 in NYC

*Tuesday Nov. 4: Rival Schools Reunion @ Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ

*Friday Nov. 7: Dredg @ Highline Ballroom in NYC

*Tues Nov 11: Murder By Death, William Elliot Witmore @ Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ

Needless to say it will be a very busy fall and I'm stoked. There are so many great shows hitting NYC. So if you see me out buy me a drink or something.

The Get Up Kids - I'll Catch You (Acoustic)

Reggie & The Full Effect - Your Girlfriends Hate Me (Free Moustache Rides Remix)

onelinedrawing - Tricky

Umbrellas - Again & Again

Lucero - Last Night in Town

Legion of Doom - Stupid Kill (Thrice vs. Alkaline Trio)

Coheed & Cambria - Blood Red Summer

Dredg - Convalescent

Murder by Death - The Desert is on Fire

Get It All HERE

Yes, I have a new girlfriend. She is cute with an Alkaline Trio tattoo and snake-bite lip piercings. She likes to wear crowns and silly dresses from American Apparel. Her room is a cave situated in the midst of a debris filled jungle that the people there call home. The place has been nicknamed "the little blue crack den" because of its resemblance to one, although I have yet to see another little blue crack den to compare.

Leaving my girlfriend of four years was the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life. I feel like shit, although there is no word that truly encompasses what I feel -- I keep trying. Expletives seem the most appropriate lately.

While we talked about it, everything she said made complete sense and was so articulate, even through her crying. It would have been easier if I was still not madly in love with her. Maybe if our relationship was deteriorating it would make more sense. This could be the biggest mistake of my life, but it is my mistake to make ( a vague conviction that I have been desperately holding on to for my own sanity). She called me back shortly after we broke up and confirmed that yes, "You're making a big mistake, a big fucking mistake." She said it for her own self-respect and I do not blame her.

Writing every goddamn thing that goes on in my head is going to be the death of me.

I had a naive notion that she would come down for the weekend as planned and then we would talk about what I was going through. I wanted to see her and then I thought things would make more sense. Plans fell through after she read my last blog post where I mentioned my conscience not being clear and then made a less-than imaginative metaphor. I told her that I would explain what I meant over the weekend. That was too far away.

I wonder how she is doing and if she is reading this right now. I wonder what ratio of anger and sadness is directed at me and how she feels about me writing on this topic. I wonder if she regrets being with me for so long.

Another naive notion I had was that she would still talk to me after we broke up. I have only received accidental phone calls that she has dialed out of habit.

I just texted my girlfriend that "the blog is a piss-poor thing for my sanity."

Before I take off for the night, I will mention that the show went very well and that Making Eyes and the Toy Tambourine has two more shows lined up (one at the Wayward Council and another at 1982).

My girlfriend just left this evening to go on a cruise and then hang around her hometown of Miami for a week, so I will probably have plenty of needed time to focus on writing new songs, organizing my life and keeping up with school.

Some exciting news to report though. First off, we paid for our next exclusive color last week or so and now we're just waiting to announce it. Its going to be an awesome package for an awesome reissue. It will be a LP + 7" set (it was never released as such so that is not going to be a useful clue) and our color is supposed to be clear. That's all you get to know for now. :) Second, we have nearly finalized our order from the Bloodhound Gang to carry most of the vinyl they have for sale at their online store. I love the BHG but tracking down their vinyl is far too hard. I hope to have preorders up sometime this week. Third, we are currently in the talks with Reel Big Fish to carry their "Monkeys" double LP picture disc that has only been available from their online store and on tour. These are pricey sets, but they come from France and there are currently no plans to make more. Hopefully that will pan out and we'll be able to sell them for less than the $30 they are charging right now.

Okay, time for the stock updates, in no particular order:

Coming Soon:

Alkaline Trio - Crimson 

Alkaline Trio - Good Mourning (2xLP) 

New to the store:

Briggs, The - Come All You Madmen

Crime In Stereo - The Troubled Stateside

Dropkick Murphys - Blackout

Dropkick Murphys - Sing Loud, Sing Proud

Ghost Mice - Europe (Brown)

Preorders:

Blatz/Filth - Shit Split 

De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead (180 Gram) 

Def Leppard - Pyromania 

Dylan, Bob - Tell Tale Signs Vol. 8 (8xLP) 

Eagles - Hotel California (180 Gram)

Genghis Tron - Board Up The House Remixes Vol. 1 

Restocks:

Against Me! - As The Eternal Cowboy 

Mars Volta - Bedlam In Goliath (2xLP - Red / Black w/ bonus 7") 

Refused - The Shape Of Punk To Come

Rx Bandits - The Resignation (White)

Around 8:30 p.m. or so, I was startled to hear what sounded like someone barking orders from a megaphone coming from the back of my apartment.  We headed out to find out what the ruckus was, but we couldn't make out any words.  After a few seconds the speaking broke out into a siren that sounded like the wail of a thousand tortured souls:

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2898410359901316518]

Sorry for the poor quality, this was taken with my cell phone, but it's all I had.  Here's the hilarious part: NOBODY KNEW WHAT THE SIRENS MEANT.  Alan had to get on the internet (it's a good thing we had power) to find out whether or not we needed to EVACUATE, or anything else equally serious. Even my neighbor, when I was out on the balcony trying to figure out what the fuck was going on, was like, "hey, did you hear something out here?"

Then, he sent out this text message to everyone he knows on post:

Alan: That's an awfully incomprehensible tornado warning.

And got back these colorful responses:

Martinez: Lol, yeah it is.  I had no idea what it was!

Zimmer: Panic is fun

Hino: Thought I heard something, but thought it was just the great sound effects in karate kid

Right, way to go, Fort Polk. They kept going all night.  Alan was exhausted from being in the field all week, so after two beers he was passed out sleeping by 9:30.  At midnight or thereabouts, I was sitting on my balcony in the 80 m.p.h. gusts listening to the sirens all by myself. I felt like I was the only person in the world.

Well, the world was safe enough for my bar to open last night.  Met some more cool-ass people (including one drunk blonde who walked into the bar WASTED, screaming, 'MY EX-HUSBAND'S HERE!" in a joyous timbre, and later, unintentionally, felt me up), had a hell of a good time, and, most importantly, found someone to take my Rise Against/Alkaline Trio/Thrice/Gaslight Anthem ticket for October. My bartender is better than your bartender! =P

Is it still a cover when one of the principals of the original is participating? Tegan Quin joined Alkaline Trio on AOL's "The Interface." Together, they performed a number of Alkaline Trio songs and covered Tegan and Sara's "Wake Up Exhausted." You can download the whole performance, or watch the videos, here.

MP3: Alkaline Trio ft. Tegan Quin - Wake Up Exhausted (Tegan and Sara cover)

Eigentlich kannte ich die Band auch schon etwas länger, nämlich von einem PC-Spiel namens FlatOut 2. Das hatte ich von meinem Bruder bekommen, weil ich öfter bei ihm zugesehen hatte und hauptsächlich von der Musik begeistert war. Vor allem von dem Song "Mercy Me" von Alkaline Trio. Das Spiel hab ich schon ewig nicht mehr gespielt und somit hab ich auch das tolle Lied vergessen. Aber als ich beim Highfield Line-Up den Namen der Band las, freute ich mich total darauf, sie live zu sehen. Während dem Festival erfuhren wir, dass die Band den Auftritt abgesagt hatte und stattdessen the Bones spielen würde. Seitdem geriet Alkaline Trio bei mir immer mehr in Vergessenheit. Deshalb weiß ich auch nicht, wie ich heute darauf kam, mir ein Album von ihnen zu besorgen. Meine Wahl fiel schließlich auf das Album "Crimson", weil es "Mercy Me" enthält. Beim ersten Anhören war mir dann klar: "Der Scheiß ist geil!" und ich ärgerte mich, dass ich das nicht schon viel früher entdeckt hatte. Alkaline Trio läuft heute bei mir in einer Dauerschleife und ich bin mir sicher, so schnell endet das nicht. ;>

Alkaline Trio - Mercy Me

Weil er mich einfach an meine Gamer-Zeit (!) erinnert und mich immernoch begeistert!

I don't know where people have been for the last twelve years, but unfortunately it hasn't been knocking at Alkaline Trio's doorstep...until recently that is.  The chicago-based punk/rock band has been doing the dark and twisted thing since they broke onto the local chicago rock scene back in the mid nineties.  Ever since their sound has grown and evolved as flawlessly and seamlessly as any artist could hope for.  Their recent release, "Agony & Irony" dropped July 1st, 2008 and has already made a big splash in the world of--you guessed it--popular music.  

The release of their fourth full-length album came after months of blood, sweat and tears, fighting with record labels, and finalizing contracts.  The record itself, however, was fairly effortless for the threesome.  In a recent interview with FUSE frontman Matt Skiba revealed that "Agony & Irony" is probably one of the most straightforward records the band has made since Goddamnit.  "We got a good cut and we we're like, 'great. keep it. let's move on.'"  Thanks to their minimalist approach to production the record comes across as an incredibly honest effort that seems to fit the band like a glove.  Considering the chicago-based rockers have been doing this for quite some time now (since 1996 to be exact) it makes sense that their music take a more mature, intimate turn addressing issues like war and the ultimate emotion, love.  Thankfully Alkaline Trio have managed to harness the raw energy of "Goddamnit" and and cross-breed it with the more polished hooks of "Crimson" which seems to be the magic formula considering the success the album has had.  Since it's release "Agony & Irony" has been a feature on FUSE's "Incoming!" a staple on TRL and has been nominated for a Video Music Award for Best Rock Video.  The Trio is also heading out on the road, as we speak, to tour North America with fellow rockers Rise Against, The Gaslight Anthem, and Thrice.  (November 20th Caroline!! wink wink!)  Dates are scheduled nationally so go buy tickets now!  It's going to be a fantastic show, and I'm so excited to finally see Trio play a full-length set and Rise Against is a personal favorite of mine so that'll be an added bonus. Long live Alkaline Trio!

Jerry Finn was a well-respected producer who lent his talents to a who's who of alternative rock, artists like Blink-182, Green Day, Sum 41, AFI, Rancid, the Offspring, Morrissey, Alkaline Trio and many others. While working on the latest from Morrissey and +44 in July of this year, Finn suffered a massive brain hemmorage. He was taken off life support on August 12, 2008. According to Mark Hoppus (Blink-182), Finn passed away today.

Thanks to Number1Albums for the info.

More pics to come of Dan Andriano's pick that I grabbed, along with the setlist...

A West Coast Treat: Alkaline Trio live @ The Triple Door for 107.7 The END Seattle.

Alkaline Trio - Help Me (Live Acoustic)

[audio http://kndd.radiotown.com/audio/Endsessions/Alkaline%20Trio%20Help%20Me.mp3]

Alkaline Trio - Wake Up Exhausted (Live Acoustic)

[audio http://kndd.radiotown.com/audio/Endsessions/Alkaline%20Trio%20Wake%20Up.mp3]

The Concert Flyer

In 2003 I discovered a band called Alkaline Trio. They were this emo band with cool, dark lyrics that I was stoked with. Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano complemented one another with their voices. Matt's voice was a little vicious, and Dan was more of a crooner than anything. This year they released Agony & Irony, and there's one track that always makes me happy. It's called Love Love, Kiss Kiss. It's awesome. Dan's singing will make you smile, and Matt's soaring background vocals will give you goose bumps. I figure if I could write a bad boy like that I'd have ladies flocking to me. More so than they already are. Listen and it'll make sense.

In grade 7 when I first played Tony Hawk's Pro Skater on the Nintendo 64, the first song on the playlist was called Superman, and it was by a band called Goldfinger. This was my first taste of the doings of John Feldmann, who I've since become infatuated with (his music and production, that is). Anyway, Goldfinger is one of my favorite bands, and this year they put out an album called Hello Destiny, which I love. Anyway, there's one song called If I'm Not Right and I believe that this song is a guarantee to put anybody into a good mood. It's impossible not to smile while listening. John's voice sounds flawless, and the horn section is one of the reasons I love John's band.

Sometimes when I'm tired in the morning I like to play music that really wakes me up, and encourages me to take the day by its horns and ride it until the sun goes down. There's one song in particular that does this for me: Call To Arms by Angels & Airwaves. Sure, Tom's lyrics are out there, but that doesn't take away from the anthemic quality of the song. My favorite part is the bridge, around the 4 minute mark, 'cause Tom does this thing where he yells part of the chorus and it's so harmonious that it gives me the chills every time I listen to the song. Also, try cruising down the highway as fast as you can (preferably towards the sunset), with the windows down and the music at capacity. You'll get the full experience. In the words of Rivers Cuomo, "If you don't like it, you can shove it. But you don't like it, you love it." And, if this song doesn't make you want to march around in your underwear, then I guess you'll never get to experience such a pleasure.

Last fall I was watching the Seth Rogen episode of SNL and there was a band called Spoon who was set to perform. Little did I know that Spoon would be so good that I'd buy their album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga almost nine months later. It wasn't that it took me that long to buy it, it's that I forgot about their performance and that I saw them again on a rerun and remembered how good they were. Yeah, so, Spoon sounded great and one song, The Underdog, was the little beast that hooked me. This song has horn sections, handclaps, and acoustic guitars. Delish. What more could you want?

If there's one exceptionally rad thing about Rock Band it's that it's got Welcome Home by Coheed & Cambria. Huge guitars and gang vocals are the perfect ingredients for a night of drinking in your friend's basement. Trust me, I'd know.

Perhaps one of my favorite bands out there right now, The Matches of Oakland, California, know how to write superlative music. This is one band where no two songs on any of their records sound the same. If you were to buy any of these songs or albums I've discussed here, I think that A Band In Hope is the one you should own. It's perfect. The opener, AM Tilts, is beautiful. The lyrics and guitars do something to me that not very many bands can. I'm not sure what it is, but that's why this song is so magical.

Another thing I like about music is how it sometimes makes you feel warm inside, and in the case of Bloc Party's I Still Remember that is exactly what happens. The guitar riffs soar, and the rhythm is perfectly suited. Bloc Party is without a doubt my favorite musical export out of the United Kingdom, and I'm stoked that they're coming to my hometown in a little less than a month. I Still Remember is very atmospheric in tone, and although Kele's lyrics may be about a guy, this is still a timeless love song.

Remember Mr. Feldmann? Well, he produced this song, and the record it's found on. The song: Navigate Me. The Band: Cute Is What We Aim For. This song just sounds awesome. It's about doin' the sex, and that's why I love it.

This song doesn't rhyme at all during the verses, but the lyrics are so much fun that it doesn't even matter. Justin Pierre is one of the best lyricists in the alternative music scene right now, and I think he's a genius. Just take a look at his hair. Motion City Soundtrack is an excellent band that everybody should know about. Commit This To Memory is one of my all time favorite records and I think you should give Motion City Soundtrack a chance. So, the song is called Antonia, and it's one of catchiest tracks on the record, Even If It Kills Me. If some band can mention Indiana Jones and Annie Hall in the same song, it's Motion City Soundtrack.

I'll make this an even 10, so this is my last choice. I loved this song last summer, and this summer is no exception. The song is called Woe, and the man behind the music is Max Bemis of Say Anything. Max is truly a virtuoso, and I feel privileged to be listening to his music. This song kicks a million asses, and if you don't think it's catchy you've got something seriously wrong with your ears.

 That's it everyone. Happy listening.