Hey, long time no see, right?

Anyway, fellow LJ'ers, I'm writing to inform you that we're shaking off the cobwebs and playing a show pretty soon. On April 17th, to be exact! At the Beat Kitchen in Chicago. Check out our MySpace blog for all the details:

http://www.myspace.com/powerspace

Thanks for your continued support, even though it may seem like we virtually fell off the face of the planet! Believe me, once you hear American Machine, you'll know that it was worth the wait.


~ Kevin

weather: good
location: boise
eating: salad
drinking: canadian whiskey
entourage: ace, robin
venue: the big easy
hearing: danger
listening to: aerosmith

Hey - here's what's going on with Powerspace:

Right now we're in Boise, Idaho. Lovely place. About 3/4 of the way through the CIWWAF, Ace Enders, Danger Radio tour and it's been incredible. Probably the best tour we've ever been on for so many reasons.

After this tour we will be taking a short bit of time off to continue writing. We are going to be recording an EP and an LP in next couple months. Here's all the details we can afford to give out:

1. Our new EP will be out probably some time in October. It will be 100% American Rock 'n' Roll. Not Alt-rock, not Dance-rock, not Pop-rock, not Pop-punk, just Rock. Think less synths, more guitars. Less computers, more amplifiers. Less production, more playing. Less pop, more rock.

2. A bit after the EP comes out we will be recording another full-length record. The record will be entirely new material, unlike last time most of the songs on the EP will not be on the LP.

So basically we have an album and a half coming your way relatively soon. If anyone's been to some of the shows lately we've been playing a few of the new jams we have written (Don't Stop and Taste the Devil), but we got a lot lot more on your way so get ready.

Hope you are all doing wonderful~

-Powerspace

P.S. We are not doing the Mest tour that was posted on absolutepunk.net, we'll be working on new songs and new recordings. Check out that tour nonetheless 'cause it's a sick lineup! I know we'll be hanging out at the Chicago show too.

Since it's graduation season, I figured now's the best time to acknowledge a certain someone.

Even before "gettin' that sheepskin," Tom had already accomplished much more than the average graduate. He was already a fantastic guitarist (his solos from two years ago--solos you guys've never heard--still blow me away), and well on his way to becoming a fantastic recording engineer and producer (aside from producing every Powerspace demo, check out his work with Football Weather and Action Item).

And then he went and graduated anyway.

Tom's a rare breed, see. On the one hand, he knows a whole lot about music equipment, the music industry, music software, music technology, sound, etc. He can talk your ear off about everything from the most technical matters to the most abstract theories (I remember him editing his 70-page term paper on the plane ride back from Japan). But at the same time, he's not afraid to, you know, rock:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biQAlVjhD_4

So in retrospect, I'm glad he went back to college. For one thing, I got a new BFF (hey, Max!). But we also got the excuse to go back to Miami University a few times. To party, yeah, but also to walk around and reminisce. Miami's really a great place, and I still miss it. I walked by my old apartment, where I'd always get a call from Tom, late at night, telling me to ditch my homework and come practice. I walked by Tom and Dan's old dorm, where we used to practice and record. I walked by that abandoned building that we broke into so we could shoot a video for "Electricity." I walked by Pachinko's, the first bar that ever let us idiots play a show. And so on.

Anyway. Maybe Tom would be embarrassed to hear this, but I get the feeling that he's always enjoyed his learning. So let's all take a second and congratulate him for all his hard work. But remember... the best way to congratulate him is to let him melt your face with his guitar during our summer tour with Cute Is What We Aim For.

Reply with your congratulations!

~ Kevin

whoa, japan was awesome. punkspring was so huge and everyone/everything in japan is great. nothing like playing in front of 10000 kids from another country you've never been to who somehow know all the words to every song to cheer you up. can't wait to go back.

saturday at the metro in chicago was great too. it was really intense to watch june play their last song. those guys have been so nice to us. our first metro show was their christmas show and i remember we were so psyched to play a big show, especially with june's reputation around chicago. thanks to those guys for being great. go out and buy make it blur, and cry a little bit if you want.

-tom

weather: blizzard
reading: capturing sound, born standing up
listening to: action item mixes, demos, thomas dolby, incubus
eating: pizza
drinking: soda

this week was intense. first of all, my boys got robbed. wtf? like, who robs people? you know? luckily gen3 won't have to worry about getting robbed because the van will remain moving at all times, and after a while we'll prolly just upgrade to a stainless steel leer jet or just sell all our possessions and be homeless in florida (being homeless in florida is like being on spring break all the time).

i spent this week at Uptown Recording and The River (that's the name of my studio, cuz it's on the Fox River) recording. Action Item took a train in from Jersey, and we made 6.5 sweet music songs. let me tell you, they are a great band. also, they are hilarious and brought boy meets world dvd's, so we instantly became bff's. while we weren't making songs, we were either watching bmw, steve from jerry springer's show, or maury, or eating delicious pizza's from my uncle's restaurant (the riverview, in algonquin IL. which, for the record, is not on the river, because the city of algonquin needed to widen the road it used to be on ((when it actually was on the river)) to alleviate traffic congestion. so now it is on rt.31, but the traffic in the old spot is still awful. pretty bogus if you ask me. on the river or not, the riverview has the best pizza on the planet. i suggest getting the bbq pizza. then the next time get the beer pizza. keep rotating between the two and never look back. the beer nuggets are delicious too, but don't eat too many cuz the pizza is the star of the show. k?) so, check out action item's EP whenever they put it up. still gotta finish mixing and get it mastered, so it might be a while, but just be patient (like i am being for some new monty. give me a break aiello SEND ME SOMETHING)

been recording lots of new pspazz demos too. they seem to be kindof shocking. i think that's what we're going for from now on. just recorded something today, that.. maybe i shouldn't talk about.

this summer is going to be sweet. i feel like everything/everyone is hilarious/ridiculous.

found this. made me think writing it in my old house at school all sentimental-like, then trying (failing) to perform it the next day by myself (the first time i sang by myself in public). i like how straightforward this girl sings the song, and it still sounds good. (makes me happy, you know, cuz that's the test.) also, she changes some chords around and i like it, it makes it sound southern or something. something organic. and the accent. it's a pretty weird, kindof overwhelming feeling to watch someone you don't know sing a song you wrote. so, thank you girl. you are wonderful:



alright, i'm gonna go watch dukes of hazzard with my best buddy matty poo.

-tom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEdbhQ1sPGY

this was the only reason i ever really got psyched for the grammys. though it was tight to see behind dafts pyramid this year - as i suspected, it was just like tom cruise in minority report.

amy winehouse beats paramore for best new artist? come on..

brad paisly is hilarious. i wish chris brown was performing.

-tom

I like really long songs, I dunno why. Maybe it's 'cause I really like progressive rock, of which long songs are a hallmark. So I made a list of my favorite songs over 15:00 long. IN ORDER!



15. The Velvet Underground - "Sister Ray" (17:29)

Since I've been in my fair share of shitty jam bands, this song really appeals to me. The murky "production" (if you can even call it that), the aimless structure, the overall lack of talent. Right up my alley. Believe me, I really wanted to hate this song (and the VU in general) on account of the hordes of pretentious, coffeeshop-dwelling hipsters on MySpace with pictures of Lou Reed in their "Who I'd like to meet" sections. But I started listening to 'White Light / White Heat' while on vacation, playing Tetris, and I ended up playing "Sister Ray" over and over. And then I think I listened to their debut twice. I still have some work to do.


14. Tortoise - "Djed" (20:56)

Tortoise play the most organic-sounding post-rock I've ever heard. Sometimes they sound even more organic than... regular rock. I dunno how they do it. I'm only familiar with two of their records - 'Millions Now Living Will Never Die' and 'Standards' - but I'm excited to crack into 'TNT' and their self-titled, which I've had for ages. Anyway, not a whole lot comes to mind when I think of "Djed," but I guess that's its charm. I would call it "background music" if that term weren't so demeaning. It's background music of the best kind--you can chill to it, but you can also listen to it intently and pick out all sorts of cool melodies and textures (especially textures!). One time my friend put it on in his basement while he smoked a few cigarettes and showed me a bunch of photos he'd taken. It was perfect.


13. Can - "Bel Air" (19:53)

If you're unfamiliar, Can were a Krautrock band in the 70s who played a lot of emotionless, hypnotic jams. Some freaky, psychedelic shit this was. (I got into them after seeing them mentioned in a book about Radiohead, go figure). But they did this one record, 'Future Days,' where all of a sudden their jams sounded less schizophrenic, less joyless--these jams were kinda... pleasant. Which was weird. "Bel Air" is the fourth and last track offa that album, and it's a delight. It's impossible not to picture a cool wind rushing through palm leaves when you hear this song, and what's crazy is that it doesn't rely upon a lot of atmospheric textures. It's mostly just drums, bass, guitar, and sparse vocals.


12. Pink Floyd - "Atom Heart Mother" (23:42)

This was their first attempt at a side-long "suite," released three years before 'Dark Side of the Moon.' You know, so much of my thoughts about this song are negative. It doesn't really go anywhere. The main theme is stated, then they dick around for a good fifteen minutes, doing uninteresting and kinda silly variations on the main theme. At some point there's a shitty jam, and then they return to the main theme at the end. But the thing is... I love the main theme so much. One thing Pink Floyd were always able to do well was write dramatic and captivating chord changes, and this is one of their best. Epic, cinematic, majestic--any synonyms apply. Whenever I get to the end of the song, I imagine stabbing some king in a distant land and tearing his heart from his chest and holding it aloft, or something like that.


11. Can - "Halleluwah" (18:28)

From a different album, 'Tago Mago,' a double album released two years before 'Future Days.' This is the album, above all, that made them the kings of schizophrenic Krautrock. You know, it's rare to encounter truly terrifying music, and anytime someone tells me that a certain album "scares" them, I either think they're exaggerating or being an idiot. And I wouldn't even call 'Tago Mago' a terrifying album, but what I'll say is this: the notion of someone on the brink of psychosis listening to this album... THAT'S a terrifying notion. Anyway, "Halleluwah" is hardly among the scariest tunes (of which there are 7--on a double album!). But it's definitely the groovin'-est. This drummer, Jaki Liebezeit, probably grooves harder while he snores at night than most drummers can hope to groove on a drumset. And he plays basically the same beat for the whole eighteen minutes, never varying the backbeat or the tempo. But it's... absolutely hypnotic. Everything about the song--the interplay between the bass and Jaki's beat, the smattering of distorted guitar licks, the inscrutable lyrics--it all works so well.


10. Dream Theater - "Octavarium" (23:57)

A recent addition. I fell out of love with Dream Theater after 'Scenes from a Memory,' but I gave this song a chance at the behest of several friends, and I was blown away. Come to think of it, I might say the same thing about "Octavarium" as I did about "Atom Heart Mother"--the main theme, stated in the beginning and restated in the end, is fantastic, and a lot of the middle parts are throwaway. But, no, a lot of the middle parts in this song are great, too, if a little silly (I still cringe when James yells "trapped! in!-side! this! Oc!-ta!-va!-ri!-um!"). The first few minutes crib heavily from Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," to the point that I almost LOL'ed upon my first listen. But then again, it's much worse for a band to try to be "original" (and end up sounding like shit) than it is for a band to retool something great, to pay homage to the greats in a way that's at least somewhat their own. Anyway. Definitely one of most dramatic, fulfilling endings to an epic that I've ever heard.


9. Rush - "The Fountain of Lamneth" (19:56)

One of the most depressing things I ever read was in a book about Rush called Contents Under Pressure, an album-by-album retrospective. 'Caress of Steel,' their third album, was a flop, and a lot of people thought that it marked the end of their career--until, of course, they said "fuck everyone" and released a true work of passion, '2112.' Anyway, in the chapter about 'Caress of Steel,' Neil Peart said something like: "Oh boy, there are some things I wish we could just brush under the carpet and forget about..." I was all: "NO!!!" Because for a long time, "The Fountain of Lamneth" was my favorite Rush song. I think I had like ten AIM screen names based on it. This is, like most of the other songs on this list, a multi-part "suite" (I always have to put that word in quotes, 'cause it's so out-of-control pretentious). But the neat part about this song is that I really, really dig every section. The opening and closing themes are... well, majestic (I hate to overuse that word, but I love majestic music!); 'Didacts and Narpets' is a short and sweet drum solo; 'No One at the Bridge' is a fantastic song in its own right, with a blistering, triumphant guitar solo; 'Panacea' is so peaceful that I bothered to learn it on guitar; 'Bacchus Plateau' is simply a good rocker that makes me feel good; and the bookending mini-ballads give the song a sense of closure, of completion. Damn, I love this song! It's kinda fun to take a step back from the ridiculous storyline and realize: "Hey... if these sections had regular lyrics, like about love and parties and stuff, then each one of these sections could be a radio hit!"


8. Rush - "2112" (20:32)

Actually, I love "The Fountain of Lamneth" to the extent that I wonder whether "2112" should really be in front of it. But oh well; I suppose that "2112" is, when you get down to brass tacks, a better song. I had the first two movements of this song on a compilation called 'Chronicles.' So I gave my friend $5 and a few Magic: The Gathering cards (prolly a few Scaled Worms, HAHAHA SUCKER) for his copy of '2112.' Lo and behold, the rest of the song is just as good. Kinda funny, now that I think about it, how little else there is than drums, bass, guitar, and vocals (like "Bel Air"). There's a sample of a babbling brook at one point (and, of course, the sound of shoes going 'round in a dryer). But otherwise, it's just good melodies and instrumental virtuosity. And what a climax!--"Attention, all planets of the Solar Confederation: we have assumed control..." I'm, like, really embracing my Inner Nerd right now.


7. Rush - "Hemispheres" (18:07)

Oh, have I mentioned that both "2112" and "Hemispheres" are part of a three-song arc (spanning three consecutive albums) called "The Red Star Trilogy"? I left out the middle song, "Cygnus X-1," 'cause it's only ten minutes long, and it's not quite as good (though still REALLY FUCKING GOOD). Anyway, "Hemispheres" is another multi-part "suite." Funny story about this one. The band has always agreed that 'Hemispheres' (also the name of the album) was one of the hardest to make; part of this reason--kinda funny, in retrospect--is that the band didn't consider how high Geddy would have to sing before tracking all of the instruments. So when Geddy went on his own to a different studio, to track the vocals, he freaked out. "Holy shit, I can't sing this high!" Long story short, he did. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. This has always been my favorite Rush "suite." I just love everything about it--even the lyrics, which, as much as I admire Neil Peart, I rarely ever pay attention to. These lyrics are about the battle between Heart and Mind, as embodied by the gods Dionysus and Apollo. SPOILER ALERT: Dionysus and Apollo battle for dominion over the Earth, but our hero, Cygnus, comes swoopin' down in his Rocinante and makes 'em realize that the only proper way for humans to live is with a balance of Heart and Mind, hence the most climactic part of the song: "We will call you Cygnus, The God of Balance you shall be!" And the epilogue is just fantastic, worth quoting at length:

"We can walk our road together, if our goals are all the same. We can run alone and free, if we pursue a different aim. Let the truth of love be lighted. Let the love of truth shine clear. Sensibility, armed with sense and liberty, with the Heart and Mind united in a single perfect sphere."

I shed a single tear.


6. Genesis - "Supper's Ready" (22:51)

Oh god. The behemoth that stands above all classic progressive rock side-long "suites." The undisputed king. This was my introduction to the 'classic' side of Genesis--before cracking into disc 3 of my 'Platinum Collection' compilation, I'd just been jamming those 80s hits "Follow You Follow Me" and "Misunderstanding" over and over. Here's the thing about "Supper's Ready": compared to every other song on this list, this is by far the most colorful, the most diverse, the most fun--but still, in the end, just as epic, if not more. Compared to "Supper's Ready," all those Can and Pink Floyd and Rush songs seem... dull. I won't get into a movement-by-movement review; suffice it to say that there's nary a second in this song that I don't enjoy to the fullest extent. Also, be sure to peep this if you're down with the Bible, 'cause I hear that there's a lot of imagery. One man even confessed to crying at the end. I sure haven't, but I can kinda see how...


5. Pink Floyd - "Dogs" (17:05)

I dunno. I'm starting to feel like I suck at describing what it is about certain songs that make 'em so good. 'Cause right now, what I'm most inclined to say is "Goddamn, what a great song." It just is! The scholars like to say that 'Animals,' released in 1977, was Pink Floyd's answer to punk rock. I really like that--in response to the explosion of punk rock in the late 70s, Pink Floyd released an album of unparalleled complexity (at least for them), comprised mainly of three songs over 10:00 long. Not to mention that it's easily their coldest, most sardonic record (yes, more bleak than their early stuff, more bleak than 'The Wall' and 'The Final Cut'), splitting society into three categories--the dogs are the ruthless cutthroats, the pigs are the gluttonous money-grubbers, and the sheep are the ignorant masses. But anyway, it's rarely about the lyrics with me; they can take a song to the "next level," but if the music isn't good, then I don't give a shit (just gimme the lyrics on a sheet of paper and I'll read 'em like poetry, y'know?). But the music on 'Animals' is fantastic, and "Dogs" is my favorite track. Rumor has it that Waters accidentally erased a tape containing Gilmour's guitar solos in "Dogs," so, frustrated beyond words, Gilmour retracked them. This factoid chills me to the bone, considering how incredible all of his solos are in this song. To think that there might've been something even better...


4. Pink Floyd - "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" (26:09)

I'll tell you what I like about this song. First of all, the synths. I don't know a whole lot about the history of rock (I'm trying!), but I'd wager that Pink Floyd were among the first groups to layer their songs with tracks 'n' tracks of sweeping, swooping synths. You never really hear this stuff in albums from around the same time. So that's awesome. Also the solos. And this is a more surprising choice, because, let's be honest, when it comes to progressive rock, "instrumental passages" can get tedious and even boring. But not so with this song, even given how slow it is. Chalk it up to Davild Gilmour being incredibly lyrical, efficient, and mind-blowingly melodic. When I think of any single measure of a Gilmour guitar solo, it echoes in my mind not like a series of notes, but like a sentence of words, or even a paragraph. I'm serious; I have to remind myself that it wasn't human speech that I just heard; it was a guitar. This is what I mean when I say that he's "lyrical": just as snatches of poems can stay with us ("Two roads diverged in a yellow wood"; "Water, water everywhere"; "Quoth the raven, nevermore"), so too can any pieces of Gilmour's solos. Not to mention that Dick Parry's sax solos and Richard Wright's keyboard solos are surprisingly adequate, too (through nowhere near as unforgettable as the guitar solos).


3. The Mars Volta - "Cassandra Gemini" (32:25)

I'm fond of saying "I like music that takes me places," which sounds really, really lame. But sometimes it's all I've got. A lot of songs move me emotionally, abstractly, but they don't really take me anywhere. And I wanna say that TMV do take me places, like to the dark underbellies of cities full of sin and vice... but that's not quite it. It's not a sensible "place" that their music takes me to; rather, it's that I feel like I'm on a journey while I'm listening, like I'm trapped in this hopelessly bewildering dreamscape, hurtling through a sea of blurred and disjointed images at one thousand miles per hour. Well, that's a fancy sentence, isn't it. More simply stated, this song rocks, Jon Theodore (the drummer) rocks, and, big surprise, the opening and closing themes rock--"No, there's no light... in the darkest of your furthest reaches!"


2. Yes - "Close to the Edge" (18:41)

Remember what I said about not giving much of a shit about lyrics? Case in point: this song. Clarification, though: the lyrics have to be of a certain degree of quality for me to fully enjoy a song. Bad lyrics do, in fact, detract from my ability to enjoy a song (see: Dream Theater). Which is why Yes's lyrics pose no problem: I have no idea what any of their songs are about, so I'll never have the opportunity to dislike any of the lyrics! Tell me if you can take away any meaning from the first verse of this song:

a seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace
and rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace
and achieve it all with music that came quickly from afar
then taste the fruit of man recorded losing all against the hour
and assessing points to nowhere, leading ev'ry single one
a dewdrop can exalt us like the music of the sun
and take away the plain in which we move
and choose the course you're running

Right. Something about a witch's liver. But once you begin to appreciate the fact that Jon Anderson's lyrics will never make sense to anyone but himself, you can focus on the music. This is my favorite Yes song because I think it's impeccably structured, and because the melodies are perfect throughout. "But we're dealing with a classic progressive rock band, here; shouldn't this be a bunch of Bach fugues rearranged for guitar and Moog?" Apparently not; every section is very approachable in some way, and on the whole the song runs the gamut from a blistering intro to urgent verses and choruses to a calm yet soul-stirring midsection to an incendiary recapitulation to an absolutely breathtaking climax. I've listened to this song (well, the whole album) more times than I can remember, and every time I'm left speechless.


1. Pink Floyd - "Echoes" (23:27)

Just barely less speechless, though, than after listening to "Echoes." For me, this song is almost a religious experience--well, it's certainly a spiritual one. Though I completely understand why 99% of the world hasn't heard this song--hell, if I hadn't gotten into Pink Floyd, then I'd still only be familiar with their radio hits--still, the notion that certain of my friends and acquaintances haven't heard "Echoes" is astonishing. It'd be like telling a painter that I'd never seen the Mona Lisa, or an RPG enthusiast that I'd never played Chrono Trigger, or a film buff that I'd never watched any of the Godfathers. And I suspect--actually, I'm sure that "Echoes" isn't quite as good as I make it out to be. I'll give you that. But this is my list, and this is my favorite song [over 15:00 long. Or maybe ever]. Anyway, what makes "Echoes" so good? Well, you know how whenever a Pink Floyd song's on the radio (especially from 'Dark Side of the Moon'), someone will invariably gesture like they're smoking a joint and say "Yeaaahhh, maaannn..."? Well, whatever atmospheric jams inspired those gestures are child's play compared to "Echoes," the atmospheric jam to end all atmospheric jams. You know what I just realized? That there's been a pretty stark division, throughout this list, between multi-part "suites" and mostly homogenous jams. "Sister Ray" and the Can songs were jams; "Supper's Ready" and all of those Rush songs were "suites"... but "Echoes" strikes a perfect balance. It has at least seven or eight distinct sections, but what's so incredible is how they maintain the same mood throughout the entire 23 minutes. The mood, I won't try to pin down. Maybe I'll take the shortcut and say it's the mood of a "drug-induced haze." But that doesn't account for the song's grandeur, its transcendency, its sublimity. I'm having trouble describing the nature of the force, the spirit that Pink Floyd sustain throughout the song. But maybe that's the best way of describing it, to say that I can't.


Anyway. Pardon my... prolixity.


P.S. Time it would take to listen to these 15 songs: 5 hours, 23 minutes, 38 seconds.


P.P.S. Pseudo-interesting breakdown:

Percentage of songs on this list that are the last track: 50%
Percentage of songs on this list that are the first track: 37%


~ Kevin

Noticed the PS LJ wasn't gettin' any love, so I figured I'd repost my latest blog here.





~~~





EDIT: I meant to say this, but I forgot. I didn't consider the Beatles' "A Day in the Life" because that would've been unfair. I mean, it's probably the best and the most important climax in the history of music.

I'm a big fan of drama, in general, so it only makes sense that some of my favorite music is multipart and climactic. So I made this list of my favorite climaxes in all of the music I know (everything in my iTunes, at least). I guess it was between choosing a handful and writing a lot about 'em or choosing a lot and writing just a little bit about each one. I chose the latter, 'cause I just couldn't stop adding to the list. Without further delay... the list.

Actually, first, I should clarify something. In making this list, I noticed a sharp distinction between emotional climaxes and visceral climaxes. Emotional climaxes are transcendental; they're the closest you can get to any sort of nirvana through music. Visceral climaxes, on the other hand, are sheer power. They just kinda punch you in the gut... with rock. Sometimes I can't decide which I prefer. Whenever I hear the one, I prefer it--up until I hear the other. Oh well. On with it.

(The times given refer to the studio versions. I've tried to provide YouTube links, and I've given times for those too, where different. But don't expect the YouTube videos to hold a candle to the real thing). (LJ Exclusive: the links will open up in new windows).



25. King Crimson, "Red" - 5:47

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBxNZT2qJ9Q - 3:38

It's when they finally launch back into the chorus after a pretty long deviation. Maybe it's 'cause the chorus is so... distinct. Built out of about a million tri-tones. I tell ya, about 50% of my appreciation for old school King Crimson stems from that disgusting bass tone. We'll see this again later.


24. Radiohead, "Climbing Up the Walls" - 3:57

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toT-kKnhUUo

Radiohead is by no stretch of the imagination a screamo band, which in my opinion makes this soul-shaking scream all the more terrifying. Also whatever vocal filter he was singing through. I mean, sometimes a dude screams because that's what he's supposed to do in his band, and because he's good at it. But sometimes a dude screams for very, very profound reasons that we could never guess (but which rattle us to the bones, regardless). This sounds like one of those screams.


23. The Smashing Pumpkins, "For Martha" - 5:22

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-URifHF7_fs

This was always my favorite song off of 'Adore.' Disturbingly pretty... and disturbingly sad, all the way through. So when they bring it back around to the chorus at the end, they've already hit it home. But then they twist the knife in even further at 5:22, revisiting that one motif and perfectly transitioning to the end of the song.


22. Muse, "Take a Bow" - 4:10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ghqoYxmaUE - 4:12

C'mon, you knew it. The very first--certainly not the only, but the very first reason you ever had to tell your friends about 'Black Holes and Revelations.' This is basically the coolest, and possibly the most dramatic single chord in all of modern rock. What they did here is criminal. The bar for extremely cool chords has been set impossibly high. Not to mention ending chords. Goodness!


21. My Chemical Romance, "Famous Last Words" - 3:38

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bbTtPL1jRs - 3:25

But of course--"asleep... or... dead!!!" Maybe this is on here because of how much I love 'The Black Parade' in its entirety, and because of how perfectly this song--especially from this moment on--wraps everything up so nicely. There's a real sense of closure to it. But... wait a minute... "well-- they-- en-- 'courage your complete cooperation..."


20. Radiohead, "The Tourist" - 4:31

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8KwUzydB1w

Really, the whole end of this song tears me apart. Not in a sad kinda way... but in an apocalyptic kinda way. Like I'm drifting into unconsciousness as the world and everything in it is being incinerated in a pandemonium of atomic blasts, or something. It's hard to express. But anyway, when Thom comes back with the chorus melody at the end... Yikes. I'm starting to remember why this was my favorite Radiohead song for so long.


19. Sigur Ros, "Vidrar vel til Loftarasa" - 7:54

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I30H7mhfLe8 - 5:29

You should really go to Pitchfork and read their review of 'Agaetis Byrjun'; they describe the sublime power of Jonsi's bowed guitar far better than I could. Something about how the landscape of their homeland (Iceland) is a real presence in their work. Imagine how overwhelmed you'd be at the foot of a giant mountain or atop a glacier or at the base of a volcano, etc. The closest I can get to imagining any of that is to listen to Sigur Ros, and this moment in "Vidrar vel til Loftarasa" encapsulates it all pretty well. Those guitar notes tear through my skull. Also, peep the video for this song (linked). Don't tell anyone what happens; let 'em see for themselves.


18. Godspeed You! Black Emperor, "Antennas to Heaven" - 13:45

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8JdfprFQyo - This isn't it, but skip to 3:30 for some kind of idea about GY!BE's music.

Damn. This is one of those climaxes where, every time I listen to it, I think it's the only thing that exists in music. Or the only worthwhile thing. Anyway, it's not really a climax; it's the last five minutes of the song. But if you're at all familiar with GY!BE, then you might know how five minutes of their music can sound like one long climax. These are the last five minutes of an entire double album called 'lift yr. skinny fists like antennas to heaven,' and the music really is as transcendental as the album title implies. That album will change your life, if you let it. Anyway. These last five minutes alone are what made me start using the phrase "achingly beautiful," 'cause there's really no other way to describe it.


17. Pink Floyd, "Dogs" - 15:17

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKcCKeGf0AY - 7:17

I'm sorry, "Dogs" is just such a fantastic song by Pink Floyd. It's seventeen minutes long, but you'll never feel it, I promise. This climax is what begins the coda of the song. The main guitar theme is restated, laid to rest, and then... 15:17. Roger ushers us through a long list, full of spite and hatred--"Who was ground down in the end? Who was found dead on the phone? Who was dragged down by the stone?" Man, maybe the climax should be when Roger sings it again, at the very end: "Who was... draaaaaged, down!--by the stone!"


16. The Mars Volta, "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt" - 8:09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q8cGtUJavU - It sucks, compared to the studio version, but... 7:28.

Tom is fond of saying that this is the best ending to any album in the history of music, and that anyone who disagrees can... take a hike. I'm not sure whether he's still of this opinion, but either way, it can't be far from the truth. 'De-Loused in the Comatorium' features TMV's best music-to-jamming ratio--it's perfect, actually. The jamming is itself interesting and worthwhile, but it serves another function: it buffers the time between actual movements. So after a four-minute jam, we're suddenly kicked on our asses again when Cedric comes back in with "knife me in, hobbling, talking in its sleep again!" But the real climax is the very end: "who brought me here???"


15. Genesis, "Firth of Frith" - 7:38

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tloxTQjNjA - Again, just a low-quality live version, but... 6:38.

This is just such a great guitar tone. Mournful and powerful. One of those guitar lines that supports the notion--no, proves the notion that you don't have to play a lot of notes to be effective, to be emotionally resonant. Just think of a genius guitar line and maybe kick up the reverb a little. And have an awesome vibrato. By the way, 'Selling England by the Pound' is a fantastic record. Get it.


14. Rush, "La Villa Strangiato" - 4:26

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOqVywCg934 - Now, this live version is actually fantastic. No surprise there. 3:26.

This is one of the first moments in music that I can distinctly remember raising the hairs on my neck. "La Villa Strangiato" is a ten-minute instrumental suite, and since we all know how awesome Rush are on their instruments... I mean, get real. But anyway, there's this guitar solo. In 7/4, no less (which is probably easier for Rush than 4/4 is for most musicians). Alex plays around a little bit with his volume pedal, way subdued, dropping little aching notes here and there. Starts to burn the fire a little brighter. And then BOOM, that one note! It's even better live, I'm telling you, when he's got the gain turned to 11.


13. Yes, "Close to the Edge" - 17:12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49IH0kl-Nxo - Another live version... it's harder to get studio versions on YouTube of insanely long songs. 8:30.

Ahh, "Close to the Edge." An absolute staple for any fan of classic progressive rock. After a kickass keyboard solo from 15:00 to 15:54--and let me remind you how extremely rare the phrase "kickass keyboard solo" is for me--Yes bring it back down for one last verse and then finally lead us to the summit of the mountain at 17:12, leaving us to gape, to try to comprehend the sheer majesty of it all. Progressive rock is often maligned for being soulless, but the last few moments of "Close to the Edge" are really some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard.


12. The Mars Volta, "Cicatriz ESP" - 9:19

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mITbDmZRgFQ - It's TMV live. I dunno what to tell you.

Hello again, TMV. Same deal as before, only this time the jam is much longer and much spacier, bringing us even further from what we remember of the song. But I'm not gonna start this climax at the last chorus--I'm gonna start it a little bit before, when everyone comes back in after the extended jam / sound collage. Then they just set you going at a thousand miles per hour and dump you off a cliff. The end.


11. Nobuo Uematso, "Aerith's Theme (Orchestrated)" - 3:49

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UODCxAtyDo - 4:22

If anyone's curious, the version I'm referring to is off of the 'S Generation' CD. But anyway. We all know I have a lot of emotional stock in Final Fantasy VII. Shut up. Don't make fun of me. It was sad, OK? Back to the Mars Volta.


10. The Mars Volta, "Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus" - 8:43

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG0imY4PlD0 - 1:32. Still really murky.

I started it at 8:43--right on the first downbeat after Cedric yelps "will they feed us the womb?"--but the more important moment of climax, for me, is a few seconds later, at 8:47, when we realize that this 5/4 figure is revolving, that they're gonna keep jamming on it as the song fades out. I remember the first time I heard it. I was playing Spyro the Dragon for PlayStation. I about crapped. The drummer, Jon Theodore, also contributes to the power of the climax, mainly because he's fucking awesome.


9. The Mars Volta, "Cassandra Gemini, Part VII" - 0:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtnvIYi4PTg - 5:40

I dunno what it's actually called, but it's the second to last track on the 'Frances the Mute' CD. "No, there's no light... in the darkest of your furthest reaches!" Again, the key to this climax is the way they make you wait. Taken as a whole (as it should be!), "Cassandra Gemini" is well over a half an hour long, and this part only occurs twice--at the beginning, and at the end. So no shit it's climactic.


8. Yes, "Siberian Khatru" - 6:17

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBXKSmz-Z2k - 6:24.

This song is nuts. The main riff is powerful and fantastic--and I mean "fantastic" literally. Like, this is an album of fantasy prog. Anyway, two thirds of the way through, they start building the tension by singing this long, incoherent list, and the words at the very end of the list are "turn 'round... glider!" (yeah, don't ask me), and at this point--maybe it's Chris Squire who holds out "gilder" for so long, and then they blast back into the main riff. It's awesome.


7. The Who, "Won't Get Fooled Again" - 7:44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3mi-bKtDGA - Just watch this video in its entirety, if you haven't seen it already. And especially if you like punk, 'cause The Who were the godfathers of punk, don't ya know!

I'm sure I don't need to explain this one. I'll never forget when my dad told me what might be my favorite piece of music trivia: when Roger released that earth-shattering "yyyeeeaaahhh!!!" as they were going back into it after the long keyboard solo--well, no one knew that he was gonna do that, so when he did, it scared the shit out of everyone. Truth be told, it scares the shit out of me every time... because it's awesome. And if you've ever seen The Kids Are Alright, then you'll always connect that scream to the slow-motion footage of Pete sliding across the stage. Rock 'n' roll in its purest form, right there.


6. Yo La Tengo, "We're An American Band" - 4:52

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6ToUwhYgtY - This was the only video of it I could find. Truly indie! Definitely doesn't compare to the studio version.

If anything, YLT are probably known for their cutesy little pop tunes (check out "Stockholm Syndrome," "Center of Gravity," "On Our Way to Fall"...), but this six and a half-minute song is absolutely devastating. There are only a handful of songs I'd be willing to lose my hearing to, or to hear as my car is falling headlong off of a cliff, and this is one of them. I can pick out at least five distinct moments in this song that raise the hairs on my neck--when Ira enters in the beginning... at the halfway point of the song, when the guitar solo starts... and a few other points in the solo itself. You know that argument often made in defense of punk rock, "Technical proficiency doesn't matter when you have passion"? This song is the best evidence I have in support of that. Ira Kaplan isn't a bad guitarist at all, but this solo isn't flashy or technically difficult. In fact, sometimes it's jarring, like nails on a chalkboard. But that's the point. Something very deep, very big, was driving this guitar solo. And sometimes I don't even think of it as a guitar solo at all; sometimes it seems to me like the guitar is just a medium, and that the last three minutes of this song are one long primal scream.


5. The Blood Brothers, "The Shame" - 2:21

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwZkXGnu9zU - Dunno. This video cuts off the end of the song, but you'll get the idea.

I remember the first time I ever finished 'Burn, Piano Island, Burn' in its entirety. I was sitting on a bed with my headphones on, playing Tetris. "The Shame" shook me to the bones. I could barely interact with my friends after that; it practically put me in a state of shock, especially since I'd been listening to it so loud. As far as I'm concerned, if there's a market for "post-apocalyptic post-hardcore," then the Blood Brothers have (err, had) it cornered. Halfway through this song, everything gets quiet again and they start this jangly march, and this chilling mantra: "and everything is gonna be just awful (when we're around) / and all the colors are gonna rot off your sight (when we're around) / and I am just a salesman, pleased to meet you (I'll show you around) / and everything must go, the shadows, the seagulls (when we're around)." As for the following three minutes... well, you'll just have to listen for yourself. Turn it up.


4. At the Drive-In, "Arcarsenal" - 2:37

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u11NAyqyaWU - 2:49. This video is really silly, but it's all I could find that wasn't live.

You know, every time I think about this song, I want to create a list of my favorite album-openers, because I know without a doubt that this song would top the list. 'Relationship of Command' is a pretty ruthless album overall, but this song is far and away the most ruthless. Maybe this is another one of those songs I wouldn't mind losing my hearing to. From the end of the bridge at 2:11 and on, this three-minute nuclear warhead of a song picks up speed until it explodes in a firestorm of "beware!"'s and ends on the most hideous downbeat I've ever heard. Get outta town, At the Drive-In. Get right outta town.


3. Pink Floyd, "Eclipse" - 0:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhidH2gtSYI

And now for something a little less brutal. This is on here--and so high on the list--because of how much I love 'Dark Side of the Moon.' Really, I know it's a cliche, but there's a reason why DSOTM was on the Billboard charts for almost fourteen years. "Eclipse" is the last song; you've probably heard it on the radio, coupled with the previous song, "Brain Damage." (You know... "I'll see you on the dark side of the moon"). Look up the lyrics. It's a long list with a kicker at the end: "... and all that is now / and all that is gone / and all that's to come / and everything under the sun is in tune / but the sun is eclipsed by the moon." Think about that for a second. Maybe the point they were trying to make is that in spite of everything we know and say and do, in the past and in the future, everything is susceptible to the dark side of life, to chaos, to madness. One time I asked a friend what his favorite album was. Without a pause, he said 'Dark Side of the Moon.' I asked him how come. He said, well, the most ideal form of an album is a concept album. And as far as he knows, 'Dark Side of the Moon' is the best concept album. I can't say I disagree.


2. Pink Floyd, "Echoes" - 19:11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfgoVZswC4k - Oh, hey, did you know that "Echoes" synchronizes perfectly with the final movement of Stanly Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey'? Watch the whole song from Part 1!

You know what? This is the one climax that I'm not gonna describe, because to do so would be a crime against humanity. "Echoes" isn't an overly emotional song; it's got that spacy, otherworldly feel characteristic of early (or... early-to-mid-to-late) Pink Floyd. So this climax is more of the 'visceral' kind referred to above (though still plenty 'transcendental'). It doesn't quite break your heart as much as it punches you in the chest and steals your breath. But not at all in the way you'd expect. "Echoes" is one of the only songs I've ever listened to by itself, in front of the speakers, agape, or lying on my floor with the lights off and my eyes closed. And the climax for me was always the most sublime moment in all of music. It left me floating through life like a specter for an hour or two. Borrow someone's copy of 'Meddle,' skip to track 6, turn it up, and close your eyes. See ya!


1. King Crimson, "Starless" - 11:17

No way I'm gonna ruin it for you with a shitty YouTube video.

Curious, I know, to have a 'visceral' climax at the top of the list. I think so, at least. But every time I hear it, I remember exactly why it's my favorite musical climax. Maybe you find King Crimson annoying or emotionless, and I'm sure you'll find the middle third of this song (the "one-note guitar solo") even more so, but if you listen to the whole thing nonstop, at a deafening volume, you'll get the point. I'll tell you what does it for me (and it surprises me how often this relatively innocuous detail figures into my appreciation of music): it's the bass tone. The dude's bass tone, damn it. It's perfect! This is the crunchiest, most brutal bass tone I think I've ever heard--on an album from '74, no less. The structure of this song is pretty simple: the first third states its melodic theme by way of a slow, solemn vocal delivery; the middle third takes you on a ride far, far away from home, jamming slowly and unsurely on this very bizarre melody; the last third amps it back up again and, finally, brings you back around to the melodic theme from the beginning, only this time in a way that's urgent and incendiary. Of all instruments, the one that connects the chaotic 13/8 part to the final restatement of the theme... is a saxophone! Rarely my favorite instrument to hear in a rock song. But this one works perfectly, and besides, it only lasts for a few seconds before John Wetton's bass enters and obliterates life as we know it. Seriously, listen to that bass tone when he drops down to that tonic, to that note you've been wanting him to hit for the whole song. Absolutely the most devastating musical theme I've ever heard, absolutely. Crap, man. Crap.



Interesting statistics:

Percentage of songs that are the first songs on their respective albums: 20%
Percentage of songs that are the last songs on their respective albums: 48%

Hmm!

Well, anyway, thanks for reading! Try to find this stuff on CD. You'll be glad you did!

yes children, it has begun. i have started my very own podcast, and i think it is going to be super fun for all. i'm going to do my best to jump through all of the hoops necessary to get an episode out to you super fast, so i need you guys to hang in there with me until that time.

so far, here is what i plan to include in each episode:

-interviews with musicians/other cool people
-updates with whatever i find compelling in the news
-whatever stupid/funny segments i can think of
-and of course playing some sweet tunes from my favorite artists

as i said, this may take awhile to launch, but that is only because i want it to be amazing. my dear friend tom schleiter is going to help me out with the production aspect of the operation, and i'm going to try to promote all over the internet, so telling your friends would be awesome.

feel free to email suggestions about who you want on the show, what music you want to hear and any questions you might want answered to danmcmahonpodcast@gmail.com. i will try to be good about replying.

for now, tell your friends about myspace.com/danmcmahonpodcast. i will update you on my plans for the first episode, and before you know it, you'll be able to subscribe on iTunes for free!!!!!

once again myspace.com/danmcmahonpodcast

ADD ME!!!!

your friend,

dan

weather: freezing rain
eating: clif bar
drinking: coffee
hearing: new demos, drugs; the band, fbw
listening to: foo fighters, hanson, also strangely been really liking the rotation on B-96 (like that Timbaland remix of OneRepublic, that Lil Wayne jam, that song that goes like: 'she had them apple bottom jeans and them boots with the fur, she had the whole club lookin at her, she hit the flo', next thing you know, shorty got low low low low low low low low..., and that one song with the huge synth line that starts off awesome but then just kinda dies...not sure what it's called, also Potential Break-up Song or whatever it's called is awesome, also these two songs that i heard at the mall that i'm never going to be able to find...anyways


so fbr signed phantom planet. this is awesome. this is like if john paxson just decided to join my fourth grade basketball team.

(i used to sleep in a john paxson jersey every night)

i got in to their self-titled first, i remember i bought it in high school with dan on one of our weekly record buying outings. those were the days when i would buy one cd that i thought i would like or had heard good things about, and buy one cd i had never heard of based solely on the album artwork. on this day i bought phantom planet because i had heard good things, and bought HIM based solely on the album artwork (obviously, i was on a hot streak..unlike the day i bought yngwie malmsteen's Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in Em, Opus 1 and
this cd for the same reasons)
it took me awhile, but it grew on me hard. by the bed is my 3rd favorite song of all time. (#2 is smile lines by incubus, and #1 is letting the cables sleep by bush) then i bought 'the guest' and everything seemed to fall into place in the world. i'm really psyched, and i know the other guys are too just based on how much phantom planet get's rocked in our big and beautiful E-350 on tour. cool.

-tom

p.s. belated merry new christmas to all

What's up, internet. Kevin, here. I know it's been a while since I last wrote an update. Sorry. I don't write often, but when I do, I write a lot. (Sorry also for that).

So yeah, I'm missing you all, internet. And I'm missing my bandmates, and past tourmates, and the road in general. That last tour was great – us and Meriwether and We the Kings and Mayday Parade and Madina Lake. Great guys, all of them. They were all our best friends by the end of the tour, and we all parted ways with more good memories than we could keep track of. What more could I ask for? And while I'm on the subject, I wanna remind you guys to keep Casey in your thoughts or prayers (or both). I have nothing but good memories of him, too. He was one of the kindest and funniest guys I ever knew. I wish you all could've known him. So – keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

But anyway. I spent the weekend at the lakehouse, just chilling (as is my wont). I cracked open Volume III of that novel I'm reading, 'In Search of Lost Time.' I made it about sixty pages in, which means that I'm now 1.5% further into the whole novel. Expect my review sometime in 2012.

Being at the lakehouse is nice 'cause my allergies practically disappear when I'm there. I hardly had to use my inhaler at all! The one and only place where my allergies are free to wreak havoc upon me is, tragically enough, my own house. All I can do to remedy the situation, I suppose, is to kill our dog and throw her body into a nearby lake. Just kidding. Her name is Sammy and she's an old lady, fifteen or so. Still very petite. German shepherd / husky mix, if you're curious. But I think instead of destroying the family dog, I'm just gonna destroy my room with the help of my dad. Get a new bed, tear out the decades-old carpet, scrub down the walls, repaint the ceiling... Hey, you know what my wallpaper is? Shingles. My wallpaper is this repeating pattern that looks like wooden shingles. Definitely from the 70's. You should see my carpet.

Oh yeah, I started watching Six Feet Under. I think it's great so far. I'm almost done with season two. Don't tell me what happens.

I was in Wal*Mart the other day. I checked out that new game, Rock Band or whatever. The drum pad was set up, so I played "Tom Sawyer" (by Rush, you should know!) on expert. Got five stars on my first try, DUH. But lemme tell you: there's these parts in the song where you're supposed to do a free-form fill, and whatever you do, it sounds terrible. And hilarious. I was playing the fills that're in the actual song, and it sounded like garbage. Maybe they gotta work out a few more kinks. Also, I played "Suffragette City" by David Bowie, and it reminded me of Alec, because Alec loves David Bowie. Sad face. Hello, Alec!

So I'm ripping my whole CD collection at 320kbps. Clearly, I've gone off the deep end. You might think that's excessive, but here's what I figured: I knew that I didn't want to leave 'em all at 192, 'cause what's 192? One step closer to 160, which is one step closer to 128, which is trash. 128 is dog shit. Don't come at me with 128. If you're ripping your CD's at 128, you need to step back and take a long, cold look at yourself. What the hell are you thinking? Do you even care about yourself anymore? I contemplated ripping everything at 256, but, you know, 256 is so close to 320, so why not?

Also, I figure: I'm gonna get an 80 gig iPod, and there's no way I'm gonna fill that with mp3's, not to mention mp3's that I'm actually gonna listen to. (I used to have 30 gigs – 30 gigs – of bootlegged Ween shows, but then I realized that I never listen to their officially-released live shows as it is, so why bother?). Maybe I'll fill the rest of my iPod with what I like to call "Funny Videos from the Internet." Like that one where the QVC guy falls off the ladder. Classic.

I finally caved and bought that CD by Brand New called 'DJ Nintendo.' If you're curious, my favorite song is "The Quiet Things that No One Ever Knows," followed closely by "Play Crack the Sky" or, I dunno, "Sic Transit Gloria ... Gloria Fades." Solid album, all the way through. Oh, and hey Bob: there's a song on here that wasn't on your iPod ("Me Vs. Maradona Vs. Elvis"). That's gonna screw with me for a long time. I get freaked every time it starts (and "Guernica" doesn't). Thanks a lot. It's kinda like when you go from listening to a greatest hits to an actual studio album. Like, to this day, every time "Subdivisions" (by Rush!) ends, I expect "New World Man" to begin, 'cause that's how it is on that 'Chronicles' compilation (which got me into Rush in the first place). But that's not how it is on 'Signals'! "The Analog Kid" comes next! What a positively troublesome phenomenon!

And how about 'In Rainbows,' people? I listened to it three times over the weekend, and I do believe that it's firmly lodged itself in second place (behind 'OK Computer' and ahead of 'Kid A' or 'Amnesiac,' take your pick). Second place! I'd have never thought! The Pitchfork review mentioned something to the effect that 'In Rainbows' is a more giving album, or more generous, or whatever. The point being that Radiohead have kinda come down to earth a little more, which I definitely hear. My favorite songs are still the weirder ones ("Weird Fishes / Arpeggi," "15 Step," "Bodysnatchers"), but even those have something much more human about them, something that we haven't seen in Radiohead for the past decade or so. I dunno. I'm freaking out about this CD. I like it more, every time I listen to it. If you don't have it, go download it for free.

I'm a little terrified about The Mars Volta's next release. 'De-Loused in the Comatorium' and 'Frances the Mute' are two of my favorite CD's, honest, but it seems that the noise-to-actual-music ratio is always increasing in Camp TMV. I had to turn off 'Amputechture' halfway through 'cause of that. Couldn't even give it a fair chance. I suspect that this next release may end up being a triple disc of Omar screwing around with his guitar pedals. But we'll see. Oh, TMV, can't you just release 'De-Loused, Part II'?

I bought the new Coheed and Cambria CD, 'No World for Tomorrow.' I've only listened to it once, but I watched the 'making of' documentary that came with it, which was cool. Claudio is such a nerd, which is probably why I dig C&C so much. I feel like playing Magic: The Gathering whenever I listen to C&C. Actually, I feel like playing Magic: The Gathering all the time. I just figure that no one ever has their decks with them. Maybe I'll start carrying my old decks around with me. I have a white deck and a green deck. Let me know.

Oh, and Taylor Hawkins played drums on 'No World for Tomorrow,' which is awesome. Did you know that Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl are best friends? It's true. Every morning they wake up and thank their lucky stars that they're in each other's life. Even if they had a sleepover and they're in the same room when they wake up, they still do. Wouldn't you?

I also saw 'Lechuza' by Fenix TX for $2.50, and I had to get it. My older sister used to play it all the time back in high school, and I sincerely love at least 5 tracks on it (1, 2, 3, 5, and 7, if you're curious). Did you know that the second track, "Katie W.," is about weed? I learned that recently. I was kinda bummed when I learned that, 'cause it was such a pretty song otherwise. But then again, Paul McCartney wrote "Got to Get You Into My Life" about weed, too. Same with Elton John and "Candle in the Wind."

And lastly, I bought that "new" Pink Floyd CD, 'London 1966/1967.' I bought it mainly because I'm a completist. Actually, that's the only reason. It probably sucks, and I don't really like early Pink Floyd jams anyway – and on top of that, there's not a Gilmour to be found (he didn't join 'til after 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'), and he's always been my favorite member. So boo. But still, it looks really nice alongside my other seven million Pink Floyd CD's. (Also, an interesting note. My Pink Floyd CD's are arranged chronologically. Of the first half, ten are official studio albums. Of the second half, only three are. Kind of a shame. Nine albums in ten years, and then only four albums in the next thirty years).

Anyway. Sorry to ramble. This is apparently the stuff that concerns me the most when I'm on break. I hope you're all doing well, staying safe, getting your homework done and all that. And I hope all of your holiday seasons have been and will continue to be full of laughter and merriment. And shitloads of mirth. And snowball fights just after school, and discussing the packability of snow with your friends (and, of course, making impossibly huge snowballs with your friends when the packing's good), and abrupt temperature changes as you walk inside and take off your big furry coat and sit down to a cup of hot chocolate, and keen observations about your neighbors' holiday decorations (either "you can tell they just threw those blankets of lights on top of their bushes" or "I think these people went just a little bit overboard"), and TBS playing 'The Christmas Story' over and over again for a full 24 hours, and not really knowing what to get someone but realizing after a full hour of freaking out at the mall that a $25 gift card to Best Buy will get you out of pretty much any pickle, and never being too old for that familiar flutter of joy you feel in your heart when a classmate says "Look, it's snowing!"

Happy holidays!

(P.S. Thanks so much for voting for us over at MTVU! We owe you big time!).

weather: cold
reading: nirvana interviews
hearing: sullivan
eating: chipotle
drinking: water
location: baltimore, md

so yesterday we were listening to sullivan in the van, and kevin was talking about how he thinks 'cover your eyes' is his favorite album of any band we've toured with. then today we find out they broke up. i think that's a damn shame. they have a great album, energetic live show, and are great guys. and personally i think their music is much better and much more honest than alot of the bullshit that is getting the recognition those guys deserved. rip sullivan. good luck with everything.

do yourself a favor and buy this while you still can:


-tom

weather: regular
hearing: blood brothers over car speakers, kenna - man fading in headphones
eating: granola bar, lemonheads
drinking: starbucks
watching: lost

got stuck in hollywood for 3 days due to san diego apparantly being on fire (we dont watch the news - did they ever put that out? is everyone ok?) and days off. approximately three things happened during these three days:

1 - we started watching Lost, season one. terrible (awesome) decision. everyone is addicted and i feel like im losing my mind.

locke. is. so. tight.

2 - bob, alec, alec's bro, ate some sushi at some place, as they filmed the real world in the adjacent booth. so apparantly the next real world is in hollywood. they prolly wont use the footage cuz i kept staring at the camera.


3- started every day by going to starbucks, then to amoeba music. spent alot of money on music. i like liner notes. and having physical copies of stuff. but i also downloaded some music. here's what ive been digging.

chicane - somersault

only a couple good tracks besides Stoned in Love. still nice to jam all the way through if your in a techno mood. dropped about $25 for the import of this, figured i owed 'em.

kenna - new sacred cow

pretty tight, luis handshake turned me on to the new album, but i heard the first one was better so i got it...and i think their about the same.

i need to be elected, perfected
needs beyond the blue
feel the satisfaction
i want to be a light source
a blaring night force
i havnt felt the same
since i arrived i haven't slept a wink

cobra starship - viva la cobra

been hearing this alot in the car. starting to really dig a bunch of the songs. listening on my studio headphones and the production is really tight. really like pleasure ryland. plus, you can't deny how sweet that album cover is. g.a.b.e is coming for you.


been working an all sorts of new material. trying to get into the studio over xmas. lookout for that


in texas again,
tom

My favorite song of all time is "Letting the Cables Sleep" by Bush. Track 11 off of the album, The Science of Things.

I love this song because it captures a really sad, but really calming mood. All the elements of the song work together in a really unique way, especially for a kindof sad love song. The beautiful vocal melody, gentle guitar work, piano, strings and soft drums are all contrasted against this random distorted noisy atonal guitar noises on the right channel. At 0:53 there are these beeps that continue in different spots throughout the song like some sort of s.o.s. signal. I like how the one note works against the changing chords. i also like how sometimes the tremolo guitar on the left side sometimes distorts the speakers on whatever im listening to the song on.

at 3:37 the main guitar plays a wrong note that kills me. it's almost as if gavin was playing with so much emotion that it didn't even matter to anyone that he hit a wrong note. it kindof completes the mood of the song, like the lyrics "whatever you do, it's all good." gavin really sings it like he means it. he sounds like a person about to just give up.

my absolute favorite part of the song is at 1:52, everything fades out besides the drums and this faint echo of something in the background. gavin comes in with "you were in the sea, on a decline, breaking the waves. watching the lights go down, letting the cables sleep." then everything else comes back in. i like this part because gavins voice is really haunting, and i have about a billion different interpretations for what the lyrics could mean.

anyways, i've listened to this song about a thousand times and it gives me the same feeling every time. on one particularly shitty day in high school i listened to this song on repeat for literally 6 hours straight. i always get the chills at different parts. sometimes when this guitar noise comes out of nowhere at 3:17, sometimes at 1:52. sometimes at 2:46 when gavin completes the chorus.

"silence is not the way, we need to talk about it
if heaven is on the way, we'll wrap the world around it."

-tom


Post your favorite song below. Please only mention one song.

weather: raining all the time
hearing: farewell playing
eating: chipotle
drinking: red bull
location: cleveland
listening to: hanson - the walk, assassins, the format

first of all, both the bands that we are on tour with had their debut albums come out yesterday. everyone should immediately go to best buy and pick up:

Farewell - Isn't This Supposted to Be Fun?
The Secret Handshake - One Full Year

both are awesome. trust me.

last night we stayed at Kevin's parent's house in Ohio, or as we like to call it "camp insan-o." I like staying at Kevin's house cuz i get to sleep in the room with the lime green carpet by myself. staying in a room by yourself is probably the rarest of all occurences on tour. this morning we went to a used record store and mulled around with Kevin's dad, then went to best by to check out the FBR end cap feature thing which is tight. one of the best buy employees stopped us on the way out to sign her copy of the cd which was neat.

in other news, I thrashed my leg on a 4 wheeler atv at powerspace and farewell's 2-day new york camp out at our friend tom's place. looks pretty gnarly. kinda hurts. alot.

also, we're on Facebook. search for Powerspace or Powerspace Fueled By Ramen. add us, poke us, u know the drill.


-tom

Starting right now, I am going to feature a relatively unknown band each month that I think deserves more attention than they are getting. There's alot of bands out there besides us and Cute is What We Aim For, you know? To start things off right, I'm going to feature TWO small bands that I think are going to blow up, and that I think you should all check out:

( Read more... )

Stay tuned for next months unknown band of the month!

-Tom

after the show tonight in poughkeepsie we caught the encore (which was like 45 minutes long) of hanson next door. if you have ears i suggest you go check out hanson live. awesome.

-tom

I heard them say that dreams should stay in your head
Well I feel ashamed of the things that Ive said
Put on these chains and you can live a free life
Well Id rather bleed just to know why I die

also, if i was a girl taylor hanson would be #1 on my list

weather: southern
reading: the internet
eating: cliff bar
drinking: red bull
location: south carolina
listening to: p!atd, the velvet teen, squarepusher, blaqk audio, dark wave disco mixtape

the kaddisdrive, the saddest drive, kaddisfly, the raddest guy, the shamest drive. these are the only words weve been using in conversation for the last 8 hours.

i dont think we're allowed back to tampa ever. we had to leave by 5:30am to get to the show tonight, didn't fall asleep til about 5 so...we're late as hell. luckily bob did the drive of shame and triumphed for about 8 hours straight so the rest of us got to take a desperately needed nap.

last night was supposed to be a day off. instead we got invited to play the biggest fratstraveganza of the year at USF courtesy of sigma chi. the brothers were all really pumped to have us playing in their backyard and spent all day building a giant stage out of plywood and aquiring lights and sound equipment. the result was definately very...different...from any other show we've played on tour. we decided at the last minute to play some covers, we also decided not to practice them at all. so everyone at the party got treated to first-time-ever-attempting-to-figure-out-these-songs versions of kelly clarkson, bon jovi, fall out boy, rja, ect. pretty nuts. still not sure how we made it through any of those songs. um. eventually the show raged to the point where there were about 30 people onstage...jumping. which was scary. i was standing literally right on the edge because it was so crowded. at some point all the new pledges to the frat, in matching t-shirts, formed a circle pit. so we treated them to the rarest of all powerspace songs, "Nightmare, Wah!" which features dan on lead throat, alec on bass, and no less then 10 breakdowns. they asked us to play a second set at about 1:30am, so i kindof just played the national anthem on guitar, then i think we played right on and bon jovi, again...

we stayed at our buddies from fbr's apartment, and we are all currently wearing their clothes since most of ours were destroyed in a 3am pool party. for example, i appear to be wearing some sort of XL cobra starship hoodie. ill give it back when i get my sleeping bag back.

cant wait to get back in the comfortable arms of the secret handshake and farewell. last night was awesome, but i dont think i could handle that every night. goodness.

fbr's merch department is full of sinners.

:)
tom

what's up my beloved powerspace listeners. it's dan. right now i'm glad to be chilling at home for about a day and a half and enjoying coffee that i made myself. thusfar, the road madness tour has been nothing short of amazing. it was awesome to reunite with our good buddies in just surrender, and we're also having an awesome time getting to know sullivan and just surrender. FRIENDSHIP!!!! thanks so much to everyone who has come out to shows and shown their support. for your information, we are not a band that buys into the 'you can't wear the shirt of the band you're going to see' stigma. so rock those powerspace shirts if you got em!

make sure you check our myspace for our new tour dates with the secret handshake and farewell on the yoyoyoyoyoyoyoyo tour. thanks to luis handshake for the genius tour name. we're really looking forward to this because not only do we love both bands, but it's our first coheadlining run! so if you like this band, make sure you come out to one of the shows. it would mean a lot to us.


anyway, that''s it for now. do me a favor and love someone today. give a hug. make a new friend.

love you all

daniel