July 9, 2009

War Machine's 2009 Summer 5

I just got 95% of the way through this post only to accidentally lose it, so I'm going to begrudgingly try it again. It's going to be shorter this time, though.

Apologies for not embedding the video. Keep up the good work, those that do, it makes it so much easier to decide for myself when I can just click a button and listen. I'd do it too, but I don't know how. Links will have to suffice. [Update: videos added]

"Sleepyhead" - Passion Pit

Passion Pit is on every one's list this summer, so no new ground here. But this song is a standard deviation better than every other song on the album, and there are some other great ones. Video rocks too.

Here's a thought. Most of us have heard the story where Michael Angelakos, who was not in any band at the time, made a Valentines Day CD of six songs for his college girlfriend. (Not a shitty mixtape, mind you, his songs.) The songs got passed around campus, picked up locally, they turned it into an EP and formed a band and turned the EP into an album and here we are. Sleepyhead, as I understand it, was on that first CD. Here's my question, did that song on the CD sound like the song as I hear it on "Manners?" Because if it did...holy shit! Can you imagine being that girl? Or even, being the dorm room roommate of that girl? I suspect, on that particular Valentines Day, there wasn't a whole lot of sleepy, but a hell of a lot of...well you get it.

I'm just saying she owed him. Big time.



"Nothing to Worry About" - Peter, Bjorn and John

This song is a little long in the tooth but I just discovered it. It makes me want to dance until my ass falls off...or until two minutes and 58 seconds are over. Whichever comes first.

I've got to get me to Sweden at some point. There's too much coming out of there right now that I love...except for the IKEA tool. I hate the IKEA tool.



"Arlington. The Rap."

You don't really have to have lived in Arlington, VA to understand this. It makes it funnier, but it's not required. Could have just as easily been Annaheim or Schaumburg. Except for the Green Line joke.

I can't believe I lived there for 5 years. Sigh.



"Gifted" - N.A.S.A. (Featuring Kanye West, Santogold and Lykke Li)

Look at that lineup. Do I have to even explain why the song is awesome? The best part is, it is awesome, as opposed to, say, "The Best of Both Worlds."Decidedly not awesome.



"My Girls" - Animal Collective

This is as catchy an Animal Collective song as I am aware of. And I love catchy. The album is pretty great too. Very accessible, which means I can like it. Close runner-up is the Camera Obscura song French Navy, another great song off an album I'm loving.

9 Comments:

awmercy said...

Little did they know when they made the Arlington video that there actually would be a shooting at the Apple Store, just across the street from the Whole Foods.

Brasilliant said...

I seem to remember though in Arlington, you weren't so worried about condo fees as roommate fleas. You've come a long way since Arlington, Kurtis.

awmercy said...

How do you think "Sleepyhead" compares to 69 Love Songs in terms of required smooching?

According to Beulah, "I heard he wrote you a song, but so what? / Some guy wrote 69, and one just ain't enough."

But, they might not have taken into account if that song is fucking awesome.

War Machine said...

The difference is that the guy from what is now Passion Pit wasn't at all an established artist. Just a guy and his computer or whatever he used. I don't think he did it on Garage Band.

Nightrain said...

This is a really good list.

Mona said...

Puffed Kashi, hahah.

Wow, my sister lived in that neighborhood for years, I visited her all the time. I've been to that Cheesecake Factory and Whole Foods. She lived in a high-rise right by the Potbelly's and Chevy's Tex Mex and some really cool bar/restaurant called Whitlow's on Wilson? Pool tables and good chix fingers. Does this ring a bell to anyone!?

I miss D.C. now, haha.

awmercy said...

Uh, Arlington is not DC. That's like saying Long Island is NYC. Close, but very different.

Mona said...

Awmercy, why are you such a punk? You know what I meant. My cousins live in Bethesda and I still tell people I'm going to "D.C." to visit family. I call that entire area DC. Maryland, VA, downtown DC.

Mona said...

Hey, Arlington VA made this list for best places to meet the "rich and single" haha: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/moneymag/0906/gallery.bplive_richsingles.moneymag/2.html