MCR Blog

The world is officially okay, even though the Beatles broke up and Joe Strummer and Sid Vicious died. Why, you may ask, am I so optimistic, for once? My Chemical Romance has a blog! I kid you not. Here is the link: http://www.mychemicalromance.com/ I hope it actually works as a link, since stuff tends to not like working for me, tech wise. Anyway, this has got to be the most enlightening blog of my life, aside from GFY. Here's the link for that one as well, for your own enjoyment: http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/
It's about fashion, but is unimportant compared to this MCR blog. The mysteries of the universe are explained in this blog, such as Bob's obsession with Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, which is amazing, and what ray likes to do on the weekend (sleep, play video games, not leaving the house, shower/ shave). Anyway, check it out. Everyone, even Mikey the loser, posts on in regularly. Of course, Gerard and Frank have the best comments, since they are coolest, but Ray is just behind them. So read the blog. It is awesome and will be life-changing. I promise you that much.

Rise Against

With the iTunes money kindly bestowed to me, I went out and bought Rise Against. Who is Rise Against? Only the most hardcore punk band ever. Like, they are apparently banned in some southern and midwest states. How much more cool can you get? I'm sort of sad I didn't discover them earlier/ go to their concert. I heard it rocked. Anyway, Collapse is a great song, as is Roadside. if you like fast, angry music, listen to them. If not, don't. They sort of remind me of DKm and Flogging Molly, with the heavy guitar and fast music. I really like them. In all their albums, they include books to be read and movies to see in order to understand them. The phrase "when injustice becomes law, rebellion becomes duty" really fits them. There's nothing much more to use to describe them, except they are totally boss and I could sort of see their stuff in a movie about an underground group in, like, communist Russia, with Viggo Mortensen as the leader and maybe Adrian Brody or Daniel craig as second in command and Marc Warren just randomly thrown in for good measure. That would be a great movie that I would totally see... Just a hint, Peter Jackson/ Martin Scorsese/other cool, award winning director. Just a thought.

U2's New Album

U2 is coming out with a new album, the first one in five years. According to Wikipedia, that's the longest wait between albums for them. Anyway, I'm psyched. It's called No Line on the Horizon and they claim it to be different from everything else they've done, which they say each time. Still, U2 is always excellent, like the Beatles or Stones. Seriously, can you ever go wrong with U2? I challenge somebody to name one bad song by them. Well, they have, like, 50-60 songs, but the album is going to only have 15 or so. Perhaps more albums in the future? Anyway, the thing is due out on March 3rd in the US, but February 27 in Ireland. That is a pity, but my parents won't let me go to Ireland for the release. We shall just stay here and wait. Also, they will be going on world tour, with a stop in the Bay Area. I've got to start saving up, since the cheap seats will probably be way more than I have. I still can't wait.

iPod

As many of you probably know, my iPod broke in November, much to my despair. However, for Hannakah (I'm half reform Jew, half liberal Protestant, which I guess makes me atheist) my parents got my one of those new nanos, in silver. Never before have I been so overjoyed at an 8 gig piece of metal. Thing was, with my old iPod, there was only two gig, so I couldn't even fit ten or so albums. Now, all the bands I like can go on my iPod, plus some artists I'm not so huge on, like Lily Allen. Sorry, Amy. I just don't get her, but would love to go to her concert with you, just because it's a concert and I love concerts. Speaking of which, I'm in Italy when DKM is playing San Francisco, which sort of sucks, because I've wanted to see them live. Oh well. I'll just get Tuna or Noelle to go for me. Or watch clips on Youtube. Or their music video, which includes a clip of them preforming at a steelworker strike in Dublin, which is on my brand new iPod!

Christian Rock

Remember how I said I like all types of rock, except for pop? Well, I've changed my mind. Christian rock is a horrible, vile thing. A few weeks ago, since it was free, I downloaded this 33 Miles song. I didn't really listen to it, until yesterday and oh my God, it is horrible. It's got all these really un-obscure references to Jesus and how gay marraige is sinful and all that. But that's not even the best part. The cover is of the three of them and they are all so wholesome looking. Like, I hate wholesome guys. I don't get why people like wholesome guys. Give me Steve reynolds, in all his hungry, slightly drugged-looking glory over this band. The only cool one is the one on the far right, with the dark hair and brown pants. he looks nice. but the other two are creepy. And I think their anti-gay messages are really saying something about what they like, if you get my meaning. But listen to 33 Miles, just to mock them with me.

Fencing Playlist Explained

The infamous fencing playlist may seem, to an outsider, odd, but there is reason for all the choices, from Flobots to Flogging Molly, and everything in between. The first couple tracks, Vertigo, the Clash, they are for that raw excitement before the competition or practice or whatever, all that nervous energy, working itself into mass for power the mind, body, and soul. Next are the songs for the actual fencing, strong beats, mimicking the beat in your head as you attack and retreat, and racing lyrics, for racing thoughts. Flogging Molly to My Chem is devoted for the after-bout or practice feeling, that sense of euphoria, but sadness, because you never do as well as you would like. And finally, the last two tracks. These tracks are for after, when you go home and think about the day, and if you did well or horribly, but either way, you don't ever want to stop, because it will last forever and is the best.

Fencing Playlist

Yep. For Amy, I'm making a playlist of songs devoted to fencing. Here it goes:
1. Vertigo-U2
2. Should I Stay or Should I Go?-Clash
3. Great DJ- Ting Tings
4. Handlebars-Flobots
5. We Will Rock You-Queen
6. Drunken Lullabies-Flogging Molly
7. Misery-Green Day
8. I'm Not Okay-My Chemical Romance
9. Forever-Dropkick Murphys
10. Save Your Best-Steve Reynolds
Next will be an explanation!

Names

I have officially named both my Walden and my Strat. For all you non-musicl people, a Strat is an electirc guitar. George Harrison had one. My Strat is named Mikhail, my Walden, the acoustic one, Dimitri. It's perfectly normal for a musician to name their guitar. Girls name theirs after dudes, dudes girls. Works out perfectly. Billie Joe named his Gibson Blue, which I think is really cool and kinda cute, in a weird way. George Harrison, the cutest beatle, named his Rocky, like the boxer. So I was wrong about dudes naming their guitars after girls. But girls do name their guitars after boys. In Juno, one of the few films with an accurate potrayal of music, her guitar is named after FDR. Girls are, as shown above, more regular than guys. My dream guy, Oleg, the Russian spy who fences, plays chess, and is a musician, will name is guitar Katya, after me. Hey, I can dream, right?

Workout Music

I don't get workout music. First off, why random, bouncy bubblegum music or rap? Maybe some people find it nice to be jolted off of their stationary bike, but I like something nice and smooth to run or row or Stairmaster to, not that I don't normally fall off of the machine. More on that later. So I listen to my favorite type of music, rock. Dropkick Murphys, Sex Pistols, The Who, Green Day, etc. Except now my iPod broke, which totally sucks, and I can no longer listen to my beloved workout music. So I just steal Amy's iPod. While her stuff isn't great, it's better than nothing. At least she has the Sex pistols, or else I would be miserable.

Movies Involving Music

I'm sure you've all seen that movie with some musician and the girl he falls in love with. Yes, it always is a male musician, which is just a bit sexist, because girls can play guitar and sing too. Also, there are never same-sex couples in those romantic chick-flicks, but my rant about sexual orientation and the music industry will come later. Anyway, back to the point. I love Music and Lyrics just as much as any other 12-35 year-old female, but it just bugs me how the 80's pop band member suddenly became an amazing song writer and the girl about ten years younger falls in love with him, like that would ever happen. I haven't seen Once, but I think it is a little more realistic, since it was pretty much homemade and is about a busker. Buskers are amazing and are not beggars, so you should actually pay them. And then there is Cadillac Records, the story of Leonard Chess and Chuck Berry and everyone else. I saw an ad for it in the Times today and all I can say is Adrian Brody always looks really hungry and pale and skinny and sad and I'd really like to take him home and feed him. So that's it. Sorry I didn't actually talk about anything.

Christmas Music

I've been listening to Christmas music in the car for the past three days, thanks to my mother, and know I never want to hear the stuff, but it's not even December yet. The worst is Wolf, this horrible country Christmas station. If I hear Faith Hill and Josh Groban on First Noel one more time, I will stab somebody with my flash drive. It's a truly painful sort of experience, torture I wouldn't inflict on anyone, except maybe our vice president. Some stuff isn't bad. Oldies and rock Christmas music. Don't cringe in horror. Surprisingly, Bing Crosby and Judy Garland have really good voices for those horribly romantic Christmas ballads and nothing can compare to Dave Matthews or John Lennon singing about Yuletide. Even so, I really don't want to hear Deck the Halls again. It would probably make me ill. So spare me and let me listen to my good old rock music.

How To Listen to Music

Most people do not how to listen to music at all. They try to look cool why blowing out their ear drums. So I've come up with some fool-proof steps for listening to music. 1. Listen to something you actually enjoy. What's the fun if you hate the song? It's a waste of time. 2. Listen with good headphones or speakers. I hate it when my stuff sounds grainy and I'm pretty sure everyone else does as well. Good stuff is like listening in HD. Headphones tend to be a little clearer than speakers, just as a note. 3. Don't be afraid of looking like a fool. Tap your feet, dance, rock out. It's your music, so do what you want when listening. That's one of the best ways to enjoy music. 4. Learn to play something by a band you like on an instrument. It's really cool to be able to play along, trust me. Follow my four steps and watch your life be changed.

Guitar Lessons

For a couple weeks, I've been taking guitar lessons. They've been fun, I guess. So far, I can play some chord progressions, U2, and Time of Your Life. Pretty basic, I know, but enjoyable. Right now, I have two guitars, an acoustic and an electric. The electric is a Fender Strat, one of the best types of electric, and the acoustic is a concert-sized Walden. It smells really good. But anyway, learning is totally fun. Sure, I can't read anything but tab, but that's okay with me. Like 99% of guitarists are musically illiterate, so it's not that big a deal, except to my mom. But playing is a ton of fun. I'm not one of those people who learns a chord or two in order to impress their friends. I love music and want to be able to make some of my own. I'm a guitarist who is pure at heart, a breed slowly, but surely becoming extinct.

iTunes Free Single

In order to appease the masses of teenaged fan girls, wanna be rap artists, and bored kids like myself, iTunes releases free singles every week. And most of the time, they suck. Week in, week out, horrible, whiny pop stars or bands trying to pass as cool and indie, when really they are just another Vampire Weekend or Cold War Kids, who I, by the way, despise, in spite of their name. The only ood part of the free singles is the Discovery Download. Discovery Download tends to be soft rock or jazz or classical, something new and or different. Thanks to Discovery Download, I discovered Steve Reynolds, The Yelling, and other amazing bands nobody else has ever heard of. Sometimes these bands become popular, but more often than not, Discovery Downloads remain in obscurity. Just how I like them.

Playlist

I used to make playlists of artists and give them cool, creative names. That's where all the titles of my earlier posts came from, at least. Now, I've matured. My playlists will be great mixtures of some amazing songs. If you couldnt tell, I actually haven't made any playlists. So give me suggestions. So far, I've got a few ideas, mostly based off of Genius playlists I've gotten courtesy of iTunes. You, know, mixing that My chem song with Steve Reynolds with U2 with the Stones. They will be unpreditcable, yet tied together in a new, fun way. Mainly by themes, I believe. Songs actually have good themes, if you bother to listen closely. Especially indie/Irish songs. Cool stuff happens in unexpected places. Listen to a song closely. It will change your life.

Danny Ellis

if you know me, I have a crazy thing for Irish singers. And one of them is Danny Ellis. To make a long story short, he's this guy in his fifties who grew up in this crazy orphanage ran by insane monks and he learned to sing and play the trumpet or something. Anyway, his album, 800 Voices, is amazing. The songs pretty much tell the stoy of his childhood. I'm not an emotional person, but a couple of them are pretty sad and harsh. Most of the songs are pretty cool, but my favorite would have to be Bold Christians Brothers or Tommy Boner. Buy those two songs if you have any money left on iTunes. And go online to read the stories of the songs. They can be pretty funny, as any all boys' orphanage stories are, but pretty sad as well. But that's all I'm going to say. If you want to know more, listen to it yourself.

Acoustic Rock

I have a new love. It is acoustic rock. Before you go wondering if such a thing exists, you have to understand I love any rock, except for pop rock. That stuff is just nasty. Sorry to all you fan-pires out there, that includes your nasty R-Patts. He sucks worse of all. But that's not the point of this post. Acoustic rock. Standard guitar rock, except acoustic. Mostly it's just bands unplugged or new inide bands or acoustic covers of songs. There have been some good beatles covers and Steve Reynolds has made an apperance. Check out the station on iTunes radio, sub-category Alternative. The station is called, no surpirse, Acoustic alternative. Check it out and tell me what you think!

Flogging Molly Concert

On October 19th, I lost my concert virginity. I went to the Flogging Molly concert at the Fillmore and had the time of my life. So, we got there around 7:30, bought shirts, and got down on the floor. The first band to open was the 22 Jacks, who I actually liked, but the second band sucked. Like, I could sing better than their lead singer, which is saying a lot, seeing as I'm tone deaf. And we had to wait forever for Flogging Molly to come on. So, they began playing Baba O'Riley and then this huge Flogging Molly poster came down and the band ran on and it was awesome. I was right in the front and began screaming and jumping up and down. My dad made us leave at 10:30, so we didn't get to hear very much. But it was an amazing concert. The one thing that bugged me was how drunk some of the people were. There was this guy right behind us who was so drunk I could smell the beer on him and he kept yelling stufff out. And the amount of swearing. Every time Dave King or the other bads took the microphone, they swore. A lot. It must be an Irish thing. But still, it was awesome, screaming along to my favorite songs, jumping up and down, and making a fool of myself with dozens of other people.

Miley Cyrus

Whoever decided Miley Cyrus was talented needs to be whacked with a stick. That girl is the most untaletned, un-unique (is that a word?) singer out there. And that's saying a lot, considering all those boy-bands out there. Miley Cyrus is an evil parasite, mind-wiping thousands of young girls across the nation. The only reason this done-deaf darth Vader got signed on was because her father, Billy Ray Cirus, was once some hot-shot county star eons ago. Thanks to Miley Cyrus, a whole generation of youth will have no understanding of truly good music, country or otherwise. Save our children. Let proper indie bands live. Stop listening to Miley Cyrus. It's our duty.

The Jonas Brothers

God's greatest mistake was making the Jonas Brothers. There is nothing worse in this world, aside from several politicians who shall go un-named. Why do pre and regualr teens think they are hot? Several of my friends, whom are generally quite smart, go crazy over those fake preps. I hate bubble-gum. Most of the fans of the Jonas Brothers, or Jo-Bros as they are called, probably think I'm talking about the candy. No! Bubble-gum is the most horrible pop ever invented, worse than Brittney. I thouhgt I'd never say that. The Backstreet Boys are back. Kill me now.

Russian Rock

Tonight, while listening to the radio off of my computer, I stumbled upon the most glorious thing ever: Russian rock. It's pretty much the weirdest stuff in the world. Imagine some syrupy pop ballad mixed with electronic. Or a guy snarling something nasty. So far, I can recognize two words, nya and ndak, both of which translate to mean roughtly the same thing. the translation is not going to be posted, because I don't want some former Soviet killing me. Listen to Russian rock. Even though it sucks and is un-understandable, I love it. Listen to the weird snarling guy. He's amde my day, or night, since it's after dinner. Whatever.

Genius

Unless you've been living under a rock for about the past week, you know what Genius is. Genius has saved my life. So, pretty much my computer died and I lost all my music and I'm too lazy to re-download most of it from CDs or steal it from my sister's computer, so I've started making Genius playlists. Pretty much, I've got a perfect medly of every song I love. It's win-win. And you can delete them if they suck. What more can I ask for?

Fun Stuff I Want To Talk About

I've finally finished talking about all the bands I think people should listen to. On to the fun stuff. As a nice preview, I'm going to tell you what some of my next blog topics will be about. They will be anything, from Genius, to the Jonas Brothers, to Frerard, to everything in between. Get ready for this.

The Who, The Founder Of The Rock Opera

Rock operas are rare and beautiful things. It is only fitting we tribute the band which came up with such an idea. And no, Sergent Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club band was not the first rock opera. It's just an nicely put together album. The first real rock opera is Tommy, by your's truly, the Who. If you don't know, Tommy's the story of this guy who becomes deaf, dumb, and blind and is this pinball playing genius. Listen to it. Do not whine. Spend that $11.99 and buy the stupid album! Baba O'Riley, aka Teenage Wasteland, is another great song by the who. All the covers, suck. Do not listen to the covers. My Generation is another good song. Are they good? Who knows?

U2, The Greatest Band Ever, King Of All Other Bands.

One band shall rule them all, one band shall find them, one band shall bring them all and in the lightness bind them. U2 is the one and only band everybody on this glorious earth should listen to. Bono. Edge. Adam Clayton. Larry Mullen Jr. What is the one thing they all have in common? That's right. They are all members of U2. Irish people are even better than British people, come to think of it. U2's best album, in my opinion, is War. It's got their best songs: Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day, and Fire. Three songs all about politics and the complete suckiness of the world. Love it. The rest of their stuff, be it bittersweet love songs or hyperactive iTunes commercials, is always great. Listen to the most beautiful, unpredictable band ever, and make this world a better place.

Steve Reynolds. Possibly The Best Stuff To Sleep To.

I said I would talk about Steve Reynolds, so this is it. Steve Reynolds is Canadian, which automatically makes him cool. I'm sorry all you Americans, but people from Canadia are awesome, almost as cool as Brits.
Now that my mini rant is over, I shall continue. Steve Reynolds does not sing. He croons. Wow. I never thought I'd say croon to describe a guy's voice, but whatever. So, Steve Reynolds croons these amazingly pretty songs, which are also very good to sleep to. Save Your Best or Stage fright are the ones that work the best for me. After listening to those two, I get my normal seven hours a night. Never listen to Steve Reynolds in the car when drowsy, if driving. a traffic accident will be caused and you will be blamed.

The Smiths. Long Live British Punk Rock!

In Wellness, we heard mellow is bad and makes kids kill themselves. My class has never heard The Smiths. Meet the most mellow, laid back band, ever. Before I discovered Steve Reynolds (more on him later), I'd listen to The Smiths to fall asleep. How Soon Is Now puts me out like nothing else. The Smiths are very good at that. The vast majority of their songs are very relaxing. A must to try is Girlfriend in a Coma. Well, that sounds kinda horrible, actually, but it really is a great song, all about this guy who's girlfriend is in a coma, and he's not sure if he wants her to live or die. Hey, it's mellow British punk, and therefore a thing of beauty.

Sex Pistols, Closest Thing In This World To A Proper Rebellion.

I'm a teenager. I like loud, angry music. The Sex Pistols pretty much started punk as we know it. A British publicity stunt is what we have to thank for the vast majority of good bands. So what if their bassist was a druggie who killed his girlfriend and then O.D.'ed? And so what if they can't play or sing? An entire genre out musician was inspired. Without the Sex Pistols, we wouldn't have any change. We'd all be listening to Soulja Boy do whatever he does. Only rap. That is horrible. God shouldn't save the queen. he should save the Sex Pistols.

Rolling Stones. One Phrase. Mick Jagger's Jeans.

I'd like the Rolling Stones way more if my parents hadn't forced me to that horrible Shine A Light movie. It was my first exposure to the Stones and it disturbed me. Mick Jagger wore jeans tighter than my skinnies, and he's ancient. Also, I'm a die-hard Beatles fan, even after the fiasco of Across the Universe. They do have a few good songs, like Jumping Jack Flash, Factory Girl, and Highwire, as well as the classics Satisfaction and You Can't Always Get What You Want. And of course, everyone loves Brits, so even the most horrible Stones song is way better than anything American.

Random Crap Which Doesn't Fall Under Anything

Music is a varied thing. There is some that can't fit into any category. Or, if you're like me, it fits, but you just don't have enough songs by a specific artist to make them into a playlist. This is a tribute to all those great, completely random songs. My random playlist is mostly made up of free iTunes singles and artists who only have one song I like. I like having my playlists. It keeps things organized. Random playlists are especially fun. Try shuffling them. I can go from Queen, to the Wombats, to the Dixie Chicks, to Paper Planes. Great songs, in a great order. Throw some of your songs into a random playlist. It can be really fun.

Nirvana, A Pretty Nice Punk Group

For once, there's not much to say. Nirvana's famous. I'm pretty sure everyone who actually understands music has heard of them, but I'm not sure. Anyway, they founded the whole Seattle grunge thing. the next time you see a garage band with long hair, just remember them. It Smells Like Teen Spirit is an okay song, but that's about all I know. and Kurt Cobain had the most beautiful voice. Why did he kill himself? Why?

My Chemical Romance, A Beautiful And Talented Band. Long Live Frerard!

I do not listen to poser bands. I listen to My Chemical Romance. Therefore, My Chemical Romance is not a poser band. My Chemical Romance, otherwise known as My Chem or MCR( I'll be calling them this from know on. My Chemical Romance is too long) is not your stereotypical faux emo bands. Most of their members are either recovered addicts or are on some sort of depression med. Trust me. They are the real deal. And no, you won't become a creepy emo kid from listening to their music. Why? They aren't an emo band. Why don't people get that? Instead, they are just a slightly screwed up, incredibly good, angsty alternative rock band from somewhere in New Jersey with an odd desire to write rock operas. That's all.

Green Day, Otherwise Known As The Coolest And One Of The Only Decent Bands On Earth

Don't want to be an American idiot? Listen to Green Day. Three men. Three instruments. Perfection. Billie Joe, the lead singer with his political attitudes. Mike, the only non-loser-ish bass player in the music industry. Tre, the constantly high on who knows what drummer. Yeah. It's that good. Green Day is one of my favorite bands, ever. Ever been tired of people (insert politicians) telling you what to do? Want to rebel with thousands over other dis-satisfied youth? Green Day may be the band for you. Side effects may include buying every single one of their albums, except for Nimrod, memorizing Time of Your Life, and a steady addiction to the Holiday music video. Do not take if you are a conservative Republican, have an affinity for romance, or have delicate ears.

The Gaslight Anthem, A Kick-Ass Band With Punk And Classic Rock Meshed

Bruce Springsteen is terrifying. Let me just put that out there. He's this gross old dude with strange music. Yet people love him. Explain that to me. Before you thing I'm being all hypocritical for liking Gaslight Anthem, let me explain. Sure, their major influence maybe Springsteen, but unlike him, they are young, semi-attractive men who can sing. Mix classic and modern rock and you've got Gaslight Anthem. Pretty much, they'd be the perfect band to do the soundtrack for Catcher In The Rye, which is the best book ever. If you're too lazy to buy an entire album or don't have the money to, get Here's To Looking At You Kid. Totally worth the dollar.

Flogging Molly, A Great Irish Punk Band

I think the name says all. Flogging Molly. It's a thing of beauty. You know that cool, slightly creepy Celtic music? Mix some hardcore punk in and there you have it. It's pretty much rock with bagpipes, or Riverdance with electric guitar. Anyway, I love them. And to make stuff even better, I'm going to their concert. In October. Lucky me. But they are pretty tamed, for Celtic-punk fusion. None of their songs are wild or anything. In fact, the vast majority are pretty slow, which is only slightly disappointing. I want to hear fast rock and bagpipes, not a sad electric guitar. Aside from that one little detail, they're pretty chill as bands tend to go. Worship them. Worship them!

Dropkick Murphys. A Hardcore Drunken Irish Band From Boston

Ever want to listen to a band made up of insane Red-Sox fans? Just try Dropkick Murphys. It's pretty much this awesome mix of Flogging Molly and Green Day. Celtic punk fusion with extra punk. Perfect for any insane anglophile. I only own two of their albums, The Warrior's Code and The Meanest Of Times, but I really like them. One of their awesome songs about Boston was the theme for The Departed. Yeah. Hard core, right. But then there's this other song about this dead solider which is also just as beautiful. Even if the first time you hear them, it sounds like a group of talented drunk guys being all cool and Irish, it's even better then that. They've got a lot to say, so shut up and listen to pure beauty.

The Decemberists, A Weirdly Good Indie Band

Indie is not evil. Let me just put that out there. I'm not one of those creepy kids who is all "Indie must be worshiped. Kill people who listen to normal stuff", but I'm not against it either. There is, however, one indie band everyone should try. That's right. The Decemberists. The Decemberists are this cool little band from Washington or something. I'm not actually sure. But anyway, most of their stuff is just this weird folky stuff. Crane Wife is their best album, so far. Everyone, and I mean everyone, should listen to at least one song from it. It's nice, but that's about it for them. There's not much else to say.

The Clash, A Pretty Sweet Band, For What They Are.

London is calling, the guns of Brixton firing, and should I stay or should I go? What do these three phrases have in common? Only that they are from the songs of a truly special British band. First off, who the hell names their band the Clash? I'm not sure. Secondly, why are they so cool? Again, I'm not sure. 80's pop can be a scary thing. Before you think I'm a musical traitor, I've only ever heard one pop song by them. Should I Stay Or Should I Go is seriously one of the coolest songs I've heard. Listen to it off of iTunes if you don't own it. Sure, it is pretty hardcore pop, but just the lyrics and sound make me smile. The rest of their stuff is pretty grim, especially Guns of Brixton and London Calling. One is about race riots, the latter about nuclear disasters. But, hey, I love them both.

The Beatles. The First Real Band. Ever.

John. George. Paul. Ringo. What do these four names have in common? Let's see. They are all Beatles. No, not the insect, you ignoramus. The band. The first boy band ever. And the only good one. In the history of music. Even though it sounds like they're just a bunch of whiny British bitches, it's better than that. Imagine a quartet of crooning young men from Liverpool. John is the leader, George the moody guitarist, Paul the odd bassist, and Ringo, the insane drummer. It's pretty cool. At first, every single song sounds like one of those goopy love ballads. I've listened to most of their love songs about five times each before I noticed that, yeah, it's horrible and way too happy, but each song has a slightly different twist. The best Beatles' songs are either their stoner songs or unhappy love songs. Just think Yellow Submarine, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, I Am the Walrus, Yesterday, Elanor Rigby, and Blackbird. Those are pretty good songs and should be on any playlist.

Actual Good Music People Should Listen To And Enjoy Instead Of Pseudo-Rap And Disney Pop Princesses

In this world, there is music and there is music. Most poor, uneducated souls listen to the first type. They will spend their entire lives, listening to what they think to be rap, but is really some white guy whining about how he can't get laid (Justin Timberlake). In hopes that romance exists, they drown their sorrows in pop (Jonas Brothers). Just stop. That is not real music. Seriously? In order to have an understanding of good music, one has to a) listen to oldies. I know that is painful. The 60's weren't that long ago. Cry me a river, build me a bridge, and get over it. b) listen to many types of music. Even if your thing is jazz-blues, try some punk. If emo is a passion, try opera. Don't just limit to genres. Try music from different countries as well. And c) listen with an open mind. Death Cab For Cutie may suck now, but a couple years ago, their stuff was pretty good. Don't be a music snob. Try a little of everything, even if you think you won't like it. Who knows? You actually might.