Archives : all posts by Dan

The best way to listen to Greendale is to get the 2nd-time around reissue with the black cover, which comes with a DVD of recording sessions for the album with scenes from the movie playing on the walls. It's really wonderful insight into his genius process and enriches every aspect of the songs as you watch.

Wow - the Neil Young tune is amazing. Much to my embarassment I only 'discovered' Neil Young last summer, but this is cos I don't give a shit about "amazing guitar solos", and I hate "Heart of Gold"... I had kinda been assuming that anything after "Harvest" wouldn't be to my taste, but I guess there are going to be returns-to-acousticry peppered all over. Is any of the rest of "Greendale" like this? Anything else I should seek out as a megafan of the non-rockin' bits of "Comes a time" and "AFter the Goldrush"?

Also - great words, dan. nailed it.

Thanks for the Robot Ate Me track - I've been singing "Our Bones Were Chalk" off and on the past few days while doing housework - for some reason the dogs seem to like it.

I've been following Neil's music since 1975 and Greendale is a decent set but not his best. "Bandit" is an acquired taste and an interesting piece for longtime fans to ponder, but will not convert any new fans.

Sean: you should check out "Zuma" from 1976; it changed my life and turned me into a hardcore NY fan. Other great albums are "Rust Never Sleeps", "Freedom" and "Ragged Glory".

What ?

GASP

Oh wait...

Good joke.

Heh. Good one. Had me going for a second there.

You had me going for more than a second !

heheheheh

Most of you are still in Canada, do you accept Canadian Tire Money?

Wait, what joke?

"Had me going for a minute there..."

Yeah, me too [*nervous titter*]

i'll start my own site with my own witty banter and unique commentary.

(glad to see you all at STG have FINALLY gotten a sense of humor.)

i can't believe i fell for that. now i've gone and wasted a perfectly good check.

What is today's date?

that was just hilarious. the funniest thing i've ever read. yay!

dj dan !

Leave your computer.

$2.99 per song is reasonable considering you're introducing us to stuff we would've never ever heard before. (that's my apr.1 joke back at ya)

I can't visit any site today without one of these April Fool's things.

Man I was so pissed when I first read that, then I realized what day it was.

I did an April Fool's Joke at my mp3 blog, too. I should have known that this was just a joke, but you had me going so bad that I even took you off my links list! 60 Euros a year?!? And then having to buy the music I actually like on top of that? Ouch!

i nearly cried.
ha ha ha.

Fell for it too! With all your server problems and all... I'm still an idiot though!

Who do you make the check out to?

You guys ripped that joke off from
ww.homestarrunner.com, didn't you.

I was cooking up the vindictive reply when I hit the comments button. Good thing those more perceptive than I had been here first. Excellent.

Just one factual error in an otherwise masterful joke: Europeans never use ".99" since they hate pennies (eurocents? Eurocentimes?).

There was this report that came out from the European central bank, saying how pleased they were that Euros were so quickly and universally accepted. Except the one cent pieces. And two cent pieces. And the 200, 500, and 1000 bills. No one ever used those. But otherwise!

Anyway, 59.99? That's like nine hundred dollars!

actually, europeans do use .99 cents. (i bought easter eggs last week reduced from 1.99 to .99)
and 60 euros is in fact around 100 canadian dollars.

Alright, good joke, dickhead.

Whew.

Ever since I picked up the "Skylab Love Scene" 7" because I liked the sleeve way back when, I have been waiting for its writer to fulfill the promise he made on the song "Neptune Pools". I would have sworn then that he would be the next Syd Barret. Turns out that whatever inspiration struck then has been hit-or-miss since; even the LP version of the same song wasn't the same.

Nice ditty this time around. Still not Syd, though. At least Mr. Jolly has managed not to go mad.

awesome! 'Further' is really cool. Have you ever read "Hippie" by Barry Miles? (C2004 Sterling Publishing) It is a groovy history of the counterculture movement in the Sixties and Seventies.

i concur on the jack. hearing him, that is where the IT is, isnt it? thanks.

Concerning the Daft punk wankers, just compare their (horrible) Robot Rock single with this... er... 'sample': here on a french MP3 blog.
Pathetic.

I haven't heard the new Daft Punk, but they are certainly a guilty pleasure in my household. Ask Me-Wy (my wife's name) why, and she'll tell you that you don't need to ask me why. Daft Punk is a household name in mine.

Just wanted to say I really like that belt as well.

once madison ave will hear this track, it will be in every computer store ,convention, and tv spot. did daft punk had it in mind?

i got dibs on the free mp3 playa.

mmm mmm. he promised it to me.

Man, what a way to put it. I couldn't agree with you more - the new album irks me in a way the SM has done in the past, but with much more ferocity.

i'm so confused. anyways, i like this song. between this and the one fluxblog posted i'm excited for the new album. quite a feat considering how much i dislike pig lib.

at least it is short.

Really, it's Malkmus. Attaching some sort of expectations to it based on some faux Pavementistic notions probably isn't the best idea. He's always been what he produces. And it's never been anything more or less than this album.

Impenetrable lies? Not really.
It's truth because there's no way of telling the difference at this point.

"Attaching some sort of expectations to it based on some faux Pavementistic notions probably isn't the best idea."

I agree (well, maybe not with the term, but the idea). I hope I didn't give the impression I held the contrary opinion.

"It's truth because there's no way of telling the difference at this point."

Mmm, that doesn't hold with me. There are still lies and there is still truth. Take, for example, this song, I really feel like he's talking to himself when he says "hell's not far away, so baby c'mon". but he, or some one of equal authority (Spiral?), could, with perfect validity, say that no, that's a lie. So, in fact, everything's a lie if we can't distinguish the two, thus defeating the attempt of the title of the album. Unless the title itself is ironic, in which case, he must be really frigging despressed.

"I agree (well, maybe not with the term, but the idea). I hope I didn't give the impression I held the contrary opinion."

Yeah, I'm referring more to some of the negative backlash I've already seen leveled against it by others. Most people still seem to be riding on the wave that he's expected to change their lives like he did in 94' or else he's a failure. I don't like the term either, but it's been something he's been plagued with since launching a solo career.

"So, in fact, everything's a lie if we can't distinguish the two, thus defeating the attempt of the title of the album. Unless the title itself is ironic, in which case, he must be really frigging despressed."

See, I'm not so sure. While conventionally that's true, I'm not sure that's the response it's aiming for. He's never fused more than an ounce at a time of personability into his songs (and even when he does how can we be sure he's referring to himself.) So coming from an album formerly titled Hamburger Serenade, maybe we're the ones that are supposed to face the truth that he's never been or in fact been interested in being what we've made him out to be. Like you said in the entry, he, more than anyone, seems to be mystified by his stardom. And yeah, maybe it is a little depressing.

Fact or fiction, the album's a pretty nice listen.

I'm looking at the post in Netscape, and the paragraphy starting "Boy" is all crossed out. Don't know how to fix it though...

PENCIL ROT ROXXXXXX!!!!

p.s. He's clever, but I think dude just likes music. Of course there are musical allusions to Rod Stewart embedded so take that as you will.

I still think he sounds happier on this record than he ever has, even if it's bullshit. All throughout the album, he looks at puzzling life situations and tries to accept the bright side of things. The truth, as he sees it, sounds like it is just him finding some form of acceptance of the thoughts that plague him. "The road to rejection/is better than no road at all"

When McLusky broke up in January, it was an amazingly sad day. They're one of my favorite bands, and their live shows were something to be seen. They're apparently going to release a 3 disc set with the singles, b-sides, and some rarities in the near future.

Also, if you haven't seen this, do so. This is likely the only reason people know McLusky in the States...

Just discovered them recently. "Without MSG I Am Nothing" is fantastic, as is "To Hell With Good Intentions." The best thing was the song/album titles. "Mevolution," "Dave, Stop Killing Prostitutes," "McLusky Do Dallas," "The Difference Between Me And You Is That I'm Not On Fire." Bliss.

these are some great songs, thanks for posting!

Why couldn't you mention that Concordia was in Canada, and that the kids are whining b/c the gov't decided to give tax breaks rather than subsidize tuition. Perhaps these jackasses should vote and/or work and stop complaining.
"Needless to say, the Liberals have failed to make good on their promises to massively reinvest in public services. They have, however, pressed forward with their right-wing agenda"
Are Canadian liberals so retarded that their liberals have a right wing agenda? Viva la revalucion. America rules. Don't cry asking for a handout. If you want money from the government, shut the bitch down until they pay, don't just cry in the streets. I hope not a single high school student sacrificed a minute of school for this waste of time.

I don't necessarily support the government's decision to shift loans to bursaries, but this strike is fucking pointless. In fact, I'm one of the bastards that broke the picket line this morning.
How on earth can 3% of the student population at Concordia at an assembly put 25,000 students on strike??? Democracy in action! 3 percent of 25,000 won't stop me from going to class.

As a student at Concordia, if it comes to a vote on an indefinate strike, the only way I'll respect the picket line is if it's voted on by the entire school population. Otherwise, it's complete bullshit.

Oh, and the word "solidarity" has been thrown around so fucking much that it's lost all meaning. Like "love".
My "solidarity" rests with those who want to finish the semester.

I can't bring myself to support the self-styled 'revolutionaries' that dominate Quebec student politics.

But it does seem funny that every news report makes mention of Quebec's low student debt levels like they're an anachronism -- a problem to be solved. Why is 'other people have it worse' the only defence of the policy that the Charest government seems to be able to offer up?

so wait. is it clouddead or boom bip. i'm pretty sure they're different things.
\

wow...lots of hating. personal hits are the best kind. simmmmmmmmmmer.

gotta LOVE the TMNT game... look at that, i through the word love around.

dude, i have a final today.

this is in response to the first comment in this thread, and is theoretical (ie. bears no direct relation to the Concordia events). Canada supposedly operates as a social democracy, which means that "handouts" are very much what we're about.So many peope these days behave as though there's something wrong with giving selflessly- this is a sad attitude, especially in a society as well-off as Canada's. Damn few of the students I've know were independently responsible for providing for themselves- why shouldn't we make necessary provisions so that people of varying backgrounds enjoy the same opportunities? If you really believe that you are the product of your own hard work, there's no reason to feel threatened by the prospect of helping other people get a foothold.

you couldn't find any arcade fire because you're using the wrong p2p client...www.slsknet.org. the arcade fire is RAMPANT there, along with most all other good current music.