3. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

2008 sucked. How is anyone supposed to go out and have a good time when the economy could just crumble at any moment? It's freaking impossible - my nights are now spent watching CNN and weeping (instead of MTV Jams and masturbating). Sure, I don't know what any of those NASDAQ numbers mean and don't understand half the words those experts use, but whining about the economy is just so damn enjoyable. I guess it's the lazy American within telling me to sit on my couch, worrying and complaining (thank god the economy is so shitty cause gas prices have been looking pretty reasonable).

But if there's one thing a rock album has taught me this year it's that maybe we all should Stay Positive - even if it's not as fun as complaining about the economy. I mean we do have a new president and aliens haven't taken over our planet yet. So maybe we should be optimistic.

At first, I thought Stay Positive was more or less the kind of optimism recently divorced middle-aged women have when watching Oprah. But after a few listens, I quickly learned it's the kind of optimism one has when drunkenly talking to the opposite sex. A desperate kind of optimism. A new kind of optimism. A horny kind of optimism. It's an album that's not only jam packed with good ole' R&R, but an album that even contains a step-by-step manual on "How to Stay Positive" hidden in the lyrics:

"Let this be my annual reminder/ that we can all be something bigger"
-
"Getting older makes it harder to remember/ we are our only saviors"
-
"We gotta stay positive"
-
"Everybody's cumming on their navy sheets" (this one might not apply)

But if optimism really is "the faith that success is in our destiny," (I made that quote up) then The Hold Steady must see every glass as being half-full (this sentence doesn't even make any sense). And in turbulent times, I'm glad someone (besides Oprah) can stay positive.

3. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

Coming in at #3 and winner of the "Lou Dobbs Excellence During Economic Crisis" award are those bad-boys from Brooklyn (did I just use the term bad-boys? maybe I really am gay), The Hold Steady and Stay Positive.

What's so nice about The Hold Steady besides their pleasant Brooklyn-Rock-and-Roll sound, is their lyrics. Every song is a chapter (which I guess makes the album a story?). And every refrain is a...eh, I should leave the metaphors to lead singer, Craig Finn. But seriously, if there's one songwriter I can relate with it must be Craig Finn. He's just one of few songwriters down for singing about drinking on top of water towers, ordering double-whiskey-coke-no-ice, and having girlfriends who only look alright in barlight. You almost feel like you're one of his friends and understand all of his inside jokes (I need as many friends as I can get). And on top of all that, he still busts out some nice metaphors:

"We're the projectors/ we're hosting the screening/ We're dust in the spotlights/ we're just kind of floating"

And if you follow along well enough, you really do hear how strangely optimistic this album is (does this mean Emotronica isn't cool anymore?). It makes you wonder: How can a band create such an artfully-crafted album when the economy is just so bad?

"Constructive Summer" "Lord, I'm Discouraged" "Sequestered In Memphis" "Slapped Actress"

Check out The Hold Steady's guyspace

Download mediafire here

P.S. (if any one cares) This will be my last post in 2008. I'll finish the list in 2009. If you're curious I've got a Karate competition in China.

4. The Dodos - Visiter

"Ah, gnarly! Dido made the list! I loved that 'White Flag' song and that one song she did with Eminem! I didn't even know she released an album this year - oh wait, according to Wikipedia, Safe Trip Home was released November 17th, 2008. Crunchy...she even has a song with Citizen Cope! This is so awesome! I completely forgot about her! I'd better read the heading just to make sure I didn't misread it - oh shit, wait a second..."

4. The Dodos - Visiter

That's right. Not Dido. Not do-do. Coming in at #4 and winner of the "Definitely Not Dido" Award are The Dodos, some "psychedelic folk duo" from San Francisco, with their sophomore release, Visiter. That is the absolute last time I put my fucking trust into that whore, Dido.

Though their spelling might not be perfect (Visiter is usually spelled Visitor), The Dodos have created something much more importanant then speling - some fresh-sounding folk music (fresh-sounding folk is not actually more important than spelling is, but still Visiter has become one of my go-to-albums of 2008).

With Animal Collective-esque tribal percussion, undercooked lyrics, and metal-styled acoustic guitar, Visiter is an album that, unlike the dodo bird (or Dido), won't die out (at least on my iPod). The mix of open-strummed acoustic guitar and primitive (in a good way) rhythm, make songs like "Fools" and "Red and Purple" hard to get sick of.

Sidenote: I'm a big fan of home-made music videos made by Asian girls I don't know

Check out their myspace.
Megaupload it here.

5. Joel Alme - A Master Of Ceremonies

5. Joel Alme - A Master of Ceremonies

Coming in at #5 and winner of the "Ike Turner Award" is Joel Alme and A Master of Ceremonies.

Like Ike, Joel Alme is a sweetheart...a sweetheart who beats women. Now, there's little evidence behind him actually ever hitting a woman, but I figured if I started enough rumors it could boost my blog's fan base. Bill Murray has two penises. Oprah is a man. Michael Phelps is illiterate. David Letterman can't fart. All of these, I think, are untrue. I made them up, and I'm hoping that people will believe them. And with a little evidence, people are stupid enough to believe anything. Watch and learn: Joel Alme hits women (that's the rumor). Just look at some of the lyrics from A Master of Ceremonies (here comes the evidence).

I remember dreams of you/ but I don't remember beating you black and blue
-or-
If you tell me that you love me I will crush you again

The Swedish bastard even has a song called "I Never Said I Was Brave." He probably should have just called it "I Love Punching Women In The Throat" because that's the least brave thing a person could do. Mr. Alme has no heart. He also kicks little children, flips turtles upside down to watch them struggle, and works part time turning horses into glue. Oh yeah, he also is responsible for the majority of the penis-enlargement pop-up advertisements you get. But despite all of these terrible things I just made up about him, Joel Alme has to be a sweetheart - he makes music like sweetheart (is it gay that I keep using the word sweetheart?). And I guess it would be unfair to judge someone just because he sings about backhanding a woman. By the sound of his music, he probably is a gentleman. I'm sure he holds the door for his girl before he climbs the turnbuckle and elbow-drops her.

But probably what I enjoy best about Joel Alme besides his black-belt in Karate (another rumor) is the fact his music is so comfortable. I'm talking sweatshirt-out-of-the-dryer comfortable. Because of his classic-rock-love-ballad sound you hardly notice he's singing about some pretty deep, painful past relationships. He's kind of like Jens Lekman without the goofiness, Billy Joel without the vagina, or Bruce Springsteen without the cool nickname (I recommend if Joel Alme becomes popular enough, we nickname him "Penis Fingers" just because it's funny to think about someone with penises instead of fingers). It's cozy and unnoticeably dark. Warm yet tough. It's almost like being stoned to death while you're wearing a Snuggie. Or drowning yourself in a tub of marshmallow. Or assaulting your wife while singing "River Deep - Mountain High" together.

Check out his myspace

6. Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow & Blue

I try to hate as many things as possible. Growing up, many children have fathers, teachers, or steroid-addicted professional athletes to look up to. For me, my role models were always disgruntled and angry old men. These guys have the right idea: sit on your couch in your yellowing V-neck and cum-stained sweatpants and hate as many things as possible until life seems just a little better. And let me tell you this much: hating brings happiness (also by hating everything, you make yourself appear cultured and articulate). I've hated things so hard, I've cried tears of joy.

One time I even made up a word just to hate it (the word was plart if you were wondering).

Lately though, I've just been liking way too many things. I can't remember the last time I told a girl she has man-hands, booed at an elementary school play, or reassured a mall-cop that he will stay a virgin until he stops riding around on that Segway (do you seriously need a helmet for one of those things?). I even stopped yelling at my television.

But worst of all, I officially no longer hate Canada. There was one point where I suggested to my state Senator that America should start dumping all of our trash and human waste in Canada. I even relabeled every map in my high school to read "America's Little Brother with Down Syndrome" where Canada was. But nowadays, Canada plarts out so many comedians, actors, musicians, hockey players, and beers that don't suck, I have no choice but to like the country.

Dear Mexico, I still hate your El Camino driving guts.

Canada's most recent reason to not hate them?

6. Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow & Blue

Coming in at #6 and winner of the "Shit, Why Couldn't This Be From America? Award" is Red, Yellow & Blue by those Canadian bastards, Born Ruffians (for the record I am gonna have trouble no longer referring to people from Canada as "Canadian bastards").

Many have deemed the Canadian trio's debut just another work of "indie rock" (I hate this term just as much as I hate the mustache on every Mexican's upper lip). But the album is much more fine-tuned and quirky than calling it "indie rock" implies. Throughout the whole album, Born Ruffians attempt to produce a sound bigger than the trio itself and by doing so, create a fragile yet committed sound. Not shying away from twangy guitar strums, crude harmonies, and over-the-top bass leads, Born Ruffians nut-tap you with group yelps and stiff intensity changes, all while shrieking lyrics - at times - more desperate than a fat girl. The music they write is frantically confident enough to stand on its own without any overbearing effects. They keep the album's sound as basic as the primary colors in the title, yet still yield emotion. It's rock music that is easy to like and still peculiar enough to last. With the album, Born Ruffian's create a knack for themselves in Canada's "indie rock" scene (still hating...) and give me another reason I can no longer hate our brothers from the north/ those damn Canadian bastards.

Here's their myspace.
Here's a Red, Yellow & Blue mediafire link.
Here's Canada.

7. TV On The Radio - Dear Science

(see me talk about #7 Dear Science here)

(watch my new favorite youtube clip here)

8. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

8. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

Coming in at #8 and winner of "The Year's Best Artist With 'Lil' In Their Name Award" is Lil Wayne and The Carter III (Lil' Mama's ChapStick was neither poppin' nor cool in '08) .

I'm gonna be honest. I've had some "rap beef" with Lil Wayne in the past. Not the kind of beef Biggie and Tupac had (me and Lil Wayne have never freestyle-battled...yet). Not the kind of beef G-Unit had with The Game. Not the fresh, never frozen beef you can get from Wendy's (I recommend the Baconator). It was, however, the same kind of beef that you might "have with that cool guy at the party." You know, who "is talking to a bunch of pretty girls" while you're "pretending to show interest in the Charlotte Bobcats play the Oklahoma City Thunder." Yeah. You "don't know who this guy even is," but he just seems "definitely cooler than you." He's even "wearing clothes that weren't purchased from the clearance rack at Kohl's" and has "a really sweet, crust-free chin-strap." So what do you do about this whole situation? Grow a chin-strap and hope this time you don't get strawberry jelly caught in it? No. You stay on the couch and hate. Maybe under your breath. Maybe to someone equally as pissed off as you. But in this situation, you definitely drink the "Haterade." It's a defense mechanism. It's innate. Same shit probably goes down on Orangutan Island.

I didn't like Lil Wayne cause he was the cool guy at the party. Any time one of his songs came on, people would go insane with joy. Since I wasn't a friend of Lil Wayne, I had to be a foe. It was my only option.

(Rather-Be-Pogging Fun Fact #1: Did you know white people need to rehearse their dance-moves before they go to parties? It's the only chance they have of looking somewhat cool)

But all of that is history. This year, I went up to that hypothetical cool guy and said "Damn, you are fucking cool as shit. Nice chin-strap. Not everyone can pull that off without looking like a tool. But you can. That is a testament to how cool you really are. How do you keep from getting food stuck in it all the time?"

In other words, this year I gave Mr. Carter a chance. With an open mind (and a bag of weed), I turned on The Carter III. And let me tell you something...I kept turning it on. I saw through his constant claims that he's "the best rapper alive," ignored his pointless speech about "feeling big" in the beginning of "Mr. Carter," and just pretended "Lollipop" was never even put on the album (we'll blame that one on the sizzurp). What I saw in Tha Carter III was simple: it was deep. Not like Walden Pond deep. But definitely deep. The album has mood swings, personality changes, and more guest appearances than Tropic Thunder. The album gives this generation of popular rappers an album that will be remembered. The whole time I had Lil Wayne pegged as being typical, but I'm finally seeing how innovative and in touch with his listeners he really is. And if that's not enough reason to check out Tha Carter III (you probably already checked it out, didn't you?) I compiled a few other reasons:

1. Dr. Carter - How hilarious would it be if Lil Wayne was a doctor? It would be like "Doogie Howser, M.D." meets "The Fresh Prince of Bell-Air" - except much more ridiculous and minus Carlton. Yes, in order to make the show realistic, all of his patients would have to die - even ones who had no preexisting illness before seeing Doc C. But you know Lil Wayne would definitely commemorate all those lost with some sort of bad-ass tattoo.
2. Phone Home - I KNEW IT!!! Lil Wayne finally admits he is an alien. Personally, after one look at him, I thought it should have been kind of obvious. If I had to guess, Planet Weezy is somewhere in the Andromeda Galaxy. My prediction: Lil Wayne's confession will trigger several other alien/celebrities coming out of the "extraterrestrial closet." I'm looking at you Seacrest.
3. Just look at the album cover
4. Sizzurp

9. Ruby Suns - Sea Lion

I'm not a Marketing major. I took a semester of it in high school, but ended up spending probably 90% of that 5th Period playing Mini-Putt (still pulled of an 'A' if you were wondering). However, I do watch (and criticize aloud to myself) a lot of TV commercials. And lately, I've noticed a trend - companies performing experiments on "real people" and using their secretly taped reactions to advertise the product.

Exhibit A - Whopper Freakout - Burger King takes away the whopper for a day and a bunch of red-necks freak the fuck out. For a second it looks like an episode of Intervention, and Burger King is telling Tyrone Biggums that they're all out of crack. I've never been more embarrassed to be an American. Al-Qaeda seriously might use these commercials to brainwash young Middle-Easterners into becoming America-hating terrorists.

Get me a whopper.

Exhibit B - The Mojave Experiment - You know what I'm talking about: Microsoft's attempt to stop the bleeding inflicted by those Apple commercials starring that pudgy Daily Show correspondent as "PC" and that little wiener from Accepted as "Mac." In the commercial, Microsoft has a group of people (primarily made up of the elderly who don't know how to operate computers and poor black people who can't afford computers) use a new, fake product called "Windows Mojave." After the people's positive reactions are recorded on hidden camera, it is revealed that "Windows Mojave" is really Microsoft's current product, Windows Vista. Then, I'm supposed to want a new computer.

Get me a Vista.

But then, and only then, in the last 5 seconds of "The Mojave Experiment" does something very big and important happen. Okay... fairly big and not really that important... neither big nor important. Still something happens. We're given a glimpse into Rather Be Pogging's #9 Album of the Year:

9. The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion

That's right. Coming in at #9 and winner of the "Excellence in Marketing Award" (presented by St. Joseph's University & the Haub School of Business) is Sea Lion by The Ruby Suns. Not anywhere near as shitty as the commercial it stars in, Sea Lion is the soundtrack to a movie (that never got filmed, written, or thought of until just right now) set in the 1980's about Brian Wilson doing acid on a tropical island (this is exactly what the music sounds like). In it Wilson (as played by Matthew McConaughey) falls in love with a native to the island, Tane Mahuta (as played by Sarah Jessica Parker). In order to convince Tane Mahuta that he is worthy of her love, Wilson must do acid and go on an Adventure Tour around the island, obviously singing Beach Boys' harmonies the whole entire trip. If he survives and can Remember seeing the Morning Sun, Wilson will have her hand in marriage. Terry Bradshaw costars as Mojave, a figment in one of Wilson's hallucinations who successfully convinces our protagonist to throw himself off a cliff. The movie actually is a dark/romantic comedy I’ve been working on called Failure To Launch 2: Tripping Balls In Hopes I'll Damage My Brain And Forget I Ever Actually Saw Failure To Launch.

Get me a McConaughey.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Mmmm hmmmm. And if you didn't know, those 8 M's and 1 H are expressing my current satisfaction with this time of year. Yeah, it's a bit cliche, but now truly is the most wonderful time of the year (unless you're Jewish, nice try Adam Sandlar). November has come and gone, our midsections somehow managed to get even pudgier, and people are once again ready to pretend to be nice to each other for the next month or so. Mmmm hmmmm. I thought I might write about Christmas songs, but every time I try to put into words what that "Christmas Shoes" song means to me, I begin to weep hysterically like a little girl. And plus, it would be pointless for me to tell you about Christmas music, because you already know everything there is to know about it. You've known since you were 6 years-old that those other douche-bag reindeer wouldn't let Rudolph join them in their bullshit reindeer games. You already know that Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" is timeless, that Sinatra's version of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" is tender (like a Christmas ham), and that Wham's "Last Christmas" is......whatever adjective appropriately describes the pain one can inflict by regifting George Michaels's heart. Even the title of today's post is straight out of a Christmas song. If music was ever self-explanatory and loved for all the right reasons, it would be Christmas music. And thank God for that.

But, unfortunately, Christmas isn't why I'm writing. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" because I get to do some end-of-the-year reflecting. It must be some kind of phenomenon that at the end of every year humans generate and admire long lists of everything that happened (especially in music) in the past 365. I just think it's strange that at the end of this year, like every other year, we're going to build some gigantic, metaphorical (hopefully not Communist or German) wall behind us and deem everything behind the 2008 and in front of the 2007 wall as just some product of 2008. If it happened on December 21st, 2008, it might have just as well have happened on January 1st, 2008. We did it in 2007 and every year before that. And I'm sure we'll keep doing it. But doesn't anyone else think it's kind of bizarre/sad/maybe part of the reason we all get shitfaced on New Year's. I know in a historical sense we need to slap a label with a date on every possible event that happens, but I can't help feeling 2005 was forever ago - which it wasn't. Is the the New Year about reflecting on what happened so we can appreciate everything that made 2008 so great? Or is it so we can distance it from us to make starting fresh again easier? Either way, I'm quickly learning the New Year is more than just buying that new Hello Kitty calendar.

All that (surprisingly serious spiel) being said, how can I not have a countdown? 2008 had plenty of great things to offer - both from the music world and from the world beyond music. My Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series, Barack Obama won the Presidential nomination, and everyone went out and saw the new Batman. Plus, I never got to share or write about on this blog-thing most of the wonderful music that came out this year. And whatever the purpose, if any, involved in end-of-the-year-reflecting, I want in. So that's why I'm announcing:

The First Annual Rather Be Pogging Countdown of My Favorite Albums and Songs of the Year

Starting today and ending in late December, I'm going to be listing and discussing my 10 favorite albums of the year. And as a tasty little treat, my last post (which will obviously be of my favorite album) will be accompanied by my favorite 25 songs from the year.

So here we go. Numero...whatever ten is in Spanish

10. Vampire Weekend

Coming in at #10 and winner of the "Bud Light Superior Drinkability Award" is Vampire Weekend's Self-Titled debut. Probably one of the year's easiest albums to listen to, the album blends Afro-Pop, Classical, and Punk for a unique, enjoyable sound. And seriously, if these guys were a beer, they probably would be Bud Light. Reliable... fun... something your girlfriend would like... goes down real easy. You see what I mean? And honestly the album doesn't have a bad song on it. The only reason it is coming in at #10 and not #1 is because, like Bud Light, the album lacks any deep emotional impact and tends to get bland after too many listens.

Bud Light may have "Superior Drinkability." But Vampire Weekend has "Superior Listenability." (Suck my left nut Anheuser-Busch. Your commercials fucking suck. And so does Bud Light Lime)

Anyway. Definitely an album worth listening to. My favorite tracks include:
"The Kid's Don't Stand A Chance" "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" "Walcott"


Check their Myspace here
Mediafire that shit here

Wedding Songs

As of late, I've had some trouble finding something worth writing about. I know...kind of strange considering the World Wide Web's asshole is constantly shitting out music for me to talk about. It's just lately, none of the shit has really given me that certain inspiration/motivation I need to do this whole blog thing. Today, however, is a new day. No, I'm not gonna be writing about the new Beyoncé album. In fact, my inspiration for this post isn't even coming from a new album/song I've heard. Rather, my inspiration for today's post is coming straight out of the life of yours truly.

At around 4 o'clock today I'll be attending the wedding of one of my good friend's sisters. How I got invited? No clue. But that's not the point. The point is I'm going to drink so many White Russians and dance with so many old Italian ladies - wait that's not actually the point either. My point - I think - revolves around wedding music, and more specifically the "wedding song." Let's be honest, this song may or may not end up being the most important song in your life. Yeah, you'll probably only get 70 or so versions of "Happy Birthday to You" and maybe even "Danny Boy" at your funeral. But no other song in your life will ever have the same personal significance as your wedding song. You're pretty much saying "This is the song I want to share with the most important person in my life at the ceremony celebrating our love." Damn, I didn't realize I was so deep.

I'm not a wedding expert. I've only gone to a few weddings in my short life, and most of them took place when I was still in a diaper (so from ages 0-13). But I have seen The Wedding Singer at least 50 times, which has to give me some sort of wedding music authority. So, at the risk of appearing like E! or VH1 (is it me or are countdowns the only programming these channels show), I've created my own countdown of top wedding songs. I was gonna infuse some current songs, but to be honest, nothing beats the oldies. Chances are I haven't put enough thought into making such a badass countdown, but then again neither does E! or VH1. So, in cooperation with Fox Sports and Tom Arnold, here are The Best Damn Wedding Songs Period.


21. The Carpenters - Close To Me
20. Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should've Come Over
19. Van Morrison - Have I Told You Lately
18. Chairmen of the Board- Give Me Just A Little More Time
17. The Temptations - My Girl
16. Bob Dylan - Lay Lady Lay
15. Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice
14. Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
13. Burt Bacharach - What The World Needs Now
12. Ella Fitzgerald - Blue Moon
11. Frank Sinatra - L.O.V.E.
10. Bob Dylan - Love Minus Zero/No Limit
9. Beatles - Here, There, and Everywhere
8. The Carpenters - We've Only Just Begun
7. Joe Cocker - You Are So Beautiful
6. Ben E. King - Stand By Me
5. Bob Dylan - I Want You
4. Elvis Presley - Can't Help Falling In Love
3. Velvet Underground - Pale Blue Eyes (My sleeper pick) (Good idea if bride has pale blue eyes)
2. Neil Young - Harvest Moon
1. Beach Boys - God Only Knows

Passion Pit

I checked out Passion Pit's first release, Chunk of Change EP, for two reasons:

1. Passion Pit sounds like a slang term for a vagina (I mean why not just name your band "The Cooters" or "Locust Patch")
2. Apparently the 6-song EP was recorded solely as a belated Valentine's Day gift for the lead singer's girlfriend

I felt these two points of logic alone gave me enough reason to waste my precious megabytes on Passion Pit. But, after giving the EP a good listen to, I must admit it's not the vagina-esque name of the group, nor the backstory that makes Chunk of Change EP so good... Perhaps it has something to do with the EP flirting with a certain Electro/Pop sound, reminiscent of Postal Service or The Tough Alliance. Or maybe it's Passion Pit's synth-driven laptop Pop that makes tracks like "I've Got Your Number" and "Sleepyhead" so enjoyable... Certainly, some of the EP's success must be accredited to the screechingly risky, at times borderline off-key vocals (imagine a methed up Ben Gibbard with a higher range and killer falsetto) by lead singer Michael Angelakos. Because of his ability to change the emotional intensity throughout each song and perfectly compliment the EP's Pop backdrop, Angelakos makes each track that much more genuine and personal (it's as if he wrote these songs just for his girlfriend to hear or something).

It just makes me wonder, how much "Passion Pit" do you think this guy got for making his girlfriend such a killer present/CD? I'm gonna say in a week - 5 out of 7 days (that's my rating... creative right?)

I guess those Valentine's days where burning a mixtape for your girl with that one sick Busta and Mariah song (that I always get confused with that one Ja Rule and J-Lo song) are over.

Check Passion Pit's myspace out here
Mediafire the EP here

The Birth of 'Rather Be Pogging'

Let's get things straight right from the start:

1. I know little-to-nothing about blogging
   
2. I find the subculture behind blogging/ blog-readers to be a tidbit bizarre and a whole-lotta nerdy
   
3. I don't have any real intentions or goals for this blog
   
4. I like turtles
5. I'm not as much of a bad-ass and carefree teenager as numbers 1-3 make me sound

That being said...I am a college student interested in pursuing a career in Journalism - and more specifically Music Journalism. I decided to start blogging mainly as a means of gaining some much needed writing experience. And since I really enjoy talking about and sharing music with family, friends, acquaintances, hipsters, hippies, hippopotamuses, homeless people, and babies, I figured why not share it with the rest of the world? So that is pretty much the whole story behind 'Rather Be Pogging.' It's just my little place on this big, scary Internet where I can talk about new albums I've been listening to, concerts that I've seen, or just crunchy tracks worth checking out. As for the name (created by Mr. Thomas 'No-Shame' Byers), it is meant to depict my feelings that "instead of blogging, I would much rather be pogging." But since I can't spend the rest of my life throwing my Macho Man Randy Savage slammer at stacks of cardboard circles with Animaniacs printed on them, I've decided to start this blog.

Most likely I will be posting a few times a month - pretty much whenever something worth writing about occurs (ex: I get my hands on some good new music).

So...what do you say I take this baby for a little spin.

I never really quite understood all of the hype (or the title) behind TV On The Radio's 2006 release, Return To Cookie Mountain. Don't get me wrong - the album is legit. Tracks like "I Was A Lover" and "Wolf Like Me" are gold (and not the unwanted kind that you mail to Cash4Gold in exchange for some cold hard cash). Yet, I always found myself "Returning to Cookie Mountain" (get used to my bad jokes) looking to love it as much as everyone else, but only being able to attach myself to certain parts of the album. So, why I am a telling you this? Well......TVOTR recently dropped a new album called Dear Science, and it is definitely worth a listen.

Dear Science,
I really like to listen to your songs. Some of my favorites include: "Halfway Home" "Stork and Owl" and "Family Tree." I just love how you are a punkishy-electronic album in a kind of funkishly-soulful way. You don't overdo things, you're honest, and you are just so good at expressing your emotions. I especially love how easy you are to listen to - you have string arrangements, a horn section, gentle verses, and catchy refrains to keep a guy like me listening to you all day long. I'm not gonna rate you in stars or thumbs pointing up or down. It's only appropriate for me to rate you in fist-pumps, cause that's what you make me want to do. And...I'm gonna give you 9 out of 10 fist-pumps. I know that you're an inanimate object (as well as a really bad and drawnout pun), but please write back whenever you get this. Thanks! OMG! TTYL! BRB! LOLZ!
Love,
Rather Be Pogging

Megaupload that shit right here.

Oh, and while I'm getting my blog-game on, here are some tunes (old and new) that have been tearing up my ipod. Whatever that means.

Spoon - I Summon You
You got the weight of the world coming down like a mother's eye
Wu-Tang Clan - Campfire
I'm trying to bring the "Sexy Back" like Timbaland and Timberlake
Blitzen Trapper - Furr
I'm a rattlesnake, babe, I'm like fuel on the fire.
Why? - The Hollows
This goes out to all my underdone, other-tongued, lung-long frontmen
El Guincho - Palmitos Park
La, la, la, la, laaaaa (all the lyrics are in spanish, so this is the best I got)
The Sounds - Hurt You (I heard this in a Geico commercial)
Try not to fuck with your feelings