Rather Be Pogging

That 70's Post

2009-05-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

(insert generic message about how I have not written in a while here)

Three things about today's post:

1) Who would have guessed Ashton Kutcher would have turned out to be such a douche (trucker hats, punk'd, Nikon camera commercials)? Growing up, Kelso from That 70's Show seemed like some sort of friendly, blissfully idiotic, joke-cracking half-brother of mine. Regardless, without the Kutch, this post would not be possible. So (trucker) hats of to the Forman Family and Company! (for the record, I also consider Wilmer Valderrama to be a douche bag)

2) Lately, I've been listening to a lot of music that just seems so reminiscent of the 60's/ 70's. I hate to slap a label the decade label on an artist. Saying "That guy sounds so much like Dylan," has become a cliche. But it's bound to happen. Trust me.

3) This post is in the form of an episode of That 70's Show that potentially fits somewhere into Season 4.

....

(opening credits)

(camera 1 gets shot of Forman's sitting down at dinner table)

Kitty: So Red, tell me about your day!
Red: Damnit Kitty, can't you tell that I'm grumpy. I've been grumpy in every damn episode for the past 4 seasons.
Eric: Geez Dad, why don't you give mom a break?
Red: How about I put my foot in your ass!
(laughter)
Eric: Gotta go... (Eric runs into the basement
Kitty: You didn't finish your meatloaf!
(laughter)

(shot of marijuana circle in the Forman's basement)
Kelso: Yeah man, it's like when I hear that album, Shallow Grave, by the Tallest Man on Earth, I just can't help make the comparisons to Bob Dylan. I know it's like so typical to make comparisons to Dylan, but he really does.
Eric: Oh, yeah. That guy sounds so much like Dylan. He's just... like... a little less Jewish sounding.
Fez: Is Dylan the name of that monkey on the cereal box?
(laughter)
Jackie: No, you idiot! Dylan is a type of car!
(even more laughter)
Red: (yelling from upstairs) Hey, Eric! Shallow Grave was a really good album! I can't believe it didn't make Rather Be Pogging's Top Albums of 2008 list. That piece of shit that writes for that blog probably didn't hear the album until 2009! That makes me want to kick your ass!

(transition of Eric and Hyde dancing in front of background scenery)
(Kelso, Hyde, Fez, and Eric in driveway shooting hoops)

Eric: Have any of you guys heard of that group The Dutchess and the Duke?
Kelso: No, but I've heard of the dutch-oven and the puke!
(laughter)
Eric: They are like a folkier version of the Rolling Stones. They got a real good album out called She's The Dutchess He's The Duke.
Fez: Rolling Stones? That was the national past time of the country I come from!
(laughter)
Hyde: Shut up, Fez. Forman is right. The guy's voice even sounds like Mick Jagger. I highly enjoy the song "Reservoir Park."
Red: (yelling from inside) Don't you bums have anything better to do? Get a job! Before I put my foot up each and every one of your asses!

(Jackie and Donna atop the water tower)
Jackie: Have you noticed that I'm prettier than you, Donna?
(laughter)
Donna: Shut up, Jackie.
Jackie: Don't be upset...your pretty too. In fact, you're kind of underrated!
Donna: You mean like that album Paranoid Cocoon by Cotton Jones?
Jackie: Exactly! They sound like if Johnny Cash had a great-grandson who was in some indie-folk-pop group!
Donna: Wait, what does indie mean?
Red:(flying by on a hang glider): I'm gonna kick both of your asses!!!!!

The Antlers - Hospice

2009-04-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

The Antlers - Hospice

There is a significant difference between being "emotional" and being "emo." The one term has underlying notions regarding the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors one experiences as a result of the irony in one's life's triumphs and anguishes; the other describes the music Dashboard Confessional makes. It's not to say its necessity for music to be "emotional," but for some reason a lot of best music just seems to fall under that label (i.e. Arcade Fire's Funeral, Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago). Music that has no "emotion" just seems like making love to a fleshlight - it might be worth your time for 10 minutes a day, but it won't bring any lasting satisfaction or joy to your life. Maybe that's why music with "emotion" is the kind of music that you can enjoy the longest. And maybe that's why music that is "emo" can be readily found in an 8th grade girl's Facebook status (Jennifer is... my hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me).

Perhaps the latest and greatest (and clearest) example of emotion in music comes from The Antlers' Hospice. Like Arcade Fire's Funeral, Hospice seems to centralize around the idea of life in its final stages. Hospices are centers that focus on lessening the symptoms of a terminally ill patient's symptoms and rely heavily on the help of volunteers to care for the terminally ill - a definition that seems to genuinely reverberate true throughout the album.

If the album is a concept album (which it seems to be), I have to applaud The Antlers because a hospice, thought dark, is in a certain, twisted way a beautiful place - the place people go to die. You have to wonder what can be learned from going to a place like that. Maybe that's why lyrically speaking, Hospice, has an endless amount of kinda-makes-you-think-a-little lines.

"You said you hated my tone, it made you feel so alone, and so you told me I ought to be leaving. But something kept me standing by that hospital bed, I should have quit but instead I took care of you. You made me sleep and uneven, and I didn't believe them when they told me that there was no saving you."

"With the bite of the teeth of that ring on my finger, I'm bound to your bedside, your eulogy singer. I'd happily take all those bullets inside you and put them inside of myself"

"Some patients can't be saved, but that burden's not on you. Don't ever let anyone tell you you deserve that"

I've only had this album for about 48 hours, so this could just be puppy love, but I'm gonna have to go ahead and give this a 47/48.

Cymbals Eat Guitars

2009-04-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

Why, hello there. Long time, no blog - I'm aware. But sometimes you need to take a 21 day break just to create a little buzz (and believe me, I created a buzz). But since all of my fans kept begging me to write...

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains

I usually find bands with odd names to be a bit of a turnoff (other turnoffs for all those curious ladies out there: smoking cigarettes, telling me how drunk you are, using the expression "oh my god! hilarious!" more than once a conversation, not telling me how much you like my muscles). Then again, I have somehow got passed bands with names like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Architecture in Helsinki, Death Cab For Cutie, I'm From Barcelona, and Vampire Weekend. Rumor has it members from this band are starting a supergroup called "Vampire, Clap Your Barcelona Death Architecture Say Helsinki" (this is neither true nor funny).

But honestly, under what circumstances would a cymbal (or a wild pack of cymbals) eat a guitar? That's like cannibalistic, isn't it? They work together in the same band!

That said, I was a bit reluctant to check out Cymbals Eat Guitars. But there's just something about their debut, Why There Are Mountains, that keeps me coming back for more. After long minutes of thinking and bad-joke making, I think I've found out what that something is:

- Song structures more windy than Lincoln Drive
- Hooks catchier than Jerry Rice's hands (assuming he doesn't have arthritis yet)
- A lead singer more believable than a Snapple Cap fact
- A string section and horn section that fill more holes than Ron Jeremy
- An old school indie-rock sound more reminiscent than an old person without a T.V.

There's just one question left: Why, exactly, are there mountains?

I think you and I both know the answer to that question.

Check out their cymbalseatguitarspace here.
Check out a letter David Cross wrote Larry the Cable Guy here.

Not Another Track Review

2009-03-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hi all...long time, no write. To be honest, there's just been really nothing worth writing about. Blame it on the economy, I guess. But today I thought I'd share two tracks I've been both listening to and dancing nude to:

Remember that one song with like that guy and the girl who sing in it and like there's like whistling or some shit in it? The one that like Kanye sampled in one of his rap songs? It was like pretty catchy. I think it's a few years old at this point.

Well, the guys who brought you that song - Peter Bjorn and John - are about to release a new album and two of the tracks off of it are just the bee's knees. And this time they sound even more Peterbjornandjohn-ier - whatever that means.

"Nothing to Worry About" and "Lay it Down" provide a little insight into what we can expect from their new album, Living Thing, which is set to drop March 30th. By the looks of both "tap your foot even if that old guy on the subway is getting annoyed by it" tracks, the new album might have some promise - which just might be the remedy I've been looking for due to the lack of new albums to get excited about.

Talk about a stimulus package.

"1901"

2009-02-23T16:45:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been in need of something to just pump my fist to, ya know? Something that's really gonna make me 1999-style raise the roof. Well, problemo solved (translation: "problem solved").

I'd never heard of French pop group Phoenix (despite their 3, soon to be 4 albums) until about 7 hours ago. And as you might have guessed, for the past 7 hours I've been nonstop pumping my fist and raising the roof in jean-shorts and a sleeveless sweatshirt to "1901," a free download I picked up off their website. A funky disco track to be released with their next album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, "1901" is just the tune I've been looking for to get my dance on. You can really only dance to "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" for so many hours.

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix to be released May 25, 2009 - around 218 years after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died.

Dark Was the Night

2009-02-18T17:39:00.000-08:00

I'm fairly poor. Not giving-out-BJ's-for-10-bucks poor. But definitely typical-college-student-living-off-"za"-and-Hurricane-40's poor. That said, I am prone to illegally stealing music (and porn) off the internet. I can't help it. I figure it's better to steal internet music than church money.

But for the first time in a good while, I'm purchasing some music. The catch? Not only does Dark Was the Night contain 30+ tunes from some of my favorite artists, it also goes to a good cause (that is if you consider AIDS a good cause). Now, I'm not here to tell you to go out and buy this indie-tastic compilation (or to turn Atheists into believers), I'm just saying this is certainly one album that I won't be stealing. Plus, it's produced by two of the guys from The National. What more could you want?

Now, you're probably saying "Oh, I don't know Mr. Blogger. With this economy, I don't know if I really should be buying music."

I'm already a step ahead of you - if not two or three steps. That's why I created Rather Be Pogging's first ever "Circle The Appropriate Word To Describe Your Situation" to better aid your thought process in deciding between right and wrong:

"I am a (college student/ over-the-hill parent/ robot from the future) who is desperately in need of some new, good music in order to (impress a chick and get laid/ convince my child I can be cool/ better disguise myself so I can blend in with humans). I did (hear about/ internally process via my splectwettor drive) a new 'indie' music compilation called Dark Was the Night. Maybe I'll just illegally download it. With this economy, it's better to really save the $10-$15 and spend it on (weed and Family Guy DVDs/ the sale coming up at Sears' Hardware/ robot stuff) rather than actually buy the compilation. Oh, wait (a fucking second/ a gosh-darn minute/ .0193 nanoseconds). Apparently, this money goes to a good cause. That would be pretty (dick/ inappropriate/ inhuman) if I just downloaded it. I mean c'mon. How can I forget the fact that I (saw Philadelphia/ knew a guy who died of AIDS/ don't know what AIDS is because I'm a robot). Maybe I shouldn't steal this. Maybe I should just buy it. In fact, I'm gonna buy it as soon as I'm done (looking at beach pics of this chick on Facebook/ complaining about paying bills to anyone who will listen/ finding John Connor)."

You're welcome.

M. Ward - Hold Time

2009-02-08T19:18:00.000-08:00

M. Ward - Hold Time

Genre: Reverse-cowgirl folk

M. Ward's past three albums (Post-War, Transistor Radio, Transfiguration of Vincent) have been nothing short of bodacious. In my mind, Mr. Ward can do no wrong.

But like most things in my life that seem to be damn near perfect (my myspace girlfriend, my recent large investment in Circuit City, Jeff Foxworthy's brand of Peppered Beef Jerky), M. Ward's newest album, Hold Time, is a bit of a disappointment. Maybe I should've expected that eventually M. Ward will produce something other than pure gold (also I should've expected the myspace girl to really be a 45 year old man, I should've known better than to take financial advice from a 3rd grader, I should've known anything Jeff Foxworthy is associated with is going to be god awful).

It's not to say that I don't enjoy Hold Time; opening track "For Beginners" is an immidiate success, only perhaps to be outdone by "Rave On." But regarding its feel as a whole album, Hold Time never accomplishes what his previous albums did, which unfortunately for M. Ward is not an easy task. The emotions are too scattered when they rarely do appear, the title track is far from whatever the rest of the album is trying to do, and overall its too rock 'n roll for my liking. Once the album is finished, you're left with this empty feeling - kind of like you were waiting and waiting for M. Ward to do something classically significant on the album, but it never ended up coming. Instead, it's probably off somewhere with your ex-girlfriend ordering drinks and appetizers at Red Lobster because one of its friends is the assistant manager and can probably get the two of them a nice discount.

M. Ward is at his best when he's riding on the simplicity of his hazy voice and cleverly flirtatious guitar work. "I'll Be Yr Bird," "Fool Says," and "Chinese Translation" are testaments to this. His previous albums always felt like they were something from a time long ago in a place far away yet so familiar. There was a certain exoticism to each of his albums. This album, although it has a handful of above average tracks, lacks that feel. It seems too ordinary. Maybe if I wasn't so familiar with M. Ward's previous work this album might feel a lot better, but it's only natural to compare.

If this album were a movie sequel it would be Might Ducks 3. And that is my rating.

RBP introduces...

2009-02-05T22:25:00.001-08:00

Like so many things in my life (having sex, having conversations, playing chess, getting drunk), Rather Be Pogging has been something I do completely by myself - often locked in my bedroom. This, remarkably, is no longer the case.

I would like to introduce and welcome two new Rather Be Poggers to Rather Be Pogging. Essentially, by allowing these two to make appearances on the blog, I've given Beavis and Butthead the keys to the city, but new perspectives on things might just enhance this blog. Three heads are better one - even if all three have been exposed to enormous amounts of horse-related pornography. Plus, as far as I know you can't accidentally set a blog on fire, so I won't be endangering any of the readers. I really have no idea what either will be writing about. If I had to guess, one will lend his expertise into sex toys and flavored lubricants and the other will probably constantly post vendiagrams comparing and contrasting Matthew Perry and Matthew McConaughey.

So welcome, Chen and Deuce. Your lives will be forever changed for the worse. Welcome.

A Day In The Life

2009-01-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

I had an epiphany the other day. No, I'm not gay. No, I didn't find Jesus. But I did realize the profound effect my iPod has on my life. It has turned some of the most uninteresting moments in my life into much more manageable ones. Days otherwise spent soundtracked by chirping birds, honking cars, and farting buttholes, are now enriched by 20 Gigabytes of my choice tuneage.

I don't know what I would do without you, iPod. I like you so much more than most human beings. You're reliable... handy... rechargable... and you don't press charges regardless of how much I touch you.

Well, because of myPod's (you get it?) continued impact on my life, I've decided to give it a little shout out on the blog. So today, as a little experiment, I chronicled (Narnia-like) each moment of the day I was listening to music. I also intentionally attempted to pick a moment-appropriate song from myPod to really soundtrack my day. Give it a shot and see if your day isn't slightly less shitty:

8:00 A.M. - I wake up to Andrew Bird's "Sovay." Waking up to music usually isn't my thang, but then again, waking up to a huge hit of meth usually isn't my thing either.
8:15 - After a quick shower, I make myself some breakfast to "Mushaboom" by Feist. This song is just the pick-me-up to go with my Cocoa Puffs and coffee. That's right, I pour coffee - instead of milk - into my cereal.
8:35 - I sit in my house in Manayunk, waiting for my roommate to take me to the Ivy Ridge train station. "Bluish" from the new Animal Collective is just the right "waiting for my roommate to take me to the Ivy Ridge train station" song.
8:55 - I wait for the train to "The Pain" by L.A. underground rapper MURS. Diagonally in front of me is a good-looking girl. I can see the outline of her nice, round tush through her jeans. She turns around, and I discover she is actually a man. I get his phone number - just in case.
9:09 - The train arrives - 11 minutes late, of course - to "Helicopter" off M.Ward's Transfiguration of Vincent. Ironically enough, "Helicopter" is a good song to ride the train. If I had to guess, it's probably also a good song to listen to when flying a jet pack.
9:30 - Walk to class to a few tracks from Ratatat Remixes Volume II - in particular "Allure," a Jay-Z feat. Biggie remix. Rap tends to make me feel tougher than I really am (which if you can guess is fairly untough). It almost feels like a bulletproof vest when walking through the ghetto of North Philadelphia (a bulletproof vest that unfortunatlely is incapable of saving my life if I was to ever get shot).
11:30 - After class, I walk over to Temple University's Student Center to get some grub while listening to Modest Mouse's "Heart Cooks Brain." Then, when I get there "A Friendly Black Lady Cooks Fried Chicken with a Side of Macaroni and Cheese."
12:10 - More walking to class and thus more rap; Dangerdoom - "Crosshairs," Blu & Exile - "Simply Amazin'," Devin The Dude - "What A Job"
3:40 - Class is over, and I'm looking forward to getting home and napping. At Temple's train station a crackhead kindly asks me for a cigarette. I kindly tell him to "fuck off you one-toothed freak." I go with "Gila" by Beach House, "Westfall" by Okkervil River, and "Painter in Your Pocket" by Destroyer for my commute back to Manayunk. Riding trains are a good time to reflect on your day, and these songs are the perfect reflecting music. Riding trains are also a good time to make funny faces at babies.
6:15 - Wake up from a nap and make myself dinner - and by make myself dinner, I mean look for scraps of French fries in McDonald's dumpster. Stars' "What the Snowman Learned About Love" is perfect dumpster-diving music.
7:00 - I spend the next fews hours watching tv, as well as some youtube videos and SNL Digital Shorts. (FYI: This is usually the point in my night where I duct tape a 40 to each one of my hands and put "Break Stuff" by Linkin Park on repeat. I guess tonight happened to be my off-night)
10:30 - I listen to some background tunes as I do my homework: Antony & the Johnsons - "My Lady Story," Tapes 'n Tapes - "Manitoba," Wilco - "Radio Cure," and Elliott Smith - "Angeles." For the record, I do my homework naked to make things a little more interesting.
12:15 - After a long day, I go to sleep (I unfortunately traded in my bed for a love swing so I sleep entangled in that - at the time it seemed like a good idea).

The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele

2009-01-25T18:58:00.000-08:00

I've decided to add a new dimension to Rather Be Pogging. It's fairly simple. From now on whenever I discuss an album, I'm going to create a new genre for it. If "shoegaze" can be the name of a genre, I don't see why I can't make up my own stupid names of genres. For example: this next album falls under a little genre I like to call "Sensitive Rock."

The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele

Dent May is trapped in the 1950's, and I'm reaping all the benefits. Equipped with creepy molester glasses, a tuxedo, and a ukulele, Mr. May's debut LP just might be the easiest thing to fall in love with since Furbys. And not only is it easy to fall in love with, but it's easy to fall in love to (I have to assume it's easy to fall in love to since no girl will fall in love with me; maybe I should stop doing this... and this).

But seriously, I can completely imagine The Good Feeling Music playing in the background of some cheesy movie's falling-in-love montage. It's the kind of music your parents will slow-dance to once you're away at college. In fact, I can't recall the last time there's been an album packed with so many sha-la-la's and shooby-doo-wop's. If that doesn't spell out L-O-V-E, I don't know what does.

Maybe it's appropriate this album comes out only 11 days prior to Valentine's Day - a day I will spend drinking whiskey, eating Cheez-Its, and crying alone in my bedroom. The album is a 35 minute daydreamy stroll through the clouds. The euphoric mixture of the ukulele and baritone voice, complimented by charming background doo-wops just makes me want to fall in love (and this time with a real girl instead of an internet-girl). Dent May just might be the "softest boy in Mississippi." He certainly is the Mississippi version of Jens Lekman (he's also that episode of "Friends" where Rachel and Ross fall in love).

This album feels like hugging a teddy bear. It tastes like chocolate. It reeks of flowers. It's web address might just be eharmony.com. Personally, it reminds me of the 7 girls I fell love with (5 of those 7 didn't even know who I was - thus my rating).

Listen to Dent May's lovespace here.

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

2009-01-13T15:33:00.000-08:00

"Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me/ I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed."

Just some Smash Mouth lyrics that are forever etched into my brain. I didn't even have to google "smash mouth all star lyrics" to ensure the lyrics were right. I knew they were. I haven't heard that song in probably four years, yet I could have perfectly typed every single lyric to that song if I wanted. I can sing the melody note-for-note. I'm not bragging. It's just the way it is. You probably can too.

(Rather Be Pogging Fun Fact #2: it is rumored that all the money Smash Mouth made off the song "All Star" was spent on cocaine and prostitutes)

Though I didn't really understand what music was back in the 4th grade, I knew I liked the song "All Star" by Smash Mouth. Back then, I considered it "The Best Song Ever," and I was certain it would never grow old (and I was right). Listening to it was like doing some sort of awesome, addictive drug (a drug that appeared on Shrek's soundtrack) that every 4th grader in the United States also enjoyed doing (my drug dealer: Best Buy). Like most drugs, this one required a process - singing along with the song and knowing every lyric - in order to experience the high - feeling cool.

(other things that made me feel cool in 4th grade: chain necklace, chain wallet, Old Navy tech-vest, a fresh bowl-cut from the barber, a shirt with dragons on it, having a crush on a girl, writing a note during class that said "do you like me? circle yes or no," passing that note to a girl I had a crush on, her circling yes, being the starting running back on my recess football team, telling my crush to watch me play football at recess)

(things that made me feel uncool in 7th grade: chain necklaces, wallets, tech-vests, dragon shirts and bowlcuts all going out of style, my crush hitting puberty and no longer being worth crushing on, being too fragile to play for my middle school's football team)

When people consider a song or an album "poppy," I always think back to "All Star" by Smash Mouth - a song so lovable that most of us are not even capable of forgetting the melody and lyrics. I think that's what makes good "pop" music good. Hooks that you can't get out of your head. Refrains that you wake up singing. Even your farts start sounding like the end of the second verse. And the only way to stop from going crazy is to go listen to the song again, and again, and again.

Recently, I've been listening to the new album Animal Collective (not Smash Mouth) has just released. Merriweather Post Pavilion. An album that people are calling "Animal Collective's pop album." Immediately, I'm looking for comparisons to "All Star," and, though there's probably never been two works of "pop" farther apart, I do see some underlying similarities: 1) I enjoy both "All Star" and Merriweather Post Pavilion 2) both provoke(d) some feeling deep within 3) both are things people listen to 4) both are what my dad calls "crunchy-ass tunes brother man."

(dissimilarities: thirteen-year-olds won't ever grind to "My Girls" at their middle school's Valentine's dance)

Alas, Merriweather Post Pavilion is a difficult album to listen to by most people's standards. The "pop" Animal Collective creates is a much less-listenable "pop" than the kind Smash Mouth creates. Either you'll greatly enjoy Merriweather Post Pavilion or you'll be greatly confused why I ever called it "pop" (for the record, I will continue to put the word "pop" in quotation marks). Smash Mouth and Animal Collective have different artistic values and musical abilities (and haircuts and weight issues) and that's reason enough that their music is nothing alike. But whether or not you like what Animal Collective has done in the past, I recommend checking out Merriweather Post Pavilion and see if you can't fall in love with a new definition of "pop."

"Sick and tired of hearing all the people talk about what's the deal with this pop life and when's it gonna fade out. The thing you got to realize is what we doing is not a trend. We got the gift of melody, we gonna bring it til the end."

- Justin Timberlake (21st century philosopher)

*I used some form of the word "pop" in this post 10 times. Thus, my rating of this album is a 10 out of 10.

1. Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant EP/ Fleet Foxes

2009-01-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

Ahhh...(the "Ahhh" sound you make when you're feeling relieved about something) finally we (I) have reached the end of this long countdown road. It's been some good times. It's been some bad times. Frankly, it's been way too fucking long. But today, finally, is my last post for this "First Annual Rather Be Pogging Countdown of My Favorite Albums and Songs of the Year." I feel kind of like the last kid to hit the button on the top of the Aggro Crag on Nickelodeon's GUTS (except Mo isn't keeping score). At this point, everyone has been long done with their year-end-lists, and yet I'm just finishing in the middle of January. Just another testament to how fat and lazy I am (another testament would be the fact I use two doughnuts in place of a hamburger roll).

As I promised, below is a list of my favorite 25 (actually 30) songs of 2008:

30. Why? - Good Friday
29. Fleet Foxes - Your Protector
28. Dodos - Red & Purple
27. The Hold Steady - Constructive Summer
26. Born Ruffians - Little Garcon
25. Ben Folds (ft. Regina Spektor) - You Don't Me
24. Estelle (ft. Kanye West) - American Boy
23. Blitzen Trapper - Furr
22. Beach House - Gila
21. Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines
20. She & Him - Sentimental Heart
19. MGMT - Kids
18. Born Ruffians - Hummingbird
17. TV On The Radio - The Stork and Owl
16. El Guincho - Palmitto's Park
15. Lupe Fiasco - Little Weapon
14. Vampire Weekend - Walcott
13. Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
12. Why? - The Hollows
11. Joel Alme - The Queen's Corner
10. Department of Eagles - No One Does It Like You
9. Lil Wayne (ft. Jay-Z) - Mr. Carter
8. My Morning Jacket - Highly Suspicious
7. Animal Collective - Water Curses
6. Bon Iver - Lump Sum
5. Fleet Foxes - Mykonos
4. The Hold Steady - Slapped Actress
3. Dodos - Fools
2. Sigur Rós - Gobbledigook
1. MGMT - Electric Feel

Now, before we (I) get to my favorite album of 2008, let's take a gander at some of my favorite albums from 2008 that didn't make the list:

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
Sigur Ros -Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Why? - Alopecia
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Passion Pit - Chunk of Change EP
El Guincho - Alegranza!
Lupe Fiasco - The Cool

And now...my favorite album of 2008...

1. Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant EP/ Fleet Foxes

Coming in at #1 and winner of the prestigious "First Annual Rather Be Pogging Countdown of My Favorite Albums" are Fleet Foxes and their EP/ self-titled album.

At first I was skeptical about putting this album at #1. The songs on both the EP and album are just seem so simple, and the sound they produce is too 60's folk, I figured their work wasn't worth #1. Unlike some of my favorite albums-of-the-year from previous years (I liked 2004- Arcade Fire Funeral 2005- Sufjan Stevens Illinois or Wolf Parade Apologies to the Queen Mary 2007 - LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver or Panda Bear Person Pitch) I felt Sun Giant EP/ Fleet Foxes were an old, revised sound, rather than a new sound that pushed the progression of music forward. But after seeing these guys live, it became clear to me that though their sound may be a mountainier version of Beach Boys, their songwriting and talent (especially singing harmonies live) are just as deserving as every other year's #1.

It's hard to say exactly what makes Fleet Foxes so worth listening to. Maybe it's their angelic harmonies. Maybe it's their obscurely ruggid yet romantic lyrics. Maybe it's their hippyness. Maybe we should ask Bill Nye the Science Guys (science rulez) why it's so enjoyable. But whatever it is, Fleet Foxes have made me realize one thing about music; a lesson most hipsters could use:

Music does not need to be progressive to be liked. Kind of an obvious statement, but still one many of us look past. It often seems like people in general want to like whatever is most cutting edge (this is probably why more and more rappers are using that weird synthesizer voice). Music will make it's progressions (just think of how each decade has it's own "sound"), but good music will always be good music, regardless of what era it came from. Fleet Foxes' are the anti-cutting edge. And by being the anti-cutting edge they have become cutting-edge (I've lost my mind).

Good-bye 2008. Hello 2009. (8 days late)

2. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

2009-01-04T09:36:00.000-08:00

If there is anything less exciting than finishing a list of my favorite albums from 2008 in 2009, it has to be including an album that technically came out in 2007. Let's be honest, does anyone even remember 2007? The only thing that really comes to mind is the premier of "The Big Bang Theory" on CBS. Other than that, pretty much nothing happened. Oh yeah, Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago was self-released in the Fall of 2007. So I guess that makes two interesting things that happened in 2007.

But it wasn't until the album was re-released through Jagjaguwar in February of 2008 that I actually heard the album. And to be honest, the album feels so wintery that I have to consider it's February 2008 release as it's official release. So fuck off Wikipedia (c'mon baby you know I don't mean that - your facts are the best).

2. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Coming in at #2 and winner of the "Henry David Thoreau Walden Pond" Award is Bon Iver and For Emma, Forever Ago.

Mostly recorded over three months of seclusion in a remote cabin in Wisconsin, For Emma, Forever Ago feels (and sounds) like isolation. In fact, I can't imagine this album ever being created without his Thoreau/ Alexander Supertramp-like self-isolation. If an artist has ever captured the feeling of walking alone into a cold snowy, woods at sunset and chopping down a tree for firewood, it would have to be Bon Iver (there's no word on whether or not he knew how to properly conserve moose-meat).

Perhaps Wikipedia says it best (or whoever edited this page): "Solitude is a state of seclusion and isolation, i.e. lack of contact with people or love." A lack of contact with people or love. I probably didn't need to type that twice, but that statement just describes Mr. Iver's (his real name is Justin Vernon) album best. Not only does the album feel like Northwestern Wisconsin or winter or chopping down trees or the smell of pines or isolation, but if feels like a lack of contact with people or love. Imagine what having a clear head did to his songwriting. The only things to join him beside his fire are past memories of people he knew and love he experienced. Maybe he found out what or who truly meant something to him. Maybe this album was him saying "Emma, I should have told you this forever ago." Yes this is a wild guess, but even the title is interesting. And if none of that means anything to you, let me put it this way:

Dude was straight lonely as a mothafuck.

But enough about his loneliness, the music itself is awesome. Most of the songs are him strumming away at his acoustic guitar (not like that corny guy at the party who's covering Dave Matthews Band) and layering harmonies stickier than Vermont pancake syrup. He's got a falsetto sweeter and warmer than a campfire-toasted marshmallow. Music can do two things (actually it probably can do thousands of things). It can provoke a feeling from the listener or it can document a time in a musicians life. And Bon Iver does the latter, but by doing so, provokes many a feeling from the listener.

Listen to the whole album out of order on his guyspace.
Download the mediafire here.
Watch a few fantastic videos here:
1.
2.

3. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

2008-12-28T10:39:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

"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

2008-12-22T11:16:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-13T12:18:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-13T12:14:00.000-08:00

(see me talk about #7 Dear Science here)

(watch my new favorite youtube clip here)

8. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

2008-12-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-08T15:39:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-01T17:09:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-21T08:53:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-13T08:21:00.001-08:00

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

Passion Pit sounds like a slang term for a vagina (I mean why not just name your band "The Cooters" or "Locust Patch")
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'

2008-10-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

Let's get things straight right from the start:

I know little-to-nothing about blogging
I find the subculture behind blogging/ blog-readers to be a tidbit bizarre and a whole-lotta nerdy
I don't have any real intentions or goals for this blog
I like turtles
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