Cool New Music from 2012 Thus Far

I did my radio show this morning on WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and www.wxav.com. (The name of the show is The Rockology.) The theme was great new music from 2012. So far this year has been pretty awesome with new releases. New Murder By Death, Mumford & Sons, and Local H have not disappointed. Here is a listing of some of the tunes I have been digging thus far.

1. Local H: Cold Manor, off of the new album: Hallelujah! I'm a Bum.
Just a hard rocking romper stomper of an album. Here is my favorite track of the album. Performed live in NY earlier in the year. The album does a really cool "Abbey Road" style of songs blending into one another.



2. The XX: Reunion, off of the new album: Coexit
This is a very dark, malonic album. It gradually builds upon itself as the album progresses. I especially love the Jamaican drums on the song. It really adds a nice little flare to the song. Here is a great performance of the song at the equally great KEXP in Seattle



3. Green Day: Stay the Night, off of the new album: !Uno!
This is just a fun song. It reminds of mid-90s Green Day. The days of Dookie or Nimrod. In fact I really don't know why I like this album so much, but I really do. It's just a fund album and sometimes it is important to listen to just fun music.



4. Murder By Death: I Came Around, off of the album: Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon
My mind was literally blown after I finished hearing this song for the first time. It is so good. Then I heard the album, and I was equally impressed. If this album does not blow up Murder By Death, I do not know what will. It seems like they have been a band that is always on the verge of becoming very well known.



5. Bruce Springsteen: Easy Money, off of the new album: Wrecking Ball
I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of the Boss until only a few years ago. (The album that hooked me was called Magic) But the more I dive into his catalog, the more I find myself enjoying it. This year he released a fantastic solo album. Especially love the use of the fiddle in this song.



6. Mumford & Sons: I Will Wait, off of the new album: Babel
Epic. That is the only way I can describe this song. If this album is half as good as this song, Mumford & Sons just became a very important band.

Favorite Moments from Community: Season 2

About a month ago, I wrote a blog about my favorite moments from Community. (The best show on television that no one watches.)  In my first post I focused exclusively on episodes from season 1. Now it is time to move on and focus on season 2. Let us begin

Anthropology 101
This episode is episode one of season 2 and it picks up right where season 1 left off. The group is back from summer vacation and is in a new class together, Anthropology. (Which is taught by the eternally funny Betty White.) The fallout of the Jeff/Annie kiss is explored, and Troy begins posting Pierce sayings as tweets. Truly wonderful. Here's a fun clip of Annie finding out about Jeff and Britta hooking up.



Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
Not only is Community laugh out loud funny, but it has heart and a moral message. This episode is a perfect example. Jeff is worried that "Fat" Neil is depressed, so he and the group invite him to a very special game of Dungeons & Dragons. Pierce, furious to be left out of the game, crashes it and becomes the villian we all know he can be. This is television at its finest. There's humor, sorrow, and the experience of seeing things from another person's perspective. Plus there's this:



Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas
This episode is almost entirely in claymation. CLAYMATION PEOPLE!!!! That alone is worth watching. But the fact that they bring back the old school Holiday episode just warms my nostalgic heart. This will be an episode I watch around Christmas time.



Critical Film Studies
It's an episode about a Pulp Fiction party that is encased in another movie, which I do not wish to spoil. Just keeping everything straight is a miracle. So many great character moments between Jeff and Abed. Like this one:



A Fistfull of Paintballs/ For a Few More Paintballs
Much like Modern Warfare from season 1, I cannot write a description that will do these two episodes justice. Just sit back and watch this.




P.S. They make an Ice Cream cone EVIL!!! How crazy is that?!?!?!?!?!?

Ghostbusters II: Soundtrack Found on Cassette

I recently unearthed an old cassette tape I made when I was in eighth grade. It is the soundtrack to one of my favorite movies, Ghostbusters II. It is a great representation of late 80's goodness. Majority of the soundtrack is done by Bobbie Brown, and it has some very catchy songs. I am right now in the process of converting it to audio files so that I can listen to it on my iPod.

But just listening to it reminds me of how much I enjoy the Ghostbusters' universe. It is grounded in a scientific reality, but has imagination to it. When I was little, I would run around the house busting ghosts. So much fun, and the toys were pretty amazing. Additionally, Ghostbusters really lends itself well to comics. IDW is doing a monthly series that I am a big fan of.

I think it is time to take a trip down memory lane and have a screening of Ghostbusters II.