VISIBLE LULZ.

I'm on a tear today.

So this past weekend I went to New York City. Whilst in Manhattan dining at the world famous Olive Garden (which got me tons of ribbing), I snapped this lovely picture because T-Dubbs is apparently a huge fan of Fantasia:


(Remember in The Office when Michael goes to Manhattan to get some authentic New York pizza, and ends up at a Sbarro? That's what us going to Olive Garden is like.)

ANNNNNYWAYZ,

I thought this picture would make a great LOLpic, so I made two versions: the first is a nice, easy G-rated version, and the second is slightly more NSFW.

Enjoy!

TOP 3 THINGS...

...I saw while at Stop & Shop yesterday after work:

1. A circa-1987 Ford Ranger, rusted, with a hood and right front side panel that were different colors than the rest of the truck with a lawnmower in the bed. WAIT, THAT'S NOT THE BEST PART - the license plate read "DALEJR" and that's amazing.
2. A roughly ten-year old boy in full karate adornment sparring with himself on the glass doors in the freezer section. Complete with utterances. I prolly could have taken him. Prolly.
3. A grown man, my guess would be somewhere in his mid-fifties, singing Peter Cetera's "Glory Of Love" while purchasing what looked to be some sort of pet food. (Incidentally, this occurrence meshed well with occurrence #2, as "Glory Of Love" was heavily featured in the underrated 1986 epic, The Karate Kid, Part II)

You can't make this stuff up.

October is apparently new music month

Seriously, how much brand new music can one person listen to in a month's time? Apparently, if you're me, the answer is a shit ton. There have been so many phenomenal CD's that have come out (or are coming out) this month. As mentioned a few entries down, the new Dashboard Confessional record came out a few weeks ago. Last week, both Jimmy Eat World's Chase This Light and the first two volumes of Thrice's The Alchemy Index both hit stores. Besides that, the new Say Anything and Cobra Starship records came out this week. (I listened to the Cobra Starship record when it was streaming - I may pick it up. As for Say Anything... well, we'll see...)

That being said, there are three things I've heard this week that I'm totes nose over tail for:

1. First, the newest offering from my perennial faves, Saves The Day, comes out next Tuesday. It's entitled Under The Boards, and it's the second record in a three-album trilogy. I spent all day Wednesday listening to the stream. I'm definitely in to it. It's currently streaming at the band's MySpace.
   
2. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by my second swoon-of-the-week. It's The Color Fred, which initially was a side project of Taking Back Sunday's Fred Mascherino. About a week or so ago, he announced that he was leaving TBS to make this band his full time focus. I was skeptical that it just wasn't going to be that good. Well, it's not breaking any new musical ground or anything, but it is a really, really solid record. It's a lot more down-tempo and poppy than most of TBS's stuff - a lot of it a real singer/songwriterey vibe to it. Admittedly, a couple of the songs sound like they could have been rejected TBS songs ("I Hate To See You Go"), and from what I've read, that is in fact the case. But they're still very catchy and solid. Give it a listen here.
3. Ok, this record didn't come out this month, but I first heard it in its entirety yesterday afternoon, and it's sooooo good. So I shall include it here. It's called About Face by The Working Title. It's very indie/pop/rock (think Sherwood and The Forecast), and I'm actually getting more in to it the more I listen (which, with records like this, the opposite is usually the case). They have about half the record on their Purevolume page. So far the standouts for me have been "Under The Ground, " "The Mary Getaway (I Lost Everything)," and "Turbulence."

I tell you, it's gonna be really fucking hard to do a end of the year top 10 list in December...

It looks like the sky was painted this way.
--johnberard

FOR THE FUCKING WIN.

Don Mattingly is my favorite baseball player of all time.

And now, according to ESPN, he might be the new manager of the Yankees.

Stoked.

I hope you find your will to follow through

Brand New released a digital-only single yesterday entitled "Fork and Knife." In its previous incarnation, it was known as "Untitled 07" and could be found on the leaked demo sessions for The Devil And God... It was recorded during the actual album sessions, but left off the record.

Today, the song was posted to their MySpace page. Now, I am a huge Brand New fan, and I had been reading that the song sounded different than anything else they've ever done. I was hesitant to listen to it because I didn't want to be disappointed. Well, I gave it a shot, and whatever the exact opposite of disappointed is, that's what I am.

It's fucking great. I just blew $0.99 on it. You can hear it for yourself here on their MySpace page.

In offense of the genre

The new Say Anything record, In Defense Of The Genre, came out today. For weeks and weeks, all I have done is read that it's the "release of the year" on absolutepunk.net and in Alternative Press. Most of you know how reputable I deem these rags to be as it is, and I just can't wrap my head around how this band is still likened to the next coming of The Beatles. For any other band, a 27-song double-disc release would be attacked as pretentious and egotastic. But not this. No, this is bold and ambitious, the work of a mad genius. This is a masterpiece. Riiiiight.

I mean, I touched on this very subject earlier this year. And to be honest, I listened to all the songs that were pre-released from the new album. I hoped to be dissuaded from my opinion. "What is it that I'm missing here?" I thought to myself. "Why can't I understand this?" And to this day I remain baffled.

As mentioned, it doesn't help that the two prevalent scene media outlets are completely stroking this band. This morning, absolutepunk posted a review of the record. It has to be one of the most useless reviews I have ever read in my life. It basically just lets the reader know just how awesome and completely infallible the reviewer believes Max Bemis to be. For instance, the review states:

And with 27 songs, there are bound to be a few cringe-worthy lines, with gems like “Jesus died a Jew/pupils painted blue/you haters know it’s true” being one of the more ridiculous lines. But, strangely, these flaws just add to the concept of this album, that relationships are chaotic and unfocused at times, but also they can be great and change your life.

That is one of the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard in my life. Call a spade a spade - bad writing is bad writing, not life changing.

He also goes on to state:

With all the hype Say Anything has generated for this release, it’s pretty common to see a lot of hate; most of which is foolish.

That has to be one of the the most ludicrous things I have ever read in a review in my life. I mean, I've read hundreds of reviews that I've disagreed with, and even hated, but I have never come across such a preposterous statement in a review. Basically, that sentence reworded could easily read "Um, some people don't like Say Anything, and those people are obviously missing brain cells."

Also it doesn't help that absolutepunk have changed their background and color scheme to coincide with today's release. FTL.

Off the top of my head, I can think of two bands out there that are doing stuff that's "quirky" and "off-beat" like this. Only they do it better. (Incidentally, those bands are RORY and The Matches.) Now, by no means am I knocking anyone who likes Say Anything, nor am I calling in to question the musicianship and skill found within that band - I commend anyone who can make a living playing music, and for what it's worth, they're not terrible. I just don't like them. What I am calling in to question is the credibility of those who are shoving this record down the throat of the entire scene.

There are several records that come to mind that could be considered for"the best album of the year": Chase This Light, Even If It Kills Me, Under The Boards, Infinity On High, and on and on. Well, if you're going to be gay for one big release, you have to be gay for them all. You cant just be Say Anything-curious. Be fair. Give the facts and let people make their own minds up. It's getting to be as bad as corporate radio. You want to defend the genre? Knock this stupid shit off.

o, haiiiiii buildings.
--johnberard

This is what I encountered on the Mount Hope Bridge as the last leg of my 24 hour journey to New York came to an end.

It seemed fitting. Or at least literary.

What an amazing weekend. I really needed the time away. Hangs were amazing, as always.

Bffl #2, Olive Garden, bffl #1, Fantasia, new American Apparel track jackets, practical subway mastery, NYC faves, welfare mimosas, game 6, birthday playlists, Everlong requests, almost-vandalism, visible hangover...

Yeah. I'm still tired. Erica and Jess - thanks for the hospitalitude. Next time I'll make those omelettes. With eggs that weren't purchased with vengeance.
--johnberard