Foggy Idea

A music blog.

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Had a couple spells of not feeling so great this week--once from some sort of bug that was going around and one from over-celebrating Mindy’s birthday--so I’ve needed my fair share of music for headaches.

Petal did the trick much of the time.

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"All my life I thought had changed."

An album that I’m just recently getting into is Angel Olsen’s latest.

I hadn’t heard of it (nor her) until a few weeks ago when I filtered Rob Mitchum’s Top Albums of 2016 Google spreadsheet by the genres I like best and Olsen was on top.

(The album was #6 overall, only one spot behind Lemonade for crying out loud!)

A recurring theme I’m noticing in much of the new indie rock I’ve been enjoying, it sort of has a ‘90s vibe to it.

She doesn’t seem to have any tour stops scheduled in Florida, but hopefully that changes soon.

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Pitchfork doesn’t seem to like the latest Sleigh Bells album very much.

And reading reviews like this one makes me wonder if my opinions can even be trusted when it comes to new music.

A lot of the aspects of the album the review finds fault with I actually view as features not bugs.

Like am I too old to know what’s good?

(That’s almost definitely true when it comes to hip hop.)

At the same time many reviews are positive, but even if they weren’t, so what?

I like what I like, and I like all 4 of Sleigh Bells’ albums and will listen to them without reservation.

P.S.: Saw them live over 3 years ago now (at some place in downtown Orlando that’s since been renamed and seemingly only has EDM and hip hop shows) and they were great!

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“I...don’t want to know your name”

I’m not sure where I first heard “Fox on the Run” by The Sweet, probably in Dazed and Confused.

But it’s come up a few times recently, namely on the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel trailer I saw before Rogue One and on the Adam Carolla podcast.

So I added it my main playlist on Apple Music and now want to listen to this song over any of the new music from 2017 I’ve been trying to get to.

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"Why did you let them leave and then make me stay?"

Discovered Julien Baker by accident last November when going to see my 2nd Pinegrove show in 4 months.

Neither were the headliner which was some punk band we didn’t stay for.

Petal opened, who I discovered that night and really enjoyed as well. Pinegrove was up 2nd and were great as expected.

Julien Baker was 3rd and blew me and everyone I was with away. Mindy and I went with a guy I met in improv class and his girlfriend and their millenial friends who were pre-gaming with the intent of being drunk enough to cry during her set which didn’t make sense to me until I saw her play.

Her set was just her with an electric guitar, no backing band. She sounds like Jeff Buckley reincarnated as a 21-year-old women.

I would venture a guess over the time period of seeing this concert in early November and now, I have listened to Julien Baker more than any other artist.

Subsequently had a conversation with an acquaintance much more into the indie music scene than me who told me what a treat it was to see her in such an intimate venue as she’s about to get much bigger. So for the countless examples I can point to of shows I didn’t go to but later regretted, this’ll(*) be one I can put in the win column.

(*) In case it wasn’t obvious, the show I went to is not the one in the video above. It was just a cool YouTube clip I found of my favorite song of hers.

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“Your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me, but I do. I finally do.”

Mitski is one of the artists I didn’t know existed before I saw her latest album on a bunch of year end best of lists. I added the album to my New Rock playlist on Apple Music and been listening to it quite a bit over the last month or so.

After a while of being enamored with her music, I of course Google when she’s going on tour, and it turns out she was just in Orlando in November so that’s too bad. But it was during a time when Mindy and I went to 3 concerts in 5 weeks and I think we were out of town the night Mitski was here anyway. Oh well.

She seems to have a fairly interesting background, so that’s something. Her music sort of has the vibe of the music I wasn’t cool enough for in the ‘90s and was too busy for in the ‘00s but am now embracing in the ‘10s if that makes any sense.

“Your Best American Girl” quickly became my favorite song on the album and I just discovered its music video online yesterday and it’s sort of intriguing so I’m posting it here.

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“End of summer and I'm still in love with her.”

Discovering Pinegrove was about the best thing about music for me in 2016, a year that was in fact about new friends.

Saw them live at Will’s Pub on 4th of July weekend--a few weeks before this video was recorded--with my friend and the girl he was dating at the time.

Loved the show but would have loved it more if Mindy was with me.

It was summer and I was still in lover with her, but Mindy and the kids were up in Cincinnati for a few weeks while I stayed home in Orlando and worked.

Fortunately Pinegrove came back to Orlando in December--this time at The Social--and Mindy got to go with me.

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I feel compelled to follow Pitchfork on Facebook for some reason, and they posted this video of the 10 best songs of the 2000s.

I assume by 2000s they mean the decade of 2000-09 and not the entire century and am I the only one annoyed there is no simply way around this confusion?

#10 is “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” by Arcade Fire from 2004

The indie scene of the mid 2000s (the decade) is a cultural blind spot for me. Not certain why, I graduated college in 2002 and was in to the local music scene in Cincinnati for a brief moment. But I got married in 2004 and was busy with work and buying a house and getting ready to have kids, maybe I didn’t feel cool enough to keep up with the cool new music.

Regardless, I have never really listened to Arcade Fire so I am under-informed of their goodness. And it’s not like I have a ton of people in my life chastising me for not getting into Arcade Fire, so the band may have permanently passed me by. Put Death Cab For Cutie in this category as well.

#9 is “My Girls” by Animal Collective from 2009

OK, I guess the year between the birth of my first and second children is another hip music blind spot for me as I know nothing about Animal Collective.

#8 is “Idioteque” by Radiohead from 2000

My hipster cred really takes a hit with my take on Radiohead which is I sort of like their 3 albums from the 90s during their respective moments but don’t really listen to them much in retrospect save for the occasional not skipping of “High and Dry” when it comes on shuffle in my iTunes.

But by 2000 when they were reaching the heights of the music intelligentsia waxing hyperbolic about them, I was pretty much out on Radiohead. I remember this song and this album when they were out but I was in my frat boy heydays and not listening to Radiohead.

#7 is “Get Ur Freak On” by Missy Elliot from 2001

I hadn’t thought about this song in a while, but this a good song and probably deserves to be on here. I have vivid memories of this song permeating the culture in the spring and summer of 2001. This time period of my life is part of a larger era, say 1992-2002, when I can still look back and associate a song with a specific year and season.

#6 is “Maps” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs from 2003

This album was probably one of the final dozen or so CDs I bought before fully converting to iTunes. I loved it and this song. Sure, this song probably deserves to be on the list.

#5 is “One More Time’ by Daft Punk from 2000

If I were to come up with my top 10 songs from this decade from scratch with no research, this song would assuredly be on the list.

#4 is “Crazy In Love” by Beyonce featuring Jay Z from 2003

I feel like I always see this song near the top of lists of songs from this decade, and although I remember it being fine in its moment, I can’t help but think it’s overrated by it being Beyonce’s breakout song as a solo star. And it’s got Jay Z, of Jay Z and Beyonce, as part of mythology.

Sure, my sense is Beyonce deserves a spot on the top 10, but no other songs come to mind that seem worthy. “Single Ladies”? Nah.

#3 is “Paper Planes” by M.I.A. from 2007

If I were to come up with my top 10 songs from this decade from scratch with no research, I’m fairly certain I’d come up with this one.

#2 is “All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem from 2007

Add LCD Soundsystem to the category with Arcade fire for me.

#1 is “B.O.B.” by Outkast from 2000

If I were to come up with my top 10 songs from this decade from scratch with no research, OutKast would be on there.

But I’d be thinking “Hey Ya,” but could see how you’d pick from a more true OutKast album than a song from the “let’s smash Big Boi’s and Andre 3000′s solo albums together into a double album.” Because “Hey Ya” is basically an Andre 3000 solo track, right?

OK, what’s the breakout by year? 3 from 2000, 2 each from 2003/2007, 1 each from 2001/2004/2009. That means none from 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2008.

Let’s see how my list shakes out. Because, oh yes, I’m making a list. I’m picking my top 10. What are my metrics? I don’t know.

I do know I’m going to do this without research save for Googling a song after I already thought of it just to get the precise year.

So I’ve already pretty much stated that “One More Time”, “Paper Planes” and “Hey Ya” are on the list. And sure, I can add “Maps” and “Get Ur Freak On” too. But that’s probably me falling victim to anchoring.

So 5 more.

Probably something from The Killers, probably “Mr. Brightside.”

Probably something from The White Stripes, probably “Seven Nation Army.”

Probably something from Taylor Swift, probably “You Belong With Me.”

OK, 2 more.

Something pop? Early Lady Gaga or Katy Perry? Nah. Too soon for Kesha. Rihanna? Sure! “Umbrella” featuring Jay Z can be my replacement for “Crazy In Love.”

So 1 more.

Thinking more hip hop. Kanye? I liked his first album but can’t pick one song off it to represent. Maybe Ludacris, like “Move Bitch” but nah. Probably “99 Problems” by Jay Z.

So that’s it then?

But I am feeling something emo. Is “Maps” in play to be swapped out?

There’s “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” by Panic! At The Disco. What about that first Fallout Boy song? Or that one by Coheed and Cambria? 

Ooh, My Chemical Romance...”I’m Not Okay” or “Helena” or “Welcome to the Black Parade”? OK, “Welcome To The Black Parade” needs to be on there.

What falls off? I want to leave “Maps” on the list. “Umbrella” is coming off.

Shit, I forget about “Since U Been Gone.” “Maps” is out. No, I love OutKast, but “Hey Ya” doesn’t hold up for me in retrospect. “Maps” is back in.

Here’s my list.

#10 “Maps” Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003)

#9 “Get Ur Freak On” Missy Elliot (2001) 

#8 “Paper Planes” M.I.A. (2007)

#7 “99 Problems” Jay Z (2003)

#6 “Seven Nation Army” The White Stripes (2003)

#5 “You Belong With Me” Taylor Swift (2008)

#4 “Welcome To The Black Parade” My Chemical Romance (2006)

#3 “One More Time” Daft Punk (2000)

#2 “Since U Been Gone” Kelly Clarkson (2004)

#1 “Mr. Brightside” The Killers (2004)

So my list has 3 from 2003, 2 from 2004 and 1 each from 2000/2001/2006/2007/2008. Missing are 2002/2005/2009.

Wonder what this would look like with some research to jog my memory. But this post has gone on too long already.

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Sturgill Simpson was on SNL last weekend though I didn’t stay up to catch it live, I watched his 2 performances the next day online and they both rocked, especially “Call to Arms.”

Linking to NBC videos sucks so I found some other performance of the song from last year that captures its essence.

I first heard of Sturgill Simpson on Steven Hyden’s podcast from mid last year, discussing his favorite rock albums of the first half of the year.

He admitted Simpson was probably more country than rock, but borderline, so alt-country I guess.

I was intrigued but there was too much else good stuff mentioned on that podcast to get to like Pinegrove and Car Seat Headrest and Modern Baseball, so I sort of forgot about it.

Toward the end of the year, I noticed the album was nominated for the Grammy and included on numerous year end best of lists, so I finally added it to an Apple Music playlist.

Apple Music is so great for this and is the best $10 I spend each month, well $15 now that Mindy’s in on it and we have the family plan.

The album is great. And if this is country, then I like country. For now, let’s just be safe and say I like borderline-rock/alt-country.

Yes, I am a 37-year-old white dude.

Simpson is a year older than me and from Kentucky, both of things I find endearing.

He has 2 earlier albums from 2013 and 2014, respectively. I think I should check those out at some point, especially if I plan on seeing him live, but he doesn’t appear to have any live shows upcoming.