"Get Happy" About Bowling For Soup

I’ve held back on today’s topic for about a month now, but today I discovered that Bowling For Soup’s new album Sorry For Partyin’ is coming out in about two weeks (October 13) so in honor of that, I’m writing about them, their latest EP My Wena, and the newest single (released Sept. 22) called “No Hablo Ingles.”

Bowling For Soup definitely makes my list of all-time top-five favorite bands, hands down. They probably come in at about 3rd place, after Relient K, but it’s a close call. This summer I read on their bio that they worked out mathematically the sad-to-happy ratio of lyrics in their songs, so that for every sad lyric they have so many more happy ones. I think that’s really clever (and it’s no wonder that lead singer Jaret Reddick has two college degrees and is such a phenomenal singer and songwriter) and I could not think of a happier, peppier, more life-loving band. Bowling For Soup’s songs are antidepressants, no exaggeration.

The My Wena EP came out August 7, 2009, and I got it not long after its release date. Normally I don’t buy EPs, or much care about them, but BFS is an exception. My favorite song on the EP is “I’ll Always Remember You (That Way)” because it’s about a guy and a girl looking back on their relationship, with the guy sung by Jaret Reddick and the girl sung by Kim Shattuck of The Muffs. They are each saying what they remember of their time together, but it is kind of funny how their perspectives differ:

GIRL: Do you remember the moonlight in my hair?
GUY: I remember pulling your hair
GIRL: I told my friends that it was love
GUY: I told mine you couldn’t get enough!

GIRL: I’ll always remember you
GUY: Always remember you
GIRL: The moon and the stars
GUY: The back of my car
GIRL: That song that was ours
GUY: The back of my car
GUY: The memories are different
GIRL: But we felt the same
BOTH: And I’ll always remember you that way.

I really love the realism in that. Everyone has a different view of how an event happened; nobody has the same memories, even in relationships. It’s kind of funny, because a lot of songs are all about “unity” in love, and thousands of songs say, “I’ll always remember you,” but Bowling For Soup takes it farther with the “That Way.” And it’s equally amusing because guys and girls really do have different perspectives, especially in relationships, and sometimes that’s the very thing that destroys them.

But I have to say, Bowling For Soup have REALLY outdone themselves on their newest single, “No Hablo Ingles.” It has the classic BFS humor and then some—basically the entire premise of the song is the joke that you can get out of any situation by claiming not to speak English. (If you can’t deduce that from the title.) Jaret Reddick and the guys are, as usual, off-handedly hilarious in their tone and use of lyrics, such as, “My teacher asked me where my homework was / And that's when I told her, ‘No hablo Inglés!’ / Policeman caught me doing ninety / And that’s when he pulled me over: ‘No hablo Inglés!’” And the chorus: “To make a getaway / It’s all you’ve gotta say! / (¡Cuatro! ¡Cinco! ¡Seis!) / ‘No hablo Inglés!’”

I really can’t describe all the humor of Jaret’s little spoken asides, though, so I really think you should just buy the single, or wait for Sorry For Partyin’ to come out on October 13th. (I can’t wait!!!) That’s going to be a very good day for me—just as Bowling For Soup intended. Because really, that’s what I love best about them: they just want everyone to be happy, and they make sure it happens with their music. (Just like they say in “Shut Up And Smile,” which by the title is probably a self-explanatory song.)

Happy listening! (Literally.)
Emily Noel

(Post title taken from "Get Happy" by Bowling For Soup. All reprinted lyrics copyright of Bowling For Soup.)

"I'm Leaving You My Legacy..."

This morning at brunch, my friend goes, “So how’s that music blog going?” And I said, “…It’s going. I’m working on it.” But as you can see, I am kind of a slacker in the blogging department. I could say I’ve been taking some “mental health days,” but if that’s really the case then this is rapidly turning into a mental health semester, and that isn’t what I want. So blogging it is. (So here you go, KDB—hope you see this update!)

I have been listening to my favorite female artist a lot lately—Katy Perry. (Though for a side note, I have to say that I used to be a huge Avril Lavigne fan in 8th grade and high school. I still love her first album, but as of late I feel like she tried to change her style too much, just to fit in. Maybe she wanted the change—I don’t know. But I didn’t like her most recent album The Best Damned Thing. It didn’t have the same spunk and fighting spirit of Let Go or even Under My Skin.) Anyway, nowadays Katy Perry is my absolute favorite female singer. Her songs are so down-to-earth and real, but fun and “sing-able.” Obviously she has the standard radio hits “Ur So Gay,” “Waking Up In Vegas,” “I Kissed A Girl,” and of course “Hot N Cold.” Last fall, I was all about “Hot N Cold,” but all of her songs are so upbeat and catchy that you can’t help loving them. I was once addicted to her music video for “Hot N Cold,” and I still really love it—because really, who wouldn’t chase her husband-to-be around town for ditching her at the aisle? My favorite line is, “Someone call the doctor, got a case of the love bipolar / Stuck on a roller coaster, can’t get off this ride” because it sums up the very essence of commitment-fearing guys. Her playful use of words is what makes her songs so believable and fun.

I don’t just love her hits, either—I invested in her debut album One of the Boys and discovered that there is not a single song I dislike on the entire album. No song-hopping for me when it comes to Katy! My favorite non-hit songs are actually two of the more serious ones—“Lost” and “Fingerprints.” If you don’t have the album, you probably will not have heard them, but they’re very heartfelt and emotional. “Lost” is about being out on your own but feeling like you don’t belong anywhere: “So sick of this town pulling me down / My mother says I should come back home / But can’t find the way ’cause the way is gone / So if I pray, am I just sending words into outer space?” And then the refrain: “Have you ever been so lost? Known the way, and still so lost?” Those are words that I can really relate to, and I think it might be a feeling that a lot of young adults can sympathize with—once you get out on your own, you realize that freedom can be a lot harder and sometimes a lot more lonely than you ever anticipated.

“Fingerprints” is nowhere near as somber, but definitely has a note of seriousness to it, if only because it carries such distinct tones of defiance and pride. It is basically about being put down and told that you can’t make it and do what you want with your life, but rebelling and going for it anyway. (I do not know if it is a personal statement from Katy Perry in that way, but it’s relatable nonetheless.) Obviously, there are thousands of songs with the same message, but Katy’s catchy music and playful wording make it different somehow. My favorite line is, “’Cause I’m worth more than this / So stop writing prescriptions for my Ritalin / I can’t focus my attention,” because it really puts some individuality in there. The entire song, underlined by the refrain of, “I wanna break the mold, I wanna break the stereotype / Fist in the air, I’m not going down without a fight” and “I want you to remember me…I’m leaving my fingerprints on you,” is saying, “Don’t tell me what I can’t do, just watch and let me prove to you that I can.” I really like messages like that, especially in songs. Songs like that are really uplifting and empowering; even when you feel down, they make you think that maybe there is a reason to fight for what you want, no matter how hopeless it seems or how many people tell you can’t do it.

Now go out and buy One of the Boys—it’s so worth it! I love you, Katy Perry!

Thanks for reading!
Emily Noel

(Disclaimer: Credit for the post title - Katy Perry's "Fingerprints." All lyrics are copyright of Katy Perry.)

Emily Noel's Music Video Judgement

In honor of tonight's MTV Video Music Awards, I'd just like to show you all the official worst music video ever, which I first saw at the Hard Rock Cafe in Cardiff, Wales this winter. Putting aside my personal dislike of Bono's music, I have not yet met anyone who enjoys this music video; it has no story arc whatsoever. If you do, please tell me why because I think it is the worst piece of visual art I have ever seen and yet it is continuously hiliarious to my friends and I.

And just for amusement, my all-time top-five music videos are:
Mr. Brightside - The Killers
Helena - My Chemical Romance
Apologize - OneRepublic
All That I've Got - The Used
So What? - Pink

Hope you all enjoy the VMAs!
Emily Noel

P.S. - I just flipped on the VMAs and saw Kristen Stewart from Twilight advertising the upcoming sequel New Moon. And then Beyonce came out half-naked, and I stopped watching. Especially because one of my roommates told me that Kristen Stewart is playing Joan Jett in an upcoming film. Why would anyone give Stewart a role of importance?! She was good in Twilight, but I can't see her playing that kind of role. Get Zooey Deschanel, at least! She could do it, I bet. But maybe I'm just biased.

Just A Little Movie Reviewing

So Tim Burton’s 9 came out on Wednesday, which besides being a huge Burton fan, I am rather indifferent about, but Coheed’s single “Welcome Home” was in the trailer which I was SUPER EXCITED about…but it’s not in the movie, unfortunately. In other news, I am switching the blogging schedule to ONLY Monday and Friday. Mid-week is not my best time, which is why I skipped the actual 9-9-9 blog date.

Anyway, yesterday I re-watched one of my all-time top favorite movies, Almost Famous. It is basically a movie about how I wish my life would play out: a 15-year old kid who writes for local underground music magazines is hired to work for Rolling Stone and tours with a band called Stillwater. It’s a really incredible movie (with Kate Hudson and Philip Seymour Hoffman) and I never get tired of watching it. And it is also really amazing the way the music works within the story—like how his older sister (Zooey Deschanel—one of my favorite actresses—and by the way, does anyone else agree with me that she looks almost EXACTLY like Katy Perry? I swear they’re the same person) leaves home to become a stewardess and explains it by playing Simon and Garfunkel’s “America” to her family. I love that. Music is the best way to explain an emotion, sometimes. You just have to be open to listen. You can really learn a lot about a person by what they listen to or what they try to play for you.

Anyway, the music from the film (aside from including a lot of Elton John, who I can only take in low doses) is perfect. For instance, Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” pretty much sums up Kate Hudson’s character, the stunning Miss Penny Lane, sometimes-girlfriend of Stillwater’s lead guitarist Russell Hammond. I believe Ms. Hudson is really the sparkle behind all the emotion of the film, in addition to the astounding choice of music. The lyrics “Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band / Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man” could not describe Penny Lane any better—she is in love with Russell, she is the soul of Stillwater and their biggest fan, yet taken for granted somewhat because of her groupie status. I would venture to say the movie is really as much about her as it is about William Miller, the boy journalist (played by Patrick Fugit.) The film isn’t just about William Miller’s journey across America and his adventures with the band, nor is it simply about the politics and trials of the music industry—it’s really about the undying love and loyalty of fans to their favorite bands. Long story short, I could not recommend any film more (except for High Fidelity.)

Happy watching & happy weekend!
Emily Noel

Mixing and Matching

On the same day that I discovered the Vitamin String Quartet, I also found this really fantastic workout music. They are iTunes albums comprised of dance and techno mixes by various artists. There are songs adapted from movies called Fit Flix Workout Music and pop music workout mixes categorized by year; for instance, I bought a few tracks off of the 70’s and 80’s Pop Workout Music 2 album. There are lots of different ones to choose from though, and some of them are specifically designed just for cardio, like walking and running mixes. Occasionally I’ve made my own workout mixes for walking and running, but it’s really neat that they come pre-made on iTunes. If you’re looking for new workout music, definitely check them out.

My favorite is the Fit Flix Workout Music 1 album (136-148BPM Music for Moderate-Fast Paced Walking, Jogging, Cardio) which has 8 tracks of well-known songs from movies, such as “My Heart Will Go On” from Titantic, “Eye of the Tiger” from Rocky, and the closing theme from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl—all set to techno. I also got “Sugar Baby Love,” “Baby I Love Your Way,” and “Lay All Your Love On Me” from 70’s and 80’s Pop Workout Music 2, which are also set to techno, of course. I think these are really funny and clever and I cannot wait to put them to use in my workouts. Interesting music always makes working out more enjoyable for me; it’s almost like setting a goal of how much awesome music I can listen to before I’m exhausted or it’s time to stop.

While I am on the subject of interesting music medleys, I can also mention one of Girl Talk’s albums, Feed The Animals. This very intense and creative mix was introduced to me by a friend on the way to a Coheed and Cambria concert a few months ago. The entire album is made up of parts of rap and hip-hop songs woven together with old rock classics. I am generally not a big fan of rap or hip-hop, but I can definitely respect the effort and planning involved in creating such mixes. For example, in the track “Play Your Part (Part 2)” Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” is backed by some of the guitar parts of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge,” and then “Pop, Lock, and Drop It” is set to Journey’s “Faithfully.” Feed The Animals made me think about what sort of songs I would mix if I had the proper software and knowledge to do so. It is really fun not to cheat by looking online for the parts, but rather to try to pick out the songs on your own and then check to see if you were right. But if you would like to see what songs the tracks are made from, you can see some fairly accurate lists on Wikipedia’s Feed The Animals page. (Found here—though I do not condone using Wikipedia as a trusted web source.)

Happy Labor Day!
Emily Noel

Happy Fall 2009

Happy Fall 2009! And no, I did not cop out on updating the blog – I’ve just been uber busy moving into my new apartment at college for the Fall 09 semester, unpacking, and going to classes. So now I’m back on track, and unless some huge assignment or something throws me off, I’m going to stick to it.

Today’s topic is one that I’ve wanted to cover since I started the blog because I discovered this group on the day I started it. The group is not actually one group, it is a number of groups that make up the Vitamin String Quartet. From what I understand, there are several string quartets in Los Angeles, all of which produce covers of well-known groups, such as Abba, the Beatles, the Killers, My Chemical Romance, and many others. (Full lists can be found on iTunes, or if you just Google search the quartet.) The reason I discovered them was because they did a cover of Coheed and Cambria’s In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 album and I had to get it, of course. I was elated because In Keeping Secrets is my second-favorite Coheed album, and it was so interesting to hear the tracks without the vocals, synthesizers, and drums—just string instruments. When I listen to the cover of In Keeping Secrets I can almost hear the vocals overlapping the instruments, but it evokes a totally different feeling to the song. When Claudio Sanchez (Coheed and Cambria) sings, he injects a lot of emotion into his words. Some of the depth of emotion is lost without his vocals, because the instrumentals on their own make the mood sound more upbeat when Claudio’s lyrics make the song so much darker. It’s a really interesting and creative concept, so I highly recommend checking if the Quartet has done tributes of your favorite artists. It really puts an interesting spin on the songs, almost as if you’re hearing them for the first time all over again.

The album was so fabulous that I had to find out more about the Vitamin String Quartet’s tributes. I also got their covers of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” and Relient K’s “In Love With The 80’s (Pink Tux To The Prom)” because they both sounded really cool in purely instrumental form. “Don’t Stop Believing” is such a classic that I enjoy hearing it any form, but I had never heard it without the vocals before, obviously. The tune is clearly recognizable but the lack of vocals makes it a lot less upbeat and inspiring. “In Love With The 80’s” is still just as catchy, though, even if it does lack the beauty of Matthew Theissen’s voice. I plan to buy more of the Quartet’s tributes eventually because they’re so phenomenal.

Enjoy!
Emily Noel