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Day 16 - A Song That You Used to Love, But Now Hate

The closest situation I can think of where I love a song but end up hating it, is when I really like a song but it gets overplayed on the radio. For example, Foster the People's Pumped Up Kicks. Now, don't get me wrong. I love this song, and I love Foster the People, but I love this song on my own terms -- when I can listen to it when I want to listen to it. Not when I'm walking into LA Fitness or when I'm standing in line at Chipotle. Not when I'm flipping through someone's radio presets and it happens to be on AMP, KIIS, KBIG, and Power, all at the same freaking time. And certainly not when I'm trying to listen to my own music in my own car, and the dude in the car next to me is blasting Pumped Up Kicks so loudly with the windows down that I can almost see his car shake, and I can't help but crinkle my nose in discontempt. (Yes, red car outside of Pavillions yesterday, I'm talking to you.) So, for all you Pumped Up Kicked lovers out there who have inadvertently ruined the song for me, I'm here to provide you with some alternative options -- in my opinion, the best remix of the track, by a couple of my favorite producers/DJs from Chicago, and a super sweet ultra-danceable track off of Foster the People's excellent debut album, Torches.

Pumped Up Kicks (The Hood Internet Remix feat. Hollywood Holt)

Houdini

Day 15 - A Song That Describes You

I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around

All of these questions, such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground

And I am done with my graceless heart
Tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart

So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road
I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope

Florence + The Machine - Shake It Out

Day 14 - A Song That No One Would Expect You to Love

People are always very surprised to hear that I actually and genuinely like Justin Bieber. I'm honestly more surprised by the people who absolutely detest him, for no real reason. The kid -- well, I guess he's not really a kid anymore -- can sing. In 2009, I even wrote about him in an edition of (the now defunct) WTF, it's only Wednesday? I'm not saying I spend long nights listening to the Biebs on my headphones and contemplating life, but I will say that I've (along with many of my other friends) spent many a time (or two) dancing and singing-a-long to his songs -- Somebody To Love, being one of them. There's something completely amazing and hilarious about a bunch of grown adults belting Somebody To Love at the top of their lungs, and I'll take it. There might also be something a little embarassing about a grown adult blasting Somebody To Love in a car by herself, but I'll take that, too. Especially when it's Usher's remix. Play on playas.

 Somebody To Love (Remix)

Day 13 - A Song That is a Guilty Pleasure

All right, I'm not even going to front. I've been listening to a whole lot of Colbie Caillat recently. And to be honest, I'm not even really guilty about that. What I do feel a little sheepish about is the fact that I have, on several occassions, worked out to Colbie Caillat. Worked. out. to Colbie Caillat. Never in my life did I ever think I'd say that. There is absolutely nothing about Colbie Caillat's music that amps me up to go on a run or do pushups. Or...is there?

In all seriousness, I have my buddy, Jamie Bell, to thank for my current obsession with Colbie Caillat. Jamie's the kind of person who will (and is the only person I know with the balls to) come into my car, and skip songs on my iPod or switch out my iPod for hers without even asking. (Rude, right?) And her taste in music is, well...let's just say it's questionable at times. Anyway, I'll never forget how offended she sounded when she was flipping through my music library a few months ago and asked, "You only have one Colbie song on here!?" to which I responded, "Um...yeah?" In my head I was actually thinking, "I have a Colbie Caillat song on my iPod!?" Needless to say, after many car rides with Jamie, her iPod, and Colbie Caillat on repeat, Colbie's music has grown on me more than I ever thought it would.

Now, go pump some iron to this.

What If

Day 12 - A Song From A Band You Hate

Hate's a strong word, but it's safe to say that I seriously dislike Nickelback.

In fact, here are ten things I would rather do than sit down and listen to Chad Kroeger cry about photographs or about how some girl reminds him of not making it as a wise man, or cutting it as a poor man, or whatever it is he sings about in that awful single:

• Eat a spoonful of sawdust
• Have a pineapple thrown at my face
• Drink a warm glass of goat's milk
• Re-watch the Lakers lose to the Mavs in the 2011 NBA Playoffs
• Tumble down a short flight of stairs in front of a group of strangers (think: Tai/Brittany Murphy in Clueless)
• Step in a pile of steaming dried dog poop (No one wants to step in hot poo; that's the worst.)
• Get caught in a 14th Street - Union Square train stop turnstile during rush hour
• Sit through an awkward sex scene in a movie with either of my parents
• Get my feet run over by a group of kids racing to class with their rolling backpacks
• Listen to Creed.       ...PSYCH! Come on, really?

Photograph 

Day 11 - A Song From Your Favorite Band

I'll admit that I'm a little bit of a comittment-phobe and that I have several favorite bands. I've already talked about a couple of them (Death Cab for Cutie and Paramore) in my 30 Day Song Challenge, so I thought I'd post about another -- Tegan & Sara. The Con is is the title track to my favorite album from the Quin sisters and perhaps one of my favorite albums ever. I'm not sure if it's just by sheer coincidence that I'm normally a larger fan of Sara's songs than I am of Tegan's, but I found and still find myself connecting a lot more to Tegan's share of songs off of The Con, than Sara's.

I don't remember the first time I heard The Con, but I do remember the countless times I used to play it on repeat, and the chills that ran down my spine and knots that formed in my chest every single time I heard the song live during Tegan & Sara's promotion circuit for the album -- at a capacity-filled acoustic session at Amoeba, at an un-airconditioned but completely intimate acoustic session at Fingerprints, at the beautiful and lovely Performing Arts Centre in Malibu, on a cold New York City winter's night at Webster Hall, and finally at the breathtaking Gorge for Sasquatch 2008. There's something incredible about a song that floods you with emotions and memories every time you hear it, and for me, that song is The Con.

I listened in
Yes, I'm guilty of this
You should know this
I broke down and wrote you back
Before you had a chance to
Forget forgotten
I am moving past this, giving notice
I have to go
Yes, I know the feeling
Know you're leaving

The Con

The Con (Daytrotter Session)

Day 10 - A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep

When I fall asleep to music, it's usually to the same few bands or musicians: Death Cab for Cutie, Tegan and Sara, Snow Patrol, the National, and Bon Iver. Justin Vernon just has one of the most lovely, unique, and soothing voices, and on many songs, it's perfectly paired with his slow and steady acoustic guitar compositions. Needless to say, a lot of Bon Iver's music is great to put on before going to bed. One of my favorites is Blindsided off of For Emma, Forever Ago. I don't think anything I could say about this song would do it justice, so I'll just leave you guys with the track, and my thought that it's one of the most beautifully bittersweet songs I know.

Blindsided

Day 9 - A Song That You Can Dance To

I can and will pretty much dance to anything and everything, but this is a song that I've been particularly obsessed with lately. I don't like to set expectations for setlists when I go see a DJ spin or a band/musician play, but I went to HARD Summer last weekend already knowing that I would go freaking bananas if Skrillex decided to drop his remix of Benny Benassi's Cinema. He ended up teasing us with the first verse at the beginning of his set, and then closing his set with the full version. Needless to say, I was one happy camper. (And I'm assuming the hundreds of other people with their hands in the air were, too.)

I'm a much larger fan of Skrillex's remix of Cinema than I am of Benassi's own version, partly because I just don't think Benassi's by itself is that catchy or engaging, but mostly because Skrillex takes the song to an entirely different level. If a song could be both beautiful and filthy at the same time, this would be it.

Get up, get down. Lose that sound. D-d-d-d-d-drop the bass.

Cinema (Skrillex Remix)

Day 8 - A Song That You Know All The Words To

I guess it would be impressive if I could say that I knew all of the words to that really obnoxious but catchy song Blue that was all over the radio when we were in middle school, but I can't. Sorry. (Ok, fine. I might have known the song by heart at one point.)

Honestly, though, in the well-spoken words of Beckie Tran, "Come now. How many songs do I know all the words to? A thousand? Two thousand? More? I'm sure all of us know a zillion songs by heart. What a curious subject."

Last Tuesday marked the 6th year anniversary of the release of All We Know Is Falling, Paramore's debut album -- an album that meant and still means the world to me -- so I thought it would be fitting to choose a song off of AWKIF for this post. It's both a little funny and a little sad to me that some people will look back at the music they listened to in high school, and feel embarassed. Our taste in music may change as we get older, but that doesn't mean we should forget or feel guilty about the music that we loved as kids, or the music that might've helped shape our lives as teenagers. On that note, I'm not embarassed to say that I know every single lyric to every Paramore song ever released.

Here We Go Again isn't a particularly complicated song; it doesn't take many cycles to know the lyrics from beginning to end. But I know this song so well, that I also know every addition the band's made to the song during the final instrumental breakdown in the live version. For a while, during this breakdown, Hayley would sing a line from Panic! at the Disco's Camisado -- "You're a regular decorated emergency." This later changed to a verse from At The Drive-In's One Armed Scissor -- "Well I'm a million miles away. Will you get this letter? A jagged pulp runs through my veins, I write to remember" -- an outro that Hayley sang (and still sings) with so much intensity, that it became a core part of the song for me, and I crossed my fingers for the track to make it onto the set list of every show I got to attend.

Here We Go Again

Day 7 - A Song That Reminds You of a Certain Event

Part of last year's Labor Day Weekend was spent at the first annual FYF Fest. It was a beautiful and sunny afternoon in Downtown LA filled with great music and some amazing food truck fare. I ended my night at FYF kicking up dust clouds at a pretty stellar dance party for Delorean's set, but will never forget how I started my day -- with Local Natives.

To say that Local Natives deliver live, would be a serious understatement. The guys just have so much live chemistry that something completely magical and powerful happens when they're on stage together, and it's impossible not to be moved -- perhaps it's being moved to tears for some, but for many, I know it's being moved to sing, and to sing with all of your heart. There's a line from a Copeland song that comes to mind when I think of the effect Local Natives have over their fans -- and that's to "sing with your head up, with your eyes closed, not because you love the song, because you love to sing."

Local Natives had the audience fully engaged throughout their entire set, but it was during Who Knows Who Cares, that they inspired quite the incredible sing-a-long. It was one that started off slow with fans scattered throughout the crowd singing quietly to themselves, but one that ended up loud and enthusiastic as people started to feed off of the energy of the band, and of each other. I can still feel the chills that ran down my spine as everyone joined in for the song's last "Oh-ooooh"s, singing appropriately without care and without any inhibitions. When the song ended, I could've sworn there was a split second of silence where everyone took a moment to let the beauty of what just happened sink in, before there was an eruption of cheering and applause. And now, when I listen to Who Knows Who Cares, I don't just hear the band in my headphones; I hear the entire audience at FYF on that Saturday of Labor Day Weekend 2010.

Who Knows Who Cares