The End

Well, it has finally come.

Time to say 'good-bye.'

I've really loved this blog, just when it was just an idea. And then it came to life that warm October night. I've really been dreading this, mainly because I've worked hard on it. I've modified, analyzed, and modernized it for a year-and-a-half. 

Of course, it's always great to see your work survive for years on, and I believe this will, too.

To be quite honest, I'm not sure if I chose the best name for the blog, alluding to an ex-friend and the baggage that came with it. Mea culpa.

But what's in the past is should be left there.

So to finish it off, something of a proper send-off is the Beatles' "Hello, Goodbye." I've only chosen it because it has the word "Goodbye" in it. This time, I'm saying goodbye. Whether you say "hello" is all up to you.

Bye.

Logic

Another rush of AmazonMP3.

I was looking through their music store when I found this. I played a clip, found it interesting, and went after it on YouTube. Looking at the lyrics: "Wow." 

"The Logical Song" by Supertramp, from their 1979 album Breakfast in America, sung by Roger Hodgson.

When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful,
a miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.

...

But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible,
logical, responsible, practical.

And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable,
clinical, intellectual, cynical.

It Hurts

Exploring my Chrome bookmarks earlier this weekend I found something that I found about two years ago. I think I found Dan Mangan on Amazon, but there's a good chance I found him on YouTube. I'm not exactly sure, but regardless, I clicked on the link in the bar and I floated back to 2010.

Oh 2010. What innocence. 

I have a few more Dan Mangan songs, although they're not so upbeat, but rather thoughtful. Here an upbeat song of his. Nine-year-old alcoholic? Jeebus!

From his 2009 album Nice, Nice Very Nice (titled after a poem of the same name by Kurt Vonnegut), "Sold."

Life is not living 'less your sure you to make it through
But now it hurts
It kills/ It screams/ And it fills my heart...
With chills, and I take my pills, but I still tire
Of sleeping with the light on

Complication

I spent the Christmas season in Mexico. On the drives between Texas and our destination, there were long stretches of rural communities, and lots of Spanish radio. I can understand it, but I'll go for an English alternative if possible. On this trip, like the last, I took my little music player, my Zune.

I've always put the Zune on a pedestal because I feel it's better than an iPod. People will debate, but IMHO, Zune > iPod. Anyway, nothing bonds a person and their electronics than a long car ride, and that is what that trip did. It bonded me to my Zune, and while looking out the window at the landscape of Tamulipas and San Luis Potosi, it made sense to me. I don't know exactly sure... but it did. 

As if the brush and semi-arid ground compounded with this song to do something. I can't even...

I have featured it before, but as the last week of The Archenemy winds down, why not do it for God sakes?

From 2003... Avril Lavigne's "Complicated", from her début album Let Go.

You've become somebody else 'round everyone else

Watchin' your back like you can't relax

You're trying to be cool; you look like a fool to me.

Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?

Like Django Did

I went to watch Django Unchained with a couple of friends and an acquaintance yesterday afternoon. I was not really sure what I was expecting, since I had seen one or two previews, but really didn't know much other than Leonardo DiCaprio was in it and that he seemed like villain (or maybe archenemy?) of the film.

I won't give away what the film is about, but it was much more than I was expecting. It's gory though, a lot than you would think is possible, but that Quentin Tarantino... he knows how to do it. 

And Jamie Foxx is stupendous, real flexible in what you would think is a very narrow role of playing a slave. 

But whatever the case, I heard this song, just a small snippet, maybe 10-15 sec. while he Django chooses an outfit. And man, what an outfit!

From his final album of the same name finished a week before his death in 1973, "I Got a Name".

Like the pine trees lining the winding road

I've got a name, I've got a name

Like the singing bird and the croaking toad

I've got a name, I've got a name

And I carry it with me like my daddy did

But I'm living the dream he can't live

Friends... Shaking Hands

I don't remember the first time I heard this song.
I just know it... like Barney or the FOX network.

In the few times I've heard it, it always make me sad. I don't know why, it's not sad. If you listen to the lyrics, which is something I do rarely, they're rather uplifting. He sings about the beauty of the world, the people, friends. Mr. Armstrong sings it gently, the raspy voice adding a sense of comfort that I haven't heard since Israel Kamakawiwoʻole's rendition of "Over the Rainbow."

And for a few times, I've actually shed a tear listening to it. Again, I don't know why. Maybe it's the theme, that sometimes the world can look bleak, but at other times, look wonderful. And if you happen to watched Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine, that not all hope is lost.

On that note, Mr. Armstrong's 1967 single, "What a Wonderful World", written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss.

I see skies a-blue, and clouds of white
bright blessed days, dark sacred nights
And I think to myself: "what a wonderful world."

The colours of the rainbow so pretty in the skies
Also in the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands, saying "How do you do?"
They're really saying, "I love you."

It's Party Time, Chumps

As Bad Lip Reading pointed out Mitt Romney saying:
It's party time, chumps!

Give It a Kick

It's Christmas Eve, and I still haven't written this. I'll just get it over with.

I'm just an Amazon fanboy who enjoys indie music. And to be honest, this song has gotten me through about three editions of University Press.

From Dr. Dog's album released in February, Be The Void, "Do The Trick."

My heart, it ain't running right

Why don't you give it a kick?

Will you be my handyman?

Will you do the trick?

No Defences

As someone with no extra money for music, I get most of mine of Amazon. They offer a great selection of free MP3s, which I take advantage of because most songs are actually great and because I do business on their. Not only do I buy, but I also sell. Anyone need a Dell flat-screen monitor? No? Okay. :(

This song featured is actually song by Alexander Ebert, the lead singer for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, featured earlier this year on The Archenemy. I was also suprised that this guy had earlier released music with another that disbanded and that he also solos from time-to-time. In this song, he teamed up with RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan, which I thought was made up of Asian-Americans. The name got me... does that make a stereotypist? I don't think so... is that even a word?

From Mr. Ebert's 2011 début solo album Alexander, "Truth."

And when the darkness come, let it inside you
Your darkness is shining
My darkness is shining
Have faith in myself
Truth

Foto

I'm not entirely sure where this song came from. It probably came from the local public radio station run here in Dallas. I must have added it to my Zune cart and then forgot about it. 

Last Wednesday was 'lights out' for us kids. We had the electricity shut-off on us by our own parents. They cited us not waking up in the morning and did that to persuade us to fall asleep. I ended up reading a book by Levi Johnston (NSFW link) (Safe For Work link) and fell asleep listening to the BBC World Service around 3 AM. 

On Friday, I finally got around to listening to the song. I actually liked it, enough so to save it and stuff. 

From the Los Angeles-based indie band Milo Greene (although non of the members themselves are named Milo), from their self-titled début album, "1957".

Your house that sits behind me is covered in every green

The windows that we watch from are old and chipping at the beam

Takes me away, takes me away, takes me away (3x)

All the Lonely People

At the beginning of my freshman year in high school, I was introduced to the Finale software. Finale is a music authoring software that allows you to write in your music. If you've ever heard of Sibelius, it's the same thing. Using Finale and using my brother's guitar book for beginners, I arranged a version of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby."

For about the last four years, I've used Finale many times and I know it well. In 2011, after the software locked me out, I stopped using it. I uninstalled it and to listen to all my Finale files, I installed Finale Reader, which only reads files. No editing. After I was unsatisfied by how the files sounded, I decided to get Finale 2012. 

While looking through my archives, I found the "Eleanor Rigby" arrangement I had made. Jesus...  I look back and think to myself how bad it looks. But things aren't as bad as you think. Sometimes, they remind you of great things. 

So in a complete 180° to this post, the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby."

All the lonely people

Where do they all come from?

All the lonely people

Where do they all belong?

Hey Boy

No, it's not going to be one of those posts. Yet.

I'm not sure how long along I found it, but on Archive.org's website, in the Community Audio section, someone uploaded all of Queen's Greatest Hit album. I'm not sure which one it is, since record companies always re-release things like this, but while listening to the thing last weekend, I got real hooked on this song about forty-two minutes in.

I love it. It's very Queen-y, surprisingly heterosexual, and something that I've replayed now maybe ten times while writing Dirty Lyrics. Being as young as I am, this whole Internet doohickey has exposed me to some great music... this song included.

From Queen's 1976 album A Day at the Races, this Freddie Mercury ditty "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy."

When I'm not with you
I think of you always
I miss you (I miss those long hot summer nights)
When I'm not with you/ Think of me always
Love you/ Love you

Drunk Behind the Wheel

About month after I bought my Zune, I spent a Saturday listening to the radio, writing down songs to be featured here on The Archenemy. I listened, wrote down, and then went to YouTube to look them up as I only caught the last minute or so of the song. Most songs didn't make the cut, and I put the paper away for future reference.

Two weeks ago when I cleaned the computer nook, I started looking through all these papers and found my music paper. I was looking through them again, and I really liked this one. My job (and dealing with the emotions from it) has kept from blogging since Monday, but I'm back to normal, and here we go.

From their 1998 album All the Pain Money Can Buy, "Out of My Head" by Fastball.

Don't matter what I say

Only what I do

I never mean to do bad things to you

So quiet, but I finally woke up

If you're sad, then it's time you spoke up, too.

Bright

I've written somewhere before that I am big fan of Saturday Night Live. After MADtv was cancelled in 2009, I needed something productive to do Saturday nights, and it's free. So why not?

Last Saturday's guest was Anne Hathaway with Rihanna as the musical guest. There's been all this gossip recently about her and Chris Brown getting back together. Then there was that tattoo he got on his neck of a looked like the photograph of Rihanna's face after it was reported that he assaulted her. Regardless of the gossip, both are popular artists and it only comes to note that they're just like us, except rich and famous.

I'm famous-- right? Two blogs, Twitter, tumblr, who can miss it?

Moving on. As I was picking up somethings from a mother-in-law, this came on the radio as I told my dad that radio stations repeat the same god-damn music all day. "I heard fun.'s 'Some Nights' like seven times yesterday," I said.

From Barbadian-born artist Rihanna, featured on her seventh studio album, Unapologetic, "Diamonds."

Find light in the beautiful light
I choose to be happy
You and I, you and I
We're like diamonds in the sky

You're a shooting star I see
A vision of ecstasy
When you hold me, I'm alive
We're like diamonds in the sky

Stop

Today has been one of good news.

New job, new shoes, my knee is healing pretty well. I'll keep it short because it's so good. Around 1.20 this afternoon, I was searching for something to listen to when this came on. I was entrenched, as if it had wrapped its fingers around me and rope me in to its alternative rock grip. Uhhhh.

I absolutely love the oooh-ing and the voice of the main singer. These people sound like the 90s before the 90s were even around. A little research never hurts, and neither does the posting it up on Facebook and tumblr.

From their first full-length album Surfer Rosa released in 1988, Boston-based Pixies with "Where Is My Mind?"

Oh stop!
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse
But there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself, "Where is my mind?"

Fucking Special

Ever since I can remember, I've been a big fan of The Simpsons. Up until the sixth grade, I didn't know that FOX aired new episodes on Sunday, because up until that point, it had all been re-runs on a local WB (now CW) station. If I have the time, I'll stop what I'm doing, and I'll lie back in my chair, and just take in those funny yellow people. 

For about the past three or four years, people have commented that the Simpsons no longer have viable storylines or comment on social issues as they did before, like immigration or gay marriage. But what keeps a show on is if it's ratings are good enough, and I see it going for a few more years. It's been on since 1989 ('87 if you count Tracy Ullman), but I think it's still modern and funny. Now to this post.

Last Sunday, I was watching an episode where Lisa makes a social networking site called SpringFace that ends up causing massive injuries to people since they're on the phones and driving. It mocked what I guess was their response to The Social Network, a movie about Facebook's rise based on a book. What got me particularly was the ending... so funny (I can't describe it, but you can watch it).

From Radiohead's 1992 album Pablo Honey, and a choir arrangement by Belgian duo Scala & Kolacny, is "Creep."

 

Just like an angel

Your skin makes me cry

Float like a feather

In a beautiful world

I wish I was special

You're so fucking special

A Year Later...

(Sourced from the ESF Blog...)

A year ago, I thought I could handle another blog. I imagined myself posting all this great music with a little backstory. And here's that story.

*Law & Order jingle*

Black Horse

Back in 2007, I received a small RCA Pearl MP3 player. It was this flash/thumb drive-shaped player that could innocuously fit in your pocket while you withered away in English or on two-mile walk home. I absolutely loved that thing, and I think I even wrote about it before. It's too bad because then I lost it, and found it a year later under my sofa. By then, it was messing up more than a Republican in Iraq and then it got stolen. 

I bring all that up because it's what music was on there is going to be mentioned here. I can remember a health kick I was on at the time, and this song was repeated at least 15 times as I walked past the tree groves that were replaced by a tollway in 2010. Sad, I know. (The trail is still there, just not hidden under the large grove of trees.)

Today, though, as I had on my work-issued radio (they're very paranoid about worker theft), I was feeling as low as I have ever felt. Seriously. As my feet hurt and back ached, this song came on, for those three or so minutes, I was in heaven. Time flew by... and made the physical pain melt away. Then it ended...

So to bring you a little history pre-blogging and pre-high school and "current work", is a little folk. I think. From Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, from her Mercury Music Prize-winning début album Eye to the Telescope, "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree."

(Woo-hoo)

Well my heart knows me better than I know myself

So I'm gonna let it do all the talking

I came across a place in the middle of nowhere.

With a big black horse and a cherry tree.

Found "Time"

(This post in conjunction with the main ESF blog...)

Yesterday, around 11 PM, I was just surfing the internet. I won't say that it was like what you would watch in the daytime, but it was something appropriate for my age group. Anyway, while watching the video, during a strategic scene, this song played. Imagine, it's like 1979 and you've just committed copyright infringement. Scary, isn't? 

As the scene continued, I was like, "That voice... it sounds so familiar! Yes... I think I know what it is!" So I Google-searched song recognition and up came what I was looking for came up. Since I have a headset, I placed the microphone into the earpiece and turned the volume up! The first time I tried it, I had the microphone muted. Disappointed, I tried again. Second time did it, and up popped up the song! It was from Pink Floyd... imagine, these people ripped off a Pink Floyd song like 33 years ago. And were never caught.

Not much you could do now because the majority of the producers could have died or etc., but at least you can enjoy an age-appropriate video with such nice background music. From now on, Pink Floyd will be my background music, much to the chagrin of The Archenemy.

Here comes the pièce de resistance! From their 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon, is Pink Floyd's "Time."

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Major Tom's a Junkie

Ever since I first watched Life on Mars, and then proceeded to listen to "Life on Mars?", I've always held a fascination with David Bowie. You have this guy, who went around in bright red hair for ten years and acted like, "So what? It's my hair, I'll do what I want." During the same time, put out all this great music and still was cooler than you at your senior prom.

His earlier stuff was something that was weird, but also made you think about what was out there, and sometimes, gave you an excuse to just space out uh-huh. But now with the '70s over, times were changing and things started becoming a bit more electronic, with keyboards, synthesizers, and the keytar. *shudder*  And it's funny again, how I first watched Ashes to Ashes, and several months later, actually got around to listening to "Ashes to Ashes." Not sure how he'll look in a clown costume.

From the 1980 album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes."

They got a message from the Action Man

"'I'm happy, hope you're happy, too'

I've loved all I've needed to love

Sordid details following'"