Thursday, February 18, 2010

we don't update this anymore

because we're dickheads. ok?

but i'm gonna try to do it more.

i got a job recently. that's not very dickhead is it?

more soon i hope.



-danny

Monday, January 12, 2009

Danny's Lists

2008...it didn't kill me.

Long Ones:

20. Life Long Tragedy- Runaways
All my friends hate this band but fuck, it's a solid record. Compare this to their last record and define progress. However, seeing this band (and the singer's dick) live was one of the single worst performances I've ever seen.

19. The Loved Ones- Build & Burn
Really anthemic with heavy Springsteen and americana. That's all you need to know.


18. I 100% slept on this band until this release. I saw them with Clouds (see #11) and I'm glad I did.


17. Annihilation Time- III: Tales of the Ancient Age
Pretty standard AT formula- Black Flag + Black Sabbath. Don't fix what ain't broke.


16. Altus- All The Way Down
This made my list, not only because my friends are in this band, or because one of said friends put out my band's record, but because it's really good. No one else in Texas makes music like this. The 90s were the best.

15. The Black Keys- Attack & Release
Everything Danger Mouse touches turns to gold.

14. City and Colour- Bring Me Your Love
Pretty simplistic, mostly acoustic tunes about hopeless romance and insomnia. I have to be in the right mood for this album, but when I am...fuck.

13. No Harm Done- Escape
I think all the current bands ripping off Set Your Goals think that they will sound like this- a perfect blend of hardcore and pop punk. That's BLEND, not hardcore half of the time and pop punk half of the time.

12. On My Side- Grow
Again, not just because they're my friends. Because the title is true, it is growth . Listening to this is exciting. It's been a while since I've been excited about a straight up hardcore record.

11. Clouds- We Are Above You
As far as I'm concerned, Clouds should be the new Zeppelin for this generation. Total mind blow.This album is ALL over the place, and they're all fucking rad places.

10. The Hold Steady- Stay Positive
I keep reading reviews about how The Hold Steady are "the best bar band in America." I don't know what that means, but it sounds stupid. This is just a really great band with a song for pretty much any kind of wayward feeling. "Constructive Summer" makes me want to go climb tall things with my friends and throw shit off.
Perfect album for being an idiot and feeling bad about it half of the time. Also, lots of continued Springsteen influences.

9. Have Heart- Songs To Scream At The Sun
I thought their first LP was ok, but this is a masterpiece in comparison. I haven't listened to it in about six months because I played it so much initially. Pat's a great lyricist and the music is awesome.

8. Transit- This Will Not Define Us
It's so refreshing for me to find a band like this. The influences are somewhat obvious (Lifetime, Braid, Get Up Kids), but who cares, when it's bands like that? And anyway, it's an original record for any time, let alone 2008. Bands like this are too few and far between.

7. Beestings- Where It Goes
This band mellows me out so much. Really good mix of 90's style midwesteren emo and super chill indie rock, plus a lot of lyrics about space. I took an astronomy class this semester and every time I had to study, I put this on.

6. Tigers Jaw- Tigers Jaw
Bands like this are even more refreshing to find. I don't know who to compare them to. I don't know what their influences are. I couldn't pin them to any one genre. This is the best band you've never heard of. "I Saw Water" and "Between Your Band and the Other Band" are so dense and meaningful, it gives me chills.

5. The Gaslight Anthem- The '59 Sound
Again with bands that like The Boss. This band is incapable of writing a bad song. It's a massive achievement for them to come up with 12 songs that impress me even more than their last EP and LP. Not just for punks with good taste anymore. This band will be (should be) huge.

4. Memorial- The Creative Process/Berlin
I really miss Renee Heartfelt, and this helps fill the void. Memorial is exactly what post-hardcore should sound like. It's like a Rev back catalog from the mid 90s, and a near perfect album. Too bad their label are deadbeats and never mailed it to me. Thank you iTunes.

3. Polar Bear Club- Sometimes Things Just Disappear.
Just about every song on this gets me psyched and makes me scream in my car. The chorus of "As Twere The Mirror" is a fucking Vinnie Paul quote.

2. Paint It Black- New Lexicon
Dan Yemin will forever be in the top 10 of my life. Somehow PIB keeps getting better and more original and innovative. This is the best band in hardcore right now, hands down. Don't argue.

1. Technically, this came out December 2007. But only in the UK, where I wouldn't have gotten much exposure to it. The American release is 2008, so I'm counting it. That said, this was a tough choice to make. I'm a sucker for indie music with a punk background (see Walter Schreifels, The Weakerthans). I definitely listened to this more than anything else this year, and for very good reasons. Every song has so much character and soul, I feel like I know Dave House. And I feel like I'd move in with Dave House and rent movies with him. I'd cook for Dave House. I'd take care of Dave House's dog while he was out of town. I'd probably go through Dave House's closet and borrow his t-shirts on occasion.


Short Ones:

10. The Domino Theory- Language
9. Title Fight- Kingston
8. Candybomb- Candybomb
7. Aspirations- EP!
6. Ghost Town Electric- Nowhere
5. Lie and Wait- Awakening
4. Shook Ones/End of a Year Split
3. Feed- Demo Tape 2008
2. Agent- Awake In Their World
1. The Gaslight Anthem- Senor and the Queen


Movies:
I can't remember all the movies I saw but I liked these, in no particular order:
The Dark Knight
Step Brothers
Milk
Pineapple Express
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Burn After Reading
Forgetting Sarah Marshall


If you read all this, you are a trooper and I hope we're friends.

Happy 2009

Friday, January 2, 2009

Jason's 2008 List

Farewell to an amazing year:

10. Drew's Pastry Place
9. The WAC
8. Whataburger (especially the honey bbq chicken strip sandwich)
7. Christmas Party in College Station
6.My Apartment (first place of my own)
5. Gear
4. Chicago Road Trip
3. The Dark Knight
2. Amanda Bower
1. Year One

LP's:

20. These Arms Are Snakes-Tail Swallower & Dove

Tail Swallowers & Dove is a great follow up to Easter. Once again TARS deliver an interesting blend of DC influenced hardcore with electronics.

19. Why?-Alopecia

What can I say about Why? Lyrically, it will be stuck in my head for days, even though I have no idea what Yani Wolfe is talking about. I got this album at the very beginning of the year and burned it out unfortunately. A creative blend of hip hop and “indy-rock.”

18. Melvins-Nude With Boots

Yet another solid release from the Melvins. Not sure if these guys could release anything bad. The dueling drums with Big Business has brought an interesting element to their music. The songs may not be as memorably as other releases but there is an awesome jam vibe I get from Nude with Boots.

17. Annihilation Time-III: Tales of the Ancient Age

After seeing them at SXSW this year, I fell in love with this band. This album is a blast, very dickheads.

16. Earth-the bees made honey in the lion's mouth

What a pleasant album. I thank Earth for helping me study and pass this semester with flying colors.

15. Sigur ros-með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

Sigur Ros has been one of my favorite and I think creative bands out there for years. This album I still think pushed their sound to a new level but did not keep me coming back time and time again like their previous releases. Not to discredit this album at all. Sigur Ros still brings a very solid release with some great tunes that only Sigur Ros can deliver.

14. Transit-This Will Not Define Us

I fine pop punk album blending influences of some of my favorite acts (such as lifetime/saves the day). A great first record, I look forward to hearing this band grow.

13. Cult of Luna-Eternal Kingdown

I waited until the end of the year to finally get Eternal Kingdom but once I did it by passed all the way to the 13th spot on my list. As usual: dark, heavy, and oh so epic.

12. Helms Alee-Night Terror

It took me a few listens to get into this band but once I did, I began to appreciate Night Terror. The drumming is what stands out on this album to me. Yet another creative and original Hydra-head release.

11. On My Side-GROW

These guys may be my best friends, however in all honesty this is one of the best hardcore albums I have heard in a long time. Lyrically and musically, it has been great watching this band literally “GROW”. If people don’t make a big deal about GROW I will be truly baffled.

10. Tigers Jaw-Tigers Jaw

When Danny sent me this record, I believe I listened to it about seven times in a row. The music could not be more pleasant and the lyrics could not be more perfect to fit the sound. There are parts on this album that continue to give me chills on every listen.

9. Clouds-We Are Above You

Once I finally gave this album a chance, I loved it. I love the blend of punk and classic rock. Nobody quite sounds like Clouds. After seeing them, I realized the complexity and originally of this band. Big amps with a big sound, my kind of music.

8. Dave House-See That No One Else Escapes

Danny and I are confused about when this was released in the U.S. so I will go ahead and put it on my 2008 list since that is when I got it anyways. This competes with The Gaslight Anthem for the catchiest album of the year. Dave leaves me singing his tunes days after my last listen. His heart warming, poppy acoustic tunes cheered me up on multiple occasions this semester. The number 8 spot may not even give this album the justice it deserves.

7. Meshuggah-Obzen

Meshugghah is a band, that I feel many people don’t listen to because they do not understand them. Meshuggah’s push for complexity in rhythm, tone, and timing is nothing short of incredible. These Swedes are probably some of the most under rated musicians on Earth (if they are not aliens themselves). Obzen brings Meshuggah’s songs back to long individual tracks with a Destroy Erase Improve/Nothing feel. Bleed could quiet possibly be the heaviest song I have heard.

6. Disfear-Live the Storm

What do you get when you mix my favorite vocalist, Tomas Lindburg with D-beat punk/metal and Motorhead? One hell of an album. Fast, fierce, and fun!

-Trying to figure out my top 5 albums for the year was not an easy task. All five of these albums played an important role for me in 2008.

5. Have Heart-Songs to Scream at the Sun

The Things We Carry was my #2 album in 2006. Songs to Scream…blows it out of the water. A 23 minute journey of emotionally filled melodic hardcore. This album is the soundtrack from my summer.

4. Torche-Meandrathal

I am not even sure how to describe how much I enjoy this album. I will just sum it up with three words CATCHY, LOUD, & TONE.

3. Polar Bear Club-Sometimes Things Just Disappear

After discovering PBC’s The Redder, the Better EP last year, I knew there was a great future for this band. With influences of Hot Water Music and other Long Island acts, such as Silent Majority, PBC has created their own beautiful refreshing sound. I received this album in 2007 with a pre order though it was not released until 2008 and have yet to slow down listening to it. It is and will continue to be a constant play.

2. The Gaslight Anthem-The ‘59 Sound

Hey guys, not only are you the coolest bastards I have ever met, you are incapable of writing an average song. How can you write my #2 album and #1 7” in the same year? It is just not fair to be this fucking cool! Every song on this album is memorable. This band deserves to be huge. This is a band that you can tell loves every second of writing and playing their music. I cannot wait to see what they bring to the table next.

1. Paint It Black-New Lexicon

PIB is the great act in hardcore today. New Lexicon is brutal, pissed, intelligent, melodic, and uplifting. Yem’s hip hop influence shines through in this album with the help of Dalek’s production. This album is nothing short of innovating. From the first listen, I knew this would be my favorite album of the year. Dan Yemin, thank you so much for continually creating my favorite music. “Live Fast but don’t die young. Slow down, but never stop.”


EP's, 7", 10", Tapes:
1. Gaslight Anthem-Senor and the Queen 7"
2. Mammoth Grinder-No Result 7"
3. Kowloon Walled City-Turk Street 10"
4. Feed-Tape Demo
5. Ghost Town Electric-Nowhere tape
6. Lewd Acts/Hour of the Wolf Split 7"
7. Lie and Wait-Awakening 7"
8. Candybomb-Candybomb ep
9. Doomriders/Disfear Split 7"
10. Jesu/Battle of Mice Split 7"

Honorable Mentions:
Lords of the North-EP
Mind Eraser-Conscious, Unconscious
Agent-Awake in their World 7"
Envy/Jesu Split
Title Fight-Kingston

Soundtracks:
1. Eddie Vedder-Into the Wild
2. Howard Shore-The Dark Knight
3. John Biron-Synecdoche, New York

Films:
1. The Dark Knight
2. Step Brothers
3. Burn After Reading
4. Pineapple Express
5. Wall-E
6. Doubt
*There were several movies release near the end of the year I have yet to see which probably would have made this list.

Books (from 2008):
God's Middle Finger
Easter Rising

Monday, December 8, 2008

Padawan Dickhead


We have decided to take this hopeless dickhead under our wing. Hopeless Dickheads welcomes a new member to the blog.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Dickhead Diet (Updated)

The past week has been an epic adventure of over eating:
Tuesday night: 4 large slices of spinach and artichoke pizza at Star Pizza
Wednesday night: Fajita dinner at El Ricon
Thursday: Thanksgiving feast-multiple servings of turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, baked cranberries and apples, cornbread dressing, sweet rolls, green peas, and pecan pie.
Friday: Renfest-bites of turkey leg, potato and cheese pierogi's, apple dumpling with vanilla icecream, bites of funnel cake. Topped it off with a Whataburger #1 meal for dinner.
Saturday: Turkey Sandwich/other leftovers from Thanksgiving, my dad's chili, sweet potato pie, potluck: Mallory's delicious humus and pita bread, Chelsea's delicious Penne, Carlos's fathers tiramisu, and polished off the night with an A-1 thick n' hardy sans bacon, gallons of Dr. Pepper and coffee throughout the week.

All about getting shitty and GAINS. I am truly thankful for such fine dining this week.

Minor Rant:
The Dallas Stars fucking suck. That is all.

-Jason

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

mug mug mug

Working at a coffee shop produces so much gripe fodder for this site, I'm mad at myself for not using them until now. Here we go.

-Customers who ask me how much things cost: the menu is right in front of you. Read.
-Customers who ask me for drink recommendations. If you need a recommendation, you won't like what I recommend for you. I don't like white chocolate/hazelnut/caramel frozen lattes.
-Customers who think I'm impressed by the "large" amount of caffeine they're getting in their mocha to "stay up all night, bro"
-Customers who call me bro.
-Mispronunciations of various coffee terms: "expresso," "cuppaccino," "coffee latte"
-Customers who watch me make their ludicrous triple shot, extra chocolate, nonfat, sugar free vanilla abortion, and wait until I'm through making it to tell me that they wanted it iced instead.
-Specific customer who demanded I give her a new cookie, because her's was broken. What, are you 6?
-Specific customer who used my tip jar to make change for a dollar while my back was turned, and acted like I didn't catch him elbow deep in a serious faux pas.
-The way my hands are always dry and smell like espresso.
-The way my tip jar is really more of a currency trashcan for pennies.
-Customers that develop an ego about their drinks and seem to think they're "coffee people." Yeah, bro. You're the fuckin' man, drinkin that frozen vanilla white chocolate mocha. You love coffee.
-"What flavor is your cappuccino?"
-Customers who pay with money that is wet from their thigh-sweat-soaked pockets.
-The fact that absolutely no one cleans the coffee, half & half, sugar, etc. that they spill on the counter.
-Customers who order iced cappuccinos.
-Specific customer who always orders a half-shot latte, takes a sip, asks that I keep diluting it with milk, repeat, because the espresso gives her headaches. Here is a glass of milk. You can put a lid on it and pretend it's a latte, so people will still think you're cool.

Those are the most grating. There's probably more but I'm feeling like a cynical asshole now.

Good things:
-seeing Rival Schools
-Halloween Is Grinch Night
-battling my usual morning dread/depression by putting myself into walking comas with Beestings, Isis, Sleep, Interpol, Cave In, and various other calming crushes.
-Step Brothers
-Cottage Cheese
-I'd like to sleep in a pile of clean laundry one day.


Danny

11/12

Rants and other useless crap:

Good-bye Whataburger Honey BBQ Chicken Strip Sandwich. You will be missed dear friend. However, hello Thick n' Hardy A1 burger sans bacon. Gains!

Rant: Bro's Bombin' hills o n UH Campus
This semester I have noticed that there is an abundance of bros walking around campus with a Sector 9 longboard over there shoulder or awkwardly riding around mango style from class to class. I literally saw someone pull up in the parking lot next to me, take out a longboard from the bed of their truck then walked across the street to class. The whole new longboard bro trend has left me baffled and bummed out. If you are going to buy into the trend, at least please me by riding the damn thing around.

My new rig: Sunn Beta Bass Head, Ampeg 810, RATT 2 Pedal. Look forward to putting that into action.





-Jason