what music are you guys listening to?

[SuperJon 175]

I know a lot of folks in here dislike Eminem, but since we're on the subject of rapper duets.Em and Royce just released a whole album of songs together. Royce's verse is pretty damn sick.

[Jadaki 0]

Hell the Sequel is better than Watch the Throne. Success is Certain (Royce's new solo effort) is pretty inconsistent though.

[Tactical Bear 3]

Somebody asked me two questions a month ago, and one of them I'm close to answering. The other will haunt me until my death. In no particular order:1) If a genie walked up to you and said, to you, "I can give you a ticket (+1) to see three bands at the peak of their powers. You can pick no famous specific concerts, nor can anyone know you were there. Your answer must be, simply, the name of a band. Who do you pick? If you give me an answer that resembles 'X band in ZZZZ year' you will die of stomach cancer. Pick. Now."2) What album do you most regret sleeping?*****1) Led Zeppelin. The Who. XXXX (fill in later after writing 2; consider MBV, Pumpkins, Springsteen, Floyd, Queen, LCD Soundsystem, Cream, Rage, Hendrix... Prince, Soundgarden... Wu, Peppers, Sabbath...?)2) Wilco: A Ghost is BornI heard "Can't Stand It" in Willillillillillillillill's car junior year of high school. For two years, because I was too ashamed to ask Willlillillillillillillill yet just lame and indie enough to know I was indie before I was indie, I tried to replicate those opening bars -- "it's a guitar that sounds like... I don't know what descending pentatonic means, so there's almost no chance that it applies here, but... like, guitar... scale... and at the high part about two seconds in, uh, it kinda sounds like bells, cymbal crashes, and also bells. The bass part, which kinda carries it just after those few bars, gets dropped, then picked up by a keyboard. Anyone? Seriously? Fuuuuuuuck you guuuuys. 'You know it's all beginning (it's all beginning) to feel like it's ending (feels like it's ending) no love's as random as God's love. I can't stand it (I can't stand it)" -- to no avail. In 2001 I was introduced to some shit, and eventually backed my way into "discovering" the track "Can't Stand It," which I knew was by Wilco about 60 seconds into my first listen of "Misunderstood." So I got pretty into Wilco pretty quickly. I devoured their catalog; I was enthralled. When, in 2002, my roommate -- let's call him /. (because he was a dork and read all sorts of geeky websites get it?) -- told me that Wilco had recorded an album-proper post-Summerteeth, imagine my surprise. /. "Hey you know Wilco has an album out, right?"Wang: "Since when?"/. "Well, 'out' is a strong word. They've been streaming it on their website for a while, because, and I'm not sure if you've heard this, but they got into a dispute with thei-..."..../. "Anyway, it's called Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and it's out there somewhere!" (cackles) "But, yeah, I have it. So if you want me to send it to you...."Wang: "No."*****So when YHF was released, I downloaded it, listened to it, and did not like it. /. told me to give it another shot. I did. After, it sat in my Windows Media Player library for months.One day "Poor Places" popped into the rotation. I was writing, so I wasn't paying attention, and by the time the climax ("Someone ties a bow in my backyard to show me love") kicked in HOLY CRAP WHAT IS THIS WHAT IS HAPPENING ON THIS TRACK I WILL HEAR IT FROM THE BEGINNING OF FOREVER, FOREVEREVEREVEVER*****When A Ghost Is Born was released, I was expecting YHF Pt. II. I was disappointed. I should not have been. I should not have slept on that album. For years I've been humming "Theologians" (strange note: I've used the phrase "cherry ghost" as an absurd catch-all noun for as long as I can remember, but, though I knew it wasn't originally mine, I really and truly never knew I nicked it from this track) and "A Company in My Back" (NONSENSE NONSENSE NONSENSE NONSENSE NONSENSE) under my breath without knowing whence from. I've had the album on my iPod since I've had an iPod, so I think I've heard A Ghost Is Born more than my rational mind would guess, but I've never given it its due. Regards, WangEDIT: Oh yeah I almost forgot. What would your answers be to the questions above?

[Tactical Bear 3]

saw mccartney last night at wrigley. he's still kind of a douche, but what an old pro. guy played 31 songs before taking a break or taking a drink of water. still gets all the high notes etc.helter skelter and live and let die were the highlights for me. have to recommend ya'll catch him when he comes around.

I took Paw for Paw's day when he played Comerica Park. It was: shockingly awesome.

[ShakeZuma 585]

1) elliott smith, the stones, pearl jam2) ok computer - downloaded paranoid android (or maybe even just copied it off of somebody else's computer) my freshman year of college I think. didn't even really listen to that until around the beginning of my junior year, and when I started listening to that one song I just absolutely loved it. it was just a hardcore song but not in the traditional sense of what I was used to (rage, etc). for some reason though, I never considered getting the rest of the album, mainly because they weren't available for download as ablums/torrents yet I guess, but regardless, I ended up dating a girl later my junior year who was really into radiohead. she turned out to be weird. weird enough, in fact, that when I stopped liking her, I decided that radiohead sucked too. wasn't until I started reading this thread many years later that I gave them another shot. so basically I had to endure many additional years of phish and widespread panic just because I dated a weird girl.she had back hair.

[Dubey 1,035]

Hell the Sequel is better than Watch the Throne.

I'm about as big an Eminem fan as you'll find, but I disagree with this pretty strongly.Em and Royce are both pretty sick, lyrically, on Hell. Both have some unreal verses, but as an album, it's just ok. A few of the songs are just plain bad, and I actually find it hard to listen to for more than 5-6 songs at a time. One song in particular (I can't remember the name) sounds like an outtake from Relapse, if not for the fact that he references relapse a few times in the song. Em's verses on Lighters and I'm on everything are off the charts, though."I break a Klonopin in half, and smoke some chronic in the cab, with Donovan Mcnabb"WTT keeps getting better and better for me. I seem to be the only one around here that thinks so, so maybe my Kanye Fanboyism is blinding me, but I enjoy every song on this album. I can see it being in my CD player for months. Favourites are: No CHurch in the Wild, N***** in Paris, Gotta have it, New Day, Otis.

[mk 11]

Somebody asked me two questions a month ago, and one of them I'm close to answering. The other will haunt me until my death. In no particular order:1) If a genie walked up to you and said, to you, "I can give you a ticket (+1) to see three bands at the peak of their powers. You can pick no famous specific concerts, nor can anyone know you were there. Your answer must be, simply, the name of a band. Who do you pick? If you give me an answer that resembles 'X band in ZZZZ year' you will die of stomach cancer. Pick. Now."2) What album do you most regret sleeping?EDIT: Oh yeah I almost forgot. What would your answers be to the questions above?

1.) The Beatles, Velvet Underground, MBV2.) The Bends. A musical cohort looooooooooved it when it came out and just kind of wouldn't shut up about it, but my 15yo self was like hell bent on ensuring all things taste-made were punk and The Bends sure didn't sound punk enough to me. Years later, a doctor would discover my IQ is actually 48 and I'm what some people call mentally retarded.

I took Paw for Paw's day when he played Comerica Park. It was: shockingly awesome.

It WAS shockingly awesome, wasn't it?

[mk 11]

1) elliott smith, the stones, pearl jam

re bold: but when was their peak?re u: oh come on

[iZuma 764]

I was assuming late seventies. and come on, pearl jam in the early nineties? that shit would have been off the chain. gotta think about it from the angle of how good the show would be, not necessarily how much you like the band. plus, I mean, grunge chicks were huge sluts.edit: and also, really, arcade fire should be in there but OH YEAH, I actually already saw them. face.

[mk 11]

I'm forced to ask Why?

whatever, they were fun. i liked it.i also really liked: Cults.i was really disappointed by: Crystal Castles

I was assuming late seventies. and come on, pearl jam in the early nineties? that shit would have been off the chain. gotta think about it from the angle of how good the show would be, not necessarily how much you like the band. plus, I mean, grunge chicks were huge sluts.

ugh grunge chicks were undoubtedly sluts on the whole, but they also tended to look like courtney love or james iha so there's that.

[LongLiveYorke 38]

Somebody asked me two questions a month ago, and one of them I'm close to answering. The other will haunt me until my death. In no particular order:1) If a genie walked up to you and said, to you, "I can give you a ticket (+1) to see three bands at the peak of their powers. You can pick no famous specific concerts, nor can anyone know you were there. Your answer must be, simply, the name of a band. Who do you pick? If you give me an answer that resembles 'X band in ZZZZ year' you will die of stomach cancer. Pick. Now."2) What album do you most regret sleeping?

1)Not sure how it's possible to not put "The Beatles" on such a list. I have no idea what their prime would mean. It could be them singing "I wanna hold your hand" in small clubs in England. That would be pretty sweet. I'd really be tempted to go with Hendrix as well. Would his prime be Woodstock? How could you turn down potentially being front row for Hendrix at Woodstock? I'd probably also say Zeppelin, just because. Apparently I really want to see "classic rock."2)Interesting question. It's hard to feel too bad about sleeping through an album that I appreciate now, because I still have the album now to cherish. So it'd have to be something that I would have liked being into during a particular time in my life. I guess I'd have to say, "Come on, Feel the Illinois." It seems like an odd choice, but it took me a while to appreciate Sufjan's masterpiece. It was the first of his albums that I tried to get into, and I was originally intimidated by the length of the album and by how soft and mellow it initially seemed. So, I didn't really give it the close listen it deserved and didn't really get into it until years later (it's one of my favorite albums now). I regret it because my roommate during college and a few friends ended up seeing Sufjan a few times when he was in New York, and I didn't really push to go to those shows because I wasn't really that into him at the time. It would have been pretty cool to have seen him right after Illinois. But, oh well.

[iZuma 764]

oh michael you know I'm not picky. also: cults rulez.

[JubilantLankyLad 1,957]

Lotta stomach cancer going around these days.I saw Pearl Jam in the early nineties (92?). It was predictably awesome.

[timwakefield 68]

Somebody asked me two questions a month ago, and one of them I'm close to answering. The other will haunt me until my death. In no particular order:1) If a genie walked up to you and said, to you, "I can give you a ticket (+1) to see three bands at the peak of their powers. You can pick no famous specific concerts, nor can anyone know you were there. Your answer must be, simply, the name of a band. Who do you pick? If you give me an answer that resembles 'X band in ZZZZ year' you will die of stomach cancer. Pick. Now."

You said "bands" so that suggests that a solo performer is not allowed. Robert Johnson would have been one of my answers. But I will gladly answer with:The Jimi Hendrix Experience John Coltrane's classic quartet (I don't think this breaks any of your specificity rules -- they were actually together longer than The Jimi Hendrix Experience were, so it is not pointing toward a specific show or even a specific year)And then it gets tricky again because you said "bands." I'm going to say Charlie Parker and stick by that. The problem is, he is not a "band." He did, however, always play with a band, but that band would constantly change. So if I name a specific Charlie Parker band then I would be very close to breaking your rule about show-specificity. But if I simply say "Charlie Parker" (which I am), then I'm definitely not choosing a solo performer, because he never played alone. So I guess I should just say, "Charlie Parker's band."EDIT: I notice that a lot of people seem to be ignoring the whole "band" question, and are selecting solo performers. Not sure if this is cancer-worthy, or if it's acceptable.

[Tactical Bear 3]

so have you guys all heard the wugazi mash-up of 13 songs and 36 chambers aka 13 chambers?

No. But it's Fugazi and The Wu-Tang Clan? I would have called it something like FU, Tang! or made a pun on Red Medicine (that I'm too lazy to come up with now but I could totally do it). Anyway, should I really listen to this?

anyone going to lolla? i'll be there tonight watching the coldplay i guess.

#2 on my "Should not have slept on me niggggaaaaaa" list was A Rush of Blood to the Head. Parachutes was fantastic, and -- fuck all you guys -- so was A Rush of Blood to the Head. You know what was sweet? "Clocks." You know what else was sweet? The video for "The Scientist." Coldplay rules.

It WAS shockingly awesome, wasn't it?

It was!

1)Not sure how it's possible to not put "The Beatles" on such a list.

I left the Beatles off my list purposefully. I love the Beatles. I love the Beach Boys. But I've never identified my fanhood of either artist as even remotely dependent upon their live shit. Zeppelin, Who, MBV. It's personal, bitches.

You said "bands" so that suggests that a solo performer is not allowed. EDIT: I notice that a lot of people seem to be ignoring the whole "band" question, and are selecting solo performers. Not sure if this is cancer-worthy, or if it's acceptable.

My apologies. I used "bands" as a synonym for "musical acts," primarily because I am white and like rock bands. I should have said "musical acts" or something like that. Stomach cancer: "For No One."EDIT: Robert Johnson is, obviously, acceptable.EDIT 2:Do not mistake my civility for my not hating you. I do, absolutely, hate the crap out of you.

[brvheart 1,752]

You know what was sweet? "Clocks." Coldplay rules.

Have you read this? I liked "Clocks" significantly more after reading that article.

[Tactical Bear 3]

Have you read this? I liked "Clocks" significantly more after reading that article.

No. I'm kind of... I kind of fucking hate Grantland. Summarize it for me?

[brvheart 1,752]

No. I'm kind of... I kind of fucking hate Grantland. Summarize it for me?

1) Why? Other than the terrible editors, I like it.2) Basically it talks about Bill Simmons and his 18 months working for Jimmy Kimmel LIVE when Kimmel first launched his show. Simmons was one of the two head writers and they were really up against the wall for the first show... which was LIVE after the Superbowl. Instead of watching the game, Simmons was tweaking his shit like mad while Coldplay was practicing on the Hollywood Boulevard stage, and when they finally played, at the end of the show, it was the most exhilarating experience of his life.Video of "Clocks" from the first Jimmy Kimmel LIVE, after the Superbowl, in 2003 (even though the video says 2008... it's 2003).

[Tactical Bear 3]

1) Why? Other than the terrible editors, I like it.2) Basically it talks about Bill Simmons and his 18 months working for Jimmy Kimmel LIVE when Kimmel first launched his show. Simmons was one of the two head writers and they were really up against the wall for the first show... which was LIVE after the Superbowl. Instead of watching the game, Simmons was tweaking his shit like mad while Coldplay was practicing on the Hollywood Boulevard stage, and when they finally played, at the end of the show, it was the most exhilarating experience of his life.Video of "Clocks" from the first Jimmy Kimmel LIVE, after the Superbowl, in 2003 (even though the video says 2008... it's 2003).

1) Because, for a long time, I've been annoyed by Bill Simmons. He is kind of... I dunno, he's kinda gay about shit. He's just... don't you ever think, "Stop it, Bill Simmons. Just... just fucking stop it, you slut?" 2) Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy.

[brvheart 1,752]

1) Because, for a long time, I've been annoyed by Bill Simmons. He is kind of... I dunno, he's kinda gay about shit,. He's just... don't you ever think, "Stop it, Bill Simmons. Just... just fucking stop it, you slut?" 2) Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy.

He's definitely not a great writer. He's more like a frat brother that talks a lot of shit about stuff that isn't important and that he doesn't know much about. I think I like him because he's just some dude that writes about stuff that I find interesting: sports and movies.I hate his podcast, which I think exposes him to be what you don't like about him. The only time I really hated him was when he was on the Dan Le Batard show a few years ago and Dan was trying to explain to him why Sabermetrics were absolutely better than the old stats, and Simmons was talking about shit like a "sniff test" and saying that it wasn't true, because obviously this Boston player was better than player X, even though Saber was undeniably showing the opposite. This argument went on for a long time (months/years), before Simmons finally admitted that he was wrong.I'm a sentimental guy at heart, so I can totally put myself in his place for that moment, and imagine how cool that would have been for him. I mean, he quit his job writing for ESPN so that he could write for Kimmel. It's mildly ballsy... at least relatively speaking. (in a totally rich, white, suburbanite sort of way) So yeah... a little bit gay.

[Tactical Bear 3]

He's definitely not a great writer. He's more like a frat brother that talks a lot of shit about stuff that isn't important and that he doesn't know much about. I think I like him because he's just some dude that writes about stuff that I find interesting: sports and movies.I hate his podcast, which I think exposes him to be what you don't like about him. I'm a sentimental guy at heart, so I can totally put myself in his place for that moment, and imagine how cool that would have been for him. I mean, he quit his job writing for ESPN so that he could write for Kimmel. It's mildly ballsy... at least relatively speaking. (in a totally rich, white, suburbanite sort of way)

He's a great writer, I think. He's just... he's not a great sportswriter. I had a JoePosnanski vs. BillSimmons argument a few months ago, and when my super-smart, super-awesome best-friend argued that Simmons was better than Poz I lost it. I lost it. Simmons is good. He writes good stuff. He is hilarious. I've been subtly ripping him off for a decade. He's just... he's kind of a slut. He might have journalistic integrity, but it's impossible to see from a distance. I think he's a fantastic writer -- really, like Pulitzer prize quality prose type shit -- but I think he writes really, really stupid stuff about sports, sometimes. So he hired Carles and Barnwell and Klosterman and Jazayerli and Keri. And I'm sure they're good. I'm sure "Hipster Runoff" is just as "good" when it's written "for" Simmon's "website," bro.I just can't help but think that Simmons is... look, he's doing what he wants to do, and he's doing it well. But he's forming a super-team, a squadron of extraordinary journalists that, honestly, he'd mock incessantly if he were on the outside. And, also, he's SUPER EFFING GAY ABOUT SOME STUFF.I cannot emphasize that enough. He can be super, super, super gay. So gay. Gay gay gay. Pierce Hawthorne gay.

[Tactical Bear 3]

Brave:You're familiar with Camus, right? You know what he was....? Right?Also: Ron Swanson is, very probably, one of the 10 greatest characters of all time ever in history.

[timwakefield 68]

My apologies. I used "bands" as a synonym for "musical acts," primarily because I am white and like rock bands. I should have said "musical acts" or something like that. Stomach cancer: "For No One."

Okay then I'd change my official answer to: The Jimi Hendrix ExperienceRobert JohnsonCharlie ParkerAs far as the second question, I'd rather just say hip-hop. I slept on hip-hop for my entire youth, and even until I was about 20 I listened to very very little. OutKast was the group that finally got me to start going deep into it, so I guess I'd say that my slept-on album is Aquemini, cuz I didn't hear it til about 5 years after it came out, and it eventually turned me on to so so much stuff.

EDIT 2:Do not mistake my civility for my not hating you. I do, absolutely, hate the crap out of you.

You can try to deny it but I can feel the love in your hate. Alternately - I think the internet in general should try to be more like Great Britain, regarding manners (and probably regarding lot of other things too, come to think of it). Silent hatred masked by wonderful manners is just so goddamned charming, at least on Brits.

[Tactical Bear 3]

Alternately - I think the internet in general should try to be more like Great Britain, regarding manners (and probably regarding lot of other things too, come to think of it). Silent hatred masked by wonderful manners is just so goddamned charming, at least on Brits.

"Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way." (Note: I now wish I'd studied poetry or English in college, because that quote is trochee as a motherfucker.)*****British people are cold. Americans are friendly. HOW FUCKED UP IS THAT? When Random British PLO player went out to smoke a cigarette, I followed him. After he finished riffing on hold'em players playing PLO, he told me how much he liked America. Wang: "Ironically?"Brit: "No. Really. My wife and I love it here. Everyone, here included, is just... you're so welcoming."Wang: "I don't get it. What's the joke?"Brit: "I hate everyone except you!"Wang: "I hate you! so much."Brit: "Godspeed yo-"Wang: "Don't go there."Brit: "..."*****Seriously, he and his American wife both agreed that Brits are awful, awful jerks compared to Americans. It was... odd. I always thought London was going to be awesome. Apparently, London is significantly less awesome than I anticipated, which blows. I've met four British men, and none of them have romanticized England, despite my numerous attempts to get them to do so.*****What was I saying?WangPS -- Wakefield is a gay, etc., etc.

[mk 11]

No. But it's Fugazi and The Wu-Tang Clan? I would have called it something like FU, Tang! or made a pun on Red Medicine (that I'm too lazy to come up with now but I could totally do it). Anyway, should I really listen to this?#2 on my "Should not have slept on me niggggaaaaaa" list was A Rush of Blood to the Head. Parachutes was fantastic, and -- fuck all you guys -- so was A Rush of Blood to the Head. You know what was sweet? "Clocks." You know what else was sweet? The video for "The Scientist." Coldplay rules.

Yeah, it's worth a listen. I was disappointed the first two times I heard it, but now, whenever a track randomly plays during a shuffle, I'm digging it more and more.Coldplay's one of those things with me where they were the right band at the right time. Loved Travis' The Man Who and I was hungry for more lush Brit-pop, and then Parachutes came out. Was it Kid A? Obviously not, but was it a band being really great at what they were trying to do? It was indeed. And A Rush of Blood to the Head was as strong of a "We want to be the biggest band in the world" sophomore effort as there has ever been, I'd say. Sure, everything they've done since has been sort of cloying Dad-rock, but hey, when you see them live they deliver. Hit after hit, solid performances; Chris Martin is a rock star, and one of the (seemingly) most humble and least annoying of that fraternity, currently. It was such an in-your-face contrast. Crystal Castles played right before them, and while sort of interesting at times, it was almost all pre-recorded and pretty low energy. You get the feeling they didn't really want to be there because it wasn't hip enough or whatever... Coldplay came out and actually connected with people, which is what this whole thing is supposed to be about.