Week of February 27, 2012

1. "Eye-5"--Jawbreaker, Unfun:
I was a big Jawbreaker fan. I came on board around the release of Bivouac, which followed this particular album. I like listening to Jawbreaker but don't remember the names of their songs. This is a solid song. I saw them a few times live, and they were great. I have not been as big a fan of Schwartzenbach's other ventures, like Jets to Brazil, though it is fine. Good stuff, but this song is not necessarily gold. NO SHAME.

2. "Whatever"--Ani Difranco, Living In Clip (Live):
I have seen Ani Difranco live 3 times. She is a great performer, and this album captures her at her best. It is two-discs of her best music. If buying just one Ani Difranco album this would be my recommendation. She is extremely prolific. I prefer the earlier releases. That being said, this song is nothing special; it is more of an instrumental (with some moaning/groaning instead of lyrics for filler). NO SHAME.

3. "Invisible"--Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank:
This was the last full-length album from Modest Mouse and was notable because former Smith's guitarist Johnny Marr was a member of the band. This is a good track, though one of the deeper cuts. I'm not sure how having Johnny Marr in the band impacted their sound, but the album holds together pretty well. As far as I know, he has moved on to other things. NO SHAME.

4. "Make Some Noise"--Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two:
This song is the opening track and first single off of the latest Beastie Boys album. It just came out last year and has been in heavy rotation for me. If you did not see it when it came out, the video for this song is a must-see. The full mini-film version is amazing. From Paul's Boutique to present, I have been a huge Beastie Boys fan. I've only seen them live once and have a scar above my eye to prove it. SHUFFLE GOLD!!

5. "You Could Be Happy"--Snow Patrol, Eyes Open:
Another song from this album came up before. This song is decent but kind of blends into the background without much bite. It sounds like a song for a commercial or "Gray's Anatomy" (see previous post). MEH.