Day 12 A Song From A Band I Hate

I'm of the opinion that there aren't bands that I hate, just ones I haven't found the right time to like yet. Cynicism is in my nature, I'm not particularly kind about the bands I haven't learned to love yet but it doesn't mean that someday I won't take it all back. I didn't like The Strokes for a long time and look what happened there.

The thing that really bugs me about this band is the amount of hype and the seemingly religious fanaticism that people have with regard to them. For their fans a new album coming out is like the second coming of Christ for Christians, only it happens every couple of years rather than not at all. My brother is a huge fan, as are a lot of my friends, but I've never seen the appeal. He just whines a lot, the guitars sound moany and dull - which is especially annoying for me. I'm under the impression (cue the onslaught of fans) that they use single-coil equipped guitars so why then don't they have more jangly tunes? It's quite simply beyond me.

I'll probably be told how poor my choice of song is too. Bring it on Radiohead fans

Radiohead - Karma Police

Day 11 A Song From My Favourite Band

Morning morning everyone! I don't know about you but I'd a great night out last night thanks to a certain Michael Corrigan and others. Nothing overly wild happened so you didn't miss much, serious banter was had though. I won't get into any gory details because you really had to be there, why weren't you? I call bad friend, shame on you.

My favourite band are The Strokes and believe me I never thought I'd hear myself say that. I disliked The Strokes for a long time. Social Circuit get a mention here because they're really the reason I came round to The Strokes. We played "Someday", I think it was the first song we ever played together - awkward moment for me trying to get the timing right on the intro, scarlet. I learnt to love the song and the rest of the album before falling head over heels for Room On Fire. I never got around to fully appreciating First Impressions of Earth but the parts I like, I love. The new track is awesome too.

As you may have noticed I've thrown in a couple of cheeky links already because I don't really want to make a proper decision (much like the Irish electorate).

The Strokes - Hard To Explain

Day 10 A Song That Makes Me Fall Asleep (Or Rather Keeps Me Awake)

I tend to listen to music, as opposed to let it be background buzz. It's not unusual for me to stop listening to whoever is talking to me in a nightclub if a song I love is laid down by the DJ. Music for me is an experience that I have to put effort into.

I should explain, listening to music to me is like reading a book or watching a talkie, it requires my attention. Sometimes I wish I was the kind of person who could sit down and write, read and listen to music at the same time but it simply doesn't work for me. I like to give it my full attention. There are plenty of people out there who sit on their laptops and PCs (or even Macs) and consider albums listened to when they've heard it while engaged in other things; that's not for me.

Friends of mine often criticise the fact that I have a very specific taste: I like some bands not others despite them sounding exactly the same (The Kooks and The View are perfect examples of this). However I don't think they appreciate sometimes the extent to which music listening is an event in itself for me.

I'm not a fan of listening to music in bed because I find I end up trying to analyse it when I really should be trying to sleep, the result is that it keeps me awake rather than sends me packing to the land of nod.

Now that that is done with, I suppose I should pick something.

Cee Lo Green - Fuck You

Cee Lo Green - Forget You

Two versions for all you out there who say music is too full of profanity these days. I certainly wouldn't be sleeping to either of these, far too much going on musically. I'm such a nerd.

Day 9 A Song I Can Dance To

Today I'm upbeat. It's a Friday, I've gotten my presentation done, sat an exam, got results from an essay (went well), applied for a job and sorted out some MA programmes. I hope your week has been as good as mine. I do enjoy a bit of the dancing I have to say. I wish the type of dancing was implied in the title though, it would make it easier to know what you expect from this. Slow dancing, swing, polka, waltz, line dancing, square dancing, twist, moshing etc. There really is no end to what you could be looking for here. But I refuse to cheat and ask you or put up a couple of songs. I'm trying to remember the last time I went dancing (it's been a while, I'm getting old) not that it doesn't matter, I wouldn't remember the song anyway.

From what I've learned in Popular Music and Culture, that epic course I'm taking at the moment, beat seems important when it comes to what types of music you can dance to, new Jazz for example is too all-over-the-place (that's the technical term) to have a good boogie to.

I was having some serious trouble thinking of a justification for using this song, then I realised; I love disco.

Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing

And yes I do dance to it.

Day 8 A Song I Know All The Words To

The categories for this challenge really are exceptional, I'd really like to thank whoever came up with 30 days of nonsensical rubbish music challenges. I play guitar (as well as variety of other musical instruments) and therefore know all the words to a great many songs - one of the many joys of being a guitarist is that everyone expects you to know every song by their favourite band.

Why oh why did I have to be born so talented? Why could I not just be like everyone else and this day would be as easy as 'Crazy World' by Aslan, a song of which I'm sure everyone thinks they know the words to, but really only know the chorus.

I decided to go with something with a lot of vocal variety so you wouldn't be bored by the monotony of one singer and a catchy chorus. I actually performed this track with Social Circuit, wasn't a massive fan of it then and I'm not a fan of it now. Still, I know all the words to it.

Daft Punk - Around the World

PS the lyrics are also conveniently included in the description

Day 7 A Song That Reminds Me Of A Certain Event

I'm really starting to believe I should have read through the list before accepting the challenge as a lot of these days have similar titles and I'm running out of songs that remind me of things. This track reminds me of yet another gig; this one was in Vancouver, Canada. Seán and I had been big fans of Death Cab for a while at this stage and when we heard they were playing it didn't take much convincing. To get the tickets we'd to convince our local friend Dave who'd never really heard them before but agreed to go anyway. The gig itself was great, made all the better by the sudden fainting of one of the aforementioned. Together with the still standing other I carried the unconscious lad to the barrier and I have to say, being rude to all those people who'd rudely passed me to get to the front was class - convince a friend to faint sometime, teach those people a lesson. I'm surprised that I can't remember the song that he fainted in, but I remember that as I searched for a drink for him I missed this song - or maybe I was back for this song, who knows, it was a weird summer.

Death Cab For Cutie - Marching Band of Manhattan

Day 6 A Song That Reminds Me Of Somewhere

As many of you know I was away for a year. So this song reminds me of Sweden. The whole album does really, so picking a song off it is pretty tough. The album wasn't panned by critics, but I didn't see it spoken very highly of when it came down to albums of the year on many lists. I don't listen to this song, or this album as much as I used to because I just associate it with Stockholm, mostly trips to AGA to see Chris and Eti or on my way to Lidl beside Radmansgatan, getting the 40 bus to Lappis from Odenplan, walking Drottingatan, walking in the snow to Stockholms Universitet and taking random walks to the lake.

I particularly like the line about cheesecake, that little breakdown is killer. Enjoy

Vampire Weekend - California English

Day 5 A Song That Reminds Me Of Someone

This is where it gets interesting, not because my choice of songs becomes more eclectic but that people will invariably give out because I've decided that one song and one memory is unbelievably more important than another. Don't be upset that I haven't chosen you overall.

Look at me sitting here on the branch of self-importance pretending to myself that:

• people care what I chose or don't chose

and

• people actually read my blog.

Sometime ages ago, the exact date has been long forgotten to all but the ticket stub that is too far away for me to be bothered to look at it, there was a gig and at that gig were a band called I'm From Barcelona. I remember the gig not being great, I think they played a lot of music off the new album that I hadn't heard yet (I've listened to it since and it's shocking). The company was one Alan Pierce, a scholar and a gent who had introduced me to the band.

Before you think that I've slipped off the mark and begun tomorrow's blog before finishing today I should explain: Context is seemingly of the utmost importance these days (it certainly seems to matter to my history lecturers anyway) so I figured I should explain lest you believe I was sitting here dreaming of Alan Pierce (which I am of course but you're not to know that).

I'm From Barcelona - Chickenpox

Apologies for the live version.

Day 4 A Song That Makes Me Sad

I've become one of those people who capitalise every word in a title, dear me. Back to the business at hand: Sad songs. There are a few definitions of sad which should probably be dealt with before I triumphantly announce the title of a song that makes me sad. There is sad as in the opposite of happy, i.e. emotionally distressed. However there is also sad as in words to the effect of "you sad bastard". There are also varying degrees of sadness, is the song supposed to depress me; make me cry; turn me to alcohol? If anything today requires a playlist rather than one song, perhaps something that gradually depresses or, in the case of the "sad bastard", a collection of Tim Westwood's tracks.

This song makes me sad, not in a horrible manner; it's not like I go off crying myself to sleep while listening to it. The song itself is all at once beautiful and sad. I play guitar (like everyone else) and I think my understanding of how difficult it is to play like that and sing with that emotion that lends me to appreciate this song. It's not one I play often, though I used to; it's a song best reserved for quiet times, away from people where you can sit back and bask in it. If you haven't heard it before it's not overly depressing, it's actually quite a pretty little song so don't be disheartened.

Regina Spektor - Samson

Day 3 A Song that Makes Me Happy

Making me happy is no mean feat, I come across as the grouchy type hence why everyone felt the need to congratulate me upon my purchase of a Mr. Grumpy t-shirt. Thus any song that could make me happy is clearly deserving of an award or, failing that, a mention on my blog. So I've chosen this song, not because it's a particularly cheery song, but because it's a song that will always cheer me up. It got me through the darker (both literally and metaphorically) days of my time in Sweden. It's easy to forget, in the absence of contact, that you have friends sometimes especially in a country where silence is seen as good rather than awkward. The song itself is a work of art, well constructed, beautiful lyrics and excellent instrumentation (the acoustic version is also well worth checking out). So enjoy and feel a little cheery.

Sufjan Stevens - Chicago

As a side note I've been reading through the 30 Day Challenge and there are a lot of very similar titles for days so I'll try save some of the good tracks for later in the series.

On the side of that side, Chicago is also a great driving/journey/walking/stop motion song.

Day 2 My Least Favourite Song

My least favourite song should be something so detestable that it should never have been conceived. My reasons for choosing this song are simple and I'll be very surprised if there aren't people who will argue that there are better candidates; what about that dreadful duo Jedward? So why have I chosen it? I've never liked Nirvana, there's something about Cobain's awful voice combined with muddy guitar and driving bass. That terrible testament to teenage angst never spoke to me. I think somewhere along the line I missed that crucial 'Nirvana phase'. Nothing more needs to be said. Do yourself a favour, don't click the link.


Nirvana - Smells like Teen Spirit

Day 1 My Favourite Song

It's weird when you get asked the question what is your favourite song because it's by no means an easy question to answer. I have many favourite songs by many favourite bands. In my mind my favourite song should be a song that I could listen to over and over without ever getting tired of it. It shouldn't be anything too complex, I could pick something classical and gradually wear away listening to the harmonies and the intricate nature of the instrumentation but it simply wouldn't do. At the same time it shouldn't be something I listen to all the time either, I could take the easy route out and pick the song that is most played on my iPod but I don't think I could bear the shame of knowing myself. I stress to you my favourite song should be simple and a pop song.

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

Every listen should be just like the first.

Challenge Accepted!

Came across this on Facebook thanks to a Mr. Pierce (credit where it's due). So I'll just explain what I shall be up to:

It's called the 30 Day Song Challenge

day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
day 08 - a song that you know all the words to
day 09 - a song that you can dance to
day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep
day 11 - a song from your favorite band
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure
day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love
day 15 - a song that describes you
day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio
day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
day 19 - a song from your favorite album
day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry
day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy
day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad
day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding
day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral
day 25 - a song that makes you laugh
day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
day 27 - a song that you wish you could play
day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty
day 29 - a song from your childhood
day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

To begin.