i just had a thought (just, as in within thirty seconds ago): sometimes i feel like life is one big game of follow the leader. or, like at school dances, when they start those trains and all the cool kids grab each others’ shoulders and start parading around the room like they’re the cat’s pyjamas because they darn well are and you’re too nakedly aware of your painful lack of self-esteem to do anything about it. (i believe that right there was a sizeable sentence fragment. my apologies.) it takes more than one person, so everyone jump on. i’ll miss you when you’re just like them. (jimmy eat world) i’m a big jimmy eat world fan. i guess they were out of style, then in style, then back out again, and whatever, man, they stayed true to themselves. they didn’t just follow the leader, be the leader blink-182 (though i quite like them as well) or the get up kids (okay, okay, i like them too) or fall out boy (can’t say i’m their biggest fan, though). their sound matured a little over time, i think, but it didn’t have far to go. i think it’s done more exploring, from clarity to chase this light. but they’re constant; maybe that’s why i like them so much. oh, music. i like to lose myself in it. well, i like to lose myself in the sense of losing all my fears and burdens. i think, sometimes i lose who i am as well. but maybe when i find it again at the end of the song, it’s something a little clearer, harder, stronger, wiser.
on the subject of music, i have some discoveries! (well, i call them discoveries. that’s a pretty highfalutin word for my puttering around looking for little acts with good music.)
- peachcake. these guys are by far my favorite of the three bands i’ll list; i’ll say that right now. i cannot get enough of their upbeat, neo-synthpop sound. the sonic mayhem of “jeremiah, stop taking bukowski so seriously” somehow makes sense in spite of repeated noises that sound like bad feedback. furthermore, i can’t listen to “are we accidentally at a party?!” without bobbing at least my head. but it’s not just things like the spastic beat of “hundreds and hundreds of thousands” that put peachcake at least on level with the postal service (whose album give up is the second-best-seller on sub pop records, after nirvana’s début album, in case you were wondering) in my ears. their lyrics, advocating peace and a sustainable lifestyle, give serious value to their music. so yeah, check them out if you haven’t been listening since the beginning of this paragraph.
- the kin. do i hear a darkwave undertone on “together”? it’s there during the chorus. you can hear the tiniest depeche mode influence, in the spinning violin and piano chording. chipper guitar and lyrics about apparent ends of the world combine in “see” to create a perfect song for any mood (”cats in the cradle” by ugly kid joe, anyone?). the soaring harmonies and build in the bridge make my pulse quicken, and puts this at the top of my list of their songs.
- the evan anthem. here’s for something a little different, a little less exploratory on my part. however, they take my old style of music and twist it around with delicate harmonies and fresh rhythms, though i’ll admit the drumming does leave something to be desired. i’m no drummer; i can’t put my finger on it, but i think as a confirmed travis barker fan the cymbals are being underused. give them a listen in any case. the drumming is better on the newest songs.
i think my favorite song for the drumming would have to be “little death” by +44. it is beautiful.
