Yeah Yeah Yeahs — “Sacrilege” [VIDEO]

There isn’t an album of 2013 that I’m looking forward to more than Mosquito — hitting stores on April 16, the week of Record Store Day. Thankfully I’ll be getting a paycheck that Thursday.

“Don’t want my mp3″: Part II

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MARCH 7 @ AMAZON.com:

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Second Helping, CD, new, $4.99, free shipping: My friend Dave and I have been obsessing over Skynyrd for a little bit now. He’s the person who encouraged me to buy their first (mentioned in Part I), and this is me working my way through their catalog. Here’s the long and short of how I feel about the group:

They’re pigeonholed as a greatest hits band, but neither of the two albums I now own possess a weak link. Even the unreleased demo cuts featured on the remasters (which is what I have) stand next to classics. Also, forget what you’ve heard about redneck-this and hillbilly-that, Skynyrd is as true-school rock and roll as they come. They’re phenomenal musicians and I’m excited to move down the line to their third, Nuthin’ Fancy.

And — this is when Lynyrd Skynyrd dissed Neil Young on wax. “Sweet Home Alabama.” Creek it.

Rock feuds >>> Rap beef

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Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory, CD, new, $8.99, free shipping: A work friend told me about these kids, then I read about them in Rolling Stone, and then my friend Craig mentioned them as a highlight of 2012. So I bought the album and have since fallen in love with the snot-nosed youngins. If I had come across Attack on Memory upon its release, I certainly would have went off about it in my ABC post — especially because I bent the rules a little for the letter “C.”

MARCH 8 @ AMAZON.com:

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Silversun Pickups – Carnavas, CD, used, $3.97, shipping included: I bought the debut from Silversun Pickups once I saw they planned to visit Providence in May. It took a few plays to warm up to Carnavas — opposed to their follow-up, Swoon, which I enjoyed without hesitation — but now I’m pretty satisfied with it. I’m thinking about getting Neck of the Woods, their newest LP that dropped in the Spring of ’12, so I’m prepared once they hit Lupo’s.

Dinosaur Jr. — “Entertainment”

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I’ve never heard of Phoenix until I came across this song today. I Googled their original recording of “Entertainment” and it’s soft. Then I surfed around to hear a couple of other songs and they’re equally as soft. Thankfully, on this Dinosaur Jr. cover version, the trio of Massachusetts rockers completely reinvent the song:

And it gets nice.

J Mascis x Sharon Van Etten — “Prisoners”

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I’m uncertain if I had ever heard a John Denver song before today. This J. Mascis x Sharon Van Etten cover of “Prisoners” is what made me check the guy out:

I actually like Denver’s original version better. But J is my dude and I’ve kind of developed a mini crush on Van Etten’s alien face since I saw her latest album land on a few 2012 year-end lists, so here we are. The song will be featured on ATO Records’ John Denver tribute album, The Music Is You, set for an April 2 release date.

Eleven and counting.

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Today marks eleven years since my father passed. Although I still face the occasional day-to-day struggles, I can honestly say that, perspective-wise, I’ve never felt any stronger and/or clearer. Much love to everyone and everything that has helped in bringing me to this very moment, including but most certainly not limited to:

Music on CD, vinyl, and cassette (and those still fighting to keep the physical formats alive); Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall; Friday the 13th movies; Echo Lake; The kitchen; My YMCA days; Kate Moss; Jim Beam and practically every other whiskey under the sun; Bi-weekly’s on Broadway; Drek; Kathryn Kalinak and Gary Grund; The Echo Chamber Blog; American Iron & Metal; The Boston Bruins; Nate, David, Claire, Ruth, and Nathaniel Fisher Sr.; Lipton Green Tea with Honey; B-Complex, Magnesium, Aleve, and SAMe;  Exercise (peace to Zach for the routine); Structure; Balance; Mark Oliver Everett for illustrating how every end is a new beginning, Regina Spektor for giving me the advice of letting go in small doses, and Alison Mosshart for pushing me to go steal ahead; And, most importantly, my many friends and dedicated family — especially my sister Kiley and mother Mary, who I love more than I can put into words.

Also, to those who aren’t ignorant to mental illness, I thank you for trying to understand.

Miss and love you, dad.

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