Alkaline Trio has been one of my favorite bands for years. For some reason they always knew how to tug at my angsty heartstrings and put me in a good mood with so many songs about being miserable. They’re also from Chicago. Represent. It’s because of albums like Maybe I’ll Catch Fire and their debut release Goddammit that I would be able to forgive them a hundred more Crimsons. Hopefully I won’t have to, but, at least from what I’ve heard of their new EP, things seem like they’re going to get worse before they get better.

Luckily, there is something new and exciting for nostalgics like myself. Goddammit recently turned ten, and to celebrate Asian Man Records has released Goddamit Redux, a wonderfully remastered version of the album with an additional unreleased song and a couple of demos of some additional favorites. There’s also a DVD included that contains a couple hours of footage, both from the band’s early career and last year’s Occult Roots Tour. If you’ve ever been a fan of the band, I definitely recommend checking this out. I bought mine 2 weeks ago and it hasn’t left my car’s CD player.

Anyway, here’s ‘97. Have a beer and forget about finals for 15 minutes.

Alkaline Trio - ‘97

I was a bit late arriving to last Monday’s show at the Canopy Club and had to soldier through the crowd for most of the show, but my camera put out a valiant effort nonetheless. Art IS hard. Hopefully there’s some Cursive fans out there who might enjoy these.

As I sat watching the Used metaphorically defecate all over the stage of Foellinger Auditorium last night, I couldn’t help but drift off into thought about my more angsty days in which I constantly listened to that type of music. And I’ll be honest - I still sneak out “Taste of Ink” from its hiding place from time to time. (I keep it right next to the first Taking Back Sunday album, Thrice’s Illusion of Safety, Thursday’s Full Collapse, and Finch’s What It Is To Burn.) And so, after seeing last night’s disappointing display, I have to ask: What happened? Did I change or did the music change?

What are your thoughts, past and present fans of Screamo? It is still called that, right? How did The Used go from writing catchy and angry, yet still thoughtful music to writing entire songs on a foundation of the lyrics “Liar, liar, pants on fire?” How is that all of these bands I’ve mentioned seem just about equally lame these days? As sad as it all might seem when you think about it, you’ve got to admit that it’s a fairly nice stroll down memory lane.

One last thing while I’m ranting: Whose idea was it to take the punk rock out of Warped Tour to make way for Fall Out Boy and Hawthorn Heights? Because I’d like a word. You’re dumbing up America’s youth.

Here’s are some things to help remind us that emo didn’t always suck.

After a hiatus of 5+ years, the Breeders will soon be releasing their long-awaited fourth studio album, Mountain Battles. Along with the new tunes, the band will be doing a U.S. tour and stopping at Chicago’s own Cabaret Metro in May. Check out “Bang On.“

All of what I’ve heard thus far has been pretty interesting. None of it has quite the majestic coolness of “Cannonball,” but I’ve still enjoyed it, and it will definitely help tide me over until my next chance to see the Pixies play. (Notice how I didn’t jinx a future Pixies album there? Oh God, does that jinx it?)

Not only does Kim Deal have probably the best female voice in alternative rock, she can sport a sweater with a collar like nobody’s business.

Barack Obama has led a remarkable campaign over the last several months and gained a lot of ground in parts of this country where skeptics said he would fail. Still, a lot of people have their doubts. This video answers even the toughest questions, and proves beyond any doubt that Barack Obama is the best candidate for the presidency.

So, some people are saying some pretty nasty things about the upcoming Local Music Awards, and I’ve found it quite difficult to understand why. I’m not sure if this is still a particularly heated issue, but I feel obligated to throw my hat in the ring even if the bell rang a few weeks ago.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, here are some of the accusations/complaints being made towards WPGU and this humble awards ceremony by a select group of scenesters and musicians that happen to own computers.
1. The LMAs was arranged mainly to make a profit, at the expense of local musicians.
2. It creates competitive conflicts between bands.
3. WPGU doesn’t care about the local music scene.

How to address allegation #1.. First of all, yes, WPGU and The Buzz and The217 are commercial organizations. Unless you’re a homeless, nudist hunter-gatherer/cannibal you can’t really hold that against us. So, let’s take a look at how badly our evil, money-grabbing machine is screwing over local musicians. We’ve effectively sought them out, featured them on a website for over a month, and invited them to spend an evening celebrating the local music scene. Heinous! Even the most established bands should know the value of this kind of publicity, especially in an area with as much population turnover as Champaign-Urbana. Around 50 local acts are put in a better situation because of the Local Music Awards.

Regarding the apparent disruption of the harmonious balance among local bands.. Are you kidding me? Gather every drop of blood that is spilled between bands over winning a local music award and I’ll happily drink it. The truth is that just being nominated for an award is an honor in itself. A lot of amazingly talented musicians fell short of getting a nomination, and it’s important for people to realize that the bands up for awards were voted into that position over all of the other local musicians in their category. Bands can campaign for support, but I doubt we’ll see any Red Phone ads coming from anyone. There is nothing wrong with a little friendly competition, and the whole point is that every nominee comes out ahead.

Lastly, WPGU doesn’t care about local music. Now that I think about it, this is totally valid. That’s why we don’t ever play local music or ask bands into the studio. Right.

Actually, we play at least two local bands during every hour of normal programming. And I believe we’ve had three bands in the studio within the last two weeks. A huge amount of work has been put into the LMAs by unpaid employees who have at least some interest in local music. You simply cannot say that we’re not doing our part.

If you’re still morally outraged about the 4th Annual Local Music Awards, then DON’T come on April 3rd at 8PM at the High Dive. On the other hand, if you want to hear some good music, congratulate some of your favorite bands for all of their hard work, and have a fun evening in honor of our community’s great music scene, then please do.

We may be evil, but we know how to party.

Now that we’re well on our way into ‘08 the new music is starting to pour in. Here’s some of the latest music with which WPGU might tease your ears.

R.E.M. - Supernatural Superserious - I was really surprised when I first heard this song. After the last R.E.M. release, I was expecting something far-reaching and overly political and self-important. It just seemed like the direction the band was heading. Thankfully, I was wrong. This song is great because it’s simple and catchy, basically like a lot of the songs that made R.E.M. R.E. Freaking M. It’s awesome to see the band continue to do what it does best. Tally up another one.

Hot Chip - Ready for the Floor - I’ll be honest. I’ve never been a big fan of Hot Chip. I’ll admit that I haven’t given them much of a chance, but I always thought bands like The Faint or The Postal Service or Daft Punk were a lot more approachable. You can probably tell I’m not terribly up on my dance rock. Anyway, this song makes me want to hear more from this band. It’s a lot different than what I’ve heard from them, and the song moves in lots of cool directions.

The Black Keys - Strange Times - This song rocks. With the White Stripes kind of sucking lately it’s a relief that the Black Keys are taking up some of the new-classic-rock-sound slack. The sound quality has improved quite a bit since the last record, as well. I’d say they’ve moved up from medium-fi to upper-middle-class-fi. The new album comes out in about a month, but I’ve heard tale that it’s already fallen victim to bloodless cyberNazi pirates and been leaked onto the interweb. Remember the days when we had to wait that extra month to hear all of our new music? Me neither.

Happy Valentines Day, everyone.

I’m all about breaking the mold here, so I’ve made a list of some of the LEAST romantic love songs I’ve ever heard. I’m not saying that these people didn’t mean well, but a few of these lyrics may have missed the mark. I’ll let you be the judge.

1. The Violent Femmes - Add It Up -”Why can’t I get just one kiss? Believe me there’s some things I wouldn’t miss, but I look at your pants and I need a kiss.”
2. Nirvana - About a Girl - Just the “I can see you every night (for) free” line makes this one stand out to me.
3. The Replacements - Kiss Me On the Bus - This song is about making out on a bus in front of strangers. I’m sure it felt romantic at the time, Paul Westerberg.
4. Pedro the Lion - Options - There are so many gems that could easily fit in here from this band, but this one is my favorite. “We were walking, holding hands.. with our bare feet in the sand.. and the seagulls overhead.. when I broke the spell and said, “I could never divorce you without a good reason… and though I may never have to, it’s good to have options.”‘
5. The Velvet Underground - Pale Blue Eyes - This is a love song Lou Reed apparently wrote for one of his friends’ wives he’d been sleeping with. “It was good what we did yesterday, and I’d do it once again. The fact that you are married only proves that you’re my best friend.”
6. Pixies - I’ve Been Tired - “I wanna be a singer like Lou Reed.
‘I like Lou Reed’ she said, sticking her tongue in my ear. ‘Why don’t you tell me one of your biggest fears?’
I said, ‘Losing my penis to a whore with disease.. Just kidding,’ I said. ‘Losing my life to a whore with disease.’
7. Radiohead - Thinking About You - The fact that I sang along to this song when I was like 11 really freaks me out now. But who says songs about masturbation can’t be at least a little endearing?
8. Jawbreaker - Oyster - “I don’t want to kiss right now. You’re probably just what I need but I can’t stand your mouth. If you’re gonna sleep like that you might as well be dead. But you still want all the covers.”
9. The Smiths - Girlfriend In A Coma - Depending on how you interpret this one, Morrissey is either singing about: A) how we wants to kill his comatose girlfriend or B) how his girlfriend used to really piss him off and now that she’s in a coma things have been a lot easier for him. Take your pick.
10. Third Eye Blind - Burning Man - This song begins with the lyrics, “The rise and fall of my sloppy love, the smatterings and splatterings.. they’ll get you.” Seriously.
11. Damien Rice - Accidental Babies - This song is kind of a bummer on top of being over-the-top and crude. The lyrics are a little risqué even for this blog.
12. Frank Zappa - My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama - The title says it all, I suppose. And there’s still a whole star-crossed lovers vibe about it. Frank Zappa’s woman’s parents don’t want Frank Zappa seeing their daughter (I know… crazy, right?) and Frank Zappa is sweetly offering to kill her parents so they can be together.

Ah, L’amour.

This was hinted at by a co-blogger and fellow Matt about a week ago, but I just thought I’d let it be known that this show is OFFICIAL. Hats off to Starcourse on this one. Ben Folds will be coming to Foellinger Auditorium on April 15th and he’ll hopefully be doing all of those Ben Folds-y things we’ve so-enjoyed seeing him do over the last ten years. The throwing of piano stools and heartfelt renditions of Dr. Dre classics (and others) are just a couple of the many very real possibilities that are likely to make this show a memorable one.

My history with Ben Folds live performances has been a cruel, unlucky one. My first chance fell through my fingers when I learned that tickets to the small Chicago venue he was going to be playing had sold out almost immediately. My second effort was foiled when I attempted to see him at the Ravinia Festival north of Chicago. Three insufferable hours on the Edens expressway - filled with unspeakable swearing, the shouting of graphic death threats to nearby drivers, and, inevitably, tears - made this second defeat especially disheartening.

My third effort took me all the way to Indianapolis - on the school night before my AP History test. (Sorry, Mom.. it was BEN FOLDS!) The drive and all of the hassle went relatively smoothly, the show was incredible, I got to see a great city, made it home before dawn, and still got college credit from my test. And so my point - it was completely worth it. And looking back at all of that trouble I went through three years ago, the prospect of being able to walk ten minutes to see one of the most talented musicians and entertainers around perform in the same building where I have my accounting lecture just seems pretty freaking awesome.

Hope to see you there!

Now that the semester is well on its way, we at WPGU have tried to settle back in to kicking out the latest and greatest jams. I hope to provide frequent updates with information about the new music we’re most excited about playing and I’d love to receive any comments about these songs or recommendations for songs you think we should be playing.

Here’s the newest stuff to listen for on WPGU:

1. Radiohead - Jigsaw Falling Into Place

2. Jason Collett - Out of Time - This song is off Jason Collett (Broken Social Scene) ’s fifth solo effort, Here’s To Being Here. It starts off with a cool, slow, Dylanny swagger and the chorus is catchy as hell.

3. Rivers Cuomo - Blast Off! - After Weezer’s Blue Album was released, Rivers wrote a rock opera set in space. Nyerd. The album was never released but a few songs made it onto Rivers’ solo B-sides and rarities album. If you’re still wincing from “Beverly Hills” this song will alleviate the pain.

4. Bon Iver - Skinny Love - I am admittedly a huge sucker for acoustic songs, but I think this one really stands out. I definitely recommend giving it a listen right now.

5. The 1900s - When I Say Go This band is on Urbana’s own Parasol Records. Their new album, Cold & Kind, is really effing good.

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