Threefor

I am slightly obsessed with sequencing when it comes to albums. I think (foolishly, probably) which songs are first, fifth, last, etc. is very important. It's probably because I am neurotic.

I twittered that Wolf Parade's epic three-way of "Shine A Light", "Dear Sons and Daughters..." and "I'll Believe in Anything" is the best three songs in a row of the past *span of time*. That is what spawned this list.

The one rule: the three-span has to surpass the overall goodness of the album. I don't care if *album X* has ten great songs and you pick three in a row. In the Wolf Parade example, I believe those three songs destroy the rest of the (fucking great) album.

That's it. In most albums you'll find great songs are rarely three in a row. Smart artists will spread them out, with average to below-average songs in between. It's the smart move. So when there are three in a row, giving my skipping thumb a much needed rest, it's great.

Here are some I've found in my iTunes.

Blood Brothers - Young Machetes - "Set Fire to the Face on Fire", "We Ride Skeletal Lightning" and "Laser Life"

I've been listening to these crazy bastards a lot lately (for some reason, incoherent screaming and squealing guitars makes for awesome basketball music) and found out the three openers off their 2006 album are 500% better than the rest of the album. Luckily for them, they rode that momentum wave to create a solid album. Still, nothing beats those three.


Fuck, I miss music videos

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago - "The Wolves (Act I and II)", "Blindsided" and "Creature Fear"

On the complete opposite end of the sonic spectrum from the Blood Bros., Bon Iver's heartbreaking '07 album is full of wonderful, slow-building folk songs. And while only nine tracks, he constructed the album like a baseball lineup, with the 4-5-6 hitters (of course, stand out "Skinny Love" is third. I am pretty sure Mr. Iver is a baseball fan) being the big boppers. Well done sir.

Fucked Up - Hidden World - "Crusades," David Comes to Life" and "Invisible Leader"

If you like hard rock/punk/hardcore/anything with guitars and yelling go out and buy/steal/burn/torrent this album. It's one of the best punk albums of the past five years. It's so good, it actually has two spans of three spectacular songs. Here -- again, the first three songs -- Fucked Up flex their "punk with brains" muscles. "Crusades" is a seven-minute anthem that people probably would have bashed each other's skulls in to in 1987. And "Invisible Leader" has some of the most insane and awesome lyrics I've heard in any song: Rip the flesh with the gnashing teeth / Search the insides of the dying beast / From the book of Enoch / To the Bible codes / We'll spend our final days still looking for that gold.

What?!?!


Not for the audio, as much for the 300+ pound bear yelling

Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances - "Upon Viewing...", "Titus Andronicus" and "No Future"

Similar to Fucked Up, I have no idea what this band is talking about most of the time. There's some Camus in there (like actual excerpts from The Stranger). There's some Seinfeld references. Whatever. One thing I do know is they sure know how to construct a rock song. The 5-6-7 on this nine-tracker are the best, with the self-titled anthem sandwiched between two sprawling, weird-yet-great songs. They may scream pretension, but damn if I care when the songs are this good.


Again, I really miss actual MTV

Jay Reatard - Blood Visions - "Oh It's Such a Shame," "Not A Substitute" and "Nightmares"

It just wouldn't be right of me to not include the man I am listening to on constant rotation in this list. I happen to think Blood Visions is a fantastic album. But if I were to sell some on Jay, it would be, without a doubt, these three. Clocking in at just over five minute total, these three tracks embody everything I (and every American music fan should) love about Jay Reatard. Fury. Cleverness. Truth. Seriously, I want him to be mainstream popular. And I am not just being an indie asshole (even though that's what one would say).


Just spend 20 minutes with the man and get a good cross-section of his tunes. Oh, and he's a genius.

The week (?) that was

Since the ice has been broken, the cherry popped, let me throw my two cents in regarding the past week

Music:

Animal Collective, MPP: It's fucking great. Steal it if you have to. But then give AC the money, because they seem like nice guys.

Titus Andronicus, The Airing of Grievances: I missed this is the whirlwind that was 2008, but this is a bad ass punk record. Not balls out like Fucked Up, but with more "indie" influences and varied instrumentation. The lyrics may been juvenile ("Fuck everything, fuck me"), but they have energy in spades.

Everything Jay Reatard has ever made: Seriously, the man's a genius in my book. From '06's "Blood Visions" to the singles he released this year, it's all great.

Wavves, singles from his forthcoming album: Hailing from The Smell (a place that many other bands that are enjoyable hail from), Wavves is one dude, super lo-fi and pretty much just about smoking pot and having nothing to do. It's already fairly hyped, and I bet he'll be this year's Vivian Girls - a lo-fi punk darling that will have a sizable backlash in no time.

Books:

American Psycho, Ellis: I've been wanting to read this forever, as I found the movie enjoyable. The book version destroys it in every way possible. More violent, more insane and much more well done.

The most soul-crushing business card of all-time.

The Crying of Lot 49, Pynchon: Most well-known for "Gravity's Rainbow," Pynchon is one crazy genius. 49 tells the story of the quest for the truth regarding the worldwide conspiracy that is the U.S. Postal Service. Or something like that. It's confusing, funny, postmodern, weird and the hardest 175 pages I've ever read. I already started his other novel "Vineland" and have "V." on deck. So yeah, for all his craziness, his writing is pretty awesome.

TV:

Friday Night Lights, Season 2: Friday Night Lights is the perfect show. When you talk about it, it sounds like a manly football show - and it is, kind of. But in reality, it's a high school drama - which, deep down, everyone loves. I've already blown through a dozen episodes in a matter of a few days (Hulu, ftw!) and will probably go back to season one once I'm done.

Video games:

Persona 3 FES, PS2: I really needed a time sink RPG for these "tough economic times" (a.k.a. I have no job) and I've heard great things about the Persona series. You play as a kid at a high school where you fight monsters by night and manage interpersonal relationships and afterschool activities by day. The great bit is that these are related - friendships with certain people strengthen the different "personas" (typical summons from any game). It sounds complicated and dumb writing it down, but I can easily seen dropping 50+ hours into this bad boy. Not bad for a dead system.

Oh, and the characters shoot themselves in the head (fast forward to about 1:00) to summon personas. Eat that censors!

Prince of Persia, Xbox 360: I dabbled in The Sands of Time when it was new on the original Xbox, and since I borrowed this (thanks Wig), price was not an issue. I have not been disappointed. This is was Mirror's Edge should have been, a seamless platforming experience with shiny visuals and a passable story. The game is not "dumbed down" as many complained, the controls simply allow you to do some slick things. You'll go from wallrun to ring grab to wall jump to another wall run to pole climb with the press of a few buttons. It feels a lot like a rhythm game, where timing and visual cues are key. Oh, and the combat is based on one-on-one duels, which is refreshing in this world of "get 48574389 Locusts on screen!!!!111"

Left 4 Mothafuckin Dead, Xbox 360: Still owns, versus cheats and all. I am still not tired of the maps (but a patch wouldn't hurt...) and the announcement of a PC patch to fix bugs coming to the 360 soon will only make things better. It's great, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.