Day: November 23, 2012

Mike’s Top 5: Rock | #1: Weezer – Say It Ain’t So

There’s not much to say about this one, really. Say It Ain’t So by Weezer is easily my favorite rock and roll song of all time:

The Blue Album is the first CD I ever bought of my own accord. As a fourth grader, a lot of my musical preferences were shaped largely by my brother: he liked Nirvana, so I liked Nirvana. He liked Green Day, so I liked Green Day. But after seeing the music video for Buddy Holly on MTV, I knew that I liked Weezer without Bill’s help.

It must have been around Christmastime in 1995 that I finally picked up the eponymous “Blue Album”; I can’t think of any other scenario in which my dad would have driven 11-year-old me to Best Buy simply for the sake of buying a CD. I paid for it with my own money, and as it turns out, my first music purchase has proven to be one of the best music purchases of my life.

Weezer remains charmingly unpredictable and weird. Sometimes I’ll whine about their new stuff going too far off the beaten path, but at least they’re having fun and keeping things interesting. Plus, Rivers Cuomo is the quintessential anti-frontman, for which I’m eternally grateful.

Thanks, Weez, for Say It Ain’t So. I’ll still be rocking out to this one when I’m an old man.

Bonus: Here’s the demo version. Both guitar and Matt Sharp enthusiasts should get a kick out of it.

Mike’s Top 5: Rock | #2: Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American

It was 2001, and I was cleaning out my car (a gold 1987 Mercury Cougar, if you must ask) in the driveway. To make the chore go a little faster, I had my radio tuned in to 89.7 The River. That’s when I first heard Bleed American by Jimmy Eat World:

This might sound overly nostalgic, but the discovery of Jimmy Eat World marked a turning point in the development of my musical tastes. I was “coming into my own” as a music fan, and their songs struck such a chord with me that I’ve pretty much spent the last 10 years trying to re-write Clarity. I haven’t come close.

Their last couple of albums haven’t interested me as much. Futures was an amazing powerpop album, but since then the hooks and memorable melodies have been few and far between. Even so, I still consider myself a diehard fan. I’ll buy their new album when it comes out next year, but I’m hoping for a return to form.

All that said, Salt Sweat Sugar Bleed American is modern rock at its finest. Don’t be surprised if Flight Metaphor covers this one someday.

Bonus: Check out this solo set from Jim Adkins back in March.

Mike’s Top 5: Rock | #3: Foo Fighters – Everlong

Is it just me, or was 1997 a great year for music? Here’s just a sampling of the records that came out that year:

Jars of Clay – Much Afraid
Radiohead – OK Computer 
Sixpence None the Richer – Self-Titled
Spice Girls – Spiceworld (Ok…maybe not that one)
Five Iron Frenzy – Our Newest Album Ever
Switchfoot – The Legend of Chin

And of course, Foo Fighter’s The Colour and the Shape, featuring Everlong:

Musically, lyrically, and emotionally, Everlong is a near-perfect song. Seriously. It ebbs and flows in all the right places. The lyrics are vague enough for you to apply your own meaning, but singer Dave Grohl’s delivery communicates a passion beyond the words. If I was banished to a desert island with an iPod that could only hold five songs, I’d think long and hard about including Everlong.

It’s no stretch to say that Foo Fighters is one of the best rock and roll groups of all time. Say what you will about Nirvana, but in my book Dave Grohl’s little “solo project” has become five times the band they ever were. Grohl himself would likely disagree with me, but in any case, we should all be thankful that he turned down that gig drumming for Tom Petty.

Bonus: My friend Marc and I first hit it off when we discovered our mutual appreciation for this song.