Pitchfork doesn't hand out 0.0's that often.

In fact, I think the last one was that shitty Liz Phair album a couple of years ago. However, this...



...definitely earns its score. Read the review here.

Lindsay and I are totally the guy at Starbucks in the last paragraph.

Here's a track from the (highly recommended) new M.I.A. album that also came out yesterday. You can buy that instead of "Now That's What I Call Indie Rock!" here.

M.I.A. - 20 Dollar

<3
Phil (and Lindsay!)

R.I.P. Tony Wilson

Turn it up in his memory:

Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

"Our Band Could Be Your Life"

"...Rock 'n' roll is a teenage sport, meant to be played by teenagers of all ages - they could be 15, 25, or 35. It all boils down to whether they've got the love in their hearts, that beautiful teenage spirit..."

-Calvin Johnson (Beat Happening), "The Teenage Radio Star", New York Rocker, (CA. 1979)

So the story goes...I was in Lincoln, Nebraska about a month ago and I stumbled upon a record shop called Spindle Records. It was my first time in a real record shop, so of course I bought all of my essentials on vinyl - Born to Run, White Light/White Heat, and a rare Elton John single from the 70s for Lindsay. =]

When I went to the register to buy my music, I noticed a large book on a stool next to the store's record player. I saw the title of the book - "Our Band Could Be Your Life" - and it really intrigued me. I asked the cashier if I could look at it, and the minute I saw this cover up close...



...I knew I had to read it. I bought it for five bucks.

If you love music, especially punk and indie from the eighties and nineties, this is a must read. Each chapter profiles a band from that scene and shows how they became successful and influential without conforming or "selling out" to the mainstream. You don't need to be pretty, intellectual, or even musically talented to create art and culture that will stimulate some kind of emotion in somebody. These bands didn't do it for the money; they did it for the joy it made them feel. They had their naysayers, sure, but when you make music it should be about doing it for yourself and refusing to give a fuck about what anybody else thinks.

I love music even more for reading this book. It is my BIBLE.

Here are some mp3s from some of my favorites in the book:

Minutemen - History Lesson Part II
Minor Threat - Minor Threat (Alternate Version)
Fugazi - Bad Mouth
Beat Happening - Indian Summer
Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot
BONUS: Kurt Cobain - Opinion (Live on KAOS with Calvin Johnson)
BONUS: Minutemen - Corona (aka "Jackass" Theme Song)

If you don't have any of these songs, I highly recommend that you download them and read "Our Band Could Be Your Life" by Michael Azerrad. It will change your life.

-Phil

(NOTE: Lindsay promises she will write a post VERY VERY SOON. Prepare to fucking rock out to the music she puts up!)