Lah Dee Dah...Mondays

Soo...Monday nights. For the collegiate scholar such as myself who has suspended her scholarly duties for the summer solstice pleasures, the night's can get a little dull.

And when the collegiate scholar is relieved of serving chicken and fish for under $10 to upper-middle class Dr. and Mrs. Douchebag, these Monday night's are even more bland.

All I see for my entertainment is a Pamprin commercial and a pre-recorded ABC Family teen sex drama. I don't see how fifteen year olds talking about oral sex and abortions tie into the "family" thing, but it's the 21st century...kids these days.

I'm kicking it old school, with a little music from the Jack's Mannequin album Everything in Transit. Normally I don't spill about favorites, but this album hits inside the Top 10.

There's nothing better than an album full of cryptic messages that you can interpret into your own life. The soul who's so far gone and feels like they can never return can feel the pain in "Bruised" or the longing for the one that got away in "The Mixed Tape."

Under any circumstance, the album identifies with the lonely, the confused and the chronically frustrated. And sometimes you don't have to feel anything - you can just enjoy the piano.

Song of the Day

**8/16/09
Goot - Love to Hate Myself
-----------Andrew McMahon recalls catching a train to Poughkeepsie, where time stood still. Well, the clocks are certainly running fast for Alex Goot, a native to the small New York town who's made the minutes on his earnest, sunny, and piano-ridden tunes all worth the while. A fan of Phil Collins and a piano player since five, Alex Goot has been working hard on his Read My Mind EP, now available on iTunes.
So why is this ferociously fro-ed soloer worth a few minutes of your time or 99 cents on itunes? Well, any fan of the fluid poetry of Jack's Mannequin, the joyous and bouncing candor of The Rocket Summer, and even John Mayer's "Neon" would enjoy Alex Goot's work. "Love to Hate Myself" is the semi-loathing, semi-loving paino rock single to cap off a well penned and well played EP.


http://www.myspace.com/goot

Off to California

From controversial social propositions to rolling golden landscapes, California has a little bit of everything for those who want to experience the majestry (and oddities) that makes up the Golden State. For example, who knew that the state folk dance is square dancing? To honor this wonderfully diverse state, throw on your peasant skirt and swang your pardner to this Golden State mix.

The California One's

Ten Reasons to Love It

1. Jack's Mannequin - Miss California

---While it's not about the homophobic, platinum blonde bimbo that stumbled over questions in the Miss America pageant, Andrew McMahon's pledge to his golden girl is surrounded by beautifully soaring piano and sharp guitars.

2. Weezer - Beverly Hills

---Ah, yes - Beverly Hills. Weezer takes over the Playboy mansion in their music video to raise a toast to the fame, wealth, and status that comes with living in this exclusive L.A. playground. Sure, they may be "no-class-beat-down-fools," but who says fools can't strike gold?

3. Metro Station - California

---The Golden State is often seen as a romantic escape for the young and in love. Metro Station's techno-pop anthem embraces this truth, urging lovers to pack up and leave as soon as possible.

4. The Eagles - Hotel California

---A song about the tragic results when fame and wealth consume the greedy. This Eagle's hit is sononymous with Hollywood temptations, as well as a killer guitar solo to wrap up this Western poem.

5. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication

---Following an alternative formula to the woes of the Eagle's earlier hit, "Californication" is Anthony Keidis' depiction of the best and worst part of the fantasy land where he grew up too fast.

6. Led Zeppelin - Going to California

---Laden with beautiful western mandolins and classical guitars, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant dreamily fly through new tomorrows and reaching the end of the earth.

7. Eddie Vedder - Toulumne

---While this song is only a minute long, Vedder's exploration of strictly instrumentals mimic the silent wonder of nature. Written specifically for the motion picture Into the Wild, A young Chris McCandless wanders among the lush forests of Toulumne with this song playing in the movie background.

8. The Decemberists - California One Youth and Beauty Brigade

---Who's up for a long drive to look at some of the most picturesque scenery in the world? From Big Sur to Baja, the historic Highway One stretches the coast for miles and miles of endless ocean and staggering cliffs. The Decemberists' meandering ode to the road is perfect for the drive down.

9. Brandston - Earthquakes and Sharks

---Sure it's pretty, but California is a bitch when it comes to relentless heat, pollution, and of course traffic jams on the 405. Brandston covers it all in this clever lugy hocked on the seemily perfect face of Mexico and California.

10. Phantom Planet - California

---Phantom Planet's O.C. anthem is the reason most of my generation became obsessed with the state in the first place. Everyone with hearing abilities can recognize the piano intro, and it's the type of song that instills a need for adventure, or at least a change of pace.

Song of the Day

**4/29/09

Jack's Mannequin - Crashing

------------I don't usually like to gush about how much I am unconditionally in love with one singer or another, but Andrew McMahon has absolutely influenced my character over the years with his deeply meaningful lyrics and alternative outlook on life. In "Crashing," lyrics that bemoan the demise of music are veiled in softly tumbling piano and flickers of electric guitar and an echoing chorus. Jack's Mannequin's second studio album The Glass Passenger was released in 2008, written after lead singer/songwriter Andrew McMahon was diagnosed with leukemia. Family, friends, and fans are thankful that the frontman is in remission and currently on tour with The Fray.

www.myspace.com/jacksmannequin