I am Just Like Oprah!

Sadly, I am not a middle aged black woman. I am however, going to give you a list of my favorite things, (In installments, of course) even if you do not want them. No free minivans here, though (Sorry single mothers, elementary school teachers, and disillusioned Martha Stewart fans!).

Instead,

Music!

I am a big, big fan of a lot of different musical styles, and the list on my FaceBook profile is somewhat too extensive to list, so I will focus on three. (All good lists have three parts, right? Right?)

1) Los Campesinos!

I did not put that exclamation mark there; it is in the name of its own accord (presumably, to indicate that you, the listener, are supposed to be pretty damn excited!). The music in its own right is pretty exciting. When you first play "Hold on Now, Youngster", Los Campesinos! first studio album, you get the feeling of pure energy. Classified as "British Indie Twee-Pop", a genre with entirely too many words in the name, Hold on Now, Youngster brings a solid twelve tracks, and brings them hard. Clever lyrics and catchy guitar hooks? Sign me up!

Quality Songs:
Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheaks
You! Me! Dancing!

2) Andrew Jackson Jihad

I kid you not: Folk-Punk. And it is good. Andrew Jackson Jihad is comprised of two guys, a guitar, a stand-up bass, and whoever the hell else wants to play a song with them (a lot of tracks feature the mandolin!). Basically dominating my iPod for the past month, these guys made it onto this list with the shortest time on my computer. A solid feat. If you like some down-home strummin' with your smart, well written lyrics, check out Andrew Jackson Jihad.

Quality Songs:
Rejoice!
Personal Space Invader
People II: The Reckoning


3) Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution

What happens when Thomas Kalnoky (Of Third-Wave ska band Streetlight Manifesto and formerly of Catch 22) decides he likes symphonies? Answer: Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution. BotAR, as they are known around my blog, produced 5 amazing tracks on their first (and only, to date) studio album, "A Call To Arms". Two tracks, "Here's to Life" and "Dear Sergio:" were on Kalnoky's other releases with Streetlight Manifesto and Catch 22, but have been given a new and exciting flavor. If you take pleasure from absolutely nothing else in life, the various instrumental solos towards the conclusion of "Here's to Life" (Piano, Bongo, Guitar, Drum, Vocal) will change that. It is widely accepted amongst the scientific community that if BotAR were to release just 3 more albums, cancer could be cured.

Quality Songs:
All five. Seriously. Even the intro.

That wraps up this weeks entry of "Shit I say to the vast expanses of the internet, and all I get in return are echos and requests to follow livejournals."

Next time I am this out of things to write about, I will just ... not write.