The Musical Moron Twins: A Rock and Roll Podcast

Episode 21: Top 5 Songs Featuring Dave Grohl

Erik — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:57:04 +0000

There aren’t many rock icons that have made waves as regularly over the last 20 years as Dave Grohl. From the drummer of Nirvana to the frontman of the Foo Fighters and many more, Grohl has left an enormous mark on rock history in a way that few people have. As we close out our show’s first year, we pay tribute to Mr. Grohl the only way we know how – with a top 5 list. We also feature two songs by the truly excellent Lymbyc System, whose new album is one of our favorites of the year. You can read our top 5 Grohl songs after the break and can download the full episode below.

Subscribe on iTunes: Link

Download this Episode: Link

Brian’s Top 5

5. Queens of the Stone Age – “God Is In The Radio”

4. Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

3. Nine Inch Nails – “The Line Begins To Blur”

2. Nirvana – “Aneurysm”

1. Foo Fighters – “Everlong”

Erik’s Top 5

5. Nine Inch Nails – “The Line Begins To Blur”

4. Tenacious D – “Wonderboy”

3. Nirvana – “On A Plain”

2. Queens Of The Stone Age – “Sky Is Falling”

1. Foo Fighters – “Everlong”

Erik’s Music Taste Timeline

Erik — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:15:10 +0000

Inspired by an excellent discussion from elsewhere on the internet, I’ve compiled my ‘music taste timeline’ for your enjoyment. Basically, it’s chronicling key moments in the development of my musical taste from youth until now. I had a ton of fun making this. If you’re anything like me and have loved music for a long time, you may want to consider making one of these for yourself…it’s a fun trip down memory lane. You can read the full thing after the break.

Age 0-7 – Raised largely on classic rock, primarily my dad’s favorites The Beach Boys and The Beatles. Somewhere there is a picture of a two-year-old me with a chalkboard, having proudly and crudely written “Beach Boys” on it. I was a music nerd at a young age, apparently.

Age 8 – My first foray into music discovery. I fall in love with R.E.M. after hearing “Shiny Happy People” and develop a bizarre obsession with the theme song to Chip ‘N’ Dale Rescue Rangers and a few other cartoons of the time. The R.E.M. love will last forever…the Rescue Ranger love not so much.

Age 10 – Weird Al and not much else. It’s really the perfect amount of silliness. Like R.E.M., this is also a love that will never die.

Age 12 – Through a middle school friend, I discover the greatness that was the BMG Music Club. Being rebellious as a result of peer pressure, I discover Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. I end up selling the latter as to not disappoint my parents TOO much, but NIN sticks around for a little while. Around the same time I also more or less stole my dad’s copy of Cracked Rear View by Hootie and the Blowfish. Long story short – I listen to Hootie and NIN obsessively.

Age 14 – I hear dc Talk’s “Jesus Freak” and my musical taste shifts as such. I listen to dozens of Christian bands, especially Jars of Clay. I go to my first concert (Jars) and begin writing music of my own. I also discover ska and briefly play in a pretty bad ska band. I also start listening to They Might Be Giants, which I see at the time as a more mature version of Weird Al. I focus on their sillier material and ignore the rest.

Age 16 – Mainstream rock begins to permeate my taste for Christian music. Collective Soul becomes my new favorite, with Matchbox Twenty and U2 closely behind. I play in an acoustic rock band that accurately reflected my taste at the time.

Age 18 – Linkin Park. All the time. Strangely, other nu-metal bands completely fail to hold my attention. I enter a phase of significant depression and, perhaps not coincidentally, rediscover Nine Inch Nails. Interestingly, NIN has an equally significant contribution to my recovery from said depression several years later.

Age 22 – I buy a used copy of Dark Side of the Moon at a record store and the fucking floodgates open. I start listening to Tool, Miles Davis, Radiohead and dozens if not hundreds of others. The Garden State soundtrack opens me up to the wonderful world of indie rock.

Age 24 – I’m introduced to Porcupine Tree and become obsessed. I discover other metal and progressive music as a result of this. I’m also introduced to DJ Shadow and branch out to alternative hip hop. I rediscover They Might Be Giants in a completely different way than before. I go through a brief but intense Soul Coughing phase.

Age 26 (now) – More and more indie rock. I’m introduced to Portishead and become obsessed with trip hop, which then branches out to other electronic music.

What I listen to on a regular basis is an interesting combination of all of this…it’s interesting to see how things have evolved.

Episode 20: Top 10 Albums of the 2000′s

Erik — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:07:03 +0000

It’s a historic day at the Musical Moron Twins, as we’ve reached twenty episodes! To celebrate, we’ve decided to count down the best albums of the entire decade. A list this big, however, deserves more than just the top five treatment. Therefore, we’ve decided to share our top TEN albums of the last ten years, and the result is our biggest episode yet. If you simply want to read our top ten picks, you can read them after the break. If you want to hear the episode in all its glory, you can follow the links below.

Subscribe on iTunes: Link

Download this Episode: Link

Erik’s Top 10

10. Death Cab For Cutie – “Transatlanticism”

9. Silversun Pickups – “Swoon”

8. Ben Folds – “Rockin’ The Suburbs”

7. The Postal Service – “Give Up”

6. A Perfect Circle – “Thirteenth Step”

5. The Jayhawks – “Rainy Day Music”

4. Nine Inch Nails – “Year Zero”

3. Tool – “Lateralus”

2. Radiohead – “Kid A”

1. Elliott Smith – “Figure 8″

Brian’s Top 10

10. Belle & Sebastian – “The Life Pursuit”

9. The Dismemberment Plan – “Change”

8. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – “Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven”

7. Broken Social Scene – “You Forgot It In People”

6. The Impossibles – “Return”

5. Iron & Wine – “The Shepherd’s Dog”

4. Radiohead – “Kid A”

3. Explosions In The Sky – “The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place”

2. The Flaming Lips – “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots”

1. The Mars Volta – “De-Loused In The Comatorium”

Episode 19: Top 5 Album Openers

Erik — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:40:48 +0000

In a loving nod to the inspiration to the show’s name and format, we spend this episode counting down the top five album openers (or, as High Fidelity put it, the top five “side one, track ones”). We also introduce a very unknown band that we’re featuring because we can’t find anything else about them – Minnesota’s The Nina, Pinta and the Santa Maria. Erik thinks he might’ve seen them live once but just can’t remember. If you’ve ever heard of this band or know anything about them, we’d love to hear from you. They’re a seriously excellent band. Either way, you can read our top 5 picks after the break and can download the episode from the links below.

Subscribe on iTunes: Link

Download this Episode: Link

Erik’s Top 5

5. Jimmy Eat World – “Bleed American” (Bleed American)

4. Daft Punk – “One More Time” (Discovery)

3. The Velvet Underground – “Sunday Morning” (The Velvet Underground and Nico)

2. Phil Collins – “In The Air Tonight” (Face Value)

1. Guns ‘N’ Roses – “Welcome To The Jungle” (Appetite For Destruction)

Brian’s Top 5

5. Led Zeppelin – “Whole Lotta Love” (Led Zeppelin II)

4. Explosions In The Sky – “The Birth And Death Of The Day” (All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone)

3. Kanye West – “Good Morning” (Graduation)

2. Built To Spill – “Strange” (Ancient Melodies Of The Future)

1. At The Drive-In – “Arcarsenal” (Relationship of Command)

Episode 18: Top 5 Songs By Musicians With Epic Beards

Erik — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:32:32 +0000

While The Musical Moron Twins are first and foremost connoisseurs of great music, epic beards are not far behind. In this episode, we each count down 5 incredible songs by artists whose beards are so great they nearly eclipse the music itself. But not quite. We also talk about another great band you need to know, Los Angeles’ Great Northern. As usual, the link to download the episode is below, as well as that other one where you can download or subscribe to our other episodes on iTunes. You can also read our top 5 choices after the break.

Subscribe on iTunes: Link

Download this Episode: Link

Erik’s Top 5

5. Manchester Orchestra – “I’ve Got Friends”

4. Iron and Wine – “Such Great Heights”

3. Eels – “Novocaine For The Soul”

2. Band Of Horses – “The Funeral”

1. George Harrison – “My Sweet Lord”

Brian’s Top 5

5. ZZ Top – “La Grange”

4. Built To Spill – “The Plan”

3. Matisyahu – “King Without A Crown”

2. Band of Horses – “The Great Salt Lake”

1. Iron and Wine – “House By The Sea”

Episode 17: Top 5 Debut Albums

Erik — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:14:52 +0000

Most artists take a few albums to really hit their groove. A chosen few, however, release a debut recording that stands out as the best in their catalog. In this episode, we count down the greatest debuts and discuss plenty of others that didn’t quite make the cut. We also talk about two bands from the excellent Broken Electric Records – The Wooden Idols Remixes and The Sidewalk Regrets. As always, you can read our picks after the jump and can subscribe to the show (or download this episode by itself) using the links below.

Subscribe on iTunes: Link

Download this Episode: Link

Erik’s Top 5

5. Sun Kil Moon – “Ghosts Of The Great Highway”

4. King Crimson – “In The Court Of The Crimson King”

3. R.E.M. – “Murmur”

2. DJ Shadow – “Endtroducing…..”

1. Jeff Buckley – “Grace”

Brian’s Top 5

5. Silversun Pickups – “Carnavas”

4. Modest Mouse – “This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About”

3. The Arcade Fire – “Funeral”

2. Weezer – “Weezer (The Blue Album)”

1. Explosions In The Sky – “How Strange, Innocence”

Episode 16: Top 5 Songs About Body Parts

Erik — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 01:47:32 +0000

The human body is the subject of fascination for many musicians, and there’s a multitude of songs dedicated to the subject. In this episode, we count down our five favorite tracks about body parts, metaphorically or otherwise. We also welcome back a couple of bands we’ve featured in previous episodes for our artist spotlight: Nashville’s Paper Route and Norway’s The Samuel Jackson Five. As always, you can read our picks after the break and download the new episode with the links below:

Subscribe on iTunes: Link

Download this Episode: Link

Brian’s Top 5

5. Black Moth Super Rainbow – “When The Sun Grows On Your Tongue”

4. Kings Of Leon – “Black Thumbnail”

3. Netural Milk Hotel – “Two-Headed Boy, Pt. 1″

2. Van Morrison – “Brown-Eyed Girl”

1. Pink Floyd – “Brain Damage”

Erik’s Top 5

5. Jay-Z -”Dirt Off Your Shoulder”

4. Death Cab For Cutie – “I Will Possess Your Heart”

3. Soundgarden – “Burden In My Hand”

2. Crosby, Stills and Nash – “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”

1. The Who – “Behind Blue Eyes”

Intriguing and Awesome Genius Playlist

Bham — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 08:37:48 +0000

I wouldn’t quite call this an “epic” playlist that Genius has created for me here, but man is it sure awesome. The reason I say it is intriguing, and the inspiration to blog about it, will probably only be obvious to people familiar with the album “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” by Neutral Milk Hotel (the one Graham thought should have been on our top 5 of the second half of the ’90′s lists, and Graham, had I knew of it when it came out, I would agree). The album is an indie classic, and this playlist is based on my favorite from it, “Two Headed Boy.” This song is epic in itself, with Jeff Mangum’s powerful, genuine and quite endearing vocals sang and sometimes just flat out yelled over an equally passionate and often frantic accoustic guitar. The intriguing part is that the list closes with part 2 of this song (the closer on the album), which I’m not sure if Itunes is capable of reasoning out for itself or if it just coincidentally happened that way.

The lyrics in both parts of this song, although I believe the first to be better musically, are not only intriguing but are almost distractingly deep. I listened and listened to this song when I first heard this album, and upon reading the lyrics could only really decide that the artist was talking about some kind of a relationship and the good and bad parts he held on to dearly in its aftermath. Well, after a few years of occasional contemplation, I’m really no more savvy to the subject than before, but holy crap is this a great song. If you’re as interested as I was in the lyrics you hear in this song, check out the link before the list. Its a pretty sweet site I found called Song Meanings.net, and the community has had some outstandingly well stated interperatations of this song in the comments, all starting around 2004. If you just skip around to the long ones, they’re usually worth the read. Enjoy the list, because I certainly do

http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/36474/

Playlist:

1. “Two-Headed Boy” – Neutral Milk Hotel

2. “Sea Ghost” – The Unicorns (Members of Islands before Islands… great stuff)

3. “Maybe You Can Owe Me” – Architecture In Helsinki (haven’t listened to these guys a lot, but will start if this is representative of their sound)

4. “Rough Gem” – Islands

5. “Red Right Ankle” – The Decemberists

6. “Fireworks” – Animal Collective (Possibly the most dissappointing and downright awful show I saw at Lolla, but man this song is great)

7. “Fake Palindromes” – Andrew Bird (Live at Bonnaroo 2006)

8. “Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)” – Beirut

9. “Car” – Built to Spill

10. “I’ll Believe In Anything” – Wolf Parade

11. “Suffer For Fashion” – Of Montreal

12. “The Mending of the Gown” – Sunset Rubdown

13. “Song Against Sex” – Neutral Milk Hotel

14. “Same Old Drag” – The Apples In Stereo

15. “Eli, The Barrow Boy” – The Decemberists

16. “I Was Born (A Unicorn)” – The Unicorns

17. “Scythian Empire” – Andrew Bird

18. “Knife” – Grizzly Bear

19. “The Owls Go” – Architecture In Helsinki (Reeaaallly interesting and, well… awesome)

20. “Autumn Sweater” – Yo La Tengo (*sigh of epic relaxation*)

21. “Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby” – Islands

22. “Peacebone” – Animal Collective

23. “You Are A Runner And I Am My Father’s Son” – Wolf Parade

24. “Dear Catastrophe Waitress” – Belle and Sebastian

25. “Two-Headed Boy, Pt.2″ – Neutral Milk Hotel

Genius Playlist: Death Cab For Cutie – “The New Year”

Erik — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:22:10 +0000

A new but nonetheless important tradition that I’ve developed in the past half-decade or so is ringing in of every new year not with Auld Lang Syne, but with “The New Year”, a wonderful and poignant take on new beginnings by Death Cab For Cutie. I like to believe that doing so has brought me good fortune, or at the very least a bit of fleeting indie cred. Sadly, this tradition did not carry over to this year, where I found myself at an abysmal party that happened to be booming “Fergalicious” at the moment the clock struck midnight. I have and will continue to contribute every bad thing that happens to me this year to this unfortunate event, and hope and pray that next year begins the correct way.

Fortunately, the redemptive qualities of “The New Year” are not limited to January 1st, as this iTunes Genius playlist got me through an otherwise difficult morning. Filled with semi-obscure tracks from some of my favorite artists, it was a real treat. In the spirit of Epic Genius Playlists, I just can’t keep this one to myself.

1. Death Cab For Cutie – “The New Year”
2. The Decemberists – “Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect”
3. The Shins – “Kissing The Lipless”
4. The Bens – “Bruised”
5. Bloc Party – “This Modern Love”
6. Belle & Sebastian – “If She Wants Me”
7. Iron & Wine – “Such Great Heights”
8. Elliott Smith – “Angeles”
9. Rilo Kiley – “Portions For Foxes”
10. Death Cab For Cutie – “A Movie Script Ending”
11. Interpol – “PDA”
12. The Decemberists – “16 Military Wives”
13. The Shins – “Caring Is Creepy”
14. Snow Patrol – “Spitting Games”
15. The Arcade Fire – “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)”
16. Iron & Wine – “Jezebel [Live]“
17. Sufjan Stevens – “For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti”
18. The Strokes – “12:51″
19. Band Of Horses – “The Great Salt Lake”
20. Death Cab For Cutie – “Tiny Vessels”
21. Ben Folds – “Landed”
22. The Shins – “So Says I”
23. Bloc Party – “Blue Light”
24. The Decemberists – “O Valencia!”
25. Coldplay – “One I Love [Live]“

Episode 15: Top 5 Metal Albums

Erik — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:06:15 +0000

The Musical Moron Twins are great and all, but there just hasn’t been enough FACE MELTING. In this episode, we bring an extra dose of rock goodness by counting down our top 5 heavy metal albums along with our newest guest star, Jay (who is a 100% certified metal fanatic). We also discuss Pitchfork’s recent Top 500 songs of the decade list and read a few of our favorite comments from this very blog! We also take a step back from metal for a bit and feature the incredible Bat For Lashes in our “Bands You Need To Know…Or Else!” segment.

As before, you can read our picks after the break and download the new episode with the links below:

Subscribe on iTunes: Link

Download this Episode: Link

Jay’s Top 5

5. Metallica – “Ride The Lightning”

4. The Acacia Strain – “The Dead Walk”

3. All Shall Perish – “The Price Of Existence”

2. The Black Dahlia Murder – “Unhallowed”

1. Lamb Of God – “As The Palaces Burn”

Erik’s Top 5

5. Iron Maiden – “The Number Of The Beast”

4. Rage Against The Machine – “Rage Against The Machine”

3. Alice In Chains – “Dirt”

2. Metallica – “Master Of Puppets”

1. Tool – “Lateralus”

Brian’s Top 5

5. White Zombie – “Astro Creep: 2000″

4. Deftones – “Around The Fur”

3. Slipknot – “Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses”

2. System Of A Down – “System Of A Down”

1. Metallica – “Master Of Puppets”