Putting myself out to (past)ure

I was beginning to pack up for the big move back home for the summer, and was digging through old boxes in my room that I actually hadn't unpacked since I moved them to storage at the end of last year. In one of the boxes, amidst computer manuals and mysteriously homeless bolts, I found a framed picture of myself from my sophomore year of high school.

I just want to point out my jean jacket that I lost a little while after this photo was taken. I really really loved that jacket, and still mourn not being able to cuff the sleeves, paint my fingernails lime green, and feel as though the 90s never surrendered to the Y2k hype.

Now, bad hair jokes aside, I couldn't help but ask the girl in the picture, "So, is this what you imagined?"

Not that at fifteen I wasn't enraptured with the idea of leaving the state forever no matter where I went, but I still remember the dreams of that girl in the photo. I was going to Georgetown University, and I was going to become a diplomat for the United Nations, and I was going to kick ass and take names. In a diplomatic way, of course.

Now, the kicking ass and taking names is still on my agenda. But never in my wildest dreams did I think I would end up here, in a small town, at a very small school, studying theology and working full time at Greenpeace for the summer.

I do feel some sense of responsibility to the fifteen year old in the picture. Did I do enough to make her dreams come true? Or did I fall into complacency? Will I see a picture of me at twenty when I am twenty-five and feel like I have to apologize to her?

I have a habit I started a while ago of having a picture of me as a little girl as my desk top background, or in my wallet, at all times. Because when I look at me when I was two years old with a pirate hat covering my curly wisps of hair and toothless smile, I feel much more responsible for that little girl than when I look at the little girl staring out from twenty year old eyes in the mirror.

Now I sit among boxes packed with wrinkled books, Costco-sized detergent containers, winter sweaters, and I wonder; what do I owe myself?

Here's a new goal;
In five years, when I look at a picture of me as a twenty year old and oblivious to the times ahead, I'll feel like I want to thank myself, and maybe take me out for a drink to celebrate the next blind, but confident, steps.

Cardiac Catharsis

So I've been nursing a cracked heart since September, and have consequently constructed a pretty kickin' mix. Now I'm not trying to get all deep here and analyze this whole deal, but one bright side I've come to understand about loving music is that when you want to hear someone say something specific to you...you can choose the right record with the right words. Takes a lot of pressure off your poor friends who don't quite know if after a break up you will cry every five minutes or go all Carrie on the town.
And when you can't find the right words, those same talented folks can give you a hand.

Realize since this emerged from a certain guy, there are songs in there that some may consider..."bad." But they hold history. And I'm sure I've used a couple of these songs in past mixes for similar reasons. I call it:

OUCH!

1. Silver Lining- Rilo Kiley
Jenny Lewis' voice is a healing salve, can I say? Even when I'm firmly planted in reality and my desk chair, turning this song on and up makes my brain ease and my imagination carry me down winding roads in an all-too-American road trip to Happyville.

2. Writing to Reach You- Travis

3. I Thought I Saw Your Face Today- She and Him

4. Prove My Love- Violent Femmes

5. Somebody Kill Me- Adam Sandler

6. You Won't See Me- The Beatles

7. I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You- Colin Hay

8. Happy- Brandi Carlile (Live Version)

9. Gone- Ben Folds (could not find mp3 version. Had to embed clunky external source. This is the key song in the mix, however, which is why it holds its middlest spot. Like glue.)

10. So Sorry- Feist

11. Romeo and Juliet- Dire Straits

12. Big Country- Bela Fleck, Mike Marshall, and Edgar Meyer
I love bass with a bow. I really recommend you go buy the album, Uncommon Ritual.
Even if you're not into bluegrass or classical, it's just an amazing display of collaborative musicianship. 2:18 is when my heart starts racing and my eyes tearing and well...I never said I wasn't emotionally invested in the music I love.

13. Why Do They Leave?- Ryan Adams (Live Version)

14. We Belong Together- Pat Benatar

15. Which to Bury, Us or the Hatchet?- Relient K

16. I Don't Want to Get Over You- Magnetic Fields

17. I Can't Even Lift My Head- Sufjan Stevens

18. On Ice- Chris Thile
Another song I have to embed. The whole album, Deceiver, is one that I don't think anyone should live without. I know I've referenced it a couple times, and for good reason!

19. Sure as Shit- Kathleen Edwards

More Snow= More Music

It's true. I can't stand that it keeps snowing, but unfortunately weather systems and I have never been on the up and up with communication. Therefore, I'll just take out my woes in the form of another cold weather sort of mix.

Sister Winter- Sufjan Stevens

15 Feet of Pure White Snow- Nick Cave

Who Loves the Sun- The Velvet Underground
Can I just say that I love the sun, Velvet Underground...and maybe you whining about your broken heart has caused it to retreat and allow the snow to come. So maybe it's your fault Velvet Underground! Suck it up!

Winter- The Dodos

Ode to Sunshine- Delta Spirit

Crawling Towards the Sun- The Hush Sound

I just want sun. And warm. Sun and warm. Warm sun.

I can't even form complete sentences anymore! Except that one. But it wasn't very creatively constructed.

Snow??

It's snowing. At the end of April. Even if I was an avid celebrator of 4/20, it would be mighty difficult to light up, blast Dave Matthews and play folf in many inches of snow. So instead I have been hiding inside, watching Lord of the Rings and The Lion King with some good buddies. Spring should get the memo everyone is sending;

You're late. Also, you're a tease.

So here is my Snowy Spring Sunday mix-tape for you. For all of us looking out the window and sighing at the ultimate frisbee fields blanketed with concentrated frozen evil, and seriously considering migrating closer to the Equator.

The National Eye- Snowing in April

Sufjan Stevens- Christmas in July

Oh No! Oh My!- Walk in the Park

Tally Hall- Spring and a Storm

Tom Waits- You Can Never Hold Back Spring

Pavement- Summer Babe (Winter Version)

To quote the modern day philosopher, Raffi

Mr Sun, Sun, Mr Golden Sun, please shine down on me
Oh Mr Sun, Sun, Mr Golden Sun, hiding behind a tree
These little children are asking you
To please come out so we can play with you
Oh Mr Sun, Sun, Mr Golden Sun, please shine down on me

Conservative Dad

No, this isn't a post whining about my uptight, white collar suburban dad. Which wouldn't work anyway, given that my dad is a blue collar Boston native. This is about a killer band I saw last night, Seattle's Conservative Dad.
And no, my approval of them has nothing to do with the awesome Big Lebowski shout out on their MySpace...but it doesn't hurt!

I'll admit it, I get surprised when my little town plays host to good music, given that it's exactly what Bob and Doug McKenzie would label as the Great White North. So it was a delightful treat when after they went into the first riff, I couldn't help but move with the music. Conservative Dad played a relatively short set, but it left everyone wanting more. So much so, in fact, that the crowd started chanting the ever-popular "one more song" routine. Now that's pretty common in larger venues, but this was in a small venue, where most of the crowd couldn't even see the band since the stage was level with the audience. Conservative Dad plays a show, though, where you don't have to see them to feel their energy and intensity.

There wasn't a person in that room who couldn't feel the energy. Not to mention, these guys treat audiences like royalty, thanking us about ever five minutes, and sincerely wanting to meet those who came out to hear them. I half expected to be taken out for a nice steak dinner afterwards. But back to the tunes!

Their music is way fun. I can't even label their genre, which is nice. I can say the live show was intense. Whether they were going slow, or inciting head banging, the raw honesty was palpable. This wasn't a show, this was an autobiography.

For a reference point, I would have to say there are some Weezer sounds mixed in with Conservative Dad. Nada Surf also travels along the same vein. Matt Batey's voice smacks of Ben Gibbard often, which works surprisingly well for their more punk songs.

So here's to the Northwest for putting out another honest band to give the people what they need; perspective through the b.s.

All My Energy- Conservative Dad

Picked up by the bandwagon

Jumping on the bandwagon is always something that's good to avoid. But when the band's wagon is a dreamy harmonious love bus going non-stop to Rock Town, I'll stick out my thumb and hop in.

That's how I fell in like (it's too early in our relationship to drop the big L, that's reserved for one Stephen Malkmus) with Fleet Foxes.

And they haven't even released a full length album, the teases! Their two EPs, Fleet Foxes (2006), and Sun Giant, are enough to get by on, though. With soothing harmonies that smack of 60s motown or southern gospel, the Seattle boys play their ethereal, golden guitar riffs that border on funky and sometimes sound beachy, and mesmerize with good ol' pop beats. They almost sound like church hymns, with a kick. I love them.

Oh no! Did I just confess my true feelings? Well, sometimes when it's right, it's right. June 3 is when we will get to commit to a long-term relationship with their LP, though it's already been leaked all over the inter-web, as per usual. For your listening purposes, I'll give you two ice cream sample spoons of Fleet Foxes sounds.



Ragged Wood- Fleet Foxes (No Name Yet, 2008, Sub-Pop)




Drops in the River- Fleet Foxes (Sun Giant EP, 2008, Sub-Pop)



PostScript:
Weezer's new single, Pork and Beans, wasn't supposed to be released until this coming Tuesday, April 22, but as we previously discussed...inter-web. So here it is! It's lost the hi-fi, super-uber-produced sound of Beverly Hills, but I do think the messy, fun, loosey-goosey Pinkerton Weezer sound is gone forever. But tell me what you think! (Also, is it going to be called the Red Album?)


Pork and Beans- Weezer

PostPostScript:

OK, I'm sorry, but today I'm just overexcited it's the weekend and can't help but share things that are exciting me. One more musical treat! The new My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges, is being released June 10. But MMJ, being ever so magnanimous, is giving everyone the title track for FREE!

What is that you say?? Something FREE and not ILLEGAL? Without evil, furrowed brow record labels arresting sixteen year old Metallica fans? Way to bring all of us illegal downloading types out of our shadowy corners so our right ring fingers can relax from all the stress-filled sneaky right clicking we've been doing.



Evil Urges-My Morning Jacket

Oh Swoon, Aw Shucks

So here is my mix tape for the giggle-out-loud, innocent, totally harmless crush. The pulse quickening, shoe scuffling, blushing time when it's just enough to get a smile. C'mon folks, when did dating get so darned serious? Let's all relax, and remember a time when holding hands in line for kickball was a dream come true. Heck, it still is for me!

Help!- The Beatles
Liquefy- The Servant
Run- Ben Kweller
Lines and Lines- The Spinanes
Diamond Ring- Joseph Arthur
Better Together- Jack Johnson
3rd Planet- Modest Mouse
That Says It All- Duncan Sheik
Is This Love?- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
This Side- Nickel Creek
Nobody But You- Dee Dee Sharp
I Want You to Want Me- Letters to Cleo
Head Over Feet- Alanis Morrisette
So Nice So Smart- Kimya Dawson
Brand New Colony- Postal Service
Asleep on a Sunbeam- Belle & Sebastian
Absolutely Cuckoo- Magnetic Fields
Fresh Feeling- Eels
That Thing You Do- The Wonders (or the Oneders) (Also Mark from Fountains of Wayne)
Closer- Travis
Call to Love- Crooked Fingers
Inside a Boy- My Brightest Diamond


So call me wistful, or just not wanting to complete a paper for tomorrow, but there's my "oh, swoon, aw shucks" mix tape for the hopelessly, giddily crushing.

Orange Time of Day

Sorry, Ming and Kay, but you know me; if there's a mix possibility, I jump on it like a child in the Chuck E. Cheese ball pit.

I too love the orange time of day when all that seems appropriate is to sit on a porch, maybe a veranda, and sip a cold beverage while watching the sun glow goodbye as it lethargically slips below the hard edges of the mountains. I can't wait until I will be able to enjoy the orange time of day the way it is supposed to be enjoyed. Until then, I will continue doing papers and recreating the sensation through music.

Waltz #2 (Live)- Elliott Smith
Sun Giant- Fleet Foxes
The Shining- Badly Drawn Boy
Fighter Girl- Mason Jennings
Making It, Faking It, Breaking It- David Bazan
I'm Going Higher- M. Ward
First Day of My Life- Bright Eyes
Colors- Amos Lee
The Orange Autumn Days- Sean Watkins
1234- Feist
EZ- Pete Yorn
Both of Us'll Feel the Blast
Born on a Train (Magnetic Fields cover)- The Arcade Fire
I'm Set Free- The Velvet Underground
Keep On Moving- Bob Marley and the Wailers
Sentimental Heart- She&Him
Gray or Blue- Jaymay
Numbered Days- Eels
Slow Down- Eightrack Mind
Now That I've Found You- Alison Krauss
Jane- Aaron Roche
Don't You Worry- Jim Noir
Wading in the Velvet Sea- Phish
Hail to Whatever You Found in the Sunlight Around You- Rilo Kiley
Silent House- Crowded House
Transatlanticism- Death Cab for Cutie
Blonde on Blonde (Live) - Nada Surf

Sorry I couldn't get all the links, my time is limited.

Destination Procrastination

It's Monday. I'm tired. I've been gone all weekend, and have an art midterm tomorrow. So what am I doing blogging?

I'm procrastinating, like I always do. Instead of reading the books I have to get done in the next three weeks, I wandered around my room, called Kaitlin to talk about turkey sandwiches and sidewalk chalk, broke into a box of Tagalongs, made up a few little ditties, and brushed my hair up into this monstrosity:

Yeah, well, at least now I know it can be done! And if Cyndi Lauper ever made a come back as the style icon of our times, I would be known as a trend setter, instead of a responsibility avoider! Because, yes...girls just wanna have fun.

The one thing I'm praying for in the next few weeks is motivation. Motivation to do what I need to do so I can go where I need to go. I am a firm believer that the state of a person's room directly reflects the state of that person's mind. My room's a disaster. And while mentally I'm pretty healthy, all the laziness has scattered my intelligence like so many once-worn tshirts on the bedroom floor.

I have all these good intentions, good ideas, good ambitions, and the only thing that holds me back is me. I'm the hurdle that trips me up. I'm the light bulb that fizzles out. I'm the jerk who yells, "Free Bird!" from the back by the bar.

I'm too lazy to think of more metaphors.

This is the song that is keeping my fingers thoroughly distracted:

Each Coming Night- Iron&Wine

Below the Surface: What is Compatibility?

I know I've referenced Nick Hornby's High Fidelity before, but I'll use it as a jumping off point here, too. When it comes to dating, what matters more; what you like or who you are? Even fuzzier, where is the line between the two? It continues to baffle me that the laws of attraction don't seem to pan out in any predictable pattern. Sure, everyone says they have a "type," but often that type doesn't exist, or doesn't work.

Back in middle school I had this huge crush on a guy named Ace. Looking back on it, I don't think Ace and I ever had a meaningful conversation. He played trumpet in band, and I thought he was cute. I don't know if the whole music thing even mattered. Flute and trumpet don't exactly epic duets make. Either way, once I started dating in early high school, my first boyfriend and I became "official" after knowing each other after only a week. We talked, and had a great time. Looking back on it, I can see that the things we liked to do or listen to played into it a bit more, but not too much. He was the one who introduced me to Ben Folds, Woody Allen, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Christopher Guest flicks. The next relationship I entered a year later was based definitely more on those things that are easy to define. We both played a mean game of Risk, and liked to play music. It was almost like a questionnaire being filled out. You know;

1. God?
2. Top 5 favorite bands?
3. Top 5 favorite movies?
4. Ever feel like dancing?
5. What're your feelings on being a foodie?
6. Would you be caught dead in carpenter jeans/wife beaters?

Unconsciously, yes, but regardless...whether or not the guy ever fit the criteria, I found myself holding onto my "ideal" guy in my brain. It was almost like swimming in an ocean and holding onto one of those floatie noodles; it's so much easier at least feel a bit safer once relationships become more complicated.

I guess my main confusion comes into this question; does it matter at all? Sure, there are the unbreakable categories; smart, respectful, funny, amiable, emotionally available. Past that, what's negotiable, and what isn't? Does natural attraction trump the list of compatibility that I have naturally composed over the years? If someone doesn't hold my same values, does that mean they have no place in my life? Or is it merely a chance to get to know someone who isn't the cookie cutter I've carried around in my head?

Oh, and also, what in the WORLD is casual dating, and where was I when it became a trend? I feel as though I've been napping in between serious relationships and woke up to a world of carefree coffee dates and hand holding. It's like I was listening to Ella Fitzgerald and someone switched it to Marcy Playground. Not that it's bad...I'm just not so sure where I fit in the mix.

All these questions will be answered in time, because I know the overriding answer to them;

Calm down Kathleen, and let things happen as they will.

Yes. I know. But sometimes to actually let that answer sink in, I need to dump all the hazy junk that keeps me on edge and nervous.


Song I Woke Up To

The Man I Love- Ella Fitzgerald

Song on the Street

Sex and Candy- Marcy Playground

Mix Tapes

I was going through all the blank, unlabeled CDs that I have lying around today, and wondered what I had put on them. To sate my curiosity, I took the whole 11 inch stack out to my car, and began pressing the Seek button. Oh man. I remember the names I used to give these mix tapes (CDs, whatever). One that I put in that was chock full of Hot Hot Heat and Relient K was called You Have Died of Cholera, that I gave to Isabella a few years ago. One opened with Boston's Don't Look Back that is called Only Listen To This on Days that End in Y. I popped in several that I made in the middle of a relationship with Oasis' Wonderwall gently leading into Cake's Love You Madly, and peppered with inside joke songs like The Set Up (You Need This) by Reel Big Fish and the ever sing-along-able Come on Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners. A few mysterious discs later I happened upon the epic break up CD that begins with Oasis' Wonderwall and finishes with the Ryan Adams version. Sandwiched in between are songs like Prove My Love by the Violent Femmes, Dylan's Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine from Blonde on Blonde, I'll Be Your Mirror by the Velvet Undeground & Nico, and If We Can Land a Man on the Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart by Beulah.

Making mixes is so cathartic. They don't always have to be for emotional reasons. Road trip mixes are some of the best, with the funky bass lines and driving beats. Party mixes with Warren Zevon inevitably making an appearance, and Otis Redding showing up right toward the end when you know everyone's just buzzed enough to sing along in their best soul voices. I can't help but love to make cheesy ballad mixes, laden with fuzzy guitar and early 90s boy-whine. I make mixes for when I go on long walks, usually with ambient music that seems to take me out of the world, like Sigur Ros or Sufjan Stevens. Actually, Pavement's Slanted and Enchanted suits me for a dreamworld walk, with its shivery ache, and its ridiculous poetic lyrics rolling off Malkmus' tongue with surfer boy ease.

I listened to a mix I made a couple years ago on one really memorable day when the seasons were turning and we all wanted to drive up to Boulder to climb a mountain, get some ice cream, and watch the sun drip down into a navy blue night. That mix is special because it has songs for each of the people in the car, with a Spice Girls Wannabe thrown in, Ocean Man by Ween, Turn Turn Turn by the Byrds, R.E.M's Talk About the Passion, Roll to Me by Del Amitri, and a few tracks off Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette.

It's a testament to musicians and music fans that the former can create out of nothing and the latter can create further from that creation. It's as though musicians wrote the language so we could tell our story.

Sitting in my car today with my feet up on the dash while a squirrel idly scurried up the tree under which my car was parked while I listened to the stories of my past was a pretty great way to spend some time realizing how very much I am made up of memories. At the same time, sometimes a CD is just a CD, and you've got to move it along to make room for some new beats to drive to, and new harmonies to sing. I'll be the Mamas, you be the Papas, and we'll prepare to face Monday, Monday with new eyes and ears.

Erase/Rewind- The Cardigans

Happiness in a Real Way

I've started to compose a list of things that make me truly happy. Not just things I enjoy, but things that make my heart full, my body buzz with anticipation, and my feet skip without my permission. That kind of happy that I can't fake. It' s turning out to be a harder list than I thought. I wanted to put down all the things that I enjoy doing. For instance...music. Now this is actually a sore spot for me. I love music. When I first picked up the flute (Jethro Tull made it cool, I can too!) in fifth grade, I fell in love with music. I would practice for hours a day, put on concerts for my parents, buy Beatles song books and walk around the house playing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

Then in middle school I discovered string instruments and choir. I got to fall in love all over again! I started listening to more music than oldies and boy bands (though I do admit I still put on BBMak from time to time), and it was incredible to find people who I could relate to who didn't even know me. I didn't have to share anything with them, but I felt like I was listening to someone's most intimate secrets. I got into a habit last year of whenever I had a bad day I would sit down and play a song on the stereo and play along until I could play it, too.

This love affair, somewhere along the line...lost its spark. I don't know where it was, but I didn't realize it until I was writing this list and when I put down "music" my heart didn't flutter. Somewhere down the line, I stopped loving music for me, and started making it about the world. Maybe it was when I felt obligated to be on the edge of what was going on, to know bands before anyone else did. Maybe it was because I started to be sort of embarrassed that I'm not that good at guitar, at least not compared to a lot of my friends who can pick up any instrument and wail on it like no one's business. These feelings of inadequacy crept in and body snatched the thing I loved most. Weird, right?

Well when I realized that last night, I called myself a tool, and when I got back home after going out, I resolved to myself to not let anyone else define what makes me happy. Which is hard, I'll admit. I'm a chronic people pleaser. But it's worth a try! But that way, I can add music to its rightful place on the list of things that make me perfectly, giddily, childishly happy. Here is the list so far, by the way:

1. Music
2. Historical fiction
3. The East Coast (mainly for all the museums and history and seafood)
4. Harry Potter
5. Lord of the Rings
6. Europe
7. The Northwest
8. Road trips
9. Really old churches
10. Peanut butter
11. Cooking/baking
12. Museums of almost any kind
13. Watching movies that I've seen a billion times
14. Going out to eat with friends (preferably long meals)

That is the list so far. I add things as I feel them. One thing that is conspicuously not on there? My faith. Or God. It's hard for me to put into words what gives me peace and happiness with Him. A lot of the time I struggle with Him, and my faith in Him is only a faith that one day it will get better, which I firmly believe it will. Struggling is something with a lot of Biblical merit, and just because my relationship with Christ isn't happy-go-lucky, I still know that I love Him more than anything else, and that it's worth going through the storm. But right now, perfect happiness isn't really achieved there.

Speaking of perfect happiness, I just stubbed my toe really really hard. We'll put that on the list called, "Ouch."

Happiness- Built to Spill













Old jam party back from high school. Back when the song "Girl in the Red Dress" was born. And I tried to kill it. And it haunts me still!

Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun

Please come out to play!

I woke up this morning with the golden beams of deceptive light bouncing off my face, and felt my feet itch and my heart sing while I thought, "Is it going to be warm today?"

Well, it's 32 degrees. An improvement over 0, I suppose. But I want to be outside now! Hiking and running, and folfing, and laying in the grass until ten at night and not needing a jacket. I'm sick of my jeans, and my sweatshirts. I have started listening to bubbly summer music even though there's not a lot of bubble summer weather to back it up.

I do love these next few weeks, though; when summer starts to break through winter. I always forget how much energy I have when it's nice outside, and the prospect of climbing a mountain or taking long walks is actually plausible. I think I might actually go into hibernation during the winter, because it always feels like I'm just waking up. And things that would normally stress the heck out of me take a back seat to the giddiness I feel at just being able to put on a tshirt and run outside, and maybe not return to the dreary indoors for a whole day!

Last year Helena didn't get to summer until May, but I'm hoping that's not how it is this year.

I am ready to have adventures!

L'Aventurier- Nada Surf

Pity Party Like a Rockstar

I decided for fun I'm going to lay out the top 5 inter-band love spats of all time, as highlighted by their pre and post break-up music. I was tempted to throw in The Pixies due to Frank Black's hurling of a bass at Kim Deal's head...but that wasn't because of romance, that was because Kim Deal is a crazy musical creative control freak. Anyway, on to the list!

5. Rilo Kiley (Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett)
So very rarely does an inter-band break up result in better music, but Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett seem to have gotten over their break up by using their music. I also had to include them because of their recent release, Breakin' Up off of Under the Blacklight.

Breakin' Up- Rilo Kiley
Under the Blacklight

4. Fleetwood Mac (McVies and Stevie Nicks with the other guy)
Was something about 1976 just really conducive to divorces? I first heard about their love square from Flight of the Conchords in reference to CoCo, and when I looked into it...what a tangled web. Regardless, in '77 they released Rumours and their emotional turmoil was laid bare for the world and Billboard to hear and buy in droves. Tip for an Up and Coming Band; if everyone in your band is splitting up in horrifically emotional ways, capitalize on it.

Go Your Own Way- Fleetwood Mac
Rumours

3. No Doubt (Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal)
We all remember early No Doubt, right? I remember being in fourth grade and blasting Tragic Kingdom up as high as it could go, singing along to Don't Speak as though my nine year old brain could fathom the heartache that Gwen experienced after her break up with No Doubt's very own bass player. I know some would argue this, but since No Doubt's break out album was Tragic Kingdom, and most of the songs are obviously Gwen singing about her relationship with Tony Kanal being ripped at the seams (I wonder how awkward he must have felt during those recording sessions), I'll just make a blanket statement; No Doubt owes its early funk to the wily, heart breaking, bass playing fiend. Now if only Gwen had quit then...

Don't Speak- No Doubt
Tragic Kingdom

2. Belle and Sebastian (Isobel Campbell and Stuart Murdoch)
You see, now this makes me sad. Because this is the sort of story that makes me want to scream at bands, "DO NOT SLEEP WITH EACH OTHER! FIND GROUPIES/BAND AIDS INSTEAD!" Stuart and Isobel were all blissed out in their musical love up until the turn of the century (it's great to be able to say that), and something went wrong. That something ended with Isobel leaving the band and taking her cello with her. 2003 saw the release of Dear Catastrophe Waitress, but compared to their four previous LPs, it was a drastic turn towards a very produced sound. I actually really like Dear Catastrophe Waitress, it's a really good album. But that doesn't mean that I don't mourn the loss of Isobel's wistful vocals and the gritty spontaneity of the old B&S team.

You Don't Send Me- Belle and Sebastian
Dear Catastrophe Waitress

1. Jefferson Airplane (Grace Slick and Paul Kantner)
Jefferson Airplane is without a doubt the worst inter-band break up of all time. Not only was it an ugly split, but it resulted in ugly music. That can be documented by their band's name changes.
Jefferson Airplane: Oh fun! Grace Slick wailing on White Rabbit, making me want to go back in time to the psychedelic rock fest that was that 60s. This is good! This is very good! OK, so you divorced your first husband and had a daughter named China with Paul...questionable name, but whatever, you seem to be happy! Oh wait...oh no...you're losing band members...
Jefferson Starship: Hm...Slick, you're smelling a little like...is that grain alcohol? But you can still sing, right? And you and Paul and...China are doing all right? Oh...not so much? Is that why you got up drunk on stage in Germany and blamed all Germans for wartime atrocities? Uh oh, there goes Paul taking legal action! Guess you two aren't an item anymore. I guess you're just...
Starship: The eighties aren't treating you too well, are they? Couple albums in and Slick's gone. Looks like all (Jefferson) Airplane/Starship has left are some sadly nostalgic reunion tours and a couple B-sides to get through the lonely nights.

That's what you get for starting a relationship with a bandmate in the 60s.

Somebody to Love- Jefferson Airplane
Surrealistic Pillow