Andrew W-K, Andy Williams, Animal Collective

Andrew W-K is a freakin crazy ass mess and for that you've gotta love him. He bleeds, vomits, does whatever else he does on stage. Actually, I don't even know if should even be speaking of him in the present tense. Does he still perform? Is he still alive?? Who knows.

Well I have his one song that I think everyone knows - Party Hard. I think it pretty much sums him up in a nutshell. And it's awesome for bouncing around with your friends and banging your head and just being crazy yourself and it's staying in my library for precisely that reason.
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Andy Williams is party of a Christmas compilation that I have and he sings It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year complete with a big ol band backing him up and he's clearly staying in the library for when I have to get in the spirit.
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I have one song by the band Animal Collective, a group of guys that I think is best described as eclectic. They encompass a lot of different styles and I think a lot of that has to do with their rotating members. Noisy, funky, folky at times, I have their song Did You See the Words (off of the album Feels) and it's really laid back. I've heard stuff off their other albums though, most recently Strawberry Jam (the cover of which is absolutely delish looking) and I seriously dig it. and I can honestly say that it's all unique and I want moooore. Obvi keeping this song, obvi getting more albums.

American Hi-Fi, Amy Winehouse, Andrei Matorin

Yeah yeah yeah American Hi-Fi was something I indulged in back in my popemo phase. You can make all the fun of me you want, but the one song I have by them (Flavor of the Week) is really effing catchy and I refuse to get rid of it. At least not yet.

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How can you not love theunparalleled Miz Amy Winhouse?? Her drunken debauchery and drug use aside, this woman has an amazing voice and chiquita knows how to use it.

Her soul-ish, kind of R&B kind of blues kind of jazz vocal stylings are seriously unlike anything else that's out there right now. She is, like, the new definition of belting and I love it. So so much. I only have her album Back to Black and one track off of her debut album, Frank, (tracking being Stronger Than Me) and it's also just awesome. If you're looking for a seriously smooth vocalist listen to her. In fact, even if you're not, listen to her. She is sick sick sick. And I'm not talking about her alcohol use tendencies.

PS WOW okay so her remixes with hiphoppers are also schweet. Jay-Z's Rehab remix is awesome, his flow is so funnyfresh. And Ghostface Killah's rhymes on You Know I'm No Good are absoluetly amazing, and he maintains his redonk words and cwazy stuff he rhymes about. "Oh what a wet weewee" is seriously one of his lines. Hahahahahahaaaaa.

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So I've come across this amazing new artist by the name of Andrei Matorin. No seriously, I was on my buddy Drei's website and accidentally downloaded one of his sick jazzy violin tracks while I was listening to it. Let me just say that my friend here (and former violin nemesis) is a talented mofo and is going places. Check out his website (www.andreimatorin.com) for his details as well as to listen to his amazing tracks.

Allman Brothers (and their various bands)

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about the Allman Brothers supposedly tumultuous history. A lot of loss, a lot of rotating band members, and a lot of sweet southern rock n roll. Yeah, don't know the history, DO know all about their (kind of groundbreaking) push of southernbased rockabilly (appropriate term?) and their amazing guitar licks and kind of incomparable ability to have more than one guitar and a bunch of other instruments and not make me all nauseaus and overwhelmed with the too many sounds.

So I don't really have many complete albums by these guys but what I have a do like. Little bit of the Fillmore, little bit of Hell and High Water, little bit of Brothers and sisters, Eat a Peach (soliddddd), and some various randos from their multituide of compilations. I like a lot of it...okay all of it at times, but it's definitely the kind of thing I have to be in the mood for. Actually, I could listen to Ramblin Man pretty much anytime. Jessica too.

Alice Deejay, Alien Ant Farm, All American Rejects

Alice Deejay is the artist responsible for one of the two techno songs I kind of like. It goes to show how little I care for this genre when I admit that I can't remember what the other song is. I actually thought that I already wrote about it, but upon skimming past posts, I can't seem to find it. So I'll continue with this deja vu-esque feeling, and say that maybe in my future ramblings about songs and artists that come later in the alphabet, I will come across this other techno song that I already like.

Righto. So, I'm not really sure why I like this song (song being Better Off Alone). It definitely does not make me want to dance (is techno supposed to do that?) but it does make me bop my head, tap the ol foot a bit. I guess that's pretty much all I have to say about it.
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I first came by Alien Ant Farm after hearing their cover of Smooth Criminal, and I happen to think they did it quite a good bit of justice. I really really liked their cover. They respected the original, and definitely added a bit of rock and harshness to an already well put-together song. I like it quite a bit. So you know, I dug this song and wanted to check out other stuff they had out there. Sadly, I was not as impressed. Oh Alien Ant Farm, you have let me down.

Okay, not complete. The song Movies is pretty decent, catchy, with their signature kind of forced and unnatural vocals. Also, Good (For a Woman) is not bad, and their voices are not as forced. Glow, however, as well as Goodbye, are going stright to the garbage. Goodbye.
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Ok, admittedly I went through a serious pop-punk-beginningsofemo phase, and I mean, so did about 5 million other people so I feel I was in pretty good company. That is the reason I have bands like The All American Rejects in my library. I only have one song by them, maybe you've heard of it, a little ditty by the name of Swing Swing. I am so. over. it. Delete.

*Ammendments*

So I've decided to not delete The Sign (Ace of Base) because...well...it came on my shuffle before I got a chance to delete it and I really thoroughly enjoyed it.

Also, there is one song on 10,000 Hz Legend (Air) that I will keep: The Vagabond, featuring Beck.

Alanis Morissette, Alexi Murdoch, Alice freakin Cooper

So yes, back in the day I was a proud owner of Jagged Little Pill, Alanis's angry third (third? what? who knew) album. I channeled my 5th grade angst into this listening adventure, and felt pretty cool to own an album that had both "fuck" and "shit" in its lyrics.

Anywho, my love for Alanis has since passed. She is a great example of 90s music and I think she probably served a lot of other pre-teens pretty well in their pseudo-angst. I don't know how actual real people (ie. those who spent their time doing things other than prank calling older boys and marrying the cat) felt about her at the time.

I still kind of like her (for some reason in a kind of guilty pleasure way). But I only have two of her songs: Right Through You and Head Over Feet (both on JLP). I don't know why I only have these two. RTY isn't particularly great and there are other songs I definitely like better. HOF though, I have always enjoyed. I think I'm going to delete Right Through You, but instead download some others (hello, You Learn, great song). I might even go so far as to look into her other later albums (probably the singles, but not Thank U, that was goofy and the U thing has been doooooone).

I don't think I have the patience to explore her early stuff. Besides, they were released only in Canada.

Facts: She is Canadian. She guest-starred on Nip/Tuck, and if anyone does that, they are a-one in my book. She was also on Curb... as herself and she told Larry David who You Ought to Know is about (Dave Coulier? Anyone?)
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Alexi Murdoch is represented by one track in my library and the only reason for this is that he was on the Garden State soundtrack (but unlike I am Sam I do not have the entire album). This song, Orange Sky, is boring and I always skip it when it pops up on shuffle, so I'm deleting it without looking back.
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Alice Cooper! Alice Cooper! Alice Cooper? Okay, so we all know, especially after his recent foray into mainstream radio programming that Alice (freakin) Cooper is a pretty weird guy. He has been rocking and rolling since forever, and he definitely likes his theatrics. I don't think he's a particularly talented singer or guitar player, but he knows how to put on a show and for crying out loud he is a MAN named ALICE.

I have two of his songs: School's Out and No More Mister Nice Guy. School's out is something you probably all know and love. I mean, you better love it. It's a great rock anthem and even for those of us no longer in school, it makes me feel like I'm on vacation. Also, it's in the movie Scream.

No More Mister Nice Guy is your typical rock song about a sensitive badass who is having a tough time in this society that just doesn't appreciate his badass self. We live in a goody two shoes world, and this piece is an accurate and accessible account of the struggles people face when they don't fit that mold.

Fact: He guest starred on both The Muppet Show and Monk (worst show everrrrr).

Al Green

I mean, how can you not like Al Green? He's like, oh, I don't know, a classic pair of jeans or a good gin and tonic. I mean, it just always feels right. Classic R&B (I know nothng about his gospel career), amazing vocalist.

I have to admit before we go any further that I only have The Supreme Al Green: Greatest Hits, and I know some people have problems with compilation CDs (what with the fact that albums can/should/maybe be entire works of art in and of themselves), but a retrospective can also be a great thing, and can serve as training wheels for an artist you're not quite sure about yet.

So, me having these greatest hits and listening to the album has made me want to go explore his other, lesser known works, but still probably not the gospel.

I do have to say that I loathe the song "Take Me To the River." This statement has been met with shock and scorn, but in my defense, my dad has one of those singing fish (what was his name...Billy Bass!) that croons this track, and it's burned into my brain with bad bad baaaaad associations.