Question 07-10 (Music Edition)

I've gotten quite a few questions (surprised are I!) and I'm trying to answer them as timely as possible - little hard as of late what with Jesse getting back yesterday (smileyface) and work being really busy - but every free chance I get I'll be answering them - and they will all get answered. (Feel free to keep them coming.)

So here are some questions I got about MUSIC.

Top 5 Records and why?

Oh. WOW. What a hard question. Okay. Let's see. How do I discern my tops? Maybe those that have been the most life-changing? Those that I keep coming back to?

01 No Doubt - Return of Saturn

Everybody has that album that just "gets it," right? Like...you can relate to almost every miniscule lyric and you wondered if the songwriter was writing about your life? That's this album to me. When it first came out, I was already a huge fan of Tragic Kingdom and that's what I was expecting to hear. Some more jump-around ska-pop for my sixteen-year-old ears. But, I was completely turned off. Why? Because I was sixteen and I had no idea what Gwen was singing about. A couple of years later, nineteen and in college, I popped it in again and it all made sense. It's an album that still grows, too. Every time I listen to, I realize something new. And it may just be how I'm hearing it, but music is subjective, and this is without a doubt my top record of all time...in my life. (For example, go ahead, take a listen to my favourite ND song ever, from this album, "Home Now" or even just look at the lyrics and I think you'll get it...)

02 Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape

First, the album that made me want to learn to play drums (a dream I still have!). Second, I've listened to this record I think...at least...once a month since it came out mid-90s. Third, many of my high school days when I first moved to a new school was spent friendless, in my room, blasting this and jumping around. Fourth, they were my first concert; touring in support for this album. And finally, have you HEARD "Everlong"?!?!?!

03 Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker

I can't even describe how I felt when I heard this album. I believe the first song I heard was "Come Pick Me Up," and I owe it all to my friend Amber. We are both equally, along with Kelly, obsessed with Ryan Adams' music and it all started with this album, his debut solo effort (and perhaps his best).

04 Aimee Mann - Magnolia soundtrack songs

Surprise! I really love Aimee's voice and songwriting skills. She's got this dry humor that comes across on songs like "Momentum" but she can also be so incredibly depressing like "Save Me." There's really no wonder that the director P.T. Anderson based his entire movie on her songs (some she had written beforehand, some she had just finished writing).

05 Dashboard Confessional - MTV2 Unplugged

I couldn't pick an album, so I went with this Unplugged because it really is a great selection of songs and if you know anything about Dashboard, it's all about his live show. Yes, when it aired, I may or may not have sang every word alone in my dorm room with him. I MAY have learned to play "Hands Down" on the drums from watching Mike Marsh in the recording over and over and over again. (Who does air drums to "Hands Down"? THIS GIRL.) And yes, me and my friends MAY have given every single audience member in the airing a nickname. I mean, this is all due to my deep college obsession with the band, getting interviewed about him for the Boston Globe AND shopping/getting lunch with Carrabba once. (I would elaborate, but there's no space, and if you want to know more you know where to ask!)

I decided not to include MCS, though they very well could be in there. Also hard to keep off was So Jealous/The Con from Tegan & Sara. ALSO She & Him's Volume One. ALSO Liz Phair's Whitechocolatespaceegg. ALSO The Cardigans' Life. ALSO Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. ALSO Saves the Day's Through Being Cool. ALSO Brand New's Deja Entendu. ALSO Shakira's Donde Estan Los Ladrones? And Jimmy Eat World, Sleater Kinney, Weezer, Hole, Rancid, ETC. I mean...this was a really hard question!

If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what album would it be?

My #01 record up there. The songs also span a good amount of genre/sounds enough to keep me interested for my whole life. Though...it may be a little depressing to listen to every single day.

Do you have a last.fm?

Yes, I do! Please be my friend: www.last.fm/user/jessicaxmaria ! You can see all the embarassing music I listen to. :) Speaking of...

Are there any bands you and Jesse just completely disagree on? Do you ever refrain from dissing a band you think sucks because they are on MCS's label or someone MCS has toured with?

I think Jesse disagrees with what I listen to more than I disagree with what he listens to. I like some good pop and obviously emo! We are both into a lot of the same bands, though, as well as 90s alternative, I suppose. Though sometimes he concedes that what I'm listening to might be good, he simply doesn't want to listen to it. He thinks Dashboard is good, but kind of boring for his sensibilities; he really didn't like Tegan & Sara's The Con but he loved So Jealous. See, we like many of the same bands/genres, so we talk about music, but sometimes we disagree on albums or songs. We have no issues roadtripping and picking music to listen to. I think we like listening to music and discussing it; we bring both of our perspectives and we've had conversations that have gone on and on about a certain band or even just a song. It's fun to go back and forth like that with him, even if we disagree.

But we are always open to each other - case in point, after one of our first dates somehow I brought up the fact that I hated both Say Anything and The Format because I'd seen them live and was not having it. He couldn't believe it and then he played me two songs: "Walk Through Hell" by Say Anything and "Dog Problems" by The Format, and if you've heard these songs, it's hard to not immediately fall in love with them. Thus, I am a huge fan of both those bands. (Well, less Say Anything these days...)

[Sidenote/funny story: I remember once in our early days meeting up with Jesse and friends for drinks and he was like, "This is Max," aka Bemis from Say Anything and I had no idea who he was or what his whole "deal" was, but then a month later I was completely obsessed with ...Is a Real Boy and I was like, crap, I could have asked him so many questions...if I had known who he was. He was definitely a nice dude, though.]

Do you mean to refrain from dissing a band on this blog or to Jesse? I definitely do not hold anything back from Jesse. I don't mind saying that bands like Metro Station are awful; to be honest, they were okay dudes on the tour if a little "out of it," but their music, they're play at celebrity, and everything about their image depresses me. And I liked Panic at the Disco's last album...but they just didn't sit right with me when they toured with MCS. It probably had a lot to do with all those issues swirling around their eventual splitting up, but their egos were on full display on the tour. But I've also gotten to meet some solid people from good bands - like Sherwood, Phantom Planet, All-American Rejects, etc. I guess I never go out of my way to diss bands on the blog, but I'm not shying away from my opinion if it's asked. Thus, point of the FormSpring - you've got questions, I've got answers!