P!nk - Raise Your Glass

I love when it's all too much,
Five a.m. turn the radio up
Where's the rock and roll?

Party crasher,
Panty snatcher,
Call me up if you a gangsta
Don't be fancy, just get dancy
Why so serious?
So raise your glass if you are wrong,
In all the right ways,
All my underdogs,
We will never be never be, anything but loud
And nitty gritty, dirty little freaks
Won't you come on and come on and raise your glass,
Just come on and come on and raise your glass

Like most everyone, I find it absurd that MTV is still holding annual VMAs - or is even a channel - but they are. Silver lining though, Sunday night P!nk received the Video Vanguard award, which means of course she gave a super inspiring acceptance speech (watch below). The gist: Don't change yourself to please others, change other people's minds. Love it, love her. Her voice is perfect, her songs infectious and empowering as well. Cheers to you, Alecia from Philly! Wish I was more like you, but I'm still working on it.

Upcoming Shows

The Republic Tigers - Buildings & Mountains

We've been waiting all our lives
For things we've always had but have no eyes to see
Something new is going to happen
The most natural thing but nothin' we'd expect

All these buildings and mountains
Slowly they'll arise
Before our eyes

How do cities understand
We drink our wine and wonder why we're really here
What's the point of even asking
You take the good and bad and make the best of it

Kansas City kid Kenn Jankowski (lead vocals/guitar) was in a band called The Golden Republic. Then he joined up with some new/old friends and formed The Republic Tigers, becoming slightly more poppy in their indie rock. And now Kenn & fellow Tiger Ryan Wallace (keyboard/guitar) have formed Jaenki and upped the pop once again. I linked Jaenki in the "Upcoming Shows" for future reference, but still love the mellow groove of this song from 2008. Thinking of Houston right now, under two feet of water and getting higher fast, as it slowly raises to over five inches in my corner of Austin. Could be four or five more days of this. The most natural thing but nothing we'd expect. 

RIYL: Ra Ra Riot, Ha Ha Tonka, A Silent Film, Zipper Club

Upcoming Shows

Cende - What I Want

Act without a thought
You wish that it was all imagined
Your demons unfold before me
Even what I want I'm bound to let it all end swiftly
I'm in it for the moment

#1 Hit Single by Cende doesn't live up to its name. There are at least a few great tracks on the album! So don't stick to a single and start at the start with the horribly catchy "What I Want" featuring Greta Kline aka Frankie Cosmos.

RIYL: LVL UP, Two Inch Astronaut, Frankie Cosmos, Porches, Cayetana

Upcoming Shows

New Order - Round & Round

I just can't help thinking
What you've done to me
You built a wall of love and tore it right down
In front of me
And you think you know what's going on
You keep telling me that I am wrong
I don't care about what you do
'Cause if you mess with me I'll get rid of you

I enjoyed that Joy Division book so much that I immediately dove into reading the same author (Peter Hook, the bassist)'s book about his years in New Order. It's MUCH thicker, as you might imagine, and I'm not finished yet. I am at the bit where they first thought that New Order was finished, though - when Barney started Electronic so Hooky started Revenge, and everyone were super coke heads. Basically just after Technique, the album this track is from, in 1989.

Upcoming Shows

Tella Viv - Paradise Bop

When asleep I dream of a pink colored sky in my rearview

Swedish "DIY pop" band, Tella Viv released an infectious EP last year. This is my favorite song from them/that release. Not sure if we'll get more... the threesome is down to two recently, as one member left to pursue his other artistic goals. So it goes in the young indie space. 

RIYL: Phoenix, VHS Collection, Cut Copy, STRFKR

Upcoming Shows