Dorothy's Dimestore Scenario (The Music Thread)

[Dorothy Hui]

Hey folks! I have no idea how many people actually watched The Mole here, but Dorothy was in a band at the time it was filmed called Dimestore Scenario. It's a cool as fuck band name, the origin of the "DS" in my AIM screenname for Dorothy, and a good excuse for me to make a thread entirely devoted to music I like.

So, without further ado, this is going to be a side thread where I post music I like and talk a little bit about it, so now you can judge me on my music taste in addition to my personality and gameplay! I'll post a song every day or so more or less at random from what I'm listening to at the time. I hope you enjoy it!

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The Divine Comedy - "In Pursuit of Happiness," A Short Album About Love, 1997 [Orchestral Pop]

Standout lyrics: "And hey, I'm not the kind / To fall in love without good reason / And if that's a crime / Then baby I'm committing high treason"

I can't think of a better way to start this thread off than with one of my favorite album openers ever. A friend of mine introduced me to The Divine Comedy last year, and I knew right from the opening chords I would like this Irish group a lot. A Short Album About Love is one of the most haunting beautiful albums I've listened to, since the rest of the album is actually somewhat somber, but this opener is an upbeat, incredibly harmonically layered masterwork that wonderfully illustrates that wonderful honeymoon feeling of being totally, incredibly in love with someone.

[Dorothy Hui]

OK Go - "Needing/Getting," Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, 2010 [Alt. Rock]

Standout lyrics: "I've been hoping for months, hoping for years, hoping I might forget. / Aw, but it don't get much dumber, it don't get much dumber / than trying to forget a girl when you love her."

Some people like the the music video for this song better than the album version, and both versions are pretty stellar, but I really love the pounding percussion and the vocal effects. The a capella section in the middle is delightful, and the segue into the ending is a slick contrast to the rest of the piece.

[Dorothy Hui]

Groove for Thought - "And So It Goes," Groove for Thought, 2006 [Vocal Jazz]
As made famous by Billy Joel

Standout lyrics: "And every time I've held a rose / It seems I only felt the thorns / And so it goes, and so it goes / And so will you soon I suppose"

Singing in choirs was something I did all throughout school, from 5th grade all the way through graduating college. I wouldn't call myself the best singer in the world, but choir was something I always looked forward to and made some of my best memories. I started singing in jazz choirs my freshman year of high school, so I heard of Groove for Thought before they appeared on The Sing-Off and got incredibly robbed of the title even after having the most complex arrangements on the show.

This is the best arrangement of Billy Joel's classic "And So It Goes" I've heard, and it makes my heart hurt every time. Beautiful in every way.

[Dorothy Hui]

Freezepop - "Science Genius Girl," Freezepop Forever, 2000 [Synthpop]

Standout Lyrics: "I'm a science genius girl / I won the science fair / I wear a white lab coat / DNA strands in my hair"

Maybe it's because I've played video games all my life, but I've always had a fun attachment to synthpop like this. Freezepop in particular has always been a happy kind of band that doesn't take itself too seriously. Besides, after I posted "And So It Goes" yesterday, we need a lighter breather. Bonus points because this is Julia's theme song in my mind.

[Dorothy Hui]

Hey Ocean! - "A Song About California," It's Easier to Be Somebody Else, 2008 [Indie Pop/Folk]

Standout Lyrics: "Sunsets a back down Venice Beach / Famous names that wrap my feet / Downscale folks with upscale parties / Let's do lunch, let's do pilates / Wasting minds for perfect bodies"

Hey Ocean! is one of those bands I struggle so much to categorize under any one specific genre, simply because I think their sound is so unique. They've got pop influences, they've got folk influences, they've got jazz influences...it's difficult to place them under any one umbrella. I recommend Hey Ocean! a lot to people because I think they're what pop music needs, and because I'm about halfway in love with Ashleigh Ball. "A Song About California" is a good introduction to what you can expect from this Vancouver-based trio, complete with Ball's sultry voice, a well-placed horn section, and a fun bassline.

[Dorothy Hui]

Coldplay - "Charlie Brown," Mylo Xyloto, 2011 [Pop Rock]

Standout Lyrics: "Be a bright red rose come bursting the concrete / Be the cartoon heart"

Coldplay is one of those bands that gets a lot of hell from critics, particularly on their later albums, but I've always connected with them strongly and I feel like they have a lot of really intense, emotional intent behind a lot of their songs. Mylo Xyloto isn't my favorite Coldplay album, but "Charlie Brown" is one of my favorite Coldplay songs. It comes across as triumphant to me, optimistic - given the inspiration from the title character, I suppose that's not a huge surprise.

[Dorothy Hui]

Suede - "Hit Me," Bloodsports, 2013 [Glam Pop/Alt. Rock]

Standout Lyrics: "And the moment we touch we are young / You feel my pulse and we become one / But drop me once / And I will fall to bits"

Suede is probably better known for their earlier albums, but this is one of the first songs I heard from them. I love the music video (and the girl in it), but the song itself is really a great throwback to 80's style rock with a 21st century style production. Listen to all of Bloodsports, honestly. Lead singer Brett Anderson said the album is "about lust, it's about the chase, it's about the endless carnal game of love." In other words, it's like their older albums...except the band has grown up a bit and is taking a more subtle touch to things instead of the in your face sexuality of something like "Animal Nitrate."

[Dorothy Hui]

They Might Be Giants - "Don't Let's Start," They Might Be Giants, 1986 [Alt. Rock]

Standout Lyrics: "No one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beautiful."

A lot of people are introduced to They Might Be Giants through their more humorous, science or history based songs, and those are all pretty excellent. But this song from their debut self-titled album is super catchy, and holy shit that lyric I posted above really makes you think, doesn't it?

[Dorothy Hui]

Maximo Park - "The Coast is Always Changing," A Certain Trigger, 2005 [Alt. Rock/Post Punk Revival]

Standout Lyrics: "I am young and I am lost / Every sentence has its cost"

Back in high school, I played a LOT of Rock Band, Harmonix's popular rhythm video game and answer to the mega success of Guitar Hero. I specialized in expert vocals for the most part (even taking the 8+ hour challenge of the Endless Setlist for platinum status), but I could also 5* most expert guitar songs. I spent a bunch of money on downloaded content for more songs - I'm pretty sure I had downloaded a library of over 250 songs by the time I graduated high school, and at approximately $2 per individual song, you can do the math on how much of my dumb retail paychecks went to this game through school. As such, I discovered quite a few bands I wouldn't have otherwise heard of, and Maximo Park was one of them.

This was an interesting choice for a first single from A Certain Trigger, at least compared to the more crunchy and higher charting "Apply Some Pressure," but I really enjoyed the relaxed vibe from this one. When I got to college, "I am young and I am lost" was the first thing I wrote on my dorm room mini-fridge. I guess it probably made me look moody, but I thought of it as an affirmation. I know very few people who knew who the fuck they were or what they wanted to be for certain when they were 18.

[Dorothy Hui]

La Roux - "In for the Kill," La Roux, 2009 [Synthpop]

Standout Lyrics: "How far can you send emotions? / Can this bridge cross the ocean?"

More synthpop for you. Far too many people seem to prefer the innumerable remixes that exist of this La Roux piece, but frankly, the original will always be my favorite. It has just enough production to communicate the song effectively without overblowing it straight into dancetopia. Besides, I've always preferred "In for the Kill" to the more popular "Bulletproof."

[Dorothy Hui]

Reel Big Fish - "Your Guts (I Hate 'Em)," We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy, 2005 [Ska Punk]

Standout Lyrics: "Congratulations / You're immortalized / I hate you so much / I hope you fuckin' die"

Because work is seriously frustrating me lately, I figured now is as good a time as any to bust out an appropriate Reel Big Fish song. Reel Big Fish has been one of my favorite bands since freshman year of high school, and I've had the privilege of seeing them live and almost getting my glasses demolished in a mosh pit - it was one of the most fun nights I've ever had in my life. What I love about Reel Big Fish is that they're the best band to listen to when you're straight up annoyed with some of the people or situations in your life - their lyrics sympathize and very plainly put into words the frustration you're feeling. It's something that isn't quite so heavy as to make you want to demolish the nearest building or scream at the top of your lungs, but just heavy enough for you to cheer along and say "Yeah! Fuck this person/situation/emotion!"

Maybe this isn't the most representative of Reel Big Fish's entire discography (I may post more Reel Big Fish later), but this song is pretty accurate to how I'm feeling this morning about the stories I have on my plate. I encourage you all to think of someone or something you can't stand when you listen to this song. It'll make you smile, I promise.

[Dorothy Hui]

Shaimus - "Like a Fool," The Sad Thing Is, We Like it Here, 2009 [Alt. Rock]

Standout Lyrics: You felt something alone / You keep to your own / We'll never know, will we dear?"

Like I did with Maximo Park, Shaimus was another band I came to really enjoy out of my days of playing far too much Rock Band with my friends in high school. Shaimus has since broken up, sadly, but I really like the straight ahead style of these Bostonians.

[Dorothy Hui]

LCD Soundsystem - "Pow Pow," This is Happening, 2010 [Dance/Rock]

Standout Lyrics: "On this occasion, there are a couple of things that we know that we learned from fact magazine / One, the king wears a king hat and lives in a king house/ Two, your time will come, but tonight is our night, so you should give us all of your drugs / Three, we have a black president and you do not, so shut up, because you don't know shit about where I'm from that you didn't get from your TV"

LCD Soundsystem is crazy in a good way, if the above lyrics are any indication. They remind me a bit of a funkier, more 21st century version of Talking Heads. This is one of those songs that I can have on in the background while I'm doing some random stuff like laundry or cleaning. They're not bad for workout music, either.

[Dorothy Hui]

The Kooks - "Naive," Inside In/Inside Out, 2006 [Indie Rock]

Standout Lyrics: "Hold on to this kite / Just don't let me down"

I don't know if this is a pattern or not based on what I've posted in this thread already, but I gravitate towards songs that have some sort of emotion or story behind them for the most part (the off-the-wall LCD Soundsystem notwithstanding). I really enjoy "Naive," not just because I enjoy the deceptive simplicity of The Kooks, but also because the lyrics communicate some complex emotions in an engaging way. Man, this song brings me back to high school.

[Dorothy Hui]

Soundgarden - "Spoonman," Superunknown, 1994 [Grunge]

Standout Lyrics: "And all my friends are skeletons / (They beat the rhythm with their bones) / Spoonman"

Every time I go back to listen to Soundgarden, and particularly Superunknown, I'm astounded by just how heavy they are, both in the sense that their guitars and drums have a pretty remorseless tone and that their lyrics embrace topics like seclusion, loss and revenge. Nirvana may get all the attention from people with a passing interest in grunge, but Soundgarden has a ton of bite to them than most people realize.

"Spoonman" was inspired by a Seattle-based street performer, Artis the Spoonman, and the paradox of how a street performer is perceived - they're ostensibly praised for their music, but maybe looked down on for not having a more professional job or a stable lifestyle. Chris Cornell identifies pretty strongly with the spoonman's music - repeated cries of "save me" have almost a desperation to them as the song leads into the solo and bridge, where Artis himself plays his spoons.