I’m So Tired

I’m so tired, sheep are counting me. No more struggle, no more energy. I’m So Tired, Fugazi. I like Minor Threat, but I just couldn’t get into Fugazi. I like one song of theirs, but mainly for the live version of it by a group of lovely ladies in sundresses. Was it called “Waiting Room”? Yeah, I’m not even sure. I like that song because, who doesn’t like ladies in sundresses rocking out a Fugazi tune? And I like this one as well, because of its title, because it’s slow, and it’s played on piano, which is probably the most hardcore non-hardcore thing the band has ever done.


Thursday night, I’m making Denise. Friday night, I’m making Sharise. Saturday night, I’m making Luis (?) Oh, why can’t I be making love come true? Tired of Sex, Weezer. Rivers made up an interesting situation here. He’s tired of banging different girls every night but he’s also sad because he’s missing something. Could this be a metaphor for work? Okay, I’m making this a metaphor for work, because there’s no way it applies to me in a non-metaphorical sense, as in being Rivers-(un)lucky, making girls come one each night — not because I can’t but because I won’t. Um, just want make that last part clear. Very clear. By the way, in its metaphorical, my made-up metaphorical reading of it, at work, it’s the bosses, the management that you have to make come. And I think I’m tired of that.


So tired, tired of waiting, tired of waiting for yooooooouuuuu. Tired of Waiting For You, Green Day. I think Green Day covered this for a soundtrack or something, maybe around the time Billie Joe Armstrong was getting into the Kinks, around the time he lifted inspiration from Kinks’ “Picture Book” for Green Day’s “Warning.” Edit: This was actually originally issued as B-side to “Basket Case,” which means Green Day recorded this way before they wrote “Warning.” By the way, “you” here means work — work with better pay and lesser stress.


Yeah, I’m waiting — for you, it’s been so long. Come Around Again, Jet. Yeah, this is from their debut album, which I think is fine, Pitchfork’s negative review notwithstanding. Some of their songs sound pretty derivative, as if they’re emulating Oasis, the Stones, or AC/DC. And I don’t think their lyrics are on par with that of Alex Turner’s on Arctic Monkeys’ debut. But you know what, I like some of the songs. It’s not a four star album, it’s not a classic, and I’m perfectly fine with that.


Tired Eyes. Neil Young. At this point, it should be obvious that I made this by searching the word “tired” on my Pulsar app (titles without the word “tired” are late additions to this playlist) whether or not they’re about being tired or not. In this case, it’s about drug murder in Los Angeles canyon, according to Neil Young. This is off the album Tonight’s the Night. And it’s not about being tired.

I’m so tired. I haven’t slept a wink. I’m so tired. My mind is on the blink. I’m So Tired, The Beatles. Yes, same title as the first song because it needs reiterating. I first heard the Elliot Smith version of this song. I think it’s Smith performing the song live. By the way, Elliot Smith also covered The Beatles’ “Because,” which appeared in the movie American Beauty, which won Oscars Best Picture, although film critic Noel Vera wasn’t a fan, and titled his not-so-glowing review for the movie, “American Boobies,” which I thought was apt, despite the fact that I like the movie, because it was highlighted by scenes featuring exactly that, American boobies! Still, that dream sequence where Mena Suvari is lying on a bed of roses, her privates barely obscured by petals of red red roses, and she’s floating from the ceiling above the main character’s bed, I think it’s one of the most iconic movie scenes I’ve seen. Or, maybe I should watch more movies?


I’m so tired of being alone. I’m so tired of on-my-own. Won’t you help me girl, just as soon as you can. Tired of Being Alone, Al Green. Tired of Being Alone? Here’s 7 Reasons Why You Never Attract A Healthy Relationship. Ok, that appeared on the search results. Also, based on my Google search, it says that this song was also covered by Texas in 1993. By the way, I like Texas’ “Say What You Want.” Who’s Texas? They’re a pop/rock band from, not Texas, but Glasgow. By the way, those lines are actually about getting that girl to join your team and help you because you are so undermanned (i.e., alone) and overworked.


You try so hard to be someone that you forget who you are. Hold On, Jet. I never listen to this song without auto-playing that scene in my head where Peter has to choose what to wear: is he gonna be Spider-Man tonight? Or is he gonna be just Peter Parker? That always comes back, that feeling, the struggle, the struggle to balance things out, the struggle to keep trying. I probably didn’t relate to this particular scene before the way I would later, the way I’m reading it now. Someone said on Twitter that the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies were faithful to the character’s working class origins in the comics — something that has been lost in the other versions of the character in later, newer movies.


The damage has been done. I am not having fun anymore. Ann Don’t Cry, Pavement. I was wondering whether Stephen Malkmus wrote these particular lyrics before or during the recording of the band’s final album, Terror Twilight. I was wondering if these lines reflect how Malkmus felt about being in the band at the time. I checked the track listing of Farewell Horizontal so I can make an educated guess. Based on the tracklist, the first version of the song was recorded in Echo Canyon, Sonic Youth’s studio/rehearsal space(?) And in this version, Malkmus already sings the same exact lyrics. Which means, he must have written those lines already before things turns a bit sour later in the recording of the album. Which means, he wrote the lyrics not because he was kinda bummed about the difficult recording process of Terror Twilight, which, depending on who you asked, may have influenced the eventual dissolution of the band. Anyway, I’m just so fried.

Revisiting Cornershop’s “Brimful of Asha” On a… Compact Disc

Something renewed my interest on this indie rock band called Cornershop, who scored a hit with “Brimful of Asha” back in 1997. No, it’s not this new-ish indie rock group from London who call themselves Bombay Bicycle Club, who probably thought adopting a name based on a defunct Indian restaurant would make it sound like Continue reading “Revisiting Cornershop’s “Brimful of Asha” On a… Compact Disc”

Pavement’s Farewell Horizontal, Harness Your Hopes, and The Age of the Ass

After years of waiting, Terror Twilight: Farewell Horizontal will finally see the light. Of day. If you don’t know what that is, Terror Twilight is Pavement’s fifth and final album, and the only studio album of theirs that has yet to get an expanded or deluxe reissue. Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Ed. came out in 2008; it was the last in the series Continue reading “Pavement’s Farewell Horizontal, Harness Your Hopes, and The Age of the Ass”

Brighten the Corners

Pavement’s Autumnal Fourth Record Turns 25

It was around the time after Matador released the superlative re-issue of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, when I rediscovered Pavement, through the internet, on one Radiohead fansite, on music review sites and online magazines. People were just sharing stuff, and before long, I have Pavement’s first, second, and fourth Continue reading “Brighten the Corners”

My 10 Favorite Records of the 2010’s

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You can never quarantine the past

Not intending this to be a quasi best of list. Just ten albums I liked/loved more than the others. All which came out between 2010 and last year. Maybe this is more of a personal chart, what music songs records I’ve been listening to for the last ten years. And this doesn’t even include those which were made in the ’90s and the 2Ks. Continue reading “My 10 Favorite Records of the 2010’s”

20 Songs from the 2010’s (Part Deux)

Stephen Malkmus at The Forum

Better Off / Guijo St. (Makes You Wonder) – Apartel (2016)
Apartel is Ely Buendia and the gang in full soul/funk/R&B mode. If I remember correctly, Ely once said that he can’t do R&B. Maybe, RnB or contemporary R&B (i.e., South Border, Freestyle, Beyonce, Rihanna) was what he meant because here he is doing exactly that, producing good, if not be for everyone, funky music. Continue reading “20 Songs from the 2010’s (Part Deux)”

Parokya ni Edgar – Khangkhungkherrnitz (1996)

albumart_khangkhungkherrnitzBefore comedy bars became the favorite hangout of your wannabe-cool titas, who were never really into bands, frats or gangs (and therefore, were never really cool in the first place), the bar/band shenanigans were exclusively aimed for drunk and stoned college kids who were into bands, strippers, and booze. They’re the ones who’ll later turn into yuppies and sing-drunk to Radiohead’s “Creep” with Tagalog lyrics in company parties and karaoke bars.

The title alone is indicative enough how much veggie rolls this sextet has consumed. Of course, TVJ is one of their role models and Tough Hits is the blueprint they patterned this from. And since they’re three heads harder than the aforementioned trio, the goof numbers are sandwiched between original songs and the parodies come in full form.

Radiohead’s first hit became “Trip”, a tale about addiction to siopao made in Shaolin House, one less punky The Clash number became “The Crush”, and “Tatlong Araw” was supposedly borrowed from Yano’s “Mc Jo”. Sophomoric, here, is a compliment and if you want more proof, go to “Karaoke ni Edgar”, it’s killer-filler-fun (Sample lyrics: Okey ka sana, kaso lang, lalake ka).

And the originals are no less catchy and memorable (“Buloy”, “Maniwala Ka Sana”) since the other group they look up to is no other than the Eraserheads. If Stephen Malkmus and Spiral Stairs once made up a story about getting into a fight while auditioning for Beverly Hills, 90210, PNE made a song about trying it out for the Tuesday Edition of Kuya Germs’ That’s Entertainment.

Up to this day, I’m still apprehensive about playing “Lutong Bahay” really loud, that my neighbors, elderly folks, mothers, from Batangas and elsewhere, would find the play on cuss words (putang ina mo and puking ina mo) and innuendos offensive, disrespectful (Ako’s lalayas sa amin—upang makatikim—ng puta(heh) ng ina mo, cooking ng ina mo–oh). That Darius Semana’s mother, who hails from Lipa Batangas, is probably cool with and even proud of it, I find a bit comforting.

Still, a song about eating your girlfriend’s mother’s special pancake in the morning isn’t something your girlfriend and her mother would want to hear—in the car, in a party or in family gatherings—though they most probably wouldn’t mind if newer songs like “Peacock”, Flo Rida’s “Whistle” or “Versace on the Floor” are on your playlist. But that’s okay, you can always put your head-phones on, and LOL yourself into oblivion.

Pavement – Watery, Domestic (1992)

You just can’t go in the studio toss out four “distinguishable, hummable songs” (Christgau) and call it an album. You can’t just invite your two buddies let one of them play bass and the other just basically do nothing and make them official members of the band afterwards. You can’t just have your drummer make a head-stand on the drum stool while tracking his parts.

Continue reading “Pavement – Watery, Domestic (1992)”

Obligatory Pavement Post #3: Ironic Love Songs

MI0002184938“Harness — your hopes to just one person, because you know a harness, is only made for one.” Tell me that isn’t about love. Or marriage. Maybe I’m not right. But I’m sure I could not be wrong. Because seldom are there wrong interpretations when it comes to Stephen Malkmus’ songs. At least that’s what my lit teacher told us in school. Of course, she was talking about poetry then and not about songs written by some semi-obscure slacker from Stockton, California. That line, by the way, is from “Harness Your Hopes,” B-side to a single off Pavement’s 1997 LP, Brighten the Corners. Continue reading “Obligatory Pavement Post #3: Ironic Love Songs”