Best Albums of 2010!!

Jenny and Johnny

I'm Having Fun Now

Actress, musician, and Rilo Kiley frontwoman, Jenny Lewis has teamed up with boyfriend and fellow musician (and part time actor,) Johnathan Rice, and formed the band, Jenny and Johnny!!

Their Debut album, I'm Having Fun Now is an exciting album with beachy-like, teenage rebel songs about love and much more.

There's actually no track that will let you down on this masterpiece of an album.

Well done by two amazing artists. With most instruments and vocals being performed by only the two of them.

I'm Having Fun Now was released August 31.

 

E-40

Revenue Retrievin': Day Shift

Another from everyone's favorite, clever rapper. This album, however, is a fail compared to 40's previous, The Ballstreet Journal even WITH it's separate second disc; Revenue Retrievin': Night Shift.

However, 40 didn't TOTALLY let his fans down. There are still some pretty bumpable tracks on this album, and Day Shift IS better than its twin, Night Shift.

Had our friend, E-40, just took all the good tracks off of each album and compiled them all onto one disc, he'd really have a hit.

But with hits like, "Bitch" featuring Too Short, and "Whip It" featuring Gucci Mane, 40 delivered a somewhat descent album with Day Shift.

Both Revenue Retrievin': Day and Night Shift, were released on March 30.

 Good Shoes

No Hope, No Future
 

Such a cliche thing to say let alone make as a title, but such an OUTSTANDING album altogether.

British band, Good Shoes, gave the world one of those albums where no song bores the listener!!

Who says that's a job that can only be accomplished by Vampire Weekend?

Good Shoes stayed with their original sound (a definite PLUS,) and delivered an A+ album with rock n' roll songs sang with a squeaky British voice.

This album is far from a disappointment.

No Hope, No Future was released January 25.

Adam Green

Minor Love

Adam Green marches to the beat of his own drum with his child-like tuned songs with lyrics that sound like children (or an person extremely strung out on drugs) wrote.

From his days with his former band, the Moldy Peaches, alongside Kimya Dawson, to his past 5 albums, Adam's wierdness leaves his fans wanting more and more.

I know I always do.

Minor Love took a direction that Green's last 4 albums and debut album have not.

After the release of his debut, Garfield, Green began to sing in  a deep, melodic, 60's like voice, and added violins and cellos to the mix.

This time, each song has it's own style to it, but with a hint of Adam Green in every one.

 Very well done album.

Minor Love was released January 11.

 

She & Him 

Volume Two  

     

Outstanding musician, M. Ward and actress, Zooey Deschanel formed the duo She & Him when they met on set of one of Deschanel's films.

Volume One was released in 2008 with excellent reviews and 12 folky tracks with a hint of some 60's pop.

Volume Two has a mainly 60's pop feel while its predecessor focused more on its folk sound.

No doubt that this is a more fast paced album, with most songs automatically drawing its listeners in.

This sophomore album from this odd duo has proved itself worth buying.

Volume Two was released March 23.

Lightspeed Champion

Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You

Like his debut album, Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You is an interesting one, with an array of different styled tracks, yet still Lightspeed Champion style.
The tracks sound as if they're ripped out of a fantasy musical with monsters in King Arthur times for children.
Or Zelda.
The songs tend to change their tune and/or altogether sound at some point.
His lyrics are relatable in a way.
They lyrics are sort of sad though, but the music gives it an upbeat feel.
The live songs are great quality too!!
Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You was released on February 1.

Magic Kids

Memphis

This is one of those albums with no tracks that bore the listener.
I think that's hard to provide with a debut album.
The tracks are very catchy, just like 60's pop songs.
Magic kids are obviously Beach Boy influenced, and they deliver their admiration for the group very well.
I'm glad to have caught this band with their first album.
This band is also equipped with a violin player!!
Memphis was released on August 24.
 

Vampire Weekend

Contra

Vampire Weekend's debut self-titled release was by far one of the best albums of its time.
And with their following album, Contra, the band has proven that they cannot let their fans down even if they wanted to.
Like the previous album, the tracks on Contra is listening worthy.
The album gives off a blissful aura with happy, upbeat tracks.
Contra was released on January 11.

Jakob Dylan

Women + Country

This is another slow paced , soft album.
It isn't boring, however.
Jakob Dylan, son of legendary singer-songwriter and musician, Bob Dylan, puts out a listening worthy, semi-country album.
I tend to go for the more folk sound over country, but Jakob is an exception.
This is a peaceful album.
I enjoyed the constant hitting of the bass drum on the tracks.
His father's skills are definitely in him.
Women + Country was released on April 6.
 

Do Not Cosign Too: The Trials and Tribulations of "Friendship"

A cosigner is someone who can't mind their own business finds the need to butt in join in on a conversation, sometimes to defend a fellow friend.

The reason for the word, "too" in the title is because I've shown both parties that I'm going to be talking about in this blog entry, another entry of mine regarding cosigners :

Do Not Cosign 1 

To protect those involved, I will replace their names with the names of Greek Gods:

Aphrodite and Hera.

I was attending a small Christmas party at a friend's house last night.

The night started out great.

We were all having fun and mingling. 

Every guest brought a dish for a little potluck-like gathering.

I got off of work at 10:00p.m., so I really didn't have time to make any food.

I ALSO didn't eat any of the food provided, so it really didn't matter.

I did, however, bring a nice bottle of chardonnay and a quart of orange juice.

At one point during the party, I stumbled across a bottle of whiskey in the freezer.

I was told by "Hera" to make sure that the owner of the bottle (who was throwing up in the bathroom) didn't see me consuming any of it.

"Aphrodite" came into the kitchen moments later.

I was pretty intoxicated, so I'm not too sure how the subject that I'm about to mention even came up.

****

This summer, I was out with Hera, Aphrodite, and 2 other mutual friends.

Aphrodite had said something about me not pitching in for any alcohol.

Talking about how she provided it the time before that.

Meanwhile there were 3 people (Hera included) in the backseat of MY car that we just so happened to be riding in at the time that

1. Don't have jobs
2. Never provide for anything!!

 And I honestly didn't mind the fact that they didn't.

 I know that if they could provide, they would.

What I do mind is someone singling me out like she did.

I used to own a Chevrolet Suburban, so I was always asked by Aphrodite that if someone else (another mutual friend of ours) drove my car, could we ride to the function in it.

I never asked for gas money or anything.

But I get attacked for not providing alcohol?

With 3 people in the backseat of my car that don't either?

When we were riding in my big Suburban (which requires a lot of gas, by the way,) we were riding on my share of money!!

****

Anyway, that subject was brought up in a sort of joking way in the kitchen last night.

I added onto it saying, "Yeah, so that I won't be accused of not providing anything, because (a certain someone who I am not trying to attack in this blog) never does either."

That's when everything changed!!

Hera takes it upon herself to ask me, "Erique, what did you bring?"

And that's when I lost it.

1. It was a joke to begin with
2. Who was talking to you again?
3. Even if I didn't bring anything, what's it to you?

 When I asked her these things right after, she had the nerve to say, "Well, if we're gonna talk about (certain someone,) then we should talk about all of it.

Once again, we were not talking. This was a conversation between Aphrodite and I.

     Where did you even come from?

I proceeded to get loud and argue.

She argued back.

She kept saying things like, "I brought a dish."

Who gives a fuck?

I didn't eat any of it either!!

-"I pitched in for beer."    

Okay? I didn't have any of that either.

-"Well, it was on the same tab as the rum you drank."

Bitch, didn't you say it belonged to the girl throwing up in the bathroom?

So what's it to you?

When I yelled these things back, she tried to get cute saying, "You're right, Erique. I'm wrong."

Don't try and give up in a smart alec way just because you now look like a fool.

Then later, because I was still yelling, she had the nerve to say, "You keep bringing it up, because that's what you do."

BITCH, YOU STARTED THIS WHOLE DAMN THING!!

I was minding my motherfucking business.

But you had to put your 2 cents in, and add in your judgmental comments as usual, because that's what you do.

Other guests were trying to get me to be quiet at this point.

Me.

The one who didn't start the altercation.

Which pissed me off even more.

Now I look like the big, bad meanie who everyone has to calm down, because she decided to COSIGN.

That's the consequences of cosigning.

If you're going to cosign, then be prepared to fight(not literally, figure of speech.)

Otherwise, do not cosign!!

Shortly after, Hera left (hmm, I wonder why) taking a few other guests (the other two that were in the backseat of my car with her that night during the summer) with her.

I must have apologized to Aphrodite about 6 or 7 times after Hera's departure.

I really felt bad about causing such a scene.

She seemed rather undstanding.

But all of that changed once I came back into the living room after using the bathroom.

Once again, a joke sparked up another fight.

This time with Aphrodite.......

......over a dog. A dog which had bit me earlier in the evening.

Aphrodite's shivering rat was yapping at me, and I jokingly called it ugly.

"Excuse me," Aphrodite said to me, "You can leave if you're going to continue to be like that."

No, no, excuse me!!

1. Where the hell did this come from?
2. It was a joke
3. Continue to be like what?

We started to get into it, but she said, "Whatever, I'm not gonna argue with you about it."

"Then don't." I replied, and left.

I don't understand why she got so upset.

If it really offended her that bad, then she could have told me nicely.

But she didn't.

Obviously, something was bothering her.

I sort of feel that she was choosing sides in the previous altercation I had, and that was her way of letting us know whose side she was on.

Definitely not mine.

Not that it's about choosing sides, because it's not.

If you're torn, then simply don't get involved.

 Do not cosign.

Aphrodite and I have been friends since 1997, so I will definitely get over this.

However, I can't help but feel that she never really has my back.

Not just because of this incident.

I first thought this back in 2003 after another sort of incident.

At then end of the night, I looked like the loud, drunk, stubborn, drama queen.

And it wasn't even like that.

Once again, do not cosign.