Past Vol. 1

I've been neglecting posting for far too long. My entire intent of this blog is to develop my voice through diligence and experimentation, and in doing so, share music which is meaningful to me. Also, I am open to suggestions as to how to improve the aesthetic and content, as well as my writing. Please post comments if you have them.

I am implementing a series format to my posts. It began with documenting the shows i attended/played in the Portland Music posts, and I will now give you some insight into where I come from as a musician and lover of music.

February 2000 is when I was introduced to Modest Mouse for the first time. After I heard The Lonesome Crowded West music changed forever. What appealed to me was the atmosphere that was created and the apparent emotion that was poured into crafting that record. It was also the first time that I listened to music and heard the flaws and character exhibited in an "indie" recording. From my deep seeded love of Modest Mouse came exposure to the band Built To Spill and Elliott Smith. I remember making a weekend trip to Portland with my dad in the early summer and going to Music Millenium and purchasing, at the same time, Either/Or by Elliot Smith, We Have The Facts and We're Voting Yes by Death Cab For Cutie, and Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Rós. Little did I know at that time how important that day would become.

Late in 2000 I was introduced to three bands that would have an equally important impact in shaping my music tastes and interests. those bands were: Sunny Day Real Estate, The Anniversary, and The Get Up Kids. Quite an interesting diversion from the Pacific Northwest indie rock that I was getting into at the time. On my list of top 5 albums that I will always love is SDRE's debut LP, Diary. This entire release is quintessential to the fabric of my humanity. This album taught me to love music. If you have not heard anything from this band, stop reading instantly, scroll down to the links section of this post and check them out.

Another band that I will always love is The Anniversary. This band was capable of creating some insanely catchy electro pop and infusing it with the distinct "emo/pop/punk" sound that Vagrant records helped to usher in (The Get Up Kids, Dashboard Confessional, Saves The Day, Alkaline Trio, The New Amsterdams, Hey Mercedes, Face To Face etc...). The track "Vasil and Bluey" has a chorus that will always put a smile on my face. I was devastated when they decided to stop making music together, but after later releasing a 2 disc album of B-sides and rare tracks in 2008 I feel this band ran it's course and, thankfully, didn't start to suck. I make the analogy frequently between bands and Arrested Development; they both ran their course and were perfect for what it was, without the need to "jump the shark".

And from there came my introduction to Hardcore. But let's keep that for later. Here are some phenomenal videos from all the bands mentioned.

Modest Mouse:



Built To Spill:



Sunny Day Real Estate:



The Anniversary:



And here are some download links:

Modest Mouse: Discography, The Lonesome Crowded West
Sunny Day Real Estate: Diary
Elliott Smith: Either/Or
The Anniversary: Designing A Nervous Breakdown
Death Cab For Cutie: We Have The Facts and We're Voting Yes

-Ap