The 1 And Only Political Statement I Am Going To Make (and i'm going to make it right now)

About 5 minutes ago, I read some facebook comments made by a mother from my a place I have lived in at one point. I know her; she's a friend of mine. Yet I'm taking advantage of us not being internet friends by chewing her out right now. She said the economy was in bad shape, which is something I can agree with. The one thing she said that drove me to write this blogpost:
"Self-Employment Tax Is Killing Me."
Mrs. Anonymous Mother, I could assure that self-employment taxes are NOT killing you, but then again, I don't know about your personal life. But I know at least a little about your lifestyle.
Here is a list of things that you have that my family does not have. I guarantee that cutting off on at least one of these things will help you pay those self-employment taxes...

-Designer clothing
-A 3-story house
-Jet skis
-Snowmobiles
-Vacations to Hawaii
-Vehicles manufactured less than 5 years ago
-5G smart phones
-Bikinis
-Boats
-Skiing equipment
-Guns/Firearms
-At least 1 giant TV
-Hunting gear
-Customized apparel
-An annual professional family photographer
-More designer clothing
+  more things, I'm certain

Moral of the story is: BUDGET YOUR MONEY. 
There's a lot of irony when people say liberals don't budget their money well... because not all of us do.... but the same goes for conservatives. If you're worried about how much money the government spends, maybe you should start worrying about the excess spending within your own home. Believe it or not, budgeting is a universal value.
As for you, Mrs. Anonymous Mother, I give you my final words:
YOU MIGHT NOT BE "RICH," BUT YOU SURE AS **** AREN'T "POOR."

Radio Free America

We, the people, are responsible for our culture. Our interests and the things we create in this generation are effect what gets popular. You do it to yourself.

The following is a list of every Billboard #1 single in the US from the 20-teens. Remember, we did this. We do it to ourselves. Enjoy... and try not to cry...

2010: *Tik Tok Kesha     *Imma Be Black Eyed Peas     *Break Your Heart Taio Cruz     

*Rude Boy Rihanna     *Nothin' On You B.O.B     *OMG Usher     *Not Afraid Eminem     *California Gurls Katy Perry     *Love The Way You Lie Eminem     *Teenage Dream Katy Perry     *Just The Way You Are Bruno Mars     *Like A G6 Far East Movement     *We R Who We R Kesha *What's My Name? Rihanna   *Only Girl Rihanna   *Raise Your Glass P!nk   *Firework Katy Perry 

2011: *Grenade Bruno Mars     *Black And Yellow Wiz Khalifa     *Born This Way Lady Gaga     *ET Katy Perry     *S&M Rihanna     *Rolling In The Deep Adele     *Give Me Everything Pitbull     *Party Rock Anthem LMFAO     *TGIF Katy Perry     *Moves Like Jagger Maroon 5     *Someone Like You Adele     *We Found Love Rihanna

2012: *Sexy & I Know It LMFAO     *Set Fire To The Rain Adele     *Stronger Kelly Clarkson     *Part Of Me Katy Perry     *We Are Young Fun.     *Somebody That I Used To Know Gotye     *Call Me Maybe Carly Rae Jepsen     *Whistle Flo Rida     *We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together Taylor Swift     *One More Night Maroon 5     *Diamonds Rihanna     *Locked Out Of Heaven Bruno Mars

2013: *Thrift Shop Macklemore     *Harlem Shake Baauer     *When I Was Your Man Bruno Mars     *Just Give Me A Reason P!nk     *Can't Hold Us Macklemore     *Blurred Lines Robin Thicke     *Roar Katy Perry     *Wrecking Ball Miley Cyrus     *Royals Lorde     *The Monster Eminem

2014: *Timber Pitbull     *Dark Horse Katy Perry     *Happy Pharrell Williams     *All Of Me John Legend     *Fancy Iggy Azalea     *Rude Magic!

Personal notes: 

The GOOD: There are more #1 songs from the past 5 years with real drums than from the last entire decade! So as much crap as I give Adele, she did some good to the radio world.

The BAD: 0 Beyonce tracks...

The UGLY: Katy Perry has at least one #1 song every year. 

What do you guys think? What are the low-points and high-points of pop music these past few years?

My 2 Favorite Songs of 2014 (6 mo's early)

This year, I have an obvious pick for a favorite album. Someone would have to release a masterpiece to beat it out in my book. This album is by Sun Kil Moon and it's called Benji.

So I rarely give songs the kind of treatment I give albums. I like ranking albums on a critical level. More importantly, I can enjoy listening to them. Songs are different. When I hear one, I have to hear at least a couple more to fill emotionally fulfilled. And critically, I rarely say I like one song more than another. My favorite tracks from the last 5 years are "Holocene" by Bon Iver and Destroyer's "Kaputt." After that, I can't rank them. But this is 2014 and I'm 23 years old and at this time in my life, I need Benji. 

I was also going to write about "I Can't Live Without My Mother's Love" (a rugged, 46 year-old man confesses his deep love for his mom) and "Carissa" (capturing the beauty, the realities and the fragility of the death of a loved one), but perhaps I'll save those for another day. To spare your time no longer (and in no ranked order), here are my 2 favorite songs of 2014.

I WATCHED THE FILM THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME

I listened to classic rock and was unaware of any new music at all for a year or 2 in middle school. I wanted to play guitar like Jimmy Page and started playing around 7th grade. Like Mark Kozelek, "I learned to play guitar while everyone else was throwin' around a football." Also like Mark, I too was "always a melancholia kid" and after so many years, I still "cannot shake the melancholia." There's a certain aesthetic for me when I watch a movie I loved when I was younger. It brings back other memories from that age. There's 1 ringing xylophone note played about halfway through the song that shines like a light from an old projector. Throughout its 10:30 length, there's a *ahem* "really pretty" acoustic guitar part that repeatedly cycles like a projector reel. Every verse tells a different story. Zeppelin. His sadness. His love for the music world. Beating up a kid when he was younger. People who have died in his life. The man who gave him a recording contract. ETC. The song outros with a Led Zeppelin III-esque mandolin part. Then it just ends so suddenly; like someone abruptly took the needle off the record player. This is a very sad song. But mostly just beautiful. There are a couple of breaks from the cycling guitar for some heavenly backing vocals reminiscent of the outro to "Going To California." I guess we all have some sad memories. "If anything close to me at all in the world died... to my heart, forever it would be tied. I'll go to my grave with my melancholia & my ghost will echo my sentiments for all eternity."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbO2gvkTix4&hd=1

MICHELINE 

The scariest song on the album just finished and there's on 2 tracks left. Chances are, we've reached the climax, right? "Richard Ramirez Died Today Of Natural Causes" me be Benji's darkest moment, but "Micheline" is the most joyous. Very few songs in the world make me smile like this one. He talks about "feeling somewhere between happy and sad," yet for me, there's no sadness here at all. This song is the sound of children playing in the yard across the street from your porch rocking chair on a summer night. Each verse tells a different story. He starts off telling about the mentally handicap girl who lived down the street from him in his youth. He then reminisces of his old friend Brett who passed away in 1999. The last 2 verses cover fond memories with his grandma, mostly from when he was very young. He recalls the first time he ever saw an ocean, a hummingbird, the movie Benji. Despite some bittersweet moments brought up, everything about this song makes me happy. Like when you cry tears of joy at a small town funeral. He spouts out a lifespan of memories in a *ahem* "very short" 6 minutes. And if it's any consolation, I love the few piano notes added in. Like "Carissa," this song reminds us that life is so fragile and so beautiful. Your grandma deserves a song. So does your mom. And your friend Brett. And the handicapped girl down the road. "She had dreams like everyone else."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvNAHBI1V4o&hd=1

some thoughts on the music of canada

Nobody cares about what's popular in America. No matter what country you're in, chances are, you're listening to it. Canada is pretty much the same, I guess... but unfortunately, most of what gets recorded in Canada stays in Canada.
I was 7 years old and the first song I ever loved was "One Week" by the Barenaked Ladies. I thought it was funny. Throughout my childhood, my family accumulated the band's complete discography. They had some hits in the US, but they are legitimately heroes of Canadian radio. 1-Because they're Canadian. 2-They think it's funny. These are hilarious reasons for a band to reach nationwide strardom, but this is Canada. Sometimes it's easy to forget what real Canadian music is all about: FREEDOM.

America has this legitimate concept that freedom is to be fought for. Canada believes in freedom too. But they believe it's a mindset; an atmosphere. You live in a country that doesn't nobody hates and you don't hate any other countries. There's plenty of open space. You're born free. Sometimes freedom isn't the sound of a Dixie band playing 1930's John Philip Sousa marches, nor does it sound like 3 Doors Down (but I guess even Canada loves Nickelback). Freedom can be expressed through fresh, unique instrumentation and lyrical exemption. And here we have the clarity, depression and bizarre spirituality of Leonard Cohen. Here we have the jazz-influenced, peace-loving  Joni Mitchell. Here we have the ragged personality and overtly political Neil Young. Here we have the story-telling and beautiful layering of The Band.
I guess there was a dry period for Canadian music. The UK and the US definitely had some musical edge during the 70s and 80s in order to fight their conservative leadership. Meanwhile, Rush was secretly among the most sonic, ambitious prog-rock bands ever. Cowboy Junkies is probably my pick for "most-Canadian-sounding" band from the 1980s, tying in the young genre of alternative rock with their more obvious Canadian folk influences.
I'm not going to say anything about the Tragically Hip or Bryan Adams.
The 1990s was a rebirth decade for Canadian music, at least among Canadians. Walk into a Canadian supermarket and you're bound to hear stuff by Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette or the Barenaked Ladies. McLachlan was the baroque pop version of Joni, Morissette was a hippie, and BnL was (at one point) a good ol' zany Canadian folk band.
The past 15 years have been great for Canada on a critical scale. Arcade Fire brought some unique grandiosity with raw, powerful classical instrumentation. Broken Social Scene used instrumental variety to represent the sorrows and joys of youth, and has since blessed us with great side projects. The New Pornographers were an indie pop band unafraid to cover intellectual topics. The 00s belonged to Montreal and I feel like the 10s will belong to Vancouver.
The past of Canada's music history is unfortunately taken for granted here in the states (On the Beach, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Music from Big Pink, Songs of Love and Hate, ETC). But the future of Canadian music full of hope and, yes, freedom.