I’ll get right to the point: there’s a new thing for you to read. Go here to read it. You know, if you think it’s worth reading.
EDIT: Yo! Check out the sexy new header for the side bar. I’ll have to make a new banner too, now that it’s the only thing that doesn’t match.
EDIT 2: Bored as I am, I’ve rigged up a new, more fitting banner. It’s simple, but it’s just a placeholder until I can think up something a little better.
Can you see what’s wrong with the album cover below? Take your time, but I’m pretty sure it’ll pop right out at you.
Today we present to you a very special Band of the Month. …Nah. It’s a normal one. But I bet I had you going for a second there, right? Well whatever, let’s get it on.
I’ve been listening to a lot of new (to me) bands during the last couple weeks, and while a handful of them are definite candidates for the BotM title, this month I’ve decided to go with an old favourite: The Vandals. I’ve been listening to them since late ’99. I’ll give you two guesses where I first came across them. Give up yet? Not surprisingly, it was the first Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game. Back in that day, I wasn’t overly open to different kinds of music, and the punk scene was totally new to me. I immediately took to two bands featured on the soundtrack: Goldfinger and the Vandals. Those were the glory days of Napster too, so I was still enamoured with the fact that I could download any music I wanted. That really has nothing to do with the story, but the two memories are pretty close to each other, so I figured I’d mention it. Anyhow, the fascination with the Vandals died off after a short while, only to be revived by chance a couple years later.
At that time, the storm hit with full force, and the Vandals became a mainstay in my rotation and still sit there to this very day. I still don’t own any Vandals CDs (the only one I’ve ever seen is the Shingo Japanese Remix Album, which I’ve heard is disappointing). I have downloaded a couple albums though, so I have a very good idea of their range of music. And what a range it is too. With about 13 discs under their belts, the Vandals have explored a huge variety of music styles from punk to country to metal (they’ve even got a Christmas album). Mostly punk though. Aside from the range of style, the other really notable thing about the band is that they write incredible lyrics. Sometimes they’re serious punk-esqe lyrics, but most of the time they’re just downright silly and hilarious. A couple that spring to mind immediately include “That’s My Girl,” “Christmas Time for my Penis” and “My Girlfriend’s Dead.” A couple songs are even exercises in mercilessly kicking your ass through music, like “The New You” and “I’ve Got an Ape Drape.” In the end, though, it’s pretty much all good. Like all bands, they’ve got a few weak songs, but they’re not that common.
Honestly, I don’t know what else to say. I don’t want to point-by-point each album, because there are way too many. I’ve told the story, relayed the highlights, and that about does the usual BotM post. I could list some more songs that I recommend, but that could take forever and would look bad. At least rambling like this doesn’t look bad unless you’re actually reading it. I guess to sum it all up, you should look into the Vandals if you’re up for something that’s definitely different from anything you’ve ever heard before. They’re definitely in their own league. Comparing them to any other band would be like comparing apples and wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube men.
The other thing I neeed to mention today is that I found a torrent for all the bonus (and uber-rare) tracks from Guitar Hero. Now I share the wealth with you. It’s got some real gems on it like “Cheat on the Church,” “Eueka, I’ve Found Love,” “All of This” and “Guitar Hero.” Highly recommend you take advantage of that as soon as possible. Seeders don’t stay that way forever, you know. I’m gonna ask you about it the next time I see you, so either download it or make sure I don’t see you.
So yesterday was pretty eventful. As it turns out, my brother’s hockey team made it to the finals in their playoffs, so it was essentially required attendance (I wanted to go anyway, so it didn’t make much difference). There are two notes I should add on here. First, we’re talking high school hockey here, and since unlike our southern neighbours, nobody in Canada gives two shits about college sports, the fact that high school hockey has so much buzz around it is kinda impressive. Second, the game was so “hyped-up” that they decided that it would be played in the MTS Centre. I played a game in the old arena once when I still played hockey, and that was like the greatest achievement in my life, so I can assume it was pretty cool for these kids to get to play at the MTS Centre. Anyway, they got absolutely railed. Four to one doesn’t sound so bad, but the way CPET was playing, I’m amazed they got the one goal they did. The only kid on the ice who seemed to know what game he was playing was my brother, and he was the goalie. The rest of them were tripping over the blue lines and skating at a pace usually reserved for seniors. The defensemen spent most of the game just watching the other guys skate by and clearly couldn’t be bothered enough to even try to keep the puck in the opposition’s end. It was ridiculous. And sad. I still wonder how they managed to get to the final game. But I suppose the silver medal isn’t so bad, considering the team’s history. CPET didn’t even have a hockey team until last year, and that team didn’t win a single game. So yeah, second place is a definite improvement. Afterwards we went to Montana’s with my grandparents and uncle for dinner, and it normally isn’t worth mentioning, but if you haven’t been to Montana’s, you should definitely check it out. They have huge sheets of paper laid out over every table just so you can doodle all over them while you wait. Easily my favourite restaurant.
Added a new link to the ol’ sidebar. Yeah. Check it out.
Oh, and you should totally visit that link. Plenty of good times for those who do.
As promised, there is a new page up in the CD collection. It’s the biggest one yet, though it’ll be beat out in time. I’ve also finally gotten around to uploading some more stuff to the old DeviantART account, so check that out too. There isn’t anything new (to my recollection), but it’s always fun to go back and see old stuff again. Why do you think I keep archives of everything?
Something else I’d like to make note of is that I’ve been participating (for lack of a better word) on the internet a little more lately, and getting my name and link out there. Mostly I’ve been posting all over the place and “networking” over at Last.fm, and I think it’s working well. Not only am I getting more varied visitors, but it’s also exposing me to some really good music. I also made a comment in the X-E blog the other week and it roped in over 20 unique hits. Not a lot by internet standards, but far more than I’d normally get. This is kind of a downer for me, because it’s proving that I have to be sociable to succeed. Oh well.
It’s a good week for webcomics. First of all, this week’s Coozy for Hire will blow you away. Secondly, I don’t want to jinx it, but Cascade Failure has now been World of Warcraft-free for three weeks. Lastly, today’s Penny Arcade blog is chock-full of hilarity and a crystal that I would kill babies for.
On the flip side, there seems to be some jerkass publishing a book about the history of webcomics when he knows nothing about them. Oh, and he also apparently makes use of several well known webcomic names and characters without having asked permission. Read more about it over on the PVP blog.
101 free games. And the majority of them are pretty damned good too. There’s nothing to really post about today, but I couldn’t let this link slide.
