Absurdist Media

Bored and Listless (get it?)

I'm half in the bag and my roommates are asleep and I haven't had real human interaction for more than an hour in 48 hours and I'm watching/listening to old Jawbreaker videos/tunes and I am bored as hell and I don't know what the hell else to do, so here's the list I want to put up for the week. So here's the list and a couple of pictures of me drunk (one containing the other active purveyor of columns for this fair blog). Huzzah!

*All songs or albums by the same name are specified in parenthesis.

These are the songs/albums I listen while drinking alone. I listen to these pretty much every time I consume alcohol by my lonesome.

Jawbreaker-- Bivouac (song)
There's something about flipping your head straight back with a slight buzz and mouthing the word "Bivouac" as though you were screaming it a someone. You really just have to experience it.

31 Knots-- Breathe to Please Them
A recent phenomenon, but I think this one is going to stick around. An amazing song-- long, building and unbelievably pretty while maintaining a sense of unadulterated anger. SOLD.

BlueTip-- Join Us (song)
A song made for drinking alone and a complete rejection of other people. Isn't that really what drinking alone is all about? Thinking without the aid of groupthink?

Bruce Springsteen--Nebraska (album)
The entire album is perfect for drinking by one's self. Seriously. From the stories themselves to the overall feel of the music, I can't think of one better collection of songs for loneliness and self-examination.

Jawbreaker-- 24 Hour Revenge Therapy (album)
This is my favorite album of all time, so it fits in this category damn near perfectly.

Otis Redding--Dreams to Remember
This is the saddest little tale, but for some reason I feel better after hearing this gem. I could have put a million Otis songs on here. I could have put entire albums, but honestly this is the one.

Built to Spill-- Fling
A sweet ditty from There's Nothing Wrong With Love that absolutely floors me. The cello pipes in, Doug Marscht is making perfect sense-- it's just wonderful.

Decemberists-- California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade
A long and rambling song that just puts me down. This song is perfect for winding down, but enabling you to keep the wistfulness that simply envelopes a night by yourself.

Jimmy Eat World--Roller Queen
Honestly, I don't feel like explaining this one. I just don't.

Juno-- Leave a Clean Camp and a Dead Fire
Sometimes, friends, you just gotta rock.

Karate-- The Halo of the Strange
Brings me back to being in Iceland and Sweden. This one is fairly rare, but I pick it enough to count it. It was the only time I was abroad and it is my most positive memory of being in Europe with someone I barely knew and meeting no one (though I do love those countries and want to go back badly).

Red House Painters-- Another Song For a Blue Guitar/Have You Forgotten
Sometimes you have to not so much rock, but be horrifically sad and reminiscent.

Richard Buckner-- Dents and Shells (album)
Yes.

Se(bad)oh-- Bakesale (album)
Maybe Tedd will explain it to you if you don't already understand.

Small Factory-- Hi Howard, I'm Back
Both a sentimental and overall favorite from youth. This song epitomizes growing up in an environment of both casual respect and being looked down on. Being friends with my sister's older friends, I was essentially labeled as a nutcase and everyone's least favorite favorite for my formative years. This band nailed my angst with this song, and then I understood the rest of the album as I grew up more and more. Maybe it will be on the overlooked list. I'm not sure.

Shiner-- Surgery
An obituary for youth and an understanding of being a part of something that will never matter yet absolutely makes all the difference (kind of like writing for this site/ everything I want to do these days).

Ticonderoga-- Locked in the Back Freezer
Just an awesome reflective song.

Jawbreaker-- Bivouac (album)
See first song on list and then just add the rest. It's like that. Especially tonight.

Neil Young-- Only Love Can Break Your Heart
There is just something about Neil's whine that is perfect-- in this song especially. It makes for a perfect sadness and longing.

Guided By Voices-- Glad Girls
Strictly for the reminder of an old bar I used to hang out in (College Hill in Greensboro, NC).

Rolling Stones-- Wild Horses
Falling asleep to this song on repeat was a staple of my first three weeks in NYC and my last couple of nights in Greensboro, NC. Plus it is the consummate last call song for any good bar.

Wu-Tang Clan-- Enter the 36 Chambers (album)
Sometimes, you gotta feel it.

Ghostface Killah-- Stay True/We Made It
See above explanation.

Johnny Cash--In My Life
Amazing.

Beatles-- In My Life
Amazing.

and finally...

Jawbreaker--Kiss the Bottle
What, exactly, did you expect?

Labels: Drinking Alone, Jawbreaker makes me think for some reason, lists, Music

posted by Jeff Laughlin @ 1:45 AM