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philfs
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Name: Phil
Country: United States
State: Oklahoma
Birthday: 5/16/1989
Interests: Good music, movies, friends, NME (best magazine ever), The Shins, The White Stripes, The Beatles, Arctic Monkeys, THE STROKES, Bright Eyes, Jenny Lewis, Nightmare of You, She Wants Revenge, The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, I could go on forever... Journalism?, writing, reading, people who spread love, joy, peace and understanding (Jesus, Gandhi, Muhammad, the Dalai Lama, and many others), people who see people not for what they look like but who they are, spending time with my friends who are loyal, and finding someone who will feel the same way about me as I'll feel about them.
Expertise: Being awesome. Duh.
Occupation: Student
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  cubanrebel69
MSN: philfs
Member Since:
6/2/2005
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| The best albums of 2007, according to the esteemed Mr. Philip Rodriguez.
30. Turn the Lights Out by The Ponys
29. Baby 81 by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
28. Icky Thump by The White Stripes
27. Era Vulgaris by Queens of the Stone Age
26. Strange House by The Horrors
25. Our Love to Admire by Interpol
24. The Postmarks by The Postmarks
23. Memory Almost Full by Paul McCartney
22. The Reminder by Feist
21. Andorra by Caribou
20. Writer’s Block by Peter Bjorn and John
19. The Good, the Bad & the Queen by The Good, the Bad & the Queen
18. Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever by The Cribs
17. Dandelion Gum by Black Moth Super Rainbow
16. Marry Me by St. Vincent
15. Shotters Nation by Babyshambles
Pete Doherty gets clean (sort of) and puts out his most polished music ever. Although it lacks the shambolic charm displayed on albums with his former group, The Libertines, Shotters… still serves up some terrifically well written songs like “Delivery,” “French Dog Blues,” and “Deft Left Hand.”
14. Mirrored by Battles
A sort of math rock supergroup, Battles came out of nowhere to seize everyone’s attention with their first full-length. Chock full of computerized vocals, lightning quick drum beats, catchy guitar riffs, and overall musical prowess. It’s been said already about the quartet, but this album quite literally sounds like the music of the future. You can almost hear the flying cars.
13. Wincing the Night Away by The Shins
Countless comparisons to The Smiths surfaced with the release of this album, but it seems to sound much more like The Shins reaching into new ground than falling back into older styles. They’ve always been a bouncy band, but I found that I couldn’t shave with this album playing in the background; it was far too much fun. “Red Rabbits,” “Sleeping Lessons,” and “Pam Barry” opened new doorways for the band and showcased that James Mercer and co. have a lot of tricks up their sleeves, while “Australia,” “Phantom Limb,” and “A Comet Appears” proved they still have quite a bit of that original charm left to grace us with, too.
12. New Moon by Elliott Smith
Although not technically an original release due to Mr. Smith’s, erm… “Situation,” New Moon is nonetheless a new release, and so is counted. The double disc of unreleased rarities from the Elliott Smith catalog is made up primarily of songs from his earlier or more somber days, when most of his songs were just himself and a guitar. It is a poignant
11. The Patron by To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie
This is beautiful, haunting, and sometimes even disturbing noise rock in the vein of My Bloody Valentine’s Isn’t Anything or anything by Suicide. Although it’s difficult to hear the lyrics, the album is a concept album about two corporations falling in love and, thus, merging with one another. The album is held together by the stunningly original and well-executed idea with diverse guitar effects and bursts of static and other sounds to keep the listener alert. It’s definitely not an album to listen to when you’re alone in your room in the dark.
10. Graduation by Kanye West
He talks a lot of shit, but Kanye West has a really good habit of backing it up. Although not necessarily as groundbreaking as Late Registration was, Graduation is, thankfully, skit-free. The album flows very well, and standouts “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” “Stronger,” and “Good Life” will be remembered for quite some time.
9. Yours to Keep by Albert Hammond, Jr.
Who saw this one coming? Even as a Strokes fan, I was incredibly surprised by Hammond’s solo debut. Alby stepped out of his day job as rhythm guitarist for the greatest modern rock band to showcase some songs he’d written, and it couldn’t have gone better. The songs, more in the vein of sunny California pop than the Television/Talking Heads-esque post-punk of The Strokes, are littered with catchy guitar bits and lyrics like “…His baby stayed where she was / I go to talk to her ‘cause / I wanna sleep with her.” Surprisingly enough he’s got a decent voice, too.
8. A Place to Bury Strangers by A Place to Bury Strangers
Shoegaze and noise rock fans rejoice, the best band since My Bloody Valentine to make your ears bleed has arrived, and they make their own effect pedals. A Place to Bury Strangers emerged from a booming New York scene after Pitchfork Media gave a very favorable review of their debut album, and I must say they deserve every bit of praise they’ve received. With the exception of the song “The Falling Sun,” the album is an absolute noise rock gem.
7. Myths of the Near Future by Klaxons
Although technically a 2006 release, this wonderful piece of nu-rave glory didn’t make its way to the states until this year. Klaxons were perhaps the first band to be credited with bringing back the rave style of the early 1990s, what with the glowsticks, neon clothes, and thumping dance rock. Klaxons are much more in the vein of Stone Roses or Bloc Party than Green Velvet or that bunch, however, so don’t pass them off as simple brainless dance rock boys. The kids can write music. They won the Mercury Prize, you know.
6. Neon Bible by The Arcade Fire
Well this one was predictable. What? The Arcade Fire put out a terrific album? Who saw that coming? It’s good. They use a lot of different instruments. They yell about political things while using abstract poetic images. What’s not to like?
5. Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem
Oho, James Murphy. There’s just not enough you can say about LCD Soundsystem. The guy is completely self-aware, so much so that practically every song makes fun of himself in one way or another. Electronica is great when it’s played live, and it’s nice to know that Mr. Murphy takes his time to lay down each instrument in the studio himself, no loops. That’s talent, my friends.
4. Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? by Of Montreal
Disco’s back, and it’s being led by a skinny guy from Georgia who enjoys exposing himself on stage whenever he plays Las Vegas. Now that I have your attention, let me tell you that this album was released in January of this year and still managed to stay fresh on everyone’s mind all of 2007, and has thus graced many best of 2007 lists. Simply to have an album never sink or never get boring over the course of a year is an astonishing achievement, and it’s not wonder that this album never did. Kevin Barnes is a wonderfully talented songwriter and musician, and the album overflows with thumping basslines, falsetto vocals about Indie stars and Promethean curses, and so much danceable goodness that you can’t sit still when you listen to it.
3. Boxer by The National
There are very few people who can write a piece of abstract poetry like Matt Berninger can, and there are simultaneously very few people who can craft such a darkly beautiful album like The National can. Boxer is an album which evokes every feeling a human being can possibly feel at some point or another in its run time. Couple beautiful guitar playing, unprecedented drumming, and an overall dark and beautiful sweetness to the music with Berninger’s great gift for crafting random pieces of conversation and other strange vocal tidbits into lyrics and you’ve got yourself a hell of an album.
2. Person Pitch by Panda Bear
I think I may need to circulate a petition for Noah Lennox to leave Animal Collective and simply record on his own from here on out. Person Pitch evokes everything from Sonic Youth to The Beatles to The Beach Boys. It’s a crazy mix of noise, beats, and beautiful harmonies. With a DJ’s timing and an avant-garde musician’s gift for perking up the human ear, Lennox has crafted the year’s best piece of psychedelia. Try it out the next time you feel a little chemically challenged. You’ll go to a new world.
1. Easy Tiger by Ryan Adams
First and foremost, let’s clear things up. Ryan Adams is a fantastic songwriter, and you can’t knock this album, much less his career. He finally cleaned up and chucked the speedballs, which resulted in perhaps his most focused and well put together album since 2001’s Gold. It is a grower; I can attest that I was not too impressed after the first couple of listens. However, when one delves deep into this album, one can easily find the beauty that is Ryan Adams’ songwriting. Songs like “These Girls,” “Everybody Knows,” “Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.” and “Rip Off” chronicle everything from personal problems to relationship problems with just the right mix of poetic angst and alternative country-rock. “Halloweenhead,” meanwhile, is perhaps Adams’ most enjoyable and raucous song since anything off of Rock N’ Roll, as it chronicles Adams’ drug addled strolls around New York City. Although it’s not necessarily as musically proficient as earlier works like Cold Roses or as poetic as Love is Hell, Easy Tiger is nonetheless mind-blowing. A record by Adams that managed to perfectly balance his fantastic songwriting skills along with his incredible gift for poetry hasn’t surfaced since Jacksonville City Nights, and that wasn’t nearly as accessible as this album. I’m not going to go out on a limb and say it’s his best, but I will say it’s 2007’s best. Buy this now. It’s a beautiful album written by easily the best songwriter of our time. Don’t pass this man by.
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| I know that 99% of the reason that "Stronger" is such a great song is because of Daft Punk, but you can't shoot down Kanye. I know it's such a bad idea throwing gasoline on West's burning ego, but that man can live up to hype. Every time he releases an album he throws the entire Hip-hop genre on its freaking head, and i'd expect nothing less from Graduation.
I have no idea what this has to do with anything, but i'm totally caught in the moment. Next Tuesday can't come fast enough. Pumped.
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| So here we go. College. And once again my life has morphed itself to a form that would be unrecognizable to myself approximately two years ago. Hell, i probably wouldn't have expected this four months ago. So much keeps changing; life keeps changing and i've got no control whatsoever. Good things are falling in and good things are falling out. And it scares the living shit out of me.
But that's not to say i don't feel in control of my life. I was watching Superbad today and i realized something: I'm going to college. I'm fulfilling a goal i set for myself so long ago, and it feels so great to accomplish it. Even though so many good things have gone away, even recently, and so many things have changed, i can take heart in the fact that through it all i continued in a pursuit of a goal and i managed to succeed, and that's a superb feeling.
And that's exactly why i can keep going.
There's no way i can't feel scared about life, though. You're going to be scared of absolutely anything that you don't know anything about, and of course the fact that you don't know what your future holds for you is also scary. So shit. That's fucking scary.
But in a few weeks it'll be almost second nature, like successfully carrying drink trays is now (notice how i said "almost").
But at least, since i've conquered this goal, i know that life can always be conquered. People will always try and bring you down-people will get in your way and suck you to a terrible place so many times-but you can always, always get back up and face what comes next.
People, places, and everything in your entire life will change constantly except for one thing: who you actually are, deep down. And that's what i try to take solace in. The fact is that, no matter what happens during my life and no matter what challenges are presented, what valleys and mountains i encounter, I am always going to be there, at least for me, and that's nice to know.
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| "i'd say
you make a perfect
angel in the snow
all crushed out on the way you are
better stop before it goes too far
don't you know that i love you
sometimes i feel like only a cold still life
that fell down here to lay beside you
don't you
know that i love you
sometimes i feel like only a cold still life
only a frozen still life
that fell down here to lay beside you" If i wrote like Elliott, my mind would be far less foggy than it is.
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| I was thinking about a conversation that i had with someone recently about how shallow we are (we being ourselves, as a whole and not necessarily America as a whole; this is not necessarily a commentary on contemporary American society but a commentary on contemporary human nature) and how ignorant we can be towards problems of not only those immediately around us (a hurt friend, the homeless and impoverished of not only the country we live in but that we pass every day on the road or downtown, or simply a person who is in dire need of some sort of help or aid) but those far away as well (Haiti, Darfur [and much of Africa, really], Iraq [the soldiers, the citizens, etc.] and on and on; the list of those in need is literally endless, as need can never be completely fulfilled).
As you sit there writing on your friends' walls, texting madly on your cell phone, picking up another hundred dollars worth of clothing from the numerous shopping websites one can access on the beautiful internet, people are crying, screaming, begging for help in any way possible. And animals too. But i won't go that liberal hippilicious on you. We'll just save the people right now. You can go to PETA.com later.
But anyways, back to the conversation. My friend and i discussed that we sometimes felt so hypocritical and so stupid about how we spent our lives in relation to the effect that it has on the outside world. Rather than dropping money into a charity or spending time supporting a cause, we instead elect to spend our money and time on things like Urban Outfitters or local music shows. While we may look fantastically stylish and our ears and minds may thank us for a well spent and enjoyable evening, someone else has spent the night with no clothes and falls asleep to the sounds of bombs and screaming.
My point is this: as we sit upon our derrières on our computers, whiling our lives away, we could be doing something productive. I'm not urging you to exercise or anything, you can remain in your seat. The thing that's so miraculous about the modern world is that you can find a cause, support it and contribute to it in a meaningful way without leaving the comfort of your chair and even in as little a time as ten minutes.
Now i know this sounds hypocritical, but take notice: this is a "do as i say, not as i do" situation. Frankly, it's hypocritical of me to spout all of this, but that's my whole point. Can you honestly say that you've never once stopped and looked at yourself and thought "What the fuck am i doing with my life? I think i've had such a lousy day because i got cut off on I-35 and the Starbucks guy fucked up my order, but i've got it so good; why am i complaining?"
Well one, because we're American; it's our nature to whine when we don't get what we want, we've been doing it since the very beginning (What more was the Declaration of Independence than a well put-together piece of whining?). And two, because we're used to it being so good that we take our lives for granted much more often than we'd like to think that we do.
But really, think of all of the wonderful things that you have in your life, and focus on that the next time that you feel that the world sucks so bad.
See, this is why i hate emo kids...
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