Randor's Song of the Week: 01.29.12

"Kick My Ass" by Big and Rich from the album Horse of a Different Color. 2004.
    Country music itself gets to sparking two camps of thought: the haters and the revelers. Wind the topic down to that certain inspired typecast, and the battle intensifies. You know which exact typecast I mean. The kind of country song that would be called an internet troll if magically personified into a forum. The artist seems to purposely pull out all the cheesy tricks of the "backwoods" style to either satire him/herself and the standards, fulfill the diehards' fantasy, or send the nonbelievers running (usually with flaming pitchforks). A few examples that everyone seems to know and make fun of, lovingly or otherwise, include "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk", "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy", and "All My Ex's Live in Texas". And of course who could forget "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" by the featured Big and Rich? (Let's not get into that terrible music video's parade master, the county rap- or rather, uh.. "hick-hop" disciple Cowboy Troy, okay?) The way I see it: these songs are fun, so long as they they don't take themselves seriously. Just jokey sing-alongs lacking depth. Songs for the sake of songs. Not every tune in the music collection has to have personal meaning, or inspire internal dialogues on the human condition. Which is why you shouldn't kick my ass for picking "Kick My Ass" this week (har-dee-har-dee-har).

Randor's Song of the Week: 09.18.11

"Mr. Policeman" by Brad Paisley from the album 5th Gear. 2007.
    Much like an Arctic bear, country music is a polarizing force. Usual relationship levels tend to fall under either restraining order hatred or monogamous genre love. Simply put, most people either really like it or really despise it. I find myself in between, though. People often complain about the twangy style, but I find that most enjoyable about the music. The guitar carries a unique timbre I appreciate, and Brad Paisley tends to run that sound up and down the fretted neck very successfully in his solos. "Mr. Policeman" just chases that example at breakneck pace. Nah, my qualms with country music lay not in the style but the lyrics. Especially in more recent years it seems the artists either must repeat a phrase until they forget what it means or they have a quota to fill regarding the words 'tractor' or 'country' itself, among many others. I mean, Rodney Atkins seems to just shot-put a random 'tractor' into the backroads for no good reason... other than saying 'tractor' (the line goes "if I'm gonna hit a traffic jam, well, there better be a tractor, man"). Ehhh, while I can't cash in my excitement check over the simple lyrics these songs tend to have, it does define the genre. The most complex wordplay you'll find rested among, say, "Shiftwork" lyrics. I suppose that's another pillar to support this week's podium for "Mr. Policeman." A unique topic partnered with the charm of good ole homegrown music.

Poll Results, Jan/Feb2010

    Now that we got the basic system down, we plan on having at least two polls for every 2-4 weeks. Generally, one will be focused on the Tunes sector and one on the Films. That isn't the formula though, as occasionaly they'll mix with each other and the Whatever part of our blog. We'll try to keep it diverse, but if you have any questions you're dying to examine, send em in! Here are the results of our first two polls from the first two months:


Thanks for voting! Watch for more of 'em!