These Soy Candles Are Giving Me Man Boobs
...back in the good old days of Inclination, I used to write these columns where I used to end relationships with things. If you are reading now and recall this, it was my You're Breaking Up...What? contribution. Recently, Cola informed me that I might have had one or two people who found it mildly enjoyable. Well, whether these persons exist or not, it is high time I break up with something...
Whew! Man, we had a gooood ride, you and I. Longer than any romantic relationship I ever had in my life to this point. The experiences that we shared are pretty unique as well when you think about where we've been together. OK fine...maybe I never did take you anywhere nice but come on, let's be honest. Did you ever present yourself for such an occasion? Hmm? I didn't think so. No, you always insisted in being dressed exactly the same and changing for no one. Though I suppose I always encouraged you to be you. It's why we worked so well for so long.
People always told me that I could do better. That I was short changing myself by spending so much time with you. How could I help it? Aside from being so perfect in your own dangerous way, you never gave me a hard time about treating you like such a cheap date. No, you begged for it. "Come on! Get that discount! Don't pay full price on my account! You can even drop by during off hours for your fix!" I admit it. I took advantage of your come-hither-gaze and your cheap creamy caramel center. But we need to take a break.
Look, it's not you, it's me. No...seriously. I will miss you. Don't be this way. I'm not lying when I say that the discomfort in my chest is because of you. It's the pain that is driving us apart. I know that there will be others courting you on a daily basis and I will have to take that chance. Who knows? Maybe we will both find something new out of this. But until further notice Dunkin Donuts Caramel Iced Coffee, we need to see other people.
...also during the heyday of Inclination, I did a triptych column called Retro/Active where I plugged one album, book and film from yesteryear. So, in the spirit of that, I wanted to reboot it a bit as well.
...during the 90's, there was a groundswell of pop punk bands that made a strident attempt to make my ears bleed. Granted, there were a few bands that seeped through with something clever or undeniably catchy that would win me over. For the most part, I could not separate 99% of the Fat Wreck Chords bands from the Asian Man Records bands. To me, it felt like "punk rock" to attract kids that would never be into bands like The Exploited, Crass or Bad Brains. It felt inauthentic, saccharine and safe. Then there was Gameface.
Rising above the rest, Gameface was definitely in the realm of poppy punk. Where they blew past the pack was their infectious melodies and razor sharp hooks. They would effortlessly walk a tightrope between faster punk rhythms that bring to mind some of the best skate rock of the early part of the decade and nods to the eras fascination with "emo". Where they succeeded was that they never fell into the frat party antics of many pop punk bands and never droned on like some of the full fledged emo stalwarts. There was balance, there were fantastic vocals that no one could match and they were tight beyond measure.
While they released several good albums, their best album is actually titled Good. Chances are that download is the lone way in which to locate this classic album today, but I have been enjoying it of late as if I were hearing it for the first time.
Whew! Man, we had a gooood ride, you and I. Longer than any romantic relationship I ever had in my life to this point. The experiences that we shared are pretty unique as well when you think about where we've been together. OK fine...maybe I never did take you anywhere nice but come on, let's be honest. Did you ever present yourself for such an occasion? Hmm? I didn't think so. No, you always insisted in being dressed exactly the same and changing for no one. Though I suppose I always encouraged you to be you. It's why we worked so well for so long.
People always told me that I could do better. That I was short changing myself by spending so much time with you. How could I help it? Aside from being so perfect in your own dangerous way, you never gave me a hard time about treating you like such a cheap date. No, you begged for it. "Come on! Get that discount! Don't pay full price on my account! You can even drop by during off hours for your fix!" I admit it. I took advantage of your come-hither-gaze and your cheap creamy caramel center. But we need to take a break.
Look, it's not you, it's me. No...seriously. I will miss you. Don't be this way. I'm not lying when I say that the discomfort in my chest is because of you. It's the pain that is driving us apart. I know that there will be others courting you on a daily basis and I will have to take that chance. Who knows? Maybe we will both find something new out of this. But until further notice Dunkin Donuts Caramel Iced Coffee, we need to see other people.
...also during the heyday of Inclination, I did a triptych column called Retro/Active where I plugged one album, book and film from yesteryear. So, in the spirit of that, I wanted to reboot it a bit as well.
...during the 90's, there was a groundswell of pop punk bands that made a strident attempt to make my ears bleed. Granted, there were a few bands that seeped through with something clever or undeniably catchy that would win me over. For the most part, I could not separate 99% of the Fat Wreck Chords bands from the Asian Man Records bands. To me, it felt like "punk rock" to attract kids that would never be into bands like The Exploited, Crass or Bad Brains. It felt inauthentic, saccharine and safe. Then there was Gameface.
Rising above the rest, Gameface was definitely in the realm of poppy punk. Where they blew past the pack was their infectious melodies and razor sharp hooks. They would effortlessly walk a tightrope between faster punk rhythms that bring to mind some of the best skate rock of the early part of the decade and nods to the eras fascination with "emo". Where they succeeded was that they never fell into the frat party antics of many pop punk bands and never droned on like some of the full fledged emo stalwarts. There was balance, there were fantastic vocals that no one could match and they were tight beyond measure.
While they released several good albums, their best album is actually titled Good. Chances are that download is the lone way in which to locate this classic album today, but I have been enjoying it of late as if I were hearing it for the first time.
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