Nada Surf - Popular

In the 90's we learnt some important dating lessons thanks to the musically talented lads in Nada Surf.

From memory I believe there was three important rules for breaking up, the first being you should never put off breaking up if you know you want to. Prolonging the situation only makes it worse.

Tell them honestly, simply, kindly, but firmly. Don't make a big production or an elaborate story - this will help avoid a big tear jerking scene. Even if you've only been together for a short time and haven't been to serious. There's still some feeling of rejection when someone tells you they prefer the company of others to your exclusive company.

If you're honest and direct, and avoid a flowery emotional speech when you break the news they'll respect you for your frankness and honestly appreciate the kind of straight forward manner in which you told them your decision. Unless they're a real jerk or cry baby, you'll remain friends.

Oh yeah, and if you see Johnny football hero in the hall tell him he played a great game, tell him you liked his article in the newspaper.


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Muse - Muscle Museum

This song came on the radio this morning as I lay in bed trying to cheat the morning of a few more minutes sleep.

It's one of my all-time favourite Muse tracks, and has such a sinister and evil vibe about it. It's certainly not my standard happy up-beat song of the day.

In fact this song makes me feel that if I bumped into it in a dark alley way it would kick my arse, steal my wallet and walk off with my missus, just to add insult to injury.

The title gives off a gym junkie roid-anger feel, and I for the life of me can't tell if this is a 'break up' tune or 'big fuck you' song. Either way, it's awesome and moody as shit.


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Girls - Hellhole Ratrace

Tommy F gets deep and talks us through one of his favourite songs of all time...


Girls' 2009 release 'Album' is among my favourite...albums of all time. At it's core, it's a selection of break-up songs sung in a a way that invokes images of early Beach Boys stuff, with a slightly off-key drum beat. But It's so much more than that.  Album is an expression of years of heartbreak, sorrow and repression, expressed in a collection of heart-jerking break up ballads.

It is clear that the break up, while the premise for the album, is merely a vessel for lead singer Christopher Owens to explore the tragic nature and events of his upbringing. Fuelled by copious amounts of pills and influenced by early punk among other things, Owens has constructed an complex album that moves me every time I play it.

Hellhole Ratrace is my favourite track from it.  From the opening line: "I'm sick and tired of the way that I feel, I'm always dreaming and it's never for real" to the steadily building crescendo: "But I don't wanna cry my whole life through, Yeah I wanna do some laughing to, so c'mon and laugh with me. And I don't wanna die, without shakin' up a leg or two, yeah I wanna do some dancing to, so c'mon and dance with me" this is a song that I can play over and over again.

The guitar follows suit, with a thick reverb building to climax that never quite happens. And all offset by an eerily effective off-beat drum sequence, giving the impression that this is not just the pining of a ditched lover, but a greater expression of the sorrow flooding the lead singer.

But that's enough warbling from me, play the song and hopefully, you will like it too!


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