I've come to notice over the past few years, twenty seven years to be exact, that I have a very distinct music listening pattern. Usually, this pattern consists of me listening to nothing but the same three songs for about a week or until I find another three songs to replace them with, whichever comes first. And they don't even have to be new songs. They can be songs I've heard a million times but for some reason, I just reconnect with them hard. I tend to obsess over songs that I love. If I didn't happen to stumble upon other songs, I probably would never listen to anything else and the sick thing is, I know I would never even get sick of these songs because I sweat them so much. I know, it's a sick relationship. That being said, I have been listening to the same three songs for about a week now and thought I'd share them with you two. (I love that joke, clearly.) I'm thinking I might just make this a regular, reoccurring blog post section because good songs need to be shared and loved. I hope you dig 'em as much as I do! My three songs of the week aaarrreeeeee (drumroll please):

Tegan and Sara - "Call It Off"

I had this song on my iPod for a long, long time and never listened to it. Thankfully, MTV chose it as a background song on one episode during The Hills marathon. (I wasn't watching it, my cat, Smallz, looooveess Spencer.) That's the first time MTV has shown me music since, well actually, that might have been the first time. I download so much music that much of it gets lost in the shuffle. This song was one of them. I hate not knowing about good songs, especially ones that I have. I get extremely angry. It's kind of funny. It's bound to drive me crazy one day.

Local Natives - "Airplanes"

Dope. This song is dope. This band is dope. I recently got their debut album, Gorilla Manor, and I'm digging it. Because I love comparing bands, they remind me a bit of Fleet Foxes and Arcade Fire with their echoey verses (Fleet Foxes) and their collective, everyone in the band yelling choruses (Arcade Fire). Both influences can be heard in "Warning Sign." "Airplanes" in particular though, is so, so good. I love persistent songs that charge at you for four minutes. I also love bands with really good lead singers. Local Natives front man has an amazing voice. Dudes with good voices are my weakness.

Band of Horses - "Laredo"

Is it May 18th yet? That's when the new BOH album, Infinite Arms, is released. I am seriously counting down the days (22) until this comes out. I only do that with Mariah albums, leave your judgements at the door. "Laredo" is the first single off of the album and it is awe-sem (Hi, Frond). This song has actually been on my "songs I can't stop listening to" list for about two weeks now. It's going to be hard to replace. I just took a look at my play count on iTunes: 77. I'm not lying about this whole obsessed thing. This is a perfect spring song and just makes me want to drive around 'with my windows down 'till I run out of gas. Ben Bridwell, you may or may not have the best voice ever.

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Since this is my blog and I can write about whatever the hell I want to write about and because the 1st Amendment supports me, I'm going to write about my favorite band. Radiohead. I remember when I first laid ears on Radiohead my sophomore year in high school. I think I stole The Bends from my older sister's cd collection, put it into my Discman (What? It was the 90's), waited for sleep and that's all it took. I was a Radiohead addict and could not be stopped (think Tiger and skanks). Love at first listen. My love only deepened with each new album. Every time they come out with a new album, believe me when I say it is my Christmas. Just like you never know what is going to be under the tree (actually in my case I always know. Pink everything because my mom always forgets I hate pink), I never know what to expect from a Radiohead album.

The list of reasons why I love them is an endless one but I admire them for there genuine, authentic originality. There is no band out there like them and there never will be. Try all you want Muse, but you got nothing on Radiohead. I'll never quite get why people don't like Radiohead but I understand, to each his own. I just will eternally feel bad for those closed minded m effers. No judgement. Recently, I doled out a challenge to myself, mostly so I could have an excuse to listen to Radiohead excessively and not feel guilty for neglecting other music. The challenge was this: Pick one song off of each Radiohead album that is my absolute, hands down favorite. I was overly excited for my self assigned task and thought it would be a breeze. A breeze it was not. I apparently had forgotten that majority of songs on any given Radiohead album are all my favorites. Boy, was my face red. After listening to a lot of Radiohead for the past two weeks, and I mean a lot, I think these are my favorite Radiohead songs off of their respective albums. One song per album just like the directions said. And a runner up because, god damn it, this was hard.

Pablo Honey - "Creep"

Runner Up - "Thinking About You"

Did you really expect anything else? It is my duty as a Radiohead fan to make sure this gets on the list. This song single handedly put Radiohead on the map so thank you, "Creep." I can't imagine what would have happened if this single wasn't on this album because let's all be honest adults here, this album is, uh, not that good. I feel like a mother admitting her child is ugly but this album sounds like they all just picked up guitars for the first time just to see what would happen. If this single didn't exist, would Radiohead still be around? Jesus, just saying that almost made me pass out. "Creep" is cleary the "fuckin' special" one here.

The Bends - "Black Star"

Runner Up - "Street Spirit (Fade Out)"

I fought with myself a lot with this pick. I love so many other records on this release but for some reason I always come back to this. It probably is directly related to the fact that I simply love sad songs. I think it's the lyrics on this one that really get me though. "I keep falling over, I keep passing out when I see a face like you." Really, Thom Yorke? You're killing me the way you dropped that line. He may as well just take my heart out and put it on a cutting board.

Ok Computer - "Let Down" AND "Paranoid Android"

Runner Up - "Lucky"

This was impossible and unfair. Seriously, who thought of this stupid "challenge" anyway? I don't wanna play anymore. This is undoubtedly a tie. "Let Down" is one of the most beautiful songs that has ever entered my ears. The melody is so hopeful but when you listen to the lyrics it's just the opposite. The song makes me happy, and then it makes me sad, and then it makes me happy and so on and so fourth. It's like an abusive relationship that I can't get out of. Show me one person that does not like this song, and I will show you someone without a soul.

"Paranoid Android" is an anthem and possibly one of the best musical pieces to come out of the 90's. Haha, the 90's. Every time I think of that as from the 90's, I am shocked. Radiohead was light years ahead of anyone else in the world when they created this. If my memory serves me correctly, this song came out in 2021. It sounds like it is from the future. If I ever had to sum Radiohead up in one song so that someone could get a taste of what they are about, I would show them this. "Paranoid Android" is everything you need to know about Radiohead in about six minutes.

Kid A - "Kid A"

Runner Up - "Everything In It's Right Place"

This song is cool. I don't know what they did to Thom's voice to make it sound like that, but I'm glad they did it. This album was a huge shift in Radiohead's "typical" style and I applaud them for going outside of the box (that they were never really even in). I love that they are experimenting with all different sounds, sounds that are not familiar to the average listener's ear and yet the song is still catchy. At some points in the song it sounds like a UFO is coming to land on earth. If this is the music they listen to on another planet, take this earthling away on your UFO.

Amnesiac - "Knives Out"

Runner Up - "Pyramid Song"

Sometimes you just get a feeling about a song and you can't really explain it. I have that going on with "Knives Out." My ears like it, more so than the other tracks on the album. I think they [my ears] enjoy the two guitars playing separate melodies throughout the record. The guitars in combination with Thom's voice dominate the song and really made it stand out to me. It's definitely not the lyrics that make this one my favorite as I have no idea what it is about. It just gives me a feeling.

Hail to the Thief - "A Wolf at the Door"

Runner Up - "There, There" (sick drums)

Probably the most untraditional sounding Radiohead song, "Wolf at the Door" is by far my favorite from this album. I love that Thom basically is talking during the verses which in turn makes the chorus catch your ear. The chorus is a beautiful melody on its own and that is all the song needs. This is another great example of me not knowing what the song means at all but loving it for the feeling it gives me. Thom's voice has the power to make me feel emotions even if I have no idea what he's talking about.

In Rainbows - "House of Cards"

Runner Up - "Reckoner"

How cool is Radiohead for this jam? This is the most laid back song I think they've ever done and it fits them well. It's so sparse, repetitive and simple. All things that sound like they would be negative but these are the things that make it the stand out track to me. They're Radiohead. They can write a song with the simplest guitar riff ever and make it an awesome song.

Radiohead 4 Life.

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The only person I know in this whole wide world that does NOT have Facebook and never has, is Ben Johnson, a fellow Mansfieldian/Shitbum. I'm not really sure why this is but if it helps explain it any, he also doesn't own a cell phone. It's just how he operates so get off his back, alright? The day Ben Johnson gets a Facebook account, I will stop listening to Mariah Carey.* I'm not passing judgement here by any means, but it makes me think about how addicted I am to the 'book, especially now that I have an iPhone. It's like putting Cadbury Mini Eggs in front of me and telling me not to eat them. At times, I find myself on it and suddenly coming to and asking myself, "Haley, why the F are you even on Facebook right now?" Look for me on the next episode of Intervention. I can't wait to hear your letters on how my Facebook addiction has affected you negatively in the following ways. I can't really pinpoint why I really even like it other than the fact that helps me keep in touch with people I might not otherwise. It's not even that I love it so much as it is another source of procrastination/something to pass the time/laugh at. In fact, the more I think about it, there are actually more things about Facebook that I hate than love.

My adopted brother, Matthew, recently wrote a blog about 10 'New Rules of Facebook Etiquette'. Yes, I agree that does exist if only in our minds and yes, I agree with most of his points EXCEPT... #2 and #3 because I'm not trying to date or pick anyone up via Facebook but if I was, I guess these would be legit. #5 because I did that. It's a long story and I'm right. #7 because I do that. Hey, why not? Having an account to begin with is in a way self promoting. And lastly, #10 because well, I'm not a dude and don't care. Overall though, it was a good list and made me want to do my own. I hope he doesn't get me for intellectual property.

Anyway, the combination of his blog post and my addiction to Facebook got me thinking. Let's make the Face a better place. And we can start by never putting statuses (statusi?) about the following:

1.) "Oh my god, it's so nice out today!" "Loving this weather!" "It won't stop raining!" I know, Captain Obvious, I have eyes and I'm alive too.

2.) "Little Joey has the runs and is throwing up everywhere! But then he took his first step, got his first tooth and looked at me!" Get off Facebook and go take care of your children. You know, the ones I don't care about. (Sorry, this is mean. I probably just don't understand because I have no children and am the host of zero maternalness.)

3.)"Gym." I always viewed Facebook statuses differently than AIM away messages. I guess others don't. And besides, you're just putting that post up so people know that you go to the gym and then feel bad about themselves for being fat and lazy.

4.)"Ughh Monday/Yay Friday!" Really, Sherlock? You have nothing more creative for me to read?

5.)"Errands, lunch, gym, brushing my hair, washing my car, picking out an outfit then out with the girls in the city!" With each comma, I die a little inside from not caring.

6.) "Sitting in traffic." I understand that you are bored, but no need to spread the boredom. Besides, Oprah would be pissed if she knew you were Facebooking while driving.

7.) "Blah, blah, blah. FML" I'll pay you all to never type FML again. And while we're at it, "It is what it is," and "GTL." If you don't know what these acronyms mean, I envy you.

And those my friends, are my personal, top 7 most hated statuses. I'm sure I have been guilty of one of these a time or two in the past and I will never forgive myself for it. Please don't get me wrong. My statuses ain't nothing special either but 97% of the time, it's original. If you do post these statuses, you'll be happy to know that you are the winner of the most uninteresting, least fun to read, unoriginal status of the day! Along with 112 other people! Let's all just take a moment and look at what Facebook is really asking us. What's on your mind? This blog post would have been my status but it was too many characters.

Happy Facebooking!

*No I won't.

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