Today I listened to the latest podcast from NPR’s All Songs Considered. First of all, if you love indie rock you need to listen to this podcast. Every week. Well, not last week because Bjork was the guest DJ. This week’s episode was particularly great. The whole gang was there, making fun of each other’s musical tastes and discussing the importance (or non-importance) of record labels.

Being a music snob that I am, I certainly pay attention to record labels. When I was younger, I completely identified with Drive-Thru Records. New Found Glory, Finch, The Starting Line, Something Corporate, Senses Fail, Hidden in Plain View, Midtown, and even Dashboard Confessional. Virtually all the bands I listened to in High School were on that label. Now, I’ve moved on since the punk/emo/pop days…actually no I haven’t, but anyway, I’ve moved onto more folk/indie/female rock artists. Some labels I like to stick with are Victory (Bayside, Taking Back Sunday), Barsuk (Death Cab for Cutie), Merge (Telekinesis, Arcade Fire) ARTS AND CRAFTS! (Feist, Broken Social Scene, Amy Millan, Metric, Stars) Saddle Creek (Bright Eyes, Cursive, Tokyo Police Club, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Epitaph (punk rock, currently NFG and hopefully Bayside soon), Anti- (Neko Case) just to name a few.

Anyway, I was gonna go more into record labels, but I think the podcast and contributor Carrie Brownstein’s blog Monitor Mix pretty much covers it. I just wanted to share my favorite labels with all of you

Music

I’m sitting in my (now old) West LA apartment at about 11:43pm. My eyes hurt, I don’t feel like watching TV, and I don’t feel like reading either. I spent most of the day cleaning my new apartment. I go a little overboard when I clean. Yes, if there were a “Scrubaholics Anonymous” meeting, I would be there. My tools of the trade involved a sponge (classic!), red bucket, bathroom cleaner, COMET, a grout brush, and a toothbrush. Oh, and a different sponge, paper towels, and glass cleaner for the mirrors. With Rise Against, The Sounds, and Bayside blaring, I scrubbed, scraped, disinfected, and cleaned like a professional. Simultaneously frustrated that the previous inhabitant was so dirty, but secretly delighted that I would have any opportunity, to well, shine, three hours passed by and there was now a sparkling bathroom where grunge and mildew had once lived. A glorious victory.

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