I never felt that Blind Melon got a fair shake because they will forever be known only as the band that sings that “No Rain” song. Dave thinks about it like “No Rain” is a song from the radio. The stuff on Soup is actually Blind Melon. It’s the same way I think of “Creep.” It’s a song that’s generally associated with Radiohead, but real Radiohead is stuff like “The National Anthem.” Unfortunately for Blind Melon, their iron lung didn’t get a chance to sustain them long enough to make a greater impression.  So I’m going to try to do my part to share something else.  Also their cover of the Schoolhouse Rock classic “Three is A Magic Number” and, because I mentioned it, “The National Anthem.”

Check it out, Joseph Arthur is an artist who can’t decide what to do, paint or make music, or maybe he does both well. And at the same time, I hear. I like this song for the special wah and because its simple and his voice is enjoyable. Oh, and he’s from Ohio. If thats weird, sorry.

Joseph Arthur | Myspace | Buy Vagabond Skies

I will admit that my dislike for Sigur Rós is mostly irrational.  I quite enjoy “Svefn-g-englar” and “Starálfur” a fair amount, but on the whole I find the Icelandic forest nymphs pretty bland unless the music is accompanying something.  I’ll cite “Starálfur” being used in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou as a prime example of Sigur Rós being well used (that song also features a brief bit of elusive strummed guitar), but generally the whole aura of the band seems so convoluted and self-congratulatory that I’m immensely turned off by them.  So I present to you my petty victory over post-rock.

P.S. Please don’t misunderstand, I’ve nothing really against post-rock, I’ll cite certain Mogwai songs and Nine Inch Nails’ Ghosts I-IV as examples of enjoyable stuff.  I just hate Sigur Rós so much.

I wasn’t planning on seeing Stone Temple Pilots on their reunion tour. I saw the Smashing Pumpkins last September, Meat Puppets & Built to Spill in March, and my roomate just saw the Breeders a couple weeks ago, so I figured we had our reunions shows taken care of. I mean, I love STP, they were my first proper alt rock band, I own all their albums (though Core was just taped from my friend’s copy, I’m fine with that, though), but I’ve never considered them a live band. Still, when I was presented with a chance to buy tickets for $10 a piece, I couldn’t pass that up at all.

And then it hit me that I never really thought about STP in a live setting. I know they’ve been on the Family Values Tour (though I always cringe a bit when I’m reminded of Scott Weiland’s brief association with Fred Durst). I’ve seen pictures of Scott Weiland dressed flamboyantly and brandishing a megaphone on stage. I just never stopped and pondered how great “Interstate Love Song” must be live. It hit me today that I don’t know what song to expect, or even what I really want to hear. The radio spot promoting the show uses “Dead & Bloated”, “Wicked Garden”, “Creep”, “Sex Type Thing”, “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart”, “Vaseline”, and “Interstate Love Song” but I can’t imagine the show being so Core-centric. What with the band growing and maturing beyond their pretty straighforward and oft-bland first album. I see STP as having peaked at Tiny Music… and the slumped until the break up, but still ending as a much better band than they started as. Still, the only post-Purple song on the ad is the STP song from Guitar Hero II. But then you really shouldn’t take those spots too seriously.

So I decided to put my mind to it and present you with a bunch of songs I want to hear at Tuesday’s show. I wanted to do this with the Pumpkins show, but those would have been total longshots given the depth of the Pumpkins’ catalog. STP only had five albums, and they aren’t promoting new material and they aren’t known for prolific B-sides, so I feel good about this. My biggest trial coming up with this list is trying not to simply put up all thirteen tracks from Tiny Music… I mean all of ‘em, too, even the simple instrumental segues “Press Play” and “Daisy.”

Anyhow, here are some STP songs I’d love to hear (except “Christmas Time is Here”, but it was too cool to pass up). But doing a little research before the show, looks like I’m in to be disappointed. But hey! Artie Fufkin promised that if (when) Weiland gets put back into rehab and has to cancel the concert, then we’re having a Stone Temple Pilots Singalong at his house.

To the point, to the point. I have orgasm songs. Recently some of my orgasm songs include The Sweet Serenades “Coming Closer” and The Lovely Sparrows “Department of Forseeable Outcomes”. Repeat. Again. Again. Please. My next orgasm song–Meho Plaza’s “I Sold My Organs”. Goodness, how deliciously wriggly and fun to squirm unintelligibly to. And, for your auditory pleasure, they have the whole album up via streams at mehoplaza.muxtape.com.

I couldn’t tell you much more about them except that they are seemingly from L.A., and they’re 3 bits–a girl, and 2 guys. With a sprinkle of awesome. Check it!

TOURING PRESENTLY

May 31 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Smell
June 14 - San Francisco, CA @ Million Fishes
June 16 - Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey w/These New Puritans
June 17 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir w/These New Puritans
June 21 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex w/These New Puritans

If you’re on the West Coast please do yourself a favor and see them. I’ll even permit you to come back and brag about them all over my face….that was dirty.

Meho Plaza Official | MySpace | Buy Meho Plaza

The weekly mix is up. Check it. Or get it right here.

Oh yeah, heres whats on it.

They’ve got a new album out called ‘Trying Got Us Nowhere’. It’s got 7 trancey-ass tracks, vocals that remind me strongly of Madonna, lots of keyboards and electronica-like drums. I particularly like ‘To The End’ and ‘The Whip’ on the album. While it’s not a super-duper great album, I think for a debut it’s pretty promising. Give ‘em a spin.

Elika Official Website | MySpazz | Buy Trying Got Us Nowhere