My Boyfriend's Record Collection

Artist: Pizzicato 5
Album: The Sound Of Music
Released: 1995
Label: Matador
Choice Song: The Night Is Still Young

HIS: Matador Records; icons of guitar-driven indie rock, classic 90s culture, garage classics and Japanese retro-leaning, 60s hipster throwback Shibuya-kei! Wait. What? Matador put out a Shibuya-kei record? What the fuck?! That was approximately the reaction I had as a teenager when I first bought this album. For those of you who don’t know, shibuya-kei was a late-90s movement in Japanese music that blended the modern sounds of electropop with classic stylings of 60s hipster lounge music. Think Burt Bacarach meets The Sugarcubes. Still with me? Good. Now you understand my reaction when I first heard that Matador Records, arguably my favorite record label of all-time, had signed P5. Of course, here I will refer you to our Das Damen post where I explain how there are certain record labels you just trust, whether or not you think you dig the style of music of a certain record they’re releasing. Matador was one of the best at this. It may not have sounded like Pavement or Yo La Tengo or Thinking Fellers Union but you knew that there had to have been something special about the record you weren’t sure you wanted. Only because it had that iconic waving flag on the back and if they said it was cool, then yea it was probably pretty cool. So of course I picked up this CD if only for that waving flag and for a long, long time I wasn’t sure exactly what it was about. In fact, I’m still not sure exactly what it’s about. But I loved how it sounded. And I loved its songs. And I loved this band. And in the end, isn’t that all that matters?

HERS: You truly can’t judge a book by its cover. Because if the owner of said record collection were a book cover, he’d be the Encyclopedia of Punk Rock sold used at a supercool East Village bookstore (a book I recently bought him). But were you to actually start reading that book, inside you’d find a few unexpected chapters. More than a few, actually. You’d find some old Italian music, some folk love songs, old timey soul music, and even the very surprising Kelly Clarkson chapter. Wha?! Usually when a guy is all, “I love all kinds of music,” he typically hands you some obvious jazz CD he burned you or sentimental singer/songwriter stuff he wrote back in college. Instead, he puts this record on and I’m listening to some Japanese pop group he loves that I never knew existed. But this isn’t new. These are the kinds of unexpected layers I’m dealing with (even over a year in) that continue to surprise me everyday. Before I elaborate further, let me remind you that this is the man who forces me to watch entire Iron Maiden concerts on the Palladia channel while quizzing me on my Maiden knowledge (which is lacking, apparently) and following it up with required Black Breath listening sessions. Meanwhile, ice skating? Loves it. The Artist? Dying to see it. Sure he fell asleep during The King’s Speech, but if he’s up late watching some terrible romantic comedy when he should just turn in and go to sleep, he’s hooked until the obvious and painfully cheesy end (I’m talking to you, Something Borrowed). Also fruit. He’s a football-sized, 6’4” man who cannot get enough fruit in his life. And I’m not talking about the way I eat fruit (i.e.- an excuse to eat peanut butter or Nutella by the spoonful). I’m talking about strictly pure raspberries, apples (green only), and strawberries (stems off so you can eat the whole thing). As dessert, no less. Just goes to show that when a guy takes you on a date to see King Tuff at the Knitting Factory, there may be more than meets the eye.

Artist: Iron Maiden
Album: Number Of The Beast
Released: 1982
Label: EMI
Choice Song: Hallowed Be Thy Name

HIS: YES! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Since I was told of her decision to start this blog I have been waiting to write about this fucking album! And I’ve been thinking about all the things I’m gonna say but I’m just too fucking excited! YESSSSSSSSS! As you can see, when it comes to Maiden I can hardly contain my excitement. This band is so fucking awesome on so many fucking levels and this album rocks my fucking face off. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously. Iron Fucking Maiden! YES! My only regret is that we can only post one song at a time. I wish we could post the whole fucking album! AHHHHHH IRON MAIDEN!!!!!!!!

HERS: Self expression is so important. Without that outpouring of emotions that just bottles up inside and festers, we as human beings would whither from within. And for centuries and centuries, human self expression has taken a variety of shapes. Art, poetry, dance. All obvious ones. But where in the tool kit of self expression is eardrum numbing deafeningly hard rocking  noise? Honestly? Women are constantly begging their men to tell them how they feel, talk about their emotions and wax poetic about whatever the hell is going on inside their mysterious minds. But maybe the same old therapy couches, coffee shop talks and four-hour long phone conversations don’t work for everyone. Isn’t it time we accept the reality that maybe neverending pillow talks when eyelids feel like cinder blocks may not be the keys to our lovers’ hearts and heads! It’s time to embrace alternatives! Perhaps it’s rather a drum set or a guitar plugged into an amp so loud it blows the roof off. Perhaps it’s Iron Maiden cranked up to the maximum volume!! Have you seen how enthusiastic fans of this band are?! And how could they not be the healthiest of individuals? Sure the band is kinda dark and loud and ragey. But we sit motionless and silent listening to classical music. How, when you listen to or play music like THIS—screaming your guts out and putting every inch of energy you’ve got into playing the loudest, fastest and hardest you possibly could play an instrument without it crumbling in your hands—could you NOT feel complete and like anything is possible after!! So in the spirit of Iron Maiden, I say perhaps it’s not a matter of, “turning down the volume and just listening to me for a second, damnit!” Perhaps, in fact, it’s time we truly connected and expressed ourselves by turning the music up instead—WAY UP—and let true human self expression lead the way.