What We Hate

"Big Shot" - First Breakdown EVAR?

So yeah, the chorus in the 1978 Billy Joel classic "Big Shot" is pretty brutal. Sorry, br00tal. In a drums and piano sort of way. Nowadays a lot of Zelda haircut-havin' drummers in swoosh-metal bands play that exact same fill when they really feel like bringing the mosh. If only Billy's drummer, who is definitely rocking the fuck out here, knew the monster he was creating. Cymbal. Pause. Snare. Cymbal. Pause. Snare. Repeat. Perhaps there were metal bands incorporating some of this chicanery into their sound in those days, but I doubt it.

So the next time you hear some of that aural diarrhea, just remember that it's all Billy Joel's fault.

 

Rediscovered: The Briefs

Sometimes, it's good to sit back, relax and listen to some '77-style punk that doesn't take itself too seriously, yet maintains something of an edge -- like a biting glare from someone with a smirk on their face. Seattle's The Briefs are the band I turn to in these times. Frankly, they're one of the few bands playing this style of music that doesn't bore me to tears, either classic or contemporary. There's just something fun and campy about them that I like-- maybe it's their outfits, or their sunglasses, or their blindingly pink album covers. Even when they play a song like "Destroy The USA" I can't help but smile. And it's not like a 'yay, death to America!' smile, but a 'aww, these guys are cute and cuddly' smile.

More words and streaming music after the jump.