The College Years

Looking back at the music I listened to between 2007-2011

Last Thursday, the white smoke appeared above the Vatican, announcing to the world that the Cardinals made their first pick in the Pope draft, electing Pope Leo XIV a.k.a. Robert Francis Provost as the first AMERICAN Pope. It’s interesting time to pick an American to lead the Catholic Church, to say the least. I mean, have these guys been paying attention at all to what’s been happening over here the last few months? He’s just a slob like one of us. Luckily, as CNN points out here, the #1 fun fact about our Chicago Pope is that he is the “least American” of the American cardinals, which is basically like telling your child’s new daycare that your baby shits himself the least. He also may be the first Pope to enjoy Malort.

But the funnest fun fact about this Pope? Dude went to Villanova, the same school as half the New York Knicks roster and yours truly. I’ve never had anything in common with all the previous Popes (other than the whole, you know, ‘being Catholic’ thing, but even that was dubious). We sat in the same classrooms, walked the same halls, used the same bathrooms, and demanded that Kyle Neptune get fired into the sun. Surely, I must get some divine immunity for attending the same university as the Holy Father, right? Or at least student debt forgiveness?

Hearing the news about the Nova Pope got me thinking about my own college experience and how it shaped me. Four years doesn’t seem like a long time, but during that time, you grow exponentially as a person. Musically speaking (because that’s what we’re here for right?), I found my way through trying new things and meeting new people who shared the same interests. I joined the radio station - WXVU - and wrote music columns for The Villanovan newspaper. I cringe at some of my music takes from those years - including calling Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief a “flop” in an article I wrote about In Rainbows (please don’t Google this or any other pieces from 2007-2011 thank you), but I’m mostly proud of the opportunities Villanova provided to me. I got to interview a lot of cool new bands, play some of my favorite music on the radio, and share my love of music with others. I wouldn’t change a thing.

The other night, as I was cooking dinner, I put on a playlist of all the music I listened to (or that remind me of ) those four years living on the Main Line. I’m too much of a nostalgic person for my own good, yet I can’t help but smile at the memories some of these songs conjure. I don’t even listen to 90% of these artists anymore, most of them having come and gone with “the blog era,” but some of these songs still resonate even as my tastes have changed since I graduated nearly 15 years ago.

I wonder if the Pope Leo XIV has a playlist like this? Was he getting stoned in his dorm room in Sullivan Hall listening to Frampton Comes Alive or whatever else they were listening to in the 70s? Being a math major in the 70s, was he a prog-rock guy? And if so, what is his favorite era of Genesis? (It’s the Gabriel era, isn’t it?) The world needs to know. Therefore, I officially invite the new Pope to meet me at Campus Corner for a cheesesteak and a discussion on why Selling England By the Pound is superior to Foxtrot.

Here are a few highlights from my “The College Years” playlist that are not “Kids” by MGMT, “Bulletproof” by La Roux, “Party in the USA,” or anything by Girl Talk, all of which were like catnip at every kegger in 2009:

Alberta Cross - “ATX”

I still love this album, Broken Side of Time. It’s everything a guitar album should be: gritty, rootsy, a little bit moody, and a lot a bit riffy. I got to interview these guys backstage at the Electric Factory Fall of 2009. I felt like the coolest kid in the world, and bless their hearts, they were very nice to me and the friend I dragged along with me when they clearly would rather be getting drunk before opening for Pete Yorn. Still love this album, especially when the leaves start hitting the ground.

Free Energy - “Bang Pop”

I miss these guys! I think they were from Havertown, PA… or maybe just Philly, in general. I don’t remember. Either way, they played great, throwback rock and roll before White Reaper took it over. (Their debut album was produced by James Murphy, which is a fact I totally remembered and did not look up on Wikipedia!) They once played a free show for us at the radio station in the student center, with a stage right in the middle of where everybody ate. It was pretty echo-y, but hey, they still killed it.

Electric Touch - “Call My Name”

Electric Touch was a band featuring members from Austin, Texas and Newcastle, England. I thought (hoped) they were going to be HUGE. And you can’t say they didn’t try. They only released two albums - 2008’s Electric Touch and 2012’s Never Look Back - but for a little while, they were my guys. They wrote catchy, rockin’ Britpop, and if you’re into that sort of thing, their self-titled record in particular remains a hidden gem. I saw them open up for The Fratellis (ha!) at TLA, and Filter at the Hard Rock Cafe(!) in Philly. I interviewed the singer twice on the radio. I wanted these guys to be successful SO BAD. Alas, while the songs were catchy enough, they disbanded after giving it all they had. If they decide to reunite, I’ll be in the front row at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Klaxons - “Golden Skans”

Why do I feel like these guys had a moment in around 2007? Maybe it’s because I read a lot of NME at the time that I thought these guys were going to be the next Arctic Monkeys or something. That’s what I get for taking NME as gospel as an 18 year old. “Golden Skans” did in fact reach number 7 on the UK singles chart, so they did pretty well for themselves, but uh yeah, that’s about it. I don’t think I’ve heard anything by them since. I can’t say I revisit this song on a regular basis, but for the purposes of this blog, I’d say it’s still pretty catchy.

Minus the Bear - “Knights”

I was never into math. My day job is in publishing, and I like to write on the side. Ask me to work with numbers and I turn to stone. I think my 18 month old works quicker with numbers than I do. Freshman year in college, I took statistics out of some misguided notion that it would be better than, say, calculus or something. But math ROCK? Well… not even guitars could make math interesting for me. HOWEVAH, I did enjoy me some Minus the Bear in college. These guys were HUGE amongst my WXVU radio compatriots, and I have to admit, their math-y, jagged yet danceable rhythms on their 2007 album Planet of Ice had me hooked for a while there.

VHS or Beta - “Time Stands Still”

Early Sophomore year, I was invited to join a few folks from the WXVU radio station to go see VHS or Beta at the Electric Factory in Philly. Being a nervous kid, I politely declined, not because I didn’t want to see them but I was a bit nervous to go into Philly with a bunch of people I didn’t really know. Looking back, I regret not going… not because VHS or Beta turned into like U2 or anything. I just wish I had been slightly more outgoing and spontaneous but alas, that would come later. We’re all just figuring ourselves out during the college years, right? I shouldn’t be so hard on my 19-year-old self. Anyway, where was I? Oh right, VHS or Beta. Bring on the Comets is still a great album that’s chock full of danceable indie rock hooks, and “Time Stand Still” might be my favorite amongst them. I think they released one more record after this one, but by that time I had moved on.

The Len Price 3 - “If I Ain’t Got You” and The Steps - “Out Tonight”

Here are two bands that sort of blend together in my mind. After falling in love with the aforementioned Electric Touch, I sought out like-minded bands. I loved this kind of peppy, Britpop shit. It still holds a specially place in my heart. These two bands were on heavy rotation, just because I thought they rocked and I dreamt of starting a band like this of my own. The Len Price 3 are based out the UK, and they’re still doing their thing apparently. I’ll have to give their new stuff a listen, but man, “If I Ain’t Got You” still rocks hard. It’s fucking catchy as hell. Speaking of catchy, The Steps were a band based out of Austin, TX (I think?) and they really knew their way around a pop hook. I can definitely see why I gravitated towards them at the time (they kinda remind me of Jet, who I am on record for defending). “Out Tonight” is a good example of that. Maybe they could’ve been bigger, maybe not, but by 2003 2010, everyone was sick of Jet and Jet knock-offs.

The Soft Pack - “Answer to Yourself”

Weren’t these guys supposed to be HUGE? I remember blogs being unable to shut up about their debut self-titled record? I remember watching them kill it on Letterman. What happened? Was it just shit timing? I don’t remember their follow up at all, so maybe they just didn’t have juice. The history of music is filled with stories of countless bands that had a MOMENT and then fizzled out the next. A majority of the bands I was listening to 15 or so years ago no longer exist. That’s just how it works sometimes. The zeitgeist can spit you right back out and move on just as quickly as it arrived. A lot of these guys (like the band I will get to next) are a product of their time, and there’s a reason why they remain there, entombed like a mosquito in amber. The Soft Pack’s moment may have come and gone, but at least we’ll always have “Answer to Yourself.”

Honorable mentions:

Big Boi, Gucci Mane - “Shine Blockas”

Panic at the Disco - “Northern Downpour”

TV on the Radio - “Love Dog” (oddly my first taste of TVOTR)

Anything off of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix or Treats