l o s e r t o w n

2009

Track Listing

• My Green Hat
• Shanghai Sanitation Worker
• Unto the Breach
• Chunyun (春运)
• There Goes My Head
• I'm Going to McDonalds
• All the T&A in China
• Stupid Birthday Party
• I've Got a Hundred Dollars
• I Don't Want to Die Alone
• Achoo Bwooit/My Windows Need Cleaning
• National Sewer

Achoo Bwooit!

These songs were written over a period of four years, mainly culled from participation in both FAWM and 50 Songs in 90 Days! challenges. They were recorded using a Jay Turser JT-134 guitar, POD, and Janglebox. I wanted a really chiming jangle sound for this one--but not so much so that it sounds like a Byrds imitation.

Several of the songs had China related themes to them--most likely due to several trips I took in recent years, with Chunyun being the most explicit. It deals with the mass migration that takes place over the "Golden Weeks" when millions of migrant workers working in the cities travel back to their families.

Available at CDBaby and other fine digital stores near you!

Alternate Versions/Tracks

My Green Hat is based on a Chinese insult. I don't know why, but if you wear a green hat, it signifies that your wife is cheating on you. These tracks show the progression of My Green Hat as it takes its final form in Achoo Bwooit!

• FAWM demo of My Green Hat
• My Green Hat version 2
• My Green Hat Achoo Bwooit! final version

2001 - 2007

Odds and Ends Demos

Throughout the years we recorded a lot of crap. Some of it is interesting, some of it is stupid, and a lot of it is just plain awful. Many of these songs appeared in Current News, but we thought it would be nice to collect them all in one place.

We did a lot of songs written by people from the Rec.Music.Makers.Songwriting Usenet group. These were written by David F. Cox.

• Storms
• Strange Angels
• In the City
• Mirror Mirror
• Christmas Lights (not a Christmas song actually)
• Wind Blown Seed
• Siamese Fool

This one was written by Bill Chin.

• Miracle of Faith

Can't remember the name of the guy who wrote this one. Some guy posted asking for someone to put music to it, so we obliged.

• Last of Firsts

These are songs based on poems by Christina Rossetti.

• Weary in Well Doing
• When I am Dead, My Dearest

These are experiments with Chinese lyrics. The Chinese is so bad it is doubtful that any Chinese person can understand them.

• Practicing Chinese
• She is Not Home (Ta Bu Zai Jia)
• Chinesepod Lesson 17
• Chinesepod Lesson 42

And finally, these are songs that really didn't fit anywhere. Some of them were left off of CDs because they didn't fit. Some of these were knocked out for a specific project (like Nanowrimo). Some of these are pretty old.

• The RIAA and AISD... - We despise the RIAA (contains foul language).
• Nina - This was a Nanowrimo song.
• Kenny the Imbecile - Another Nanowrimo song.
• Emily Kane - Our one and only Art Brut 355 franchise cover.
• Don't Go - Not sure why we did this but it sucked.
• Down on Me - This one really sucked.
• If Someone Did - This was kind of a companion piece to Justine, but it never worked out.
• Nobody Likes Me
• This Time Tomorrow - this song actually uses the music we used for In the City, but we never liked this.
• I Split My Pants - This is one of Steven's very early songs written back in 1997(?). It was recorded on a Tascam 4-track.

2005

Track Listing

• This Land, Our Land
• Vincent Chin
• Lonely Street
• Day of the Locusts
• Halfway to the Grave
• Never Believed
• Uphill
• Dick Cheney Greets the World

I Live in Losertown

I oversleep again. I drag myself out of bed and hit the shower. I get dressed, not noticing my socks don't match. On my way to work, I listen to Kathleen Edwards in the car. My thoughts wander. I almost miss my exit--again.

I arrive at work and go inside. When I enter the office, I hurry to my cubicle, but I know everyone notices that I'm late again. I avoid looking at anyone's eyes.

I sit down and turn on my computer. I'm tired. I think about lunch already. I think I'll have a Big Mac. I listen to the Wallflowers and Tom Petty while I work.

Five o'clock finally comes and I'm already halfway down the steps. My chair is probably still spinning as I pull out of the parking lot. I listen to Paul Westerberg on my way home. This is my life. I live in losertown. Where do YOU live?

Listen to previews and buy the CD at CDBaby! Okay, now you can go have some ice cream.

Alternate Versions/Tracks

• Never Believed

Other Goodies

• Songbook (Microsoft Reader format) (Palm Format)

2002

Track Listing

• Fallen Trees
• My Porcelain Friend
• Mind The Gap
• London Girl
• The Swimmer
• As Good As It Gets
• Say Goodbye
• It's Not Hard
• If I Was Your Chair
• Justine
• You Smell Like Mexican Food
• Don't Wait Too Long
• My Key Buddy

Six Feet Under

Honest to goodness buttclenching sloppy guitar playing and Peter Brady voice-cracking. Listen to these thirteen songs from Six Feet Under, and you'll find your toe suddenly tapping, your flabs of fat spontaneously jiggling, and your various sagging body appendages swaying.

Listen to previews and buy the CD at CDBaby! Help the economy. Spend some money.

Alternate Versions/Tracks

• Fallen Trees (acoustic version)
• Mind the Gap (J. Barron produced version)
• London Girl (J. Barron produced version)
• Justine (as demoed by Gator Hole)

Other Goodies

• Songbook (Microsoft Reader format) (Palm format)

2000

Track Listing

• Amanda Gets Up
• Seven of Nine
• Won't Be Sad
• My Wife is a Slut
• The Last Time
• Won't Be Sad (Chipmunk remix)

Palookaville

The first CD released by Anomie Train in 2000 on the now defunct MP3.com--it went absolutely nowhere, mainly because it was the worse piece of crap in the history of music. It probably single-handedly brought down MP3.com--it was that amazingly putrid. May God forgive us for what we have wrought!

Alternate Versions/Tracks

• Seven of Nine