RECORD STORE TALES #933: Great Steaks, Shitty Music
Two things I take really, really seriously:
- How much I love my wife.
- Steaks.
We celebrated our latest anniversary at the revered Charcoal Steakhouse. Last year we didn’t really do anything, this year we said “fuck it” and decided to go out. Restaurants are not busy right now, which might be bad for business but is good for me. I’m antisocial on the best of non-pandemic days, so sitting in an empty room suited me just fine.
What did not suit me was the music. An endless stream of soundalike songs, almost all of which were autotuned. I identified one that sounded like Maroon 5, and all the rest of the songs were virtually the same. There was one that went “I’m good, I’m good, I’m good” over and over again. Another one featured a guy singing “I been messin’ around.” Great anniversary music!
Jen and I complained about how far modern music has sunk while we waited for our appetisers, some Parisian cheese toast. Then came the steaks. She ordered a peppercorn-crusted monstrosity while I went for the wagyu. The only wagyu I’d tasted before was Japanese A5, the best marbling score in the world. Charcoal serves an Australian MS7 steak. Still good, but not A5. There is simply no comparison between the two. I like to say that the Australian wagyu was the second best steak I ever had. It was cooked perfectly medium rare, and was so rich that it really didn’t need that pat of butter on the top! Everything was rich and I could only eat about half. The toast was thick with cheese, and my fries were done with parmesan and truffle oil. Everything was great. Awesome in fact. It just wasn’t Japanese A5.
The only thing that wasn’t awesome was that terrible music. Not one decent song came on the entire time we were there. I was doing this awkward head-bop dance thing that Jen found hilarious. The kind of thing I would only do in an empty room!
What I learned tonight was that there is a chunk of modern music out there that absolutely sucks. Who do I blame? The Maroon 5 guy? Why not. Adam Levine, I have legitimately enjoyed some of your music in the past. That song you did with Slash was the bomb. But this shit you’re putting out now sounds exactly like all the other garbage I heard. Garbage — the same notes, the same voices, no dynamics, no tension, no edge, no nothing! Just wishy-washy melodies massaged by software to sound exactly like everything else. It was truly awful.
Thank God the steaks weren’t!
mikeladano.com 
Those do look good! I’ve never heard of those steaks
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A reader earlier told us that wagyu means “Japanese steaks”. Truly the best in the world! Nothing like it.
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Must be like Kobe steaks. I heard they are great.
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Yeah they didn’t play Electrix Six last night…
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Man, steak is expensive! Nonetheless, I’m glad you guys had a wonderful anniversary! I love the bit at the end complaining about modern music, sorry you had to go through that though.
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Hahaha I looooove to complain about modern music. The stuff we heard last night was sooooo garbage. I identified the artists but didn’t want to name them, they don’t deserve the publicity.
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At least you didn’t mention Taylor Swift. I know her current music sucks, but if we say anything about it, her fans will fight back BIG TIME!!!
Wait, I already said something bad about her, oh well!
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Those steaks look great! Makes me a little jealous. When Mrs 80smetalman, her two granddaughters and I went to Newcastle two weeks ago, we went out to a restaurant and the slab of steak that came with my mixed grill looked and tasted like shoe leather. Sorry the music sucked for you.
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Nothing worse than spending good money on a bad steak. They’re getting more expensive all the time and a chef needs to take care and cook it right to order.
Bad steaks are almost as bad as modern music! ;)
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I think the two possibly go hand in hand.
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Dr.Martens perhaps? China or Thailand?
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Probably knockoff Doc Martens!
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I’m glad to hear you had an enjoyable anniversary meal. I’m also glad to hear that Australian steak is good. Got to keep up that national pride.
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It’s good, it is second best! That’s not bad at all.
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Regardless of the sappy music, glad the night was awesome for you Folk’s!
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Terrific night and I don’t think I need to eat again for another week.
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Thats what its about man…
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Still a wonderful night and man, that pat of butter is as big as the steak! LOL!!
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It was huuuuge. I think all the butter is still there on today’s leftovers!
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LOL!
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The Japanese steak is basically Australian steak that we imported to Japan. Lol.
Happy anniversary.
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Oh no they are completely different steaks. Nothing alike at all. Both called “wagyu” but the Japanese A5 is several grades above the Australian. Cost twice as much too.
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Me and my boyfriend ALWAYS do that! Complain about loud, shitty music. Particularly anything modern :) we always feel so old doing it, but honestly, everything nowadays is so awful and generic. I had fun reading your post! Cheese toast and steaks sound amazing, happy anniversary to you both! <3
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Thank you!! And you are right, I heard so much generic sound-alike music last night, it was ridiculous. It could have been one long song. In fact I asked my wife “is this still the same song?” The singers were all the same!
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Had this same discussion about modern music with a friend recently. Devoid of any natural goodness and creativity. Bland, unappetising fare. Just sent this article to him.
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Hah thanks for sharing it! You are right, bland and unappetizing. It was like music written by a computer. Probably performed by the same computer.
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You had 1 meal listening to that music. I had 5 years driving to Markham, Toronto, Hamilton and back..3 times a week with teen girls telling me to turn it up.
Luckily the 401 barriers stop the urge to swerve into the oncoming lane. ;)
At least when I took them to practice I got to go record shopping.
However then I had the pleasure of driving them home and listening to the same 20 songs over again. Good times.
I will say the female pop singers are better than the males.
They are allowed to blossom. Expand creatively as people. Have a unique look. Have a different sounding voice. Be empowered.
The males are vocal eunichs though. Record execs years ago decided that male pop vocalists should all sound like Drake. Why they chose him I do not know. They must have gotten together and decided to have them all sound like autotuned neutered crybaby robots with no emotion or any guts. Just go through the motions and run the song down the assembly line at Generic Pop Clap Inc
I was shocked when Aaron did posts recently about pop music. I seemed like the only one that despised most of it. The comments showed most liked it. Maybe you and I are different Mike.
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I am simply trying to expand my horizons, to see what the other side is up to. Just today I posted about Trisha Yearwood, so it ain’t just pop. Plus, I have a 10-year-old daughter who loves this new pop stuff so it behooves me to at least know who the big players are. Doesn’t mean I choose to listen to it, but I’ll hear it for review!
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You’ve put yourself into a new steak bracket, lol. *
I am right there with you in the shitty music rant. I have spent a glorious year and a half NOT being subjected to the piped in music at work. I’ve ranted several times on the KMA about it. People just want the mindless pap, a catchy tune where the lyrics don’t matter but they can tap their toes while they shop/wait for the dentist/buy stamps. It is a circle of Dante’s hell, IMHO.
* deep Corner Gas reference, for those in the know!
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My shock was how a bunch of comments were so positive toward the songs on your lists and not about you reviewing them.
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