tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-198104872024-03-13T11:01:22.981-07:00Distressful TidingsMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-27750569526006468802014-12-16T07:58:00.002-08:002014-12-16T07:58:39.953-08:00<ol>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
2014- Top Albums</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It was a down year for albums, I
think. There was lots of great music, but I would only call my #1
album here great. The rest range from really good to good, but they
all have some weak songs or filler. This led to the list being
filled by musicians who have previously released music better than
their new albums (Grouper, Ryan Adams, Pure X, etc). The three
team-ups were each revitalizing for everyone involved, and besides
Pinata they didn't get enough attention.</div>
</ol>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
ALSO NOTE: The D'Angelo album is
amazing, but I haven't had enough time to evaluate it. I'm certain it
would end up in my top 5, possibly my album of the year.
</div>
<br />
<ol>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Lykke Li – I Never Learn</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9q56b93fug" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/18/Lykke_Li_-_I_Never_Learn.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I wasn't even a Lykke Li fan until she
went all Zola Jesus on this one. Goth Lykke Li released one of the
most emotional and one of the most catchy albums I've heard in a
while</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ariana Grande – My Everything</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5qU7p7yOY8" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.popdust.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Ariana-Grande-My-Everything-Cover-Art_2014-06-29_03-09-55.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Don't shoot me but I like this album
better than Beyonce's latest. It's ok though I still like Queen Bey
more.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Fennesz – Becs</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdFksI52akk" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://factmag-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/fennesz-becs-review-5.5.2014.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Did no one else listen to this? Really
an excellent electronic/ambient album, reminds me of the olden days
of Gas and, well, Fennesz.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Beck – Morning Phase</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Broken Twin – May</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg8gs88W51o" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0003/714/MI0003714491.jpg?partner=allrovi.com" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Has the best top 5 songs of the year,
with some filler.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Eno/Hyde – High Life</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGUEVXqvCwM" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn2.pitchfork.com/news/55349/00c4217a.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Freddie Gibbs/Madlib – Pinata</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Pallbearer – Foundations of
Burden</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTTt-ikVJSk" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn2.pitchfork.com/news/56250/05b27725.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Nothing – Guilty of Everything</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjNyY9G3BBA" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.relapse.com/nothing/images/nothing_guilty-of-everything.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I like this more than Deafheaven from
last year, more shoegaze/less black metal.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Spoon – They Want My Soul</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Has a top 5 Spoon song ever (“Inside
Out”), but a bit uneven.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I have thought/talked about the career
of Ryan Adams more than any other musician in my life. I don't even
know what this would sound like to someone less indoctrinated into
his corpus/less privy to all his references.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Fatima Al Qadiri – Asiatisch</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjL05dtPEDc" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.residentadvisor.net/images/reviews/2014/hdblp024-fatimaalqadiri.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Makthaverskan – II</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fsDfn8Hz_w" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://consequenceofsound.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/makthaverskan.jpg?w=380&h=380&crop=1" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Swedish pop-punk!</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
YG – My Krazy Life</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My favorite LDR album
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Posse – Soft Opening </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcgzgxZs2ss" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.pitchfork.com/albums/20338/homepage_large.ef0f458d.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Look it's Yo La Tengo II! I hope to
enjoy you for the next 25 years, Posse.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Babyface/Toni Braxton – Love,
Marriage, and Divorce</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7lEorjFzTk" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/Love,marriage%26divorce.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Pure X - Angel</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Tony Molina – Dissed and
Dismissed</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRCXGT8dTmo" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn3.pitchfork.com/albums/20287/homepage_large.24b035e7.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It's the new Weezer album! Wait, old
Weezer released an album this year?
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sturgill Simpson – Metamodern
Sounds in Country Music</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Grouper – Ruins</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sadder than the Sun Kil Moon record.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
VHS Head – Persistence of Vision</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDCtJx0M3b8" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://images.junostatic.com/full/CS530541-01A-BIG.jpg" height="320" width="313" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Winning this year's Jam City award for
glitchy music to grade to</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Frankie Cosmos – Zentropy</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw9PKoe0t2U" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0003/720/MI0003720990.jpg?partner=allrovi.com" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Really good and earnest, reminds me a
bit of teenage girl Jonathan Richman.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Modern Baseball – You're Gonna
Miss it All</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Wish this came out when I was in high
school. It sounds like it did.
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
How to Dress Well – What is This
Heart</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I hated this when I first heard it
because I wanted more traditional white-boy soul, but it grew on me.
I still want more traditional white-boy soul though (looking at you
Autre ne Veut). </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
</li>
</ol>
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-71717681670384069202014-01-05T10:34:00.002-08:002014-01-06T11:30:22.921-08:00Here's a list, in no particular order, of some of my favorite songs of 2013. NOTE: I excluded all songs from my favorite albums list and emphasized on songs that I encountered on an individual basis, partially because I didn't want to list every Daft Punk song. Again, no order whatsoever, although the Mariah, Broken Twin, Banks, and Julia Holter songs are among my absolute faves.<br />
<br />
Ian Isaih - Freak U Down<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0d70ExQAdY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0d70ExQAdY</a><br />
Ciara - Body Party<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/B9rSBcoX9ak?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Phosphorescent- The Quotidian Beasts<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/H3PHDLMAacY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Tweens - Be Mean<br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/meantweens/tweens-be-mean">https://soundcloud.com/meantweens/tweens-be-mean</a><br />
<br />
Denzel Curry - Threatz<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/vwnVI_x5g0I/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/vwnVI_x5g0I&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/vwnVI_x5g0I&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
Todd Terje - Strandbar<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/uEhge2_L9tI/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/uEhge2_L9tI&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/uEhge2_L9tI&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
Hop Along - Sister Cities<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/9yiuFlp7FJ8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Mapei - Don't Wait<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/33mjGmfy7PA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Eagulls - Nerve Endings<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/KhralB8bCL8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The xx - Together</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/yoj2I6ZJLx8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
FKA Twigs - Water Me<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/kFtMl-uipA8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Justin Timberlake - Strawberry Bubblegum<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/PRXCfOYnSZM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Low - So Blue<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/wE-DqouPy2Q?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Ace Hood - Bugatti<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/djE-BLrdDDc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Broken Twin - Out of Air<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/erxqhntXBow?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Mariah Carey ft. Miguel - #Beautiful<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/oe1wtkkt9-E?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Soft Metals - Tell Me<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/QKkTldCL5zk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
2 Chainz - Feds Watching<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/NttlPwNKd_M/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/NttlPwNKd_M&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/NttlPwNKd_M&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
Julia Holter - World<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/BmT7GKPsxto?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Sean Nicholas Savage - Lonely Woman<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/u9uqc_uQWgc/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/u9uqc_uQWgc&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/u9uqc_uQWgc&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
Var - The World Fell<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/6BBQp7vNm6E?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Day<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/bd0K76H7sU8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Ariana Grande - Honeymoon Avenue<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZuRaETs7ti4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Vampire Weekend - Step<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/_mDxcDjg9P4/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_mDxcDjg9P4&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_mDxcDjg9P4&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
Basement Jaxx - What a Difference Your Love Makes<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/9z8tpaxaipU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Divine Fits - Ain't That the Way<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/92XxcpuxEYk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Sophie - Bipp<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/MVc3Z-bG6Eo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
CHVRCHES - Lies<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/81RqEnvczV8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Savages - She Will<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/kebq-cENNn0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Chris Malinchak - So Good To Me<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/oVcG9lpZV24?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Banks - Waiting Game<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/IaI5JCxOCdw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
100s - Life of a Mack<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/QW_b7j4msGE/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/QW_b7j4msGE&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/QW_b7j4msGE&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
Odonis Odonis - Are We Friends<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/LomJocZngFI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
RaVaughn - Best Friend<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/m7JFan-hUKc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Ghost BC - Year Zero<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/gkBt7yLXyDk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Pure Bathing Culture - Dream the Dare<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/PxCeCWecDOE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-17176771078787754342013-12-23T10:29:00.002-08:002013-12-23T10:29:43.891-08:001. <a href="https://soundcloud.com/majmun/exclu-daft-punk-give-life-back" target="_blank">Daft Punk - Random Access Memories</a><br />
<br />
Give in. Lose yourself to dance. "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMt3SzAH_i0" target="_blank">I am the beginning, the end, the one who is many... I am Random Access Memories.</a>"<br />
<br />
2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTnWc1QyBJQ" target="_blank">My Bloody Valentine - m b v</a><br />
<br />
How amazing is this album? What would they have had to do not to be overlooked in the 8-15 range on year end lists?<br />
<br />
3. <a href="http://www.stereogum.com/1353152/kanye-west-new-slaves/top-stories/lead-story/" target="_blank">Kanye West - Yeezus</a><br />
<br />
4. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CT3OOVacHo&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLZhs3K58vXJ-ody-B4_qZZkl6KO874LZz" target="_blank">Rhye - Woman</a><br />
<br />
They delivered on those early singles and how.<br />
<br />
5. <a href="https://soundcloud.com/hhbtm-records/joanna-gruesome-lemonade-girl" target="_blank">Joanna Gruesome - Weird Sisters</a><br />
<br />
Such a perfect band for me: silly retro 90s tweecore<br />
<br />
6. <a href="https://soundcloud.com/unvael/boards-of-canada-reach-for-the" target="_blank">Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest</a><br />
<br />
7. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO39E31iXm0" target="_blank">Moonface - Julia with Blue Jeans on</a><br />
<br />
Devastating. Also maybe the only outright sad album on my list?<br />
<br />
8. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VnRrIVQMaY" target="_blank">Yuck - Glow and Behold</a><br />
<br />
Amazing to lose your band lead/singer and make what MAY be a BETTER album? Gin Blossoms shit right there.<br />
<br />
9. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aed6VatCHUY" target="_blank">Danny Brown - Old</a><br />
<br />
Listen to it as an album.<br />
<br />
10. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTuxswB_Rew" target="_blank">Julianna Barwick - Nepenthe</a><br />
<br />
Ditto.<br />
<br />
11. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODyWKkDBb4U" target="_blank">Austra - Olympia</a><br />
<br />
Has maybe my favorite 5-song set of the year, but with some filler. so #witchy<br />
<br />
12. Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time<br />
<br />
13. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfZMvTHJLUs" target="_blank">Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe</a><br />
<br />
So cool.<br />
<br />
14. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ9Xk0sr_Eo" target="_blank">Caitlin Rose - The Stand-In</a><br />
<br />
It took a lot to get me interested in an alt-country album. Caitlin did it. <br />
<br />
15. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRJwTS_2M5M" target="_blank">Blood Ceremony - The Eldritch Dark</a><br />
<br />
My favorite metal album of the year sounds more like Jethro Tull than Deafheaven<br />
<br />
16. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhFl3Mr66Dk" target="_blank">Pure X - Crawling up the Stairs</a><br />
<br />
Fav Austin band releases their best record.<br />
<br />
17. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV9O17Fy7Wk" target="_blank">Zola Jesus - Versions</a><br />
<br />
Better than the originals.<br />
<br />
18. Haim - Days are Gone<br />
<br />
19. Pusha T - My Name is My Name<br />
<br />
20. The Knife - Shaking the Habitual<br />
<br />
So good, so hard to listen to.<br />
<br />
21. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YkjMeKZcA8" target="_blank">Factory Floor - S/T</a><br />
<br />
Totally delivered on all the debut hype.<br />
<br />
22. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97OYmdrLAgs" target="_blank">Potty Mouth - Hell Bent </a><br />
<br />
Amazing sloppy debut. Band I most want to hang out with.<br />
<br />
23. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeVHdLaXn8Q" target="_blank">Colleen Green - Sock it To Me</a><br />
<br />
Always overlooked because of deceptive simplicity.<br />
<br />
24. <a href="https://soundcloud.com/myfabolouslife/cassie-ft-fabolous-i-love-it" target="_blank">Cassie - Rock a Bye Baby</a><br />
<br />
My favorite R&B nasty girl releases an excellent DRRTY mixtape<br />
<br />
25. Eleanor Friedberger - Personal Record<br />
<br />
I forgot; this should be higher but I'm too lazy to change this list.<br />
<br />
26. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvrO1kI5FHw" target="_blank">Califone - Stitches</a><br />
<br />
It bums me out that everyone overlooks califone when they consistently release excellent records.<br />
<br />
27. Darkside - Psychic<br />
<br />
28. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4shU_0uNSc" target="_blank">Autre Ne Veut - Anxiety</a><br />
<br />
29. Psychic Teens - Come<br />
<br />
BAUHAUS 2<br />
<br />
30. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO2gm29rI7E" target="_blank">Laura Marling - Once I Was an Eagle</a><br />
<br />
I know I'm forgetting stuff, sorry! Honorable Mentions include over-anticipated releases from FIDLAR, CHVRCHES, Mazzy Star, Savages, and Julia Holter. Those albums were good but not as good as I wanted them to be. Also still need to process the Beyonce.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-37975286796886509922013-12-20T08:30:00.000-08:002013-12-20T09:21:13.255-08:00Some of my Favorite Music Videos of 2013<br />
I know I forgot a lot.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NaTjaW5BrY" target="_blank">Odonis Odonis - Better</a><br />
This is a cheap, unoriginal music video, but I love how it reminds me of old Austra videos, and the cult dancing is solid. The cheap masks are pretty creepy too.<br />
<br />
Dizzee Rascal - I Don't Need a Reason<br />
As absurd and awesome as the song<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/AlzgDVLtU6g?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed0BMSfEwuI" target="_blank">Solange - Loves in the Parking Lot</a><br />
Solange seems to do no wrong.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ed0BMSfEwuI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmRI3Ew4BvA" target="_blank">Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege</a><br />
The fancy reverse narration doesn't get in the way of a good music video.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/jmRI3Ew4BvA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Ciara - Body Party<br />
Sexy song, sexy video<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/B9rSBcoX9ak?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Haim - Falling<br />
Oh just some cute Stevie Nicks wannabes in what seems to be a witchy Abercrombie and Fitch shoot? YES PLEASE<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/AIjVpRAXK18?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tzKE31JQXY" target="_blank">Pissed Jeans - Romanticize Me</a><br />
Simple idea flawlessly executed<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/8tzKE31JQXY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Ghost BC - Year Zero<br />
Nice Mini-horror movie for a really catchy pop song.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/gkBt7yLXyDk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Pusha T feat Kendrick Lamar - Nosetalgia<br />
Simple and in your face<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/vKcRsZHz_6E/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/vKcRsZHz_6E&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/vKcRsZHz_6E&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nsKDJlpUbA" target="_blank">Disclosure - When A Fire Starts to Burn</a><br />
Maybe it takes a sermon to get me into Disclosure?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/4nsKDJlpUbA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
No Joy - Hare Tarot Lies<br />
Love the creepiness of this video.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/7WYDMj_sCFg/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/7WYDMj_sCFg&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/7WYDMj_sCFg&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axQ7CRJNti0" target="_blank">Mykki Blanco- Kingpinning</a><br />
My favorite visual rapper makes so many great videos. This one is his most simple, making the basic rap video interesting, His live show with Boychild was transcendent.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/axQ7CRJNti0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Beach House - Wishes<br />
Still pretty bored by Beach House, but every Eric Wareheim video is must-see<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OS6duOoxctw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Savages - Shut Up</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Best live performance video, I think... but I think I'm forgetting something.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/FuIB8HEmnoY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
CHVRCHES - Lies</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Their videos got a little too slick for me, but I like the Depeche Mode vibe here</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/81RqEnvczV8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Blood Orange - Time Will Tell</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Huge fan of people-dancing-alone videos</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-18J8lGJeLo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Austra - Reconcile</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
THIS TEACHER IS AWESOME</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ARoXLP5PpRI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Taylor Swift - 22</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Don't Pretend you don't like it. I want her T Shirt</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/AgFeZr5ptV8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Milosh - Slow Down</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So simple and emotional and great</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/BNQocK7bGE8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Joanna Gruesome<br />
This and the next video are my favorites of the year, and weirdly similar.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/sWGoZaQ7ZEg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
LIZ - U Over Them</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I want this on repeat forever.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/FKg1RjjEH_o/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/FKg1RjjEH_o&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/FKg1RjjEH_o&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-62623232889161328672013-03-02T12:46:00.002-08:002013-03-02T12:47:14.261-08:00Top 10 Movies of 2012<br />
<ol>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
The Kid
with a Bike</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
The only
masterpiece this year is the best movie by the most consistently
great filmmakers of the century. A movie that makes all other
Dardenne movies better in retrospect, and inherits Bresson's title
of secular scripture. Stages the best miracle in film that I can
think of offhand.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
The Master</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
After trying to
make the Western perverse with <i>There Will Be Blood</i>
(hint: it already was), Anderson takes on the other great American
genre: the Romance. Still doesn't quite earn the relationship that
the actors give it (is that a genre convention?), but the motorcycle
scene is special, as is the “Slow Boat to China” scene, if
unearned.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
Damsels in
Distress</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
Stillman once
again manages to show compassion for his characters while decidedly
not identifying with them; in other words, the opposite of the
alt-American comedic tradition of Woody Allen and Wes Anderson
(closer to Altman). Realism is not the point in a movie that is about
frivolity.</div>
</li>
</ol>
<ol start="4">
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
5 Broken
Cameras</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
The best
documentary I saw all year also tells one of the best narratives. An
incredibly explicit political film also tells an incredibly personal
story. A better film about filmmaking than “This is Not a Film.”
I can't believe that Sugar Man bullshit won the Academy Award.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
Zero Dark
Thirty</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
The antithesis
of <i>Zodiac</i> does a better job
telling us just what someone would do for certainty, and it is more
terrible than I could imagine. The “100%” scene is so dark and
politically disturbing, and the final shots are among the most
haunting of the year. People who criticize this film's politics don't
seem to appreciate how open it is to letting them articulate their
problems with it. You can't make a politically “correct” film
about counter-terrorism and have it be any good.</div>
</li>
</ol>
<ol start="6">
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
The Deep
Blue Sea</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
Prometheus</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
The inverse of
<i>Alien. </i>Whereas <i>Alien</i>
was excellent for its claustrophobia, <i>Prometheus </i>makes
us afraid of openness. <i>Alien </i>was
tight and focused; <i>Prometheus </i>is
convoluted and all over the place. But the movie's pessimism is
profoundly affecting, beautif<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">ul
and uncompromisimg. Shaw's faith is appropriately underexplained and
unflinching. Appropriate quote from </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Melancholia</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">
(which would be a good double-feature partner): “</span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
earth is evil. We don't need to grieve for it.”</span></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<ol start="8">
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
Django
Unchained</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
Not a great
film, but its cruelty and brutality confirms that <i>Inglourious
Basterds</i> was. Tarantino's
interview with Gates is worth a read. Worthy of all the debate it
has created.
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
Bernie</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
Jack Black
gives the best acting performance in several years. A darkly
hilarious movie that gets explores religiosity and sexuality without
getting preachy or reductive.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
Ruby Sparks</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
I have no
defense for liking this rom-com that most people I respect will
despise. I think it does a great job of deconstructing the
Manic-Pixie-Dreamgirl fetish, though, even while engaging with it
(wouldn't it have to?). And towards the end it contains a perverse
scene of cruelty the likes of which every Romantic Comedy should
aspire to.
</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-10838013793546443812012-12-21T09:09:00.001-08:002012-12-21T09:13:59.532-08:00Top Tracks of 2012 On reflection, it seems my favorite songs of the year fall into two general categories: intimate, introspective ballads (xx, rhye, perfume genius), and agressively fun/loud party songs (solange, drake, FIDLAR).<br />
1. The xx - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYXejsku99Q">Angels</a><br />
I don't understand how this song, and this album, didn't get more credit/buzz. I want this song to become a standard that is covered in hotel lobbies after several decades.<br />
2. Perfume Genius - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOpkr8uNWpk">Hood</a><br />
Beautiful, heartbreaking.<br />
3. TRUST - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuiKeaqERTU">Sulk</a><br />
The best song from the best new band of 2012. Like a better, darker Depeche Mode single.<br />
4. Solange - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy9W_mrY_Vk">Losing You</a><br />
Best pop song/video of the year.<br />
5. FIDLAR - <a href="http://vimeo.com/50000811">Cheap Beer</a><br />
So glad they could best last year's excellent "Wake Bake Skate." Makes me want to skateboard/be 19.<br />
6. Rhye - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CT3OOVacHo">Open (Living Room Version)</a><br />
I also considered the excellent "The Fall," as well as the studio version of this song, which was unfortunately (but appropriately) used for that Victoria's Secret commercial. But this stripped down acoustic version shows just how lovely and sexy the songwriting is.<br />
7. Japandroids - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRVCtbfuDqw">The House that Heaven Built</a><br />
First heard this live in the Fall of 2011, and haven't been able to shake it since.<br />
8. Fiona Apple - <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fionaapple/werewolf">Werewolf</a><br />
9. Angel Haze - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgejmc4TulI">New York (King Krule Rework)</a><br />
A remix that really transforms the original while staying true to it.<br />
10.Sky Ferreira - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jtTeMgWNhA">Everything is Embarrassing </a><br />
11. Drake (f. Lil Wayne) - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYDKK95cpfM">The Motto</a><br />
No but seriously.<br />
12. King Tuff - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eghg8092l_E">Bad Thing</a><br />
Makes me want to start a band. It would be fun!<br />
13. Light Asylum - <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mexicansummer/light-asylum-shallow-tears">Shallow Tears (12" version)</a><br />
14. Dum Dum Girls - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3f9ZiH6Euw">Lord Knows</a> AND Divine Fits - <a href="https://soundcloud.com/divinefits/09-shivers">Shivers</a><br />
Two great songs that pay homage to "Shivers" by the Boys Next Door - My most listened-to track of 2012 by far.<br />
15. Father John Misty - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtOToiIDNRA">Hollywood Forever Cemerey Sings</a><br />
16. Chromatics - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hYPk5m6uuM">These Streets Will Never Look the Same</a><br />
Better than "Kill for Love," which is saying something.<br />
17. Metz - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krGDNbT4CSE">Wet Blanket</a><br />
18. Jeremih - <a href="https://soundcloud.com/shlohmo/jeremih-fuck-u-all-the-time">Fuck You All the Time (Shlomo Remix)</a><br />
Thanks for the tip John!<br />
19. Andy Stott - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh2k6yldXTE">Numb</a><br />
20. A Place to Bury Strangers - <a href="https://soundcloud.com/alegakis-vaggelis/a-place-to-bury-strangers">Onwards to the Wall</a><br />
Why did no one talk about this EP? Sounds like vintage JAMCMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-65918690930963649362011-12-17T10:00:00.000-08:002011-12-17T10:03:42.053-08:002011 Top albumsWithout frills, pictures, or further ado: <br /><br />1. The Beach Boys – SMiLE Sessions<br />You know that line from Barenaked Ladies' “Brian Wilson”: “just listening and re-listening / to Smiley-Smile”? That's me. <br />2. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost<br />At first I was disappointed with the album after the obvious greatness of “Vomit,” but while not all the songs are as grandiose, they all develop into much more than they seem. <br />3. The Weeknd – House of Balloons / Thursday<br />4. Beyonce – 4<br />My top 25 songs of the year would have 3 from this album. Could be even higher if it weren't for that atrocious first single.<br />5. Beirut – The Rip Tide<br />By far my favorite Beirut album comes when he ditches the fancy instrumentation and lets his songwriting (and voice) come through relatively unadorned. <br />6. M83 – Hurry Up, We're Dreaming<br />7. Bon Iver – S/T<br />8. Real Estate – Days<br />Pretty standard 90s-sounding alt-rock (Yo La Tengo?) executed to perfection. Yes, thank you.<br />9. Destroyer - Kaputt<br />10. King Creosote and Jon Hopkins – Diamond Mine<br />Not sure why no one (besides embarrassing NPR) is into this album.<br />11. Eleanor Friedberger – Last Summer<br />So much preferable to any Fiery Furnaces album, to me. A big surprise for me.<br />12. Ryan Adams – Ashes and Fire<br />Best Ryan Adams album since Jacksonville City Nights. That maybe isn't saying much, but I'm impressed.<br />13. Cloud Nothings – S/T<br />Every year there's some new indie rock band (usually teenagers) that makes me nostalgic for high school and getting excited about some energetic but flawed “rock” album (see also: #25). It's silly and my friends rarely identify with these picks. <br />14. Apparat – The Devil's Walk<br />15. The Rapture – In The Grace of Your Love<br />Rapture deliver again. Not sure what happened to them in pop/hipster consciousness. Is this how 30-somethings talk about Wilco?<br />16. Kendrick Lamar – Section 80<br />Wonderful samples and laid-back flow. <br />17. Escort – Escort<br />I love disco unironically. <br />18. Teirus Nash - 1977<br />19. James Blake – S/T<br />Everyone seems to have forgotten about poor darling James Blake. James, I never loved you, but I didn't forget you either. <br />20. Tycho – Dive<br />Not exciting but infinitely listenable and never boring.<br />21. Cults – S/T<br />22. Jens Lekman – An Argument With Myself<br />Jens has a spot reserved on any year-end list for me, even if all he releases is a silly little EP.<br />23. Drake – Take Care<br />24. Wild Flag – Wild Flag<br />25. Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong<br /><br />Also, like Nick, I found myself listening more and more to ambient or modern classical music while I worked. It is hard to rate these "ignorable" or "mood" albums alongside the pop albums above, so I'll just list them (in no order) below:<br /><br />Olafur Arnalds – Living Room Songs<br />Swod – Drei<br />Disk Jokke – Sagara<br />Blanck Mass – S/T<br />Hauschka – Youyoume<br />Bohren and Der Club of Gore - BeileidMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-2979162398187960572011-01-04T08:32:00.000-08:002011-01-04T08:34:49.506-08:00TOP ALBUMS 2010I have a suspicion that this is by far my most vanilla list, especially at the top. Does this mean I am getting old and my tastes are getting stale? Maybe. I will post my top tracks later if I have time. <br />1.The National – High Violet<br />2.Arcade Fire – The Suburbs<br />3.Belle and Sebastian – Write about Love<br />4.Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part II<br />5.Warpaint – The Fool<br />6.Girls – Broken Dreams Club EP<br />7.LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening<br />8.Hot Chip – One Life Stand<br />9.Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy<br />10.Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles<br />11.Antony and the Johnsons - Swanlights<br />12.The Drums – The Drums<br />13.Cloud Nothings – Leave You Forever EP<br />14.Baths - Cerulean<br />15.Dom – Sun Bronzed Greek Gods EP<br />16.Diamond Rings – Special Affections<br />17.Matthew Dear – Black City<br />18.Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt / Sometimes the Blues... EP<br />19.Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti – Before Today<br />20.Caribou - Swim<br />21.Anoraak – Wherever the Sun Sets<br />22.The Radio Dept.- Clinging to a Scheme<br />23.Fang Island – Fang Island<br />24.Michael Mayer – Immer 3<br />25.Kisses – Heart of the Nightlife<br />26.Clinic - Bubblegum<br />27.Pantha du Prince – Black Noise<br />28.Teen Daze – Four More Years / Beach Dreams EP<br />29.Jamie Lidell - Compass<br />30.Prins Thomas – Prins ThomasMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-31957833939824491502009-09-25T12:32:00.000-07:002009-09-25T12:33:42.271-07:00TOP 100 of the DECADE!!!!!Here they are. This still doesn't make much sense to me, either, but it was fun in the making. For the sake of my sanity, I discounted all live albums, compilation albums, and EPs. So that discounts Alive 2007, After Dark, and Heron King Blues, among others. I don't want to copy/paste everything, so I'm starting with #1. Sorry. And I only wrote what I felt needed explanation.<br />When I was making this list, I discovered that most of the albums here fit into one of a few categories of music, which roughly describe my evolution of taste of the decade. They are:<br />“Alternative Rock” - Bands like Beck, The White Stripes, Wilco, The Strokes: stuff that magazines like Spin would cover early in the decade. I was listening to this stuff in high school, and the best of these albums stuck with me to today.<br />“Indie Rock” - Bands like Wolf Parade, The Shins, The Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene: stuff that pitchfork and myself were into around the middle of the decade. I discovered most of this stuff as an undergrad, and while some of this stuff has aged well, the more cutsey stuff has not.<br />“Dance” -Bands like Hot Chip, Chromeo, Hercules and LCD Soundsystem. I listened to these starting in late college, when my attitude toward music became less emotional or whimsical and more pragmatic; I wanted music that was fun and made me want to dance. To a large extent this is still my attitude towards a lot of music I listen to, or at least the music I want to go see live. I am generally tired of going to see sad bastards or noise experiments. <br />“Minimal/Drone” - Bands like Sunn O))), Pantha du Prince, Espers: As a grad student, “good background music” has ceased to be a perjorative description. I find myself listening more and more to ambient compositions, minimal techno, and drone metal. This kind of music is great for reading/writing, or even just setting the mood for the rest of my life. I also like the inclusion of noise or avant-garde elements; I'm not just listening to smooth jazz here. <br /><br /><br />Top 50 Albums 2000-2009<br />1.Brian Wilson-SMiLE (2004)<br />I know that lots of people would discount this as an album of the 2000s, since it was supposed to be recorded/released in the late 60s. But I'm pretty sure I would not like the “real” Smile nearly as much as I LOVE this album. The old, broken Brian Wilson gives the descriptor “teenage symphony to God” a whole new meaning; his breaking voice gives the sad overtones that I read into lots of bubblegum-y Beach Boys songs. One of the two sublime experiences of my life involves this song; it was a dream that took the form of a rock film (a la The Wall) to this album. (At the time I was listening to it multiple times a day, every day). Needless to say, this album transcends “just good music” for me and comes to be as close as I have to evangelical religious beliefs. I can't say enough. <br />2.Daft Punk-Discovery (2001)<br />3.Junior Senior-Hey Hey My My Yo Yo (2005)<br />Yes, it has staying power. Every song on this album (besides the into, but I like that too) has been my favorite song. I have choreographed dances to these songs in my bedroom. One of my favorite capital-P Pop albums ever.<br />4.Beck – Sea Change (2002)<br />Ranks up there with Blood on the Tracks as one of the best break-up albums ever. I'm not sure why this didn't age well in the critical consciousness; it sounds so timeless and perfect to me.<br />5.Wilco-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2000)<br />6.The Strokes-Is This It (2001)<br />7.Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker (2000)<br />8.Broken Social Scene-You Forgot it In People (2002)<br />9.Radiohead – Kid A (2000)<br />10.Okkervil River-Black Sheep Boy (2005)<br />My relationship with this album is not rational, and probably not healthy.<br />11.Clipse-Hell Hath No Fury (2006)<br />At the end of 2006, I put this new release on my year-end list unsure whether it would drop or rise after more listens. The latter was definitely the case. For some reason rap albums usually don't age well with me, but this has had such staying power that I love it more now than ever.<br />12.Wolf Parade-Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005)<br />13.The Avalanches – Since I Left You (2000)<br />14.Jens Lekman-Nights Over Kortedala (2007)<br />15.Belle and Sebastian-The Life Pursuit (2006)<br />It's a little strange that the highest album by what may be my favorite band didn't crack the top 10, but I think that just speaks to B&S's history and consistency.<br />16.Hot Chip – The Warning (2006)<br />17.Spoon – Kill the Moonlight (2002)<br />So many Spoon albums, so few spots.<br />18.M83-Dead Citites, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts (2003)<br />19.JJ – No. 2 (2009)<br />This is my highest album for 2009. I know that this process is not fair to recent albums, which haven't had time to percolate and attain classic status. I just couldn't justify placing any album higher than this, although I believe that 2009 is one of the better music years of the decade (along with 2001 and 2005).<br />20.Elliott Smith-Figure 8 (2000)<br />21.Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004)<br />Seems low? I just don't have the religious attitude toward these guys that lots of people do. That doesn't mean that I don't think this album is fantastic, though. Perhaps more offensive would be universally loved albums that are not anywhere on this list (Sufjan, CYHSY, Bjork).<br />22.Antony & the Johnsons – The Crying Light (2009)<br />23.Lindstrom and Prins Thomas – S/T <br />24.Air – The Virgin Suicides <br />I count this “soundtrack” because it is all original music by a single artist. And it is fantastic. Air's best output of the decade. Much better than a pretty good movie.<br />25.Animal Collective – Feels <br />Highest AC album. Does this make sense to anyone else? Why should I have to order these?<br />26.Spoon – Gimme Fiction<br />27.Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out<br />Is this my favorite Yo La Tengo album? Yes. But it doesn't even really sound like Yo La Tengo! I know, and it is a wonderful digression, perfect for driving around suburbs on summer nights.<br />28.LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver (2007)<br />29.Hercules and Love Affair – S/T (2008)<br />30.Pains of Being Pure at Heart – S/T (2009)<br />31.The Concretes – S/T (2003)<br />32.The Shins-Oh Inverted World (2001)<br />33.Fleet Foxes – S/T (2008)<br />34.Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)<br />35.Ryan Adams-Gold (2001)<br />36.Johnny Cash - American IV: Man comes Around (2002)<br />Do I love this album more than I should?<br />37.Broken Social Scene – S/T (2005)<br />I think that this album is pretty criminally underrated. I even forgot about it for a while. I think this has to do with just how epic and timeless their previous album is, and how messy this one is. But it's a beautiful mess.<br />38.Jay Z – The Blueprint (2000) <br />39.Bob Dylan – Love and Theft (2001)<br />40.Modest Mouse – Moon and Antarctica (2000)<br />41.M83 - Before the Dawn Heals Us (2005)<br />42.The Knife-Deep Cuts (2004)<br />43.White Stripes – White Blood Cells (2001)<br />I don't really listen to the White Stripes much anymore, but I can't help but smiling when “Dead Leaves and Dirty Ground” kicks off the album. It takes me back to high school.<br />44.Sonic Youth – Murray Street (2002)<br />45.Studio – Yearbook 1 (2007)<br />46.Cat Power- The Greatest (2006)<br />This album has dropped off quite a bit from when I listed it as my favorite album of '06. I'm not sure why; maybe I listened to it too much, or maybe my tastes have changed. Or maybe it was that awful use in My Blueberry Nights, or the other musical crimes that Chan Marshall has committed since then.<br />47.Outkast-Speakerboxx/Love Below (2003)<br />I'm white; it's my favorite Outkast album.<br />48.Animal Collective – Sung Tongs (2004)<br />49.Mum – Yesterday was Dramatic, Today is OK (2000)<br />50.Boris and Sunn O))) – Altar (2006)<br />This has really grown on me, to the point that it has become an essential winter reading/writing experience for me.<br />51.Burial – Untrue (2007)<br />52.Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus (2004)<br />53.Dandy Warhols – 13 Tales from Urban Bohemia (2000)<br />Nostalgia pick? I don't know. But this album is still intensely listenable to me.<br />54.Ratatat – Mixtape #1 (2004)<br />This is one of my most-listened-to albums of the decade. And yes, it's just a remix album, but the remixes are so consistent and also have a really unified sound. It sounds like an album, and the rappers give Ratatat an edge that I think they desperately need. My favorite Kanye West song becomes much better on this album.<br />55.Of Montreal – Aldhil's Arboretum (2002)<br />56.Chromeo-Fancy Footwork (2007)<br />I love this a lot more now than I did when I put it near the bottom of my year-end list at the time. Instant dance party.<br />57.Badly Drawn Boy – Hour of Bewilderbeast (2000)<br />58.Panda Bear-Person Pitch (2007)<br />Hasn't aged as well as I thought it would.<br />59.The Books – Thought for Food (2002)<br />How can I pick one Books album above the others? I take this as my representative.<br />60.Pantha du Prince-This Bliss (2007)<br />I didn't hear this album until the year after it came out, so it wasn't eligible for the year-end list. But I immediately fell in love with it when I heard it. This Bliss has what other minimal techno albums always seem to lack—that album feel. This also has a warm feel whereas other very-good albums by Ellen Allien and others feel really cold. <br />61.Dirty Projectors-Bitte Orca (2009)<br />62.Jens Lekman – Oh you're so Silent Jens (2005)<br />63.Belle and Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003)<br />64.Architecture in Helsinki – In Case We Die (2005)<br />Pretty huge fall for my co-album of 2005, the best music year of the decade. I think that my penchant for “indie” is pretty dead by now. That doesn't mean I don't still really enjoy this album, though; it's so intricate, catchy, and fun. They put on a surprisingly good live show, too, which sounds like what I hear Los Campesinos! do.<br />65.DFA79 – You're a Woman, I'm a Machine (2004)<br />66.Justice – Cross (2007)<br />I knew that blog-house was a fad even when I followed it religiously. But I think that fad-ness of the genre led me to disrespect Justice, who were by far the slickest and trendiest of all the blog-house icons. But after a few years and a lot of bad blog-house, I can finally recognize how great of an album this really is. <br />67.Califone – Roots and Crowns (2006)<br />68.M83 – Saturdays=Youth (2008)<br />69.Explosions in the Sky-Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die... (2001)<br />70.Coldplay – Parachutes (2001)<br />Seriously, this is a really good album. I don't care about all the negative musical trends that came out of it. I think it's funny that the biggest band of the decade could start out with an album so small and intimate in scope.<br />71.Jay Z - American Gangster (2007)<br />72.Tom Waits – Real Gone (2004)<br />73.Air - Talkie Walkie (2004)<br />74.The Rapture-Pieces of the People We Love (2006)<br />75.The Rapture – Echoes (2003)<br />I don't even know where to put these albums in relation to each other/the rest, but they definitely both make the list. When did the Rapture lose their hipster cred?<br />76.Lindstrom – Where You Go I Go Too (2008)<br />77.Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell (2003)<br />When this first came out, I was disappointed with the more mellow songs that dominated the second half of the album. That makes sense, considering how much I loved the EP. As the decade has progressed, though, I've realized that the album's genius is not in the snotty punk but those late ballads. <br />78.Espers – II (2006)<br />79.Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion (2009)<br />80.Junior Boys – So This is Goodbye (2006)<br />81.Devendra Banhart-Rejoicing in the Hands (2004)<br />Which Devendra Banhart albums make the list, and which don't? It's an unfair process, especially for Devendra, who kind of exists outside my critical consciousness.<br />82.Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)<br />Hasn't aged that well. <br />83.Stephen Malkmus – S/T (2001)<br />I really enjoy every Malkmus album when it comes out, but then I forget about them pretty quickly later. Except this one. Is it because it was the first, and I treated it more like a Pavement album?<br />84.Jason Forrest – Shamelessly Exciting (2005)<br />!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />85.Mogwai-Rock Action (2001)<br />86.Okkervil River-Stand Ins (2008)<br />87.Black Mountain – S/T (2005)<br />88.Spoon-Girls Can Tell (2001)<br />89.Herbert -Scale (2006)<br />90.Basement Jaxx – Rooty (2001)<br />91.Devendra Banhart – Cripple Crow (2005)<br />92.The Roots – Phrenology (2002)<br />93.New Pornographers – Electric Version (2003)<br />94.Grinderman – S/T (2007)<br />95.The xx – S/T (2009)<br />96.Bohren and der Club of Gore – Dolores (2008)<br />97.Asobi Seksu – Citrus (2006)<br />98.Ratatat-Ratatat (2004)<br />99.Sigur Ros – Takk... (2005)<br />100. Spank Rock – Yoyoyoyoyo (2006)Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-34778985258362467012008-12-12T21:22:00.000-08:002008-12-12T21:26:20.232-08:00TOP 5 20085.Cut Copy – In Ghost Colors<br />I love this album. I don't have anything to say about it.<br />4.Fleet Foxes – S/T<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://991.com/NewGallery/Fleet-Foxes-Fleet-Foxes-433078.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 450px;" src="http://991.com/NewGallery/Fleet-Foxes-Fleet-Foxes-433078.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I was lucky (?) to see Fleet Foxes pretty early, after the blogosphere started to buzz with them, but before the album came out and they started taking over the indie-rock world. I saw them play in Berlin, in the same club I had seen an awesome Handsome Fures show with, like, 20 other people. Unfortunately (?) there were lots more people, but the after a disappointing Beach House show, something happened: the crowd became reeaaally quiet, and took on an atmosphere of friendliness I haven't ever experienced (except maybe with devendra banhart). I was in the front row, like maybe 4 feet from the band, and they handed out water bottles and interacted with the crowd on more than a banter level. Afterward I had a beer with a couple of the guys, and they were really nice, asking me to look them up when they came to Austin. I saw the show right at a point when I was getting sick of rock shows in general, and it reminded me that there is stuff in indie rock to get excited about. I know this was a hot band to like, but that just makes me happy for both Fleet Foxes and their fans. <br />3.Lindstrom – Where You Go I Go Too<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/4885/35030036uh1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/4885/35030036uh1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />This is the best workout album ever. The perfect beat, something long enough to get a rhythm going, with just enough movements to keep me interested. And my god, those 80s synths. I love them. And I did work out to this album, until grad school got the better of me, and it never got old. I also listened to it at home, walking to school, while writing papers, everything. I just wish that I drove more so I could listen to it there. I was worked up about this album quite a while before it came out, and lo and behold it's right up there with all my favorite Lindstrom stuff, INCLUDING stuff with Prins Thomas. That's saying something.<br />2.M83 – Saturdays=Youth<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.riffin.com/iframes/record/previews/images/M83.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://www.riffin.com/iframes/record/previews/images/M83.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />It's not really fair that this album is higher on my list than the previous M83 albums, which I like more. It's probably that I enjoy M83 more now than I even did when those albums came out, and this album gets the benefit. There was a time this spring that Saturdays=Youth was my favorite album of the year, but I haven't listened to it enough this fall to make a call on it, so I'll leave it here (it could be anywhere in the top 6-8). Anyway, yes it's more of a pop album than previous stuff, yes it's cinematic/nostalgic but in a good way, yes it is wonderful on headphones. I will return to this one for years to come.<br />1.Hercules & The Love Affair – S/T<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.walrusmusicblog.com/images/display/874blog_hercules_love_affai.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 420px;" src="http://www.walrusmusicblog.com/images/display/874blog_hercules_love_affai.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Everyone knows that I love pop and I love dance: the most obvious intersection of these two is disco. Was there any question that this would be in my top 5? Not at all. I thought this would be my #1 since a couple weeks after it came back. And yes I heard this in lots of Berlin clubs, and yes it was amazing. I've heard lots of good remixes of songs from this album, but none touch the originals. “Blind” will probably be in my top songs of the decade.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-46927197778200340792008-12-11T11:59:00.000-08:002008-12-11T12:35:41.806-08:0015-615.Jamie Lidell – Jim<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://songstory.podbean.com/wp-content/blogs/647/uploads/Jamie_Lidell-Jim_b.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 355px; height: 355px;" src="http://songstory.podbean.com/wp-content/blogs/647/uploads/Jamie_Lidell-Jim_b.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Multiply took me by surprise, and I listened to it so much over the next year that the expectations for a follow-up would become exceedingly high. But Jim is everything I wanted in a second Lidell album. Maybe to its detriment: without the shock of such a soulful album with glossy production, Jim went under a lot of radars this year, and still more people forgot about it. And December certainly isn't the time of year to be listening to it. I haven't forgotten, though, and Jamie has stayed solid on my list all year.<br />14.Little Joy – S/T<br />I wish the Strokes were still around and sounded like this. Why did they have to try to do so much after Is This It? Couldn't they just make fun rock albums? Isn't that revolutionary enough? I can't wait to listen to this album in the summer, preferably on a beach. <br />13.Yo Majesty – Kryptonite Pussy EP<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cdn.7static.com/static/img/sleeveart/00/002/782/0000278203_350.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="http://cdn.7static.com/static/img/sleeveart/00/002/782/0000278203_350.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I doubt anyone else has this or liked it much, but I LOVE this EP. Back since 2006, when the “Club Action” remixes started to appear, I have secretly enjoyed the dirrrty lesbian club anthems of this Tampa Bay duo. But the Kryptonite Pussy EP takes it to another level of dirrtyness, of flow, of booty-shaking beats. It's a shame that the girls' debut album, also released this year, didn't stick to the club atmosphere of this EP and the early singles. I didn't listen to much new hip-hop this year; this is the only appearance on my year-end list. But damn, I know I will be listening to “Hey There Girl” and “Monkey” for years in the future. <br />12.Tallest Man on Earth – Shallow Grave<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YndmAym9L._SL500_AA280_.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 280px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YndmAym9L._SL500_AA280_.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />It's amazing that this man can sound so much like early Bob Dylan. I did a double take the first time I heard it. Even more amazing, though, is that the songs are much much more than simple reductions of early Dylan, which would probably earn a low place on this list anyway. Shallow Grave has some of the best lyrics of any album I've heard this year, and the guitar work is dry and brings me back for more. <br />Just when I thought I was past my Dylan phase...<br />11.DJ /Rupture – Uproot<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.theagriculture.com/promos/uproot/DJRupture%20Uproot%20Cover.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.theagriculture.com/promos/uproot/DJRupture%20Uproot%20Cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I really liked /Rupture's last album, Special Gunpowder, but this one takes him to the status of auteur. <br />10.Air France (EP)<br />Air + Avalanches? I must admit, when I first started listening to Air France on the blogs, very early thanks to my friend Dan, I wasn't overwhelmed. As I listened more and more, though, it became a soundtrack to my life, coming into my head as I walked to school, or took the Ubahn, whatever. No, it's no Studio, but this EP keeps me wanting as much Balearic music as I can handle.<br />9.Apes and Androids – Blood Moon<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6556/aaab0.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6556/aaab0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Yes Apes and Androids are in my top 10. No I'm not ashamed of it. Yes they sound like music for adolescent boys with Pink Floyd posters, Steely Dan records, and uncomfortable Monty Python obsessions. And I embrace that. The music is so proggy and joyous that sometimes I don't know what to do. Just when The Apes were getting a little too serious, Apes and Androids step in and take the spot of ridiculously fun, manic music. <br />8.Antony & the Johnsons – Another World EP<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.arjanwrites.com/arjanwrites/images/2008/08/25/arjanwrites_antony_anotherworld.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.arjanwrites.com/arjanwrites/images/2008/08/25/arjanwrites_antony_anotherworld.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I didn't listen to much sad music this year; overall 2008 has been one of the happiest years in recent memory. But this album still moved me to tears on occasion, even with no negative emotions to dwell on. Lord knows what this would have meant to me some other more angst-ridden year. Antony is becoming one of the more important songwriters of the decade, I feel.<br />7.Okkervil River – The Stand Ins<br />I was really disappointed with The Stage Names, but I rediscovered it this year and liked it significantly more. Still, though, I see The Stand Ins as a superior album. “Lost Coastlines” is one hell of an indie rock single, and “On Tour With Zykos” has some of the best lyrics of the year, which is typical for Okkervil River. I see this album as the band's most direct commentary on indie/intellectual culture in our generation. Needless to say they are critical. Songs like “Singer-Songwriter,” I feel, are important for people like us to hear and identify with. Even as I become more and more disenfranchised with indie rock staples (Wolf Parade, TVOTR, etc), I can still rely on Will Sheff et al to draw me to a rock show.<br />6.Brian Wilson – Lucky Old Sun<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g69/jessemervin/EMI%20Catalog/BrianWilson-ThatLuckyOldSun-coverar.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 282px;" src="http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g69/jessemervin/EMI%20Catalog/BrianWilson-ThatLuckyOldSun-coverar.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I don't expect to win everyone over to this album. I will just say that in the context of SMiLE, this is one of the most happy/sad albums of the year, as only Brian Wilson can be. How can you not be creeped out when Wilson sings about watching a girl when she's sleeping? And how can you be singularly happy when he sings about “that good kind of love”? Once again, I take a pseudo-mystical approach to Brian Wilson's music, and once again, I am rewarded for it.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-68568783056846150162008-12-09T07:59:00.000-08:002008-12-09T08:08:29.816-08:002008: 25-16Sorry for being so late; I am currently overwhelmed by term papers. I'm actually being very irresponsible making this list at all, but hey, I need my year-end list don't I? I will hopefully go back and fill these out with more pictures/words later. OK, without further ado:<br />25.Alphabeat<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://991.com/newGallery/Alphabeat-This-Is-Alphabeat-436207.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 450px;" src="http://991.com/newGallery/Alphabeat-This-Is-Alphabeat-436207.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Is this the token sugar pop album on my list? Maybe. I feel bad about putting this on here, since I start to get stomach aches when I actually listen to it all the way through. I can't ignore the fact that I often listen to “10,000 Nights,” “Boyfriend,” and “Touch Me Touching You” on repeat.<br />24.Be Your Own Pet – Get Awkward<br />I'm the only person I know who like Be Your Own Pet as much as I do. So I had no one to complain to when they broke up. The first album was like a slap in the face; this one was much more digestible, with elements of mall-punk and violence I can understand. BYOP is still more of a Siouxsie than a Donnas, though, and I have unashamed fun when I listen to this, their second and last album.<br />23.HEALTH – Disco<br />I don't really have anything to say about this album besides its fast, loud, and dancey. I could listen to 20 different versions of Triceratops, if they were as well remixed as these. If I were a professional athlete, this would be my favorite album to listen to before the big game. <br />22.Nico Muhly - Mothertongue<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.frieze.com/images/uploads/nico.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 360px; height: 360px;" src="http://www.frieze.com/images/uploads/nico.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I really love this album, but I'm not sure I understand it. Who are the multiple voices supposed to be? What is the relationship to folk music? Is there a connection between the first and second halves of the album? I fell asleep once to this album; my dreams are terrifying. Yet I find myself returning to Muhly again and again, for a kind of music I've never experienced before. That kind of album doesn't come around very often.<br />21.Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Dolores<br />I wonder if I would have nearly as many drone/post-rock albums on my year-end lists if I made them in, say, June rather than December. There's something about winter that just begs me to listen to slow, grinding, dark music. And this album certainly qualifies; it's been on repeat the past few weeks. Then again, winter hasn't actually hit here in Austin; it's still T-shirt weather outside. Maybe music like this is more associated with term papers for me...<br />20.Bonnie “Prince” Billy – Lie Down in the Light<br />I'm not a huge B “P” B fan, but this album ranks up there among my favorites, with I See a Darkness and Ease Down the Road. His voice works better, I think, the folkier his songs get, and this as folky as they get. The duets are wonderful too, and there is just enough honk on the album to keep it from dragging into wrist-slitting territory. “Easy Does It” and “For Every Field There's a Mole” are among my favorite singer-songwriter songs in a year in which I don't listen to that kind of music.<br />19.Earth – The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull<br />See: Bohren and Der Club of Gore, but I listened to this album this spring. I can't believe the Earth concert was sold out when I tried to buy tickets in Berlin; I had to go to a disappointing Yeasayer concert instead. When I first heard “The Driver,” the guitar struck a chord in me that is still ringing, I think: it sounds like a darker, not-dated-sounding soundtrack to Twin Peaks. I will see them live, one of the days.<br />18.Clinic – Do It!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/media/blogs/rth/clinic.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/media/blogs/rth/clinic.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Back in high school I LOVED Internal Wrangler and Walking With Thee; then I got to college and was disappointed by their subsequent albums, which sounded like a rehashing of those, but less interesting. This album, though, has all the bite of the former and all the mood of the latter; I rank it right up there. <br />17.The Cure – 413 Dream<br />The Cure are in my favorite 3 bands ever. This is my favorite Cure album since Bloodflowers at least. <br />16.Mogwai – The Hawk is Howling<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://betterpropaganda.com/images/artwork/The_Hawk_Is_Howling-Mogwai_480.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 480px;" src="http://betterpropaganda.com/images/artwork/The_Hawk_Is_Howling-Mogwai_480.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />OK, so this is no Mr. Beast, but the new Mogwai sound is growing on me. “The Sun Smells Too Loud” is fun in a way that old Mogwai isn't, and “Batcat” rocks hard, even if I miss the long buildups. Have you seen the video for that, by the way? OMG. I fully acknowledge that I have this WAY too high on my list, and I'm not even going to try to prove its worth. At least there's no Ryan Adams on this list, though!Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-75036767841555858532007-12-21T06:15:00.000-08:002007-12-21T06:17:26.375-08:00Top 10OK, sorry i missed last night, but here is my entire top 10, without pictures (I'm pressed for time here). Also, note: *Radiohead – In Rainbows<br />I'm not including Radiohead in my Top 10 list, because 1. I don't know where I'd put it (somewhere between 4-10?) and 2. I don't have anything remotely interesting to say about it/them, other than I've got tickets for the Berlin show in July!!<br /><br />OK....<br />10. Grinderman – Grinderman<br />As aging hero of independent music, I think that Nick Cave is totally underrated. While other old rock badasses Tom Waits and Thurston Moore get superstar treatment with us rock kids (they should), Nick Cave often goes relatively overlooked. Why is that? I have no theories. What I do know, though, is that the Birthday boy himself is at least as reliable as those other two to turn out albums that show up on my year-end list. Abbatoir Blues from a couple years ago was fantastic, taking Mr. Cave down paths he had never been down before, namely nice-sounding music. With Grinderman, he's back to mean Mr. Devil, and I love him all the more for it. And the restraint on this album helps Nick to sound as nasty and powerful as he has since Let Love In. That's saying something. <br />9. VA – Kompakt Total 8<br />I'm not sure why this album from the always-reliable Kompakt label flew under the radar in a year that saw techno's coming-out party for the indie rock crowd. Maybe because the mix isn't as “pure” techno as the previous Totals? Certainly, Kompakt did branch out more into pop and house this year, for better (“Beautiful Life”) or worse (the Supermayer album). This album covers that gamut too, ranging from standards Superpitcher and Jorg Burger to Berlin hometown heavy-house fave Rex the Dog. The genius of this album, though, is that Kompakt makes all of these elements work together, making a mix that is both cool and fun, embodying the best of the Berlin party scene that is so omnipresent in my life right now. In 20 years, when I want to look back and remember what my time in Berlin was like, I will probably put this mix on, and be transported to so many parties. <br />8. Lil Wayne – Carter 3 <br />One of the perks of the slow demise of the album as a concept is the rise of the mixtape. Who cares where music first appears anymore? No more primacy placed on the “original,” as if that every existed in the first place (the original song, not the primacy). So here we have Weezy, releasing a (good) studio album (Da Drought 3) consisting of mostly covers and remixes, and a fantastic mixtape sampling everything in sight. And man this mix is joyous! Wayne spits rhyme after rhyme at me so fast, he sounds out of breath, and soon so do I too. Weezy is the coyote of the rap world right now; he can sound as angry, sad, dangerous, or sexual as anyone out there, sometimes on the same album. Of course, he also has the maturity and patience of a child, which explains the stupid jokes, as well as his inability to finish one song before starting the next one. Of course, these “flaws” just add to Weezy's charm, and also help me feel childlike and giddy while listening to this mix. <br />7. Daft Punk – Alive 2007<br />The most important music group of our generation (I said it) further secures its legacy by combining the best aspects of rock and roll (the live show) and electronic music (the remix). They deftly address both their own music and their live environment and audience in groundbreaking ways. They totally redeem the disappointing Human After All. They rock out to “Music Sounds Better With You.” What more could you ask from everyone's favorite sexy-robot music duo? Answer: another album, another tour. <br />6. Studio – Yearbook 1<br />It's hard for me to explain just why I like this album as much as I do. I mean, it's Swedish, and beautifully produced, and a mix between electronic music and pop, and has subtly funky beats. And it varies between the tiny pop of “No Comply” to the grandiose dub of “Out There.” And I can listen to it on repeat for hours on end without getting bored or sick of it. Yeah, that's why I love this album. <br />5. Jay Z – American Gangster<br />I always wondered how long it would be before some ambitious rapper would take the 1970s brassy soul that has littered some of the most critically successful rap songs of the past few years and decide to use it as an entire sonic palette. Never in my wildest dreams did I hope that the one and only Hova would be the one to step up to the plate. In my mind it is this big-band/soul sound itself that is the “concept” in this pseudo-autobigraphical concept album. <br />4. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver<br />As much as I loves James Murphy's early singles, I wasn't blown away by the first LCD album; it seemed too thrown together, lacking cohesion or other album-qualities. Boy, he fixed that problem for his sophomore release. Sound of Silver flows from beginning to end, maintaining a consistent sound that never gets old. Of course this album also contains some of the most socially relevant songs for our zeitgeist, from everyone's favorite “All My Friends” (mine too) to the subtle “Get Innocuous.” And “North American Scum” can lead me to do embarrassing things on a European dancefloor. <br />3. Burial – Untrue<br />I recently read Derrida's Spectres of Marx, and I'm not sure how much “sonic hauntology” actually applies to this album. I understand that Untrue shows lots of “traces;” I'm just not sure how much different it is from, say, a Lil Wayne album with billions of samples, or the Go! Team. I fear that people just get excited because no one knows who Burial is and the album sounds spooky. Still, though, this is an album worthy of serious attempts at interpretation; it achieves feelings of loneliness and creepiness that I want to think more about, and the mood is one that makes me think of important questions of identity. I never could get into Burial's first album very much, but Untrue has blown me away; I've listened to this album more than any other in the past two months.<br />2. Panda Bear – Person Pitch<br />These days there are three different artists that a group can sound like to earn my love, no matter how poorly executed: the Jesus and Mary Chain, Al Green, and Brian Wilson. I think you can all guess which one applies to Panda Bear. Seriously, I see this album as the anti-SMiLE; while SMiLE was a “kid's” album that had the ache of an old man, Person Pitch is a man's album with the wonder of a little kid. Plus Mr. Bear sounds an awful lot like Brian. This album and my number 1 have actually been bouncing back and forth from the top spot for the latter half of the year, so it's really a toss-up in terms of winner. and everyone has already talked about Panda Bear's samples, etc. so thankfully I don't have to. <br />1. Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala<br />Do you remember when it took a few listens to warm up to Jens Lekman albums? I would tell a friend about I Want to Be Your Dog: “It sounds like boring mopey lo-fi music, but he actually writes profoundly affecting songs; just give it a try.” With Night Falls Over Kortedala, all you need is one listen and you're hooked. The arrangements are grandiose, the samples are over-the-top fun, and it has killer beats—seriously. And yeah, the lyrics are really simple and straightforward, but that Lekman's schtick; he has an album persona straight from a Capra film, one which is to me the most moving of modern rock persona's, only matched by the overwhelming personalities of Weezy or Ghost. And even though he's being really genuine and all that, Lekman tells great stories, and can make me as emotionally involved in his dilemmas as he apparently is. I think that Lekman's development as a producer and arranger (he could always write songs) has been one of the best pop/rock stories of the past few years, and Lekman has become quite possibly my favorite singer/songwriter of this generation.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-86127224022419921632007-12-19T09:22:00.000-08:002007-12-19T09:31:38.938-08:002007 Top 30: 15-11<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lunapark6.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/tta.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://lunapark6.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/tta.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />15. The Tough Alliance – New Chance<br />Kyle made the most rabid campaign for this album that he's made in a while, at least since Burial/Skream (last year), or maybe since Deadly Snakes (a while ago now). Anyway, anytime Kyle goes this apeshit over a band, it always turns out to be a nice surprise, which is good, since I have little choice but to absorb the album. Anyway, what I'm not used to is recommending albums that are pure pop bliss—that's usually my side of the spectrum. And yeah, I had heard “First Class Riot” before, and liked it, but I shudder at the thought of not having this album this year. It's the perfect combination of Swedish pop (it is Swedish pop) and late-80s/early-90s inspired production, a la Stone Roses or Primal Scream. And on a side note, it really sounds to me like that yelp in “Miami” was sampled from Donkey Kong Country, from when Diddy Kong gets hurt and runs off stage. Does anyone else hold this suspicion?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dakora.net/image/small/0013/00138763.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.dakora.net/image/small/0013/00138763.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />14. Justice – Cross<br />OK, there was no way that Justice were going to live up to the hype they had built up for themselves. And yes, the group is totally influenced by/successful because of image and hype. But I love it, and, unlike their hype equals the Klaxons, they made a really impressive try at delivering that mind-boggling album this summer. They could have just shit out some more brutally loud sunth-based bangers and placed them around “Waters of Nazereth,” and I would have listened to the album, enjoyed it, and set it aside for the next SCHOLARTRON. But instead they made a real album, with rises, falls, and (maybe) depth. It's not just bangers. And I know that Justice knew that EVERYONE wanted just bangers, so big ups to them for that self control. And like Dan, I think that this album is comparable to my boi Boys Noize. I actually think that Cross works better as an album, though, while Boys Noize delivers the single jams. So, if you're keeping track, that's Remixes: Justice (close); Singles: Boys Noize; Album: Justice. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mgerencer.blog.siol.net/files/2007/09/various-artists-after-dark.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://mgerencer.blog.siol.net/files/2007/09/various-artists-after-dark.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />13. VA – After Dark<br />Including this album is totally cheating, since it's a way of praising so many of the singles that I already had gotten from “the blogs” (discobelle, risky bizness, fluokids, palmsout, etc) in the months before this compilation. But you have to admit that Italians Do It Better do a really good job of using their artists to create a really singular sound that really helps define the year's fads in dance music: 80's sounding fake-disco-soul. I made such a mix for Chuck for Mixster (Easter Mix Exchange), consisting only of 2007 songs that could be used in a re-filming of Miami Vice, washed out early-80s kitsch. In April there were already too many such songs to make the mix; I know that at least 2 songs from After Dark were in the running (“Running Down the Hill” and “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life”). I love this shit, and this album is like the readymade disco-complement to Miami Vice: Charleston. Only possible improvement: Kavinsky on the list.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.kompakt-net.com/images/temp/07408e8769b81db76a34c72a732b6cec.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.kompakt-net.com/images/temp/07408e8769b81db76a34c72a732b6cec.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />12 The Field – From Here We Go Sublime<br />It took me a lot longer to get into this album than everyone else. This sounds like my dad, but at first the album sounded a little too similar to a record skipping for my tastes. Eventually, though, I totally fell for the album; “Paw in My Face” and a reliance on headphones this fall helped. Still, though, in a year when I listened to quite a bit more electronic music than rock, the Field remains an outsider. Nothing else that I listen to sounds like it. I know that lots of people say this is a good background album; i disagree. This isn't Michael Mayer or Villalobos, nor is it drone-y in the least. From Here We Go Sublime requires attention to be appreciated. When it comes on, it now has my undivided attention.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.meggomyeggo.com/pics/andorra.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.meggomyeggo.com/pics/andorra.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />11.Caribou – Andorra<br />Caribou/Manitoba's weirdest album yet? You bet; no longer spectacular electronic pop experiments, this album goes all out at trying to find that lost 60's sound by combining electronic music with psych electric guitars. Snaith's best record? I think so. Andorra shows a real sense of nostalgia and historicity, shows a feeling of longing for something that none of us really know except in old movies and Nuggets: 1960s garage psychedelia. In their live show this month, the group projected fluorescent images of flowers blooming, etc, onto the stage while everyone went apeshit on the drums. This is Andorra in a nutshell to me: 60s kitsch projected onto proggy electronic music. The emotions that I feel about the album, I think, stem from the contrast of the two. The album at once sounds so powerful and so delicate.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-17668221996500252992007-12-18T11:33:00.000-08:002007-12-18T11:39:47.229-08:002007 Top 30: 20-16<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ratatatmusic.com/images/mixtape2.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.ratatatmusic.com/images/mixtape2.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />20. Ratatat – Mixtape 2<br />Back in 2004, the first Ratatat mixtape was one of my most listened-to albums of the year, but I didn't include it on my year-end list because I didn't think of it as a legitimate release, a simple album of remixes. In this year of mixes, mixtapes, and compilations, I no longer believe that a mixtape is excluded from “real” releases. In my eyes Ratatat's remixes far outweigh their original tracks; they have a way of restructuring the rhythms of mainstream rap songs to make them sound new if they're old, fresh if they're dull. And if the song in question is Biggie, well, anything can happen. As I see it, the boys in Ratatat can give Siegel, Bun B, etc the guitar-powered fuel they need, and, perhaps more importantly, rap gives Ratatat the edge they need to keep from sounding like video game music.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.yourstandardlife.com/images/RyanAdams_cover.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.yourstandardlife.com/images/RyanAdams_cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />19. Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger<br />Seriously, this is a very good Ryan Adams album. I know I have no credibility when it comes to Mr. Adams, and by this time I should be past my Ry-ry phase, but he keeps bringing me back. “Two” is a great pop single, and “Yeah, Whatever, etc” is really well thought-out, unlike its title. And I don't see how critics can keep pissing themselves over the self-knowing irony in Jay-Z's “Ignorant Shit” and not at least smile during “Halloween Head.” <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dominorecordco.com/site/resources/images/aniive/aniive_rel_5.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.dominorecordco.com/site/resources/images/aniive/aniive_rel_5.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />18. Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam<br />It took me quite a while to get into this AC album. Like Dan Deacon (not on this list), the Collective's new sonic palette started out too thumpingly abrasive for me to listen to for more than a few songs at a time. Which was a shame, since, like all AC albums, this one is best heard as such, with all the melofies rising and falling over the record's course. It took a live show for me to really warm up to the album, and now I can say I am emotionally and aesthetically ready for the rewarding experience of Strawberry Jam. Still, I can't help but wish that Animal Collective would have stayed a little more mellow and make it easier for me to enjoy the record more often.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mog.com/images/users/0000/0000/8652/images/1186199456.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://mog.com/images/users/0000/0000/8652/images/1186199456.jpeg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />17. & 16. Handsome Furs – Plague Park<br />Sunset Rubdown – Random Spirit Lover <br />I thought it would be cute to put these albums together, but I actually do think that the two Wolf Parade solo records complement each other well. On the one hand, Spencer Krug's album (that's Sunset Rubdown) is so willfully obscure and full of bizarre imagery, but still manages to sound totally tragic (probably because of Krug's voice). On the other hand, Dan Boeckner's album is straightforward, nostalgic, and absolutely heartbreaking. Boeckner's lyrics verge on melodrama, Krug's on willfull obscurity. But they are both hugely affecting for me, and they go well together, kind of like this band I used to listen to... Musically, I find the simple synth/drums of Handsome Furs more easily digestible if less ambitious than the clanging symphonies of Random Spirit Lover. If I had to pick a favorite of the two, I might just pick Handsome Furs, maybe to be ornery, maybe because I saw a fantastic show by Boeckner et al here in Berlin, with all of maybe 20 people in attendance. But nevertheless both albums stand well on their own and together, and make me drool at the thought of a new Wolf Parade album (next year!).Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-5252605919338721382007-12-17T09:30:00.000-08:002007-12-17T10:04:27.067-08:002007 Top 30: 30-21<style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.rainydawg.org/images/db/large/1176862565.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.rainydawg.org/images/db/large/1176862565.jpeg" alt="" border="0" /></a>30. Earth – Hibernaculum </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Full disclosure: I only got this album last week. Something about December always draws me to groaning melancholy minimal rock, with few or no vocals. This almost always happens to be some form of post-rock, or, recently, drone metal. This year, though, I hadn't found anything, and so had to resort to last year's <i>Altar</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and old Godspeed records to go to sleep at night or during the day (it's always dark here anyway). Then I got </span><i>Hibernaculum</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> from Jordan, and fell in love: brooding and haunting melodies, but with rock-sounding guitars. These few songs really are small little symphonies of drone, and they have totally scratched that December itch. I will be listening to this in winters to come. #30 because it's so brand new to me.<br /></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> <title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.2 (Linux)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="Michael Roberts"><meta name="CREATED" content="20071210;1505700"><meta name="CHANGEDBY" content="Michael Roberts"><meta name="CHANGED" content="20071217;18361100"> <style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">29. King Khan and the Shrines<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.soundflat.de/img_central/cover150/05310.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.soundflat.de/img_central/cover150/05310.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>- What Is?!<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One of the taste questions of the year: King Khan or Black Lips? I'm actually the only person I know who prefers King Khan. Sure, the Shrines aren't nearly as cool as the Lips, and King Khan sometimes crosses the border into kitsch. But isn't that part of the fun of a garage rock band? I mean, no one takes this seriously; it's only rock and roll (but I like it). I saw King Khan my first week here in Berlin; He came through the audience with a robe, cane, and steer skull over his head. Needless to say, they rocked the house, soul-style. The show kind of felt like Jack Black's band's concert at the end of High Fidelity: silly but convincing fun. That's how this album feels for me as well. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.music.bigpond-images.com/images/AlbumCoverArt/285/XXL/Guns-Babes-Lemonade.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://3.music.bigpond-images.com/images/AlbumCoverArt/285/XXL/Guns-Babes-Lemonade.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>28.Muscles – Guns Babes Lemonade</p> <meta equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.2 (Linux)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="Michael Roberts"><meta name="CREATED" content="20071210;1505700"><meta name="CHANGEDBY" content="Michael Roberts"><meta name="CHANGED" content="20071217;18361100"> <style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So I love dance music, and I love pop music; if you know me that should be pretty clear. One thing those genres don't really have much of, though, is lyrics. So when someone does make an album of catchy dance music, and actually says something too, it means more to me. And Muscles, like personal favs Hot Chip before them, have their wits about them in the lyrics category. With emphasis on the “wit”: Muscles manages not only to rock the party, but also describe what hipster party culture is like in the 21<sup>st</sup> century. From talk about sweaty club-hugs and entry lines (now a problem in Berlin) to lines like “We're dancing to ringtones in the street / Nobody's going home for dinner tonight,” Muscles can really capture the feeling of being young and drunk and dancey. These self-knowing lyrics might get old after a while, but right now it's the perfect combination of fun and clever for my tastes.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="en-US">27. Ghostface Killa – Big Doe Rehab</span></span></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="en-US">Ghostface is the best musical storyteller of our generation. I said</span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://laist.com/attachments/la_tim/big%20doe%20rehab.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://laist.com/attachments/la_tim/big%20doe%20rehab.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="en-US"> it; the dude is outspoken and charismatic, and whether he is talking about getting spanked by his Mama or running from the narcs,</span></span></span><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="en-US"> I want to hear more. Big Doe Rehab is no exception, and while it's too recent for me to</span></span></span><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="en-US"> place among the ranks of Ghostface records, it definitely hangs with the rest of them for me. In a year that brought a hugely disappointing Wu Tang record (am I the only one?), Starks just kept on doing his thang.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> <meta equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.2 (Linux)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="Michael Roberts"><meta name="CREATED" content="20071210;1505700"><meta name="CHANGEDBY" content="Michael Roberts"><meta name="CHANGED" content="20071217;18361100"> <style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> </p> <meta equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.2 (Linux)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="Michael Roberts"><meta name="CREATED" content="20071210;1505700"><meta name="CHANGEDBY" content="Michael Roberts"><meta name="CHANGED" content="20071217;18361100"> <style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --></style><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://importantrecords.com/images/content/170_aptbs_lp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://importantrecords.com/images/content/170_aptbs_lp.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>26. Place to Bury Strangers – Place to Bury Strangers<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It's funny, how a silly review by p4k changes my attitude about writing this blurb. Normally, an album like this would get a mediocre review, I would single it out because of key words “distortion” and “Jesus and Mary Chain,” discover that the album is TOTALLY derivative of early JMC/My Bloody Valentine, and fall in love with it, telling everyone I know to listen to it. Instead, someone wrote a glowing review of the album, there are tour updates and news blurbs all the time, etc. That's great, but I don't know if this album is life-altering or masterfully crafted or anything: it just has really great distortion and hummable, quiet vocals. In other words, everything I love in a rock song no matter what.<br /><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="en-US">25. Chromeo – Fancy Footwork</span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://duizenddingen.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/fancy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://duizenddingen.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/fancy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:100%;">This album=instant dance party. Actually, there are so many albums like that in this breakout year for crossover synth-dance. I mean, this has been my thing for a few years now in year-end album</span></span><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> lists (Hot Chip, Junior Senior, Muscles, etc); the goofier/wittier the better. So what</span></span><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> does Chromeo have that's new? Those synths, maybe: damn. And unlike most of these other bands, there is (almost) new hint of self-conscious irony—Chromeo </span></span><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:100%;">just make synth pop like they always wanted to make synth pop, not like they're an indie band being cute (I love the Chip, but...)</span></span><br />24. Battles – Mirrored<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mixtapemagazin.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/battlesmirrored.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://mixtapemagazin.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/battlesmirrored.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>When I first heard this album, I thought it was going to be solid top-10 year-end material: it blew away the impressive Eps, I thought, it was interesting, different, catchy, technically brilliant. Now 8 months later, though, I discover<span style="font-style: normal;"> that Mirrored hasn't aged as well as I thought. I don't listen to it as often anymore. But when I do, I still love those drums, those DRUMS, and all the funny electronic noises they make too. Maybe like the prog rock it emulates, Battles will soon sound dated, but my guess is they will sound dated and fun.</span><meta equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.2 (Linux)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="Michael Roberts"><meta name="CREATED" content="20071210;1505700"><meta name="CHANGEDBY" content="Michael Roberts"><meta name="CHANGED" content="20071217;18361100"><style type="text/css">@page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --></style><br />23. Spoon – Gagagagaga<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cdn.overstock.com/images/products/P10734780.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://cdn.overstock.com/images/products/P10734780.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Right before I left for Berlin in August, I bought the new records of two of my favorite rock bands—Spoon and Okkervil River—to listen to on the plane ride over. Both were well-loved by both critics and friends; needless to say I was excited. At first I was heartbreakingly disappointed with both albums. I began to listen to Spoon more and more, though, and before I knew it I had really fallen for the record (I remain heartbreakingly disappointed with Okkervil River). “Black Like Me” is one of the best songs of the year, and “The Underdog” sounds timeless to me now. Again Spoon's strength is in their production. Unlike other Spoon records, this one was a grower for me, and even at this coveted spot on my year end list it only makes it to the halfway point of Spoon albums on a good day. But that's Spoon for you.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.frankichan.com/website/yelle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.frankichan.com/website/yelle.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>22. Yelle – Pop Up<br />Of course I have no clue what she is saying, and I don't care. This album is pure retro-euro-synth-dance-fun. And French. And cool. When I hear this album I just want to wear a neon sweatsuit and breakdance.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">21. M.I.A. - Kala<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.npr.org/programs/atc/photos/MIA200.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://media.npr.org/programs/atc/photos/MIA200.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> <meta equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.2 (Linux)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="Michael Roberts"><meta name="CREATED" content="20071210;1505700"><meta name="CHANGEDBY" content="Michael Roberts"><meta name="CHANGED" content="20071217;18361100"> <style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> </p><ol start="21"><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Everyone loves M.I.A. I love M.I.A. This is a great album. M.I.A. has great samples. etc.</p></ol> <p></p><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -- </style>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-72074848441719107732007-05-07T22:07:00.000-07:002007-05-07T22:54:48.142-07:0019-1119. Cocteau Twins-Heaven or Las Vegas (1990)<br />If shoegaze is the cool kid of all subgenres, then dream pop is his hot-as-hell girlfriend. And this album is it for dream pop (the next few would all be lush albums). One of the sexiest sounding albums ever, if I ever shoot a sex scene for a movie it will be to "Cherry Colored Funk"<br />18. Portishead-Dummy (1994)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.spacehorn.com/jeepster/music/img/Portishead_B000001FI7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.spacehorn.com/jeepster/music/img/Portishead_B000001FI7.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Speaking of movie soundtracks: every spy movie should have a portishead song. Massive attack may have the other 3 of the top 4 trip-hop albums, but this one takes the cake. Seriously, do you not feel so much cooler when listening to this album?<br />17. Mogwai-Young Team (1997)<br />MOGGGGGWAAAAAIIIIIIIII FEEEEAAAARRRR SAAAATTTTTAAAANNNNN<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.this.is/drgunni/slint_-_spiderland.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.this.is/drgunni/slint_-_spiderland.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>16. Slint-Spiderland (1991)<br />Wow, it seems like all of these albums are the best of their respective subgenres. That's probably because the 1990s are the deacde of subgenres. And post-rock is a badass subgenre, now that I think of it, although it lacks any sort of unity that trip-hop or shoegaze have. I mean, Mogwai is post-rock too, and they sound nothing like this. Well, ok, maybe nothing else does. Sublime.<br />15. Belle and Sebastian-If You're Feeling Sinister (1996)<br />I spent a long time kicking myself for not including the great 1992 Beat Happening album . How could I include my B&S without including the Happening? The fact is, though, B&S do twee better than Calvin Johnson did, and while he has a very different kind of charm, I listen to this album a heck of a lot more. The melodies are transcendent, the lyrics are just melodramatic enough, and Stuart Murdoch is one charming motherfucking man.<br />14. A Tribe Calle Quest-Low End Theory (1991)<br />QTip has the best combination of flow/lyrics of any MC out there. And his taste in jazz is impeccable. I know it's pussy rap, but the Tribe stand by themselves.<br />13. Elliott Smith-Either/Or (1997)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000373U.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000373U.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I hardly ever listen to singer/songwriter music these days. As much as I dug this shit senior year of high school, nowadays all the voices seem to run together, even if I know damn well who sings what. Not so with Elliott, who has the most beautiful voice of any rock singer (besides mayyybe Tim Buckley). And those lyrics, man, they put Elliott in a league of his own. With Nick Drake. This is one of my favorite sad albums ever (with Sea Change, Blood on the Tracks, Pink Moon).<br />12. Wu Tang Clan-Enter the Wu (1993)<br />Wu Tang Clan ain't nothin to fuck with. (This is as high as the rap albums get, which shows my silly white rockist bias. If I had another 10 albums on my list though, Pharcyde II, Ironman, and maybe The Chronic would make my list)<br />11. Weezer-Blue (1994)<br />Token nostalgia add: maybe. But is that why I keep listening to it to this day?Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-20005479339466426692007-05-01T18:29:00.000-07:002007-05-01T18:54:50.139-07:00Top 90s Albums 20-30Ok I'm a sucker for all lists, so I couldn't help myself, I had to respond to Nick's challenge. But 25 for the full decade that I know best? Please; I would kill myself over picking 100. So this entire enterprise is compromised from the beginning; selecting these albums is such an impossible task that I haven't pulled hairs as much as I would for, say, my top 25 for a single year. So basically I will list 30 albums that I looooove from the 90s, in a general order. But there are LOTS that I have forgotten and ignored that deserve this honor equally. So for today I will simply list 26-30, and give a BRIEF description of 21-25.<br /><br />30. Sebadoh-Bakesale (1994)<br />I Know, not the seminally-listed III, but Bakesale is my favorite Sebadoh album. Meanwhile Dinosaur Jr released the amazing Green Mind and How Ya Been, but Lou Barlow is in my top 3 lyricists of the 1990s (with Malkmus and Tweedy). They make the top 30 fo sho.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cache.umusic.com/images/local/250/264983588B6D11D5B7D800508BA2514D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 214px;" src="http://cache.umusic.com/images/local/250/264983588B6D11D5B7D800508BA2514D.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>29. Sonic Youth-Washing Machine (1994)<br />My favorite 1990s Yoof album, with one of my top 5 SONGS EVER looming on the last side of the LP (which I own). If you don't know it, get "The Diamond Sea" immediately. The longversion, released on the new B sides collection, is preferable.<br />28. Inspectah Deck-Uncontrolled Substance (1999)<br />My favorite WuTang solo outing. Jesus Deck has mad flow on this one, and Masta Killa sounds better than he does anywhere else. Rap is pretty criminally underrated on this list, but I had to put this one on.<br />27. Smashing Pumpkins-Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)<br />Billy Corgan is just enough of a dick to release this sprawling masterpiece, so ambitious and so successful. You all know it.<br />26. The Chemical Brothers-Dig Your Own Hole (1997)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Dig_your_own_hole_album_cover.jpg/200px-Dig_your_own_hole_album_cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Dig_your_own_hole_album_cover.jpg/200px-Dig_your_own_hole_album_cover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The best breakbeat album ever (not that great of an accomplishment) beautifully combines e-based rave culture and LSD-based psychedelic culture (that great of an accomplishment). Seriously, listen to "Private Psychedellc Reel" and tell me the Bros. sound dated.<br />25. Silver Jews-American Water (1998)<br />"Blue Arrangements" is one of my favorite songs of the 90s, and it's barely my favorite song on the album.<br />24. Wilco-Summerteeth (1999)<br />Do I have to say something about Wilco, really? My fav album of theirs, though. I'm a sucker for alt-country, and also when alt-country folks go off and do better things.<br />23. Blur-Modern Life is Rubbish (1993)<br />My favorite Blur album has two of my favorite love songs ever: "Blue Jeans" and "Miss America." I loved Brit-pop through highschool, and now, going back through my oasis and supergrass records, I can't believe I did. My only solace is Blur, the band that stands the test of time and proves that even super-dated subgenre fads can produce transcendent talent.<br />22. Ryan Adams-Heartbreaker<br />Ry-Ry is so fake and melodramatic, and I LOVE it. I do not apologize for loving it either; I am sorry to people who got too caught up in this album and hate everything else he has done. His talent, after all, is faking everything so well, with such talent, that we all buy it. And we shouldn't feel hurt by that, but instead enjoy it; this is one of the best sad albums ever, whether Ryan was actually sad or not.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.djangomusic.com/images/cover200/DRC000/C019/C019041GXX9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.djangomusic.com/images/cover200/DRC000/C019/C019041GXX9.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />21. Ride-Nowhere<br />Best guitars on an album in the 1990s (My Bloody Valentine doesn't count). Third-best shoegaze album (best subgenre ever). And: "Albatross"<br />20. The Lemonheads-It's a Shame about Ray<br />It's a shame about the Lemonheads after this album. Talk about a breakdown. But if I were to release an album that ruined my career/life, I would want it to be akin to the sublime alterno-daze pop of this album.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-1166403153849480172006-12-17T16:43:00.000-08:002006-12-17T16:52:33.873-08:00Top 55. Yo La Tengo-I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ethereaonline.com/products_showmedia.asp?fName=LgPicture&ProductID=664"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.ethereaonline.com/products_showmedia.asp?fName=LgPicture&ProductID=664" alt="" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal">OK, so at this point just about everyone has had something to say about this album, and everyone has said something different. In fact, everything on this top 5 is somewhere else on someone’s list, but that’s beside the point. My experience with Yo La Tengo, at least is long but intermittent, following my entire experience with indie rock music in general. Back when I first got into bands like Pavement and early REM, during freshman year of high school, I totally got into Yo La’s <i style="">I can hear the heart beating as one</i>; a few months later, typical for high-school me, I pretty much started ignoring the album as well as the band and the genre of college rock in general, moving on to third-wave emo or something. A year and a half later, while I was digging Elliott Smith and Nick Drake, I absolutely adored <i style="">And then nothing turned itself inside out</i>, only to discard it in favor of neo-psych like the flaming lips and sparklehorse. When I go back through the band’s catalogue, then, I feel really nostalgic and sentimental; the sound reminds me, at the same time, of multiple and influential parts of my life that the band led me through. The new album, <i style="">I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass</i>, is the perfect album for this different-at-once sound, sampling all the best moments of the band’s career, including the old albums that I haven’t yet fully appreciated. It has long distortion-y epics like “Pass me the Hatchet” and “The Story of Yo La Tengo,” it has rocky pop gems like “Beanbag Chair,” it has lilting pop gems like “I Feel Like Going Home” and “Black Flowers.” Everything I want, and still unified-sounding, a complete album and vision (I disagree with you here, <st1:city><st1:place>Austin</st1:place></st1:city>). I wrote a review for <i style="">The Depauw</i> that said that this was one of the best albums Yo La Tengo has released; I stand by that. In a year that left me feeling absolutely disenfranchised with contemporary rock, a few veteran groups (Sonic Youth, Sparklehorse, Jarvis Cocker) reminded me that indie rock can still speak to me and be relevant, if not in its most current form (fuck you Decemberists!). Yo La Tengo did the best job of that for me.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">4. Belle and Sebastian-The Life Pursuit</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.roseability.com/images/belle_sebastian_the_life_pursuit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.roseability.com/images/belle_sebastian_the_life_pursuit.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://marathonpacks.com">Marathonpacks </a>says that this is undeniably the best Belle and Sebastian album. I don’t agree, but I can see why someone (maybe lots of people) could say so; this album marks the end of Belle and Sebastian’s evolution from the relatively limited sonics of melancholy twee-pop to the anything goes complex aesthetic of complex pop epics. While the emotional content of <i style="">If You’re Feeling Sinister</i> still strikes me as more genuine and affecting, <i style="">The Life Pursuit</i> is unquestionably a more complex, mature, and superior album musically. Just listen to “Another Sunny Day,” “Sukie in the Graveyard,” or “Funny Little Frog;” these songs sound just as beautifully catchy and melodically rich as the 70s psych pop that seems to be the model. Like the groups from the 70s, too, B&S combine elements of T Rex, the Zombies, and, yes, the Beatles and melds them all together to make an album, and sometimes songs, that show elements of all the influences while not sounding redundant. Really, mixing elements of those three bands is enough to keep me busy for a lifetime. And Belle and Sebastian do it soooo well. I am unapologetic for how much I like this album; like quite a few albums on my list (Mogwai, Rapture, my #1 album), this album has been called a sell-out venture by die-hard fans; well, it is more accessible and poppy than older albums, but Stuart Murdoch’s songwriting genius is more mature and sophisticated than it has ever been. Plus, as I believe now more than I ever have, what is so bad about releasing a poppy album? <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">3. Herbert-Scale<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.inertia-music.com/files/images/38480_200.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.inertia-music.com/files/images/38480_200.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As <st1:country-region><st1:place>Jordan</st1:place></st1:country-region> mentioned, Herbert has been around for so long and put out so much, but it took last year’s Roisin Murphy album for me to even learn about him. That’s a shame; I like the old albums of his I have listened to since then. I discovered him just in time, though; I don’t know what I would have done without <i style="">Scales</i> this year. Last year, I thought that Jamie Lidell had perfected the subtle art of white-boy soul meets glitchy electronica; I had no idea. The songs on <i style="">Scale</i> are perfect soulful dance gems; the melodies are catchy, the lyrics are interesting, the production is perfect. There have been several analyses of the political implications of Herbert’s songs on <i style="">Scale</i>; what I love most about this is how much work and thought a political interpretation requires, how subtle it is. I don’t want to go into that now, but look it up if you’re interested; <a href="http://youtube.com/results?search_query=herbert+scale+interview&search=Search">here’s</a> a starting point. What really keeps me coming back, though, is how catchy this album is without being overbearing. I have a feeling I will be grooving to this album for years to come. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">2. Hot Chip-The Warning</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nuyorker.com/fotos/hotchip-warning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.nuyorker.com/fotos/hotchip-warning.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I think this is the only album on everyone’s list; am I right? I win, though, since I have it highest. Actually, from what I have read, I get the feeling that if all of you had had more time with this (and if <st1:country-region><st1:place>Jordan</st1:place></st1:country-region> would stop liking his brooding shit), it might be in everyone’s top 5 for the year. I have had the luck of getting this album right when it came out, back in <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>; as you know from last year’s list, I was already in love with the group. I didn’t really take them seriously, though; it was hard to with all of the white-boy goofiness of <i style="">Coming on Strong</i>. I had no idea, therefore, of just how mature <i style="">The Warning </i>was going to be. Not that it isn’t goofy and fun; it certainly is that. As opposed to the last album, though, the new one has all kinds of songs, slow ones with sad ones, serious ones with goofy ones sometimes with elements of both in the same song (see the title track). Like the old effort, though, the band’s lyrics are clever and poignant. I never thought that an album could be at once dancey and profound; this album certainly does that. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">1. Cat Power-The Greatest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thisisthelast.com/wp-content/thumb-cat_power_early_mini_jpg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.thisisthelast.com/wp-content/thumb-cat_power_early_mini_jpg.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">How could I resist this album’s title? Seriously, though, I have considered this album my favorite of the year since April or so, and nothing has been able to topple it since then. For a couple weeks I though the Rapture might, but it didn’t have the lasting power that this album does. I don’t really have that much to say about it; everyone already knows it, everyone already likes it. Maybe I should start with why I love it, then. As you can see if you look through the archives, back in January or whenever, I reviewed this and gave it a measly 8.1. The haunting melodies, though, don’t just give up after a few weeks of listens; they bring you back, make you think about the songs in different ways. The best part of the album, though, is how Chan Marshall ends all the songs. Why does “Living proof” end there, couldn’t it keep going? I want to hear more of “Could We”! This album is a clinic in how to keep your melodies but cutting them off; too many indie artists like to play song structures out until they die. Of course, the fact that I’m talking about catchy melodies and not introspective lyrics is certainly offensive to lots of Cat Power fans; that’s why they love <i style="">Moon Pix</i> while I love this album. Not that <i style="">The Greatest</i> is shallow or empty; on the contrary, I think the lyrics are just as poignant as any other Cat Power album, which is saying a lot. The moods of the songs are more varied than those in other Cat Power albums, though, which is another reason I love this album. It takes you through highs and lows; this is probably what <st1:country-region><st1:place>Jordan</st1:place></st1:country-region> meant when he talked about the lack of sad songs on <i style="">The Greatest</i>. For me, though, <i style="">The Greatest</i> can be the saddest of all her whole catalogue, because of this very diversity; the highs of “Could We” and “Islands” make the drops of “Hate” and “Empty Shell” all the more dramatic. Anyway, I haven’t said anything about the warm <st1:city><st1:place>Memphis</st1:place></st1:city> sound, but you know all about that already. It’s my favorite album; there, I said it. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-1166239907524955122006-12-15T19:22:00.000-08:002006-12-15T19:31:47.546-08:0010-6Yeah, Yeah, I'm a day late. As jordan mentioned, though, I didn't sleep last night, busy applying to grad school and writing a Milton paper. Today I took a Sununu final on no sleep; it was interesting. I have gotten extensions for two other research papers, so I assume I can have an extension on this. I should be able to post my top 5 later tonight, though.<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal">10. Sonic Youth-Rather Ripped</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/190/13/2/3/021.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/190/13/2/3/021.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I don’t know how well you, the reader, know me, but I am a pretty rabid Yoof fan. This might seem contrary to my heavy emphasis on pop melodies and production, and I think it is; I’m not sure what made me start to love the masters of distortion, but I do, and they are a definite contender for the coveted all-time top 5 list. Anyway, on some level, I think that everything avant-garde and noise-y that I like stems from its similarities to Sonic Youth. Which is why this album, the band’s best work in <i style="">years </i>(like since 1000 leaves at least, maybe even [gasp] Washing Machine), is so ironic; this song is not avant-garde or distorted at all. It is a great rock record, full of melodies, singing, normal guitar solos—rock stuff. Not to say that there is no distortion on this record, but it is used as an addition to the song structure, as opposed to vice versa. Like Jordan (or someone) said, the guitars are really restrained. And Christ, songs like “Jams Run Free” and “Incinerate” are so catchy, anthemic, and beautiful. I’m pretty sure that the last two Youth releases have also made my Top 10 lists, and, as said before, this one outshines them; let’s just hope everyone’s favorite aging hipsters can keep this streak going.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">9. Spank Rock-Yoyoyoyoyo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://onlymagazine.ca/images/486t.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://onlymagazine.ca/images/486t.png" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have never heard an album have so many remixes so quickly. Seriously, I have a folder on my desktop called “Spank Rock remixes” that has over 30 songs in it. A lot of this popularity, of course, comes from the fact that Spank Rock posted the a capella versions of all of his songs online and free for download; the remixers went at it. More than that, though, the dj/dance community recognizes in Spank Rock that they/I see in tragically few MCs; a distinct and funky rhythm that is dominated by beats, a flow that plays against instead of with a given drum loop or sample. Spank Rock is aware of this, and uses genius but simple little beats behind his tracks on his own versions of his songs, just like his great remixes of other artists (CSS etc). In a year dominated by groove tracks for me, Spank Rock was reigning MC, showing up everywhere I looked. At SCHOLARTRON 1.6USTER, the latest Scholartron party, Miguel (DJ Rockwell) alternated sets with the scholartron; our main point of overlap came in the form of Spank Rock, who made multiple appearances with both man and machine. The dancers loved it of course, grooving all night to at least 3 different versions of “bump.” </p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">8. Peter Bjorn and John-Writer’s Block</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.recordstore.co.uk/images/covers/writers-block.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.recordstore.co.uk/images/covers/writers-block.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>So I had the luck of hearing the new Peter, Bjorn and John album early. And I mean <i style="">early</i>; my friend brought back a ’45 from the record label he worked at back before the album was released in <st1:place>Europe</st1:place>, which was way before it was released in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region>. It was “Young Folks,” and we had just seen the Concretes that week; we ate the single up. Pitchfork didn’t like it so much, though, giving it a 3 or something on their singles review. I got to see the group in <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state> a few weeks later, on a mis-scheduled tour; they didn’t have any releases in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> at the time, and had to play to a crowd of almost no one in a restaurant that charged 1 euro cover. It was great for me, who got to see an engaging if short live performance sitting right in front of what most probably thought was a local band; the show was really enjoyable. The album was also stellar, and quickly became my late spring sound of choice; I loved the catchy pop melodies and elegant production; songs like “Paris 2004” and “<st1:city><st1:place>Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city>” haunted me for days on end. Pitchfork did not like the album very much, though, giving it a 6.something, I think (this is going somewhere, I promise). Ok, flash forward to this fall, with the trio taking the blagosphere by storm; everyone loved “Young Folks,” everyone loved “<st1:city><st1:place>Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city>,” etc. Which they should. How does pitchfork respond? They add “Young Folks” to their infinite mixtape, and re-review <i style="">Writer’s Block</i>, this time giving it recommended or best new music or something. Those fucking two-faced revisionists! I was outraged, I am outraged, and no one knows/cares. Of course, I shouldn’t care about that website any more, but they didn’t do justice to one of the best albums of the year, and then they try to act like they did once it becomes popular. <o:p></o:p></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">7. The Rapture-Pieces of the People we Love<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.aversion.com/news/images/081406_rapture.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.aversion.com/news/images/081406_rapture.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I like <i style="">Pieces of the People We Love</i> more than <i style="">Echoes</i>. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">6. Clipse-Hell Hath No Fury<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.allhiphop.com/reviews/hellhathnofury_rev.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.allhiphop.com/reviews/hellhathnofury_rev.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For me this is a cop-out position for the new Clipse album; 3 months from now, this album will either have risen to my top 5 or dropped out of my top 10, I’m sure. It’s just too unrelenting not too; the verses are demanding, the beats are violent, the production is in-your-face. Pusha T and Malice are much less lovable than they were on the first Clipse album. And this is why I love <i style="">Hell Hath No Fury</i>; it is unforgiving and dark while progressive and forward-thinking. Back in the day, I used to be all about “intelligent” rap music, you know the kind, Roots/Tribe/Talib, rapping about more abstract (no pun intended) subjects like politics and philosophy, groups that didn’t promote violence or drugs, instead opting for more “positive” lyrics. These days I think: fuck that. Intelligent rap music, intentionally or not, is the cultural appropriation of hip-hop culture by white people, who don’t want to deal with the unseemly aspects of the class struggle that permeate hip-hop culture. Well, as far as I can tell, it’s there, and it seems much more real to spit verses about slinging crack than to observing the problems from the outside like tamer hip-hop acts do. It’s the difference between talking about the culture and showing the culture by being a part of it. And of course I hate the term “intelligent rap;” it’s not only culturally classist, but also just wrong; Pusha T and Malice make some of the most clever and fresh wordplay that I have heard in rap music since, well, maybe forever. <span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-1166053233793028232006-12-13T15:33:00.000-08:002006-12-13T15:40:33.813-08:0015-11<p class="MsoNormal">11. Califone-Roots and Crowns</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thrilljockey.com/assets/covers/100443.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.thrilljockey.com/assets/covers/100443.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I really ought to be angry at Califone. It isn’t fair. They could shit out an album (which they have, with their improvisational noisescape-y Deceleration series) and I would love it. They have the perfect formula for a Michael Roberts late-summer album: heavily affected acoustic guitar, lilting alt-country melodies, heavy distortion that somehow sounds organic and acoustic, and Tim Rutti‘s enchanting, muttered vocals. <i style="">Quicksand/Cradlesnakes</i> was a monster of an album, and the <i style="">Heron King Blues EP</i> still finds its way into my car CD player all the time (it’s there now, in fact). But <i style="">Roots and Crowns </i>is by no means the group taking a break; in fact, it sounds like Califone’s most concentrated, dedicated effort yet. The songs are much more tight, and the album flow sounds more like a thought-out progression than in previous (possibly more organic) releases. This album hops Americana-genres like previous releases, but to a greater extent: just listen to the bongos of the country funk in “Pink and Sour” or the chugging guitars in “A Chinese Actor.” Today I was in <st1:city><st1:place>Bloomington</st1:place></st1:city> for lunch after picking up the new issues of a MWR, and found myself in TD’s record store; I saw a vinyl copy of <i style="">Roots and Crowns </i>and had to buy it. Califone is one of those bands you want on vinyl for summer nights drinking whiskey, and this is maybe their best album yet. Listen to “<a href="http://www.zshare.net/audio/08-the-orchids-mp3.html">The Orchids</a>”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">12. Espers-II<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://robosexual.typepad.com/glob/images/dc310_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://robosexual.typepad.com/glob/images/dc310_2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I won’t say too much about Espers, because <st1:country-region><st1:place>Jordan</st1:place></st1:country-region> is much more knowledgeable and passionate than I am, and he will talk about this later. Anyway, I didn’t get into this album, nay this <i style="">band</i>, until this fall. I immediately fell in love with the whole catalog, though, particularly this album. Just listen to “Widow’s Weed” at night and try not to feel a rush of emotion that you can’t identify. This album is filled with haunting-spine tingling psychedelic anthems that are much darker than the melancholy of Sparklehorse. That’s all I have to say; listen for yourselves.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">13. Sparklehorse-Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.liverock.it/img/cd/sparklehorse%20dreamt%20for%20light%20years.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.liverock.it/img/cd/sparklehorse%20dreamt%20for%20light%20years.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I was in love with Sparklehorse late in high school, but I didn’t really understand just what I was in love with. I didn’t pick up on the subtle psychedelia , or at least I didn’t put the group in the same basket as the Flaming Lips or Mercury Rev. Now I can see that they are, and after such a long break (6 years!), they return as full, sad, and beautifully psychedelic as ever. I already wrote a review for the paper trying to get everyone to buy it, so I don’t feel like trying again; I am just worried that because of the band’s “older” status that they won’t get enough attention as they should. Just listen to opener “<a href="http://www.zshare.net/audio/01-dont-take-my-sunshine-away-mp3.html">Don’t Take My Sunshine Away.</a>” It sounds like I wish The Flaming Lips’ “Do You Realize” should have; the bittersweet love/death is much more subtle, moving, and profound in this one. This album was just what I needed, a soothing and melancholy assortment of psychedelic gems to take me through the fall.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">14. Mogwai-Mr. Beast<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.harmoniummusic.com/images/mogwai-mrbeast.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.harmoniummusic.com/images/mogwai-mrbeast.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So Mogwai is one of my favorite contemporary bands. I love them; they put the energy of rock and roll into one of my favorite sub-genres, post-rock. And when I heard that this album was going to come out, and that it was getting good reviews, I almost wet myself. The I heard that all of the songs were pretty short, not expansive like on previous outings. That got me worried; that was part of what I loved about Mogwai. After hearing the album, though, my fears were assuaged; the songs are not epic, but they are beautiful and compact, forming the most accessible Mogwai album yet, while not giving up artistic vision. Some hardcore fans might call this a bit of a sell-out record, but I am a hardcore fan, and I do not. I saw Mogwai in <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state> in April, and it was the best concert I have ever seen in my life. If anyone knows me, they know how hyper-sensitive I am about my use of the superlative; the concert was amazing. By far the loudest show I have ever seen, the group had a strobe light show behind them, and the beautiful noise combined with the lights induced some kind of transcendent euphoria/trance/mania that I would pay lots of money to experience again. And through all of the ruckus that probably aged my ears years, I could still hear the delicate xylophone melody that drove a song, showing the true colors of the group: monstrosity + beauty = Mogwai. Listen to <a href="http://www.zshare.net/audio/folk-death-95-mp3.html">Folk Death 95</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">15. Mylo-Destroy Rock and Roll<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.artistdirect.com/Images/artd/amg/music/cover/3047364_mylo_200.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.artistdirect.com/Images/artd/amg/music/cover/3047364_mylo_200.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So last year had that epic disappointment of an album, Daft Punk’s all-too-aptly-titled <i style="">Human After All</i>; fortunately, Vitalic released a more contemporary, more aggressive version of French House to replace it. This year, British genius-remixer Mylo has gone in the opposite direction for my album-long House fix. These songs are distilled melody and catchiness, taking the most accessible moments of <i style="">Homework</i> and running with them. In fact, parts of <i style="">Destroy Rock and Roll </i>sound so much like late-1990s accessible techno (think Fatboy Slim’s <i style="">Better Living through Chemistry</i> too), that I had to develop a theory for it. Everyone knows the party line of <i style="">Homework</i>; it shows a modern techno nostalgia for late 70s synth garage and dance music (early early techno, not disco, mind you). Well, I think that <i style="">Destroy Rock and Roll </i>does the same, but one step removed; Mylo shows nostalgia for Daft Punk’s nostalgia. How else could songs like “Drop the Pressure” sound, nay <i style="">feel</i> so much like contemporary versions of “Da Funk”? In general, though, what a fun album. It might be too catchy to stick with people to the year-end lists, and it certainly isn’t as progressive as Vitalic’s album last year, but as you can tell, I’m a sucker for pop and fun.<o:p></o:p></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-1165972745904200522006-12-12T16:50:00.000-08:002006-12-12T17:31:39.490-08:0020-16<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.gordurama.com.br/imagens/ilybicdf.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.gordurama.com.br/imagens/ilybicdf.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">20. I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness-Fear is on our side</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yes, this <st1:city><st1:place>Austin</st1:place></st1:city> group has a clumsy moniker, but it actually describes their sound pretty well: their first full-length is full of swelling guitars, new wave distortion and haunting lyrics. I didn’t like the EP as much, which seems to be contrary to most opinions in the rock world. This album sounds less contemporary to me, and more classic, or timeless. Well, maybe not timeless; maybe more Crocodiles-era Echo and the Bunnymen, or Disintegration-era Cure. I am such a sucker for that kind of music, and ILYBICD does it so so well on this album. I saw them in a tiny record store with shitty acoustics this semester; they did what they had to do in such a situation, which is blast the shit out of their speakers. Overall it was a good show, with “<a href="http://www.zshare.net/audio/01-i_love_you_but_ive_chosen_darkness-the_ghost-mp3.html">The Ghost</a>” and “According to Plan” giving me front-row chills; no wonder, since both songs are among my favorite rock singles of the year.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">19. Phoenix-It’s Never Been Like That<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thetripwire.com/assets/images/phoenix-neverbeenlikethat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.thetripwire.com/assets/images/phoenix-neverbeenlikethat.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Man, I can just feel my hipster cred plummet with this album in this spot. Parisian garage-pop band (emphasis on the pop) releases their 3<sup>rd</sup> and by far best album this summer. And what a summer album; these songs are catchy, cute, and fun. On this release the popsters try to make their songs more aggressive, adding all kinds of Strokes-y guitars and pounding drums. <st1:city><st1:place>Phoenix</st1:place></st1:city> is all about slick, glossy production, though, and the band can’t help but refine every would be crasher to a sugary pulp, perfect for daytime consumption. Just listen to the details of these songs: the hi-low guitar volume that goes by almost unnoticeable, the impeccable bass. Sure, these songs aren’t serious or anything, but intense listening does offer rewards. Plus, the album features one of the best creepy-crush lyrics I have heard in ages: “I’m going to read every novel you read.” The album, like the feeling of these lyrics, may not be the most mature or sophisticated, but it is a welcome retreat to the silly and pop that I love here; after all, isn’t that how Rock and Roll started?</p><p class="MsoNormal">Check Out "<a href="http://www.zshare.net/audio/04-long-distance-call-mp3-hpc.html">Long Distance Call</a>"</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.erolalkan.co.uk/justice.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.erolalkan.co.uk/justice.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>18. Justice EP/Van She EP/Klaxons EP<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.smartpunk.com/product_images/18752.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.smartpunk.com/product_images/18752.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If there is any genre of music from 2006 that I feel comfortable recommending, it is this new genre of electro house or indie disco/paisley dayglo. The only problem, though, is that almost no one from this emerging scene released an album this year. Ed Banger’s DJ Mehdi did, and there have been a few Kitsune Maison collections like <st1:country-region><st1:place>Jordan</st1:place></st1:country-region> mentioned, but the majority of the buzz for indie disco has come in the form of leaks, singles, and EPs. So…. I just put three of the best electro-house and indie disco EPs together and gave them one spot. Sue me. Justice released what will almost certainly be my favorite song of the year, “Waters of Nazareth” (check <st1:country-region><st1:place>Jordan</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s blog for the mp3 link). Every other song and remix on this EP, though, is solid gold: heavy heavy heavy French house music, requiring fist-pumping and dancing. The Van She is a little different, although their DJ sets sound so much like a cross between Justice and Daft Punk. On their EP, though, they sound more like 80s synth-disco; “<a href="http://www.zshare.net/audio/02-kelly-mp3-bzv.html">Kelly</a>” is an amazing track that has been remixed by everyone, including house power-team Alan Braxe and Fred Falke. And finally, the most rock-like band here, come the Klaxons. Oh my god have they been hyped in the blogs. I have never seen a band without an album be so remixed this year (well, maybe New Young Pony club). They have releases at least three singles that exploded everywhere, highlighting their rave-y garage-y sound, and I hope for more whenever they release a real album. Check out creepy single “<a href="http://www.zshare.net/audio/02-magick-mp3-hu9.html">Magick</a>.” For more music like this, see my year-end singles list, or the links to the side, or just email me; I have so many of these singles—you have no idea.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">17. The Knife-Silent Shout<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blaskan.nu/Bilder/the_knife_silent_shout.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.blaskan.nu/Bilder/the_knife_silent_shout.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I assume that everyone else is going to write about this album, and I don’t really have anything new to say. Yes, I didn’t get into <i style="">Deep Cuts</i> until this year, when I heard the drop-dead single “Heartbeats” at a club, and fell in love. Yes, the new album is creepier, darker, but still has the sublime melodies buried within it. Yes, there is a multitude of amazing remixes of songs from this album, including a cute one from <a href="http://www.zshare.net/audio/the-knifeweshareourmother-27shealth-28ratatatremix-29-mp3.html">Ratatat</a>. Yes, I regret not seeing the Knife live in <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>, on what was their 3<sup>rd</sup> live appearance ever. Yes, this album is not as high as might be expected; I just wasn’t in a <i style="">Silent Shout</i> mood for enough of this year for the album to be Top 10 material. <i style="">Deep Cuts</i> would be, though, had it come out this year.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.allegro-music.com/sku_images/ILL3113.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.allegro-music.com/sku_images/ILL3113.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>1<span style="font-size:85%;">6. Girl Talk-Night Ripper</span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">When I was first introduced to Girl Talk this summer, I had the same sentiments that </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="">Austin</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=""> does; it was super-fun to pick out all the samples and enjoy the clever mashings, but at the end of the day <i style="">Night Ripper </i>was just a fun exercise, like all of those lesser mash-ups we hear on blogs. After months and months of repeat listens, though, I argue for Girl Talk’s album as not only a real music album, but a really good album in its own right. This might have something to do with all the postmodern theory and adaptation theory I have been reading for my thesis this semester; Gillis uses the postmodern idea of pastiche to juxtapose lots of different sounds from the past and undermine them, creating new ideas. Now <i style="">Night Ripper</i> is by no means directly political or anything, but I think that putting “My Humps” over Annie says something about what music is acceptable or unacceptable for some people to listen to, and why people like the music they hear. Did you not like “My Humps”? Or Julez Santana? Are they improved with samples from Neutral Milk Hotel, or just placed in a new context, so you can appreciate them now? “Tiny Dancer” and “Juicy” are both on opposite borders of indie-kid acceptability; what happens when you put them together? Everything is catchy; the album is pure, unrestrained joy in music. I think that’s the point of <i style="">Night Ripper</i>, a point that makes this Girl Talk album a much more successful music album than most attempts by groups recording their own sounds. Oh, and I am going to see Girl Talk on New Year’s. Rawk! </span></span> <p class="MsoNormal"></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-1165859197551412812006-12-11T09:31:00.000-08:002006-12-11T09:46:37.606-08:00Best of 2006, 25-21OK, so here I am again with my Year-End List of 2006. Overall 2006 didn't have as many albums that I lovedlovedloved like 2005, but it actually had <span style="font-style: italic;">more</span> very good albums that would compete for the 25-10 spots. So take that for what you will. In fact, I will just list the next 5 that I cut from my list here, in no particular order. What would be 26-30:<br />TV on the Radio-Return to Cookie Mountain<br />Destroyer-Destroyer's Rubies<br />Lupe Fiasco-Food and Liquor<br />Wizardzz-Hidden City of Taurmond<br />Ratatat-Classics<br />Some of these might be surprising in how low they are, considering some of them are popular top 5 choices for the year, but that's how it goes. All of these were very good as well. Anyway, for the REAL list, I will be posting 5 a day, every day this week. Starting with the bottom, of course. Then, sometime next week or the week after, I will be posting my top singles, which will be much more difficult. Because of my newfound love of electro-house and indie rave, this year has very much been the year of the single for me. I also posted some links to some songs from some albums, in mp3 form, from zshare; enjoy. Anyway, on to the albums:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nuyorker.com/fotos/Beirut_gulag_orkestar_WS-thumb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.nuyorker.com/fotos/Beirut_gulag_orkestar_WS-thumb.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">25. Beirut-Gulag Orkestar</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I first heard this album back whenever it first came out, but it didn’t really stick with me. Sure, the eastern European rhythms were enchanting, and Zach Condon has a beautiful voice that sounds more than a little like my boy Jens Lekman, but somehow a 19 year old American making these songs didn’t make sense to me. Maybe I was just jealous that someone younger than me could be so immediately successful in the indie music scene. Anyway, as the fall semester wore on, I found myself listening to <i style="">Gulag Orkestar</i> more and more; the melodies were haunting, and the eastern European tinge made each song sound different from everything else I was listening to (mostly dance music). It might also have something to do with the fact that a standout rack on the album, “Prenzlauer Berg,” is named after the neighborhood I lived in while in Berlin earlier this year. In fact, while visiting a friend from Berlin in <st1:city><st1:place>Minneapolis</st1:place></st1:city>, I went to see a <st1:city><st1:place>Beirut</st1:place></st1:city> show, and was happily surprised. It was a great show, and combined with my company and my drunkenness, I almost felt like I was back in <st1:place>Europe</st1:place> for a little while. Check out: <a href="http://zshare.net/audio/beruit_postcards-from-italy-mp3.html">Postcards from Italy</a><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">24. Jack and Jeffrey Lewis-City and Eastern Songs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.roughtrade.com/site/product_images/265330L.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.roughtrade.com/site/product_images/265330L.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This is one of the few albums on my list that I expect will not be on almost any other year-end list. In fact, it wouldn’t be on mine if I hadn’t decided one day to open this album at the radio station. It just looked like some low-end folk album, but it was on Rough Trade, so I gave it a whirl; man am I glad I did. It was full of touching anti-folk ditties (note: not freak folk) that contain sweet melodies and some of the most honest, open, and heartbreaking lyrics I have heard this year. This isn’t poetic Elliott Smith schtick by any means; Jeffrey Lewis sounds more like a nice but depressed aging hipster, sad-drunk and telling you about all the concerns he is having in his relationship, his career, his life. Everyone needs to check out “<a href="http://www.zshare.net/audio/03-williamsburg-will-oldham-horror-mp3.html">Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror</a>” for an entertaining and sad story song about Jeffrey Lewis’s career and a possible Bonnie Prince Billy sighting.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">23. Junior Boys-So This is Goodbye<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dominorecordco.com/site/resources/images/junoys/junoys_rel_11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.dominorecordco.com/site/resources/images/junoys/junoys_rel_11.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">A couple years ago I was really in love with Junior Boys’ first album, <i style="">Last Exit</i>, so it would make sense that I was excited for this one. What doesn’t make sense is just how different this album sounds, and how I like it just the same. Gone are the crazy glitchy rhythms and complex song structures; this album is all about simple, straightforward electro-soul songs. This is probably because drummer, one of the Junior Boys himself, is now no longer a Junior Boy. I'm all about these neo-electro soul ballads, though. I might have been a little hesitant, but the first leaked song and possible single-of –the year-contender “In the Morning” let me know right away what a great album this was going to be. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">22. Ghostface-Fishscale</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ghostface is my favorite member of the Wu Tang Clan. These days he seems to be everyone’s. For me his angry and high voice combines perfectly with his violent, angular flow to making some of the best verses in all of rap music. Now that he is working with Doom and the pitchfork staff loses it every time he is featured on a song, indie kids everywhere have made the switch from GZA or Meth or whoever to Ghostface. I like that, and I like that so many people made such a big deal about this album. It deserves it. <i style="">Fishscale</i> was one of the few albums that I actively sought from Berlin; in most cases I had given up listening to every new album until I returned to the states, but I demanded that someone download and burn me a copy of this one (I didn’t have access to the internet at home). I was glad I did, and enjoyed Tony Starks’s anger and wisdom throughout the spring semester. As I will mention later in this list, I was pretty consistently disappointed with hip-hop (and most anticipated music in general) in 2006; I am glad that Ghostface didn’t let me down.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">21. Liars-Drum’s not Dead<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.rockonnet.com/imagelib/articles/cd-teka/liars_drum_s_not_dead.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.rockonnet.com/imagelib/articles/cd-teka/liars_drum_s_not_dead.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This album is one of those that I feel requires an essay to fully review/describe, and I don’t have the time or energy for that; I still have 50 or so pages to write this week. So instead, I will describe my response to this album in anecdote form. The day I got to <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state> in early March, I immediately began looking for concerts in the area. Much to my joy, I found out that Liars and Wilderness were playing that weekend, some 3 days away. I quickly found out where the venue was, only a few blocks from my house, and on Friday night, still knowing no one in the city, I walked over by myself. Liars recorded this mind-fuck of an album in <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>, so they had quite a few friends/fans there, and everyone was totally into the music (as I would discover later, this is very unusual for <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state> concert-goers). Wilderness were inspired, but Liars were captivating and, well, scary. The club was dark and sweaty, looking kind of like that underground club in that late Smashing Pumpkins video (I forget which one). Anyway, I was sober (the last time I made this <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state> concert mistake) and just in awe of the music, the venue, the city. In short, this album, this band, as intelligent and as deep as they may be, they are the perfect atmospheric group, providing the perfect soundtrack to anything dark, heavy, and cool. I listened to this album over and over, just letting it kind of drone in my head while walking around, reading, whatever. I suggest you do the same.<o:p></o:p></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-1147873905543326342006-05-17T06:50:00.000-07:002006-05-17T06:51:45.553-07:00Favorite Song for Musical ChairsDaft Punk, "Oh Yeah." Think about it.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19810487.post-1147268124959372212006-05-10T06:08:00.000-07:002006-05-10T06:37:29.866-07:0010/05/06: Architecture in Helsinki at Maria am Ufer, Berlin<a href="http://www.trifekta.com.au/img_artist/hi_43.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.trifekta.com.au/img_artist/hi_43.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />After being surprised at most of the concerts I had seen since my last post (blown away by Mogwai, trampled by the Black Mountain Army, disappointed by Erlend Oye's Whitest Boy alive, etc, etc...), I thought that I was entering into familiar territory when going to see Architecture in Helsinki. After all, I saw the band less than a year ago in a similar sized venue (Southgate House in Cinnci), and the band hasn't released anything new since then. Last time they were fun and charming, rotating instruments and playing squeaky toys at the appropriate times, miraculously performing their complex songs with only 8 members. I expected another simlarly enjoyable if tame experience.<br /><br />I was wrong, wrong, wrong. Not at all the cute indie pop group of summer 2005, the new AiH was the cute, wild, fun, and crazy indie pop group of 2006. Opener "Nevereverdid" turned into <em>more</em> of a schizophrenic medley, with new distortion solos. The band rocked on It'5! like I would have never thought they could. They did a Kraftwerk cover that had the germans dancing (remember, germans don't dance). I could go on, but overall, every song was transformed into something a little edgier, a lot more experimental, and much more interesting for the AiH concert-going fan. Think Belle and Sebastian meets Sonic Youth. Well, at least Deerhoof.<br /><br />This new development showed itself even more in the new AiH songs the band played. The songs were more electronic and dancy, but also experimental, and showed what the band has really gained with gorwing popularity and extensive touring: confidence. Before, it was enough for the band to pull off the extensive orchestrations of their pop-tunes, which was certainly no easy feat; now, the band is comfortable and confident on stage, and can have more fun. Cameron Bird led the group through improvised sections with his distortion/guitar solos; before the band had no clear live stage leader. The band was also more lively on stage, chatting with the audience and joking each other´. At the beginning of the show, the band commented on the heat of the small river-side club, and the male members of the band promptly took off their pants, having running shorts underneath. At the end of the show, the group also invited a couple of friends onstage to play the encore (Maybe You Can Owe me and Do the Whirlwind) with them. Then, seeing the crowd get excited, they invited the fans to rush the stage too, to play the heaps of percussion. Of course I did. Then, seemingly not wanting the show to end, the band played a new song, asking two finnish fans on stage to sing the finnish national anthem over it. After that, one more: everyon was invited to sing and play along with AiH on the Australian national anthem. Although the show can't match up to the Mogwai show in terms of religious experience, it was one of the most fun concerts I have been to, largely because the band was having so much fun.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056839053748961404noreply@blogger.com0