| You & Me at hello |
[Oct. 1st, 2008|05:50 pm] |
Artist: The Walkmen
Album: You & Me
Released: August 19th, 2008
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
I have to admit that I never thought the Walkmen could release a superior album to Bows and Arrows. Or at least no album would overwhelm the primacy effect that that album had etched, becoming my standard of comparison for all their work. You & Me has certainly made me reconsider this position.
I can still remember the first time I heard The Walkmen, Bows & Arrows spilling out of the speakers of Cat's Music (a Knoxville music store where I used to buy CD's. Remember CD's?). At the time I was just visiting Knoxville, now my place of residence, and had neglected to bring enough music for the 8 hour car ride back to Michigan. I stopped to pick up a few albums I'd been craving, and stumbled into a scene from High Fidelity. You know the one where the savvy, hipster, music store employee educates the uninformed patron about a band; first by playing the albums most infectious hook over the ceiling-mounted speakers, then by describing the band in utter superlatives. (Full disclosure, I also fell in love with The Beta Band, the band featured in that scene where John Cusack vows, "I will now sell five copies of the Beta Band's Three EPs").
Still the Walkmen's latest album is just more interesting than anything they have done before. Hamilton Leithauser is still there, crooning like Bob Dylan and Greg Dulli's lovechild. There is no doubt his dissonant vocals differentiate The Walkmen from so many other bands. But the diversity in the songwriting on You & Me stands apart from their past work, making it perhaps less cohesive, but at the same time far more inviting than past albums where songs often ran together in tempo and tone.
The perfectly produced On the Water is a tense and rousing indie rock gem; Canadian Girl and Donde Esta La Playa exert patience in delivering their bass driven melodies; and Four Provinces will make you want to dance the Flamenco. But The Walkmen still deliver their subversive, yet anthemic, style of rock on tracks like In The New Year and Postcards From Tiny Island. Each song on this album is interesting on its own, creating a must own album as a Gestalt. |
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| Album 2: Electric Boogaloo |
[Sep. 17th, 2008|09:53 pm] |
Artist: Portishead
Album: Third
Released: April 29, 2008
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 fanboy tears
This is me, one week after making a commitment to listen to new music and write something about it, already uncertain of what to say.
This is a result of my choice of Portishead's Third for this week's selection. To demonstrate my inability to choose my words, here are some more words:
Third, appropriately, is Portishead's third album. Inappropriately, in fourteen years.
While they are not going to battle Guided by Voices for prolificacy in songwriting, many critics have heralded Portishead's return as a triumphant one. After several listens, I suspect this reflects the satiation of a dire fanboy-thirst, more than it does a noteworthy album.
BUT there is something interesting going on with this album, and it is entirely possible I have not digested yet. I also think its entirely possible I am losing patience to try. I'm confident the people in the hotel room next to me (in Atlanta) lost patience with this album immediately after I started playing it.
If I ever do unravel the mess of sound to find the underlying genious that lurks beneath, this album will not be played or lauded at social events (Provided, of course, I don't host any Science Fiction Pornographic Dinner parties in the near future. If I do, this is clearly the proper ambient selection).
Here are some things more interesting than this half-assed review of a bewildering album:
Click here to hear an amazing Jack White song written for a Coke commercial, aired only once overseas
Click here for every "Thats What She Said" moment from the Office |
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| American Idle |
[Sep. 9th, 2008|02:14 pm] |
So I realized recently that I have not been cramming my ears with as much new music as usual, and the vast majority of my written words have been limited to Fantasy Football 'Smack Talk'.
This bothers me.
So, in an effort to remedy this situation (and afford my Fantasy Football opponents an opportunity to stop sobbing and whimpering about how their sister/mother should be off-limits/is dead), I have given myself the responsibility of selecting a 'new' album to listen to each week with the task of writing a brief entry about it.
In addition to making me feel creative by regurgitating someone else’s creativity, anyone who happens to glance here occasionally can now find out what Indie darling I'm loving or hating on this week, before returning to their lives of substantial import.
'New' here is used loosely as the album's only qualification as such will be that it is currently being listened to by me. This is a livejournal after all people. Not Rolling Stone or Blender, or some other music magazine nobody buys unless some trampy pop star is half-naked on the cover. (Or is that just me?)
If next week I decide to listen to Revolver, well then, damnit, you are going to get a very timely and relevant discussion about Revolver, like it or not.
"This band The Beetles (sic) is on to something," I'll say before adding, "But I doubt their British rabble-rousing will cross the pond to find a North American audience".
See, because I'm generally ignorant about history like that.
So without further ado...
Artist: Sigur Ros
Album: Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
Released: June 23rd 2008
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars or clovers or something. And +2 points on the Kinsey scale for me for liking it.
The farmer warned them not to touch his daughters.
I have to admit that I always thought I knew exactly who Sigur Ros was and what to expect from them. They are from Iceland. Or maybe Greenland. The little one that is green, that is Iceland right? Greenland’s the big one that is all covered in ice? Didn't the Vikings name them reversed to confuse people on purpose? Those clever rapists. (Google search for clever rapists produces no meaningful results if you were wondering. I was, now I'm probably on a sex offender list.)
Sometimes when I have people over to my house I label the beer tap "sink" and the sink tap "beer". Then I laugh at them when they leave sober and sticky-handed. But I digress...
So they are from Iceland and they name their albums things that translate to With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly and they sound like castrated Radiohead and they love a good crescendo that can't be played at any proper volume because it is always too loud or too quiet.
So while some of that is true, they've always been the BEST at being castrated Radiohead. And i do love me some crescendos. So they've always been a band that was enjoyable in the right mood and atmosphere (bar mitzvah?).
With this album there is almost an upbeat urgency that seeps in, making it much more accessible on first listen, and more captivating in any atmosphere. At times they borrow the pop sensibility of bands like Keane, without surrendering the unique sound that made them interesting in the first place.
Gobbledigook and Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur open the album with a flourish, enticing new fans (and likely scaring old ones) with aforementioned pop sensibility.
Still, the album is at its best when they dial-in to doing what they do, evident on the over 9 minute Festival which rewards the patient listener with a finish as vast and beautiful as the Reykjavik sky.
There is plenty to listen to here and don't be surprised if this album cracks my top ten at the end of the year. Check it out now and let me know what you think... |
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| A list that is not as good as mine (objectively) |
[Jan. 10th, 2008|02:27 pm] |
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For another glance at the year in music, check out Evan's List. You'll find a decent amount of overlap (I forced him to listen to stuff like Mobius Band, and Peter Bjorn and John. He found the National) but plenty of different opinions as well (Fall Out Boy and Maroon 5, seriously Evan?). Okay, I'm off to listen to Blonde Redhead because apparently Evan thinks they are really good, yet they haven't been featured on the soundtrack to Laguna Beach or done an episode of Cribs. |
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| Top Albums of 2007 |
[Jan. 9th, 2008|05:52 pm] |
As much as it breaks my heart to leave albums by long-time favorite bands Radiohead, the White Stripes and Wilco off this list, I have to do it because: 1.) I haven't listened to Radiohead enough 2.)The White Stripes' release was subpar for them and 3.) Wilco's album, while deserving, got bumped for newer fare. So without further ado, here they are:
Honorable Mentions (non-full length releases)
In the Attic of the Universe by The Antlers
I'm very excited to see more from this band. Or at least from Peter Silberman who is barely of drinking age but has already made some really incredible music. Check out The Universe is Going to Catch You, the thematic centerpiece of this EP.
Live From the Pretty Parlor by Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
Very rarely do I hear something new that sounds so completely different than anything else I've heard. I've only been able to verbalize that this band sounds like Jamiroquai, fronting the Boston Pops.
10.) Boxer by The National
In all honesty, this album made my list solely on the fact that I only discovered this band this year and their best album Alligator came out in 2005. Still Fake Empire is quite possibly the best song released this year, and there is plenty of other musical poetry here to keep you listening.
Start with these: Fake Empire, Green Gloves
9.) Mirrored by Battles
Listening to this album is like playing a really intense videogame. On speed.
Start with these: Race In, Ddiamondd, Rainbow
8.) Friend and Foe by Menomena
This is the only album on the list that I can say I don't think I listened to enough for how good it is. Just very creative alt rock replete with lots of new surprises that emerge with each listen. This is definitely the album on this list most likely to have been under-rated.
Start with these: Muscle'n Flo, Air Aid, Boyscout'n
7.) Heaven by Mobius Band
Probably the purest 'Pop' album you'll find here. I stumbled upon this randomly and my initial pedestrian interest in them was born out of 80's nostalgia-inducing Hallie, which could be featured in a John Hughes movie. I was pleasantly surprised to find there was more here than meets the eye. Or maybe I was just nostalgic for Transformers catchphrases.
Start with these: Hallie, A Hint of Blood, Black Spot
6.) Some Loud Thunder by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Saying this album isn't is good as their debut album, while a true statement, is similar to saying that The Godfather 2 wasn't as good as the original. While their debut album hit the mark on every track (it is quite possibly my album of the DECADE), this one misses its mark at times, especially in the middle. There is still plenty to listen to though, and when they do hit the mark they do it in such a unique and amazing way.
Start with these: Emily Jean Stock, Yankee Go Home, Five Easy Pieces
5.) Person Pitch by Panda Bear
The Beach Boys, on acid. And I don't meant the Beach Boys taking acid, as I'm pretty sure they did that, and their music still sounded like, well the Beach Boys. But if you were to take acid and listen to the Beach Boys, I think it might sound like this album. I can't say first hand.
Start with these: Comfy In Nautica, Bros
4.) We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse
It's Isaac Brock, what the hell did you expect?
Start with these: Dashboard, Missed the Boat, Steam Engenius, Spitting Venom
3.) Neon Bible by Arcade Fire
Damn this band is on FIRE. Wait, thats a horrible opening. I'll try again. After The Funeral this 'bible' gave them new life. That is even worse. One more try. Arcade Fire is brilliant and if you don't like them I don't want to be your friend. That will do.
Start with these: Neon Bible, Intervention, Ocean of Noise, No Cars Go
2.) Writer's Block by Peter Bjorn and John
What a nice surprise this album was. An absolutely perfectly produced indie album. Discover this band if you haven't already.
Start with these: Objects of My Affection, Young Folks, Amsterdam, Chills
1.) Random Spirit Lover by Sunset Rubdown
Cue the superlatives counter. I can't discuss this album without raving, perhaps at time in hyperbolic ways. This is the only band to make this years list after charting last year, and this release is a MAJOR step forward for them. Featuring new levels of production, and the addition of female vocals, it is reminiscent of Modest Mouse's Good News For People Who Love Bad News which made them listen-able to an audience outside indie-philes. I have never in my life listened to an album that so consistenly makes the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up. How Spencer Krug managed to polish his normally disturbed, morbid lyrics and dress them up so regal defies logic. This album sounds triumphant, and triumphant it is. The very best of 2007.
Start with these: The Mending of the Gown, Up On Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days, The Courtesan Has Sung, For the Pier (and Dead Shimmering), The Taming of the Hands That Came Back to Life, Setting Vs. Rising, Hell, just get the whole damn album... |
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| Best of 2007 (Part 1) |
[Dec. 28th, 2007|04:51 pm] |
My top 10 albums of 2007 will be posted here in the coming weeks (I'm still trying to give a couple of recent releases a chance to close in the home stretch). In the meantime, I've compiled a two CD set of some of my favorite songs from this year. There are 36 songs featured in all, and both discs fit on a standard 80 minute CD with gapless playback. No artist or album was featured twice so it provides a pretty diverse selection of music released this year. Please note that these are not in a ranking order, only in the order that I believe creates the best listening experience. Here they are:
DISC 1
1.) Humble Peasants - The Most Serene Republic from Population
2.) The Object Of My Affection- Peter Bjorn And John from Writer's Block
3.) You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told) - The White Stripes from Icky Thump
4.) Is There A Ghost - Band Of Horses from Cease To Begin
5.) If The Brakeman Turns My Way - Bright Eyes from Cassadaga
6.) Sleeping Lessons - The Shins from Wincing The Night Away
7.) Failsafe - The New Pornographers from Challengers
8.) On Call - Kings of Leon from Because Of The Times
9.) History Song - The Good, The Bad & The Queen from The Good, The Bad & The Queen
10.) Rehab - Amy Winehouse from Back to Black
11.) Ddiamondd - Battles from Mirrored
12.) Business Time - Flight Of The Conchords from The Distant Future - EP
13.) Either Way - Wilco from Sky Blue Sky
14.) Flathead - The Fratellis from Flathead - EP
15.) Rockers To Swallow - Yeah Yeah Yeah's from Is Is - EP
16.) Intervention - Arcade Fire from Neon Bible
17.) So Paranoid - The Warlocks from Heavy Deavy Skull Lover
18.) Reform The Countryside - Frog Eyes from Tears Of The Valedictorian
19.) The Universe Is Going to Catch You - The Antlers from In The Attic Of The Universe
20.) Hey Momma' - Kay Kay And His Weathered Undergrood from Live From The Pretty Parlor
DISC 2
1.) Fake Empire - The National from Boxer
2.) Smokers Outside The Hospital Door - Editors from An End Has A Start
3.) Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe - Okkervil River from The Stage Names
4.) The Courtesan Has Sung - Sunset Rubdown from Random Spirit Lover
5.) Bros - Panda Bear from Person Pitch
6.) Emily Jean Stock - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah from Some Loud Thunder
7.) Stronger - Kanye West from Graduation
8.) North American Scum - LCD Soundsystem from Sound Of Silver
9.) I Feel It All - Feist from The Reminder
10.) Lake Michigan - Rogue Wave from Asleep At Heaven's Gate
11.) Muscle 'N Flo - Menomena from Friend And Foe
12.) Grace Kelly - Mika from Life In Cartoon Motion
13.) Men's Needs - The Cribs from Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever
14.) Take It To Fantastic - Cannonball Jane from Knee's Up!
15.) Hallie - Mobius Band from Heaven
16.) Spitting Venom - Modest Mouse from We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank |
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| Top 10 List follow-up |
[Dec. 29th, 2006|02:17 pm] |
First off I was remiss in my list assembly for excluding Belle and Sebastian's, The Life Pursuit. I'm not sure it would have cracked the top ten but at least deserves a mention.
Secondly, if you want to check out what else I've been listening to this year, feel free to check out Evan's List. We share a giant music source at work and usually see eye to eye on most music, at least momentarily, before my eyes shift to the indie scene and his to more straight-forward song writing and supreme vocalists. 15 years of listening to Pavement have warped my fragile ears.
He also is a little less embarassed than me to admit that:
-My Chemical Romance's Emo Arena Rock album, The Black Parade, is serious fun
-Neko Case's, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood is damn good in its own right, not just as a spinoff of the The New Pornographers (It is more Laverne and Shirley than Joanie Loves Chachi)
-John Mayer has gotten past anyone's body being a themepark and still writes some good shit
-The Decemberists album deserves recognition, despite being released so late in the year
So check it out, and please let me know your comments people!!! Top 10 lists require discourse. |
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| Top 10 Albums of the Year 2006 |
[Dec. 21st, 2006|07:54 pm] |
I've listened to more new music this year than any year in my life, which if you know me, you know that is saying a lot. So I decided to share my favorite albums of this year. There were some tough cuts to make. The Strokes, The Walkmen and Built to Spill's albums didn't make the list, primarily because their albums were not as spectacular as some of their previous. There are a lot of albums I discovered this year that I would like to have included (Wolf Parade's Apologies to the Queen Mary, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, My Morning Jacket's Z, and the New Pornographers Twin Cinema) that unfortunately were released late last year. So below are my favorite albums released this year:
10. Swan Lake, Beast Moans
This is a Canadian supergroup that features Dan Bejar (The New Pornographers contributor and the man behind Destroyer) and Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown). The sonic murkiness of this album is at times baffling, frustrating, and frequently amazing. This album is not for everyone, but with repeated listens the murkiness evolves into symmetry.
Listen to these: A Venue Called Rubella, A Partisan But He's Got to Know, Are You Swimming In Her Pools
9. The Raconteurs, Broken Boy Soldiers
Jack White's genius paired up with Brenden Benson's pop sensibility. Enough Said.
Listen to these: Intimate Secretary, Yellow Sun, Call It A Day
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Show Your Bones
It isn't often that a band can add some polish to their sound without departing too far from what made you love them in the first place, but Karen O and company pull if off without a hitch. Maintaining their garage/punk roots, they made an album that not only demonstrated their growth as musicians, but dominated my spring listening rotation.
Listen to these: Gold Lion, Cheated Hearts, Dudley
7. Tapes 'n Tapes, The Loon
This band was described to me as being heavily influenced by Pavement and The Pixies. You can definitely hear touches of both on this album but at the same time they have developed their own very interesting sound.
Listen to these: Manitoba, 10 Gallon Ascot, Omaha
6. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, So Divided
Had this album been released earlier in the year it probably would be ranked higher on this list, but I'm still in the discovery stages. This has to be the best band around that nobody has heard of. Three albums into their career, they have made three classics.
Listen to these: Listen to the first two tracks Intro: A Song of Fire and Wine and Stand in Silence. The only way you won't want to keep listening is if you just have to hear that introduction again.
5. Destroyer, Destroyer's Rubies
Dan Bejar is a more poetic David Bowie. When he's not channeling Golden Years Bowie, he's adding his unique vocals to lines like "You disrupt the world's disorder just by virtue of your grace".
Listen to these: Rubies, 3000 Flower, A Dangerous Woman Up to A Point
4. Regina Spektor, Begin To Hope
This is by far the most accessible album featured here but Regina has not lost her Soviet Kitsch edge either. She can still sing about drugs and cigarettes, and throws more vocal loops into radio friendly hooks than Ani DiFranco ever has.
Listen to these: On the Radio, Hotel Song, That Time
3. Sunset Rubdown, Shut Up I Am Dreaming
Let me just assure you right now that I do not work for a Canadian promotional company, nor am I Spencer Krug's personnal assistant. In my opinion, however a lot of the best music is coming out of Canada right now, and specifically Spencer Krugs mouth. His vocals are difficult to grasp at first but he is just a brilliant songwriter. Wolf Parade's Apologies to the Queen Mary would have topped this list if it had been released a bit later.
Listen to these: Stadiums and Shrines II, Swimming, Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lover's Have Wings
2. Heartless Bastards, All This Time
Just listen to her voice, which apparently has resided in a time capsule since the 60's. It is perhaps the most emotive voice I've ever heard. This album is a must own for anyone reading this.
Listen to these: Searching For The Ghost, All This Time, Came A Long Way
1. Mates of State, Bring It Back
Take the White Stripes and switch their positions on stage. Then replace Jack White's overlapping pedal magic and replace it with several keyboards. Then overlap vocals that swirl in and out of the foreground and you have Mates of State. Its absolutely amazing how much sound these two create.
Listen to these: Think Long, So Many Ways, Punchlines |
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