MUXTAPE
This muxtape is basically just a bunch of songs that punch you in the face sonically. Get stoked.
1. Titus Andronicus - "Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ (The Airing of Grievances)"
This song is a perfect example of why Titus Andronicus have made one of the best albums of the year. This is the first song on the album, which is basically all that needs to be said. Any album that starts with that amount of bombast is bound to be a winner. The text reading at the end of the song is the point in the album when you realize that these dudes were actually trying to make the most epic rock album ever.
2. Sleater-Kinney - "The Fox (The Woods)"
I have a deep appreciation for Sleater-Kinney, though I wouldn't categorize myself as much more than a casual fan. With a band like Sleater-Kinney, I think there's more than a few different types of "casual fan," and I am the sort that appreciates every part of S-K's discography. I listened to enough riot grrl to appreciate the first two albums, I love the pop sensibility of the middle of their career and really love The Woods. The guitars on "The Fox" absolutely snarl and the drum fill in the bridge is brilliant.
3. Nirvana - "Scentless Apprentice (In Utero Albini Mixes)"
Apparently, this version of the song was supposed to be used in an episode of Lost, but the album version aired instead. This is another instance where a guitar can sound like an absolute beast, though this was mostly because of the hard work of Steve Albini, who has finely crafted his guitar sounds over the years at Electrical Audio. I would imagine Albini in his workshop, building amps and pedals with the sole purpose of making hate in sound form. It seems like he wants all of his music to sound like he is a true misanthrope, not just one of those Madison Avenue, novel writer types who "don't like people" because "they're stupid."
4. Hüsker Dü - "Broken Home, Broken Heart (Zen Arcade)"
Bob Mould has written some of the best hardcore songs of the 1980s, and this is one of them. Songs like this one and "New Day Rising" or "Something I Learned Today" just make you want to circle pit into infinity.
5. The Wedding Present - "High (Friday, I'm In Love: A Tribute to The Cure)"
The Wedding Present's recent output has been really weird. It makes me think that they're living in Los Angeles now, which they very well could be, and it also makes me think they still want to be young. I'm guessing at least half the band is actually young, but Gedge is well into his 40s, as he was supposed to be "the next Morrissey" or whatever ridiculous garbage NME put on his head. Either way, they've still got something going for them, and this Cure cover is really great. They still love the distorted octaves and playing fast, so you've gotta give them some credit.
6. April March - "Alec Eiffel (Pixies Fuckin' Die!)"
Speaking of weird tribute contributions, here's one from April March. Yeah, the one from Grindhouse. Though she got way into chanson somewhere around 2000, she put out this cover in the late 90s and it sounds way 90s; the best part is that she took a song that is one of the most covered Pixies songs and made it her own. What this version lacks in Frank Black charm (weird guitar parts, atonal noise), it more than makes up with its melodiousness. It really focuses on the beautiful pop song hidden under the surface of the original.
7. Heatmiser - "Blackout (Dead Air)"
If you didn't know, this song is basically the reason Elliott Smith ended up in Los Angeles. Heatmiser's shows got more and more violent in the Dead Air period and of course, Eliott didn't like this, so he wrote a bunch of songs that ended up being Mic City Sons and then eventually ending the band to write more songs that sounded like Mic City Sons, except quieter and way more sad. Great song though.
8. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - "Heart in the Hand of the Matter (Source Tags and Codes)"
Sometimes I forget just how much I like this album. It never really finds its way onto my "essential" or "favorite" albums list, but each of the tracks on the album is brilliant and always find their way onto my mixtapes. Though their more recent output has been spotty, I know they will continue to put out interesting music.
9. Darker My Love - "Northern Soul (2)"
This is just good music. I never really liked the band, but the more and more I saw them open up for other bands I was going to see, the more they grew on me. They do a psychedelic-Pavement-gazing thing better than any other band in Los Angeles. The funny thing about that genre is that it seems like that was totally the genre of 2008 here. Let's all start 90s college bands!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
MUXTAPE #26: blackout
Friday, December 19, 2008
Sam's End of 2008 List
Ed.: For those of you who don't know, Sam "Cinema" Song is a film major at NYU and the resident film snob. His "best of" list isn't the usual music list because he claims "he doesn't know anything about music" even though he bleeds hip. I'm glad that he's around so that we can throw stones at... what's the phrase? I'm not sure the phrase even works in this situation, but who really cares? Well, whatever it is, we both do it; I'm glad to have a friend that understands snobbery like me. Anyways, here's a special best of 2008 presentation.
favorite films of 2008, because i know nothing about music. there's still a lot that remains to be seen (a christmas tale, the curious case of benjamin button, etc.) but i feel pretty confident that this list will stay the way it is when all's said and done.
1. rachel getting married (dir. jonathan demme)
that tunde adebimpe sings "unknown legend" to his betrothed at the altar (he's who rachel is getting married to) is reason enough for this to be the best film of the year. pulsates with the rhythms of life, replete with its unpredictable undulations between joy and pain conveyed through the delicious combining of pathos and humor, all handled deftly by demme. anne hathaway is astonishing relative to what she's done up until this point, but she is by no means the star despite her abundance of screen time--this is an ensemble piece through and through, and everyone is perfect. this movie restores my love of the medium as it is everything a great film should be. i only have appreciation and affection for rachel getting married, a beautiful and generous film.
2. flight of the red balloon (dir. hou hsiao-hsien)
i can't not love a film by hou hsiao-hsien, this one made all the more irresistable by its evocations of the beautiful short film le balon rouge. gracefully meandering camera movements, long takes, and juliette binoche's bravura performance give this loving hommage/meditation on cultural displacement and memory a poetic vitality that can only be achieved by hou.
3. momma's man (dir. azazel jacobs) / my winnipeg (dir. guy maddin)
two films, thematically linked, one spot on the list so i can make room for more. both are intensely autobiographical, so personal that it verges on the uncomfortable and are all the more rewarding for it. one is a narrative feature about a man who, after visiting his parents at his childhood home, can't seem to leave (momma's man), and the other an attempt by the filmmaker to escape a sprawling documentary essay about it (my winnipeg). oedipal undertones (or in maddin's case, ubertones) and surrealist imagery abound in these truly original films.
4. don't touch the axe (dir. jacques rivette) (u.s. title: the duchess of langeais)
an underappreciated member of the french new wave, jacques rivette's adaptation of another work by balzac (he previously adapted la belle noiseuse to the screen) is a sensuous costume drama and a marvel of economical filmmaking. max ophuls' influence can be felt throughout, from the fluid and meaningful camera movements to the thematic exploration of human pleasures. jeanne balibar seems to have become his new muse. she's no juliet berto, but she'll do. as is the case with any good period piece of this era, muted passions brim to unbelievable tension and like all of rivette's films, sustains and earns its length. he's one of the few filmmakers i'll accept a running time of over two hours from knowing full well that he'll make use of every second of it.
5. wendy and lucy (dir. kelly reichardt)
transposes vittorio de sica's umberto d. to bush era hard times. the story is profoundly simple--girl is broke and wants to go to alaska to find work, but loses her dog along the way--and is appropriately pared down in its telling. like old joy, it uses the personal to achieve to political, expressing a kind of anxiety and disillusionment unique to this generation, this time and place, and for that if nothing else is an important work. wendy and lucy is a small, quiet film that builds slowly to pack quite the emotional punch.
6. milk (dir. gus van sant)
its prescience in light of all that is proposition 8 is eerie, making the act of watching the film a surreal experience unto itself. as traditional as biopics get, but van sant embellishes the film with aesthetic flourishes and an earnestness that elevate the film to the realm of the sublime. decidedly conventional considering what van sant's been up to with his last four films and the temptation exists to write this film off because of that, but to see the ideas he's developed through his aesthetic experimentation and apply them to a more familiar form is fascinating and inspiring. this is american sentimentality at its best.
7. the dark knight (dir. christopher nolan)
modernity steeped in a greek sense of tragedy and rightfully so, all by way of an american icon restored to power. the darkest and perhaps greatest of comic book movies (my heart will forever belong to ghost world). the dark knight has the sense of a new mythology in its ability to envelope an audience on a textual level while remaining pertenant to the context it comes from, which admittedly can get a little out of hand--the film can easily be read as a bush apologia--but that a film of this kind of entertainment value can be so immediate is enough for me. nothing can be written about this movie without the mention of heath ledger, who will win a posthumous academy award. gary oldman is the unsung hero of this film. batman's motorcycle 180 off the wall and the montage + voice over that ends the film are the giddiest moments the 14 year old in me got to experience at the movies this year.
8. chris and don: a love story (dir. tina mascara & guido santi)
this lovely documentary about the incredible relationship between christopher isherwood and don bachardy is the single most moving testament to the power of love(!!!) of the year. i was so wrapped up in the emotions of their story that i'm not quite sure what makes the film such a sucess, but it's pure and achingly beautiful. passages from isherwoods diaries are read that are moving not only because of the sentiment expressed but also the eloquence and mastery of words, which i guess might be the key to the film's greatness--the inclusion of their lives as artists in the context of their relationship (as opposed to a general statement about artists). a simple and unpretentious joy of a film.
9. pineapple express (dir. david gordon green)
needs no explanation.
10. wall-e (dir. andrew stanton)
a great sci-fi robot romance that only the near-perfect pixar could produce. the first half of this film is so perfect it hurts. once on the spaceship though, we enter typical pixar territory which isn't necessariliy a bad thing, but prevents this film from being truly great. didn't much appreciate having its greenness hit me in the face either. randy newman's song might be the worst song ever written for a disney movie. but these are all bad things. the shades of chaplin in wall-e's mannerisms to the inclusion of hello, dolly!, wall-e is made by people who love the movies, a quality that's severely lacking in recent output.
honorable mention: the wrestler, redbelt, happy-go-lucky, ashes of time redux, trouble the water
Thursday, December 18, 2008
A Note from Jeff Enzor about Good Luck
"So you guys are all like totally gay for this band and I'm all like I
NEVER SAW THEM ON PITCHFORK?!?!?!? so I checked them out and it's all
like GOD DAMN and they were just bumped to #3 on my list. Thanks."
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Dorothy's End of 2008 List
ED: I am still seeking submissions. Email them to chris@sharefestinc.org soon!
Gregory and the Hawk – Moenie and Kitchi
Someday I'll toss all your presents/And bury the letters left unsent
Cause it's bad to do what's easy/Just cause it's easy
And I wanna do what pleases me but I can't
Lauryn Hill – MTV Unplugged
City and Colour – Bring Me Your Love
Sad music for sad Internet users.
She & Him – Volume One
Zooey is so pretty, dudes. Pretty pretty pretty. This album makes me want to wear poofy skirts and giggle on the phone about cute boys and broken hearts
Mirah – You Think It's Like This But It's Really Like This
The Mirah album that actually came out this year was only okay so I went back and remembered why this one's my favorite.
Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Hearing this on repeat at the co-op, I had to start listening to it on my own and now I am embarrassed.
Ingrid Michaelson – Be OK
Well you might be a bit confused /and you might be a little bit bruised
But baby how we spoon like no one else
Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down – We Brave Bee Stings And All
I can never remember any songs from this album off-hand, but when it comes on I can sing along to every single one.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
The Best of 2008
As Justin alluded in his Best of list, this year was totally the year of awesome pop-punk. Indie rock is as dead as emocore as far as I'm concerned. How do I know this? Just take a look at the genres of the shows on the schedule at Chain Reaction. EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE LISTED AS 'INDIE.' DONE.
20. Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster.../We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
Basically, Los Campesinos! are either destined for greatness in the post-C86 scene or they're never going to put out another good album. At first, they seemed sort of gimmicky. They played songs about twee pop and pop music in general and they had a xylophone player and a violin player. It was some sort of self parody joke, but in the end, they were just a good band with a self-aware sense of humor. Both full lengths released this year were exciting, sonically interesting and decent in length, which is terribly difficult to do. Though the first LP contained a few songs that they had released on EPs released in 2007, they fit very well with the rest of the album and were wonderful singles. The second album, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, was a darker affair that seemed more thought out and more heavily medicated (Ritalined) than Hold On Now, Youngster. Either way, the hooks on the albums are amazing and can't be stopped, even though they're an NME band (I think... they're from Wales or something, which doesn't help).
19. Moscow Olympics - Cut the World
It's good to know that shoegaze has penetrated all the way into the Philippines. I have no idea if this band is part of a scene there or what; all I know is that this is the best shoegaze album of the year and it's from the Philippines.
18. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances
There are so many things to be said about this album. I knew I loved it when I first heard it, but the more I listened to it, the more I realized its genius. There are like six or seven dudes in the band and I think they're in the band more for group vocals and set dressing than anything else. They literally have four guitars and two keyboards on the stage, along with your standard rhythm section. Earlier I compared the album to the Desaparecidos album, and I won't retract that statement, however, I believe that the best part about Titus Andronicus is the fact that they're actually trying to sound juvenile, rather than coming off as too eager and amateurish in attempting to write songs about capitalism being evil. In the self titled track "Titus Andronicus," not only is the refrain "Your life is over" screamed over and over, there is a very subtle part at the end of the first verse where the dude says "Fuck everything, fuck me." This album was definitely made for the 14 year old in all of us that suddenly reappeared in our 20s.
17. The Mae Shi - HLLLYH
The Mae Shi were one of the early Smell bands that came into the internet's collective consciousness pretty early on. They played tons of shows and were one of the noisier bands. When their new songs leaked on a few blogs two years ago, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. What I had known of the Mae Shi was the opening set for the Ozma reunion show a few years back. I hated them. They weren't noisy because it was a conscious choice, it seemed like they were noisy because they didn't want to be playing music at all. The two songs I heard were "Lion and the Lamb" and "Run to Your Grave." I knew that if these were even the only two songs on their new album, they were going to be huge and they deserved it. Those two songs were pop gems and their synths actually sounded great, whereas on their old albums, they didn't. What I've learned about the Mae Shi is that they spend a great deal of time on their electronics and on this album, it really shows. My only gripe with the album is that it is too short. There are a few noisy punk songs which are focused and coherent and one song that is almost 12 minutes long, which is their own dance remix of a melody from the album. The rest of those songs, however, are great. Side note: they also released the best cover of the year of Miley Cyrus' single "See U Again" and it sounds incredibly expensive just because of their brilliant recording and electronics.
16. AU - Verbs
Basically, Animal Collective just met their match. I know some people actually like that band, so I will acknowledge that Au and Animal Collective are different in that AC is more electronic driven whereas Au is more organic, but you have to admit that they are a bit alike. Anyways, Luke Wyland really hit his stride with this album. He collected a bunch of great musicians to play on his songs and it really shows. The end of the album drags a little, but the "All My Friends"/"Are Animals" suite pretty much rules everything, especially if you've seen it live. If you know what I'm talking about, then you know why this album is great.
15. Boris - Smile
Boris has to be one of the best metal bands of all time. They've proven in a few short years that they can pretty much do anything well. They've done drone, psych, thrash, and now they're doing the Melvins shtick, which means they've got everything important covered. The one thing all of their songs have in common is that if you listen to them loud enough, they will crack your skull wide open. Their songs are just that brutal. Also, Michio Kurihara is basically a part of Boris now, seeing as he tours with them, playing not only on the songs off of their collaboration album, Rainbow, but on all the songs they play live. If you take one of the greatest Japanese metal guitarists and add him to the lineup of one of Japan's most exciting metal bands, you get pure gold.
14. Destroyer - Trouble in Dreams
From what I'm getting from other people's lists, they didn't like this one NEARLY as much as they liked Rubies. I liked Rubies fine, but I felt like this one was really good. Maybe I didn't have the absolute Dan Bejar fever in 2006, but now I'm a believer. His New Pornographers songs were what really hooked me, then I heard the excellent This Night. I then took on Rubies, but I was completely intimidated by the nine minute songs. I mean, I get that Bejar's got a lot of lyrics, but damn dude, your songs in the New Pornographers weren't more than like four minutes so keep it clean. Trouble in Dreams has got a little of that going, but it's not over the top. It's the album for those of us who weren't convinced that Bejar could do it without AC Newman standing over his shoulder. Just listen to the first four songs and think about the fact that each one is under four minutes and seems to be just about perfect in length. There are hooks, beautiful guitar parts and wonderful synth sounds, which is everything I could hope for.
13. Annie - Don't Stop
This is the best album of the year that you won't hear this year. It got shelved after Island Records in Europe wasn't satisfied with it, then subsequently dropped her. Annie was in the middle of rerecording a bunch of songs for the album, as well as doing a few new ones when the news came down the river. The album leaked months previous and a lot of people knew it was going to be an absolute gem. There are a lot of great pop moments on this album that Madonna will never be able to attain again, not just because she's old, but because she's really out of touch. Annie just gets it. One of the more hilarious notes about this album is the credits in the liners for the guest guitar work by Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand. All the songs that he plays on require such minimal guitar experience, it is ridiculous. I hope for his sake that he phoned the parts in, however I figure that he worked really hard on recording some of the most bland, danceable guitar tracks on the market today, just like the rest of Franz Ferdinand's catalogue. Anyways, solid album.
12. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
This was basically the sequel to Nick Cave's 2007 side project album, Grinderman. It's super dirty, beyond funny and absolutely brilliant musically. Even though Cave is one of the best arrangers and composers, his biggest asset is probably Warren Ellis. If you listen to the chorus for the title track, "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" you will notice that beautifully distorted mandolin track. God, if that isn't one of the coolest sounds, I certainly don't know what is. If this were a Johnny Carson joke, the answer would be, "Hell yes, Nick Cave is one jive motherfucker." What's the question? "Does Nick Cave's new album prove that he is the coolest cat making music today?"
11. The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia/Adorata EP
This is the creepiest album I heard this year. According to Jennifer, the T-Bone Burnett album was much scarier, but I stand by my claim. Just look at the album artwork while thinking about Mark Lanegan and tell me you're not scared already. The songs included on the album are so beautifully terrifying, they will creep into your dreams. I promise that if you really listen to the album at least twice, at least one of the songs will be in one of your dreams. It probably won't be a good dream, but it will be there and it will be beyond vivid. You will wake up sweating and out of breath. You will wish there is an episode of Will and Grace on television so that you can get your mind off of "The Stations" or "Idle Hands" (which has one of the worst videos ever). Basically, Dulli and Lanegan decided that they were going to rip Tom Waits' dark stuff really hard and substitute guitars and strings for whatever Tom Waits uses. Dulli and Lanegan also released a wonderful accompanying EP this year called Adorata, which not only has equally creepy artwork, but equally great songs, but in this case, mostly covers with two Gutter Twins b-sides. There's a Primal Scream cover and a Jose Gonzalez cover (beating the fact that both Dulli and Lanegan are bigger in Europe than they ever will be here into the ground), but the real standout is the duet on "St. James Infirmary." God, that song is beautiful when it's sung by a dude with a great voice.
10. Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins
Last year, I said that Will Sheff was probably the next great American songwriter, in line behind dudes like Jeff Tweedy and Ryan Adams. This album pretty much proves it. It could have easily been a throwaway album because it was meant to be the second disc to The Stage Names' first. What surprises me the most is the departure from the Okkervil River formula. As much as I love the band, I understand that their biggest fault is the fact that their "big" songs all sort of sound the same. There isn't a "For Real" or a "Our Life is Not a Movie..." on this album. The first two songs on the album actually sound a lot like Smiths songs, which is extra weird and awesome.
Also awesome is the series of videos the band did with other artists covering the songs off of The Stand-Ins:
9. The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
John Darnielle can turn a phrase better than almost anyone else still in the game. He is by far one of the most literate lyricists I've ever heard and somehow he's one of the most prolific at the same time. He had time to write a 33 1/3 book about Black Sabbath IN CHARACTER. Dude has so many EPs and weird singles that I've never even heard of and keeps putting out more. He released two companion EPs for this album/tour and I haven't even had the time to listen to them, though I know they're great. The album is in the style of his later LP work, meaning less lo-fi, and also incorporates a few beautiful string arrangements. The video attached above is for the first song on the album and is one of the most creative videos this year for one of the best songs.
8. No Age - Nouns
I really wanted to hate this album and I got away with it for a while. It seemed really mediocre in comparison to the shiny bits of Weirdo Rippers, but then I realized that it was because they had made a fully coherent album that worked together. This is exactly why I hate No Age. They seem to do everything ALMOST perfectly. The songs are good, but sometimes just a bit too short and not as rewarding as they could be. The songs are a little lackluster, but are a wonderful piece of the puzzle. The most frustrating part about them is seeing them live. They can't figure out how to put on an engrossing live show to save their lives. Maybe it's because of their complex electronics/loop setup, but stopping in between songs for two or three whole minutes without saying anything at all is a bit much. Anyways, this album totally grew on me the more I listened to it. I look forward to seeing them on MTV more.
7. Off With Their Heads - From the Bottom
I almost put this band towards the top of my list just because of what they are, however they put out a wonderful album full of pop punk surprises. It's gruff on the outside, but damn if it isn't just like any other manic depressive on the inside: fucked up, confused and harsh. These Minneapolis dudes have been catching more press over the past few months and it's not because the dude sounds like a pop-punk Dicky Barrett. Anyways, this album is everything you could hope for and a little bit more. It's pure, grade A, grass fed punk rock and it is a beautiful thing. I can't wait to see them when they come around at the beginning of the next year.
6. Vampire Weekend - s/t
The Feist album of 2008. You absolutely can't stop these dudes. They're not selling iPods, but they're basically selling college, white sweater vests and Topsiders the same way. My favorite part about the band is their keyboard player, who is just a bro. There was one particular interview on pitchfork.tv where the band was interviewed and played in the English Honors Society frat house or something and the band dynamic is more than apparent. The whole time, the dude who obviously writes all the music seems way uncomfortable with everything while the keyboard player dude is basically throwing up the superfinger while blasting a Natty Ice 30. This album is blowing 18 year old minds everywhere while their dads are totally pissed that they're somehow still uncool. The songs are catchy beyond belief. Just you wait until they make a biopic about Vampire Weekend in 30 years.
5. Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings and All
Everyone keeps saying, "Oh it's like a boring You Are Free era Cat Power copy," but this album is so much more than that. It's a paean to childhood summers without being a seasonal album. Every single song on this album is a gem. The best part about this album is the band. Thao's songwriting is super strong and she's a very skilled guitar player, but her backing band is even better. The Get Down Stay Down is made up of three ultra talented guys who are some of the SQUAREST DUDES IN THE WORLD. They play so well together and it really shines with Tucker Martine's production. If Thao puts out another album like this, you can expect her to be sign to a label much bigger than Kill Rock Stars, but all signs point to "will not try to be a pop star."
4. Vivian Girls - s/t
The Vivian Girls were probably this year's most enigmatic act. They put out a bunch of 7"s in 2007 and 2008 and were one of those bands everyone talked about, but no one had actually heard. At the beginning of the year, the band toured and released their full length ONLY on limited press vinyl (500 copies), which means it sold out ridiculously quick and it wasn't immediately repressed. The album is one part Jesus and Mary Chain, one part B-52s, one part Go-Gos and 100% Black Tambourine, which makes for wonderful music. The production is super lo-fi without sounding cheap. It's hazy and dreamy without losing that punk rock grrl feel. They continue to put out 7"s and will tour a ton. I am just disappointed that this band is from Brooklyn and is somehow related to Crystal Stilts.
3. Algernon Cadwallader - Some Kind of Cadwallader
This band completely makes me think of sophomore/junior years of high school. It just makes me think of how my mind was blown when I discovered Cap'n Jazz and Braid for myself. You make anything math-y and angular and you have my heart. End of story.
2. Jason Anderson - The Hopeful and The Unafraid
Jason Anderson has done it again. 2007-2008 were so completely productive for him. I can't seem to believe that he released so much music over the last two years (a few full length albums, a few free albums and a little over a hundred songs from his "Song A Day" project), and yet he still hasn't lost it. Dude writes some of the most epic, wonderful, beautiful songs about life and friends and generally getting stoked. These albums remind me that we have amazing capacity and if we've got friends, what else do we need? "El Paso" is easily one of the most Springsteen songs J. Anderson has ever written and it's great. It's like seven minutes long and I think it's basically a 14,000 word essay on living life to it's full potential. If you listen to it once, listen to it again, but very carefully the second time. The words this man is saying will change your life.
1. Good Luck - Into Lake Griffy
Hands down, this is the best album of the year. Nothing really came close to this album. There isn't a weak spot on the album. If you don't know, Good Luck is Ginger Alford from One Reason, Matty Pop Chart and Mike from the k-10 Prospect and they've come together to form the best pop punk band I've heard in years. The album is full of hooks, has super positive lyrics co-written by Matt and Ginger and is recorded perfectly, which is to say that it sounds like someone spent money on recording it. It's amazing to listen to what happens when three of the most toured musicians write songs together. The most surprising part about the album is how great the guitar playing is on the album. Matt's guitar parts are crisp and well played, but also incredibly technical. Ted Leo would be totally jealous of some of the guitar parts on this album. Opener "How To Live Here" is absolutely the most perfect opening song. It's such a fast song and is brilliant pop. Lines like "Yeah, everyone feels alone/maybe more, maybe less/maybe this year or next year/or when they grow old/but what a bogus affliction!/it's the human condition." are the reason why they are the best at what they do. They've really covered a lot of ground on this album, and if they ever decide to record another album, it will definitely be hard to top songs like "Come Home", "Pajammin'", "1001 Open Hands" or the "Stars Were Exploding"/"Bringing Them Back to Life" suite, which is essentially two versions of the same, short song, but with two very different effects. The first is a full bodied, pop punk version of the song sung by Ginger and the second is a more sparse version sung by Matt. Diehard Jawbreaker fans criticized Blake Schwarzenbach when he started Jets to Brazil because his lyrics were so simple, but those people were really missing out on the truth in simplicity. These songs have that exact same quality. This band has set the bar.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
I don't know if you know or not...
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Jennifer's End of 2008 list REDUX DEUX
Editor:
For all those fans out there, here it is again with a few revisions. Third time's a charm.
Hi blog world.
(this apology came from the bottom of my heart, then i puked it up and it landed onto google docs. it was weird. can you handle that?)
sorry i suck at everything. i've had to edit my best of list like, 7 times. but i just heard the entire titus vaginacus whatever album today. so i had to re-edit my list. again. sorry. it's not like anyone is reading this, so i guess i should really just apologize to myself. and chris! sorry, self and chris, for my indecisiveness.
my best of 2008 list:
1. aretha franklin- rare and unreleased recordings from the awesome years! blah blah
2. lilys- everything wrong is imaginary
favorite album of 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009... and probably until kurt heasley puts out another one.
3. titus androgynous blah blah
fuck everything! yay!
4. spiritualized- songs in a & e
5. t bone burnett- tooth of crime
6. bonnie prince billy- lie down in the light
6. vivian girls- vivian girls
7. mary j blige- growing pains
8. lil mama- voice of the young people
9. the starlite desperation- take it personally
10. au-verbs
i saw them play over the summer and it was so cool!
11. no age- nouns
most anticipated musical things of 2009:
1. cat power's album: this better be good or else i'm going to get mad
2. big death: big jeff, you better bring it.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Justin's End of 2008 List
Editor's Note:
To everyone who has previously submitted a best of list, thank you so much. Doing this is so much more fun when it's collaborative and we get to read each other's writing. Today, I have the distinct privilege of posting Justin Conway's Best of 2008 list. Spoiler alert: our lists turned out to be pretty similar in major ways. Final note: to those who still haven't submitted one, send 'em my way!
I’ll start by saying that I never got into pop punk when most people did. I never recognized it as a legitimate form of music, and why would I? I listened to the Germs and Crass, what good would sissy music with whiny vocals do for me? Well 2008 has provided a great awakening for me. A few of the bands on my list are very much pop punk oriented, and as well as falling deeply in love with these bands, I revisited many of the bands that I never would have given a moments listen when I was younger. I find myself now singing along to the Get Up Kids while driving in my roommate’s car, while everyone else is coming from nostalgia, the experience entirely new and wonderful to me. That said, I would say that 2008 was aptly coined “Two Thousand Great: Pop Punk Forever!”.
As far as albums that were released in 2008:
1. Good Luck - Into Lake Griffy
I love this record so much. Definitely my favorite record of 2008. There’s something about Matt Tobey’s vocals that make me feel young again. This album is so solid its ridiculous. What I have noticed is that pop punk albums don’t fare too well past summer, but this a year round record.
“Is it impossible, friend?/ Is it only a dream to find truth in the visions you see?/ Or to believe the love that I'm waiting for is somewhere waiting for me?/ Well maybe the way to get what you want/ is to stop waiting for it to show up./ Have faith in the wind and the rain it will come (but only if you let it come).”
2. Moscow Olympics - Cut the World
It took me a little while to truly appreciate this record. At first listen I figured it was simply some band that was trying to sound like New Order in a really cheesy way, but man did this album hit me hard. Imagine Northern Picture Library covering all of “Movement”. Very shoegaze-y while still remaining delightfully poppy and seemingly perfect for the Sarah Records roster.
You’re not supposed to hear lyrics in shoegaze songs
3. Why? - Alopecia
This CD is so heavy! I have loved Why? ever since I first heard “Elephant Eyelash”, but this album is so different. I can’t reinforce how hard hitting this album is. What I’ve noticed about Why? is that most of the songs are the most incredible collection of one-liners carefully put together in a fascinating collage, but shit man, this album is fucking HARD.
“Even though i haven't seen you in years, yours is a funeral i'd fly to from anywhere”
4. Young Widows - Old Wounds
I really have no clue what’s going in the Louisville scene, but this album rips. Kind of sludge-y, kind of punk, this album rules. Think Jesus Lizard or Melvins playing a show with Coliseum.
"She healed you with her fingernails, she healed you with her teeth"
5. Off with Their Heads - From the Bottom
So much to be said about this band. For sure were my favorite band this year, but this record holds nothing on the “Hospitals” EP. Off With Their Heads are a more punk sounding Dillinger 4, as well as more drunk. This year I fell in love with the gruffy sound of No Idea Records pop punk. The thing about this album, and all Off with Their Heads songs, is the juxtaposition of the bleakest lyrics with the greatest catchy guitar parts! This album rules though, rips all the way through.
““I’ll tell you why I fucking hate my life and I’ll tell you why I can’t seem to get it right.”
6. Algernon Cadwallader - Some Kind of Cadwallader
Sound exactly like Cap’n Jazz, but its still so good.
“Bop Shoo Bop, Shoo Bop Bop Bop” or
“OH MAN, ITS TAKING ME OVER”
7. Dear Nora - 3 States: Rarities 1997-2007
Dear Nora has quite possibly my favorite band for years now. I still feel strangely fan-boy-ish when talking with Katy Davidson, but all of that aside, this is a wonderful compilation of material spanning 10 years. I thought I had the complete collection of Dear Nora recordings, but as it turns out I was way off. The CD is 57 tracks, which seems long at first, but listening to it is a trip! Katy arranged the songs from when they were recorded, so you can totally hear her progression as an artist. Its an incredible record and well worth the listen.
Too many perfect lyrics to pick one.
Esteban's End of 2008 List
Simple enough. Let's do this.
1. Bomb the Music Industry- Get Warmer: Music for people that were kinda fat, but never really were. Self-realization music.
2. Louis Lingg and the Bombs- EP- Redheaded English man running around Paris playing basements of bars. Grinning music.
3. Fat Beavers- Theres no end to that shit LP- If Ian Mackaye was 25 and lived in Paris and played in the Buzzcocks. Pitting music.
4. Chris Murray- Why so rude?- Nicest man every. So much love and ska..so much ska. Loving music.
5. Slackers- Self Medication- NYC at its absolute best. They play Christmas parties every year where they play a full set, take a break and play ten ska versions Christmas standard. Dancing music.
Worst Music of 2008:
