New article (like last Thursday and like next Thursday) is up! Indulge your mind: http://www.teganandsarabanter.com/jude-austin/metric

I apologize for the tardiness of this post – but since I don’t get paid for this it takes a backseat to my preposterous amounts of school work; sorry.

 
Andrew Bird: “Noble Beast”
Notable Tracks: “Oh No”, “Fitz & Dizzyspells”, “Nomenclature”, “Ouo”, “Not A Robot, But A Ghost”, “Unfolding Fans”, “Anoanimal”, “On Ho!”

I have to admit – I have not given Andrew Bird the attention he surely deserves. I have all of his albums, but two of them sit un-opened on my shelf, and “Weather Systems” has only seen my CD player once. So I cannot make any comparisons, but I bought “Noble Beast” promptly after it came out. I made the mistake of buying the special edition with came with the second CD, “Useless Creatures”. The title is pretty appropriate as the CD is fairly useless. I’ll just say this now: It’s a bunch of aimless, mindless noise instrumental tracks not unlike Sufjan Steven’s early “Year of the Rabbit”. Don’t bother with it. That said, “Noble Beast” is fairly disappointing, actually. I didn’t realize how many tracks I took from it until I was just typing them above, but it leaves a lot to the imagination. Even though I haven’t listened to the two albums that everyone says are his best (except E. Julia, naturally) I can safely say that it doesn’t hook you like “Weather Systems”. The two exceptions to this are the first cut “Oh No” and the later found “Not A Robot, But A Ghost”. Both of these are superb tracks. “Oh No” opens up with his trademark whistling, and “Not A Robot…” successfully employs his new found toy – the drum machine. The other tracks listed above are all fine songs; they just aren’t incredibly mind blowing. Another new addition seems to be the frequent use of electric guitar, which gives the music a darker and more serious sound. I would say that this album is as far from Sufjan as he is going to get, as I refuse to give up on my comparison of the two. All in all, it’s not a bad album, but it’s not a great album. You’d get by without it, but even if you pick it up there’s still plenty of decent material on it. Just be ready to be consistently bombarded with bizarre instrumental sections that come out of nowhere and lead to the same.

 
Shaimus: “The Sad Thing Is, We Like It Here”
Notable Tracks: “Interview”, “Like A Fool”, “Stuck Around”

Sometimes (8 times, actually) I buy an album based off of one song so convinced by the greatness of the lone track that the rest of the album will be fantastic. But you can’t win them all – and Shaimus is a perfect example. I was profoundly excited for this album to come out – as soon as I heard “Like a Fool”, I ran to my computer and typed the band’s URL as fast as my little hands could. I ordered their CD, which came with the groovy offer of a signed disc, signed, shipped before it’s official release date all for just $10. When it came, my excitement turned to annoyance. It’s riddled with 70’s-esque guitar riffs and solos and lame vocal shifts. I do retain, however, that “Like A Fool” is still a great song, just like I will fully admit I adore Panic! At the Disco’s “She’s A Handsome Woman”. But the rest of the album comes across like a pop-punk fusion with catchy drums beats but little to back them up. The singer has got a good voice, but he applies it to singing about pointless kiddy shit – there is piano scattered throughout that does little to influence the overall sound or satisfaction the songs bring. But what makes no sense to me is how good “Like A Fool” actually is. The lyrics are solid, and the instrumentation is incredible. This single song showcases the bands talents – the guitar solo is preposterous, the drums are all over the place, the bass is some of the catchiest I’ve heard in years, but none of what is heard on this track is heard anywhere else on the album. I would assume they’d open with this, and just kind of take it slow for the rest of the show. “Stuck Around” is a decent song, though. Its chord progression is smart, it’s catchy, and it’s got plenty of handclaps. But the three songs hardly carry the album – it’s all about “Like A Fool”. It’s the only song you need.

 
Franz Ferdinand: “Tonight”
Notable Tracks: “Ulysses”, “Turn It On”, “No You Girls”, “Send Him Away”, “Twilight Omens”, “Bite Hard”, “Live Alone”, “Can’t Stop Feeling”

Lost all hope for 2009 because of the above two reviews? Don’t fret; Franz Ferdinand is here to help. The only complaint I can muster up about this album is that a certain someone has been spending too much time with Eleanor. There is a host of keyboards and synthesizers that were, up to this point not at all included in Franz Ferdinand’s catalog. But in most cases it works to their advantage rather than against them. There are only a few tracks that I didn’t take from the album, and those were really bad. But the others are fantastic: the stop-start dynamic that Franz Ferdinand can pull off so well is a frequent, especially is “Turn it On”. ‘Ulysses” highlights their ability to build up to a chorus with great chord progression also found in tracks such as “Tell Her Tonight” off of the Self-titled album or “Do You Want To” off of “You Could Have It So Much Better”. The single, “No You Girls” is a catchy, robotic ballad with a chorus that hooks you immediately. The album has a good, solid flow. Each song leads into the next really well, and each track has it’s own build up to the chorus that works out excellently. “Send Him Away” and “Live Alone” are catchy rockin’ numbers that capture the sound of their first album while “Bite Hard” and “Can’t Stop Feeling” sound like an interesting blend of both new material and the general feeling of “You Could Have It So Much better”. In fact, “Bite Hard” may be the best track on the album, with a beat that commands you to hit something to following along. This is a great driving album – it didn’t leave my car for a good week after I bought it. It does sparkle and then fade, however. But the fading is really just reserved to the final few tracks, where there is so much aimless keyboard noise that the songs are not worth listening too. But the first 11 songs are great – this is a must buy.

Week of February 18th – Franz Ferdinand: “When I Woke Up Tonight I Said I’m Gonna’ Make Somebody Love Me”.

Change of plans, Sonic Youth is on hold given the events that took place earlier in the week.
This one goes out to the one person that could sit and listen to him with me; the one person who could share my obsession; the one and only that ever shook their head just as I started shaking mine in disbelief of what we were listening to, despite how many times we’d heard it.
I’ll miss you, A.B.C.

#4: There Goes My Baby; There Goes My HeartDespite that he shared the same roots in the early 60’s with names like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley or Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison went down a different path and pioneered an entirely different brand of country infused rock and roll.

The most notable feature of Orbison’s music is obviously his voice; in his quavering operatic styling he was able to produce literal walls of sound narrating unrequited love and yearning. Truly, Orbison’s ballads can easily bring someone to their knees before they bring them to tears. In the process of creating these artful, tearful and memorable masterpieces in tremendous quanity, he established the “rock and roll archetypes of the underdog romantic loser”. He is listed as influences for literally hundreds of current stars.

Originally signed with Sun Records in 1956, his lone single “Ooby Dooby” was the only single billed in any chart, and after a brief unsuccessful venture with RCA he finally found his home at Monument. His first big hit was “Only the Lonely”, billed at #2 on the charts in 1960. It was also this song that solidified the Orbison persona: brooding rocker of failed love with sweet and haunting melodies. Following his early singles, nearly all of his songs began boasting symphonic production backed with a talented bassist and drummer. He also developed in the early 60’s his knack for terrific lead-ins followed by breath taking choruses. These can be found in nearly every song following 1962’s “Crying” (and of course, some before).

Dramas such as “Running Scared”, “In Dreams”, “It’s Over”, “Falling” ensued, occasionally pausing to throw in a more rockin’ number such as “Mean Woman Blues”, “Night Life” or “Oh, Pretty Woman”. He seemed ready to take on the British invasion, having toured with the Beatles in the 60’s and John Lennon even admitting to strongly relying on his style when writing “Please Please Me”. But once he moved from Monument to MGM, two major reasons led to a lesser-than-stellar scenario for Orbison. First, MGM couldn’t mimic the production value of the smaller and more intimate Monument singles, and to a more complicated and sad truth, his songs seemed to become variations of each other, making him sound outdated.

In 1966, his wife perished in a motorcycle accident followed closely by his house burning down two years later claiming his two songs. In the 1970s Orbison began releasing his first full length albums (all previous ones up to this point had been 45’s as singles and compilations of singles) but to no avail.  In the 1980’s, however, “In Dreams” was feature in a David Lynch movie (Blue Velvet), which pushed him back into the spotlight. He did an album (titled “In Dreams”) of re-recordings, and then joined George Harrison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne in the Traveling Wilburys. While this group was short lived, it set up his “best album in over 20 years” according to critics, “Mystery Girl”. However, before it reached the charts, a heart attack claim Orbison’s life in December of 1988.

Because, as started above that most of Roy Orbison’s work is the in the form of singles and compilations, the simplest way of going about getting everything you need is to simply pick up the “Roy Orbison: Soul of Rock And Roll” box set released on the anniversary of his death in 2008. It’ll cost you about $40, and is worth about $400,000,000. The only song it does not include that is in my mix is the studio version of “Claudette”, my favorite Roy Orbison song (or one of), and is on just about every compilation after 1980.
No iMix this time – iTunes has them all singled out through compilations, so it’d be too time consuming to find them all. If you have ANY interest what so ever in him, you really should get the box set, then. This mix also contains a single from each of his bands: The Teen Kings, The Wink Westerners and the Traveling Wilburys.
This mix is fantastic – maybe it’ll bring you to your knees before it brings you to tears just like it did for us.

“There Goes My Baby; There Goes My Heart”
1 – “Night Life”
2 – “Ooby Dooby”
3 – “Go! Go! Go!”
4 – “Mean Woman Blues”
5 – “Problem Child”
6 – “Breakin’ Up Is Breakin’ My Heart”
7 – “Almost Eighteen”
8 – “Lana”
9 – “Not Alone Any More” (Traveling Wilburys)
10 – “Oh, Pretty Woman”
11 – “Claudette”
12 – “Let The Good Times Roll”
13 – “With The Bug”
14 – “Hey! Miss Fannie” (The Wink Westerners)
15 – “The Fastest Guitar Alive”
16 – “Pistolero”
17 – “Borne On The Wind”
18 – “(They Call You) Gigolette”
19 – “You Got It”
20 – “Running Scared”
21 – “Falling”
22 – “All I have To Do Is Dream”
23 – “Only The Lonely”
24 – “Blue Bayou”
25 – “Dream Baby”
26 – “One More Time” (Demo)
27 – “Tryin’ To Get To You” (The Teen Kings)
28 – “Blues On My Mind”
29 – “In Dreams” (Re-Record)
30 – “You’re The One”
31 – “Crying”

Week Of February 6th: Three 2009 Album Reviews.

Originally a stoner rock band called “Kyuss”, the bands demise several years earlier saw reuniting of the Singer, Josh Homme, drummer Alfredo Hernandez and bassist Nick Oliveri as well as adding a new guitarist/keyboardist, Dave Catching.

Dating back to Homme moving to Seattle to tour with Grunge Indie Rock darlings the Screaming Trees, Homme began working with a series of guest musicians who shared his taste. The end result here was a series of 7”s released under the name “Gamma Ray”.

Back together again, the now foursome named the band Queens of the Stone Age (apparently because “Kings Of The Stone Age” sounded too overly masculine) and immediately got to work on their first, self-titled debut album. As the albums continued to be released, guest musicians appear on each of them. It’s almost because tradition – Matt Cameron of Soundgarden, Mike Johnson of Dinosaur Jr., Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, even Julian Casablancas of the Strokes.

Beyond Homme's creativity, it’s this consistent series of guest musicians that help forge an extremely different and unique sound for each album. Comparable even to Eels, each album heralds a fresh, new and unique perspective on the band capable of changing one’s opinion entirely. That said, if you hate one album, you might love another simply because the only thing they each have in common is a portion of the line-up. So it’s worth giving each of them a lesson even if another left you sour.

One final note, about the debut Self-Titled album – I absolutely think you should get this album, but I absolutely think you should download it by whatever means you can. BitTorrent is an easy way to get it – even LimeWire. I say this because it is out of print – which is the only time I ever endorse downloading music without paying for it. The CD will run upwards of $90.00, the LP close to $300.00, easily. That said, it’s good, but it’s certainly not that good. So get it, but don’t pay for it. (You will probably never hear me say that ever, ever again).

The Queens Of The Stone Age is a very traditional rock band. While they don’t venture too far from the core values of original rock, they refused to change and fit into the mold that rock is quickly becoming (the demise of, I mean). Unlike purists like Jack White, however, Homme has persevered with the same sound he’s carried through the early 90’s; the end result is honest, true and vintage-contemporary rock. He also has the most amazing ability to write guitar sections where he shows of his western influence – you know that acoustic guitar that symbolizes the old West in movies? Sliding all over the place, light then heavy plucks? Homme (especially in solos) transposes this same idea to electric guitar – it’s really something fantastic. I’ll mention it a few times throughout the album reviews.
 

1 - “Songs For The Deaf”
Notable Songs: “No One Knows”, “First It Giveth”, “The Sky Is Fallin’”, “Hangin’ Tree”, “Go With The Flow”, “Gonna Leave You”, “Do It Again”, “Another Love Song”, “Mosquito Song”

Might as well start with the complaint – the format of this album is tremendously annoying for those of us who are looking to create some type of play list. The thing is, it’s got a lot of great stuff on it – including the only two songs I knew and adored going into exploring the band (“No One Knows” and “Go With The Flow”), but the album is presented in a certain format. At the end of nearly every song and the beginning of some is this somewhat comical radio DJ stuff (the first track begins with the sound of someone getting in their car and turning on the radio). While some of it is pretty funny, it becomes burdensome and annoying by the end of it. However, if you just buy the album and listen to it, it doesn’t really interfere. This is the reason that there are so many notable tracks above, but only a few appear on the mix below. Now, with that said, the other reason there are so many tracks is because this album is fucking fantastic. Featuring Dave Grohl on drums for the entire album, he complements the raging-western influenced guitar riffs and solos very well. This album contains the second most amount of diversity and dynamic of the others; the lyrics are sound. “Gonna Leave You” drones powerful rock chords while fusing sweet melodies – excellent chorus. “First It Giveth” is a bit heavy, but for a rock song it works well – the drums are bounding in time with the baseline and a fast riff, but Homme sweetly sings over all the noise. “Hangin’ Tree” blasts you in the face like a bag of hammers with preposterously fast beats, “Another Love Song” is one of my favorites with a high and catchy riff that becomes much more familiar come the latest two albums. “Go With The Flow” ravages you until you’re out of breath. “No One Knows” contains a forty second bit with not only a drum solo, not only a bass solo, but a guitar solo as well occurring simultaneously (which I understand that doesn’t really make them solos anymore) and is also the track responsible for me now thinking Grohl should never do anything but drum because he is absolutely incredible. But the key song is “Mosquito Song”, to me. When I said the Homme was too traditional to fit the mold of how rock is changing (demising, really) this song is the exception. It’s a multi-instrumental piece containing piano, violin, viola, cello, acoustic guitar, and even upright bass. If you hate everything by this band, BUY THIS SONG. It’s dynamic and impressive, and is the best song (in my opinion) in Homme repertoire. It breaks away from every other song on any album, and makes me wonder why he doesn’t create more music like this when he’s so talented at it.
 

2 – “Rated ‘R’” (Originally titled “II”)
Notable Tracks: “The Lost Are Of Keeping A Secret”, “Leg Of Lamb”, “Auto Pilot”, “Better Living Through Chemistry”, “In The Fade”, “Lightning Song”

This album impressed me more than the others simply because I had no hope for it. It’s very accessible to those who enjoy rock. The chords are comfortable and plentiful – you’d feel right at home if you like the Stripes, Strokes or Nine Inch Nails (broad range, indeed). The writing itself seems to not have matured by this point – the lyrics are not nearly as poetic and clever as they become later on and the music isn’t as daring either. But despite that, these are some great songs. “The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret” can tuck you into bed with melody but rock your ass down the street with jammin’. “Lightning Song” is just a simple instrumental, but it’s a vital one in the sequencing of both my mix and the transition into my favorite song off of the album, “In The Fade”. This track is fantastic – it sounds like piano but that’s actually some kind of distortion on his guitar – it creates a unique sound. It’s catchy, but not mind-blowing. It’s just an excellent way to summarize the album and give you a breath before rocking you silly at the end. Be warned – this album contains approximately two of the four screaming songs in the Queens Of The Stone Age’s entire repertoire. In summary, it’s easy to take in, easy to listen to. It would’ve been my advised first album if I weren’t already certain that everyone already knew about “Songs For The Deaf”.
 

3 – “Lullabies To Paralyze”
Notable Tracks: “Medication”, “Everybody Knows That You Are Insane”, “Tangled Up In Plaid”, “Burn The Witch”, “In My Head”, “Little Sister”, “I Never Came”, “Broken Box”, “’You’ve Got A Killer Scene There, Man…’”, “Long Slow Goodbye”

God Damn, man, what a great fucking album. It’s a close second for my favorite so far. While it remains true to the traditional sound of Queens Of The Stone Age previous albums, which is to say it has traditional rock attitudes to it, there are enough nuances and niches hidden in this album to demand many, many listens. It also has several different types of new songs for the band, such as the grooving “’You’ve Got A Killer Scene There, Man…’” that grabs your attention with it’s slow and pulsing bass line. “Little Sister” is another fantastic song with a pounding drum part and that same western-influenced guitar. It’s the best song on the album with its slashing and its pounding and its rawking – it also displays all of the power and might of a crash cymbal (the entire cymbal second is played on seven crashes; cool). “In My Head” rock enough to make you jam, but catchy enough to make you move. It’s also a very relatable song: the topic is about his girlfriend being away from him and wanted to listen to ‘their song’ illustrated with a great chorus, “Keep on playing our favorite song; turn it up while you’re gone; It’s all I’ve got when you’re in my head and you’re in my head, so I need it”. It sounds typical, but it’s done really well with slide steel guitar and a hacking guitar riff. “Tangled Up In Plaid” is great hook to keep you listening – it features something that I always try to accomplish; very low octave piano chords to envelop and enrich an entire work. Ultimately, this album goes down really smooth. The sequencing is done well, the flow if good. While like the others, it does seem to be a traditional rock album on the surface; there really is a lot of depth to these songs. I suppose if you are not feeling the other albums, this is the lone one I would recommend you get, for various reasons such as accessibility.
 

4 – “Queens Of The Stone Age”
Notable Tracks: “If Only”, “Give The Mule What He Wants”, “Regular John”, “Avon”

This album is a debut album – try to think of that going into it. There isn’t a whole lot of depth; there are not a lot of dynamics. It has a very traditional feel and sound to it – that said, it is not a terrible album. I wasn’t expecting much and I was impressed – even this early on in their career they were already well on their way to developing their sound, but hadn’t quite gotten there yet. The riffs, while good are incredibly repetitive. “If Only” has got the same formula of singing versus low and choruses high which works really well for Homme. “Avon” has a familiar pounding drum role (not roll) and winding guitar part. There really isn’t a lot to say – you may like it more than I did, but considering the fact that you surely downloaded it (if you get it at all) you will probably only need it for the two tracks on the mix which both play extremely pivotal parts on the sequencing. But I will say, however, that “Avon” contains a drum fill that trumps any found on any album, and it completely makes the song in 9 seconds.
 

5 – “Era Vulgaris”
Notable Tracks: “Turnin’ On The Screw”, “I’m Designer”, “Into The Hollow”, “3’s & 7’s”, “River In The Road”, “Run, Pig, Run”.
The quality of the album is monumental. Had I head it; it most certainly would have made it into my Top 10 of 2007. Although there are not many tracks listed above, I assure you that they are all good (except one that I will discuss), but I like to do a taste from each album. This album is incredibly diverse and features a bit of everything from each of the group’s previous releases. It’s lyrics are witty, with lines such as the opening line of “I’m Designer”: “My generations’ for sale, it’s a steady job; how much have you got? What’s real for us is fortune it fame; it’s just like diamonds and shit”. But what is so excellent about this album is the incredibly awkward sound to it – you almost can’t sit still the first time you hear it. I couldn’t. From ominous hymns to multi-drum seconds to hacking and hewing guitar riffs to pop influenced riffs and choruses...this album is all over the place, it’s like twenty-in-one. But in the album’s incredibly vulgarity (get the title now?)  lies it’s genius. It’s so ugly and uncomfortable and awkward that it becomes endearing and interesting. The exception to all of this is the somewhat transplanted single, “3’s & 7’s” which doesn’t really fit on the album in a traditional sense, but it works. It’s also a great song – pop riff and chorus and rock bridge. The aforementioned exception, however, is the other “single”, “Sick, sick, sick”. First of all, I don’t know how the fuck this was ever a single – it’s fucking terrible. I hate this song. I first heard it as a downloadable track on Rock Band, and once I heard it once I never wanted to hear it again. I even forebode that and gave it a second chance when I bought this album, and I still don’t’ get it. It’s just…well, it’s terrible.
Horrible.
Loquacious.
Outrageous. You’ll want to skip that track. Otherwise, this album is my favorite of the five – it’s a must-buy.

As I said, the Self-Titled album is Out Of Print, so iTunes of course didn’t have that, but for some reason the massive iTunes library also did not contain “Rated R”. But the link for the rest of the mix can be found here:

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=303078035

This mix is one of my best – some of these songs flow together so well it’s like they were meant to be. Enjoy.

“I’ll Throw Myself Away; They’re Just Photos After all”
    Essential Queens Of The Stone Age
1 – “Turnin’ On The Screw”
2 – “Tangled Up In Plaid”
3 – “The Lost Are Of Keeping A Secret”
4 – “Go With The Flow”
5 – “I’m Designer”
6 – “Gonna Leave You”
7 – “In My head”
8 – “If Only”
9 – “No One Knows”
10 – “3’s & 7’s”
11 – “Little Sister”
12 – “Hangin’ Tree”
13 – “Medication”
14 – “Avon”
15 – “Run, Pig, Run”
16 – “Everybody Knows That You Are Insane”
17 – “in The Fade”
18 – “”You Got A Killer Scene There, Man…””
19 – “Lightning Song”
20 – “Mosquito Song”
21 – “Into The Hollow”

Week of January 29th – Sonic Youth

The Pixies formed in Boston, MA in 1986. Although, like most they started small, they are one of the main flagship bands that we owe thanks for having invented or inspired much of the music we listen to today. Combing jagged, roaring guitars and stop-start dynamics fused with melodic pop hooks, coupled with male-female harmonies blaring evocative, cryptic lyrics, the Pixies were one of the most influential and aggressively experimental bands on the late 80’s.

Not an ensemble of accomplished musical masters, Charles Thompson screams while bashing out chords, Joey Santiago’s lead guitar squealed bizarre electric cries. Bassist Kim Deal’s power of backbone held the seemingly random songs together with harmonious and catchy bass lines, and drummer David Lovering chimes in ever softly with slowly-but-steady beats. Thompson, inspired by Iggy Pop, donned the name Black Francis and after randomly flipping through a dictionary the group settled on the name.

The Pixies brief and busy songs filled with extreme dynamics and subversion of pop songs proved to be a milestone and touchstone of the ‘90s. Groups like Nirvana borrowed tremendously from their style, and it’s notations such as these that give the Pixies a sound that is truly far ahead of its time. In 1991 and 1992, while touring, relations between Black Francis and Kim Deal began to stress as Deal wanted more grounds for creativity and exposure. By the time Nirvana broke through the wall with “Nevermind” in 1991, the pixies were effectively broken up.

There are 7 national releases by the Pixies. One of them is an Arena-Live album, one of them is a greatest hits, one of them best be forgotten and one of them is not good enough to fit on my mix. You only need to buy the following: “Doolittle” “Surfer Rosa”, “Come On Pilgrim EP” and “The Pixies: Live at the BBC” (In that order).

 
“Doolittle”
Notable Tracks: Every-single-one-of-‘em
Doolittle is in my ever-changing list of Top 10 albums of all time, and it will stay there. It is one of the rare records to ever earn the adjective “Perfect” for everything it needs to accomplish. Not many records can bat 15 for 15. While there isn’t a flawed track on this album to me, there is one that most hate: “Crackity Jones” comes across to most as a senseless-jam noise fest that is completely out of place. Personally, I think that the beauty of this album is that the flow is intentionally senseless. Tucked away between the awkwardly fantastic “Mr. Grieves” and the harmonious love-irony song “La La Love You”, it certainly snaps the listener to attention. Beyond this, upon listening to this album it becomes extremely difficult to separate yourself from it. Everything about this album is uncomfortable; but it’s one of those rare cases where it works to its benefit in making it perfect. I will say, however, that with any other bassist this album would’ve been a disaster. Kim Deal’s bass lines hold everything together – where Black Francis and Santiago’s screaming vocals and guitars are, there’s a smooth-catchy bass line there to keep your head from exploding. I won’t talk specific songs merely because there are no songs to single out, except “Tame” which is absolutely-incredibly-supremely fantastic. If you get any of them, get this one.
 

“Surfer Rosa”
Notable Tracks: “Gigantic”, “Bone Machine”, “Break My Body”, “River Euphrates”, “Where Is my Mind?” “Cactus”, “Oh My Golly!”
Going backwards with the Pixies works well because the earlier you get, the rougher it gets. It’s easier to ease into it. With Surfer Rosa, many of the elements that eventually led to “Doolittle” can be heard. Kim’s bass lines are similar; Black Francis’ vocals are similar. The drums are a bit more free and sporadic; this is especially noteworthy on the pounding “Oh My Golly” and “Break My Body”. Listeners will recall “Where Is My Mind?” from the Fight Club soundtrack. “Cactus” is one of the four Pixies songs ever to rely heavily on a blues influence, to great avail. “Gigantic” is most likely the closest thing to a pop-song the Pixies had ever created. It’s slow, it’s melodic; Kim carries you through most of the song with bittersweet highs and smothering lows. My favorite Pixies song also appears on this album: “Bone Machine”. In terms of sheer rawkabilitiy, this song is second to none. The drums are droning, the base and guitar solos are sporadic-yet catchy somehow, and Francis’ vocals are endearing once you can figure out what the hell he’s saying. (It’s: “He bought me a soda and he tried to molest me in the parking lot”, by the way). And if you get the later re-issue, it comes with a little track called (Vamos Intro) that hears Black Francis talking with studio people in a funny little playful banter. This little interlude track is also found on my mix, below. Ultimately, because there are only a few tracks left off of my list (most of which are only left off because they didn’t make the mix) it would probably be most cost effective to just buy the whole album in this case too. Plus, remember you automatically get street credit for each Pixies album on your shelf. I think they're street credit value was 13 points each, last I checked, which was a long time ago because I'm bad ass enough not to worry about it.
 

“Come On Pilgrim [EP]”
Notable Tracks: “Nimrod’s Son”, “Caribou”, “The Holiday Song”, “Ed Is Dead” “Levitate Me”
Although there are not many of them, these songs really count. “Nimrod’s Son” displays a sporadic and random acoustic winding with irresistible lyrics like “You are a son of a Mother Fucker” or "C'mon Pilgrim you know he loves you!" from "Levitate Me". “Caribou” is actually rather out of place, as it’s more of an accessible pop song, charming in its endeavor to talk about cheating on your boyfriend. “The Holiday Song” is probably the fastest of the Pixies cataloge, with drums that make my arms hurt just listening to them and vocals that force you to scream along. One of the most impressive display of Black Francis’ lung power can be hard on “Levitate Me” with non-stop rising verses that approach the forty-second line. I do also believe it was their’ first single, if I remember correctly. So it’s gotta’ be good, right? Right.

Now that you know what your talking about, and you can show up all those idiots wearing Pixies’ hoodies trying to look cool but claiming they're favorite song is "Rape Me", it’s time you listen to their encompassing BBC album.
 

“Pixies: Live at the BBC”
Tracks to note are difficult to chose because it is a Live album, so all are unique. But “Manta Ray”, “Ana” and “Down To The Well” (these are each off the of the album I said it best to forget; I really prefer these versions) are excellent, as well as “Letter to Memphis” and the Beatles’ “Wild Honey Pie” are especially good. Remember, it's BBC, so although it's live, it's studio...sort of, kinda. The album also contains that final single of the Pixies that didn’t make any of the albums: “(In Heaven) Lady in the Radiator Song” (although postumously released later)
The BBC CD was released by Elektra in 1998, five years after the bands demise and consists of multiple sessions from 1989 to 1991. It’s relevant and characterized by it’s raw and unrefined sound.

All The Pixies you’ll ever need in a smooth, breathless stroke.
The iTunes store doesn’t have the BBC CD, so if you decide to buy my iMix, you’ll have to put those in yourself…but I recommend you end your Pixies exploring buy forking over the $5 for that album anyway.
My iMix can be found here:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=301957568

“You’re So Pretty When You’re Unfaithful To Me”
        Essential Pixies
1 – “Mr. Grieves”
2 – “Bone Machine”
3 – “Debaser”
4 – “Down To The Well”
5 – “The Holiday Song”
6 – “Dead”
7 – “Levitate Me”
8 – “Monkey Gone To Heaven”
9 – “Break My Body”
10 – “La La Love You”
11 – “Oh My Golly!”
12 – “There Goes My Gun”
13 – “Letter To Memphis”
14 – “Here Comes Your Man”
15 – “Nimrod’s Son”
16 – “I Bleed”
17 – “River Euphrates”
18 – “No. 13 Baby”
19 – “Ed Is Dead”
20 – “Cactus”
21 – “Manta Ray”
22 – “Gouge Away”
23 – “Tame”
24 – “Crackity Jones”
25 – “Wave Of Mutilation”
26 – (Vamos Intro)
27 – “Hey”
28 – “Caribou”
29 – “Silver”
30 – “Where Is My Mind?”
31 – “Gigantic”

Week of January 20th: The Queens Of The Stone Age

#1: The Greats of 2008

DISCLAIMER: As I learned from 2007’s list, I may not have been as adventurous or explorative as I should have been with checking out releases, and I left out a few that most certainly would’ve beaten the pants off of some the records that made it in last year (i.e. Of Montreal’s “Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?” would have ranked very high on the list had I heard it previously, as would have Interpol’s “Our Love To Admire”. So, to prevent you from showing up on my Brother’s porch with knives and forks, here is the complete list of albums I bought in 2008. If you don’t see an album on here, I didn’t hear it. If you think I should, then by all means, tell me about it. Please.

Beck: Modern Guilt, The Black Keys: Attack & Release, The Black Lips: Good Bad Not Evil, Clinic: Do It!, Cold War Kids: Loyalty to Loyalty, Death Cab For Cutie: Narrow Stairs, The Dirtbombs: We Have You Surrounded, Of Montreal: Skeletal Lamping, Wolf Parade: At Mount Zoomer, Fleet Foxes: S/T, Flight Of The Conchords: S/T, Ben Folds: Way to Normal, The Kills: Midnight Boom, King Kahn and the Shrines: The Supreme Genius Of, Locksley: Don’t Make Me Wait, Man Man: Rabbit Habits, Nada Surf: Lucky, NIN: Ghost I – IV / The Slip, Oasis: Dig Out Your Soul, Panic! At The Disco: Pretty. Odd., Plain White T’s: Big Bad World, The Raconteurs: Consolers Of The Lonely, She & Him: Volume 1, Kelly Stoltz: Circular Sounds, Tapes ‘N Tapes: Walk It Off, T.V. On The Radio: Dear Science, Weezer: Red Album

Singles and Compilations: Eels: Meet the Eels / Useless Trinkets, Rivers Cuomo: Home Recordings, Jack White and Alicia Keys: Another Way To Die, The Ghost Hounds: Ashes to Fire (Off Vintage Trouble, due 2.2009).

All right, that’s what I bought. Busy year. That said, if you see something is missing (or want to insult me for buying a Panic! At The Disco album) please comment below. I would also like to note that the order of the top 4 was harder to decide this year than any of the prior four that I’ve done organized top 10’s. I assume the difficulty of these choices would be comparable to “which son and/or daughter would you let a serial killer murder, if you had to chose?” Oh, and by the way, according to me, every album in my top 10 is a must-buy-you-will-not-be-disappointed-album. But there are a few you really should get even though they didn’t make the cut for various reasons. They are:
Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer
TV On The Radio – Dear Science
Kelly Stoltz – Circular Sounds
Nada Surf – Lucky
Flight Of The Conchords – Flight Of The Conchords: It’s like Tenacious D, except more funny and better.


10. Locksley – Don’t Make Me Wait
(Yes, it did come out in 2006, but the only U.S. release that has exclusive cuts on it was released in January of 2008).
Just sloppy enough to be endearing, this band of young guys profoundly surprised me. I first heard of Locksley through Rock Band. Coincidentally, one of my friend’s who was with me at the time I downloaded the songs actually knew the title track, “Don’t Make Me Wait” which is a great song in itself. If there is one band member to point out in this band, it’s Sam Blair, the drummer. For being just 20, he’s actually quite fantastic. But, ANYWAY it just so happened that I found myself at a record store one day and there it was for a mere $2.99. Of the three songs I had already heard, it was worth it alone. I was incredibly impressed to find out that there were more than just three good songs. There were nine! And they weren’t just good, but one could go so far as to say they are in fact great! Locksley formed in Wisconsin in 2003 and immediately after moved to the UK, and while they carry along some of the to-be-expected sounds of young chart-pop-faux-indie-quartets, what makes them not only listenable but good is their incredibly obvious fondness for early Kinks’ melodies, late Beatles guitar solos and pre-“Tommy” Who rhythm sections. While they certainly don’t overtly steal anything from any of these bands, (although the singer does directly steal the styles of Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos) they pull of the “we were heavily influenced by them” quite well. In the later tracks such as “Up The Stairs” and “It Won’t Be For Long” there are incredibly haunting violin sections that accompany the solo voice pieces that really do blend quite well. But, to me, what sells this record is the song “She Does”, which is a short one-minute-fifty-four-second punk-pop blend that is catchy as all hell and is perfect for just about any situation and application. If you don’t buy this album, but decide to make my mix, this is the track you’ll get, and it’s the track you’ll love. Finally, there is also a small transition song that is incredibly charming titled “For Your Love Part 1”. It’s obviously the transition of “For Your Love Part 2”, which is actually not that fantastic, unlike the aforementioned song, which is fantastic.


9. Oasis – Dig Out Your Soul
Yeah, I didn’t expect much from it either. Joke is on you. It’s actually excellent. Considering that their entire shtick was the complete disregard for everything and anything in music, it was at least balanced out by a foundation of classic rock. However, the maturity that seems so foreign to them is finally found on this album. In fact, I would’ve never given this album a chance, but I came across some tickets to see them in December where they of course played a considerable amount of new stuff. And it sounded good. I will say, though, that they really do jam on stage. As it was my first time seeing them live, I didn’t realize how much they improvised. While the album is excellent, it does seem much more reserved. The drums fills (that were on stage) are missing, the endearing guitar wankery is absent, the funky bass lines thrown in here in there are lacking…but this only distracts from the records goodness. And besides, if you didn’t see them live, then it doesn’t fucking matter anyway, does it?
In comparison to 2005’s “Don’t Believe The Truth”, the power chords are back under control, which seemed to be a problem for them come “Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants” or “The Masterplan”. The album is tight; everything is locked down right where it’s supposed to be. Paul Arthur’s leads and solos sound excellent. I still love the fact that you can tell when Arthur is writing and playing the guitar, versus when it’s Noel. Liam has calmed down somewhat, as he sings a softer side that hasn’t been heard since good ol’ “Champaign Supernova”, and even in comparison to that it’s soft. I will say that although the drums sound good, they are rather familiar. There were two new songs on this album that I thought were “Live Forever” when they started playing it live. But Oasis isn’t known for their drums – with the exception of “Rock ‘N Roll Star” of course, which is bat-shit-awesome-fantastic-awesome on drums. As a whole, this album has a constant pounding beat to it that is almost impossible to resist. Its sequence is supreme, as well. The slower rockin’ stuff (“Bag It Up”) leads into the really rockin’ stuff (“The Shock Of The Lighting”) which leads into the slower non-rockin’ stuff (“I’m Outta Time”) which leads into the big rock ending in the very anthem-like “To Be Where There’s Life”. Even after all this time, they’ve kept that Stone Roses meets Beatles meets Who meets Rolling Stones that everyone found so comfortable in the first place, they merely refined their sound further. Buy this album.


8. Tapes ‘N Tapes – Walk It Off
I think it’s a matter of hooking you into every single song. Just like their first album, “The Loon”, it seems each song starts in such a way that you simply must listen to it. Ok, well, not every single song, because I didn’t care for approximately three off of this album and approximately three off of “The Loon” didn’t make the cut into my iTunes either. By my count, this makes them six for eighteen – pretty, pretty, pretty good. What you get on “Walk It Off” (in comparison) is increased maturity.  Whereas in their previous album they would have a lot of seemingly random thoughts and guitar chords or solos enter, or perhaps the singer would suddenly switch tempos in some bizarre time signature change. This was okay, because they were young and adventurous and cute. But in the end it actually did end up hindering the value of my album, even ultimately how often I slept it with on the pillow next to me at night like I do with all debut releases. “Walk It Off”, however, offers a wide change from this new and young perspective with much more refined and progressive guitar riffs, as catchy as hell in songs like “Conquest”, “Hang Them All” (the first single) and the slower “Headshock”. Continuing the small little breather in the middle of the album are another few fantastic songs such as “Say Back Something” followed by the bluesy and difficult “Demon Apple” (which happens to double as my favorite track”. If you listened to “The Loon”, which you may have because it was my 2006 top 10 and didn’t like the taste it left in your mouth, you would do yourself a favor this check out this album. It’s kind of like the fantastic “Just Drums” off of their first album except that every track is that good (minus of course the three). One note I should make before hurrying onto the next album, however, is that one piece of this band refuses to change like the rest of it. The coincidental thing about this is that physically, the band members did change – Steve Nelson, the drummer for their first album left the band and was replaced by Karl Schweitz who actually replicates his sound rather impressively. I didn’t even notice the change had occurred, but he not only plays everything Nelson did just as well or better (live), he brings back the sound of their first album in that the drums refuse to be anything but bad - mother fucking - ass. Furthermore, for the vinyl lover, the LP comes with a digital copy.


7. Beck – Modern Guilt
I forgot this album was coming out when it was released in March. I was driving to…somewhere in Roseville for some reason (I think we were actually going to the record store there anyway) and I saw the big promo for it in the window and I got all giddy. I was a little off-put to see that, again, DJ Dangermouse has helped with an album. For those of you who don’t know, Dangermouse is responsible for the “Grey Album”, featuring a mash-up of Jay Z’s “Black Album” and the Beatles’ “White Album” which doubles as the greatest rap-album I’ve ever heard. But, he is also responsible for guest producing on other albums including The Black Keys’ newest “Attack & Release” that came out in April (notice where that album is in my top 10). But, ANYWAY I was a little nervous, but I figured that Beck was already so overtly creative, even in many of the same way of Dangermouse that this collaboration would be a positive aspect, or at least not an overtly negative aspect. I was right, in most regards. You can’t even tell he’s there. This album sound like the follow-up to “Guero” that I’ve been wanting but not been getting with “The Information”. There is one thing about this album I will say right away – the flow is excellent, and the songs I like demand a full and intense listen. There are so many fantastic little aspects to all of the songs, like one-time-only-in-the-entire-song snare/tom rolls (“Gamma Ray”) and small little piano bridges (“Modern Guilt”). These little surprises come out of nowhere, make you look around, and replay the track again. Although of the original 11, I took only 7 songs, I have listened to these 7 songs so many fucking times and I am still hearing new little bits here and there. Even in the very, very familiar “Soul of a Man” (sounds extremely similar to the Kills “Pull A U”) demands constant listening. There’s something extremely charming about an album that instead of following traditional rules and repeating beats or parts, it only plays them once. It’s like listening to a Baroque sweet, minus the harpsichord. “Orphans” has got some of the best lyrics I’ve heard from Mr. Beck in quite a while, and “Chemtrails” is probably my favorite single of his since “Devil’s Haircut” (not including “Sea Change” because that can’t be grouped with his other albums in my opinion. That one doesn’t belong in the same genre, or store, or city, or planet as his other albums). This was a great sigh of relief, especially after it came out so recently after “The Information” which I was greatly disappointed in. Bravo. Also, the LP comes with the download.


6. The Kills – Midnight Boom
The new sound of this album, compared to their last two can be summed up in one word: “duet”. Oh, and “catchy”. Ok, two words. Although “No Wow” was a fantastic album, it’s always a delightful revelation to realize that a band is only getting better and better.

Wait, fuck. “Awesome”. Three words.

Anyway, Hotel and VV now trade off consistently through the first half of the album, singing back and forth. It’s probably good that they don’t overdue it by making the whole album like this, but it’s still a great way to start a new one. Both of the first singles, “U.R.A. Fever” (really bad name, really good song) and “Cheap and Cheerful” are easy examples of this, and see how good they are? The thing is, even when they stop doing to the duet ting I like so much, it stays delicious. “Sour Cherry”, “M.E.X.I.C.O.U.” (again, stupid name, not-so-stupid song) are excellent rock-out songs. “Sour Cherry” specifically I must have listened to over one hundred times by now. Like most artists who get more mature, the Kills take a stab at a slower track, finally, with “Black Balloon” to great success. VV may have the voice to scream out rockers like “Cat Claw” and “I Hate The Way You Love”, but that doesn’t mean she can put you in bed and tuck you in with a sweet and soft melodic voice. Hell, I’ve been wondering what she would sound like singing slower songs for years. “Goodnight bad Morning” is one of the best songs on the album, for me; in it’s own way. It’s a charming little tale sung almost entirely in duet with the pair – and Hotel is playing acoustic. Strange and new, but good. Like any Kills’ album, there isn’t a whole lot to say. They’re a difficult band to put into words. This is a fantastic album that features a lot of new takes on their act, and each of them comes across to work extremely well. So, so good. Vinyl buyers BEWARE!: The LP comes with the download.


5. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Imagine the Beach Boys in 1965, post-“Pet Sounds”. Take in Carl, Dennis, Brian, and Bitch; er, I mean Mike, and just picture their harmony for me. Now, while still keeping that harmony in your head, think of Sufjan Steven’s in purely instrumental form; perhaps a mix of approximately 65% “Come On, Feel the ILLINOISE!”, 25% “Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lakes State” and 10% “The Seven Swans”. Got it? Good. Now, with this easy calculation going on in your head, do me one more favor and take the lyrical artistic ability of perhaps Mark Oliver Everett; similar subject matter, similar wording. SO, we have E-esque lyrics being sung by the Beach Boys of the 1960’s over Sufjan Stevens’ music. You could make all of these little measures, or you could just go out and buy this album because it is fucking mind-blowingly fantastical. Every track, every bit, every nook. I’d go into specific talk, but I think my critical thinking problem above does the work for me. It really is like a Sufjan Album with dark lyrics and Beach Boys’ harmony. Check 'em out.


4. Cold War Kids – Loyalty To Loyalty
I don’t know if any of you remember when I first stumbled across these guys. But I flipped-the-fuck-out. They’re single “Hang Me Out To Dry” was a free download on iTunes, and I was sitting at Starbucks taking a break from a paper and I saw it and I downloaded it and I flipped-the-fuck-out. It’s still, to date the only iTunes free single I’ve gone and bought the CD because of, but these guys were such a find that it more than makes up for all of that, now. Although E. got the album early, iChat sucks and I couldn’t get it. So I rushed up as fast as my ‘wittle wegs’ could take me and picked it up on the day it came out. (A note: I bought the special edition hardbound CD with the DVD. This was only $3 more at the time, not sure what it runs now, but if it’s more than $3, pass on it. It’s not really worth it.) Anyway, I was immediately as giddy as a schoolgirl to hear the immense amount of musical growth found in even just the first track, “Against Privacy”. It certainly was not as good of a track one as “We Used To Vacation”, but in it’s own way it really works well for this album. The rawk commences as “Mexican Dogs” chimes in on track two, and you are taken to a place that is comfortable in that it’s reminiscent of “Robbers & Cowards” while still displaying a major development of discipline. Those fantastic low piano chords that really made “Robbers & Cowards”, or at least the aforementioned track one make a return on several songs and really tackle the task in enriching them with a tight and enclosing blanket of continuity. Tracks like “I’ve Seen Enough”, “Welcome To The Occupation” and “Every Man I Fall For” not only beg for a second listen, but they hold you at gunpoint and fucking demand it. Lyrically the content has not really changed. Each story tells the tale of new individuals, like a book, like “Robbers & Cowards”. Although the story telling ability is unlike that of the Decemberists, it is easier to fall in love with these more realistic nameless characters. The whole story telling thing really is just all inside my head, it’s not been confirmed by the band or anything, but listen to any track by them and tell me if you don’t hear a story in each one. Ultimately, if you are only going to buy five albums of my top 10 (any less and I’ll un-friend you) make sure this is one of them. It’s a supremely good album, and it would’ve been at the top of the list if the other three entries weren’t so amazing.

In defense of the Cold War Kids, the only reason number 2 and number 1 are number 2 and number 1 us because one is a debut that blew my mind the first time I’ve heard it and the other is the second album EVER in my library to be a Sophomore album that is not only better than the first, but is also a major comeback after being very disappointed in the Freshman release, respectively. These same reasons can be applied to number 3 being number 3, however it is above Cold War Kids simply because it is better. It’s amazing. It’s…


3. Man Man – Rabbit Habits
Breaks my heart to make it number 3. It was Number 1 from April 19th, when it was released all the way up until December when I first heard number 2, and started listening to number 1 again. Man Man has enchanted me with each release. If you haven’t heard them, they’re sound is most certainly an acquired taste. I’ve only encountered one person that couldn’t take it, because it is very sporadic and out there, and those people are bound to be around. But each album has been amazing, and the mix I made of them is one of my most prized. The group consists of five members, each of which play a traditional instrument, and then 85 million other things like cans, 2X4’s, spoons, rocks, cans with spoons and rocks inside of them; whatever they can pound on to make noise. Rabbit Habits is certainly the most accessible of the three; Honus Honus, the lead singer said it was their “pop album”. But understand that “pop” for this band isn’t necessarily “pop” to most people. It is pretty out there, I guess, but it’s tremendously refreshing and unique. This album in particular displays a great leap in lyrical ability. It’s possible they had it all along and just never tried to tap into it, but regardless the lyrics are both witty and funny. Lyrics such as “You walk like a stallion, but you fuck like a mule” are sprinkled throughout, providing you can get by the amazing wall of sound to actually listen. It may take you a few dozen listens to start paying attention to the lyrics, but it is just one more way this album keeps on giving. Once it came out (note that it came out with two other albums the same day, one of which is even in this top 10) and it didn’t leave my CD play for four weeks. I then took it out when I bought a new car, and it was the first one in my new car where it stayed for an additional two (weeks). Yeah, it’s that fucking good. I’d give you some specific songs to buy if you, for some reason didn’t want the full album, but not only do several of them lead into the others, the entire album (shy of the very last track) are must-owns in my opinion. So to save me the trouble of writing the entire track listing of the album, and you the trouble of reading, you really should just buy it in it’s entirety. Heads up, for all the LP lovers out there, the LP comes with a download.


2. King Khan and the Shrines – The Supreme Genius Of
Holy shit. This record is intense. 16 tracks of a garage soul-fucking inferno! This record is unbelievable! This record is instenstly unbelievable! The music is that of late Beatles/Kinks/Early Who/Sonics (vintage 60’s garage rock) with a singer whose energy can be comparable to the late great Mr. James Brown (not in voice, in SOUL POWER!). I would assume that to see this act live would be the closest thing to a religious experience that I could ever encounter. I would quit my job and drop out of school to run the streets trying to tell everyone I came across that I have found salvation in the Supreme Genius of King Khan and the Shrines. This album is the closest thing to a perfect album I’ve heard since Eels “Blinking Lights and Other Revelations” (I don’t mean to compare them in anyway, of course, other then they’re level of perfection). I don’t know how else to explain it. The amount of energy coming off of this disc is like something I have never encountered, except of course for the previously mentioned reference to James Brown. If you’re in the mood to grove and move, this album is perfect! Just what you need to cure the blues. It seems there is more I should say about this, like that this album was brought to the states by the drummer of the Black Lips, or that it’s their fifth album and it made me buy everything and I love it all and cuddle with it at night; but it’s all moot. You simply must own this album.


1. The Raconteurs – Consolers Of the Lonely
This album is excellent in many ways. The ultimate reason it pushed through the crowd and made number 1 was my respect for Jack saying “fuck you” to everyone who bashed the Raconteurs first album by announcing this album exactly one week before it was released worldwide in all formats simultaneously. But not in just this way is it defiant. It’s strange mix of progressive rock; blues and western fusion sound comes together in a way that makes me re-evaluate Brendan Benson, Jack White and the Greenhorns entirely. How could this band get together and put out an album that trumps (in my opinion, I expect rage from many for this statement) EVERY SINGLE FUCKING RECORD THAT ANY OF THEM HAVE PUT OUT? It’s really that good. The story telling of “The Switch and the Spur” and “Carolina Drama” have both a catchy hook-while-enchanting-you feel. The fucking ROCK of “Consolers Of The Lonely”, “Salute You Solution”, “Hold Up”, “Five On The Five”, and “Attention” make you constantly stare at your CD player or Turntable or CD Turntable and shake your head and say “no fucking way” or “wow” or “God damn” or “I can’t believe they did that” or “that’s amazing” or “Maaaaannnn….” Or “God Damn!”. Lyrically, it’s a very smart album – all of symbolism is really used to their advantage, and unlike their first album “Broken Boy Soldiers” they have really fused together all of their abilities to form a perfectly united ensemble. The solos, the piano, Jacks’ bass lines (Lawrence, not White) and Peter’s drums really shine. This album is dramatic, it’s epic, it’s amazing, it's the best of the year.

Below you’ll find the track listing for my “Greats of 2008” mix. You can acquire these songs however you like – I of course endorse only legal methods that involve some kind of money changing hands.

iTunes is recommended. I made an iMix for you. The link is included below so you can just buy my mix with the click of a button. iTunes didn’t have 2 of the tracks, so you’ll have to get them through other means if you decide to just buy my iMix (King Khan and the Shrines and Locksley).

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=301398045

This is a 22-track mix that encompasses the entire year, goes down smooth, doesn’t need to a chaser, and you won’t even smell!

Greats of 2008
1 – “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” – She & Him
2 – “Quiet Houses” – Fleet Foxes
3 – “See These Bones” – Nada Surf
4 – “Bixby Canyon Bridge” – Death Cab For Cutie
5 – “Fine Young Cannibals” – Wolf Parade
6 – “Every Valley Is Not A Lake” – Cold War Kids
7 – “Your Reverie” – Kelly Stoltz
8 – “Conquest” – Tapes ‘N Tapes
9 – “She’s A Handsome Woman” – Panic! At The Disco
10 – “She Does” – Locksley
11 – “Strange Times” – The Black Keys
12 – “Salute Your Solution” – The Raconteurs
13 – “Wreck My Flow” – The Dirtbombs
14 – “Discipline” – Nine Inch Nails
15 – “Halfway Home” – TV On The Radio
16 – “U.R.A. Fever” – The Kills
17 – “Another Way To Die” – Jack White feat. Alicia Keys
18 – “Soul Of A Man”
19 – “Bag It Up” – Oasis
20 – “Off The Block” – The Black Lips
21 – “Torture” – King Khan And The Shrines
22 – “Easy Eats Or Dirt Doctor Galapagos” – Man Man

Week of January 13th: The Pixies

My rants start next week, every Thursday.

Week of January 8th: The Greats of 2008.

I need your help. I want you to tell as many friends and family members and co-workers and strangers you can that I'm going to start writing about music.

More so.

A lot of it, and all the time.

I'll do things like review every album from a specific artist, break down the order to buy them in, and include a mix as well as a link to iTunes to just download the mix I've already put together.

I'll do things like give you Top 10's of songs, releases, bands, albums and arm chairs. The order you should listen, find, buy, steal, or sit.

These are things I've done and toyed with in the past - but I'm talking about full on weekly-posts that deal with a band or at the very least an album. But I won't start until I've got 10 new people.

So if you think your friends suck, or they're music taste sucks, point 'em in my direction and I'll set 'em straight. I'll enhance their music taste and their persona. Just tell them to add me and/or comment on this post.

Once I hit 10, you'll hear all about:
Queens of the Stone Age! Interpol! Nirvana! Pixies! Harry Nilsson! David Bowie! Top 10 albums of 2008!
Top 10 songs of 2008! Spoon! Brian Eno! Man Man! Love! Chopin! Mozart! Rachmaninoff! Sonic Youth!
And more!

Tell people - 'cause I'm not popular enough. I also have no clue how to look for myself. And I'm shy. And awesome.
 

...seems like it's been forever, but the first step is finally here and passed, and I'm right where you left me, just like I always was and will be.

Never forget.

Control of the House
Control of the Senate
Control of the White House

After the Democrats un-fuck everything the Bush administration did, let's hope they can put these 2 (possibly 4, possibly 6, possibly 8) years to good use. Godspeed to Presidential-Elect Obama to living up the insurmountable expectations he has before him.

Hah..."Thank God. THANK GOD".

McCain gave an incredible speech:

President-Elect Obama gave an incredible speech:

And I hope that President Bush was in the White House for once, and he looked outside at Pennsylvania Avenue and saw not only what he did to our country, but also what he did to his own party. He completely obliterated it.
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Let us also note that Michigan's legislative, executive and judicial (political in it's entirety) has also changed drastically. Grosse Pointe represented by a Democrat for the first time in 75 years, for example.

Rely on the FREEP [http://www.freep.com/] for what you need to know on Michigan's race.


It's an historic day. Feels good to be a part of it.

Sometimes at work I get horribly sad. I would not go so far as to say depressed, but just being either there are around specific people make me miserable. I don't know why - it's similar to that sensation you get when you see an ex is doing better than you.

You don't wish them (in this case, it i.e. the store) harm, but you wish they (it) were the least bit sad that you're sad too.

I finally got around to listening to a few of the '08 albums that have been sitting in my desk. And by few I mean five tracks of one. I turned on Kink Khan and the Shrines - I didn't care for the last two I heard but the first three were smokin' good. I'll write something up about that one, <i>Join Dan Startain</i> and the new Wolf Parade.

I requested off my Rock Band 2 party. Mid-November. I encourage attending. I also managed to finish my outline for my music theory dissertation; I think I'll make a post that will pretty much be a minutes recording of my speech. Or maybe I'll record it me speaking and post that. Or maybe both. Or neither.

And someone please tell me how to make my HTML do what it's supposed to do.

Oh, and...
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RoHWwrTeYLY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RoHWwrTeYLY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

...eep. Haven't gotten there yet...but...eep.

Hahahahaha!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/10/16/baby.named.sarah.cnn

Ha!

*EDIT*
Ha!


Hahahahaha...ha...


...
...
...ha. Idiot!

Saw Man Man at the Crofoot in Pontiac last night.
Actually quite a nice little bar; and a great little show. I was going to write it up, but I still can't get pictures to show up.

Somebody help me out here. I never had a problem with my old LJ. And this little write-up would be so much better and dramatic with the great pictures my friend Jewel took.

I also must edit my Ben entry:
There are, in fact two great songs. I also only hate one song. I also only find three "okay" rather then disliking them.

I ran to Target yesterday to pick up season 11 of the Simpsons, and I saw him.

I thought about how I ended things between us; I <i>had</i> decided we'd still be friends. I'd even said I'd check up on him every once in a while. So, nearly a year since I'd heard him last, I did exactly that.

<center>
<a href="http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y175/briefcandles/?action=view&current=l49143jydlt.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y175/briefcandles/l49143jydlt.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
</center>

The expectations I had for this record were low.

The expectations I had for this record were probably the lowest they had been for any new album from an artist I, at one time adored. I can relate my extreme dissatisfaction in the yet-to-be-released Of Montreal album probably because "Hissing Fauna, Are you the Destroyer?" was in fact SO good that it built them up. But, ANYWAY; I find a lot of comfort in this album. True, there are a couple of songs that are virtually impossible to listen to, for me (i.e., "Cologne", "Bitch Went Nuts") because I think they are horrid. But what I expected was an album full of songs as bad as those (which, coincidentally, could just be chalked up to "Jesusland" and "Give Judy My Notice" equals).

What I got was an album of familiar sounds, chords, progressions, lyrics and cynicism that marks a return to the snarky, sarcastic days of old when Folds' signature blend of nerdy bravado and apathetic melodiousness wrested dominance of the proverbial cheap, college dorm stereo from They Might Be Giants. 

No, the album is no Ben Folds Five album. It's no Rockin' The Suburbs. It's not even on par with Songs For Silverman. I am, indeed, liking his music less with each release, but he has not hit bottom yet. I expected garbage, but got...something you had yet to throw away. It will get there, but it's still got a little bit of use left.

Specifically, I'm told everybody is bashing "Free Coffee". I actually enjoy this song greatly - yes, the lyrics, like just about every Ben Folds songs written in the past 5 years have been, are terrible. Very, very, very terrible. However, it's still fantastic musically because the song is played on Prepared Piano, and not only do I recognize the skill it takes to set up and play prepared piano, the end result sound good. Just try to ignore the words, such as with...

The song featuring Regina Spektor, "You Don't Know Me" is also listenable. It's not great, nothing on the album is great, but it's certainly alright. It will make it into my iTunes (which has become a hard accomplishment to achieve these days). "Kylie From Connecticut" is pleasant. It's also exactly the same as "The Luckiest", "Gracie", "Cigarette", "Fred Jones Pt. 2" and so on. But there is nothing wrong with it.

Ultimately, he returns to a lot of the aforementioned dorky bravado and really doesn't get too creative ("Free Coffee" being an exception). It's an easy record to take in. And if you love him when I did, you'll hear a lot of comfortable and familiar signature sounds.

I'm impressed. 6/10.
 

*Note*
That HTML up there is supposed to be the album cover. I have no idea why it is not showing up, nor do I have the time to play with it. Sorry.

Y'know? Golly I missed everyone so much, I made another one.