Yay for another decade list of albums that influenced my growing up as a teenager. This list probably means jack-shit in the grand scheme of things, but regardless here are my top 40 records that I think owned. Just a note that one a band has had an album already appear, no more will come up, just to share it around.

40. The Killers – Hot Fuss (2004)

I remember back in 2004 when The Killers were the ultimate hype of the year, and so they should have been, they were great, and Hot Fuss was an amazing album. From “Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine” through to “Everything Will Be Alright”, this album owned my summer and was one of my first transitioning albums from my young, 13-year old rap and hiphop faze (everyone’s been there, okay?). I’m not sure if it was their catchy one-liners, or dominate 80’s synths, that would go on to really influence the bands I enjoy in music, but The Killers catchy pop riffs backed with Brandon Flowers lyrics “Make this go away without a word” in “Midnight Show” lifted my adolescence. What a shame The Killers never got back to this status as the following 2 albums that followed (not including Sawdust, b-side albums don’t count).

39. Sigur Rós – Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (2008)

For me lyrics are a huge part of who I do and don’t enjoy listening to. So when Icelandic band Sigur Rós came into my life it breached all contracts. Understandably, hardly any of their tracks are in English but for some reason it doesn’t seem to faze me. Their music is simply so divine by tune of the song you can gather what it is about. And if you still don’t know you can make it up really. I suppose the influence of Thom Yorke putting forward that “this band is going to be huge” also helps ones inhibition and self promotion. I think with or without the word from Yorke Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust was always going to be a fantastic album.

38. The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow (2003)

Having your bands name come out of Natalie Portman’s mouth I guess impacts on a small minority of followers. Having your band pasted all over a soundtrack is another. Regardless, The Shins were always going to be as rated as they are, and their fantastic debut is no exception. Realistically, Garden State was an indie film, and although there have been amazing indie’s before it, ie. The Virgin Suicides collaboration with Air, Dappled Cities writing out the last couple of anthems for Disney. The Shins success has also been filled with rock n roll back-story that critics love to hear, from front-man James Mercer receiving death-threats from a neighbor while trying to write and record Wincing The Night Away. Chutes Too Narrow is full of fun and vibrant “indie” tracks that have easily impacted on the decades explosion in the indie world.

37. The Postal Service – Give Up (2004)

Ben Gibbard and James Figurine seemed like an unlikely couple, and many were skeptic from the start. One gave his soul to promotion on The OC and is now more commonly known as the king of the indie world, though 7 records in and signed to a major label. The other half of The Postal Service is an electronics genius. But when the two got together to do Give Up it proved a fantastic combination of talents, even among the music world. “Such Great Heights” has boastfully been covered more times by more artists than most (Ben Folds, Iron & Wine etc), not to mentioned a sneak cover every now and then, with one of the greatest lyrics in a song written, also covered by Teddy what’s-his-name. Give Up oozes confidence from start to finish.

36. Peter, Bjorn & John – Writer’s Block (2006)

For a good 18 months people all over the world could not stop whistling that pop brilliance that came out of the world wide hit “Young Folks”. It was enjoyable regardless of people not listening to the lyrics and hearing what the song was really about “If I told you things I did before, Told you how I used to be, Would you go along with someone like me?“. Writer’s Block is solid gold in every track from start to finish. In its lyrical brilliance of “Objects Of My Affection” to the short and sweetness of “Start To Melt” that you never want to end. And the devistating heart-break of “The Chills” with “Don’t know about love, But I know the lack of it” that rings in your ears for days after.

35. Iron & Wine – The Shepard’s Dog (2007)

After releasing multiple albums revolving around a simple husky voice and an old acoustic guitar, Samual Beam, better known as, Iron & Wine turned up the amps, switched on the distortion, and layered as many tracks down per song as possible to produce one of the fantastic albums of 2007. Though as Iron & Wine’s style of song-writing goes, it can be a bit hard to tell what he is writing about, The Shepard’s Dog tells the great Beam stories of love, loss, what he wants, and what seems out of reach, “There is a house by the sea, And an ocean between it and me“, though as Beam assures no distance is too far out of reach. This in-turn creates one of the fantastic folk records of the decade.

34. Augie March – Sunset Studies (2001)

While it seems apparent that not much “super-fantastic-omg-amazing” music comes out of the western parts of the southern hemisphere, Augie March are this fantastic Australian band that have circulated around for years. Though it wasn’t until 2006 and the release of the chart topping hit “One Crowded Hour” was released that they would come to fame, but I remember hearing back when I would have been so young hearing “There Is No Such Place” and the beautiful song that it is. Augie March seem to be king at beautiful arrangements of piano & guitar that can span out for any length of time, like on the eariness of “Hole In Your Roof” another key track.

33. Band Of Horses – Everything All The Time (2006)

Strongly influenced by the likes of Built To Spill and Interpol is the Seattle based 3-piece Band Of Horses with their stunning debut release of Everything All The Time. Like Built To Spill before them Band Of Horses follow the same multi-layered guitar, strongly dominated by lead rifs, arranged around Ben Birdwill’s beautiful and unique voice. Tracks like, “Our Sword” and “The Funeral” play key in this epic, 36 minute indie-pop gem of the decade that recieved critical praise among reviewers all over the world.

32. Daft Punk – Discovery (2001)

Something about the unflinching charm and optimism of Daft Punk’s Discovery is too lovable to hate on too much. It’s so damn happy and unassumingly danceable that it doesn’t grate on me the way other albums like it have. Though previous Daft Punk records seemed hard to listen to, after all, they were really just a combination of samples that the duo would use in their live sets, they just made tracks out of them, yet Discovery seems the perfect record for a group of this genre so early on. The duo from Paris who hit the dance bullseye in Discovery by combining a variety of old-school styles with modern studio techniques and meticulous production. And who is ever going to forget this album with singles like “One More Time”, the anthem to any party that will just never end.

31. Muse – Black Holes And Revelations (2006)

Muse has cemented its legacy among the faithfuls of the rock genre with this effort. Riding on the coattails of Absolution’s stunning success, Black Holes And Revelations simply is a stellar gem from top to bottom. Opening the curtains for this album is “Take A Bow” which has a strong political message included in it. Screaming “Corrupt, you’re corrupt and bring corruption to all that you touch”, the song really tells what the band thinks about the present world. Closing the album is one of its released tracks “Knights of Cydonia”. Galloping horses, a spectacular guitar work, the song closes the album on a high note implanting in your head “No one’s going to take me alive“, it really seems fitting for anthem of the decade.

Joanna Newsom, the queen of 2006.

2006 was an outstanding year for music. If you disagree then you’re not my friend anymore.

I have elected to share my list from that year rather than 2005 for two reasons: 1) A strange and inadvertent hibernation I experienced in 2005 within the caves of Malaysia. 2) My recent obsession with one-upping everyone around me coupled with a strengthening of my basic arithmetic skills (2005 + 1 = 2006).

If I could do this again, of course, it’d look a lot different. Alas, my decade list will serve as an opportunity to rearrange albums based on sustained listening of old favorites and discoveries of new (also based on the unearthing of a hidden track on “Stadium Arcadium” that makes it the greatest album of 2006, if not the 21st century… just kidding).

1. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
2. Joanna Newsom – Ys
3. The Knife – Silent Shout
4. Liars – Drum’s Not Dead
5. Band of Horses – Everything all the Time
6. Thom Yorke – The Eraser
7. Islands – Return to the Sea
8. Belle & Sebastian – The Life Pursuit
9. Sufjan Stevens – The Avalanche
10. The Strokes – First Impression of Earth

Listas, listas, listas…

Oh, las listas, que absurdas son pero como mola hacerlas. Elegimos los 50 discos de la década, los 25 míos y los 25 de eldrsaleabailar (próximo miércoles). Ambos coincidimos en algunas referencias, pero sobre la mayoría estamos en radical desacuerdo, he aquí mis 25, con comentarios hirientes propios de eldrsaleabailar.

1. The Strokes – Is This It

Indiegnado: Indudablemente, el disco de la década. Once autenticos himnos que han inspirado tanto a músicos como a simples mortales durante los 9 años que esta maravilla lleva con nosotros.

Eldrsaleabailar: Indudablemente, unos pijos medianías de NY que tuvieron la suerte de vivir (artisticamente) en la década más medianía de la historia.

2. Arcade Fire – Funeral

Indiegnado: Con su instrumentación barroca, sus melodías completamente particulares y diferentes, hizo que, por primera vez, la palabra épica adquiriera un nuevo significado.

Eldrsaleabailar: Uno de los pocos descubrimientos de Pitchfork que me hicieron volver a creer en la música después de los 90

http://musicwebzine.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/morrissey-you-are-the-quarry/

3. Morrissey – You Are The Quarry

Indiegnado: Con este disco, Morrissey volvia tras siete años de silencio. Y lo hizo con el mejor disco que ha firmado en solitario.

Eldrsaleabailar: Grandísimo, guapísimo y con la mejor canción de la década. Un recuerdo para la organización del festival en el castillo de Sohail, espero que no hayan levantado cabeza desde aquel despropósito.

4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever To Tell

Indiegnado: “Fever To Tell” es un disco de rock hecho en los 00, y cuando digo hecho en los 00 me refiero a que suena de esta decada, no es un revival, ni intenta copiar a nada anterior. Solo ellos consiguieron hacer un disco de rock, aportando algo más en estos ultimos 10 años.

Eldrsaleabailar: Vamos de sobrada en sobrada. Perdonadle, es joven.

5. The GO! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike.

Indiegnado: Ian Parton es el ideologo de esta autentica joya. Creando a partir del mash up sobre discos de los 70 y aportando voces y matices, Thunder Lightnin Strike es un disco que no se repite en ningun momento y que en cada corte crea melodias perfectas. Tremendamente fresco.

Eldrsaleabailar: Thunder Lightnin Strike es un disco que no se repite en ningun momento, Thunder Lightnin Strike es un disco que no se repite en ningun momento, Thunder Lightnin Strike es un disco que no se repite en ningun momento, Thunder Lightnin Strike es un disco que no se repite en ningun momento” ¿QUÉ NO QUÉ?

6.Los Planetas – La Leyenda Del Espacio

Indiegnado: Siempre en progresión, siempre dando un paso más en su música, Los Planetas consiguen en “La Leyenda del Espacio” fusionar el flamenco con el rock, algo que nos intentaron colocar erroneamente con “Omega“. Ellos lo consiguen firmando algunas de las mejores canciones de todo su repertorio, desde “Ya no me asomo a la reja” hasta “Si me diste la espalda“.

Eldrsaleabailar:Lo único erróneo es tu animadversión a “Omega“, pieza clave de la historia musical patria.

7. Death Cab For Cutie – Transanlanticism

Indiegnado: Death Cab For Cutie son uno de los grupos que más vende en america, juegan en la liga numero uno del mainstream americano, algo que empezaron a conseguir tras su “Transantlanticism“, un disco de pop preciosista simplemente perfecto.

Eldrsaleabailar: Me aburren un poco. Para mainstream americano me quedo con Britney Spears.

8.Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

Indiegnado: Animal Collective hacen la música que se deberia hacer en el siglo XXI, música actual que aporta algo nuevo y se olvida de esa estupidez estendida del “todo esta inventado” ellos demuestran que no, que aun se puede hacer algo nuevo que no suene mal, algo nuevo, que de hecho suena como nada más suena actualmente.

Eldrsaleabailar: Estoy de acuerdo, lo que no sé es si gracias a dios, nada más suena a ellos.

9. Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare

Indiegnado: El debut de Arctic Monkeys fue un golpe de aire fresco en el panorama musical, y supuso un disco que llevo la musica a aquellos oidos que la relacionaban con horteradas varias sin sentido. Pero lo mejor llego con su segundo disco, un disco que no se centraba en el hit instantaneo, sino que buscaba nuevos matices y nuevos sonidos.

Eldrsaleabailar: Los caminos del myspace son inescrutables.

10.La Casa Azul – La Revolución Sexual

Indiegnado: “La Revolucion Sexual” es un disco perfecto, hit tras hit y estribillo coreable tras estribillo coreable, los intentos anteriores habian  dejado grandes canciones, pero no es hasta esta revolucion sexual cuando todo suena engranado y menos organico, pero a la vez, más profesional, un sonido que le va mucho mejor a La Casa Azul.

Eldrsaleabailar: Guille Milkyway es lo más importante que nos ha pasado, si señor.

11. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend

Indiegnado: Soplo de aire fresco. Los lideres del afroindie, con un debut mas que interesante lleno de cambios pero sonando siempre a ellos mismos. Increible.

Eldrsaleabailar:Increible, de inicio a fin, yo también caigo rendido y espero que el nuevo trabajo me siga hechizando

12. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand

Indiegnado: Grandes. Su primer disco es una coleccion de hit tras hit, y con canciones tan míticas ya como “Take Me Out” o “Michael“.

Eldrsaleabailar: Grandes no, gigantes.

13. TV On The Radio – Dear Science

Indiegnado: “Dear Science” es el disco que mejor suena de Tv On The Radio, aunque muchos prefieran el anterior, en “Dear Science” alcanza una variedad de estilos, sonidos y matices que pocos han conseguido en estos 10 años.

Eldrsaleabailar: No me acaban de llegar, pero no se puede negar que no sean buenos

14. The XX – XX

Indiegnado: El debut de 2010. Ellos han demostrado que se puede tener 20 años, un par de guitarras y una caja de ritmos para crear un disco redondo y con un sonido exquisito, 11 canciones llenas de magia.

Eldrsaleabailar: Buff, empezó sin gustarme y ahora me empieza a encandilar, en mi lista no llegarían a tiempo.

15. Capitán Melao – Lágrima

Indiegnado: Si tengo que elegir un descubrimiento personal del underground mas underground me quedo con Capitán Melao. Un disco injustamente olvidado hasta por su creador, que desde entonces no ha vuelto a dar señales de vida al proyecto y con canciones tremendamente buenas.

Eldrsaleabailar: Si es tu disco fetiche nada tengo que objetar, para que no me taches de inmaduro

16. Astrud – Tú No Existes

Indiegnado: “Tú No Existes” es el disco mas pop de Astrud, esa música tremendamente recordable llena de arreglos electronicos y acompañadas de esas letras tan divertidas. Ni que decir que “Noam Chomsky” o “El Vertedero De Sao Paulo” son de lo mejor que astrud han firmado.

Eldrsaleabailar: ¡Increíble!, va el tío y escoge el menor de todos los discos de Astrud de la década, en fin…

17. Amy Winehouse – Back To Black

Indiegnado: La drogada mas mal vista del mundillo rosa, ¡canta! y ademas lo hace de una forma absolutamente espectacular. “Back To Black” es un disco imprescindible dentro del revival soul que se creo, en parte, gracias a ella.

Eldrsaleabailar: Me aburre

18. Triángulo De Amor Bizarro – Triángulo De Amor Bizarro

Indiegnado: El noise patrio, las ganas y la furia de los gallegos, todo eso esta contenido en el debut de TAB, un debut que pronto tendra su esperadisima continuacion. y dentro de ese debut una de las mejores canciones de la decada a nivel nacional, “El Fantasma De La Transición“.

Eldrsaleabailar: ¿Son tan buenos como para estar entre los 25 mejores?

Indiegnado: Rotundo sí.

19. Coldplay – A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Indiegnado: Coldplay son los nuevos U2, los herederos de los estadios, lo llenan todo, incluso un año antes, de locura. Pero esa euforia que se ha desatado en los ultimos años poco tiene que ver con el pop pianistico de los inicios, lo verdaderamente bueno de Coldplay

Eldrsaleabailar: ¡Viva La Vida! , ¡Afroditaaaaa! (Prefiero a dana internacional)

20. Ellos – Lo Tuyo No Tiene Nombre

Indiegnado: El primer disco de Ellos es el mas fresco, y punto. LLeno de himnos bailables y un aire muy divertido

Eldrsaleabailar: Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, ¡por fin algo bueno!

21. Band Of Horses – Cease To Begin

Indiegnado: El primer disco fue un disco aclamado en todos los medios, pero no fue hasta el segundo “Cease To Begin” cuando Band Of Horses alcanzaron su exquisitez musical, canciones pop rock con un aire americano realmente exquisito.

Eldrsaleabailar: Apenas les conozco, será por algo.

22. El Guincho – Alegranza

Indiegnado: Si tuvieramos que el artista nacional con mas proyeccion y que mas fronteras ha conseguido romper, ese es sin duda, El Guincho, por primera vez, un artista nacional no es tratado como secundario, sino que se coloca en las privilegiadas primeras posiciones, y ademas con un discazo absoluto como es “Alegranza“.

Eldrsaleabailar: Absolutamente de acuerdo

23. The National – Boxer

Indiegnado: El post punk ha sido el estandarte mas copiado e irritante de la decada, que si interpoles, editores, y catpeoples insulsos todos, pues bien, The National escapan de esas connotaciones y colocan su “Boxer” como un disco lleno de matices y buenas canciones.

Eldrsaleabailar: Disco precioso, de verdad, para escuchar con alguno de M. Ward.

24. Ladytron – Velocifero

Indiegnado: Viva el electropop de los 00´s y claro, vivan Ladytron. Cuatro discazos en siete años, el mejor, el último, un disco impecable.

Eldrsaleabailar: A mi no me ponen.

25. Sigur Rós – Takk…

Indiegnado: ¿y que seria de la decada sin la bizarrez extrema de Sigur Rós? Pues nada, lo suyo si que es autentica epica, sin el significado negativo.

Eldrsaleabailar: ¿sin?

The Bridge School Benefit show in 2006 featured some great performances including Band of Horses, Ministry, My Morning Jacket, Tegan & Sara and Trent Reznor of NIN busted out some great songs like “The Fragile” and “Hurt.” The new live cd is out today.

Go here to get Vol. 4

A couple of mini news items for your Tuesday morning:

• Spoon has moved up the release date of their new record Transference to January 19. They also announced the first single, “Written in Reverse,” which will be released December 1 digitally and January 5 as a 7″ single. The vinyl-only B-side is awesomely titled “Mean Read Spider.”
• Today on iTunes you can get The Bridge School Collection, Vol. 4, the latest installment of compilations from Neil Young’s annual Bridge School benefit concert to raise awareness and money for children with severe physical impairments and challenging communication needs. Vol. 4 features live tracks from Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses, Tegan and Sara, and Trent Reznor among others. It’s for a good cause and the previous volumes are great, so be sure to check it out.
• Speaking of My Morning Jacket, they were on American Dad, which is sort of amazing. Too bad they weren’t on a good show. You can watch it here.
• Lastly, the collaboration of the year has finally happened, as the Roots joined Dirty Projectors on stage Sunday night to play “Stillness is the Move.” Check out the video below.

1. No One’s Gonna Love You – Band of Horses (mp3)

2. Norway - Beach House (mp3)

3. Ring Ring – Sleigh Bells (mp3)

4. Graze - Animal Collective

5. Ready, Able – Grizzly Bear

6. Fake Blues – Real Estate (mp3)

7. Cousins - Vampire Weekend

8. When The World Comes To An End – Dirty Projectors (mp3)

9. Walkabout (w/ Noah Lennox) – Atlas Sound (mp3)

10. 2080 - Yeasayer (mp3)

11. Ohio State Fight Song (For Travis’ Family)

12. Kiss With A Fist - Florence & The Machine

13. Wonderful World – Sam Cooke

14. Squalor Victoria – The National

15. A Wedding – Oxford Collapse

16. Skeletons (Acoustic Version) – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

17. Bridge To Canada – Noisettes

18. Zero to Hero – The Muses of Hercules

I’m coming up only to hold you under
I’m coming up only to show you wrong
And to know you is hard and we wonder
To know you all wrong we were

Really too late to call so we wait for
Morning to wake you is all we got
To know me as hardly golden
To know me all wrong they were

And every occasion I will be ready for the funeral
And every occasion once more is called the funeral
Every occasion I am ready for the funeral
And every occasion one brilliant day funeral

I am coming up only to show you down for it
I am coming up only to show you wrong
To the outside
The dead leaves, they are alive
For they don’t have trees to hang their hearts

And every occasion I will be ready for the funeral
And every occasion once more is called the funeral
And every occasion I am ready for the funeral
And every occasion one brilliant day funeral.

PABLOVE

I dream of shows like this:

Do not miss this incredible line up performing for a great cause. Read about Pablove

Here’s the playlist for music selected by the DJ at the Fleur-de-Lys Club last night at The Lexington. Another great selection of new and established artists, if we don’t mind so saying ourselves!

1. ‘Myrkfaelni’ by Blindfold
2. ‘House by The Sea’ by Tim & Sam’s Tim & The Sam Band
3. ‘Caroline No’ by Brian Wilson (Superimposers remix)
4. ‘Summer Light’ by The Cave Singers
5. ‘The General Specific’ by Band of Horses
6. ‘Until Tomorrow Then’ by Ed Harcourt
7. ‘Where Horses Roam’ by Look, Stranger!
8. ‘Old Days’ by Treetop Flyers
9. ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ by The Maccabees
10. ‘Love Your Crooked Neighbour’ by Melodica Melody & Me
11. ‘Lesson Number 7’ by Clock Opera
12. ‘Home’ by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
13. ‘Zorbing’ by Stornoway
14. ‘Diamond Ring’ by Bo Diddley
15. ‘Fire Water’ by Django Django
16. ‘No Atmosphere’ by The Bees
17. ‘Airplanes’ by Local Natives
18. ‘Tobasco Sole’ by Voluntary Butler Scheme
19. ‘Insistor’ by Tapes ‘n’ Tapes
20. ‘Patterns’ by Band of Skulls
21. ‘Two Weeks of Hip Hop’ by Dead Prez v Grizzly Bear
22. ‘A New Name’ by !!!
23. ‘Beach Queen’ by Suckers
24. ‘Sleepyhead’ by Passion Pit (Run Toto Run remix)
25. ‘Rain Dance’ by The Very Best feat M.I.A.
26. ‘Teardrops’ by The XX

When we graduated from college in 2008, my friend Cory wrote a series of lists of events from our college years for the Whitworth Forum. He wanted to do a list of the top 10 songs, but thought someone more into the scene should do it. Enter yours truly. What follows is unchanged from when I originally wrote it in late April 2008.

When Cory asked me to write this column a few months back, I couldn’t believe it. My reaction was something to the effect of, “Are you kidding me? I don’t think anyone can actually do that list justice.” Yet here we are, three weeks from the end of the school year, and I’m giving you the Top Ten Songs of 2004-2008.

First of all, this list is useless if you can’t listen for yourself. For your convenience, I’ve posted a link to a YouTube video of each song as it is on the album. Some of them are official music videos, while others are just set up by fans so that people can hear the song for free. I also have to give you a caveat – I realize this list is every bit as subjective as my Top Ten Albums lists are at the end of each year. These are songs that I love desperately, but I realize that not everyone will enjoy them as much as I do. If you disagree with me, that’s great! Post your suggestions in the comments. I will admit right up front that there are a couple of genres that I have missed. Specifically, I can’t stand country music and I don’t think there were very many great rap songs in the past four years. Again, if you think one of them deserves to be on this list, write it in the comments. Prove me wrong.

One final note before we dive in – It’s an absurd idea to try and narrow your iTunes library down to the ten best songs of any era, especially a full four-year span. It is absolutely insane. But I have to recommend it – read this column, agree or disagree with me, and then go make your own list. I’d love to see it, and hopefully we can all discover some great new music together.

Anyway! On to the list!

10.) The Decemberists – Sons & Daughters (unfortunately, I could only find a live version. It still gives a pretty good impression)
The closer to The Decemberists’ 2006 album “The Crane Wife” is the opener to my list. It really is the perfect closer; from its mandolin-led ensemble of acoustic instruments to the way it builds and its final, hopeful refrain: “Here all the bombs fade away.”

9.) The National – Start a War (I have to apologize for showing you scenes from The Notebook; it was the only way I could get the studio version)
This song rumbles like an earthquake, and lead singer Matt Berninger’s voice and melancholy lyrics are at the epicenter. The quiet intensity of this song makes the speaker’s broken relationship all the more poignant, and the progression makes his admission even more heartbreaking: “You were always weird, but I never had to hold you by the edges like I do now.”

8.) The Rocket Summer – So Much Love
I will always remember where I was when I heard this song for the first time. I was driving back from Best Buy after picking up The Rocket Summer’s third full-length album, 2007’s “Do You Feel.” I had anxiously unwrapped the album in the parking lot and flipped it on. “Do You Feel” opens up with some immediate rocking, and I knew after one track that this disc would be Bryce Avery’s finest hour. He didn’t disappoint. The next track, “So Much Love,” is everything you could ask for in a fun summer song – a sweet horn solo, a gigantic piano lick, and some inspirational, simple, and somehow profound sing-along lyrics. Above all, though, it’s just a blast. You can imagine Avery jumping around the studio, yelling at the top of his lungs: “You look like the songs that I heard my whole life coming true!”

7.) The Killers – When You Were Young
When I first heard this song, my first thought was, “Yeah, this is pretty good. But it doesn’t sound like The Killers.” I was right about one part. The Killers listened to a lot of Bruce Springsteen before recording 2006’s “Sam’s Town,” and The Boss’ influence shines through (especially in lead singer Brandon Flowers’ performance). What I was wrong about, however, was how much this song would grow on me as I kept listening to it. This would have been hands down the best straightforward rock and roll song of this period, if not for the song coming in at number five.

6.) Gwen Stefani (feat. Akon) – The Sweet Escape

Every couple of years, there is a new undeniably catchy pop song that captures the ears and hearts of America’s music critics. Not just pop music consumers either; these songs are loved by snobbish elitists and 13-year-old girls alike. There were a few great ones to choose from in this time period (including Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” and Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone”), but “The Sweet Escape” was the finest. Akon is pretty dispensable on this one, but Gwen Stefani proved that she was more than just B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

(#5-1 after the jump)

5.) Foo Fighters – Best of You
Foo Fighters have been at it since 1995. In their tenth anniversary year, they released an album called “In Your Honor.” More than any other song on this list, I have to implore you to watch the video. It perfectly sums up the themes that must have been running through Dave Grohl’s head while writing this song – joy and angst, agony and ecstacy, passion and pain, despair and hope. This song expresses more raw emotion than most of today’s rockers would dare to write about, and it does the job in four minutes and sixteen seconds.

4.) Sufjan Stevens – Chicago
This seems about right for the best song on the best album to be released during my college career. “Chicago” charmed indie rock fanatics and soundtrack composers alike (see “Little Miss Sunshine”), and it made a genuine low-level celebrity out of Sufjan. There are so many highlights on his 2005 album, “Come On, Feel The Illinoise,” that it was difficult to choose one. But with the xylophone intro, soaring strings section, and Sufjan’s softly warbling voice directing it all, “Chicago” was the biggest and best of them all. It seems to be the least likely line for an anthem, but there it is: “I’ve made a lot of mistakes.”

3.) Band of Horses – The Funeral
When Band of Horses first recorded this song, singer/guitarist/songwriter Ben Bridwell didn’t even want to put it on their debut album, 2006’s “Everything All The Time.” Bridwell thought “The First Song” or “The Great Salt Lake” would be the radio hit. But it was this one which, like “Sons & Daughters,” is remarkable for its simplicity. “Every occasion, I’ll be ready for the funeral,” Bridwell chirps over crunching guitars and crashing cymbals. If only every song about loss could be this reverent while simultaneously expressing so much anguish.

2.) Arcade Fire – Rebellion (Lies)
Arcade Fire are an enigma, and they like it that way. This song is partially about hiding “underneath the covers,” but also about exposing the mythology of parents’ rhetoric. The themes that seem melodramatic on much of their 2004 album “Funeral” actually work to great effect here. The thumping heartbeat of the song, coupled with ornate instrumentation and the growing urgency in Win Butler’s voice make this song one to remember – and, perhaps as important, one to play really, really loud.

1.) The Format – If Work Permits
Nate Ruess has just about the most distinctive voice in indie rock, and he makes use of it at all volumes here. Starting out with the sound of crickets and a finger-picked acoustic melody, Ruess unfolds two stories: one about an abused friend who becomes scared of love, and one about the speaker’s roller coaster relationship. As the song builds and unfolds, so do the stories. The moral? Any kind of love means making yourself vulnerable, but that doesn’t mean you have to be afraid.

Today isn’t a day for new music per se … honestly, these are songs that I just felt like listening to … that’s all. Enjoy …!

Ryan Adams – “Come Pick Me Up”

Fleetwood Mac – “Rhiannon”

M. Ward –  ”Chinese Translation”

Iron & Wine – “Naked As We Came”

My Morning Jacket – “Where to Begin”

Band of Horses  – “The Great Salt lake”

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “It’ll All Work Out”

Ben Folds Five feat. Regina Spektor – “You Don’t Know Me” (not folky but whatever)

Fleet Foxes  – “Ragged Wood”

Patty Griffin – “Long Ride Home”

Ryan Adams – “Wonderwall” (cover)

The Shins  – “Young Pilgrims”

Ben Folds Five – “Such Great Heights”

Damien Rice – “Delicate”

Meiko – “Hawaii”

Blur – “Tender”

recently got a (working) ipod and decided it was time to put some good music on it- this is what I’ve liked (don’t worry, i had help, my knowledge isn’t this refined) – take some listens(i have no idea how to embed audio clips. soooo these are videos/music)

Cold War Kids

Yeah Yeah Yeahs won’t let me embed the actual music video, so go here to see it- or just listen:

Band of Horses

Bat for Lashes

Bon Iver

I wish that I had more time to invest in my love for music.  I feel super hectic these days and can’t seem to find the time to just sit down, relax, and listen.  So I signed up for eMusic yesterday, a website that gives you a certain amount of credits to download music each month.  It is like the Netflix of music.  I quickly learned that a lot of music that I am into simply isn’t available.  Bummer.  I totally support my local record store but I thought this could be a fun, quick fix for trying out new music…legally.    But it is a funny little website.  I can download the old M. Ward CD’s but not the newest one (which is fine because I already own it but I was just searching and fucking around to see what I could get).  I could get Bjork but non of the newer stuff just her live shows.  WTF?  So it is going to be a work in progress.

I also bought tickets to the Pablove Benefit Concert at the Avalon only to realize that I have a wedding to go to the same day.  I was uber excited to see Band of Horses, Sea Wolf, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Tom Morello…and many more but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.  I’ve never sold my tickets online but it seems like it is a must now.  Bummer, it was for a good cause too–raising money to fight child cancer.  Any suggestions for getting these tickets off my hands???

I think I need to set a music schedule for myself since I am so enveloped in my daily life.  Maybe something where I set aside an hour to myself to update myself.  I mean, how am to keep all of you up to date when I can’t even get myself on track??  Hahaha.  It is sad when one has to put her passion aside in order to get shit done.  But do not fret my pet.  I am on this and will keep the blog alive. 

As for music that I have grooving to… it is a bit random if I do say so myself…

I went to Fingerprints and picked up these:  Sufjan Stevens The BQE, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Up From Below (which I discovered randomly on David Letterman and on YouTube), and Dead Man’s Bones S/T.

The latter CD was recommended to me by an employee of Fingerprints.  It is kinda creepy and yet incredibly enjoyable. Although there are a LOT of people in the…group (for lack of a better word)…overall its concept was brought to fruition by Ryan Gosling (YES! The actor) and Zach Shields.  The cd is very D.I.Y.  The pair met because when Gosling was dating Rachel McAdams, Zach was (and still is–I think) dating her sister.  From what I understood the two bonded over their love for creepy, Halloween-y type shit and decided to create a production…however, it was only the music that stuck.  Thus, Dead Man’s Bones was created with the help of The Silverlake Conservatory of Music’s Children’s Choir.  The two came up with a list of rules so that the music could remain raw and true.  For example, no more that three recordings of the same song, no click track, and the instruments had to be played by them (and Tim Anderson of Ima Robot).  Both ended up learning, playing, and recording instruments that they had never learned before.  Also the intergration of children into their music is interesting.  There is something about their youth that brings the album to life.  I think this is something that Shields and Gosling recognized.  Children really latch onto new things and try their best to succeed.  Surprisingly, their parents didn’t mind the darkness of the music and the lyrics.  On the last day of meeting with the children’s choir the song “In the Room Where You Sleep” was recorded.  Gosling was on the piano and vocals, whereas Shields was playing drums.  The children are in Halloween costumes, standing on risers singing the chorus.  From here the track was recorded, the video was made, and finally after it was all done, they had a wrap party that included a bounce house.  Rad.

Love it or hate it, it is pretty interesting.  There is something catchy and raw that holds my attention.  Definitely not my typical music.  Props to the actor gone musician.  Not too shabby.  Not too shabby at all.

2008 was het baardenjaar. Dat had natuurlijk een aanloop en ook de uitloop is nog duidelijk zichtbaar, we mogen dus best van een baardendecennium spreken.

2008 was opvallend omdat het toen de nieuwe hippe bands waren die het haar welig lieten groeien op het gelaat. Denk aan Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Band Of Horses en TV On The Radio, om het maar niet te hebben over gearriveerde baarddragers als Will Oldham, Devendra Banhart, Dennis Wilson en ZZ Top.

Simon Reynolds  verklaart in The Guardian de terugkeer naar de baard als een verlangen naar de wildernis, als een protest tegen de moderniteit. Flavorpill zet simpel de vijftien engste en bekendste baarden ooit op een rijtje.

My weeks have been flying by lately. My Mondays fly by super fast, since I am catching up from the weekend and setting up the work week. Tuesdays are dreadful. My position at my company is Accounts Payable. I basically pay all the bills and cut all the company’s checks. When I’m not paying bills, I’m entering in hundreds of invoices a week for me to pay later. (We use a paleolithic accounting computer system that is 20 years old. My computer at work operates on Windows 98. Seriously.) Tuesday are especially painful. I’ve already rushed all day Monday to catch up and I am bored as hell come Tuesday. I’m the kind of person that always has to be busy at work. I’ll find something to do if my duties are done. I can’t stand twiddling my thumbs and I don’t like my boss to see me bored. I find that on these super-slow days I dream about Friday. I feel like the week will never start moving again and then BAM… here comes Wednesday and before I know it the week is over.

On weeknights I am so burnt out from the day I take it super easy and usually rest while doing school work. I don’t go out on weeknights and try to get to bed by 10, sometimes I’m asleep by 9. I try to go out on weekends, but after a 40 hour week I tend to be very sore and/or tired. On Saturdays I overdose on the lattes to keep me moving. I like to get out on Saturdays to walk around Piedmont or College and window shop. Sometimes, I like lying in bed all day, but that’s only if I’m in a lot of pain. I can function regularly while in a high degree of pain, I’m used to it and the pain seems to be put on the back burner. I can feel my abdomen freaking out just about every second of the day. I can feel it now. No cause for alarm, it’s just how it is. I kinda think of it like a tattoo. The first minute is rough and then it becomes just annoying. It’s tolerable so you just lay there, waiting for it to be done. Occasionally I have to stop what I’m doing completely and have a seat or take a rest.

This Saturday night is packed with plans. I have to go to a going away party for an hour, then meet the ladies for our bi-weekly Alameda Ladies Drinking Club. This group is super fun and the other members of the group are great. We only meet for about an hour for cocktails (I usually have a Diet Coke) and then are on our merry way. Later that night I will be attending a rock star themed party, which I am super excited for. I haven’t made my costume but will end up throwing one together last-minute, as always. I have a wig. I will post photos. unfortunately, I can’t exactly let loose, being a perma-gimp and all. Nnekay (who is one of my oldest, dearest friends since Kindergarden) is throwing the aforementioned rock star party and lives across the street (literally). I can have a beer or two and walk home Saturday night.

This weekend, when I’m not dressed as multi-talented rock star, I’ll be finishing up my research paper on “Reproductive Behaviors of Gorillas”. They’re not as interesting as I thought they’d be. They have boring sex lives and I’ve found my research to be bland. I should have chosen another non-human primate, but oh well. Time to crank out 1,000 more words and be done with it.

I was thinking about all the nicknames Jory and I have given Bucko and I was cracking up this morning while emailing them to my sister Megan (aka Beast, Mega Beast and Pegan). Here are a few as I bid you adieu: Buckins. Buck Nasty. Buck skin. Buster. Buddy. Buckorama. Chappy. Buckoloatapus. Muffin. Buckmaster Flash. Bucko Baggins. Buck Rogers.

Current constant listen: Band of Horses, Everything All the Time

This album is amazing. Dig it.

Hello everybody,

Nothing like inspiring some debate from the get-go for the first legitimate post on this blog, and what better way to do so than with a list? Folks, this was a tough one, but here are my picks for my favorite bands of all-time. By the way, there will be a separate Top 10 for solo artists!

1. Echo and the Bunnymen. Number two on this list is pretty close to taking over this spot, but for now Echo and the Bunnymen still have a hold on things. Echo has been my fave since about 1987-88, a long time to have such a stranglehold on Number One.

No wonder. The first albums from Echo are in my mind the all-time best start to a career, four stunning records of post-punk and early Britpop mastery. What was most exciting about this band was how different each album was from the previous. Crocodiles was an incredible debut, full of energy and a melodic post-punk edge. Heaven Up Here added mysticism and power to the mix. Porcupine was a masterpiece, combining the elements from the first two albums into one unique combination. My favorite track from the band, In Bluer Skies, appears on the third album.

However, the 1984 release of Ocean Rain remains one of the top albums in music history. At least in Tfronky’s eyes. Nine breath-taking tracks of pure beauty, highlighted with the first track on side two of the album, The Killing Moon. This album has been reissued on a couple of occasions. Find the one with a second disc of a live concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 1983.

Echo would make one more album with the original line-up. Once drummer Pete de Freitas was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident in 1989, the magic was in many ways gone. Echo and the Bunnymen continue to tour and record to this day with vocalist Ian McCulloch and guitarist Will Sergeant. They recently released their 11th studio album, entitled The Fountain. I will have to check it out.

Critical album = Ocean Rain

2. Elbow. My good friend Bobby Lerma has introduced me to some great music over the years. One day he handed me a disc he had burned from a band I was not familiar with by the name of Elbow. The next day I called him and when he answered, I immediately began cursing at him, pissed because he had waited so long to tell me about these guys!

If the next album from Elbow, which will be their fifth studio disc, is better than Echo’s fifth, self-titled album, then Elbow will slide into the Number One spot. Amazing to think that this foursome toiled for years in obscurity under the different moniker of Soft, because they have developed into the greatest band in the world at the present time.

That disc Bobby burned contained tracks from Elbow’s first three albums, Asleep in the Back, Cast of Thousands and Leaders of the Free World. Their fourth disc The Seldom Seen Kid was the album that finally gained them the commercial success they so richly deserve. These guys have yet to create a bad song, and more often than not have created some of the best music in the past 12 years. No one can touch Guy Garver for Top Dog in regards to vocals. Their show at the Bluebird Theatre in Denver May of 2008 ranks as the best concert I have ever seen, no mean feat when you consider how many shows I have been to over the years.

Critical album = The Seldom Seen Kid

3. Sugar. Sigh … what a shame that such an incredible band was only around from 1992-1995. Husker Du was incredible, the first two solo records from the legendary Bob Mould were very good, but when Sugar’s debut Copper Blue was released in 1992 I went nuts. The punk aesthetic of Husker Du was tempered with Mould’s melodicism from his solo work, but the structure of the music went far beyond what he had done before. Sugar possessed a delicate ferocity. Every song possesses brutal power, but the pop hooks each track possessed were absolutely incredible. I only had the pleasure of seeing this band perform once, at the Electric Ballroom in Tempe, AZ. No joke, my ears may still be ringing.

Thank God Bob soldiers on today, remaining one of the most crucial artists in music.

Critical album = Copper Blue

4. Agent Orange. My favorite punk rock band, although Agent Orange expands on the limits of that formula. Take melodic punk, add in a heavy surf rock element and you have the formula for some of the most dynamic music produced in the past 30 years. Guitarist/vocalist Mike Palm is the only original member left, but his presence alone still makes this trio a powerful force.

Critical  album = This is the Voice

5. Swervedriver. An original part of the early nineties U.K. shoegaze scene, Swervedriver pushed the boundaries on that genre of music and left a definite imprint as one of the best bands on the nineties. Swervedriver takes several of the characteristics of Britpop, mixes in some explosive power and one of the best vocal styles in rock and roll from Adam Franklin.

This band has gone through several hardships during its career, especially in regards to some terrible luck with its record labels. After the release of their fourth album 99th Dream in 1998, the band broke up a year later and were on hiatus for nine years. Then in April of 2008 Swervedriver reunited at Coachella and once again proved they are capable of creating some of the most beautiful damage when they play together. The show I saw at the Mason Jar years ago brings back some incredible memories.

Critical album = Mezcal Head

6. Juno. One day my friend Bobby Lerma walked in to the store I was working at back around 2001-2002. He handed me a disc, told me to put it in and fast forward to a track entitled Killing it in a Quiet Way. The song was from Juno’s second full-length album A Future Lived in Past Tense. I was immediately blown away. Juno was emo without all the horrible characteristics of that genre of music.This was emo reminiscent of the mid-eighties Washington D.C. Dischord Records era and Sunny Day Real Estate. Intense music, inspired and soaring vocals, and a three-guitar attack highlighted this incredible band that had far too-short a career from 1995-2001.

Few bands can create long instrumentals and keep them interesting. Juno had an amazing ability to do so, and their more standard tracks possessed immense power and a subtle tranquility. I wish I could have seen these guys live.

Critical album = A Future Lived in Past Tense

7. Band of Horses. I had been introduced to this band before, but for whatever reason had not made a huge impression on me. Then I had the opportunity to see them play at the second Monolith Festival at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO September of 2008.

There were several great acts during that weekend, but when Band of Horses took the main stage on Sunday evening, they put on a performance for the ages. The one band with a sound big enough to capitalize on the stunning acoustics of Red Rocks, Band of Horses played an incredible set that evening, highlighted by their signature song The Funeral. The cool weather, the wonderful scenery of Red Rocks and the outstanding delivery of that song provided in my opinion the highlight of the weekend, powerful enough to nearly move me to tears.

I had the pleasure of seeing them at Coachella this year, where Band of Horses unveiled two new tracks. I am stoked for the new disc, whenever it does finally come out!

Critical album = Everything All the Time

8. Dead Can Dance. The beauty of Gregorian chant mixed with ethereal dreampop is one way you could describe this duo. Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard combined their talents to deliver one of the more unique styles of music I have ever had the pleasure of hearing.

Typical of most 4AD bands from that time period, Dead Can Dance released a string of albums that were mellow enough for your parents to enjoy, but contained enough elements of alternative music to satisfy the indie crowd. For a great introduction to this band, check out their live release Toward the Within.

Critical album = Within the Realm of a Dying Sun

9. Gang of Four. The best, most powerful and most intelligent post-punk band of the late seventies-early eighties, Gang of Four released two incredible albums to commence their career, the landmark Entertainment! and my fave, Solid Gold. The Gang created music that makes you think. They also create music so powerful that it pummels you into submission.

He may not be the most technically correct guitarist in music history, but Andy Gill is a genius. There was an eighties concert film by the name of Urgh! A Music War. To this day I marvel at the band’s delivery of He’d Send in the Army, and the manner in which Andy Gill destroys his guitar while playing that song is incredible.

Critical album = Solid Gold

10. The Ramones. Without this band I never become a fan of the Sex Pistols, Agent Orange, M.I.A. or Social Distortion. The impact of the Ramones is still felt in rock music 35 years after they first formed in Queens, NY.

Now granted, the last five albums the band released were terrible, and only three of the previous five were worthwhile. However, the first four releases from the Ramones were so outstanding and so ahead of their time that I could still put Ramones, Leave Home, Rocket to Russia or Road to Ruin on today and immediately be brought back to my youth. I immediately recall how simple their music was, and how powerful that simplicity was in creating controlled chaos.

Do yourself a favor and rent the movie Rock and Roll High School if you get a chance, great stuff!

Critical album = It’s Alive

Let the debate begin!

Cheers,
Frank

LISSIE
Everywhere I Go

You might have noticed that things have been kinda slow here on the Song of the Day…sort of a combination of me bein’ jacked up with other things and my not finding a lot of good new music to toss out to you guys. Then yesterday I heard ‘Everywhere I Go’ off of the just-released debut EP from Lissie Maurus, an L.A.-based singer/songwriter who says she’s influenced by Gram Parsons, The Mamas & The Papas and The Flying Burrito Brothers. Her arresting, achingly beautiful vocal on this track stopped me dead and finally, for the first time in a week, I knew I had something truly worthwhile for The List. The EP, Why You Runnin’, was produced by her friend Bill Reynolds, whose day job is playing bass in Band of Horses and his bandmate, Tyler Ramsey, is on guitar for some of the tracks, but the real reason you’re here is for the haunting voice and raw emotion that Lissie has spilling out of her. Head over to her MySpace page and check her out.

 
1.-David Bowie – Ashes To Ashes
2.-Le Loup – we are gods! we are wolves!
3.-Architecture in Helsinki – The Owls Go
4.-Regina Spektor – Braille
5.-Tegan & Sara – Nineteen
6.-The Subways – Strawberry Blonde
7.-Band Of Horses – The Funeral
8.-Cat Power – The Greatest
9.-Daft Punk – Something About Us

And I remember you…………..

Sometimes, going to work is like going to a funeral. I know a few friends who would agree. Maybe it would help to just go hide and sit indian style and zone it all out, it worked for me.

I saw Band of Horses do this song below (Window Blues) at Lolla 2009, the western version they did was incredible.

Illinois crooner Lissie Maurus, playing the early show tonight at the Mercury Lounge, is set to release her debut EP, Why You Runnin’, tomorrow on Fat Possum Records. Her song titles may be abbreviated and folksy but her talent’s not. Her first single “Little Lovin’” starts as a simple, sweet song and builds on its Midwestern bluegrass undertones to become surprisingly complex. The EP was produced by Bill Reynolds, the bassist in Band of Horses. Lissie will be opening for Ray Lamontagne on a bunch of his tour dates coming up in Illinois and in California.

This live version of “Little Lovin’” is from the her performance at the Troubadour in L.A. back in October. It’s pretty good but for the recorded version, you can check out her MySpace page.

Lissie – Little Lovin’ :

-Melissa