Here’s a reprint of my review of the ace Turbo Fruits record that ran in the NME last week. I’m particularly proud of this one coz I managed to get in mentions of the Murder City Devils and RFTC.

Turbo Fruits

Echo Kid

(Ark Recordings)

8/10

It’s been a decidedly difficult decade for devotees of sleazy rock ‘n’ roll. Thanks to the untimely demise of torchbearers such as the Murder City Devils and Rocket from the Crypt at the start of the noughties, there’s more life round Dracula’s house these days than there is in that once fertile scene. However, all that might change with the release of ‘Echo Kid,’ Tennessee tearaways Turbo Fruits’ second stab at success.

Springing from the over-active imagination of former Be Your Own Pet guitar slinger Jonas Stein, the record is a testament to just how inspirational teenage kicks can be. Comprising of 12 tracks, ‘Echo Kid’ wears its Dead Boys and Marc Bolan influences on its tattered flannel sleeve, but whereas their debut may have been a little too preoccupied with drugs-this one’s all about the hugs (of the sexy kind of course).

Starting with a riff ripped right out of RFTC/Night Marchers mainman John Reiss’ songbook (‘International Language of Love’), the record begins a little bit like a Ritalin fuelled brat and it doesn’t let up for 35minutes. While many of the tracks possess that same spazz-core energy of Stein’s former outfit, it has to be said that they’re also a lot more refined than anything he’s written before (well, he has turned 21 after all…). ‘Naked With You’ is packed with layers of sugar sweet harmonies, ‘Hold Me’ is a loved up, waltzing sea shanty and ‘Get Up Get On Down (Tonight)’ sounds like they whipped out their Ouija boards and enlisted a zombie Eddie Cochran to provide the retro guitar licks.

 Lyrically speaking we’re talking Ramone influences rather than Rimbaud (“What happened girl/You used to take care of me/Now you’ve got a new boy/ Who’s big and scares me” croons Jonas in his best Bolan impression on ‘My Stupid Heart’) and very rarely do we catch a glimpse into the trio’s real lives. But that’s ok, as this record is all about escapism and raising the tempo while lowering the tone. For all its slightly brainless subject matter, ‘Echo Kid’ is still as much fun as watching your worst enemy get punched in the nards by Ricky Hatton  though and by the climax of album closer ‘Broadzilla’ it’s clear that Turbo Fruits have delivered a very tasty treat indeed. So what are you waiting for? Dig in.  Edwin McFee

Download: 1) ‘Naked With You,’ 2) ‘Lotta Lotta Ladies,’ 3) ‘My Stupid Heart’

One of my favorite things about music is witty and memorable lyrics. Shit that is so ingeniously simply that you wish that you had written it. You know, those one liners, that you keep repeating day in and day out. They can sometimes even become personal mantras. I love it. I love falling in love with a song by simply falling in love with just one or two lyrical phrases. Thus, I give you the first regular feature of this blog, Lazy Lyrical lunes. For those not in the know, lunes is Spanish for Monday. It will be a nice way to work into the beginning of the week. Just one lyrical phrase, a picture, some minor commentary and then the song from which it came. So let’s get started.

lyrics: “Have fun and be safe with it. Just kidding, fuck shit up!”

This little phrase is raw, gritty, and never fails to make me smile. It also just makes me want to clobber whatever it is I’m doing. I guess that makes it motivational.

band: Be Your Own Pet (website)(myspace)
song: Bicycle Bicycle, You Are My Bicycle (mp3)(Amazon)(iTunes)

I suppose you’re all wondering what the new COEN BROTHERS film is like? Well I went to see it this evening, and I’m gonna say this: it’s very different from their usual films, it’s more of a deep, philosophical comedy drama. Some (denser) audience members may leave feeling cheated, or fail to be entertained, but by the ending, I found the film to be very clever, and begin to make perfect sense upon reflection; when I left the cinema. Just go and see it, if you’re intelligent, and want to be entertained. It’s about as challenging to watch as Charlie Kaufman’s latest, I’d say, but possibly a little less complicated. But c’mon, it’s a Coens film, who’s not gonna go see it?

Yes. Yes you should. I’m serious.

Anyway, back to music. I’ve been listening to a bit of a mix lately; about half electronic, half other music? Well whatever, but I’ve bumped into a few incredible tracks from all different corners. Such as this – Erol Alkan’s latest signing, German dude BORIS DLUGOSCH, who has released possibly one of the biggest bangers of this year, immediately rivalling everyone from Jack Beats to Crookers, and mainly due to its simple formula of chopped up beats, wiping synths and high pitched groans, as well as steady popping bass.

“Bangkok” (Original Mix) – Boris Dlugosch (zshare)

Also from Germany is minimal techno duo AKA AKA, who sample some crazy stuff (including Batman & Robin), but in this track utilise a bit of didgeridoo in place of the usual repetitive electronic percussion, which I thought was pretty raaaaaaaaaad:

“Woody Woodpecker” – Aka Aka (zshare) [hi-qual/large file]

A while ago I found these two Portuguese guys called OCTA PUSH, who are incredible. They’ve pretty much popped out of nowhere, and they mix all kinds of styles together to form some kind of supersound. I can’t really explain it, but it’s very accessible. This is their signature track, I think, and it’s pretty sumptuous when you first hear it smother your ear-holes…

“Kolokani” – Octa Push (zshare)

So THE BLACK KEYS decided to go hip-hop for their newest stuff, and collaborated with a ton of rappers and vocalists, including one of my favourites, Mos Def. But the track I’m gonna show you features RZA of Wu-Tang fame, and Pharoahe Monch of “shut the fuck up” fame. It holds a significant amount of soul, psychedelia, and swagger. Raw:

“Dollaz & Sense” (ft. RZA & Pharoahe Monch) – Blakroc (zshare)

I saw TURBO FRUITS a while back when whiting out at a festival, and I remember them playing pretty well for a Be Your Own Pet spinoff. I actually bought their debut album, despite it not seeming fully thought-out. This new stuff shows a stronger side to them, with a balls-out Black Lips-style tightness. This is how mainstream rock music should sound nowadays, brilliant production too. Apparently they’re soundtracking the new Drew Barrymore film though…ugh…

“International Language of Love” – Turbo Fruits (zshare)

INVASION are insane. I first read them described as “wizard metal”, and straight away got on that shit. First listen sounds like Death From Above 1979 with crazy soulish vocals. And I’m happy to say it all sounds that good! It’s pretty spacey, you should check out their videos actually, I’ll post one now just to keep you entertained – watch their other videos though, they’re really cool 90’s video montage-based! Can you handle:

“Alchemy” – Invasion (zshare)

[BONUS COVERT DUBSTEP SKILLZ: "Dublicker" - Unknown Artist vs Aphex Twin (zshare)]

Brilliant, dirty power-pop formed from the ashes of Be Your Own Pet. Now BYOP were a group I could never really get on with, but this is a much simpler, and indeed funner, sort of fun. Kind of like a scuzzier, less contrived Raveonettes, Naked With You could have been made at any point in the last fifty years, but somehow manages to sound fresh. Excellent, sexy then silly blue-screen video to accompany. Worth a spin.

“Lunch time is,
Just not fair!
Hot dog, mustard in your hair!
Sucks for the janitor!
FIGHT ON!
Sucks for the janitor!
FIGHT ON, FIGHT ON!
FOOD FIGHT!”

Be Your Own Pet, Food Fight!

Ich hab ja keine Ahnung was diese “Rrrrrriot Grrrrrrrl” Schreibweise soll, aber ich hab grade dank des Musikmagazins meines Vertrauens eine Band entdeckt, die wohl genau solche Musik macht. Ich war ja etwas traurig, dass Be Your Own Pet sich aufgelöst haben, da es kaum eine Band gab, die so schön dreckig punk-gerrockt hat. Un dann auch noch mit einer weiblichen GesangsSchrei-Stimme, was das Ganze noch besser macht, da es ja nun mal nicht allzu viele Punk-Bands mit sängerINNEN gibt.  Nun in den Vivian Girls hab ich jetzt n bisschen so etwas wie einen Ersatz gefunden. Die drei Mädels machen ähnlich dreckig-einfache Musik, man nennt es im fachjargon wohl jetzt “Shitgaze”, was immer das heißen soll. Irgendwie fehlt mir allerdings das gewise etwas, was wohl an den vllt. etwas dünnen Stimmchen liegt. Aber sollte man im Auge behalten die Mädels. Leider gibt es auch noch keine Konzerttermine in Deutschland.  Hört selbst: http://www.myspace.com/viviangirlsnyc

Und irgendwie nervt dieser Chrrrrrrrrrrrgesang auch ein wenig…

Zum Vergleich hier noch etwas Be Your Own Pet:

To celebrate LGBT Pride month music-blogger quietcore recently blogged an interesting collection of cover songs by LGBT artists. These blowin’ your cover-posts features music by gay(-friendly) artists inlcuding many of our community’s favorites.

Queer classics like “I will survive” (in a pretty laid-back version by Jill Sobule), “a little respect” (by wheatus and through all the electric guitars still as catchy as the original) or “do you really want to hurt me?” (this time by violent femmes) are no surprises in this context. While songs like “you don’t own me”, “my love” and “are u that somebody” provide more of my beloved SUBTEXT-flavour.

click and listen:

• pt. 1

• pt. 2

• pt. 3

01. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) // Io Echo
02. Wail To God // Ape School
03. Is There a Ghost // Band of Horses
04. Get Awkward // Be Your Own Pet
05. Gold Canary // Cloud Control
06. Popstitue // Coin
07. Sobe ladeira // Constantina
08. Confidants // Damien*
09. Next Passenger // Emergency Blanket
10. Coin Laundry (No Device Remix) // No Device

Jemina Pearl, frontwoman of the late punk outfit Be Your Own Pet, had a couple of good records over the past few years, and I was poised to pounce all over this solo effort and tear it to shreds, as I was certain it was going to be pretty piss-poor; I imagined fake punk studio stand-in instrumentation that was completely devoid of any trace of legitimacy. Everyone has that love-to-hate tendency about something or another, music critics doubly so. Needless to say, as this is a short review and the score is already visible (not that the reader doesn’t often check the score before reading, anyway), I was pleasantly surprised to find a somewhat convincing depth behind this young lady’s solo writing. She crosses the melody of Debbie Harry with the poise and resounding yelp of Johnny Rotten, but never leans too far toward ripping either one off.

Jemina actually pulled some all-star talent here, even though it sounds like a laundry list of name-drops straight out of Juno: Iggy Pop sings with her on “I Hate People” and Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore was in the video for it. Her swagger alone makes her ten times more believable than Katy Perry, and though she lacks the insane vocal talent of Hayley Williams, she’s got a rough-hewn tangibility that neither of the other two can replicate; the choruses are fantastic to sing along to, the guitars are loud, and the lyrics are lovelorn and burnt at the edges. The kind of focus you get from having a unified group with a developed sound is somewhat diminished without her former bandmates, but the album is something of a modest success.

The exaggerated coughing outro for “So Sick!” is only enough of a subtle nod to AC/DC’s “The Jack” as to make you question whether it’s just coincidence, and therein lies the some of the charm. Miss Pearl obviously isn’t breaking any new ground, either in her own career or in the punk aesthetic, but it’s a pretty fun record, and undoubtedly an equally engaging live show.

Jemina Pearl’s “Looking For Trouble,” from Break It Up.

- JB

No intro this week, just music. Enjoy.

Monday

Why?- January Twenty Something

Ever notice how much these guys sound like They Might Be Giants?

Tuesday

Sea Wolf- The Violet Hour

Ladies and Gentlemen, yet another song from the New Moon soundtrack.

Wednesday

Islands- Switch On

Be Your Own Pet- Becky

Fun Jemima Pearl story, back in the summer of ‘07 I was living in Houston, and working as a cook in a restaurant, when one of the older guys there (I was 22, he was 23) decided he would pop my strip club cherry by taking me to happy hour. Well after a few hours of feeling like a slimeball, my friend and I talked my coworker into blowing out of the club, and scoring some blow. Realizing that we were less then three blocks from a local club we walked over to discover Be Your Own Pet was headlining, in between key bumps we managed to pay our 5 bucks. make our way upstairs, find a booth, and get a tab open. My co-worker being completely out of his element, and high out of his mind decide to flow with the night, which lead to him dancing around to “Becky” with a Corona and asking girls “Hey are you into Zep?” Needless to say I haven’t done coke since.

Drive By Truckers- The Day John Henry Died

Telegraph Canyon- Welcome to the Night

Thursday

Leon Russell- I’m so lonesome, I could cry

Wolfmother- Cosmic Egg

R Kelly- Ignition (Remix)

What is there left to say about R Kelly?

Friday

Peaches- Fuck The Pain Away

Fun story #2 I attended a party back in the spring where I watched two affliction clad bro dudes exchange verses of “Fuck The Pain  Away” while doing keg stands. I blame Mean Girls for this.

Butthole Surfers- Alcohol

The Pogues- The Sick Bed of Cuchuliann

Saturday

White Denim- Sex Prayer

Au Reviour Simone- Another Likely Story ( Neon Indian Remix)

I believe this excellent remix was the sole work of Alan Polamo, not sure why the Neon Indian moniker was attached, but it’s a hell of a remix.

En nee, dan heb ik het niét over de M-Kids. Wat dan wel?

The Cramps – Zombie dance

Psychobillygrondleggers The Cramps maakten de theme song voor ieder Halloweenfeestje.

Be Your Own PET – Zombie Graveyard party

“Life is lame so let me eat your brain”, een duidelijke boodschap!

Nekromantix – Nice day for a resurrection

Koffin Kats – Graveyard tree

Twee om het af te leren van twee geweldig goede bands. Googel “psychobilly” en je komt zoiezo aan een urenlange afspeellijst met thema’s zoals kerkhoven, zombies en andere creepy onderwerpen.

Spinnerette – The walking dead

Over een andere boeg dan maar: de nieuwe band van mijn idool Brody Dalle heeft een – misschien meer benaderbare – manier van dit onderwerp te brengen.

Zombina and the Skeletones – Nobody likes you when you’re dead

Zombie pop, is dat geen mooie omschrijving voor deze band?

Om af te sluiten het liedje dat dan wel niets met echte zombies te maken heeft, maar wel het enige bekende in dit lijstje:

The band officially called it quits in August 2008. Though they were only together for five years, they managed to turn out two solid albums and a hand full of singles and LPs. This is the first song that I heard from the band, and I was instantly hooked.

Be Your Own Pet “Damn Damn Leash”

Like what you see feel free to email me at tad@creativesquall.com and don’t forget to become a fan on Facebook. Check out the Creative Squall website to see how sketches grow up to be complete ideas.

LES meets UES in matrimony; image courtesy of gossipgirlinsider.com

So, I finally saw last week’s episode of Gossip Girl. For my money, there is nothing surprising about Sonic Youth performing “Starpower” and bassist/guitarist Kim Gordon marrying Rufus Humphrey and Lily van der Woodsen-Bass-etc. The reason, as I will outline chronologically below, is that flirtations with mainstream popular culture is completely in keeping with their career. This cameo isn’t an isolated incident. If anything this network-savvy band pioneered how indie does synergy.

March 1, 1988: Ciccone Youth, a side project formed in 1986 between the band and Minutemen bassist/co-founder Mike Watt releases The Whitey Album. In this configuration, they took part of their name from Madonna’s surname. They also covered some of her songs, including “Into the Groovey” and “Burnin’ Up.” For good measure, they also covered Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love.” Were they taking the piss or celebrating 80s blockbuster pop? Maybe both? You decide.

June 26, 1990: Goo is released on DGC, marking their major label debut. 

In 1991, the Goo video album is released, a clip accompanying each song on the album. Among them are “Mildred Pierce” which features Sofia Coppola dressed as Joan Crawford, who starred in the 1945 film noir of same name, “Disappearer,” which was directed by Todd Haynes, and a few clips directed by Tamra Davis, including “Dirty Boots” and “Kool Thing,” which also featured Public Enemy’s Chuck D.

September 17, 1991: Kim Gordon co-produces Pretty on the Inside, Hole’s debut album, released on Caroline, a subsidiary of Virgin.

July 21, 1992: Dirty is released. Two noteworthy music videos come along with it. Actor Jason Lee, then unknown, is featured as a tragic skateboarder in ”100%. The clip was co-directed by Davis and Spike Jonze, who just made some movie about kids and monsters based on a children’s book. Chloë Sevigny, once a Sassy intern, stars in “Sugar Kane,” which also showcases Marc Jacobs’ Perry Ellis grunge collection.

August 9, 1993: “Cannonball” is released as the lead single to The Breeders way-ruling Last Splash. Kim Gordon co-directs the music video with Jonze.

September 14, 1993: Judgment Night is released, along with a successful soundtrack from Epic that pairs alternative/metal acts with rap groups. Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill collaborate on ”I Love You Mary Jane.”

Cover to Judgment Night (Epic, 1993); image courtesy of brianorndorf.com

1994: Kim Gordon creates X-Girl with Daisy von Furth, a sister clothing line to Beastie Boys Mike D’s X-Large collection. I see DJ Tanner wear an X-Girl blue jumper on Full House and want one.

August 25, 1994: Sonic Youth contributes “Genetic” to the My So-Called Life soundtrack. Released on Atlantic, the compilation features other Juliana Hatfield, Afghan Whigs, Daniel Johnston, and (of course) Buffalo Tom, who every fan remembers played a show on Pike Street.

Track list to the My So-Called Life soundtrack (Atlantic, 1994); image courtesy of mscl.com

September 13, 1994: If I Were A Carpenter, a Carpenters tribute album, is released on A&M. An alternafest, acts like American Music Club, Shonen Knife, Babes and Toyland, and Matthew Sweet share time with SY, who cover “Superstar.” In late 2007, the song would make an appearance in the movie Juno.

Cover to If I Were a Carpenter (Rhino, 1994); image courtesy of whizzo.ca

October 27, 1995: CBS airs “The State’s 43rd Annual All-Star Halloween Special,” marking the MTV sketch comedy troupe’s network television debut. Sonic Youth is the musical guest. Few people watch (I am one of them), and CBS decides to pull the plug. 

May 19, 1996: Fox airs ”Homerpalooza,” The Simpsons‘ penultimate episode of its seventh season. In it, Homer goes on tour with Hullabalooza (re: Lollapalooza), taking canons to the gut to the bemusement of thousands of jaded slackers. Several acts made guests appearances, including Smashing Pumpkins, Cypress Hill, Peter Frampton, and Sonic Youth. The band also provides an “alternative” version to Danny Elfman’s iconic theme song, perhaps getting closer in tone to what creator Matt Groening had originally envisioned when suggesting that avant-jazz composer John Zorn write the show’s theme song. The song is later featured on Rhino’s Go Simpsonic With The Simpsons: Original Music From The Television Series compilation.

"I'm so disillusioned!"; image courtesy of taringa.net

June 5, 1996: James Mangold’s debut feature, Heavy, is released in the states. Moore composes the score.

June 1998: I watch the “Kool Thing” video at a Gadzooks in the Mall of America during a trip to Young Life camp in Minnesota.

July 13, 2001: Larry Clark’s Bully is released in theaters. Moore composes the score.

July 25, 2005: Gus Van Sant’s Last Days, the director’s take on Kurt Cobain’s final days, is released in the states. Gordon appears as a record executive based on Danny Goldberg trying to turn the main character’s life around. Moore also served as a music consultant.

May 2006: Former Pavement bassist Mark Ibold joins the band. This has nothing to do with matters of synergy or cross-promotion; I just happen to think he’s kinda cute. He was also featured in a comic strip, but the name escapes me. His catchphrase is something to the effect of “I’m Mark, the bassist from Pavement” but I’m butchering it. My friend Susan told me about it, so maybe she’ll share in the comments section.

Mark Ibold, perhaps around the time he was dating Oksana Baiul and before the Pavement reunion tour; image courtesy of amazon.com

May 9, 2006: Moore and Gordon appear with daughter Coco in “Partings,” the Gilmore Girls‘ season six finale. 

June 15, 2007: Pitchfork reports that SY will be contributing a track to a Starbucks compilation.

November 21, 2007: Todd Haynes’s I’m Not There is released. Gordon’s makes a cameo as folkie Carla Hendricks, who is based on Judy Collins. The casting furthers my suspicion that SY friend Todd Haynes must have been influenced by the band’s fandom of The Carpenters and preoccupation with Karen Carpenter’s tragic struggle with anorexia. They cover “Superstar.” He makes a biopic about Carpenter called Superstar. Coincidence?

September 8, 2008: Choosing not to renew their contract with Geffen, SY sign with indie stalwart Matador.

November 3, 2008: Moore and former Be Your Own Pet frontwoman Jemina Pearl cover The Ramones’ “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” specifically for “There Might Be Blood,” a season two episode of Gossip Girl. 

February 16, 2009: Gordon debuts a clothing collection called Mirror/Dash for Urban Outfitters.

Is this bad? Hmm, maybe. I suppose it depends on your outlook. I’d say it’s no worse than The Flaming Lips performing on Beverly Hills, 90210 (although, maybe for it to be equal, Wayne Coyne would have to play a short-order cook at the Peach Pit). Beyond paying the bills and circulating their brand, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a fair amount of post-modern, art-school, post-Warholian why-the-hell-not? factoring into all of Sonic Youth’s above-ground forays. Or perhaps they (gasp!) like many of these texts and ventures. 

Perhaps the band knows that dabbling with the mainstream is tricky business. Maybe this explains why Moore (and, to a lesser extent Gordon and guitarist Lee Ranaldo, though not media-shy drummer Steve Shelley) cultivated an authoritative presence in recent music documentaries like Punk: Attitude, Kill Yr Idols, and I Need That Record! It may also have fueled a need for an outlet through which to channel more experimental projects, resulting in the band forming Sonic Youth Recordings in 1996, along with Shelley’s Smells Like label and Moore’s Ecstatic Peace label. In addition, Ranaldo has done a considerable amount of writing, creates installation projects with his wife Leah Singer, has an extensive solo career, and has performed improvisatory film scores as a member of Text of Light.

And, you know. The band is still really good. Even as folks mine their discography or weave them into above-ground mainstream corporate media culture enterprising, they’re still challenging themselves and making great music. Earlier this year, the band released The Eternal, their 16th album. Peaking at #18 on the Billboard charts, it also boasts a consistently great set of songs and a painting by late guitarist John Fahey for its cover. This blurring of art and commerce, for good or for bad, is in keeping with the band and their contributions to music culture.

I’m going this weekend, should be good. “We’re on two wheels baby!”

Deets here.

Also, can’t get enough of this.

Liam Finn & Eliza Jane, Won’t Change My Mind
Belle and Sebastian, We Are the Sleepyheads
Be Your Own Pet, Hillmont Avenue
The Clean, Loog
The B-52s, Pump
Benett, Just Because I Liked You (in the Summertime)
Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions, For the Rest of Your Life
Bettie Serveert, Unsound
Belly, It’s Not Unusual
Madison Park, Another Yesterday
Beat Happening, I’ve Lost You
Bat for Lashes, Seal Jubilee
Polynya, Mobile
Bangs, Call and Response
Bagheera, Admission/Concession
Box Elders, Stay
Babes in Toyland, Live at the Academy
Asobi Seksu, Before We Fall
Asleep in the Park, Nobody Wants
Azure Ray, We Are Mice
astroPuppees, She Can’t Say No
Polite Sleeper, Driving Ohio
April March, I Just Might Crack
The Apples in Stereo, Stream Running Over
Electric Valentine, Take Your Time
Aroah, La Historia Mas Triste
An Horse, Little Little Little
Divisible, Don’t Say Nothin Now
Anjulie, Boom
Maya Angelou, Calypso Blues
The Dry Spells, Rhiannon
The Anniversary, Never Die Young
Laurie Anderson, The Ouija Board
Vivian Girls, Can’t Get Over You
Angus & Julia Stone, Just a Boy
The Amps, Tipp City
Thee Headliners, Sketch City
Amanda Blank, Might Like You Better
Lily Allen, Everything’s Just Wonderful
All Girl Summer Fun Band, Lipsmacker Kiss
Dido, Take My Hand
Olivia Broadfield, Don’t Let Go
The Rocking Horse Winner, Playing With Lights

Thanks to my friend Evan, who alerted me on Monday that some serious Aughties musical canonization was going down this week, I’ve been following Pitchfork’s unveiling of the Top 500 tracks of the decade. As it may be of interest, I thought I’d share my feelings. 

In subsequent posts, I may comment on their impending coverage of the decade’s best music videos and albums, as well as their formulations on the reclamation of pop, the exploration of noise, and the mainstreaming of indie rock. I won’t devote posts to it, though, because there’s a fine line between providing useful commentary and hearing yourself type. And my hunch is that discussing the singles list will suffice, as it presents, by microcosm, a general set of criticisms I’ve long held about the “tastemaker” e-zine.

Covering Pitchfork’s appraisal of the decade in this way makes more sense to me anyway, as the 2000s marked the resurgence of the single. Our increasingly digitized media culture cultivated the need for that one song, found at the click of a mouse or the touch of an mp3 player button or phone pad. That song also tended to get posted on blogs, e-zines, and MySpace pages (however briefly) as a means to define the self or selves (this was a decade when Gnarls Barkley, Brightblack Morning Light, and Crystal Castles could potentially coexist on the same shuffle or mash-up).

So, this list is the first time I’ve seen music of my youth canonized in such a way that it now seems historical. When Pitchfork first did the list half-way through the decade, I was 22 and just out of college; an adult, but only sorta. More specifically, the songs were still new. But having graduated from college twice over and a year into my second post-college job in 2009, I can look at songs from 2000, when I was in high school, and feel my age like many folks who transitioned into adulthood in decades prior.

And now, some nostalgia. A lot of the songs on this list bring up specific memories, images, people, and feelings. I remember my friend Brooke trying to teach me a dance routine to Aaliyah’s “Try Again” for our junior prom. PJ Harvey’s “Good Fortune” reminded me of a high school boyfriend which, in hindsight, speaks to an epic love song’s power to project. I remember a classmate singing the chorus to OutKast’s “Ms. Jackson” to herself in French class. I remember hearing Jay-Z and UGK’s “Big Pimpin’” at a Claire’s somewhere in New York City on a field trip. Radiohead’s “The National Anthem” confused the hell out of me, but I kept playing it at full volume anyway. Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On” was a confusing song that made perfect sense. And if Daft Punk’s “One More Time” was released when the class of 2001 voted for our song, it would’ve been my pick (I submitted U2’s “Beautiful Day” and Counting Crows’ “Hanging Around”; our song ended up being Aerosmith’s cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together” from the Armageddon soundtrack, for some reason).

Then there’s the rough transition between high school and college. Songs off Radiohead’s Amnesiac and Daft Punk’s Discovery suggest my lonely, uncertain summer before college. I started college, withdrew mid-way through my first semester, and resumed in the spring. This was a “the” time — The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Shins, The Avalanches, and the last album by The Dismemberment Plan. It was also when I started to follow Pitchfork, mostly to avoid writing term papers.

After a summer back home, I applied for a college radio show. It was here that I really started learning about music, and just how much music there was. KVRX maintains a “none of the hits all of the time” policy; if a musical act got a single or video on rotation in a commercial market, they could not be played. While I was there, we pulled The Arcade Fire and Franz Ferdinand from rotation. Some deejays would think that by pulling a musical act they liked out of rotation, we were initiating a taste-based attack on coolness (i.e., undiscovered = good, discovered = bad). While this prejudice existed (and I would certainly perpetuate it at times), pulling an artist embraced by the mainstream out of college radio rotation felt like more political to me. “Spoon is on 101X? Great! They’re awesome. Now let’s shine a light on the thousands of other bands who’ll never get that kind of attention.”

Pitchfork made an effort to shine a light too, biases notwithstanding. During my tenure at KVRX, my relationship with Pitchfork became contentious. While I followed Pitchfork, I was also dismissive or derisive of the staff’s opinions (a classic push-pull for many music geeks: we are at once too cool for Pitchfork, yet check to see if we line up with their rulings). As I came into my own as a feminist, I also became more critical of what they covered, how they covered it, and what they dismissed, out of which came, among other things, this blog.

Yet, there are so many songs on this countdown that remind me of that time. I remember my first radio show, when I played Interpol’s “NYC” because I had some vague idea of who they were. I remember exactly where I was when I first heard TV on the Radio’s “Staring At the Sun” and Dizzie Rascal’s “I Luv U.” I remember seeing Spoon perform “The Way We Get By” on Conan and hoping they’d get big. I remember hearing the bass line to Broken Social Scene’s “Stars and Sons” for the first time. I remember fighting The Rapture’s “House of Jealous Lovers” for weeks before surrendering. I remember being unable to avoid The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights.” I remember playing Broadcast’s “Pendulum” while getting ready for parties. I remember rocking out to The Gossip’s “Standing in the Way of Control” in the deejay booth. I remember LCD Soundsystem’s “Losing My Edge” being one of the go-to songs deejays would throw on for a smoke break when we weren’t quoting from it (I alluded to it in this post’s title). I remember hearing M.I.A.’s “Galang” at a party and having it blow my mind. I remember impromptu dance parties after Alliance for a Feminist Option meetings when a bunch of sweaty grrrls I still call friends would shimmy to Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” and OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” I remember skanking harder and smiling wider than I ever have with the person I built my life with to Ted Leo and the Pharmacists’ “Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?”

In addition, there was Boards of Canada, Wolf Eyes, Feist, Black Dice, Andrew Bird, Ladytron, Devendra Banhart, Destroyer, Hot Chip, The New Pornographers, Deerhoof, M. Ward, Liars, Junior Boys, The Walkmen, Manitoba (later Caribou), El-P, The Go Team, (Smog), Sufjan Stevens, RJD2, The Books, Talib Kweli, Phoenix . . . . The list goes on. If I ever had trouble keeping up with new artists after graduating in 2005, it was only because I had so many established artists to follow.

Of course, my college radio utopia didn’t last. It couldn’t. My monolithic friend group fragmented. People moved, lost touch, became casual, or just stopped being friends. Perhaps this is really when the decade became more to me than a sequence, instead an evolution of time. Late-in-the-decade offerings like LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” and Animal Collective’s “Fireworks” convey this for me.

After college, I acquired Deerhunter, CSS, Hercules and Love Affair, Santigold, Bat for Lashes, Grizzly Bear, Battles, No Age, Be Your Own Pet, Girl Talk, Magik Markers, Vampire Weekend, Vivian Girls, Women, King Khan and the Shrines, and St. Vincent.

Assuredly there will be more new artists for me (and you) to adopt. Just this week, because of the countdown, I picked up on The Knife.

There are artists whose countdown placement evinces moments when we were willing to bet the farm on an act that now seem dated (Death From Above 1979, The Streets, and Klaxons). There are also acts I didn’t “get” but sorta came around on later (hello, Joanna Newsom). There are acts I didn’t know that well in college but came to treasure later (bless you, Neko Case). There are acts I enjoy but could never fully champion (I like you fine, Belle and Sebastian). There are acts I appreciate, but kinda overwhelm me and can’t listen to all the time (Jesus, Xiu Xiu). And then there are acts for whom I just never got the fuss (Fleet Foxes and The Decemberists).

With that said, this countdown plays predictably. Accepting minor issues like what song was selected to represent an artist and where songs fell in ranking, Pitchfork got a lot right. They also got caught up with some songs that I think they’re overselling, and some things they marginalized or completely overlooked. I’ll preoccupy the rest of this post with those flaws.

For me Pitchfork’s big Achilles heel has always been hip hop, primarily because they really only cover mainstream hip hop (Lil Wayne, T.I., 50 Cent, Clipse, Eminem, Cam’ron, OutKast, Kanye West, and Jay-Z — the last three are all over this countdown). And while this isn’t a problem in its own right, it limits how hip hop is defined and what it represents, which, in a lot of commercial hip hop, that still means money, Cristal, whips, blunts, and bitches (though not in all cases). It certainly suggests that the only way for rappers to be successful and culturally relevant is to be part of a corporate mechanism. This seems like something a publication that prides itself on giving visibility to independent artists should re-evaluate. Because, in my mind, if there’s no Busdriver or Jean Grae, I question the validity of the list.

As a result, it largely eclipses underground hip hop which has seen tremendous advancements over the course of the decade, particularly in the states. Talent from labels like Stones Throw, Quannum Projects, Rhymesayers, Definitive Jux, and anticon., along with talent at labels like Plug Research, Mush, Warp, and Ubiquity have created some of the most vital and interesting work in the genre, expanding its sound and its content while working outside a corporate mechanism in the process (anticon. runs as a collective). But you’d never know that if you only read Pitchfork, who primarily acknowledged a few efforts, primarily from white male label owners (El-P) and instrumental artists (RJD2, DJ Shadow). No female MCs were acknowledged. This may also speak to the dearth of female MCs in underground hip hop, but doesn’t excuse it (I love you, Jean Grae; I love you, Psalm One). My challenge to hip hop fans in the next decade is to try to create an online resource as influential as Pitchfork to get the message out. You’ve got a guaranteed spot on my blogroll. My apologies if someone’s already doing this and I don’t know about it.

Also, as you may have noticed if you combed through the entire list, only the top 200 songs are accompanied by blurbs from the writing staff. While I understand that writing 300 more blurbs presents its own challenges, I also think it suggests that tracks 500-301 weren’t good enough for a write-up. And this makes me especially sad when many of the women I loved in this decade – Vivian Girls, St. Vincent, Goldfrapp, Sleater-Kinney, Bat for Lashes, Björk, and The Gossip — are thrown at the end and not given any qualifying statements. This especially seems necessary for a song like The Gossip’s “Standing In the Way of Control,” which became a bit of an LGBTQ anthem this decade. That would be especially useful to read alongside #18, Hercules and Love Affair’s “Blind.” This is a great dance song that I’ve always interpreted as an anthem for coming out and living life queer. But you wouldn’t know that from Tim Finney’s write-up.

And while I’m heartened by the women who did make it to the top 200, especially women like M.I.A., Beyoncé, Missy Elliott, Annie, and Karen O of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who made the top 20, I can’t help but notice that many of these women were pop artists who worked extensively with predominantly male producers. I don’t want to suggest that cutting a track with Timbaland or Pharell from The Neptunes means that women are robbed of artistic autonomy, as I wouldn’t say that for Justin Timberlake. However, I do take issue with what female artists and what songs get praise. Or even what versions of songs. While the Diplo remix of the version of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” that features UGK is great, I wonder why her version isn’t enough.

That said, the 2000s were both a hell of an education and a hell of a time. Pitchfork knows it. I know it. Hopefully, you know it too. It was a great time to be alive. I hope the next decade is even better.

This is by no means new but I stumbled across this High Quality (remember to change to HQ in Youtube) and uncensored version. I’ve never been a teenage girl or killed anyone but I think this track captures it pretty well.

Right up there with aeroplanes, jam and cheese sandwiches and Michael Douglass marrying Catherine Zeta Jones in the things that shouldn’t work but do stakes is this duet between everyone’s favourite insurance salesman and adolescent vomm-hurler. As a taster for her soon to be released solo-album former Be Your Own Pet main woman coos her way through three minutes of sheer cabaret pop with the old enough to be her grandfather Iggy Pop chiming in every so often for good measure. The track wouldn’t be out of place in a Time Life Sounds of the 1950s collection, bar, of course, the lyrics, but in truth there is something oddly sweet about Jemina singing how she cant stand the company of anyone except the object of her affection.

 While, obviously, no one involved expects the track to be taken overly seriously if Pearl’s album is as much fun as this then consider us quite excited.

Jemina Pearl feat. Iggy Pop
‘I Hate People’ 

It’s been misanthropy galore on Free Music Fridays lately. Last week we had a track from Naomi Hates Humans, and now we have a preview track called ‘I Hate People’ from ex-Be Your Own Pet frontwoman Jemina Pearl’s upcoming solo album, Break It Up, released through the Ecstatic Peace label on October 6th. A duet with punk legend Iggy Pop, ‘I Hate People’ is a surprisingly kitsch pop number that takes its cues from the best of 1960s girl group with a classic drum sound and a frivolous vocal that’s less spit and gravel than it is ra-ra skirts and bobby socks…and cotton candy laced with arsenic. If you liked the soundtrack to John Waters’ ‘Cry-Baby’ – in which the esteemed Mr Pop guest starred – this delightful romp is for you. We can’t get over the precious mid-song breakdown. It’s really too cute. And that’s something we never thought we’d say about the music of this particular Pearl.

Break It Up also features guest appearances from Ecstatic Peace label head and all-round indie-rock icon Thurston Moore and TV On The Radio’s David Sitek, plus contributions from Bring Your Own Pet’s John Eatherly. Production duties were fulfilled by John Agnello (The Hold Steady, Sonic Youth).

Break It Up
01 Heartbeats
02 After Hours
03 Ecstatic Appeal
04 Band On The Run
05 I Hate People
06 Looking For Trouble
07 Retrograde
08 Nashville Shores
09 No Good
10 D Is For Danger
11 Selfish Heart
12 Undesireable
13 So Sick

FREE MP3: Jemina Pearl feat. Iggy Pop, ‘I Hate People’ [via Pitchfork]

visit Jemina on Myspace

Crossing The Rubicon by The Sounds

The Sounds are a Swedish indie band who formed in 1999. I have joked with friends a few times that Sweden seems to have a production line of good bands and churns them out at an amazing rate. I’m certainly into a few of them.

I listened to this album based on hearing a single track of theirs previously (4 Songs & A Fight) and, now that I’ve listened to the whole album, I can’t say I’m overly excited by it. I was never very sure what they were trying to be. Sometimes they wavered toward sounding like Be Your Own Pet and at other times seemed a bit like Paramore. They even sounded a bit like No Doubt (who I believe they are supporting in California this month) in places. The lyrics aren’t very strong and guitars have been turned down in favour of upping the synth volumes.

In terms of individual tracks, I’d probably pick out Dorchester Hotel as being the strongest. There are so many great Swedish bands out there though – search some out rather than spending too much time on The Sounds. 6/10

Now I’m glad you’ve got a broken heart..

Prześladują mnie słowa tak piękne w swym braku subtelności.
Patrz na moje usta.Wypowiadam je powoli.
“.. i brak mi tylko dzwoneczka u szyi,
który by brzęczał nad tobą, gdy śpisz.”

So yesterday, another classmate in my learning in children and adolescence class threatened to kick my ass.  She is twenty-five, I am twenty-one, we are too old for this shit.  Why do people resort to threats?  What inside us decides that we’re not going to engage a person in such a manner?

            Ok, I should start off by saying that I did play a role in her threatening me.  Last semester we were in the same women’s history course and she continually got on my nerves.  She would tell her story as a Latina but if someone’s experience were the least bit different, she would shut them down.   She also said something about children of unwed, young mothers all having problems and it’s the parents fault that young girls get pregnant.  My sister just turned 19 and has a 1 month old son, so of course I took offense to that, because my parents are amazing and don’t deserve such blatant disrespect.  This semester, she’s in my psych class where she continually disrespects the topic.  Apparently me getting a degree in psychology doesn’t mean shit because I’m not her.  She also says horrible things, like that homosexuality is a choice.  I could be mature and ignore her.  But let’s face it, I’m a bitch who likes to run my mouth so I correct her on the stupid shit she says.  Yesterday I tried to tell her the difference between gay and transgendered when she said that.

            If I was sixteen then I would have thrown the first punch, I’ve been in fights before, I’ve never lost one, and she doesn’t look like she’s tough. But, I wouldn’t now, because I’m an adult and exhausted with life.  This is why mature adults don’t get into physical fights, because all of the stress takes the scrappiness out of you.  We as adults have money issues, family obligations, friends to keep up with, schoolwork and/or work, and romantic relationship issues to deal with.  I have to deal with all of this, I really don’t have the energy to deal with ghetto ill-informed bitches.

            But here’s the thing, I am definitely as a person angrier now than I was as a kid.  I know some of you are thinking Marissa, you’re still a kid.  Yeah, I know, but I also have dealt with so much that I think I’m like 30 mentally.  Adult life is horrible, stressful, and makes you angry.  I don’t act out on violence like I used to, but I am more violent.  Not a day goes by that I don’t feel like punching someone.  It sounds scary, but remember I would never follow through.  I think most adults are like this.  They might not feel as violent as I do, but they likely feel angrier than when they were a child.

For added measure, here’s a great song by a great, now-defunct band Be Your Own Pet. NSFW, unless you’re cool with you’re coworkers thinking you’re a sociopath.