Mark Lanegan não dá pra dizer pouco sobre ele mais vou tentar. Aclamado pela critica amado pelos fans resumem bens essa personalidade de voz rouca e soturna. Lider do Screaming Trees e com diversos trabalhos com varios artistas e bandas (Queens of the stone age, PJ Harvey, Mondo Generator, Masters Of Reality, Melissa Auf der Maur e outros) o levaram a um outro patamar de rock . No seu album solo ele mostra diversificação entre batidas e acústicos, simples e bem feitos, recomendo ouvir mexendo no computador e em horas de stress.

Whiskey For The Holy Ghost – 1994

1. The River Rise
2. Borracho
3. House A Home
4. Kingdoms Of Rain
5. Carnival
6. Riding The Nightingale
7. El Sol
8. Dead On You
9. Shooting Gallery
10. Sunrise
11. Pendulum
12. Judas Touch
13. Beggar’s Blues

Download

Junção entre Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs,Twilight Singers) e Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Soulsavers, Queens of the Stone Age).
Lançaram seu primeiro album Saturnalia que recebeu boa recepção da critica. Boas musicas otimo para se ouvir numa estrada.

Saturnalia – Gutter Twins – 2008

1. The Stations
2. God’s Children
3. All Misery Flowers
4. The Body
5. Idle Hands
6. Circle The Fringes
7. Who Will Lead Us
8. Seven Stories Underground
9. I Was In Love With You
10. Bete Noire
11. Each To Each
12. Front Street

Download

Eén dagje in een uitverkocht Minnewaterpark vertoeven? Na wikken en wegen tussen zaterdag en zondag werd toch maar gekozen voor de eerste optie.

Openen deed Joe Gideon & The Shark. Hij, de gitaar en zang. Zij, backings, drums, toetsen en dat in een opvallend luipaardvelletje. Ze klonken meer dan behoorlijk, maar hadden als beginnende groep niet meteen bekende deuntjes mee. Gewoon goed was het verdict.
Quotering: ***

Een versnelling en meteen ook een niveau hoger werd er geschakeld met 65daysofstatic. Ze brachten een pak energie mee, zonder daarbij te vervallen in een zootje ongeregeld. Normaal spelen ze enkel in donkere zalen (dat ze op een compilatie van Duyster staan zegt genoeg), maar het bleef ook in klaarlichte dag overeind. Helemaal leuk werd het toen één van de bandleden zijn gitaar een hele poos met zijn mond de hoogte in hield. Topper.
Quotering: ****

Tijd voor iets Belgisch en meteen ook iets goeds, The Black Box Revelation. Rock ‘n roll gelijk de beesten, veel energie (bij het derde nummer sloeg Dries zijn eerste drumstokje in frut) en een cd die zijn deugdelijkheid meer dan bewezen heeft. Zeer lekker set, goed gespeeld, alleen bleef het grootste gedeelte van het publiek er tamelijk mak bij.
Quotering: ****

Qua klederdracht was Joan As Police Woman alvast een opmerkelijke act. Zij koos ook voor een tijgerprint, maar dan heel wat flashy kleurtjes. De eerste helft van jaar set klonk jammer genoeg niet navenant. Te mak, te rustig, nummers die niet sterk genoeg bleken. Gelukkig kwam er beterschap, kon ze de set nog ombuigen naar de positieve zij door een aantal nummers uit haar eerste plaat en een aantal covers.
Quotering: ***

Cold War Kids hadden even wat vertraging bij het soundchecken. Gelukkig kwam alles goed, zodat ze hun set er alsnog konden doorjagen. Goed qua klank, alleen jammer dat hun repertoire wat te onstabiel bleek. Voornamelijk nummers uit cd1 zoals Hang Me Up To Dry, We Used To Vacation en Saint John konden bekoren.
Quotering: ***(*)

Heel wat fans drongen toen naar voren om The Gutter Twins te aanschouwen. De twins waren voor de gelegenheid een trio geworden. Akoestisch, gezeten op hun stoeltje speelde ze heel fraai een dik uur vol. Ik zette mij comfortabel op de poep om de mooie klanken te aanhoren. Zien hoefde niet, want meer dan een statisch geheel was het niet. De echte fans hadden beslist genoten.
Quotering: ***(*)

Joost Zweegers had door overmacht tijdelijk een nieuwe drumster mee. Niemand minder dan Isolde Lasoen kwam de rangen vervolledigen en dat vind ik alvast helemaal niet spijtig. Novastar begon rutig met wat werk uit zijn laatste plaat ‘Almost Bangor’. Heel erg lang duurde het voorspel echter niet, want algauw werden alle hits ten berde gebracht. Heel wat ervan in een iets of ander jasje, een gesmaakt jasje. The Best Is Yet To Come werd alvast het meezingmoment van zaterdag.
Quotering: ****

Afsluiten werd gedaan met Paul Weller. De naam zei me weinig, maar ik kon niet ontkennen dat meneer Weller live best meer dan aardig klinkt. Tweemaal kwam er ook een moment van ‘ah ha, dat ken ik’, maar iets te weinig om mij echt helemaal te overtuigen. Echte fans genoten wellicht meer.
Quotering: ***(*)

Zaterdag op Cactusfestival 2009 was een dag op hoog niveau zonder echte uitschieters.

Quando escrevi sobre Mark Lanegan aqui, em fevereiro desse ano, sequer sonhava que, dali a alguns meses, estaria assistindo a um show do homem. Ele ali, a alguns metros de mim, um monstro, e aquela voz magnetizante. Num sonho, isso não seria tão estarrecedor.

Talvez Lanegan nem seja uma figura de tamanha essencialidade para a história do rock. Não sei se muita coisa teria acontecido de forma diferente se ele não existisse. Mas a verdade é que Lanegan não precisa de nada disso, de história e de cortejos. Ele está vivo, fazendo música e cantando como um gênio. Isso importa mais que tudo. E é isso que faz dele um dos caras mais respeitáveis da música atual.

Em sua recente visita ao Brasil, Lanegan veio ao lado de seu colega Greg Dulli (ex-Afghan Whigs), com quem forma o Gutter Twins – o guitarrista Dave Rosser também acompanhou a dupla. Com esse projeto, eles lançaram, no ano passado, o elogiado disco Saturnalia – além do EP Adorata. O show mostrado no charmoso Bourbon Street, no entanto, não foi uma apresentação do Gutter Twins, propriamente dita, como eu e muitos imaginávamos que seria.

Entitulada “An Evening with Greg Dulli & Mark Lanegan”, a apresentação configurou na verdade um apanhado geral de todo o trabalho dos dois músicos – seja nessa parceria, seja em outras bandas. Imagine, então, que este não deve ter sido um setlist fácil de montar – considerando o tanto de bandas que cada um deles já formou ao longo da carreira. Para se ter uma idéia, o show teve músicas de cinco projetos diferentes. Duas faixas do Afghan Whigs e três do Twilight Singers representaram a carreira de Dulli. Lanegan mostrou duas canções do Screaming Trees e quatro de sua carreira solo. Do Gutter, apenas cinco músicas. Algumas belas covers (José González, Bukka White e Nick Drake) completaram o repertório.

Down The Line (José González cover)

Mas o diferencial desse show não esteve apenas nas músicas que o compuseram. O modo como elas foram tocadas também foi especial. Nada de guitarras, distorções ou bateria. No lugar, violão, teclado e vozes. Vozes, em alto e bom som. É aí que esses caras te fazem chorar – Lanegan, principalmente.

O ex-grunge não dirige ao público uma palavra durante todo o espetáculo – ao contrário de Dulli, que esboça alguma simpatia e arrisca agradecimentos em português. Lanegan na verdade mal parece estar ali; incólume e imóvel, sentado em seu banquinho. Basta abrir a boca, no entanto, e deixar sair suas notas graves e ásperas, e tudo em volta parece ficar menor. A voz desse homem não é qualquer coisa, uma das que mais me impressionam de tudo que já ouvi, e ao vivo ela é ainda mais emocionante. E mais um pouco, quando canta versos de Dylan. “There must be some kinda way out of here…”, emendou Lanegan, no final de God’s Children. Dulli, por sua vez, é outro excelente vocalista, de um feeling diferenciado e interpretações mais passionais. O contraste entre seus agudos e o tom mais baixo de seu parceiro funciona perfeitamente à medida que as vozes vão se entrosando ao longo do show.

Uma noite memorável no Bourbon Street. Assim como certamente foram aquelas das fotos penduradas no hall de entrada da casa. B.B. King, Nina Simone, Ray Charles, Ron Wood. Tanta gente boa que passou por ali e eu não pude ver. Espero que o show de quarta passada também renda um retrato para essa galeria. E quando eu olhar para esse, não terei do que me arrepender. Eu estive lá. Eu vi Mark Lanegan subir naquele palco e cantar.

Dollar Bill (Screaming Trees) – a mais ovacionada pela platéia

Setlist do show:

01 The Body (The Gutter Twins)
02 God’s Children (The Gutter Twins)
03 The Stations (The Gutter Twins)
04 If I Were Going (The Afghan Whigs)
05 Sworn and Broken (Screaming Trees)
06 Down The Line (José González cover)
07 We Have Met Before (The Gutter Twins)
08 Creeping Coastline of Lights (Mark Lanegan)
09 Resurrection Song (Mark Lanegan)
10 The Twilite Kid (Twilight Singers)
11 King Only (Twilight Singers)
12 Sunrise (Mark Lanegan)
13 Summer’s Kiss (The Afghan Whigs)
14 The River Rise (Mark Lanegan)
15 Sunset Machine (The Gutter Twins)
16 I Am in the Heavenly Way (Bukka White cover)
17 What Jail Is Like (The Afghan Whigs)
18 Dollar Bill (Screaming Trees)
19 Three Hours (Nick Drake cover)

Esse mês de Julho começa com grandes shows em SAMPA !!

Para a galera mais roqueira temos amanhã – THE GUTTER TWINS - projeto de Greg Dulli  (Ex.Afgan Wings) e Mark Lanegan (Ex.Screeming Trees), apresentando show do disco Saturnalia lançado em março desse ano.

Dia 01 de Julho de 2009 -Ingressos R$ 125,00 – 22:00

Já para quem gosta do som latino do grande Jorge Drexler, ainda há ingressos para pista. Confiram !!

Dia 02 de Julho de 2009 – Ingressos (PISTA) R$ 95,00 – 22:00

hey, look – its june 2009 & i haven’t made a mix-tape (disk? playlist?) in sometime.  i was killing time the other day so i threw together some shit that i’m loving at this moment – some of it is new, some of it old, some funky & filled with hooks – other tracks a lil’ quieter… but all good imho.  want a copy?  let me know… or better yet, show the bands some love & spend .99 on them, most of these tunes are on itunes.

baditude | spoon, harris + obernik

this was a huge dance floor jam last summer & it still amazes!  dave spoon, paul harris & vocalist sam obernik join forces for this instant classic.  we’ve used it a ton in runway shows & trust me, girls can walk the fuck out of this groove.  turn this baby up loud in the car, with the windows down.  

disco heaven | heloise & the savoir faire

what do you get when you mix “tina turner beyond the thunderdome era…diana ross central park 1983 era…and the french revolution”?   nyc’s club scene/fashion provocateur’s heloise + the savoir faire.  disco punk never sounded so fun.  debbie harry is swooning in her hair bleach even as we speak.  i’ve been addicted to their cd ‘trash, rats & microphones’ for about 6 months now, the full album never ceases to get me to jump around my apartment like a fool.  

heads will roll | yeah yeah yeahs

what new order started in 1983 with ‘blue monday’ evolves sweetly into the brand new yeah yeah yeahs track ‘heads will roll’ – it’s urgent, synth-y & pure dance floor sex.  the infectious groove get’s under your skin & sticks to your bones.  and based on their gig last week at minneapolis’ 1st ave, we finally have a proper heir to siouxsie’s throne.  throbbing, sexy, hard, soft, aggressive & vibrant.  all at the same time.

i was made for loving you | queen of japan

having absolutely nothing to do with japan (are a nebulous group of producers + catriona shaw on vox), queen of japan are a confusing lot.  they’ve made their underground name on remaking (reworking?  destroying?) well known tunes with an ear towards sleaze/electroclash.  the track here, originally done by kiss, turns into a slow-burn, deeply intimate/sexual come-on to an unseen girl.  is the music a lark, or is it meant to be taken serious?  not sure, but i do know i love the groove they’ve laid down & again, this thing sounds massive in a car or in headphones.

black + gold | katy perry

yeah, yeah, she kissed a girl and the track sucked balls.  she’s redeemed herself a bit here with this cover of last year’s sam sparro smash.  completely up-ending the tune and reworking it as an urgent, quiet ballad works well for the song (!) and for katy’s thin voice.  yeah, i love the original, but katy’s version opens new layers to sparro’s grammy-nominated song.  

listen to the darkside | charlie mars

this track is my new favorite as i just discovered it a week or so back.  one review i read compared him to the ethereal quality of daniel lanois mixed with a bit of g. love.  to that i would add some of the country-rock flavor the jayhawks.  the tune is a simple little groove that is quite lovely and subtle, but with a lot of soul.  

front street | the gutter twins

anyone who’s ever read any of my blogs knows i love me some greg dulli.  along with prince, siouxsie, peter gabriel, kate bush & concrete blonde; his songs have informed the better part of my musical world for the better part of 15 years.  this tune, off last year’s saturnalia was the result of a partnership with screaming tree’s mark lanegran  and finds dulli at his most confessional.  admitting secrets is never an easy thing, but his words evoke a dark feeling most of us are too afraid to tell the world.  for me, it’s amazing when a song can take you on a journey – and that’s just what front street does, granted its a dark journey, but a journey just the same. 

lassoo | the duke spirit

i discovered the duke spirit after they appeared on the last UNKLE record & was immediately taken with liela moss’ voice (NME calls moss’ a proper lady of rock, and what a wonderful thing that is).  then i checked out their sophomore effort, neptune, from-which ‘lassoo’ was taken and was quickly blown away.  the mix of big horn’s, 60’s grooves and tight hard rock makes for a pretty impressive sound.  

you can’t see me | grand ole party

ok, you won’t be able to get this track for a bit o’time – the band gave it out at a show i saw last week (they opened for the yeah yeah yeahs).  matt and I were completely impressed by this cali trio (by the way, the vocalist is also the drummer, how cool is that?)  the music itself is such a brilliant mix of that classic 60’s sound mixed with the modern edge of a siouxsie or a pj harvey.  i see big things happening for grand ole party .

tell the lie | the bellrays

discovered these guys via lead singer lisa kekaula’s appearance on the ’05 basement jaxx album kish kash.  and was a little taken aback by the bands punk/soul vibe (vs, the straight up soul/disco of the ‘jaxx), but the more i listen, the more i love.  this is what i think me’shell ndegeo’cello would sound like if she ever made a straight up bar/rock record.  powerful pipes supported my a very muscular lil’ punk/soul band.  nice job bellrays!

exit through you  | joseph arthur, peter gabriel aka big blue ball

i’ve talked at length about how much i love the world beat fusion rock record big blue ball (recorded over a 4 year period in the early 90’s & then guided to release over the next 13 years by karl wallinger (world party) and stephen hague (pet shop boys, annie lennox) before, and the album is still a-must listen to a couple times a week – and this is the track that fires on all cylinders.  arthur’s moody earthy vox and words partnered with gabriel’s world view is a great mix.  filled in with a cast of players from all over the world and you get one great tune – a tune that you’ll be humming for days to come.  

fucking boyfriend (peaches remix) | the bird & the bee

as a huge fan of the bird and the bee, i was giddy happy to see what electroclash queen peaches would do to this killer track.  what she does as a remixer is brilliant; she takes the track, twists it and builds the monster groove (in a club this would be amazing), but holds onto the essence of the song (love when it all drops out about 3/4 of the way in and your left with the simmering original vocal).  very nice peaches.  and yes, i would be your fucking boyfriend.

puppets | atmosphere

winning the title for best album name of 2008 (when life gives you lemons, you paint that shit gold), minneapolis based hip hop kings return with this moody, atmospheric (!) slow burning anthem.  puppets is simply an amazing piece of poetry with a really great groove underneath.  who’s it about?  who knows, but given they’re from minneapolis – there’s a ton of speculation that they’re about our purple prince.  slug’s words are nothing short of amazing:

i think its great how you used to be great

i cant hate on how you choose to relate

but i know that you had the potential

i understand why you wanted to let go

a lot of pressure in the middle of those shoulders

and we aint gettin nothin but older

aint nothin change but the day we run from

but nobody knows it better than you huh?

billionaire | peaches featuring yo majesty’s shunda k

all hail the queen.  peaches came back this year with the utterly amazing ‘i feel cream’ album.  what puppets did for subtlety, billionaire does for sheer force of power and bravado.  billionaire is raunchy, hard, throbbing and completely inspiring.  there’s power here in both her rap and shunda’s – these are women completely, unapologetically in control of their lives and sexuality.  lucky is the man (or woman) picked to please them.  peaches is the female equivalent to every male rock-fantasy icon in a way madonna can never be. 

absent minded friends | moloko

this is an old track that is stuck on repeat for me lately.  what grabs me every single time is the amazing production (layers upon layers; listen to it in headphones = amazing) mixed with róisín murphy’s amazingly fragile voice.  normally she sounds strong and hard, but her voice here is like a pane of thin glass.  i love that dichotomy.  surprise me like they did in 2000 with this release and i’ll come back time and time again.

i’m good, i’m gone (black kids remix) | lykke li

hailing equally from stockholm, portugal, lisbon, morocco, nepal & india, lykke li is much like a better travelled bjork.  albeit a better travelled bjork with more accessible tunes.  equal bits new wave & dance-pop – this tune is infectious and slinky.  as rolling stone said in their 100 best singles of ’08; “hand claps are the new power chords.”

quiet steam | peter gabriel

rumor has it that gabriel, fearing that his 1992 hit ‘steam’ would simply be dubbed ‘son of sledgehammer’, simultaneously recorded this muted, ambient version & released it as a b-side.  as great as steam is, this version just blows it away.  there is an aching, yearning quality to his voice that the pop version simply doesn’t have.  the rhythmic percussion, simple repeating guitar line (that maintains a bit of that soul/stax vibe the original has) & flutes move the song along a gentle winding stream. 

drifting away | faithless

i am dying to use this song in a show; i have the whole production mapped out in my head, now to just find the money and the talent!  hard to sum up this song in a paragraph – it’s just beautiful plain & simple… the opening vocals, to the percussive  (loose) beat.  the song just moves me.  

‘Down The Line’ é un tema composto polo sueco José González e que está incluído no seu segundo LP In Our Nature de 2007. Un ano máis tarde Greg Dulli e Mark Lanegan comezaron a versionalo nos seus concertos como The Gutter Twins, con tan boa aceptación por parte do público que se converteu nun dos temas estrelas da súa xira de presentación como banda. O pasado setembro incluíron o tema no seu EP de versións e rarezas Adorata.

VS.

SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2009 – 1ST LINEUP
Bloc Party (in their ONLY Australian show), The Flaming Lips, Jane’s Addiction, MGMT (also in their ONLY Australian show), Hilltop Hoods, Grinspoon, Midnight Juggernauts, The Specials, Sarah Blasko, Augie March, Josh Pyke, Friendly Fires, Little Birdy, Birds Of Tokyo, The Gutter Twins, Manchester Orchestra, Yuksek, Bob Evans, White Lies, Kram, Yves Klein Blue, Decoder Ring, Lost Valentinos, Leader Cheetah, Jack Ladder, The Middle East, Polaroid Fame and Glass Towers

SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2009 TICKET PRICES
Event ticket:  $240.00 (inc gst) + bf
Carbon Offset Ticket: $245.95  (inc gst) + bf
Camping ticket: $132.00  (inc gst) + bf

TICKETS ON SALE
9.00am sharp on Thursday May 14th – Internet sales only – www.qjump.com.au

SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2009
Sat July 25th and Sunday July 26th
Belongil Fields,
Byron Bay

‘Having A Party’, versión en directo do tema de Sam Cooke no programa Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson da CBS. (1998)

‘Forty Dollars’ en directo, actuación de The Twilight Singers no programa Jimmy Kimmer Live! da ABC. (2006)

‘Idle Hands’ en directo, actuación de The Gutter Twins no programa David Letterman’s Late Show. (2008)

‘Idle Hands’ en directo, actuación de The Gutter Twins no programa Later…with Jools Holland da BBC. (2008)

‘God’s Children’ en directo, actuación de The Gutter Twins no programa Later…with Jools Holland da BBC. (2008)

Um pequeno guia de introdução à vasta e impecável obra de Mark Lanegan

Se trabalhasse em um escritório, Mark Lanegan seria daquela raça dos workaholics. Ele não para um instante sequer. Desde 1986, se envolve em algum trabalho novo quase todo ano. Por sorte, o trabalho do cara é fazer música. E música boa como a de Lanegan nunca é demais.

Lanegan (no canto esquerdo), ainda cabeludo, nos tempos do Screaming Trees

Um dos artistas mais interessantes do rock alternativo, Mark Lanegan, para quem não conhece – ou não reconhece de nome – é um dos grandes músicos revelados pela divina safra do grunge de Seattle. Foi um dos fundadores e frontman do Screaming Trees, importante banda da cena local, mas que não chegou a atingir o sucesso comercial de outras, como o Nirvana e o Pearl Jam. Lançaram sete discos ao longo dos anos 80 e 90.

Seguindo umas das marcas do grunge, Lanegan sempre se destacou como um excelente vocalista. Mas foi em sua carreira solo, construída paralelamente à banda, que ele pôde explorar melhor esse seu potencial. Uma voz grave e densa, cuja rouquidão agravada ao longo dos anos só ajudou a tornar mais envolvente e sombria. Ele passou também a explorar outras sonoridades, diferentes do rock sujo de Seattle, como o folk e o blues. Já possui seis álbuns solos no currículo, sendo que o último, Bubblegum, de 2004, foi o que mais chamou atenção do público e da crítica.

Após o fim do Screaming Trees, em 2000, Lanegan começou a dedicar-se também a outros projetos. Gravou backing vocals em quase todos os discos do Queens Of The Stones Age, banda de seu amigo Josh Homme, e juntou-se às turnês do grupo. Ainda ao lado de Homme, Lanegan teve uma participação no The Desert Sessions, projeto ocasional do líder do QOTSA, pelo qual já passaram nomes como PJ Harvey e Dave Grohl.

Greg Dulli e Mark Lanegan

Em 2003 e 2004, Lanegan emprestou sua voz para a gravação de algumas faixas de dois discos do Twilight Singers, banda de Greg Dulli (ex-Afghan Whigs). A parceria com Dulli funcionou tão bem, que os dois resolveram formar uma outra banda, o Gutter Twins, que lançou seu ótimo álbum de estréia, Saturnalia, em 2008.

Outra boa parceria que Lanegan conduz atualmente é com a bela Isobel Campbell, que durante muito tempo integrou o grupo escocês Belle & Sebastian. Em 2006, a dupla estreou com Ballad Of The Broken Seas, um dos melhores discos daquele ano. Músicas primorosas, com toques de folk e chamber pop. No início do ano passado, eles lançaram seu segundo trabalho, Sunday At The Devil Dirt.

Isobel Campbell e Mark Lanegan

Como se não bastasse, em meio a tudo isso, Lanegan ainda arranja tempo para outras participações especiais, como na trilha do filme I’m Not There – para a qual ele fez uma bela versão de Man In The Long Black Coat – e no segundo álbum do Soulsavers, duo inglês de rock-trip-hop-eletrônico-ambiente.

Enfim, opções não faltam para quem quiser entrar em contato com a música e a voz de Mark Lanegan. E seja lá por onde você começar a conhecer este extenso e brilhante currículo, tenha certeza de que você não vai conseguir para tão cedo.

Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell – Ramblin’ Man (cover de Hank Williams)

Discografia recomendada:

• 1992 – Sweet Oblivion (Screaming Trees)
• 1994 – Whiskey For The Holy Ghost (solo)
• 2002 – Songs For The Deaf (Queen Of The Stone Age)
• 2004 – Bubblegum (solo)
• 2004 – She Loves You (Twilight Singers)
• 2006 – Ballad Of The Broken Seas (Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell)
• 2008 – Saturnalia (The Gutter Twins)

Lollapalooza
Grant Park, Chicago
Friday, August 1 — Sunday, August 3, 2008

From Illinois Entertainer Dot Com

It takes a certain type of person to do the whole three-day festival thing. The lines, the prices, the sun . . . the portable toilets. It’s not easy, or always fun. Lucky for IE we have Andy Argyrakis, Jamie De’Medici, and Timothy Hiatt, who volunteered to battle the sweltering summer heat and moshing mad Rage Against The Machine crowd to provide the words and pictures (click here for the entire gallery) of Lolla 2008.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 1 

The Black Keys
Offering their own take on blues-punk, The Black Keys moved through a loose and laid back set, full of messy guitar jamming and fast but fine-tuned drumming. While it would be hard to classify the outfit as stadium rock, the group’s sound did translate surprisingly well into the wide open Grant Park air. Moods alternated between songs, from the playful and hooky “10 A.M. Automatic” to the more ominous, like on “Strange Times,” with the band holding their own on a day distractingly full of talent.

Bloc Party
On record, Bloc Party have always been inconsistent. For every engaging moment, there are a dozen more that seem little more than filler. So it’s not surprising that onstage, Bloc Party were primarily and inoffensively inconsistent. The unassuming “Waiting For The 7:18″ served as a perfect complement for the late atmosphere, with drummer Matt Tong elevating the song beyond its fey recorded ballad form. And the early single “Banquet” still holds up as a strong indicator of the group’s potential for melodic, well crafted U.K. rock. Unfortunately, for every dynamic and engrossing performance the group delivered, they waded through a handful more that served as little more than background noise. With a 20-minute set, Bloc Party would have been brilliant.

CSS
Brazil’s CSS, or Cansei de Ser Sexy, stood as one of Lollapalooza’s most playful acts. Led by living cartoon character Lovefoxxx, the outfit delivered a series of irreverent electro-bangers and straight up girl-led brat-rawk. Tunes like the synthy “Let’s Reggae All Night” and iPod anthem “Music Is My Hot Hot Sex” demonstrated the group’s palpable energy, which spread through a packed crowd that showed up to dance in spite of the overbearing afternoon heat. While it would be hard to claim CSS’ music holds any sort of substance, by being irreverent and not taking themselves too seriously, the group also ended up as one of the day’s most enjoyable acts. Coincidence?

Radiohead

Unfortunately, a fun and playful vibe was nowhere to be found at the south end of Grant Park that night. Perhaps the most disappointing, underwhelming, and puzzling set came from Friday night headliners Radiohead. With no other talent closing out the north end of the festival, the day’s collective attendees flocked to the AT&T stage, forming a sea of bodies that extended back from the base of the stage. It was a mass decision that made sense; the last time Radiohead touched down in Grant Park was in 2001, for a legendary performance those who witnessed still discuss in revered tones.

Yet the Radiohead that visited seven years back was nowhere to be found. Instead, the group that showed up played as though they were afraid to wake the neighbors. The evening’s quietest songs barely reached to the end of the crowd, with “Fake Plastic Trees” nearly drowned out by mid-set fireworks. While the band played fairly competently — if not quietly, Thom Yorke sounded bored, disinterested, and distracted (reports were he was ill). It didn’t help the group moved through all of its sleepiest songs, which asked the question — didn’t Radiohead use to have songs that weren’t this medicated? Even more frenetic fare such as “Paranoid Android” came off weaker than usual, with what little energy it managed to display coming across as too little, too late. Or, as Thom’s own words, Radiohead themselves set off “no alarms” with “no surprises,” leaving a crowd wishing “that something would happen.”

SATURDAY, AUGUST 2

The Gutter Twins
Saturday afternoon, Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan came out for their Gutter Twins project, unleashing dark and moody rock that came off livelier than when the group played Metro this past spring. Case in point, the roaring “Idle Hands” was a beast unleashed on the unsuspecting and casual midday concertgoers, and would not be the last example of music that seemed surprised to find itself in the daylight. Not surprisingly, the group moved between the pair’s numerous outfits, including Dulli bringing out Twilight Singers highlight “Bonnie Brae.” It seemed appropriate Dulli and Lanegan would find themselves at Lollapalooza, as both are weathered veterans of the original alternative nation, and are likely to still be performing after many of the weekend’s blog-hit hype groups have faded from collective memory.

MGMT
On the opposite end of the veteran spectrum, on a stage not far away, came MGMT, a band that just this year began receiving any real attention. The group delivered a set full of new-alt that switched between jangly and surprisingly psychedelic moods. Live, an undeniable love of classic rock shone through in the group’s performance — full of swirling melodies and freeform jamming grooves. That was on top of the hipster-pleasing electro-tinge the band dipped so well into, apparent on the well-recieved “Time To Pretend” and twanging bass-driven “Electric Feel.” The real highlight of the set, however, came on “Kids,” also the high point of the outfit’s Oracular Spectacular. Unleashing Satriani-esque(?!) guitar solos that shredded throughout the extended jam, the song devolved by its end with the band banging randomly on their keyboards and smearing messy, chaotic licks and effects across their sound. As much unpredictable and startling as anything else, it seemed MGMT, as well as anyone there, understood the spirit behind Lollapalooza, which made their set a stand-out amongst everything louder than everything else.

Brand New
Nowhere near as celebratory was Brand New, veterans of the Warped genre and renowned for basically being total downers. Which is in no way a hindrance, rather it’s easily one of the group’s primary drawing points. Not unlike the Gutter Twins before them, most Brand New material seemed almost laughably out of place floating out in the sunny mid-afternoon field of happy concert-goers. Fortunately, that did little to hinder the somber and sobering tone of favorites like “Millstone” and the remarkable pinnacle of depression “Jesus Christ.” Elsewhere, “Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don’t” amped the energy of the group’s set, and “Sig Transit Gloria” better demonstrated the group’s more punk tendencies. It had to be “Sowing Season (Yeah),” however, that best bridged both sides of Brand New — the group’s morose tone with their larger, arena punk pop sensibilities. In a weekend full of dance-prompting, synth-laden feel-good acts, it was refreshing to have a group so entirely embrace a darker aesthetic.

Lupe Fiasco
Taking a cue from his mentor Kanye, Lupe Fiasco demonstrated a flair for the theatric right from the get-go — coming out to the Rocky theme, and doing a few minutes worth of stretches and even jumping jacks onstage, to prepare himself for his lively and high-energy set. However, unlike his notorious teacher, Fiasco demonstrated his sense of class and showmanship in a more mature, and far less ego-driven, manner. Likewise, Fiasco made his constant motion seem natural — no small feat in front of such a mass crowd. Delivering crowd-pleasers like his introductory hit, “Kick, Push,” and the anthemic “Superstar,” Fiasco easily won over the assembled early evening crowd. Very much the son of the Chicago hip-hop scene, Fiasco unleashed the speed-rapping of Twista (”Go Go Gadget Flow”), while displaying the showmanship of Kanye and drawing upon the depth of Common.

Wilco
While Rage Against The Machine fans were raging against the festival’s fences and proving ’90s reunion acts can still inspire ’90s-esque destructive crowds, Wilco were across the park, performing a very different — and Obama-free — type of set.

Onstage, Wilco weren’t necessarily miles away from Radiohead, in terms of producing more mellow and mature alt-rock. Yet, unlike Radiohead, Wilco not only managed to project beyond a 20-foot scope, the group did so interestingly and memorably. “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” might have been a bit tender, but it connected with the well-behaved crowd, as did “Impossible Germany.” “Handshake Drugs” built its soulful energy and victorious spirit into a wall of noise and feedback by its end, and “Pot Kettle Black” still stands as one of Wilco’s most enjoyable and unassumingly infectious accomplishments. Wilco may have mellowed with age, but, unlike certain other alternative icon headliners from this past weekend, they refuse to sleepwalk through their show. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3

Kid Sister
Early in the day Sunday, Chicago rising star Kid Sister braved the brutal heat with Flosstradamus (with J2K on vocals and Autobot on the decks). Kid Sis bounded through an energetic set that was all dance moves and ridiculous banter. Despite her forthcoming debut,Dream Date, not dropping yet, she debuted new and unheard material, alongside better known blog and club hits like the undeniable “Control” and the infamous “Pro Nails,” the latter of which featured back-up dancers in Salt-N-Pepa-esque outfits.

The Whigs
The attention Athens, Georgia’s The Whigs have received derives from an indie-tastic brand of power-pop. Thankfully, the group avoid the negative connotations that usually accompany such descriptions, with the band never coming off too jangly or twee. Rather, they ripped through intense and echo-laden numbers, such as “Like A Vibration,” which was enhanced in no small part by frenzied but focused drummer Julian Dorio. And “Right Hand On My Heart” found a hypnotic groove and went with it. It’s debatable whether The Whigs will end up being the next indie saviors to come out of R.E.M.’s hometown. But they’re certainly off to an auspicious start.

Black Kids
While the group showed promise and raised intrigue with theirWizard Of Ahhhs EP, onstage, Black Kids delivered little to no surprises. Playing through a safe and straightforward set, the group delivered a few moments of passion here and there, with some half-hearted attempts at stage banter, but ultimately, delivered little that was memorable, dangerous, or otherwise noteworthy. Thankfully, the next act up would more than make up for it.

Saul Williams
Saul Williams is a cross-genre amalgam, mixed with a style-triapsing anomaly, to put it simply. Drawing from his Trent Reznor-produced The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of NiggyTardust!, Williams held the attention of a rapt and captive audience. It wasn’t hard to understand why — the man himself was outfitted in yellow jeans, a teal shirt, a face-painted eye mask, and feathers on his head. It seemed fitting enough though, given Williams’ music is at once confusing, intriguing, and altogether puzzling. Yet it was perhaps Williams who best encapsulated everything Lollapalooza was originally about — dangerous, confusing, and impossible to classify. Williams gave the crowd something to think about while still being entertaining, no easy feat, as too many acts on the weekend’s bill did neither. In a better world, he would’ve ended up alongside Nine Inch Nails, instead of a sidenote, when he has already far surpassed Reznor’s modern works. 

Nine Inch Nails
It seems a safe assumption to guess Trent Reznor arranged it so his band would take the stage following recently reformed goth forefathers Love And Rockets. It’s also fitting, seeing as Nine Inch Nails themselves are reaching a certain level of elder status. The group are also racing toward the alternative genre’s ever-expanding harmless and inessential list, alongside the reformed Smashing Pumpkins and the puzzlingly still active Pearl Jam. Whereas the band were once dangerous, later albums like With Teeth, Year Zero, and The Slip have confirmed NIN’s music is at its most remarkable when Reznor is at his most self-destructive. The muscle-rock of The Slip — which came out early in tracks like “1,000,000″ and “Letting You” — is inconsequential when delivered alongside more ferocious fare like selections fromBroken (”Gave Up”) and The Downward Spiral (”March Of The Pigs”). And while age hasn’t softened the brutal impact of Nine Inch Nails’ classic efforts, it has softened Reznor himself. As his studio albums devolve into masturbatory exercises in soulless and efficient studio mastery, fans will no doubt become more and more grateful Reznor and his hired guns still dip into an accomplished back catalog. (JD)

Kanye West
One of the festival’s biggest surprises came during one of the festival’s biggest performances. Native Chicagoan Kanye West turned in a surprisingly classy set uncharacteristically free of any sort of tantrums or drama. (Maybe Fiasco taught his teacher something in return.) Rather, West focused his attention towards the city he loves, the parent he lost, and talking up his favorite person in the whole wide world. (One guess who that is).

Never one for subtlety, West’s set featured a blindingly lit stage that, aside from some backing singers and sparse instrumentation, mainly served to showcase West himself. Naturally, the performance featured many of the hometown hero’s best known hits, including “Gold Digger,” “Jesus Walks,” “Flashing Lights,” and a powerful and engaging rendition of “Can’t Tell Me Nothing.” Yet one of the evening’s most captivating moments came from West delving into a song not featured on any of his records.

Instead, West delved into a lengthy solo version of Young Jeezy’s “Put On,” a track West cameos on for Jeezy’s forthcoming The Recession. The song perhaps best summed ‘Ye up, in his view of his impact on Chicago, (”We put this city on the map / I put this city on my back”), as well as the larger scope, referring to the set as “History in the making.” Most notable about “Put On,” however, was West utilizing the song as a tribute to his late mother, Donda West, who died last fall from cosmetic surgery complications. Recalling his mother first bringing him to Chicago, as well as revealing an early South Side address (7915 South Shore Dr., for inquiring stalkers), West lamented playing to a crowd of “100,000″ people that was missing its one most crucial member. It was a sentiment West would revisit towards the end of his set, in the simplistic and heartfelt “Hey Mama.” Given that West has moved further away from being a real person over recent years, it was refreshing to witness him expressing actual emotion to the crowd. Pity it took an event like this to make it happen.

Of course, that’s not to say ‘Ye was entirely modest throughout his show. All tributes and dedications to his late mother aside, West still indulged in his trademark self-indulgant boastings. In a rant that, depending on where you’re sitting, is either ridiculously amusing or startlingly blasphemous, West compared himself to no less than James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, and John Lennon. But then — at a festival that took excessive heat, attendance, and scope to new levels — would any lesser claims have sufficed? (JD)

The Gutter Twins
Metro, Chicago
Friday, March 7, 2008

From Illinois Entertainer Dot Com

It isn’t entirely accurate to print that The Gutter Twins’ show happened Friday the 7th, because, in actuality, the outfit didn’t take the stage until well after 1 a.m. Saturday morning. Then again, a so-late-it’s-almost-early performance is hardly surprising, given the nocturnal aesthetic of the talent.

The Gutter Twins are the realization the long-promised pairing of Greg Dulli, he of Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers notoriety, and Mark Lanegan, former Screaming Trees frontman and repeat offender in Queens Of The Stone Age. The project makes a certain amount of sense because, well, both frontmen are prone to such collaborations, and, more importantly, both are dark alt-rock icons whose alternative forefather status almost seems an afterthought as both singers delve deeper into the darker worlds of soul, blues, and even seething yet skillful sophisticated rock.

The duo’s recent Metro show, rounded out by an impressive and skilled backing band, offered exactly what both Dulli and Lanegan fans had come out expecting — some of which would include impassioned howls, and a startlingly low and ominous baritone, respectively, with a generous display of swagger present throughout. Much of the night’s set stemmed from the pair’s just-released debut,Saturnalia (Sub Pop), such as the album’s declarative statement “Idle Hands,” which wielded a surprising increase in power over its studio counterpart. Likewise, the song’s breakdown halfway through recalling a siren seemed appropriate, given the increase in urgency the song received live. The Lanegan-led “All Misery/Flowers” encapsulated the troubles and unrest the singer brought to the table, while the Dulli-owned cover of José González’s “Down The Line” became a full blown cacophony by its end, with the singer repeatedly pleading “Don’t let the darkness eat you up,” in what had to have been, at least partially, a self-aware bit of irony.

Lanegan himself may have summed up the tone of the evening best, however, during the group’s trademark cover of Massive Attack’s “Live With Me,” during which he off-handledly remarks “When you’re born into trouble, you sing the blues.” It was a mantra the pair lived up to throughout the evening. Yet, despite the anxiety and tension ever-present throughout the set, unassuming moments of relief did present themselves, such as the markedly tuneful and comparatively sparse “The Body.” Itself one of the highlights of the evening, the song also suggested that the set could perhaps benefit from a few lighter moments amid all the smoke and fears.

Ultimately, The Gutter Twins won’t go down as the best project either Dulli or Lanegan have ever been involved in. Then again, it’s likely neither singer was striving toward that goal. Instead, the two have created an uneven album with some fierce, mellow, and occasionally aimless songs that translate better in a live setting. At some point in the near future, both frontmen will return to their respective projects, and The Gutter Twins will stand as an experiment that ultimately did no harm, in the process delivering an altered hybrid of what Dulli and Lanegan followers know to look for by now. By the time a new Twilight Singers record drops, any of the group’s missteps will all but certainly be forgiven, if not at least somewhat forgotten.

– Jaime de’Medici

Antes que nada, ofreceré una disculpa por la tardanza de este resumen. Mi laptop murió y tuvo que ser formateada y por desgracia el respaldo no fue del todo exitoso. Muchas de las mini reseñas que tenía para los demás discos se perdieron y dado el poco tiempo y la urgencia no pude escribirlas de nuevo. En fin, espero disfruten este recorrido melómano. A cada disco se anexa un extracto del cual pueden escuchar y deleitarse. Si desean una reseña de algún disco en particular haganmelo saber. Comenten sus conclusiones y muchas gracias por el apoyo que me han otorgado a lo largo de estos años.

Si me falto alguno de ustedes… Merry Crisismas and a Happy New Vudik Year! muahaha.

1

Portishead – Third

“… De acuerdo es oscuro y totalmente perfecto…”

¿Cómo poder describir la sensación después de escuchar uno de los mejores albumes de la década? Una década de tardanza para este buen vino añejado en la muerte del trip-hop.

Portishead es uno de mis grupos favoritos desde pequeño. Aquellos ‘Dummy’ (1994) y el homónimo ‘Portishead’ (1997) que desprendían maravillosas melodías formaron mi conciencia, un poco perturbada, al imaginar mundos noir dentro de ella. Y un tanto la sexosidad de mi subconciente.

Y es que ‘Third’, siendo la tercer placa musical del grupo, es totalmente diferente a lo creado anteriormente.

Los ruidos entran con violencia al oído. Desde ‘Silence’ nos damos cuenta de lo difícil de su universo, su inframundo. Nos adentramos al pasado, por que así lo intuye  la cordura, y un minuto después está Beth Gibbons y su perfecta voz elevada a la infinita potencia de la melancolía. La fuerza emocional que Portishead ha logrado con un sonido experimental de los sesentas es impresionante.

En esta época donde para mantenerse en vigencia se necesita innovar, siempre se echa un vistazo atrás (Portishead sabe esto y no escatima en hacerlo, y a la perfección). No conforme con esto, alla atrás creen que el futuro es diferente al presente. Madurar y renovarse es algo sumamente difícil. Si para una persona elocuente y común es totalmente imposible de alcanzar, ahora exigirselo a una generación de corderos es hablar en tono absurdo.

Conforme exploramos este inframundo pasamos de la confusión y paranoia a la calma. Llegan ‘The Rip’ y ‘Plastic’. La segunda muy apegada a la nostalgia noventera de los anteriores discos. Sin embargo, es ‘The Rip’ que con su singular belleza nos hipnotiza a la vez que nos engaña de seguir el camino en la tierra desconocida que nos muestra.

Locura, no hay otro sustantivo que pueda nombrar y resumir a ‘We Carry On’, el clímax de nuestro viaje. Tengo la sensación de escuchar (caminar) en circulos. Cada vez nos adentramos más a su inframundo. Este apuesta por un collage de sonidos que en su contraste vamos de la calma a la brutalidad. ‘Deep Water’ es una disculpa, una caricia folk por tremenda demencia desenfadada.

Otra vez paz, y no por mucho tiempo.  ‘Small’ es una pelea con tu alter ego. Un golpéame y amame. Como círculo vicioso, ‘Third’ hace las de retratar la personalidad de una obsesión. ‘Machine Gun’ nos vuela la cabeza, es un giño a lo industrial de la banda.  Su tempo nos acelera el pulso y el paso.  Encontramos una salida, pero antes habrá que abatir obstáculos.

El atajo nos sorprende con mayor fuerza. Cual puerta de salida ‘Magic Doors’ acompaña con emoción al escucha. Su video es la perfecta descripción visual de su retorcida identidad.

Hemos llegado al final, se puede ver una luz brillante al término de un oscuro pasillo. Ahí reside ‘Threads’, un ser salido de una película de cine negro. Una criatura amenazante, se debe escuchar con atención para ser dominada y vencida.

Respira profundo, todo ha terminado. Hemos asumido la perfección musical de un grupo que retrata su madurez y el paso de los años con un sonido que hace lo propio. Portishead no solo alcanza la perfección de su tétrico corazón, también le enseña a la nueva generación como hacer las cosas. El negro es negro, no es fosforescente.

Como seguidor tenía miedo. Miedo de asimilar el regreso y posible desaparición de un hito en la música contemporánea. Sin embargo el miedo, como en cualquier obra expresionista, mezcla elementos cálidos, alegres, fáciles con lo más oscuro y arrebatador del ser humano. Portishead ha llegado a la oscura perversión perfección de la madurez.

Portishead – Third

listen the whole record here…

2

Opeth – Watershed

Opeth – Porcelain Heart

3

Burial – Untrue

* En México salió a la venta en Febrero de 2008

Burial – Raver

4

Nine Inch Nails – The Slip

Nine Inch Nails – Head Down

5

The Walkmen – You & Me

The Walkmen – Dónde Está la Playa

6

Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal

7

Shearwater – Rook

Shearwater – Century Eyes

8

Sigur Rós - Með Suð I Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust

Sigur Rós – Gobbledigook

9

Xiu Xiu – Women As Lovers

Xiu Xiu – I Do What I Want When I Want

10

Deerhunter – Microcastle

Deerhunter – Agoraphobia

11

Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend – Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

12

TV On The Radio – Dear Science

TV On The Radio – Halfway Home

13

The Kills – Midnight Boom

The Kills – Tape Song

14

Juana Molina – Un Día

Juana Molina – Un Día

15

MGMT – Oracular Spectacular

MGMT – Weekend Wars

16

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!

17

Dungen – 4

Dungen – Satt Att Se

18

Wild Beasts – Limbo, Panto

Wild Beasts – Brave Bulging Bouyant Clairvoyants

19

Santogold – Santogold

Santogold – Shove It

20

The Magnetic Fields – Distortion

The Magnetic Fields – Too Drunk To Dream

21

The Gutter Twins – Saturnalia

The Gutter Twins – Circle The Fringes

22

The Jesus And Mary Chain – The Power Of Negative Thinking: B-Sides & Rarities

The Jesus And Mary Chain – Cracking Up

23

British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music?

British Sea Power – Waving Flags

24

Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid

Elbow – Grounds For Divorce

25

Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours

Cut Copy – So Haunted

26

Neon Neon – Stainless Style

Neon Neon – I Lust U

27

Clinic – Do It!

Clinic – Free Not Free

28

Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts I-IV

Nine Inch Nails – 11 Ghosts II

29

M83 – Saturdays=Youth

M83 – Coleurs

30

Fucked Up – The Chemistry Of Common Life

Fucked Up – Son The Father

31

Beck – Modern Guilt

Beck – Profanity Prayers

32

Harvey Milk – Life… Best Game In Town

Harvey Milk – Death Goes To The Winner

33

Midnight Juggernauts – Dystopia

Midnight Juggernauts – Shadows

34

The Raconteurs – Consolers Of The Lonely

The Raconteurs – Many Shades Of Black

35

Mogwai – The Hawk Is Howling

Mogwai – Batcat

36

The Raveonettes – Lust Lust Lust

The Raveonettes – Blush

37

Steven Wilson – Insurgentes

Steven Wilson – Veneno Para Las Hadas

38

Sons And Daughters – This Gift

Sons And Daughters – Gilt Complex

39

Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

Bon Iver – For Emma

40

Foals – Antidotes

Foals – Olympic Airways

41

Death Cab For Cutie – Narrow Stairs

Death Cab For Cutie – Cath

42

The Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead

The Helio Sequence – Hallelujah

43

The Shortwave Set – Replica Sun Machine

The Shortwave Set – No Social

44 

The Notwist – The Devil, You + Me

The Notwist – Where In This World

45

Black Mountain – In The Future

Black Mountain – Tyrants

46

Crystal Stilts – Alight of Night

Crystal Stilts – Crystal Stilts

47

Deerhoof – Offend Maggie

Deerhoof – Buck and Judy

48

Glasvegas – Glasvegas

Glasvegas – Geraldine

49

The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age Of The Understatement

The Last Shadow Puppets – Standing Next To Me

50

Philip Glass – Glass Box

Philip Glass – Naqoyqatsi

OK, I’ve been REALLY slacking off with the posting. But, I’ve been busy. New job this year, etc…

But, I was inspired to jump start this blog up again with my Top 10 album picks for 2008. 

1. Gutter Twins: Saturnalia and Adorata (EP) - 2008 was the year that I was totally immersed in the Gutter Twins. Three shows in NYC, including the tour opener – it doesn’t get any better. I’m a Greg Dulli diehard, so 2008 was quite a year.

2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! - Also, an incredible live band who I was able to catch in NYC this year. Too bad Blixa isn’t playing guitar anymore, though.

3. TV On The Radio: Dear Science - I’ve liked some of their earlier stuff, but this album is just great start to finish.

4. Greg Dulli: Live at the Triple Door - A stellar performance. I’m just pissed that I couldn’t be in Seattle for this show.

5. MGMT: Oracular Spectacular - This technically came out in 2007, but I just found out about them this year. Really fun, love to hear more from them… 

6. Kaiser Chiefs: Off With Their Heads - Not quite as good as “Your Truly, Angry Mob”, but you can never go wrong with these angsty Brits!

7. Aimee Mann: @#$%&* Smilers - She’s even more low-key than usual on this album. But, the songwriting is great as always.

8. Replacements Reissues - The ‘Mats in their crazy, brilliant early days.

9. Nine Inch Nails: Ghosts I – IV - Trent is a genius. Although I couldn’t bring myself to go see him in some crappy arena. 

10. Passion Pit: Chunk of Change - A favorite new discovery. These guys are like MGMT lite.

More to come in 2009…

‘Yes We Can’! Het jaar van de verandering, een top tien met een minimum aan loeiharde gitaren. Het was ooit anders, maar daarom niet minder kwaliteitsvol. Bring that 2009 fucker in!

10. Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid
Billenkletser: The Bones Of You

09. Girls In Hawaii – Plan Your Escape
Billenkletser: This Farm Will End Up In Fire

08. James – Hey Ma
Billenkletser: Waterfall

07. Drive-By Truckers – Brighter Than Creations Dark
Billenkletser: The Man I Shot

06. The Gaslight Anthem – The ’59 Sound
Billenkletser: The ’59 Sound


05. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
Billenkletser: Skinny Love

04. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Cardinology
Billenkletser: Evergreen

03. Port O’Brien – All We Could Do Was Sing
Billenkletser: Fisherman’s Son

02. The Gutter Twins – Saturnalia
Billenkletser: Idle Hands

01. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Billenkletser: Tiger Mountain Peasant Song

30. Johann Johannsson – “Fordlandia”

4AD meets Sigur Ros. Einzigartiger Klangkosmos aus klassischen Elementen mit Anleihen in isländischen Soundscapes. Sinfonisch und wohlig kalt.

29. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – “Cardinology”

Die Cardinals gehen professioneller denn je zu Werke. Man merkt es Songwriting und Spieltechnik an. Noch ordentlich. Größte Gefahr in 2009: Ryan wird Bono.

28. R.E.M. – “Accelerate”

Sicher kein Meisterwerk, das in die Top 5 der Band gehört. Aber endlich mal wieder druckvoll und mit Verve hingerotzt. Mehr gefühlte Prägnanz als in den letzten 3 bis 7 Alben.

27. Peter Fox – “Stadtaffe”

Deutsche Überraschungsplatten, Teil 1: Berliner Ragga-Hip-Hopper mit hübschen Texten. Dazu afrikanische Beats und klassisches Orchester. Cooles Video auch. Sei ein Stadtaffe.

26. Okkervil River – “The Stand-Ins”

Die kleineren Brüder im Geiste von Bright Eyes. Ihre Songs werden mit jeder Platte konziser, ohne Pop zu sein. Indie, ohne Frage. Aber ambitioniert.

25. Motorpsycho – “Little Lucid Moments”

Die norwegischen Hippiebrüder mit ausufernden Fast-Instrumental-Songs und voller Breitseite, dabei fast schon orchestral und immer mit Bums und Hooklines. Kann so sonst keiner.

24. Metallica – “Death Magnetic”

Ja, tatsächlich. Wer dachte, die Herren hätten ihren Biss verloren, wird eines Härteren belehrt. Hammerharte Riffmonster mit Tiefgang. Bestes Metallica-Album seit…

23. Loudon Wainwright III – “Recovery”

Einer der größten unterschätzten Songwriter auf diesem Planeten. Witz und Würde, Melancholie und Selbstironie. Hier spielt er nochmal eigene alte Klassiker mit kompetenter Band neu ein. Zeitlos.

22. The Hold Steady – “Stay Positive”

Die Hüsker Dü des neuen Jahrtausends. Wie Springsteen meets Punkrock. Könnten zur Referenzband aufsteigen. Dies ist schon mal sehr respektabel.

21. 16 Horsepower – “Live March 2001″

Nichts weniger als grandios. Nur deswegen so weit hinten, weil’s ja keine echte 2008er-Veröffentlichung ist. Ansonsten: Die Live-Aura dieser einzigartigen Band brillant eingefangen.

20. Elvis Costello & The Imposters – “Momofuku”

Elvis Costello eben. Und die Imposters rocken wieder. Rotzig, direkt, wie immer hochmusikalisch. ‘Nuff Said.

19. Death Cab For Cutie – “Narrow Stairs”

Immer noch eine der liebsten amerikanischen College-Rock-Bands mit Hang zum Britpop. Nicht so auf den Punkt wie der Vorgänger “Plans”, aber immer noch (fast) einzigartig.

18. Vampire Weekend – “Vampire Weekend”

Britain’s Antwort auf Paul Simon’s “Graceland”. Catchy Britpop-Songs treffen auf afrikanisch angehauchte Gitarren- und Drumsounds. Interessant genug, um hängenzubleiben.

17. Rachel Unthank & The Winterset – “The Bairns”

Aus der Welt gefallene Platten, Teil xx: Englische (keltische?) Schwestern mit entrückten Folk-Balladen, zum Teil acappella vorgetragen und von einzigartiger Unmittelbarkeit. Smaller than life.

16. Ben Folds – “Way To Normal”

Nach dem sentimentalen “Songs For Silverman” ist “Way To Normal” eher eine Spielwiese zum Austoben offensichtlich neuer Freiheit. The piano has been drinking. Mir war ergreifend etwas lieber, aber immer noch toll, ohne Frage.

15. Coldplay – “Viva La Vida”

Sicher, die haben uns den Sommer so dermassen zugeschallt, dass es kein Entrinnen gab. Trotzdem: Zauberhafte, mal auch prätentiöse Songs. Werden sie deswegen zu Radiohead oder Pink Floyd? Kaum.

14. Get Well Soon – “Rest Now Weary Head You Will Get Well Soon”

Deutsche Überraschungsplatten, Teil 2: Ein Absolvent der Mannheimer Pop-Akademie, der wie das Gegenteil klingt. Trotzdem sauber und aufgeräumt im swampigen Hier und Jetzt. Mehr als respektabel. Nick Cave hat bestimmt schon angerufen.

13. Darrell Scott – “Modern Hymns”

Roots-Rock-Cover-Versionen im leidenschaftlich vorgetragenen Akustikgewand. Kaum jemand ist mit mehr Empathie zugange als Darrell Scott.

12. Ray Lamontagne – “Gossip In The Grain”

Lieber Ray! Sicher, Du hast ein tolles drittes Album hingelegt. Und wirst stimmlich verglichen mit Van oder James Morrison, obwohl Du für mich eher der legitime Erbe von Otis Redding bist. Aber wie willst Du mit diesen verhuschten, seelenvollen Soul’n'Country-Balladen jemals einem größeren Publikum bekannt werden? Übers Radio? Ich weiß nicht…

11. Lambchop – “OH (Ohio)”

Diesmal keine improvisierte Country-Oper, sondern klarere Songstrukturen in Kurt Wagner’s Grummel-Elegien. Still country, still twang. Aber mit klarerer Kante als früher.

10. Fleet Foxes – “Fleet Foxes”

Flowerpower is back. Hymnische mehrstimmige Gesänge, verschrobene Wald-Lyrik, fast durchsichtige Arrangements. Zauberhaft.

09. John Mellencamp -”Life Death Love & Freedom”

Produziert (mal wieder) von T-Bone Burnett, der seinem letztjährigen Meisterwerk mit Robert Plant und Allison Krauss einen würdigen Nachfolger spendiert. Rudimentär und zu Herzen gehend.

08. The Week That Was – “The Week That Was”

Auf den allerletzten Drücker in die Top Ten gerauscht. Kluger Progressive Pop mit 80er Flair. Dieses Album hätten XTC vermutlich gerne aufgenommen.

07. The Walkmen – “You & Me”

Selten hat sich eine einzelne Gitarre so sehr ins Nervensystem gefräst. Das lauteste scottwalkereske Album des Jahres. Aber mit “I Lost You” und “In The New Year” gehe ich noch ins nächste Jahr! Geht mit.

06. Southside Johnny with La Bamba’s Big Band – “Grapefruit Moon – The Songs of Tom Waits”

Ja, DER Southside Johnny. Ja, DER Tom Waits. Ja, dessen Songs in brillanten Big Band-Arrangements. Die altersweise Brummelversion der Asbury Jukes.

05. Calexico – “Carried To Dust”

Jaja, John und Joey. Mittlerweile Superhelden des Indie-TexMex-Country-Rock. Auf diesem Album wieder mit allen Spielarten und Klangfarben vertreten. Irgendwie ethno, irgendwie cool.

04. Silver Jews – “Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea”

Literarischer LofiCountryIndieRock. Tolle Songs mit Schräglage und Botschaft, lakonisch vorgetragen vom Sprechsänger David Berman. Großes Understatement.

03. Wolf Parade – “At Mount Zoomer”

Wunderbarer  Wurf der Kanadier. Irgendwo zwischen Modest Mouse und Arcade Fire, dazu scheint mal Progressive Rock durch. Spannend bis zum letzten Ton.

02. The Gutter Twins – “Saturnalia”

Zwei alte Helden kehren zurück – Greg Dulli (of Afghan Whigs) spendiert seine mondgleichen Songs, Mark Lanegan (of Screaming Trees) sein Organ. So klingt’s auch. Groß und tief.

01. Elbow – “The Seldom Seen Kid”

Un-Ver-Gleich-Lich! Vom ersten Pluckern in “Starlings” zum letzten Fadeout von “Friend Of Ours”. Britpop mit Anspruch und höchster Musikalität. In diesem Jahr unerreicht!

 well, 2008 certainly is wrapping up quite quick in’it?  shocking how fast this year has gone by. 

my friend greg challenged me list out my top albums of the year.  this in and of itself is not an unusual task for me, however, i just have not been too impressed with a lot of music this year (or truth be told, I just haven’t paid much attention).  so my list isn’t complete by any stretch of the imagination, but its what I dug in 2008.  (the links will take you to amazon.com)

in no particular order (sorta):

grace jones.  hurricane.  yes, yes, i’ve written ad nauseum about my love of this album.  simply put, a great return to form and a damn fine listen.  her growl is still shiver inducing.

duffy.  rockferry.  wow, what a voice and what a debut.  a modern dusty springfield and a great modern blue-eyed soul record.  in constant rotation for me.

the duke spirit.  neptune.  apparently, i’m on some sort of vintage-tip lately… this one rounds out that groove with a modern twist on velvet undergound + nico mixed with a bit of sonic youth.  great heavy grooves that rock.  great live show too!

the gutter twins.  saturnalia.  dubbed the satanic everly brothers, the gutter twins are greg dulli + mark lanegran.  two leading figures from 90’s grunge (pitchfork called them “two of the alt-rock era’s greatest front men”) join forces on this amazingly dark, raw album. 

big blue ball.  peter gabriel + crew make a world beat album that is truly worldly.  its reflective of the entire globe and beautifully done with melodies that will stay with you for days and days. 

goldfrapp.  seventh tree.  a completely unexpected, radical departure from the band’s previous effort ‘supernature’, seventh tree finds them in a quiet almost reflective space.  songs about overdoses, amnesia and oddly enough ‘happiness’, evoke a warmer, more organic tone.  no doubt this is the morning after to supernature’s disco overload.

nine inch nails.  the slip.  another departure so to speak, the slip finds trent reznor + nin focused in a way that we haven’t seen for some time.  the album is equal parts his tradmarked tecno-metal and industrial noise (with some ambient ballads thrown in for good measure) – but, and here’s the surprise, a there is actual melody here and there.  closer than he’s been in ages to pretty hate machine and the downward spiral, the slip reminds you what a tremendously good song-writer reznor is. 

heloise & the savoir faire.  trash, rats & microphones.  the debut of the year for me.  the sweet sweet pop/punk/electro disco of heloise + crew make me smile and dance about the apartment.   brilliant fun.

coldplay.  viva la vida or death and all his friends.   also known as the album that finds coldplay discovering distorted guitars, chris martin’s lower singing register and brian eno.  until this album, i would be what you would call a casual coldplay fan.  this album however is the shit.  political. meditative.  beautiful.   and ‘violet hill’ kills me. 

atmosphere.  when live gives you lemons, you paint that shit gold.  continuing the “it’s a departure theme”, the 5^th disk from the minneapolis based hip-hop duo, features more live instrumentation than sampling and less autobiographical tunes, the album is a supurb effort and the stories will stick with you. 

portishead.  third.  first record in a decade, thrid is darker (who knew that was possible) and grittier.  less turn table scratching and more guitars and vintage electronics.  the standout here is beth gibbons cold, but stunning vocals over geoff barrow and adrian utley’s sparse machine gun arrangements.  a tremendous return, but well worth the almost 11 year wait.

and my vote for most overrated album of the year (and yea, a realize i’m in the minority here) – vampire weekend.  self-titled.  yea, yea, yea – we’ve all read how great vampire weekend is supposed to be, how they’re the next big thing.  but here’s the deal – they’re not that great.  there, i said it.  the haters will be out in force.   is the album ok, yea, but that’s just it.  just ok.  nothing to write home about.  and on top of that, it has absolutely nothing to do with vampires.  they don’t even dress up all goth-y which at least would be fun.   the band is way to intellectual for their own good – yes, we know ya’ll met while at Columbia university & your smart & all, but get over yourselves.  i love smart rock and roll, when it’s done right – nothin’ is better.  rock music is about passion, and heart and sex.  all of which is missing from this album.  ignore the best of lists that trip over themselves talking about how great it is. 

some other thoughts:

best “almost there, but slightly missing the boat-a-bit pop record” of the year:

• madonna.  hard candy.  a solid, fun album from the queen of pop.  not as great as confessions or ray of light, but good fun just the same.
• britney.  circus.  good, solid pop princess performance.  a record for the ages?  no, but fun to sing along with in the car.

too soon to tell, but i’m diggin’ what i’m hearing:

• wendy & lisa.  white flags of winter chimneys

 singles I dug this year:

• johnette napolitano & will crewdson – beds are burning
• melody gardot – worrisome heart
• sam sparro -black & gold
• estelle & kanye – american boy
• the killers – spacemen
• the ting tings – shut up & let me go
• kevin rudolf feat. lil’ wayne – let it rock.
• pink – so what

25. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

24. The Breeders – Mountain Battles

23. Spiritualized – Songs in A&E

22. The Gutter Twins – Saturnalia

21. Mercury Rev – Snowflake Midnight