(The band)  The New Pornographers + (The Song)  The Bleeding Heart Show = Rob’s Song of the Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH9Q4fsZ1IY

Note: Video is fan made but is really good.

Rob

The Eclectic Eight

This list is more on the fusion side. Also more hip/hop & soul this time. Lastly, of course as always  there are DMVers on here. By the way, they are listed in no particular order. Just read, listen AND COMMENT! I want to hear what you think!

1.Tommy T - I first came across this artist from a www friend (yes an internet associate if you will). He emailed me information about Tommy and I without realizing it had prior to that already rsvpd via facebook to Tommy’s listening party. You know one of those scenarios where you just skim through invites and think okay this sounds interesting I’ll go check it out. Yea well I’m glad I did get that invite. I’m glad I also got a chance to check out Tommy’s work. He is a local dmver. He is the bass player from group called Gogol Bordello. The Prestor John Sessions is his first solo project and it aims to fuse traditonal ethiopian music with reggae, dub, jazz, funk, and…it works. Quite well actually. It’s the kind of music I can enjoy and so could my parents and really anyone of any age group. Check it out for yourself here.

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2. Kafa Beanz – A collaborative group project comprised of Grammy nominated singer, Wayna, hip-hop artists Burntface, B.Sheba, AP and Gabriel Tedros. A good friend of mine had brought this project to my attention well over a year ago and I at the time hadn’t fully started SHADE up to spread the word about what they were cooking up. But everything happens for a reason…because now their project is fully complete, album is done and well SHADE is up and running. What is kafa beanz you ask? Well its actually an ethiopian term for the actual coffee beans. All the artists are ethiopian and with the exception of Gabriel, all are DMV bred artists. The album covers a variety of topics from the politics, love, values, and adversity. Listen to the album for yourself and tell me what you think! Download rough cut of album here (Special thanks to Addis Tunes for the share)

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Photo by Boney Starks

3.Ra the MC – Saw her perform at last year’s CASRAM festival. She was doing her own cover of the “Hey Mickey” song from 80’s…but her’s was “Nickey Song”. I remember seeing her and thinking she was fly, young and had this really playful song. It was definitely refreshing to say the least. There really has been a serious void of female mcs for the past…arguably decade. There was a time when they ruled hip/hop…arguably. Nowadays though it seems there is a new wave of female mcs who are weaving in and out and trying to make their mark. I think its safe to say in near future, Ra is going to be DMV’s top female hip/hop artist….and definitely has potential to make it major. She has a different look and sound. And I have seen her at few open mic events, she definitely can and does hold her own among the men…who, lets be honest, dominate the culture here and surely in other cities…maybe she will be the one  who will change that around here.  Check out her latest mixtape, Trending Topic here

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4. Girl Talk - First came across this dj/artist at NPR .Wow. A mash-up of pop, 80s music, hip/hop old & new. It’s great music if you are at work, at the gym, traveling….or really doing pretty much anything. The man behind Girl Talk is Greg Gillis , a 20-somethinger who produces new songs by mashing up songs that we all know (or don’t know) and voilà creates a new song. He’s come under some heat over the years for not following copyright rules…but whatev, he’s doing great work. I mean, look at that picture above…who doesn’t want to be at that kinda party??! Check out his latest album, Night Ripper

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5. The New Pornographers Learned of them from NPR as well. This Canadian pop indie band has been around for over a decade. All play instruments, create and write the music themselves. They got well-known Neko Case as one of the main lead vocals. They are working on an album now due to be released sometime in 2010. Check out their first album, Mass Romantic here

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6.Priscilla Renea I first came across this girl about a year ago when I had met up with friend of mine to work on my own music. We both were blown away by her voice, its maturity, and her ability to do any genre of music. She’s like a pop version of Jazzmine Sullivan. And what’s great is that she came from doing youtube videos, where she was often seen playing her guitar whilst singing her own lyrics. She managed to get signed to Capitol and recently released Jukebox. Check it out here

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7. The Sounds Is there anything that sucks from Sweden? Great furniture, beautiful people and dope artists. It’s even been reported this year that apparently it is the best place in the world for women to live. I digress. The Sounds is a band that has a female lead singer while the rest of the guys play various instruments. Their sound is definitely in the pop, electronica and new wave genres. And while you’re at it, google search few of their concert images, homegirl clearly gets wiiiiild on stage. It’s great. Check out their latest album Crossing the Rubicon (if you want to cheat and listen to just a few, then try out: Beatbox, The Only Ones, and Home is where your heart is)

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8. Alex Malheiros - I first came across Malheiros, a brazilian jazzist, when I was surfing for something new and international on my itunes. I saw the new album he was working on called The Wave. After only two tracks and I was sold. I have a feeling you will too. The kinda music you can listen to at a nice dinner, while on a nice walk, coffeeshoppn, or just lounging around the house. Check it out and let me know what you think!

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Hope you enjoyed this edition of THIRD MONDAYS-The Eclectic Eight. Feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think!

-Selamawit

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개인적으로 처음 구입한 The new pornographers 의 앨범. 2005년 작이다. 명성도 뭐 워낙 자자하고, 나 역시도 상당히 만족하며 들었다. 어메리칸 인디 팝/락에서 나올 수 있는 최선의 아웃풋이라는 생각이 든다.  아케이드 파이어, 안토니 앤 더 존슨즈와 함께 캐나다를 대표할 만한 인디 밴드라는 생각. 별다른 코멘트를 할  필요가 없는 수작이다.

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It is that time of the decade where one stares at their music collection and promptly regrets buying 95% of the music they now own.  Everyone does it. Okay, maybe I do it.  I buy a lot of music, so much so my children are convinced that I actually buy milk at the local vinyl store and bread from iTunes. This small habit has created a massive music collection that can be somewhat unwieldy.  It doesn’t stop me from gathering up hundreds of albums from the past decade and asking myself a very simple question:

If I could only save fifty of these albums from the past ten years, what fifty would it be?

It would be easy for me to write-up a list in which only Green Day, and White Stripes albums are on it, simply because they produced amazing albums this decade. I could have simply gone with my kids suggestion and made the list all about Hannah Montana and the Wiggles. That was tempting, they could have written it for me.

My criteria was simple. First- I must have actually listened to it. I still have a couple of albums in the plastic. Most of these albums were gifts from well-meaning people who thought that I really needed Daniel Bedingfield’s album.

Second-  How often did I listen to this album? Having the most listens didn’t mean that it would be number one.  Music is very much my day between the hours of six a.m. and six p.m. There are albums on this list I only listened to once and found so compelling that I felt it needed to be on the list. Most I have listened to so often my CD player refuses to open to play them again and my iTunes has decided that they are the only artists I listen to.

Lastly- I must have had fun listening to it at some point. Dreary music is of no interest to me. That doesn’t mean sad music is ignored for the oeuvre of Britney Spears. On the contrary, I find Britney Spears to be enormously depressing. But her greatest hits album makes for a delightful coaster.

The list, in full, after the break.

50. Joyful Rebellion, k-os (2004)

Canadian hip hop hippie rebel tears the music industry a new one with melodic cynicism and spacey joy.

Download: ” Man I Used To Be”, ” B-Boy Stance”, “Crabbuckit”

49. The Greatest, Cat Power (2006)
Indie darling writes own songs, suddenly becomes big star who has her music used in commercials.
Download: “The Greatest”, ” Love and Communication”, ” Willie”

48. Accelerate, R.E.M. (2008)
After a decade of being not as good as they once were, Athens greatest band returns to the guitars and musings of old and prove they are still relevant.
Download: ” I’m Gonna D.J.”, ” Until The Day Is Done”, ” Living Well Is The Best Revenge”

47. Dangerously In Love, Beyonce (2003)
The diva of the new century goes solo and hooks Jay-Z. Thankfully, she has really awesome songs to go along with the voice.
Download: ” Crazy In Love”, ” Naughty Girl”, ” Dangerously in Love 2″

46. Back To Black, Amy Winehouse (2006)
Troubled junkie has throwback sixties soul voice, teams up with super music genius Mark Ronson for some of the best songs of the decade.
Download: ” Back To Black”, ” Rehab”, ” You Know I’m No Good”

45. The Chemistry of Common Life, Fucked Up (2008)
Canadian hardcore band with the unprintable name create loud chaos with artistic ambition, win prestigious music prize, get Canadian newspapers to print their name. Seriously.
Download: “Black Albino Bones”, “Twice Born”, ” Days of Last”

44. Figure 8, Elliott Smith (2000)
Sad singer songwriter of note creates masterpiece of simple beauty. One of the saddest losses in music.
Download: “Pretty Mary K”, “Somebody That I Used To Know”, “L.A.”

43. The Rising, Bruce Springsteen (2002)
The Boss gets all classic Springsteen after 9-11, evokes resurrection to make a compelling study of human nature in the wake of tragedy. It’s no accident he went on to record an album of Pete Seeger songs a few years later.
Download: ” The Rising”, ” My City of Ruins”, “Mary’s Place”

42. Chemical City, Sam Roberts (2006)
Canadian wunderkind returns a little wiser and a little more mature, still kicks ass.
Download: ” The Bridge To Nowhere”, “An American Draft Dodger in Thunder Bay”, ” The Resistance”

41. In Your Honor, Foo Fighters (2005)
Dave Grohl is the hardest working man in music. This collection of blistering rockers and gentler acoustic songs shows the conflict of the era and within the man who wrote the songs.
Download: ” Best of You”, ” Friend of a Friend”, “Resolve”, ” Miracle”

40. You Forgot It In People, Broken Social Scene (2002)

A massive Canadian musical collective writes experimental masterpiece and suddenly becomes everyone’s favorite band. Buoys the success of individual members like Emily Haines, Feist, and Kevin Drew.

Download: “Cause=Time”, ” Anthem for a Seventeen Year Old Girl”, “Stars And Sons”
39. A Ghost Is Born, Wilco (2004)

The band survives a label change, creates album that documents Jeff Tweedy’s insanity, plus a fifteen minute opus involving a synthesizer, which just kind of proves Tweedy’s calculating ways. He called “Less Than You Think” the song even die-hard Wilco fans would hate. It’s actually one of my favorite Wilco songs because it’s so crazy.

Download: “I’m a Wheel”, “At Least That’s What You Said”, “Less Than You Think”

38. A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay (2002)

They fail at being the new U2, but they succeed at being themselves. An album of piano based mid tempo hymns and poignant ballads, it remains their best album. Contemplative and haunting.

Download: “Politick”, “The Scientist”, “God Put A Smile Upon Your Face”, “Amsterdam”

37. Illinois, Sufjan Stevens (2005)

Part of an insane, possible practical joke of an idea Stevens had to write an album for all fifty states, Illinois is one of the best concept albums ever recorded. Stevens sings both joyous accounts of the history and the people of the state, but also throws in a song called ” John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” Humorous, informative, and delightful.

Download: “Come On! Feel the Illinoise!”, “Jacksonville”, “Casimir Pulaski Day”, “They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Our Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! Ahhh!!”

36. Fantasies, Metric (2009)

Emily Haines’ thin sunshine ray of a voice is matched with eighties inspired keyboard riffs and lyrics about Beatles songs and De Lillo novels. More cohesive than their previous works.

Download: ” Gimme Sympathy”, “Front Row”, “Help I”m Alive”

35. The College Dropout, Kanye West (2004)

No one has shaken up the world of hip hop quite like Kanye West. Hyper literate, unafraid of his own preppy image, he wrote songs critical of the current state of the genre and used samples from songs no one else would ever think of. The opposite of gangsta rap is the smart boy swagger brought to us by the son of a college professor.

Download: “Jesus Walks”, ” All Falls Down”, “Through the Wire”, “Last Call”

34. Hot Fuss, the Killers (2004)

Dynamic Las Vegas band immersed in eighties pop write bright songs about girls and becomes the biggest band on the planet for six months. They have had better individual songs on their follow-up albums, but those albums are messes thematically.

Download: “Somebody Told Me”, “Smile Like You Mean It”, “Mr. Brightside”, “All These Things That I’ve Done”

33. Warning:, Green Day (2000)

Underrated adult album from the notorious juvenile punks. The beginnings of their later sound and themes are found here, on a less epic scale.

Download: ” Minority”, “Warning”, “Macy’s Day Parade”

32. Scissor Sisters, Scissor Sisters (2004)

Disco never really died, because every once in a while, an artist comes along that reminds us disco was fun. In this decade, it was a band from New York who made it huge in England with their delightful ditties about the Wizard of Oz and out of nowhere covers of Pink Floyd songs. Easily the most fun I have ever had listening to a record.

Download: “Comfortably Numb”, ” Take Your Mama”, “Filthy/Gorgeous”

31. Furr, Blitzen Trapper

Folky Portland band with a unique world view, they made an impact with their fourth album. Another great band in the history of the Sub Pop label, they write songs evoking the naturalism of the Oregon wilderness. They even sing about transmogrification. Certainly one of the great discoveries of the decade.

Download: “Furr”, “God and Suicide”, “Black River Killer”

30. Strict Joy, The Swell Season (2009)

If I hadn’t long ago decided that soundtracks were not permitted on my lists, the soundtrack for Once would be on this list. It would have made my top ten. Fortunately for me, and for everyone else as well, the Swell Season put out this album a little while ago and saved me the grief. Equally as beautiful, and as poignant as the songs off of Once, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova document their personal relationship with reason and even emotion.

Download: “In These Arms”, “I Have Loved You Wrong”, “Low Rising”

29. Action Pact, Sloan (2003)

It baffles me that Sloan isn’t the biggest band in the world. Those gorgeous harmonies and sunny sixties pop inspired melodies seem tailor- made for world domination. It makes me that much happier that I live in Canada, where I can always hear them on the radio and see them on that five-minute block MuchMoreMusic has in the morning for videos. This album sees the band maturing and searching for their futures. It is both bouncy fun and contemplative narrative.

Download: “The Rest of My Life”, “Nothing Lasts Forever Anymore“, “I Was Wrong”

28. Everything All The Time, Band of Horses (2006)

One of the great debuts of the decade were this South Carolina based group with rich guitar sounds and a lead singer that yelps and wails like nobody’s business.  The songs on this album are hauntingly beautiful.

Download: “The Funeral”, “The Great Salt Lake”, “Monsters”

27. Songs For The Deaf, Queens Of The Stone Age (2002)

Any group that can bring in Dave Grohl to bang on the drums that ferociously deserves a spot on this list. I’m also glad that this, my drinking album, has a genuine party feel and rocks hard in a decade where great hard rock was sadly lacking. Let’s not even begin on the state of metal in the 2000s…

Download: ” Go With the Flow”, ” No One Knows”, “A Song for the Dead”

26. Fever To Tell, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003)

Avant garde melodic punk with dance floor ambition, Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of my favorite bands on the decade. Their debut album remains a highlight of the dance punk scene that seemed to struggle throughout the decade. Dark, bare bones, and Karen O’s voice is so uniquely perfect over the steady percussion and ringing guitars.

Download: “Maps”, “Y Control”, “Date With The Night”

25. St. Elsewhere, Gnarls Barkley (2006)

I think Danger Mouse’s impact on music over the decade has been under appreciated. His 2004 Beatles-Jay Z mash-up The Grey Album was a massive digital success story, and he helped produced the best album Beck did in this decade. But it was this album, with old friend and Goodie Mob member Cee-Lo, that remains a stand out. Taking the best traditions of hip hop, soul, and rock, they mixed it with genuine paranoia and fear to create a masterpiece of the dark side. All that, plus a warped cover of a Violent Femmes song.

Download: “Crazy”, “Gone, Daddy, Gone”, “Smiley Faces”

24. Bleed American, Jimmy Eat World (2001)

Why do people bash on Jimmy Eat World? I know they aren’t the most ground breaking band, but they produce albums of great pop-rock songs, and I find them less offensive than matchbox twenty. This, their break through, is a strong album about coming to terms with the adult world without leaving what makes you young and fun behind. It’s also more ambitious than what one would expect from what was at the point a  label free rock band with no prospects.

Download: “The Middle”, “A Praise Chorus”, “Sweetness”

23. When I Was Cruel, Elvis Costello (2002)

I am a die-hard, slightly obsessive Elvis Costello fan, so one should not be surprised that he’s on this list. I would put an album of Elvis coughing on my list. I’m glad that instead I have an album that returns to Elvis’ angry young man style and in the midst of the bitterness and general annoyance with the world, there are grand arrangements and great guitars. How can one go wrong when Elvis Costello remembers he’s a rocker?

Download: “45″, “Spooky Girlfriend”, “When I Was Cruel 2″, “Radio Silence”

22. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes (2008)

One must realize I bought this album on the strength of hearing ” White Winter Hymnal” and finding the imagery of cold and snow and the red scarves kind of homey. Maybe it’s the fact I live where snow and cold is the norm for six months of the year. But the overall album is a gem, a mix of folk melodies and sixties vocal harmonies. Proof positive that the sound of the northwest in the 2000s was very different from the sound that came from there in the 1990s.

Download: “White Winter Hymnal”, ” He Doesn’t Know Why”, “Meadowlarks”

21. The Blueprint, Jay-Z (2001)

The lyrical master of hip hop was in trouble legally and with the hip hop community in 2001. His peers were dissing him left and right and there was that gun charge hanging over his head. But this isn’t Nas, ladies and gentlemen, this is Shawn Carter, and he ain’t a bitch. What he did was create a hip hop masterpiece with the help of a young Chicago based producer named Kanye West.  An astonishing and real work.

Download: “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)”, “Takeover”, “Renegade”

20. For Emma, Forever Ago, Bon Iver (2008)

Every once in a while, I buy an album by an artist on whim and discover something great. I bought this because I have a daughter named Emma and I collect albums that use the names of my children. That album count is one. This is a low fi collection of acoustic love songs written by a heartbroken man in a wintery Wisconsin cabin.  I just lucked out that the album was amazingly beautiful and sad. Emma is never going to steal this away.

Download: ” Skinny Love”, “For Emma”, “Creature Fear”, “Blindsided”

19. Let It Die, Feist (2004)

This is the real classic of Leslie Feist’s career. Don’t let the fact ” 1234″ isn’t on it scare you or anger you. A mix of sunny sounding jazzy-folk originals and diverse covers from the likes of the Bee Gees and Ron Sexsmith, it’s the album that brought her to an international audience who needed to be reminded that Canadian female singers don’t always have amazing soprano voices that reach thirty different octaves and sing schlock. They sometimes write their own simple songs and sing in their own wistful ways.

Download: “Mushaboom”, ” Inside and Out”, “One Evening”, “Gatekeeper”

18. American Idiot, Green Day (2004)

You can’t look at this as being a pop-punk album- its meat and potatoes rock with varying influences. Mostly, Green Day shakes off the Clash and Stiff Little Fingers cobwebs and infuse their politics with the Who and Zeppelin. What you end up with may not be perfect, but damn if it doesn’t make me want to change the world every single time I hear it? This took them from a dying, middling 90s band to international superstars that aspire to be the atheistic version of U2.

Download: “Jesus of Suburbia”, ” Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, ” Wake Me Up When September Ends”, “American Idiot”

17. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Spoon (2007)

I had honestly let Spoon slip under my radar for years due to some unknown reason that I can’t come up with ( I think it has to do with young children and their music leaving me little time to get into what was happening in Texas at the time musically -or maybe I kept getting Spoon mixed up in my head with 90s Detroit grunge rejects Sponge). But when I came across “Don’t Make Me a Target”, I went crazy on iTunes. A solid indie rock band delivers and album full of interesting rhythms and obscure lyrics.

Download: ” Don’t Make Me a Target”, “Don’t You Evah”, “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb”, ” The Underdog”

16. Only By The Night, Kings Of Leon (2008)

The Followill boys made a huge impact in England early on in their careers, but this, their fourth album, was the one that hit commercially. They still are bigger over there than here, although we all finally got it. ( I must admit, I was a fan of 2007’s Because of the Times, but found their first two albums lacking in focus). If you are looking for a grimy southern sound full of sex and promise, this is the album you should own.

Download: ” Use Somebody”, “Sex On Fire”, “Notion”, “Crawl”

15. Mass Romantic, The New Pornographers (2000)

The New Pornographers was one of those bands I ended up having to listen to backwards, as I fully didn’t appreciate them until I heard Twin Cinema and I somehow completely forgot about their existence for a few years. But of all their albums, the one that remains the most fun is their first, a symphonic blend of lyrical melodrama and indie guitars.

Download: ” Letter From An Occupant”, ” Breakin’ the Law”, “Mass Romantic”, “The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism”

14. Rabbit Fur Coat, Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins (2006)

Jenny Lewis for the longest time was that red-headed girl who kissed Fred Savage in that really awful video game movie. Thankfully, she grew up and started Rilo Kiley and all is pretty much forgiven. Her solo debut is a masterpiece of alt country- indie rock fusion with Lewis’s amazing and subtle voice reigning supreme.

Download: ” Handle With Care”, “Born Secular”, “Rise Up With Fists”, “You Are What You Love”

13. Set Yourself on Fire, Stars (2004)

Haunting pianos, harps, violins, brass bands- this doesn’t scream simplistic beauty or an efficiency of style and sound, but that’s what you get. Nothing on this album is extraneous. It’s orchestral on a shoestring and thrilling in its mandate. An amazing record that everyone should own.

Download: ” Your Ex-Lover Is Dead”, “Ageless Beauty”, “Reunion”, “What I’m Trying to Say”

12. “Love And Theft”, Bob Dylan (2001)

I recently listened to Dylan’s new Christmas album, where profits go to charity, and decided that one of Dylan’s best albums opened the decade, and he was closing out with one of his worst. This, the best he had released in decades, is steeped in the American South, where the American musical styles are all born and nurtured before being corrupted. An amazing piece of work from an artist that just cannot escape the expectations of his fans.

Download: “Mississippi”, “Sugar Baby”, “High Water (for Charley Patton)”, “Honest With Me”

11. Smile, Brian Wilson (2004)

I am a die-hard Beach Boys fan who laments the loss of the brilliance of Brian Wilson for that long dark period of American music where no one could craft a perfect pop song because he was high and crazy. That’s when we get things like “Kokomo”, people. Glad to have Wilson’s ideas that were rejected in the sixties used to such amazing ends.

Download: “Good Vibrations”, “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow”, “Heroes and Villains”, “Wonderful”

10. Stankonia, Outkast (2000)

The famed hip hop duo, one straight up old style gangsta, the other from some other galaxy, produced a nearly perfect album of wildly diverse themes and styles. This album took them from the underground and firmly entrenched them as the kings of hip hop for the decade. Whether you like loud and rocking drum and bass, traditional samples with traded verses, or deep funk, this album has it all for you.

Download: ” Ms. Jackson”, “B.O.B.”, “So Fresh, So Clean”, “Humble Mumble”

9. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix (2009)

The new apex of French pop. Delightful, bright, and so damn catchy that it’s easy to become obsessed with individual tracks. An over arching theme of history and classical music cements the album, and it remains on of the  perfect indie pop records ever crafted.

Download: “1901″, “Lisztomania”, “Armistice”, “Love Like A Sunset, Pt. 1″

8. Kala, M.I.A. (2007)

Her intention was to work with Timbaland, and I have never been so glad an intended collaboration fell through. This album is a stark work of realism, where much of the music that was big in the 2000s was fluffy escapism ( see: the Black Eyed Peas bigger hits after Fergie joined them). M.I.A. never winces from her ambition, and creates a piece of art that is fearless in its honesty.

Download: “Paper Planes”, “Boyz”, “Hussel”, “World Town”

7. Gold, Ryan Adams (2001)

I forgive Ryan Adams a lot of things- drunken outbursts, bad records, marrying Mandy Moore ( okay, that’s my own fan girl issue. I actually like Mandy Moore. A lot). This album remains my favorite of his solo work, a warm album about love, loss, and Sylvia Plath.  His most famous tracks remain here.

Download: “Sylvia Plath”, “When The Stars Go Blue”, “New York, New York”, “Firecracker”

6. The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem (2000)

He is a homophobe, a misogynist, and abusive in his lyrics. Every bone in my body tells me that I should object what he is saying. But I can’t because he speaks of these things with a world-weary humor and a truthfulness that cannot be ignored. Easily one of the best writer’s in hip hop, he is backed with strong beats and fearlessness.

Download: “Stan”, “The Way I Am”, “The Real Slim Shady”, “Criminal”

5. Bring Me Your Love, City and Colour (2008)

Stark songs about love. It’s really a simple album by Dallas Green, so different from his day job with screamo act Alexisonfire, and while that band is certainly a great band, I always prefer Green on his solo releases, where his gift for melody and introspection shine.

Download: “Sleeping Sickness”, “Waiting…”, “As Much As I Ever Could”, “The Girl”

4. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Flaming Lips (2002)

I’m sorry, but I love both the weirdo psychedelia of the 90s Flaming Lips, and the spaced out prog rock of the 2000s Flaming Lips. Both are entertaining as all hell, because both have Wayne Coyne, who is the most entertaining person in rock and roll. This, their melancholic masterpiece, remains their best known and best work.

Download: ” Do You Realize??”, “It’s Summertime”, “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt. 1″, “Fight Test”

3. Funeral, Arcade Fire (2004)

Wildly expansive, highly original arrangements from a music collective who used personal tragedy to create an album so unique that it’s really hard for me to come up with the words I want to use to explain how much I love this record. I’ll try with the following: brilliant, fresh, powerful, and magical.

Download: ” Rebellion (Lies)”, “Wake Up”, “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)”, “Neighborhood #2 (Laika)”

2. Kid A, Radiohead (2000)

Radiohead’s desire to reinvent itself at every turn has created a catalog of work that is mind-blowing in its creativity and quality. This, their inspired peak, was an album of jazzy orchestral mass of strange songs and cryptic lyrics that was originally divisive, but once the dust settled and everyone remembered that not every album could be O.K. Computer, it became clear that Radiohead was at it’s best when they surprised us.

Download: “Everything in Its Right Place”, “Morning Bell”, “The National Anthem”, “Optimistic”

1. White Blood Cells, White Stripes  (2001)

My favorite White Stripes album changes constantly, but I keep coming back to White Blood Cells. Maybe it’s because I discovered them with this album, but certainly it has something to do with the ambition of some of the songs. The primitive percussion of Meg White suits the elaborate guitar playing of Jack White, and they remain the best indie rock duo I can think of. Ferocious, ground breaking rock and roll.

Download: “We’re Gonna Be Friends”, The Union Forever”, “Fell In Love With A Girl”, “Now Mary”, “This Protector”

Hello skillets. So, I’m still trying to sort out what else I should be writing about, and I’ll sort it out soon. But, I know that writing is a big part of what you’ll get from me. So, here’s some new music to download and check out. At least, new music that I’ve been listening to. You should, too.

Click the band name for the iTunes link.

We Were Promised Jetpacks – I really like these guys from Scotland. I’ve introduced you guys to another Scottish band, Frightened Rabbit. First song I heard from these guys was Conductor, which is pretty great. It was one of those days that I got lost in iTunes. Dibs was asleep, and I was going from “Other listeners also bought this” on and on, eventually landing at these guys. Have a listen… I think you’ll enjoy it. Songza

Wakey!Wakey! – Ugh, I’m so ashamed to tell you where I heard this guy, but fuck it, I heard him while watching One Tree Hill. WHAT?!?! Well, congrats. Consider yourself a close friend, since only they know about my strange addiction to that show. Regardless, they play some bitchin’ music. He’s got an EP out now, but I’m sure an album will be rushed out, which will likely suck. Anyways, check out Brooklyn. Songza

Shout Out Louds – YAY! I love these guys. I’m not sure how I found them, but I’ve been listening to them for a bit now. If you follow my twitter @tophmiller2 you may have seen me twat these guys. I think I could listen to Very Loud over and over again. I like both their albums Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (where Very Loud appears) and Our Ill Wills (great album). Here’s a shitty version of Very Loud – Songza

The New Pornographers – Welcome to 2005. Whatever. A friend of mine has been telling me to listen to these guys, plus lead singer A.C. Newman’s solo shit for a while now. I finally listened to him, and am thankful. You should follow my lead and give these guys a shot. They roll with a lot of instruments and Neko Case is one of the other lead singers. She’s badass… they’re badass. Trust. Songza

Happy listening!

In keeping with my previous post advertising Flight of the Conchords, I’ll let you know that Neko Case’s album “Middle Cyclone” is just $5 during the month of December on Amazon.com.  It’s good.  You should get it.

I heard about Neko Case on the Relevant Podcast (I think), but didn’t actually listen until I saw the aforementioned deal on Amazon.  I think she sounds kind of like Patsy Cline filtered through an indie folk-rock lens.  If that sounds appealing, or just not sufficiently descriptive, you should check out the video below.

It really is good stuff–you should get the album now!

By Jesseca Bagherpour

During my grade school days, I freaked out when other people discovered the music I loved. It was my music and I didn’t want anyone to steal it from me. I first experienced this reaction while listening to Weezer’s Blue album with my family on a road trip. They all liked it! I was all right with my older brother liking it, because he was close to my age and therefore cool. But my parents? No way. I asked them to remove the cassette (remember cassettes?) from the tape deck and I promptly put it back into my Walkman. As the years progressed, I briefly hated (or was “over”) The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, The White Stripes and a slew of other artists who rose from relative obscurity to become “the next big thing.”

But I’ve changed. I share music with my mom and we even go to concerts together. When an artist I like gets popular, signs on with a major record label or has a song featured in a commercial, I’m happy for them. That could come from having lived in an area teeming with musicians, many of whom are friends and acquaintances (some of whom have sold their songs for commercial use in foreign markets, but I won’t name anyone). Or it could come from being an adult. Either way, I’d rather my favorite artists be able to make a living (by selling their songs, not mine, no matter how personal they may feel). There’s nothing noble in starving and/or cleaning toilets in the name of your “art”. And I want as many people as possible to be exposed to good music. When the masses accept it, it gives me a little hope for mankind.

This is a list of 10 artists I still love, even though they’ve “sold their souls” (specifically to take part in major ad campaigns):

Iggy Pop (Royal Carribean)

I decided to kick it off with the man who is probably the most famous of all “sellouts”. When Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” was first used in a Royal Carribean commercial in 2005, people couldn’t believe their ears. A song about drinking, drugs and other debauchery used in an ad promoting a cruise line, of all things? But Iggy wasn’t bothered by the criticism.

Bob Dylan (too many to list)

The godfather of punk may have sold one of his greatest songs to sell cruises (and to buy a second Rolls Royce), but Bob Dylan, a seminal figure in the counterculture for 50 years, has helped many a company sell its wares.

I couldn’t decide which was more jarring–Dylan selling iPods, Dylan selling bras (in an insanely creepy Victoria’s Secret ad which made me long for the comparatively less upsetting Joanna Newsom version), Dylan selling Cadillacs (while Smog plays in the background)?

Then I happened upon this one, which I must have blocked from my memory over the past several months–Bob Dylan and Will I Am selling Pepsis. Despite all the ads, and allowing a member of the Black Eyed Peas to butcher one of his songs, I still love Bob Dylan. He’s Bob Dylan, for crying out loud.

The Apples in Stereo (Pepsi)

The Apples in Stereo also contributed to a Pepsi ad this year (and it wasn’t their first brush with “selling out”, having sold a few songs for ads, movies and TV shows earlier in the decade). I’ve been listening to New Magnetic Wonder a lot lately, and their song “Energy” gave me the idea for this list.

Jack White (Coca Cola)

I wasn’t aware of this one until I started doing my research, but the song and commercial are honestly good. I am a sucker for a good pop song and the commercial looks like a White Stripes video. I wonder if The Apples and The White Stripes are contractually obligated to hate each other since they’ve advertised for rival soft drink companies.

Karen O (Adidas)

Spike Jonze directed this commercial which, like the Jack White Coke commercial, could stand alone as a brilliant music video. The title song in the ad, “Hello Tomorrow”, was written by Jonze’s brother. The commercial won several advertising awards as well. There’s no way I’m calling Karen O a sellout for this one, and I’m definitely not criticizing Jonze, whose commercials are as inventive as his videos and films. I’m also pretty sure this initial collaboration inspired Jonze’s picking O to create the soundtrack to Where the Wild Things Are. If that doesn’t convince you, then your heart is made of stone.

The Flaming Lips (Land Rover)

I liked “Do You Realize?” more before its excessive usage in films and ads, not the least of which is this commercial for a gas-guzzling, overpriced yuppie-mobile. But I adore the Lips (especially Wayne), and it’s a lovely song.

Wilco (Volkswagen)

Speaking of car commercials, Jeff Tweedy and company got a lot of guff from fans for this one. Some choice words were spoken … er … typed … in their fan forum. I, for one, was excite for the band when I saw the ads. They were well-made and, again, exposed new people to their music. Even if it is music from my least favorite Wilco record (which is why I posted their B-side, “The Thanks I Get”).

Spoon (Jaguar)

The Jaguar XK is stylish, its commercial is stylish, the song is stylish. Spoon got exposure and money for selling a song. No moral quandaries here. I’m not just saying that because Britt Daniel is easily one of the sexiest front men of the past 10 years. They’re a talented who put consistently stellar records and always put on a terrific live show. There’s no reason to turn on them for selling a song to a car company (or to emusic, who featured their song “Sister Jack” … but they support independent artists, making that ad even more innocuous).

Guided By Voices (Nissan)

I scoured the internet for a Canadian Nissan commercial featuring “Quality of Armor”, but to no avail (I guess to many other music nerds posted it to their blogs and Nissan removed it. I did, however, post the song … so you can visualize someone driving a Nissan while listening to it. Pollard was nonchalant about the ad and even had a few others in the works, including a reworked version of “Non-Absorbing” for Budweiser (GBV and their fans LOVE beer, after all) and an original jingle for Krispy Kreme (he didn’t have a deal for that one … he just loves their doughnuts). The man is possibly a musical genius, but he’s not about posturing so I wouldn’t care if he decided to turn to a life of writing jingles. He would be the most prolific jingle writer alive and commercials would be a lot cooler.

The New Pornographers (The University of Phoenix)

Speaking of Canada, this commercial comes from mostly-Canadian band The New Pornographers. I don’t know who could talk smack about this one. Maybe the New Pornographers wanted to help promote online education. It’s kind of a cheesy concept, but I’m sure it’s helped a lot of people. And “Bleeding Heart Show” is one of my favorite songs. Good choice, University of Phoenix. I’m pretty sure there were a lot of fans at their last Dallas show who heard them for the first time because of this commercial. But that’s kind of the point, right?

As Iggy told David Fricke of Rolling Stone: “So am I happy to hear my music anywhere? Yeah. I don’t like the art ghetto. I want a wider culture..”

I don’t know what’s the most important or the best music of the decade, so I just based mine on the albums I could listen to on repeat forever.

5. The Postal Service: Give Up
Yeah, I know: it’s totally played out, and the lyrics are saccharine and it basically spawned an entire worthless genre all its own, but you know the first time you heard this album, you felt like a kid who just discovered the raddest thing in the world in the woods behind your house and you wanted to tell everyone about it. So yes, this album is basically Stand By Me.

4. Iron & Wine: Our Endless Numbered Days
If this were Star Trek and we had a computer to talk to us all the time and tell us when the molecules in our tea were assembled and ready for drinking, I would program my computer to sound like Sam Beam.

3. The Mountain Goats: The Sunset Tree
This whole album is amazing, but I defy you to find a better first 5 songs on pretty much any album, capped, as it has to be, by “This Year.”

2. Girl Talk: Night Ripper
I was in the car the other day and heard Boston’s “Foreplay Long Time,” but I didn’t actually hear it, because all I could think about was the sample from it that Girl Talk uses. I don’t think any other album I found this decade brought me more intense joy. How could it not? It’s the best part of every song put together, one after the other and sometimes at the same time. If you don’t like this album, we aren’t friends.

1. The New Pornographers: Mass Romantic
One of my friends described the songs on this album as like sucking down one pixie stick after another. That’s probably the best description I’ve got for it.

Top 7 also rans (in no particular order):
The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Jason Forrest: The Unrelenting Songs of the 1979 Post Disco Crash
The Format: Dog Problems
The Streets: A Grand Don’t Come for Free
Jay Z: The Blueprint
The White Stripes: White Blood Cells

The “out on a technicalities”:
These weren’t actually released in this decade, but come on. These were released at the absolute end of the decade (in one case, within 3 months of the 00s), and I certainly didn’t know about any of them until well into the Aughts.
Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Björk: Homogenic
The Magnetic Fields: 69 Love Songs

Ten years can be an eternity in music. Ten years after The Beatles released Please Please Me, they had become the biggest band in the world, recorded 12 more albums, and been broken up for three years. Ten years after Elvis came onto the scene and practically invented rock and roll for most of the country, he was an old clown singing boring movie soundtracks. Ten years after Nirvana released Nevermind, Courtney Love had more or less undone the grunge movement with the help of her band Hole.

The lesson: It’s really hard for a band or performer to be good for 10 years. This is probably why we end up remembering decades for small snippets: The 1970s are forever linked to disco, which was popular for a little over two years. The 1990s are best remembered for grunge’s dominance, which was waning by 1994. It’s hard to the think of a similar “moment” from the 2000s.

What we instead remember, with regard to music, are acts. Think of the ’50s and you think of Elvis, the ’60s and The Beatles, the ’70s and Led Zeppelin (or The Clash, or Pink Floyd), the ’80s and Guns N’ Roses (or Bon Jovi), the ’90s and Nirvana, etc. I’ve hypothesized about how this decade will be remembered musically, but that may be less important than who this decade is remembered for. What band or performer had the best decade from 2000-2009? Well, before we breakdown the list of contenders, let’s go over the criteria:

Quality*: A musician cannot be said to have a good decade unless said musician produces good music. Who judges if music is good? Well, me.

Originality: An artist of the decade must sound reasonably different from the artists of preceding decades; this is what makes them distinctly identifiable.

Popularity: It’s hard to remember bands that toiled in obscurity; not impossible, but hard.

Durability: You know who was huge in the 1950s? Fabian. But nobody really listens to him now, so we don’t really think of him as the ‘artist of the decade.’**

*It should be stressed that quality includes quality THROUGHOUT the decade, so a band that produced two great albums and four bad ones may get a worse score than a band with five solid albums.

**Now, granted, it’s a little early to tell how an album released in January of 2009 will be received down the road—this category will be largely speculative.

These are the qualities in descending order of importance. I have a very complex and algorithmic method of coming up with a final score, but I’ll let you try and figure that out. Here are the candidates:

Animal Collective

Quality: 8

Originality: 8

Popularity: 4

Durability: 4

The Case For:

The mere breadth of Animal Collective’s output during this decade makes them worthy of consideration. Since 2000, they’ve released seven albums, at least three of which could be classified as “great,” four EPs and two live CDs. They’ve been a popular “buzz band” since 2003, and they’ve shown steady progression throughout the decade. Animal Collective is one of the few bands that improved as the decade went on.

The Case Against:

They never achieved mainstream success: Most music fans have never heard of them. The fact that they are a very “trendy” or “hipster” band means that there is a high probability that the popularity they do have is fleeting: It doesn’t take long for a band to become uncool. And though I can say with near certainty that I’ll be listening to them once the Aughts end, I don’t know how much we’ll hear about them once their time as an “it” band runs out.

The Arcade Fire

Quality: 8

Originality: 6

Popularity: 5

Durability: 4

The Case For:

They produced one of the most discussed debut albums of the decade, which was probably the best album put out by any artist since 2000. They also produced a solid follow-up, developed a reputation as a great live band, and were cited as influential by such luminaries as Davids Bowie and Byrne. They were also an indie band that achieved a fair amount of mainstream success, with radio play, MTV appearances, and the like.

The Case Against:

Only two albums to Animal Collective’s seven? That’s pretty pathetic. Truthfully, though, it is hard for one great album, no matter how great it is, to cement your status as the performer of the decade—just ask Television. It can be done (see: Nirvana, Guns N’ Roses), but the band needs to be a cultural phenomenon in a way Arcade Fire never was.

Beyonce

Quality: 4

Originality: 4

Popularity: 10

Durability: 5

The Case For:

Between her time in Destiny’s Child and her solo career, she was part of a string of commercial hits this decade: “Survivor,” “Bootylicious,” “Independent Women,” “Baby Boy,” “Irreplaceable,” “Single Ladies,” as well as one of the biggest hits of the decade, “Crazy in Love.” She also produced a music video that at least one person thinks is “one of the best videos of all time.” She has sold over 100 million records, all told, and has remained relevant and popular throughout the entire decade.

The Case Against:

Well, her music’s not that good. She is a hit machine, but, with the exception of “Crazy in Love,” none of her hits have very much longevity or musical impact. A lot of her success can be attributed to her image and her looks, and the fact that she dated and married Jay-Z; if these kinds of things were part of the criteria, then the “artist of the decade” would clearly be Britney Spears. But it’s not.

Coldplay

Quality: 3

Originality: 0

Popularity: 8

Durability: 3

The Case For:

50 million records sold worldwide. Four albums in the decade, all received well by critics and all selling over a million copies in the US. They also had huge success with singles “Yellow,” “Clocks,” “The Scientist,” “Speed of Sound,” etc. During the early 2000s, multiple sources referred to them as “the best band in the world.” (Also, Chris Martin was funny in Extras.)

The Case Against:

Their music is derivative, maudlin and boring. They sound like a watered down version of U2, and not even good U2. There is no denying that Coldplay has been popular, but they haven’t been influential, innovative or interesting. Most of what they have been produced is forgettable, and will be forgotten in a few years.

Eminem

Quality: 6

Originality: 7

Popularity: 10

Durability: 4

The Case For:

Nobody was bigger than Eminem at the start of the decade. The Marshall Mathers LP was the apex of his fame, riding the popularity of “The Real Slim Shady,” but also featuring a deep track list. The Eminem Show and Encore were also incredibly popular, each selling over 10 million copies. Eminem was also a completely distinct and original voice in the rap community, and he was able to appeal to people who were only mildly interested on rap. His influence on his genre may be unmatched in the Aughts.

The Case Against:

Dude took over three years off after releasing Encore. You can’t sit out a third of the decade and still expect to coast to “Artist of the Decade.” Plus, when he came out of his semi-retirement, he released the subpar Relapse, which brought down his overall quality score.

Kanye West

Quality: 7

Originality: 9

Popularity: 9

Durability: 10

The Case For:

West has released four albums this decade, three of which have sold over 2 million copies, and the fourth of which is probably on its way (808s and Heartbreaks currently sits at over 1.5 million a year after its release). His first three albums were all incredibly well-received by critics, and spawned some of the biggest hits of the Aughts: “Through the Wire,” “Jesus Walks,” “Gold Digger,” and “Stronger.” He’s also been at the forefront of innovations in hip hop, the dominant genre of the decade.

The Case Against:

West’s solo debut didn’t come out until almost halfway through the decade. Before 2004, West was known—to those who knew of him at all—mainly for his behind-the-scenes production of The Blueprint. His work is also largely overrated, if you ask me. Plus, he’s an asshole.

The New Pornographers

Quality: 7

Originality: 6

Popularity: 5

Durability: 5 

The Case For:

The New Pornographers released four albums this decade, three of which are great. They also span a wide range of sounds, incorporating the different styles of Carl Newman, Neko Case, and Dan Bejar seamlessly into something distinct. Over the course of the decade, they managed to produce great singles, like “Letter from an Occupant,” as well as complete albums, like Twin Cinema.

The Case Against:

The release of Challengers, their latest album and a modest disappointment, certainly hurts their overall score. Their albums are also more noteworthy for the way they combine elements of pop, indie, and country music, and less for their own innovations. And the fact that they are really a “power pop” band that was never that popular hurts their cause, through no fault of their own.

OutKast

Quality: 7

Originality: 10

Popularity: 9

Durability: 7

The Case For:

Stankonia and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below were two of the best and most popular albums of the decade. They also spawned classic singles like “B.O.B.” “Ms. Jackson,” “The Way You Move” and “Hey Ya!” The band was incredibly innovative—it’s hard to pin their music down to a genre, or to find another act of the decade that sounds quite like them.

The Case Against:

After Speakerboxxx/The Love Below in 2003, Andre 3000 and Big Boi released the soundtrack to the film Idlewild but were more or less broken up (unofficially) for the rest of the decade. Also, the fact that a large portion of OutKast’s output came before 2000 hurts their chances of ever being identified with the Aughts.

Radiohead

Quality: 8

Originality: 10

Popularity: 8

Durability: 8

The Case For:

Kid A, Hail to the Theif and In Rainbows were all excellent albums, particularly Kid A, which may be the best of the decade. The band completely reinvented itself and its sound this decade, becoming the most original rock band in the world. Radiohead was even innovative commercially, releasing In Rainbows themselves in a “name your own price” fashion—to allegedly resounding success.

The Case Against:

Even moreso than OutKast, Radiohead is already identified with the 1990s. The band’s biggest hit (“Creep”) and probably their best album (OK Computer) came out before the Aughts. Also, Amnesiac, released in 2001 after Kid A, was probably the band’s worst album since Pablo Honey and relatively disappointing. Their brief hiatus in the middle of the decade–they released only one album after 2003–hurts their chances even more. 

TV on the Radio

Quality: 8

Originality: 9

Popularity: 6

Durability: 8

The Case For:

TV on the Radio continuously evolved and progressed throughout the decade, starting with the unconventional OK Calculator in 2002, and eventually culminating in 2008’s Dear Science. Throughout the Aughts, their experimental sound was unparalleled. They also released a great EP in 2003, Young Liars, and produced one of the greatest songs of the decade, in “Wolf Like Me.”

The Case Against:

The band didn’t really produce a complete album that was great from top to bottom until 2006’s Return to Cookie Mountain; a fair amount of this decade was developmental for the band. They also suffer from the same “It” band stigma that afflicts Animal Collective, leading to questions about their ability to stay relevant.

The Verdict

Well, in the end it’s a three-horse race, with Radiohead, OutKast, and Kanye West clearly outpacing the rest of the contenders (Eminem would be in the discussion as well, and probably win it running away, were it not for his hiatus), and I think West barely beats out the other two. Part of this may be timing—the peak in West’s popularity came later than the peak in Radiohead’s and OutKast’s, meaning that his influence and cultural impact are fresher in my mind. But this is also the result of Radiohead and OutKast’s having careers that spanned decades, which means they aren’t really identifiable with the 2000s; if AD had started seven years earlier, and the 2000s covered 1993-2003, Radiohead and Outkast would clearly have the edge. West is also possibly helped by his outsized personality: Andre 3000 and Big Boi are more low-key, and Radiohead is practically Howard Hughes compared to Kanye. But I do think—as I’ve mentioned—that something about West’s sound and impact will be identified with this decade in the same way Nirvana is linked to the 1990s. So while he’s certainly not my favorite artist of the decade, I think he is the artist of the decade.

5. The New Pornographers: Twin Cinema

4. Girl Talk: Night Ripper

3. Frightened Rabbit: Midnight Organ Fight

2. John Vanderslice: Time Travel is Lonely

1. The Mountain Goats: All Hail West Texas

Additional:

Bear Colony: We Came Here to Die

The Dudley Corporation: In Love With the Dudley Corporation

The Guggenheim Grotto: Happy the Man

Hallelujah the Hills: Collective Psychosis Begone

David Kitt: Small Moments

Lyrics Born: Overnight Encore: Live

MGMT: Oracular Spectacular

The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers: The Mother of Love Emulated the Shapes of Cynthia

Radiohead: Kid A

The Streets: A Grand Don’t Come For Free

Troubled Hubble: Making Beds in a Burning House

Wire: Send

The San Miguel Primavera Sound Festival will come to Parc Del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain next May 27-29, and the lineup so far is quite impressive.

This Spanish festival collaborates closely with All Tomorrow’s Parties who curates one of the four big stages. ATP takes place one week earlier and attracts approximately 60,000 visitors. In addition, smaller daytime performances take place for free in parks across Barcelona. 

As previously reported, Pavement and Pixies will be headlining the 10th anniversary of San Miguel Primavera Sound Festival. And now, a whole slew of bands have just been added to the bill. According to the festival’s website, fans can look forward to catching:

-THE ANTLERS
-BIS
-THE BLOODY BEETROOTS
-CAMARÓN, LA LEYENDA DEL TIEMPO, 30 AÑOS DESPUÉS (with Duquende and Chicuelo, among others)
-DELOREAN
-DUM DUM GIRLS
-THE FALL
-GANGLIANS
-HERE WE GO MAGIC
-HOPE SANDOVAL & THE WARM INVENTIONS
-JOKER featuring NOMAD
-THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
-PANDA BEAR
-WILCO
-WILD BEASTS
-THE XX

Wilco, The XX, and Panda Bear – OH MY! And to think this is only the start of the festival’s all-star indie lineup.

R: Todavía no hemos disfrutado el Primavera Club y ya tenemos aquí la primera gran tanda de confirmaciones para el Primavera Sound 2010 (que se celebrará del 27 al 29 de mayo del año que viene). Por respeto al hecho de que nuestros lectores puede que no sean tan frikis como nosotros, hemos puesto de foto de este post a la que, sin duda, es la confirmación bombazo: Panda Bear. Está claro que Merryweather Post Pavilion estará en las listas de discos de lo mejor de este año, pero el hecho de que el debut de Panda Bear fuera de nuestros preferidos el año pasado y que, por desgracia, todavía no hayamos podido catarlo en directo justifica plenamente la expectación. Ahora, si nos preguntáis sinceramente a quién nos gustaría poner en la foto de aquí al lado nos veremos obligados a responder que a… ¡Bis! Sí señor. Y es que los escoceses autores del mítico Eurodisco se van a reunir para que podamos bailotear semejante temón bajo las estrellas primaverales. Una vez pagado el peaje friki, sigamos con el resto de confirmaciones (a las que no les falta chicha): a los ya anunciados Pavement y Pixies hay que sumar nombres como Wilco (que a nosotros nos interesan bien poco, pero que son un vende entradas seguro y es inteligente tenerlos en cualquier cartel), La Leyenda del Tiempo (homenaje al disco de Camarón), The xx (que, si siguen afinando el formato de trío, pueden protagonizar uno de los momentos del festival), The Fall (Mark E. Smith vale la compra de cualquier entrada), The New Pornographers (que siempre le animan a uno la noche), Hope Sandoval (con nuevo disco bajo el brazo que tendremos que sopesar antes de saber por dónde pueden ir los tiros de su actuación), Wild Beasts (si todavía no te has rendido a su magnífico Two dancers, su actuación será la oportunidad definitiva), The Antlers (emo-prog que en unas semanitas aconsejamos degustar en su gira por salas pequeñas), Joker (¡dubstep!), Delorean, Dum Dum, The Bloody Beetroots, Here we go magic y Ganglians. Pero vamos, que si incluso después de leer tres veces esta lista sigues (como nosotros) en shock por lo de Bis, te aconsejamos que le des al play del video que sigue a este texto y vayas preparando el grito de guerra para el Primavera Sound 2010: ¡Euroooooodiiiiscooooooo!

(Note: Due to the sheer number of submissions we receive there is no way we can give each and every album the attention (and word count) they deserve, but we can devote time to at least one song from each. So we started this feature to give worthy bands, and their music a spot to shine. We hope this helps you discover new and exciting acts, and as always if you enjoy the music please make an attempt to support the artist by either attending a show, or buying a record.)

Second straight song from 200o that we’ve posted on here, though this one for a completely different reason. Canadian Indie supergroup The New Pornographers have been praised throughout the decade for the uniqueness of their releases, and for introducing a new set of fans to both their music, and the individual work of each of the band members. Really who could have an issue with that?

The New Pornographers- Letter From An Occupant

Verdict: All charging guitars, indie oooo’s, and shared chorus, this little pop ditty is a fun reprieve from the doldrums of most days, and for that I’m thankful when it pops up on shuffle.

(Neko Case of The New Pornographers appears tonight at the Granada Theater, hopefully tickets are still available?)

Last week we began an ambitious expedition through the best music of the past decade and I posted the albums ranked 91-100. Today we will tackle the next ten, numbers 81-90. Let me know what you think.

90. U2 – No Line on the Horizon (2009)
I’ve long been a fan of U2, but have rarely found their complete albums to be great. Even their magnum opus, The Joshua Tree, is terribly front-loaded. No Line continues their tradition of good recordings, proving to be one of their better collections overall and definitely their best since 1991’s The Joshua Tree. Some of the songs, like “Magnificent” and “Moment of Surrender,” can stand up to anything in their legendary catalog.

89. Matisyahu – Youth (2006)
An orthodox Hasidic Jew doing reggae music? Why not, this is the 2000’s. Matisyahu mixes socially conscious lyrics with danceable rhythms to produce one of the more unusual and surprising releases of the decade. The title track, “Youth,” and “King Without a Crown” are two tunes that particularly show that he could be in for a long and fruitful career.

88. Pearl Jam – Riot Act (2002)
As I’ve mentioned on many occasions in the past, I’ve long been a rabid fan of Pearl Jam and this is probably my favorite of theirs from the intervening years between No Code and Backspacer. It has a varied sound that is more akin to Vitalogy than to any of their other works, while showing the maturity of a group of men closing in on 40. The album contains jabs at corporate America and President Bush, but I think my favorite tunes are probably “I am Mine,” “Thumbing my Way,” and “Love Boat Captain.” It’s definitely a must-have for PJ fans.

87. The New Pornographers – Challengers (2007)
TNG is an indie rock supergroup of sorts made up of AC Newman, Dan Bejar (aka Destoryer), and one of my personal favorites, Neko Case. The band makes interesting music together, but I personally wish they would utilize Case more often than they do. Regardless, this album has some great songs, including “Myriad Harbor” and the title track, “Challengers.”

86. Belle & Sebastian – The Life Pursuit (2006)
Scottish band Belle & Sebastian have been carrying the indie pop banner for several years now and The Life Pursuit continues their streak of interesting and catchy music. Their sound is similar to the alternative bands of the 1980’s, such as The Smiths, just with a bit more sunshine from earlier mainstream pop. Check out songs like “The Blues Are Still Blue” and “Funny Little Frog” to get a better idea of what they are about.

85. Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere (2006)
The combination of producer extraordinaire Danger Mouse and rapper Cee-Lo Green quickly proved itself to be a formidable one with their debut release, St. Elsewhere. Funky and soulful, with inescapably catchy songs like “Crazy,” the duo blew up in 2006 with this multi-platinum released and have continued to prove themselves with an innovative style that appeals to both critics and regular listeners.

84. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest (2009)
Interesting and intelligent, the band Grizzly Bear is a critical darling of the decade for a reason. The have a real knack for bending genres, mixing electronic sounds with vocal harmonies a la Fleet Foxes and some very nice alterna-pop melodies. Catchy songs like “Two Weeks” and “While You Wait for the Others” will be stuck in your head for days. Though I had heard some of their last release, Yellow House, this was the first album of the band’s that I’ve listened to very often, so I’m looking forward to seeing what Grizzly Bear has in store for us in the future.

83. Radiohead – Hail to the Thief (2003)
Would it be considered a heresy for me to call Radiohead the Beatles of generation X? There is probably no other group who have changed music, who have camped out at the cutting edge and set themselves up as the standard-bearers of a generation, to the same extent as Thom Yorke’s band. While this politically charged album may not be among their best, it is still quite good and proves that even when not on top of their game, Radiohead is on another level than everyone else. Songs like “2+2=5” and “There There” are nearly on par with anything in their career.

82. Modest Mouse – Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004)
I had listened to some Modest Mouse prior to the release of this album, but for whatever reason, they never truly grabbed hold of me. It was not until the catchy and anthemic song “Float On” hit the airwaves that I went back, listened, and became a fan. This breakout album for the longtime indie stalwarts is definitely a must-own for someone interested in the music of the early 2000’s.

81. Okkervil River – The Stand Ins (2008)
This hyper-literate Austin band hit paydirt with this 2008 release and its ultra-catchy “Lost Coastlines.” Though this set of recordings is supposed to be a companion piece to their 2007 release, The Stage Names, I think I actually enjoy it more. Frontman Will Sheff likes to make strange and sometimes obscure references to everything from French playwright Antonin Artaud to a 1920’s German silent film to the Gospel of Thomas, and that’s only in one song (“Singer Songwriter”). How cool is that? Seriously, check this album out if you haven’t already.

bon iver – creature fear

the shins – a comet appears

frightened rabbit – keep yourself warm

the new pornographers – challengers

I love TV soundtracks.

hitler in my heart-antony and the johnsons-2000

hands away-interpol-turn on the bright lights-2002

heroes and villains-brian wilson-smile-2004

hold your secrets to your heart-miracle fortress-five roses-2006

in limbo-radiohead-kid a-2000

in my room-last shadow puppets-the age of understatement-2008

knot comes loose-my morning jacket-z-2005

jackie-the new pornographers-mass romantic-2000

k-hole-cocorosie-noha’s ark-2005

libraries-seabear-the ghost that carried us away-2007

lovely allen-holy fuck-2007

So it’s no secret that I want to crawl inside Neko Case’s mouth to die and let the weathered beauty of her voice be my absolution.  Or something. Suffice to say I adore her.

When I had the immense good fortune to see her live at the Barbican Centre in London last month it was an unexpected song that moved me the most and when I looked it up online I was delighted to see that it had the perfect rough, charming and emotionally affecting video. The animation is absolutely gorgeous and definitely worth a watch – and the audio’s worth a listen too (as is the entire album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood).

On this chilly autumn eve, enjoy the perfect heart-warmer (have a tissue handy)…

Get Guilty

A.C. Newman

2009

Matador

Phrases that Carl (who goes by the initials A.C.) Newman has forced me to sing with uncontrollable exuberance: “Sing me Spanish techno”, “Sound of God is the screech of tires”, and“The truth in one free afternoon, a new empire in rags”.  Obviously, Newman can write any lyrics down that he wants (whether they make sense or not) and I’ll be his willing backup singer in my car, no matter what.  Hell, he could write a song about murdering one’s parents and I’d gladly be singing his words.

Get Guilty is Newman’s second solo album.  For a guy who’s in the indie supergroup (yes, they are a supergroup, I don’t care what you say) The New Pornographers, who have released four albums since 1999, Newman is extremely prolific.  This solo record could pass off easily as a New Porno’s album, just without Dan Bejar or Neko Case.  It’s got his major hooks, his convoluted arrangements, and his admirable lyrics.

Album opener “There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve” sounds more perceptive than it actually is, even breaking the fourth wall (a rarity for song lyrics, admittedly).  It is a perfect first song, letting the listener ease into the album with a strange kind of tenderness, as the lyrics (“Once there was a haunted loop of your deep, fallen tears”) leave an open ended interpretation into the song.  The music too, is of considerable weight, with single notes pounding after each “Make of that what you will”. 

“The Heartbreak Rides” shows off Newman’s adeptness at song composition.  It has a sort of push-pull tension, with background guitars feedbacking in the beginning hinting at a bigger sound that comes in.  The buildup is done perfectly, behind the second chorus, resulting in a winding melody and even brass instruments.  Still, it’s a rather laid-back song compared to some others.

“Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer” is one of the best songs on the album.  The whole song counts as a giant melodic hook, and even has a strange rhythm that only Newman can pull off.  The female harmonies (even on his solo album, Newman has a penchant for using feminine background vocals) are excellent, with Nicole Atkins contributing to the overall effect.  A fractured guitar solo leads the song into completely breaking down, making the listener wondering what happened.  That is until the convoluted rhythm comes back in.  Overall, this song definitely adds (more) quality to his repertoire.

The fourth song, although not nearly as cool as “Hitman”, again has another push-pull arrangement.  Newman is great at writing songs where the different parts contrast with each other, making a very satisfactory feeling.  “Prophets” has another catchy melody (“Strike on, zero!”).

However, this leads into another of the best songs on the album, “Submarines of Stockholm”.  After a short, quiet intro, another great hook digs its way into the audience’s mind.  And although Newman is a distinguished lyricist, he’s still not above using “Na Na Nana”’s to develop his song.  These lead into a cool, slower part, “Stop! It was one in a series of”, until, of course, the obvious “Go!” kicks back into the song. I dare you to try and get this song out of your head.

“Thunderbolts” is a decent song, but probably the weakest on Get Guilty.  The melody doesn’t work that well, and is rather dull actually.  It’s a slower song, that just doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere.  It definitely won’t warrant more than a one or two listens. 

The first single off of the album, “The Palace at 4 AM” is a decent song, but not one of my favorites.  Strangely, but not badly, Newman’s voice has a lot of reverb, making him sound distant.  But the song does have its really cool moments, as Newman plays with the language (“No more pushing words around”).

“The Changeling (Get Guilty)” brings another laid-back, relaxed mood.  It’s one of the few piano-driven songs on the album.  As always, Newman does have his tricks, with the chanting chorus of “Change Your Mind” making it another sing-along type song.

Both “Elemental” and “Young Atlantis” offer decent ballad-type songs.  Newman sounds heartwarming, but they lack the power-pop attitude expected of him.  Which isn’t to say they’re bad songs, just rather throwbacks to his last album, the mainly acoustic The Slow Wonder.

“The Collected Works” brings back the rock demeanor.  During the pauses, a creaking violin is heard, quite a strange sound, but completely fits the song.  But so does every other instrument: the pounding piano, the solid drums, and Newman’s acoustic guitar.

“All of My Days and All of My Days Off” closes the album, sounding like a lost Twin Cinema track.  Newman’s double-tracked voice creates a great effect, and the female background singers again take up kind of echoing him.  It’s an obvious Newman track, complete with a stopping arrangement, where the piano takes over, leading back into the catchy chorus.  A solid conclusion, as the music fades out, and we’re left with intimate vocals.

When the album came out earlier this year, I got the chance (with Steve) to see him live up in NY.  Surprisingly, Get Guilty sounds just as good, if not better, live than on the cd.  The band consisted of at least seven members, and they were notably tight as a unit, which is no small feat with that many people.  Newman commanded the show personably and warmly, but wasn’t a spotlight hog.  Nicole Atkins provided a brilliant performance as one of the harmony background singers (and it didn’t hurt that she’s particularly attractive), and the rest of the band provided a sturdy musicianship. 

So, Newman knows how to write, knows how to play live, and knows how to arrange.  And yet, he’s still developing and experimenting as a musician (evidently, with The New Pornographers’ last album “Challengers” being slightly different from the rest).  So, I for one, cannot wait to hear what’s next for Newman.  Get Guilty is definitely an album displaying a progressing artist, and one of my favorite records this year.

Official Page

Buy This Album

Hay… Un extraño maño

Una de las grandes penas que tengo de este Primavera Club es que Bigott sólo estará en Madrid. Pero como casi todo tiene remedio, el jueves 22 en el Heliogábal y el viernes 23 en el Depo nos hará una visita de rigor en Barcelona. Bigott es un cantautor folk al más puro estilo Iron & Wine, con canciones de 2 minutos de media, efectivísimas, de marcado estribillo, con arrebatos guitarreros como la de aire Scott Walker New York Seville o de registro totalemente oposado como la marinera Algora Campeón de dicatoria evidente al -descanse en paz-Sergio Algora u otras de enorme título como The New Pronographer. Pero de todas ellas, destaca She is my man, del que debería ser uno de los discos nacionales del año. Fin. (es el nombre del disco, editado por Grabaciones en el Mar, no una nota de final de notícia.)

The New Pornographers, a definite big name in indie music scenes, was founded in 1997 out of Vancouver. If their name doesn’t catch you, than their superpop harmonies will. The group is comprised of lead song writer and singer A.C. (Carl) Newman, John Collins, Blaine Thurier, Dan Bejar, Kathryn Calder, Kurt Dahle, Neko Case (personal fave!), and Todd Fancey. Their most recent album is Challengers, released in 2007, and was preceded by three other works. They’re still together, as a band; they did a summer tour, but members still have the time to pursue individual projects. More specifically, A.C. Newman has released his second solo album, Get Guilty, this past January (his solo debut was in 2004 with The Slow Wonder).

This is him.

There is some definite New Pornographesqueness about his music, most noticeable is the harmonies (see a theme?). However, it is a little bit slower in pace, but still extremely enjoyable, especially if you are a NP (yeah, I abbrev.) fan. I particularly enjoy “There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve”. Check out his website at http://www.acnewman.net/ for more info and music.

The New Pornographers have already made their mark in television, with songs on the Office, Weeds, Heroes and more, as well as a Rock Band song. A.C. Newman has quickly jumped on the television wagon, first with a tune on an O.C. soundtrack, and then when “Prophets” was featured in the season four finale of How I Met Your Mother. So both efforts are successful…what does this mean for the future of Newman’s solo career or The New Pornographers? I know I’d like to see them both stick around for a long while.

Here are a few things that I found online this week. Enjoy!

The Shins: Plenty Is Never Enough

Holy Fuck: Jungles

The New Pornographers: Don’t Destroy This Night

I have been to Tennessee at least three times in my life, and have never seen Graceland. However, my wife and I were married by Elvis at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas.

The Bible: Graceland

The New Pornographers: Graceland

Mary Lou Lord: From Galway To Graceland