One man’s garbage is another man’s (top 10 list)
1) Battles- Mirrored
This indie super-group makes good on all of the promises of their impressive but sometimes limited EP’s. In the midst of so much great stuff in the way of noise, pop, and every other fucking genre, Battles really stood out with an album that could have easily passed as the soundtrack for TRANSFORMERS.
2) Slaraffenland- Private Cinema
Lee Ronaldo guitarscapes and awkward allusions to metaphysics are only two of the great things about this gem. The land of milk and honey (which is what their name means) is certainly a reach, but you’d be hard pressed to find a better delivered (and packaged) Danish export.
3) Videohippos- Unbeast theLeash
Synthcore that compels me to pretend I’m in high school and feign anguish because I feel ostracized. There’s something to this kind of stuff, I swear.
4) The Twilight Sad- Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters
Glasgow fat-cats debut with an album of stunning authenticity. Their sprawling guitar driven songs of yearning and anguish found exceed even the most high and naive expectations.
5) Spoon- Ga Ga Ga Ga
Just when I thought I’d had enough (not to mention the ridiculous album title), Britt Daniel and Co. make it dramatically clear why they are still America’s most deserving indie faves and likely to outlast any trend or schtick hipster america may throw our way. As usual, Spoon deliver clever production as a scaffold to some very well crafted tunes.
6) The National- Boxer
I don’t know what to say about The National that doesn’t sound melodramatic or grandiose. Critics have done them enough justice this year. It’s just that good.
7) Les Savvy Fav- Let’s Stay Friends
Let’s face it- Les Savy Fav are the veritable monsters of post hardcore that just won’t die. Not that anyone wants them to, but most of us thought it was all over for them after the release of INCHES. These guys had nothing to prove…. So they went ahead and made an album of raw intensity and righteous guitar driven rockers anyway. Let’s stay friends indeed.
8) Jose Gonzalez- In Our Nature
Every year it seems we (I) fall in love with some new folk dude. Well, this year it was Jose Gonzalez. He’s like James Taylor and Nick Drake combined except he’s Swedish-Hispanic.
9) Daft Punk- Alive 2007
That last record had us thinking that they were in fact, human after all… Now I’m not so sure. You know, on an unnamed message board someone mentioned that they would rather have had new material. I’m wondering if this person actually listened to this. As my friend Steve put it, “The best thing is it manages to make songs from Human After All sound good. In fact, the album recontextualizes their entire catalog. Any song can become any other song.” He’s exactly right, which is why I’ve placed it in my best of list.
10) Grinderman- Grinderman
Dirty old men led by his majesty Nick Cave make songs that sound like dirty old men led by his majesty Nick Cave. I mean, it makes Mclusky sound like Barney and friends.
Honorable Discharge( I meant mention, but I love that word)
Radiohead- In Rainbows
Oh how the mighty have…uh…. proven themselves mighty. Fuck anyone who can’t understand why they did this.
Caribou- Andorra
Dan Snaith is “the new Zombies this time around”…. Huh? I swear I read that somewhere. Whatever… this guy’s versatility is very impressive…but it’s not what’s great about Andorra. Andorra delivers on a level of lighthearted craftsmanship that we so rarely see in artists these days.
Animal Collective- Strawberry Jam/ Panda Bear- Person Pitch
While neither were my favorite records of the year, there is no doubt in my mind that they are the “PEOPLE TO BE” in music right now.
JUSTICE- I
Yes. Dancing is still fun.
Foreign Born- On the wing now
Dim Mak strokes/walkmen/everyone else soundalikes somehow strike a chord with their moody and not overly ambitious debut.
At Swim Two Birds- Returning to the Scene of the Crime
Quigley covers himself (with the exception of a couple amazing originals). Personally, I think this guy’s bedroom melancholy is near brilliance… but I don’t think it strikes a chord with anyone, no matter how many people I play it for (except for maybe Seanzilla).
The Aliens- Astronomy for Dogs
I hate to break it to everyone, but it’s the Beta Band.
A note: There were so many records this year that were worthy of mention… Iron and Wine is good, A Place to Bury Strangers is cool, Sharon Jones gets me movin’, That Burial record is really something else, Handsome Furs, Kevin Drew, Sword Heaven, Thee More Shallows, Phospohoresent, Black Lips, The Field, you get the idea … but the folks who made it were the honest repeated (like a monkey with a miniature symbol) listens of the year.
Enemies (friends)/////////of the state
Times New Viking- Present the Paisley Reich
Coffinberry- God Damn Dogs
Dreadful Yawns- rest
Psychedelic Horseshit
EMERALDS- every single thing I got my hands on
THE DOLBY FUCKERS- s/t
SINGLE(s) and Loving It
Battles- Tonto (FOUR TET REMIX)
The National- Mistaken for Strangers
Spoon- The Underdog
Euros Childs- Horseriding
Pinback- From Nothing to Nowhere
Grinderman- No Pussy Blues
Justice- D.A.N.C.E.
Look, (awesome) Shit Happens
Sharon Jones finally gets her props. Thanks for coming to the party Denzel.
Ohio’s THE UNHOLY 2 marginalize themselves by virtue of racial slurs and bad emoticons. Who the fuck do these guys think they are, Robert Duffy?
My brother decided to ditch the pop thing do the best thing going for Ohio right now, which is making NoIsE.
Sam Craighead is starting a Cult. Email him here for details
Superbad.
Transformers.
Control.
No one cares about the Libertines…on a related note:
The Kooks and The Cribs and The Horrors and whole host of other brit-press darling rock knockoff whoredom did not go over like the rec execs wanted it to.
Radiohead.
Lindsey Lohan is probably broke
Disappointments
Modest Mouse. Oh where do I start? The addition of a certain Smiths guitarist did nothing. Unless you consider making him look like an ass as something. Aside from that, it’s a forced and stagnant album by any measure. With the exception of a couple tunes, the tracks aren’t memorable or engaging. Ok… I could go on forever, I’ll stop. I’ll save thinking about how disappointed I am in Modest Mouse for a long drive.
The Shins turned into late 90’s “edge” less REM (in spirit and persona, not style) way before their time by virtue of a mediocre album, Starbucks, and the never ending residual effect of that dude from Scrubs.
My friends have always railed on me for maintaining my love of The Sea and Cake; Calling them “Indie Adult Contemporary”, among other things…Anyhow, their latest album, Everybody, proved my friends right. I still listen to it and their live show was amazing…but…..my defenses of this album would be useless and insincere.
Queens of the Stone Age’s Era Vulgaris. Josh, it’s time to get some quality control buddy. Lullabies was good by a thread due to some decent songwriting….but this time there’s just really no excuse for what you’re passing off as an album.
Oh yeah, that band Interpol. WTF? That album fucking sucks.
It’s alright…it’s ok…there’s something to live for, jesus told me so…
Amy Winehouse will probably die and we won’t have to deal with her or her overrated piece of dog crap music anymore.
MORRISSEY
HOT CHIP
MALKMUS
ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT
CONSTANTINES
The NOTWIST?
MEW
(Smog)
Anonomoanon
The Black Angels
Anyone head of this Columbus band called Times New Viking?
Possible Reopening (or something) of THE EUCLID TAVERN (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
I picked up an sneak-peak copy of this, the latest release from one of my favorite new labels Skulltones. Now, I got this after Rusted Shut played, so I am pretty amazed that this was still playable after the Pissed Jeans' incited beer-showers, dudes with rat tails and moustaches moshing outside of the ring and the occasional drunk "I can't believe that your here too!" hug, BUT IT DID! I had no idea what it would sound like so I put it on Sunday morning while Meghan was in the shower (I was in the doghouse that morning after stumbling up the stair piss drunk at 3am, clutching on to a beer-soaked 7" like my life depended on it, so the last thing I wanted to do is be caught listening to what could've potentially been a black turd pressed to vinyl). I was really pleased with what I heard, soaring one-note lead guitar leading the slowly descending punk jam- sounding like something off of Slanted and Enchanted, but undoubtedly one of the many sounds that inspired the landmark album. The most obvious comparison would probably be Flipper, but I think that they're more in the company of The Puddle. After a bit of searching I found out that these guys have another EP that was put out on RRRecords but I have yet to track it down, but give me some time and you can bet your two cents that it'l end up in my bins eventually. This is a usual Skulltones editon of 300, I'd say to move quick, but it'll sell out even if this ain't your bag, what's a recommendation anyways? I'll be back tomorrow.
Sure, Big Bobby Beerbelly made an appearance on my Top 25 of '06 with his double LP From a Compound Eye, but a when it came down to list-time it seemed as if Normal Happiness' medocrity consumed all of Pollard's second wind (fart). I got word today that former GBV-bassist and Off Records' own Chris Slusarenko has just released the new Takeovers album. The first Takeovers album was released last summer and was one of the most disappointing purchases that I made since buying a copy of that second Kula Shaker album from the $3 bin at the old Used Kids. I went to the Off Records site in order to listen to the available tracks and I have to admit that they are fantastic. First of all, it is so nice to not hear the heavy hand of Todd Tobias. Instead the sound of Waved Out, Not In My Airforce prevail... whatever happened to John Shough's Cro-Magnon Studio? Now that was some beef, baby! Stephen Malkmus, John Moen (former Jicks drummer), Tad Doyle (Tad, baby!) and John Peters (Mudhoney) lend their hands, but for the first time in a long, long time Pollard sounds like he's actually got some wind in his lungs, which can't be said for his new Silverfish Trivia EP, blech. Now, Off's only got 3 songs posted, so I can't vouch for the other 9... but I couldn't be more excited about this. Head over there and have yourself a listen, if you don't believe me.
Of all of the stuff that I’ve heard this past week, there have been two releases which have really grabbed a hold of my attention: the latest album from the label, Group Doueh’s Guitar Music from the Western Sahara (read Scott Soriano’s review of it here
I can’t believe that it has been over a month since I posted anything here. You might be thinkin’ that I’m lazy or forgetful… but that couldn’t be farther from the truth: there were only three-four days between the end of my finals for my winter semester and starting this new spring semester, and during that time I’ve been hard at work writing reviews (as well as getting the ball rolling on a couple of exciting interviews) for my home away from here, The Z Gun, and working on some new paintings and drawings for a possible show later this spring. A nice big tax return showed up two weeks ago and I’ve been spending every waking hour ripping my records and tapes so that I can listen to them at school and en route. I’ll throw a couple reviews up on here later this week, because I’m tired of people asking when I’m going to update this damn blog… but really that just shows that there’s people out there who are actually reading and checking the blog on a daily basis, which is very flattering… so thanks for your support… and bear with me, this blog ain’t going anywhere, you will see that it just gets updated more frequently/regularly when my schoolwork doesn’t keep me in the studio 24-7…. time for bed! (pictured is a cardboard panel and duct tape wall system that I worked on over a weekend back in mid-January)August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 December 2007 April 2008
of similar interest:
