Ranking the Beatles June 24, 2011

This week on the always entertaining Judge John Hodgman podcast, the esteemed judge heard an interesting case–is the Beatles White Album one of their top five records? Judge Hodgman ruled no, and I would have to agree–along with Sgt. Pepper, it is always overvalued in the Fab Four’s canon.

So, what then, would a proper list of the band’s best albums look like? I am certainly not qualified to answer that, but because this is a blog, and bloggers are not qualified to answer anything and do anyway, I may as well give it a shot.

1. Revolver–no brainer.
2. Rubber Soul
3. Abbey Road
4. Let it Be–always unfairly maligned. Yes, the band was completely disjointed at this point. No, it’s not a cohesive album. But it’s a bunch of really good songs.
5. Help!
6. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band–“A Day in the Life,” “Getting Better,” and a lot of stuff that’s just kinda ehhh.
7. The White Album–six or seven pretty good songs, but just oh so much filler…
8. Hard Day’s Night
9. With the Beatles
10. Beatles for Sale

The Best 90s One Hit Wonders March 23, 2011

Back in the 90s, I used to religiously listen to alternative rock stations. There was always great new music being played, and me, being a middle/high school student looking for things to listen to, ate it up.

The 90s were an interesting time in the music industry–downloading hadn’t come into vogue yet, and record labels still were making record profits. They were always on the lookout for the ‘new thing’ after Nirvana hit. But 95% of the bands they signed had very little success commercially. Most would have one hit song, and that was it. The record label could tell these guys wouldn’t be huge stars, stopped promoting them, and watched them fall off the face of the earth.

Everybody remembers that one hit. However, a lot of the “one-hit wonder” bands of the 90s actually had other songs that were pretty good. Sure, they didn’t go on to have long careers, for the most part–most crashed and burned. A few went underground (Nada Surf being the most prominent example) and become indie success stories, but most faded into oblivion.

I have a lot of the albums that these one hits came from, and a lot of them aren’t bad at all. Some bands have songs better than their one hit–Dishwalla’s hit, “Counting Blue Cars,” is probably the eighth or ninth best song on their album Pet Your Friends. But it’s all they are known for.

So, in honor of these (mostly) forgotten bands, here is a mix (a two CD mix! I have way too many cds by 90s one-hit wonders because you can buy any of them at used stores for like a buck or two) of their OTHER songs. A lot of these songs were singles, but did not come close to matching the popularity of the band’s one hit.  Enjoy.

Disc 1:

1. The Refreshments–“Preacher’s Daughter”
*Only put out two CDs, but leader Roger Clyne is still putting out great solo albums.
2. Marcy Playground–“Saint Joe On The School Bus”
3. Oleander–“She’s Up, She’s Down”
4. For Squirrels–“Orangeworker”
*The one-hit wonder that became a one-hit wonder by tragedy–right after finishing their first album, half the band was killed when their bus crashed.
5. Dishwalla–“Pretty Babies”
6. Dog’s Eye View–“Umbrella”
7. Superdrag–“Slot Machine”
8. Nada Surf–“Do It Again”
9. The Rentals–“The Love I’m Searching For”
10. Semisonic–“Secret Smile”
11. Orbit–“Yeah”
12. Nine Days–“If I Am”
*A minor hit in it’s own right, although virtually nobody remembers anything besides “Story of a Girl”
13. Meat Puppets–“Sewn Together”
14. Candlebox–“Don’t You”
*Kind of a two-hit wonder, but I’ll include them anybody. Not to be confused with the hit on the album, which was just called “You.”

Disc 2
1. Tripping Daisy–“Rocketpop”
2. Screaming Trees–“All I Know”
3. Supergrass–“Caught By the Fuzz”
4. Eagle Eye Cherry–“Falling in Love Again”
5. Dinosaur Jr–“I Don’t Think So”
6. Splender–“I Don’t Understand”
7. Dovetail Joint–“Oh My God”
8. Sprung Monkey–“Naked”
9. Gin Blossoms–“Until I Fall Away”
10. Soul Asylum–‘Somebody to Shove”
11. Letters to Cleo–“Because of You”
12. Seven Mary Three–“Lucky”
13. The Verve Pipe–“Villians”
14. Tonic–“Waiting for the Light to Change”

Did Arcade Fire actually win a Grammy? February 14, 2011

I don’t know for sure, because I didn’t watch it, but that’s what I’m hearing. It makes it seem like the Grammys are a music competition, instead of a “we’ll give an award to anyone who can draw attention to themselves the most” competition. Considering three of the five finalists had no actual talent, it’s a tossup to what the future entails for the Grammy awards, and what direction they will head towards. But now at least it’s a discussion that they may reward music.

The irony is that Arcade Fire won for the album that was a major step down from their previous two. Still good, but not as good. Then again, compared to the competition, musically, it’s a masterpiece.

For now, I still will consider the Grammys to be worthy of this.

Best of 2010 Mix CD (2 CD Set!) January 7, 2011

As usual, I couldn’t get all the songs I wanted onto one disc, so I split it into two cds. Also as usual, if anybody wants a copy of these, just let me know, I’d be glad to burn you a copy.

CD1:

1. Wolf Parade–“Pobody’s Nerfect”
2. Rocky Votolato–“Red River”
3. Rogue Wave–“Good Morning”
4. Arcade Fire–“Half Light I”
5. Pearly Gate Music–“Big Escape”
6. None More Black–“Cupcake Wednesday”
7. The New Pornographers–“If You Can’t See My Mirrors”
8. Superchunk–“Winter Games”
9. Eels–“Mansions of Los Feliz”
10. Retribution Gospel Choir–“Hide it Away”
11. Get Up Kids—“Regent’s Court”
12. Yeasayer–“Rome”
13. Lifehouse–“All In”
14. The Hold Steady–“We Can Get Together”

CD2

1. Shout Out Louds–“Show Me Something New”
2. Bettie Serveert–“Deny All”
3. Quasi–“Everything and Nothing at All”
4. Jaguar Love–“Poloroids and Red Wine”
5. Belle and Sebastian–“I Didn’t See it Coming”
6. Starlight Mints–“Paralyzed”
7. Gaslight Anthem–“The Queen of Lower Chelsea”
8. Mumford and Sons–“White Blank Page”
9. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals–“Breakdown Into the Resolve”
10. Dr. Dog–“Stranger”
11. Matt Pond PA–“Specks”
12. Nada Surf–“Love Goes On”
13. Blunt Mechanic–“Our First Brains”
14. Band of Horses–“Blue Beard”

The Coldplay Test August 24, 2010

There are two reasons not to listen to a specific artist. One, obviously, is if they’re awful (for example: Stefani Germanotta). Another reason is blandness. If it’s boring, we tend to tune it out.

Coldplay is a great example of this. The best way I can describe their music is with this story. A few years ago, I was in the car with my family, off to some holiday function, I don’t remember what. I was sitting in the front seat, and my dad was playing Coldplay on the stereo. It wasn’t until track SIX that I realized there was music playing.

A lot of people refer to this phenomenon as elevator music. It’s so generic it’s meant to be ignored. But this is not music meant to be ignored, it’s just dull.

Now, most albums will not be that obvious. But it probably requires a test, for checking a records dullness quotient. I’m certainly not a scientist, but try this little experiment.

1. Put the CD in question in your computer.

2. Hit play, loud enough to hear it, and go a few feet away, to a couch, bed, etc. Do something else for a few minutes–read, tidy up, etc.

3. After three or four songs, press stop.

4. Can you answer the following questions?

*Do you remember a particular lyric that stood out? Can you remember it?

*Was there a guitar riff that stayed in your head?

*Did you immediately compare the band’s style to another band, or think of  it was unique?

*Can you immediately decide which of the songs you liked best?

*Did you ever stop what you were doing just to listen, even for a minute?

If you said no to all of these questions, the band may have failed the Coldplay test. Sometimes, albums have to grow on you, and it’s ok. But if you’ve listened to it ten times and it still doesn’t sound interesting, it may be the Coldplay test telling you something.

The 33 Albums I Wouldn’t Want to Live Without August 12, 2010

The Afghan Whigs—Gentlemen
The Arcade Fire—Funeral
The Arcade Fire—Neon Bible
The Beatles—Abbey Road
The Beatles—Let It Be
The Beatles—Revolver
The Beatles—Rubber Soul
Billy Joel—The Stranger
Bob Dylan—Blood on the Tracks
Bob Dylan—Desire
Bright Eyes—Lifted
*The Clash—London Calling
The Cure—Disintegration
*The Cure—Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
Elliott Smith—Either/Or
Elliott Smith—Figure 8
Elliott Smith—XO
Elton John—Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John—Honky Chateau
**Elvis Costello and the Attractions—Best Of
***George Harrison—All Things Must Pass
**John Lennon—Wonsoponatime
**Johnny Cash—16 Biggest Hits
Lucero—1372 Overton Park
****Neil Young—Live at Massey Hall 1971
Neutral Milk Hotel—In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Nirvana—In Utero
**The Replacements—Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was?
**Talking Heads—The Best of the Talking Heads
Traveling Wilburys—Volume 1
**Van Morrison—Best of Van Morrison
Violent Femmes—Violent Femmes
Wilco—Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

*Double Albums when they came out on vinyl, but single on CD. Definitely counts.
**Is a “best of” album cheating? Yes. But I don’t care.
***Triple Album on vinyl, double on CD. Bending the rules here extensively.
****Had to throw in one live album, and it’s only sort of cheating.

Does not include CDs I would want for specific events–The Eels “Electro-Shock Blues” if I was going to commit suicide, Glassjaw’s “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence” if I needed to stay awake, etc. Also had to leave a lot of artists I love off (Springsteen, R.E.M., U2, Tom Petty, etc.) just do to space concerns. And I’m sure I forgot something. But for now, I like my list.

Rocking The Suburbs August 5, 2010

The third album by the Arcade Fire came out on Tuesday. As a matter of principle, I spent way too much on it so I could buy it at an INDEPENDENT record store. Now I love indie stores, but I wasn’t really near a good indie so I had to spend $15 on it instead of the $4 I could have spent buying the mp3s on amazon (which I hate doing, I like physical product) or $10 at best buy.

However, being that they are the best independent rock band in the world, I had to shop indie or I’d feel like a whore. However, my whoredom is not what this post is about. The Suburbs came out on Tuesday, and chances are fair that it will debut at #1 on the Billboard charts. Most buzz says it will, and their previous album debuted at #2 in the U.S. and #1 in basically every other country on the planet Earth. On the radio show Sound Opinions, Jim DeRogatis called them the biggest and most popular independent band since R.E.M debuted in the early 80s, which is probably true. Seven minutes from now, they will be playing a show at Madison Square Garden that will be broadcast live on YouTube and directed by Terry freakin’ Gilliam, a huge fan (along with Springsteen, Bono, Bowie, and all their other giant fans)

The question is: what does this mean? Does this mean that independent music is officially dead or that it’s vibrant? Paste Magazine did a piece on this a few months ago that didn’t come to a conclusion, and I’m not sure I can either. If the independent morphs into the mainstream, does that mean that the independent no longer exists? When great indie artists like the Hold Steady and Neko Case (and not-as-great bands like the National and the Shins) are debuting high on the charts, does that mean indie is dead?

I can’t answer that question. All I can do is listen to the Suburbs and enjoy it. Whether it’s indie and nobody likes it or it’s indie and everybody likes it or it’s mainstream or whatever, it’s awesome music. I suppose that is all that matters. I’m not a real hipster–I can tell you a list of 100 popular bands I love. I like what I like. And like the 150,000 people that will purchase this album this week, I will like the Arcade Fire.

Five Christian Artists That Actually Don’t Suck July 29, 2010

Christian music is kind of a laughingstock to everybody but non-Christians. And with good reason. Most of it is generic, simplistic, and meant for a very small portion of the population who thinks it is actually listenable.

However, underneath all the muck, there is some music that is really good. Some of it is popular, some of it isn’t, but there is some good stuff out there that is a) not preachy and b) not generic.

Starting with the popular:

1. Switchfoot–While the band is not overtly Christian on most of their songs, everybody knows it about them, so they count. Switchfoot writes positive songs with good messages about hope and love, and let’s face it, there aren’t enough good power-pop bands out there (I don’t know why) and they are one of the best.

2. Sufjan Stevens–The greatest folk-pop singer out there, or at least one of the best, a strange Brooklynite who promised to write an album about all fifty states, then renegged and said he wasn’t serious after completing…two. Hasn’t come up with new music in five years outside of an instrumental album about a highway…Also claims not to own any of his instruments. .However, he is supposedly working on new material at the moment, and I can’t wait. He’s never let me down before, and I don’t think he would start now.

The-not-quite-as-popular:

3. mewithoutYou–Lead by the indescribable Aaron Weiss, a vegetarian who eats burgers out of  trash cans to stop people from wasting food, dances like a ballerina on stage, and the one time I saw them, muttered indecipherable statements about his girlfriend between songs. Like U2, they seem to reinvent themselves on every album, going from hardcore to hard rock to alternative without skipping a beat, and souding great no matter what. One thing stays constant, however. And that would be the beards.

4. The Welcome Wagon–Consisting of a pastor and his wife, the most spiritually-inclined of any of the bands on the list (at least on the surface) writes gorgeous slow pop music much in the vein of their friend (and producer) Sufjan Stevens. They don’t tour for the most part, but their one-and-a-half albums are beautiful.

And although they have long since broken up:

5. Five Iron Frenzy–The goofiest ska band this side of Reel Big Fish (with far less cursing), an FIF show always was a fun experience. I never happened to see them when they were dressing up in Star Trek uniforms (I don’t think), but I saw everything from Switchfoot opening for THEM to Warped Tour to their final tour. And it was always fun.

Now, there are other Christian performers who have put out at least one good record. Bands like Stavesacre, Project 86, and Pedro the Lion have made worthwhile music at a time or another, but they were never “essential” bands that consistently put out good material. So if you want to know if a Christian band is worth listening to, well they probably aren’t. 99% of it is crap. But dig enough, and you’ll find something good.

Top Ten Cds I’ve heard so far this year July 19, 2010

I don’t have an unlimited budget (or, right now, really any budget at all), but I try to keep somewhat current on music. As it is more than halfway through the year, this is my top ten so far in 2010.

10. Drive-By Truckers–The Big To-Do
9. Matt Pond PA–The Dark Leaves
8. Rocky Votolato–True Devotion
7. The Gaslight Anthem–American Slang
6. Wolf Parade–Expo 86
5. New Pornographers–Together
4. The Hold Steady–Heaven is Whenever
3. Band of Horses–Infinite Arms
2. Yeasayer–Odd Blood
1. Shout Out Louds–Work

A Better You July 14, 2010

“Unbeknownst to me, there was a better ME!”–Lewis Black

The above quote comes from a great routine in which Black talks about the insanity that came from being pitched a sitcom based on his life, flying to L.A. to audition for the part–and not getting it. Sadly, I can’t find a quote of the entire routine, and I’m far too lazy to type it all up. It’s on his album “The White Album,” if you want to check it out.

Most people know I love The Cure. Robert Smith is a genius who has written some of the most amazing music of the past three decades. In the best part of their career (1985-1996) they seemed physically incapable of writing a bad song.

However, the past decade has been really slow and not too interesting for everyone’s favorite goth rockers. Since the somewhat good Bloodflowers in 2000, the band has released only two albums, both incredibly mediocre by Cure standards.

A few hundred miles away, in Sweden, The Shout Out Louds have released three great albums since 2005. And they sound…almost exactly like the Cure. But currently–far better. So, at the moment, it seems like they are a better version of the Cure than the Cure is. I’m not sure what this means.

Should they pass a symbolic mantle? Combine the bands? (Why not, 823 people have been in the Cure) Switch names? (It would be like sending Robert Smith to the minors, which I don’t think he would take well–he might let Barbra Streisand destroy South Park).

I don’t begrudge the Shout Out Louds for this. Good for them for making great music. I think it just means we need more (and more captivating) music from Mr. Smith and company.

Finding new music April 30, 2009

Anybody who knows me is well-aware of my music obsession. I have way, way too many songs on my Ipod, and I’m always on the lookout for new music. There are a lot of places to find new music, but these are my favorites.

Paste Magazine (www.pastemagazine.com). Cheap (only $20 for 12 issues) and always includes a CD, Paste has been the best music magazine out there for several years now. While the columns (and columnists) are incredibly hit-or-miss, they have great features on up and coming bands and a huge reviews section, as well as snippets on bands NOBODY’S heard of that I turned out to love (Slow Runner, Los Campesinos, etc.).

Relevant Magazine (www.relevantmagazine.com). Not a music magazine per se–it’s actually a Christian magazine that follows pop culture)–but their podcast, magazine and website always feature new artists, some of which are pretty good. Some aren’t…but that’s why you actually listen before you buy.

Find a label….and stick with it. There are some GREAT independent labels out there, and usually they don’t sign crap. All these labels have streaming music on their site, and it’s easy to just go on there and give bands a shot. My favorite labels–Barsuk and Merge are the top two, by far, but also there is some good music on Saddle Creek, Sub Pop, Vagrant and Matador.

NPR All Songs Considered podcasts. All Songs Considered features several noteworthy artists, but the best part are the live concerts. Downloadable shows up to two hours long by the best bands in the world. No reason not to check them out.

Sound Opinions. Good music podcast (usually) that has good bands come through and has music news each week. Some of the ‘special’ shows where they focus on a particular classic album or ongoing development are good too.

The Interface–Look it up on ITunes. Video podcast that has a band play for 20 minutes or so. Takes up a lot of room, but for the good bands it is worth it (and if it sucks, you can just delete it later)

My Ten Favorite Songs about God April 22, 2009

10. World Without End (Five Iron Frenzy)—had to put at least one song by an actual Christian band on here, and FIF was always my favorite Christian band…goofy yet serious, smart yet sophomoric. This is one of the tracks where the world’s coolest ska band actually talked about their faith, but while being incredibly catchy.

9. In the Sun (Joseph Arthur)—Prominently displayed in just about every movie ever made and covered by Peter Gabriel, Coldplay and R.E.M. (among others), a simple, pure song about blessings. May God’s love be with you.

8. George Harrison—My Sweet Lord—From the best post-Beatles solo album (you can’t deny that), not all these songs have to be about Jesus…here’s one about the Hare Krishna!

7. Intervention (Arcade Fire)—They are the best band in the world right now, and the entire Neon Bible album talked about the ills of religion. I could have gone with several songs here, but this one is the hardest to read the exact meaning (which makes it more ‘indie’).

6. God (John Lennon)—For a song that’s really just a list of things he doesn’t believe in, this is a song that really has stood the test of time. The line “God is a concept by which we measure our pain” is so brilliant only about four people who have ever lived could have written it.

5. Lord, I Know We Don’t Talk (Kevin Devine). I know as a songwriter Kevin Devine doesn’t really match up with the people below him. But I love this song. What starts as a confessional about not talking to God becomes a “you show me something first before I believe in you” moment we all feel. “’til then, it’s one more skeptical song. And I’ll be glad as hell. If you can prove me wrong.”

4. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Elton John). Not really a song about religion, but any song with “I thank the Lord for the people I have found,” spoken by one of the best singers ever to live, is good enough for me.

3. With God on Our Side (Bob Dylan). Written in his early twenties (which just makes the rest of us feel like we’ve never accomplished anything), this epic ballad talks about the dangers of blind faith and a predisposition to accepting violence as a way of life that some religious people adhere to.

2. That’s the Way God Planned It (Billy Preston). Even if God didn’t plan for Billy to die after decades of drug abuse, the song is an inspirational tale about love and the beauty that surrounds us every day. Amazing performance of this song at the Concert for Bangladesh, including a bizarre, random dance Billy does near the end.

1. Have I Told You Lately (Van Morrison). Possibly the greatest love song ever written, directed towards God or directed towards anyone, really. Van the Man has written some pretty amazing songs in his forty-plus years of recording, but this is the pinnacle.

Honorable Mention:

He Never Said A Mumbling Word (The Welcome Wagon)
God’s Love (Bad Religion)
God Gave Me a Gun (Roger Clyne)
I Think God Can Explain (Splender)
Bliss Tearing Eyes (Dead Poetic)
Forgiven (Denison Witmer)
Faith (Violent Femmes)
Evangeline (Matthew Sweet)
January 1979 (MewithoutYou)
Do It Again (Nada Surf)
King of Carrot Flowers 2 (Neutral Milk Hotel)
Thoughts of a Dying Atheist (Muse)
Clark Gable (The Postal Service)
Gospel Plow (Screaming Trees)
Casimir Pulaski Day (Sufjan Stevens)
Life and Love and Why (Switchfoot)
When God Made Me (Neil Young)

Dark Was The Night Review March 3, 2009

Considering I’ve been trying to get people to buy the new AIDS benefit album, Dark Was the Night, I think it’s time for a review! Because it’s 31 songs by different artists, a track-by-track review is more appropriate then a full review. Overall, very good, with a bunch of weak tracks that you should just skip. I’ll tell you which ones to skip, though! Save the trouble!

And buy it, really…I got it for $11.99 at Best Buy. Good price for a 2 CD set that goes to a good cause.

Disc 1:

1 Knotty Pine – Dirty Projectors + David Byrne: A. The woman’s voice is a little grating, especially at the beginning of the song, but then it starts to get catchy. Plus, it has David Byrne in it, and the parts where they duet are really good. Nice acoustic riff, as well.

2 Cello Song (Nick Drake cover) – The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez: A-. I’ve never understood Jose Gonzalez’s love of techno covers, but this is a good example of it, and if anyone is going to cover Nick Drake, it should be somebody who sounds exactly like him. And considering he sounds exactly like him, it’s probably better they went in an electronic direction rather than with an acoustic guitar, where it would just sound exactly like the original.

3 Train Song (Vashti Bunyan cover) – Feist + Ben Gibbard. A-. I’ve never been a big Feist fan, but dueting with the Death Cab frontman works well for her (maybe because you don’t have to listen to her solo!). Good, not great song.

4 Brackett, WI – Bon Iver. C-. Dull, lifeless track.

5 Deep Blue Sea – Grizzly Bear. A-. Has to lose some points simply because it’s just such a downer you want to throw yourself off a cliff when listening to it (I’d recommend not listening to it in the car, or while swimming, considering it is about drowning). However, it’s certainly something that will get stuck in your head.

6 So Far Around the Bend – The National. A. I’ve never really understood why the National is such a critical darling, considering their ‘amazing’ album had exactly one good song on it–“Mistaken for Strangers”–and a lot of mumbly mediocrity besides that. But I really like this song. You can actually understand the singer, and it’s got a nice chorus (which most National songs don’t)

7 Tightrope – Yeasayer. A+. I had never heard of Yeasayer before this compilation, but now I wish I had. Incredibly catchy and good song.

8 Feeling Good (popularized by Nina Simone) – My Brightest Diamond. C. I heard so many good things about Shara that I bought her album, and I just really didn’t like a lot of it. Her voice sometimes gives you a headache, and while she sometimes gets into slightly poppier stuff, sometimes she doesn’t. The beginning of the song is an example of when she’s hard to listen to, and the middle is when she isn’t. Ok overall, but there are sections that the vocal range just gets to be too much.

9 Dark Was the Night (Blind Willie Johnson cover) – Kronos Quartet. C-. Instrumental made to sound like it was recorded in the 20s. Doesn’t make it listenable. Yawn.

10 I Was Young When I Left Home (Bob Dylan cover) – Antony + Bryce Dessner. D. Dylan would roll over in his grave, if he was dead. God damn, this guy Antony can’t sing.

11 Big Red Machine – Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner. D+. I can barely listen to these two voices apart, let alone together.

12 Sleepless – The Decemberists. A+. It’s hard to give a song an A+ when it really takes three minutes to even get going. It’s really a B- for the first three minutes and an A++ for the last five (making eight, for all you math majors). But the last five minutes of this song are utterly perfect. A beautiful yet catchy yet heartbreaking perfection of sound. But, you know, I don’t want to be too positive about it or anything.

13 Stolen Houses (Die) – Iron and Wine. A. All 66 seconds of this song are great. But it’s hard to give an A+ to a song barely over a minute long.

14 Service Bell – Grizzly Bear + Feist. C-. And this is what happens when you do let Feist sing, while Grizzly Bear sounds like an actual grizzly and basically just grunts throughout. At least it’s short.

15 You Are The Blood – Sufjan Stevens. A-. And speaking of short, this certainly isn’t. 10 1/2 minutes of all-out insanity. And when I say insanity, I mean it is weird not for most people but for Sufjan, which is hard to even imagine. Strange noises, electronic pauses, screeching, every instrument known to man, and I don’t know what else. Still, it’s pretty good in (most) parts. And the horns are great.

Disc 2:

1 Well-Alright – Spoon. A+. Great bass groove, amazing riff. Classic Spoon.

2 Lenin – Arcade Fire. B+. The best band in the world didn’t even record a new song for the collection, as this is apparently a castoff from the Neon Bible sessions. And it’s obvious why it didn’t make the album. Not terrible, but certainly not up to their standards.

3 Mimizan – Beirut. B+. Has a little bit of the childrens-song-from-hell aspect of an Eels song, but not quite as good. I like it though, from a band I had never heard of before.

4 El Caporal – My Morning Jacket. A. Really catchy, almost gave this one my fourth A+, but it just missed the cut. Jim James nails this one, even if the lyrics make absolutely no sense.

5 Inspiration Information (Shuggie Otis cover) – Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. C+. Sharon Jones is everywhere these days, for some reason. If you like old-school R+B, this is pretty good. Not my thing, though.

6 With A Girl Like You (The Troggs cover) – Dave Sitek. A. Fuzzy guitars, horn-filled (if this album had a theme, horns would be it!), while melodic at parts and dark in others.

7 Blood Pt 2 (based on original song “You are the Blood” by the Castanets) – Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti). D. Huh? Was there a “we need one crappy rap song” requirement. Although, how often do you see a compilation where they sample ANOTHER SONG ON THE COMPILATION?

8 Hey, Snow White (Destroyer cover) – The New Pornographers. A. Even if Carl Newman and Neko Case are the ones singing, does it really count as a “cover” if Dan Bejar, who is Destroyer, is also in the New Pornographers? That’s not really a cover. It’s a great song and I’m making a semantics argument, but still.

9 Gentle Hour (Snapper cover) – Yo La Tengo. A-. Good, not great, song from Yo La Tengo. Just like every other Yo La Tengo song.

10 Another Saturday (traditional) – Stuart Murdoch. A-. The Belle and Sebastian lead singer records a simple, slow song more in tune with older B+S material than the more recent ones.

11 Happiness – Riceboy Sleeps. D. Sleeps is a very appropriate word here. 8 1/2 minute instrumental that made me want to take a nap.

12 Amazing Grace (traditional) – Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues. C+. Strange version of a song everyone knows. Not a big Cat Power fan though (there ARE female singers I do like, I swear!)

13 The Giant Of Illinois (Handsome Family cover) – Andrew Bird. C. I don’t care if nerdy girls are in love with Andrew Bird, I still don’t care. Dull, dull, dull.

14 Lua – Conor Oberst + Gillian Welch. C+. Gillian Welch’s appearance makes this great Bright Eyes song worse. Just listen to the original.

15 When the Road Runs Out – Blonde Redhead + Devastations. C-. If you didn’t stop listening a few songs ago, why not?

16 Love vs. Porn – Kevin Drew. C+. Another yawner. They really didn’t end the compilation well, obviously.

Best songs of 2008 December 27, 2008

I made a two-cd mixtape for my favorite songs of 2008…if anyone wants a copy, let me know…

CD1

Slow Runner—The Stakes Were Raised

My Morning Jacket—I’m Amazed

The Welcome Wagon—Sold! To the Nice Rich Man

Death Cab for Cutie—No Sunlight

The Gutter Twins—God’s Children

Snow Patrol—If There’s a Rocket Tie Me To It

Los Campesinos!—Death to Los Campesinos!

She and Him—Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?

Weezer—Heart Songs

Sigur Ros—Inní mér syngur vitleysingur

Bloc Party—One Month Off

Matt Keating—St. Cloud

R.E.M.—Living Well is the Best Revenge

Wolf Parade—Call it a Ritual

Counting Crows—Los Angeles

Nada Surf—Beautiful Beat

 

 

CD2

Black Kids—I Won’t Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance with You

Bon Iver—Skinny Love

Drive By Truckers—That Man I Shot

Keane—Spiraling

Joseph Arthur—Temporary People

The International Noise Conspiracy—Washington Bullets

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan—Trouble

Conor Oberst—Souled Out!

Mates of State—My Only Offer

Ben Folds—You Don’t Know Me

The Cure—The Only One

Ryan Adams—Fix It

Rise Against—Collapse

What Made Milwaukee Famous—Resistance St.

The Raconteurs—Many Shades of Black

Christmas mixtape December 8, 2008

Eels–“Everything’s Going To Be Cool This Christmas” (featuring possibly my favorite song lyric of all time, “Baby Jesus…born to rock.”)
Rosie Thomas–“Why Can’t It Be Christmas Time All Year”
Sufjan Stevens–“Put the Lights on the Tree” and basically every other song on his 5 CD Xmas album
John Lennon–“Happy Xmas (War is Over)”–Although I can also recommend the covers by Thrice, Sense Field and Badly Drawn Boy
Leigh Nash–“Last Christmas”
John Denver and the Muppets–“12 Days of Christmas” (Damn right)
Kevin Devine–“Splitting Up Christmas”
Viva Voce–“God Rest Ye Merry Little Gentlemen”
Bright Eyes–“Blue Christmas”
Dr. Teeth and The Electric Hayhem–“‘Zat You, Santa Claus?”
Vito Aiuto (on the Sufjan album)–“Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella”
Ben Folds–“Bizarre Christmas Incident”
Mannheim Steamroller-“Celebration”
Jimmy Eat World–“12/23/95”
Dustin Kensrue–“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
Ryan Adams–“Hey Parker, it’s Christmas!”

Personality and music taste October 24, 2008

As spoken about on this week’s episode of the radio show Sound Opinions (which, for the most part, I recommend–they often get good bands to play on it), there’s a new study coming out of the U.K. that surveyed 36,000 people and asked about both their favorite styles of music and their personality.

“Researchers have been showing for decades that fans or rock and rap are rebellious, and that fans of opera are wealthy and well-educated, but this is the first time that research has shown that personality links to liking for a wide range of musical styles,” said Professor Adrian North, the study’s author. “We asked people to rate how much they liked 104 musical styles, before then completing a personality test. 36518 people from all around the world took part, and the research is by far the largest study of musical preference and personality ever undertaken.”

“Jazz and classical music fans are creative and have good self-esteem, but the former are much more outgoing whereas the latter are shy. Country and western fans are hardworking and shy, whereas rap fans are outgoing. Indie fans lack self-esteem, and aren’t terribly gentle people, but are at least creative. Contrary to the stereotype, heavy metal fans are gentle and at ease with themselves”

Indie fans are listed as “Low self-esteem, creative, not hard working, not gentle.” Fuck. It’s like he’s following me around.

I can completely understand that though. Indie fans like going against the grain, being outcasts, doing things that aren’t considered ‘normal,’ so they are more apt to want to create themselves. The low-self esteem thing is an easy one–when you’re different, you’re being bombarded with 900000 images telling you that you SHOULD listen to Coldplay, that you SHOULD shop at Wal-Mart, etc. Not gentle, well just watch High Fidelity…we do enjoy telling Britney Spears fans that the music they listen to is shit. As for not-hard-working…can’t explain that…although I’m not denying it. Maybe it’s because all we want to do is get jobs at used CD and book stores and insult customers?

Rock and heavy metal is categorized as “Low self-esteem, creative, not hard-working, not outgoing, gentle, at ease.” Lots of similarities, and they are gentle because they are ok with other people’s music, for the most part. However, it doesn’t seem like low self-esteem and at ease should be together.

BLUES: High self-esteem, creative, outgoing, gentle and at ease
JAZZ: High self-esteem, creative, outgoing and at ease
CLASSICAL MUSIC: High self-esteem, creative, introvert and at ease
RAP: High self-esteem, outgoing
OPERA: High self-esteem, creative, gentle
COUNTRY AND WESTERN: Hardworking, outgoing
REGGAE: High self-esteem, creative, not hardworking, outgoing, gentle and at ease
DANCE: Creative, outgoing, not gentle
INDIE: Low self-esteem, creative, not hard working, not gentle
BOLLYWOOD: Creative, outgoing
ROCK/HEAVY METAL: Low self-esteem, creative, not hard-working, not outgoing, gentle, at ease
CHART POP: High self-esteem, not creative, hardworking, outgoing, gentle, not at ease
SOUL: High self-esteem, creative, outgoing, gentle, at ease

By the way, WordPress is now giving me the ability to put in polls easily, so i’m going to try it!

10 Great Under the Radar songs of 2008 September 30, 2008

I was thinking about doing an early top 25 songs list, but to tell you the truth I haven’t listened to enough stuff…a lot of albums I probably will buy are coming out soon (Joseph Arthur, Ben Folds, The Cure, Kaiser Chiefs, Rise Against), and a lot of albums that are out I haven’t gotten yet, even though I’ve heard a lot of them (Death Cab for Cutie, The Raconteurs, The Hold Steady). So no list as of yet. Instead, I’m going to list 10 songs I HAVE heard by bands that aren’t necessarily household names that I really like, and most likely will be on that list when I actually do it.

In no particular order…

Slow Runner–The Stakes Were Raised–I heard four songs of this band on their myspace page and thought it was the best album I’d ever heard…then I heard the rest of the album, which was three more mediocre songs and two instrumentals, and I just got the mp3s of those original four songs. The band somehow manage to out-Death Cab Death Cab, doing whatever the hell they do to sound good better than they do.

Mates of State–My Only Offer–Band that has been around forever, usually with somewhat good songs. This isn’t the best song by them I’ve ever heard (that would be “Fraud in the 80s”), which is a little peppier, but this has a catchy chorus and nice piano riff.

Matt Keating–St. Cloud–Had never heard of him, even though he’s apparently been releasing albums for the past 15 years, until I saw him open for Joseph Arthur last week. Writes good power-pop songs in the vein of Matthew Sweet, I thought. Not bad.

Tokyo Police Club–Juno–Buzz band has some good, albeit short, songs. None of them have particularly stood out, but this is probably the best of them.

Black Kids–I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You–a horrible band to tell people you’re listening to…”What are you listening to?” “Black Kids!” “I don’t care what race they are, what’s the name of the band,” This song is proof that I’ve started listening to pop music. Because it basically is pop music, uber-poppy fun stuff that I usually avoid, but I’m starting to get into WHEN DONE RIGHT. Which is rare.

Against Me!–Thrash Unreal–Another band that has been around forever, and one that I generally never thought very highly of. But I like their new album, and this is a strong indication of the direction they’re going in.

Bon Iver–Skinny Love–A little emo for my taste, but also has the Iron and Wine vibe as well, which is a little stronger. Nice acoustic song that gets a little over-emotional at times, but still warrants additional listens.

Los Campesinos–My Year in Lists–The second bit of proof I’m listening to pop music, this song, which is undeniably silly, is also mind-numbingly catchy. The lyrics aren’t brilliant, but it’s a fun listen.

What Made Milwaukee Famous–Resistance St.–Loved the 60’s sound of their previous ‘hit’ “Sweet Lady” off their previous album. This is nowhere near as good as that song, but it’s good enough to still be a top song.

The (International) Noise Conspiracy–Despite having the greatest titled song in the history of time (2001’s “Capitalism Stole My Virginity”), these Swedish commies (yes, they really are communists) are one of the top two punk bands in the world right now alongside Rise Against. And the songs are just so fucking catchy. The new album’s not out yet, but they debuted this song on myspace and it’s up to T(I)NC standards.

Possible New Blog? September 22, 2008

I’m thinking about starting a new blog solely about music…not 100% sure I’m going to do it yet, but this is getting a little boring to me and maybe something a little more specialized would be cool…record reviews, concert reviews, artists to watch, etc….keep your eyes out for that…

The bands most present on my Ipod August 3, 2008

I’ve done Ipod shuffle lists on this blog, but I have yet to write what is actually on there in its entirety. Thanks to the ease of searches, I’ve written which artists I have the most songs by on there. Luckily, the best band of all time is #1. That is a relief.

(And yes, I will burn cds for loyal readers. If you say pretty please.)

Bands/Artists I have at least 80 songs by:

The Beatles—280
The Cure—226
Bob Dylan—223
Elliott Smith—210
Eels—174
Bright Eyes—174
John Lennon (solo)—155
Nirvana—153
Five Iron Frenzy—139
Wilco—135
Green Day—123
The Lemonheads—106
Sufjan Stevens—102
Billy Joel—101
The Ataris—98
Weezer—97
R.E.M.—95
The Clash—94
Less Than Jake—92
Toad the Wet Sprocket—89
Belle and Sebastian—86
Counting Crows—86
Goo Goo Dolls—82

The best alt-country bands July 5, 2008

It’s hard to really qualify alternative country. Is it anything that sounds like southern rock? Rock with a fiddle? What is it? I don’t know…I’ll go with the indecency slogan–“I know it when I see it.”

11. Drive-By Truckers—Just the name sounds country. Not always great, but they have some pretty good songs.

10. Son Volt—I’ve never been as high as Son Volt as most alt-country fans are. Maybe it’s just my tastes, but in the Wilco/Son Volt battle, I always choose Wilco. But Son Volt is still a pretty good band, and their last album is probably their best.

9. Murder By Death—Despite a name that sounds like a death metal act, MBD is pretty country, and although their latest album isn’t nearly as good as its predecessor, when they’re good, they’re REALLY good (“I’m Afraid of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe” is still one of my favorite songs of all time). And yes, Sarah is pretty cute.

8. Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers/The Refreshments—Two different bands that share two (including the singer) members, and considering the Peacemakers play a ton of Refreshments tunes, and combined they’ve been really good for more than a decade

7. Ryan Adams—Especially early in his career, Adams personified alt-country. And drug abuse. But mostly alt-country.

6. Steve Earle—Definitely the most country on the list, Mr. Earle has the ability to rock out once in a while (the uber-catchy “Satellite Radio” being a prime example), while keeping his country edge, appearing on tv shows and going to jail.

5. Uncle Tupelo—Would be #1 if this was solely based on influence, considering they basically invented the alt-country genre and spawned two other bands on this list when they broke up (#10 and #3). But this is based on the music itself, and although they recorded some amazing songs and even gave the name to the magazine that covers alt-country (No Depression)…music alone, I rank them #5.

4. The Lemonheads*–Gave them an asterisk because NOBODY besides me considers them an alt-country band. They’re more country-punk. But isn’t punk nowadays considered alternative? I vote yes. And even though they only recently reunited after a near-decade long hiatus, they still deserve a high place on this list.

3. Wilco—Tweedy and co. probably is the best band on this list, but I feel funny putting them as the #1 alt-country band considering they basically stopped playing anything resembling it in 1998. Now they’re indescribable. Still awesome, but can’t be put in a box. Which is a good thing.

2. Limbeck—Began as a kind of emo-country band (which I’m pretty sure they were the only one) before branching into a more southern-rock-country-pop that they’ve perfected now. Let Me Come Home is a masterpiece, and the new self-titled album is starting to grow on me.

1. Lucero—Great songwriters like Ben Nichols don’t come along very often, and a lot of times, they’re not very appreciated, and Lucero is maybe the least-known band on this list. Great lyrics, pretty unique style and voice.