I was listening to Teen Idols' awesome self-titled 1996 album last week and (knowing the band had broken up) wondered what the members were up to now. So I looked 'em up on Wikipedia when I got home and found that Heather (bass), Matt (drums), and Kevin (their last singer) were in a new band called Bullets To Broadway. I needed to hear more.
So what I found out is that in addition to having 3/4 of the Teen Idols in the band, 2 of the members were formerly in Gainesville, FL punk rockers Rehasher (a band that also featured Roger from LTJ). Basically it is genetically impossible for this band to suck. And they don't. Super melodic poppy punk rock that is becoming increasingly hard to find these days. Their awesome 8 song EP Drink Positive is out now on Red Scare Records. Easily some of the best punk rock I've heard in the last 3 years.
Like The White Stripes before them, The Hard Lessons are a male/female rock 'n roll duo (or trio, but I ain't counting) and the coolest new Detroit garage rock export. Their new 5 song EP Wise Up! is (perhaps) a little like what Jack and Meg do but with less posturing and and a little more noise a la Death From Above 1979. But it isn't all noise. Infectious vocal melodies bash against fiery guitars to create some noisy keyboard-spiked bluesy rock 'n roll that is sure to get your party started right.
Molly Neuman is a founding member of the riot grrrl band Bratmobile and is also a co-owner of Lookout! Records. She (however) is now focusing on her brand new label called Simple Social Graces Discos. Which was (according to Neuman) started "to promote the most exciting emerging artists from the global underground."
One of those emerging artists is Spain's Campamento Nec Nec. They are a band that plays some seriously crazy (and I mean crazy) but really outstandingly awesome music. And while I should probably stop there, because words can't really describe this, I won't.
Spastic like Deerhoof and disjointed like Cap 'n Jazz is a good tarting point. From there virtually unintelligible vocals and furious drumming that stops as quickly as it begins emerges from the glorious wreckage that is Presenta Alimana. Rhythmically and sonically dense, the sounds that Campamento Nec Nec spit out come so fast, it is hard for your ears to make sense of it all. I don't mean to imply any real level of dissonance, but whenever that tiny fragmented bit of melody finds you, its like pure magic. Maybe what They Might Be Giants would sound like covering the Locust. A far fetched maybe. I've heard that this might appeal to fans of influential Spanish emo hardcore band A Room With A View, but that means nothing to me.
Hi there readers. How are you? It is Christmastime. A time for giving and sharing. A time for focusing on what really matters in our lives. Things like family and the people we love that make all this music stuff seem trivial.
As a father of a wondrous, beautiful, and exceptionally smart 14 month old little girl, I am truly blessed. The joy she brings to my wife and I is unmeasurable. I live every moment for her.
Sadly, though, there are others out there that life is not as fair to. One such child is Cal Robbins. Cal is the son of J. Robbins and Janet Morgan (both from the excellent band Channels). J. (who has also been in other great bands such as Jawbox and Burning Airlines) also produced records by some of my favorite bands like Braid and The Promise Ring. His son Cal (now 11 months old) was born with type 1 Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a debilitating genetic motor neuron disease. In fact, most kids with SMA don't make it to age two. Please (in the spirit of the holidays) and in the spirit of helping people, consider making a donation. I know how much I love my daughter and can't even imagine how J. and Janet are feeling right now. Please Make a donation if you are able. Thank you.
The holiday weekend is finally upon us. Finally. Lots of travelling and spending time with family I'm sure. Anyhow, our good friends at AUX Records are giving away Merit's latest release (a double EP) for free at purevolume.com/merit. You should check that out.
We here at Can You See The Sunset... are also in the giving spirit. We are giving away a copy of Cricket Spin's latest album called Grains of Salt, Grains of Sand. All you have to do is leave a comment stating why you deserve to get the CD. Include your name and email address. The contest runs through Dec. 29.
And since I know everyone is going to buy music with the cash they get for Christmas, we'd love to give you 10% off any order you place at Insound from now until January 14. Just enter coupon code insoundrocks10. Easy, huh?
**NOTE: Below is Kurt's first contribution to Can You See The Sunset... Next time I'll make him write a freakin' preface so that I don't have to.**
We live in a world where hip-hop heroes shouldn’t be trusted, from indie favorites like Cannibal Ox (I dare you to make it through Vast Aire’s solo album all the way; sure, I’ll wait) and Atmosphere (Slug might not like being called emo-rap, but until he gets his face off of Fuse and in front of a mic to drop a verse that’s not so, well, emo, he’s the Pete Wentz of hip-hop) to mainstream kingpins like Jay-Z (his new album is a half-hearted lazy jingle for Budweiser and Nascar and, where I come from, is liable to get a motherfucker shot) and Nas (his new song, the one with the In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida sample, is just embarrassing; Nas rhyming over Iron Butterfly: hip-hop really is dead). Well, friends and brethren, there’s a pair of brothers from Virginia that are here to remind us that to some rappers, word is bond.
Clipse, made up of brothers Malice and Pusha T backed by the best of the Neptunes’ tracks, first showed up on our radars in 2002 when Grindin’ became a mini-hit. But the album it came off, Lord Willin’ never really hit; it went gold, sure, but this was at the height of the Neptunes media exposure and N.E.R.D. and all that. To make a long story short, the Clipse didn’t feel they were treated fairly during and following the dissolution of Arista into the bigger Sony/BMG camp, and now after four years, we have their re-up, Hell Hath No Fury, their no-holds-barred, safety-off, return to the stash house.
To put it simply, Hell Hath No Fury is the best hip-hop album of the year, and it’s more honest and heartfelt than anything the emo/indie/Elliot Smith retread set has to offer. The lyrics drive the album. The first single, Mr. Me Too, is classic Clipse: an angry, drug-infested affront to the followers and haters. “Wanna know the time?/ Better clock us/ Niggaz bite the style from the shoes to the watches/ We cloud hoppers, tailor suits like we mobstas/Break down keys into dimes and sell 'em like gobstoppers,” Malice says to lead off his verse, and it’s déjà vu all over again. This is what we waited four years for: the violent imagery and drug deals balanced against the sweet taste of candy. Look at how Malice refers to children with the opposition of hoppers (the neighborhood young-uns that run from dealer to stash to grab product) and gobstoppers; see the people in this game may sell drugs and kill people, but they’re kids and kids eat candy. Also of note is that built in to this is the subtle image of Willy Wonka (you know, that guy who invented the Gobstopper?); Clipse are Willy Wonka: reclusive-ass motherfuckers who are larger than life because of their magical product, but who are ultimately dissatisfied because nearly all their customers are degenerate addicts.
Almost overlooked in all the lyrical deconstruction is some of the best Neptunes production ever. Sure, Pharrell may pimp watches and laptops and sunglasses and trucker hats and be Esquire’s best dressed man, but when he hooks up with Chad Hugo and they get serious about the beats, the Neptunes can set it right. Hell Hath No Fury bounces to a sparse, futuristic soul so crisp it makes the West Coast g-funk on the Game’s new album (which is quite great, by the way) sound downright stale. It sounds like there’s a giant silver orb hovering above my head at the ready to drop the tractor beam. Pharrell can keep giving tracks to Gwen and Britney and shooting ads for Louis Vuitton as long as he keeps his synth fingers nimble. The tracks are understated, but loud in a way that reinforces the lyrics and highlights the sing-song choruses just right. It’s the synths just above the horizon; it’s the snare wound so tight you wonder if it could be a sample of a gunshot tweaked a little; it’s the alien lazer-bass that made the Neptunes famous.
We like Clipse because we believe Pusha T when he says, “Mask on face, Glock in hand/ I was in and out of homes like the Orkin man.” These are enthralling street narratives, and not in the sociologically interesting because I’m a white graduate student way. No, this shit is scary. And it’s brutal. And it’s true. Malice and Pusha T are a couple of real thugs with real gifts for storytelling and rhyming, and this is their opus. Hell Hath No Fury keeps everything street and keeps the references to guns, drugs, and childhood. Clipse are no hustlers; they are too honest, and it’s that honesty that makes this album a dirty shit talking masterpiece.
Here is some music to get y'all in the Christmas spirit. Light a fire, roast some chestnuts, eat some cookies, drink some nog, waterver... Included here are two versions of (perhaps) my favorite Christmas song "Just Like Christmas" and a bunch of other favorites.
After reading my brother's top ten list, I checked out the Boston, Mass. hardcore outfit The Hope Conspiracy. Their latest album Death Knows Your Name totally slays. It blends straightforward old-school hardcore raging with more brutal and chaotic modern elements so successfully employed by bands like Converge.
Death Knows Your Name was recorded with Kurt Ballou of Converge after a four year hiatus for the band. I haven't heard much of their earlier material, but this album is heavy, angry, and (despite a lack of melody) actually pretty powerful and moving stuff. According to the band, the album's concept is loosely based on George Orwell's Animal Farm, and I think that that bleeds into the music. It just sounds like an album about escaping and overcoming oppression.
Anyhow, the record is out now on Deathwish, Inc. Pick up your copy today.
Now, I don't watch a whole lot of Saturday Night Live anymore. That show (to me at least) hasn't been particularly funny for what seems like years now. All that being said, I didn't catch this past Saturday's show. If you didn't and are one of the people who still hasn't seen it (and even if you have) watch below and laugh your ass off.
I know that its crass and inappropriate, but its so damn funny. The early 90's outfits and bad dance moves a la Color Me Badd (remember them?) are hysterical. When did Justin Timberlake become a comedic genius? A co-worker of mine said that last week's SNL was the funniest he has seen in a long long time. I've seen this at least a half dozen times already and can only stop laughing long enough to sing along. What's next? A Justin Timberlake collaboration with Jack Black? Hmmm...
I was talking to my brother on the phone earlier today and asked him what his favorite ten albums of the year were. He emailed me his list and while our tastes overlap a little, they differ a lot. Even so, I thought it would be fitting to post his year end list.
I thought it fitting becuase my brother (you can call him Kurt like I do) will shortly be joining in on the writing here at Can You See The Sunset... You will enjoy it. Kurt will be doing long form reviews/posts on stuff that I might not normally post (i.e. hip-hop, metal, etc...) so watch out!
02. Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time (Sub Pop) MP3 | The Great Salt Lake
3. Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury (Star Trak) MP3 | Mr. Me Too
4. Isis - In the Absence of Truth (Ipecac) MP3 | Dulcinea
05. Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies (Roadrunner) MP3 | This Is Absolution
6. DJ Drama & Lil' Wayne - Dedication 2 MP3 | Get 'Em
07. TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain (Interscope) MP3 | Province
08. The Falcon - Unicornography (Red Scare) MP3 | The Lazyboy 500
09. Converge - No Heroes (Epitaph) MP3 | Hellbound)
10. The Hope Conspiracy - Death Knows Your Name (Deathwish Inc.) MP3 | Hang Your Cross
Six of 'em are in my top 35 with three of those also in my top 14. That leaves four that didn't make my top fifty list (duh). Anyhow, y'all weclome Kurteax to Can You See The Sunset...
So Amy and I were driving in the car last night when some guy cut us off. Without even thinking, I blurted out, "What a dick!" (I didn't realize my mistake, but I would momentarily).
Silence. (It hits me about now)
Then from the carseat in the back my 14 mo. old daughter says "Da da dit," in an imitating fashion. Da da dit.
WTF? Are you kidding me? My daughter is becoming a repeating machine.
Well, this about wraps it up. Here are my top ten albums of 2006 and I'd like your opinions. Really. Obviously my list isn't as "indie" as many of the other lists I've seen, but (hey) neither am I. I haven't heard a single note of the newest Cat Power album. I can't really get into the Joanna Newsom record. The Midlake record is only ok in my book. You get the picture. I have my own opinions which you can read below...
Eingya is a dreamy affair in which each track slowly builds as layers of instrumentation ebb and flow forth from the minimalist droning soundscapes beneath. Like the aural equivalent of your faded scrapbook photos and tattered picture albums, it is emotionally engaging and has a certain resonance that makes it so much more than just a collection of Eno-esqe synths and fractured beats.
"[The band] blends East Bay punk with an intelligent and introspective Midwest sound and adds a heap of bad television, some leftist literature, and exactly three cases of the cheapest most watery piss-beer you can muster..." Imagine Blake Schwartzenbach and Aaron Cometbus drinking Schlitz in a bowling alley. The Lawrence arms are keeping Chicago's great punk rock tradition alive and well.
Fort Recovery sounds as Americana as apple pie and shines with that golden twilight glow. It is an album that is instantly familiar, but isn't a retread or contrived. Will Johnson's rough-edged and raspy voice holds together what I'm calling emo-twang. There might be a little Replacements, Neil Young, or (perhaps) Joe Pernice hiding in there as well. Great songs that make for a great listen every time.
07. Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies (Roadrunner) MP3 | This Is Absolution
Hear me out on this one. Overshadowed by Mastodon, KSE deserves way more credit than they get. The band revolutionized metalcore and proved that brutally heavy could also be melodic. Daylight... is a refinement of that sound. The breakdowns are huge. The melodies are infectious. If you took the sexy pick and have Mastodon's Blood Mountain on your year-end list, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Daylight... You won't be disappointed.
06. Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time (Sub Pop) MP3 | The Great Salt Lake
Cast aside all the My Morning Jacket comparisons. This is a great record. The songs are just wonderful guitar-driven tunes that have hooks without being in-your-face catchy. There are hints of southern rock without being overtly so. The vocals (just like MMJ's and hinting at both Wayne Coyne and Neil Young) are drenched in reverb/echo and seem to give the songs a spacey and ethereal quality.
05. Parts & Labor - Stay Afraid (Jagjaguwar) MP3 | New Buildings
This album is full of indie-punk tracks that are smothered with copious amounts of distortion and shrieking feeback noise. Lo-fi pop songs with killer melodies and sucker-punch hooks heard through a gloriously dirty wall of noise. Despite the Husker Du/Bob Mould comparisons the band makes a Boredoms-esqe racket with the melodic edge of a Rogue Wave. Your ears might need a break after this one.
Lu-fuckin-cero makes me wanna drink a lot and kiss my wife. Call it southern-alt-country-redneck-punk-n-roll or whatever you will. Rebels... finds the band's gritty and melodic sound nicely augmented by piano, organ, and keys. Additionally, I have yet to see a Lucero show without a fight breaking out. My sister and my wife almost got in on the action the last time Lucero was in town. I love this band.
On Young Machetes The Blood Bros. sound dangerous. Not like they are going to mug you at gunpoint dangerous, but (rather) dangerous with smirks on their faces as they wait for their next prank to unfold right on cue. It's the shotgun wedding of Barry Gibb's Bee Gees disco classics with the grinding spasms of Converge. Maybe it's like a Black Flag sucker-punch to the face of Charles Mingus. In other words, its dance music.
02. Early Day Miners - Offshore (Secretly Canadian) MP3 | Sans Revival
Offshore is crushingly beautiful, gorgeously textured, virtually seamless from start to finish. It sucked me into the vast lonesome alternate reality where there is nothing for miles but grey skies and abandoned wheat fields. The music isn't heavy, but it is weighty. It is awash is shifting atmospheric tones that never allow the droning ambience of the music to lose focus.
01. The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America (Vagrant) MP3 | Massive Nights
The songs on boys And Girls In America just keep calling me back for listen after listen. The lyrics are sad, poetic, sarcastic, and paint a familiar and true-to-life picture of the sad realities of wayward Midwestern youth. But (even so) this is music that is meant to be played loud. This is a record that simply explodes out of your speakers.
Ahh yes. The top twenty... This starts the real meat and potatoes of the list. These are the albums that I truly could not get enough of this year. Constant rotation. In describing a lot of the albums, I seem to be describing how they make me feel rather than what they actually sound like. Punk rock will do that to ya.
Mixing elements of post-rock and indie-pop, Aloha has crafted a brilliant album where vibes, keys, and guitars collide with furiously restrained drumming merging texture and melody into one. (How's that for you JT?)
18. The Loved Ones - Keep Your Heart (Fat Wreck) MP3 | Suture Self
Blistering east coast pop-punk that is about as good as it gets. This (their debut full-length) falls somewhere between the likes of The Bouncing Souls and Kid Dynamite. Cranking this up in the car makes me feel like I'm 17 again.
Beirut creates old-world Eastern European influenced (but totally pop) soundscapes that evoke images of the rise and fall of the Hapsburg Empire. Images of my grandparents in pre-WWII Germany that I've only seen in worn, tattered, and faded photographs that have long since seen better days. This is captivating music.
16. Rainer Maria - Catastrophe (Grunion) MP3 | Catastrophe
I didn't expect to like this album nearly as much as I did. I never actually realized just how good Caithlin's vocals are. The title track is a perfect example of how I just seem to get lost when I listen to this album. It clocks in at 5:33 but feels like 3:00.
I like Califone frontman Tim Rutili a lot and not just becuase he is from Chicago and not just because he was in Red Red Meat. Roots And Crowns is full of obtuse lyrics and swampy backwoods roots folk-pop obscured in a digital haze. An imperfect album that is virtually perfect.
14. The Falcon - Unicornography (Red Scare) MP3 | The Lazyboy 500
The best worst album of the year. It is both complete shit and total brilliance. They throw ska, cock rock, and hillbilly c&w into a punk rock blender and mix it up with Old Style and cheap whiskey. It is snotty, trashy, and tons of fun.
13. Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped (Geffen) MP3 | Incinerate
Rather Ripped is the sound of Sonic Youth chilling out. This is what happens when they make adult contemporary noise rock. Much more overtly melodic and accessible than almost anything they have ever done, but just as good as anything too.
12. The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine (Sub Pop) MP3 | A Pillar Of Salt
The Thermals sound agitated. They play loud punkish-rock that focuses on topics like religion and politics. What could have ended up as a dumbed-down junior high ranting ends up being one of the most affecting and fist-shaking records of 2006.
11. Maritime - We The Vehicles (Flameshovel) MP3 | Calm
When your band is billed as ex-members of The Promise Ring and The Dismemberment Plan, you had better be good. And after a merely mediocre first album that sounded like a band searching for their identity, I think that their search is over.
"What's with splitting your list into five posts," you ask. Well, last year it was two posts, and this just seems more easily digestible. Here are numbers 30 through 21.
30. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife (Capitol) MP3 | The Crane Wife 3
If you read music blogs you know (and probably love) The Decemberists. I mean, do I really need to explain the inclusion of this album? Really? C'mon...
The album is powerful and emotional in a way that is like looping your thought patterns until the sounds in your head just blur into white noise and static. It is a gorgeous dreamlike record and once you play it, you won't want to wake up anytime soon.
Politically charged folk-punk from Bloomington, Indiana. It is heartfelt Americana filtered through DIY punk rock played with acoustic guitars, banjos, violins, and harmonicas. It makes me smile.
27. Los Lobos - The Town And The City (Hollywood) MP3 | Hold On
The Town And The City is my favorite album by the band since 1992's Kiko. It has darker feel and there are less furious rock songs, but the band is in top form here and the guitar playing is oftentimes stunning.
"This recording, captured to hard disk on stage at galeria zé dos bois on October 4th 2005, is in my mind the perfect encapsulation of all of these elements into a single lilting piece of static sine-tone harmonics, squared-off electric guitar haze, clangorous room-tone eruptions, and high-end synth freakouts..." - KFW
Blood Mountain will be the lone metal album on most lists this year, but not mine. Universally acclaimed, this album picks up right where Leviathan left off and has been a workout favorite of mine for a few months now.
I think Rocky Votolato is vastly underrated. His folk-esqe songs have a little more edge and a little more grit than most. He distinguishes himself from the myriad of other singer-songwriters out there through the sincerity and honesty of his music.
Another of this year's Internet buzz bands. They play non-standard Americana-influenced energetic indie rock that reeks of Modest Mouse, Springsteen, beer, and sweat.
22. Catfish Haven - Please Come Back EP/Tell Me (Secretly Canadian) MP3 | Crazy For Leaving
An EP and an album from Chicago's Catfish Haven. Ragged and raw Americana with punk rock energy and the Motown soul of George Hunter's smokey vocals. It is like Otis Redding singing Ramones songs (sorta).
21. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House (Warp) MP3 | Knife
This is good. I like it a lot. It is a huge and ambitious album full of timeless psychedelia and wonderful orchestral melodies. If this is freak folk then you can call me a freak.
Ten more of my favorite albums of 2006. Can you even handle all the suspense?
40. Oh No! Oh My! - Oh No! Oh My! (Self Released) MP3 | Walk In The Park
An entire album of twee indie pop with plenty of catchy little "la la's" and "ba ba's" for me to sing to my daughter. I dare you to listen to this album and try to not to sing along.
39. Cursive - Happy Hollow (Saddle Creek) MP3 | Flag And Family
If this is emo then count me in. Tim Kasher sings every syllable as if his life depends on it. Cursive is (also) always pushing boundaries and incorporating new stylisic elements into their melodic (yet abrasive) post-hardcore jamboree. Another great one from a band that refuses to be complacent.
38. Mission Of Burma - The Obliterati (Matador) MP3 | 2wice
What band goes on a 20 year hiatus and comes back with guns blazing like this? It simply isn't fair for any band to be this good. It just ain't fair. These songs sound as vital now as "Trem Two" did in the early 80's.
This supergroup of former punks has made the best country album of 2006. Its probably the twangiest thing I'll listen to all year, and its damn good. Now where are my spurs?
Hammock's album Kenotic was featured on my best of 2005 list, and this is more of the same. Hazy ambient epic anti-rock that is as dense and beautiful as anything in the genre. RIYL: Cocteau Twins, Sigur Ros, Aphex Twin's Ambient Works
35. TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain (Interscope) MP3 | Province
This album is probably on everyone's list. It should be.
Despite the massive amount of hype that these guys have gotten this year, they managed to put out two great EP's and and a mighty fine debut in Robbers & Cowards. It is California indie rock soul music that is electrifying to see the band play live.
Chicago's own Bound Stems dish out jittery indie-pop rock with fractured melodies that is highly recommended for fans of Modest Mouse, The Arcade Fire, and The Walkmen.
This improvisational free-jazz duo uses only saxophone and drums to create a cacophonous wall of noise. Their energy and synergism simply pours out of your speakers. This is compelling stuff that is challenging but rewarding. Fans of Wolf Eyes and Albert Ayler take note.
31. Converge - No Heroes (Epitaph) MP3 | Hellbound
More textured like 2004's You Fail Me but crushingly brutal like their metalcore classic Jane Doe. This is loud, fast, intense, and exhausting music that approximates having your still-beating heart ripped from you chest.
I don't think I've ever listened to as much new music as I did in 2006. It has been almost overwhelming but I think that it just goes with the territory. I am (after all) a music blogger. And even though I was trying to make my list smaller than it was last year, I (again) couldn't whittle it down enough to make that happen.
So I present to you my top fifty albums of 2006 (in five parts), ranked (but not necessarily in absolute and unwavering positions) by purely subjective methods. Sometimes "because I like it" is reason enough for inclusion. Oh yeah, isn't my daughter just the cutest? Here's 50-41. Enjoy.
50. Built To Spill - You In Reverse (Warner Bros.) MP3 | Conventional Wisdom
I've loved Built to Spill since I first heard There's Nothing Wrong With Love back in 1995. For me (at least) this feels like a return to form. It makes me feel young again. I needed a little bit of that this year.
49. Islands - Return To The Sea (Equator) MP3 | Rough Gem
Having risen from the ashes of Montreal's The Unicorns, Islands will cut our hair when we're gone. Return To The Sea is full of fun, quirky, and downright catchy music that I'm sure my daughter will also love someday.
No! I am not embarrassed to put this on my list! And although I'm not much of a dancer (just ask my wife), there was no better music for dancing released in 2006. And as my friend Clay stated, "It’s the auditory equivalent of smoking crack."
46. The Draft - In A Million Pieces (Epitaph) MP3 | Lo Zee Rose
In A Million Pieces is what Hot Water Music would sound like without Chuck. In other words, it is still powerful but a little less "gruff" and a little more straightforward.
45. Tim Hecker - Harmony In Ultraviolet (Kranky) MP3 | Rainbow Blood
This is music that words can't describe. Hecker makes music that sounds like "Viewing the world through sleep filled eyes, everything soft and fuzzy, sometimes intense and ominous...but with a shimmering radiant warmth, making all of his sounds glow from within."
Who doesn't like nu-Celtic music with dueling flutes? Seriously though, melodic as fuck with virtuoso playing that is truly inspired and amazing.
43. Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye (Domino) MP3 | In The Morning
Downtempo electronic dance beats flutter around smooth breathy vocals. Easily some of the best electro-pop released all year.
42. William Elliott Whitmore - Song Of The Blackbird/Hallways Of Always (Southern) MP3 | Black Iowa Dirt
William Elliott Whitmore is from Iowa and plays the banjo and the geetar. He sings songs you'd swear were 60 year old standards with a voice that is unforgettable. Jenny Hoysten accompanies him on Hallways Of Always.
This is a mess of noisy and glitchy melodic indie rock music that is wonderfully dense. I've heard it aptly described as "Squarepusher meets Shellac." Listen for yourself.
I think it is safe to say that "Listmania 2006" has taken the blogosphere by storm. Best Songs of 2006, Best Albums of 2006, etc... More than a few lists have already been posted, including ones from:
Listmania here at CYSTSFTS? will begin tomorrow so you'll just have to wait. For today (at least) I'll leave you with ten great songs from 2006 that appear on albums that didn't make my favorites of 2006 list. How's that for some convoluted reasoning?
Where exactly is Aloha from? They are spread out all over the eastern half of the US, but let's just say Ohio-ish. Anyhow, their latest record Some Echoes (out now on the always awesome Polyvinyl Records) builds on what they've previously done over the course of the four previous full-length albums.
The songs are built around the furiously restrained percussion of drummer Cale Parks. He is the propulsive mechanism that locks everything in place. The instruments collide like bursts of fireworks to create moments of great tension that almost seem to pull the songs apart. The songs groove (a la The Sea And Cake) in a post-rock way that doesn't rock as much as it just continuously unfolds forward.
Its almost like driving into the winter darkness. Headlights fixated on the falling snow that seems like it goes on forever. Aloha's attention to the smallest details is what makes Some Echoes so mezmerizing. The imaginative percussion, the vibes, and the gorgeous melodies. And while Some Echoes is essentially a pop record, it is also so much more.
The recent re-release of a few of Pavement's classic albums reminds me of a little story. It was 1994 and my step-brother had just purchased Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. I was knee deep in Buffalo Tom, Lemonheads, and Dinosaur Jr records and beginning to distance myself from the grunge phenomenon of the previous few years. I had made a cassette copy of Crooked Rain 2x and played it a lot. My step-brother (however) evidently didn't like the album as much as I did so I traded him my copy of Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger for it. I think I came out on top in that deal. Wowee Zowee (though) is actually my favorite Pavement record. Sprawling, stoned, and totally fantastic.
As a related aside, I was listening to a small local radio station a few days ago and heard both a Nirvana song and a Pearl Jam song on the radio. Now is it just me or has the music of Pearl Jam aged a whole lot better than Nirvana's music? I listen (even to Nevermind) and think just how bad and dated their music sounds. Nothing even remotely remarkable about them now. I mean, Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth were/are so much better. Pearl Jam's old stuff (on the other hand) sounds almost as fresh now as it did 15 years ago. And (for the record) "State Of Love And Trust" is a phenomenal song. All that being said, check out the reissue of Pavement's early stuff on Matador. That's all I got for now.
Hey everybody! How are you all? So I got this CD in the mail last week from Cricket Spin and after a few listens, I've decided that its pretty good. The CD is called Grains Of Salt, Grains Of Sand and the songs range from slower folkier numbers to faster more energetic tunes. The Brooklyn band employs up to six musicians at any one time and their vast array of instruments to create hazy lo-fi orchestral pop.
It is frontman Ben Yonda's distinctive vocals (however) that really set them apart. Imagine the crackly croak of J Mascis meeting Sufjan's hushed melodies. It sometimes sounds too deliberate, but I still like it. Their sound is warm and inviting like Bailey's and coffee on a cold winter morning. Check 'em out.
With my nose back to the grindstone, I've been finding both solace and release in Strike Anywhere's latest record Dead FM. Strike Anywhere again spits gruff and melodic hardcore punk rock out at speaker-searing speeds that prevent any chance of escape. Pining for both personal and political change, this Richmond, VA powerhouse demonstrates just how powerful punk rock can still be if people are willing to listen.
As a big fan of their earlier material (especially their last record Exit English), Dead FM finds the band in top form. Boot-shaking breakdowns and huge anthemic choruses anchor the 14 blistering tracks on the album. Its out now on Fat Wreck Chords. RIYL: Kid Dynamite, Avail, Rise Against, etc...
Finals are over. After 3 presentations and 30+ pages of papers, I'm ready for a break. In addition to a steady diet of KSE, The Hold Steady, and Keith Fullerton Whitman, I've been digging on the new EP from The Softlightes. It is out now on everyone's favorite Modular Records.
The Softlightes (for the uninformed) are fronted by Ron Fountenberry. He and bassist Kristian Dunn were previously in The Incredible Moses Leroy whose Electric Pocket Radio is a CYSTSFTS? fave. They have a new full-length due in 2007 and below is a little glimpse of the past and the present.
