Tracks and tricks

Alright, let's get this list out of the way so I can resume packing my pokemon cards for my trip north. Without further ado:

Top ten albums of 2009 in no particular order:
-Dead Man's Bones, Dead Man's Bones Children's choir that does Halloween love songs.
-The Antlers, Hospice The aching grief of sitting by a hospital bed as your love deteriorates, physically and emotionally.
-The XX, XX Overwhelming quiet pierced by vocal duet and we are passersby who peep through holes at their conversation
-Rural Alberta Advantage, Hometowns Longing for what was, be it hearts or homes
-Franz Ferdinand, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand A night out on the town where the hours blur and so do the faces
-Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix Infectiously good music that will you have bopping in your pants
-Alela Diane, To Be Still Northeastern songbird with prickly guitar strums and a mother's voice
-Friendly Fires, Friendly Fires Pleading vocals for you to join the dance riot. Sidenote: really good looking guitarist, too
-Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Outer South It's Conor and other folks. Not to be confused with Monsters of Folk, where it's also Conor and other folks.
-Various artists, Dark was the Night Melee of indie artists and all proceeds went to charity

Favorite songs of oh-nine:
"Dull Life" The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"The Dethbridge in Lethbridge" Rural Alberta Advantage
"Liztomania" Phoenix
"Seven Seventeen" The Wooden Birds
"Never Coming Out" Or, The Whale
"High Ground" Orenda Fink
"Fever" Neko Case
"Map of the World," "Temazcal," "Ahead of the Curve" Monsters of Folk
"Ulysses," "Bite Hard" Franz Ferdinand
"Ten Women," "To All The Lights In The Windows" Conor Oberst and the MVB
"Bear," "Epilogue" The Antlers
"Daniel" Bats for Lashes
"Titus Andronicus" Titus Andronicus
"Strobe," "Photobooth" Friendly Fires

As you've noticed, there was no mention of Animal Collective, even though they've topped nearly every single "end of the year" list. And "My Girls" was a highly rated single. Unfortunately, that album barely made a bleep on my radar this year. The band is starting to reach Radiohead-level art expectations for me. I like Radiohead and think Thom Yorke is a bloody brilliant songwriter, but that's about as far as the compliment go. If Radiohead never released another album, my world will not explode. Same goes for Animal Collective. AC is supposed transcend, er, they're supposed to transcend something. The labels of freak-folk? Neo-psychedelic experimental pop? Indie rock? I like their use of layering vocals and the moog's. But I also hated "Panda Pitch" and "Strawberry Jam," so, uhhhhhh, let's just end 2009 with this: More cowbells!

Surprise!

Tuesday marked the "no-go" list. Wednesday marks the "pass go and collect 200 dollars" list. I came across a lot of stuff I will pretend I never heard. But also I came across a lot of musicians that are now on my to-be-worshiped list. It reinforces my love for music and how organic music is. Music is a constantly changing force, where no two (good) songs should be alike. After all, there are only so many notes and chords to choose from. Yet under those limited circumstances, these musicians have chosen to chart further than those expectations. Given those sets of notes, they've crafted unique songs that set my heart on fire. (Granted, I can hear inspiration of past bands in certain songs but we'll call that admiration.) That's why I love music so much. It's unpredictable. It's shape shifts more often than public opinion. And it's a labor of love.

I'm officially a fan of Phoenix as of last Monday. I don't listen to the radio so I never heard their radio friendly singles: Lisztomania and 1901. After much convincing, I used Google's friendly music search function and instantly fell in love after five seconds of Lisztomania. Those initial five seconds are two repeated notes but they set the tone for the rest of the album. It's head swaying, seat bouncing summer sunshine pop goodness. I'm not talking boyband sex driven lyrics pop, I'm talking exceptional rock n roll hit the switch pop.

Hey Marasilles is an orchestral folk pop band from Seattle, which is not surprising as the Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, the Builders and the Butchers, and Loch Lomond are from the Northwest and orchestral folk pop bands tend to emerge from that area like dandelions in open fields. I'll write a further blurb on this band next year but trust me when I say, start listening to them now.

Dead Man's Bones proved that Ryan Gosling needs to propose to me.* I feared this band would go the way of Jared Leto or Juliette Lewis' dive into music: annoying and unnecessary. But Gosling bucked the trend of actors-cum-musicians to craft a handful of Halloween singalongs, treading the path of broken hearts with werewolves, ghost ships, and graves. Kudos for including the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children's Choir. Though Gosling's been getting most of the press, I have to give Zach Shields three thumbs up for being a grand bandmate, co-songwriter, and vocalist. His track  "Pa Pa Power" is easily my favorite with its upbeat intro and chant-along lyrics.

*what a marriage proposal has to do with anything music-related is anyone's guess, but indulge me for a second here

Friendly Fires will round out the list and they are cute enough to kidnap, especially guitarist Edd Gibson. But that is a scheme to be detailed another day. These St Albans boys have managed to fuse a bunch of labels together: indie dance rock synth pop. I'm not sure how they managed that but imagine Bloc Party to a less screeching degree. Vocalist Ed Macfarlane is a crooner and will swoon dive you with tales of girls and downtrodden romances. The man who keeps it all together is their drummer Jack Savidge, who sidelines as a cowbell player. I saw these boys play during the summer and the only thing that kept me from bum-rushing the stage and dancing my pants off along side Edd Gibson was my dignity (and sobriety). They're bloody brilliant and I hope 2010 has greater things in store. But when you reach certified gold, have a Mercury prize nomination, and played at Glastonbury, things should be pretty great as is.

Love/Hate

I encountered many surprises this year and was very please to have come across new bands. However, by the time December rolled around and my stacks of music magazines reached my knees, I could have strangled the next reporter if they mentioned the following bands:

HEALTH
Girls
Wavves
No Age
Neon Indian
Crystal Castles
Ariel Pink

I'm also pretty sure all of these bands played at the Smell in the past year, if not housing residencies there. For kicks, let's throw in Phoenix and the XX as well. But I became a fan of those two, so let's not include them into the hater's list.

A dominating factor between the above mentioned band is their penchant for "noise-rock" or lo-fi bullshit. Yes, I will call it noise or bullshit because I can't discern one song from the next. After giving their album a listen, my ears are mad at me for treating them to a 36 minute track with slight pauses between moog's and minor chord changes. Neon Indian, Crystal Castles and Ariel Pink can suck it. I've seen their live shows so I feel qualified to say so. I'm not amused. I'm not entertained. And I'm really not drunk enough to give a flying finger flip. So my problem lies with HEALTH, Girls, Wavves, and No Age. I want to like them. I truly, madly, deeply do. I forced my niece to sit through a Wavves music video with me and she clapped at the end. So while I would love to love them, I'm waiting for a track worthy of my admiration. So boys, I demand better come 2010.

And please don't break my heart with these bursting expectations.

(Not so) Final Countdown

We are trampling upon the final days of 2009 and I normally don't make a big deal of year ends but as a blogger, it makes for great themes and easy categorization. So let's just move on and start with the first list. And let's also recall, everything's in no particular order.

Some of the more interesting shows I've attended this year:
-Islands at Sunset Junction. Their performance of "Where There's A Will There's A Whalebone" was entrancing as the crowd was bopping along the best that hipsters can. But when local act Busdriver came to rap the bridge, I was floored. Better than the original track.
-Bon Iver at the Forever Hollywood Cemetery. 6 am with rolling fog through the grove of palm trees, chanting monks for an opening act, and as the bleak sun peeks through the gray clouds, Justin Vernon's haunting falsetto carries over the cemetery field.
-Dead Man's Bones at the Echo. Children's choir in black robes. No harm, no foul, no kool-aid involved. Everyone was in the Halloween spirit and Ryan Gosling proved to be more than a pretty face and transcended the "actor-slash-musician" curse.
-Diplo at La Cita. My friend called me, "Hey, do you want to have some beers tonight? There's a DJ set at La Cita." He failed to mention it was Diplo. Granted the man only performed for less than an hour but on that rainy night as we were about to trudge our way home, we stayed an extra hour as the pulsating beats dragged us back into Diplo's lair.
-Choir of Young Believers at Spaceland. For a band that doesn't speak much English, I commend the head Believer for writing his songs in English. I also think without their celloist, their live performance wouldn't have had such an impact on me. But orchestral pop always has a soft spot in my heart.

These shows were but the tip of the iceberg of shows I went to in oh-nine. I'm already looking forward to what 2010 has in store for me and though the year hasn't started, I've penciled in a few dates. I'm also too lazy to post the pictures I took from these shows, but trust me when I say they were epic. Which means, you, yes, YOU should catch these band at one point in your life.

Oh and be proud of me. I didn't mention any Conor in this list. Granted, I saw him more times than I should have but he's my Conor. And I (musically and lyrically) love him. Always have, always will.

Xmas eve!

Happy whatever to you and yours. Here's Stereogum and team9's gift to us all. Take a listen and visit their page for direct downloads.

I'm only 45 percent ashamed to say that I like the U2/Taylor Swift mashup. But it's actually pretty good! Top votes go to that one and the Cure/Phoenix one. Vampire Weekend/Rupert Holmes is an interesting also-ran but it sounds more like a remix of VW than a mashup.

Oh well.

Hate to say I told you so

It's Sunday so that means I buy a shit ton of CDs and hope that I find a new gem. I combed through the "Best of" 2009 lists and realized that I skipped over many hyped albums: Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavillion, Phoenix's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Miike Snow's self-titled, and Dirty Projectors' Bitte Orca. Honestly, I wasn't planning on hearing any of these albums but curiosity got the better of me, especially since three of these album have made every list I've read: but so did Bradford Cox and I hate him. For no apparent reason, too.

But these four bands had inadvertently fallen on my "For No Apparent Reason" list and once you've been FNAR'ed, it's hard to fall back on my good side. Usually it'll take an act of God. I once hated the Arctic Monkeys until I heard "Teddy Picker" in my friend's car. Instant love afterward. Now they reign supreme on my list of "Favorite Bands from Sheffield." In fact, they could be number one.

So when I come across a song that really piques my interest, there's some self-loathing involved as well. Because I wish I could have gotten rid of that prejudice and given the band a try in the first place. Oh well, better late than never.

So Phoenix, I salute you for reigning me with Liztomania. Barely three seconds into the song, I said to myself "Fuck, this is a good song." And all I heard were two repeated notes during those three seconds.

Animal Collective: You're alright. Way too overhyped, but alright with me.

Miike Snow and the Dirty Projectors, I'm still on hold with you because I haven't heard your album yet. But I will as soon as iTunes finishes downloading.

Bands on the FNAR list:
the Dirty Projectors (I'm really forcing myself to listen to Bitte)
Deerhunter/Atlas Sound/Bradford Cox
St Vincent
The Pain of Being Pure at Heart (one song in and I realized they ripped off the Field Mice, who I don't particularly care for because it's lo-fi shoegaze)
Au Revior Simone (I saw them in 2006 and was not impressed, annoyed in fact.)
Wilco (Yankee Foxtrot Hotel, ehhhhhhhh.)
CSS
Neon Indian (okay, this is legit hate because I don't care for this current fad of lo-fi moog electropop)
La Roux
Annie
Uffie
Julian Casablancas
Paul Banks/Julian Plenti (which is weird because I love Interpol)
Son Volt
Devandra Banhart
Volcano Choir

...should I stop there? Okay, part 2 will come when I'm too lazy to type up a review/praise of my new favorite band.

Rural Alberta Advantage at the Bootleg Theater Tuesday night. I'm going to shout out Neutral Milk Hotel songs and see if one of them gets covered. It's the closest I'll get to hearing that band live, unless I listening to a live recording. Tomayto, tomahto.

Get Down Stay Down

December is a bad month for music. For movies, it's awesome because Hollywood and its affiliate cram in their final Oscar films and advertising. But with music, not so much because of ranking reasons. Unless you're a small town indie band who does care about rankings, no good release happen during the year's end. To make up for this dearth, I flipped through Best Of lists to catch what I've missed or looked over. December 2009 is especially critical because it marks the end of the year and the decade, so double duty!

Based on a few music blogs, I've hunted down copies of David Bazan's Curse Your Branches, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down's We Brave Bee Stings And All, Song: Ohia's The Magnolia Electric Co and Belle and Sebastian's Fold Your Hand Child, You Walk Like a Peasant.

So let's start with Thao and the Get Down Stay Down: I was pleasantly surprised by her and her backing band. I expected cutsey, Emily Haines styled-vocals but I got Feist's beautiful baritone instead. Well, since she's a woman, it's mezzo soprano. But tomayto, tomahto. We Brave Bee Stings And All is a cohesive title for the album as Thao takes us through the whimsical journey of childhood segueing into adulthood. Nothing overwhelms on this album, from the trumpets to the guitars or the jaunty piano lines and even the handclaps on "Feet Asleep." All the instruments, including Thao's voice, merge into a warm blanket for the ears. The album is a bandaid for scraped knees and broken hearts. My only regret is not picking it up when it was released. My parting words will be taken from Thao Nguyen herself. "We brave bee stings and all/And we don't dive, we cannonball."

Words to live by.

Location is Everything

I found my Jade Tree Record compilation last night and I'm over the moon because I thought I had lost it. I also found a stack of records that I haven't copied to my computer yet. I own "Veni Vidi Vicious?" "The Life Pursuit?" Wow, news to me. The comp features a nice selection of bands, most recognizably The Promise Ring, Jets to Brazil and Pedro the Lion. Not so noticeable bands but still beloved by me are Denali, onelinedrawing, and New End Original. My favorite track is Lukewarm by New End Original.

Fun drum roll, fun hook, somewhat simple guitar chords, it's a poppy little indie rock song from the vault. So thanks, Jonah Matranga for this little gem from my high school days because the shout out loud anthem is still valid years today: I never want to be lukewarm and I never want to say my best days are behind.

P.S. Speaking of my high school days, I had a fit of word vomit on my friend's page: Permanent Standby. I need better metaphors but please do a hop skip long jump over there for some musical interludes for when I'm not available.

The Antlers

It is cold where she lies and when she wakes, white walls meet her eyes. Blank canvas for her unfocused eyes and you are hunched over with grief as you wait for the recognition to light up in her face. But such dark circles underlay her weary face and she gropes for your hand, the only warm thing in the room. While she sleeps, attached to wires and tubes, your own heartbeat rises and falls with the beep of the machine monitor. It is the only sound of life in this sterile room. Until you speak. To her.

This is Hospice by the Antlers. And that introduction was needed to prepare you for 53 minutes of highs and lows with main Antler-man Peter Silberman. This album is an emotional tour d'force. It is a journey. It is a march through a Russian winter. It is helplessness, stark fear, and loss. And so, so much more.

Sidelined as a witness to a love one's descent from cancer, Hospice begins with a sweeping Prologue and ends with a fluttering falsetto Epilogue, in between we sit fixated in bated breath. Silberman's smooth, patient voice treks through strained moments of dismay and simple melancholy. Without his voice, this album could have been a sad contender as Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion's little sister. With it, we play spectator to a hospital bed-bound victim. Each straining note, gripped hands are squeezed tighter. And we wait for Silberman to break beneath despair. Yet he never wavers.

On "Kettering," the words are slipping so softly that the words drip from his lips along a piano march. "There was no saving you" he ends as a fuzzy guitar reverb and drums segue us to "Sylvia," aptly named after Sylvia Plath. "Bear" is the most tragic (and easily best) track on this harrowing tale as it opens with a simple piano arrangement that could be for a child's mobile. But equating a bear cub with an unwanted pregnancy is where the beautiful turns into the forlorn as the chorus sweeps us into the realization that "we're too old/we're not old at all." How does one measure a life? Old enough to live, young enough to die.

I stick to my quick blurb on "Bear" as a summary of this album. With each track, we see Silberman's vulnerability slowly exposed and it is terrifying. And it is paralyzing to hope for a better end but when the penultimate track is titled "Wake," there is futile knowledge that the end is cold. So we listen, with knees pulled up to our chest and clasped hands to our lips. And we tremble along.

Tokyo-->Los Angeles

(Scanned postcard? Nope.)

I've returned from the lush green and red of Japan's foliage and I still want to marry my J-pop star idol. I didn't commit any international acts of kidnapping or poltical overthrows, hence my ability to post this entry. December will mark a return of fluid reviews. As a sign of my triumph escape through US Customs, here's a track by a Japanese band called OOIOO. Despite their band origin, their music is about as stereotypical un-Japanese as you can get. Tribal drumming and chanting, frentic beats, and downright psychedlic, they're pretty fun. For four little Asian girls, they pack a punch.



And just for kicks, here's a throwback to 2004.

Hiatus

I'm off to the other side of the world and would write an entry on pop music in Asia, but uhhhhhhhhh, let's not. Instead, I bought the following albums to listen to on the plane ride:

AA Bondy - American Hearts, which is what M Ward would have written if he was a boy from middle Americana who didn't sound like his voice box was scraped by cigarettes. Harmonicas galore!

I found my copy of M Ward's Transfiguration of Vincent and am so excited that I just can't hide it. You know, you know. I've seen him live and this man can turn a guitar beyond the definition of what a guitar can do. Finger pickin' awe. Musical talents aside, his voice is like a long drag of a cigarette. Smooth, calming, but laced with guilt that you shouldn't be smoking in the first place.

The Antlers - Hospice. "Bear" initially caught my ear, based on the title, because of my fondness for the majestic creatures. Then vocalist Peter Silberman takes me for a twist-turn ride through expectations and loss. His voice strains and all I want to do is take his hand and tell him it'll be okay. But I'm too busy crying in his arms, while he still sings in stretching notes. For four minutes and three seconds, his vulnerability is exposed and it is terrifying. With that said, the rest of the album is amazing and sits on my best of 2009 list.

Wishlist

On my commute to work, I think about acts/things that would make the world a better place. For instance, if I found the cure to cancer. Or if I were president, my first act would be to grant myself season passes to the Hollywood Bowl. But it wouldn't have to be front row box seats because I'm not greedy.

Today, I wish that the Arcade Fire followed in the footsteps of Neutral Milk Hotel. What path am I talking about? Release a critically acclaimed full-length record that the musical world is still creaming its pants over a decade later, do a grand tour and finally break up. Hell, I think My Bloody Valentine might have originated this plan with Loveless. Kevin Shields, you neurotic innovator.

Neon Bible, while good, was lackluster to the grandiose swell of Funeral. Which makes sense as the "break-out, indie darling meets the Universe" album is the hardest to follow. Other bands have fallen to this trap, some times known as the Sophomore Slump. The Strokes should have stopped after 12:51. Interpol had Turn on the Bright Lights. I'm glad the Postal Service had one album to their name. That's all they needed. So who else is on the list and where should they have stopped their careers?

Rilo Kiley with Take Offs and Landing. Under the Blacklight was a hot mess of homages to 1980 female singers. Jenny Lewis channeled Heart, Gloria Estefan and an array of other teased hair mallrats. What the hell is "dejalo?" And why should I be doin' the smoke detector? I will concede to a b-side of "The Execution of All Things" though as it's my favorite song from the band post-Take Offs.

Death Cab for Cutie after Transatlanticism. We all know "I will Follow You into the Dark" was the start of the end. You knew it. I knew it. Hell, Ben Gibbard must have known it. Give me the bite of old Ben Gibbard who would ask, "Am I drunk enough to drive you home?" (via "Champagne from a Paper Cup.")

The Decemberist after Picaresque. They ooze stage presence and I've never been let down by their live show. Was it the switch to Capitol Records for their last two releases that had me turn a deaf ear? Or am I just bored with their penchant for references to old folk tales and bayonets?

Fountains of Wayne after Welcome Interstate Manager as the constant rotation of "Stacy's Mom" on MTV proved to be the entrance to "One Hit Wonder" land for the band. Damn that infectious chorus and Stacy's mom who's got it going on. This album proved Adam Schlesinger genius song writing capabilities as he switched multiple genres, from crooning country to heartbreak emo to handclap pop.

Vampire Weekend has me on the fence. I know Contra will not be released till next year but their debut topped so many "Best of 2008" lists that I worry for their follow-up.

Speaking of "Best of 2008" and follow-ups, Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes are taking well-deserved breaks, but I wonder what 2010 has in store for both groups. A tiny fragment of myself flirts with the hope that this was a flash in the pan moment. How do you top For Emma? Actually on second thought, Fleet Foxes need to merge with My Morning Jacket and we would have an epic end result smashed heart strings and tearful eardrums. Thinks of the angelic harmonies!

This is becoming an unending list. So feel free to add your own.

The Anniversary

My Monsters of Folk review: I love Conor Oberst. The end.

There are some songs that play, rewind, and repeat in your head for a few days before it's replaced by another song. I've had the Anniversary's "I Believe that the End of the Reign of Terror is Soon Near." The song itself is just as long winded at the title, but that just adds to it epicness. There's three parts to this nine minute song. The first two minutes that play like any straight forward indie rock song minus the twee pop factor. Around the two minute mark, we enter this Sunny Day Real Estate zone with crashing drums and maniac guitars lines before the reverb transcends into a piano solo with echoing choir harmonies. Following this instrumental part, we enter the third and final section: stripped down arrangement of pianos, vocals, and acoustic guitar before the drums and lap steel rush over us like an undertow.
 

I miss this band. Here's hoping a reunion tour is underway after the release of their B-sides album, despite the band's break up four years ago.

Math rock

Me

+

Conor Oberst (and those other guys)

+

the Greek theater

+

free tickets

=

Jubilation!

I love free tickets. They make up for the ones I had to buy. I like to think that my presence at their show is a musician's reason for living. Literally. Without my ticket purchase, these artists wouldn't be able to buy toilet paper. And there is no one on earth that will deny the value of toilet paper.

I know I called the Monsters of Folk album a few dirty names in a previous post but do recall two things: 1) this is a free ticket and 2) this is my cult figure love. Please refer to the above equation for further clarification. 

So the concert calender for the following weeks read as so:
10/18 Monsters of Folk at the Greek
10/21 Choir of Young  Believers at Spaceland
10/22 Jason Lytle at the Echoplex
10/28 Le Loup at the Echo
10/29 Alela Diane at the Echo
10/30 Dead Man's Bones at the Echo
11/7 Or, the Whale at Echo Curio

If I were in the country and not gallivanting around in Japan, I would be at the following shows:
11/14 Pinback at the El Rey
11/17 Loch Lomond at the Bootleg Theater in downtown
11/21 Friendly Fires with the xx at the Henry Fonda Music Box

But sadly (not really), I will be in Tokyo and expecting it to be like Times Square NY on acid.

Orenda Fink

Orenda Fink popped on the music scene a few years back with the duo Azure Ray, who I adored because their music was perfect for rainy weather and cozy blankets. Perfect contemplation music. Then the pair pulled solo albums from beneath their guitar strings and now we have Fink's sophomore release Ask the Night.

The first single from that album is "High Ground" featuring Issac Brock (of Modest Mouse) and it's a slight departure from her solo debut album that tingles with echoes of Azure Ray. Which is expected as she comprised half of the band. "High Ground" is a foray into what Saddle Creek considers "haunting bluegrass" but I see it as an ode to the banjo. As the chorus swells with Brock's voice on backup vocals, the banjo is brought to the forefront of the song until all we hear is a mesh of vocals and the ting of steel banjo strings. Haunting? No, this is a stampede of sounds.

As a bonus, here's throwback to the Azure Ray days. This video questions their visual artistic skills. Is this supposed to be a goth version of Thelma and Louise but with scooters instead of a convertible? Or is this a replacement to the opening credits for Shannon Doherty's supernatual show "Charmed"? At least, it would replace that god-awful remix of The Smith's "How Soon is Now?"



P.S. My concert calender this past weekend was kindly filled with the Wooden Birds, Great Lake Swimmers, and Sunny Day Real Estate. The Wooden Birds were wonderful live. Although if you weren't aware, you would have assumed the American Analog Set released a new album. That's how similar the song arrangements are. As for Great Lake Swimmers? I'm sorry but the lead singer needs to learn how to enunciate. Who does he think he is? Jeremy Enigk? Nein, I say, nein.

Up next on the calender are Adele Diane, Dead Man's Bones, Choir of Young Believers, and quite possible Monsters of Folk. Though I've reduced their album to much, much less than the sums of their parts, I still wouldn't mind seeing them live. (Conor Oberst, three times this year? It might make up for missing him at Coachella. Might.)

Oh, humbug

At a party where my friends have left me for more beer, I am sitting next to Alex Turner* beneath the guise of raucous music and cigarette smoke. His deep, dark secrets of spurned lovers and dismay are whispered into my ears and I crane my neck to hear him correctly. Did he just asked, "What came first, the chicken or the dickhead?"

Yes. Yes, he did. Humbug is the Arctic Monkey's latest release and each song is crafted like a well-versed spat of contempt. Turner's disdain for posers and hipsters resurface on "Secret Door" as he croons in his lounge lizard voice of those silly "fools on parade." It must be residue from his side project The Last Shadow Puppets, because we are faced (or is it eared?) with his voice dropping to a smooth sneer while the drums and bass trample our heartstrings. On their previous records, Turner was a fresh-faced punk ready to slap you in the eardrums with his witty lyricism, but Turner of 2009 is a city weary man who has the lost The One. From "Dance Little Liar" to searching for her beneath every "Cornerstone" to the strange desire of "Fire and the Thud," Turner is a downtrodden lyricist rejected by rose-tinted romance. No wonder the album's titled Humbug.

"Crying Lightning" is their first single and the video takes an odd Poseidon twist but who cares, just listen to that intro bass line.


*said party never happened but let's pretend it did for poetic license

E for Emo

“Do I listen to pop music because I'm miserable or am I miserable because I listen to pop music?”

Well said, John Cusack. Now, did I listen to emo music because I'm miserable or am I miserable because I listen to emo music? Chicken, meet egg.

I'll defend emo music for as long as I can breathe because I grew up during the "golden" days of emo. Right before Chris Carrabba became MTV's poster child for the genre and the midwestern boys took it a tad too far in naming their bands/songs. Back before the naming became an internet meme, before black nail polish meant you had a sensitive soul, and back before every freaking band has a singer and a screamer.

Paste Magazine made a list of ten bands that supposedly paved the way for today's absurdity. If you took away Rites of Spring from the list and replaced it with Jets to Brazil and Saves the Day, then you've defined my musical taste in high school. Many of these bands are defunct, i.e. the Promise Ring, Braid, Texas is the Reason. Some bands have grown to an unrecognizable form (I'm talking about you, Weezer. What happened after Pinkerton?) Others are drifting in search of a solid state: Alkaline Trio, Cursive (to a degree).

What makes the music from those halcyon days any better than the stuff we have today? The emotional drive. The honesty. The soul shaking guitar riffs. We can dissect these songs until I've proven my point but sometimes you can't understand a sentiment until you've experienced it. These bands arrived as pop music peaked. The mid to late nineties plastered the world with boy bands, girl power, choreographed dance movements and matching outfits. Radio pop music had (and still has) an obsession with sexually charged songs. Case in point would be the introduction of Britney Spears' to the world in 1998 with "Baby One More Time." One more time to do what, Brit? The music videos prances her in a school girl uniform, the skirt a bit too high and that bare stomach a bit too taut.

Then "10 Minutes" by the Get Up Kids reach my ears and I was given three minutes of honest, well phrased lyrics. Three minutes of jaunting, upbeat guitars over lines like "you're falling in love/while I just fall apart." It's a purge of wants and frustration crammed into three minutes of simple chords and crashing drums.

And what do we have today? My Chemical Romance? Boys in angled hair cuts and black tight fitting jeans? Songs about being so depressed that death is your bitch lover? Wow, no thanks. The emo of yore acknowledge heartache and depression but in a humorous, self-deprecating way over a three-chord riff. My favorite example is Weezer's "Pink Triangle": "I'm dumb. She's a lesbian/I thought I had found the one." No speak of endless tears under the inferno of the sun or demented brooding.

Emo was good ol' rock n roll fun with a dash of lovesick pain and occasional spite. As if you gave Paul McCartney and John Lennon from the "I Wanna Hold your Hands" days rolls of toilet paper and a carton of eggs with the following directions: Go nuts. The end results may be simple, honest lyrics hidden by loud guitars, but man, oh, man, it was a frolicking good time.

My emo playlist:
-"Out of Reach" by the Get Up Kids
-"Across the Sea" by Weezer
-"Forever Leaving" by Tijuana Crime Scene
-"Cars and Calories" by Saves the Day
-"My Heart Skips a Beat" by the Promise Ring
-The New Amsterdams' Para Toda Vida album
-"Sweet Avenue" or "Starry Configuration" by Jets to Brazil

...my list is actually unending for this genre but these songs were on constant rotation when I was 16. I might also revert to a giddy 16 year old come this Sunday when I'll catch Sunny Day Real Estate. Here's hoping they play Diary in its entirety. If not, who cares? I'm seeing Sunny Day Real Estate!

The Rural Alberta Advantage

(image by Patrick Leduc)

Jeff Magnum. Sorry, just had to get that out of the way as the Rural Alberta Advantage is our It Band for the day. Pick a song, any song, off their full length debut Hometowns and one will instantly make the comparisons when Nils Edenloff opens his mouth to fill your ears with nasal wails of heartbreak and nostalgia. Paul Banwatt and Amy Cole round out the rest of the band. It's a good thing the trio decided to avoid a whimsical direction on their debut as Edenloff's voice will be a constant reminder of Neutral Milk Hotel.

With that out of the way, Hometowns is a flip through an audio photo album. This album reminds me of fond farewells. Be it to stages of schools, relationships, or even happy days. The end verses of the opening track mirror that sentiment: "And all these things will past/It's the good ones that will last/And right here what we've had/Is a good thing, it will last." And I want to believe Edenloff, I want to believe that though we can't turn back, the trite yet good memories remain.

These thirteen tracks will lyrically revolve around the same theme, which makes for a cohesive, earnest album. What was Over the Sea in an Aeroplane without WWII or Anne Frank? But while it's hard to emotionally connect with semen stained mountaintops, it's not difficult to recall heartache or homesickness. The sparse arrangement on "The Air" is a beautiful combination of both ideas. (And take a listen to the piano and acoustic guitar on that song!) But what drives a large majority of these tracks are the cleverly disguised synthesizers and ever up-centered drums. Banwatt basically hands you a cymbal to sit on so you can careen down the slopes and away from your woes.

The best track is "The Dethbridge in Lethbridge" because it's a rock stomp, face kick send off with aching spite. My favorite type. Just listen:

Neutral Milk Hotel

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea AND On Avery Island will be reissued on vinyl? Yahoo! So what if it's been over a decade since they've released a song? I'm still excited for the reissues and am placing the disks on my Wish List. (Also on the Wish List is a record player, but hey, one conquest at a time.)

The day Neutral Milk Hotel announces pre-production, the music world will cream their pants in giddy joy. And for once, I will join the masses in this feat.

I decided to pick up those albums mentioned in the last post. Brand New. Monster of Folk (even though I got the leak two weeks ago, but here's to supporting music). Or, the Whale. Islands. Of the records acquired, I recommend the latter two albums. Strictly for the face that both albums are amazing. Nuff said.

Gone and Back

Sorry for the hiatus, work has done a disappearing act on all of my free time. In the meanwhile, here's a playlist of current favorite songs:

• Orenda Fink - High Ground
• Conor Oberst & MVB - The Reason #2
  
• Rural Alberta Advantage - The Dethbridge in Lethbridge
• Friendly Fires - White Diamonds
• Fleet Foxes - Your Protector
• The Choir of Young Believers - She Walks

And now for a list of yet to be released albums I'm looking forward to hear:

• "Daisy" by Brand New
• "Vapours" by Islands
• "Ask the Night" by Orenda Fink
• "Earthly Delight" by Lightning Bolt
  

Finally, a list of artists with albums slated for this year that I'm slightly intrigued by but won't necessarily go out of my way to listen to:

• Dashboard Confessional (those songs about heartbreak and self-loathing better play over more than 3 chords or I'm giving you the "one trick pony" card, Chris Carrabba)
  
• Backstreet Boys (seriously??)
• Creed (wow, I guess Scott Strapp got tired of being poor and wants to bang the Christian anthem for more money)
• OK Go (produced by David Fridmann and entitled "The Influence of the Blue Ray of the Sunlight and of the Blue Color of the Sky?" Bring on the Flaming Lips comparisons!)
• 30 Seconds to Mars (hahahahaha, you're a band?)

And with Pavement announcing their reunion tour, I wonder which Britpop bands from the 90s are left to reunite? Blur's back, Oasis is halved, and Jarvis Cocker is enjoying his tweed art professor look too much to reunite Pulp. So Suede's left. Really, that's it?

Congratulations Courtney on being smarter than the average bear. Gold star!

The Wooden Birds

If the American Analog Set had an older, more mature cousin, it would be the Wooden Birds. It's Andrew Kenny's new brainchild, so don't be surprised if you recognize the similarities in the songwriting. The sparse, dreamy sound of AmAnSet pervades Magnolia but it's not a hindrance. Kenny builds on it so we're given a 38 minute lullaby of rich harmonies (with Leslie Sisson's assistance) backed by layers of percussion. Each plucked note is crisp like the crunch of autumn leaves beneath footsteps. The vocals have a instrumental role versus a storyteller. And did I mention the harmonies? These are twelve tightly wounded songs; what more do you need?

The stand out track for me is "Seven Seventeen," which musically seemed like a cute song. Until I looked at the lyrics and realized that I now have a favorite song about pedophilia. Oh, young romance and your statutory age laws. But really, take the song from a rose-tinted glasses view and assume it's about meeting cute. Instead of my dark, To Catch a Predator stance.

They're currently on tour with Great Lake Swimmers, who I believe everyone should also check out. In the meanwhile, here's a video for "Hometown Fantasies":

Monsters of Folk

Monsters of Folk.

Monsters. Of. Folk.

Let's try that one more time: Monsters of Folk. Okay, I still don't believe the so-called supergroup named themselves as such. Sure, it's a testimony to their status in the indie folk community but it also seems like the most expensive inside joke. MOF comprises of Conor Oberst, M. Ward (also in She&Him), Mike Mogis (of Bright Eyes), and Jim James (of My Morning Jacket.) Their back story finds the four musician playing on each other's set five years ago that a collaboration was eminent.

Here we are in 2009 and from the songs released so far, it sounds like somebody put together a Bright Eyes/M. Ward/My Morning Jacket mesh. There doesn't seem to be a cohesive feeling on the tracks leaked so far, hence my disappointment. Individually, each track has it merits as well as faults. "Dear God" rolls over this lush drum loop. "Between The Sandman, The Brakeman, And Me" carries a jaunty guitar line under smile-worthy harmonies. "Temazcal" must have been left off the track list for Outer South while the chorus in "Magic Marker" shows their songwriting as their weakest. "Say Please" trails as a continuation of "Handle with Care" from Jenny Lewis' debut album. Basically, we've got the Travelling Wilburys stretched out on fifteen tracks.

The album as a whole wobbles on unsure feet of where to walk: Do we go with a Oberst song or a James song? Maybe we'll throw Ward's vocal over Oberst's lyrics? Monsters of Folk teeters and totters on potential only to topple underneath old ideas and familiar territory. Worst yet, these are four very talented men and three come with weighted musical histories. I'm not surprised by my disappointment in a sense. Their collaboration doesn't work as we're rehashing An Evening With Jim James, M. Ward, and Bright Eyes. People can shit bricks over this album but I'm going to wipe my ass and walk away. Let me know when each respective band releases their next album as these tracks might as well be b-sides to old records.

If you must, listen at their myspace.

Mismatched?

Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johannson? Beck and Charlotte Gainsbourg? My expectations are officially set to low for their collaborative albums. For a number of legitimate reasons:

1. Pete Yorn hasn't released a decent song since his debut musicforthemorningafter. That was in 2001.
2. Did anyone actually listen to ScarJo's Anywhere I Lay My Head? No? Don't worry, you weren't the only one. Limited vocal range overwhelmed by the production. Only one original song amidst the Tom Waits covers. It's frustrating because she had Dave Sitek and Nick Zinner among other backing musician on this album, yet we're still left with her dispassionate drone.
3. Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck are on opposite sides of the music field. He gave us Sea Changes, which I loved and can't fault him. She gave us 5:55, which was a much more decent version of ScarJo's debut.

Maybe this just means actresses shouldn't become musicians. Though I now wonder if Jared Leto will team up with Cat Powers. That would be the best practical joke ever. Next to Ryan Adams marrying Mandy Moore.

Wait, Adams and Moore ARE married? What an odd, odd pairing.

Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson's Break Up is set for release on September 8. Beck and Charlotte Gainsbourg's IRM is out January of next year. I'll be shaking sleeping in my boots in anticipation.

Alela Diane

From the Northwest, I bring Alela Diane who channels the 1960s Joan Baez and today's Joanna Newsom in her voice, which in my book is two thumbs up. The Pirate's Gospel caught my eye one day and while expecting jaunty tunes (with an album title like that, how could you not?), I was surprised to find a songbird with only a guitar backing her voice. To Be Still was released this year on Rough Trade so it fortunately received the production quality Pirates deserved. Pirates holds a DIY status in my heart but with tracks like "Age Old Blue" and the opener "Dry Grass & Shadows," I'm glad To Be Still did not play like unpolished demos.

With lap steels, strings, and drums to occasionally back Diane's warm voice and guitar, she elevates above a street busker as these instrument add a sharp emphasis on her voice. The clang of a cymbal reinforces her regret. The vibrato of the steel strings lulls us into her lyrical tales of wandering love, her childhood, and family. The cello's bow sweeps one back and forth on "White as Diamonds" as she croons how "our lives are buried in snow." It's an album to play on a cloudy Sunday afternoon as you curl up with a book.

So if you enjoy the folk scene or slightly intrigued by what it has to offer, Alela Diane is a good start. Then you can work your way backwards to Guthrie, Seeger, Dylan, and Baez. Best track is "Age Old Blue." Start there if anything.

To Be Still - Alela Diane

P.S. Off to see Conor and the gang tonight. If you don't hear from me, I've strapped myself to the bottom of their tour van and have talked my way into their hearts to be their merch girl. But really, photos/reviews/lavish praise of the show on Monday.

Friendly Fires

Vocalist Ed MacFarlane is a hip swiveling, dance fiend. Thus, adoration in its purest form is reserved for him. For a band who started off as postpunk hardcore ten years ago, it's amazing to see how the Friendly Fires have developed into their current state. Their self-titled debut album is a frenzy of pop and electronica with bass lines brought to the front. A friend of mine wasn't too pleased with their live show, stating if he wanted to hear their music, he would listen to A Certain Ratio instead. It's easy to see the influence as any band backed by horns with looped guitars and synths could illicit the comparison but Friendly Fires doesn't capture the lo-fi vocals of A Certain Ratio, nor do they try to. FF relies on, oddly, cowbells. Listen to any track and they're prominent along with Edd Gibson's fuzzy guitar.

I didn't plan to review their self-titled album as that's what Spin, Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone are for. (But if you read Rolling Stone after 1990, you don't have a soul as that paper is only good for wiping your ass.) But how else will I convince any to listen to Friendly Fires without praising their debut? I originally planned on posting my favorite tracks but my exuberance from Sunday night's show has exceeded my sense of logic. That aside, my favorite tracks: "White Diamonds" and "Photobooth." The former channels Depeche Mode while the latter track loops a disco drum and bass line. Lyrically, none of these tracks will be awarded a Nobel in literature. The underlying message to nearly all of the songs is: Boy and Girl are good friends. Cross the friendship line and you have heartbreak and regret.

It's a dance/rock album so, I say dance. Save the intrigue for the follow up album as I'm hooked on the synthesizers and loopings for now. All the more reason for me to see them play again in November with the xx at the El Rey.

In total DIY creativity, Friendly Fires' first music video:

Excuses

Wow. Caught Islands, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, the Phenomenal Handclap Band, and the Friendly Fires this week, so I'm scrubbed around the ears with sound. I'm going to need some time to digest all this audio.

From the bonnie bank o' Loch Lomond

A few weeks ago, Loch Lomond performed for me and 12 other people. Any other night, I think they would have had at least twice or triple that number of people but 1) it was Sunday night and 2) all the hipsters were at the Hollywood Bowl/Rilo Kiley show. Bad scheduling on someone's part but it did not dull the stage banter or sway the four part harmonies that could rival Bon Iver.

I have high hopes for this band within the next few years, but for now, they're maintaining their roles as show openers. And if they keep opening songs with lyrical allusion to the Elephant Man and how "the sound of children laughing makes my ears bleed," they should be able to stick around.

For the "sounds like" details: the Decemberists, Arcade Fire, and Sufjan Stevens.



P.S. Sunset Junction is happening this weekend for folks in the LA area. Go see Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Mica Miko, Islands, the Submarines, and many other class acts. Or catch the Friendly Fires with me at the Glasshouse.

Love Will Tear Us Apart

I have a slight tremendous obsession with Ian Curtis and Joy Division. My first vinyl was Unknown Pleasures by them. I cried at the end of Anton Corbin's biopic Control, even though I knew how it would end. So it's all the more reason to include a cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart," done by Broken Social Scene.

Sadly, I'm not a fan of this cover. Grandiose piano opening with such potential until you hear Kevin Drew's voice and you wonder how drunk was he while recording the vocals. The vocals are bearable until halfway into the song when he's taken to the bottle too heavily and sounds like your uncontrollable crying friend after a messy break up. I would love this version a lot more if I didn't want to slap Drew and tell him: Man up, pussy.

Listen and hear the piano difference.

Love will tear us apart

Omaha's prodigal son

Warning: I have an unhealthy obsession with Conor Oberst. I won't discuss the length of my fanatic adoration but be prepared for many entries related to him.

I also have the Conor Coachella Curse. Three years running that I've been to Coachella, I've missed his set each and every year due to circumstances beyond my control. I think it's God ongoing joke with me, except he's the only one laughing and I'm the punchline.

On his early stuff, there was the noted "Conor yelp" that greatly divided new listeners into returning listeners or abstainers. Outer South is his latest release, featuring songs from his band mates as well. Unfortunately, the album's dragged down by Taylor Hollingsworth, who should stick to looking cute while playing the guitar. He's a tremendous finger picker but his voice beguiles his appearance. Nik Freitas and Jason Boesel (Rilo Kiley and the Elected's drummer) have noteworthy songs that deserve a listen. Nik Freitas, especially, is on my list of favorite new artists. And I never knew Boesel could be a songwriter.

On to the song with their wonderful Midwestern twang, it features Conor and Nik on vocals. So. Enjoy. And neat guitar solo at 2:59.

Nikorette - Conor Oberst and t...

P.S. Visit Nik Freitas or Conor at their websites or iTunes.

Train Song

First post, which means that my first song to endorse should be a grand reflection of my musical tastes. However, most people might find my choice of the Ghostbuster end credit song to be off putting. I would find it endearing. So let's start off with a cover:

Train Song by the darlings of the indie mainstream world, Ben Gibbard and Leslie Feist. He's a man who can't write a bad love song, if you discount Photobooth and Tiny Vessels. She was on my blacklist for years until I heard this song, which is a cover and was originally sung by Vashti Bunyan. The cover doesn't stray far from the original but the harmonies nails the wistful longing.

Train Song - Ben Gibbard, Feis...

Introductions

Hi. I'm Cammie. I like music. A lot.

I like it enough to dedicate web space to my love for it, or rather my hopes to share my love with other folks. Album reviews, cover songs, and favorite steel guitar licks will be posted amongst other finds. No promises on staying current as there are so many other sites that will do so* or writing in complete sentences. No ratings or stars will be given. Instead, a "me like," "me no like," or a detailed opinion in between those spectrum will be awarded.

Onward!

*Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, Pitchfork, and Prefixmag are good go to sites.