concernt calendar for week of feb 8 - feb 14

Monday (2/8): The Antlers @ the Warfield
There are still tickets available to see the Antlers (who are actually opening for the editors). you can find them on TM and through Craigslist. The Antlers had a top 10 album from 2009 for me. So clearly, I'm pretty excited about the intense and depressing show. I'm sorta hoping for a couple of people sitting on the floor with their head in their knees crying (emo style)

Tuesday (2/9): The Vivian Girls @ The Bottom of the Hill.
the Vivian Girls play a sort of lo-fi shoegaze that I think will sound great at the Bottom of the Hill. Tickets are also still available to this show. Also - this show will require no commitment on your part. If you are planning to go to a bar on Tuesday night, just go to Bottom of the Hill and have a bunch of noise in the background.

Saturday (2/13): Justin Townes Earl @ The Great American Music Hall. I am so so on Justin Townes Earle. But, he is Steve Earle's son and named after Townes Van Zandt, so I have to imagine the show isn't a waste.

Sunday (2/14): Girls and The Smith Westerns @ The Great American Music Hall
Girls were a 2009 honorable mention album for me. I have no idea what they're like live. I think the combo of them and the Smith Westerns, should be good though. Always tough to get up for a sunday night show though.

Reblog: Kenny Kellogg Friday Chill Music

Scott Orn, over at Kenny Kellogg. Had a fantastic playlist on Friday. Check it out below and go to the post.

Midweek music fix

Now its time for new music.



Eels - End Times. ($7.99 download). yep, this sounds like a bruce springsteen song from nebraska. Thats why i like it.

The Strokes - Barely Legal. I feel bad about not including the strokes, Is This It in my best of the decade list. Its true, that album was important. We wouldn't have the music we have today (or at least on the indie scene) if it weren't for them. Irony, revitalization of the new york scene, fuzzy, indie music. we can thank the strokes for bridging the gap here.

Jay Reatard (RIP) - Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle. Jay passed away a few weeks ago. As it typically the case, I am late getting totally into his music. He died of a coke overdose and you can certainly hear some of the pain in this song, with lyrics such as, "I miss the comfort in being sad." Check out his album, Blood Visions.

Dum Dum Girls - Jail La La. (you can pre order this download - or go to stereogum for the free single). This sounds just like the raveonettes, so its not surprising that i love this music.

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - But what of the strangers. Thao is coming in concert tomorrow and I'm going to try to make the show. I have super high hopes - and I don't want to be let down. I'm especially excited about this song - thao singing sulty, while leaning on a microphone, dark in the background with only a light on her. some people having random conversations around the bar while she sings. Its hopefully going to be great. I had her album, Know Better Learn Faster as an honorable mention. The whole thing does rock.

Sondre Lerche - Bluish. I have no idea who this dude is (according to wikipedia he is a norwegian singer). But, this is an amazing cover of Bluish from Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion. I thought the song was ok on that album, but this acoustic version is awesome. I never totally appreciated the lyrics of the song (thats not really the point of the album), but they are pretty great. You can see the influence of Brian Wilson in the song writing. Its really just a simple pop song: "put on that dress that i like, it makes me so crazy though i can't say why."

The Shout Out Louds - Walls. I have yet to buy many of the fantastic albums that have come out already in 2010. The new shout out louds album isn't out, but I am super pumped about it. Our Ill Willsis certainly a top 10 of 2007 for me. And if this song is any indication, I think I am going to love album.

I Blame Coco - Caesar (Feat. Robyn) (Diplo Remix). I love dance/house music with lots of negative overtones. It probably out of fashion because i think thats what moby did and what you hear when you walk into a W hotel. But, I have a sense we're going to hear alot more of this over the next year. dance music with negative overtones tends to sound apocalyptic and expresses confusion, which i think is where people's heads are at. Also, if Diplo is involved, its probably cool. I love this line: "Now who holds the show/Will be Caesar/You can even have it written on your T-shirt"

JJ - My Way. Ditto above. Holy crap, I love this Weezy wrap. I don't even like Lil Wayne, but the raps hes doing in indie songs are great. I love the random rap quotes as lines to the song when Weezy isn't rapping. The new JJ album isn't out for a while, but you can download this for free on stereogum.

Midweek music fix - Top albums of 2009 - Top 10

Part 2 of a 4 part best of 2009 series. Check out my Honorable mentions here. I'll compile the both of best of playlists into an uber, top 33 of 2009 playlist.



10. Wilco - Wilco [The Album]. Initially I didn't have this album on the list. But, then I was listening to Sky Blue Sky a few nights ago and realized, that album wouldn't have made my list in 2007. Wilco albums take time. And then they get you. I feel confident that 3 years from now, I'll still want to put this record on. I can't say with confidence thats true for any other album. This album is a victory lap for Wilco. Its probably the least...risky of their albums, but its wilco playing the sort of music that wilco plays. All wrapped up into one album. And, they know it. In fact, Wilco (The Song), is really about the realization of who they are and what they mean. And finally, if you like wilco, you'll like this album.

10. Built to Spill - There is No Enemy. What i love about this album is the constant questioning of everything combined with the noise that you can count on from Built To Spill.

9. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains. This is another long, droning guitar album combined with deep and pensive lyrics.

8. Passion Pit - Manners. Underneath the dancing and beats and fun is an album about heartbreak...but also great fun music. And thats what makes this album great an ablbum about a breakup that you can dance to.

7. The Antlers - Hospice [Explicit]. As easy as Passion Pit is to listen to, The Antlers might be as hard to listen to. The songs are immensely sad, the vocals are sometimes overly quiet, sometimes the words don't totally make sense and it is almost painfully autobiographical. But, wow, you feel something when you listen to this.

6. The Big Pink - A Brief History Of Love. Big drums, big guitars, big themes.

5. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion. I struggled with this album. I do think this is the most interesting album of the year. It combines the art-rock, out there qualities of other AC albums, but its also much more accessible. And, its pushing the boundaries of what it means to make music. But, heres the thing. I'm not totally sure that I am going to be listening to this album 5 years from now or even 3 years from now. And, if I do, maybe it will seem dated.

4. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns. I love this album. The title of the album is perfect - Hometown's aptly describes the feeling of the album, its almost the exact opposite of The Big Pink. Its simple, its cozy, the music and words describe tangible things, tangible feelings. Hometowns is a perfect title. I've linked to the RAA website to buy the music. I bought a vinyl and i got a nice thank you note in the mail from them.

3. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. They were on SNL, they are in car commercials, regular folks have heard of them. But, lets face, this album is amazing. Yes, there are great songs, but even better you can play the entire album and flows well together.

2. The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You. Released late in the year, this may be a surprise on the list. I like everything about this album and the first song is probably one of best side 1, song 1's, of at least the 2000's. On top of that, this album holds the distinction of one of my favorite music listening experiences of the year. The first time I heard, "ah brooklyn, brooklyn take me/are you aware the shape i'm in," was a great moment.

1. The XX - xx. A good friend said to me today, "are we done with The XX hype?" I don't know. I love this album and I listen to it alot. Will we hear from them again and when we do will it be as good? I doubt it. But, this album is great. Not a bad song on the album, definitely an album you can listen to from start to finish and I had a hard time narrowing down which songs to put on a playlist. And, I think what makes this album so great is probably the fact that we're probably not going to see this sort of album from the XX again. I could have easily made an argument for any one of my top 10 (er, 11) albums making it in the top spot. What ultimately did it for me - the album is constantly near the turntable, I actually stop what i am doing to listen to certain parts of certain songs (even though I've heard it numerous songs) and the first time I heard the album, I knew immediately I was going to love it.

Midweek music fix - Top albums of 2009 - Honorable Mentions

Its now mid January and I think I've had enough time to figure out my top albums of the year. Over the next day or so I'm going to post my honorable mentions, top 10 and my top 33 songs of 2009. I've made it easy for you to buy these albums by linking to places to buy. Many of the albums are only $5 on amazon (which is sort of my go to for purchasing mp3 downloads nowadays, no DRM and they are usually the cheapest). I'll buy almost any album for $5.



Honorable Mentions:
The Dutchess and Duke - Sunset / Sunrise. ($5 download!) Alittle alt country, indie. Overtly emotional.

Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer. ($5 download!). Half the time I have no idea what this guy is talking about on the album. But damn it they are passionate, its lots of stream of conscious emotion.

Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid. Dan Auerbach from the black keys makes a fantastic blues album.

Girls - Album. Another depressing album, with great harmonies.

Weezer - Raditude (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version). ($5 download!) This may surprise you, but this album is good. It is straight ahead guitar pop. It's Weezer being Weezer. Guitar pop that perfectly captures a feeling, emotion, situation and sarcasm. How can you beat a song that has rivers cuomo singing "Screw rehab/ i love my addiction/no sleep no sleep/i am always on a mission" and lil wayne singing possibly my 2nd favorite rap of the year (# 1 I'm on a boat): "Gotta stop mixing alcohol with pharmaceuticals/and the unusual is the fucking usual/Man, my life is beautiful and my girls are mutual/Okay bitches, Weezer and it's Weezy"

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Know Better Learn Faster. I like Thao's voice and her use of words and lyrics. And, rocking music that supports her.

Port O'Brien - Threadbare/Winter. The lead singer could not be a better doppelganger for Kurt Cobain. The lyrics are just soul crushing. There are long, droning guitars, every inch of every song seems to drip with soul. And, how can i not love an album with lyrics like this, "sleep is where I want to be/but i can't get there for the life of me/so i guess i'll just/watch tv"

The Raveonettes - In And Out Of Control. Long Droning guitars. Poppy yet lo-fi vocal. Lyrics such as, "lick your lips and fuck suicide." Great band, another great album.

Yeah Yeah Yeah's - It's Blitz!. I've been struggling for 5 minutes to desribe this album more than just to say "rock n roll." And Karen O is awesome.

Modest Mouse - No One's First, And You're Next EP [Explicit](not sure if i can include this since its an EP, Not an LP). This is an EP, but it has 8 songs and is longer than some albums on this list so I felt like I could include it. As I mentioned in my best of the 2000's post, Isaac Brock is angry. What I like about this album is the frustration combined with this growing sense that nothing matters and Isaac just wants to give up. Is there a word for hopelessness and anger?

Midweek Music Fix - Rebloggin Kenny Kellogg's Best of 2009

I'll be putting up my top albums of 2009 in the next couple days. in preparation of that - Here is Kenny Kellogg's top 15 albums.

15-11


10-6a and 6b



5-1



Here is the list:
15. Pearl Jam (Backspacer)
14. Gomez (A New Tide)
13. Monsters of Folk
12. Blind Pilot (3 Rounds & A Sound)
11. Conor Oberst
10. Bat for Lashes (Two Suns)
9. Camera Obscura (My Maudlin Career)
8. Wilco (Wilco the Album)
7. The Fruit Bats (Ruminant Band)
6a. Where the Wild Things Are (Karen O)
6b. Blood Bank, Twilight Soundtrack & Volcano Choir (Bon Iver)
5. Elvis Perkins in Dearland
4. Dirty Projectors (Bitte Orca)
3. The XX
2. Dark Was the Night
1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs (It's Blitz)

Great list scott

Top Albums of the 2000's

I've been asked by a number of folks what my top picks for 2000's are. It seems everyone is offering their opinion out there today. I sorta stayed away from this because there are so many things to consider - do look at impact, my feelings about the album when it came out, my feelings when i first hear the album, how much I still listen to/love the album today? I don't know. In addition, there seems to be a general consensus growing around a few key albums that you need to include when talking about the talk 5 and I unfortunately, I am not offering much of an alternative. One notable exception here - in that general consensus, The Strokes, Is This It does come up in the hipsterati's list of top albums. Its not on my list. And, while I like it today and I liked it when it came out - it hasn't had a ridiculous impact on me. I recognize today how important that album is - but it would seem disingenuous to include it on the list. I loved Dashboard Confessional for about a year. But I rarely listen to that album today and I don't think there has been any long term impact on music from that album. That being said, I thought I'd take a stab at what just feels like my favorite albums for the 2000's.




When You talk about 2 albums that made an impact - I think you have to talk about College Dropout and Kid A. Not only do these albums effing rock, but they also created transformational shifts in what it means to make music in their respective genres. Sitting in the middle of those two albums are the postal service's give up - which pretty much shot indie into the mainstream and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot which is Jeff Tweedy's (who is probably one of the most defining musicians of the 2000s) best work to date.

12. Interpol: Turn on the bright Lights.
A friend once told me that he thought Interpol would be as big as U2. Clearly I don't think thats the case. But, this album is great. I think many are up in the air about this album - it is very specifically from the early to mid 2000s. It sounds like it. The lyrics, sound, attitude - they are all from that time period. I think it probably doesn't get enough credit. That being said, I love this album because of the long, droning, guitars, the melancholy, self-obsessed lyrics and the underlying hopelessness.
Favorite Lyric: "Its in the way that she poses/Its in the thing that she puts in my head/her stories are boring and stuff/shes always calling my bluff"

11. Girl Talk: Feed The Animals.
At a NYE house-party this year, the dance floor had died down due to someone recklessly, rudely and incromprehensibly putting on Mariah Carey's christmas song. We needed to get the vibe back. The hostesss did this by putting on Play Your Part (Part 1). Everyone starting singing and dancing. On that same New Years a friend in chicago sent a picture from the NYE Girls Talk show in the Chi. Apparently he had house on the stage - it looked like a ridiculous party. The point being: Girl Talk rocks that party. And Girl Talk's music has something for everyone - hipsters, top 40 fans, classic rock fans, hip hop fans and annoying 25 year old girls who like Miley Cyrus. Girl talk does this because they combine all sorts of music through mashups - which is probably the 2000's version disco (innovative when it was invented time - laughable soon after).
Favorite Lyric: "we poppin champagne like we won the championship game." just after hunger strike music. genius.

10. Chutes Too Narrow: The Shins.
My stomach sunk when natalie portman told us all in Garden State that the shins saved her life. This album is probably another that defines the mid 2000's indie rock scene. I remember seeing them at the HOB in summer 2004 - the show was not sold out, but the HOB sold out of PBR before the concert began. 2 years later, they played the Congress theater (maybe 2x the size), sold it out and the audience was completely different. Regardless of the new audience, it doesnt change awesomeness of this album. It lacks the droning guitars and melancholy lyrics - but its smart, fun and poppy.
Favorite Lyric: "I gotta leave here my girl/get on with my lonely life"

9. Ryan Adams: Demolition. Ryan Adams.
This is a great rock album and I don't think it reaches many best of lists from the 2000s. That might be because Ryan Adam's put out about about 78 albums in the past 10 years. There are only a couple songs that are not on my regular playlists and no misses. I can't imagine not being able to listen to this album. What makes it so great: its so personal and earnest. Ryan really puts his heart on his sleeve here. And, even better, I think the entire album is essentially a reflection on one single relationship. Great emotional music.
Favorite Lyric: "think the thing you said was true/I'm gonnna die alone and sad"

8. Radiohead: Kid A.
I can not add anything to what has already been said about this album. Its so good.
Favorite Lyric: "We're not scaremongering/This is really happening"

7. Modest Mouse: The Moon and Antarctica.
Make no mistake - this album is angry. The slowness of the music might trick you at first, but Brock (the lead singer) is angry. And listen again to the slowness of the music - its not slow at all. Its bitter.
Favorite Lyric: "Well, it took a lot of work to be the ass that I am/And I'm really damn sure that anyone can, equally easily fuck you over"

6. Bright Eyes: I'm Wide Awake, Its Morning
This is the album that began my on again off again relationship with Bright Eyes and Connor Oberst. After this album I bought nearly every album Bright Eyes put out. This is a lyrics album for me - all totally fantastic.
Favorite Lyric: Its unfair to limit it to one, but I'll try:
"I've got a flask inside my pocket, we can share it on the train/and if you promise to stay conscious,I will try and do the same/well, we might die from medication/but we sure killed all the pain/but what was normal in the evening/by the morning seems insane"

5. The Hold Steady: Separation Sunday
You might not like Craig Finn's...singing... but the music is catchy and the lyrics are smart. If you are a well read, hard drinking, music geek, this is the album for you. Its hard to find one lyric that i love, there are tons of great line, but i think they be summed up with this quote.
Favorite Quote: "And I can't stand it when the bangin' stops."

4. The Postal Service: Give Up.
My sister introduced me to the Postal Service in early 2003. I was hooked immediately. I remember thinking that I hadn't really heard anything quite like this before. I literally love every song on this album.
Favorite Quote: "what does it take/to get a drink in this place"

3. Kanye West: College Dropout
I've been a Kanye apologist from the get go. Nas said it right - hip hop is dead. The only hip hop album I bought this year was a Company Flow reissue. Its become cliche, mass marketed, bs, with crappy beats. There is no feeling. I guess I blame the ATL and krunk for this. Kanye has amazing beats and a good flow and honest lyrics. And, he was talking about things in a way that few had talked about before. He made everything personal - he didn't talk about the ghetto or the disenfranchised - he talked about how growing up poor and black drove him to make certain, specific decisions and how he felt about those decisions. He self-consciously balanced the bravado that thinks he's a bad ass with the insecurity that thinks he's not. Biggie and Tupac both did this.
Favorite Quote: "Its bad enough we on wellfare/you try to put me on the schoolbus with the space for the wheel chair/i'm tryin a get the car with the chromey wheels here/you try to cut our lights out like we don't live here."

2. The Arcade Fire: Funeral
Their show at the Riv in Chicago during the fall of 2005 ranks in my pantheon of great shows. When I think of music from the 2000's I will probably think of this album. It was initially my top album, but YHF won out purely because I had a hard time coming up with only 2 songs to use on my playlist.
Favorite Quote: "Something filled up/my heart with nothin/someone told me not to cry/But now that I'm older/My heart's colder/And I can see that its a lie"

1. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
I had a hard time finding just two songs to put on this list. The entire album is fantastic, not one bad song. And, on top of that, I hear something new everytime i listen. What makes all of this possible is the combination of Jeff Tweedy's pain filled lyrics with the complex music and noise of Jay Bennett (and now Nels Cline).
Favorite Quote: I wanna good life/with a nose for things/fresh wind and bright sky/to enjoy my suffering