Now halfway through 2009, here are the five best records I've bought this year so far:
5. Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest - One of those rare peaceful albums that becomes catchier the more you listen to it. You might find yourself humming songs like "Fine For Now" and "About Face" at work, even though they are as creepy as they are beautiful. I'm still amazed that this is the indie rock album to debut in the Billboard top ten (they debuted at number 8), but it almost couldn't happen to better people.
4. U2's No Line On The Horizon - There have been a few good big-name rock releases this year (Green Day and Dave Matthews Band included) but this is the one I keep coming back to. Extended art pieces like "Unknown Caller" are a great way to fill space between big stadium rockers like "I'll Go Crazy...", which might be the best single not to be released as a single so far this year. Wow, a U2 album with some legs - it has been awhile.
3. St. Vincent's Actor - Click here to watch her make her TV debut on David Letterman; this is one of the strangest songs ever attempted on national TV. I love it. I have no idea why she would attempt "Marrow" here when she had more "conventional" tracks like "Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood" and "Actor Out Of Work" to choose from, but I don't think anything about this girl is conventional. She's an even crazier Fiona Apple, and this album destroys output from any other female singer/songwriter album this year - or most in recent memory.
2. The Dream's Love Vs. Money - I think losing Michael Jackson makes me love this record more, because clearly The Dream wants to be the one to carry his legacy. Classic soul songwriting get modernized with club synths and a killer sense of humor. "Rockin That Shit" is the hip-hop single of the year so far.
1. Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion - Nothing else this year is even close. This might be the first time I've ever seen an album come out in January that won't get touched all year. In January, I thought this was a good album. In June, I think it's a masterpiece along the same lines as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Kid A. By December, who knows how much I'll love this album. Uplifting and stunningly imaginative, this is what you need if you only buy one record this year.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Remembering Michael Jackson
Devastated. That's really the only word I can use to describe how I felt yesterday around 6:30 when my sister called me to tell me that Michael Jackson is dead at the age 50.
Whether you saw him as a pioneer, a brilliant musician, a lunatic, a punchline, misunderstood... it doesn't matter - he's been a part of our lives for more than 30 years. We grew up with him. We saw him become larger than life and collapse under the pressure he created. When somebody mentions the 1980s, we all think of him before we think of any actor, any sports star, or any politician.
For anybody who grew up in the 80s and early 90s, Michael was not just a musician. He was a superhero. He was a myth. We didn't think of him in terms of regular human ability. How can any living, breathing human be that original and have a presence like that? How does a human being have the electric moves, the passion, and the style to make a video like "Smooth Criminal" or "Thriller"? He sang and danced better than any of us will ever do anything.
Thriller is the rarest kind of record: one that hasn't aged a day in 30 years. I pulled it out a few weeks ago at a party for mid-20's military officers from all parts of the country. Everybody danced, everybody sang along, everybody had a story about the first time they heard "Beat It" or "Billie Jean" or how they danced along to the videos when they were 5 years old. How many records have this effect on us?
And while I'm on music videos: to say he was the greatest thing that ever happened to music videos is STILL an understatement. He was the entire art of the music video. It started and ended with him. Once he stopped making them, the entire genre was obsolete. There was no longer any point.
Even in 2009, I didn't feel like his story was over. He had 50 shows lined up in London, he had a new record ready to go - as empty as the pop genre is in 2009, what would have stopped a 50-year old Michael from owning it again? Even Dangerous, his 1991 overblown disaster of a pop record, is more memorable today than most of what came out that year! If Josh Groban can sell millions of records, what would stop Michael from lighting up the charts with another "Heal The World"? I guess we'll never know.
I have a lot of new records to review on this site, but not for a few days. I'm going to spend the weekend reflecting with Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad, and even Dangerous (although I'll skip "Will You Be There" because I don't think I can emotionally handle it right now). This is Michael's weekend.
A true original. A true legend.
Rest in Peace.
Whether you saw him as a pioneer, a brilliant musician, a lunatic, a punchline, misunderstood... it doesn't matter - he's been a part of our lives for more than 30 years. We grew up with him. We saw him become larger than life and collapse under the pressure he created. When somebody mentions the 1980s, we all think of him before we think of any actor, any sports star, or any politician.
For anybody who grew up in the 80s and early 90s, Michael was not just a musician. He was a superhero. He was a myth. We didn't think of him in terms of regular human ability. How can any living, breathing human be that original and have a presence like that? How does a human being have the electric moves, the passion, and the style to make a video like "Smooth Criminal" or "Thriller"? He sang and danced better than any of us will ever do anything.
Thriller is the rarest kind of record: one that hasn't aged a day in 30 years. I pulled it out a few weeks ago at a party for mid-20's military officers from all parts of the country. Everybody danced, everybody sang along, everybody had a story about the first time they heard "Beat It" or "Billie Jean" or how they danced along to the videos when they were 5 years old. How many records have this effect on us?
And while I'm on music videos: to say he was the greatest thing that ever happened to music videos is STILL an understatement. He was the entire art of the music video. It started and ended with him. Once he stopped making them, the entire genre was obsolete. There was no longer any point.
Even in 2009, I didn't feel like his story was over. He had 50 shows lined up in London, he had a new record ready to go - as empty as the pop genre is in 2009, what would have stopped a 50-year old Michael from owning it again? Even Dangerous, his 1991 overblown disaster of a pop record, is more memorable today than most of what came out that year! If Josh Groban can sell millions of records, what would stop Michael from lighting up the charts with another "Heal The World"? I guess we'll never know.
I have a lot of new records to review on this site, but not for a few days. I'm going to spend the weekend reflecting with Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad, and even Dangerous (although I'll skip "Will You Be There" because I don't think I can emotionally handle it right now). This is Michael's weekend.
A true original. A true legend.
Rest in Peace.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
A few classics for you...
I occasionally have to take a break from reviewing new music. While I wait another week for the new Wilco album and try to figure out that Sunn O album I bought (I'll discuss that in a few days), check out one of these American landmarks I've been listening to:
Grateful Dead American Beauty - If you are part of my generation, you probably only know this band for their 30 minute jams and the excessive drug use of their fans. Did you know they created albums of brilliant 4-minute roots-Americana tunes? This is their best: "Box Of Rain" has an amazing chorus that will be stuck in your head for days, and "Friend Of The Devil" is what Hank Williams probably wanted country to sound like. "Ripple" is one of the greatest country-gospel tracks ever recorded. There is no other word for it - this album is perfect.
Lynyrd Skynyrd's (Pronounced 'Len-'Nerd 'Sky-'Nerd) - Yes, it is the worst album title ever. If you've ever listened to classic rock radio, you've probably heard all of the 8 tracks here, and "Simple Man" and "Tuesday's Gone" have probably made you sing along and/or cry when you were drunk at some point. Oh yeah, did I mention "Free Bird"? If you ever have a bad break-up, just play that song and you will forget your ex three minutes into the guitar solo. Country rock was never better than this and never will be.
The Band's The Band - Talk about a one of a kind band - a group of mostly Canadians who were each ridiculously talented at every instrument, all wrote songs, and all sang. Good God. And they wrote songs about labor unions and the Civil War - not particularly popular topics in 60s music (or ever). Every track on this record is memorable and distinctive: "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a beautifully melodic history lesson, "Rag Momma Rag" is barroom dance music from a Western, and "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" even ventures into funk. The world needs another band like this.
Enjoy!
Grateful Dead American Beauty - If you are part of my generation, you probably only know this band for their 30 minute jams and the excessive drug use of their fans. Did you know they created albums of brilliant 4-minute roots-Americana tunes? This is their best: "Box Of Rain" has an amazing chorus that will be stuck in your head for days, and "Friend Of The Devil" is what Hank Williams probably wanted country to sound like. "Ripple" is one of the greatest country-gospel tracks ever recorded. There is no other word for it - this album is perfect.
Lynyrd Skynyrd's (Pronounced 'Len-'Nerd 'Sky-'Nerd) - Yes, it is the worst album title ever. If you've ever listened to classic rock radio, you've probably heard all of the 8 tracks here, and "Simple Man" and "Tuesday's Gone" have probably made you sing along and/or cry when you were drunk at some point. Oh yeah, did I mention "Free Bird"? If you ever have a bad break-up, just play that song and you will forget your ex three minutes into the guitar solo. Country rock was never better than this and never will be.
The Band's The Band - Talk about a one of a kind band - a group of mostly Canadians who were each ridiculously talented at every instrument, all wrote songs, and all sang. Good God. And they wrote songs about labor unions and the Civil War - not particularly popular topics in 60s music (or ever). Every track on this record is memorable and distinctive: "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a beautifully melodic history lesson, "Rag Momma Rag" is barroom dance music from a Western, and "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" even ventures into funk. The world needs another band like this.
Enjoy!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Dirty Projectors' Bitte Ocra
Indie rock in 2009 is becoming pretty predictable, but not in a bad way. A Brooklyn-based band that has been long struggling with the balance of art-house noise and pop songwriting finally finds a middle ground and makes a masterpiece that is both catchy and unexpected. See, that last sentence could describe three of the year's best records: Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavillion, Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest, and now Dirty Projector's Bitte Ocra.
What makes this one different is it's reliance on rhythm. Its best tracks, "Stillness Is The Move" and "No Intentions", are driven on white-soul vocals and electronic R&B beats. The songs are catchy and loose while having a tense emotion to them - it's no surprise that David Byrne is a fan since Remain In Light must have been a springboard for this record.
However, this is still a rock record first. "Temecula Sunrise" features beautiful vocals over offbeat folk guitar playing - it builds to one of the best acid-trip guitar solos I've heard in a long time. "Two Doves" is a tender Elenor Rigby-type ballad with equally stunning female vocals. The interplay of these two voices propel this album and give it a pop feel.
The last two tracks don't quite have the same impact as the rest, but with 9 tracks in 41 minutes, this album flies by and demands replaying. Bright and propulsive, another outstanding indie record to get you through the summer.
What makes this one different is it's reliance on rhythm. Its best tracks, "Stillness Is The Move" and "No Intentions", are driven on white-soul vocals and electronic R&B beats. The songs are catchy and loose while having a tense emotion to them - it's no surprise that David Byrne is a fan since Remain In Light must have been a springboard for this record.
However, this is still a rock record first. "Temecula Sunrise" features beautiful vocals over offbeat folk guitar playing - it builds to one of the best acid-trip guitar solos I've heard in a long time. "Two Doves" is a tender Elenor Rigby-type ballad with equally stunning female vocals. The interplay of these two voices propel this album and give it a pop feel.
The last two tracks don't quite have the same impact as the rest, but with 9 tracks in 41 minutes, this album flies by and demands replaying. Bright and propulsive, another outstanding indie record to get you through the summer.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
2 decent summer records to try out
Passion Pit's Manners - The spirit of Prince is alive and well this year: heavy synth pop and male falsetto vocals have been done by a dozen indie bands in the past few months (most better than Prince's last record, oddly enough). If we could get the singer of Passion Pit to calm down a little, this might be the best one. The vocals get a little grating after a few tracks, but "Little Secret" and "To Kingdom Come" are some of the best songs to escape the mid-1980s. Try these tracks and see how they work for you and look out for this band in the future. By the way, the children's choir motif works better than you would think here.
Phoenix's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - A French rock band? Finally! They sound like a more subtle, clean version of Franz Ferdinand. The dance bass rhythms of "Fences" might make your ass move, but this band surprising is a little lacking in the sexiness and excitement departments. Most of the record comes off as adequate but not exhilarating. The exception is the driving curveball instrumental "Love Like A Sunset Part 1", but after that it's pretty much business as usual. If you need a pop-rock record to act as consistent background music for your next party, this might do it.
Both of these records are good but lack stunning moments, but either one might grow one you. Sample them first and then buy.
Phoenix's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - A French rock band? Finally! They sound like a more subtle, clean version of Franz Ferdinand. The dance bass rhythms of "Fences" might make your ass move, but this band surprising is a little lacking in the sexiness and excitement departments. Most of the record comes off as adequate but not exhilarating. The exception is the driving curveball instrumental "Love Like A Sunset Part 1", but after that it's pretty much business as usual. If you need a pop-rock record to act as consistent background music for your next party, this might do it.
Both of these records are good but lack stunning moments, but either one might grow one you. Sample them first and then buy.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Dave Matthews Band
Yes, I'm writing about Dave. Equally a candidate for the most loved and most hated band in America for 15 years now, it's been tough being a fan of DMB this decade. After years of recording fun but ultimately flawed pop records, DMB finally recorded a masterpiece in 2000. Then a funny thing happened: they didn't release it. The Lilywhite Sessions became a bootleg masterpiece while the train wreck Everyday (one of the worst albums ever recorded by a reputable artist) hit the stores. They finally released most of that material on Busted Stuff in 2002, but then they bombarded their fans with live records that any normal American needs a second job to keep up with. 2005's Stand Up was too inconsistent to win anybody back, and the fact that Sony used that album to plant spyware on our computers sure didn't help anybody remember that album fondly (you stay classy, Sony!).
Their new album, the brilliantly titled Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King, might actually get a few fans back. Looming under the shadow of last year's tragic death of saxophonist Leroi Moore, this album sounds more confident and celebratory than anything they've recorded since Under The Table And Dreaming. After a beautiful sax intro by Leroi himself, "Shake Me Like A Monkey" is a joyous blare of trumpets and electric riffs. Electric guitar is used here more frequently than any past records, but the riffs aren't the sole driving force behind the songs like they were on Everyday.
"Funny The Way It Is" is catchy, but not in an immediate way - I think it will grow on everybody by summer's end. "Why I Am" is a hard-rocking sure fire hit where Dave talks about "still dancing with the GrooGrux King". Every track has a well-balanced mix between winds, guitar, piano, banjo, and sometimes orchestra - it's a miracle in production (courtesy of American Idiot mastermind Rob Cavallo) that this album doesn't feel overstuffed.
What really shines on this record is the simplicity of Dave's songwriting. While his lyric writing always has room for improvement, he's showing definite progress here, and he doesn't resort to the usual gibberish and teenage sex talk that have bogged down his past records. "Dive In" and "Time Bomb" are convincingly somber ballads that are augmented by hard-drivers like "Alligator Pie". They actually managed to get track sequencing right here, which has always been a problem for this band. And if you want to hear one of Dave's finer singing moments, listen to him shred the last minute of "Time Bomb".
Although I'm still holding out of the day the Lilywhite Sessions are released in their original form, this album stands alongside Busted Stuff as DMBs best recording. They might win a few fans back this year.
In 2009, we've got great albums from Green Day, U2, and Dave Matthews Band. Who could of guessed?
Their new album, the brilliantly titled Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King, might actually get a few fans back. Looming under the shadow of last year's tragic death of saxophonist Leroi Moore, this album sounds more confident and celebratory than anything they've recorded since Under The Table And Dreaming. After a beautiful sax intro by Leroi himself, "Shake Me Like A Monkey" is a joyous blare of trumpets and electric riffs. Electric guitar is used here more frequently than any past records, but the riffs aren't the sole driving force behind the songs like they were on Everyday.
"Funny The Way It Is" is catchy, but not in an immediate way - I think it will grow on everybody by summer's end. "Why I Am" is a hard-rocking sure fire hit where Dave talks about "still dancing with the GrooGrux King". Every track has a well-balanced mix between winds, guitar, piano, banjo, and sometimes orchestra - it's a miracle in production (courtesy of American Idiot mastermind Rob Cavallo) that this album doesn't feel overstuffed.
What really shines on this record is the simplicity of Dave's songwriting. While his lyric writing always has room for improvement, he's showing definite progress here, and he doesn't resort to the usual gibberish and teenage sex talk that have bogged down his past records. "Dive In" and "Time Bomb" are convincingly somber ballads that are augmented by hard-drivers like "Alligator Pie". They actually managed to get track sequencing right here, which has always been a problem for this band. And if you want to hear one of Dave's finer singing moments, listen to him shred the last minute of "Time Bomb".
Although I'm still holding out of the day the Lilywhite Sessions are released in their original form, this album stands alongside Busted Stuff as DMBs best recording. They might win a few fans back this year.
In 2009, we've got great albums from Green Day, U2, and Dave Matthews Band. Who could of guessed?
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