6 posts tagged “2008”
)Top 5 Albums of 2008
1. Beach House – Devotion
Their first album was nice.
Occasionally heavy-lidded and aimless (as in, the mind wanders when
listening), but nice, certainly a curious take on dream pop. Then Devotion
came out and it was like Beach House even further demented the dreamy stargaze domain,
in, you know, a really, really attractive way.
With Victoria’s
sad, velvet voice (not at all, never ever cute,
for godsake), the off-putting pace, the hollow beat, the moodiness, the
sometimes romantic/sometimes painful lyrics, the harpsichord, that Daniel
Johnston cover…it just works. How often do all the pieces fall into
place? It may never happen again. Enjoy, Beach House.
2. The Raveonettes – Lust Lust Lust
So the Raveonettes are getting fuzzier and less defined, and moving further from those neo-noir 60s Phil Spector-inspired melodies into darker territory. Darker, louder territory. Like, seriously loud. I’d probably be less impressed with this album if it wasn’t for the sheer enormity of sound. Every song has a kind of feverish build-up; by the end it’s bye-bye future hearing, hello creepy weird aural enlightenment, or something.
3. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Real Emotional Trash
What I like about Real Emotional Trash is that it combines the best of the Pavement core—bizarre/absurdist lyrics and sprawling noise/extended “jammin’/freak deaky guitar rifts. This album sounds very Malkmus; it isn’t the work of a middle-aged rocker desperate to fit in one last reinvention and prove to the twenty-somethings that he’s “still got it.” No, Malkmus hardly seems concerned with too much change; he may choose different directions with each of his solo albums, but there’s always a comfortable familiarity. (And, for the record, he’s definitely still got it.)
|
|
4. Santogold – Santogold
Let’s just get the obvious out of the way: yes, she reminds you of M.I.A. Sure, Santogold sings through her nose, loves a crazy beat, and is scarily supa fly (intimidating to the average-looking), but if you actually listen to her album you’ll realize that she ain’t no M.I.A. Which isn’t to say that Santogold ain’t fabulous. Au contraire, it’s perfect downtown club music (for the mild, hip and white). You can bump, grind, convulse, jump, rapidly move your hands in front of your face, remain mostly still while nodding your head, twirl, whatever. Also, with the absence of any kind of political message you don’t even have to pretend that you care about real things.
5. The Magnetic Fields – Distortion
What an aptly titled album. I’m found of aptly titled things. I wish Animal Collective and Xiu Xiu would take note and start naming their albums “Weird Crazy Things That Sound Like Woodlawn Creatures and Kitchen Utensils.” It would be convenient for writing reviews. Anyway, Distortion is Stephen Merritt doing distortion, which means fuzzy, drone-y guitar that lovers can still swoon to, and sad/silly lyrics like “sober, you’re old and ugly; shit-faced, who needs a mirror” (“Too Drunk to Dream”).
Top 5 Songs of 2008
1. Beach House – “Heart of Chamber” (Devotion)
Honestly, I could have chosen any song from Devotion, but “Heart of Chamber” is the one that gives me the strongest heart palpitations (like remembering a teenage night that never happened). As I said before, it works, and who needs solid logic?
2. Beck – “Walls” (Modern Guilt)
My relationship with Beck is similar to my relationship with thrift shopping: 99% of the time I leave the store irritated and resentful; however, maybe once a year I find something absolutely stunning, like amazingly, disgustingly perfect that I forget about all the previous disappointments. “Walls” is my disgustingly perfect gold lamé romper that I will never wear again.
3. Okkervil River – “Lost Coastlines” (The Stand Ins)
Apparently there are (self-proclaimed) straight men out there that would “go gay” for Will Sheff. Who knew. I cannot make that same declaration, but I will say this: Jonathan Meiburg’s voice keeps me comfortably heterosexual.
|
|
|
4. Benoît Pioulard – “Brown Bess” (Temper)
His name is Tom (hint: he’s not French). Tom taps into those same otherworldly arrangements that Zach Condon used to convince hipsters that foreign music could be edgy too. “Brown Bess” is just too pretty to ignore. I don’t know what he’s singing (it’s in English; he mumbles, I selectively listen), but similar to hearing a beautiful French phrase, do you even care?
5. Lucinda Williams (ft. Elvis Costello) – “Jailhouse Tears” (Little Honey)
The whole album’s kind of a mess: a few old-school bluesy ballads, some terrible angry rockers, and a truly frightening AC/DC cover (Lucinda, no). However, this duet with Costello makes me smile because I think Lucinda’s being a bit cheeky, no?
Top 5 Bands to Think About in 2009
|
|
|
1. Sybris
What: Anti-twee
indiepop
Where: Chicago, IL
Think about: “Oh
Man!” (Into the Trees, 2008)
More! http://myspace.com/sybris
What:
Halloween-voiced lad + pop music + geek beats
Where: St. Louis, MO
Think about: “Gamble”
(Classy Entertainment EP, 2008)
More! http://myspace.com/jumblingtowers
3. Alina Simone
What: Folk/punk
Where: Brooklyn, NY
Think about: “Half My
Kingdom” (Everyone is Crying Out to Me,
Beware, 2008)
More! http://myspace.com/alinasimone
4. The Pharmacy
What: Dirty rotten
indie rock
Where: New Orleans, LA
Think about: “Little
Toys on the Shelf” (Choose Yr. Own
Adventure, 2008)
More! http://myspace.com/pharmacy
5. Doomtree
What: White-friendly (read: non-threatening or “not too ghetto”) “smart” hip-hop
Where: Minneapolis, MN
Think about: “Dots
and Dashes” (Doomtree, 2008)
More! http://myspace.com/doomtree
Note: Doomtree is
extremely popular within their home state of Minnesota, but have they crossed the
border? Let me know.
Links:
www.weheartmusic.com
podcast.weheartmusic.com
news.weheartmusic.com
)The Glasvegas article was supposed to be a short snippet in Part Two of my Christmas articles, but as I started listening to it and writing and realized this was a group that deserved to be in its own article... well you get the idea. So technically this is the second and possibly final Christmas post from me for this year. And if I don't say it, it's implied that you have a wonderful Christmas. Keep warm!
By the way, for those wondering about a "Top Ten" type list, that's being compiled for January 2009!
So below are some old and some new Christmas-type songs.
connectedup.com/would-be-goods ♥ myspace.com
As you know, I am a huge Would-Be-Goods fan, particularly because I find Jessica Griffin's storytelling songs very compelling. Plus, I am a sucker for her oh-so-British accent.
They quietly released their latest album, Eventyr (which means fairytale), late October and I haven't really seen much promotion on it. I've placed my order on Matinee at a reasonably price of $10, so I am hoping to have reviewed in 2009 as I clear out what's left of 2008.
Well anyway! They have this wonderful, fun Christmas song on their 1993 album, Mondo, called "Christmas In Haiti". Listen to Griffin's dilemma as she describe to you a Christmas in the tropics, complete with voodoo chicken and a cockroach in her beer.
As I listen to other songs off Mondo, like my all-time-favorite "Black Pearls Of Polynesia", "Lisbon Beat" and "La Fonda Del Sol"... wow I can't wait to hear Eventyr.
lastnovember.com ♥ myspace.com
I previously mentioned Last November on W♥M last year, and since then I have their second album, Over the Top or Under the Weather. The album is pretty much alt-rock, so if you enjoy Story of the Year or the Midway State, you'll like this. They do utilize lots of reverb, strange loops, and echo effects, making it consisting interesting. Most of the song on the album is pretty upbeat.
My favorite song on the album is "Uppers, Downers, & All-Arounders", which is an all-out-sing-along stompering song.
Their Christmas song on the album is called "Merry Christmas Little Match Girl", a mellow and depressing song, one of the few. I should mention that toward the end, it does start to pick up a bit, giving a little hope.
Hey, guess what? They are doing a few dates:
-
27 Dec 2008 Handlebar w/ After August & Sequoyah Prep School Greenville, South Carolina
10 Jan 2009 The Vinyl w/ The Drownout, The Swear, & Hot Lava Monster Atlanta, Georgia
24 Jan 2009 Soho w/ Sequoyah Prep School Columbus, Georgia
20 Feb 2009 Dragonfly Theater w/ Hot Vegas & Young and Running Boone, North Carolina
brittnicole.com ♥ myspace.com
Britt Nicole is a Christian singer, probably better known over in Europe, despite being from Nashville. Her songs even sport a weird-British-style singing, combined with hip-hoppy pop-rap. Check out tunes like "Holiday" and "Say It" from her 2007 album, Say It. Fans of Lily Allen should want to check her out.
Anyway, regarding Christmas, she covered George Michael's "Last Christmas" on the same album. Almost all the popstars have covered this song, and this version is pretty faithful with little deviation from the original song.
Well, it looks like Nicole is busy working on her next album, due out in 2009. She loves her fans, apparently you can just call her number 615-823-7325 to leave a message for her.
Links:
www.weheartmusic.com
podcast.weheartmusic.com
news.weheartmusic.com
|
Tour Dates
03/05/08 Ottobar Baltimore, Maryland
03/06/08 DC9 Washington, DC 03/07/08 Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC 03/08/08 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia 03/10/08 One Eyed Jack’s N.Orleans, LA 03/11/08 Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, LA 03/12/08 SXSW 2008 - Canadian Blast @ Brush Square Park Austin, Texas 03/12/08 SXSW 2008 - UC showcase - Habana Patio - w/The Russian Futurists, The Cansecos and more Austin, Texas 03/13/08 SXSW 2008 - SXSW Day Stage @ Austin Convention Centre Austin, Texas 03/13/08 SXSW 2008 - Waterloo Records In-Store Performance Austin, Texas 03/14/08 SXSW 2008 - Hot Freaks! Party w/Crystal Castles, British Sea Power and more! Austn, Texas 03/15/08 Hailey’s Denton, Texas 03/17/08 Rhythm Room Phoenix, AZ 03/18/08 Casbah San Diego, California 03/19/08 Echo Los Angeles, California 03/20/08 Bottom Of The Hill San Francisco, California 03/21/08 Holoscene Portland, Oregon 03/22/08 High Dive Seattle, WA 04/02/08 Empty Bottle Chicago, Illinois 04/03/08 Grog Shop Cleveland, Ohio 04/04/08 Pike Room Pontiac, MI 04/10/08 Empress Moncton, New Brunswick 04/11/08 Club One St.Johns,Newfoundland 04/12/08 Mack Charlottetown,PrinceEdward 04/13/08 P.Frederiction, New Brunswick 04/17/08 Marquee Halifax, Nova Scotia 04/19/08 Le National Montreal, Quebec 04/21/08 Cabaret Du Capitole Quebec 04/22/08 Bronson Center Ottawa, Ontario 04/23/08 W.side Concert Hamilton, Ontario 04/25/08 Danforth Music Toronto, Ontario 04/26/08 Aeolian Hall London, Ontario 04/29/08 The Garrick Winnipeg, Manitoba 04/30/08 Exchange Regina, Saskatchewan 05/01/08 Mcdougall United Edmonton, AB 05/03/08 MacEwan Calgary, Alberta 05/07/08 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, British Columbia 05/08/08 Alix Goolden Hall Victoria, British Columbia 05/10/08 The Legion Tofino, British Columbia
Discography
|
Rollie Pemberton is better known as Canadian rapper Cadence Weapon. He's released his second album, Afterparty Babies yesterday (March 4th).
I've previously mentioned that I was very excited about this, because we get very little hip-hop (especially good ones!) and that his music reminds me of Atmosphere. So if you're already a fan of Slug's, you should definitely check out Cadence Weapon.
The album starts off with my favorite song, "Do I Miss My Friends", especially when he mentioned Friendster and Limewire. This song also mentioned why the title was chosen.
The lyrics are drowned in pop culture, and I would have to admit, I did smiled when I heard Megaman mentioned. What impressed me is the range of music that Cadence Weapon listens to when he mentioned about Eazy-E to the Dandy Warhols to The Baha Men ("Who Let the Dogs Out") to Iggy Pop ("I Wanna Be Your Dog").
"Your Hair's Not Clothes" would probably best sums up Cadence Weapon. It's pretty catchy, and it does make reference to Cheers and the Dogs (see above) and also Memento (one of my favorite movie).
You can download a few songs off his first album on his website and also on myspace.
Afterparty Babies is out now on Anti- Records. He's also on a very long tour, so see if he's coming through your town.
03/05/2008 02:58:36
vu
my♥posts
www.cadenceweaponmusic.com
| kazumano wrote: Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 11:03 AM |
cadence weapon is awesome. I love the collabo with Final Fantasy for Sharks.
|
The Charlatans have finally made good on their threat of releasing their album for free on the heels of Radiohead's In Rainbows.
They previously offered a single song (here and there) for free, but as of February 29th, their entire album is available for free, via the Xfm website:
Download 'You Cross My Path' for free
You can download the full album for free, whack it on your iPod, computer or MP3 player and listen to it continuously (whilst silently thanking The Charlatans and Xfm for their most excellent gift) by simply clicking the link below.Download The Charlatans 'You Cross My Path' (full album) (zipped file)
Right click and select 'Save target as.
Mac users: hold 'ctrl' and click on the link above.Pre-Order 'You Cross My Path' on CD
You can pre-order The Charlatans' album on CD and get a ticket to one of the gigs on their forthcoming tour for a bargain price while you're at it.
I haven't listened to the entire album, but the single "You Cross My Path" is pretty excellent. It's very fast-paced and reflective of their modern rock n roll sound (nothing like the old Madchester sound).
As a special bonus, enjoy these two old hit songs of theirs: "Weirdo" and "The Only One I Know" (a great dance number!)
03/03/2008 21:32:19
vu
my♥posts
thecharlatans.net
There are a ton of album releases today! Here are the ones that might interest you:
The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath
From the ashes of At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta releases their fourth album, The Bedlam in Goliath, today.
There's a bunch of "exclusives", so for die-hard fans, you will have a very tough time tracking down all the extra bonus tracks.
I know that Best Buy have an exclusive 2nd live disc and if you got your CD from Japan, it comes with a DVD and a cover song of The Sugarcubes' "Birthday".
Their version is very... er.. very strange. I have to say "good try" though.
Chris Walla - Field Manual
Ceji previously wrote the review for this album, I suggest you read it if you're at all interested in Death Cab for Cutie.
There's not much to add, except that there is a limited edition (with a bonus CD) and as pointed out by Dale, you also get a couple of extra songs for downloads.
Description from Barsuk:
Available in two versions: Standard digipak cd package, or limited-edition deluxe clothbound cd package. Both come with a 32-page booklet featuring Chris' original photography.
SPECIAL LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Order by February 4th and get 3 non-album MP3 bonus tracks!
Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin'
There's a few country albums released today, but since I don't have Willie Nelson's A Moment of Forever, I'm just going to talk about Grammy-Winner Shelby Lynne's Just a Little Lovin'.
Her 10th album is an all Dusty Springfield cover album. I take it back, there is one original song on here, it's called "Pretend". This song is written by Shelby Lynne and is mostly acoustic... in the same vein as her Dusty covers.
I love the album artwork, I think it may have been inspired by the live album Dusty in Memphis.
If you get the Best Buy digipack version as it comes with a bonus DVD with two live songs.
Louis XIV - Slick Dogs and Ponies
The only thing I know about Louis XIV is that all their songs are about drugs and sex. Right?
I'm glad to see that their latest release does not feature old porno images, instead you get darken green pictures of the band (I think).
Anyway, according to wikipedia: There's a Traitor in This Room is the lead single for the album, but I couldn't find evidence of this anywhere. It's not even available on the US iTunes store. By all accounts, it looks like Guilt by Association is the single.
Xiu Xiu - Women As Lovers
You may have remember seeing the disturbing album artwork for
A Promise. Trust me, it's an image you cannot unsee.
Their cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" is also equally as disturbing.
Anyway, I haven't listen to Women as Lovers, but I noticed that they did another cover on the new album. This time it's Queen's "Under Pressure".
This version is actually pretty good, I wish it would utilize more of that awesome bass that Vanilla Ice took advantage of.
Joe Jackson - Rain
Don't forget that the CD/DVD combo album Rain by Joe Jackson is released today! It looks like I may have to review the album as Ryan is computerless.
Besides from from the awesome DVD (please see my review), the album is reminiscence of his popular Night and Day album. Joe Jackson returns to his piano-driven music, which I'm calling the Joe Jackson Trio (all jazz trios are named after their pianist).
Listening to the album, I was drawn to "Rush Across The Road", a song about seeing a complete stranger and wanting to rush over to her to get to know her. It's very easy-listening reminds me of a more optimistic version of the very bitter Positively 4th Street.
Jackson's ability to tell stories in short pop/jazz songs can also be heard on "Invisible Man" which I think is about a famous person slowly fading into obscurity.
Like most of his songs, it's open for interpretation.
01/29/2008 17:24:35
vu
my♥posts
www.weheartmusic.com
|
Further Reading
|
Joe Jackson was sending out his demos before being picked up by A&M Records in 1978. The result was the amazing debut album Look Sharp! (1979), featuring his big hit "Is She Really Going Out with Him?"
In this article am going to talk about some of my favorite Joe Jackson songs, only because he has a new album coming out in a few weeks. A full review will be done by Ryan later (keep your eyes peeled for that).
"Steppin' Out" is one of Jackson's best-known songs. If you don't think you know this song - trust me: YOU KNOW THIS SONG. It's from his best-selling and critically acclaimed album Night and Day (1982).
He didn't actually cover the Cole Porter's song (see Jason's article: Night and Day), this album is kind of in the tone of Porter's style.
Although this album is more piano-driven, all of Jackson's lyrics are still there: "You dress in pink and blue/Just like a child/And in a yellow taxi turn to me and smile/We'll be there in just a while/If you follow me..."
Embarrassingly enough, for the longest time, I have always thought "Steppin' Out" was a Hall & Oates song - especially with the xylophone.
The song, "Look Sharp!", was never released as a single, but I am in love with this wonderful New Wave/Rock sound.
Check out that rebellious punky lyrics:
Okay, what you say
Tell me what they're wearing this year
Go on and laugh at me 'cause you don't see
That I got something going right here
Say I'm just a dreamer
Say I'm just a kid
Well ace, shut your face
Maybe you will see or hear
I gotta say, "wow"! The song is saying to the world, hey you may not see much in me but the new kid in town is going to show you something.
"You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)": Just the title alone, it really illustrate Jackson's lyric writing for Body & Soul (1984).
I especially love the saxaphone as it carries its long note when Jackson sings "You can't get what you want/Till you know what you want".
So, obviously, I am a fan of Joe Jackson's 80s releases. To be honest, I haven't heard much from Joe Jackson until he resurfaced on my radar on William Shatner's Has Been (2003). I am sure all W♥M readers already have a copy of this CD. It's certainly one of my favorite cover song, and I am almost certain that Joe Jackson was the driving force behind getting Pulp's song covered.
Which brings me to 2008, Joe Jackson has a new album coming out in a few weeks called Rain. Since the album is already being reviewed, I won't spend too much time on audio portion (although I can tell you it's certainly piano-driven just like Night and Day). I'll be focusing on the DVD portion of Rain.
You get about 20 minutes of live concert with three songs ("Invisible Man", "Wasted Time", and "Good Bad Boy") recorded at the Islington Academy in London (24th May 2007). The concert footage is excellent and very professional.
There's some interviews (conducted with Alan Bangs), which I thought seemed awkward.
The best part of the DVD is the Joe's guide to Berlin! This is just great, whoever thought of this idea should get extra points.
I'm only showing you an excerpt of Joe talking about the Wall of Berlin and his insight on the whole thing.
I don't know if the bonus DVD will be available on future pressing of Rain, but looking at the retail price (about $16), it's a very good price for CD/DVD combo. The more common prices I've seen for CD/DVD combos are about $20.
By the way, there is a limited edition (signed and numbered by Jackson) - but it is already sold out.
Expect Jackson to go on tour shortly after the album's release on Ryko Disc in the UK (Jan 28th) and US (Jan 29th). They've already announced the password for his concert presale (the password is Davidian).
01/11/2008 07:03:03
vu
my♥posts
www.joejackson.com
My Groups
-
Human Rights Updated: 3 minutes ago
-
Social Justice Updated: 3 minutes ago
-
song of the day Updated: 52 minutes ago
Neighborhood
Explore friends, family, friends & family, or entire neighborhood.
