Happy damn birthday Minnesota! 152 years of putting sucka states in second place! To celebrate, let's all enjoy Minnesota's typically schizophrenic weather and turn up Minnebasset as loud as it will go.
Flatbasset - Minnebasset (Part III)
01. BK-One - Gititit (w/Slug & Brother Ali)
I’ve already put two other songs from Rádio Do Canibal on the mix (“Mega” & “Call To Arms”), but I’d been sitting on this one for months, just waiting to use it to open Minnebasset.
After When Life Gives You Lemons & Us, it’s nice to hear Slug & Ali rapping just to rap and brag. No story telling here.
Sidenote: We ‘bout to push you angels in the snow! Y’know, in a few months.
02. The Invincible Kids - Rug Burns
A Current song from a few year’s back. I haven’t heard anything else by these guys. Hell, they don’t even have a picture on their Last.fm page. Still they manage to throw a couple of stellar hooks into this one. And you know me, I’m a sucker for a good hook. I’ve listened to this song dozens of times and dance a little bit everytime. In the car, in my dairy cooler, on my futon right now…
Sidenote: If you ever stop at The Wedge and need a good laugh, take a peek past the milk in that cooler. You’ll usually see me going off to something as I put milk on the shelves. Thank god no one ever looks past the dates on the cartons.
03. Dillinger Four - Portrait Of The Artist As A Fucking Asshole
The older I get the more I love D4. For all the punk bands I grew out of, I’m not sure why they’ve endured. You better believe that they’ll have a spot on every Minnebasset mix I ever make.
04. Mike Swoop - Where Do We Go? (w/Kavorkian & Allpurpose)
As I mentioned a few months, Mike Swoop’s New Love albums is almost entirely instrumental. For this track, however, he hooked up with the two MC’s he used to DJ for and they put together a great jam. That chorus will bounce around your head for days.
05. We Are The Willows - A Funeral Dressed As A Birthday
This song was a real grower. I didn’t like it the first couple of times I heard it I didn’t care for it at all. However, my Song Of The Day routine meant that I was going to keep listening to it and eventually the atmospherics and time changes found their way into my brain. The, “Come back to us, in Minneapolis!” line didn’t hurt either. Kinda brought the whole track back home.
06. The 757’s - Atrophy
That’s not a typo. I realize the chorus is about “a trophy,” but hell, I didn’t name the tune. If anything, that stupid little joke contributes to the songs similarity to those old Replacements songs that are clearly this songs forefathers. I love this one because it just sounds so Midwestern. Lines like, “I don’t know about anybody else, everyone’s a little screwed up,” and, “There’s a trophy for everyone, everyone’s a winner” typify the passive aggressiveness and jadedness that comes with too many long winters and always being just a step behind the times.
07. Yoni - Get Up (w/Toki Wright & Mike Mictlan)
What is there to say about this one? Three of the great Minnesota rappers going off about how great the Twin Cities are. I mean, how could I not put this song on the mix?
Sidenote: The beat is by Mux Mool, who also appeared on Minnebasset Pt. I. He’s out of NYC and, since I put in some time there too, I’m claiming the authority to adopt him as an honorary Minnesotan. Whattup, Mux!?!
Sidenote II: Who shouts out St. Louis Park? Ah well, nothing but love.
08. Icollide - Les Masquerade (w/Dessa & P.O.S.)
I picked up this record (Distractions) on my birthday in the local section at Extreme Noise. Good find. This is the only hardcore track I’ve ever heard Dessa on and she absolutely kills it. Add in some great guitar work, a killer hook, and some P.O.S. backup screams… Shiiiit…
09. The Pines - Lonesome Tremelo Blues
This song came out in September of ‘09, right after I moved back to MPLS. Let’s just say timing played a big role in my adoration for this song. That, “I’m a stranger here, I’m a stranger everywhere…” line haunted me for months until I started making some friends back here.
Sidenote: I work with both of the guys in The Pines and they couldn’t be nicer people. I highly suggest you catch one of their shows if you get the chance.
10. Har Mar Superstar - Brand New Day
I put this one on as an olive branch for anyone out of state who might catch the mix. I’m sorry your city can’t touch the quality of music coming out of Sota. It’s probably not your fault. But just so you know, we’ve got love, sweet love, for your cities too.
11. Colder In Moscow - It’s Graphite
I’ve seen these guys a couple of times and, while they’re a good band, they’re just trying so damn hard. They’re a great example of the music that’s coming out of MPLS right now. In the old days, this was a sloppy rock n roll town. These days, the guitars are still there, but it’s becoming an art rock town. Nothing against art rock (I do own 5 Minus The Bear records), but if I saw a Colder In Moscow flyer that promised that everyone in the band was going to do three shots of Jameson before the show started, I wouldn’t miss it. I’d bet you $10 American it would be their best show ever.
12. Dessa - Alibi
Speaking of growers… Remember a couple months back when I put Dessa on a mix and said I was still digesting the album? Well, it’s digested. And it’s genius. It’s easily the second best album to come out of the Doomtree camp (nothing will ever top Never Better. Nothing. Don’t even try.). That’s high praise when you think about how much I love everything that’s come out under the Wings & Teeth banner.
Sidenote: Dessa is still my neighbor although she’s moving soon. I’m not sure what rapper Margo’s going to start trying to sniff. I’m betting on… Toki Wright.
13. Passions - Go On MPLS
“Been a little different now that we’re apart, but the city always mends my heart…”
Amen.
14. Trampled By Turtles - Wait So Long
I love the strings in this song. I would put Trampled By Turtles against any other bluegrass band on earth. If I was Duluth's mayor (and god willing, someday I will be) I’d write “Home Of The Best Bluegrass In The World” under the “Welcome To Duluth” sign. Then I’d start putting on bluegrass festivals with TBT headlining every year (like Soundset w/Banjos) and stake a tourism claim for anyone with a banjo and a car.
15. Cenospecies - Local Anesthetic
What I really love about the lone Cenospecies record is the way it fills in the P.O.S. story for us just the way you’d hope it would. No cornball dancebeats. No bullshit gun talk. The beats are still punkified. The rhymes are still pissed off and complicated.
Sidenote: “Livin’ in the city, Minne-frigid-fuck, maybe they’ll get it when they leave the city limits”
16. Crossing Guards - Pretty Little Problem
Last time I put Crossing Guards on a mix I praised Martin Devaney for continuing the beer drinking, rock n rolling, girl lamenting tradition of The Replacements. He nearly crosses the line on this one. I mean, Westy did have a song called “My Little Problem” with the chorus “Don’t you wanna be my little problem?” Ah well, if you’re gonna steal you may as well steal from the best.
17. The Plastic Constellations - Beats Like You Stole Something
TPC falls under the same category as D4. Their records only sound more unique as time passes. As long as I’m doing this, TPC has a place, mothafucka. Cop a feel or two.
18. Träma - Southside Pride -(w/Freez)
I’ll bet you didn’t think I could get a Kanye beat onto the Minnebasset mix, did ya? Let this be a lesson to ya, I don’t play with these mixes.
I went to Träma’s mixtape release show at Fifth Element a few weeks back and only about 12 people showed up. Now, I know Träma’s not the best rapper in the Twin Cities. He’s probably not even Top 10, but step ya local game up kids! This city is known for supporting its own. The stories find their way into verses from Slug, Ali, DTR, Kanser, BQ… You name it. I know I’m old and crotchety, but you damn kids need to learn that there’s more to TC hip-hop than Rhymesayers. Also, stay off my lawn.
19. The Soviettes - #1 Is Number Two
I’m still pissed off that I missed The Soviettes reunion show over at the Turf Club. How about you just get back together? Play all the time? Hell, you’ve only gotten bigger since you broke up…
20. Mike Mictlan & Lazerbeak - Prizefight
The ultimate, “I’m feeling down and need a song to pick me up,” song. Mike and Beak kill it. I’ve completely adopted this song as my Minnesota anthem. I would never give it up.
Sidenote: I know Mike a little bit now from him working at The Wedge. He’s a good dude. He quit a couple of weeks back and I told him he shouldn’t have. I mean, steady paychecks aren’t easy to get. Here’s what he told me.
“It depends. I mean, do you want a new Mike Mictlan album this year or not?”
Keeping his eye on the prize. Good luck.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Flatbasset-April '10
The warm weather put me in a good mood, so I filled this one full of summer jams. This one sounds best coming out of car stereo speakers as you go 'bout 75 down 94. Trust me.
So, hypothetically speaking, if you don't drive, you should probably put this one on your iPod, get your significant other to drive somewhere very fast, turn off MPR (you know it doesn't bump like Flatbasset bumps), roll down the windows and enjoy. Y'know, hypothetically...
Flatbasset-April '10
01. Murs - The Intro
Like I said before, when I put this one together I was aiming for summer jams. Nothing sounds so good hopping in your car on a hot day, paycheck in hand, and rolling as Murs & 9th Wonder on this jam.
I’ve said it before, Murs is like audio prozac. Perhaps I’m naïve, but I’m always reassured by the fact that Murs is doing what he loves and that’s enough. Dude’s not rich, but he makes enough to get by. I can relate to that.
02. Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring
Every tune I hear by Los Campesinos! Makes me like them more. They’re really onto something here. I mean, romance is boring! I’ve been there. I’ve seen it. This year of being single has, for better or worse, been anything but boring. Not sure why I didn’t try this sooner.
03. Yeasayer - O.N.E.
This was one of The Current’s Songs Of The Day a while back and it was so good that I tracked down the whole album. I realize that copping this 80’s pose quit being cool in ‘06 or ‘07, but Odd Blood is the best 80’s impression I’ve heard yet. See “Madder Red” for more evidence.
04. Bloc Party - Luno (Bloc Party Vs. Death From Above 1979)
I really like Bloc Party, but sometimes it seems like they’re much more concerned with studio experimentation and dance beats than they are with being a fucking great band. Thank god DFA showed up to remind them how to be a rock n roll band.
05. David Bazan - Bless This Mess
David Bazan is the man behind the late, great Pedro The Lion, a band that started off espousing Bazan’s religious beliefs and morphed into a vehicle for him to question not only those beliefs, but the events that led to him questioning them in the first place. Following the catalog from beginning to end is a quite rewarding experience.
This one was also a Current song. Sounds like his solo career is going to keep this bizarre trajectory going. “God bless the man who stumbles, god bless the man who falls, & god bless the man who yields to temptation…” Translation: We all got problems. Amen.
06. Aesop Rock - Zodiaccupuncture
This song is off the Fast Cars, Danger, Fire & Knives EP, which is hands down my favorite record Aesop Rock has ever put up. I’ve seen this happen with artists before and I’ve developed a loose theory. After an artist puts together a whole album there is a sense of satisfaction and a fear of complacency. However, y’know, they just put out a whole record, which is exhausting. Enter the EP format. Couple that with a fear or repeating yourself yet being afraid to dive into something headfirst (as I’m sure you have to do with a full album) and you end up with something like this. Aesop trying (and thoroughly succeeding) to hit a new flow and a new lyrical themes without the burden of really having to fit them into a bigger picture.
Sidenote: Get bit by the hounds!
07. Pavement - Embassy Row
With Pavement on the road again and a greatest hits album finally on the market, I couldn’t resist the temptation to dig out my Pavement albums. If you’ve been listening to these mixes, you know that I’m a much bigger sucker for good hooks than instrumental noodling, and for that reason Pavement’s never cracked by Top 20 favorite artists. They may not even crack top 30. Still, when they decide to write a hook, it’s usually a gem. When they decide to use that hook to talk shit about the music industry, they sound like they were predicting the future.
08. Amadou & Mariam - Sabali (Paul Epworth Remix)
Even though I spent most of my time out east listening to Why?, DOOM, & P.O.S., for whatever reason, this song reminds me of that summer in New York better than anything else. I have no idea what it’s about or what the original version sounds like. I know that for the next 50 years every time I hear it it’ll take me write back to walking up Fresh Pond road to work in the middle of a sticky New York summer. Isn’t that really the best case scenario for any piece of music you own?
09. Franz Ferdinand - Twilight Omens
It seems as though Franz Ferdinand is going to go down as one of the bands that saved radio from teen pop & hard rock (along with The White Stripes, The Hives, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Strokes, and, since I’m feeling generous, Interpol). That’s really a shame. Everything they’ve put out since that breakthrough album has been better than the last. They’re stylish suits & glorification of being a conflicted ladie’s man about town deserves a bigger piece of history.
10. Outkast - I’ll Call Before I Come
That’s right, ladies, vegans are generous, thorough, freaky lovers. You didn’t know?
11. Matt Pond PA - Our Braided Lives
God knows why, but I was feeling especially romantic one day and was struck by the metaphor in this one. The idea of “braided lives” really appealed to me. At least, it did for about 6 hours while I was putting this mix together.
12. Beck - Mixed Bizness
I wish Har Mar Superstar had a Last.fm account just so we could see how many times he’s listened to Midnite Vultures.
13. Arctic Monkeys - Cornerstone
I’ve been a fan of Arctic Monkeys since the days of internet buzz, yet for some reason I waited a whole year before tracking down Humbug. Part of this was due to the fact that it was produced by Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme. This was a bad decision. The whole album has the hazy sound of a QOTSA album. For a band that made it’s named off buzzsaw guitars and sharp hooks (remember, “I Bet You Look Good…?”), this is not a good fit. Except on this one, where the hook is unstoppable and the backward sounding guitar solo perfectly fit’s the lyrical theme of being confused in the bar and thinking you recognize some girl and asking her a question that’s completely uncouth. Well played, Homme.
14. Kid Cudi - Pursuit Of Happiness (Nightmare) (w/MGMT & Ratatat)
Every 6 or 8 weeks I have what we’ll call a “bad night.” Life piles up, bills pile up, no one’s calling, whatever… It’s just bad. I usually try to solve these problems by hitting the reset button, aka drinking brandy until I don’t care anymore and waking up much less concerned with those problems and much more concerned with fun new problems like “Why did I sleep in my shoes?” On those nights, this song ALWAYS makes an appearance on Squawk Box. Man, everything that shines ain’t always gold. Believe that.
15. One For The Team - Best Supporting Actress
A peculiar case of a band writing a response song to one of it’s own songs, in this case the classic “Best Supporting Actor,” a brilliant portrait of a resentful boyfriend. If my memory serves, One For The Team is made up of guys and girls and I would think this had something to do with the creation of this song. Or not. What do I know?
16. Mac Lethal - Sunstorm
As I’ve mentioned probably a dozen times, I LOVE hometown pride songs. I had to give this one to Mac Lethal. I mean, it must be tough to rep Kansas City, right? He makes it sound like a bigger version of Red Wing. I do love that the couplet, “I’ve been to bigger cities, they produce bigger frowns, I’ll die right here in this town…” I’m stealing that one for MPLS. Thanks, Mac.
So, hypothetically speaking, if you don't drive, you should probably put this one on your iPod, get your significant other to drive somewhere very fast, turn off MPR (you know it doesn't bump like Flatbasset bumps), roll down the windows and enjoy. Y'know, hypothetically...
Flatbasset-April '10
01. Murs - The Intro
Like I said before, when I put this one together I was aiming for summer jams. Nothing sounds so good hopping in your car on a hot day, paycheck in hand, and rolling as Murs & 9th Wonder on this jam.
I’ve said it before, Murs is like audio prozac. Perhaps I’m naïve, but I’m always reassured by the fact that Murs is doing what he loves and that’s enough. Dude’s not rich, but he makes enough to get by. I can relate to that.
02. Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring
Every tune I hear by Los Campesinos! Makes me like them more. They’re really onto something here. I mean, romance is boring! I’ve been there. I’ve seen it. This year of being single has, for better or worse, been anything but boring. Not sure why I didn’t try this sooner.
03. Yeasayer - O.N.E.
This was one of The Current’s Songs Of The Day a while back and it was so good that I tracked down the whole album. I realize that copping this 80’s pose quit being cool in ‘06 or ‘07, but Odd Blood is the best 80’s impression I’ve heard yet. See “Madder Red” for more evidence.
04. Bloc Party - Luno (Bloc Party Vs. Death From Above 1979)
I really like Bloc Party, but sometimes it seems like they’re much more concerned with studio experimentation and dance beats than they are with being a fucking great band. Thank god DFA showed up to remind them how to be a rock n roll band.
05. David Bazan - Bless This Mess
David Bazan is the man behind the late, great Pedro The Lion, a band that started off espousing Bazan’s religious beliefs and morphed into a vehicle for him to question not only those beliefs, but the events that led to him questioning them in the first place. Following the catalog from beginning to end is a quite rewarding experience.
This one was also a Current song. Sounds like his solo career is going to keep this bizarre trajectory going. “God bless the man who stumbles, god bless the man who falls, & god bless the man who yields to temptation…” Translation: We all got problems. Amen.
06. Aesop Rock - Zodiaccupuncture
This song is off the Fast Cars, Danger, Fire & Knives EP, which is hands down my favorite record Aesop Rock has ever put up. I’ve seen this happen with artists before and I’ve developed a loose theory. After an artist puts together a whole album there is a sense of satisfaction and a fear of complacency. However, y’know, they just put out a whole record, which is exhausting. Enter the EP format. Couple that with a fear or repeating yourself yet being afraid to dive into something headfirst (as I’m sure you have to do with a full album) and you end up with something like this. Aesop trying (and thoroughly succeeding) to hit a new flow and a new lyrical themes without the burden of really having to fit them into a bigger picture.
Sidenote: Get bit by the hounds!
07. Pavement - Embassy Row
With Pavement on the road again and a greatest hits album finally on the market, I couldn’t resist the temptation to dig out my Pavement albums. If you’ve been listening to these mixes, you know that I’m a much bigger sucker for good hooks than instrumental noodling, and for that reason Pavement’s never cracked by Top 20 favorite artists. They may not even crack top 30. Still, when they decide to write a hook, it’s usually a gem. When they decide to use that hook to talk shit about the music industry, they sound like they were predicting the future.
08. Amadou & Mariam - Sabali (Paul Epworth Remix)
Even though I spent most of my time out east listening to Why?, DOOM, & P.O.S., for whatever reason, this song reminds me of that summer in New York better than anything else. I have no idea what it’s about or what the original version sounds like. I know that for the next 50 years every time I hear it it’ll take me write back to walking up Fresh Pond road to work in the middle of a sticky New York summer. Isn’t that really the best case scenario for any piece of music you own?
09. Franz Ferdinand - Twilight Omens
It seems as though Franz Ferdinand is going to go down as one of the bands that saved radio from teen pop & hard rock (along with The White Stripes, The Hives, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Strokes, and, since I’m feeling generous, Interpol). That’s really a shame. Everything they’ve put out since that breakthrough album has been better than the last. They’re stylish suits & glorification of being a conflicted ladie’s man about town deserves a bigger piece of history.
10. Outkast - I’ll Call Before I Come
That’s right, ladies, vegans are generous, thorough, freaky lovers. You didn’t know?
11. Matt Pond PA - Our Braided Lives
God knows why, but I was feeling especially romantic one day and was struck by the metaphor in this one. The idea of “braided lives” really appealed to me. At least, it did for about 6 hours while I was putting this mix together.
12. Beck - Mixed Bizness
I wish Har Mar Superstar had a Last.fm account just so we could see how many times he’s listened to Midnite Vultures.
13. Arctic Monkeys - Cornerstone
I’ve been a fan of Arctic Monkeys since the days of internet buzz, yet for some reason I waited a whole year before tracking down Humbug. Part of this was due to the fact that it was produced by Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme. This was a bad decision. The whole album has the hazy sound of a QOTSA album. For a band that made it’s named off buzzsaw guitars and sharp hooks (remember, “I Bet You Look Good…?”), this is not a good fit. Except on this one, where the hook is unstoppable and the backward sounding guitar solo perfectly fit’s the lyrical theme of being confused in the bar and thinking you recognize some girl and asking her a question that’s completely uncouth. Well played, Homme.
14. Kid Cudi - Pursuit Of Happiness (Nightmare) (w/MGMT & Ratatat)
Every 6 or 8 weeks I have what we’ll call a “bad night.” Life piles up, bills pile up, no one’s calling, whatever… It’s just bad. I usually try to solve these problems by hitting the reset button, aka drinking brandy until I don’t care anymore and waking up much less concerned with those problems and much more concerned with fun new problems like “Why did I sleep in my shoes?” On those nights, this song ALWAYS makes an appearance on Squawk Box. Man, everything that shines ain’t always gold. Believe that.
15. One For The Team - Best Supporting Actress
A peculiar case of a band writing a response song to one of it’s own songs, in this case the classic “Best Supporting Actor,” a brilliant portrait of a resentful boyfriend. If my memory serves, One For The Team is made up of guys and girls and I would think this had something to do with the creation of this song. Or not. What do I know?
16. Mac Lethal - Sunstorm
As I’ve mentioned probably a dozen times, I LOVE hometown pride songs. I had to give this one to Mac Lethal. I mean, it must be tough to rep Kansas City, right? He makes it sound like a bigger version of Red Wing. I do love that the couplet, “I’ve been to bigger cities, they produce bigger frowns, I’ll die right here in this town…” I’m stealing that one for MPLS. Thanks, Mac.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Just A Drop In The Bucket...
I may not know art, but I know I like donuts, Grain Belt, and Isaac Arvold's Bizarro MPLS.
Oh! Paper Tiger on the beat!
Oh! Paper Tiger on the beat!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Flatbasset-March '09
If you really feel like living to the fullest, y'know, pushing the boundaries and such, maybe leave a comment? Tell me whether or not you enjoy this. Hell, I'd be thrilled if you just acknowledged that you checked my blog. I don't care if you take the time to listen or not.
Flatbasset - March '09
01. Lifetime - Northbound Breakdown
Lifetime casts a long shadow in Andy Greenwald’s brilliantly written snapshot of the emo scene at the turn on the century, Nothing Feels Good (that’s right, I sit around reading books that prominently feature Saves The Day. My hipster cred may have just dipped into negative digits). They were the archetype for a lot of the melodic emo that rose to prominence out of the NY/NJ area (Thursday, Brand New, Saves The Day, Taking Back Sunday…).
I was over at Extreme Noise on my birthday and I found their self-titled album for $5. Greenwald’s romanticizing of them made it too tempting to pass up. I put it on and it was as though I stepped into a time-machine back to 1996 (it should come packaged with a backpack patch and a pair of brown courds). Remarkably, the album came out in 2007, a reunion/cash-in album on Pete Wentz’s Decaydance Records imprint. That’s pretty sad (like Vagrant Records signing Paul Westerberg because Rich Egan loved The Replacements, oh wait…), but it’s probably a good thing. If this album had actually come out in my emo prime I would probably still be deep in that scene.
02. Blur - Advert
Oh, British middle class from the mid-Nineties. You did need a holiday.
Sidenote: Food processors ARE great! No appliance has so changed my cooking habits. Props to Sarah Elise for that one.
03. Yo La Tengo - The Crying Of Lot G
I was listening to this song the other day and realized that it’s maybe the most perfect summation of living in a relationship ever written.
Lyrically speaking, it’s simultaneously obtuse & straight forward. And that’s exactly how relationships are, obtuse & obvious. “I wonder why we have so much trouble cheering each other up sometimes.” “Don’t have to smile at me, don’t have to talk. All that I ask of you is to stop and remember: it isn’t always this way.” It’s exactly 6:00 AM right now, so maybe I’ve been up too long, but those strike me as profound.
Musically, this song is EXACTLY like a relationship. The highs don’t go quite as high as you think they will, and when it comes back to earth for the verse, it’s not a comedown so much as a return to normal. This is actually a lot harder to explain than I thought it would be. Hopefully you see my point.
04. Blackalicious - Sky Is Falling
Blazing Arrow is far from my favorite hip-hop album. It’s way too long and most of the tracks just stretch on and on. That’s why“Sky Is Falling” is kind of a treat. It’s certainly an ingenious beat, and the whole thing is here and gone before you know it. I always have to go back and listen to this one a second time.
05. The White Stripes - Hypnotise
Elephant came out just as I was getting out of my punk phase. I was trying to find out what else was out there, but I was still immediately attracted to the loud, fast, punkier tracks on the album. “Hypnotise,” “Black Math,” & “Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine” are still my favorites from the album. If nothing else, though, the rest of this album deserves a lot of the credit for helping me see the value in music that was not just loud, fast guitar rock. And fortunately the rest of this album was broad enough to make me explore the rest of the indie rock universe and not Jack White’s eternal love, the blues. Admit it, you wouldn’t even be reading this if I was putting Buddy Guy tracks on here every other month.
06. RJD2 - Airbag
This, my friends, is how you cover Radiohead. If you want to cover Radiohead effectively it’s a good idea to keep the melody lingering around and building up your own environment around it. There’s only one Thom Yorke, and you’re not him (unless, of course, you are, in which case, thanks for reading, Thom! Keep doing what you do).
07. Stnnng - I Held It; For An Instant, I Knew It Was… And Then It Was Vanished
I caught Stnnng (pronounced stun-ING) opening up for Song Of Zarathustra at the Triple Rock a couple of weeks back. I knew they were a good band, but I had no idea they were this good. Almost like our own local version of Les Savy Fav (minus most of the stage antics and a good chunk of the hooks). If you get the chance to see ‘em, do it. Lord knows it probably won’t cost you more than $6.
08. Son Volt - Medicine Hat
Much like 98% of the white, twenty-something indie-rock loving males in this country, I am a Wilco fan. However, I was a Son Volt fan before I had even heard of Wilco (thanks to 93.7 The Edge for playing “Drown” all those years ago). I realized I hadn’t put a song by Son Volt on the playlist before and “Medicine Hat” is one of their best. Sadly, as far as I can tell, the title has nothing to do with the actual town of Medicine Hat. Too bad, a song about a little-to-medium sized Canadian town seems like it would be right in Jay Farrar’s wheelhouse.
09. Pretty Girls Make Graves - This Is Our Emergency
Have you ever picked up an album, looked at the track list, and known exactly which song was going to be the best? I had that experience with PGMG’s The New Romance album and my instincts did not betray me. I’m still on the fence about this band (when you’re two albums in and your best trait is still your name you probably better go home and work on your hooks), but I’m really digging this song, despite the fact that it sounds suspiciously similar to Bloc Party’s “Modern Love” (you know, that, “Baby you’ve got to be more discerning/I never know what’s good for me” bit). I’ve never been one to judge. A good hook’s a good hook, even if someone else thought it up.
10. Sage Francis - Underground For Dummies
Or, “The Sage Francis Story So Far…” As anyone who read my countdown knows, I’m a big fan of Mr. Sage. The only thing that seems like a misstep on this track is accusing people of calling white rappers “emo.” That was a legit complaint in ‘01 or ‘02, but were people still doing that in ‘07? I suppose he would know better than me.
11. Les Savy Fav - The Sweat Descends
For years and years my oldest friend, the aforementioned Sarah Elise, has been preaching the gospel of Tim Harrington. For reasons I haven’t quite discerned, I didn’t listen (despite the fact that she’s turned me on to The Smiths, Placebo, Depeche Mode, Song Of Zarathustra, Sean Na Na, Ben Lee, The White Stripes, Ben Kweller, Blur, Har Mar Superstar, The Plastic Constellations, The Verve & Atmosphere over the years. In my defense, she also turned me on to Orgy. The track record’s not entirely spotless. The lesson, still: I’m an idiot).
This song specifically was checked as “loved” about nine seconds after she created her Last.fm account. Once I got around to tracking down Inches it was obvious why. What a hook! This must have been one of the last great 7” singles released (y’know, back when 7” records were relevant. Oh those were the days…).
12. The Silencers - Policeman
This track is from the very first Hellcat Records Give ‘Em The Boot compilation (which came out back in 1997. Did I mention those were the days?). Hellcat is Tim Armstrong’s imprint label under the Epitaph flag. Supposedly The Silencers were going to be Tim Armstrong & Lars Fredriksen’s ska band on the side from their main gig in Rancid. Why did the guys from Rancid need a side band to play ska? I have no clue. As far as I know this song is the only song to ever come about from that project.
Of course, Rancid soldiered on and Tim Armstrong eventually put out a solo reggae/ska album (the underrated, if egomaniacally titled, A Poet’s Life). Maybe it’s because this song came out when I was particularly impressionable (music never sounds better than when you’re 15 years old), but I think it’s a real gem from that third wave of ska.
13. The Posies - Solar Sister
I first heard this song (or at least a version of it) on Bad Astronaut’s Houston: We Have A Drinking Problem album. I was always struck by it because it has such a peculiarly catchy melody and lyrics that I can’t make heads or tails of. I checked the liner notes and noticed that it was not written by Joey Cape (Bad Astronaut’s main man & famed Lagwagon leader), but rather by a couple of names I didn’t recognize. When the song turned up on the latest mix given to me by my friend Inga I was very excited. It’s no wonder they covered this song. Like caffeine, it‘s sneakily addictive.
14. Dessa - The Bullpen
Dessa’s A Badly Broken Code is easily the most diverse record to come out of the Doomtree collective so far. And, like a tool, I put on the song that sounds the most like everything else they’ve done. Honestly, the new stuff’s growing on me, but it’s taking time. Besides, this one bangs with the best of those DTR jams.
15. The Veils - Calliope!
My friend Jesse turned me on to The Veils, so props for that one. This was another one where I put the CD in, saw a track called “Calliope!” and knew right away that it would be my favorite song. I’m starting to wonder if I have a knack for knowing which will be the best or if I just hate being wrong enough that I will myself to make my predetermined choice my favorite? I really ought to get to bed.
16. Mike Swoop - No Go Die!
I went to Mike Swoop’s CD release show down at Sauce on a whim a couple of months back (it was advertised that Big Quarters would be there). As I’ve gotten deeper into the hip-hop scene here in MPLS I’ve become more and more intrigued by the work that the producers come up with. Swoop’s album New Love is a pretty good beat record. I can’t help but listen to these songs without feeling a little bit of swagger. Heaven help any cute girl that crosses my path while I’m walking down Lyndale South with this album running my earbuds.
17. Morrissey - Jack The Ripper
One of THE great Mozzer songs of all time. I’ve been to Nam, Korea, and Iraq and I can say without hyperbole that “Jack The Ripper” being relegated to b-side status is one of the great tragedies of our time. I love that Mozzer claims, “If it’s the last thing I ever do, I’m gonna get you,” as if he’s playing the aggressor, only to lead into the chorus with, “Crash into my arms…” Back to passive old Mozzer, still, still, still not getting what he wants.
Still, whether being passive or aggressive, this song is one of the most hopeful romantic songs he’s ever penned. As you know, that doesn’t happen to often. It’s always nice when you’re in the throes of a Morrissey bender and you stumble onto this one and remember that, “Hey, sometimes these things work out. Perhaps there is more to life than books.”
Flatbasset - March '09
01. Lifetime - Northbound Breakdown
Lifetime casts a long shadow in Andy Greenwald’s brilliantly written snapshot of the emo scene at the turn on the century, Nothing Feels Good (that’s right, I sit around reading books that prominently feature Saves The Day. My hipster cred may have just dipped into negative digits). They were the archetype for a lot of the melodic emo that rose to prominence out of the NY/NJ area (Thursday, Brand New, Saves The Day, Taking Back Sunday…).
I was over at Extreme Noise on my birthday and I found their self-titled album for $5. Greenwald’s romanticizing of them made it too tempting to pass up. I put it on and it was as though I stepped into a time-machine back to 1996 (it should come packaged with a backpack patch and a pair of brown courds). Remarkably, the album came out in 2007, a reunion/cash-in album on Pete Wentz’s Decaydance Records imprint. That’s pretty sad (like Vagrant Records signing Paul Westerberg because Rich Egan loved The Replacements, oh wait…), but it’s probably a good thing. If this album had actually come out in my emo prime I would probably still be deep in that scene.
02. Blur - Advert
Oh, British middle class from the mid-Nineties. You did need a holiday.
Sidenote: Food processors ARE great! No appliance has so changed my cooking habits. Props to Sarah Elise for that one.
03. Yo La Tengo - The Crying Of Lot G
I was listening to this song the other day and realized that it’s maybe the most perfect summation of living in a relationship ever written.
Lyrically speaking, it’s simultaneously obtuse & straight forward. And that’s exactly how relationships are, obtuse & obvious. “I wonder why we have so much trouble cheering each other up sometimes.” “Don’t have to smile at me, don’t have to talk. All that I ask of you is to stop and remember: it isn’t always this way.” It’s exactly 6:00 AM right now, so maybe I’ve been up too long, but those strike me as profound.
Musically, this song is EXACTLY like a relationship. The highs don’t go quite as high as you think they will, and when it comes back to earth for the verse, it’s not a comedown so much as a return to normal. This is actually a lot harder to explain than I thought it would be. Hopefully you see my point.
04. Blackalicious - Sky Is Falling
Blazing Arrow is far from my favorite hip-hop album. It’s way too long and most of the tracks just stretch on and on. That’s why“Sky Is Falling” is kind of a treat. It’s certainly an ingenious beat, and the whole thing is here and gone before you know it. I always have to go back and listen to this one a second time.
05. The White Stripes - Hypnotise
Elephant came out just as I was getting out of my punk phase. I was trying to find out what else was out there, but I was still immediately attracted to the loud, fast, punkier tracks on the album. “Hypnotise,” “Black Math,” & “Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine” are still my favorites from the album. If nothing else, though, the rest of this album deserves a lot of the credit for helping me see the value in music that was not just loud, fast guitar rock. And fortunately the rest of this album was broad enough to make me explore the rest of the indie rock universe and not Jack White’s eternal love, the blues. Admit it, you wouldn’t even be reading this if I was putting Buddy Guy tracks on here every other month.
06. RJD2 - Airbag
This, my friends, is how you cover Radiohead. If you want to cover Radiohead effectively it’s a good idea to keep the melody lingering around and building up your own environment around it. There’s only one Thom Yorke, and you’re not him (unless, of course, you are, in which case, thanks for reading, Thom! Keep doing what you do).
07. Stnnng - I Held It; For An Instant, I Knew It Was… And Then It Was Vanished
I caught Stnnng (pronounced stun-ING) opening up for Song Of Zarathustra at the Triple Rock a couple of weeks back. I knew they were a good band, but I had no idea they were this good. Almost like our own local version of Les Savy Fav (minus most of the stage antics and a good chunk of the hooks). If you get the chance to see ‘em, do it. Lord knows it probably won’t cost you more than $6.
08. Son Volt - Medicine Hat
Much like 98% of the white, twenty-something indie-rock loving males in this country, I am a Wilco fan. However, I was a Son Volt fan before I had even heard of Wilco (thanks to 93.7 The Edge for playing “Drown” all those years ago). I realized I hadn’t put a song by Son Volt on the playlist before and “Medicine Hat” is one of their best. Sadly, as far as I can tell, the title has nothing to do with the actual town of Medicine Hat. Too bad, a song about a little-to-medium sized Canadian town seems like it would be right in Jay Farrar’s wheelhouse.
09. Pretty Girls Make Graves - This Is Our Emergency
Have you ever picked up an album, looked at the track list, and known exactly which song was going to be the best? I had that experience with PGMG’s The New Romance album and my instincts did not betray me. I’m still on the fence about this band (when you’re two albums in and your best trait is still your name you probably better go home and work on your hooks), but I’m really digging this song, despite the fact that it sounds suspiciously similar to Bloc Party’s “Modern Love” (you know, that, “Baby you’ve got to be more discerning/I never know what’s good for me” bit). I’ve never been one to judge. A good hook’s a good hook, even if someone else thought it up.
10. Sage Francis - Underground For Dummies
Or, “The Sage Francis Story So Far…” As anyone who read my countdown knows, I’m a big fan of Mr. Sage. The only thing that seems like a misstep on this track is accusing people of calling white rappers “emo.” That was a legit complaint in ‘01 or ‘02, but were people still doing that in ‘07? I suppose he would know better than me.
11. Les Savy Fav - The Sweat Descends
For years and years my oldest friend, the aforementioned Sarah Elise, has been preaching the gospel of Tim Harrington. For reasons I haven’t quite discerned, I didn’t listen (despite the fact that she’s turned me on to The Smiths, Placebo, Depeche Mode, Song Of Zarathustra, Sean Na Na, Ben Lee, The White Stripes, Ben Kweller, Blur, Har Mar Superstar, The Plastic Constellations, The Verve & Atmosphere over the years. In my defense, she also turned me on to Orgy. The track record’s not entirely spotless. The lesson, still: I’m an idiot).
This song specifically was checked as “loved” about nine seconds after she created her Last.fm account. Once I got around to tracking down Inches it was obvious why. What a hook! This must have been one of the last great 7” singles released (y’know, back when 7” records were relevant. Oh those were the days…).
12. The Silencers - Policeman
This track is from the very first Hellcat Records Give ‘Em The Boot compilation (which came out back in 1997. Did I mention those were the days?). Hellcat is Tim Armstrong’s imprint label under the Epitaph flag. Supposedly The Silencers were going to be Tim Armstrong & Lars Fredriksen’s ska band on the side from their main gig in Rancid. Why did the guys from Rancid need a side band to play ska? I have no clue. As far as I know this song is the only song to ever come about from that project.
Of course, Rancid soldiered on and Tim Armstrong eventually put out a solo reggae/ska album (the underrated, if egomaniacally titled, A Poet’s Life). Maybe it’s because this song came out when I was particularly impressionable (music never sounds better than when you’re 15 years old), but I think it’s a real gem from that third wave of ska.
13. The Posies - Solar Sister
I first heard this song (or at least a version of it) on Bad Astronaut’s Houston: We Have A Drinking Problem album. I was always struck by it because it has such a peculiarly catchy melody and lyrics that I can’t make heads or tails of. I checked the liner notes and noticed that it was not written by Joey Cape (Bad Astronaut’s main man & famed Lagwagon leader), but rather by a couple of names I didn’t recognize. When the song turned up on the latest mix given to me by my friend Inga I was very excited. It’s no wonder they covered this song. Like caffeine, it‘s sneakily addictive.
14. Dessa - The Bullpen
Dessa’s A Badly Broken Code is easily the most diverse record to come out of the Doomtree collective so far. And, like a tool, I put on the song that sounds the most like everything else they’ve done. Honestly, the new stuff’s growing on me, but it’s taking time. Besides, this one bangs with the best of those DTR jams.
15. The Veils - Calliope!
My friend Jesse turned me on to The Veils, so props for that one. This was another one where I put the CD in, saw a track called “Calliope!” and knew right away that it would be my favorite song. I’m starting to wonder if I have a knack for knowing which will be the best or if I just hate being wrong enough that I will myself to make my predetermined choice my favorite? I really ought to get to bed.
16. Mike Swoop - No Go Die!
I went to Mike Swoop’s CD release show down at Sauce on a whim a couple of months back (it was advertised that Big Quarters would be there). As I’ve gotten deeper into the hip-hop scene here in MPLS I’ve become more and more intrigued by the work that the producers come up with. Swoop’s album New Love is a pretty good beat record. I can’t help but listen to these songs without feeling a little bit of swagger. Heaven help any cute girl that crosses my path while I’m walking down Lyndale South with this album running my earbuds.
17. Morrissey - Jack The Ripper
One of THE great Mozzer songs of all time. I’ve been to Nam, Korea, and Iraq and I can say without hyperbole that “Jack The Ripper” being relegated to b-side status is one of the great tragedies of our time. I love that Mozzer claims, “If it’s the last thing I ever do, I’m gonna get you,” as if he’s playing the aggressor, only to lead into the chorus with, “Crash into my arms…” Back to passive old Mozzer, still, still, still not getting what he wants.
Still, whether being passive or aggressive, this song is one of the most hopeful romantic songs he’s ever penned. As you know, that doesn’t happen to often. It’s always nice when you’re in the throes of a Morrissey bender and you stumble onto this one and remember that, “Hey, sometimes these things work out. Perhaps there is more to life than books.”
Monday, February 1, 2010
Flatbasset-February '10
Here it is. Punxsatawney Phil better come through tomorrow.
Flatbasset-February '10
01. Spoon - Written In Reverse
Favorite Current Song Of The Day for January. This song sums up everything I like and dislike about Spoon (and it’s not the only one). By all accounts, Spoon should have been the American indie band of the last 15 years. What kills me is that the people in the band (and Britt Daniels specifically) are notorious studio nerds, fussing over every little second of their songs. This is why it annoys me whenever they put together songs like this that are supposed to sound “off the cuff.” Every “mistake” is intentional. Every overdub is meticulous. Of the great American rock bands of the last 30 years (Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, The Replacements, The Pixies, Nirvana, early Modest Mouse, etc…) part of their charm was the fact that the mistakes were obviously mistakes.
Since then, the great American bands (The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, latter Modest Mouse, The Shins) have been proudly meticulous in trying to achieve their “sound“. Even The White Stripes, for all their “stripped-down, old-timey” glory still clearly spend time making things sound just so (listen to “The Hardest Button To Button“ and tell me I‘m wrong). I blame Billy Corgan for this shift.
I always got the impression that Britt Daniels grew up on those old sloppy bands, but the technophile in him couldn’t fully embrace leaving it to chance. Because of that, Spoon has found itself in some kind of American rock limbo. Very, very good, but not great.
02. Super Furry Animals - Juxtapozed With U
I always feel like Super Furry Animals came along 5-7 years too soon. If they had come around during this new Pitchfork-indie blog frenzy I think they would have blown up crazy big. They hop from genre to genre so seamlessly. That’s the type of thing that those blogs mess themselves over. As every band that’s ridden that wave will tell you, that can be a double-edged sword. I suppose we should be happy that they’re an underrated career-oriented band and not, say, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Still, they are underrated.
03. Sonic Youth - Kool Thing (w/Chuck D)
It’s Sonic Youth WITH Chuck D! Do I really need to justify its inclusion?
04. Clipse - Popular Demand (Popeyes) (w/Pharrell & Cam’ron)
“You like that Bron-Bron? I had that long time ago.” I love that line.
05. Blink-182 - All Of This (w/Robert Smith)
Back in ‘03, when Blink’s self-titled (and final) album came out, I was dating a girl who was slightly younger than me. She was still in the throes of her “punk rock” (as much as you can call New Found Glory “punk rock”) phase while I was just getting out of mine. This album was our bridge.
Obviously, Blink-182 made a fine career of dick jokes and hooks and who can blame them? “Dammit,” “Josie,” “What’s My Age Again?…” Those were some catchy songs and the kids loved them. Surprisingly, Blink grew out of them. This self-titled album was being put together I remember MTV2 putting together one of those Making The Album shows about it and I was blown away by the amount of effort the band was putting toward getting new sounds and taking new angles to their pop-punk blueprint. I distinctly remember a scene where Travis Barker had set up his drums at the end of a long hallway to get some kind of crazy echoing sound.
I’ve always had a theory that when punk bands grow out of their old sound, the albums that find them stretching are always their most interesting (that’s the theory part) and least commercially viable (fact). Green Day’s Warning, Rancid’s Life Won’t Wait, The Get Up Kids' On A Wire, The Promise Ring’s Wood/Water are four examples off the top of my head. And I love all of those albums and each one was basically the band’s death knell. Green Day and Rancid went back to their old sound. The Promise Ring and The Get Up Kids broke up.
Which leaves us with Blink’s attempt to stretch their sound. The songs on this album are absolutely fantastic. “Feeling This” & “I Miss You” were mild hits, but I always got the sense that they were only hits out of fan obligation (these were still the halcyon days of TRL). However, they did such a good job of wrapping the hooks in new sounds and new sonic ideas that the album has held up much better than any of their early work.
Sadly, a grown-up album made by a band that made it’s living by not growing up meant one thing: commercial failure. The failure of the album and band infighting led to Blink breaking up, only to reunite this year for more dick joke fun. Sad.
Incidentally, that girl and I broke up just as she was getting over her “punk” phase. She’s now a fan of the Dave Matthews Band and O.A.R. I may have dodged a bullet on this one.
06. Moving Units - Available
I caught Moving Units back in ‘03 or ‘04 maybe? They were opening for *Stellastar back at First Ave. and I thought they did a very good job with the whole ‘angular dance punk’ thing that was all the rage back in those days (goddamn I’m getting old). They weren’t breaking any walls, but they were interesting enough. I picked up their EP at the show and found myself angularly dancing around my apartment.
When their full-length album Dangerous Dreams came out a while later, I had high hopes (although in hindsight, the fact that the cover looked like it was too blunt for Duran Duran should have been a red flag). Sadly, the a lot of the guitar-bass-drum crunched had been sacrificed for some ambient keyboard noise. I put the album away after a few listens, but every now and then they’ll shuffle onto Lil’ Squawk Box with one of their better songs (for example, this one) and I feel like maybe I dismissed them too quickly. Sadly, I still have trouble getting through the whole album without losing interest, but let the record show that Dangerous Dreams has been upgraded from “disappointing” to “decent shuffle record.”
07. The Streets - On The Edge Of A Cliff
Most of the reviews for Everything Is Borrowed centered on the fact that the beats were “uninspired.” I’ll admit that they certainly aren’t as busy as The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living. Mike Skinner has tried to make it clear that Everything Is Borrowed is the fourth part of a five album cycle that, in the end, will make up the entire story of The Streets. He’s even hinted that he hopes to package all 5 albums into a box set at some point in the future. Frankly, I believe him.
Maybe I’m just drinking the Kool-Aid because I’m a fan. You know what, I’m feeling ambitious, so let’s break this down.
Part I: Original Pirate Material
A young man finding his voice, telling tales of getting high, playing video games, and fucking up relationships. Sounds like most young men. From the beginning it was clear that Skinner clearly was rapping about what he knew. No talk of guns and violence, just talk of fucked up pizza orders and trying to stay positive.
Part II: A Grand Don’t Come For Free
The Mousetrap in The Streets narrative arc. Skinner’s tale of losing “a thousand quid,” fighting with his girlfriend (whom he clearly loves), gambling, taking ecstasy, a random hook-up that leads to his losing said girl, his friend pulling his old girlfriend, and, finally, redemption through repaired friendships and found money, is rooted in the type of mild fame & financial security he found after the success of Original Pirate Material. A slightly more mature man realizing that money is not everything. That love and friendship are the type of things worth working for.
Part III: The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living
Again, this album is intrinsically tied to the financial success brought about by the last album. A Grand Don’t Come For Free was a worldwide success and this is Skinner’s “fame ain’t all it’s cracked up to be” album. Cleverly, he doesn’t pull the same stunt most pop stars pull, merely complaining about the trappings of fame (John Lennon, George Michael, Michael Jackson, Kurt Cobain, Britney Spears, Kanye West… I’m looking in your direction). Instead, he laments the complications of staying up for days out of his mind on coke (“The oven’s been on for days!”) and fucking pop stars. The title track is the perfect example of Skinner playing the fame card in a new way, lamenting that, yeah, he’s working with large sums of money now, but it’s still difficult.
In hindsight, though, the essential track from this album is “Never Went To Church.” Skinner’s father has died and it seems as though that’s brought him back to earth, re-learning the lesson he learned at the end of A Grand…, that people and relationships are the things worth working for, as opposed to, say, throwing a television from a hotel window. Thus setting the stage for…
Part IV: Everything Is Borrowed
Skinner lands back on earth. The beats are infinitely more subdued as Skinner contemplates the big picture. Religion, death, life, his relatives, his mum, and his friends and his complicated relationship with these subjects is the over-arching theme of this album. It’s almost as though this is grown man Skinner trying to find a way to relate back to young man Skinner. He lived his younger years on the edge and sowed those oats.
Maybe I enjoy this album more than most because I’m getting to the age where I spend more time worrying about those larger subjects than the more trivial ones (of course, when I get famous with my writing I’m going to revert back to The Hardest Way… Skinner and start nailing pop stars left & right. Stay limber, Dessa.) But, it’s my playlist and if you want to take 450 words breaking down your take on The Streets I’m all ears (or eyes, rather).
That is why I’m particularly fond of this incarnation of The Streets. I have no idea what Part V will entail? Mid-life crisis? The political state of England? Skinner’s own death? I don’t really know what the end game is with The Streets story, but I wouldn’t miss it.
08. Refused - Liberation Frequency
I miss the days when the radio could be romanticized like this. “We want the airwaves back! We don’t just want airtime, we want all the time ALL THE TIME!” Sadly, much like Refused, radio is fucking dead. I’m glad I’m old enough to have been there when the radio carried so much weight, though.
09. Camera Obscura - Dory Previn
This is the best mopey, “I should be happy to be alone” pop song I’ve heard in a long time. Somewhere Morrissey’s banging his head against a wall.
10. The Star Spangles - Which One Of The Two Of Us Is Gonna Burn This House Down?
Back at the turn of the century it seemed like everything that was coming out of NYC was blowing the fuck up (don’t act like you don’t remember). Of course we all know that those bands were built on the bands that came before them (The Strokes/The Velvets, Yeah Yeah Yeahs/Wendy O & Blondie, Interpol/Joy Division) The Star Spangles are the perfect mix of The Ramones & The Strokes and for some reason, nobody could get over the fact that they sounded derivative. I feel like they must have pissed of Robert Christgau at some point and were forever tainted. Too bad, because Bazooka!!! is a sloppy, hook-filled good time.
11. Depeche Mode - A Question Of Lust
No unlike my previous experience with New Order and the Pet Shop Boys, I decided to track down a copy of Depeche Mode’s Singles 86-98 compilation. As I’ve mentioned before, these dancy British groups are rarely worth digging through the “deep cuts.” For whatever reason (possibly the monotonous genre or England’s emphasis on singles over albums), the legitimate albums by these bands tend to be tedious, dragging the great singles into the muck of the toss-offs.
So, much like New Order’s Singles and Pet Shop Boys Complete Discography, Depeche Mode’s Singles 86-98 stands up all the way through, even at its double-disc length. “A Question Of Lust” made its way into my “drunken-iPod-singalong” rotation faster than just any record I’ve picked up since the last Cribs album.
12. BK-One - Call To Arms (w/I Self Devine)
I love the way BK-One structures this beat, starting it out thin, little drum break, adding that sweeet bass line and female voice for the hook, adding a layer of horns on top of that for the chorus, then ending it all with the keyboards going out. Not to get down on I Self, but he could be rapping about anything, as long as that beat keeps rolling. BK-One is a fucking genius.
13. Weezer - The Good Life
It’s been a solid 13 years now and I’m still nowhere near sick of this album. I guarantee, if I keep making these playlists for another 4-5 years, every song from Pinkerton will turn up. Of course, “The Good Life” is the highlight of the record. Whenever I find myself in a bad place this song is an instant pick me up. It’s time I got back to that good life…
14. Mel Gibson & The Pants - Reagan’s Dead
I had my Lil’ Squawk Box on shuffle this last week and Weezer’s “Cold Dark World” from their Red Album came on. I had to get Squawky out of my pocket and check because I thought it was Mel Gibson & The Pants. I don’t know which group should feel worse about this.
15. Retribution Gospel Choir - Hide It Away
I love the way Alan Sparhawk’s career seems to be going backwards. Instead of being a young, guitar-slinging, angry hook machine, he started off as slow, meticulous, and contemplative during the first decade of Low’s existence. Then, when he decided it was time to turn the amps up to 11, he took all those lessons he learned from those slow-burners and brought them to a loud ass rock band. And that’s to say nothing of the life lessons brought to the songs because he’s older & wiser than your average 20 year old punk. The should name street in Duluth after this
guy.
16. Kanye West - Family Business
I put this one on here because I feel like Kanye West just doesn’t get enough credit on this blog (I kid, I kid. Settle down, haters). Still, I did think it would be nice to dig into the deeper cuts and find a track to remind everybody that Kanye is not the world’s biggest asshole (apologies to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Dick Cheney, Josh Homme, & Matt Cooke).
Flatbasset-February '10
01. Spoon - Written In Reverse
Favorite Current Song Of The Day for January. This song sums up everything I like and dislike about Spoon (and it’s not the only one). By all accounts, Spoon should have been the American indie band of the last 15 years. What kills me is that the people in the band (and Britt Daniels specifically) are notorious studio nerds, fussing over every little second of their songs. This is why it annoys me whenever they put together songs like this that are supposed to sound “off the cuff.” Every “mistake” is intentional. Every overdub is meticulous. Of the great American rock bands of the last 30 years (Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, The Replacements, The Pixies, Nirvana, early Modest Mouse, etc…) part of their charm was the fact that the mistakes were obviously mistakes.
Since then, the great American bands (The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, latter Modest Mouse, The Shins) have been proudly meticulous in trying to achieve their “sound“. Even The White Stripes, for all their “stripped-down, old-timey” glory still clearly spend time making things sound just so (listen to “The Hardest Button To Button“ and tell me I‘m wrong). I blame Billy Corgan for this shift.
I always got the impression that Britt Daniels grew up on those old sloppy bands, but the technophile in him couldn’t fully embrace leaving it to chance. Because of that, Spoon has found itself in some kind of American rock limbo. Very, very good, but not great.
02. Super Furry Animals - Juxtapozed With U
I always feel like Super Furry Animals came along 5-7 years too soon. If they had come around during this new Pitchfork-indie blog frenzy I think they would have blown up crazy big. They hop from genre to genre so seamlessly. That’s the type of thing that those blogs mess themselves over. As every band that’s ridden that wave will tell you, that can be a double-edged sword. I suppose we should be happy that they’re an underrated career-oriented band and not, say, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Still, they are underrated.
03. Sonic Youth - Kool Thing (w/Chuck D)
It’s Sonic Youth WITH Chuck D! Do I really need to justify its inclusion?
04. Clipse - Popular Demand (Popeyes) (w/Pharrell & Cam’ron)
“You like that Bron-Bron? I had that long time ago.” I love that line.
05. Blink-182 - All Of This (w/Robert Smith)
Back in ‘03, when Blink’s self-titled (and final) album came out, I was dating a girl who was slightly younger than me. She was still in the throes of her “punk rock” (as much as you can call New Found Glory “punk rock”) phase while I was just getting out of mine. This album was our bridge.
Obviously, Blink-182 made a fine career of dick jokes and hooks and who can blame them? “Dammit,” “Josie,” “What’s My Age Again?…” Those were some catchy songs and the kids loved them. Surprisingly, Blink grew out of them. This self-titled album was being put together I remember MTV2 putting together one of those Making The Album shows about it and I was blown away by the amount of effort the band was putting toward getting new sounds and taking new angles to their pop-punk blueprint. I distinctly remember a scene where Travis Barker had set up his drums at the end of a long hallway to get some kind of crazy echoing sound.
I’ve always had a theory that when punk bands grow out of their old sound, the albums that find them stretching are always their most interesting (that’s the theory part) and least commercially viable (fact). Green Day’s Warning, Rancid’s Life Won’t Wait, The Get Up Kids' On A Wire, The Promise Ring’s Wood/Water are four examples off the top of my head. And I love all of those albums and each one was basically the band’s death knell. Green Day and Rancid went back to their old sound. The Promise Ring and The Get Up Kids broke up.
Which leaves us with Blink’s attempt to stretch their sound. The songs on this album are absolutely fantastic. “Feeling This” & “I Miss You” were mild hits, but I always got the sense that they were only hits out of fan obligation (these were still the halcyon days of TRL). However, they did such a good job of wrapping the hooks in new sounds and new sonic ideas that the album has held up much better than any of their early work.
Sadly, a grown-up album made by a band that made it’s living by not growing up meant one thing: commercial failure. The failure of the album and band infighting led to Blink breaking up, only to reunite this year for more dick joke fun. Sad.
Incidentally, that girl and I broke up just as she was getting over her “punk” phase. She’s now a fan of the Dave Matthews Band and O.A.R. I may have dodged a bullet on this one.
06. Moving Units - Available
I caught Moving Units back in ‘03 or ‘04 maybe? They were opening for *Stellastar back at First Ave. and I thought they did a very good job with the whole ‘angular dance punk’ thing that was all the rage back in those days (goddamn I’m getting old). They weren’t breaking any walls, but they were interesting enough. I picked up their EP at the show and found myself angularly dancing around my apartment.
When their full-length album Dangerous Dreams came out a while later, I had high hopes (although in hindsight, the fact that the cover looked like it was too blunt for Duran Duran should have been a red flag). Sadly, the a lot of the guitar-bass-drum crunched had been sacrificed for some ambient keyboard noise. I put the album away after a few listens, but every now and then they’ll shuffle onto Lil’ Squawk Box with one of their better songs (for example, this one) and I feel like maybe I dismissed them too quickly. Sadly, I still have trouble getting through the whole album without losing interest, but let the record show that Dangerous Dreams has been upgraded from “disappointing” to “decent shuffle record.”
07. The Streets - On The Edge Of A Cliff
Most of the reviews for Everything Is Borrowed centered on the fact that the beats were “uninspired.” I’ll admit that they certainly aren’t as busy as The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living. Mike Skinner has tried to make it clear that Everything Is Borrowed is the fourth part of a five album cycle that, in the end, will make up the entire story of The Streets. He’s even hinted that he hopes to package all 5 albums into a box set at some point in the future. Frankly, I believe him.
Maybe I’m just drinking the Kool-Aid because I’m a fan. You know what, I’m feeling ambitious, so let’s break this down.
Part I: Original Pirate Material
A young man finding his voice, telling tales of getting high, playing video games, and fucking up relationships. Sounds like most young men. From the beginning it was clear that Skinner clearly was rapping about what he knew. No talk of guns and violence, just talk of fucked up pizza orders and trying to stay positive.
Part II: A Grand Don’t Come For Free
The Mousetrap in The Streets narrative arc. Skinner’s tale of losing “a thousand quid,” fighting with his girlfriend (whom he clearly loves), gambling, taking ecstasy, a random hook-up that leads to his losing said girl, his friend pulling his old girlfriend, and, finally, redemption through repaired friendships and found money, is rooted in the type of mild fame & financial security he found after the success of Original Pirate Material. A slightly more mature man realizing that money is not everything. That love and friendship are the type of things worth working for.
Part III: The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living
Again, this album is intrinsically tied to the financial success brought about by the last album. A Grand Don’t Come For Free was a worldwide success and this is Skinner’s “fame ain’t all it’s cracked up to be” album. Cleverly, he doesn’t pull the same stunt most pop stars pull, merely complaining about the trappings of fame (John Lennon, George Michael, Michael Jackson, Kurt Cobain, Britney Spears, Kanye West… I’m looking in your direction). Instead, he laments the complications of staying up for days out of his mind on coke (“The oven’s been on for days!”) and fucking pop stars. The title track is the perfect example of Skinner playing the fame card in a new way, lamenting that, yeah, he’s working with large sums of money now, but it’s still difficult.
In hindsight, though, the essential track from this album is “Never Went To Church.” Skinner’s father has died and it seems as though that’s brought him back to earth, re-learning the lesson he learned at the end of A Grand…, that people and relationships are the things worth working for, as opposed to, say, throwing a television from a hotel window. Thus setting the stage for…
Part IV: Everything Is Borrowed
Skinner lands back on earth. The beats are infinitely more subdued as Skinner contemplates the big picture. Religion, death, life, his relatives, his mum, and his friends and his complicated relationship with these subjects is the over-arching theme of this album. It’s almost as though this is grown man Skinner trying to find a way to relate back to young man Skinner. He lived his younger years on the edge and sowed those oats.
Maybe I enjoy this album more than most because I’m getting to the age where I spend more time worrying about those larger subjects than the more trivial ones (of course, when I get famous with my writing I’m going to revert back to The Hardest Way… Skinner and start nailing pop stars left & right. Stay limber, Dessa.) But, it’s my playlist and if you want to take 450 words breaking down your take on The Streets I’m all ears (or eyes, rather).
That is why I’m particularly fond of this incarnation of The Streets. I have no idea what Part V will entail? Mid-life crisis? The political state of England? Skinner’s own death? I don’t really know what the end game is with The Streets story, but I wouldn’t miss it.
08. Refused - Liberation Frequency
I miss the days when the radio could be romanticized like this. “We want the airwaves back! We don’t just want airtime, we want all the time ALL THE TIME!” Sadly, much like Refused, radio is fucking dead. I’m glad I’m old enough to have been there when the radio carried so much weight, though.
09. Camera Obscura - Dory Previn
This is the best mopey, “I should be happy to be alone” pop song I’ve heard in a long time. Somewhere Morrissey’s banging his head against a wall.
10. The Star Spangles - Which One Of The Two Of Us Is Gonna Burn This House Down?
Back at the turn of the century it seemed like everything that was coming out of NYC was blowing the fuck up (don’t act like you don’t remember). Of course we all know that those bands were built on the bands that came before them (The Strokes/The Velvets, Yeah Yeah Yeahs/Wendy O & Blondie, Interpol/Joy Division) The Star Spangles are the perfect mix of The Ramones & The Strokes and for some reason, nobody could get over the fact that they sounded derivative. I feel like they must have pissed of Robert Christgau at some point and were forever tainted. Too bad, because Bazooka!!! is a sloppy, hook-filled good time.
11. Depeche Mode - A Question Of Lust
No unlike my previous experience with New Order and the Pet Shop Boys, I decided to track down a copy of Depeche Mode’s Singles 86-98 compilation. As I’ve mentioned before, these dancy British groups are rarely worth digging through the “deep cuts.” For whatever reason (possibly the monotonous genre or England’s emphasis on singles over albums), the legitimate albums by these bands tend to be tedious, dragging the great singles into the muck of the toss-offs.
So, much like New Order’s Singles and Pet Shop Boys Complete Discography, Depeche Mode’s Singles 86-98 stands up all the way through, even at its double-disc length. “A Question Of Lust” made its way into my “drunken-iPod-singalong” rotation faster than just any record I’ve picked up since the last Cribs album.
12. BK-One - Call To Arms (w/I Self Devine)
I love the way BK-One structures this beat, starting it out thin, little drum break, adding that sweeet bass line and female voice for the hook, adding a layer of horns on top of that for the chorus, then ending it all with the keyboards going out. Not to get down on I Self, but he could be rapping about anything, as long as that beat keeps rolling. BK-One is a fucking genius.
13. Weezer - The Good Life
It’s been a solid 13 years now and I’m still nowhere near sick of this album. I guarantee, if I keep making these playlists for another 4-5 years, every song from Pinkerton will turn up. Of course, “The Good Life” is the highlight of the record. Whenever I find myself in a bad place this song is an instant pick me up. It’s time I got back to that good life…
14. Mel Gibson & The Pants - Reagan’s Dead
I had my Lil’ Squawk Box on shuffle this last week and Weezer’s “Cold Dark World” from their Red Album came on. I had to get Squawky out of my pocket and check because I thought it was Mel Gibson & The Pants. I don’t know which group should feel worse about this.
15. Retribution Gospel Choir - Hide It Away
I love the way Alan Sparhawk’s career seems to be going backwards. Instead of being a young, guitar-slinging, angry hook machine, he started off as slow, meticulous, and contemplative during the first decade of Low’s existence. Then, when he decided it was time to turn the amps up to 11, he took all those lessons he learned from those slow-burners and brought them to a loud ass rock band. And that’s to say nothing of the life lessons brought to the songs because he’s older & wiser than your average 20 year old punk. The should name street in Duluth after this
guy.
16. Kanye West - Family Business
I put this one on here because I feel like Kanye West just doesn’t get enough credit on this blog (I kid, I kid. Settle down, haters). Still, I did think it would be nice to dig into the deeper cuts and find a track to remind everybody that Kanye is not the world’s biggest asshole (apologies to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Dick Cheney, Josh Homme, & Matt Cooke).
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Flatbasset-January '10
Sorry I'm a couple of days late. I've been busy the last week catching Heiruspecs, drinking white russians, hugging Dessa, dancing, watching Phil split his pants trying to hail a cab, pulling over said cab on Franklin so Buckley could puke, having a Kanye West singalong, putting down Fog Cutters while Phil made it clear he was the only Bears fan in the Dragon, stepping all over Phil's game at the CC Club because these girls wouldn't quit poking me with vegan questions, closing down the CC Club, closing down Caffery's, having a Taking Back Sunday singalong, more white russians, being one half of the worst Cranium team in recorded history (can ya guess the other half), being one half of the most intoxicated Cranium team in recorded history, an Aesop Rock singalong, getting tackled in the snow and kicked in the kidney, convincing a cabbie not to kick us out at 4 a.m. because Phil had his feet on the window (think about that), watching Phil try to fight Garfield Ave. with his nose (guess who won), and getting punched in the head... 2010, you got a lot to live up to.
Flatbasset - January '10
01. The Cribs - We Were Aborted
As you all know, I love The Cribs. This is the first song off their new Ignore The Ignorant album. Like I’ve mentioned before, their last two albums (The New Fellas & Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever) are perfect, sloppy Brit-punk albums. All drunken singalongs and middle fingers. However, for this new one they enlisted Johnny Marr and decided they were going to write a “grown-up” album. Sadly, this song is the only song on the album that maintains the old thrill. I love Johnny Marr as much as every skinny, white, middle-class 20-something, but c’mon man! Why ruin a good thing?
02. Doomtree - Coup For The King
Before Doomtree Blowout VI the crew decided to put together a new False Hopes so they would have something to new to sell at the show. What makes a song like “Coup For The King” amazing is that this is something they just tossed off. Right now DTR is like The Mats or Smiths in their prime, where even the casual stuff is great.
Plus, as if P.O.S. doesn’t get enough love on this blog, he gets more points for that line about Mario and “King Koopa spit…”
03. The Magnetic Fields - Too Drunk To Dream
God bless ya, Stephen Merritt. Sometimes getting drunk and going to bed is the best way to handle life.
04. Built To Spill - Twin Falls
For a band that’s known to toe the line between indie rock and jam band, it’s a tribute to Doug Martsch’s songwriting ability that he can cram such a vivid little portrait of growing up in a small town into a mere 1:50.
05. The-Dream - Take U Home 2 My Mama
Sometimes you just gotta go fucking Top 40 crazy. I’ve been listening to this song like crazy for the last month and I’m still nowhere near sick of it. I love the line, “I’m tryin’ to get her gone, because I’m already gone…” and the backing voice just goes, “I’m already (nrrrmmmm…)” You should see me and basset dancing to this one in the studio. Good times.
06. Crossing Guards - 51 Weeks Ago
Crossing Guards is Martin Devaney’s good time, old-fashioned rock ‘n roll band. Frankly, I’ve been to a lot of shows since I’ve been back and sometime between 2000 and 2010 this turned into a city full of art rock bands (Alpha Centauri, Colder In Mosow, I‘m looking in your direction). God bless these guys for throwing back a few Tall Boys and turning their guitars up. So what if they’re not breaking new ground? That’s part of the charm. This is a guitar-n-whiskey town.
07. Beulah - Popular Mechanics For Lovers
What a heartbreaker! I do like the sly Magnetic Fields reference.
08. At The Drive-In - Rolodex Propaganda
How far away from the turn of the century do we need to get before Relationship Of Command stops sounding like it came from the future?
I really like this one because it’s the only song where they seem to actually make light of how ridiculous their lyrics are, with Cedric Bixler-Zavala warbling “manuscript replica!” throughout the chorus.
Who’s taking bets on when the ATDI reunion takes place? Sparta broke up, The Mars Volta seems to have stalled out. I mean, if Pavement is back on the road then these guys have to be next. I’m betting on a summer 2012 Coachella headlining slot.
09. Serengeti - Dennehey
As you’re all aware, I love songs that big up hometowns. Even though Chicago is Minneapolis’ nemesis (Copyright: Chuck Klosterman), I can’t help but feel the love for the Windy City on this one.
Vacation Place: Sconsin! I can get behind that.
10. Art Brut - DC Comics And Chocolate Milkshake
This song is a great example of how Art Brut is so much more than just Eddie Argos. I mean, he’s great, but note the pauses, that descending chorus riff, and that killer lead guitar line. No one should be surprised that these guys are still going strong after 3 albums.
11. Portishead - The Rip
This is one of my favorite “put in the earbuds and close your eyes” songs. I love the way that little electronic blip blossoms in the second half of the song, as if Beth Gibbons has given into the morbid curiosity that haunts the first half of the song.
12. T. Rex - Metal Guru
There’s a famous story of Johnny Marr calling up John Porter and telling him that he had a new sketch for a Smiths song and he was going to send him a copy via mail. A week later Porter received a package. He expected it to be a demo of something Marr had put together, but opened it to find the “Metal Guru“ single. Then The Smiths came down and banged out “Panic.” Score one for Johnny Marr’s sense of humour.
13. Jay-Z (w/Rihanna & Kanye West) - Run This Town
Alright, so I went top 40 crazy again. It’s not my fault Jigga’s so good that everyone has to listen.
I’ll even give it up for Rihanna. When I saw her on the “Glow In The Dark” tour, she killed it, even though “Umbrella” was the only song I knew.
14. Pictures Of Then - When It Stings
The winner of my favorite Minnesota song this month. Something about this song has a late 90’s alt-pop vibe. It would have fit nicely between Tonic & Better Than Ezra back on Rev 105.
15. Madonna - Till Death Do Us Part
My friend Inga made me a mix CD and it had this song on it. I’ll be honest, I was confused by how good it was. All those dancey-blippy-Hot Chip-Brazilian Girls bands of the last 5 years can’t touch this shit. Is it possible I’ve been wrong about Madonna all along?
16. Freeway & Jake One - Know What I Mean
Like Slug & Murs, Eyedea & Abilities, St. Paul & Minneapolis, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Coffee & Coconut Creamer, Freeway & Jake One is just a fucking perfect combination. They’re actually playing that RSE Haiti Benefit show in a week and I can’t wait. Freeway’s post-mainstream hip-hop career is going to be killer.
17. Los Campesinos! - There Are Listed Buildings
My favorite Current song of the month, the energy on this track is just too infectious. I never get sick of sharp hooks.
18. Kid Cudi - Up Up And Away
This is my 2010 theme song. I don’t know if you know, but my friends and I are taking MPLS this year. We’ll be up up and away. Just you watch.
I highly recommend that everybody track down a copy of Kids Cudi’s Man On The Moon album. That shit is gold.
Flatbasset - January '10
01. The Cribs - We Were Aborted
As you all know, I love The Cribs. This is the first song off their new Ignore The Ignorant album. Like I’ve mentioned before, their last two albums (The New Fellas & Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever) are perfect, sloppy Brit-punk albums. All drunken singalongs and middle fingers. However, for this new one they enlisted Johnny Marr and decided they were going to write a “grown-up” album. Sadly, this song is the only song on the album that maintains the old thrill. I love Johnny Marr as much as every skinny, white, middle-class 20-something, but c’mon man! Why ruin a good thing?
02. Doomtree - Coup For The King
Before Doomtree Blowout VI the crew decided to put together a new False Hopes so they would have something to new to sell at the show. What makes a song like “Coup For The King” amazing is that this is something they just tossed off. Right now DTR is like The Mats or Smiths in their prime, where even the casual stuff is great.
Plus, as if P.O.S. doesn’t get enough love on this blog, he gets more points for that line about Mario and “King Koopa spit…”
03. The Magnetic Fields - Too Drunk To Dream
God bless ya, Stephen Merritt. Sometimes getting drunk and going to bed is the best way to handle life.
04. Built To Spill - Twin Falls
For a band that’s known to toe the line between indie rock and jam band, it’s a tribute to Doug Martsch’s songwriting ability that he can cram such a vivid little portrait of growing up in a small town into a mere 1:50.
05. The-Dream - Take U Home 2 My Mama
Sometimes you just gotta go fucking Top 40 crazy. I’ve been listening to this song like crazy for the last month and I’m still nowhere near sick of it. I love the line, “I’m tryin’ to get her gone, because I’m already gone…” and the backing voice just goes, “I’m already (nrrrmmmm…)” You should see me and basset dancing to this one in the studio. Good times.
06. Crossing Guards - 51 Weeks Ago
Crossing Guards is Martin Devaney’s good time, old-fashioned rock ‘n roll band. Frankly, I’ve been to a lot of shows since I’ve been back and sometime between 2000 and 2010 this turned into a city full of art rock bands (Alpha Centauri, Colder In Mosow, I‘m looking in your direction). God bless these guys for throwing back a few Tall Boys and turning their guitars up. So what if they’re not breaking new ground? That’s part of the charm. This is a guitar-n-whiskey town.
07. Beulah - Popular Mechanics For Lovers
What a heartbreaker! I do like the sly Magnetic Fields reference.
08. At The Drive-In - Rolodex Propaganda
How far away from the turn of the century do we need to get before Relationship Of Command stops sounding like it came from the future?
I really like this one because it’s the only song where they seem to actually make light of how ridiculous their lyrics are, with Cedric Bixler-Zavala warbling “manuscript replica!” throughout the chorus.
Who’s taking bets on when the ATDI reunion takes place? Sparta broke up, The Mars Volta seems to have stalled out. I mean, if Pavement is back on the road then these guys have to be next. I’m betting on a summer 2012 Coachella headlining slot.
09. Serengeti - Dennehey
As you’re all aware, I love songs that big up hometowns. Even though Chicago is Minneapolis’ nemesis (Copyright: Chuck Klosterman), I can’t help but feel the love for the Windy City on this one.
Vacation Place: Sconsin! I can get behind that.
10. Art Brut - DC Comics And Chocolate Milkshake
This song is a great example of how Art Brut is so much more than just Eddie Argos. I mean, he’s great, but note the pauses, that descending chorus riff, and that killer lead guitar line. No one should be surprised that these guys are still going strong after 3 albums.
11. Portishead - The Rip
This is one of my favorite “put in the earbuds and close your eyes” songs. I love the way that little electronic blip blossoms in the second half of the song, as if Beth Gibbons has given into the morbid curiosity that haunts the first half of the song.
12. T. Rex - Metal Guru
There’s a famous story of Johnny Marr calling up John Porter and telling him that he had a new sketch for a Smiths song and he was going to send him a copy via mail. A week later Porter received a package. He expected it to be a demo of something Marr had put together, but opened it to find the “Metal Guru“ single. Then The Smiths came down and banged out “Panic.” Score one for Johnny Marr’s sense of humour.
13. Jay-Z (w/Rihanna & Kanye West) - Run This Town
Alright, so I went top 40 crazy again. It’s not my fault Jigga’s so good that everyone has to listen.
I’ll even give it up for Rihanna. When I saw her on the “Glow In The Dark” tour, she killed it, even though “Umbrella” was the only song I knew.
14. Pictures Of Then - When It Stings
The winner of my favorite Minnesota song this month. Something about this song has a late 90’s alt-pop vibe. It would have fit nicely between Tonic & Better Than Ezra back on Rev 105.
15. Madonna - Till Death Do Us Part
My friend Inga made me a mix CD and it had this song on it. I’ll be honest, I was confused by how good it was. All those dancey-blippy-Hot Chip-Brazilian Girls bands of the last 5 years can’t touch this shit. Is it possible I’ve been wrong about Madonna all along?
16. Freeway & Jake One - Know What I Mean
Like Slug & Murs, Eyedea & Abilities, St. Paul & Minneapolis, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Coffee & Coconut Creamer, Freeway & Jake One is just a fucking perfect combination. They’re actually playing that RSE Haiti Benefit show in a week and I can’t wait. Freeway’s post-mainstream hip-hop career is going to be killer.
17. Los Campesinos! - There Are Listed Buildings
My favorite Current song of the month, the energy on this track is just too infectious. I never get sick of sharp hooks.
18. Kid Cudi - Up Up And Away
This is my 2010 theme song. I don’t know if you know, but my friends and I are taking MPLS this year. We’ll be up up and away. Just you watch.
I highly recommend that everybody track down a copy of Kids Cudi’s Man On The Moon album. That shit is gold.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Yeah, We Do Our Own Damn Thing...
01. P.O.S. - Purexed
This is a very personal choice and I’m going to spend too many words trying to explain it.
As you know, I spent more than half our 2009 living out in New York City. It was amazing, difficult, fun, terrible, fuck… I wouldn’t change it and I certainly don’t regret it. But that’s another blog. Or not. Whatever.
I arrived in Queens on January 31st. On February 2nd, Never Better was released and I played the fuck out that record. This basically was my New York album. My last little piece of home. I’m actually a little disappointed that I wasn’t around the Twin Cities while this album was blowing up, but that’s no real loss. It’s a wrecking ball no matter where you’re living.
I remember listening to this album while I rode the trains all over tryin’ to find a job, when I went to meet Sarah or her friends, while I walked around Williamsburg or walked Margo around the block. This album got me through what was unquestionably the biggest, craziest thing that I‘ve ever undertaken.
After a month or so, things weren’t going great. I still hadn’t landed a job, I was running out of money, I was homesick, hadn’t made any friends… I was unpleasant to be around, honestly. And the Never Better tour rolled into The Mercury Lounge. We went down, had some gin and tonics, maybe a PBR, and watched Mictlan & Beak (with a “Blessings“ cameo by F. Stokes), Sims, & P.O.S. and play all those songs that I just lived for. Hand Over Fist, Doomtree, just about everything off Never Better. I remember standing around a bunch of jerk off hipsters while being the only dude yelling “DTR” during “Suicide Jimmy Snuffa.” Honestly, it was just what I needed. After being confused and unpleasant in NYC, that show reminded me who I was (for better or worse). It was MPLS coming out for a visit and it was great.
So, things took a turn for the better over the next few months. Got a job (a bad one, but it was a start), I met a few people, Phil came out and visited, Sean Avery and Molson turned us into the most hated people at MSG for a night, summer came, things were, y’know, coming around.
However, for reasons I won’t get into here or now, things didn’t quite work out. It’s complicated and it’s none of your business. Eventually, it became clear that I was going to have to make a choice: Stay in NYC and build a life with Basset or come back to MPLS and try to build a life here. Now, it’s no secret that I love MPLS with all my heart, but NYC was starting to feel like home. It was like that great part of a relationship when you finally let your guard down and quit watching what you say around your new girlfriend. I honestly could not make up my mind about this for a while. Then this happened:
The whole video takes place in my old, and now present, neighborhood. That’s my street, that’s my coffeeshop, that’s my snow and my fucking skyline and you know what? I’m taking it back.
Now I know what you’re thinking, “You made the biggest decision of your life based on a music video? Do you have some kind of mental deficiency?” Well, shut up. I told you, it was complicated. But this song and video reminded me that I had a home waiting for me. That I had amazing friends, family, and a whole culture that I missed. That Minnesota was in my blood and this is where I belong. I still believe that. I think about New York all the time. Honestly, not a day goes by where I don’t wonder. But I’m happy here. What else could you ask for, really?
I don’t know if any of that makes sense and I’m really not sure it sounds the same in your brain as it does in mine, but that’s that. Thanks for checking out the list.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)