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.”
