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!
Monday, March 15, 2010
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.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Favorites Of The 2000's: 20-2
Alright, so you probably noticed that I stopped posting my end of decade list last month. Or, rather, you probably didn't. In fact, the reason I quit posting them was because NOBODY was reading them or downloading the files. It was fun, but it was pretty time consuming, especially when no one was checking it out.
However, I did have the Top 20 hammered down months ago and I still felt like posting them. So, even if you ignored the previous posts, please download this one. The song quality, obviously, is stellar or it wouldn't be the end of the list.
Favorites Of The 2000's: 20-2
I'll be back next Sunday with a track by track and my number one absolute favorite song of the 2000's.
20. Martin Devaney - Flowers On The Doorstep
I first heard this one while listening to The Local Show on The Current one Sunday when they were doing an all request show. It took me about nine seconds to be totally enthralled and about 45 minutes to get to Cheapo and pick up the album.
Martin Devaney certainly has a way with tales of heartbreak, but setting this one to waltz time seems to have given it a little extra sense of formality and sentimentality. And that violin line is the audio equivalent of a sad, long-winded, inevitable but not desired break up. Plus, the lyrics just kill. “Boys, you should see the way she dances/a drunken compass of a blur…” is the kind of description that’s remarkably vague, specific, and completely relatable.
19. Aesop Rock - No Regrets
Only Aesop Rock would frame his mission statement in the third person. Aesop’s portrait of Lucy and her misunderstood life and misunderstood work doubles as Aesop explaining that even though we may never understand the art he creates, it’s something that he (or any other artist really) has to do to find fulfillment. “I knew what I wanted and did it until it was done, so I’ve been the dream I wanted to be since day one.” In short, the journey is its own reward.
Sidenote: Phil and I freaked the fuck out when he dropped this song at Soundset. Not really a song you’d expect at an outdoor festival.
18. Of Montreal - Bunny Ain’t No Kind Of Rider
For nearly four minutes, Kevin Barnes finally got it. Of Montreal manages to wrap at least four good hooks into this one, yet each one is allowed to breath and find its way into your frontal lobe. Plus, it makes you feel fucking great to refer to some girl who has rejected you by explaining to your friends that she, “Ain’t got no soul power.”
17. Lupe Fiasco - Kick, Push
This song is the textbook example of that special place rap found after gangsta rap became a joke (thanks Fiddy!) and Eminem finally became a joke (We get it, your wife sucks, your mom sucks, your kid’s great, you only have 4 things to say. I‘ll still watch 8 Mile though).
For years and years hip-hop spoke to black kids the same way punk rock spoke to white kids. With “Kick, Push” Lupe tried to make it clear that whether it’s skateboarding, beats, or guitars, kids are always looking “for a place to be.”
16. Modest Mouse - Ocean Breathes Salty
“Float On” gets a lot of credit for being the song where Isaac Brock quit being Mr. Negativity and embraced a good hook, but compared to “Ocean Breathes Salty” “Float On” sounds like, “C’Mon, Get Happy!.”
Anyone can put on a smiley face, but lyrically, “Ocean Breathes Salty” shows the kind of introspection that marks Brock’s turn toward maturity. Punctuated on several occasions by the line, “I had to think a while,” it’s clear that he’s finally able to see both the good and bad. “That is that, and this is this…” Life’s complicated.
Musically, this song still blows me away. I don’t know how they got that high guitar noise that seems to float over the whole song, but it was a stroke of genius. Only Modest Mouse could have written this song, and thank god they did.
15. Jay-Z - Heart Of The City (Ain’t No Love)
No song in the last 10 years has sounded better blasting out of car speakers while tearing down the highway. I don’t even know what’s second. Probably “99 Problems.” We all owe Kanyeezy a drink for this beat.
Lyrically, with the exception of one misguided “faggots” line, Jay just crushes it. He’s gone from, “I’m gonna go get it,” mode to “I got it, show some respect” mode. “Jigga held you down 6 summers, damn, where’s the love?”
Of course, Jigga put out one more classic album (The Black Album) before he fell too far over the line, demanding respect for subpar albums. But right here, in the middle of The Blueprint, he wanted it and you had to give it to him.
14. The Plastic Constellations - Black Market Pandas
I absolutely love this song, but it always makes me a little sad. With Crusades and We Appreciate You The Plastic Constellations had finally struck the right balance between post-punk guitar, hip-hop lyrical pacing and absolutely fucking killer hooks (You should see me sing that, “South Minnnesoooota!” line while I’m driving. Not pretty.). I know it took a long time for them to find that balance, but they were right there At this trajectory they would have been running the Twin Cities by the end of the decade. Ah well… TPC, motherfucker, cop a feel or two!
13. Doomtree - Gander Back
I was torn with which DTR track was going to crack the Top 20, ultimately “Gander Back” over “Kid Gloves” for a couple of reasons.
1. Doomtree is a hip-hop collective. Hip-hop. I don’t say this to take anything away from Cecil Otter or Dessa because lord knows I love what they do. They are absolutely indispensable parts of the DTR equation. That being said, Mictlan, P.O.S., and Sims are pure MC’s. I bet the chorus was the very last thing they wrote for this song. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a twelve minute version of this song on the cutting room floor with these three just tearing off verse after grimy verse.
2. Lyrically, this song encompasses exactly what makes independent hip-hop great. It reminds you that there’s no shame in picking a vision, setting a goal, and working your ass off to make it happen. “You want the view from the roof, don’t wanna build from the bottom? Truth is we got ‘em, brick by brick over fist, with or without ‘em.” It’s yours to build and you shouldn’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Sidenote: I was talking to Mictlan a couple days ago about this song and he mentioned that when he says, “Doing that MC Hammer dance,” he was actually doing the Hammer dance. Real recognize real.
12. Radiohead - 2+2=5
You’re probably wondering how something off Hail To The Thief went top 20 while “The National Anthem,” “Knives Out,” & “All I Need” are nowhere to be found. Good question. Those songs are all probably better than this one, but this is my list and this one’s personal.
As far as I know this is the only Radiohead song that Phil knows and I can’t ever listen to it without picturing him singing along in his best Thom Yorke voice (which is ten times funnier when we’re drunk). And I can’t think of that without grinning like an idiot. It’s my list and I can make up whatever criteria I want. I think “Song makes me smile from ear to ear” is a legit factor and this one scored big.
11. Murs (w/Joe Scudda)- Silly Girl
Another personal choice. This song has so many lines that have become regular fixtures of Phil & my conversation that I’ll have to break it down.
1. “I’m at where I’m at and I’ma be where I’ma be and that’s about all you need to know…”
When girls text one of us at random or when we’re out painting the city gold.
2. “It’s not hot, it’s not cute, it’s not getting you anywhere, and it’s about to get you fired…”
Usually referring to the slightly angrier text follow-up text from aforementioned girl when the first text is ignored.
3. “One day at the crib she gonna let you break ground…”
Um, self-explanatory
4. “That’s how it be when your falling in…um… I wouldn’t say that…”
Ha! We’re bad people.
5. “Silly little girl, simple little girl, you didn’t want me when I wanted you…”
Instant “my girl and I broke up and I’ve gone super-fucking-emo” antidote.
6. “I took Tasha to the Hyatt, oh yeah, I went there again…”
As far as I know neither of us has actually brought a girl to the Hyatt. Or even set foot in a Hyatt. Still, fun line to drop.
7. “That story about that cow and that milk ain’t a fact, ‘cause if you wait too long that milk goes sour, and I like my lovin’ hot no more cold shower.”
I played this song specifically for that line while driving Phil and his girl home from Minnehaha Lanes once. There is nothing as fun as an inside joke between two people when there’s four people in a car.
10. Wilco - Impossible Germany
For the record, I have no clue what Jeff Tweedy’s singing about, but he sounds absolutely perfect singing it. No one else’s voice could pull this song off. Plus, when you’re feeling down, the line, “This is important, but I know you’re not listening…” will cut straight to your heart.
Now, if you’re reading this, you probably know me. You know that I am not a guitar junkie by any stretch of the imagination. I usually view guitar solos as a kind of non-sexual masturbation. And if you’re gonna take the sexual aspect out of masturbation then, y’know, what’s the point?
However, the second half of this song is a perfect little storm whipped up here by Tweedy and Nels Cline. With Cline taking the lead for the first half, it sounds like vintage Steely Dan, professional, clean, and enjoyable. Then, halfway through, Cline freaks the fuck out and starts fuzzing up his part like crazy while the Tweedy side catches a brilliant groove, eventually taking over the song until the two-parts come crashing back into each other. I saw them do this song live in Duluth, outdoors, in the rain, and neither missed note. It was absolutely mind blowing.
09. Kanye West - The Glory
I already gave this one 200 words a while back, but I’ll talk this shit again. Kanye’s ego (always his most intriguing trait) is in full on you-can’t-sit behind-me mode. “I’m pop, The Barkers, I’m hood, The Parkers…” He’s everything to everyone. And, in case that’s too cryptic, we get, “With my ego, I could stand there in a Speedo and still be looked at like a fuckin’ hero!” and, “When you meet me in person, what do you feel like? I know, I know, I look better in real life!” I can’t get enough of this.
If you really want to be blown away, try to tune out Kanye and just listen to this beat. He’s certainly got the talent to back up the ego.
08. Graham Wright - Medicine Hat
This is my absolute favorite love song from the 2000’s. Unlike Coldplay’s “The Scientist” (which is about a love that probably shouldn’t have ended, but Chris Martin’s a fuck up and, hey, “Nooobody said it was eeeeaaassssyyy”) and Death Cab For Cutie’s “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” (which is about a love that actually seems to come to fruition, even if it is romantically morbid), “Medicine Hat” blows them both away in a scant 138 seconds.
How? Because somehow Graham Wright struck the most relatable chord. I don’t know if this song (or the EP it came from, which seems to revolve around this same unattainable relationship) is true or not, but it’s genius.
Look, we’ve all been in love with someone we can’t have. And usually it plays out just like this song. Part of the reason you love this person is because you know them. You’re comfortable with them. You do things like take long car rides with them. You turn the radio up and sing along together. You take weird, platonic naps with each other. You don’t get upset when their boyfriend or husband calls (because that would upset them, and that’s the last thing you’d want to do), but you don’t tell them either. You just pretend it’s not important and enjoy your little shared moment. Graham Wright is a heart-wrenching genius.
07. Cecil Otter (w/P.O.S.) - Traveling Dunk Tank
This is my favorite live song of the last decade. Fifth Element, Triple Rock, Mainroom... It absolutely kills (especially that bonus third chorus).
It's my understanding that P.O.S. & Cecil are the root of this whole crazy Doomtree phenomena. It's easy to see why they've been so successful. Notice the way P.O.S. attacks this beat, sticking a "nuh-uh" before the verse while Cecil waits for the beat to hit, sitting back and making a delayed entrance into his verse. Perfectly complimentary. Add the second best chorus in the Doomtree catalog and you have one hell of a song.
06. Why? - Fatalist Palmistry
A lot of Why? songs leave you trying to figure out exactly what the fuck you just listened to. And that’s why this one stand out. Yoni Wolf brilliantly ties together a bunch of (probably) fictional non-sequitirs about psychics, cats, birds, jet streams, painted ponies and a “song on my palm that you can’t read…” with a chorus that makes it clear that, yeah, life’s OK. In fact, we’re all pretty lucky to be, “alive, and loved, and wide-eyed in (our) time…”
Plus, this song contains the achingly poignant line, “I’m lucky to be under the same sky that held the exhale from your first breath like a ring on a pillow of clouds…” Maybe my favorite line of the decade. With the obvious exception of that “Story about the cow and milk ain’t a fact…” line. Whatuptho?
05. Buck 65 - Blood Of A Young Wolf
If Tom Waits grew up on hip-hop…
A. I wouldn’t loathe Tom Waits
B. He’d be Buck 65
C. He’d never, ever write a song this good.
Taken at face value, the lyrics to this song make no sense whatsoever. However, take as a kind of stream-of-conscious poem, Buck 65 paints a brilliant picture of the complications of modern life, women, technology, music, society in general and a longing for a life that’s simple and pure. “I still love you lying down, k-i-s-s-i-n-g…” Of course, this desire for a different life leads to a couple brilliant lines about losing yourself in the process. “What do I know? Who am I? My two left feet and my big dumb face. I’d do the same if I had the chance, cheat the system, rig the race…” I’ve never heard anyone so eloquently say, “Please, just stop everything for a minute, I’m tired, I’m confused, and I don’t know what I’m doing.” I mean, we all feel that way sometimes.
04. Legion Of Doom - Hands Down Gandhi
I’ve always had kind of a soft spot for mashups and this is easily the best one I’ve ever heard. By mashing together Dashboard Confessional’s “Hands Down” and Sage Francis’ “Slow Down Gandhi,” Legion Of Doom make it nearly impossible to hear either original song the same way again.
Let’s start with Sage Francis:
He’s clearly very upset. I mean, he usually is, but his lines are pointedly venomous on this one. Oddly, the original "Slow Down Gandhi" doesn't sound as urgent. Props to Legion Of Doom for giving this one the canvas it deserves.
“From up here I see Marines and Hummers on a conquest, underdogs with Wonderbras in a push-up contest. All for the sake of military recruitment.”
“I don’t care how half-naked or fake she looks, she smells like dirty cash and aged paper books.”
“If they could sell sanity in a bottle they’d be charging for compressed air.”
“When push turns to shove you jump into your forefather’s arms.”
“When the cameras stop rolling stay the fuck out of the picture pilgrim!”
“Republicrat, Democran, one party system, media goes in a frenzy? They’re stripped of their credentials”
“When the music’s dead I’ll have Ted Nugent’s head hanging on my wall.” (Amen.)
“6 in the morning police at my crib, now my nights consist of two toothpicks and eyelids. A crucifix and vitamins, music that is pirated, new favorite food made of mutated hybrids. They tell me that ‘it’s not that bad. It fucks you up good, but it’s not that bad.’”
And lastly,
“You support the troops by wearing yellow ribbons? Just bring home my motherfuckin’ brothers and sisters.” (That one just kills me.)
Onto the Dashboard Confessional aspect. “Hands Down” is a song about meeting a girl and it being “the best day ever,” however, when juxtaposed with Sage Francis’ rage at a pretty screwed up society, that sounds like the most trivial fucking thing on earth. For making Dashboard Confessional sound even more trivial and ridiculous (no easy task), Legion Of Doom are geniuses.
03. Low - Step
What makes this song great is it’s essentially an ode to Midwestern, ’Minnesota Nice,’ passive-aggressiveness, a subject that I know tooooo well. If someone says something upsetting, we may not say anything (after all, we’d rather be polite than honest), but you better believe that we have long memories. Words never “just walk away.” They’ll creep into our brains and into our steps for a long time.
However, I did have the Top 20 hammered down months ago and I still felt like posting them. So, even if you ignored the previous posts, please download this one. The song quality, obviously, is stellar or it wouldn't be the end of the list.
Favorites Of The 2000's: 20-2
I'll be back next Sunday with a track by track and my number one absolute favorite song of the 2000's.
20. Martin Devaney - Flowers On The Doorstep
I first heard this one while listening to The Local Show on The Current one Sunday when they were doing an all request show. It took me about nine seconds to be totally enthralled and about 45 minutes to get to Cheapo and pick up the album.
Martin Devaney certainly has a way with tales of heartbreak, but setting this one to waltz time seems to have given it a little extra sense of formality and sentimentality. And that violin line is the audio equivalent of a sad, long-winded, inevitable but not desired break up. Plus, the lyrics just kill. “Boys, you should see the way she dances/a drunken compass of a blur…” is the kind of description that’s remarkably vague, specific, and completely relatable.
19. Aesop Rock - No Regrets
Only Aesop Rock would frame his mission statement in the third person. Aesop’s portrait of Lucy and her misunderstood life and misunderstood work doubles as Aesop explaining that even though we may never understand the art he creates, it’s something that he (or any other artist really) has to do to find fulfillment. “I knew what I wanted and did it until it was done, so I’ve been the dream I wanted to be since day one.” In short, the journey is its own reward.
Sidenote: Phil and I freaked the fuck out when he dropped this song at Soundset. Not really a song you’d expect at an outdoor festival.
18. Of Montreal - Bunny Ain’t No Kind Of Rider
For nearly four minutes, Kevin Barnes finally got it. Of Montreal manages to wrap at least four good hooks into this one, yet each one is allowed to breath and find its way into your frontal lobe. Plus, it makes you feel fucking great to refer to some girl who has rejected you by explaining to your friends that she, “Ain’t got no soul power.”
17. Lupe Fiasco - Kick, Push
This song is the textbook example of that special place rap found after gangsta rap became a joke (thanks Fiddy!) and Eminem finally became a joke (We get it, your wife sucks, your mom sucks, your kid’s great, you only have 4 things to say. I‘ll still watch 8 Mile though).
For years and years hip-hop spoke to black kids the same way punk rock spoke to white kids. With “Kick, Push” Lupe tried to make it clear that whether it’s skateboarding, beats, or guitars, kids are always looking “for a place to be.”
16. Modest Mouse - Ocean Breathes Salty
“Float On” gets a lot of credit for being the song where Isaac Brock quit being Mr. Negativity and embraced a good hook, but compared to “Ocean Breathes Salty” “Float On” sounds like, “C’Mon, Get Happy!.”
Anyone can put on a smiley face, but lyrically, “Ocean Breathes Salty” shows the kind of introspection that marks Brock’s turn toward maturity. Punctuated on several occasions by the line, “I had to think a while,” it’s clear that he’s finally able to see both the good and bad. “That is that, and this is this…” Life’s complicated.
Musically, this song still blows me away. I don’t know how they got that high guitar noise that seems to float over the whole song, but it was a stroke of genius. Only Modest Mouse could have written this song, and thank god they did.
15. Jay-Z - Heart Of The City (Ain’t No Love)
No song in the last 10 years has sounded better blasting out of car speakers while tearing down the highway. I don’t even know what’s second. Probably “99 Problems.” We all owe Kanyeezy a drink for this beat.
Lyrically, with the exception of one misguided “faggots” line, Jay just crushes it. He’s gone from, “I’m gonna go get it,” mode to “I got it, show some respect” mode. “Jigga held you down 6 summers, damn, where’s the love?”
Of course, Jigga put out one more classic album (The Black Album) before he fell too far over the line, demanding respect for subpar albums. But right here, in the middle of The Blueprint, he wanted it and you had to give it to him.
14. The Plastic Constellations - Black Market Pandas
I absolutely love this song, but it always makes me a little sad. With Crusades and We Appreciate You The Plastic Constellations had finally struck the right balance between post-punk guitar, hip-hop lyrical pacing and absolutely fucking killer hooks (You should see me sing that, “South Minnnesoooota!” line while I’m driving. Not pretty.). I know it took a long time for them to find that balance, but they were right there At this trajectory they would have been running the Twin Cities by the end of the decade. Ah well… TPC, motherfucker, cop a feel or two!
13. Doomtree - Gander Back
I was torn with which DTR track was going to crack the Top 20, ultimately “Gander Back” over “Kid Gloves” for a couple of reasons.
1. Doomtree is a hip-hop collective. Hip-hop. I don’t say this to take anything away from Cecil Otter or Dessa because lord knows I love what they do. They are absolutely indispensable parts of the DTR equation. That being said, Mictlan, P.O.S., and Sims are pure MC’s. I bet the chorus was the very last thing they wrote for this song. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a twelve minute version of this song on the cutting room floor with these three just tearing off verse after grimy verse.
2. Lyrically, this song encompasses exactly what makes independent hip-hop great. It reminds you that there’s no shame in picking a vision, setting a goal, and working your ass off to make it happen. “You want the view from the roof, don’t wanna build from the bottom? Truth is we got ‘em, brick by brick over fist, with or without ‘em.” It’s yours to build and you shouldn’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Sidenote: I was talking to Mictlan a couple days ago about this song and he mentioned that when he says, “Doing that MC Hammer dance,” he was actually doing the Hammer dance. Real recognize real.
12. Radiohead - 2+2=5
You’re probably wondering how something off Hail To The Thief went top 20 while “The National Anthem,” “Knives Out,” & “All I Need” are nowhere to be found. Good question. Those songs are all probably better than this one, but this is my list and this one’s personal.
As far as I know this is the only Radiohead song that Phil knows and I can’t ever listen to it without picturing him singing along in his best Thom Yorke voice (which is ten times funnier when we’re drunk). And I can’t think of that without grinning like an idiot. It’s my list and I can make up whatever criteria I want. I think “Song makes me smile from ear to ear” is a legit factor and this one scored big.
11. Murs (w/Joe Scudda)- Silly Girl
Another personal choice. This song has so many lines that have become regular fixtures of Phil & my conversation that I’ll have to break it down.
1. “I’m at where I’m at and I’ma be where I’ma be and that’s about all you need to know…”
When girls text one of us at random or when we’re out painting the city gold.
2. “It’s not hot, it’s not cute, it’s not getting you anywhere, and it’s about to get you fired…”
Usually referring to the slightly angrier text follow-up text from aforementioned girl when the first text is ignored.
3. “One day at the crib she gonna let you break ground…”
Um, self-explanatory
4. “That’s how it be when your falling in…um… I wouldn’t say that…”
Ha! We’re bad people.
5. “Silly little girl, simple little girl, you didn’t want me when I wanted you…”
Instant “my girl and I broke up and I’ve gone super-fucking-emo” antidote.
6. “I took Tasha to the Hyatt, oh yeah, I went there again…”
As far as I know neither of us has actually brought a girl to the Hyatt. Or even set foot in a Hyatt. Still, fun line to drop.
7. “That story about that cow and that milk ain’t a fact, ‘cause if you wait too long that milk goes sour, and I like my lovin’ hot no more cold shower.”
I played this song specifically for that line while driving Phil and his girl home from Minnehaha Lanes once. There is nothing as fun as an inside joke between two people when there’s four people in a car.
10. Wilco - Impossible Germany
For the record, I have no clue what Jeff Tweedy’s singing about, but he sounds absolutely perfect singing it. No one else’s voice could pull this song off. Plus, when you’re feeling down, the line, “This is important, but I know you’re not listening…” will cut straight to your heart.
Now, if you’re reading this, you probably know me. You know that I am not a guitar junkie by any stretch of the imagination. I usually view guitar solos as a kind of non-sexual masturbation. And if you’re gonna take the sexual aspect out of masturbation then, y’know, what’s the point?
However, the second half of this song is a perfect little storm whipped up here by Tweedy and Nels Cline. With Cline taking the lead for the first half, it sounds like vintage Steely Dan, professional, clean, and enjoyable. Then, halfway through, Cline freaks the fuck out and starts fuzzing up his part like crazy while the Tweedy side catches a brilliant groove, eventually taking over the song until the two-parts come crashing back into each other. I saw them do this song live in Duluth, outdoors, in the rain, and neither missed note. It was absolutely mind blowing.
09. Kanye West - The Glory
I already gave this one 200 words a while back, but I’ll talk this shit again. Kanye’s ego (always his most intriguing trait) is in full on you-can’t-sit behind-me mode. “I’m pop, The Barkers, I’m hood, The Parkers…” He’s everything to everyone. And, in case that’s too cryptic, we get, “With my ego, I could stand there in a Speedo and still be looked at like a fuckin’ hero!” and, “When you meet me in person, what do you feel like? I know, I know, I look better in real life!” I can’t get enough of this.
If you really want to be blown away, try to tune out Kanye and just listen to this beat. He’s certainly got the talent to back up the ego.
08. Graham Wright - Medicine Hat
This is my absolute favorite love song from the 2000’s. Unlike Coldplay’s “The Scientist” (which is about a love that probably shouldn’t have ended, but Chris Martin’s a fuck up and, hey, “Nooobody said it was eeeeaaassssyyy”) and Death Cab For Cutie’s “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” (which is about a love that actually seems to come to fruition, even if it is romantically morbid), “Medicine Hat” blows them both away in a scant 138 seconds.
How? Because somehow Graham Wright struck the most relatable chord. I don’t know if this song (or the EP it came from, which seems to revolve around this same unattainable relationship) is true or not, but it’s genius.
Look, we’ve all been in love with someone we can’t have. And usually it plays out just like this song. Part of the reason you love this person is because you know them. You’re comfortable with them. You do things like take long car rides with them. You turn the radio up and sing along together. You take weird, platonic naps with each other. You don’t get upset when their boyfriend or husband calls (because that would upset them, and that’s the last thing you’d want to do), but you don’t tell them either. You just pretend it’s not important and enjoy your little shared moment. Graham Wright is a heart-wrenching genius.
07. Cecil Otter (w/P.O.S.) - Traveling Dunk Tank
This is my favorite live song of the last decade. Fifth Element, Triple Rock, Mainroom... It absolutely kills (especially that bonus third chorus).
It's my understanding that P.O.S. & Cecil are the root of this whole crazy Doomtree phenomena. It's easy to see why they've been so successful. Notice the way P.O.S. attacks this beat, sticking a "nuh-uh" before the verse while Cecil waits for the beat to hit, sitting back and making a delayed entrance into his verse. Perfectly complimentary. Add the second best chorus in the Doomtree catalog and you have one hell of a song.
06. Why? - Fatalist Palmistry
A lot of Why? songs leave you trying to figure out exactly what the fuck you just listened to. And that’s why this one stand out. Yoni Wolf brilliantly ties together a bunch of (probably) fictional non-sequitirs about psychics, cats, birds, jet streams, painted ponies and a “song on my palm that you can’t read…” with a chorus that makes it clear that, yeah, life’s OK. In fact, we’re all pretty lucky to be, “alive, and loved, and wide-eyed in (our) time…”
Plus, this song contains the achingly poignant line, “I’m lucky to be under the same sky that held the exhale from your first breath like a ring on a pillow of clouds…” Maybe my favorite line of the decade. With the obvious exception of that “Story about the cow and milk ain’t a fact…” line. Whatuptho?
05. Buck 65 - Blood Of A Young Wolf
If Tom Waits grew up on hip-hop…
A. I wouldn’t loathe Tom Waits
B. He’d be Buck 65
C. He’d never, ever write a song this good.
Taken at face value, the lyrics to this song make no sense whatsoever. However, take as a kind of stream-of-conscious poem, Buck 65 paints a brilliant picture of the complications of modern life, women, technology, music, society in general and a longing for a life that’s simple and pure. “I still love you lying down, k-i-s-s-i-n-g…” Of course, this desire for a different life leads to a couple brilliant lines about losing yourself in the process. “What do I know? Who am I? My two left feet and my big dumb face. I’d do the same if I had the chance, cheat the system, rig the race…” I’ve never heard anyone so eloquently say, “Please, just stop everything for a minute, I’m tired, I’m confused, and I don’t know what I’m doing.” I mean, we all feel that way sometimes.
04. Legion Of Doom - Hands Down Gandhi
I’ve always had kind of a soft spot for mashups and this is easily the best one I’ve ever heard. By mashing together Dashboard Confessional’s “Hands Down” and Sage Francis’ “Slow Down Gandhi,” Legion Of Doom make it nearly impossible to hear either original song the same way again.
Let’s start with Sage Francis:
He’s clearly very upset. I mean, he usually is, but his lines are pointedly venomous on this one. Oddly, the original "Slow Down Gandhi" doesn't sound as urgent. Props to Legion Of Doom for giving this one the canvas it deserves.
“From up here I see Marines and Hummers on a conquest, underdogs with Wonderbras in a push-up contest. All for the sake of military recruitment.”
“I don’t care how half-naked or fake she looks, she smells like dirty cash and aged paper books.”
“If they could sell sanity in a bottle they’d be charging for compressed air.”
“When push turns to shove you jump into your forefather’s arms.”
“When the cameras stop rolling stay the fuck out of the picture pilgrim!”
“Republicrat, Democran, one party system, media goes in a frenzy? They’re stripped of their credentials”
“When the music’s dead I’ll have Ted Nugent’s head hanging on my wall.” (Amen.)
“6 in the morning police at my crib, now my nights consist of two toothpicks and eyelids. A crucifix and vitamins, music that is pirated, new favorite food made of mutated hybrids. They tell me that ‘it’s not that bad. It fucks you up good, but it’s not that bad.’”
And lastly,
“You support the troops by wearing yellow ribbons? Just bring home my motherfuckin’ brothers and sisters.” (That one just kills me.)
Onto the Dashboard Confessional aspect. “Hands Down” is a song about meeting a girl and it being “the best day ever,” however, when juxtaposed with Sage Francis’ rage at a pretty screwed up society, that sounds like the most trivial fucking thing on earth. For making Dashboard Confessional sound even more trivial and ridiculous (no easy task), Legion Of Doom are geniuses.
03. Low - Step
I’m sure your tired of me typing lyrics that you can clearly hear for yourself but this one calls for it.
“Hey, keep an eye on what you say
You think the words just walk away?
But they’re creeping through my brain
Sinking straight into my step”
You think the words just walk away?
But they’re creeping through my brain
Sinking straight into my step”
What makes this song great is it’s essentially an ode to Midwestern, ’Minnesota Nice,’ passive-aggressiveness, a subject that I know tooooo well. If someone says something upsetting, we may not say anything (after all, we’d rather be polite than honest), but you better believe that we have long memories. Words never “just walk away.” They’ll creep into our brains and into our steps for a long time.
Part mission statement, part hometown love letter, part abstract poetry, part accusation, part love song… This is easily the best thing Slug’s ever done. Not just that, but Ant’s beat absolutely destroys speakers. I haven’t found a stereo yet that gets loud enough for this song.
“I don’t know where I’m going but I’ll end up in your arms…”
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
They Try To Stop The Growth...
What do you expect out of artists? Do you prefer artists who provide you with the same thing over and over again? A nice warm blanket that you can wrap yourself up in each time they create something new? Obviously, this approach has led to plenty of great art. One look at the catalogs of great musicians such as Morrissey, Belle & Sebastian, and Oasis prove that, yes, there is plenty of value is “giving the people what they want.” I’m a fan of all of these acts and I still look forward to each of their releases. Of course, this is the same reason no one has bought a new Rolling Stones album since 1978. You know exactly what you’re getting (in this case a few good blues licks, some pouty Mick Jagger bullshit, 7-9 tracks of filler, and Charlie Watts), and that’s the very reason you avoid these releases.
Or, do you expect artists to challenge themselves and, by extension, you? Plenty of great art has been born of this approach as well. The best example of this that I can think of is The Beatles. If The Beatles had wanted to crank out remake after remake of Help! they certainly would have still made a dump truck full of money. They’d probably be spoken of in the same breathe as Herman’s Hermits and The Rascals, but they would have done fine for themselves. As we all know, they didn’t rest on their laurels, instead choosing to continue to push the envelope, giving us classics like The Beatles & Revolver. Of course, they also gave us The Magical Mystery Tour & Yellow Submarine. With the benefit of history, however, we’re able to place those albums in the “Misguided Idea” piles. And don’t forget, “Hey Bulldog” indirectly led to The Beatles
Or, do you expect artists to challenge themselves and, by extension, you? Plenty of great art has been born of this approach as well. The best example of this that I can think of is The Beatles. If The Beatles had wanted to crank out remake after remake of Help! they certainly would have still made a dump truck full of money. They’d probably be spoken of in the same breathe as Herman’s Hermits and The Rascals, but they would have done fine for themselves. As we all know, they didn’t rest on their laurels, instead choosing to continue to push the envelope, giving us classics like The Beatles & Revolver. Of course, they also gave us The Magical Mystery Tour & Yellow Submarine. With the benefit of history, however, we’re able to place those albums in the “Misguided Idea” piles. And don’t forget, “Hey Bulldog” indirectly led to The Beatles
The other question I have for you is, what do you expect of artists side projects? Obviously, expectations should be curbed whenever an artists leaves their comfort zone, but what do you, as the recipient of that art, expect for your money? Should we expect it to be a place for an artist to let their hair down, i.e. the first incarnation of The Breeders? Or should we expect it to be a place for an artist to test their own boundaries, something like Stuart Murdoch’s recent God Help The Girl project?
For those who don’t know, Felt is the project of MC’s Murs and Slug. On their first collaborative album, Felt: A Tribute To Christina Ricci, they were backed by Living Legends producer The Grouch. While that album was no great conquest, it was the textbook definition of a “side project.” Two talented MC’s clearly enjoying each other’s company and “letting their hair down” for a bunch of none too serious jams.
The second album, Felt 2: A Tribute To Lisa Bonet, found Slug and Murs in a different class of indie rappers. Both had put out now-classic albums (Atmosphere’s God Loves Ugly & Murs’ Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition) and pulled themselves up to the upper echelon of the indie hip-hop community. To that end, it’s clear that they brought their A game. Backed by Atmosphere’s Ant on the beats, both MC’s sound completely comfortable spitting about their usual subject matter (girls, the road, themselves, um… girls). Plus, Ant sounds positively ready to rock a house party after the Epitaph-backed, punk-rap Seven’s Travels album. All of these factors added up to Felt 2 being fucking classic. Two MC’s and a producer at the tops of their games having a ball. Tracks like “Dirty Girl,” “Early Mornin’ Tony,” “Woman Tonight,” and, “Gangster Ass Anthony” are bona fide essentials on Slug and Murs mixtapes.
So where does this leave us for Felt 3? Well, to figure that out I think it’s important to analyze just where each of the major players is at.
Both Slug and Murs are at the point in their career where they can push the boundaries of what they do and fall back into the old formula, pleasing old fans. And that’s just what each of them are doing.
After an album on which they sounded like they were running out of things to talk about (2005’s You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having) Atmosphere’s most recent release, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, found Slug finally getting out his comfort zone of self-deprecation and womanizing, using the album to tell the stories of people struggling to balance bad jobs, addictions, kids, frayed relationships, and life in the post-Stock Market crash America (despite the fact that the album came out before the crash. Maybe Slug knew something). On the flipside, though, Atmosphere has continued to release it’s long-running Sad Clown EP series (not to mention give away the Leak At Will EP and Strictly Leakage LP), on which Slug continues to be Slug, cracking jokes about women and himself while treading slowly into the story-based waters of Lemons.
Murs has taken an eerily similar path. He put out an album that was basically 3:16 The 9th Edition Pt. 2 (2006’s Murray’s Revenge) before eventually signing with a major label for 2008’s Murs For President. While that albums contrast with previous albums wasn’t nearly as dramatic as Atmosphere’s trajectory, it did find Murs working with an array of producers rather than just 9th Wonder. Of course, because his popularity allowed him to, he did sign on with 9th Wonder to create and give away the Sweet Lord LP. Both MC’s were clearly torn between pushing their art forward or pleasing their hard won fans.
This brings us to the crucial third player on this album. On the previous albums, Murs and Slug were working with producers with which at least one of them was familiar (and in the cannibalistic world of hip-hop, both were probably familiar). To that end, we welcome Aesop Rock to the fold. This should have made it clear to anyone that this album was not going to be the good-time party-ride that the first two albums were. Since both MC’s have collaborated with Aesop on tracks (Murs on “Happy Pillz” and Slug on “I’ll Be OK”), they obviously knew what they were getting into. Aesop Rock’s been making his own beats for years and they can be much too dense and obtuse for people who’s brains don’t fire the same way his does (and, face it, nobody’s brain fires the way his does). Clearly, by enlisting Aes Rock, the boys were taking on a new challenge.
So with that as our background, it should be clear what we’re getting into with Felt 3: A Tribute To Rosie Perez. By enlisting Aesop Rock, and taking a look at what Slug and Murs have been up to since Felt 2, we should have all been prepared for this version of the Felt side project to be a way for them to push themselves and test out new ideas, rather than just another victory lap.
“I want you to work your way out upon that limb as far as you can, if you see anything strange, let me know…” This is how “Protagonists,” the first track off Felt 3 greets us and it should serve as a 24 word condensation of the point I just spent 1200 words making. It’s time for our baby birds to work their way out and see if they can fly. And in my opinion, they succeed admirably. Aesop’s beats as always, are complicated, surprising, and thoroughly enjoyable. Nowhere near as dense as Bazooka Tooth, more in tune with Aesop’s last album, None Shall Pass. Tracks like “Bass For Your Truck,” “Like You,” and “She Sonnet” are as close to “bangers” as we’re likely to ever get from Aesop Rock. Believe me, this shit sounds great in your car.The one thing that Felt 3 has in common with the previous releases is that it features a producer letting his hair down. Of course, when Aesop Rock loosen the reins it means something completely different than when your average producer does it. Clearly having fun, Aes fills the beats with compelling little twists and turns. “Ghost Dance Deluxe” has a horn line that sounds like it came straight from The Specials classic “Ghost Town.” While the wah-wah guitar and sped-up samples that hover below the drums in “Felt Good” and the Bomb Squad-style “We Have You Surrounded” are both great examples of the attention to detail he puts into his beats. And this is to say nothing of the little instrumental breaks (most notably “Kevin Spacey,“ and “Get Cake”) that break up the album, all of which re 50-100 seconds of bouncy beats, a welcome reprieve to those tired hip-hop skits. This is what happens when a producer lets his hair down.
Which brings us back to Slug and Murs. If they were out to be tested, tested they were, and the results are mostly high marks. While they lack the playful vibe that permeated the first two albums (oddly, leaving that to those aforementioned Aesop instrumental breaks), they do sound like they are enjoying the kind of satisfaction that comes with pushing your own limits. “Protagonists, ““Felt Chewed Up,” and “She Sonnet” all find our boys sticking close to their usual lyrical themes of bragging up their own skills, but branching out into flows we’ve never heard before. “G.I. Josephine” provides a peculiar portrait of a single mom hitting up the town (“She got her hair done, and her go-getter breasts on…“). “Permanent Standby” is a cautionary tale of drugs and debauchery in the big city (and contains my favorite Slug line on the album. Referring to Minneapolis, “Fuck this weather, it’s not fucking funny…”). The even a quick touch of social commentary on “Deathmurdermayhem.” The best melding of all three styles comes on the aforementioned “Ghost Dance Deluxe” which finds Slug and Murs talking about women (nothing unusual there), but, perhaps due to the beat or maybe from just spending too much time with Aesop, they are talking about how they need a ghost instead of a living girl. Murs claims he should, “forget material girls, I need a paranormal chick from an ethereal world.“ I don’t know what that means, but I hope he finds her. Hell, she might get that wedding ring.
If there is one drawback to the album, it’s that both MC’s sound too damn serious all the time. As if focusing on catching these beats has taken all of their concentration. The only thing even remotely close to the lighness of previous albums is “Henrietta Longbottom,” on which Slug and Murs paint bizarre pictures of one of the local weirdos. But even on that one Aesop gets the last laugh.
While this album is certainly going to help me get through yet another relentless Minnesota winter, what is really did was make me hungry for a new Aesop Rock album. After a whole album of Slug and Murs, when Aesop finally turns up to deliver the hook on the albums second to last track, “Give It Up,” it serves as a reminder that, while Slug and Murs are immensely talented MC’s, no one can ride an Aesop beat quite like the man himself.
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