Slack-a-gogo

Beer new arrivals at the Slack household

2012-01-26T22:00:00.001-06:00

The house beer supply was running low so it was time to restock. Normally we go for a mix of ol' standby's and beer we never tried - this time it's all stuff that's new to us. Between the Mrs and I there were a few beers on our list going in and a few impulse buys. I'm most eager to try the Big Muddy Monster (brewed near where I went to college so there's a nostalgic appeal) and the 5 Vulture Oaxacan style dark ale.

left to right
Chocolate Stout (American Stout from Rogue Brewery-Newport OR), Big Muddy Monster (American Brown Ale from Big Muddy Brewing-Murphysboro IL), Yeti Imperial Stout (Russian Imperial Stout from Great Divide Brewing Co.-Denver CO), Walker's Reserve Porter (American Porter from Firestone Walker Brewing Co.-Paso Robles CA), and Zywiec Porter (Baltic Porter from Zywiec Breweries PLC-Zyweic Poland).

Two full six packs (the Pandora's Bock and 5 Vulture Chile Beer) and a make-your-own sixpack.
left to right
Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter (American Porter from Great Lakes Brewing Co.-Cleveland OH), Purple Haze (American style wheat beer with raspberry from Abita Brewing Co.-Abita Springs LA), Pandora's Bock (bock from Breckenridge Brewery-CO), 5 Vulture (Chile Beer from 5 Rabbit Cerveceria-Chicago IL), Hazel (American Dark Wheat Ale by Uinta Brewing Company-Salt Lake City UT), Café Negro Coffee Infused Porter (American Porter from BridgePort Brewing Co.-Portland OR), Dark Rain Black Pale Ale (American Black Ale from BridgePort Brewing Co.-Portland OR), and Buffalo Bill's Blueberry Oatmeal Stout (Oatmeal Stout from Buffalo Bill's Brewery-Hayward CA).

Previous beer inventories here and here.

Disnëyzende Neubauten

2012-01-25T16:25:00.000-06:00

Once the fervor over Disney's Joy Division t-shirt dies down I think calm heads will prevail and everyone will realize that the real issue is the lack of selection in the Disney post-punk collection. So in an attempt to get ahead of problem, here's my suggestion for the next mouseification: Einstürzende Neubauten.

TOP 20 NOSTALGIA: My Favorite Albums of 2004

2012-01-25T11:46:00.003-06:00

I've been doing year end best lists since 1984, but somehow I've lost many of those lists over the years. I recently found a few in a box and this one, from 2004, I found online via the Audities archives.[ UPDATED: I found a version in an email archive with my comments on each album ]

My Top 20 Albums of 2004

01 - FRANZ FERDINAND / Franz Ferdinand (Domino) - Arty post-punk pop that’s smart, fun, tightly played, and totally captivating. This record is so loaded with favorite songs that it plays like a singles collection.

02 - A.C. NEWMAN - The Slow Wonder (Matador) - AC Newman delivers a minor pop masterpiece that combines the best elements of his past bands (New Pornographers and Zumpano) along with bits of the Posies, Zombies, ELO, Brian Wilson, Kinks, and assorted classic power pop outfits.

03 - AMBULANCE LTD - Ambulance Ltd (TVT) - New York band that sounds very British - at times it’s shoegazer pop similar to Ride and other times it’s Teenage Fanclub midtempo pop.

04 - THE KILLERS - Hot Fuss (Island) - Vegas band with a big bombastic rhythm section, blazing guitars, sharp synth lines, and an over the top lead vocalist. This was one of the records I always had in my car and if the second half of the album was even close to being as strong as the first 6 songs it could been my #2.

05 - THE FUTUREHEADS - The Futureheads (679 Records) - England’s Futureheads make herky jerky art punk/pop that recalls early albums from Wire, XTC, Adam and the Ants, the Jam, and Gang of Four.

06 - DIVISION OF LAURA LEE - Das Not Compute (Burning Heart) - For their second album these Swedes get a bit moodier with their meld of American garage rock and British new wave.

07 - MORRISSEY - You Are the Quarry (Attack/Sanctuary) - Morrissey returns after 7 years with his strongest solo album yet.

08 - PEDRO THE LION - Achilles Heel (Jade Tree) - Confident melodic melancholia that sounds like it could be the Lemonheads album Evan Dando always tried to make.

09 - EVENING - Other Victorians (Lookout!) - Imagine Bends era Radiohead melodies and guitars with some of the sound experimentation and sonic effects of OK Computer and you have an idea of where Evening are coming from.

10 - DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS - Please Describe Yourself (V2) - Fun new wave pop with the ska bounce of Madness and the quirkiness of Drums and Wires era XTC.

11 - THE FINN BROTHERS - Everyone Is Here (Nettwerk) - Impeccable harmonies and intricately crafted melodies make this a subtle pop gem. It’s an album that takes a few listens to fully sink in, but also one that stands up to endless plays.

12 - GREEN DAY - American Idiot (Reprise) - I was a little frightened by the idea of Green Day tackling a political concept album, but the riffs are strong and the hooks are plentiful and it just plain rocks. More mature but still Green Day, which for me, is a very good thing.

13 - DYKEHOUSE - Midrange (Ghostly International) - Lush electronica shoegazer recorded entirely on a home computer by one Michigan college art student with a My Bloody Valentine fixation.

14 - THE LEGENDS - Up Against the Legends (Lakeshore Records) - They steal from the brighter Jesus and Mary Chain songs and the more rocking side of the Smiths and deliver a summer pop album of fuzzy guitars and sugary choruses (and a lot of handclaps).

15 - THE STREETS - A Grand Don’t Come For Free (Vice/679) - Mike Skinner weaves stories of life’s everyday minutia on top of minimalist hip-hop beats and lo-fi production with a thick, monotone British accent. It doesn’t sound like the ingredients for a great album, but somehow he pulls it all together and makes one of the years most interesting records.

16 - MISSION OF BURMA / OnOffOn (Matador) - After 22 years, MoB pick up exactly where they left off with the same intensity and sonic energy of their younger selves.

17 - THE BLUE STATES - The Soundings (Memphis Industries UK) - Pastoral pop from the UK in the vein of Talk Talk or the Chameleons.

18 - CHRIS STAMEY - Travels in the South (Yep Roc) - Relaxed mature pop that isn’t as immediate as what he was doing 20 years ago, but the melodies are beautiful, the musicianship is stellar, and the songwriting recalls the charms of the Holsapple/Stamey album.

19 - SNOW PATROL - Final Straw (A&M/Polydor) - Scotland’s Snow Patrol take the Coldplay playbook and fuzz up the guitars a bit and give all of the songs some extra oomph. Nothing new here, but every song is worth repeated plays.

20 - THIRDIMENSION - Permanent Holiday (Hidden Agenda) - Swedish band that plays a hook filled combination of 60’s psych rock and modern Britpop - like a catchier Soundtrack of Our Lives.

SOME CLOSE CONTENDERS: GRAHAM COXON, THE LIVING END, JEM, CAMERA OBSCURA, CHOMSKY, SCISSOR SISTERS, INTERPOL, MANIC STREET PREACHERS, REIGNING SOUND, AIR, KEREN ANN, AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB, and HINT HINT.

Looking back 8 years later - many of those are still faves and most are actually still in rotation on my MP3 player. I really don't listen to much Green Day or the Streets any more, and I haven't listened to the Legends, Dykehouse, or Blue States albums in years. I need to go back and visit those three. A few albums that didn't make the Top 20 - the Living End, Chomsky, and Jem are regular listening staples now - so if I made a Hindsight Top 20 they'd definitely be higher up.

More more recent year end lists are available here.

REVIEW: GUIDED BY VOICES – Let's Go Eat the Factory (2012)

2012-01-23T17:02:00.001-06:00

GUIDED BY VOICES – Let's Go Eat the Factory (Guided By Voices - January 17, 2012)

The classic Guided By Voices line-up returns with an adequate facsimile of their glory days.

As far as reunited bands go, the much heralded Guided By Voices return appears be a success in meeting fan's expectations and touching on past glories. Let's Go Eat the Factory, their 16th, is the band's first album since disbanding in 2004. More importantly, it's the first album with the revered mid-90's line-up since 1996's Under the Bushes Under the Stars.

Like the best GBV albums, the new one is a hook heavy hodge podge of lo-fi indie pop full of quirky musical twists and Robert Pollard's wonderfully weird and occasionally ridiculous lyrics. But also like even the best GBV albums, the quality is erratic and filler mingles with the gems, throwing off the momentum. I'm a long time GBV fan, but I don't think they've ever made an entirely great album (although 1994's Bee Thousand and 2001's Isolation Drills come close). For me part of being a GBV fan means having the willingness to sort through the throw-aways and focus on the winners. MP3 player technology has made listening to the band much easier - I no longer have to keep the skip button at the ready - I can just program my faves and hit play.

One of the charms of GBV is how excessively prolific they are. It's as if they're accepting a challenge to put out X number of songs in a year. But ultimately they could use an editor - someone to say no. They're not a band that makes choices - it seems like once the song is finished it's guaranteed a spot on the album. They already have another new album in the chamber and there's a third 2012 release being discussed. Three albums in one year is funny, but I'd love to see the band finally put out one focused, great album. They can save the lesser songs for b-sides or rarities collections.

Let's Go Eat the Factory is an enjoyable album with the usual mix of punchy power pop, lo-fi garagey indie-pop, and hippy-ish experimentation (aka "dicking around"). The four or five best songs here stand up to the 4 or 5 best songs on just about any other GBV album. But this one seems to be a bit thinner on the next tier of songs. The result is an adequate album that might have sounded more substantial fifteen years ago, but today sounds more like a decent recreation of the GBV glory days rather than actually reclaiming any of their previous glory.

STANDOUT TRACKS: There's a great 3 song run of "Hang Mr. Kite", "God Loves Us", and "The Unsinkable Fats Domino" that probably plays a big part in me coming back to this album more than I though I would.

REVIEW: GARY NUMAN - Dead Son Rising (Redeye 2011)

2012-01-21T14:38:00.001-06:00

GARY NUMAN - Dead Son Rising (Redeye 2011)

Electro-industrial epics dominate Numan's 16th album - his best in years.

Reviewing a 2011 release before I start in on the 2012 releases. I didn't even know this one came out until I finished my year end list, but this most likely would have come in around #20 had I heard it in time.

Gary Numan makes great sounding records. Whether it's new wave synth pop or dark industrial dystopian grooves he's always had a gift for making his records sonically exciting, creating just the right soundscapes to compliment the batch of songs he's currently armed with.

Gary Numan's influence on the industrial electro-metal music in undeniable, and it's almost impossible to discuss Dead Son Rising without mentioning how he's incorporated the style of some of his best known followers into his current work. Sure, the Trent Reznor influence is felt on Dead Son Rising (more than on his last few albums), but this is most definitely a Gary Numan record in every sense.

Gary brings elements of Tubeway Army and Replicas into the electro-industrial era with a wall of distorted keyboards, electronically treated guitars, and one of the most distinctive voices in rock. The album is sinister in tone, heavy on menacing, slow chugging keyboard riffs that build into epic choruses. He slows it down a few times, including two sparse piano numbers, but the album is at it's best when he's forging ahead with angular rockers with monster bass lines.

All of the songs come from a batch of unused demos from his last two albums (2000's Pure and 2006's Jagged). but the record sounds like a cohesive piece rather than random songs thrown together. That's something else Gary has always done well - he knows how to sequence an album and pace the songs perfectly. This isn't one of his best albums overall, but it is his best in 20 years and should satisfy fans of any era of his career.

STANDOUT TRACKS: "Big Noise Transmission" (which reminds me of a modern take on Bowie's "I'm Afraid of Americans") and fuzz-synth filled "Dead Son Rising"

And if you haven't seen/heard it - here's the fantastic video for "My Machines" by Battles with Gary Numan on vocals - one of my favorite songs and videos of 2011.

2012 Releases I'm Looking Forward To - Part Two

2012-01-20T09:23:00.001-06:00

Soon after I posted my "2012 Releases - A good start" list of early 2012 CDs I'm looking forward to I started seeing more records announced coming out over the next few months. Here are a few more that I'm interested in hearing.Starting out with two albums already out that I'm still on the fence on and haven't decided if I'll pick up yet.

SONGS FOR THE SLEEPWALKERS - Our Rehearsed Spontaneous Reactions (Sit Still Records January 10, 2012) Stumbled upon a track from this record over at Indie Rock Cafe. I had never of this Swedish (via Italy) band/guy before, but I really like the cut I heard. It's acoustic based with the moody vocals right up front and some subtle additional instrumentation flourishes. This seems like it could be a perfect late night headphonesalbum. Actually, I think I just talked myself into picking it up. Full album streaming over here.

the BIG PINK - Future This (4AD January 16, 2012) I liked what I heard off of the UK elctro-rock band's debut album, but never enough to buy it. The snippets of this one I've heard sound promising, but I can't tell if it's one of those records that sounds nice while it's playing but it is immediately forgettable once something else goes on the stereo.

SHARON VAN ETTEN - Tramp (Jagjaguwar February 7, 2012) I've seen the NYC folkie's name, but never checked out one of her records. She was recommended to me during a discussion of 2012 albums to look forward to and, based on some of the videos I saw on You Tube she's been added to the list. I'm hit and miss with folk - much of it is too samey and does nothing to stand out - but Van Etten has a quality to her perfomance and songwriting that intrigues me.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Wrecking Ball (March 6, 2012) - Bruce's 17th studio album - I'm not a big fan, but I know I'm going to hear so much about this all year that I really need to give it a listen. Plus he's never really made a bad album and that single is promising.

LEE RENALDO - Between The Times & The Tides (Matador March 20, 2012) The first real song-oriented solo album from the Sonic Youth guitarist and, based on the one song I've heard ( MP3 here at the Matador site), Lee has a good ear for a pop song with. Nels Cline is on every track and guests include Steve Shelley, John Medeski, Bob Bert (!?!), and Jim O’Rourke.

LE SERA - Sees the Light (Hardly Art March 27, 2012) Another band I wasn't familiar with until a friend tipped me off that this is an album to look for (actually, same friend as the Sharon Van Etten). This is the second album Vivian Girls bassist Katy Goodman's side project. Based on the first single (MP3 here from Hardly Art), it's garagey girl group pop.

BRENDAN BENSON - What Kind of World (Readymade April 21, 2012) Holy crap - a new Brendan Benson!!! That is reason enough to celebrate.

SANTIGOLD - Master Of My Make-Believe (Downtown/Atlantic) The first single sounds like an M.I.A. throw off, but I really like Santigold's voice and sonicallly there's something very cool about this cut. Her debut is one of my most played albums of the past few years, so I can't imagaine me not picking this up the day it comes out.

This is a great way to start 2012.

2012 Releases - A good start (some early 2012 CDs I'm looking forward to)

2012-01-17T14:25:00.002-06:00

The first few months of every year I'm usually pretty antsy for new music until the rush of releases starts in mid-Spring. I'm glad to see a batch of records on the schedule that I'm already excited about for 2012.

Just a few weeks into the year and I've already bought 4 albums and, based on initial listens, 3 of them are solid thumbs up. And thanks to advance streams and samples I've heard bits of a few more that appear to be very promising. Here are a few of the releases I'm looking forward to over the new few months.

ALREADY PURCHASED

GUIDED BY VOICES – Let's Go Eat the Factory (Guided By Voices - January 17, 2012) Based on two listens this isn't a great album, but there really aren't any albums in the GBV that I think are great from start to finish. But every one of their albums have a bunch of songs I really like, and that seems to be the case with this one as well.

HOWLER - America Give Up (Rough Trade - January 17, 2012) Punky power pop from Minneapolis. I'm pretty sure this one will be a plarstack staple for at least the next few months.

CATE LE BON - Cyrk (the Control Group January 17,2012) Welsh singer songwriter that my friend Mike tipped me off to. On the first listen I hear lots of Nico era Velvets, which isn't a bad place to start.

SNOW PATROL - Fallen Empires (Fiction/Interscope - January 10, 2012) Snow patrol are one of those bands that I forget how much I like until I hear one of their albums or when a song comes up on shuffle. This new one starts out real strong, but dips into Coldplay-lite mode pretty quickly. I need to go back and give this one another shot.

ALBUMS I'M VERY PSYCHED FOR AND WILL MOST LIKELY BE INSTANT STREETDATE PURCHASES

the CLOUD NOTHINGS – Attack On Memory (January 24, 2012) For a few days Stereogum had an advance stream of this record and I played it five or six times in a row and am way excited to own a copy. Steve Albini produced the new album from this, the third album from Celeveland's Cloud Nothings, and they ramped up the big guitar rock quite a bit on this one. I had to go back to the last album and verify it was the same band. I'm real curious how they're going to seque this stuff into the live sets with the older stuff.

NADA SURF - the Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy (Barsuk Records January 24, 2012) Nada Surf have become quite reliable at making solid pop albums with lots to like. Heard this one via NPR's First Listen and it sounds more immediate and less precious than the last album. One first listen I heard a bit of Foo Fighters, Shins, and even Swervedriver.

CRAIG FINN - Clear Heart Full Eyes (January 24, 2012) Streaming now on NPR's First Listen - I need to give this a listen when I can focus a bit more. On first listen the focus seems to be on the lyrics more than music, which occassionally happens with Hold Steady, but I wasn't completely sold. But I can't imagaine me not buying a Craig Finn record, so I'm sure I'll get this one as well.

AIR - Le Voyage Dans La Lune (Astralwerks February 7, 2012) The French electronica duo do a mostly instrumental soundtrack to a new print of Georges Méliès's 1902 silent film A Trip To The Moon. It seems likie a perfect combo-I can't imagine this not being wonderful. I'll be getting the version with the film on DVD.

EXPLORER’S CLUB - Grand Hotel (mid February) The Explorer's have put three free EPs on Amazon, each with a cover version and demo versions of songs from the upcoming album. A marketing ploy that has worked in getting me excited for the whole album.

fun - Some Nights (Fueled by Ramen February 21, 2012) Their last album was a sadly overlooked pop gem and withou hearing a note I'm already on board to support them again. Intrigued by the guest spot from Janelle Monáe.

the MAGNETIC FIELDS - Love at the Bottom of the Sea (Merge - March 6, 2012) On this album Stephin Merritt is allegedly more focused, which is a good thing. I'm not a huge fan of the band, but I'm always interested. Based on the song Sterogum had I'm looking forward to hearing the whole thing.

the SHINS - Port of Morrow (Aural Apothecary/Columbia Records - March 2012) The Mrs is a big fan, which has resulted in me also becoming a big fan. Really like the first song released, which AV Club Music Editor Steven Hyden correctly called as sounding a bit like Face Dances era Who.

ALSO ON MY RADAR

LEONARD COHEN - Old Ideas (January 31, 2012 - Columbia)

MARK LANEGAN - Blues Funeral (4AD - February 7, 2012)

OF MONTREAL - Paralytic Stalks (February 7, 2012 - Polyvinyl)

PAUL McCARTNEY - Kisses on the Bottom (Hear Music - February 7, 2012) An album of mostly standards from Paul scares me, expecially since the first single is pretty pedestrian. But I've never not picked up a McCartney album just to hear it, so I'm hoping for streaming on this one. I'd love to be pleasantly surprised, but not counting on it.

SLEIGH BELLS - Reign of Terror (Mom + Pop Music - February 21, 2012) Treats was my #2 album of 2010, but the first single didn't impress me much, so I'm going into this one a bit cautious. Wondering if this will be like the Go Team!, where one album totally captivated me but the next release just sounded like a shadow of the first.

ANDREW BIRD - Break it Yourself (Bella Union Records - March 6, 2012)

the TING TINGS - Sounds from Nowheresville (Columbia - March 2012) I'm nervous that one of the Ting Tings said that this album sounds nothing like the first.

the WEDDING PRESENT - Valentina (March 20, 2012)

PAUL WELLER - Sonik Kicks (Yep Roc - March 27, 2012)

SPIRITUALIZED - Sweet Heart Sweet Light (Double Six Records - March 2012)

SAINT ETIENNE - Words and Music by Saint Etienne (May 2012)

Here's to a tune-tastic 2012!!! Anything I'm missing that I should be excited about?

Surf-a-gogo: Defaced album covers

2012-01-14T10:49:00.001-06:00

Jive Time Records in Seattle runs a few fantastic graphically oriented music sites, but my favorite is Deface Value - a collection of decaded album covers. Most of my faves are the deliberately manipulated covers, but I'm also quite intrigued by at few of the "found" covers. There's loads to like - here are few of my faves.

This Zappa collage by dinagadia is simple, but works so damn well it could have passed as the actual cover.

Another simple alternation, this collage by Jules Gayton makes me laugh everytime I see it.

As long as I've been shopping in used record stores I've had a fascination with records people wrote on. I've always treated records as a bit too sacred to write on, so I'm a bit envious of people liberated enough to deface their album covers. This found copy of Help! just amazes me.

Out of everything on the site, the cover that intrigues me the most is this altered copy of Steve Martin's A Wild and Crazy Guy (“Grabbit” by Harmony Korine). Maybe there's a sentimental attachment since it was one of the first albums I ever bought, but in this form it's such a haunting image.

There doesn't seem to be much turnover on the site lately, but that doesn't really bother me since I seem to go through all of the covers again every time I visit the site.

FINALLY GIVING A SPIN TO: Rising by Rainbow (1976)

2012-01-08T23:12:00.002-06:00

FINALLY GIVING A SPIN TO is one music nerd's attempt to fill in some of the gaps in his music vocabulary by checking out albums he never got around to hearing, deliberately avoided, or just previously neglected. No strict guidelines other than only choosing albums I've never heard all the way through before - at best familiar with only a song or two - and listening to the album in it's entirety.

PRECONCEIVED NOTION: Rainbow is just another metal band I don't need to hear.

While watching VH1's Metal Evolution documentary over the weekend I noticed two different musicians being interviewed wearing t-shirts featuring the cover art to Rainbow's album Rising, which is what sparked me to give it a spin. I wasn't into metal growing up, so Rainbow is a band I've never paid much attention to. I've never heard a Dio album, but I do have a soft spot for Ronnie James Dio's vocals on Black Sabbath's Mob Rules (especially the overdramatic "The Sign of the Southern Cross"). In the past few years I've finally gone beyond the Deep Purple hits and checked out full albums, so I'm pretty familiar with Ritchie Blackmore's work.

Rising came out in 1976, the band's second album, recorded with a new lineup after Blackmore sacked everyone but Dio. Hearing this album for the first time 35 years after it's released, it's hard to separate what might have been original back then from what's cliche now. It's over-the-top and stone faced serious, which makes it seem ridiculous on the surface. But there are some fantastically strong riffs and stellar playing from an incredibly tight band - which make the outright goofy lyrics seem a bit charming. Dio delivers his vocals with such passion and sincerity it's hard not go along for the ride, even though part of me thinks Rainbow had a least a small influence on Spinal Tap's lyrics. And the keyboards - those are Viv Savage keyboards.

"Run With the Wolf" is exactly the type of song I've made fun of Dio for for years - a tale of beasts and evil, but it's got a strong groove and the second half of the song builds around Blackmore's excellent soloing. The song about an obsessive fan, "Starstruck", is a solid boogie blues number with a killer hook that could have come off of a Deep Purple record. The shortest song on the album, "Do You Close Your Eyes", clocks in under three minutes and starts out like early Queen and Quadrophenia era Who, which had me quite excited, but it quickly fell into more generic metal pop. "Stargazer" is the big prog rock epic, complete with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, that I'm a little ashamed to admit how much I enjoyed. The album closes with another eight plus minute number, a faster rocker that dips into Judas Priest territory and has an ending that reminded me of Blotto's "Metal Head".

If I heard this when I was younger I never would have given it a chance, but now it's an album I surprisingly enjoyed enough to buy and it makes me check out some other Rainbow records. I never thought I'd like an album with lyrics as unintentionally silly as "There's no sun in the shadow of the wizard" and "Ride the carousel and cast a magic spell, you can fly".

FINAL VERDICT: Solid record I was wrong for avoiding. Glad I heard it enough to buy it and plan to give it more spins in the future.

The current beer rotation at the Slack House

2012-01-05T12:24:00.004-06:00

There's always a Mexican and British beer represented - at the moment it's Smithwicks and Tecate, which bookend the photo. Also appearing, l to r: Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown (a big fave of Mrs Agogo), the thoroughly awesome Resistance IPA from Two Brothers, Three Floyds' Jinx Proof continental-style pils, also from Three Floyds the Pride & Joy light ale, A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale from Lagunitas (quickly becoming a staple for the Mrs), and the hoptastic IPA Modus Hoperandi from Ska Brewing in Colorado (who have one of my favorite brewer websites - yes, there's ska). Running low on a few of these and looking forward to restocking with a new batch of old faves and a few new ones.

Hoping to make it to Half Acre this weekend (especially after seeing them on WGN news this morning) - sad to discover there's no Daisy Cutter in the house.

FINALLY GIVING A SPIN TO: the Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter by the Incredible String Band

2012-01-02T23:34:00.000-06:00

This year I plan to listen at least one album every week that I've never gotten around to listening to in it's entirety. They might be albums I know only one or two songs off of, but more than likely they'll be albums that are totally new to me. I have no plan of attack in how I'll select the albums, but they'll most likely be albums I've seen referenced in reviews of other albums or those albums that I just know of but have never actually heard.

For the inaugural "FINALLY GIVING A SPIN TO" I'm going with a band I had a hunch I wouldn't like and avoided for many years, Scotland's psychedelic folk eccentrics the Incredible String Band. I'm sick of seeing them mentioned in articles without knowing what they sound like (it's hard to read Mojo without seeing a String Band reference). From what I've read, their third album, 1968's the Hangman's Beautiful Daughter is their deifinitve album, so that's where I'm starting.

My main fear was that this was going to be too hippyish for me, and that's what it turned out to be. This album is what I imagine always playing in the head of Neil from the Young Ones. Much of the instrumentation is intriguing, especially some of the Eastern instruments I'm not very familiar with, and they create a great ambiance. But the amatuerish communal vibe doesn't work for me, it sounds dated to my ears to the point of feeling more like a parody, which I know it's not. At times I hear little bits of Syd Barrett or Frank Zappa, but I think both of those artists went into the studio with better songs. Strangely I also hear a bit of Chris Knox occassionally in the vocals and some of the improvised percussion - I'm curious if he was an ISB fan. I'm not exactly sure what I was looking for in this album, but I think if they were even a little weirder or had a more outgoing sense of humor I might be more interested. This is one of those albums that I'll have to just accept that I'm not the target audience for. Although I'm glad I finally gave it a listen.

My 2011 Top 30 Albums of 2011

2011-12-30T13:43:00.001-06:00

It was another good year for new releases, which meant another tough year to narrow down the candidates for a final list. As always, there was lots of shuffling of positions and revisiting of albums for a few last spins, but here's how 2011 shook out for me musically.

And if you're feeling nostalgic, here are my 2010, 2009, and 2008 year end lists.

#30 - REAL ESTATE - Days (Domino)

Dreamy pop with chiming guitars and smooth, relaxed harmonies that makes them sound a bit like an American Chills (and a bit of fellow New Jerseyans the Feelies).

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#29 - LONGPLAYER - Longplayer (Space Place Records)

It's impossible to discuss Longplayer's debut without mentioning ELO. The Swedish band is practically an ELO tribute band with production, instrumentation, song writing style, and vocals that pull from the Discovery through Balance of Power albums. But they're great craftsmen of slick pop with tight harmonies and made a record that is just plain fun.

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#28 - PORTUGAL. THE MAN - In the Mountain in the Cloud (Atlantic)

Although they just entered my radar this year, this is PTM's 6th album and, based on what I've read online, their major label sell out. The band plays uplifting psychedelic glam rock with a little bit of prog. At times they're like a less weird Flaming Lips, but Marc Bolan is the easiest comparison, especially in the vocals. The band works in a pretty narrow template, so not many songs jump out over others, but it works well as a flowing full album.

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#27 - the RIFLES - Freedom Run (Nettwerk)

For their third album, the British quartet have tightened up their sound and focused on straight ahead bouncy British guitar pop. They've dropped the mod revival of the first album (despite recording this one in Paul Weller's studio) and don't break any new musical ground, but they have made an album loaded with bright choruses, ringing guitars, and feel good melodies.

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#26 - the HIGH LLAMAS - Talahomi Way (Drag City)

For their 9th album, London's High Llamas build on the rich Brian Wilson inspired chamber pop of their last few albums and end up with a beautiful and cohesive album of summery soft rock. After a while High Llamas seemed to be more about sound than songs, which caused me to lose interest over the years. The last album from them to excite me was 1994's Gideon Gaye, so this one came at me from left field.

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#25 - GIRLS - Father, Son, Holy Ghost (True Panther Sounds)

There's a layer of melancholia over this whole 2nd album from the San Francisco indie sweethearts d'jour, which is actually what pulls together the differnt styles they dabble and makes it a cohesive album. The songs are poppy, but restrained enough to make some of their charms take a few listens to fully sink in.

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#24 - JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD – We Are the Champions (Infinity Cat)

If giant fuzzy guitar riffs (heavy on distortion and light on chords) and plodding drums are your speed, then Jeff the Brotherhood is the band for you. On their second album the Nashville duo makes an unlikely combo of big dumb stoner rock and infectious Weezer-like pop. The album is pretty evenly split between punky garage rockers and classic rock fueled dirges. They have elements of Blue Cheer, the Ramones, and Black Keys without really sounding like any of those bands. In another band's hands the formula could get tired quickly, but the brothers know their way around a hook and it's obvious how much fun they're having.

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#23 - MEYERMAN - Who Do You Think You Are? (meyerman)

Big crunching guitars, high energy melodies, and solid hooks are all in plentiful supply on this debut from New Jersey's Meyerman. They don't reinvent the power pop wheel, but they do a fantastic job keeping it spinning. This album reminds me a bit of Velvet Crush, Love Nut, Matthew Sweet, Flop, and the Shazam. Gripweeds drummer Kurt Reil produces. Snippets of each song on their website.

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#22 - WILCO - The Whole Love (Anti)

Wilco is a band I've always respected and enjoyed in parts, but out of eight albums this is only the second one I've loved from start to finish (the other being 1999's Summerteeth, which was surprisingly my #1 album of the year). This album is eclectic and the band has room to experiment, but the songwriting seems more focused than the last few albums and it feels like a whole band working together as a single unit.

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#21 - TONY COX - On the Way (Coxymusic)

On his 2nd album, the British singer/songwriter excels at Summery 60's inspired pop with jangley guitars and rich harmonies. Joining him is friend Nigel Clark of Dodgy, who is an obvious compatriot in style and musical sensibility. Cox is a top-notch songwriter in the classic power pop tradition and delivers an infectious batch of sharp, concise pop treats. Tony Cox MySpace page.

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#20 - the KOOKS - Junk of the Heart (Astralwerks)

Not that they had many rough edges to start with, but for their third album the Kooks have refined their strummy Britpop sound and moved a bit more to the middle of the road. There are more acoustic guitars than I remember on their first two albums with a little less Kinks influence and a bit more mid period Beatles. The songs are well crafted and deceptively simple, but combined make up a real consistent album full of gleeful ear candy.

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#19 - JOHN WESLEY HARDING - the Sound of His Own Voice (Yep Roc)

Other than maybe Loudon Wainwright III, nobody can shift as effortlessly between biting social satire and heartfelt and personal declarations as John Wesley Harding does. He has a seemingly endless supply of lyrical wordplay, but his bag of musical tricks appears to also be as deep and diverse. He's backed by an allstar cast, including a core band of Peter Buck and the Decemberists, along with Young Fresh Fellows' Scott McCaughey (who also co-produces with Wes) and Rosanne Cash. His sense of humor is dry and some of his observations can be bleak, but he delivers the songs with such charm and optimism that the album is a joy to listen to.

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#18 - GRUFF RHYS - Hotel Shampoo (Wichita Recordings Ltd)

The 3rd solo album from this Welsh pop eccentric (and Super Furry Animals frontman) is a subtle grower of record. The easy going melodies have a vibe of 70's AM pop, but with loungey and slightly psychedelic flourishes that recall artists as diverse as Burt Bacharach, Divine Comedy, and the Zombies. Occasionally a bit melancholy, but always with a sweet optimism that keeps bringing me back to it. This is one of my favorite headphones albums of 2011.

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#17 - ARMY NAVY - the Last Place (Fever Zone)

Even a casual perusal of my year end lists should tip you off that I'm a big power pop nerd, and that makes me the target audience for LA's Army Navy. Their second album is a nice follow-up to one of the all time great power pop debuts, offering a new batch of toe tapping songs along the lines of Teenage Fanclub or Let's Active. Full of shimmering guitars and punchy melodies, this is one of the happiest collections of songs about heartbreak you'll hear all year.

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#16 - TOMMY KEENE - Behind the Parade (Second Motion)

Tommy Keene might very well be the most consistent and reliable pop artist making records today. His guitar playing is a bit more muscular than most of his pop contemporaries and he likes to rough up the edges with a bit of grit and fuzz, but he is a classic pop song writer in every sense of the word. He doesn't deviate far from his established template of jangly power pop with ringing guitars and what appears to be a bottomless well of instantly catchy hooks, but he does mix in a few surprises like an occasional horn blast or the weird keyboard instrumental right in the middle of the album. Most of the songs here could comfortably fill in anything off of his last few albums without missing a beat, but a new batch of Tommy Keene is something to celebrate.

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#15 - GANG OF FOUR - Content (Yep Roc)

Gang of Four have a legacy that's pretty hard to live up to, but for their first album of new material since the 2005 reunion (and revitalization) they turn in an album that falls somewhere between a redeux of past glories and a fresh attack on what they should sound like in 2011. This is unmistakenly a Gang of Four album - loaded with Andy Gill's signature guitar bursts, a propulsive rhythm section, and Jon King's distinctive tense vocal delivery. It doesn't stand up to Entertainment or Solid Gold, but it does stand up to endless line of bands that have been trying to emulate or rebuild the Go4 template to varying degrees of success. I wish they would have done it with bassist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham, but their presence didn't prove to be as essential as I would have thought. There's a slight mis-step or two here, but overall it's a sincere and solid album of well crafted dance-able post punk that's been a playstack staple for me all year.

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#14 - the DECEMBERISTS - the King Is Dead (Capitol)

For album #6 the Decemberists have ditched much of high concept pretension that bogged down the last few records and focused on more straight-forward Americana pop. Colin Meloy still fills his songs with quirky twists, but this time the emphasis in on the melodies. The record is warm and organic, full with acoustic guitars, pedal steel, banjo, organ, jangley guitar (some of which comes from guest Peter Buck), and some wonderful harmonies from guest vocalist Gillian Welch. The King Is Dead makes subtle nods to artists like Gram Parsons, the Band, Cracker, IRS Records era REM, and on a few songs they somehow sound like an Appalachian Smiths.

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#13 - Le BUTCHERETTES – Sin Sin Sin (Rodriguez Lopez Productions)

Le Butcherettes' debut is an exciting burst of new wavey punk with a powerful combination of catchy hooks, garage energy, and genre pushing experimentalism. The band's edgy attack is given an almost radio-friendly slickness thanks to production from Mars Volta/At the Drive-In's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (who also plays bass). Singer/guitarist Teri Gender Bender has a great voice and is as comfortable with warm sultry singing as she is with in-your-face punkrock shouting. The closest reference I can think of is the first Yeah Yeah Yeahs EP (before they toned down the intensity) or a more hyper Kills. Their approach is confrontational and occasionally they sound a bit dangerous, but they never lose that sense of fun, which is what makes me keep coming back to Sin Sin Sin.

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#12 - the KILLS – Blood Pressures (Domino)

Sonically, Blood Pressures is one of the coolest sounding records I've heard in a long time. The Kills have toned down some of the dance beats of their last album, returning to the more minimal blues dirge of the first two records. But they don't coast on atmospherics and attitude - they have a well written batch of songs and the type of hooks that get lodged in your head. They do quite a bit with what would seem like a limited template of drum machine, vocals and gritty guitars. Alison Mosshart's seductive vocals are stronger than ever and perfectly suited to the sleazy world the band has created.

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#11 - the HORRORS - Skying (XL Recordings)

For their third album UK press darlings the Horrors tackle epic synthpop, coming off like a modern Simple Minds with a 90's Brit Pop and shoegazer influence. Almost all of the songs are mini anthems, building on gorgeous melodies with dense arrangements and larger-than-life choruses. There are bits of Echo, the Verve, OMD, the Chameleons, and My Bloody Valentine woven into their sound, but they never stay on one musical reference point too long before moving on. I think the best description of the Skying I've read is that it sounds like a long lost John Hughes soundtrack.

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#10 - SEUN KUTI - From Africa With Fury: Rise (Knitting Factory)

Although only 28 years old, Fela Kuti's youngest son Seun has led his father's band for half of his life. On this, his second album, Seun confidently leads Egypt 80 (more than half of the current lineup also served under Fela) through a burning batch of funky polyrhythmic grooves with politically charged lyrics. Seun is an Afrobeat traditionalist (unlike his brother Femi, who incorporates more pop influences), but he does tweak the sound a bit for a new generation, thanks in part to production from Brian Eno and John Reynolds. It's easy to get lost in the album's hypnotic looping rhythms and layers of horns, but it's far from a background record.

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#9 - SLOAN – the Double Cross (Yep Roc)

The Canadian power pop heroes are musical encyclopedias, which plays a big part in the variety of styles that they dabble in. While never actually stealing riffs, you can play a sort of spot-the-reference/influence game with most Sloan records. In just over half an hour they expertly rifle through a few rockers, 70's AM radio pop, acoustic soft rock, indie rock and touch on the sounds of Big Star, the Turtles, Beatles, and just about anyone else with a mastery of pop hooks. Somehow the whole thing flows despite the tempo and style changes - maybe more like a great mixtape than an actual album from a single band.

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#8 - FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE – Sky Full of Holes (Yep Roc)

I'll be upfront and say that I'm probably not the most reliable person to give a critical analysis to a new FoW album. They're one of my alltime favorite bands and I love everything they've done, so as long as it still sounds like FoW I'm going to like it. This is their fifth album and it's in the same mold that they do so damn well. The album is stronger than their last, Traffic and Weather, but doesn't break any new ground. You get a bunch of bouncy and mid-tempo pop songs with clever lyrics and stories of everyday minutia from middleclass suburbia. Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger have comfortably settled into the niche they've carved out for themselves after 20 years and for fans like me that's what I want.

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#7 - EDWYN COLLINS - Losing Sleep (Downtown March 22, 2011)

Considering that this is Edwyn's first album written and recorded since his near complete loss of speech and being confined to a wheelchair after 2 brain hemorrhages in 2005, Losing Sleep is a surprisingly uplifting album. As with past albums, he delivers a collection of well crafted post punk rooted pop with an occasional bit of Northern Soul mixed in. For this, his seventh solo album, he gets help from Johnny Marr, Roddy Frame, and members of Franz Ferdinand and the Drums. I was on the fence including this album since it came out in the UK in 2010, but it didn't make Stateside until this year, so I'm letting it slide.

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#6 - MARITIME – Human Hearts (Dangerbird April 5, 2011)

Shimmering guitars and soaring melodies dominate the 4th album from Milwaukee's Maritime. Imagine Nada Surf or Deathcab for Cutie with some shoegazer tendencies and a more propulsive drummer to get an idea of what they sound like. Between their indie rock pedigree (past bands include Promise Ring and Dismemberment Plan) and sheer quality of the songs I expected this to be one of the big buzz records of 2011, but it seems like press moved on to trendier sounds. This is an excellent album of lush and immediately likable pop from a band that makes it seem so easy.

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#5 - NOAH and the WHALE – Last Night on Earth (Island/Mercury March 15, 2011)

This is empty calorie feelgood pop - the kind of stuff that ends up in pharmaceutical commercials and trailers for romantic comedies. But it's REALLY GOOD empty calorie pop and one of my most played albums of the year. This London five-piece started out as a folky pop band, and the songs here all sound like they started out as smaller organic songs. But they added synths and drum machines (and a gospel choir and xylophones) and gave it a slick epic production. They're a bit similar in style to Arcade Fire and many of the songs have a Tom Petty approach to storytelling. In another case of me not having my thumb on America's pulse, I thought it was a sure thing that "L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N." would be one of the year's biggest singles.

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#4 - PAUL SIMON – So Beautiful or So What (April 12, 2011)

It's easy to take Paul Simon for granted - he's ingrained in our musical conscious thanks to a huge catalog of amazing songs. He's reliable to always push forward whithout abandoning his stregnths - even when he misses the mark a bit he's still compelling. For this, his twelth album, he pulls from everything he's done so well over his entire career and brings it all together into one remarkable and cohesive piece. By now the the African and Asian rhythms sound so natural with Paul's voice and guitar it's hard to imagine a Simon record without them. Somehow he's made a record that comforatbly sits along side any of his previous work while still sounding current and vital. The buzz phrase on this record is "Paul Simon's best album since Graceland", but I think you can drop the "since Graceland" part and still be right on target.

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#3 - PETE & the PIRATES - One Thousand Pictures (Indie Europe/Zoom May 24, 2011)

Pete & the Pirates are a distinctly British pop band, but not one that can be lumped into the Britpop pool. They have more in common with the poppier songs by post punk bands like the Chameleons, Sad Lovers & Giants, and the Comsat Angels or Different Kind of Tension era Buzccocks. They write catchy songs, but with moody overtones, reminding me a bit of a more playful and diverse Editors. They already have two fantastic albums out, but these guys strike me as a band that still has their best album ahead of them.

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#2 - MILES KANE – the Colour of the Trap (Columbia May 26, 2011)

Wonderfully produced and excessively retro album that could have been a "style over substance" problem if it weren't for the top drawer performances and high quality of the songs. Miles was the frontman for UK's Rascals and one half of the equally 60's pop obsessed Last Shadow Puppets with Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner. This is his solo debut, but it could almost be a sequel to the Last Shadow Puppets album, although with a wider net of music reference points. He shifts from loungey swingers to outright rocking pop with ease and sound equally comfortable with both. There's no denying the homage to the sounds of Motown, Bacharach, Caifornia pop, and the Walker Brothers, but Miles is skilled enough to put his own spin on the sounds and created a convincingly original album rather than just being a nostalgic reworking of days gone by.

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#1 - SMITH WESTERNS - Dye It Blonde (Fat Possum January 18, 2011)

These gorgeously lush pop songs play like a batch of little indie rock Phil Spector symphonies. Fueled by a youthful enthusiasm, the second album from Chicago's Smith Westerns is rich with timeless melodies, jangley guitars with George Harrison-like flourishes, and heavenly layered vocals that recall John Lennon's "#9 Dream". I also hear bits of the Raspberries, Suede, and Teenage Fanclub and a little bubblegum sugar. This was easily my most played album of 2011.

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A few albums that were contenders but didn't quite make the cut included TITLE TRACKS, CLOUD NOTHINGS, TINARIWEN, RED BUTTON, LYKKE LI, and RAPHAEL SAADIQ.

There were a few records I regret not getting a chance to pick up that I'm pretty sure could have been contenders, including kd Lang, Elbow, Tom Waits, Pugwash, the Oh Sees, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. I was especially bummed to find out Gary Numan's album came out a few weeks ago and I didn't even know about it until it was too late.

And there were a few albums I see getting lots of year end love that I just don't get, namely Bon Iver, tUnE-yArDs, and Florence & The Machine.

Well, another year is in the can and I'm looking forward to starting all over again with a new batch of releases in 2012.

a few more index card doodles

2011-07-17T13:04:00.003-05:00

Ballpoint pen and an index card. The "ungawa guy" ended up much different than I planned, but I'm happy with how he ended up.

The next two were done with an Ultra Fine Sharpie. The guy in the upper right ended up looking a bit like Peter Lorre, although that's not was I was intended.

If I doodle for a while in one sitting the odds are someone will end up saying "kick it over here baby pops".

a few recent doodles

2011-07-09T11:11:00.002-05:00

Beers currently in rotation at the Slack House

2011-07-06T09:33:00.003-05:00

We're a bit restless when it comes to beer, so there's usually a variety of six packs at the ready. These are the beers currently in rotation. Guinness and Smithwick's are almost always in house along with cans of Tecate (absent on picture day). Goose Island's 312 Wheat is becoming a big fave and appears to be a new beer staple in our house. We're fortunate to have a few incredibly strong local brewers, so Half Acre and Two Brothers are usually represented. Currently it's Two Brothers' French Country Ale Domaine Dupage, although I'm hoping next week to get to Half Acre to pick up some Daisy Cutter Pale Ale and Over Ale. The McSorley's Irish Black Lager is a nostalgic choice since we can't get to New York this year. Hop Czar Double IPA is the first beer I've picked up from the much praised BridgePort Brewing out of Oregon and it's damn good, so we'll be dipping into the other Bridgeport beers soon. Thank's to the insanely large beer selection at our local Binny's we were able to pick up a six pack of Vanilla Porter from Breckenridge. Had some last year at one of my favorite bars ever, ABC Tavern in Cleveland (they are crazy enthusiastic about their love of great beer), and have been looking for it again ever since. We also had Breckenridge's Regal Pilsner on draft there, but sadly it was a limited draft only run and not in bottles. Would love to have another.

So, that's what we're currently drinking.

Still more unused phrases and song titles....

2011-03-27T21:55:00.003-05:00

With no real reason for existing, here are some more song titles for songs never written.

Alice in Fiscal Year End

Love Theme from Dinner Alone

Ritalin Through the Out Door

Some Shit Just Smells Better Than Other Shit

Crash Site Quarterback

Liar's Amnesia

Mr Know-it-Some

the Girl Group Boys Club

Trash Talk in Cursive

Flotsam to Your Jetsam

Philistine's Mozart

the Bert Parks Battering Ram

One Woman Laugh Track

Nitro in the Cookie Dough

Peacock in the Chicken Coop

A few of those were attached to bigger ideas, and maybe even a few lines of a verse or chorus, but most never made it past the title stage.

some post it note doodles

2011-03-22T10:41:00.005-05:00

Killing some time with a pen and post-it notes. Not quite drawing, but at least pen is touching paper. It's a start.

For some reason when I don't know what to draw I often end up drawing guys with records.

My other go-to when I don't know what to draw - weird people singing old songs.

some sketchbook doodles

2011-03-12T13:57:00.002-06:00

Not drawing nearly as much as I'd like to be, but here are a few somewhat recent doodles and cartoons...

Rock t-shirts

2011-03-11T11:29:00.002-06:00

My wife just cleaned out her closet and I liked the way the t-shirts looked all stacked together...

...and yes, they're alphabetical. Apparently I'm not the only anal retentive one in the house.

My Top 50 Albums of 2010

2010-12-06T12:01:00.059-06:00

To my ears there weren't a lot of GREAT releases in 2010, but there were a lot of REALLY GOOD albums. There were a lot of records that I was surprised I could not fit into my Top 50, which is a good sign to me that it was good year for music. Last year's Top 50 shook out like this.

#50 - the ALARM - Direct Action (Twenty First Century Recording) - Mike Peters is the only original member left in the Alarm, but he sounds totally recharged and offers a collection of rocking anthems and charged up acoustic numbers with the same passion and energy of first two Alarm records. There's nothing earth shattering or innovative here - Mike Peters hardly ever strays from the template he mastered almost 30 years ago. But this time around he's doing it better than he has in years, with the energy level is ramped up and an ocassional Stiff Little Fingers-like intensity. Gilby Clarke does some of the production and Ranking Roger even shows up to guest on a song.
BANDSITE
Direct Action video

#49 - BASTARDS of MELODY – Hurry Up and Wait (FDR) - Straight ahead power-pop from New Jersey with ringing guitars and classic pop harmonies falling somewhere between Cheap Trick and the Posies. This New Jersey trio has been kicking around for a little over a decade, playing slightly garagey high energy power pop with above-average songwriting and a seemingly endless supply of memorable hooks. They're probably better known for the more rocking songs, but they also turn a few very good songs in the Raspberries vein.
BANDPAGE w/ audio samples

#48 - ROBERT WEGMANN – Keeper of the Bees (self released) - Artrock pop from Tampa singer songwriter that sounds a bit like a cross between XTC and Adrien Belew era King Crimson. I’m not familiar Robert’s previous 5 albums, but this one seems equally rooted in power pop and art rock. The instrumentation and arrangements can be a bit busy in places, but they never get in the way of the strong melodies. I hear subtle nods to XTC’s whole catalog as well as Andy Partidge’s Fuzzy Warbles demo series. Robert even resembles Andy vocally and, if that weren’t enough to draw in an XTC fan, Andy even co-writes one song.
WEBSITE
Cathode Ray video
Marconi video

#47 - DWIGHT TWILLEY – Green Blimp (Big Oak) - Legendary power-pop veteran makes another album of typical Twilley well written jangley power pop, which is OK since by now nobody really expects him to do anything different. Dwight Twilley put the breaks on his musical evolution somewhere in the early 80's. He is perfectly comfortable making the same classic power pop songs he did thirty years ago and he hasn't updated his production much either. But he is so damn good at the style and always hits his marks it's actually quite charming that he refuses to let go. For Twilley fans there's the added plus in the return of guitarist Bill Pitcock IV. It's splitting hairs to try to dissect his albums, but this one seems a little stronger to me than anything he's done in the past 20 years.
Dwight's site with audio streaming

#46 - the LOONS – Red Dissolving Rays of Light (Bomp) - No holds Nuggets style garage rock from the San Diego trio led by garage historian and Ugly Things founder Mike Stax. Mike Stax is one of the authorities on garage rock and he applies what knows to one of the stronger albums of garage revival movement. The band references English Freakbeat and Nuggets-like garage bands without actually copying any of them, which is something most other bands in the scene hard a hard time doing.
Loons page at Ugly Things
A Last Goodbye live

#45 - PHOSPHORESCENT - Here’s to Taking it Easy (Dead Ocean) - This is the 4th album from Matthew Houck, the one man folk/Americana outfit called Phosphorescent, and it's a twangy affair with it's roots in the early 70's laidback country rock sound of Laurel Canyon. There's a haunting beauty to Houck's songs that can be both calming and unsettling, often in the same song. They are moody and relaxed with an early Neil Young or country Dylan feel. The arrangements sound loose and are allowed to unfold naturally, giving the songs an openness that could be a soundtrack for a desert night.
"Nothing Was Stolen (Love Me Foolishly)" video

#44 - TEENAGE FANCLUB – Shadows (Merge 06-08-2010) - For their eighth full length the Scots have grown into a more sedate, almost sleepy, pop band reliably making nice Summer pop songs with beautiful melodies. I've listened to this album a ton this year, but even after so many plays, I don't really remember any of the particular songs once it's done playing. The songs are very consistent, almost to the point of blending together, which is odd for a band that made their mark with such memorable hooks. TFC no longer goes for the giant in-your-face hooks – instead they now specialize in subtle melodies that aren’t as instant, but ultimately just as enjoyable.
Website
"Baby Lee"

#43 - NICK CURRAN and the LOWLIFES – Reform School Girl (Electro Groove 2010) - Supercharged 50's rock-and-roll with a punk-rock attitude and raucous lead vocals that are equal parts Little Richard and Gerry Roslie (Sonics). Nick Curran has his roots in blues and rockabilly (he's toured as a member of both Ronnie Dawson's band and the Fabulous Thunderbirds), but this new album is full-steam-ahead old school rock and roll with a garage edge. He excels at the primal wrong-side-of-the-tracks brand of rock-and-roll with an authentic sound and sincerity. Highlights include ripping covers of songs by Etta James and AC/DC and a guest spot from the Blasters' Phil Alvin.
label page with bio and audio
live version of AC/DC's "Rocker"
Psycho

#42 - BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB – Beat the Devil’s Tattoo (Vagrant) - After a few uninspired records BRMC return with a surprisingly strong batch of slow-burning wall of guitar garage psychedelia. BRMC have been a band of diminishing returns ever since their stellar debut a decade ago. But on their sixth album it all comes back together and reminds me of why I used to like the band so much. They're back to sounding like a dirgier Jesus and Mary Chain or an American roots based Ride. Everything sounds huge on this record - the drums pound and the spacey guitar riffs are up front. I didn’t realize how much I missed them until I heard this album.
BRMC
Beat the Devil’s Tattoo video

#41 - BROKEN BELLS – Broken Bells (Sony) - Danger Mouse and Shins vocalist James Mercer team up for a dreamy electronica pop record full of sonically lush arrangements. This record has similarities to Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz (both of whom Danger Mouse played an essential role) and Air, but really doesn't sound like any of those bands. There's a lot going on, but the record somehow never sounds too busy thanks to some fantastic production. Bonus points for having the restraint to keep most songs under the four minute mark, which doesn't happen often in studio collaborations.
Bandsite
"High Road" on Letterman
"the Ghost Inside" live

#40. STEPHANIE FINCH – Cry Tomorrow (Belle Sound) - Nice collection of timeless pop songs from Finch, whose voice reminds me a bit of Melanie and Aimee Mann. For the 10 years before recording this debut, Stephanie played keyboards and sang with Green on Red's Chuck Prophet, who also produced and is her husband. Occasionally there's a bit of twang in her songs, other times it's Velvets-like flourishes, for the most part it's a confidently performed batch of warm and intimate sounding pop numbers. Along with Prophet, the band also includes a pop favorite of mine, Kelley Stoltz. The album features a great reworking "Sensitive Boys", a song Prophet wrote with Alejandro Escovedo for the Real Animal album.
My Space page

#39 - BLACK KEYS – Brothers (Nonesuch) – Soulful and sludgy alt blues with deep funk grooves and fuzzed out rhythms. For their 6th album the Ohio duo self produced in Muscle Shoals and only use Danger Mouse on one song. Sonically this a big step forward for them, adding much more innovation to their roughed up blues sound while still keeping the arrangements simple and direct.
Black Keys site
"Tighten Up" video

#38 - CROWDED HOUSE – Intriguer (Fantasy) - The second album of the reunited Crowded House (#6 overall) is a subtle record that takes several listens to fully appreciate, but the reward for staying with them is a beautifully crafted bit of songwriting. Intriguer is lacking the big single or two that leaps out on first listen, which initially disappointed me with this record. But with repeated plays the intricacies of the songs began settling in and the songs started to sound bigger. This one plays better as a cohesive album rather than as individual songs, but is much stronger than a casual listen might suggest. It’s a decent addition to their consistently wonderful catalog, but not quite up to the caliber of what I expect from Neil Finn.
Band Site
"Twice If You're Lucky video

#37 - GIL SCOTT-HERON – I’m New Here (XL) - After a troubled almost two decade absence the poet/singer returns with a voice weathered by age, but perfectly suited for the mournful autobiographical tales of turmoil and acceptance. Gil is best known for his activist lyrics and social commentary, but for this very personal comeback record he focuses on his own demons. He tackles his demons head-on and offers no apologies, just observations on where he sees himself today. His voice is a bit more worn than his seventies work, but his poet's command of lyrical timing and pacing hasn't faltered one bit. Some of the songs are built around hip-hop rhythms, but in no way is this an old veteran trying to make a younger man's record. The focus is always on Gil and his words, which is what makes it such a powerful listen.
GilScottHeron.net
"Me and the Devil" video
"I'm New Here" video

#36 - JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE – Harlem River Blues (Bloodshot) - For his third, Justin starts with a very convincingly authentic old-school country base and expands it with elements of delta blues, Woody Guthrie-esque folk, Carl Perkins-like rockabilly, and Southern gospel. I was a huge fan of his traditional country debut, but thought that he lost his footing with the second album. But this time he is back in fine form, with his most confident record yet. Many of these songs sound like they could be classic country standards, but Justin writes everything here, with an ear for tradition without copying anyone. His stellar band features members of Old Crow Medicine Show, Calexico, and Drive-by Truckers.
WEBSITE

#35 - HOODOO GURUS – Purity of Essence (Hoodoo Gurus) - The 9th album from the Australian rock heroes is an occasionally great slab of garage fuelled power pop classics, but the band have a hard time keeping up momentum through the whole record. Almost 30 years into their career the Gurus have the energy and enthusiasm of a band twenty years their junior. The band is tight after years of touring and recording - Dave Faulkner & Brad Shepherd have led the band through their whole catalog and the rhythm section is the same since Magnum Cum Louder. Mars Needs Guitars producer Charles Fisher is back and they even brought in Ed Stasium to mix the album. Five or six of the songs stand up to their best work of the 80's, but many of the other songs would be more at home on Kinky or Crank in the early 90's. There's not a bad song on here, but after coming out the gate so strong, they gradually lose steam. 16 songs is probably a bit too much, but for any Gurus fan this is still must-get record.
Gurus My Space
"Cracking Up" video

#34 - MIDWAY STILL – Note to Self (Boss Tuneage) - It's been 17 years since their last album, but the Kent England band picks up exactly where they left off, with a powerful punk pop record that sounds like a British take on Husker Du, the Descendents, and Dag Nasty. It's pretty amazing how after such a long break the band can make an album that easily stands next to their other two albums. The guitars are American hardcore loud, but hooks are more pop with a heavy edge - fueled by a driving rhythm section.
Midway Still's MySpace page
Label site

#33 - PAUL COLLINS – King of Power Pop (Alive) - Collins turns the clock back to his Nerves/Paul Collins Beat days for an album of instantly likable power pop that makes the bold claim of the title seem reasonable. Paul sounds like he is having a damn fun time revisiting his classic late 70's power pop roots, and it's hard not to get caught up in the fun. The songs are tight, energetic, and loaded with ringing guitars and punchy melodies. Everything a power pop could hope for. Rather than sounding like a calculated retro flashback Collins delivers the songs like someone that has the style embedded in his his DNA and just needed to get it out.
King of Power Pop trailer
Paul Collins page @ Alive Records

#32 - PERNICE BROTHERS – Goodbye Killer (Ashmont 06-15-2010) - Joe Pernice's sixth album under the Pernice Brothers moniker doesn't deviate much from his normal strummy Americana pop, which is both a good and a bad thing. Individually I like everything on this record, but it's getting harder to distinguish one Pernice Brothers record from another. There's a great warmth to Joe Pernice’s songs and he is a top drawer songwriter, marrying heartbreak and despair in his lyrics with lushly arranged organic pop, but I hope at some point he expands his palette a bit.
Band site.
“Bechamel”

#31 - the YOUNG VEINS – Take a Vacation! (One Haven) - Debut album of authentic 60's sounding pop from a California 5 piece band that features two former members of Panic! at the Disco. The Young Veins deal in sunny 60’s styled California pop merged with Something Else/Village Green era Kinks. The songs are short (11 in under 30 minutes) with sunny melodies, ringing guitars, clean harmonies, some Phil Spectorish flourishes, and a great sense of fun.
BANDSITE
“Change” video

#30 - SHE & HIM – Volume Two (Merge) - Lighthearted Summery pop from Zooey Deschanel and M Ward that sounds like a sweet pop record from mid 60's America. Zooey Deschanel surprised me with how dedicated she appears to be to her singing and songwriting on this second She & Him release. Rather than being just a side project for an established actress and a restless musician, this is a fully realized record with surprising sincerity. Along with many great originals, a highlight for me is the fabulous version of "Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now" (Patience and Prudence and Skeeter Davis amongst others).
Bandsite
"In the Sun" video
"Thieves" video

#29 - ROBYN - Body Talk (Cherry Tree) - Swedish dance pop spanning a wide range of dance and electro sub-genres with innovative twists and giant pulsing grooves. I'm not much of a dance music fan and I'm not well versed on the reference points of what's derivative here and what's innovative, but I know this is the most interesting electro dance record I've heard in years. The synths sound like Giorgio Moroder's whole career thrown into a blender, from icy cold minimalism to bubblegum earcandy to oversized dance anthems. Robyn is fearless in her experimenting with sounds and melodies without every losing sight of serving the songs. This record combines the best of two other mini-albums (both released earlier this years) with new songs.
Robyn site
"Dancing On My Own" video
"Indestructable" video

#28 - TITLE TRACKS – It Was Easy (Ernest Jenning Record Company) - Likable toe-tapping power pop from DC in the vein of the Nines, early Joe Jackson, and a less adventurous New Pornographers. Titles Tracks is actually a one man studio project from John Davis of Q and Not U and Georgie James (two bands I've never heard). The music upbeat and quite enjoyable, but it took me a few listens to realize that the lyrics were full of despair and melancholia. There’s nothing very innovative here, but it’s a record that I keep coming back to.
Title Tracks MySpace page
"Every Little Bit Hurts" live on KEXP

#27 - RICHARD BARONE – Glow (Bar None 09-14-2010) - First new studio album from the former Bongos frontman in 17 years features prisitne pop songs with slick production from Tony Visconti. Richard Barone is an observent student of songwriting, and he is well studied in the work of his heroes like McCartney, Bowie, and Bolan. Here applies his writing skills along with co-writers Visconti, Jill Sobule, and Paul Williams (yes - that Paul Williams). He is a great songwriter and performer, but he can sometimes overthink his craft to the point of polishing off too many edges in his quest for perfection. This is a pure studio record, making heavy use of high-tech production equipment resulting in an almost unbelievably clean album. I wish Richard would have the confidence to loosen up and make a more spontaneous record, but the songs are so solid that I still love this album despite the over slickness.
Richard Barone's site
"Glow" video

#26 - GIRL TALK – All Day (Illegal Art 2010) - Hundreds of songs spanning several decades sliced, diced, and rebuilt into 12 new fun-as-hell party cuts of bastard-pop that goes beyond the spot-the-reference novelty and stands up to repeated listens. I feel like it's cheating to put an album on my year end best-of list that's made up entirely of other people's records, but Girl Talk does it so skillfully that these really do become new songs. This is the fifth Girl Talk record and it's the strongest of the lot. It's always fun to be surprised by an out of place snippet of an old fave popping up, but All Day doesn't rely on that familiarity to be enjoyed. I don't know much of the current pop or rap songs, but they're repurposed so well that it doesn't matter. The songs he builds stand up on their own (stolen) legs.
“Oh No” video
whole album download

#25 - TED LEO & the PHARMACISTS – Brutalist Bricks (Matador) - The 6th album is big on punk rock fueled pop melodies that are too diverse to be labeled as simply pop or punk. Leo effortlessly melds genres into one tight package - incorporating mod, American indie rock, Brit pop, new wave, and power pop into punchy song bursts that are direct and to the point.
Website
"the Mighty Sparrow" video
"Bottle in Cork" video (w/ Paul F. Tompkins & John Hodgman)

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR: Some titles that Didn't make to 2010 Top 50:
DUM DUM GIRLS, LES SAVY FAV, WEEZER, MILES KUROSKY, CHRISTIAN SCOTT, BIG BOI, BLACK ANGELS, DEVO, ROBERT PLANT, JANELLE MONAE, and PETER CASE. Plus there were two records I really dug but didn't meet my anally retentive eligibility criteria. One is the fabulous tribute to Graham Nash's "Songs for Beginners" album (featuring Brendan Benson, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes and more), but I never include comps. And the other is NADA SURF's "If I Had a Hi-Fi" covers collection - which I think they were selling at shows in 2009 and already appeared on some other 2009 lists, so it didn't seem right to put it on this list even though it didn't hit stores until Record Store Day this year.

#24 - PAUL WELLER – Wake Up the Nation (Yep Roc) - Solo album #10 from the Modfather and he's fully energized with a fun mix of angry power-chord rockers and wonderful soul pop. I don't know where the spark came from, but Weller has not been this exciting in many years. He rips through these songs with a youthful urgency - 12 of the 16 are under three minutes. Guests include Bruce Foxton (did Hell freeze over?), My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields, and Bev Bevan from the Move/ELO. After the first Style Council record I've had to cherry pick songs I like from Weller's albums. There's always something good, but there was always more filler than killer. But here the entire album is not only enjoyable, it's essential. Also, the song "No Tears to Cry" might out-Scott Walker the actual Scott Walker.
Paul Weller site
"Wake up the Nation" video
"No Tears to Cry" on Jools Holland Later
"Piles of Paper" live on KEXP

#23 - RICHARD THOMPSON – Dream Attic (Shout Factory 08-31-2010) - 13 new songs from the incredibly reliable master songsmith and guitar virtuoso, recorded live with a loose and spontaneous energy. Although recorded live, the applause is faded pretty quickly, making this sound more like a live-in-the-studio recording. But being in front of the crowd gives the songs an immediacy you wouldn't get in the studio, and it allows Richard and the band to stretch out (and more room for Richard's truly awesome fluid and natural guitar). It's not often I ask for longer songs or guitar solos, but in Richard's case, he makes a convincing case for both. Lyrically this is up there with his bet work - complete with his cynical sense of humor and twisted character studies.
Website
“Bad Again” video

#22 - BLONDE REDHEAD – Penny Sparkle (4AD) - Cool hypnotic dream pop with seductive synths and ethereal vocals reminiscent of Cocteau Twins or Kate Bush. Gone is the dissonant chaos of the early records from this New York trio. Instead, for their 8th studio album they get deeper into the atmospheric electronica of their last album, pushing the little guitar that is left in their sound further into the background. At times the production gives the songs an icey sheen, but more often the songs have a delicate and seductive beauty. 4AD is a perfect home for them now. It's hard to believe the band that used to grate on my nerves so mush would evolve into such a captivating outfit.
BAND SITE
"Not Getting There" video
"Love or Prison" 4AD session
"Here Sometimes" 4AD Session

#21 - the FALL – Your Future Our Clutter (Domino 05-04-2010) - The 28th studio album from the Fall is ferocious and has an edgy excitement I haven't seen from Mark E Smith in a while. Over the Fall's 34 years, they have always been interesting, but you have to cherry pick the records that Mark E Smith seemed totally committed to and decide which aspect of their sound most appealed to you. The band is tight this go around (2nd album in a row with the same line-up, which is a rarity in Fall history) and Smith appears to be fully engaged in doing what he does best. Everything I like about the Fall is here: crazy shouted vocal rants from Smith, powerful guitar repetition, strong grooves, and an anything-can-happen chaos. Once again the Fall sound dangerous and relevant.
Website
"Cowboy George" live in Berlin

#20 - the LEN PRICE 3 – Pictures (Wicked Cool) - British trio's third album is full of energetic garage pop fun in the vein of the early Who and Creation singles. The Len Price 3 are about as retro as they come, playing the maximum R&B pop of the Shel Talmy era Who, complete with the propulsive drumming and backing harmonies that could almost be sampled off of the A Quick One album.
MySpace page
"The Girl Who Became a Machine"
"Mr Grey" video

#19 - PETER WOLF – Midnight Souvenirs (Verve) - At 64-years-old the the former J. Geils Band frontman is in grand form, turning out an inspired collection of good old fashioned rock and soul. Peter doesn't innovate, but he does build on his diverse influences and confidently takes ownership of the new creations. The core of the record is the R&B he's always excelled at, but he seamlessly incorporates bits of country and blues into his sound the same way Van Morrison and the Stones have. There are three fantastic duets with Shelby Lynne, Neko Case, and Merle Haggard that work perfectly within the context of the album. It's easy to take Peter Wolf for granted since this sounds so natural, but he's made a special album of the utmost craftsmanship.
Website
“I Don’t Wanna Know” on Letterman

#18 - ELVIS COSTELLO – National Ransom (Hear Music 11-02-2010) - With T Bone Burnett producing again, Elvis offers another wide reaching collection of rootsy Americana with subtle twists of styles, sounding at times like King of America for 2010. Elvis has made twenty-something solo albums (really, it's hard for me to count definitively), and yet he's still pulling out new tricks and going places he hasn't gone before. This fantastic follow up to last year's Secret, Profane & Sugarcane (also produced by T-Bone) expands on that record's sound, dipping into pre-war styles along with folk, country, and jaunty pop. Elvis is still as vital as he's ever been, although not as immediate and urgent as he was at his creative peak(s). At 16 songs and over 70 minutes the record is a bit long, but I don't know what I'd cut off or even where I would change the running order. As a long time fan there’s a comfort and familiarity in each Elvis record, but is not one to pick up just as a fan obligation to a reliable old friend, pick it up because it’s a really good record.
Website
"National Ransom" on Letterman
Nation Ransom EPK

# 17 - APRIL SMITH and the GREAT PICTURE SHOW – Songs for a Sinking Ship (Little Roscoe) - Cabaret pop fun from a charismatic Brooklyn singer/songwriter with a wickedly clever sense of humor delivered in they styles of a bygone era. April has a sassy voice rich in the tradition of 30's and 40's vocalists, but when she vamps it up it's pure burlesque. This is the music of juke joints - a quirky combination of pop, ragtime, swing, and a bit of country, but with a modern spin. April lists Tom Waits as an influence, and that's a pretty good reference point for the sprit of her songwriting. It's playful, a little sinister, and highly original.
Website (where you can stream the whole album)
"Terrible Things" video

#16 - LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III – 10 Songs for the New Depression (Proper) – Loudon at his best backed with just his acoustic guitar/ukelele and a topical collection of recession folk songs. Loudon manages to make a collection of songs about the housing crisis, unemployment, political uncertainty, and times or turmoil into something funny and strangely optimistic. As always, he uses a keen sense of observation and biting satire (and a heaping helping of gallows humor) to zero in on his targets. This is Loudon’s most focused and consistent album in years.
“the Krugman Blues” live

#15 - GRINDERMAN – Grinderman 2 (Anti) - Savage and visceral blues-punk from Nick Cave and a stripped down version of the Bad Seeds, living in the seedy underbelly without ever taking themselves too seriously. On one hand Cave sounds outright dangerous as he spews out tales of various unwholesome characters and ne’er do-wells. But then a few seconds later you can practically hear the smirk as he shifts gears. Despite the air of dour seriousness, Grinderman is fucking hilarious. The anger and conviction Nick attacks sacred institutions with is real, but he does it with a twisted sense of humor expertly delivered with the wink of a veteran actor. The whole package is topped off by the writhing rhythms and Warren Ellis’s guitar freakouts. I've never enjoyed a Nick Cave album as much as this one.
Website
"Heathen Child" on Jolls Holland
"Heathen Child" video
"Worm Tamer" (RAK Session)

# 14 - JOHN MELLENCAMP – No Better Than This (Rounder) - Surprisingly authentic and heartfelt American roots folk with a stripped down sound thanks in part to production from T Bone Burnett. John Mellencamp is a solid songwriter that knows how to push the right buttons for maximum appeal, but outside of a few singles I've never been much of a fan. His "just a regular small-town guy" image always seemed a bit precious and too calculated, so I never really gave his albums an unprejudiced listen. I was caught totally off guard by the absolute sincerity and passion of this, his 21st studio album. On paper there is plenty of reason to be suspect: a mono recording done with one mic on a portable 1955 Ampex tape deck recorded in "historically significant" settings (Sun Studios, Savannah's First African Baptist Church, and hotel room where Robert Johnson cut some of his records). But rather than being a cheap gimmick Mellencamp is liberated by the organic process and sounds almost reborn as songwriter. There is a raw minimalism in the production and instrumentation, which puts the focus on his lyrics and voice, which are both in fine form.
"No Better Than This" video
"Thinking About You" on Tavis Smiley

#13: - DESSA – Badly Broken Code (101 02-09-2010) – Like a cross between Lauryn Hill and Basehead, Minneapolis rapper/poet Dessa offers intelligent and multifaceted hip hop effortlessly shifting between smooth flowing rap, soulful pop, and beautiful a capella. Some argue if Dessa is even a hip-hop artist since she breaks with the conventions of the genre so freely, but the foundation she works from is a hybrid of her hip-hop and spoken word roots. Along with being part of the Doomtree collective, she is a poet, published author, and member of an all-girl a cappella group. She incorporates all of that into a literate and fresh sound delivered with great confidence and control. This is a record filled with subtleties that grow stronger with repeated plays. I can't wait to hear what she does next.
MySpace page
"Dixon's Girl" video
"Poor Atlas"
"Alibi" video

#12 - NEW PORNOGRAPHERS – Together (Matador) - Fifth album from the Candian indie pop "super group" is once again a quirky pastiche of assorted pop forms expertly pieced together into an oddly cohesvie and highly enjoyable album. New Pornographers manage to make records that are overloaded with diverse influences and ideas without ever getting into the guess-the-reference musical puzzle trap. They turn in big pop songs with stellar male/female harmonies and sound like no other band (except for maybe default leader AC Newman's solo records). The contributions of each member (A.C. Newman, Neko Case, Kathryn Calder and Dan Bejar) are apparent, but they work so well together they sound more like a single unit this time than they ever have.
MySpace page
“Crash Years” video
“Sweet Talk Sweet Talk” on Letterman

#11 - the SADIES – Darker Circles (Yep Roc) - Psychedelic alt-country with jangly surf-rock guitar tones and production from the Jayhawks' Gary Louris. This is the 7th studio album from the Toronto band, not counting the full albums they made behind Andre Williams, Jon Langford, Neko Case & John Doe. They are all ace musicians and well versed in country tradition, although they approach it from a more psychedelic rock angle, ending up sounding like a modern hybrid of Gram Parsons, Gene Clark, Roky Erickson, and Mike Nesmith's First National Band.
MySpace page
"Cut Corners" video
"Postcard" video

#10 - the NATIONAL – High Violet (4AD) - For their fifth album the Brooklyn quartet fine tunes their sound and makes a more subtle and rewarding album, sounding like a brooding American version of Joy Division. With each record the National have strayed further away from the rockers and focused more on dark soundscapes. They create bleak mood pieces with a smooth, radio ready production, highlighted by the moody baritone lead vocals and melodramatic arrangements. But while other bands rely on the mood to carry the record, the National are working from a base of very strong songs with intriguing lyrics and slow building grooves. This is one of my favorite late-at-night headphones albums, but it also works surprisingly well during the day or even when isolated to just a single cut or two.
Website
“Bloodbuzz Ohio” video

#09 - ARCADE FIRE – the Suburbs (Merge) – The epic sound and ambitious reach of the first two Arcade Fire albums are still here, but for the third they've pulled back on some of their excesses and put more focus on making a cohesive record. While I enjoyed the first 2 Arcade Fire albums, at times it seems like they tried too hard to impress, which buried some great songwriting in a mess of partially realized ideas. But they sound more relaxed this time, letting the songs breathe a bit more and not giving everything away up front. By practicing a little restraint the songs are actually more stirring and the band sounds even larger than before.
Website
“Ready to Start” video
“the Suburbs” video

#08 - CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG – IRM (Elektra/Asylum) The third album from the daughter of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin is an eclectic mix of dreamy pop and cool electro-pop brilliantly produced by Beck. IRM has a surprisingly smooth flow for a record that spans several genres and moods, including organic acoustic downtempo numbers, electronica, orchestral pop, and even a dingy blues stomper. Much of that can be attributed to Beck, who not only produces but also writes all of the music and co-writes the lyrics. Beck's eccentric arrangements and abundance of ideas make the record more interesting, but they never step in front of Charlotte's vocals or detract from her cool, sometimes eerie presence.
MySpace page
“Trick Pony” on Letterman
“Heaven Can Wait” with Beck on KCRW
“Heaven Can Wait” video

#07 - JASON & the SCORCHERS – Halcyon Days (101) –This live-in-the-studio album is the most consistent and solid album of bar room rock and twang from the Scorchers in 25 years. Jason and guitarist Warner Hodges (with some new fulltime and guest Scorchers) return after a 14 year break. This sounds less like a reunion record and more like one from a road tested band with something to prove.
Website
“Moonshine Guy” live
making of the album

#06 - the MOONS – Life on Earth (Phantom) Summery jangle pop in the British tradition of Merseybeat, mod, Dodgy, Small Faces, the La’s, early Supergrass, and Paul Weller. This is classic, very British sounding pop that is relaxed and has a warmth that few bands seem to shoot for anymore. The band is fronted by Paul Weller's former keyboardist Andy Crofts and Chris Ketley from the Rakes.
Website
"Let It Go" video
"Torn Between Two" video
"Ragman" video

#05 - KELLEY STOLTZ – To Dreamers (Sub Pop) - San Francisco singer/songwriter Stoltz returns with another collection of fanboy pop songs that plays like a love letter to the early Kinks, T-Rex, Velvets, Ziggy-era Bowie, Standells, Byrds, and a host of other 60's and early 70's artists. As with his previous records, this is a mostly one-man affair, recorded in his own studio. Kelley is a power popper with a great ear for 60ish pop and a chameleon-like ability to step into the styles of his musical heroes without ever losing his own unique voice. As an extra treat, he does a cover of "Baby I Got News For You", a 1965 by one of his heroes Big Boy Pete Miller, and has Miller playing on the cut. I recently became a Big Boy Pete fan after seeing Kelley open for Echo & the Bunnymen earlier in the year and he raved about Pete and urged everyone to check him out. I did and I’m grateful for the recommendation.
Website
Kelley's MySpace
A Big Boy Pete bonus (the original version of the Song Kelley covers)

#04 - the LIKE – Release Me (Downtown) – 60s girl group styled pop sounding like a modern-day Shangri-las with toe-tapping melodies, vox organ, and big harmonies. Five years after their debut, LA’s the Like shifted gears a bit with the help of producer Mark Ronson and reinvented themselves as a very convincing 60’s girl group pop band. There’s an obvious kitsch to the concept, but the songs are executed with such sincerity that they sound like a fresh update to a classic style rather than being just a novelty imitation. The whole record is fun, but there’s an edge thanks in part to the raspy tough-girl lead vocals.
"Whishing He Was Dead" video
"He's Not a Boy" video

#03 - SPOON – Transference (Merge) - For their 7th album Spoon pare down the accessibility and cleanness of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga for a more experimental and rewarding album of highly catchy songs built on challenging ideas. Britt Daniel writes great pop hooks, but he seldom takes the direct path when putting his records together. He excels at putting seemingly unrelated ideas together and making them sound natural and unforced. He's adventurous in his approach to arranging his records, but has the restraint to never let the experimentation overpower the songs. In an age where it's getting easier to categorize artists, Spoon is a true original. This is my favorite Spoon album since 2001's Girls Can Tell, which is my favorite record of the past decade.
Website
"Mystery Zone" on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic
"Written in Reverse"

#02 - SLEIGH BELLS – Treats (Mom & Pop Music) - Treats is a joyfully relentless assault of over-modulated electro-pop filled with monstrous beats, jagged synth bursts, and heavy distorted guitars countered with Alexis Krauss' sweetly hypnotic vocals. Hiding behind the bombastic wall of noise on this debut from the Brooklyn duo is a charming bubblegum dance pop record filled with handclaps and playful cheerleader/jump-rope rhymes. Everything is pushed into the red to the point of almost being overwhelming, but the band's grand sense of fun and the catchiness of the songs make it a highly addictive and enjoyable sensory overload. This is one of those polarizing records that some love and others really hate, and I can see both sides. Obviously I’m in the “love it” camp – few albums got as much as play from me this year as Sleigh bells did.
Infinity Guitars video
fanmade video for "Treats"

#01 - SUPERCHUNK – Majesty Shredding (Merge) – For their first studio album in 9 years Superchunk delivers an amazingly fun collection of oversized melodies and hyperactive indie pop anthems. The last few Superchunk albums were fine efforts, but the band had begun to turn down the energy level (and volume), which resulted in those albums not having the urgency that made their earlier records so essential. It seemed almost unimaginable, but it’s as if Superchunk stepped into a time machine and have gone back fifteen years to the youthful enthusiasm they had for On the Mouth and Foolish. This isn’t a band struggling with a pale imitation of their glory days, it’s a fresh return to form. There is a propulsive adrenalin rush that pushes this record from one giant pop punk chorus to the next. It’s what Superchunk does best.
Website
“Digging For Something” video

Surf-a-gogo

2010-12-01T11:15:00.002-06:00

I've never been a huge Dr Feelgood fan, but I've liked them for a while and they have a few fantastic pub rock songs. Based on the trailer for the Julien Temple rock doc, Oil City Confidential, I have the feeling I'll be listening to more Dr Feelgood in the near future (if I can find this on DVD).

Some old mix disc covers revisited

2010-11-27T13:27:00.004-06:00

For years I was obsessive about making mix discs and custom cover for each one. I had a hard drive crash a few years ago and thought that I had lost the files forever. I had posted many of the mixes to the Art of the Mix website, but due to glitches there the cover art was unavailable for a few years. Recently they upgraded the site and most of the cover art came back, so i was able to snag low-res version of many of the covers. Below are a few of my faves. All of the mix covers are available in the Mix Disc collection on my flickr page.

The MP3 player has made the need for mix discs less essential, so I seem to hardly make them anymore. I really miss making mixes and cover art, but it seems like my time and creative energy is spent on other things now.

A few recent doodles from the sketchbook...

2010-11-13T14:57:00.001-06:00

A nice Fall morning at Mt Carmel Cemetery

2010-10-17T20:20:00.002-05:00

Some pictures from a recent visit to Mt Carmel Cemetery in Hillside Illinois

More pictures here.

a new mix - Songs for Swinging Sock Puppets

2010-08-09T15:13:00.002-05:00

I finally got around to making a new mix disc. This was made for the MetaFilter Mid-year 2010 CD Mix Swap.

1. Peabody's Improbable History theme (1959)
2. Biters - Hang Around (2010)
3. the Sorrows - I Don't Like It Like That (1980)
4. the Like - Walk Of Shame (2010)
5. the Church - the Unguarded Moment (1981)
6. Nada Surf - Enjoy the Silence (2009)
7. Pernice Brothers - Bechamel (2010)
8. Coconut Records - Minding My Own Business (2007)
9. Irma Thomas - Break-A-Way (1964)
10. John Wesley Harding - the End (2009)
11. the Gravel Pit - Favorite (1999)
12. Gary Myrick - Guitar, Talk, Love & Drums (1983)
13. MIA - California Dreaming (1987)
14. Cecil McCullough - Pick 'em Up And Shake 'Em Up (1961)
15. April Smith and the Great Picture Show - Terrible Things (2010)
16. Brendan Benson - Better Days (2010)
17. Hal Blaine - Pop The Chute (1963)
18. Title Tracks - Every Little Bit Hurts (2010)
19. Super Chicken theme (1967)
20. Music Go Music - Just Me (2009)
21. Gruppo Sportivo - I Shot My Manager (1977)
22. Jason & The Scorchers - Gettin' Nowhere Fast (2010)
23. Mitch Ryder - I Had It Made (1966)
24. Panic Squad - Runaway (1980)
25. Alejandro Escovedo - Tender Heart (2010)
26. Slim Harpo - Don't Start Crying Now (1961)
27. the Young Veins - Maybe I Will, Maybe I Won't (2010)
28. Naked Raygun - Mein Iron Maiden (2010)
29. Tim Rose - Snowed In (2003)

a few more doodles

2010-08-01T09:03:00.001-05:00

two killing time doodles

2010-07-17T07:53:00.001-05:00

some Post-it Note doodles

2010-06-06T08:14:00.001-05:00

First sketchbook page in a while

2010-06-05T13:27:00.002-05:00

Didn't plan on it, but for some reason I haven't drawn much over the past few months. Hoping to get back into the swing of things again. I just learned that the Molekine Folio sketchbook is just a little bigger than my scanner, so in the future I need remember to leave a little room at the top and/or bottom of the page.

some more ticket stub nostalgia

2010-02-22T11:01:00.002-06:00

Another batch of ticket stubs....

Unless I find another stash of old stubs somewhere, this is probably the last batch. Despite a lot of great shows here, many of my favorites aren't represented because I bought at ticket at the door and didn't get a stub. I don't think I got stubs for most of the shows I've seen at Metro, Lounge Ax, or Empty Bottle.

a few more post-it note doodles

2010-01-22T09:06:00.001-06:00

Some more post-it note doodles...

2010-01-19T10:24:00.002-06:00

a new mix disc

2010-01-18T15:23:00.003-06:00

It's been a while, but I finally got around to making anew mix disc. This one is for the Winter 2010 MetaFilter mix swap.

01-intro - Play Guitar with the Ventures
02-the Len Price 3 - the Girl Who Became A Machine (2009)
03-Angst - Some Things (I Can't Get Used To) (Mending Wall 1986)
04-Jodan Zevon - the Joke's On Me (Insides Out 2008)
05-Lee Dorsey - Great Googa Mooga
06-Cari Lee And The Contenders - Burnt Toast And Black Coffee (Scorched 2005)
07-the Duckworth Lewis Method - Gentlemen And Players (st 2009)
08-Dumptruck - Back Where I Belong (Positively Dumptruck 1986)
09-AC Newman - Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer (Get Guilty 2009)
10-Rodriguez - Only Good For Conversation (Cold Fact 1970)
11-the Raunch Hands - Thunderbird (Learn to Whap-a-Dang 1986)
12-Lee Fields & The Expressions - Do You Love Me (Like You Say You Do) (My World 2009)
13-the Krayolas - Chola Song (Long Leaf Pine (No Smack Gum) 2009)
14-Gloria Lynne - How Did You Make Me Love You (Gloria Lynne)
15-Raphael Saadiq - 100 Yard Dash (the Way I See It 2008)
16-the Rumour - Emotional Traffic (Frogs, Sprouts, Clogs & Krauts 1979)
17-Vince Taylor - Brand New Cadillac (1958)
18-the Leftovers - I Want You Back (Eager to Please 2009)
19-Teenage Head - Picture My Face (Teenage Head 1979)
20-Gino Washington - Hey I'm A Love Bandit (Love Bandit)
21-Frank Ciampi - Little Girl (Big Top Woman 2008)
22-Amy Rigby - 20 Questions (Diary Of a Mod Housewife 1996)
23-So Kalmery - Brand New Day (Brakka System 2009)
24-the Girls - Chico's Girl (1966)
25-Ken Boothe - Ain't No Sunshine
26-Show Of Hands - Arrogance Ignorance and Greed (2009)
27-Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five - Show Me How (You Milk The Cow) 1940
28-Peabody's Improbable History

cover pic from Yoshishige Yoshida's Rengoku eroica (via If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger...)

some more sketchbook action

2010-01-13T11:28:00.002-06:00

some recent pages from my sketchbook

2010-01-11T22:16:00.004-06:00

I'm trying to be a little less precious with my sketchbooks and actually use them to sketch and work out ideas. Hopefully I can lose some of my stiffness and take some more chances. So far it's actually been a bit more fun to draw, so maybe it's working. Here are a few recent pages...

This is actually a few different takes on one idea that I'd like to do a more complete and realized version of. I seldom rough out ideas or make sketches to work out some of the concepts, so this is new to me. Hopefully I'll get around doing a final version and see if the sketching was worth it. I was surprised to actually enjoy the process, so I guess it already was worth it. I'd like to use the final drawing for a CD mix cover, but since the mix is for a mix exchange at the end of the month, I need to finish the drawing soon.

some surf poo

2010-01-10T13:28:00.007-06:00

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A Bar on North Avenue - A great piece from Roger Ebert about the culture of O’Rourke’s Pub in Chicago during it's heyday in the 60's and 70's. [via the always awesome Coudal Partners]

Cabaret could break out at any moment. Bag-pipers drank free. Everybody knew the words to all of the songs on the juke box, some of which had been on the machine since it was new. When Jerry Lewis would sing ‘Come Rain or Come Shine’, it was not unknown for a customer to climb up on the bar and sing along. The songs of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem played again and again, and customers would sing with them: And always remember the longer you live, the sooner you bloody well die. Press agents would bring visiting movie stars to view the local colour, and they were good sports, Charlton Heston one night autographing Natalie Nudlemann's bra while she was wearing it.

[Jack Lane photo borrowed from Roger's blog]

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The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret - David Cross pilot for Channel 4's Comedy Showcase in the UK. Here in 3 parts, starting with a fantastically obnoxious Will Arnett (and a Spike Jonze cameo). The whole episode is in three parts on You Tube (for now). Part One. Part Two. Part Three.

[via Coudal again via Loner Boner]

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"The press down experience wasn’t half as bad as I remembered it. In fact it was kind of a Zen-like pleasure to revisit the old velum sheets of black-and-white letters"

Steven Heller looks back on the days of press type lettering in this short piece from a few years ago at Design Observer. I regret throwing out the Zip-A-Tone sheets that I equally loved and hated. I never thought I'd be nostalgic for those damns sheets that tested my patience and eye for alignment.

My Top 50 Albums of 2009

2009-12-30T22:32:00.015-06:00

After a month of relistening to records and shuffling the order more times than I'd like to admit, here's my final list of favorite albums of 2009.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone (Anti)
- As with Fox Confessor (my favorite album of 2006), Neko brings so much into this album it's hard to label or even adequately describe. There's a cinematic quality to her songs , and the multi-layered arrangements are crammed with ideas both bold and subtle. Many listens later I was still discovering little music tidbits and lyrical twists. I don't always know exactly what she's singing about, but I love sound of her words and the images she conjures up. And she has one of the finest voices I've ever heard, which makes listening to just about anything she does a treat.
- http://www.nekocase.com/
- “This Tornado Loves You” on Letterman
- “People Got A Lotta Nerve” video

2. Madness - the Liberty of Norton Folgate (Yep Roc)
- The original line-up returns for their first album of original material in a decade, and it might be the most consistent album of their career. This is classic British pop in the tradition of Keep Moving (1984) and Mad Not Mad (1985). It’s more mature than their earlier manic ska, but still quite fun and full of sing-along choruses. While many of the songs will one day sit comfortably along singles from their hey-day on a hits comp, they work best listened to as a whole album. That way you can appreciate how they build on each other and how well the album is paced. It’s great to have Madness back and is such fine form.
- http://www.madness.co.uk/
- "Dust Devil" video
- album sampler

3. Coconut Records - Davy (Young Baby)
- This is the second album from Jason Schwartzman's one-man pop project. The songs are relaxed, expertly crafted pop numbers with an almost sublime beauty. At times there's a slightly melancholy Elliot Smith vibe, but more often his style seems more influenced by mid 60's radio pop. The record is a little quirky, but he takes his music serious enough to never seem like a throw-away side project. When this came out I was worried this would be a record I'd tire of due to overexposure, but sadly it seems to be one of 2009's lost gems.
- http://www.myspace.com/coconutrecords
-"Microphone" video
-"Any Fun" video

4. AC Newman - Get Guilty (Matador)
- On his second solo album Carl Newman doesn't deviate much from what's he's been doing with New Pornographers, except ere he has a bit more latitude to make the arrangements quirkier and the instrumentation just a little more eclectic. Newman takes a classic power pop songwriting base and rebuilds the songs into something much more interesting, but he never sacrifices catchiness. It isn't as instant as some of his other work, but its charm builds with repeated listens thanks to his skill as both a songwriter and a performer.
- http://www.acnewman.net/
-"Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer" DUMBO session

5. Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 - Goodnight Oslo (Yep Roc)
- This is the most straight forward batch of songs Robyn has had in...well...maybe ever. His songwriting seems sharper and more focused here, and his eccentric playfulness adds to songs this time, rather than detract from his mastery of melodies. I love when Robyn get's weird, but sometimes it can be a bit much, so I’m glad to see him focusing on the songs more. He sounds relaxed and very natural, and his voice is in grand form. And it’s all punctuated by his backing band, the Venus 3, which includes Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey. It's been a long time since a Robyn Hitchcock album has excited me this much, and it’s reminded me why he was such an important artist for me in the 80's and 90's.
- http://www.robynhitchcock.com/
- "I'm Falling" video

6. the Krayolas - Long Leaf Pine (No Smack Gum) (Box Records/Talking Taco Music)
- This San Antonio band is equal parts Tex-Mex and Mersey Beat, with a little bit of ZZ Top, Mike Nesmith, and an Americana twist on Badfinger thrown into the mix. All of the playing is top notch, and many of thee songs are complimented by a killer horn section. Almost any time a song from this album comes up on shuffle I end up playing the whole album. I have no idea why this wasn't one of the much buzzed records of 2009.
- http://www.thekrayolas.com/

7. Milk and Honey Band - Dog Eared Moonlight (Ape Records)
- Lush, pastoral pop with shimmering guitars and rich harmonies from Andy Partridge's Ape Records. The songs are intricately crafted with beautiful multi-layered melodies. They're from Brighton, but their sound at times has an Americana-via-British folk-and-pop vibe to it. Occasionally they build up an epic Coldplay feel, but they never lose any of the intimacy that makes the record so special. The album unfolds effortlessly, with each song gently adding another element to their sound, and has become a late night headphones favorite.
- http://www.themilkandhoneyband.co.uk/HOME.html
- http://www.myspace.com/themilkandhoneyband
-"Waste of Time" video
- "Just You" video

8. VV Brown - Traveling Like the Light (Island UK - coming out on Capitol in 2010)
- The debut album from UK soul/pop singer V.V. Brown was probably my most played album of the Summer and is still a staple on my MP3 player. She genre jumps and throws in an eclectic mix of influences, but this is basically a poppy R&B dance party record. On the surface this could be mistaken for a no-brainer radio friendly pop record, but the arrangements are smarter than that and songwriting chances are taken that payoff big. The songs are instantly likable, backed with infectious rhythms and slightly quirky melodies. It’s hard to pigeonhole VV, but the UK press seems to think she fits into the neo-soul revival. She did tour with the Ting Tings in the UK, and that is a good match that gives you an idea of how wide reaching her sound is. This record has a 2009 vs. 2010 dilemma for me, since it's coming out in the US in early 2010, but I’ve already played it way too many times to wait for next year’s list.
- http://vvbrown.com/
-"Shark in the Water" video
-"Crying Blood" video

9. the Leftovers - Eager to Please (Oglio)
- This is classic big hook power pop with a high energy punk pop kick and one of 2009's most fun records. I hear early Beatles, Material Issue, the Ramones, Velvet Crush, and the Buzzcocks and a bit of supercharged bubblegum. This is driving-fast-with-the-top-down Summer music that screams to be played loud and often. The Portland Maine band gets help from producer Linus of Hollywood and members of the Muffs, the Donnas, the Romantics and the Rubinoos.
- http://www.myspace.com/theleftovers
- http://www.oglio.com/webs/pages/artists/TheLeftovers-EagerToPlease.shtml
- "Telephone Operator" video
- "Dance With Me" video

10. Duckworth Lewis Method - the Duckworth Lewis Method (1969 Records)
- This quirky Irish band features Neil Hannon (the Divine Comedy) and Thomas Walsh (Pugwash) and their debut album is entirely about the sport of cricket. The band is even named after a somewhat controversial mathematical cricket score keeping method. This record is delightfully fun and distinctly British - all with a great sense of melody and some fantastic harmonies. I hear bits of the Kinks, later XTC, and the pseudo music-hall style that so many UK artists in the 60's experimented with. It might look like a kooky novelty record based on the review, but it really is a pop album in the classic British tradition. This marks the second year in a row that a concept album about a sport made my year end list (last year it was the Baseball Project featuring Steve Wynn - perhaps next year it'll be a record about table tennis).
- http://www.dlmethod.com
- "Meeting Mr. Miandad" video

11. Sonic Youth - The Eternal (Matador)
- For their 16th album Sonic Youth has made a pastiche of their entire career in one album. There's lots of guitar noise, art-punk dissonance, and occasionally meandering distortion filled jams with some outright ferocious playing. For all of the art rock noise and sonic experimentation though, they almost never lose sight of the catchy pop hooks the songs are built around. This album has some of their most intriguing ideas in years and maybe their best playing ever. A few years ago I saw them play Daydream Nation in it's entirety, which was very cool, but I think I'd prefer to see them do this album live all the way through.
- http://www.sonicyouth.com/
-"Sacred Trickster" video
-performing "Antenna" on Jools Holland

12. Brendan Benson - My Old, Familiar Friend (ATO)
- Fourth solo album from Brendan, featuring more expertly crafted power pop that proves he's one of the best artists currently making records in the genre. Brendan pulls in countless references from fifty years of pop and rock and effortlessly melds them into very memorable songs that sound like one else.
- http://www.brendanbenson.com/

13. Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (Sony/Domino)
- For album number three FF deliver a slightly less interesting version of their first two records, which still puts them ahead of most bands that put out records in 2009. Their angular post-punk pop formula still works for me, and they tweak it just enough to keep it interesting. This time around they inject a bit more dance rhythm and let the songs stretch out a bit, but they never really let loose.
- http://www.franzferdinand.co.uk/
-"Ulysses" video
-"No You Girls" video

14. Lee Fields and the Expressions - My World (Truth & Soul)
- A stunningly great old school soul album in the tradition of Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, and a cross section of many of my favorite Stax and Philly International singles. Whether it be the lush ballads or the funkier soul grooves, Lee sings about heartbreak with an intensity seldom heard these days. I really didn't know anybody could still make a record like this in 2009. I feel sort of bad that he’s been making records for 40 years and I'm just discovering him now.
- http://www.myspace.com/leefields
-NPR Piece

15. John Wesley Harding - Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead (Rebel Group)
- Recorded with the Minus Five (featuring Scott McCaughey and Peter Buck), this is one of the strongest albums in his already rich catalog. Of course the lyrics are fantastically clever, funny, and insightful - Wes is one of the best lyricists out there - but the music is the sharpest and most immediate he's done in a while. His roots as a folk artist are still there, but the focus is more on the band dynamic, and he’s made a great jangley pop record that highlights his charming personality. If he comes to your town make sure you see him - I saw him this Summer and it's one of best shows I've seen in a long time.
- http://www.johnwesleyharding.com
- an acoustic version of "Top of the Bottom"

16. Placebo - Battle for the Sun (Vagrant)
- I’ll admit I'm not very objective on Placebo since I love the feel of their albums and am a fan of everything they've done. I've grown to like Brian Molko's nasally warble and I'm a sucker for their brand of guitar driven alterna-glam. They brought in Tool’s producer to give the record a bit of a kick, but it’s not really any more powerful than the last few records. As usual, there’s a lot sharp guitar, a strong rhythm section, and arena ready bombast with ambiguous lyrics and an eerie quality lurking just below the surface.
- http://www.myspace.com/placebo
-"Battle for the Sun" video
-"Never Ending Why" video

17. Morrissey - Years Of Refusal (Lost Highway)
- This is the most powerful Morrissey album since Your Arsenal back in 92. Here's an even more exaggerated version of Morrissey, with big guitars, driving rhythms, and his over-the-top dramatic flair in both lyrics and vocals. At times Morrissey can sound like he's forcing the character he's created, but on this record he seems perfectly at home. It's a cynical, angry, and occasionally very nasty home - but he wears it well.
- http://www.itsmorrisseysworld.com/

18. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Glass Note)
- This might be one of the easiest-to-like albums of the year. It's so damn pleasant that it's not hard to see why advertisers and TV producers keep coming back for more. It's danceable pop music with a slick sheen, but it also has some fantastic guitar lines and some of the year's best synth riffs. After a few promising albums they pulled it all together for this fourth album and are overdue for some adulation.
- http://www.wearephoenix.com/
-"Lisztomania" video
-"1901" on Letterman

19. Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey - Here and Now (Bar None)
- The long awaited follow up (17 years!!!) to their first post dB's collaboration, "Here and Now" highlights the chemistry that apparently never went away. As with Mavericks, most of the material is gentle pop with gorgeous harmonies and relaxed melodies. Just hearing them sing together again is a treat, and whets my appetite for the rumored dBs album in the works.
- http://holsapplestamey.com/
-snippets of Peter and Chris performing new and old songs in Summer 2009

20. Show of Hands - Arrogance Ignorance and Greed (Hands On Music)
- 20th album from the politically charged English folk duo that had somehow eluded me up until this year. The record is almost entirely acoustic (with a variety of unamped instruments and guest musicians), but it’s not lacking in urgency. They’re well versed in traditional British folk, but they’ve updated the genre with an almost punk intensity (if New Model Army was a folk band I think they’d sound like this). The lyrics tackle many current issues, including the AIG scandal, evolution doubters, local crime, and an angry and very personal criticism of alternative medicine. Despite the darkness of the subject matter, the music is beautifully played and would hold up even without the vocals.
- http://www.showofhands.co.uk/
- “Arrogance Ignorance and Greed” video

21. Michael Carpenter - Redemption #39 (Big Radio)
- It's pretty obvious that Australian pop wonder Michael Carpenter has spent his life absorbing tons of great records and learning what makes his favorites work. He doesn't really emulate anyone in particular (although on one cut I think he was on a major Queen kick when he cut it), but you can hear his spin on the whole history of great power pop writing in his grooves. It's hard to believe that Michael is a one-man band, because there's a warmth in the playing that sounds like a road tested band, not one man in a home studio. He has an incredible attention to detail - there's not a wasted note here and nothing that could be called filler. I wish more records showed the enthusiasm for the craft of songwriting that Michael has, and the chops to pull it off as well.
- http://www.myspace.com/michaelcarpenter

22. Elvis Costello - Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane (Hear Music)
- Produced by T-Bone Burnett in Nashville, this is Elvis stripped down and mostly acoustic with a band of ace musicians featuring mandolin, dobro, fiddle, accordion, and double bass. This was a big grower for me - I thought it was just OK when it first came out, but I found myself coming back to it more than I expected. It's hardly a challenging album, but Elvis sounds very at home with the style and songs, and there's a certain comfort now in just hearing his voice on a new batch of songs.
- "Sulphur to Sugarcane" on Letterman

23. Art Brut - Art Brut Vs. Satan (Down Town)
- Eddie Argos' sing-rant shtick got a little old by the second album, but it totally works again this time thanks to more driving guitar, propulsive rhythms, and some great production from Black Francis. The pace is frantic like a musical sugar rush and the lyrics are hysterical with loads of references to records and other bands (my fave being a song about just discovering the Replacements). I was not expecting to enjoy this album nearly as much as I did - the managed to get past the novelty of their delivery and make a viable rock album.
- http://www.artbrut.org.uk/
-"Alcoholics Unanimous" video
-"the Replacements"

24. Wilco - Wilco (Nonesuch)
- I never cared much for Wilco until the poppier Summerteeth, which was surprisingly my #1 album of 1999, but then I lost interest again as the next albums didn't have the same bite. I've bought every album because they're always full of interesting ideas, but they usually get shelved and unplayed soon after release because the songs didn't hook me. Maybe it's because they experiment a little less and focus more on the melodies, but this time I keep coming back and keep finding more to like. One of the things I like about this album is it's subtly, which makes me wonder if maybe I didn't spend enough time with the last records.
- http://www.wilcoworld.net/
-"You and I" on Letterman (w/ Feist)

25. the Pains of Being Pure at Heart - the Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Slumberland)
- Pains of Being Pure at Heart are my favorite musical plagiarists of 2009. They unabashedly steal from Jesus and Mary Chain, the Hummingbirds, the Shop Assistants, the Primitives, and the more melodic My Bloody Valentine to create an album of fuzzy guitar fun and charming boy/girl vocals. Maybe it's their naive enthusiasm that makes this work so well, but this New York band's debut sits nicely alongside some of my favorite albums of the late 80's.
- http://www.thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com/
-"Everything With You" video
-"Young Adult Friction" video

26. Hatcham Social - You Dig the Tunnel, I'll Hide the Soil (Fierce Panda/TBD)
- The debut album from this south London trio draws greatly on the jangley guitar pop of the first two Smiths albums, the Pastels, and Postcard Records (Orange Juice and early Aztec Camera), with a few nods to Echo & the Bunnymen and Lloyd Cole. Despite wearing their influences on their sleeve, the songs still sound very current thanks to solid songwriting and a very clean production from Tim Burgess of the Charlatans.
- http://www.myspace.com/hatchamsocial
-"Crocodile" video
-"Murder in the Dark" video
- "So So Happy Making" video

27. Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications (Rough Trade)
- The second post Pulp album from Jarvis is stripped down and more guitar heavy with a sinister edge, thanks in part to Steve Albini behind the boards. Jarvis is still wordy and spills out loads of great lyrics, but it was the fuzzy rock pop riffs that really hooked me (at times it's almost Urge Overkill like - especially on the single "Angela") . This is a surprisingly very fun record.
- http://roughtraderecords.com/jarviscocker
-"Further Complications" video
-"Angela" video

28. 1990's - Kicks (Rough Trade)
- Scottish band returns with a 2nd album of glammy dance pop rock that's light on substance, but heavy on catchy melodies and strong grooves.
- http://www.1990s.tv/
-"59" video

29. the Thermals - Now We Can See (Kill Rock Stars)
- Energetic pop punk from Portland with hooks so simple and catchy it's hard to not bop your head and tap your toes.
- http://www.myspace.com/thethermals

30. Ex Norwegian - Standby (Dying Van Gogh Records)
- Debut album from a Florida pop band that bounces around stylistically, but at times they sound a bit like the Posies, Chomsky, the Shins, and even a little Big Star.
- http://www.exnorwegian.com/
-"Something Unreal" video

31. Rosanne Cash - The List (Manhatten)
- This is a wonderful, intimate folk album (in disguise as a country record) of classic American songs pulled from a list given to her long ago by her father. Her voice is in great form and she seems very confident in her interpretations. For me, the shining moment is her stunningly beautiful version of "500 Miles" (followed by a killer "Long Black Veil" with Jeff Tweedy).
- http://www.rosannecash.com/
-"I'm Movin' On" video

32. Rip Chord - Beginner's Luck (1965 Records)
- Energetic Summer fun power pop from the West Midlands, England. It's similar to the first Soup Dragons album or a less aggressive Happy Hate Me Nots with short (9 of the 12 songs are under 3 minutes), sharp punky pop numbers with instantly catchy melodies and great harmonies. This has been a hard one to track down (the only copy I could find is a $40+ Japanese import - making it the only album on my Top 50 I don't actually own), which is a shame, because I know lots of people that need to hear this record. If you can find an affordable copy, please let me know because I really want a physical CD (the band's webpage and label store are both dead!).
- http://www.myspace.com/ripchorduk
-"My Precious Valentine" video
-"Lock Up Your Daughters" video

33. L'Avventura - Your Star Was Shining (Elliptical / TuneCore)
- Relaxed pop from San Francisco - featuring Jeff Davis, who wrote several of my favorite songs in the late 80's with Balancing Act. These are all well crafted pop songs with a laid back feel that really doesn't sound like anybody else. You can download the whole album for free at the band’s website through January.
- http://lavventuramusic.com/

34. Shazam - Meteor (Not Lame)
- The Shazam have always excelled at crossing big guitar glam with classic power pop, and that bond is even stronger this time thanks to production from Mack (Queen, Sparks, Billy Squier). Like my favorite Cheap Trick albums, there are a lot of ideas and influences crammed into the grooves, and the band isn't afraid to experiment with sounds and arrangements without losing any of the catchiness.
- http://www.theshazam.com/

35. Dub Pistols - Rum and Coke (Sunday Best)
- This album from the London big beat/dub band/remixxers plays like a 2009 version of Paul Oakenfold's Bunkka album - lots of well produced electronic grooves that effortlessly genre hops and merges influences. There's hip-hop, electro-funk, ska, soul, and reggae - all done with a laidback Summery vibe.
- http://www.myspace.com/thedubpistols
-"Back to Daylight" video

36. Official Secrets Act - Understanding Electricity (One Little Indian)
- OSA are probably just another of the many new wave Brit pop bands signed in the post Kaiser Chiefs/Futureheads glut, but their songs strike me as just a little better than most of the other bands in the same scene. Other than the occasional art rock flourish in some of their songs, they're not onto to anything new, they just make catchy songs that I really dig.
- http://www.myspace.com/officialsecretsact
-"the Girl from the BBC" video
-"So Tomorrow" video

37. Cheap Trick - the Latest (Cheap Trick)
- I'm a Cheap Trick apologist, and I tend to always give them the benefit of the doubt. With each new album I focus on the gems and forget about the clunkers - this album has equal parts of both. But when they hit, they hit big with songs that recall the rocking pop songs of Next Position Please and One and One. I get giddy each time a new Trick record comes out and play it relentlessly for the first few months, but usually as time goes on I play the new one less and go back to the first of their career. I'm not sure how much play I'll give this album in a few years, but for now, it's still a winner.
- http://www.cheaptrick.com/

38. Grand Duchy - Petits Fours (Blackseal)
- This debut album from Frank Black and his wife Violet Clark is a pleasant surprise, since I had sort of lost faith in Frank over the years. While not a total return to the Pixies, there's plenty to satisfy someone longing for those days with Pixies-like rhythms and guitars and, most notably, the vocal interplay between Frank and Violet (who has a similar delivery style to Kim Deal). Focus has never been a strong suit of Frank's, and some of the songs are pretty loose in structure, but the sound and vibe of the album makes up for some of the songwriting shortcomings. This record has some of Frank's best growls since Trompe le Monde and Clark's eerie synth at times sounds like it could have come off of an Ultravox album, which nicely compliments Frank's distinctly American influences.
- http://www.myspace.com/grandduchymusic
- http://grandduchymusic.com/

39. Young Fresh Fellows - I Think This Is (Yep Roc)
- YFF return with Robyn Hitchcock producing and a stellar collection of bouncy pop songs featuring some very mid 60's sounding melodies.
- http://www.myspace.com/theyoungfreshfellows

40. Passion Pit - Manners (Frenchkiss)
- This record did nothing for me when I first got it, but then the Mrs got me hooked on the Beck/Prince-like single "Little Secrets", which made me go back to the album and this time it stuck. Danceable synth-heavy electro-pop with some very likable ear candy.
- http://www.passionpitmusic.com/
- "The Reeling" video

41. Cracker - Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey (429 Records)
- I lost track after Cracker after their third record, since it seemed like they were just becoming a less interesting version of themselves. But this record is sort of a return to form - the band is tight as shit and David Lowery focused on songwriting rather than dicking around. Now I remember why I used to like them so much.
- http://www.crackersoul.com/

42. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown (Reprise)
- Green Day's second concept album is better than I expected, but the songs seem a little trapped into the format and loose a little (as opposed to American Idiot, which somehow worked start to finish). This record started around #20 on my list and kept getting nudged down as I tracked more albums. All of the parts work, but as a whole it just doesn't hold up for me. Although on shuffle songs from this album are always welcome.
- http://www.greenday.com/

43. Chris Isaak - Mr. Lucky (Reprise)
- Slick, easy to like pop that's hardly challenging, but sounds great. Chris has the voice and charm to take a batch of decent songs that would be forgetful in anyone else’s hands and make them special.
- http://www.chrisisaak.com/

44. God Help The Girl - God Help The Girl (Matador)
- A new project of light pop from Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch. The album has the feel of a 60's French easy listening record with (mostly) female vocals, lush strings, and a big production sound. This is a record I like more for the sound and arrangements than I do for the actual songs.
- http://www.godhelpthegirl.com/

45. Messer Chups - Heretic Channel (Solnze Records)
- Russian surf guitar band Messer Chups would already be one of the better bands in the genre if they played it straight, but what makes them so much more interesting is the way they experiment with sound effects, drop-ins, Theremin, and other sounds.
- http://www.messerchups.ru/
- "Moriarty Woogie" video
-"Vincent Price Bible" video

46. Echo and the Bunnymen - the Fountain (Ocean Rain)
- At this point Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant seem to be coasting. The Fountain is an enjoyable album with catchy melodies and I'm always happy to hear Ian McCulloch's voice, but they now seem to be stuck following the template of the 1987 self titled album. Most of these songs would have been great b-sides for "Lips Like Sugar", but as album in 2009it feels a bit empty. I'm sort of torn though, since I still love that sound and enjoy whenever these songs come up on shuffle, but I just don't feel right recommending anyone go out and buy it unless they're a huuuuuuge fan.
- http://www.bunnymen.com/

47. Tommy Keene - In the Late Bright (Second Motion)
- Tommy Keene has become one of the more reliable pop artists making records - you can always count on his albums to be hooked filled with lots of great guitar. But he's settled into his formula so much that it's getting harder to differentiate one album from another. There's a little more edge this time around, and it's always nice to hear his voice, but I'm hoping he ventures into some new terrain next time.
- http://www.tommykeene.com/

48. Mission Of Burma - the Sound, the Speed, the Light (Matador)
- Their 3rd album since reforming is as good as the first two, but not very different. MoB seem to be working in a vacuum, ignoring what's happening around them in favor of doing what they do best. The playing is as intense as ever, but the songs are starting to get a little samey, especially with the muddy wall of sound that surrounds them. But within that formula Roger Miller is still creating guitar sounds and playing innovative solos like nobody else can. And I'm learning that Peter Prescott might be one of my favorite drummers out there even though I can't imagine his on-the-verge-of-falling-apart style working with many other bands.
- http://www.missionofburma.com
- "1, 2, 3, Partyy" video

49. Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women - Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women (Yep Roc)
- One of my favorite things about Dave Alvin is the way he draws from many styles of American music and still ends up with cohesive, flowing album. This time around, along with country, rock, and folk, he brings in Cajun and jump blues while still sounding distinctly Dave Alvin. There's not a clunker on the album (surprisingly even his cover of "Que Sera, Sera" works), but it was almost too consistent for me to have anything jump out.
- http://www.davealvin.net

50. Deastro - Moon Dagger (Ghostly International)
- Fun new wave electropop from Detroit with loads of synths and swirling melodies.
- http://www.myspace.com/deastro

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was a really good year for music, considering I was able to put together a list of 50 solid records and didn't even get to a few other faves like Pajo, Tinariwen, Desario, So Kalmery, and Magic Christian.

All right, now that I've closed the book on 2009, what's good coming in 2010? Bring it on!

some Post-It Note doodles.....

2009-12-21T10:13:00.003-06:00

Some poo.

2009-11-30T12:24:00.006-06:00

Some poo stumbled upon while surfing around. First update in five months, I guess that means I'll be back again April.

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I'm a fan of the count-down clocks on pedestrian crosswalks, so this Stoplight Progress Bar seems like a natural. I've seen a few criticisms that it would encourage people to be even more aggressive when the light changes, but I'd like to not have to keep craning my neck to see if the other light is still green. [via Gizmodo]

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Trailer for NO DISTANCE TO RUN - the Blur documentary. Whoo-hooh!

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CARDON COPY: A New York graphic designer finds handwritten signs of the lost-dog variety and replaces them with with some very impressive works of custom designed sign art. [via It's Nice That]

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Hey....

2009-05-31T09:21:00.003-05:00

"What I do at work when I'm supposed to be working." - Art created on company time using company office supplies.

Oh, hey...look at this....

2009-05-30T17:55:00.007-05:00

WHEN YOU'RE STRANGE: A film About the Doors

New documentary on the Doors looks pretty solid. I've been listening to a lot of Doors lately, so I'm particularly interested in seeing this now.

------------------------------------------------

On the first few listens the new Cheap Trick song is kicking my ass. From what I've read the new album sounds like it should be pretty solid. And you can get it on 8-Track!

------------------------------------------------

Holy Fong!!! Miriam from Kicks Magazine / Norton Records / the A-Bones / Zantees has a blog. And of course, like anything she does, it's cool.

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CARTS OF DARKNESS: A pretty cool documentary on the homeless bottle and can collectors in Vancouver that also happen to race carts over 50 MPH down hills. You can watch the whole thing here, and if you get more than a few minutes it you'll end up watching the whole thing. The best description I read calls it a "a mixture of This American Life, Jackass and Strange Brew".

3,600 VHS Covers (and nothing to watch)

2009-04-19T12:29:00.012-05:00

Here's a gallery of 3,600 VHS covers featuring a host of long forgotten movies. If you rented videos in the 80's or 90's you no doubt stumbled upon many of these clunkers that plagued most video store shelves. A lot of these look so bad I doubt they even made it to cable. [via metafilter]

Hmmmmm.........

2009-02-15T15:30:00.003-06:00

GRAPHICS: I love these "movie posters" for the SciFi Channel from an Italian Ad agency. Great concept and nicely executed. I hope there are more. (Click to enlarge, or better yet, go see all three at I Believe in Advertising).

some new sketchbook doodles

2009-02-02T15:07:00.003-06:00

Easing back into the blog with a few sketchbook doodles. Click on the image if you'd like to see it bigger.

Some recent albums I've been digging

2009-01-31T10:11:00.004-06:00

Here are a few recent purchases that I've been digging lately.

AC NEWMAN - Get Guilty (2009)
Very solid 2nd solo album from the New Pornographers/Zumpano front man. Newman writes great pop songs that are incredibly catchy without being obvious. As with his last solo record, it's the unique arrangements and odd instrumental flourishes that really put these songs over the top. As much as I like the New Porno records, I think his solo records, while not as immediate, are more consistent and get more play on my stereo.

PPP (fka Platinum Pied Pipers) - Abundance (2009)
Funk/Soul/R&B from Detroit with a big sound (horns, strings, lots of synths, rich female vocals, and a full band) and super production. I know nothing about these guys (the core is producer Waajeed and multi-instrumentalist Saadiq) other than that this record apparently sounds nothing like their past work, which was more Hip-Hop based. There's no rapping here - it's straight ahead R&B singing with some nice ballads and few strong mid tempo numbers. But what really hooked me are the half album's worth of danceable funk/pop songs that sound like a hybrid of Prince and Outkast (and occasionally Funkadelic). It's been a while since I've loved an R&B record all the way through as much as this one. If this doesn’t make my year end best of list in 12 months then it's been one of a year.

IAIN MATTHEWS - Tigers Will Survive (1971), If You Saw Thro' My Eyes (1971), and Journeys from Gospel Oak (1972)
I just recently discovered these early solo albums from former Fairport Convention singer Iain Matthews, but they've very quickly become favorites. His sweet voice works perfect with the material, which falls into the American country rock genre with a few hints at his British folk past, and at times straight ahead pop rock. There are traces of CSN&Y and some of these songs like they could have been the blueprint for the first few Eagles records. I also hear a little bit of the first few Band records, Flying Burrito Brothers, and even some Loudon Wainwright III on the few straight folk songs. In the mid 80's I bought his record of Jules Shear covers, which came out on Widham Hill and was produced with the same blandness of the Windham Hill's new age records. That's probably what kept me away from his other records for so long, but these albums are so damn strong I'm amazed that it took so long for me to finally connect with them.

EXPLORER's CLUB - Freedom Wind (2008)
I have a problem with reviews that compare albums to the Beach Boys, since most of the time the comparison is trivial or doesn't hold up at all. But in this instance, it's pretty damn obvious that late 60's Beach Boys is main reference point for this South Carolina band. The harmonies, the production, the instrumentation, the song style all point to Pet Sounds (in particular, but they touch on parts of the Beach Boys albums through Holland). On one hand, they could be a tribute band, but they manage to come up a collection of very strong songs and take the references into a very fresh sounding album. If you wished the Beach Boys made one more solid album in 1968 this could fill that void for you.

ANDREW BIRD - Noble Beast (2009)
I'm hit-and-miss with Andrew Bird's chamber pop, but since his last album had a few things I really dug I decided to roll the dice on this new one. Like everything he does - it SOUNDS great - mostly subtle, gorgeous pop songs with some eccentric instrumentation and delicate melodies. But at times he can be a bit precious for me and I wish a few songs were a bit more upbeat. Maybe I've just been too hyper lately to give in to his gentle delivery.

FIRES OF ROME - You Kingdom You (2009)
To be honest, the only reason I picked this up is because it was one of the first appealing releases of 2009 and after spending a month relistening to 2008 releases for my year end list I was itching for something brand new. I was pleasantly surprised to end up liking the whole damn thing. Musically they pull from a hodge-podge of genres including mid 70's glam, dance punk, early 80's new wave, and post punk - making for a very eclectic collection of songs. At one point it sounds like a glammy Shudder to Think and then suddenly it sounds like a more pop Les Savy Fav. I don't really know how to describe them since they’re all over the board, and I'm not sure I'll dig this as much in six months, but for now it's been a fun listen.

My top 30 Albums of 2008

2008-12-22T16:42:00.008-06:00

These are the records that I enjoyed most and played often in 2008....

1. KAISER CHIEFS - Off With Their Heads (B-Unique/Polydor)
- For their third album, the Chiefs deliver a fun collection of new-wavey Brit-Rock with giant hooks, danceable beats, and sing-along choruses. (site) (site)

2. PARTS & LABOR - Receivers (Jagjaguwar)
- Brooklyn's Parts & Labor somehow combine a dissonant wall of keyboard and guitar fuzz noise with droning rhythms and end up with an album of very memorable songs that could almost be called poppy. At times they remind me of a cross between Stereolab and the Wedding Present. (site)

3. JAY REATARD - Matador Singles '08 (Matador)
- Hyper lo-fi pop songs with a garage rock feel and pop-punk energy. Like a hybrid of American indie-rock with late 70's UK glam. (site) (site)

4. PAS/CAL – I Was Raised on Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Laura (Le Grand Magistery)
- The debut album from Detroit’s Pas/Cal is a wondrous Summery pop record that effortlessly shifts from Beach Boys-like harmonies to intricate baroque pop to subtle Belle & Sebastianish melodies to early 70’s art pop flourishes. This is an ambitious pop record full of ideas that could have gotten overwhelmed in pretension in the hands of a lesser band. (site) (site)

5. the LAST SHADOW PUPPETS - The Age of the Understatement (Domino)
- Side project from main guys from Arctic Monkeys and (the current UK band) Rascals, which is better and more consistent than either band’s records. The obvious reference point is mid 60’s pop, with lush orchestral arrangements that make the songs sound almost cinematic. (site)

6. the BASEBALL PROJECT - Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails (Yep Roc)
- Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate) and Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5, and auxiliary REM member) team up for an album of love songs to the sport of baseball. Their passion for the sport and its history come out in the lyrics, but this record still stands up on it’s musically as a collection of diverse styles. The Gary-Glitter-stomp-meets-Americana-indie-rock of “Ted Fucking Williams” might be my favorite song of 2008. (site)

7. the HOLD STEADY - Stay Positive (Vagrant)
- On their fourth album Craig Finn finally manages to cram his volumes of lyrics into songs without sacrificing any melody or sounding too busy. This is classic guitar rock for the underground crowd and the most accessible album the Hold Steady have made. (site)

8. LONGWAVE - Secrets Are Sinister (Original Signal Recordings)
- Epic shoe-gazer rock from New York with huge guitars and a solid batch of atmospheric songs that just keep getting larger. (site)

9. ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO - Real Animal (Back Porch)
- Maybe it’s Tony Visconti’s production or co-writing the whole album with Chuck Prophet, but this is Alajandro’s strongest album, which is incredible coming off of the very strong Boxing Mirror. Alejandro takes the twang of American roots rock and plants it into the 70’s arena rock playbook. This is Springsteen is supposed to sound like. (site) (site)

10. JORDAN ZEVON - Insides Out (New West)
- The debut album from Warren’s son is a great power pop record in the tradition of mid period Marshall Crenshaw, Jason Falkner, Squeeze, and Michael Penn. (site)

11. SANTOGOLD - Santogold (Downtown)
- An eclectic kitchen sink of sounds and references including ska, dub, new wave, post-punk, pop, and hip-hop that for me delivered on the promises of MIA. (site)

12. the PIGEON DETECTIVES - Emergency
- Leeds' Pigeon Detectives play what is admittedly a generic brand of energetic guitar pop in vogue in the UK the past few years, but they write songs that are just a little catchier and sharper than most of their contemporaries. The biggest fault of this album is that it lacks diversity, but the one trick they do, they do wonderfully. (site)

13. BRIAN ENO and DAVID BYRNE - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (todo Mundo)
- At this stage in my life there is something very comforting in David Byrne’s voice, which is probably what made me keep coming back to this album, growing on me a bit more with each listen. The songs are subtle pop songs in tune with Byrne’s solo work, but with Eno’s diverse audio ideas taking them to another level. (site)

14. SLOAN - Parallel Play (Murder / Yep Roc)
- It’s easy to take Sloan for granted, since they seem to effortlessly write strong pop songs pulled from a seemingly endless source of influences. This doesn’t live up to 2006’s fabulous Never Hear the End of It, but it’s still a solid collection of songs from one of the most reliable pop bands making records. (site)

15. the TING TINGS - We Started Nothing (Columbia/ Red Ink)
- Bubblegum dancefloor disco with one foot firmly planted in the 80’s. Nothing ground breaking here, but it’s fun as hell and several of these songs have been popping in my head more than anything else this year. (site)

16. THESE NEW PURITANS - Beat Pyramid (Domino)
- Herky jerky post-punk rock from the UK with a heavy debt to the Fall. The songs are manic bursts of chaotic energy that demand your attention. (site)

17. JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE - the Good Life (Bloodshot)
- For his debut album Justin draws on Hank Williams, Jimmie Rogers, 1940’s folk, early acoustic blues, and hillbilly swing to create an album of subdued old-time country twang. The songwriting is top notch and the delivery sincere, making the album feel authentically vintage rather than a calculated recreation of a bygone era. This is my favorite country record of the past few years. (site)

18. the DODOS - Visitor (French Kiss)
- The second album from San Francisco duo the Dodos sounds like it could have come out on Flying Nun along with Tall Dwarfs and Chris Knox. They combine tribal drumming and indie folk rock acoustic guitars with assorted other sounds, but it’s the quality of the songwriting that brings this from just interesting to must hear. (site) (site)

19. the BLACK HOLLIES - Casting Shadows (Ernest Jenning)
- Many bands have repackaged the sounds of 60’s psychedelia over the years, but few have been able to do it as well or convincing as these East Coast garage revivalists. They sound sincere in their love of the genre and fuzzed out guitar raving rather than being kitchy about it. (site)

20. SEUN KUTI - Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Disorient)
- The younger of Fela’s sons delivers a groove heavy afrofunk album in the tradition of his father’s later work (thanks in part to having a large portion of Fela’s Egypt 80 band). The rhythms are absolutely hypnotic and the horns sound fantastic. Femi Kuti also put out a fine album this year, but Seun is the brother that delivered the stronger and more driving album. (site)

21. CUT COPY - In Ghost Colours (Modular Interscope)
- Sparkling synth filled electropop from Australia in the vein of mid 80’s OMD and New Order. The songs are lush and the production is very clean, making for a pleasurably consistent album. (site) (site)

22. TEENAGERS - Reality Check (Beggars Xl Recording)
- (site)

23. SPINTO BAND - Moonwink (Park the Van)
- (site) (site)

24. AL STEWART - Sparks of Ancient Light (Appleseed)
- It’s been a long road for Al since “Year of the Cat” and “Time Passages”, and I’ll admit I’m not familiar most of his other 15+ albums or even knew he was still recording, but stumbling upon this was a pleasant surprise. With Laurence Juber (Wings) helping out on guitar, Stewart plays enjoyable folk-pop with intelligent lyrics dealing with assorted historical narratives. (site)

25. the KILLS - Midnight Boom (Domino)
- (site)

26. TOKYO POLICE CLUB – Elephant Shell (Saddle Creek)
- (site) (site)

27. WHY? - Alopecia (Anticon)
- (site)

28. the BUG - London Zoo (Ninja Tune)
- (site)

29. ROBERT FORSTER - Evangelist (Yep Roc)
- (site)

30. GANG GANG DANCE - Saint Dymphna (The Social Registry)
- (site)

Some other contenders…

PORTISHEAD - Third (Mercury)(site) (site)

EL GUINCHO - Alegranza! (Beggars Xl Recording)
(site)

FIREMAN - Electric Arguments (Ato Records/Red)
(site)

the REDUCERS - Guitars, Bass & Drums (Rave On)
(site) (site)

PAUL COLLINS BEAT - Ribbon of Gold (Rock Indiana/Get Hip) (site)

FEMI KUTI - Day by Day (Downtown) (site)

SUPERGRASS - Diamond Hoo Ha (Astralwerks)
(site) (site)

WRECKLESS ERIC and AMY RIGBY - Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby (Stiff)
(site)

Post-it note doodle a-go-go!

2008-12-16T09:18:00.002-06:00

some vinyl and record shopping themed post-it note doodles

2008-12-11T16:32:00.004-06:00

I'm not exactly sure why, but lots of the doodles I've done recently have vinyl in them or involve record shopping.

and here are 4 more that have nothing to do with vinyl...

a new mix disc....

2008-12-08T12:09:00.003-06:00

This is a mix made for the December 2008 MetaFilter MixSwap. The title and captions are technically MetaFilter inside jokes - maybe not actually funny, but a MeFite would understand why they're supposed to be funny.

1. SUPER DELUXE - Lizadrin (Famous 1995)
2. JAPANTHER - Um Like Your Smile Is Totally Ruling Me (Tut Tut Now Shake Ya Butt 2008)
3. BUZZCOCKS - Totally from the Heart (All Set 1996)
4. THIN LIZZY - Mexican Blood (Renegade 1981)
5. DAVID BYRNE and BRIAN ENO - Life Is Long (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today 2008)
6. the CREATION - Biff Bang Pow (b-side of "Painter Man" 1966)
7. DEAF SCHOOL - Where's the Weekend (2nd Honeymoon 1976)
8. the SPINTO BAND - Summer Grof (Moonwink 2008)
9. RICK NELSON - Today's Teardrops (single 1963)
10. JENNY LEWIS with the WATSON TWINS - the Big Guns (Rabbit Fur Coat 2006)
11. the EQUALS - the Guy Who Made Her a Star (Sensational 1968)
12. the dBs - Happenstance (Repercussion 1982)
13. PAS-CAL - Little Red Radio (I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura 2008)
14. the TIGHTS - It (single 1978)
15. KING COLEMAN - Dressed In Plaid (circa 1960s - from the It's Dance Time comp)
16. FOUNTAINS of WAYNE - A Busty Lad (from VH1's Hey Joel 2003)
17. the DIODES - Jenny's in a Sleep World (Released 1979)
18. AL STEWART - Angry Bird (Sparks of Ancient Light 2008)
19. CHRIS KNOX - Heart Failure (Polyfoto, Duck-Shaped Pain and Gum (1993)
20. ADVERTISING - Ich Liebe Dich (Advertising Jingles 1978)
21. ELMER GANTRY'S VELVET OPERA - Lookin' For A Happy Life (Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera 1968)
22. TSOL - Flowers by the Door (Change Today 1984)
23. GRAVEL PIT - the Ballad of Ezra Messenger (Silver Gorilla 1999)
24. LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III - Hollywood Hopeful (T Shirt 1976)
25. HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT - Totnes Bickering Fair (CSI Ambleside 2008)
26. WARNER MACK - the Bridge Washed Out (single 1965)
27. DELLA RESSE - Why Don't You Do Right (Della Della Cha Cha Cha 1961)
28. CHRIS DIFFORD - Broken Family (the Last Temptation of Chris 2008)

some Post-It Note doodles...

2008-12-05T13:06:00.002-06:00

some more unused phrases and never used song titles.....

2008-12-03T15:19:00.004-06:00

More words accumulated into phrases for really no practical reason...

the Cadillac of Clown Colleges

the Devil's Inbox

You Couldn't Say That in Church

House Mother Coup

the New Hugh Beaumont

Lip Reader's Glasses

Self Referential and Made of Wood

Bo Donaldson's House of a Single Hit

(Like a) Garlic Press for Christmas

Crack-Me-Nots

Faux Heart Breaking

Underwriting Your Tales of Woe

the Grief Counsellor's Office Birthday Party

Wet Dog Double Talk

I don't try to write songs anymore, but I still keep writing down possible song titles, which also double as potential mix disc titles or ideas for cartoon captions.

some sketchpad doodles

2008-12-02T17:55:00.002-06:00

a few more sketchbook pages...

2008-12-01T16:06:00.002-06:00

some more unused song titles and/or phrases....

2008-11-30T13:06:00.006-06:00

More random phrases and unused song titles currently residing in the back of my Moleskine notebook....

Trial by Pliers

Three Legged Dog Days

Crapload of Told-you-so's

Sigmund Freud's Blurry Holiday Snaps

Fiercely Mediocre

the Riot Act Starter Kit

Ass End of the Gift Horse

So Wrong You're Right Again

Viking Head Shots

I Wanna Be Your Butcher

Around the World in a Shoe Box

One Nation Underwhelmed

Kitten Pic-a-gogo!

2008-11-27T10:33:00.001-06:00

Blanche, Norma, and Hank....

some unused phrases for the taking

2008-11-22T22:59:00.007-06:00

Looking through an old Moleskine I found a list of phrases that I never ended up using. These were intended as song titles or possible mix disc titles, but never made it past a scribble in a notebook.
Evolutionary Line Jumpers

the Charles Bukowski Buffer Zone

Natural Selection and Your Choice of Potato

Driven to Drink (But Too Drunk To Drive)

the Kitch-Meisters Knick Knack Shelf

Reproach and Tackle

Monkey Wrencher's Folly

Three Cards Shy (of Four of a Kind)

the Contrarian's Yes Man

Self Appointed Thorn

Worse Case Piano

the Rembrandt of Office Supplies

A few of these I can still remember coming up with, but others I have no clue when they were written or what they hell they mean, if anything. I think I actually wrote a whole song for "Three Cards Shy (of Four of a Kind)" in my head in the car, but never wrote it down and now only the title remains.

Surf-a-gogo - Monday 11/17/08

2008-11-17T10:33:00.011-06:00

TILT SHIFT PHOTOGRAPHY - "Tilt-shift photography is a creative and unique type of photography in which the camera is manipulated so that a life-sized location or subject looks like a miniature-scale model." I'm not sure how I've never heard of this, but this is so incredibly cool. Photo above is from this flickr user and the two below are from this site. [via]

I am strangely drawn to these inside-out teddy bears made and photographed by Kent Rogowski. They're just regular teddy bears turned inside out and restuffed. Somehow they manage to be just a little weird rather than "come to life and kill you in your sleep" creepy.[via]

Timesuck: Looking for another online drum machine? Behold the JS-909.

a few more sketchbook pages and post it note doodles....

2008-10-29T12:04:00.004-05:00

first new mix disc in over a year....

2008-10-25T12:39:00.003-05:00

1. Doug Sheldon - Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night (1961)
2. the Baseball Project - Ted Fucking Williams (Volume 1: Frozen Ropes And Dying Quails 2008)
3. Richard Lloyd - Fire Engine (Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson 1990)
4. the Insomniacs - Help! Murder! Police! (Out of It 1997)
5. the Damned - Fan Club (Damned Damned Damned 1977)
6. Linus Of Hollywood - I Enjoy Being A Boy (In Love With You) (Right to Chews (Bubblegum Classics Revisited)
7. Cookies - Chains (single 1962)
8. Al Stewart - Angry Bird (Sparks Of Ancient Light 2008)
9. the Greenberry Woods - Sentimental Role (Rapple Dapple 1994)
10. the Last Shadow Puppets - Separate And Ever Deadly (The Age Of The Understatement 2008)
11. Charles Senns - Dig Me A Crazy Record (single 1958)
12. Jordan Zevon - Just Do That (Insides Out 2008)
13. the Beatles - Anna (the Early Beatles 1965)
14. Merle Haggard - I'm Gonna Break Every Heart I Can (Strangers 1965)
15. D.A.D. - Sleeping My Day Away (No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims 1989)
16. the Fleshtones - Jet Set Fleshtones (Take a Good Look 2008)
17. the Kills - Alphabet Pony (Midnight Boom 2008)
18. Didjits - Evel Knievel (Hornet Pinata 1990)
19. Half Man Half Biscuit - Bad Losers On Yahoo! Chess (CSI Ambleside 2008)
20. the Jam - he Eton Rifles (Setting Sons 1979)
21. Cheap Trick - You Let a Lotta People Down (Cheap Trick 1997)
22. Crazyhead - What Gives You The Idea That You're So Amazing Baby? (Desert Orchid 1988)
23. David Bowie - Up the Hill Backwards (Scary Monsters 1980)
24. the Tights - It (Cherry Red: the Punk Singles Collection - late 70's)
25. the Boomtown Rats - (I Never Loved) Eva Braun (A Tonic for the Troops 1978)
26. Angst - Neil Armstrong (Angst EP 1983)
27. Was (Not Was) - the Party Broke Up (Born To Laugh At Tornados 1983)

Sketchbook-a-gogo - a few more pages of cartoons

2008-10-22T23:03:00.003-05:00

some Post-It Note doodles

2008-10-07T12:40:00.004-05:00

Killing time with a pen and post-it pad over the past week.

I've been trying to draw something everyday, so when time is tight or I just don't want to break out the sketchb ook I've been reaching for the post-it notes.

Illustration Friday: Sugary

2008-10-03T13:19:00.003-05:00

This week's Illustration theme is Sugary, which made me think of Pixie Stix and bubblegum music. I took the Pixie Stix route.

Done during lunch with Tombo markers and a colored pencil.

Some recent doodles from the Moleskine sketchbook

2008-09-27T17:49:00.003-05:00

----------

Poo on the web

2008-08-29T08:39:00.006-05:00

Nice piece from the Guardian's Music Blog (always worth reading) about rock's best bass players. As with many of their music blog posts, some of the best stuff is in the comments. Lots of intelligent discussions and I'm always amazed at what readers turn up (Kev Hopper of Stump!?!).

Also worth checking out - Readers recommend: songs about hero worship. Actually, all of the "Readers recommend" pieces are worth checking out.

-------------------------------------

Mix Magazine's CLASSIC TRACKS pieces are online and feature lots of great behind the scenes stories on lots of great songs. Some of my favorite songs are here, including "Surrender", "California Dreamin", "London Calling", "Mexican Radio" and lots more. Many of these are not the typical songs that get put under the rock writing microscope. (via)

3 new kittens at the Slack household

2008-08-11T08:54:00.002-05:00

We have officially become "those crazy cat people", as we have now adopted three kittens. That brings the cat total up to five when you add our 2 12 year olds, Charlie Hodges and Chinaski.

The cats were born about six weeks ago to a stray cat that hangs out outside a friend's house. Up until a few days ago, they were outdoor cats. We picked them up Saturday - took them to the vet - and brought them home.

ABOVE: On their way to their first vet appointment.

The new kids are

Blanche

Norma

and Hank

There has been quite a lot of ooohing and ahhing the past 2 days.

a few more pages from the Moleskine sketchbook

2008-08-05T00:22:00.003-05:00

The bottom cartoon is a nod to both North By Northwest and Peanuts.

Illustration Friday: Poof

2008-08-05T00:05:00.005-05:00

One minute you're a beloved children's icon and then --poof!-- you're just another rabbit in a bar.

A quick cartoon for this week's Illustration Friday.

some more hot marker on paper sketchbook page action...

2008-08-01T15:02:00.002-05:00

more ticket stub nostalgia

2008-08-01T14:57:00.003-05:00

more sketchbook pages

2008-07-29T23:02:00.004-05:00

The self portrait is about as accurate as the Marty Feldman....

Sketchbook-a-gogo - some more sketchbook pages

2008-07-26T11:14:00.003-05:00

Trying to draw at least a page a day is resulting in some amazingly lackluster pages...

The woman in the head scarf is supposed to be Jo Anne Worley. Yeah, I know....

some more sketchbook pages (including my first ever nude!!!)

2008-07-22T13:27:00.003-05:00

a few more pages of from my sketchbook....

Not including the crude nudies I drew in grade school to elicit chuckles from other ne'er-do-wells, here it is, my first nude:

Part one in a hopefully never finished 5 part series: the Avery Schreiber Nudes. There appears to be a dearth of Avery Schreiber nudes lately, and hopefully this series will remedy that. Perhaps by the fifth one I'll actually draw genetalia. Yeah, that's the ticket!

This ended up looking nothing like it was supposed to. The original idea was to make it good, but, you know...

yup....a few more sketchbook pages

2008-07-19T11:31:00.003-05:00

The guy on the right started out as Walter Matthau but ended up as a guy that looks nothing like Walter Matthau.

Sketchbook-a-gogo - more sketchbook pages

2008-07-15T22:53:00.004-05:00

I totally cheated on the building on the upper left and pressure traced the outline onto the Moleskine page. Otherwise it would have looked even worse and there'd be no actual perspective.

The whole dang sketchbook is over here if you're that way inclined.

Surf-a-gogo

2008-07-10T08:27:00.003-05:00

A good quick read: The text to Patton Oswalt's graduation speech to his high school alma mater. As usual with Patton, the speech is funny and insightful, but my favorite bit actually a Bob Hope quote that I'd never heard:

Bob Hope once said, “When I was twenty, I worried what everything thought of me. When I turned forty, I didn’t care what anyone thought of me. And then I made it to sixty, and I realized no one was ever thinking of me.” And then he pooed his pants, but that didn’t make what he said any less profound.

[via MeFi]

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Sketchbook-a-gogo: some more doodles

2008-07-09T23:26:00.003-05:00

Surf-a-gogo

2008-07-06T12:38:00.004-05:00

Hmmmmm: Hey look, it's Little Jack and the Shit Box! It's from the Brown Corporation which makes me laugh. They say it's comfortable, which I'm not so sure about.

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Surf-a-gogo

2008-07-03T10:59:00.003-05:00

TRAILER: A "scissor reel" trailer for ROTTEN LOVES AMERICA is available online. According to JohnLydon.com they still don't know where it'll air (if anywhere).

Surf-a-gogo

2008-07-02T17:23:00.004-05:00

FILM: Metropolis footage thought lost for past 80 years discovered. "After the premiere in 1927, the film was starkly edited. Since then, the original version was considered lost... minor characters get a leading role, some of the movie’s key scenes become dramatic and more understandable. "

Martin Koerber, the restorer of the hitherto longest known version of “Metropolis”, who also examined the footage, said to ZEITmagazin: “No matter how bad the condition of the material may be, the original intention of the film, including all of its minor characters and subplots, is now once again tangible for the normal viewer. The rhythm of the film has been restored.” (via MeFi)

Surf-a-gogo

2008-06-30T14:46:00.006-05:00

Bullit Geocoded: A very cool geocoding of the one of the greatest car chase scenes of all time - the famouse sequence from Bullit. It might take a bit to load, but it's well worth the wait, even if just for another excuse to watch the scene again. (via MissLynster's MeFi post).

And when Bullit comes up on MeFi, the killer driving scene from Rendezvous always comes up. Apples and oranges.

Surf-a-gogo

2008-06-28T10:28:00.011-05:00

Art and Music: Irish artists and creatives reimagine their favorite album covers in this great flirckr set from Candy Karaoke. That Ramones one is kicking my ass. (via Pica and Pixel)

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Film Images: There are over 5,000 movie title screens online in Steven Hill's amazing collection. I spent way too long browsing and still didn't even scratch the surface. Below are a few of my favorite stills for movies I've never seen.

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Sketchbook-a-gogo: some more doodles

2008-06-24T23:19:00.002-05:00

a new MuxTape

2008-06-22T08:52:00.004-05:00

I changed out my MuxTape with a dozen songs from 1984. I didn't start out making a 1984 mix, but when I noticed the first few songs I loaded were from 1984 I decided to run with it. For some reason MuxTape wouldn't allow me to upload songs from two of my favorite albums from that year: XTC's Big Express and Dream Syndicate's Medicine Show. Just click on the first song and listen away.

Surf-a-gogo - stuff online

2008-06-20T13:14:00.007-05:00

YouTube: Requiem for a Day Off combines Ferris Bueller's Day Off reedited into a coming attraction using the ominous score to Requiem for a Dream to hilarious effect. It should be shorter, but it's amazing how many scenes in Ferris Bueller can be taken out of context.

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ha ha (ha): "I think at this point people are just fucking with the record industry as a whole." - the Onion weighs in on declining CD sales and rising LP sales.

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trailer: the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, about an 80 year old man that ages backwards, looks promising. It stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett and I can't tell what the rating will be. It looks a little Family friendly, but it's directed by David Fincher (who's directed 3 of my favorite movies: se7en, Fight Club, and the Game), so it's got to be at least a little twisted.

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article of interest: "The Myth of Multitasking" (the New Atlantis) questions how much we're really getting done. 2 tidbits, a good quote and the obligatory comparison to drugs:

"In one of the many letters he wrote to his son in the 1740s, Lord Chesterfield offered the following advice: “There is time enough for everything in the course of the day, if you do but one thing at once, but there is not time enough in the year, if you will do two things at a time."”
. . . . . . .

"a Hewlett-Packard study found “Workers distracted by e-mail and phone calls suffer a fall in IQ more than twice that found in marijuana smokers.” "
(via)

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some Oaxaca Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) photos from 1998

2008-06-19T23:27:00.005-05:00

Some photos from a 1998 vacation to Oaxaca, Mexico for the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Click any pic to enlarge (via my flickr page) or go to my whole Oaxaca 1998 photo set.

Plenty more Oaxaca photos to scan in the near future.

My life in concerts - ticket stubs, ticket stubs, ticket stubs!

2008-06-16T08:11:00.005-05:00

Some old ticket stubs, including my first concert - the Who in 1982.

A few more here.

Surf-a-gogo: more stuff of interest

2008-06-14T09:24:00.009-05:00

MOVIE: I have absolutely no interest in wine, so I'm not sure why I'm so looking forward to Bottle Shock (trailer here) - a film about California's assault on the French wine dominance in 1976. Alan Rickman looks perfectly cast, and I love one of the reviews: "Rocky for wine aficionados".

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COOL: Blood Puddle Pillows are pillows that look like...well.....puddles of blood.

Surf-a-gogo - Did you see.....

2008-06-13T16:45:00.007-05:00

If you haven't yet, check out Doug Savage's SAVAGE CHICKENS cartoon. It is consistently one of the funniest gag cartoons I've seen in ages. And they're done on Post-It notes.

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Joel Schick's recreations of classic art with Muppets are pretty damn funny. (via)

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Some pretty amazing pictures of earth from Space Shuttle Discovery. Pictured here is a dust storm appears over the Sahara Desert.

Illustration Friday: Punchline

2008-06-13T09:54:00.002-05:00

An old punchline to an even older set-up.