MAJESTIC 12

AS YOU HAVE NOTICED I AM NOT BLOGGING

2010-02-26T09:31:00.000-08:00

i've sort of stopped doing this and i'm sorry. BUT you can still read my writing about music, in the following places:

PRETTY MUCH AMAZING
legit reviews and stuff
TUMBLR
little blurbs
8TRACKS
i usually make little mixes about ideas or concepts or playlists that reflect stories that i write. it's really fun to think about how certain songs play on each other or add into certain ideas. i suggest you get an account too, lots of fun.

thanks! i'll update if i start writing anywhere else. thanks for reading this.

i am still blogging about my other passion, HOT DUDES IN PLAID.

FAVORITE SONGS OF 2009

2010-01-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

you can stream my FAVORITE SONGS OF THE YEAR at 8tracks.

"THE REAL CHRISTMAS"

2010-01-03T19:11:00.001-08:00

is vampire weekend's contra, which you can stream on myspace....
HOLY
SHIT
HOLY
SHIT
HOLYYYYYYYY
SHITTTTTT.

someday i'll review this for real, but today is not the day. my favorite as of now is diplomat's son, which is the most left-field ridiculous insane beautiful thing i've heard in so long. best start to the decade i could ever imagine.

http://www.myspace.com/vampireweekend

WHITE SKY

2009-12-16T18:30:00.001-08:00

you can listen to the song that has defined my life since i first heard it on vampire weekend's myspace.

i would like to also point out that today, december 17 2009, is my two year anniversary with this band. two years ago today i downloaded cape cod kwassa kwassa and that radiohead cover whilst sitting at my dad's computer doing work for my job. this is the best present i could imagine on our anniversary, thanks guys

SORRY

2009-12-16T14:28:00.001-08:00

about my lack of updates. i have really been posting nothing and i apologize to the five people who read this blog. i'm going to make it up to you now, though.
on a whim the other day i decided to download the complete beirut discography. zach condon is a truly impressive songwriter. his work really has to be heard to be believed. and he's so young, which is stunning and really inspiring.

I MEAN, LISTEN TO THAT GOD DAMN VOICE.

2009 IN LISTS

2009-12-08T12:44:00.000-08:00

gonna keep some of my classic lists from LAST YEAR and spice it up a bit with some new ones too. but! NO REPEATS!

TOP 4 TIMES I SAW VAMPIRE WEEKEND IN 2009
1. all points west, 7.31
2. columbia university, 4.18
3. some random studio in midtown manhattan, 7.22
4. new york times building, 1.12

TOP 5 HOTTIES I SPENT THE MAJORITY OF CONCERTS STARING AT IN 2009
1. CHRIS BEAR, drums, grizzly bear
2. HAMILTON LEITHAUSER, singing, the walkmen
3. ALEX SCALLY, guitar, beach house
4. LUKE TEMPLE, singing / guitar, here we go magic
5. ROBIN PECKNOLD, singing / guitar, fleet foxes

TOP 3 "MAINSTREAM" SONGS I REALLY UNDENIABLY LOVED IN 2009
1. lady gaga's "bad romance"
2. lady gaga's "poker face"
3. lady gaga's "paparazzi"

TOP 3 SONGS IN WITH SOME VOCALS IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE
1. very best + ezra koenig "warm heart of africa" (not sure what language this is)
2. maluca "el tigeraso" (spanish)
3. fool's gold "surprise hotel" (hebrew)

TOP 5 HOT ACCENTS OF 2009
1. thomas mars, phoenix
2. everyone else in phoenix (when talking in interviews)
3. orlando weeks, the maccabees
4. sam eastgate, late of the pier
5. romy madley croft and oliver sim, the xx

TOP 5 BEST COVERS OF 2009
1. white hinterland "my love" (justin timberlake)
2. local natives "warning sign" (talking heads)
3. skeleton me "fireworks" (animal collective)
4. solange "stillness is the move" (dirty projectors)
5. britt daniel + white rabbits "instant karma" (john lennon)

BEST MUSTACHES OF 2009
the men of LOCAL NATIVES
namely singer and guitarist taylor rice (in nike shirt)

TOP 5 MOST AWESOME / RIDICULOUS LYRICS OF 2009
1. "when i saw you at the discotheque... send my vibe out to you" --- discovery, so insane
2. "i know the horizon is flat and motionless like the ekg of a dying woman" --- dirty projectors, temecula sunrise
3. "duel it duel it duel it jugulate duel it duel it" --- phoenix, lisztomania
4. "i just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls" --- animal collective, my girls
5. "in december drinking horchata i'd look psychotic in a balaclava" --- vampire weekend, horchata

TOP 5 SEXIEST JAMZ OF 2009
1. dirty projectors, stillness is the move
2. discovery, so insane
3. very best + MIA, rain dance
4. late of the pier, heartbeat
5. warpaint, krimson

BEST USE OF AN IPHONE IN 2009
THIS

TOP 5 RIDICULOUS / DUMB THINGS I DID FOR MUSIC IN 2009
1. stand outside a window in 40 degree weather to see white rabbits at a 21+ bar
2. wait for 2+ hours while katy perry cleaned her shit out of the studio at mtv unplugged so i could see vampire weekend tape mtv unplugged
3. stand in the mud/rain for 3+ hours to see fleet foxes, national, vampire weekend, yeah yeah yeahs, jay-z
4. arrive almost four hours early to williamsburg so i could get into grizzly bear
5. sleep on my friend's floor at smith college so that i could stay for the entirety of the walkmen's set at pearl street

TOP 5 THINGS I AM REALLY EXCITED FOR IN 2010
1. CONTRA
2. TRANSFERENCE
3. NEW YEASAYER! NEW ARCADE FIRE! NEW NATIONAL? NEW WALKMEN? NEW ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI?
4. seeing white rabbits inside a building
5. warpaint's full-length

TOP 5 BANDS THAT I EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM IN 2010
1. local natives
2. warpaint
3. sleigh bells
4. cloud nothings
5. two states

LOCAL NATIVES

2009-12-08T07:14:00.001-08:00

arcade fire + vampire weekend = local natives, and they are going to be huge in 2010. just you watch.

these dudes have oft-anthemic killer jamz and a transfixing amazing insane live show. i don't want to live in a universe where that does not spell SUCCESS.

proof:

SUN HANDS --- LOCAL NATIVES

WATCH IT LIVE for more proof

CLOUD NOTHINGS

2009-12-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

i am ashamed to admit that i looked up this band because of how cute they appeared in the brooklynvegan photo set that introduced me to their existence.

look at their bassist. you will understand

anyway, it turns out that they're really good. don't you love how that works out sometimes!

CAN'T STAY AWAKE --- CLOUD NOTHINGS

FAVORITE CONCERTS OF 2009

2009-12-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

i only did six last year, but i've seen sixty-seven bands so far this year (not counting the five bands i saw multiple times) and i felt like ten shows had to be represented. let's count backwards, shall we...

first, some props to beach house, hatcham social, here we go magic, andrew bird, and japandroids for putting on excellent shows this year that didn't make the cut.

10. WARPAINT 10.16 @ PEARL STREET NIGHTCLUB
having only heard elephants i expected good but not great and then there were three beautiful girls on this tiny stage who proceeded to make some of the most haunting, powerful, and gorgeous music i'd heard all year - well played, ladies.

9. DIRTY PROJECTORS 7.19 @ WILLIAMSBURG WATERFRONT
the sun set behind their heads: i see that my silhouette is golden, yeah; dancing, sunlight - dave and amber and angel and brian broke out some tracks from rise above and new attitude, "gimme i need some more don't ask what for."

8. RA RA RIOT 4.4 @ WEBSTER HALL
what i said then: "no one in this cavernous room stands still, and everything jitters electrically." this band deliver, constantly, without fail.

7. YEASAYER 8.13 @ A PIER ON THE LOWER WEST SIDE
ambling alp before we knew what it was, tightrope, sunrise, 2080 - all well and good, but what still sticks with me is wait for the wintertime, this intense sensual onslaught.

6, 5, 4.
FLEET FOXES,
THE NATIONAL,
VAMPIRE WEEKEND,
at ALL POINTS DAMP 2009
fleet foxes played, the gathering clouds eerily visible, an extraordinary and otherworldly cold breeze coming out of nowhere, and at the end of their set as if by magic it began to rain; the national came on and it started to pour and matt berninger sang with his eyes closed standing very still until mr. november when he came down with us and the crowd wrapped him up in open wet arms; vampire weekend came on and it was raining so hard they had to stop using half the cameras and toward the end of oxford comma one of the cameramen on stage snuck up behind ezra's back and the picture on the screen was that plaid shirt and that huge crowd and new york city behind us and this black black terrible beautiful sky. i knew vampire weekend could bring in the rain, and bring it they did - but the national and fleet foxes surprised me.

3. THE WALKMEN 9.20 @ PEARL STREET NIGHTCLUB
a foot off the floor on a low stage in a dark room hamilton leithauser screamed a song about someone named angela the way he yells everything, that fantastic and breathtaking and incredible yell, from somewhere i can't see in a skinny tall blonde guy, and the drums and the drums and the drums and the reverb on the guitar and the horns. the walkmen know what they are doing.

2. FOOL'S GOLD 11.21 @ PEARL STREET NIGHTCLUB
jamming out a song of seven minutes in length into possibly fifteen ecstatic sweaty minutes of dancing with three afro-pop guitars and saxophone and countless means of percussion and melismatic hebrew vocals - does this sound like the most amazing fifteen minutes of your life, or does this sound like the most amazing fifteen minutes of your life.

1. GRIZZLY BEAR 5.29 @ TOWN HALL
this is summed up by a text i sent to my father while i was walking down the stairs out to the street with nicole afterwards. "gb just blew my mind off my face"

still coming: favorite songs, what i'm looking forward to in 2010, and a LIST SUMMARY of 2009 :)

FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2009

2009-12-03T16:48:00.000-08:00

i just made my top five list for pitchfork's reader's poll and figured i'd do it RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW for you guys!

runners up:
passion pit, manners
phoenix, wolfgang amadeus phoenix
various, dark was the night
it's frightening, white rabbits

#5 FOOL'S GOLD, FOOL'S GOLD

NADINE

#4 DIRTY PROJECTORS, BITTE ORCA

REMADE HORIZON (LIVE FOR WXPN)

#3 LATE OF THE PIER, FANTASY BLACK CHANNEL

SPACE AND THE WOODS

#2 DISCOVERY, LP

SO INSANE

#1 GRIZZLY BEAR, VECKATIMEST

CHEERLEADER

this top 5 is not very diverse in terms of place --- three bands from brooklyn, one from LA, one from britain. i think it is very diverse in terms of sound (and even moreso when we consider the runners-up!) starting off with fool's gold, a very world-beat album, to dave longstreth's deconstructed talking headsy/pop opus, to synthed out british eighties revivalist new wave, to an electronic pop album by two guys who helm orchestral indie bands, to VECK, FUCKING VECK, far and away the greatest thing i heard this year, total pure gorgeous quasi-pastoral dizzy orchestrations. beautiful.
but seriously, all these albums are so different and so great and real standouts in their respective fields. each one is worth your time!
this was a great year and i'm looking forward to 2010 more than anything.
i'm going to do favorite songs, concerts, and things i'm looking forward to next year. i'm in the middle of writing little blurbs and stories about every song, i'm excited for you to read them!

WRITTEN IN REVERSE

2009-11-30T20:31:00.001-08:00

TIME FOR YOU GUYS TO HEAR THE FIRST SINGLE FROM SPOON'S TRANSFERENCE.

WRITTEN IN REVERSE. it takes some NPR spelunking to find it, but i'm sure you'll be able to. that piano intro.... dear god in heaven. if my roommates were not in my room i probably would've screamed out loud. something about that piano is sooooo sexy. i don't even know what it is.
i'm sure you REMEMBER THIS POST... well, my feelings have not changed.

BONUS FLASHBAQ TIME: SPOON LIVE SOMEWHERE IN KNOXVILLE IN JUNE OF 1996. i was FIVE YEARS OLD when this show was recorded and it's full of some of my favorite spoon songs. take a walk doesn't even have real lyrics yet BUT IT'S SO SICK.

archive.org has a ton of spoon bootlegs you should check out. i'm making my way through all the pre-2000 ones! i can't believe i've only seen this band once --- and when i saw them i only knew gimme fiction stuff. NOW THAT I AM AWARE OF THEIR ENTIRE DISCOGRAPHY...

OLD SCHOOL DPZ

2009-11-30T12:09:00.000-08:00

lately i've been really into dirty projectors circa getty address (2005) and the new attitude ep (2006). both of these recordings precede the lineup pictured above and are totally ridiculous and awesome. to give you a hint: for getty address dave longstreth gathered together a touring lineup of about fifteen people which included TWO FLUTES, TWO SAXOPHONES, and TWO CELLOS.

anyway, here is a DIFFERENT LINEUP ENTIRELY doing two TOTAL JAMS for a college radio station in 2006. i wish more than anything that they had two sheep asleep up, but unfortunately they do not :( these recordings are amazing, though! check them out.

FUCKED FOR LIFE --- DIRTY PROJECTORS (from new attitude)
NOT HAVING FOUND --- DIRTY PROJECTORS (from getty address)

also, here's my favorite song from getty address, FINCHES' SONG AT OCEANIC PARKING LOT.

FOOL'S GOLD

2009-11-29T13:12:00.000-08:00

i went to go see fool's gold last weekend. sweet afro-pop jams, sung in hebrew, lots of percussion and saxophone. i wish i'd been into this in the summer. i've got to drive around playing their music ASAP!!
they're awesome live, let me tell you --- so much fun! such nice dudes, as well.

SURPRISE HOTEL --- FOOL'S GOLD
you can download this, just click "read full post."

and watch NADINE

IDIOT DRIVER IDIOT DRIVE

2009-11-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

reading decade-end lists really just makes me sad that people do not understand the pure unadulterated genius which is this band, spoon. their evolution as a band / sound absolutely blows my mind.

IDIOT DRIVER --- SPOON from telephono, released when i was five years old.

ME & MY YOU & YOUR

2009-11-16T19:04:00.001-08:00

edited out of the review i am writing on this for PMA:
I read Andre Breton’s Soluble Fish today and I was struck by this one line: “The ground beneath my feet is nothing but an enormous unfolded newspaper” and my heart and my head and everything in me read, after the word “is:” HOT GARBAGE AND CONCRETE AND NOW THE TOPS OF BUILDINGS I CAN SEE THEM, TOO. So maybe what I am getting at here is that I am not impartial and perhaps somewhat of a terrible liberal arts student, inserting song lyrics into world-renowned surrealist works. Throughout everything the point remains that I like a band called Vampire Weekend and I like them a lot because perhaps with some strange telepathy they are capable of making songs that sound like what I want music to sound like. Luis asked me to be objective with the misguided faith that objectivity was possible for me, but I have never been able to make sense of my love for this band. I cannot explain it to people when they laugh at the round and complex number of times that I have seen them play live (eight as of now, probably ten by February). But I will try to make sense of how much I love Cousins, which is the first single from their second album, which is called Contra.

you can read the finished review on pma when it's done, i'll link you. for now:

COUSINS --- VAMPIRE WEEKEND (LISTEN ON PMA)

you can now read my completed review there as well.

PARDON ME WHILE I BECOME RELIGIOUS

2009-11-16T06:16:00.000-08:00

GET THE MOTION --- SAM BUCK ROSEN
this song is so hot, i can't even get over it. i forgot how hot it was. the saxophone! the sexy lo-fi fuzz! the voice! gah! everything! lately i've been listening to it on virb because it was UNAVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD.
BUT NOT ANYMORE

if you do one thing that i recommend today, make it this thing. download this song right now, seriously. and then get down.

ps. this shuffled on my computer into lady gaga's recently leaked "fame monster" which is INCREDIBLE. seriously, go get your hands on that for sure.

200

2009-11-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

in honor of my two hundredth post and the constant youtube linking i've been doing lately, here's a fantastic, fantastic, fantastic cover i discovered by born ruffians' luke lalonde and his sister in a garage somewhere in canada, doing animal collective's fireworks.

all the singing in this is perfect. i love how luke does that whole "i've been eating with a good friend..." part. he has such a fantastic voice.

i've just rediscovered my love for born ruffians. every time i am on the radio i play something of theirs.

HOLIDAY SHORES

2009-11-13T08:18:00.000-08:00

this florida quintet sounds like the walkmen covering vampire weekend. aka, AWESOME.

OH MAN

2009-11-12T20:33:00.001-08:00

born ruffians' new album is going to be AWESOME if the rest of it's anything like this. how GREAT is 2:30??? luke lalonde might be one of the best young songwriters out there. just sayin. but, i mean, come on.

B I LL IEHO L ID A Y

2009-11-08T19:48:00.000-08:00

these girls are truly incredible. you should see them live, too!

jenny lee lindberg (center in this video) is a phenomenal bass player, you really have to listen to believe it. even when the songs start off as moody dueling-guitar jams --- just listen.
KRIMSON --- WARPAINT

INSTANT KARMA

2009-11-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

lennon's instant karma covered by the inimitable white rabbits with the inimitable mr. britt daniel (can i marry your voice please). i am only blogging about three bands now, have you noticed?

I LIED

2009-11-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

there are days when i try to deny that my heart beats to the tune of merchants of soul. those are days when i lie to myself.

MYSTERY ZONE --- SPOON. here is a song from transference.
MONKEY FEELINGS --- SPOON. here is an old and fantastic b-side.

because i am required to mention white rabbits in this post:

percussion gun on TV with britt daniel on piano (don't tell me you didn't recognize him in the lower left with his distinctive nose and all). i died a little bit when i went to watch this and jimmy kimmel said "with a little help from britt daniel from spoon." oh god, universe! you're trying to kill me!

ALSO WHITE RABBITS. I'M ONLY GOING TO BLOG ABOUT TWO BANDS EVER AGAIN OR AT LEAST UNTIL TRANSFERENCE LEAKS

2009-11-02T12:14:00.001-08:00

(bonus points for one of my favorite band photos ever)

WHITE RABBITS FOR DAYTROTTER
as always, the little essay by sean moeller is a perfect encapsulation of what makes this band so fucking great. foxhunting especially sounds fantastic recorded here. i love what this band do with their multitude of instruments - that whole fuzz section at the end with the piano sounds so ethereal and terrifying. i am beginning to realize why they called their album "it's frightening."

also, i mean, how many radically different incarnations of percussion gun have we heard? there's THE LOUD VERSION, the QUIET SEXY VERSION they played for kexp, and now THIS quiet sexy version, and then there's the version for la blogotheque which is IN THE MIDDLE. i wish more bands would reinvent their songs like this.

these dudes are boss. boss boss boss.

MORE VAMPIRE WEEKEND JAMS OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND EMBRACE THE FACT THAT NO ONE READS THIS BLOG AND I CAN JUST TALK ABOUT VAMPIRE WEEKEND

2009-11-02T11:50:00.000-08:00

CALIFORNIA ENGLISH

i am unsure if that is autotune, bad sound quality, or if ezra is singing in ewe (a language spoken in ghana. i can sing some songs in ewe. just putting it out there). rolling stone described this once as a "frenzied punk scramble" --- i guess, but throw in some ska flavor and autotune. these boys just fuck with genres like nobody's business.

HOLIDAY

if you are feeling all "WHAT DA FUCK" after calif. english i'm sure holiday will make you feel better. pretty classic with that perfect quick energy. when i saw them play this live i didn't realize how brilliant it was - i saw them do it acoustic, and electric that pickup out of the break sounds much better.

TRANSFERENCE

2009-10-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

is spoon's seventh album, january 26 2010.

tracklisting:

01 Before Destruction
02 Is Love Forever?
03 The Mystery Zone
04 Who Makes Your Money
05 Written in Reverse
06 I Saw the Light
07 Trouble Comes Running
08 Goodnight Laura
09 Out Go the Lights
10 Got Nuffin
11 Nobody Gets Me But You

this is shaping up to be the best january ever!
WRITTEN IN REVERSE --- SPOON. how sick will this be on the album?

JAM

2009-10-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

HELP I'M ALIVE --- METRIC

MAKING GOOD ON THAT PROMISE

2009-10-25T19:09:00.001-07:00

ASSORTED JAMS --- SURFER BLOOD
intensely and adorably likeable. built on a very classic and very delicious pop structure.

THE ONLY BAND I WILL BLOG ABOUT EVER AGAIN

2009-10-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

this fucking band.

COTILLION BLUES --- WHITE RABBITS
this fucking song.

huge. messy. ecstatic. piano / horns / great layered vocal around the end, "oh what can i do." greg roberts recorded the vocals on this whilst drunk at 3am. this is so good i can't wrap my head around it. i want to revise my best of list from last year. i listened to it for the first time about ten minutes ago and by the end of it i had my head in my hands and kept saying "oh my god." PERFECTION

i promise my next post will be about a different band.

NOW, YOU WERE THE KID ON MY SHOULDERS

2009-10-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

i'm just going to cut and paste my facebook status and those of my compatriots to tell you WHAT WENT DOWN LAST NIGHT when i endeavored to see white rabbits after an epic saga of show cancellation and reinstation and relocation to a 21+ venue and all that drama.

"21+ so standing outside by the window at the basement, surprisingly great sound, better when opened halfway through white rabbits' set by some random guy, drinking coffee and cider, invited in just to hear percussion gun. best night ever."
--- me

"Tonight shall go down as the Night of All Nights. Percussion Gun ♥"
--- olivia

"This is gonna be a night to tell the grandkids."
--- danielle

i snagged a setlist. they covered atlas sound's "shelia" and it blew the original out of the water. someone had better youtube that asap. i have to see them again now so that i can actually be inside the building for their entire set. this band is fantastic, especially live. go see them now.

here is a quiet and sexy and wonderful version of one of the year's best songs - coincidentally the only one i watched from inside. except, they played the REGULAR VERSION. which is a jam if there ever was one.
ANYWAY, this is quite enjoyable...
PERCUSSION GUN (LIVE) --- WHITE RABBITS

SEA OF RUM

2009-10-19T17:27:00.000-07:00

"the devil went ahead in a fishing town
now he lives on a beach on long island sound."

all percussion and wrapped-up voices. fantastic.

WARPAINT

2009-10-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

these ladies are fantastic. i saw them friday opening for school of seven bells. INCREDIBLE. here's a great song:
ELEPHANTS --- WARPAINT

LIGHTER OF FIRES

2009-10-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

another contender for song of the decade. so great and so gorgeous.

the great talent of this band lies in their versatility. what's the continuity between their three albums? um, the trombone?

SAUVIGNON FIERCE

2009-10-13T17:29:00.001-07:00

"i get up without warning and go flying around the house in my sauvignon fierce, freaking out. take a 45-minute shower and kiss the mirror, say look at me baby, we'll be fine, all we gotta do is be brave and be kind"

BABY WE'LL BE FINE --- THE NATIONAL
for lack of a better word, this song is stunning.

alligator, as a full album, is worth your time.

added: LIT UP (LIVE) --- THE NATIONAL
AVAILABLE (LIVE) --- THE NATIONAL

PARASITES

2009-10-08T18:18:00.001-07:00

one of my favorite songs that no one's ever heard is the soft pack's "parasites."

i truly appreciate this song but i MOST APPRECIATE it recorded for daytrotter.

PARASITES --- THE SOFT PACK. other songs too, but parasites is the best.

a big powerful punch in the face of a song. all constancy, down to matt lamkin's voice (what an great voice) - until that moment when things fall apart and come back together. truly incredible.

IF I WROTE YOU A SYMPHONY

2009-10-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

MY LOVE --- WHITE HINTERLAND
i'm a sucker for a well done pop cover, and casey dienel's got a voice LIKE NONE OTHA.

here's a duet that i love, with ms. dienel and another really fantastic underrated dude:

PAYING FOR IT --- CASEY DIENEL AND SAM BUCK ROSEN

ALL HANDS AND THE COOK

2009-10-06T08:16:00.001-07:00

i'm pretty sure i've talked about this song before. let's talk about it again.

LISTEN TO IT LIVE, HERE

recorded, this song is good. live, different story, live it is great, live it is borderline terrifying. the walkmen know how to write a song that hits you in the face. this song might as well beat the shit out of you and then there's what hamilton called in an interview "the happy section" which is really just "the less violent section" when it will drive you to the hospital. all the reverb on the guitar and the organ and how subtle and insistent the drums are and the words, and how the words are delivered: "you were lost when i found you" --- there is something antique about this, something old, something dug up, something kept dusty in your attic, some dark familial secret. in my first post on this blog about the walkmen i wrote about how they know how to create these landscapes with music. you can see and you can feel everything, you can walk into everything, you can touch everything, everything pulls at you. what do you see in this one?

HORCHATA

2009-10-05T12:04:00.001-07:00

okay i think i can do this now.

HORCHATA --- VAMPIRE WEEKEND

ezra kills on this, by which i mean his voice sounds like stabbing me in the heart. that part with "ohhhh you had it but ohhh no you lost it!" let's just NOT TALK ABOUT IT. i love the breaks with the drumming and the "ohhhhh!" it kind of throws back to m79. they make great use of the marimba (almost as great as paul simon's "can't run but," except considerably less sexy than that song --- face it, "can't run but" is HOT. i wish i could find an mp3 because that song is sexier than hell, entirely without intending to be). the only sexy thing about horchata is ezra's voice, which just does that naturally. "the lips and teeth that asked how my day went..." DIDN'T I SAY I WASN'T GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT?

horchata goes in a different direction - the first thing i thought was "this is weird" - but when you listen to it, it is very natural. the electronics are a bit like white sky and a bit like discovery, there are some lovely strings on it, it's got those sweet pining regretful lyrics that i adore. the way it builds at the end (from 2:20) is just fantastic, adding pieces and pieces and pieces and then backing it all off.

i almost like it better live, HERE, IN TORONTO. fantastic how they do the marimba line on the guitar.

IMPORTANT SONG

2009-10-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

a little bit south of provence in france is the camargue.

when i was in france we drove through here. it was wintertime and colder than usual. the countryside is full of these old stone houses, wild horses, green brush, salt flats.

this is the song i listened to, over and over and over.

SHAKE A FIST --- HOT CHIP

DECADE

2009-10-02T20:05:00.001-07:00

this is the first full decade of my life. needless to say it's pretty damn important to me. it is so hard for me to pick what my favorite albums are because i am very much a child of this decade and all my music is loose, intangible, unassigned. here are five that stood out to me. without these albums i would not be who i am. without these bands i would not be who i am. each of these albums are lovely unique creatures. i wish i could properly extend my thanks to everyone who had any hand in making any of them. i am forever in your debt. thank you guys.

TOP FIVE IN ORDER

FLAWLESS. FLAWLESS, FLAWLESS, FLAWLESS.

not flawless. endearing in its flaws. beautiful in its flaws. there is a great sense of foreboding in this, and there is a great sense of fun, and there is a great sense of talent. so much happening, but not too much. never too much.

gorgeous, chilling, incredibly influential. i remember spin once said that funeral made it no longer okay to just mope and sound like joy division. now you have to overcome something, and you have to sing about it in french it over a string quartet.

sexy, self-assured, incredibly influential. this put a sound to a time and a place and an aesthetic that it can bring you back to unfailingly. what an achievement for five twenty-something kids.

all sweet smart simple love songs and fuck-you songs disguised as songs about grammar and songs about things no one would ever think to write songs about. like dancing alone in the summer - blind sweaty ecstasy, buried melancholy.

i think the final three albums here will one day prove to be very important. we've seen it with funeral and is this it already, and i think we'll end up seeing it with vampire weekend. the first two aren't necessarily the ones that i thought were really influential, they were just the two that i liked the most. i didn't rank this by MOST INFLUENTIAL (because if i did the strokes would be #1).

RUNNERS UP, IN NO ORDER

--GRIZZLY BEAR "VECKATIMEST" gorgeous, sweeping, lovely, i think the word is "epic"
--MIA "ARULAR" a true badass and a true innovator
--THE NATIONAL "BOXER" stunning, glorious, calming
--THE WALKMEN "EVERYONE WHO PRETENDED TO LIKE ME IS GONE" the walkmen IS - reverb, insane drums, organ, and THAT FUCKING VOICE.
--DIRTY PROJECTORS "RISE ABOVE" black flag reimagined as talking heads-y afropop. does this not sound amazing to you
--RADIOHEAD "HAIL TO THE THIEF" of course
--ANIMAL COLLECTIVE "FEELS" the best thing they have ever done, or will ever do
--NEW PORNOGRAPHERS "MASS ROMANTIC" a perfect framework for indie pop music
--BLOC PARTY "SILENT ALARM" angry when it wanted to be, sexy when it wanted to be, always confessional
--INTERPOL "TURN ON THE BRIGHT LIGHTS" vacant hollow sound. "puts the weights in my heart"
--BELLE AND SEBASTIAN "FOLD YOUR HANDS CHILD, YOU WALK LIKE A PEASANT" the beginning, for me
--SPOON "KILL THE MOONLIGHT" sparse, sexy, sharp, amazing
--TAPES N TAPES "THE LOON" hype and backlash and bullshit. tapes n tapes made good

I MADE THE BEST OF IT

2009-10-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

i am in love.
this song is beautiful.

EVERYONE WHO PRETENDED TO LIKE ME IS GONE --- THE WALKMEN

hamilton has a real gift for saying a lot with a little. there is very little in this song. it has this great bleak energy. the way it all builds up - the drums. holy shit. always the drums, with the walkmen. if the rat is as hopeless as you can be, this song is how you got there. "i made the best of it." over the organ and the drums and that fantastic reverby guitar, over loops of itself, over everything - "i made the best of it." i did all i can do. i did all i can do. this is a perfect song for the fall. leaves crunching beneath your feet. you are walking with your head down. you did all you could do.

IMPORTANT SONG

2009-09-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

KID ON MY SHOULDERS --- WHITE RABBITS

i pretty much consider this song "the jam." there was a time when i was driving my car and was gaining on another car that i thought was my coworker's who always drives around blasting eminem and shit, so i tried to find an appropriately badass song to stoplight-confront him with. i settled upon kid on my shoulders. the car wasn't my coworkers - it belonged to a bunch of grown-up bitties ready for a night on the town. IRRELEVANT.

that piano / bass thing is incredible. you can feel that this song is building to something, and it eventually builds to that fantastic last half: "we held our tongues throughout it / one day we'll laugh about it." what a great lyric that is, and what a stunning thing to sing - with the piano - a hundred times.

white rabbits are playing pearl street in northampton on october 20. you should make it a priority to be there.

I'D ACCEPT "HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE"

2009-09-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

dirty projectors "when the world comes to an end" on fallon.
this band can do no wrong.

I MADE FIFTY!

2009-09-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

here are the fifty bands i've seen this year and a song by each. i only counted repeats once... i did see vampire weekend four times, grizzly bear and here we go magic three, antlers, beach house, walkmen twice.
* are shows that blew my mind off my face.

1/10 VAMPIRE WEEKEND
2/28 FINAL FANTASY AND GRIZZLY BEAR
3/27 THE SOFT PACK AND FRIENDLY FIRES
4/4 JON MOSES, CUT OFF YOUR HANDS AND *RA RA RIOT
4/16 ANTLERS, BEACH HOUSE, AND THE WALKMEN
4/18 VAMPIRE WEEKEND
5/13 DAVE TRIGGIANO AND CHIDDY BANG
5/29 HERE WE GO MAGIC AND *GRIZZLY BEAR (i wrestled for a long time with this as the best show of my life. i don't really know.)
6/18 CALEXICO AND *ANDREW BIRD (every andrew show will blow your mind)
6/20 *HATCHAM SOCIAL, MIIKE SNOW, MACCABEES
7/3 BACHELORETTE, HERE WE GO MAGIC
7/12 JEMIMA PEARL, PONYTAIL, FUCKED UP, AND MISSION OF BURMA
7/18 BEAR HANDS, *JAPANDROIDS, FUTURE OF THE LEFT, FRIGHTENED RABBIT, GRAND DUCHY, AND RAVONETTES
7/19 CRYSTAL ANTLERS, MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC COMPANY, AND *DIRTY PROJECTORS
7/22 VAMPIRE WEEKEND
7/26 GRUPO FANTASMO, HEALTH, AND BLACK LIPS
7/31 HEARTLESS BASTARDS, SEASICK STEVE, *FLEET FOXES, *THE NATIONAL, *VAMPIRE WEEKEND, YEAH YEAH YEAHS, AND JAY-Z
8/13 AMAZING BABY AND *YEASAYER
8/23 MAX TUNDRA, WIZ KHALIFA, GIRL TALK
8/30 VEGA, BEACH HOUSE, GRIZZLY BEAR
9/20 THE DIG, HERE WE GO MAGIC, *THE WALKMEN
9/26 ELIZABETH AND THE CATAPULT, ANTLERS

elizabeth and the catapult were my fiftieth band; big ups to them.
please use this occasion of this post to listen to hatcham social, the dig, japandroids, bear hands, soft pack, AND that version of dirty projectors' remade horizon that i posted - i'm actually going to use "INCENDIARY" to describe it.

btw, you CAN download these songs if you click "READ FULL POST," go to the post, and go to the download link therein.

UNDERLINE EVERYTHING

2009-09-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

IS SQUALOR VICTORIA THE SONG OF THE DECADE?

i started listening to the national for a reason that's less than ideal, so i'm not going to disclose it on the internet, but i would be lying if i said i found out about them through some random hype machine escapades, bored searching through music blog archives, or for even better reasons like accidentally seeing them live. shamefully, i bought boxer only recently, but then i was hooked. revelation time. what is this beautiful creature? matt beringer has a voice like whale singing and cake icing. squalor victoria is all fast drums and mournful strings. can't you FEEL it when the piano comes in? something must happen here. something must happen here. what will happen here? and the piano happens. and the voice happens. and it all happens. this is a perfect song. it speaks of a thousand things.

when i saw the national live i was not convinced by them and i was not one hundred percent sure that they were something fantastic until they played squalor victoria. after they played squalor victoria they played...

IS ABEL THE SONG OF THE DECADE?

abel. and i remember it was pouring rain and i was soaking wet and i heard "MY MIND'S NOT RIGHT" and i was talking to simone at the time and then i started yelling the words in her face in the middle of the sentence (i'll leave you to wonder about the validity of that statement because right after the national i saw vampire weekend for the eighth time). whereas squalor victoria is all polished and smooth, with that rainy new-york gloom, abel is just a perfect rock song. the best part is maybe two and a half minutes in: "abel, my mind's... come loose inside the shell!" and then the guitar. what a great song. wonderful to stand in the pouring rain and scream that something's wrong with you. something's inherently wrong with you if you'll go through something like that for music, and maybe by wrong here i just mean REALLY, REALLY RIGHT.

IS BOXER THE ALBUM OF THE DECADE?
this was so hard for me to decide because i love alligator too.

(note chandelier)

let's just say these would both make a top fifty for me.

ps. let's CONSIDER AARON DESSNER too!

I DID WHAT I THOUGHT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO

2009-09-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

SUNLIGHT --- HARLEM SHAKES

harlem shakes DID WORK on this song: sweet upbeat pop with offbeat keyboards and horns. try not to die when the trombone comes in. to throw in some melancholy, this band called it quits last week, i think.

DO YOU HAVE EIGHT MINUTES AND FORTY FOUR SECONDS

2009-09-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

this song pretty much just punched me in the face and then i cried for a long time.

DO THESE GUYS LOOK LIKE THEY ARE ABOUT TO BREAK YOUR HEART? NO. WILL THEY DO IT? OH HELL YES.

WAKE --- THE ANTLERS

guh guh guh guh guh. just wait for the end. JUST WAIT FOR THE END. seriously, i cried a little bit.

DEAR THE WALKMEN,

2009-09-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

STOP BEING SO GOOD (AND CUTE)

POSTCARDS FROM TINY ISLANDS --- THE WALKMEN

this band is fucking awesome. end of story. i saw them in a tiny venue in northampton on sunday. MIND = BLOWN. it was truly incredible.

here are some new songs for you to check out:
THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE. this reminds me of white sky a little - new, unrecorded, unreleased, can't imagine my life without being able to listen to it. not to mention the lyrics about going out to lunch. i love in the chorus when there's empty spaces vocal-wise and hamilton just goes "ohhh!"
"THE ONE WITH THE WHISTLING"
funny story - when i first saw them they opened with this song and the horn section (EIGHT PIECE at webster hall!!) came out HOLDING THEIR INSTRUMENTS and just whistled. anyway, this sounds like some beautiful spaghetti western long shots across lovely italian plains.
A SAD ONE

BAWLING

2009-09-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

think of the saddest album you've ever heard - some classic bright-eyesy shit. think about it good and hard. now multiply it by ten. and then you have hospice. i am on track two and i am about to cry. i saw them open for the walkmen in april and i might go this saturday to see them in northampton!

KETTERING --- THE ANTLERS.

luis at pretty much amazing described hospice as "a heartbreaking work of staggering genius" - yes, LIKE THE DAVE EGGERS NOVEL. pitchfork gave it an eight-point-something. basically, we can just assume this is the best concept album in a looooooooooooong time.

COCONUT NIGHT

2009-09-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

We Are Wolves || Coconut Night from Dare To Care Records on Vimeo.

incredibly bitchin' video. amazing wardrobe as well

OH BB JULIAN

2009-09-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

11TH DIMENSION --- JULIAN CASABLANCAS

you did it bb. you really did it. thanks for giving me an excuse to google image you today. i would like an excuse to google image you all the time. i always feel guilty about doing things like that without a reason. thank you for crafting this delicious eighties-y pop gem for us. your voice makes me want to die. in the best possible way. love u man.

FLASHBACK... i was ELEVEN when this was shot. wow.

EPs OF THE DECADE

2009-09-18T10:08:00.001-07:00

this one was easy for me to figure out.

RA RA RIOT EP
i was talking about this with my friend theo one night - as i was disappointed by the virgins' full-length after how great their EP was, theo felt disappointed by the rhumb line after how great this EP was. he said something like "they took all the energy out of some of the songs." i like the rhumb line quite a bit so i don't necessarily agree, but this EP is half the length and twice as awesome. and that's truly saying something, i think. it's worth noting that the EP has a manner to act and everest - two of the sexiest, angriest, most affecting songs i know - and the album doesn't. that alone gives it an edge.

OTHER FAVORITES:

VAMPIRE WEEKEND "MANSARD ROOF EP"
MANSARD ROOF is all the triumphance in simplicity. LADIES OF CAMBRIDGE is all tempo shifts and bar chords and heartbreak. fledgling bands out there, take a tip from ezra and rostam and chris and chris: THIS is how you make a name for yourself.

PROFESSOR MURDER "RIDES THE SUBWAY" EP
i haven't blogged about this band but they are worth your time. the most fun dance music i can really imagine.

GRIZZLY BEAR "FRIEND"
for shift, and alligator, and HE HIT ME, one of the best covers of the decade.

ALSO ELLIGIBLE

2009-09-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

here are some random albums and songs i feel contend for best of the decade, in no order, with a "review" of less than ten words.

JAMS:
A MANNER TO ACT --- RA RA RIOT
creepily affecting
I LUV THE VALLEY OH! --- XIU XIU
physically hurts
DUPPY CONQUEROR --- SAM BUCK ROSEN
this song makes you feel like you can do anything
STILLNESS IS THE MOVE --- DIRTY PROJECTORS
R&B diva + talking heads guitar = gold gold gold
WOMEN'S REALM --- BELLE AND SEBASTIAN
mom bought this album when i was 11. thanks mom
FIGHT AND KISS --- WE ARE WOLVES
feels like being punched. and being kissed
NOBODY MOVE NOBODY GET HURT --- WE ARE SCIENTISTS
so intensely singable. what's mine is yours
SKIN IS MY --- ANDREW BIRD
the most talented man in rock music. no contest
DEAD LEAVES AND THE DIRTY GROUND --- WHITE STRIPES
straight simple rock knows how to be heartwrenching
SHINE A LIGHT --- WOLF PARADE
another song that makes you feel you can do anything
BE GOOD --- TOKYO POLICE CLUB
straight playful indie pop. TPC could write the book
HOW WE KNOW --- THE THERMALS
this is a love song. did you know that?
JUST DRUMS --- TAPES N TAPES
hype can make good - very, very good
THERE THERE --- RADIOHEAD
well, duh.
USE IT --- NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
two sips from the cup of human kindness & i'm shitfaced
ABEL --- THE NATIONAL
a perfect rock song
ELECTRIC FEEL --- MGMT
there is no denying that this song is awesome.
YOU! ME! DANCING! --- LOS CAMPESINOS
big buildup and glorious breakdown
THE GOOD ONES --- THE KILLS
fuzz, drum machine, sexy croon. delicious
OBSTACLE 1 --- INTERPOL
EVIL --- INTERPOL
joy division if the strokes are the sex pistols. an equal and opposite reaction
BANDAGES --- HOT HOT HEAT
i pray this goes down as the classic it is.
TAKE ME OUT --- FRANZ FERDINAND
another classic
WE USED TO VACATION --- COLD WAR KIDS
nouveau blues. piano embodies discord
OVER AND OVER AGAIN --- CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH
hype made good. again.
ALMOST CRIMES --- BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
first two lines of lyrics = GOLD
HELICOPTER --- BLOC PARTY
the first song i binge-listened to, eighth grade
ATLAS --- BATTLES
this sounds like industry. incredible metallic creativity
NEIGHBORHOOD #2 (LAIKA) --- ARCADE FIRE
BLACK MIRROR --- ARCADE FIRE
WAKE UP --- ARCADE FIRE
this band changed everything.
DID YOU SEE THE WORDS --- ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
the best song they have ever made. no contest

ALBUMS:

DIRTY PROJECTORS "RISE ABOVE"

NEW PORNOGRAPHERS "MASS ROMANTIC"

BLOC PARTY "SILENT ALARM"

WE ARE SCIENTISTS "WITH LOVE AND SQUALOR"
(extra points here for being named after MY FAVORITE SALINGER SHORT)

PROFESSOR MURDER "RIDES THE SUBWAY"

RA RA RIOT EP

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN "FOLD YOUR HANDS CHILD, YOU WALK LIKE A PEASANT"

SPOON "KILL THE MOONLIGHT"

GRIZZLY BEAR "YELLOW HOUSE"

ARCADE FIRE "FUNERAL"

THE NATIONAL "BOXER"

RADIOHEAD "HAIL TO THE THIEF"

SUFJAN STEVENS "COME ON FEEL THE ILLINOISE"

TAPES N TAPES "THE LOON"

WHITE STRIPES "WHITE BLOOD CELLS"

sorry about that monster of a post. all these albums and songs are worth a listen. i might add more, i feel like i've forgotten a bunch!

FEEL LIKE I'M GONNA IGNITE

2009-09-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

IS I TURN MY CAMERA ON THE SONG OF THE DECADE?

speaking as we were with grizzly bear about how incredible simplicity can be the most affecting of all --- ladies and gentlemen, i turn my camera on. the more you listen to spoon the more you realize that they are all simplicity - down to the name of the band, even. what is i turn my camera on? simple drums, the undertone of that sexy funk bass riff, cuts of guitar, that voice. c'est tout. and when you're listening to this song - it works. this is one of the sexiest songs i can think of. "i saw the stars go off, i saw the stars go off at night and they're looking alright."

IS GIMME FICTION THE ALBUM OF THE DECADE?

gimme fiction is one of my favorite albums of all time (if not my favorite album of all time) and it came out this decade - in 2005 - so it is safe to say this is also a strong contender for number one. if you don't have this album or if you are not familiar with it please familiarize yourself with it ASAP. THIS BOOTLEG OF MY MATHEMATICAL MIND might help you realize it better than anything else. every song on this album is good. every song on this album rips your heart out and every song sews it back in. the point i'm getting to - spoon have been consistently good for six albums and almost two decades, and gimme fiction is GREAT.

I THINK YOU ARE A CONTRA

2009-09-15T09:51:00.001-07:00

CONTRA is vampire weekend's second album, january 12 2010. i just spent the last ten minutes fanning myself with my hands and figuring out how i will drive to new york for the release show.

tracklist:

01 Horchata
02 White Sky
03 Holiday
04 California English
05 Taxi Cab
06 Run
07 Cousins
08 Giving Up the Gun
09 Diplomat's Son
10 I Think Ur a Contra

i wish it was more than ten!
if you read this blog / are obsessed with VW, you've heard white sky, run, cousins, and giving up the gun (or at least the original l'homme run version). i'm willing to bet that california english is a renamed little giant. i've heard holiday, too... it's good! I AM SO EXCITED I CANNOT BREATHE A LITTLE.

you can listen to the first little bit of track 10 at VW'S WEBSITE. it sounds like dave longstreth greeting the sunrise. i can't wait to drive to this album.

GET A HANDLE ON YOURSELF, SON

2009-09-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

IS DO THE WHIRLWIND THE SONG OF THE DECADE?
(i replaced the video because guys, you HAVE to hear the live version. SO SICK)

my life as a music listener has four stages.
1. when i was ten and listened to showtunes
2. the strokes
3. architecture in helsinki
4. vampire weekend

the AIH period of my life lasted from the first time i saw them, on september 28 2006, until the first time i heard vampire weekend, on december 17 2007. during this time i pretty much listened to nothing but architecture in helsinki. i bought places like this the first day it was released (i took the train into the city with my friend and we went to virgin megastore and i bought places like this and m.i.a.'s kala, which were released on the same day) even though i'd had it since it was leaked three months previous.

my first architecture in helsinki song was do the whirlwind. it has very special meaning for me, as it will have for pretty much anyone who has ever seen them play live. i have seen this band three times. whenever they come near me i will see them. i would be a different person without this band.

OR HOLD MUSIC?
i still remember the first time i heard this song. SUCH A JAM.

IS IN CASE WE DIE THE ALBUM OF THE DECADE?

this might be my number one, guys. i've got to do some more thought but this album is like a big chunk of gold. neverevereverdid is one of my favorite album openers ever. and the whole thing is just a big mixture of fun and foreboding. KILLER.

also, if we're going to do hottest hotties of the decade, i would be REMISS not to mention GUS FRANKLIN whom i CRUSHED ON MERCILESSLY for a long time. i was always struck by the fact that he looks like harold from harold and maude (best movie ever). he once told me i was a good dancer and i was convinced i was dreaming. but yeah, HE'S GOING TO BE UP THERE.

IS WHERE WE BEGIN

2009-09-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

IS THE MODERN AGE THE SONG OF THE DECADE?

yes. yes. yes. wholeheartedly yes. this is it. is this it? this is it. i mean, can you think of anything else that sums up this decade? anything? for better or for worse the strokes changed music, they truly did. a great majority of indie bands wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the strokes. when i think of the stages of my life musically i have been defined truly by three bands and one of these bands is the strokes. i spent all of middle school listening to the strokes. after i graduated high school my best friend and i got in my car and played the modern age and soma and barely legal and someday and i was almost crying. this is the decade in which i grew up, and this is the band to which i grew up.

sorry to tell you guys my life story there.

OR IS IT REPTILIA?
this was my first strokes song. a little broken-hearted mess about the primal side of your brain, love and hate, telling stories at a bar, not drowning fast enough. i remember in sixth or seventh grade i spent about three hours one night watching this video over and over and over again. i'm pretty sure that's when i figured out that sex was possible. that thing julian does at about 2:45 with his foot (white loafters), the big sexy eyes, the unnecessary amount of face closeups on pretty much every member of the band... too much for a twelve year old girl.

OR IT COULD BE NEW YORK CITY COPS! removed from is this it last minute. drunk lyrics, perpetually hungover, empty promises. is this it? this is it. this is what new york sounds like and what it feels like and what it looks like. my first week of high school i played this 130 times (in 5 days, all three and half minutes). it's always fall 2005 in my mind always always always.

IS IS THIS IT THE ALBUM OF THE DECADE?

like i said earlier, you must admit that music would be a different landscape entirely without this album. i mean, this defined the sound (not to mention fashion) that came out of new york for more than eight years. being from new york i am inclined to say that new york defines the sound that comes out of almost everywhere else, in terms of indie music. what would BE without the strokes? now we're getting into some alternate history shit. what if the south won the civil war?

it is also worth noting that if i had to do a "hottest hotties of the decade" (should i actually do this? maybe i should) julian casablancas would make my personal top five if not top two. if not number one. actually, probably not number one. but seriously... HOLY BALLS.

I DON'T WANNA BE SO SAD

2009-09-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

PRETTY & NICE are here to help you. one listen to this song and you will be HOOKED:

TORA TORA TORA --- PRETTY & NICE.

even better is "lazy bumblebee," hear it on their myspace. been listening all day!

TO SEE THE DAWN

2009-09-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

IS CAPE COD KWASSA KWASSA THE SONG OF THE DECADE?

(i wish i could say WHITE SKY up there but as it hasn't been officially released my hands are tied.)

when some people talk about vampire weekend it is difficult for them to just distill everything and talk about the jams. for some people it is difficult to separate their music from their roots or their inspirations or their alleged "cultural imperialism" (lol); for me personally it is sometimes difficult to separate the fact that i love their music from the fact that their frontman LOOKS LIKE THIS. but that is a story for another time.

now i am going to just talk about the jams. the point we have to make here is that no one did what vampire weekend did with cape cod kwassa kwassa. don't get all technical on me about paul simon because he didn't work in the clever lyrics about sex and massachusetts. what this song gets across better than DARE I SAY any other song on the subject (doin' it) is the incredibly accurate AWKWARDNESS. down to the voice crack in "is your bed maaAAAaade?" i remember reading an article on one of my favorite music blogs about c.c.k.k. in december 2007 about how that break section with all the cooing and gentle bass was the love scene of the song, ie. all those awkward questions ("is your sweater ooooOOOon??") worked. how lovely is it to think about it that way? a story and a song in one little package. in its incredible simplicity it is smart and clean and perfect.

what about this, guys? a.o.t.d?

there is no doubt that for me this would rank up high, simply because it changed a lot of things about me as a music listener - what i listen to and what i hear and what i see. and certainly seeing them eight times says something about the ridiculous level of my devotion. this album is solid, to say the least. it always hits me how simple and triumphant mansard roof is.

in terms of hottest hotties of the decade, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS PICTURE and tell me you don't wish you were lying on the floor in some corner flipping through one of their history textbooks waiting for this photoshoot to be done so you could talk about the cultural significance of madras plaid and listen to jay-z.

YOU GOTTA NERVE

2009-09-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

IS THE RAT THE SONG OF THE DECADE?

the rat is a thousand things but first of all it is very angry and very driven. "you've got a nerve to be asking a favor. you've got a nerve to be calling my number." i suppose it is best summed up by one youtube comment: "after hearing this song i wanna get drunk and wander the streets alone." there is a profound loneliness to this song. it is perhaps one of the most bleak songs that i know. it is certainly the most bleak song that i love.

IS A HUNDRED MILES OFF THE ALBUM OF THE DECADE?

i don't think so, simply because most people consider the walkmen's best album to be bows + arrows (which is really good, not gonna lie). for me, most walkmen albums have a bunch of solid songs on them and then some i just don't like. i like all of a hundred miles off. when i think of how music can deliver triumphance i think of the mariachi horns in louisiana and all of lost in boston (i think of another very important song too. but this is a story for another time). and when i think of how heartwrenching music can be i think of all hands and the cook. this album is a necessity, point-blank, and it one of my favorites of the decade for sure.

also: for sure one of the best covers of the decade would have to be this delicious piece of delicious:
MANY RIVERS TO CROSS --- THE WALKMEN
put this on in your car. try not to stick your hand out the window and play with the slipstream. try not to scream along with hamilton: MANY! RIVERS! TO CRAAAAOAOOAOAOOAOAOSSSSSSSS!!!!

CAN'T YOU FEEL THE

2009-09-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

IS KNIFE THE SONG OF THE DECADE?

i don't have much time now, but i was just listening to this song and i felt like i had to write about it. the thing about knife is that it isn't my favorite grizzly bear song (i'm partial to ON A NECK, ON A SPIT). when i really think about it though, the song that most defines grizzly bear's sound (and grizzly bear is definitely one of the best bands of the decade) is undeniably, definitely, without a doubt, knife, because you can feel the knife. the slow chords and the layered vocals - sexy, scary, distant, close, everything at once. for a song so simple ("you think it's alright. can't you feel the knife?") it packs a punch i can't even describe.

IS VECK THE ALBUM OF THE DECADE?
almost certainly not, it's too soon. but i think it is the album of the year, which puts it in my top ten by default, and it is so close to perfect.

ALL I WANT TO DO IS:

2009-09-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

IS PAPER PLANES THE SONG OF THE DECADE?

i can't decide really what mine is so i'm gonna do a ~blog series~ and make a series of hypotheses. SO here's one for your consideration.

i remember when kala came out and pitchfork was all on this song and they called it a "hipster anthem" which i guess it is, although it is a sure bet that maya didn't write it to be a hipster anthem. now paper planes is just an anthem: it's a hipster anthem and a stoner anthem and a bittie anthem and an anthem for everything because it is an anthem and although so few of us in the first world can really relate to what maya sings ("if you catch me at the border i got visas in my name / if you come around here i make them all day") it feels like you can. no one on the corner has swagger like you. no one on the corner will ever have swagger like you because you can do anything.

while we're on it...

IS ARULAR THE ALBUM OF THE DECADE?

is it? seriously is it? i've always liked arular better than kala because it's so raw and so much more pissed off. i mean, is there any song this decade that tells you to shut up and listen more than BUCKY DONE GUN? no. there is not. and then like magic we all shut up and listened, and she had a lot of really worthwhile things to say.

PLANS

2009-08-31T19:23:00.001-07:00

i saw grizzly bear for the third time yesterday. you need to buy grizzly bear tickets right now. it is imperative that you see them, even if you don't really like them.

i love everything about this video. if you have time watch their whole series for la blogotheque, and department of eagles' too.

THE VERY BEST

2009-08-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

i was about to write something about authenticity and appropriation and the difference between real and fake. as a music writer and a music listener you can decry bands for playing with sounds that they didn't create to play with and you can call it all fake, but living in the first world who are you to say you know what real is? but then i was thinking that the very best have just made a very good album, and they have made it with some help from two of my favorite voices in all the world, and i have never been the kind of person who considers all this political and cultural shit because all i have done is listened, and that's all we are meant to do, and that is good enough.

here are two jams for the end of your summer.

RAIN DANCE --- THE VERY BEST and MIA

WARM HEART OF AFRICA --- THE VERY BEST and EZRA KOENIG

VAMPIRE WEEKEND'S NEXT ALBUM IS GOING TO BE SICK

2009-08-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

don't even tell me to stop blogging about this band because it's never going to happen.

REVEL IN THE GLORY OF THESE FOUR SONGS. ROLL AROUND IN IT FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

RUN

COUSINS

WHITE SKY

LITTLE GIANT

ROISIN MURPHY WAS LADY GAGA BEFORE LADY GAGA WAS LADY GAGA

2009-08-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

i downloaded this on a whim from pretty much amazing the other night. it is truly awesome.

RAMALAMA (BANG BANG) --- ROISIN MURPHY

WATCH HER PERFORM IT

A HUNDRED MILES OFF

2009-08-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

BUY IT
HEAR LOUISIANA

their heaviest album, all mariachi horns and clangy guitar. a force to be reckoned with live. september 20 in northampton.

CHICKS B JACKIN MY STYLE

2009-08-02T19:23:00.003-07:00

the maccabees made this their own. it is so different and so similar and so so so so so incredibly awesome.

SOMETHING EXCITING

2009-08-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

(this picture unabashedly stolen off flickr)

i went to all points damp on friday, and of course i saw vampire weekend, and they played a new song, and it is awesome, but you expected that, right? let me reiterate to you that these boys know what they are doing and they CAN BRING IT REGARDLESS OF INCLEMENT WEATHER. at the end of their set ezra said "at first we thought we were going to die. but now we're just having so much fun." which sums up most of my vampire weekend concert experiences!

EDIT: found a new video, better quality / full length!!
(NEW SONG) --- VAMPIRE WEEKEND via youtube.
my brother thinks this might be his favorite VW song to date. i have to agree, i'm really impressed by it. i love the bass/keyboard and the guitar bit at the end. and of course i love that vocal thing (you'll know what i'm talking about when you hear it). give it a listen!

MICKEY MOUSE

2009-07-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

wavves' new-ish demo "mickey mouse" reminds me of everything i liked about animal collective.

MICKEY MOUSE --- WAVVES

this sounds like FEELS-era AC (the best era, obviously. in my opinion). guys, i liked animal collective when they were tuneful. i liked them when they played actual instruments. my appreciation of them has faded as they have started playing samplers on glowing tables. and i like lo-fi music when it's tuneful. this song is reasonably tuneful. i like the background "ooh-whoo-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh." it does sound a little like grass or peacebone with the drum machine and background synth. but there is some real personality in it, which is more than can be said for a lot of animal collective's music, i think.

BEST MP3 NAME EVER

2009-07-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

this opened on my computer as "bitchbootsmix1.mp3"

sam is still my favorite singer-songwriter dude out there. i am pretty sure duppy conqueror is one of my favorite songs of the decade. here's said hilariously titled mp3, which throws this guy back on the top of the heap in my book...

BITCH BOOTS --- SAM BUCK ROSEN

ALL YOUR SHETLS LINED UP IN A ROW

2009-07-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

if you have not heard the summer jam to end all summer jams, now is the time. i blogged about this probably a year ago for the first time. i love it so much.

WARM HEART OF AFRICA --- THE VERY BEST w/ EZRA KOENIG

JAM REDISCOVERY

2009-07-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

i want to tell you as your friend that it is not too late to fall in love with late of the pier, and it is a beautiful season to fall in love with them.

HEARTBEAT --- LATE OF THE PIER

i was just watching grease on bravo (uh yeah) and all of a sudden i started having this craving that i could not put my finger on. and then in my head i started singing the opening to the bears are coming ("SNAP AWAY SHE SAID AS SHE DANCED TOWARD THE MOONLIGHT") and i was thinking "i have to listen to late of the pier. i have to go listen to late of the pier right now." and i wanted to wait until after that scene where frenchy tries to pierce sandy's ears and she throws up but i couldn't wait anymore. so i went to the computer and tried to find an mp3 and it took me about five minutes to find it... and then i finally found it and it was so wonderful.

i held tickets to see these boys in my hands, and i did not go, and whenever i hear them now my heart breaks. when i went to see miike snow i walked into mhow with my friend and broken was playing over the loudspeaker, and i felt like crying a little.

KISS OF LIFE

2009-07-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

KISS OF LIFE --- FRIENDLY FIRES. hot damn hot damn hot hot hot damn.

BE GOOD

2009-07-11T17:34:00.001-07:00

my brother and i have rediscovered how good tokyo police club are, namely this EP, with six out of seven awesome songs - syncopated organ and killer bassline and echoey guitar and this youthful punk energy, all of it pressed out of a canadian basement. waltzing right out of the room. this is one of those EPs that is almost better than the album that evolved out of it, one of those introductions to something that can only, then, disappoint. i like elephant shell but i love a lesson in crime.
SHOULDERS AND ARMS --- TOKYO POLICE CLUB.

GOT NOTHING

2009-07-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

really sorry for the lack of posts. i am so busy with work and writing for pma and college tuition business that i have no time anymore!

spoon's "got nuffin" kind of spoke to me the other night. sometimes you have to be reminded that, especially when you are as young as i am, you really have nothing to lose.
GOT NUFFIN --- SPOON
new album being recorded right now, apparently, so we're looking at winter / spring '10. remember how sick "writing to you in reverse" is?

bonus: you ain't no picasso is one of my favorite blogs and they now have a SPOON COVERS ARCHIVE. HERE.

also, i wrote about my second-favorite album of the year thus far, discovery's LP, for PMA. if you review it in the comments you can win it on vinyl. HERE.

PLEASE GO LISTEN TO THIS

2009-07-01T14:24:00.001-07:00

new morning benders, "hand me downs." HOT.

RIGHT HERE

SUPER QUICK

2009-06-29T18:38:00.001-07:00

hold on while i throw up and cry. i hope they play this in NYC august 30.

dan shreds on this. you know what i say about ed's voice. bear at about 4:00? WHY IS THIS BAND SO GOOD

ALSO

2009-06-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

listen to this, guys:
DARK WAS THE NIGHT LIVE VIA NPR. useful chamber sounds SO HOT.
i might just be jealous because a friend of mine went to this show and ran into dave sitek and 3/4 of vampire weekend in the bathroom. life goes on though and this recording is pretty awesome.

NOW THAT UR HERE I KNOW JUST WHAT 2 DO

2009-06-24T15:04:00.000-07:00

SO INSANE --- DISCOVERY (download it at PMA)

guys, i spoke a bit about this song a little while ago but i am so enamored of it and had to share it with you.

YOU GUYS ALREADY KNOW MY FEELINGS ABOUT THIS SONG

2009-06-18T09:24:00.001-07:00

it's not even worth my time to tell you how i feel about vampire weekend's white sky (i think this is my tenth post about it? the first step is admitting you have a problem) because i am pretty sure some otherworldly force spoke through them and it probably ~came to them in a dream~ because it is too good to have been written by human hands. anyway, i have also already expressed how i don't like the slow version they played on jimmy fallon (luckily the recorded version is the fast one), but it's better to listen to that than an awkward bootleg from glasgow just for the sound quality, so...

WHITE SKY (SLOW VERSION) --- VAMPIRE WEEKEND.
i feel like this should be the soundtrack to some tender momentz with a loved one. whereas THE FAST VERSION you can just dance to like crazy. try putting this on next time you're COURTIN SOMEONE SPECIAL and then see what happens.

if vampire weekend put this song out this year, it will be the song of the year. just sayin'.

SIGNIFICANT FIGURES

2009-06-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

THE SIGNIFICANT FIGURES

"CLINT WALKINGSTICK". awesome. awesome. awesome.

O BB U GOT ME GOIN SO INSANE

2009-06-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

A. O. T. Y.

LISTEN
you've heard osaka loop line and orange shirt but you haven't heard so insane and swing tree, which are both awesome (i'm partial to swing tree because it sounds like vampire weekend - guitar + more synth + wes miles * vocal harmony)

wait! but i just listened to so insane about 10 times and i have to say that part with the "now that you're now that you're now now now now" is top ten best things i have ever heard material. it is truly the greatest feeling in the world when two people in the two bands that make you happiest in the world decide they're going to put their separate powers to make you happy into one devastating ball of r+b goodness.

speaking of that band i've seen six times...

HOUSSE DE RACKET

2009-06-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

by recommendation of my friend theo, some hot french electronic pop:

HOUSSE DE RACKET.
i have "oh yeah" on right now. and it's pretty damn good. of the lyrics i can understand / translate for you: "oh yeah i will change. you know i will change."

in other news my review of grizzly bear is on PMA. luis took my words and added some sexy photos i did not take to create this hot post here. read that!

DON'T MAKE ME BEG

2009-05-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

if you do me one thing, make it this thing.

I LIVE WITH YOU --- GRIZZLY BEAR.
expect an actual review of the show i went to friday when i am able to put my feelings into words. i was watching chris bear (who plays the drums) at the end of this song --- he is usually pretty calm and methodical when he plays, and at the end of this song he just WENT INSANE. it was incredible. this used to be one of my least favorite on veckatimest but i have been listening to it all day.

SUMMER 2009 FREE NYC CONCERTS

2009-05-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

happy first birthday to my blog!

these are free NYC concerts i recommend you attend. more will be added (river to river and jellyNYC haven't announced their schedules yet!) BROOKLYNVEGAN's FREE SHOWS TAG will show you basically everything that's going down this summer that will cost you only train/subway fare.

JUNE
8. david byrne @ prospect park
26. blonde redhead @ prospect park
27. dr. dog & phosphorescent @ prospect park

JULY
3. here we go magic @ south st. seaport
4. jenny lewis / conor oberst @ battery park
9. matt + kim @ pier 54
10. pains of being pure at heart @ south st. seaport
10. titus andronicus @ the whitney
12. mission of burma / fucked up / ponytail @ williamsburg waterfront
16. man man @ east river ampitheater
17. abe vigoda @ the whitney
18. built to spill / bear hands / spank rock / frightened rabbit, etc. @ siren festival, coney island
19. dirty projectors / white denim@ williamsburg waterfront
23. ted leo @ pier 54
26. trail of dead / black lips / health @ williamsburg waterfront

AUGUST
1. m. ward @ summerstage
2. deerhunter / dan deacon / no age @ williamsburg waterfront
7. grace potter / deer tick @ prospect park
9. fiery furnaces @ williamsburg waterfront
13. yeasayer / amazing baby @ pier 54
13. blondie / pat benatar / the donnas @ asser levy park, coney island
14. walkmen / high places @ the guggenheim
16. dinosaur jr / the walkmen @ summerstage
23. girl talk / max tundra @ williamsburg waterfront
30. grizzly bear / beach house @ williamsburg waterfront (this will be the concert of the year)

the new york philharmonic are playing two central park shows WITH FIREWORKS. you would be REMISS in not talking this incredible opportunity.
JULY 14 @8pm, great lawn
JULY 17 @8pm, great lawn

you should really GET ALL POINTS WEST TICKETS.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

2009-05-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

legit squealed when i saw this on twitter!

discovery are putting out an album on july 7th. after first introducing you to them about a year ago, i am so excited for some new jams, especially because pitchfork seriously used this sentence to describe one of them:

"it's actually very insane, in a Paula Abdul-meets-"Umbrella"-meets-Dexy's-meets-"The Electric [Fucking] Slide" kind of way"
- seriously!!

the LP also features angel deradoorian of dirty projectors (whose bitte orca will be in my top 5 albums of this year) and ezra koenig of vampire weekend (whose album if they put it out this year will be in my top 5 albums of this year).

edited for TRACKLISTING!!!!!!!!!!!

whatever the case, friends of mine should expect this to be tearing up my car all summer. expect to listen to NOTHING ELSE, EVER AGAIN. thank you.

SHORT, USELESS, JOYOUS POST

2009-05-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

"The Vampire Weekend guys give me a listen to their new track"
- USChryde (of La Blogotheque) on twitter May 14

CAN I HAVE A LISTEN TOO PLZ

speaking of la blog, if you are ever bored, EVERYTHING ON THIS PAGE IS WORTH YOUR TIME.

soon i will have a FREE, RECOMMENDED NYC CONCERT CALENDAR for ya'llz.

sorry for this useless post and my lack of recent blogging. some stuff going down. i am still doing occasional writing for PMA, so you can always go over there and check me out.

USEFUL CHAMBER

2009-05-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

dirty projectors WILL NOT STOP WORKING IT OUT.

USEFUL CHAMBER --- DIRTY PROJECTORS. this link goes to the hype machine, so you can listen for now but not download. bitte orca might be one of the albums of the year; it is out june 9. DPs play at williamsburg waterfront june 19.

ONE OF THE BEST SONGS I HAVE HEARD IN A LONG TIME

2009-05-09T11:16:00.001-07:00

TWO --- THE ANTLERS

anthony and i saw these guys open for the walkmen. i wasn't really impressed by much of their set but this song was phenomenal live, and i'm so glad i stumbled across the album version today. it's very lovely.

HEY GUYS,

2009-05-09T05:19:00.001-07:00

remember when i saw grizzly bear with the philharmonic orchestra and it was the most awesome thing ever? well, now you can experience it semi-firsthand...

you can watch some other stuff as well in the related section if you click on the video. this is an older song, colorado, from yellow house, but there's plenty of veckatimest stuff as well (including the first times ever they played dory, ready able, and foreground).

i have probably said this before but veck = album of the year at this point.

OH AND ALSO

2009-05-07T10:11:00.000-07:00

the soft pack did a daytrotter session. i saw these dudes open for friendly fires about a month ago and they're really good. let me recommend "parasites" to you.

SOFT PACK DAYTROTTER SESSION

WEST EGG

2009-05-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

wanted to share this song with you because i caught a great gatsby reference AND an elements of style nod.

THE SONGBIRD ATHLETIC --- LUSHLIFE

OVERRATED:

2009-05-04T15:24:00.000-07:00

i decided to buy merriweather post pavillion because i'd been hearing so much hyperbolic praise, and still, my sentiments are...

1. NOT AS GOOD AS FEELS
2. NOT THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS
3. NOT ONE OF THE BEST INDIE ALBUMS EVER
4. NOT AS GOOD AS VECKATIMEST. SORRY.

this is a sweet summer jam though:
SUMMERTIME CLOTHES --- ANIMAL COLLECTIVE

PRACTICIN FOR FRENCH AP

2009-05-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

ce qui j'adore a ce moment-ci, c'est cette chanson par Passion Pit...

on doit ecouter ici a pretty much amazing parce qu'il n'y a pas une mp3 aujourd'hui (il n'y a pas une albume!). mais c'est delicieux; je crois que vous l'aimez.

FOLDS IN YOUR HANDS --- PASSION PIT.

je pense que cette albume sera tres beau. je suis tres agitee! j'espere que vous l'aimez.

(ca francais-la, ce n'est pas probablement tres bon. desolee!)

LIKE THE CIRCLE OF FIFTHS

2009-04-29T17:15:00.000-07:00

"meaningful" picture

guys, it is imperative that you download this.

OSAKA LOOP LINE --- DISCOVERY.
this remastered version is giving orange shirt a run for its money as "the most awesome thing ever." really crisp synth, nice clear vocals, best use of autotune since ever...

on the subject, i wrote a review of this for pma, here.

NEW PASSION PIT

2009-04-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

MOTH'S WINGS --- PASSION PIT

glorious and triumphant synth. this guy's voice is one of my new favorites. enjoy it

MALUCA

2009-04-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

this girl knows what she's doing, i think
LISTEN TO "EL TIGERASO"

I'M WALKIN PAST UR HOUSE

2009-04-23T17:46:00.001-07:00

i think this picture has a lot of meaning

listen guys, blog world just found out about discovery thanks to this illuminating stereogum post. i hope you guys are respecting the fact that if you read this blog you have been onto discovery since JUNE.

YOU ARE WELCOME.

anyway, said post has mastered copies of the two killer songs discovery has recorded, and wes miles' twitter is giving me some hope for the future.

lazy? okay.
ORANGE SHIRT --- DISCOVERY

ALL HANDS AND THE COOK

2009-04-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

as some of you might know, my friend anthony and i went to see the walkmen last thursday, april 16. they were incredible. in the middle of their set they played one song that blew me away, and i just figured out what it was and want to share it with you because it will blow your mind too:

ALL HANDS AND THE COOK --- THE WALKMEN

in the end of this song, hamilton held one "note" (by which i mean he just yelled one word) for at least thirty seconds. it was insane. all of us in the audience were screaming and cheering expecting him to stop, but he just did not stop.

if you are not convinced, youtube does more justice than i ever could with words.

GUESS WHAT I DID

2009-04-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

i saw vampire weekend again, at columbia this time! it was beautiful out. i got there as they were starting cape cod kwassa kwassa and i walked by this young woman dancing with a little girl, singing to her "would this feel so unnatural to peter gabriel too!?" unfortunately i missed white sky, and they didn't play any new stuff, but it was such a glorious day out and everyone was so happy and ezra dedicated a-punk to asher roth and everything just skittered on the breeze and there was this great echo on the vocals in i stand corrected and all was very, very well.