- The Walkmen – “New Years Eve” – Bows and Arrows
- The Walkmen – “In The New Year” – You and Me
- Black Lips – “Starting Over” – 200 Million Thousand
Thanks to the blog http://gigawave.wordpress.com/ for posting these.
Category Archives: Lists
Why Top 5?
1) Black Lips- Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo (2007, Vice)-
“This is going to be the best live record of all time!” I couldn’t agree more with you Jared. The album begins with the perennial shouting “ohhhh,” then we are held in suspicion as some Mexican dude is rapidly shouting something in Spanish, which culminates to him shrieking “THE BLACK LIPS!” Then we get strapped in for the roller coaster that is “MIA.” Next we float around like Boomerangs until we slide down the “Sea of Blasphemy.” More classics follow, including “Stranger,” “Not A Problem,” “Hippie, Hippie Hoorah,” and others. Particularly, for me the tracks “Fairy Stories” and “Dirty Hands” always get me going. FS is a great dancing number and is the closest the Lips get to a Beatles song. I love how lyrically this song is sooo menacing: “My daddy has a gun, it’s not a toy, but it’s loads of fun!” and yet musically, it’s completely joyous. DH is one of the best sing a longs ever, perfect for campfires. Lastly, the group finishes with their signature song (if they have one) “Juvenile.” Every track is a classic and this is the closest you get to the live experience on a Black Lips album. As with their shows, on this record there is never a dull moment.
2) Jay Reatard- Matador Singles ’08 (2008, Matador)-
This was the first Jay Reatard album I ever heard; prior to hearing this record, I knew very little of Jay’s music. I had seen some youtube videos, but that wasn’t enough. Even seeing him live, didn’t shake me. So, I tossed on this compilation and I was blown away at how catchy these songs were. I know most people will disagree with me, but this is seriously one of the greatest pop records of all times. These motherfuckers stick to your brain! The repetitious vocals, the simple guitars, memorable lyrics. it’s all here. Favorites include “See/ Saw,” “Screaming Hand,” “An Ugly Death,” “Always Wanting More,” “Trapped Here,” “I’m Watching You,” amongst others. Two tracks in particular should be noted: “No Time” and “You Were Sleeping.” These softies are incredible. Sure, they are probably the wimpiest diddies Reatard has ever had the courage to release to his garage punk aficionado fans, but that’s what makes this LP a classic.
3) The King Khan & BBQ Show- What’s For Dinner? (2006, In the Red)-
Baayyyy Beee Why Don’t You Lie like Rolling Stone magazine when they didn’t include this masterpiece amongst their bests of the decade lol. Seriously though, if you are looking for fun filled old school rock n roll, doo wop, garage punk numbers, this is your album. Unlike their garage rock revival counterparts, the Black Lips and Jay Reatard, the KKBBQS, both lyrically and musically is all about the good old times when kids were kids and danced their ass off with the Zombies at the hop. This LP includes numerous classics: you have the great doo woppy sensitive pop numbers in “I’ll Never Belong,” “Into the Snow,” and “Why Don’t You Lie?” Then you have your fast rockers with “Treat Me Like a Dog,” “Zombies,” and “Dock It#8.” And then there’s the in-betweens. Specifically, “Too Much In Love” is my favorite tune and is soo damn catchy. I could complain more about the severe lack of recognition this LP and this band in general does not receive, but then again , I DON’T GIVE A FUCK!
4) Jay Reatard- Blood Visions (2006, In the Red)-
So, you name your debut Blood Visions and the cover is you naked covered in (real) blood; does it get more badass than that? I hope not! You don’t even need to listen to this album to know what it is about. Just look at the cover. It’s a portrait of a man, who is giving you his internal emotions in his music, he’s not hiding anything from we, creeps. In this sense, there’s plenty of vulnerability in his music, but it never gets the best of him. To this day, his set lists comprise mostly (or at least a good chunk) of BV songs and it’s not hard to see why with such essential, vintage Reatard: “Blood Visions,” “It’s So Easy,” “My Shadow,” “Nightmares,” “Fading All Away,” “Waiting For Something,” and others. It’s a pop classic, it’s a punk classic, but it’s not pop punk lol. Great, unpolished, garagey production. Just the way I like it.
5) Jay Reatard- Singles ’06-’07 (2008, In the Red)-
Ok, I’ve sucked enough Reatard and Garage Rock dick like Rolling Stone gives Radio head. So, I’m going to make this short and sweet. More classic, essential singles and new acoustic, low fi versions of old favorites, as well as some of Jay’s best love/pop songs: “I Know A Place,” “Don’t Let Him Come Back,” “It’s So Useless,” “Let It All Go.”
Chris
Glen’s Fave Drummers (2000s)
1. Dean Allen Spunt – No Age – Dean makes up for No Age’s lack of a bass player in a tremendous way. He is both a crafty artist and a heavy hitter. He defines some of No Age’s best tunes (Cappo, Every Artist Needs A Tragedy, Here Should Be My Home, etc), not to mention the fact that he sings on every one of them as well.
2. Matt Barrick – The Walkmen – The thing that I really love about Barrick is his pacing and control of tempo. He is just a commander from behind the drum set, whizzing through each song with passion and friendliness. A man of small stature and youthful appearance, Barrick is just as great on fast songs like “The Rat” and “Thinking Of A Dream I Had” (a personal favorite) as he is on a slower one like “Canadian Girl.”
3. Joe Bradley – Black Lips – Joe is simply the man, providing a solid vocal/drum combination for my favorite band. He’s incredibly high energy and intelligent. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves. On record, admittedly I don’t really pay attention to his drumming as much as I do the other instruments; live, it’s a thing of a beauty to watch him play.
Matt’s Top Albums from 2000-09
These are some of the my favorite and in my opinion some of the best albums of the first decade in the 21st Century.
5. 19-Adele. This was one of my personal favorites from an amazingly talented girl. The album has everythi
ng heart felt ballads galore (Daydreamer, Hometown Glory, First Love among others) giant swelling songs (Chasing Pavements, Right As Rain, Tired) and even a dance track (Cold Shoulder). Written about Adele’s experience leaving her home in London and experience with love, 19 proved to be one of my favorite records of the decade.
4. Funeral-Arcade Fire. The debut from one of the leading bands in indie rock. Funeral, which was named after several of the bandmate’ss relatives passed away, like 19 just has it all. It has your soft personal acoustic (Crown Of Love, Neighbor Hood 4 [7 Kettles], In The Backseat) your thunderous rock songs (Wake Up, Rebellion[Lies], Neighborhood #3[Power Out]) and yet again even kind of a dance track (Neighborhood #1 [Tunnels]). I credit this as the only record to ever make me close to really crying my eyes out. Phenomenal record. Should be in everyone’s collection.
3. The 
White Stripes-Elephant. Wow. All I can say about this record. What really made this stand out to me was its lack of true production. Jack had this recorded all on tapes and he spliced the tapes together. Some of my favorite songs are Seven Nation Army, Ball And Biscuit, There’s No Home For You Here, Little Acorns and You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket. An amazing outing from arguably my favorite band.
2. Radiohead-In Rainbows. What is a top ten list without Radiohead. And this record in particular is t
he one that really made me take notice of Radiohead. An album that makes an artist wait to put out the next record so the one before won’t overshadow it is something special. With some of the best production, arrangements and lyrics my old ears have ever heard, In Rainbows is a record not to be fucked with.
1. Radiohead-Kid A. I am speechless when it comes to this record. It’s such a… special record. Defining Radiohead’s sound most likely for the next few records and defining us as people, its just scary good. I frown on anyone who thinks they can do better. I don’t want to say anymore because my words can’t praise it enough
.
KLYAM Boston Venue Guide
These aren’t known levels or anything; a mix of opinion and fact, if that’s all right with you.
Level One
– Lizard Lounge (Local bands; usually unsigned; capacity 80)
– O’Brien’s Pub (Local bands; usually unsigned; capacity 70)
– Several other small venues without any prerequisite venues.
Level Two
– P.A’s Lounge (Typically signed w/ a good size following; capacity 150; example: Jens Lekman)
– Club Passim (Mid-size acts of the folk persuasion w/ good size following; capacity 125)
Level Three
– Middle East Upstairs (Prerequisite of Level One/Two shows; mid-size bands typically signed; capacity 194; example: Rural Alberta Advantage)
– T.T the Bear’s (Prerequisite of at least 3 Level One/Two shows; mid-size bands typically signed; capacity 300; example: Sam Roberts)
– Great Scott (Headlines fairly popular signed local/national/international bands, often from Northern Europe; capacity 240; example: Handsome Furs)
Level Four
– Harper’s Ferry (Headlines low-demand mainstream/high-demand independent bands; capacity 400; examples: Wale, Flobots, Jay Reatard)
– Middle East Downstairs (Headlines highly visible independent/slightly mainstream bands with strong followings; capacity 575; examples: Black Lips, Walkmen, Dinosaur Jr.)
Level Five
– Paradise Rock Club (Headlines established/new national touring acts that easily sell out Level Four venues; capacity 728; examples: King Khan & the Shrines, Anti-Flag)
– Wilbur Theatre (Headlines national touring acts that have established quite an audience; capacity 1223; example: Sonic Youth)
– House of Blues (Headlines national touring acts, which may or may not be considerably mainstream, that have established quite an audience; capacity 2425; examples: New Kids on the Block, Animal Collective)
– Orpheum Theatre (Headlines national touring acts, which may or may not be considerably mainstream, that have established quite an audience; capacity 2763; examples: Regina Spektor, Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
Level Six
– Wang Theatre (Headlines highly visible bands and artists who have, usually over a number of years, developed a vast following; capacity 3700; examples: Pixies, Lady Gaga)
– Bank of America Pavilion (Headlines highly visible bands and artists who have developed a vast following; capacity 5000; examples: Flaming Lips, Elvis Costello)
– Agganis Arena (Headlines very big names in rock and pop; capacity 7200; examples: Weezer, Kings of Leon)
Level Seven
– Comcast Center (Headlines the biggest names in rock and pop; capacity 19900; examples: Radiohead, Nickelback)
– TD Garden (Headlines the biggest names in rock and pop; capacity 19580; examples: U2, Bruce Springsteen)
————————-
Some bands, undeniably, have a greater potential to rise to the top than others. For instance, Kings of Leon have worked their way up rather significantly in the past few years. Just two years ago they played the Paradise. This past April, they played the 10X larger Agganis Arena. Take Radiohead. They played the ‘Dise back in 1995 and just a few years later performed at the 20,000+ Suffolk Downs race track. Even King Khan & BBQ Show have been an upwardly mobile success story. They went from TT The Bears in 2005 to Great Scott in 2007 to the Paradise in 2008. For other bands like Black Lips, it’s been a somewhat slower ride. A touring band since 2000, they hit up TT’s in 2007 before selling out Middle East Downstairs the past two years, thanks in some part to critically acclaimed album releases Good Bad Not Evil and 200 Million Thousand. I’m not going to put money on it, but I wouldn’t be totally surprised if they move up the ladder to the Paradise (provided dates are available) for their next U.S tour.
Glen’s Top Albums (2000s)
These albums really got me going at one time or another. After #1, the order doesn’t really matter. They’ve all been just about equally inspirational AND they are all pretty damn different.
1. Los Valienteles Del Mundo Nuevo (Black Lips/2007/Punk)
2. Nouns (No Age/2008/Experimental Noise Pop)
3. You and Me (Walkmen/2008/Post-Punk)
4. The King Khan & BBQ Show LP (The King Khan & BBQ Show/2004/Doo-Wop)
5. In Rainbows (Radiohead/2007/Art Rock)
My Top Albums of the Decade
Just flipping through the latest issue of Rolling Stone (I rarely read the mag) and taking a gander at their bests of the decade lists, I can’t get over the massive discrepancies in our’s and their’s. RS overwhelmingly favors mostly mainstream/major label acts and a few independent acts with some degree of commercials success. So of course, our homeboys (Black Lips, Jay, King Khan, No Age, etc.) are virtually nonexistent because they’re not big enough! Wow, what a terrifically horrendous way to evaluate music… Anyway, case in point, their top 50 albums of the decade barely included 1/5 of independent music, whereas our lists are the complete opposite. Anyway, here’s their list: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/31248017/100_best_albums_of_the_decade/44 and here’s mine, the better one :)
1) Black Lips- Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo (2007, Vice)
2) Jay Reatard- Matador Singles ’08 (2008, Matador)
3) The King Khan & BBQ Show- What’s For Dinner? (2006, In the Red)
4) Jay Reatard- Blood Visions (2006, In The Red)
5) Jay Reatard- Singles ’06-’07 (2008, In the Red)
6) Bright Eyes- I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (2005, Saddle Creek)
7) The King Khan & BBQ Show- The King Khan & BBQ Show (2004, Goner)
8) Animal Collective- Strawberry Jam (2007, Domino)
9) No Age- Nouns (2008, Sub Pop)
10) King Khan & The Shrines- The Supreme Genius of King Khan & The Shrines (2008, Vice)
11) Arcade Fire- Neon Bible (2007, Merge)
12) Black Lips- 200 Million Thousand (2009, Vice)
13) Page France- Hello, Dear Wind (2005, Suicide Squeeze)
14) Box Elders- Alice and Friends (2009, Goner)
15) The Pains of Being Pure At Heart- The Pains of Being Pure At Heart (Slumberland Records, 2009)
16) Against Me!- Reinventing Axl Rose (2002, No Idea)
17) Girls- Album (2009, True Panther Sounds)
18) The Nightwatchman- One Man Revolution (2007, Epic)
19) Glassjaw- Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence (Roadrunner, 2000)
20) Mark Sultan- The Sultanic Verses (2007, In the Red)
21) Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006, Domino)
22) Kimya Dawson- Remember That I love You (2006, K)
23) Black Lips- Good, Bad, Not Evil (2007, Vice)
24) The Almighty Defenders- The Almighty Defenders (2009, Vice)
25) The King Khan & BBQ Show- Invisible Girl (2009, In the Red)
26) System of A Down- Mesmerize/ Hypnotize ( 2005, American)
27) Deerhunter- Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP (2009, Kranky)
28) Head Automatica- Decadence (2004, Warner Brothers)
29) Deftones- White Pony (2000, Maverick)
30) System of A Down- Toxicity (2001, American)
31) Mabuses- Mabused (2007, Magpie)
32) Glassjaw- Worship and Tribute (2002, Warner Brothers)
33) Against Me!- As the Eternal Cowboy (2003, Fat Wreck Cords)
34) Black Lips- Black Lips (2003, Bomp!)
35) Black Lips- We Did Not Know the Spirit Made the Flowers Grow (2004, Bomp!)
36) Animal Collective- Feels (2005, Fat Cat)
37) Sonic Youth- The Eternal (2009, Matador)
38) Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009, Domino)
39) Fugazi- The Argument (2001, Dischord)
40) Those Darlins- Those Darlins (2009, Oh Wow Dang)
41) The Strange Boys and Girls Club (2009, In the Red)
42) The Used- The Used (2001, Reprise)
43) Arctic Monkeys- Humbug (2009, Domino, Warner Brothers, EMI)
44) Editors- The Back Room (2005, Kitchenware, Fader)
45) Shellac- 1000 Hurts (2000, Touch And Go)
I’m leaving 5 slots open for possible last minute acceptances.
Chris
Abbie Hoffman v. Jerry Rubin
Jerry on the left and Abbie on the right. Both men were Revolutionary Yippies! in the 1960s, but who is cooler?
Hoffman was funnier
Rubin was zanier
Hoffman wrote more books including the incendiary Steal This Book
Rubin’s Do iT! is the best Yippie! book and far more colorful (plenty of pics, many displaying nude babes), wacky, and radical than any of Abbie’s, though his contain similar elements.
Hoffman staged more pranks: Throwing money over the New York Stock Exchange, levitating the Pentagon
Rubin was arguably more militant or “freakier.” He considered Charles Manson an inspiration and even chatted with him for hours in prison.
Hoffman was a member of SNCC in his early days
Rubin was active in the Free Speech Movement in his early days, though he made some Civil Rights protests as well
Hoffman wore an inverted Amerikan flag on his shirt
Rubin wore the Viet Cong (he spelled it Kong) flag on his shirt
Hoffman heard Castro speak
Rubin personally met him (if I’m not mistaken)
Hoffman has several biographies of him and including his own as well as an entertaining biopic called Steal This Movie
Rubin once stormed the halls of Congress half nude, dressed up in American Revolutionary attire, complete with war paint and ammunition, albeit a toy gun!
Hoffman along with Jefferson Airplane singer, Grace Slick once attempted to slip a hit of LSD into president Nixon’s coffee, but they never made it inside the White House
Rubin became a yuppie when the war ended: stockbroker, businessman,etc.
Hoffman was forced underground and became an environmentalist, when he rose above ground he continued his activism with the War On Drugs, and the CIAs sadistic, murderous involvement in Latin America as major targets
Well, I could go on and on here. Basically, both men were heroic and should be revered for their tactics, ideals, and for making revolution fun. So, who wins?……………
Abbie! because he never sold out and more importantly because of his unique form of media manipulation, which ultimately led to social change and gave people some laughs (or the jitters!).
Here’s some history in motion; this is Abbie right before the Chicago Democratic National Convention protests which culminated in him and seven others (including Rubin) being tried and convicted (though the decision was eventually reversed) for conspiracy to incite riots at the Convention:
And here’s just a classic Jerry Rubin moment:
Chris
Y’ALL CHECK OUT…
The new Recommended Reading and Best of 2009 sections! Accessible by clicking on the links in this post AND/OR on the right-side navigational panel under the heading “Pages”.
Chris
MY Top Ten Concerts of 2009!
For specific information like dates, go to Glen’s post, as I feel it is unnecessary to rewrite the same information. Also, in some of these shows I am not naming every performer for the evening, but rather those I found to be memorable. Note: I attended twenty solid concerts total this year, so this list is exactly half of them.
1) Black Lips w/ Mean Creek at the Middle East- A+: Best concert I’ve ever seen simply because they are my favorite band and I knew all of the songs. But, beyond that, the show was constantly exciting and I really appreciated the chat with Cole as Glen noted. Mean Creek were a chill band with a great anti-capitalist message.
2) King Khan & The Shrines w/ Mark Sultan at the Paradise Rock Club- A+: What else can you say about King and gang that hasn’t already been said?! The show is a spectacle from start to finish. Pure energy, excitement, and really happiness. If the Black Lips were not my favorite band, without a doubt, I would say the Shrines were the most entertaining performers I have ever seen. Like Glen, I’m positive I would appreciate Marky Sultan’s performance infinitely more, if I saw him now, but even without being familiar to his music, I still appreciated it; something extremely rare for me. Supreme Genius indeed!
3) Jay Reatard w/ Box Elders, Nobunny, and Hunx and His Punx at Harpers Fery- A+: Fun, Fun, Fun till Harpers Ferry security took Nobunny pyro techniques away! Then more fun with Jay! I second Glen, as I seem to do a lot in these lists (great minds think alike!) best opening experience ever! I heard one of my new favorites for the first time: Box Elders. Instantly I fell in love with their catchy, pop songs, another rare feature. Hunx was queer as fuck, but in a great way! They really got the crowd moving, perhaps moving away for some (and oddly moving closer for others haha); once again rare for an opening band. This continued with Nobunny, who also shared tremendous showmanship and over all joy in their craft. Of course Jay belted out his hits and it was great. The moshing and crowd interaction made it a memorable concert for sure.
4) King Khan & BBQ Show at the Middle East- A+: Supreme Genius continues! Well, I was waddlin around right into the snow with some zombies, which transformed into a fish fight. Soon I said I’ll never belong here and so I docked at number eight. Unfortunately, the hunnies treat me like dog because I’m too much in love with them, so I just sat and watched them shake real low. I’d much rather they hold me tight, but I guess not tonight. I guess I’ll be a lonely boy for one more night.
5) Pixies w/ Jay Reatard at Wang Theater- A+: One of my favorite bands playing one of my favorite albums and my second favorite artist opening for them with amazing seats, what else can I ask for?!
6) Sonic Youth w/ The Feelies at Wilbur Theatre- A+
7) No Age w/ Lemonade at Wellsley College- A+
8) Animal Collective at the House of Blues- A
9) Head Automatica at the Great Scott- A
10) Arctic Monkeys at the House of Blues- B+/A-
Chris
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 