Category Archives: Music

Recommended Listens

If you are a fan of far out garage/noise/punk then you ought to head over to the blog Teenage Lobotomy and download their Mix Volume 2. Most of the songs on the Mix are by unknowns, at least to me anyway.

Acid Eater‘s “Top of Spot” is straight up noise-punk. Rat Traps‘ “Tennessee Rock ‘N Roll” is precisely the type of song that I am influenced by. It’s lo-fi garage pop to the max. AH Kraken‘s “Axe Vertical” shouldn’t claim to be anything except a really lo-fi cut of a repetitive psychedelic riff. Nice Face‘s extremely quick “Beater” reminds me of good old Thee Oh Sees and No Bunny. Watch out for FNU Ronnies‘ “Meat” because it’s crackly, noisy, and threatening to your personal security. Human Eye‘s “Rare Little Creature” is a manifestation of the band’s alien punk attitude, which doesn’t actually tell you too much about their sound, but that’s fine. It’s got keyboards like the Spooks do, but HE is more notorious. “Mental Shark Bite” by Final Solutions isn’t too awesome, but it gets the job done much like a band called  Scouflaws does. The Spaceshits, yes Mark Sultan/King Khan Spaceshits, were hailed as one of the best garage bands north of the border and I can see that as fact even though the recording of “Bacon Grease” is exactly that. The Homosexual Police Officers (okay…Fag Cop… for short) sound like a Black Lips side project, but no no they aren’t. Their “Skull Splits” is a glass shattering, mumbling, noise tune that gives their mom a kiss, but fucks your sister too. Check out the evolving beats on the spoken word garage popper “The Nihilist” by TV Ghost, an In The Red groupie. Wolfdowners‘ “Tooshie Bagel” doesn’t really present anything new and exciting to the table, unfortunately. Francis Harold and the Holograms is a damn mouthful and so is their song “Glitter Girlz,” which is a bit too hardcore for me. Lamps “Rototiller” is buried so deep in the grave of garage punk that you’d be a hero to dig this Electric Eels-esque shit up. Homostupids (are they homo or what’s up?) “Beneath the Blackman” is a Circle Jerks B-Side or something. Well, it could have been. Monoshock is an acid trip gone bad, or at least that’s what they said about songs like “Mexican Dentistry” from these ’90s ‘cisco psych-punks.

Just listening to this Mix reminds me that I know near- nothing about the type of music I like.

MY Top Songs of the 2000s


Mmmmmmm
I agree with Glen in maitaining a 3 song limit for each artist.
A:
Against Me!:
1) Baby, I’m An Anarchist (2002)
2) Those Anarcho Punks Are Mysterious (2002)
3) Pints of Guiness Make You Strong (2002)

The Almighty Defenders:
1) Cone of Light (2009)
2) The Ghost With the Most (2009)
3) Bow Down and Die (2009)

Andrew W.K.:
1) We Want Fun (2002)
2) Party Hard (2001)
3) It’s Time to Party (2001)

Animal Collective
:
1) Summertime Clothes (2009)
2) Peacebone (2007)
3) Who Could Win a Rabbit (2004)

Anti-Flag:
1) Turncoat (2003)
2) This Is the End (2006)

Arcade Fire:
1) Rebellion (Lies) (2005)
2) My Body Is a Cage (2007)
3) Intervention (2007)

Arctic Monkeys:
1) Riot Van (2006)
2) Fluorescent Adolescent (2007)
3) I Bet You Look Good On the Dance Floor (2006)

Audioslave:
1) Like A Stone (2002)

B

Babyshambles:
1) Lust of the Libertines (2007)

Beat Happening:
1) Angel Gone (2000)

Beck:
1) E-Pro (2005)

Black Lips:
1) Bad Kids (2007)!!!!!!
2) Sea of Blasphemy (2005)
3) Fairy Stories (2005)

Bo Burnham:
1) Klan Kookout (2007)

Bobby Ubangi:
1) Greaser’s Lament (2009)
2) Back To You (2009)
3) Another Girl Like You (2009)

Bon Iver:
1) For Emma (2008)

Box Elders:
1) Atlantis (2009)
2) Ronald Dean (2009)
3) Death of Me (2009)

Brand New:
1) Degausser (2007)

Bright Eyes:
1) Road to Joy (2005)
2) Lua (2005)
3) We Are Nowhere and It’s Now (2005)

C

Chimaira:
1) The Impossibility of Reason (2003)
2) Pure Hatred (2003)

CKY:
1) Flesh Into Gear (2002)

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!:
1) In This Home On Ice (2005)
2) Clap Your Hands! (2005)
3) Satan Said Dance (2007)

Cold War Kids:
1) Passing the Hat (2006)

Cyrpess Hill:
1) (Rock) Superstar (2000)

D

Daphne Loves Derby:
1) How’s It Going to End? (2007)
2) You Versus the Sea (2005)
3) Pollen and Salt (2005)
Dead Prez:
1) Hip-Hop (2000)

Death From Above 1979:
1) Little Girl (2004)

Deerhunter:
1) Disappearing Ink (2009)
2) Game of Diamonds (2009)
3) Famous Last Words (2009)

Deftones:
1) Change (In the House of Flies) (2000)
2) Knife Party (2000)
3) Feiticeria (2000)

Dinosaur Jr:
1) I Want You to Know (2009)
2) Over It (2009)
3) Pieces (2009)

Dresden Dolls:
1) Girl Anacrhonism (2003)
2) Coin-Operated Boy (2003)
3) First Orgasm (2006)

E

The Early November:
1) Never Coming Back (2006)

Editors:
1) Distance (2005)
2) Dust In the Sunlight (2005)
3) Munich (2005)

Elliott Smith:
1) I Better Be Quiet Now (2000)
2) Son of Sam (2000)
3) L.A. (2000)

Eminem:
1) Stan (2000)
2) Kill You (2000)
3) Lose Yourself (2002)

F

Fall Of Troy:
1) Oh the Casino! (2007)
2) Whacko Jacko Steals the Elephant Man’s Bones (2005)
3) The Dark Trail (2007)

Fatlip:
1) What’s Up Fatlip? (2000)

Finger Eleven:
1) First Time (2001)
2) Sick Of It All (2001)

Flobots:
1) Rise (2007)
2) Handlebars (2007)

Foo Fighters:
1) Best of You (2005)
2) All My Life (2002)
3) Times Like These (2002)

Frou Frou:
1) Let Go (2002)

Fucked Up:
1) Twice Born (2008)

Fugazi:
1) Epic Problem (2001)
2) Cashout (2001)
3) Argument (2001)

G

Gary Jules and Michael Andrews:
1) Mad World

Gaye Blades:
1) Bobby Is A Lover (2008)
2) Treat Me Like A Man (2008)

Girls:
1) Lust For Life (2009)

GlassJaw:
1) Lovebites and Razorlines (2000)
2) Pretty Lush (2000)
3) Siberian Kiss (2000)

H

Handsome Furs:
1) All We Want Baby Is Everything (2009)
2) Legal Tender (2009)
3) Evangeline (2009)

Head Automatica:
1) Beating Heart Baby (2004)
2) I Shot William H. Macy (2004)
3) The Razor (2004)

I

Immortal Technique:
1) Freedom of Speech (2003)
2) Dance With the Devil (2001)
3) Bin Laden (2005)

Incubus:
1) Talk Shows on Mute (2003)
2) Megalomaniac (2003)
3) Nice to Know You (2001)

Interpol:
1) NYC (2005)

Iron and Wine:
1) Such Great Heights (2003)

J

Jay Reatard:
1) See/Saw (2008)
2) No Time (2008)
3) Rotten Mind (2009)

Jens Lekman:
1) Maple Leaves (2004)

Johnny Cash:
1) Hurt (2003)

K

Kimya Dawson:
1) So Nice, So Smart (2004)
2) Tire Swing (2006)
3) My Mom (2006)

King Khan & BBQ Show:
1) Too Much In Love (2006)
2) Anala (2009)
3) Invisible Girl (2009)

King Khan & The Shrines:
1) Land Of the Freak (2007)
2) Crackin’ Up (2001)
3) Took My Lady to Dinner (2007)

Kings of Leon
:
1) Use Somebody (2009)

L

The Libertines:
1) Time For Heroes (2003)
2) Narcissist (2004)
3) Up the Bracket (2003)

Louis XIV
:
1) Finding Out True Love Is Blind (2005)

Lovely Feathers:
1) Pope John Paul (2006)
2) Rod Stewart (2006)

M

The Mabuses:
1) Dark Star (2007)
2) I’m the Greatest (2007)
3) Seasider (2007)

Mando Diao:
1) The Band (2002)

Mark Sultan:
1) Something Wrong (2007)
2) Mortal Man (2007)
3) Unicorn Rainbow Odyssey (2007)

Mewithoutyou:
1) In A Sweater Poorly Knit (2006)
2) Orange Spider (2006)
3) Messes of Men (2006)

Mika Miko:
1) I Got A Lot (New New New) (2009)
2) On the Rise (2009)
3) Beat the Rush (2009)

Miracle Johan:
1) Gets Me Thinking (2005)
2) How I Awoke (2005)

Modest Mouse:
1) Float On (2004)

The Moldy Peaches
:
1) Anyone Else But You (2001)

N

Necro:
1) Your Fucking Head Split (2000)
2) I Need Drugs (2000)

The Nightwatchman:
1) Battle Hymns (2007)
2) No One Left (2007)
3) California’s Dark (2007)

Nine Inch Nails:
1) The Hand That Feeds You (2005)
2) Only (2005)

No Age:
1) Everybody’s Down (2007)
2) Eraser (2008)
3) You’re A Target (2009)

No One’s Kind:
1) Unwelcome (2003)
2) Drama (2003)
3) The Art of Breathing Underwater (2003)

Nobunny:
1) Chuck Berry Holiday (2009)

O

Ok Go:
1) Here It Goes Again (2006)

P

Page France :
1) Chariot (2005)
2) Feather (2005)
3) Spine (2004)

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart:
1) Hey Paul (2009)
2) Come Saturday (2009)
3) A Teenager In Love (2009)

Panda Bear:
1) Bro’s (2008)

A Perfect Circle :
1) 3 Libras (2000)

Peter Bjorn and John:
1) Amsterdam (2006)
2) Young Folks (2006)
3) Tailormaide (2006)

The Polyphonic Spree:
1) Light and Day (2003)

Postal Service:
1) Such Great Heights (2003)

Puscifer:
1) Cuntry Boner (2007)

R

Radiohead:
1) You and Whose Army? (2001)
2) Nude (2007)
3) Videotape (2003)

Rage Against the Machine:
1) Beautiful World (2000)
2) How I Could Just Kill A Man (2000)
3) The Ghost of Tom Joad (2000)

Richard Cheese:
1) Gin and Juice (2004)

The Rifles:
1) Peace and Quiet (2006)

Rogue Wave:
1) Kicking the Heart Out (2003)

The Roots:
1) Somebody’s Gotta Do It (2004)
2) Boom! (2004)
3) Don’t Say Nuthin’ (2004)

S

Sam Roberts:
1) Bridge To Nowhere (2006)

Shellac:
1) Prayer to God (2000)
2) Squirrel Song (2000)
3) Mama Gina (2000)

The Shins:
1) New Slang (2001)
2) Caring Is Creepy (2001)

Sigur Ros:
1) Heysatan (2005)

Silhouette Rising:
1) Riverside (2009)
2) Behind Closed Doors (2009)
3) Perserverence (2009)

The Soggy Bottom Boys:
1) The Man Of Constant Sorrow (2000)

Sonic Youth:
1) Incinerate (2006)
2) What We Know (2009)
3) Anti-Orgasm (2009)

Spinto Band:
1) Oh Mandy (2005)

The Spooks:
1) Steal Your Soul (2008)

The Strange Boys:
1) Woe Is You and Me (2009)
2) No Way For A Slave to Behave (2009)
3) Then (2009)

Street Sweeper Social Club :
1) 100 Little Curses (2009)

The Strokes:
1) Is This It? (2001)
2) You Only Live Once (2006)
3) Reptilia (2004)

Sufjan Stevens:
1) Chicago (2005)

Sunset Rubdown:
1) Idiot Heart (2009)
2) They Took A Vote and Said No (2006)
3) Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh! (2009)

System Of A Down:
1) Prison Song (2001)
2) Boom! (2002)
3) Radio/Video (2005)

T

Tapes ‘n Tapes:
1) Manitoba (2005)
2) Insistor (2005)

Tokyo Police Club:
1) Cheer It On (2006)

Tool:
1) Schism (2001)
2) Right In Two (2006
3) Vicarius (2006)

Trevor Hall
1) Lime Tree (2006)

Two Gallants:
1) Las Cruces Jail (2006)

U

Uninhabitable Mansions:
1) Speed Is Deceiving (2009)

The Used:
1) A Poetic Tragedy (2002)
2) Buried Myself Alive (2002)
3) Maybe Memories (2002)

V

Vampire Weekend:
1) I Stand Corrected (2008)

The Veils:
1) The Leavers Dance (2004)

Vivian Girls:
1) Before I Start to Cry (2009)
2) When I’m Gone (2009)
3) Double Vision (2009)

W

The Walkmen:
1) Passing Through (2008)
2) In the New Year (2008)
3) Louisiana (2006)

The Warlocks:
1) Shake the Dope Out (2002)

Wavves:
1) So Bored (2009)
2) No Hope Kids (2009)
3) Summer Goths (2008)

Weezer:
1) Keep Fishin (2002)
2) Hash Pipe(2001)
3) Island In the Sun (2001)

Wolf Parade:
1) Modern World (2005)

Wolftron
1) Steps (2007)

Wu-Tang Clan:
1) In Tha Hood (2001)

40 Below Summer:
1) We the People (2001)
2) Rope (2001)
3) Step Into the Sideshow (2001)

Chris

Top Songs of 2000s (A-C)

It was hard choosing just three songs for these guys!

A maximum of three songs per band and they must be favorites!

Alec Ounsworth
1. Pass Along This Way – 2003

Almighty Defenders
1. Cone of Light – 2009
2. Ghost With The Most – 2009
3. All My Loving – 2009

Animal Collective
1. Fireworks – 2007
2. Grass – 2005
3. Peacebone – 2007

Arcade Fire
1. Rebellion (Lies) – 2004
2. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) – 2004

Arctic Monkeys
1. Fluorescent Adolescent – 2007
2. I Bet You  Look Good on the Dancefloor – 2005
3. Dancing Shoes – 2005

Atlas Sound
1. Walkabout (Featuring Noah Lennox)

Beirut
1. Postcards From Italy

Black Lips
1. Not A Problem – 2007
2. Fad – 2003
3. Juvenile – 2007

Bobby Ubangi
1. Back To You – 2009

Bon Iver
1. For Emma – 2007

Bright Eyes
1. Road To Joy – 2005
2. We Are Nowhere and It’s Now – 2005
3. Lua – 2005

Built to Spill
1. Strange – 2001

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
1. Over and Over Again – 2005
2. Heavy Metal – 2005

Cold War Kids
1. Passing The Hat – 2006
2. Pregnant – 2006
3. Hang Me Up To Dry – 2006

Crystal Castles
1. Crimewave (Crystal Castles Vs. Health)

Dandy Warhols
1. We Used To Be Friends – 2003

Deerhunter
1. Disappearing Ink – 2009

Editors
1. Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors – 2007
2. Munich – 2007
3. Papillon – 2009

Flashy Python
1. Obscene Queen Bee – 2009

Fleet Foxes
1. White Winter Hymnal – 2008
2. Mykonos – 2008

French Kicks
1. Abandon – 2008
2. So Far We Are – 2006
3. 1985 – 2002

Fugazi
1. Argument – 2001

Grizzly Bear
1. Colorado – 2006
2. Knife – 2006

Handsome Furs
1. Dead + Rural – 2007
2. All We Want, Baby, Is Everything – 2009
3. Evangeline – 2009

Head Automatica
1. Please Please Please – 2004
2. The Razor – 2004

Immortal Technique
1. Freedom of Speech

My Christmas Must Sees

Films (in no particular order):
1) It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
2) A Christmas Carol (in any of it’s versions, specifically 1951. I usually attend the play, as I will be in two weeks. One of the few plays I enjoy seeing)
3) A Christmas Story (1983)
4) Home Alone (1990)
5) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
6) The Santa Claus (1994)
7) Edward Scissorhands (1990) (okay, so only towards the end of the film this is applicable, but for me it gets me in the mood)
8) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) (I suppose this is more apropos for Halloween)
9) Bad Santa (2003)
10) Die Hard (1988)

Tv:
1) The Simpsons- Most of their Christmas specials are worthy, but specifically, “Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire” (1989)
2) South Park- Same deal as above, but especially “Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo” (1997)
3) Family Guy- “A Very Special Family Guy Freakin’ Christmas” (2001)
4) At least one Johnny Cash Special
5) Dr.Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1964)
6) Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964)
7) Frosty The Snowman (1969)
8) It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas (2009)- Potentially Must See because the show is great, but I have not yet seen this special
9) A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
10) SNL- various skits

Reading:
A Christmas Carol By:Charles Dickens (1843)
A Story A Day Till Christmas Various Authors (1985)
The Catcher in the Rye By: J.D. Salinger (1951)

I usually end up viewing only half of these! But, either way, I have a lot of work to do and I recommend others to watch/ read them too. I would recommend music, but that will take too long. I’ll save it for another day. To kick things off, here’s Adam Sandler in a classic SNL skit. It’s too bad that Youtube doesn’t have the actual video, oh well.

Chris

Jay Is Better Than One Line!

Look at your Boston Globe and read the Pixies review:

JOHNNY REATARD GOT ONE FREAKING LINE!

“Buzzed-about indie rocker Jay Reatard handled the evening’s warm-up duties.”

NO FUCKING SHIT HE WAS THE OPENER. THAT’S OBVIOUS. HE GOT ME SWEATING, SHAKING IN MY SKIN. APPARENTLY HE WAS ONLY WORTH ONE LINE TO YOU, BOSTON GLOBE. YEAH NO SHIT THE PIXIES ROCKED THE  SHIT OUT OF THE PLACE, BUT  ONE LINE FOR “INDIE-ROCKER”? GO F YOURSELF.

Jay Pixies H & E

Hey, it’s No Age!

Well, in a rare instance, this post is mostly reserved for the opening band, Jay Reatard.

Hopes: Jay plays all of my favorites, plays for an hour, and his new crew sounds infinitely better than his last band, whom were entertaining and talented in their own right. And for the Pixies, I hope they put on the best show I’ve ever seen and play all my non-Doolittle, favorites.

Expectations: Jay and gang have better chops than his previous band mates, but aren’t as amazing as I suggest above. Seeing them live will be fun, but not the same experience as the previous show at Harpers Ferry, because we will be seated and what not. He will play a good amount of my favorites. The Pixies’ performance will be top notch and the show will enter my top 5 or at least top 10. They will play at least a few of my non-Doolittle favorites.

Chris