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Glen’s Nominations: Top Songs of 2009

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Correct me if I am wrong, but I’m pretty damn sure that nothing else noteworthy is coming  out in 2009! So I am going to proceed to figure out what the best songs of 2009 are…okay?

Almighty Defenders – “Cone of Light” – Mark Sultan (vocals) and Joe Bradley (drums) make this song the beast that it is. Upbeat gospel!

Animal Collective – “Summertime Clothes” – With a heart pounding bass line and incredibly catchy chorus, this is an all around fun psychedelic popper!

Arctic Monkeys – “Dangerous Animals” – Heavy and simple guitar bashing contrasted with Turner’s warm and inviting vocals.

Atlas Sound – “Walkabout” – Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) comes in the clutch here making this a surefire summertime psych-pop classic with unforgettable lyrics.

Black Lips – “Starting Over” – This track hit me way back in February as one of the BL’s best. Listening to it again, it’s not entirely clean-sounding, but might just be the band’s best attempt at garage pop.

Bobby Ubangi – “Back To You” – This Ramones inspired posthumous release exemplifies that basic instrumentation is sometimes best.

Box Elders – “Jackie Wood” – Like “Back To You,” this isn’t exactly revolutionary, but it sticks with you…for a very long time.

Cymbals Eat Guitars – “And the Hazy Sea” – A great opening track that seems influenced by the ’80s post-hardcore scene; it’s the loud-quiet-loud that attracts me to this 6 minute overture.

Editors – “Papillon” – Electro-pop at its finest, at least for this year. For Editors, it’s a change in direction, for me, it’s an impressive classic that makes ya dance.

Flashy Python – “Obscene Queen Bee” – This neo-psych song has been floating around for a while in Alec Ounsworth’s repertoire, but it’s most polished and “epic” when sung as Flashy.

Girls – “Lust For Life” – This song is messed up if you are straight-guy singing along and the video is even more screwed up, but the sound is no b.s instantly memorable jangle pop.

Handsome Furs – “All We Want  Baby…” – Back in the summer, this was the song that I consistently had on repeat; it has a fantastic drum beat and static guitar riffs.

Jay Reatard – “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me” – Jay’s mellowed out a bit here, but essentially he incorporates all of what’s made him a perennial garage hammer in this tune.

Julian Casablancas – “11th Dimension” – Yeah, yeah, the rest of the album’s been getting a lot of hate, but this is Strokes + excessive synths + cowbell. Not a bad combination.

Kid CuDi – “Pursuit of Happiness” – Ratatat is to be surely complimented for providing great electronics, but CuDi transcends what is modern hip-pop and is it’s savior from being near-shit.

King Khan & BBQ Show – “Tryin'” – So many great songs on a fantastic album, it was tough to choose which one really is the best. I feel like this one is most like the songs I’ve grown to love by this duo.

No Age – “You’re A Target” – Sounds like it would belong on “Nouns” but is essentially even noisier (yet poppier) than much of what the duo embraced on Nouns.

Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Young Adult Friction” – Twee as fuck, as I remarked back when I did this review. This is the group’s chef-d’oeuvre, thanks in part to the clever “Don’t Check Me Out” ending.

Phoenix – “Lisztomania” – Another song of the synth-pop variety that has a very catchy bridge “it’s show-town…” and overall is a complete listening experience.

Rifles – “Sometimes” – A real British tune that plays the post-punk card quite well. The ending is awesome!

The Strange Boys – “No Way For A Slave To Behave” – A ghetto country-punk classic that definitely sounds like a lo-fi best-of leftover.

Uninhabitable Mansions – “The Speed Is Deceiving” – Too many freaking good ones on this, the hinthinthintwinkalbumoftheyearhinthinthinktwinkwink. The vocal harmonies on this one rule.

Wavves – “So Bored” – Snap, crackle, and pop lo-fi surf pop at its optimum level of noisiness.

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With over 20 songs in the running, it will be tough to decide, but decide I will. Stay tuned…

Music, News

Black Lips Booked Through February

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Europe/Eurasia
11-11 Lisbon, Portugal – Caixa Economica Operaria
11-12 Madrid, Spain – Joy Eslava
11-13 Valencia, Spain – El Tinglado
11-14 Barcelona, Spain – Nitsa Club
11-17 Torino, Italy – Spazio 211
11-18 Milan, Italy – Musicdrome
11-19 Bologna, Italy – Covo
11-20 Rome, Italy – Blackout Club
11-21 Istanbul, Turkey – Babylon

United States
12-31 Atlanta, GA – The Earl
01-20 Costa Mesa, CA – The Detroit Bar
01-21 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
01-22 Pomona, CA – The Glasshouse
01-23 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
01-24 San Diego, CA – The Casbah

Australia
01-29 Brisbane, Australia – Laneway Festival
01-30 Melbourne, Australia – Laneway Festival
01-31 Sydney, Australia – Laneway Festival
02-01 Auckland, Australia – Laneway Festival
02-02 Wellington, New Zealand – SFBH
02-24 Melbourne, Australia – Corner Hotel
02-05 Adelaide, Australia – Laneway Festival
02-06 Perth, Australia – Laneway Festival
02-08 Sydney, Australia – Manning Bar

Japan
?????

Does this mean that they could be launching a full out U.S tour in the spring like last year and the year before? One can only hope!

CD Review, Music

CD Review: Them Crooked Vultures

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Band: Them Crooked Vultures
Label: Interscope
Release: November 17, 2009

1. “”No One Loves Me & Neither Do I” – 8.4
2. “Mind Eraser, No Chaser” – 6.3
3. “New Fang” – 5.5
4. “Dead End Friends” – 5.8
5. “Elephants” – 5.0
6. “Scumbag Blues” – 5.9
7. “Bandoliers” – 6.3
8. “Reptiles”  – 4.8
9. “Interlude With Ludes” – 6.7
10. “Warsaw…” – 5.5
11. “Caligulove” – 5.0
12. “Gunman” – 5.8

Comments: Hailed as a hard rock supergroup [Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age)], I’m sure many music critics have big expectations for this album. Fact: I’m not really into this type of music. I was deceived by the first song, which isn’t that bad; it has the same kind of flair as a song by Rage Against the Machine (pretty good, but not something I’d listen to repeatedly). The rest sounds the same. I mean no disrespect by this, but it is truth. It’s stuff that I thought was way out there in sixth grade, but now I listen to and just shake my head.

Grade: 5.9

Art, Entertainment, Femmes, Lists, Music, reviews

CD Review: Sultanic Verses

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Artist: Mark Sultan
Full Title: The Sultanic Verses
Label: In the Red
Year: 2007
Rating: A/ 9.3/10
Fun Fact: Mastered by Jay Reatard!

1) Beautiful Girl- 9.4- Ahh here we go BBQ here we go! A strong opener about Sultan’s fine lady. I dig the little bell sounds and the lyrics are really catchy. Typical BBQ guitar/drum work.

2) 100 Little Women- 9.2- Sounds great to me! Sultan effectively utilizes the start/stop technique (get your mind out of the gutter Glen!) in which he sings and plays the music then suddenly stops then starts again. Highly reminiscent of late 50s/early 60s rock and roll, like Chuck Berry. Good poppy rocker.

3) Cursed World- 9.5- Introduces the spooky/bizarre theme to this album, which appears from here on frequently. This could be the soundtrack to an old school horror flick, like zombies and shit or Scooby Doo haha. The old school cartoon, not the modern shitty versions. Which now makes me want to watch that show. Anyway, I love how he pronounces cursed as KER SED. Like the first couple tracks this has strong hooks and the BBQ’s vocals are so exquisite it feels like you are taking a stroll through this KER SED World with him. The ending has this cool, noisy, feedback to it. I dig.

4) Spinning Ceiling- 9.3- A real rocker for this album; heavier and more in your face than the previous tracks. This song is more akin to King Khan & BBQ tracks such as “Treat Me Like A Dog” and “Hold Me Tight.” Solid stuff.

5) Two Left Feet- 9.3- In addition to 100 Little Women and Spinning Ceilings, we now come across gals with Two Left Feet. In this catchy, love number, the BBQ describes his love for his double left footed baby. I can imagine this track being great live (I wonder if he played it last May when I saw him?) because it’s a real feel good dance track in the neighborhood of “Shake Real Low.” (of course, not with the same caliber, but still great) and I can picture Sultan getting the crowd goin when he shouts, “everybody clap your hands.” It almost seems funny that that line is in a studio album Haha, well I guess you and your normal footed woman can have fun at home too.

6) Je Ne Savais Pas- 9.0- Sultan pays tribute to his Montreal roots and properly pronounces the phrase at that! Good tune, catchy, only weakness: reminds me of French class :(. P.S. you also think this song is over like three times before it actually is haha.

7) Mortal Man- 9.6- I really dig this rocker! Great guitar and pumping drums. I can picture people pogoing/moshing to this live, I know I can’t stay still when it comes on. His vocals really stand out on this track and demonstrates his (somewhat) range: straight up BBQ vocals to rawer, screaming vocals.

8) Something Wrong- 9.7- My favorite track! It’s a simple little diddy and technically doesn’t sound unique or different from any of his other material, it just works really well. Brings me back to the 1960s Garage Rock era, back in my past life. Shit simply sticks in my head like gum sticks to mah shoes. Just won’t go away.

9) Warpath- 9.1- Fast rocker and as the title indicates Sultan is on a warpath in this track. I dig the pile driver drum work here

10) We’re Sinking- 9.5- The bell noise I dug before has returned! This is a classic and is one of the album’s catchier tracks. Lyrically it describes people who are sinking, but don’t give a damn cause they are in love. Perhaps the poor lads on the Titanic sang this as they were going down….

11) Unicorn Rainbow Odyssey- 9.5-Dayemm this came outta nowhere. Can you say a EPIC CLOSER. When you have a title like Unicorn Rainbow Odyssey, you better live up to it and the Captain certainly does so. The drums sound like hearts beating as I’m sure this was the intention a la “Heroin” by The Velvet Underground. The vocals sound like early 60s doo wop/soul sisters of the Motown persuasion, such as The Supremes. The finale is this pulsing noise; he must have recorded that part at the Lowell Cotton Mills.

Overall, one of my favorite albums and certainly worthy of it’s high grade. I will admit it’s not the same without King, but Mark still delivers. For y’all who bought The Satanic Verses, you’re wasting your time. The real Sinister, Supreme, Supreme Genius lies in The Sultanic Verses.

Chris

CD Review, Entertainment, Music

CD Review: Wall of Arms

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Band: Maccabees
Label: Fiction Records
Release: May 2009

1. “Love You Better” – 9.2
2. “One Hand Holding” – 9.4
3. “Can You Give It” – 9.6
4. “Young Lions” – 9.8
5. “Wall of Arms” – 9.5
6. “No Kind Words” – 8.9
7. “Dinosaurs” – 9.2
8. “Kiss and Revolve” – 8.9
9. “William Powers” – 9.6
10. “Seventeen  Hands” – 9.5
11. “Bag of Bones” – 8.8

Comments: I guess The Guardian already wrote what I was going to say: “If this all sounds a bit Arcade Fire, note that production credits go to Markus Dravs, who worked on Neon Bible. Thankfully, though, the sound of cynical bandwagon-jumping has been edited out of the mix. In its place are a collection of atmospheric, heartfelt pop songs that frequently fly off at unexpected angles.” The comparison is uncanny and frankly a little disheartening, because naturally Arcade Fire is so awesome that, for lack of a better word, ripping them off is going to make you sound pretty damn good. I try my best to think of Maccabees as a completely separate entity that just happens to sound like Arcade Fire. Doing that makes this album fall in place among (sort of) the greatest of the year. Oh yeah and you know how sometimes you listen to a song and then one minute later forget that you were listening to it? That’s happened to me with this album. What should I make of it?

Grade: 9.3

Art, Entertainment, Music, reviews

CD Review: Singles ’06-’07

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Artist: Jay Reatard
Full Title: Singles ’06-’07
Label: In the Red
Year: 2008
My Rating: A/ 9.4/10

1) Night of Broken Glass- 9.3- Solid opener. I love the shattering of glass as the first thing you hear! It’s pretty damn catchy, simple guitar, nothing groundbreaking, but an overall sound recording.

2) Another Person- 9.1- Even catchier than the first track, but not as rocking, still great though. It’s an upbeat track musically (odd for Jay I suppose). Lyrically, this person gives him the “creeps” haha. He loves that word. The guitar is really catchy and I dig the mini solos. There is also great use of vocals (all Jay) in which he sings the lead and then he takes a separate set of his vocal and throws it in the background cool stuff! I’m not sure, if this is the first instance of this, but it’s certainly not the last. I guess that was an unintentional reference to the previous number haha.

3) All Over Again- 8.8- A good tune, but it doesn’t stand out that much from any of his other material, though I have said this before about other Jay tracks that I now love, so clearly early impressions do not dictate offical tastes. I will say I like the raw “Jay” drum work in this song. Simple, but not reatarded.

4) Feeling Blank Again- 9.6- One of the compilation’s better offerings and one of my new Jay favorites! Another excellent use of the aforementioned vocals tactic. The backing vocals are simply “uhhhh” but, they are certainly creepy and perfectly complement the lead vocals in which Jay describes how it feels to feel blank: “can’t breathe.” I feel a tad bit claustrophobic when listening to this, that’s how effective the music/lyrics are.

5) I Know A Place- 9.8- Amazing pop song. It’s too bad I didn’t recognize this song when I saw him perform it at Harpers Ferry (I only know he played it because I have the set list). I would have definitely sang along, but anyone who has seen Jay live knows that even if you know one of his songs, you can still miss it, that’s how fast and furious the Jay Reatard Colossius is live! But, I digress… Anyway, back to the song; superb, soft, vocals. This is a love ballad of sorts. Kinda sounds like it is crawling outta an 80s soundtrack, but good lol. That’s the best way I can describe it without insulting it, cause typically 80s pop blew massive 80s Alf spunk! Lyrically, the tune captures Jay’s “soft” almost romantic side; he attempts to persuade some girly into escaping “away… away from here” to a place he knows, where they can be alone. Most likely he is referring to some shady, uncomfortable place, like the back of a Volkswagon somewhere in the middle of Memphis. Then strangely in the next verse, the tune loses it’s love ballady sentiment and transforms into a suicide note about escaping said lover: “I know a place, where I can go to be alone, I know a place where I can crawl to die. Away… away from you.” Odd, but kind of cool.
6) Don’t Let Him Come Back- 9.8- Another Softie, but Classic! It gets stuck in your head easily. I really enjoy the slow beginning which I think is a guitar?! Haha, I’m not really technically sophisticated. It sounds like keyboards are ramblin’ in the background, either way it all works.

7) Hammer I Miss You- 9.7- Terrific sing along and extremely uplifting! If Glen can recall I was singing the lyrics on the way to the Jay concert and have been since. It’s not a rocker like “It’s So Easy” and it’s not a softie like “No Time,” it’s simply a pumping pop number about missing some Hammer dude. Gay Reatard cough cough. In terms of Garage Pop, you can’t touch this…

8) It’s So Useless- 9.6- Heavy and very very catchy. I love the loud guitars, one of the comp’s heavier tracks and yet still has it’s hooks. It’s more akin to Blood Visions tracks, I suppose, but it still has this comp’s poppy/lovey dovey flavour. This track stands out because it doesn’t have soft vocals like most of the other tracks, but rather they are screamed and shouted. You can headbang and mosh and do your thang.

9) All Wasted- 9.0- Cool track about zombies. But, not the kind of zombies you want to walk around at night with. Nah these guys are “all useless…all wasted.” A decent guitar solo (haha, you know what I mean) toward the end. This one lacks the catchiness of it’s buddies, but nonetheless has strength.

10) In the Dark- 8.7- This doesn’t stand out that much to me. It’s a good song, but just doesn’t bring anything new to the table and isn’t particularly catchy. But, yeah if you like Reatarded music you will probably like it.

11) Searching For You- 10.0- This makes the hair on my testicles stand up and do the tequila! For those of you Blood Visions devotees out there, this track is an acoustic version of BV’s “Fading All Away.” BELIEVE ME, you haven’t heard “Fading All Away” like this before. Sure, since it’s acoustic, it’s not as angry or heavy, but it is infitnitely more malignant. This psychotic, musical madness is completely unpolished, noisy and sounds like some amateur, lonely, melancholy, Jay fan lying on his bed covering the song, warning his listeners of his menacing plans of murder and torture. This callow sounding approach in no way hinders the song, it only adds to its eeriness, a feat I did not think was possible!

12) Haunting You- 9.7- This is pretty much like the above track in style and sound: raw, acoustic, unpolished, version of a Blood Visions song. This time it’s “Nightmares,” a classic in it’s own right. I really dig this track for similar reasons to “Searching For You,” but it’s not quite as strong as the former and I prefer the original (unless this one is the original and the BV version is the second? Release dates? Shit, now I’m really curious about this and the last track).

13) Let It All Go- 9.4- Yet another hooky love number! I really dig the poppy guitars, pulsing, but steady drums, and best of all the repeated lyrics, “And now I need you, and now I need you, and now I need you… say that’s you want me, say that’s you want me… you never loved me, you never loved me….” He finished the show we saw with this song and I can definitely see why, it’s a powerful closer and overall pop song.
Tracks 14-17 are pretty much the same versions of their Blood Visions counterparts, but weaker and of poorer sound quality, in my opinion anyway. Although, “Turning Blue” is an exception; it’s not better thant the BV track, but basically on par. Here they are without ratings:

14) Blood Visions
15) Turning Blue :)
16) It’s So Easy
17) Oh It’s Such A Shame

Overall, this is an exceptional CD and is truly underated. Some of Jay’s strongest pop songs appear on this compilation and it makes me realize that his Matador Comp wasn’t as big of a transition as I thought it was. His latest release, Watch Me Fall, is definitely his biggest leap, though it’s my least favorite, but that’s a whole other story. This singles set ranks behind Matador Singles ’08 and Blood Visions as my favorite Jay work, but it still receives a well-deserved A. I hear through the grapevine that these tracks are nonexistent online, well then I highly suggest shelling out some dough for this one, you won’t be disapointed and if you are, oh it’s such a shame!

Chris