Category Archives: Music

Art, Drugs, Entertainment, Lists, Music

Top Modern Artists

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These are my favorite modern artists, whom I highly recommend to all. What is the criteria for modern?

– Formed in 2000 or possibly late 90s, but for most I will only accept if their breakthrough LP was not released until the second half of the decade(’06’-present)

– Must appear on my absolute favorites list as seen on facebook under music.

– Must have listened to their music extensively (at least 1 recording or a comparable amount of songs)

– Must be currently active in some way. shape, or form. Otherwise, Page France would appear on this list, but Michael Nau wanted to focus on another project, therefore they split.

Ok, so here they are:

1) Black Lips
2) Jay Reatard
3) King Khan & BBQ Show
4) No Age
5) King Khan & The Shrines
6) Animal Collective
7) Arcade Fire
8) The Almighty Defenders
9) The Nightwatchman
10) The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
11) Arctic Monkeys
12) Head Automatica
13) The Editors
14) mewithoutYou
15) Deerhunter
16) Immortal Technique
17) Strange Boys
18) Wavves

Bold = Seen them live or going to see them live
So, twelve out of sixteen are signed to independent labels and only one unfortunately is of the rap/hip hop persuasion. Oh well, most of my rap guys are from the past.
This list, like a teacher’s class schedule, are subject to change.

Chris

Art, Drugs, Entertainment, Lists, Music, reviews

Top Albums of ’09

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5) The Almighty Defenders- The Almighty Defenders
Top Tracks: “Cone of Light,” “The Ghost With the Most,” “She Came Before Me,” “Over the Horizon,” “Bow Down and Die,” and “All My Loving”

4) Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavilion
Top Tracks: “Summertime Clothes,” “My Girls,” “Brothersport,” “Lion In a Coma, ” and “No More Runnin”

3) Deerhunter- Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP
Top Tracks: “Disappearing Ink,” “Game of Diamonds,” “Famous Last Words,” and “Rainwater Cassette Exchange

2) The Pains of Being Pure At Heart- The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Top Tracks: “Hey Paul,” “A Teenager In Love,” “Come Saturday,” “Everything With You,” “Young Adult Friction,” “Contender,” “Stay Alive,” and “This Love Is Fucking Right!”

1) Black Lips- 200 Million Thousand big surprise lol
Top Tracks: “I’ll Be With You,” “Old Man,” “Drugs,” “Big Black Baby Jesus of Today,” “Starting Over,” “Trapped In a Basement,” “The Drop I Hold,” “Short Fuse,” “Take My Heart,” and “Let It Grow”

This list could possibly change if I hear other albums I like from this year, such as the recent Editors album, which is supposedly amazing and/or the upcoming King Khan & BBQ Show release.

Chris

Art, Entertainment, Music

Jay Hopes and Expectations

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Hopes: Jay plays an hour long set! The crowd is really into it and rocks out, so no one (including Jay) is pissed. I hope he plays all (yeah right!) or at least some of these classics: Blood Visions, It’s So Easy, My Shadow, Nightmares, Fading All Away, Waiting For Something, See/Saw, Screaming Hand, An Ugly Death, Always Wanting More, Trapped Here, DOA, No Time, You Were Sleeping, I’m Watching You, It Ain’t Gonna Save Me, Rotten Mind, and Faking It. As my list demonstrate, I want him to play mostly pre- Watch Me Fall material. Lastly, I hope the first four bands are terrific, but do not play too long, so we can get right into one of my current favorite artists, on record anyway.

Expectations: Jay plays about a half an hour. The crowd is more into the show than they were the last time I saw him, mosh more. Perhaps, he does not get pissed, if this is the case. He plays about half the aforementioned songs. The opening bands play longer than I would like. I might really dig one or more of the bands or not phased/interested in some of them.

We will see what happens tonight….

Chris

Music

CD Review: There Is No Enemy

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Band:Built To Spill
Label: Warner Bros.
Release: October 6, 2009

1. “Aisle 13” –9.3
2. “Hindsight” – 9.1
3. “Nowhere Lullaby” – 8.3
4. “Good Ol’ Boredom” – 8.6
5. “Life’s A Dream” – 9.1
6. “Oh Yeah” – 9.2
7. “Pat” – 9.4
8. “Done” – 8.9
9. “Planting Seeds” – 9.5
10. “Things Fall Apart”– 9.6
11. “Tomorrow” – 9.7

Comments: I don’t think BTS will ever fail at putting out an interesting “indie rock” song. That’s sad because for a band that’s been signed to a major label for the past 15 years, critics seem to find “indie rock” the only suitable label. The label “indie rock” doesn’t tell us much, but for BTS it sort of does. BTS does not play the kind of rock music that you would “expect” a major label band to put out, though this area is becoming increasingly grayer with bands like The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs (just to name a few) keeping a major distance from big acts like The Fray and Lady Gaga. BTS is thoroughly underground sounding, with Doug Martsch’s strange voice and the band’s broad country-rock instrumentation. Lengthy guitar solos reign throughout this album and typically have since the band formed nearly eighteen years ago. That leads one to question whether there are any other elements to BTS or this album in particular that stand out. By most standards, the songs on this album aren’t that catchy…with few exceptions like the hard-rock influenced “Pat,” a song almost too fast for this record. When it comes down it, I’m impressed by this album. I’m not going to be constantly listening to it, but there are enough tracks worthy of second looks. Like “Things Fall Apart” that has horns! Good addition. “Tomorrow” will probably go down in the same category as BTS earlier classics like “Strange,” “The Plan,” “I Would Hurt A Fly,” and “Car.”

Grade: 9.2

Built To Spill is playing three nights at the Middle East Downstairs starting October 9. My recommendation? October 11 when Pretty and Nice will be opening alongside Disco Doom.

Music, rant

September Was Awesome!

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September sure was a great month to be a rock and roll fan living in the Boston area. On September 5, fellow KLYAM correspondents Ben, Chris, John and I journeyed to the Middle East Downstairs to catch The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. A couple of weeks of rest followed before two nights of Walkmen gigs at M.E Downstairs. Night One (September 18) was superb, but Night Two (September 19), which Ben and Chris attended, will go down in the books as amongst the best shows I’ve seen. A few nights later on September 23, the Rifles were in Allston at Great Scott. Their 1+ hour set, which John was present for, was memorable. And just a few nights after that on September 27, John and I went back to Great Scott to see California noise aficionados Wavves for a moshing experience. That was 4 concerts in 9 days for me and I can’t say I regret doing it.

October’s looking pretty good with Jay Reatard on the 2nd, the Lovely Feathers on the 8th, King Khan and BBQ Show on the 29th, and many other shows that may or may not be attended by yours truly. But will it top September?

Music

Jay Reatard Don’t Give A Shit

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Jay Reatard’s Tour Stories:

Some jerk wanted to fight us for playing a “30 minute set” Which he claims is a rip off… I got news for him our set was 15 minutes.. Hey thats still 12 songs..I still owe him a punch to the head..

Hahahaha oh Jay.

If you go to http://www.jayreatard.com you can hear some sample songs from the bands that are on Jay’s Shattered Records Tour with him.

Box Elders: Vintage garage-pop!
Hunx and His Punx: Also very vintage sounding; sounds like a hi-fi Reatard!
Boneyard: Noise-punk of the Mika Miko variety!
Useless Eaters: Lo-fi in the extreme; good bass lines!

So the verdict is that I really like what I’m hearing from all these bands that will be performing before Jay. Seems like this’ll be my first pure garage/punk rock show.