Here is the official music video for No Age’s “Fever Dreaming” from last year’s LP Everything in Between. What are your initial reactions? Does it do the song justice?
Ponder that sheeett…..
Here is the official music video for No Age’s “Fever Dreaming” from last year’s LP Everything in Between. What are your initial reactions? Does it do the song justice?
Ponder that sheeett…..
Excellent performance by Dean and Randy.
Fever Dreaming

The Walkmen – THU January 6
No Age – FRI January 7

The Top Song of 2010 for this cat is none other than the Box Elders’ classic “Tiny Sioux” released on Hozac records. Being a massive fan of the Box Elders, I naturally elected this ditty as Song of the Year, but with all that excessive fandom aside, I think this tune has attributes that can be genuinely appreciated by “non-garage” fans: the sincerity of the lyrics and the heartfelt delivery of the vocals. The lo-fi, home recording insanely complements the overall innocence of the number, making it feel like a sad, but beautiful children’s song, as if to be heard before falling asleep. I didn’t think the Omaha boys could top themselves after “Atlantis” from last year’s LP Alice and Friends or at least do it so soon, but indeed they did and this is without a doubt my favorite BE number. Y’all have to hear this!
Okay, so the rest of this list will be in alaphabetical order and I have set it to a three song per artist limit. Here we go…
Sadly no A’s :(
B:
Best Coast:
“When I’m With You”
“Boyfriend”
“Summer Mood”
Box Elders:
“Tiny Sioux” :)
“Plenty of Room At the Bottom”

C:
Cum Stain:
“Cum Stain”
“Broke My Dick”
“Bachelor’s Life”
D:
Deerhunter:
“Basement Scene”
“Don’t Cry”
“Desire Lines”
H:
Happy Birthday:
“Girls FM”
Harlem:
“Friendly Ghost”
“Someday Soon”
“Gay Human Bones”
Hunx and His Punx:
“Cruisin'”
“Gimmie Gimmie Back Your Love”
“Hey Rocky”
Note: these songs had been released previously, but this year marked their official release (Gay Singles) on True Panther Sounds. So, I’m breaking my rule here by sharing two more rockin’ Hunx tunes.
“Lovers’ Lane”
“Too Young to Be In Love”
M:
Magic Kids:
“Hey Boy”
“Candy”
“Summer”
Maine Coons:
“Pull the Plug On Grandma”
“I Am a Motherfucker”
“My Kinda Luv”
Mark Sultan:
“Ten of Hearts”
“Misery’s Upon Us”
“I Am the End”

N:
No Age:
“Life Prowler”
“Glitter”
“Fever Dreaming”
Nobunny:
“I Was On (the Bozo Show)”
“Live It Up”
“(Do the) Fuck Yourself”

S:
Sex Beet:
“I’m In Love With You (So Shut the Fuck Up)”
Strange Boys:
“A Walk On the Beach”
“Be Brave”
“Laugh At Sex (Not At Her)”

T:
Ty Segall: need to hear more of this guy!
“Caesar”

V:
Vomit Squad:
“Burning With Beelzebub”
W:
Wavves:
“Post Acid”
“Linus Spacehead”
“Take On the World”

10) Cum Stain– Cum Stain (Burger)
Cum Stain exemplifies what is fantastic about Punk: putting passion over musicianship and just fucking rocking out! These ditties are far from perfect but, such memorable tracks as “Bachelor’s Life,” “Broke My Dick,” and “Just a Kid” are the epitome of youthful exuberance. On a lyrical level I could totally relate to these guys; “Cum Stain,” the album closer is an unsavory anthem that is our generation’s “Touch Me I’m Sick.” It just speaks the truth about the relationship between men and women, at the end of the day “I’m just another cum stain on your floor!”
Grade: B

9) First Blood– Nobunny (Goner)
This is another fun rockin’ classic from one of the greatest showmen of modern times. With this record, Nobunny takes his Ramones esque bubblegummy sound to new levels. I wouldn’t go as far as calling the production “adventerous,” but it definitely sounds bigger, cleaner, and more mature. Even lyrically, there are some dark undertones slid underneath the jovial mayhem of the music. Tracks like “Breathe” showcase said transformation. Don’t get me wrong, this still is the same old fun loving, wacky, and entertaining Nobunny we have come to adore. “Live It Up” and “(Do the ) Fuck Yourself” are new classics amongst others. My favorite tune and arguably the bunnyman’s greatest offering is the final track “I was On (the Bozo Show): I really dig the simplicity of just acoustic guitar, drum, vocals. One of his most heartfelt songs (vocally and lyrically) and the inclusion of the circus noises perfectly parallels this. After all, Nobunny’s music/performance is akin to a wild, bizarre circus show.
Grade: B/B+
8) Everything In Between– No Age (Sub Pop)
Everybody’s favorite music duo, No Age is at it again, unleashing another Noise Pop induced adventure! Admittedly, this was a disapointment, at least compared to their previous efforts, but Nouns (2008) is hard to top, so I’ll lay off their case for now. With that being said, this LP has grown on me and I have come to realize there are several amazing numbers on this record. “Life Prowler” has become my favorite No Age opener and when I saw them live the experience was phenomenal. All in all, I would recommend this to NA fans and non fans alike, glad they continue to make relentless, noisy, Punk music for all of us. Definitely one of my favorite bands of all time and certainly one of the best of today.
Grade: B/B+

7) Memphis– Magic Kids (True Panther Sounds)
I have had the great pleasure of recently hearing this modern pop masterpiece. Memphis is sonicly within the Brian Wilson/Beach Boys/Pet Sounds realm and is just as uplifting if not more. These kiddies indeed create a magical experience from start to finish. It is seemingly impossible to not feel ecstatic after listening to Memphis. Top tracks for me include “Summer,” “Hey Boy,” (reminds me of a Summer Heights High song!) “Superball,”Cry With Me Baby,” “Phone,” “Candy,” and “Skateland.” Alas, this record/band will not get the recognition it deserves; it’s a gorgeous, ambitious and overall euphoric Pop album.
Grade: A-

6) $– Mark Sultan (Last Gang)
Mark Sultan follows up his In the Red classic The Sultanic Verses (2007) with $ his most adventerous album to date. The BBQ tosses various ingrediants into his Garage dish: intense/trippy as fuck psychedelia (“Icicles”), doo wop (“Ten of Hearts”), and Anthemic Punk (“Go Berserk” and “Misery’s Upon Us”), amongst other styles. Sultan’s vocals are better than ever, best exemplified on tracks such as “I Am the End” and the aforementioned “Ten of Hearts.” He maintains his careful recreation of early 60s Rock and Roll, but goes so far beyond that and has created his best solo work yet. $ reenforces Mark Sultan’s Status! as a unique and inventive figure in the musical landscape.
Grade: A-
5) Hippies– Harlem (Matador)
Someday soon you’ll be on fire and you’ll ask me for a glass of water, but I won’t hear you because I’ll be blasting this Garage classic! To be frank, this LP isn’t even a “great” album in the truest sense of the word, but rather a collection of great songs, sometimes marvelous songs. I really dig the immediate pop hooks, comparable to those of Jay Reatard and Hunx and His Punx, though not quite the same style of those acts. Harlem is all about fun and they certainly deliver here, via sloppy, but definitely listenable production. This thing is filled with “hits.” Highlights include, but are not limited to “Someday Soon,” “Friendly Ghost, “Be Your Baby,” “Gay Human Bones,” and “Poolside.” If you are a fan of catchy Garage/Punk Rock, check out Harlem; by far one of my current favorite bands.
Grade: A-

4) The Maine Coons– The Maine Coons (Spent Planet)
Who? Yeah, I bet most of y’all have no idea whom these cats are. Before last June, I was guilty of such ignorance as well, until I saw them open for Nobunny. Goodtimes. I loved them then, but I really appreciated this duo when I tossed on their licentious debut LP. MC have a knack for creating bizarre, savagely hilarious, and infinitely memorable tunes. The first five tracks on this ditty serve as one of the greatest line ups I have heard in a long time. All solid songs. Then after tha there’s some filler, but overall this record is a nice assault on the pollitcally correct, uptight squares of the world. This is slimy Punk Slime at its finest, not to be taken too seriously. What should be taken seriously is checking out their music to begin with. I am honestly surprised these fellas aren’t as big as they could be (big meaning on Goner or a similar label). Just listen to classics like “My Kinda Luv,” “I Am a Motherfucker,” “Hey Dickhead,” “Ghetto Queen,” and “Pull the Plug On Grandma.” You’ll get the picture… or be completely terrified. Either way, The Maine Coons have done their duty.
Grade: A-

3) Halcyon Digest– Deerhunter (4AD)
Let me just say there is a big fucking trench between how much I love 4-10 and 1-3. Don’t get me wrong the first seven records enumerated here are more than decent, but this top three is extremely special to me, if not already indicated by the augmentation of the photos. Okay, so Halcyon pushes forward Deerhunter’s incredible gift for experimental (and emotional) pop music further than anyone could imagine. Perhaps because I am a huge fan of said styel I believe this is their greatest effort, but I think it goes way beyond that. Not to sound trite, but on this record Deerhunter have captured a true “Rock” identity whilst still maintaining their peculiar, unique aesthetic. These songs feel like FM Radio staples, songs you would hear in the mainstream, yet in spite of this accessible sound they remain anything but. It still boggles my mind how this is not a much bigger release, not that it matters, I am content with Deerhunter being appreciated for the right reasons. In any case, this record has had an enormous emotional effect on me and I can imagine the same for most folks out there. When Bradford sings “Come on, little boy you don’t have to cry” in “Don’t Cry” it reminded me of Lennon’s line “It’s getting hard to be someone, but it all works out, it doesn’t matter much to me” from “Strawberry Fields Forever.” In both accounts the singers speak directly to their listeners and affirm us that we are all human. On a separate note, the flow here is spectacular, as I said before this album is filled with strong “hits,” but it never feels like a compilation or a greatest hits collection, instead we hear a complete idea/experience and that’s another key factor in what makes this record one of the best, if not the best of the year. Finally, let me point out, just so people do not misconstrue me, I am not insinuating that Deerhunter has found their sound or style or any sort of crap like that. This is similar to what Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop said about Animal Collective when reviewing Merriweather Post Pavillion (2009): Deerhunter is not the kind of band that just “finds” their sound and sticks to it. That seems like an insult to a band that constantly evolves and ventures into new territories and I see the future as no different. So, check out Halcyon Digest and Deerhunter today, classics include: “Don’t Cry,” “Revival,” “Sailing,” “Memory Boy,” “Desire Lines,” “Basement Scene,” “Helicoptor,” and “He Would Have Laughed,” Yeah, practically the whole damn thing. On a side note to fellow KLYAMer, Andrew Bedsole, right here is an album that should appear on Rolling Stone’s top ten list.
Grade: A
2) Gay Singles– Hunx and His Punx (True Panther Sounds)
This is simply astounding Rock and Roll (of the early 60s Girl Group variety)- extremely fun and catchy. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just the highest of its form. Keep Rocking!
Grade: A
1) King of the Beach– Wavves (Fat Possum)
No, not Kings of Leon, you fools. We Want Fun! King of the Beach! Haha, nothing against KOL, but this record like those of the Black Lips, Jay Reatard, The King Khan & BBQ Show, etc. seriously criticize their peers via music. This record brings out so much joy and euphoria in me I can’t help but pitty anyone that’s not listening to it. I know I sound like an elitist douche bag right now, but I don’t think you realize just how happy this shit makes me! I liked Wavves a lot before this record, but I was really thrilled when Nathan teamed up with Stephen Pope and Billy Hayes (formerly of Jay Reatard’s touring band), hopped into a studio and the rest is history. The cleaner production admittedly ameliorated the sound of the band, but without a doubt the brilliant pop songwrting already existed and vigorously unleashed on this album. For me, I will always cherish this masterpiece and associate it with Summer Twenty Ten. I would go as far as to label this as the greatest Summer record of all time, okay maybe the Beach Boys have the lead on that one, but Wavves are not too far off. What I specifically adore about Wavves is the fact that they don’t reject the music they grew up with (Blink 182, Green Day, and much lesser respected Commercial bullshit of the 90s), they pack it up with them and still wear it just like an old shirt you have grown into, but don’t want to show off anymore. With Wavves that 90s mersh shit is still intact and very much part of their sound, albeit sunk beneath the loud, surfy psychedellic, Animal Collective influenced Noise Pop of Wavves. They just threw a bunch of styles into a blender and hit go! It works. I have to put this at number one, I listened to it multiple times a day, nearly everyday this Summer and still listen to it a few times a week, more or less, and it is amongst my top five favorite albums of all time. With a couple of exceptions, every songs on this record is in the 9/10 range. Here are my favorites: “Post Acid,” “Linus Spacehead,” “Take On the World,” “King of the Beach,” and “Super Soaker.”
Grade: A
Honorable Mention: Best Coast’s Crazy For You, another great Summer album, one that serves as a terrifc companion with King of the Beach and more importantly showcases heartfelt love ballads and the exceptional songwriting/singing of Bethany Cosentino. Can’t wait to see BC and Wavves at Paradise in a few months!
Overall, my favorites of Twenty Ten are all Pop oriented in one way or another, in fact this is a great list of diverse Pop music.

Going along with the trend.
1. “Union Song” – The Nightwatchman – I haven’t listened to this guy in a year, at least. This is a refreshing song, not one of his best, but politically meaningful at least.
2. “Pick Yourself Down” – Gangbang Gordon – (Warning: this is my own song). I wrote this song on a night that I just wanted to write a song. I made a decent chord progression and then just ad-libbed for five minutes. So lyrically it’s a piece of shit…example: “Might as well call your lawyer. Take a seat in the foyer. If you think you’re gonna wait long, better write a fuckin’ song to help you through the times, to help you un-wind, amount of stress you’re in it’s not even worth telling your kin.” Yeah, for real. One more example, if I may: “She doesn’t get English. She was born in Spain. Bilingual education won’t even give her a reign. All she is is hot, I ain’t talkin’ looks. Just look at her face, you will give her a book. She ain’t nothin’ but a reader. She ain’t nothin’ but Aretha. When she stretches her chords.” Okay, I’ll stop. If anyone wants to listen to this song, let me know.
3. “Hippys” – Black Lips – One of their best non-album tunes. I like its southern country punk slime like a Sherman in a Suuuuuueeeeeeeeebaaaaaahhhhhhruuuuuuueee.
4. “Red Red Wine” – UB40 – Also another song that I don’t play too much. It gives me too much ’90s nostalgia. Good and bad. Usually bad things were associated with song like the show COPS. I definitely appreciate it, though.
5. “Hang On, Siobhan” – The Walkmen – A downer of a song. Beautifully written and meaningful. Nice if I want to get all introspective and shit, but I rarely do.
6. “Losing Feeling” – No Age – I bumped this heavy last year around this time, I think. One of the most ambient-yet-catchy No Age songs pre-Everything In Between. The sped up punk towards the end is pure awesomeness.
7. “Imagine Pt. 3” – The Smith Westerns – I added this song on a limb a couple of weeks ago. They are similar to Magic Kids (at least on this song), but more British and Beatles sounding. Also, pretty MGMT like. I do like this. Not so sure their debut album stuck out, but this next one is shaping up to be a little better. We’ll see.

Inspired by Glen’s post here is my list of the greatest concerts (16 damn I saw 21 last year, I’m slacking!) I had the pleasure of seeing in Twenty Ten; if I see anymore I will add them accordingly.
A+ :
1) Black Lips and Box Elders at the Middle East Downstairs- March 25 (best concert ever!)
A:
2) No Age and Needy Visions at the Middle East Downstairs- November 16
3) Wavves, Cloud Nothings, and Young Adults at the Great Scott- June 22
4) King Khan & the Shrines, Gentlemen Jesse and His Men, and Red Mass at the Royale- October 13
5) Deerhunter and Real Estate at the Royale- October 16
A-:
6) Deerhunter, Kurt Vile, and K-Holes at Royale- October 13
7) Nobunny and Maine Coons at the PAs Lounge- June 29
8) Spoon, Deerhunter, Strange Boys at the House of Blues- March 27 (formerly an A show)
B+:
9) Girls and Dum Dum Girls at the Paradise Rock Club- April 1
10) Those Darlins, Strange Boys, and Gentlemen Jesse and His Men at T.T. the Bears- September 17
B:
11) Harlem and Girlfriends at the Great Scott- April 25 (formerly a B+ show)
12) 1964 the Tribute at the Merchantsauto Stadium- August 16 (formerly a B+ show)
B-:
13) Uninhabitable Mansions and the Big Big Bucks at the Middle East Upstairs- May 7 (formerly a B show)
C:
14) Kurt Vile, Real Estate, and Sore Eros at Harpers Ferry- July 23
N/A: I don’t grade my friends’ bands, but in any case I had fun at these shows.
15) Silhouette Rising and The Scouflaws at the West Side Social Club- July 2 (I actually saw countless SR shows, but I can’t remember any of the exact dates except this one)
16) Gold Star Morning at Bull McCabe’s- October 30
It looks like another year in concerts has concluded for me. I got to see 22 shows (25 in 2009) at quite a few different venues and three happened to have taken place in New York City (reppin’ Queens). While I’m not so sure 2010 can top 2009 in terms of overall favorite shows, I think it’s safe to say I had a great time concert-going. Looking back, I’m going to rate shows based on three factors: opening bands, headlining band, and experience. A great experience for me is a combination of a great venue, a great crowd, and second-by-second fun. I tend to be pretty analytical about this kind of stuff, so for math people the weighting is as follows: 20% opening bands, 20% experience, and 60% headlining band. Also, I’m usually stricter when it comes to these end of the year tallies.
A
1. Black Lips – Temptress, NYC [95]
2. No Age – Middle East Downstairs [95]
A-
3. Black Lips – Middle East Downstairs [93]
4. King Khan & The Shrines – Royale [92]
5. Wavves – Great Scott [90]
6. Nobunny – PA’s Lounge [90]
B+
7. The Walkmen – Royale [89]
8. Editors – House of Blues [89]
9. Spoon – House of Blues [87]
B
10. Paul Weller – Apollo Theater, NYC [86]
11. Girls – Paradise Rock Club [86]
12. Beach House – Paradise Rock Club [86]
13. Harlem – Great Scott [85]
14. Deerhunter (AUG) – Royale [85]
15. Those Darlins – TT The Bears [84]
16. The Growlers – TT The Bears [84]
B-
17. Deerhunter (OCT) – Royale – [83]
18. Uninhabitable Mansions – Middle East Upstairs [82]
19. Mission of Burma – Paradise Rock Club [81]
C+
20. Vivian Girls – Great Scott [79]
21. Black Lips – The Shank, NYC [78]
22. Kurt Vile – Harper’s Ferry [77]
No Age has got me all revved up and ready to go! In honor of their cover the other night, here is Black Flag’s hardcore classic “Six Pack.”
Bands: Needy Visions, Lucky Dragons, No Age
Venue: Middle East Downstairs (Cambridge, MA)
Date: Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Act One – Needy Visions – Now, I really liked Needy Visions. The lead singer and guitarist was very Boston. He and his crew were very passionate. I always like that. “Fuck the System” showcased the best of these guys. A jovial keyboard riff contrasted the passionate vocals. Props to the bass player who really brought the funk. Props to the drummer and the other guitarist as well as they also contributed to the sound and overall “funk” of the band. They aren’t really your typical garage rock or punk band by any stretch of the imagination. They are more rooted in fun beats and tight rhythms. It’s cool.
Chris: Glen summed up most of my points, but he perhaps loved them more than I did. They were entertaining though and I recommend y’all check em’ out. They are playing at the Whitehaus this Friday (November 19).
Act Two – Lucky Dragons – I’ve seen a few groups that possess a very similar style to Lucky Dragons. For those who aren’t familiar with Lucky Dragons, it was one guy — Luke Fischbeck — with a laptop and a few other toys. He played some ambient music that was at least partially based on crowd interaction. He handed about ten CDs to people at the front of the stage. There was a projector and a box on the stage. At first, I didn’t quite get the concept of the CDs, but I quickly realized that when somebody flashes the CD on top of the box and in front of the projector, a unique sound is produced on the PA. This was fun for about three minutes. In the background of the stage there was a pretty constant slow motion projection video of what looked like mansions. At some point, Luke handed some of us pieces of paper with lyrics. He repeated about half of what was on the sheet. About ten minutes later his set was over. I always feel bad for people that do experimental sets like this. Since the music is pretty constant, a lot of people were bandying about for the duration of the set. They treated this art form as background music. I can’t really blame the talkers since this experience is rather obscure and awkward for first-timers and those otherwise unfamiliar with such art.
Chris:: Yeah, this aint my bag, but like Glen said at least we were not simply spectators and instead had a chance to participate in the process.
Act Three – No Age – Wow, where to begin?! No Age, simply stated, has been amongst my favorite bands — live and on record — for the past couple of years. Their all-ages show at the Middle East Downstairs in July 2008 marked my first real concert experience. It’s funny because I only stumbled upon No Age by accident. I was looking on the Middle East website to see if The Walkmen were playing. They weren’t — yet — but I noticed something else: pretty much every show listed was 18+, except this one band No Age was playing an all-ages show. “Wow, this is awesome” I thought. So I checked them out on YouTube and really liked what I heard. The rest is history. Flash forward nearly two and a half years later. I’ve seen them four times and each of their shows has topped their previous performance. Incredible. Three full-length albums and one EP deep, No Age had a lot more material to showcase than they did on that hot July 2008 night. They started this night off with “Life Prowler” off of their latest LP Everything In Between. Following that they rushed into a familiar classic “Teen Creeps” from 2008’s Nouns. From the opening notes of this, the crowd erupted into a frenzy. A frenzy that’s never been known to really let up. Smiles were plastered on everyone’s faces. Some people decided to crash into others. Others held onto the stage — or strangers next to them — for dear life. The 21+ crowd in the bar section looked on, with some snapping photographs. Whatever the case, it’s all about the music with No Age. The punk rock spirit and excitement that comes from the drum kit of Dean Spunt and guitar of Randy Randall is unparalleled. After “Teen Creeps,” we got a little taste of everything from the ambient-turned-explosively catchy noise classic “Every Artist Needs a Tragedy” from Weirdo Rippers to the sample heavy power number “You’re a Target” off of their Losing Feeling EP to “Chem Trails” and “Fever Dreaming” — the best of the best off Everything In Between. Meshed additionally in the set were other excellent tracks off Nouns and Everything. One especially great moment was when the sweat from Dean’s drum kit flew into the air as he started pounding his floor tom and snare drum in the opening seconds of “Glitter”. After the end of their near hour long set, the crowd took a breather (realizing just how much we were sweating) before welcoming the band back on stage. Chris might have been expecting another “Don’t Talk To Me” G.G. Allin cover, but instead they performed Black Flag’s “Six Pack” to a T with the singer of Needy Visions joining them up on stage. They closed the set with Nouns closer “Brain Burner”. What more could we ask for?! Some high fives from Dean and Randy? No need to ask. These fine gentlemen do that kind of thing automatically. This show was about as fun as shows come. It was the kind of show that I’ll always be able to reminisce. Being able to talk to Dean after the show was a pleasure. He took the time to sit on stage and interact with concert-goers after it was all over. This is exemplary. It shows he isn’t some music celebrity, but rather a really nice guy playing really nice music. Hope to see you back again soon, No Age!
Chris: Easily one of the best bands I have seen live, perhaps the Black Lips are the only other band I would say has topped them for me. Dean and Randy are masters of high energy without coming off as typical Rock Stars that try way too hard to get a crowd going. With these dudes, the music simply speaks for itself. They played more than half of my favorites as well as some other killer tunes, plenty of cuts from the new LP. I always dig their references to old school Hardcore and this time around I loved their rendition of Black Flag’s “Six Pack.” Dean went so far as to include the classic closing lines, “What do they know about partying or ANYTHING ELSE?!” Another classic moment was the long, but amazing build up in “Every Artist,” we waited in anticipation for that awesome moment when Randy swinged his guitar around and kicked right into the heavy part of the number and of course the crowd went crazy. Speaking of which, this was one of my favorite mosh pits, as always with No Age. Can’t wait to see them again! Modern day DIY Punk at its finest.
No Age Set-List [No Order]
– “Life Prowler”
– “Teen Creeps”
– “Every Artist Needs A Tragedy”
– “Sleeper Hold”
– “Cappo”
– “Eraser”
– “Miner”
– “You’re A Target”
– “Chem Trails”
– “Shred And Transcend”
– “Valley Hump Crash”
– “Glitter”
– “Depletion”
– “Fever Dreaming”
———– Encore ———-
– “Six Pack” [ Black Flag Cover]
– “Brain Burner”
VIDEO OF “LIFE PROWLER” LIVE @ MIDDLE EAST: http://vimeo.com/16974100