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.
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.
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.
Title: Black Panthers Speak Author(s): Phillip S. Foner. Includes writings by all your favorite Panthers: Bobby Seale, Huey P. Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, Fred Hampton, Angela Davis, and Stokely Carmichael, amongst others. Year: 1995 Pages: 328 Good Guys: Black Panthers and some of their vanilla comrades who fought beside them in the black struggle Bad Guys: Oppressive, White AmeriKKKA: Police, businesses, the entire U.S. Government (particularly the most rotten pigs, the FBI), and average, apathetic, ignorant citizens My Rating: A-
Why Subversive?:
I suppose it is “strange” for a white, suburban kid to walk around, clutching a book of militant black politics demonizing the wahhitte man and all his evils. But, then again I am a “strange” guy. So, why did I read this gem of incendiary material? Well, two main reasons: 1) I’m chiefly a propagandist, if anything. Without a doubt the Panthers are accountable for some truly outstanding propaganda. They are completely biased, unabashedly, may I add and write for their side/interests. The point of their works is not to offer you a fair look at how our society works or how certain events went down. Ohh no, they share their perspective of what it is like to be a free-thinking black revolutinary in an extremely racist and violent country that does not value them as human beings. If one were to read “objective” newspapers of the day they would not have the same reaction. The media was never fair to the Panthers, because they served and still serve the government. So, the Panthers fought the mainstream propaganda with their own propaganda and successfully did so. Crucial events such as the Chicago Conspiracy trial, Huey P. Newton’s manslaughter charge, the brutal murder of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark at the hands of Chicago Police with connection to the FBI are discussed extensively. 2) This book has helped me better understand how fucked up our nation was and still is and how ignorant, we white Americans are. Of course, by reading this or anything else, it does not immediately make me an expert on race relations and I certainly can not say I understand what it was or still is like to be a minority in the US of A. But, it does offer me an awareness of the American Nightmare for blacks, minorities, revolutionaries, and especially black revolutionaries (longer sentences than white revolutionaries). If the Weathermen were black they would all have been imprisoned. For those that doubt the sinister nature of our government, please look through the lens of the black experience in America. If you are privileged and white, then you will not be able to relate to it, but you will have a better understanding of how our vicious, racist system works.
I’m not saying I agree with all the Panthers’ tactics, but this subversive book at least demonstrates how positive and successful the Panthers were in their individual communities. They were a national organization and in each of their many chapters, they had schools, free breakfast for children programs, free medical clinics, and drug rehabilitation for poverty-stricken blacks. Unfortunately, history textbooks and other media outlets place too much emphasis on the violent conflicts and militancy of the Party and not as much focus on their positive, survival programs. Don’t get me wrong, the militancy was an important factor, after all their name was the “Black Panther Party for Self-Defense” and these were clearly violent times with extreme Police Brutality. In the following video, Co-founder, Bobby Seale details the Party’s Ten Point Program/Platform:
If you like this subversive book and/or want to learn more about the Black Panthers, the Black Struggle, or racist white scumfucks, then I recommend the following:
Soul On Ice By: Eldridge Cleaver Seize the Time By: Bobby Seale The Autobiography of Malcolm X As Told To Alex Healy Malcolm X Speaks Live From Death Row By: Mumia Abu-Jamal
Seen above are Co-Founders, Bobby Seale, Chairman (left) and Huey P. Newton, Minister of Defense (right). Very badass.
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.
