HEY! A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KLYAM RECORDS’ OWN CASEY ALLEN OF ORLANDO’S BACK PAGES! HAPPY BDAY DUDE. I ORDER YOU TO PICK UP CASEY’S FINE ASS SINGLES 13 TAPE VIA KLYAM RECORDS RIGHT NOW! http://klyam.bigcartel.com/product/back-pages-singles-13
LISTEN UP: http://thebackpages1.bandcamp.com/
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”
1) Box Elders- Tiny Sioux
2) Hunx and His Punx- Cruising (officially released!)
3) Wavves- Post-Acid
4) Harlem- Friendly Ghost
5) Mark Sultan- Misery’s Upon Us
6) Hunx and the Punkettes- Lovers’ Lane
7) Happy Birthday- Girls FM
8) Strange Boys- A Walk On the Beach
9) Silhouette Rising- Flight
10) Scouflaws- Stupid and Catchy
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUMIA! It is a tragedy that you have remained on Death Row for nearly three decades now and cannot walk a free man. Here’s a song.
FREE MUMIA NOW!
Chris
Band: Happy Birthday
Release: 3/2010
Label: Sub Pop
1. “Girls FM” – A
2. “2 Shy” – B+
3. “Cracked” – C+
4. “Perverted Girl” – B+
5. “Subliminal Message” – B-
6. “Eyes Music” – C+
7. “Maxine The Teenage Eskimo” – B+
8. “I Want to Stay (Run Away)” – B
9. “Pink Strawberry Shake” – B
10. “Zit” – C
11. “Fun” – B
Comment: Right off the bat, Happy Birthday sounds like Islands. That comparison pretty much dies, though, after “Girls FM.” Considering the band is still obscure as fuck (they were signed out of the blue by Sub Pop after forming in late 2008), it’s necessary to give them a decent amount of credit just for releasing something polished relatively quickly out of nowhere. I can’t really describe the sound too well on this record. It’s merely an eclectic pop record…what the “independent” big shots like to call “indie-pop.” That really doesn’t tell anyone much, unfortunately. On “Maxine,” you’ll definitely hear some surf-pop Beach Boy influence. Like you’re deaf or something if you can’t hear that. I guess I could namedrop Girls as well, but Happy Birthday is much more spastic. They do a pretty bad attempt at garage/punk on “Zit.” I don’t know, I thought I was going to like this record more than it turns out in the end. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but nothing special.
Grade: 83 (B-)
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 