We're half way around the sun, again, folks. It's a distance that has an uncanny effect on music nerds: we feel cosmically possessed to chronicle which albums provided the best space-travel music. In order, are my favorite records of the year so far.
1. Tune-Yards "W h o k i l l"
Merrill Garbus takes a gimmick (sampling and looping her own voice) and built actual songs with killer horns, Afropop percussion, ukulele, bass and guitar to make the half-year's best and most original album.
2. Yuck "Yuck"
UK brats use equal parts Teenage Fanclub, Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. for their debut, throwing back to a decade we all wish it still was — the '90s.
3. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart "Belong"
Twee American boys and girls move from the '80s noise pop (The Jesus and Mary Chain, Black Tambourine) of their debut to make album more indebted to the Smashing Pumpkins, without losing their earnest vulnerability. Hey remember Silversun Pickups? This is better.
4. Fleet Foxes "Helplessness Blues"
Singer-songwriter Robin Pecknold averted a sophomore slump by ditching a whole batch of songs originally penned for this album. His band kept fans on ice with the three-year gap between records, but it was wort it — "Helplessness Blues" overflows with folk mysticism and powerful vocal harmonies.
5. Smith Westerns "Dye it Blond"
Mott the Hoople's poppy brand of glam-rock is the obvious reference point for these young Chicagoans' hazy second LP.
6. The Decemberists "King is Dead"
Portland's folk-rock institution ditches their temporary foray into concept albums and prog-rock to turn in their tightest set, finding inspiration in early R.E.M, Tom Petty and country.
7. The Antlers "Burst Apart"
Like "Hospice," the band's 2009 opus on loss and coping, "Burst Apart" is an atmospheric slow-burn built around swirling keyboards, subtle guitarwork and singer Peter Silberman's heartbreaking falsetto. It's best enjoyed with headphones.
8. Wye Oak "Civilian"
9. Toro Y Moi "Underneath the Pine"
Chazwick Bundick brings the disco-and-funk indebted dance jams via live instrumentation, largely leaving behind the synthesizers of his debut.
10. Kurt Vile "Smoke Ring For My Halo"
Scraggly singer-songwriter Kurt Vile has a knack for burrowing in over time, and is lucky to inherit the quiet sneer handed down by Bob Dylan and Lou Reed. This record's a grower, but you'll keep coming back once the melodies reveal themselves.
11. Fucked Up "David Comes To Life"
Pink Eyes and crew turn out another set of intelligent hardcore. The new record is a concept album. Like the best concept albums, the individual songs don't collapse under the weight of the central conceit.
The best of the rest
J. Mascis "Several Shades of Why"
Radiohead "The King of Limbs"
Panda Bear "Tomboy"
Need more time
Okkervil River "I Am Very Far"
Iron & Wine "Kiss Each Other Clean"
Out soon
Black Lips "Arabia Mountain"
Cults "Cults"
My Morning Jacket "Circuital"
Bon Iver "Bon Iver"
Haven't heard yet
R.E.M. "Collapse into Now"
Ponytail "Do Whatever You Want All The Time"
TV On The Radio "Nine Types of Light"
Showing posts with label fucked up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fucked up. Show all posts
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Free MP3 download: Cloud Nothings "Hey Cool Kid"
This shows potential, but it's pretty rough right now.
Cloud Nothings is 18-year-old Cleveland resident Dylan Baldi. Since recording songs in his parents basement in 2009, he's released a bunch of shit-quality tapes and vinyl singles this year.
Cloud Nothings is gonna tour with Fucked Up for a few dates and then release a proper full-length this winter on Car Park.
http://www.carparkrecords.com/heycoolkid.mp3
Cloud Nothings is 18-year-old Cleveland resident Dylan Baldi. Since recording songs in his parents basement in 2009, he's released a bunch of shit-quality tapes and vinyl singles this year.
Cloud Nothings is gonna tour with Fucked Up for a few dates and then release a proper full-length this winter on Car Park.
http://www.carparkrecords.com/heycoolkid.mp3
Friday, July 31, 2009
Pitchfork Music Festival 2009 - pt. 2
Blitzen Trapper
At a hippie music festival, they are the indie band, at a indie festival, they are the hippie band. use whatever label appeals to you, but Blitzen Trapper make timeless rock and roll, with touches of folk, psychedelia, blues and even glam rock. And dudes got some pipes you don't notice until you see them live. The drummer looks like cousin it, has one of the most righteous beards of all time, and the Garfunkel-esque rhythm guitarist applied about a gallon of sun screen to his forehead.
Couple pictures:
Fucked Up
Art-damaged hardcore outfit Fucked Up have one hell of a front man. Damian Abraham made the typical stage banter actually humorous, telling the crowd the crown they are better than "that Animal Collective record, they sound like Phish." Too easy? Maybe, but shifting one's jokes to the crowd at hand isn't always easy at is it probably seams. He was grabbing the beach balls out of the air and deflating them with his teeth, eventually wearing one as a hat. Here's a quiet moment during "Crooked Head."
The Flaming Lips
The last show on the last day. Word has it they spend $5,000 on confetti, that about sums it up. It's the second time I've seen the Lips. They played a couple new songs, and some super rarities, not of which translated live that well. And they let the crowd decide (by applause) between "She Don't Use Jelly" and "The W.A.N.D." The crowd chose "Jelly." I wanted the other. Why can't we have both? They also didn't play "Free Radicals," so that sucked. But otherwise the Lips were as entertaining as ever, even if i was a mile away.
Ponytail
I don't care what my friends think, Ponytail is awesome, especially live. The post-punk guitars absolutely destroy. Sure, "singer" Molly Siegel's lyrics are all ecstatic yelps and "whooos!" and "whyatcha!" But that's the point. She is just pure joy and energy on stage, personified. The band started as an art school project that took a life of its own, after all, and her voice is just an abstract instrument. I couldn't help but smile the whole time. (Insert joke about wondering if she's a boy or a girl .... that shit's tired, grow up).
Yeasayer
before the show, I was sort of ambivalent about Yeasayer. Now I get it. Polyrythmic without losing it's groove, soulful while still digitally relevant - the band finds a happy area somewhere between TV on the Radio's poppier moments and something actually on the radio. One of the more amazing moments of the festival happened during their set, when it started dropping buckets of rain, only to stop when the band reached the chorus of it's indie hit - "Sunrise" - and the big yellow guy actually peaked his out from behind the clouds.
Grizzly Bear
I only saw part of this show. Another bedroom/ear phone band.
"Two Weeks"
Cymbals Eat Guitars
This was the first show on Saturday, and I only saw the last three songs. it was impressive enough to prompt me to order their CD. It's not only one of the best debuts of the year, it's one of the best records of the year. Not immediately as engrossing as seeing the band's energy live, the album "Why There Are Mountains" is a grower, and it's been in my car nonstop since its purchase.
At a hippie music festival, they are the indie band, at a indie festival, they are the hippie band. use whatever label appeals to you, but Blitzen Trapper make timeless rock and roll, with touches of folk, psychedelia, blues and even glam rock. And dudes got some pipes you don't notice until you see them live. The drummer looks like cousin it, has one of the most righteous beards of all time, and the Garfunkel-esque rhythm guitarist applied about a gallon of sun screen to his forehead.
Couple pictures:
Fucked Up
Art-damaged hardcore outfit Fucked Up have one hell of a front man. Damian Abraham made the typical stage banter actually humorous, telling the crowd the crown they are better than "that Animal Collective record, they sound like Phish." Too easy? Maybe, but shifting one's jokes to the crowd at hand isn't always easy at is it probably seams. He was grabbing the beach balls out of the air and deflating them with his teeth, eventually wearing one as a hat. Here's a quiet moment during "Crooked Head."
The Flaming Lips
The last show on the last day. Word has it they spend $5,000 on confetti, that about sums it up. It's the second time I've seen the Lips. They played a couple new songs, and some super rarities, not of which translated live that well. And they let the crowd decide (by applause) between "She Don't Use Jelly" and "The W.A.N.D." The crowd chose "Jelly." I wanted the other. Why can't we have both? They also didn't play "Free Radicals," so that sucked. But otherwise the Lips were as entertaining as ever, even if i was a mile away.
Ponytail
I don't care what my friends think, Ponytail is awesome, especially live. The post-punk guitars absolutely destroy. Sure, "singer" Molly Siegel's lyrics are all ecstatic yelps and "whooos!" and "whyatcha!" But that's the point. She is just pure joy and energy on stage, personified. The band started as an art school project that took a life of its own, after all, and her voice is just an abstract instrument. I couldn't help but smile the whole time. (Insert joke about wondering if she's a boy or a girl .... that shit's tired, grow up).Yeasayer
before the show, I was sort of ambivalent about Yeasayer. Now I get it. Polyrythmic without losing it's groove, soulful while still digitally relevant - the band finds a happy area somewhere between TV on the Radio's poppier moments and something actually on the radio. One of the more amazing moments of the festival happened during their set, when it started dropping buckets of rain, only to stop when the band reached the chorus of it's indie hit - "Sunrise" - and the big yellow guy actually peaked his out from behind the clouds.
Grizzly Bear
I only saw part of this show. Another bedroom/ear phone band.
"Two Weeks"
Cymbals Eat Guitars
This was the first show on Saturday, and I only saw the last three songs. it was impressive enough to prompt me to order their CD. It's not only one of the best debuts of the year, it's one of the best records of the year. Not immediately as engrossing as seeing the band's energy live, the album "Why There Are Mountains" is a grower, and it's been in my car nonstop since its purchase.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Pitchfork Music Festival
Of course, several of the bands I most want to see at this weekend's Pitchfork Music Festival are playing at the same time, so I'll be seeing some half-shows. But, one of the biggest advantages of the P4k fest is it's condensed lineup that stresses quality over quantity — at a reasonable price. There are only two bands playing at any one time, as opposed to 4 (like Bonnaroo). Plus I won't have to dodge trust-fund hippie acts cluttering every other stage. Instead I'll have to watch my back for scarfed trust-fund brats riding around on fixed-gear bicycles.
I plan on taking some pictures, and maybe some short videos.
Bands I don't plan on missing:
SATURDAY, JULY 18
8:30 The Black Lips (I will probably have to skip the National, they play at 8:40. Oh well, I see them as more of a sit-at-home-with-the-headphones kind of band rather than a jump-in-the-heat-and-sweat-all-over-your-neighbors kind of band. And who would want to miss the dissolving depravity of a Black Lips show. It's rock 'n' roll devil's music with all the fun and dirt and stink of the garage. )
5:30 Wavves (He had an onstage breakdown a few weeks ago in Europe, and then broke his wrist skateboarding this week. We'll see how well the lo-fi train wreck plays out.)
4:30 Ponytail (Orgasmic screams bellowing from a petite art school student backed by post punk guitar riffing and swirling? Sounds good to me.)
3:35 Bowerbirds (In a festival concert setting, I like big loud guitars and concussive drumming more than mellow, female/male singer-songwriter duos, but their album is tits. I'll probably just leave the Pains of Being Pure at Heart show 15 minutes early to catch the last few songs from this boyfriend/girlfriend team.)
3:20 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (A Pitchfork-endorsed act with a gag-inducing name? Check. Abuses all the "correct" influences at just the right time to be "hip"? Check. Do I like them anyways? A little bit.)
2:30 Fucked Up (Hell yeah, Pink Eye and his other misfits are going to destroy. Too bad I'm going to be too tired after this show to enjoy the rest of the day.)
SUNDAY, JULY 19
8:40 The Flaming Lips (nothing to say here. The put on a fucking spectacle.)
7:25 Grizzly Bear (The first half of their new album, "Veckatimest," is pretty awesome. The rest? Puts me to sleep. Either way, I'll wanna catch a little of the most blog-buzzed band of the year)
6:30 Vivian Girls (Along with Grizzly Bear and the rest, P4k might as well be called Brooklyn Weekend: Chicago Addition. Oh well. These girls ain't too shabby.
5:30 Japandroids
5:15 The Walkmen
(This is the scheduling conflict I'm most pissed about. I've worn out my copy of Japandroids 2009 full-length debut "Post-Nothing," and the Walkmen's "You and Me" is one of my favorite records (and classiest) of '08. I figure since Japandroids only have one full length, and the Walkman have half a dozen, the latter's show will go quite longer. So they should have scheduled Japandroids first, so you could start there an then move on. Oh well.)
4:15 The Thermals (This is my most heavily anticipated show. I'm going to injure myself. Hopefully the set is "The body, the blood, the machine" heavy.
2:30 Blitzen Trapper (Some roots-rock will be a nice change of pace from the rest of the noise damagd, post punk fair filling the lineups here. Plus, Blitzen Trapper rule. Will be a good start to day number two.
I plan on taking some pictures, and maybe some short videos.
Bands I don't plan on missing:
SATURDAY, JULY 18
8:30 The Black Lips (I will probably have to skip the National, they play at 8:40. Oh well, I see them as more of a sit-at-home-with-the-headphones kind of band rather than a jump-in-the-heat-and-sweat-all-over-your-neighbors kind of band. And who would want to miss the dissolving depravity of a Black Lips show. It's rock 'n' roll devil's music with all the fun and dirt and stink of the garage. )
5:30 Wavves (He had an onstage breakdown a few weeks ago in Europe, and then broke his wrist skateboarding this week. We'll see how well the lo-fi train wreck plays out.)
4:30 Ponytail (Orgasmic screams bellowing from a petite art school student backed by post punk guitar riffing and swirling? Sounds good to me.)
3:35 Bowerbirds (In a festival concert setting, I like big loud guitars and concussive drumming more than mellow, female/male singer-songwriter duos, but their album is tits. I'll probably just leave the Pains of Being Pure at Heart show 15 minutes early to catch the last few songs from this boyfriend/girlfriend team.)
3:20 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (A Pitchfork-endorsed act with a gag-inducing name? Check. Abuses all the "correct" influences at just the right time to be "hip"? Check. Do I like them anyways? A little bit.)
2:30 Fucked Up (Hell yeah, Pink Eye and his other misfits are going to destroy. Too bad I'm going to be too tired after this show to enjoy the rest of the day.)
SUNDAY, JULY 19
8:40 The Flaming Lips (nothing to say here. The put on a fucking spectacle.)
7:25 Grizzly Bear (The first half of their new album, "Veckatimest," is pretty awesome. The rest? Puts me to sleep. Either way, I'll wanna catch a little of the most blog-buzzed band of the year)
6:30 Vivian Girls (Along with Grizzly Bear and the rest, P4k might as well be called Brooklyn Weekend: Chicago Addition. Oh well. These girls ain't too shabby.
5:30 Japandroids
5:15 The Walkmen
(This is the scheduling conflict I'm most pissed about. I've worn out my copy of Japandroids 2009 full-length debut "Post-Nothing," and the Walkmen's "You and Me" is one of my favorite records (and classiest) of '08. I figure since Japandroids only have one full length, and the Walkman have half a dozen, the latter's show will go quite longer. So they should have scheduled Japandroids first, so you could start there an then move on. Oh well.)
4:15 The Thermals (This is my most heavily anticipated show. I'm going to injure myself. Hopefully the set is "The body, the blood, the machine" heavy.
2:30 Blitzen Trapper (Some roots-rock will be a nice change of pace from the rest of the noise damagd, post punk fair filling the lineups here. Plus, Blitzen Trapper rule. Will be a good start to day number two.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Music to lose your values to
Welcome to nihilism week.
I feel like an undergrad who just read some seminal think piece that everyone else has already processed, but still won't stop telling everyone how much his world view has changed anyway. Sadly, all I read was a graphic novel. Double worse, I read it after seeing the movie. It didn't really change my world view, if anything it strengthened my pre-existing cynical outlook, but it did send me into a spin cycle where it was all I could think about, at least for three days. But who gives a flying fart? It was sweet, so sweet that the Comedian's "the world is one big killing joke" philosophy reinforcement sent me into an existential crises.
If nukes don't level all our favorite American cities, the economic crises and accompanying city-crumbling will surely turn us into shells of the fine human beings we once were. I can't find any euthanasia clinics in central Illinois, apparently those goddamn-pinko-commie-atheist-fag-socialist-ball-sucking-tutti-fruity-loose-booty-LIBERALS haven't run us over quite yet. So if I can't shuffle myself loose the mortal coil as easy as buying a hamburger (that's the true American way), I might as well provide a guide to some cacophonous, slimy and dirty tunes to crawl inside your soul before letting out a silent-but-deadly cyanide fart. The best subversive songs don't actually have to be about dirty things, it's the feeling, the empty, cruel feeling of absolute rotten-decay that makes really good dirty music stink. Or, they can just be the grimy music that perfectly suits the background for a bit of debouched behavior.
Black Lips - Drugs
Often, the production is the dirtiest thing in a Black Lips tune. I have no idea what they are saying through most of this song, but I caught a few words like "back seat," so that can't be good, oh, and the song is called "Drugs." This is off the band's epic 2009 album "200 Million Thousand." Go get it, or be ignorant for eternity.
Here's a video for a better song on the album: Short Fuse.
The Kills - Fuck the People
The title says it all. The pure opposite of shameless populism, the track lets you know that Hotel and W really don't give a fuck about your existence. They would rather pout, scrape the rust off guitars and wear really, really skinny jeans. (And probably drink lots of PBR and smoke Parliament cigarettes, before telling you that your favorite band sucks.)
Getto Boys - Mind Playing Tricks on Me
One of the best rap songs ever, period, and it doesn't include one verse of bling-braggadocio or forced posturing. Instead, the honest rhymes tell the story of gang-banger rendered so paranoid by all the violence and substance abuse that he thinks some huge and angry killer is always lurking behind the nearest bush, waiting to lay a motherfucker to rest. This song is thick and eerie as hell, and you will probably murder your neighbors in a fit of confused rage once it's over.
Fucked Up - Any track from "Chemistry of Common Life"
The first song, "Son the Father" begs the question "It's hard enough being born in the first place: who would want to be born again?"
Track number 5, "Crooked Head," is one of the best songs of last year.
Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Blank Generation
One of my favorite Punk or post-punk tunes of all time — angled guitars, sneering vocals, a near-jazz drum beat — and the genre defining lyrics. This video's audio sucks but it's the best I could do.
Rolling Stones - Rocks Off
One off the band's best party jams, and the kickoff track on "Exile on Main street," this has just about all the best elements of the Stones' straight ahead rock numbers — Richards' perfect rhythm guitar, Jagger lyrics that function as either literal rock 'n' roll tales or/and sex allegories, and a little drugged out interlude that the song can take or leave.
God damn I love rock 'n' roll.
I'm cured already.
WALTER - Fucking Germans. Nothing changes. Fucking Nazis.
DONNY - They were Nazis, Dude?
WALTER - Come on, Donny, they were threatening castration!
DUDE - They're nihilists.
WALTER - Huh?
DUDE - They kept saying they believe in nothing.
WALTER - Nihilists! Jesus.
I feel like an undergrad who just read some seminal think piece that everyone else has already processed, but still won't stop telling everyone how much his world view has changed anyway. Sadly, all I read was a graphic novel. Double worse, I read it after seeing the movie. It didn't really change my world view, if anything it strengthened my pre-existing cynical outlook, but it did send me into a spin cycle where it was all I could think about, at least for three days. But who gives a flying fart? It was sweet, so sweet that the Comedian's "the world is one big killing joke" philosophy reinforcement sent me into an existential crises.
If nukes don't level all our favorite American cities, the economic crises and accompanying city-crumbling will surely turn us into shells of the fine human beings we once were. I can't find any euthanasia clinics in central Illinois, apparently those goddamn-pinko-commie-atheist-fag-socialist-ball-sucking-tutti-fruity-loose-booty-LIBERALS haven't run us over quite yet. So if I can't shuffle myself loose the mortal coil as easy as buying a hamburger (that's the true American way), I might as well provide a guide to some cacophonous, slimy and dirty tunes to crawl inside your soul before letting out a silent-but-deadly cyanide fart. The best subversive songs don't actually have to be about dirty things, it's the feeling, the empty, cruel feeling of absolute rotten-decay that makes really good dirty music stink. Or, they can just be the grimy music that perfectly suits the background for a bit of debouched behavior.
Black Lips - Drugs
Often, the production is the dirtiest thing in a Black Lips tune. I have no idea what they are saying through most of this song, but I caught a few words like "back seat," so that can't be good, oh, and the song is called "Drugs." This is off the band's epic 2009 album "200 Million Thousand." Go get it, or be ignorant for eternity.
Here's a video for a better song on the album: Short Fuse.
The Kills - Fuck the People
The title says it all. The pure opposite of shameless populism, the track lets you know that Hotel and W really don't give a fuck about your existence. They would rather pout, scrape the rust off guitars and wear really, really skinny jeans. (And probably drink lots of PBR and smoke Parliament cigarettes, before telling you that your favorite band sucks.)
Getto Boys - Mind Playing Tricks on Me
One of the best rap songs ever, period, and it doesn't include one verse of bling-braggadocio or forced posturing. Instead, the honest rhymes tell the story of gang-banger rendered so paranoid by all the violence and substance abuse that he thinks some huge and angry killer is always lurking behind the nearest bush, waiting to lay a motherfucker to rest. This song is thick and eerie as hell, and you will probably murder your neighbors in a fit of confused rage once it's over.
Fucked Up - Any track from "Chemistry of Common Life"
The first song, "Son the Father" begs the question "It's hard enough being born in the first place: who would want to be born again?"
Track number 5, "Crooked Head," is one of the best songs of last year.
Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Blank Generation
One of my favorite Punk or post-punk tunes of all time — angled guitars, sneering vocals, a near-jazz drum beat — and the genre defining lyrics. This video's audio sucks but it's the best I could do.
Rolling Stones - Rocks Off
One off the band's best party jams, and the kickoff track on "Exile on Main street," this has just about all the best elements of the Stones' straight ahead rock numbers — Richards' perfect rhythm guitar, Jagger lyrics that function as either literal rock 'n' roll tales or/and sex allegories, and a little drugged out interlude that the song can take or leave.
God damn I love rock 'n' roll.
I'm cured already.
WALTER - Fucking Germans. Nothing changes. Fucking Nazis.
DONNY - They were Nazis, Dude?
WALTER - Come on, Donny, they were threatening castration!
DUDE - They're nihilists.
WALTER - Huh?
DUDE - They kept saying they believe in nothing.
WALTER - Nihilists! Jesus.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Sorry
Warped Coasters made an analytical error. The best of 2008 list dismissed Canadian hardcore act Fucked Up as an artist "I could give two shits about." Apparently I did not hear the nuance below the screaming. The guitars are actually pretty interesting, and as someone that isn't exactly a regular hardcore listener, I should have given the band a better chance. The track "Crooked Head" is pretty fucking vicious and worthwhile. Sometimes I have a hard time getting past the lack of melody in the vocal lines, but there is plenty of melody paired with arty dissonance laying just under the surface. And his voice is fucking angry. Thank god for anger.Warped Coasters regrets the error.
Twice Born - Fucked Up
http://pitchfork.tv/a-d-d-/fucked-up/son-the-father
Thursday, December 18, 2008
2008: The Crappening (updated again on 12/28 I keep remembering things I forgot to add)
I spent a good amount of this year catching up on some of 2006 and 2007's albums that I didn't grab the first time around. 2006, in particular, was an awesome year for music. I finally listened to "The Crane Wife" by The Decemberists, "The Loon" by Tapes n Tapes and "Boys and Girls in America" by the Hold Steady. I also bought "Boxer" by the National, one of '07s best records.
2. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
4. The Walkmen - You and Me
Biggest Disappointment:
Though it can't compete with the last two years, music fared better than film in 2008, and did do an OK job fulfilling its most useful purpose — distracting me from everything happening outside my front door. Some of my favorite bands released overhyped and underwhelming records (My Morning Jacket, Black Keys, Beck, Kings of Leon) but the year stayed afloat thanks to a handful of promising debuts. In fact, 2008 churned out the best crop of indie freshman in recent memory. Haunting folk by Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver hung like a thick fog, slowing down my daily chores with heavy reverb and timeless harmonies.
Vampire Weekend succeeded in reinventing the wheel, making ska and African rhythms sound fresh 25 years after art-damaged kids and popsters alike turned the same trick.
And, with the year's best singles, MGMT brought danceable Psychedelic glam-rock into dorm rooms everywhere.
Favorite albums:
1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Youtube video is the track "White Winter Hymnal"
2. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Youtube track is "Cape Cod Kwasa Kwasa"
3. Bon Iver - For Emma, forever ago
Youtube video is "Skinny Love"
4. The Walkmen - You and Me
Youtube video is "In the New Year"
5. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
Video is "Play Your part (Pt. 1)"
6. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
5. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
Video is "Play Your part (Pt. 1)"
6. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Video is "Time to Pretend"
7. Dr. Dog - Fate
Video is "The Breeze"
8. Deerhunter - Microcastle
8. Deerhunter - Microcastle
Video is "Agoraphobia"
9. Blitzen Trapper - Furr
9. Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Video is "Furr"
10. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
10. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
"Solute Your Solution"
11. Black Keys - Attack and Release
11. Black Keys - Attack and Release
"I Got Mine"
12. Ponytail - Ice Cream Spiritual
"Beg Waves"
13. Hold Steady - Stay Positive
12. Ponytail - Ice Cream Spiritual
"Beg Waves"
13. Hold Steady - Stay Positive
"Sequestered in Memphis"
14. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
14. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
"Dancing Choose"
15. Black Mountain - In the Future
"Wucan"
15. Black Mountain - In the Future
"Wucan"
Biggest Disappointment:
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Moderate Disappointments:
Beck - Modern Guilt
Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
Kings of Leon - Only By the Night
Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak
Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter III
Cold War Kids - Loyalty to Loyalty
Albums yet to be fully digested that could possibly make the list:
Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
Portishead - Third
WHY? - Alopecia
Spiritualized - Songs in A and E
Magnetic Fields - Distortion
No Age - Nouns
The Knux - Remind Me in 3 Days
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
Albums I didn't even get to:
She and Him - Vol. 1
The Kills - Midnight Boom
The Bug - London Zoo
Randy Newman - Hearts and Angels
Q Tip - The Renaissance
People Under the Stairs - Fun DMC
Heralded albums that I could give two shits about:
Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair
Fucked Up - Chemistry of Common Life
Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
FILM
2007, and 2006, were probably the two strongest years of the decade for film. Last year had prestige films actually worthy of prestige in "No Country for Old Men," "There Will be Blood" and Zodiac, a comedy classic in "Superbad" and a good comedy in "Knocked Up."
2006 was worth it of not just for "Children of Men" and "Pan's Labyrinth." Admittedly, I didn't see many of this year's films, spent most of my Netflix que catching up on classic and obscure old movies. But, 2008 did have two of the strongest summer blockbusters in recent memory with "The Dark Knight" and "Wall-E." Other than that, the year was grim.
Favorite films of '08
1. Wall-E
2. The Dark Knight
3. Burn After Reading
3. Burn After Reading
4. Tropic Thunder
... and that's it
Best comedy that wasn't Tropic Thunder
Role Models
Biggest surprises
The Bank Job
In Bruges
The Foot Fist Way
Guilty Pleasure
Hitman
Guilty Pleasure
Hitman
Disappointments
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
W
Yet to see
Slumdog Millionaire
Pineapple Express
Man on Wire
W
Yet to see
Slumdog Millionaire
Pineapple Express
Man on Wire
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