2004 wasn't quite as full as 2003, but most of my albums from this year were actually first heard in 2004. Out of the sixteen albums I have, only four were heard after 2004. Hey, and here's a hint to what my favorite song of the decade is. It's on my #1 album of this year. Yes, really. Hmm, what could it be? This list changed a bit though since the year actual -- #3 was Autolux's debut. I don't really care for it much anymore, and a lack of anything new has kept me from reigniting any passion I had for them. . .
* - This album was re-released with a slightly different tracklist and a couple additions/subtractions in '06, when I first heard them. That's the one I have. It doesn't change the ranking either way, but I figured I'd make the notation anyway.
2. How did you get into 20? (The Coral)
me acuerdo que tenia a un chabon en el msn que me paso algunas canciones cuando salio el 1º disco y despues de escucharlas bastannnnte (especialmente Dreaming of You) encontre el disco en yenny y lo compre. ahi nacio mi amor incondicional con esta banda.
4. What’s your favorite lyric bit by 29? (Camera Obscura) Let's Get Out of This Country: "what does this city have to offer me, everyone else thinks it's the bees knes, what does this city have to offer me i just can't seee, just can't seeeeee aahhaaaa" jaja. discazo.
8. What is a good memory you have of 7? (Ash)
escuchar Free All Angels viajando al sur.
9. Is there a member of the same age as you in 2? (Oasis)
no, son unos viejos chotos.
10. When did you first get into 8? (The Posies
creo que los tenia anotados como similar artists de teenage fanclub (en allmusic) y un dia encontre Amazing Disgracee, asi que lo baje y me enamore.
11. Who likes 4 along with you? (Travis)
todos! a quien no les gustan? ♥
14. Which song do you not like by 18? (Aberfeldy)
hasta hace poco me molestaba un poco la parte de "it's up to you..." de Uptight pero ahora la amo!
15. Why do you like 14's songs? (The Jesus and Mary Chain)
la pregunta es por que no me gustarian! son la mezcla perfecta de pop y rock, con mucho feedback, drum machine, un toque de shoegaze y actitud!
17. How long was 19 a singer before you liked them? (Wiretree)
uh no se, pero con este nombre empezo hace poco, calculo que 2 años antes de que lo descubriera.
18. Does 13 have a song that gives you a bad memory? (Band of Horses)
no, de hecho me hace acordar mucho al verano (al cual odio), pero de una buena forma.
19. When did you get into 17? (British Sea Power)
2004, cuando me compre el dvd de jools holland, cool britannia, y el segundo track era Remember Me. aun hoy es mi cancion favorita, no pude resistirme a esas ramas y hojas entre los pibes (?).
20. How long have you been into 9? (The Stone Roses)
uh, habra sido 2002 ponele.
21. If 11 had a concert 300 miles away, would you drive there to see them? (Los Campesinos!)
cuanto es 300 miles? no importa, re iria por los campes.
22. How many CDs do you own of 12? (Acid House Kings)
ninguno. todos putos.
23. Does 21 have a song that makes you cry? (Dodgy)
si son tan felices!
24. Does 27 have a song that makes you happy? (The Disciplines)
no por las canciones en si, sino por los recuerdos (awwww ^^).
25. Does 23 have a song that makes you smile? (Tullycraft)
todas! bamo el twee carajo!!
26. What's the last song you've listened to from 28? (Feeder)
uhh no se, el otro dia creo que escuche Tender.
28. What is a song from 50 that you've only listened to once? (The Bluetones)
ninguna creo.
29. Is there a song you are sick of hearing by 24? (The Primary 5)
ay no, nunca me podria cansar!
30. What song got you into 40? (Stereophonics)
pa para papa parara
31. What is your favorite single by 25? (Franz Ferdinand)
hmm, creo que The Dark of the Matinée.
32. If 49 hated you, what would you do? (Club 8)
mi tocaya no me puede odiar! (?) y johan... bueno, no lo culparia jaja.
33. What would you say if 42 or one of the members from 42 asked you out? (The Verve)
son muy viejos para mi, aunque se mantienen. ja, le diria que me lleve de gira (baba).
34. Would you care if 41 had a boyfriend/girlfriend? (Daniel Johnston)
en realidad no jaja
36. Do you think 26 is/are good looking? (Ambulance LTD)
eh? marcus congleton good looking? noo, ni ahi (ira) *muere *ABRAZO jjajajja ese pibe ya se zarpa...
37. How many times have you listened to your favorite song by 36? (John Squire)
Time Changes Everything, 45 veces segun last.fm.
38. How many CDs do you own of 30? (New Order)
creo que 3 (2 firmados por hooky jojo).
39. Is there a song from 38 that makes you mad? (Echo & The Bunnymen)
la verdad que no!
40. Which member from 31 do you want to see go solo? If 31 is only one artist, what would you do if they joined a group? (The Besties)
no creo que ninguno de ellos espere tener algo de exito como solista jaja estan bien como banda, no jodan.
41. What does your favorite song from 48 remind you of? (Snow Patrol)
no 1 cancion sino [album artist=Snow Patrol]Final Straw[/albu,] entero. me hace acordar al colegio, a la playa y al sur.
42. Did you hate 43 at first? )Matthew Sweet)
al matias dulce?? quien puede odiarlo!? de hecho lo ame instantaneamente ♥
43. Does your best friend also listen to 33? (The Lucksmiths)
no tengo mejor amigo, pero seguramente no :(
44. Do you think your parents would like 37? (Jason Falkner)
pues si.
45. Does 47 have a song that makes you want to dance? (The Boy Least Likely To)
sii!! como las nubecitas de don hertzfeldt DANCE! EVERYBODY DANCE!! YAAAAAY!!!
46. Have you ever seen 34 in person? (Big Star)
ha, i wish. PERO si vi a ken, asi que me faltan 3/4 de banda :D
47. Do you like 44's name? (Attic Lights)
seh, que se yo.
48. Is there someone in 45 that you want to go out with? (Ocean Colour Scene)
no, ni ahi jaja
49. Do you know anyone that hates 39? (The Black Angels)
no, como los van a odiar?
50. Have you ever danced to a song from 35? (Blur)
obvioooo!
We're entering "intern season" at KUCI. The time, every quarter, where the kids in our DJ training class start popping up on people's shows and increasing the dead-air quotient ten-fold. But it's better that they learn from us. Otherwise, they're just going to be learning about this stuff on the streets, and we can't have that. (They're good kids, though. No hard feelings.)
Things that Are Square 5-14-09
(*) = New release
The Lucksmiths - Requiem for the Punter's Club - Spring a Leak
(May they rest in peace...)
Jacob Borshard - The Ship Is Real - Songs for a Small Stereo Jonathan Richman - Just for Fun - Having a Party with Jonathan Richman Destroyer - Trembling Peacock - This Night The Divine Comedy - Mother Dear - Victory for the Comic Muse
(*) EAR PWR - Future Eyes - Super Animal Brothers III Subtle - Swanmeat - Wishingbone The Soft Pink Truth - Real Shocks - Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Soft Pink Truth? No Age - Every Artist Needs a Tragedy - Weirdo Rippers
(*) Mika Miko - Wild Bore - We Be Xuxa
(*) The Vaselines - Sex Sux (Amen) - Enter the Vaselines Ponytail - Die Allman Bruder - Ice Cream Spiritual
(*) Akron/Family - Gravelly Mountains of the Moon - Set 'em Wild, Set 'em Free Giraffes? Giraffes! - I Am S/h(im)e[r] As You Am S/h(im)e[r] As You Are Me and We Am I and I Are All Together: Our Collective Conciousness' Psychogenic Fugue - More Skin with Milk-Mouth
Tune in next week (and every week), Thursdays 6-8pm PST on KUCI 88.9FM in Irvine, CA, and worldwide, live on the internet, at KUCI.ORG, the public radio presets of iTunes, and the public radio app on your iPhone.
Per Facebook:Think of 15 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life. Dug into your soul. Music that brought you to life when you heard it. Royally affected you, kicked you in the wazoo, literally socked you in the gut, is what I mean. Then when you finish, tag 15 others, including moi. Make sure you copy and paste this part so they know the drill. Get the idea now?
I have to admit that it was hard to come up with this list. There are a ton of albums I hold in high regards, but there have been very few albums which have really kicked me in the rear. There were some automatic ones for sure (top 5 was easy), but the last five I had to really dig deep and look at as albums that kick-started and furthered an obsession with music as whole, a specific band, or think of a genre of music more differently/emotionally that I had prior to listening to the album.
15. The White Stripes - Elephant
I remember the day I saw the Seven Nation Army music video on MTV (hey MTV actually used to play music videos during sunlight hours!). It was, up to that point, the trippiest thing I had seen and it did not hurt that the song was incredibly catchy and awesome. Unfortunately I waited until the video for Hardest Button to Button to be shown in front of my eyes to go out and purchase Elephant.
In 2003, I was nowhere near the state of obsessive with music as I am today. Elephant was probably one of the first 10 or 15 CDs/tapes I had bought with my own money and was probably one of 5 (or less) albums that I bought that year. Buying and listening to Elephant wasn't exactly the album to really propel me into hunting down music and making me financially poor for eternity. It did, however, shine a light on me and a voice within the light spoke with a trembling and fuzzy earnestness and said, "There's still good music being made - just look for it." Today, we call this voice Jack White's guitar.
With Elephant, The White Stripes became my very first new "favorite" band that I really started obsessing over. By the end of the year, I had all of their albums and then came Under the Blackpool Lights which I ordered with a t-shirt deal. Of course the live DVD spurred a want and a need to see the band live (which I finally did when they released Icky Thump). Still, I owe it to Elephant for really getting me into modern rock music and spurring a wild obsession with The White Stripes. Elephant remains as one of my favorite albums of all-time and the songs still resonant and kick all kinds of awesome as effectively as they did 6 years ago, if not moreso.
Performance from Conan's last Late Night show
Interview with Conan
14. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
It’s hard to imagine my musical life without the lovely Neko Case and her angelic voice. For me, there is a line in time which separates my musical life into two sections. The current era is After-Neko Case and the previous era is Pre-Neko Case.
When I picked up Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (blind-buy, FTW) at Barnes and Noble in 2006, I wasn't prepared for what I was about to listen to or what would ultimately happen. Apart from seeing the album being name-dropped as people's favorites for 06 and a general sense that it was "good" I could not imagine how listening to the album would turn out for me.
It took me until the end of Star Witness to realize what was happening. Neko Case's voice had completely wrapped around me and firmly convinced me that traditionally based country was still thriving in modern music. Not to mention that a female vocalist is arguably the greatest sound to the ear when the vocalist is at the top of her game.
As with Elephant, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood launched in me an arousing obsession with Neko Case. While gradually picking up her other albums she has become my favorite female vocalist of all time. There has never been a time when I was listening to her that I felt like I had to stop listening to her. I could listen to her and only her, literally, forever and die with a feeling of happiness with regard to my musical endeavors. Without Neko Case and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, I'm not sure how my country albums or female artists would look today. I can imagine there would a lot less of them.
13. The Steeldrivers - The Steeldrivers
The Steeldrivers are the most recent band to really give me a good wallop. There have been country albums that I like more or connect to more, but The Steeldrivers get this spot over them mainly because The Steeldrivers came completely out of left-field without listening to them before I got their album.
With no prior knowledge of The Steeldrivers other than (again) seeing them and their album picked as some people's favorite country album of 2008, I used a $25 Target gift card and ordered their self-titled debut online. The package and ripping the CD to my computer was like all CDs I get in the mail. There's no real rush to bust open the package and hear it ASAP. Yet when Blue Side of the Mountain started off the album I knew I had wasted precious time by 1) not finding it in town and 2) not tearing the cardboard packing to pieces in order to get to the music sooner. As soon as I finished listening the first time, I started it up again for a second go through. The first listen had left me without words, with no possible way of being able to not hear that goodness again. The mixture of country and southern blues with bluegrass based instrumentation was a masterful one. An atmosphere enveloped me and I could see the woods and looked across hollers down the ridge. This was not only music that I liked, but music that I felt a historic and ancestral connection with.
I have never been one to advise people to get into bluegrass. There seems to be an image of bluegrass that scares most people away from it that write it off as backwoods noise which inspired Deliverance. The Steeldrivers take a sledgehammer to this image and tear it pieces. Since the first time I listened to The Steeldrivers I've been pimping it out to anybody and everybody that will listen to me. The album not only pushed me to actually give bluegrass a chance and look at the genre differently, but has created an entirely new feeling for country/blues with me. Its strong while being emotional and kickass while being beautiful.
12. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I
When I started to becoming aware of music and half-assed look for it, Led Zeppelin seemed like the most obvious place to start with, especially for a young teenage male in high-school.
The first Led Zeppelin album I bought was a two-disc compilation. From there I picked up their self-titled albums first, with I being the first to buy and listen to. While I is not my favorite Zeppelin album and while its place in my all-time lists has diminished over time, I cannot deny the impression or influence it had on me at the time. The music itself was like nothing I had ever heard before. Before Zeppelin, I had never listened to the blues or really paid much attention to classic rock apart from The Beatles or Elvis as a child growing up. Led Zeppelin represented an entirely different breed of rock music to me. It was so massive and epic that I could not help but be enthralled by Plant's sexualized shrieks and moans, Page's technically skilled blues-riffs or even by Bonham's pounding of the drums. To say the music kicked me in the "wazoo" is a bit of an exaggerated understatement. More or less, the album basically picked me up twenty feet off the ground, threw me up against the walls and then let me drop to the floor.
I represented a shift in me towards a more powerful rock music sound which lead me onwards to Black Sabbath and other hard-rock classic bands, as well as more modern bands that were influenced by the bands and the genre. The album dominated my high-school driving years. It gave me my first band to call my favorite and obsess over. Not only did I find it necessary to read as much as possible on the band and the members, but I found myself walking the halls wearing as many Zeppelin t-shirts as I could find online (Anybody else remember this fad?). Hell, one of my senior pictures has me wearing a Zepp Stairway to Heaven t-shirt.
11. El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead
I remember listening to the leak of I'll Sleep When You're Dead and having the timing of the robotic "property of Matthew Snyder" down pat. So when I actually got my preordered copy in the mail (signed booklet bitches) the album felt different. Not because of the exclusion of that little snippet, but everything just seemed to click.
I'll Sleep When You're Dead was more than music to me. Hell yes I was addicted to the music and the album still stands as one of my all-time favorite hip-hop albums, but the atmosphere and world that El-P created with this album was even more addicting. It was as if El-P took all the paranoia, technology-crazed, and clustered society of the US and stuffed it on a CD. For me, this album represents post 9/11 American society. The CD is filled to the brim with sound - its clustered and this cluster-fuck of sound combines with an overall dreary and dark paranoia that just looms over the music. The album brought about all my thoughts, feelings, and emotions post 9/11 and put them to a beat which seemed to relieve some pressure and paranoia once the album ended. I'll Sleep When You're Dead was not only artsy, it was ballsy and highly entertaining.
I'll Sleep When You're Dead was an instant banger in my all-time list. It completely changed the way I thought about modern music. It was progressive while rooting itself in a classic hip-hop base. It fronted a political agenda without being pushy or overly apparent. This album may not receive the credit it deserves from hip hop fans and critics, but hopefully over time the genius behind this masterpiece will be uncovered and revered.
10. The Derek Trucks Band - Songlines
I remember walking through the CD section of Barnes and Noble, with cash burning a hole in my back pocket, and noticing a CD on an end-cap which had a sticker on the cover which basically said Derek Trucks was the best guitarist in the world. Of course I was intrigued. I was then a recovering Led Zeppelin fan and had just started getting into Eric Clapton and all his projects. I have never put much stock in a sticker on an album and I still don't, but for some reason something spoke to me through that sticker and told me I had to have this CD. So I bought it without knowing who Derek Trucks was, much less listening to any of the music.
And then I did listen to Songlines. And I found out who Derek Trucks was. And I'll be damned if that sticker wasn't right. It wasn't just the fact that Derek Trucks was the best guitarist making music; it was the whole band, the music as a whole which really flowed through my ears and into my soul. The album was a canvas and upon it was touches of the world's various cultures and sounds - the artwork flowed together seamlessly like a seamless joining of all the cultures of the world. The knot to tie the whole thing together, however, was Trucks' guitar. His slide work was soulful and bluesy and just spoke directly to me. It soothed and relaxed me. It was a musical healing process which seemed to come from a native spirit rather than a revolving compact disc in a CD player.
Songlines gave me an idea that instrumental pieces could be emotional, soulful and entertaining while not going into wankering territory. Trucks’ guitar work continues to amaze me. There is an easiness that comes off in the sound of the music and it obviously originates from how damn easy it looks for Derek to be working the guitar to sound that soulful. Seeing him live and watching him play, everything about his playing seems to be a natural and genuine expression of what he is feeling. When the whole album gives off that type of vibe, it just strikes me in a way deeper than most music.
9. Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
Before there was Neko Case, there was Loretta Lynn. I don't really remember why I needed to have Van Lear Rose (apart from the inclusion of Jack White) or why it was imperative that of all the Christmas presents I got that year that nothing else mattered as long as Loretta's latest was under the tree.
As soon as I heard Van Lear Rose I knew that the country that Nashville pushed out - the country that I had hated and made fun for much of my life was not country. That stuff Nashville pushed out was mindless, cookie cutter, twang-inducing nausea. Van Lear Rose was real country made by a real country artist. It was the album that really pushed me into country and proved to me that country was still relevant and produced great music.
Van Lear Rose was my first country album and my first album by a female artist. Without Van Lear Rose I cannot say where I would be with country or female music artists. Neko Case might not be on this list. The same goes for The Steeldrivers. Loretta put the sound of country in my ear. With my years of being anti-mainstream country, I was surprised that traditional country was still alive and kicking and that I loved the stuff. Its hard to really pinpoint my exact feelings now, especially since I have gotten acquainted with the genre a lot more than I was then, but the feeling I remember of getting after listening to Ms. Lynn and her album was a feeling of simplistic art. Van Lear Rose was (and still is) a masterpiece in my mind. The album is simple, but Loretta's gift for heavenly country vocals and story-telling is what grabbed me the most. Remember that I wanted the album just for Jack White's involvement, but at the end of the album I nearly forgot he was there.
Van Lear Rose introduced me to country music and female artists. I cannot imagine where I would be musically without this album (no Neko?). This album opened doors to music that I may not have gotten into without this or it would have taken even longer to get into without this.
8. Ambulance LTD - Ambulance LTD
I came across Ambulance LTD towards the beginning of my active search for good, modern music. I'm not exactly sure where or how I discovered Ambulance LTD, but the fact that I did is important enough for me.
To say that the album turned me on completely to indie rock is underplaying the situation. I didn't know what indie rock was, much less what it sounded like. Ambulance LTD basically kicked my ass into a little world which lead me on a journey through a ton of other indie rock bands. After listening to the album and realizing modern music's potential, an obsession grew with discovering new music. Each band was slightly more obscure than the previous discovery. Not that the obscure part was a requirement, but with each band there seemed to be links to others like a tree - and that tree became a forest. I would spend hours at a time listening to the album while jotting down band and album names of potential bands I would like based on this one album.
The album itself was like mixing the beach, pure pop catchiness and rock and amounted to something that has become one of my all-time favorites. The music was something I had never heard before. And every time I come back to it, it sounds just as inviting and fresh as the day I bought it. Aside from sending me into obsession-craved lunacy with music, the album always gives me a happy feeling inside and reminds me of lazy days sitting on the sand listening to the wave’s crash on the shore. Anything that can transport me to that spot will always get a good place in my book.
Not only does listening to this take me to a different place, but the atmosphere of the album completely reflected the atmosphere of my last couple years of high-school and my stint at community college. These 4 years or so was basically the most relaxed time of my life since I entered into the workforce (nothing will ever compete with summer time in middle school). School was a freakin' cake walk and really nothing to take seriously, especially since I was going through community college town and would end up at JMU guaranteed. Work was easy then too because I wasn't paranoid about losing my job, so everything was pretty carefree then. There was always a feeling in the back of my mind that this part of my life was coming to an end and soon I would be stepping it up into a bigger, more serious world. So for basically summing up an era my life and representing it with a carefree feeling and looking towards the horizon Ambulance LTD means a lot to me.
7. Drive-By Truckers - Southern Rock Opera
This is where the list starts getting into some serious wazoo-whooping.
Simply put, Southern Rock Opera has had a profound impact on me in a multiple of ways. The most profound impact is obviously its impact on me musically. Like Loretta and Neko earlier in this list, the Drive-By Truckers pushed me further into the americana/country genre and they pushed hard. With Southern Rock Opera loosely based on Lynyrd Skynyrd, the thing was practically americana and southern culture manifested and printed onto two CDs. Its ability to tell entertaining and thought-provoking stories focused on southern characters was amazing. It proved to me that perhaps southern rock wasn't as flat or dumb as it often makes itself appear to be and perhaps that I had underestimated Skynyrd's intellectual abilities as well. Anything that makes me take a completely different look at a band I've been familiar with since middle school definitely warrants a major spot in my musical library.
Southern Rock Opera proved that rock music doesn't have to lose its strength or its epic scale in order to make deep or beautiful testaments to everyday (Southern) living. The songs don't sound like ballads, but the lyrics could be easily construed that way if anybody really wanted to make them into ballads. The album is balls-to-the-wall southern rock, but it’s smart, insightful, and downright beautiful in its scope and story-telling. It’s what the music and lyrics showed and the roots that the band talked about and displayed proudly that made me really look around me and actually be happy for once in my life.
I had spent most of my younger life, like most kids I'm sure, wishing I was somewhere else and had a cooler place to call home. The media has stereotyped the South into a wasteland for inbreed, hillbillies with no teeth and admittedly I was embarrassed to call Virginia home. Then along came DBT and everything on Southern Rock Opera resonated within me - the band's embarrassment with the South and appreciating it after they had left it and come back. The fact that the stereotype was as far away from the truth as any other stereotype. The fact that the South was full of heritage and history and despite what the history books teaches us, we can still be proud of our history. Perhaps if I had been younger when I bought Southern Rock Opera I wouldn't have felt this way, but I noticed when I started getting nearer to my 20s I focused more on tradition and my home instead of focusing on ways to get away from here.
6. Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings
Mr. Crossroads has gotten a lot of credit from the likes of Eric Clapton and Keith Richards as being the most important blues musician in history. This may or may not be true, but frankly this boxset is one of the more important albums I have in my library.
The Complete Recordings was my first boxset, but a hell of a lot more importantly, it was also my first adventure into the real blues. I was obviously familiar with blues-rock before this, but Robert Johnson and his recordings are in a completely different arena. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this boxset. I had decided to get into Robert Johnson because of the importance rock guitarists placed upon him (Clapton's main influence for picking up a guitar was Mr. Johnson). I'm not exactly sure why I decided to buy The Complete Recordings instead of a simple one disc compilation, maybe it was the fact that there were such few songs that I thought it would be best to just have them all.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I finally got the boxset in the mail. I knew the recordings were pretty old and the quality wasn't going to be the best. When I did listen to the recordings, it felt like I had been struck in the chest. Sure, the quality wasn't the best, but the songs were straight up raw kind of blues. Robert's guitar felt like a natural extension of his voice, using the guitar to supplement feelings and emotions he couldn't fully express with just his voice. These recordings were all about feeling and expressing those feelings genuinely through words and music - this was finally the blues.
The Complete Recordings was my first real taste of the blues and it lead me onward towards many more albums and artists. It led me to an appreciation of the blues that has yet to be surpassed by any other genre as I feel the blues is the genre. It may run the risk of not being culturally or currently relevant anymore, but the many talented artists and their unique talents and tales lining the history of this genre more than makes up for any lack of modern day relevance.
It wasn't just the fact that it was the blues, either. The songs were genuinely emotional, but at the right time and in the right mood, the songs could hit you in a way unlike any rock song or country or hip hop song. They could completely transform you and you were that man sitting there strumming his guitar, tapping his foot to keep time, and wringing his heart out through his voice. At the right time, the songs transformed into haunting tales. The type of haunting tales that aren't gruesome, but the type of haunting that gives you cold chills and goosebumps, implanting a vivid image of a guitar man selling his soul to a dark, red-face figure at some lonely intersection. The Complete Recordings is more than just the introduction of the blues for me. Its a clear, focused connection to the blues and a man that didn't sound like he had sold his soul to the Devil at all. It sounded like, instead, his soul was still intact but that he had played the Devil for his talents and now the Devil was chasing after him and lurking around every corner.
5. Black Star - Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star
With the exception of OutKast's Stankonia which I nabbed off of Napster in middle school, I bought into the stereotype of rap = crap. Such is the misadventures of an obsessed high schooled, Led Zeppelin fan. When I reached college I ramped up my efforts to search for music that I would like since the majority of mainstream music of all kinds left me with an empty feeling inside (tear). At the top of my list was to make a real effort to find hip hop music that was actually worthwhile to hear and something that made the genre worth enough to get into.
If I remember correctly, Black Star was recommended to me thanks to a user here at last.fm after I created a journal asking for specific hip-hop recommendations. I'm not really sure why I decided to pick up Mos Def's joints up first out of the others such as Wu-Tang and DOOM. Perhaps if I had picked those up first, the Tang or Metal Face would be in this position instead, but most likely not. Black Star is different and it’s on a different plane than those two (though GZA's Liquid Swords comes pretty damn close). Popping in Black Star for the first time and it being my major step into the world of hip-hop music was like opening a part of my mind. Imagine a door in your house being closed for 20 years and the day you finally open it, you realize there's a whole wing you've never noticed or ventured into before. The album hit me pretty damn hard. It’s like the media has made a conscious effort to brainwash everybody into thinking that hip-hop is degrading and unholy, wiring the people's unconscious decision making abilities to think this and automatically put down the genre as an inferior form of music. Black Star was like the hammer smashing Big Brother's face in the 1984 Apple commercial. When I got done listening to that album for the first time, the glass in my mind was cracked.
When something can change your perception on a whole genre of music - turn you from automatically writing it off to immediately making you feel alive, excited and put it at the top of the list that is an amazing turn of events. The thing about Black Star that really flipped my brain on its side was the fact that it was old-school based, entertaining and still had a viable message to deliver. Not to mention the fact that Mos Def was pure fire and Talib wasn't too shabby himself. Over the years, the album's music seems to fit and reflect whatever mood I am. It can be relaxing when I need it to be. It can be provoking. Frustrated. Depressed. Stressed. I will be forever grateful to Mighty Mos and Talib for waving me over to the world of hip-hop and all its glory.
4. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River
I basically grew up on CCR. I have very fond and vivid memories of when I was younger, probably around five or six, riding my mountain bike around our big backyard and through the woods at the top of the ridge. Clipped to the side of my pants was a Sony Walkman cassette player. Instead of listening to the birds chatter and argue with each other, the wind rustle through the trees and underneath the leaves on the ground, or the general sounds of silence of mountain living it was a high probability that I was listening to a CCR greatest hits tape (Elvis came in second). I eventually lost the tape and in the third grade moved away from the mountain and was without John Fogerty and company for a long while.
It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I actually bought some CCR albums and I’m not really sure why I had waited so long to do so. I had been without Creedence for quite awhile, so perhaps I had forgotten how magical their music had seemed to me so many years ago. Or perhaps I just didn’t want to fuck up nostalgia and ruin all my good feelings for my childhood and its soundtrack which was filled with CCR. Of course looking back I want to throw a football at my own groin for going without them for so damn long. When I picked up those first couple albums nostalgia wrapped its arms around me and I could feel that mountain sun shining upon me through the trees, smell the smell of mountains and feel the breeze blow through my air again. The nostalgia was only half of the amazement of these albums, specifically Green River. It wasn’t as if Green River introduced me to country-rock or classic rock, because I had known these guys as a kid. Being familiar with these guys is what let Green River sit me on my ass and really make me feel like I had taken them for granted.
For nine songs, there’s a very distinct atmosphere which immediately envelopes me whenever Green River plays. Perhaps as an immature, inexperienced child the substance of music went way over my head. I’m not inclined to call myself an old man and there are plenty of people who would be offended if I did, but revisiting CCR years later has let me take in the music completely differently. Instead of simply being great, catchy porch-sttin’ tunes, so many more layers opened up to me that I really couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed it all before. The driving force behind it all is Fogerty’s vocals. The lyrics are simple but damn effective and with Fogerty’s world-weary and ragged vocals the words project an image of a wise journeyman sharing his knowledge. As a kid, Fogerty’s vocals never really seemed to project anything other than being distinctive. Coming back to the music, his vocals make everything sound and feel genuine. No words can describe the power his vocals have for pushing the music forward, making songs like Lodi a personal, heart-breaking admission of on-the-road depression to a world of fans, but Fogerty makes you feel like he’s singing specifically to you.
Perhaps the real beauty of Green River and really all of CCR’s songs is that they work on two levels. The first and most apparent level is that these are catchy, good time rock n roll songs. I believe this is where a lot of people tend to stop at, either writing the band off as a simple rock band or fans that never bother to dig any deeper. The second level is that these songs are fantastic introspective tales of a rock band traveling around the world and each song is like a piece of their history and the world’s history. Listening to Green River after many years of CCR being absent from my life let me finally dig deep into that second level and I am still amazed by it all.
3. Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
As I mentioned above, when I first dove into hip-hop the first two albums I picked up both had Mos Def involved. Both of these albums are kept in a special chamber of my heart, but since I picked up Black on Both Sides there has been only one or two (again, Liquid Swords is the closest) other hip-hop albums that even come close to knocking down Mighty Mos’ debut album from the top of my hip-hop list.
I remember initially when I listened to Black on Both Sides that it didn’t click with me. I enjoyed the album a lot, but Black Star was more enjoyable and at the time I thought it was better. Black on Both Sides had some definite classic tracks on it from the get go, but I never fully appreciated the album as a whole. Over time, Black on Both Sides holds up better because it simply gets better and better as it ages. It seems with each listen, there’s something new I pick up on and notice or something else suddenly clicks into place. The aspect that grabbed me initially and kept me going back to Black on Both Sides was Mos’ ability to not corner himself into one specific genre but he expanded and incorporated other styles organically and seamlessly.
This aspect of Black on Both Sides has not diminished over time; in fact, other aspects have followed the lead of the variety of styles. Mos’ delivery has an excellent range that allows him to create vivid stories and living worlds that are easy to imagine and dive into. There is a genuine sense of feeling and emotion that keeps his topics of social injustice from sounding like an angry, arrogant, unintelligent MC, even though the lyrics themselves are intelligent, the delivery itself is what makes these songs interesting and thought-provoking. It’s these aspects of the album that have really shaped what I think the best music (not just hip-hop) should sound like. Mos Def doesn’t pigeon-hole himself into one area of music, but he incorporates a variety of things in order to create this masterpiece. The variety in sound, content, mood, and general song selection is what keeps Black on Both Sides from growing stale over time as it ages beautifully. The album is progressive hip-hop without sounding manufactured or forced – its organic and seamless – and it has made realize that when artists do not corner themselves at the back wall of a genre, their music is (generally) more satisfying than those artists that continue to mine the same area for their entire careers.
When Black On Both Sidesfinally clicked inside my mind, I realize that this album would only be surpassed by a limited number on my all-time list. It is what really pushed me to look for great hip-hop and great music in general. The album’s progressive basis was my first inkling that when hip-hop hit its stride, it was the most forward-moving, enjoyable, and intelligent mainstream genre and that it could not be fucked with. Black Star was the hammer to crack the glass in my mind concerning my previous views on hip-hop, Black On Both Sides clicking with me was the glass falling to the ground in pieces.
2. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
I can't say What's Going On propelled me into a genre as my soul/R&B selection is still very limited 4-5 years after having bought it. The appeal for Marvin Gaye and his masterpiece isn't the fact that it introduced me to a new genre of music (slowly but surely my friends). No. The appeal is that the album remains as fresh, relevant, and awe-inspiring as the first time I listened to it a handful of years and hundreds of listens ago. The appeal is that every time I listen to What's Going On I am continually amazed and awe-struck as just how perfect and beautiful Marvin made this album. It amazes me that his vocals can be so reflective of so many things at the same time that they basically take on a life and body of their own, barely coming short of being able to take a bow and shake your hand when the album comes to a magical close.
What's Going On hit me differently than any other album on this list. It wasn't about opening me up to new music or making me think differently about music. Really, it isn't necessarily the music that makes me value this album so highly (though the music itself is damn fine). It’s the fact that the album was recorded 28 years ago and is just as socially and politically relevant today as it was almost three decades ago and somehow manages from turning stale. For me, being able to stay relevant all this time speaks volumes on two fronts. The first is Marvin's understanding of society and its basic struggles to thrive and live happily and truly free. The album is a cry for understanding and help from a part of society that is often forgotten and neglected. The fact that this part of society is still often forgotten and neglected is the second part of the album's continuing relevance. The realization that What's Going On is still relevant and valid on the very same issues shows truly how slow the world and society as a whole moves and progresses.
It’s a disheartening realization and Gaye's vocals serve as a reflecting pool for all of this. Marvin's vocals on What's Going On will always speak directly my mind, body, and especially my soul. It’s an oral healing process - soulful, soothing and relaxing, but underneath there's a soulful and heart-wrenching pleading that makes the album become organic and genuine. There was honest to God emotion in that voice. Anger and sadness. Sorrow and joy. Anybody can write about social injustice, but it takes a master to keep it from sounding preachy and pretentious and make it sound real. Marvin's vocals did that. What's Going On is real - and once the realization comes across your mind, it punches you in your stomach and you can feel all of it.
1. Temple of the Dog - Temple of the Dog
And here we are, the major general admiral President ass-walloper. I've said a lot of stuff in this journal so far and most of you have probably schemed through it or skipped down to the top five, but regardless of that all of the writing, all of those albums (plus many more) is because of this album. This album is where everything started for me. Yes, there were albums and bands before this, but Temple of The Dog was like a damn tsunami rushing in. It created in me the love and unrelenting passion for music that I have with me today and hope to carry with me forever. Since the day I bought the album, it has been my favorite album without question. There are albums that come close, but nothing has been able to touch it. Desert islands were created just for this album.
I remember the day I bought Temple of the Dog. That memory is so vivid its like it happened ten seconds ago. I remember exactly where in Circuit City I found it. I remember the shock and surprise of Circuit City actually having a copy of the CD there because at that time the album was the most obscure side-project I had encountered. I remember the other two albums I bought that day along with it (Ten and Badmotorfinger). I remember the first time the album ended and I was in a state of awe and fascination. Temple of the Dog was epic. Sure, Led Zeppelin was epic, but Zeppelin was never beautiful and emotional without sacrificing its epic and powerful scale. Temple of the Dog managed to convey all those things for every single second of every single song.
The history behind the album is an interesting one and its this foundation that makes the album and its music so real. This basis is what drives the album. Cornell's vocals and the instrumentation are flawless and full of emotion that is real, genuine, and impossible not to acknowledge. It forces the listener to not only feel the emotions the guys are working through with the music, but allows the listener to experience the pain, the sorrow, and ultimately the celebration of Andy Wood's life. With all this emotion, Temple of the Dog expressed it in every way possible. Cornell's vocals and lyrics were more emotional than anything he has done both before and after. The instrumentation, specifically Gossard and McCready's guitars, was both sorrowful and life-affirming with its loose, jam-band leanings that created a musical emotional plane for Cornell's vocals to take off from. The result of this was not only epic, but an album that maintained its power while still being genuinely emotional and beautiful. Many bands and albums try to be emotional but fail miserably as they come off as wankers, but Temple of the Dog is the best example of rock's emotionally fueled potential.
Temple of the Dog is one of the oldest albums I have and every time I listen to it its as if I'm hearing it for the first time. With each listen a different song will take a hold of me and shake everything up. There are instances that still set me on my ass every time I listen to the album and I've listened to the album at least a thousand times, literally. The most powerful instance and really the instance that sums up not only the album, but what this album truly has meant to me over the years is the 3:35 mark of Call Me A Dog. At this point, Cornell's vocals just unleash everything damn thing with McCready's guitar literally reflecting everything Cornell just released. This part of the song makes my hair stand up on end - it is the ultimate moment in any song and its my basic representation for everything I feel about the album and music in general. Without Temple of the Dog, music would not mean as much to me as it does. I most likely wouldn't be on last.fm. I most likely wouldn't have 400 CDs sitting underneath my bed. Honestly, its depressing to think about life without this album - Temple of the Dog is my pinnacle and the album by which I judge everything upon.
Estava eu aqui ouvindo um disco indie perdido de 2004: LP, estreia dos nova-iorquinos Ambulance LTD. Um mix de indie pop e shoegaze (será que o próximo revival será de shoegaze?), como uma versão "radio edit" de Spiritualized.
A minha decepção é que esse foi o único álbum lançado até agora. Veio um EP em 2006, New English, que não ouvi. Mas, pelo que li, a banda se desfez e hoje só resta o guitarrista-vocalista-compositor-deixa-comigo Marcus Congleton, cuja única composição de 2008 apareceu na trilha de um filme. Taí uma banda que tinha um bom potencial - no fim acho que já perderam o bonde.
Abaixo vai o clipe da faixa Primitive (The Way I Treat You):
I was here listening to a disc lost indie 2004: LP, the New York premiere Ambulance LTD. A mix of indie pop and shoegaze (will be the next revival of shoegaze?) As a version "radio edit" by Spiritualized.
My disappointment is that this was the only album released so far. Came an EP in 2006, New English, not heard. But, by that I read, the band was discarded and today remains the only guitarist-vocalist-composer-let me Marcus Congleton, whose unique composition of 2008 appeared in the track of a film. Tai a band that had a good potential - in order that I have lost the tram.
Below is the clip of the band Primitive (The Way I Treat You):
Ambulance LTD
