#28 Beck - Modern Guilt (Los Angeles)
Highlights: Chemtrails, Gamma Ray
Beck amazingly has reinvented his sound again. The album is great, although it is a little more dull than his previous works.
#27 The Stills - Oceans Will Rise (Montreal)
Highlights: Don't Talk Down, Panic
An unexpected comeback after their poor sophomore effort. This has a similar feel to 'Without Feathers'.
#21. Secret Machines - Secret Machines (New York)
Highlights: Underneath The Concrete, Atomic Heels
First album after the departure of lead guitarist Ben Curtis. Not as good as their first two, but still enjoyable.
#19 Cold War Kids - Loyalty to Loyalty (Whittier, CA)
Highlights: Against Privacy, I've Seen Enough
While not as solid as their debut, there's definitely a good number of great songs on here.
#18 Why? - Alopecia (Oakland, CA)
Highlights: The Vowels Pt. 2, Fatalist Palmistry
Really cool mix of indie and hip-hop. My favorite lyricist of the year.
#17 Tapes 'n Tapes - Walk it Off (Minneapolis)
Highlights: Le Ruse, The Dirty Dirty
They replaced the two-step grit of their debut with a whole lot of fuzz and it works surprisingly well.
#15 Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (New York)
Highlights: M79, Walcott
Worth all the hype? Probably not. That doesn't stop it from being a really great album though.
#13. Plants and Animals - Parc Avenue (Montreal)
Highlights: Good Friend, Feedback in the Field
One of my favorite finds of the year. This Broken Social Scene-ish trio's debut doesn't have a single weak track.
#11. Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair (New York)
Highlights: Blind, Time Will
Sweet disco-ish album. Antony Hegarty's vocal guest spots make the entire album.
Highlights: Genesis, DVNO
While technically a 2007 album, this meant a lot to me in 2008. Loud printer-esque house duo out of France. Seeing them live changed my life. This album is straight epic.
Highlights: Flume, Skinny Love
By now most everyone has heard the story behind this album. Justin Vernon, having lost his band and his girlfriend, went into 'hibernation' in a cabin in Wisconsin and this was the product. Incredibly subtle, beautiful indie-folk.
Highlights: Aluminum Park, Remnants
While they've lost their southern-rock feel a little bit, they've replaced it with an appreciation for the strange. This album is half good old rock, half experimental deviations. It'll be interesting to see where they go next.
Highlights: Top Drawer, Poor Jackie
Man Man's third album is proudly just as strange as their first two, combining doo-wop, gypsy, jazz, punk rock, and just about everything else into one zany package. Ballad of Butterbeans has the best xylophone solo i've ever heard. Check this one out.
Highlights: Lies, Strange Times
The duo's fifth album is the first produced in a studio and it's immediately evident. While less garagey than their previous efforts, its nice to hear a band successfully evolve their sound into something bigger.
Highlights: My Friend, Hang On
I hate comparing a band to the Beatles, but with Dr. Dog I have no choice. From the vocal harmonies to the psychedelic tendencies, Dr. Dog are indie rock's Beatles. This, their fifth album, is the best yet.
Highlights: The Rip, Machine Gun, Silence
This was the first Portishead album I ever listened to and it blew me away. It combines elements of trip-hop with a Liars-esque take on noise rock to create something that is hauntingly beautiful. Not one poor track.
Highlights: The Handshake, Electric Feel, Weekend Wars, Pieces of What
I don't have much to say. This album is great, and, even though the first few songs got all the recognition, it's the last few that really complete the experience.
Highlights: Soldier's Grin, Call It a Ritual, California Dreamer, Kissing the Beehive
Both Wolf Parade albums have been my #1 album of the year. I can't get enough of these guys. I wish they weren't so focused on their side projects, because this is the shit right here. Not as edgy as their first, but the songwriting is overall more solid.
EP of the Year: The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale (Chicago)
Highlights: Black Mags, What Up Man
At 10 tracks this is hardly an EP, but the debut should come out sometime soon. These guys are a refreshing breath of air into the crap-filled rap market.
I will update this when the actual end of the 2000s arrives,
although, first should really just be a tie between Elbow's Seldom Seen Kid & Shpongle's Ineffable Mysteries of Shpongleland, but that would be cheating
Why the fuck am I writing this, no one cares..hehe cept me
(for people who are either very bored or have no life, i think the problem is i just listen to too much damn music)
. Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention- Absolutely Free. an entire musical, condensed. For some stupid reason, Lastfm only has descriptions if you look it up under just Frank Zappa, but I believe in crediting the whole band
. every Nirvana song created ever. hehe im not that much of a fan, hahahaha
. Paul Gilbert- Acoustic Samurai. get ready to have your mind raped. (Thank You Alex, who is reading this now and will probably write " i hate u " in the comment box)
. Paul McCartney- Ram. makes me happy, and has its own sound separate from his other stuff
Floppy Disk reviewed by Enrico Veronese (Blow up - l'Unità) - english translation thanks to Kant-tool:
Floppy disks are our vintage, that's a fact. Soon cds will follow too. Before this comes true, grab Carlo Barbagallo's "Floppy Disk", a very talented sicilian musician who is also a member of Albanopower and Suzanne'Silver. If you're sick of the derailed application of the concept of "indie", have a listen to his 11 tracks, to be played as if they were two sides of a vinyl. You're going to find various analogies with both the way and the ethics stemmed from 70's record production added to a low-fi necessity but without the blurred mind of those who deny the past and keep from knowing what has happened afterwards.
Rarely enough, "Floppy Disk" leaves an ultimate image in your mind, hitting the ground around that place psychologists call "ocean felling", that is the unborn reactions to the outer stimulus they perceive when they are still in the womb. Psycho-Floydish (Motorpsycho/Pink Floyd) attitude becomes a natural partner to latest The Beatles, as well as a conservation of the american classics (Neil Young, country, blues, west coast rock radios) added to an eye for 90's disciples like Layne Staley, Shawn Smith and Greg Dulli; alienated impros descend smoothly from the glam era written by Brian Eno, David Bowie and King Crimson.
Here is an unaware hold on to the present Dr. Dog and the already regretted The Beta Band, vocal deviations à la Damon Albarn's soundtracks and an osmotic liaison with Albanopower (another dissociated utopia, if you look at our times) whose lemon tree field has witnessed the birth of the vocal lines.
In translucency you see Barbagallo, a new figure who's intended to populate like elves do our oneiric, narc-hypnotic, maieutic dimension of our musical reception: a cubic super8 kaleidoscope yellow blurred patina from which you cannot escape in first place, then you don't even want to, right when butterflies begin to prevail.
Italian original text:
I floppy sono il nostro vintage, altrochè. Tra poco lo saranno i cd. Prima che questo succeda, mettete le mani su "Floppy Disk" di Carlo Barbagallo, talentuoso musicista siciliano in 'permesso' da Albanopower e Suzanne'Silver: se siete stanchi dell'applicazione incontrollata del concetto di indie, nelle sue undici tracce, da ascoltare come se fossero due lati eguali di un 33 giri, troverete numerose analogie con il modo e l'etica di produrre dischi tipica del decennio Settanta, con la necessità del low-fi ma senza la coltre opaca di chi rinnega cosa sia accaduto prima e rifiuta di conoscere cos'è avvenuto dopo.
"Floppy Disk" ha e lascia un'immagine definita, cosa rara al giorno d'oggi, stabilizzandosi attorno a quello che gli psicologi chiamano 'sentimento oceanico', ovvero le reazioni del nascituro agli stimoli esterni percepiti nel grembo: così l'attitudine psycho-floydiana diventa naturale partner dei tardi Beatles, il recupero del classic american (Neil Young, il country, il blues, le radio rock della costa ovest) non lascia per strada le briciole di discepoli '90s quali Layne Staley, Shawn Smith e Greg Dulli, improvvisazioni alienate discendono senza forzature dal clima glam fra Brian Eno, Bowie e i King Crimson.
E poi inconsapevoli appigli s-cardinati al presente dei Dr.Dog e alla già rimpianta Beta Band, deviazioni vocali care al Damon Albarn delle colonne sonore e una relazione osmotica con Albanopower (a sua volta un'altra dissociata utopia, dato il contesto attuale) nel cui limoneto siciliano le voci sono venute alla luce.
Ma soprattutto in trasparenza appare Barbagallo, una nuova figura destinata a popolare come un folleto la dimensione onirica, narco-ipnotica, maieutica della ricezione musicale: patina gialla e sgranata di un caleidoscopio cubico in super8 dal cui interno alle prime non si può uscire, poi nemmeno lo si vuole più, quando le farfalle prendono il sopravvento.
My favorite version is probably China Cat Sunflower - I know You Rider @ Field Trip 08/27/72
That is a tough question to start this things off...
2. How did you get into 20? City and Colour - I am not too sure when was the first time I heard Sometimes. It came out in '05, but it must have been a year at after at least. Bring Me Your Love
3. Who is your favorite member in 1? The Avett Brothers - "I wonder which brother is better"..... This is messed up making me decide which brother I like better. I am going to have to say Seth.
"I have a microchip
Implanted in my heart
So if I try to escape
The robots will blow me apart
And my limbs will go flying
And land before the ones that I love
Who would wail and would weep
But the robots would keep them at bay
While I shut my eyes
For the very last time.
Citizens of tomorrow be forewarned. "
It reminds me of my favorite Kurt Vonnegut's book Player Piano.
5. Have you ever seen 22 live? Ottis Redding - The closest I have come to a live Otis show is putting some change in the Juke box and letting my soul travel back in time.
Out of my top 50 I have seen 27 of them live. Last night would have made it 28, but the NBA drafted delayed me making the opener. Fuck the Knicks for wasting my night, and I hate Minnesota for taking my boy Johnny Flynn. I wanted him in NY!
Yup just another reason why it is IMPOSSIBLE to truly become a Knicks fan.
6. What's your favorite album from 10? Horse Feathers - This is a toss up. I know they just have two LPs; Words Are Dead and House With No Home, but in my ears they are pretty much interchangeable. I guess the objective of this list is to not be impartial and decide.
7. Do you own any merchandise from 3? Modest Mouse - Well I wanted a MM shirt badly, but one specifically. I wanted the green one which ended up being the ladies version. That didn't scare me away, but purchasing the large still wasn't large enough for my scrawny ass so I gave it away.
I have all of their music, and just picked up that orange 7".
8. What is a good memory you have of 7? Frightened Rabbit - I have been listening to these guys for a while. My fondest memory would have to be their show at Le Poisson Rouge. Their whole set list was determined by the audience. I learned that the artist themselves make for better song selection, but it was my first show of that nature.
The set started with My Backwards Walk which proves my point about leaving it to most uneducated audiences.
9. Is there a member of the same age as you in 2? Langhorne Slim - Ha this question is funny. Sean is actually the same age as I am and we have other things in common too. Ha!
10. When did you first get into 8? Mason Jennings - He's been around awhile prior to retiring my turntables. He however was one of the first people I got into when I picked up my guitar. Circa 2002?
11. Who likes 4 along with you? My Morning Jacket - Anyone with ears? I guess the most evident would be my Bonnaroo crew. We've seen MMJ a number of times. Roo '08 arguably the best live show I have ever seen!
Man I hate that song. He has some gems to hate, but some gems to love too.
15. Why do you like 14's songs? Electric President - First off Ben Cooper is the man. My ears crave his music. Every LP he releases, whether it be Radical Face or Patients is constructed flawlessly. The entirety of each work is a body of art that needs to be explored.
16. Where did you first hear 6? Fleet Foxes - I jumped on them pretty early. I heard Textbook Love and In The Hot, Hot Rays prior to their 2008 EP and LP. Not sure where those tracks are from?
17. How long was 19 a singer before you liked them? Bon Iver - I first heard Justin sing in 07, but I am sure he sang for pretty much all of his 28 years of existence.
18. Does 13 have a song that gives you a bad memory? Peter and the Wolf - Ummm, no. I guess the only bad memory is why is he on my first page of artist. I liked the dude, but it surprises me every time I see him listed.
19. When did you get into 17? Death Cab for Cutie - It took me a while. I hadn't really thoroughly examined their music up until a few years ago thanks to a friend. I am still listening.
20. How long have you been into 9? Chad VanGaalen - I remember discovering Graveyard and Red Hot Drops and throwing those songs on my playlists. I believe that was sometime in 2006.
21. If 11 had a concert 300 miles away, would you drive there to see them? The Felice Brothers - Well I saw them as close to 3 blocks from my apt in BK and as almost 900 miles away in the Fields of Tennessee. Obviously they weren't the deciding factor for attending Roo '08, so nope, I would not travel 300 miles to just see the Felice Brothers. If it was to get drunk with them, than that is a different story.
27. Is there a song by 32 that you've listened to more than 30 times? Dr. Dog - After seeing who was in spot #32, I automatically decided nope, no way there is 30+ plays on a song. I was wrong.
31. What is your favorite single by 25? The Raconteurs - Carolina Drama. Seeing Jack rip this shit live solidified it for me. Actually need to hear this joint ASAP.
32. If 49 hated you, what would you do? Vetiver - Well we rubbed shoulders at Bell House and there was no hate. So that squashes that rumor.
33. What would you say if 43 or one of the members from 43 asked you out? Chris Wall - I hate that he has this spot. He shouldn't be in my top 100. I just had a hard time digesting his 2008 LP and it got a lot of plays that I didn't really hear.
I would probably respectfully decline. Unless it was Ben and then I would try to move in on Zoey!!
34. Would you care if 41 had a boyfriend/girlfriend? Leonard Cohen - He is a pimp. He probably has like 7. I promote pimping at 74.
35. Who has the best voice in 46? Matt Costa - Arguably?
36. Do you think 26 is/are good looking? Tea Leaf Green - only when sporting the mu mu's.
38. How many CDs do you own of 30? David Karsten Daniels - Just one [album artist=David Karsten Daniels[/]Fear of Flying[/album]. Jesus And The Devil is my favorite jam of his however so if any of you have [album artist=David Karsten Daniels[/]Sharp Teeth[/album] send it my way! Please.
40. Which member from 39 do you want to see go solo? If 31 is only one artist, what would you do if they joined a group? Benoît Pioulard - He is ranked way too high in my ears!
42. Did you hate __ at first?
I am missing someone in my top 50 and they go here?
43. Does your best friend also listen to 33? The Books - Nope. Figuring out the first part of the questions is the tricky part. All those considered, one of them has had some listens I am sure.
44. Do you think your parents would like 37? Conor Oberst - Hmmmm, Dana Dukes... He may like some of it. I haven't given him any Conor however, he is more of an Avetts / Neil Young kind of dude.
45. Does 47 have a song that makes you want to dance? The Dodos - Nope. Maybe sway.
46. Have you ever seen 34 in person? M. Ward - No I have not. However once Monsters of Folk comes my way I will be there.
47. Do you like 44's name? Samamidon - It actually confuses me. Is it Sam Amidon or Samamidon? After the confusion clears, I am fine with it either way.
48. Is there someone in 45 that you want to go out with? JBM - Nope, but I will reiterate that I missed him perform last night, I literally walked in as he was exiting the stage. Some say it was the draft some say it was the brown?
49. Do you know anyone that hates 39? Jessica Lea Mayfield - If so, I will punch you in your dome.
We got kicked out, can you believe that! Gr.....Super lame-brained limp-dicked poop in your pussy jerks. well just one jerk. and he wasn't really a jerk since he was just doing his job and I BROKE THE LAW.
You know what I say to laws? besides killer ones (a dead baby was found in a trashcan not 2 miles from my house, just so you know), rape laws, and violent laws, most of the other ones should be for fun.
come on! trespassing, stealing, drinking, drugging, sexing, etc is all fun and games, we should have more of that in our lives.
oh whoops. Main point is we got kicked outta. Dr. Dog. Turd Nugget. Paid 30 bucks or so just for the opening act was disastrous to my ego. Well, not that dramatic. I'm just rambling right now.
See you at BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW!!!!!
love always, yours forever and truly,
Fanny Malone
Dr. Dog
