This Is Not Entertainment

The Top Fifty Favorite Albums Of 2007 - Pt.5

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Fri, 23 May 2008 12:22:00 +0000

V.

10. Tricot Machine � Tricot Machine, (Grosse Boite Records) 78.08
This Montreal francophone band plays things a bit different from their French-Canadian peers who have received attention from the American press. Essentially we have a male-female duo (Matthieu Beaumont and Catherine Leduc) of piano/acoustic-based folk-pop. Like their more rock inclined peers, Tricot Machine switch it up with idiosyncrasies (though these quirks are more subtle). Both Beaumont and Leduc take lead vocals, share double leads, and execute the melodies with perfection. This self-titled record is one of the most stunning debuts of the last fifteen-twenty years. There is a wonderful mix of the mellow and the upbeat all centered on hooky songcraft: from mellow-goldish-ballads ("Super Ordinaire", "La Pluie" - droning chords are a stellar touch, "Les Oreillons") to bouncy-indie-pop ("L'ours", "Un Monstre Sous Mon Lit", "Ambulance") to more earnest-semi-dark-near-rockers ("Beau Temps Mauvais Temps").

[watch �Pas Fait En Chocolat�]

09. The Brothers Martin � The Brothers Martin, (Tooth & Nail Records) 78.39
This is a project of Ronnie and Jason Martin who are more known for their respective acts Joy Electric and Starflyer 59. Before their cult success in tese bands, they started making music together nearly 20 years ago in Dance House Children. The Brothers Martin is very different than that band that was bent on house-influenced pop. This record contains ten songs of mid-80s brit-indie-dance-pop (think New Order), jangle-UK-pop (The Smiths), in some ways its homage, but overall it's insanely well-crafted pop that is utterly additcive in the infectious meodies, mega-hooks, and superb choruses. Each brother gives five songs with Ronnie's inclined to the synth as base, while Jason's ae more guitar based. Actually, it is a perfect amalgamation of each man's trademark styles. This record came about ten years too late, but I'm just glad we finally have it.

[stream �The Plot That Weaves�]

08. Lucky Soul � The Great Unwanted, (Ruffa Lane) 78.10
No doubt this record would have been huge following the success of that then-ubiquitous "Love Me" by The Cardigans. Ok, that �no doubt� and �huge following� is total hyperbole. This kind of music will never garner a huge following. Moving on: like The Cardigans, Lucky Soul has a terrific iconic lead vocalist in Ali Howard. She coos with the best of them (Nina Persson, Shirley Manson, Anita Robinson), she cuddles and coddles the melodies, she twirls her hair and she dismisses with a playful stare. And she can sing! Super good! Let�s not forget the band either � they lay down twelve songs of cheeky, lovely indie-orch-pop (tinges of Golden Age pop, Motown R&B, semi-jazzy-lounge) with a mind-boggling tighness/efficiency/effectiveness. I wrote about the glories of �Lips Are Unhappy�, but there�s more: �Ain�t Never Been Cool�, �My Brittle Heart�, �The Towering Inferno� and �One Kiss Don�t Make A Summer�.

[watch �Lips Are Unhappy�]

07. Liars � Liars, (Mute Records) 78.73
Only a year removed from their stellar tribal-thump-thump called Drum�s Not Dead (a left turn stylistically), comes another tremendous record from these transplanted NYC freaks. Liars is an unfocused-mixed-stew of experimental bizarre pop genius. �Freak Out� is the obvious hit (#43 on my Top 50 Favorite Songs), but one cannot forget the helium-vocal-buzzing-Beck-ish, �Houseclouds�, the pulverizing-garage-pysch �Plaster Casts of Everything�, the trippy-trip-hop-ish �Sailing To Byzantium�, and the pounding-rhythm-blast of �Clear Island�. The entire record is just so jarring and weird that it�s a veritable mindfuck to the nth level of space-out-madness. To paraphrase Salvador Dali, �I don�t do drugs, because I listen to Liars.�

[watch �Plaster Casts of Everything�]

06. Los Campesinos! � Sticking Fingers Into Sockets, (Wichita Recordings) 79.80
This is a five-song EP of wildly addictive, crazy-motherfucking-with-your-mind-and-body indie rock. Whew! That was as exhausting as listening to Cardiff�s greatest export ever to ever been exported: Los Campensinos! (the exclamation is theirs). Sure, it�s a little silly with every band member owning the surname, Campensinos!, but that�s kids (oh shit, knock it off old man!). I love glockenspiel and so does this band � every song features the twinkling-twee quite liberally. I�ve already told you about �We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives� (chuckle � these song titles are great), so what else is there? �It Started With A Mixx� is slinky-quirky happiness (I can�t help but think of my dear Jetenderpaul here), �Don�t Tell Me To Do The Maths� is pure high-energy with super crazy C86 rhythm guitar, �Frontwards� drops steady guitar ala David Gedge mixed with Superchunk, and �You! Me! Dancing!� is the absolute perfect coda to the EP, super-charged-as-hell-hold-on-to-yer-hat indie pop madness. The sheer audacity of the music-geek-outsider bend on the lyrics and the pure glee in the music makes them the antithesis to serious-minded indie rock like the overbearing-blah Arcade Fire.

[watch �We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives�]

05. Sloan � Never Hear The End Of It, (Red Ink/Murder Records) 77.22
C�mon Sloan! You are killing me! From my review (8/28/2007): �I will admit that this record drives me near-crazy, not because of a derogatory this-or-that, but for the sheer simple fact that a THIRTY SONG record from Sloan should not be this good, nor should it be this consistent. It is sequenced so well, playing each songwriter off the other from track to track, mixing up-tempo creating a sonic drama. They wisely vary the song lengths � 60.0% are 3 minutes or shorter and only 13.3% go over four minutes! So much for self-indulgence! Every time the record starts to drag (for example, �Something�s Wrong� to �Ana Lucia�), a totally bitchin� song follows (following the cited example, �Before The End Of The Race�). This combination of strategic sequencing, stellar songwriting, and been-doing-this-for-years-wisdom is the crux of what makes Never Hear The End Of It one of the year�s best records, and one of the pleasant surprises.� {see review}

[watch �Living With The Masses�]

04. Gallows � Orchestra Of Wolves, (Epitaph Records) 75.38
Over the last six months or so, I�ve raved about this band to anyone who would give me chance. The press talked about the live performance as unparalleled, the attitude is classic punk rock, and the fanbase rabid (count me in!). Orchestra Of Wolves is everything I expect from post-hardcore/21st-century-punk-rock: unbelievable amount of f-bombs, extreme everything in the delivery of words and notes, tons of swagger and passion and fury, and a crazy pop catchiness. If that isn�t enough, let me continue! From my review (8/21/2007), �We�ve got a wicked concoction of post-hardcore infused with 80s hardcore punk, British pub punk, and mid-90s aggro-metal delivered with such a gut level ferocity that you feel it in your stomach. Naturally, not all is amazing, a limitation of bludgeoning hardcore is where the riff and noise so often comes first. Still, it is uncommon that a band making this kind of music can make a record this consistently listenable and powerful.� Incredible. {see review}

[watch �Just Because You Sleep Next To Me Doesn�t Mean You�re Safe�]

03. Jacquemort � Dent De Lait, (Grosse Boite Records) 83.28
The Montreal music scene is a very special place right now, and not because of that one band. It�s a vibrant Francophone scene, where the indie-minded bands craft some of the most idiosyncratic tunes. LY Pitchfork introduced the great Malajube to the world. Jacquemort is a band fronted by Malajube�s keyboard rocker/vocals person, Thomas Augustin. Like his other band, Jacquemort plays it rough, tumble, and melodic. Dent De Lait is just a little five-song EP, but each song is a hit, a near-masterpiece of that rough, tumble, and melodic fare. Jacquemort�s joie de vive is ramshackle-explosive push-n-pull dynamics. There is something akin to Brit-avant-poppers The Boo Radleys in the arrangements, the breathy vocals, the jarring guitar work, and that is very cool. This was part of my review (6/5/2007) of the EP: �The major problem with this release is a good one � it is too damn short. The record is an ultimate tease. Discerning music listener, it is time to put down that neon bible and listen to some truly compelling songwriting coming from that bilingual Canadian province. Plenty of you picked up the great Malajube record, and you�d be doing yourself major harm by not adding to your francophone collection. Malajube was your start, now you can augment with Jacquemort.� {see review}

[stream �Biscuit Chinois�]

02. Field Music � Tones Of Town, (Memphis Industries) 77.33
Field Music get no credit for this tremendous release � perhaps because it is one of the most understated and complicated records ever to hit yer ears in years (heh heh). Every time I listen to it (and I did listen many a lot times this past year), I am struck by the particularity of the arrangements. The band makes a million choices on where to place each element (weird electronic noises, variety of percussive instruments, stripped bare string arrangements, tinkling piano riffs, bizarre human beat-boxing, lyrical/vocal/musical repetition, serendipitous vocals, and peculiar harmonies) that pits everything against each other in an odd �juxtaposition of melodic minimalism and sonic richness.� Great examples of this are �Closer At Hand� (the opening of vocal harmony held long then bam into a jerky-duh-duh-duh rhythm), �She Can Do What She Wants� (one of the more driving tracks, the best part: the sinewy-one-note guitar leads against strings), �Give It, Take It, Lose It� (this it�s the long drawn ride cymbal crashes against tip-tapping hi-hat against melodies/countermelodies), and �A house is Not a home� (honky-tonky guitar riffs with weird-drum-fills and big string flourishes). {see review}

[watch �A house is Not a home�]

01. My Teenage Stride � Ears Like Golden Bats, (Becalmed) 79.24
My Teenage Stride is essentially Brooklyn inhabitant/musical prodigy, Mr. Jebediah Smith (he started writing/recording at the age 14 � so the internet says!) and he has released an amazing collection of killer indie pop that relies heavily on the electric guitar and wears influences proudly. The sounds on Ears Like Golden Bats are comprised of Smiths-y-jangle-pop (�Heartless & Cruel�, �To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge�, �The Genie of New Jersey�), C86-UK-indie-workouts (title track, �Terror Bends�), jittery post-Pavement-American-indie (�Reception�, �Chock�s Rally�, �We�ll Meet At Emily�s�), Velvets-plodding-pretty-pop (�Ruin�, �Boys Will Tell�), and nerve-y Joy Division post-punk (�Actor�s Colony�, �Reversal�, �Depression Kicks�). If you�ve been paying attention, it isn�t just really fucking great influences that make this record the best of the year, it is: a) ultra-mega-memorable melodies; b) the hooks are tremendous and undeniable; c) a weird complexity that lurks beneath the surface of the songs � this is exemplified in a vocal tick, an inscrutable hum of synthesizers, a driving-reverb-heavy rhythm guitar, the plucking of violin strings, etc. d) Smith�s words are quirky, sarcastic, weird, biting, melancholy; and phrases pop out of the songs with complete randomness; e) the album length is nice and compact (14 songs at just over 37 minutes); f) the perfect song order. All of this stuff means that Smith and his band overcome the stylistic homage/nostalgia/influences �problem�, and the story turns to the songwriting, which is � hell, pick your adjective, they all apply � great, blissed, excellent, peculiar, stellar, unique-in-the-details, brilliant, gorgeous, freaky, wonderful, killer, blah blah bleh bleh bleh. The songs that are so meticulously arranged, each part laid out, brought together, and delivered with the perfect pop punch � it�s only enough to be the Record Of The Year.

[watch �To Live And Die In The Airport Lounge�]

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The Top Fifty Favorite Albums Of 2007 - Pt.4

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:26:00 +0000

IV.

20. 1990s � Cookies, (Rough Trade) 74.58
There is something so insidious, vapid and dumb about the 1990s - from the moniker to the album to the lyrics to the old-fart riffs. I shouldn't like it right? In the midst of this silly-rock-posture-snottiness are some fucking great tunes. The melodies are pretty ordinary, but addictive. The choruses are simple and memorable beyond comprehension. The hooks are legion! These are twelve slabs of classic 70s/80s/(and YES) 90s power pop. I love how hard the songs rock despite the lack of guitar crunch. Maybe I can identify with these freaks: "I've got cult status blues ... My cult status keeps me alive!" And to you my readers, my discerning music listeners: "You are my booglaloo, you wear my favorite pair of shoes ... I'll see you at the lights."

19. Super Furry Animals � Hey Venus!, (Rough Trade) 76.76
One of my petty hangups with the Furries is the proclivity towards overblown song length - eight minute seemingly endless songs, running forever instrumental breaks, seventy minute full lengths, etc. I would think, "if they could just edit!" Here we have Hey Venus!, eleven tracks of concise pop whilst retaining the uniqueness that is entirely SFA. It is slightly weird, often bizarre. They make a statement with the first track, �The Gateway Song�, a forty-three second burst of a kooky hook on raucous pop. "The Gift That Keeps Giving Again" opens with some kitschy 70s lite rock on warble-y synth, but rather than ruminating for 2-3 minutes, they move straight to the melody. The record flows nicely and never bogs down. Not a single song exceeds five minutes. Terrific stuff!

18. Against Me! � New Wave, (Sire/London/Rhino Records) 75.91
This Jacksonville quartet breaks through the emo-pop-punk ether on New Wave not by kicking in the teeth of their target market but by grabbing anyone who will listen by the arm and demanding an audience. Their songs shift slightly towards good ol' rock, which transcends just enough. Tom Gabel uses his wait-a-minute-and-listen charisma and the band executes with sheer energy to suck you in and think. The title track calls for personal responsibility, "Up the Cuts" and "Stop" lambastes a pathetic music scene, "White People for Peace" captures the frustration of political confrontation in trite/safe placebo-action, "Piss & Vinegar" is pure disgust at vapidity in thought, "Thrash Unreal" is a glorious exuberant coming-of-age-love-to-the-freaks tale, and on and on. While Gabel's approach borders on preachy, it isn't self-righteous.

17. Les Savy Fav � Let�s Stay Friends, (French Kiss Records) 78.57
I suppose this could be called the "Comeback Album of the Year" as Let's Stay Friends is the first album of new material in six years. "The Equestrian", "Scotchgard The Credit Card" (killer chorus), and "Raging In The Plague Age" are typical of the band's spazzy-yet-under-control post-post-punk, but that isn't what makes the record compelling. "Pots & Pans" is jittery pop, "Patty Lee" is killer-nervey-funk, "What Would Wolves Do?" is minimalist-80s-pop-into-unbridled-freakout, "Brace Yourself" is trippy-psych-rock, and "Comes & Goes" is a simmering Les Savy Fav take on UK indie (also a great duet of sorts with Fiery Furnaces' Eleanor Friedberger). It's the cohesiveness of the diversity that makes the record totally complete.

16. The Apples In Stereo � New Magnetic Wonder, (Yep Roc Records) 76.42
This is the first Apples record in about five years and is somewhat a return to form: concise indie pop with tons of hooks and simple melodies mixed with exuberance. "Can You Feel It?" opens the record as a proclamation and a command to "turn up your stereo" + [plus], never has a cowbell sounded so good (I am a cowbell hater too). "Energy" was cited as the big single, but I'll take "Skyway", "Sunndal Song", "Same Old Drag" (a tingling integration/homage to ELO), "Sunday Sounds", and "7 Stars" any day over that single. Clever production tricks litter the tracks and Schneider indulges his experimental side with his non-Pythagorean scale snippets and mellotron instrumentals. While they may ultimately be unnecessary, they are interesting and exude thinking-person creativity.

15. The Orchids � Good To Be A Stranger, (Siesta) 79.38
The WTF-where-did-this-come-from-holy-hell-shoot-me-in-the-face-under-the-radar record of the year. This former Sarah Records band comes from an era music snobs forgot - picking up right where they left off (see their semi-well-known "Something For The Longing"). Each song is a compartment that, when opened, offers something refreshing and familiar. From their semi-sweet power pop semi-rockers (the title track, "Another Saturday Night"), scrumptious arpeggio jangle pop masterpieces ("Down To The Ocean", "I Need You To Believe In Me"), AM radio comfort sounds ("Take My Hand", "The Last Thing (On Your Mind)"), cloudy day sunshiney ballads ("Feel The Magic", "Xylophone Song", "You Could Do Something To Me"), nostalgiac indie pop ("Do It For Yourself") each stands on its own creating a whole that allows you to simply push play and leave it alone.

14. Editors � An End Has A Start, (Kitchenware) 74.35
I am constantly surprised how much I played this record. The last month of 2007 and into 2008 was a very difficult time for me and my family. On this record, there is a hope in the darkness, a happiness in the absurd, a plaintive-near-tears vibe in the energy encapsulated in the songs reflected back to me and the grief and resignation of the tragedy of my own life. Yadda yadda blah blah blah. Being able to identify on a personal level alone doesn't make a great album; yes, it's the songs. From the sinewy "Bones" to the dynamic "Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors" to the nervous tension-anger of the last two minutes of "When Anger Shows" and the enitrety of "The Racing Rats", the record is crafted with a deliberate intensity that overcomes the post-Radiohead-slash-Joy Division-influence. Lead singer, Tom Smith (his vocals are amazing) pitches all of this back to you straight into your heart.

13. Walker Kong � Deliver Us From People, (Magic Marker) 77.21
This Minneapolis returns with a record of shimmering indie pop. The Flying Nun kiwi bands and Soft Boys are definitely touchstones, but so is the jangle of the mid-80s and power pop of the early 80s (any one else hear The Only Ones? Any one?). We are looking at some great company here. Walker Kong wastes no time sucking you into these hooky, simple, energetic tunes: "Change Your Mind" and "We Are Falling Stars" are a brutal, attention-demanding one-two punch . Jeremy Ackerman�s sorta-nasally-kinda-whine perfectly compliments the shiny musical base - acoustic guitars strum with heavy downstrokes, electric guitars jangle and produce cleverly placed power chords, bass lines jab-and-rumble, and the backbeat is mega-steady. The record's sequence is near perfect, it's a straight through listen. Finally, there are some really excellent lyrics, clever and thought-provoking with poignant humor. The album title is a great indicator of what I'm getting at. Besides this is my favorite album title of the year!

12. Club 8 � The Boy Who Couldn�t Stop Dreaming, (Labrador Records) 76.60
Like many Labrador bands, Club 8 craft indelible indie pop. You already know that. The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming is twelve tunes that inhabit the mellow-to-midtempo realm of indie pop. The highlights: "Everything Goes" is absolutely a killer mellow track with a metronome serving as beat, backwards/forwards synth lines, a melody that is worldweary and wise ("The drugs you take will make you happy they say, it's another lie" sings Karolina Komstedt with such sad knowing); "Heaven" is Club 8 at their rockinest - the arrangement is so full, a bongo line here, a punchy walking bass line there, a sinewy guitar hook, giant hook-to-chorus; "Football Kids" is Dylan doing Belle & Sebastian heavily influenced by The Legends. Really every song is a highlight.

11. The Everybodyfields � Nothing Is Okay, (Ramseur) 76.92
The debut record from this Johnson City, TN band is � amazing. Let me go a bit deeper. The band is essentially the multi-talented duo of Jill Andrews and Sam Quinn and together they craft and execute brilliant alt.country tunes. I like this description that I wrote in my September 2007 review: �The sheer amount of movement � in tempo, in vocalization, in paradox/dichotomy � is what makes Nothing Is Okay a truly compelling record. You can put the record on and let it roll; or you can pick and choose specific tracks to crank up or sink deep into the sofa. This movement is pure and rich with emotion, something that much alt.country attempts to conjure via imitation. It�s that there is something real in these songs, reflected equally in music, lyric, and performance.� {see review}

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The Top Fifty Favorite Albums Of 2007 - Pt.3

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:10:00 +0000

III.

30. The Primary 5 � Go!, (Re-Action) 77.30
The Primary 5 are to Teenage Fanclub what Guadalcanal Diary was to R.E.M. And that's cool because the songs are there. Factoid: lead dude is former Teenage Fanclub drummer, Paul Quinn. As my lil' analogy indicates there is a serious TFC vibe drenching the songs: Quinn's vocals are gentle, the guitars play the understated to the quietly explosive, the hooks are meaty, the melodies are wonderful, and the choruses impossible to ignore. Check out �2AM� - the infectious no brainer single, �Window Shopping� - the jangly Big Star-esque hookfest, and �Stars & Stripes� � the jaunty killer pop semi-political manifest of individual liberty (�The stars and stripes don�t mean much to me/I�d rather fuck around than be cool.�).

29. The View � Hats Off To The Buskers, (1965 Records) 73.58
The record starts off with a terrible pseudo-blues-via-Led-Zep scorcher. Ack. After that misstep, the record moves effortlessly through the best things of the fourth mod revivalist songbook: loads of energy, sweet confections of indie pop, and a youthful awkardness wrapped in snottiness. There are no less than four near perfect twitchy rockers: "Superstar Tradesman", "Same Jeans", "Skag Trendy", and "Wasted Little DJs" - the last being an incredibly infectious lil' slab. There is a problem with this record; 17 tracks is too much.

28. Caribou � Andorra, (Merge Records) 76.58
Yes, it is impossible to ignore the heavy sixties psychedelic-pop influence on Andorra. Dan Snaith proudly appropriates the usuals: Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, the trippier side of the Nuggets comps, The Left Banke, and, of course, The Beatles and Pet Sounds. That's the easy part of the record, but to limit the discussion to the surface would be remiss: layers of sound and rhythm, samples and electronics woven into the melodic fabric. "Melody Day" is the hit single, but check out the clever-production-plus-arrangement-meets-melody on "She's The One", the tinkling filigree and strings on "Desiree", the organic-electronic krautiness of "Sundialing", the minimal beatery meets psych-pop on "Irene", and the crazed-flanged-freak-out called "Niobe".

27. Radiohead � In Rainbows, (self-released) 78.15
Much respect to the greatest band to come out of the nineties with more integrity than they ought to have (awwww fuck, that's so snarky). In Rainbows doesn't succeed because it is so on the band's own terms, rather because of this excellent blend of electronics, avant garde, guitar rock, pop sensibility, and mass market appeal - all of it, every bit of it soaked with deep songcraft (and the hooks are everywhere). "Bodysnatchers" rocks as tremendously as their post-grunge heyday, though it does feel obligatory ine the mist if this "mellow" record. "15 Steps" simmers with electronica hodgepodge as their Kid A critical acclaim. "All I Need" moves juxtaposing tinkling glockenspiel with deep bass lines and slo-burn crescendo. "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" revolves around krautpop-jazzy rhythm and Yorke's earnest melody.

26. Georgie James � Places, (Saddle Creek) 78.15
A welcome trend in indie pop is the carefully wrought recklessness (compared to the tight arrangements and execution of the Pernices, the Schnieders, late-era Papas Fritas of said sub-sub-genre). Georgie James is former Q And Not U dude, John Davis and Laura Burhenn. There are a million tried-n-true tricks: bah-bahs, bouncy melodies, precious girl vocals and syrupy boy vocals, quick song lengths, cutesy changes, etc. Georgie James brings a messy vibe to each song, nary a ballad to mellow it out and that's great. "Henry and Hanzy", "Places", and "Only Cause You're Young" are stellar rockers, but don't forget the lyrically poignant "Cake Parade".

25. Von Sudenfed � Tromatic Reflexxions, (Domino Records) 75.66
This collaboration between The Fall's inscrutable genius Mark E. Smith and German avant-electro gurus Mouse On Mars completely delivers. The vibe here is about fucking with electro-indie-dance. In a way it's MES asserting himself as the real deal (see "Flooded" where MES states that he is the "dj tonight, I'm the disc jockey" and that the other dj is a bed-wetter. Hahahaha!). The Mouse On Mars guys throw house, two-step/garage, drum-n-bass, dub, grime, electroclash, and/or hip hop beats into a blender and create some wicked shit. There are bonafide freak-hits ("The Rhinohead", "Serious Brainskin", "Fledermaus Can't Get It") among the curiousities ("Jback Lois Lane", "Family Feud", "Speech Contimination/German Fear of Osterre"). It's a surprisingly digestible slab of madness ... and better than the latest Fall record.

24. Ryan Adams � Easy Tiger, (Lost Highway) 75.64
Say what you will about Ryan Adams - and no doubt, you discerning music listener have plenty to say � in his meta-prolific-ness, he never seems to quit trying. By releasing nearly everything he records (either on proper LPs/EPs or his freaky website), he gets on people�s nerves (including my own). The crux is that he demonstrated so much promise in his days fronting Whiskeytown and the critics latched on and salivated profusely. His ego was fed, and bam!, we�ve got what he has become � a musician with diarrhea of songwriting. Enough of this shit. As with all Adams� records, he delivers on two or three t unes. Easy Tiger boasts five tunes of total quality songwriting: �Goodnight Rose� (glorious intro with sexy lead guitar licks, clanging symbols give way to Adams� trembling falsetto, a soaring chorus, big-fat-changes, and a wonderful arrangement), �Two� (a gorgeous Parsons/Harris-esque duet of sorts), �Off Broadway� (an acoustic kindly-downer with gorgeous electric guitar-washes, a style he has perfected), �Rip Off� (tips and taps down the street with head-held-high melancholy), �Two Hearts� and �I Taught Myself How To Grow Old� (the latter two among the best he has written). {see review}

23. A Place To Bury Strangers � A Place To Bury Strangers, (Killer Pimp) 73.30
Yes, there has to be a callout on the Psychocandy sonic love on A Place To Bury Strangers � a journey into the depths of sonic experimentation, pure rattling sci-fi ghost rider blasts. The drums are steady and gun shot precise. Shards of effects pedal guitar fly off. The tunes revolve around the insistent rhythm. On the first twenty-six listens, it seems nothing can transcend the noise. It takes an acceptance that this is a sonic record first, a pop record second. The pulsating bass lines, minimal fuzzed drumming, screeching distortion, eardrum-buzz-saw riffs, earsplitting feedback can become the bedrock and the songs emerge. Delve into �To Fix The Gash In Your Head�, �Don�t Think Lover�, �Breathe�, and �My Weakness�; you will be awarded with some addictive tunes that rock with Total Sonic Annihilation. {see review}

22. Apparat � Walls, (Shitkatapult Strike) 77.40
Hot on the tail of his excellent collaboration with the wondrous Ellen Allien, Sascha Ring returns in oh-seven with a sizzlingly understated slab of minimal techno meets instrumental pop. Walls is a record that flows so well, but rarely gets lost because of the gorgous melodic instrumental tracks (see "Fractales (Pt. I)" and "You Don't Know Me") interspersed with vocal tracks (that run the gamut from stylized r&b to atmospheric post-Radiohead). The beats are just warmly minimal to teeter on heavily mechanized. The lilting synths make this a comfortable and comforting ride.

21. Tegan & Sara � The Con, (Vapor/Sire Records) 76.24
On their fourth full-length, the duo of Tegan & Sara really find their respective voices: Tegan's songs hint at the experimental and a weird darkness, whereas, Sara's are compact indie pop rave-ups. The key to The Con is that it rarely is predictable. The knock I have against the band is not their unique vocalization, but their songs seem to reflect their producer�s sound+vision. Deathcab For Cutie's Chris Walla definitely exerts that emo-synthy-poppy thang, but the songs themselves are entirely the girls. Naturally, I prefer the rockers ("Hop A Plane", "Nineteen", "The Con"), but the mid-tempo-to-slower tracks possess a quirky originality ("Knife Going In", "Back In Your Head", "Floorplan") that make The Con one of the most surprising releases.

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The Top Fifty Favorite Albums Of 2007 - Pt.2

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:43:00 +0000

II.

40. The Twilight Sad � Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters, (Fat Cat) 74.72
Sometimes sheer ambience/atmosphere/vibe makes up for a lack of songwriting. Ah, discerning music listener, you are insightful to determine that this statement applies to Scots' The Twilight Sad. This record is one big bombast burn of noisy fuzz guitar, thundering bass lines, and pounding drums accentuated by heavy-handed dynamics. Lead singer James Graham has a voice, a thick Scottish accent that perfectly encapsulates the musical vibe delivering these tales of the disappointment awareness brings to youth awakening.

39. The Fiery Furnaces � Widow City, (Thrill Jockey) 76.63
I always rate Fiery Furnaces records too low � and I�m sure this year will be no different. Their records are absolutely ... difficult. For every pop gem (i.e. "Ex-Guru") there are four avant-freakshows (i.e. "Clear Signal From Cairo"). Widow City exhibits the aspects that make The Fieries so unique: from Eleanor Friedberger�s lyrics that contain too many words for the melody (i.e. "My Egyptian Grammar") to brother Matthew's songs that encompass and overarch various sub-sub-genres (i.e. tropacalia, electronica, hip-hop, classic rock, etc. forever). It may be a frustrated ride, but it's wild and bizarre and cataclismic.

38. The Clientele � God Save The Clientele, (Merge Records) 75.50
One thing that I love about new releases from bands like The Clientele is how you know what you are getting, but you are always surprised. This record is arguably their most consistent. Alasdair MacLean will always bring sickly gorgeous melodies and sticky hooks. They pay homage to the classics ("I Hope You Know") and they quietly suck you in (check the whispy vocals on the near-instrumental "The Dance Of The Hours"). The record just grabs you gently with a culmination of release on the 60s groove of the spectacular "Bookshop Cassanova". God Save The Clientele indeed!

37. Shout Out Louds � Our Ill Wills, (Merge Records) 77.08
This is the follow-up to the semi-acclaimed, often overlooked debut, Howl Howl Howl --- a record of exuberant and sometimes reflective Scandi Pop. Our Ill Wills builds on the debut but with more emphasis on the reflective. Opening track "Tonight I Have To Leave It" is the high watermark with its playful appropriation of The Cure's "In Between Days". The record ebbs and flows through its twelve tracks with pop tinged with regret and resignation on the various levels of love. If you can stick with it, all this culminates on a perfect closing track, "Hard Rain".

36. The Broken West � I Can�t Go On, I�ll Get On, (Merge Records) 73.70
This is a record that I nearly wrote off ... The opening track "On The Bubble" is so ordinary that I couldn't listen to the rest ---> except I knew the killer power-popper "Down In The Valley" was laying in wait at track three. Ignoring track one and going straight to two made this record much more compelling. The Broken West are not doing anything but keeping the tradition of power pop purveyors from the 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond � with a dose of crunch. Yeah, Big Star, Shoes, The Vaselines, late-era Replacements/Westerberg, Teenage Fanclub, Sloan, you get the picture.

35. Emma Pollock � Watch The Fireworks, (4AD Records) 77.32
Here we have former Delgados singer Emma Pollock with her debut solo album. It is inevitable and impossible not to make comparisons to her previous work. So here it is: this record sounds a lot like The Delgados. Doesn't matter, I am talking about songs on this record. Watch The Fireworks is a complete record with hits ("Acid Test", "Here Comes The Heartbreak", "Adrenaline") that confirm the expertise Pollock poses: the turn of a phrase, the deftness of the hooks, the command of the energy, and the ease of the melody.

34. !!! � Myth Takes, (Warp Records) 75.80
In the newness of 2007, Myth Takes was a fontrunner for ROTY. What happened? First, this is a complete record that is heavy with a weird paranoid America apocalyptic bend (nowhere more apparent than on the title track). While this is the major thing that makes the record so unique, it also is its biggest detriment. I guess it lands here because I didn't wanna get freaked out. That's personal preference and slightly unfair to !!!. Whatever, when I do listen, I am on the floor (check "All My Heroes Are Weirdoes", "Must Be The Moon", "Heart of Hearts").

33. The Mary Onettes � The Mary Onettes, (Labrador Records) 77.70
Oh Sweden and your beauty called Labrador Records! My heart pines over and under and does flips and flops for you sweet pop bands making music that tugs at my heart and implants its seed of heavenly-pop-hits in my bosom. The Mary Onettes are another turn in that killer Labrador catalog. Here we have songs indebted to 80s brit-post-punk-pop: Echo & The Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, The Church (I know, they are Aussies!) and then some late-era The Cure and New Order and straight-up synth-tinged Scandi Pop, but its waay catchier and poppier and energetic with shimmering guitars and deliberate punchy drums.

32. Deerhoof � Friend Opportunity, (Kill Rock Stars) 75.81
As I�ve admitted several times on this blog, I adamantly refused to Deerhoof simply because of their moniker. That is pretty, pretty, pretty lame. Thankfully, I have an open mind and gave Friend Opportunity a chance, because it is a surprisingly strong record. While the last track is just too much for my pop-addled mind, the previous nine all bring something to the proverbial plate. The record starts with a veritable one-tw0-three punch: �The Perfect Me� is unbridled with clippity clop clack beats, sixties garage organ blasts, and jarring changes; �+81� follows with cute trumpets riffing, more bluesy guitar, and idiosyncratic synth lines; and �Believe in E.S.P.� has a darker, seedier, underbelly of mystery implied in the title. The killer tracks are �Kidz Are So Small� (a delightful beat-heavy pop experiment) and �Matchbook Seeks Maniac� (a beautiful, if not utterly ordinary, organ line slides along with Matsuzaki�s terribly preciously wonderfully gloriously soaring vocal makes this the best song on the album). All of this stuff coalesces into a gratifying experimental-pop record. {see review}

31. Water School � Animals & Their Hiding Places, (self-released) 76.94
This Batimore act is essentially Christopher Meyers and Mike Gittings, who share songwriting duties ala Sloan, Teenage Fanclub, and - duh! - The Beatles. Happily, their songs inhabit the same space as these bands. You wanna rock? Try Gitting's "Festival" or "Zombies" --- think Sloan being The New Pornographers. You prefer mid-tempo gentle power pop? Try Meyer's "Cartow" or "The Monster" --- think BMX Bandits doing Pavement. With two excellent songwriters offering excellence after excellence, Animals & Their Hiding Places is a must have.

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The Top Fifty Favorite Albums Of 2007 - Pt.1

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:06:00 +0000

I.
All right, here we go! Only about four months late, but I do have an excuse the last five-six months have been filled with loss and tragedy. I'm not going into that. Let me just say � welcome to my Fifth Annual Top 50 Favorite Albums of The Year list. The 2007 edition is filled with some really terrific records. As in the past, I will start off by saying: 1) this is not a definitive list (of course, there are records that I didn�t hear and would�ve loved, or records that I got into too late to make my list, or records that I�m too thick in the head to comprehend their excellence, etc.); 2) I am applying the Album Quantifier Model score (e-mail me if you need more info) which is one indicator of ranking; and 3) I may like records a lot that didn�t have the best songs, and the converse applies. The key to understanding the list is this question I asked myself: �How often did I reach for the record and listen to it straight through?� The answer was a major determinant of where the record finally ended up in the rankings. I will be posting ten each day all week, so be sure to check back often!!!

50. The Shins � Wincing The Night Away, (Sub Pop Records) 73.86
Way, way, way back in January 2007, Wincing The Night Away sold over 110,000 copies to debut at number two on the Billboard charts. This instantly made The Shins the darlings of the mainstream press and the in-tune indie diehards. It also surprised the masses and next thing you know, the band was the featured guest on Saturday Night Live. Back in 1987, this would have really been something, but not in today�s -groan- digital age. La tee dah. What got me was the everywhere single, �Phantom Limb�, but even more addictive the nervy-paranoia vibe of �Split Needles�. I didn�t forget you, The Shins.

49. The National � Boxer, (Beggars Banquet) 77.67
The National is one of those bands who have steadily increased their visibility at the same rate of the improvement in their songwriting. Boxer built on the sophistication and maturity (I mean this in the best way possible) exemplified with 2005�s Alligator. One cannot deny the quality of the songs, the problem is in the heavy handed approach � it�s deep and foreboding, so much so it takes effort to put the damn thing on. So while the AQM is high, the play (at least on my stereo) was low.

48. Joy Electric � The Otherly Opus, (Tooth & Nail Records) 76.54
The Otherly Opus is the ninth Joy Electric full-length, the nom de musique of Mr. Ronnie Martin. He can be accused of being too literal in his quest for the perfect pop album � staying entrenched in the sub-genre of synth pop and his analog-only constraint, making it impossible to craft anything other than the blip-beep cutesy pop. I will admit, that yes, there is only so much he can do with these constraints, but the genius is found in the ever-so slight deviations. The deviation here is a cavalcade of vocals juxtaposed with mechanical dissonance � these vocals build on words and phrases to create long-extended hooks that are ridiculously spectacular.

47. The Ponys � Turn The Lights Out, (Matador Records) 74.83
This record renders the band�s noise-pop-post-punk crafty with straight up rollicking sixties Stones and jittery post-punk in a way that is simultaneously restrained and unbridled. Yes, this means that, in many ways, this is a tamer record than their previous two. This development made the songs stronger, with compelling melodies and huge hooks jumping out the execution. Nowhere is this more successful than on �1209 Seminary�; the song is relentless, catchy, and constantly teetering on oblivion ---> much like the rest of Turn The Lights Out.

46. Panda Bear � Person Pitch, (Paw Tracks) 74.18
Let�s face it, strip the record of the soundscapes, the electronic futurism, the production tricks and you�ve got this: (from my Apr-07 review): �Luckily, Mr. Panda Bear is a melodic auteur, so more often than not, the record is fascinating. Delving into each song reveals that Person Pitch isn�t as weird as some would make it out to be. The noises and the effects are dressing. What we essentially have is simple hippie-stink-Beach-Boys pop accompanied by elongated krautrock and interesting auxiliary sounds. It�s probably pretentious and cuckoo, but also cool.�

45. Anything After � There�s Something Warm, (self-released) 74.74
I found out about this Downey, CA courtesy of a guerilla/viral marketing campaign by the band itself via a �Friend Request� at MySpace. I heard Anything After late one evening as I went through 20 or so of these requests, clicking the link then backspace and deny (if you don�t have the ability to put two-and-two together, that means the band sucked). The lo-fi recordings of The Jesus & Mary Chain feedback drone mixed with pop-punk exuberance bleated out of my teeny laptop speakers grabbed me thanks to huge choruses and killer hooks. The entire record really works despite the heavy appropriation of style. It�s because the songs are of a serious quality.

44. Spoon � Ga Ga Ga Ga, (Merge Records) 76.54
It�s well-documented how I feel about Spoon � I bought the records and never understood the hype/critical drooling. I mean I understand it � I just don�t agree with it. HA! So � what is this doing in my Top 50 when this is not [considered?!]the best Spoon record? I suppose that it comes down to this: I actually spent more time with this record than I ever intended to and it was due to one song: �You Got Yr Cherry Bomb�. Then that rhythm rhythm rhythm started creeping in.

43. Peter Bjorn & John � Writer�s Block, (Wichita Recordings) 71.02/76.64
It seemed that 2007 was the year of PB&J - from the ubiquitous "Young Folks" that inspired frat rats and sorority swine to whistle into their lite beers and sex-on-the-beach's to "Up Against The Wall" as soundtrack to actors in commercials pulling up-and-down their pants. When the record is on, it's very on (see aforementioned tracks and the shoegaze-y "Objects of My Affection" and the slightly ignored "Let's Call It Off"), as a whole its kind of spotty. Further, this honestly is not as good as 2005�s Falling Out.

42. Jens Lekman � Night Falls Over Kortedala, (Secretly Canadian) 77.67
Lekman had annoyed me as nothing more than the Swedish Stephen Merritt. That's pretty easy and slightly unfair criticism, but his previous records did little to persuade otherwise. Night Falls is different in the diversity - swelling chamber pop, flirty bossa pop, jumpy twee pop, etc etc. Nearly every song is top-shelf craft and the lyrics are sad, funny, clever, insightful putting in the man in the same breath as Merritt, Morrisey, and Murdoch.

41. LCD Soundsystem � Sound of Silver, (DFA) 76.94
This highly anticipated follow-up to the highly received debut just didn't have the elusive "it". Still, one cannot deny the deliberate nature of the songs and the sequencing of the album. Mr. James Murphy always has attempted to reconcile the dance floor with the rock club and Sounds of Silver is a record in limbo because of it. He and his band succeed in spades on the raucous cheekiness called, snicker, "North American Scum", the gorgeous sinewy New Order homage "All My Friends" and the stellar confessional absurdist truth of "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down".

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The Top Fifty Favorite Songs Of 2007 - Pt.5

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:47:00 +0000

V.
We have arrived. I present, my Top Ten Favorite Songs of 2007. This year's list is dedicated to Sharon and Spencer. I love you both. Thanks for reading.

10. �I Should�ve Been After You� by Rooney
C�mon! There is nothing wrong with aping ELO, 70�s prog rock, The Beach Boys, late-90s-indie-pop, and T.Rex all in one fucking-mega-addictive-power-pop tune. The song opens with a sickly guitar riff that gives way to glam-stomp big drums and twinkling prog-synth licks for fifteen seconds then everything drops out to Robert Carmine launching into a clearly-enunciated melody that is so like �Questions� by Papas Fritas that it's nearly robbery. That's ok, Rooney stays on this kick for the verse and then the big-fat-gigantic-super-duper hook comes in and the chorus grabs yer lazy ass. Breakdown #2 is at the two-minute mark and it's pure Beatles-slash-Beach-Boys. Breakdown #3 is thirty seconds later and it's the bridge and it's gorgeous ELO - big guitar riffs and those pulsating drums and intrcate synths! The calvacade of vocoder-processed vocals may be aped, but it's put to incredible use. Breakdown #4 is a return as the last minute of the song circles back to the Fritas-verse piano-drive-indie-pop-stomp into that hook and its coda coda coda. These separate movements may drip with the derivative, but the execution is so perfect that it�s captivating and exhilarating.

09. �Rolling With The Punches� by Gallows
Gallows are completely unstoppable; they play every note with extreme prejudice, vocalist Fran Carter delivers every shredded vocal with total conviction. "Rolling" wastes no time by launching right into this tale of accountability and anti-hero revolt. The delivery of the hook, both vocally and musically, sounds like a beaten body falling to the cold pavement. When Carter trades call-and-response-barbs with guitarists Laurent Barnard and Steph Carter, it�s exhilarating. The thing that differentiates this track from the others on Orchestra of Wolves (and the punk-hardcore milieu) are the melodic breakdowns ---> part atmospheric post-grunge noodling part-Murder City Devils Animal Rock exhaustion - this adds a complexity to the post-punk-post-hardcore template. The song ends at the diametric polar opposite of the raucous start � Carter�s vocals are processed and nearly a Bowie-esque moan, he intones, �I am a hypocrite/I am the concrete around our feet/And even when I push us in/I'll find a way to drag us out again�. It�s such a curious way to end a track that pummels so hard � curious is good here.

08. �To Fix The Gash In Your Head� by A Place To Bury Strangers
The drum machine pulsates and shimmers in distortion, the guitar is complete overdrive, and lead singer/guitarist, Oliver Ackermann delivers the catchiest melody in his teeny oeuvre. The song obtains the integration of melody and sonics like TJAMC at their best, but adds a furrowed brow and stabs of sheered metallic violence. I�m not quite sure about these words � the musings of a serial killer doctor? Well, it probably isn�t that simple, but nor does it matter. Ackermann creates a chaotic track and uses a guitar pedal called Total Sonic Annihilation ... and that is this song.

07. �Biscuit Chinois� by Jacquemort
A quick drum roll, ding of a bell and super-bass synth riff open this song, three minutes of playfully intense dynamics and melody; part crazy-there�s-no-fucking-way and part rich-classic-pop. This is one of those songs that move. After each pass on the hook, the instruments drop out and the song goes somewhere totally different � a quirky synth jam emerges, a tense/angular guitar solo grabs the limelight, a jangle guitar passage pops up, etc. � only to return to that glorious hook where Thomas Augustin�s (also plays keys for the killer Malajube) voice is slightly raw. His vocals can hush down on a dime, and soar ala Thom Yorke, Murray Lightburn, or Jeff Buckley. It should be noted that the persistent bass line(s) in conjunction with the bass drum anchor the song through all the changes. There is this hint of the reckless, as the execution seemingly teeters, near shambles, the melody and changes maintain, and that makes for greatness.

06. �Depth Charge Ethel� by Grinderman
They told me that Nick Cave was going to embrace his beginnings � that is, the music that informed his seminal band, The Birthday Party � I have no confirmation for this but this means garage-y sixties/bluesy seventies proto-punk. The full-length is a bit much, but this slab of punk � in June of this year, �Ethel� was in my Heavy Rotation � I called it fuzzy; filthy; and funny. One thing I didn�t convey is that it�s unkindly addictive and subversively hooky. The killer dose of thunder is primal energy. The single achievement is in the furious flourish of fuzzed guitar and pounding rhythms that propel the Cave�s disgusting (in a good way!) vocals through this freakin� crazy dumb tale of sin. Holy shit. Yeah, that really says it all.

05. �Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse� by Of Montreal
The song begins with ominous noise and a fifties-stylized-horror keyboard riff as Kevin Barnes sings, �I�m in a crisis, I need help from a mood shift, shift back to good again, c�mon mood shift, shift back to good again, c�mon be a friend� and in comes the song as a burst of indie pop glee club innocence. But we know from the lyrics that it's anything but innocent. It�s disarming, lacks common sense, and triumphant. The song is classic Of Montreal, quirky arrangement, whacked changes, and all sorts of weirdness.

04. �7 Stars� by The Apples In Stereo
This song is absolute pop perfection � something that is not foreign to head Apple Robert Schneider (see previous gems like �Tidal Wave�, �Shine A Light�, �Go�, �The Rainbow�, on-and-on). The production is shimmering, complimentary to the straightforward arrangement and allowing the song itself to shine as bright as the melody. There are flourishes of fuzzed out guitars, slinky minimalist leads, assorted percussive elements, synth whirrs and whizzes, etc. etc. The vocals are laid down in pure perfection � just a hint of straining that has always made his voice so charming. Schneider is always willing to steal cool tricks from his heroes � in this case, the hero is ELO vocoder vocals (check the little transition of �going backwards now�). The chorus soars to outer space, spinning around and around in weightless abandon. Further, it captures what made the Apples so compelling in the mid-80s, the seamless blending of simple indie pop with guitar rock power � the chorus begs for air guitar antics, which is so awesome.

03. �You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb� by Spoon
�Cherry Bomb� is bloody infectious tense-pop in the vein of the great early 80s Elvis Costello jams. The hook is crafted so so utterly precise, it�s sung with a sly smile-slash-grin. The guitar, drums, and bass launch the gorgeous licks all over the place. The Spoon sound is all about pulsating rhythm, it permeates Britt Daniels' songwriting, that makes the Motown style a perfect fit. I�m not one who gets real into production values and studio chicanery, but the things Daniels (and his collaborators) does on this song are so clever/unique/unexpected that they actually enhance the song � it�s like that extra layer that differentiates from the, well, 46 other great songs of this year and hundreds, thousands of songs over the years. This tune is in tremendous company.

02. �Our Velocity� by Maximo Park
Maximo Park came out of nowhere in 2005 to soar to the number six position on my Top 50 Records list (uh, that year � hrmm) with A Certain Trigger, so obviously I approached this lil� single with much anticipation. I had to turn on the deep-down-power of internal restraint to put expectations into perspective, otherwise the mind would be clouded. Yes, it�s as hot as anything from the debut. Sure, there is something grown-up, pseudo-deeper, reeking of nostalgia, syrupy fresh about the music and the songcraft. But there is something so freaking addictive about the song. One day I actually rocked this track eleven times in a row. Some of you discerning music listeners may be wont to call it the proverbial musical equivalent of an ice cream cone or dilly bar, I won�t go down that road. I do know that I love how that robo-synth line gets completely overtaken by massive overdriven overdistorted overkilled guitar work. And all those lines about being "sensitive". And the bridge is pretty fresh, no it�s a bridge that I dream of weekly. Yep.

01. �North American Scum� by LCD Soundsystem
The track opens with the electro hum of vintage synth-something-or-other and James Murphy immediately flaunts his Mark E. Smith jones in a way that is undeniable mimicry, but with sincere reverence. It�s that gentle coo of MES coaxing the song to the lay-it-out-suckas verse of tight-ass snares, shh-shh hi-hat, sinewy minimalist guitar lines, and slow-brew bass lines (real and/or/none-of-the-above). The cry of �NORTH AMERICA� is a wild-eyed mantra to embrace stupidity, absurdity, and ironic-modernity in a world that turns a hostile (and in many cases a hateful) eye to the major nation on the said continent. When the band sends up the Cry, the chorus launches to a crazy cacophony propelled by a funky-slap-bass line, buzzing vintage keys, and (of course) Murphy�s ragged falsetto vocals. Murphy and his band execute the changes perfectly, they allow the tension to build and release into sheer joy (when poop-faced anger is expected).

Anyone who has been paying attention to the band would exactly positively expect this kind of track � music geek inside jokes (�when our young kids get to read it in your magazines/ we don't have those� and �and for those of you who still think we're from England ... we're not, no.�), the MES angle, the irony, the amalgamation of sub-genres � and they are correct. And god fucking knows how many times I have tore a band a new asshole for this exact crime. �North American Scum� is too addictive, too well-crafted, too dominating with that ludicrous hook and stunning performance to get all uptight. It demands attention, grabs your hips and shakes your leg and your head snaps, engages your sense-of-humor, never drifts, and it moves moves moves. Let me be clearer: isolate the track, destroy the expectations, and get yer polite-[post]-punk on. ** natch **

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The Top Fifty Favorite Songs Of 2007 - Pt.4

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:17:00 +0000

IV.
As if you don�t already get it ---> today comes more great melodies, killer choruses, fucking-awesome-jamming-in-yer-ear hooks � the countdown continues! We�ve got shimmy shakes, gasps, drowning memories, keeping it alives, not enough enough enoughs, feeling alrights, free haircuts, confrontations, dahhhh-dah-dah-dahs, and switches. All I can say � well, let�s have Larry say it for me:

�Pretty good? Prettaaaaay-prettaaaaay-pretty-good!�

20. �Lips Are Unhappy� by Lucky Soul
There is something so captivating and uplifting when a song like this comes on. The vocals are absolutely perfect, the melody pushes-n-pulls at the perfect moments, the guitars have just enough crunch. And ---> when the lovely-gorgeous singer Ali Howard goes into her litany of "Shake shimmy shake shake"-s (note: variations of those words) for a minute and then launches back into the chorus, you melt.

19. �The Equestrian� by Les Savy Fav
Les Savy Fav return from a hiatus like they were never gone. Musically, the band picks up right where they left off on the great-stupendous-tremendous single, �The Sweat Descends� � roughshod guitars, plenty of idiosyncratic stop-start, pounding hard drums, and killer steady bass. The weird thing is the primal sexuality using horse terminology � �You made me shake, you made me shiver, you made me gasp when you grasped my withers� and �How many times did you think you could cantor past my house, before I called you to my stable for a little mouth to mouth?� and �Now you�ve got me in the saddle and you�ve got me chomping bit� and �Jet black boots, whip stiff crop, once we started we just couldn�t stop.� The music is as filthy and unbridled as the words. Whoa.

18. �Hop A Plane� by Tegan & Sara
Ah, discerning music listener, we�ve got pure stuttered-herky-jerky energy, not-so-quiet desperation, pleading-annoyance, and a startling hook. The melody, Tegan�s, is super-quick-step that recalls Bob Pollard when he is at his most clipped and intense. Yeah, it�s a cavalcade of words splatting and spitting in quick succession until the hook glides out with intensity. The track is a dance-around-the-living-tune ---> summarized: exuberant, desperate, addictive, tense, manic, and � just go listen to it.

17. �Section 32: The Championship� by The Polyphonic Spree
There are times when your day has been so bad, your psyche slapped around by the poop that the life-monkey flings at you that you need to be lifted up. Uplifting is exactly the raison d�etre of The Polyphonic Spree. This indie-choir-rock has never impressed me, but their new record, The Fragile Army � where this track is from � has to be the most refreshing and surprising record of the year (I�m jumping ahead). At the 3:18 mark the song pulls back hard, and a tinkling, somewhat sad piano comes in for a few bars � pause � then a super-glorious crescendo and the full band/choir launches into the chorus and your spirits rise to the highest level of belief and comfort and for just over two minutes you feel a confidence you didn�t know was there.

16. �Your Love Alone Is Not Enough� by Manic Street Preachers
�Your Love Alone Is Not Enough� is a lovely wide-mouthed duet-of-sorts (at one point it becomes a trio-et with Cardigan hottie, Nina Persson) stuffed oh-so-right with jangle guitar, wild string swells, cascading guitar riffs, soaring bridges, tasty hooks, and a tight-catchy-sung-like-yer-life-depended-on-it chorus. The Manics waste no time pulling you into the song by culling one of the oldest tricks from the unwritten Pop Songwriter Book of Instant Success, �Start the song off with the hook.� This is done so deftly, that success is uber. As with all great power pop, the song moves between verse and chorus and bridge centered on those hooks; it�s unrelenting.

15. �Down In The Valley� by The Broken West
Today�s virtual indie scene is enamored with high-drama pop, electronic-experimental-sillies, and perceived-deep-thinking-folkies, so where does classic power pop fit in? Pretty much nowhere. �Down In The Valley� has that great summertime sing-a-long melody, high energy slow-fast execution, and nice-to-near-heavy nod to The Rolling Stones via The Replacements via Badfinger. The song has a ready-to-rumble looseness, the kinks shaken out by ringing distorted guitars, an insistent crashing ride cymbal, and a simple effective melody. The second best part of the whole song is the ending: the band launches a three-part harmony round on the word �Down�, holding it loooonnnnnggg, until singer Ross Flourney sings, �� in the valley tonight� and the song ends with that done-a-million-times-exaggerated-central-riff-thang and it�s awesome.

14. �Wasted Little DJs� by The View
Ahhhh here we go! The intro is one of those crazy extended classic punk rev-ups - heavy struming on a single chord; arbitrary cymbal crashes into the central riff, building to the opening verse. The song continues this upward trajectory well into the second verse. The mix of classic punk and nervous mod revival captures the lyrical sentiment perfectly: the record industry factory and the slimey DJs who are tools to get hack journalists to make lame proclamations of the "latest and greatest" (of which the UK press branded The View). Enter this song along side The Smiths' "Panic" and MxPx' "Next BigThing" as tunes that most effectively flip the bird to the Machine.

13. �Piss & Vinegar� by Against Me!
Keeping wth the theme on our number 14 song, Against Me! turn the aim at the copycat bands and insipid pop stars. Lead singer Mr. Against literally spits his disgust. He damns �em not as people but as artists. His indictment? �I would appreciate the honesty yeah! A little less professional, a little more upfront and confrontational!� At then end of the chorus he decries it all: �Just say what you're thinking!� Guitar riffs cascade down as hard as a boot stomping in anger, the bass lines rumble with blatant disgust, and the calvacade of drum rolls are violent and self-righteous.

12. �Whatever You Want� by Club 8
Labrador Records artist Club 8 craft one of the prettiest songs of 2007. The track is slightly ahead of mid-tempo with a melody that is smoooooth and a chorus that takes it all up a notch. �WTF are you talking about CMS, you hack?� Simmer down. I'll tell you: hints of synth pop lurv, rich acoustic guitar hugs, a sweet bouncy descending electric bass hook smile. The gorgeous female vocals all steeped in the Scandi pop tradition of infusing the song with lyrics that are slightly darker than the melody.

11. �Switch� by 1990s
These Scots (Glasgow represent! Ahem � yeah, sorry about that) lay down a hot slab of saucy boogie power pop. Dirty licks and a steady backbeat form the center for the high-stepping antics of singer Jackie McKeown as he snarls about an annoying yip-yapper who ruins his perfectly awesome day. The economy in the music and lyrics makes this a killer anthem � play this a few times for your friends and it will cause spontaneous outbursts of cheesy head-nodding and look-into-each-others-face-with-shit-eating-grins-singing-the-words goofiness (irony, if it makes you feel better). You have to love how the band uses the song as a conversation: �Is there a switch for that?� �Switch for that!� �Aw, switch it off!�. I like to apropriate the lyrical content and apply it to my life as a corporate blah-blah. When McKeown tosses disgust, "I'm tired of listening while you bitch it up" and then sneers, "Is there a switch for that? I get no kicks for that. Ahh, switch it off!" I say, �Preach it.�

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The Top Fifty Favorite Songs Of 2007 - Pt.3

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:19:00 +0000

III.
I hope the discerning listener public enjoyed The Process documentation in yesterday's post. It's about care and love and, I suppose ... obsession. As I've said before, this is the point in the countdown where things get interesting.

30. �Rock & Roll Renegade� by The Frantic
The Frantic exemplify the youthful exuberance that has informed the best rock n roll since the 1950s. It helps because this quartet is quite literally youthful - average age is 18.5. "Rock & Roll Renegade" is a rave up tale of nothing matters but rock n roll. Compact, dirty, lots of energy that channels Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and early Replacements.

29. �L�ours� by Tricot Machine
This Motreal francophone duo (Catherine Leduc and Matthieu Beaumont) crafts sophisticated organic-pop � can we not call it folk for fuck�s sake. Handclaps, gently strummed acoustic guitar, melancholy piano, plunky banjo, and a nervous pound-pound-beat mark the music while Leduc delivers a driving stunning melody. A killer move is when Beaumont joins in on the melody just slightly in the background, a perfect compliment to Leduc�s lead vocals.

28. �Change Your Mind� by Walker Kong
Minneapolis indie popsters tap directly into a Soft Boys source. The thing that this song delivers on so well is its drive. Always moving forward flirting with tempo, flipping cascading riffs, gorgeous lilting licks, perfectly placed transitions, and hooks galore. Check out the guitar work from 1:49 to 2:01. This is finely crafted pop where every note, every lick, every hook has a purpose.

27. �The Zoo� by The Broadway Hush
Twee � the term cannot be denied when it comes to this simple pop song with candied melodies and tasty hooks (note this very twee move: this is a duo of Whitney & Michael, no last names please), thus it�s easy to be put off. This very stylistic fact may even cause some to proudly proclaim The Broadway Hush losers. Well, fuck that! �The Zoo� is such an accomplishment because the execution is so solid, so seamless. There is a point (about the two-minute-mark) where Whitney asks, �Would you like to love me again?� and the song sticks (the keyboard, drums, and guitar) like a record skipping for about eight or so beats � giving a musical answer to her query. That is great songwriting.

26. �Objects Of My Affection� by Peter Bjorn & John
Talk about a huge fucking gnarly riff! Love it more than you could imagine! As you know, I love when songs play the dynamics very, very hard; when the push-and-pull is marked with extreme prejudice. Peter, Bjorn & John are obviously known more for that whistling song (I�ve already been there, check #6 on LY�s list). There is just something about triumph and sadness and self-esteem and brokenness and exuberance and anger and faith and absurdity wrapped in the song. No real melody, no definite hooks, just all this mess of emotion reflecting the severity of life.

25. �Barriers� by Aereogramme
This is an amazing piece of orch-guitar-pop where distinct movements interact like a piece of classical music: guitar distortion and chamber strings are connected in sublime perfection by lead singer�s Craig B�s voice. The melody is gorgeous and the song lush; the chorus shimmers and pulsates and soars heavy on emotion, recalling 2003�s stellar track, �The Black Path�. Aereogramme take the push-and-pull, the tension-and-release to the most effective point, a place of warm honesty and head-nodding understanding. It is the record�s best track.

24. �Under The Guillotine� by The Mary Onettes
The Mary Onettes are definitely on a retro kick, which can be pretty disgusting - luckily these Swedes do it right. This track recalls The Teardrop Explodes and The Chameleons (UK) in the best way possible (i.e. check the echo-y vocals). Compact verses give way to soaring hooks; the bridge is emotional and rich. I love how the song constantly threatens to roll onto itself.

23. �Bookshop Casanova� by The Clientele
The Clientele is a band that sneaks up on you. For example, when this track pops up on your random play you have no choice but to pause (this can be unsettling if your task requires attention, say, driving). It is the smooth-becoming-earnest melody that ensnares the faint Motown-ish guitar and steady backbeat, the way the cymbals ring on-and-on, the strings that go from staccato-to-drawn out, and the sheer movement from verse to hook to guitar solo to bridge to hook to verse and around-around we go.

22. �Matchbook Seeks Maniac� by Deerhoof
On this creative meditation on the desire for power, Deerhoof reaches into the 60s girl group cutesy merging with clanging post-punk drive. It's like Sonic Youth doing The Ronnettes. Musically, everything is here: melody, hooks, structure, but it's the lyrical content where they transcend. Lead singer, Satomi Matsuzaki coos, �Why does power make the crazy boy ...?� and then with a big snare smash her vocals soar, �I will sell my soul to devil, if I can be the top of the world.� Duhhhhhhhh duh-duh duh-duh duh-duh goes the riff. Awesome.

21. �We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives� by Los Campesinos!
It is exuberance amidst the throes of simple boy-girl twee micro-pop from lovely Cardiff, Wales; plunky guitar and cute melody give way to twinkly glockenspiel and big fuzzy guitars and a gorgeus chorus (sung by � I�m not sure which female � either Aleksandra or Ellen or Harriet � first names only � real twee move kids!). The real win is two-fold: the cacophony of double melody with a serious rock-out jam at the 1:25 mark and the violent silliness of the lyrics ("There's red stains all over the place/they're not blood, they're cherryade/We throw parties, you throw knives" and "It's your party, but I'll die if I want to").

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The Top Fifty Favorite Songs Of 2007 - Pt.2

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:21:00 +0000

The process --->

1) Load one-to-two-hundred of your favorite songs (release date = 2007) into a playlist on the iPod (or preferred music storage device); set to songs to shuffle (a.k.a. random play).
2) Press play and listen.
3) Rank order songs from best-best to least-best based on criteria that includes, but is not limited to: songwriting quality (melody/hook(s)/chorus), lyrical quality (if applicable), and overall creativity.
4) Repeat Steps 2 and 3 three times (note position of each song, each time ranked).
5) Prepare draft ranking by averaging the song positions from three previous attempts.
6) Sort the results.
7) Implement some minor-to-mid-major tweaking to achieve an order that reflects your favorites.
8) Review the list. Yes you missed some songs, it isn�t perfect, but it is your list.
9) Publish. One thing that isn�t arguable, these are your fifty favorite songs from the year.

40. �How Am I Not Myself?� by Shocking Pinks
A lo-fi indie pop gem (awww fuck) that lays claim to Shocking Pink�s homeland, the Flying Nun record label heritage. I also love how it's got two distinct parts: a) the acoustic shack hum jam; that segues into b) a semi-lazy driving indie pop. And each section has the best lines of the year: a) "I'd rather be a retard than be your motherfucking dad telling you what to do�; and b) �Take some medicine, get a bandage, shoot some heroin, see a therapist�.

39. �Not What It Seems� by Anything After
This SoCal band brings pop-punk exuberance to The Jesus & Mary Chain indifference. Clanging face-melting feedback cradles a defiant lead guitar line and a youthfully indignant melody. This is a tale where the main character is calling-it-like-it-is. The passion falls off the rails � in a fantastic good way � when lead singer, Brian Dale wails, "Don't you � hate it/when I say I am right!/Don't you � like it when I say I'm wrong!� and the drums pound triple-rate.

38. �L�Immense L�Arme� by Milles Monarques
Milles Monarques steep this song with classical drama, mid-80s English alternative, and 21st century indie quirk. Synth harpsichord buoys a near Bowie monotone melody. Flippant drum beats and crashing cymbals fill space while pretty-as-let-them-eat-cake guitars scurry in and out. It is a gorgeous mess.

37. �Melody Day� by Caribou
Mr. Daniel Snaith (the artist formerly known as Manitoba) crafts the throwback hit of the year! This baby is drenched in late 60s psych-pop with wonderful falsetto magique vocals. Nowhere does a lilting flute trill fit so perfect with transitional freakouts. It is a fantastical mess.

36. �Ears Like Golden Bats� by My Teenage Stride
The second best thing about this track is the classic C86 guitars, and that�s pretty cool. The real money move is how My Teenage Stride have both an electric and an acoustic execute those lickty-split riffs. The best part is the perfect melody, the way Jedediah Smith�s voice bobs up-and-down with an enviable ease AND the little synth flirts in a kind of call-and-response.

35. �The Rhinohead� by Von Sudenfed
I am convinced that Mark E. Smith - despite what he says (which is that he doesn't listen to new music) - wanted to make a statement to all those indie bands citing The Fall as a major influence; to remind them that they don't have shit on him. This track is the product of a collaboration with Mouse On Mars (another defiantly original act) that grooves with self-assured fuck-you swagger. I love how the beats splat and MES' vocals are nearly gorgeous.

34. �The Plot That Weaves� by The Brothers Martin
This collaboration of Ronnie and Jason Martin (yes, they are brothers who front their own bands, Joy Electric and Starflyer 59 � with all due respectively) is based on the mid-80s Brit indie and American college radio sounds. "Plot" has a glorious drumbeat, workman-like structure, and addicitve hook/melody. Simply, this is impeccably crafted pure pop domination via a collaboration of two of the most underrated songwriters.

33. �Ex-Guru� by The Fiery Furnaces
The majoriy of the discerning music listener public does not truly "get" The Fiery Furnaces. I include myself in this majority. There are always too many words for the avant-melody, the hooks are in the wrong parts, and there all sorts of whacky transitions that rub raw as pumice on skin with a second degree burn incurred at a bonfire in St. Lucia. "Ex-Guru" is all of the above and I love it. You do too. Unless yer one of those whining indie brats who cry inscrutably pretentious. Then move on.

32. �Nag Nag Nag Nag� by Art Brut
Art Brut! Listen, you may think Eddie Argos is filled with snark to the nth degree - you're wrong. The guy perfectly encapsulates the substance of the music geek and that's kewl. This track is relentess, even when it pulls back at the halfway point, it indicates a crescendo to exascerbated earnestness. And it comes hard with Argos spitting and band reeling, throwing their entirety into riffs, thumping bass, and pounding drums. Glory be, it is Art Brut!

31. �Square One Here I Come� by The Hives
This track is steeped in jittery garage punk energy with a litany of dirty pseudo-street wisdom. The Hives play it tight and taut while lead singer Pelle Almqvist struts across the aural stage spitting every line with absurdist swagger. Life is a mess and you take it by the throat, taunt it, and tell it you know the score. Then ... rock out. �You get what�s given to you! Square one, here I come! Here I come, square one!�, indeed.

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The Top Fifty Favorite Songs Of 2007 - Pt.1

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:36:00 +0000

HAHA! What do you know? It's melonfarming March and out comes another Top Songs of 2007 list! HA! I know, I know, every magazine, blogger, webzine, public radio station, etc. has already published their list of Best Whatevers of 2007, and, most importantly, moved on. Well, as you know, This Is Not Entertainment is not every publication (**natch**). 2007 was one of my worst years ever ... and early 2008 sucks almost as much. I don't even know how that last sentence fits into the context of this post. I've been reading a lot of Camus over the last two years. Context? Who the fuck cares! Oh YOU do ... here you go:

Here are the facts that you the discerning music listener expect: these 50 songs are ranked with number 50 being the least favorite of my 50 favorite songs, and number 1 being my most favorite of my 50 favorite songs. As in previous years, I will be posting ten songs per day for the next five days.

Read on! Feel free to leave comments and/or send e-mail too.

50. �Hold Me In The River� by brakesbrakesbrakes
This song fucking rattles. Do you get it? Listen to the guitar riffs, the bass bumbles, those drums, all rattling like a loose wheel. Even the vocals by Eamon Hamilton clatter all flustered up and down. I don�t get this band � is it a novelty act? Snark fest? Whatever, this nonsensical rave up gets the feet shufflin� and the head noddin�. Yeah, WTF Short?!?!

49. �Waltz und Paranoia� by The Original Mark Edwards
Lovely title ---> truly a waltz and paranoia (and kook-freak-out) � listen how the first two minutes are a druggy three-four time shanty town, then all hell breaks loose into fuzzed out indie pop berserker, and you see what I am getting at. Of course, I love it. More WTFs fall on the hook �Bomb it baby�. Yeah, methinks Homeland Security would put a call in � talk about paranoia.

48. �Tonight I Have To Leave It� by Shout Out Louds
Like Dr. Drew being glib-confident running a rehab for celebs, I'm not going to ignore the elephant in the middle of the room. Yes, the Shout Out Louds have completely appropriated the acoustic guitar part from "Inbetween Days". I doubt these lovable Swedes would deny it, either. It's the melody which is unique, smooth, and touched by Bob Smith's tears that make this song a triumph of sad lovelorn sober pop.

47. �Bones� by Editors
�Bones� doesn�t have the immediacy and sheer perfection of LY�s �Munich�, but there is plenty right going on here. The drum beat bugs the hell out of me ---> U2-meets-that-ubquitous-Gang-Of-Fourish-post-punk-disco, ---> it is the slinky lead guitar that makes up for it big time. The best part? The nervous-paranoia-skittish when Tom Smith sings, �Retreat! Retreat! I�ve fallen at the low tide. Retreat! Retreat! Meet me at the quayside.�

46. �Mutiny, I Promise You� by The New Pornographers
These once hyper amphetamine power popsters go mid-tempo (an unsettling trend, if you ask me) to which I am driven mad with down-in-the-mouth annoyance. Actually, I�m being unfair � when head New Porno Carl Newman released his solo album a few years ago, I was pleased with how tremendous the songs were even though they were slower (the record came in at #9 on my Top 50 list that year). �Mutiny� is a great song � still, picture this slab amped up about 50 bpm! It would be that more glorious. Hoot! Hoot! Hoo hoo-hoo!

45. �Come Friendly Bombs� by Gallows
Kick those heels up and skank like yer at a Minor Threat show in 1982! Good grief. Focus here CMS � Gallows are a complete fucking kick in your ass and this particular track grooves with snotty swagger. When Frank Carter spits, "Black knuckles and broken teeth" he embodies it. "So you wanna go? Let's GO!" Indeed. �If we were the same ones, I'd draw this knife across my throat and bleed it dry.� I�m right with you.

44. �Valentine� by The Moths
This is simple - (pure jangle + post-punk herky-jerk + undeniable chorus) X huge hooks / clever-truth-laden lyrics = Hit Song.

43. �Freak Out� by Liars
One major trend in 2007 was the proliference of Pyschocandy fuzz in alt.indie.rock. While Liars didn�t embrace this wholesale (that is, for the entire record), they did it their own way on this particular song ---> based on a one-two-one-two percussive beat and echo-chamber lead guitar lick, they craft a wonderful fuzzy pop song out of the warbley distortion.

42. �The Go From Tactical� by The Caribbean
Uber-understated post-pavement indie pop is probably the most uncool thing in recent memory (at least to the Discerning Listener Public). The first forty-five seconds of this song, understandably, elicits illicit groans, but you got to stick with it. It's the little things here: the languid chorus, the name drop of The Go-Betweens, the slight swell near the song's end that make the whole delectable.

41. �Fractales (Pt. I)� by Apparat
Hot on the heels of Apparat's stellar LY collaboration with the tremendous Ellen Alien comes Walls. This is most awesome track among awesome tracks from that record. "Fractales (Pt. I)" is Kid A through shoegazer and pop songwriting, and if that doesn�t sound good to you, fuck you. No, just kidding! Well about the �fuck you�, but not the overlying sentiment. You should think Kid A through shoegazer and pop songwriting is pretty fucking awesome. Seriously. If not, fuck you. No, really JUST KIDDING. You should love this. If not � ad nauseum.

@ --->

2007 Year-End Announcement - Part IV

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 05:54:00 +0000

Status Update: Yes. It's true. I am here. Over the last two months, I have been ingesting and digesting 2007 jamz, and it's nearly time to share. Despite the drama life has thrown (the loss of Spencer, impending job loss, and Sharon suffering a kidney stone ---> I know, WTF?!?), I grab it (life) by its meaty neck and spit with existential revolt; I will not let the absurd terrorists win! No! I will continue to be flippant, insightful, snarky (with charm), and honesty in my analysis of these tunes. The Top 50 Songs list is solidified, while the Top 50 Albums is going through some minor tweaks.

Heavy Rotation - The End Is Near Edition (note: not The End in an Apocalyptical Way)

01. Sugar - Beaster, (Rykodisc.1993)
02. "And There Will Be Blood" by Zebulon Pike, (Unfortunate Music.2006)
03. "Rolling With The Punches" by Gallows, (Epitaph.2007)
04. Super Furry Animals - Hey Venus!, (Rough Trade.2007)
05. Husker Du - Flip Your Wig, (SST Records.1985)

"Retreat, retreat
I've fallen at the low tide
Oh retreat, retreat
And meet me by the quayside

In the end all you can hope for
Is the love you felt to equal the pain you've gone through"
- from "Bones" by Editors

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2007 Year-End Announcement - Part III

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 04:44:00 +0000

Status Update: Over the last two weeks, I have listened and digested seventeen 2007 releases. I thank the Metro Transit (the Twin Cities mass transit system) Route 14 for providing a strangely fitting way to take in this music. I will give you two insights I have discovered ... two that surprised me: Boxer by The National is a much better record than I had previously believed, and Christgau was right about the Sunset Rubdown record (although, I think he's a bit too bitchy about the vocals).

Heavy Rotation - Cram Session Edition (or stuff that isn't 2007 Best Of Jams That Has Crept Into My Ears)

01. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cold Roses, (Lost Highway.2005)
02. Ryan Adams - 29, (Lost Highway.2006)
03. Ryan Adams - Demolition, (Universal Records.2002)
04. Zebulon Pike - The Deafening Twilight, (Unfortunate Music.2006)
05. Boris - Absolutego, (Southern Lord.2001)

Heavy Reading - Grief Edition

01. A Broken Heart Still Beats After Your Child Dies by Anne McCracken & Mary Semel
02. Albert Camus and The Literature of Revolt by John Cruickshank
03. The Plague by Albert Camus

"Thats me being torn at the seams
Going mad in the middle of a dream
Catch me getting it wrong from the start
Catch me cause I'm falling apart

Crazy I'm halfway to crazy
Suicide would waste me
Homicide would break me
Tongue tied and tied to the tongue
Oh is life as bad as dreams
I guess thats just the way it seems"
- from "Half Way To Crazy" by The Jesus & Mary Chain

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2007 Year-End Announcement - Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 00:22:00 +0000

Status Update: I am feverishly (well, not quite) working through the 100 or so records and 200 or so songs that I found pleasant to fucking-awesome in 2007. As a reminder, no new content until I am ready to publish my Top Fifty Songs and Albums of 2007 lists. I anticipate this will start in early-to-mid February 2008 and continue for that entire month. In March 2008, I will be back on schedule with reviews and heavy rotations. Thanks to all who read this semi-regularly (there are about 200 of you) and don�t be a stranger.

Here are some the most popular and favorite posts from 2007 (I will update these occasionally):

Record Review: Mile One - Direction [link]

Record Review: Gallows - Orchestra Of Wolves [link]

Heavy Rotation: Warped Tour [link]

Record Review: Radiohead - OK Computer [link]

Record Review: My Bloody Valentine - Loveless [link]

"Thats me being torn at the seams
Going mad in the middle of a dream
Catch me getting it wrong from the start
Catch me cause I'm falling apart

Crazy I'm halfway to crazy
Suicide would waste me
Homicide would break me
Tongue tied and tied to the tongue
Oh is life as bad as dreams
I guess thats just the way it seems"
- from "Half Way To Crazy" by The Jesus & Mary Chain

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2007 Year-End Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:11:00 +0000

As you may have noticed, This Is Not Entertainment is back online after an unscheduled outage. I�m not entirely sure what happened, other than I do know that it had to with how I use Blogger to publish (via FTP), and that this method is not preferred by Blogger (thus, support is weak). After much research in early December, I found a solution that I passed to my web hosting company. After much research and trial and error, they found the solution and a month later my post from 11/29 appeared (the review of the seminal My Bloody Valentine record Loveless).

I have basically lost the entire month of December to this FTP permission issue/outage; and then came a personal tragedy. In May of this year, my wife and I found out that she was pregnant. We were elated and over the last seven months have spent much of our time getting our house ready for our baby. All that changed on December 11th, the day we lost our baby boy (he was at week 32 of life in the womb). The explanation is long and complicated, but it was due to a non-genetic condition that affects 1.1% of all pregnancies. The loss of Spencer August Short is profound and unfair and unexplainable. Thankfully, we have family and friends who have reached out to us in this extremely tough time. We thank each and every person who has offered us kind words, thoughts, prayers, hugs, and even suggestions of songs and albums that comfort.

I have chosen to continue with my blogging activities, but there will not be any new content until I am ready to publish my Top Fifty Songs and Albums of 2007 lists. I anticipate this will start in early February 2008 and continue for that entire month. In March 2008, I will be back on schedule with reviews and heavy rotations. Thanks to all who read this semi-regularly (there are about 200 of you) and don�t be a stranger.

Here are some the most popular and favorite posts from 2007 (I will update these occasionally):

Record Review: Mile One - Direction [link]

Record Review: Gallows - Orchestra Of Wolves [link]

Heavy Rotation: Warped Tour [link]

Record Review: Radiohead - OK Computer [link]

Record Review: My Bloody Valentine - Loveless [link]

"Thats me being torn at the seams
Going mad in the middle of a dream
Catch me getting it wrong from the start
Catch me cause I'm falling apart

Crazy I'm halfway to crazy
Suicide would waste me
Homicide would break me
Tongue tied and tied to the tongue
Oh is life as bad as dreams
I guess thats just the way it seems"
- from "Half Way To Crazy" by The Jesus & Mary Chain

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Record Review: My Bloody Valentine

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 01:22:00 +0000

My Bloody Valentine � Loveless, (Creation Records.1991)

I knew this dude named Jason Fitzgerald who was a total self-motivated hype machine for whatever band he was into at that moment in time. I remember one day he came over to my apartment (I was either a senior in college, or just out of school) with his cool-as-fucking-cool-looking girlfriend to visit my then-wife and I. It was a typical Fitzgerald visit: a stack of CDs and vinyl and two uber-music-geeks (discerning music listeners, if you will natch!) getting together to talk shop. I would sit on the floor manning the CD player, the others on the sofa; the setting for our living room point-counterpoint. Jason and I would go on for an hour or two, while our women � I don�t know what they did � I can only guess something like getting increasingly annoyed and pissed off. We went through several records that I cannot remember now, except two: a thrift store find of The Electric Prunes � Mass in E Minor on vinyl and My Bloody Valentine � Loveless.

It was the Grunge Era, but Jason was into stuff with an experimental edge and less commercially successful/viable. He said, �This is the greatest record out. This is the greatest record ever� (or something like that). He handed me the CD and told me to turn it way up (wisely, I turned it half-to-three-quarters to �way up�). As the tray delivered the CD to the player, the anticipation was legion (Jason did have great taste, see The Electric Prunes).

As soon as the digits [ 00:00 ] ticked off came the sudden, four quick shots - - - > that �bap-bap-bap-bap� - - - > right into breathing, gasping guitars: a million guitars swirling and buzzing and humming and exploding outwards and then sucked backwards into the lungs (that tightening of the lungs when you jump into a cold lake or breathe in frigid winter air). The intro revolves a couple times, then on the third �bap-bap-bap-bap� it slides perfectly into a gorgeous/pretty/mournful melody. This is �Only Shallow�, the first track that is indicative of what Loveless holds � massive texture, bitter-twee melodies, and fucking crazy mind bending guitar jams.

One thing that has always struck me as brilliant when it comes to this record is the extraordinary consistency from track to track. Loveless is diverse � there are the atmospheric pieces (�Touched�, �Sometimes�), the fractured guitar-slash-melody driven pop (�When You Sleep�, �Come In Alone�, �Blown A Wish�, �What You Want�, �Soon�), and those that encompass both experimentation and pop songcraft (�Loomer�, �To Here Knows When�, �I Only Said�). In all of these tracks there are splinters of surprise whether it be from those guitars or the hooks; there is an laser-guided theme of feeling which is sparse, lonely, and comforting. Kevin Shields was tapped into that something that moves inward despite the surface iciness of the music. Thinking about it more, that something is the melodies that stay just above the precipice of all the racket � the melodies draw you in, yet stay at arms length. It�s curious, mysterious, and illustrious.

It�s very easy to talk about the seminal tracks: �Only Shallow�, �When You Sleep�, and �Soon�; they are great, great songs. But they are not where Loveless hits the pinnacle; that is on the seventh track, �Come In Alone�. Absolutely magic happens � the tempo is mid, but the raw power does not dissipate. The rhythm is absolutely cracked and messed up into a near warbley soup, even the bass lines shudder. Shields lays down lead licks that stripped of effects are actually utterly ordinary (think Led Zeppelin, countless metal bands). Bilinda Butcher�s melody is the perfect compliment to the psychedelic noise. Each time she sings �Come � in � alone� it�s sexy and it�s melancholy and it�s happy and it�s warm. The song revolves around these melodic stretches and lead licks.

The sounds Kevin Shields pulled out of his guitars and his band defy words. It�s one of those records that demands to be heard then discussed. Like I did sixteen or so years ago in Kansas. Loveless is an engaging record, not simply because of the enraged fucked up guitars, but also the gorgeous melancholy of melody and coo-hooks.

Score: 83.91
File Under: Pyschedelic.So-Called-Shoegzaer.Other.Worldly.Punk.Space.Skronk.Rock

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Heavy Rotation: Week Ending November 16, 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 03:58:00 +0000

01. The Sex Pistols � Never Mind The Bollocks � (Warner Bros.1977)
02. The Chameleons � Strange Times, (Geffen Records.1986)
03. Ryan Adams � Demolition, (Universal Records.2002)
04. �We�ve Been Planning This For Years� by Division of Laura Lee, (Burning Heart.2002)
05. Les Savy Fav � Let�s Stay Friends, (French Kiss Records.2007)
06. The Hang Ups � The Hang Ups, (Trampoline Records.2003)
07. �Sherry And Her Butterfly� by The Most Serene Public, (Arts & Crafts.2007)
08. Undercover � Undercover, (Marantha Records.1982)
09. The Murder City Devils � EmptyBottlesBrokenHearts, (Sub Pop Record.1998)
10. My Bloody Valentine � Only Shallow, (Creation Records.1991)

As you can tell � this week has been crazy.

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Song Review: "We've Been Planning This For Years"

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 00:20:00 +0000

�We've Been Planning This For Years� by from Black City, (Burning Heart.2002)
File Under: Nth.Wave.Garage.Rock.Revival

This week Swedish garage revivalists The Hives released their latest record to semi-much hullabaloo. This made me think of another Swedish band who unleashed a fiery record of proto-blooz-punk five years ago. As a discerning music listener and avid reader with a keen attention to detail, you know I'm talking about Division of Laura Lee. This song is track two from their U.S. debut. The first fifty-six seconds has more to do with herky-jerk post-punk - (in)tense, steady backbeat � than Nuggets "zit-farmers", it�s that touch of the blooz that informs the rest of the song. There is a stellar change that ushers in the chorus and a flurry of punk rock hooks - a flourish of "Give it up" call-and-response craziness. This track has a trashy edge, but in a raw and gritty and arrogant way. Where The Hives strut pretty, Division of Laura Lee dare you to rumble.

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