Watch The Tapes

If that's movin' up, then I'm movin' out

2010-03-14T17:59:00.003-05:00

I'll cut to the chase; Watch the Tapes has moved to Wordpress! Past posts have all been imported, there's a snazzy new layout, and from this point on all new posts will be there. This Blogger address will not be taken down, so you should keep it bookmarked just in case the shit ever hits the fan with too many DMCAs or what-not, but ALL updates will now take place on Wordpress, so update your bookmarks and/or RSS feeds!

I repeat, all new posts will now be on the Wordpress address.

The new blog can be found here; see you there!

Au revoir, Blogger!

http://watchthetapes.wordpress.com/
http://watchthetapes.wordpress.com/
http://watchthetapes.wordpress.com/

long way, but you'll get there

2010-03-02T18:54:00.005-06:00

stay tuned for something
or nothing

Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (Security) (1982)

2010-02-23T17:28:00.006-06:00

"Still the warmth flows through me / and I sense you know me well / It's only common sense / there are no accidents 'round here"

Whereas the previous album Melt is his most coherent self-titled, the fourth and final album of the set is largely formless and oblique. For Security, Gabriel eschewed his rock roots almost entirely, fully immersing himself in the burgeoning field of electronic music with extensive use of synthesizers and samples, as well as the decision to record the entire album digitally (which at the time was almost unheard-of). The songs here are nebulous, seamless electronic experiments, and while there are some moments of more traditional prog to be found, for the most part this release is far removed from what listeners expect from Peter Gabriel. Security is not an album for everyone, to be sure; but for the dedicated listener it can be thoroughly rewarding. What could have easily been a clumsy attempt to aimlessly tread new ground instead ended up as a subtle, nuanced venture into territory that Gabriel had been quietly charting out on his previous albums. His years of experimentation with incorporating these sounds into rock music left him well-off to successfully take the next step, right off into the deep end. Security is an abstract, haunting and consistently beautiful piece of work that deserves just as much attention as its more accessible precursors.

1. The Rhythm of the Heat
2. San Jacinto
3. I Have the Touch
4. The Family and the Fishing Net
5. Shock the Monkey
6. Lay Your Hands on Me
7. Wallflower
8. Kiss of Life

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Previous Posts:
Peter Gabriel (Melt)
Peter Gabriel (Scratch)
Peter Gabriel (Car)

Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (Melt) (1980)

2010-02-21T10:11:00.005-06:00

"You know I hate to hurt you / I hate to see your pain / but I don't know how to stop"

The third Peter Gabriel album shows him retreating both from his past in Genesis as well as from the commercial, accessible sound that he embraced on his first two solo efforts. Melt is instead a dark, aggressive, unsettling album that tells stories of break-ins, political assassinations and intense mental decay. This release features his old bandmate Phil Collins on drums and backing vocals, and it's the first time Collins experimented with his gated reverb technique of pounding, punchy drums without any use of cymbals, which lends itself very well to an album like Melt. It also has Gabriel delving further into the realm of electronic rock music, which at the time was still in its infancy. Of all Gabriel's self-titled albums, this is easily the most coherent and consistent of the bunch. If you have to choose one to listen to, it should be Melt. If you're not convinced after listening to "No Self Control", well, you're a lost cause.

1. Intruder
2. No Self Control
3. Start
4. I Don't Remember
5. Family Snapshot
6. And Through the Wire
7. Games Without Frontiers
8. Not One of Us
9. Lead a Normal Life
10. Biko

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Previous Posts:
Peter Gabriel (Scratch)
Peter Gabriel (Car)

Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (Scratch) (1978)

2010-02-20T11:36:00.008-06:00

"I need perspective, I don't trust my eyes"

On Gabriel's second eponymous album, Robert Fripp moves up to the title of producer, and also plays guitar on half the tracks and uses his Frippertronics looping technique on "Exposure". While this record still likes to toe the line between prog and pop, it falls more often on the side of prog. Scratch is perfectly unfocused, meandering through rock, electronics, and even a little bit of reggae on "A Wonderful Day in a One-Way World", with Gabriel's obtuse lyrics managing to strike a personal chord - even if it's not one that you can quite put a finger on. It's not quite as accessible as its predecessor, but despite its experimentation and free-wheeling, it's still a pop album at heart, never passing up an opportunity to pull you in with a catchy hook or infectious keyboard rhythms, seen prominently in the closing of "White Shadow", which is the centerpiece of the album. All four of his self-titled releases are absolutely worth the time of day, but this one might just be my favorite.

1. On the Air
2. D.I.Y.
3. Mother of Violence
4. A Wonderful Day in a One-Way World
5. White Shadow
6. Indigo
7. Animal Magic
8. Exposure
9. Flotsam and Jetsam
10. Perspective
11. Home Sweet Home

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Previous Posts:
Peter Gabriel (Car)

Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (Car) (1977)

2010-02-19T16:46:00.010-06:00

"When illusion spin her net / I'm never where I want to be / and liberty she pirouette / when I think that I am free"

Shortly after leaving Genesis in 1976, Peter Gabriel recorded a string of four self-titled albums between 1977 and 1982, all of which are generally referred to by what image is on each of their respective covers; given the short length of time for that transition to take place, it makes sense that these albums (and this first one in particular) sound strikingly similar to Genesis's work during that period, but there are certainly pronounced differences. With the stigma of being part of a progressive rock band no longer hanging over him, Gabriel was free to make music that, while certainly having some of the trademark bombast of prog, as well as experimentation with electronic music (it was recorded by Robert Fripp, after all) and large orchestration, was remarkably poppy and concise for an artist who not too long before was writing massive rock operas. Depending on how you look at it, Car is either a brilliant example of accessible, digestible, yet still immensely respectable prog rock or a boundary-pushing pop album that still sounds fresh and resilient over 30 years later. Either way, it's not something you should pass up on.

1. Moribund the Burgermeister
2. Solsbury Hill
3. Modern Love
4. Excuse Me
5. Humdrum
6. Slowburn
7. Waiting for the Big One
8. Down the Dolce Vita
9. Here Comes the Flood

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Nada Surf

2010-02-01T10:51:00.003-06:00

Nada Surf is a band that has been sadly overlooked for their entire career, save the success of a few scattered singles ("Popular" and "Always Love", mostly). They've been quietly churning out quality alt rock albums for over a decade, carried along by the commitment of their small-but-dedicated fanbase (they have far more listeners in Europe than in their own country, and do occasionally sing in French). This three-piece New York group started out as a powerpop, perhaps pop-punk setup with the release of High/Low, and while this sound always has a place on subsequent albums, they've largely shifted towards a more mellowed out indie rock style, with lush instrumentation and often sobering moods. Their lyrics are what attract many people; sometimes bordering on cheesiness but never sounding anything less than totally heartfelt, they bring a unique sincerity and a sense of maturity to an otherwise-typical sound.

Their masterpiece, as most people (myself included) will agree, is Let Go, which feels like a sister release to the equally-great Proximity Effect, and has tracks like "Killian's Red" and "Paper Boats" which would be classics in a better world. Their albums are all wonderful, however, and deserve a place in the collection of any music fan. I've gathered together what I believe to be an almost-complete collection of their work, including the final link which is just an unofficial thing I put together of some odds-and-ends, so this post should be helpful to newbies or longtime listeners. As always, don't forget to support this great band if you like what you hear.

LPs

"I'm only safe when I'm dreaming"
High/Low (1996)

"I still say your name when I don't feel right / just like I used to"
The Proximity Effect (1998)

"I'm just a happy kid / stuck with the heart of a sad punk"
Let Go (2002)

"Oh, fuck it / I'm gonna have a party"
The Weight is a Gift (2005)

"Everyone's right, and no one is sorry / that's the start and the end of the story"
Lucky (2008)

Other

"Let's have a day outside for the lonely / they're gonna cry tonight"
Karmic EP (1995)

"We didn't know Jackie O"
North 6th Street (1999)

Live in Brussels (2004)

The Myspace Transmissions (2008)

Rare Tracks

Includes:
Where is My Mind? (Pixies cover) (from "Always Love" single)
Born Curious (from "Always Love" single)
Popular (Live) (from "Deeper Well" single)
Everybody Lies (Acoustic) (from "Deeper Well" single)
Pressure Free (from "Popular" single)
Oh No (from "Popular" single)
Black & White (The Proximity Effect bonus track)
Why Are You So Mean to Me? (from original release of The Proximity Effect)
No Quick Fix (from European release of Let Go)
Run (Let Go bonus track)
Blue Monday (Live)
Popular (Acoustic)
L'aventurier (Indochine)

"And if I'm waiting for nothing / what am I doing?"

Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - The Dust of Retreat (2006)

2010-01-30T12:16:00.005-06:00

"Cause love is an inkless pen / it's a tavern, it's sin / it's a horrible way to begin"

Margot & the Nuclear So and So's make folksy chamber pop, somewhat in the vein of Arcade Fire, but with a much more quaint approach; while there are moments where the band aims for something higher, something a little more universal, such as the opening track "A Sea Chanty of Sorts", the real reason to love this album is for the acoustic soul-baring that dominates most of their sound; they remain firmly tethered to earth, not letting themselves get carried away with bombast or pretension; it's a personal, authentic, genuine album that the 'indie rock' world needs more of

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The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (2004)

2010-01-29T11:48:00.005-06:00

"We came here to rock the microphone / while Dave breaks the record down to the bone"

Feeling more lo-fi, as well as more self-assured than their second album, the Go! Team's debut is still an instant party album; with samples from westerns, cop shows, and everything from 60s pop and funk to late 70s hip-hop, Thunder, Lightning, Strike is an irresistibly retro piece of dance music canon; this album is covered in a rose-tinted nostalgic fog for an era that draws a sharp contrast from the one we live in today, sounding like the soundtrack to a never-made 1983 action show, with all the car chases, sword fights, fearlessness and optimism intact

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Previous Posts:
Proof of Youth

Under the Influence of Giants - Under the Influence of Giants (2006)

2010-01-28T11:11:00.006-06:00

"Meet me in the clouds / let me work it out / don't you take it personal"

You probably haven't found yourself wishing you could find a band who spends too much time listening to their old Bee Gees records, but if you have, you're in luck with Under the Influence of Giants; this self-titled debut isn't exactly a disco album (some tracks are though, especially the semi-hit single "Mama's Room"), but more of an indie pop release with lots of synths and smooth, new wave-ish grooves layered under high-pitched vocals about love affairs and sex; there hasn't been much news about this band's activities since 2006, and it's generally assumed that they're unofficially broken up, and their members have embarked on a number of solo projects (which their myspace is pretty much solely a vehicle to promote, at this point)

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Captain Wilberforce - Everyone Loves a Villain (2008)

2010-01-26T17:03:00.005-06:00

"There are worse things than ghosts, you know / haunting these streets"

I'm always cautious to use the term britpop, because it seems to have some conflicting connotations for different people; regardless of any of that, it certainly applies to this release by power pop singer-songwriter Captain Wilberforce, if only insomuch as this is a pop rock album from Britain with alternative leanings; encapsulating tales of dysfunctional and failed relationships (surprise surprise) in tidy three-to-four-minute packages, and always bringing back memories of the nation's pop greats without forgetting to be his own artist, Captain Wilberforce has made an album that reassures us that pop music can recall the past, can even dance around with it, and manage not to drown in nostalgic hero-worship

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Hey Ocean! - Stop Looking Like Music (2006)

2010-01-25T17:32:00.005-06:00

With songs like "The Beatboxer who Broke My Heart" and "Eskimo Kisses", Hey Ocean! have made a collection of lovestruck, endearing (indie) pop tunes with jazzy, genial female vocals that are surprisingly powerful coming from a little white Canadian girl; you'd be hard-pressed to find a more charming album than this, but at the same time, there's a forcefulness present here that commands your attention and makes sure you can't write this off as "just another pop album"

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Stationary Odyssey - Sons of Boy (2009)

2010-01-24T12:39:00.004-06:00

Here's the newest full-length from Stationary Odyssey, a DIY two-piece from the midwest that makes what most easily falls under the blanket term of post-rock; however, this music feels much more...alive, perhaps, than that term usually implies, because whether they're experimenting with trip-hop, punk, and electronic, or letting their folksy overtones flourish, there's always a lot going on with this group; there is no lazing around with uninspired buildups and unsatisfying crescendos to be found here

Link taken down by request

Myspace
Preview: "Rib Letters"

Previous Posts:
Johnfriend

The Weathered Underground (Film)

2010-01-23T15:44:00.003-06:00

And now for something completely different.

I wouldn't normally post something like this, but it was sent to me and I find it to be an interesting little idea. The Weathered Underground is a film coming out sometime in late January. It's an interactive film, meaning you decide what happens next. It features hundreds of choices to be made and over thirty different endings, so it's sure to be a unique viewer experience. It's the story of a nasty, nasty breakup, and the film looks to have an engaging plot as opposed to just being a silly gimmick. Keep an eye out for it!

The interactive trailer (yes, even the trailer lets you pick what to do) can be viewed here.

Mixtape: Happy Valentine's Day

2010-01-20T17:21:00.009-06:00

A few weeks ago, a reader asked me to make a 'heartbreak mix'. As I told them at the time, I'd actually had one bouncing around in my head for some time, so I soon set out to getting it out on paper. I finished this a couple weeks ago, and I've been dying to post it. I do think that this can be called a heartbreak mix, but it might not be quite what you expect.

I think there's a feeling of disappointment, rather than one of sadness or defeat, running through this. It feels like the loss of naivete. The realization that things don't always work out how you want them to. The acceptance that sometimes, there's just nothing to be done.

Then again, sometimes there is. Sometimes things do work out. Sometimes there's something to be said for naivete.

I'll let you decide.

Title: Happy Valentine's Day
Length: 1:14:46
Download

Side 1: Your Good Friend

1. Alkaline Trio - "Enjoy Your Day"
2. John Mayer - "Kid A"
3. Letting Up Despite Great Faults - "Sun Drips"
4. Beck - "It's All in Your Mind"
5. Architecture in Helsinki - "Untitled"
6. Bad Religion - "Sorrow"
7. Get Set Go - "Ordinary World"
8. Bird by Bird - "Heavy Eyelids (Acoustic Demo)"
9. Nada Surf - "Always Love"
10. Michael Leviton - "Summer's the Worst"
11. The National - "Ashamed of the Story I Told"

Side 2: We're So Young and Insane

1. The Beatles - "I Want to Tell You"
2. Elliott Smith - "Alameda"
3. Metric - "Help, I'm Alive"
4. Bishop Allen - "The News From Your Bed"
5. Radiohead - "True Love Waits"
6. Bad Religion - "Sorrow (Acoustic)"
7. Say Anything - "I Want to Know Your Plans"
8. Vampire Weekend - "I Think Ur a Contra"
9. Coffee & Cigarettes Band - "That's the Way"
10. You, Me, and Everyone We Know - "I Can Get Back Up Now"

Dressed in Wires - DiWFTW (2009)

2010-01-17T13:13:00.004-06:00

Dressed in Wires is an absolutely fabulous experimental project from North England; this album is a dense, complex, sprawling fusion of hip-hop and electronica, sometimes with smooth jazzy beats and obscured rapping, sometimes with violent, in-your-face electronic pounding and walls of distortion tearing into your ears, and always with an odd and inescapable catchiness that leads you to wonder when this is going to start getting some attention (at the moment, it is painfully under the radar)

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Top 100 Albums Recap & Future

2010-01-17T12:39:00.008-06:00

Well, that was fun (and a lot of work).

I hope the 2009 list did something for you, whether it exposed you to some music you hadn't heard before, reinforced some positive opinions you already had, or gave you more reason to hate self-absorbed bloggers who have too many opinions for their own good (what a bunch of assholes). Also, just a thought I had; don't see a 2009 album on the blog (before or after the list) that didn't make the list and think "wow, that must fucking suck if it can't even hit the top 100!"; chances are that I just didn't listen to it enough. Promise.

Also; I'd like to point out that I've uploaded a lot of albums in the past couple of weeks. That's a lot of mediafire links, a lot of .rars, and a lot of room for error. I've already been quietly reuploading and replacing dead or corrupted files, and if you find one, please please please please please tell me about it. That goes for anything else on the blog, too. There are simply too many uploads for me to keep track of them all myself, so you guys telling me when something is fucked is the only way for me to know I need to fix it. Thanks for keeping the blog running smoothly, or as smoothly as possible anyway.

Pretty soon, Watch the Tapes will have reached the one-year mark of active posting (the first couple of months don't really count). To me, that's pretty fucking cool. I'm pretty happy that I've been able to maintain this blog and keep it (apparently) fresh and interesting to hundreds of regular readers without having a big long roster of other posters. You guys seem to enjoy the music I post, enjoy what I have to say about it, enjoy the mixtapes, enjoy the variety. That's what this is all about; you. If nobody read this blog, I wouldn't have much reason to keep doing it. But the numbers of followers and viewers keep going steadily up, which makes me feel like I'm doing something right (comments help too though!).

Basically, I don't see a whole lot of reason to make a lot of big changes to the blog right now. Things seem to be going well, people are digging it, I'm having fun with it, readers are going up. Why fix something that isn't broken?

There are a lot of wonderful blogs out there on the net, some of which I link you to over in the blogroll. But there are a lot of shitty blogs out there too - some of them with followings that dwarf this one - and I do all I can to keep this from becoming one of them. If you think it already is, well, tell me! I'm a big boy, I can take it, just make sure you've got some constructive criticism or else there's not much I can do for you. But fuck, if you've got something to say, say it. I really do like to hear what you guys think, good bad or indifferent.

Anyway, I'm gonna step down from my soapbox here and resume regular posting. As always, hope you guys enjoy the tunes, and spread the word if you do! Cheers and thanks for reading.

WTT: Album of the Year 2009

2010-01-15T12:16:00.004-06:00

1. Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything to Nothing
[Rock]
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"I am but a clean man, stable and alone man / make it so I won't have to try / The faces always stay the same / so I face the fact that I'm just fine / I said that I'm just fine"

There was a lot of great music released in 2009. It was one of the best years of music that I remember, possibly the best. There were literally hundreds of albums that I listened to and enjoyed, and out of the 100 that I chose to include in this list, I initially agonized over what to place at number one. There were so many albums that I absolutely loved, that I could tell from the first moment I heard them would be sticking with me far past the end of 2009. But then it hit me; of all the album placements on this list, number one was actually the easiest of them all. There was no other option. It couldn't be anything else.

It's almost hard to believe that this is only Manchester Orchestra's second album. It sounds like a fearless release from a band who's been at this game for decades, rather than a sophomore album from a bunch of college-aged kids from Georgia. But it just proves that a classic album can come from anywhere and anyone. That's what this is destined to become, by the way - a classic.

Mean Everything to Nothing is the kind of album that really doesn't come around very often. From Andy Hull's opening squeal of "I am the only one that thinks I'm going crazy", it's obvious that you're in for something really, really special. This album is a thundering, triumphant rock record, with raw emotion that ranges from angry hellfire to overpowering, all-consuming love and everything in between. It's an album that leaves the listener not just winded, but completely exhausted from the unconstrained passion that runs thick through every song. This album flows seamlessly from furious screams of rage to soft, subtle, touching moments of beauty and compassion.

It's an album about friends, about enemies, about lovers, about family, about passion and sadness and love and heartbreak and joy. This is an album about life, and it doesn't shy away from the pain or the happiness. It's not an inherently optimistic album, but it's not pessimistic, either; I've rarely heard an album that so totally encapsulates the ups and downs of life, the twists and turns, the triumphs and failures, simply allowing the listener to decide for themselves. At the end of the day, this album is going to reinforce whatever worldview you already hold, and it will do so powerfully and without flinching. It will get in your face, it will scream at you and burst your eardrums, it will cry on your shoulder, it will hold your hand and bring you close. Mean Everything to Nothing won't take over your life; if will become part of it.

WTT: Top 100 Albums of 2009 (10-2)

2010-01-14T16:32:00.015-06:00

2. Eminem - Relapse

[Hip-hop]
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"I know some shit's so tough to swallow / but I can't just sit back and wallow in my own sorrow / but I know one fact / I'll be one tough act to follow"

After disappearing into drug addiction and personal demons for five years, Eminem came back in 2009 with Relapse to tell us all about it, and also to catch the tail-end of a decade in which he was the most consistent and most important hip-hop artist in music - a statement I say without hyperbole. Gone are the politics and self-righteousness that dragged down his most recent album Encore, replaced with the return of his Slim Shady alter-ago. Eminem is back to writing songs about doing drugs and killing people, and while it's a welcome return, the difference is that this album also offers some clear insight into Mathers' life, especially in the second half, where the accented lunatic largely takes a backseat once again to the 'real' Marshall. Relapse is an album of contrasts that Eminem typically has avoided in the past, because rather than splitting the Slim tracks and the Marshall tracks into two albums like he would have done seven or eight years ago, he lines them up right next to each other and celebrates the comparisons that can be drawn and highlights where the real-life inspiration for his alter-ego tracks comes from. Some artists can't ever return from such a long break and be intact, and while Eminem has certainly had some falters and mistakes, this album proves that he's not even close to being done. Shady's back.

3. k-os - Yes!
[Hip-hop, reggae]
Myspace | Try It

"I'm just a man / who spent a hundred grand / on a bottle of wine / I'm just a man / who knows a plan / to get rid of time"

On his latest album, k-os is equal parts soulful, longing crooner and rapid-fire rhyme-spitter. Yes! is an album that revels in these contrasts, speeding along unexplored paths and maintaining a sense of coherency despite the many directions he takes. People who are bored with the typical hip-hop sound would be wise to indulge themselves this album, with its incorporation of funk, soul, reggae, pop and rock that blend together into a mature, focused, polished work that stands shoulder to shoulder with the strongest hip-hop albums of the past decade.

4. Tommy Sparks - Tommy Sparks
[New wave, pop]
Myspace | Try It

"Well these things happen / when you look at someone / and it gets too precious to you / This must be love again / I feel much better than I have in a long, long time"

It wasn't really that long ago that I was driving around in the middle of the night to and from who knows where, blasting this album with the windows down and my shitty stereo system hissing at me threateningly, wondering why the hell nobody but me seemed to be paying attention to Tommy Sparks. I guess that didn't last long though, because now I can't go two days without hearing "She's Got Me Dancing" on an iTouch commercial. Unfortunately the rest of the album hasn't quite caught up with that song's hype, so here I am doing my small part to help the cause. This Swedish newcomer has released a debut album of insanely dancey, '80s-worshiping new wave pop that will have you bobbing your head and tapping your feet and singing along for days. Turn it up, and get down.

5. Bomb the Music Industry! - Scrambles
[Punk rock]
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"I'm twenty-five / and I still act like I am TEN GODDAMN YEARS OLD"

Jeff Rosenstock, will you ever stop being great? I don't believe so. Who'd have thought that this band that basically consists of a bunch of assholes who like to do drunken singalongs instead of actual shows could make one of the best albums of the year? Okay, I probably would have thought that, but that's just me. Scrambles is the best Bomb the Music Industry! album yet, released as always for free on Quote Unquote Records. On this album, they drop all the hints of their ska past, and go for broke (literally) with piano and ballads and pseudo-death growls about shitty bands. The dosage of charming personality that holds together BtMI!'s drunken insanity is stronger than ever here, which is what makes this album such a cut above their previous work (which, for the record, I loved). Sloppy and silly and heartwarmingly honest, Scrambles is what punk rock is all about. Punk is dead? Not fucking quite.

6. fun. - Aim and Ignite
[Indie pop, baroque pop]
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"Come on with me, sing along with me / let the wind catch your feet / If you love somebody / you better let them know"

If Freddie Mercury rose from the dead and reformed Queen for a new generation (none of that Paul Rodgers shit), this might be what they'd sound like. Defining the term 'anthemic', Aim and Ignite is, to put it simply, a bombastic masterpiece of orchestral pop. Shamelessly ostentatious and gloriously over the top, this album lives up to its band's name and then some; it's probably the most fun I've had listening to music in the past year. From the roaring opener of "Be Calm" to the heart-stopping eight-minute closer "Take Your Time (Coming Home)", the band urges you to not get caught up in a lot of unnecessary bullshit, but instead of sounding mindlessly optimistic and shallow, there's something about their message that strikes home and you can't help but want to do what they say. This album makes you want to stop and feel the breeze rush over your face, slow down and smell the the scents of the trees, stroll through the halls of the world holding onto the friends who are with you on this crazy journey of life. Life-affirming doesn't even begin to cover it.

7. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
[Psychedelic rock]
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"See, the sun's gonna rise / and take your fears away"

Music like this is why it's almost cool to live in Oklahoma. Just when we thought we were starting to figure these guys out, they go and drop an album like Embryonic on us, and force us to throw out all our expectations. So it goes. Gone are the pretty synth-prog sounds of their past few albums; this double-album is an absolutely mammoth release of dirty psych rock. While this is certainly their most inaccessible album to date, and is totally overwhelming even after multiple listens, it's also one of their best. The sheer density of this release is enough to scare away a lot of listeners, who might skim through it once and run back to Yoshimi and The Soft Bulletin, but when you take the time to absorb it, soak it in and embrace it, this album proves itself to be almost endlessly rewarding. Every listen tunes you in to a whole new set of quirks and little sonic experiments that went totally unnoticed the last time around. This is really an album for the ages.

8. P.O.S - Never Better
[Alternative hip-hop]
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"Sugar in the gas tank / nothing in the cash box / thought that we were so sick, looking like it's small pox / The bullets are still on the shelves / but when the armory empties, we're melting down the bells"

It's always a fun ride to see an artist go from good to great, which is what happened between P.O.S's debut and sophomore releases. But it's really something special when that same artist then proceeds to get even better, which is exactly what this Minneapolis rapper of the Doomtree collective did on Never Better, his third album - he's never been better than this, and he knows it. Intelligent, politicized, humanistic hip-hop, this album is the type of artistic statement that's getting rarer and rarer; not very often is an artist's music so simultaneously honest, meaningful, and overwhelmingly passionate. With lyrics that will continually floor you and beats that will make sure you don't forget his words anytime soon, Never Better is the kind of album that turns up the heat on that flickering little flame buried deep down in everyone's chest.

9. The Matches - the Matches album 4, unreleased; graphics? title? or not needed?
[Pop-punk, alt rock]
Myspace | Try It

"Either someone shot the duke / or I'm talking scrambled eggs / either I been let down easy / or these shoes done stole my legs"

The high placement of this album might seem biased after the ubiquitous praise I've heaped onto the Matches, especially in the last four or five months, but dammit, it deserves to be here. As a 'final' farewell to their fans, this Oakland pop-punk (this term still feels lacking for them and probably always will) group gathered together the remains of their unfinished fourth album and quickly gave it a digital release through Bandcamp. A grower like all their others, album 4 contains the first material the band recorded new bassist Dylan Rowe, and the kid fits right in, bringing out a jamminess in the group's sound that hasn't been there since the were called the Locals and played ska punk. I'm pretty sure I listened to this album more than any other last year, thanks in no small part to its near-constant rotation during an 18-hour road trip. I've done enough singing of the Matches' praises in the past, so I'll try to not turn this little blurb into a sprawling mess; if this really does turn out to be the final release from the Matches, I think I'll be okay with it, because I can't think of a more satisfying end-piece to their fabulous career.

10. Slow Club - Yeah So

[Twee, folk]
Myspace | Try It

"We wrote these songs / and we lost our minds / and all our most brilliant friends / are doubting themselves"

Well, Slow Club certainly took their sweet time releasing their debut album after a string of EPs and singles, but it was worth the wait. This duo from Sheffield, if you don't know by now, make lovely twee pop that is simply impossible to resist. Taking on the harsh realities of love from the naive, hopeful perspective of youthful optimists, Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor are simply impossible to resist. Yeah So is a magnificently joyous album of brave, raucous, heartfelt tunes that strike a chord with everyone who hears them.

WTT: Top 100 Albums of 2009 (20-11)

2010-01-13T18:00:00.019-06:00

11. John Frusciante - The Empyrean

[Psychedelic rock, singer-songwriter]
Myspace | Try It

For those of you who don't understand John Frusciante's recent announcement that he has officially left Red Hot Chili Peppers, I'll put it pretty plainly; he left because with the Chilis, he could never make music like this. The Empyrean is a sprawling psychedelic adventure into the mind of one of music's most unique and unwavering talents. Whether he's covering Tim Buckley or crafting roaring, anthemic epics like "Central", Frusciante never - NEVER - falters on this album. His previous solo work has all been incredible, but there's always been a sense that he's been torn between that work and his commitment to RHCP. Without that restraint upon him, his creativity has been totally unleashed, and he's given us the first glimpse into what he can achieve without anything tying him down. John Frusciante is in the process of turning from a celebrated guitarist into nothing short of a modern artistic legend.

12. Say Anything - Say Anything
[Pop-punk, alt rock]
Myspace | Try It

Is this album ...is a Real Boy? No, it's not. Do I care? No, not really. Say Anything's self-titled fourth album may be a disappointment to some, but to me it's a sign that one of my favorite bands is coming back down to earth, after swimming around in the mucks of obnoxious bloat that plagued their last album. Full of ripping guitars, catchy hooks and the awesome lines we can always count on from Max Bemis, Say Anything is one of the most addicting albums I've heard in a long time (this would be even higher on the list if I were going by playcount, perhaps at the top). If you've written this band off as mindless pop-punk, listen to them. If you've written this album off as not worth the time, stop being a jackass and listen to it.

13. Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul
[Art rock]
Myspace | Try It

This album has been tragically caught up in a legal standstill brought about by record label bullshit, a situation which will probably keep it from ever being officially released, but which hasn't kept it from being spread wildly across the internet (especially after this was not-so-subtly encouraged by Danger Mouse). A curious and haunting collaboration, Dark Night of the Soul features an all-star cast of guest vocalists, among them Wayne Coyne, Frank Black, Iggy Pop, Vic Chesnutt, Julian Casablancas, James Mercer and David Lynch (yeah, that David Lynch - he also contributed a 100-page book of photos to the album's doomed release). Almost impossible to pin down in a genre, this album is a far-reaching affair of lush, artsy alternative rock, taken again and again in different directions by the myriad of performers and styles that all came together for this unbelievable release.

14. Eyedea & Abilities - By the Throat
[Hip-hop]
Myspace | Try It

By the Throat shows this hip-hop duo making a pretty large shift stylistically, leading to it being called by some "Eyedea & Abilities' Radiohead album". While I, admittedly, do not really know what the fuck this means, perhaps it means something to you, or at least motivates you to check out the album, which is of course the goal of me writing this at all. I suppose it has something to do with the abstract feel given to a lot of the album, carried along by Abilities' incredible production skills and Eyedea's passionate verses about women and pain and death. But don't worry, because it's not all gloom and doom - "Smile" is an uplifting call-to-arms for happiness and contentment, and it's remained one of my favorite songs of the year since the first time I heard it.

15. Eels - Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire
[Alt rock, singer-songwriter]
Myspace | Try It

It took four years for Mark Oliver Everett's band Eels to follow up 2005's mammoth double-album Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, but it's finally here and it doesn't disappoint. Hombre Lobo, a contrast album about desire, shows the group contrasting their ballsy rock 'n roll with the slow, sad songs of longing and loss that have arguably put Eels where they are. A lot of you probably have very limited exposure to this band, an album or two or perhaps only a song or two, so if you're looking for more, this isn't a bad place to start.

16. My Heart to Joy - Seasons in Verse
[Emo, post-hardcore]
Myspace | Try It

This jammy, emotional, intense post-hardcore album has been getting a fair amount of attention in certain circles, and seems poised to even have some potential breakthrough success. The debut full-length of Connecticut group My Heart to Joy, Seasons in Verse is a rollercoaster ride of pain and heartbreak that knows how to keep its own spirits up, never ceasing to be, for lack of a more poignant term, fun. There are a lot of bands like this that are essentially faceless and nameless and soundless, but My Heart to Joy is a group that might really be headed somewhere.

17. John Parish and Polly Jean Harvey - A Woman A Man Walked By
[Alt rock, singer-songwriter]
Myspace | Try It

When two artists as brilliant as PJ Harvey and John Parish collide into one another, it's hard for the resulting record to even contain the artistic strength that results from that collision. The first - and until now, last - time that the two artists did a collaboration together was almost fifteen years ago, with Dance Hall at Louse Point. If you thought that album was great (it was), get ready to have your mind blown by A Woman A Man Walked By. With Harvey writing all lyrics and performing all vocals, and most instrumentation being handled by Parish, this album highlights the contrasts between these two very different artists. There are times when John's strange, out-there instrumental interludes flourish, and in other moments (such as the downright-frightening "Pig Will Not") the trademark freeform insanity and rock experimentation present on PJ's earlier work (an era that echoes strongly throughout the entire release) is allowed to dominate. This album is playful, dangerous, powerful, and totally unlike just about anything else you've ever heard.

18. A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head
[Shoegaze, noise rock]
Myspace | Try It

This noisy, psychedelic group of Brooklyn shoegazers bring a gritty and dirty sound to a genre that is far too often obsessed with sounding pretty. I'd recommend seeing them live to really get a full appreciation for how great they are, but until your next opportunity to do so rolls around, make do with drowning yourself in their dense, layered wall of sound. While their debut was more abstract and spacey, on Exploding Head A Place to Bury Strangers heap mountains of noise and distortion onto things that if you strip everything away, could probably make it as pop songs. They're one hell of a band, and they're just getting better and better.

19. Brand New - Daisy
[Alt rock, emo]
Myspace | Try It

Brand New's fanbase seems to be divided in an odd, three-way split. There are people who love their 2006 epic The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, and see its brilliance as an excuse to discount their two earlier albums. There are other people, caught up in the nostalgia of their youth, who like to claim that Deja Entendu is basically the greatest album ever made, while The Devil and God simply tried - and failed - to emulate it. Then in the third group are the tattooed pop-punk kids who worship the band's debut Your Favorite Weapon, bemoaning the (fairly accurate) assumption that Brand New sorta grew out of their own music. Well, fuck all those people. The band's newest album apparently has gotten caught up in the dust of this never-ending conflict, because no one really seems to care about it. So let me join the lone and scattered voices recognizing Daisy for what it is - a massive, complex, thundering addition to an incredible catalog of an incredible band. No matter your opinion on this band, you should experience this album.

20. Tegan and Sara - Sainthood

[Indie pop, new wave]
Myspace | Try It

Tegan and Sara reached the height of their girly poppiness with 2007's The Con, and on their new album this Canadian twin sister duo remembered how to rock out. Of course, Sainthood is still a pop album, and their new wave guitars and keyboards are still front and center. But this album rattles along at an often breakneck speed, exploring their most common theme of love - and all its emotional twists and turns - frantically searching for answers and usually just finding more questions and complications. C'est la vie.

WTT: Top 100 Albums of 2009 (30-21)

2010-01-11T18:25:00.018-06:00

21. Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist

[Psychedelic, alt rock]
Myspace Try It

This experimental rock band has wide-ranging influences, from folk to psychedelic rock to prog, and they've been keeping themselves pretty busy, releasing an album every year (something not many bands do anymore). But instead of churning out a stream of uninspired dribble, Portugal. The Man continues to push their sound in new directions. The Satanic Satanist is a mellow alt rock album drenched in psychedelia, and it warrants repeated plays, over and over and over (it's an awesome roadtrip album - tested and proven). Something of an amorphous blob made up of similar tracks, every listen brings a new song out of the muck to pop out as your favorite.

22. Harvey Danger - Dead Sea Scrolls
[Alt rock, powerpop]
Myspace Try It

I've made no secret of my love for Harvey Danger, nor of my sadness and disappointment at their recent breakup. But they've left us a wonderful parting gift in the form of Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of demos, live recordings, and various other rare or unreleased tracks (such as their covers of The English Beat's "Save it for Later" and Hall & Oates' "Maneater", both of which they do justice to). This may not be an 'album' per sey, if you're one of those violently-opposed-to-compilations type, but see if I care.

23. Passion Pit - Manners
[Electropop]
Myspace

Passion Pit's 2008 Chunk of Change EP was a fabulous release, and showed a lot of promise. Their show in support of Ra Ra Riot in early 2009 was equally great, and left me with even more hope about what they could accomplish. But this...well, this is just totally above and beyond what I ever anticipated this unassuming little group from Cambridge was capable of. With soaring falsetto vocals that shouldn't even be possible, and carefree, flowing beats that urge you - no, demand you - to get up and move your ass, Manners is an amazingly crafted debut album of delicious electropop tunes that will stay lodged in your head for weeks at a time. If you've avoided the hype train on these guys until now, it's time to drop the act and get the fuck on board, because the party's in full swing.

24. Why? - Eskimo Snow
[Folk rock, alt rock]
Myspace Try It

Yoni Wolf's Berkeley group used to be pretty non-debatably hip-hop, albeit an odd, mutant version of it. Well, that's out the door on Eskimo Snow (there was an odd trend in 09 for bands folksing up their sound, eh?). But let's be honest; we're here for the lyrics. Wolf's intricate, unusual wordplay is still in top form here, so no worries there. While some tracks here may lead the listener to view this album as leftovers from 2008's Alopecia, that quickly becomes a clear untruth, because there are others such as "Into the Shadows of My Embrace" (one of the best songs in Why?'s entire catalog) that give this album a sound all its own. Eskimo Snow is a hauntingly personal and intimate record, and shows one of my favorite groups dropping a lot of the off-the-wall weirdness that puts some people off in favor of a more straighforward, heart-to-heart approach.

25. Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers
[Rock]
Myspace Try It

Composed entirely with songs written by original lyricist Richey Edwards, who mysteriously vanished off the face of the earth in 1995, Journal for Plague Lovers is a tour de force by a group that's had varying levels of success and failure since that loss. Not to downplay the triumphs of Nicky Wire, as he's a fine lyricist in his own right, but the re-emergence of the past voice of the Manics feels like a huge return to form. With a confidant and assured sound, this album sinks its teeth in early and doesn't ever let go, dragging you along through all the twists and turns of Edwards' tortured mind. This is what a rock band is supposed to sound like.

26. Andrew Jackson Jihad - Can't Maintain
[Folk rock, punk]
Myspace Try It

Andrew Jackson Jihad, if you're somehow not aware by now, is undeniably the shit. They're a folk punk group from Phoenix who make frantically cheerful, impossibly charming acoustic rock, usually with no more than an acoustic guitar and a stand-up bass. With personal, heartfelt lyrics, with topics ranging from politics and the evils of smoking to snobbish, no-talent hipsters, and with song titles like "Love Will Fuck Us Apart", how can you not fucking love this band? They're getting bigger and bigger with each release; how long until world take-over?

27. Punch - Punch
[Hardcore]
Myspace Try It

This thrashy hardcore band from San Francisco make tunes that have no problem ripping your face off and then stapling it back to your head, upside down. With blistering female vocals, pummeling guitars, smothering bass and totally aggressive drumming, this group has been turning a lot of heads the past few months. Their self-titled debut doesn't have much of a run time (half the tracks don't even hit the one-minute mark), but it's a pounding assault from start to finish. Punch is fucking pissed, and they're going to let you know about it.

28. mewithoutYou - it's all crazy! it's all false! it's all a dream! it's alright
[Folk]
Myspace Try It

Those familiar with mewithoutYou (which in a better world would be everyone) have spent their career making some of the best post-hardcore music of the decade. Over the last couple of albums, however, they've gotten progressively calmer and more mature, adding a finer touch to their music, and on it's all crazy, they ditch the post-hardcore sound entirely and instead make a straight-up acoustic folk album. That's not to say that there aren't some rockers to be had here, but for the most part this is a relaxed, thoughtful affair. Lyrically, it might be their best effort yet, and musically, it's so different from their previous work that it feels odd to even compare it. Some diehard fans of the group have been disappointed by this release; I think those people just can't handle a little change.

29. The Duckworth Lewis Method - The Duckworth Lewis Method
[Baroque pop]
Myspace Try It

This newly-formed baroque pop duo can't pick an influence and stick with it. On one song, they might want to be the Beach Boys, on the next, maybe they want to be the B-52's. The most immediate comparison that comes to my mind is that they remind me of an of Montreal that smokes pot and occasionally rolls ex, instead of doing lines of coke in the bathroom and dropping acid backstage (no, that's not fair - Kevin Barnes does strike me as a legitimately weird dude, drugs or no drugs). If that doesn't make any sense (it probably doesn't), what I mean is that for the most part they're pretty chilled out, aside from the occasional dance-rock freakout.

30. Mouse on the Keys - An Anxious Object

[Jazz, math rock]
Myspace Try It

Mouse on the Keys are a math-rocky jazz band from Japan who got together three or four years ago. An Anxious Object is their super-energetic debut full-length, and it's a doozy, full of frantic instrumentation by all members (but down-key and relaxed in all the right places). This three-piece got an an uncomfortably small amount of attention for this album in the past year, so listen to it, and they'll almost certainly be one fan stronger.

WTT: Top 100 Albums of 2009 (40-31)

2010-01-10T13:17:00.018-06:00

31. God Help the Girl - God Help the Girl

[Twee, indie pop]
Myspace | Try It

The soundtrack to a Stuart Murdoch-written film of the same name - which we're all still waiting to see - could probably be written off by many as an unneeded Belle & Sebastian side-project, especially since two of the tracks are reworkings of B&S songs. But since God Help the Girl certainly sounds a hell of a lot like the Scottish twee group (how could it not?), it fills the hole in our hearts left by the recent absence of new material from them instead of coming across as little more than a name change.

32. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
[Indie pop, electronic]
Myspace | Try It

Phoenix is a band that I've liked for years without even realizing it. Their track "Too Young" has always been one of my favorites on the Lost in Translation Soundtrack, and it took me months of seeing Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix being hyped to hell and back to put the pieces together and realize I should probably jump on top of this album. That turned out to be one of the best decisions I made all year, because this album is a a great piece of swooning indie pop. There's a lot of strength in the hit singles we've all heard, but there's also a lot to be said for the album tracks, such as the 7-and-a-half minute "Love Like a Sunset", which slowly builds momentum on the basis of a thoughtful ambient soundscape. Phoenix isn't a flavor of the month - they're the real deal.

33. Holly Conlan - Fascinator
[Pop, folk]
Myspace | Try It (.m4a)

Holly Conlan is probably the best thing that the iTunes Single of the Week has ever done for me. Two or three years ago I found her single "You are Goodbye", and since then I've been searching the internet up-and-down for the rest of her music. So how pleasantly surprised was I to find that she had a new album? Conlan is a singer-songwriter who makes poppy folk music that haunts and enamors. She sounds like that really talented singer at the restaurant or bar you frequent, who you hear and wonder "when is this girl going to get discovered?". By this I mean that Holly comes across as a classy, honest, no-nonsense girl-next-door artist without any delusions of grandeur or stardom. Instead of churning out over-produced, transient garbage to be the next Carrie Underwood (which she could probably do), she's content to make music that lingers in the minds of a few, rather than breezing in one ear and out the other of many.

34. Weezer - Raditude
[Powerpop]
Myspace | Try It

I'd like you to take a moment to look at this album cover. Just look at it. Next, imagine what kind of music should be behind that cover. Think about it for a moment. Now listen to this album - it's going to be exactly what you expect. From the insanely campy title and album cover, to the advertising campaign wherein you can buy a snuggie adorned with the Weezer logo, to the music itself which features a lot of songs about girls and parties and one about riding escalators at the mall, nothing about Raditude is anything less than totally redonkulous (I went there). Oh, and did I mention there's a collab with Lil' Wayne?

35. Future of the Left - Travels With Myself and Another
[Punk, alt rock]
Myspace | Try It

Future of the Left is a really, really weird band, which isn't all that surprising considering they rose from the ashes of Cardiff group Mclusky. With strange, yelping vocals and uneasy, aggressive, jumpy instrumentation, this three-piece keeps the listener on their toes all throughout their second release of noisy, pointed, angry punk rock. When this album ends, you're left there wondering what just happened - no matter how many times you listen to it, you probably won't know. I sure as hell don't.

36. Stardeath and White Dwarfs - The Birth
[Psychedelic rock]
Myspace | Try It

Have you spent the last decade bemoaning the loss of the Flaming Lips' earlier, dirtier, more mucked-up psychedelic rock, as opposed to their more recent synth-prog poppiness? You're in luck, because this Oklahoma City band (which just so happens to include Wayne Coyne's nephew Dennis) brings back that sound, albeit with more of a dancey, modern edge. Existing in an apparent haze of acid tablets and marijuana smoke, Stardeath and White Dwarfs have created a catchy, druggy, unforgettable debut album that has them embracing the past in their most obvious influences, while at the same time mastering a new sound all their own. This is a band everyone should be keeping an eye on.

37. Chinese Telephones - Democracy
[Pop-punk, 'orgcore']
Myspace | Try It

Chinese Telephones were a short-lived pop-punk band from Milwaukee, Wisconson that nobody outside of the orgcore/beard punk scene (fucking christ, there really need to be some new terms for gruff pop-punk) ever really knew existed. Democracy, aside from being a mocking reference to Chinese Democracy (an album that doesn't really need to be mocked - Axl Rose does most of the work for us), is a career retrospective release, made up of the band's rare tracks that they released on splits and comps throughout their short run, including some alternate versions of tracks on their self-titled full-length release.

38. Deastro - Moondagger
[Dream pop, synth pop]
Myspace | Try It

This Detroit-based electronic musician makes his music in a basement with children's toys and synthesizers, and while the mood can seem abstract, don't overlook the fact that this album is full of catchy melodies and undeniable pop structure. Deastro creates music with a spacey, psychedelic quality, Moondagger causing a feeling not unlike watching a meteor shower, or riding one of those 3D theme park attractions where you fly around in a spaceship and blow shit up (those are trippy as fuck, aren't they?).

39. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
[Alt rock, synth rock]
Myspace | Try It

The New York group Yeah Yeah Yeahs took on a more synth-driven approach on It's Blitz!, with fantastic results. No more are the YYYs a disposable indie rock band, churning out little more than a worthwhile single here or there. Their third album is a synth rock materwork of dark, violent artistry. Their new wave overtones have never been more apparent, and they've never sounded more like a band who knows exactly what they're doing.

40. MC Lars - This Gigantic Robot Kills

[Nerdcore hip-hop, pop-punk]
Myspace | Try It

How can you not love a guy who decided to make up his own genre and call it post-punk laptop rap? This Berkeley MC is no newcomer to the nerdcore game, and on his newest album he's been pulling in even more well-deserved fans. He raps (sorta) about such crucial topics as his failed attempts at being hyphy, his drummer's messy house, and a kid who gets so tired of being bullied that he builds a giant ska-powered robot to rampage through the city and destroy his enemies (I'm not joking). If you're not already checking this out, you're a lost cause.

WTT: Top 100 Albums of 2009 (50-41)

2010-01-08T17:13:00.015-06:00

41. Poison the Well - The Tropic Rot

[Post-hardcore, metalcore]
Myspace | Try It

Skirting the dangerous line between metalcore and good music, Poison the Well manage to never fall on the wrong side of that fence, and end up kicking all kinds of ass in the process. The Tropic Rot is an undeniable masterpiece by a group who seems to care less about genres and more about passionate music that pushes the boundaries of a scene and doesn't pull any punches.

42. Mos Def - The Ecstatic
[Hip-hop]
Myspace | Try It

A lot of hip-hop tries to get in your face; tries to impress you and wow you by being the biggest and the best. Mos Def decided to do something different. On The Ecstatic, he opts for a low-key, schizophrenic release of patchy coherency but perpetual brilliance. Before this release, I think a lot of us had begun to forget that Mos Def was, in fact, a rapper, and not just an actor. But anyone paying attention to this album won't forget his hip-hop chops anytime soon.

43. P.S. Eliot - Introverted Romance in Our Troubled Minds
[Lo-fi, pop-punk]
Myspace | Try It

I've been pimping out this homely little release from Birmingham group P.S. Eliot for the last six months, and I'm not done yet. Made up of three chicks - and one dude on guitar - this band is guaranteed to charm your pants off (literally?). Making cinnamon-sweet, deceptively-innocent lo-fi pop-punk, this four-piece has been making significant waves, especially considering the barren wasteland that is Alabama, and I can only hope they continue to do so.

44. Alexisonfire - Old Crows / Young Cardinals
[Post-hardcore]
Myspace | Try It

Say what you will about the most vocal of their fanbase, but Alexisonfire is one of the best post-hardcore groups around, and has been for quite a while. They continued the trend on Old Crows / Young Cardinals, with dueling vocals swinging between screaming and clean singing dominating the sound as always. This is loud and pissed off and aggressive as fuck, and an essential 2009 release for any punk fan, as long as you're willing to sacrifice a little hipster cred.

45. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
[Jangle pop, twee]
Myspace | Try It

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart got a lot of hype in 2009, most of which was deserved. They wear their jangle pop influences on their sleeves, taped up right next to their hearts. I feel like there isn't much to be said about them that hasn't been said already, but this is a lovingly crafted slice of twee revival that shouldn't be passed up by anyone.

46. We are Hex - Gloom Bloom
[Noise rock, psychedelic]
Myspace | Try It

The first description I ever read of We are Hex was that they were a "messy pile of pop slop", and, well, my hopes couldn't have been higher after hearing that. Luckily, this Indianapolis group didn't disappoint. This album consists of fuzzy, off-the-wall psychedelic madness, with booming drums and pulsating rhythms, and a female vocalist who reminds me in a big way of PJ Harvey; in fact, this release isn't a whole lot unlike a more chaotic version of Harvey's early work.

47. Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue
[Hard rock, grunge]
Myspace | Try It

Who'd have thought we'd ever actually see this album released? Not me. Who'd have thought it would actually be good? Not me, and probably not you. But Alice in Chains has never been a band to adhere to expectations. Their first album in fourteen years, Black Gives Way to Blue is also their first album to feature William DuVall on lead vocals (a position which he fills brilliantly and powerfully), after the death of Layne Staley that most of us saw to be the final nail in the coffin for this grunge powerhouse. Opening with the lines "Hope / a new beginning / time to start living / like just before we died", this album does exactly that; this isn't a modern radio-rock version of Alice in Chains. It sounds like not a day has passed since the era of Dirt and Jar of Flies. It's a curious thing that an album bringing me back to the fields of early '90s grunge could sound like such a breath of fresh air.

48. Fanfarlo - Reservoir
[Alt rock, indie pop]
Myspace | Try It

Arcade Fire didn't release an album in 2009, so Reservoir seems to have taken, at least temporarily, the space reserved in my heart for that third album. But while Fanfarlo's folksy indie pop may bear a lot of resemblance to Arcade Fire, they mostly take a more reserved, cautious route, often bordering on twee, but still featuring quite a few moments of larger-than-life, bombastic alt rock.

49. Afraid! - Megaloklift
[Post-hardcore, psychedelic]
Myspace | Try It

Afraid! is an Italian screamo band who plays a furious mix of post-punk, psychedelia, and post-hardcore, which means they end up sounding less like a screamo band and more like a strange little hardcore oddity. Regardless of what you want to label it as, Megaloklift is a loud and jammy release with biting vocals and shimmering guitar sounds.

50. Telefon Tel Aviv - Immolate Yourself

[Electronic, synth pop]
Myspace | Try It

Immolate Yourself, the third album from this New Orleans electronic duo, was released just a week before Charles Cooper, one half of Telefon Tel Aviv, was found dead in a park after mixing alcohol and sleeping pills. Certainly that adds to the intrigue of this complex, pop-tinged electronic release. On this album, the duo opted to switch to analog tape and synthesizers, which gives their music a dark, hazy, shadowy sense of danger. That this will most likely be their last album is a hell of a heartbreaker.

WTT: Top 100 Albums of 2009 (60-51)

2010-01-06T17:26:00.016-06:00

51. Thrice - Beggars

[Alt rock]
Myspace | Try It

Oh, Thrice. You've always been hit-and-miss for me, but on this newest album, you've gotten a magnificent hit, in my mind at least. Beggars isn't going to please everyone, especially big fans of their older work. This is not a post-hardcore album, in any sense of the term. What it is is the sound of a band who's grown up, matured, and realized they don't need - or want - to stick to any kind of formula or pattern. While this has more in common with their last few albums, I'd say it's much more clear-headed than those releases, and for a band who seems to have turned their back entirely on their past, that can only be a good thing.

52. Urthboy - Spitshine
[Hip-hop]
Myspace | Try It

One of the oddest - as well as one of the most oddly consistent - things about my musical taste is that I don't like Australian music. Maybe there's just too much of a culture gap or something, but 80% of what I've heard from that country seems to consist of cheap, quasi-quirky imitation of other bands. Maybe they just assume no one is listening, so no one will notice. But enough about that - Urthboy is a wonderful Australian artist, which is something I always enjoy finding. Spitshine is his third album, and what hooked me in initially was the brilliant video for the brilliant track "Hellsong". Try to get it out of your head.

53. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us
[Psychedelic, electronic]
Myspace | Try It

I guess this Pittsburg psych group must have gotten tired of making blissed-out releases which are essentially the sonic representations of drug trips, because on Eating Us, their fourth album with the name Black Moth Super Rainbow, they decided to actually make things that can be called songs. It's almost a pop album! Still, this is the BMSR we've all grown to know over the past decade, so don't be turned away if you're one of those odd folks with irrational fears of traditional pop structures in your music.

54. jj - jj n° 2
[Electronic, pop]
Try It

I'm going to be honest - I've got mad fuckin' respect for any band who can turn Lil' Wayne's "Lollipop" into a dream pop song. This media-shy group from Sweden did just that on their second album, and the results are surprisingly awesome. jj n° 2 is barely long enough to be called a full-length, and that - along, of course, with its ethereal sound and obscured lyrics - lends itself very well to repeated plays. This is the type of album you have trouble just spinning once.

55. Johnny Foreigner - Grace and the Bigger Picture
[Indie pop, alt rock]
Myspace | Try It

I've heard some people refer to this band as 'noise-pop', and while I find this term to be downright vile, I suppose it is a fairly good description of what they sound like. Johnny Foreigner draws a lot of comparison to Los Campesinos!, except instead of the Sarah Records catalog sitting on their shelves, they have an overabundance of Touch and Go releases. Chaotic and sarcastic and, yes, noisy, but with a sweet and surprisingly innocent heart, this album throttles you along for roughly 30 minutes, leaving you unsure if you did a line of coke, or just ate a really big bowl of cereal with sugar poured on top.

56. Bishop Allen - Grrr...
[Indie pop, folk]
Myspace | Try It

There are bands who keep doing the same album over and over, to the point where everyone gets bored, and the band stops mattering. Then there are bands like Bishop Allen, who find a formula that works and stick with it to the great contentment of their fans. There's certainly nothing in this release that hasn't been heard before, but this Brooklyn group isn't concerned with pushing boundaries or jumping on the newest trend. They just want to sit around with their guitars, piano, and maybe a ukulele or two, and do all they can to put a smile on your face. So far, they haven't dropped the ball on that one.

57. Sugarplum Fairies - Chinese Leftovers
[Dream pop, jangle pop]
Myspace | Try It

This release was one of my mainstays of 2009. Sugarplum Fairies are a guy/girl duo from LA who make jangly, dreamy, folksy indie pop with a lazy-Sunday-afternoon feel to it (maybe I'm only saying that because of the track "I Hate Saturdays"). Some of this calls to mind the slower, mid-career work of the Velvet Underground, and I'm not sure how I could give them any higher praise than that.

58. Ghost - Freedom of Thought
[Hip-hop, trip-hop]
Myspace | Try It

This UK producer released his second album in 2009, and it's a gloriously engaging affair, leaving you constantly unsure what exactly it is you're listening to. Sometimes it feels like a trip-hop album, sometimes hip-hop, and sometimes laid-back, loungey jazz. It's a varied album to be sure, but Ghost is such a talent that this doesn't sound scattered, but relaxed and assured of itself.

59. As Cities Burn - Hell or High Water
[Alt rock, prog]
Myspace | Try It

It's always such a shame when a band finally finds the sound that works for them, only to break up a short time later. As Cities Burn spent a few years making middling, largely-uninspired post-hardcore records, their continued existence apparently fueled only by the fervent nature of the Tooth & Nail Records fanbase. Then in 2009, I checked out what turned out to be their final release on a recommendation from a friend, and was very pleasantly surprised. There's no more mindlessly appealing to their current fans done on this album; Hell or High Water is an album of focused, controlled prog-leaning alt rock that puts to shame their previous efforts (and most of their labelmates as well).

60. Roman Candle - Oh Tall Tree in the Ear

[Folk rock, alt country]
Myspace | Try It

This charming little alt country band from North Carolina reminds me a lot of what I wish Wilco still sounded like, embracing the country twang and label without even a hint of hipster irony. Do you want banjos and stories of drinking, reminiscing with paroled convicts, and horribly failed relationships? You're in the right place.

WTT: Top 100 Albums of 2009 (70-61)

2010-01-05T16:35:00.015-06:00

61. Various Artists - Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy

[---]
Myspace | Try It

Twenty-one artists came together to record this tribute album to the frontman of Polaris and Miracle Legion, Mark Mulcahy, after his wife Melissa (pictured on the cover) died unexpectedly, leaving him with twin three year-old daughters and the hope that he can continue to make music despite this new, staggering pressure on his life. There are a lot of big names present on this compilation, which is all the better to bring attention to it. Among them are Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, Pixies frontman Frank Black, Dinosaur Jr., Mercury Rev, Vic Chesnutt, and the National, which leads to a wide variety of styles and genres being present as these artists cover songs from Mulcahy's entire career in unexpected and powerful ways. I highly encourage you to purchase this album if you can, to help a wonderful artist continue to follow his passion.

62. Touche Amore - ...to the Beat of a Dead Horse
[Screamo, hardcore]
Myspace | Try It

This genre-crossing group from Los Angeles made a lot of noise in the screamo world with ...to the Beat of a Dead Horse. Short and to the point, this album screams in your face before retreating quietly back to whimper in a corner (and I say that in the most flattering way possible), then comes back out and does it a few more times. Passion is overflowing from this release, and it's impossible not to get caught up in it.

63. U2 - No Line on the Horizon
[Rock]
Myspace | Try It

Everyone's got their opinions on U2. Some love them, some hate them, and many are totally indifferent to the group's existence (though that may just be the reflection of an apathetic generation). I may not align myself entirely with any of those positions, but they've always been a band I can appreciate. No Line on the Horizon initially struck me as an uninspired effort from aging and largely irrelevant rock stars, not much more than fodder for the SUV stereos of soccer moms everywhere. But there's a lot more to this release, and I don't feel out of line saying it's their best album in twenty years (or, at the least, 12). This album has a surprising amount of nuance and grace, considering it comes from a band who spent the second half of 2009 touring the world with literally the biggest stadium show ever. Love them or hate them, No Line on the Horizon shows that U2 isn't about to be irrelevant anytime soon. And if you're on the fence, this album might pull you over to the side of appreciation, and maybe even love.

64. The xx - xx
[Post-punk, electronic]
Myspace | Try It

People have done a lot of talking and a lot of blogging about this London group who quietly (and successfully) stormed the front gates of the mythical hipster palace in 2009 with their eponymous debut album. Influenced in equal parts by post-punk, goth rock, and electronic music, the xx created a mysterious little gem of an album that feels as if it never really stops hiding in the shadows. An interesting and unique release from a band that sounds like they might have a lot to say, once they find their voices.

65. Another Breath - The God Complex
[Hardcore]
Myspace | Try It

Syracuse hardcore Another Breath leaped into this list at the last second, with the December release of The God Complex, which is probably their best album to-date. They've been pumping out thrashy, melodic hardcore for most of the decade, and on this album their thought-provoking and personal lyrics, in the words of the band, "dig deep in their search for answers in this world of uncertainty". A lot (read: most) of otherwise-promising hardcore groups have a nasty tendency to sink their own ships by having only the illusion of passion (which in most cases is immediately transparent), but that's never been less of a problem for Another Breath than it is on this album.

66. Starlight Mints - Change Remains
[Indie pop, psychedelic]
Myspace | Try It

Living in Norman, Oklahoma and not being a fan of Starlight Mints is something akin to living in Green Bay and not loving the Packers. But that's okay, because the Mints are a consistently great band, both live and in the studio, meaning the town-wide worship is certainly deserved. So it's no surprise that Change Remains found its way onto my list, but it's not here because of pride for a local group - it's here because it's a fabulously off-beat album of danceable psychedelic pop. Nobody sounds quite like the Starlight Mints.

67. Metric - Fantasies
[Indie pop, new wave]
Myspace | Try It

This Canadian indie pop group has been making waves for the better part of the last ten years, and their latest effort is no exception. Led as always by Emily Haines' frail-yet-confident vocals, the band tones down the new wave influence on this album, opting instead for a more in-your-face rock approach. Of course, they're still a pop band, and they don't let you forget that as Haines asks the listener "Who would you rather be? / the Beatles or the Rolling Stones? / oh seriously / you're gonna make mistakes, you're young / come on baby play me something, like 'Here Comes the Sun'".

68. Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen
[Alt rock, emo]
Myspace | Try It

If you're hoping for The Ugly Organ Part 2, look elsewhere, because this album isn't it. But that's not to say that it's worse, because it's not - it's just different. The tinges of their past emo rock are certainly discernible, but this album has the band taking a more conventional approach at, as much as I despise the term, indie rock. Closing track "What Have I Done?" is a somber reproach against past mistakes, and ends up being an unexpected highlight in what is, at its core, a rock album.

69. The Swell Season - Strict Joy
[Singer-songwriter, folk]
Myspace | Try It

The Swell Season is a collaborative project between 39 year-old Frames vocalist/guitarist Glen Hansard and 21 year-old Czech vocalist/pianist Markéta Irglová, a duo you may be familiar with from the 2007 film Once (in which they were the stars), which earned them an Academy Award for their song "Falling Slowly". At one point romantically involved, these two have an incredible artistic tension between them, and it floods through every track of this release. It's hard not to feel that many - if not all - of these tired, bitter songs of love and heartbreak are directed at one another. This pair has quite a history behind them already, and it seems they're taking all of their listeners along for the ride, wherever it leads.

70. The Ghost of a Thousand - New Hopes, New Demonstrations

[Hardcore, post-hardcore]
Myspace | Try It

New Hopes, New Demonstrations would like a word with anyone who steadfastly believes in the infallibility of the 'sophomore slump' phenomenon. The second album from this Brighton group is a tight, concise, focused hardcore release, but unrestrained in all the right ways; I don't think it's unwarranted to compare them - favorably - to Refused. Tom Lacey belts out his angry, passionate vocals all throughout, and when he shrieks lines like "Fucking new romantics / it's only rock 'n roll / this is our religion / as heaven we'll never know", the temptation to shout them back at your stereo is just too much to resist.

WTT: Top 100 Albums of 2009 (80-71)

2010-01-04T17:08:00.022-06:00

71. Au Revoir Simone - Still Night, Still Light

[Indie pop, synthpop]
Myspace | Try It

This trio of lovely Brooklyn ladies continued to woo even the deadest, blackest hearts with their third release, Still Night, Still Light. Their synthy indie pop is infectious to say the least. Perhaps one of the most feminine acts in my library, Au Revoir Simone always seems to make their way onto my chillout and happy playlists. Sometimes I get lost in their deceptively-simple music and find myself listening to their albums for hours at a time; I'm not complaining.

72. Coffee & Cigarettes Band - Love Thing
[Chillout, jazz]
Myspace | Try It

I admittedly don't know much about this Japanese jazz group, but I do know that Love Thing proved itself to be my favorite midnight-listening album of the last year. Their lo-fi, downtempo chillout beats provide an incredibly fitting soundtrack to those strange hours when you should probably be asleep but aren't (hours I have a lot of). Entirely instrumental aside from the final track (which happens to be one of my favorites), this is an album that you simply turn on and let yourself drift away with, into the endless labyrinth of late-night thoughts.

73. Daniel Johnston - Is and Always Was
[Singer-songwriter, folk]
Myspace | Try It

Is their anything that hasn't been said already about Daniel Johnston? He's the quintessential mad genius of the music world, having been praised by some the biggest artists ever (we've all seen Kurt Cobain's t-shirt with Johnston's little alien drawing) despite his reclusive nature. He may not be the most consistent artist around, but his 2009 release is a definite hit. His introspective, sometimes childish lyrics are present here as always, as he sings about love, loss, joy, insanity, and the rock n' roll he so loves.

74. Discovery - LP
[Electropop]
Myspace | Try It

This duo, made up of Vampire Weekend's keyboardist/guitarist/backup vocalist and Ra Ra Riot's vocalist, may make the same shiny, ultra-produced electropop we've had shoved down our throats the past decade, but damn if they aren't good at it. Bouncy and shimmering, this album calls you back the summer of '08 when Vampire Weekend was inescapable, and has hipsters everywhere - despite their (our?) best attempts to put on a frown at the sight of repetitive dance music - finding themselves bobbing their heads when the club's PA system starts playing "Osaka Loop Line" or "Orange Shirt".

75. Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment
[Glam rock, synth pop]
Myspace | Try It

I can almost hear the sound of three hundred people removing this blog from their bookmarks in unison. Yes, most "American Idols" are shameless corporate whores. Yes, Adam Lambert is most definitely among them. Yes, I love this album anyway. Lambert is apparently trying to bring back eras of the musical past that most of us spend our time trying to forget. Well, we're all fucked then, because he's great at what he does, and he's just getting started. Swallow your pride, take the plunge into this piece of campy '80s insanity, and just try to keep the grin off your face.

76. múm - Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know
[Electronic, ambient pop]
Myspace | Try It

This Icelandic group has always been unsure of what kind of band they want to be. Electronic? Post-rock? Pop? I don't think they've figured it out yet, but on their latest album these elements all come together beautifully, to create a relaxing and homely little release of electronic pop.

77. The Antlers - Hospice
[Slowcore, folk]
Myspace | Try It

When I heard this album the first time, I was summarily unimpressed, especially considering the endless stream of praise it's been receiving for the past ten-odd months. But listening to it again, I realized my initial reaction was because I'd overlooked the crucial element to appreciating this album - the lyrics. Telling a detailed first-person story of a doctor falling in love with a dying cancer patient, their abusive relationship, and her inevitable death, Hospice is an emotional wrecker of an album; it's almost too much to let yourself think about all at once. Let it play in the background, and it will probably bore you; pay attention to it, and it might hit you like a ton of bricks.

78. Pearl Jam - Backspacer
[Alt rock]
Myspace | Try It

Pearl Jam have had a hell of a ride since they released Ten back in 1991 - that's almost twenty years ago, if anyone's keeping track - and while most rock groups have trouble making it past their sophomore effort, especially when they're having to contend with the dangers of fame and fortune, this band is still kicking out great music nine albums later. But this isn't just rehash, and it isn't something for only the dedicated fan - it shows this group still sounding like nobody else, even themselves. Full of short-yet-jammy and pointed-yet-thoughtful songs, Backspacer is their best album in over ten years; two decades later, they're still rocking the world and making fresh music, and there's a lot to be said for that.

79. Other Lives - Other Lives
[Folk, indie pop]
Myspace | Try It

Seeing this Stillwater group perform a short in-store at my local record shop was one of the surprising live highlights of 2009. I'd heard their name a time or two, but never bothered listening to them until their folksy pop hooked me in at their show. This is a lovingly crafted album of earthen, natural pop gems that shine even though they sound covered by a layer of dirt and leaves.

80. Anamanaguchi - Dawn Metropolis

[Chiptunes]
Myspace | Try It

The resurgence and popularization of the chiptunes genre has been one of the strangest things to happen in the past ten years of music. And while its mainstream acceptance seems to have both begun and ended within the span of sixteen months, both thanks to that two-piece shitfest from Toronto who shall go unnamed, there still remain the tireless heroes of a dangerously-kitschy style of music, Anamanaguchi among them. Shredding your face with guitars while pumping out synthy, infectious beats with their old NES system, this group is possibly the best example of a genre that probably never really had a chance to survive. Get your geek on.

WTT: Top 100 Albums of 2009 (90-81)

2010-01-03T11:57:00.020-06:00

81. Bombay Bicycle Club - I Had the Blues but I Shook Them Loose

[Alt rock, indie pop]
Myspace | Try It

This release got quite a lot of hype in the UK, but over here on the other side of the pond it went nearly unnoticed, which is a shame. Britpop is a sound that's on its last legs, but Bombay Bicycle Club are trying their best to keep it alive by making it not sound like someone dug up a time capsule from fifteen years ago and found unreleased Blur songs. The highlight here is "Cancel on Me", which is one of my favorite tracks of the year.

82. Brother Ali - Us
[Hip-hop]
Myspace | Try It

There's a lot of hip-hop out there, both in the mainstream and the underground, that is dishonest and pointless. Brother Ali isn't among that group. On his fourth album, this Minneapolis rapper begins to utilize live instrumentation, and it causes Us to sound organic and fresh all throughout. He's also starting to mellow out, and while for some artists that ends of being the kiss of death, for Ali it just cements that he's a unique talent no matter what he's rapping about.

83. The Idle Hands - The Hearts We Broke on the Way to the Show
[Rock]
Myspace | Try It

Constantly surrounded by pseudo-sincere, bored-sounding, too-ironic-for-their-own-good indie 'rock' groups, it's not very often these days that we get to hear a genuine, unabashed rock 'n roll record, but the Idle Hands have given us just that with their debut album, The Hearts We Broke on the Way to the Show. Make no mistake - these are not a bunch of kids who've played Led Zeppelin I and Black Sabbath one too many times. This is far removed from the classic rock worshiping bullshit we've been enduring for the last seven or eight years, and instead shows these lads as a rock band for a new generation. It would be wonderful to see this group hit it big, and my fingers are definitely crossed for their future.

84. Silversun Pickups - Swoon
[Shoegaze, alt rock]
Myspace | Try It

Swoon is a very apt title for the second album from this shoegaze-leaning alt rock group; this release twists and turns though self-described "nervous breakdowns", but through it all there's a constant mood of a beauty that's almost too much to put words to. Brian Aubert's unique vocals have an ethereal sound that soothes the listener, while at the same time the other members are trying to pummel you with fierce sonic assaults.

85. Dälek - Gutter Tactics
[Abstract hip-hop, noise]
Myspace | Try It

Hip-hop, despite what many people think, has always been about experimenting with sounds, putting things together that probably shouldn't be put together, and pushing the boundaries of what's expected (or even allowed) in a genre or scene. So while it may seem like Dälek is hip-hop in name only, realize that in reality they're the perfect example of what it means to be a hip-hop group. This duo makes dense, abstract, industral hip-hop (they've done a collaboration album with Faust - seriously) with strong political overtones, and while it might seem heavy-handed at first, Gutter Tactics becomes, after a few listens, a clear masterpiece by two incredibly talented individuals who are at the top of their game, whatever that game happens to be called this week.

86. Norfolk - The 71 Functions of Consciousness
[Alt rock]
Myspace | Try It

Norfolk is a melodic alt rock band that I found out about on Waffles.fm's artist feature thing, and I'm glad I checked them out. To me, they sound a lot like Oasis (when Oasis was good, I mean, not Dig Out Your Soul or whatever), except with more piano and less British accents. I guess you can decide for yourself whether or not that's a good thing.

87. Fool's Gold - Fool's Gold
[Afro-pop, indie pop]
Myspace | Try It

The 'afro-pop' phenomenon has been gaining ground the past couple of years, and while it's still be to seen whether or not that's a good thing, LA group Fool's Gold existing certainly points towards yes. With shimmering tropical guitars and vocalist Luke Top's Hebrew singing, Fool's Gold sounds like they should be floating on a raft near a beach somewhere, creating the backdrop for playing children and young lovers and open-fire cookouts and whatever else you think about when you think about beaches. Wonderful sounds for all!

88. Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
[Electronic, folk, ambient]
Myspace | Try It

Stephen Wilkinson, aka Bibio, switched over to Warp Records last year, and it marked (at least on this release) an interesting shift in his style. Previously something of a one-trick folktronica pony, this album has him experimenting significantly with his own sound, turning his ambient musings into pop songs with ambient backlays. This is a beautiful little release, with the sounds and feeling of nature being ever-present.

89. Greenland is Melting - Our Hearts are Gold, Our Grass is Blue
[Folk punk, bluegrass]
Myspace | Try It

The Gainesville scene may be totally oversaturated with folk punk groups, but three-piece Greenland is Melting fit in happily with their banjo/acoustic guitar/bass combo. While a lot of other bands try to pass off anything acoustic and twangy as "folk punk", these guys legitimately make a bouncing, bluegrassy, backwoods ruckus. And it's a lovely one.

90. The Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come

[Folk rock]
Myspace | Try It

Singer-songwriter John Darnielle released his 17th album with the Mountain Goats in 2009, with each track being named after a Bible verse, and the lyrics being inspired by the verses the track is named after. It's an interesting approach to be sure, and while it might scare off the less religious among us, there's no reason for it to do so; religion is nothing new on Darnielle's inspirational pallet, and this album is one of the Goats' best in years.

WTT: Top 100 Albums of 2009 (100-91)

2010-01-02T13:23:00.019-06:00

91. Polar Bear Club - Chasing Hamburg
[Post-hardcore, melodic punk]
Myspace | Try It

Ever since I heard their debut release, Sometimes Things Just Disappear in 2008, I've been in love with this New York post-hardcore group and all their catchy pop-punk leanings that provide many sing-a-longs (or shout-a-longs). This album shows them continuing the trend, still filling the listener's ears with lines like "You don't have to be an asshole / to be an artist" that ring especially true coming from a band that sounds so honest and happy with what they're doing.

92. You Say Party! We Say Die! - XXXX
[Dance-punk]
Myspace | Try It

I've never been a big fan of this Canadian dance-punk group, but there's something about this release that caught my attention. Their new wave leanings are either getting stronger or I'm just now noticing them, but this is a deliciously dancey album. Perhaps not a party disc, but, their name should tell you that much.

93. Hiawata! - These Boys and This Band is All I Know
[Indie pop]
Myspace | Try It

This quaint little group from Oslo have spent the last few years charming hearts all over the world with their earthy, powerpop-influenced indie pop sound. There must just be something about Northern Europe that causes people there to make so much of this blissful, cheerful music. Maybe it's in the universal healthcare. Whatever it is, I hope it doesn't change anytime soon.

94. Rodrigo y Gabriela - 11:11
[Instrumental, folk rock]
Myspace | Try It

If you aren't familiar with this duo of Mexican virtuosos by now, this is the time to start. Their music is made entirely with their two acoustic guitars, and they are absolutely incredible on these instruments. They manage to achieve a fuller sound than some bands with five or six people in them, and their technical skill is just unparalleled. But this isn't the mindless, masturbatory tripe most of us (myself especially) expect from the word 'virtuoso'; Rodrigo y Gabriela are excellent songwriters, and don't ever lose my attention. They truly push the boundaries of what can be done with a couple of guitars.

95. The Joint Chiefs of Math - You are Here.
[Post-hardcore, math rock]
Myspace | Try It

The Pennsylvania scene kicked all kinds of ass in 2009, and the Joint Chiefs of Math are a great example of that. This guitar and drum duo makes noisy, chaotic, mathy post-hardcore sounds. I think I read somewhere that they're like a more coherent Lightning Bolt, which is an excellent description. These guys take a tired sound and make it sound fresh and exciting again.

96. Over Stars and Gutters - Consider This Your Curse
[Punk rock, hardcore]
Myspace | Try It

I'm a sucker for a good local band, and I'm an even bigger sucker for Jawbreaker hero-worship. Aggressive and catchy and the same time, this Norman, OK group always sounds like they're having a great time with what they're doing, and it's an infectious sentiment, because their music makes you feel a little bit more alive (or at least a little bit more pissed off).

97. Viva Voce - Rose City
[Slowcore, indie pop]
Myspace | Try It

The terms slowcore and indie pop might seem like they can't exist within the same band, but don't tell that to this married couple from Portland. Their influences are across the board, from psychedelia to shoegaze to twee, and all that results in a dreamy, guitar-driven pop sound that totally envelops any willing listener. Catch them live if you can; they put on a wonderful show.

98. Michita - Three
[Hip-hop, jazz-hop]
Myspace | Try It

Michita is a Japanese DJ who makes mostly instrumental jazz-hop, with small amounts of rapping interspersed throughout. This album is full of beautiful, dreamy sounds that have a consistent feeling of frigid cold and dark nights, and it lets you sit back and contemplate whatever's on your mind. The hour-plus runtime doesn't once enter into my thoughts when listening to this.

99. Dial M for Murder! - Fiction of Her Dreams
[Post-punk, new wave]
Myspace | Try It

The latest group to hop on the post-punk revival train that's been oh-so-popular in the past decade, Dial M for Murder! is a two-piece from Sweden that makes gothic-tinged post-punk reminiscent mostly of recent groups such as She Wants Revenge. They don't bring much new to the table with this release, but it's a great escape from the, erm, less-inspired revival bands that get a lot more attention than this group (Interpol, anyone?).

100. Letting Up Despite Great Faults - Letting Up Despite Great Faults
[Shoegaze, electronic]
Myspace | Try It

This LA indietronica group has drawn a lot of comparison to New Order, and that's certainly an applicable comparison to make; I think what keeps them from being simply a nostalgia-obsessed novelty is that there's an almost-overbearing sense of youthful hope present in their fuzzy pop sounds, and this hope makes the listener feel like a kid again. It's music that takes you back to a time when friends don't hurt you, love is perfect, and the world is still a big, scary, exciting place. It's a nice feeling to have.

WTT: Top 100 Albums of 2009 (Intro)

2010-01-02T01:22:00.000-06:00

2009 was quite a year. A lot happened in the world, in my life, and in music. In theory, those all seem like distinct things - but retrospectively, they can be hard to differentiate from one another. Events blur together, timelines become jumbled, memories get obscured by the haze of passing time; memories of how I felt, memories of people I know (or knew), and memories of the music that soundtracked it all. Most people seem content to simply let these things slip into the past, marching merrily into the future, but I'm never able to fully let go, it seems, and this process of archiving my favorite albums of the year reflects that in a big way.

When I look back at this list in the year(s) to come, I'm not going to see an objective list of the best albums of 2009; I'm not even going to see a list I agree with anymore. Even while I was making it, I knew that six months from now I won't feel the same way about it. But hopefully seeing these albums will trigger the memories I have associated with them, and let me drift, at least for a while, amongst my own self-imposed catharsis.

Of course, these associations aren't present for you; you didn't have the same experiences I did, and thus won't feel the same way about many of these albums. This list is wide-ranging in terms of genre, level of exposure, and critical acceptance, because those things don't really matter to me; this is a purely subjective list of my own tastes and preferences, and I don't claim it as anything else. Still, I think that this is all wonderful music, and I hope you think so too.

While this list is a retrospective one, it's also a way to begin closing the door to the past year and decade, and marching, as I put it earlier, merrily into the future. Here's to the new decade ahead of us, and all the crazy times, people, shows and albums it's going to bring us.

Cheers.

2010-01-01T13:18:00.000-06:00

WTT: Top 25 EPs/Demos/Singles of 2009

2009-12-31T10:26:00.026-06:00

25. Andrew Jackson Jihad - Operation Stackola
[Folk punk]
Myspace | Try It

Everyone knows who Andrew Jackson Jihad is by now, so on this little EP released before their full-length, they decided to start covering artists like David Bowie and French Quarter and Spacejam Dub. This certainly got everyone excited for Can't Maintain (but more on that later).

24. Modest Mouse - No One's First and You're Next
[Alt rock]
Myspace | Try It

Modest Mouse released this collection of B-sides and unreleased tracks from their previous two albums in a staggered fashion, doing a two-track vinyl single every few months. I think they're getting back on track with this, because it's a lot better than We Were Dead.

23. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Higher than the Stars
[Dream pop, twee]
Myspace | Try It

You know by now what to expect from this New York City dream pop group, and the first four tracks of this EP are more of the same (wonderful) sounds they've been putting out for the past two years. The real standout here is the Saint Etienne remix of the title track, which proves itself to be one of the strongest tracks in TPoBPaH's catalog to date.

22. The Shoes - Stade de Reims 1978
[Electro club]
Myspace | Try It

Bangin' electro club shit from (where else) France, this EP has two tracks and two remixes of said tracks. As far as I know this is all this duo has released so far, but it makes me want more; that is, as soon as I'm finished dancing.

21. The Mary Onettes - Dare
[Post-punk, indie pop]
Myspace | Try It

This Swedish indie pop group takes a lot of cues from jangle pop, but also from '80s post-punk groups like Echo and the Cure. Some really choice cuts on this EP.

20. Deastro - Orange Swimmer Red Summer
[Dream pop, synth pop]
Myspace | Try It

This guy just doesn't let up. For the past few years Deastro has been releasing tons of material, all of it somehow at the same level of quality and not all sounding the same. This EP is no exception, and has him continuing with his dreamy synthy electronic noodling.

19. Massive Attack - Splitting the Atom
[Trip-hop]
Myspace | Try It

New album in 2010 - who's fucking excited? I'm fucking excited.

18. Hightide Hotel - Secret Somethings
[Emo]
Myspace | Try It

I fell in love with this band in 2009, and this acoustic EP just cemented that love for their noodley indiemo sad bastard music. Big hopes for their 2010 debut album.

17. The Silent Years - Let Go
[Alt rock, indie pop]
Myspace | Try It

I think a lot of my love for this release comes from the fact that it has a track called "Taking Drugs at the Amusement Park". Come on. That's a great song title (and, coincidentally, a great song).

16. Paul Baribeau - Demo Tape 09
[Folk rock, singer-songwriter]
Myspace | Try It

Oh, Paul Baribeau. How do you manage to do the same thing over and over and yet still sound so painfully honest and sincere? Highlight here is "Eight Letters".

15. The Cavalcade - Meet You in the Rain
[Jangle pop, twee]
Myspace | Try It

I'm going to be straight-up with you - this EP isn't much more than unabashed Sarah Records worship. But in a music world of whiny indie rock and obnoxious assholes, is that really such a bad thing?

14. Complaints - Complaints
[Hardcore]
Try It

Fast and jamming hardcore punk with a crooked smile. None of these songs even crack two minutes, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

13. Algernon Cadwallader - Hot Green
[Math rock, emo]
Myspace | Try It

The fact that this is a Best of 2009 list somewhat bothers me when it comes to this "release", because honestly, I don't think it ever actually got "released". The band leaked it onto Soulseek way back early in the year and it's just stuck, and upon further investigation I can't find any information about it, leading me to believe it's been delayed yet again. Well, fuck it, it's already here and it's awesome. Who doesn't love Algernon?

12. Foreign Objects - Demo Tape
[Post-punk, pop-punk]
Myspace | Try It

Snarly-yet-poppy post-punk with a female vocalist; what's not to love?

11. Merchandise - Merchandise
[Post-punk]
Try It

Simply calling this group post-punk feels a bit inadequate, but I'm not sure what else to label them. They have similarities to Foreign Objects (see above?), so let's go with that.

10. Allo, Darlin' - Henry Rollins Don't Dance
[Indie pop, twee]
Myspace | Try It

This EP, at first glance, seems so silly that it's easy to write it off as kitschy nonsense. But when you get into the feel of what the band is trying to accomplish with their laid-back, ukulele-driven indie pop, you realize that when they sing songs like "Heartbeat Chili", which is about chili that needs hearts to be made, they're being incredibly honest and lovely and, yes, undeniably cute.

9. By Surprise / Hightide Hotel - Split
[Emo]
Myspace | Try It

Hightide Hotel strikes again, but the real stars on this release are By Surprise. Their tracks kick the split into high-gear early on with pop-punk leaning shoutalongs, letting Hightide take side two down a notch.

8. God Help the Girl - Stills
[Twee]
Myspace | Try It

Gotta put it on a record, gotta write a new song, there ain't no way around it, he's in love wi- sorry, what? It's hard not to sing along with this (even harder to maintain your dignity while doing so, but you know, I've come to realize that dignity is severely overrated).

7. His Clancyness - Hissometer Cassette
[Dream pop, lo-fi]
Myspace | Try It

I don't know what it is about this tape that enamors me so. The bedroom-pop genre has been done to death in the past few years, and I'm even more sick of it than most, but there's something about His Clancyness that just keeps me coming back. Maybe it got to me at the right time, maybe it was just luck that I don't love some other tape, but this is a brilliant piece of dreamy, wistful lo-fi pop.

6. The Gaslight Anthem - Live at Park Ave.
[Punk rock, folk punk]
Myspace | Try It

The Gaslight Anthem wowed everyone in 2008 with their incredible sophomore album, The '59 Sound, so it makes sense that most of the songs on this live, acoustic EP are from that album. They're wonderful, but the true reason to get this is for the acoustic performance of "Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts" from their previous Senor and the Queen EP, as well as the new song "Once Upon a Time".

5. A Wilhelm Scream - A Wilhelm Scream
[Melodic punk]
Myspace | Try It

This little teaser from melodic punk giants A Wilhelm Scream didn't get much press, and that's a shame, because it's just as great as what fans have come to expect. They too have an album coming out in the near future, so heads up for that.

4. Merchant Ships - Bummer Times
[Screamo]
Myspace | Try It

Merchant Ships, like so many other screamo bands, released a puny amount of material and then broke up. Unlike most, though, their puny amount of material is worth keeping around.

3. The Kickdrums - There Might Be Blood
[Hip-hop, electronic]
Myspace | Try It

Garage rock, hip-hop, electronic? I don't know. Whether they're shredding your face with guitar riffs or sampling MC5, this band never lets up on this EP. Try to sit still - I dare you.

2. The Octopus Project - Golden Beds
[Electronic, garage rock]
Myspace | Try It

This experimental electronic group from Austin, Texas has been turning heads for years, and this EP continues to do exactly that. Previously an instrumental band, they now make full use of vocals, and on some tracks find themselves turning into a flat-out garage rock group. What's next for the Octopus Project? Nobody knows except them, it seems.

1. Snowing - Fuck Your Emotional Bullshit
[Emo, post-hardcore]
Myspace | Try It

How could #1 be anything else? Snowing were the emo kings of 2009. They dropped this demo back in the first quarter, and since then have been gaining an impressively sizable fanbase and generating a shitload of internet hype - everyone and their grandmother has blogged about these dudes. It's been a long time since a new band has excited me this much, and so many others seem to feel the same way. Catchy, emotional, and intense, these five tracks mark the debut of a band that has a bright, bright future ahead of them.

The Nils - Sell Out Young (1985) and Paisley (1986)

2009-12-30T11:40:00.005-06:00

I've been craving more material from this band ever since I stumbled across their 1987 self-titled debut album. The Nils were a Canadian powerpunk (aka powerpop/pop-punk) group active from 1978-1994, who never really got much recognition for their great music; fans of Husker Du's later material (Flip Your Wig specifically, since that's the album that most reminds me of the Nils), or really just anyone who likes catchy punk rock, should be sure to check out these two EPs (as well as their full-length release).

Myspace

Sell Out Young (1985)

Paisley (1986)

Previous Posts:
The Nils (1987)

Trailhead - Trailhead

2009-12-28T15:46:00.003-06:00

Two tracks from Denton, Texas artist Trailhead, one of which ("45 Years Young") is sort of a pop-hop song while the other ("Civil War") is a folksy indie rock track; really promising stuff, get into it

Myspace
Try It

Charles Crossingham - Talkers Talk (2009)

2009-12-28T15:41:00.004-06:00

Catchy-as-shit pop rock from Raleigh, North Carolina, Crossingham (I believe) self-released this debut EP but the production is wonderfully tight, especially for a first effort; this isn't your average bedroom pop; of special note is the track "You and Me (Stick Figure Love Song)"

Myspace
Try It

One Hundred Words for Snow - Discography (1995-1998)

2009-12-27T12:59:00.003-06:00

This '90s emo/indie rock group from SoCal flew totally under the radar when they were together (and since), and only recorded a handful of tracks in their four-year run, all of which are included in this download; this is really top-class stuff, and not as all the mediocrity that one expects when they stumble on yet another 'real emo' band; also, they reunited this summer, so be on the lookout for new material

Facebook (They don't have a Myspace)
Try It

Slow Club - Christmas, Thanks for Nothing (2009)

2009-12-27T12:41:00.003-06:00

Merry belated holidays to everyone, hope you all had good ones; I also hope you enjoy this new EP from folksy twee duo Slow Club

Myspace
Try It

Previous Posts:
Because We're Dead
Let's Fall Back in Love

Hint - Portakabin Fever (2003)

2009-12-24T12:14:00.004-06:00

Hint is a DJ from Sussex who makes chill, downtempo trip-hop laid down over subdued dance beats; he constantly genre-hops, incorporating elements of hip-hop, folk, electronica, and soul, managing to blend all this together into a coherent whole

Myspace
Try It

Harvey Danger

2009-12-23T13:41:00.010-06:00

Throughout their 17-year run, Seattle alt rock group Harvey Danger never pulled any punches or cut any corners with their music. Their debut, Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?, was a pummeling rock record that somehow failed to turn a lot of heads like it should have; however, it did feature their one hit single, "Flagpole Sitta". Then, instead of selling out and trying to repeat the success of that track, they came back a few years later with King James Version, which showed them relaxing a bit from the high-octane approach of Merrymakers, and this album was even less successful financially, despite critical acclaim. This album was when their clever lyrics and lack of concern for financial success really began to show. Then, in 2005, they did what at the time was unthinkable - they released their third album, Little by Little..., entirely for free on their website. And you thought Radiohead was the first to play that game. One critic wrote of the album, "If Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? is a rebellious kid kicking over trashcans in his neighborhood, then Little by Little... seems to be that kid all grown up, taking out the trash, putting the lid on tightly, getting in his Jetta, and driving to work."

Harvey Danger never got the attention they deserved, and this year they decided to call it quits, departing with a collection of demos and unreleased tracks called Dead Sea Scrolls. It's too late to help this band stay together, but their music is still waiting to be heard by so many people, so I've uploaded their entire discography, including a bootleg of their final song both written and performed, "The Show Must Not Go On." Give this band a listen; I think you're going to like what you hear.

LPs

Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? (1997)

King James Version (2000)

Little by Little... (2005)

Dead Sea Scrolls (2009)

EPs

Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas (Sometimes) (2004)

Little Round Mirrors (2006)

Final Song

"The Show Must Not Go On" (2009)

One for the Team - Build it Up (2008)

2009-12-22T10:50:00.002-06:00

"One for the Team’s sophomore release, “Build It Up,” is a record chock full of loud, sunny, sparkling pop-gems of an alarmingly contagious magnitude with constant dueling male/female vocals and enough harmonies to melt the icicles from the Minnesota winter that created it.

While the record was written by Ian Anderson quietly on an acoustic guitar in his bedroom, it was assembled and shaped by a group of friends who took what once were introverted, gentle songs to the extroverted poppers that they now are."

Myspace
Try It

Camper Van Beethoven - Key Lime Pie (1989)

2009-12-21T09:54:00.006-06:00

Camper Van Beethoven, a California group active mainly throughout the '80s, were one of the lesser-known forerunners of the alternative rock movement, playing a brew of punk, folk, country, world music, jangle pop, ska, psychedelia, and pretty much whatever else you can think of; this band experimented almost non-stop with their sound, and ended up far-removed from even the 'typical' alt rock sound of the period, which is what makes them so important, and also what makes them so criminally overlooked; this album was the last released on their original run (they've since reunited), and it was their most financially - if not critically - successful album, and therefore their most recognizable and a great place to start; whatever your musical tastes, this is a band you need to know

Myspace
Try It

This is Me Smiling - This is Me Smiling (2007)

2009-12-20T11:18:00.004-06:00

A fun little four-piece from Chicago who plays chillaxed pop rock; their song "Mixin' Up Adjectives" has ended up on a few compilations, so if you've heard them at all it was probably that song, but this album is full of great tracks that get stuck in your head

I don't feel like I'm giving much of a description of this, but I promise it's not because I don't love the album, it's because I woke up like ten minutes ago...besides, that's why I post the Myspace links (since apparently there's been some confusion), so that you can check out what the band sounds like before 'committing' to a whole album

Myspace
Try It

The Life and Times of William Shakespeare - Secrets Don't Make Friends (and, Apparently, I Don't Either) (2008)

2009-12-19T19:54:00.003-06:00

Some nice folksy singer-songwriter stuff from Mesa, Arizona; lo-fi and acoustic as you'd expect, and this doesn't really cover any new ground, but what does anymore? It's an enjoyable little album

Myspace
Try It

i slide to the side and i act uncouth

2009-12-19T14:53:00.007-06:00

I know the general consensus over the past week has been that a twitter account for the blog is unnecessary, but there have been enough people express interest in it that, well, I've gone ahead and done it anyway. Oops. I've also created a facebook group, because I figure if I'm going to go Web 2.0 on your asses I might as well do it all at once. So go follow and join them and invite your friends and all that fun shit.

Twitter Feed
Facebook Group

On to the future!

Over Stars and Gutters - Consider This Your Curse (2009)

2009-12-15T16:36:00.006-06:00

Here's the debut full-length album by Norman, Oklahoma (woo, locals!) group Over Stars and Gutters, who play gruff-as-fuck melodic punk rock that likes to walk the line between hardcore and pop-punk; think Jawbreaker, Dillinger Four, Alkaline Trio, and all that fun stuff

They self-released this album earlier in the year, and it's getting a re-release next year, so for that they've got it up on bandcamp with a name-your-price deal set up, so go check it out and help out some great up-and-comers

Myspace
Try It

Belle and Sebastian - Peel Session Christmas Party (2002)

2009-12-14T18:12:00.003-06:00

Indie pop group Belle and Sebastian went into John Peel's studio in 2002 to record this collection of Christmas tracks, some of which are standards and some of which are covers of other artists' more modern creations (such as James Brown's "Santa Clause, Go Straight to the Ghetto"); a few of their own, non-Christmas themed tracks are also present here, but they fit right in don't distract from the holiday cheer

Myspace
Try It

Previous Posts:
If You're Feeling Sinister

we're all going to hell (let's go)

2009-12-13T18:17:00.002-06:00

As you can see, there's a poll over to the right about whether or not the blog should have a twitter page. I'm only asking because I don't want to bother unless some people actually think it's worthwhile, in terms of either helping you keep up with posts or drawing in more readers. Your thoughts are appreciated as always, so leave a comment if you've got something to say.

Cheers!

Mixtape: Friends, Wimps & Broken Hearts

2009-12-13T11:20:00.006-06:00

This mix is pretty aptly titled. I tried to include mostly songs that had to do with friendships - good and bad - but there are some wimps and broken hearts to be found here too. What's a good mixtape without some heartache and stories of off-kilter relationships?

I think this is a pretty fun one, and people in my car who've heard snippets have enjoyed it, so hopefully you will too. Cheers.

Title: Friends, Wimps & Broken Hearts
Length: 1:16:42
Download

Side 1: Do You Think We Could Pretend?

1. My American Heart - "All My Friends"
2. Red Hot Chili Peppers - "My Friends"
3. Piebald - "Karate Chops for Everyone but Us"
4. The White Stripes - "We're Going to Be Friends"
5. The Matches - "Needs and Wants"
6. The Rentals - "Friends of P."
7. Eels - "Old Shit, New Shit"
8. Vampire Weekend - "Bryn"
9. Rocketship - "Friendships and Love"
10. Kurt Vile - "My Best Friends (Don't Even Pass This)"
11. LCD Soundsystem - "All My Friends"

Side 2: If We're Both Not Married

1. fun. - "Be Calm"
2. The Get Up Kids - "Ten Minutes"
3. The Ruse - "Beautiful is Gone"
4. The Rural Alberta Advantage - "In the Summertime"
5. Eve 6 - "At Least We're Dreaming"
6. Youth Group - "See-Saw"
7. Slow Club - "When I Go"
8. Eyedea & Abilities - "By the Throat"
9. Smash Mouth - "Why Can't We Be Friends"

Tilly and the Wall - Bottoms of Barrels (2006)

2009-12-10T17:10:00.002-06:00

This Omaha, Nebraska group makes cheerful folksy indie pop or twee or whatever you want to call it; one of their claims to fame is that instead of a drummer they use a tapdancer (really)

Myspace
Try It

Elliott Smith - New Moon (2007)

2009-12-07T17:54:00.002-06:00

"It's dead and gone, matter of fact,
It may be for the best.
You said some things you can't take back;
Honestly, I guess.

The old records, sitting on the floor.
The ones I can't put on anymore."

"Going Nowhere"

Myspace
Try It

Cuttlefish - Marble (2008)

2009-12-06T11:52:00.003-06:00

This 5-piece group is from Tennessee, and they make groovy, jammy, funky punk-tinged desert rock that reminds me of Spindrift, and at times Josh Homme's various projects (Queens of the Stone Age and Desert Sessions specifically); they don't have much of an audience, so let's do something about that, eh?

This album is in .m4a (that's how it was sent to me and I can't find another copy), so if you're not down with that, you're shit outta luck, sorry

Myspace
Try It

The Get Up Kids - On a Wire (2002)

2009-12-04T18:35:00.004-06:00

Something to Write Home About may be the Get Up Kids' most popular release, but their best is this, its follow up; while that album was mostly fun pop-punk, this is a mellow, downkey indie rock/emo album that feels a lot more mature than their earlier material; a lot of fans and critics panned this album because it didn't stick to the formula that the band had set up for themselves, but it was a progression they needed to make, and one that paid off artistically, if not financially; whether or not you're a fan of this band, you should listen to this, because you might hear some things you wouldn't expect

Myspace
Try It

Previous Posts:
Something to Write Home About

...some looks back.

2009-12-03T18:20:00.005-06:00

And now, some songs that were released in 2009 that you may have missed out on, because of their limited release/exposure. None of these had a place on a full-length album (well, one was on a compilation), so it wouldn't surprise me if even fans of these artists aren't aware of these tracks.

As an aside, I'm sure you're aware the end of the year is almost here, and if you're wondering, yes, I will be doing a best-of list for 09. Touchdown is definitely imminent on that one, but don't start holding your breath just yet - there's still some time before that happens.

Thom Yorke
- "All for the Best"

Radiohead's frontman recorded this cover of jangle pop group Miracle Legion for the Mark Mulcahy tribute album Ciao My Shining Star (which, for the record, is an excellent release). Yorke's voice and talents are very suited for Mulcahy's song, which he turns into a relaxed-but-sublime electronic soundscape; what really makes it work is that he doesn't lose sight of the fact that it is, at its core, a simple love song. This cover is by far the best thing to come from the Radiohead camp in 2009, and puts Yorke's original single (as well as Radiohead's two tracks) to shame. This is absolutely essential for any fan of Yorke, Radiohead, Mulcahy, or music.

Das Racist
- "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell"

Okay, so a lot of you have probably heard this song, but I don't care; if even one of you hasn't, NOW IS THE TIME. This hip-hop duo made quite an unusual entrance into the music world, with this song that's about exactly what it says it's about; a combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. The beat in this song is some jumpin' shit, so it doesn't matter at all that the lyrics are ridiculously silly (and honestly, the singalong potential only makes the song better). Irony-fueled hipster banality, or summer anthem of 2009? You decide.

Why?
- "Close to Me"

I guess 2009 was a good year for covers. Then again, when you have Why? covering The Cure, magic is bound to happen. In an odd turn of events, Why? took a Cure song that doesn't really sound like the Cure, and turned it into a gloomy-but-pretty affair that, well, sounds like the Cure. But Yoni Wolf is no stranger to that sound, so the band seems to feel right at home here. This track kinda got lost in the mania over Eskimo Snow, so be sure not to miss it.

Some sneak peeks...

2009-11-29T18:22:00.013-06:00

Today instead of posting an album, I'm posting a few singles that I've been enjoying lately, all of them from upcoming 2010 releases. This may or may not become something I do regularly, it all just depends on what I happen to be listening to at any given time. Anyway, these are all great songs, and it takes a lot less time to listen to a song than it does an album, so you've got no excuse for not checking all of these out. Get into it!

Motion City Soundtrack
- "Disappear"
- "Her Words Destroyed My Planet"

Previous Posts: Discography

These are two tracks from Motion City Soundtrack's upcoming album, My Dinosaur Life. Both of these songs show them backing away from the synthy poppiness of Even if it Kills Me, and returning to the catchy, thrashy pop-punk that made people fall in love with them in the first place. If these are any indication of the rest of the album, 2010 is going to be a good year for Motion City Soundtrack.

Vampire Weekend
- "Horchata"
- "Cousins"

Previous Posts: B-Sides and Oddities

The first two singles from their 2010 sophomore effort, released over the past couple of months to build anticipation for Contra, have done exactly that. These two tracks don't tread a lot of ground that wasn't covered by their 2008 self-titled debut, but that's not exactly a bad thing, because let's be honest, that was a great fucking album. If you liked the ethnic-twinged indie pop of that release, you're sure to enjoy these. Fingers crossed for an album leak soon.

Tegan and Sara - This Business of Art (2000)

2009-11-27T22:31:00.002-06:00

Here's my personal favorite album from indie pop duo Tegan and Sara; this release has a bit more bite than their newer material, meaning it's got a darker feel to it, but it's still the same Tegan and Sara we all know (and love, hopefully)

Myspace
Try It

Previous Posts:
If It Was You

lie to all your friends

2009-11-25T18:07:00.005-06:00

As you can see, I've recently given the blog a make-over, with new colors and fonts and a snazzy new header; it's coming up on its one-year anniversary (wow), and I felt like it was time for a change. I hope you like the new look!

I'll also take this opportunity to remind you that if you're an artist and would like your music posted here, just send an e-mail my way at finalpizzahut@yahoo.com and I'll give it a listen! You can also do this if you know of a cool local band, or anything you just think would fit the blog. As people who have e-mailed me know, it might take me a bit of time to respond and post, because I can get pretty busy sometimes, but I promise that I WILL listen to anything and everything that gets sent my way.

Also, this blog does have a last.fm group, which you can join here. The more people that join, the better idea I have of what you readers actually listen to that I post, which gives me a better understanding of what you enjoy. And that's good for everyone!

Anyway, I think that's all I have to say at the moment. Cheers!

Feeding Lies - Demo 09 (2009)

2009-11-25T13:12:00.002-06:00

Got tipped off about this new band from St. Louis, they've been sending this 6-song demo around and it's been getting attention; they play fairly straightforward '00s hardcore punk, and while you never feel like you're hearing something new in these songs, you're never bored, either, because they're damn good at what they do; this is a band to watch

Myspace
Try It

Stationary Odyssey - Johnfriend (2009)

2009-11-22T00:42:00.005-06:00

"Post-rock-punk-ambient-prog-grind-rockers Stationary Odyssey have released a FREE digital EP titled "Johnfriend". The "Mud Center" Indiana-based duo of Aaron Tanner and Brett Siler released their previous full-length “Head! Foot! And The Pink Axe” on Joyful Noise back in 2006. One split with Child Bite later, they have resurfaced with the more polarized "Sons Of Boy". Featuring a host of guest musicians such as Chris Schlarb (Asthmatic Kitty, I Heart Lung), Shawn Knight (Child Bite), and Aaron Tanner’s seven-year-old son - the Stationary Odyssey boys have created an 8-track mini-opus of face-melting moments alongside crystalline spasms of beauty.

With the Johnfriend EP we get a glimpse into the new Odyssey album wrapped in feedback-laden amusement. The EP contains a new track from the album, a feedback-laden cover of T-Rex's "Children of the Revolution", a remix, and an A Capella demo."

This is quite an interesting little release, and hard to describe, hence my usage of their description instead of my own; keep an eye out for their full length to appear here soon

Myspace
Try It

Greenland is Melting - Our Hearts are Gold, Our Grass is Blue (2009)

2009-11-17T19:11:00.004-06:00

Bluegrassy folk punk music made by three dudes in - big surprise - Gainesville, Florida, and released for free; they don't even have a drummer (but they have a banjo!), but this doesn't sound thin like you might expect, and while it's certainly not a lot like other stuff I've posted in the past it's a good time, so check it out if you're feeling a bit adventurous

UPDATE: The band sent me a new album cover, which is what you now see above; here's the old one for posterity's sake

Myspace
Try It

The Weakerthans

2009-11-16T22:05:00.011-06:00

Since I've been slacking more than usual lately, today you get, drumroll please...another artist feature SUPERPOST! Woo! (I'm excited, are you excited?)

The Weakerthans are a band from Winnipeg currently signed with Epitaph and (hopefully) working on their next album. Like I said before, they make punk influenced (frontman John Samson used to be in Propagandhi, back in the day) folk rock, with a lot of emphasis put on Samson's compelling lyrics. They started out with a bit rougher, folk punkier sound, and have since taken, for lack of a better term, more of a chilled out indie rock route, with higher production value that doesn't really take away from the small, hometown, backwoods, wistful youth sound that they so often evoke. I mentioned before that this is music perfect for the current fall season; contemplative without being preoccupied, introspective without being self-absorbed. I could go on, but I think I've made my point. The Weakerthans are a band you need to know.

Fallow (1997)

Left and Leaving (2000)

Reconstruction Site (2003)

Reunion Tour (2007)

Mixtape: Is There Always Hope?

2009-11-12T17:48:00.003-06:00

Fall is fully upon us, winter's a half step away, and it's proving itself to be an excellent time to pose this question.

So...is there?

Title: Is There Always Hope?
Length: 1:06:39
Download

Side 1: Dreaming of You (Rushing Up to Me)

1. Pink Floyd - "Pigs on the Wing (Part Two)"
2. The Fashion - "Letters From the Ambulance"
3. My American Heart - "The Shake (Awful Feeling)"
4. Edna's Goldfish - "Story"
5. Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Minor Thing"
6. Radiohead - "Life in a Glass House"
7. Bombay Bicycle Club - "Cancel on Me"
8. Harvey Danger - "Jack the Lion (Live)"

Side 2: Pretty Weeds

1. Youth Group - "Daisychains"
2. The Fall of Troy - "Webs"
3. Passion Pit - "Swimming in the Flood"
4. Nada Surf - "Blizzard of '77"
5. Elliott Smith - "Angel in the Snow"
6. The Get Up Kids - "Campfire Kansas"
7. The Mountain Goats - "Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace"
8. Piebald - "It's Going to Get Worse Before it Gets Better"
9. Weezer - "Perfect Situation"
10. Pink Floyd - "Pigs on the Wing (Part One)"

Get Set Go - Presents Sunshine, Joy, & Happiness: A Tragic Tale of Death, Despair, and Other Silly Nonsense (2008)

2009-11-10T22:35:00.002-06:00

Okay, honestly, if you pay any attention to this blog you already know how much I love this band, and have probably already formed your own opinion of them as well, so instead of describing them again I'll just say here's their newest album and the only one I haven't posted; the title alone should push you over the edge into downloading this, but if that's not enough, well, this album has a song about eating people to solve the world's problems, complete with crunching sounds...come on, guys, what are you waiting for

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Previous Posts:
So You've Ruined Your Life
Ordinary World
Selling Out & Going Home

Say Anything - ...is a Real Boy (2004)

2009-11-08T12:51:00.005-06:00

This is, for all intents and purposes, LA band Say Anything's debut album, and what a debut it is; soaring and operatic, the term pop-punk doesn't really seem to contain this band's sound, which swings between thick guitars assaults, keyboard noodling, and acoustic balladeering (uh oh, I think I'm making up words again), but there just isn't enough music like this for there to be a better word for it; the strongest point of this album (there are many) is the lyrics, which are wry, self-deprecating, and at times downright vicious ("Admit It!!!", anyone?); this album is, as far as I'm concerned, a modern classic

Also included in this download is the bonus disc ...Was a Real Boy, which has 7 extra tracks

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Peachcake - What Year Will You Have the World?.. (2008)

2009-11-07T17:52:00.002-06:00

I'm sure some of you remember my post a few months ago about Peachcake's amazing live show; well, the part about their recorded music not holding up in comparison needs to be taken back, because it does; I don't know why I waited so long to post this album, but here it is

This is dancey, upbeat, and just totally happy, positive, and fucking awesome electronic indie pop; I apologize for the lack of a proper description, but it's hard to not hyperbolize when talking about this band, because everything about them is just so over-the-top; all I can say is check them out

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A Big Yes and A Small No - Jesus That Looks Terrible On You (2008)

2009-11-07T11:14:00.004-06:00

This is a peculiar little album from Brooklyn; first it strikes you as just another indie pop affair, then it almost seems to reek of the uppity, stereotypically pretentious New York art scene, and finally you realize that even though it's both of those things, it succeeds by admitting it and making fun of itself at every turn; shoegaze, alt rock, folk, and clever lyrics all play a part in this artsy-fartsy, smirk-filled, incredibly promising debut release

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Tegan and Sara - If It Was You (2002)

2009-11-05T18:58:00.004-06:00

Most people are at least vaguely familiar with this Canadian indie pop/folk rock duo made up of two lesbian twin sisters (I swear they aren't a gimmick), but if you aren't (or if you want to know them a little better), this album is an excellent place to start; I won't go so far as to say it's their best, but it's most representative of their sound, and I've been listening to it a lot lately; oh, and the song "I Hear Noises" is a total fucking jam, on the level of 'it's worth downloading the album for this song'

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Whoremoans - whoremoansheartsyou (2009)

2009-10-30T11:20:00.003-05:00

So last night, this album hopped its way across AIM from the artist, to my friend, and then to me; this guy lives in Illinois and makes self-produced nerdcore - actually, to call this nerdcore probably undercuts how good it is, because this isn't another album full of some shitty MC rapping about video games and food, which is what most of us have come to expect from freely available nerdcore; while there may be a song on here called "Fuck the Princess" with a Mario beat (which, by the way, is awesome), most of this isn't nerd themed, but is actually just really great underground hip-hop that happens to exist within the nerdcore scene

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The World/Inferno Friendship Society - Red-Eyed Soul (2006)

2009-10-30T09:47:00.003-05:00

This Brooklyn band plays something called cabaret punk, which sounds odd, and it is; they've got the typical setup of a rock band, but in addition to that they have horns and xylophones and accordions and all sorts of other goodies; upbeat and energetic and, well, punky, it's hard to really describe their sound with words, and they aren't everyone's cup of tea, but those of us who like them love them

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Tiger Army - Music from Regions Beyond (2007)

2009-10-30T09:40:00.004-05:00

This is the most recent album from Berkeley psychobilly group Tiger Army; if you're wondering 'what the fuck is psychobilly?', it means that they play a combination of punk and rockabilly, which is pretty awesome if you ask me, but they aren't as bound to that sound as most bands in this scene; the song "As the Cold Rain Falls" sounds like something straight out of the world of '80s synth-rock

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Get Set Go - So You've Ruined Your Life (2003)

2009-10-25T11:01:00.003-05:00

Debut album from Get Set Go; a lot of this has more of a pop-punk, alt rock sound than their later work, but it's still identifiable as them, and there are hints of what was to come in albums like Ordinary World and Selling Out & Going Home; this has the song Wait, which I'm pretty sure has been on Grey's Anatomy at some point, which is where most people know this band from

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Previous Posts:
Ordinary World
Selling Out & Going Home

Get Set Go - Ordinary World (2005)

2009-10-23T16:41:00.002-05:00

Sorry about the lack of posts; it's been a long, long week

Anyway, I've been meaning to post Get Set Go's other albums for ages, and someone recently requested that I do so as well, so I figured I should get around to doing it; this is their second album, is largely acoustic and folksy, and centers around singer-songwriter Mike TV's battles with drug addiction; it has the wonderfully amusing and insightful lyrics that we can always expect from this band, and the happy-sound-with-depressing-lyrics combo that makes this band either an upper or a downer, depending on what you want them to be

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Previous Posts:
Selling Out & Going Home

The Constellation Branch - The Dream Life, The Real Life, The Empty Glass... (2008)

2009-10-18T15:30:00.004-05:00

This Phoenix four-piece has been setting the blogosphere on fire for the past week or so with this release; everyone and their dog seems to be getting blown away by this little band's debut album, which I would compare favorably (as other reviewers have) to a mix of mewithoutYou and Radiohead, with a bit of '80s/'90s emo flair thrown in for good measure; what makes this so surprisingly good is that it doesn't sound like a debut; this sounds like a band that's spent years perfecting their sound

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everybody here is a cloud

2009-10-18T15:05:00.003-05:00

As you may or may not have noticed, depending on if you keep up with this blog through an RSS feed, I've now added genre tags to all the old posts, and placed a tag cloud over to the right. Now that the archive of posts is getting a little more significant, I figured it might help you sift through everything and get to what you want.

Onwards!

Have Heart - Songs to Scream at the Sun (2008)

2009-10-17T13:50:00.003-05:00

Second and final album from this Massachusetts edge group is my last post for edge day; they're playing their last ever show TODAY, and chances are you're like me, stuck a bazillion miles away from it, so make do with spinning this motherfucker a few times as loud as you possibly can; it's only 20 minutes long, but you'll be listening to it much longer than that; also, please don't ever use the term posi-core

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Bane - Give Blood (2001)

2009-10-17T13:45:00.003-05:00

Bane is one of the most well-known modern straight edge bands, and everyone who knows anything about edge has heard this album already; however, for the uninitiated, this is 25 minutes of anger and aggression; I mean, come on, this album opens with a shout of "FUCK YEAH / I AM STILL HOLDING ON", so you know right away what you're getting into

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Minor Threat - Complete Discography (1989)

2009-10-17T13:41:00.003-05:00

It's motherfuckin' edge day, bitches, so put down the joint long enough to turn this shit on and crank it the fuck up; I've got a few albums coming your way today, and first up is the one that started it all; fast and pissed off and violent, Minor Threat was essentially a band full of teenagers who fought their way to the top of the hardcore punk world; we have them to thank for the straight edge movement, all ages venues, and thousands of stupid tattoos

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how to be so real

2009-10-16T12:12:00.003-05:00

As a heads up to all my readers, in addition to updating Watch the Tapes, I will now be contributing to the blog How to Be So Real, along with three other dudes who all have awesome shit to share. So go bookmark it, add it to your RSS feed, or whatever it is you do, because even for a new blog it's already looking great.

Cheers!

Harvey Danger - Dead Sea Scrolls (2009)

2009-10-15T21:52:00.008-05:00

Well, it's been six weeks since this Seattle alternative rock band played their last ever show, and it sinks in more every day how much that sucks; their breakup is almost the most upsetting one of 2009 for me

You probably know this band as the guys who did "Flagpole Sitta" back in the 90s ("I'm not sick but I'm not well", yeah, that song), but they matured so far beyond that label of 'one-hit wonder', and this final release - a collection of studio demos, covers, unreleased tracks, and live recordings - showcases that perfectly; their clever lyrics, their tight, refined musicianship, their balls-out rockers and their contemplative 'slow songs' all can be found here, which makes this last release as good a place as any to start introducing yourself to their music; if you've never given Harvey Danger a chance, now's the time to start

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Beck - Mutations (1998)

2009-10-13T17:25:00.005-05:00

Alright, hold onto your seats, because I'm going to break the unwritten rule of Odelay worship - this is the best Beck album that actually sounds like Beck (ie, the best Beck album that isn't Sea Change); anyone familiar with Beck knows that pigeonholing him into a genre doesn't really work, so I'm not going to bother, and instead will just say that this album has all the influences and styles of his other releases (yes, even Sea Change) culled together to create one sweeping artistic statement that can speak for his entire catalog...folk, hip-hop, alt rock, psychedelia, pop, funk; it's all here, and all in top form

To summarize? This is the perfect Beck album.

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Previous Posts:
Beck and the Flaming Lips - Live at Orpheum Theater

The Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site (2003)

2009-10-10T21:13:00.004-05:00

This Canadian four-piece makes what they call folk rock, and that's pretty accurate, but it doesn't account for the strong punk influence in their music (they're on Epitaph, after all...although I suppose nowadays Epitaph is pretty wide-ranging genre-wise, but you get the idea); they're basically the only thing worth a shit to ever come out of Winnipeg

Oh, and this is amazing music for the fall season, so don't sleep on these guys

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Another Sunny Day - London Weekend (1992)

2009-10-06T21:54:00.004-05:00

I uploaded this forever ago and forgot to post it; Another Sunny Day is a seminal twee/jangle pop act of the 80s-90s, part of the Sarah Records roster, what this is is a lot of songs about love and romance and desperation, with odd cheeriness and sentimentality, considering the often disturbing subject matter ("if I don't see you soon / I'm going to kill myself"); tongue-in-cheek, perhaps, but that doesn't mean there isn't some truth down there somewehre

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Edna's Goldfish - Before You Knew Better (1998)

2009-10-03T09:23:00.004-05:00

Catchy as fuck ska punk from the '90s; honestly, what else is there to know? Pick it up (some pun intended)

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Nada Surf - Let Go (2002)

2009-09-30T18:21:00.005-05:00

"I left you a note that said
'come on out, and we'll both get
right off of our heads,
and float up off the chair.'

We'll go on vacation tonight,
under a sun of neon light.
And I almost love this town
when I'm by your side.

You woke me from a long sleep,
and I'm almost back.
I'm closer than ever
to finding the hidden track.

If I told you the truth,
you wouldn't like what I said."

Killian's Red

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The Merrymakers - Bubblegun (1998)

2009-09-27T11:09:00.005-05:00

Swedish songwriting duo who made amazingly catchy and rocking powerpop, sorta in the vein of the La's and other britpop acts, but with more of an edge (and, you know, not British); this is their second and apparently last album, and since its release they've been working on producing music instead of making it, which is a shame, because this is a quite a lovely little piece of late-90s sunniness

Big thanks go out to Meghin for cluing me in to this band's existence; also, if anyone knows where I could find their first album and could point me in that direction, I would be a very happy blogger

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Fucked Up - Hidden World (2006)

2009-09-26T11:37:00.005-05:00

Debut full-length from this Toronto-born 6-piece who have been turning punk music on its head for the better part of a decade; clocking in at over 70 minutes, this not your typical hardcore release, but that's not a bad thing; it swings wildly between bitter anger and upbeat positivity, and always has a sense of tongue-in-cheek humor lurking beneath the surface; this is just an album you need to experience to understand

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Mixtape: Enough is Never Quite Enough

2009-09-24T17:08:00.004-05:00

Is there a story here?

I don't really know. Maybe there is. It can be hard for me to tell sometimes how much of what I envision being present in a mix is actually conveyed to the other people who hear it. It can also be difficult for me to get a clear idea of what I was feeling when I first made a tape, once a little time has passed.

As for how it sounds, I think how this mix is perceived has a lot to do with your overall attitude toward the world; the pessimistic among you will see it as bleak and downtrodden, while the optimistic will get a much more hopeful set of images from it.

Personally, my opinion on its tone changes from day to day.

Either way, I hope you all enjoy it.

Title: Enough is Never Quite Enough
Length: 1:11:20
Download

1. The Microphones - "Instrumental"
2. The Microphones - "I Felt Your Shape"
3. The Gaslight Anthem - "Here's Looking at You, Kid"
4. Crash Test Dummies - "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm"
5. Maniac - "I Gotta Feeling"
6. Beautiful Small Machines - "Servo Manual Chapter 1"
7. Tommy Sparks - "These Things Happen"
8. Cloud Cult - "Everybody Here is a Cloud"
9. Wilco - "You and I"
10. Coldplay - "Parachutes"
11. Billie the Vision & the Dancers - "Liar and a Thief"
12. Metropolis Now - "Mr. Sandman"
13. Cap'n Jazz - "Aok"
14. The Replacements - "Here Comes a Regular"
15. Violent Femmes - "Good Feeling"
16. The Weakerthans - "One Great City!"
17. Harvey Danger - "Problems and Bigger Ones"
18. Windmill - "Spaceship Earth"
19. Mark Mothersbaugh - "I Always Wanted to Be a Tenenbaum"
20. The Dresden Dolls - "The Perfect Fit"
21. Green Day - "Song of the Century"
22. Manchester Orchestra - "I Can Feel a Hot One"

a person can work up a mean, mean thirst

Furry Things - The Big Saturday Illusion (1995)

2009-09-22T22:10:00.006-05:00

Fuzzed out shoegaze stuff from California, it's totally gnarly (I don't even know what stereotype I'm mocking anymore); anyway, yeah, skuzzy psych rock with lots of swirls and shit like that (what?) going on, get into it

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Windmill - Epcot Starfields (2009)

2009-09-19T11:27:00.003-05:00

Lo-fi, bedroom indietronica from UK-based singer-songwriter Matthew Thomas Dillon, in the vein of acts like Electric President and Radical Face, lots of piano and dreamy melodies; don't miss out on this

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P.S. Eliot - Introverted Romance in Our Troubled Minds (2009)

2009-09-17T18:19:00.003-05:00

Upbeat lo-fi twee pop punkish stuff (sounds original, doesn't it? It's good though)...think Vivian Girls but with less fuzz and much better lyrics; this is a quick listen but I find myself listening two or three times in a sitting

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The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About (1999)

2009-09-13T13:00:00.005-05:00

This sophomore effort from these Kansas City pop-punk/alt rock kids, full of almost annoyingly catchy heartbreak, was a big springboard towards the modern-day incarnation of 'emo' music, a fact which their guitarist has actually publicly apologized for; still, there's a lot to be enjoyed here if you can find it in yourself to drop your pretenses and misconceptions

Also, as you probably know, this band has recently reunited for the ten-year anniversary of this album, and is currently on tour; I'd recommend catching them if you can (I certainly am)

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Isaac and Hilltop - Before the Flowers Bloom (2009)

2009-09-12T12:20:00.005-05:00

Folksy indie pop by some dudes in Corpus Christi who spend most (read: all) of their time skateboarding, smoking pot, talking in IRC, jerking off and every now and then recording music; their guitarist has bugs crawling out of the trash can in his room

UPDATE: His room is now clean(er)

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Metropolis Now - Metropolis Now (2006)

2009-09-09T18:02:00.003-05:00

Really great hip-hop album (none of that 'alt hip-hop' stuff either); I can't really find much out about this band (not even a Myspace), except that they're from either Canada or San Antonio, one or the other (yeah, I dunno); but yeah, this is really great shit that I'm not sure how I stumbled across, but I did and now so did you, so don't fuck it up by not downloading it, GOT IT, good

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Youth Group - Skeleton Jar (2005)

2009-09-07T10:37:00.003-05:00

Sydney-based indie pop/alt rock, very chill shit; folksy at times, but also bears (dohoho) some resemblance to Pavement; I guess you could call some of this soft rock if you really wanted to, but don't judge it on that, mmkay

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Bad ideas come in small doses

2009-09-06T18:59:00.004-05:00

Time to face facts.

It's become clear to me after four or five weeks of letting this blog float in limbo that I am now unable to post as often as I was previously. I have a whole host of new stresses in my life that I didn't have a month ago, and more continue to enter the arena as the days go by. The updates are not going to stop; however, I'm not going to promise again they'll be daily, because they won't.

However, I've got some interesting ideas rolling around my head for the future of this blog. Purchase a domain? Bring in additional posters? Expand to more than just album downloads? I don't know. Why I'm posting this is to get the input of the readers. If you read this blog and/or have any ideas about what you'd like to see happen, please leave them in the comments section of this post! Any thoughts about expanding the readerbase or making the blog better are much appreciated!

Also, I don't think I've ever said this before, but if you enjoy this blog, I'd appreciate if you helped to promote it among your friends, any music communities you frequent, or just anyone who might be interested. Got some buddies in a band with some fresh recordings? Tell them to send 'em this way! As I said, I'm working on ideas for the future, but none of it amounts to anything if I don't have readers! Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Anyway, thanks for not giving up on this blog even though I've been pretty unresponsive as of late. More to come. Promise.

Dirt Dress - Perdido en la Suciedad 2 (2009)

2009-08-30T13:00:00.005-05:00

Second of three cassettes this band is putting out this year, all of which are named Perdido en la Suciedad; the response to their previous releases has been pretty strong on this blog, so I suspect a lot of you will want to hear this, as it continues to refine their lo-fi alt rock sound, and though they still wear their influences (Velvet Underground? Pavement?) on their sleeves, they seem to be coming into their own sound more and more; the more I hear from this band, the more excited I get about their future

Also, if any of you have the actual cover for this and could send it my way, that would be much appreciated

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Previous Posts:
Dirt Dress EP
Perdido en la Suciedad

Snowera - Snowsera EP (2007), Fictions EP (2008), Push & Pull EP (2009)

2009-08-30T12:53:00.004-05:00

Post-punky indie pop stuff, these guys put all their music up for free on their official site, and I was really surprised at how good it is (especially their new two-song EP, Push & Pull, which is pictured); I've stuck all three of their EPs into a single .rar file to make the process of getting all their material a little easier; this band shows a lot of promise and I can't wait for an album, keep an eye on them

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The Ambulars - Summer Fling EP

2009-08-30T12:49:00.005-05:00

DC pop-punk band and their four-song debut EP, with a charmingly lo-fi recording quality; I don't really have a lot to say about this, but the title pretty much sums it up, warm and bopsy (?) pop-punk for the summer months

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Eyedea & Abilities - By the Throat (2009)

2009-08-29T13:07:00.004-05:00

New release from this Epitaph hip-hop duo, a big stylistic shift from their older material, and while some fans have been dissatisfied with it, I personally think it's one of my favorite albums of the year; incredible lyrics through-and-through, rapped/sung with a ton of passion by Eyedea, and some awesome beats and production going on by Abilities as well

I apologize once again for the lack of posts as of late; life has been even more hectic the past week, but I think things are cooling out for a little bit now, so keep your fingers crossed again that I'll actually start posting more often

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Tubby Boots - The Eggshaker EP (2009)

2009-08-23T12:05:00.003-05:00

This Long Beach three-piece plays a funky style of alt rock very similar to the jammier and lengthier work of Red Hot Chili Peppers (if you're a fan, check this out), along with the inclusion of Sonic Youth-esque experimentation; the band asked me to post this, and I'm more than happy to oblige, because it's really impressive stuff

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