Tuddd's Muddd

The Best Albums of 2011 (so far) [part 2]

 

    Sincere apologies (t'heh!  Not really!  Go fuck yourself!) for the lack of Muddd action during these precious summer months.  Not making any excuses (actually, watch me), but I've been super fucking busy 1.) dealing with the resurgence of my Antiques business, 2.) writing a book, 3.) "curating" (hehheheh I HATE THAT WORD) a successful vegetable garden, and 4.) partying my fat fucking tits off.  Seriously, this has probably been the funnest summer of my sad, pathetic life.  Also, it's pretty safe to assume that my summer squash can beat the shit out of your summer squash.  Bitch. 

    So, at this very moment, you're looking at a continuation of / sequel to this post.  The way I do these lists is pretty simple.  You may or may not notice that there are no repeats between the lists.  This is because, over the course of the year, my tastes have been known to shift, sometimes dramatically.  For example, it's pretty safe to assume that the Kurt Vile record will place a lot higher on my year-end "Best Of" list than it did upon my initial handful of listens.  But I really don't feel like re-writing a Kurt Vile album review at this point, nor do I feel like slotting it (and other records from earlier in the year) into this list, which includes ONLY newer albums.  [Jesus Christ, I've somehow managed to bore myself.  Enough.  You semi-literate shitbags should be able to figure out a Best Albums list, mehopes.]

    So, enjoy this list, or jump in front of a city bus, I really don't give a shit.  [J/K, smoocherz!!!]

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1.) Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave -- The Raveonettes' gloomiest record yet, which says quite a bit for a band that has made a career creating an (insanely catchy) songbook of tunes spanning the topics of heartbreak, depression, drug addiction, depression, rape, depression, inadequacy, suicide, depression, and so forth.  But this is also a legitimate career highlight, their most well-crafted, thoroughly tuneful, thoughtfully paced, and perfectly produced album since '03's Chain Gang of Love [which is incidentally one of my favorite albums of all time].

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2.) Cheeseburger - Another Big Night Down the Drain -- Much has changed in the land of Cheeseburger since the release of their self-titled masterpiece in 2007.  The band has expanded its lineup, adding a second (and, at times, a third) guitarist and a bassist; vocalist extraordinaire Joe Bradley departed during the lengthy period between the recording and release of this album; they endured label issues and uncertainty as to the whether or not this second album would even see the light of day.  But fortunately, the important things didn't change: Cheeseburger still knows how to do it right.  So what does Another Big Night add to the band's greasy, nicotine-stained, beer-soaked legacy?  Well, for one, it hammers home Joe Bradley's legitimate (and possibly entirely unintentional) claim as an undeniably great rock and roll vocalist.  For another, it adds several great songs to Cheeseburger's canon -- the best of the bunch, "Roll Like That" and "Winner" are as fist-pumpingly awesome as anything they've ever done.  And for yet another, it serves as a righteous reminder SOMEBODY still remembers how to FUCKING ROCK.

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3.) Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact -- Just a lovingly crafted, complex, vibrant, beautiful album.  Here, Gang Gang Dance manages to incorporate the textured, dancey, ecstatic highlights of their previous work (which usually only traversed a couple of great tracks per album) into a full-album experience which flows seamlessly from song to song.

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4.) Melvins - Endless Residency -- In early 2011, stoners up and down the East Coast cursed their geography when the Melvins announced their residency at Spaceland in LA, at which they would play every Friday during the month of January as follows:

<<Jan. 7: Melvins set (current line-up performing Colossus of Destiny); Lysol and Eggnog records in their entirety
Jan. 14: Melvins 1983 (Buzz, Dale and Mike Dillard); Melvins set (current line-up performing normal set) and Houdini in its entirety
Jan. 21: Melvins Lite (Buzz & Dale only); Melvins set (current line-up performing normal set) and Bullhead in its entirety
Jan. 28: Melvins set (current line-up performing normal set) and Stoner Witch in its entirety>>

Uhhhhhh, yeah.  Jealous much?

This limited-edition 4 CD box set contains live recordings of each of the full albums that the Melvins performed during that run, warts and all.  Of course, it's not ALL good (I doubt I will ever make it through all 17+ minutes of "Lividity"), but what is good (the very, very vast majority) is very much worthwhile.

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5.) Liquor Store - Yeah Buddy -- So, according to Tuddd archives, I've seen Liquor Store live 10 times over the last two years, which seems a bit low considering how much I've pumped these guys up to friends, acquaintances, and random passers-by, but what can you do (the sands of time, etc.).  Anyway, it's a serious relief to hear that the band was somehow able to capture the grimy, slovenly, riotously bad-ass spirit of their live shows on this, their first LP.  But don't take my word for it; watch some of my buddy Devin's Liquor Store live clips here or here or here.  Truly one of the few (as in, literally, there are THREE) great local bands (they're from Jersey) actually actively putting out music today.  

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6.) Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two -- Contains everything you'd expect from a top-notch Beasties album: hilarious rhymes, great production, and show-stealing guest spots on this, their first truly worthwhile outing of the new millennium.  And if you haven't seen their promo video for this album yet, do yourself a favor: find a comfy chair, pull some bong rips, and press play. 

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7.) Melvins - Sugar Daddy -- To many, still yet another Melvins live record might seem excessive.  (Notice another 4-CD live set from the Melvins just a few spots above this one.)  Not this band, however.  To quote Buzz Osbourne, "I'm not afraid of putting out records."  And it's a testament to the strength of the Melvins' recent output that they're capable of putting out a damn good live album that largely neglects their "classic" material, focusing instead mostly on stuff from Nude With Boots and (A) Senile Animal.

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8.) White Denim - D -- I've been singing this band's praises for awhile now, and I hope that one day they're somehow able to put all of their great influences (classic guitar rock, soul, bluesy southern rock, folky pop, with just a smidge of lite prog and jamminess) in the blender and come up with the show-stopping Album of the Year-competing album that I know they're capable of.  I just KNOW White Denim has an Exile on Main Street in 'em somewhere.  While this album isn't that album (sorry, it just doesn't rock hard enough), it's certainly on par with their previous output (which I've enjoyed).  At this point, that is probably this band's real (recorded) strength: putting out eminently listenable albums.  The real winners here can be found in the spiraling guitar work of "At the Farms," the sentimental "Street Joy," and the bubbly "Is and Is and Is."

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9.) Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care -- If you've ever heard an Explosions in the Sky song, you know EXACTLY what you're getting here.  If you haven't, allow me to explain: delicate, heavily-reverbed, extremely emo(tive) instrumental / post-rock that wrings every last drop out of the quiet / loud dynamic.  Not for everyone, but those who do like it tend to REALLY like it.

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10.) O'Death - Outside -- OATTETH FOREVER!!!! [inside joke.]  If you were worried that these guys' inimitable version of scrappy, punky mountain music would be derailed by their misfortune (their drummer was stricken with bone cancer), fear not: this album is just as persistently, undeniably, rollickingly catchy as their previous work.

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11.) Tombs - Path of Totality -- Never mind the relentless brutality and A+ riffs on this record.  This album has the highest ranking on the list of any band that has had a member throw a punch at me.  Huzzah!

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12.) Battles - Gloss Drop -- I loved the shit out of "Atlas" (who didn't), but generally I found Mirrored to be monotonous and tuneless (if rhythmically interesting at times).  But this time around, by enlisting a cadre of guest vocalists and focusing more on melody, Battles manage to stave off my boredom quite effectively.

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13.) Liturgy - Aesthethica -- So apparently Liturgy main dude Hunter Hunt Hendrix has pissed off a lot of people in the black metal community.  Of course, why anyone would give a holy horsefuck about the opinions of the black metal community, I have no earthly idea.  Oh yeah, that's right, sometimes they kill people an' shit.  Watch your ass, brah!

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14.) Red Fang - Murder the Mountains -- Was really excited about this one, due to my thoroughly enjoying their first two releases, both of which I reviewed somewhere on this site.  Plus I enjoyed their live show.  And as anyone who knows me knows, I loves me some good ol' fashioned meat n' taters stoner metal.  Not to mention that this has gotten an assload of great press.  But seriously guys, whud'j'ya do with all the hooks?

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15.) Various Artists - Persian Funk -- Of course, I'm a sucker for this type of compilation.  For example, without '09's Psych Funk 101 comp, I would have never discovered this gem.  On Persian Funk, there are several worthy tracks, but look no farther than Morteza's creatively named "Morteza" for a sick fucking jam that shoulda been the theme to some awesomely horrible '70s genre film / blaxploitation flick / heavily mustachioed cop drama.

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16.) Mars Classroom - New Theory of Everything -- As someone who regularly identifies GbV as the Greatest Band of All Time, I occasionally feel pangs of guilt about the sheer amount of unadulterated vitriol I've poured into reviews of recent-period Robert Pollard releases.  That being said, this album has exactly ONE great song on it, which immediately makes it better than any of the umpteen trillion other Bob releases we've seen over the last two years.  (That being said, "Wish You Were Young" is the shit.)

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17.) Times New Viking - Dancer Equired -- Yes, this is the first Times New Viking album without the endearingly oppressive layer of tape hiss we've all grown to know and love.  As a direct result of that, it would probably be more... I dunno, 'romantic' for music journalism's sake if this review were to read either 1.) "they prove that they're a damn fine band without the hiss" or 2.) "they prove that the hiss was hiding their suckitude all along."  But neither is the case.  On this album, TNV is simply a decent, sloppy indie pop act, of which there are approximately fifteen trillion bipping and bopping around the blogosphere at any given time.  [Incidentally, say what you want about the glut of "lo-fi" bands that popped up over the last few years: yes, it was redundant, and yes a lot of undeserving people got a lot of press for the wrong reasons, but I'll take lo-fi copycats over first generation chillwave any day of the fucking week.]

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18.) Dum Dum Girls - He Gets Me High -- This is nowhere near a 'bad' record by any means, but when comparing recent releases by gothy, Jesus and Mary Chain-influenced noise pop bands, this is just so far inferior to the Raveonettes album that it's practically irrelevant.  Which is a shame.  Kristen Gundred may have a really nice singing voice, but she does herself no favors by penning some of the most godawful lyrics ever recorded.

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19.) Krallice - Diotima -- Technically accomplished; bone-crushingly loud; forged from unimpeachable integrity; virtually impossible to listen to in its entirety in one sitting.

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20.) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong -- Signing on with 90s stalwarts Alan Moulder and Flood as a production team has made these guys' scrappy little pop tunes decidedly less limp-wristed, but, with two notable exceptions ("Belong" and "Even in Dreams" are both pretty great), the songwriting remains firmly in "meh" territory.

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21.) Boris - Heavy Rocks (2011) -- If you're not familiar with Japanese sludge-meisters Boris' huge discography, you might not be aware of the fact that they put out another (greatly superior) album called Heavy Rocks nine years ago.  This one seems to rehash the ground they've been traversing on their last several more conventional, song-based studio albums, albeit less successfully / more boringly.  Although, in Boris' case, wallowing in the past is decidedly less awful than, say, experimenting in electro (see #29 below). 

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22.) The People's Temple - Sons of Stone -- The production on this album manages to replicate Nuggets-era (well, San Fran Nuggets, at least) garagey, folky psych.  And, just as many Nuggets acts were good for one great song and nothing more, this album consists of one true gem (the title track) and a bunch of aimless, dreary, stoned-sounding horsecrap.

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23.) The Antlers - Burst Apart -- Throughout the course of the media blitz that preceded this album, Peter Silberman said he wanted this Antlers album to be something that "didn't need to be an overwhelming emotional experience every time you listen to it," referencing Hospice's gut-wrenchingly intimate catharsis (which actually worked).  Uhhhhhhh, bad move.  Saying "we're taking the emotional experience out of an Antlers record" is tantamount to saying "ok, we're going to make a Metallica record, but we're going to take out the guitar solos, we're going to make the snare sound like a fucking empty tin can, and we're going to let Kirk write lyrics."  Avoid.

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24.) Death - Spiritual Mental Physical --  This is to be considered an 'Odds and Sods'-type release, focusing on unearthed tracks and unfinished sketches, many of which are too bare to actually be considered "songs."  So this should not be considered a true follow up to '09's pretty darn good ...For the World to See.  The only real noteworthy tidbit on this one is "The Masks," which hilariously rips off the entire verse of the Beatles' "Got to Get You Into My Life,"  note for note.

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25.) Foo Fighters - Wasting Light -- Yeah, I know, what was I thinking, right?  Well, since you asked, my "acquaintance," who is a useless thieving moron and one of the biggest pieces of ignorant Lwong Eyelund trash I've ever met, one day said to me "duuuuuhhhhh... you heard the new Foo Fighters?  I don't usually like thrash metal but this is pretty good!!!111!!!1!" [Yes, you could actually HEAR the accidental 1's rolling out of his tooth-deprived mouth.]  Of course, this genius' idea of thrash metal is probably like O.A.R. or something, so I should have filed this away along with everything else he ever says under "flush immediately," but, in the interest of "acquaintance" relations, I instead thought to myself, "hmmm, it would be nice to have something we could both listen to and enjoy during those timeless moments where he's shamelessly / gratitudelessly leeching drugs and booze off of me late nite."  So I gave this shitty album a shot, sue me.  Whatever.  Foo Fighters are terrible, move along, nothing to see here. 

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26.) The Kills - Blood Pressures -- Sorry, Jack White totally ruined Alison Mosshart.  While the Kills' first two albums worked largely in part to VV and Hotel's convincing stabs of drugged-out creepiness, these songs all just sound antiseptically prefab, ideal for hawking Volkswagens or fancy sunglasses or expensive strollers or whatever the fuck it is that white folks waste their money on these days. 

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27.) Panda Bear - Tomboy -- A total crock of hyped-up gimmicky garbage.  I don't know about you, but me, I'm a "song" guy, and the songwriting on this one is, for all intents and purposes, virtually non-existent.  It makes sense that technology (oooh, look at me!  I can loop shit!) plays such a central role on this album, because I've met toasters that have more soul than this moron.  The best thing you can say about Tomboy is that it makes 'good background music,' which, to me is probably the most scathing indictment one can make about ANY music.

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28.) Crystal Stilts - In Love With Oblivion -- Ugggggghhhhh... the singing on this... THE SINGING! THE GODAWFUL SINGING!!!  How do the other members of the band put up with this massive horsecock being rammed down their collective throats time and time again, over and over, on every single fucking track?  HE SINGS THE SAME TWO FUCKING NOTES IN EVERY SONG!!!  AND THAT'S IT!!!!!!!  Is this just an elaborate practical joke, and rest of the band isn't in on it?  Are the other band members just afraid they're going to hurt his feelings if they broach the subject?  Does the singer suffer from IDS (Imminent Death Syndrome)?  Is this a brilliant marketing hoax played on the public to prove that morons will cream their jeans over ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING that gets compared to Joy Division?  Meh, fuck it, who really cares.  This album blows. 

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29.) Boris - Attention Please -- Yes, it may take balls for an established heavy band like Boris to branch out into yet another new genre (noisy, breathy industrial electropop, uh, or something) while focusing on their weakest instrument (guitarist Wata's thin-as-toilet paper voice, which is seemingly incapable of expressing anything more intense than a sigh), but that doesn't mean we have to like it.  Or pay money for it. 

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30.) Various Artists - Sing for Your Meat: a Tribute to Guided by Voices -- Worse than pointless.  Is there really a huge demand for giving absolute no-talents a podium for the sole purpose of eviscerating classic GbV songs?  Well, there shouldn't be.  Since most of the original "studio" versions of these songs were recorded on the cheap (on 4 track or 8 track), and since most of the artists on this joke of a piece of shit of a record choose to perform these songs in a lo-fi "style" as well, they've given me no choice but to judge these inferior remakes face-to-face against the originals, which rank among the greatest songs EVER WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY ANYBODY.  So you wanna guess how Crooked Fingers, James Husband, and some idiot from the Vivian Girls fare?  Take a wild stab!

 

The Best Albums of 2007 pt. 1 (list #11)

    Better late than never, eh?  Well, what say we get right into it.

    I'm reluctant to brand 2007 "the year of" anything in particular because I don't really see any recent trend as being definitive.  There were unlikely comebacks, stunning debuts, disappointing clunkers and puzzling choices.  Personally, 2007 was the year that I finally fell out of love with Robert Pollard's non-archival releases.  (*SOB* Parting is such sweet sorrow!)  My favorite record store closed down, my dad died, I quit my shitty job, and I started my own business.  But enough about me.

    Before we get started, first: the ground rules, which remain the same as last year : this only counts albums released in '07, and not reissues, so no Daydream Nation, Nico's The Frozen Borderline or ELO's Out of the Blue, or the Blossom Toes or 13th Floor Elevators reissues.  But pretty much everything else is fair game -- live albums, limited edition EPs, retrospectives compiling old tracks, whatever.  Also, this list only contains albums that I personally own -- none of that Limewire bullshit.  And, yes, I will eventually have mini-reviews posted for all 70+ albums I heard in '07.  This is just the first half.

    Oh, and winner of the yearly "Sufjan Stevens Illinoise Memorial Trophy" (given to the album responsible for so much spillage of music journalist ejaculate that my adding a review would surely result in nothing but redundancy) is Panda Bear's Person Pitch.

    So let's have at it, shall we?

2007: The Year in Albums

1.) Arcade Fire - Neon Bible -- All those of you that expected Arcade Fire to follow up the incredible Funeral with an equally worthy sophomore record, stand up.  The general consensus was that the rich emotional depths that were successfully mined to such stunning effect on Funeral would just be too much to be equaled a second time around.  Fortunately, as it turned out, the band members didn't need to suffer through further family tragedies -- as they famously did prior to Funeral's release -- to find the inspiration necessary to create another excellent album.

     Replacing the mournfulness of Funeral with righteous, bilious outrage at a world gone mad, Neon Bible isn't a protest record in the traditional sense in that its disillusioned fury is not focused on a sole target.  Instead, Win Butler's lyrics paint with a broad stroke, with the prevailing themes of perseverance (as in "Keep the Car Running") versus suffocating hopelessness ("Black Mirror," notably) and justified paranoia ("Windowsill") coloring much of the material.  In one of the most original first-person narratives since Steely Dan's "Don't Take Me Alive,"  "Antichrist Television Blues," (supposedly originally titled "Joe Simpson"), eviscerates the unconscionable greed and lecherous hypocrisy of "God-fearing" showbiz parents literally from the inside out.

    Not that it's perfect.  For one, they probably shouldn't have put the two "Don't wanna..." songs back to back (Antichrist Television Blues and Windowsill).  And "My Body Is a Cage" sounds like leftovers from  "Intervention" But these are relatively minor quibbles, and by never coming within shouting distance of the sophomore slump, Arcade Fire have established themselves as the best band in the world. 

2.) Radiohead - In Rainbows -- Consciously turning away from the compulsion to reinvent themselves yet again, what we have here is easily the most comfortable Radiohead's ever sounded.  Disclaimer: this is most assuredly not a RAWK album, nor is it given to overly ambitious flights of electronic fancy, and the ideological axe-grinding is kept to a minimum.  Wisely, this leaves plenty of room for what's always been the most striking instrument in their arsenal: Thom Yorke's voice.  As usual, Nigel Godrich's production is picture perfect, framing Yorke's gentle melodies with ebbs and swells that serve to augment instead of overpowering the material.  And with the focus firmly on the melodies, Yorke uncorks some real stunners.  Best song: The wordless coda of "Nude" is the most sublime musical moment of the year.

3.) Deerhunter - Cryptograms -- A complex, at times harrowing inward journey so instantly identifiable and evocative that you can practically hear the unwelcome clamminess of cold sweat percolating within your speakers.  Just as with their fantastic live show, Deerhunter manage to expose insecurities without wallowing in gratuitous unpleasantness -- although some severely macabre themes are visited throughout the album's course, the main impression Cryptograms leaves is the painstaking care that clearly went into its production, not to mention the obvious appreciation of Floyd-esque subtlety and dynamics.

4.) Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond -- The beast awakes!  Nearly twenty years after the dissolution of the "classic" Dino Jr. lineup, who'd'a thunk they'd drop a legitimate contender for album of the year right out of the gate?  And with Beyond being jam-packed with great song after great song, one comes away with the feeling that this reunion will not be of the simple one-and-done variety. (Well, that and the fact that they've been touring almost incessantly for the last two years.)  Within the Dino Jr. catalog, only You're Living All Over Me tops Beyond.  Yes, it's better than Bug.  Way, way, way better. Best song: the multipart "Pick Me Up" which traverses several distinct sections before locking into the year's best guitar solo.

5.) Robert Pollard - Crickets: The Best of the Fading Captain Series, 1999-2007 -- A two disc  retrospective highlighting the best and the brightest from Robert Pollard's now-retired Fading Captain Series label, encompassing forty+ solo albums, through-the mail collaborations, and other assorted idiosyncratically-named side projects.  Unfortunately since Pollard's first two proper solo records (Not in My Airforce and Waved Out) were released by Matador, there's nothing to be found on here from those undeniable classics but fear not, this sumbitch still has a ton of great tracks.  As a Fading Captain Cliffs Notes of sorts it holds up as well as can be expected (if not better), but in the name of all that's holy, where the fuck is Submarine Teams?  Includes 6 previously unreleased tracks for the diehards.  Best song: how about a top six?  1.) "Pop Zeus," arguably Pollard's finest composition ever, 2.) "Sensational Gravity Boy, 3.) "Stifled Man Casino," from the first Airport 5 collaboration (with former GbV member Tobin Sprout), 4.) the grungy-as-fuck "Time Machines" from Lexo and the Leapers, 5.) the semi-lecherous "Tight Globes," and 6.) the defiant chest-beater (and live favorite) "Alone, Stinking and Unafraid."

6.)  Cheeseburger - Cheeseburger -- Do you like to party?  Well, do ya?!!  Cheeseburger takes rock back to... well, I'm not sure when, (when was rock ever this fun?) but a time when in order to forget your troubles all you needed was a pocketful of quarters for the jukebox, a keg and a group of drunk-off-their-ass crazy friends.  Think all the fun, showmanship and off-color humor of a more-belligerent AC/DC, with the bombast crammed down from arena size just enough to fit in your corner bar.  Or, better yet, your basement. 

7.) Guided by Voices - Live From Austin -- Well, a mediocre-to-averageish GBV show was/is pretty much better than anything anyone else (Robert Pollard included) can put out there these days.  Also comes on DVD.  On this show, recorded for the Austin City Limits television program during a stop on the band's farewell "Electrifying Conclusion" tour in 2004, Uncle Bob reaches into his seemingly bottomless well of songs to rock out with just-added rarities ("Do the Earth," "Navigating Flood Regions"), "new" shit from their underrated Half Smiles of the Decomposed album ("Gonna Never Have to Die," "Girls of Wild Strawberries,") and all-time faves ("Echos Myron," "Tractor Rape Chain").  Highlights: rhythm guitarist/blacked-out superhero Nate Farley tumbling off the stage during "Fair Touching;" Bob accidentally introducing surprise guest Pete Yorn as "Tom Yorn," Bob totally muffing the lyrics during "Pendulum" only to be saved by right hand man/lead guitarist Doug Gillard, (who receives a "Thanks, Doug!" from an appreciative Bob) and the ensuing "you can suck and still rule" monologue.

8.) Pelican - City of Echoes -- Sorry, but it has to be said: one's enjoyment of this album is directly related to how much the sloppy drumming annoys/distracts you.  But if you can learn to focus on the riff-savvy songwriting and fantastic guitar interplay instead, you're golden.  Best post-metal record since last year's stunning Enter by Russian Circles.

9.) Panthers - The Trick --  Brooklyn band's follow up to 2004's super-awesome Things Are Strange sets you up with a stunning array of heavy riffing, then knocks you out with clever, passionate lyrics.  These ten tracks are over quick, with most clocking in at under three-and-a-half minutes, and I salute the brevity, but I feel that the addition of a slow-burning, meandering track (like Things Are Strange's "We Are Louder" and "If You Were Young Once, Rage") or two would have varied the dynamics just enough to really knock this one outta the park.  One of the top "heavy music" records of the year.   

10.) Hull - Viking Funeral --  Hull manage to cram everything that's great about metal into one incredible 17 minute track: bone-crushing riffs, dextrous guitar work, psychotic growls, dramatic climaxes, and just enough bluesy noodling to occasionally drag the listener back to normalcy.  Having caught these guys live a couple of times and heard some of their other jams, you can bet I'll have my ear to the ground listening for info about a new release. 

11.) Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Is Is EP -- A collection of 5 songs written between Fever to Tell and Show Your Bones.  And that's important to state: this is a collection of songs which are actually able to stand on their own, away from the preconceptions/baggage of the vaunted YYY live show.  While I listened to Fever to Tell thinking "boy, these songs don't hold a candle to their in-concert counterparts," this record proves that they're capable of putting together an incredibly tight, cohesive EP of damn good music.

12.) Interpol - Our Love to Admire -- an uneven record, and the weakest of their three LPs, but still strong enough to yield several gems.  (First single "The Heinrich Maneuver" is not amongst said gems.  Spoiler alert!) And although Our Love doesn't reach the heights of their previous two full-lengths, at least they didn't try to shoehorn some radio-friendly crap on there somewhere, y'know, since they're on a major label now and all.  In fact, the closest anything comes to being "extravagant" or "bloated" on this record is the orchestra on "Pioneer to the Falls," which compliments the song *perfectly*.  Seriously, guys, thanks for not trying to sound like the Goo Goo Dolls or whatever.   

13.) Sigur Ros - Hvarf/Heim -- This consists of two distinctly separate EPs, the first of which (Hvarf) collects unreleased tracks and a couple of alternate takes, and the second of which (Heim) culls tracks from a mostly acoustic tour of the band's native Iceland.  While these guys have been accused (as has the entire post-rock genre) of relying too much upon simple quiet-loud dynamics to create their stunning crescendos, Heim shows that the band are not simply slaves to their wattage.

14.) Type O Negative - Dead Again -- Probably the band's most consistent release since their 1994 breakthrough Bloody Kisses.  Should you choose to listen, be ready for the following: gratuitous riffing spread across multi-part suites, Brooklyn accents, rolled "r"s, self-deprecating lyrics, incomprehensible soapbox harangues, and keyboard interludes so lame that Richard Marx hears 'em and says, "that's gay."  To have seen these guys live recently (their show at Irving Plaza in May was the single most disappointing show I caught all year ), one might have come to the conclusion that they were better off heading gracefully into retirement (or rehab/jail), that won't be necessary.  Well, at least for another few years or so.  Prepare to be thoroughly offended.

15.) Baroness - The Red Album -- The skullcrushing riffs!  The formidable chops!  The...  The... uninspired vocals!  Seriously, this is a top notch metal album sabotaged somewhat by some dreadfully monotonous and repetitive vocal melodies.  Fortunately, the emphasis here is placed heavily enough on lengthy instrumental passages that the singing isn't an automatic turnoff.  Best song: "Grad," which is -- you guessed it -- an instrumental.

16.) Pissed Jeans - Hope for Men -- Basing their fury upon boredom, self-doubt and loathing a loathsome society, Pissed Jeans use an impossibly sludgy presentation to hammer their point home.  Sludgecore to the max.  Basically, Hope for Men is the musical equivalent of shitting yourself at work -- on purpose.

17.) Os Mutantes - Live at the Barbican Theater -- A recording of the influential Brazilian group's first performance from their comeback tour in 2006.  I've had the pleasure of seeing Os Mutantes live twice, and I'm a bit puzzled why they would have chosen to release their first show back; many of these songs were further limned out and expanded as the band became more comfortable playing them.  In that way, this can be seen as a somewhat expanded, live version of their stupendous Anything Is Possible best-of release.  While many have been critical of the "Jesus Christ Superstar"-ish presentation of some of the songs (probably most flagrantly obvious on "Technicolor"), the full band and choir really comes through in the clutch, especially on the more complex vocal arrangements.  And while the prominent place in the band's sound assumed by Sergio Dias' surprisingly chops-y lead guitar playing has been criticized in print countless times, f that noise with a broomstick: Os Mutantes is a band for whom self-indulgence, bombast and absurdity are not dirty words.

18.) Panda Bear - Person Pitch -- [Yeah, I know I wasn't going to post a review for this bad boy, but I figured I'd share this.  While perusing the eMusic member reviews before I snagged this record, I came across a negative one which dismissed Person Pitch as little more than  "Beach-Boys-on-a-radio-in-another-room-in-a-church noise."  Wait, you're trying to tell me that that's a negative review?!]

19.) Boris with Merzbow - Rock Dream -- Limited edition release of a live collaboration between shapeshifting Japanese metal band Boris and acclaimed noise merchant Merzbow.  Recorded in Tokyo earlier this year, the track selection includes examples many of the more well-known phases of Boris' career: lengthy doom/noise suites ("Feedbacker" clocks in at nearly 40 minutes), straightforward raveups (Akuma No Uta's Ibitsu and Pink's "Pink" and "Woman on the Screen"), the title track from this year's uberchill collaboration with Michio Kurihara, Rainbow, and all kinds of fascinating shit from here and there.  To be sure, Boris are a formidable machine live (I seen 'em twice), although I'm not sure Merzbow's additions to this recording are all that significant -- the songs are great enough without smearing an Echoplex all over 'em.

20.) Bad Religion - New Maps of Hell -- There are two possible schools of thought on this record: 1.) "wow, they pinched out another?  Aren't these guys like two decades past their prime?"  or 2.) "fuck tha haters, their recent records have been good."  If you're in camp #1 you're probably not going to be convinced to check this one out either way.  For those in camp #2, this is a solid record, not as good as Empire or Process but better than No Substance and New America.  

21 and 22.) Two Gallants - The Scenery of Farewell (EP) and 2GS (album) -- I'm reviewing these together because to my ears they could have conceivably originated from the same sessions; the material sounds that much alike.  Or they could be leftovers from last year's #13 What the Toll Tells.  Anyway, these guys do a gritty and proficient amalgam of folk and punk -- it's amazing Adam Stephens can pull off "grizzled" when he looks like Neil Patrick Harris with stubble.  Although I don't like any of these tracks quite as much as "Prodigal Son," "Steady Rollin'," "Waves of Grain," or "Long Summer Day," but as that album aged particularly well, so should these two.

23.) A Place to Bury Strangers - A Place to Bury Strangers -- Make no mistake, these guys are probably my favorite "new" NYC-area band (hey, that's some great Kool-Aid! Top me off, wouldja?), but that's largely based on their seizure-inducing live show (c'mon, they even use a strobe light for Kirk's sake!).  This album is somewhat of a mixed bag, recorded lo-fi on the cheap, drenched in feedback and swathed in the effects produced by frontman Oliver Ackerman's homemade guitar pedals.  While I usually commend a band for such a blatantly DIY presentation, a little more polish would have really helped to translate their sophisticated layered/swirling live sound onto record.  Not to be overly critical, but would Loveless (one of this album's obvious musical touchstones) have been as awesome without Kevin Shields' maniacal Svengali-esque overproduction?  I think not.  Musically, you're getting a julienned amalgam of My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain, Ministry, and the like.  If you're going to wear your influences on your sleeve, you might as well be influenced by the best.

24.) Interpol - Live EP -- This tasty little number is available only at select indie stores -- a nice tip of the cap to a community that embraced Interpol's dark aesthetic from the beginning now that the band is on a major.  The six songs represented here, recorded in London, are all good choices.  My only complaint is that Carlos D's bass is not as prevalent in the mix as it should be, robbing the band's tight-as-hell rhythm section of its meloidic element.  But still easily worth the purchase.

25.) Praxis - Tennessee 2004 -- In the year's second most aggressive display of chops (to the Fucking Champs, listed below), we have virtuoso Buckethead dropping surgically precise, flashfingered guitar bombs over the equally impressive drumming of ex-Primus drummer Brain, rooted down by the thick-as-molasses, confident dubbiness of Bill Laswell.  The many solo sections prove that this band might just have too much talent for their own good, so it's no shock that they sound their best paying tribute to Hendrix on the Band of Gypsies classic "Machine Gun."

26.) Crippled Black Phoenix - A Love of Shared Disasters -- Mournful, dreary, doleful album which at times exhibits similarities to the bodies of work of Mogwai and Portishead (members of which are in CBP), with several gothy ballads mixed in here and there.  In most places the album works quite well (the proper songs, notably) but the unnecessary repetition of interludes "The Whistler" and "Long Cold Summer" and the clunky inclusion of a Tennyson poem set to music bloat it a bit. 

27.) Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone -- Overwrought?  Yes.  Gratuitous?  Hell yeah.  Maudlin?  Check.  Emo?  Um, sure, that too.  But make no mistake, this is a fine album, and it works a lot better than plenty of recent records by more highly respected denizens of the post-rock genre.  The music on this record mines its raw material from many heavy emotional sources; "It's Natural to Be Afraid" constructs an intricate latticework of impending dread, practically dissolving into abject darkness before giving way to delicate passages of hope and strident beauty.  "The Catastrophe and the Cure" emphasizes patience in times of trouble, with a (melo)dramatic, sublimely gentle climax seeing the listener through.  Unfortunately, the album ends with a whimper, as the new age tinkling of "So Long, Lonesome" sounds a bit too Weather Channel-y for these ears. 

28.) Los Straitjackets with Big Sandy - Rock En Espanol vol. 1 -- "America's instrumentalists" and surf rock torch-bearers Los Straitjackets have tried to find a way around the fact that the larger mass of the record buying public often has trouble digesting sizable swaths of vocal-less music: by hiring Tijuana crooner Big Sandy to sing Spanglish semi-translations of '50s/'60s rock classics, they've created a record with several curiously mixtape-worthy offerings.  Best song: the cover of the Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night," recast here as "El Dia de Noche."

29.) LCD Soundsystem - The Sound of Silver -- Hmmm.  Beyond "All My Friends" and "North American Scum" (both of which are great), I'm not the biggest fan.  But those tracks alone are good enough to secure a decent ranking, though.

30.) Red Fang - Tour EP II -- loved these guys' live set opening up for the Fucking Champs   -- what you get here is some good ol' fashioned meat n' taters stoner metal.  Nuthin' fancy, just some mighty fine listening.  Not to mention the year's best bass solo in the middle of "Suicide." 

31.) Times New Viking - Paisley Reich -- Noisy, raw, kinda awesome punk shit with extremely lo-fi production values.  Seriously, this makes Bee Thousand-era Guided by Voices sound like it was produced by Rick Rubin in a 48 track digital studio.  The drums sound like garbage cans, the keyboards sound like guitars, the guitars sound like a circular saw vs. copper pipe in a steel cage death match, and the vocals sound just flat out fugly.  Enjoy!

32.) Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Jukebox Explosion --  A collection of random tracks culled from 7"s, compilations, and other out-of-print sources.  You know what yer gettin' here: grungy, sloppy riffs; delirious, crackhead-in-a-dumpster sound effects/assorted percussion; and Spencer's hellish, HomelessCrazyElvis vocals.  If I were into self-mutilation, I'm assuming this is the type of shit I'd like to listen to while pulling my own toenails out.

33.) Boris with Michio Kurihara - Rainbow -- second solid offering this year by these guys, and with another collaborator.  As Boris is seemingly devoted to exploring each n' every corner of LOUD music possible, it's important to note that Rainbow takes a step back from the doom/punk/thrash hybrid of Pink, with the band and guest guitarist Michio Kurihara visiting more subdued, subtle territory.  Personally, I never wanted to put the word "subdued" (or any like synonym) into a Boris review, and too many of the tracks wind up sounding new-agey and weak.  While it's impossible to tell what influence Kurihara had over these sessions, it's pretty safe to say that Boris without Kurihara is better than Boris with.  But fear not; in all likelihood this album doesn't signify any long-term deviation from great records like Akuma No Uta and Pink; knowing these guys, if you look hard enough you'll probably find that they've put out another ten or so import-only slabs of awesome within the last few weeks that you'll never get to hear.

34.) Deerhunter - Fluorescent Gray EP -- companion piece of leftover tracks from Cryptograms, this EP consists of one standout track, the noisy and cathartic "Wash Off" (arguably the band's best overall song) and a few tracks which, truth be told, are waaaay better live than on these studio versions.  Here "Dr. Glass" is wispy and weak; live it's a bass-heavy and groovy number, arguably the creepiest funk song I've ever heard.  The title track also benefits greatly from the live treatment.  Best song: Guess.

35.) BOAT - Let's Drag Our Feet -- What we have here is lo-fi indie pop largely bereft of guitar, with vocals by a guy (or guys) singing in a wobbly, bashful upper register typical of said indiepop genre.  Take it or leave it, but what saves BOAT from the dustbin of genericness is the nifty songwriting on this album, accompanied by clever, endearing lyrics ranging from bashful self-deprecation to humorous boasting to lovelorn sincerity to flat out goofiness.  Nice little record.  Best songs: 1.) "Make Way for the Genius to Appear," 2.) "Come with Me We'll Win," 3.) "I'm a Donkey for Your Love."

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EDIT: the second half of this list can be found here.   Merry Christmas to you all, and to all a good night.  Or should I say, "Feliz Navituddd!"

Pelican with Earth and Priestbird, July 24th, 2007 at Bowery Ballroom

    Well, so much for getting reviews done in a timely fashion.  I guess it makes it kind of difficult when I'm seeing a new show pretty much every night (yeah, I know, cry me a freakin' river), and when I don't really get up until like 10:30 or so every day (*YAWN*.  Have I mentioned that retirement's awesome?).  As I sit here right now, my apartment has reached a level of filthiness heretofore unimagined.  I should be cleaning, or even more importantly at the gym, but I've got Social D tonight and I can't risk pulling a hammy or wrenching my back.  [Yep, I'm a world-class rationalizer.]  So buckle up, it's blog time.  (*shudder*)

    So, yeah, fuckin' Pelican.  Their new record, City of Echoes is fantastic.  Since I'm such a sucker for post-rock/post-metal type bands it's pretty embarrassing for me to admit that it's the first shit I've heard by Pelican, but whatever, I've just got some catching up to do (love that rationalizing!).  One day I plan on making a post-rock/post-metal spectrum thingy listing all the bands I've heard by relative heaviness from right to left.  All the way at the right would be Sigur Ros and then probably Under Byen; then you get towards the weepy emo of Explosions in the Sky, followed by Mogwai; then Pelican/Russian Circles/Boris as you veer into more metal-tastic territory.  Overall I'd have to say that Pelican's sound pretty much evenly splits the uprights between Explosions in the Sky and Russian Circles -- incredibly emotive and expressive without being the least big faggy, but still unafraid to finger-tap and do some serious chug-chugga-chug riffing.  As such, Pelican just might be the perfect band.

    Wisely, I smoked some weed before getting into the car and driving into the city -- weed really accompanies monolithic, glacial instru-metal poifectly.  Parked on Delancey below Essex and stumbled up to Bowery Ballroom... feelin' niiiiice.  After quickly buying a Pelican CD at the merch table, I ran up the stairs just in time to see Priestbird take the stage.  Before even so much as playing a single note, these bastards had already established their hilarious/metal cred, thanks to the following :
1.) transparent, rainbow-colored drum set
2.) double-neck guitar/bass
3.) cello!
4.) at least one band member who looked like he should be in Brightblack Morning Light
5.) singing drummer
6.) blonde, curly semi-mullet   
7.) GONG!

    I dug these guys and they were pretty awesome, although they drifted a bit too frequently into total nebulousness (nebulosity?) to really be _totally_ awesome.  I was really impressed that they found a way to amplify the cello to where it wasn't totally drowned out by the dude on the double-neck, while not being eardrum-splittingly shrill.  And the drumming was spectacular.  Basically, the double-neck guy's clean tone left open spaces for the one-man string section to really shine, and in turn the cello really added an element of creepiness to the heavy riffing sections.  They definitely have their chops down, that's for damn sure. 

    Earth was up next.  To my knowledge, Earth is semi-famous for two things: 1.) inspiring the fuck out of the guys in SunnO))) and 2.) guitarist Dylan Carlson was Kurt Cobain's best friend during high school.  Me likey droney, repetitive stuff, (especially after a bowl or two) and I came away from these guys with an appreciation for their ability to play SLOOOOOOWLY and not rush the tempo.  Having never heard any of their shit before, I was expecting more of a low-end Absolutego-style sludgefest, which thankfully wound up not being Earth's bag at all; Carlson's tone evokes a demented, twanged minimalism, with many songs seemingly consisting of elements of one chord, fleshed out through patient repetition.  Really nowhere near as heavy as I'd anticipated -- kind of like an Endless Boogie record played at half-speed.  Cool shit.

    Pelican was up next and goddamn did they hit the nail right on the head.  Just simply some great guitar work, at times gentle and plaintive while at other times absolutely bone-crushingly brutal.  I wisely was standing right in front of the dude playing the SG, so watching homeboy's fingers tarantula-ing up and down the fretboard took my mind off the drummer's, um, "creative" timekeeping.  I was shocked that the crowd up front was mostly young kids, with few of my fellow heshers around.  But who th' fuck cares, I'm used to being outnumbered at concerts, and if the kids these days are listening to good tunes like this, then all the better. 

    Before the amps had died down following the encore, the dude playing the SG ran downstairs to man the merch table and I followed suit, buying a *second* CD and a tour poster.  As usual, I couldn't think of anything intelligent to say other than "great fuckin' set, man," but honestly that's probably all that needed to be said anyway.  Great fuckin' set, man indeed.

   

Best Albums of '07 So Far (List #7)

    It's been too long, blah blah blah/I've been busy moving in addition to working ~70 hours a week, so yada yada yada.  The title of this entry is a bit misleading because it's actually a list of all the new (released in '07) records I've heard this year, not just "the best."  But, thankfully, you'll soon discover that said records are arranged in a handy worst-to-best order.  And I know, I should have heard more new shit so far this year than just eleven albums but.... yeah.  Let's have at it.

Best Albums of 2007 So Far (List #7)

11.) Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City -- Really, really not enjoying this one.  Lyrics are so heavily "I'm a socially conscious, independent minded teenager"-tastic that it's tough to take anything on this one seriously.  And I liked Silent Alarm quite a bit. 

10.) Menomena - Friend and Foe - More like Meh-nomena.  T'heh. 

9.) Robert Pollard - Silverfish Trivia -- a fairly boring record.  The ultimate destination of Pollard's late career "maturation"/devolution will eventually have him sounding like, say, Carly Simon or some shit.  Seriously, this sounds nothing like early GbV, so be warned.  Not unpleasant, but totally fangless.

8.) Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero -- way, way too long, but still some cool ideas on here.  Trent's always going to sound like Trent. 

7.) Deerhunter - Fluorescent Grey EP -- Cryptograms leftovers?  NICE!  (Especially "Wash Off"!)

6.) Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone -- More melodramatic post rock from these dudes.  A good record, despite its predicability.  Warning: borders on emo-ish levels of gratuitous heartstring tugging.

5.) Cheeseburger - Cheeseburger -- Fun, fun fun.  Imagine Glenn Danzig suddenly sprouting a sense of humor and fronting a Stooges-inspired garage rock band.  Great party record.

4.) Type O Negative - Dead Again -- Their best since Bloody Kisses, hands down.  Combines all the best elements of their aesthetic throughout the years: lo-fi spooky-kid metal, long, multi-part songs, hilarious lyrics, righteous riffage, rolled r's, Brooklyn accents.

3.) Panthers - The Trick -- Hard-hitting follow up to the totally fucking awesome Things Are Strange.  These guys really excel at rocking the fuck out, but I'm a bit puzzled why they didn't throw a couple of "We Are Louder"-style changes-of-pace to shift the tempo out of overdrive for a couple of minutes or so. 

2.) Arcade Fire - Neon Bible -- Strong, strong effort right here.  I half expected them to fall flat on their faces, but this has a ton of solid tracks, even if half of them sound kinda like the Hold Steady.

1.) Deerhunter - Cryptogram -- Finally, some Pitchfork hype that actually lives up to itself.  Dense, thick, powerful, and runs the emotional gamut without getting too emo-y. 

still to come in '07:
QOTSA
Pelican
Rush
Titan
Boris
Tom Morello's solo project
Radiohead?
Robert Pollard - Crickets best-of-Fading Captain comp, new Circus Devils, and a Takeovers follow-up (and probably a ton more other shit I don't know anything about yet).
Interpol?
Mogwai?
Chinese Democracy (heh)