NYD!

I know it's too late (since I've already talked about my favourite albums), but here's a late inclusion.

THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM: 59 SOUND


FUCK I LOVE THIS CD!!









Also, can you imagine what somebody lonely, drunk and posting at 2.am on new years day could comprehend this video as being? CAN YOU?

Two things from 2008 that work so perfectly together it's scary.

SHUT UP ASHLEE! I'M WRITIN' MY SONGS!

I don't hate the new Fall Out Boy CD, but every fucking song is:

First verse.

This isn't really imporant.

Pre chorus: Here's where you say something pseudo witty:

Simon's full of foul compliants/ but fouls only talk when they're not baked.

She only happy when she's baked (and I want to make her into a loaf.)

She's a sad girl who cuts (to commercial).

Spit on me (and I'll take a shine to you)

Chorus: Double the tempo. Four lines. Sing one of them falsetto.

And I just want to stumble
Fall and with my broken teeth I'll mumble
(Falsetto) I never asked to fall in love (/Falsetto)
But cocaine never asked to be a drug.


Repeat what you've written and bang your totally hot wife/ masturbate if you're the weird bass player.

Ten 2008 records that are really good.

Sun Kil Moon- April

Mark Kolelek makes beautiful music and then tries to keep in this world. That’s why his songs are so long. That’s why the guitars snake through multiple musical savannahs while his mumbles never leave first gear. Stuck in a perpetual movie flashback, April is sepia toned and aching for a time that may never have even existed. But he makes you believe that he misses it. It may not be his finest hour (that’s probably- although hopefully not- going to be a split between Ghosts of the Great Old Highway and Old Ramon) but it’s as affecting and the way that you wish every moment of beauty was- evocative and slow to leave.

Jenny Lewis- Acid Tongue.

Lewis’ music- be it coked out Rilo Kiley rock or barnstomping solo country- has always had a attitude that sat somewhere between sexy exuberance and a maudlin understanding of the world. After trying to sellout in her day job (Rilo Kiley) with last year’s Under the Blacklight, Acid Tongue finds Lewis still shifting her time between the two perspectives. Less of a traditionalist than on the religious talk fest Rabbit Fur Coat, her sound as eclectic as it is consistent. Black Sand is a solo approximation of last years Black Light sound, while the shit kicking Carpetbaggers features a an ever rambling Elvis Costello and a ‘Hey Boy’ vocal that makes knees go weak. The album’s highlight is the Americana soaked title track, a tale of drug use, love and regret that perfectly encapsulates the two sides of Lewis’ music.

The Hold Steady- Stay Positive.

If you’ve only heard of The Hold Steady, then you’d probably be justified in not liking them- or at least being skeptical of their success. New Yorkers playing Springsteen style rock led by a balding late-thirties singer obsessed with the lives of the young and reckless sounds like a soundtrack to a jail sentence- or at the very least looking like the creepy old dude who hangs out at high school parties.

Then the guitars and keyboards make an E-Street wall of sound while lyricist Craig Finn’s characters spout wisdom that belies their age, and it becomes clear that the Hold Steady are really fucking good. The two parts work perfectly together- the music would be cliché without Finn’s recklessness, and Finn would be a leering creep obsessed with youthful dreams without the band holding him steady (ha!).

There’s nothing really original about the coursing Stay Positive, but there’s nothing fake about it either.

Drive By Truckers- Brighter than Light’s Creation

Nobody expects a southern rock album to be moody. They want to know what kind of alcohol to drink (moonshine) and to be reassured that you know, sometimes a jive talkin’ woman has it coming. But then a song like Two Daughters and a Wife –which, if you’ll excuse my lack of purple prose, is absolutely fucking beautiful- comes along. While the southern standards are still upheld, the album preaches as hard as hard as it rocks- The Man I Shot is one of the first songs to actually discuss the Iraq War, while Bob humanizes the crazy guy in your neighborhood.

Conor Oberst- Self Titled

If Conor Oberst had to grow up sometime. The Bright Eyes material was (is?) good, but the doe eyed cooing had started to wear a little thin. Cue a solo CD, a roadtrip and a set of songs that evokes rather than tears down- it turns out Oberst loves America, he just had to leave it realize it. Souled Out thumps with distorted conviction, while Moab builds like a looming storm to it’s bridge, where Oberst deftly weaves the album’s best lyrics into thirty seconds of self doubt,

If Bright Eyes was Holden Caulfield- young and with unfulfillable expectations- then Oberst’s solo work is Sal Paradise- brimming with hope restlessness and the American dream.

She and Him- Volume 1

It’s easy to be critical at the concept of She and Him. Cute actress teams up with indie talent to get the haters onside. The story is nothing new.

But what it lacks in conceptual originality it makes up for direction. It’s probably not a surprise that Zooey Deschenal first record is layered with old timey sounds – she’s always had an aura of being born forty years too late- more pinup girl than Maxim Model. Add in M.Wards rustic production to her multitracked vocals and the album stands out like a dug up time capsule.

Death Cab for Cutie- Narrow Stairs

Narrow Stairs wasn’t the change we thought it was going to be- but that doesn’t mean that Death Cab was lying to us. What substituted a change in the creative process may not always cross over to the listener. What they delivered ended up being a pretty good approximation of what Death Cab’s two eras would sound like mashed up. Grapevine Fires features some of Ben Gibbard’s most humbling and mature songwriting yet, while the drums of Pity and Fear thump like heads after a night of mistakes.

Okkervil River- The Stand Ins

Will Sheff and company’s second foray into everything entertainment related is more vitriolic than the first. Pop lie is an attack (or discussion?) on the fibs that pop music tell (ironically with its own catchy power chord and hand clap chorus) while Singer-songwriter flames with contempt as Sheff reels off clichés . But the record is still full of stirring moments- take the first minute of On Tour With Zykos which covers the last minutes of a tour-bus relationship. Equal parts cathartic and angry, the lone morse code piano sounds like it’s drifting down the road with the protagonist’s ex lover.

It maybe strays a little further from the concept of show business than The Stage Names (Is all of life a stage? Is he making some kind of existential comment? ), but who’s complaining when it results in songs like Lost Coastlines?

Ryan Adams- Cardinology

In lieu of writing a review, here is an interpretive rap about Cardinology.

Wecome to quotations dot com (dot com!)

Wecome to quotations dot com (we is real muthafucka!)

Cat’s trippin on Cardinology (say what?)

Talkin like they owe Mr Adam’s an apology (kneel muthafuckas!)

Dude ain’t scared of witches now he’s sober

And it’s turning out fine like a bitch who’s bent over.

He be turning out records once a year they be solid

Dropping the ill bombs like everybody always wanted

He’s thinking about people other than himself when he’s writing

And if he did the same when he was wanking he’d be fine

Wecome to quotations dot com (dot com!)

Wecome to quotations dot com (we is real muthafucka!)

Repeat and write three albums in the time it takes to fade out

Blind Pilot

Blind Pilot most endearing feature isn’t their Lo-Fi minimalism, but rather how close it strays into Late 70’s AOR Pop. The guitar’s never ending strum and laid back vocals breeze through the songs with an ease that’s been ignored for decades. While the determined drums of Go on Say it or BLAH may argue otherwise, the albums default setting is acoustic sensitivity with a hefty dash of Yacht Rock. The songs weaves in tiny seconds of a relationship into a tapestry, and they’re so endearing that you kind of wish you were a part of them (even though it may make you a little bit gay).

Finally, we can use the term ‘Bread-like’ without it having negative connotations*

*For the record, I fucking LOVE BREAD.

Wow.

The surreal life: Watching Adam Sandler covering Neil Young's 'Like a Hurricane' on Letterman

The end of days: Him knocking it out of the park (complete with Guitar solo!)

Awesome Video Saturday

500 words on why TV is awesome.

Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey Tina Fey

The End.

Stray tracks from 2008 (part 2)

Tom Cooney- Gulia
Ever wondered what an Australian M.Ward would sound like? No, me neither, but it turns out we should have.

My Morning Jacket- Touch Me I’m Going to Scream.
Earlier in the year I might have been a little enthusiastic about this CD (I believe the irrelevant words “album of the year.” might have been bandied about. Ultimately the album stumbles as often as it stands, but the dreamy confusion of Touch Me I’m Going To Scream is still a treat.


Ben Folds (feat. Regina Spektor)- You don’t know me.
You know how after the World Trade Center fell down that found that survivor like five days after? That’s what this song’s like, the only positive out of an unmitigated fucking disaster.

Justin Townes Earle- Lone Pine Hill
It’s hardly surprising that the younger Earle has a flair for dramatic storytelling, but what is shocking is the extra layer of depth he brings to his Civil War tale. Embellished with lines that question patriotism, love and loss, it’s s subtle take on his father’s “Bash ‘em over the head wih ideology.” style of songwriting.


The Killers- A Dustland Fairytale
Making rock music isn’t easy- that’s something The Killers are all too aware of-, but making Springsteen rock is damn near impossible. Even though Flowers prefers broader emotive strokes over detailing the moments that dresses wave and screen doors slam, it’s still a pretty good approximation at what the Boss would sound like if he’d moved from Jersey to the city where anything goes. The piano flourishes over the chugging guitars and maybe, just maybe, you start to think that Thunder Road might be in Vegas. But probably not.

Port O’Brien- Fisherman’s Son
I used to think they bred them tough out in Alaska – this was way back when it was best known for The Deadliest Catch and not soccer moms who try to tell zingers at Republican Conventions. But then Port O’Brien showed that Alaskan Fishermen can be just as mopey as everyone else.

Girl Talk- Give Me a Beat
Sure, his songs are ultimately a chance to feel musically superior because you recognized more samples than anybody else, but there’s something to be said for somebody who can find common ground between Styx and Britney Spears (promiscuity and makeup don’t count!).


Calexico- Victor Jara’s Hands.
Calexico’ s Carried to Dust would have sounded fine with just the two ‘core’ members and not in everybody in the indie scene who’d ever heard of Mexico. But then it wouldn’t be a Calexico record, it would be fifteen songs brimming with singer-songwriter angst and some vague Mexican references.
Instead, the band made them these sketches a fully fledged album. The opener Victor Jara’s Hands could have stayed a lonely ballad, but instead the drums build like a sandstorm (is that analogy relevant? Do they have sandstorms in the American desert?) and the bilingual chorus kicks into high gear like a fugitive running for the border.


Songs I'm too lazy/drunk to comment on.
Arms- Blah
Empire on the Sun- Blah

Commencing self denouncement in....

6.5.4.3.2.1.0

Stray tracks from 2008 (part 1)

Atmosphere-Yesterday

The best song off the best Atmosphere album since God’s Love Ugly is the great revealer. It means something to everybody until the last twenty seconds when Slug grabs it back from the listener. The piano sample snakes through the thumping bass as Slug raps like he’s talking to a corrections board- strictly on his best behavior and almost relatable.

Mark Kozelek (Michigan)

Kozelek’s rampant sentimental streak has always sat somewhere between him committing suicide or building a time machine, but here it almost seems angelic. The reworking of Old Ramon’s classic transforms a band number into a solo masterpiece. His mumbles evoking emotions that they technically shouldn’t be able to, as his fingers work across the guitar frets, making the bass note pound and the high notes twitter.

Chris Walla- Everybody Needs a Home.

There was nothing really wrong with Walla’s debut (other than the fact that ‘mobilest’ is not a word), but there was nothing earth shattering about it either (musician hates Bush, footage at 11). He’ a perfectly adept, but he also showed us who the real brains of Death cab are. Still, the best moments where when his politics collided head on with Death Cabby sentiment- the twee sentimentality of a home coupled with Katrina sermonizing.

Black Mountain- Tyrants.

FUCK YOU! I CAN ROCK!

Mates of State- The Re-Arranger

Okay, so maybe I can’t.

Vampire Weekend- Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

You probably don’t remember these guys. They were popular ages ago. Lots of people liked them. There where quite a few unwarranted ‘Paul Simon’ and ‘Graceland’ comparisons being thrown about. They were on the cover of Spin. Lots of people started to hate them. Somewhere in all this it was forgotten that Vampire Weekend are pretty good at making enjoyable pop music and that doesn’t really matter that they got kind of popular.

Panic at the Disco- Folkin’ Around.

What can I say? This was a nice surprise.

Jackson Browne- My Stunning Mystery Companion

Time the Conqueror was a disaster (okay! We get it. You hate Bush!), but Browne did have a better moment in 2008- the release of another Solo acoustic CD. Not only did it prove that the 70’s where a long, long time ago for Browne, but also that he’s his most endearing when he’s embracing his miles long sentimental streak with nothing but guitar or piano.

Kanye West- Love Lockdown

WHEN I FIRST HEARD WHAT KANYE WAS DOING I WAS SO MAD THAT I ALMOST BROKE THE KEYS ON MY MACBOOK AIR. “WHAT A SQUIDBRAIN!” I THOUGHT, NO WONDER HIS MOM WANTED OUT SO BAD, SHE WAS FUCKING EMBARRASSED.

The major barrier to me totally embracing West is his rampant egotism, but his knack for picking singles is phenomenal. The drums sound off like air raid sirens as Kanye mobilizes his forces against Love. West’s internal battle isn’t predictable, and that’s the best thing about it.

Colin Meloy- Here I Dreamt I was an Architect

Meloy’s solo re-imagining (or re-hashing) of what continues to be one of The Decemberists finest five minutes brings a little of the unexpected. Sure, there’s the same schorarly lyrics, condescending whine and two chords, but there’s also something special- Fleetwood Mac! The crowd’s reaction- half cheers and half laughter- sums it up perfectly- is this dude being ironic or not?

Awesome Live * Music Saturday

*Music is not actually live.

Protip: On the studio version, only put a headphone on your left ear. Then play the song on guitar It's like you're Ryan Adams. Then all you have to do is pull your hair down over your dreamy eyes and avoid all eye contact*.

*Extra points if you already do those.

Things you don't admit to on the internet No. 986

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24759012-23109,00.html

Dude, keep your mouth shut and maybe nobody will notice.

I don't believe in fate....

But The Hold Steady are playing in Australia. ON MY FUCKING BIRTHDAY. It's almost enough to ignore my hatred of the mainland. And concerts. And people.

We’ve secretly replaced Simpsons Episodes with Bold and the Beautiful episodes. Let’s see if anybody notices…

>

Remember the episode of the Simpsons where Bart gets an elephant? Wasn’t that great when you first saw it fifteen years ago? And then again every three months when Ten would repeat it? And then again when you bought the season 5 DVDs?

Well damnit, for some people that isn’t enough. They still need to see it. And that TEN has canceled The Simpsons for the summer they're spilling out onto the message boards like drunks out into the cold street.

Let's see what they have to say...

Mockfrog: Transmitting live from the 1940’s.

Ironically enough, this message is actually one of the most persuasive arguments for a dictatorship ever.







I'd join him, but where else will I find three year old repeats of NCIS to watch?

As a passionate drunk late night television watcher, I’m also deeply concerned about Ten’s lack of quality midnight programming.

Wait, what’s this box under my TV?

As somebody who doesn’t live in the country your channel airs in and have no business watching, I’m deeply concerned about these turn of events.

The Silver lining. Raymond is back!