Tuesdays Trimmings for the First One in August

Took a small, undeserved hiatus last week from the new tunes listings. There were some interesting tracks floating through the interwebs, but not enough to warrant a full buffet of new audio ... then, the week went along and I eventually found myself on a wine tour in Sonoita, AZ. 

We (as in I) are back this week with a bevy of new selections. Without further delay ....

Artist                                                                                 Track

Alex Winston                                                                    Velvet Elvis

Blitzen Trapper                                                                  Love the Way You Walk Away

Boy + Kite                                                                        Think in Stereo

Class Actress                                                                     Let Me Take You Out

Il albanico                                                                          Songs of Love

King Orchid                                                                       Trigger Finger

Milagres                                                                             Here to Stay

Octoberman                                                                       I'm on Fire (Bruce Springsteen cover)

Peter Wolf Crier                                                                 Settling It Off

Sleeper Agent                                                                     Get It Daddy

The Echo-Friendly                                                              Same Mistakes

The Great Book of John                                                      Robbin Hood

Waters                                                                                Take Me Out to the Coast

Wild Flag                                                                            Romance

At the moment, I have Boy+Kite and The Great Book of John in the constant spin category. I am trying to scratch a deep itch for more solid rock, guitar-driven numbers (minus the now annoying surf-I-can't-your damn-vocals-because-the-washed-out-delay-is-too-darn high!!). I am also really digging the shimmering, reverb twinkle of the Class Actress track. I find this to be a refreshing number that does the shimmer correctly, without all that crazy delay and reverb (see above) that is omnipresent at this point.

I also draw your attention a bit to the new Alex Winston track. I discovered Alex Winston in an amazing La Blogotheque performance (http://en.blogotheque.net/2011/05/04/alex-winston-en/). Watch it ... find yourself enthralled with the wonderful rhythms and the stellar earthy vocals and harmonies, and then wonder why Alex decides on studio cuts to wash that organic tastiness away with modern electro-tronics. I plan a more in-depth post introducing Ms. Winston to all you readers (a.k.a., no one, with apologies to the voice in my head for not getting a head count).

Frightened Rabbit Tour EP -- new tunes

Oh, Frightened Rabbit .... you have me worried, lads. Your shambly, Scottish-churning urgency and clumsily brilliant lyrics have soundtracked large portions of my life. I can tell tales of attempting to sing along to The Twist with my wife and sister-in-law while trying to drive blind through summer fog in Newfoundland .... or humming Keep Yourself Warm during a Screech (Newfie bath-tub rum) chug-a-thon prior to a rainsoaked Newfie hike. You also delivered one of the best shows I've seen in a small-ish bar here in Tempe (I think the crowd that night surprised even you). Thank you for playing nearly the entire catalogue in a cathartic power set after you had to cancel the Tempe date a year prior due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland.

I would plead with you not to lose the melodic, ramschackle brilliance as you transition to major label heights, but I think I would be preaching to the choir in a sense. I trust that is on the radar. That being said, I do have to ask about this tour with Death Cab for Cutie. My question is simply, "Why?" And then I worry.

The news that Frightened Rabbit has released some new material on this arena experiment does restore some faith that this jump won't interrupt the song-craft too much. Keep it up Frightened Rabbit, and DON'T take a single word of advice or influences from Death Cab ... please.

Frightened Rabbit's tour-only EP (being sold at the merch booths) contains three tracks. It offers a studio version of "Scottish Winds" and another studio cut of "Fuck This Place" featuring Camera Obsura's Tracyanne Campell. It also contains a track called "The Eork" with Scottish folk singer Archie Fisher. Stream the tracks here:

Frightened Rabbit - Scottish Winds by ListenBeforeYouBuy


Frightened Rabbit - Fuck This Place (Featuring Tracyanne Campbell From Camera Obscura) by ListenBeforeYouBuy


Frightened Rabbit - The Work (Featuring Archie Fisher) by ListenBeforeYouBuy


Let's hope they eventually offer the EP to all their fans online.

I (and Im betting others like me) can't make that show to purchase the EP, because I can't fathom paying for a high-priced tick for a Death Cab concert (in an arena, no less). I want to salute Music Savage (http://www.musicsavage.com/) for expressing the same thoughts (http://www.musicsavage.com/2011/07/new-music-frightened-rabbit-ep-tour-only/).

Twin Sister Bad Street Video

Ever since I found Twin Sister and their stellar little album Color Your Life, I can't get enough. Yes...it's a full-on band crush. Twin Sister is steadily churning out some new material. The band treated us this summer to Bad Steet, a trademark floaty, dance-ish number (with a melodic, subtle beat that delightfully pumps along at a cool 15 mph in a 25 to 30). Now, they give us a summer-y video to pair with the tune:




The debut LP entitled In Heaven, from Domino, will drop September 27th.

Support Twin Sister; enable them to make more fantastic tunes for our pleasure. Do so here:
http://twinsistermusic.com/music/release/color-your-life/



Twin Sister are touring the US this fall. Highly recommend you see them now in a more personal venue while you can. See dates below.

09/01 September 1st Tucson Rialto w/ Explosions in the Sky 
09/02 September 2nd San Diego SOM Aw/ Explosions in the Sky
09/03 September 3rd FYF Fest 1st and Main Downtown LA
09/04 September 4th San Francisco The Rickshaw Shop
09/05 September 5th Big SurHenry Miller Library w/ Explosions in the Sky
09/08 September 8th MFNW Festival Holocene
09/09 September 9th Vancouver Vogue Theater w/ Explosions in the Sky
09/11 September 11th Boise Egyptian Theater w/ Explosions in the Sky
09/13 September 13th DenverFillmore Auditorium w/ Explosions in the Sky
09/14 September 14th Albuquerque Sunshine Theater w/ Explosions in the Sky
09/15 September 15th Marfa Vizcaino Park w/ Explosions in the Sky
09/16 September 16th Dallas AT&T Performing Arts Centerw/ Explosions in the Sky
09/29 September 29th New York Mercury Lounge
10/01 October 1st Chicago Lincoln Hallw/ Wild Beasts
10/02 October 2nd Milwaukee Turner Hallw/ Wild Beasts
10/04 October 4th Minneapolis Varsity Theaterw/ Wild Beasts
10/14 October 14th Oklaholma City University of Oklaholma w/ The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
10/15October 15th Memphis Hi Tone w/ The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
10/16October 16th Nashville Mercy Lounge w/ The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
10/18October 18th Baltimore The Ottobar w/ The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Tuesday's Trimmings

From a perusal of the great blogosphere,it seems that the industry is getting ready for a fall push. Tracks from some established and some up-and-comings are surfacing. Here is a list of some compelling new tunes for this week.

Artist                                                              Track

Army Navy                                                      The Long Goodbye
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah                              Maniac
Dum Dum Girls                                                Coming Down
Gardens & Villa                                                Black Hills
Girls                                                                Vomit
Letting Up Despite Great Faults                         Sophia in Gold
Letting Up Despite Great Faults                        Teenage Tide
M83                                                                Midnight City
Scharling                                                          Steal the Sun
Seryn                                                               River Song
Seryn                                                               So Within
The War on Drugs                                            Come to the City
Yellow Ostrich                                                 13 Mary


The Dum Dum Girls track and the Girls track are both stand-outs here. They have been on heavy repeat this week.

However, new favorites have to go to Seryn and to Yellow Ostrich. I suggest locating those tracks and getting familiar with them. You will not be disappointed.

I would also like to point you to the streaming tracks posted earlier in the week. The Analog Rebellion tracks and Laura Marling's "Sophia" would certainly have made our list this week if we (I) could have located an mp3 format.

Crescent Ballroom to Open in Downtown Phoenix

Here at Pulled Pork, we (as in I) often come face-to-face with the hard reality that the greater Phoenix area epitomizes the strip-mall daytime and the foam party nighttime. Phoenix, you may have a "newish" metropolitan smell and a lot of fancy Escalades surrounded by bougainvillea, but you live and die by the credit card and you have the taste of a washed-out frat boy/sorority girl. You are, in a nutshell, culturally shallow. It's not too much of a knock; it's just who you are.

Perhaps, though, change is possible. Recently, with the indie scene catching the popular eye, the consumerism of Phoenix has taken notice. The hipsters are growing in numbers, and the little bars that used to cater to small numbers trying to catch a blur of their favorite midlevel band as they race through town are filling up. Now, Phoenix will get its very own mid-range, hipster venue.

The Crescent Ballroom will open it's doors in October to a flurry of concert activity. It is the work of hard working promoter Stateside Presents (Charlie Levy). It appears he shall use his influences to fill our ears with even greater goodness at this new establishment. The venue will be located at 308 N. 2nd Ave, Phoenix, AZ.

Check out the full schedule here: http://www.crescentphx.com/

We will be updating the calendar with the new ballroom dates.

Note: You can also read a news story about the new venue here: http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/music/articles/2011/07/27/20110727phoenix-music-venue-crescent-ballroom.html

Laura Marling "Sophia"

Folky songstress Laura Marling has released a unraveling, jaunty tune named "Sophia". It's a beautiful and long-developing number. Moreover, it bears the same namesake as my gorgeous wife (Although I should reserve some judgement on any association until AFTER I have dived into the lyrical content, as my Sophia is a beautiful, stunning woman.).

Marling's new, already-thrid disc named "A Creature I Don't Know" will be released on Sept. 12th.


Laura Marling - Sophia by ListenBeforeYouBuy

Analog Rebellion

The self-important indie-verse is filling up fast with righteous hipsters chasing the sound dejour. I hate to say it, but its getting cliche at this juncture. I think I started to lose my palette a little with the Mumford and Sons explosion of toneless, pop-folk-grass. Yes, the popular eye has turned on the indie-hipster scene, and the copycats and soul reavers are starting to amass.

When you find an artist who just straight-up plays the hell out of his instrument and writes strong rock songs, you have to celebrate it. Time to celebrate the craft once again, ladies and gentlemen.

Analog Rebellion is one Daniel Hunter who returned from the electro-pop badlands (gotta love his F*** Auto Tune merch gear) to master catchy guitar riffs and get lost in song construction. The influences and sound are right up front and the music doesn't hide behind most current fads. Have a listen here and keep your eyes open for some new material.

Analog Rebellion - Father Abraham from Yes Go Productions on Vimeo.

Head over to Futuresounds http://futuresounds.com/ for additional info.

Girls "Vomit"; new album 9/13

I have to admit that I wasn't a tremendous fan of Girls after the debut album. I found some appeal in the straightforward Americana, countrified surf with drug culture influences, but not too much to get excited about.

Then, Girls released the Broken Dreams Club EP. It's in that record that I hear the full-tone country-wrappped Cali sound with a pining lyricist from beach street-kid environs. Broken Dreams Club contained a mini-epic of a track called Carolina that pointed the way to new and ambitious frontiers. Go locate a copy of that EP if you don't already have one.

In anticipation of their new alum (dropping 9/13), Girls hit the blogosphere with their next sprawling mini-epic Vomit. Enjoy .. I know I am.




Girls - Vomit by sexmusic

Stream the Horrors Skying

The IT Crowd is a brilliant show. Part of that brilliance is a goth to "recovering goth" to "reformed goth" named Richmond. Is this a common occurrence in the British isles, so much so that it requires its own character-spoof on a nationally televised Brit-com??

Perhaps it is. Reformed hyperbolic-goth-horror rockers The Horrors truly transformed themselves and their sound with their last album Primary Colours. Great album ... great droning, landscapey sound.

The Horrors have now all but gamed the system in another evolution that demonstrates they may have more greatness to come. The new effort Skying is a great listen, and has now debuted at No. 5 over the pond.

Stream here:


Discuss, praise, or complain below.

New Dum Dum Girls

On the heels of their amazingly thick EP enttiled He Gets Me High, the Dum Dum Girls offer up more new goodness. The band found their sound in the EP to produce a record of early 60's inspired pop-punkish rock tracks with significant space and depth. Too many bands in the genre turn to the distant reverb sound (ala Best Coast). Dum Dum Girls, instead, have thickened-up that sound and located a lot of space in their tracks for a full sound that I really dig. These are tracks so wonderfully thick that you can hear the recorded space; when you listen, you can hear the depth of the room and the place of the instruments in it. Heard several complaints that the sound is too Tarantino-filmish ... but Im liking the full sound with the clean vocals.

Download the new track for the price of your email address.

Tuesday's Trimmings

Here at Pulled Pork, I am reserving a weekly space for posting a tracklist that represents the mostly new material I've been digging into each and every week. The segment, in part, honors the New Tunes Tuesday tradition of that former temple of new rock'n roll WOXY. Trying to keep the tradition alive!

Here are your first Tuesday's Trimmings:

Artitst                                       Track
Blood Orange                            Sutphin Boulevard
Cheerleader                               New Daze
Dominant Legs                           Hoop of Love
Foxes in Fiction                          School Night
Radical Dads                             Walking Wires
Filligar                                       Guilty Good Intentions
Filligar                                       Robbery (Shocking Love)
Pure X                                       Dry Ice
Pure X                                       Easy
Tin Sparrow                               From the Boat
We Were Promised Jetpacks     Act on Impulse

Fav-o-rites from this bunch include Tin Sparrow, Pure X's Easy, Filligar, and Blood Orange. Thus far, I give the edge to Tin Sparrow.

The Tin Sparrow is folky, and opens with a drumline and simple acoustic riff that might lead you to believe this is headed towards a Ha Ha Tonka-style folk track that seems ubiquitously popular these days. However, Tin Sparrow has a bluesy-depth, or a watery melody that many other bands in this genre do not display. This track possesses a rich fullness of voice and a deep, hollow space in the instrumentation that pulls me in at each turn.

Tin Sparrow are an Aussie folk outfit. Head over to their bandcamp page http://tinsparrow.bandcamp.com/. Support their work; buy a record.

Tuesday's New Trimmings

Each Tuesday, WOXY.com (http://www.woxy.com/) would serve up a new helping of the "future of rock'n roll." WOXY called its segment New Tunes Tuesday. Unfortunately, WOXY has remained silent for a long, and growing longer period of time. I maintain hope that the "future" will rise once again!

Mike Taylor, one of the amazing crew at WOXY, has since founded his own fine space among the interweb spaces. He calls his piece of the web-verse the Big Beat (http://www.thisisthebigbeat.com/). Mike kept the New Tunes Tuesday segment alive in a webcast for a good number of months. He now posts this segment as the Big Beat'cast. I strongly encourage each and everyone who finds this small space to head over to the Big Beat and spin at least one Big Beat'cast. I know it will lead to many more trips to hear Mike Taylor's voice and share his fine selections.

In my own attempt to honor WOXY's weekly tradition of serving you the future of rock'n roll, I will be posting a tracklist that I will call Tuesday's New Trimmings (since we call this small piece of the interweb universe Pulled Pork, after all). Currently, I gather new tracks together from other parts of the web-verse and post them for several friends on Dropbox. I may one day host digital copies of these tracks for any audience that finds its way here. But, until that time, I am content to post the tracklist so that others can follow along with our quest for the new, the challenging, and the ever-so-difficult listening each week.

July 2011 Mid-summer Gems

1. Artist: WU LYF     Album: Go Tell Fire to the Mountain

Big sounds, large echoey delay, gritty energetic angst with some alternative harmony, and tons of lo-fi, hidden, guerrilla promoting ... yep, smells like the next subterranean hipster hype of 2011. To complete the package, it's worth the hype. Get yourself a copy of the album Go Tell Fire to the Mountain and pester your local promoting company to get these guys to your town while they still got that precocious ambition of rebellion!

2. Artist: Cults    Album: Cults

What decade is this? This neo-late 50's and early-60's sound is almost more ubiquitous in the current hipster universe than chillwave. Great summer pop-throwback rock record with jangles and just enough guitar riffs to fill out the sound. Some tracks stand out more than others here, but it's a solid effort most of the way through. 

3. Artist: Washed Out    Album: Within and Without

More chillwave spillover from last summer....and, unfortunately, I'm buying this one. There certainly is a lot of hype and buzz surrounding an album devoted to blissing out. In addtition, Mr. Washed has been producing tunes for our aurcular-mind-body pleasure for an eternity in hipster-interwebs time. Yet, the emergence of the full-length, right in the heart of summer does pleaseth!














4. Artist: Typhoon  Album: A New Kind of House EP

Orchestral pop done beautifully well, with just the right amount of home-spun, living room style production and chorusey passion. This is the music I want to break out in the later stages of a summer thunderstorm. Looking forward to a new proper full-length at some juncture.

Yeasayer to Release Odd Blood on Feb. 8th, 2010

Hide your Animal Collective records!

Yeasayer takes the first shot in the battle for most-hyped electronica/pschydelic album in 2010.

The band's second full-length studio album entitled Odd Blood is scheduled for release on Feb 8th through Mute in Europe and through Secretly Canadian in North America.

The album artwork (according to Pitchfork: http://pitchfork.com/news/37365-careful-the-new-yeasayer-album-artwork-might-warp-your-brain/).
Ill let you judge that one for yourself!


















The tracklist is as follows:
The Children
Ampling Alp
Madder Red
I Remember
O.N.E.
Love Me Girl
Rome
Strange Reunions
Mondegreen
Grizelda

You can get your very own digital copy of Ampling Alp here http://www.amblingalp.com/ for the price of your email address.
You can watch the trippy (sorry, censored) video for the single here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w-LmPa3h88&feature=related

The 2000's Begin Their Tween Years

With 2009 fading into 2010, it's time to welcome the 2000's into their Tween years. What awkward trends await as the 2010's try to hide painfully awkward social skills to impress other decades ?


Here at Pulled Pork, with the excitement of a newly magnified indie-world primed to make some great art that will be intermixed with a lot of really bad choices, there is a re-newed commitment for updates. Its time to document that rad pre-teen haircut, 2010's. Put on a smile so we can all see those braces and headgear.


Let's get started with a brief list of some interesting acts for the coming 2010 year.


Fitz and the Tantrums -- bringin' back the MoTown!

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes -- more 50's and 60's beats from the Bay area

Man/Miracle -- a little Yeasayer-esque, some janggly Vampire Weekend, some indie
shouting .. good times ahead

Geographer -- lovin' the low-fi electonica. Check out their single Kites .... let's hope it puts that
Owl City (Postal Service copyrite enfringement) in its place!

Sleigh Bells -- Simple, blunt, and fierce attack of the beat ... and she's a school teacher!

Surfer Blood -- Surfer-pop with an edge ... not your average beack-blanket bingo

Little Comets -- jumpy, janggly, angular, and poppy; sounds way 00's, but adds some new and
interesting textures that are just plain fun

Apes 0f Wrath -- Greasy and all the good parts of basic

Yeasayer -- They've been around the block a bit. But, their impending album seems like it is
generating some Merriweather PP-style buzz ... dont be surprised for a rushed
on-slaught of love early Jan.


For a bonus, here is a brief list of 09's that the 2010's should name-drop, just to prove how
Totally Tapped-In they are ....


Band of Skulls -- Have to say that Baby Darling Doll Face Honey gives me hope for ass-kickin'
Brit blues rock in the coming decade. That album may put them in arenas
early in the coming decade ... (But why they released "I Know What I Am" as the US single is beyond me ... Fires? anybody??)

The Big Pink -- The single "Dominos" will play, one day in the near future, at your local sports
arena ... and every movie about a bachelor party....

The XX -- Will the legend continue to grow as a three-piece band?

School of Seven Bells -- Lets have a contest between members of this band and The Secret
Machines to see who can produce the best record in the coming years! Who wins? Everyone who enjoys good rock music!

Neon Indian -- more lo-fi electronic fun!

Royal Bangs -- Noise with rythym and a purpose ... like a symphony at a demolition derby

The Answering Machine -- Brit pop-punk at its best

We Were Promised Jetpacks -- Scots with indie-rock crescendo

If you want to hear some samples, I suggest you use your Google machine.

Doves "Jetstream"

Manchester's The Doves will release their 4th studio album, entitled Kingdom of Rust, on April 7th. The first track to be released from their album is entitled "Jetstream" (This is likely not a single track, though). You can snake the track from their website (http://www.doves.net/) in exchange for your email address.

The track was envisioned by the band as a song accompanying the closing credits of the film "Bladerunner".

Like Doves previous work, "Jetstream" is atmospheric and layered. At first listen, it seems to stretch out against the backdrop of light staccato beats, almost laboring in its rhythym. But, the track begins its steady construction of pace and layers from this foundation, all in good time. The addition of thicker beats and fuzzy, imperfect guitars (all familiar to Dove's sound) propel the song.

Once the track hits its stride, there is a noticeable electronic, almost club-like feel to some of the short pumping rhythyms and the swirling keyboards that loft over the vocals. This isn't the track you want to break out the ol' glow stick in your living room for, but there are some hints of Cut Copy-esque backdrops and flourishes.

Ultimately, the track fits well with Dove's previous work, and introduces a more electronic feel to their previous atmospherics. The noticeable direction in this track , though, is an attention to the texture of the layers layed over the atmospheric body of the song. Each texture, such as a buzzing guitar or a choppy keyboard, is relatively clear and unique, but matches the feel of the song. It is as if Doves are analyzing their own elemental atmospherics and isolating particular pieces of that in the more pure forms.

Big Money ... No Whammies ... Come on 2009!

Like exuberant contestants on that 80's classic Press Your Luck, burgeoning indie artists and their record companies are looking for big spins in 2009. Will the usual sleeze-ball on the right make off with the cash, or will this be one of those episodes where the unassuming shy girl at the middle podium hits the jackpot? Who's gonna get that first whammy?

The scheduled releases for winter 2009 include some anticipated follow-up efforts to some excellent past albums, and a few potential freshman phenoms. A complete list of albums scheduled to hit shelves and internet outlets can be found at Pitchforkmedia.com (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/148203-the-pitchfork-guide-to-upcoming-releases-winter-2009). Here's a short list of the albums Pulled Pork is looking forward to this winter.

January 20th

Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino)

Bon Iver: Blood Bank (Jagjaguwar)

Robert Pollard: The Crawling Distance (Guided by Voices Inc.)

January 26th

Franz Ferdinand: Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (Domino) (UK release)

January 27th

The Bird and the Bee: Ray Guns Are Not the Future (Blue Note)

Bruce Springsteen: Working on a Dream (Columbia)

Johnny Cash: Johnny Cash Remixed (Compadre)

February 3rd

Handsome Furs: Face Control (Sub Pop)

Heartless Bastards: The Mountain (Fat Possum)

Iran: Dissolver (Narnack)

February 9th

Lily Allen: It's Not Me, It's You (Regal) (UK release)

February 17th

Abe Vigoda: Reviver EP (PPM)

...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead: The Century of Self (Richter Scale)

Asobi Seksu: Hush (Polyvinyl)

M. Ward: Hold Time (Merge)

Morrissey: Years of Refusal (Attack/Lost Highway) (U.S. release)

February 24th

Black Lips: 200 Million Thousand (Vice)

March 3rd

Neko Case: Middle Cyclone (Anti-)

March 10th

Bishop Allen: Grrr... (Dead Oceans)

March 17th

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy: Beware (Drag City) (U.S. release)

April 7th

Lady Sovereign: Jigsaw (Midget/EMI) (U.S. release)

The Thermals: Now We Can See (Kill Rock Stars)

April

Art Brut: Art Brut Versus Satan (Downtown)

Ida Maria: Fortress Round My Heart (Upper 11) (U.S. release, out now internationally)

Other artists that Pulled Pork anticipates a new release from are The National, Jeremy Enigk, and Doves. All of these albums will arrive with high expectations.

Best Album of 2009 Crowned !

After an eternity of 6 days, the indie music world has finally found its best album of the 2009 music year. Why did it ever take this long ? I have already previewed all of the year's releases in my omnipotent clairvoyance, and can find no better candidate. Here it is !!

Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion

(from Domino)

Here are what the reviews are proclaiming.

Pitchforkmedia.com's Mark Richardson rated the album a 9.6/10. He calls it " a new kind of electronic pop-- one which is machine-generated and revels in technology but is also deeply human, never drawing too much attention to its digital

nature." (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/148230-animal-collective-merriweather-post-pavilion)

Stereogum's Amrit Singh proclaims it a "masterstoke." He adds that it "demands and rewards repeat, complete listening." (His article provides a nice overview of the Pitchfork and SPIN reviews.) (http://stereogum.com/archives/is-merriweather-post-pavilion-the-best-album-of-2_043641.html)

SPIN's Andy Beta gives the album four stars. He writes that "these stalwart innovators -- David "Avey Tare" Portner (guitar, samples), Noah "Panda Bear" Lennox (drums, vocals, samples), and Brian "Geologist" Weitz (electronics, samples), now scattered among New York, Portugal, and Washington, D.C., respectively -- elude all experimental-noise, freak-folk, and indie-rock tags, and create a startling, pounding, effulgent sonic template." (http://www.spin.com/reviews/animal-collective-merriweather-post-pavilion-domino)

Only 6 days into 2009, and I am already behind. Seriously ... I haven't even heard a track yet off this album and I already feel guilty for not owning 4 copies (and the vinyl). Really ... I haven't even finished my anticipated releases post ... ARGGHH!

If you want to get ahead of this blogger on the year, you can listen to the track "My Girls" on the band's MySpace.com page: http://www.myspace.com/animalcollectivetheband)

And you can hear "Brother Sport" on Stereogum. com here (mp3 provided by NPR Live): http://stereogum.com/archives/mp3/new-animal-collective-brother-sport_036271.html

The album is set for release on January 20th, 2009.

Left on the Burner in 2008

It happens every year. The best music of the year stands out in my mind rather clearly (in no particular order, of course). Those worthy albums, the artistic gems I want to pull from my glove compartment just at the right time so that the others in the car happen to notice (ohhh ... you saw that ... just a little album I heard of ... ), leap forward in my mind. And yet, those albums didn't always contain the tracks I listened to repeatedly.

Here is a list of tracks that I returned to over and over, and still did not find a place on a lot of "Best of ..." lists. These are the ones I came back to, just because they were flat out enjoyable.


Neon Neon: "Dream Cars," from the album Stainless Steel
(Hint: This is a fun album minus a few tracks that these lads should have contributed to a Justin Timberlake and T pain duet. The fellows of Neon Neon turn in some great 80's retro-tunes, which quite frankly they should concentrate on).


Delta Spirit: "Trashcan," from the album Ode to Sunshine
(Hint: Another great album for your full listening pleasure)


School of Seven Bells: "Half Asleep," from the album Alpinisms
(Hint: A really nice album as well, even if it does journey on into long psychedelic realms in some junctures.)

(Note: This album made some lists. I suspect it was released too late in the year to make the impression it probably should have on many lists).

Parts and Labor: "Satellites," from the album Receivers
(Note: This album suffered from the same problem as the School of Seven Bells release).

Glasvegas: "Geraldine," from the album Glasvegas

Kaiser Chiefs: "Never Miss a Beat", from the album Off With their Heads

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down: "Bag of Hammers," from the album We Brave Bee Stings and All
(Did anyone else notice this song in the background of a Kath and Kim episode? Wow ... I just admitted I watch that show!)

M83: "Graveyard Girl", from the album Saturdays=Youth
(Yes, this track and album did get a lot of critical attention. But, come on, it is a great song!)

Gentlemen Auction House: "The Book of Matches," from the album Alphabet Graveyard

Deerhoof: "The Tears and Music of Love", "Offend Maggie," and "My Purple Past"
(Hint: This is a fantastic guitar driven, experimental album. I understand the reservations you are having as you read this - it is Deerhoof. But, these tracks are very accessible, and may in fact kick your ass!)

The Stills: "Being Here," from the album Oceans Will Rise

Jenny Lewis: "The New Messiah," from the album Acid Tongue

Passion Pit:"Sleepy Head," from the album Chunk of Change

Frightened Rabbit: "The Twist" from the album Midnight Organ Fight

The Futureheads: "The Beginning of the Twist" from the album This Is Not the World

The Whigs:"Right Hand on My Heart" from the album Mission Control
(I have might have given this track, and the Hold Steady track below, the most spins of any other track this year.)

The Hold Steady: "Slapped Actress" from the album Stay Positive

This is not an exhaustive list. In addition, it is clearly biased towards the latter part of the year (what the hell was I listening to last January anyway ?).

2008 Year End Reviews

It would be entirely inappropriate for the first post on this blog to discuss reviews of the past year. And, it would be blatantly moronic to begin commentary on this page with something other than snide comments about new and exciting releases. So, let's begin with what happened last year ....


In the month of December, when most labels and artists break for a short winter hibernation (unless you are Sufjan Stevens, in which case you have a Christmas tradition to uphold), the critic emerges from the underbrush to fill all media niches. The number of sub-species increases each year: the Great Grizzled Professional, the Spotted Sarcastic Independent Mag-er, the Elusive Rambling Blogger, the Top-40 Parakeet, the Common Internet Loud-Mouth. Each sub-species rouses cautiously; they watch the others and wait for the beginning of the great critic call. Usually, the elusive blogger is the first to sound this colorful chant. It is known among enthusiasts as the "Best of the Year" list, and it is delivered with all manner of verbal flourishes and colorful expressions. The media forest literally fills with these tonal chants around the solstice.

The Critic Molt of '08 has just concluded. All manner of music enthusiasts rushed through the media forest in search of the most colorful, the most thoughtful, and the most satisfying (i.e., closest to our own) "Best of ..." chants. Here is a quick look at some of this years lists.

Pitchfork:

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/148001-the-50-best-albums-of-2008?page=1

3. No Age: Nouns

2. Portishead: Third

1. Fleet Foxes: Sun Giant EP/Fleet Foxes

Pitchfork Readers Poll:

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/148094-2008-pitchfork-readers-poll

3. Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend

2. Fleet Foxes: Sun Giant EP/Fleet Foxes

1. TV on the Radio: Dear Science

WOXY (Note: this list is generated by air play):

http://woxy.lala.com/music/best.php

3. Ra Ra Riot: The Rhumb Line

2. TV on the Radio: Dear Science

1. My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges

To see the more subjectively determined lists from the WOXY djs, point your browser to http://woxy.lala.com/boards/showthread.php?t=56278

Stereogum's Gummy Awards (a reader's poll):

http://stereogum.com/gummys/2008/best-album.html

3. Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago

2. TV on the Radio: Dear Science

1. Fleet Foxes: Sun Giant EP/Fleet Foxes

(also interesting is Stereogum's section detailing several artist's favorite lists: http://stereogum.com/archives/yearend-list/stereogums-favorite-artists-list-the-best-of-2008_043221.html)

.... Are you noticing a trend yet ????.....

My Old Kentucky Blog

http://myoldkyhome.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-old-kentucky-blog-albums-of-2008.html

The writers of this fine site offered a "Senior Superlative" list for the year in a fun attempt to avoid those awful rankings. Their superlatives included a lot of the same names you see above.

Of interest here is their best breakout of the year, which went to Dr. Dog.

Rolling Stone:

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/24958695/albums_of_the_year/31

3. Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III

2. Bob Dylan: Tell Tale Signs - The Bootleg Series Vol. 8

1. TV on the Radio: Dear Science

Other Albums Consistently Receiving Critical Attention in those "Best of .." lists:

Blitzen Trapper: Furr

The Hold Steady: Stay Positive

Deerhunter: Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.

Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours

Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago

M83: Saturdays=Youth

Sigur Ros: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

Beck: Modern Guilt

Wolf Parade: At Mount Zoomer

The Walkmen: You & Me

Santogold: Santogold

Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid

A little research reveals some clear patterns in the myriad of critic calls. Is this the result of objective, natural review in the wild ? Or, as is so often the case in competitive natural habitats, another case of emulation ? We may never know, at least until more data has been gathered on this great end of the year molt.