2007 : 38-39 Aught Music Roundtable: Love Is Simple by Akron/Family

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Roundtable Part One: "Ed Is A Portal" When this album was released, I wrote that Love Is Simple is "[t]he latest entry in the attempt to write the great American psychedelic folk roadtrip album, and one of the most successful I've ever heard. This album is the triumphant album of experimental folk-rock that acts like Califone, Wilco, and the Flaming Lips have been almost-making for a decade now (and that Camper Van Beethoven were almost-making 20 years ago), but it also breaks from that framework periodically, expanding into ecstatic mind-expanding jams—jams that locate the choice middle ground between the sloppy, shambalic, "No Neck Blues Band" type and the more polished, technically-efficient, "Phish" type, and consequently are more effective than either. Mystical in orientation, singular in vision: at its best, it's like a backwoods Americana version of the Boredom's Vision Creation New Sun." I don't actually think that I have anything to add to that, beyond saying that this track, "Ed Is A Portal," nicely sums up what I'm talking about. You can spare the seven and a half minutes. Trust me. —Jeremy Bushnell Roundtable Part Two: "Phenomena" Phenomena, phenomena, phenomena. There are two kinds of songs that get stuck in your head, the kind that you can't wait to get rid of and the kind that you want to stay there stuck for as long as you can. "Phenomena" is in second category for me. I love the kind, flowing sound of the instrumentals and the dreamy tone of the vocals. It really makes me want to sing "Phenomena" over and over again. I found Akron/Family's third album Love Is Simple because eMusic suggested it to me. Love is Simple is the perfect title for this album. I can hear a love for the music and a simple approach to making the music. The songs on the album have a deep, rich sound without sounding over produced. This album really caught me by surprise when I first heard it. Phenomena, phenomena, phenomena. —Rich Thomas Listen: Akron / Family >> "Ed Is A Portal" | "Phenomena"

2007 : 37 Aught Music Roundtable: "Paper Planes" by M.I.A.

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First Pass Back when we were covering 2005, I wrote that M.I.A. might be the Artist of the Decade, in part because she was the living embodiment of a number of important trends that defined music in the Aughts more broadly. To see that logic continue to play out, one need merely examine the rise of "Paper Planes." It was released on M.I.A.'s second album, Kala, in 2007, but wasn't the lead single. (That was the likably weird "Boyz.") This track lay dormant until used as the backing track for the Pineapple Express trailer in early 2008, whereupon it blew up in a big way, permeating the culture until even the people who are arguably the biggest musical superstars in the world had to pay tribute. It's easy to see why: the second "Paper Planes" starts playing (about a minute in) is the exact moment this trailer starts to become cool: Once upon a time it may have been possible to keep your categories separate: movie trailers over here, viral YouTube clips over here, music videos over here, commercials over there. But the Pineapple Express trailer neatly collapses all of these categories: I'd say that it single-handedly sold more copies of "Paper Planes" than any commercial could have, except that it actually is a commercial, for both the movie and the song. Except that it isn't. Except that it is. One might see this as dispiriting: straight-up evidence that capitalism continues to mutate and evolve, spawning ever more pervasive forms. (The fact that the explicit topic of "Paper Planes" is the circulation of capital can be read as a crowning irony.) Or one might see it as a symbol of the unpredictability and ultimate richness of cultural cross-transmission. Probably it's a little of both, but the fact that a simple dance track can invoke these kinds of questions pretty much exemplifies the enjoyment that I derived from M.I.A. this decade. —Jeremy Bushnell Second Pass I fly like paper, get high like planes If you catch me at the border I got visas in my name If you come around here, I make 'em all day I get one down in a second if you wait There is something about this song that just captures me. Maybe because it is violent, but sung by a woman. Maybe it indulges the part of me that likes to watch gangster movies. Maybe it is because I like to sing along with the part about murder as I am at the gym. Maybe it is because I want to think the song is about running a lunch truck like the YouTube video. Anyway, I love this song. It totally sucks me in, like an action movie. This song is total escapism for me. This is one of the best work out songs on my iPod. Some some some I some I murder Some some some I let go Some some some I some I murder Some some some I let go —Rich Thomas Listen: M.I.A. >> "Paper Planes"

2007 : 36 "Intro" by Graham Lambkin

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You move into a new apartment, and you find that the former tenants have left behind a box of old cassettes, they are tattered, with labels peeling, and faded writing, and you put one in the boombox, and press the button hard to place the head firmly on the magnetic tape, and the sounds on it are masked and decrepit and slightly warped, and there is some unidentified classical music which actually sounds nice behind the patina of dust and age, and then there is a sharp garbled transition to another moment, and at some point in the life of the cassette someone tried to tape over it (perhaps accidentally) and you hear on top of the piano and strings and song (which is Shostakovich going about its business) the sounds of laughter and breathing and the pitter-patter movement around the house of a person, a child, a family, a life, along with birds chirping in trees and distorted wind and windchimes hanging from the window over the vase, near the sink with water running and voices, and you wonder what the former tenants were like and what they did for a living and what their life was like, the little gestures, and the bigger movements, and if they were happy living here, and if they were happy. See also: Nmperign & Jason Lescalleet – Love Me Two Times (Intransitive, 2006) —Darren DeMonsi Listen: Graham Lambkin >> "Intro"

2007 : 35 "Impossible Germany" by Wilco

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Even today, I'm still on the fence in regard to my opinion of Sky Blue Sky as a whole. I genuinely like the album, but I don't get the same intangible feelings generated by their earlier works. Also, I remember reading more than one review that classified it as Jeff Tweedy's "happy album." With Wilco's music, there's usually so much more to think about in terms of music and lyrics, so determining or classifying an album by so generic an emotion as 'happy' or 'sad' seems utterly pointless. However, this is my favorite song featured. There's a definite melancholy in the lyrics: But I know you're not listening Oh I know, you're not listening If this is supposed to be "happy," then the reviewers must be borderline suicidal. A lot of Wilco songs seem to deal with strains in communication and understanding between two parties, and "Impossible Germany" is an excellent example of this. Also, despite the well-documented control that Tweedy has over Wilco's sound and production, this track feels like a true group effort. —Jamie Yates Listen: Wilco >> "Impossible Germany"

2007 : 34 "Turn On Me" by The Shins

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I love the sound of this song. It is amazingly resigned for a break-up song. It is like the singer knew that it would never work out. He is resigned to the fact that there was nothing he could do. He knew that she would turn on him. He might even be happy that it worked out this way. It is a very interesting way to approach a break-up song. —Rich Thomas Listen: The Shins >> "Turn on Me"

2007 : 33 "Circadian Rhythm" by Son Volt

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I bought The Search when it first came out. I listened to it some, but nothing really stayed with me. I would listen and it would just go away when I was done. That is, until I saw them play live on tour for this album. I was just blown away by seeing them play "Circadian Rhythm" played live. They played a 15-minute version of this song. James Walbourne layered his guitar over and over again using the effects pedal as the rest of the band got ready for the next song. It just gave me goose pimples. Now every time I hear this song, I am back at that concert. —Rich Thomas Listen: Son Volt >> "Circadian Rhythm"

2007 : 32 "Don't Make Me a Target" by Spoon

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This track is deceptively simple. I went through a few different ideas for a write-up on this one, but nothing seemed to work. More than once, I've written about some songs here sounding like inspired jam sessions, and this one is no different. A little research on Wikipedia proved my hypothesis correct, as it states that Britt Daniel and company went through quite a few trials on this track, attempting to find the best sound. The bass line is blunt, and the lyrics work almost like a protest song against an ambivalent but worrisome opponent. The final two lines offer what sound like some awesome novel titles: Clubs and sticks and bats and balls For nuclear dicks with the dialect drawls They come from a parking lot town Where nothing lives in the sun —Jamie Yates Listen: Spoon >> "Don't Make Me A Target"

2007 : 31 "Shine In Exile" by Beat The Devil

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Met a Man St. Augustine In Ray Bans dressed in black Against the tide Against the beach the neon tourist traps He said, "My baby I've learned to live inside my head." "My baby I've learned to live inside my head." Imaginary landlords and imaginary rent No recognition of population the demons left you spent My baby I've learned to live inside my head. My baby I've learned to live inside my head. Where there's no, "Pleased to meet you" and no "Glad you noticed" It's a Carnival Cruise Line without Kathy Lee Gifford And I'm in love with myself. You can buy some time for change again but the world is really flat He sailed the oceans When blood turned blue and put shackles on the map My baby I've learned to live inside my head. Where there are dancing bears drinking grape flavored Kool-Aid Touching large breasted women Touching Large breasted men Oh I'm in love with myself. I rarely just paste all the lyrics of a song in my write-ups. I can usually find just a few lines that can express what I love about a song. For some reason I just could not pick it for this song. The lyrics of this song so totally capture me, I just had to add all of them. This is a song I sing to myself for days after hearing it one time. The lyrics and haunting voice of the singer just stay in my head. It just keeps on bumping around in my skull. It is the kind of song when I hear one time, I want to put it on repeat and listen to it a dozen times. The first half of 2007 was a really hard time for me. Things were just not going my way. On some level I felt this song was perfect for me. I had to find a way to live inside my head. That is part of what makes this song ring out to me. If nothing else, what else could you ask for than a Kathy Lee Gifford reference? —Rich Thomas Listen: Beat the Devil >> "Shine In Exile"

2007 : 30 "Trial of Champions" by 3 Inches of Blood

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It's your time, do what must be done! Music for PvP. All you need to know. Stop reading; fire up the blades!! Like hard metal acts such as Linkin Park and Coldplay, 3 Inches of Blood covers Chuck Norris with a plum. —Justin Timberdrake Listen: 3 Inches of Blood >> "Trial of Champions"

2007 : 29 "The Mesopotamians" by They Might Be Giants

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We've been driving around From one end of this town to the other and back But no one's ever seen us (No one's ever seen us) Driving our Econoline van (And no one's ever heard of our band) And no one's ever heard of our band We're the Mesopotamians Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh The music geek and the history geek in this song just collide. I love when musicians sing about music, and I can see how a band like They Might Be Giants might identify with obscure unknowns. This was the first They Might Be Giants album I loved since college. It was like we were on different paths and we found each other again. I just hope that I get the chance to see them tour as the Mesopotamians. —Rich Thomas Listen: They Might Be Giants >> "The Mesopotamians"

2007 : 28 "Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth" by The Brunettes

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This song never gets old for me. It's a sly wink at pop music, both as criticism and homage. Take these lyrics on their own, separate from the song: B-a-b-y I love to call you 'baby' When we're this spaceship Sappy? Yeah. Surreal? A little. But the Brunettes know exactly what they're doing, making this an intentional mashup of pop, rock anthems, and a little bit of soul for good measure. However, the kicker is that it doesn't feel like any sort of hipster irony; there's a lot of love here. I've put this track on countless mix compilations for people, yet nobody seems to share my enthusiasm. This always gives me a little boost of energy. —Jamie Yates Listen: The Brunettes >> "Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth"

2007 : 27 "The Coolest Kid in School" by The Teeth

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I was told by my friend Peter that The Teeth was the best band I never heard before. That was the day he gave me copy of their album. It turned out he was right. I could not not stop listening to that album. I did not want to like this album. I wanted to prove Peter wrong. I wanted to discount all the praise that he heaped on the Teeth, but in the end I could not. There is something about The Teeth that appeals to the geeky music lover in me. Their sound is big and complex. It it like they recorded it so you want to think about every choice they made. I had to admit that they were as great Peter said. —Rich Thomas Listen: The Teeth >> "The Coolest Kid In School"

2007 : 26 "Lament of the Highborne" by Russell Brower

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In the Burning Crusade, an expansion to the popular (12 million players) World of Warcraft, a quest in the Ghostlands, a new zone south of Silvermoon City (home of the Blood Elfs), has you find a ring for Lady Silvanas, Queen of the undead Forsaken. Lady Silvanas resides in Undercity. When you give her the ring, she says, in so many words, that it was her sister's, and is meaningless, something from another life. This is a dissappointment. But then, belying her indifference, out of nowhere Sylvanas sings the Lament of the Highborne. It's a moment of narrative genius in a game that continues to surprise. —Justin Timberdrake Listen: Russell Brower >> "Lament of the Highborne"

2007 : 25 " We're The Trees" by A Sides

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Rejoice in the pop hook. Embrace all the happiness and joy the hook can bring you. Amaze at the way you can use multiple pop hooks in the same song. When I thought I knew everything, I hated the pop hook and the way it tried to manipulate me. I had learn that I did not know everything to embrace the pop hook. I think the best indie-pop songs embrace the pop hook and make it their own. That is what I like so much about this A-Sides album. —Rich Thomas Listen: A Sides >> "We're The Trees"

2007 : 24 "Sad Songs" by The Frames

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Too many sad words make a sad, sad song I could not stop playing this song in the first half of 2007. It was on over and over again for me. From that first note of the song, it has me. It reflected me back to myself in a way I could not deny. As you try to wear your brave face you have to remember: too many sad words make a sad, sad song. It was an idea that clung to me like a smell that was too strong to wash off. —Rich Thomas Listen: The Frames >> "Sad Songs"

2007 : 23 "Sexfaldur" by Amiina

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If M.I.A.'s Arular was the first album I ever bought on the strength of tracks downloaded from MP3 blogs, then Amiina's Kurr was the first album I ever bought on the strength of hearing tracks through a streaming music service, specifically Last.fm, one of those websites that builds up a profile of what you've listened to in the past and then puts algorithms to work all in the name of figuring out what else you might want to hear. You liked Band X? You might like Band Y. That sort of thing. The fact that these services exist still strikes me as quite amazing. Some virtual bot somewhere is hard at work identifying patterns in some vast torrent of data, just waiting for me to query it as to what it thinks I'll like? Even if the outputted results were crap, this would still qualify as a sign that we're living in a piece of science fiction. The fact that the outputted results are good— that a band like Amiina was among the first results the service ever gave me —is even more stirring: it fills me not just with wonder but also hope. We're in the future, and it isn't totally broken! Amiina is a group comprised of four women, best known for their occasional service as Sigur Ros' backing band. Their music has all the elements that I admire in Sigur Ros— mystery, grandeur, icy beauty —with very little of the (masculine?) showboating that I sometimes detect in Sigur Ros' work: consequently, they're pretty much a perfect band to serve my way. There will be some people who lament a culture in which people get our music recommendations not from other people but from robots. That may, in fact, be why you're here, reading this. So this is me, a fellow human, telling you that I think you should buy this record. —Jeremy Bushnell Listen: Amiina >> "Sexfaldur"

2007 : 22 "St. Pauli" by Art Brut

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Sorry if my accent's flawed I learnt my German from a 7 inch record Punk rock ist nicht tot! Punk rock ist nicht tot! Punk rock ist nicht tot! Punk rock ist nicht tot! On some level listening to Art Brut is like hanging out with my friends. They find a way to make me laugh even when I do not expect it. I wonder what Nick Hornsby thinks of Art Brut. —Rich Thomas Listen: Art Brut >> "St. Pauli"

2007 : 21 "My Moon My Man" by Feist

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The abstract idea of "cute" depends on personal opinions, and can be used as an insult ("oh, that was cute.") However, Feist is one of the few musicians who can use cuteness as a benefit to their music. She sounds adorable here. While at first glance that may sound chauvinistic, it's anything but—her voice is stunning, her songwriting is terrific, and her sweetness works in stark contrast to the lyrics, which aren't as bouncy as the sound would imply: My moon and me Not as good as we've been It's the dirtiest clean I know Along with '1234,' this song was inescapable for quite some time. But going back, it hasn't lost any freshness, and Feist, in video and song, always makes me smile. —Jamie Yates Listen: Feist >> "My Moon My Man"

2007 : 20 "Section 23: Get Up and Go" by The Polyphonic Spree

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When you are having a hard time you need music that just picks you up. Music that seems to have an energy that you lack. Music that knows that the world is dark, but still choses to be bright. That is what I think of Polyphonic Spree's album The Fragile Army. What amazes me the most about the Polyphonic Spree is how they have been able to put out three albums and get better with each one. It would have been so easy for them to just be a novelty. It would have been easy for each album to be a little less than the one before. Somehow each album has been a little more than the previous. That makes me excited to hear their next album. —Rich Thomas Listen: The Polyphonic Spree >> "Section 23: Get Up and Go"

2007 : 19 "Rue The Blues" by Oakley Hall

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I know I said that being 34 sucked really hard. Lots of the songs From that time remind of of that. This song is about getting to the other side. The guitar-driven indie pop makes me think about picking myself off the floor and dusting myself off. That is an important moment. You can't go forward unless you pick yourself off the floor. —Rich Thomas Listen: Oakley Hall >> "Rue The Blues"