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My track contribution for 2005 is "Feel Good Inc." by Gorillaz from the album Demon Days. Gorillaz is a virtual band originally created in 1998 by Damon Albarn (of the band Blur) and Jamie Hewlett (of the comic Tank Girl.)
This song morphs and shifts excellently between three primary styles. Just when I start zoning out to the groove it alters in a way that snaps my brain back to attention. There is the primary bass-driven groove with fictional lead singer "2-D" (Damon Albarn) repeating "Feel Good" and semi-rapping the song's lyrics followed by a transition to an acoustic based, light and airy chorus. This chorus is then cut through by an excellent rap breakdown by members from De La Soul. The impact of this track is multiplied beyond the sum of its parts by this awesomely tasty lyrical bridge. The song revisits the three parts again before it ends and is quite a compelling ride throughout. The Gorillaz have only released two albums so far but there is apparently a third in progress. Both have been well received and are quite good. Their music videos are also very enjoyable to watch, since they were created by Tank Girl artist Jamie Hewlett and are rendered in a high quality anime style that continues the fictional story of the band throughout the songs. Listen: Gorillaz >> "Feel Good Inc" |
Saturday, October 3, 2009
2005 : 57 "Feel Good Inc" by Gorillaz
2005 : 56 "Gesine [Part IV]" by Giuseppe Ielasi
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In his 2005 commencement address at Kenyon College, essayist and novelist David Foster Wallace presented the budding grownups with a question. How do you react when, in the context of a generally shitty day, you're at the supermarket and the place is packed with hideous shoppers, the muzak is denatured to the point that it shrivels your inner life on the spot, and the line is long, the injunction to have a nice day insincere, and your shopping cart has one super-cranky wheel that leaves black marks all over the floor? Most of us, of course, just get miserable and bitter. But DFW, in his wisdom, argues that this is where a real education comes into play. We all get to decide what has meaning and what doesn't. We don't have to be miserable in the checkout line. We all have the option of saying that everyday hellish moments are—in a very real way—not about us. In such situations, this enlightened approach can empower any of us to crack a joke or smile for real at the woman behind the counter. But that isn't always so easy. So when I have a day that's just garbage and gets me feeling down and a little sinister (and, unfortunately, I've had a few recently) I often turn to art (music and poetry especially) that's open in form, open in content—art uninterested in pushing me into feeling sad about the dead horsey, or okay about my undying interest in having big sexy blue eyes trained in my direction. When an artist hasn't made easy assumptions about my inner life, recognizes that I often don't want an answer or an escape, I can be moved strangely, lifted, rejuvenated. Bring on the supermarket! This kind of art is my route to knowing, in my heart, that what DFW says about choice is true and it matters tremendously. Guitarist and electronic musician Giuseppe Ielasi's 2005 album Gesine is one that brings me back into the realm of the emotionally capable. It's short (31 minutes long) but, in the vein of most instrumental electro-acoustic work, Gesine feels expansive. The album is also a study in contrasts: background versus foreground. The background, pretty much throughout, is composed of deliberately haphazard percussion and grinding static/feedback sounds, but the leading tone is that of Ielasi's acoustic guitar, front and center on most tracks. It's a complex tone, but mostly it's comforting. Ielasi draws on both the grounded blues-folk feel of John Fahey and Bert Jansch, and the silky, bright feel of Jim O'Rourke's playing on albums like Halfway to a Threeway and Eureka. Overall, Gesine does extremely well what a lot of electro-acoustic albums do pretty well: it allows the listener to get close to each piece as an aesthetic object/architecture. The stripped-down and roomy quality of the tracks, coupled with their self-possession, invites one to make genuine contact with their textures. Come on in. It's okay. You can let your guard down. Whitney Houston will not always love you here. Gesine, for me, is a good route back to generosity—so I can handle with dignity Sharon Stone's cellulite broadcast via tabloid cover. So I can chit-chat amicably with the bagger mashing my sesame seed rolls with the Drano. Listen: Giuseppe Ielasi >> "Gesine [Part IV]" |
Friday, October 2, 2009
2005 : 55 "Finally" by the Frames
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I was introduced to the Frames by someone telling me, "They are Ireland's favorite band; they kick U2's ass." This sentence alone was enough to get me to listen to this band. I can break this down to high-school logic. If U2 were the super cool kids that no one in my clique liked, The Frames were the misfits that all my friends wanted to be. I know that I no longer need to explain the Frames to everyone I meet. Damn, Glen Hansard even has an Oscar now. People know about the band, but that does not make them any less cool. "Finally" is an example why the high schooler in me loves this band. Listen: The Frames >> "Finally" |
2005 : 54 "Dirty Mind" by The Pipettes
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I was the last person on Earth who figured out that apparently you get music for free on the internet. I missed the whole Blog thing, which I'm pretty sad about. I know a lot of people complained about the "flavor of the week" bands that popped up around that time. Who can complain about the music being disposable when it's a tribute to one of the most disposable genres of music (I mean this in a good way), the girl group. I wish more groups took advantage of being internet flotsam by just tossing out singles like messages in bottles. I downloaded this song thinking it was going to be a girly cover of a Prince song, but I was wrong in a great way. This is a fucking amazing catchy tune. This is the best song to drink and bake cookies to. Did we need a full Pipettes album? Hell no, but that's not a bad thing. Listen: The Pipettes >> "Dirty Mind" |
2005 : 51-53 Three tracks by Magnolia Electric Co.
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In 2005, Magnolia Electric Co. had three releases: a studio album, a live album, and an EP. Jason Molina is known for putting out a lot of short albums close together. I know some of my friends would say this is a lack of editing. I think it is making the most out of his resources. "Leave the City" (from What Comes After the Blues)Broke my heart to leave the city I love the way that "Leave The City" melds the conflict of place and post-break-up emotion. Leaving a place with a broken heart. You leave because you have to and you need to. The lyrics of this song stay with me all day when I hear it. What Comes After the Blues seems like the end of Alt-Country to me. I am not sure why, but the whole Alt-Country movement has seemed to die out. At some level this seems perfect to me. I cannot think of a better band to turn off the lights on Alt-Country than Magnolia Electric Co. "North Star" (from Trials and Errors)I heard the North Star saying I heard this album a few times before the lyric above jumped out at me. It had to be because of the live album nature of Trials and Errors. The song starts with a long guitar intro. It is just wonderful. Every song on the live album Trials and Errors is long. I think it gives a good sense of the live show and how much he just cuts it up with his guitar the whole time. I love the way the songs on this album flow together because of these long songs. The idea of being that lost makes a lot of sense to me. There is a point in our lives when we all feel that lost. There is not much you can do about it. "31 Seasons In the Minor Leagues" (from Hard To Love A Man [EP])I've been in long enough to know I ain't even getting close There is a connection between music and sports. There is the big time and the small time. "31 Seasons in the Minor Leagues" is about baseball, but it is easy to see how a musician could think this way. As a baseball fan and a fan of unknown artists, I can really understand this song. Listen: Magnolia Electric Co. >> "Leave The City" | "North Star" | "31 Seasons In The Minor Leagues" |
Thursday, October 1, 2009
2005 : 50 "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" by the Hold Steady
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A few years back, I did some writing on the Hold Steady, noting that while their 2005 album Separation Sunday rarely strives, on a sonic level, to provide anything more than old-fashioned bar rock, it lyrically functions at a very high standard, ultimately emerging as a song cycle that rivals The Mountain Goats' great All Hail West Texas. The characters on Separation Sunday are born-again Christians or people struggling with drug addiction, or both, and all activity on the record is permeated by an air of dead-endedness, although one punctuated by moments of clutching, desperate hope. See, for instance, this moment in "Your Little Hoodrat Friend": Your little hoodrat friend's been calling me again Listen: The Hold Steady >> "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" |
2005 : 49 "Girl" by Beck
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Even if Beck didn't reference "my summer girl," this would still be a great summer song. The production by the Dust Brothers is pitch-perfect, and Beck seems to be blending three very distinct genres—soul, electronica, and an atmosphere of 1960s beach songs—into one terrific track. It's also wonderfully evocative of late teens/early twenties love in any city on a sweltering summer day. However, just one thing might cause some confusion: Walking crooked down the beach She spits on the sand... In all honesty, he doesn't paint the picture of the most attractive girl in the world. However, this only adds some gritty realism to the song. Imperfect though she might be, she definitely doesn't give a fuck what anybody else thinks, and given the person and the situation, that can be pretty attractive. Listen: Beck >> "Girl" |
2005 : 47-48 Aught Music Roundtable: Tiny Cities by Sun Kil Moon
 Roundtable Part One: "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes"When I first heard the album Tiny Cities I was totally floored. I already knew that Mark Kozelek was great at doing cover songs. A decade earlier I fell in love with the Red House Painters' version of Yes' "Long Distance Runaround." You would have thought Songs For A Blue Guitar was stuck in my CD player for how often I listed to it. What took my breath away with this album was how Kozelek went past what a really good cover song does. He totally makes me forget the original version. I listen to these songs and think that this is the way the songs where meant to be in the first place. He took all the noise and discord away and found the truth. That is what amazed me so much. I find myself listening to this album a lot, especially on road trips. Roundtable Part Two: "Trucker's Atlas"Mark Kozelek turns a song that was epic and wide like the open western road into something close and intimate like the inside of the car you're sharing with your best friend. Those moments of a road trip that you'll never really be able to explain to anyone else. Listen: Sun Kil Moon >> "Tiny Cities Made Of Ashes" | "Trucker's Atlas" |
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
2005 : 46 "Entertain" by Sleater-Kinney
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You can always tell a song is amazing if you can hear it first during a live show and remember it years later when it actually hits the album. Sleater-Kinney had been throwing this gem around in live shows for a while before it showed up on their last album. I remember this song vividly, which is amazing considering when I saw them live I was tripping balls and the music was just a huge blur of awesomeness. Janet Weiss was doing her precise robotic drumming thing while Carrie Brownstein was windmilling her guitar like it ain't no thing. Fucking perfect. This song is a perfect capstone to end a beautiful run. After a rager like this it is kind of hard to imagine where you go from here. No wonder Brownstein now works for NPR, after the war that is this song I'd want to work some place soft and quiet too. Listen: Sleater-Kinney >> "Entertain" |
2005 : 45 "A Solitary Life" by Richard Thompson
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If you ever had a period in your life when you can count your birthdays between relationships, this song will make sense to you. Richard Thompson really hits one of the feelings you have when your life is about yourself. The way he gets his guitar to fit the emotion of the lyrics shows his unassuming genius with the instrument. Listen: Richard Thompson >> "A Solitary Life" |
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
2005 : 43-44 Two tracks by Sufjan Stevens
"John Wayne Gacy. Jr."No matter what year, I cannot think of any other song as beautiful and literally haunting. This brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. Stevens crafts a look at a serial killer with none of the obvious expectations. He hints at Gacy's childhood, the accident that may have been one of the factors in his later killing spree, some of the personality traits that people admired in him, and his deadly legacy. The part that gets me the most is the look at his victims: Even more, they were boys I'm getting chills listening to this right now. There's no overt sympathy and no overt judgement. It's a painting of a distinct personality, one who killed twenty-seven people. Stevens' "fifty states project" is only two albums deep, but there's a wealth of history and meticulous detail. He takes the bad with the good in Illinois history, as evident with this track. "Chicago"This has an initial vote for one of my favorite songs of all time. This is a city anthem that doesn't mention any specifics of the area, and even mentions another state, New York. It's a reflection on youth, road trips, friendship, and coming to terms with past mishaps. These mishaps and mistakes are not mentioned specifically, but one can only imagine that they're the tyical blunders associated with being young. However, this the ultimate anthem to the city of Chicago, even though the emotions can be reflective of any major city. The vocal chorus towards the end of the song is achingly beautiful. Stevens is the ultimate musician, combining beautiful melodies and evocative lyrics, and this is one of the highlights of the decade. There is no hyberbole here; just listen. Listen: Sufjan Stevens >> "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." | "Chicago" |
2005 : 42 "TV Riot" by The Adored
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I know that there are lots of people who use BitTorrent for nefarious reasons. Torrents and peer-to-peer network are synonymous with the death of the music industry and people stealing television shows. In many people's minds, BitTorrent is an evil thing. It is a technology that has changed the face of music as we know it. That is why I love it when people use BitTorrent for something legal. In 2004, SXSW had mp3s promoting bands on their web site. In 2005, SXSW decided to take all the tracks and put them together in a BitTorrent. This was a great move. I might have downloaded five or six tracks from their website. In a torrent I downloaded over 700 tracks, listened to about 200 of them and bought about a dozen albums because of it. I spent much of 2005 listening to songs from SXSW. It was great. For a few years this was where I was getting a lot of my new music. Listen: The Adored >> "TV Riot" |
2005 : 41 "Comsten" by Goto80
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By the mid-Aughts, a lot of people were creating new interfaces that allowed nerdy musicians to easily manipulate the sound chips in obsolete technology like the GameBoy or the Commodore 64, flooding the Internet with tunes built around old-school video game noises. Both forward-thinking and backward-glancing, 8-bit music got a fair share of attention, with no less a figure than Malcolm McLaren (smelling money no doubt) publicly pronouncing that 8-bit music was "the new punk rock." I enjoyed a lot of this music for its ability to produce bursts of nostalgic feeling in me, but "Comsten" is the only "gamewave" track I've ever heard that has the ability to truly approach the sublime. This track is frantic even at its outset, but it occasionally "powers up" into something so dense and frenzied that it threatens the mind's ability to process it. Eventually it disintegrates into a whirling torrent of annihilatory pleasure, with only a vamping, increasingly deranged melodic line to remind us that we're still somewhere within the big tent that is pop music. Listen: Goto80 >> "Comsten" |
Monday, September 28, 2009
2005 : 40 "I Can See For Miles " by Petra Haden (covering The Who)
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Petra Haden put together a project where ten women sang The Who Sell Out. They don't just sing the vocal parts, but they sing all the instrumental parts also. It seems like the revenge of the high school choir girls. I had the same reaction to seeing them live as I did to listening to the album: a sense that this technique works really well as a way to adapt one song, but gets old when extended to a whole album, especially The Who Sell Out. Maybe I would have felt differently if they picked a better album, like Who's Next or Who Are You. With that said, I like "I Can See For Miles." This version really breathes new life into the song. They show a connection to the orginal materal and make it new all at the same time. My advice is to listen to this song and forget the rest of the album. Listen: Petra Haden >> "I Can See For Miles" |
2005 : 39 "Blood on Our Hands (Justice Remix)" by Death From Above 1979
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"Blood on our Hands" is an unfathomably sleazy track from Death From Above 1979's unfathomably sleazy album You're A Woman, I'm A Machine (2004). By "unfathomable," I mean something that's almost bordering on "incomprehensible": trying to parse the lyrics leaves you with fragmentary phrases ("But the things that I've done to you") that don't connect to anything else in the song, but which definitely sound disreputable. With this 2005 remix, the two French dudes in Justice have done something amazing: they have taken the original, scummed it up with the electronic squelch and big beats of European house music, and somehow made it even sleazier. Put this on when you want to feel adolescent and evil. Listen: Death From Above 1979 >> "Blood On Our Hands (Justice Remix)" |
2005 : 38 "Here It Goes Again" by Ok Go
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I want to say Ok Go was the first new band that used YouTube to break. At least they are the first band that I remember. The video with them dancing around on the treadmills was inventive. The song is pretty good, but it got more attention because of the video on YouTube. I thought that was pretty cool. I love it when bands figure out how to use technology to their advantage. I know that YouTube has been important for bands, but not in the same way as MTV. Much of the music that gets attention on YouTube is accompanying user-created content. Either someone put someone else's song behind a catchy video, or a person is doing a personal cover of the song. Listen: OK Go >> "Here It Goes Again" |
Sunday, September 27, 2009
2005 : 37 "The Sound of German Hip-Hop" by Clem Snide
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I bought The End Of Love on a complete whim after hearing a co-worker talk enthusiastically about the merits of Clem Snide. After just one listen, I was in complete agreement, at least regarding this album. I love Eef Barzelay's voice, and the lyrics are almost begging for any kind of interpretation. They go all over the place, a sort of poetic stream of consciousness. There's really not much to add. It works perfectly, and it's just a beautiful song. Listen: Clem Snide >> "The Sound of German Hip-Hop" |
2005 : 36 "Loop Duplicate My Heart" by Suburban Kids With Biblical Names
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Some days all you need is 3:07 of Low-fi, casiotone, electronic, home-recorded, over-sincere, cheesy charm. I think that is why this song always puts a smile on my face. Listen: Suburban Kids With Biblical Names >> "Loop Duplicate My Heart" |
2005 : 35 "Berlin" by Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto
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Insen is the second collaboration between the minimalist noise-sculptor Alva Noto and the airy pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto: a follow-up to Vrioon, from 2001. Taken together, these two albums stand far and away as the finest ambient electronic work to be released this decade: they are perhaps the only albums of the Aughts that serve as worthy successors to Brian Eno's canonical Music For Airports (1978). Like Eno's record, Insen is humanist and emotionally affecting without relying on music's traditional mechanisms for seizing attention: it is "as ignorable as it is interesting." But the album also distinguishes itself from the many Ambient clones that sprung up in Eno's wake, particularly through Noto's deployment of crisp, precise electronic micro-events. Noto superimposes mathematical grid-structures over the amorphous beauty of Sakamoto's piano lines, constraining them within structures of rationalist order, and preventing the album from drifting into the territory of toothless New Age music. Two collaborators operating at the top of their respective games, and yielding an absolutely perfect balance of elements. Listen: Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto >> "Berlin" |
Saturday, September 26, 2009
2005 : 34 "I Predict A Riot" by Kaiser Chiefs
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I just loved this song. It is simple, straight ahead, and fun. It is a perfect pop-rock song. Put this song on, put the windows down, put your foot on the gas, and sing at the top of your lungs. This is a song that should be on a plastic guitar game. From me that is a total complement. Listen: Kaiser Chiefs >> "I Predict A Riot" |
