Best music of 2009
live photo of Part Chimp courtesy of Last.FM
Well 2009 was another stellar year for music if you ask me, and as usual, my yearly ‘top’ list is going on a month late. I always have these grand designs of writting a short paragragh about each selection, why I picked it, how I first heard it, etc, but you know how that goes. I will say that this year, while I’ve gotten into many bands the way I have in years past (trolling record stores, randomly listening to anything I can find online), I’ve also found things I wouldn’t have found thanks to my Twitter account. While those who don’t get Twitter think it’s just folks updating what they had for breakfast, if you stick around, dig deeper and find the right people to follow, it’s amazing wealth of information. Not requiring the effort of say a blog post allows rapid, unvarnished opinions, spouted out between people’s day to day tasks, which I always prefer since I feel I’m more lucid after a few cups of coffee while something is blaring in my ears. New this year is the reissues section, what with things like OK Computer and Young Team being reissued, I can’t help but highlight them.
As always I want to give a hat tip to the fabulous folks at my neighborhood record store, Euclid Records, where I bought almost all of these discs over the past year. I also want to recognize people like Ryan, Anthony, Mary, @fcervantes, @plasmatron, @koppper @crankin and Yvonne for a continued stream of what has their attention at any particular time – grabbing stuff and listening to it later when I have more time always reveals new sounds to me, so thanks for that. Also, as always, this list will be added to my ever expanding Noise page here, listing my favs from 2001 to the present.
Ok enough of this babble, hell, I already have a couple of possible contenders for next years list! (more…)
Upcoming live release from Mogwai
This year Mogwai will release a live cd and album, Special Moves, and a dvd, Burning, covering a three night set during the 2009 shows in Brooklyn. Here they are doing Mogwai Fear Satan, which while from the same tour, is not from the film, but is shot by the same people (thanks for the info Stuart, pictured above) so it’s a good look into what to expect. If it’s all like this it looks like the perfect live film in my opinion, focused on the band interactions and movement, not the audience. To find out more, and get a free mp3 download of 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong from the set, visit Special Moves. Can’t wait to see/hear this, after taking a long time to get into The Hawk Is Howling, I’m ready to see them live again. I was still ‘digesting’ the re-release of Young Team that I bought in London last year, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen them live as they haven’t toured St. Louis, and the Austin gigs were too long ago to count. Just can’t wait for this release. (more…)
Mick Harvey quits the Bad Seeds
Multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey, who has been a force for decades helping to define and refine Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds sound, has left the band after a string of Australian gigs. His history with Cave started when he played a pivotal role in the Cave-fronted Boys Next Door (1977-1980) before playing in the seminal Aussie punk band, The Birthday Party (1980-1983). I was a big fan of The Birthday Party, and while I’d categorize them as punk, they were unlike any other punk band you’ve heard. Their raw/abrasive sound was like a jolt of electricity for me – they were bold, unique and driven. I’ve always explained their sound as being a mix of art school damaged compositions, layers of screeching guitars with Nick howling and caterwauling trying to keep up; truly a rock band unlike any other. After moving the band to Berlin and disbanding, Mick co-founded the Bad Seeds with Nick in late 1983. While early Bad Seeds felt like a continuation of The Birthday Party, it quickly evolved, moving from blues based rock, into a more layered, orchestrated, dramatic sound. Mick, along with the rest of the Bad Seeds, provided the baritone chorus backing Cave that became a staple of their sound. While the band has gone through many incarnations, Mick and Nick stuck with it, until this week. In his statement he explains, “For a variety of personal and professional reasons I have chosen to discontinue my ongoing involvement with Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds. After 25 years I feel I am leaving the band as it experiences one of its many peaks; in very healthy condition and with fantastic prospects for the future. I’m confident Nick will continue to be a creative force and that this is the right time to pass on my artistic and managerial role to what has become a tremendous group of people who can support him in his endeavors, both musically and organizationally.”
You can learn more about Mick’s other work as a producer, solo artist and collaborator, with folks such as PJ Harvey (unrelated), on his Wikipedia page. If you want to hear some of his work I’d recommend starting with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds “Murder Ballads” or “The Boatman’s Call” (which contains “Lime Tree Arbor”, phrases of which I used in my wedding program), or if you’re looking for something raw and different, dig into The Birthday Party’s “Junkyard“.
Best music of 2008
It’s time (well, past time, but…) for my yearly list list covering the best music releases of the year, 2008. I continue the trend of discovering more music online through mp3 blogs, and social sites like last.fm and blip.fm where you can not only see what people are listening to, but how their tastes spread out from that certain selection that you like. This kind of RIYL (the old ‘recommended if you like’ suggestion from CMJ Journal) has always helped me jump from band to band and genre to genre, opening up far more than I would have had access to. As I carve out my ‘dj list’ at blip.fm I build a ’station’ where you can do this same kind of thing, and with last.fm you can peek over my shoulder and see what I just listened to and how many times I’ve listened to Mogwai, Elliot Smith or Girl Talk last year. Remix, reuse, mashup, right? I also have to mention that this was the year I bought my first McIntosh, no, not computer, McIntosh, the legendary stereo amp specialists from the 60s. After buying my MA 6100 (ca. 1972 – as dated by a McIntosh employee) I simply had a new appreciation for the subtleties of my music, with acoustic, low-fi and jazz cds seeming to gain the most from the switch. It happens like that, a new piece of upgraded hardware will change the sound I’m building, and I’ll hear new things in my favorite old recordings. (2009 may be the year of the speaker!) Ok then, so here’s my list, and as always, my list from the past years, going all the way back to 2001, can be found on my Noise page. What selections below do you dig? What did I miss? Please, go on…
Blitzen Trapper “Furr”
Over the past few days I’ve become quite the fan of Blitzen Trapper from Portland, Oregon. A single on Subpop’s 20 year anniversary CD (which I got in a goodie bag on Record Store Day BTW) led me to this track, which turns out to be NOT indicative of their style. I’m giving their recent release a run now, and it reminds me at times of another Portland band, Menonema which is good. This track is more acoustic, but I love the Elliot Smith sounding vocals and the dreamy, story like lyrics – it’s a winner.
Morrissey turns 49
Morrissey
Radiohead was freaking fantastic
We saw Radiohead last night, and they did not disappoint. My wife and I weren’t looking forward to the venue, a big shed and lawn ‘pavilion’ that everyone has now, but in the end it turned out to be a great night, with the location not being bad at all. We last saw Radiohead at the same venue twelve years ago during their tour for The Bends, but it wasn’t until just after that with the release of OK Computer that I went completely ga-ga for them for life. They had a huge chunk of material to choose from, and the show was amazing. After two nice numbers from their recent release, they broke out Airbag and the place went nuts. All the energy seemingly projected via the light show, which was really cool (don’t think I’ve ever said that). And look, I have to say this again and again, but dammit, Johnny Greenwood is so amazing, his composition, the sounds he gets from his guitar, and that shredding sound that he rips from it…outstanding-freaking-standing. Of course he saved the best for last with Paranoid Android coming alive to close the show. I was happy to see the variety of concert goers, considering most were likely getting out of diapers when OK computer came out! The fact that this band has that much pull across a a swath of fans like that without radio play gives me hope for the future. A great writeup of the show on RFT, be sure to follow their link to their well done slideshow of pictures (it’s where I got the one above). Now to find a soundboard or matrix sourced recording somewhere and we’ll be all set. Full set list after the jump.
Reviewer makes “educated guess” that new Black Crowes album blowes
While I don’t look to Maxim for advice on buying music, it seems hilarious that one of their writers slammed the upcoming Black Crowes’ release, giving it only ** 1/2 stars out of *****, without even hearing the full album. That’s cold. “The band posted an exasperated statement on its Web site last week, saying the Maxim writer hadn’t heard the entire album because advance copies were not available. The Crowes’ manager, Pete Angelus, said the magazine explained that its review was an “educated guess.” Maxim editorial director James Kaminsky responded Tuesday with this statement: “It is Maxim’s editorial policy to assign star ratings only to those albums that have been heard in their entirety. Unfortunately, that policy was not followed in the March 2008 issue of our magazine and we apologize to our readers.” Call me crazy, but I’m going to take an “educated guess” that the rest of the March 2008 Maxim (or any other issue) is not worth my time either. 
An historic auction of millions of records, cds, etc
With a starting bid of US $3,000,000.00 this is one crazy eBay auction. Described as “The World’s Greatest Music Collection (3 Million Records, 300,000 CDs, 6 million+ Song Titles)”, you’re ostensibly buying a record store. In an interview, “Paul Mawhinney, owner of the Record Rama Sound Archives in Pittsburgh, Penn., is selling off what he calls “The World’s Greatest Music Collection” — as a whole — with a starting bid price of $3 million US ‘I want the history of American popular music to be available for future generations.’—Paul Mawhinney This is my life’s work,” the 69-year-old music enthusiast told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I’ve had a lot of people that wanted it, but they didn’t have the right kind of capital.” Looking at the pictures, it looks exactly like the old school record stores I’d seek out when I would be in towns like Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver and LA. There aren’t many like this anymore, which makes me appreciate my neighborhood Euclid Records all the more. In the end, what I like about this auction is the seller’s mindset that the music belongs to everyone, and is not just some commodity. “Mawhinney says he’d like the collection to be available to the public, which is a proviso of the sale. “I want the history of American popular music to be available for future generations,” he told The Toronto Star. The buyer is required to either donate the collection or create a public space for people to access it.” It sounds perfect for the Library of Congress, but apparently they didn’t have the funds.
Amy Winehouse to perform at Grammys via satellite
UPDATE: So Amy took 4 of the 5 awards she was nominated for, Mark Ronson, the producer of Back To Black took Producer of the years, and most importantly she tore it up on a medley of I’m no Good and Rehab from London. Good for her.
While I can’t think of a time I looked forward to the Grammys, this year is the exception. After getting approval from the rehab center she’s currently staying in, she was still denied a visa to travel to the US to attend the Grammys, but Amy Winehouse will perform via satellite for the show. She has the most nominations shy of Kanye West, and with good reason, her cd Back To Black is a stunner. Between her strong, soulful voice, her songwriting and arrangements, this is amazing music that I can heartily recommend to everyone. It’s great to hear she’s doing better, and I look forward to seeing her belt it out as only she can. “I’m raring to go and really excited to be performing at my first Grammy Awards,” says Amy, “I’d like to thank everyone for their support over the last couple of weeks. I’m really sorry I can’t be there but I appreciate that I’m being given a second chance via satellite” Winehouse said in a statement to Access Hollywood. [...] She is nominated for six Grammys, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Female Performance for “Rehab,” Album of the Year, Best New Artist, and Best Pop Vocal Album for “Back to Black”.
Do the collage – the art of Bob Pollard
On December 9, 10 Robert Pollard had his debut art exhibit called Do The Collage (a play on the title of Guided by Voices 1999 release, Do The Collapse) at Studio Dante. in New York City. Now the entire exhibit is online (but note the person pictured at that link is not Bob), and it displays the talents of Bob’s cut and paste collages, much like the sound of his band’s early recordings.
Some of these images will be familiar to GbV die hards, as Bob’s artwork adorned many of the cds, LPS and singles that GbV put out over the years. Additionally, the above shows up as a prop onstage when he tours with his current band. Of course with all things Bob Pollard, the quality is there, despite the quantity that you sometimes have to wade through; persistence and patience will pay off, keep digging! Having said that, if anyone doesn’t have Alien Lanes or Bee Thousand, you’re missing out on some of the best rock from the early 90s. Here’s another salty salute to Bob! Kick it…
Radiohead coming to St. Louis next tour
UPDATE: according to a Pitchfork post, 05-14 St. Louis, MO – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
So it’s been confirmed, Radiohead will play St. Louis on this tour; what incredible news. I last saw them during the tour for The Bends, far, far too long ago. “St. Louis is confirmed as a stop on British rock band Radiohead’s upcoming North American tour. Exact dates and venues are to be announced. The tour will be broken down in two parts – a first leg prior to a European summer tour, and another leg after the European tour. Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” CD is the top-selling album in the country this week.“ F – yes! I have seen far too many concerts of them on video – must see the new shit live…so damn cool.
Best music of 2007
It’s that time again, our annual list of our favorite music from each year. New for 2007’s best of list is far more detail and interactivity than before, and it’s even linked to the fak3r’s aStore at Amazon in case you want to pick up any of the recommendations from the page, how convenient!. As always, scroll to the bottom for picks from years past. Leave comments here if you have ones you disagree with, or ones we missed. See ya next year…
Neko Case on NPR
Damn, it seems that NPR has a continuous thing for Nico Neco (uggg, I still spell her name wrong), I mean Neko Case, as they have gone out of their way to showcase her most recent album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, Her continued recording and touring work with The New Pornographers and now even boasts a full concert of her playing the Disney Hall in LA from November 16th (props to scooter b for the original tip). Hosted by Alex Cohen, the show is a available on NRP’s music site for download or podcast. While The New Pornographers style is straight up, fun, power-pop, Neko’s solo work is steeped more in bittersweet country and gospel, however she seems to combine both on her solo shows, which I have not experienced in person. Her prior release to ‘Flood’, was the strong live effort, The Tigers Have Spoken. TNP are a different story, I’ve seen them twice and they’re even more fun in person than they releases hint at; highly recommended. Give her a listen.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVjcsRO6N7s]
They Might Be Giants
Last night at Dinner, my son, soon to be 5, let it be known that his favorite They Might Be Giants album is Flood. My kids got into TMBG after we got them the band’s first kids cd, NO!, followed by the amazing Here Come The ABCs on both cd and DVD (*highly* recommended if you have kids). A greatest hits compilation, A User’s Guide… rounds out the bunch which gives them a wider swath of material to judge TMBG, who now perform family shows, as well as the traditional 21 and over shows, while on tour. Of couse his mention of Flood being his favorite only reminded me that I still need to burn him a copy of Lincoln, and also about the time I bought their first release, They Might Be Giants (pictured) on vinyl in 1986. At the time it was only available on vinyl, so I had to go to a friend’s house who had his parent’s stereo setup with a good turntable so I could tape it, and then play it in my car. Yeah, that’s funny, both in how long ago it was, and that I remember all of it. As I’ve mentioned before, I love music, and even the act of visiting a music store is some religious experince for me, there’s no telling what will happen that I’ll be retelling some 20 years later…
Music that stands the test of time
Carrie Brownstein (former Sleater-Kinney guitarist) now has a great blog on NPR called Monitor Mix. A recent post talked about her learning what bands were important to her father over the years, and it leads to a question I’ve always wondered, what music that is important to us be as important for our kids when they grow up? In other words, what will make the jump. I posted a comment, and the submission form wouldn’t let me post it! I’ll try again later, but for now I’ve put it here. What bands are important to you, or were growing up, that you can see making the jump to the next generation? (more…)
Paul Raven dead of a heart attack
Wow, here’s an unexpected blast from the past, Paul Raven, bass player for industrial bands that I used to love like Pigface and Murder, Inc., as well as Killing Joke and Ministry contributer, has died in his sleep of a heart attack in France at the age of 46. “MINISTRY bassist Paul Raven was found dead yesterday (Saturday, October 20) in a private home in a small French village on the Swiss border after suffering an apparent heart attack. Raven (who is also known for his work with KILLING JOKE and PRONG) was in Geneva working with French recording artists TREPONEM PAL on their new release alongside drummer Ted Parsons (PRONG) and members of THE YOUNG GODS. Born in Wolverhampton, UK on January 16, 1961, Paul Vincent Raven established himself with his work in the seminal post-punk/industrial act KILLING JOKE after he replaced the band’s original bassist in 1982, recording and touring with the group throughout its most commercially successful period, performing on “Fire Dances”, “Night Time” and “Brighter than a Thousand Suns”. Throughout his extensive career, Raven participated in other collaborations, including PRONG, MURDER, INC., PIGFACE and GODFLESH. Most recently, Raven was nominated for a 2006 Grammy for “Best Metal Performance” for his work with MINISTRY’s Al Jourgensen, with whom he had begun collaborating in late 2005 on the MINISTRY release “Rio Grande Blood”. After a 2006 world tour with the group, Raven helped Jourgensen and PRONG’s Tommy Victor pen the latest MINISTRY CD, “The Last Sucker”, which is also the band’s final studio release.” While much of the industrial music I dug years ago (listed above, and bands like Skinny Puppy, Nitzer Ebb, Revolting Cocks and the like) haven’t stood the test of time, I need to break out the Murder, Inc. CD and give it another go. The combination of rhythm with Chris Connelly’s vocals made it a classic industrial record, with Paul Raven and the then current incarnation of Killing Joke.
Hi, I'm fak3r and I've been online for over 15 years, blogging for 10. I work with open source software, various hardware and whatever else that I can hack on. I enjoy learning by doing, painting infrequently and listening to more music than the law allows. Feel free to follow me and comment on my thoughts and ideas; we're all in it together kid.
Record Store Day – April 18, 2009
UPDATE: read Euclid Records excellent post from last year by the owner Joe, “Record Store Day: What It Means To You and Me” for some insight into why you should care and participate in RSD
If you’re like me, you can’t wait for Record Store Day 2009. If you were with me last year, you’ll recall that I blogged about it and gave my review of it afterward – I really enjoyed walking up to Euclid Records where I saw the same old staff I’ve seen for years, along with people from the neighbor hood, a local(ish) band play (which my *kids* said were too loud (win!)) and of course picked up some new music. This year’s event will be April 18th, and you know I’m saving my pennies for the day. I think this year I’ll surprise the staff with some donuts to kick the day off right! If not for local music shops, the music world would be even less human, here’s to them rallying a comeback around the world. As, looks like this year bands and artists are seeing the value of having a day devoted to the music merchants, and are chipping in a bunch of exclusive releases to celebrate.
Mar 16, 2009 | Categories: commentary, featured, headline, music, news | Tags: bands, independant, indie, local, music, record store day, record stores, records | View Comments