2009 in music

Happy end of the year! Things will be a bit different in one aspect of the listaganza. I usually upload mp3 samples of each entry, but since I no longer have any webspace, youtube to the rescue! Other than that, business as usual. Here is the (subjective) best music to come out in 2009!

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First off - The 2009 mixtape!

It's not just the top ten albums regurgitated. Some of the best songs appeared on albums that weren't otherwise that amazing.

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Hold on a sec - What I missed last year.

All Girl Summer Fun Band

Looking Into it

A seemingly unprovoked fixation with The Thermals' Kathy Foster led me to this twee power-pop band she plays in. This album in particular gave me Mr. T Experience nostalgia.

Have a listen to - "Not The One For Me"

Squarepusher

Just A Souvenir

Oh hey, a new Squarepusher slipped right under my radar last year!

Have a listen to - "The Coathanger"

Stereolab

Chemical Chords

Whoops, never heard of this band before this year! They manage to combine a lot of my favorite things about bands like Electralane, Buffalo Daughter, and Broadcast. It's like French pop music from the 60's travelled to the year 2010.

Here is a music video for - "Neon Beanbag"

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One more look back - Best albums of 1999

What was I up to in 1999? Hmm, I remember seeing Blink 182 at Warped tour. That pretty much summed up what I was digging back then. Looking at this list compiled today - A few releases on this were a pretty big deal to me when I was 16, but I admit, most I had not heard of yet. Oh well, they were still fun times...

Number ten...

Sherbets

Siberia

It's hard to say what makes Siberia such a special album. Sure, it's garage rock and roll bliss, but so are all the Sherbets albums, and so are nearly all the other albums by all the other bands Kenichi Asai leads. Siberia has a lot of their biggest hits, if that works for ya.

Check out a live performance of - "Joan Jett's Dog"

Number nine...

The Rentals

Seven More Minutes

Haters gonna hate, but I love this album! It's a very eclectic release with great melodies. A couple experimental styles fail, but most hit their mark. I can't help but wonder where The Rentals would have gone if this album wasn't a total bomb...

Enjoy the music video for - "Getting By"

Number eight...

Polysics

A・D・S・R・M!

Ah, to be young and in love (with Devo). While this may be the weakest Polysics album, it is an amazing jumpstart. Pure energy.

Get nostalgic over this decade old performance of - "Modern"

Number seven...

Beck

Midnite Vultures

This isn't really his best album, but it may be my favorite. Beck proved himself to be our generation's Frank Zappa with this totally bonkers LSD + Spainish Fly clusterfunk.

Observe a very great thing through very poor compression: The music video for - "Sexx Laws"

Number six...

The Get Up Kids

Something To Write Home About

While The Get Up Kids were one of the guilty parties that unintentionally turned emo into romance-pop at the turn of the decade, I'm sure nobody blames them now when you look at what emo has become since then... Regardless, this is still a super catchy album today.

Wow, here is a nostalgia bomb. The music video for - "Action & Action"

Number five...

Cibo Matto

Stereo Type A

I've always preferred this album over their debut. It's much more accessible, and has more versatility. It's a piñata of fun songs!

Here is a live performance of - "Blue Train"

Number four...

The Mr. T Experience

Alcatraz

Another album that was left to die by most fans. MTX was one of the first to make made pop punk into what it was in the 90's, and Dr. Frank took it to the next pop level, with no other band with the balls to follow. Alcatraz is MTX's most lyrically clever and musically daring album. Possibly my favorite of theirs in general.

All youtube has for us is a live performance of - "Naomi"

Number three...

Pavement

Terror Twilight

With their finale album, Pavement managed to predate the brief indie alt-country wave of the mid-naughties. A few bands went on to do this kind of sound, but none had such great lyrics such as "Pardon my birth, I just slipped out."

Check out the dorktastic music video for - "Carrot Rope"

Number two...

Built To Spill

Keep it Like A Secret

This is the band's shining moment. A perfect combination of their clever fun songs, and their lengthy rocking out numbers.

Enjoy this live rendition of - "Time Trap"

Number one...

Number Girl

School Girl Distortional Addict

This is the greatest Fugazi, Pixies, At The Drive-In, and Jawbreaker mix tape you will ever hear. Every Number Girl album is unique and incredible. This one just happens to be my favorite kind of lo-fi indie punk sound.

Enjoy the music video for - "Touch"

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Moving on to this decade - The best music videos of 2009!

Grizzly Bear - "Two Weeks"

Fake Problems - "Diamond Rings"

"Peter Bjorn & John - "It Don't Move Me"

Giant Drag - "Stuff To Live For"

Vampire Weekend - "Cousins"

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Might as well mention - The Biggest disappointments of 2009.

Metric

Fantasies

A terribly boring monotone album with really bad lyrics. This whole album sounds like the band wrote and recorded it in their sleep.

Green Day

21st Century Breakdown

I've liked everything this band band has done up until now, even American Idiot. This is garbage from a garbage can. I can't even get halfway through it.

The Rentals

Songs About Time!

Matt Sharp sticks his head up his own ass and undoes all the excitement left by the 2007 reunion EP. Total pretentious snorefest.

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one more thing - The best cover art of 2009

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Ok Finally - The best albums of 2009!

Number ten...

Grizzly Bear

Veckatimest

Number 10 is always the hardest to pick. I'll make the case for this album simply by stating who it pushed out - Animal Collective (who will no doubt be on every other list on the internet), Polysics, and The Fiery Furnaces (two of my favorite bands of all time).

Listen to - "Cheerleader"

Number nine...

Sonic Youth

The Eternal

Nothing new here, but the songs are rock solid. I was particularly impressed by the band's ability to incorporate their Daydream Nation era style of crunch and distortion into the current jam rock sound without any friction.

Here is a live rendition of - "Anti Orgasm"

Number eight...

Do Make Say Think

Other Truths

Quality over quantity. Four instrumentals that explode with emotion and imagination. It's the soundtrack to adventure!

Here is the fantastic opener - "Do"

Number seven...

OOIOO

ARMONICO HEWA

OOIOO makes their catchiest album without sacrificing an ounce of crazy. You may start out feeling perplexed, but by the end you'll be left wanting more.

Check out the seizure inducing music video for - "SOL"

Number six...

Vola & The Oriental Machine

SA-KA-NA Electric Device

It was a big risk to drop such a strong post-punk influence for this new style of synth rock, but it paid off big time. Every song is a keeper, even the bloody secret track!

Check out the music video for - "Turning Turning"

Number five...

The Whitest Boy Alive

Rules

I never expected a second album to ever come from this romance-funk Erland Øye experiment. Its very existence is joyous enough; but it also manages to do everything the debut did even better.

Enjoy this live performance of - "1517"

Number four...

Rx Bandits

Mandala

...And The Battle Begun was my favorite album of 2006. While Matt Embree's songwriting has improved, the loss of their horn section has hurt the versatility of this otherwise rocking album.

Listen to - "It's Only Another Parsec"

Number three...

The Paper Chase

Someday This Could All Be Yours (Part One)

They haven't really changed their sound over the years, but have improved it with each album. Great Kill Rock Stars no-wave rock wrapped in macabre and despair. Standing out, are the nihilistic themes of tragedy, with clever metaphors to natural disasters.

Here is a live recording of - "The Lightning"

Number two...

Peter Bjorn & John

Living Thing

When interviewed about how different Living Thing is from every other PB&J album, Peter quickly interjected with "Yeah, it's better." He's right. This band turned the corner with a short instrumental album last year, and have hit a home run with this one. Suddenly this trio have become some of the most innovative pop songwriters around today.

Check out the freaky-deeky music video for - "Lay it Down"

Number one...

Fake Problems

It's Great To Be Alive

I love me some Swami Records style American rock and roll. The wacky Southern Baptist themes are quite fun; and I love how humble some of the lyrics can be, juxtaposed with Chris Farren's loud raspy voice and cocky swagger. From the loud triumphant introduction to the modest ballads that close it out - best album of 2009.

Here is a live performance of - "Diamond Rings"

PHEW!

Wow, that was a lot of work. Thank you for reading!

oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Polysics has announced their keyboard player since album number 1 is leaving the band in March. If they choose to continue at all, they are going to undergo some very big changes from here on out...

End of an era, folks. Make sure you go see them when they tour the US briefly in a few weeks.

album of the week: 12.4

Dave House

Intersections

Banquet Records (2009)

why you'll like it: good melodies. humble lyrics

why you'll hate it: nothing new, too much filler

I just picked this album up on a whim a few weeks ago. Dave House shared a top 10 albums of the year list with punknews.org. I thought he had pretty good taste, so I decided to check out latest solo LP. It says in many descriptions that he is very much inspired by the storytelling style of songwriting found in bands like The Weakerthans. I'm not seeing so much of that in Intersections, but there is plenty of classic 90's pop-punk balladry to be had.

House sounds more like The Ataris or Joey Cape, which isn't a terrible thing, but surprising in that it masks his English background quite well. He doesn't appear to have much of an accent when singing, and the melodies are clearly American influenced. I don't know why I'm so hung up on this. A Western obsessed style is what got me so interested in Asian Kung-Fu Generation at first, and I love them now; so maybe it's a good thing.

I've never taken a look at any of House's previous work with other bands, so I'm left only with what is in front of me. It's an ok record. If you're still very much in love with that dying ballad pop-punk genre, you'll be all over this album. I ODed on this kind of music back in high school, so the whole thing is deja-vu to me. The catchiest songs have the unfortunate fate of being too repetitive. Good on Dave for putting something out there, though. I love music, but can't even tune a guitar.

fuckshovel

Don't forget to stop by The Onion and check out their annual list of amusing band names. This list never fails to disappoint year after year.

album of the week: 12.3

Animal Collective

Fall Be Kind

Domino (2009)

why you'll love it - the dark side of Merriweather Post Pavilion

why you'll hate it - half of it drones on and on

The excitement over Merriweather Post Pavilion that most of the internet is still feeling has all but left me. Conceptually, Animal Collective putting out a well produced and accessible love song album has been a success; but I prefer when their music comes from stranger places. The recent Fall Be Kind EP doesn't seem to do that as much I hoped it would.

"Graze" kicks the album off the same way MPP started, slow as hell, with a burst of energy in the second half. The peppy pan flute melody has novelty value, but it isn't worth slogging through the first three minutes for. "What Would I Want? Sky" follows the same pattern, sounding like two songs combined into one. The intro is slightly more bearable on this one, and the rest of the song stands alongside the best pop moments of MPP.

The next two songs are a complete waste of time. "Bleed" is a real bummer of a song. It sounds like the most depressing acid trip ever. "On A Highway" has an awful vocal melody that seems to never end.

"I Think I Can" is the big hit of this EP. It's creepy and alien (the kind of atmosphere I love best from AC), and the percussion is so powerful it's impossible to ignore.

Essentially what you have here are a couple filler tracks, and some good ones that would have given Merriweather Post Pavilion some much needed versatility, if they had been included. I think that even die hard Animal Collective cult worshippers would agree that this is their weakest release in the last few years.

we've got movie sign!

Ten years since its cancellation, Mystery Science Theater 3000 is finally freely available yet again by legal means.

Hulu launched an MST3K site today and it looks great. It has a few episodes up I haven't seen in like 15 years. This is the TV show that got me through high school. Its innovation and originality not only still inspires me today, but practically raised and shaped my psyche, humor, and general outlook on life. It truly is the greatest television show ever made. Watch it.

album of the week: 12.2

El Nuevo Grupo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez

Cryptomnesia

Rodriguez Lopez Productions (2009)

why you'll love it - Frantic side of The Mars Volta driven into overdrive by Zach Hill

why you'll hate it - incomprehensible, too one-tone

It's almost as if The Mars Volta knew they were putting out a disappointing album this summer with Octahedron. From the endless vault of Omar Rodriguez Lopez's solo recordings comes yet another release, but one a bit more special than the rest. Cedirc joins Omar again, as his did for Omar's best solo album (Se Dice Bisonte, No Bùfalo - 2007). Though I'm sure what gave this go-round round its own special name was the inclusion of motherfucking drum annihilator, Zach Hill. Everything this man man touches becomes a rock and roll beast.

Omar outright admits that this is basically a Mars Volta album. Cedric's lyrics are insane as ever. The songs are at a breakneck pace, only slowing down for very brief soundbytes which are quite entertaining themselves. This album doesn't have the labored grand compositions that the best TMV albums have. It feels more like this is just off the cuff rocking out fun.

The album grinds to an immediate halt at the end where vaudevillian music plays over Omar thanking the listener and saying "see you next time." Yes! Please come back for more in the future. This marriage of Zach Hill and TMV is too good to end here!

Disorientation makes me happy.

album of the week: 12.1

Hideki Kaji

Strawberries And Cream

Blues Interactions (2009)

why you'll love it: pop with zero commercialism or pandering

why you'll hate it: it's the whussiest music in the world

Here is a chaser for the straight shot of hardcore music last week. If you don't know who Hideki Kaji is, you should take this album title seriously to consider what's in store. Kaji is basically the Japanese Brian Wilson. With his roots planted firmly in the 60's bubblegum pop genre; he's carried the Shibuya-kei flag from its inception as a simple Flipper's Guitar pop sound, through it's most fashionable years in the 90's, through the techno-electronic era, and today without hardly changing his sound. He's not your typical watered down Disney cash in, nor is he an overproduced commercial j-pop poster boy. His honesty is what sets him apart from both classic Shibuya-kei artists who jumped ship for greener pastures, and pop music in general.

The album itself is nothing you haven't heard before; it's just presented with a lot of love and care. I particularly like the opening track being titled "Mini Skirt" (presumably after his 1997 album, and best IMO). Kaji has never been a ball of fire, but his melodies are still exciting today despite being well into his 40's. He sticks to his strengths here (which hasn't gotten old yet thanks to this being such an underrepresented genre), although the few experiments do pay off. The 80's ballad sounding "Heaven Only Knows" is handled perfectly, and "Brave Our Hearts" is the closest thing to a Pizzicato Five song you can get today.

The last I heard from Hideki Kaji before stumbling across this album was that he was in Sweden, shooting a music video for "Passion Fruits". While waiting between filming (still dressed as a pineapple for the shoot), he was beaten into unconsciousness and robbed by thugs. I hope the incident hasn't tarnished his love for Sweden, or brought down his spirits in general. As long as this man stays happy and inspired, great music seems to follow.

Source seal of quality

My copy of Left 4 Dead 2 arrived in the mail today. I've only played one campaign so far, and the game is great. This post isn't about that though, it's about glitches! Left 4 Dead is one of the most hilariously glitched out game I have ever played, and I'm happy to see the sequel carries the tradition.

album of the week: 11.4

HORSE The Band

Desperate Living

Vagrant Records (2009)

why you'll love it - 8bit synth!

why you'll hate it - it's metal screamo music

As the year draws to a close, here is something a bit different than the usual fare. HORSE The Band is very loud, and not in the noisy lo-fi style I normally dish out. This is a straight up "scream like cookie monster" metal kind of thing. Usually I just roll my eyes at this kind of stuff, but HTB has an ace up their sleeve - an 8bit synth.

I fully admit the only reason I listen to this band is for the synthesizer, although their humor and guitar riffs can win me over at times. Before 2007, HTB was much more versatile in their songwriting. They would cleverly work NES references into their synth lines and lyrics without sounding like they were pandering to geeks. With time, their melodies and songwriting content got more crazy and culminated in 2006, with an EP of songs about pizza.

Soon after that, they decided they wanted to be a serious band, with honest lyrics and nerfing the synth. The resulting album (A Natural Death) was an absolute disaster. HORSE The Band, you are content to play music that is of a ridiculous genre; thus can never be taken seriously! With Desperate Living, HTB is still holding on to their self-destrucive vision from the last album, but have worked a little bit of self-parody into it.

Singer, Nathan Winneke, is still screaming with a bit too much conviction; but at least this time out when he growls out an eye-roll inducing line like "sorry that you're dead", it's followed once again by a kickass synth line that sounds like something out of The Legend of Zelda. Erik Engstrom has been given more liberty to bash away with the bleep-blorps here, so the nectar I crave is back; and that is nearly all I need to justify this album's existence.

Despite still taking a good chunk of this album too seriously, tracks like the narcissistic "HORSE The Song" are a promising wink to let us know they've stepped back from the edge of pretentiousness. "Science Police" is a genuinely good song with a pace that doesn't try to ram metalcore down your throat. They need more songs like that. Droning moments of ambience ruin a few songs, such as "Shapeshifter" and "Lord Gold Wand of Unyielding". Thankfully they are met with an equal amount of insanity in other songs, which I chose not to spoil with examples.

After you cut out the embarrassing A Natural Death era holdovers, there are about eight good songs and 30 minutes of music on this album worth enjoying; which just scrapes by to let me hope that the band is back on the right track. It's no The Mechanical Hand though, that's for sure. I'd much prefer that Eric would pack up his synthesizer and start a new band at this point.

how awesome is Bit.Trip:Void?

So awesome.

That probably doesn't mean much coming from me, since I've been calling the downloadable wii Bit.Trip games the best thing to come out this year. However, this is installment addresses a few problems from the last two games, without compromising the wild visuals and adrenaline rush feeling.

This may be the easiest Bit.Trip game yet. The basics are still the same, collect bits to survive. This time, you control a free roaming void bit with the wii-nunchuck analog stick. As you collect black bits, you increase in size, like a balloon. You can "bank" the points earned so bar and decrese back to normal size. You'll want to do that because white bits will enter the fray and can pop you. Needless to say, the game will erupt a rush of black and white bits at you to avoid and fish for.

Looks tough? It wouldn't be a Bit.Trip game is there wasn't a challenge. Luckily, Gaijin Games has granted mercy on us. There are now three checkpoints in each song. You start with only one continue (you need to get a crazy amount of points to earn more), but the checkpoints are a big deal for tackling that one tricky part 8 minutes into the 10 minute stage without having to start over from the start if you blow it. Now removed (with great applause) is the stipulation that you have to earn a high score in order to save the unlock of the next song.

The music is a minimalist drum & bass heavy beat this time out. It fits well with all the abundance of black & white, but isn't the best soundtrack they've done. The background visuals don't have as much wacky stuff in them, but the points and level indicators are cleverly merged in with the background. Also of note, there are no visible meters to tell you how close you are to leveling up or down. I guess depending on the type of mind you are, this could be a good or bad thing.

Forget your Modern Warfare, Assasin's Creed, or whatever killin' dudes flavor of the month game the media is hyping. Play Bit.Trip:Void!

album of the week: 11.3

Tegan And Sara

Sainthood

Sire (2009)

why you'll like it: Intelligent fast paced pop tunes

why you'll hate it: repetitive, disposable

It's really easy to get wrapped up in the superficial side of Tegan And Sara, and write them off entirely. They do appear to be the darling of empty headed hipsters and do-nothing activists. Well, scenes are all cesspools I checked out of years ago, and I've become content with Tegan And Sara. They're clever and know how to make a really exciting and catchy two-minute song.

Clever, catchy, and fast paced. Tegan And Sara do what they do best on this album. While I found their experimental side in The Con to be more satisfying, this is probably the album old school If It Was You fans have been waiting for - a much more impulsive sound. This is also a great album for newbies, as it briefly touches on all of the duo's strengths.

This album shares a lot in common with Absolute Polysics. The album has a collection of strong songs, but they don't quite come together like an album should. In this case, the songs feel a bit incomplete, as if you're only given the middle of them. There are no real build ups or big changes in the melody. It's a simple straightforward number to give you that catchy buzz, then bam, on to the next... The songs are also a bit overproduced for my taste.

There is one bad song on this album - "On Directing" It has terrible lyrics and is too repetitive. Throw that track out. Aside from that, get that stupid image out of your head that this is music for airhead feminists in Starbucks. It's good stuff.

a face you can trust

Oh internet, how convenient of you. I don't even have to go to a gamestop or high school cafeteria to take in the totally legitimate opinions of a stereotypical hardcore gamer douchebag.

album of the week: 11.2

Kings of Convenience

Declaration of Dependance

EMI (2009)

why you'll love it: somber and honest pop songs

why you'll hate it: too quiet, singles steal the show

"So we meet again, after several years. Several years, of separation."

It's been half of a decade since the last Kings of Connivence album. It's great to have them back! Sure, Erlend Øye has given us a fantastic Whitest Boy Alive album earlier this year; but his collaboration with Eirik Glambek Bøe is something special. Their songs are charming without being gimmicky, and romantic without being hammy.

So here is your update: they haven't changed a bit. It's still two dudes with acoustic guitars with a minimalist backing band mellowing out. If you're still not into that, this won't win you over. If you are, you should love this album just like the rest. It may be partly due to the absence, but their songs are still fresh today, and haven't slipped in quality. There are a few songs in the second half of the album that don't live up to the first, but there is still a good half hour of solid tunes on this album.

Just a fair warning to those with ADD - Don't be fooled by the two singles on youtube "Mrs. Cold" and "Boat Behind". Those are the two most exciting (if that word can even be used here) songs on the album. They're fantastic songs, but don't represent the levels of sobriety the rest of the album reaches. Just play it nice and loud so you can soak in all those amazing quiet moments.

meanwhile...

in the world of legal downloading, the superfantasticamazing soundtrack to the Game of The Year 2009 wiiware title, Bit.Trip:Beat, has been made available on iTunes. It doesn't look worth ten bucks though.

Most of the tracks are the 10 second innterludes before levels (so short, you can listen to the whole thing in preview on iTunes), and they expect you to pay a dollar for each one! The credits song by Bit Shifter is also charged, despite being available free from the artist on the web. Finally, and worst of all, the three main songs of the game are only 3-4 minutes long, instead of being the epic 10 minute versions as they are in the game. Huge disappointment. Please give us a better soundtrack for core, Gaijin!

album of the week: 11.1

Do Make Say Think

Other Truths

Constellation (2009)

why you'll love it: Exciting instrumental songs

why you'll hate it: songs are very long, no lyrics

What a great album this is. Do Make Say Think is one of those bands where it does them a disservice to tag them with a genre, especially one as stubborn as post-rock. Earlier this year, we took at look at the latest Mono release. Great band - solid effort, but quite one dimensional. The only adjective I that springs to mind is "epic", which is a quite good one, but that's all. With only four songs, DMST explores far beyond the typical post-rock tropes.

The opening track, "Do", has a very stripped down almost typical indie-emo guitar foundation. It's a very refreshing format and uplifting emotion for the genre. Most bands of this genre make me feel small, but the appropriately titled "Do" makes me feel motivated. Unfortunately, there is a needless three minute feedback outro to the track, which is the only weak point of the entire album.

The next track, "Make" has a mysterious and catchy ~at sea fighting the waves~ feeling. It's a dark tune, but a captivating one, especially when the creepy chants make their presence felt. There isn't a typical build up here. The tension comes in, cascades a bit, lulls, then comes back even stronger. It's a brilliant composition.

"Say" (are we sensing a theme here?) is another adventurous tune. The main reprise is slightly Ennio Morricone inspired. Again, the track has a more determined and encouraging feeling to it, not a lost and lonely one.

"Think" is predictably a cool down for the album. It is quite groovy in its own subtle way though. Worth turning up loud to soak in all the lounge ambience.

I had already put Do Make Say Think on a higher level than other post-rock acts, and this album only justifies it. They've managed to capture the essence of what they truly are here. If you've never heard this band before, this is the perfect place to start.

found on the back of the NJ ballot

lol politics (click for full size)

album of the week: 10.5

the pillows

OOPARTS

avex trax (2009)

why you'll love it: you need something to fall asleep to

why you'll hate it: bland

I have a theory, the more the pillows overuse the word "yeah" - the better their albums are. The much praised FLCL era had a steady flow of yeahs. Last year's renaissance album dropped em on the two best songs. Ooparts has one yeah, and its on the best song, which is fairly mediocre anyway. Conclusion - a modern pillows album has to have at least 4 uses of the word "yeah" to qualify as good. When you put out an LP every year without every really changing your sound, you may lose your "yeah" somewhere along the way...

the pillows is a band that that puts quantity over quality quite often, so it comes to no surprise that Ooparts is pure mediocrity. On average, their yearly albums only have 7-8 outstanding songs, but this album has zero. It's the same old stuff they've been doing for a decade, but without any enthusiasm.

Usually I'm not so hard on the band for underachieving, since they've done so much good stuff in the 90s. But, last year's album, Pied Piper, was really fun. The songs had a surprising amount of energy and originality to them. Sadly, Ooparts falls into the same old trappings once again - even worse than usual this time. This whole album sounds like it was written and performed in the band's sleep. Everything from the production to the freakin' album cover is bland city.

Sorry for the recent lameness. It's been a mediocre month of music so far. Some really good stuff came out last week though, so the future is looking bright!

album of the week - 10.4

Built To Spill

There is No Enemy

Warner Bros (2009)

why you'll love it: mellow, modest, lots of guitar solos

why you'll hate it: aimless, songs kinda go nowhere

Either this is a disappointingly routine album, or I'm getting BTS fatigue. I've never been a die hard fan to begin with, but I certainly enjoy a good dose of Keep it A Secret. Ancient Melodies of The Future was a total dud, but the two albums that followed featured a brand new epically layered sound. There is No Enemy winds up to be a compromise of the two faces of BTS, but taking the wrong parts from each of them.

Most of these songs are very long. Fans of the the last two albums, like me, assume the best from that. The band has historically done a wonderful job at twisting and progressing their longer songs so that they take you on a well-directed ride. This album on the other hand feels adrift, with long expanses stuck in the same melody and no real ups or downs. A lot of this album just sounds improvised, like when you see a band perform live and they do a jam in the middle of the song. Those jams are cool to experience live, but its a tiring blueprint for the official recording of the song.

These songs are very easy to pick up. It's just a matter of how long your attention can hold them. At the risk of sounding like a moron, I get bored with most of this album. There are parts i love - I love the outro to "Done", and the first two songs. Most of the songs on this album are pretty good, it's just that they meander around for a couple minutes too long and don't really go anywhere.

gg, internet

ok facebook, you win this round.

album of the week: 10.3

Kenichi Asai

Sphnix Rose

BMG Japan (2009)

why you'll love it: Best straightforward rock and roll Japan has to offer

why you'll hate it: Nothing original

A big reason why classic rock is still strong in modern day Japan is because of Kenichi Asai. He's successfully led four bands experimenting with classic rock, blues, jazz, garage rock, and punk. He's also released four solo albums, including this one.

Sphinx Rose is quite restrained compared to his past material, but comfortable with its own pace. Kenichi is in his mid-forties now, and I love to see artists act their age. The biggest rock songs are held back to a David Bowie easy going anthem style. There is nothing on this album that tries to knock you out of your seat with power, but the melodies are well crafted and atmospheric.

As with his recent past material, the best songs on here are the very mellow ones. Hypnotizing songs like "Cooler" and "Light Screw" do anything but put you to sleep. The album's shortcomings are a few of the ballads in the first half, which I found to be a bit hammy.

I personally prefer music to be more impulsive or experimental than this, but I can't fault an album for not being what it isn't trying to be. This album does what it sets out to do, as if we needed any more proof that Benzie is a rock master.

Polysics@RIJ09

This is a really good setlist for a festival performance. Three old songs, a couple hits, and a brand new song not yet released. This also marks the second year in a row the band has dressed up for the festival. Enjoy it while its still on youtube.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

album of the week - 10.2

Taken By Trees

East of Eden

Rough Trade (2009)

why you'll love it: Beautiful voice, interesting departure from straightforward pop

why you'll hate it: boring lyrics, most of the experimentation doesn't pay off

Despite her obscurity, there sure is a lot of trivia about Victoria Bergsman, and her second solo album . The nation of Sweden knows her best as the former vocalist for indie-pop band, The Concretes. The US can spot her voice as being not Peter, Bjorn, or John's in the modest hit, "Young Folks". Her first Taken By Trees album, wasn't much of a splash, but a good piece of work.

Her second effort, called East of Eden, is again preceded; not by reputation this time, but the company Victoria has chosen to bring along. The album has a strong Pakistani influence, which seems a bit arbitrary to me. The percussion and windwork sound quite nice, but extended bits of field recordings and traditional singing feel tacked on, especially when juxtaposed with run of the mill love song lyrics.

The oddness doesn't end there. I couldn't help but think how much the song "Anna" sounds like an Animal Collective song, and was even more confused when Victoria would go on to cover an Animal Collective song later in the album. One that is only a few months old, no less. It turns out Panda Bear himself sings on "Anna", so my curiosity was justified there. By the way, the cover of "My Girls" is rubbish. It sounds like it was hastily thrown together with little care.

Even though some of the songs on this album sound nice, it's burdened by gimmick, and left me wondering what the point of it all was. Bergsman doesn't need a fresh new style or celebrity hook ups. She has a wonderful voice and a natural talent for writing modest and competent music. This is a case of experimentation just becoming fluff.

Why I love Rx Bandits

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

album of the week - 10.1

Absolute Polysics

KRE (2009)

why you'll love it: manic new wave energy

why you'll hate it: poor compared to most Polysics albums

Nine albums in just ten years - that's the tab Polysics has run up so far, and I'm not even counting singles, EPs, and live albums. Over a decade of the "tour-record-repeat" process, they've managed to constantly innovate with each trip back to the studio. Each album until now has felt like a new era, which may explain why Absolute Polysics feels like a letdown. It may seem like nothing, but this is the first album where the band hasn't altered upon their trademark jumpsuits and badges. That partnered with a short running time and more computing on tape than raw instruments makes it so I can't quite shake the word "filler" out of my mind when I think about this album critically.

That being said, filler by my favorite band in the world is still pretty damn good. The first three songs of Absolute Polysics is definitely the most exciting start to an album since Neu (2000). Of course, more initially exciting to those of us who haven't heard the songs already ("P!" being a live staple for three years now, and the other two being singles released earlier this year.); but time will be kind to that, as they still are great songs.

The album is only 35 minutes long (at 14 tracks), so the songs for the most part are at a manic pace. The band is becoming ever so slightly more technical with each release. "Beat Flash" shows off some exciting shifts in pace and melody. So does the short instrumental "Time Out", even if it is clearly a take on Devo's "Timing X". With such a good drummer at their disposal, I'm still waiting for them to cross that one last unexplored territory and create a super technical album, but , sigh, maybe next year.

The only thing on this album I can say is truly new are the two dark techno-ish songs. "催眠術でGO" sounds like a late P-Model song, while "Eye Contact" has an enjoyable 50's alien death ray kinda horror movie feeling. These won't become big hits on the set-list, but I enjoy them for what they are. If anything, this is the band's most synthetic album yet. It feels as if most songs are structured around a series of synth loops, instead of from the standard guitars and drums.

There is one major flaw that keeps this album ranked far below its predecessors. Aside from the singles, the album is TERRIBLY mixed. One of the most boring, watered down production jobs I've ever heard. Amazing songs like "Speed Up" and "Bero Bero" are totally neutered by the production. These are great songs, but are over-processed in the studio. I can't wait to hear them live, how they really should sound. It's frustrating, considering how strong everything sounded in last year's We Ate The Machine, yet this album is so inconsistent from track to track.

Absolute Polysics has become available in the US iTunes store today. It's sad that albums like Neu and National P are going for $35 on ebay, and the only albums you can find in America are comparatively weaker. Karate House is the only exception (available only in digital and vinyl formats).

A few disappointing factors spoil which is otherwise a real adrenaline rush of an album. The production job is its biggest flaw. The lack of a visual makeover and a slight "rush job" feeling concerns me, but I'm not breaking the emergency glass yet.

Another great music video!

2009 has had a good share of music videos this year!

Here is a new one by Annie Hardy (Giant Drag). This is long overdue. Hearts & Unicorns is a masterpiece of cynicism, and this Swan Song EP has been in the works for the better half of two years, at least. Hope to hear the whole thing soon...

Oh, by the way, this is the most disgusting music video I have ever seen. You make throw up in your mouth a little. Probably should have said that above the clip rather than below.... oh well.

album of the week: 9.4

Jamie T

Kings & Queens

Virgin Records (2009)

why you'll like it: Dumb fun hip hop & rock from an unlikely source

why you'll hate it: white boy rapping

I am much to captivated by Scribblenauts this week to put it down and spend a lot of time writing a detailed review; so I'm keeping this short. Jamie T sounds sorta like a Paul's Boutique era Beastie Boys sort of thing. While he's still a guilty pleasure in my book, his North English accent and indie/punk knowledge saves him from "white kid trying to be tough" embarrassment.

His 2007 debut, Panic Prevention was a more fun album, but this is no sophomore jinx. There is some cool mellow and versatile stuff on here, yet it's the catchy hip hop fast paced songs that still stand out the most. I like Jamie T. He's nothing to rush and tell your friends about, but he carves out his own little niche quite well, and I enjoy whenever one of his songs show up on my iPod on random.

zombies: the undead fad

I've been tired of the media's obsession with zombies for a good 5 years now, but that hasn't stopped movies like Zombieland and Dead Snow from being late to the party. In the world of videogames, my patience is a whole lot longer, thanks to Left 4 Dead and the totally-worth-buying-on-day-one sequel.

The xbox indie game, I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1NIT!!!1, has also managed to break my thick "enough with the zombies already!" mental barrier. It's a 15 minute top down shooter, like Geometry Wars or Astroids. Zombies are only the goombas of the game, so to speak. After a few minutes, more crazy looking enemies creep in.

Of course the star of this game is the 13 minute song which the entire game is formed around. The creator overtly reveals what the game truly is through ironic lyrics, one big joke on the played out use of zombies in games and internet fads. Buy this game! It's only one dollar, and worth it just for the song. The song is so fun, I couldn't help but rip a copy of it myself. If you haven't played the game yet, you probably won't get much out of the song; but if you have, you definitely have stopped reading this post and gone straight to the download link.

album of the week: 9.3

塊魂Tribute: Original Soundtrack

Columbia Music Entertainment (2009)

why you'll love it: well done remixes of your favorite katamari songs

why you'll hate it: shit's for babies

Katamari Damacy is a big deal to me. I see it as a video game monument. In the age of Halo and GTA, the face of gaming had become that of a bonehead frat boy who only had a eye for ultraviolence. Katamari Damacy, with its unique design, attitude, and culture all of in its own, was one of the very few beacons of innovation that kept me interested in gaming as an adult.

Its soundtrack played a big part of the Katamari aura. Drawing generally from the Shibuya-Kei genre, the soundtracks not only represent the feeling of the games, but stand alone as wonderfully clever muisic. The Katamari games got me into Shibuya-Kei music in general, and like the games, it's not something that you get into if you have any social concerns about being seen as cool. It's a unique mash up of retro pop styles using saccharine tools. Fans of twee, bossa nova, or bubblegum pop should feel right at home with this.

Since the original and the spectacular sequel in 2005, the franchise fell into mediocrity without the guidance of creator, Keita Takahashi. Takahashi is still building playgrounds and making Noby Noby Boy, but Namco/Bandai has done the best thing they possibly could do for the next Katamari game - remix the first two good ones.

Like the new game (US gets it next week, I believe), this soundtrack mostly remixes fan favorite material from the first two Katamari games. And like, previous Katamari soundtracks, a handful of fringe Shibuya-Kei artists join in on the mix. Most notably here are YMCK with a predictably brilliant 8bit cover of "真っ赤なバラとGin Tonic"; and Buffalo Daughter with a brand new song - an absolute must have track!

The first disc of the soundtrack has a surprising amount of acoustic and straight forward covers. Its a refreshing retro early 90's feeling. The second disc falls into more electronic areas. It's a great example of showing how much range the genre has; although with each soundtrack, the music is falling more into straightforward pop, ever so slightly.

The mash-ups of two seemingly random old songs are a joy to hear. One of which combines the fan-favorite "Everlasting Love" with the not-so-great "You Are Smart" the result is gold. I'm impressed how much goodness they squeezed out of a lemon like "You Are Smart". The 70's funk remix is a highlight on this over 2 hour compilation.

Like most video game soundtracks, there is a fair amount of fluff or duds; but as a Katamari fan, you'll find at least an hour of it just as worthy as the first two soundtracks.