The Final Glitchdown

Ok, three is enough. This is the last one. I recorded this last night.

album of the week: 1.4

Elvis Costello

National Ransom

Hear Music (2010)

why you'll love it: A somewhat new sound for a well established musician.

why you'll hate it: Too many needless songs, might bum you out.

Last of the overlooked in 2010 for now… Elvis Costello has been mostly overlooked in pop culture this entire generation. I didn't really know anything about him apart from being some old rock guy, until the early 2000's. It wasn't until then, I realized a few of my favorite songwriters, like Ted Leo and Dr. Frank, emulated his simple, yet recognizable style.

I was one of the few that really enjoyed Momofuku (2008), so perhaps I'm a bit too easy on National Ransom. There are a handful of awkward southern ballads present on the album, that always seem to crop up just as a good pace is starting to build. It really kills the flow. There are just too many songs on this album to begin with.

You'll have to do some rummaging with the track list, but there are some more of what Costello does best here. "My Lovely Jezebel" and "National Random" make me happy he's still writing songs today. A few of his somber experiments pay off, like "Stations of The Cross" , but bummer songs aren't what I came for, so they're for the most part, disregarded. It's not that I expect the guy to rewrite "Alison" every time he does a slow song, but something with a bit of a silver lining would be nice. It's just too much Johnny Cash maudlin in these songs.

But I'm coming from a very distant angle. I shamelessly want to experience that era of his career that I wasn't even alive for. So I'll take the bits of this album I want, and will be content with that. The somber tunes feel honest and well written; they're just not my cup of tea. While this is is far from my favorite Costello album, even in recent years; I must concede that it feels like the most accomplished in what it sets out to be.

Glitches2

album of the week: 1.3

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

Goldfingers

Cutting Edge (2010)

why you'll love it: Features one of their best instrumentals ever

why you'll have it: Sounds like music for old people

This EP would have slipped by undetected if I hadn't come across the fantastic music video for the uber-fantastic song "水琴窟" in late December. "水琴窟" is the reason this is a must have. The 2010 full-length, World Ska Symphony, was a solid release, but this song blows any one of those tracks out of the water.

The rest of the track on this EP are just fine, but none of them stand out. Still, some good tunes by a group of musicians that never seem to fall short of excellence.

I heart glitches (part one)

Here is a result of experimenting with mods on my all time favorite glitchiest game ever, Left 4 Dead 2.

album of the week: 1.2

LCD Soundsystem

London Sessions

Virgin

why you'll love it: Brilliant live performances of great songs

why you'll hate it: something something hipster something

Continuing the leftovers of 2010 this January… none of the songs on this "live in studio" LCD Soundsytem session are new, but it all feels quite new. They're one of those live bands that really enhance and add to their songs in performance. In some cases, it's simply a change of synthesizers sound ("Daft Punk is Playing At My House"). In other cases it's unrefined gang vocals ("Get Innocuous"). The real highlight is "Pow Pow", where Murphy keeps the awkward ranting of the original recording fresh by cooking up all new lyrics on the spot.

This release is created in the spirit of the much loved John Peel radio sessions that ran in London. These recordings live up to the comparison. They're proof that LCD Soundsystem is much more than just sequenced beat club music with no live attributes. They also sound incredible. Good enough to even be considerd ike alternate versions of your favorite LCD Soundsystem songs.

ZOLO

The first few days of 2011 are being well spent as I catch up to what I didn't play in 2010.

First up is Sam & Max Season 3 (The Devil's Playhouse), which I finished the first episode of last night. It's quite enjoyable.

Other than that, it's been the masocore retro platformer, VVVVVV. I've been rocking through it pretty well, but the last hidden item is one of the hardest things I've ever done in a videogame.

Here is the last 8 and a half minutes of a 45 minute mind melting torture session of trying to get this damn thing.

album of the week: 1.1

Streetlight Manifesto

99 Songs of Revolution: Volume 1

Victory Records (2010)

why you'll love it: Any Streetlight is good Streetlight?

why you'll hate it: It's just covers, dawg

Before the new release drip of 2011 begins, lets look at some leftovers of 2010. First up is Streetlight Manifesto's long promised cover album. Like nearly everything promised by TK, this project was long delayed to little fanfare in the end. 99 Songs of Revolution was first proposed in 2001. So if we're only seeing the first volume now, I've got a feeling this will also be the last.

Counting the remake of Keasbey Nights, Streetlight Manifesto now has as many cover albums as they have original LPs; which is a great waste of their talent. Some of these covers they have been playing just about as long as they've been a band. I heard them perform "Hell" live back in 2003.

These are good for covers, which is nicer than saying "good covers for a ska related band". Radiohead's "Just" is probably the highlight of the bunch. It's just a bunch of damn covers, though. Big whoop!

ZOLL

Here are the big three video games and albums I'm psyched for in 2011.

Portal 2 - In things like films and albums, the follow-up release is usually cursed. Games seem to get away from this stigma, because the first game is usually an unrefined blueprint, where the second takes all the good ideas and makes them better. All the wacky ideas being promised in Portal 2 look to put it alongside the great sequels such as Mega Man 2 and Resident Evil 2.

Bit.Trip Flux - It looks to be a sequel to Beat, but that isn't all that bad to begin with. And I know it's going to be a bit more than that, knowing it is the grand finale to the much praised Bit.Trip saga.

Uncharted 3 - 2 is retroactively my favorite game of 2009, and I don't play enough third person shooters to become tired of the formula yet. I'm totally onboard for more Drake.

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Deerhoof Vs Evil - This will be their first non-Kill Rock Stars LP in a while, which makes me a bit nervous, but I don't think the band has shown any signs of losing steam. It seems the new guitarist they got on the last album has only strengthened them.

Polysics (yet untitled: still recording) - Last month's EP hasn't made up my mind on if this band has jumped the shark without their synth player yet.

Obits ::: Moody, Standard and Poor - I wanted to love I Blame You (2009) but only kinda liked it. I've read a few interviews that promises more condensed and focused songs, rather than ones that just sit back and jam. I assume the band is more comfortable with what their niche is now, so I'm pretty excited to see how this turns out.