May 08
It’s official ladies and gentlemen; we have the first nomination for album of the year. That honor belongs to The Raconteurs for their release, “Consolers of the Lonely.” This super group had an outstanding debut album, but this one takes to another level. This album has also been able to convince me that Jack White is the most important musician to this past decade. I am not even close to downplaying Brandon Benson’s involvement in this album, but Jack White just can’t seem to be involved in a project that is not associated with mass success.
“Consolers of the Lonely” opens with the title track and I promise you, you are not going to be able to get this song out of your head. The guitar riff in the beginning and at the chorus is awesome. After one listen I knew I was going to eventually learn how to play it. The following track, “Solute Your Solution” keeps the high energy flowing. It also provides a nice lead in to one of my favorites “You Don’t Understand Me.” The lyrics are outstanding and the piano solo is very cool. The following track “Old Enough” has a violin and a country feel. Usually that would be a recipe for disaster, but the call and answer vocals and percussion really bring it together. “Top Yourself” has a hardcore White Stripes feel to it. Which isn’t even close to a bad thing. Benson takes the front of the stage on “Many Shades of Black.” Besides his incredible belting vocals, the song features a pretty cool trumpet line. Towards the end of the album White and Benson show their ability to write some pretty cool story telling songs. “Rich Kids Blues” is has really funny lyrics but they manage to keep the song very serious sounding. “Carolina Drama,” the album’s closer, is clearly the best song on the album. White narrates a story about a boy Billy, his mother, stepfather, and a priest. The stepfather is abusive and beats up and kills a priest who turns out to be Billy’s father while the mother sat in tears. In the end Billy takes a stand and kills his stepfather. However, the story doesn’t seemingly end with the last line being “If you must know the truth about the tale/Go and ask the milk man.” All I’m saying is that if the song doesn’t give you chills then you’re crazy.
Having given the world only one weeks notice on the release date of the album, you had to assume that this was going to be an outstanding album. I really can’t find a single flaw in the whole album. I am going to go out and say that this one is an instant classic. I hope these guys stay together and keep evolving as time goes on. “Consolers of the Lonely” easily gets a 10.
May 02
Flight of the Conchords are New Zealand fourth most popular folk parody musical act, however they are my second favorite. Tenacious D will always rule this genre, but these guys are damn funny. On top of that they are actually pretty solid musically. While Tenacious has songs like “One Note Song” you find that with the Conchords. The guitars keep you tapping your feet. Another thing I can say for the Flight of the Conchords is that their HBO shorts were actually some of the funniest things have ever seen. Their live shows are even better. If you have been keeping tabs on my away messages lately, you can often find some of their lyrics in there.
Although these guys have been around for a while, they just released their first full-length album, “Flight of the Conchords.” The album features many of the classics, such as “Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros” “Think About It” “The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)” and “Business Time.” If you haven’t heard those you have to YouTube them. I promise you are going to be laughing your ass off. The album opens with “Faux Da Fafa” which is basically the two of them throwing out random French phrases. If you pay attention it’s really funny. “A Kiss is Not a Contract” is one of the few songs on the album that I haven’t heard before and it instantly became one of my favorites. The best song on the album is easily “Bowie.” It is a blatant stab at how ridiculous David Bowie was/is. It was a little disappointing that “If You’re Into It” “Brett, You’ve Got it Going On” and “Jenny” were absent from the album. Make sure you to download those ones as well. The one knock I have against this album is that once you see them live there is no substitute. Their facial expressions and mannerisms brings them to a whole new level. That obviously can’t be see on an album. That isn’t really their fault, but it just doesn’t seem as funny as when you are watching them. So, in conclusion Flight of the Conchords debut gets a 9.
Apr 29
Now I know this list is going to turn many heads. The 80s post had a lot of feedback and I think this one will have even more. Being that I was actually alive and actively listening to music in this decade, I can say with some confidence that these albums had the greatest impact on my musical taste. Compiling a list of only ten albums was very difficult for me. Therefore I would like to give some honorable mentions to Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness from Smashing Pumpkins, Brining Down the Horse from The Wallflowers, Metallica (The Black Album) from Metallica, and Definitely Maybe from Oasis. I would have loved to have included those albums, but it just wasn’t possible. I am sure everyone is going to be upset that I left off Ok Computer, but Radiohead never really took off for me. I am no where near downplaying that as a good album, because it is, but I believe it is very overrated. So, with out further a due, here is the list:
Best Albums of the 90s:
10) Blues Traveler – Four
9) Pearl Jam – Ten
8) Spin Doctors – Pocket Full Of Kryptonite
7) Foo Fighters – The Colour And The Shape
6) Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
5) Nirvana – Nevermind
4) Weezer – Pinkerton
3) Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory
2) Green Day – Dookie
1) Weezer – Weezer
Apr 23
I’m glad to see all of the really intense feedback that is going on right now . . . not. Anyway I am going to carry this out anyway. So, enjoy the list.
Best Albums of the 80s:
10) Queen – The Game
9) Metallica – Master Of Puppets
8) Billy Joel – Songs In The Attic
7) Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Full Moon Fever
6) Van Halen – 1984
5) Beastie Boys – License To Ill
4) ZZ Top – Eliminator
3) U2 – The Joshua Tree
2) Guns N’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction
1) AC/DC – Back In Black
Apr 16
There was not much debate about the 60s. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Who, and the early days of Led Zeppelin ruled that decade. Music really exploded in the 70s, including many different styles of music. So, I am sure there are going to me many more comments this time around. Without further a due here is my top ten albums of the 70s.
10) Grateful Dead – American Beauty
9) The Allman Brothers Band – Eat A Peach
7) The Clash – London Calling
6) Led Zeppelin – Houses Of The Holy
6) Lynyrd Skynyrd – (pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd)
5) Neil Young – After The Goldrush
4) The Beatles – Let It Be
3) The Who – Who’s Next
2) Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon
1) Led Zeppelin – IV
Apr 09
Instead of studying for my advanced accounting midterm I recently spent two hours deciding what I thought were the 10 best albums of each decade since the 60s. Nothing has really been going on around this site lately and I wanted to spark some debate. We might have even done this in the past, but were going to do it again.
I decided that each week, for the next four weeks I am going to reveal one of my lists. I am going to assume that everyone thinks I am idiot and my list is totally wrong. Therefore I am going to be anticipating some good responses. Lets bring some fire back to this site people!
Top 10 Albums of the 60s:
10) The Doors – The Doors
9) The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
8) The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced?
7) The Who – Tommy
6) The Beatles – Abby Road
5) The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
4) The Beatles – Revolver
3) Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
2) Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II
1) The Beatles – Rubber Soul
Mar 20
i’ve come out of my cave for this sleep-deprived, coke-zero-fueled post.
vampire weekend
mgmt
yeasayer
etc etc etc
i listened to the new death cab track the other day. i thought it was “interesting.” my one seattle friend said it sounded like “phish.” she has sunken into a deep depression.
new portishead is coming out. w00t.
music i’ve liked recently:
born ruffians – they’re kind of catchy, but they’ll make you want to rip your ears off after the 20th listen.
cat power – her voice sounds like hard liquor and smoke-scarred lungs. i love it.
cadence weapon – it’s fun rap that is kind of smart, too. he also used to write for pitchfork and stylus. that strikes me as strange.
two of my favorite releases of this year are city and colour and british sea power.
books and stuff:
middlesex – it’s super epic and lyrical and has more period detail than your favorite keira knightley flick.
only revolutions – whaattttt?
clarissa – yawn. i appreciate some of the irony, but i think i just hate the epistolary form.
king lear – i finally read this. it’s so money.
short fiction, the art form:
tc boyle, all the time
aryn kyle
stellar kim
lauren groff
Feb 25
Dave Ghrol is the man. I mean besides being almost as cool as me he plays in one of the best rock bands around and plays a hell of show. Last Friday the Foo Fighters rocked the Binghamton Events Center with echoes, silence, patience, and grace. Before I get into the thick of things I want to talk a bit about the openers of the show. Against Me! took the stage first and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. They have the sound of a punk band, but their lyrics were the opposite. They played a cool set and I give them my stamp of approval. Serj Tankian took the stage after them and was equally as impressive. He was dressed in a white blazer and white top hat and pulled some pretty nice dance moves. For the most part he stuck to what is on his new album. There were a decent amount of people that seemed to have come out just for him but I don’t think he got the crowd reaction he deserved. It really is too bad that System of a Down has called it quits for the long haul, but Serj is doing a pretty solid job on his own.
The Foo Fighters opened their set “Let It Die” and it was immediately followed by “The Pretender.” It was actually really cool watching the show open with a song that has a calm beginning and a thunderous conclusion like “Let It Die.” Then followed some old staples like “Times Like These” “Breakout” and “This is a Call.” At many points throughout the show Dave stopped to address the crowd. He lectured everyone to stay in school because he himself was a high school dropout. He then cautioned everyone to drink their milk, brush your teeth three times a day and learn to fly, which of course was a lead in to “Learn To Fly.” Then came some acoustic stuff, which included “Skin & Bones” “Marigold” “My Hero” and “Cold Day In The Sun.” Somewhere in between all that Dave stopped to thank everyone for coming out even though the weather sucked and claimed that the crowd was awesome and they were going to have to come back in the near future. He also claimed that they were staying at the Holiday Inn across the street in room 7, which I thought was pretty funny. Anyway, the show concluded with Dave playing the beginning of “Everlong” electric style by himself and then being joined by the band towards the end. “Monkey Wrench” then closed the show out and “All My Life” was the one song encore. Apparently the rumor going around is that Dave was losing his voice and that’s why the encore was cut short. Songs like “Best of You” “Big Me” and Long Road to Ruin” were not played even though they were earlier in the week at MSG. Besides that I was thrilled with the show. This was the first show since the Green Day show that I can say I really enjoyed. The Foo Fighters are awesome and everyone needs to go see them if they haven’t.
Feb 15
The new music for 2008 is looking decent. I mean Weezer is coming out with their sixth album. The Black Crowes are making a return. The Kooks, Coldplay, My Morning Jacket, The Raconteurs, Oasis, and Metallica all have new releases scheduled for this coming year. However, the first album I am going to review this year is from a band you might not have heard of, The Whigs. “Mission Control” is The Whigs second album, but their first studio recorded album. Their first album was actually recorded in the basement of their college house. Maybe I should start writing songs; I mean I only have three months left in my house. Anyway, The Whigs have a garage band sound with a little southern influence thrown in. They are pretty similar to the Kings Of Leon with a little more funk thrown in. The lead single off the album is “Right Hand Over My Heart” and I really love the song. However, I think there are many better tracks on the album. The bass line in the second track, “Production City” is addicting. “Hot Bed” features a lead acoustic guitar that will make you want to stomp your feet. The opener, “Like A Vibration” isn’t musically intricate, but the lyrics are cool and the driving guitar will make it a fun listen. Finally “Mission Control,” the last track, is a nice slow down and cool way to close out the album. Overall I really enjoyed this album. Although it is a little brief, I think it works out for the best. Cramming some mediocre songs in there would not have done any justice. I am going to go ahead and give “Mission Control” by The Whigs a 7.
