Efinite-Day Iatus-Hay

I'm such a tease. Yesterday, I spoke of grand things to come this week, beautiful glorious realizations culminated into brilliantly worded entries. Today, I've decided to take short vacation from the blog-dustry, a week or two only. Why you ask? The grind has worn me down. No, that's not true.
Just think, it's way better than indefinite hiatus, which Les Savy Fav claimed they were going on before they were spotted playing Pitchfork's Intonation Festival in Chicago this past weekend. Fuckers! Though, who really can stay mad at Tim Harrington?

While I'm gone, here's a fun game we can play. It's essential you participate...

Name the song(s) you've cried when hearing. I'll go first, here's the long list. And remember it's alright to cry, not that I've been crying, I'm no sissy.

of Montreal "The Autobiographical Grandpa"
of Montreal "The Hollow Room"
Blonde Redhead "Falling Man"
The Decemberists "Red Right Ankle"
Otis Redding "I've Been Loving You Too Long (to Stop N0w)"
The Shins "Pink Bullets"
Elliott Smith "I Didn't Understand"
Beck "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" from
Belle and Sebastian "The Model"
Gilbert O'Sullivan "Alone Again, Naturally"
Death Cab For Cutie "Lack of Color"
Sam Cooke "Bring On Home to Me (live)"
The Beach Boys "God Only Knows"
Yann Tiersen "La Valse D'Amelie (Piano Version)"
Headphones "I Never Wanted You"

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I really wanna hear yours; don't be embarassed, it's not like anyone reads this. Haha. See you in a bit friends and suckers.

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Holy Sweet Jesus.

Best band press pic, EVER.

Apparently The Cribs are "the second coming of the Libertines". I've heard a couple songs and they're okay. You just have to big up a band whose photo has one of your members knocking out another band member. They totally deserve a little attention.

In other "news", now that we have that Top 25 silliness out of the way we can get to serious business: Sufjan Stevens, Dangerdoom, Prefuse Reads the Books, Yann Tiersen and Shannon Wright, assorted breaking news (as reported by Pitchfork) and if I can get the damn thing off Insound backorder, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

Go A's.

The Cribs new album The New Fellas is out import only right now. They are opening for The Kaiser Chiefs and Brendan Benson 7/25/05 at The Fillmore.

The Cribs: http://www.thecribs.com

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Top 25 Songs of the First Half of 2005: #5-1

We've reached the end... let's all let out one big "Huzzah!" in excitement.

5. Sufjan Stevens "Come On! Feel the Illinoise! (Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition/Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream)" from Illinois (Asthmatic Kitty)
I feel a little weird about putting this so high with so little time to fall in love with it. But right now this heart is swelled up so much I had to go with the shotgun wedding. The most brilliant song on his most brilliant album to date, "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" is everything Sufjan Stevens was born to do. De Niro was born to act. Kobayashi was born to eat hot dogs. Masta Ace was born to roll. Sufjan was born to make this song. The Guaraldi-esque piano intro of Part I leads us into a world of wonder featuring a chorus marvelling at the World's Columbian Exposition ("Chicago, the new age, but what would Frank Lloyd Wright say?"). Sufjan's theatrics have never been so pronounced and appropriate. Part II swoops in like the dream Sufjan tells the story of. The parade of horns of Part I seamlessly glides into the sway of strings of Part II. The melody becomes more delicate and more tender. In the song, with the ghostly appearance of poet Carl Sandburg (what about Ryne Sandberg? now that's Chicago hero), the question of "Are you writing from the heart?" arises. Sufjan is vulnerable, as his 50 states project is insanely ambitious, it's almost as he's quesitoning his own validity. He only needs to open his ears to his own music to know that he is headed in the right direction.

4. The Fiery Furnaces "Here Comes the Summer" from EP (Rough Trade)
The name of the game tonight is validation. Or perhaps justification. It's really not fair to put a B-side of 2004 on the list but sometimes you find a loophole and consarnit, you use that damn loophole. The real injustice is that I can't put the surrounding songs alongside it. "Here Comes the Summer" comes smack dab in the middle of a medley of sorts, opening the super sibling duo's EP. While "Single Again" is a menacing murder song and "Evergreen" is a laid back countryside road trip tune, "Here Comes the Summer" is decidedly light and even, a well groomed pop tune with a dancy beat. We find the Furnaces at their most accessible and sedately happy, which isn't exactly their calling card, seeing that their albums are as about even-keel as an ADD kids marching band lead by Tyler Durden. It doesn't suit them perfectly, but it works. The Friedbergers just work. If you didn't know I believed that by now, you just don't know me. Or more probable, you haven't been reading this weblog.

3. LCD Soundsystem "Disco Infiltrator" from LCD Soundsystem (DFA)
I don't dance. Well, I don't dance much. And I don't like techno music. Not much. That being said, I love James Murphy. The man is something to strive to be like. Shlubby, unshaven, slightly overweight, the man just knows how to make engaging dance music. "Disco Infiltrator" is a Murphy recipe worth copying: buzzy computer bass, thumping drums, an electro hook that sounds like it was beamed in from a Star Trek control console or a sound effect from a futuristic pod transportation device, and of course, Murphy's freak nasty verses and soulfully falsetto-ed choruses. But the secret to making it special is Murphy's attention to percussion. With his liberal peppering of cowbell over the track, it's amazing that Murphy is not wearing gold diapers. The hipster critics love "Losing My Edge" and the sorority girls love "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" but I... I love "Disco Infiltrator". It's pure heaven for people who want nothing more than "to dance their face off" (as renowned Danceologist Dr. Helen S. Wills would professionally describe). Not me, though. Some other dudes I know.

2. The Hold Steady "Cattle and the Creeping Things" from Seperation Sunday (Frenchkiss)
When I first heard Seperation Sunday, I thought it was fairly mediocre, save for "Cattle and the Creeping Things" which I thought was marginally more interesting than the rest of the self-described "bar rock" they churn out. But when I finally was able to swallow the album as a whole, "Cattle and the Creeping Things" still stood out, no longer as a great Hold Steady song but just a damn great song. Craig Finn's yell has always been rough but it's never been this curt and biting. His slam poetry is more body slam poetry, and the guitar line is sharp and dissonant, chopping away like an ax. While relying less on classic rock riffs and more on a visceral punk rock buzzsawing, the rhythmic tune of the song has assembly line workmanship but allows for some perks of harmoniously complimentary horns and an assortment of chilling keys. With all this friction and kenetic energy building into a rock and roll fireball, Finn cultivates gripping, gritty, marvelously descriptive almost-beat storytelling that follows the punk rock ethos of his subjects (who stand as the concept for Seperation Sunday), and of the dark, panic-inducing sound they've embraced on this track.

1. Architecture in Helsinki "Do the Whirlwind" from In Case We Die (Bar None)
Here you go. These are the instruments used on this song: Korg Mono/Poly, Yamaha TX812, Farfisa Matador Organ, Wurlitzer Electric Organ, Solina String Ensemble, Roland T-808, Yamaha Toy Piano, Steel Drums, Melodica, Vibra-Grand Vibraphone, Tuba, Marimba, Flute, Bass Recorder, Clarinet, Electric Guitar, Nylon String Guitar, 12 String Acoustic Guitar, Steel String Acoustic Guitar, Cello, Viola, Violin, Bassoon, Theremin, Musical Saw, Double Bass, Kontakt Sampler, Harmonica, Syn Tom and Hand and Power Tools.

That's this song. While most people try making tough things look effortless, Melbourne's Architecture in Helsinki has gone through a whole lot of trouble to make a song seemingly simple. And they succeed. "Do the Whirlwind" is blissful and precious, gentle and playful, and so darn danceable. It's like an immaculate dessert, simply put "fucking delicious", but a product of hardwork, skill and the right ingredients. The rest of In Case We Die is an exercise of excess: ambitious, complicated, schizophrenically put together and utterly brilliant. But "Do the Whirlwind" is like reaching nirvana or having tantric sex (neither of which I have the slightest idea feels like), being in this state of other-worldly inspiration. Or more simply put, being "in the zone". The Aussies can try their best to make a mess of things, toss in two dozen instruments, haphazard rhythms (even a purposeful "skip" in Cameron Bird's 2nd verse), but just can't do wrong. Not only can they not stop "Do the Whirlwind" from existing in pop transcendence with their foofaraw, it seems their frenetic style is the only way they know how to achieve this state .

One more time: Huzzah!

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Top 25 Songs of the First Half of 2005: #10-6

I see the finish line and it is lined with gold.

10. Bloc Party "Helicopter" from Silent Alarm (Vice)
Now that tickets are about to go on sale for Bloc Party's Warfield show, it seems somewhat silly to promote them by praising them. I mean, c'mon, can we get these guys sashes that say "Miss Rock Darling 2005" already? But like any pageant, being popular is what they strive for and in turn, it's hardwork. They've earned it. Most of Silent Alarm is freaky sex hit after freaky sex hit, with the cuddly ballads strategically placed to give a moment to squeegie the sweat off. "Helicopter" however, doesn't quite fit into the Bloc Party hit song mold, which makes it even more fabulous that it was a single. It shows more teeth than Bloc Party care to show they have; it's darker, edgier and less dancy. Gregorian chanting and distorted guitars make "Helicopter" fist-pumpingly anthemic, echoing in some kind of punk rock catacomb. But in the end it's still your posterboys Bloc Party behind it all. You wanna know why? Because it's catchy as all fuck.

9. Thunderbirds Are Now! "(Aquatic Cupid's) Harpoons of Love" from Justamustache (Frenchkiss)
Stupid me. Since I got Justamustache in April, I thought "(Aquatic Cupid's)" was part of the previous song "198090". Only recently did I piece together the fact that indeed "Aquatic Cupid's" is connected to "Harpoons of Love". Let me tell you, my mind has offically been blown. Fitting, since in April my knees were blown and my neck has a premanent crick which can all attributed to the overbearing presecnce of TAN! in my life. Early moments of the song will hint at a blippier Hives. But as the guitar rhythms transform with cybernetic robotism, beeps become more pronounced and soon the track is fully formed, like a spazz-pop-punk Voltron, streamlined with hooks so big they really can be classified as harpoons. TAN!'s controlled chaos is an indication of maturity and careful, thoughtout songwriting. It's also blessing in disguise for me, lest I suffer any real bodily damage in uncontrollable jerking-related injuries.

8. Feist "Mushaboom" from Let It Die (Arts and Crafts)
I want you to dim your computer monitor brightness. Now, close your eyes and move up to the computer real close without smashing your face. Now open your eyes and read this: FEIST IS THE LOVIEST SINGER IN THE WORLD. Now back up and adjust your brightness back to your original setting and read on. Okay, I might not really believe what I just gently typed to you. But everytime I hear "Mushaboom" (actually released in 2004 in Canada, but Let It Die just recently got stateside release), I feel on top of the world, spinning around in a field of tulips, napping in bed of bunnies, telling everyone I love them no matter what their face looks like. Trust me, I never want to do that stuff. "Mushaboom" is that precious. Beautiful and quirky, the plucking pianos, hand claps and twangy acoustic guitar compliments Leslie Feist's voice, down to earth, textural and tangible and at the same time, way better any human being I know. Know personally, that is.

7. Headphones "Natural Disaster" from Headphones (Suicide Squeeze)
I tried for a good 20 minutes to try to come up with good side project joke. Nothing. Okay how about an original Christian band gag? Another 10 minutes later, I have 30 minutes of spacing out done and nothing written. The fact is that they're out there, with an ultimate side project of a Christian band joke just waiting to be christened. I'm sure Headphones know it, being the side project of unfairly-labeled, outspokenly politically Left, Christian indie-rock band Pedro the Lion. David Bazan and T.W. Walsh must be like "Hey man, we all hate Creed. Hahaha. Now let's get past it and concentrate other evils in the world like racism, big business and W." Well, they've done their part, tranferring the well-crafted melodies and poignant politics of Pedro to "Natural Disaster". The poppy, bleeping, psuedo-Mates of State electro-organ sounds replace the distorted guitars, lightening up Bazan's commentary on Right-Wing Christian hypocrisy. It's almost as if Bazan is saying that this whole mess we're in is laughable. Headphones will exist and if people listen, they will likely be glad they did while the naysayers will continue to let the hatorade spill from their topped off hipster goblets.

6. Spoon "I Summon You" from Gimme Fiction (Merge)
The fact that this track is #6 is a testament to the Top 5. I've loved "I Summon You" for over a year, from it's early downloadable rough demo in June of '04 to the well produced gem on Spoon's Gimme Fiction of today. It lived on a mixtape of mine that is constantly being changed (usually bi-monthly, that's twice a month right? I get bi-monthly and bi-weekly mixed up) for nine months, while its surroundings changed, only to be taken off for a month and re-introduced with a subtle makeover, like giving a natural beauty a little eyeshadow, rouge and lipstick. Britt Daniel and gang added a little bass, thumping drums and gentle reverbed guitars, to compliment perhaps Daniel's most sophisticated melody yet. The naturally rhythmic acoustic guitar strumming gives Daniel's distinctive raspy call a vehicle to float on, not aimlessly, but with purpose and direction. I'd like to raise a glass to toast a love affair that will last seemingly forever.

It all crashing down by the end of Friday. Then I can focus and really get to work.

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Top 25 Songs of the First Half of 2005: #15-11

Now we got a stew cookin'.

15. Stars "Ageless Beauty" from Set Yourself on Fire (Arts and Crafts)
Deep down, I have to admit a good romantic comedy can really hit the spot. I mean how can you have the whole enchilada with out a little cheese. On the exterior, Montreal-based Stars' "Ageless Beauty" is an ethereal pop gem with Amy Milian's sugary, in-the-clouds vocal providing the sparkle. However deep within the sentimental, lovey-dovey chorus of "You will always be the light", the track stays tried and true with it's convictions. The unabashed honesty proves that a song can be effective with having to mire itself masked emotions and unnecessary tricks. It's more powerful in admitting it's cliched. It refuses to be embarassed. Just like I can admit Bridget Jones' Diary is pretty damn good movie... only I'm still slightly embarassed.

14. The National "Baby, We'll Be Fine" from Alligator (Beggars Banquet)
The remarkable thing about "Baby, We'll Be Fine" and The National in general is that there really isn't anything really remarkable. It's kind of a blue collar song, a blue collar band. They thrive on old-fashioned methods: dark minor-keyed melody, jangly guitars, haunting strings for a little mood and honest, brooding lyrics, specifically peppered detailed verses ("I put on an argyle sweater and put on a smile", "I wake up without warning and go flying around the house/In my sauvignon fierce, freaking out") and stone-cold simple choruses ("I'm so sorry for everything"). There couldn't be more solid a foundation than Matt Berninger's booming deadpan baritone voice and Brian Devendorf's textural, simply indispensable drumming. And like most things built sturdy and plain, it works.

13. The Kills "I Hate the Way You Love (Pt. 1)" from No Wow (Rough Trade/RCA)
Being born in the end of October makes me a Scorpio. Most every horoscope/astrology book has told me I'm dark, weird and into kinky s&m type shit. I can't tell a ball gag from an ass plug, but I can tell you that never in the 25 years of my fragile young life have ever been so turned on by the chainsaw sex romp that is "I Hate the Way You Love (Pt. 1)". Alison Mosshart's sultry razor sharp vocal blends with Jamie Hince menacing overdriven guitar to power this sexual garage juggernaut. They slither over each other, full of venom, fangs revealed. If this is what being a Scorpio is all about, I should start thinking about embracing who I am. Or it's just a rad song and you can keep that whip and zodiac horseshit the fuck away from me.

12. The Decemberists "The Sporting Life" from Picaresque (Kill Rock Stars)
Honestly, right when you think Colin Meloy can't get any more imaginative, he drops a doozy on us all. One would think that the author of songs about french legionnaires, chinese trapeze artists and ghosts of dead babies couldn't reach any further. But guess what? He can. Indie rock's newly crowned King Nerd of Cool has penned a brilliantly catchy song about something he possibly can't know about: Soccer. Most of us would like to believe Meloy was a kid who never saw any daylight (in Montana?) because he was trapped in a dusty library reading Stevenson and Kipling books. He can't be heading soccer ball into the far corner. Meloy brings a story of failed athletic pursuits to life with an amazingly catchy twee-pop meets motown melody. Though the story is about screwing up and the sport is somewhat ambiguous (a little nerd shines through afterall), Meloy does a tremendous job getting into character. Trying that hard gets a gold star from me.

11. of Montreal "The Actor's Opprobrium" from The Sunlandic Twins (Bonus Disc) (Polyvinyl)
Okay you got me. It's on the bonus disc. Sometimes it's hard for me to let go. Don't get me wrong, I love The Sunlandic Twins. But any sign of the old, and my kung fu grip is in action and it ain't lettin go. "The Actor's Opprobrium" if anything is like Satanic Panic in the Attic, a nice middle ground between the dancy Sunlandic-era and the pysch-pop Coquelicot-era, balancing a Kinks-esque melody with hints of buzzy synths and disco basslines. While I'm surely interested in buying that, the selling point is Kevin Barnes' tale of a B-rate horror "snuff film" gone awry, a nice reminder that Barnes used to tell quirky tales of fascinating characters with tremendous wit. But I suppose as a die hard of Montreal fan, I'll just have to settle for the bizarre electro soul that now embodies a once great pysch-pop figure.

Shit! We're in the Top 10! #10-6 should arrive mid-week. So should my DVD set of the Beverly Hills Cop movies. Booyah!

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Top 25 Songs of the First Half of 2005: #20-16

Friday night. Me. Dell Laptop. 20-16. Sexy.
Oveis predicted Journey in the 19 spot. Close. So close.

20. Low "Cue the Strings" from The Great Destroyer (Sub Pop)
Duluth, MN feels about a million miles away from Oakland, like Pleasanton or Burlingame, but like much further. But when Low's Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk harmonize on "Cue the Strings", Duluth's romantic midwest serenity surrounds you. It's embracing you from behind. It's shining down from above. It gently rumbles from below. And right in front of you? Well, there are strings of course, along with a heartbeat kick drum and that lovely melody. Which leads me to ask, what's so wrong with slow-core when it's this goddamn beautiful?

19. Black Mountain "Modern Music" from Black Mountain (Jagjaguwar)
From the tiny little blurt out of the saxophone at the start of "Modern Music" to the hard headbanging riffing closing the song out, it becomes pretty damn clear these hippies can really fucking play. But screw the bookends, we know from Oreos and Tootsie Pops that it's middle where the sweetness lies. Motown jive, a counting shout-along and a little jazzy horn breakdown gives this shaggy haired anti-anthem life and a desire to rock, something most lazy hippies have yet to grasp.

18. Nic Armstrong and the Thieves "Broken Mouth Blues" from The Greatest White Liar (New West)
So here's another Brit who loves the blues, he sings like Jack White with an accent, and has opened for bigshots like Mercury Rev and The Bravery... So why isn't he famous? Probably because his album is a lukewarm collection of Beatles/Kinks rip-offs. Fortunately "Broken Mouth Blues" is a such fabulous song. It's short and poppy with tons of bounce. While a song like The White Stripes' "Hotel Yorba" is a sing-along exercising the same exuberance with only toe-tapping results, "Broken Mouth Blues" would wreak absolute havoc on a 1963 dance floor. Maybe a few more shots on MTV2 and it can happen this year. Nah, nobody gets that channel.

17. The Oranges Band "White Ride" from The World & Everything In It (Lookout!)
Didn't I just write about how much I loved this song? Well, let me reiterate. It's really quite simple. There is nothing remotely wrong about this song. Chuck Berry riffs. Doo-Doo background vocals. The fuzzbox glory of a young Nick Valensi (man, that's too funny). This is sonic perfection. Pop has never been so succinct. Indie has never been so unironically bright. The Oranges Band has never been so underappreciated.

16. M.I.A. "Bucky Done Gun" from Arular (XL)
I'd like to start by saying I have not a clue what "Bucky Done Gun" means or is about. I can barely make out what's she's actually saying. I really don't care to. I don't like Reggae. I don't like Dancehall. I don't even know what Grime is. I don't know if I've been duped by hype or whether I'm expanding my horizons, but M.I.A. is so good. Diplo's regal horn sample is brilliant. The minimalistic blips stirred in with percussive cornucopia presents a beat that really gets the limbs loose. Then there's M.I.A. She walks a fine line between free-spirted youthfulness and hard-nosed adulthood. Then you see her live. And man she can dance. Her confidence is contagious; You start to believe you can dance as well.

#15-11 comin' by the end of the weekend. Bustin' down your big wall and soundin' the horn.

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Top 25 Songs of the First Half of 2005: #25-21

Enough dicking around. Let's do this.


25. M. Ward "Hi-Fi" from Transistor Radio (Matador)
As I sit here typing on my laptop in my kitchen, it feels about a million degrees. Matt Ward's raspy voice powers the breezy, laid back "Hi-Fi". It can't physically cool me down, but it comes pretty damn close. The falsetto-ed chorus with gently strummed guitars and lazy steel pedal puts me right on a remote tourist-less beach, wind blowin', sun shinin' and not a trace smell of the garbage I should have taken out days ago.


24. Antony and the Johnsons "Fistfull of Love" from I am a Bird Now (Secretly Canadian)
I know Lou Reed whispering "I was lying in my bed last night staring at a ceiling full of stars" is enough to make you drop a joyous load, but as soon as the main act is revealed with the raising of the velvet curtain, there is no denying who deserves your praise. Channelling Nina Simone over his grand piano and collage of Motown-esque horns, Antony and his glorious, transcdent pipes seriously cream. So much so that that phrase ("seriously cream") which I have no idea what it means in that context, makes total sense. Well, to me it does.

23. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti "Jules Lost His Jewels" from Worn Copy (Paw Tracks)
This was a very late addition and I later found out it was actually released a couple years ago only to be rereleased by The Animal Collective's label this year. Fuck it, it deserves the spot. "Jules Lost His Jules" is recorded in a fashion that sounds like Mr. Pink put up a tape recorder to his radio . It's not so much grimy as it's muted, giving it an old classic sound. Even more Motown than the previous song, Pink manages to smash in a Supremes-type melody with a Marc Bolan style rock n roll. And oh yes, it is damn heavy on the cowbell.

22. Deerhoof "Spiral Golden Town" from Green Cosmos EP (Menlo Park)
Isn't it great to love band who a lot of people hate? Though there are plenty of people who love Deerhoof, and I'm not their biggest fanboy ever, one thing is for certain; Deerhoof is unique. As we find the quartet taking a more poppy sound in their last few releases, "Spiral Golden Town" stands as their most grandiose track to date. Fueled by a raucous hip-hop orchestral beat, the Bay Area natives present a juggernaut with an arsenal of noise-poppy guitars, dancy drums and strumming patterns and Satomi's all-too-japanese, high-pitched peep. If you hate it, I would consider hating you but mostly I thank you. Again, with the not making sense

21. Robbers on High Street "Bring On the Terror" from Tree City (New Line)
Spoon-lite they are, but slouches in songwriting they are not. Sure Ben Trokan does a killer Britt Daniel impression and the progression from Fine Lines EP to Tree City is like going from Series of Sneaks to Kill the Moonlight, but sometimes you have to let bygones be bygones and Spoon rip-offs be Spoon rip-offs. Especially when they can write a hit like "Bring on the Terror", a fun, punchy pop tune featuring banging pianos, harmonies and even slight danceability (awkward indie rock dance, that is). After all, the best part of being a Spoon rip-off is that ROHS sounds like Spoon, and sometimes better (than half of Gimme Fiction).

And we're off. #20-16 in a couple of days...

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A Chilling Preview of Things to Come

Happy July 4th party people. I hope your weekend was made up of onion-laced burgers, pool parties, blueberry peach tarts, kielbasa sausages, the lovely bay from Sausalito and endless pints of Fat Tire. Just me? Well, shoot, I didn't mean to brag.

Independence Day always reminds me that we've made half way though the year. I just wanted to let you know for the next two weeks, not only will I be pushing my beloved Oakland A's to keep the hot streak going (along with the "Winner Gets Homefield in the World Series"-advertised All Star game), I will be coutning down all of my hits from the first half of the year.

Yes, if I know anything about music critics it's that, as much they might deny it, they love making lists. Now, I'm ain't going around tellin' nobody I'm some hotshot critic, but let me tell you, I love making lists.

I will be shouting out 25 of my favorite songs so far in 2005 for an awesome mixtape (which is really for me, so I have no idea whyI felt the need to include that). I've already put in tons of thought into who's made the cut and I can already tell you these guys barely missed out: Stephen Malkmus ("Pencil Rot"), Animal Collective f/Vashti Bunyan ("Prospect Hummer"), Keren Ann ("Le Forme et le Fond"), Gorillaz ("Last Living Souls"), Okkervil River ("Black"), Jennifer Gentle ("Tiny Holes"), Patrick Wolf ("Teignmouth"), Electrelane ("Bells"), Petra Haden ("Our Love Was") and The Russian Futurists ("Paul Simon"). It should be also very apparent that I'm horrible at making decisions especially conerning what goes on the list, thus the mini-list above. And while I'm at it, The New Pornographers "Use It" is a fabulous song, but there's still about a month before Twin Cinema is released and I have a solid 5 months to sing my praises. There is time.

So alright! Let the real list begin! Uh, tomorrow.

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Whoa! No Way! Two Songs of the Day!!??!??! (Part 2: The Revenge)

The Apes "The Zookeeper's Night Out" from Baba's Mountain (Birdman)

Continuing with the Lookout! story, I found myself at Cafe Du Nord seeing one of the local Lookout! products, Black Cat Music, supporting my local waterhole's bartender Travis, who doubled as the brooding, sexy-ass guitar player for BCM. Upon arriving early, a serious no-no (I might as well have worn the band's shirt that I was gonna see), I was able to catch Washington D.C.'s The Apes, a guitarless pyshcedelic hard rock group with a penchant for the outrageous and bizarre.

Wait wait. Guitarless? As in no guitar. Hard rock. No guitar. Right. Okay. Just want to make sure, no guitar? Fine, bass guitar. Okay. But let's be clear, no 6 or 12 string guitar. Right.

The organ gave the Apes a uniquely frighteningly chilling sound, a classical almost medieval sound that was bolstered by the fuzzed out bass and thrashing drums. At the forefront was Paul Weil aka Count 101 yelling his lungs out, face obscured by his long wavy hair. Though the music was only okay, their flair and flamboyance drew me in like a weird occult.

Over the last few years, I've collected several Apes' releases almost subconciously, like a spell has been casted on me. I tend to forget that I own these albums. It's kinda like my unknowing fanboy love for Broadcast. If someone asked me about Broadcast, I'd be like "Yeah, they're pretty good." Well, the other day I found owned 3 albums (including one that is out of print) and 4 singles. Where did they come from? Unlike Broadcast though, I don't really adore any of the Apes' releases. Until now.

Duh Duh Duh DUNNNNNNN! Baba's Mountain is the Apes most focused album and by far the most catchy. They don't sacrifice the weird interludes or science fantasy references, it seems as if they just got better at what they do.

"The Zookeeper's Night Out" opens with tribal bongos conjuring up images of a mythical wilderness, enter the pounding the drums and Amanda Kleinman aka Majestic Ape rolls in the organ, a baroque harpischord sounding keyboard, now we're cooking up a signature Apes style. This is a sound they were born to play. It hints on so many fantastic scary ideas: haunted houses, sci-fantasy movies (Beastmaster is too easy a reference for this band), Dracula playing the pipe organ. You can actually here ghastly spirits swirling around in the background of the track.

The Apes were able to tone the metal down a little bit to make their bizarre level skyrocket throught he roof. I'll be the first to admit I scare really easily, but at least I have a decent soundtrack go shake in fear to. I just have to remember to tell myself that this Apes' brand of witchcraft doesn't exit in real life. It can't really hurt me. Don't be surprised to hear me whisper that to myself at the next show (which has past, which is lucky for my fragile mind and potentially embarassed person).

The Apes: http://www.theapes.com/

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Whoa! No Way! Two Songs of the Day!!??!??!

I know. It's unheard of. Seeing that it's the long weekend, let's double the aural pleasure and kick it American Independence style! Or in the words of Ari J. Gass "Stylee".


The Oranges Band "White Ride" from The World & Everything In It (Lookout)

I was able to see Baltimore's The Oranges Band open for Spoon a few years ago, and that time Lookout! was having a tremendous rebirth. Ted Leo's Tyranny of Distance was thriving and Chris Appelgren's garage outift The Pattern were generating buzz nationwide. The Oranges Band were signed and it was joyous time.

Here we have a band, crafty with the pop hook, unique in the Roman Kuebler's vocal delivery and of course, bringing the rock with two fantastic releases in On TV EP and full-length All Around. Fast forward 3 years. The Lookout! boom has died down, Ted Leo remains the one true gem (with a few Lookout! sparkles here and there, but nothing substantial), but returning is The Oranges Band.

I find it insulting that I didn't know about this album's release until a couple days before. Yeah, insulting. The press was pathetic, cementing my belief that The Oranges Band is one of the most underrated rock bands in the circuit. On top of that, I found out through Pitchforkmedia.com who claimed it was the Lookout!'s answer to The Shins.

Has it really gotten to this? Can I say that I'm officially more adept at band comparisons than those high and mighty reviewers at Pitchfork? I laughed and laughed until I actually heard The World & Everything In It. It was long fall down from that tower. I would not go so far to say Shins-esque, but softer, more delicate. The rough edges of Kuebler's voice has been sanded down. The arrangements have punch. The songs are still there ("Ride the Wild Wave" is an especially beautiful melody) but the bite is gone for the most part.

But there are flashes of old glory and "White Ride" is one of them. The Chuck berry guitar riffs with Strokes buzziness drive a hook filled pop delight. Kuebler is still understated with his voice, calm but extremely confident. He's complimented by catchy-as-fuck backup vox, doo-doo-doos in full effect. It can be a dance strut down the street song and also be a waving your arm out of convertable on a sunny day by the water song. It's versatile and universally appealing (and clearly the hit track).

"White Ride" is like the once strawberry Starburst resting in bowl of lemon Starbursts. Sure, there is nothing wrong with lemon Starburst, you kind of like them, just as the rest of The World & Everything In It is a perfectly fine album. But you savor the strawberry Starburst, it's the undoubted favorite and the one you fight for. "White Ride" is that good.

The Oranges Band: http://www.theorangesband.com/

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