First, read this. Great. Now that it's out of the way, we should celebrate how magnificent El Camino is. It's nigh unfathomable that the Black Keys would release this already, as the last phenomenal record, Brothers, was released less than a year ago. This record finds the Black Keys both celebrating this winning streak and providing the rustiest, dustiest, and yet cleanest pop record they've ever made.
I have no idea what it is like to write, record, and release a piece of music, so I'm starting from a position of ignorance here. That said, if I was to do so, my first objective would be to have as many people hear that music as possible. So I was disappointed to learn last week that the Black Keys would not be allowing their new record, El Camino, to be streamed on music services such as MOG and Spotify.
I have no idea what it is like to write, record, and release a piece of music, so I'm starting from a position of ignorance here. That said, if I was to do so, my first objective would be to have as many people hear that music as possible. So I was disappointed to learn last week that the Black Keys would not be allowing their new record, El Camino, to be streamed on music services such as MOG and Spotify.
From our second-favorite Degrassi alum (all praise be to Jake Epstein) comes Drake's second record, Take Care. In a year where we were not graced with Kanye West's presence (Watch the Throne does not count), Drake is an acceptable and at times magnificent substitute. The record is unsurprisingly polarizing (similar to any Ye record), and finds Drake mining his own inner thoughts to produce some of the most self-aware pop/rap/R&B that will invade the public consciousness this year. However, I can't help but be troubled by the thought that while Take Care is technically proficient and creative, it might not be all that much fun to listen to.
In all aspects of life--music, movies, sports--the idea of the “next” great thing is thrown around quite indelicately. The “next” Michael Jordan, the “next” Marilyn Monroe, the “next” Radiohead. Tragically, these comparisons usually fall far short because the comparison is made for aesthetic but not qualitative reasons. [1. The other obvious reason, now that I'm editing, is because these things are among the greatest of their time, unique and irreplaceable. There may be another player as good as Michael Jordan someday, and there are certainly bands as talented as Radiohead, but no one could ever perfectly emulate them, at least enough to make us forget.] The next Michael Jordan is anointed because he is tall, bald, and black. The next Marilyn Monroe because she is cute and blonde, and the next Radiohead because a bunch of young white men make music that isn't a 3 chord romp. The reality is that there will be no "next," despite the ESPN Magazine feature. But damn, Firehorse (singer/songwriter Leah Seigel, Steve Elliot on guitar, Tim Luntzel on bass, and Brian Wolfe with the percussion) might give the Radiohead comparison a run for its money. Of course, they'll probably never get there. But the promise that this album carries and the energy it exudes make And So They Ran Faster... the best thing I heard this week.
I’m not sure there are many reasons to like Lana Del Rey (nee Elizabeth Grant). A boarding school brat out of NY and CT, she is the daughter of internet domain name investor (profession?) Rob Grant. Her stage name was chosen by her management team after a failed record under “Lizzie Grant.” But...this song is awesome, and thus it is the song of the week. Do yourself a favor and listen to it without the video (which is supremely distracting).
"Video Games" is a terrifyingly accurate assessment of modern domestic life for the suburban set. Del Rey explained this in an interview, stating the song was about:
A boy. I think we came together because we were both outsiders. It was perfect. But I think with that contentment also comes sadness. There was something heavenly about that life – we'd go to work and he'd play his video games - but also it was maybe too regular. At the time I was becoming disillusioned with being a singer and was very happy to settle with a boyfriend who I loved, but in the end we both lost sight of our dreams. Maybe there's something not-so-special about domestic life.
Is Lana Del Rey the one ring that rules them all, uniting indie and pop? A quick listen to the rest of her music says the likely answer is no, but this song has the potential to do something else that is rare. "Video Games" is a strange choice for a single, if only because of the emotional tenor it chooses. Much like many songs by the National, the pop elements are there in the song, but it's probably something that you're more likely to want to listen to alone than with friends. Thus, "Video Games" is a track that you're likely to hear both on top 40 radio and on your too-cool roommate's headphones as he/she works on their master's thesis. That's almost as big of an accomplishment as this song is itself.
Atlas Sound is the solo project of Deerhunter's Bradford Cox, and the releases are often eclectic but threaded with golden bits of pop. Rarely, however, does a whole song come to pop fruition like "Mona Lisa", off of the new-ish Parallax. "Mona Lisa" isn't exactly new--a demo version was released on Bedroom Databank Volume 3--but it's the most candy-sweet thing Cox has ever done solo, and all the better for it. [1. If you like it, both are worth a listen. It's like the difference between the Velvet Underground's Loaded and Fully Loaded. And it sounds a bit like the Velvet Underground as well.] The beginning is Cox doing his best Buddy Holly impression (see the album cover, above), asking "how many fantasies / were interrupted by / a hundred galaxies / that were drifting by?" The chorus, however, is more trademark Cox, with the driving drums, chugging guitar, and obscure lyrics "The Mona Lisa's got you all." The mix of Cox the crooner and Cox the sound experimenter balances perfectly on "Mona Lisa," and it's miles better than anything on that Rihanna album.
My parents have developed a Thanksgiving tradition that tends to ensure an interesting night every year. When I was growing up, it was always a small gathering at my Grandmother's house. After she passed, we spent a few years in limbo before my parents decided to start hosting a gathering. We get the usual smattering of family (aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins), but we also get a few...we'll call them stragglers--all are welcome under my parents' roof that evening. Everyone brings a dish and then can relax while the festivities begin. Bottles of wine are opened, quickly emptied, and then discarded. The din rises slowly over the early evening, coming to a crescendo as the meal is finally ready, and everyone shuts up to eat and maybe sober up, just a little. For my part, I usually take care of the music, but was woefully unprepared this year because of some technical issues with my computer and external hard drive. Regardless, I grabbed a few cd's out of my car when we arrived, including Caveman's new release, Coco Beware. It ended up being the perfect music for a relaxed, informal Thanksgiving dinner.
I somehow missed this band as they fell into a strange gap between popular music and "indie" music. My guess now is that because of the popularity of "Pumped Up Kicks" and the usage of "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" in a Nissan Versa commercial, Foster the People are falling more toward the pop side of things. A small amount of research confirms my hunch: Torches peaked in the top 10 in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. As such, I figured it was time I gave the record a listen.
Rarely have I been so floored by a four song EP, but Fort Lean's self-titled debut is simply fantastic, and the best thing I heard this week. Fort Lean sound like someone gave them a Walkmen starter-kit and they really just fuckin ran with it. It's all there--the jangly guitars and tomahawk percussion--but with an infectious energy that makes it less derivative and more kinetic than anything I've heard recently. "One Beach Holiday" opens the EP at a breakneck pace, with a guitar line that is simple, catchy, and perfect for a song about a beach holiday (fast forward to 1:13 in the video).
After "Dreams (Never Come True)," which comes off like a more soulful Morning Benders song, "High Definition" picks up the pace once again. The song, and sorry to keep harping on this, recalls the Walkmen's "In the New Year." The guitar opening, the restrained crescendo as the song moves along, and, finally, the release after 3 minutes as singer Keenan Mitchell allows himself the resolution that the song begs for.
More than anything else though, this EP is simply fun to listen to. The EP's closer, "Perfect," is nearly that. When Mitchell tells me "there is a place that we can go / where it will never rain or snow / we go outside / the weather's perfect all the time," I'm ready for that journey and even more ready to hear a full length record from this promising Brooklyn band. I strongly encourage you to go here and listen to the songs and buy the EP, it'll be the best $4 you spend today (unless you really, really needed that coffee this morning).
I have listened to a number of records recently which weren't quite good enough to garner the illustrious title of "The Best Thing I Heard This Week."[1. We take ourselves very seriously here at The Minimum Blues. That's the royal "we," for those keeping track.] Nonetheless, they also don't deserve the derision that I sent Coldplay's way last week. In alphabetical order:
Coldplay is going to sell more records and concert tickets than every other band I've talked about on here, combined.[1. It's science.] Which, in and of itself, is a good reason to take 44.1 minutes[1. According to iTunes. Again, with the science.] and give an impression of Coldplay's new record, Mylo Xyloto. Wow, that is a ridiculous album title. It's their 5th full length record, following 2008's Viva la Vida, which was terrible. Actually, I thought 2005's X&Y was pretty awful as well, so I haven't liked a Coldplay record since 2002's A Rush of Blood to the Head. I was in fucking high school when that came out. But it was good. "The Scientist" and "Clocks" are good songs. Let's see if Coldplay can recapture any of that magic...
Let's be clear about the qualifications for this list. These are not just upbeat songs, or songs that accentuate a happy mood. This is a more delicate endeavor. Pick-me-up songs must have an element of darkness already in them. For instance, you would not want to hear "Good Day Sunshine" right after you lost your job. It would seem cruel and antithetical. The song must acknowledge the pain, yet not dwell on it. Then, and only then, comes the upbeat or happy conclusion, and often it's only a shade of grey. These are not songs you listen to right before you go out, these are songs that lift you up just enough to face the day. When I started, I thought I'd only find about 20 songs for this list, but now I have over 40, so we'll split this up into two parts. Without further ado...
I picked up the new Feist record with some trepidation. While I'd always enjoyed a few singles ("Mushaboom", for sure), she'd never been able to hold my attention for a full album. Worse, her new record, Metals, was being given the dreaded "pretty ok, but not great" review by pretty much every outlet, ensuring a decent but sleepy record by a respected artist. So I was happily surprised when I found Metals to be not only engaging, but my favorite Feist record yet.
I'm struggling to judge Wilco's new record, The Whole Love, just as I initially struggled with their last two records, Sky Blue Sky and Wilco (The Album). The basic struggle is figuring out if I like the new record less because it is simply not as good, or if the passage of time has changed my perception of Wilco's records. In the end, I think I have two problems with the record: First, the record lacks the dramatic tension that defines the best Wilco records. Second, when the record does attempt to have dramatic tension, the tension feels forced. Additionally, I'm unsure if the record's tension issues stem from it being inauthentic, or if it is just my perception of their (in)authenticity.
Rarely are side projects worth listening to, much less the best thing I hear in a given week. By their nature they are secondary to whatever the main project may be, meaning they're done with less stress, less effort, and more fun. Unfortunately, said fun often fails on translate to the actual record, but for Middle Brother, whatever combination they have going works. Middle Brother consists of Deer Tick’s John McCauley, Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith, and Delta Spirit’s Matthew Vasquez.
Sometimes, you get lucky, truly and strangely lucky, and you listen to the right record at the right moment and it'll be with you forever. Granted, some records are so great that they're going to do that anyway, but not every record is Let It Bleed or Abbey Road or Blonde on Blonde, so you gotta appreciate that shit when it happens. I heard the Harlem Shakes' Technicolor Health at the best time possible. The record is hopelessly positive and forward-looking, so much so that it caused critics to wince, yet it was the best thing for me to hear at that moment. I listened to this record on repeat during a six hour drive from the Appalachians to Chapel Hill, and it became a staple of my music collection.
So the Missus and I got into a conversation last night about the (perceived?) gap between music today that is culturally popular and critically acclaimed. So I decided to spend an hour today watching The Cool TV, a channel that comes in on our antenna and which plays only music videos. We’ve watched it a little bit before, mostly for laughs, but I thought it would be a decent reflection of what an average person listens to during their day. It ended up reminding me of sitting in the dentist’s office and listening to what they tune into every day, only it was more painful. Let’s roll the tape:
The best thing I heard this week is a record that is old and new, something we've all heard before but that still feels fresh. Girls’ Father, Son, Holy Ghost is unabashedly derivative, but extremely well done. All over the record are 60s and 70s landmarks, from Pink Floyd to Big Star to Otis Redding. Somehow, Girls manages to make the whole thing sound comfortably familiar yet different enough to be worth repeated listens.
If this isn’t the best record I hear this year, well then damn, somebody is going to be really outdoing themselves in the next few months. Because Annie Clark (St. Vincent) just plain laid it all out here. Strange Mercy is a scarred, yet respendently cathartic record, and an absolute joy to listen to. I thought it unlikely that she’d be able to top her fantastic 2009 record Actor, because that album is near-perfect, but Strange Mercy does just that, throwing out infectious hooks that you will be humming for the near future.
So, I was trying to figure out a way to write about music that I love but that isn't current, and I think I'm going to do it on Fridays and call it "Staples." As in, this is a staple of my music collection. Something that I go back to again and again, for whatever reason. First up: MGMT's Oracular Spectacular.
Looking back on the summer of 2005, there were a number of records that I listened to over and over again,[1. Including The White Stripes Get Behind me Satan, Sleater-Kinney’s The Woods, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s self-titled debut.] but the one that feels the most important to me at the moment is The Boy Least Likely To’s The Best Party Ever. If you wanted a handbook for all of the overly dramatic emotions you’re likely to go through in your late teens and mid-twenties, you cannot do better than this record.
I must admit that I almost didn't listen to this record because the band calls itself "Motopony." I was harboring under the illusion that I would not like any band that started with the prefix "moto." Well, we all make mistakes, I guess. Motopony's self-titled debut is pretty fantastic. It's polished but not cheap, and deftly manages a mid-tempo pace without falling into a malaise.
Now that I am poor and unemployed I have a much greater desire to play the lottery To my dismay and perhaps guilty relief however the machine at Food Lion will not accept WILL NOT ACCEPT my sixteen remaining sacagawea coins
OK, so first things first, there’s a lot of Avetts (not literally) on this album, and I feel like that can color things for a person these days. For me, if someone tells me that a record sounds like the Avett Brothers, I’m running the other way (with half-hearted apologies to Mumford & Sons). Honestly, I don’t want to hear things that sound like the Avetts, I want to hear the Avett Brothers or something completely different. That said, David Wax Museum’s Everything is Saved is a fantastic album, and I’m glad no one made an Avetts comparison before I heard it. But the influences are all over this record.
Most will remember the song "Young Folks," the hit from their 2006 record Writer's Block.[1. Please note that the preceding track on that album, "Objects of My Affection," was just as good, if not better.] I'm guessing that far fewer people have listened to PB&J's [2. Yeah, that's an unfortunate acronym.] 2011 release, Gimme Some. Which is unfortunate, as Gimme Some is a more consistent, listenable, and well-rounded album than anything they've done before.
This album is not complicated, so this post will not be either. This is the best power-pop record you're going to hear this year (unless something ridiculous happens in the next couple of months). The lead track, "Tomorrow Has to Wait" is a microcosm of the rest of the record--fast, strong, and tight. Even when things get a little darker on tracks like "Down Like Me," the music doesn't take a break for the lyrics. It's not as creative as some of the stuff done by bands like the New Pornographers, but it doesn't need to be. There's not a bad moment on this record. Go listen to it now.
I was back at my parents' house a few days ago, and as they often do, they asked me to clean out part of my old room (my dad has designs on putting in some sort of movie theater in there). So this time, I'm cleaning out my closet (what the fuck am I going to do with all of those baseball cards? Seriously.), and I stumble upon a stack of magazines. Many are worthless, but there's a few copies of The Rolling Stone that catch my eye. Namely, the ones with those altogether absurd and worthless but fun lists. You know the ones--500 greatest songs of all time, 100 greatest artists of all time, the 47 greatest bass solos, and so forth.
Eight years. Eight years! It was eight years between albums by Gillian Welch, a time period so long that a whole generation of music has come and gone in the time between. Of course, with music as soulful and reverent as The Harrow and the Harvest, eight years is but the strum of a chord. While Welch told the Onion A/V Club that most of the time was spent being unable to craft songs that she and collaborator/virtuoso David Rawlings felt were up to snuff, each track here sounds like it was painstakingly developed over eight years. Created and refined to the point of perfection, The Harrow and the Harvest is likely the closest thing to a flawless album that we will see in 2011.
I am a sucker (or perhaps an enthusiast) for great first tracks. As I say this, it seems so overly obvious that it shouldn’t be stated--rather, who isn’t enthralled by a great first track?** Well, years ago, the answer was probably no one. Now, however, I don’t think the answer is quite as obvious. Seemingly, more of the public listens to one or two tracks from an album that they like, and either dismisses the rest of the record or never bothers to hear it in the first place. This is by now not a new phenomenon, but one that has been going on for more than ten years I would imagine. Which is a long-winded way of saying that having a great first track only matters to people who listen to whole albums, and not the track that randomly gets posted on their Facebook wall or that they hear on the radio. I am one of those people, Chris Bathgate’s Salt Year is one of those albums, and the first track, “Eliza (Hue)” is one of those great openers that only comes around every so often.
Let me qualify this: I am by no means a statistical expert, nor do I play in board game tournaments. I have played quite a few games of Settlers of Catan though, and in an attempt to clarify some things and perhaps start a discussion, I have enumerated...A couple pieces of BASIC Settlers strategy:
"On the other hand, life is short, and hard, and it seems like good policy to inflict the absolute minimum pain/humiliation on other people as we schlep through the day."-David Foster Wallace, It All Gets Quite Tricky, Harper's Magazine, November 2008.
High schoolers have an inordinate number of important conversations on the backs of cars and pickup trucks. We just watched a Friday Night Lights episode where two kids have one of those conversations that seems like the most important thing in the world at the time, all while sitting on the back of a pickup truck. Pretty sure I had a few of those myself, including the only girl I dated in HS breaking up with me in the school parking lot on the back of my 1983 Volvo 240DL. Makes sense though--at that age you don't usually have anywhere more private or meaningful than your car to stage a discussion.
The best thing I heard this week was the new Bon Iver album. Bon Iver, or Justin Vernon, succeeds on his second, self-titled record, in a way that is both completely different than the first and exactly the same.
In September of 2006, I went to see Band of Horses at the Cat’s Cradle with my sister (I think) while they were touring on their only album worth a listen, Everything All the Time. I only remember three things about the show, and two of them had to do with the opener, Chad VanGaalen. Also, I’m going to refer to him from here on out as CVG because it’s quicker.
As a change of pace one morning before the dredge to work, I put on The Strokes’ Angles. This might be the best album I hear this year. Seriously. Slept on, most likely because of a lackluster effort last time out (First Impressions of Earth) that saw the band seemingly trying too hard to create something different from their first two records (the equally brilliant Is This It? and Room on Fire). Angles is a warning shot--wake up, The Strokes are not done, they are in their fucking prime.
"[T]he function of sports, games, and athletics is that of release from the complexities of modern life. In Freud's famous phrase, modern man is forced to live psychologically beyond his means, and sport is a kind of retrenchment in an effort to balance the budget. The demands made on consciousness by mere existence in the world to-day are so great that there must be constantly available ways of lowering consciousness and escaping to simpler levels, to muscular and instinctive levels where the exigent demand for thinking is not felt."--Bernard DeVoto, The Cestus of Hygeia, Harper's Magazine, July, 1937.
Hat tip to Roy Blount Jr.'s preface to Rules of the Game. And to Sarah Miller and Michael Mayo for the gift of the book and years of friendship.
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