My Favorite Songs of 2013-Part 5 (20-1)

Think of it this way: I get to make you one CD of music from 2013, and that's all you get from this year. Here's what I'm putting on it:

20. Lorde-Buzzcut Season: At first I thought this sounded a lot like The XX (“VCR”), but now I think it’s more akin to “The Spiderbite Song.” I’ve always been a sucker for a clever line, and she penned one here: “I remember when your head caught flame / it kissed your scalp / and caressed your brain / well you laughed / ‘baby it’s okay / it’s buzzcut season anyway.’” Beyond that, the imagery is strong as well: “we ride the bus with our knees pulled in / people should see how we live.” The arrangement is minimal for the first two minutes of the song, though more production is added as the chorus finally comes in. I like the simple beginning though—sometimes it’s best to know what your strengths are and just let them play.

My Favorite Songs of 2013-Part 4 of 5 (40-21)

40. Caveman-Chances: The closest thing to a spiritual descendant of 2011’s brilliant “Old Friend.” Only difference being, perhaps, this one is all build and no climax. As it climbs for two minutes, everything grows, the drums, the feedback of the guitars,…and then it just fades, beautifully.

My Favorite Songs of 2013-Part 3 (60-41)

60. T. Hardy Morris-Disaster Proof: Mr. Morris steps up the pace a bit here, but keeps the pedal steel guitar (if it ain’t broke, etc.). On this track, a drum takes the place of the insistent acoustic guitar of OK Corral, giving a more even and straightforward tune.

My Favorite Songs of 2013-Part 2 of 5 (80-61)

80. Bill Callahan-The Sing: Dream River seemed to garner less fanfare than 2011’s Apocalypse, and maybe that’s right. There are some lovely, if not transcendent moments, on the record, and Callahan’s poetry hasn’t suffered a bit. The record, this song, and his emotions sound sparse and lonely: “the only words I’ve said today are ‘beer’ and ‘thank you.’” He goes on to repeat himself, knowing how good the line is, and having the confidence to bask in it.

My Favorite Songs of 2013-Part 1 of 5 (100-81)

Before we embark on this sonic journey, I feel the need to clarify a couple of things. One, these are my favorite songs, not yours, and I'm not proclaiming them the "best" or anything like that. They're just what I would want to listen to if we were in a car and you asked me "what music did you like last year?" Second, I'm only one person, and getting this list together took a long time (it's nearly February, I seem to have noticed), and it's still imperfect. The rankings are, at best, a guess. A snapshot of what I like at the moment, heavily influenced, I would imagine, by what I've heard most recently. But I figured, better to do this than nothing at all. So, without further ado:

100. Foxygen-Shuggie: Foxygen seemingly got more press for being semi-irresponsible 22 year-olds this year than for their record; a tragedy given how awesome We are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Love and Music is. Despite the fact that they don’t make music together in the same room, Jonathan Rado and Sam France manage to put together opuses straight out of the 60s and 70s. "Shuggie" would slide in comfortable on the Rocky Horror soundtrack, as the song switches gears around a minute in, becoming a soaring sing-along before fading back into its story of unrequited love.

The Best Thing I Heard This Week: The Black Keys' El Camino

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.

The Black Keys are the Sad Keys

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.

The Black Keys are the Sad Keys

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.

Pop-Conscious: Drake-Take Care

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.

The Best Thing I Heard This Week: Firehorse

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.

Song of the Week: Lana Del Rey's Video Games

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.

Song of the Week: Atlas Sound-Mona Lisa

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.

The Best Thing I Heard This Week: Caveman's Coco Beware

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.

Pop-Conscious: Foster The People-Torches

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.

The Best Thing I Heard This Week: Fort Lean

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).

Music Roundup

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:

Pop-Conscious: Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto

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...

Pick-Me-Up Songs (Part 2)

On to the second disc! You remember the rules from yesterday, no? Ok then!

Pick-Me-Up Songs (Part 1)

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...

The Best Thing I Heard This Week-Feist

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.