Indie rock :: The NBA as Peanut butter :: Chocolate

In his latest column Bill Simmons wrote the following: "When you watch Miami, it's like watching a White Stripes concert -- tons of talent, great music, but still just a little bit gimmicky because it's only two people."

First off: fuck you. The White Stripes are not a gimmick and will go down as one of the best bands of the 2000s and are certainly seminal for almost everyone my age. Second of all: fuck you for not going further.

If we are to believe the Heat are the White Stripes (which is wrong anyway, because see one Bosh, Chris), then who are the Lakers? Celtics? Thunder? Hornets?

LA Lakers = Animal Collective

Simply the best. Anyone who argues otherwise is a fool. They both have ruled the 2000s and remain stronger than ever, often with different iterations as the years wore on.

For reference:
Kobe = Panda Bear - Unquestioned leader/most talented. Capable of going solo to great success, but achieving true transcendence as a part of something greater.
Artest = Geologist - Willing to do the dirty work. The eccentric.
Pau = Avery Tare - Is the actual alpha while ceding the spotlight to Kobe/Panda Bear.
Odom = Deakin - Unrealiable, but when he's on, they go to another level.

Boston Celtics = New Pornographers

While individual members from both found success apart, together they embody the term superteam/supergroup. Able to supplant egos and personalities for the greater good. Rondo is obviously Neko Case, while KG is Dan Bejar, and Pierce is A.C. Newman.

OKC Thunder = Sleigh Bells

Led by/composed of two uber-talented stars (KD as vocalist Alexis Krauss and Westbrook as everything else-ist Derek Miller), also may be a victim of too much hype. Frenetic, up-tempo, and fun to watch. Still much to prove.

Utah Jazz = Vampire Weekend

Safe, white, rooted in traditions that came before them, and sneaky great. Both have very annoying fans.

New Orleans Hornets = Kanye West

A sublime talent supported by a revolving door of guests. Both West and Paul should be considered all-time greats by those who don't and both still have more bullet points to add to the resume.

San Antonio Spurs = Spoon

Sustained, subtle greatness. Every year it seems they remind everyone how rock-soild they are, only to fade in the background amidst our lust for the new. Eventually we will look back and realize how defining they were.

Miami Heat = Arcade Fire

Each have two all-timers (Funeral as Lebron, Neon Bible as Wade) and one question mark (Bosh and Suburbs), along with not much else. When they are on, there is absolutely no one better. Not nearly as deep as most contemporaries and historically, may be destined to fall short.

Threefor

I am slightly obsessed with sequencing when it comes to albums. I think (foolishly, probably) which songs are first, fifth, last, etc. is very important. It's probably because I am neurotic.

I twittered that Wolf Parade's epic three-way of "Shine A Light", "Dear Sons and Daughters..." and "I'll Believe in Anything" is the best three songs in a row of the past *span of time*. That is what spawned this list.

The one rule: the three-span has to surpass the overall goodness of the album. I don't care if *album X* has ten great songs and you pick three in a row. In the Wolf Parade example, I believe those three songs destroy the rest of the (fucking great) album.

That's it. In most albums you'll find great songs are rarely three in a row. Smart artists will spread them out, with average to below-average songs in between. It's the smart move. So when there are three in a row, giving my skipping thumb a much needed rest, it's great.

Here are some I've found in my iTunes.

Blood Brothers - Young Machetes - "Set Fire to the Face on Fire", "We Ride Skeletal Lightning" and "Laser Life"

I've been listening to these crazy bastards a lot lately (for some reason, incoherent screaming and squealing guitars makes for awesome basketball music) and found out the three openers off their 2006 album are 500% better than the rest of the album. Luckily for them, they rode that momentum wave to create a solid album. Still, nothing beats those three.


Fuck, I miss music videos

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago - "The Wolves (Act I and II)", "Blindsided" and "Creature Fear"

On the complete opposite end of the sonic spectrum from the Blood Bros., Bon Iver's heartbreaking '07 album is full of wonderful, slow-building folk songs. And while only nine tracks, he constructed the album like a baseball lineup, with the 4-5-6 hitters (of course, stand out "Skinny Love" is third. I am pretty sure Mr. Iver is a baseball fan) being the big boppers. Well done sir.

Fucked Up - Hidden World - "Crusades," David Comes to Life" and "Invisible Leader"

If you like hard rock/punk/hardcore/anything with guitars and yelling go out and buy/steal/burn/torrent this album. It's one of the best punk albums of the past five years. It's so good, it actually has two spans of three spectacular songs. Here -- again, the first three songs -- Fucked Up flex their "punk with brains" muscles. "Crusades" is a seven-minute anthem that people probably would have bashed each other's skulls in to in 1987. And "Invisible Leader" has some of the most insane and awesome lyrics I've heard in any song: Rip the flesh with the gnashing teeth / Search the insides of the dying beast / From the book of Enoch / To the Bible codes / We'll spend our final days still looking for that gold.

What?!?!


Not for the audio, as much for the 300+ pound bear yelling

Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances - "Upon Viewing...", "Titus Andronicus" and "No Future"

Similar to Fucked Up, I have no idea what this band is talking about most of the time. There's some Camus in there (like actual excerpts from The Stranger). There's some Seinfeld references. Whatever. One thing I do know is they sure know how to construct a rock song. The 5-6-7 on this nine-tracker are the best, with the self-titled anthem sandwiched between two sprawling, weird-yet-great songs. They may scream pretension, but damn if I care when the songs are this good.


Again, I really miss actual MTV

Jay Reatard - Blood Visions - "Oh It's Such a Shame," "Not A Substitute" and "Nightmares"

It just wouldn't be right of me to not include the man I am listening to on constant rotation in this list. I happen to think Blood Visions is a fantastic album. But if I were to sell some on Jay, it would be, without a doubt, these three. Clocking in at just over five minute total, these three tracks embody everything I (and every American music fan should) love about Jay Reatard. Fury. Cleverness. Truth. Seriously, I want him to be mainstream popular. And I am not just being an indie asshole (even though that's what one would say).


Just spend 20 minutes with the man and get a good cross-section of his tunes. Oh, and he's a genius.

Music of 2009: Halfway progress report

So (I guess) 2009 is roughly halfway over. To break the posting drought, I decided to follow what a few blogs I read have done and do a "favorite music of the first half of 2009" post. Enjoy, and I encourage others to do similar posts. Here's what I'm grooving on.

Best album of 2009
Animal Collective - Meriweather Post Pavillion

Not much else to say, other than nothing has topped it yet.

Favorite album at the all-star break
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!



This may not be the best album of the year, but so far, I have listened to it the most and believe YYY have done something amazing with Blitz -- changing (or least modifying) genres successfully, while maintaining the original spirit of the band. "Zero," "Heads Will Roll" and "Dull Life" are Fever-era YYY jams, and songs like "Skeletons" and "Soft Shock" highlight their new sound. I doubt that I personally will like any '09 album as much as this one. It also has an awesome cover.

Album I don't understand why people like
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

I will admit to not giving this much of a chance, but after listening to a handful of songs I immediately said "fuck this." I can sum their sound up like this -- it's like Bjork (whom I love) with a band. For some reason I cannot stand it.

Disappointment of the first half
Handsome Furs - Face Control, Wavves - Wavvves

I loved Wolf Parade side project Handsome Furs' first record, so much so, I still listen to it today. But their 2009 showing did/does nothing for me. It's hard to put my finger on why -- they sound similar, there are a few very good songs -- but it makes me sad I don't love it like Plague Park.

One of the most divisive releases I can remember has been Wavvves. This super lo-fi, feedback-y, noise pop album seemed right up my alley. I was sold once I heard "So Bored" and excited about the album. But boy does that shit get old after three songs. The "production" isn't good lo-fi, it just sounds lazy/shitty. And I guess that's the point? Either way, this isn't Vivian Girls (or other good lo-fi bands), who can actually write a catchy song.

The boner award (for "grower" of 1/2 of '09)
Dan Deacon - Bromst

I won't say I don't like Bromst -- there are some really rad songs -- but I can say I think it will only get better as the year rolls on. The shit is complex, layered sounds upon layered sounds, with songs taking 6+ minutes to build up to an epic explosion. I like it right now, but I bet I will love it come December.

Slayinist riffage of 50% 2009
2:12 - 2:54, "Divinations" off Crack the Skye

Seriously. If we lived in 1986, Mastodon would be bigger than Metallica.

Most badass lyric(s) of .5 2009
Major Lazer - "Lazer Theme"

"Me and my motherfucking gun stay smoking."

Assorted summer jams

Grizzly Bear - "While You Wait for the Others"
Just a really, really great song off a very good album.

Major Lazer - "Hold the Line"
It's no secret I love all things Santogold, and she's featured on this crazy song, which samples a horse neigh and is totally great.

Sunset Rubdown - "Idiot Heart"
This song is Krug canon as far as I am concerned. It builds so well -- going from slightly reigned in, to off the rails over it's six minutes -- and is one of my favorite songs to sing to in the car. "I hope that you die/With a decent pair of shoes" is also a great lyric.

Super Mash Bros. - "Bruce Willis Was Dead The Whole Time"
Great title aside, this mashup -- bringing Lil Wayne's "A Milli" and that song they play at sports stadiums all the time which no one knows the name of -- is fucking genius. The album is free and highly recommended.



Peaches - "Show Stopper"
Her 2009 release came and went pretty quietly and I liked it, but this song is the definition of a jam. Her style (overtly sexual rapping); she's still got it.

Dan Deacon - "Build Voice"
Ever since I saw the video of him programming a player piano to play the riff on this song, I was hooked on it. The song tells you all you need to know about the album -- it's crazy/good.

On E3 and metal

I've finally figured it out: E3 is the Oscars of video games. There are no awards that mean anything for games, and that sucks. But dear God is E3 awesome. There so much amazing news (Metal Gear: Rising for the 360, Left 4 Dead 2, project Natal, a new 2D Mario, new Zelda and Metroid titles, footage from every rad game coming out), it such a huge event, that it is the date on the gaming calendar. Sure, other shows like PAX and GDC have taken a bit away from E3, but all the big wigs save their best shit for now. All my internet time for the past few days has been catching up on all the comings and goings. Other years have been hit or miss, but this year has been great. My goal is to be there writing about it in the next year or two.

Video collection: Day 2
Video collection: Day 1

Sunn O))) has been one of my favorite metal bands of the past few years. They can be a little, shall we say, dense (five albums span 23 songs, with more than 2/3 of those songs going past ten minutes), but they are the heaviest band ever. Their new one, Monoliths and Dimensions, is pretty great, and their most "accessible" (if 16-minute doom metal songs can ever be that) to date. It's definitely not for everyone, some people even dare to say it's not music, but give it a chance. Everything you need to know about them can be summed up in the first ten seconds of the following video.



I've also been into Les Savy Fav (how did no one tell me to listen to you before?!), the new Sunset Rubdown, and some of the new Grizzly Bear.

Soundscapes for Compromising a Remote Host

So about 8-9 years ago there was a fantastic website called musicforhackers.com that played some fucking awesome ambient music that was great to just have on in the background. Then it disappeared. Every so often I google it or try the old url to see if it has been resurrected in any form. It never has been.

UNTIL TODAY!

Or, at least I found it was running again today. Click the listen link on the page and check it out. It's streamed as a shoutcast station, or an m3u that isn't native to itunes so your browser will download it like a file most likely, just click it and itunes will get it sorted out.

Edit: I should also mention that some of the stuff on there is experimental and kinda weird, but some of it is really really awesome. Hit or miss at times.

Stream some rad music from some liberals

NPR has Neko Case and Dan Deacon's newest albums streaming on their site. Case's drops today and I like it after one play through (and look at the cover!). I am listening to Deacon's right now, and it owns. Check em out.

Who's going to play the Super Bowl halftime show when classic rock legends die/quit?

Was a conversation I was having with my dad when we were talking about the Boss. Seriously, what happens when all the 50 and over bands hang em up? Here are the performers since 2002:

U2
Shania Twain/No Doubt/Sting
Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake/Nelly/Kid Rock/P. Diddy
Paul McCartney
Rolling Stones
Prince
Tom Petty
Bruce Springsteen

Except for that '02-'04 span (and U2 ain't getting any younger), all those were people my parents love/grew up with. There's nothing wrong with that, and I see why - the NFL audience is older white people - but there is going to come a time real soon when those acts are going to retire.

And then what happens?

There are certain criteria that the Super Bowl halftime act of say 2015 must have:

• Friendly to whites. This is key as all the NFL big wigs are Caucasian stuffed shirts and cannot be offended by those "hip hop" acts or any musical acts that have released less than like 20 albums. I don't understand how Nelly and Kid Rock slipped through the cracks.
  
• Pop, rock or nothing. Maybe Opera or some lounge singing or something, but there is little wiggle room here. Sure, pop and rock are all encompassing, but they also eliminate a ton of possibilities.
• Controlability/predictability. Ever since the legendary Janet Jackson incident (which was probably the most memorable moment since U2's post-9/11 tribute), acts have to be as clean as possible. No crazy Axl Rose-types allowed.
  

With those in mind, here are my guesses.

Coldplay - 90%

The biggest no-brainer on the list. Their newest album really blew the mainstream doors open for them and that Apple ad doesn't hurt. Their whiteness level is huge, they are friendly-looking (and Chris Martin is an activist to boot!) and perform big pop/rock anthems. Done and done.

Kanye West - 65%

West loses points for predictability as he may be one of the craziest dudes on the planet and giving him the Super Bowl stage may a terrible, terrible mistake. But he's the most white-friendly rapper alive and is arguably the biggest hip-hip act around.

Radiohead - 30%

They may be somewhat of a long-shot, but this year's Grammy's will help to expose to a whole new set of out-of-touch white people. I could totally picture them playing a halftime show when I have kids and me telling them how they were fucking badass they are.

Rihanna/Beyonce - 80%

A double-bill of these two would be a great idea. They make up for a slight lack of white-friendliness with hotness, which is the universal language. Both highly recognizable and safe. Once the censors lighten up about that whole Janet thing, they'll perform - and sooner rather than later.

The Jonas Brothers - 66%

The only reason they aren't closer to 100% is that their window is small. By this time next year, pre-teen girls could be obsessed with someone else. It's pretty much next Super Bowl or bust. There is a precedent for this, as NSync and New Kids have done it in the past.

Lil Wayne - 15%

In reality, this is a pretty big longshot. He is not white-friendly (tattoos!), his raps are fairly profane, and he is nipping at the heels of Kanye for craziest mainstream musician on the planet. But with the Grammy's coming up and the Couric interview (bowling!), along with tons of radio play and a huge 2008 album, he's got a chance.

Superlatives for 2008

Since people are doing some reflections on the past year I thought I would do some one liners on the topic.

2008 was voted:

Revolutionary

Biggest flirt (Economy shits the bed, gas gets cheap)

Ok fuck that, 2008 was pretty sweet for me. I helped deliver the first primary win for a serious female candidate. I graduated from college. Put myself enormously in debt. Took a job, moved to virginia beach, beat our vote goals, swept the state. That was pretty sweet. 

Next thing I know, I'm back in town, expecting to find a job in Boston or DC with ease. 3 months later here I am. It was a pretty good epic ride that went from 100mph to 0 instantly if not sooner. Bummer, man.

2008 was a good year. We'll leave the job hunting for a later post of epic ranting. 

Tops for 08:

Movies: 

Ok I actually only saw like 4 movies in all of 2008. AVP 2, Cloverfield, Dark Knight, and I swear there was something else. Oh well. Anyway, Dark Knight was easily the only real movie in there, and as part of my office's forced family fun program we were required to see it as a team. Best thing I did all summer. I liked the fresh take on the Joker, and the reimagining in general. 

Music: 

Introduced to MGMT, Crystal Castles, Girl Talk, Cut Copy, that was probably about it. Been a tough year trying to find time to find new things. Crystal castles is still one of my favorites out of those. They're one of those groups that I can just zone out to. Electronic music has always been something I've liked and I'm glad it isn't just dismissed like it has been in the past. 

TV:

Again, haven't had much time for this. Battlestar Galactica had a decent half season, ending on a really strong, depressing, and altogether soul crushing note. Which was really awesome if I do say so. It's refreshing to having something that isn't always a fucking ray of sunshine, where you never know when main characters will be unceremoniously killed off. For 2009 I'm going to take several people's advice and watch The Wire, which is more or less a spiritual successor to one of my favorite shows of all time Homocide: Life on the Street.

Anyway, I know this is a weak first post, but I'm just doing it off the cuff. Tomorrow I'll have something a bit more substantial.