tk’s brush with fame
On Friday night, TK and I each went to shows in different cities. TK took off to see Yeasayer and Warpaint at the Natural History Museum’s “First Fridays” series in LA, while I went to see Vedera, fun., and Jack’s Mannequin at the Showbox SoDo in Seattle.
I’ll have a show review coming soon, but TK wasn’t so lucky. The Yeasayer show was packed past capacity, so he had to get a refund and head home with his tail between his legs. However, LA Weekly didn’t know that, and dropped this photo onto their website. That’s TK on the right:
photo by Timothy Norris of LA Weekly
Check out the full slideshow from the concert here.
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Tags: fun, jack's mannequin, vedera, warpaint, yeasayer
ck’s song of today
We’re Yeasayer-crazy at CKTK right about now. Their sophomore album, Odd Blood, is available for purchase online, and the CD drops into stores on Tuesday, February 9.
My song of today is “O.N.E”, the fantastic second single from Odd Blood. It’s a tribal stomp through broken relationships, space-age sound effects, and a catchy-as-hell chorus. Enjoy.
Download “O.N.E” free from Yeasayer here.
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Tags: yeasayer
What Isn’t In?
While talking to my roommate and attempting to describe the sound of a Los Angeles-area band called Music Go Music, I said something to the extent of: “They have a late-70’s pop sound with a little disco thrown in.” He responded by stating, quite accurately, “Oh yeah, that’s really popular right now.” Of course, he was referring to the indie scene when making this observation and not necessarily Top 40 Radio.
He’s right, late-70s pop with a touch of disco is trendy right now.
Hercules & Love Affair, disco revivalists
But I started thinking about it some more and realized that knowingly cornball, 50s-inspired pop and roll music is also in.
And so is the 1969 throwback folk-rock. There’s also those Beach Boys-style melodies plucked straight outta 1966. Oh, and don’t forget about the current re-imagining of Motown.
We’ve also got that blatantly 80s pop schlop and, according to Pitchfork, 90s revivalism.
Outside of time-specific trends, Afropop indie seems to be peaking right about now, while lo-fi shoegazer is enjoying a healthy re-emergence. Hell, we’ve even got a neo-tribalism that shows up in the rhythms and vocal chants of certain artists.
Animal Collective and Neo-Tribalism are, to say the least, not antonyms
So, my question for you is this: What isn’t in right now?
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Tags: animal collective, antonyms, beach boys, hercules & love affair, music go music
No analysis today; I’m letting the music stand for itself (which, of course, it does). As always, click on any album title to listen on lala.
Read part I here and part II here.
10 The National – Boxer (2007)
9 Taking Back Sunday – Tell All Your Friends (2002)
8 Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca (2009)
7 Brand New – Deja Entendu (2003)
6 Saves the Day – Stay What You Are (2001)
5 The Postal Service – Give Up (2002)
4 Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
3 Modest Mouse – Good News For People Who Love Bad News (2004)
2 Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism (2003)
1 Sufjan Stevens – Come On, Feel the Illinoise! (2005)
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Tags: brand new, death cab for cutie, dirty projectors, modest mouse, national, postal service, radiohead, saves the day, sufjan stevens, taking back sunday
Don't you?
Hey hey, here we go. I hope you spent the entire weekend evaluating the picks from the previous post. This has been quite the metaphorical trip down memory lane for me; I was 14 when the naughties began, and I’m 24 on the way out. Most of my music-listening life happened in the last ten years, and every single one of these albums was important to me in some way during the past decade. I had so many “blasts from the past” while compiling this list, and it’s just barely scratching the surface of the music I’ve listened to in the past decade. This is the second part of my list; for part I (#100-51), click here.
Without further ado…
CK’S TOP 100 ALBUMS OF THE DECADE: PART II
50 Brave Saint Saturn – So Far From Home* (2000)
49 Girl Talk – Night Ripper (2006)
48 Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (2008)
47 Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam (2007)
46 The Decemberists – The Crane Wife (2006)
45 Joy Electric – Legacy: The White Songbook (2001)
44 Lindsey Pool – All My Stories (2007)
43 Girl Talk – Feed the Animals (2008)
42 Taking Back Sunday – Louder Now (2006)
41 M83 – Saturdays = Youth (2008)
40 Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004)
39 Sufjan Stevens – Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State (2003)
38 Death Cab for Cutie – The Photo Album (2001)
37 The Mars Volta – De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003)
36 AFI – decemberunderground (2006)
35 Junior Senior – Hey Hey My My Yo Yo (2005)
34 Blink 182 – Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)
33 Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (2007)
32 The Juliana Theory – Emotion is Dead (2000)
31 The White Stripes – Elephant (2003)
30 Annuals – Such Fun (2008)
29 Muse – Black Holes and Revelations (2006)
28 fun. – Aim and Ignite (2009)
27 The Killers – Sam’s Town (2006)
26 Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere (2006)
25 The White Stripes – White Blood Cells (2001)
24 The Format – Dog Problems (2006)
23 Yeasayer – All Hour Cymbals (2007)
22 Panda Bear – Person Pitch (2007)
21 U.S.E. – LOVEWORLD (2009)
20 The Strokes – Is This It? (2001)
19 The Format – Interventions & Lullabies (2003)
18 AFI – Sing the Sorrow (2003)
17 The Knife – Silent Shout (2006)
16 Alkaline Trio – Crimson (2005)
15 Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)
14 The Hives – Veni Vidi Vicious (2000)
13 Shout Out Louds – Our Ill Wills (2007)
12 The Antlers – Hospice (2009)
11 Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)
*When you listen to So Far From Home, do me a favor. Don’t listen to “Shadow of Def”. Just skip right over it. Seriously. It might be the worst song of the decade.
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Tags: 2000s, afi, alkaline trio, animal collective, annuals, antlers, arcade fire, brave saint saturn, death cab for cutie, decemberists, format, fun, girl talk, gnarls barkley, hives, joy electric, juliana theory, killers, knife, lindsey pool, m83, mars volta, muse, panda bear, shout out louds, spoon, strokes, sufjan stevens, taking back sunday, u.s.e., vampire weekend, white stripes, yeasayer
Welcome back.
It’s that time again; time for another list pored over by one of your two founding listmaniacs. We’ve spent so much time reading top album lists over the past decade, we needed to give back. What follows are my thoughts about the greatest albums of 2000-2009. I won’t be doing any decade analysis; TK has already summed up the decade better than I could without going insane. If you missed his top 40 albums of the decade/love letter to ridiculous nicknames, go check that out.
ck dictating his top 100 albums list
My top 100 is a pure list at its finest. No commentary, no BS. Just a ton of great music with links to each album’s page on lala.com. You can listen to the overwhelming majority of them in their entirety. Some are not yet available, some have 30-second song samples, etc. Either way, this should be a solid soundtrack for your weekend.
If you’re curious about how the rankings have changed, you can read my original lists from the second half of the decade: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.
CK’S TOP 100 ALBUMS OF THE DECADE: PART I
100 Girls – Album (2009)
99 Reggie and the Full Effect – Promotional Copy (2000)
98 Kings of Convenience – Riot On An Empty Street (2004)
97 Sigur Ros – Takk… (2005)
96 Straylight Run – s/t (2004)
95 Ozma – Rock and Roll Part Three (2000)
94 Muse – Absolution (2003)
93 The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (2002)
92 Johnny Cash – American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)
91 Beck – Modern Guilt (2008)
90 Coheed and Cambria – The Second Stage Turbine Blade (2002)
89 Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? (2007)
88 Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American* (2001)
87 The Decemberists – Picaresque (2005)
86 Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (2007)
85 Vroom – …Throws Like a Girl (2000)
84 Dashboard Confessional – Swiss Army Romance** (2000)
83 Fall Out Boy – From Under the Cork Tree (2005)
82 Phantom Planet – The Guest (2002)
81 The Rocket Summer – Hello Good Friend (2005)
80 Sufjan Stevens – Seven Swans (2004)
79 Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)
78 Mew – Frengers (2003)
77 Five Iron Frenzy – The End is Near (2004)
76 PANIC! at the Disco – A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (2005)
75 Five Iron Frenzy – Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo (2001)
74 The Shins – Oh, Inverted World (2001)
73 Elliott Smith – Figure 8 (2000)
72 Sigur Ros – Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (2008)
71 Jamie Lidell – Jim (2008)
70 Passion Pit – Manners (2009)
69 Matisyahu – Light (2009)
68 Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams (2005)
67 Weezer – Raditude (2009)
66 Coldplay – Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)
65 Dashboard Confessional – The Places You Have Come to Fear The Most (2001)
64 The White Stripes – Icky Thump (2007)
63 Taking Back Sunday – Where You Want to Be (2004)
62 The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow (2003)
61 Belle and Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003)
60 Conor Oberst – s/t (2008)
59 PANIC! at the Disco – Pretty. Odd. (2008)
58 Ben Folds – Ben Folds Live (2002)
57 The Shins – Wincing the Night Away (2007)
56 TV on the Radio – Dear Science (2008)
55 The Hives – Tyrannosaurus Hives (2004)
54 The Get Up Kids – Guilt Show (2004)
53 Daft Punk – Discovery (2001)
52 U.S.E. – s/t (2004)
51 Beck – Guero (2005)
Not satisfied? Read part II here.
*shortly after the 9/11 terror attacks, Bleed American was renamed. It is now usually listed as a self-titled Jimmy Eat World release.
**the version of Swiss Army Romance that is on lala adds two tracks before the hidden track: “Hold On” and “This is a Forgery”. These were not on the 2000 release listed here.
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Tags: beck, belle and sebastian, ben folds, coheed and cambria, coldplay, conor oberst, daft punk, dashboard confessional, decemberists, elliott smith, fall out boy, five iron frenzy, flaming lips, get up kids, girls, hives, jack johnson, jamie lidell, jimmy eat world, johnny cash, kings of convenience, matisyahu, mew, modest mouse, muse, of montreal, ozma, panic! at the disco, passion pit, phantom planet, phoenix, reggie and the full effect, rocket summer, shins, sigur ros, straylight run, sufjan stevens, taking back sunday, tv on the radio, u.s.e., vroom, weezer, white stripes
tk’s song of today
Thanks to KCRW for turning me on to this Italian bloke, Ludovico Einaudi.
Dark, moody, sounds like the scene just before the climax of a film.
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Tags: climax, ludovico einaudi
Three Songs
If you could only listen to 3 songs during this upcoming week, no more and no less, which ones would you choose? They might be new, might be old, may be long or may be short (ellipse)
I have, by choice, only listened to 3 songs this past week during iPod-enhanced strolls around Los Angeles. No, not as some musical experiment or misinformed dabbling in epistemological luddism, but simply because that’s what my ears have demanded. This may strike some of you who know me better as strange, seeing as I am normally an album guy. I tend to avoid iTunes Shuffle and rarely jump to a specific song on an album that is not the first track.
It could be a reaction to that funny tasting beer I drank on Monday (still having strange dreams about Bayhawk’s CPA) or the short hours of sunlight or something entirely different; for reasons unknown, I have become obsessed with these 3 songs from 3 different artists. I attached videos below so that you can lend an ear but I will not be held responsible for any fetishes that may follow.
Filed under: tk | 3 Comments
Tags: atlas sound, bayhawk's cpa, epistemological luddism, local natives, panda bear, tuneyards
ck’s “best of 2009″ mix
and enjoy the listen!
Every year since 2006, I’ve been making a “Best Of” mix at the end of the year to give to friends and family members around the holidays. This year, I was not able to see most of my friends, so I decided to make the playlist and stick it online instead.
Below, I’ve listed each song and given a little bit of my rationale in selecting it. If you’re too lazy to read through my top ten albums of 2009 list (slacker), this is a great primer. Make it through the analysis, and you’ll be rewarded with a link to the playlist.
- Animal Collective – My Girls
Starting out strong with Pitchfork’s 2009 song of the year. I’m not even sure if this is the best song on Merriweather Post Pavilion, but it epitomizes the new direction that Animal Collective seems to be going. - Atlas Sound – Walkabout (feat. Noah Lennox)
Noah Lennox is all over this track, which sounds more Animal Collective than Deerhunter. Lennox asks repeatedly, ”What did you want to see? / What did you want to be when you grew up?” Good questions, brought to a positive, poignant place by Panda Bear. - Girls – Lust for Life
The joy in the opening guitar line belies the tenor of most of Girls’ ridiculously-titled Album. But the melancholy of the lyrics definitely falls right in. - Adam Lambert – Music Again
Co-written with Justin Hawkins of The Darkness, “Music Again” is a barnstormer that brings the best of what The Darkness does with the timeless voice of the best American Idol winner of all time. (What’s that? Kris Allen is still the winner? You’ve gotta be kidding me. I thought they recified that by now) - Weezer – Tripping Down The Freeway
A deep cut from Raditude, this song isn’t particularly strong… except for that chorus. That chorus gives me hope that Weezer is still steadily on their way back (a journey they began with last year’s red album), and it helps me realize that Rivers did at least some of the songwriting on the blue album. - Tegan & Sara – Hell
After further review, I’m not sure Sainthood is one of the 15 best of 2009. But I stand strongly behind this song, which makes the most of the twins’ respective musical abilities. - Basement Jaxx – Raindrops
Midway through the year, the Jaxx returned in a big way. I’ve never wanted to dance outside in the rain more. (Okay, maybe once) - Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero
This isn’t your older brother’s Yeah Yeah Yeahs single. While they’re not leaving their guitars in the dust, “Zero” is a great example of their shiny new electropop sound. - Phoenix – 1901
“Ohhhhhh! THAT’S what this song is! Thanks, CK!” - Passion Pit – The Reeling
An absolute blast of sonic joy that leaves you shaking your tush and your head at the same time. The “oh nooo-oo-oo”s in the chorus are provided by New York City’s own PS22 chorus. - U.S.E. – River of Love
This song earns coveted the title of “most plays-at-max-volume-while-driving-with-the-windows-down of 2009″ for me. “River of Love” may even edge “K-I-S-S-I-N-G” as my favorite U.S.E. song. - Discovery – I Want You Back
Not the best song from Discovery’s debut album, but I would be remiss in not choosing the cover that pays tribute to the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson. - Dirty Projectors – Stillness is the Move
The best song from the best album of the year. Not much else to say here. - Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks
A pure pop song that isn’t available to listen to on lala for some reason. Come on, G-Bizzle! Get your act together! - Metric – Gimme Sympathy
Maybe the best song of the year, this gets your blood a-pumpin’. Which, of course, is what I said about the album. - Matisyahu – One Day
This is like John Lennon’s “Imagine” if it had been written by a Hasidic Jew. And also, y’know, if it was a good song. - The Books – Cello Song (feat. Jose Gonzalez)
A cover of the original by Nick Drake, this gorgeous arrangement comes from the stellar, packed-to-the-gills Dark Was The Night compilation. - Beck – Sunday Morning
An improvement on the Velvet Underground original? Of course not. But it’s the best track Beck’s Record Club has done so far, and it shows why he’s still an important artist. Also, I think it’s worth noting that while I have never put a cover on a “best of” mix before, there are three in 2009. Great year for covers, I guess. - The Antlers – Two
Maybe the most mixworthy song from Hospice. The lyrics to this one are devastating – make sure to have a box of tissues handy. - fun. – Barlights
I had trouble deciding between “Barlights” and “All the Pretty Girls” as the song to represent Aim and Ignite, but “Barlights” won out because it’s such a joyful ending. 2009 was a great year; let’s celebrate it as we move into 2010!
Listen to (and download) the mix here at lala.com. All songs available there except Beck’s “Sunday Morning,” not yet available commercially, and Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks,” which is just mind-bogglingly stupid.
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Tags: 2009, 2010, adam lambert, animal collective, antlers, atlas sound, basement jaxx, beck, books, dark was the night, darkness, deerhunter, dirty projectors, discovery, fun, girls, grizzly bear, john lennon, jose gonzalez, justin hawkins, kris allen, matisyahu, metric, michael jackson, nick drake, passion pit, phoenix, ps22, record club, rivers cuomo, tegan and sara, u.s.e., velvet underground, weezer, yeah yeah yeahs
tk’s top 40 albums of the decade
I pity the poor suckers who unleashed their “Albums of the Decade” lists before midnight on January 1st, 2010, because they ALL MISSED THIS ONE! This album (the one that I linked with pink ink before the exclamation point and after the word “they”) did MORE than just convert me to Epistemological Luddism–it also reminded me of WHY I LISTEN TO MUSIC IN THE FIRST PLACE… I can’t remember why off the top of my head, though.
Now that we’ve all settled on naming the prior decade THE NOUGHTIES, I’m going to use that word as many times as possible so that when people Google search THE NOUGHTIES in hopes of finding timely information about settling on naming the prior decade THE NOUGHTIES, they will run into this post, which features 40 albums that I find to be brilliant from THE NOUGHTIES.
NOUGHTIES R US
If you happen to desire some armchair insight from TK on his thoughts and feelings about the musical trends from this decade, then please check out previous postings. However, if you’re looking for the streamlined, no-BS, hands-free, organic, low APR financing, straight-up, old-school list THEN YOU’VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE! Also, if you’re into capital letters, then you’ve come to the right place. Also, if you’re looking for someone to ridicule for placing a corporate handjob of an album near the top of his or her (in this case, his) list, then you’ve come to the right place. Also, if you love the word ALSO, then you’ve come the right place. Also, if you’ve come to the right place, then you’ve come to the right place.
Thanks for reading!
TK’s Top 40 Albums of THE NOUGHTIES
40. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
39. Johann Johannsson – Fordlandia
38. TV on the Radio – Dear Science
37. Murder by Death – Like the Exorcist but More Breakdancing
36. The Antlers – Hospice
35. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
34. The Bad Plus – Prog
33. Silversun Pickups – Swoon
32. DJ Tiesto – Parade of the Athletes
31. Radiohead – Hail to the Thief
30. Liars – Drum’s Not Dead
29. Sigur Ros – Takk
28. Fuck Buttons – Tarot Sport
27. Doves – Some Cities
26. Broken Social Scene – You Forget it in People
25. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
24. Radiohead – In Rainbows
23. Broken Social Scene – s/t
22. The National – Boxer
21. Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish I Were an Eagle
20. Devendra Banhart – Rejoicing in the Hands
19. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
18. Jose Gonzalez – Veneer
17. Battles – Mirrored
16. Fleet Foxes – s/t
15. The Strokes – Is This It?
14. M83 – Saturdays=Youth
13. Sufjan Stevens – Come on Feel the Illinoise!
12. The Knife – Silent Shout
11. Tallest Man on Earth – Shallow Grave
10. Iron & Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days
9. The War on Drugs – Wagonwheel Blues
8. Panda Bear – Person Pitch
7. Old Crow Medicine Show – O.C.M.S.
6. LCD Soundsystem – 45:33
5. Brian Wilson – Smile
4. Joanna Newsom – Ys
3. Arcade Fire – Funeral
2. Sigur Ros – ( )
1. Radiohead – Kid A
What’s your list? Drop some comments!
Meanwhile, feel free to mock me for putting an Olympics-inspired trance album right next to Radiohead.
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Tags: animal collective, antlers, apr financing, arcade fire, bad plus, battles, bill callahan, brian wilson, broken social scene, decemberists, devendra banhart, dj tiesto, doves, epistemological luddism, fleet foxes, fuck buttons, iron & wine, joanna newsom, johann johannsson, jose gonzalez, knife, lcd soundsystem, liars, m83, murder by death, national, noughties, old crow medicine show, panda bear, radiohead, sigur ros, silversun pickups, strokes, sufjan stevens, tallest man on earth, tv on the radio, war on drugs
