Category: News

I write this as a guy who thinks “Shake The Sheets” is a 5-star record, and got into Ted Leo’s older stuff because of it and to the extent that it points toward “Sheets;” “The Brutalist Bricks” is less than the sum of its parts.

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		Recommended
		Good
		Fans only
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		Owww! My ears!

Leo & Co.’s inclusion of some fresh sounds – acoustic guitar, synthy noise – are welcome in theory, but make “Bricks” seem a bit too ProTooled.  Song arrangements depart from verse/chorus/verse, which, again, seems good on paper but never gels.  Wish I could say it did; my hopes were high, but this is a classic record that’s for fans only.  If you don’t love TL+P already, “The Brutalist Bricks” won’t convert you.

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		Recommended
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		Owww! My ears!

As impossible as it would seem to predict before hearing “Broken Bells,” this superduo’s debut – the Shins’ James Mercer and Danger Mouse (The Grey Album, Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz’ “Demon Days” – sounds about like you’d expect. And it will probably deliver at about the level you anticipate.

I imagine it went down like this:

1) James demo’d some songs

2) DM took each element, chords, vocals, lead lines, etc., and treated them as sample sources for his own re-creations

3) Voila; “Broken Bells.”

I’m sure it was more collaborative than that, but that’s about what we hear.  And it’s super-solid; no more, no less.

MR|Review directs readers’ limited attention among works via ratings, and within works via prose, focusing on works where our opinion diverges from critical or popular consensus, or we have significant insight that compliments or challenges readers’ aesthetic experience.

“Transference” poignantly illustrates the difference between “catchy” and “poppy”; it’s the former, only.

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		Owww! My ears!

Songs on Spoon’s latest album seem to fall into two categories: arranged and de-arranged*.  The arranged tunes are new Spoon classics, the kind of hooky, simmering jams the band has been cranking out since “Girls Can Tell” (“Written in Reverse,” “Trouble Comes Running,” “Out Go The Lights”).  They’re so consistent, it would be easy to take them for granted if their consistency didn’t make your next favorite band sound like fakers.  The arranged stuff gels as songs, with verses and choruses, and reminds me more of older Spoon than “Ga…” or “Gimme Fiction.”

The de-arrangements are stuffed full of memorable hooks that are assembled into less-recognizable sections that aren’t easily classified into traditional pop structure (“Before Destruction,” “Is Love Forever?” “Nobody Gets Me But You”).  It’s tempting to call this the experimental stuff, but it isn’t for Spoon; this type of production has been part of their DNA for a long time, and they pull it off.  I’m as likely to sing a catchy part from “Before Destruction” as “Who Makes Your Money?”

Of course the songs exist on a spectrum between the artificial poles of “arranged/de-arranged.”  The record as a whole plays as a weirdo collection of super-catchy rocking-out bits.

Describing Spoon as minimalist never quite rang true to me.  They’re economic; they don’t waste a note.

“Nobody Gets Me But You” is a great tune, but leaves the album feeling unfinished.  It’s not a closer; I always think there’s one more song to come.  Thinking about the psychotherapeutic record title, maybe that’s intentional.
Another way I describe the five-star “must-hear” rating is “revelatory.”  While “Transference” is outstanding, it hasn’t yet shown me anything new about music, myself, or the world.

*Note; not “deranged.”

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		Recommended
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Vampire Weekend’s debut seemed impossible to follow up; I could not imagine what this record would sound like.  Somehow, almost magically, it is perfect.  I didn’t let myself work up hopes that the band would both experiment and succeed wildly, but if I had they would have been fulfilled.

Beautiful earworm hooks, stellar lines like “Here comes a feeling you thought you’d forgotten” and “My ears are blown to bits / from all the rifle hits / but still I crave that sound…,” Afro-pop tones, meticulous performances – they’re all here.  The arrangements are lightweight and underplayed, ending up being all the more meaningful for it.

Comparing this record to “Transference,” I’d give it the edge, which surprises me.  I enjoyed “Vampire Weekend,” but never figured I’d become as passionate about the band as I have in the past two weeks.

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		Owww! My ears!

“Contra” and “Transference” have been almost universally lauded by critics.  So has “xx” by The xx.  The difference is there’s nothing special about “xx.”  It’s completely serviceable, nondescript indie music.
Some of my usual haunts – AV Club, P4k, AllMusic – raved about “xx,” and it made a ton of year-end lists.  If you’re hearing something I’m not, I invite you to comment and set me straight.

MR|Review directs readers’ limited attention among works via ratings, and within works via prose, focusing on works where our opinion diverges from critical or popular consensus, or we have significant insight that compliments or challenges readers’ aesthetic experience.

Here is what I remember of my musical experience in 2009. I didn’t limit this to just albums, cuz I am special. In no particular order:

All the shows I missed in 2009

Seriously, I bet they were SOOOO much fun. 2 am bar closing times and a square job don’t play nice. I feel so old this year. I missed too many damn shows to count, so I’m not going to get into specifics. But I’m sure each one of them was the best show ever.

Sunn O))) Live at the Riot Room

If there was a sentence I could type that would make your ears ring for the next 5 days, I would type it. Otherwise, I don’t even know where to begin when trying to describe what this show felt like. I had never seen anything like it before. I like Sunn’s records, but this was something else entirely. “Monoliths and Dimensions” is great, but this live show was like hearing the formation of the universe.

Crystal Stilts – “Alight of Night”

This came out in 2008, but it was re-released in 2009, so I’m including it in my list. Simple and catchy guitar riffs, simpler and catchier organ lines, lazy, barely intelligible vocals, primal sounding percussion with emphasis on tambourine, and LOTS OF REVERB. That’s at least 50% of what I like about music in general.

Wooden Shjips – “Wooden Shjips” and “Dos”

The production on these two albums isn’t as blisteringly raw or weird as their previous “Vol. 1” effort, but the jams themselves are really good. Heavily damaged, droning yet adventurous, repetitious yet unpredictably spastic. Just listen and nod your head. This represents the other 50% of what I like about music.

Thee Oh Sees – “HELP” and “Dog Poison”

This John Dwyer guy apparently just craps out good, spacey garage rock with awesome sing-along hooks. I missed them in Lawrence due to prior engagements. I’ll definitely catch them next time.

Deerhunter – “Rainwater Cassette Exchange” E.P.

This Deerhunter band apparently just craps out good, spacey garage post-rock with awesome sing-along hooks.

Times New Viking – “Born Again Revisited”

It sounds like shit, but it doesn’t *sound like shit.*

The Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound – “When Sweet Sleep Returned”

I got into both AHISS albums this year. “Ekranoplan” (2007) has more of the crunchy, riff-driven psych rock that I typically cherish, but “Sweet Sleep” has a laid back, hazy sound that really grew on me. It’s awesome summertime music.

Sleepy Sun – “Embrace”

Fuzzed out guitar fuckery, swaggering blues rhythms, and excessive use of floor tom are the things that typically draw me to psychedelic music. But when I hear a band with members who can actually SING… Damn. This record is really diverse, too. Slow burning, riff-driven jams that end in chaotic effect pedal wankery, sleepy, reverb-soaked acoustic strumming, and piano ballads all play nicely together. This variation in style gives the record an odd pace, but this kind of versatility really makes me look forward to what these guys will do in the future.

Lightning Bolt – “Earthly Delights”

I like Lightning Bolt. That’s all that really needs to be said.

HEALTH – “GET COLOR”

GET HEALTH “GET COLOR.” IT IS REALLY GOOD AND KIND OF CATCHY FOR A NOISE RECORD. SERIOUSLY THIS IS AWESOME AND YOU SHOULD TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. JUST GO BUY IT.

Darren Keen SHREDS “Homosexual Mohawk” Live at the Record Bar

Darren, I like it when you play guitar. There were several moments when I was like, “why does this guy have to make it look so fucking EASY?” It was RAD, dude.

Oneida – “Rated O”

The whole beast that is Oneida comes together here. Crazy, garage-rocking guitar spaz? Yeah. Oddly ass-shaking prog jams? U betcha. Weird, dub-influenced techie/dork sounding shit? Yup. The totality of “O.” So many weird sounds, I don’t even want to get into specifics. Just check it out if you want a record with many many many many many layers to explore.

Ty Segall – “Lemons”

Solid garage rocking goodness. The instrumentation varies a lot and he does a nice cover of Captain Beefheart’s “Dropout Boogie.”

Soul/Funk Night at my favorite Mid-Town bar

There’s this dude who has a Library of Congress-sized collection of 60s/70s Motown/Funk/Soul/R&B records, and he spins them at a Mid-Town bar every Friday night. I’m not telling you where it is because it’s already too fucking packed as it is. His collection has plenty of deep cuts that I definitely didn’t hear on oldies radio when I was growing up. Going there to drink, people watch, and nod my head for 3 or 4 straight hours has been one of the highlights of this year, for sure. My friends Brian and Anna deserve big-time high fives for letting my wife and me in on this little secret.

Part Chimp – “Thriller”

This slab of sludgy monotony really hits a sweet spot for me. Awesome riffs, sing the guitar line choruses, and totally ambiguous low end (is somebody playing synth?) all stand out here for me. This sounds like mid-90s Unwound played through a Big Muff. I’m also digging one of their previous efforts, “Cup” (2007). I’m going to enjoy working back through their discography.

T.V. Ghost at a house in Lawrence

T.V. Ghost played at a house in Lawrence this summer. I drank a fine Belgian ale while these weirdos from Indiana gyrated about and the local kids flicked the light switch on and off for like a half hour straight to make a poor man’s strobe light show. Afterwards I went to Burrito King. I felt sick before going to bed, and I’m not sure if it was because of the flickering light or Burrito King. I fucking love house shows.

Beep Beep – “Enchanted Island”

The first time I saw Beep Beep, it was at the Culture Center in Lincoln, NE. They had a small-ish young lady playing bass, and they sounded like early Cursive. Then they got a new rhythm section and started making pervy dance music that sounded like Ex Models, if Ex Models were child molesters. Then they got another rhythm section and started playing music that I don’t even know how to describe. It’s just really strange and it makes me feel gross (in a good way(?)). I like this version of Beep Beep the best. It’s too bad they apparently broke up now.

Polvo – “In Prism”

If you like any of the following, please go buy this record:

• Music
• Songs
• Fun, awesome things

.
Box Elders – “Alice and Friends”

Fuckin’ crank it and sing along. Wear a loin cloth as you do so.

Ladyfinger – “Dusk”

Read Howie’s review of this album. He’s smarter than I am. I just use words like “loud” and “distorted” and “fuck” to describe records. You’ve got to be tired of that by now.

Sonic Youth – LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Sonic Youth kind of scares me. They seem to be in that late career groove where they are comfortable, consistent, and don’t really care what you think. Usually, bands get boring when they hit that phase. But SY keeps putting out solid shit that I can’t find flaws in. “The Eternal” is not blowing my mind or changing my world view, yet at the same time it’s meeting all of the lofty expectations that their previous masterpieces have ingrained into my brain. Aside from Sunn O))), they put on the best and LOUDEST show I saw in 2009. Aren’t these guys like 60 years old??

Ron Asheton, RIP

I have been pretty hard into the Stooges since I was a freshman in college, but it seems like I listen to their records more and more with each passing year. “Funhouse” is one of those records that I can never passively listen to. It’s loose and wild, yet entirely focused. Every note and squeal of feedback is perfectly in the moment. This is one of those rare records where the production method perfectly compliments the band and songs. Calling this record “raw” is such a pointless understatement. Just go buy the record if you don’t already have it. Listen to it over and over and over. Let it seep in.

I dismissed “The Weirdness” as soon as I heard it, and I never really planned to try and experience the new, live version of “the Stooges,” so Ron Asheton’s passing really didn’t affect my selfish little sphere of existence. Still, hearing that this dude died felt somewhat like a gut punch. I don’t want to belabor this any further. I just want it to be known far and wide that this guy deserves rock and roll immortality.

Stuff that would have made my list but I don’t go to record stores very much anymore and I am lazy:

• That New Flaming Lips album
• Om – “God is Good”
• Mannequin Men – “Lose Your Illusion, Too”
• Pissed Jeans – “King of Jeans”
• Brimstone Howl – “Big Deal. What’s He Done Lately?”
• Ideal Cleaners – “Chord Jams”
• That new No Age EP

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Stuff that I missed the first time around:

The Pretty Things, The Feelies, High Rise, Residual Echoes, and Bang. Look ‘em up.

All the stuff I forgot:

I know I forgot to list your band. I am sorry.

22. Micachu & the Shapes – Jewellery

Jams this simultaneously weird and catchy are automatically on my list. -h

21. Radiohead – “These Are My Twisted Words”

Any new Radiohead song is worth most bands’ better albums; that’s just facts, as “These Are My Twisted Words” proves.  Effortlessly.  Frighteningly.  Beautifully. -h

20. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns

Nothing else grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go like Natasha Khan’s second record as Bat For Lashes.  That alone might give it a spot on our list, but “Two Suns” holds up as well. -h

19. Bruce Springsteen (1973 – 1985)

Half Price Books usually has “Born in the USA” for $3 or 4, and about March I finally bit.  The Boss’ discography had intimidated me, but I figured there wouldn’t be a better opportunity than a mint piece of iconic vinyl for cheap.  A couple months later I got a deal on “Nebraska,” and I was off to the races.  “The River,” “Darkness at the Edge of Town,” “The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle,” and an astonishingly pristine copy of the 5-LP “Live 1975/85” set have made their way into my collection.  The A.V. Club asked this year “Who are the American Beatles?” and after my year with Bruce I’ll throw in my lot with Donna Bowman, who answered, “The E Street Band.” -h

18. The Decemberists – Hazards of Love

On “Crane Wife,” the Decemberists moved in the direction of concept prog-rock. With this record, it’s multiplied by a bunch. The various musical themes re-appear a lot throughout this record, the songs are long, and it rocks in a very Led Zepplin way. Lots of HUGE drums. They also have a few female guests vocalists, giving it a “theatre-production” feel. If this record isn’t turned into a full-on show, I’ll be surprised. Maybe it already has. Anyway, this record is a lot less like its folky predecessors, and it’s way more epic. I’m still wrapping my head around it almost a year later. “The Rake’s Song” is the standout track, and it’s sinister as all get-out. Also, guest vocalist Shara Worden slays the spit out of everything. She’s got power-rock vocals. It blows it up! -Cory

17. Ideal Cleaners – Chord Jams EP

The Cleaners must be alchemists.  How else could weirdo time signatures, knotty arrangements, and song titles like “Perpetual Wooden Nickels” go straight to my heart?  “Chord Jams” is something I feel; the sound of knowing and being known; the paradoxical joy of expressing hard-to-deal-with emotions via loud guitars and drums.  Ideal Cleaners continue to refine their aesthetic voice, finding new crevices to explore on the mountain they build with “The H is O.” -h

16. Beep Beep – Enchanted Islands

Their first record was a weird charged up aggressive record with crazy-ass dissonant guitar lines and creepy yelpy vocals. That was an OK record, but this record is way better. It’s also way mellower; it’s not punk at all. There are tons of beautiful falsetto vocals, and the music itself is complex and eerie. This record is the perfect mix of beautiful and creepy, and I love that combination. “Return to Me” is probably my second-favorite song of the year. -Cory

15. Halloween, Alaska – Champagne Downtown (2008)

Maybe a couple times every year I click through the websites of the bands I know from Minneapolis, seeing if they’ve done anything new.  Halloween, Alaska had in late ’08, but “Champagne Downtown” didn’t arrive in my hot little hands until May.  With every new HA album there’s a process of learning to love it for what it is, rather than comparing it to their stellar debut.  What this album is is a top-flight collection of emotionally complex, refined, mellow indie/pop music.  Just for example, no other band explores the territory of contradictory definitions of masculinity in our culture and growing in to them (“Be A Man”) and sounds so beautiful and natural doing it. -h

14. No Age – Nouns

This is the record after “Weirdo Rippers” which was on last year’s list. I think I am a year behind on this band. This record is slightly more traditional that “Weirdo Rippers” but only slightly. I don’t want to repeat myself from last year, but this band is able to blend pop music and fuzz-noise-punk really well. The production sounds like cruddy garbage, and it’s charming. I want to see these guys live really badly. I think it would make even more sense then. -Cory

13. NahRight.com

I wish I remembered how I found myself at NahRight.com’s mixtape archive.  Even more, I wish Google site search could help me point you to my favorite tapes (something must be jacked about NahRight’s archtecture, or post slugs?).  Tapes like Common’s “The Common Cold,” Mick Boogie’s Jay-Z/Marvin Gaye mash “Brooklyn Soul,” Lupe Fiasco’s “Farenheit 1/15” series and “Enemy of the State,” Kevin Casey’s “Live From New York: Best of 1994-2001,” J.Period’s presentation of Q-Tip on “The [Abstract] Best,” soundtracked big chunks of the second half of my 2009.  Nothing tops, though, a dropless mix of Mos Def’s early, rare, and unreleased tracks, “The Underground Album.”  Literally no one flows like Mos, and this tape is as good as Blackstar, for real for real.  Go dig it out!  Oh, sht, it’s so good, I’ll do it for you here. -h

12. Ember Schrag – A Cruel, Cruel Woman

Ember’s from Lincoln, and she’s a good friend. She also happens to be totally kickass. This record is a folk-americana-pop-country experience, but the melodies and chords are like nothing I’ve heard. She’s also a trained poet, and the lyrics are just fantastic. And of course, her voice is great. It sounds antiquated, but not in a forced of conscious way. The instrumentation is stellar, too: everything is played excellently. More people should heard this record, and I’m guessing that they eventually will. -Cory

11. Wilco – Wilco (the album)

Another round of dad-rock? Listen again.  Jeff Tweedy & Co. recorded a surprisingly diverse collections of songs with noisy guitar chaos (“”), impeccable guy-girl harmonies (“You and I” with Feist), perfect ’70s AM rock rips (“Wilco (the song)”), and most everything else we’ve lovedabout Wilco (“Sonny Feeling”) made just fresh enough again.   I waited to pick up this album used because the initial reviews didn’t thrill me, even as a solid Wilco fan; once I did, it played nonstop for about three weeks, and I’ve enjoyed every return visit. -h

10. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

After a ton of listens, I am STILL getting to the bottom of this record. I bought it off the strength of the song “Two Weeks” which is easily my favorite song released in 2009. That’s definitely the catchiest song on the record, and this record just has so many layers. If there’s one thing I can say about this record, it’s that the instruments and vocals only happen when necessary. There’s a lot of room in each song, and the song arrangements aren’t traditional at all. I have to turn this record up a lot in my car a bunch because of how subtle so much of it is. My favorite moments on this record, though, are when they do the big pop choruses. “Two Weeks” exemplifies this, but they happen on almost every other song as well, coming out of nowhere. The four part “whoa” chorus on “While You Wait for the Others” is killer, and the album closer “Foreground” is slight and beautiful and weird. That describes the rest of the record pretty well, too. -Cory

9. Q-Tip – The Renaissance (2008)

The generally positive reviews “The Renaissance” garnered on its release don’t do justice to this banger.  Every track hits a sweet spot, from the five-star “Gettin’ Up” to closer “Shaka.”  Not until I started reading the liner notes did I realize what a beatmaker and producer Q-Tip is.  The vast majority of the album, including the best tracks (“Johnny is Dead”), are his own beats; an unbeatable blend of classic vibe, crafstmanship, and subtle,forward-looking freshness. -h

8. The Kinks – Village Green Preservation Society (1968)

This is also amazing. I just see now that it came out the same year as the Zombies record [Our #6 for 2009 -Ed.]. It’s another classic Brit-Pop record, but it’s still very different than the Zombies or the Beatles or whoever. The Zombies are sincere and heartfelt, and the Kinks are raw and sarcastic and super British. During the whole record, you get the feeling that Ray Davies is telling an elaborate deadpan joke. The record is all about nostalgia, so in that way it’s a “concept record,” but every song works great on its own. How is the song “Picture Book” not as popular as “Help from My Friends” or “Come Together”? -Cory
7. U2 – No Line On The Horizon

Reality could never live up to the anticipation for a new U2 record.  Lead single “Get On Your Boots” weirdly recalled the dance-influenced “Pop” album, widely regarded as the band’s biggest misstep.  But then you play the record again, the 360 Tour sounds like a good show, “Magnificent” starts showing up in the pre-show playlist at Friday Night Flicks… and U2 has delivered their best album since 1991’s incredible “Achtung Baby.”  These songs mean as much to me as anything I heard in 2009, and I’ll be playing them long after everything else on this list has been relegated to shuffle duty. -h

6. The Zombies – Odessey and Oracle (1968)

This might be the best record I heard this year. I had heard “Time of the Season” countless times as a kid, but had not heard it or appreciated it as an adult really until this past summer at now-defunct Lincoln club Box Awesome. Jim the sound-guy was playing the song over the soundsystem in between bands, and I really heard it for the first time. I was like, “Holy Spit, this song is amazing!” Jim highly recommend this record, and I was willing to spend $10 on the record even if “Time of the Season” was the best song on the record. But it totally is not; they are all awesome. This is the epitome of British Baroque Pop. -Cory
5. Architects – The Hard Way

KC’s own boys turned around quick from last year’s “Vice,” pressing ten more tales of crime, alcohol, growing up, and indomitable punk spirit to plastic in time for Warped Tour.  Aside from lyrically heavy-handed clunker “I Carry A Gun,” the quartet burn through their tunes with a hunger I can only envy, stripping back guitar leads to the bare essentials and shouting home lines like “Bastards at the gate / Your walls are tumbling / Your pretty plastic world is crumbling, crumbling / Turn up the stereo, this is the end now / These bastards are your only friends now” (“Bastards At The Gate”).  2009’s Most Unforgettable Guitar Lick: “Big Iron Gate.” -h

4. Church – Song Force Crystal

Full disclosure; Cory knows these guys, and I opened for them at their KC show.  They played well to a small group of my friends and colleagues, a sort of warped, fractured, ever-so-slightly-proggy brand of pacific northwestern indie-twee, and I got a disc to support the tour, with modest expectations.  Then it grew on me.  And grew. -h

3. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion

Howie had mentioned that this is the first Animal Collective CD he’s really liked, and that’s also true for me, but it’s because this is the first Animal Collective CD I’ve heard. Before its release, it seems like I couldn’t read anything music-related without some mention of this record. Pitchfork practically named it the best record of the century before they’d even heard it. I’d heard a lot about AC and so I decided to buy the record, just to see what the fuss was about. It was kind of what I expected in that it’s really rich and echoey, but I did not expect it to be so pop. My friend described them as similar to the Beach Boys before I’d heard them, and that’s kind of accurate; there are lots of layered up-tempo harmonies, but the music and production is space-age. I was hooked when the second track, “My Girls,” came on. -Cory

2. Ladyfinger (ne) – Dusk

Making awesome metal out of everyday anxiety, decisions, and events takes guts and a willingness to risk being authentic in a genre known more for being larger-than-life.  Ladyfinger (ne) has both in spades.  “Dusk” earns its power through the compressed fury of the rhythm section, stark riffs, varied dynamics, and Chris Machmuller’s voice, which shifts from croon to howl like a classic Mustang.  Its tuffness is eminently listenable, a rare feat.  You can pull down five tracks from their site. -h

1. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Once every few years, a record comes out that is so much fun, you don’t even bother to analyze it or judge or it or measure it against other similar records. A couple years ago, that record for me was Vampire Weekend’s self-titled disc. This Phoenix sounds completely different than VW, but it manages to accomplish the same thing, which is to make a record that no one can deny. Phoenix might have even been more successful: unlike with VW, there hasn’t been any backlash against Phoenix: everyone loves this band and this record. It is a dance-party rock and roll record, and I can stop listening to it. Go online and listen to “1901” or “Lisztomania” and you’ll see what I mean. -Cory