Pictures from The Grizzly Bear Show

Here are the really bad pictures courtesy of my phone of the Grizzly Bear show at The Moore.

VECKATIMEST

Holy Moses! It hasn't been a very productive year at SoS, which is a shame because there have been giant earfuls of splendid new music in the last 9 1/2 months. Built to Spill's latest just came out and it's oh so very nice, but I feel compelled to play some catch-up. Not only that, but I've been writing this review in my head since it came out back in May! I honestly can't say how many times I've listened to it...

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest

Wow, where to start? (I've been kicking around this idea about doing all my reviews in a 100 words or less, but I'll save that for another disc). Does it live up to the hype? Maybe... Is it the best album of the year? Spencer already came out and anointed Merriweather Post Pavilion... Do I think Veckatimest is better? If my annual top-10 list was ranked as a function of how many times I listened to each, it could win by a healthy margin come January. It’s almost not fair to compare the two, so I won’t. My quibbles are minor. When firing on all cylinders*, it is sublime.

*it almost always does...............................................................................for reals

Though Grizzly Bear's first LP, Horn of Plenty, was technically the debut I don't really count it (it was written when the band was just Ed Droste). Yellow House unveiled the group in it's complete form- with Daniel Rossen (Department of Eagles!!), Chris Taylor and Chris Bear filling out the roster. But as a collaborative piece, their "sophomore" release was more of an amalgam- consisting of songs previously written by Droste and Rossen before their powers combined. It made for a splendidly varied sound topography, but Veckatimest is the first time they've collaboratively written and the result is pretty exciting. Yes, Droste and Rossen still have their signature tracks (see "Ready, Able" and "Dory," respectively), but this 4-headed monster isn't easily untangled.

The opening track,"Southern Point," showcases this new explosive potential with swagger and bombast. It steadily builds, shimmering and marching, then unexpectedly erupts like an electromagnetic hoard of bats from their subterranean well.....And in a snap, it's spare and intimate again- diving back into a solo acoustic denouement. It's startling and beautiful. (Plug in some good headphones and dig the stereo effect of the flutter).

"Two Weeks" is a perfect revisiting of the doo-wop aesthetic of the Crystal's "He Hit Me" cover from their Friend EP and provides some very necessary college-radio fodder. (Scroll to the end of the post to check out the song and video). The album unwinds to a needful smaller scale song by song, paring down the complexity of arrangements to "Dory" then amping back up progressively toward the lush finale, perfectly prefaced by "While you wait for the Others" (also see video down below).

The album starts as it ends: with a bang (not counting the haunting prologue- "Foreground"- I

always imagine he's singing "this is the foie gras..."). The Brooklyn Youth choir and the Acme String Quartet are used to gorgeous effect throughout, but particularly on "I live with you." It's a sprawling intergalactic effort deserving of it's own 60's B-SciFi music video (a la "Knife" from Yellow House- see right pic). Autoharp and flute welcome the strings which then melt into tidal swells of a choir-backed Rossen, (the ever-present bass clarinet lurking in the shadows), ultimately climaxing in a stratospheric collision of strings and synths.

(Ok, so this is why I want to do 100-word reviews and Haikus... I just don't feel it's enough to say that I like it).

So, in short: I love this album. Period.

Do I like it better than Department of Eagles' In Ear Park (My #1 pick for 2008)? I don't know if I do yet. Time will tell. (I'm more of a Rossen than a Droste kind of guy). I love that they experiment with sounds and genres, but occasionally the songs seem to feel a little detached. I loved the warmth and earthy feel of In Ear Park. Grizzly Bear sometimes sounds (for better or worse) like modern popular music as interpreted by extraterrestrials.

Check it out- let me know what you think.

Veckatimest Grade: 9.5/10

The Live Show:

Me and Sean saw Grizzly Bear at The Moore theater with opening band The Morning Benders last Friday. We were 8 rows back and the acoustics were quite nice. It was kind of convenient to sit down, but at times I was dancing in my seat and just wanted to jump around. For those familiar with the Friend EP version of "Little Brother" from Yellow House- it was that kind of show- all traditional arrangements for the most part (a little autoharp mixed in now and then) and the set had cool light schemes. But as awesome as it was to see them finally.... a Veckatimest live show deserves a backing choir and string quartet and some crazy projected visuals.... maybe even a painted papier mache boulder-field...... something. Yeah, it's about the music. Yeah all that other stuff would cost me more.... (or would it? i saw Sufjan on his Majesty Snowbird tour with his army of performers and elaborate stage show for the same cost like 4 years ago...) I still loved it... just imagined something a bit more grand.

Live Show Grade: 7.9/10

TWO WEEKS

While You Wait for the Others

Out of Comission

Ahoy! In a lull for the last couple of months... My schedule combined with a never-ending sinus infection has left me pretty wiped out. I have some much-needed time off now for the next couple of weeks!!! Holy crap!!!

I'm gearing up some very late album reviews (Grizzly Bear!) and some wacky 80's music videos. If you still haven't been over to Beck.com lately, you should really check it out. Nearly all of Modern Guilt Acoustic has been posted, and his Album-A-Day project has moved on to Leonard Cohen's Songs of Leonard Cohen after having posted all of the Velvet Underground project.

Enjoy the acoustic version of "Chem Trails" from Beck's Modern Guilt album!

Wow! Chalk!!

I've never seen anybody do anything that cool with chalk! It sort of reminds me of the video above, but I'm sure the chalk animation was much more challenging.

I've never been able to get into Coldplay, but their videos are often pretty clever. (guess they're compensating...) I guess Shynola did the animation. They've a bunch of stunning music videos in their portfolio and one of my all-time faves is Pyramid Song by Radiohead. (Make sure to watch it in HQ- Youtube won't let me embed it... I guess this video is based on a dream Thom Yorke had. Actually reminds me of lots of dreams I've had too...)

Thanks for the post, Sean!

Here's another fave of mine:

Amazing video Cold Play - Strawberry Swing

http://www.babelgum.com/3022304/coldplay-strawberry-swing.html
I studied animation at The Evergreen State College at two full time semesters and a summer class. So I feel like I know enough to be a animation snob. While at Evergreen and before I've never come across this approach. I've seen similar techniques on youtube and was very impressed. Props to Kate B. for finding this.

Beck o Beck o Beck o Beck!!

Record Club: Velvet Underground & Nico 'Sunday Morning' from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

For reals-like, get yourselves over to Beck's RECORD CLUB for a little more of the above goodness. To keep the creative particles smashing in his Hadron collider of a brain, he's taken to doing covers.......

of entire albums.......

in a single day............ (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

The first album- Velvet Underground and Nico. He's putting out each song one at a time with a roughshod DIY video on his site. Guest artists, actors (? Giovanni Ribisi?), plants, and animals are all fair game. I guess it started when Sonic Youth approached him about involvement on a Boxed Set they're putting together. Included will be a cassette (yes.. tape...) only version of EVOL as interpreted by Beck and friends. Oh and yeah.. you guessed it- he recorded the album in a single day. Matador released a split 7" not too long ago with his version of "Green Light" on one side and Sonic Youth's version of "Pay no Mind" on the other. Haven't heard either.....limited pressing w/ no mp3s......

.....you will pay for your sins, Matador!!!....

Anyway, who knows what album he'll do next? Maybe he'll settle down in Reno and become the Coverband Chameleon! Seriously though, as fun as this looks and sounds so far, he's really hoping to boost creativity by doing covers? I guess it's a way to stretch you in musical directions you might have shied away from. But... if they all come out just sounding like Beck songs.... We'll see where he takes it.

I don't care, I think it's cool.

Sasquatch 2009

Ok, so this isn't going to be pretty but I've got to get it out of my system. (I got halfway through a gargantuan post (10+ videos) last summer for the Sub Pop 20th Anniversary Fest. and then totally burned out... too much information... sorry Sub Pop, I still love you, though..)

Music festivals are like a cross between a Tapas Bar and an Indian Buffet, nice mix of stuff you know and stuff you don't, potent little morsels piled up in such a spread you could never possibly eat them all. You soak in so much sun and sound, you can puke it all out your ears again.

Sasquatch!!! The Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA!! (Did you know there's a Martha, WA too?) A dusty bowl perched atop the cliffs of the mighty Columbia, a roaring hillside wall of sound (if not the Phil Specter variety). Check out some of the videos I took of some of the shows! (don't mock my feeble camera skills...) I need a bigger memory card... or camera!!!

BLIND PILOT

We missed the first couple of bands but made it in time for these guys. A very pleasant surprise as a live show and a great way to start off the day. Banjo, bass, guitar pickin' ditties... great sunny afternoon music.

DEATH VESSEL

Scooted from the Wookie stage to the Yeti stage for this Sub Pop group. Billed as a "neo-traditionalist" folk act, both their name as well as their visage (all black, long hair, vampire-white skin) conjure visions of a norwegian black metal group. I think it might have been the tiny Yeti stage (few bands sounded great there), but DV was pretty underwhelming. We ditched them early to go see Doves down at the mainstage.

DOVES

Brit boys. The mainstage suited their sound, some cool songs but not enough to keep me from leaving early to go see Passion Pit....

PASSION PIT

...which was pretty disappointing... one of the biggest let-downs of the day. just don't translate well into a live show. like animal collective, they would have benefited from an indoor or nighttime venue.

DEVOTCHKA

Probably the biggest surprise for me at Sasquatch! You listen to their recorded material and they're decent to good (everybody knows their biggest hit- "how it ends" made popular by the preview for the film adaptation of everything is illuminated, and the commercials for Gears of War) but they're MONSTERS on stage. Really fantastic live show. I had planned on leaving early to go catch Shearwater, but was too hypnotized to move... Gypsy music meets mariachi meets rockin' balkan polka. Super rad.

M. WARD

M. Ward!!!!!!!! One of the best shows of the day. We were up close and personal for this set at the mainstage. I just laid down in the sun using my jacket as a pillow and listened with my eyes closed. Not very engaging with the crowd, but a well-performed set chock with greats and covers.

Animal Collective

I was really looking forward to this set and wasn't disappointed. They kicked off with Summertime Clothes which transitioned seamlessly to My Girls which bled into a 10 or 15 minute blow-your-mind version of Fireworks (the three songs together with some jammage clocked in at around 40 min). The thing that sucked was that they went on in the afternoon instead of the evening... they should have had the Yeah Yeah Yeah's slot...

Ra Ra Riot

One of Ann's favorite bands- she's seen them multiple times/places (even in NYC). I'd never heard them, though, and once again the acoustics of the Yeti stage were pretty subpar. Seemed like some pretty cool songs, but the set was a bit underwhelming given the sonic limitations.

THE DECEMBERISTS

You know? I haven't been able to dig their stuff since leaving Kill Rock Stars. Maybe someday it'll grow on me, but maybe I'm just bored with Colin Meloy. Me and Ann watched from the top of the grassy amphitheater of the mainstage and wondered if we might have dug it more being down closer to the action... maybe. I guess during the set way over to the left of where we'd been (after we'd ditched for Mos Def) a couple got nekkid and intimate for all to see.... man, how i've missed music festivals at the Gorge....

MOS DEF

HOLY MOSES!!! The Def is back! I thought he'd gone all hollywood... He was all smiles and energy- the sun was setting opposite the Wookie stage and he freaked out for a minute or so about the ambiance and the landscape, "Look at this place!!! Look! Look! It's unreal!" Would have been nice to see him indoors with better acoustics, but his juxtaposition against the dry hills and the twilight canyon was pretty surreal.

BON IVER

The night effectively ended with Bon Iver. I had no interest in seeing the mainstage show Yeah Yeah Yeahs (we watched a song or two just to say we did...Karen O's voice is like a cheese grater on my brain) Kings of Leon and Crystal Castles came next, but Bon Iver was the perfect cap to a near-perfet day; a sweet nightcap catharsis to a sun-drenched and sonic-soaked day. Justin Vernon sure knows how to work the crowd! Of the videos above I only recorded the cover of Kathleen Edwards' Mercury (ran out of card space...but kept this one for its uniqueness). I could have listened for hours more.... but he practically played every song he's ever recorded (including the Dark was the Night stuff) Hats off... one of the best live sets I've seen in a while.

Here's a freebie- check out this awesome acapella version of "for Emma"





So we listened to one song by Kings of Leon and split. Long day... and nothing was about to top what we'd just seen. Can't wait to see next year's lineup!

Scintillation

Check this out!!! This video called Scintillation was made by Xavier Chassaing, a director from Paris. He used a combination of stop motion and live projection mapping of 3d animation. Its a little slow at first, but stick around until around a minute in and you won't be disappointed.

SCINTILLATION from Xavier Chassaing on Vimeo.

Rest in Peace, Jeff

Wow..... what terrible news. It was reported that his parents found him in his new Minneapolis apartment, having apparently fallen and died as a result of hitting his head on a concrete floor. Really nice guy and great songwriter. (Why doesn't this stuff happen to Mexican drug lords or serial killers?) Man, I'm bummed.

Merriweather Post Pavilion

(First paragraph accidentally erased.... sorry Spencer... I was trying a new thing with embedding the player inside the post and I chopped it. But to paraphrase: Spencer was being hard on himself for not having posted this sooner, but school happened... blah blah blah, wah wah wah... oh yeah and he's so tired of going to see the Liberty Bell... Spencer- there are starving children in China who would give their left ear to see the Liberty Bell.... jeesh. :) Sorry again. )

But the last of Lisa’s family winged home this morning, and I have a week until my job in SLC starts, so I have all the time in the world to wax rhapsodic about the new album.

And what an album it is. Back when Merriweather Post Pavilion came out in mid-January, I had a review planned out in my mind where I called it the best album of 2009. Granted, the dramatic heft of that statement has been somewhat neutered by the intervening five months, but it’s as true now as it was then. Grizzly Bear who? Bat for Lashes what? No matter how you slice it, I guarantee 2009 will end with MPP being the best album of the year. At least according to me.

This is normally the point at which I would delve into the history of Animal Collective and discuss their back catalogue. The problem is, their back catalogue is so dense, so rich and frothy, that it would take me several posts to sum up their musical history before getting around to reviewing MPP. Suffice it to say, like with most challenging music, new listeners of Animal Collective should start at the end and work their way backward; a LIFO approach to familiarization, if you will. Whatever you do, if you’re new to Animal Collective, don’t jump in with Spirit They’ve Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished. That’s the deep end of the pool. That way lies madness.

As for the band itself, Animal Collective features a rotating membership mostly comprised of Avey Tare (real name: David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Deacon (Josh Dibb) and Geologist (Brian Weitz), four friends who met in college and decided – probably while under the influence of psychedelic chemicals – that they should write some bizarre music. Although that music has been described as “Noise Pop,” “Experimental” or “Freak Folk” (I agree with Bart – misleading in the extreme), the label I most prefer is “New Primitivism” (see my 2008 top ten list for an all together too lengthy discussion of New Primitivism), if one really must apply labels at all. Regardless, their music features throbbing beats, samples, tortured shrieks and yelps, screams and grunts, and what sounds like broken Casio keyboards – in a word, it's wonderful. At times, however, Animal Collective strays too far into self-indulgence. Almost every one of their albums has at least one song that’s a seven-minute long drone of shifting, grating noise. I’ve grown to appreciate even those songs, but it’s been a process, almost an act of faith. That said, MPP is remarkable in that it entirely lacks any soft, dead moments; the entire album from start to finish is pure, gold-plated joy. Join me on a whirlwind tour:

The album starts of with “In the Flowers,” probably the most traditionally Animal Collective of any of MPP’s songs. Swirling vocals and watery sounds build until about two minutes thirty seconds, when a crazy carnival erupts and carries the listener, captive, into the next song.

“My Girls” is one of two songs on MPP that come the closest to being traditional singles material. It also features one of the most hummable choruses that Tare and company have ever produced: “I don’t mean, to seem like I care about, material things, like the social status. I just want, four walls and adobe slats, for my girls. Whooo!” Another reviewer pointed out that there might have been some intentional irony there, as social status is not a material thing, whereas four walls and slats are. Whatever the meaning behind the song (and trying to find meaning behind Animal Collective songs is not a feat best attempted sober or sane), I dare you to listen to this song without bobbing along to the beat.

The next song, “Also Frightened,” is a manic fire dance of a song. Faint shrieks punctuate laidback, almost contemplative lyrics. It feels simultaneously slow yet fast, relaxed yet anxious, until around the three-minute mark when it evolves into the somehow triumphal refrain of “are you also, frightened?” before returning to the earlier pattern and fading out.

If “My Girls” makes you bob your head, “Summertime Clothes” will make you get up and dance. The second very single-esque song on the album, “Summertime Clothes” wouldn’t feel out of place on a slightly more psychedelic Cut Copy CD. By the end you’ll be singing along: “But I want to walk around with you!”

The next four songs slow things. “Daily Routine” is cascading notes morphing into drawn out vocals and whiplashes. “Bluish” is an almost sweet love song; “I’m getting lost in your curls,” sighs Avery during the chorus. “Guys Eyes,” is all layered vocals and samples, and sounds like it wouldn’t have been out of place on Panda Bear's 2007 solo album Person Pitch. “Taste” is a solipsistic circus ride, as Avery muses whether he’s “really all the things that are outside of me.”

“Lion in a Coma” picks up the pace again; it’s the best (and only?) song I’ve ever heard that features a didgeridoo. Of all the songs on the album, this is the most tribal sounding, but of course this is intentional as Avery yelps that “this wilderness up in my head needs to get right out of my clothes and get into my bedroom.” Again, no idea what he’s talking about, but it sounds fantastic.

“No More Runnin” suggests a secluded lagoon with its slow-tempo beat and drippy sounds. Indeed, the song was written to evoke visions a relaxed, watery refuge. Yet the song begins to take on a melancholic, introspective aspect as the listener realizes that the narrator might currently not be floating in the lagoon, but looks ahead to the day when he will be able to do so. “It’s what I hope for; no more runnin.”

The album finishes up with “Brothersport,” a madcap, droning, reggae-esque, tropical anthem. If this song were in Spanish, it would have easily fit right into El Guincho’s Allegranza. It’s a lively, optimistic song, and it’s the perfect way to finish up the album after the mellower “No More Runnin.”

In MPP, Animal Collective has crafted an album that’s not only their most accessible, but their most cohesive album as well. A lot of good stuff has come out this year, and a lot of good stuff is still on the horizon (new Sunset Rubdown in June!) but for my money, Merriweather Post Pavilion is the best CD 2009 has to offer.

Here's a video of Animal Collective performing "Summertime Clothes" on Letterman:



Here's the music video to "My Girls":



And here's the music video of the song "Fireworks," from their previous album Strawberry Jam:

Sufjan covers Castanets

So I wanted to do a post on the new Red Hot Organization's latest benefit compilation, Dark Was the Night. Problem is, I've only downloaded like 1/3 of it.... (ran out of my monthly eMusic tracks...) I heard that Sufjan Stevens, Decemberists, Bon Iver, Arcade Fire and others had all contributed original recordings to this 31 track monster and couldn't resist. I'm especially desperate for any new Sufjan stuff..... (come on man! I'd even settle for some Know your Rabbit outtakes!!!) I don't believe I've bought a RHO comp since No Alternative (mostly for Smashing Pumpkins' "Glynnis" and the Nirvana hidden track "verse chorus verse"), but from what I've heard so far- this one's freakin' awesome. So look for a DWTN post in the somewhat distant future.....for now I'm impatiently awaiting my emusic to click over to April.....

So if you're my wife, you may have already navigated away from this page before reading this far (or maybe you've turned the volume down- the opening dissonance doesn't last long...promise). Also- some of you probably check the blog while at school or work and miss out on the soundtrack. Anyway, when you get the chance- listen to these three tracks and I think you'll be glad you did. Sufjan Stevens' contribution to DWTN is a 10 minute cover/reimagining of "You are the Blood" from the Castanet's Athsmatic Kitty debut, Cathedral. Thoroughly enjoying it, I set out to aquire the original.... This album has been in my eMusic "Save for Later" file forever and though I'd heard a couple tracks, I'd never pulled the trigger. Having used my last download for DWTN, I popped over to my favorite Portland music store, Everyday Music and grabbed a used copy.

How to describe them? Gothic Americana? Folk Noir? Psychedelic Folk? Some people lump these guys together under the umbrella of "Freak Folk," but besides finding most labels inaccurate and constricting, I really hate this one. I've read Joanna Newsom (I'm doing a post on her next), Devendra Banhart, Animal Collective (neo-primitivism, no?) and Panda Bear, even Sufjan as being lumped into this construct. Banhart (perhaps the only real "freak")prefers "Naturalismo," but that sounds like you're hawking herbal supplements (Teamocil !!!). I guess labels are inevitable even if you successfully defy categorization, you become the label, the point of comparison.

Anyway...

The Castanets are basically Raymond Raposa and whoever else he can get together. Originally from San Diego and since relocated to Brooklyn (....yawn....), they've put out a handful of disks on Athsmatic Kitty since 2004. Cathedrals was their debut and today's first two tracks are the 4th and 5th on the album and though "You are the Blood" (sounds a little Velvet Underground, don't you think?) is quite the standout, the album is best listened to as a whole. I love the dusty sound- the acoustic guitars, reverb, chattering and plodding percussion, baritone sax.... electronica? Yeah, it's a rich soundscape. The lived-in feel makes me think of the crackly analog recordings of Phil Elvrum, picking up sounds from the street below... people walking through the studio.

The third track is, of course, Sufjan's 10 min plus cover. Word to your moms. Take a listen, ey.

You Are The Blood (Castanets)

No Light to be Found (Castanets)

You Are The Blood (Sufjan Stevens covering)

Amitabh??? Amitabh Bachchan???? Amitabh!!!!

More Fauxlbums....

Ok, some more faux albums..... fauxlbums....??? Some of these bands are just begging for a paragraph bio....

From Jacob: MURGATROYD!!!


From Sterling:

Gianni Alemanno
"Match them to the Challenge"

(that album title should have an exclamation point..... challenge!!!!)



Next, this one from Zac:

Columba the Virgin
"What the Hell Good Would That Do?"

And.... so I decided to do another.... too much fun

Salem News

"Without Speech, Fly Freely About"

Keep 'em rolling!!!!

Album Art Competition

So not really a competition because every element is randomly selected. And yes, this is one of those annoying facebook thingies that clog your inbox. But mine actually turned out half-way decent. Don't think I'd ever call a band "Hound," but the picture's cool.

Ok, so here's the rules:

1 - Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to Quotations Page and select "random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together and post it!

Pretty cool, huh?


UPDATE- 1st submission by TRACY: PALIKIRUS COSMETUS!!!


Ann's Band: WICHITA WILD!!!!!

Hipsters: Shrugging Themselves into Oblivion

http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/hipster.html

"Hipsterdom is the first “counterculture” to be born under the advertising industry’s microscope, leaving it open to constant manipulation but also forcing its participants to continually shift their interests and affiliations. Less a subculture, the hipster is a consumer group – using their capital to purchase empty authenticity and rebellion. But the moment a trend, band, sound, style or feeling gains too much exposure, it is suddenly looked upon with disdain. Hipsters cannot afford to maintain any cultural loyalties or affiliations for fear they will lose relevance."

"It’s an odd dance of self-identity – adamantly denying your existence while wearing clearly defined symbols that proclaims it."

"...too self-aware to let themselves feel any form of liberation; they shuffle along, shrugging themselves into oblivion."

"The hipster represents the end of Western civilization – a culture so detached and disconnected that it has stopped giving birth to anything new."

Oh snap!!!!!!!!!!

Spencer's Top Ten (And Then Some)

2008 was . . . different.  All right, let’s be honest; with two important exceptions 2008 was horrible.  Luckily, seeing as how this is a music blog, one of those exceptions was music.  2008 was a great year for music, but it was certainly different than 2007.  2007, for me at least, was the year of old favorites - Animal Collective, Arcade Fire, Sunset Rubdown and Of Montreal all released fantastic albums.  2008, on the other hand, was a year of new bands, new sounds and, for me at least, a little branching out. So without further ado, here are my top ten albums of 2008:

#10 The Ruby Suns – Sea Lion

A minor debate is raging across the internet as to whether the moniker “new-primitivist” is a genre, sub-genre, movement, or merely an adjective. As far as I can tell, the phrase first cropped up in Pitchfork’s review of The Dodos “Visiter,” in which the reviewer compared that album to those of other new-primitivist bands like Animal Collective, Yeasayer and High Places.  The review doesn’t, however, tell us what new-primitivism is except mention that it involves “locomotive percussion [which] is every bit a lead instrument as [the] guitar. . . .”  That’s a pretty broad definition upon which to hang a genre, or even a sub-genre; regardless, when I read that review I had a moment of clarity in which all these wacky, chanty, tribal-sounding bands I was getting into suddenly had a label – they were new-primitivist.  Long story short – I love new-primitivism.

It should be no surprise, then, that several new-primitivist bands show up on my end-of-the-year lists.  Sea Lion is merely the first of many.  The song you will probably be most familiar with is “Oh, Mojave,” which is used as a jingle in recent Windows commercials.  The first time I saw one of those commercials I think I had an aneurism – “they’re playing the Ruby Suns in a commercial?   They’re playing the RUBY SUNS in a commercial?”  Don’t let that be your only exposure to the band.

What makes Sea Lion great is that it is very much a global (in that it borrows instruments and sounds from around the world), but remarkably unpretentious, album.  Indeed, the songs exude a kind of warm, gentle optimism.  Like so much of the rest of this list, Sea Lion will take a while to grow on you, but it will be worth it.

# 9 Department of Eagles – In Ear Park

Bart already had a great entry on this album, so I don’t know if I need to elaborate.  Suffice it to say that In Ear Park came out of nowhere toward to end of the year to displace some other great albums on my list.  I’m glad it did.

# 8 Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

This one actually got a limited release in 2007, but its mainstream release was in 2008, so I’m including it.  Justin Vernon, the sole member of Bon Iver, apparently wrote and recorded the album while living for three months in a Wisconsin cabin and recovering from the breakup of his previous band, the breakup of a relationship, and mononucleosis of the liver.  What can I say?  Heartbreak and loneliness make for great music – you can almost hear the cold winter wind blowing through Vernon’s sparse, haunting melodies. Listen to this album, but bear in mind that it will make you depressed; luckily you can listen to the next album to cheer you back up again.

# 7 El Guincho – Alegranza

I don’t recall where I first heard of this guy (probably from Dave); regardless, I went to his Myspace page and listened, entranced, to the few songs he had looping on the embedded player.  I knew I had to have this album. Unfortunately, the only place selling was a record store in NYC that was charging way too much for a single CD.  Of course, I bought it, and almost immediately had the buyer’s remorse.  I think that colored my perceptions of the full CD when I finally listened to it because I recall being somewhat underwhelmed.  But then I kept on coming back to it – I don’t know that any other 2008 album has, in the end, as much staying power as Alegranza.  I’m listening to it right now and loving it all over again.

If For Emma, Forever Ago, is winter, then Alegranza is summer.  Tropical rhythms and beats are looped over Spanish chanting and samples to create a layered, sophisticated tableau of sounds.   Imagine an island Animal Collective or Panda Bear album and you’ll begin to appreciate Alegranza; and in a year without an Animal Collective or Panda Bear release it was a welcome alternative.  I dare you to listen to this and not bob your head along.

# 6 Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours

Way back in April when I did my post on the Unicorns (I never did do my promised Islands follow up) (not that anybody noticed) I solemnly declared that “new new wave has come and gone.”  I was a fool.  And a liar.  Two albums would soon be released that would show that there was still plenty of nostalgic, electronic goodness to be squeezed from the seemingly withered teat of the eighties (too far?); In Ghost Colours was one of them.

In Ghost Colours is pure, unpretentious electronic pop.  These guys aren’t looking to reinvent the wheel, but they are perfecting it.  It’s amazing how, in the right hands, the same sound you’ve heard hundreds of times can seem fresh and innovative.  It isn’t deep music, but you’ll be too busy dancing to care.

# 5 Girl Talk – Feed the Animals

Girl Talk is Greg Gillis, a former biomedical engineer who creates “mashup” music by taking hundreds of samples from hip-hop and pop songs and combining them to create a twisted, dizzying stream of constantly evolving music.  Although I’m generally not a fan of hip hop, I’ve loved Girl Talk from the moment I heard his previous album, Night Ripper.   As such, Feed the Animals was one of my most anticipated albums of 2008, and I was not disappointed.

What separates Girl Talk from other hip hop artists, for me at least, are both its mutability (the song you’re listening to now is not the song you were listening to thirty seconds ago) and its (for lack of a better word) catchiness; I’ll get loops of Girl Talk songs stuck in my head for days.  Be warned that Girl Talk gets pretty filthy at times.  After all, Gillis pulls most of his samples from modern rap samples, and he doesn’t pull any punches when deciding to use a particular song.  Whether you think Girl Talk is genius or just a guilty pleasure, there’s no denying the raw, visceral appeal of his music.

#4 Vampire Weekend – S/T

I’m always amazed by how quickly the collective opinion of the internet can swing from “hotly anticipated” to “over-hyped and over-played.”  Vampire Weekend is a perfect example of this – some early leaks of their debut album got everyone in a frenzy, the album dropped, was HUGE, and almost immediately hipster kids became disdainful.  Whatever.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that a band’s success may actually correlate with its quality; shouldn't great bands become popular?  Vampire Weekend certainly deserve their ensuing popularity, as they crafted one of the most engaging, listenable albums of 2008.

The members of Vampire Weekend first met when the four of them were attending Columbia, and an Ivy League influence permeates their music – two of their main musical influences are African pop and classical music, and many of their songs deal with the travails of academic life.  What makes Vampire Weekend work is that they never take themselves too seriously; their songs are sung with a certain winky cheekiness, so you’re never sure whether they’re celebrating the upper-crust lifestyle or skewering it instead.  Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the music itself is playful, uptempo American pop wedded to African drum beats; it’s complex and erudite without being esoteric or inaccessible.

I know they hate this comparison, but Vampire Weekend really reminds me of a Graceland-era Paul Simon.  Graceland is one of my favorite albums of all time, so it should be no surprise that I love Vampire Weekend, no matter what the internet says.

# 3 Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer

Again, Bart did a great write-up of this album, so I’ll spare you my own musings.  I will say that separately Spencer Krug (Sunset Rubdown) and Dan Boeckner (Handsome Furs) can do no wrong, so when they get together and write a Wolf Parade album it’s almost automatically a thing of beauty.

# 2 Crystal Castles – S/T

England’s Crystal Castles is definitely a love ‘em or hate ‘em kind of band.  Imagine distorted female chants, crackles and wails played over electronic drum beats and eight-bit boops and beeps.  Now imagine that same thing, but imagine it as a sort of pulsing, neon worm that burrows deep inside your brain and refuses to leave.  That’s Crystal Castles.

From all reports, Ethan Kath and Alice Glass, the two members of Crystal Castles, belong to that seemingly ever-expanding group of individuals known as “douche bags who write great music” (see also, Islands).  Here that label seems particularly appropriate as it would be impossible for nice people to make music this glitchy and sneeringly over the top. Listen to "Love And Caring" (one of the stand out tracks) and tell me the people who created that song weren’t total jerks.  I’m glad people like this exist, because without them we wouldn’t get music this audacious and daring.  I’m also glad, however, that they live far, far away.

#1 The Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride

I’ve been staring at this screen for the last half hour trying to put my love for the Mountain Goats into words.  I’m having a hard time, so I’ll leave it at this: John Darnielle (the lead singer and for a long time only member of the Mountain Goats) is the greatest singer/song writer working today; "September 15, 1983" is one of the most moving songs I’ve ever heard; and Heretic Pride is the greatest album of 2008.

The Best of the Rest (in no particular order)

#11 The Dodos – Visiter

According to Pitchfork, they’re new-primitivist, so I must love them.

#12 Born Ruffians – Red, Yellow and Blue

A new-primitivistish band, although less abstract and more poppy than most bands of that ilk.

#13 F*ck Buttons – Street Horrrsing

At times, this album crosses the line into pure noise; but no other band that I know of taps that primal part of the human brain as well as these guys.

#14 M83 – Saturdays = Youth

Remember up above when I said two excellent new new wave albums came out in 2008?  This was the other one.   An airy, ethereal tribute to John Hughes movies.

#15 TV on the Radio – Dear Science

You don’t need me to tell you how excellent this album is; I’m sure you’ve all heard it before.

#16 Russian Circles – Station

Sort of a metal inspired post-rock.  Intense stuff.

#17 This Will Destroy You – S/T

Just straight up, really good post-rock.

#18 Los Campesinos – Hold on Now, Youngster

Like Architecture in Helsinki, these guys drift into twee territory at times; however, also like Architecture in Helsinki, it’s impossible to listen to them and be sad.

#19 Okkervil River – The Stand Ins

A worthy, almost as good follow up to 2007’s The Stage Names.  "Lost Coastlines" is one of the best songs of the year.

#20 Islands – Arms Way

Bart summed it up for me.  Great band, great album.

Top 10 and a Half of 2008: Part II

Did you like my little (?) at the end of the last post when I said that Part II would be up at the end of the following week? As the French say, "On n'apprend pas aux vieux singes à faire des grimaces," (or is it, "Il vaut mieux faire que dire"?... I can't remember...I don't speak French).

Not sure how many folks listened to the playlist for Part I, but the songs can still be listened to. Just click on the song titles and hey presto!

So, I guess Radiohead's In Rainbows is being considered a 2008 release. Not in my books- the pay-as-you-may in October 2007 got it listed in my top-10 last year. (Just in case anybody was wondering...).

While I'm at it- I'm not doing an honorable mention list. But I also enjoyed releases by Women, Dr. Dog, and Cut Copy.

(Once again- Spencer's post is up now, but you can still listen to the songs below- click (right click even!.... save as....or don't....) on the hyperlink for the song titles. Word).

#5 Beck: Modern Guilt (Orphans)

Ok, so I'm a little biased when it comes to Beck. From the second I finished listening to Mellow Gold back in the summer of 1994, my fate was sealed. I'm a Mellow Gold/One Foot In The Grave/Mutations Beck man and though there isn't an album I don't like, there are elements of his musical schizophrenia that I'm more partial to. Beck has mostly played it safe (predictable?) since Midnight Vultures, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but maybe the early comparisons with David Bowie aren't that far off (look at Bowie's plateau (decline?) in the 80's/90's). This album reminds me of Radiohead's In Rainbows (except for the part where Nigel Godrich is substituted with Dangermouse). There may not be another Odelay or Mellow Gold (or Ok Computer/Kid A for RH) up his sleeves, but the man is still one heck of a song-smithey. With Dylan-esque cover art, you might think of a return to One Foot in the Grave, or even a little Mutations, but this 'aint no Highway 61 Revisited. I love the reverb-saturation on this album. I love the quick and lean run-time, each song charging into the next- it crackles and drives. The album starts out strong starting out with a quartet of gems, "Orphans", "Gamma Ray", "Chemtrails", and "Modern Guilt". It meanders a bit in the middle, but ends of on a strong note with "Profanity Prayers" and the exquisite "Volcano." Chekkit.

#4 Jeff Hanson: Madam Owl (Night)

I usually try to stay in touch with the latest and greatest coming out of my two favorite hometown record labels, K Records and Kill Rock Stars, but Jeff Hanson had flown under my radar until this year when Jacob highlighted him in September after the release of Madam Owl. (Click on the hotlink for his review). Shortly after that me and Ann went to go see him perform at Chop Suey here in Seattle. (I don't know, but seeing him live before ever hearing one of his recordings minimized the wierd-out factor with his falsetto). Great music- great show, great album.

#3 Islands: Arm's Way (Creeper)

The Unicorns died young. I love Islands, but feel we were cheated out of a 3 or 4 album string before the untimely self-destruction and rebirth (the jettison of Alden Penner and now Jamie Thompson after the first Islands album). I love the shoestring budget feel to Who will cut our hair when we're gone? and was initially turned off by the bigger-production bombast of Island's debut Return to the Sea. I've grown quite fond of that album, but there are still things that don't work for me ("Where there's a will, there's a whalebone" not being one of them, surprisingly). Arm's Way fully realizes the vision of that album and then some. In some ways it reminds me of Built to Spill's Perfect from now on- Doug Martsch and Co. took their newfound major label debut cash and created an utterly brilliant opus, throwing convention and caution to the wind (radio-friendly song lengths be damned). Islands' latest feels equally inspired. I love it so. Songs like "Creeper," "Pieces of You," and "J'aime Vous Voir Quitter" are immediately accessible, jumping to the top of your repeat list, but "In the Rushes" (7 min.) and "Vertigo" (11 min!!) become cooler and cooler with each listen. (Look out for a little Who-lovin).

#2 Fleet Foxes (self titled LP) (White Winter Hymnal)

Jakob did another nice review of this album over the summer. I first read the pitchfork review, then Jake's, then a couple songs into the album (streaming on Rhapsody), I made a quick iTunes purchase.

Holy mackerel.

The music alone could have never convinced me that these guys are from Seattle (Lake Washington High School, represent!), let alone anywhere beneath the often gray skies of the pacific northwest (I could maybe see a little N. Cali...). From the soaring harmonies on the opening track, "Sun it Rises" to the intimate closing, "Oliver James," they could hardly have crafted a more perfect album. Put on some headphones, close your eyes, and say sayonara to the next couple of hours (days, weeks...) Phil Ek (Built to Spill again!!) produced this and their first two releases (both EPs). Exquisitely beautiful. I don't think I have a favorite track- sometimes I'm in the mood for "White Winter Hymnal", sometimes it's "Meadowlark"... sometimes it's "Blue Ridge Mountains (elements of that song remind me a little of the soundtrack for Spirited Away by Miyazaki...). If you haven't heard this album yet, you'll regret every day that you procrastinated. Hop to it.... hop to it.

#1 Department of Eagles: In Ear Park (Balmy Night)

Ok, so Fleet Foxes and DoE duked it out for a couple of weeks in my iPod for the #1 spot. Fleet Foxes kept their edge most of the time because they're local boys (yeah, there's a little conflict of interest...). Don't get me wrong, it's still pretty close- I would even go as far as to call Fleet Foxes co-best album, but nobody likes wishy-washy. When I originally reviewed this back in November, I gushed all over the place about it. I'm not sure how much more I can add besides that it's never grown old. I still sometimes listen to it a couple times a day when I can. Back when Arcade Fire's Funeral came out, it was on repeat so long it practically melded with my CD player. After a month or two, I started to get scared that maybe I'd get sick of it (like I'd once done with Grandaddy's Sophtware Slump). Never happened. I don't see that happening here either.

It's all about Re-Listenability. Not that there's anything wrong with Fleet Foxes instant listenability, but the most rewarding albums are those that continue to unfold and surprise with each spin. "No One Does it Like You" first grabbed my attention, but I quickly fell in love with "Around the Bay" and the title track. Later- "Phantom Other," "Fields of Rye" (!!!). Yeah, I still listen from start to finish, but sometimes when I'm driving around I'll listen over and over again to the last three tracks- "Therapy Car Noise", "Floating on the Lehigh", and "Balmy Night" (the final track on the MixTape). Ach, Balmy Night. If I weren't quickly tiring of writing this entry, I'd bore you all with an ode to each. Seriously, though, don't tempt me.

Definitely one of my favorite albums in years. I'm sure I'll get all giddy and what-not when their next album comes out, but in the meantime I'm more than satisfied with this awesome-tastic LP.


Word to your moms. Thank you, 2008. Here's to 2009!!!