Seconds Matter EP/Overgrown Path

Seconds Matter EP - Brightside (It's a Trap!, 2012)
Here's another one of those surprising, good, new emo bands I've come across. Like a lot of those bands, Brightside include a strong element of pop punk in their sound, making these songs fun and upbeat. Loose vocals, bright guitars, hooks, etc. All the stuff that has somehow made this genre relevant again are here.


Overgrown Path - Chris Cohen (Captured Tracks, 2012)
Surprise of the year? Quite possibly. Chris Cohen played guitar in Deerhoof on Apple O' (2003) through The Runners Four (2005) and, unbeknownst to me until recently, lent his talents to Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti at some point. I did not care for his other projects (The Curtains and Cryptacize, aside from their phenomenal 2009 track "One Block Wonders"), but man, Overgrown Path hits the spot! Jangly, sunshine-y 60s psych pop mixed with some 70s soft rock ala Fleetwood Mac at their most subtle, and that about sums this record up. All the new emo I've been digesting in 2012 has made me forget how much I like smooth, soft music with tons of space, muted bass, close mic-ed drums and catchy guitar licks like on "Caller No. 99." Great record.

Riala/Among the Leaves/True/Mourning Glow 7"

Riala - Suis La Lune (Topshelf, 2012)
Sweden's Suis La Lune play melodic, emotional hardcore, or screamo (shudder), if you will. Not your local mall's screamo, though. These vocals sound almost tortured, certainly not whiny. On their latest LP, Riala, the band does dynamics excellently, transitioning back and forth between sections with chimey, clean channel guitars and those with heavier distortion, gnarly lead guitar parts and bombastic rhythms. While I appreciate the intensity, the band's knack for melody is key. And Riala is yet another album that brings on that high school and early college nostalgia for me. It's been really fun getting back into heavy music this year.


Among the Leaves - Sun Kil Moon (Caldo Verde, 2012)
Mark Kozelek can continue to make records like this into forever, and I'd continue to be content with that. Among the Leaves is his fifth LP under his Sun Kil Moon moniker, and it's more of the same stuff: Elaborately picked acoustic guitar, strings, and Kozelek's rich baritone. I'm not complaining, because these songs are gorgeous, and some how more enjoyable than those on 2010's Admiral Fell Promises, though they are equally as sparse. Regardless, Kozelek is the master of fall tunes, and I'm glad he's still putting out records.


True - Violens (Slumberland, 2012)
Big surprise, another post-punk/new wave/indie pop band on Slumberland Records! On Violens' sophomore LP, True, comparisons can certainly be made to Slumberland labelmates Big Troubles and all those Captured Tracks bands. There are a couple of stand out elements to the record, though. While the band's sound is certainly of the 80s, the production sounds much more modern and polished than the more lo-fi recordings of a lot of the bands playing this similar style. The synths are definitely there, but there's more emphasis on guitars and drums, which is cool by me. This especially comes in handy on the bizarro couplet "Unfolding Black Wings" and "All Night Low," where there are gnarly distorted guitars and straight up punk drum beats. Still, the highlight is closer "So Hard to See," which is a dance-pop gem. True is a surprising, good addition to the list of quality 2012 albums.


Mourning Glow 7" - Wild Moth (Asian Man, 2012)
Wild Moth are a new Asian Man Records band that seem to be a bit heavier and messier than the label is typically known far. Sure, there are still pop punk and even emo elements to these four songs, but essentially, Wild Moth play dark and noisy post-punk with plenty of melodic elements that somehow help the band to fit in with the label's roster. The production on this 7" is appropriate: bright but messy. The vocals, guitars, bass and drums all sound pretty gnarly, but like I mentioned earlier, these songs are still melodic. Nothing mindblowing here, but on Mourning Glow, Wild Moth show a considerable amount of potential.

Ghost World/The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove/Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Ghost World - Daniel Clowes (1997)
As long as I've been into graphic novels, it's curious that I just now got around to reading Daniel Clowes' famous and critically acclaimed Ghost World. I would certainly have been more effected had I read it in late high school or early college. At 28, these girls just sound like annoying, pretentious, entitled, whiny brats. Sure, their dialogue is often times funny, especially when they're making fun of the pop culture of the time, or of people for what they like. It just gets really grating, because I hate people like this. Regardless, Ghost World is a funny critique of hipsterdom, and an interesting look at youthful friendship and growing apart.


The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove - Christopher Moore (1999)
1999's The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove is the third Christopher Moore novel I've read, and I think I get the point, now: Obviously quirky characters, sex jokes, clumsy giant monsters, nonsensical adventures, etc. I absolutely loved Lamb (2002), and until I'm proved otherwise, I will continue to be interested in reading Moore's works after that. So far, his earlier works just seem a little too immature to me, and frankly, the jokes aren't quite funny enough. Granted, this is based off of only two of those earlier works, and there were elements to each of the characters in The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove that I enjoyed. I would wager to say that this is far from Moore's best.


Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - Patrick Suskind (1985)
As I suspected, Patrick Suskind's 1985 novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer had its creepy moments. Unfortunately, not as many or not to the degree as I had hoped. Admittedly, I had already seen the 2006 film adaptation, so I knew what I was getting into: mood and atmosphere more than action and violence. Suskind did a fantastic job creating a detestable monster, albeit subtly so, and the drawn out set up of the story was masterfully told. The beginning chapters to the novel were especially eerie and enjoyable to digest. I guess, and maybe this makes me a real creep, but, I feel that Suskind glazed over the gruesome parts way too quickly, and didn't spend enough time on the actual murders. This story had the potential to go along the lines of Alan Moore's From Hell, and while that graphic novel is overly gruesome, I don't know, I think it makes for interesting art, especially when it takes place in such a classic setting. In spite of these criticisms, Suskind's writing style and the overall mood of Perfume were most definitely a success.

Emotional Listening #26

Field Rexx - Blitzen Trapper (Lidkercow Ltd., 2004)
While Blitzen Trapper's discography has been hit-or-miss since 2007's Wild Mountain Nation, it's been fun to discover that the prior album, Field Rexx, mostly hits. They were still doing the whole woodsy folk rock mixed with psychedelic pop thing back in 2004 (with even more lo-fi production than WMN),  and Field Rexx is more consistent in sound and quality than pretty much all of the following releases. While there's no "Futures & Folly" (still one of my favorite songs from 2007) here, "Lux & Royal Shopper" comes close in all of its countrified psych-pop glory. "Summer Twin" and "Country Rain" are total acoustic fall jams and almost everything else in between is pretty much on par. There are some dull and borderline obnoxious moments, but they're easy to ignore on a fast flowing 15 track album.
Top jams: "Lux & Royal Shopper," "Love I Exclaim!," "Summer Twin," "40 Stripes," "Asleep for Days," "Leopard's Will to Die," "Country Rain," "Moving Minors Over County Lines"


I Fought the Law - The Bobby Fuller Four (Mustang, 1966)
Should I be embarrassed to admit that I never knew that The Bobby Fuller Four was the name of the group responsible for the version of The Crickets' "I Fought the Law" that I knew and loved as a child? My recent interest in this group is thanks to Wes Anderson's inclusion of "Let Her Dance" during the closing credits of his adaptation of The Fantastic Mr. Fox. I was not surprised that the band's 1966 album, titled, believe it or not, I Fought the Law, is a sunshine pop gem, loaded with bouncy rhythms, reverb, and surfy, jangly, chimey guitars. I don't know what else to say. Every song is good, some more so than others, but, yeah, this is a mighty fine record. "Julie," "You Kiss Me," "I Fought the Law," and closer "Never to be Forgotten" are especially great, but "Let Her Dance" has become one of my favorite songs from that era. Do you like The Byrds? You'd probably dig this.
Top jams: "Let Her Dance," "Julie," "Only When I Dream," "You Kiss Me," "I Fought the Law," "Another Sad and Lonely Night," "Take My Word," "Never to be Forgotten"


Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches - Happy Mondays (Factory, 1990)
I'm so glad this album found me. Bravender put "Kinky Afro" on a mix for me a few months ago, and if you couldn't tell from a recent post, it slaughtered me. I was not expecting to like the remainder of Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches as much as I do. On first listen, I had some difficulty shaking the cheesy, dated production (shocker: this was produced by Paul Oakenfold!) and tuneless vocals of Happy Mondays' Shaun Ryder. But don't worry, I get it now. Landing somewhere in between brit-pop in the vein of The Stone Roses and piano-heavy house music, Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches is a danceable guitar pop album with many memorable moments. "Kinky Afro," with its catchy lead guitar and gorgeous chords and strings, is without the question this album's best track. But, in spite of its U2-esque riff, "Dennis and Lois" might feature the best chorus, and "Harmony" is the best possible closer here. Anybody out there have any recommendations as to where I should go next with Happy Mondays?
Top jams: "Kinky Afro," "God's Cop," "Loose Fit," "Dennis and Lois," "Bob's Yer Uncle," "Step On," "Harmony"


Left and Leaving - The Weakerthans (Sub City, 2000)
My old high school friend Mike Goss, who played an enormous role in the development of my music taste in the early 2000s, tipped me off to The Weakerthans when I was in 11th grade, I think? He let me borrow their second album, Left and Leaving, and I just did not get it. I think it was too mellow for me at the time? 10+ years later, I totally do get it now. This is a sleepy, lush guitar pop record with the most literary of lyrics and really nice dynamics. The upbeat rockers ("Aside," "Watermark," "Exiles Among You") are sort of reminiscent of The Promise Ring, maybe? The ballads, and this is mostly a ballads album, have some nice twang, subtle as hell drumming, and top notch melodies. Well, excellent melodies run through the whole record. "Pamphleteer" is THE best! I'm curious as to if I should check out Fallow (1997) and Reconstruction Site (2003)? I was pretty into 2007's Reunion Tour. Anyway... Thoughts?
Top jams: "Everything Must Go!," "Aside," "Watermark," "Pamphleteer," "This is a Fire Door Never Leave Open," "Elegy for Elsabet," "Exiles Among You"


Painful - Yo La Tengo (Matador, 1993)
Yo La Tengo's gotta be one of the greatest bands in the entire world, right? I'm well versed in certain YLT records more than others, and Painful is the next one that I decided to schedule some intimate time with. Well worth it. The first five songs are stellar, and per your usual YLT record, this one is drastically different from track to track. They do that so well. They didn't seem to be messing with 60s music too much yet at this point, and it's cool to hear some nods to shoegaze here. The songs on Painful do a wonderful job mixing noise and atmosphere with pop sensibility and melody. "From a Motel 6," and "Double Dare" are excellent noise pop jams, while "Big Day Coming," "Superstar-Watcher," "Nowhere Near" and "A Worrying Thing" are gorgeous exercises in repetition and are all easily my favorite moments on the record. Things trail off a bit after "A Worrying Thing," until "I Heard You Looking," which is classic YLT album closer stuff. Also, Painful sounds exactly like fall, so now's the time to do it.
Top jams: "Big Day Coming," "From a Motel 6," "Double Dare," "Superstar-Watcher," "Nowhere Near," "A Worrying Thing," "I Heard You Looking"

Fall 2012 Mix

It's that time, people. Below, you can download my annual fall mix, 2012 edition. Free of charge, obviously. I went with a surprising amount of nostalgic, obvious tracks as opposed to new or obscure ones. Oh well, deal with it.

http://www.mediafire.com/?1o89cegy8mgzhed

TRACKLIST
1. "Dusty Rhodes" - Lotus Plaza (2012)
2. "Split Needles" - The Shins (2007)
3. "Silver" - Echo & the Bunnymen (1984)
4. "Swing Lo Magellan" - Dirty Projectors (2012)
5. "Market Fresh" - Broken Social Scene (2004)
6. "Summer Twin" - Blitzen Trapper (2004)
7. "Sara" - Fleetwood Mac (1979)
8. "Round & Round (It Won't be Long)" - Neil Young w/Crazy Horse (1969)
9. "Julia" - The Beatles (1968)
10. "Just Another Thing to Dust" - Papercuts (2007)
11. "That's the Way" - Led Zeppelin (1970)
12. "Practice Twice" - Sam Prekop (1999)
13. "Maybelle" - Ida (2000)
14. "A Promise" - Jens Lekman (2011)
15. "Don't Go Close" - Chemic (2007)
16. "Havalina" - Pixies (1990)
17. "Nowhere Near" - Yo La Tengo (1993)
18. "Every Shining Time You Arrive" - Sunny Day Real Estate (1998)
19. "See Me Cry" - Seapony (2012)

2012 MLB Playoffs Preview and Post-Season Awards

Here we go!

2012 PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

AL Wild Card Game
Texas Rangers over Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore was a very nice surprise this season, and I expected Texas to end up with 100 wins and the best regular season record in the MLB. Oh well. Rangers still destroy the Orioles here.

NL Wild Card Game
Atlanta Braves over St. Louis Cardinals

This is an awesome matchup. It really could go either way, and I'd be happy regardless. However, I think the Braves have the slight edge in this single game, especially if Kris Medlen is pitching. If it were a series, I think St. Louis would be the victors.

ALDS
Texas Rangers over New York Yankees, 3-2
Oakland Athletics over Detroit Tigers, 3-2

While the Rangers' pitching did not mature quite to the degree that I expected, it still can be quite dangerous. And, there surely doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the team's bats, and the Yankee pitching rotation should be easily dismantled here.

The Oakland A's are downright scary these days, and NO ONE saw that coming. Sure, this may just be a Cinderella story of a group of young, mediocre players uniting as an ultimate team for one season and then going back to their old ways, but it doesn't matter. The way they swept the Rangers to end the season is proof that our Detroit Tigers are in trouble, and their disappointing, underperforming season will come to a close in Oakland. I won't deny that if Scherzer is healthy and continues his 2012 second-half dominance, and Verlander and Fister do what they do, the Tigers could win this series. But, as inconsistent as they've been at bat and as horrific as their defense is, I don't see it happening this year.

NLDS
Washington Nationals over Atlanta Braves, 3-2
San Francisco Giants over Cincinnati Reds, 3-1

2012 is certainly the year of amazing stories, and the Washington Nationals are probably the best one. I do think they will face a lot of difficulty in winning their first playoff series ever, but they are close to really being the best team in the entire MLB. Even without Stephen Strasburg (who, if he was pitching in the post-season this year, the Nats would win the World Series with), their rotation is nasty, and their offense surprisingly really came together. The Braves, and even the Cardinals if they were to in the Wild Card game, would pose a serious threat, but I think the Nats will do it.

While I love that the Cincinnati Reds were so good, I think they'll be in a little over their heads no matter who they would face. Unfortunately, they've got the San Francisco Giants, who maybe have the most dangerous starting rotation and bullpen combination in the game at this point. That their offense was more productive than usual is a huge help as well. The Reds look to be an excellent team for the next few seasons, but 2012 will not be their year.

ALCS
Texas Rangers over Oakland Athletics, 4-3

This will be a gnarly series, and despite coming out on top, the Rangers will be completely drained by the end. The Oakland Cinderella story will end at the hands of Texas' seasoned vets.

NLCS
San Francisco Giants over Washington Nationals, 4-2

This will be a closer series than it looks, but the Giants will have experience to thank for reaching their second World Series in three years.

World Series
San Francisco Giants over Texas Rangers, 4-2

In a repeat of the 2010 World Series, the Rangers will be too tired to keep up with the SF pitching machine, and Buster Posey will single handedly destroy that Texas rotation. I think the scores in these games will be close, but obviously, close doesn't cut it. The Texas Rangers will lose their third World Series in a row.

POST-SEASON AWARDS
AL Rookie of the Year: Mike Trout, Los Angeles (OF)
NL Rookie of the Year: Wade Miley, Arizona (SP)
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Detroit (SP)
NL Cy Young: R.A. Dickey, New York (SP)
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit (3B)
NL MVP: Buster Posey, San Francisco (C)

The Master

The Master (2012)
Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
I had been looking forward to The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson's sixth feature film, since I first heard it rumored. While I haven't seen his debut, Hard Eight (1996), I have absolutely loved each of his films since, with There Will be Blood (2007) easily being one of my five favorite films of all time.

There Will be Blood introduced a stark, even more tense feel to Anderson's canon, and The Master continues that. Gone are the blatantly quirky if not plain bizarre plots and characters of Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love; it seems Anderson's character studies of tortured, detestable men are here to stay.

Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of an erratic, dangerous alcoholic World War II veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and struggling to fit into a post-war society is masterful. And, unsurprisingly, Philip Seymour Hoffman kills it as Lancaster Dodd, leader of the philosophical movement The Cause (obviously loosely inspired by L. Ron Hubbard and the Church of Scientology). The plot ends up being more about the relationship of these two men than the actual doctrine of The Cause, though, Anderson did a wonderful job creating an eerie aura around the cult without forcing the viewer to focus on its ridiculous claims and practices. The characters are much more important.

I expected The Master to completely blow me away and further prove that perhaps Anderson is the best filmmaker in the industry these days. It has succeeded at both of those, though it did not hit me quite as hard as There Will be Blood. It still is an outright masterpiece, and I do not look forward to having to wait another three to five years for another Paul Thomas Anderson production.