Emotional Listening #51

Get Better - Lemuria (Asian Man, 2008)
This is a bad ass record and it is a shame that I'm just now bonding with it. I started on Buffalo, NY's Lemuria in 2011 with Pebble, which is a good album that grew less interesting over time (in spite of Sheena Ozzella's smart melodies and guitar rippin'). I like The Distance is So Big a little more, and somehow it landed in the top 20 portion of my 2013 year-end music list, albeit in a down year (don't get me wrong, it's still a good record). I had been hearing for a couple years now that the band's 2008 debut, Get Better, is without question their best, and, now I can confirm that. Pebble and The Distance is So Big may feature more technical songwriting prowess as well as showcase more of Ozzella's true skill is a guitarist, but, the songs on Get Better are just, well, better. Structurally, the songwriting is still smart and knotty, just not as much so as the band's later material. The vocal melodies are subtle, but, extremely catchy, and the mixture of tones between Ozzella and drummer/vocalist Alex Kerns make them pretty nontraditional sounding. Ozzella's guitar chord choices are spot on, giving things a slight emo nudge from time to time, but, really shaping things into a unique brand of punk-leaning guitar pop. "Pants," "Dog" and "Mechanical" are incredible songs.
Top jams: "Pants," "Lipstick," "Buzz," "Dog," "Dogs," "Get Some Sleep," "Fingers," "Mechanical"




Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols - Sex Pistols (Virgin, 1977)
I have overlooked many classic records in punk rock in my day, and it's about time I got around to Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. I found a used copy at Extreme Noise on one of my visits to see my girlfriend in Minneapolis several months ago. Everyone knows that this album informed every facet of punk rock that has existed since. I'm a dummy for ignoring it until now, though, I will admit, I don't love it quite as much as I initially hoped. I mean, it's totally good, but, I still prefer The Clash, Buzzcocks and The Ramones' stuff that I'm familiar with (they're another band I've stupidly slept on for far too long). If John Lydon's vocals were more melodic and a bit loss snarly, Never Mind the Bollocks... would be lights out. Instrumentally, though, Sex Pistols show some surprising chops. I'm particularly impressed by Paul Cook's drumming (as well as the way the drums sound; the production here is excellent and sort of modern to this day). The guitars are also fun and memorable between the chunky power chords and wailing solos. All the through, the album is solid, with "Holidays in the Sun," "God Save the Queen" and "EMI" being the main highlights for me.
Top jams: "Holidays in the Sun," "Bodies," "No Feelings," "God Save the Queen," "Seventeen," "Anarchy in the UK," "EMI"




The Heart's Tremolo - Tsunami (Simple Machines, 1994)
I believe I first heard of Tsunami sometime early on in college. I was always interested because it's a great band name, and that developed even further as I came to understand their role in the riot girl and indie rock realms. I stumbled across an awesome clear/picture disc hybrid version of the band's sophomore LP, The Heart's Tremolo, at Vertigo in Grand Rapids a year or two ago, and, per usual, am just now spending time with it. The music here caught me a little off guard at first. I expected more of a DC art-punk sound, or maybe something in between Sleater-Kinney and Helium. Instead, these songs are relatively chill, but, brooding pieces of guitar rock with a slight emo feel. Between the jazzy guitar chords, darker chord progressions and subtly technical drumming, the closest comparison I can think of is the quieter moments on Roadside Monument's Eight Hours Away From Being a Man (an album that is criminally ignored due perhaps to its Christian ties to Tooth and Nail Records). Sometimes I really like Jenny Toomey's voice, but, sometimes her melodies are questionable and her vibrato gets to me. However, this by no means ruins the record for me, I just don't enjoy quite to the degree that I was expecting to. I definitely intend to check out other Tsunami records. Any recommendations?
Top jams: "Loud is as Loud Does," "Quietnova," "Be Like That," "Kidding on the Square," "Slaw," "The Heart's Tremolo"

Emotional Listening #50

For Your Own Special Sweetheart - Jawbox (Atlantic, 1994)
In my senior year of high school, my journalism and yearbook teacher, who happened to be into indie rock (if I remember correctly, Sleater-Kinney was his favorite band), let me borrow Jawbox's For Your Own Special Sweetheart and their 1996 self-titled swan song. He knew that I was into emo, and though he wasn't, he liked Jawbox and thought I would too. I have no idea why, but, I totally didn't get it then. Perhaps it was a little too heavy for me at the time, or, I didn't like the parts with the yelling. I'm not really sure. Listening to For Your Own Special Sweetheart now, I recognize it for the bad ass album that it is. This is what has come to be known to me as Quillen Rock: beefy, angular guitars, big, technical drumming, and strong melodic vocals. The back-and-forth between chaos and loud (guitar-wise) pop on opener "FF=66" is the general thesis for this record. "Savory" continues that trend, and on and on it goes. For Your Own Special Sweetheart is more Chavez/Swervedriver than emo, though, you could certainly draw some parallels to the heavier side of that genre. This record kicks my ass.
Top jams: "FF=66," "Savory," "Ls/Mft," "Cooling Card," "Green Glass," "Chicago Piano," "Reel," "U-Trau," "Whitney Walks"




Better Can't Make Your Life Better - Lilys (Che/Primary, 1996)
I remember my buddy Will telling me about Lilys' 1999 Sire full-length, The 3 Way, a few years ago, and not long after that coming across three earlier records by the band on the internet. 1994's Eccsame the Photon Band was one of those, which I posted about earlier this year. 1996's Better Can't Make Your Life Better was actually the first one I got really into, and for some reason I'm just writing about it now. Lilys genre-hopped for the first few albums, from shoegaze to indie slackerdom to a more sparse, dreamy sound, and on this record landed on a straight-up 60s guitar pop style. I think the most prominent influences here are The Kinks, The Zombies and The Byrds. In fact, it's pretty derivative, but, the songwriting, melodies and surprising complexity of the songs makes it very easy to forgive that. Kurt Heasley's vocals are perfect, and his melodies are untouchable, particularly in "A Nanny in Manhattan" and "Can't Make Your Life Better." The guitars shimmer, chime and jangle in all the ways that I love, the bass is bouncy and McCartney-esque, and the drums ain't foolin' around either. It all comes to a head on closer "Returns Every Morning," with the most gnarly and memorable of guitar riffs. Better Can't Make Your Life Better has most definitely become an all-time favorite.
Top jams: "Cambridge California," "A Nanny in Manhattan," "Shovel Into Spade Kit," "Can't Make Your Life Better," "Who is Moving," "The Tennis System (And Its Stars)," "Bring Up the Stamp," "Returns Every Morning"




I Could Do Whatever I Wanted if I Wanted - Snowing (Count Your Lucky Stars/Square of Opposition, 2010)
As far as I understand, Philadelphia's Snowing were one of the more popular, important bands when emo first hinted at getting popular again between 2008 and 2010. They rose from the ashes of Street Smart Cyclist (who's small discography is being reissued by Topshelf Records), and have since disbanded and split into what seems like a plethora of bands (the details of which I am entirely confused by). Currently, I think one of the Snowing guys went on to be in Glocca Morra as well as a new band with former members of Algernon Cadwallader (probably the second best band to come from the Philly punk scene in the last several years) called Dogs on Acid. Anyway, I Could Do Whatever I Wanted if I Wanted is Snowing's one and only full length record, and while there are difficulties (lead vocals not always being in key, so-so production), it is one of the best entries in this fourth wave of emo. The musicianship is top notch, with noodly, twinkly guitars, fast, complex drumming, and all sorts of structural and time signature trickery. Similar to Algernon Cadwallader, these songs are upbeat and showcase some nice punk energy; the twinkly-ness isn't the slow, boring kind. Also, amidst all stops-and-starts and other intricacies, there are some really catchy melodies. It's a shame that this band was so short-lived, as they had a ton of potential.
Top jams: "I Think We're in Minsk," "Mark Z. Danielewski," "So I Shotgunned a Beer and Went Back to Bed," "It's Just a Party," "Memo Yeah That's Fine Man," "KJ Jammin'," "Damp Feathers"




Close to the Bone - Tom Tom Club (Sire/Warner Bros., 1983)
I bought Tom Tom Club's second album, Close to the Bone, a couple years ago, confusing the song title "Pleasure of Love" for "Genius of Love" (one of the greatest songs of the 80s), as well as the similarly cartoonish artwork to the self-titled album that song is from. When I discovered I was mistaken, I was a little disappointed. Now that I've finally listened to and spent time with this record, though, it's pretty sweet. As I'm sure you know, Tom Tom Club was Tiny Weymouth and Chris Frantz, aka the rhythm section of Talking Heads. Wikipedia refers to them as a new wave group, but I'd consider their sound 80s party pop. Close to the Bone features big, simple electronic beats, fun, mostly female vocals, funky soul-style guitar, and Weymouth's signature classy bass playing that drives the songs. While nothing here is quite as good as "Genius of Love," "This is a Foxy World" and "Measure Up" come close. The record definitely has a party vibe overall, but, these songs are totally smart and still arty in their own way. Also, I swear the lead vocals on "Atsababy!" sound like Jad Fair from Half Japanese, but, he's not credited on the album or anywhere on the internet. Totally weird.
Top jams: "This is a Foxy World," "Bamboo Town," "Measure Up," "Never Took a Penny," "Atsababy!"




English Settlement - XTC (Virgin, 1982)
As much as I love Skylarking, it's hard to imagine that XTC has cheesier songs than the cheesiest songs on it. Well, they're here on English Settlement, the band's 1982 album (their fifth). Thankfully, most of these songs are really good, though. "Runaways" is a nice, subtle opener with a similar beat to (though not quite as beautiful as) "Summer's Cauldren," which is the lead-off track to Skylarking. "Ball and Chain," "Jason and the Argonauts" and "No Thugs in Our House" are great, relatively standard guitar pop songs, but, then things get a little corny. Even "It's Nearly Africa," in all its Graceland-esque glory, is a little much. Things end on a really high note though, with "English Roundabout" (an excellent ska song) and closer "Snowman" (my favorite song on the record). Generally, I guess they could be considered a new wave band, or maybe some sort of cross between post-punk and power pop, but, XTC have a tendency to put a lot of variety on their records, and that is definitely one of their draws for me. The UK version of English Settlement (which is what I have in my iTunes) is entirely too long at 15 songs and 72+ minutes. If you cut out most of the cheesy songs in the middle, it might be on par with 1979's Drums and Wires.
Top jams: "Runaways," "Ball and Chain," "Jason and the Argonauts," "No Thugs in Our House," "It's Nearly Africa," "Knuckle Down," "Fly on the Wall," "English Roundabout," "Snowman"

2014 MLB Playoff + Post Season Award Predictions

I'm going to quickly run through my my MLB playoff and post-season award predictions.

ALDS
Los Angeles Angels over Kansas City Royals, 3 games to 2
Detroit Tigers over Baltimore Orioles, 3 games to 1

Even though they have the best record in baseball and are pretty stacked on offense, I do not believe the Angels are the best team in baseball. Considering Kansas City's success with the small ball strategy, the quality of their starting rotation in relation to Los Angeles', and how nasty their bullpen is, I almost want to pick an upset. That Angels bullpen is pretty nasty too, and though their rotation is their greatest weakness, with home field advantage they should be able  to do enough damage to squeak this one out. I think the Royals will make it a challenge, though.

The Orioles also have a quality bullpen (unlike the Detroit Tigers, who's bullpen desperately needs to see the bare minimum of innings this post-season to do as little damage to their own team as possible) and are stacked on offense, but injuries and suspensions will screw 'em. Their starting rotation is the worst or second worst in the 2014 playoffs, and that won't help things at all. If the Tigers can get eight innings a game out of each of their starters and their bats simply don't go into their usual post-season slumber, this series should be cake. Even if they choose to make it difficult for themselves, like they've been doing all regular season, the Tigs should still take this series.

NLDS
Washington Nationals over San Francisco Giants, 3 games to 2
Los Angeles Dodgers over St. Louis Cardinals, 3 games to 2

The Giants continue their trend of making the playoffs every other year, but, this time they will fall short of winning the World Series. They'll certainly make it hard on the Nationals, but, Washington has the best or second best overall team in the post-season, and I think they'll end San Francisco's magic. This SF team is not as good as their previous two WS winners.

Per usual, every team should be scared of the St. Louis Cardinals. They always find ways to win in the playoffs, and their lineup really is quite stacked. It's just been an off year for them, which shouldn't mean  that they can't make it to the World Series necessarily, I just don't think they have the stuff. I also kinda think the Dodgers are the team of destiny this year, and also, they're simply better than the Cardinals in pretty much every way.

ALCS
Detroit Tigers over Los Angeles Angels, 4 games to 2
MVP: J.D. Martinez, OF

Once again, I just don't really believe in this Angels team. They will score runs on this Tigers pitching staff for sure, but hopefully Scherzer and co. will keep the damage minimal. This offense should surely be able to beat up on the Los Angeles rotation, but, again, you know what usually happens to those Tiger bats in the post-season.

NLCS
Los Angeles Dodgers over Washington Nationals, 4 games to 3
MVP: Adrian Gonzalez, 1B

This will be a beauty of a series. The Nationals have the best five-man rotation in all of baseball, and I firmly believe they could have success using all five guys throughout the playoffs. The Dodgers, however, by this point will be down to a three-man rotation, and they certainly have the greatest one-through-three starter combination. Between that and a more dangerous offense, I think the Dodgers have the slight edge. This would be an NLCS to remember, for sure.

World Series
Los Angeles Dodgers over Detroit Tigers, 4 games to 1
MVP: Clayton Kershaw, SP

Much like in 2012, the Tigers surprising magic run will end by them getting completely annihilated in the World Series. This time, it will be at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Considering the season Clayton Kershaw has had, the way teams dwindle down their starting rotations for the post-season, and how many weapons they have on offense, I'm just having a hard time seeing anyone else winning it all. Against this Tigers team, they will do so dominantly.

POST-SEASON AWARDS

Disregarding popular opinion, here's how I think things SHOULD, not WILL, pan out.

AL Manager of the Year
(1) Ned Yost, Kansas City
(2) Buck Showalter, Baltimore
(3) Mike Scioscia Los Angeles

NL Manager of the Year
(1) Matt Williams, Washington
(2) Clint Hurdle, Pittsburgh
(3) Bruce Bochy, San Francisco

AL Rookie of the Year
(1) Jose Abreu, Chicago (1B)
(2) Dellin Betances, New York (RP)
(3) Collin McHugh, Houston (SP)

NL Rookie of the Year
(1) Jacob deGrom, New York (SP)
(2) Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati (OF)
(3) Ken Giles, Philadelphia (RP)

 AL Cy Young
(1) Felix Hernandez, Seattle (SP)
(2) Corey Kluber, Cleveland (SP)
(3) Chris Sale, Chicago (SP)

NL Cy Young
(1) Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles (SP)
(2) Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati (SP)
(3) Adam Wainwright, St. Louis (SP)

AL MVP
(1) Michael Brantley, Cleveland (OF)
(2) Mike Trout, Los Angeles (OF)
(3) Jose Abreu, Chicago (1B)

NL MVP
(1) Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles (SP)
(2) Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh (OF)
(3) Buster Posey, San Francisco (C)