Animal Collective/Grouper @ The Royal Oak Music Theatre 5/18/09

Almost two weeks ago I had the honor of seeing the great Animal Collective perform for the second time in less than a year. The show was at the Royal Oak Music Theatre in, you guessed it, Royal Oak, which isn't an ideal venue (too big and fancy), but is definitely appropriate for a band of AC's level of popularity. What was interesting to me is that, I had completely forgotten that I had purchased a $20 ticket until the day before. Having seen the band at the Pitchfork Music Festival the previous July, I knew what I was getting into (watching three weird dudes push buttons and bob heads to some sort of trippy light show), and apparently I wasn't all that excited.

First off, I'd like to direct you to the Detroit music blog Deep Cutz for this fascinating critique on the performance as well as the overall atmosphere of the show (at least from Jeff Milo's perspective). Personally, I didn't notice this vibe of fake, snobby neo-hipsters, but after a conversation I had a week-and-a-half later with my best bud Travis, I continued to digest Jeff's blog post. What I got from my dialogue with Trav is this: does the music of larger indie bands like Animal Collective (The Shins were also mentioned) unintentionally become insincere and does it deflate in value and relevance when people who just a year or two ago were listening to mall-emo or the other shit that's on 89X start becoming fans? We debated this for a bit, and I understand Travis' point (considering how seriously he takes his music and how much more there is to our discussions regarding it: not only the technical elements of songs, but artist image, popularity, relevence, personal experiences and revelations, etc.); it totally makes sense coming from him.

Now, here is where I realize why I didn't notice this apparently overwhelming sense of bullshit, pretentious hipsterdom. It's because I don't care who likes what, or how they arrived at it. If Bobby Humphrey or Jimmy Huston (by far the two biggest douchebags I knew of in college) all of a sudden were inspired to get into interesting, worthwhile music (instead of Linkin Park, which, if I remember correctly, was Bobbo's favorite band), yeah, it kind of sucks, and initially I'd want to abandon any band they love. But, more power to 'em, ya know? Stop listening to shit.

ANYWAY... I'll step off my pedestal now. While I love discussing and debating technical aspects and relevance of music, I think I have a fairly pure, maybe even naive outlook on the personal effects of it. This made my experience at the Animal Collective concert (and most other shows I have attended) more enjoyable.

But first, let's rap about the opening act, Grouper. There on this enormous stage to a sold out crowd sat a girl doing God knows what, and I think singing. From the speakers came gorgeous drones, at least for the first few songs. It was boring, and got old fast. This was the time to catch up with friends.

Now, why in the hell is an act like this performing live? Especially opening for such a huge and arguably crucial band like AC? WHAT'S THE POINT? I will admit, however, I'm interested in checking out the most recent record, Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill. It seems like Grouper might be good, or interesting at least, headphone music. Or creepy nap music.

Next, after making us wait an additional hour post-Grouper, three completely normal looking dudes, Avey Tare, Panda Bear and Geologist took to the stage. And what did they do the entire time (with the exception of Strawberry Jam's "Fireworks," from what I recall)? That's right: pushed buttons and bobbed their heads. At Pitchfork, they had an enormous, elaborate, seizure-inducing light show. This one was not so, though I still found myself in a trance from time to time. It saddens me that I never got to see them when they toured for Sung Tongs and Feels; when they actually played instruments on stage. I like to assume that the reason for the button pushing instead of instrument playing is due to the absence of that asshole Deakin. There is obviously too much going on in their songs for three people to be able to pull it off with guitars, keyboards and drums. And, just as obvious: Merriweather Post Pavillion barely features any live drums, let alone guitar.

One of my favorite things to occur in a live setting is when a band throws a curve ball right from the start, opening with something completely not obvious. My most memorable experience with this was my third time seeing Death Cab for Cutie (yeah, I know) back in the fall of 2004, when I thought they would be crazy not to open with "The New Year" to that young crowd, but instead, shockingly started things off with We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes' meandering "The Employment Pages." Animal Collective's decision to begin with the poppy slow burn of Merriweather's "Also Frightened" was not so dramatic, but I still smiled and nodded my head in agreeance.

From there on, the show got even better. The setlist was fantastic, though I was disappointed by two things (more on that later). "Summertime Clothes," "Daily Routine," and the extended and messed-with version of "Fireworks" (when Panda Bear actually played drums to amazing effect) were all obvious highlights. "My Girls" and "Brother Sport" were even much more so, when a portion of the crowd was actually dancing and singing along (also, those are two of my favorite songs of the year so far). They even played two or three new jams (I expected more, since that's what they usually do), and of course they were great, though I don't remember much about them. The best move AC made, though, was including completely revamped versions of more than likely the two best songs from Sung Tongs, "Leaf House" and "Who Could Win a Rabbit?," dissecting and reassembling them through the lens of Merriweather. These instances were where I was most ready to trade in the acoustic guitars for those sequencers and synthesizers.

My two complaints: (1) I had read that they had been playing Feels' "Banshee Beat," probably my favorite AC song ever, on this tour. Where was it on May 18th, guys? And, (2) I was not expecting them to play it live, but was hoping for some "Taste." By far the most criminally underrated song from Merriweather. It's gorgeous, catchy as hell and totally bumpin'. They should incorporate it into their set, and more people should love it as much as I do (it's my second favorite song on the album, and maybe even of 2009).

Okay, so this wasn't the best show I've ever seen in my life, and I guess I have my complaints. But, still, I'm glad this band exists. I have been eating the hype since '05, and I believe they are just as important as Pitchfork says they are.

Emotional Listening #1

Okay, a couple things. It has been forever since I've posted a Weekly Listening Update blog. This whole "actually being busy at work" and "job searching" thing is really cutting into my blog time, unfortunately. So, I am editing the title to this segment as simply, "Emotional Listening," and am starting the count all over. Same premise though: going through newly (or semi-newly) aquired or barely listened to CDs and blogging about a batch of them at the time. How frequent or infrequent will this be? I'm not sure. Also, this one is like from a month-and-a-half ago.


Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant - Belle & Sebastian (Matador, 2000)
I've debated with my dear friend Matt about which era of Belle & Sebastian is better: the softer, twee, more somber sounding version, or the more straight-forward (not in a bad way) pop/rock direction they've taken since 2003's Dear Catastrophe Waitress. I prefer the older sound, though that's probably only because of their 1996 masterpiece, If You're Feeling Sinister. The Boy With the Arab Strap (1998) and Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant are fine and all, but they are very second-half heavy; the first halves of each record are a little too sleepy. And, that's not to say that DCW and 2006's The Life Pursuit aren't good, because they totally are. Anyway, I picked up Fold Your Hands Child... maybe a month ago at Encore and was pleasantly surprised. It is sleepy and sad, but their are a few beautiful If You're Feeling Sinister-esque moments. It's way more consistant than The Boy With the Arab Strap, and just all around a better album.
Top jams: "The Model," "Nice Day for a Sulk," "Women's Realm," "Family Tree"


Milk Man - Deerhoof (Kill Rock Stars/5RC, 2004)
I was rooting for 2004's Milk Man to end up as my favorite Deerhoof record. Why, I'm not really sure. When I heard the title track probably over a year ago, it gave me tremendous hope for the entire album (the song had been the best thing I had heard from the band at that point). Unfortunately, this may even be my least favorite of theirs. It is obvioiusly a Deerhoof record (weird, jagged rhythms, insane drumming, classic rock guitars, obnoxiously cute vocals), but it is nowhere near as consistent as The Runners Four (2005) or my favorite, 2008's Offend Maggie. I even like Friend Opportunity (2007) better, which has an even more distracting flow, and of the Deerhoof that I am familiar with, is the most bizarre and least accessible album (even if the first 90% of it could loosely be considered pop music). But, don't get me wrong. Milk Man is still really cool. The title track might be the be all/end all Deerhoof jam, and there are several other greats. I guess my issue is just that there are more throw-away tracks than I've come to expect from this, one of the great modern indie rock bands.
Top jams: "Milk Man," "Desaparecere," "C," "Dream Wanderer's Tune," "That Big Orange Sun Run Over Speed Light"


Transmissions From the Satellite Heart - The Flaming Lips (Warner Bros., 1993)
This, the album that launched The Flaming Lips into the indie rock (and mainstream, for a second) spotlight, happens to be my least favorite of theirs (as seems to be the trend of this blog entry so far). Yes, I even like it less than 2006's dreamy and severely underrated At War With the Mystics. Still, this leap from The Who-inspired experimental punk to drugged out psychadelic pop rock is a great one. Here is an educational, entertaining and satisfactory peek at what exactly the Lips would amount to, and I think that's exactly why I don't have more appreciation for it. I already knew that Clouds Taste Metallic is totally badass, that Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is simply brilliant, and that The Soft Bulletin is one of the greatest albums of 1990s (if not of all time). But, I'll take Transmissions... for what it is: a solid, experimental 90s alternative rock record. And, I can't argue that "She Don't Use Jelly" is one of the best songs from that decade.
Top jams: "Pilot Can at the Queer of God," "She Don't Use Jelly," "When Yer Twenty Two," "Slow Nerve Action"


So This is Goodbye - Junior Boys (Domino, 2006)
After spending a little more time with this 2006 synth pop opus and the recently released Begone Dull Care, Junior Boys have become one of my favorite electronic acts (probably following only Daft Punk). While I appreciate Begone Dull Care more as an album, some of the songs from So This is Goodbye are untouchable, namely "In the Morning" and "FM." This record is smooth, sexy, and actually, really pretty. Bonus that there are some smart and sublte beats (and blips, bleeps and bloops) that are hard not to bounce to.
Top jams: "The Equalizer," "In the Morning," "So This is Goodbye," "Like a Child," "FM"


Electric Version - The New Pornographers (Matador, 2003)
Ah yes, The New Pornographers. What an album, by what a band, right? From what I know, New Pornos can't do wrong (I haven't listened to Mass Romantic, though). This, their sophomore effort, is a DOOZEY. Leaps and bounds better than 2007's more boring but still somehow satisfactory Challengers, but not even close to 2005's slam dunk, Twin Cinema. The all-star band flourishes here with their characteristic upbeat, sweet and sugary, catchy and tight as all hell power pop. The melodies, oh, THE MELODIES. A.C. Newman is a MASTER of them. They are easily the best part about Electric Version, but there is plenty more to love, like Neko Case's background vox, the album's pacing, and that tight and awesome drumming. Like your typical New Pornos album, Destroyer's Dan Bejar penned three tracks. But, unlike the next two records, his are not my favorites here (though, he completely owned Twin Cinema with "Jackie Dressed in Cobras"). Newman, you take the cake. Now, just go back to recording albums more like this, okay?
Top jams: "The Electric Version," "The Laws Have Changed," "The End of Medicine," "Loose Translation," "Chump Change," "July Jones"

Know Your Onion #15

Sorry, but the blog is pretty much on hiatus for now. I'm losing my job at the end of June, and we've already started cleaning out the office and whatnot, so I don't really have the time to emote on here nowadays. I'm also trying to spend as much time computer time (which is not much right now) as possible working on the job hunt and fixing up my resume. I will post when I can, but it will be pretty scarce for a while, I'll bet.

Enough of this riff-raff. I did feel the desire to share this Onion article I read today, one of my favorites in quite some time.

Manny Ramirez: 'Am I In Trouble?'

Junior Boys/Max Tundra @ The Pike Room, 4/1/09

April Fools Day 2009 was kind of special. My friend Travis and I had decided to attend the Junior Boys/Max Tundra show at the Pike Room a while back. The day of, our friend Dan decided to join us, plus I won two free tickets from Eat This City (that blog I have a very love/hate relationship with. Perhaps Jay was trying to make up for the debacle he pulled with me back in December?

Anyway, after some Golden Wall Chinese food in Ypsi, we made the trek out to Pontiac and arrived not long after doors had opened. The venue was pretty empty and thankfully continued to fill up and was fairly packed by the time Junior Boys went on.

But, first was the wonderful enigma, Max Tundra. I had watched his A>D>D segment on Pitchfork TV, and though his drumming was less than desirable, I could tell he is obviously talented in all other facets of his music. Thankfully, he didn't have a drum kit in tow and focused on his synthesizers, vocals and dancing. His dancing, by the way, was absolutely hysterical. When he wasn't playing synth or singing, he was performing these intense, staggering and jittery moves that I couldn't help but crack up at. It was truly a sight to see.

That Tundra's songs were really good was an added bonus. Dan appropriately described them as playful. This guy did not seem to take himself seriously whatsoever and that works really well for his songs, which are complex, funky pop songs that require a short attention span. One of my favorite things in the world is having no expectations for a live performance I'm about to see and then being completely blown away by it. This most definitely occured here.

Junior Boys had a tough act to follow, and though they weren't quite the level of performers that Max Tundra was, they mostly succeeded. I am a newer fan of theirs and it was nice to see them pull there smooth and sexy electronic pop off live, especially with a drummer on stage with them which added a whole new dimension. The bookends of there set were, without question, THE highlights, opening with "Hazel" (my favorite track from the just released Begone Dull Care) and closing with what I think is the best Junior Boys song, "In the Morning" from 2006's So This is Goodbye. Aside from "The Equalizer," which is a GREAT song title, FYI, it was hard for me to differentiate between what songs were on which album, thanks to my new fandom. They were right on, though. Jeremy Greenspan's vocals were perfect (and he looked like a dad who had just woken up and thrown on the first clothes he found, which was hilarious and ironic to me), the sound was really good and the drummer was tight and creative. Also, a good portion of the crowd were dancing their asses off (Travis was worried of getting blasted by a certain emotional dancer in front of him), which though I didn't really participate, was nice to see since that never happens in Detroit.

I figured this would be a good show and I was not wrong. It was worth the trip (and would have been worth the $14 ticket) to see two really great electronic pop acts from outside of the US.

Know Your Onion #14

Bill Bellamy Elected To Rock 'N' Jock Basketball Hall Of Fame

Weekly Listening Roundup #9

Prime Candidate for Burnout - Blenderhead (Tooth & Nail, 1994)
Blenderhead were one of the first truly underground Christian bands I ever got into, and what a statement their debut full length, Prime Candidate for Burnout, seemed to be. I remember how controversial the CD booklet seemed to me (this was back in 1997, before my 13th birthday, mind you). The cover featured a cartoon dude who looked to be in serious pain wearing a blender on his head. Inside, there was a photo of drummer Matt Johnson smoking a cigar, and later a picture of one of the band members pointing to another who's buttcrack was sticking out of his pants (though it was censored). Obviously, this is all laughable now, but Blenderhead's brand of messy, technical punk rock stilll seems pretty edgy for a Tooth & Nail release in 1994. The guitars are loud, screeching and dirty as shit, the drums are played with a tightness and skill level that is still impressive to this day and jeez, all that yelling! It's fun that I can still listen to it while appreciating it for all the same reasons I did before.
Top jams: "Escape Reason," "Cesspool," "Power Trip," "Purgatory," "Spare Change"


Muchacho Vivo - Blenderhead (Tooth & Nail, 1995)
Muchacho Vivo is Blenderhead's second album and features the same screeching guitars, technical drumming and intense vocals. It is all just recorded better and the tempos are a little slower. There are moments that are more dischordant and even difficult than Prime Candidate..., but the songs that are great are by far the band's best. While still being pretty punk rock, overall the record seems to lean to a little more of a post-hardcore or dare I say emo sound comparible to Jawbox a little, maybe?
Top jams: "Haven," "Tow Truck," "Vacancy," "Chicane Cardigan Smile," "Queen of the Day," "Breaking Skin"


Rock Action - Mogwai (Matador, 2001)
Post rock is so incredibly boring to me, but, somehow Mogwai completely nail it on Rock Action. It definitely helps that the album only has eight songs and clocks in at under 40 minutes. Also, there are vocals here and there, which doesn't hurt either. The band really doesn't do one thing wrong here, balancing between subtle electronic experimentation, mellow acoustic jam sessions and slow building epics. There is enough variation that keeps things interesting the whole time, and the album ends at the perfect time.
Top jams: "Sine Wave," "Take Me Somewhere Nice," "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong," "Secret Pint"


Loveless - My Bloody Valentine (Sire, 1991)
I bought Loveless from my friend Joel after I think he purchased it on vinyl back in early 2005. I felt it necessary that I own it if I consider myself a fan of underground music. I can count on one hand how many times I had listened listened to it in its entirety until now. Sure, there were always a select few jams that I really enjoyed, but the whole thing didn't hit me until the past few weeks. This album is a big, beautiful mess that is difficult to decipher what exactly is going on, but that's the point. I feel like every time I will ever listen to it, I will catch things I never have before (even though there aren't as many layers of guitars as people think, according to Mike McGonigal's 33 1/3 book about it). I still have a beef with how utterly boring the sampled drum beats are, but even I can look pass that when your guitars sound so frickin' awesome. Plus, I finally came around ot the fact that "Soon" is an incredible song.
Top jams: "Only Shallow," "To Here Knows When," "When You Sleep," "Blown a Wish," "What You Want," "Soon"


The Open Heart - New Grenada (Plumline, 2002)
The first time I had ever heard Detroit's New Grenada was back in March of 2004, when I saw them open for The Walkmen and French Kicks at the Magic Stick. At that point in my life, I guess I wasn't ready for kinda cute, messy indie pop of their kind. I was silly then, and maybe still am. I have only seen them live once since then (and I think it was just over a year ago), and though I wasn't really into the Model Citizen EP that they were releasing at said show, I wonder if there is potential for me to be a fan. Well, anyway, I'm glad I started with 2002's The Open Heart, because it is good. Sure, they do the 90s indie rock thing pretty well ala Pavement, a poppier Dinosaur Jr., etc. What really does it for me though is that a good portion of the songs bring to mind The Promise Ring, especially Nothing Feels Good-era. These songs are what totally make this record.
Top jams: "Fashion Disaster," "Steady Diet of Slayer," "Decoder," "Fuckfriends," "Zaxxon," "Commando," "Jenutley"

New Favorite Song #1: 1901

So, I've decided to start another blog series. It shall be titled "New Favorite Song." Whenever I come across a song that I fall absolutely in love with (old or new), I will post about it and include streaming media (most often if not every single time from iMeem).

The inaugural jam I felt called to rave about is the first song released from Phoenix's upcoming album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, titled "1901." Let me tell you, it is FANTASTIC. It is everything I hoped for when I read that they were coming out with a new record. Based off my knowledge of the band, I see them as pretty hit or miss. But, when they are on, THEY ARE ON. Take "Consolation Prizes" from 2006's It's Never Been Like That, or even further back to "Too Young" and "If I Ever Feel Better" from 2000's United, for example.

It seemed like Phoenix were fooling around with a mix of funk, soul, radio pop and rock on their first few releases until they settled on a really crisp pop/rock sound on It's Never Been Like That. I remember thinking that record seemed pretty bland for the most part (with the exception of a few standout tracks), though I haven't listened to it in a while and plan on going back it.

"1901," which I believe to be the first single from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, is the band at their best. Featuring clean yet crashing guitars, driving synth bass, Thomas Mars' smooth sing-a-long melodies, and some of the most pristine sounding drums around, it is ready for alternative and maybe even pop radio popularity. In spite of how well they had pulled off a funkier sound earlier in their career, I think they've found their niche in alternative pop music. I don't know what it is that sets them apart to my ears, because this is as clean and simple as it gets. The stars have aligned just right for Phoenix to record perhaps the best song of their career.

P.D.A.D. #2: Keith Moon

Late last week I snuck myself a little listen to The Who's Who's Next. It had been a while since I had graced my ears with Keith Moon's spastic, mega-jungle drumming. When I'm not thinking about Moon, I often times don't consider him my favorite drummer ever (most recently that title has gone to The Dismemberment Plan's Joe Easley). But, when I'm listening to or watching him play, I can't help but think that he is. At least, I think he is the greatest rock drummer in history. Yeah, I'll go there.

Interesting that I included Deerhoof's Greg Saunier in the first installment of Public Display of Affectionate Drumming, as his and Moon's styles are very similar (I would put money down that Saunier considers Moon an important influence). Moon just used a lot more unneccessary equipment (as you can tell from the photograph above), and also he was ahead of his time.

As far as Moon's drumming being affectionate or emotional, I think it's obvious. If I had to come up with a metaphor for his playing off the top of my head, it would be this: his drumming is comparable to the excitement of a young puppy. Moon's drumkit is to him as a puppy's owner just arriving home from a long day of work is to the puppy. When he sits down and eyes that drumkit, he gets so excited that he can't help it or restrain himself, he must lash out in overwhelming joy and anger and cry and piss all over the place. Does that make sense, or am I just being ridiculous?

Anyway, this performance of "A Quick One While He's Away" is taken from The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus event back in December of 1968. Based on my limited knowledge of rock and roll performances, I'd wager that this has got to be one of the greatest.

On second thought, maybe this is more of an instance of P.D.C.O.D.D.: Public Display of Completely Obliterated by Drugs Drumming. Either way, Moon still rules.

Weekly Listening Roundup #8

This post has been a long time coming. I have been distracted and neglectful of this blog, especially the Weekly Listening Roundup segments, and for no good reason. Maybe it's because of the vast options the internet offers me, or maybe it's because I am nervous to take the blog to such a dark place.

Anyway, this roundup really covers about the last three weeks. I was on a guilty pleasure kick, and it's amazing how it worked out. I have a lot of guilty pleasure records by bands whose name begins with the letter M (not including Blink-182, for obvious reasons).

So, here are the guilty pleasure albums I have been appreciating lately. Don't judge me.

Enema of the State - Blink-182 (MCA, 1999)
I may be challenged on this claim, but truthfully, I do not consider myself a fan of Blink-182. Have you listened to their catalog? A lot of my friends say that 1997's Dude Ranch is THE ONE, but I actually hate it. It sounds like crap and the drumming is uninspired. Enema of the State is my jam; the only decent Blink-182 record, in my opinion. I don't like that I like it, mostly because these guys just seem like real douchebags. But I can't help it. The songs are catchy, energetic and it brings me back to early high school. Also, I am still impressed by Travis Barker's drumming. Not only is he good and really tight, but he is creative with it and shows off with some nice intricacies that I would never expect to hear on a pop punk record. I could do without the splash cymbol, though.
Top jams: "Dumpweed," "Aliens Exist," "Going Away to College," "Dysentery Gary," "Mutt"

De-Loused in the Comatorium - The Mars Volta (Universal, 2003)
For a short time in my life, back in late 2003 and early 2004, I was way into this record. It combined a lot of what I loved about At the Drive-In's Relationship of Command with interesting hints of Latin music and Yes-ish song structures (I also was obsessed with The Yes Album at the time). More recently I came to the conclusion that it is a pretentious wankfest. I still have a soft spot for some of the more tolerable jams. The one-two punch of "Son et Lumiere" and "Inertiatic ESP" is a great opening to the record and "Take the Veil Cerpin Text" sounds like a lost and fattened up Relationship... track.
Top jams: "Inertiatic ESP," "Eriatarka," "Take the Veil Cerpin Text"


Let's Face It - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (Mercury, 1997)Ska played a crucial role in my life in junior high and early high school. Sometime in 2000 is when this silly passion fizzled out. I am done with it, but once every great while I like to treat myself to revisiting some of those ska records that I loved. I hadn't listened to Let's Face It since the spring of 1997 and remembered very little of it. I was shocked to discover that, for the most part, it is a solid record. One of those third wave ska records with slightly more punk distortion than reggae upbeats. It's not perfect, obviously. For one, it's a ska record. It is definitely corny in places, and Dicky Barrett's shouty vocals are irritating (though there surprisingly are quite a few nice melodies throughout the album). But, it is a fun record without a bad song. In fact, there are several tracks I would consider awesome, "The Rascal King" being the best, without question.
Top jams: "Noise Brigade," "The Rascal King," "Royal Oil," "Let's Face It," "That Bug Bit Me"


Commit This to Memory - Motion City Soundtrack (Epitaph, 2005)
Motion City Soundtrack have become totally corny and cliche, but there was a short time in my life when I LOVED them. To this day, their debut, I Am the Movie, is great front to back. It's got that Something to Write Home About kind of sound, with impressive melodies and legitimately clever and funny albeit juvenile lyrics. The band nailed it though. Commit This to Memory is much of the same, but not even close to as good, and is a bit cheesier. Thankfully, the awesome melodies are still present, and there are some standout JAMS.
Top jams: "Everything is Alright," "Make Out Kids," "Time Turned Fragile," "Better Open the Door"


Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo - MxPx (A&M/Tooth & Nail, 1998)
MxPx was the first pop punk band I had ever gotten into, and though this isn't my favorite record of theirs, it might be their best. It didn't have the insane tempos, time shifts and stops-and-starts of Life in General, but I would consider it a more mature album. It is produced better, the song structures are more pop-oriented and they are catchier (there are some terrific melodies here). All things that would rub a punk purist the wrong way. But MxPx weren't trying to be pure punk, and in my eyes were very successful at writing punk-infused pop songs.
Top jams: "Under Lock and Key," "Tomorrow's Another Day," "Party, My House, Be There," "For Always," "Set the Record Straight," "Inches From Life"


New Found Glory - New Found Glory (MCA/Drive-Thru, 2000)
Is this the album I should be most ashamed of coming back to? Whatever. New Found Glory's self-titled major label debut is a really good whiny pop punk record. I will admit, it has not aged gracefully. The vocals are hard to swallow, and the lyrics are even worse. But, it is really fun, and again, very very catchy. I always liked the band's two guitar attack, and they are at their best on "Better Off Dead" and "Second to Last." Those two tracks along with "Sincerely Me," "Vegas," and "All About Her" still make this a worthwhile album in my collection.
Top jams: "Better Off Dead," "Sincerely Me," "Second to Last," "Eyesore," "Vegas," "All About Her"

Saturday Morning Watchmen

Today is opening day for what I believe will be the greatest comic book film of all time, Watchmen. Yes, yes, The Dark Knight was great, but it was far from perfect. Very flawed in fact (not that I know much about film, honestly).

Watchmen the book is not only amazing for a graphic novel, but it seems like it being one of the greatest pieces of modern literature in history is a common opinion. I read it last spring, and even though I know I need to read it at least one more time to understand all of its intricacies, it was still incredible. The fact that it is so complex is one of the many things that make it so good.

If you've seen the trailors, which I'm sure you have, you know it looks visually stimulating, to say the least. In fact, everything looks perfect; right on with the book.

Having read it before seeing it, I know I'm going to have my complaints, sure. But, I predict it will be leaps and bounds better than The Dark Knight, if only because of the story. There isn't any stand-out character to the degree of Heath Ledger's Joker. The closest thing would probably be seemingly ultimate creep Jackie Earle Haley as ultimate controversial bad ass Rorschach. All of this to say, it looks phenominal, and I am STOKED.

Now, the real point of this post is to share the video below. I got the link from Buzzgrinder who got it from You Ain't No Picasso who got it from /Film. It is the opening theme of an early 90s Saturday morning cartoon version of the book. It is a parody. It is absolutely hilarious. I LOVE THIS.

Please watch. Hopefully it doesn't give too much away.

Weekly Listening Roundup #7

This is way late. The internet, as beautiful and amazing of a thing it is, is also distracting. I've spent all week at work reading Wikipedia entries about my favorite Squaresoft and Square Enix role playing games. I am silly.

Well, here are the records I enjoyed from last week. It seems like there is a mid-late 90s rock theme going here.


Blur - Blur (Virgin, 1997)
It seems like my friends Alec, Matt and Travis have all been pushing Blur on me off and on for a couple years now. Finally, I take the plunge with their 1997 self-titled album, and am moderately impressed. A lot of it is bland and obvious brit pop. But there are some definite gems. I think I remember opener "Beetlebum" as a very minor single on 89X, and it sounded way better this time. "Country Sad Ballad Man" is epic but really nice indie pop. And, even though I have been sick of the song for several years, "Song 2," which is annoying and mediocre at best, is a hilarious critique (musically speaking) of early and mid 90s American rock. The album goes on a little too long, and I feel a sense of arrogance all around (not as much as say, their rivals, Oasis), but the production is fabulous and there are enough good songs to merit my owning of the album.
Top jams: "Beetlebum," "Country Sad Ballad Man," "M.O.R.," "Look Inside America," "Strange New From Another Star"


The Power of Failing - Mineral (Crank!, 1996)
EMO! The Power of Failing is melodramatic, whiny emo at it's purest. I picked the record up back in the summer of 2003, and boy was it a struggle to get into, because the production is SHIT. My high school emo roots really wanted to like Mineral, and thankfully the Mark Trombino-produced swan song End Serenading was not so difficult to get into. I've come to terms with it all, though. The way I look at it, The Power of Failing's production is not much worse than Sunny Day Real Estate's Diary (which, stylistically, TPoF sounds like a slower, slightly brighter version of), and it is substantially better than The Jazz June's earlier releases. Also, I think End Serenading is a more solid album, but, with the exception of kinda title track, "& Serenading", TPoF's good songs are better.
Top jams: "Gloria," "Slower," "If I Could," "July"


The Lean Years Tradition - Model Engine (Sara Bellum, 1997)
Ahhh... Here is another one of those christian bands I was into back in middle school and early high school. I don't quite know how to describe Model Engine. On The Lean Years Tradition, I guess they just play some indie rock. At the time, one might have called it "college rock" or something like that. To pick it apart a little, the songs aren't structured by the typical verse/chorus standard. There are some nice melodies sung by a passionate vocalist. Rhythmically, it is pretty nuts, too. And for a christian act, the lyrics are surprisingly dark and actually kind of interesting. It's definitely one of those rare christian albums that I consider being pretty original.
Top jams: "Scarred by Smarter," "Reeperbahn," "Weathervanes," "Walking Wounded," "Anonymous F," "Rosinante"


This is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About - Modest Mouse (Up, 1996)
Trying to love Modest Mouse is hard times for me. I waited too late and started with 2004's masterpiece Good News for People Who Love Bad News, which I absolutely love. Then I tried The Moon and Arctica (which everyone else considers a masterpiece), and I still struggle with it, even if there are quite a few amazing tracks. Next, I traveled back to The Lonesome Crowded West, which I didn't understand and completely hated. In the summer of 2006, my roommates at the time, Danny and Julian, pushed the b-sides collection, Building Nothing Out of Something, on me, and it totally worked. To this day I believe it is my favorite Modest Mouse release. I'm not even going to touch on 2007's We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, because it is tripe and it simply sucks. Finally, I came across This is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About. I'll rank it somewhere between The Lonesome Crowded West and The Moon and Antractica, which it does not even come close to touching. It is exactly what you'd expect the band's first record to be: really dark, really rough around the edges and way too long. There were only a few songs that kept my attention. I don't have the patience for everything else on it.
Top jams: "Dramamine," "Custom Concern," "Beach Side Property," "Ohio"

15 Life Changing Albums

Sorry, this will be my last post for the day.

Today I got tagged by three different friends to compose a Facebook note listing 15 albums that have changed my life. I decided to go the extra mile by not only including explanations and photos, but also posting it on my REAL blog. This one right here.

Two important notes before I get started:

(1) Determining what albums have literally affected or changed my life deeply is very difficult. In all honesty, I can only consider two albums fully life changing (OK Computer and Pet Sounds). The other 13 on this list are the next closest things.

(2) I'm going to try to list these in chronological order, not by the year the album was released, but the year and hopefully month in which it entered and/or became crucial in my life. To the best of my knowledge, at least. Also, this is from the point when I first started getting really serious about music until now.

Oh, and one more thing.

(3) These aren't necessarily my 15 favorite records of all time (although that list would look pretty close), but 15 records that have had a major impact on my outlook on life and in music. Somehow, there is a difference.

Here we go!


OK Computer - Radiohead (Capitol, 1997)
NOVEMBER 1997 - This is what slowly but surely pulled me up from the depths of my ska and pop punk listening shenanigans. It helped me look at the world in a more realistic and even skeptical manner. It inspired me, creeped me out and probably made me cry. It is my favorite album of all time.


Weezer (The Blue Album) - Weezer (Geffen, 1994)
MARCH 1999 - I was way behind with this one. Back when it first came out, I tossed it aside because it wasn't Christian or grunge. But when I finally sat down with it, boy did it hit me hard. The first album to convince me to give pop music a chance.


Something to Write Home About - The Get Up Kids (Vagrant, 1999)
MARCH 2000 - The perfect high school album. I at least thought that I related to the lyrics at the time, and I sure as hell loved singing along to 'em. So catchy and interesting for me at the time, and the impressive drumming only helped.


Frame & Canvas - Braid (Polyvinyl, 1998)
NOVEMBER 2001 - I was introduced to this at the height of my obsession with emo. Braid should have been one of the first for me, but alas, they were not. Not being one who pays attention to lyrics that much, I couldn't relate to them at the time, unlike so many others (too clever, I guess). But, this is the record that completely sold me on the idea of one day going on tour. It also was fun to imagine me playing Damon Atkinson's drum parts, and how amazing that would be.


Emergency & I - The Dismemberment Plan (DeSoto, 1999)
OCTOBER 2002 - Probably the first truly out there and bizarre album I had ever gotten into. This changed the way I looked at both melodies and drumming forever.


Discovery - Daft Punk (Virgin, 2001)
NOVEMBER 2002 - I hated dancing, and then this sexy baby came along, and now I only love to dance to it (unless I'm under the influence AND with the right crowd). Discovery opened my mind to funky, sexy music, and reminded me that music is really fun to listen to.


The Royal Tenenbaums Original Soundtrack - Mark Mothersbaugh/various (Hollywood, 2001)
NOVEMBER 2002 - Mark Mothersbaugh's original score + amazing songs by The Clash, Nick Drake, Nico, The Ramones, The Velvet Underground, etc. + it being the soundtrack to my favorite movie = greatest movie soundtrack I have ever heard. BEAUTIFUL.


Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys (Capitol, 1966)
JANUARY 2003 - Here is what finally sold me on pop music, and how if it's done right, it can be the most beautiful thing you've ever heard.


Keep it Like a Secret - Built to Spill (Warner Bros., 1999)
JULY 2003 - Just when I was getting sick of hearing the guitar, this album comes along and pulls me right back in. My favorite guitar album of all time.


Transatlanticism - Death Cab for Cutie (Barsuk, 2003)
OCTOBER 2003 - Not necessarily the best Death Cab album, but the one with absolutely perfect timing. It came out during what might have been the greatest month of my entire life in the greatest year (school, not calender) of my life. Lots of great memories and emotions attached to this one.


You Forgot it in People - Broken Social Scene (Arts & Crafts, 2002)
DECEMBER 2003 - This album is stunning. I'm at a loss of words. Perhaps it's another one of those "perfect album with perfect timing" stories. I don't know. It heavily contributed to the glory that was the 2003/04 school year.


The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips (Warner Bros., 1999)
APRIL 2004 - One of the weirdest yet most beautiful things I had ever heard at this time. The way this record sounds, primarily the drums, has had an eternal effect on me. It is my dream to have drums that I record sound like this.


London Calling - The Clash (Epic, 1979)
APRIL 2004 - At this stage in life, I was so sick of punk rock. Not that this is a punk album through and through. In essence and attitude, it is, but really, it seems like this punk band, The Clash, wanted to make a pop album. And they did. And it was Long Calling. And it sold me again on the idea of punk rock.


The Biz - The Sea and Cake (Thrill Jockey, 1995)
AUGUST 2006 - Here began a long and extensive love affair with this band that probably will never end. Not necessarily their best, but the first that I got into. And what a beaut it is!


The Beatles (The White Album) - The Beatles (Capitol, 1968)
DECEMBER 2007 - It took me 23 years and 7 months, but in December of 2007, thanks to Matt Rickle putting "Martha My Dear" on a mix CD for me, I FINALLY felt ready to give The Beatles a go. I have not looked back once. And this is my album. Though, to be completely honest, I haven't spent nearly as much time on the second disc as I have the first. But that first disc is IT!

The Sea and Cake @ The MOCAD, 2/13/09

I had originally planned on posting this only a couple days after the concert, but then I just totally forgot about it. My best bud Travis' post this week about his recent experience seeing Ben Folds live inspired me to just go ahead and still do it.

So, last Friday I had the opportunity to see my newly positioned second favorite band, The Sea and Cake, at an art opening at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD). I had planned to recall the entire set list for the night (not necessarily in order), and I totally blew it by waiting too long to post this. However, I will try to recall their set to the best of my abilities.

First off, the band was incredibly tight. This was not very surprising as they were pretty much perfect when I saw them at the Magic Stick back in October of 2007. Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt both just did their thang with their guitars, not being too showy, displaying just the right amount of coolness. Of course Prekop's voice was smooth as hell. John McEntire banged the shit out of his drums amazingly. That dude is just sick. And once again, bassist Eric Claridge proved to me that he might be the most crucial member of the band. He knows when to hold it down and keep everyone together and when to let loose and wail. Seasoned professionals are what they are.

The set list was great. They played most of their newest record, Car Alarm. It was exciting to see some of my top jams from the record such as "A Fuller Moon," "On a Letter" and "Window Sills." "Weekend" was especially awesome. 2007's Everybody was represented well thanks to splendid performances of "Middlenight," "Coconut" and "Exact to Me." I was pretty bummed they didn't play "Crossing Line," but I guess that's okay. The band also highlighted some old favorites, the best of which were "Parasol," "The Biz," "Sporting Life," and "Midtown." All of this plus several others from Car Alarm, some oldies and a few songs I didn't recognize (one in particular that McEntire completely dominated) in an hour-and-a-half set that included a four song encore. They must have been feeling generous.

Great set guys! You are truly fantastic both on record and live.

Know Your Onion #13

Kim Jong Il Unfolds Into Giant Robot

Here's a classic.

P.D.A.D. #1: Greg Saunier

Tonight, I begin a new series of themed blog posts, titled P.D.A.D. (Public Display of Affectionate Drumming). I guess, I could have made it P.D.E.D. (for Emotional Drumming, duh), but this is an attempt at being clever.

Pretty much, I will dedicate these posts to sharing videos of some of my favorite drummers wailing on their drums affectionately, emotionally, or awesomely.

Here is a Juan's Basement performance by Deerhoof, who's drummer, Greg Saunier, is a master at the sloppy and improvisational Keith Moon style of drumming. It is the title track from 2004's Milk Man, which I don't own, but should.



Awesome, right?