Stuff That Nobody Cares About

'Tis my last blog post for 2 years

2008-12-30T00:15:00.001-08:00

For I am going on a mission for my church to Denver, Colorado. I'll tell you all about it when I get back!

Pasadena Love

2008-12-17T00:50:00.000-08:00

City Hall

Huntington Library

Some crazy hotel

Ahhh, the Rose Bowl

Best Albums of 2008

2008-12-11T00:25:00.000-08:00

I'll post the rest of the list in a while. I'm just doing a top 10 for now so I can submit it to HypeMachine.com

2008 was okay for music, not the best year. Sadly, last year was much more impressive. None of the albums released in 2008 were as good as the top 4 from last year: In Rainbows by Radiohead, Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon, and Raising Sand by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. However, there were still many releases that were very impressive and worth checking out. Here are the top 25.

1 Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Key Tracks: A-Punk, *Oxford Comma, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

There was no clear-cut #1 album this year, much unlike last year, when Radiohead’s In Rainbows was #1 without question in my mind. At first, I was reluctant to put the brilliant Vampire Weekend debut at #1. It didn’t feel “weighty” enough to be #1. I’ve seen many music lists this year putting it in the top 10, but never at #1. But in order to make my decision, I tried to remove myself from 2008 and put myself in 2018. I thought to myself, “Ten years down the road, what’s the one album I will remember from 2008? What’s the one album that will leave the deepest impression?” The answer to those questions was Vampire Weekend, without a doubt. Before the album was released, Vampire Weekend was hyped on the blogosphere to a point that backlash was inevitable. People label them as pretentious East-Coast Columbia grads with collared shirts and a subtle sneering self-confidence. Whether any of those characterizations are true or not, it doesn’t take away from the fact that their album is top-notch. It’s fun, catchy, and original. There isn’t a bad song on the whole record. So relax, don’t worry about what people say, and just enjoy the pure pop genius that is Vampire Weekend.

2 Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Key Tracks: Skinny Love, Re: Stacks, The Wolves (Act I and II)

When I listen to this album, vivid images swirl in my mind of a cold, wintry scene in the Wisconsin wilderness, occupied by a single cabin and a man strumming along on his guitar. Well guess what, that’s exactly how this album was made. Bon Iver retreated to a Wisconsin cabin and recorded one of the most beautiful albums I’ve ever heard. The album’s approach is nothing new (songs of heartbreak, complete with acoustic guitar and harmonies), but rarely is it ever this effective.

3 TV On the Radio - Dear Science
Key Tracks: Golden Age, Dancing Choose

Indie bands are good at crafting interesting, frenetic compositions that cause marvel at their creativity. While most of these said songs/albums may be good, they’re usually hard to connect with. What sets Dear Science apart is TVOTR’s exquisite use of melody. No matter how challenging the instrumentation is on a particular song on this album, it still gets stuck in your head for hours because of its infectious melody.

4 Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Key Tracks: I Will Possess Your Heart, Grapevine Fires, Cath...

I recently realized how awesome Death Cab For Cutie was, substance mixed with an innate pop sensibility. Narrow Stairs easily lives up to what people have come to expect from, arguably, the leading indie band of our time. "I Will Possess Your Heart" starts off with a 4-minute intro; some think the song is too long, but you need to feel the groove. It is a perfect song, sparse yet engaging. The song characterizes the whole feel the album: beautiful melodies mixed with lyrics full of heartache. Narrow Stairs is probably DCFC's most ambitious, guitar-fueled album yet.

5 Beck - Modern Guilt
Key Tracks: Gamma Ray, Modern Guilt, Youthless

Beck has become one of my favorite modern artists by constantly switching it up. You never know what genre of music will dominate his next album. Well this time, it's swirling, yet depressed, 60's psychedelia, aided by the production of Danger Mouse. While I admit that the end of the album isn't too strong, the first 6 songs alone are amazing enough to catapult it to the #5 spot, characterized by woozy bass-lines, prominent drums, ornamental flourishes, and Beck's deep, sad voice

6 Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Key Tracks: White Winter Hymnal, Blue Ridge Mountains, Tiger Mountain Peasant Song

Take the Shins, infuse them with the earthiness and mind-blowing harmonies of Crosby, Stills & Nash, and you get Fleet Foxes. But don't be fooled by my comparisons: Fleet Foxes are in no way derivative of any bands that have come before them. They have their own unique sound, due in part to the impeccable production of their debut album. The record is fueled by harmonies that you just don't hear in most modern music, but when lead singer Robin Pecknold sings alone, the result is just as beautiful and natural. Lead single "White Winter Hymnal" is the definition of the subtle beauty that Fleet Foxes evokes throughout the whole record. It is a flawless album.

7 Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
Key Tracks: *Here's the Thing, *In Step, *Play Your Part (Pt. 2)

This is one of the most fun albums I've ever heard. Girl Talk, the master of mashups, has created a masterpiece. Feed the Animals is one big hour-long dance party containing all your favorite hits, and I mean all of them. You can hear components of songs across the musical map, including Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U," Kanye West's "Flashing Lights," Radiohead's "15 Step," Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," Soulja Boy's "Crank That," Britney Spears' "Gimme More," Of Montreal's "Gronlandic Edit," Flo Rida's "Low," and The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows." And that's just a tiny fraction. I don't think I've ever gotten as much pure enjoyment from an album as I have from this one.

8 Sun Kil Moon - April
Key Tracks: Lost Verses, Tonight the Sky, Unlit Hallway

You may not be aware, but you've probably already been exposed to Mark Kozelek, the brains behind Sun Kil Moon. He portrayed the bassist of the fictional band Stillwater in the movie Almost Famous, funnily enough. Who would have thought that guy had such musical prowess? Serving as a cross between Nick Drake and Neil Young, Kozelek presents an album full of both beautiful acoustic and rocking electric jams. I'm surprised he's gotten such little coverage, because this is really something.

9 Sigur Rós - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust

Key Tracks: Inní mér syngur vitleysingur, Gobbledigook, Við spilum endalaust

I've never heard a Sigur Rós song that didn't move me in some way. The album opens with pure joyful exuberance, and then levels off to the melancholy crescendos and decrescendos that they're known for. It's a perfect album to study to, which means it's been on repeat a lot recently. These guys can do no wrong, as far as I'm concerned.

10 Q-Tip - The Renaissance
Key Tracks: Gettin' Up, Move, Life is Better (feat. Norah Jones)

Q-Tip, the former leader of A Tribe Called Quest, came out with the #1 rap album of the year, complete with the #1 song of the year of any genre. Q-Tip knows how to make a hook and a beat. In the world of dumbed down beats and lyrics (see "Crank That" by Soulja Boy), Q-Tip is the antithesis. His beats are smooth soul grooves with smart lyrics to match.

Best Songs of 2008

2008-12-04T23:05:00.001-08:00

Every genre, from indie rock to hard rock, alternative rock to pop rock, hip-hop, R&B, pop, folk. Everybody from Death Cab to Q-Tip, Metallica to Shwayze, Beck to John Legend, Coldplay to Lil Wayne, Duffy, Santogold, Kanye, Jason Mraz, Vampire Weekend, Deerhoof, ETC. Listen and enjoy. And if you don't have time, then just look at the top 25 at least! Haha.

I know you may be laughing at my obsession, that's cool. I know I'm ridiculous, haha.

Please note: This list, of course, is not definitive. Please keep in mind that my main goal is for people to enjoy the inclusions, not lament the exclusions. It's mainly for people to: A) celebrate songs on here that they know and love, and B) discover new music that they've never heard. Obviously, some aren't going to agree with many choices, but celebrate the ones that you do agree with. Yeeeah.

My list of the best albums of 2008 is forthcoming. Don't get too excited.

75. Run (I'm a Natural Disaster) - Gnarls Barkley
MTV had to yank the video because it could cause epileptic seizures.
Video

74. Everything is Borrowed - The Streets
A British, white, suburban rapper. Haha.
Video

73. Never Miss a Beat - Kaiser Chiefs
Danceable apathy.
Video

72. Machine Gun - Portishead
Ominous industrial indie
Video

71. Life in Marvelous Times - Mos Def
Took me a while to get used to this track, but now I can't get enough of it.
Video

70. Human - The Killers
Are we human or are we dancer? Uhh, what?
Video

69. Low - Flo Rida feat. T-Pain
Haha. Ha. Yeah........
Video

68. Grounds for Divorce - Elbow
You may recognize it from the trailer for Burn After Reading. But I knew the song before that, so there. Haha.
Video

67. Id Engager - Of Montreal
Their new album wasn't as good as last year's, but this is a great song.
Video

66. Green Light - John Legend feat. Andre 3000
High-end R&B
Video

65. Always Where I Need to Be - The Kooks
They released a trivial second album, but their single was catchy enough.
Video

64. Single Fins & Safety Pins - Japanese Motors
The sun-soaked L.A. version of the Strokes
Video

63. Can't Believe It - T-Pain feat. Lil Wayne
It's kind of ridiculous, and who knows what in the world Lil Wayne is saying, but it's got a great hook.
Video

62. Sun Is Shining - The Fireman
The Fireman consists of two members: an ambient/electronic bassist who goes by the name of Youth...and, uh, some guy named Paul McCartney.
Video

61. Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend
Such a great debut album. Every song is great, here's one of the better ones.
Video

60. Lollipop - Lil Wayne
Stupid? Yes. But I have good memories of the summer when I hear it.
Video

59. L.E.S Artistes - Santogold
In a year of great debut albums, here's another one.
Video

58. Little Bit - Lykke Li
Strangely haunting.
Video

57. GfC - Albert Hammond Jr.
And now, here's the guitarist from the actual Strokes.
Video

56. Brooklyn (Go Hard) - Jay-Z feat. Santogold
This track just came up a few days ago and it is sick, especially the line about Jackie Robinson. And Santogold is killin. Also noteworthy: it's produced by Kanye West.

55. Move - Q-Tip
The legendary frontman of A Tribe Called Quest released a sick album.
Video

54. Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings
Made famous by the iTunes commercial
Video

53. Top Yourself - The Raconteurs
Perfect slide-guitar blues
Video

52. I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Just a good pop song.
Video

51. Forever - Chris Brown
You're probably pretty surprised to see a song like this on my list. But there's no denying it, it's a tight "club banger," ahaha.
Video

50. Mercy - Duffy
What a great voice.
Video

49. The Shock of the Lightning - Oasis
Very Beatles-esque. Maybe too much so.
Video

48. Crawl - Kings of Leon
Reminds me of Zeppelin.
Video

47. Lost! - Coldplay
Catchy.
Video

46. Dancing Choose - TV On the Radio
One of my favorite new discoveries, TV On the Radio.
Video

45. Creator - Santogold
Yeeeah, bumpin!
Video

44. Superstar - Lupe Fiasco feat. Matthew Santos
Lupe Fiasco, one of the most respected names in rap.
Video

43. Another Way to Die - Jack White & Alicia Keys
This is the theme song for the new Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. A lot of reviewers weren't fond of the song, but I thought it was awesome.
Video

42. Pork and Beans - Weezer
This sounds like the Weezer of 1994. By the way, best video ever.
Video

41. Cheap and Cheerful - The Kills
Catchy electro-punk.
Video

40. Acid Tongue- Jenny Lewis
Lead singer of Rilo Kiley.
Video

39. Strange Overtones - David Byrne & Brian Eno
Ah man, great song. The frontman of the Talking Heads teams up with the legendary producer to create a track straight out of the late '70s.
Video

38. Inní mér syngur vitleysingur - Sigur Rós
What could be better than joyous Icelanders? Haha.
Video

37. Mrs. Officer - Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne disgusts me, but even he can't ruin this beat.
Video

36. I'm Amazed - My Morning Jacket
Classic rock anthem from 2008.
Video

35. Can It Be - Murs
Sick track, complete with Jackson 5 sample from the best underground rapper out there.
Video

34. Paranoid - Kanye West
Controversial new sound for Kanye and I dig it.
Video

33. My Drive Thru - Santogold, Julian Casablancas, & N.E.R.D.
An epic collaboration for a Converse commercial.
Video

32. Olympic Airways - Foals
Try to not like this song.
Video

31. Strange Times - The Black Keys
Very different from their earlier, bluesier work, but still awesome.
Video

30. Buzzin' - Shwayze
Critics railed on Shwayze, but how can you not like this track? So chill and laid back, SoCal style.
Video

29. DLZ - TV On the Radio
These guys made one of the best albums of the year.
Video

28. Can You Tell - Ra Ra Riot
One of most interesting new bands of the year.
Video

27. Lucid Dreams - Franz Ferdinand
Best Franz Ferdinand song since "Take Me Out."
Video

26. Skinny Love - Bon Iver
Bon Iver is a folkie who retreated to the Wisconsin wilderness and cut one of the best albums of the year.
Video

25. Swagga Like Us - Jay-Z & T.I. feat. Kanye West & Lil Wayne
All-star lineup, samples "Paper Planes" by M.I.A.
Video

24. Touch Me I'm Going to Scream, Pt. 1 - My Morning Jacket
Epic.
Video

23. Better - Guns N' Roses
One of the best tracks from Axl's finally-released Chinese Democracy
Video

22. Grapevine Fires - Death Cab For Cutie
Great track from Narrow Stairs.
Video

21. Lost Verses - Sun Kil Moon
Beautiful stuff.
Video

20. Violet Hill - Coldplay
The last minute of the song gives me chills every time.
Video

19. White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
Mix between Crosby Stills & Nash and The Shins. Beautiful stuff.
Video

18. Stay With Me (By the Sea) - Al Green feat. John Legend
As smooth as it gets.
Video

17. One Day Like This - Elbow
This song reminds me very much of "Hey Jude," but it's different enough that it's not derivative.
Video

16. Rich Girls - The Virgins
There's two versions of this song, both are good in their own way. Here's the earlier, more raw version.
Video

15. If I Had Eyes - Jack Johnson
Such a feel-good song.
Video

14. Heartless - Kanye West
No matter what you think of this song, the power of this melody is undeniable.
Video

13. The Tears and Music of Love - Deerhoof
The perfect combination of garage, pop, and Japanese singers.
Video

12. Electric Feel - MGMT
So catchy.
Video

11. Going On - Gnarls Barkley
It's no "Crazy", but it's still awesome.
Video

10. The Day That Never Comes - Metallica
Metallica is back.
Video

9. Re: Stacks - Bon Iver
Hauntingly beautiful. Supposedly this song was on an episode of House as well, for you House fans.
Video

8. Gamma Ray - Beck
Beck + Danger Mouse = Excellence.
Video

7. A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
Simple and super catchy song from 2008's biggest debut band.
Video

6. The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room) - Flight of the Conchords
I love Flight of the Conchords. Not only are the lyrics hilarious, but the music itself is actually awesome.
Video

5. Salute Your Solution - The Raconteurs
Just another awesome blood-pumping song from Jack White.
Video

4. American Boy - Estelle feat. Kanye West
The beat to this song is amazing.
Video

3. I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab For Cutie
Groovy bassline and creepy lyrics.
Long Video
Short Video

2. Viva La Vida - Coldplay
It was so overplayed in the summer, but the fact that every type of radio station played it was a testament to it's greatness. Pulsating strings, world instruments, and Chris Martin's transcendent voice.
Video

1. Gettin' Up - Q-Tip
This is, hands down, one of the freshest rap songs ever. It's not flashy, it doesn't try to make a statement. This track is exactly what rap should be: a hot beat, clever lyrics, a smooth flow, and a catchy chorus. Just sit back and feel the groove (and make sure you have the bass turned up). This is the best song of 2008.
Video

Here are my favorite songs from each year of the decade:
2000: Yellow - Coldplay
2001: Short Skirt Long Jacket - Cake
2002: Lose Yourself - Eminem
2003: Hey Ya! - Outkast
2004: Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
2005: You Only Live Once - The Strokes
2006: Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
2007: Icky Thump - The White Stripes
2008: Gettin' Up - Q-Tip

Wasting Away with Music Lists

2008-12-03T23:38:00.000-08:00

I spend way too much time looking at and editing my own music lists. The year-end lists are rolling in and I can't get enough of them. Here are some from Blender, Q, Paste, and Mojo. I've been tweaking my own list for a long time now and will "release" my 2008 song and album lists soon. I still don't have a clear cut choice for the #1 album yet. I am obsessed. But the fact that Bob Boilen, working for such an esteemed establishment as NPR, shares my obsession, makes me feel better about it. However, that still won't assuage my mom's fears for me, despite her being an avid NPR listener.

Anyway, look forward to seeing my lists on Facebook soon, complete with video links and descriptions. Simplified versions will be on the blog. Yay! I know most people don't give a crap, but I'm excited, haha. Ahhh I'm lame.

In the meantime, check out Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie covering "Thriller." Epic.

EDIT: New and more interesting lists! Here's one from my cousin Louisa and one from my school newspaper, the Daily Cal.

Elitist Apples

2008-12-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

Connie: Hotmail is so fifth grade
David: You elitist
Connie: Gmail is to the New York Times as Hotmail is to USA today
David: Gmail is to Cheeseboard as Hotmail is to Blondie's
Connie: Harvard versus Boston City College...
David: Radiohead versus Coldplay
Connie: Questionable.
David: It is questionable, agreed, but a widely held belief.
David: Meet the Press versus Crossfire
Connie: Harry Potter versus Twilight.
David: Target versus Walmart
Connie: San Francisco versus Pasadena. Zing.
David: No! Apples and oranges. SF versus Oakland, Pasadena versus Riverside
Connie: Apples versus oranges
David: Haha. Boom.

Check it: Soundtrap

2008-11-24T00:14:00.000-08:00

Ryan Paullin is a talent behind anything that creates/emanates music, whether it be a piano or a soundboard. Paullin, using the pseudonym Soundtrap, is constructing an eclectic fusion of electronic, rock, funk, jazz, ambient, etc. After an unfortunate episode involving a "friend" who jacked his laptop and proceeded to delete all previous sound collages, Soundtrap started working on new beats from scratch. Luckily, the incident didn't hinder his creative energy.

Soundtrap masters the art of subtlety and texture. Layers are brought in and out, made louder and softer, with certain elements brought out at different times. A bass riff here, a smooth synth solo there. Those areas of a Soundtrap song that contain multiple layers, all working together are awesome; the areas that are stripped down are even better. Each track is a journey: one minute, you're hearing a preponderance of sounds weaving in and out of each other, and the next minute, you're listening to the simple beauty of, say, just a synth hook shimmering over a conga beat. These stripped-down areas give the tracks breathing room. The mark of a good beat-maker is his/her ability to realize this breathing room is needed for the listener to appreciate the beat in full.

There are two tracks posted on the Soundtrap Facebook profile, "Digirock" and "Wander." "Digirock" is a perfect song to pop in the car while cruising on the freeway. It contains a driving, but chill beat throughout. The track starts out with a catchy guitar shuffle, vaguely reminiscent of the Grateful Dead, but with the smoothness of Steely Dan. Towards the middle of the song, birds chirp as guitars and keyboards fade in and out with various solos. The shuffle then reappears at the end, bringing the song full circle. "Wander" is a great track, beginning with echoey synth fills and a moving bass line. After a perfectly placed pause where all sound stops, the beat picks up again with a sparse, yet effective keyboard solo. The drum beat is taken away in the middle of the song, giving way to dreamy swirl of sound. Then the track slowly begins to build. After a subtle, Mexican-like synth-trumpet solo, the drum beat kicks in hard with a strong, driving beat. The drums, along with simple keyboard repetitions and a great chord progression, form the backbone for an epic guitar solo in an explosion of brilliance. It sounds like the type of music you would hear at the end of a movie, at a graduation or get-together when everyone is reuniting and reflecting. They're sounds of pure joy. Then it slowly fades away, bringing the end of the song.

Check out the Soundtrap Facebook page here.

And dude, look, I met Soundtrap at a club! Haha. Ha.

Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak

2008-11-21T14:55:00.000-08:00

4.0/5

Easily the most controversial album of 2008, Kanye West has released something completely different. Gone are the self-promoting lyrics, gone are the intricate and nuanced beats, and more importantly, gone is the rapping. West has constructed an album devoted to the loss of his late mother and his breakup with his former fiance, leading to, perhaps, the most insecure hip-hop release ever created. The beats are very minimalist, comprising of mostly 808 drum machines and 1980s style synths. Both of these characteristics are departures from Kanye's former proven style, but the facet that will cause the most controversy is the vocals. Kanye sings on every track with auto-tune technology.

First, lets tackle the subject of auto-tune. It's a feature that has taken over top 40 radio, popularized by T-Pain, used to full extent by Lil Wayne. I'm just going to come out and say it, auto-tune sucks. It makes voices sound fake and computerized. It gives the illusion that someone can sing when they can't. It sounds ridiculous. I can guarantee that in 10 years, we will look back at all the "auto-tuned" songs of this decade and we will say to ourselves, "What were they thinking?"

However, as unfortunate as Kanye's newfound obsession with the technology is (by the way, good thing he didn't discover it before recording the awesome "American Boy"), it doesn't bring 808s & Heartbreak down too much.

The songs certainly go well together. It can get grating at times to hear so little variation, a la Sea Change by Beck. But just like Beck's masterpiece, the album is certainly solid. "Love Lockdown", the first single off the album, is actually one of the less impressive songs. "Heartless" has an extremely infectious melody. "Welcome to Heartbreak" opens with an entrancing cello and contains an ominous and intriguing beat. "Paranoid" is the strongest track on the album, probably because it's reminiscent of the old Kanye. Despite sounding good on "See You in My Nightmares", Lil Wayne sounds retarded and ridiculous. And "Coldest Winter," Kanye's ode to his mom, closes the album out strongly.

People will hate 808s and they will love to hate it. I myself have reservations about his new direction. I certainly hope that it's simply an experiment, a one-time departure, after which he'll go back to making those intricate beats and rapping over them without the ridiculous auto-tune like he used to. But even if you hate it, you have to give props to Kanye for going out on a limb, going in a new direction, and taking a risk. And the result isn't half-bad.

Facts

2008-11-13T00:03:00.000-08:00

Problem sets suck. Naked juice is awesome. These corn chips from the GBC are bland. Palin is a joke. My new off-white vans are sick. The Lakers are dominant (7-0). Jon Stewart is my idol. 2119 University is my home more than 2650 Durant. Metacritic is the best website ever. Mitch Mitchell just died (R.I.P.). Thanksgiving is going to be epic. Kanye West is frustrating me. And this video brings so many sweet memories.

Viva Obama!

2008-11-05T21:07:00.001-08:00

I may sound cheesy, but I don't give a crap. Fifty years from now, I'm going to see in the history books: Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Barack Obama. And I will be able to proudly say that I was a part of history. I was one of the many Americans across the nation who helped elect our first black president and prove that anything is possible. Expectations are high (maybe too high), but I believe Barack Obama will rise to the challenge and will use both Democrats and Republicans to take those challenges head-on.

The atmosphere in Berkeley was super exciting!

My life is dictated by c(h)ords

2008-10-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

More life, no more reviews

2008-10-14T10:09:00.001-07:00

I think I'm done with album reviews. I don't really care about them anymore. I never was very good at it anyway. I'm not a very creative and nuanced writer. If I were a journalist, I would write the straightforward front page story. I could possibly do op-eds, because there are times when I can express my opinion well, but never in a creative manner.

However, I will try to blog about my actual life a little more. I just turned 19 yesterday! I don't feel any different. 19 is an awkward age--18 is so important and 20 means...well, you're in your 20s, and 19 is right in between. You're kind of an adult, but not really. Once you hit 20, you are definitely an adult. And I'm only a year away from that point. That kind of scares me.

The one quality about myself that I hate at the moment is my uncanny ability to procrastinate. Obviously most college students deal with this problem, but I'm kind of extreme. I have an essay due in less than 2 hours and what am I doing right now? Blogging of course. I had 2 weeks to do it, but there's always some YouTube video to watch, some Wikipedia article to read, or some fire on Angel Island to look at.

Anyway, I really should get back to my essay. (Insert snappy, creative, one-line outro here that my straightforward front page stories will never have).

Future Album Releases

2008-09-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

Notable albums that are set to be released within the next few months:

Murs - Murs for President :: 9/30
Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul :: 10/7
The Streets - Everything is Borrowed :: 10/7
AC/DC - Black Ice :: 10/20
Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping :: 10/21
Queen + Paul Rodgers - The Cosmos Rocks :: 10/28
The Cure - 4:13 Dream :: 10/28
John Legend - Evolver :: 10/28
Q-Tip - The Renaissance :: 11/4
The Killers - Day & Age :: 11/25
Kanye West - 808’s and Heartbreak :: 12/16
Common - Universal Mind Control :: TBA

Kings of Leon - Only By the Night

2008-09-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

3.5/5
I don't know what to think of Kings of Leon's latest release. Some of it is awesome, some is disappointing. Part of me loves the new sound, but the other part pines for the gritty old days of 2004's Aha Shake Heartbreak (Check out "King of the Rodeo"). The fourth track, "Use Somebody", provides a perfect microcosm of my feelings toward the album. It's catchy and sticks in your mind, but it's so...pop. If you accept the fact that KOL has become less like the Strokes and more like U2, as in less raw and more atmospheric, then you will probably find Only By the Night to be very enjoyable. "Closer" is a great track with superb instrumentation (that, oddly enough, reminds me of once-popular "This is Why I'm Hot" by Mims). Caleb Followill's yowl on "Notion" is powerful, "Crawl" rocks hard, and "Sex On Fire" is not exactly the definition of subtlety, but it's a tremendously catchy track. The church-bell intro in "17" and the amateur lyrics in "I Want You" reflect the entirety of those respective tracks: stupid. "Revelry" is interesting enough and "Cold Desert" can't be described as anything other than beautiful. Overall it's a great album and the rating might be bumped up once I lose the original KOL nostalgia.

Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons...

2008-09-14T23:20:00.000-07:00

4.0/5
Atmosphere, the duo of Ant (producing the beats) and Slug (delivering the flows), has become one of the titans of underground rap. Their latest album is a breath of fresh air from the rap you hear everyday on the radio and has easily become the best rap album of the year so far. These are not club jams, but that doesn't mean the album's any less enjoyable. These tracks have easy, mid-tempo grooves. "Dreamer" has a beautifully constructed beat, "Your Glass House" and "Shoulda Known" are ominous tracks with incredibly powerful beats that grab your gut, "Yesterday" is a pleasant jam, and "You" has actually gained some radio airplay. But the quality that most separates Atmosphere from mainstream hip-hop is the thought-provoking lyrics, whether they are Slug's personal confessions or tales of losers with real problems, the type of subjects that most self-promoting rappers completely evade. Highly recommended.

Brian Wilson - That Lucky Old Sun

2008-09-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

3.5/5
It's certainly hard to follow anything as epic as SMiLE, the amazing and visionary album from former Beach Boy Brian Wilson. He almost completed it in 1967, but became increasingly depressed and paranoid until the project was dropped. He finally rerecorded it and released SMiLE in 2004. In what was probably a smart move, Wilson released a decidedly less ambitious album in That Lucky Old Sun. The tracks describe the glorious side of L.A. as heard in tracks like "Morning Beat": "Another Dodger-blue sky is crowning L.A. / The City of Angels is rushed every day" or "Driving through the maze of the Hollywood Hills / Headed to the ocean for a view that would kill / Watching from the Wheel in Santa Monica Pier / A million diamonds floating on heavenly tiers." The lyrics can go too far at times, almost going out of their way to reference every notable thing about the Southland, but they can also paint a great portrait of my favorite city of all time. But if you don't share the same view of L.A., then this album's definitely not for you.

As expected from a Brian Wilson record, the melodies are natural and the harmonies are impeccable. It would be safe to say that Wilson is a musical genius. "Good Kind of Love" has a catchy melody and "Midnight's Another Day" is simply beautiful. And the a cappella harmonies at 1:05 in "Going Home" are what originally pressed me to buy the album; the lyric there is noteworthy as well, a reflection on Wilson's past depression: "At 25 I turned out the light / Cause I couldn't handle the glare in my tired eyes / But now I'm back drawing shades of kind blue sky." And the album's magnum opus, "Southern California", sounds like it could be on a 1965 Beach Boys record.

BUT, despite the amazing musical textures, the album can be unbearably cheesy. It wouldn't feel out of place in the Musical Soundtrack section of the record store: just take that assessment for what it's worth. For example, there are little 45 second narratives spaced through the album that could have certainly been omitted. It can be gag-inducing. And Wilson's obvious sense of nostalgia for the good old days can be a little much.

However, if you don't mind the cons, the pros can be incredible. I mean, this is Brian Wilson we're talking about. You're in good hands.

Upcoming reviews

2008-09-07T23:59:00.000-07:00

These are the albums I've purchased that I still need to review:

Beck - Modern Guilt
Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line
Brian Wilson - That Lucky Old Sun
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons...
The Dodos - Visiter
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
No Age - Nouns
The Morning Benders - Talking Through Tin Cans
The Kills - Midnight Boom
Al Green - Lay it Down
Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst

Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

2008-09-07T18:08:00.001-07:00

3.0/5
I wasn't really planning on purchasing this album, but Amazon had a deal on it for $5, so I figured I might as well, considering it has made quite a splash in 2008. After giving Tha Carter III a listen, the album basically confirmed my first impressions. It has some great moments. "Mr. Carter" is a really good track featuring Jay-Z. The beats on "Dr. Carter" and "Let the Beat Build" are sick. But overall the album is nothing amazing. There are lots of repetitive, unimaginative beats (especially on the single "A Milli") backing Lil Wayne's flows, unique and endearing at times, annoying at others. The highly popular "Lollipop" is a joke, but it can be strangely likable and has come to grow on me. I can understand why this record is popular, but the fact that critics praise it baffles me. It's catchy hip-hop for the masses, nothing more and nothing less.

Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

2008-09-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

4.0/5
Don't be turned off by the misleading name because whatever image just popped in your mind is probably far from the reality (I thought it was a sappy emo band). Girl Talk is, in fact, a DJ, and an expert in the art of mashups. Feed the Animals is one big hour-long dance party containing all your favorite hits, and I mean all of them. You can hear components of songs across the musical map, including Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U," Kanye West's "Flashing Lights," Radiohead's "15 Step," Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," Soulja Boy's "Crank That," Britney Spears' "Gimme More," Of Montreal's "Gronlandic Edit," Flo Rida's "Low," and The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows." And that's just a tiny fraction.

Just a word of warning, this album may not be everyone's cup of tea, especially if you are largely against most top-40 music. I've gotten to the point where I can really listen to anything, top-40 included.

Some tracks in particular really shine through. "Here's the Thing" effectively uses Chicago's "Saturday in the Park," Blur's "Song 2," and Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" (to name a select few) and it has me doing something I never thought I'd do: singing along to Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," haha. "In Step" uses Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It," Nirvana's "Lithium" Earth Wind & Fire's "September" and, as already mentioned, "God Only Knows." And the last track, "Play Your Part (Pt. 2)" ambitiously combines Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" with the guitar lick from the Chili Peppers' "Under The Bridge." It's a bit out of tune, but it somehow works beautifully.

The best part? You can get it for free if you wish, a la In Rainbows. Go here and download it, it's completely worth it.

The Virgins - The Virgins

2008-09-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

3.0/5
After seeing Rolling Stone Magazine's praising review of the Virgins' debut, I decided I'd give it a try. People described the band as a disco-infused Strokes, which sounded good to me. Unfortunately, the album fell far short of Rolling Stone's 4 stars. It has it's moments of course. "Rich Girls" is an extremely funky and exciting song. "Hey Hey Girl" has a great guitar lick and "Private Affair" is pretty catchy. But overall, the rest of the album lacks a drive and natural spark that separate these guys from the Strokes. Supposedly the Virgins have an EP out there that is more raw than this often overproduced and slick record, but I've never come across a copy. Moral of the story: download "Rich Girls", don't bother with the rest.

The Verve - Forth

2008-08-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

3.5/5
After 10 years of fighting and forgettable Richard Ashcroft solo albums, the Verve finally make a comeback with Forth (yes, it is a pun). There is no doubt that this is a pleasant record: it's full of spacey psychedelic jams with plenty of charming moments. Much of the material is reminiscent of Explosions In The Sky (except with vocals), but the Verve could learn a lot more from EITS; the jams don't take your gut and grab hold of you like they should (and could). There are hardly any definable climaxes, and when there are, they're not stirring enough. Some might argue that the Verve were better when they made accessible, catchy Britpop, such as the memorable "Bittersweet Symphony" back in 1997. The only track that comes close to being memorable is "Valium Skies", which I particularly like. But after being non-existent for 10 years, Forth is a welcome and pleasurable listen.

Lagging

2008-08-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

I'm in serious need of another blog post. I have like 10 new albums to review. It will be coming sometime in the near future.

P.S. The year-end music review is going to be epic, so be prepared for that come December.

Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends

2008-06-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

4.0/5
Coldplay's winning formula ran slightly dry on their 2005 release X&Y, causing the band to dig into creative depths never before encountered by Chris Martin and the others. As a result, they have come out with their most ambitious album to date. I can't stand when critics say music is "influenced by world music," because usually the claim is grossly exaggerated...so I won't say that, but I will say that this record certainly contains more interesting instrumentation used to great effect. The title track, "Viva La Vida", is swirling with strings, timpani, bells, and a rousing "Oh oh ohhhh" backing vocal line. "Lost!" is about as catchy as it gets, with shuffling drums, bold organ chords, and handclaps. "Yes" finds Chris Martin singing in an uncharacteristically low register, ending with the hidden "Chinese Sleep Chant" The first single that came out, "Violet Hill", is a good straight-up rock tune; the last 45 seconds consists of Martin singing longingly over simple and beautiful piano chords, giving me chills everytime (It's very reminscent of the last 1:30 of their 2002 song "Warning Sign"). Viva La Vida sounds amazing. The only thing that keeps this really good record from being a great record is that it seems like U2 already made it. Sometimes while listening to a certain track, I can picture U2 doing the exact same song. Nevertheless, it's still a great listen and big step forward for Coldplay.

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

2008-06-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

4.0/5
It's so hard to pin My Morning Jacket into one genre. You can hear elements of classic rock, southern rock, country, indie, and funk. The only way you can categorize them is another great indie band with a crappy name (please see Death Cab for Cutie). This album seemed familiar to me from the very first listen, and I don't mean that in a bad way. It's like the band creates songs that haven't been done before, but when you hear it, you almost say to yourself "Duh, why hasn't anyone made this song yet?" "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream, Pt. 1" is a brilliant song full of synths and sustained chords. "Highly Suspicious" sounds like it could easily be a slightly cheesy Prince song. "I'm Amazed" is the best classic rock tune never written. "Sec Walking" is a country-tinged song that goes at a..well, walking pace. "Two Halves" sounds like a modern version of a long lost 1950s tune, "Librarian" is beautiful, "Aluminum Park" and "Remnants" rock, and "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream, Pt. 2" is epic. Great album from a band I'll hopefully be able to see live in September.

Weezer - Weezer a.k.a. The Red Album

2008-06-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

3.0/5
I came into this album with an open mind, as opposed to the many critics and Weezer-haters who think they're just the worst band on the planet since The Green Album. I gave it a listen and quite liked it. Same result the second time. But every successive listen after that, the album has actually grown down on me. Obviously not much staying power here. The album still has its moments though. "Troublemaker" is catchy enough. "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" is a hilarious 6-minute epic looking to include 16 bars of every genre imaginable. "Pork and Beans" is easily the best song on the album, reminscent of their amazing Blue Album days (and a really funny video poking fun at all the recent YouTube sensations). "Heart Songs" is a super cheesy tribute to all of Rivers Cuomo's influences, but it's supposed to be cheesy. It actually gave me chills when I first heard Cuomo sing "Back in 1991, I wasn't havin' any fun / 'Till my roommate said 'Come on and put a brand new record on' / Had a baby on it, he was naked on it / Then I heard the chords that broke the chains I had upon me." "Everybody Get Dangerous" is a good, classic, catchy Weezer tune. The rest of the album? All downhill from there. Overall, a good album bordering on mediocre.

Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs

2008-06-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

4.0/5
The minute I heard the first single from Narrow Stairs, "I Will Possess Your Heart", Death Cab For Cutie went from being a good band to being a great band in my eyes. I revisited some old songs that my girlfriend gave me and I realized how awesome Death Cab was, substance mixed with an innate pop sensibility. Narrow Stairs easily lives up to what people have come to expect from, arguably, the leading indie band of our time. "I Will Possess Your Heart" starts off with a 4-minute intro; some think the song is too long, but you need to feel the groove. It is a perfect song, sparse yet engaging. The song characterizes the whole feel the album: beautiful melodies mixed with lyrics full of heartache. Often those lyrics are set to bright happy-sounding songs to great effect, such as on "No Sunlight". One of the clear highlights of the album is "Grapevine Fires", another song that shows the genius of frontman and songwriter Ben Gibbard. Narrow Stairs is probably DCFC's most ambitious, guitar-fueled album yet. So far it is the best album of the year, hands down.

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

2008-06-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

4.0/5
Take the Shins, infuse them with the earthiness and mind-blowing harmonies of Crosby, Stills & Nash, and you get Fleet Foxes. But don't be fooled by my comparisons: Fleet Foxes are in no way derivative of any bands that have come before them. They have their own unique sound, due in part to the impeccable production of their debut album. The record is fueled by harmonies that you just don't hear in most modern music, but when lead singer Robin Pecknold sings alone, the result is just as beautiful and natural. Lead single "White Winter Hymnal" is the definition of the subtle beauty that Fleet Foxes evokes throughout the whole record. It is a flawless album.

Wow

2008-05-30T18:09:00.000-07:00

Just finished my first year at Berkeley and it's good to be home...except for the fact that now I'm working 10 hours a day, so I haven't found time to review new music. But in the near future, I will have my reviews of Narrow Stairs by Death Cab For Cutie and Visiter by The Dodos. By that time, I probably will have also purchased Evil Urges by My Morning Jacket, Lay it Down by the great Al Green, and Weezer by...take a wild guess. A massive review of all the Radiohead albums is in the works as well.

Portishead - Third

2008-05-10T15:24:00.000-07:00

3.5/5
The critically-acclaimed former trip-hop group finally released their third album after taking a 10-year break. The album is littered with unsettling, melancholic background music while Beth Gibbon's beautiful voice transcends it all. "The Rip" starts off with acoustic arpeggios, when suddenly, but yet subtly, the drums come in halfway through the track. "We Carry On" has a grinding and strangely catchy groove. "Deep Water" would be better named "Fresh Water"; it comes as a pleasant and fulfilling minute and a half of pure beauty amid the disquieting genius of the rest of the album. The lead single "Machine Gun" combines industrial beats with Gibbon's aching voice to create an intriguing song, only to be bolstered even more by a Chariots of Fire-like synth-brass section at the end. "Magic Doors" has what I would almost call a funky drum beat with some Indian-influenced backing music. The album is very well-constructed and has the ability to grow on you, as I'm sure it will even further on me.

Nine Inch Nails - The Slip

2008-05-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

3.0/5
I have never been a big Nine Inch Nails fan and certainly would not have obtained the album if it wasn't offered on their website for free. That's right, for free. Go get it right now if you like: www.nin.com. It's not like I don't like NIN, I've just never gotten into Trent Reznor's music. In that light, The Slip is overall and enjoyable album. The industrial grooves are easy to get into. "Discipline" and "Echoplex" are definitely the two best tracks on the album. NIN takes it down a notch with "Lights in the Sky", sounding reminiscent of a piano-based Radiohead song, except with Reznor's baritone rather than Thom Yorke's high tenor. The album was a pleasant surprise and certainly worth the cost of zero dollars and zero cents, so go download it.

The Roots - Rising Down

2008-05-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

3.0/5
The Roots are one of the most respected rap groups in the game. Led by MC Black Thought and drummer ?uestlove, they make dark, politically conscious rap with a full live band. Their new album Rising Down has substantial highlights, but the album as a whole struggles with being TOO dark. A few songs have great beats, like "Get Busy" and ?uestlove's drum-thumping in "75 Bars", but most of the beats are uninspired. Of course I've always been one to overwhelmingly appreciate a song's musicality and melody more than the lyrics, and the same goes for rap. I care much more if the track has a sick beat than if the lyrics are good. So those who have an affinity with lyrics may appreciate the album more than me. But even paying close attention to the lyrics, I find that they lack any kind of sense of humor. Even politically conscious rap can be clever, but I find these tracks lacking in that cleverness. Besides the two tracks I mentioned before, "Criminal" is a great song with an enjoyable chorus and "Rising Up" is probably the catchiest song on the album. Good stuff, but it could have been better.

Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords

2008-04-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

4.0/5
They are "Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo" according to themselves. Flight of the Conchords gained fame with their self-titled HBO comedy series last year. Let me tell you right now, these guys are hilarious, full of casual wit and satire. "Foux du Fafa" takes playful aim at the French and "Hiphopopotamus Vs. Rhymenoceros" and "Mutha'uckas" makes fun of rap. But what takes them from 'good' to 'great' is their musical sensibility. Not only are these songs funny, but they're well-crafted and catchy. "Ladies of the World" features a soaring chorus at the end, which is of course tongue-in-cheek, but no less amazing. The highlights come at the end of the album, starting with the Prince/Jagger-esque "The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)", the hilarious funky 70's soul of "Business Time", and the perfect satire of every facet of David Bowie's career in "Bowie". The comedy will draw you in and the music will keep you coming back.

The Shortwave Set - Replica Sun Machine

2008-04-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

3.5/5
So being the Danger Mouse worshipper that I am, I looked up his future projects coming out in 2008 and found out he produced this little-known album by The Shortwave Set. Not only was his wizardry put to use, but Van Dyke Parks, who worked with the Beach Boys, added string arrangements and John Cale of the Velvet Underground added to the atmosphere as well. The album is pefectly bittersweet, full of pleasant, dark psychedelia. Danger Mouse's deep-down love of Magical Mystery Tour-era music really comes out. Highlights include the swooping "Harmonia", sugary "Glitches N Bugs", and the trippy "No Social". This album is does it right. (Here's their MySpace page.

The Kooks - Konk

2008-04-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

3.0/5
The Kooks made a splash in the UK with their debut album Inside In/Inside Out, full of poppy hooks, best displayed in "Naive". Their new album follows very much the same formula, but even more polished...and to me, that's not a good thing. The album is very formulaic and unoriginal. The songs sound very much the same and I was definitely bored by the end of the predictable ride. That's not to say that the predictable ride was particularly bad. "See the Sun" is a great opener. "Always Where I Need to Be", the album's first single, is as catchy as it gets. "Gap" has an incredible guitar lick. "Shine On" is a sweet and simple pop song. "One Last Time" is a heartful tune that will certainly resonate with many (even though one of the lyrics is just ridiculous..you'll know which one when you hear it). And "Tick of Time" is a laid-back, spur-of-the-moment gem. But tracks like "Love it All" are boring and "Do You Wanna" is just plain stupid. Hugh Harris's guitar work is amazing and Luke Pritchard's vocals are mature, but may get old after a while. Hopefully they will put their talents to better and more creative work in the future.

The Black Keys - Attack & Release

2008-04-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

4.0/5
First, let me start off by saying this is a completely different sound for blues-purists The Black Keys. It is much more polished, due to Danger Mouse taking the production reigns. Part of their original charm was the way they grabbed hold of you with their raw blues energy. This new style is different, but it's also not bad at all. That's what's so great about having the power to revisit their older albums (I recommend Rubber Factory, by the way). Attack & Release is very atmospheric. Danger Mouse adds a lot of subtle ornamentation that augments the music. The lead single "Strange Times" uses piano and a haunting choir to great effect. "Psychotic Girl" opens up with a banjo lick that sounds like the puppet/doll at the very beginning of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride (that's a good thing, haha). "Same Old Thing" sounds like an even bluesier Jethro Tull. And "I Got Mine" sounds like the Black Keys in their comfort zone: playing and howling the blues, as they should be.

Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell

2008-04-13T15:15:00.000-07:00

3.0/5
This is definitely a solid album. It's hard to believe it's their full-length debut after being around for so long. Their first EP A Lesson In Crime was exciting and grabbed you right in the gut. Elephant Shell isn't quite as exciting, but it's a good record nonetheless from this bass-heavy indie rock outfit. Highlights include "Tesselate", "Your English Is Good", "In A Cave", and "Juno".

The Rolling Stones - Shine a Light

2008-04-12T14:51:00.000-07:00

3.0/5
The new Scorsese/Stones concert film is a must-see, especially in IMAX. The camera work is amazing and the Stones can still put on a show. But most of the magic is due to the sights and not as much the sounds. Don't get me wrong, it still sounds pretty good, but definitely not up to par with their 1970 live record Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out. The band just sounds too polished, too...institutionalized. And Mick Jagger, though he is an excellent performer, even at his ripe old age, is really lazy on his vocals. I would rather he sacrifice some of his high-energy performance for better vocal quality, but you can't tame a beast like Jagger. (Just another minor pet-peeve: why does the piano sound so fake and cliche?). The guest appearances are superb, from Jack White, Christina Aguilera, and Buddy Guy (I will dig anything that Jack White is in). The overall sound is good--I mean, it's the Rolling Stones! Keith is very impressive, especially in "You Got the Silver." And they're at their comedic best in "Far Away Eyes." The soundtrack is good and the movie is even better.

Respected Persons in the Music Industry

2008-04-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

These are the three guys of this decade that I have mad respect for and will quickly purchase anything they touch.

1. Jack White
He's extremely creative and original AND he's a great guitarist. His work with the White Stripes and the Raconteurs is awesome. Plus, he's a class-act, he's unpretentious, and he does it all for the love of music.

Highlights
"Fell In Love With a Girl" - The White Stripes
"Level" - The Raconteurs
"My Doorbell - The White Stripes
"Steady, As She Goes - The Raconteurs
"We're Going to Be Friends - The White Stripes
"Salute Your Solution" - The Raconteurs

2. Beck
The guy is a genius. He can do anything from sample-induced hip-hop on Odelay to beautiful heartache on Sea Change.

Highlights
"Where It's At"
"The Golden Age"
"Think I'm In Love"
"Cellphone's Dead"

3. Danger Mouse
Everything DM touches is gold. For those of you who don't know, he is the producer that came to fame with The Grey Album in which he mixed Beatles samples with Jay-Z flows. He also produced Demon Days by the Gorillaz, The Mouse and the Mask with MF DOOM, and just recently Attack & Release by the Black Keys, a band who I also have undying love for. But of course, he is most noted for being the silent half of Gnarls Barkley, which made you "Crazy" and just put out another album, The Odd Couple. And I just heard news that almost made me wet myself: Danger Mouse is producing Beck's new album.

Highlights
"Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz
"Smiley Faces" - Gnarls Barkley
"Sofa King" - Dangerdoom
"Strange Times" - The Black Keys

Mmm

2008-04-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Odwalla is awesome.

Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

2008-03-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

3.5/5
This is probably the album that I anticipated most coming into 2008. Their first album, St. Elsewhere, was amazingly creative and contained the best song of the decade in my opinion, “Crazy,” plus another gem in “Smiley Faces.” Now, on to their new sophomore release, The Odd Couple: While it doesn’t produce any individual tracks that top “Crazy” or “Smiley Faces,” it is a more solid, textured, and enjoyable album as a whole. Their lead single “Run” is a frenetic dance pop number with a video to match (it had to be pulled off MTV because it caused epileptic relapses). But that’s not even the best song on the album. “Going On” is probably my favorite, with a catchy melody and thick organ chords. “Whatever” overflows with apathetic attitude. “Surprise” is dark, Latin-influenced, and Beach Boys-esque, all at the same time. “Blind Mary” sounds like it could be a freaked-out Beatles song (and the fact that it’s an ode to marijuana doesn’t hurt the comparison). Cee-Lo's swoon is at it's best on "Neighbors". And “A Little Better” has an impeccable chord progression. The album effectively mixes warm beats with cold lyrics. No sophomore slump here.

The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely

2008-03-28T14:03:00.001-07:00

~~3.5/5~~
It pains me to admit it, but I’m slightly disappointed in the Raconteurs’ second release. Maybe it’s because it turned out to be something other than what I expected and it will eventually grow on me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good rockin’ album. Jack White is a genius, but that’s the thing; I think he overpowers the album with his genius. As one reviewer put it, he’s tripping over himself with all his ideas. But also, I think he’s bulldozing over Brendan Benson. The album is sometimes overbearingly harsh and I would have liked to see more of Benson’s pop sensibility come out, as it did on their first album, Broken Boy Soldiers. Still, the album is a great listen and a worthy purchase. The first two tracks, “Consoler of the Lonely” and “Salute Your Solution”, rock hard. If you mixed the Zeppelin tracks “Traveling Riverside Blues” and “Gallows Pole”, you would get “Top Yourself”. “Attention” starts out with a trudging Sabbath-like riff and then opens up into another good rocker. “Rich Kid Blues” and “These Stones Will Shout” are also good tracks. On the other hand, other tracks like “Five on the Five” and “Hold Up” are far too brash in my opinion and needed a little more Benson to balance White.

Edit: 4.0/5
The album grew on me immensely. The high points are very high and the low points are very low, but it's those high points that make the album very good.

Howlin Rain - Magnificent Fiend

2008-03-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

2.5/5
Howlin Rain’s second album is good. Nothing more, nothing less. They give off a Lynyrd Skynyrd/Allman Bros vibe, but that’s just the problem: there is nothing new here. There’s nothing particularly bad about the album, but there’s nothing special about it. If you want to hear this kind of pure rock n’ roll, just pull out At Fillmore East or one of the other greats. I must applaud Howlin Rain for their use of the Hammond organ, which dominates many of the songs to my great satisfaction. My favorite track is probably the easy-going “Lord Have Mercy.” All in all, don’t bother buying the album.

The Presidents of the United States of America - These Are the Good Times People

2008-03-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

2.5/5
Let me start by saying that PUSA’s 1995 self-titled debut album is perfect, and I’m not exaggerating. Clever/funny lyrics set to catchy post-grunge, such as the classics “Lump” and “Peaches”. These Are the Good Times People is an OK album and fun to listen to, but nowhere near as good as their debut. Their new style is a bit too pop-punk for me. There’s also not enough variety in the songs; they all come at full force without room to breathe—something that they didn’t have a problem with on their first album. The best songs on here are the ones that show glimpses of their previous brilliance, such as “Mixed Up S.O.B.”, “Ghosts Are Everywhere”, and “Loose Balloon", but there aren't any tracks that are instantly memorable. Overall, the album is a good listen..and don’t get me wrong, their new style is often pleasing, such as on “French Girl.” And of course, the lyrics are as funny as always.

Black Mountain - In The Future

2008-03-15T17:41:00.001-07:00

3.5/5
As I was scanning through recent music releases on different websites, I saw this album by Black Mountain. I read many times that they drew influence from Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and the like. But the album cover, the generic “metal” track names, and the long song lengths had “PRETENTIOUS” written all over it. They looked like a Rush knock-off (and Rush often went over the top, in my opinion). But it was getting good reviews, so I bought it anyway, and I’m glad I did. It was a pleasant surprise. It channels the spirit of early 70’s music without being unoriginal. Parts of the album rock at full force while others are reserved and brilliant. Organs and mellotrons are used smartly to embellish the quiet parts. The female singer smoothly complements the male lead. This is a very solid album. Check out "Angels"

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

2008-03-04T15:04:00.000-08:00

4.0/5
This is a great debut album from Vampire Weekend, the slightly over-hyped indie band from the Northeast. These Columbia graduates put together an album that is refreshing, catchy and enjoyable. My favorite track is definitely “A-Punk”, a frenetic, guitar-driven party of a song. Other highlights include the almost childlike “Oxford Comma”, and the baroque feel of “M79” and “Walcott”, and the nice ballad “I Stand Corrected.” Overall, the album is a very worthy purchase and I expect more good things to come from this band.

Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static

2008-03-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

3.5/5
On first listen, Johnson’s latest album was boring and weak. Nothing in particular grabbed my attention other than the already-released lead single “If I Had Eyes”, which is undeniably a very pleasant song. But with a few more listens, it started to grow on me. After reading a Rolling Stone article on Johnson, I came to admire his extremely laid-back attitude, where family and just enjoying nature come first in his life. With this in mind, I gave the album another spin. It doesn’t have near as many hooks as his superior In Between Dreams, but I came to appreciate it for what it is: a mellow, easygoing, satisfying album.

Working Class Hero

2008-03-03T18:28:00.001-08:00

So I’m reading my textbook for History 7B—American history from the Civil War until the present—and I notice that words like “steelworkers” and “labor unions” always jump out at me. I realized that I have this romantic vision of blue-collar work, especially that of the early 20th century. A picture of one of those Communist (propaganda) statues pops in my mind and I like looking at it. I guess the Soviets knew what they were doing…sort of.

Maybe my fascination all started with John Lennon evoking his early days in the slums of Liverpool with “Working Class Hero” and how it’s “something to be.” Maybe it’s because I recently saw There Will Be Blood and the amazing cinematography made the oil fields look appealing. Maybe it began after watching October Sky and seeing all the coal workers—but that’s a bit ironic, considering all Jake Gyllenhaal’s character wanted to do was avoid that lifestyle. The irony continues, even more pronounced: I liked the images portrayed in The Jungle. Upton Sinclair intended to paint the whole working-class situation as horrible, and he did, but that still doesn’t stop me from having a romanticized view of the factories. Does this make me weird? Probably, yeah.

Speaking of factories, check out “Factory Girl” by the Stones, haha.

Best Music of 2007

2008-03-03T14:50:00.000-08:00

I posted this on my facebook already. The top 40 songs and top 10 albums of 2007

Top 40 Songs

40. Split Needles - The Shins

39. Far Cry - Rush

38. Tarantula – Smashing Pumpkins

37. Party Like a Rockstar – Shop Boyz
This song is so unintentionally hilarious, but it never fails to get you pumped. It will always remind me of my senior year: tour, grad nite, etc.

36. Rehab - Amy Winehouse
She's a wreck, but it didn't stop me from hearing the old-school jazz/soul influences in this song.

35. Apologize (feat. OneRepublic) - Timbaland

34. Lake Michigan - Rogue Wave

33. I Don't Wanna Stop - Ozzy Osbourne

32. Time Won't Let Me Go - The Bravery

31. Makes Me Wonder - Maroon 5

30. Wild Mountain Nation - Blitzen Trapper

29. The Moneymaker - Rilo Kiley

28. Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car - Iron & Wine

27. Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn & John

26. Flashing Lights – Kanye West feat. Dwele
Kanye, huge ego and all, really put out a good album. Here’s one of the catchiest of the bunch.

25. Dance Tonight – Paul McCartney
Great mandolin-driven song from Paul’s new album.

24. Good Life – Kanye West feat. T-Pain
The second of three Kanye songs to make this list.

23. The Way I Are – Timbaland
Another surprise, much like “Sexyback” on my 2006 list. No one can deny this infectious dance beat.

22. Sea Legs – The Shins
One of the highlights of the Shins show I saw in October at the Greek Theater.

21. Gronlandic Edit - Of Montreal
Simple catchy song. The video reminds me of Yellow Submarine, but even crazier.

20. War Pigs – Cake
Cover of the Black Sabbath tune. This is one of the best covers I’ve ever heard. Cake does justice to the original, while keeping their own distinctive sound. (If you're a Republican, you may not want to see the video, haha).

19. Same Old Drag - The Apples In Stereo
What a great, Beatles/ELO-esque tune. And the video is hilarious. Yes, that is them.

18. Hey There Deliliah – Plain White T’s
This song might be further up the list if it wasn’t so horridly overplayed.

17. 1234 – Feist
Another song displaying the creativity of the whole realm of indie music that I’m just now getting into. You might know it from the iPod nano commercial.

16. Missed the Boat - Modest Mouse
Heard this on KROQ while they were doing a list of songs that would be guaranteed to make you feel good. Well they were right.

15. Nantes - Beirut
Beirut's a very intriguing indie band, drawing their influences mostly from Eastern European music. This song is great.

14. Timebomb – Beck
Fortunately, Beck decided to randomly release a single in 2007 with no accompanying album. Gets your blood pumping. (The video is unofficial. VERY unofficial, haha).

13. Someone Great - LCD Soundsystem
I didn't dig it the first time I heard it, but then I got into the groove. Listen to the lyrics.

12. Paper Planes - M.I.A.
Indie/World/Hip-hop. Whatever it is, it's good.

11. Dashboard – Modest Mouse
It’s hard to get catchier than this.

10. Bodysnatchers – Radiohead
One of the stand-out tracks on Radiohead’s new “ablum.” They released it exclusively on their website, for which you can decide what price you pay. No joke.

9. North American Scum – LCD Soundsystem
Clever.

8. Hang Me Up To Dry - Cold War Kids
Great bass line. This one gets under your skin.

7. The Underdog - Spoon
Motown influenced lead single from Spoon.

6. Sleeping Lessons - The Shins
The Shins are probably the greatest indie band out there. Powerful song that starts off soft and then just builds and builds.

5. Ever Present Past - Paul McCartney
The ex-Beatle still has an impeccable ability to write catchy songs.

4. Stronger - Kanye West
“Stronger” will always remind me of my fall semester at Berkeley: hearing it at the football and basketball games, playing it in the dorms, etc.

3. Don't You Evah - Spoon
5 seconds into the bassline and you're already swaggering.

2. Window In The Skies - U2
This is a beautiful song. It could easily be a classic if it just had more exposure. And the video is AMAZING. Best video I've ever seen, no exaggeration. It’s a montage where it looks like all these different artists are singing the lyrics. Check it out.

1. Icky Thump - The White Stripes
The Stripes came up with the sickest, grungiest, most rockin' guitar riff I've heard in a long while.

Top 10 Albums

10. Memory Almost Full - Paul McCartney

9. Across the Universe (Music from the Motion Picture)

8. Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? - Of Montreal

7. Icky Thump - The White Stripes

6. Graduation - Kanye West

5. The Flying Club Cup - Beirut

4. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - Spoon

3. Wincing The Night Away - The Shins

2. Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

1. In Rainbows - Radiohead

Why am I doing this?

2008-03-02T23:34:00.000-08:00

1. Connie told me I should.
2. It will be a place to gather my thoughts and post my many meaningless lists so I can feel validated somehow. Knowing that there will be very limited readership, this is mostly for my benefit.
3. It's what all the cool people are doing.

By the way, someone should tell this guy to put "blogging itself" on the list.