White Arrows

Started to make this post about a band called White Arrows. I couldn't think of anything interesting to say about them and then I read that they were going to be famous because Justin Timberlake tweeted about them and now I still can't think of anything interesting to say about them. I guess I'd be much less ambivalent if Justin Timberlake didn't treat every moment of his life like he was in a talent show. Sure I've seen him out in a T-Shirt and jeans trying to downplay the celebrity lifestyle but I'd like to see him just once take home a fat girl.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

LETTERS LETTERS LETTERS

 White Arrows - Fireworks of the Sea

White Arrows - Get Gone

Well goddamn music, you and I certainly have been apart for some time. I was busy filling myself up with real life things like new friends, new places, true love? and brutal uncompromising soulshattering heartbreak. So of course I obviously have nothing left but the internet, my left arm and my ridiculously good taste in music. Recombining these forces wasn't easy but I've discovered a few choice gems I don't mind sharing.

Gauguin feat. Klee(bra)

"Some Slut I Used to Paint"

Probably just gonna skip all the tracks and artists which have played a role in my life the last uh...ok its been awhile. I do just want to give a mention to Gotye/Kimbra's ubiquitous "Someone that I Used to Know" which is going down in indie rock history, whatever the fuck that is as one of the most incredible songs about the end of destructive relationships and in my life as the song I use as a ringtone whenever my ex calls. Incidentally this is also my favorite sub-genre of indie rock and includes masterpieces such as Band of Horses' "The Funeral" and Stars' "Your Ex-Lover is Dead," a perfect song lyrically, which sums up nearly exactly something I know little about - living through a relationship without regret -

There's one thing I want to say, so I'll be brave
You were what I wanted
I gave what I gave
I'm not sorry I met you
I'm not sorry it's over
I'm not sorry there's nothing to save

Um...yes I think that you've nailed the progression, Torquil and Amy. As of 3am last night, I think I've moved on from step three and am ready to start seriously working on step four. Step five is the real kicker though. I'm gonna need a stack of Playboy bunnies, the Spanish soccer team, a growth spurt and my nine iron to get through that.

 "I'm cold, can I borrow your hat?"

"It's not you're hat. I bought it for you when we went to Martha's Vineyard. Now my ears are cold and I want to w-, will you get your hand off my fucking leg!"

Moving on to the latest and greatest from free music on the interweb. Loved Beach House forever and their newest is wonderful.

"My uncle has an awesome house down on Longboat Key. He's having a big party for the races over Memorial Day and wants us to come."

"Florida in June??? Are you kidding me fratster? I'd rather fuck a lobster. Ugh, these dishes are not washing themselves."

Beach House - "Lazuli"

And here's a new band for me. It kinda hits all the usual high spots for me: Swedish, dancey, and a little melancholy. AND IT'S OBVIOUSLY A BREAKUP AND MOVE ON SONG - I GET IT I'M A PONY WITH ONE TRICK O GOD WHY MUST THE SWEDISH HAVE SUCH A STRANGLEHOLD ON THE MELANCHOLY SONG ECONOMY I DEMAND A FULL INVESTIGATION AS SOON AS I STOP CRYING!!!

Fuck you Sweden, you're ugly and you're selfish and you're cold eight months a year!

I'm sooo sorry Sweden. I take everything back. You are the most beautiful blonde five foot four inch country in the world! I love you and your gently rolling lowlands. I promise you I will never set foot in Norway again. Just give me one more chance!

Niki & the Dove - " Tomorrow"

Your mom!

Hey you're pretty sure your mom is your mom and I'm pretty sure this song is out of control. Out of fucking conterl. Good Christ thank you for rocky music.

Mount Saint Helens Vietnam Band - Albatross Albatross Albatross

Fratster is an artist

Haven't been hearing a lot of good shit lately/always. Went to David Bowie or Byrne or something concert at Radio City and it was really white like...the blackup singers were the only non white folks there. I knew about two songs and pretended to know two or three others. I was lying mainly because I had to justify spending $50 on the ticket and because the 50/50 Sprite/Vodka's told me to.

Hot?

Or Alien?

I've been digging Ellie Goulding and Bombay Bicycle Club. Thats not even new news. More British stuff - dunno why I'm into that scene lately - maybe its cuz the Americans are all experimentally lately and shit and its bugging me out!

That Junior Boys track Parallel Lines from the last post is also turning out to be pretty epic.

Becoming an artist!

Available now for free download!

Also decided to f around with some mixing software and make a few tracks. If this sounds like I spent all of 45 minutes making this song, its because I actually spent 15 minutes and am just really gifted.

Fratster - Morethananhouristoolongtospendmakingasong

Ellie Goulding - Guns + Horses

Bombay Bicycle Club - Cancel on Me

Lazy Bitch

I'm not sure how to phrase this any more delicately, but I've been a bit of a lazy bitch lately. Plus all the love throughout the blogosphere for shitty weird-fi bands like Animal Collective, DumDum Girls/Mayfair Set, Wavves has been depressing. Bonus plus, I've also been having sex on a consistent basis with some chick but she left me to go to Mexico with some other dude which is apparently just the sort of inspiration it takes for me to put together a post here.

Seriously WTF guy

Groakies?

Anyhow there is some good new shit out there, so here are a few of the things that I've heard lately worth listening to.

Fanfarlo

Stupid fucking band name that makes shit that sounds way too much like Arcade Fire and Beirut but is actually phenomenal.

Fanfarlo - "I'm a Pilot"

The Answering Machine

You're so money and you don't even know it.

Ma'am, where do all the high school girls hang out around here?

Another pretty much pathetic attempt at a band name. Name aside, they busted out the hook of the year in this track Cliffer. Their other stuff is really good too.

The Answering Machine - "Cliffer"

Phoenix

I am bizarrely in love with the band Phoenix. Basically, if I had to describe the median 50% percentile mean or whatever of my musical spectrum, I'd put Phoenix right there in my sweet spot. Sense any did that make? Anyhow, looks like they have a new track out and it's wonderful.

Phoenix - "1901"

Junior Boys

Another band that's pretty much in that sweet spot for me. Sometimes they miss, but they never shank, and when they nail it (In the Morning), it makes me wonder how 10,000 years ago, their ancestors didn't manage to crush any organism that I could have possibly descended from. Their new tracks are actually sounding pretty good, with this one being the best.

Junior Boys - "Parallel Lines"

Here we go Magic

This ring is not a metaphor.

This jam was the first real cracker of the year for me. Much more interesting rhythmically than Luke Temple's solo stuff. If not for the aforementioned lazybitchiness, this woulda had a full post a month ago, and I'd have perfect abs.

Here we go Magic - "Tunnelvision"

On the radar (I've been sitting still for too long to write anything more about any more bands): CFCF, The XX, Fever Ray, I Blame Coco, Heartless Bastards, Pains of being Pure at Heart

Animal Collective

I still don't get Animal Collective. I don't get the blogboy fascination. I don't get the critical darlingness. I'm more likely to successfully explain string theory to a retarded nine year old Chinese than make any sense of the common obsession with AC.

Rejected album art 1:

Or wait: I have one idea. Have you ever had that feeling that like you're lost and out of touch with shit and can't make sense of life and you tried reading Camus and Judy Blume and Harper's and tripping acid and smoking pot and searching for some experience that felt real or something like there was some piece of information out there that if you could just get your hands on it that maybe then things would all work out?

There is no book out there that everyone else is reading that makes them get it. There is no drug. There is no band. Animal Collective is not the second coming of jack shit. Their music sucks and I can't imagine a single working thinking person out there hearing AC and having any other thought than "What the fuck was that?"

I read the unreadable Pitchfork review and it's not that I disagree or think it to be bad writing or anything but I don't see how anyone who has ever read less than 100,000 words of music criticism could have made it through a paragraph. I didn't just pull that number out of my ass. Indie music has this stupid barrier to entry that punk and metal and rap and electronic and... don't have.

Lower it? Well maybe not, but let's save our exaltations for something that everyone can appreciate.

I guess that's all I really got.

Kanye

Someone stopped Kanye from chewing on his lo-fi vocoder for just long enough to record one really good jam. I dunno if I really really like this song or if I'm just so shocked that it's Kanye doing R & B really well that I think it's a really good song. Really.

"La la la Luke

I am your faaaaa-ther."

Kanye West - Streetlights

Glasvegas

Sometimes it takes a while for me to get something. Sorry. I'm not the bleeding edge. Music has to percolate through me for a bit before I can come on here and post about it. I'm not into wasting mine and everyone else's time to write something just for the sake of bumping my blog every eight hours. So when I do put something up here, you should be reading it, listening to it and then talking about it with every person you know. I'm doing all the goddamn legwork here.

What the hell is that thing get it away from me!?

It's just a digital camera Sanjeep.

I'm like your barber. You can visit me every few weeks and be fine. Stay away longer and risk turning into a social outcast. Come by every day and it'll be hard to hide the fact that you're unemployed and living above your parent's garage.

There just aren't five good songs / bands /events / (What else is worth blogging about?) a week that are worth writing about. Other times I just literally don't hear shit until months after its release. Which is sort of the case with Glasvegas. Full disclosure: I think I did hear them once on WOXY but I actually looked into them with earnest after I saw them ranked highly on NME's year end list. Ya I'm the guy that reads that shite.

So here it is, some quality Scottish tunes in the vein of The Twilight Sad. Sorry, the comparison is just too obvious.

Glasvegas - "Geraldine"

Mamma Sia!

Believe it or not I somehow entirely missed the album released by Sia via Australia via the Starbucks imprint this year. Of course I've also been inside of a Starbucks store for about ten total minutes in my life.


I was reading up on the top albums of the year and I found a list which had the error of having Sia at number one. I think it might have been a joke list because it also had Fleet Foxes and Coldplay up there in the top ten. So I had to check me out some Sia and I found out she used to be in Zero 7 which gave her at least some credibility. First song I found is the below linked jam "Buttons" which is super catchy (Thank You CSS) and spuriously lifted my expectations.

So then I wasted 30 seconds of my life walking over to my living room to visit one of the three Starbucks locations in my apartment where I was hoping to find her album. I either did that or I wasted 30 seconds downloading it for free from soulseek. Either way I'm never getting those 30 seconds back.

Before I fell asleep 11 seconds into the first track I remember starting to think that this was quite possibly the most unobjectionable music I've ever heard in my - and then I fell asleep - which is also to say that it is also probably the most unlistenable album of 2008.

But somehow CSS remixed this song "Buttons" and turned it into a really killer track worth checking out.

Acting is hard

I'm also throwing in "Breathe Me" because I'm pretty sure it was used to score the montage in the recent Ben Affleck/Hugh Jackman/Richard Gere + Goldie Hawn Jr./Jennifer Aniston/Julia Roberts film during the part where the male lead storms out of the Hospital/4-Star Restaurant/Wall Street Skyscraper/Crackhouse where he has been neglecting his female lead for far too long and sprints (tracking shot) through the rainy streets of New York/Seattle/Boston/Philadelphia, darting through the offices of the up-and-coming fashion brand/chocalatier/newspaper (editorials floor)/ where he finds the initially impassive female lead who puts her thin well-manicured hand to her mouth, doesn't know to laugh or cry, does both and just as Sia rasps "Be my Friend. Wrap me up. Hold me. Unfold me. I am Sma-a-a-a-all and Needy. Warm me up and Breath me," they embrace each other, make out and roll credits.

Sia - "Buttons" (CSS Remix)
Sia - "Breathe Me"

O wait looks like Coke has already used Sia. It's the one where the retarded kid wins gold and cries about it. LOL I thought this was some Ben Folds song LOL.

Checking it Twice

Any single that I came across in any form this year qualifies. Remixes qualify. Remixes of last year’s songs qualify. Songs released last year on album’s released this year don’t qualify (Sorry MGMT/Black Kids/Bon Iver etc.). If I don't have a link, then you should be able to easily find the track on Hypem.com or I've linked it somewhere else on the blog so don't be a lazy ass.

The world needs more hot Lykke

and less lazy asses.

40. School of Seven Bells – “Half Asleep” – I think this is the only dream pop band cracking the top 40 this year. What ever happened to dream pop? I used to love that stuff.

39. Los Campesinos! – “You! Me! Dancing!” Life is too short to not love Los Campesinos.

38. Frightened Rabbit – “The Modern Leper” – A fine song. Makes me want to shatter my existence, pick up the pieces and reassemble myself as a miracle worker in Bangladesh or Bed-Stuy Brooklyn.

37. Cloud Cult – “Everybody Here is a Cloud” – Stellar rhythm parts.

36. Girls – “Hellhole Ratrace” – You won’t get it after one listen. After a while you’ll get it. It’s too endearing.

Girls - "Hellhole Ratrace"

35. Cut Copy – “Feel the Love” – This is one of those jams that just has all the right jingles, blips, ooo-ooo’s and other onomatopoeia in all the right spots (no oxford comma).

34. Giantess – “Tuff ‘n Stuff” – Because I’m a complete cheesedick.

Who will be the gay Giantess member in 2k9?

I always thought it was gonna be Justin.

33. Ida Maria – “Oh My God” – She’s not Swedish, she’s Norwedish, so if you’ve got something against the Swedish then try this because it’s definitely on a peninsula all to itself.

32. Friendly Fires – “Paris” – I’m so lukewarm towards this song until the chorus hits and then I’m like o ya this is a really good song.




31. The Killers – “Human” – I hear this band is big in Sweden. Perhaps one day they will make it big in the United States of America.

30. Those Dancing Days – “Hitten” – I guess I could just do a separate top 40 for Swedish bands.

29. Cassettes Won’t Listen – “Freeze and Explode” – If you didn’t get enough Postage Service in 2004, then get yourself some of this.

28. The Walkmen – “In the New Year” – Possible replacement for perfunctory Auld Lang Syne.

27. Kings of Leon – “Closer” – Sounds like Secret Machines, so…I’ll rate it like it’s a Secret Machines song.

26. Alaska in Winter – “Berlin” – Best use of a vocoder in several millennia.

25. Okkervil River – “Bruce Wayne Cambell Interviewed on the Roof of the Chelsea Hotel, 1979” You couldn’t measure my disappointment when I realized this song was not about Batman…or Robin.

24. Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s – “As Tall as Cliffs” I like indie pop. This is an indie pop song. You can’t possibly not like this song. Take it to your dentist. He will like it too.

23. Jay Reatard – “Gamma Ray” – He outBecks Beck on this one.

22. Blitzen Trapper – “Furr” – Blitzen Trapper went from being on the radar to Oh Fuck There Are Nukes In Fucking Cuba! territory with this jam.

21. Dr. Dog – “The Old Days” – I’m thinking of undergoing voluntary chemotherapy in order to get this song out of my brain. Nothing else has worked.

20. Hot Chip – “Ready for the Floor” – Harmless dance music that’s fun for the whole family.

19. Lykke Li –“ I’m Good I’m Gone” (Fred Falke Remix) – The original is a fine song, but this remix is incredible and turns an enjoyable song into an outstanding one.

Why do birds suddenly appear...

every time...that you're near me?

Lykke Li - "I'm Good, I'm Gone" (Fred Falke Remix)

18. Raveonettes – “Sad Transmission” – 4/4 doesn’t get any better than this. Ba dum a dum dum dum dum. Ba dum a dum dum dum dum.

17. M83 – “Graveyard Girl” – Although honestly I could have picked seven songs off this album to take this spot.

16. Amadou et Mariam – “Sabali” – Gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. That. Is. All.

15. Parts & Labor – “Nowhere’s High” – This band has been one of those critical darlings forever it seems and I’ve never been able to get into their stuff. Finally they release an album with a little more pop and it’s got some good tunes.

14. Ra Ra Riot – “Oh La” – This song has to have been on The OC at least once this year. O well. I like it. I’m gay. Whatever.

13. Ravens & Chimes – “Archways” – It took me about ten tries to really get this song. Then I got it and I couldn’t get rid of it.

12. Florence and the Machine / Kid Harpoon – “I’m Goin’ Down” - The year’s number one cover recorded on a demo / at a radio station. I just can’t get over how beautifully earnest it is.

Florence and the Machine/ Kid Harpoon - "I'm Goin' Down"

11. Tokyo Police Club – “Tessellate” – Best song off their great album. It means “to fit together perfectly.” Who knew there was a word for that.

10. Matt & Kim – “Daylight” – Ever wonder what it’s like to be high on life? No? Ok..me either. But in case you’ve never heard what it sounds like, check this out.

Remember how good this movie was? (So good!)

Sly + Matt + Kim + 1996 + 2008 = My mind just blew up.

9. Vampire Weekend – “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance” (Chromeo Remix) You know the song, now check the remix and be educated.

8. The Very Best – “Dinosaur on the Ark” – Beautiful song. Makes me want to go on a safari and get to know my inner African.

7. Foals – “Balloons” – What a Jam. Hottest instrumentals of the year.

Foals - "Balloons"

6. Kleerup/Lykke Li – “Until We Bleed” – Is this song not on MTV? What the fuck happened? Such a hot jam.

What's wrong with a lil unhealth obseshun?

Kleerup/Lykke Li - "Until We Bleed"

5. Santogold – “Lights Out” – I really had trouble putting this song so high because of its obvious overcommercialization but I just had to be honest with myself so I’m putting this song where it would be if I hadn’t started hearing it during halftime of college football games.

4. Cajun Dance Party – “Amylase” – This song just absolutely goes off. 17 year old British kids just nailing it. To quote/paraphrase Derek from GWFA "Without a doubt the best song ever written during an eleventh grade chemistry class."

Everything is better with a lil Amylase!

Cajun Dance Party - "Amylase"

3. Tokyo Police Club – “Be Good” (RAC Remix) – Yes this song was on the 2007 TPC EP. But this remix embraces this band’s sound so perfectly and takes the track to a whole new level (dog).

2. Mr. Gnome – “Pirates” – This song runs you over like a Mack truck. It still blows me away every time I hear it. Its soft/loud dynamic is other worldly. The only thing I can compare it to is Zeppelin.

Mr. Gnome - "Pirates"

NUMBER 1: Passion Pit – “Sleepyhead” – Hasn’t enough already been said about this song?

Making a List

I'm more of a singles guy than an albums guy. That's more a reflection of how the music industry, and my buying/pirating habits have changed over the last few years. It has nothing whatsoever to do with dating habits and girlfriends. There is no correlation between liking singles more than albums and engaging in casual unprotected sex more than having a steady girlfriend period. I can't even imagine why anyone would think that there was a correlation unless they were just really really really stupid and dense. God people are dumb.

Dear Mrs. Claus,

Meet in stables ASAP, Rudolph out at pasture. I'll bring the eggnog + pheromone oils

It's just way easier to grab a few tracks here and there in order to get an impression of a band. If you like what you hear, you go steal the rest from soulseek or something.

Still, I decided to do a best of 2008 albums list. I may do a singles list later, if I can get over the inertia that keeps me from doing posts in the first place. I may do a worst of list as well. Or, most overrated or something; mainly because this is a blog and I don't really have to answer to anyone for what's said here.

I guess what one of my big problems with making the albums list is that some of my favorite stuff I get exposed to comes from EPs. For example, Bon Iver is on this list, but I have hardly listened to him at all this year because his EP from last year was so good. Some of this other stuff I can hardly believe was released in 2008 (See #1) but I'm using the release date that Itunes has listed as the ultimate release date judge.

Anyhow this list is gonna be broken down into a couple of sections. The top 5-10 are indispensable, which means that at some point I played a song from one of these albums 9000 or more straight times or that I listened to the album on repeat for the better part of a month. The albums below that are albums that didn't suck and are worth listening to for one reason or another.

Overall I find it strange how this list definitely drifts into very mainstream territory as we get towards the top.

25. Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires (Sept. 1st, 2008 XL)

They made the list at the expense of a few other bands that I probably listened to more or may be a bit better - actually who the fuck knows, we’re on number 25, it’s not like I’m batshit crazy for these guys.

24. Kings of Leon – Only By The Night (August 26th, 2008 RCA/Sony)

Everyone has a guilty pleasure. At least mine doesn’t involve farm animals or white hoods.

Shhh...I can keep a secret

as long as you can.

23. Air France – No Way Down (October 5th, 2008)

OBVIOUS MEME

This was actually just two EP's bundled together. I apparently can't adhere to principles. This band just barely made the list. I didn’t listen to them a whole ton this year but they have some very cool music.

Air France - "Collapsing at Your Doorstep"

22. Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing (March 17, 2008 ATP)

Definitely the album most likely to score a space travel movie.

21. Chairlift – Does you Inspire you (November 11, 2008 Kanine)

Thank you for the ski vacation Steve Jobs <3

“Plant Health” is a mesmerizing opus to something.

Chairlift - "Planet Health"

20. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (February 19, 2008 Jagjaguwar)

If this list were made last year and included EP’s, Bon Iver would have made the top 5. Even though this music is timeless, I just find it hard to bump something I hardly listened to this year any higher.

19. Frightened Rabbit – Midnight Organ Fight (April 15th, 2008 FatCat)

Because I needed some depressing melancholy melodramatic jaw-droppingly beautiful forlorn Scottish music on the list and The Twilight Sad didn’t make an album this year.

Frightened Rabbit - The Modern Leper

18. Los Campesinos! – Hold on now youngster (February 26th, 2008 Arts and Crafts)

These guys released two albums this year. That’s one album for every six Campesinos.

17. Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (June 24th, 2008 XL)

I can’t very well leave a best of the year list without a flawless Sigur Ros album. No standouts though drop this album into catalog status.

16. Kleerup – Kleerup (June 2008 EMI Sweden)

Here’s another one that could be higher. I just have to take a little bit away from it because there are so many guests on the album which obviously make it as good as it is.

15. Hot Chip – Made in the Dark (February 4th, 2008 EMI)

Is there anyone who doesn’t know what Hot Chip sounds like?

14. Santogold – Santogold (April 29th, 2008 Downtown)

The Christmas Spirit is the greatest spirit of all non-Russian spirits.

This probably deserves to be higher. If it weren’t on so many beer commercials now it probably would be.

13. The Very Best – The Very Best Mixtape

See what Africa can do with a little first world technology?

12. Passion Pit – Chunk of Change (September 16th, 2008 Frenchkiss)

“Sleepyhead” carries this EP on to the best of the year album list. It woulda been the #1 single if I woulda done a singles list. It’s an irresistible jam that makes me twist and jump like nothing else.

The reason I wake up in the morning

is because this person.

Exists.

In the same world as me.

BRB buying megaphone

and starting band.

11. Lykke Li – Youth Novels (August 19th, 2008 LL)

The best of Sweden.

10. Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours (March 22nd, 2008 Modular)

Every time I hear “Lights and Music” I feel like I’m hearing the definitive stereotypical club jam. I mean I like the song, but I can also actually take something away from the rest of the songs besides a coke induced endorphin drip.

9. Black Kids – Party Traumatic (July 22nd, 2008)

I really can’t believe this album has a 2008 release date. I swear this album got huge last year. So many songs on here that just make me feel like dancing.

Black Kids - "Hurricane Jane"

8. Cloud Cult – Feel Good Ghosts (April 8th, 2008)

As cheesy as this is to say, this album is just full of life. If I wanted to start a high tech company and work in Silicon Valley I’d probably just pump this album through my blood and be a trillionaire in six to eight weeks.

Cloud Cult - "Everybody Here is a Cloud"

7. The Raveonettes - Lust, Lust, Lust (Feb. 19, 2008 Vice)

Can you call something innovative if it sounds like it’s 40 years old?

6. Foals – Antidotes (March 25, 2008 Sub Pop)

I spent most of the Spring adjusting myself to the awesomeness of this album.

Is Tibet still not free?

Should I know why they were fighting in Mumbai?

5. Ra Ra Riot – The Rhumb Line (August 19th, 2008 Barsuk)

Not having a girlfriend didn’t stop me from having this on repeat.

4. The Walkmen – You & Me (August 19th, 2008 Gigantic)

Highest ranking album from the band that separates itself from The Hold Steadys and everyone else derivative of The Boss . Nothing short of stellar.

The Walkmen - "In the New Year"

3. M83 – Saturdays = Youth (April 14th, 2008 Virgin)

Top to bottom this is probably the best album of the year. There really were no monster singles though and I guess MGMT’s pop power really put them over the top for me.

2. Tokyo Police Club – Elephant Shell (March 25th, 2008 Saddle Creek)

I fucking love every song on this album and every remix of every song. Maybe it’s because they all sound the same. I don’t care. Huge credit for making me love a band that plays a genre (post-punk) of music from a label (Saddle Creek) that I really don’t care for.

Tokyo Police Club - Be Good (RAC Remix)

1. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular (January 22nd, 2008 Sony BMG)

An absolutely fantastic album. Amazing singles. “Kids” and “Time to Pretend” make me want to be anything from an hour to ten years younger.

Mason Proper makes popular rock music

There is one thing I can say about the band Mason Proper with absolute certainty: Mason Proper will make one moderately entertaining album and then fade into anonymity over the next three to nine years in a career path mimicking Seven Mary Three. During this fade, they will commence several tours which will include stops at southern state school cities like Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Chapel Hill, North Carolina culminating at the Georgia State Fair in 2014 where they will play the 2pm slot, six hours before a reunited Creed takes the stage.

They have one really good song ("Fog") but then there's also some garbage that made it's way to MTV2 and convinced me of their impending demise.

WTF OREGON NEVER SECEDED FROM THE UNION

I tried to warn you but you were out of your head. I'll meet you in the fah ah ah ah ah og.

Mason Proper - Fog

Easy Listening

Or oh god it's Winter and now it's cold.

Alaska in Winter later, but first I made this up:

Some of us are Vampires, some of us aren't.

I haven't heard much good stuff over the past week and I'm really reluctant to do a post involving Vampire Weekend in any manner, especially a post where I write something favorable about them. But...the Chromeo remix of "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" is really good. Take away the annoying and precious VW authored rhythm sections, substitute a legitimate composer and now we have a really great dance song, a really great song.

I envision this conversation taking place when this song is played at a typical networking event @ awful 14th St. gay? bar / dj set @ a pre-MGMT, pre-Cold War Kids, Pre-TV on the Radio concert / some friend of yours' party (20 people or less) who's getting their Masters in (Worthless Advanced Degree Subject) which will not enhance their earning potential or status on the social/sex ladder as much as they hope and desire.

Person 1 (kindof annoying whiney voice): Hey does Paul Simon have a new album?

Person 2 (AIR OF ENTITLEMENT IMPOSSIBLE TO AVOID): I think this is a Vampire Weekend song.

Person 1: O I like it. Let me write that down using just my index finger on my gigatouchipad5000 and I'll download it later to play at thanksgiving for my mom and dad I bet they'll like it too.

Fratster: FUCCCCCCCKKKKKKKK!!!!!! I WANT TO STAB MYSELF RIGHT NOW IN THE FACE!!!

Person 2: Did someone say someth-

Person 1 (loosening ascot): It's a remix or something. The original is much better.

Fratster: Gurgle

Or something like that. Anyhow, thank you Chromeo for legitimating this song.

Is this Alaska in Winter?

Or is this Alaska in Summer.

OK now for Alaska in Winter the band. It really is just nice smooth music that is easy to listen to. It's not original or unique in really any way I can think of. You can actually even forget it's on most of the time. It's that good. So check it out, it's the best I've heard this week:

Chromeo - Remix of Vampire Weekend's The Kids Don't Stand a Chance

Alaska in Winter - Berlin

Giantess

The MGMT effect contains a minimum of seven zillion jiggawats.

This is so good it's silly. If you're a sucker for ambition, drum machines and seven zillion jiggawats of synthesizer then check this out.



Giantess - Tuff n' Stuff

Just Say No To...!

There are a lot of crappity new albums out there that people have been blogging about. I'm just gonna name some of them here so that you can save yourself the few minutes of your life that I wasted for you and not download any of their songs. I'll start off with a couple that should be pretty obvious, names anyway.

I was born in 1992 and I wear a bikini does that make me a ho?

1. TV on the Radio - "Dear Science" Their new album is baddy mcbad and you should consider yourself a terribad hipster if you like this album or blogged about it.

2. Deerhunter - "Microcastle" Like TV on the Radio, I didn't Just Say No To...! this band last year, their EP anyway. Then they released this album that Pitchfork and everyone liked and it's pretty boring. Like Barry Manilow does 2008 boring.

3. El Guincho - "Palmitos Park" Lots of people with seemingly good musical taste have blogged highly about this guy. They're nuts. Just because he sings in spanish doesn't hide his badness. He's malo. Just say no!

Other ba(n)ds that you should Just Say No To...!

4. We Have Band - "Yes 'We Have Band' is actually the name of our band and I'm not really sure if we even have an album or EP with a name but our single 'Oh' is really bad" Um...There seem to be plenty of people who like this band / song/ concept but it's very bad and you should Just Say No!

5. Late of the Pier - "Space and the Woods" I downloaded a few of their songs, they were all bad and I quit listening to them, and I deleted them from my hard drive to make space for Hannah Montana pictures (non-nude). Then I kept reading about them over and over and so I deleted my Hannah Montana pictures (non-nude) and I downloaded some of their songs again and they were still bad and I quit listening to them again and then I deleted their songs to make room for some Vanessa Hudgens pics (nude).

Irresistible

Matt & Kim's jam Daylight is catchy as fuck. It's pretty much the cutest most irresistible thing this side of an Olsen twin.

Quiz:

Who's the most Irresistible?

A. White Indie Rockers with White Belts

(Very Irresistible).

B. High maintenance white chicks with white ___ on lips.

Thanks for making milk pervy Mary and Kate!

C. Snappy old white guy with young white models
Bottom row 2nd from left (Simply Irresistible).

Matt & Kim - Daylight

It's not MGMT but it's still pretty good.

AMBIVALENT POST WARNING!!!:

I <3 MGMT

There is this song called Paris from Friendly Fires' pretty good new album that has some allegedly shit hot remix. The remix is actually way-too-seriously-bloghousey to be awesome.

The song covers basically the same material (becoming cooler and going to Paris) as Time to Pretend and the chorus is very tight (around 80% as tight as an MGMT chorus). Anyways, I'm kindof digging the overall Friendly Fires aesthetic. Also check out Jump in the Pool. I didn't just link it to clog up some other guys bandwidth. It's a good jam.

Friendly Fires - Paris (Aeroplane Remix featuring Au revoir Simone)

Friendly Fires - Paris

Friendly Fires - Jump in the Pool