3.15.2010
I wonder if it ever dawned on Andy Warhol that someday, everyone would have their 15 minute of fame… simultaneously. Indie rock’s greatest problem at the moment, whether one’s in a band trying to signal through the noise or a listener trying to sort through the muck, is the sheer glut of material: in any given day, Pitchfork (just for instance) reviews five albums, three tracks and drops another half-dozen MP3s on Forkcast. And they’re supposed to be the filter! No wonder Best New Music bands become such lightning rods for sales and attention: it’s too much fucking work to listen to the rest. Read the rest of this entry »
2009, SXSW
2.15.2010
To call Jim O’Rourke’s The Visitor much anticipated would be akin to wondering if people are still looking forward to the second coming of Christ. O’Rourke fans are less multitudinous, and arguably less devoted, but nevertheless, after almost a decade of nothing but scattered vocal tracks on Loose Fur records since 2001’s Insignificance, we’ve been dyin’ over here.
But The Visitor is a maddening arrival. Read the rest of this entry »
2009
2.2.2010
Like the evenly cooked oatmeal in “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” so many things about Pants Yell!’s Received Pronunciation are just right. The guitars jangle along the edge of fuzz but not to the point of stylization; the vocals are sincere and dorky but not without confidence (at one point, singer Andrew Churchman sings, “Your boy friend’s an asshole,” and on “Not Wrong,” drops the line “You had the gall to tell me I’m wrong / but I’m not wrong”); and the performances are joyfully loose even as the songcraft is sewn tight with care. Despite their links to twee labels Asaurus and now Slumberland Records, three albums in, Pants Yell! have risen above their indie-pop roots to the broader camp of indie-as-pop – the big tent of Pavement and Beulah. I will now listen to this album for the fourth time in a row.
Pants Yell! – “Cold Hands”: mp3
(Received Pronunciation is out now on Slumberland; the band plays in L.A. in March as part of the epic Slumberland 20th anniversary celebration)
Previously: First Look: Pants Yell! – Received Pronunciation
2009
1.11.2010
Clean Equations member Jim Thomas set out to make a soap-scrubbed piano pop record with The Blue Floor, his solo debut. He landed just south, singing like a Tennessee-born Jackson Browne (who’s originally from Germany, believe it or not) and embracing bluesy Memphis guitars. He’s at his best on tracks such as “Billy On 4th,” a bright, Brion-esque song that leans closer to the modernist indie rock of his regular band, but the whole collection is miles away from running on empty.
Jim Thomas – “Billy On 4th”: mp3
(The Blue Floor is out now)
2009
12.23.2009
Best Of 2009: Albums | Songs | Concert Photos | Movies | Rawky Awards
2009 Album Release Calendar
Best of the Decade: Top 100 Albums of the 2000s
2009’s Most Popular Posts: New Music: The Beatles – “Revolution No. 1 (Take 20)” | Elliott Smith – “I’ll Be Back” (Beatles Cover) | Ryan Adams & Mandy Moore Are Engaged | First Look: Girls – Album | The Radiohead Wall Of Ice Debacle: WTF
And one final word: While it’s been a fantastic year for new music, the absolute best albums released this year are the Beatles’ long-awaited remasters. Over four decades later, they remain the best albums ever made, and to these ears, they’ve never sounded more totally fucking stunning than their sorely needed new incarnations. There’s not enough hyperbole on Earth.
With that said, happy holidays, and I’ll see you in 2010, Rawkers!
2009
12.22.2009
Photo/illustration by David Greenwald
After a year where I avoided making a best-of for six months, I’m thoroughly excited to bring you this year’s albums of the year list. After the jump, the 40 finest albums of the last year of the decade — a list full of fresh faces and modern heroes alike. Read the rest of this entry »
2009, Best of 2009
12.21.2009
Photo/illustration by David Greenwald
All due apologies to Animal Collective, Mandy Moore really brought it in the singles department this year. My top 54 pretty young white people playing guitar and singing earnestly after the jump. (Note: Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” not included.)
Best Of 2009: Albums | Songs | Concert Photos | Movies | Rawky Awards
The list after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »
2009, Best of 2009
12.17.2009
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All photos by David Greenwald
Just over a year ago, I decided to turn my concert photography from hobby into a considerably more expensive hobby and bought a DSLR. It’s the most satisfying purchase I’ve ever made. So this year’s best concert photos are, hopefully, a few steps up from their predecessors and a document of my growth as a photographer. Along the way, I documented great bands on the verge of break-ups, the Rawky Awards pick for the year’s worst band in one of his first (and worst) concerts, and Thom motherfucking Yorke. In 2010, I’m looking forward to shooting SXSW and hopefully selling some photos (holler at me if you want to buy prints, folks), but for now, 10 shots I love from 2009. After the jump — my 10 favorite shows of the year. Read the rest of this entry »
2009, Best of 2009, Concert Photos
