This happened...

Gervais and Elmo

I know, this is not music related, but it is too golden to not spread like a virus around the internet...hey, is that why they call them "viral videos?"  

Maybe the funniest hand puppet and British comedian video EVER!

Enjoy.

15 Step

On the list of things that I hate in the world, the USC Marching Band is near the top.  The sunglasses, the stupid sway step, the use of mics during football games...the list goes on and on.  Yet, why did I as an undergraduate at Notre Dame and do I now occasionally feel jealous of them?  It isn't because they support a consistent football team.  No, I really care little about wins and loses at this point, it is because of the cool things they get to do just becaause they are situated in LA.  While performing with Chicago was a highlight of my time in the Notre Dame marching band, it does not compare with playing with Radiohead at the Grammy's.  

The above video shows some behind the scene footage from that performance and the highlight, for me, is Thom Yorke's dancing at rehearsals and during the soundcheck.  At least their band members are as dorky as any band members in any other band (watch their backstage comments and antics).  I just wish I could find Mike's comments on the ND Band/Chicago DVD to compare nerdy bandiness.  

(Thanks to Stereogum for the link.)

Dan Deacon: "Bromst"

Dan Deacon gets unfairly lumped together with Girl Talk when people talk about the indie dance music scene.  While the two have toured together, they are trying to achieve different ends with their laptop based music.  Girl Talk takes preexisting popular music samples and, while keeping them recognizable, connects them together to create new songs.  Deacon, on the other hand, takes unrecognizable samples and loops and builds his own songs from the ground up.  His last album, Spiderman of the Rings, had a tremendous “mad scientist” feel to it.  I hope that on his new album, Bromst, Deacon takes his obvious genius for building electronic songs and combines it more fully with the flashes of beauty that certain songs on Spiderman showed.  I’m going to attempt to “live-blog” my first listen to the album (thanks to NPR’s streaming site).  Enjoy!

 

Track 1: “Build Voice”

In the opening track, Deacon builds his sonic layers on top of a straightforward piano riff.  I like how the vocals do not dominate the mix, but take a background role to the driving drums that pick up in the middle of the track and the aforementioned piano line.  Already, this album sounds grander than Spiderman of the Rings.

Track 2: “Red F”

The serenity of “Build Voice” disappears when the first noise blast of “Red F” begins.  This song starts big, backs down, and then brings back the opening riff in the coda. 

Track 3: “Paddling Ghost”

Another catchy melody line starts this track, seemingly played on a vibraphone this time.  One of the highlights of Spiderman of the Rings, for me, was “Wham City” because Deacon allowed understandable vocals to compliment his frantic backing tracks.  Yet, so far on Bromst, the beats remain the star and the vocals get twisted and re-pitched to take a supplementary role, which works well, but gets tiring while straining to understand track after track.  This is why Deacon’s music is so hard for me to listen to because I put an emphasis on the meaning of lyrics when I listen to songs.  But, the songs are so catchy, especially this one!

Track 4: “Snookered”

I like that this album seems to bring other performers into the songs, rather than all the music emanating from Deacon’s laptop and drum machine.  Music seems so much more alive when a real drummer is pounding away the beat.  Ah, and we finally have our first understandable chorus.  This song has the perfect balance of crazy and song structure.  The beeps and blats of the electronic samples compliment the more traditional song elements to elevate the track.  The breakdown in the middle, while a bit strange, keeps the song moving forward before the chorus is reintroduced at the end. A favorite after one listen.

Track 5: “Of The Mountain”

This track has a very trance like feel to it.  The drumming reminds me of tribal beats.  This song feels like Deacon is falling back on his old tricks though and not keeping up with the elevated presence of the first four tracks on Bromst. Also, the song structure is so similar to “Snookered” that I wonder what Deacon thought this track added to the album.

Track 6: “Wet Wings”

“Wet Wings” is completely different than any of the earlier songs on Bromst.  Deacon takes a single woman singing a line and repeats and twists it into a chorus of sound, with minimal electronic interference.  This track comes off as more of a palette cleanser or interlude than a fully developed song, but still very good.

Track 7: “Woof Woof”

A very playful song.  It reminds me of the “Woody Woodpecker,” the first track on Spiderman.  Another song with a clever and catchy melody, but I want the beauty and completeness of the first four tracks to come back!  It isn’t that I want Deacon to be more “mainstream” with his songs, but give all of them the drive and ambition he gave to “Paddling Ghost” and “Snookered.”

Track 8: “Slow With Horns/Run For Your Life”

The opening of this song feels like it wouldn’t be out of place on a M83 album, which isn’t a bad thing.  It also brings back the live musicians from the first part of the album.  Very nice.

Track 9: “Baltihorse”

The best part of this track is the frantic glockenspiel playing.  Otherwise, another track that I don’t get on first listen and a song that stretches on a little too long.

Track 10: “Get Older”

A very danceable track closes out the album.  It has an almost triumphant feel to it, but maybe I just feel triumphant after listening to such a dense, difficult album in one sitting.  Yet, it is a good album closer and a victory lap type of track.

 

So, overall this album seems hit or miss after one listen.  Some tracks stood out, especially tracks 3, 4, and 8, but a lot of the album seemed to not stray very far from the sound landscape developed in Spiderman of the Rings.  While not something I would listen to every day, Bromst has some songs that will bring me back to Deacon's musical chemistry lab of sound.

Quantification

I came across an article over at Magnet Magazine that attempts to list the most overrated and underrated Wilco songs.  While interesting as a time waster, this article made me laugh at the absurdity of music reviews and the "professionals" that review music.  What makes one person better at deciding which music is the most pleasing to listen to?  I personally think that "A Shot in the Arm" is overrated, but maybe that is just because I also think it is overplayed. 

There is a bigger question that this article raised for me and it is a question that bothers me from time to time.  How does one rate anything creative without making up some arbitrary scale that cannot possible be the total be all and end all of the discussion about creative endeavour?  Without going too deep into the philosophy and aesthetics, I believe that there is no way to judge someone on their creative output.  With sports one can easily see who has the better team because most sports crown champions based on head-to-head play.  If I were to take the High School Musical 3 soundtrack and Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited and play them both for my sister she would definitely pick the HSM3 soundtrack as the better album, while I would have the opposite opinion.  Is one of us right?  

So, I personally believe that music reviews, be they in newspapers, online, or anywhere really that attempt to give albums stars or points are garbage.  Yes, please give me your opinion about an album, but don't try to compare one album to another thinking that you can tell me one is better than another definitively.  

Whew.  Glad to get that out of my system.  People need to just enjoy the music they enjoy and just turn off what they do not enjoy.  In fact, take that philosophy and apply it to your whole life. 

Animal Collective: "Merriweather Post Pavillion"

I hate when electronic music comes on in a public place because I can't enjoy it.  I have no dancing ability and have trouble connecting with others while listening to electronic songs, which ruins my enjoyment of the songs.  Unlike guitar based rock music, which one can just stand and nod along with and not look too terribly out of place, publicly showing your appreciation to electronica involves contortions and movements that will never come out of my body.  Yet, with headphones on or in the comfort of my own home, I love me some electronic music.  I considered myself a fan of Girl Talk way before he quit his day job as a biomedical engineer and I have dabbled in diverse electronic acts to compliment my love of all things folksy and earthy.

I write that paragraph as a disclaimer before I relate how much I like the new-ish Animal Collective album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, and to maybe dissuade people from thinking I'm just some poser who likes whatever Pitchfork tells me to like.  This album is great from start to finish; there is just no way to hide that fact.  The standout single, "My Girls," captivated me from the first listen and the depth of the songs and the intelligence of the writing on the whole album keeps me coming back for more.  Most mainstream electric music that might be popular in clubs and for dancing can seem sterile and corporate to me, but Animal Collective permeates their songs with a warmth that elevates them beyond just clever beats tapped out on keyboards and laptops.

I can't believe that I walked out of an Animal Collective show last summer!   I mean, I can because, as mentioned, I did not know what to do with myself as at their show.  However, do not let your ears miss out on this tasty album.  Released at the very beginning of 2009, it will take a monumentally good album to displace Merriweather from its current perch as my album of the year (I'm looking at you Wilco and Grizzly Bear).

Listen.

(Oh, as an aside, the new album from Dan Deacon, Bromst, is currently streaming online at NPR and I'll hopefully have a review up soon of what I hope is another tasty electronic based treat.)  

Neko Case: "Middle Cyclone"

Neko Case's new album "Middle Cyclone" comes out Tuesday, after a glorious week of pre-release streaming courtesy of NPR. (Plus a charming interview from Weekend Edition, here.)

Nobody sounds like Neko, and her voice alone is reason enough to pick this up. Along with the rest of her catalog. But her power goes so much deeper: the gothic folk mixed with experimental rock and successfully eccentric poetry ("What if a tornado were in love with you?" she dreamt, and spins the conceit into the album's wonderful opening track) cannot be found anywhere else.

There hasn't been enough time to digest the particulars of the album, but from first listen "Middle Cyclone" is the sound of an expert musician who is clearly in love with her craft. Listen.

An Ode to LOST

**Author's Note: This post contains no spoilers about Season Five of LOST, which premiered last night on ABC.**

While some viewers love the science fiction strangeness that has become central to the show, this aspect of the show has alienated others and led to a steady drop in ratings since the first season.  Yet, one of the best aspects of the television series Lost often gets overlooked by both fans and critics of the series.    In this battle of faith and science between compelling characters, the musical score stands out as a gem when compared to most other television shows.

Unlike most other television shows, which rely on synthesized music to provide the musical score, Lost employs a live orchestra to play the music for each episode.  Much in the way that movies are scored, the orchestra on Lost will sit down with the music and play it along with a playing of the episode with a conductor trying to get the orchestra to play in such a way to meet the dramatic swings of each episode.  So, the drama of Lost is enhanced by the excellent music matched with it.

Although some sound effects are repeated to great success, such as the trombone growl that often represents that something strange or crazy is about to happen, it is the sweeping orchestration of such scenes as the launching of the raft in season one or the takeoff of the helicopter in season four that really pull at the heartstrings.  

Lost also excels at using recorded popular music to enhance the shows mythology and character development.  For instance, in a strange moment in the second episode of season five, Hurley is listening to the song "Dream Police." 

Other shows do use live orchestras, but not to the same result as Lost (Family Guy is unfortunately the other major example of a show using a live orchestra).  So, while the characters and stories of Lost will continue to bring me back week after week, the music takes my devotion to the series to the next level.

Top 10 Live Shows of 2009

So, I know that now, in the new age of America, top 10 lists recounting events from last year are banned by executive order.  Yet, this list, which I schemed up during the Bush administration, will still be published.  Yes I Can!  Anyway, this list relates my favorite shows from 2008.  These are all shows that I attended and rocked out at.

10: Spoon @ P4k festival (7/20/2008)

Their last album, GaGaGaGaGa, had been my soundtrack to the summer of 2007 and I was quite pumped to finally see them live.  The set had everything going for it, an excited crowd, the sun setting, and the Chicago skyline, but alas the set disappointed.  The playing was technically sound, but the band gave off the impression that they really were not enjoying themselves.  Still, being 10 feet from the stage at any show is memorable.

9: The Apples in Stereo @ P4k festival (7/20/2008)

They played early in the day and I only knew one of their songs from a commercial, so I was prepared for a lackluster set.  Yet, their pop anthems and crazy attire (keyboardist dressed up in a futuristic cape for example) were the perfect match to the sunny day.

8: Tift Merritt @ Fitzgerald's (7/12/2008)

Thank God for the Onion.  A chance spying of this concert inside the humorous paper led to one of the better nights of intimate music from last year.  Her voice is so pure and perfectly suited for the small venue.  Unfortunately, the crowd was not into it (and way old) and she struggled to convey her emotional songs to the bland room.

7: The Black Keys @ Lollapalooza (8/1/2008)

Similar to the Apples in Stereo, they played relatively early in the day and although they are just two guys, they shook the park. 

6: The Hold Steady @ P4k (7/19/2008)

The perfect festival band.  Interacting with the crowd, running around the stage, and playing rock anthem after rock anthem.  They should have switched time slots with Spoon.

5: Radiohead @ Lollapalooza (8/1/2008)

Radiohead at five?  A once in a lifetime chance to see one of the biggest and most influential bands of my generation doesn't top the list?  The stage show was amazing, with crazy lights and camera angles, but for such a big rock group, the set was kind of quiet.  Even with fireworks going off in the background, the set lacked energy and volume, but maybe being a football field away from the stage does that.

4: Wilco @ Lollapalooza (8/2/2008)

Although they did not have the stage show that Radiohead displayed the previous night, Jeff and company brought fancy suits and a focused energy to their set.  I don't think I've ever seen a crowd where everyone was having such a good time at a festival concert before.  Even though Wilco brings the same atmosphere to every set they play, this night had a harmony to it that even the millionth playing of "Shot in the Arm" could not ruin.

3: Fleet Foxes @ P4k (7/19/2008)

Perfect silence and four part harmonies.  The breakout band of 2008 proved that its music could capture even a large outdoor festival crowd and without even standing up.

2: Jeff Tweedy Benefit for Scholarship @ The Vic (1/26/2008)

A set comprised of requests from the crowd that leaned heavily on older material and rarities sparkled on a cold Chicago night.  

1: The Hives @ The Riviera (2/29/2008)

This is probably the only time I've had beer spilled on me (thanks Scott) and not cared.  It is probably the only time that I will willingly go into a mosh pit.  The energy from the band kept the crowd dancing for their entire hour and half set.  Plus, winning the epic battle for the towel is destined to go down in history.

Honorable mentions:

Jeff Tweedy @ Lollapalooza Kid Stage (8/1/2008)

Wilco @ Barack Obama Benefit (12/7/2007)

Les Savy Fav @ P4k (7/20/2008)

"On and on and on, we'll be together"

“Take off your band-aid ‘cause I don’t believe in touchdowns.”  What does that even mean?  The best guess I have after become a devoted, even obsessed at times, Wilco fan is that Jeff Tweedy is trying to convey that there will be no reconciliation for the broken relationship he is singing about in this song, “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” off of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.  Yet, when I first paid attention to this line it came by way of an away message.  More specifically, for weeks on end Mike used this as his go to message and somehow it crazily hooked me into my love affair with Wilco and Jeff Tweedy. 

I must confess that I should have listened to Wilco sooner than I did.  I remember hearing about Yankee Hotel Foxtrot while still in high school when the release of album became a noteworthy event in the Chicago area.  Also, I put that album and a few more Wilco albums on my iPod during the great file sharing extravaganza that was OurTunes during freshman and sophomore year of college.  I even saw Wilco play at Lollapalooza in 2006 and, while I enjoyed hearing “Heavy Metal Drummer,” I played cards during the entire set.  So, it took a crazy away message and my third year of college to turn me into the rabid fan I have become. 

Things clicked into place for my junior year of college.  I started studying a subject that I love, history, and began to really feel like I had found my place on campus through the music program and my love of playing trumpet and in my personal relationships.  And then, while Mike proudly proclaimed to not believe in touchdowns, I discovered how gorgeous Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was after a chance viewing of the Wilco documentary with the guys.  From that point on I could not get enough of Tweedy’s songs. 

Two other moments stand out as significant in the building of my love for Wilco.  The day after Thanksgiving concert in Chicago that same year gave me my first live experience with the band since becoming familiar with more than just a few singles and, combined that with perfect seats and great company, stands out as one of the best concerts I have attended.  Second, I took a long road trip by myself over Christmas break that year and I listened to the entire Wilco catalog of albums from start to finish with no distractions. 

Mike asked me to write this summary of why I loved Wilco just before graduation and I never got around to it because of the timing of his request and because I did not know what I would write.  There is no one song that speaks to me and there is no one album that I can consistently call my favorite.  I even enjoy most of A.M.!  Wilco just became synonymous with my college experience, much as I imagine that the Beatles and Bob Dylan were to previous generations.  I cherish the fact that listening to Wilco will always bring me back to my college memories and I would bet that their music will continue to provide a soundtrack to my life moving forward. 

PV