Josh Ritter - "Next To The Last Romantic"
Times New Viking - "The Statue Pt. 1"
The National - "Squalor Victoria"
David Cross - "Certain Leaders in Government Look or Act Like Certain Pop Culture Refe"
Songs: Ohia - "The Black Crow"
Norah Jones - "Wake Me Up"
Townes Van Zandt - "Talkin' Karate Blues"
Silkworm - "Don't Make Plans This Friday"
Dan Zanes - "Waltzing Matilda"
The Polyphonic Spree - "Middle Of The Day"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 11
Total minutes of music (approx.): 38
Song with the most previous plays: "Waltzing Matilda" - 11
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: The condensation from my nose breath froze on the hair of my upper lip.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Starlings Of The Slipstream (Day 179)
Colin Meloy - "On The Bus Mall" (live)
The Ponys - "We Shot The World"
Money Mark - "Black Butterfly"
Will there be a post in 2009 where I won't apologize about not posting. Yes! Starting now. The discussion is off the table. Just take what you can get, people. So what am I thinking about today? (Except for the fact that a mother fucking plane landed in the Hudson River this afternoon! Incidentally, this shot that a guy took on his cell phone should win a Pulitzer. It's amazing.) Anyway, the subject is this: I (heart) the iPhone. No, I don't have one. But iPodWidow does and it is a pretty damn cool machine. (I'm just going to keep stating the obvious here.) So, why don't I have one. Well: A) It's expensive. B) I have a perfectly good phone (a Samsung Blackjack). C) I have an iPod with 60GB. You see, 'C' is really what's holding me back. The iPhone would be the perfect device if it was a phone, browser and, at minimum, 60GB iPod. Well, at least that's what I used to think. Do I really need 60GB? The truth is my iPod only has 45.99GB of music on it right now, after nearly 3 years of loading shit onto it. And although it's fun to have so many songs at your disposal (especially for the purpose of this blog), there is obviously some fat to trim. No better example than this song where I pause right here. Not sure what I was expecting form Beastie Boys collaborator Money Mark's solo album, but it is a weird affair that I certainly don't need to tote around with me all the time, everyday. With a 32GB iPhone, I could still have a ton of songs (7,000 actually, or about 700 albums) and that super-sweet phone too. Don't be surprised to hear about an unfortunate accident happening to my cell phone one of these days...
My Morning Jacket - "Old Sept Blues"
Os Mutantes - "Senhor F"
Sebadoh - "Downmind"
Karen Dalton - "In A Station"
Micah P. Hinson - "Letter To Huntsville"
Spoon - "Small Stakes"
The Mountain Goats - "Your Belgian Things"
Vivian Girls - "I Believe In Nothing"
The Beastie Boys - "The Sounds Of Science"
Pavement - "Starlings Of The Slipstream"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 13
Total minutes of music (approx.): 42
Song with the most previous plays: "Letter To Huntsville", "Starlings Of The Slipstream" (tie) - 5
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: What's sweeter than a 3-year-old trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue?
The Ponys - "We Shot The World"
Money Mark - "Black Butterfly"
Will there be a post in 2009 where I won't apologize about not posting. Yes! Starting now. The discussion is off the table. Just take what you can get, people. So what am I thinking about today? (Except for the fact that a mother fucking plane landed in the Hudson River this afternoon! Incidentally, this shot that a guy took on his cell phone should win a Pulitzer. It's amazing.) Anyway, the subject is this: I (heart) the iPhone. No, I don't have one. But iPodWidow does and it is a pretty damn cool machine. (I'm just going to keep stating the obvious here.) So, why don't I have one. Well: A) It's expensive. B) I have a perfectly good phone (a Samsung Blackjack). C) I have an iPod with 60GB. You see, 'C' is really what's holding me back. The iPhone would be the perfect device if it was a phone, browser and, at minimum, 60GB iPod. Well, at least that's what I used to think. Do I really need 60GB? The truth is my iPod only has 45.99GB of music on it right now, after nearly 3 years of loading shit onto it. And although it's fun to have so many songs at your disposal (especially for the purpose of this blog), there is obviously some fat to trim. No better example than this song where I pause right here. Not sure what I was expecting form Beastie Boys collaborator Money Mark's solo album, but it is a weird affair that I certainly don't need to tote around with me all the time, everyday. With a 32GB iPhone, I could still have a ton of songs (7,000 actually, or about 700 albums) and that super-sweet phone too. Don't be surprised to hear about an unfortunate accident happening to my cell phone one of these days...
My Morning Jacket - "Old Sept Blues"
Os Mutantes - "Senhor F"
Sebadoh - "Downmind"
Karen Dalton - "In A Station"
Micah P. Hinson - "Letter To Huntsville"
Spoon - "Small Stakes"
The Mountain Goats - "Your Belgian Things"
Vivian Girls - "I Believe In Nothing"
The Beastie Boys - "The Sounds Of Science"
Pavement - "Starlings Of The Slipstream"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 13
Total minutes of music (approx.): 42
Song with the most previous plays: "Letter To Huntsville", "Starlings Of The Slipstream" (tie) - 5
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: What's sweeter than a 3-year-old trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue?
Friday, January 9, 2009
Santa Ana Winds (Day 178)
Dinosaur Jr - "This Is All I Came To Do"
Tobacco - "Little Pink Riding Hood"
Matthew Sweet & Susannah Hoffs - "Monday, Monday"
The Wedding Present - "Santa Ana Winds"
Full disclosure: This is Wednesday's playlist. I know, like my New Year's resolution to hit the gym, my promise to blog daily has already hit a snag. Wednesday and Thursday were hectic at work. (Layoffs didn't help. I'm fine, thanks for asking.) And then I left the iPod in the office! But rather than leave you hanging another day, here's something from the week even if it's not from "today". (It's shorter than usual due again to real-life conversation with my new commuting friend.) So, back to the music: This song comes from a 2008 album that could have at least made my honorable mentions list from the Best Albums of The Year post. But really my initial excitement about the record quickly waned. Still, good stuff. The title places this as a very L.A. record and the cover (a palm tree and neon lights) pretty much confirms it. But it dawned on me I realized I don't really know exactly what the Santa Ana winds are. Oh, Mr. Wikipedia....
Nada Surf - "Blonde On Blonde" (live)
Bill Evans - "All Of You (Take 3)"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 6
Total minutes of music (approx.): 28
Song with the most previous plays: "Santa Ana Winds", "All Of You (Take 3)" (tie) - 4
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: It (and I mean Wednesday) was a horrible rainy day and G and I missed the bus.
Tobacco - "Little Pink Riding Hood"
Matthew Sweet & Susannah Hoffs - "Monday, Monday"
The Wedding Present - "Santa Ana Winds"
Full disclosure: This is Wednesday's playlist. I know, like my New Year's resolution to hit the gym, my promise to blog daily has already hit a snag. Wednesday and Thursday were hectic at work. (Layoffs didn't help. I'm fine, thanks for asking.) And then I left the iPod in the office! But rather than leave you hanging another day, here's something from the week even if it's not from "today". (It's shorter than usual due again to real-life conversation with my new commuting friend.) So, back to the music: This song comes from a 2008 album that could have at least made my honorable mentions list from the Best Albums of The Year post. But really my initial excitement about the record quickly waned. Still, good stuff. The title places this as a very L.A. record and the cover (a palm tree and neon lights) pretty much confirms it. But it dawned on me I realized I don't really know exactly what the Santa Ana winds are. Oh, Mr. Wikipedia....
The Santa Ana winds are strong, extremely dry offshore winds that characteristically sweep through in Southern California and northern Baja California in late fall into winter. They can range from hot to cold, depending on the prevailing temperatures in the source regions, the Great Basin and upper Mojave Desert. However, the winds are remembered most for the hot dry weather (often the hottest of the year) that they bring in the fall.But, wait, there's more! These beloved winds have been featured in quite a bit of popular culture, especially music. I think this is kinda fascinating so I'm going to go ahead and show you the list collected on Wikipedia of mentions of the winds in popular song - - from this decade alone!
- The song "Mansfield" from Elton John's 2001 album Songs from the West Coast mentions a "California moon" and contains the lyrics "The Santa Ana winds blew warm into your room".
- Bad Religion mentions the winds a few times, using their nickname "murder winds", "St. Anne's skirts are billowing" and the line "The fans of Santa Ana are withering" in the song "Los Angeles Is Burning" from the 2004 album The Empire Strikes First. "When the hills of Los Angeles are burning/ Palm trees are candles in the murder winds/ So many lives are on the breeze/ Even the stars are ill at ease/ And Los Angeles is burning."
- The song "Catch My Disease" (2005) by Ben Lee has the lyrics "She told me about the winds from Santa Ana/ And that's the way I like it."
- Danish band Mew's song "The Zookeeper's Boy" from their 2005 album And the Glass Handed Kites refers to the winds in the lyric "Santa Ana winds bring seasickness."
- Jason Mraz's unreleased "Silent Love Song" refers to the Santa Ana winds.
Nada Surf - "Blonde On Blonde" (live)
Bill Evans - "All Of You (Take 3)"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 6
Total minutes of music (approx.): 28
Song with the most previous plays: "Santa Ana Winds", "All Of You (Take 3)" (tie) - 4
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: It (and I mean Wednesday) was a horrible rainy day and G and I missed the bus.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Young Pilgrim (Day 177)
Cat Power - "Lived In Bars"
Marah - "Feather Boa"
Ida - "What Can I Do"
The New Pornographers - "July Jones"
The Flying Burrito Brothers - "Four Days Of Rain"
Robert Pollard - "Love Is Stronger Than Witchcraft"
Um, yeah. I super-sized the playlist. Actually a little side trip to the barber was the real reason for all these great songs. Not to mention a stop for a great cup of coffee at - - plug alert - - Joe The Art Of Coffee. I've been meaning to check out one of the locations of this NYC coffee chain which supposedly has some great joe. It's true. The apple walnut muffin is pretty good too. Also, love the name which is why I pause here because this Pollard song has my favorite song title on today's list. Pollard can definitely rock a song title - - almost as well as he twirls a mic. Unfortunately the actual song pales in comparison to the name. It's kind of a lackluster affair from the otherwise pretty strong solo record, From A Compound Eye.
Sebadoh - "Kath"
The Beatles - "Drive My Car"
Sparklehorse - "Heart Of Darkness"
Belle & Sebastian - "Beautiful"
R.E.M. - "World Leader Pretend" (live)
TV On The Radio - "Crying"
Seu Jorge - "Rebel Rebel"
Bob Dylan - "Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues"
My Morning Jacket - "Rollin' Back"
Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy"
The Shins - "Young Pilgrim"
After getting pretty burnt out on this band (I'm look at you, Natalie Portman), I think I'm ready for a full-bore revival! This acoustic song from the great Chutes To Narrow sounded so sweet this morning. (And pretty much iced what I plan to listen to on the way home tonight.) Anybody know what's up the band? Wincing The Night Away is nearly two years old.
The Elected - "Fireflies In A Steel Mill"
Magnetic Fields - "Fido, Your Leash Is Too Long"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 19
Total minutes of music (approx.): 75
Song with the most previous plays: "Beautiful, "Young Pilgrims" (tie) - 12
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 9
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: It had to take 2 trains and 2 buses. I think the MTA should pay me.
Marah - "Feather Boa"
Ida - "What Can I Do"
The New Pornographers - "July Jones"
The Flying Burrito Brothers - "Four Days Of Rain"
Robert Pollard - "Love Is Stronger Than Witchcraft"
Um, yeah. I super-sized the playlist. Actually a little side trip to the barber was the real reason for all these great songs. Not to mention a stop for a great cup of coffee at - - plug alert - - Joe The Art Of Coffee. I've been meaning to check out one of the locations of this NYC coffee chain which supposedly has some great joe. It's true. The apple walnut muffin is pretty good too. Also, love the name which is why I pause here because this Pollard song has my favorite song title on today's list. Pollard can definitely rock a song title - - almost as well as he twirls a mic. Unfortunately the actual song pales in comparison to the name. It's kind of a lackluster affair from the otherwise pretty strong solo record, From A Compound Eye.
Sebadoh - "Kath"
The Beatles - "Drive My Car"
Sparklehorse - "Heart Of Darkness"
Belle & Sebastian - "Beautiful"
R.E.M. - "World Leader Pretend" (live)
TV On The Radio - "Crying"
Seu Jorge - "Rebel Rebel"
Bob Dylan - "Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues"
My Morning Jacket - "Rollin' Back"
Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy"
The Shins - "Young Pilgrim"
After getting pretty burnt out on this band (I'm look at you, Natalie Portman), I think I'm ready for a full-bore revival! This acoustic song from the great Chutes To Narrow sounded so sweet this morning. (And pretty much iced what I plan to listen to on the way home tonight.) Anybody know what's up the band? Wincing The Night Away is nearly two years old.
The Elected - "Fireflies In A Steel Mill"
Magnetic Fields - "Fido, Your Leash Is Too Long"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 19
Total minutes of music (approx.): 75
Song with the most previous plays: "Beautiful, "Young Pilgrims" (tie) - 12
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 9
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: It had to take 2 trains and 2 buses. I think the MTA should pay me.
Monday, January 5, 2009
A Night In Tunisia (Day 176)
The Polyphonic Spree - "Have A Day/Celebratory"
Ry Cooder - "Los Chucos Suaves"
Bob Dylan & The Band - "Apple Suckling Tree"
My Bloody Valentine - "Touched"
Holly Golightly - "Headstart"
Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie Parker - "A Night In Tunisia" (live)
It's 2009, y'all! I'm rested, relaxed and ready to kick this blog back in high gear. But just not today, of course. Not that I won't list what I listened to on my way to work today, but I won't be starting off with some kind of Earth-shattering post thanks to a short, and less-than-sweet playlist. It was one of those morning where I rode the subway with another pre-school dad post drop-off, so plugging in was out of the question. In the absence of many songs, I will throw up an addendum to my last post featuring my favorite albums. I have two more that could have easily made that list. The first is one I just plain forgot until Comoprozac reminded me by picking it as his #3 album of the year - - Port O'Brien's All We Could Do Was Sing. CP was right, if you're not tapping your toes 0:38 into the first song, "I Woke Up Today," you have no pulse. The second album is one I just fell in love with over the New Year's break. I was perusing NPR's year-end music blogs and on the Top 10 Great Unknowns list I heard this: Blind Pilot's 3 Rounds And A Sound. Oh. My. It's a couple of dudes from Portland making some beautiful sounds. Check it out here.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 6
Total minutes of music (approx.): 17
Song with the most previous plays: "A Night In Tunisia" - 7
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 5
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: My daughter walked the entire way to the bus stop this AM and then told me she can't wait to tell Mommy. Ditto.
Ry Cooder - "Los Chucos Suaves"
Bob Dylan & The Band - "Apple Suckling Tree"
My Bloody Valentine - "Touched"
Holly Golightly - "Headstart"
Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie Parker - "A Night In Tunisia" (live)
It's 2009, y'all! I'm rested, relaxed and ready to kick this blog back in high gear. But just not today, of course. Not that I won't list what I listened to on my way to work today, but I won't be starting off with some kind of Earth-shattering post thanks to a short, and less-than-sweet playlist. It was one of those morning where I rode the subway with another pre-school dad post drop-off, so plugging in was out of the question. In the absence of many songs, I will throw up an addendum to my last post featuring my favorite albums. I have two more that could have easily made that list. The first is one I just plain forgot until Comoprozac reminded me by picking it as his #3 album of the year - - Port O'Brien's All We Could Do Was Sing. CP was right, if you're not tapping your toes 0:38 into the first song, "I Woke Up Today," you have no pulse. The second album is one I just fell in love with over the New Year's break. I was perusing NPR's year-end music blogs and on the Top 10 Great Unknowns list I heard this: Blind Pilot's 3 Rounds And A Sound. Oh. My. It's a couple of dudes from Portland making some beautiful sounds. Check it out here.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 6
Total minutes of music (approx.): 17
Song with the most previous plays: "A Night In Tunisia" - 7
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 5
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: My daughter walked the entire way to the bus stop this AM and then told me she can't wait to tell Mommy. Ditto.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
All You Are Love (Day 175)
Blonde Redhead - "Spring And By Summer Fall"
The Wrens - "Jake Fakes A Hug"
Whiskeytown - "Easy Hearts"
Pavement - "So Stark" (live)
Blonde Redhead - "My Impure Hair"
Johnny Cash - "One"
Guided By Voices - "Pimple Zoo"
Jens Lekman - "Someone To Share My Life With"
Nada Surf - "Treading Water"
Whiskeytown - "Not Home Anymore"
Vulgar Boatmen - "Margaret Says"
De La Soul - "I Can Do Anything (Delacratic)"
The Flatlanders - "All You Are Love"
Dolorean - "You Can't Win"
Elliott Smith - "A Passing Feeling"
Sufjan Stevens - "Oh God, Where Are You Now? (In Pickeral Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?)"
Pavement - "Dancing With The Elders" (live)
Death Cab For Cutie - "Lowell, MA"
Elliott Smith - "Tomorrow Tomorrow"
X - "Come BAck To Me"
The Books - "Smells Like Content"
So much for my promise to at least throw up my daily playlist... It really was a busy month for me, but big thanks to anyone who's checked in only to see Day 174 sitting there like stale bread. Also thanks to some blog friends for keeping the concept alive with their own shuffle posts. In the meantime, you will be glad I haven't been posting the last couple of days, because these little anecdotes would be tinged with anger and vitriol. I have had back-to-back the two worst commutes in my 14 years living in NYC. Mysterious train stoppages and delays up the ying-yang. No matter what train I hopped on, it seemed to find itself behind a train having a police emergency, medical emergency or system malfunction. It's enough to squeeze the holiday cheer right out of an elf. Okay, I don't want to belabor it. I do want to get to my FAVORITE RECORDS OF THE YEAR before I am called into a meeting for get an urgent email or some other stupid work related thing happens. (But before that, quick comment on today's list: It's obviously Two-For-Tuesday! I don't think this has ever happened, double-plays from three different artists in one day. Interesting.) Okay, without further adieu, here is the list. (Note: This was really hard. There was a lot of good new music in 2008.)
1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Umm... duh. This was their year. I like to feel that I get a little share of their glory too. I actually wrote about them on this blog way back in May - - before the full-length album came out. They first showed up on the shuffle on May 12 and I sang their praises on May 23 and guaranteed fans of My Morning Jacket would not be disappointed. But this debut album has even surpassed my own expectations. It's an evocative, timeless, haunting, inspiring piece of music that I have yet to even remotely tire of. I wonder where it will stand in 5 years? 15 years? I have a suspicion it may find its way on some kind of all-time list.
2. Little Joy - Little Joy
This one blindsided me. Released just a month ago, I knew nothing about it, but one blog post somewhere hooked me right away. And it's just a side project! For those who don't know, Little Joy is The Strokes Fabrizio Moretti, his girlfriend an L.A. singer/songwriter, and a Brazilian musician friend from the band Los Hermanos. They holed up in a house in Silver Lake and made a laid-back, breezy and great record that mixes 70s pop, bossa nova and the Velvets. And the name? It's actually the name of the group's local bar. Appropriate - - this should be standard issue on any good cocktail lounge's jukebox.
3. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
At first I was freaked out like so many fans, but Evil Urges didn't take long to really grown on me and become one of the records I kept coming back to all year. Even "Highly Suspicious," a song so strange I first thought it had to be a joke, turned out to be my favorite driving song of the year. Is this blind devotion? Perhaps, but if a band is this good you just have to follow them wherever they go.
4. Department Of Eagles - In Ear Park
Another one that I never expected to like quite so much. Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen and buddy Fred Nicolaus have created an amazingly textured record that recalls Grizzly, but in many ways is much more listenable - - and pleasurable.
5. Vetiver - Things Of The Past
Can a covers-only record qualify as year's best. Why not? Especially when the songs and arrangements are this good. And since most of the covers are obscure anyway (the only song I knew was Townes Van Zandt's "Standin'" and I love this version), it might as well be a record of originals by one of the best modern folk bands out there. And FYI: There is nothing freaky about Vetiver's folk. Unless being awesome is freaky.
6. Deerhunter - Microcastle
How good is this record? So good that I think I've only listened to it 3 or 4 times and it still makes this list. It's worlds better than Bradford Cox's debut Cryptograms, with fuzzy guitars and dreamy pop in equal measure. It came out this year, but I'm going to be listening to this one a lot in '09.
7. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Lie Down In The Light
As soon as I start to forget Will Oldham's genius I hear a new record of his and get blown away again. This one's pretty straightforward 70s-style country rock, mixed with (yes, Virginia, I'm going to steal a phrase from Pitchfork) "front-porch spontaneity." I wish I had a front porch.
8. Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
Just when I think I'm out, he pulls me back in. Oberst is annoying. Like, Ryan Adams annoying. But I can't shake him. (Ryan either, for that matter.) At first this record didn't thrill me. And then one day "I Don't Want To Die (In A Hospital)" came up on the shuffle and all I could hear was his exuberance and his talent. It's a winning combination.
9. She & Him - Volume One
No, it's not just because Zooey Deschanel is so darn cute. It's because she and M Ward made a record that surpassed expectations and defied modernity. It wouldn't be out of place in a dusty bin in some off-the-beaten-path record store. But since those don't exist, I'm glad this album does.
10. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend, Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs (tie)
Yes, it's a cheat. But I wanted to get them both on the list. They actually contrast quite well. Vampire Weekend came on like a bat out of hell and Narrow Stairs just kinda hung around like a lingering cold. The shine is off Vampire's debut slightly, but I can't resists its charms. And this wasn't Death Cab's best (or second or third best), but it's still a very satisfying record that saw Ben Gibbard and Co. stretching themselves sonically.
*Honorable Mentions (that seriously barely missed the cut): The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely, Beach House - Devotion, Boston Spaceships - Brown Submarine, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology, The Dodos - Visiter, Times New Viking - Rip It Off, Vivian Girls - Vivian Girls, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
**And by the way...I changed my mind after my Mid-Year List. I now consider Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago to be a 2007 record. It came out last year on an indie and was re-released in '08. If it were officially a 2008 release, it would be 1A on this list - - right behind Fleet Foxes. (Interesting how my faves changed, by the way...)
There it is. Pretty great stuff all. So, I will definitely not be posting again until after the new year. But believe me this time, I really will start blogging about What I Listened To On My Way To Work again in '09. Happy Holidays, all.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 20
Total minutes of music (approx.): 110
Song with the most previous plays: "All You Are Love," "A Passing Feeling" (tie) - 8
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I went to get my haircut, but had to abort! Commute was too long, and there were too many people waiting. I guess I'll have to start '09 as a long-haired hippy freak. Not really.
The Wrens - "Jake Fakes A Hug"
Whiskeytown - "Easy Hearts"
Pavement - "So Stark" (live)
Blonde Redhead - "My Impure Hair"
Johnny Cash - "One"
Guided By Voices - "Pimple Zoo"
Jens Lekman - "Someone To Share My Life With"
Nada Surf - "Treading Water"
Whiskeytown - "Not Home Anymore"
Vulgar Boatmen - "Margaret Says"
De La Soul - "I Can Do Anything (Delacratic)"
The Flatlanders - "All You Are Love"
Dolorean - "You Can't Win"
Elliott Smith - "A Passing Feeling"
Sufjan Stevens - "Oh God, Where Are You Now? (In Pickeral Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?)"
Pavement - "Dancing With The Elders" (live)
Death Cab For Cutie - "Lowell, MA"
Elliott Smith - "Tomorrow Tomorrow"
X - "Come BAck To Me"
The Books - "Smells Like Content"
So much for my promise to at least throw up my daily playlist... It really was a busy month for me, but big thanks to anyone who's checked in only to see Day 174 sitting there like stale bread. Also thanks to some blog friends for keeping the concept alive with their own shuffle posts. In the meantime, you will be glad I haven't been posting the last couple of days, because these little anecdotes would be tinged with anger and vitriol. I have had back-to-back the two worst commutes in my 14 years living in NYC. Mysterious train stoppages and delays up the ying-yang. No matter what train I hopped on, it seemed to find itself behind a train having a police emergency, medical emergency or system malfunction. It's enough to squeeze the holiday cheer right out of an elf. Okay, I don't want to belabor it. I do want to get to my FAVORITE RECORDS OF THE YEAR before I am called into a meeting for get an urgent email or some other stupid work related thing happens. (But before that, quick comment on today's list: It's obviously Two-For-Tuesday! I don't think this has ever happened, double-plays from three different artists in one day. Interesting.) Okay, without further adieu, here is the list. (Note: This was really hard. There was a lot of good new music in 2008.)
1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Umm... duh. This was their year. I like to feel that I get a little share of their glory too. I actually wrote about them on this blog way back in May - - before the full-length album came out. They first showed up on the shuffle on May 12 and I sang their praises on May 23 and guaranteed fans of My Morning Jacket would not be disappointed. But this debut album has even surpassed my own expectations. It's an evocative, timeless, haunting, inspiring piece of music that I have yet to even remotely tire of. I wonder where it will stand in 5 years? 15 years? I have a suspicion it may find its way on some kind of all-time list.
2. Little Joy - Little Joy
This one blindsided me. Released just a month ago, I knew nothing about it, but one blog post somewhere hooked me right away. And it's just a side project! For those who don't know, Little Joy is The Strokes Fabrizio Moretti, his girlfriend an L.A. singer/songwriter, and a Brazilian musician friend from the band Los Hermanos. They holed up in a house in Silver Lake and made a laid-back, breezy and great record that mixes 70s pop, bossa nova and the Velvets. And the name? It's actually the name of the group's local bar. Appropriate - - this should be standard issue on any good cocktail lounge's jukebox.
3. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
At first I was freaked out like so many fans, but Evil Urges didn't take long to really grown on me and become one of the records I kept coming back to all year. Even "Highly Suspicious," a song so strange I first thought it had to be a joke, turned out to be my favorite driving song of the year. Is this blind devotion? Perhaps, but if a band is this good you just have to follow them wherever they go.
4. Department Of Eagles - In Ear Park
Another one that I never expected to like quite so much. Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen and buddy Fred Nicolaus have created an amazingly textured record that recalls Grizzly, but in many ways is much more listenable - - and pleasurable.
5. Vetiver - Things Of The Past
Can a covers-only record qualify as year's best. Why not? Especially when the songs and arrangements are this good. And since most of the covers are obscure anyway (the only song I knew was Townes Van Zandt's "Standin'" and I love this version), it might as well be a record of originals by one of the best modern folk bands out there. And FYI: There is nothing freaky about Vetiver's folk. Unless being awesome is freaky.
6. Deerhunter - Microcastle
How good is this record? So good that I think I've only listened to it 3 or 4 times and it still makes this list. It's worlds better than Bradford Cox's debut Cryptograms, with fuzzy guitars and dreamy pop in equal measure. It came out this year, but I'm going to be listening to this one a lot in '09.
7. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Lie Down In The Light
As soon as I start to forget Will Oldham's genius I hear a new record of his and get blown away again. This one's pretty straightforward 70s-style country rock, mixed with (yes, Virginia, I'm going to steal a phrase from Pitchfork) "front-porch spontaneity." I wish I had a front porch.
8. Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
Just when I think I'm out, he pulls me back in. Oberst is annoying. Like, Ryan Adams annoying. But I can't shake him. (Ryan either, for that matter.) At first this record didn't thrill me. And then one day "I Don't Want To Die (In A Hospital)" came up on the shuffle and all I could hear was his exuberance and his talent. It's a winning combination.
9. She & Him - Volume One
No, it's not just because Zooey Deschanel is so darn cute. It's because she and M Ward made a record that surpassed expectations and defied modernity. It wouldn't be out of place in a dusty bin in some off-the-beaten-path record store. But since those don't exist, I'm glad this album does.
10. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend, Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs (tie)
Yes, it's a cheat. But I wanted to get them both on the list. They actually contrast quite well. Vampire Weekend came on like a bat out of hell and Narrow Stairs just kinda hung around like a lingering cold. The shine is off Vampire's debut slightly, but I can't resists its charms. And this wasn't Death Cab's best (or second or third best), but it's still a very satisfying record that saw Ben Gibbard and Co. stretching themselves sonically.
*Honorable Mentions (that seriously barely missed the cut): The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely, Beach House - Devotion, Boston Spaceships - Brown Submarine, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology, The Dodos - Visiter, Times New Viking - Rip It Off, Vivian Girls - Vivian Girls, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
**And by the way...I changed my mind after my Mid-Year List. I now consider Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago to be a 2007 record. It came out last year on an indie and was re-released in '08. If it were officially a 2008 release, it would be 1A on this list - - right behind Fleet Foxes. (Interesting how my faves changed, by the way...)
There it is. Pretty great stuff all. So, I will definitely not be posting again until after the new year. But believe me this time, I really will start blogging about What I Listened To On My Way To Work again in '09. Happy Holidays, all.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 20
Total minutes of music (approx.): 110
Song with the most previous plays: "All You Are Love," "A Passing Feeling" (tie) - 8
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I went to get my haircut, but had to abort! Commute was too long, and there were too many people waiting. I guess I'll have to start '09 as a long-haired hippy freak. Not really.
Friday, December 5, 2008
The Canals Of Our City (Day 174)
Robert Pollard - "I Surrounded You Naked"
Ryan Adams - "Please Do Not Let Me Go"
Vetiver - "The Swimming Song"
Hello, Internets! I'm back-ish. Sorry to leave you (and you) wondering about what GE is listening to on his way to work all those days. It must have been awful. Is it Pavement? Some stupid jazz song? Etc. Maybe I was just too embarrassed to show my face after losing that bet with Comoprozac. Or maybe I ate so much on Thanksgiving I couldn't type. Or, gulp, maybe I was Bush-ed, a.k.a. downsized due to the fact that some moron(s) has been steering the national economic ship for eight years. Thankfully, none of the above. Still gainfully employed (fingers crossed) and just really busy. But today I actually have 5 minutes of downtime, and I've already read all there is to read about baseball's hot stove. (They should call it the lukewarm stove.) So, here ya go, a nice playlist from this AM. It's just in time - - I need to flex my blogging muscles before I unleash that all-important year-end list of favorite albums. Expect my list sometime before X-mas. In the meantime, here's a song from a strong contender to find it's way on there: Vetiver's Thing Of The Past. This collection of obscure covers is excellent from end-to-end - - breezy, 70s-flecked folk-pop. This particular track is a Loudon Wainwright cover from his 1973 album with a title you gotta love: Attempted Mustache.
fIREHOSE - "Honey, Please"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "After I Made Love To You"
Charlie Parker - "Mohawk"
Iron & Wine - "Innocent Bones"
Interpol - "Not Even Jail"
Magnolia Electric Co. - "Don't Fade On Me"
Calexico - "Nom De Plume"
Gnarls Barkley - "Go-Go Gadget Gospel"
Beirut - "The Canals Of Our City"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 12
Total minutes of music (approx.): 42
Song with the most previous plays: "Lion's Mane" - 9
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Well, my daughter and I have kicked the muffin-a-day habit on the way to drop her at school. Today's breakfast snack du jour? A waffle. Today's question of a 3-year-old with an exponentially inquisitive mind du jour? Daddy, where did the butter go? You try and explain why a solid melts to a toddler...
Ryan Adams - "Please Do Not Let Me Go"
Vetiver - "The Swimming Song"
Hello, Internets! I'm back-ish. Sorry to leave you (and you) wondering about what GE is listening to on his way to work all those days. It must have been awful. Is it Pavement? Some stupid jazz song? Etc. Maybe I was just too embarrassed to show my face after losing that bet with Comoprozac. Or maybe I ate so much on Thanksgiving I couldn't type. Or, gulp, maybe I was Bush-ed, a.k.a. downsized due to the fact that some moron(s) has been steering the national economic ship for eight years. Thankfully, none of the above. Still gainfully employed (fingers crossed) and just really busy. But today I actually have 5 minutes of downtime, and I've already read all there is to read about baseball's hot stove. (They should call it the lukewarm stove.) So, here ya go, a nice playlist from this AM. It's just in time - - I need to flex my blogging muscles before I unleash that all-important year-end list of favorite albums. Expect my list sometime before X-mas. In the meantime, here's a song from a strong contender to find it's way on there: Vetiver's Thing Of The Past. This collection of obscure covers is excellent from end-to-end - - breezy, 70s-flecked folk-pop. This particular track is a Loudon Wainwright cover from his 1973 album with a title you gotta love: Attempted Mustache.
fIREHOSE - "Honey, Please"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "After I Made Love To You"
Charlie Parker - "Mohawk"
Iron & Wine - "Innocent Bones"
Interpol - "Not Even Jail"
Magnolia Electric Co. - "Don't Fade On Me"
Calexico - "Nom De Plume"
Gnarls Barkley - "Go-Go Gadget Gospel"
Beirut - "The Canals Of Our City"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 12
Total minutes of music (approx.): 42
Song with the most previous plays: "Lion's Mane" - 9
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Well, my daughter and I have kicked the muffin-a-day habit on the way to drop her at school. Today's breakfast snack du jour? A waffle. Today's question of a 3-year-old with an exponentially inquisitive mind du jour? Daddy, where did the butter go? You try and explain why a solid melts to a toddler...
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