hearingade

Video Raid: Generationals, ‘Spinoza’

abbytron — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:27:13 +0000

Last month, New Orleans-based indie rock duo Generationals released their third full-length album, Heza. This week, they debuted a video for “Spinoza,” featuring vocalist Ted Joyner dashing through the streets of NOLA while Grant Widmer rides around in a truckbed struggling to play his guitar as he slides all over. If there’s a point to it all, I’ve missed it, but it’s certainly a delight to bask in the sights of one of my favorite cities — vendor booths in Jackson Square, iron-fenced balconies throughout the French Quarter, horse-drawn tour carriages. For more views of The Big Easy, check out the band’s video for Heza‘s lead single, “Put a Light On.”

Allison Weiss helps heartbreak go down easy

abbytron — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:16:35 +0000

Pop-punk’s pulse beat strong in the mid- to late ’90s, but somewhere around the turn of the century, it seemed to trickle out. That’s not to say it disappeared, but the sound in general grew stale, as new styles of rock (often borrowing from old styles) emerged in the forefront. With Allison Weiss‘ new album, Say What You Mean, that brand sounds fresh again. Weiss doesn’t necessarily bring much new to the table, but something about her interpretation of the genre brought it back to life in my ears. Her solid power chords, classic yet stimulating, and vocals that convey emotion as much as the lyrics themselves probably have a lot to do with it.

Music can be so powerful when its effect on you is not only visceral, but emotional. I think that’s where Weiss won me over with this release, because her heartbreak is so relatable — as heartbreak is wont to be, I suppose. She covers a decent range of scenarios that can come from a rough break-up, using varied levels of sass to drive her point throughout the album.

Say What You Mean opens with “Making It Up,” a relatively light, poppy tune, implementing a bit of synth atop the basic guitar/bass/drums set-up. The song pleads to an ex-lover who’s acting like whatever they had together never happened: “Am I making it up? Was it not what you said? Was I never the one? Was it all in my head?” This juxtaposition of cheerful melody to despondent lyrics is always a satisfying angle, because instead of burying the listener in sad feelings, it uplifts them.

Likewise, on “How to Be Alone,” after singing “I guess they say all good things gotta end,” Weiss’ verse is met with some jaunty banjo licks. The song’s sentiment isn’t lost, however, as she goes on to lament “I’m tired of being angry, and I’m tired of being strong, and I’m tired of being treated like it’s me who did you wrong. Like a knife into my back, can’t forget that kind of hurt,” and closes out the song with increasing anguish in her voice as she repeats “I miss you all the time” over a heady bassline.

Not to dampen Weiss’ cred as a formidable pop-punk musician, but the musical flavor of “One Way Love” is reminiscent of songs from Josie and the Pussycats (2001). It’s certainly one of the album’s more simple offerings, but no less enjoyable. She still excels at taking complex emotional ideas and putting them into words that are easily understood, not unlike the lyrics of one Rivers Cuomo. With “I Was an Island,” Weiss expresses how, before a particular relationship, she was a lone wolf with an impenetrable heart: “I was a fighter, and I was so brave, but I lowered my sword when you held me and swore you’d stay.” Another romance that, unfortunately for Weiss, did not go as planned, leaving her to struggle with how to once again live her life alone.

The album’s second half is for the most part less punchy than the first, turning down the punk-style dial on a few tunes (although “Don’t Go” may be the punkest of them all). “Wait for Me” is lightly coated in chamber pop, with violin and cello complementing an acoustic guitar, and the album closer “I’ll Be Okay” is a tranquil testimonial to the grieving process. Though the words imply Weiss is falling apart while trying to let go, the song’s title refrain is like a mantra to herself, a promise that she’ll keep it together and accept she’s perhaps even better off … or at least she will be.

Video Raid: !!!, ‘One Girl / One Boy’

abbytron — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:36:27 +0000

Break out your dancin’ shoes, because !!! is gonna make you wanna move with their new album, Thr!!!er. Nic Offer blends pop music styles like a boss, and it’s all founded on sumptuous bass rhythms that make it tough to sit still. It’s all so obvious in the new music video for “One Girl / One Boy.” Offer dances around in his super-sweet short-shorts while singing about how a song keeps him connected to a former love.

No amount of heartbreak can really separate us from our musical memories of dancing with someone we once loved, and Offer’s plea is that it may not matter anymore, but when that song plays, he can’t help but feel like he’s in that place again, when things were good. Because let’s face it, nothing is bad when you’re dancing. All your troubles dissipate on the dance floor like droplets of water burning off a hot skillet (that’s how I learned to know my pan was ready for pancake batter, anyone else?). The awesome Sonia Moore provides guest vocals on this tune, and I can’t help but be a little jealous that she gets to groove with this fresh gent, because that guy looks like a choice dance partner. And seriously, more dudes need to wear short-shorts. Ain’t nothing wrong with showing a little leg, fellas!

Father John Misty Appreciation Post.

Amber Audra Valentine — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:16:27 +0000

Let’s talk for a second about Fleet Foxes. You know the band. We all do. They’re a mild mannered group of folk superheroes who wear beanies and have beards. A fair few years back, I got the chance to see the Seattle-ites at Lollapalooza and while I was impressed, I never would have expected that the man stowed behind their drum kit had moves like this…

After years of doing double duty as both a Fleet Fox and the super serious mountain man J. Tillman, one can only assume that Tillman finally reached a sense of nirvana or ego death, fueled by massive drug use, and emerged from the desert in a Peyote-drenched glow, flanked by shirtless witch women, shaking a tambourine, and possibly riding a winged cougar. Thus, Father John Misty was born.

Sure, the music is pretty fantastic…

…but let’s face it. This man has the most gif-able dance moves of all time.

I’ve seen literally hundreds of concerts in my day and I can say without a doubt that Papa John here is the most enrapturing frontman, possibly of all time. He’s like a white James Brown only with better fashion — just check out the sweet sweatshirt he’s rockin’ on KEXP as he shakes dat tambourine like it’s a baby that won’t stop crying.

Personally, I like to show my adoration for Tillman’s alter ego by indulging in my new favorite past time — drinking beer, putting on live vids of him on late night TV and busting out my best Father J. dance moves. Not to brag, but I think I’m getting pretty good.

Speaking of fashion, would ya’ look at that suit. Oh jeez!

To quote YouTube user Mark Haney, “this guy has to be one of the coolest gangsters on the planet… Not to mention he slays that pussy 24/7.”

Obviously.

Oh don’t worry, Johnny T. They are.

Video Raid: Cossbysweater, ‘Stagnant’s Fine’

abbytron — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:42:21 +0000

Pop culture aficionado and singer-songwriter Allie Goertz released her debut full-length album this week. Cossbysweater is a fan-funded collection of send-ups to “Freaks and Geeks,” “The Simpsons,” “Arrested Development,” Dungeons & Dragons and other geek faves. Goertz’s new music video for “Stagnant’s Fine” seems to stand apart from the rest, seemingly without any blatant pop culture references. Just a nonchalant song about being stuck in place and apathetic. Most of Goertz’s songs are presented beneath a sheer shroud of melancholy, with “Everything’s Coming Up Milhouse” serving as a candid look at the blue-haired character’s pathos, or “Tonight” emphasizing a D&D campaign as an escape from the drudgery of real life. And I’m okay with that, because it’s a strangely beautiful and unexpected perspective.

Just Because I Was In A Shower In My Music Video Doesn’t Mean You Can Objectify Me, Thanks: Sexism In Indie Rock

Amber Audra Valentine — Wed, 01 May 2013 23:09:33 +0000

I’m no stranger to sexism in indie rock. The subject has been oft-written about by me for various sites that I’ve contributed to, namely the now-defunct Awe Chasm, and one I’ve had to deal with in various forms for a number of years now, being a young woman in the music industry. As a music journalist, my second interview ever walked out on me when I refused to get sexy with him, even though I was on the job. I remember the horrible feeling that accompanied the scene as it played out before me and the crushing realization I had as I drove home: Being in the music industry is one small step above prostitution. I comforted myself with the idea that, well, isn’t any job one step above prostitution? Especially as an artist, you’re being forced to sell yourself, your art, your ideas, and thus, you let others appropriate it as they see fit.

There’s a number of things glaringly wrong with that statement, namely the fact that journalism in any form should not make you feel like a whore. No job should, except for maybe prostitution itself.

In the subsequent years since that realization, I’ve seen friends, colleagues, musicians, and strangers treated similarly to how I’ve been treated and all of these groups had one thing in common, other than being in an artist’s industry. They were all female. It’s very rare that you see an article concentrating, say, on Matt Berninger’s physique, however women like Lana Del Rey and Grimes are commonly referred to as “cute” with their music being a slight afterthought.

It’s offensive but the fact of the matter is that it’s something I never truly grasped the complete grossness of until recently. You see, readers, I’m not just Amber Valentine, your friendly Michigan pal who likes to force her musical tastes upon unsuspecting interweb strangers. As of late, I’ve also been the gal behind Amber Valentine’s Shriveled Heart & The Skeletons Left Behind. Recently, we released a new single and an accompanying video. In the words of my bandmate, the incomparable Zunk, the vid was meant to leave the viewer feeling “a little f–ked up after watching it.” When Hearingade’s own Abby said the finished product “made me feel nauseated,” I knew I could borrow George W.’s Mission Accomplished banner, wrap myself in it like a human burrito, and sleep soundly.

See for yourself.

Being a musician in a fledgling band isn’t easy. It isn’t exactly hard because, well, music is a blast! But there’s more to trying to be successful than just playing a few songs. There’s a whole business side to music and sometimes, it can be remarkably unsavory. For one, you have to gather press and, if you’re working as your own press agent, there’s no management team to stand in between your fragile artist’s ego and things you might not want to read.

Recently, my new single, “Razor’s Edge,” got picked as a song to “stop sleeping on” by SYFFAL. Naturally, I was beyond thrilled … Until I read it.

“At this point, my romantic life is so awful that the accompanying video (search it on Vimeo)–which features some depressed girl trying her twee little hardest to off herself in the john–practically serves as porno for me. Oh yeah, depressive tattoo girl, swallow them pills. Oh baby, right there.”

After that statement, the song was finally mentioned in one brief half sentence. It was called “promising” and had been interesting enough for the writer to say he’d be down to hear the album. Awesome! Only … Except for all that stuff at the beginning about porn and junk. And you know, the fact that I don’t even get a name. I’m “depressive tattoo girl”. It’s not the “depressive” part that bugs me because, let’s face it, “Razor’s Edge” doesn’t conjure images of puppies and kittens playing together in a sunlit flower patch in perfect harmony. The music I make is dark. What bothers me is the fact that I’m called “girl” and then, words later, “baby.” “Baby”? Excuse you? My boyfriend hasn’t even called me “baby.” But he did call the writer of this article a “douche” and I’m inclined to agree.

“Razor’s Edge” wasn’t the only song written up as a track to stop sleeping on, though the other artists mentioned were treated as musicians and songwriters, getting called “depressing yet uplifting” or “ballsy.” Their songs were actually reviewed. But, you know, they’re all dudes and that, I believe, has a lot to do with it.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled that I got written up by SYFFAL but it’d be way more thrilling if the article wasn’t so objectifying and the music wasn’t such a brief afterthought. My bandmate isn’t even mentioned. Hell, the song is barely mentioned! All that’s concentrated on is the fact that I’m a girl who made a kinda porny music video. Personally, I don’t think the vid is that sexy at all and it’s not meant to be. It’s meant to be dark and unsettling. Blood and vomit, to me, doesn’t scream “do me.” Maybe I have a skewed perception as I’m not the most avid porn watcher but I do feel strongly that the same video, featuring a male musician recreating a suicide attempt, would not get called a turn on.

The most frustrating thing is that female musicians everywhere are treated this way. Last year, Chairlift’s Caroline Polachek gave an enlightening interview to Pitchfork about her experiences as a female musician, saying “BrooklynVegan is the worst, it just becomes like a rating board for guys to have at it. They’ll be like, ‘I wanna cum in her ear’ or ‘fucking 1 out of 10.’ They’re all sexist.” Recently, Grimes posted on her tumblr proclaiming herself “tired of men who aren’t professional or even accomplished musicians continually offering to ‘help me out’ (without being asked), as if i did this by accident and i’m gonna flounder without them. Or as if the fact that I’m a woman makes me incapable of using technology. I have never seen this kind of thing happen to any of my male peers.” You know why Grimes has never seen this with her male peers? Because it doesn’t happen to them, at least not nearly as often as it happens to women. I’ve never witnessed a male musician being asked if he needed a hand loading gear or helping set up his pedal board. I’ve never seen a male musician get their drums set up for them without asking or overheard a venue explaining how the pay out worked at the end of the night. Women don’t get this luxury. They get coddled and babied every step of the way and the more polite a woman is, the more it seems she’s treated like an idiot. And just like in the real world, in the music industry, a woman who does her own shit, kicks ass at it, and doesn’t stand for objectifying behavior is quickly dismissed as a “bitch.”

This behavior isn’t anything new. In fact, Marianne Faithfull wrote about this in the ’60s. Yeah, the ’60s. That means for the past 50 years, the treatment of women in the music industry hasn’t changed. If anything, thanks to the Internet, it’s gotten worse (it’s so easy to dismiss Lana Del Rey as cum dumpster behind the anonymity of a blog message board). But what can be done about it? To me, that answer is simple. How about everyone just starts treating women like human beings? Really, it doesn’t seem like that novel of an idea or a hard one to execute. If you wouldn’t say something about a guy, maybe you shouldn’t say it about a lady.

Amie’s Favorite Musical Things This Year

Amie — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 16:00:16 +0000

Hey! Year-end lists usually fill me with dread (how can I pick my favorites?!?! What if I leave something awesome out? AUUUGHHHG). But for whatever reason, this year it was easy to figure out.

So, I give you: the Top 5 musical things I was most exited about in 2012.

1) Aimee Mann’s “Labrador” video:

In addition to being a kick-ass song from one of my favorite songstresses, Mann made the “Labrador” video an almost shot-for-shot remake of “Voices Carry,” her mega-’80s hit with band ‘Til Tuesday. I love everything about Aimee Mann, and always have, but I especially loved this — including the faux “making of” intro with Jon Hamm as a ridiculous music video director.

Watch a side-by-side comparison here, and pick up a copy of her 2012 release, Charmer— because the whole album’s really awesome.

2) The Sexy Accident: Ninja Ninja Fight Darth Vader

Listen up: Ninja Ninja Fight Darth Vader

I discovered The Sexy Accident completely by, well, accident (zing!). And it’s because Ninja Ninja Fight Darth Vader is the BEST ALBUM NAME EVER, and also a really endearing song featuring band member Jesse Kate’s 5-year-old son.

The rest of the album is poppy and fun and I really dug it, plus — you can name your price for the download and they’ll donate all proceeds from the sale to Operation Breakthrough, which makes it extra rad.

3) Mike Viola: Electro De Perfecto

Listen up: Here’s The Rub

I saw this joker open for Fountains of Wayne at The Crocodile earlier this year, and I was pretty damn impressed. Friends of mine had been fans of his 1990s band Candy Butchers, which I am not hip enough to have heard of, but I tell you what: Viola rocked my socks off solo.

His songs on Electro De Perfecto are packed full of angsty rejected love and dreaming, and I think he’s a damn fine songwriter. My favorite tune on this album is definitely “Here’s the Rub”:

Did you email? Did you text me?
I check ‘em both, I check ‘em obsessively
Don’t start, don’t stop — it’s over, it’s over — but it’s not

4) CANINES

Listen up: Spectator

CANINES is a band I ran across through a SIFF film called I Am Not A Hipster, in which this gentleman named Joel P. West created an entire album for the fictional title character, and I loved the depressing songs so much that I tracked it down online and downloaded it.

If you’re into gut-wrenching guitar and vocals, the album is only $8, and you can grab it from bandcamp now.

5) Katie Kate: Flatland

My friend Chris is responsible for introducing me to Katie Kate, and I am now totally in love with her. Totally. Absolutely. Completely in love. She’s the most fun on stage, she has an awesome voice, she raps fierce and sings gorgeously, she dances all over the stage and OWNS it, and one of the highlights of my year was seeing her cover Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” at Bumbershoot.

OMG. So amazing.

Anyway! You can download Flatland for only $10 (it’s a 2011 release – shh!) and listen to her new single, Zombies, for only a buck.

Top Nine of 2012: Amber Valentine Style

Amber Audra Valentine — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:00:47 +0000

Holy cramoley, Hearingade-ers. Amber V. here and it has been a while. 2012 has been quite the year. For one, I am Dany T. blonde now (Quite the change from the Winehousian beehive I rocked in my last Gravatar) and for another, I’m kind of a musician now so that’s neat! But enough about me. And more about how I listened to like NO new music in 2012. I’ll tell you what I did listen to: A lot of The Shangri-Las. Tons of Elvis Costello. Oh, and so many Lana Del Rey rarities. I mean, have you heard “Methamphetamines“? What a morbid bitch! Anyhow, I managed to cobble together 10 records that I WAS obsessed with this year for your enjoyment and sure, half of them might be them same as Abby’s but if you’ve been following us for the past three or four years, this won’t come as a shock!

Lightning Love - The Blonde Album

I’ve been lovers of these Lightning youngsters for years now and since the release of their long awaited second LP, The Blonde Album, my adoration has not waned one bit. If anything, it’s only grown. And with my adoration, the Ypsi based trio (Hey! Ypsilanti, Michigan? That’s where I’m from!) has grown in maturity alongside me as well. Whereas both lead singer Leah Diehl and I used to go out and raise hell about town (“Friends” from debut November Birthday) now we both seem to spend our days losing our place despite ourselves and lamenting problems we can’t seem to put into words (“I Know”) or pleading for company just to keep the loneliness at bay (“Bobby Thompson”). Record of the year, hands down.

Lana Del Rey – Paradise

This isn’t an album, so much as it is an EP, or really an “afterthought” to Born To Die, though this mini-album puts last year’s Born to Die to shame. As I mentioned before, Del Rey can be a “morbid bitch” and that is showcased here to prime effect on songs like “Body Electric” where “Mary prays the rosary for (Lana’s) broken mind” and on the beautiful “Yayo,” a recycled tune from Del Rey’s “Nevada” days. “Yayo” has always been a fave Del Rey tune of mine and hearing its progression from five chord acoustic guitar ballad to six minutes of string soaked decadence is quite lovely. I could wax on, but instead, I’ll just leave you with these parting words: My pussy tastes like Pepsi Cola.

Archie Powell & the Exports - Great Ideas In Action

Much like my number one pick, Mister Powell is no surprise on the A.V. Top Whatevs this year. If these Chicago boys put out a record, it’s almost pos that I’ll love it but this year, they really outdid themselves with what is — wait for it — the best rock and roll album of the year. I’m not kidding. With music tighter than the lyrics are bleak, Powell & the Exports have managed to take all the best power rock acts of the late seventies and eighties and update them for the modern gen. This is no throwback band trying to recreate dad rock with ironic mustaches (though from time to time, they do rock quite the manly dad ‘stache). These guys are all about dropping lines about skinny jeans and touch screens but somehow managing to keep the modern tactful, the snot palatable, and the rock much harder edged than it was on their debut album, Skip Work. If you’re still not on the Export train, hop on before it’s going way too fast for you slowpokes to hitch a ride.

Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel…

Oh, Fiona, you crazy bitch. I love this woman. Maybe I just have a weakness for nutty gals with pianos (looking at this list, I think we can confirm that) but Apple isn’t your every day Regina Spektor. That is to say, Spektor seems to be the kind of purposely “Look at me in my silly hat! I’m so CRAZY!” kind of weird. Apple, however, with her bonkers chord progressions and her lyrics referencing self harm and mental illness, in the real kind of weird, the kind you want to stare at with fascination because you wonder what it is that makes her tick. For masterpieces, look no further than “Valentine,” “Left Alone,” and “Werewolf.” Or just do what I do and listen to “Valentine” on repeat for hours and cry in between therapy appointments. It’s just so apt, you guys.

Matt Jones & The Reconstruction – Half Poison, Half Pure

Another Ypsi local (as Hearingade founder Abby Holmes once said, there is something magical in the phallic water tower here, we just pump out the talented musicians), I could lavish praise upon Jones. His music has — and continues to get me through — the hardest of times in my life. Once described as a “tall man with a high voice,” Jones can often be found plucking an acoustic guitar in his basement wearing work boots, singing songs with spitfire wordplay lyrics that would make even the most poetic of legends blush. Backed by the angel voice of Misty Lyn and the demonic cello playing of Collette Alexander, Jones is the type of genius who ought to be more revered than he is but isn’t that how it is with all creative savants? All I’m saying is, that EP is pick-your-price. I recommend track 6 but you can’t do wrong with any of them.

Purity Ring – Shrines

Now I feel is where we get into “Amber Valentine left-field.” I’ve been quite the fan of creepy music for a while but my “creepy fandom” has always been more of the Timber Timbre organic-creep variety. But thanks to my dear friend David, I’ve been slowly been discovering the creepiness to be found in the more synthetic and my first love? Purity Ring. To be be more specific? “Fineshrine.” There’s something strange, seductive, morbid and innocent about Shrines, sort of like sweet foreplay and quickly turns into violent choking. It’s absolutely lovely, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Grimes – Visions

In the same vein as my above pick but perhaps even creepier and dancier, Grimes appeals to my better nature because when I can understand her lyrics, I am absolutely smitten with the girl. The only reason Visions didn’t rate higher for me, especially with those jammy-jam keyboards peppering tunes like the standout “Oblivion,” is because I only just got familiar but I do believe this is gonna be carrying me over well into 2013.

The Appleseed Collective – Baby To Beast

What is this, Top Michigan Records of 2012? Well, just about. I’d like to say “I don’t get out much” but the truth is, I spent more time living in Nashville this year than I did Ypsilanti, yet somehow this mitten-shaped area just penetrates my bloodstream. Like AIDS. Anyhow, I’m biased as hale when it comes to this group of rag tag ragtime kiddos called The Appleseed Collective because I sell their merch and I’ve been on the road with them more than a couple-a-times. I know the words to all their songs, back to front, and I might be so bold as to say that banjo babe Katie Lee and I even have a few shimmy dances we do together from time to time to the song “Lookee For A Reason.” But that doesn’t make this CD any less of a jam-packed-with-jams hit. From Andrew Brown’s lovelorn “Life Is Beautiful (I Guess)” to Brandon Smith’s barnstormin’ “Sisyphit,” these young’uns are onto something that, as an old man in Florida told me, “you don’t hear kids sing these days and that is okay with me.”

The Hand In The Ocean – We Fished All Night And Caught The Day

There’s something special about The Hand In The Ocean, though I wasn’t sure what it was until I saw the trio in my basement, playing without mics, with lead singer Nate Tapling’s voice going from a husky, whiskey soaked growl one moment to a raw, begging plea the next. With only a banjo and a guitar to back him, the sparseness of The Hand In The Ocean is one of their most charming qualities if only because the supplementary players (Jeremy Dulac and Jordan Evans) are so damn good at what they do. Waist deep in recording their second EP, 2013 holds a lot of exciting things in store for The Hand In The Ocean though I’m not sure what those “exciting things” are other than “releasing a new EP” and playing at least three shows but what I can tell you is to keep an eye on these fellas. They’ve got my baby blues.

ManSquatch’s Top 20 albums of 2012 (AND THEN SOME)

mansquatch — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:00:50 +0000

1. Sharon Van Etten - Tramp

That voice, those songs, the intensity — Sharon Van Etten, this isn’t a review so much as a marriage proposal. Where did you come from? Why are you so good at everything? Can I have your number?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBldhDijhfg

2. Deep Sea Diver - History Speaks

That voice, those songs, the intensity — Jessica Dobson, this isn’t a review so much as a marriage proposal. Where did you come from? Why are you so good at everything? Can I have your number?

Oh, I said that already about SVE? WHAT ARE YOU, THE INDIE ROCK CRUSH DREAM KILLER?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alsfAS4l1FY

3. Father John Misty - Fear Fun

J. Tillman writes like a honty-tonk Beatle, sings like a Fleet Fox (because he was a Fleet Fox), and has a sense of humor that is somewhere in the middle of Nilsson and Zappa. No way I’m not loving that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS84BMFszW0

4. The Orwells - Remember When

Listen to the album, and then realize that these lo-fi punk-rocking fuckers are all still in high school. Something’s in the water in Chicagoland.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXrd6pnehpA

5. The Lumineers – S/T

Hey, Mumford & Sons — suck it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2yTiDlr8Mc

6. Damien Jurado - Maraqopa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyhKQKtPLl4

7. Grizzly Bear - Shields

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuG9i5cwGW0

8. Soundgarden - King Animal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iyv4le1ap8

9. Sera Cahoone - Deer Creek Canyon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YWR7ZM7xQE

10. Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROla_B49KbQ

11. Gardens & Villa – S/T

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcNUFOlynPI

12. Jack White - Blunderbuss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s92smjLq_38

13. Bowerbirds - The Clearing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fijyCMF9D80

14. Deep Time – S/T

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0loDMML7YU

15. Heartless Bastards - Arrow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAJOXrnPIUg

16. Band of Skulls - Sweet Sour

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXCBKMOF7OI

17. Gary Clark Jr. - Blak and Blu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3zW0iX8Xw8

18. The Maldives - Muscle for the Wing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIAkcgiqLdU

19. Tame Impala - Lonerism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H570ifQfpDk

20. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Psychedelic Pill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bemz-7fofcs

Honorable mentions: The Avett Brothers - The Carpenter; Baroness - Yellow & Green; Beach House - Bloom; Christian Mistress -Possession; Delta Spirit – S/T; Dr. Dog - Be the Void; Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel…; King Tuff – S/T; The Mynabirds - General; Pinback -Information Retrieved; Sea Wolf - Old World Romance; Two Gallants - The Bloom and the Blight

Stuff I Liked in 2012 — Leah’s List

yesyesylioness — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:00:04 +0000

This time of year, I always like to reflect on all of the music I dug and compile a playlist that best encompasses the experiences, great memories, and the bands and artists that have become the soundtrack of my life in the past 365-odd days. I like to pop the older editions into the CD player and laugh/groan to myself in some nerdy form of reminiscence therapy. Plus, the discs make great stocking stuffers!

My criteria were simple: the song didn’t necessarily have to be released during this year (though many were), but if I discovered/rediscovered/liked it this year, it counts. I’ll attempt to give a brief description and justification for each song’s inclusion and provide links and background info whenever possible, should anyone choose to further explore these fine artists.

1) Band of Horses – “Knock Knock“: I love these guys and I was super-stoked to hear they were coming out with a new album. This song was their early-released single and aptly leads off the record. While the rest of Mirage Rock was somewhat of a disappointment compared to their other albums, this song makes a great track one. I love the lyrics, the “ooohs” and the handclaps, and it puts me in a hopeful, anticipatory mood for the rest of my day/life.

2) We Were Promised Jetpacks – “Medicine”: Man, I am such a sucker for Scottish bands, particularly singers with pronounced accents. I had the pleasure of seeing these Edinburghers at an awesome sold-out show at the Bottom Lounge last May, and they did not disappoint. They rock hard with driving guitar riffs and some awesome drumming, but (duh) the vocals are the cornerstone for me. Their latest album, In the Pit of the Stomach, kicks ass and is getting some decent, fully warranted attention, so I hope we continue to hear more from these guys.

3) Lydia Loveless – “Can’t Change Me”: Someone turned me onto this little spitfire from Ohio, and it’s obvious she grew up in a dive bar. Thanks to Bloodshot Records for snatching her up and giving her a recording contract. I had the pleasure of seeing her last month before she canceled the remainder of her tour due to the loss of her voice/illness (the antiheroine Adele?). For how tiny and innocent she looks, she sure has a mouth on her. And a voice. She’s bold and brash and unique, and she writes songs about hard drinking and telling creeps to shove off that push the envelope for country women. Lydia makes me wanna shoot whiskey and get in a bar fight, in a good way.

4) Yeasayer – “Henrietta”: I like Yeasayer for their interesting sound, a mix of synthy pop and vocoders and poppy sensibilities with a harder edge. Like Band of Horses, their latest album, Fragrant World, is not their best work, but they did have a fun self-imposed Internet leak scavenger hunt of the tracks prior to its release, which I followed with great interest at work for a couple of days. This track always gets my head bobbing and is always a welcome addition to my iTunes shuffle for those dreary morning commutes.

5) Dum Dum Girls – “I Got Nothing“: Ohhh, noise pop, my bread and butter. I’d heard a few Dum Dum Girls songs before and remember liking them, so when I was offered the chance to review the newest EP for my pals at Savage Henry Independent Times (affectionately acronymed S.H.I.T.), I jumped at the chance. Singer Dee Dee Penny recently lost her mom, so while the reverbed-out guitar riffs and rhythms are upbeat and vaguely reminiscent of other doo-wop-inspired acts, a la the Raveonettes, the lyrics are woeful. Eminently sing-a-longable, the five songs just work for me, and once again, I chose this for the vocals. I got nothin’ left to say about this song.

6) Levon Helm – “The Mountain”: My father has been trying to get me into The Band for years, and I’ve sadly never taken much time to listen to their repertoire. But upon the passing of their drummer/vocalist Levon Helm of cancer this year, I happened to catch a re-broadcast of his 2007 interview on NPR’s Fresh Air, and I was captivated by his voice and the tracks I heard from his Grammy-winning solo album, Dirt Farmer. I bought it immediately and have had many a listen since. I love his vulnerable warble, and the songwriting hearkens back to simpler, possibly harder times. “The Mountain” is a eulogy to coal mining, to home, and features his daughter, Amy, on backing harmonies (love!). Bummer that this legend had to pass before I could appreciate him, but I’m glad it happened.

7) The Golden Horse Ranch Band – “Hummer”: I discovered these guys when their cover of GNR’s “Sweet Child o’ Mine” was playing early one morning at my local coffeehouse and curiosity got the better of me. I was delighted to discover that this local Chicago square dance band is not a one-trick pony (ooh, bad pun), and grabbed their whole album. Once again, I was suckered in by multiple vocalists with tight country harmonies and fiddles, but try not to do-si-do, I dare you. “Hummer” is a tongue-in-cheek admonishment to gas-guzzlers everywhere, and it’s a pretty irresistible toe-tapper.

8) Lowmen Markos – “Through the Circles”: I had the pleasure of watching these dear friends of mine form and grow this excellent West Seattle-based post-rock ensemble, and they are some of the most talented dudes I know. Huge musical gearheads, the quartet’s instrumental music is dense, dark, and psychedelic, building slow, ominous tension with layers of pedal and echo effects, cut by droning guitar, key, and bass parts, and some of the best drumming/xylophone playing you will ever hear, (courtesy of one of my musical heroes/homies, Scott Helgason). Recorded at my beloved Kill Room Studios, their Flames EP never fails to transport me to some weird places in my mind and evoke deep thoughts. They’re steadily lining up Northwest tour dates in March 2013, and I highly recommend catching these dudes on their upswing.

9) The Bombay Royale – “Sote Sote Adhi Raat”: I’ve thus far failed to mention one of my other weaknesses—Bollywood dance tunes. I heard a track by this 11-piece Australian ensemble on KEXP’s Wo’Pop!, and I had to stop what I was doing to immediately obtain “You Me Bullets Love”. The album, featuring singers Parvyn Kaur Singh and Shourov Bhattacharya, has become a workout staple of mine and offers mostly Bollywood hits in Hindi and Bengali, reduxed into high-energy dance tracks. I love to blast this one in my car in traffic and fancy myself some sort of exotic disco queen.

10) Deep Chatham – “Madeline”: A co-worker of mine took a trip to Maine (ironically enough), returned raving about this North Carolina acoustic band she’d seen at a bar out there, and graciously passed me their CD to upload. Love ensued. Simple guitar, banjo, and fiddles set the backdrop for gorgeous, haunting vocal harmonies that make me weak in the knees. They make me wanna drink moonshine in a dimly lit barroom on a sultry Southern night. Rumor is, they recorded a new album at the Rubber Room, and I have no doubts it’ll be just as wonderful as these tunes that magically dropped into my lap.

11) Macklemore – “Same Love (featuring Mary Lambert)”: Seattle hip-hop has long lived in the shadows of bigger, harder cities, but it was one of my favorite discoveries of living there for six years. The themes are progressive, the best performers aren’t always tough guys, but philosophers, scholars (like the Blue ones I equally adore), and the beats are soulful, jazzy, soft like the characteristic rain that falls there much of the time. I’ve been a Macklemore fan for awhile now, turned onto him years ago by this one chef I fell hard for when working at a local bakery, so imagine my happiness when he blew up on the scene HARD with his latest release, The Heist. Though there were many tracks I could have chosen, like the now-viral “Thrift Shop,” I went with the unofficial theme of the now-passed (!!!) Washington state gay marriage bill, “Same Love.” Whatever your position on the issue, take a listen/view of the awesome accompanying video, and consider the words of this ballsy, versatile ginger babe. The gorgeous vocals of Mary Lambert break my heart and have me singing “she keeps me warm” over and over to myself. Makes me proud to have knocked on those doors for Ref. 71 and proud of my Washingtonians for recognizing the rights of everyone to love the person of their choosing. Love is patient, love is kind. Damn right, I support it.

12) Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – “That’s What’s Up”: Speaking of love, this is one great handclapping homage celebrating egalitarian, unconditional love. Once again, I love male/female vocals. I am jaded, but I still have faith that I’ll find and marry my best friend, the person who makes me feel complete, so lyrics like “I’ll be the book/you be the binding/I’ll be the clock/you be the timing” are pretty resonant. It’s also like, the cutest video featuring hipster kids ever.

13) Passion Party – “Like You to Death”: Passion Party are MC Tim Stiles and DJ Adam Drew, featuring trumpet by Timmy Conroy (of BLVD Park fame), and they crank out hilarious, often raunchy hip-hop jams about the trials and tribulations of love and life, managing to say stuff with a straight face that should probably never be said. “Like You to Death” is all about getting “friend-zoned,” a subject on which I am all-too-expert, and it’s the only track on their release that may manage not to offend more sensitive audiences. Anyone who can create the rhyme “granny throws/expose/your pantyhose” is A-OK by me. P.S. You can download their Unihorn EP for free! Like THAT to death.

14) Punch Brothers – “Movement and Location”: I LOVE THIS BAND. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them play two sold-out gigs in Chicago, and both were incredible. I’ll just give you a snippet of my Hearingade review of these guys from earlier this year: “Who’s Feeling Young Now?, the band’s third release, is an absolute marvel. I’d like to alternatively title it “Who Needs Drummers and Electricity Anyway?” The opener, “Movement and Location,” pulls in some amazing hooks and winds around surprisingly poppy twists and turns. There’s a great variety within the tracks, at times traditional bluegrass folk jams like the instrumental “Flippen (the Flip),” others incorporating complex elements of jazz, R&B, and soul. “Hundred Dollars,” their bittersweet diatribe against city girls (“are all the same/they play you like a pinball game”), I will argue, sounds downright Justin Timberlake-y, but with a twangy twist.”

15) JD McPherson – “North Side Gal”: Um, what? A whiter-than-white boy with soul? Oh, yes please. I caught this guy’s packed show at the Metro this fall, and it was some of the best rockabilly, plaid shirted, bearded dude/ladies with giant bangs people-watching EVER. It’s some good old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll fun with a modern swing, and I was not the only one doing the twist, the monkey, and various other nerdy dances. Plus, I AM now officially a North Side gal, so I like to imagine this one’s about me.

16) The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”: If you haven’t heard this song, you probably have been living under the most indie, hipster rock ever. At a mere 2:43, “Ho Hey” doesn’t go for the endless repeat of the hook and chorus over and over until you’re sick to death of it, but since it’s been played over and over, you may feel that way regardless. Either way, I’m stoked that folk music is becoming more commercially successful. I love this dude’s voice, love the group chorus, love tambourines, and can I ever empathize with the feeling of knowing you’re supposed to belong with someone after doing all the right things to make it on your own!

17) Shovels & Rope – “Keeper”: Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent are one of those duos that just make sense together. After seeing them open for Butch Walker (?!) at a show last year, they made my “Stuff I Liked in 2011” list, and to my delight and with their newest album O’Be Joyful, they are gaining a lot of recognition, including a spot on this year’s Live @ KEXP compilation. I (once again) love me some tight male/female harmonies, and Cary Ann’s irresistible, well-meted-out Carolina wail sends Dolly Parton-ish chills down my spine. “Keeper” is a song about, love, fishing, and being out of the game and happy about it.

18) Beach House – “Lazuli”: I reviewed the album Bloom for Hearingade this summer, and doubtless, this album will always remind me of the summer of 2012. Here’s a bit of what I had to say: “Like some sort of utopian choir living inside a pipe-organ-future-temple…the male-female vocals sound as though you’re hearing them from the inside of a womb—echoey, remote, but wise and comforting, with lush, parental harmonies. Ever-present drum machine beats offset the eerie drone effects of the synth/organ, throbbing bass lines and wavy guitars. They take their time, deliberately adding layer upon layer of sound, driving verses (and the listener) to the brink, until their chorus bursts triumphantly open like some jungle flower in the steaminess of it all.” “Lazuli” is my absolute favorite track, and I saw them perform it live at RiotFest. Bliss became me.

19) The Very Best – “We Ok”: I saved The Very Best for the very last. I am so glad I stumbled across their free album first listen on NPR one day, and it became almost ritualistic to listen to it on repeat to get through long workdays. I also (surprise!) reviewed these guys for Hearingade: “You know you love a song when you don’t know the words and can’t help but embarrassingly sing approximated Malawian lyrics on your parents’ suburban backyard deck…The obvious radio hit choice “We Ok,” (who say we don’t dance no more?/someone point him out!) featuring irresistible “yeee-yoooooos” and geography bee-worthy shout-outs to a litany of places where I can only dream of partying. It’s overwhelming and glorious and exhausting in a great way, like a crazy fun night that leaves you smiling and reminiscing to yourself the whole day after.” I went to their show, got sweated on by Esau in the bouncing, riotous crowd, and talked to them afterwards. Nice dudes, wonderful music — they even retweeted me. Talk about a kick-ass 2012 in music-geekery.