Aural Sects

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Never Dare A Duke

Let's do this: banish the idea of "guilty pleasures" and the "so-bad-it's-good" mentality. They are both intertwined. They are both extremely misleading.

This all has to do with Barry Manilow.

Copacabana is a ridiculous song. And I love it. I love it because it's cheesy and catchy and because it is a wildly stupid attempt at star crossed lover storytelling. But can I really say that it's a guilty pleasure, that I love it because it's so bad that is holds no value?

In order to declare something bad, or suggest that something is valueless, it must present no form of value to one's aesthetics (by something I only mean what could be considered an artistic endeavor [of course I would not classify murder as good if it was deemed pleasurable {this would also include any activity considered harmful to human beings}]).

We could say that a song is bad according to an accepted standard but, when discussing music, literature, film or any form of art, standards are so fragmented and diverse that it's best to adhere to one's own proclivities and not rely on a notion as fleeting and fickle as an artistic standard. So if some kind of pleasure- even if it that pleasure is a byproduct of cheesiness or irony- is derived from a song than it must have value in accordance to the listener whoever that may be. Therefore a "so-bad-it's-good" argument becomes null and void.

Well that's over with. Let's get this guilty please idea out of the way. It's a little easier.

If you like something, a song, a movie, a book, then claim it. Please don't hide behind calling it a guilty pleasure. Like what you like and feel no guilt. There is no accounting for taste.

Why did I write all of this? Because recently I've become wrapped up in a nasty habit: nostalgia. In lieu of pursuing the new I've taken refuge in the gone by. Late 90s Top 40, music that I could barely stand when it was popular, songs that echoed throughout the gymnasium as we sweat and awkwardly swayed with each other in a hormone induced stupor, is my new playlist. I do not know why I'm listening to Paula Cole and liking it now. I honestly cannot pin that down. At first I tried telling myself that these songs were so bad that they were good but I could not reconcile that argument. The idea of guilty pleasures is the denial of one's self and I have no use for it. So how to account for this? Don't know. Don't care. I'm having fun with it. You should too. That's why I've listed my exact playlist below. Think about Jngos, Kangol hats, Surge, TRL, Monica Lewinski, the animal cracker scene in Armageddon and frosted, spiky hair. Cringe a little. Then succumb.

Friday, August 13, 2010

The Great White North

The playlist compiled for a trip is just as important as the clothes in the suitcase and the snacks in the carry on. Choosing the right music makes the horribly slow boarding process bearable, muffles the crying infant in the front row and prepares the mind and body for the change in weather, culture and cuisine that occurs after leaving the airport. It sets the mood for the incoming adventures.

Sunday morning I leave for a week in Alaska. I will fish, hike and fist fight bears surrounded by mountains, lakes and bear poop. I need a playlist to compliment the experience...so...here it is.

1. Blitzen Trapper- Furr

2. Band of Horses- Great Salt Lake

3. Steve Miller Band- Wild Mountain Honey

4. Passion Pit- Let Your Love Grow Tall

5. Rogue Wave- Permalight

6. Tomahawk- Antelope Ceremony

7. Wolfmother- Colossal

8. Midlake- Core of Nature

9. The Decemberists- The Crane Wife 3

10. Andrew Bird- Anoanimal

11. John Denver- The Eagle & the Hawk

12. Noah and the Whale- Love of an Orchestra

13. Fanfarlo- Luna

14. Monsters of Folk- Map of the World

15. Steel Train- Road Song

16. Doug Martsch- Window

17. Neko Case- I'm an Animal

18. Simon & Garfunkel- El Condor Pasa

19. Eddie Vedder- Society

20. Alexi Murdoch- Orange Sky

21. The Kinks- Strangers

22. Beirut- Scenic World

Friday, August 6, 2010

I'm a Horrible Blogger

I failed. Couldn't keep up my own blog. So instead of recapping releases from the past Tuesday I'm just going to fill you in on what I've been listening to recently.

Click on the pic for a link to more music.

The Wavves- King of the Beach

I wish I would have found this album at the beginning of the summer. Oh well. This is indie rock at its finest. Fuzzy, jangly, full of sound and, most importantly, fun.

Mountain Man- Made the Harbor

If you start listening to Mountain Man looking for a rugged, folksy portrait of masculinity you will be sorely disappointed. When female vocalists infuse their songs with sweetness and sadness simultaneously it is my kryptonite. That's why I'm a sucker for Jill Andrews. The three ladies who comprise Mountain Man are musical minimalists and heart breakers to boot. Quiet and beautiful...give it a try.

Frazey Ford- Obadiah

Frazey Ford, lead vocalist for the Be Good Tanyas, released Obadiah a couple of weeks ago. It's taken me a few listens to decide if I like it. And guess what. I do.

Wintersleep- New Inheritors

Mikey turned me on to these guys and I'm glad he did. Their songwriting reminds me of a miraculous blend of Brand New and Rogue Wave. These days it's tough to find an album that is consistently good from start to finish and this is definitely great all the way through.

Male Bonding- Nothing Hurts

Do you remember when everyone went gaga for Arctic Monkeys? Remember how they were these prodigies who were ushering in a new era of indie rock? Yeah, they were never able to live up to that hype. Male Bonding is not the harbinger of a new brand of music. But they are on the cusp of a resurgence of loud, crashing, indie rock and fore-running the effort. These guys are the Homo Erectus to the Arctic Monkeys, the evolution of a sound.

Endless Boogie- Focus Level

The Black Keys not cranking it out fast enough for you? Do you need more garage rock infused blues in your life? Then listen to this album. These guys are stepping over bands like Clutch and Radio Moscow, shoving their dirty steel toed boots in other bands faces as they climb the ladder of awesome. That may be a bit of an oversell. But rock these guys do.

The Arcade Fire- The Suburbs

You're probably listening to this already...as you read this. And that is a good thing.

Best Coast- Crazy for You

Another album I wish I would have had in June. The LA based trio pumps out warm and fuzzy tunes. They are like a cross between The Jesus Mary Chain and The Go-Gos. It doesn't matter if you're drinking lemonade or tequila, sit back and relax and let the sound wash over you like UV Rays for your ear.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Tune In Tuesday Seven Thirteen Two Thousand Ten

I had another feature that I wanted to publish before I did this today but that didn't happen. I got caught up reading one of the most venomous and acerbic debates ever. As always, you can click on the album art for a link to Amazon.

I like Red House Painters but they are now defunct and lead singer Mark Kozelek has been making moody folk rock over the past decade as Sun Kil Moon. Some of you may recognize their song "Heron Blue" from the Gears of War 2 trailer. The new album Admiral Fell Promises is out today and worth your attention.

As the album cover suggests, Curren$y enjoys marijuana. He's also a hip hop wunderkind. Signed as a teenager to No Limit Records until 2005 and then to Young Money Entertainment until 2007, he finally released this album Pilot Talk under Roc-A-Fella records. It's going to take a few listens for me to reach a conclusion on this album but the track "Hangover" with its laid back beats and guest appearance from Mikey Rocks is already a summer fav.

It's M.I.A. I mean, really, you didn't like "Paper Planes?" Shut up. You're lying. /\/\ /\ Y /\ is the (title? of the) new album and as a fashion designer, political activist, producer, singer, writer, rapper and one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential people of 2009, it's safe to say the world is watching and listening very carefully.

To call Sparklehorse an alt rock band is almost a crime. Mark Linkous's music sprawled and spiraled. Mark took his own life in Kentucky on March 6th of this year. Dark Night of the Soul was recorded in 2009, written by Sparklehorse and DJ Dangermouse (Brian Burton) and helped along in some uncertain fashion by director David Lynch. This album was thought to never see an actual release due to a legal dispute with record label EMI but issues resolved and here we are. Guest appearances by...just whoa...I mean...check out the track listing.

1. Revenge (featuring The Flaming Lips)

2. Just War (featuring Gruf Rhys from Super Furry Animals)

3. Jaykub (featuring Jason Lytle from Grandaddy)

4. Little Girl (featuring Julian Casablancas from the Strokes)

5. Angels Harp (featuring Black Francis from The Pixies)

6. Pain (featuring Iggy Pop/lyrics by Iggy Pop)

7. Star Eyes (I Can't Catch It) (featuring David Lynch)

8. Everytime I'm With You (featuring Jason Lytle from Grandaddy)

9. Insane Lullaby (featuring James Mercer from the Shins/Broken Bells)

10. Daddy's Gone (featuring Mark Linkous from Sparklehorse and Nina Persson from The Cardigans)

11. The Man Who Played God (featuring Suzanne Vega)

12. Grim Augury (featuring Vic Chestnutt)

13. Dark Night Of the Soul (featuring David Lynch)

Like Elliot Smith, with Mark Linkous I've learned about an awesome talent postmortem but look forward to exploring the amazing legacy he left behind.

Members of indie rock outfits Earlimart and Grandaddy have teamed up as long time friends to record an album that is indie, electronic, folk, pop and an amazing album toe to tit. Great, great listen. Check out Admiral Radley's I Heart California right now.

So yeah, today was definitely quality over quantity. Next week I'll look at new releases from Zero 7, Tired Pony, Frazey Ford, Plan B, Mountain Man and possibly others.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

The Rise of Sentiment or How I Learned to Love the Avett Brothers

Some people love music. Some people don't. Some need to know what a song means. Some will make up their own meaning. Some people know music. Some just know how it makes them feel.

I own up to my own ignorance of actual music. By actual music, I mean notes, scales, clefs, arpeggios, minor keys, arrangements and any other technical minutiae that belong to the crafting of song. For me, and I believe for many, music is more about the invocation of emotion and feeling than the attributes of composition. So, for me, The Pixies, Shania Twain, Stephen Sondheim, Ace of Base, Lil Wayne, and Lou Reed are on an equal playing field. I leave myself open to any genre and as a side effect have learned to ignore no form of music based on what I know about it.

So what Lil Wayne is soaked in codeine?

So what I feel let down by Andrew Stockdale?

Does Billy Joe's eyeliner make me love the Jesus of Suburbia medley any less?

For all the good my visceral love of music does me, it also has a major downfall: impetuousness. Every few years- a half decade or so- my musical tastes migrate drastically. Gone are the days when crunchy, heavy metal guitars thrill me. No longer does bass-thumping, gangster rap make me feel invincible. I can barely listen to MXPX now. And as much as I hate to admit it, Coheed & Cambria and Jack Johnson are starting to stale. Instead of mourning these bygone musical eras, I remember them by, every once and a while, reverting back to these bands and songs for a glimpse of what I was feeling then.

So, what am I feeling now? In the summer of 2008, I moved to Kansas City with my fiance. I worked an easy but un-fulfilling job and knew no one in this town. I idled my time with Wii-playing, some writing, some Netflixing and I dove headfirst into a brand new musical addiction- The Avett Brothers.

For so long I had turned my back on anything resembling country music (this being a by-product of hearing only the soulless, pop-country of the late 20th century). Acts like Jack Johnson, Patrick Park, and Neko Case helped lure me into the realm of acoustic, folk songs. The Shins- "Gone For Good" almost did as much by itself. Hell, I relinquished my foolish boycott of Simon & Garfunkel because I could no longer resist their allure. I was primed for something raw and true and the Avett Brothers delivered more than I could bargain for.

2008 was the summer of The Second Gleam EP. 6 songs so heartfelt and pure and so completely disarming that it left me dumbstruck. "Tear Down the House" and "Murder in the City" both felt like they were written for me during the summer of 2008, a time of consternation, change and confusion. I could do nothing but listen to every song this band had ever recorded just to hear what else they knew about me.

Emotionalism was the album that served as my entryway into the Avett Brothers library. Specifically "Paranoia in B Flat Major" with its melancholy tune and puzzlement with the singer's present state. What I loved the most about the Avett Brothers is the range of styles they employed, often switching moods and styles mid-song. Their propensity to declassification became more apparent as I moved backwards in their catalog.

Four Thieves Gone plays out almost like a mix tape. As if a group of guys got together with their instruments but couldn't agree on what kind of album to make so they just played what they felt like playing. And while that my sound disconcerting and contrary, it blends together into a whirlwind of genuine emotions. "Talk on Indolence" flies from an aggressive introduction, full of isolation and vitriol into a confession of male inadequacy and booze fueled debauchery. It's that kind of honesty, applied to every song, that makes the Avett Brothers so special.

Their newest effort, I And Love And You is their most cohesive album in sound and their most mature. There are no "Pretty Girl" songs and it seems as if they, or producer Rick Rubin, decided that a piano should be an essential part of their line-up. Irregardless, as a young adult, with (hopefully) the majority of my life ahead of me, with the most intense feelings anger, love, sorrow and hope yet to come, I can't help but attach myself to I And Love And You. Listen to "Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise" and "The Perfect Space" and try to not take stock of your own life, using those songs as a watermark. It's impossible.

I don't know what I'll be feeling in another 5 years or for that matter, tomorrow. Although I realize I may not be as attached to the acts I am right now (Split Lip Rayfield I feel you slipping) in the future, I'm determined to follow my gut. As long as the Avett Brothers continue to play and sing from theirs I'm sure we'll meet in the middle.

Listen to something and feel something. That's all. And that's all I want.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Tune In Tuesday 7/6/2010

I slacked for a couple of weeks but now I'm back on the wagon, blogging diligently. Here are my picks to check out for today's releases.

It doesn't seem appropriate to refer to The Roots as "hip-hop darlings" but I can think of no better term. I worried how frequent their output would be after signing on to be Jimmy Fallon's house band and I'm glad to have been put at ease.

Can't wait to listen to this whole album. What I've heard so far has a very laid back "jam band" atmosphere but I can tell that there is more to digest.

I've never really been a NIN fan. I'm quite taken with a few of their songs but have never really connected with their work as a whole. So when I found myself listening to Trent Reznor's side project and liking it, well, I was as surprised as you might find yourself when you listen to it. This may be a sneak peek into the type of soundtrack he and Atticus Ross are putting together for David Fincher's The Social Network.

I've never heard of this band before but the album cover looks like Revolver and it sounds a little like it too. That's enough for me to check it out.

Like a lot of other white folks, I liked Outkast. A lot. But apart from a few gems Speakerboxxx never did it for me. Despite having a ridiculously pretentious name, I'm intrigued to see what Big Boi's been up to on this new album. The cover suggests that he's grown out of nappy, gangster mode and into a more refined, fresher style. Hopefully that's reflected in the music.

This week was a little dry, next week I'll be looking at new releases from Sun Kil Moon, Panda Bear, M.I.A., Curren$y and Brian Burton a.k.a. DJ Danger Mouse.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Break-Up Songs

I had to fire an employee for the first time in my adult career yesterday. The decision to do so was easy to make, the execution however, was a little messier. So in honor of my lost worker I've compiled a list of my 10 favorite break up songs. They span decades and genres but are all worth their weight in tear soaked gold.

#10. Coheed & Cambria - "Welcome Home

Even if you weren't familiar with the science fiction that C&C have built their music around, even if you didn't know that this song was about Claudio coming home from a suicide mission to find the love of his life with another man, even if you thought this song was just a metal song and no more, there is a very disgruntled, broken hearted man at this song's epicenter. The heartbreak is a little more understandable in the acoustic version. So enjoy! Or don't. You're probably too torn up to.

#9. Tegan & Sara - "The Con"

Say what you will about their haircuts but these gals turn a break up into a somewhat up lifiting piece. This isn't so much a "break up" song as it is a "painful experiences are healthy" song. And that's a lot better than wishing cruel deaths on the ones of have wronged us.

#8. Alkaline Trio- "Radio"

The boys in Alkaline Trio are not as optimistic as Tegan & Sara but what they lack in optimism they account for in suicidal, violent depression. I don't think it's nothing a few Hot Topic gift cards couldn't cure though. Please watch, without a doubt, one of the worst ideas for a homemade music video and perhaps one of the funniest.

#7. Frightened Rabbit - "Good Arms vs. Bad Arms"

Scottish indie band Frightened is like a byproduct of a Carbon Leaf and Damien Rice orgy. "Good Arms vs. Bad Arms" has all the emotional intensity of a Rice ballad and all the acoustic melodies of the finest Carbon Leaf tunes. Add to that gut punching lyrics and you've got a fine break-up stew. No weird Sims video for this one. Just the song doing what it does best.

#6. Cake- "Alpha Beta Parking Lot"

I like Cake for a lot of reasons. Chief among those reasons is the band's ability to bend their sound to any occasion. You always know it's Cake. The usually bright guitar riffs, bouncy bass lines and cheerful horns all blend into a melancholy tune. This song highlights the feeling of futility a wronged lover can have and drives home the sense of loss as car fumes surround the singer and the sun goes down.

#5. Etta James- "All I Could Do Was Cry"

It's Etta effin James lamenting over her ex-lover's wedding. Ouch. There's nothing I can type that her voice won't convey.

#4. The Ink Spots- "Don't Get Around Much Anymore"

I don't know what it is about this song that makes me feel like I've lost something near and dear. It reminds me of the Great Depression, the Overlook Hotel and BioShock's city of Rapture. Also, it's kind of nice to listen to a guy just say "Screw it, it's not worth it, I'm staying in."

#3. Damien Rice- "Cheers Darlin"

Unlike Alkaline Trio's red and black brand of pessimism, Damien Rice's pain is tangible in every word and strum. Instead of using the chink of glasses as a queue for celebration, Rice uses the sound to create tension throughout the song, as if he is just as fragile and about to crack. When the song finally crescendos, the listener is awash in Rice's howls and whining strings which devolve into lonely guitar and piano riffs. It's truly a depressing song.

#2. Bon Iver- "Skinny Love"

So a guy loses his band, breaks up with his girlfriend and then gets mononucleosis. Most people would get drunk and maybe go to a theme park. Not Justin Vernon. He goes to his parents cabin and records one of the best break up albums ever, one of the best albums of the decade and writes one of my favorite songs of all time. A finer example of what good can come from bad situations there never was.

#1. Conway Twitty- "Hello Darlin"

All good break up songs have "darlin" in the title. Seriously though, don't act like you didn't see this coming. Country Western music was built upon loss and depression. Whatever songs weren't about drinking and raising Cain, were about losing a girl or a friend or a dog or a favorite tire. And nobody did it like ol' Conway.

I felt bad for firing that employee but these songs have been a cathartic distraction. Maybe someday they'll do the same for you. Thanks for reading. Here's a treat for making it to the end.