I'm working on getting playlists up here for all of these songs -- and zip downloads for the top 30 songs (NOW ADDED BELOW)
MP3 Downloads: [30 - 16] // [15 - 01]
If you've got six hours free, here's the playlist on iLike.
Ta da:
100 | Valley Maker, "The First"
099 | Fabolous, "You Be Killin' Em"
098 | The Weepies, "Be My Thrill"
097 | Harlem, "Friendly Ghost"
096 | Sufjan Stevens, "I Walked"
095 | Britta Persson, "Meet a Bear"
094 | Roky Erickson with Okkervil River, "Goodbye Sweet Dreams"
093 | Sonny & the Sunsets, "Heart of Sadness"
092 | Katy Perry, "Teenage Dream"
091 | Lykke Li, "Get Some"
090 | The Extra Lens, "How I Left the Ministry"
089 | Little Scream, "Heron and the Fox"
088 | One for the Team, "Best Supporting Actress"
087 | Devo, "Fresh"
086 | Eels, "Little Bird"
085 | The Vaccines, "If You Wanna"
084 | Tennis, "Marathon"
083 | Chew Lips, "Slick"
082 | Happy Birthday, "Subliminal Message"
081 | Sarah Harmer, "Captive"
080 | Maison Neuve, "Piste 01"
079 | Eternal Summers, "Bully in Disguise"
078 | Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, "Sink / Let It Sway"
077 | Sleigh Bells, "Tell 'Em"
076 | Sade, "Soldier of Love"
075 | Spoon, "Written in Reverse"
074 | Robyn, "Hang With Me"
073 | Kanye West, "Monster"
072 | Broken Social Scene, "All to All"
071 | The New Pornographers, "Moves"
070 | Broken Bells, "The Ghost Inside"
069 | Zola Jesus, "Lightsick"
068 | Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, "Round and Round"
067 | Frightened Rabbit, "Swim Until You Can't See Land"
066 | Hannah Georgas, "Bang Bang You're Dead"
065 | Dr. Dog, "Stranger"
064 | Deerhunter, "Desire Lines"
063 | The National, "Conversation 16"
062 | Basia Bulat, "The Shore"
061 | Kendal Johansson, "Blue Moon"
060 | Jenny and Johnny, "Big Wave"
059 | Jonsi, "Go Do"
058 | The Innocence Mission, "The Happy Mondays"
057 | Foals, "Spanish Sahara"
056 | Surfer Blood, "Floating Vibes"
055 | Kanye West, "Runaway"
054 | Blair Hello, "Halo"
053 | Best Coast, "When I'm With You"
052 | Kathryn Calder, "Arrow"
051 | B.o.B. (ft. Rivers Cuomo), "Magic"
050 | Teenage Fanclub, "Baby Lee"
049 | First Aid Kit, "Ghost Town"
048 | Big Boi, "Daddy Fat Sax"
047 | Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, "Bottled in Cork"
046 | The Like, "Fair Game"
045 | The Thermals, "I Don't Believe You"
044 | The Moondoggies, "It's a Shame, It's a Pity"
043 | Dr. Dog, "Nobody Knows Who You Are"
042 | Belle and Sebastian, "I Didn't See It Coming"
041 | Superchunk, "Digging for Something"
040 | She & Him, "Don't Look Back"
039 | Laura Veirs, "July Flame"
038 | Sky Ferreira, "One"
037 | Joanna Newsom, "Good Intentions Paving Company"
036 | Nana Grizol, "Cynicism"
035 | Reni Lane, "Runaway Train"
034 | Iron and Wine, "Walking Far From Home"
033 | Phosphorescent, "It's Hard to Be Humble (When You're From Alabama)"
032 | Arcade Fire, "Suburban War"
031 | The Morning Benders, "Excuses"
030 | The Magnetic Fields, "You Must Be Out of Your Mind"
029 | The Black Keys, "Everlasting Light"
028 | Jenny and Johnny, "Animal"
027 | Avi Buffalo, "What's in It For?"
026 | The Hold Steady, "Hurricane J"
025 | Mumford & Sons, "The Cave"
024 | Wildlife, "Stand in the Water"
023 | Janelle Monae (ft. Big Boi), "Tightrope"
022 | LCD Soundsystem, "I Can Change"
021 | Dum Dum Girls, "Jail La La"
020 | Laura Marling, "Rambling Man"
019 | Owen Pallett, "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt"
018 | Broken Social Scene, "Art House Director"
017 | Cee-Lo Green, "Fuck You"
016 | Band of Horses, "Evening Kitchen"
015 | The Tallest Man on Earth, "Burden of Tomorrow"
014 | The National, "Bloodbuzz Ohio"
013 | S, "Through It All"
012 | Beach House, "Zebra"
011 | Mumford & Sons, "Little Lion Man"
010 | Stars, "Fixed"
009 | Jonsi, "Boy Lilikoi"
008 | Sharon Van Etten, "Love More"
007 | The New Pornographers, "Crash Years"
006 | Arcade Fire, "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
005 | Sarah Jaffe, "Clementine"
004 | Kanye West (ft. Rihanna), "All of the Lights"
003 | Robyn, "Dancing on My Own"
002 | Frightened Rabbit, "Living in Colour"
001 | Sleigh Bells, "Rill Rill"
Friday, December 31, 2010
It's 3:08 a.m. on New Year's Eve
and I believe we have it down to 100. I'll post tomorrow.
Thanks, peoples*, for your help. (Not you, John Roderick. Not you.)
*Principally: @bankbryan, @stgramophone, @jamestweeting, and the friends who chimed in on Facebook. All in all, about 25 of you gave me your recommendations and I hope I did well by all of you.
Thanks, peoples*, for your help. (Not you, John Roderick. Not you.)
*Principally: @bankbryan, @stgramophone, @jamestweeting, and the friends who chimed in on Facebook. All in all, about 25 of you gave me your recommendations and I hope I did well by all of you.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Existential crisis (thank you, John Roderick)
This year's year-end list is under construction -- nearing completion. (Scattered applause)
But I just had an existential crisis at the hands of Long Winters frontman, John Roderick.
Mr. Roderick published his "Top 10 Reasons I Hate Year-End Top-Ten Lists," and OK, so dude is right. These things are all basically the same (Yes, we all think Arcade Fire and Kanye would be pretty even without their makeup). And, as he writes, ranking songs -- even from 100 to 1 -- "does not reflect the way we actually experience them."
Well, shit. Do I quit and end a tradition entering its 16th year? I could do that. But then this jumped out at me:
"Ranking things in order of how much you like them is a coping strategy of 9-year-old girls."
Sounds like me. So I'm back at work.
Toaster out.
But I just had an existential crisis at the hands of Long Winters frontman, John Roderick.
Mr. Roderick published his "Top 10 Reasons I Hate Year-End Top-Ten Lists," and OK, so dude is right. These things are all basically the same (Yes, we all think Arcade Fire and Kanye would be pretty even without their makeup). And, as he writes, ranking songs -- even from 100 to 1 -- "does not reflect the way we actually experience them."
Well, shit. Do I quit and end a tradition entering its 16th year? I could do that. But then this jumped out at me:
"Ranking things in order of how much you like them is a coping strategy of 9-year-old girls."
Sounds like me. So I'm back at work.
Toaster out.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
The Best of 2009: Songs 100 to 1
A little late, admittedly...but I wanted to fully process all of those 12/29 releases. Select downloads below.
100 >> Condo Fucks, “What’cha Gonna Do About It?”
99 >> Devendra Banhart, “Baby”
98 >> Ah Holly Fam'ly, “All Unfolding”
97 >> The Soundtrack of Our Lives, “Flipside”
96 >> Lily Allen, “The Fear”
95 >> The Flaming Lips (feat. Karen O), “Watching the Planets”
94 >> Speech Debelle, “Spinnin’”
93 >> Lou Barlow, “Too Much Freedom”
92 >> Erin McKeown, “The Foxes”
91 >> Annie, “I Don’t Like Your Band”
90 >> Art Brut, “Summer Job”
89 >> Kurt Vile, “My Best Friends (Don”t Even Pass)”
88 >> The Antlers, “Bear”
87 >> Patrick Watson, “Big Bird in a Small Cage”
86 >> Dent May, “26 Miles (
85 >> Bob Mould, “I’m Sorry Baby, But You Can’t Stand in My Light Anymore”
84 >> Blame Ringo, “Garble Arch”
83 >>
82 >> White Rabbits, “Percussion Gun”
81 >> Here We Go Magic, “Fangala”
80 >>
79 >> Jail, “No Mindless Love”
78 >> Matt & Kim, “Daylight”
77 >> The Mountain Goats, “Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace”
76 >> Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, “Natural Light”
75 >> Burning Hearts, “I Lost My Colour Vision”
74 >> Ben Kweller, “Fight”
73 >> Dinosaur Jr., “I Want You to Know”
72 >> Monsters of Folk, “Say Please”
71 >> Andrew Bird, “Oh No”
70 >> The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, “Everything With You”
69 >> The Raveonettes, “Suicide”
68 >> Deer Tick, “Easy”
67 >> Wye Oak, “Take It In”
66 >> Wussy, “Muscle Cars”
65 >> M. Ward (feat. Zooey Deschanel), “Never Had Nobody Like You”
64 >> Cuddle Magic, “Expectations”
63 >> Handsome Furs, “I’m Confused”
62 >> Young Galaxy, “Destroyer”
61 >> Fruit Bats, “My Unusual Friend”
60 >> Immaculate Machine, “Sound the Alarms”
59 >> Neon Indian, “Deadbeat Summer”
58 >> Woods, “Get Back”
57 >>
56 >> Tegan and Sara, “Hell”
55 >> The Thermals, “Now We Can See”
54 >> Miike Snow, “Animal”
53 >> Lady GaGa, “Poker Face”
52 >> Surfer Blood, “Swim (To Reach the End)”
51 >> We Were Promised Jetpacks, “Roll Up Your Sleeves”
50 >> Daniel Johnston, “Mind Movies”
49 >>
48 >> Crocodiles, “I Wanna Kill”
47 >> BOAT, “Name Tossers”
46 >> Vic Chesnutt, “Flirted With You All My Life”
45 >> God Help the Girl, “Come Monday Night”
44 >> Bishop Allen, “The Ancient Commonsense of Things”
43 >> Eels, “My Timing Is Off”
42 >> Ha Ha Tonka, “Close Every Valve to Your Bleeding Heart”
41 >> Camera Obscura, “My Maudlin Career”
40 >> Fanfarlo, “I’m a Pilot”
39 >> Southeast Engine, “Preparing for the Flood”
38 >> Telekinesis, “I Saw Lightning”
37 >> The Decemberists, “Annan Water”
36 >> Jay Reatard, “Wounded”
35 >> The Swell Season, “Feeling the Pull”
34 >> Lonely, Dear, “I Was Only Going Out”
33 >> Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, “Cardinal Rules”
32 >> J. Tillman, “Though I Have Wronged You”
31 >> The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, “Contender”
30 >> Girls, “Lust for Life”
29 >> Tegan and Sara, “The Ocean”
28 >> The Mountain Goats, “1 John 4:16”
27 >> Matt & Kim, “Good Ol’ Fashioned Nightmare”
26 >> Vetiver, “Everyday”
25 >> Dirty Projectors, “No Intention”
24 >> The Swell Season, “The Verb”
23 >> Wilco (feat. Feist), “You and I”
22 >>
21 >>
20 >> Neko Case, “I’m an Animal”
19 >> The Avett Brothers, “I and Love and You”
18 >> Cave Singers, “Beach House”
17 >> El Perro
16 >> Animal Collective, “My Girls”
15 >> Sharon Van Etten, “Much More Than That”
14 >>
13 >> Bowerbirds, “Northern Lights”
12 >> A.C. Newman , “There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve”
11 >> Cains and Abels, “My Life Is Easy”
10 >> Emmy the Great, “MIA”
9 >> The National, “So Far Around the
8 >> Bon Iver, “Blood Bank”
7 >> Andrew Bird, “Natural Disaster”
6 >> Grizzly Bear, “Two Weeks”
5 >> Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Hysteric”
4 >> The Antlers, “Two Weeks”
3 >> Neko Case, “People Got a
2 >> Dirty Projectors and David Byrne, “Knotty Pine”
1 >>
Download the top 25:
Part 1 (No. 25 to 16): http://bit.ly/2009_25to16
Part 2 (Top 15): http://bit.ly/2009_top15
The links are good until 1/16. After downloaded and unzipped, drag+drop both folders into iTunes. Then sort by track number, which will display as a countdown (The #1 song will be listed as Track 25.)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Top Albums of 2008
10 >> The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
09 >> Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
08 >> Jay Reatard - Matador Singles '08
07 >> Beck - Modern Guilt
06 >> The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
05 >> Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us
04 >> TV on the Radio - Dear Science
03 >> Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers
02 >> Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins
01 >> Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Thursday, January 01, 2009
The Best of 2008: Songs 100 to 1
100 >> The Ruby Suns, "Oh, Mojave"
99 >> Marvelous Toy, "Waiting for the Fire"
98 >> Beau Jennings, "Tulsa Sound"
97 >> Kid Dakota, "Stars"
96 >> Nine Inch Nails, "1,000,000"
95 >> Breathe Owl Breathe, "Toboggan"
94 >> Joshua James, "The New Love Song"
93 >> Coldplay, "Violet Hill"
92 >> The Lodger, "The Good Old Days"
91 >> Tilly and the Wall, "Pot Kettle Black"
90 >> Beyonce, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
89 >> Albert Hammond, Jr., "GFC"
88 >> TV on the Radio, "Family Tree"
87 >> Okkervil River, "On Tour With Zykos"
86 >> Conor Oberst, "Danny Callahan"
85 >> Mates of State, "The Re-Arranger"
84 >> School of Seven Bells, "Half Asleep"
83 >> Ezra Furman & The Harpoons, "We Should Fight"
82 >> Nada Surf, "I Like What You Say"
81 >> The Mountain Goats, "Lovecraft in Brooklyn"
80 >> Jay Reatard, "See Saw"
79 >> She & Him, "Sentimental Heart"
78 >> Of Montreal, "Id Engager"
77 >> Spiritualized, "Soul on Fire"
76 >> The Broken West, "Auctioneer"
75 >> The Rumble Strips, "Time"
74 >> The Dodos, "Fools"
73 >> Santogold, "L.E.S. Artistes"
72 >> Vampire Weekend, "M79"
71 >> The Ting Tings, "Keep Your Head"
70 >> Jennifer O'Connor, "Here With Me"
69 >> Islands, "The Arm"
68 >> Fleet Foxes, "He Doesn't Know Why"
67 >> Thao, "Beat (Health Life and Fire)"
66 >> Beck, "Gamma Ray"
65 >> The Very Most, "When Not Being Stupid Is Not Enough"
64 >> Girl Talk, "Still Here"
63 >> Noah and the Whale, "5 Years Time"
62 >> Hot Chip, "Ready for the Floor"
61 >> Cold War Kids, "Something Is Not Right With Me"
60 >> The Hold Steady, "Stay Positive"
59 >> Lindsey Buckingham, "Love Runs Deeper"
58 >> Death Cab for Cutie, "Bixby Canyon Bridge"
57 >> The Tallest Man in the World, "The Gardener"
56 >> David Byrne/Brian Eno, "Strange Overtones"
55 >> The Weepies, "All This Beauty"
54 >> Estelle (feat. Kanye West), "American Boy"
53 >> Fleet Foxes, "Mykonos"
52 >> Brian Wilson, "Midnight's Another Day"
51 >> The Magnetic Fields, "Drive On, Driver"
50 >> Sigur Ros, "Gobbledigook"
49 >> Kanye West, "Heartless"
48 >> Lykke Li, "Dance Dance Dance"
47 >> The Mae Shi, "Run to Your Grave"
46 >> Jenny Lewis (feat. Elvis Costello), "Carpetbaggers"
45 >> Kings of Leon, "I Want You"
44 >> Kathleen Edwards, "Buffalo"
43 >> Rihanna, "Disturbia"
42 >> Cut Copy, "Strangers in the Wind"
41 >> The Submarines, "The Wake Up Song"
40 >> Martha Wainwright, "Love Is a Stranger"
39 >> Los Campesinos!, "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks"
38 >> Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!"
37 >> TV on the Radio, "Golden Age"
36 >> The Fireman, "Sing the Changes"
35 >> Gnarls Barkley, "Run"
34 >> Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, "Think I Wanna Die"
33 >> Beck, "Profanity Prayers"
32 >> Coldplay, "42"
31 >> The Mountain Goats, "Sax Rohmer #1"
30 >> Young Jeezy (feat. Nas), "My President"
29 >> Final Fantasy, "The Butcher"
28 >> The Broken West, "Perfect Games"
27 >> Cut Off Your Hands, "Happy as Can Be"
26 >> Vivian Girls, "Where Do You Run To"
25 >> Chairlift, "Bruises"
24 >> Nada Surf, "Weightless"
23 >> Chad VanGaalen, "Willow Tree"
22 >> Mates of State, "My Only Offer"
21 >> Lykke Li, "Little Bit"
20 >> She & Him, "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here"
19 >> Alphabeat, "Fascination"
18 >> Frightened Rabbit, "The Modern Leper"
17 >> Okkervil River, "Pop Lie"
16 >> R.E.M., "Living Well Is the Best Revenge"
15 >> The Mae Shi, "Lamb and the Lion"
14 >> Santogold, "Lights Out"
13 >> Fleet Foxes, "White Winter Hymnal"
12 >> Jay Reatard, "Always Wanting More"
11 >> Death Cab for Cutie, "Cath…"
10 >> TV on the Radio, "Halfway Home"
09 >> Kathleen Edwards, "Asking for Flowers"
08 >> Sun Kil Moon, "Harper Road"
07 >> Coldplay, "Viva la Vida"
06 >> The Hold Steady, "Constructive Summer"
05 >> Blitzen Trapper, "Furr"
04 >> The Submarines, "You, Me & the Bourgeoisie"
03 >> Fleet Foxes, "Ragged Wood"
02 >> Okkervil River, "Lost Coastlines"
01 >> Mates of State, "Get Better"
99 >> Marvelous Toy, "Waiting for the Fire"
98 >> Beau Jennings, "Tulsa Sound"
97 >> Kid Dakota, "Stars"
96 >> Nine Inch Nails, "1,000,000"
95 >> Breathe Owl Breathe, "Toboggan"
94 >> Joshua James, "The New Love Song"
93 >> Coldplay, "Violet Hill"
92 >> The Lodger, "The Good Old Days"
91 >> Tilly and the Wall, "Pot Kettle Black"
90 >> Beyonce, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
89 >> Albert Hammond, Jr., "GFC"
88 >> TV on the Radio, "Family Tree"
87 >> Okkervil River, "On Tour With Zykos"
86 >> Conor Oberst, "Danny Callahan"
85 >> Mates of State, "The Re-Arranger"
84 >> School of Seven Bells, "Half Asleep"
83 >> Ezra Furman & The Harpoons, "We Should Fight"
82 >> Nada Surf, "I Like What You Say"
81 >> The Mountain Goats, "Lovecraft in Brooklyn"
80 >> Jay Reatard, "See Saw"
79 >> She & Him, "Sentimental Heart"
78 >> Of Montreal, "Id Engager"
77 >> Spiritualized, "Soul on Fire"
76 >> The Broken West, "Auctioneer"
75 >> The Rumble Strips, "Time"
74 >> The Dodos, "Fools"
73 >> Santogold, "L.E.S. Artistes"
72 >> Vampire Weekend, "M79"
71 >> The Ting Tings, "Keep Your Head"
70 >> Jennifer O'Connor, "Here With Me"
69 >> Islands, "The Arm"
68 >> Fleet Foxes, "He Doesn't Know Why"
67 >> Thao, "Beat (Health Life and Fire)"
66 >> Beck, "Gamma Ray"
65 >> The Very Most, "When Not Being Stupid Is Not Enough"
64 >> Girl Talk, "Still Here"
63 >> Noah and the Whale, "5 Years Time"
62 >> Hot Chip, "Ready for the Floor"
61 >> Cold War Kids, "Something Is Not Right With Me"
60 >> The Hold Steady, "Stay Positive"
59 >> Lindsey Buckingham, "Love Runs Deeper"
58 >> Death Cab for Cutie, "Bixby Canyon Bridge"
57 >> The Tallest Man in the World, "The Gardener"
56 >> David Byrne/Brian Eno, "Strange Overtones"
55 >> The Weepies, "All This Beauty"
54 >> Estelle (feat. Kanye West), "American Boy"
53 >> Fleet Foxes, "Mykonos"
52 >> Brian Wilson, "Midnight's Another Day"
51 >> The Magnetic Fields, "Drive On, Driver"
50 >> Sigur Ros, "Gobbledigook"
49 >> Kanye West, "Heartless"
48 >> Lykke Li, "Dance Dance Dance"
47 >> The Mae Shi, "Run to Your Grave"
46 >> Jenny Lewis (feat. Elvis Costello), "Carpetbaggers"
45 >> Kings of Leon, "I Want You"
44 >> Kathleen Edwards, "Buffalo"
43 >> Rihanna, "Disturbia"
42 >> Cut Copy, "Strangers in the Wind"
41 >> The Submarines, "The Wake Up Song"
40 >> Martha Wainwright, "Love Is a Stranger"
39 >> Los Campesinos!, "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks"
38 >> Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!"
37 >> TV on the Radio, "Golden Age"
36 >> The Fireman, "Sing the Changes"
35 >> Gnarls Barkley, "Run"
34 >> Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, "Think I Wanna Die"
33 >> Beck, "Profanity Prayers"
32 >> Coldplay, "42"
31 >> The Mountain Goats, "Sax Rohmer #1"
30 >> Young Jeezy (feat. Nas), "My President"
29 >> Final Fantasy, "The Butcher"
28 >> The Broken West, "Perfect Games"
27 >> Cut Off Your Hands, "Happy as Can Be"
26 >> Vivian Girls, "Where Do You Run To"
25 >> Chairlift, "Bruises"
24 >> Nada Surf, "Weightless"
23 >> Chad VanGaalen, "Willow Tree"
22 >> Mates of State, "My Only Offer"
21 >> Lykke Li, "Little Bit"
20 >> She & Him, "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here"
19 >> Alphabeat, "Fascination"
18 >> Frightened Rabbit, "The Modern Leper"
17 >> Okkervil River, "Pop Lie"
16 >> R.E.M., "Living Well Is the Best Revenge"
15 >> The Mae Shi, "Lamb and the Lion"
14 >> Santogold, "Lights Out"
13 >> Fleet Foxes, "White Winter Hymnal"
12 >> Jay Reatard, "Always Wanting More"
11 >> Death Cab for Cutie, "Cath…"
10 >> TV on the Radio, "Halfway Home"
09 >> Kathleen Edwards, "Asking for Flowers"
08 >> Sun Kil Moon, "Harper Road"
07 >> Coldplay, "Viva la Vida"
06 >> The Hold Steady, "Constructive Summer"
05 >> Blitzen Trapper, "Furr"
04 >> The Submarines, "You, Me & the Bourgeoisie"
03 >> Fleet Foxes, "Ragged Wood"
02 >> Okkervil River, "Lost Coastlines"
01 >> Mates of State, "Get Better"
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
A Return (And the 2008 Toasties)
Well, the ransom has finally been paid and Mister Toaster has safely returned to Toaster Talks, Blogosphere. Thanks for those who sent love notes and nail files during his extended absence.
On programming note: It is official. The Toaster Talks, due to residual laziness, will no longer be a weekly publication. Instead, we hope to post regular reviews and mixes on a not-so-weekly basis. Let's start with this year's Toasties (below). Next up is the Top 100 Songs of 2008 and the Top 10 Albums of 2008.
Toaster Odds and Ends Awards 2008
Best Band Name: Alphabeat
Worst Band Name: She & Him (sic)
Best Album Name: Albert Hammond, Jr., Como Te Llama?
Best Song Title: The Very Most, "When Not Being Stupid Is Not Enough"
Best Comeback From Oblivion: Lindsey Buckingham
Biggest Let-Down: Matthew Sweet
Best Follow-Up to Greatness: Okkervil River
Biggest Surprise Love: Fleet Foxes
Best Summer Song: The Hold Steady, "Constructive Summer"
Best Winter Song: TIE: Kathleen Edwards, "Buffalo" / Fleet Foxes, "White Winter Hymnal"
Best Attempt at Bringing Despair Down All Around Us: Death Cab for Cutie, 76-minute intro to "I Will Possess Your Heart"
Best Album to Get Blotto To: The Hold Steady, "Stay Positive" (I think this category was made for The Hold Steady)
Worst Moment by a Great Artist: The wearing sexual deviance on Of Montreal's Skeletal Lamping. (We get it, guys.)
Best Opening Act: Okkervil River (for The New Pornographers)
Incident/Artist That Yielded the Most Cases of Music Blogs Losing Our Respect: The inclusion of Bon Iver and MGMT on so many 2008 best-of lists when they were clearly around last year.
Biggest What-the-Fuck?: All the "Fuck"-named bands.
Biggest Where-the-Fuck-Have-They-Been? (or, They Released an Album in 2008?): Keane
Most Concise Song: Jay Reatard, "Always Wanting More"
Most Imitated: Feist
Most Anticipated Albums of 2008: A.C. Newman, Franz Ferdinanad, Andrew Bird, Bon Iver, The Decemberists, Doves, Neko Case, Condo Fucks
Worst Lyrics: Britney Spears, "Womanizer"
Best Lyrics We're Not Sure We Understand: Fleet Foxes, "White Winter Hymnal"
Best Live Show of 2007 (Witnessed by The Toaster Talks): Okkervil River / The New Pornographers, April 22, Beachland Ballroom
Best Marketing Concept: Nine Inch Nails, like Radiohead if they had released 85 albums and given away a lot of it for free
Worst Marketing Concept: The gross gold vomit on the Santogold record
Best Soundtrack: Slumdog Millionaire (thanks to the inclusion of M.I.A.)
Best Release from a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer: TIE: R.E.M., Accelerate / Brian Wilson, That Lucky Old Sun
Best Song That Scares the Shit out of Me: Still M.I.A., “Paper Planes," because it's still everywhere
Biggest Tragedy: Mister Toaster's kidnapping and subsequent period spent as bait for ransom.
The Andrew Bird Eerie-but-Damn-Catchy Award: Frightened Rabbit
NEW TOASTIES:
Worst Album Name: Beyonce, I Am...Sasha Fierce
Consistency of Quality Award: Beck
Most Successful Attempt to Reach Beatlesque Hugeness: Coldplay, Viva La Vida Or Death And All of His Friends
Best Song Co-opted by Apple: The Submarines, "You, Me and the Bourgeoisie"
Best Side Project: TIE: She & Him (M. Ward); The Fireman (Paul McCartney)
Most Topical: Young Jeezy (feat. Nas), "My President"
TOASTIES on hiatus (at least in 2008)
Worst Release Date
Best Release Date
On programming note: It is official. The Toaster Talks, due to residual laziness, will no longer be a weekly publication. Instead, we hope to post regular reviews and mixes on a not-so-weekly basis. Let's start with this year's Toasties (below). Next up is the Top 100 Songs of 2008 and the Top 10 Albums of 2008.
Toaster Odds and Ends Awards 2008
Best Band Name: Alphabeat
Worst Band Name: She & Him (sic)
Best Album Name: Albert Hammond, Jr., Como Te Llama?
Best Song Title: The Very Most, "When Not Being Stupid Is Not Enough"
Best Comeback From Oblivion: Lindsey Buckingham
Biggest Let-Down: Matthew Sweet
Best Follow-Up to Greatness: Okkervil River
Biggest Surprise Love: Fleet Foxes
Best Summer Song: The Hold Steady, "Constructive Summer"
Best Winter Song: TIE: Kathleen Edwards, "Buffalo" / Fleet Foxes, "White Winter Hymnal"
Best Attempt at Bringing Despair Down All Around Us: Death Cab for Cutie, 76-minute intro to "I Will Possess Your Heart"
Best Album to Get Blotto To: The Hold Steady, "Stay Positive" (I think this category was made for The Hold Steady)
Worst Moment by a Great Artist: The wearing sexual deviance on Of Montreal's Skeletal Lamping. (We get it, guys.)
Best Opening Act: Okkervil River (for The New Pornographers)
Incident/Artist That Yielded the Most Cases of Music Blogs Losing Our Respect: The inclusion of Bon Iver and MGMT on so many 2008 best-of lists when they were clearly around last year.
Biggest What-the-Fuck?: All the "Fuck"-named bands.
Biggest Where-the-Fuck-Have-They-Been? (or, They Released an Album in 2008?): Keane
Most Concise Song: Jay Reatard, "Always Wanting More"
Most Imitated: Feist
Most Anticipated Albums of 2008: A.C. Newman, Franz Ferdinanad, Andrew Bird, Bon Iver, The Decemberists, Doves, Neko Case, Condo Fucks
Worst Lyrics: Britney Spears, "Womanizer"
Best Lyrics We're Not Sure We Understand: Fleet Foxes, "White Winter Hymnal"
Best Live Show of 2007 (Witnessed by The Toaster Talks): Okkervil River / The New Pornographers, April 22, Beachland Ballroom
Best Marketing Concept: Nine Inch Nails, like Radiohead if they had released 85 albums and given away a lot of it for free
Worst Marketing Concept: The gross gold vomit on the Santogold record
Best Soundtrack: Slumdog Millionaire (thanks to the inclusion of M.I.A.)
Best Release from a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer: TIE: R.E.M., Accelerate / Brian Wilson, That Lucky Old Sun
Best Song That Scares the Shit out of Me: Still M.I.A., “Paper Planes," because it's still everywhere
Biggest Tragedy: Mister Toaster's kidnapping and subsequent period spent as bait for ransom.
The Andrew Bird Eerie-but-Damn-Catchy Award: Frightened Rabbit
NEW TOASTIES:
Worst Album Name: Beyonce, I Am...Sasha Fierce
Consistency of Quality Award: Beck
Most Successful Attempt to Reach Beatlesque Hugeness: Coldplay, Viva La Vida Or Death And All of His Friends
Best Song Co-opted by Apple: The Submarines, "You, Me and the Bourgeoisie"
Best Side Project: TIE: She & Him (M. Ward); The Fireman (Paul McCartney)
Most Topical: Young Jeezy (feat. Nas), "My President"
TOASTIES on hiatus (at least in 2008)
Worst Release Date
Best Release Date
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
A Closer Look at the Top 10
Another year over.
Due to overwhelming demand, I'm posting a few of the top tracks from 2007's top 100 songs. The plan is to resume regularly scheduled programming next week.
No. 10
LCD Soundsystem, "All My Friends"
Many folks had this as their number 1 or 2 song of the year, and it's hard to disagree with the sheer awesomeness of the song. Still, if you know me, you know that any song longer than 4:30 starts to make me twitch. This is one of the rare exceptions where I can actually handle the length (not to mention the repetition) and still come out loving the song. A top 10 placement for a song this long is like my voting for a Republican. Sure, I knew it'd happen someday, but it would have to take something out of this world to get me to do it. "All My Friends" qualifies, with its incredible lyrics that hits everyone going through the quarter-life crisis as hard as a best friend's wedding (the wedding, not the movie).
No. 7
Iron & Wine, "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"
It's not a surprise that Sam Beam put out another great album. This track is one of the prettiest songs he's ever written, and it puts a beautiful cap on what came to be one of my favorite albums of the year.
No. 6
Patrick Wolf, "The Magic Position"
The magic in Patrick Wolf's 2007 release started to wear off a bit by the end of the year, I think in part due to the rise of Andrew Bird's album starting to win me over. Something about the two of them remind me of each other and so it's hard not to compare. But "The Magic Position" is one of the year's best tracks hands down, and I've never wavered on that. Right down to the happy ringing note at the end, it borders on perfection. Love songs this catchy or well written don't come around very often anymore, and I'm glad to see so many people take note when one did.
No. 5
Spoon - "The Underdog" - The only Jon Brion-produced song on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, this song is directly responsible for my picking this album up. I've always enjoyed watching Spoon from afar, but something about "The Underdog" got me excited, probably because I have this problem where I view everything I do in an underdog-versus-establishment paradigm.
No. 2
Band of Horses - "The General Specific"
Band of Horses made the best album of the year in 2007, and it wasn't hard to pick my favorite song from the bunch (picking among the other songs was MUCH harder). This song has the whole kaboodle here - great harmonies, a melody that fucking soars, an simple, yet driving instrumentation and a little humor to boot. Only the Arcade Fire hit me harder last year with their No. 1 song, "Keep the Car Running."
Due to overwhelming demand, I'm posting a few of the top tracks from 2007's top 100 songs. The plan is to resume regularly scheduled programming next week.
No. 10
LCD Soundsystem, "All My Friends"
Many folks had this as their number 1 or 2 song of the year, and it's hard to disagree with the sheer awesomeness of the song. Still, if you know me, you know that any song longer than 4:30 starts to make me twitch. This is one of the rare exceptions where I can actually handle the length (not to mention the repetition) and still come out loving the song. A top 10 placement for a song this long is like my voting for a Republican. Sure, I knew it'd happen someday, but it would have to take something out of this world to get me to do it. "All My Friends" qualifies, with its incredible lyrics that hits everyone going through the quarter-life crisis as hard as a best friend's wedding (the wedding, not the movie).
No. 7
Iron & Wine, "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"
It's not a surprise that Sam Beam put out another great album. This track is one of the prettiest songs he's ever written, and it puts a beautiful cap on what came to be one of my favorite albums of the year.
No. 6
Patrick Wolf, "The Magic Position"
The magic in Patrick Wolf's 2007 release started to wear off a bit by the end of the year, I think in part due to the rise of Andrew Bird's album starting to win me over. Something about the two of them remind me of each other and so it's hard not to compare. But "The Magic Position" is one of the year's best tracks hands down, and I've never wavered on that. Right down to the happy ringing note at the end, it borders on perfection. Love songs this catchy or well written don't come around very often anymore, and I'm glad to see so many people take note when one did.
No. 5
Spoon - "The Underdog" - The only Jon Brion-produced song on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, this song is directly responsible for my picking this album up. I've always enjoyed watching Spoon from afar, but something about "The Underdog" got me excited, probably because I have this problem where I view everything I do in an underdog-versus-establishment paradigm.
No. 2
Band of Horses - "The General Specific"
Band of Horses made the best album of the year in 2007, and it wasn't hard to pick my favorite song from the bunch (picking among the other songs was MUCH harder). This song has the whole kaboodle here - great harmonies, a melody that fucking soars, an simple, yet driving instrumentation and a little humor to boot. Only the Arcade Fire hit me harder last year with their No. 1 song, "Keep the Car Running."
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
The Best of 2007: Songs 100 to 1
OK, finally. It's a little late, but I made it extra good to make up for it. That said, there are no links until next week. If you'd like to see a particular song posted, let me know and I'll get on it.
100 >> Tunng, "Take"
99 >> Okkervil River, "Plus Ones"
98 >> The National Lights, "Midwest Town"
97 >> Deerhoof, "The Perfect Me"
96 >> Windmill, "Plastic Pre-Flight Seats"
95 >> Rihanna, "Umbrella (feat. Jay-Z)"
94 >> The New Pornographers, "Myriad Harbour"
93 >> Dntel, "Roll On (feat. Jenny Lewis)"
92 >> They Might Be Giants, "The Mesopotamians"
91 >> St. Vincent, "Now Now"
90 >> Kanye West, "Stronger"
89 >> Jens Lekman, "The Opposite of Hallelujah"
88 >> Of Montreal, "A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger"
87 >> Pelle Carlberg, "I Love You, You Imbecile"
86 >> Chromeo, "Fancy Footwork"
85 >> The National, "Fake Empire"
84 >> The Shins, "Australia"
83 >> Voxtrot, "Introduction"
82 >> Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew, "TBTF"
81 >> The High Llamas, "The Old Spring Town"
80 >> Nina Nastasia & Jim White, "In the Evening"
79 >> Black Lips, "O Katrina!"
78 >> Iron & Wine, "Carousel"
77 >> Andrew Bird, "Fiery Crash"
76 >> Immaculate Machine, "Jarhand"
75 >> Bruce Springsteen, "Radio Nowhere"
74 >> Blonde Redhead, "23"
73 >> Basia Bulat, "The Pilgriming Vine"
72 >> Super Furry Animals, "Run-Away"
71 >> Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, "Sons of Cain"
70 >> Matt Pond PA, "Wild Girl"
69 >> New Buffalo, "Cheer Me Up Thank You"
68 >> The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, "Aspidistra"
67 >> Band of Horses, "No One's Gonna Love You"
66 >> Deer Tick, "Dirty Dishes"
65 >> Aqueduct, "As You Wish"
64 >> Bon Iver, "Re: Stacks"
63 >> Christine Fellows, "Nevertheless"
62 >> Beirut, "Elephant Gun"
61 >> The Fratellis, "Whistle for the Choir"
60 >> Wilco, "What Light"
59 >> Dinosaur Jr., "We're Not Alone"
58 >> Ryan Adams, "Everybody Knows"
57 >> Field Music, "In Context"
56 >> Maria Taylor, "Lost Time"
55 >> Patrick Wolf, "Bluebells"
54 >> Son Volt, "The Picture"
53 >> The 1900s, "When I Say Go"
52 >> The Shins, "Turn On Me"
51 >> Arctic Monkeys, "Flourescent Adolescent"
50 >> Southeast Engine, "Ostrich"
49 >> Dear and the Headlights, "It's Gettin' Easy"
48 >> Modest Mouse, "Dashboard"
47 >> The Sheds, "Reflection of the Sun"
46 >> The Thrills, "The Midnight Choir"
45 >> Okkervil River, "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe"
44 >> Let's French, "Genevese"
43 >> Justice, "D.A.N.C.E."
42 >> Moonbabies, "Take Me to the Ballroom"
41 >> LCD Soundsystem, "Watch the Tapes"
40 >> The National, "Start a War"
39 >> The Weakerthans, "Tournament of Hearts"
38 >> M.I.A., "Paper Planes"
37 >> Stars, "The Night Starts Here"
36 >> Immaculate Machine, "Dear Confessor"
35 >> Of Montreal, "Suffer for Fashion"
34 >> The Innocence Mission, "Into Brooklyn, Early in the Morning"
33 >> John Vanderslice, "White Dove"
32 >> The New Pornographers, "My Rights Versus Yours"
31 >> The Polyphonic Spree, "Section 22 (Running Away)"
30 >> Blitzen Trapper, "Wild Mountain Nation"
29 >> Kings of Leon, "Fans"
28 >> Seabear, "I Sing, I Swim"
27 >> Jens Lekman, "Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo"
26 >> Arcade Fire, "Intervention"
25 >> Beirut, "The Penalty"
24 >> Tegan and Sara, "Dark Come Soon"
23 >> Deer Tick, "Diamond Rings 2007"
22 >> MGMT, "Time to Pretend"
21 >> The Broken West, "Down in the Valley"
20 >> Band of Horses, "Is There a Ghost"
19 >> The National, "Mistaken for Strangers"
18 >> Bishop Allen, "Rain"
17 >> Feist, "1234"
16 >> Bowerbirds, "In Our Talons"
15 >> Art Brut, "Pump Up the Volume"
14 >> Tunng, "Bullets"
13 >> Andrew Bird, "Heretics"
12 >> Of Montreal, "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse"
11 >> The Weakerthans, "Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure"
10 >> LCD Soundsystem, "All My Friends"
09 >> The Fratellis, "Flathead"
08 >> The Shins, "Phantom Limb"
07 >> Iron & Wine, "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"
06 >> Patrick Wolf, "The Magic Position"
05 >> Spoon, "The Underdog"
04 >> The New Pornographers, "Challengers"
03 >> Christine Fellows, "The Spinster's Almanac"
02 >> Band of Horses, "The General Specific"
01 >> Arcade Fire, "Keep the Car Running"
100 >> Tunng, "Take"
99 >> Okkervil River, "Plus Ones"
98 >> The National Lights, "Midwest Town"
97 >> Deerhoof, "The Perfect Me"
96 >> Windmill, "Plastic Pre-Flight Seats"
95 >> Rihanna, "Umbrella (feat. Jay-Z)"
94 >> The New Pornographers, "Myriad Harbour"
93 >> Dntel, "Roll On (feat. Jenny Lewis)"
92 >> They Might Be Giants, "The Mesopotamians"
91 >> St. Vincent, "Now Now"
90 >> Kanye West, "Stronger"
89 >> Jens Lekman, "The Opposite of Hallelujah"
88 >> Of Montreal, "A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger"
87 >> Pelle Carlberg, "I Love You, You Imbecile"
86 >> Chromeo, "Fancy Footwork"
85 >> The National, "Fake Empire"
84 >> The Shins, "Australia"
83 >> Voxtrot, "Introduction"
82 >> Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew, "TBTF"
81 >> The High Llamas, "The Old Spring Town"
80 >> Nina Nastasia & Jim White, "In the Evening"
79 >> Black Lips, "O Katrina!"
78 >> Iron & Wine, "Carousel"
77 >> Andrew Bird, "Fiery Crash"
76 >> Immaculate Machine, "Jarhand"
75 >> Bruce Springsteen, "Radio Nowhere"
74 >> Blonde Redhead, "23"
73 >> Basia Bulat, "The Pilgriming Vine"
72 >> Super Furry Animals, "Run-Away"
71 >> Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, "Sons of Cain"
70 >> Matt Pond PA, "Wild Girl"
69 >> New Buffalo, "Cheer Me Up Thank You"
68 >> The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, "Aspidistra"
67 >> Band of Horses, "No One's Gonna Love You"
66 >> Deer Tick, "Dirty Dishes"
65 >> Aqueduct, "As You Wish"
64 >> Bon Iver, "Re: Stacks"
63 >> Christine Fellows, "Nevertheless"
62 >> Beirut, "Elephant Gun"
61 >> The Fratellis, "Whistle for the Choir"
60 >> Wilco, "What Light"
59 >> Dinosaur Jr., "We're Not Alone"
58 >> Ryan Adams, "Everybody Knows"
57 >> Field Music, "In Context"
56 >> Maria Taylor, "Lost Time"
55 >> Patrick Wolf, "Bluebells"
54 >> Son Volt, "The Picture"
53 >> The 1900s, "When I Say Go"
52 >> The Shins, "Turn On Me"
51 >> Arctic Monkeys, "Flourescent Adolescent"
50 >> Southeast Engine, "Ostrich"
49 >> Dear and the Headlights, "It's Gettin' Easy"
48 >> Modest Mouse, "Dashboard"
47 >> The Sheds, "Reflection of the Sun"
46 >> The Thrills, "The Midnight Choir"
45 >> Okkervil River, "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe"
44 >> Let's French, "Genevese"
43 >> Justice, "D.A.N.C.E."
42 >> Moonbabies, "Take Me to the Ballroom"
41 >> LCD Soundsystem, "Watch the Tapes"
40 >> The National, "Start a War"
39 >> The Weakerthans, "Tournament of Hearts"
38 >> M.I.A., "Paper Planes"
37 >> Stars, "The Night Starts Here"
36 >> Immaculate Machine, "Dear Confessor"
35 >> Of Montreal, "Suffer for Fashion"
34 >> The Innocence Mission, "Into Brooklyn, Early in the Morning"
33 >> John Vanderslice, "White Dove"
32 >> The New Pornographers, "My Rights Versus Yours"
31 >> The Polyphonic Spree, "Section 22 (Running Away)"
30 >> Blitzen Trapper, "Wild Mountain Nation"
29 >> Kings of Leon, "Fans"
28 >> Seabear, "I Sing, I Swim"
27 >> Jens Lekman, "Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo"
26 >> Arcade Fire, "Intervention"
25 >> Beirut, "The Penalty"
24 >> Tegan and Sara, "Dark Come Soon"
23 >> Deer Tick, "Diamond Rings 2007"
22 >> MGMT, "Time to Pretend"
21 >> The Broken West, "Down in the Valley"
20 >> Band of Horses, "Is There a Ghost"
19 >> The National, "Mistaken for Strangers"
18 >> Bishop Allen, "Rain"
17 >> Feist, "1234"
16 >> Bowerbirds, "In Our Talons"
15 >> Art Brut, "Pump Up the Volume"
14 >> Tunng, "Bullets"
13 >> Andrew Bird, "Heretics"
12 >> Of Montreal, "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse"
11 >> The Weakerthans, "Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure"
10 >> LCD Soundsystem, "All My Friends"
09 >> The Fratellis, "Flathead"
08 >> The Shins, "Phantom Limb"
07 >> Iron & Wine, "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"
06 >> Patrick Wolf, "The Magic Position"
05 >> Spoon, "The Underdog"
04 >> The New Pornographers, "Challengers"
03 >> Christine Fellows, "The Spinster's Almanac"
02 >> Band of Horses, "The General Specific"
01 >> Arcade Fire, "Keep the Car Running"
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Top Songs Snowed Out
Dear readers,
A fitting end to 2007, I must say. The top 100 songs list is complete, but it is not where I am. I am snowed in at an apartment in Cleveland; it is in a house in a nearby suburb.
I promise to find a way to post the list tomorrow.
-Mr. T
A fitting end to 2007, I must say. The top 100 songs list is complete, but it is not where I am. I am snowed in at an apartment in Cleveland; it is in a house in a nearby suburb.
I promise to find a way to post the list tomorrow.
-Mr. T
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
10 Records You Should Buy With the Gift Card You Just Got
Oh what fun it is to laugh and sing a Slayer song tonight.
Continuing in the year-end goodness, the Toaster Talks brings you on this lovely national holiday the first of its two lists. It's the lesser, to be sure. This one takes about an hour or so to crank out, whereas next week's Top 100 songs of the year list kicks my damn ass...still a dozen or so hours to go on that front. Until then, enjoy your Xmas and your Boxing Day (all you crazy Canadiens!) and I'll see you on the 1st.
A little on the methodology here: These are my ten favorite records of the year. It isn't necessarily the best or the most deserving of awards, although I'd like to think they are. There are no soundtracks, no reissues, no cover albums, no tributes and no box sets. And, due to a lost bet 17 years ago, I'm not allowed to include any Jethro Tull. It gets tougher every year...
MY TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2007
10. Southeast Engine – A Wheel Within a Wheel
For me, this is the biggest surprise of the year. And I’m sure it is for you, because I’m pretty sure 95% of you have never heard of these guys. Well, they’re from Athens, Ohio, and I wrote a little a few weeks back. I am biased here, as I’m very familiar with their work. The more I listen to Wheel Within a Wheel, though, the more I’m convinced it stands up to the best albums of the year pretty well. Its two closest competitors in their genre – Ryan Adams and Wilco – pale in comparison to this refreshingly honest material from a truly gifted songwriter and a bunch of guys who could have easily been just support. Instead, the arrangements are inventive and interesting. All in all, it’s a record that hasn’t stopped growing on me. Compared to the rest of the list, these guys might be obscure, but I have a feeling they won’t be for long.
9. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
I was pretty much sold completely on my first listen to “North American Scum” and haven’t looked back. Some of the longer numbers – “All My Friends” and “Someone Great,” in particular, are making me reconsider my general distaste for what I deem to be unnecessarily long songs. For others, this could easily be the best album of the year, but considering most of what LCD Soundsystem does isn’t really up my alley, a No. 9 spot says a lot about how good this one is.
8. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
Funeral probably changed how I will view modern music. So in my eyes, at least, Arcade Fire were destined to disappoint. Neon Bible is a somewhat hodgepodge collection of dark, vaguely seditious songs that doesn’t resonate with me the way it intends to (or the way it does for so many others who have them topping out their lists). Still, upon revisiting the record, I still find it very, very good – a follow-up effort that just shouldn’t be compared to its predecessor. (It’d be like panning Magical Mystery Tour because it’s not as complete and life-changing as Sergeant Peppper…).
7. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
I’ll admit that I resisted this one and its critical acclaim. I just didn’t think Spoon had this in them. Sure, I enjoyed “The Underdog,” but something about the bandwagon that sped off from the starting gate irked me – not to mention the misspelled song titles or the album name itself. But I kept popping it in my car stereo on many of the long drives that filled my fall and winter. I realized the change in me in September when I found myself really enjoying “The Ghost of You Lingers” and the stereo dynamic that is almost breathtaking in the car (I initially hated it in my headphones.). There’s no question – Spoon has made a fantastic album with this one.
6. The New Pornographers – Challengers
Many of us – myself included – were really counting on the New Pornographers to give the summer’s pop scene a kick in the mouth. You know, more smart power-pop from the folks who have done it so well since Mass Romantic.
What we got instead was much more an indication that The New Pornographers had outgrown their nascent sound and frontman Carl Newman was trying hard to branch out. There are new lead singers (Immaculate Machine’s Kathryn Calder) and a seemingly conscious conservation of Dan Bejar and Neko Case (the latter gets only two leads on the album).
As a whole, Challengers feels disjointed, a mix of would-be solo Newman songs, a few new Pornographers standards and a third batch of songs that almost deserve to be assigned to a third nom de plume. (The best example of this is the 6-minute “Unguided,” which is probably one of the most intelligently crafted songs of 2007.) Still, the album proved itself to be the grower of the year, due to Newman’s pop sensibilities and the raw talent that this band has on hand.
5. Iron & Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog
Much like Challengers, The Shepherd’s Dog is an evolutionary album. Sam Beam finally gave in to the full-band sound, and what a relief! Before The Shepherd’s Dog, I had never been able to listen to a full-length Iron & Wine release without taking a break.
It had to be done. Since teaming up with Calexico in 2005 to make In the Reins, the intimate vocals and sparse (but secretly complex) arrangements that had come to characterize the Iron & Wine catalog no longer satisfied as it used to. It’s hard not to think that it would have been far easier for Beam to continue down the path toward Nick Drake-like mystique. But the urge to play around with his sound clearly got the best of him.
This couldn’t be more evident than on “Carousel,” a disarming track that puts Beam’s vocal through what sounds something like a Leslie Cabinet. In the end, the experimentation is refreshing but it’s the sheer beauty of moments like “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” that make this album a must-own.
4. Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala
At the very least, this album deserves credit for finally settling the nagging pronunciation issue. It’s Yens. Thank you.
This album is baroque pop at its ripest. Lekman steps up to the plate with his cute, clever Swedish singer-songwriter shtick and hits an absolute home run. Songs like “Postcard to Nina” and “Your Arms Around Me” show that he is one of the best indie storytellers out there. Night Falls Over Kortedala is the kind of album that is good and consistent enough that the listener never really thinks that Lekman could be capable of producing anything less. It’s why it’s one of the last albums I remember when trying to piece together my “Best of” list; it doesn’t play like a masterpiece, perhaps because it doesn’t need to.
3. Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
I’ve never been a huge Of Montreal fan, but they certainly have my attention now.
Hissing Fauna…? isn’t just a great album, it’s also managed to get mentioned in the same breaths as stunning concept albums that have left the rock world struggling to figure out what the fuck just happened. Perhaps the best comparison is Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral, which saw a respectable and risky artist put everything on the line in the name of making a strong statement. Hissing Fauna…? is a bit more subtle (how could it not be?) and perhaps a little lighter on the self-hatred in its tales of drug use, depression and longing. And while this album isn’t an instant classic, due mostly to a slight weakness in its later tracks, its ambition is hard to deny.
For me, I always got hung up on the 12-minute “The Past Is a Grotesque Animal,” finding its repetition and length a bit obnoxious. Then one day this fall it clicked. And all of a sudden the song stuck, finally landing (at least in my mind) the triple axel it attempts.
And then it was decided – “This is a fucking fantastic record.” Because I apparently am the decider.
2. The National – Boxer
This was my far-and-away front-runner favorite album released this year up until about two months ago (not long after Cease to Begin was released, and I finally turned the corner on the Of Montreal album). In a way its greatness was due to its role as a utility infielder for my soundtracking needs. I could throw Boxer on no matter the situation. I first discovered this in the car, realizing it was a great driving record. Then I put it on in the apartment on one night before a party and found it had night-starting qualities too.
Bryan Devendorf’s drumwork drives this album. Sure, the songwriting has merits of its own, but the lyrics take on a necessary subtlety under the stark, popping rhythms. Matt Berninger’s signature drone puts his vocals into a much different category (something more along the lines of Crash Test Dummies, perhaps) without the dark-city-on-a-late-night backing arrangement. But without Berninger’s songstylings, the result would uninviting – an exercise in depicting cold isolation, perhaps. Instead, we get an album that, if you let it, will pump your blood for you.
1. Band of Horses – Cease to Begin
While last year’s Everything All the Time catapulted Band of Horses straight into indie hearts everywhere, I always found the album to be a bit uneven. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a great album (and an outstanding debut at that) but it didn’t sound like a complete work to me the way that Best Albums of the Year do.
Cease to Begin does. And it’s evidenced by the fact that there aren’t any masterpiece tracks like last year’s “Funeral” and “Great Salt Lake” on this album. And yet each track takes me in and propels itself along in a way that doesn’t just make the album feel whole; it makes it feel brief. For a band that put me in a trance that could have lasted hours in concert, this is no small feat.
There’s no question Cease to Begin gets an A on the Toaster grading scale. Still, I’m always nervous when there is no heir apparent album of the year. And I’m left for weeks second-thinking my choice. This year will be one of those years, I’m afraid, as the #2 and #3 albums could both have easily stolen the throne.
Continuing in the year-end goodness, the Toaster Talks brings you on this lovely national holiday the first of its two lists. It's the lesser, to be sure. This one takes about an hour or so to crank out, whereas next week's Top 100 songs of the year list kicks my damn ass...still a dozen or so hours to go on that front. Until then, enjoy your Xmas and your Boxing Day (all you crazy Canadiens!) and I'll see you on the 1st.
A little on the methodology here: These are my ten favorite records of the year. It isn't necessarily the best or the most deserving of awards, although I'd like to think they are. There are no soundtracks, no reissues, no cover albums, no tributes and no box sets. And, due to a lost bet 17 years ago, I'm not allowed to include any Jethro Tull. It gets tougher every year...
MY TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2007
10. Southeast Engine – A Wheel Within a Wheel
For me, this is the biggest surprise of the year. And I’m sure it is for you, because I’m pretty sure 95% of you have never heard of these guys. Well, they’re from Athens, Ohio, and I wrote a little a few weeks back. I am biased here, as I’m very familiar with their work. The more I listen to Wheel Within a Wheel, though, the more I’m convinced it stands up to the best albums of the year pretty well. Its two closest competitors in their genre – Ryan Adams and Wilco – pale in comparison to this refreshingly honest material from a truly gifted songwriter and a bunch of guys who could have easily been just support. Instead, the arrangements are inventive and interesting. All in all, it’s a record that hasn’t stopped growing on me. Compared to the rest of the list, these guys might be obscure, but I have a feeling they won’t be for long.
9. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
I was pretty much sold completely on my first listen to “North American Scum” and haven’t looked back. Some of the longer numbers – “All My Friends” and “Someone Great,” in particular, are making me reconsider my general distaste for what I deem to be unnecessarily long songs. For others, this could easily be the best album of the year, but considering most of what LCD Soundsystem does isn’t really up my alley, a No. 9 spot says a lot about how good this one is.
8. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
Funeral probably changed how I will view modern music. So in my eyes, at least, Arcade Fire were destined to disappoint. Neon Bible is a somewhat hodgepodge collection of dark, vaguely seditious songs that doesn’t resonate with me the way it intends to (or the way it does for so many others who have them topping out their lists). Still, upon revisiting the record, I still find it very, very good – a follow-up effort that just shouldn’t be compared to its predecessor. (It’d be like panning Magical Mystery Tour because it’s not as complete and life-changing as Sergeant Peppper…).
7. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
I’ll admit that I resisted this one and its critical acclaim. I just didn’t think Spoon had this in them. Sure, I enjoyed “The Underdog,” but something about the bandwagon that sped off from the starting gate irked me – not to mention the misspelled song titles or the album name itself. But I kept popping it in my car stereo on many of the long drives that filled my fall and winter. I realized the change in me in September when I found myself really enjoying “The Ghost of You Lingers” and the stereo dynamic that is almost breathtaking in the car (I initially hated it in my headphones.). There’s no question – Spoon has made a fantastic album with this one.
6. The New Pornographers – Challengers
Many of us – myself included – were really counting on the New Pornographers to give the summer’s pop scene a kick in the mouth. You know, more smart power-pop from the folks who have done it so well since Mass Romantic.
What we got instead was much more an indication that The New Pornographers had outgrown their nascent sound and frontman Carl Newman was trying hard to branch out. There are new lead singers (Immaculate Machine’s Kathryn Calder) and a seemingly conscious conservation of Dan Bejar and Neko Case (the latter gets only two leads on the album).
As a whole, Challengers feels disjointed, a mix of would-be solo Newman songs, a few new Pornographers standards and a third batch of songs that almost deserve to be assigned to a third nom de plume. (The best example of this is the 6-minute “Unguided,” which is probably one of the most intelligently crafted songs of 2007.) Still, the album proved itself to be the grower of the year, due to Newman’s pop sensibilities and the raw talent that this band has on hand.
5. Iron & Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog
Much like Challengers, The Shepherd’s Dog is an evolutionary album. Sam Beam finally gave in to the full-band sound, and what a relief! Before The Shepherd’s Dog, I had never been able to listen to a full-length Iron & Wine release without taking a break.
It had to be done. Since teaming up with Calexico in 2005 to make In the Reins, the intimate vocals and sparse (but secretly complex) arrangements that had come to characterize the Iron & Wine catalog no longer satisfied as it used to. It’s hard not to think that it would have been far easier for Beam to continue down the path toward Nick Drake-like mystique. But the urge to play around with his sound clearly got the best of him.
This couldn’t be more evident than on “Carousel,” a disarming track that puts Beam’s vocal through what sounds something like a Leslie Cabinet. In the end, the experimentation is refreshing but it’s the sheer beauty of moments like “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” that make this album a must-own.
4. Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala
At the very least, this album deserves credit for finally settling the nagging pronunciation issue. It’s Yens. Thank you.
This album is baroque pop at its ripest. Lekman steps up to the plate with his cute, clever Swedish singer-songwriter shtick and hits an absolute home run. Songs like “Postcard to Nina” and “Your Arms Around Me” show that he is one of the best indie storytellers out there. Night Falls Over Kortedala is the kind of album that is good and consistent enough that the listener never really thinks that Lekman could be capable of producing anything less. It’s why it’s one of the last albums I remember when trying to piece together my “Best of” list; it doesn’t play like a masterpiece, perhaps because it doesn’t need to.
3. Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
I’ve never been a huge Of Montreal fan, but they certainly have my attention now.
Hissing Fauna…? isn’t just a great album, it’s also managed to get mentioned in the same breaths as stunning concept albums that have left the rock world struggling to figure out what the fuck just happened. Perhaps the best comparison is Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral, which saw a respectable and risky artist put everything on the line in the name of making a strong statement. Hissing Fauna…? is a bit more subtle (how could it not be?) and perhaps a little lighter on the self-hatred in its tales of drug use, depression and longing. And while this album isn’t an instant classic, due mostly to a slight weakness in its later tracks, its ambition is hard to deny.
For me, I always got hung up on the 12-minute “The Past Is a Grotesque Animal,” finding its repetition and length a bit obnoxious. Then one day this fall it clicked. And all of a sudden the song stuck, finally landing (at least in my mind) the triple axel it attempts.
And then it was decided – “This is a fucking fantastic record.” Because I apparently am the decider.
2. The National – Boxer
This was my far-and-away front-runner favorite album released this year up until about two months ago (not long after Cease to Begin was released, and I finally turned the corner on the Of Montreal album). In a way its greatness was due to its role as a utility infielder for my soundtracking needs. I could throw Boxer on no matter the situation. I first discovered this in the car, realizing it was a great driving record. Then I put it on in the apartment on one night before a party and found it had night-starting qualities too.
Bryan Devendorf’s drumwork drives this album. Sure, the songwriting has merits of its own, but the lyrics take on a necessary subtlety under the stark, popping rhythms. Matt Berninger’s signature drone puts his vocals into a much different category (something more along the lines of Crash Test Dummies, perhaps) without the dark-city-on-a-late-night backing arrangement. But without Berninger’s songstylings, the result would uninviting – an exercise in depicting cold isolation, perhaps. Instead, we get an album that, if you let it, will pump your blood for you.
1. Band of Horses – Cease to Begin
While last year’s Everything All the Time catapulted Band of Horses straight into indie hearts everywhere, I always found the album to be a bit uneven. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a great album (and an outstanding debut at that) but it didn’t sound like a complete work to me the way that Best Albums of the Year do.
Cease to Begin does. And it’s evidenced by the fact that there aren’t any masterpiece tracks like last year’s “Funeral” and “Great Salt Lake” on this album. And yet each track takes me in and propels itself along in a way that doesn’t just make the album feel whole; it makes it feel brief. For a band that put me in a trance that could have lasted hours in concert, this is no small feat.
There’s no question Cease to Begin gets an A on the Toaster grading scale. Still, I’m always nervous when there is no heir apparent album of the year. And I’m left for weeks second-thinking my choice. This year will be one of those years, I’m afraid, as the #2 and #3 albums could both have easily stolen the throne.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The 2nd Annual Toasties!
Holy cow! It's that time of the year again - the time we music bloggers get on our pedastals and tell the world just how it did this year. It's time for lists galore and endless mentions of how Earth-shattering that damn Panda Bear release was...
Save for a few missteps, 2007 is turning out to be a pretty damn good year in the music folder anyway. So, without further ado, I give you this year's Toasties, the music world's barely coveted superlatives. (There will be no mp3 posts this week.)
Save for a few missteps, 2007 is turning out to be a pretty damn good year in the music folder anyway. So, without further ado, I give you this year's Toasties, the music world's barely coveted superlatives. (There will be no mp3 posts this week.)
Toaster Odds and Ends Awards 2007
Best Band Name: I’m From Barcelona
Best Album Name: A Hawk and a Handsaw, A Hawk and a Hacksaw and the Hun Hangar Ensemble
Best Song Title: Des Ark, "If by 'Gay' You Mean 'Totally Freaking Awesome,' Then Yeah, I Guess It's Pretty Gay"
Best Comeback From Oblivion: Dinosaur, Jr.
Biggest Let-Down: Rilo Kiley (bailing out a sadly mediocre Voxtrot)
Best Follow-Up to Greatness: Band of Horses
Biggest Surprise Love: Of Montreal
Best Summer Song: Spoon, “The Underdog”
Best Winter Song: The Shins, “A Comet Appears”
Best Attempt at Bringing Despair Down All Around Us: Of Montreal, “The Past Is a Grotesque Animal”
Best Album to Get Blotto To: LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
Worst Moment by a Great Band: The first and second halves of Under the Blacklight
Best Opening Act: The Bowerbirds, for The Mountain Goats
Artist That Yielded the Most Cases of Music Blogs Losing Our Respect: Seriously, still Lavender Diamond
Biggest What-the-Fuck?: Rilo Kiley
Biggest Where-the-Fuck-Have-They-Been? (or, They Released an Album in 2007?): Travis
Most Concise Song: Tegan and Sara, “Soil, Soil"
Most Imitated: Belle and Sebastian
Worst Release Date: July 7, 2007 - The Smashing Pumpkins
Most Anticipated Albums of 2007: The Mountain Goats, Nada Surf, Kathleen Edwards
Worst Lyrics: Rilo Kiley, “15”
Best Lyrics We're Not Sure We Understand: “Flightless Bird, American Mouth”
Best Live Show of 2007 (Witnessed by The Toaster Talks): The Swell Season, July 26, 9:30 Club
Best Marketing Concept: Radiohead, obvs (thank God I didn’t have to pick Paul McCartney's teaming up with Sbux)
Worst Marketing Concept: The Eagles' release available exclusively at Wal-Mart
Best Soundtrack: Juno
Best Release from a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer: Bruce Springsteen, Magic
Best Song That Scares the Shit out of Me: M.I.A., “Paper Planes”
Biggest Tragedy: Indefinite hiatus of Let’s French
The Andrew Bird Eerie-but-Damn-Catchy Award: Patrick Wolf
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Winter in a Car
>> Featured Artist: Beirut
I'm going to be completely honest - after two songs, I get a little sick of the Beirut sound. I can't really make it through a listen of an entire Beirut album unless it's there to soundtrack my Sunday morning chores. I think it's his voice or those precious carnival-like arrangements. Something is just a little too much.
I'm going to be completely honest - after two songs, I get a little sick of the Beirut sound. I can't really make it through a listen of an entire Beirut album unless it's there to soundtrack my Sunday morning chores. I think it's his voice or those precious carnival-like arrangements. Something is just a little too much.
Still, each song taken on its own - out of its album context, I admit - really gets my musical senses going. His newest album The Flying Club Cup is chock full of these buggers, and my personal favorite right now is "The Penalty." (And not just because New Jersey is about to do away with one of its.)
>> Album Lookout: A Wheel Within a Wheel
Southeast Engine is a band that is near and dear to my life - and not just because they hail from Athens, Ohio. No the connections run even deeper. They headlined an Elliott Smith tribute show I organized, and their guitar player produced half of my band's first album. So it's hard for me to conceptualize that these guys are on their way to the toppermost of the poppermost. But it's almost as hard for me to think of a band that deserves this recognition more.
For the record, they're not quite there yet. But their trajectory is a very distinct ascent and I wouldn't be surprised if A Wheel Within a Wheel, which displays songwriter Adam Remnant's honest-everyman's lyrics in the context of musical urgency. It could be the weight of the subject matter - much of the album plays as a straightforward conversation about religion and Remnant's progression toward/away from the light. I'd like to say I've witnessed his songwriting mature over the years, but the truth is the material has never really been anything but. If anything, the songs on Wheel are fascinating in that it appears he mostly threw out the verse-chorus-verse formula for a much more progressive song structure, often leading to very short songs. It's clear that this album isn't intended to be taken individually; they're works in a whole.
But enough about Remnant; don't frontmen get enough attention? The guitar layering on this album and the intensity of Leo DeLuca's drumming make it a good listen with or without lyrical content (and I'm not really an instrumental guy). And though I decided it'd be tough to take one song and point to it as representative of what makes the album great, I'm going to do it anyway.
Take a listen to "We Have You Surrounded" and see why a Paste writer listed this album as the second best of the year.
>> Reverting to: Tonight
No reverting back to tonight. Instead, I'm going opine briefly on my latest obsession - Chicago Public Radio and its never-ending source of brilliant podcasts! Maybe it's just me, being trapped in a car a ton lately, but if you haven't subscribed to This American Life or Sound Opinions yet, you need to start doing so now. It's free. There's no excuse.
On that note, the guys over at Sound Opinions seem really down on the much-hyped Feist. Admittedly I'm not familiar with a whole bunch of her work. Sure, we all know the iTunes tune - "1234" - but is she really a corporate-sponsored force destined to send indie rock to its breathy demise? I don't know.
A little housekeeping: this concludes the Toaster's regular content for the year. The next three weeks will feature the year's awards - superlatives (next week), best albums (Xmas!) and the annual Top 100 songs of 2007 (Jan. 1).
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Still Catching Up (yeah...)
>> Featured Artist: Nellie McKay
Oh, Nellie McKay. You're practically oozing with...whatever good things ooze out of musicians. Now that she's put that run-in with her former record label behind her, she sure does seem to have gotten productive. Sure, she has a charts-worthy voice. Sure, she's funny. But what keeps me coming back is the sedition in her lyrics.
For Christmas, she had so many targets available to her. So naturally she decided to take on the Christmas tree industry (and thank our Christian God she calls them "Christmas trees"). In "A Christmas Dirge" she doesn't just plead to stop the cutting down of evergreens with lines like "please don't sap her veins, but let them sing," she also issues the fun reminder that "death is no requirement for your happiness." (Speak for yourself, Nellie.)
And the best part about it is that she allows you all to donate to the cause. All proceeds go to The Nellie McKay Disaster Fund or, more accurately, the voluntary donations "will go directly into Nellie McKay's bank account."
>> Album Lookout: The Stage Names
Brother Aarby first discovered these guys from his lair on the Left Coast, and I gave him credit then for being onto something good. There's really no reason why I didn't get around to picking up the new album until now other than I'm a very busy man.
I'd say it was well worth the wait, but that doesn't really make sense (because the wait didn't make the music better, right?).
"Our Life Is Not a Movie Or Maybe" is already on a rapid ascent on the list of my favorite songs of the year. It has everything you want from an indie rock band - clever lyrics, sharp hooks and a level of intensity that allows us all to feel like we're listening to something relevant. With those criteria, Okkervil River hits it out of the park. They're catchy, but not overly so. And every time it feels like they could really amp one up and turn into a Jimmy Eat World sound-alike, they choose a less predictable course. And in that way, their hooks are equally deadly.
Prediction: This one will make a lot of end-of-the-year lists.
>> Reverting to: 1996
At least I can be up-to-date when it comes to out-of-date bands reuniting for no reason other than to pad their retirement portfolios. Of course, to be fair, this "band" never really ventured outside of that mindset when they were relevant.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Meet Mir(anda): Part II
>> Featured Artist: The Hives
Perhaps the least expected choice Mir(anda) made was taking a song from Tyrannasaurus Hives. I must admit I've never really followed the Hives. Nor have I ever felt compelled to listen to them. You'd imagine my surprise as I ran home to Google lyrics from a song I heard while waiting to get my hair cut. The Hives?! Sounded more like Screamin' Jay Hawkins to me (check out "I Put a Spell on You" - not on Mir(anda)).
Once the immediate panic subsided I decided to find the song and tuck it away in a folder to be revisited on a more sober location (for the record I hadn't been drinking, but I had just had a number done on my stylish locks - and I was also ripped from a whipped cream charger). Revisiting "Diabolic Scheme" took a few weeks, but I still found the whole tune strangely compelling. I found it gave Mir(anda) a much-needed lift in her middle parts, which were starting to grow a bit saggy.
Perhaps the least expected choice Mir(anda) made was taking a song from Tyrannasaurus Hives. I must admit I've never really followed the Hives. Nor have I ever felt compelled to listen to them. You'd imagine my surprise as I ran home to Google lyrics from a song I heard while waiting to get my hair cut. The Hives?! Sounded more like Screamin' Jay Hawkins to me (check out "I Put a Spell on You" - not on Mir(anda)).
Once the immediate panic subsided I decided to find the song and tuck it away in a folder to be revisited on a more sober location (for the record I hadn't been drinking, but I had just had a number done on my stylish locks - and I was also ripped from a whipped cream charger). Revisiting "Diabolic Scheme" took a few weeks, but I still found the whole tune strangely compelling. I found it gave Mir(anda) a much-needed lift in her middle parts, which were starting to grow a bit saggy.
>> Album Lookout: Because of the Times
Kings of Leon - Released: April 3, 2007 RCA Records
The Toaster has a soft spot for Kings of Leon. Every since its rough-and-dirty hit "Wasted Time" found its way into our lives, I've pretty much at least mildly enjoyed everything I've heard from these Nashville guys. I was a bit unnerved though that I had completely overlooked their new album, which came out in APRIL!
So I made up for it by giving "Fans," a non-single from the album a prominent spot in the No. 2 position on Mir(anda). What a fun song to feel rough and dirty to!
The Toaster has a soft spot for Kings of Leon. Every since its rough-and-dirty hit "Wasted Time" found its way into our lives, I've pretty much at least mildly enjoyed everything I've heard from these Nashville guys. I was a bit unnerved though that I had completely overlooked their new album, which came out in APRIL!
So I made up for it by giving "Fans," a non-single from the album a prominent spot in the No. 2 position on Mir(anda). What a fun song to feel rough and dirty to!
>> Reverting to: 1971
How can you have a fall mix without a Bob Dylan song? Mir(anda) dug deep and found "You Ain't Going Nowhere" (which features the Band accompanying the Dyl). The song was first found on a 1968 bootleg called The Great White Wonder, but it didn't see the legal light of day until Dylan put out his second Greatest Hits volume in '71. (They later co-released the song in 1975 with a beefed up version of the '68 bootleg called The Basement Tapes). Beyond the neat history to this tune, it's just a nice, fun-lovin' way to kick off a car ride - or a mix, in this case.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Meet Mir(anda): Part I
>> Featured Artist: Kimya Dawson
I got a very special sneak peak at FOX Searchlight's big indie end-of-the-year release Juno last week, and I must say that all the hype is pretty well-deserved. And the film chooses to center a large portion of the soundtrack around the songstylings of Kimya Dawson and the Moldy Peaches. I didn't really care for the Peaches when they first emerged, but all that Kimya sure did get my attention (and a good chunk of spending on iTunes the next day). Here's the track that Mir(anda) chose: "I Like Giants." It's lighthearted and fun - two descriptors that could never be applied to "12/26" (a track I downloaded because it was seemingly named for my birthday - in actuality, it's named for the day that the 2004 tsunami killed thousands and thousands of people). Also, "XXX," a track featured at least twice in the film, is also near and dear to the heart for lyrical reasons.
I got a very special sneak peak at FOX Searchlight's big indie end-of-the-year release Juno last week, and I must say that all the hype is pretty well-deserved. And the film chooses to center a large portion of the soundtrack around the songstylings of Kimya Dawson and the Moldy Peaches. I didn't really care for the Peaches when they first emerged, but all that Kimya sure did get my attention (and a good chunk of spending on iTunes the next day). Here's the track that Mir(anda) chose: "I Like Giants." It's lighthearted and fun - two descriptors that could never be applied to "12/26" (a track I downloaded because it was seemingly named for my birthday - in actuality, it's named for the day that the 2004 tsunami killed thousands and thousands of people). Also, "XXX," a track featured at least twice in the film, is also near and dear to the heart for lyrical reasons.
>> Album Lookout: Nevertheless
Christine Fellows - Released (in Canada, yuck): November 6, 2007 Six Shooter
Anyone who has read the Toaster Talks since last fall knows of my probably unhealthy obsession for Christine Fellows. You might imagine that the release of her latest album would have me all a-twitter, and you'd be right. What's sad is that the album is only available in Canada right now, and even attempts to buy it via the Canadian Amazon proved that it'd be about $30. Not even iTunes has it for download. (This is a crime, and I suggest terrorists might be behind it).
Anyone who has read the Toaster Talks since last fall knows of my probably unhealthy obsession for Christine Fellows. You might imagine that the release of her latest album would have me all a-twitter, and you'd be right. What's sad is that the album is only available in Canada right now, and even attempts to buy it via the Canadian Amazon proved that it'd be about $30. Not even iTunes has it for download. (This is a crime, and I suggest terrorists might be behind it).
So I only have a few tracks to tide me over until the tariff is finally lifted and I can enjoy Nevertheless in its entirety. That said, "The Spinster's Almanac" is an instant Fellows classic. I simply cannot get enough.
>> Reverting to: 1969
I got a big kick out of seeing The Darjeeling Limited end with this classic French pop song. The song for me, due to its omnipresence in my high school French classes, harkens back to a time when I believed Wes Anderson's works were flawless. So the pairing worked well. And now I'm eight years older; "Les Champs Elysée" is back in my life; and Wes Anderson has made another very good movie (a much-needed recovery after The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou). And if we can just return a Democrat to the White House, all may be right with the world after all.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
More Catching Up
>> Featured Artist: Jimmy Eat World
Very little appeals to me about a new Jimmy Eat World album. Futures never really grabbed me the way that Bleed American or earlier works had. And for some reason it's also left me feeling unexcited about anything forthcoming.Clearly this is a band that can ooze talent and hooks on demand. It can scream emo or it can rock you straight. It can write songs that grab you and sit you down until the fade. But can it every do all of this well again?
Reviews are mixed on Chase This Light, the band's latest foray into rawking and feeling, etc. I'll sum up what I've read: Butch Vig produced it, so it's too glossy and too big-and-important sounding. It fails mostly, though, in that there's nothing adventurous really going on here. "Formulaic" - if not uninspired - is a word that seems to floating around a lot.
So now I'm really not all that excited. And the new single, "Big Casino" just kind of reinforces all of that (Though I was a bit into it when I heard it at a bar last night, but I think that's because it followed something awful). "Carry You" sounds like something off of Bleed American, which should be a great thing to say. But I guess I'm just not the same person (or, more accurately, age) I was when that album really moved me. Maybe it's me (it's never me).
>> Album Lookout: Hey Venus!
Super Furry Animals - Released: August 27, 2007 Rough Trade
Cue up the Wall of Sound, it's time for some Super Furry Animals. This is a band I've always liked from afar but whose appeal never last enough to actually make me buy an album. I came closest with 2003's Phantom Power. Somehow, after six or seven listens, it all starts to sound the same, and their efforts to sell me have all been cruelly thwarted.
I'm still open, however, to the prospect of picking this one up. "Run-Away" is a very catchy song, even if it does remind me a lot of later Pulp - and, for that matter, of everything else this band has ever done. But our music critic buddies are always so happy about everything they do, so we'll do a little more digging into what Hey Venus! has to offer.
>> Reverting to: 1992
Finally a shout-out to R.E.M., well deserved members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2007. I still remember "Stand" as the song I played over and over from the first mix tape I ever got (from my dad). In fact, a LOT of songs from that mix have ended up on the Toaster. As one of my friends put it, it's like those were the only songs the radio played back in those days. This isn't one of them, but it's one of my favorites from that era: "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite."
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Cease to Be Dan
>> Featured Artist: Kanye West
This would be the song Kanye sampled: "Kid Charlemagne." Wow, gotsta love the Becker-Fagen.
So we've never posted on something so mainstream. So we've never posted on a "hip hop" artist. Kanye is undeniable. He fucking sampled Steely Dan ("Champions"). Wait, you're kidding? He sampled Steely Dan?!
Old news, of course (we've been away...). Mister Toaster is really enjoying the new album - courtesy of car rides with DJ Bry. And here's that song that samples that "Grammy Award-winning American jazz rock band."
Old news, of course (we've been away...). Mister Toaster is really enjoying the new album - courtesy of car rides with DJ Bry. And here's that song that samples that "Grammy Award-winning American jazz rock band."
Well, we're so behind, we may have missed one of the best albums of the year. Release on John Lennon's birthday, it really couldn't miss, right? Not that it had anything to do with Beatle John. (Seriously, this got released two days after my friend Aaron's birthday. I sent him two other albums instead. I would have most definitely included Cease to Begin among them, if I had known).
This album doesn't mess around. It goes right after you with "Is There a Ghost." And it doesn't stop. There are no filler tracks, or anything that could be considered less than interesting. For a band that just hit my radar last fall/winter, this is remarkable.
With the album's Brian Wilson melodies (and vocals) and the aggressive song structure, it's hard not to think that something is being accomplished here. Look for this on the Top Albums of the Year list.
This album doesn't mess around. It goes right after you with "Is There a Ghost." And it doesn't stop. There are no filler tracks, or anything that could be considered less than interesting. For a band that just hit my radar last fall/winter, this is remarkable.
With the album's Brian Wilson melodies (and vocals) and the aggressive song structure, it's hard not to think that something is being accomplished here. Look for this on the Top Albums of the Year list.
>> Reverting to: 1976
This would be the song Kanye sampled: "Kid Charlemagne." Wow, gotsta love the Becker-Fagen.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Catching Up
Well, that sucked. (No, that really was a great season.) Anyway...we've missed so much.
>> Featured Artist: Jens Lekman
>> Featured Artist: Jens Lekman
A Slate writer called Jens Lekman the greatest Swedish musical export, which says a lot, given Slate's fixation with ABBA.
Not only did we miss the release of Jens' latest full-length in all this baseball hubbub, but we also have failed to properly prepare for his upcoming Black Cat show. A friend of mine - the friend who bought the tickets - is going to proposition Mr. Lekman to play at wedding. There are few thousand bucks on the table, I'm told.
What's to be said about Jens Lekman, other than that I think he's so incredibly overlooked - and yet so incredibly overrated. I mean, this is Jens Lekman. Everything about his music is about a lack of pretension and refrain from overthought. (As you see in the Slate article, there are some folks who seem to be hoping he's the next coming of Christ/Lennon.) His music's greatness is based on the fact that it resembles something pure, I guess, if purity is something attainable through sampling and simplistic, straightfoward, honest lyrics.
There's something indescribably great about Jens - something that make
See here: "The Opposite of Hallelujah," a cut of the new album. I'm just hoping his live show lives up to the promises of his studio productions.
Not only did we miss the release of Jens' latest full-length in all this baseball hubbub, but we also have failed to properly prepare for his upcoming Black Cat show. A friend of mine - the friend who bought the tickets - is going to proposition Mr. Lekman to play at wedding. There are few thousand bucks on the table, I'm told.
What's to be said about Jens Lekman, other than that I think he's so incredibly overlooked - and yet so incredibly overrated. I mean, this is Jens Lekman. Everything about his music is about a lack of pretension and refrain from overthought. (As you see in the Slate article, there are some folks who seem to be hoping he's the next coming of Christ/Lennon.) His music's greatness is based on the fact that it resembles something pure, I guess, if purity is something attainable through sampling and simplistic, straightfoward, honest lyrics.
There's something indescribably great about Jens - something that make
See here: "The Opposite of Hallelujah," a cut of the new album. I'm just hoping his live show lives up to the promises of his studio productions.
It has rarely occurred to me that the Weakerthans have become one of my favorite bands. And, to their credit, this has built entirely in the four-plus years since Reconstruction Site was released, never overly concerned about when the next material was coming out.
Well, while no one was paying attention, Canada's John K. Samson and Co. released their follow-up, the solid Reunion Tour. I've had the benefit of spending a few car rides taking this album in. Every time, "Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure" chokes me up a bit, which seems silly until you realize that Samson's songwriting taps into emotions and the everday importances that make our lives matter. Virtute the Cat, who was also featured in the first person on the last album (and whom I always read as "Virtue"), represents the perfect subject to illuminate the Weakerthans' songwriting prowess - emotion from an unlikely source. For a more typical Weakerthans song, though, check out "Night Windows."
Luckily, I'm also seeing this band in concert this Sunday at the 9:30 Club. Honestly, having seen them twice before (once, all by my lonesome on Oberlin College's campus), I can't wait.
Well, while no one was paying attention, Canada's John K. Samson and Co. released their follow-up, the solid Reunion Tour. I've had the benefit of spending a few car rides taking this album in. Every time, "Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure" chokes me up a bit, which seems silly until you realize that Samson's songwriting taps into emotions and the everday importances that make our lives matter. Virtute the Cat, who was also featured in the first person on the last album (and whom I always read as "Virtue"), represents the perfect subject to illuminate the Weakerthans' songwriting prowess - emotion from an unlikely source. For a more typical Weakerthans song, though, check out "Night Windows."
Luckily, I'm also seeing this band in concert this Sunday at the 9:30 Club. Honestly, having seen them twice before (once, all by my lonesome on Oberlin College's campus), I can't wait.
>> Reverting to: 1984
I spent a little time on the road over the past two weeks (a LOT of time) and I ended up relistening to a lot of great music I haven't listened to in years. Bruce's greatest hits was one of those discs. "Born in the U.S.A." (video) sounds better every time I hear it.
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