The Zimmermann Note

Today is Day 3 in the wait for the next Radiohead album. The band decided to put together an ultra-long period of time between announcing and releasing the album (5 Days) which is the second longest time ever behind Guns and Roses ‘ The Chinese Democracy’. For you the bored reader is just a moment for us both to catch our breath.

Suffice to say I have been sitting as patiently as possible while listening to the top indie cred bands on the planet try to jockey for my attention. Today it’s been a hefty amount of PJ Harvey which I want to spend a bit more time listening before giving my final thoughts but early on this might be the best album of this early part of 2011.

Yes, the indie kids have won. The win by Arcade Fire at the Grammy’s was a crushing moment where the mainstream’s testicles were squeezed together and reminded once and for all that it’s not the evil kids stealing music but rather they are the ones that are making the music. They are throwing away their Guitar Hero consoles and getting behind their Garageband software and creating their own tracks. Yes, Arcade Fire’s music is not about sampling, but rather straightforward rock with a point, they went up against a slate of music that pretty much sucked and it’s easy to beat music that sucks. While it’s been known for awhile that the record industry has been in trouble, we notice every day that the music that is inspiring the next generation of rock heroes is not under the control of the corporate label but being released on smaller indie labels or in some cases no label at all. The power of the internet is changing the power of influence.

I am listening to Jefre Cantu-Ledesma’s new album right now called ‘Love is a Stream’. Now even for 98% of you out there, you are probably not going to want to listen to shoegaze droning guitars, ala My Bloody Valentine,  meandering on for minutes on end. There is not going to be any lyric sheet and he is not going to be standing up on the stage next year accepting any award. But it’s an artist like this that expands upon ideas that are not necessarily within the mainstream. For a small fraction of the population that are into their own rock fetishes, there is a scene and a genre being generated on a daily basis.

Next thing that you know is an work inspires others; by taking some elements of his work and putting it into a pop song to create something unique. It surely is bullshit sometimes that as a fan that tries to in my spare time keep up with what is happening have to read blogs and blogs of information and check out various sources for what might be interesting but what is different between this and 20 years ago, hunting for import singles at local record stores? The difference back then was there were far fewer bands which could get their music released and a distribution system which did not favor indie labels.  Today they are waiting to be discovered and sought out.

What I love about Radioheads decision to release their music within the week is that this is what bands can do now. There is no red carpet or lead up necessary. They have an advantage of being Radiohead but they are helping pave the way for bands of all shapes and sizes to play a larger role in their distribution of music, putting less influence on the suits and more influence on the fans that post about music.

I am finding that the album in question that I am listening to (Jefre Cantu-Ledesma) has been a pleasant listening album while writing down my most intimate and emotional thoughts. My #1 hero is John Boehner.

And at some point there need to be fans like myself that have made attempts in my brain to post about music to actually start writing about it rather than writing about dying bands.

(For those that follow my R.E.M. blog I have to admit that things are not going well over there and have questioned whether it is time to hang it up. I am not buying the new album all that enjoyable from what I have heard and finding that maintaining that is like sticking an ice pick between my nail and finger).

And some 30 second reviews of some albums that have been rattling around my eardrums.

The Decemberists – The King is Dead

I got tired of the Decemberists’ album ‘The King is Dead” pretty quickly. This album will not be remembered like the Smith’s “The Queen is Dead” and Colin Meloy needs to stop kissing R.E.M.’s proverbial ass with his comparisons to the new album with this. Sorry it does not remind me of it one iota with the exception of a couple songs: Calamity Song, (sorta feels like ‘Talk about the Passion’) and ‘This is Why We Fight (The R.E.M. montage), otherwise it’s just boring crap rock. I have never understood the love for Meloy. I got Castaways and Cutouts years ago and was first enamored with this rock group from Ireland until I found out that they had nothing to do with Ireland other than some alternate universe that Meloy is living in.

The Braids – Native Speaker

The Braids new album ‘Native Speaker’ is the perfect holdover album for those Animal Collective/Panda Bear fans waiting for new material as they have provided that soundscape for other bands to create their own impression of Merriweather Post Pavilion.  I think the album works. Hell I think the genre works as a new form of hipster jam band on a summer afternoon.

Smith-Westerns – Dye It Blonde

I read somewhere online that the Smith Westerns were the new hyped-up band, ruling the rock and roll blogosphere and to be honest with you, I do not have a problem with that whatsoever.

The Smith Westerns did more than just record an album but they found a way to bring the dead back to life. For if John Lennon did not perform on this album, he had to have been in the studio producing it.  This Chicago band is still not drinking age and yet they already have a good handle on some of the best of rock and roll history. This buzz band from Chicago is good at finding it’s place and it will be interesting to watch them in the future if they begin to dig a bit deeper into the record store bins for some more obscure works.

Destroyer – Kaputt

Dan Behar’s project has us looking back to the 70’s, for me a Orange Pontiac Stationwagon sitting and listening to AM radio from the likes of Chuck Mangione. Or maybe it was one of those creepy Sunday Night Television Movies.

However, when an artists turns back the clock you always have to be concerned that it’s not a Xerox copy of the past. Here we hear elements of the past, with the synths that might remind you of the 80’s. A song like ‘Savage Night at the Opera’ reminds me of ‘Gothic Lite’, a possible song left off an album like The Cure’s ‘Disentagration’.

There are moments that feel more like a Platinum Collection from the 80’s and while at times it offers some delights it cannot compare with other similar albums such as Arielle Pink’s Haunted Graffiti’s latest effort. The flute and jazz makes the recording feel a bit flat unless the ‘Lite Rock Station’ was the station that you got your rocks off on.

Cut Copy  – Zonoscope

Following up the Destroyer review is Cut Copy that have decided as well to come out with an album that has us yearning for the days of MTV. While Cut Copy still borrows quite a bit from those 80’s all-stars it succeeds where Destroyer doesn’t in feeling less stale.  If you buy into the heavy synth sounds of the 80s are you going to rush out and get a band trying to reproduce this or just go back to your 80s collection of tapes, watch John Hughes movies and remind yourself that Generation X is still the coolest of all Generations.

James Blake – James Blake

This “buzzing” indie sensation is trying to mold soul, dubstep (for those not in the know, they are trying to remix albums by making the drums and basslines much more significant).  What makes Blake’s recordings so appealing is that unlike many others in the dubstep genre, its Blakes singing that stands out in a similar vein to how The XX blasted onto the scene with their minimalist dubsteb/Chris Isaac interpretations.

Blake’s album is one of those transitional records that you will either get or not get. Some might find it a bit too clever for it’s own good and others might find the progression here to a genre that might offer bigger and brighter things.

To Be Continued . . .

The experts that were involved in creating the worlds most extensive and far-reaching list of great songs over the past year have outdone themselves with this additional listing of the best albums of the year. Settling on 26, these albums will not only define your mood but the t-shirts, wool sweaters, trousers and geeky glasses you wear as well.

When it came down to it, LCD Soundsystem took the cake as the best album of the year.  There were about 5 or 6 in the running but I think from start to finish this album was fun, experimental and yet accessible and is definitely something that you should spend your hard earned iTunes Gift Cards on.

Deerhunter is a strong second, continuing their progression into all things psychaedelic. And Caribou gets the bronze medal for an equally engaging electronic treat.

However, as the experts would say, all these albums staring you in the face in your iTunes library will make you fitter, happier and more productive.

Top 26 Albums

26.            CEO – White Magic

25.            Massive Attack – Heligioland

24.            Menomena – Mines

23.            Owen Pallett – Heartland

22.            Radio Dept. – Clinging to A Scheme

21.            Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM

20.            Wavves – King of the Beach

19.            The Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night

18.            Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record

17.            Crystal Castles – II

16.            Laetitia Sadier – The Trip

15.            Spoon – Transference

14.            No Age – Everything In Between

13.            Women – Public Strain

12.            Titus Andronicus – The Monitor

11.            Tame Impala – Innerspeaker

10.             Avey Tare – Before Today

9.            Arielle Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today

8.            The Walkmen – Lisbon

7.            The National – High Violet

6.            Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

5.            Janelle Monae – The Archandroid

4.            Beach House – Teen Dream

3.            Caribou – Swim

2.            Deerhunter – Halycon Digest

1.             LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening

This list is a comprehensive list compiled by the “Who’s Who” of the Zimmermann Note.  I can only comment that the corporate-style board meetings discussing the merits of these as well as those songs left off were at times contentious.

Our dream team of experts thought this list of 87 represented 2010 perfectly.

A couple things . .  .

If your favorite band/song is not located here could be for several reasons:

• They suck. – At some point someone should probably tell you that and better me than when you think you are all cool blaring it out the window.

• Your favorite band’s music is not on Mediafire or similar location to get your music for free and/or your favorite band is not offering enough free music to it’s dream team of experts in order to encourage them to listen.

This handpicked group of musicians, music producers, industry insiders and Canadians have offered this list to you in hopes that you become a better person.

87.            Tame Impala – Solitude is Bliss

86.            Charlotte Gainsbourg – Master’s Hands

85.            Wavves  – Green Eyes

84.            Crystal Castles – Years of Silence

83.            Wavves – When Will You Come

82.            No Age – Glitter

81.            Spoon – The Mystery Zone

80.            Surfer Blood – Neighbor Riffs

79.            Panda Bear – Last Night At the Jetty

78.            Of Montreal – You Do Mutilate?

77.            Owen Pallett – Lewis Takes Off His Shirt

76.            The National – Afraid of Everyone

75.            Morning Benders – Wet Cement

74.            Laetitia Sadier – Ceci Est Le Coeur

73.            Besnard Lakes  – And This Is What We Call Progress

72.            Caribou – Sun (Altrice’s ‘Only What You Give Me’ Remix)

71.            Arielle Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Bright Lit Skies

70.            Tame Impala – Desire Be Desire Go

69.            Crystal Castles – Not in Love (Feat. Robert Smith)

68.            Beach House – Walk In the Park

67.            No Age – Fever Dreaming

66.            The Parting Gifts – Keep Walking

65.            Atlas Sound – Wild Love

64.            Fang Island –       Dream of Dreams/Careful Crossers

63.            Tame Impala – Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind?

62.            Spoon – Trouble Comes Running

61.            No Age – Shred And Transcend

60            Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM

59.            Janelle Monae – Cold War

58            Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

57.            Massive Attack – Atlas Air

56.            No Age – Common Heat

55.            Panda Bear – Tomboy

54.            Peter Gabriel – The Book of Love

53.            Deerhunter – Don’t Cry

52.            Owen Pallett – E is For Estranged

51.            Arcade Fire – Half Light 11

50.            Sleigh Bells – Rachel

49.            Dum Dum Girls – Jail La La

48.            Janelle Monae – Come Alive

47.            Deerhunter – Memory Boy

46.            The Walkmen – Angela Surf City

45.            Massive Attack – Rush Minute

44.            Deerhunter – Fountain Stairs

43.            One Million Year Trip – Laetitia Sadier

42.            The National – Bloodbuzz, Ohio

41              Arielle Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Butt-House Blondies

40.            Deerhunter – Revival

39.            LCD Soundsystem – Drunk Girls

38             Peter Gabriel  – Flume

37             Broken Social Scene – Meet Me In The Basement

36.            Besnard Lakes – Like the Innocent Pt. 1 The Ocean/The Innocent

35.            Women – Heat Distraction

34.            Broken Social Scene  – Texico Bitches

33.            Laetitia Sadier – By The Sea

32.            Avey Tare – Lucky 1

31.            Tame Impala – Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind?

30.            CEO – Illuminata

29            Tame Impala – Jeremy’s Storm

28.            Women – Narrow With The Hall

27            Menomena – Queen Black Acid

26            Titus Andronicus – A More Perfect Union

25.            Julian Lynch – Just Enough

24.            Spoon – Got Nuffin

23.            Of Montreal – Coquet Coquette

22.            The Radio Dept. – Domestic Scene

21.            Netherfriends – Nunya (Beeswax)

20.            Avey Tare – 3 Umbrellas

19.            Beach House – Norway

18.            Arielle Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Revolutions a Lie

17.            Panda Bear – Slow Motion

16.            Arcade Fire – Modern Man

15.            The National – Terrible Love

14.            Caribou – Odessa

13.            Arcade Fire – Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

12.            Titus Andronicus – No Future Pt. Three: Escape From No Future

11.            Crystal Castles – Celestica

10.            LCD Soundsystem – All I Want

9.            The Morning Benders – Excuses

8.            Walkmen – Torch Song

7.            Wavves – Mickey Mouse

6.            Desire Lines – Deerhunter

5.            Panda Bear – Alsatian Darn

4.            Beach House – Used To Be

3.            LCD Soundsystem – You Wanted A Hit

2.            Caribou – Sun

1.            Janelle Monae – Tightrope

Counting down some of the better shows or at least acts that I saw over the past year.

I still believe that for an outdoor venue you really cannot beat Pritzker here in the city. For a venue with such perfect sound overlooking the Chicago Skyline is one of the better spectacles to be seen.

I admit, even with this list, there were plenty of shows that I wished I could have made, if it weren’t for funds, schoolnights or other plans. I think the show that I wished I could have been present for was the LCD Soundsystem/Hot Chip performance at the Metro.  I saw James Murphy’s gang at P4K and was thoroughly impressed however, a smaller venue would have made quite an impression.

I might be getting too old for the Festival Experience as Pitchfork took everything out of me getting parched by the heat. I thought in retrospect it was the weakest of the P4Ks that I have been to and will have to rethink or maybe just go to the shows that truly appeal to me.

Listing the Favorite Shows of the Year

15.            John Spencer Blues Explosion – Pitchfork Music Festival

14.            Beach House – Pitchfork Music Festival

13.            Titus Andronicus – Pitchfork Music Festival

12.             Deerhunter /Spoon – Aragon Ballroom

11.            Woods/Netherfriends – Lincoln Hall

10.            Janelle Monae/Of Montreal – Riviera Theatre

9.            Dean and Britta perform Galaxie 500 – Lincoln Hall

8.            Mission of Burma – Double Door

7.            Massive Attack – Riviera Theatre

6.            Panda Bear – Pitchfork Music Festival

5.            Roger Waters – United Center

4.            Atoms For Peace/Flying Lotus – Riviera Theatre

3.            The National – Riviera Theatre

2.            LCD Soundsystem – Pitchfork Music Festival

1.            Caribou – Pritzker Auditorium

Favorite Outdoor Venue: Pritzker Music Auditorium

Favorite Indoor Venue: Lincoln Hall (Location of where the 3 Penny Theatre used to stand near Lincoln Ave. and Halsted).

As many of you know already Apple has come to an agreement to offer the Beatles catalog on iTunes just in time for the holidays, which of course is the only significant aspect of this agreement.

I read by one sloppy individual is that this was the CD Killer. If the CD wasn’t dead already, the Beatles catalog is surely not going to keep it from dying.

I read from another that it is the “Death of the Album” due to the fact that you have the opportunity of purchasing individual songs and album tracks, specifically the second half of Abbey Road would be lost by fans unwilling to pay inordinate amounts of money on tracks in most cases lasting less than 2 minutes. Again, it is almost as if the media has nothing to report on.

The Beatles were the last ones to the party, and will enjoy the bottom of the keg, a couple cold appetizers and a party where most of the individuals won’t think twice about their inclusion on the iTunes Store.

How can the Beatles make a difference?

Not knowing what is available in the Beatles vaults the true test of their ability to grow in the modern music environment is to offer the ability to remix the songs with the individual tracks, vocals, guitars, drums, .etc, broken down.  The Beatles have been performed every which way, jazz, classical, bluegrass, acoustically. Why not allow for a younger generation of artists take this music and reinvent it?

Need proof? The Grey Album, which was halted by the lawyers became one of the  most downloaded albums in history.

This would be a starting point for the Beatles to enter the 21^st Century properly.

There must have been some point in your life when you went to see the movie “The Wall”. Acquaintances would tell you that you needed to be stoned to understand Bob Geldof, playing the role as Pink, shaving his eyebrows off and going batshit crazy.

Roger Waters, the brainchild behind Pink Floyd’s epic journey centers upon both Waters own life and that of Syd Barrett, original member and former front man for the band. After Pink Floyd’s inaugural album ‘Piper At the Gates of Dawn”, Barrett’s own mental breakdown plus drug abuse brought David Gilmour into the band full time. While the band’s major success came after Barrett left, the relics of what happened and future events had always played a role in the bands music.

During the creation of “Wish You Were Here”, Barrett was in the studio one day and it took awhile for the members of Pink Floyd to actually realize that Barrett was there, his head shaved as well as his eyebrows. The story of Pink in The Wall is as much about the stardom that Barrett was never able to deal with as well as Water’s own upbringing, with his father dying when he was only 4 months old and being raised by an overprotected mother.

The premise of the ideas behind “The Wall” is not some happy journey through the psyche of Pink Floyd but a torturous and sad spectacle through the eyes of a rock star falling apart, with the struggles of family, government and his own personal life.

So the decision for me to actually go to the show became a last minute endeavor, one that was heavily promoted amongst friends on Facebook, who began posting photos of this technical masterpiece. True to the form, this is more “Theater” than “Rock Performance”, where the performance of the music itself is secondary to the imagery created onstage.

Some might question the fact that this is not being done by Pink Floyd but Roger Waters only. Minus only a couple of songs like ‘Comfortably Numb’ and ‘Run Like Hell’, the songwriting on ‘The Wall’ was predominantly by Waters as his was the concept behind the album.

The technical aspects of the show, sound, lighting and theatrics are the reason to go. If you are going to see the music being performed by the band and Waters, that premise becomes a secondary endeavor and from this viewer that is fine by me. Waters, hitting 67 is not as sprite as the 37 year old performer when this concept album was created.

Not wanting to spoil too many of the elements of the show, I would not surprise any of the readers of this article by pointing out that there is a “Wall” that is constructed onstage. The central premise from a social, political and personal standpoint is the idea of what this wall means for the viewers. As Waters has pointed out in the past, when the album was created, Waters was having issues dealing with the wall that he felt was being built up between himself and the audience and ironically the Wall constructs the ideas and thoughts going on in “Pink’s” head rather watching the disintegration of Pink in the movie.

What this show is not is a rehash of the storyline of “The Wall” circa 1980 but rather brings some of the themes up-to-date and in a much broader perspective. Waters on his site brings up the idea that he is still a dreamer on his website but my feeling is that this is still a very dreary and depressing album.

Will there be people out there that will be lost in the messages being portrayed by Waters.  The problem with a piece like The Wall is that the messages of “We don’t need no education” is not the point, nor the crossed fist salute which is more “Fascist” in nature but is also ironic being that it’s rendition in a rock concert is exactly opposite to the message that most artists are trying to attain.

Water’s very own “Anti-Consumerism” message throughout the performance also has to raise questions considering the cost of the event. The obvious aspect of spending upwards of 200 dollars a ticket for the best seats and rail against our propensity to spend offers some slight egg to the face of Waters. To Water’s defense, I felt that the message squared more on the government’s promotion of our consumerist society. Those in charge want us to spend money, to encourage economic growth by positive messages. We are in a recession right now with that same message, most notably from many spending and borrowing beyond their means.

Good art asks questions and might even poke fun of the artists as Waters has done. He has broadened the intent of “The Wall”, made it darker, contradictory but still a compelling rock opera that will haunt audiences. It was a technical marvel and one that I will not soon forget.

This Podcast below is well overdue; the proverbial brain fart dog days of summer songlist. These are just some of the new music which has transpired and inspired me over this past summer.

What is common about all these bands is that you cannot currently follow them on ITunes Ping yet.

My continued success in breaking microphones has made my colorless commentary mute, and as such, you are forced to listen to almost an hour of completely interrupted music.

*      *      *      *     *

The Pre-Post Summer Podcast

This would be the songs

Netherfriends – Brett Easton Ellis Nove

Panda Bear – Slow Motion

Crystal Castles – Suffocation

Arcade Fire – Half Light II (No Celebration)

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Butt-House Blondies

Wavves – Baseball Cards

Tame Impala – Jeremy’s Storm

Menomena – Taos

Julian Lynch – Just Enough

Best Coast – Each & Everyday

CEO – White Magic

LCD Soundsystem – You Wanted A Hit

Broken Social Scene – Meet Me in the Basement

*      *      *      *      *

I figured a what would be better than to just list my favorites in order is to allow for some surprise for an “End of Year” spectacular. Here would be a list of albums that are competing so far for the top spot.

Arcade Fire –  The Suburbs

Arielle Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today

Beach House – Teen Dream

Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record

Caribou – Swim

Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM

Crystal Castles – II

Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid

LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening

The Method Actors – This is Still It (Reissue)

The National – High Violet

Tame Impala – Innerspeaker

Titus Andronicus – The Monitor

Wavves – King of the Beach

Ping is the new “Social Commerce” site that is devoted to Apples iTunes application. My initial response is mixed at this point.  I think there are some awfully great potential here but the question remains in the “Social Networking” market is whether the product is flexible enough to gather a significant following.

 

Signing up for the service is fairly easy. In order to use it you need to download the latest version of iTunes 10. From there you login via your iTunes account and start creating your profile.

 

The profile is very simple and straightforward. You are given the opportunity to put 10 songs that you like in it, with the album artwork available to give your followers an opportunity to get a glimpse of some of the music you listen to. But from there it gets a little sketchy.

 

Ping does not offer a service at this time that allows users at this time to scan their (Email, Facebook, Twitter, .etc) friends to see if they are already using the service. That in turn forces users to follow their friends feeds to see if they have signed up for the site. That relationship is similar to Twitter in that you can follow someone but they do not necessarily have to follow you. You can control who you follow or even choose to not let anyone follow you if you so choose.

 

The number of bands/artists that are on the site is severely limited at this point and I would expect that number to grow as this new feature has just been announced.

 

My biggest criticism of Ping so far is that it is truly rooted in “Social Commerce” which means only albums which are available on iTunes service can be posted/liked/discussed. Instead of being able to post or like music directly from my iTunes Library, I am forced to go to the iTunes store and use links available there to make my thoughts public which I do not particularly care for. If I am listening to a Radiohead track I would prefer to make my comments right within my iTunes Library than going over to the Store to make those comments.

 

As stated before only music available on iTunes is able to be discussed so, for example,  if I wanted to “Like” the Beatles ‘Hey Jude’, that is impossible at this point.  Music fans should not be limited to what is available or not available in the store for download which is limiting.

 

I feel in a way that much of this has been rehashed and it does not offer something that is awe-inspiring as of yet. While I understand it is early, part of whether people will use it comes down to whether at initial start-up it encourages use.

 

The other question of course is that iTunes encompasses more than just music. Television, movies, applications, etc., are just some of the areas that could be expanded into.

 

Lastly, there was talk of this available to be linked with Facebook which at this time, that application appears to be shut down which would appear to be an egg on the face of Apple.

 

So at this point, after a couple hours playing around on it, the best grade is “Incomplete”.

I grew up in suburban Chicago in Wheaton, one of those towns, that was in the midst of a slow and steady growth. I remember when the intersection between Naperville and Butterfield roads was cornfield in any direction you looked. Today this intersection is a full fledged strip mall containing a couple grocery stores, and too many shops to speak of. The sad and depressing fact would be that anytime I visit the memories begin to fade. The stores and buildings of my youth are being replaced by modernity. Corporate America has taken much of the local feel to this sleepy Christian town to feel a bit foreign.

 

My high school stands in the midst of it’s own crisis. The property no longer houses any students and the city is not sure what to turn it into. In some ways, it’s a slow and steady process of erasing my childhood.

 

‘Oh, this city’s changed so much since I was a little child. Pray to god, I won’t live to see the death of everything that’s wild.’ – Half Light II

 

You realize that in my case half of my life has passed since I graduated from high school and started the second part of my life. You begin to wonder about the time that was spent during those early years, whether it was wasting away, whether your friends will stay in touch, whether you will stay in touch and whether it was all worth it.

 

Do we just move on and modernize with our environment?

 

Unlike many of the rock acts that have sizeable audiences, Arcade Fire is one of those bands, at least in my opinion, that truly deserve their success. The band, fronted by Win Butler and wife, Regine Chassagne, have provided their third standout release. Arcade Fire burst on the scene with 2004’s ‘Funeral’, an album that deservedly put their album at the top of the buzz bin.

 

No doubt, listening to a song like Neighborhood #1, set itself as true musical ear candy. It simply provided itself to feel inspired, uplifting, rebellious and idealistic.  If Funeral was the mantra for 2004, then The Suburbs, is the response to that album that often feels cynical and reflective.

 

In Funeral’s ‘Neighborhood #1’, “We let our hair grow long” and on the song from The Suburbs, ‘Suburban War’ – “I can remember when you cut your hair, and we never saw you again”, symbolizing the end of their idealism.

 

In ‘Neighborhood #1’, they were too busy thinking of names for their babies, and in the song ‘The Suburbs’, he asks for a daughter while he is still young so that he could show her some beauty before it’s all gone.

 

Overall, ‘The Suburbs’ is a much more reflective record, as I mentioned above, and this is apparent in it’s sound. While the first half does promote several rock tracks, the second half of the album focuses more on our memories of the past, questions our choices and asks whether we would do it the same way again.

 

‘Ready To Start’ is aware of the bloodthirsty businessman, and while seeks out the path less taken is still fearful of the dark. ‘Modern Man’ looks at the other path that leads nowhere.

 

As the album progresses from the present we see the premise change into our ideals of our youth.

 

It doesn’t rip ‘The ‘burbs’, this is not blowing a hole in your anus such as Wilco’s ‘Misunderstood’ or treat it with such eloquence of a more “Simple and Innocent” time like R.E.M.’s ‘Nightswimming’ but plays it somewhere in the middle. Butler realizes that for many out there, the Burbs represent our youth, that focuses a healthy level of romance and cynicism. There seems to be an aura to ‘reconnect’ and at the same time push away.

 

‘Suburban War’ could have been written by the Boss himself. Speaking of our youth, we realize how much has changed but again as much as the streets change we realize that we are changing as well. The question of course is what changed and why. Are the streets indicative of ourselves. Is the loneliness felt due to that environment changing or did we cause something to shift?

 

On‘Wasted Hours’, brings some solace to the Suburbs, in the line ‘And what was that line you said / Wishing you were anywhere but here / you watch the life you’re living disappear / and now I see / we are still kids in buses longing to be free.’ Butler concedes that it is not the environment but ourselves that prevent us from being free.

 

In “We Used to Wait” Butler speaks of the fondness for letters and lack of modernity, “We used to wait for letters to arrive, but what’s stranger still is how something small could keep you alive.”

 

We have brought convenience to our fingertips. We live a life that is so much easier than our forefathers and at the same time fear that level of technology. There was something fascinating about picking up an album at a record store, looking at the cover and reading the lyrics. Today it’s downloadable, simpler, easier and yet not as satisfying. Our food is in a fancy box chosen to appease us. We spend more time tweeting in 180 characters rather than sitting down and spending time to write a long letter to someone or something. We have a family to take care of, children to raise and a husband or wife to spend time with.  We have a jobs that treat us just as a number.

 

And don’t even get me started in politics.

 

But one of the questions I thought about from the above lyric above from Suburban War:

 

I can remember when you cut your hair, and we never saw you again

 

Why? Do we truly not see the idealism in others anymore that we lose ourselves? Does that idealistic behavior truly change are we fearful of showing that? Do we just become a number and become numb in the process?

 

I ask myself this question a lot in my own writings. I consider myself a below average writer but my biggest fear is being numb and unemotional. This does not mean writing sad poems but rather putting my thoughts down on the computer screen for others, maybe 2 or 5 or how many people read this, maybe get a grasp of something that they can take for themselves. It is not about being popular or making money but for me it’s keeping my sanity.  This is my moment to dance and sing in the streets, as in ‘Sprawl II’. It is my moment to say whatever the fuck I want.

 

I am not sure I have the answers to this and whatever questions this album is tempting me with but I am sure to dig down deeper to find out more.

 

Where I feel that the Suburbs strength is it’s concept. From start to finish it builds upon all the layers of this concept and we begin to realize that our past is filled with happiness, sadness, laughter and exuberance and that need to break free today. The ‘Suburbs’ becomes a badge of honor if you were able to survive them.

For those Facebook friends of mine out there, some of you are aware that many of my ‘Status Updates’ begin with the phrase “Oh Shit”. I figure that based on that phrase I am just the person to write this article.

 

The ticket says “Rain or Shine” but speaks nothing of pigeons, doves, or any other creature which decides to fly overhead and ruin a perfectly good rock concert. Oh, of course during the time of Jesus, Pterodactyls would grab unsuspecting individuals to their nests to feed their young.  But the idea of birds ruining a rock concert should more be in tune with the Hitchcock classic “The Birds” when they are attacking the characters, and not simply defecating on them.

 

The Kings of Leon, working on a plan to conquer the Stadium Rock industry pulled an “Anti-Rock” moment last Friday night when they cancelled their show after three songs because Pigeons were bombing them overhead.

 

One of my favorite phrases was from Kings of Leon Drummer, Nathan Followill of the “Followill Clan” later by saying on Twitter: “It was just too unsanitary”.

 

Unsanitary?  Well why in the hell are you pretending to be a rock and roll band if you are worried about sanitary conditions?

 

I mean “Sanitation” is never a big selling point in the rock business. If you are concerned about diseases and such that pigeons might be some of the more healthy items you will come across.

 

I am sorry but Kings of Leon should not be referred to as rock artists but new age jazz. This is something that I would expect out of Kenny G.

 

(Of course, this is totally Morrissey’s M.O. but lets face it, Kings of Leon are not even close to wearing Stephen Patrick’s shoes.)

 

Could you imagine Ozzy stopping a show because pigeons are crapping on him? Sure there might be a delay as he might start climbing the rafters to bite the head off . Johnny Lydon who was often spat upon while a member of the Sex Pistols would have probably stuck his tongue out in an effort to eat it.  Speaking to a colleague about this today, he imagined that Alice Cooper would have dissected it. Ted Nugent would have pulled a rifle onstage and shot those pigeons and cooked up squab for the encore. And I can only imagine what Led Zeppelin would have done.

 

The question of course that I have is whether these pigeons are in any way related to the Dave Matthews Band.  DMB decided one night in Chicago, to dump their personal excrement from their tour bus right on the Kinzie Street bridge’s metal grating only to land bullseye on a tour boat below.

 

This is also the thing that you don’t want to be part of your Wikipedia band page entry.  

 

This is the moment where you have to turn in your “Rock Badge”. It is time for a band meeting and question exactly why you are in this gig to begin with. Plus, if your music cannot scare pigeons away then maybe you are not a rock and roll band to begin with.