Two of my favorite things in the world are “Data” and “Music”. Data is my lifeblood, my source of income. Having an understanding of it at it’s core and trying to determine what it is doing is the foundation for what I do.
From my profession to the REM Chronicle, that looked at R.E.M. concerts since it’s inception or even sorting through baseball cards, there was a certain “Context” to it all.
Data starts with actually collecting it. The aspect of gathering and organizing it in such a manner that it actually makes some sense. Then comes the analysis. What are you expecting out of the data. Do you have theories or hypothesis that you want to check out?
My fear of course is where my two worlds collide. Analyzing the emotional context of a song for purchasing power is both fascinating and scary. While we have always focused on sorting through data, not to the level at which we have the power to do right now.
Consider your favorite record store. They might sort the records by Genre: Rock, Pop, Dance, Hip Hop, Classical, World, .etc. Pretty basic concepts that separate music into fairly simple groupings that the consumer could then go in and view their favorite section(s) of the store looking for something interesting.
Today we have iTunes, a database, in itself that allows the user to create simple queries that if their music is tagged can sort Punk Songs that contain the word ‘Riot’ from albums from 1976-1986 by bands that start with the letter C.
I made a joke years ago with a friend of mine that I wanted to rate (give stars ratings) every one of the songs that are in iTunes so that I could then create “Best Of” lists based on years, genre, girl bands, whatever my hearts desire. My eventual goal would be to have the perfect mix tapes of my favorite “5 Star” songs from emo chick bands from 1993-1998 and send them along their eventual path. In fact, the limited ITunes data gathering that I have accomplished has gone a long way in using iTunes rather than my brain to remember each and every song that I appreciate. Sometimes, it is too hard to be put on the spot at the moment when someone asks you what you really like now. Now if you give me a couple moments to search iTunes, I can probably come up with a good representation of some classic songs.
And yet at the same time while I enjoy all this power with my music collection I get scared of the idea of having my purchasing decisions being determined by the songs that I listen to. Since I bought a copy of Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion, I might also enjoy these other 20 albums that listeners bought. To be fair, data analysis can go well beyond finding weird correlations such as fans of Massive Attack’s ‘Mezzanine’ also purchased ‘The Basic Writings of Nietzsche’, although maybe Richard Meltzer might find this interesting.
I write all of this in response to Ethan Kaplan’s blog piece on the future of music for WBR, a piece that should be read by all fans.
Ethan speaks of the delicate balance of using data and representing artists:
I work in the music business. Our business is representing artists. The work that we represent for those artists is their life. It is our job to make sure we treat their life with the preciousness it deserves.
The reason that I think that this article is important is that it changes the construct at which record companies focused their energies. Sure, we can always focus on the “Promotion” aspect; that record companies played a key role in getting songs on the radio, promoting the record, etc. The key aspect for many years was distribution. Larger labels had more resources to make sure albums hit global markets vs. small labels which might only be available on a limited basis, mail order, import, etc. One of the reasons R.E.M. switched from IRS to Warner Bros. was so the band could hit many untapped markets that IRS did not have the resources to enter.
Today, it’s not distribution. Even small indie label artists can get their albums on iTunes and attract a global audience, minus some legal hassles. Hell, I can play the banjo and sing off key and put my songs up on this site for free.
Where data plays a role is being able to focus on artists individually and find ways to properly promote their work.
Now, only time will tell as to whether data will save the record industry. As Ethan mentioned, in an era when we are being bombarded with more information than we can handle, will the industry be able to filter that down to the consumer in a context that they will be able to understand. It is a challenge and a mighty big one.
I love Nathan Williams and the entire story of him being pelted at a Spanish Festival would not have been a big deal if he was allowed to grow as an artist. Here is someone that went from making albums in his basement to playing at huge festivals in Spain. Ahh, but in the 24-hour news cycle, even “Buzz Bands” can get their “You Tube Moment”. At the same time, imagine yourself playing less than 20 shows ever in your career, going across the pond and performing at a festival as big as Primavera and not falling flat on your face?
I saw Wavves last year at the most unlikely of places, Chopin Theatre, which appeared at the time to be set up for some New Age play and figured to make an extra buck by throwing a music act in there on a quiet Sunday evening. The theatre was a”Pre-Show” to his show at the Empty Bottle later that evening and also an “All-Ages” show and due to it being set up mainly for plays, Williams invited the entire crowd onstage and performed a blistering set full of energy, perfect for the youthful audience. I was also able to catch him at an abbreviated set at Pitchfork Festival last year, towing a broken arm for good measure.
King of the Beach is a cleaner sound than his second album “Wavves”, and wavers on playing around with trying to do Pre-Dookie Green Day and then starts in on the fun stuff with tracks like “When Will You Come” then goes crazy batshit psychaedelic Deerhunter meets Animal Collective at a surf shop.
For some unfortunate reason Williams has been tagged by some critics as not deserving the buzz around his band but I honestly think that people should give him a second look. It might be that the people making these statements just find that the buzz was laid on so thick by some of the internet crowd there was a need to topple Williams from the top of the mountain.
It would be easy based on his last album to just call him “Beach Punk” but Wavves somehow is able to mixing punk with kitschy sounds on such songs as “Baseball Cards” that keeps you off guard.
If “Idiot” is by the book, “Green Eyes” explores more sonic textures and losing the voice effects that were predominant on his last album, should make his album a core part of the “Teen Angst” crowd.
Songs like ‘Mickey Mouse’ explore his genius. The song is pop bliss and the reason that I listen to music to begin with. It contains loops with that classic 60’s pop sound that makes it feel fresh and alive.
Comparing his work to a band like Sleigh Bells, my only feeling is that Williams doesn’t feel fake (Sorry, the more that I hear Sleigh Bells they just seem to be trying to reproduce the Pussycat Dolls).
Williams ends the album with “Baby Say Goodbye” which gives some indication of his full musical abilities. Part punk, part lo fi exploration, it’s a fitting end to this album.
In reminiscing about last weekend at Pitchfork, the set that really intrigued me out of any other was the Saturday evening showcase by Panda Bear, one of the members of the band Animal Collective.
While Animal Collective has grown in stature, with Avey Tare (Dave Portner) being the principal songwriters for the band, Panda Bears (Noah Lennox) work has been equally as impressive.2007’s ‘Person Pitch’, a sunny, sugary sample-infused glimpse is a masterpiece, as it paints a very positive world in it’s 60s pop samples and Panda’s crooning voice.
(Btw, Do you prefer Panda Bear, Panda,P. Bear or should I call him Mr. Bear?)
Panda Bear is scheduled to release, ‘Tomboy’, his follow-up to Person Pitch in September and while a couple of tracks have been released via Tomboy single (Slow Motion/Tomboy, both available as a 7” or digital download), much of the set that he played Saturday night at Pitchfork was new material. Panda Bear’s inclusion in the Pitchfork setlist was especially gratifying since he has only played a couple shows this year, predominantly at festivals as well as the fact P. Bear does not typically do long tours, so, as you can imagine, my own expectations for this show would be fairly high based on my own “Fanboy-esque” presence on top of viewing this rarity right here in Chicago. I was not wearing any full-fledged “Panda” costume just my “I *Heart* Ryan Schreiber” t-shirt.
Whenever, being presented initially with live music, at times the context and expectations is the key and I think for many people that watched this show left feeling a bit disappointed. Trust me, I understand your confusion and frustration thinking that P. Bear would launch into a powerful ‘Comfy in Nautica’ or an extra long version of ‘Bros’ only to be slightly happy about the version of ‘Ponytail’ that made the setlist.
(Below a version of Panda Bears – Bros)
What are my own initial thoughts of Tomboy? Trance inducing, dark, immense, post-apocalyptic: that is pretty much where to start with this music.I found it to be very sad, very emotional, “Post-Hope” for liberals (I guess in context of the culture is the era where liberals come to grips that one great man cannot save a nation).
(I also someday want to write something and consider it “Post-Music”; then of course you can have the “Pre-Post Music” genre. Maybe this would be where this album would fall.)
Now, some have described his show as being a snoozfest, others as self-indulgent which I though what rock and roll was all about to begin with. Jim Derogatis made a stink by saying the following:
Animal Collective’s Panda Bear, a.k.a. Noah Lennox, played a way-too-long set of drony trance grooves punctuated by atonal yelps, yodels, and the occasional wounded whale noise. If this sort of thing had been delivered by a third-tier Grateful Dead offshoot band on one of the smaller stages at Bonnaroo, the Pitchfork crowd would have scoffed in derision. But since it was Pitchfork-endorsed, most stood politely and soaked it in, though there was a steady stream of refugees fleeing for the other stages, the food lines, or the Porta-Potties.
So basically this is all Pitchfork’s fault for writing reviews and liking Person Pitch and well just overall giving a wet blowjob to Panda Bear. Damn them! Of course on the old Pitchfork/Metacritic scale: 9.4/87 the album rates as one of the better works of the last 10 years, not just with Ryan Schreiber or his Grandmother but with other people and their grandmothers, some of whom did not attend P4K.
Allow me a moment to venture off into a entire new direction for a moment.
I remember several years ago seeing Television at the Metro. Television was not one to tour all that much until the year 2000 and near the beginning of the set, Tom Verlaine had some guitar problems. Tom Verlaine is not a talkative guy. I would doubt that he has ever heard been told to “Shut up and play”. And in a way P. Bear is like that as well. He’s just shy and to himself and there is not too much stage banter between songs, in fact there is pretty much close to zero.
So anyhow, back to the Verlaine story. So all of a sudden he’s putting his guitar down on the stage floor at Metro, gets down on his hands and knees and begins to restring the guitar. And I am thinking to myself in my Rod Blagojevich mindset, “This is Tom”Motherfucking” Verlaine restringing his guitar at the Metro. This is not an invonvenience. This is not a fucking problem. He can urinate in my fucking mouth if he wants to.”
To Dero’s point, Panda is not a fucking third-tier Grateful Dead band. There are going to be artists and musicians that you just give this opportunity to and I believe that Mr. Bear falls into that category based both on success of his last record and AC’s success.
At the same time, from where I stood, I can understand the scoffs coming from the crowd that decided to depart early to get a good spot for LCD Soundsystem or find something else to bide their time. This music is not necessarily going to get you on the first listen and maybe not the tenth either.
Let’s go through some of the problems with Panda Bears set.
1) Knowledge of the material being played onstage was lacking
With the exception of Ponytail, from Person Pitch, all of the material was brand spanking new. Unless fans had already heard the single Tomboy/Slow Motion live, or had downloaded or listened to samples from YouTube, when they thought Panda Bear they thought Person Pitch.
2) Panda Bear’s set is very stripped down
Lacking in his live shows are the depth of the music that exhibited in the album. Trying to reproduce this with a mixer, guitar and one person is very difficult. Now for a fan like myself that is coming in with that perspective in mind, my perception is going to be different than from the fan that comes in expecting the music to be lush. Now, Panda Bear does not tour all that much, so far only performing at a couple of festivals making his debut of this music. This is not a 50 date World Tour spanning the globe. I had a similar problem with Atlas Sound (aka Bradford Cox of Deerhunter) that played at the Lincoln Hall several months ago. I thought that the Atlas Sound album ‘Logos’ was one of the best of the year and when I saw him walk onstage just with a guitar in hand and some effects, I knew that this is going to be much different than the album. On the other hand, Caribou, which is pretty much a project of Dan Snaith provides an entire band to go on tour with him to try to “Recreate” the sound of the record.
So we essentially have a disparity in an artists choice in trying to reproduce their sound live. Following Wilco years ago, I would often go to many Jeff Tweedy Solo shows that sold themselves as strictly that it was Jeff playing songs, strumming his guitar, playing his harmonica with a much more wide array of songs being performed, telling jokes and yelling at fans for talking during the show. His Wilco shows were a much different endeavor with much more strict setlists, less banter, the occaisional “Stop Talking” comment but obviously the songs were much more in tune with the actual recordings.
3) Panda Bear/Animal Collective Live Shows in General
Seeing them several times, I admit that the performances are not set up to play “The Hits”. They have always been a band that attempted to challenge the audience rather than play jukebox. Their Pitchfork show from 2008 contained several songs from the yet unreleased ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ and seeing them on their promo tour in 2009 at the Metro in Chicago, most of the show focused on that album which had only been out for 2 days prior(although already leaked) to their show. By the time they made it to Lollapalooza, in front of a large audience their 8 song set consisted of two unreleased numbers, 3 songs from Merriweather and three older songs with the set leaving out ‘My Girls’ and ‘Summertime Clothes’ both of which would be crowd pleasers. Instead their set was much more subdued not choosing a path to stardom, but their own and thus reactions to their performances have always been mixed.
* * *
Keeping the above points in mind, my expectations for this show were going to be getting a rough draft of the album. Stripped down songs that only give a very limited representation of what “Tomboy” would sound like. Having a chance to listen to the ‘Tomboy’ single, I have been pleasantly surprised. No, I do not think that Panda’s mixed review live show will have much of a negative impact on this album.
I can only say for myself is that the band that left me with the most intrigue was Mr. Bears new work. The intrigue of the work mixed with the adjoining video being played on the screens of course made for a very trippy atmosphere. Panda realized that a one-man mixing, strumming, singing machine is not going to be all that entertaining onstage. If you sat and watched Panda, what was your reasoning?
In terms of the music, I want to hear more. It provided a very dark texture, seeping with sadness, almost as if memories were being torn apart. It felt as if “Humanity” failed, entirely perfect for a festival setting. No better way to celebrate than bring down the entire crowd that will more likely want to go home and write in their live journals.
Drone could have been the worst way to start off a “Festival Show” and yet, I imagine that if you are going to introduce the music from this album, it is the only way to do that.
(Panda Bear performing Drone and Tomboy)
Tomboy, the single that has been released has an almost “early Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd” thing going on reminiscent by the guitar’s and P. Bear’s crooning 60’s style. The single is much more expansive than the live show as would be the B-Side Slow Motion, with a slightly more modern approach than ‘Tomboy’. You can also compare the single version below with the version above to get a glimpse of the live vs. studio sound.
“Slow Motion” feels as if there exists an echo in reality. There is a fuzzy ethereal quality and possibly out of all the tracks the one that feels the most similar to Person Pitch.
There are other tracks such as Bullseye which when watching this live just blew me away. The visuals on top of the music just felt tragic as a pair ride this rollercoaster, and begin stripping only to see their demise.
I leave this post with the conclusion that while Panda’s set might not have been optimal, I think if taken in the correct context should have provided a glimpse on what is yet to come.
If I had a dime for every hipster that I saw at Pitchfork this year, I would have about $2.30 which is less than a gallon of gas these days. While I might be “exaggerating” this somewhat, it has to be said that Pitchfork as a music festival has become much larger than just some high school/college fashion/ego event. Over the years I have seen families, (admittedly less this year than prior which could be due to the heat), old folks, and young flock this event. And while it could be due to the aforementioned weather, I never get the impression that it was all that blatant.
Yes, the heat was pretty oppressive for three days even for this 37 year old. There were points on Sunday when I knew to have muttered under my furr, “I Love that Cloud”.If that makes me a homo-cumulus then so be it.
While styles change, and well, shit, I am about as stylistic as Carson Kressley’s turtle Mimi, it just sorta looked as if Chicago invaded a park and partied for a couple of days. I bring all of this up because the very idea of the “Pitchfork Crowd” has become synonymous with attempting to be part of the progressive counter-culture but in the era of music and it’s site it’s also become known as being a sheep.
See the thing is that anything that Pitchfork rates as a great album it has to be a great album cause Pitchfork says so, or that would be what others want you to believe.
While I truly dabble to at least experiment and try to keep up with their “Best New Music” this is pretty far from the truth. I have an entire list of albums, that still need to be looked into as I have fallen way behind in the ole purchasing music category. I would also say that there is plenty of work that has been given positive reviews by their staff that I have found no such love for. The two albums that come to mind that were on their best new music lists that I just did not care for was Gorrilaz – Plastic Beach, (which would be the album that Johnny Rotten was asked by an exec to perform on. Good thing he turned it down). The other is Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me, which for whatever reason I just cannot stand her style. I also cannot forget Vampire Weekend’s new album which is just trash in my eyes.
Secondly, lets look at some of the “Pitchfork Bands” that played the festival and compare some of their “Ratings” to that of other major critics. Metacritic’s site looks as a way to compile major reviews and give an overall rating for the album in the same way that Rottentomatoes reviews movies.
First score in parentheses is Pitchfork’s score and second one being the Metacritic score:
LCD Soundsystem (9.2/84)
Sleigh Bells – (8.7/84)
Delorean (8.4/79)
Big Boi (9.2/90)
Beach House (9.0/82)
Robyn (8.5/75)
Broken Social Scene (8.3/77)
Tallest Man on Earth (8.5/79)
Surfer Blood (8.2/78)
Titus Andronicus (8.7/81)
Girls (9.0/80)
While this is not scientific and only the first bands that I looked up, we can obviously see that there is a pattern and most of these bands were given slightly higher ratings than the average score posted on Metacritic. At the same time this is like saying that Barack Obama polls better in the Lakeview Neighborhood in Chicago than compared to the rest of the Nation.
There were a couple albums above where we see a wide disparity in scores. The Girls album from last year and Robyn’s both showed an almost 10 point gap. We also have to take into account that Pitchfork reviews their albums on a 10 point scale and most album reviews are given stars (Out of 4 or 5). Pitchfork is able to fine tune their scores a bit more than most album reviews. I wish I could say that I have consulted Nate Silver about some of this and I am waiting for him to call me back and write a 1000 word essay on this, I am not a pollster or statistician that looks at data this intuitively and make some blanket statement that “Rasmussen” polls higher or lower than other polls. Everything is biased. Objectivity does not exist in reviews and don’t pretend for one moment that any critic is somehow free from bias to make an “Objective” view on anything. Pitchfork is “biased” towards “Indie Rock” as are their fans. Because even with the bias there is still some correlation between what is good and not. All the albums above were admittedly very positive. Everything over 8.0 Pitchfork or 80 in Metacritic is considered “Best New Music”. Pitchfork’s selling point has always been on “Independent Music” i.e. “Indie Rock” so sure their bias is going to be stronger for that genre than say for Top 40 radio. That is their thing.
There might be some backlash that Pitchfork’s reviews are too powerful. As a zine, some might feel that their readership and popularity among the indie buying crowd monopolizes a bands chances of success or failures. As such, it’s a slippery slope. The same could be said for a site that is selling criticism, news, internet television and concerts.It all of a sudden becomes a conflict of interest if the act that you just billed for P4K has a crappy album and you end up giving it a positive review for the sake of it. I guess if that was the case you should see a wider disparity in the scores or scores greater more in the range of 15 to 20 points higher.
However, what I have seen from going to the shows is that the fans are not all “Indie-Fantastic”. What Pitchfork has provided to the city of Chicago is a cheaper, non-corporate festival (unlike Lollapalooza) that runs about half the price, ticketwise, and is fan-friendly.
Consider the heat factor this past weekend. Pitchfork organizers quickly realized the dilemma and immediately cut bottled water prices in half from 2 dollars to 1 dollar to keep people hydrated. This is on top of the idea that they were passing water in front of both larger stages throughout the day to prevent any emergencies.
They instituted a policy whereby fans collecting plastic beer cups on the grounds could turn in 10 cups for a beverage ticket ($1). It never felt as a “Money-grubbing” opportunity but rather a “Best Concert Experience” opportunity. It is true that they went with Heineken as a beer sponser this year vs. using 312 but my understanding was that this went into having better sound equipment as well as allowed them to drop the cost in water.
They are not associated with Ticketmaster/LiveNation so you do not see enormous fees in their tickets. The fact that a daily ticket for their shows only costed $40 dollars can also point to the affordability.
While I think that some of the talent lacked from prior years, I still did have a wonderful time and as I let some of my thoughts on the music portion of the weekend digest, this I am hoping is a precurser to that.
Ultimately, when things get too big, criticism arises. As indie music has grown and corporate rock shrunk, audiences have shifted away from being much more selective about their tastes and preferences. Quite honestly, I look at my own buying patterns for everything that is “Non-music”. What I find myself doing is buying much more local products vs. global. The food I buy, the stores that I visit, I can follow on the internet and thus shifting patterns away from large corporations and to smaller more independent stores. Music as well as focused it’s attention away from large acts that fill arenas and to smaller more intimate acts that you see in clubs. Pitchfork has been a mechanism to allow this to happen, to separate the bad from the good and to prevent the consumer to not be so inundated with new music that they become overwhelmed.
As any media I might disagree with them but appreciate the efforts they sustain to keep it as ethically viable as possible.
Yes, forsome of you out there that listen to Post 80’s Indie-Lo-Fi-Pre-Post-Punk bands this album will not be for you, although whatever genre you are listening to Janelle Monae has probably had a chance to listen to it.
Her debut full-length album ‘ArchAndroid, Suites II and III’ pulls off one of the more ambitious records in memory, finding a way to make a proverbial tour through the history of Rock and Pop music.
When I started paying attention to music, it was artists like Prince and Michael Jackson who were offering crossover appeal, music that was as much Rock as R&B and often the tents of one genre would not always cross over into the other.
However, it is bold moves such as albums like Monae’s which offer to reawaken what is possible in the era of pop music.
This is not just an album but a statement. It is a statement not to the music industry but rather to the listeners out there that are stuck in their boring rut of music and once again ask themselves why in the hell does this pile of fuzz really mean anything? I mean I am asking myself this question all the time. This album does not fit my nice little comfy niche of music that I appreciate and yet it is everything that I appreciate about music.
Consider the subject of the album: This is actually the 2nd and 3rd parts to a 4 part play. What is the play about? A rebellious Android from the future that risks disassembly by falling in love with a human. Er. . .wait a minute. Am I serious? Yes, I am. The first part an EP: ‘Metropolis: The Chase Suite” was released in 2007 and while this opening act did not get the same appeal, it does give a glimpse at what Monae was positioning herself from.
What I have caught myself doing is trying to find as much as possible about this 24 year old artist from Kansas. What are her influences? What are her desert island discs? What is playing on her iPod currently?
The single, ‘Tightrope’, which piqued my interest of her music brings back the old school funk and grove from the 70s with equal parts James Brown. If you think that her performance is a bit smoke and mirrors check out the debut live television performance of her performing the song on David Lettermann.
For some of you that might read my blog on occasion and question my love for an R&B artist I wish to offer this quote from her.
When you’re transitioning to a different stage in your life, there definitely is a fine line you have to walk. At the end of the day, I’m an artist– I love ideas over politics and fame. At the same time, as a black woman in today’s music industry, it’s important that people understand that we’re not all monolithic. It’s time that we just break past this notion that if you’re an African American female you have to stick to one genre. One boring genre, at that.
What a breath of fresh air.
When I began my journey of studying the music of R.E.M., I found that R.E.M.’s “Teachers”, i.e. the music they appreciated was a wide and eclectic group and part of the treat was not finding old singles and B-Sides but also exploring their influences. Listening to this album we realize that Monae’s influences are far beyond the genre she is part of. She is a black woman that is breaking the invisible barriers of her peers and offering a new and diverse musical offering that should make everyone excited.
But what actually makes this even more exciting is how she is able to link the premise of her character as Cindi Mayweather is that they are both attempting to break through the traps of their existence.
I warn you that there is a bit of theatrics to this album. There are moments of classical music, others when you think you are listening to an old classic soundtrack from a black and white movie with the and on the other side of the spectrum there is Kevin Barnes from Of Montreal, offering up a track.
The album is not an easy sell and there are moments where you will feel that the album drags on a little long, but the treats are worth it if you are willing to listen to it. What I am so impressed with however, is that this 24 year old artist is going to be a star.
I figure that about 6 months through the year that it would be a good time to reach out to the few out there that enjoy rolling around in my urine to actually get an idea of what I am listening to.I always remind myself that I need to write more and thus to keep it fairly short I have offered a 1 sentence review for the 15 top albums so far. Of course, maybe all you need is a sentence to know that you will love it.
Top Albums of the Year (So Far)
1. Janelle Monae – Archandroid
Genre-Bending album that’s studies popular music over the past 50+ years. If you give this album time, it should grow on you.
2. Caribou – Swim
Dan Snaith reinvents himself once again throwing away the Psychaedelic Pop of Andorra for an underwater electronic experience.
3. The National – High Violet
Fall into the category of writing smart rock songs, that are catchy, thoughtful and deserve oft-repeated listens.
4. Beach House – Teen Dream
The production quality on this improves and only enhances their sound. Victoria Legrand’s unique vocals however, steal the show.
5.LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening
James Murphy’s follow-up to Sound of Silver is tighter, raucous, and at times a bit hilarious. This album feels a bit like Talking Heads meets Joy Division meets the 21st century.
6.Method Actors – This is Still It (Reissue)
This album is a treasure for those enjoying that great post-punk 80s sound.
7. Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM
Bringing Beck’s talents to this album, Gainsbourg reminds me a bit like St. Vincent’s album Actor as she plays different characters and roles throughout.
8.Tame Impala – Innerspeaker
This album quickly making it’s way up my charts reminds me of Pink Floyd’s ‘Piper at the Gates of Dawn”. Psychaedelic at it’s best.
9.Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles II
It’s that electronica music that they play at that uber hip club that you never go to, cause well you are just not cool enough.
10.Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
Great Alcohol-Fueled Summer Tour Punk meets Bruce Springsteen. “You’ll Always Be A Loser” will be screamed by every fan at every show that they perform at.
11.Owen Pallett – Heartland
Mixing Electronica and Strings, it feels a bit like Grizzly Bear’s ‘Veckatimest’.
12. Radio Dept – Clinging to A Scheme
I always felt that this band was born during the wrong decade. Always feels like that 80’s Goth Rock feel.
13. Spoon – Transference
Probably would be higher on the list if not for their awful show at the Aragon. I think my ears are still ringing.
14.Morning Benders – Excuses
Promising record with one of the best songs of the year, ‘Excuses’ reminiscent of the old “Wall of Sound” recordings.
15.Netherfriends – Barry and Sherry
Chicago-band that after a couple listens has to be one of the more intriguing finds this year. Animal Collective – Psychedelic pop.
Best of the Rest
Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes are Roaring the Night
Whenever a band is able to produce several stellar records in a row, they are considered for one of the enviable positions amongst my favorite music on my Facebook Page for Mark Zuckerberg to take and share in a capitalistic manner all over the Internet.
Caribou has reached that point already and their latest album “Swim” has to be listed amongst on of my favorites so far this year.
Caribou, the Dan Snaith project is almost into its 10th year has produced several incredible releases. Caribou’s growth as an artist from “Up in Flames”, “The Milk of Human Kindness” and “Andorra” have not truly led in any one logical progression.But anyone that is sincere about LCD Soundsystems album should definitely check this out.
Snaith, an accomplished drummer and mathematician would also be part of my All-Star Fantasy Band.
Other Members?
Thom Yorke
Noah Lennox (Panda Bear)
Bradford Cox (Deerhunter, Atlas Sound)
I am not picking these members by instrument they play but more so on what they have brought to the table insofar as expanding the horizons of music and were ironically the first 4 artists that I thought of. However, the point of this is not to get off topic but rather specify just how important Caribou is to the current music scene.
Caribou’s 2010 release, “Swim” seems to be more than just a title but a theme. In songs such as Kaili, there is almost a warbling underwater feel to its electronica setup. In some manner, it would almost be like taking the backdrop of the dance floor and combining that with Olivia Tremor Controls ‘Black Foliage’ album.
The stellar track “Sun” is primarily an instrumental dance track with Snaith repeating the word “Sun” several times. On the surface it sounds simple but again, it plays with your emotions. Listen carefully to the uneasy feeling, almost as if you were underwater and looking up at the surface diving in and out of the water, the word “Sun” blurred until you get to the surface and its as crystal clear to the ear. What does it feel like? Um, like you are swimming.
What is surprising about Snaith’s direction is how he pulled back in fear of becoming too mainstream.There seemed to be a direction that the albums were taking, while keeping with some of the psychedelic influences intact. A song like Melody Day for example is reminiscent of classic 60’s pop and yet feels fairly modern.
Take the most accessible track off Swim, the opening track ‘Odessa’ and you get a funky beat and yet it still has time to pull some strings. Odessa feels as if it should be played at the darker end of the dancefloor, its murky, scratchy feel keeping you off balance while the percussion keeps your head bobbing.
‘Swim’ is not the pop follow-up to ‘Andorra’. Instead, Caribou digs you deeper and farther underwater. The transition song ‘Lalibela’ appears to borrow from Caribou’s own ‘After Hours’ becoming much briefer and off-kilter but leads to the intriguing ‘Jamelia’ featuring Luke Lalonde from the Born Ruffians on lead vocals. Changing tempos several times, it feels as if it approaches world music.
What is very much apparent is the combination of conventional instruments as well as electronica in the same breadth, something that Snaith pushed the boundaries on this particular album. Take into account that during their live shows, there are two drummers featured in the front of the stage. While I have seen the element of the Electronica genre feature a drummer, few will put two on stage and even fewer will stuff the back row with individuals that play conventional instruments.
‘Swim’ is not a conventional album, however, and it should be noted that I will be keeping notes when the band plays it’s free show at Pritzker Pavilion here in Chicago this summer.
Lastly, I have found myself relating to this album on a deeper level with the recent BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. While there are no direct ‘Spooky’ correlations as with Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot after 9/11 you still do not help but wonder about humans relationship with the water and our senses of this pure source of life (and death). This album will not give you answers but it will make you ask a couple questions along the way.
If someone were to ask me today about the status of quality music that is coming out, my answer to them would be there is a plethora of great music of all shapes and sizes being released to the public. The problem of course is finding that music.
While word of mouth is still a strong component of the music that you listen to, the other sources of finding out about new music have largely changed. 25 years ago, people would rely on MTV, the Radio and Music Magazines to get their fill. Today, conventional radio is a fraction of what it used to be, MTV doesn’t even play music anymore and like the rest of the Newspaper and Magazine market, most people prefer blogs and websites to magazines.
On top of this the number of bands have multiplied several times over when it has become difficult to follow a handful of bands closely. Stadium-filled shows have been replaced by festivals, which can attract a greater amount of fans to experience and explore the sounds around them.
Being a “Thirtysomething” that has a steady job outside of writing on this site and others, my music fill is both one that relies on time and need. I just do not have the time in the day to rely on every single music release and base my own thoughts around friends, cohorts and sites that promote music.
One of those sites that I have used is Pitchfork. Pitchfork has built upon a solid Indie Rock Formula of good reviews, a level of irony and a lack of acting “Too Corporate”. While they might go to bed with certain bands like Radiohead, Vampire Weekend and Animal Collective, I do not take their word as “Holier than thou” but a word nonetheless.
Recently they reviewed the inagural release ‘Treats’ by the band Sleigh Bells, one of those “Buzz” bands. These bands will have a paragraph or so in their reviews about somehow being the talk of the hip indie community as being one of the next big things. Discovery is important and to put it in writing is even more important so that they can reflect on that years later about how they gave certain artists high grades early on.
What of course I noticed about the release was that Pitchfork gave the Sleigh Bells new album the title “Best New Music” and a score of 8.7. This title is given to any album that receives a score above 8.0 on their grading chart. They are fairly tough reviewers as you see very few releases above 9.0 on their grading system and since 8.7 is pretty high up there, it meant that I should check it out.
Another factor in my immediate purchase was that they were planning on playing Pitchfork Music Festival which I am attending. What better way to get acquainted with my music listening decisions that weekend than checking out the talent.
My initial reaction to this album was one, which would make me call it one of the best albums of the year or one of the worst. If anything it is one of the most intriguing releases of 2010 which will probably command a lot of disparate opinions across the internets.
At first listen to this album, my deepest fears were being met. A combination of the “Pussycat Dolls” and “Heavy Metal Guitars” with an equal amount of electronica to make Lady Gaga have an orgasm. Not that I have a huge problem with ‘Lady Gaga’ or her talents withstanding, but better to the point that it reminds me of those yuppie bars I would attend in my youth.
No there is no doubt talent on this record and there will no doubt be many thoughts and reactions about this album. But how do you write about something that you are either going to admit is a “Flash in the Pan” – Jesus Jones moment or something that is a genuine record of the year candidate?
According to Wikipedia, they have been defined as “Dance Punk”, what that means, I have no clue. Sorry if I find that there are more music genres in music these days than bands.
For me the moments of annoyance are when Alexis Krauss’s vocals venture into the “Pop Stardom” vs. sticking with the Miki Berenyi-Lush stylings such as my favorite song on the album so far “Rachel” which combines that Spooky/Gala style on top of some great electronica. Personally, I prefer the latter but also understand there is more money in the former.
However, the guitars on this album is why it was posted to Pitchfork to begin with. Derek Miller’s guitars on ‘Infinity Guitars’ among others are meant to bleed eardrums and what makes this album from being a favorite at the yuppie clubs and also the indie rock circuit. When the initial shock wears off, you understand the conflict in the music. Alexis Krauss would have no part in a Heavy Metal/Punk outfit in her life and yet, this odd combination actually works on many levels. It tries to break barriers in the same way that Prince did by bringing R&B and guitar-driven rock together. It is a combination that you do not expect and at times abhor but you listen anyhow.
And that is half of the problem. You finish listening to the album and it slightly kicks you in the ass and you are really not sure if the ride was worth it or not. For me, the album has not been immediate but rather bone-jarring. The opening to the song ‘Straight A’s’ for example would have heavy metal fans on their feet. Ever pissed at a neighbor? Play this track at 11 and you will be noticed.
There are other songs such as “Ring, Ring” or“Rill, Rill” depending on where you are getting your knowledge from. which provide a gentler, luscious side, that should be a mainstay at Proms if they have a pretty good DJ.
Its strength’s are in the music and the vocals and would provide a thumbs down to the lyrics, which I would characterize as pedestrian. This is a blaring, sweaty party album. It’s an album that will do well on the tour circuit on a hot summer venue.
This album crosses genres and based on your own musical preferences, I would suggest the purchase if only to experience it and create your own opinion. This is not your average “Boring” rock record.This record takes chances and for that I applaud it.
But as any music listener will attest to, opinions change. The Buzz today could be in the trash tomorrow.
This mix was inspired by a friend of mine, Adam, who is part of the Dirty Avocado’s, which is not your mother’s Guacamole. Instead they are a Adventure Racing Team, braving the environmental factors such as the weather, terrain, and their equipment.
Per his request in asking for a nice mix of songs to play while battling the extremities, I came up with a “Relatively Small” list of songs (50 to be exact) that would hopefully put him in his “Happy Place”.
I will hopefully post a “Podcast” or three of these songs for your listening pleasure later on but I thought I would offer this as an eccletic mix of Happy Songs.
In coming up with these songs, I tried to loosely base it off a “Psychaedelic” theme. However, even in dealing with that theme, we do cross over into other genres of music from time to time. You can read, critique, and lambast here and then later on I will let you sit back and relax and enjoy the ride.
Song Title– Band
Why wont you talk about it – The Radio Dept.
Calvary Scars Ll / Aux. Out – Deerhunter
Zebra – Beach House
Paranoid Android – Radiohead
No Surprises – Radiohead
Already Yours –Curve
Sunbathing – Lush
Comfy In Nautica – Panda Bear
The Crystal Cat – Dan Deacon
Silence – Portishead
Three Days – Jane’s Addiction
So You’ll Aim Toward The Sky – Grandaddy
Sometimes – My Bloody Valentine
Skunks – Caribou
Deeper into Movies – Yo La Tengo
The Way You Dream – 1 Giant Leap
No. 6 Von Karman Street – A Sunny Day In Glasgow
Bright Tomorrow – Fuck Buttons
Infinity – The XX
Where I End And You Begin (The Sky Is Falling In) – Radiohead
I Have Been Floated – Olivia Tremor Control
You Are The Blood – Sufjan Stevens
…And the World Laughs With You (feat. Thom Yorke) – Flying Lotus
The Trees – Max Richter
Don’t Let Your Youth Go to Waste – Galaxie 500
Wait in a Line – Now It’s Overhead
Red – Mission of Burma
The Rat – The Walkmen
Wholehearted Mess – Bear In Heaven
Dead Souls – Joy Division
The Murder Mystery – The Velvet Underground
Hearing Damage – Thom Yorke
Texico Bitches – Broken Social Scene
We Were Born The Mutants Again With Leafling – Of Montreal
Get Innocuous! – LCD Soundsystem
In the Flowers – Animal Collective
Inertia Creeps – Massive Attack
Indoor Swimming At The Space Station – Eluvium
Roscoe – Midlake
Starla – Smashing Pumpkins
je t’aime… moi non plus (en duo avec Jane Birkin) – Serge Gainsbourg
Hard World – Overflower
A Rush and Push and the Land Is Ours – The Smiths
Sun – Caribou
Whatever Happened – Glenn Mercer
Archangel – Burial
Astronomy Domine – Pink Floyd
Your Blood in Mine – Serena Maneesh
Everythings Alright When You’re Down – The Jesus & Mary Chain
This has come up quite a bit amongst Republicans as their solution to the healthcare costs skyrocketing and I thought I would offer my thoughts here. Tort reform is the idea that limiting caps on insurance settlements will in fact reduce costs. The argument is that by limiting caps, doctors will not be in the business of providing unnecessary tests and medical care i.e. act as “Defensive Doctors” for fear of being sued.
Tort Reform however, does not have many of the arguments of true conservatives, that being “Free Markets”, something that I find slightly odd and at the same time also find it odd that democrats do not support it either.
The total costs of malpractice is approximately 1-2% of total healthcare costs. I honestly believe that tort reform is necessary, however, my opinion is neither that of liberal or conservative viewpoints.
Costs associated with malpractice insurance will adversely affect certain specialties more often than others. For example, Obstetrics and Gynecology pays much more for malpractice insurance than your Internal Medicine physician.
However, even with Tort Reform, I do not believe that “Defensive Medicine” will become history. Fact is, doctors still do not like being sued. All it would do would be to lower the chances of outrageous liability suits occurring. It might have some calming effects but it will not be the silver bullet either.
Tort Reform still does not answer the big issue with malpractice insurance in that one of the biggest costs of tort reform is the administrative and legal costs defending physicians. Just because a physician is being sued does not mean that the physician is liable, and in most cases these cases are either dropped or dismissed.And because of these high costs, many times lawyers will not recommend to patients suing expecting lower settlements.
At the same time, with malpractice insurance rising, it is squeezing out certain specialties more than others. Also, we have to look at the situation where some states do not have the same insurance crisis as others might.
What I will argue and also find a bit humorous about the argument for Tort Reform is that it is not even ideologically based. Tort Reform is essentially having the government set up a “Regulated” market protecting physicians and and the health industry while not supporting the Legal Industry.The common idea here is that its also a mandate to keep costs low for patients.
Next, we also have to realize that Insurance Companies are like large banks and they need a hefty amount of assets to stay afloat. Thus, investment income is a big component. They have shown that in situations when investment income takes a loss, that insurance rates rise due to the additional capital that needs to be undertaken to support malpractice claims.
So when investment income is high, the related costs for malpractice insurance will normally stay down but that in times when it is low malpractice insurance will rise in those states without caps but stay moderate in states where caps are in place.
Don’t you find this ironic? That the “Regulated” industry is being supported by conservatives that promote the “Free Market” system and liberals who do not?
The same time, this model would suggest that it is not the “Silver Bullet” which will lower costs but rather regulate them preventing the shocks within the malpractice market. I guess my message is that I would hope that liberals see that this is a good idea but to conservatives it is not the only idea.
Maybe to me, this is why I typically believe that you have to go beyond the talking points to find out the true story and in this case, I always find this funny because the argument here is more based upon what industries give to what party vs. actual ideology. In this case they flipped. Point being is that if you are a liberal democrat you can rest assured that this is okay. I really do not think that suing a doctor for 10 million vs. 2 million will really make a difference. If the point is to send a message, it will get sent irregardless of the monetary amount.
However, in the long run I would really question whether lawsuits have a huge role in the Patient Care Model. This is also to liberals have a way of thinking that the best way to make sure nothing happens again is to punish and sue. (see Bush Administration War Crimes). Yes, there will be situations where it will open eyes to current behavior but limits will not prevent this from happening.
Read as you may, and change your opinion as you may.