December 3, 2006
Winterish: a song list ::
music — tagged favorites, indie rock, mixes and music
8:56 pm
I was out riding today and noticed, along with the conspicuous lack of snow, the significant number of Japanese SUV’s ferrying around Christmas trees. ‘Tis the weekend for at least one holiday purchase, I suppose. And with that image ingrained in your head, here’s decidedly non-Christmas-themed song list for your December enjoyment:
Gamera by Tortoise: The first track of the Lazarus Taxon rarities compilation. As a general principle I have very little tolerance for extended songs, but it’s worth paying attention to every moment of this 12-minute track. Starting with a single acoustic guitar and moving gradually into a driving post-rock crescendo, the song will get me to stop everything I’m doing to listen.
Mr. Tough by Yo La Tengo: This song’s instrumentals recall Moondance-era Van Morrison for me, and represent (I think) a new sound for the band. It’s catchy, groovy, but still has much of the same sound that has defined the band over its 20-year career.
7/4 (Shoreline) by Broken Social Scene: It’s taken a year and a half for me to finally start getting into Broken Social Scene’s second album. But I’ve always liked this song. It’s fast-paced, intensely orchestrated, and has an excellent horns section that ties it all together.
Goodbye by Asobi Seksu: In my humble opinion, I think Asobi Seksu should win a best new band award from someone for their 2006 release. It’s been one of my favorites of the year, to be sure. I threw this particular track on there because it reminded me of the insufferably hot weather of late July and early August
Loser City by Oxford Collapse: I stand by the assertion I made on an indie music mailing list that Oxford Collapse’s latest album exudes the “easy confidence of a three beer buzz.” This song, with lots of guitars and shouting, exemplifies exactly that sound. It’s a great song to have stuck in your head when your biking through traffic in downtown Montpelier.
Leap Year by +/-: I saw these guys open for the Wrens and was blown away—their songs have a great combination of heavy fuzz and chiming guitars that can really emote at times. This song wells up like heartbreak.
Each Coming Night by Iron & Wine: Over the past three years I’ve grown to appreciate the emotional honesty of folk musicians that are beginning to make up a larger portion of American Indie Rock catalogs. Iron & Wine was my first introduction to this sound, and continues to be the a central figure in that indie folk movement. A part of you might cry, just a little, each time you hear this song.
Something by Sam Prekop: Post-rock at its best. I remember hearing this song for the first time on the Murderball soundtrack, and have been looking for the right mix for it. So here it is. I feel hopeful every time I hear this one.
Rainbow by Snowlgobe: Things are starting to get sad now. Snowglobe has an interesting sound that calls up the sad underside of psychedelia, and this song exemplifies what they’re all about.
All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands by Sufjan Stevens: I was reminded of how good this album was when I was watching Weeds over Thanksgiving and this song closed out one episode. (Speaking of Weeds, I really enjoy the show—not so much because I find the weird suburban pothead culture entertaining, but because the main character is such a real person. The death of her husband, and the emotional loss that makes up a large part of her emotional landscape, really gives a sad texture to the whole show.)
Greycoated Morning by David and the Citizens: This song has been kicking around my song lists since it showed up on one of my podcasts over the summer. It’s one of those great indie pop tunes that sounds happy but probably has some of the saddest lyrics of any song published this year.
Beauty by The Shivers: I’d never heard of The Shivers before downloading this track, which I’d heard about through Pitchfork’s (quite stellar review). Although I, like any other indie rock hipster, do my best to distinguish my music tastes from those of the Pitchfork editorial staff, I have to give them credit when they found a winner. If you’ve ever longed for someone so badly it hurt, this song, with its echoing, solemn guitars and composed yet deathly sad lead singer, will resonate with you, too.
Future Women by The M’s: The track for which the M’s latest foray into guitar-driven glam-pop was named. It was an easy way to close out a track list that was maybe getting just a little bit too serious.
October 18, 2006
Fall Song List ::
music — tagged fall, favorites, indie rock, mixes, mixtapes, music and songlists
8:26 am
- Goin’ Against Your Mind, by Built to Spill: When I first heard this track on Built to Spill’s 2006 release You in Reverse I thought, hey these guys are back to their old form. Alas, the rest of the album is a little flat, so in the end I was disappointed. But it’s no matter, because this 8 minute track is stellar—a fast tempo and lots of different instruments going in different directions but still held in a cohesive whole. Plus Doug Marsh’s guitars always sound so solitary and haunting.
- Stuck Between Stations, by The Hold Steady: They’re one of the few bands I can think of whose albums have progressively, consistently gotten better over the past two years. This track particularly caught my attention because of the John Berryman reference (of course it makes sense, since he was a Twin Cities native). Craig Finn sings of Berryman’s suicide, and tells a story of Berryman’s conversation with the devil before jumping off the Washington Bridge. It’s a really great intellectual reference in the middle of a truly great indie rock anthem.
- Black Cab, by Jens Lekman: with two rocking tracks to start out, I thought I’d change up the tone a bit with Jens Lekman. I loved “Black Cab” when I first heard it sometime last year, and I’ve been looking for the right mix for it. So here it is. What is it that makes Jens’ music so great? It’s the underlying R&B sounds, of course!
- Ankle Injuries, by Fujiya and Miyagi: Not sure what it is, but electronica always follows well after Jens (see my previous mix). I picked up a couple of these guys’ tracks after reading a positive Pitchfork review of their album. Very simple melody laid over a nice, driving beat, with one of the musicians chanting, “Fujiya, Miyagi, Fujiya, Miyagi” over and over again. It’s a study in minimalism, I suppose, and it really works.
- Playhouses, by TV On The Radio: Oh, man, this song is great. It works well as a first track, or a great transition to get things moving again in the mix after slowing things up for a track or two. And as the song descends into its closing fuzz, the band sings with one of the most exhilirating cadences I’ve heard all year.
- I Feel Like Going Home, by Yo La Tengo: What a great album Yo La Tengo has come out with this year. I was a bit worried about them after they released Summer Sun (had they lost it?) but this one comes out and they’re back in full form. Here’s an exquisit, sad song with a solemn piano, female vocals and not much else. It gives me chills just thinking about it.
- Emergency, by Wilderness: This indie rock band from Baltimore was one of my great discoveries of the summer. The underlying music harkens back to Interpol, but the decidedly non-melodic chanting of the lead singer totally wrecks any meaningful reference to that band, or any larger school of music to which it might belong. The result is a sound that is at the same time familiar yet completely their own.
- Underneath the Waves, by The Twilight Singers: When I was a teenager, The Afghan Whigs were one of my agnst bands. Now the Twilight Singers come along, and while they use the same formula—that is, tight verses combined with really strong choruses—and create a sound that is similarly cathartic but a little more restrained. So it produces the same emotional reaction, but appeals to my more adult sensibilities.
- St. Rosa and the Swallows, by The Thermals: See my previous post on The Thermals and you’ll see why I put one of their tracks here. How could I not include them?
- Favours for Favours, by The Futureheads: I always liked these guys, but I fell in love with them at Pitchfork. This song, off their 2006 release, particularly caught my attention because of its subjectmatter—trying to get some gal’s attention. It’s a theme that has been all but completely played out in indie rock, but with their sense of melody and optimism, The Futureheads are able new and exciting.
- Eyed Eyes Eye, by Conner: They’re a young band out of Lawrence, Kansas. And they have a punk-rock sound tinged with traditional rock and roll sensibilities. There’s something very Exile-on-Mainstreet-esque about this track, and about their album generally. Although the song by no means reaches the heights of Exile, the band nonetheless has a lot of potential for indie rock greatness, and I think that comes through with this hard-driving little rocker.
- Requiem, by M. Ward: A touching in-memoriam of a truly great person who may or may not have actually existed. Whether or not he did, I feel bad that I never had an opportunity to meet the man to whom this song is dedicated. M. Ward has the unique ability to sing songs that really make you feel what he’s talking about. He’s a lot like Tom Waits in that regard, though Ward is a bit more melodic about it.
- Pancho, by Tortoise (featuring Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy): Tortoise and BPB got together and produced an album of unrecognizeable cover songs that overall was pretty eh. But this song is really great—there’s lots of opportunities for irony and sarcastic commentary, but Will Oldham sings it with the upmost sincerity.
- Sons and Daughters, by The Decemberists: I’ve been warming up to the Decemberists’ latest over the past few weeks. When I first heard it, I thought it sounded a bit too, I don’t know, Steely Dan? But now I realize that it’s more like the band is reaching for a newer, heightened form of their sound. I can’t fault them for that, definitely. And this song, which is the album’s last track, calls to mind the underlying optimism of wanting to escape from your life—not because you want to run away from what you have, but because you want something better.
- You Gotta Feel It, by Spoon: Where did this song come from? I’ve had Kill the Moonlight since it came out in 2002, but I didn’t notice how great this song was until just recently. Great horns section, plus a really catchy, minimalist piano line that comes in sometime in the second verse. And at just about a minute and a half, it’s a perfect closer.
June 10, 2006
Rainy day songs ::
music — tagged favorites, indie rock, mixes and music
4:09 pm
Bleah. Some days just never get off the ground. If you know what I mean, let me recommend a soundtrack:
- That Photograph, Brent Gorton
- Snakes Got a Leg III, Sunset Rubdown
- The Latest Toughs, Okkervil River
- The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!, Sufjan Stevens
- On To You, Constantines
- Sukie in the Graveyard, Belle & Sebastian
- Reconstruction Site, The Weakerthans
- Lily and Parrots, Sun Kil Moon
- One with the Freaks, The Notwist
- Kicked In (Acoustic), Superchunk
- What Are You, Bonnie Prince Billy
- Rebels Got A Hole In It, Halo Benders
- Lovers Who Uncover, The Little Ones
May 25, 2006
Post-JD song list ::
music — tagged favorites, indie rock, mixes and music
7:26 pm
In honor of my becoming a newly-minted lawyer, an updated song list. It’s a rough reflection of my general mood, but it has no deeper meaning than that. So don’t read too deeply into it. In Song name, Artist order:
- Stadiums and Shrines II, Sunset Rubdown
- Protein and Poison, Maritime
- Disco Sheets, Wolf Parade
- Our Swords, Band of Horses
- What Did Your Last Servant Die Of?, The Wedding Present
- Black Cab, Jens Lekman
- Caterpillar Girl, Lou Barlow
- In Between Days, Ben Folds
- Casio Bossa Nova, Holy Fuck
- Details Of The War, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
- Trahison, Vitalic
- Love And Some Verses, Iron & Wine
- Patterns of Fairytales, The National
Well, now that I think of it, there might be a deeper meaning to at least one of the songs. I remembered this from “Patterns of Fairytales”:
so I’m turning on the stereo
and I’m lining up the names
on the mixes I made before you…
So there you go. How meta, indeed.
December 30, 2005
Great music of 2005 ::
music — tagged 2005, favorites, indie rock, mixes and music
9:31 pm
So, 2005 is nearly over and, assuming that there will not be some surprise release in the next day, I have a pretty good sense at this point of what my favorite songs of the year are. Here’s a quick list:
- Draw Us Lines, by the Constantines
- The Music Next Door, by the Lucksmiths
- Reunion, by Stars
- My Doorbell, by the White Stripes
- Shine a Light, by Wolf Parade
- This Year, by the Mountain Goats
- Entertain, by Sleater-Kinney
- What A Wonderful Man, by My Morning Jacket
- Your Little Hoodrat Friend, by the Hold Steady
- Let the Cool Goddess Rust Away, by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
- Sing Me Spanish Techno, by the New Pornographers
- Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Il, by Sufjan Stevens
- The Bleeding Heart Show, by the New Pornographers
- Soon Enough, by the Constantines
- Eli, the Barrow Boy, by the Decemberists
- The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth, by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
- The Earthquake of 73, by the Fruit Bats
- Banging Camp, by the Hold Steady
And of course, this should by no means be considered an exhaustive list…
