Upcoming Shows: Marnie Stern, Pissed Jeans + more

Sorry I’ve been away for a bit. I will get back on blogging schedule next week.

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
TONIGHT! Friday, June 18

Marnie Stern + Anni Rossi, True Womanhood @ Glasslands * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $12/$15
Marnie Fucking Stern, ladies and gentlemen, one of the greatest guitar heroes of our generation. At Glasslands, which is small and often has very good acoustics. This show cannot be beat. Marnie Stern isn’t quite metal and isn’t quite punk and isn’t quite anything else except awesome. Plus Anni Rossi, who’s pretty okay at violin and songs and True Womanhood, who sound like Radiohead - in a good way. GO TO THIS SHOW. [marnie myspace] [rossi myspace] [true myspace]


Saturday, June 19

Pissed Jeans, Pop. 1280 @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $12
This will be one of the hardcore/post-hardcore/noise rock shows of the year. You might be seriously injured but it will be worth it. These bands play lurching, desperate anthems straight from the gut. They channel the collective underbelly of our world and let it out via amplifiers and hella distortion. [piss myspace] [pop myspace]


Sunday, June 20

Dinowalrus @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Last time I talked to Dinowalrus, they pointed out that I should stop calling them "mathy" because they aren’t, and for once, a band was right about their own music (seriously) so let me just say they are not mathy, but are very rhythm driven, experimental music that’s clearly psychedelic and sometimes danceable. It’s not so experimental as to forgo a strong pop appeal as well. [myspace]

Knight School, Boy Genius @ Bruar Falls * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $7
Knight School play fuzzy indie pop with the best tunez around. Boy Genius play less fuzzy indie pop and also have more than few good songs. [knight myspace] [boy myspace]


Monday, June 21

Miniboone, Gunfight!, Quiet Loudly, Pet Ghost Project @ Spike Hill * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
OK, this line up RULES. Miniboone are make big, dramatic pop with manic punk energy. Quiet Loudly are a bit more chill, with a sort of angular take on 60’s psychedelic music. Gunfight! make fun cow punk you can’t not enjoy and Pet Ghost Project do a bunch of stuff that swings between lo-fi pop and post-hardcore noise rock. I wouldn’t normally recommend Spike Hill, but this line up is SICK. [mini myspace] [ql myspace] [gun myspace] [pgp myspace]


Wednesday, June 23

Tortoise @ Le Poisson Rouge * Greenwich Village, Manhattan * $22
Electro kings of experimental music back in the 90’s, Tortoise were an influence on just about every worthwhile post rock band in the last decade or so. Their music draws on ambient, jazz, krautrock and post punk and sounds like no one else. [ myspace]

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

June
24
Wavves @ Knitting Factory

25
Fiery Furnaces @ Brooklyn Bowl
Silversun Pickups, Against Me! @ Williamsburg Waterfront

26
Fiery Furnaces @ Mercury Lounge
Titus Andronicus @ Newtown Barge Park
Liars, Fucked Up, High Places @ Newtown Barge Park

27
Les Savy Fav, Polvo @ Newtown Barge Park

July
6
B-52s @ Highline Ballroom

11
The Roots, Talib Kweli @ Prospect Park

13
Cheap Trick @ Radio City Music Hall

16
Weezer @ Williamsburg Waterfront

17
Siren Fest: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Matt & Kim, Ted Leo, Surfer Blood @ Coney Island

22
Antlers, Dinosaur Feathers @ Pier 54

23
Modest Mouse @ Williamsburg Waterfront

24
M.I.A., Sleigh Bells @ Governors Island

26
Flaming Lips @ Central Park

27
Black Keys @ Central Park
The National, Beach House @ Prospect Park

28
Black Keys @ Central Park

30
Big Takeover: Springhouse @ Bell House

31
Sonic Youth, Grass Widow, Talk Normal @ Prospect Park
Big Takeover: Springhouse, For Against @ Bell House

August
12
Gang Gang Dance, Grizzly Bear, Walkmen @ Governors Island

15
Public Enemy @ Central Park

17
MGMT @ Radio City Music Hall

18
MGMT @ Radio City Music Hall

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Happy Thanksgiving!

In celebration, here is a list of the ten bands I am the most thankful exist right now. In alphabetical order because I love them all equally(ish).

The Antlers - Definitely the wimpiest band on this list, but wimpy doesn't necessarily mean unedgy. This music explores the traumas of abuse and loss with nearly unparalleled honesty. It's the kind of music that will save lives. [RFR Review] [MySpace]

Fucked Up - This band is, as I've previously explained, the superman of punk rock. They give closet punks like me hope. [RFR Review] [Unofficial MySpace]

Jeff the Brotherhood - This is what rock music is about. Great songs, aggressive guitars, powerful drums and sheer awesomeness. [RFR Review] [MySpace]

Marnie Stern - Marnie proves that electric guitar can still be groundbreaking, if you play it weirdly enough. [RFR Review] [MySpace]

Ponytail - Ponytail is one of the most refreshingly original bands of the decade. After half a century of rock music, it's hard to sound totally new, but there's just no one else on earth who sounds like this. [RFR Review] [MySpace]

Pterodactyl - Pterodactyl are on this list for mostly the same reason as Ponytail. They don't sound like anyone else. There is no reference point. Unlike Ponytail, they keep the song/melody-orientation of most popular music, but they've found a way to be exciting while still accessible. [RFR Review] [MySpace]

Screaming Females - If anyone can save rock music from the disaffected, icy grasp of the hipsters, it's these guys. They pretty much take everything that's ever been good about rock music, distill it into great pop songs with raging guitars, and somehow make it sound relevant to 2009. And their passion for their music is the ultimate anti-hipster statement. Anyone who hears them will have to admit rock is better this way. [RFR Review] [MySpace]

Stupid Party - This band has a truly independent spirit. You can tell from watching them on stage, they just don't give a fuck about any bullshit. They want to make their songs come out of their instruments and probably to drink some beer afterwards. [RFR Review] [MySpace]

Titus Andronicus - This band restored my faith in hardcore punk. While the thrashy Fucked Up is thoroughly experimental, Titus Andronicus keep it more old school at the core. Still, it's not outdated. Songs about classic paintings and the New Jersey suburbs are definitely post-2000. And while many bands touch on subjects like these, most do it in a despicably unaware celebration of their personally privileged backgrounds. Titus Andronicus comes from an entirely different angle, expressing themselves with intelligent questioning, raw emotion and a truly worldly perspective. [RFR Review] [MySpace]

Wavves - The indie scene was in bad need of another band like Wipers or Flipper. And we got it with Wavves. All distorted guitars and brilliant melodies, no hyper-selfawareness and no crap. [RFR Review] [MySpace]

Upcoming Shows: Raincoats, Shonen Knife, No Age, Marnie Stern + more

This is a confusing and difficult week for show-goers. Way too much that's way too awesome. The extent to which awesomeness overlaps will probably make you cry.

Thursday, October 15

Titus Andronicus, So So Glos, Grooms @ Knitting Factory | Williamsburg, Brooklyn (NEW LOCATION!!!) | $12
Titus Andronicus and So So Glos are two of the awesomest hardcore punk bands around. And by hardcore punk, I don't mean fifteen-year-old skinheads who go around beating people up. I mean nice kids who like to play rock music. Titus puts on a hell of a live show. Grooms are an odd fit, with a much slower, more complex, less energized sound. But they are good too. Also, this is their album release party. I just reviewed their album like 10 minutes ago. [TA MySpace] [SSG MySpace] [Grooms MySpace]

No Age @ MoMA | Midtown East, Manhattan
I don't know why No Age is playing at MoMA. It sounds pretentious and not worth missing the above show to see. But I figured I'd let you know. They play the New Museum the next day and have a proper show Saturday (see below). [MySpace]


Friday, October 16

Raincoats, Marnie Stern, Viv Albertine @ Knitting Factory | Williamsburg, Brooklyn (NEW LOCATION!!!) | $22 adv./$25 dos.
HOLY FUCKIN SHIT THE FUCKIN RAINCOATS!!!!!!!!! Or, more calmly put, one of the first and greatest UK punk bands and one of the bands that pioneered the way for women in indie rock music. The other band to fit this description, of course, is the Slits. And the Slits' guitarist was...anybody? Anybody? That's right, Viv Albertine! And as for Marnie Stern, she's the new generation, and just as awesome. You cannot miss this show, unless... [Raincoats MySpace] [MS MySpace] [VA MySpace]

...you miss it to see this one:
Shonen Knife @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan | $12
More of indie rock's leading ladies, Shonen Knife have one of the coolest backstories in rock history. Formed in the 1980's in uber-conservative Japan, Shonen Knife consisted of three women who worked as secretaries by day and led secret lives as indie pop musicians at night, unbeknownst to their families and employers - it was considered unseemly for a woman to play rock or pop music, but Shonen Knife gave chauvinism the finger and kicked out some jams, motherfuckers. [MySpace]


Saturday, October 17

No Age @ Above the AutoParts Store | Bushwick, Brooklyn
No Age are a "noise punk" duo from California. "Noise punk" is the in-term right now for bands like this, and it does make a lot of sense. Borrowing from shoegaze, lo-fi and noise pop, No Age and their ilk make dense walls of distortiony sound, but slam out fast 2/4 punk tunes instead of meandering ambiance or wimpy indie pop. No Age are the best of their peers at this style, with bright, irresistible melodies and an unbelievable amount of noise, made on only one guitar. Go see them. [MySpace]

Echo & the Bunnymen @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | SOLD OUT!
Obviously, Echo & the Bunnymen is one of the greatest bands of all time. Their mopey post punk, with its stark landscapes and dramatic, tuneful tenor, adds a psychedelic sensibility to the mix. Formed in 1978, this band is the real deal. Mercury Lounge is probably the best small venue in the city. You will NEVER have another chance to see this band this close. Obviously, it's sold out, so if you don't have a ticket, good luck.

Glenn Branca @ Issue Project Room | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $12 adv. / $15 dos.
One of the leaders of New York City's late 70's arty No Wave scene, Branca is an avant garde composer who makes crazy-ass sounds on guitars and mentored Thurtston Moore and Lee Renaldo when they were both wee young things. Or something like that (the nature of the relationship depends on who you ask). I wouldn't go see this over the above shows. He's from town and will perform again. Probably at IPR.

Upcoming Shows: Pterodactyl, Marnie Stern + more

TONIGHT! Monday, August 3

Stupid Party @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan
I just reviewed Stupid Party. They are ridiculously awesome and you should go check them out. [MySpace]


TOMORROW! Tuesday, August 4

Los Campesinos! @ Webster Hall | East Village, Manhattan
I love this band and their exuberant, youthful pop music. But I'd say, wait until they play a less awful venue.


Thursday, August 6

Darlings @ Cameo | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Another of those bands I just reviewed (actually at that same show). I think this band is genuinely insane, and I love them. [MySpace]

Marnie Stern @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan
Unless I'm much mistaken, Marnie Stern, that bad-ass guitar master whose 2008 album deserves "instant classic" status, will be playing at Santos. [MySpace]


Friday, August 7

Pterodactyl + That Ghost, The Fucking Ocean @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Pterodactyl is easily one of the best bands in Brooklyn right now. Their high-speed math-punk (I guess that's what to call it) is fascinating and captivating. I have heard of That Ghost and the Fucking Ocean and don't know much, but I know I like Fucking Ocean's name and have been meaning to check them out. So, I will blindly recommend them as well, since you're already going to be at DBA for Pterodactyl (Pterodactyl!!!!!!!). [Ptero MySpace]


Saturday, August 8

Sundelles, Wild Yaks @ Public Assembly | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
| $15 (benefit!)
Benefit gigs are super nice. This one helps a school in Uganda. Sundelles are pretty cool lo-fi garage rock with 50's/60's-worthy melodies. Wild Yaks are not the greatest thing ever, but they are solid indie rock and well-beloved. [Sundelles MySpace] [WY MySpace]

Upcoming Shows: Northside Festival + more

This weekend has so many awesome shows, it makes me sick! Most of that is due to L Magazine's Northside Festival. Now, I don't really trust L Magazine, given their picks for "eight NYC bands you need to hear", but they've got a lot of cool people doing showcases and it's really going to kick ass. This is also the weekend of Todd P's big outdoor acoustic BBQ party, so clear your calendar of anything that isn't music-related. You aren't going to have time to do anything but go to shows.


TOMORROW, Wednesday, June 10

Elvis Costello @ Beacon Theater | UWS, Manhattan | SOLD OUT(?)
Yeah.


Thursday, June 11

Meat Puppets @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $15
Meat Puppets were one of the best of the early 80's American punk scene, the scene that eventually became hardcore. But Meat Puppets aren't hardcore, they play pretty, twangy cowpunk and just put out a great album this year.

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL (Strength In Numbers): Marnie Stern @ Shea Stadium | Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Best album of 2008. [MySpace]


Friday, June 12

Meat Puppets @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $15
See above.

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL (Pop Tarts Suck Toasted): Grooms (fka Muggabears), Sisters, Home Video + more @ Public Assembly | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Grooms (fka Muggabears, or ex-Muggabears, depending on how you think about it) sound a lot like Sonic Youth when they are being moody. Sisters sound a lot like Sonic Youth when they are being punky. Home Video...I don't know what they sound like, but I've heard very good things. [Grooms MySpace] [Sisters MySpace] [HV MySpace]

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL (Ear Farm): Shilpa Ray, The Secret Life of Sofia, Coyote Eyes, Pow Wow! @ Spike Hill | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Shipla Ray rocks. TSLOS is a noise-folk band that can be depressing, but also extremely lovely. Coyote Eyes are my newest indie-rock crush, and I just wrote about them. Pow Wow! are a good if unnotable lo-fi pop buzz band. [Shilpa MySpace] [TSLOS MySpace] [CE MySpace] [PW MySpace]

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL (Panache Booking): Pterodactyl, Aa @ Union Pool | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Now, I can't miss a chance to plug Pterodactyl. I'd put this on a short list of bands in NYC that I think are truly original and actually contributing to the development of pop/rock. As for Aa, well, I've heard the name and I didn't want Pterodactyl to feel lonely up there in the heading. [MySpace]


Saturday, June 13

Coathangers, Mika Miko @ Market Hotel | Bushwick, Brooklyn
Two female punk bands from out of town. Two of the best punk bands around. And I mean punk in that lo-fi, pop sort of way. Thanks, Todd P! [CH MySpace] [MM MySpace]

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL (Less Artists More Condos): Grooms, Woods, Kurt Vile@ The Shank | Greenpoint, Brooklyn
I just explained about Grooms (fka Muggabears) and how they sound like Sonic Youth. Woods are one of the best bands around, otherworldly lo-fi folk-pop. And Kurt Vile does a similar thing, but less otherworldly, heavier on the lo-fi and the folk, and slightly lighter on the pop. [Grooms MySpace] [Woods MySpace] [KV MySpace]


Sunday, June 14

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL: The Dodos @ Studio B | Greenpoint, Brooklyn | $8
**Afternoon show** The Dodos are a really nice folk band who put out an amazing album last year. [MySpace]

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL: Ponytail @ Studio B | Greepoint, Brooklyn | $12
Ponytail is a really nice experimental, noisy pop band who put out a great album last year. (This show is in the evening, after the Dodos show.) [MySpace]

FORT TILDEN BEACH BBQ (Todd P): Kurt Vile, So So Glos, Shilpa Ray, Phosphorescent, Pterodactyl, Mika Miko, Ponytail, Homosexuals, Real Estate, Coathangers + many, many more @ Fort Tilden Beach | Rockaways, way the hell out there | FREE
Wow, pretty much everyone you'd want to hear is playing an acoustic set at this free all-ages barbecue. Almost makes two hour trip (by subway, then bus) worth it. (more info)

Upcoming Shows: A Place To Bury Strangers, Marnie Stern + more

There are some OK shows this week, but none good enough for my endorsement until Friday....


Friday, May 1

A Place to Bury Strangers + Dinowalrus @ Less Artists More Condos | Greenwich Village, Manhattan | $?
This show is so badass, I don't even know what to say about it. APTBS are one of New York's finest psychedelic bands. They are loud as hell, with great melodies and a guitar sound that's basically equivilant to being run over by a train. LAMC is one of NYC's premier DIY venues run by bookers who may well be the coolest people in the entire city. It's going to fill up and then some, so get there good and early! [MySpace]


Saturday, May 2

Bellmer Dolls @ Webster Studio | East Village, Manhattan | $10
Garage goths the Bellmer Dolls are a pretty common topic on this blog. In my last live review, I remarked that this band is "worthy not only of an audience but of a lasting legacy in the American underground." I don't say things like that very often. [MySpace]

Kurt Vile @ Silent Barn | Ridgewood, Queens
It's a long trek to Silent Barn, but it might be worth the trip this time to check out Kurt Vile, who runs with the likes of Wavves, Nodzzz, Woods and the rest of the ultra-lo-fi punx who currently own the blog circuit. I haven't heard him, but he's rumoured to be on the mellow/folk end of that spectrum. But he also had the balls to release an album called Constant Hitmaker, so he can't be too wussy. [MySpace]


Sunday, May 3

Marnie Stern @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $13 adv / $15 drs
Marnie Stern is badassest wielder of an electric guitar that New York has seen in ages. Her album, which was the #1 album of 2008, features non-stop shredding, explosive rhythms and pop hooks that all together sound nothing like anyone else I've ever heard. For serious. [MySpace]


Monday, May 4

The Kills @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | SOLD OUT
I'm sure if you put your minds to it, you can find tickets to this sold out show next Monday. The Kills might be the only two people on earth who can make indie rock sexy, a talent they proved in 2008 with their album Midnight Boom. Their garage rock has the careful production usually reserved for electronica - I can't explain how that works, because I don't understand. I just know it does work, and it's awesome. [MySpace]


Tuesday, May 5

Lady Sovereign @ Highline Ballroom | Chelsea, Manhattan | $15 adv / $18 drs
"Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Na, it's the biggest midget in the game." In other words, Lady Sovereign is one of the best garage rappers ever, period. As a white woman barely over five feet tall, she made it big in a predominantly black, male genre - so you know she's gotta kick some ass. She grew up in the same London projects as her fellow grime MCs and she's as pissed off as anyone. Don't fuck with her. Do go hear her next week at the Highline Ballroom. [MySpace]

Radio Flyer's Christmas List!

OK, here's the list of music-related Christmas gifts I gave this year. It's too late for you to use these tips for your own Christmas shopping, but I couldn't run this sooner because some of the giftees read this blog (or claim to). So hopefully you know people who have birthdays coming up, or maybe you have gift certificates to spend. (The names are from the random name generator - I can't get enough of that thing.)

Mom & Dad
Mom likes: things she can sing along to, female vocalists, NPR, NOT "headbanging" music (i.e. everything I listen to, or so she thinks)
Dad likes: hippies, music to listen to while driving, democrats, NPR
What I got them:
- Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
- Wye Oak - If Children
- Joan as Police Woman - To Survive

"Ursula"
Likes: feminism, female vocalists, badassery
What I got her:
- Marnie Stern - This Is It...
- Electrelane* - The Power Out

By the way, Ursula (who also likes "booty-shaking music") got me the new L'il Wayne and a CD by a band called Heathrow.

"Agnes"
Likes: weirdos, weird stuff, music
What I got her:
- Deerhoof - Reville
- The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers

"Helga"
Helga introduced me to Good Music when I was 15, first by lending me Siamese Dream, then starting me on Sonic Youth, the Pixies and eventually leading me to folks like The Cure, Dinosaur Jr., Jawbreaker, Slint, Minor Threat and even Joy Division.
Likes: black clothes, Bauhaus, walls of sound, heavily produced music, history, psychology
What I got her:
- Electrelane* - No Shouts, No Calls
- Autodrone - Strike a Match
- Blacklist - Blacklist [EP]
- Blacklist - Solidaire [EP]

"Wilbur"
Wilbur is going through a really tough time.
Likes: pop, cats, Electrelane*
What I got him:
- Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

*I just discovered Electrelane this year (as did Wilbur), which is why it's populating so much of my Christmas list.

Best Albums of 2008 - Part 5 - #5-1

Although this list has shifted a lot, there's never been any doubt that these five albums would top it. They are not only the best of 2008, they are a full head and shoulders above everything else.

PREVIOUS>>
Part 1 - Rules and Runners Up
Part 2 - #20-16
Part 3 - #15-11
Part 4 - #10-6


#5

Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
The Social Registry

I have searched and searched for some criticism to make of this album, but I haven't come up with much. Gang Gang Dance have always been innovators, but in this release, which fleshes out their club/dance tendencies, the band has at last fully lived up to their immense potential. Saint Dymphna is one of the only true masterpieces of 2008, and if this were not explicitly a rock/pop list, this album might have placed even higher than #5.

An epic electronic album, Saint Dymphna draws on influences from My Bloody Valentine and Brian Eno to "world-beat" (in the rawest, most "tribal" sense) to trip-hop, and uses elements from each style so smoothly, you could swear each one was invented specifically to be a tool in the dub toolbox. Of all the electronic acts who are supposed to be lovable to rock critics (Aphex Twin, DJ Shadow, Mouse on Mars, etc.), this is the first one to really win me over. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because the music has genuine feeling but none of the machismo that usually accompanies it in the genre. In any case, the album shows brilliance in inspiration and meticulous care in execution. It's as close to perfect as 2008 has to offer.

Tinchy Stryder, guest rapper on "Princes," puts it best: "Oh shit! Gang Gang!"

Track picks: "Blue Nile," "Desert Storm"
MySpace


#4

Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances
Troubleman Unlimited

For all of us who thought the twenty-first century and hardcore punk would never really find a meeting point, Titus Andronicus has proven us wrong. The subversive edginess of hardcore is alive and well in Grievances, but the album is as far as you can get from revivalist - the punk of Titus Andronicus is fresh and original, smart, innovative and unrestricted by convention. It takes into account the important musical developments of the last few decades, borrowing guitar techniques from shoegazers, songwriting ideals from British indie popsters and experimentalist cues from post-hardcore burners. Punk, meet 2008. 2008, meet punk.

Track pick: "Titus Andronicus"
MySpace


#3

Wavves - Wavves
Woodsist

I think what's most compelling about Wavves is that its only member, Nathan Williams, delivers his songs with the confident ease of someone who knows his music could kick anyone else's music's ass. It's dope to the point where if you don't like it, everyone will know it's because you're not cool enough, not because there's anything wrong with the music. Yeah, that's not fair to say about any band, but Wavves are the best candidate for getting away with such cooler-than-you trickery since Sonic Youth's heyday.

But it's not really trickery, because the album really is that good. Wavves sounds like it may have been recorded through a jet engine - the guitars are distorted, the drums are distorted, the vocals are distorted, absolutely everything is distorted. But the pseudo-surf, pseudo-punk numbers are short and catchy, if you can make them out through the roar of static. Most importantly, the album is fiercely independent, fearless and self-assured to an degree very few bands have ever achieved.

Track picks: "Teenage Super Party," "Wavves"
MySpace


#2

Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster...
Wichita Recordings / Arts & Crafts

I can't possibly tell you how obsessed I am with this album. Los Campesinos!'s second album of the year, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed placed at #15 on this list, so I've already said a little about the band. While Hold On Now is a less refined effort, it won out for top spot because it's got the best songs and the higher level of originality of the two releases.

Los Campesinos! are a manic Welsh pop band that boasts seven or eight members - who all together generate a hella lot of noise. They play ping-pong with melodies, passing them back and forth, at times by the word, and there's always a half-dozen different parts at once, making this an album worth hearing many times through.

Most importantly, the melodies and hooks are hands-down the best pop music offered up in 2008. Keeping in mind I don't even nod my head at most concerts, you can take as evidence of the album's catchiness the fact that I've been seen jumping up and down like a maniac on subway platforms because this was playing in my headphones. True, the band goes right up to the very brink of overly self-aware, puke-inducing preciousness, but just when you think you're going to start hating them, they pull something else awesome out of their hat and you're back to being madly in love again. In the world of straight-up pop, this album is not only the best of the year, it's one of the best of the decade.

Track picks: "My Year In Lists" (how appropriate!), "Death to Los Campesinos!"
MySpace


#1

Marnie Stern - This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That
Kill Rock Stars

No, this isn't a "worst album title" list, though This Is It would score just as well in that competition. But this is a "Best of 2008" list and this album is the best of the year. To be honest, I ignored Marnie Stern for a long time because I saw the individual name and wrote it off as "boring solo project" without giving it a try. But I heard so much about Stern this fall that I decided to give the album a fair chance - and it was not remotely like anything I might have expected. It's a high-speed riot-grrrl-inspired noise-rock explosion featuring a dozen tracks of non-stop shredding, lightspeed drumming and raging, enveloping melodies. It's like nothing I've ever heard.

I put a lot of consideration into the placement of This Is It at the top of the list, and I feel confident that this is where it belongs. The reason is simple: while most of the standout albums of 2008 will be surpassed and fade into the background of their respective genres with time, I really believe in ten or twenty years, Marnie Stern's record will still sound fresh, and that it will still have the power to move and inspire. Time might prove me wrong, but of anything released this year, it's the most worthy of becoming a classic in the world of rock and roll.

Track picks: "Transformer," "Steely"
MySpace


That's it! Comments welcome!

Upcoming Shows: Oasis, Marnie Stern, Her Vanished Grace and more

Tonight!! Dec. 17

Oasis @ Madison Square Garden / $40-80
Do I need to explain this?

Tomorrow, Thurs., Dec. 18

If you want pop...

+/-, Pattern Is Movement, the Ladybug Transistor @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (Brooklyn) / $13
Three great bands will sing you catchy tunes all evening long.

+/- :: Pattern Is Movement :: The Ladybug Transistor

If you don't want pop (or at least not happy pop)...

Bell, Holy Hail @ The Bell House (Park Slope, Brooklyn) / $8
If you want New York's latest in weird, dark, experimental music, this show is for you. Two bands with an electronic edge, one with an uncanny resemblence to Bjork.

Bell :: Holy Hail

Fri., Dec. 19

Her Vanished Grace, 28 Degrees Taurus, the Soundscapes @ Vanishing Point (Bushwick, Brooklyn) / $??
Three of my favorite bands, one of my favorite venues. All edgy, shoegaze-inspired noisy pop bands. Go to this show!

Her Vanished Grace :: 28 Degrees Taurus :: The Soundscapes

Sat., Dec. 20

Quasi with Marnie Stern, Crystal Stilts @ Knitting Factory / $20
This sounds too good to be true. An all-time indie rock great hosting two of the year's finest indie acts? Please check with the bands/venue and make sure I didn't just dream this.

Quasi :: Marnie Stern :: The Crystal Stilts

Upcoming Shows: Thanksgiving Weekend

If you're sticking it out in New York for the holiday, you're probably wondering what to do with yourself while all your friends are out of town. Well, you're in luck because I have the answer: go to shows! (And specifically, if you are my friend "H" who asked me what you would do without me, here you go!)

Friday

Phosphorescent / Virgin Forest
@ The Bell House, Brooklyn ($10)
For a fun evening with guitars and pianos, check out this show. It's been over a year since I've heard these guys, but as I recall, Phosphorescent plays really fun indie-psychedelic-folk with an electric guitar and a Southern bent. His friends Virgin Forest will support. They play something similar to him, though less psychedelic and more pretty and folky, with male-female vocals and piano. I think they're from Georgia, and they sound it.

Grandmaster Flash
@ Studio B, Brooklyn ($10/$20)
Does this need explanation? Grandmaster Flash, the first and best of hip-hop.

Saturday

Gang Gang Dance / Marnie Stern
@ Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn ($15)
I don't have anything on my Calendar Of Awesome Music for Saturday, but Pop Tarts Suck Toasted recommends this show and he's usually right. So check it out.

Sunday

Arms
@ Cake Shop ($6)
Just as arms are a great body-part, Arms is a great band! They are fuzzy poppy indie rock with hints of psychedelia and shoegaze, and they are one of the best in their field these days. You really need to check them out before they get huge.