News: All Points West Line-Up Announced (including MY BLOODY VALENTINE)

Usually, I try to distinguish between my personal tastes and actual quality and respectability in music. But for something like this, all the bands are well-regarded by many, so I decided to just indulge myself and classify them according to my whimsy.

Friday, July 31

Most Awesome: Fleet Foxes, Heartless Bastards, Telepathe

Overrated, terrible bands: Vampire Weekend, Shearwater

Overrated, mediocre bands: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ra Ra Riot

The rest: Beastie Boys, The National, MSTRKRFT, Q-Tip, The Pharcyde, Organized Konfusion, The Knux, Seasick Steve, Flying Lotus, College Humor Live, Arj Barker, Eugene Mirman and Bo Burnham


Saturday, August 1

Most awesome: MY BLOODY VALENTINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, Kool Keith, Tokyo Police Club

Overrated, terrible bands: Crystal Castles, Ting Tings

Overrated, mediocre bands: Tool, Chairlift

The rest: Gogol Bordello, Arctic Monkeys, Neko Case, Yelle, St. Vincent, The Cool Kids, Cage the Elephant, White Rabbits, Electric Touch, The Postelles, Black Gold, College Humor Live, Tim & Eric, Judah Friedlander and Jim Jeffries


Sunday, August 2

Most awesome: Echo & the Bunnymen, MGMT, Silversun Pickups, Lykke Li

Overrated, terrible bands: Mogwai

Overrated, mediocre bands: Coldplay, We Are Scientists

The rest: The Black Keys, Elbow, Ghostland Observatory, The Gaslight Anthem, Etienne De Crecy, Akron/Family, Steel Train, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, College Humor Live, Janeane Garofalo, Michael Showalter and Todd Barry

Guest List: Top 7 Albums of 2008 (Hortense's List)

Another guest list, another turn on the random name generator. Here it is:


1. Youth Novels by Lykke Li - Okay.... Cute voice, talented writer and a damn good dancer! Not to mention she is smoking hot! My favorite album of 2008. Listen to: Little Bit


2. Volume One by She and Him - This album was surprisingly made by Zooey Deschanel (girl from winter passing, elf) and M ward. It has a 60s feel to it and I find it rather relaxing to cook/bake to. Don't make fun of me until you try it.


3. Exit Strategy of the Soul by Ron Sexsmith - This album is timeless, classic and beautifully composed.


4. For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver - This album is slow, yet moving. As a whole, it keeps your attention by building up each song.


5. Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes - The name totally fits the band. When I listen to it, I just imagine lots of little cute forest animals gathering and singing like a chorus. Very pretty blended high vocals.


6. Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust by Sigur Rós - Ok, I was a bit confused when I first heard this, because I'm used to just putting on a Sigur Rós album and relaxing. This one has a fewupbeat songs in the beginning of the album, but they put you in such a good mood you have to like them. Towards the end, you can relax again, because the album finishes off with beautifully soft songs.


7. Lesser Matters by the Radio Dept. - This album was close to not making my list because I thought it came out in 2007. However it was released on Jan 1st, 2008, so HA! It just made it! This album has a lot of great songs. My Favorites: Keen On Boys, Why Won't You Talk About It, and Lost and Found.


On a side note..... Lykke Li will be performing at Webster Hall on Feb 2nd.. Definitely worth seeing! Happy New Year Everyone.

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 4 - #10-6

We're getting to the good stuff now...

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


#10

The Crystal Stilts - The Crystal Stilts [EP]
Woodsist

The Crystal Stilts have made some big waves this year with their simple, measured pop songs, which sizzle with distortion, ring with indie dramatics and have so much reverb, they may have been recorded in a cave. Yes, I know they put out a real album in 2008. And that album, Alight of Night is more polished and more cohesive than the self-titled EP. However, this collection of songs was the more exciting of the two. While on the album proper, the Stilts could consistently be mistaken for the Jesus & Mary Chain, the EP shows a broader range of influences and a lot greater diversity between songs. Alight of Night shows what the Crystal Stilts are, but The Crystal Stilts shows what they could be.

Track pick: "Converging in the Quiet"
MySpace


#9

Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
Kill Rock Stars

Just because Deerhoof have put out better albums in the past doesn't mean their 2008 release isn't better than the vast majority of albums this year. Offend Maggie is a less focused and slightly more conventional effort than their masterpiece Reville, but it still features their signature angular guitars and oddball childlike melodies. And the album includes some of the band's best experiments in dissonance and contrast. Moreover, the band's extraordinary originality hasn't faded, and Offend Maggie makes it clear why Deerhoof have become one of the most venerated experimental acts of the decade.

Track pick: "Offend Maggie"
MySpace


#8

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Subpop Records

If you haven't heard of the Fleet Foxes by now, just pick a random blog post from 2008 from any music blog and you'll probably get something about this band. I thought I would dislike them, but after I gave them a fair listen, I have to say, their album has certainly earned much (if not quite all) of its praise. A down-home folk album with definite roots in spirituals and hymns, Fleet Foxes is far more tame than most of what gets my attention. What's edgy and interesting is that no one else is making quite this kind of music these days, at least no one with a recording contract, a tour manager and some indie rock cred. The record is a confident and cohesive collection of songs, and though the band's vision may not do much to push the envelope, they execute it with such a polished ease that it's no wonder this has been one of the stand-out records of the year.

MySpace


#7

Foals - Antidotes
Transgressive Records

I'm jumping on the bandwagon again on this one, but I'm feeling increasingly confident in my decision to like this band - already Antidotes is in regular rotation on my iPod, not in consideration for this review but because I really want to hear it. The album is most notable for the constant, complex interplay between guitars, bass and drums, each of which play "lead" parts that could alone propel the songs. Together, the parts lock into tight tracks that never grow boring. And over it all soar pop-friendly but original melodies that make it hard to tear yourself away.

Track pick: "Red Socks Pugie"
MySpace


#6

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Red Ink/Columbia

MGMT exploded into the mainstream in early 2008 for very good reason. Their super-catchy, radio-ready electronica has more rock sensibility than any club music since the early 90's Madchester scene. Catchy beats, irresistible melodies and masterful keyboards drive the whole richly-varied album forward. With obvious roots in psychedelic and Britpop music, MGMT has created an album lovable by everyone from club-rats to Flaming Lips junkies to anglophile rock snobs.

Track pick: "Kids"
MySpace


NEXT>> Part 5: #5-1