Sound Salvation Army

It’s that time of the year again.

Part of me wants to sight and stop right now. Every year nerds like me put together “best of” lists at the end of a year and pretend like anyone gives a damn. I’ve been vacillating on whether or not it’s really worth the time this year and I think I’m doing it more out of tradition than anything. There’s just so much I still haven’t listened to enough yet I know it likely isn’t entirely representative. Maybe I’ll put out an amendment list at the end of January or February if anything changes, but I’ll let you know.

Anyway, to start things off I’m putting forward a couple of mix tapes’ worth of my favourite songs of 2009.

The first disc is entitled “The Worst CD of 2009.” That is a representative title. It is entirely influenced by the last four months of my life, in which I’ve been attempting to cope with the fact that I got dumped after seven years. I listened to a lot of sad songs after that happened and at some point I started to notice there was a lot of them from this year. After a couple more months I started noticing that a lot of them resonated very strongly with me, almost like they were written about my situation. Hell, one song even talks about a relationship that ends after seven years. What you’ll get in this download is a revised tracklisting that deviates pretty heavily from the original line-up I first put together. I gave that mix to a couple of people and they said it was depressing and almost made them want to kill themselves. So I revised it a bit, put a few upbeat songs at the beginning instead of starting off with the most depressing song on there and that seemed to take the edge off a bit. I think it takes some of the power away, but its probably for the best. I don’t want anyone to drive into an overpass while listening to it.

There’s also a rising action in the last three songs that helps to bring the listener out of the darkness gradually; the Why? track represents a growing sense of self, the Matheson cut is one of the most tender and genuine love songs ever, and O Pioneers!!! close out with a track (originally written about here) that really helped me remember that there are things out there besides misery and self-pity.

Get it here: the Worst CD of 2009
1. the Lawrence Arms - the Slowest Drink In The Saddest Bar On The Snowiest Day In the Greatest City
2. Hayden - Let’s Break Up
3. Cory Branan - the Corner
4. Chuck Ragan - Rotterdam
5. the City Streets - Jane Gallagher
6. Jill Barber - Old Flame
7. the Wheat Pool - Nervous Bird
8. Austin Lucas - Go West
9. Mike Hale - Lives Like Mine
10. Chad Price - This War
11. the Wheat Pool - Selfish Gun
12. Drag the River - Jeff Black Song
13. Dojo Workhorse - Laval Street
14. Why? - Eskimo Snow
15. Jesse Matheson - We Don’t Have To Go Home
16. O Pioneers!!! - Put On A RRRRecord

The second is much more upbeat: “the Opposite of the Worst CD Of 2009.” It has a lot of rock and roll and some punk nonsense on it and isn’t thematically built in any way. Its just a catchy effing mix.

Download it here: the Opposite Of The Worst CD of 2009
1. Library Voices - the Book of Love (Magnetic Fields cover)
2. Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You
3. Girls - Lust For Life
4. Two Hours Traffic - Painted Halo
5. Phoenix - 1901
6. the Danks - 374
7. the Dudes - Mr. Someone Else
8. Propagandhi - Dear Coach’s Corner
9. Strike Anywhere - Omega Footprint
10. Dan Auerbach - Mean Monsoon
11. Laura Stevenson & the Cans - It Ceases To Be “Whining” If You’re Still “Shitting Blood” (Bomb The Music Industry! cover)
12. Attack In Black - I’m A Rock
13. Metric - Gimme Sympathy
14. Hawks and Doves - I’m On Fire (Bruce Springsteen cover)
15. the Wheat Pool - Italy
16. Deep Dark Woods - All The Money I Had Is Gone
17. Cory Branan - Walk Around
18. Said The Whale - Out On The Shield
19. the Rest - Walk On Water (Auspicious Beginnings)
20. the Bronx - Quinceniera
21. Flight of the Conchords - Carol Browne
22. Bob Mould - Life and Times
23. Polar Bear Club - Chasing Hamburg

Both come with a document that contains a track listing, album and label information, and links for purchasing. Use them!

And yeah. I’ll be back sooner or later with a more thorough run-down of which LPs are worth your time in 2009.

Pat entries best ofs, mix tapes, year in review

Pop music was made for summer. As a pusher/purveyor of pop music, that means that nary a season goes by without a celebratory mix tape to accompany it. What you’ll find in the .rar files linked below are ready-to-burn mixes meant to be listened to in the midst of a road trip, preferably with the windows rolled down. Pop and rock and pop rock are pushed to the forefront, because there’s nothing summery about pianos, cellos, and theremins. Crank it up.

Disc One
1. the Hold Steady - Constructive Summer // Craig Finn continues to be the master of the subtle shout-out, giving props to his old Minneapolis chums in Dillinger Four in the second verse of this song. Like the rest of their latest album, this song encourages you to rock out all summer long. One of the few overtly summer-named songs on this mix.
2. the Steinways - Main Street, Flushing, USA // Pop punk should be everyone’s summer soundtrack as far as I’m concerned, and few do that genre better than the Steinways right now. This ones about creeping out the ladies on the bus ride home.
3. O Pioneers!!! - the Weather Underground // I’ve said before how much I love this band, but that’s only because I do. Music as inspiration and rallying cry.
4. Nine Inch Nails - Letting You // Trent Reznor making semi-relevant music in 2008 (and reinventing music retail in the process) — who would’ve thought.
5. Black Mountain - Tyrants // My favourite track from their latest; epic guitar rock from what could be the new Zep, Jefferson Airplane, and Byrds all rolled into one.
6. Flight Of The Conchords - Robots // I’m sorry, I just love these guys. I may have been late to the party, but the party is still a lot of fun.
7. Ratatat - Shiller // Some parts could be a sound-alike for the X-Files soundtrack, but in a good way.
8. the Playing Favorites - Indigenous // Joey Cape has been one of my favourite songwriters for nigh on ten years. As the punk rock fades further and further into his rearview his tunes just get prettier and prettier. While this side project is middling at best, his contributions are flawless.
9. Tokyo Police Club - Listen To The Math // A distinct change of pace from their EP releases, there are several songs on their full-length debut that drop the fast-paced freneticism of earlier songs with dazzling results.
10. Wolf Parade - California Dreamer // Radio jams are always a plus in the summertime, even if they heavily reference winter in their lyrics.
11. Shad K - the Old Prince Still Lives At Home // Ontario rapper with often lovely, always clever, and frequently very deep lyrics. Such a great album.
12. Two Hours Traffic - Stuck For The Summer // Some fantastically hooky power pop that reminds me heavily of the last Phoenix album. Another great find from the radio show.
13. Johnny Cash - It Ain’t Me, Babe // See post from a few weeks ago.
14. Ninja Gun - Front Yard Screamers (Kitchen Kissers) // Kind of a Mellancamp-y, front porch tune about family.
15. Mike Hale - Before You Were Gone // Yeah, a bit depressing…but summer isn’t always 100% beaches and bombshell babes. Sometimes it’s just bombshells.
16. Trever Keith - Sick Of Me // Also depressing. One of the standout tracks from the self-released digital-only album from former Face to Face frontman.
17. Alkaline Trio - I Found Away // In last week’s review I talked about how this song should be the one that finally launches this band into the pop rock stratosphere. Even if it doesn’t, it’s a bright spot on the most middling album of their career.
18. the Hold Steady - Stay Positive // As with every hold steady song and album, this one is very referential. While newer fans or folks who only saw then on Letterman might miss the allusion to “Positive Jam,” a cut from their first album Almost Killed Me, long-time fans continue to get their shoutouts contained within another killer rock song. This band knows exactly what they’re doing.

Disc Two
1. the Gaslight Anthem - Great Expectations // The album of the summer so far, possibly of the year. While I don’t quite understand the complete obsession their fan base has for what I consider a mediocre first album, the ‘59 Sound is the real deal.
2. the Loved Ones - 3rd Shift // Nice build up.
3. Lemuria - Bee Spit // See post from a few weeks ago; one of the best, catchiest pop songs I’ve heard in years.
4. the Steinways - Oh My Fucking Gosh // Seriously.
5. Off With Their Heads - Your Child Is Dead // They raise some interesting points. What’s with the gun violence? I know this is old, but it was re-pressed this summer, so there.
6. Torche - Healer // From the brilliantly-titled Meanderthal. Weird but pretty great pop/metal hybrid that doesn’t sound like you think it does.
7. Able Baker Fox - Stuttering // One of the finest rock songs of the year. I think an associate called it an “unholy jam.” Really can’t disagree.
8. A Wilhelm Scream - Die While We’re Young // You know I love them.
9. Alkaline Trio - Do You Wanna Know? // See notes on previous Alkaline Trio song. The finest song Dan Andriano has written since “Maybe I’ll Catch Fire.”
10. Maritime - Be Unhappy // This song follows a tradition that dates back past Motown to the beginning of popular music (ie. “You Are My Sunshine”) — namely depressing, melancholy lyrics set to a catchy melody that belies the darkness of the content. Nothing does the job like a well-placed “doo doot doo doo do.”
11. Why? - These Few Presidents // One of the best misunderstood torch songs of recent years. That is, if you interpret the line, “Yours is a funeral I’d fly to from anywhere” as sweet and not foreboding.
12. Bloc Party - Flux // Propulsive, catchy, and frantically drummed, like a good Bloc Party song should be.
13. Portugal. The Man - Church Mouth // These dudes are in their own field (namely left field). I don’t know what it means, but it sounds good.
14. Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground - Hey Momma // Gatsby’s American Dream is awesome, but this song is wild and just perfect.
15. Malcolm Bauld - Royal Road // Former Frenetics frontman pens one of the most conflicted, sad songs I’ve ever heard, but keeps his optimism intact.
16. O Pioneers!!! - the Adventures of John Locke // Unimpeachable track from one of my favourite bands. The constant, unyielding strumming of the guitar and the hell-raising, guttural vocals are wonderfully cathartic.
17. Witches With Dicks - How To Cook 40 Humans // Pop punk that’s dirty and dangerous.
18. Be Your Own Pet - Zombie Graveyard Party // Pop punk filtered through teenage horror movie dance parties.
19. LaGrecia - According To My Notes // Probably the most well-disguised pure pop song of the year. I will never stop listening to this record.
20. No Use For A Name - Under The Garden // A throwback for me. NUFAN always reminds me of being in high school, going to punk rock shows, and sweating out your problems.

Part One can be downloaded here
Part Two is waiting for you here

We’ll be back in the coming days with more tasty mixes from our other staffers.

Pat entries Canadian content, jams, mix tapes, pop, pop punk, pop rock, summer

On the drive home from the A Wilhelm Scream show (see previous post) I was, needless to say, tired as a hound dog. But an iced cappuccino and a packet of Skittles could only do so much and the seven or eight albums on the lone mp3 CD in the car was getting a bit rote after a couple of hours. Once we got close enough to Brandon (two hours from Winnipeg, three from Regina), I knew what would keep me at attention.

I went to school there for broadcast media training, and part of our course was hosting music and news blocks on the campus/community radio station that was conveniently housed on campus. Our first year there was the first year it even existed, actually, and that’s the impetus for this entry.

Our station’s mandate was non-hit music of any genre; if we played more than 10% hit music (anything that was on the Billboard Top 40 or comparable charting mechanisms in the last 40 years) we’d get fined or shut down. We got awfully close because of the laziness and poor taste of some of my classmates, so I spent a ton of my spare time in second year loading CD after CD from my personal library into the station’s music library. I’m talking daily for weeks and weeks on end, hours at a time.

This was when I wasn’t hosting the now-legendary (in our own minds) Pat n’ Henry Show with the very Henry behind the functionality and appearance of this site. We played whatever we want, spent a lot of time talking about the artists and whatever came into our heads (so much so that our future program director joked that the show was great because there was a lot of can/con and it was half spoken-word). I’m pretty sure our biggest demographic was people in a nearby prison facility, as we got more email, phone, and IM requests from there than from any other listeners (they just wanted to hear Slayer though).

Anyhow, whenever I drive through the area I flip on old CJJJ 106.5 fm and count the number of songs I’m directly responsible for. The number has diminished slightly in the five years since, as new students, PD’s, and staff members come and go, but there was still at least a half dozen during the 20 to 30 minute drive it takes to go in and out of the station’s minimal broadcast range.

This mix tape is a sampling of what popped up this trip. Not the greatest music in the world, but it certainly is representative of an important period of my life.

Check out these artists if you want to, but you can also follow the development of a nascent community radio station here — now with streaming audio!

Pat entries A Wilhelm Scream, Brandon Manitoba, community radio, FM radio, mix tapes, nostalgia, road trip

Among my favourite bands working today is a stalwart group of incredibly talented young men from New Bedford, Massachusetts.  Long-time readers may remember that their 2007 missive Career Suicide was my eighth favourite album of the year, and for good reason. Like their previous two albums it focuses on anger-driven lyrics, extremely intricate melodic hardcore arrangements, and bucketloads of speed. Unlike the previous two, this one shreds harder than ever. It shreds so hard it could make a lot of nachos.

I had the privilege of seeing them live in Regina a while back, but it was in an opening capacity and left me wanting so much more (it also ended up being my favourite live set of the year despite that, as explained in the above link). They simply play like nobody else does, like punk bands used to play. They playing is mostly flawless despite the challenging arrangements and they just exude energy. I know the benchmark of a good performance is never how many consecutive jumps a guitar player can execute in rapid succession, but if it were these guys would be the biggest band in the world. The members are constantly moving, jumping, and thrashing all while jamming out some beautifully complicated solos and guitar figures. What’s more, it couldn’t be more obvious that they’re having the time of their life, even when playing to a maximum of 75 to 100 people in a small, sweaty club in Regina, Saskatchewan where their awful record label has yet to penetrate with their product. They continually expressed surprise and gratitude at both the number of and exuberance of the people that were there.

Last week they finally returned to Regina as headliners, and I prepared to have my face melted.

Used to the usual late starters, Jenny and I showed up at 9:45 or so, expecting to get in at least one beer before they took the stage. Little did we realize how early the band went on; we arrived about a third of the way through the damn set. We were so impressed, however, that we weren’t at all satisfied.

Which leads me to the point: we enjoyed it so damn much I took the next day off of work and we followed those bastards five hours up the road to Winnipeg. We had to speed like hell, as the show somehow started at 6:00pm (the fuck?) and we figured the band would go on at 9:00pm at the latest. We managed to get a beer in before they went on this time and took in the whole set. A post-set beer later and we were back on the road, basking in the glow of the single finest punk rock band working today. We may have only been in town for three hours (and on the road for 10) but I’ll be damned if I wouldn’t do it again in a second.

Of course, the drive back totally sucked balls, but that’s another story. This mixtape is a terrific primer on A Wilhelm Scream and will also help you stay up late at night on a long drive

A Wilhelm Scream unfortunately spent the last five or six years on the worst record label ever — and they’ll be the first to tell you that. Visit Interpunk to buy their music, even if they aren’t getting their royalty cheques.

Pat entries A Wilhelm Scream, beer, live music, mix tapes, road trip, Winnipeg Manitoba

Like every other blog in the universe, this one frequently gets ignored more than it should due to real life. That may now result in shorter updates, as I swear I’m listening to more music than ever right now but somehow can’t find the time to throw knowledge up on this site.

Anyways, I was inspired to write this entry in the minutes before my morning shower because I was recently working on a rap music mix tape for some nerds to listen to and I had a sort of remembrance for how amazing Busdriver’s Fear of a Black Tangent is.

One of the songs you’ll find below sums up Busdriver’s aesthetic pretty well: basically it’s a twisted, left-field take on traditional hip-hop that is much easier to listen to than to describe. His rapping is frenetic, his words frequently seeming to speed up to a point where they have a completely different tempo than the music.

White people tend to like him because he was part of the short-lived tha Corn Ganng project that emerged after the demise of Montreal’s the Unicorns (an amazing band in their own right). I know, because that’s why I checked him out. That shouldn’t be a good enough reason, but hopefully it’s something. Check out the songs and take some time to find the album. It’s worth it.

Busdriver deserves your money! Rent is expensive in L.A.!
iTunes: catalogue-style!
InSound: is pretty much the only place to find physical copies of his work on the interwebs

Pat entries Busdriver, indie rap, mix tapes

 

There’s a thing about prolificness (prolificity?); it usually sucks. Think about someone like Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. He’s a guy who has written literally in excess of 500 songs but aside from his first two albums, he can’t muster up a collection of decent ones to save his life. Or the dudes from the Mars Volta. They’ve put out a half dozen solo albums each or so since At The Drive-In broke up, and it’s pretty difficult to listen to them at all, let alone tell the difference between a lot of the material.

But then there are folks like John Darnielle, the songwriter and performer that is the force behind the Mountain Goats, easily one of the most intriguing, challenging, and rewarding musical acts of the last ten years. And yes, he’s also one of the most prolific musicians of the modern age, boasting a catalogue of songs so voluminous that even Willie Nelson would be jealous.

His/their latest release is Heretic Pride, an LP that — like every Mountain Goats album — I can recommend without reservation. While the usually-sparse instrumentation isn’t knocking down doors or breaking new ground, it’s the lyrics, pained and poetic as ever, and the way they meld seamlessly with the music that really gets you. He’s weaving a tapestry, he’s piecing together a puzzle, he’s casting a spell. For example: the slight, subtle string section augmenting the dark and depressing “Marduk T-shirt Men’s Room Incident”, or the forceful palm-muting propelling the incredibly terrific metaphor of “Autoclave”, or the song-story from the perspective of an actor portraying a crazed, fictional serial killer (”Michael Myers Resplendent”) that closes out the record.

Darnielle is quoted in a Pitchfork interview as saying something like, “I don’t think people listen to Mountain Goats without some concern for the lyrics.” That remains especially true on this record, even though he’s moved away from the starkly honest confessionals of his last two records. Instead he returns to the task of crafting fictional characters (or real characters in imagined/hypothetical situations; ie. “Lovecraft In Brooklyn”) and their accompanying storylines. If songs were novels, Darnielle would be up there with Vonnegut (in my eyes, at least).

Anyhow, because I’m such a booster for Mountain Goats, I decided not to just cherry-pick a couple of songs from the latest record. Instead I’ve assembled a short mix tape of songs I feel represent everything I love about Darnielle’s music. From the exquisite metaphor of “Autoclave” to the pained attention to detail in “Your Belgian Things” to the intricate autobiography of “This Year” to the skewed observationality of “Love Love Love” and literally the saddest thing I’ve ever heard, “Source Decay,” it’s all here. Eight tracks culled from five releases, a pretty healthy smattering of the possibilities the entire discography presents. Procedural note: the first and last tracks posted below are actually two songs on one file. This was done out of necessity, as I couldn’t remember how to post more than six files at once. Also, due to file size restrictions on the part of our host, they are of a lesser bitrate than I usually like to operate in. Apologies to the sticklers on that.

Anyway, I hope if you don’t already have it in you this post inspires a similar kind of adoration as I have for these songs. I guess we’ll see.

There are plenty of ways to enjoy the Goat:
iTunes: Buying Mountain Goats music is beyond easy. Twenty-two or -three releases alone on iTunes alone
4AD web store: Latter-day Goats releases sample the entire new album here
InSound: The band and myself recommend going to InSound for a more comprehensive selection, including CDs.

Pat entries acoustic, indie rock, lyrics, mix tapes, Mountain Goats

They say everything old is new again. For me, 2007 is a prime example of that statement being a dead-on truth. Vinyl records made a huge comeback in sales and practical use, CD sales fell for the seventh or eighth straight year, and the recording industry continued to flail its collective arms wildly, continuing to file lawsuit after lawsuit despite clear evidence that it isn’t deterring people from stealing music in any way.
As for music itself, I thought we had a pretty good year on our hands. Every genre came to the table with some amazingly terrific albums, even though you might not find every genre represented in this best-of list. As usual, melody, passion, and ingenuity most held my attention, and I think this list speaks for itself (be warned; it’s a long one). Stay tuned for similar year-end updates from the rest of the crew, whenever they get around to doing them.

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2007

10. Frog Eyes - Tears of the Valedictorian

Seeing Carey Mercer and his band of merry misfits live for the first time further cemented my love of their back-catalog while totally psyching me up for their latest. “Caravan Breakers, How They Prey On The Weak and the Old” was the dramatic centerpiece of one of the most intense and singularly insane pieces of live performance I’ve witnessed. Essentially two very long songs interspersed by typically brief bursts of noise, it adds a subtlety and atmosphere to a band that isn’t terribly familiar with either. 

9. the Weakerthans - Reunion Tour
This is a last minute decision that I still don’t know if I’m comfortable with. Since this sites inception I’ve been trying to finalize a post about the latest Weakerthans album, focusing on how disappointing an album this incredible is. The disappointment comes from my initial reaction that the band is out of ideas, that they’re treading water musically. But at the eleventh hour I reminded myself that expectations can’t get in the way an amazing piece of work, and the compositions on Reunion Tour are possibly the band’s most cohesive to date, while lyrically and melodically John Samson remains without peer.

8. A Wilhelm Scream - Career Suicide
After being one of the most unanimously-praised punk rock bands of 2006, A Wilhelm Scream was facing some pretty high expectations. It’s somewhat fitting that this album is named after a prominent Toronto hardcore band, because they definitely amped up the aggression on Career Suicide, throwing away just a bit of the dizzying guitar work that marked their last effort in favour of straight-up shredding. Most pleasantly though is the thematic consistency and lyrical prowess on display here, a trait too-often overlooked by bands that play fast, complicated songs.

7. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Tanis has already — and will soon, I expect — say it better than I ever could. All you need to know is that Spoon are writing hooky, gorgeous, minimalist pop songs that don’t pander to the lowest common denominator. Bare bones music the way it used to be done before “pop” was a dirty word.

6. Chuck Ragan - Feast or Famine
As I stated in my previous review, this is passionate unplugged music for punks that are getting older. Ragan celebrates the things that make his life worth living: nature, family, love, hope, and a higher power. It’s a heady cocktail that even loner athiests can get swept up in.

5. Tegan & Sara - the Con
I’m glad to see that four albums in a more widespread audience is starting to catch on to these “indie-rock” beauties. They’ve definitely picked up the “rawk” on this one, assisted by some interesting guest players (Death Cab For Cutie’s drummer and guitarist, AFI’s bassist, and the Rentals’ Matt Sharp), but the genesis of the twosome remains their lovelorn, conflicted lyrics and the quirky pop that goes along with them. No amount of bad indie-mullets can hold them back.

4. Attack In Black - Marriage
After dabbling in more generic fare on their first couple ep’s, this band has really come into their own. More Weakerthans than Propagandhi, these Canadian youngsters meld all the right bits of propulsive punk, folk, and 60’s AOR. The musical style alternates as frequently as the vocals, which are in turns reminiscent of the Get Up Kids, Smoke or Fire, and others (all four members sing). Not perfect, but the energy, enthusiasm, and promise shown on this record (and the vinyl-only follow up full-length just five months later) are truly daunting.

3. the Gaslight Anthem - Sink or Swim
As an aging punk, there seems to be a subset of music coming out that is aimed at me: the punk whose tastes have expanded well beyond the label rosters that make up the genre’s mainstays. To satisfy our tastes, the Gaslight Anthem decided to make a record that kind of sounds like Bruce Springsteen writing a love letter to Joe Strummer. Actually, that’s exactly what one song is (”I’da Called You Woody, Joe”). Some say this sounds like one song repeated over and over…but like the Latterman before them, it’s just way too fucking good a song.

2. Radiohead - In Rainbows
Yeah, they only let us know it was coming out a week in advance. Yes, the “pay what you want thing” was kind of a scam (and likely won’t really “revolutionize” the music business. Yes, they let everyone down when they eventually did find a label to put it out. But I’ll be damned if this isn’t one of the most beautiful albums released this decade, let alone this year. The fact that this comes out ten years after OK Computer should’ve changed everything is surely no accident (”Naked” is a hold-over from that era); the two are not-so-distant cousins in spirit and execution, if not precisely in sound. And the genius move of printing up a discbox with bonus material, incredible packaging, and audiophile vinyl supports a flawless record in ways few bands are smart or brave enough to follow through with. I’m admittedly a huge Radiohead fanboy, but you really only need to listen to the first track to see how good this really is.  

1. the National – Boxer
Driving through the Crow’s Nest Pass on a recent vacation to the West Coast, I found myself ensconced in a darkness that simultaneously felt dangerous and terrifying…but also comforting and familiar in a way. Dipping and curving in between and around mountains often cuts off the light of the moon, leaving only the swath of your headlights to remind you that you might not be alone in this world — even if you are completely and utterly alone on the road. The mind tends to wander when your brain is tired and there’s little visual stimuli present in your environment, and when one escapes into a record to keep the brain focused and on point, it had damn well better be a record appropriate for such a desolate situation. The National’s Boxer reflects a musical and lyrical tone of complete solitude and is the perfect accompaniment to a car ride that could turn deadly at a moment’s notice.

Like the very mountains that line the highways in the Kootenays and the Rockies of Canada, Boxer has dizzying peaks and devastating valleys, but it’s the lost and lonely middles that make up most of the disc. The vocals are delivered in a frequently laconic baritone, brought way up front in the mix, which makes it feel like it’s just you and lead singer Matt Berninger locked in a supply closet somewhere and he’s whispering his deepest secrets and fears across the floor to you.

They don’t muck about with excessive harmonies to get the beauty of the songs across. The drums lock into sharp, quick patterns that at times seem almost robotic. The music is a complementary wash of guitars, pianos, and synthesizers that occasionally blend in such a way that one element is not clearly distinguished above the others. Lyrically, Berninger expresses a strong me/us against the world feeling. “Fake Empire” recognizes the difficulties that exist outside of a couple’s relationships, finding a way to deal with another person in the midst of a world that makes no sense. “Brainy” could be interpreted as the story of a lone wolf stalking a woman in the night, trying his best to convince his prey that she “might need him more than she thinks she will.” “Slow Show” is a deeply affecting track, a man fed up with his life and looking to start over by proposing/propositioning a woman he’s “dreamed about…for 29 years…before I first saw you.” “Apartment Story” is a rare up-tempo number featuring two characters rebelling from the conventions of modern life and social obligation in favour of locking themselves in their home for several days until someone comes to find them. “Guest Room” reflects the desperation of a couple whose relationship has become cold and stale. And one of the last tracks when Berninger sings, “Ada, I can hear the sound of your laugh through the wall,” he makes it sound like the sourest, most joyless experience in life’s rich pageantry.

After “Ada”’s lonesome bottom, the piano chords that open “Gospel” let you know that everything is going to be okay. “Gospel” is a reconnection, a holiday reunion that uses subtle horns and insistent acoustic guitar chords to lift you back up to a place where you can breathe again.

I urge you to find your own lonesome, quiet, dark place to experience Boxer. Don’t even try to be the same afterwards.

Honourable Mentions

1. Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice

Another late addition, the majesty of this record is actually a little hard to grasp. Like the title suggests, Planet of Ice runs the risk of coming off as cold and detached. That’s thanks in part to the other-worldly guitar histrionics and ethereal keyboards, but mostly due to the occasionally disinterested-sounding vocals. As great as the music is, lyrically it’s too sexy and not as interesting as their previous LPs.

2. Dillinger Escape Plan – Ire Works
I raved about this album on the site and I stand by every word of that post. However, the ambient parts turned out to be a bit too ambient and you can kind of lose track of what you’re listening to at times. That’s probably about the only thing holding it back.

3. Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
Yes, I’m consistently late to everything Spencer Krug does, but man this album is weird and catchy.

4. Witches With Dicks – Manual
Like Dillinger Four, Witches With Dicks proves you can do pop punk without being sugary, vacuous, and inane. Sure they probably named the band after losing a bet, but sometimes intentional provocation is a sign of better things.

5. Feist - the Reminder
Yeah, we all know it’s a great record. But if the last two or three songs didn’t put me to sleep it would be amazing.

6. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Living With The Living
Trim the fat Ted. Seriously, you’re pretty much one of the best living songwriters. Just trim the fat and this would be perfection.

7. Iron & Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog
Again, we all know this is an impressive stylistic and artistic change for Sam Beam. That’s cool, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t occasionally bore me. I’ll be the first to admit some of these songs are my new instant favourite Iron & Wine tracks (”Flightless Bird, American Mouth,” “Boy With A Coin,” “Resurrection Fern”), but what’s with the weird affect on the vocals? What’s with every instrument sounding kind of hollow? Why is the acoustic guitar buried?

8. Do Make Say Think - You, You’re A History In Rust
There is nothing about this record that I don’t like, but I find myself listening to purely instrumental albums very rarely. If my appreciation of music didn’t hinge so heavily on lyrics then it’d be top 10 for sure.

9. LCD Soundsystem - Sounds Of Silver
Again, a really good album that I have no real complaints about. But not something I feel compelled to put on every time I’m looking for something to listen to.

10. Against Me! - New Wave
They could’ve made this one of the best ep’s of the last five years, but they wrote two bad songs, put a new song from their live record on it, and it lowered the bar. But tracks two through seven and ten are awesome. I’m not sure if anyone shares this feeling, but I both hate and love that they made this album. Love because it’s very good, hate because it makes a phenomenal and unique band far less so.

Singles/EPs of the Year

1. Fucked Up - Year Of The Pig

Song of the year, EP/single of the year, songwriting of the year. This is amazing. 

 

2. Mike Hale/Chris Wollard split 7″
Acoustic-based solo material from two dudes who used to be in very similar sounding bands. These songs don’t sound the same though, and while Wollard’s side is weighed down by lackluster production, Hale’s has me salivating for Asian Man’s full-length release in a couple of months.

3. Papermoons 7″
These guys are so good I thought they were Canadian. Gorgeous acoustic/folk numbers from an unexpected source and one of the downright prettiest pieces of wax this year. 

4. Short Attention - Clever, Maddening, Annoying 7″
Remember when Ben Weasel didn’t record with All-American Rejects members? When songs about girls and being bored were almost all there was? When a song didn’t have to be more than 30 seconds or have verses to be awesome? That’s because you haven’t heard these 30 tracks yet.  

5. Muff Potter/Chuck Ragan split 7″

Sure it follows the split diagram to the letter: “cover the other guys song in an unexpected style for wacky results!” But there are just really spirited interpretations of very well-written songs, and that has to be appreciated.

 

 

WORST/MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUMS

Armor For Sleep - Smile For Them

Ugh. So boring.

 

Matthew Good - Hospital Music

Just kind of passed by, didn’t make an impression.

 

Sundowner - Five One Four Three

 It’s the same reason why I didn’t like the City & Colour album: what should’ve been a great idea that complimented the performers voice just came off as under-dressed and kind of dull.

 

Say Anything - In Defense of the Genre

I had low expectations going in, but this is just one example of what’s wrong with the music business. Bloated, overly long, and crammed so full of filler I can’t imagine anyone wading through this crap.

 

Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight

Whuuuuuuuuu?

 

the Playing Favourites - I Remember When I Was Pretty

I wish Joey Cape had just written and sang every song. He’s weighed down by lesser songwriters and it’s a shame; his contributions are solid.

 

Drag the River/Dents - Found All The Parts

The usually-stellar DTR just wasn’t putting their backbone into this one. These sound like the b-sides of a band that’s breaking up.

 

YOU STOLE OUR SONG, NOW WE ROCK YOUR FACE
(best live sets of the year)

1. A Wilhelm Scream – the Distrikt

My favourite shows are the ones where the opener totally outshines the headliner. These guys murdered Strung Out on their tour together and are one of the funnest bands to watch of all time as far as I know.

2. The Weakerthans – the Distrikt

Always a pleasure, and this time they played fun new songs. Samson smiles more and more every tour, and it’s kind of fun to see that.

3. Do Make Say Think – the Exchange

So awesome they made a frigid winter’s day sweaty. I had no idea so many people were into this group, but seeing their giant, swelling compositions come to life on stage was totally mesmerizing.

4. Wolf Parade/Frog Eyes – the Exchange

I’m pretty sure it was this year. Carey Mercer is a trip to watch play guitar.

5. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - the Distrikt

He’s a writhing ball of sweaty energy, even if his band looks bored out of their minds. Seriously, the drummer was rolling his eyes hard for at least the first third of the set. I guess I can’t blame him, as they only played to about 50 people. Come on Regina, this man is an amazing songwriter and performer! Get out there!

SADDEST BREAK-UPS
Drag the River
This year was all about Drag the River for me. I started the year by mail-ordering most of their cds, then started gathering up their 7”s and LP’s. After listening to them almost exclusively for at least a quarter of the year, they broke up. Then in December they announced that their final full-length would be out in January. Then I pre-ordered the LP and got a digital download as a Festivus gift. Then, after listening to it, I discovered that it just might be their best yet. Way to make breaking up even sadder, jerks.

 

Blood Brothers
So awesome. Always noisy, always spazzy, always sassy, Blood Brothers were also consistently amazing. Listen to Burn, Piano Island, Burn and try not to have heavy music forever changed in your eyes.  

Witches With Dicks
Warlocks, we hardly knew ye. They were awesome and they liked Kurt Vonnegut (as all good young punk rockers should). What else is there?

Kurt Vonnegut and life
Seriously. What could be sadder? 

AWESOME YEAR-END MIX TAPE
(you can’t download it all, but you can get much of it)

1. the Gaslight Anthem – Angry Johnny & the Radio
2. Attack In Black – Marriage
3. A Wilhelm Scream – Pardon Me, Thanks A Lot
4. Bomb The Music Industry! – Bike Test 1-2-3
5. Fucked Up – Year of the Pig
6. Pinback – Barnes
7. Tegan & Sara – Nineteen
8. The Weakerthans – Night Windows
9. The Pipettes – Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me
10. Spoon – the Underdog
11. Spoon – You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
12. Wintersleep – Dead Letter & the Infinite Yes
13. Austin Lucas – Man Alive
14. The National – Slow Show
15. Chuck Ragan & Austin Lucas – Hold My Bed
16. The New Pornographers – Adventures In Solitude
17. Iron & Wine – Flightless Bird, American Mouth
18. Mike Hale – Easy Come, Easy Go

Please: buy buy buy!

Pat entries Canadian content, mix tapes, year in review

So we still fully intend to get our best of 2007 picks on and up for next week, but yuletideiness has resulted in nobody submitting their shit yet. I’m sure we’ll have a run of submissions this weekend to prepare for Monday, but stay tuned.

Other updates may precede that one, but I figured one or two people may have been interested to know that we’re doing the exact same thing (almost) as every other music site ever.

UPDATE
Tanis’ mind-boggling Holiday mix tape is now unavailable, at least until next year. If you want a copy you can probably e-mail her. She’s good about that stuff.

Pat entries Christmas music, mix tapes

Check out that gam! It’s a leg lamp! And in the spirit of A Christmas Story (which TBS is running on a freakin’ 24-hour marathon again), I offer up Fall Out Boy’s Yule Shoot Your Eye Out. Normally, I do not subscribe to the pop-punk-crap asthetics of Fall Out Boy, but I cannot tell a lie: I enjoy their long song titles very much. This one, Yule Shoot Your Eye Out, is obviously an homage to Ralphie’s mother in A Christmas Story and her frequent refrain in response to his desire for a Red Ryder BB Gun. And the tune’s not TERRIBLE. I mean, it could be worse, right? Yeah. It could. I haven’t even gotten to the Knight Rider song yet!

Sam asked for Christmas in Hollis, but as Kurtis Blow points out on Christmas Rappin’, that is plaaaaayed out. Rap has evolved so much in such a short period of time, it’s hard to believe what a young genre it is. Kurtis Blow was a pioneer. With Run DMC’s help, he became one of the first successful hip hop MCs and definitely one of the first to be signed to a major label. Todays MCs got nothin’ on Blow. I mean, he rhymes roly poly with holey moley. BRILLIANT! I shouldn’t front. The dude opened for The Clash, so that makes him OK in my books. And speaking of Christmas rapping, what more gift could you possibly want other than a song with David Hasselhoff and K.I.T.T. saving Santa Claus? Nothing. That’s what. Be grateful, dammit. You know who that is speaking as K.I.T.T.? That’s Mr. Feeny, goddammit. You show some respect for Mr. Feeny!

Scissors For Lefty brings us Christmas Intentions, a song about naughty kids who are going to get nothing for Christmas. Think about this song as you get ready to mark another year. On New Year’s Eve, my mom used to tell me “You have to behave all year now. Santa remembers.” That threat worked better than almost anything else. If I was ever going to do something that might get me in trouble, I’d weigh the possibilities in my mind and then make my choice based on how close to Christmas it was. I mean, Santa watches ALL the time? Come on! He’s gotta sleep sometime! I was more of a Calvin-type. In the battle between being good and bad, goodness hardly put up much of a fight.

But no matter how long I had to wait, it wasn’t as long as most kids. My family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve. I don’t know why. Probably because my parents figured out early on we were easy to fool with a “Look! Over there! Oh, wow! While you weren’t looking Santa came!” Consequently, they never had to put up with a night of whining and pleading before getting up at 6 a.m. the next day to open presents.

This is the first year of my life that I won’t be spending Christmas Eve with my mom and dad and brother. I’m kind of sad about that, but I’ll see them in January. So I guess these feelings of regret and nostalgia are more because I don’t get to eat a delicious meal of Chinese food courtesy my hometown Chinese restaurant. I will miss you, ginger beef. When I moved away from home and had to travel to make it back for Christmas, Home on Christmas Day by Cyndi Lauper would play in my head. Being stuck in the city for Christmas when I just wish I could get home to relax is the worst feeling in the world. But like Cyndi says, I am just a thought away.

But enough of that gloominess!

Let’s talk about something else. I know! Drunks!

Fairytale of New York: Great Christmas song or GREATEST Christmas song? The answer is, of course, B. This is the best Christmas song currently in existence. From the drawling (possibly drooling) lament of Shane MacGowan, to the lilting loveliness of Kristy MacColl, this is just bracingly, refreshingly awesome. Long a favourite Christmas song in the UK, it’s been kicking around the airwaves on Christmas for 20-odd years now, consistently being named a favourite by critics and fans alike. So of course, in order not to offend anybody, BBC Radio 1 decided this was the year it should be censored.

Thanks, BBC, but no thanks. Kristy MacColl’s mother, the Pogues themselves, and countless listeners called the station to let them know in no uncertain terms that it was handily more offensive to edit the song than it ever would be to hear the words “cheap lousy faggot” uttered by MacColl.

First of all, I’ve heard it before. You’re not offending me because I already know the tune, dudes. You can take the words out, but their existence is made that much more obvious by their abscence. Second, I find it ironic that I can hear the intimate details of Jamie Lynn Spears’ sex life on the evening news, but I cannot listen to a Christmas classic unmolested. I feel like Senator Bulworth. “Obscenity!? Obscenity!?” Puh-lease. Luckily, the station saw the error of their ways and went back to playing the unedited version. A Christmas miracle.

So I guess that about does it for me for Christmas songs. Stay tuned for the songs and albums we all thought rocked the hizzy this year. Not sure EXACTLY when those are being made public, but be on the lookout!

Until then: Happy-Happy, Merry-Merry from your comrades in the Sound Salvation Army!

 

 Fall Out Boy - Yule Shoot Your Eye Out: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Kurtis Blow - Christmas Rappin': Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 A Knight Rider Christmas: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Scissors For Lefty - Christmas Intentions: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Cyndi Lauper - Home on Christmas Day: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The Pogues - Fairytale of New York: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Christmas music, indie rock, mix tapes, pop, pop punk, rap, the Pogues

The thing I most look forward to about Christmas is sleeping in, relaxing and lazing around.

Christmas is for getting worked up when you’re a kid, but as an adult, it’s more about pausing to refresh. And I, for one, cannot wait. I don’t even mind the cold and the snow. I mean, it’s okay if you stay inside where it’s warm and watch it blizzard from behind a charmingly frosted pane of glass. Preferably with a hot rum drink of some sort. So with so many people gearing up to do just that, I wanted to share some of my favourite “relax, have another cookie” chill-out music with you.
But before I do, I should probably qualify all this. I am pretty much a big grinch. I don’t like fussing over Christmas. I don’t care for all the trappings of the season. And that includes holiday music. I’m very sure you’re asking yourself why then, I would subject myself (and you, for that matter) to the song stylings of AC/DC singing a raunchy Christmas song. It’s because for about a week before Christmas, when it’s snowy and cold, my heart grows three sizes and I do stupid shit like bake gingerbread cookies, send out hand-drawn Horatio Caine Christmas cards, buy and decorate a tiny, pink, tinsel tree while listening to Christmas music. These tidings of comfort and joy last for about a week and then I go back to being the sourest bastard Who-ville’s ever seen.

Hearing Leon Redbone woo Zooey Deschanel (or anybody, really) is a one-way ticket to relaxation. I was kind of surprised by Zooey’s voice in now-classic Christmas movie Elf. She’s good! Baby, It’s Cold Outside is about playfulness, suave sensuality and above all, potential date rape. Ahh, I kid. I’m sure it just took a little convincing.

Teen British girl group The Orchids were schoolgirls when they appeared in the movie Just For You singing Mr. Scrooge. I like ‘em. In particular, I like the rhyming lines “You’re so stingy with your kisses/why do I waste my time?/You horde em like a miser hoardes his riches/something something, okay, so I can’t make out these lyrics” but still. They’ve got that full-on Ronettes sound thing going for them. Except they’re like, 15. And British.

And from there, we naturally progress to the king of Psychobilly, Reverend Horton Heat. Who knows why the Reverend decided to release a holiday album? Not me. I just know he did. He and the boys play things pretty straight. No belching, farting, swearing or sexing here. Just A-1 musicianship. I like the organ about two minutes in. Heh. I said organ. Okay. But really, this is a cool song.

But Deanna Kirk’s torch version of Christmas classic You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch is hot, hot, hot. I first heard this on an episode of Cupid in 1998. That was a show on ABC with Jeremy Piven as the God of love. Or a delusional psychotic. Depending on who you believed. It took me three years, but I finally hunted it down and I’ve been listening to it ever since. It is a pleasure and a joy to share it with you. I love how slinky it is. That’s because female Grinches are hot, yo.

And finally, we have the Snow Miser. Who is not hot. In any sense of the word. But I think I prefer Snow Miser to Heat Miser. I just like the way he works his shivers into his song.

I have a few more songs I’ll post on the weekend, but I swear my miserly ways will definitely return soon.

 

 Leon Redbone and Zooey Deschanel - Baby It's Cold Outside: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The Orchids - Mr. Scrooge: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Reverend Horton Heat - We Three Kings: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Deanna Kirk - You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Dick Shawn - Snow Miser: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Christmas music, indie rock, mix tapes, pop, pop punk, psychobilly, Reverend Horton Heat, the Orchids