Great New Music In August

2010-08-15T10:45:00.000-04:00

There are some great new albums coming out in August.

Definitely worth saving up your dollars for some of these albums:

Budos Band - Budos Band III (Out Now!)
Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs - God Willin' and The Creek Don't Rise (8/17)
Mogwai - Special Moves (Live Album) (8/24)
Ra Ra Riot - The Orchard (8/24)

Top 10 Albums of the Decade

2010-01-06T20:35:00.008-05:00

With a week passing since the end of 2009, it's time to put the last decade's music in perspective.

This list has undergone extensive editing, re-editing and a large amount of swaps in and out. But in the end I think I ended up with the top ten list I started with in the first place. Some of these albums are monumental for music in general and others are monumental for my own life and may be lost on some other people.

I hope this list will at least give you some albums to check out or revisit with a new mindset. Enjoy!

10. Hella - "Hold Your Horse Is" (2002)

While justified as it may have been, the inclusion of this album on my list is not an attempt to give a nod to rise of the sub-culture of instrumental rock the '00s. The fact is, this album is an experience that can't be matched by much else and is an incredible work in its own right. This is more than "music for musicians" as many people call math rock, or instrumental rock music. The songs created by two of the hardest working guys in music, Spencer Seim and Zach Hill, are intricate, interesting and perfectly executed. This genre of music to me is the antithesis to jazz; perfectly planned with no room for spontaneity (at least once the song has been written). There is something to be said for a band achieving enough on and off stage chemistry to be able to pull of these twitch-inspiring songs without it sounding like total chaos. Instrumental rock may well be the future of rock in the next decade and I hope to God that these two pioneer the revolution.
Favorites: Biblical Violence, Republic of Rough and Ready

9. Death Cab For Cutie - "Transatlanticism" (2003)
Ben Gibbard and company's 2003 release is easy to forget seven years after its release, but its snapshot of indie rock early in the decade is truly something monumental. This album features all of the band's members running on all cylinders. The imagery created by Gibbard's lyrics are nothing short of astounding. Many images he has created with these 11 songs will stay with the listener and reemerge in everyday life. Gibbard is the master of using poetic tendencies without sounding self-indulgent while creating singable choruses and memorable melodies.
Favorites: Transatlanticism, We Looked Like Giants

8. Animal Collective - "Merriweather Post Pavillion" (2009)
Its easy to overlook 2009 releases on a decade top ten list, but Animal Collective's latest release warrants mention from an interesting year in music. While this album is in a sense the band's departure from the norm of truly abstract orchestration for a more accessible and listenable album, it cannot be denied that this album has incredibly innovative songs. Some may disagree, but I think this album is the bookend to rock for the decade along with Radiohead's "Kid A" serving as a milestone of the progress music has made in the past ten years and setting the tone for the next.
Favorites: My Girls, Summertime Clothes

7. Band of Horses - "Everything All the Time" (2006)

On their debut release, Band of Horses don't wait long to show you what their shtick is all about. From the first track on the album it is clear that this album is a sonic journey through heartbreak, joy and a number of other emotions everyone can and will feel. Band of Horses is a contradiction in many ways. Their music is simple in structure and purpose, yet intricately layered for future discoveries on extra listens. Even their breakthrough track Funeral is a contradiction of moods using an inspiring soundtrack to convey dismal feelings.
Favorites: The First Song, Funeral

6. The Arcade Fire - "Funeral" (2004)

"Funeral" serves as the best depiction of all that happened with music in the '00s. It has elements of folk, dance-rock, large production including lots of strings and a big sound. It will likely be the most memorable album on this list and will be remembered as an accomplishment. With an angst-filled yet beautiful tone throughout, The Arcade Fire have executed each element, from the quiet and thoughtful (Une Année Sans Lumiere) to the loud and angry (Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)) to create a truly frightening, beautiful, unique and groundbreaking piece of music.
Favorites: Neighborhood #3 (Power Out), Haiti

5. Modest Mouse - "The Moon And Antarctica" (2000)
Modest Mouse's career is divided into two acts. With a monster transitory album called "The Moon & Antarctica" in the middle. From "Long Drive..." to "Lonesome Crowded West..." Modest Mouse had made stripped down music with production values reminiscent of their live shows. With this album, MM used their new found major label funding to create a very unique, moody and beautifully tragic record. This is Brock at his best, using the tools provided by the recording studio to add to his bleak view of the world and not paying close attention to proper song structure, song length constraints or any sort of rule. The following albums are filled with a different kind of emotion than is found here. They are bigger, more produced and seemed constrained to rules of music marketing. While "Good News..." and "We Were Dead..." are still great albums, the consistent tone and mood of "The Moon & Antarctica" are what make this album a classic work of artistry rather than a collection of hit songs.
Favorites: The Stars Are Projectors, Lives

4. Sufjan Stevens - "Illinois" (2005)

I think everyone knew Sufjan Stevens couldn't possibly be as prolific as he claimed he was going to be this decade. 50 albums for 50 states? Not sure he believed it or even meant it, but who cares. This album is as prolific as you can get for one outing. Along with the spillover of tracks from the "Illinois" sessions he later released on "The Avalanche", Stevens delivered his fans 43 tracks and two and a half hours of music in '05 and '06. Not only that, but one of the best songs of the decade ("Chicago") is on this concept album, and album that explores depression, psyches of serial killers and stories about zombies.
Favorites: Chicago, They Are Night Zombies...

3. Sigur Rós - "( )" (2002)

Virtually no title, no track titles and lyrics in the non-language of "Hopelandic", this album is an enigma to say the least. The journey through this album is enhanced by the lack of a guide however, because it really can only be fully realized as one continuous listen. It will make you want to cry, smile and reflect all at once. Sigur Rós' two following albums "Takk" and "Med Sud í Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust" are excellent and show the band's tremendous growth, but there are few albums in history that effect me the way
"( )" does.
Favorites: 01, 03, 04

2. The Helio Sequence - "Love & Distance" (2004)

This album is the perfect blend of organic and artificial sound. Playing with pre-recorded samples live, the two-man band is a revelation. Wiekel (Drums) plays with everything he's got and Summers (Vocals, Guitars) brings smooth melodies and intricate programming creating a collection of songs that always has more to discover. This album is able to be listened to in any mood, just make sure it's loud.
Favorites: Harmonica Song, SOS

1. Radiohead - "Kid A" (2000)

Undoubtedly at the top of many people's decade list, this album came early in an uncertain decade, set the tone and pioneered the way for many bands to create experimental, electronic, daring and yet accessible music. The first time I heard this album at age 16 I didn't realize it's importance; but it gave me chills...and that was enough.
Favorites: Everything In Its Right Place, Idioteque

Fringe Selections:
Mogwai - "Rock Action"
Broken Social Scene - "You Forgot It In People"
The Flaming Lips - "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots"
Fugazi - "The Argument"
Hot Chip - "The Warning"

Blakroc

2009-11-27T16:25:00.002-05:00

Out Today!

Blakroc by Blakroc.

The Black Keys team up with some of the hottest hip-hop artists of the decade to create interesting blues/rock/hip-hop.

Featured artists include Mos Def, Jim Jones, Q-Tip, RZA and more. My hip-hop bone is aching with anticipation.

Check out the album streaming here.

Album Review Coming Soon...

New Music Releases for Tomorrow (10/6)

2009-10-05T11:01:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is one of the those rare and wonderful days where a handful of new records are coming out that really get your ears excited. So trek down to your local record store and pick up a few of these exciting new records! You know it's better than buying them on iTunes.

...but if you still want music online I guess that's okay, click on the album cover and it'll take you there.

October 6th Releases:

Built To Spill - There is No Enemy

Noah And The Whale - The First Days of Spring

No Age - Losing Feeling

The Fall of Troy - In the Unlikely Event

The Raveonettes - In & Out of Control

Sunny Day Real Estate at Terminal 5 NYC

2009-09-29T11:00:00.008-04:00

Standing in Terminal 5 in New York City creates a buzz all its own: two balconies, roof access and 6+ bars create a grandiose atmosphere for a show like this. Adding to the fact, I'm waiting to see Sunny Day Real Estate, a live show I've been waiting for for about 10 years, the anticipation was contagious throughout the crowd.

As soon as they took the stage I knew I was not going to be let down. They started the set with four of their classics from Diary and LP2: Friday, Seven, Shadows & Song About an Angel. It was quite possibly the best ten minutes of my month.

The band was tight, William Goldsmith was an animal, Jeremy Enigk's voice was spot on (possibly even better sounding than on the records). The instrumentation was perfect, crisp, and ballsy. It was clear that the band was not doing this reunion tour out of anything but their own love for the music. No record label was breathing down their necks to do this.

I felt like they were having as much fun as all of us down on the floor.

The set-list was almost all from LP2 and Diary with additions of "Guitar & Video Games" from How It Feels To Be Something On, a newly written song for the tour, and "Spade And Parade", an old track from an early 7" that was re-released on the newly remastered reissue of LP2.

The addition of a newly written song makes me hopeful that the band may end up recording a new album. When the band reunited after LP2, they set out to write a few songs for archival purposes for Sub Pop and ended up writing How It Feels To Be Something On. Maybe it'll happen again!

-JL

Set-List
Sunny Day Real Estate 9.27.09 @ Terminal 5 (New York, NY)

1. Friday (LP2)
2. Seven (Diary)
3. Shadows (Diary)
4. Song About An Angel (Diary)
5. Grendel (Diary)
6. Guitar & Video Games (How It Feels...)
7. Iscarabaid (LP2)
8. Theo B (LP2)
9. **New Song**
10. 47 (Diary)
11. J'Nuh (LP2)
12. Sometimes (Diary)
**ENCORE**
13. In Circles (Diary)
14. Spade & Parade (LP2 Reissue)
15. 48 (Diary)

Welcome To Music Matter!

2009-09-27T16:08:00.003-04:00

Welcome to your source for all things musical! Specializing in experimental, indie rock and underground music.

Currently listening to Reservoir by Fanfarlo.

I saw them last week at The Bowery Ballroom in NYC and was enthralled.

Sunny Day Real Estate reunion tour tonight at Terminal 5!
Stayed tuned!

-JL