Fall 2009 Mix

Fall is my favorite season, and since 2006, I have compiled a mix CD to celebrate said season every year. It started mostly with tracks showcasing the acoustic guitar and orchestrated string sections. I have since grown to be able to capture the mood of autumn with a more diverse group of songs (at least, in my opinion).

This year, I have decided to share my fall mix. You can download it as a zip via Mediafire HERE.

And, here is the tracklist:

1. "Pancho Villa" Sun Kil Moon
2. "Our Way to Fall" Yo La Tengo
3. "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)" The Byrds
4. "Kid A" Radiohead
5. "Grass" XTC
6. "Two Doves" Dirty Projectors
7. "The Killing Moon" Echo & the Bunnymen
8. "Cold Wind" Arcade Fire
9. "Some Strange Rain" Cotton Jones
10. "Kingston" Field Music
11. "Never Been Born" Owen
12. "Easier" Grizzly Bear
13. "Jennifer and Julia" The Clientele
14. "Jim Cain" Bill Callahan
15. "Ancient Questions" Mount Eerie
16. "Family of Others" Deerhoof
17. "Never Going Back Again" Fleetwood Mac
18. "Which Will" Nick Drake
19. "Somebody That I Used to Know" Elliott Smith
20. "Aaron & Maria" The American Analog Set
21. "Willow Tree" Chad VanGaalen
22. "The Model" Belle & Sebastian

Enjoy!

Cursive/The Love Language/Javelins @ The Pike Room, 7/28/09

Remember the band Cursive? Believe it or not, they still exist and release a new record about every three years. This has been one of those years, and they happen to be one of what seems like only a handful of bands that consistently play in Michigan when the time comes.

This past summer, Pontiac, Michigan was graced with the presence of Omaha, Nebraska’s greatest outlet of righteous anger.

This night really was an interesting concert experience, especially when Detroit-area show attendance is unpredictable, and usually not all that good. By the time my buddies Javelins took the stage as local openers, the Pike Room was packed. Granted, this was billed as a “rare small room appearance” for Cursive, but there being 200+ kids in attendance by 9:15 PM already made this a special evening.

Javelins played one of the better sets I had seen from them in a while. Not that their sets have been lacking lately, it’s just that this one was especially tight. I will admit that I’m getting a little antsy for some new material, but when the arty, dreamy and shoegazey post-punk pop of last year’s masterpiece, Heavy Meadows, is done this tightly, it is a pleasure to experience. And a Javelins show is not a Javelins show unless they close with the title track, which was one of the best songs of 2008.

I knew absolutely nothing about The Love Language going into the night, and after passively listening to them while chatting with some friends, I understood why. They were incredibly bland and uninteresting. I’ll leave it at that.

Without question, Cursive were the highlight of the night. I was shocked at how good their set was. Hearing songs from the new record, Mama, I’m Swollen, in a live setting completely won me over. I was bummed they didn’t play opener “In the Now,” one of my favorite songs of this year, but aside from that they made some solid choices from it.

Aside from the new stuff, the band did a great job of spreading the rest of their setlist around, performing tracks from 2006’s Happy Hollow, The Ugly Organ (2003), the Burst and Bloom EP (2001), and yes even their classic, Domestica, which dates all the back to 2000. It was fantastic to see them play gems like “Some Red Handed Slight of Hand,” “Art is Hard” and “The Recluse” from The Ugly Organ, and it was especially awesome to experience Burst and Bloom’s leadoff track, “Sink to the Beat” as part of an encore again.

However, it was the surprising amount of material Cursive played from Domestica that was the highest of highlights. I had only seen them twice before this, and both times in 2003 at the Majestic Theater, and had never seen them perform “The Game of Who Needs Who the Worst,” but boy did they deliver the goods this time. “The Radiator Hums” and “The Martyr” were completely badass, especially thanks to the group of friends and other random attendees in close proximity and I shouting along to the lyrics.

This was one of the most enjoyable shows I had been to in quite some time. Between the number of people I knew there, the body count in general and the whole reason we were there, it was a grand night to remember. I am overjoyed that Cursive still have it in them to put on an intense and emotionally charged as well as incredibly entertaining performance. It helps that they are still releasing great music.

Twitter Review Session #4

(57) Technicolor Health - Harlem Shakes (Gigantic)
Zany indie pop somewhere in the realm of Born Ruffians, but nowhere near as good. Opening track is awes, tho. (5.5/10)

(58) Slight Fountain - Hermit Thrushes (Joyful Noise)
Deadpan mathy folk rock? Some neat ideas rhythmically, but really quite boring. (6/10)

(59) Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship - Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship (Romantic Air)
Trippy song experiments by Zoos of Berlins' Trev + LTD (ex-Pas/Cal). Eerie and rhythm-heavy. (7.5/10)

(60) Assemble - Hi Red Center (Joyful Noise)
Very technical, all-over-the-place, sorta emo-y indie pop. Maybs like a more accessible Deerhoof? Pretty great. (7.5/10)

(61) Dark Dark Woods - Husband & Wife (Crossroads of America)
Bloomington, IN buds play dark, pretty slowcore with a Pedro the Lion-esque pop sensibility. (7/10)

(62) Here//There - Ilad (Syjip)
Imagine if Radiohead, old Wilco, and Tortoise had a child together. Eerie stuff with an awesome groove. Talented group. (6.5/10)

(63) High on Jackson Hill - Immaculate Machine (Mint)
Mediocre power pop from New Pornographers girl plus some people. Really bland and boring. (4.5/10)

(64) I Was a King - I Was a King (Control Group)
Pretty standard, noisy pop/rock. Not bad, but nothing remotely special by any means. (5/10)

(65) Post-Nothing - Japandroids (Polyvinyl)
Another loud, noisy, mediocre rock 'n' roll band. Cool guitar stuff, but whatever. Could use some bass, defs. (5.5/10)

(66) Watch Me Fall - Jay Reatard (Matador)
Really good, surprisingly somewhat diverse pop punk. I really like this record quite a bit. (8/10)

(67) Flowers - Joan of Arc (Polyvinyl)
Tim Kinsella and peeps do their usual, odd but emo-y thing, and it is bizarre and decent like always. (6/10)

(68) Begone Dull Care - Junior Boys (Domino)
Subtle, smooth 'n' sexy synth pop with some nice blip-bloopin' from these two Canadian dudes. This record RULES. (8.5/10)

(69) Tragic Boogie - The Life and Times (Arena Rock)
Allen Epley (ex-Shiner) and his latest space rock beast that sounds like Shiner. It's still really good. (7.5/10)

(70) Curse Your Branches - David Bazan (Barsuk)
FKA Pedro the Lion's new full length, and IMO his lyrics are not up to snuff and it is boring. Disappointment. (5.5/10)

(71) Black River Killer EP - Blitzen Trapper (Sub Pop)
B.T. seem to have dropped their sloppiness and are content doing the southern rock thing. Not as into it. (6/10)

(72) by- - Bygones (Sargent House)
Hella's Zach Hill and dude from Tera Melos do a much more melodic version of Hella or Marnie Stern. It kind of rules. (7/10)

(73) Bay of Pigs EP - Destroyer (Merge)
The 13 minute subtle disco epic, "Bay of Pigs" is Bejar's best song in a while. The other song is nice and boring. (7/10)

(74) LP - Discovery (XL)
Ra Ra Riot/Vamp Weekend synth-heavy electronic pop collab. The obnoxiousness outweighs the few good parts there are. (6/10)

(75) Time to Die - The Dodos (Frenchkiss)
Not really expanding too much on their experimental, polyrhythmic folk sound, but somehow they do it better here. (7/10)

(76) I'm Going Away - The Fiery Furnaces (Thrill Jockey)
After a few off albums, The Fiery Furnaces return with this much less overbearing, zany little pop gem. (7/10)

(77) The Ruminant Band - Fruit Bats (Sub Pop)
A really solid pop record, slightly of the psychadelic 60s kind. That's all this is. (7/10)

(78) Aim and Ignite - fun. (Nettwerk)
Really wanted to like this Format/Steel Train/ex-Anathallo collab, but it's a bit too dramatic and the vocals way too nice. (5/10)

(79) Waterparks - Alec Jensen (Phi Slamma Jamma)
My friend and bandmate is a lo-fi pop whiz kid. His latest solo full length is the best thing he's done yet. (8/10)

(80) Survival Strategies in a Modern World - Liechtenstein (Slumberland)
Swedish female trio. Simple, noisy, reverb-y, punk-y indie pop, not too unlike Vivian Girls. But maybs better. (8/10)

(81) Dear John - Loney Dear (Polyvinyl)
Bland and boring pop dude who puts out one good song per record. Shrug. (5.5/10)

(82) The Floodlight Collective - Lotus Plaza (Kranky)
Other Deerhunter dude, Lockett Pundt and his purely shoegaze project. Songs go nowhere, but are full and BEAUT. (7.5/10)

(83) Josephine - Magnolia Electric Co. (Secretly Canadian)
Mostly boring but pretty country rock. I've always wanted to like these dudes but I just can't do it. (6/10)

(84) Tea Tornado - Marmoset (Joyful Noise)
Sparse, sorta noisy, bland indie pop that lacks what most pop bands' strong suit is: MELODY. I don't like this at all. (4/10)

(85) Grand - Matt & Kim (Fader)
I really do not want to like this obnoxious boy/girl/keyboard/drums duo, but there are too many good songs here. (7/10)

(86) The Mountain - Heartless Bastards (Fat Possum)
Fairly loud and ballsy country-tinged rock 'n' roll that actually is quite good. (6.5/10)

(87) Catacombs - Cass McCombs (Domino)
Another record that I really wanted to like this year. Really pretty folk-pop that gets a little bland. (6/10)

(88) No More Stories... - Mew (Columbia)
Spacey indie pop that's way more interesting than I anticipated. I don't love this record, but it pleasantly surprised me. (7/10)

(89) Jewellery - Micachu & the Shapes (Rough Trade)
Short, sweet and noisy A.D.D. pop songs for fans of the likes of Deerhoof and whatnot. Not bad at all. (6.5/10)

(90) (a)spera - Mirah (K)
Orchestrated yet somehow sparse female pop. I was hoping this to be just a wee louder, but it lacks nothing in beauty. (7/10)

(91) No One's First and You're Next EP - Modest Mouse (Epic)
A collection of b-sides from the last few years. Only three songs from the Good News... sessions rule hard. (6/10)

(92) Hymn to the Immortal Wind - Mono (Temporary Residence)
Ugh. Incredibly dramatic, boring as hell instrumental post-rock. Total snoozer. (3/10)

(93) Years of Refusal - Morrissey (Lost Highway)
I don't think I will ever care about Morrissey's solo records. Not that this is bad, it's just nothing special. (6/10)

(94) Wind's Poem - Mount Eerie (P.W. Elverum & Sun)
Lo-fi, noisy experimental folk. I've never been able to get entirely into P. Elverum, and this is still the case. (5.5/10)

(95) Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band - Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band (Dead Oceans)
Loud, upbeat, emo-y indie rock with classic rock guitarmonies. Not sure where the hype came from. (5/10)

(96) Desktop 12" EP - Desktop (Suburban Sprawl)
Pop Project/Electric Six collab w/ Zach Curd as MVP. S. Wonder, New Order and Junior Boys as kindred spirits. (7.5/10)

(97) ...And the Ever Expanding Universe - The Most Serene Republic (Arts & Crafts)
Layered, relatively spastic and complex indie pop that is surprisingly good. (7/10)

(98) Get Guilty - A.C. Newman (Merge)
I still really like The New Pornographers for the most part, but in essence, I am so over this dude's bland pop. (5.5/10)

Predictions For Pitchfork's 20 Best Records Of 2000-2009

My best bud Travis (who blogs here) and I spent a couple hours today texting about our predictions for Pitchfork's decade-end albums list finale, which comes tomorrow by way of a top 20. Thanks to this collaboration, we were able to come up with a list of around 16 that we feel somewhat confident about. Being totally stumped after that, and toying around with the idea of a couple others, here is my attempt at filling in the holes and putting these albums in some sort of order. I can't wait to see how wrong I will be come tomorrow morning.

20. The Runners Four - Deerhoof (Kill Rock Stars/5 Rue Christine, 2005)
19. Tha Carter III - Lil Wayne (Cash Money, 2008)
18. White Blood Cells - The White Stripes (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2001)
17. Silent Shout - The Knife (Mute/Rabid, 2006)
16. Is This It - The Strokes (RCA, 2001)
15. The Blueprint - Jay-Z (Roc-a-Fella, 2001)
14. Discovery - Daft Punk (Virgin, 2001)
13. Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem (EMI/DFA, 2007)
12. Person Pitch - Panda Bear (Paw Tracks, 2007)
11. Illinois - Sufjan Stevens (Asthmatic Kitty, 2005)
10. Agaetis Byrjun - Sigur Ros (Smekklyesa, 2000)
9. The Moon and Antarctica - Modest Mouse (Epic, 2000)
8. Merriweather Post Pavilion - Animal Collective (Domino, 2009)
7. Stankonia - Outkast (La Face, 2000)
6. Turn On the Bright Lights - Interpol (Matador, 2002)
5. Since I Left You - The Avalanches (XL, 2001)
4. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco (Nonesuch, 2002)
3. Late Registration - Kanye West (Def Jam/Roc-a-Fella, 2005)
2. Funeral - Arcade Fire (Merge, 2004)
1. Kid A - Radiohead (Capitol, 2000)