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31 Oct 2009 16:52

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Music: Our Saturday Mixtape’s decade-in-review lands in 2005

  • 1. Between this and The Walkmen’s “The Rat,” you have two of the three best songs of the decade right here. (The third is coming in the next few weeks.) A surreal, beautiful, simple song, Antony deserves the high praise this song (and album) earned.
    2. The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn is a walking Wikipedia entry on the city of Minneapolis, something that straight-up defines the sound of “Your Little Hoodrat Friend,” a four-minute explanation of why this band is so awesome to people not in the know.
    3. Sort of a ying to The Hold Steady’s yang, Art Brut’s Eddie Argos is nearly as self-referential as Finn is. On “Emily Kane,” Argos counts down to the second when his first relationship ended. And not surprisingly, the whole album is this clever.
    4. People seem to give Conor Oberst crap for being too pretentious for his own good, but for one shining moment this decade, he was able to get past all that and create a truly shining piece of work, “I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning.” “Land Locked Blues” is our favorite highlight.
    5. Perhaps the best story to come out of 2005 was the long-gestating return of Vashti Bunyan, a former Andrew Loog Oldham protégé who released a spectacular, unheard album, “Just Another Diamond Day,” in 1970, only to disappear for 35 years. Thanks to Devendra Banhart, Animal Collective and other hipster fans, she returned with “Lookaftering,” an amazingly assured victory lap. “Wayward Hum” doesn’t even need words to be a highlight. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink

02 May 2009 10:22

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Music: ShortFormBlog Saturday Mixtape: Five killer new songs

  • 1. Welcome back, Kate Bush! Seriously, though, Bat For Lashes’ latest album has been showered with crazy praise, and “Daniel” sounds like the best single of 1987.

    2. The second we heard The Cool Kids make references to the Bad Boy-era Detroit Pistons, we were enamored with “Pennies.” It sounds like the best single of 1989.

    3. Eddie Argos makes recovering from a bad hangover sound like the funniest thing ever on “Alcoholics Unanimous.” Bring me tea! Bring me coffee! The ending kills, BTW.

    4. The trend towards fuzzy continues with Woods, who sound like Crazy Horse-era Neil Young on “Rain On,” except with dissonant noise giving it a layer of intrigue.

    5. In the fuzzy vein, Times New Viking’s recorded-through-a-telephone, cheery cover of the Arcade Fire’s “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” is as interesting as the original. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Apr 2009 10:54

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Music: Three recent albums Pitchfork says are worth your time

  • one Camera Obscura, “My Maudlin Career”: “The album feels as if it could have been released any time in the last 50-odd years, but the inspired arrangements – and, of course, Campbell’s indelible voice – make it sound fresh, too.”
  • two Art Brut, “Art Brut vs. Satan”: It’s a return to form after a just-OK second album, “a scrappy, romantic, and painfully hilarious return to loserdom. Coldplay will always be more popular. So what? I hate those guys!”
  • three Bill Callahan, “Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle”: They heart the Smog dude. “This self-portrait is so complex and subtle that it’s tempting to skip discussing the actual music, which speaks so eloquently for itself.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Apr 2009 11:17

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Music: It’s Spring! Here’s five albums you should save your nickels for.

  • one German garage act King Khan & The Shrines (a killer live act) finally brings their blazing “What Is?!” to the U.S. (April 21).
  • two UK act Art Brut’s “Art Brut vs. Satan” (out May 12 Stateside) promises to be high-concept (in a really good way).
  • three Jason Lytle, the former lead dude of Grandaddy, goes uber-twee with solo debut “Yours Truly, the Commuter” (out May 19).
  • four Also on May 19, Eminem, long out of the game, tries to remind everyone that he’s still alive and still worthy with “Relapse.”
  • five Perhaps the most anticipated indie release of the Spring season? Grizzly Bear’s highly-hyped “Veckatimest” (May 26).
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Feb 2009 11:09

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Music: Art Brut has an upcoming album. It’s probably high-concept.

“Art Brut Vs. Satan” comes out in the U.K. on April 20. Hahah, 420, get it? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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