The stickiest albums of ‘09…
The beginning of a new year presents an opportune time to get back on the blogging bandwagon.
In this entry, I’m going to present the ’stickiest’ albums of this past year. So what do I mean by stickiest?
Well, even though I caved and bought an iPod towards the end of the year, for the majority of 2009 I was using a media player that only held a handful of albums. Since I’m constantly trying to listen to new albums, the average release didn’t stay on it for very long. But a few would find themselves ’stuck’ on the player for much longer than the rotating stock.
As 2009 draws to a close, I still can’t listen to these releases enough.
I’m going to recommend a variety of tracks from these releases, you can find them in this handy playlist. I’ve also linked to some videos where I could find them.
A Day to Remember - Homesick
The Homesick album is what happens when a guitarist from a pop/punk band (Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory, respectively) takes the helm to produce an album by a post-hardcore act. Three albums deep, A Day to Remember have sharpened their approach, but Gilbert helps them refine it down to a sound that is sometimes formulaic but often effective. But that’s not to discount any of the efforts made on the part of this Florida-based five-piece: they’ve always jumped between pop/punk melodies and hardcore breakdowns within a single track, but they’ve never done so with the level of finesse heard on Homesick.
This was a great record to listen to at the gym, though I found myself skipping through a few of the more ballady tunes that round out the disc. Listening to it on long roadtrips seemed to be a better bet.
“The Downfall of us All” (video) and “NJ Legion Ice Tea” were great choices for singles, and these high energy tunes would probably be the best place to get a first impression of A Day to Remember.
Bury Your Dead - It’s Nothing Personal
It’s fitting that this is coming after the recommendation for Homesick, since It’s Nothing Personal has a similar appeal. Both records come from established bands on the Victory Records roster. However, while A Day to Remember approaches the hardcore genre from a pop/punk standpoint, Bury Your Dead prefer to add a bit of metal to the mix (some call this subgenre ‘metalcore’). But regardless of how it’s labelled, both albums simply have a good balance of melody and mayhem, a well-polished take on an aggressive style of music.
It’s Nothing Personal is Bury Your Dead’s fifth record, but continues on with the more melodic sound that started when new vocalist Myke Terry joined the group in 2007. With the stylistic shift in sound, it’s likely not a coincidence that the preceding album was self-titled. While the 2008 record had a bit of singing on it, on It’s Nothing Personal Terry strikes a pretty good balance between ‘clean vocals’ and the screaming/yelling/etc. that is expected from this group.
This is a wonderful record for the gym; it actually served as my go-to release when I would run out of new music to listen to but only find myself halfway through a workout.
The album-opener “Hurting Not Helping” (video) is a fitting place to start on what is a consistently enjoyable release, and the two tracks that follow (”Without You” and “Broken Body”) are also pretty strong.
Fever Ray
This one was almost too obvious, and it received plenty of hype elsewhere, but I can’t resist mentioning Fever Ray’s self-titled debut. This solo project from the Knife’s Karin Dreijer Andersson is similar enough to her main gig that it shouldn’t alienate any devoted fans, but unique enough to warrant being released under a separate moniker.
This is a dark, almost haunting album; a little mellower than the Knife’s releases but at least as captivating. It’s a wonderful record to lose yourself in while on an evening walk, and for this reason it pretty much lived on my mp3 player for the majority of the year.
Singles “When I Grow Up” (video) and “Triangle Walks” (video) are both great places to start. This is one of the few times I’d recommend checking out the videos as much as the songs themselves. They’re captivating, weird and well-executed; a perfect fit for the music playing throughout.
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
In stark counterpoint to Fever Ray above, this record probably couldn’t be any brighter. But since I’ve talked about this elsewhere, I’ll spare any further explanation.
Rancid - Let the Dominoes Fall
I’ve also talked about this one previously. Along with Phoenix’s latest, these were the two records that made my summer bright despite the cool weather. I still feel the same now as I do then, so why not throw a hyperlink back to that entry?
Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3
The third volume of the a series that started 8 years previous again Mr. Carter bringing together the usual crop of top producers (Timbaland, the Neptunes, Kanye West) special guests (Rihanna, Pharell, Young Jeezy, Kanye again) and some up-and comers (Drake, Kid Cudi, J. Cole).
Most of these collaborations go well, though after hearing Timabaland’s contributions to this record I found myself quite thankful that he didn’t produce the entire album (as was initially reported). Both of Kanye’s turns on the mic entertain, making me hope that he plans on getting back to rapping instead of making this stuff. While on the topic of unfulfilled wishes, it’s unfortunate that a Chris Martin production didn’t find its way onto this album.
But enough about the collaborators; on the Blueprint 3 Jigga himself turns in his best effort since The Black Album (though neither the productions nor Jay-Z’s raps are quite up to that level). “Empire State of Mind” (video) will stand with his best work, though a song about New York with an R&B luminary is about as close to ‘tried and true’ as it gets for Jigga. “What We Talkin’ About” and “Hate” are also recommended, and although “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” (video) had a lukewarm response from critical circles I personally found it refreshing to hear No I.D.’s turn in a beat that sounds a bit left-of-centre from a production standpoint.
This album is far from perfect, but I found myself listening to it constantly this past fall.
Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
Quite frankly, I was shocked at how much I enjoyed (and still enjoy) Sainthood, but it’s probably because it doesn’t sound like any of the other records put out by this Canadian duo. There have always been things I could take away from Tegan and Sara’s records, but they normally left me wanting at the end of the experience. But want no more: on their sixth album, the Sisters Quin have hit on a formula I could really get behind.
This is their second record with Chris Walla behind the boards (likely better known as the guitarist for Death Cab for Cutie), and it sounds like they’ve finally made that transition they were hinting at with the 2007’s The Con, their last album (and the first produced by Walla). The songwriting is just as good, but they’ve stepped up their sonic approach by opting to record this material with more emphasis on a full-band sound. The result is a an indie rock/pop disc with new wave leanings.
“The Cure” could be their biggest mid-tempo rock radio hit yet, but it looks like they’re opted to make the enjoyable (but to my ears, inferior) “Alligator” the next single. The uncharacteristically upbeat lead single “Hell” another good place to start. Really, you’d be hard-pressed to pick a bad moment on the set of songs found here. The three tracks listed here (along with “On Directing”) can be found on their official myspace page.
The summer’s out of reach?
While the jury may still be out on how bad winter’s going to be, I think we can all agree that it’s following up a pretty disappointing summer. But while the weather may not have been what we were hoping for, the soundtrack was definitely lurking out there.
So for those of you who dream of warmer climates…here are two quality albums you can can throw on, close your eyes, and think about what could’ve been. There’s always next year, right?
Rancid - Let the Dominoes Fall
Anyone who knows me probably also knows that I’ve been a Rancid fan for years, so some may take this recommendation with a truckload of salt. However, I think with this record they finally put together that crossover disc that plays outside of their base. The previous record, 2003’s Indestructible attempted this but fell a little short. With Let the Dominoes Fall, they’ve achieved that right balance of polish and that raw punk sound. It doesn’t hurt that this is one of the stronger sets of songs they’ve thrown together, and the ska-oriented tracks . If this is how their records sound when they write all the songs on acoustic guitars, I hope they do it again the next time around.
The occasional ska cuts (”Up to No Good”, “I Ain’t Worried”, “Liberty and Freedom” and “That’s Just the Way It Is Now”) are probably the ’summerest’ of the tunes present here, but the hooks are so huge across the record that just about any song will suffice for sheer singalong value. Lead-single “Last One to Die” and album-opener “East Bay Night” both show off the vocal harmonies that are the staples of any great Rancid tune, and both can be heard on their myspace.
I’ll be curious to see what future singles are picked off of this disc; there’s a wealth of material to choose from here.
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
I always loved “Consolation Prizes” but I’ll admit I didn’t give 2006’s “It’s Never Been Like That” much of a chance. But when I heard “1901“, the lead single off of this summer’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, I took notice.
I probably listened to “1901″ about a ten times a week in the time leading up to the release of that disc, and I’m still enjoying the song months later. Of course, it’s easy to get more mileage out of solid tune when it’s on an album with another catchy single (”Lisztomania”) and about a half an hour’s worth of breezy indie pop. While the Rancid record above might make you want to get up out of your seat, this one goes down easy. If I were the host of a patio party, this would’ve played while we all chilled out in the evening hours.
My only knock on the album would be that it all feels like it’s over too fast, but there’s very little filler. The two-parter “Love Like a Sunset” doesn’t quite deliver on the mood established, especially since it takes such Kraftwerkian detour from the course established on the album - but its an interesting little sonic departure in itself.
Much like the Rancid record above, this is the most accessible record this established group has put out in their career.
Cold Kickin’ It Live…
It’s because of things like this that I think everyone should respect Jay-Z, regardless of whether they even listen to his music.
Due to Adam Yaunch being diagnosed with cancer, the Beastie Boys recently had to cancel all of their concerts and bumped back the release of their next album. This included a headlining gig at the All Points West festival, which Jay-Z stepped in to cover.
So what does Mr. Carter do? He opens his headlining set by covering “No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn.” Not only is this an old school classic from the Beasties, but it’s an especially fitting choice to use as a tribute since Jay-Z is somewhat of an NYC icon himself.
He’s a class act in my books.
An Update of Sorts
Posted by: Jay in Uncategorized on July 29th, 2009
It seems a personal update is overdue. And since I find myself on the first real vacation of my professional career, it’s also probably the first chance I’ve had to write one. And speaking of things I’ve been meaning to do, I also finally got around to putting together a proper About Me page.
Moving forward, I’ve been uncertain what purpose a personal blog will serve me. I used to blog anytime I thought I had something interesting to share, be it something as simple as a link or as detailed as a rant. But with Twitter emerging as a convenient medium to share cool things, I find myself using this much simpler, more immediate method to share content.
Of course, Twitter has its obvious limitations. What if I can’t say something in 140 characters? I see the blog remaining as a way to fill that gap, presenting thoughts that I hope folks will chew on for a minute. A space to be a little more long-winded, but hopefully not a soapboax I’ll come to take for granted (too often, anyway). The rants will likely be a little less common, as I’d prefer to take some time to get into some new things I think are worth sharing, but warrant some presentation or explanation.
So why haven’t I posted much lately? Well, it’s a simple equation: as I’ve ramped up the amount of reading I do, I seem to have less time to write about it all! With that in mind, it seems all the more apropriate that the next posts I’d like to get out of the gate will talk about some of the most useful sites I’ve been retrieving content from. Hopefully by sharing the half dozen or so sources I use, some commenters will be inspired to share some of their favourites. Or not?
Anyway, I’ll be evaluating as I go, but hopefully the whole thing won’t be too ‘meta’.
Another free mixtape, this one c/o Sage Francis
Sage Francis has been releasing the ‘Sick of…’ series of mixtapes for quite some time. I gather they used to be put on CD-R’s and sold at shows, but this seems like a far more efficient way to distribute this sort of thing - and who doesn’t like free stuff?
Quality on this one is a little uneven but I’d still say there’s some tracks here worth checking out.
At this price, I guess you can judge for yourself!
Oh, and pardon the lag - I realize this came out about a month ago, but lately I’ve been neglectful when it comes to blogging. I’m hoping to rectify this with more frequent posts over the next little while.
Book Recommendation: Bumping into Geniuses…
Posted by: Jay in Literature, Music on May 20th, 2009
I just finished reading a pretty good book and I wanted to pass on a recommendation.
Danny Goldberg’s Bumping into Geniuses offers a candid take on the music industry, told chronologically from the autobiographical perspective of an insider. For the uninitiated, Goldberg started out as a rock journalist before making a bigger name for himself in the area of artist management. After doing doing PR for Led Zeppelin, he managing some pretty big acts like Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Bonnie Raitt and the solo career of Stevie Nicks. He also had a short-lived career as a record executive for a couple of major labels before forming Artemis Records. The label has since been dissolved and Goldberg has returned to his life on the artist management side of things.
I’ll admit that I was drawn to Bumping into Geniuses on account of the value added by his celebrity clients (I previously knew him as “that guy who helped break Nirvana”). This curiosity was certainly satisfied, as Goldberg goes into detail on many of his major clients, with typically a chapter devoted to each. It was actually pretty interesting to read about just how close of a relationship Goldberg developed with the likes of Kurt Cobain and Stevie Nicks.
But I’d be doing the book a disservice if I didn’t also draw attention to deeper aspect of it - as someone who started laying the groundwork for his career in the late 1960’s, Goldberg was in the right place to bear witness much larger factors at play while the music industry evolved. His eloquent take on the the rise of rock ‘n’ roll music, ‘rock’ radio programming and MTV are (almost) as interesting to read about as the stories about all the big rock stars.
In its entirety, the book’s primary selling point is simply Goldberg’s honesty - about the people he worked with, his successes and failures, and his own intentions (self-serving or not) behind his business decisions.
Hmm..looks like a softcover version is on the way in July as well.
Cut the power - but don’t turn off your TV set.
Posted by: Jay in Current Events on March 28th, 2009
The TV news media making Earth Hour into an “event” is ironic at best, and hypocritical at worst.
Deploying news correspondents to attend events and provide up-to-the-minute coverage consumes energy. So let’s say they’re able to greenwash that process, maybe throw some solar panels on the news van durignt he day so it can charge up a battery for use during Earth Hour coverage (in case it’s not bright enough at 8:30, or it rains, etc.). That’d be great right?
Only one problem - the media’s entire end goal (people tuning in to watch) undermines the entire premise of energy conservation.
I get that we want people to bear witness to what’s going on in the world, and Earth Hour is the sort of thing we want people to see and care about. It is, by all accounts, a “news event”. But I don’t think it is being handled in very good taste. I’m all for the networks hyping it up and getting people on board, but once the hour starts, it would seem the most environmentally-responsible networks would impose a blackout. I mean, once it’s Earth Hour, people know, right?
Another approach, so folks audiences wouldn’t be too confused, would be to have a simple message displayed on screens. That way a network could explain their support of the issue and still use a minimal amount of resources (compared to running the whole dog-and-pony show at the event and maintaining a central newsroom at the station).
Sure, they could lose ad dollars, but a smart ad exec could be creative and find a company that’s willing to endorse and hour of “silence” - whose name could easily be displayed alongside whatever key message is used as a placeholder on screens during the hour. Even if people are only tuning in for five seconds and reading the message, there’s potential for a pretty high number of impressions over that span of time.
In Defense of…Coffee?
Since graduating university, I’ve worked hard to reduce my caffeine intake. I reasoned that if I did enough of the ‘natural’ things (eating energy-rich foods, sleeping well, getting regular exercise) I wouldn’t be dependent on coffee to get me through the day. I viewed the item as a very enjoyable but quite addictive drug, a crutch that was needed when I wasn’t living ‘right’ that would suck my body’s hydration like a sponge.
So you can imagine my surprise when I start reading praises of the beaned beverage in Eat This, Not That, a book based off of the popular column on food swapping from Men’s Health magazine! A few interesting claims warrant mentioning here. First:
Best Brain Booster: Beyond boosting alertness for up to 90 minutes, that morning cup is the number one source of antioxidants in the American diet, and can help decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by as much as 60 percent.
The book also claims this “ultimate brain fuel…retards the age process” and in another spot writer David Zinczenko points to data suggesting that those who regularly consumed a diet of four 6 0z. servings of coffee a day had a considerably lower risk of death by heart disease.
This high-minded sort of stuff is interesting, but it was one of the more practical applications that really hit home; and was particularly surprising to boot. Later in the book coffee is selected as something to consume “when you want the most from your workout” and Zinczenko points to an interesting study:
Taking a caffeine supplement (eqaul to 2 cups of coffee) after exercise reduces muscle soreness more than pain relievers can. Caffeine reportedly blocks a chemical that activates pain receptors.
Some online research reveals that there are still opposing schools of thought on the coffee battle, so I’m sure I’ll be reading more about this in the future. In the meantime, this certainly serves as some interesting food for thought.
I’ll likely post a more formal review of Eat This, Not That after I’ve had a bit more time with the book. So far it’s been a pretty useful tool.
Recommended: free mixtape
A little while ago, Edmonton-based rapper/producer Cadence Weapon released the “Separation Anxiety” mixtape under the popular “pay what you want” model. I finally got around to checking it out and couldn’t help but pass on a recommendation.
The quality of the content here is better than what you’d expect for an an odds-and-sods collection. Fans will be happy to get
rarities, collaborations and his remixes of other people’s tracks.
Even if you don’t know who this guy is, take a look at the tracklist. There’s a good chance you’ll see someone you’re into featured here, and for the optional price of, well, free it’s a great way to grab the track.
It’s great to see more artists opening up to the idea of giving away content that is actually worth paying for. With that in mind, I might even duck back in and make good on the “may pay later” consideration I picked when I selected $0.00 as my payment option.
Happy listening!
Cool promotional item from Capcom
Posted by: Jay in Uncategorized on February 24th, 2009
When booting up my 360 tonight a few minutes ago, my dashboard told me that there was an “exclusive special announcement” from Capcom. All there was to click on was a black screen, so my curiosity definitely won out and I clicked….
Jun Takeuchi, a producer at Capcom, came on to personally introduce the new trailer for Lost Planet 2. While I didn’t place the first game, and only mild interest in the series, this is a pretty interesting way to announce the sequel (and finally gave me a reason to have the “Spotlight” tab activated on my dashboard).
I’ll give them points for trying something a little different (actually breaking the news in this manner), and a nod to Microsoft for featuring it in a way that I would actually notice. I’m sure we’ll see more of this in the future, so it’s tough to say if these will enjoy as captive as an audience as they become more common.