1) Eels - A Daisy Through Concrete -- "Oh yeah, that's how I like it!"
Well crap in a hat, there's no video link for it. OK...
1) The Beatles - A Day in The Life - "The Most Famous Final Chord in Rock History". Pleasantly surprised that I got to pick it since its one of my two favorite Beatles songs. This was allegedly the song that drove Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys crazy.
2) Dead and Gone - The Black Keys - This was one of the most memorable songs at the concert, just the whole audience chanting. So fun.
3) Debaser - The Pixies - Kim Deal is so bad she should be put in detention.
4) Decay - Ride
5) Deeper Shade of Soul - Urban Dance Squad - Not sure if this is still Top 7, BUT the sudden spike in Charlie Brown t-shirts in 1991 is definitely attributable to this song. One more reason to like the Dutch.
6) Doubt - The Cure - Angry Cure...I love this song.
7) Drown - Smashing Pumpkins - Probably my favorite Smashing Pumpkins song. Just love the drumming throughout, and the guitar work at about 2:25 is just mindblowing. One of those songs that just washes over me.
Oklahoma's State Song: Do You Realize? - The Flaming Lips (How was this not on the Daniel Deez?) Even though I think Wayne Coyne might be a Jackie Treehorn kind of perv, I think this is a beautiful song. It makes me cry every time I hear it.
"Very nice, very nice, very nice. Maybe in the next world." Death of a Disco Dancer - The Smiths
The poetry of Sam Beam. "Dog at the barbed wire barking at my buzz cut friends and me"...come on!!!! The Devil Never Sleeps - Iron & Wine
"Darling be Home Soon, I couldn't bear to wait an extra minute if you dawdled." Always reminds me of my honey - The Lovin' Spoonful
And another from my parents' youth. But it makes me feel young. And it is one of the most beautiful songs I know. Dream a Little Dream of Me - The Mamas and Papas
"If I could have a second skin, I'd probably Dress Up In You." - Belle and Sebastian. I love them!
And this one is especially for Daniel. (Don't) Go Back to Rockville - REM. Old old REM is so marvelous. Don't be a hater.
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground - White Stripes
Day Four - Bloc Party
Destiny - Zero 7
Disorder - Joy Division
Do Me a Favour - Arctic Monkeys
Don't Make Me a Target - Spoon
A Dustland Fairytale - The Killers
6) Convoy - CW McCall - OK, not one of my top 7, but I had to throw this link on here. My brother had this LP, and I remember listening to this song as a little kid. And I vividly remember when they made a movie about this. Anyhow, just an excuse to throw up a link for one of the most unlikely #1 pop songs of all time.
7) A Comet Appears - Hmmm, iTunes says it starts with a C. Wow I love this song.
My apparent hesitance to write this week's band of the week was not the result of laziness or any lack of interest - quite the opposite. I'm tired of being predictable. I'm like a playwright who loves telling the end of a story before the beginning. However, I would be remiss if I robbed Washed Out of the review they deserve. Following this week's band of the week, I will not be revealing to ANYONE my intentions on reviews. New material, crazy bands, guilty pleasures (I suppose I just told you my intentions). Washed Out constitutes my first and favorite venture into chillwave. These broken, blissed-out electronica hip hop synthesizers make you want to wear black spandex and drift into a new level of chill. What began as a couple songs from iTunes quickly blossomed into a whole new appreciation for how music could make me "feel different". I crave this music because there is something very tangible about Washed Out. I can only imagine that dropping acid feels as good as listening to their music. As Pitchfork said concerning their most recent album, "Within and Without is an excellent demonstration of what happens when, even after the buzz-band cycle has faded, you continue to investigate a sound on your own hushed, ambitious terms." IT CHANGES YOU!
Pitchfork further elaborates by saying, "...it's a sly, solid release that can fade into the background but has the ability to jump out and take hold of your ears. It sounds great on headphones and even better coming out of speakers in a car or at a party, where it can breathe a little. " Now, upon listening this music, you musical geniuses will have the proclivity to draw comparisons to Erasure, Double, and any other 80s dreampop band. I would encourage you postpone the application of these comparisons until completely exploring the album. I remember taking my friend to the midnight showing of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Because I had not yet read the book, I loved the experience. I appreciated the film for everything it was. My friend hated the film for everything it wasn't. Explore this band with illiterate ears. I am not joking - EVERY SONG ON THIS ALBUM POSSESSES AN EQUAL SHARE OF MY LOVE. However, I present the following for your consideration. A Dedication - Makes me emotional...don't know why.
Amor Fati - A Washed Out staple.
Call it Off - This is the Bonus Track from the album. Where other album bonus tracks feel more like bummer tracks, this one is amazing.
Originally penned by the Rolling Stones circa 1971, it ranked as the #334 greatest song by Rolling Stone in 2004. A slew of artists have covered it, but perhaps the most well known cover version is by The Sundays, a British dream pop group from the early '90s.
What say thee, noble music lovers? Did Harriet Wheeler and gang elevate this song to an even greater level? Or do the Stones remain on top of the summit?
I have been inspired to listen to more Peter Bjorn and John from our Swedish discussion earlier in the week. This song was on Peter Bjorn and John Radio, and I liked it. But the video made me love it. Enjoy.
Imagine a time with no Internet and just 31 channels on your TV, one for each Baskin-Robbins flavor. You just got MTV (a few years later than your friends) and you are deep into INXS and The Cure, because for god's sake, they aren't Madonna and Taylor Dayne.
Some of the songs you like get some pretty serious run during the daytime ("So Alive", "Peek-a-Boo", "Orange Crush"), but for the most part its a lot of Poison and Winger and Paula Abdul and...barf. And then you discover coffee and you hear some of the VJ's (how quaint!) tell you that Robert Smith from The Cure will be in studio for 120 Minutes, the only show dedicated to the type of music you like and you think, "OK, I have to check this out", which means lots of caffeine since it isn't on until midnight MST Sunday night. Hmmm, as the Pet Shop Boys so eloquently said, "Was it Worth It?"
Two words: Life-changing.
It was like a gained an audience with the Dalai Lama of good music and he enlightened me to what was out there. It was there that I first got into Sonic Youth, The Sundays, Jesus & Mary Chain, Chapterhouse, The House of Love, The Pixies, REM, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Nirvana (before they blew up), Smashing Pumpkins (ditto), Blake Babies, The Church, Echo and the Bunnymen, etc etc etc. Some of these bands became all-time favorites, including this weeks BOTW: Lush.
I fell in love with Miki Berenyi and Lush the first time I heard "Sweetness and Light", just such a dreamy, ethereal song.
I had a rule back then that I wouldn't buy a new tape(!!!) unless I heard three songs that I liked, but this may have been the first band where I broke that rule. Plunking down the $12 to order Gala at Budget Tapes, I found that I loved the rest of the album and remained a devoted fan, even after the band broke-up in 1996 following the tragic suicide of drummer Chris Aclund. One of my great concert regrets is that I didn't stay the couple of extra days in Pittsburgh following graduation to see them play.
While My Bloody Valentine gets the acclaim as the gold standard of shoe-gazing bands (an alt-rock subgenre typified by significant use of guitar effects,
and indistinguishable vocal melodies that blend into the creative noise
of the guitars), I always had a preference for Lush, probably because I had a major Lush crush on Miki Berenyi (the redheaded Japanese-Hungarian). Teamed with Emma Anderson, they weren't just pretty faces - they had a killer sound as well:
And last but not least, I have to post a bonus song that is a cover from a well-known but controversial band. I've always loved Lush's version (so fun!), so I'm curious to listen to the original.
Record of the Year » The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy"
Best New Artist » Frank Ocean
Best Pop Vocal Album » Fun. - Some Nights
Song of the Year » Ed Sheeran - "The A Team"
Best Pop Solo Performance » Adele - "Set Fire to the Rain (Live)"
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance » Gotye feat. Kimbra - "Somebody That I Used to Know"
Best Dance Recording » Skrillex feat. Sirah - "Bangarang"
Best Dance/Electronic Album » deadmau5>Album Title Goes Here<
Best Rock Performance » The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy"
Best Rock Song » The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy"
Best Rock Album » The Black Keys, El Camino
Best Alternative Music Album » Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
Best Urban Contemporary Album » Frank Ocean, Channel Orange
Best Americana Album » The Lumineers, The Lumineers
I learned of this band the way everyone learns about new bands...on Sesame Street.
After discovering their Conor Oberst connection (and we all know how much I love him), and that their percussion is provided by tap dancing, I had to listen to more! Tilly and the Wall is an indie pop group from Omaha, Nebraska. Their name originated from a children's book called Tillie and the Wall, written by Leo Lionni. They are particularly noted for having a tap dancer, Jamie Pressnall, instead of a drummer.
History The group formed in 2001 after the demise of several Omaha groups, including Conor Oberst's Park Ave., of which Neely Jenkins and Jamie Pressnall (then Jamie Williams) were members. Jamie brought along Kianna Alarid from another band that broke up called Magic Kiss. Derek Pressnall and Nick White, natives of Dunwoody, Georgia were drawn to the music scene in Omaha, Nebraska and moved.Nick White was also one of the few constants for Bright Eyes in 2005, appearing on I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, as well as touring worldwide with the band. Their first release, Woo!, was recorded in Conor Oberst's garage, self-published, and distributed at shows around the Omaha area. The group released a limited-pressing eponymous 7" on Rue Royale Records, followed by their debut LP, Wild Like Children in 2004. It was the flagship release on Oberst's Team Love label and made with the help of Presto studios. Wild Like Children garnered the band a substantial amount of critical acclaim and propelled them to national tours with Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, and Of Montreal. In early 2005, Tilly and the Wall became the first "band in residence" at Omaha's Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, using the Bemis Underground's Studio T to develop their follow-up album to Wild Like Children. In September of that year, they released "You and I Misbehaving" as a limited-pressing 7" in the UK through indie label Trash Aesthetics. This release picked up further critical acclaim. Bottoms of Barrels, the band's follow-up to Wild Like Children, was released on May 23, 2006. Tilly and the Wall appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman on October 27, 2006, to perform "Bad Education". The band toured with Jenny Lewis in support of her album featuring The Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat. They then went on their first headlining tour to promote Bottoms of Barrels, with acts such as David Dondero, Now It's Overhead, and Wolf Colonel supporting them. They played the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 27, 2007. Band members Jamie Williams and Derek Pressnall were married shortly after the album's release, on August 12, 2006. o,Tilly and the Wall's third album, was released on June 17, 2008. Two songs they performed on their 2007 tour, "Too Excited" and "Chandelier Lake", appear on the album. The songs were played at their Daytrotter show. Tilly have recorded their own version of the ABC song on Sesame Street. The first single from the album is "Pot Kettle Black". It was featured in the pilot episode of 90210, TV spots for the Seth Rogan film Observe and Report, the film Whip It and its soundtrack album, and in the video game Midnight Club: Los Angeles. Tilly and the Wall released a new album entitled "Heavy Mood" on October 2, 2012, available in CD and vinyl formats.
You both know I have a general disdain for cover songs (don't get me started on 311!). But I'd like to introduce another idea for blog postings, a true songo y songo battle royale between the original version of the song and a well known cover. Two songs enter, only one song leaves.
First up, hailing from James Newell Osterberg, Jr. (!!! - really, Iggy, I can't blame you), "The Passenger". Entering the arena at a robust 25 years, "The Passenger" 1.0 has enjoyed an uptick in popularity due to its featuring in Captain Morgan commercials.
Stout! But even the man himself had this to say about his challenger on an interview on the seminal MTV Alternative Rock Program 120 Minutes: "That's good. She sings it
well and she threw a little note in when she sings it, that I wish I had
thought of... The horn thing is good..."
Both are fantastic - I love both of these versions. Points to Iggy for the original, but I think Siouxsie Sioux took it to the next level by adding some depth.
The Basics…
Real Estate was formed in Ridgewood, New Jersey by singer/guitarist Martin Courtney, guitarist Matt Mondanile (Ducktails), bassist Alex Bleeker (of Alex Bleeker and the Freaks), and drummer Etienne Pierre Duguay in 2008. In 2011 Jackson Pollis replaced Duguay on drums and Jonah Maurer joined the band on keys and guitar.
After issuing singles on the Underwater Peoples and Woodsist labels, the band's 2009 self-titled debut received critical acclaim, including an 8.5 rating and Best New Music tag from Pitchfork Media. Review aggregator Metacritic gave the album a normalised rating of 79%, indicating "generally favourable reviews". Tours followed supporting acts such as Girls, Kurt Vile, Woods, and Deerhunter. In 2010, Real Estate performed at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago and the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona. In 2012, Real Estate performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California and the Pitchfork Music festival in Chicago.
In 2011, Real Estate signed with the Domino Recording Company. The group issued their sophomore record, Days, on October 18, 2011. The album received positive reviews, including a rating of 76% on Metacritic and 8.7 on Pitchfork.
Some of my thoughts…
This band is a wonderful example of something I should have checked out a year ago. Someone I spitefully respect recommended them back in 2011. Now that it is old news, I must refrain from telling others about the band. I missed the boat.
Some of their geographic contemporaries are Titus Andronicus (these guys are amazing) and Vivian Girls. During 2012, they opened for The Shins in NYC.
I would classify these guys as a modern indie psych pop (vague enough?).
I would recommend the following tracks:
· It’s Real
· Easy
· Wonder Years
A parting note…check out Titus Andronicus as well.
