Fucking Word

Pitchforkism

Thank you for choosing the album that deserved to win album of the year, that being none other than Fleet Foxes self titled album. Maybe one of the most thought out folk albums in years. To perfect folk is a feat many don't even try to do. Fleet Foxes with amazing story telling lyrics, great instrumentation, and awesome harmonization (how can you not love harmonizing?) really deserve this one. Finally pitchfork stops being complete elitist assholes and gives credit where credit is due. Unlike last years Panda Bear pick. Though this year definitely has its bad choices like kanye's album even being in the top 50 (awful album made 21 over others that were very deserving) and santogold?, come on. Some more agreeable choices include Deerhunter's Microcastle at 5, Bonnie Prince Billy being among the best at 42, Atlas Sound at 26 (note Bradford Cox being a musical genious the guy's been making music like none other, two top 50 albums in one year? jesus) , Fuckbuttons making 20 a solid trance music choice, The Carter 3 making the list at 11 could be a bit overrated with some of the shitty club hits that were put on, in that of Lollipop and Got Money (ugh), thankfully they are covered by songs such as A-Milli and 3-Peat, M83 comes into the number 8 spot because they can't take their eyes off their new kicks (shoegaze stars), and now pop superstars Vampire Weekend hit a solid 7 congrats on the fast track to success. So pfm does a decent job but what do you expect it's better than nothing, at least they include a good amount of the music that is actually deserving of a spot in the top 50. Really though with anything besides FF at number one this list has no credibility.

Deer Hunter

Why would you want to hunt deer when this band is so fucking awesome (puns?)? Anyways getting down to the music welcome to your new powerhouse of art rock. This band has really brought it all to the table with their new album Micro castle released this October on CD (still awaiting the vinyl). Bradford Cox, really is coming out with his amazing direction, and it really makes this album shine very very bright. This album, just sticks it when you listen to it, you have a good mix of genres that Cox, really perfects in his writing. So we have Cox, a 20 something male suffering from mar fans syndrome, so he may have some issues, and eh maybe it does show from his constant blogging. He is really what a rock star is, Cox isn't some flashy hipster by any means, he is what a rock star should be, he has swagger about him that, really shows on stage. The downside (if it can be perceived by some that way), is that he seems to be very emotional, and this is noticeable through his blog. Cox writes constantly in his blog, posting new demos, writing about and no jokes pooping, and various other things, and he also includes pictures. He recently freaked out because people hacked into his media files on his blog and stole a new album he was working on (now a bonus disc with Micro Castle titled Weird Era Cont.), and then after the freak out there was him settling down, but don't we want a talent who isn't just boring, but has some edge to him? Cox just is what a rocker should be and I think most deerhunter fans seem to like it, even if the band has really become more normal since Turn It Up Faggot and Cryptograms. All of Cox and the band aside we're going to talk of this new release Micro Castle. This is the bands 3rd full length album and it really shows the band's diversity. On cryptograms they were a mostly darker and ambient, trancey band, now that really isn't as true. While Deerhunter still keeps their ambient roots, and it shows on the album in some songs, they really seem to realize that pop isn't such a bad thing. Songs like Never Stops, really show some pop roots but have a twinge of art rock to them, that is undeniable and the mix goes together very very well. Another example would be that of Nothing Ever Happened to Me one of the albums strongest, it opens with a more indie pop rock feel, but then turns into this post rock type jam with crazy guitar slides and synth mixes. One of the tracks that really feels ambient is Micro Castle the title track, it starts off slow and grimy sounding, but ends up with this big powerful finish that most listeners wouldn't expect. To be honest this album may make you say, "Is this really Deerhunter?", but it really is. Is this change good, yes I would have to say it is, while there is nothing wrong with a great album like cryptograms, this shows that the band can really make whatever music they want to. This is an extremely well put together album, and from the intro, all the way to Twilight at Carbon Lake, you are going to have one amazing ride through Cox's music. This album is really a art rock, ambient rock, and pop rock album all jammed into one, and the band couldn't have done any better, welcome to one of the best albums of the year 2008.

Instrumental

There is nothing more fun and unpredictable than that of just jamming out with your friends, that is why I really believe that the most accessible music is instrumental. There is a few reasons things such as no one can complain about not liking the singing or complain about the band trying to be catchy since it almost seems impossible to make any type of real chorus, and how would you even try to make a hook. Explosions in the Sky though and Do Make Say Think really remind me of how much of love instrumental music. They both do one thing make extremely intricate and thought provoking music. I do believe this is music in its purest form and really hearing different tones really came make you see a different mood in the music, showing that music can be depressing or cheery without that of a singer. Let me just say explosions just seems to love to come in and really surprise you with breakdowns in their music and just kick yours and your speakers asses when they do it. The guitar and drums are coreagraphed so well together its as though they are made for each other. Songs like Greet Death really give off a harsh feeling since there really isn't any real let up in the distortion of the music. When you hear the title you probably really think of greeting death it's just a very hard feeling to a song whichs really shows what music can do. Take for examplen though First Breath After Coma which really feels like just waking up in a new and exciting day. With guitar moving up up up it really feels like just coming to life with our beautiful earth but maybe it feels different for others. Once again DMST and EITS are both very much up for intrepetation different people will feel different things, but it is very apparent they both make some very gooey melodies and some very well thought out music. So if you're looking for some very accesible music I would go with either of the two DMST being a little bit softer and EITS being a bit rougher but yes both will make you feel the music and in amazing ways.

Okkervil Live Review

First off Ill start with one of the surprises of the show. The first, and opening band Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears was actually a very strong band. They gave off a very bluesy kind of soul sound with Joe Lewis just shouting out lines of comedy and seriousness. It was just about a full band with brass, guitar, and keys they really did a good job and deserve some recognition for trying to revive some blues in today's world. Also Crooked Fingers played I'll go with a solid eh on that one.

Now for the star of the show what everyone came for (pretty big crowd at smalls largest I've seen there) Okkervil River. The lead singer Scheff added funny comments here and there and seemed to really know how to work a crowd and his band helped him with this as well. He gave off a very proffesional but solid stage presence which isn't usually too common with lesser known bands like Okkervil. They really did a damn good job of playing a variety of songs for Stand Ins, Our Life, Black Sheep Boy, and Appendix which surprised me, even though I was a bit dissapointed to not hear any of the older material. The singing was spot on just as well as the instrumentation and really they played for a long time from about 10:25 till about midnight. The atmosphere was great with everyone clapping along to songs and just dancing with the music and yelling out comments to the band. They really owned the crowd and played a strong show. Easily one of the most unique bands it was quite a treat to see them play and I can only hope to see them again. So if Okkervil is making an appearance in your town I'd suggest checking it out I can say I'd be surprised if it was to dissapoint.

Sun Giant Fleet Foxes

With Fleet Foxes great ep release Sun Giant it really proves that indie folk (if that's the fucking genre you'd like to put it in) is still alive and well. The band from Seattle, Washington who I guess also still has quite a good music scene, makes a damn good folk album. With this one the do something that nearly no one else does in indie anything and that being their beautiful harmonization which really makes them stand out amonst other bands. The singing in the every song is just superb and tells a strange, but well crafted tale about maybe how you live in the summertime or about it being only you. They have really captured in a record what it is to be a wondeful folk band especially with the equal quality of the instrumentation in the songs on this record. Fleet Foxes, their full length album which came out after Sun Giant just proves that this band is just on the right track. It is hard at this point to find a more enjoyable and complete album than Fleet Foxes and since before this they showed strong signs both albums are extremly listenable. I would recommend anyone who has a good ear for music to try out these two albums with either being quite accesable. The band is obviously catching on with the trendy culture since I can't go to a neighborhood starbucks anymore with hearing their entire album, and also recently saw the Fleet Foxes full length for sale there which had been all bought up. So it is nice to see these guys getting some positive reception from the general public keep up with the great folk Fleet Foxes im sure I will be along for the ride.

An Opening a Hardness?

I am willing at times to open myself up to new music. I may sometimes been an asshole elitist and condemn metal and all sorts of all hard music saying it is mostly the same. While much of it is really cookie cutter with nothing interesting in it I do have the occasional soft spot for some harder stuff. Recently I have been thinking I need to get into something like this give it a chance see if really could be considered something important to the music world. With just trying out Mastodon I have seen how metal can be a strong form of music. The albums are yes rough and for me a bit hard to get into but really they have a high level of accessibility to them. Mastodon is heavy but progressive and seems to really have all their music in the right place. When it gets heavy it gets melodic as well so it really ends up being this rough trudge through songs but that is what I'd want in metal it is not something I listen to for slow and beautiful songs. I like it for the roughness and thought of just tearing into an amp and sometimes yeah that's alright. So Mastodon may have got me interested maybe not I guess I'll see.

Yonic South

There's something about being consistent in the music world that makes Sonic Youth special. Sure Daydream Nation is considered one of the best albums ever and for good reason but that is not all that Sonic Youth should be remembered for. It is the fact that after so many years they are able to make some of musics most original and thoughtful albums. Listen to Murray Street or Sonic Nurse which have been released only a few years back. You'll notice it sounds yes more recent but they don't lose that great sound that they've had for all these years just because they have been getting older. Seemingly never able to lose their cool where other older bands try to make new sounds to keep up with the times but Sonic Youth wants nothing but to be themselves and this is where they find success. So you figure at least by now they would be winding down but not at all they have already been working on a new album for release sometime later this year and also made a great album Rather Ripped in 2005. This album just does everything right over again Lee, Thurston, and Gordon singing on the tracks with amazing instrumentation. Also so many bands today say they were inspired by Sonic Youth and it's hard to believe that any of the bands out there were not in some way. They have somehow touched all of our music today and really made it that much better. Thank you Sonic Youth and please keep up with the exceptional and original music making that you have been doing for all these years.

Speaking of Music

Okkervil River has been creeping up on me the past year and a half. They seem to be a relatively unknown band at least in the Pittsburgh music scene. They make some of the most creative and melodic music I have ever heard from a band. The thing about their albums is they all seem to tell some form of a story. The last album The Stage Names about a shitty movie and this new album the Stand Ins is all about being in a beat and broken rock band. It seems as though it's a shit idea maybe but the way Will Scheff writes his lyrics it comes out to be quite a great work. There are parts between each song called "Stand Ins' of just simple melodies which really add to the album and seem to break it up into different parts and make it much more story telling.

The songs range from great and happy to deep and depressing. Some like "Pop Lies" are just great to hear and Scheff's singing really nails it. The song "Blue Tulip" really seems to be one of the songs that really makes this album what it is a slow and immersive song thats hard not to listen to again and again. "On Tour With Zykos" gives the example of the hardship in a trying to make it rock band with conflict and pain. Scheff in my opinion is becoming one of the greatest rock musicians of our time and I don't believe it will be long until this band has a quite a large following. This album really proves that Okkervil is able to put out solid albums on a consistent basis and have them be different but just similar enough to the last to keep appealing to their fans. Welcome to one of the great bands of this "Indie Generation" they should be around for awhile because it seems like Scheff's creativity isnt going anywhere.

Not so Velvet Not So Underground

Saw this Velvet Underground cover band last night and yeah I mean the whole show was pretty good. the guy had Lou Reed type singing mostly on lock down the whole night which was pretty cool. Sure the singing wasnt really Lou Reed and it was obvious when songs like Sweet Jane (The ending of the VU set) but I can't knock the guy for it. The only part that really got me about the show was the fact that after all the covers (around 10 maybe 11) they decided to play songs from their band (can't remember the name). I believe it was this reason that people watched them: they would feel like complete assholes leaving after they had just played that Velvet Underground because that was so good that they had to be thinking hey they c an't be too bad. Well the instrumentation was pretty good but I've never heard a underground mid age band singing about surfing and beaches so much. It was decent but they should have stuck to covers which I believe the crowd was there to see. They did play a lot of favorite just opening with Sunday Morning and I'm Waiting For My Man (minus the mic problems) was just awesome. Other than the ending the show was pretty good nice crowd, fun atmosphere, and a lot of beer. Id give the show a solid B+ the original songs by the band knocked that score down.