Music Twenty-10

I didn't sample nearly the amount of music I have in the past so a "best of" list wouldn't be fair, truly. But there were some extraordinary spins, good listens and disappointments as well as a turkey or two. So here's my 2010.

My favorite spins of the year



Steel Train - Steel Train (Buy It, Dammit)

Without a doubt THIS was our album of the year. I blogged about it here
Just a fun mix of anthemic rock and Indie aesthetic. Self produced and distributed, this was my album of 2010.



Against Me! - White Crosses (Get it here and get it on vinyl with the digital download, you won't be sorry)

One of the best vinyl purchases of the year, White Crosses was more radio friendly and MOR than New Wave but it was big and it was fun and it was explosive and we loved every minute of it. The first half was stronger than the second but the beauty of vinyl is that you KNOW which side is which and that's how it should be. One different than the other. I think....



The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang (Get the vinyl here. When I did it came with a DD, dunno about now.)

The other vinyl purchase from SideOne Dummy records arrived on the same day and did not disappoint. Building on the strengths of The '59 Sound but with better production and a beautiful gatefold (How I miss those) this album is one strong track after another and a must for any Bruce Springsteen fan who hated Working on a Dream with as much loathing as I did.



Taylor Swift - Speak Now
My wife threatened to leave me if I bought this on vinyl. She didn't want to walk in to her husband on the couch holding a Taylor Swift record. It was too much. She was afraid our unborn son might curl up and wither in embarrassment. That said, the songs here are just as strong as on Fearless and, in many ways, better. Taylor wrote the songs herself and used her poison pen to great success.



Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

I rejected this album on principle. That being that I am a short sighted and narrow minded person. I was blinded by Kanye's public persona and I haven't given rap a cursory listen since Eminem's The Eminem Show. When I finally gave in it was a revelation. The hit "Runaway" doesn't really work as a radio single, but nestled in the middle of this, that song is epic, tragic, reflective, amazing. As is the rest of this record.




Cee-Lo - The Lady Killer

It's not as great as that single, but holy crap that single. And it's as good as it needs to be.



Devo - Something for Everybody

Devo is back. Again. But they've learned a LOT from the tv scoring and the Dev2.0 crap they were involved with. This is Freedom of Choice part two. A treat. You will love it. The bridge between 1981 and 2010.

Better Than It Deserved to Be



Weezer - Hurley

Every Weezer fan laments every release that are not the second coming of Pinkerton. Get over it. This is a catchy pop-rock band. The epitome of 21st century bubblegum. If you're expecting more, move on.

Disappointments



I hate it when a band I love peaks but I think that might have happened with The Hold Steady. The first 3 records are extraordinary and then they slip and finally fall. Read my full review here:



If you read this blog you know I love me some Jukebox the Ghost. They were the best album of 2008 (written here) and their concert was fantastic as I wrote about here.. So you can imagine my disappointment when I didn't love the follow up. I think I might rate it a little higher now that I've lived with it for a few months. But not much. Here's that review.

The Bad




Meat Loaf - Hang Cool Teddy Bear

Ugh. Talk about nauseating. The review is at the bottom of the Meat Loaf Listening Post Here.Read it if you like. What a bad record.

That's it. That's the music that filled the Lulu house for 2010. Of course there was a lot more, retrospectives and the like. But of the new tunes, this is all we really dealt with.
We'll see what 2011 brings.

Listening Post: Jukebox the Ghost - Everything Under the Sun

Jukebox the Ghost - Everything Under the Sun - 2010 (Buy it. I recommend the Vinyl with the digital download)

Originally published at PopDose Here

In the long history of rock music, there have always been two constants. One is a steady stream of pablum spoonfed by the industry conglomerates feeding their own beasts and satisfying stockholders, maintaining corporate expense accounts and living in largesse.

This panoply of easily forgotten music is supported, in no short amount, by the consumers who just HAVE to have that new Usher record. Or are suckered into the Beyonce remixes. Or queue up their digital download device to whatever tortured, guyliner wearing emo-punk of the moment. It is from this well that we drink up the latest Disney creation. The gamut runs from baseless, bald-faced commercialism to high-minded musical royalty.

The other constant is all the music that bubbles under the surface. The “Indie” band struggling to make it on their own with just a scrappy minor label who may or may not have a distribution deal with a major but is still doing things on “their terms” with integrity, fortitude and, if they’re really, really lucky, a spot in the early afternoon on one of Lollapalooza’s stages.

My Jukebox the Ghost LP came in the mail today.

Who? Jukebox the What?

The band’s name shouldn’t ring any bells for you. They get no airplay. They’re not sexy, have no singles and, except for one late summer, underwatched last-minute appearance on Letterman, are virtually unknown to all but those who traffic in the blogosphere (yes, I still call it the blogosphere. Deal with it. I sometimes use “hella” as well). They did get to play Lollapalooza this summer, though. So, their star is on the rise.

Jukebox the Ghost’s first album, Let Live and Let Ghost, was my favorite record of 2008. A compact set of intricate ditties at times relentlessly hooky and, at others, stupefyingly ambitious. The two sets of multi-song suites on that record belie the youthful naivete of the trio that formed out of George Washington University’s undergraduate program. In fact, it was probably just that naivete that allowed them the hubris necessary to pull that record off. Part Ben Folds, Part Queen, Part prog rock, part indie, part power pop, JtG made me so happy that year. And now they’ve returned with a new set of songs, a strong producer Peter Katis (Interpol, the National) and a hundred thousand miles of touring behind them.

And maybe that’s the problem.

The band sounds not quite weary, but not so cheeky as they have been. They’ve never shied away from tackling topics larger than just boy meets girl or boy pines for girl; their last album featured an epic meditation on a wrathful God’s smiting of an earth that disappointed him. And they try to hit those heights again. But they don’t really try that hard.

“Schizophrenia,” the most recent single from the record, follows the toothless but catchy “Empire.” Both are quirky and smart and have one more thing in common: They are each more promise than delivery. On their first album the boys had struck gold with a pair of singles that were priceless in their hummability. “Good Day” & “Hold It In” were spectacular introductory songs and the rest of that album blossomed into a surprising collection of self-assured epics. Everything Under the Sun tries so hard to be a sequel and it almost succeeds. The key being the word almost.

One after another, the guys dabble in that power poppy idiom and, on that first side/half they very nearly succeed. “Half Crazy” is speedy and easy to catch onto. The toy-casio keyboards evoke the early ’80s goofball stuff by the Rubinoos, and that’s super. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, though. And we don’t get back to it until well into the end of the record with “The Popular Thing,” a jangly, backbeat faux soul that calls to mind the Elvis Costello of Punch the Clock and the vocal gymnastics of Russell Mael of Sparks. It’s piffle, but it’s sublime piffle. It’s the kind of track you hear at the end of a Mean Girls/Easy A/Clueless movie. No doubt we will.

In between we are treated to the quite excellent “Empire,” a single which went nowhere and that’s sad, because it’s a little indie earworm — as is the lovely “Mistletoe.”

Jukebox the Ghost tries so hard to prove that they are able — able to play (they most certainly are) and able to write (the aforementioned melodies) — that they forget to have fun.

With 25 songs to choose from written over the past two years I have to wonder what they chose to forgo to include the dull and uninspired pair of “Let Us Create” and “Carrying.”

If you’ve been lucky enough to sit through “Where are All The Scientists Now” and “A Matter of Time” from the first album (please, I implore you to), then you’ve heard the new album’s track penultimate track, “Stars.” It’s no wonder, since they were both written by Thomas Siegal, the lead guitarist. Had “Stars” been included on that first record, no doubt I would be singing its praises. On that album, these epics came out of nowhere, this little trio of guitar, drum and keys and their enormous worldview. Universe-view, really. Those songs were surprises, to be sure.

On Everything Under the Sun, the surprise is over and I’m left cold. Thus, about half of this album I would categorize as redundant. The other half is fine, workman-like indie pop. Everything Under The Sun is, at best, a placeholder. Definitely not the calling card of their first record. Hopefully they’ll get another shot.

Grade: B-
ASide: Schizophrenia, Empire, Misteltoe
BlindSide: Half Crazy, The Popular Thing
DownSide: Carrying

The Top Fifty (six) albums and Top Eighty (six) songs of the Decade

Update! See 2009

Looking back on the first decade of this century I think it might have been the most rewarding, musically speaking.
Everyone and his brother has a blog and a decade end list and none of them are alike. Well, there are overlaps on every album. And it seems that just about every single one of them features a bunch of Radiohead and Arcade Fire. I didn't really ever give Funeral a chance so it won't show up here despite the fact that it's currently playing in the background.
The decade started off with a subscription to Columbia House, moved on to Amoeba's opening, the transition to buying through iTunes, then Soulseek, BitTorrent, emusic, trading and even more consumption than ever before. It turns out that making music available for free didn't stop me from spending more on it than any other decade before.
And given the breadth and wealth of music from the past 10 years it would be impossible for me to distill it down to one record a year. Especially in a decade as diverse as the one that the iPod and “Shuffle” has allowed.
So, what I will try to do is highlight the albums that I just couldn't get enough of from each year of this decade. The ones that seemingly never left my CD player and then my iPod. The dates that I fell in love with the record has no bearing on when it came out. Many of these I just plain came to late.
With the songs, it's the same. Just what I kept turning to, replaying or loved.
There are no links to mp3s or places to purchase or videos. I don't think I have enough readers to warrant that kind of work.
But, if you trust me, give all of these a listen.
Let's take a look.
2000
1.The Strokes – Is This It?
When the video for Last Night came on MTV, it was 9 in the morning. I watched mainly because it was directed by Roman Coppola and I went to school with him. By the end of the song I knew that I would be trudging up the hill to Virgin Megastore a block away. I did and this record was part of the soundtrack to that year.
2.Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP
I was a little late to the Eminem phenomenon. When I finally hunkered down to listen I was blown away. I started with the next album but, pretty soon grabbed this as well and the two of them were played nonstop.
3.Everclear – Songs from an America Movie Pt 1.
I was given a copy of So Much For The Afterglow by a member of my band and I enjoyed it so much that I got this on the day it came out. I was mesmerized by the over-production, the care, the smarts involved. Too bad nothing the band ever did after was of any use.
4.Green Day – Warning
The big departure, right? Except I thought it was even more punk than Nimrod. All the different directions they were heading in and mastering so well, it's almost crazy that we didn't know they were going to be one of the biggest bands of the decade.
5.Radiohead - Kid A
I got this from Columbia House because my Bass player told me how great it was. I gave it away after one listen. This was shit. Bad. Inorganic. And then, about 7 years later I gave it another listen. I wasn't old enough or mature enough to appreciate it when it came out. It's is one of the greatest achievements of the rock era.

Favorite from 2000 –



Tie: Warning/Kid A

Songs of the Year:
1.Faded by B9 (Local band does great)
2.Happiness in New York City by Dalton Grant (Local band does better)
3.AM Radio by Everclear (White boys can sample, too.)
4.Last Night by The Strokes (The sounding bell for change in rock)
5.Misery by Green Day (The hint of diversity to come

2001
1.Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American
My girlfriend loved the single. So I got her the album. It didn't hurt that my friend's band, The Piper Downs, were in love with it. After one listen I realized it was a modern pop rock masterpiece.
2.The White Stripes – White Blood Cells
An actor told me about this little band at an audition. Said I might like the rekkid. If lasers were needles I would have worn this one out.
3.Betty Blowtorch – Are You Man Enough?
I loved the name. I loved the big hair unapologetic hair metal. I loved it so much. Then Betty died. I felt like Rock might have died with her. Certainly any chance for this to be revived did)
4.Weezer – Green Album
Rolling Stone said it was the first 5 star album of the decade. Sure, why not. It's a great piece of plastic. Pure pop at it's gummiest.
5.Tenacious D – Tenacious D
THE soundtrack to my band's road trip to SXSW. Impossible not to love. With Betty Blowtorch it almost felt like a real metal revival was on it's way. Not to be...



Favorite from 2001 – Bleed American
Songs of the year:
1.The Middle by Jimmy Eat World (Impossible to hate)
2.Designs on You by Old 97s (Pop craft at it's 1-4-5 finest)
3.Chop Suey by System of a Down (Because it was unavoidable and cuz you wanted to)
4.Fuck her Gently by Tenacious D (Sentiments to be adhered to)
5.Yeh Yeh by They Might Be Giants (Liz and I sang this over and over on a road trip)
6.Fell in Love With A Girl by The White Stripes (the return of the 2 minute rock hit)


2002
1.Bowling for Soup – Drunk Enough to Dance
There is so much confection and fun on DE2D that you just have to hear it. Dumb, frat boys worshipping at the altar of Green Day, Jaret and the guys sing songs not about how much they suck and that's why girls leave them, but rather that girls leave them and they are better for it. It plays better than I am describing it.
2.The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
THE concept album of the decade. Where did this come from? I fought so hard to be against this record but, in the end, I just fell in love.
3.Eminem – The Eminem Show
I dare you to listen to this and not see the genius and artistry in Eminem. More punk than most punks ever try to be. This is a screed. I don't think it could ever be topped. But it's the album that defines the era.
4.The Hellacopters – High Visibility
I kept reading the name The Hellacopters in Joel Harrington's book, Sonic Cool: The life and death of Rock and Roll. I finally succombed. The retro rock that I had been hoping would return? This is the album where it did. It's perfect.
5.Irving – Good Morning Beautiful
Beth and I were killing time before a show at Amoeba. The band that was playing...Irving, a local Silver Lake band....it was that holy fuck moment when you know that you want to hear more. I bought the album and it is a contender for best of the decade. True Indie Pop.
6.Bruce Springsteen – The Rising
I didn't cry on 9/11. But sitting, alone, in my house, listening to The Rising, that's when I did. It always takes music to get me where I ultimately want to be.

Favorite from 2002 – High Visibility


Songs of the Year:
1.Girl All The Bad Guys Want by Bowling For Soup (Grammy nominatingly great)
2.Need More Time by Epoxies (Retro New Wave at its finest)
3.Sleeping Aids & Razor Blades (Great pop by a doomed band)
4.Drunken Lullabies by Flogging Molly (I want to perform this with a 40 piece band)
5.Did I Ever Tell You I'm In Love With Your Girlfriend by Irving (The perfect beta male indie song)
6.Oceans by Paper Sun (A local band writes a song I never could)
7.Hail by The Piper Downs (A local band writes an epic I wish I could)
8.My Dad's Gone Crazy by Eminem (The pain of 9/11 burst forth on a rap album)
9.Toys And Flavors by The Hellacopters (Rock, baby)
10.If Ozzy Was My Dad (Then that Would Rock) by Danny Blitz (Local rocker cracks me up)

2003
1.Ima Robot – Ima Robot
I have no idea what prompted this purchase but from the moment the first retro-new wave beats and disaffected robotic lead singer's voice burst through I knew that THIS was the real nostalgia band and NOT The Killers. Too bad the follow up was so awful.
2.The Libertines – Up The Bracket
Mojo Magazine reported on these guys so much I thought they should rename the mag. But was the hype worth it? Yes. The Libertines were where BritPop and Punk met, fell in love, beat each other to a pulp and created a modern classic.
3.Fountains of Wayne – Welcome Interstate Managers
Stacy's Mom was inescapable and the rest of the record was just as good. Rich, poppy, Cars meets Springfield hooks with dynamite execution.
4.The White Stripes – Elephant
This actually might have been the album of the decade but it took me forever to listen to it in full. A lot of it came to me via downloads and shares. I think it was the first album I didn't buy as much as “obtain”.
Favorite from 2003 – Up The Bracket



Songs of the Year:
1.Toxic by Britney Spears (bubblegum goodness)
2.Bright Future in Sales/Stacy's Mom/Hey Julie by Fountains of Wayne (a trio of perfectly crafted pop songs)
3.A is for Action by Ima Robot (The bridge between 1981 and the 21st Century)
4.Cold Hard Bitch by Jet (This song just smells like 1977)
5.Against All Odds (Cover) by The Postal Service (Take cheese, rework, make into classic)
6.Ballad of the Sin Eater by Ted Leo & The Pharmacists (Ted Leo never met a bridge he liked but on Sin Eater he is forgiven. How the hell can I believe in Beau Geste?)

2004
1.Bowling for Soup – A Hangover You Don't Deserve
B4S continued their formula and, while I don't think it's as good as the predecessor, AHYDD, was THE soundtrack for when Beth and I were cleaning the house we just bought. This album reminds me of the 1000 carpet nails I pulled up over the holiday season.
2.Green Day – American Idiot
I listened once and knew that this was different. Then friends would say, “hey, how is that new Green Day?” and I found myself with not only nothing bad to say, but it got better and better with each review. In retrospect, it's a perfect record and easily one of my choices for album of the decade.
3.The Libertines – The Libertines
The follow up to Up The Bracket is sadder, really. The songs portend the breakup and implosion of the songwriters with such edge and verve I was kind of glad that this was it for them.
4.William Shatner – Has Been
I stand by what I said (and was mercilessly mocked for) when it came out. “Easily one of the best spoken word albums of all time.
5.The Hold Steady – Almost Killed Me
I didn't listen to this record until this year. I wasn't all that much in love with Separation Sunday and kind of held to the belief that, while I liked The Hold Steady, I really just loved Boys & Girls in America. Then I heard this. This is better. And Positive Jam is the greatest first track on an album I've heard in ages.
Favorite from 2004 – American Idiot

Songs of the Year:
1.1985 by Bowling For Soup
They didn't write it and the truth is the original is better, but still a masterpiece)
2.Burnin' Up (Cover) by Drag (Local band does great Madonna)
3.Jesus of Suburbia/American Idiot by Green Day (Queen as angry punk)
4.King Epiphany by The Heavenly States (The 1st of the anti-Bush songs that I heard_
5.Portions for Foxes by Rilo Kiley (Possibly the best lyrics of the year)
6.Common People (Cover) by William Shatner (Joe Jackson, The Shat & Ben Folds are formidable)
7.Positive Jam by The Hold Steady (This song sort of sounds the opening knell for a very sad and angry decade. Might be the song of the decade, too.)

2005
1.Nightmare of You – Nightmare of You
Some albums take a hold of you and don't let go. A trainer/band manager I knew told me I HAD to get this. I took his advice, picked up a used copy at Amoeba and I've never looked back. Lush, smart, melodic, catchy. It's one of the best albums that no one's heard.
2.The Hold Steady – Separation Sunday
It took a while for me to get into but “You're Little Hoodrat Friend” and all the rest paint a very difficult picture of characters that Springsteen would have been proud to have created.
3.Beth Hart – Leave the Light On
So, the wife dug Beth Hart. And we went to see a friend play in a little club when we were surprised to learn that the headliner was Beth Hart. (When I say small, I mean, like 18 people small) And we bought this record. And it's great.
4.Jeff Daniels – Live and Unplugged to Benefit the Purple Rose Theater
You gotta be clever by half for me to put an album which is mainly toss offs and jokes on a list. But Daniels does it. And You Can Drink....is one of the best bar tunes ever.
5.Weezer – Make Believe
Everybody hates it. I love it. This is the real conversion record by Weezer. The album where they tossed off the emo-heartsleeves beta boy clothes forever and become hitmakers.

Favorite from 2005 – Nightmare of You



Songs of the Year:
1.Look at Me, I'm a Winner! By The Aquabats (The theme for narcissist)
2.Bounce by Danko Jones (Crazy catchy. Never could match this, Danko)
3.Asparagus Dance by Reservoir Ticklers (Soulseek friends who traded music with me)
4.Stroke of Genie-us by Freelance Hellraiser (The 1st and best mashup. Proves that all music is basically the same)
5.Lifts You Up by Beth Hart (White girl gospel)
6.I Want to Be Buried in Your Backyard by Nightmare Of You (One of many from this great Brooklyn band)
7.The Sporting Life by The Decemberists (Letter Sweater Rock)
8.Your Little Hoodrat Friend by The Hold Steady (Outdoes Springsteen in a way Arcade Fire never could)
9.You can drink an Ugly Girl Pretty (but you can't drink a fat girl thin) by Jeff Daniels (Just get this track. You will be happy)

2006
1.Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
By now it was impossible to resist the pull of downloading. And everybody was grabbing this record. I was just as guilty (although I later bought it because I loved it). In the world of great debuts, this ranks in the top 20.
2.The Fratellis – Costello Music
Lots of people in the UK had this on their hard drives on Soulseek. Someone gave me a track and I knew I had to have the record. It's the first import I've purchased since college. And it was worth every penny. You feeling down? Put on Costello Music. You will be happy in less than a hlaf hour.
3.The Hold Steady – Boys & Girls in America
Another contender for the greatest record of the decade. If you miss classic rock but feel like most of it is stale, this record will have you believing again. You might have to use that lighter app on your iPhone but that's okay, we get it.
4.Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins – Rabbit Fur Coat
Another highly traded record. It was impossible not to crave more once you heard a couple tracks. I love Jenny Lewis. I think she was also the one of the first blog entries on my old old old blog. The way she has of forcing too many words into sentences and making them WORK is remarkable.
5.My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade
After American Idiot this is the bombastic uber-theatrical record of the decade. Grand, dynamic, angry, operatic. Satisfies my Queen-need wholly.
6.The Thermals – The Body, The Blood, The Machine
Bloggers and soulseekers went on and on about this record. I found a promo copy at Amoeba. It has been in heavy rotation for 3 years now.
Favorite from 2006 – Boys & Girls in America


Songs of the Year:
1.Red Light Indicates Doors are Secure by Arctic Monkeys (Manic & catchy britpop)
2.Suzie by Boy Kill Boy (The band you don't know about. And the song that should have made them stars)
3.Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken by Camera Obscura (Is it the 80s already?)
4.Sly by The Cat Empire (Zoe's theme)
5.Candyman by Christina Aguilera (Sex on a stick)
6.Chelsea Dagger/For the Girl/Henrietta/Flathead by The Fratellis (4 great tracks from an album of all great tracks)
7.Stuck Between Stations by The Hold Steady (The opening of one of the most accomplished set of songs)
8.Rise Up With Fists by Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins (She will wake up with babies....)
9.Woke up New by The Mountain Goats (When you lose someone, listen to this song)
10.Welcome to the Black Parade/Dead by My Chemical Romance (American Idiot Pt 2)
11.Valerie by The Zutons (The Jam wish they wrote this)
12.Here's Your Future – The Thermals (God has never sounded this punk. Even though he is)

2007
1.Against Me! - New Wave
The blogs were afire about this band and once I got the album I understood why. 30 minutes in length, New Wave is a brash, bold, vitriolic attack force. Every song is a keeper and I can't wait for the next one.
2.The Builders & The Butchers – The Builders & The Butchers
Another Blog discovery. This is soundtrack music for the Green River Killer.
3.Grace Potter & The Nocturnal – This is Somewhere
Blogs blogs blogs. Potter was on everybody's short list and it was worth it.
4.Mika – Life in Cartoon Motion
I was so glad that I liked Mika as much as I did. It's like what Freddie Mercury's Mr. Bad Guy was supposed to sound like. Instead of sucking, I mean.
5.Okkervil River – The Stage Names
I really wanted to not like this album. It was so darling-of-the-Indie scene. But, it grew on me until I realized that I liked every song and was turning to it for background music more than anything else.
6.Radiohead – In Rainbows
The download phenomenon. The game changer. I paid about $5 for it. Worth double.
Favorite from 2007 – New Wave


Songs of the Year:
1.White People for Peace/Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart/Thrash Unreal by Against Me!
(Punk you can dance to)
2.Online by Brad Paisley (Funny cuz it's true)
3.Vampire Lake by The Builders & The Butchers (The vampire zeitgeist can be summed up here)
4.Cornfields! Cornfields! By Cheese on Bread (The goofiest track on this list)
5.Ah, Mary! By Grace Potter & The Nocturnals (Psst. Mary is America.)
6.Big Girl, You Are Beautiful by Mika (The second theme song for Zoe)
7.You Made Me Like It by 1990s (Power Pop at it's Knackiest)

2008
1.Blitzen Trapper – Furr
I avoided this like the folk-revival plague I assumed it was. It is. But it's also not. It's as much a power pop album as anything else. With a dark humor that offsets the seriousness of it's sound.
2.Taylor Swift – Fearless
The girl can write a song, lemme tell ya. With this record 10s of thousands of 13 year old girls asked for guitar lessons this year.
3.Lady Gaga – The Fame
I think we bought this more based on the performance on SNL. I was kind of hoping that there would be more actual singing than it turned out to have. That said, the songs are all great, retro disco, mirrorball funness.
4.Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid
This was on a few top ten lists last year so I gave it a go. Elbow is the way station between Radiohead and Coldplay. With the worst name for a band...um...ever.
5.The Gaslight Anthem – The '59 Sound
Springsteen reborn. If you can get past the annoying vocal production this is a great record for people who like their songs to resonate with defined characters.
6.Jukebox the Ghost – Let Live and Let Ghosts
THE album for me. The bloggers were chatting about Good Day and Hold it In, but the real treat were the song suites in the second half. A much more assured album than one would expect from skinny 20 somethings. Let alone a band that is drums, piano and guitar. If Queen bred with Ben Folds THAT is what Jukebox the Ghost sounds like.
7.Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
Who doesn't have this record by now? Easily the most traded of any on this lists. This is also the first year where none of the albums on this list were purchased on plastic. All digital, baby. And VW, with a terrible name and bad album cover, made one of the best, comfortable, exciting albums ever.
8.The Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride
I was asked to review this album for the now defunct Shuffleboil. It became my favorite of that month. And I still go back to it. Sadly, I don't really care for any other MG album. This is the only one you really need. It's really terrific.
Favorite from 2008 – Let Live and Let Ghosts


Songs of the Year:
1.Furr by Blitzen Trapper (Folk song about transforming into a werewolf. Really)
2.The Fame by Lady Gaga (We live for it)
3.The Best Day by Taylor Swift (The stanza about her dad made me cry)
4.Angelina Jolie by The Chevelles (None of their other songs rock this hard)
5.Some Riot by Elbow (Lush, beautiful, sad, morose, insert adjective here)
6.The '59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem (ain't supposed to die on a saturday night)
7.Hold It In by Jukebox the Ghost (Indie Pop finds it first piece of true perfection)
8.Sax Rohmer #1/Autoclave/San Bernadino by The Mountain Goats (the three MG songs that made me fall in love with John Darniell)


2009
1.Owl City – Ocean Eyes
I want to hate this record. It sounds JUST LIKE POSTAL SERVICE. Ben Gibbard should sue for stealing his sound. But, it's so catchy and poppy and irresistible.
2.Lily Allen – It's Not me, It's You
I don't care for The Bird and the Bee. But the producer of that band produced this and Lily is more snarky and sardonic than before. It's a dance record but so much more.
3.Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
How do you follow up the best Rock Opera of the decade? Do another one. Bigger. Bolder. More self assured. There was no way this album could catch fire the way AI did. But, in many ways, it's much much better.
4.Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Mika tops Life in Cartoon Motion with an album so undeniably charming it's a shame he will never truly cross over.
5.Ida Maria – Fortress Around My Heart
This album had me wanting more more more. There are almost no lyrics. The singer can't really sing. But it's rock at it's garageiest.
6. fun. - Aim & Ignite
I should have been listening to this all fall but I forgot about it. I just got it. It's great. It's like the best parts of Mika, ELO, Queen, Power Pop, Rock, Theater all rolled up into a big pie of....well, fun.
Favorite from 2009 - 21st Century Breakdown

Songs of the Year:
1.Fireflies by Owl City (I defy you to not like this song)
2.Now We Can See by The Thermals (Who knew the Thermals could write a pop hook?)
3.If You're Wondering if I Want You To (I Want You To) by Weezer (The catchiest, coolest and most resonant song Weezer has penned in a while)
4.Got Some by Pearl Jam (Pearl Jam finally rocks again)
5.Blame it on the Girls by Mika (You will want to salsa dance with somebody)
6.I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked by Ida Maria (Song of the year)
7.Viva La Gloria/Peacemaker by Green Day (Epics)

So, there ya have it. I should have probably broken this down by year and done each entry separately. But I'm too lazy. And maybe I should have been more diligent about links and such. But, I'm not.
These were my favorites of the decade. I think there was more to love than just about any decade prior. Anyone who says that rock or pop music is dead isn't really listening. I barely scratched the surface.
It was a pretty good decade. We'll see what the next brings.

Jukebox the Ghost: Live at the Museum of Natural History

Simulblogged at www.popdose.com


Last year I had the good fortune to discover a band before almost anyone else. Before they blew up. In the case of Jukebox the Ghost there’s still time. If you listen and love them now you will be in that special crowd of musical geekdom: the “I knew them when” crowd.
For me, unearthing a gem of a band is a bi-polar experience. I want to shout to the rafters about the band, and I do, anywhere I can. And then, after they have been embraced by masses, there is usually a twinge of loss. That they aren’t mine anymore.
When I was a teen this was because the music I loved helped me define myself. And since the band was different, unique, special, then it would follow that I must be as well.
At the same time, though, while experiencing the loss of my secret, self-clarifying touchstone, I am buoyed and elated by their success and thrilled when it happens for them. Mostly because it means there will be more music from the group and better concerts and also because it vindicates my taste and proves that, well, why not say it? I was right.
All of this brings me to Jukebox the Ghost and their live performance at The Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles.
But, first, a little history.

The Washington D.C. trio, Jukebox the Ghost, first came to my attention by way of the blog-o-sphere. I spent much of 2007 reading blogs like The Underrated Blog, My Old Kentucky Blog, Ickmusic, etc, downloading sample singles and letting those tastemakers be the arbiters of my new musical knowledge. It reminded me much of when I was younger and underground ‘zines like the estimable and legendary Trouser Press heralded the coming of U2, months before Boy was released, or touted the new romantic sound of Duran Duran as they began to make noise in England, eons before Rio or Hungry Like the Wolf. The music offered for download was like the plastic flexi-disc cutout from that magazine only instead of one per month, blogs provide hundreds of choices per month.
I can’t recall just what made me decide to listen to “Good Day” and “Hold it In”, the singles offered by JtG on whatever blog they appeared on. By the time I heard them I wasn’t reading the blogs anymore just using the program Peel to sift through the morass of music. It might have been the weird name. At first I thought it was a typo. The Jukebox Ghost sounded more like it. Suitably Indie. But, in retrospect, had it been named that I probably would have been turned off; most likely a band named The Jukebox Ghost is an ethereal, synth laden, semi-goth experience. Jukebox the Ghost brings to mind a jester spectre. Jughead to Caspar’s Archie.
Whatever it was, I was not prepared for what I was hearing. Both singles are rich wordplay confections that excite as much as they beg for replay. The music is as honest as it is simple. Each tune has that nugget of a hook, a moment that brings you back, the handclap you wait for in anticipation, or a chorus that thrills when you listen and thrills you more when you learn the words and sing along.
This is good stuff, I thought. And my family did as well. After we downloaded the album from iTunes, Let Live and Let Ghost, the debut album, made it into heavy rotation at breakfast, in the car, during lazy Sunday music filled mornings.
The rest of the album didn’t disappoint I should say. Ambitious is the precise word I would use while describing it. The two part suite of “My Heart’s the Same” and “Lighting Myself On Fire” are followed by a THREE part suite about the end of the world. The troika of “Fire in the Sky”, “Where Have All the Scientists Gone?” and “A Matter of Time”, where God takes a good look at earth and decides to destroy it, a fable that is actually quite hopeful. And funny. Jukebox the Ghost are nothing if not funny.
But this isn’t a Presidents of the United States of America funny. It’s not cheeky Bowling for Soup funny. Its not a snarky funny. The trio of Ben Thornewill on Piano and vocals, Tommy Siegel on Guitar and vocals and Jesse Kristin on drums bring a goofy, Indie outlook to their songs. Like on the chorus of “Hold it In”, the most infectious single track where Ben sings, “Life is: [clap clap clap] Oh, my God, if I tell him, he’ll tell her and then she will know I like her! Good grief, I don’t think that I can take this heartbreak any longer!” Charlie Brown was never so clear about his fear of the red headed girl as JtG are here.
It would be one thing if the word-smithing was all this band was about. Plenty of other great groups have leaned heavier on their lyrics than their music or musical ability. Somehow, JtG have managed to bridge the over the top theaterics of Queen, with soaring falsettos, classicly trained piano playing and guitar licks that Brian May used to employ back in the 70s and merged it with the intimately youthful exuberance of Ben Folds best work of the 90s. Toss in a dash of Oingo Boingo (believe it) and this band has crafted a sound so new and so familiar at the same time.
Word came through the band’s MySpace site that they would be (finally!) playing in Los Angeles. At, of all places, the Museum of Natural History as one of the featured bands during the First Friday event that the museum holds. It’s a hipster affair where the museum is turned into a culture-fest/nightclub. Amidst a guided tour of the Paleontology exhibit and the author led discussion, Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why it Matters” with Dr. Don Prothero, on the first floor the main attraction is the concert series.
In the great mammal hall, where stuffed bison and other ominous red-blooded beasts we have conquered reside, a stage is set for a festival seated, general admission audience. The show is projected on the wall in the anteroom outside the hall near the lobby and wine drinking Indie poppers sway and chatter the night away.
For those of us who found our way into the main room we were treated to a claustrophobic, over heated, fan-less room, fronted by a stage no where near high enough for a piano led band to be seen.
Jukebox the Ghost was, to my chagrin, not the main attraction. I should have known better, considering the bill, but I am not a fan of The Bird and the Bee. Although, I am glad that such a darling of the Indie community would be the reason so many got to see the better of the two bands. (It’s not quite fair for me to say; we didn’t stay for Bird)
There was a palpable mix of interest and apathy in the room. As the band was introduced it was obvious that there were some in the audience that were “in the know”. And the curious around us were very forgiving, withholding judgment until they gave the band a chance. One thing I do appreciate about the modern fan is the abject willingness to accept the “new.” It seems that bands are given the chance to succeed ofrfail on their own merit and that judgment is reserved; As though these music lovers are so passionate and hungry that they seek out rather than dismiss.
Of course, the back of the room was a din of conversation. So, the battle was on; the band up on their dais, out to conquer the uninitiated and the hipsters who were just in the room to save their place for the band they really were there to see.
Jukebox the Ghost opened their set with “Under My Skin”, one of the more accessible songs from the first half of the album, the more poppy, radio-ready side.
It was about this time that the guys in front of us who were gently swaying to the song which is about as unswayable a tune as I would imagine, turned to ask us, “Who are these guys?” We smiled and told them and went back to singing along.
Then Ben and the boys did something I would never imagine doing when I was in a band. They launched into not one, but two songs from their new, as yet unrecorded new album. “Empire” and “Ghosts” were remarkable choices considering they are wholly unfamiliar. Poppy, yes. And well within the idiom of the band, but why, when their cover of “A Beautiful Life” from the Guilt By Association compilation from last year would be more easily endearing, did they make their second AND third salvo total unknowns? Even the newish track, “Mistletoe”, that has been making the rounds among fans for the past few months, would have seemed a safer choice.
But this is, as I have already implied, an audacious trio.
No sooner did they right their ship with the familiar “Victoria”, a track that has been getting a modicum of radio play way at the left of the dial, then they launched into BOTH of the epic album suites. Back to back.
And they sounded amazing. Considering the challenging acoustics of the room, Thornewill’s falsettos were spot on. The harmonies were devastatingly glorious intervals amidst a palette of almost operatic pop epics.
By the time they started to bring it home with those well blogged tunes, “Hold it In” and “Good Day”, their job was complete. The audience had caught on and were catching on to the choruses. The clatter of conversation in the back had reduced itself to a low drone. And the previously curious and ignorant were raising their hands in time and tempo and cheering as though they had just discovered their new favorite band.
As we made our way out of the hall, past the outstretched queue of fans waiting to be let in for The Bird and the Bee we spent a few minutes chatting with Ben and Tommy. Unassuming and without pretension as they were I left wondering if they knew just how affecting their performance was.
They are coming back to Los Angeles in May. We are already marking our calendar.

2008's Top 10 (and some honorable and dishonorable mentions)

I've never made a top anything list and, to be fair, I really don't deserve to. I haven't heard much of what was released but, what the hell, why should that stop me?
2008 was a terrible year for music as far as I was concerned but there were a few albums here and there that caught my attention and actually stayed in heavy rotation on my iPod.
So, here ya go, the top 10 albums of 2008 as far as me and my pod are concerned.



10. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges.
I hated Z. HATED Z. A lot.
But I love Evil Urges. The title track? The breakdown bridge is better than the rest of the tune but if the whole song was that bridge then I wouldn't love it as much. And that stupid disco tune, Highly Suspicious? I love it for all it's campiness. Aluminum Park is a great little rocker ala Fountains of Wayne and there's enough retro-Dan Hillness to make your stomach churn with nostalgia.



9. Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us
I love Mates of State, even though this is the first full album of theirs that I heard. Their singles are refreshingly poppy and earnest. "My Only Offer" is like a bug that you can't get rid of. Once you hear it you want to sing it over and over. And the rest of the album, which doesn't wear out it's welcome too soon is just as much fun.



8. The Gaslight Anthem.
Okay, I'm cheating here. There are just three or four songs that get crazy airplay but they are so good that the rest of the album counts. (The rest is just as good). This is this year's Against Me!. The descendants of Springsteen, grab the title track and try not to fall in love.



7. Vampire Weekend.
Man I really didn't want to put this on this list but every time A-Punk comes on I wanna dance. Or Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, Or mansard Roof. Or..... This is just that particularly great first album that we would have devoured in college. Like this generation's Violent Femmes. Equally poorly named. Both start with a V. Both are infectiously great and indefinable. Have you heard it? No? How can that be? Once you do you won't stop. You'll want to kill yourself for loving it, but you will, nonetheless.



6. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
It's a pretty new entry. I just got it the other day. But the truth be told, this album is far and away more accomplished than most music ought to be. Somewhere between Pink Floyd and Coldplay is Elbow. Moodiest fucking album in a long time and a welcome replacement for Yoshimi as music to get high and screw by.


5. Black Mountain - In the Future
I love the idea of this band more than I love the album but I am drawn to it and find, on many occasions that I need to come down and give in to the sludgy goodness. This is a band for whom Spinal Tap never existed and music never progressed beyond Sabbath's Paranoid. We're all better for that, btw.


4. AC/DC - Black Ice
Would AC/DC rated this high had I not done the Listening Post this year? Probably not. But I did. And then I was hooked. And then I heard the album and it's pretty damned good. And then I saw them in concert and, fuck it, this has been in heavy rotation ever since.
Give it a spin. It's the best collection since Back in Black. And I'm not overstating. It's that good.



3. Rick Springfield - Venus in Overdrive
What? Who? really? Yeah, really. Venus in Overdrive is great. I've already talked about here. The single, What's Victoria's Secret proves that Rick can rip himself off while at the same time sounding just like he should, with all that power poppy goodness. This isn't as dour as Anger/Denial......it's a rollicking good time.



2. The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
I was assigned this one when I was writing for ShuffleBoil. I had never heard of The Mountain Goats, never knew who John darnielle was. It was a complete surprise to learn that Darnielle has been recording under this moniker since the early 90s and that this wasn't even considered his best offering. (Tallahassee has that honor). Darnielle is ridiculously literate (Sax Rohmer #1), often poignant (San Bernadino), cheeky (Michael Myers Resplendent) and terrifying (Heretic Pride).
Autoclave would have been a hit in 1981 in the New Wave underground.
This album is perfect. The original review is here


1. Jukebox the Ghost - Let Live and Let Ghost
I use Peel to find new music. It's easier than trolling all the blogs. And I dump a lot of music or just pass it by. Then one day, early this year two songs popped up on a couple blogs by the Washington trio, Jukebox the Ghost; Hold it In and Good Day. After a week of finding myself playing them over and over, during feeding time or on the motorcycle I decided to give the guys a chance and buy their album.
I'm so glad I did. This is, without a doubt, my favorite album of the last 2 years. It's part Ben Folds, part Queen, cheeky and sublime all at once. Towards the end of the album two songs bleed into each other a suite and if that wasn't enough for you, the last three are part of a suite as well.
Eminently hummable, it never gets tired or tiresome. Funny how this has not ended up on anyone's top ten list but is, without equal, the best album of the year and the best debut I have heard in a many a year.

Disappointments:
Hold Steady - Stay Positive. The title might refer to the fact that the boys were putting out an album vastly inferior to 2006's Boys and Girls in America. That album was perfect. This album was considerably less so.

Fratellis - Here We Stand. Costello Music was in my top 3 in 06. This follow up is a severe letdown. Where they had embraced a glam-britpop on that one, this one finds them lacking in ideas and turning to their inner Lennon when they should be all about their inner McCartney.

Weezer - Red Album. This album is on a few top ten lists. It shouldn't be. It should be used to patch up holes in concrete. But then again, I think make Believe is one of the catchiest albums of the decade.

R.E.M. - Accelerate. Too little too late. This is the album they should have put out four albums ago. But where that would have been a nice capper to the 90s this is just a bunch of fogies riding out a contract.

Update:Queen + Paul Rodgers "Cosmos Rocks". This is awful. I actually hate it so much I forgot to include it at first. Holy god, this is an abortion but even more than that it points to the truth that Queen took it's audience for granted and tried to milk every penny out of them. May and Taylor don't love their fans. They know that, like Live Free or Die Hard, if they slap the brand name on it it will move some units. This should never be listened to and, in fact, the unsold cd's should be used to slaughter puppies abandoned at the pound. Don't buy it. Don't listen to it.

Honorable Mentions

The Diviners - The 13th Generation.
The Diviners are 1/4 ex Throttle Back Sparky and 1/4 guy who was thrown out of Throttle Back Sparky. Should I include it? Can I be unbiased?I think so. To be honest I think that lyrically it needs a little polishing. But that isn't supposed to be the record's strong suit. This is conceptual pop rock. And while much of it harkens back to classic U2 and REM, some of it is catchy as hell. There are tracks like Sell Your Childhood, State of Mind and Just Us that, once heard, you can't drop them. (I think a few of them could have been big hits in a different time. Lovin' Gurl is classic 60's garage band, Sell Your Childhood is 90's alternative to a T) For my money I've never been that much of a fan of over production (unless it's Queen) and there is a fair share of it here. But there's a lot of good ideas in there as well. Funnily enough, songs like Mechanical, which i did NOT like upon listening in my car and on my motorcycle, offered more to appreciate when cranked LOUD on a 5.1 surround system. A testament to production, I guess. There's a lot to love on The 13th Generation. I'm excited for this project and proud as hell of David.


Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue.
More of the great stuff that is Ms. lewis. Proving that Blake Sennett was the one responsible for the mess of Under the Blacklight, Jenny offers one of the catchier singles in "Carpetbaggers". I could listen to her mangle her melodies all day long.


Conor Oberst
The eponymous album by Bright Eyes' Oberst is a simple alt-country offering. It's easy and relaxed and "Cape Canaveral captures the right tenor for his weird voice. I look forward to more.


Low Vs. Diamond
More Bruce type rock/80s retro. If you can't have another Nightmare of You album this year, then this will have to do.


Sons & Daughters
new wave gets its due from a band that I expected to be sludgy classic rock sounding with that name and that album cover. But it's not. It's edgy and angular and fun.

So, there ya have it. 2008 is over. Hopefully 09 will offer more and better. But get that Jukebox the Ghost album cuz it's great.