Stoplight Sleep

10 More 2011

2012-01-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, picked my 10 favs of 2011 for The Elliot Potter Show with Jason Brown. I told him at the time that I could have picked 10 totally different albums and been happy with my list. Here are those 10.

Tim Hecker Ravedeath, 1972

Why it didn't make the list: I really have no excuse.

Why it should have made the list: This is probably the greatest non-guitar, non-beat-driven instrumental album I've ever heard. If I start a drone project in 2012, this album will be why.

EMA Past Life Martyred Saints

Why it didn't make the list: Again, I really have no excuse. Other than I had to leave off something.

Why it should have made the list: Past Life is full of emotionally piercing, sincere, relateable lyrics and subtle but powerful production.

Big Black Delta BBDLP1

Why it didn't make the list: Some of the tracks came out in 2010 on BBDEP.

Why it should have made the list: It's a great mix of post-modern big beat ballads and huge dance tracks.

WILD FLAG Wild Flag

Why it didn't make the list: Probably because there's not enough diversity on the album to make it stand out among the plurality of my taste.

Why it should have made the list: The album features the best straight-up guitar work and production of the year.

Radiohead Live from the Basement

Why it didn't make the list: The King of Limbs underwhelmed me until I saw this show (soon to be DVD) and their performance on Colbert. Radiohead is one of the few bands that can take brilliance in the studio and somehow make it even better live.

Why it should have made the list: It's creative, moody, blah blah. They're the greatest band of the last 20 years.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart Belong

Why it didn't make the list: It's a big derivative. Big guitar albums were big this year (Ume, Joy Formidable), so it's hard to pick one.

Why it should have made the list: Pains took their SmithsXXBelle&Sebastian and mixed it with heavy early 90s guitar for the shoegazey-ist pop hooks this side of Ride.

The Antlers and friends (together)

Why it didn't make the list: I hadn't heard it yet, but it kinda did. Burst Apart was my number 2.

Why it should have made the list: This re-imagining of their album may be better than the original.

Phantogram Nightlife

Why it didn't make the list: I hadn't heard it yet.

Why it should have made the list: Their debut was great. This EP is bigger/better. Can't wait for what they do next.

Oneohtrix Point Never Nightlife

Why it didn't make the list: I hadn't heard it yet. And I'm upset about that.

Why it should have made the list: This was album Gang Gang Dance instead, but Oneohtrix gets it for being a bit more concise.

Mainfinger Remixes Scott Pilgrim!

2011-05-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, I planned to do a podcast commentary with some friends for the Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World DVD. Those plans fell through, but I did come away with a sweet, "overclocked" remix of "Threshhold" from video-game enthusiast and electronic artist Mainfinger. Now it's my ringtone!

Linky!

Their Entire Catalog

2011-02-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

Amidst recovering from a long, hazy weekend full of pizza and sugar and C₂H₅OH, I rediscovered Hail to the Thief, the only of Radiohead's four full-length releases (Yes, Com Lag, the In Rainbows b-sides, etc. are all good as well.) over the past decade that I wouldn't have previously labeled "a classic." I'm not sure why, but I'd never really fully understood the album, however enjoyable and punctuated with genius moments, specifically the shift in "2 + 2 = 5" and the opening riff of "There There."

I'm not sure if it was the post-bender glaze of a Monday-morning commute or the new lens I see all music through as I age and become a more knowledgeable musician myself, but for the maybe the first time ever, I completely consumed and absorbed and swam through the clicks and sighs and breathes of HttT. My recent discovery of their "secret playlist" hasn't hurt my renewed enthusiasm for the band in general either.

Radiohead is a band that have become so ubiquitous in the minds of anyone with even the slightest interest in music that it's hard to say much about them. Whether ambitious young musicians are referencing influences or Kid Rock is trying to carve out his cultural significance, the band cannot be ignored when analyzing the first decade of the 21st century.

Kid A was a kind of wake-up call to labels and bands and whoever else cared that a bar had been set, and (along with Nine Inch Nails and a few others) In Rainbows recalibrated the distribution dial. So it's fitting that this decade, still fresh in every way, will see Radiohead's newest effort released this weekend. You can pre-order now.

Everyone: take note.

The Kills - Keep On Your Mean Side

2011-02-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

Remember, if you can, Dear Reader, the first time you heard that one album. That one time it took only the first few seconds for you to fall in love? A love so deep and painful that the only way you could express it would be to rip your skin off with pliers or at least bloody your hand on some rusty guitar strings.

Maybe you've never had this experience, Dear Reader. In that case, I mourn for you. You've never had your Keep On Your Mean Side.

2003: It was a late night after a few rounds at the bar. Maybe we'd stopped at a gas station for cigarettes or beer or both. Maybe we'd been playing pool or talking poetry. I don't recall. For the first and only time, I sat in the spacious, thrift-furnitured living room of the house he shared with some roommate or three. As usual, we talked music with semi-automatics, blasting names and songs and labels back and forth with sharp precision.

At some point, he changed the record and then . . .

. . . the faint, lo-fi clicks of some rescued beat box rolling around my skull. Then—

—that guitar. That. Guitar. Like a hobble-legged demon growling from down the hall. "I will rip you." Just three notes and lots of space, but that was enough. And always will be. Forever.

There was that voice, too. The demon's ghostly familiar. But it really only took that 10 seconds—not too change my life, for sure—to change everything I ever thought music and bands and rock and energy and love and lust and cool could be.

Best of 2010: The Canada Connection

2011-01-26T09:12:00.001-08:00

Last year, Spoon and Joanna Newsom (among others) received heaps of praise for albums that—at least when compared to their previous work—were pedestrian, uninspiring, and, well, boring. Meanwhile, Broken Social Scene released yet another masterpiece, Forgiveness Rock Record. How this band isn't on the tip of everyone's tongue, I'll never understand.

Perhaps I could write their lack of overwhelming success of to being Canadian, but who isn't (or doesn't want to be) these days. SS is, however, convinced that the under-appreciation of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World was partially due to it's "tragically Canadian sensibility." Not only did an older BSS track appear on the soundtrack, but members Kevin Drew and Emily Haines also contributed original songs to the movie.

Scott Pilgrim has birthed no fewer than 3 albums at this point: the film's OST, the videogame's score (by Anamanaguchi), and the film's score, primarily composed by famed producer Nigel Godrich. Every minute of SP-related music is worth your time, but "Threshhold" and "Garbage Truck," written by Godrich and Beck, and performed on the soundtrack by the cast (as Sex Bob-omb), are two of SS's favorites.

Beck also collaborated with Black Moth Super Rainbow's Tom Fec on one of his TOBACCO releases, Maniac Meat. On a few songs, Beck adds his "It's in the Becktionary" hip-hoppish lyrics to Fec's fuzzy beats and mosquito vocals. SS is a sucker for fuzz . . .

But we think you should give it a shot anyway.

Watch videos from Forgiveness Rock Record on Broken Social Scene's site. (And say that 5 times fast.)

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World movie site

Tobacco - Grape Aerosmith (feat. Beck) Official Video from Allen Cordell on Vimeo.

As always, if you like something: buy it!

Best of 2010: A Perfect Pair

2011-01-25T18:20:00.000-08:00

Seems like we only pop up when it's time to look back at some unit of time. Well, let's jump into it regardless. To start off our look back at the year, taste these succulent appetizers.

"USA Boys" by Health

When Health released "Die Slow" before their second album, the reaction was instant adoration, but when the rest of Get Color was less poppy overall, the feedback was mixed. In one interview, the band reported that fans had asked them to do more like "Die Slow." Enter their second remix album and the opening track, the brand-new single, "USA Boys." Although it's the most upbeat track of their originals, it still contains the band's trademark delayed ring modulation, subdued vocals, and beats driven by the Boss Slicer pedal.

Download "USA Boys" for free from last.fm.

"Lights" by Interpol

Music media: So Interpol's got a new album coming out. You like those dudes, right?

Stoplight Sleep: Yeah, they're great.

MM: You don't think they're too derivative of Joy Division.

SS: Oh, stop it. Pop music is an evolution. Do you have a point?

MM: So are you excited?

SS: Meh, they keep getting more produced and less dynamic. The lyrics are always acrobatic, though. We'll see.

MM: Well, maybe you should watch this video before you decide:

We Didn't Write It

2010-07-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Not so long ago, Copy, Right?, fully supplied all the cool, unexpected covers you could ever need. I don't propose to ever replace her, but I will offer up a few of my favs from time to time. (And it appears there's a list of other blogs on the old site worth investigation.)

Even though it's been two-and-a-half years since Stereogum posted a cover of "Close to Me" that replaces Robert Smith's girlish charm with Yoni Wolf's quirky insecurity, it appears the track is still available. Grab it now!

With their version of Dylan's "Love Sick," The White Stripes took an ethereal blues ballad, and delivered it somewhere between The Sonics and The Doors. This is a slightly different version than what you'll get on the second CD single for "Fell in Love With a Girl."

2006's Rabbit Fur Coat featured Jenny Lewis and a few other indie superstars twanging out their take on The Traveling Wilburys' (another supergroup) "Handle with Care." Here's one of those heartthrobs now, with a cool, crazy hat and lots of denim.

We'll be back with more later.

Record Store Day Picks

2010-04-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

As Record Store Day continues to grow, so does the list of limited edition vinyl, CDs, DVDs, etc. associated with the yearly event. Sorting through the pages of releases is quite a task, and remembering what to look for amidst all the live music, free food, and adult beverages could turn out to be daunting.

I'll be at Euclid for live music by Art Majors and others. Here's what I'll be looking for:

Yeasayer - "O.N.E."

This has probably been my jam of the year so far. This 12" features four versions of the song.

Deftones - "Rocketskates"

I'm a bit dubious about a new release from this act, but they've consistently been the only listenable band of the 90s Nu Metal wave. The m83 remix solidifies this as a must-have.

The Cribs / The Thermals split 7"

It's not clear if these are exclusive tracks, but anything involving Kill Rock Stars and these two bands is worth a look.

Tom Waits - Mule Variations 11th Anniversary Edition

I've been waiting for a deluxe release of this classic, and here it is.

Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs - Dark Side of the Moon Band covers the classic Pink Floyd album

Since this was announced, I've been curious. Even if it's rubbish, it'll surely fetch a pretty penny on eBay.

White Rabbits / Antlers - Live from Daytrotter Sessions 7"

I'm not really interested in the White Rabbits track, but any version of Antlers' "Shiva" is worth the asking price. If that asking price is about $5.

Various Artists - Fragments from a Work in Progress

New tracks from The Big Pink and Gang Gang Dance? Yes, please.

The Double Aughts: Hot Chip's Made in the Dark

2009-12-01T14:09:00.000-08:00

A futuristic techno train lurches from the station, slowly clacking and building electrosteam, its synthetic beat increasing with each turn of the virtual wheel. The whistle screams as it careens downhill, the sounds peeking into the playful clattering and hooks of "Out at the Pictures," the first track on 2008's Made in the Dark from the dancepop group Hot Chip.

The bridge of "Out at the Pictures" features yelping, and is followed by the similar-in-structure "Shake a Fist." The track builds more quickly, anchored by a fat bass sweep and dense drumbeat before it pauses for some narration and explodes into 360 degrees of clicks and blips, followed by samples of more yelling and a return to the original sound.

Made in the Dark is a diverse album in three forms. Although the first two tracks predict what might be the electropop equivalent of Crunk, "Ready for the Floor" transitions towards the album's softer side. Alexis Taylor's soft-spoken vocal style has always been the warm, sincere center of Hot Chip's sound, and he's never sounded so vulnerable as when he sings "I am ready for a fall." Unsuprisingly, the track is Hot Chip's biggest hit to date, although the narrative gem "And I Was a Boy from School" from 2006 may be their magnum opus.

"Bendable Poseable" and "Don't Dance" return to the opening sound with lots of low end, but the remainder of the album's tracks are airy ballads, like ""We're Looking for a Lot of Love," or poppy dance numbers, e.g. "Touch Too Much." The relatively brief disco epic, "Hold On," a loose revision of their club banger "Over and Over," is the best of the latter. The strong use of Taylor and Joe Goddard's differing vocal styles provides a perfect example of the band's dance-inspiring potential and lyrical prowess. Take the hook, "I'm only going to heaven if it feels like hell. / I'm only going to heaven if it tastes like caramel," and the couplet "My only lesson was in my head, / but I traded if for my hand," and mix well with an overused phrase in a fresh context, like, "Sir, I have a good mind to take you outside." Pop genius.

As one of the best breakup songs in recent years, the title track frames Hot Chip as Phil Collins-level emoters. But the witty heart of Made in the Dark is "Wrestlers." The song is a simultaneously tongue-in-cheek and earnest exploration of professional wrestling as a metaphor for fighting of other kinds. The two poles of this experience are best represented by the "half nelson, full nelson, Willie Nelson" pun and the refrain of Taylor almost whispering "I think you think I'm about to throw the towel in."

This ability to balance humor with intellect and love is exactly what makes Made in the Dark one of the decade's best albums. The closing piano-and-bleeps ballad "In the Privacy of Our Love" proves that Hot Chip very well may be our current Genesis, and with One Life Stand coming early next year, they seem posed to maintain that position.

Made In The Dark - Hot Chip

The Double Aughts: Xiu Xiu's Fabulous Muscles

2009-11-02T23:12:00.000-08:00

A handful of movies (Monster, Boys Don’t Cry, Grave of the Fireflies) have ranked among the best of the last couple decades while ensuring that anyone would never want to see them a second time. These films are so emotionally raw and effective that only the most dedicated of cinephiles and drama junkies would willingly experience the journey again.

“Support Our Troops OH! (Black Angels OH!),” the Generation Kill-inspired avant-jazz, spoken-word protest document at the center of Xiu Xiu’s Fabulous Muscles is a similar work, painting images of grizzly acts and the still oddly disquieting indifference they inspire. While the mess-cum-art is mesmerizing, it’s a harrowing experience that never loses its edge. The success (relative to the above-mentioned films) of “Support Our Troops” as a work worthy of return trips is that it’s a merciful 5 minutes.

One could easily imagine Jamie Stewart, the Larry Clark-like genius behind Xiu Xiu, developing “Support Our Troops,” or any of the emotionally filthy tone poems that comprise 2004’s Fabulous Muscles into a sonic opera of tear-pouring proportions. Instead, Fabulous Muscles is condensed into one of the darkest 40-minute pop-music masterpieces ever composed.

Take, for example, the last minute of “Nieces Pieces (Boat Knife Version)” and the intro of “Clowne Towne”: a guitar riff that feels like cold water down a warm back, a slowly crescendoing organ, undersea techno blips, T.S. Eliot’s “ragged claws” as percussion, a string arrangement as whirlpool, a staticy guitar lazily rowing into the gorgeous quatrain “Up and down through what you thought would be your future / became the dark reminder of / what a rash and inconsistent faith you’ve had / in loving your true self and your true love.” In two-and-half minutes, Xiu Xiu takes listeners through an entire galaxy of sound and emotion, something that most artists can’t do in an entire career.

While “Clowne Towne” and “Support Our Troops” represent the extremes of FM (and Xiu Xiu in general), “I Luv The Valley OH!” is the hit, the club banger for arts and crafty hipsters. The simple bass line, impossibly compressed beat, and barely-there guitar riff take the most cacophonous moments of Joy Division and turn it into an anthem that’s somehow fun in the midst of buckets of dreariness. This is the 00’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” and you will slow dance in your socks to it before you drift off into your valium-aided unconsciousness.

With the better-than-chiptune “Bunny Gamer” and the title track, the only surreal homoerotic love/hate ballad you’ll ever hear or need to, Fabulous Muscles lies directly in the middle of Xiu Xiu catalog, between the most challenging and dark of their work and their most consciously pop efforts. This median is where so many of the greats have produced their best works. In the spirit of walking that thin line, Stewart and Cory McCulloch find a fine balance between heart attack and orgasm, but hold back just enough to make repeat listens a desirable conclusion.

Fabulous Muscles - Xiu Xiu

100 Albums, 50,000 Words, 1 Decade

2009-11-02T22:06:00.000-08:00

While many are beginning their participation in National Novel Writing Month, Stoplight Sleep is beginning a project of its own. Over the next few months, I'll be writing about 100 of the greatest albums of the 2000s. Each album will get approximately 500 words, adding up to the 50,000 authors pen for NaNo. I'd call it Local Music Criticism Quarter, but it doesn't have quite the same ring to it, so you'll see "The Double Aughts" label instead.

The first post is coming very soon, so be on the look out.

Best of 2000s Coming

2009-10-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

While I've been busy writing about other things in other places, I've also been thinking a lot about the best of the decade. I'll be doing individual posts on some of the albums I think are the best over the next couple months.

"My Girls" 8-bit Cover by Dr. Zilog

2009-09-08T14:55:00.001-07:00

Maybe the 8-bit cover thing has jumped the shark (a phrase which has "jumped the shark"), but I couldn't help but love this one when I heard it during the latest Engadget podcast. Not a bad video, either.

Dr. Zilog - My Girls (8-bit Animal Collective Cover)

New Why? Track, Serengeti & Polyphonic Remixes, Etc.

2009-08-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that Stoplight Sleep is a big fan of Why?, so it got a little electric over here when Pitchfork posted a new track from the upcoming album, Eskimo Snow. You can also check out Pitchfork's interview with Yoni Wolf, the mastermind behind Why?, and details on the upcoming tour over at our friends Insulinfunk.

Meanwhile, another Anticon act, Serengeti & Polyphonic are touring to promote their new album, Terradactyl, and have released two new remixes. You can also check these out at Insulinfunk.

New N.A.S.A. Video

2009-07-27T01:21:00.000-07:00

WARNING: The following post does not relate to the American government's space program or an 80s pop duo. The following video does, however, feature lyrics from Spank Rock, so, you know, NSFW.

N.A.S.A. (the collaboration between producer Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon who released The Spirit of Apollo early this year) recently released an official video for their summer jam, "Watcha Doin?" The track, like the rest of the album, features several notable guests. In this case, you get Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Spank Rock, Santogold, and M.I.A.

After enjoying this zanny, colorful video, hit this link to download an equally-banging PinkEnemy remix of the track.

Bowerbirds review

2009-07-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

You can check out my review of the new album Upper Air from Bowerbirds on Insulinfunk.

Crooked Lust - Bowerbirds

Ra Ra Riot live from "Cemetary Gates"

2009-06-30T22:20:00.000-07:00

No, this isn't a post about Stoplight Sleep favorite Ra Ra Riot doing a Pantera cover. It's about this cool live video from Pitchfork!

White Rabbits

2009-06-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

I put in I'm Frightened, the new album from White Rabbits, which was produced by Britt Daniel. I flash back to the summer of 2001. Girls Can Tell is on my car stereo.

eMusic INdorsements

2009-06-27T00:52:00.000-07:00

I've been writing a weekly feature (among other duties) over at Insulinfunk. Check out the reviews here. They usually go up on Fridays.

While you're at it, check out The Rawking Refuses to Stop!'s Best of 2008 features. That's right, only 6 months later. Now that's some thoughtfulness I can get behind.

Monday News Blast

2009-06-01T15:31:00.001-07:00

It must be the beginning of Fallout 3, the way Megatons were blowing up today. First, Valve and Microsoft announced Left for Dead 2, the sequal to one of my favorite games of 2008. Some claim it's too soon, but I'm excited about the changes, namely a new setting, fresh characters, melee weapons, and an improved AI director. Now, players will experience changes in weather and environment.

Also today, eMusic announced changes coming to their service. I'm still processing this, but I don't think I'm excited. I'd rather see more indie labels, like Sub-Pop and Anti, on the site than Sony-owned labels.

You can read about all of this and other entertainment news over at Insulinfunk. While you're there, check out the Trail of Dead tour diary.

Recent Insulinfunk

2009-05-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

Here's an update on Stoplight Sleep's favorite current comic, Phonogram.

I also wrote a review for Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound's new album, When Sweet Sleep Returns. Check out the lead track below.

Two Stage Rocket - Assemble He...

Kanye Video Remix: Robocop meets Mega . . . girl!

2009-04-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

(SD) Kanye West - Robocop (1988 import version) from Myk Dawg on Vimeo.

Kieron Gillen (Phonogram) Interview

2009-04-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

What has Stoplight Sleep been up to? Interviewing the creator and author of one of the best comics of the last decade, Phonogram! Hope on over to read the Insulinfunk interview with video-game journalist Kieron Gillen.

This week in Insulinfunk

2009-03-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I'm now writing and copyediting for Insulinfunk, a blog about video games, music, movies, and whatever else. JPAG Godfather Wesley Johnson runs the sight from a special modified insulin pump attached to the side of his neck.

You can head over now to check out posts on themselves and a spring music preview.

JPAG Symposium Symposium

2009-02-24T15:02:00.000-08:00

I appeared on this week's Joystiq Podcast Appreciation Group Podcast. We discussed, among other things, the Shawn Elliott-curated internet symposium on video game review policy and ethics.

You can read Joystiq, the site that hosts the podcast that inspired the group that hosts the podcast, here.

You can join (or visit) the JPAG, here.

Release of the Week: M. Ward's Hold Time

2009-02-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

I hesitate to call She & Him Vol. 1 a dissapointment, but when I first heard that M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel were collaborating, I didn't expect what we got. When I think of M. Ward, he's not just a warm studio sound with punchy acoustic numbers and a 50s country/pop angle; he's a husky, distant voice: Patsy Cline meets Tom Waits. Sadly, that voice was all but missing from the She & Him album, which only became a vocal collaboration on the The Miracles' "You've Really Got a Hold on Me."

So I was anxious to get my digital mitts on M. Ward's newest solo effort, Hold Time. For longtime (or shorttime) M. Ward fans, there's not much new here. There's a few duets, including Deschanel on "Rave On" and "Never Had Nobody Like Me" (which sound more like what I wanted She & Him to be) and Lucinda Williams on a brilliant cover of Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me." The title track drifts into nighttime-string-ballad territory and a few tracks are pretty rockin' for Ward, but otherwise, Hold Time meets all expectations. Thankfully.

Oh Lonesome Me (Featuring Luci...

Epistemology - M. Ward

El-P "Flyentology" video

2009-02-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

Over the next several weeks, you'll probably see a lot of posts of oldish tracks, as I bask in the cool afterglow of 2008, enjoying albums I loved and discovering even more (I'll post on those, too.). For now, here's why 2008 sucked for hip-hop: there was nothing like El-P!

The Overly Dramatic Truth (Mai...

Fleet Foxes - Mykonos

2009-02-14T09:50:00.000-08:00

I finally picked up Fleet Foxes Sun Giant EP after hearing "Mykonos" on SNL. Thanks to NBC, you won't see that here, but you can watch the official video.

On an Island . . . and a Boat.

2009-02-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

Is there anything else worth watching right now?

Yes!

Vanished (Nasty Nav Remix)

2009-02-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

Let's revisit one of my favorite tracks of 2008. Taking a similar approach to Jesper Dahlback's remix of "Romantic Rights," the Nasty Nav remix of "Vanished" by Crystal Castles turns the Rad-Racer-night-on-the-town-circa-2024 into a club banger. It's not a complete transformation, but that's what makes it so good.

Listen!

Best of 2008 (Listful Edition)

2009-01-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

Presenting a list that has been months in the making. It's been edited on no less than 5 different computers and has been painstakingly researched by team of 1. Enjoy, and when you're done reading, I'd love to know what song, artist, or album you have or will check out because of Stoplight Sleep.

Albums

1. Why? Alopecia

2. The Dodos Visiter

3. M83 Saturday = Youth

4. Los Campesinos! Hold On Now, Youngster

5. The Kills Midnight Boom

6. Hot Chip Made in the Dark

7. MGMT Oracular Spectacular

8. Crystal Castles Crystal Castles

9. Ra Ra Riot The Rhumb Line

10. Adele 19

11. Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago

12. TV on the Radio Dear Science

13. Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes

14. Cold War Kids Loyalty to Loyalty

15. Frightened Rabbit The Midnight Organ Fight

16. Portishead Third

17. Amanda Palmer Who Killed Amanda Palmer?

18. Sons and Daughters This Gift

19. Sigur Ros Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust

20. Saul Williams The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust

21. Mates of State Re-arrange Us

22. Gang Gang Dance Saint Dympha

23. Single Frame S F E P

24. Justin Townes Earle The Good Life

25. Love is All A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night

26. Ladyhawk Ladyhawk

27. The Black Keys Attack & Release

28. Beck Modern Guilt

29. Wolf Parade At Mount Zoomer

30. Lil Wayne The Carter III

31. She Keeps Bees Nest

32. Nine Inch Nails Ghosts I-IV

33. The Gutter Twins Saturnalia

34. School of Seven Bells Alpinisms

35. Kanye West 808s and Heartbreak

36. Blitzen Trapper Furr

37. She & Him Volume One

38. The Black Ghosts The Black Ghosts

39. The Walkmen You & Me

40. Islands Arm’s Way

41. Mogwai The Hawk is Howling

42. The Rosebuds Like Like

43. Dr. Dog Fate

44. Bloc Party Intimacy

45. Atmosphere When Life Gives You Lemonade, Paint That Shit Gold

46. Man Man Rabbit Habits

47. The Faint Fasciinatiion

48. Alias Resurgam

49. Xiu Xiu Women as Lovers

50. Scarlett Johansson Anywhere I Lay My Head

Songs

"Fatalist Palmastry” by Why? from Alopecia
“Kim & Jessie” by M83 from Saturdays = Youth
“Get Better” by Mates of State from Re-arrange Us
“White Winter Hymnal” by Fleet Foxes from Fleet Foxes
“Vanished” by Crystal Castles from Crystal Castles
“Fast Blood” by Frightened Rabbit from The Midnight Organ Fight
“Cold Mining” by Single Frame from S F E P
“U.R.A. Fever” by The Kills from Midnight Boom
“My Year In Lists” by Los Campesinos! from Hold On Now, Youngster
“God” by The Dodos from Visiter
“Hometown Glory” by Adele from 19
“Skinny Love” by Bon Iver from For Emma, Forever Ago
“Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur” by Sigur Rós from Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
“Machine Gun” by Portishead from Third
“Shake a Fist” by Hot Chip from Made in the Dark
“Let The Beat Build” by Lil Wayne from Tha Carter III
“Dancing Choose” by TV on the Radio from Dear Science
“Time to Pretend” by MGMT from Oracular Spectacular
“Connjur” by School of Seven Bells from Alpinisms
“Furr” by Blitzen Trapper from Furr
“Hands In The Air” by Girl Talk from Feed The Animals
“Oxford Comma” by Vampire Weekend from Vampire Weekend
“House Jam” by Gang Gang Dance from Saint Dymnphna
“Robocop” by Kanye West from 808s and Heartbreak
"Some Way Through This" by The Black Ghosts from The Black Ghosts
"Soviet Connection,” The Theme from Grand Theft Auto IV by Michael Hunter
“Oh, La” by Ra Ra Riot from The Rhumb Line
“Tiger Phone Card” by Dengue Fever from Venus on Earth
“This Gift” by Sons and Daughters
“Shoulda Known” by Atmosphere from When Life Gives you Lemonade . . .
“Leeds United” by Amanda Palmer from Who Killed Amanda Palmer?
“Nothing Ever Happens” by Deerhunter from Microcastle
“Creeper” by Islands from Arm's Way
“The Crippled Jazzer” by Marnie Stern from This Is It and I am It . . .
“Geraldine” by Glasvegas
“Raincoat Song” by The Decemberists from Always a Bridesmaid Vol. 3
“Hard Livin'” by Justin Townes Earle from The Good Life
“Every Valley is Not a Lake” by Cold War Kids from Loyalty to Loyalty
“Guessing Game” by Elzhi from The Preface
“Release” by She Keeps Bees from Nest
“Batcat” by Mogwai from The Hawk is Howling and Batcat EP
“Angels” by Black Mountain from In The Future
“DNA” by Saul Williams from The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust
“Kevatrumpu” by Paavoharju from Laulu Laakson Kukista
“Same Old Thing” by The Black Keys from Attack & Release
“Better Than Heaven” by Bloc Party from Intimacy
“I Know I See I Love” by Rainbow Arabia from The Basta
“I’m Amazed” by My Morning Jacket
“Pork and Beans” by Weezer from The Red Album
“Love in this Club” (MSTRKRFT Remix) by Usher

Best Songs of 2008 (Part 4 - Finally)

2009-01-14T17:31:00.000-08:00

After illness, a busy work schedule, and anything else you can imagine, I'm finally back to conclude my countdown of my favorite songs of 2008. So here it is, finally . . .

1. "Fatalist Palmistry" by Why? from Alopecia

Was it worth the wait? Oh, yeah. "Fatalist Palmisty" barely nudges out "The Hollows" and a handful of tracks from Stoplight Sleep's best album of the year, Alopecia. "Yoni" Wolf's lyrical acrobatics are the steel-encased spine of every Why? song. On "Fatalist Palmistry," Wolf layers similes and metaphors that use surrealism to express themes and images most artists couldn't even comprehend. If the opening stanza about "a psychic who reads her own palms" doesn't grab you, just wait till the second stanza's eye "sockets sit like empty catcher's mitts waiting."

Wolf's nasally staccato and dense alliteration punctuate a simple but fleshed-out track. The music is layered enough to compliment Why?'s strengths (Wolf's lyrics) without being so demanding they distract from them.

Later, I'll post my complete lists of songs and albums. They're ready now, I just didn't want to crowd this post. See you soon. Remember to weigh in on your favorites!

Update

2009-01-13T12:42:00.000-08:00

I will be returning to Stoplight Sleep when time allows. Thanks for reading!

Best Songs of 2008 (Part 3)

2008-12-27T11:36:00.000-08:00

After a Christmas break, I'm back to continue counting down my 10 favorite songs of 2008. Here's four through two.

4. "White Winter Hymnal" by Fleet Foxes from Fleet Foxes

White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Fo...

Other than the torrent of vocal harmonies, there's almost no song here. Two or three guitar parts and one drum complete the melody. But that's enough. The two-and-half-minute playtime complements the theory at work here. Fleet Foxes remind us, conversely to most Brian Wilson disciples, that less is more.

3. "Get Better" by Mates of State from Re-arrange Us

"Get Better" is the anthem of 2008, a year when the elections, an economic entanglement, and political scandals trumped all other stories. The married duo's most ambitious song ever proclaims, "Everything's gonna get lighter, even if it never gets better," which is precisely what's happened in the last couple months. Post-election, our problems haven't really improved, but that buzz word "hope" has made out future prospects build like a cathartic drumbeat.

2. "Kim & Jessie" by M83 from Saturday = Youth

Kim & Jessie - M83

Just when it seemed like that whole 80s revival was on it's down curve, Anthony Gonzalez digs up his roots on his 2008 effort. Stephanie Meyer references aside, "Kim & Jessie" is a firmly contemporary track in spite of its retroness. There's a dark optimism here, a reminder of the bliss of teenagedom tinted with the e[c]lect[r]ic struggles of a post-911 world. It's the pop song by J.G. Ballard.

Be sure to comment on your favorite tracks of 2008. Later this week, I'll post #1, as well as the rest of my song and album lists.

Best Songs of 2008 (Part 2)

2008-12-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

Today, we're continuing on Stoplight Sleep's countdown of the best song of 2008. Here's 7 through 5.

7. Single Frame "Cold Mining" from S F E P

Coming in under 10 minutes, Single Frame's S F E P from January of this year could almost qualify as a song itself. The release is a power punch of post-punk energy for those still interested in that whole dance revival thing. "Cold Mining," riddled with Joy Division, barely sneaks ahead as the stand-out track. The hangover anthem poses the Myspace-survey worthy refrain of the year: "If you don't dream, does that mean / that you have not got one? / Or if you don't dream, does that mean / that you are living it?"

6. Frightened Rabbit "Fast Blood" from The Midnight Organ Fight

On the surface, "Fast Blood" is standard post-millennial mope rock in the vein of Interpol, The Twilight Sad, and Arcade Fire. It could also be a pedestrian retelling of one sexual encounter. However, Scott Hutchinson's emotional conviction and extended metaphors about hurricanes and resurrection make the track the rock equivalent of impressionist poetry.

5. Crystal Castles "Vanished" from Crystal Castles

I have a soft spot in my heart for the soundtracks of the Nintendo games of my youth. I've enjoyed covers of NES themes from The Advantage, Minibosses, and Motherbrain!, but those acts could only dictate the actual experience. On their debut album, Crystal Castles capture my remembered impression of playing games like Metroid and Astanyx by combining an 8-bit aesthetic with a 21st-century worldview. "Vanished" is the moodiest song of the album.

Best Songs of 2008 (Part 1)

2008-12-16T18:21:00.000-08:00

This week, Stoplight Sleep brings you my humble picks for this years best songs. First, we'll look at my top 10, followed by the 50 best list. So here we go . . .

10. The Dodos "God" from Visiter

"God" is one of the few tracks where Meric Long's machine-gun precussion and Logan Kroeber's acoustic sprints ease up on The Dodo's Visiter. The duo's music theory seem deceptively simple: a reflection of the melody (and vise-versa). The jingling in the background and the steady downbeat lull you into thinking this one will be easy to digest. Then a simple euphamism ("Oh, god.") turns into a last-ditch plee for order in the universe. "Are you there, listener? It's me, the perfect album closer."

9. Los Campesinos! "My Year In Lists" from Hold On Now, Youngster

Aside from the obvious relevance to your faithful author's current task, "My Year in Lists" is a perfect example of the energy and density packed in the best Los Campesinos! tracks. As fun as the twee-pop music is, I can't resist lyrics in which the first verse is an extended metaphor about sex and letter-writting (a la PJ Harvey) followed by a meta-poetic comment on those lines.

8. The Kills "U.R.A. Fever" from Midnight Boom

In the last few years, M.C.s have commanded us to do some of the most vexatious acts ever put to music. Thankfully, The Kills, who traded in the garage sound of their last two albums for splashes of raw studio flare, have way cooler intenions for their audience. "Go down to the Rio"? "Go ahead and have her. / Go ahead and leave her"? Finally, a song about something I want to do.

Top 10 Albums of 2008 (Version 1.0)

2008-12-14T08:57:00.000-08:00

This list may be a bit premature, but I always find albums in the following year that would have made my year-end lists. Most recently I've found albums from 2007 (Electrelane's No Shouts, No Calls), 2005 (The Meligrove Band's Planets Conspire), and 2001 (Mirah's Advisory Committee) that probably would have made at least my top 25 list. Sometimes it takes awhile for me to give an album the chance it deserves. I've only this week listened to all of Lightspeed Champion's Falling off the Lavender Bridge, possibly because I saw it as too gimmacky following my summer 2006 affair with Test Icicles.

I've poured over this list and I don't think it's going to change anytime soon. Unlike last year, there's a definite divide between the top ten and the rest of my list (which I'll post later). These ten albums really stood out in my 2008 as musical achievements.

Why? Alopecia
The Dodos Visiter
M83 Saturday = Youth
Los Campesinos! Hold On Now, Youngster
The Kills Midnight Boom
Hot Chip Made in the Dark
MGMT Oracular Spectacular
Crystal Castles Crystal Castles
Ra Ra Riot The Rhumb Line
Adele 19

Like 2007, you'll find a good mix of veteran acts (M83, The Kills), sophomores (Hot Chip, The Dodos), and rookies (Lost Campesinos!, MGMT). However, Ra Ra Riot are the only act completely off my radar before 2008. Crystal Castles, Adele, and the other first timers all had some kind of release (either an EP or import) that I was at least aware of before this year.

Following another interesting trend, all of these albums, with the exception of Ra Ra Riot's The Rhumb Line appeared on my mid-2008 list, although some have received a better evaluation with time.

So what do you think? Post your lists. Do you violently disagree with any of my picks?

Musical Comedy and Musical Lists

2008-12-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

Things have been good for musical comedy lately, mostly thanks to Flight of the Conchords, but some of the best recent efforts have come from the Lonely Island crew/SNL Digital Shorts with their improved production values, especially on their latest effort, "Jizz in My Pants."

I also recommend "Space Olympics" for fans of Casshern or VNV Nation.

You can also check out the results of the Pitchfork Reader's Poll and their Best of 2008 Guest List, featuring picks from some today's best artists. Reoccuring themes include Beach House, Deerhunter, and--my personal pick--Why?.

Artist of the Year: Amanda Palmer

2008-12-04T17:38:00.000-08:00

May 20, 2008: Dresden Dolls release No, Virginia, the sequel to last year's splendid Yes, Virginia. Basically a collection of tracks rescued from the Yes, Virginia's cutting-room floor, No, Virgina is worthy of some consideration. (A Radiohead's Amnesiac to Kid A analogy my be helpful.) Tracks like "Dear Jenny," and "Night Reconnaissance," and the duo's cover of "Pretty in Pink" highlight the album.

September 16, 2008: Dresden Dolls's lead singer and pianist releases her first solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer? Any doubters of this Ben Folds-produced album were proven wrong by the variety of genres, emotions, and references packed into 12 tracks.

Amanda also produced a video for almost every track, most of which follow a cohesive narrative structure. The cabaret-inspired video for "Leeds United" (see below) has sparked quite the story.

November 22, 2008: Dresden Dolls fanboard The Shadowbox comes alive with indignation towards boy-club, butt-rock-and-metal label Road Runner's feedback about the "Leeds United" video. Amanda says they wanted to edited out her "belly." Her fans reacted by stuffing the net with belly shots. (No, not that kind.)

Palmer has given the label an ultimatum, wishing to be released from her (and I suppose Dresden Doll's) contract. This comes even after the label tried to spin the bad press.

Internet memes aside, 2008 amounts to a great year for Amanda Palmer, who unanimously wins Stoplight Sleep's Artist of the Year award. Congrats! Now don't fill up on cake at the party, you'll never get a new records deal, Ms. Palmer.

I went to football-gang brawl and a post-modern cabaret video broke out!

The Truth in You

2008-11-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Anna of MOG, I've decided to do the new MOG lyrics game.

Directions and info from her site:

Mimi came up with a game for us: http://mog.com/Hello_Mimi/blog/230581

I love games! Here are the instructions from her post:

Step 1: Put your music player on random.

Step 2: Post the first line (or so, some are hard) from the first 21 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.

Step 3: Post and let everyone guess what SONG AND ARTIST the lines come from (No lyric hunting! That is cheating!).

Step 4: Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly.

Step 5: After doing the 1st 21, listen to one more random song and post it as your title.

My 21:

I won't sing your algebra. I won't sing anything. Notwist - "Alphabet" (WTG, deg5000)
I'm working on my backwards walk. Frightened Rabbit - "Backwards Walk" (WTG, Anna)
You take the time to cut my head off.
Who be in a Japanese restaurant, eating sushi, drinking saki? It's me . . .
She said . . . She said . . . She said she could tempt me, both in rooms full and empty. Tricky - "She Said" (WTG, Anna)
Cowardice muscles turn to tourture. The waking time is low.
The community is sick. (Please believe.) And the community is blind. (In love and hope.)
Yeah! Wa-ho! There's something in the air. Digitalism - "Pogo" (WTG, Anna)
As if in a dream only one man can know, he tastes the dirt; he chews the dirt.
I used to be so proud of thinking I was such a liar.
Sample: [Funky life?] I've been told, "all that glitters is not gold."
After all the words we sing, I've got my eyes on the machine.
Found your mittens behind a box of pictures.
Morning scatters in and I am steady like a drug, feeling out this one.
[after intro] Hey, you, get off my cloud! You don't know me, and you don't know my style.
The roof is leaking rust, disintegrates, and dust.
Things are feeling thin. Well, I know. I know.
Sometimes it's hard to be a woman, giving all your love to just one man.Dresden Dolls - "Stand by Your Man" [Live Tammy Wynette cover] (WTG, yummygatalover.)
He led you to this hiding place. His lightening threats spun silver tongues.
Well, everybody is waiting for everybody to get out.
The moon hangs high in August sky. All questions cease where answers lie.

All-Time Top 10

2008-11-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

Recently, my wife and I made a list of our top 10 songs of all time. I could just as easily come up with 4 other lists of 10 songs that I love equally, but here's mine in chronological order.

"The Bewlay Brothers" by David Bowie, from Hunky Dory

"Last Goodbye" by Jeff Buckley, from Grace

"Falling" by Ben Kweller, from Sha Sha

"Caring is Creepy" by The Shins, from Oh, Inverted World

"Samson" by Regina Spektor, from Songs

"Take Me to the Hospital" by the Faint, from Saddle Creek 50

"Staring at the Sun" by TV on the Radio, from Young Liars and Desparate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes

"Twilight" by the Raveonettes, from Pretty in Black

"Ice Cream" by Muscles, from Guns Babes Lemonade

"The Hollows" by Why?, from Alopecia

The list is a little contemporary-heavy, but it's meant to be personal. These are the songs that I enjoy most at this point in my life, although I had to take a hatchet to a list of 40 to cut it down this much. Post your 10 as well!

Tuesday Tidal Wave

2008-09-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

Today has to be one of the greatest release dates in some time. Here's the list of albums I'm going to be sinking my ears into over the next few weeks (in order of listening priority):

Cold War Kids Loyalty to Loyalty: CWK aren't my favorite group on the list (yet), but they have a sound that's all there own. I haven't heard anything like Cold War Kids since Robbers and Cowards.

Mogwai The Hawk is Howling: If you get Mogwai, you get Mogwai. And they just keep getting better.

TV on the Radio Dear Science: Like CWK, no one quiet does it like these New Yorkers. Take Peter Gabriel, make him the front man of Souldive, then have the band do gospel covers. That's one TV on the Radio.

Jenny Lewis Acid Tongue: Rabbit Fur Coat was one of my most surprising albums of the last few years. I've always thought of Rilo Kiley (Lewis's band) as above average, but her side-project with The Watson Twins really exposed her songwriting abilities and ranked her with the likes of Neko Case. Jenny Lewis is "truly" solo this time.

Blitzen Trapper Furr: As someone who cringes at the Grateful Dead, I'm amazed how much I can get into tracks like "Country Caravan" from last year's Wild Mountain Naiton. The cover's kinda 80s metal (Valient Thor, anyone?), but lets hope the sound's still early 00s Wilco.

I'll be reviewing these albums as I absorb them, and I'm sure at least a couple will make my end-of-the-year list.

Best New Music: Enemy Edition

2008-09-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

In honor of the return of the Ricky Gervais Podcast, this (hopefully reoccurring) segment will feature the "enemy" of their new release. Yeah, I know; I'm reaching here.

In August, Ra Ra Riot finally released their first full length, featuring new tracks, a couple old ones, and some re-recordings. The Rhumb Line's enemies are bands like Death Cab and Cursive, who--although still good--have a lost a bit of their edge recently. RRR's ally, the influence of Fugazi, proposes to make this one of 2008's best.

Susu's enemy is all those people who can't stand the influences on the perpetual sleave of contemporary bands. Interpol, Editors, and A.R.E. Weapons are just a few of the newer acts who've received criticism for a lack of originality. I'll admit that none of these bands are going blow knowledgeable minds, but they can't all be Arcade Fire, Rasputina, or Radiohead. There's a value in doing a genre well, and Susu are doing their part to revive a bit of dirty, no-wave influenced indie rock. Unwound is reincartnated on Susu's new release, Win.

Brevity has been fighting a loosing battle against Red Sparowes for several years in song structure, but even more so in song naming. Those hungry for just a post-metal appetizer will be satisfied by their new EP, Aphorisms. With 3 tracks and a total of 17 minutes, this release will leave Red Sparowes's biggest fans (like myself), wanting more, but it's better than nothing. Screw you, Brevity! Mogwai's new album is around the corner.

No excuse . . .

2008-08-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

With no DRM and good bitrates, the Amazonmp3 Store is a great place to check out some new tunes. You can sample the songs and automatically import them to your preferred software.

Here's my recommendations for some amazing deals:

Wolf Parade At Mount Zoomer $5.99
Fleet Foxes Sun Giant EP $4.99
Red Sparowes Aphorisms $2.97
Queen A Night at the Opera $3.99
Hank Williams 20 . . . Greatest Hits $1.99
David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars $5.00

There's lots of other deals, too; just use the handy search-by-price links on the left.

2 1/2 Hours of Tom Waits

2008-07-29T14:05:00.001-07:00

In case you haven't heard, the biggest concert on the net this week is a stream of Tom Waits recorded at the Fox Theater in Atlanta on July 5. The music is great, but the original Hellboy is known for his outrageous storytelling. Surf (don't click) on over to NPR's site to listen now.

Glitter & Doom: Tom Waits in Concert

New Cold War Kids Track

2008-07-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

One of the freshest acts of the last few years has been Cold War Kids. Like The Decemberists, Dresden Dolls, and a handful of other acts, the band mixes elements and styles of decades long past (musically, thematically, and visually) with contemporary pop and indie music.

Their new album Loyalty to Loyalty will be released in late September. You can sample a new track, Something is Not Right With Me, now by heading over to RCRD LBL. Pitchfork has tour dates and a stream of the track, if you prefer.

Best of 2008 (First Half)

2008-07-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

Of all the albums I've heard so far in 2008, these are my favorites, beginning with the best:

The Dodos Visiter
Why? Alopecia
MGMT Oracular Spectacular
The Gutter Twins Saturnalia
The Kills Midnight Boom
Portishead Third
Los Campesions! Hold On Now Youngster
Hot Chip Made in the Dark
The Black Keys Attack & Release
Crystal Castles Crystal Castles
Adele 19
Atmosphere When Life Gives You Lemons, Paint That Shit Gold
M83 Saturday = Youth
Vetiver Thing of the Past
Mates of State Re-arrange Us
Justin Townes Earle The Good Life
Sigur Ros Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
Nine Inch Nails Ghosts I-IV
Black Mountain In the Future
Single Frame S F E P
Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes
Jamie Lidell Jim
The Notwist The Devil, You + Me
Sons and Daughters The Gift
Ladytron Velocefiro
Islands Arms Way
Santogold Santogold
Cat Power Jukebox
She & Him Volume One
Joan as Police Woman To Survive
Saul Williams The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust
Ssion Fool's Gold
Scarlett Johansson Anywhere I Lay My Head
Girl Talk Feed the Animals
Sun Kil Moon April

I've also complied a Muxtape of some of my favorite 2008 songs.

Best of 2008 (First Half) Preview

2008-07-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

Later this week, I'll be posting a list of my favorite albums of the first half of 2008 (Released prior to July 1). Here's one album that will be on the list with some of my thoughts on it:

Los Campesinos! Hold On Now, Youngster (87/100)

No album this year has more energy than the first full length from this band of what sounds like pre-teens. Song titles like "We Are All Accelerated Readers" hint otherwise. The internet-famous "You! Me! Dancing!" has been making the blog rounds for awhile, having been recorded like 12 times. The density of hooks, sonic layers, and meter changes is matched only by the rapid-fire quotability of the lyrics. Think of a younger, more energetic, punkier New Pornographers, maybe with a little Rainer Maria or similar emo-leaning indie pop.

Los Campesinos! official site
Download Hold On Now, Youngster from Emusic.
Buy Hold On Now, Youngster from Amazon.
Buy the LP on Insound.

This album and more will be on the upcoming list. You'll also get an updated Muxtape with some of the best songs of 2008.

E3'd

2008-07-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

Earlier on G4, the E3 coverage team (i.e. every on-screen personality on the channel), asked who won E3. My instant reaction (and poll-winner) was Microsoft. They did debut Netflix (which I was looking forward to on PS3), announced Final Fantasy XIII will be on Xbox (if anything), and showed off their avatars.

But to say that Microsoft was "Best in Show" was highly misleading. Neither Microsoft, Nintendo, nor Sony showed us anything worthy of the adverb big. There were lots of news, tons of footage of upcoming games, and cool new things revealed. I feel like third-party developers were the real winners this week. Exclusive titles are becoming less important, and more big titles are making jumps (FF13, Bioshock, etc.). This can only be good for fans.

Best of E3*
Resistance 2 (gameplay footage)
Fallout 3 (more revealed)
PS3 Video Store (support of major studios)
Fat Princess (PSN)
Fable 2 Co-op

Honorable Mention
Bioshock (PS3 exclusive content)
Resident Evil 5 and Silent Hill: Homecoming (more revealed)
Rock Band and Guitar Hero becoming more friendly (and here).

*Many of these were not E3 exclusive, but are related to the week's events.

E3 Let-downs
Netflix exclusive to Xbox.
Resident Evil 5 delayed till March.
Nintendo markets to moms and thinks Animal Crossing: City Folk is for hardcore gamers.

Bu Rant

2008-07-11T15:24:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot of talk about Blu-Ray v. DVD v. download lately, but there are a couple things that don't get mentioned often in the debate.

1. Some Blu-Rays aren't really better.

Last week, I got House of Flying Daggers on Blu-Ray from Netflix. The story’s above average, and like Yimou Zhang’s previous film Hero, every shot is a work of art. However, the quality of the video on the disc was lacking. I can’t speak for the original theatrical release, but reviews and forum posts on the disc confirm the poor quality of the transfer. Even on my 32” Westinghouse, I could see lots of noise and was distracted by the lack of clarity within deep colors (a trademark of the director’s style).

More than a few Blu-Ray releases have been scarred by poor video (or audio) quality. Most recently, the Blu-Ray release of Gangs of New York has received some of the worst comments I’ve seen regarding video quality on a high-def disc. The original Fifth Element and Full Metal Jacket releases are examples of sub par releases where the studio has actually stepped up and remedied the situation with a new release.

2. Where are my special features?

One of the reasons I happily made the jump to DVD (other than video/span quality, lifespan, etc.) was for special features: deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentaries, etc. One advantage that Blu-Ray boasts over DVD is the possibility for better special features: picture-in-picture commentaries, internet connectivity, and (with more space) more features.

Hellboy has seen several standard-def DVD releases, with the 3-disc director’s cut containing a wealth of bonus features, including a new commentary by the director. Fans who opt for the similarly priced Blu-Ray version will get a great video/audio bang for their buck, but will miss out on all the features found on the three-disc DVD.

Taking Gangs of New York as a case study again, the disc offers nothing that wasn’t on the two-disc DVD. The only apparent advantage of the Blu-Ray version, which costs $15 more, is the [assumed] jump in audio quality and not having to change discs halfway through the movie.

There are several examples of Blu-Ray releases that get everything right. Jumper is the best example I’ve seen. With next-gen commentary, an “animated” comic, and amazing video and audio quality, this release actually creates a highly enjoyable experience from a mediocre film.

If the big studios really want Blu-Ray to be the new media format (which is debatable), they’re going to have to do more than fatten release schedules and shrink the price gap; they’ll have to make all Blu-Rays obviously superior to their market-penetrated competition.

My Muxtape

2008-04-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

Stoplight Sleep now has a Muxtape. You can go there to hear recently blogged tracks, related songs, and whatever else is on my mind.

Pop on over here. While you're there, make your own Muxtape and post the link in the comments.

The current Muxtape features tracks from my last post on the Kills.

Midnight Boom "Kills"

2008-04-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

Until a couple weeks ago, I would have said that Hot Chip had released the best album of an adolescent 2008. Made in the Dark isn’t quite on par with last year’s Sound of Silver (LCD Soundsystem), but it comes from a similar sonic playground, including songs that can knock you down with shock and awe (“Shake a Fist”) and lull you into a meditative appreciation (“Wrestlers”).

Who could have up-ended this achievement? On March 18, The Kills released Midnight Boom, and album I had probably anticipated more than any other this year. No one could have had higher expectations for a fresh release from the cross-Atlantic duo of vocalist Alison "VV" Mosshart and guitarist Jamie "Hotel" Hince, but when I started hearing of Spank Rock’s involvement and some of the early reviews, I worried that my two-headed demon of ripping hipster blues had been defanged (a la PJ Harvey’s White Chalk).

When I finally got to pop Midnight Boom in my CD player, I felt the tingle that a friend had introduced me to with the first blips followed by the revving chainsaw of “Superstition” (track 1 of their debut, Keep on Your Mean Side). The first, confusing ten seconds of “U.R.A. Fever” follow landline sound effects into VV and Hotel’s endless supply of violently whispered haikus:

Pick you out a soda.
Look at you forever.
Eyes like a casino.
Find a piece of silver.
Go down to the Rio.
Put it in a fruit machine.
Everyone’s a winner.
Laughing like a seagull.
You are a fever . . .

With the refrain comes a subtle-but-deadly bass line and electro scratch. Like most of the album, it’s hit-and-run; two minutes later the track is over, leaving elation and bemused confusion in its wake.

“Take you to a jukebox . . . / Pick you out a number, / that’s our arrangement.”

Hip-hop roots decorate the proverbial sleeves of tracks like “Getting Down” and “Sour Cherry.” The Kills has always been the other side of The Bumblebeez garage-blues-for-B-boys coin (compare “Hook and Line” to the former’s “Step Back”), but Midnight Boom finds VV, Hotel, and their studio mates further exploring their metallic possibilities (Did Albini stop by with a metal pick?). There are new sounds, like the tricks that peers The White Stripes, Forget Cassettes, and Hot Chip have used to give their sound new dimensions.

With Midnight Boom, 2008 has found the spit and booze to shape its reckless youth, albeit one with decent taste.

VV borrows a pinch of soul from (The Gossip’s) Beth Ditto on “Cheap and Cheerful.”

Record Shop

2008-03-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

Circa 2001. I'm working at a regional music chain in Jackson, TN. This is both the best and worst job I've ever had. My musical vocabulary and frame of reference increases ten fold in the year or so I spend there, and I meet many people who positively influence my knowledge and taste. I also encounter countless "morons" who grate my nerves with their questionable taste and inane questions. Worst of all, I become a cultural elitist (partially due to the film education provided by a roommate and a video production course), a personality trait I have only wrestled into submission in the last couple years.

Present. Inspired by my newly acquired speakers, I've u-turned away from the internet as my primary source of new music. Over the last decade the mode of transfer from my music has shifted in much the same way as yours (you being the ubiquitous blog-reader) likely has: from exclusively CD to almost exclusively mp3 (or some other digital equivalent). Although I'm completely confident in the ability of a digital audio file to deliver an experience equal to that of CD, I'm not confident in the ability of my computer or iPod or internet storefronts to consistently deliver that experience. What follows is a list of my praise and gripes:

The iPod classic and PC, while good in storage capacity, portability (iPod), and user friendliness, require add-ons (external DAC, controler/line-in adapter) for optimum performance.
BLEEP, 7digital, Anthology Recordings, and similar sites have the quality right, but their selection is limited or caters toward a specific market.
Amazon and iTunes (the two biggest digital music retailers) are headed in the right direction, but still aren't the perfect solution.
Nine Inch Nails had a great idea with their latest release, but bandwidth was a problem early on.

The--possibly foolish--reaction has been to invest almost embarrassing amounts of cash on CDs, occasionally of tracks that I'd previously acquired (legally or otherwise). Not since my time at the CD store have I so haphazardly consumed round, silver plastic. In the last two weeks, I've popped into Barnes & Noble (of all places) to look for CDs. The first time I was hoping they might have the new Kills album, and last night I was taking advantage of their 40% coupon. Both times, I hoped--fruitlessly--to see my friend/acquaintance who works there.

During his appearance on All Songs Considered, Thom Yorke stated that he missed the experience of record shopping. My time shopping the decent-but-inadequate CD section of our local B&N became about an attempt to reclaim that music shop experience, and even though there was no one around who's taste I would turn to, I picked up the Nick Cave album that sat in my friend's recommendation slot by the counter.

I realize that the try-before-you-buy nature of mp3s and music blogs are a more efficient and streamlined method of achieving the same effect. But there's a unique experience in filing through rows of CDs or vinyl while chatting and listening to someone else's selection. I don't want to give up all that technology hath wrought, but I don't want to throw out the indie shops either.

In the spirit of that idea, and the upcoming Record Store Day, here are my favorite record stores:

Grimey's Nashville, TN
If I ever move to Nashville, this place will have something to do with that.
Memorable purchase: DJ Shadow Preemptive Strike (used vinyl)

Euclid Records St. Louis, MO
I've only been there once, but the layout, selection, and staff were all top-notch. I'll be making a visit soon.
Jason Molina Let Me Go, Let Me Go (vinyl/CD)

Last Chance Memphis, TN
Memorable Purchase: Hot Snakes Audit in Progress (vinyl)
Shangri-La Memphis, TN
Memorable purchase: Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (used? vinyl)
When I lived farther down the Mississippi, these places (especially LC) were weekly stops.

The Disc Exchange Knoxville, TN
Another one I've only visited once . . . over five years ago, but they had a nice variety and friendly staff.
Memorable purchase: The White Stripes White Blood Cells (CD, original Sympathy for the Record industry release)

The Otto Modest

2008-03-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

I won't bore you gushing about The Otto Modest, something I've done to almost a fault in other media. They're a band I've been familiar with for over three years, along with developing friendships with a couple members (Lead singer Josh Evans even played at my wedding). I've discovered it's harder and harder to be objective when it comes to them.

Nevertheless, I feel they're a band that people should hear about. Their 2007 release, Badbad can now be had on Emusic and other sites. If you get a chance to pick up the CD, you'll get a unique limited-edition cover.

Rather than say much about them, I'll point you to some links where you can hear them for yourself:

The official Otto Modest site
The Otto Modest on myspace
Buy Badbad on Emusic
Buy Badbad on Amazon

Required Reading

2008-03-04T10:26:00.000-08:00

Happy reading!

3-Way Electro Yr Face

2008-02-21T12:42:00.000-08:00

1. Get the new album from Kansas City's Ssion /shun/, Fool's Gold. Previous incarnations of this band have spliced the New York take on new-new garage punk and po-mo'd it up to hit all the freaky right notes, including a Rocky Horror reinterpretation ("Opportunity Bless My Soul") and a Minute Man parody ("What Make a Man Start a Band?"), both from the apparently out-of-print-but-worth-hunting-down Opportunity Bless My Soul.

The band has become more electronically oriented in the last couple years, like some of their peers. Mo' money--mo' circuits, i 'pose.

From what I could find, the album is currently only available on iTunes, which I've seen happen before. Who'd have thunk Apple would be bringing the cutting-edge indie tunes to the kids? Luckily, it's an iTunes Plus album. You can also sample some tracks on myspace. Ug.

[mp3] Ssion - Street Jizz
from Fool's Gold (2008)
[mp3] Ssion - Opportunity Bless My Soul
from Opportunity Bless My Soul (2003)

2. Check out the live Klaxons / Rihanna mashup from the Brit Awards. Laser shows are cool!? Or is it lazer in England?

As advertised on Pitchfork.

3. Crystal Castles official release of their self-titled album has been pushed back, but you can pick up the Crystal Castles v. Health - Crimewave single all over the place.

[mp3] Crystal Castles - "Alice Practice"
from Crystal Castles (2008)

Download Crystal Castles v. Health - Crimewave: Emusic Amazonmp3
Preorder Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles: insound

Bonus Track!
[mp3] Klaxons - "Atlantis to Interzone" (Crystal Castles Remix)

Bower-y Boi; "Rosebud!"

2008-02-17T08:57:00.000-08:00

It's rare that I find a music writer I can name drop, but William Bowers (not to be confused with the late Western-film writer) has become an elite member of the club. Besides writing for various zines and mags, his "Puritan Blister" columns on Pitchfork have become a warm center of meta-postmodern critique among the trivial news and overwrought reviews (not that PF is bad). I'm currently enamored with his commentary on the new Hannah Montana "movie." Also check out his previous entry "about" the dysfunctional marriage of music and film.

Puritan Blister #34: I Went and Saw Me Some Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, Part One
Puritan Blister #33: Big Pimpin’ (Organic Synergy Remix)

You can also download mp3s and such from his blog, samely titled.
...

Filmspotting's musical interludes are provided by the Rosebuds this week. The band is currently on tour (dates below).

[mp3] The Rosebuds - Leaves Do Fall
from Birds Make Good Neighbors
[mp3] The Rosebuds - Kicks in the Schoolyard
from The Rosebuds Make Out

Feb 24th - B1 Maximum * Moscow, Russian Federation w/ Brett Anderson (Suede)

Feb 29th - Noise Pop XVI * The Mezzanine - San Francisco CA w/ Working for a Nuclear Free City & Foxtail SomersaultMar 7th - Kings Barcade - Raleigh NC w/ Monotix & Un Deux Trios (all ages)Mar 8th - Bellafesta - Wilmington NC w/ Un Deux Trios

Mar 9th - The Map Room - Charleston SC w/ Un Deux Trios
Mar 10th - Art Bar - Columbia SC w/ Beach House
Mar 11th - The Earl - Atlanta GA w/ Beach House & Birds of Avalon
Mar 12th - Spanish Moon - Baton Rouge LA w/ Silversun Pickups (all ages)
Mar 14th - SXSX * Antones * Merge Records Showcase * Austin TX w/ Imperial Teen, The Broken West, Lady Bug Transistor and and "secret band from Austin!"
Mar 15th - SXSW * Austin TX tba
Mar 16th - SXSW * Poke Joe's * Merge Records/Absolutely Kosher Records Party * Austin TX
Mar 17th - SXSW * Austin TX * tba
The Rosebuds - Night of the Furies - April 10th! Merge Records USA

The Rosebuds on Emusic
The Rosebuds on Insound

Devils and Demons

2008-02-14T18:42:00.000-08:00

The second Damned series, Prodigal Sons, should be on the shelves March 19 from Oni Press. Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt (Hard Time, Queen and Country) handle creative duties again. I really enjoyed the first series, which followed Eddie, a classic noir protagonist who can return from the dead when someone touches his body, as he navigates his way through and underworld of organized crime and demons.

The Damned: Prodigal Sons is only a three issue series, but will be followed by another mini, Daughter's Dance.

Fellow STL-artist Chris Samnee (Capote in Kansas, Queen & Country) provides pencils on the upcoming Daredevil one-shot (?), Blood of the Tarantula. I've been unable to find any previews of Samnee's work on the issue, but I'm sure it will be worth getting.

You can expect to see at least Brian and Cullen at the 2008 Cape Comic Con.

See also:
Cape Comic Con 2007
Comic's the Spektor

WOXY?

2008-02-11T15:18:00.001-08:00

WOXY.com, the former alt.fm of Oxford, Ohio, has featured some of America's best band on its weekly live, in-studio show, Lounge Acts. Recent acts have included The Broken West, Ra Ra Riot, and the Forms. In the archive, you can find acts like Neko Case, Pernice Brothers, and Yo La Tengo. Almost every show is available for download at decent quality. I recommend The National or any of the Forget Cassettes shows.

While you're there, check out WOXY's best of '07.

Let's Get "Let's Get Digital"

2008-02-05T15:11:00.000-08:00

Hop on over to Insound to get their brand new sampler, Let's Get Digital 5, featuring new tracks from Xiu Xiu, Hot Chip, Ida, and 12 others. These mixes always feature some great new stuff.

Download Let's Get Digital 5

Apparently it will only be available for a limited time, but you can still get #4 right here. If anyone finds links to the other three, let me know and I'll post them here. The third one was put together with the help of CMJ and helped me through the extraction of four wisdom teeth. Ow!

In apology of compression

2008-02-01T16:36:00.000-08:00

from my personal blog:

I spent an hour or so organizing some of old CDs (mostly burned) and putting up some posters. On this week's episode of AV Rant, one of my favorite podcasts, Tom Andry expressed his puzzlement as to why someone would need to carry around 5,000 songs in their pocket. Although I share--less enthusiastically--in his lament of the shift towards music that is more compressed and, thus, less dynamic, I refuse to throw out thousands of babies with the mass-produced bathwater.

Even now, as I listen to last year's Myths of the Near Future from Klaxons, I'm mildly distracted by the bass clipping and overall lack of range. Whether it's the original mastering, the digital compression down to a wimpy 128-kbs AAC file, my $50 2.1 speakers, our living room's horrible acoustics, or a combination of all four, the delivery process leaves much to be desired.

However, I didn't get into music because an $800-pair of speakers dazzled me with an impressive sound stage. I love music because it speaks to me; it makes me feel something. The melodies dances around my brain when its absent. I get powerful urges to hear particular songs, and if the thirst goes unquenched, I'm mildly distracted. The best cure for what some might label an addiction, is my iPod classic loaded with 15,000 songs (three-fourths of my iTunes library), many of which are painfully compressed.

Although I'd love a 7.1 audio-centric home theater system featuring the Onkyo TX-SR605 receiver, Oppo's DV-980H up-converting player, and a set of Axiom speakers, I can't bring myself to save my monthly entertainment budget to get them. In the meantime, I looking for a good deal on MDR-V6 headphones, downloading 320 kbs torrents, and re-ripping some of my favorite albums in 256 kbs. That digital artifact I just heard in "Gravity's Rainbow" tells me that Klaxons CD is first.

Read the entire post here.

Point me to this ringtone . . .

2008-01-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

Favorite Albums of '07

2008-01-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

1. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver
2. Amy Winehouse Back to Black
3. M.I.A. Kala
4. Muscles Guns Babes Lemonade
5. Kalxons Myths of Near Future
6. Liars Liars
7. Radiohead In Rainbows
8. Justice †
9. !!! Myth Takes
10. Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
11. Arcade Fire Neon Bible
12. Feist The Reminder
13. Yeah Yeah Yeahs Is Is
14. Of Montreal Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
15. Scout Niblett This Fool Can Die Now
16. The Twilight Sad Fourteen Autumns, Fifteen Winters
17. White Stripes Icky Thump
18. Andrew Bird Armchair Apocrypha
19. Bjork Volta
20. Tim Fite Over the Counter Culture
21. Field Music Tones of Town
22. Battles Mirrored
23. Kanye West Graduation
24. Interpol Our Love to Admire
25. Flight of the Conchords The Distant Future
26. Tegan & Sara The Con
27. Yeasayer All Hour Cymbals
28. El-P I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead
29. Burial Untrue
30. Raveonettes Lust Lust Lust
31. Blitzen Trapper Wild Mountain Nation
32. Daft Punk Alive 2007
33. Band of Horses Cease to Begin
34. Shitdisco Kingdom of Fear
35. Bloc Party A Weekend in the City
36. Lupe Fiasco The Cool
37. Coco Rosie The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn
38. A Band of Bees Octopus
39. The Horrors Strange House
40. The Cribs Man’s Needs, Woman’s Needs, Whatever
41. Underworld Oblivion with Bells
42. Hell Razah Renaissance Child
43. Rasputina Oh Perilous World
44. Rilo Kiley Under the Blacklight
45. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Baby 81
46. Shannon Wright Let in the Light
47. Deerhoof Friend Opportunity
48. St. Vincent Marry Me
49. The Polyphonic Spree The Fragile Army
50. Pelican City of Echoes
51. The New Pornographers Challengers
52. Talib Kweli Eardrum
53. Handsome Furs Plague Park
54. Besnard Lakes The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse
55. Aesop Rock None Shall Pass
56. Minus the Bear Planet of Ice
57. Kevin Drew Spirit If . . .
58. LCD Soundsystem 45:33
59. Sage Francis Human the Death Dance
60. Okkervil River The Stage Names

MARVEL (?!) Previews

2007-11-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

Normally, I don't give much thought to the Marvel section of Previews. I write the newest issues of Runaways and Daredevil on my pull list along with maybe one or two other books (Currently, it's Marvel Zombies 2 and House of M: Avengers). It's not that I don't like Marvel characters and writers, but I'm burned out on X-Men, et al and don't care for a lot of their current artists.

However, several things caught my attention in this months Previews. All of these titles should ship in January.

While the nauseating Joe Madureira is puking all over Ultimates, Cary Nord's cross-hatches are looking pretty good on Ultimate Human. I'm not sure who's coloring, but I appreciate the washed out colors that allow the line-work to shine. Writer Warren Ellis lost me on issue 3 of Ultimate Secret, though, so I won't be getting this one.

In addition, Ultimate War Machine debuts in Ultimate Iron Man II #2, by Orson Scott Card and Pasqual Ferry. Salvador Larroca (New Universal, Ultimate Elektra) takes over pencils on Ultimate X-men with issue 90. Robert "Invincible and Walking Dead" Kirkman is still writing the series.

The book that caught me most by surprise, was the new Spider-Man mini, With Great Power. David "Stray Bullets" Lapham writes the 5-issue arch, which focuses on the time after Parker gained his powers and before he decided to use them for fighting crime rather than personal gain. Tony "Ex Fucking Machina" Harris handles the artwork! Spider-Man rarely interests me when not in a team dynamic, where he works well as comic relief, but the creative crew on this one might land it in my hands come '08.

Ed Brubaker's Captain America debuts the new hero--complete with pistol, dagger/sword, and Alex Ross-designed costume--in issue 34. I initially assumed that they had prematurely brought back Steve Rogers. The death of Captain America was one of the biggest cultural events of the year, and bringing him back would only cheapen the Civil War storyline and damage Marvel's cred. However, it seems that this is a new Captain, perhaps James Newman from The Chosen. I don't know; I don't keep up with this stuff.

Along with the great Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness (Batman/Superman) will be working on the new Hulk series. Loeb's obcession with colors brings us a red Hulk. Man-Thing makes an appearance in X-Men: First Class #8. I'm not really sure what is going on in The Tweleve, but Straczynski is writing and it features classic heroes in contemporary times.

The cover to Marvel "Still Written by Robert Kirkman" Zombies II #4 is Suydam's tribute to Iron Man's first appearance in Tales of Suspense. And is that Dexter's David Zayas (Angel) on the cover of Daredevil #104?

New Scout Niblett

2007-10-19T18:10:00.000-07:00

Scout Niblett's new album, The Fool Can Die Now, features more of the vocalist, drummer, and guitarist's sparse creations. The electrosprinkles of Kidnapped by Neptune are brushed aside in favor of Will Oldham guest spots and occasional orchestration. While much of this album shares sonic landscape with White Chalk, "Nevada" is a treatise on where I wished PJ Harvey's newest effort had settled. "Dinosaur Egg" whispers from the dark forests of the dusty Hawthorne on your shelf. Albini records brilliantly.

Download "Nevada" by Scout Niblett
Download The Fool Can Die (Emusic) (Amazon) (Insound)

Scout in Phonogram #1

Karaoke Verite

2007-07-26T00:32:00.000-07:00

I've been away for much to long. Plans for another netcast are still in the works (mainly for my own enjoyment) and I hope to get back to posting regularly.

Today I've got a couple videos for ya. The first is hot of the presses from Zach "Late World" Galifianakis. That's Will Oldham (Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Palace) in the hot shorts. This short, which takes a long time to load, is pretty amazingly directed/edited by Michael Blieden, who has done other work with Zach, other comedians, episodes of King of Queens, etc.

Zach Galifianakis & Will Oldham - "Can't Tell Me Nothing" (Kanye West)
[Updated with new link.]

This video reminded me of another classic from the band that provides the title for this post.

Dresden Dolls - "Together" (Avril Lavigne)

Both are highly recommended. Why else would I be posting at 3AM?

Break Up: The Band

2007-05-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

Sadly, Phonogram is over. But it promises to be back. Otherwise, we'd just be suspect to some crappy cover bands playing the same boring singles. In other words, I would have been writing my own fanfic. You can get the trade soon.

Meanwhile, look for artist Jamie McKelvie's new solo project, Suburban Glamour, in an upcoming Previews. Apparently it's about skateboarding fairies. Is there any other kind?

Warning: Personal Notes Ahead: This summer I'll be planning a wedding (Yes, my own.) and preparing for my first semester as a high school teacher, so posts may be spotty. I still have plans to do a new podcast and other cool things, but they are not high priorities. I mainly do this blog for my own enjoyment and enrichment. If you're into it, please let me know. I'd hate to disappoint any fans if they actually exist.

Check out LaLa

2007-04-30T10:41:00.001-07:00

If you join, friend me; I'm Julius L Deane.

Cape Comic Con 2007

2007-04-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

As advertised, the Cape Girardeau Comic Con was this weekend. In its second year, the con improved immensely. It was bigger, more organized, and longer. Organizer (and owner of Marvels and Legends) Ken Murphy and his gang of sidekicks brought in more talent, added panels, and added an extra day to the event.

I got a lot of time to talk about comics and other stuff with Cullen Bunn (writer of Oni's The Damned) and Matt Oliveri (writer of Werewolves: Call of the Wild). The pair did panel on submitting your work and ideas to publishers.

The Damned artist, Brian Hurtt also joined them. He was only there for Saturday along with Chris Samnee (Capote in Kansas, Queen & Country), but it was long enough for me to get a great sketch of Eddie and Sophie from The Damned.

Brian Hurtt's blog: the Hurtt Locker
Chris Samnee's blog
Mike Oliveri's The Malice Engine
www.CullenBunn.com
The Damned

On Sunday I attended Denny O'Neil's panel, where he told great stories about the 70s and 80s, and even 90s at DC. We also got some behind-the-scenes tales on Batman: The Animated Series and the Batman storyline, No Man's Land.

O'Neil on Wikipedia

Before leaving, I met Jonnie Allan, creator, writer, artist, promoter, etc. of Stykman, a hilarious parody of superhero stories and supernatural comics.

Allan's Aka Comics

In between all this I found lots of goodies, including the Dark Knight Strikes Again PVC set.

Looking forward to next year!

Coming Attractions . . .

2007-04-17T00:50:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to have another podcast up by this weekend. It will feature some great new music, reviews new films of Inland Empire and Grindhouse, comments on the graphic novel Skin Walker, and previews of comics coming soon.

Don't forget the Cape Girardeau Comic Con!

Cape Girardeau Comic Con

2007-04-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

It's almost time for the second annual Cape Girardeau Comic and Gaming Convention, orchestrated by our friends over at Marvels and Legends. This year will feature many returning guests, including Brian Hurtt (Hard Time, The Damned) and Gary Friedrich (Ghost Rider), but promises to be bigger and better. Denny O'Neil (Batman), Jonnie Allan (Stykman), and others will also appear. There will be more gaming, more vendors, and--best of all--more time. This years event will last a full two days as opposed to last year's one-day-for-each format.

More to come . . .

Check out the site.
Read last year's review.
Another blog about the con.

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists on NPR

2007-03-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, NPR interviewed Ted Leo on All Things Considered, most well-rounded news show to ever hit the airwaves. Go on over the sight now. You can listen to the interview, where he talks about guitars and throat problems, and download a live show from the 9:30 club in DC.

I've got a couple tracks for ya, too.

Ted Leo - "Since U Been Gone" (Yes, that's a cover.)
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - "The Sons of Cain" from Living with the Living

Living with the Living on Emusic
Living with the Living on iTunes
Living with the Living on insound

The Secret's Out

2007-03-27T00:06:00.000-07:00

Before reading, The Secret, and new book from Dark Horse, I feared it might be too much like the bevy of mediocre teen-slasher flicks on the market. Unfortunately, my fear has been confirmed. Possibly driven to force the plot by the comic media, writer—and Dark Horse founder—Mike Richardson introduces the conflict before we hardly know the characters’ names. (For a better, but similar device, see the Luna Brothers’ Girls.) By the end of the issue, it appears one of the stock high schoolers we follow may already be gone.

Jason Shawn Alexander’s (of Stoplight Sleep- favorite The Escapists) art is sketchy and expressive. His method of portraying sound effects is better than the unbelievable dialogue. Although his fresh style begs a second visit, I doubt I’ll fork over another three bucks to read about teenagers who live and talk like they were parented by Jeepers Creepers 2 and Cruel Intentions.

If you really want good graphic fiction about rebellious teenagers, pick up R. Kikuo Johnson’s Night Fisher.

For the best in comic-book horror, read The Walking Dead and Fell.

Best reviewed review

2007-03-08T21:33:00.000-08:00

There is no possible way 300 could be as good as this guy claims it is. Hell, there's no way it could be as entertaining as the review itself. I've been looking forward to seeing this movie for several months, but now that I know the main characters are "a super-human elite squad of lumberjack pirates who were trained by the the great-great-grandpa of Chuck Norris' paternal ancestor," I'm afraid we've got another Snakes on a Plane.

But seriously, if you go see this movie tonight, you just might see me there.

Podcast #2, Reposted

2007-03-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

I forgot to add the details for the last podast. Here they are:

Playlist

A Band of Bees (The Bees [UK]) - "Listening Man" from Octopus
Girl Talk remix of "Knife" by Grizzly Bear
Bloc Party - "The Prayer" from A Weekend in the City
Minus the Bear - "Drilling (P.O.S. Redo)" from Interpretaciones del Oso
Amy Winehouse - "Rehab" from Back to Black
Justice - "Phantom" from Phantom (limited 12")
Mari Taylor - "Lost Time" from Lynn Teeter Flower
Glen Glenn - "One Cup of Coffee" from Rarext Rockabilly & Hillbilly Boogie / The Best of Ace Rockabilly
Charlie Feathers - "Wild Wild Party" from Memphis Rockabillies, Hillbillies, & Honky Tonkers, Vol. 4
Eddie Bond - "Raunch" [Take 3] from Memphis Rockabillies, Hillbillies, & Honky Tonkers, Vol. 4
The Decemberists - "Bridges & Balloons" from Picaresqueties

Other tracks used: Bloc Party - "Helicopter (Whitey Version)" from Silent Alarm Remixed; Amy Winehouse - "Rehab (Hot Chip Remix)"

Comics discussed: JSA; Jack of Fables

Download it!

Random 5

2007-02-24T18:57:00.000-08:00

Using iTunes’s Party Shuffle function, I picked 5 random tracks from my library for you to hear and me to discuss:

Make-Up – “R U A Believer” from I Want Some (single comp., 1999 on K Records)

Forget Fugazi. Forget Minor Threat. Forget Bad Brains. Even forget Bikini Kill. Make-Up are the best DC band ever.

OK, I’m kidding, but they did give the scene some much needed class. Featuring Ian Svenonius (Nation of Ulysses, Weird War) on lead vocal, Make-Up brought an early R&B vibe to the scene. If Little Richard and Lou Reed had an insane love child, that would be weird.

This track is flat compared to some of their better efforts, but it has a classic punk structure, giving it a certain appeal. The minimal lyrics, squirted out in a plee from Svenonius, rip up what could otherwise be boringly monotonous. Michelle Mae’s (Weird War) gigantic bass drives the song, while guitar and drums decorate her line like tinsel on an Xmas tree.

Smart Went Crazy – “A Halo & A Nosebleed” from Cubbyhole (EP, 1994 on CozyDisc [vanity label])

Another DC band. Smart Went Crazy may actually be the most under-rated DC/Dischord group. An indie-math outfit on the surface, SWC succeed due to Chad Clark’s vinyl-warm vocals, Jeff Boswell’s raindrop guitar, and Hillary Soldati’s restrained cello work.

This song is a classic example of the band’s talent. It also follows a popular theme of their lyrics: troubled relationships and malignant deeds hidden behind a sweet feminine persona (see also “Con Art” and “So Speaks the Queen Bee” from their class Con Art).

Bellini – “Patience and Passion in Brown” from Snowing Sun (2002 on Monitor)

The term “supergroup” gets thrown around carelessly, but in the world of art rock, Bellini fits the definition. The band features husband and wife Agostino Tilotta (guitar) and Giovanna Cacciola (vocals), both of Uzeda and Alexis Fleisig of GvsB.

Their sound is basically Shellac with a female lead singer, but they’ve developed into something more worthy. Cacciola’s violence replaces Albini’s wit. Where Shellac’s rhythms mimic hip-hop, classic rock, or industrial, Bellini’s are more post-punk or no-wave.

Notice the stuttering verses that give way to the bouncing riffs of the chorus and the metallic bridge. As usual, Cacciola struggles to overcome the sonic crowd or her own bandmates. If they were less talented, cynical, and arty, they might be Kittie.

Modifiers – “I Like Her (Band)” from a Magnet New Music Sampler

I’m not sure which is sadder: that this band is nothing more than an alt. country bar act channeling the Replacements or the verse-capping rhymes. Charming in a Zack-Braff way at most.

Aphex Twin – “Phloam” from Classics (1994 on R&S)

I think we all know Aphex Twin. The amount of this electronic juggernaut I have on my harddrive is inversely proportional to what I have to say about them.

On this track, as with much of their work, one loop in the mix (listen at 0:11) threatens to drive me insane at the very moment it disappears, only to reappear a minute and a half later. No band begs more to be remixed.

Podcast #2

2007-02-18T23:41:00.000-08:00

The second podcast is done.

I'll update this page later with details.

Here's the link.

Or stream it.

Fast Update

2007-02-13T22:28:00.000-08:00

I'm currently working on a new podcast.

Meanwhile, be sure to pick up the new issues of 52, JSA, and Batman (by Grant Morrison!) tomorrow.

See you soon.

Revise & Recommend

2007-02-05T17:40:00.000-08:00

I've reposted the podcast due to technical problems which appear to be cleared up now.

Get the podcast here.

I've also got a few recommendations for those of you hitting the comic-book stores this week.

52 #40
Last month, the plotlines of the weekly series hit some key points. Stories that had been moving along slowly finally reached turning points in their conflicts, while others reached the end of one problem and the began a new one. Only three months left!

Batman Year One: Deluxe edition SC
While not as groundbreaking and edgy as his Dark Knight stories, Year One is one of the best Batman stories ever told, particularly for fans of his noir roots fighting more realistic criminals. In this book, Batman is just as mysterious to us as he is to the rest of Gotham.

Fell #7
One can never really count on this book, but all sources seem to indicate a resolicited Feb. 7 release. I really can't praise this book enough, and this one is sure to be another sell-out. Each self-contained story is like Silent Hill meets The Shield. And it's only two bucks!
Check out a preview here (scroll down a bit).

Secret #1
This new book from Dark Horse looks interesting. The plot sounds like some teen slasher, but the emotionally charged artwork is worth the gamble.
Here's a preview.

Get a full list of what's shipping from Diamond.

Podcast the first; 2006 the second

2007-01-29T15:04:00.000-08:00

One of my New Year's resolutions was to do more with this blog, and today's post is another step in that direction. Continuing the collection of tracks found on my first 2006 mix, my first podcast features some of 2006's best songs from the year's best albums. This time you'll hear:

Neko Case "Maybe Sparrow"
The Streets "The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living"
Midlake "Roscoe"
Margot & the Nuclear So & So's "Quiet as a Mouse"
TV on the Radio "I Was a Lover"
Ghostface Killah "Back Like That" (feat. Ne-Yo)
The Dresden Dolls "Mandy Goes to Med School"
Liars "It Fit When I Was a Kid"
Lupe Fiasco "He Say She Say" (feat. Sarah Green & Gemini)
Arctic Monkeys "Perhaps Vampire is a Bit Strong But . . ."
The Rapture "Whoo! Alright Yeah . . . Uh Huh"

Download the Podcast

If you enjoy the songs, please buy some downloads or an album. Support live music.

Your feedback is encouraged and appreciated.

To be continued . . .

(If you want any of the old mixes you missed, let me know.)

SS Recommends: Week of 1/23/07

2007-01-24T20:28:00.000-08:00

I'm not even done sorting through last year (expect an '06-related podcast soon), and '07 is already off to a raging start. Tuesday gave us the new Shins, another Of Montreal album, the domestic release of Mew's Fengers, along with a handful of other notable releases. But the best of the lot is Deerhoof's Friend Opportunity.

Deerhoof's first release since the Chris Cohen left the group, Friend Opportunity is another step in the band's evolution from quirky no wave superstars (see also Erase Errata and Melt-Banana) to the foremost purveyors of prog pop. They've been feeling out the combination of hook-friendly tunes and noisy experimentation for the last few years. '04's Milk Man, was the best shot so far, but the new album may have trumped that effort.

You can hear "+81" on the last posted mix or on various places around the net.

Friend Opportunity on insound.
Download the album from Emusic.

2006 part 1

2007-01-14T22:30:00.000-08:00

I'll have something to say later.

For now, here's a mix of some of my favorite 2006 tracks.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Phenomena"
Clipse "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)" (Feat. Slim Thug)
Cansei De Ser Sexy "Music is My Hot, Hot Sex"
Mogwai "Glasgow Mega-Snake"
Joanna Newsom "Only Skin"
Beck "Nausea"
Nas "Hip Hop is Dead" (Feat. Will.I.Am)
Cold War Kids "Saint John"
Deerhoof "+81"
Girl Talk "Peak Out"
Madonna "Hung Up"

Download Stoplight Sleep's 2006v1 Mix

I'd really appreciate feedback from anyone who listens to this. I've just got into to mixing, and I love some criticism.

Thanks till next time.

Hide & SeeqPod

2007-01-06T07:36:00.000-08:00

One of my New Year's resolutions was to get back to updating this site more often. I plan on posting some new mixes, reviews, etc. soon, but here's a new site for now.

For awhile elbo.ws and The Hype Machine have dominated the music-blog-aggregator market, but SeeqPod may change all that. SeeqPod's design includes a streaming list of new mp3s posted on various sites. Click on a track and it's added to a playlist on the right side of the screen. You can move tracks around, skip them, and play them again, just like on your favorite music program, such as iTunes or winamp. There are also links to the site, recommendations (which don't seem to be working just yet), and artists info.

The site is still beta testing, so you'll notice some bugs, mainly in the form of poorly labeled tracks, which is sometimes a problem for even Hype Machine and elbo.ws. The site may never gain popularity, but the idea is sure to cross-over to other sites/programs. If anyone makes an iTunes plugin or something similar, you'll be sure to hear about it here.

Read about SeeqPod on Wired
The SeeqPod Music site

The Fountain of Batman. Soundtrack by Mogwai.

2006-12-16T08:06:00.000-08:00

In the November issue of Wired, Steve Silberman discusses director Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain, his third film (after π and Requiem for a Dream). The Fountain is also a graphic novel from Vertigo featuring artwork by Kent Williams, but the story didn’t begin that way. As Silberman explains, Aronofsky hired Williams to create the book after his attempts to film the movie were thwarted by a wishy-washy Brad Pitt and a bloated budget. The big-budget sci-fi flick eventually reincarnated as a pawn-shop art film, fueled by Aronofsky’s guerrilla-filmmaking background. The film might lose money, even after DVD sales, etc., but D.A. has proven himself once again.

What we’ll never see is Aronofsky’s “gritty take on” Batman. Silberman cites Aronofsky’s vision of Batman “battling switchblade-toting pimps” as being too racy for mainstream audiences. This reminds me of why most superhero films are doomed to fall beneath my expectations. Many comic books are acceptable for a general audience, but those I’ve loved either couldn’t be loyally translated to the big screen without an R rating (Miller’s Dark Knight series, in the case of Batman) or would be too convoluted for a casual viewer (e.g. Kingdom Come).

Batman takes out a WB executive.

Consider my favorite comic-based movies: Sin City, Ghost World, and Hellblazer. Each has an R rating. With the general exception of Sin City, these aren’t verbatim stories put in motion, but--Keanu aside--they are loyal to the original spirit, tone, and maturity of the books they come from.

I swear not to let Schumacher touch this.

Rachel Wise’s, who co-starred in Hellblazer and is married to Aronofsky, performance in The Fountain struck me as saccharine, especially next to Hugh Jackman’s stoic coolness. In all three time periods in which the film takes place, all the characters are basically static. As with many films that aim for meaning and high-art, The Fountain is at times heavy-handed, but it’s consistently beautiful, visually and sonically.

Hey Jack, I think you've wandered into Apocalypto.

Clint Mansell, who scored Requiem for Kronos Quartet, also enlisted the help of Scottish post-rockers Mogwai on The Fountain soundtrack. The result is a score strong enough to stand on its own.

Kronos Quartet & Mogwai – “Death is the Road to Awe”

The Fountain official site

November’s Wired also features great articles on atheism, prosopagnosia, and six-word stories by Margret Atwood, Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman, Kevin Smith, Mark Millar, Howard Chaykin, Neal Stephenson (my fav story), and Ronald D. Moore.

For now

2006-12-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick review of the Rasputina show I attended last night.

http://www.last.fm/user/jarretlgreen/journal/2006/12/6/284527/

The Wolf's Back

2006-11-29T10:11:00.000-08:00

I’ve been gone for a long time while I moved and worked on other projects, including today’s mix. Much has been made of the popularity of band names featuring wolf or wolves. I’ve included a couple less popular ones in today’s mix.

I wanted to focus on songs related to wolves. Some of these tracks are from 2006’s best metal/hardcore albums (Converge’s No Heroes, The Sword’s Age of Winters) and a few more are from recent releases from similar artists (Dillinger and Queens, respectively). The seemingly random wolf reference seems fitting for bands who find at least part of their inspiration in 70s hard rock, when having a growling wolf airbrushed on the side of your van would have been the height of coolness.

Some of the more mellow tracks seem to use the wolf as an archetypal figure. In Magnolia Electric’s “Talk to Me Devil, Again,” Jason Molina croons, “I talked to the wolf in the mountain.” Molina has used the wolf figure throughout his career to refer to a sage-like authority figure, his pagan god. TV on the Radio use the wolf as a symbol humanity’s careless or destructive side. Queens of the Stone Age play with the wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing cliché.

Regardless of their approach to the noun, each song—perhaps with the exception of Wolf & Cubs’s “This Mess”—in the mix is somehow chilling, whether fast and cutting (We Are Wolves’s “Little Biros”), or slow and creeping (Devendra Banhart’s “Hey Mama Wolf”). References to wolves or, in the case of The Sword and Banhart, actual wolf howls add to this effect.

Someone’s into Wolves Mix

The Sword “Winter’s Wolves”

TV on the Radio “Wolf Like Me”

Cat Power “Werewolf”

Wolf & Cub “This Mess”

Mastodon “The Wolf is Loose”

Converge “Lonewolves”

Cocteau Twins “Wolf in the Breast”

Magnolia Electric Co. “Talk to Me Devil, Again”

We Are Wolves “Little Biros”

The Dillinger Escape Plan “Sunshine the Werewolf”

Queens of the Stone Age “Someone’s in the Wolf”

Devendra Banhart “Hey Mama Wolf"

Remember, if you enjoy any of the songs here, please learn more. Buy an album or digital track, or better yet, go to a show. It’s important to support good music.

Thought Bubbles: New Comics for 10/18

2006-10-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

52 is really getting crazy now. If you like superhero books and you're not reading this one, I've gotta say you're missing out.

I just read issue one of The Damned. This book has cool, Jazz-Age, organized-crime drama, magical action, and demons! Writer Cullen Bunn has wrapped up some of my favorite things about comics in one original mini. Brian Hurtt, formerly on SS-fav Hard Time, handles the visuals. His hard lines and stretched frames are perfect for the material. Check out a preview and more stuff over here.

Related post: Comic's the Spektor

Another book from Oni Press, Wasteland, is on issue 4. This books keeps getting more complex, but it feels like things have just gotten started. Plus, dig those Templesmith covers.

The new Virgin Comics line is intriguing. I don't like Deepak Chopra and his "spiritual thinking," but the concept of building a comic universe around Indian mythology makes Virgin Comics more than just another publisher. Right now the only book I'm reading is Snake Woman. I enjoyed Gayos's artwork in Daredevil: Redemption and the story intrigues me more than the others I've looked into.

As a special note, I've very close to posting my webcomic. I don't have a real artist, so you'll have to tolerate my horrible work. Hopefully posting some of them will help motivate me to find someone handy with a pen. Any suggestions?

Appropriately Named, pt.1

2006-10-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

“What did he say?” she posed as the whirling squirts and digital snaps roared at the song’s climax.

“Red hot drops,” I replied, with a somewhat condescending tone, my standard delivery for a question I felt unworthy of enunciation.

“It sounds like he’s saying drots.” She countered after listening to the next light more closely.

Indeed, the plosive ending to Chad VanGaalen’s “Red hot drops / hot read drops” lines in song of same name is so strongly punctuated that the interpretation is easily muddled. Throughout Skelliconnection, the singer’s latest album, VanGaalen flexes the songwriting muscles exhibited on 2004’s Infiniheart. As potent as his abilities are, they are further enhanced by the charming sloppiness of it all. VanGaalen learned this skill well from Grandfather Beck and the in-laws, Neutral Milk Hotel (whose lyrical cohesion he more closely follows).

On “Gubbbish,” VanGaalen proclaims, “I’m never going to sleep. / I’m never going to sleep.” “Mini-TVs” ends with the lines, “Mix tapes, / try to stay awake, / ride my rusty bicycle / into the lake.” The next-to-last song on the album is titled “Sing Me 2 Sleep.” As a whole, the album feels like the slow waning of an adolescent’s schizophrenic energy.

All these lyrics bring to mind the themes of Infiniheart, namely the closer “Traffic,” which partially inspired the title of this blog. Sleep (not to mention traffic, the ocean*, and the future) is to Chad VanGaalen what wolves, hearts, and owls are to Jason Molina: a personal archetype fat with symbolism and meaning, but slender enough to make an easy turn of phrase. The meaning is everything, but it’s not enough to distract from the simple genius of the song.

“See-Thru-Skin,” a gentle whisper compared to most of the tracks procedes “Wind-Driving Dogs,” VanGaalen’s version of a Delta-blues foot stomper, complete with hand claps. Other than the afore mentioned “Red Hot Drops,” no song jumps off of Skelliconnection, but VanGaalen has crafted a solid indie pop gem.

Chad VanGaalen – “Red Hot Drops” from Skelliconnection

Chad VanGaalen – “Traffic” from Infiniheart

*In VanGaalen’s musical universe, sleep = [under]water = traffic/highway (just listen to “After the Afterlife”), but I don’t want to get to English-major on ya’ll.

Make your own shirts, poser.

2006-10-05T09:37:00.001-07:00

Today's San Antonio Rock City is rather poignant. I have a couple shirts that I've made myself. I'm wearing one right now. They're pretty crappy. My hint: don't use an iron-on on a gray or black T-shirt.

Recently, I've been thinking about giving it another try. Maybe I'll use something from superdickery. Thanks to Oh My Art Stars!/Random GIS of the Day for introducing me to that site.

That is all.

Spektor on the [Internet]

2006-10-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

Regina Spektor is live from Washington, D.C. on the NPR Live Concert Series tonight at 7:30 Eastern. It's an early show. If you miss it live, it should be available to stream later on.

Check it out here.

Regina Spektor - "Ne Me Quitte Pas" from Songs
Regina Spektor - "Apres Moi" from Begin to Hope

Thought bubbles

2006-10-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

The newest issue of Bitch magazine has a great article on the origins of Wonder Woman.

Grant Morrison's run on Batman is finally hitting its stride. The drama caused by his possible son is comically ridiculous and painfully serious, which seems to be what DC is going for with the character lately .

Tim Bradstreet is no longer doing covers for the Hellblazer comic, but at least they've got him on the novel covers.

Hellblazer: Subterranean

What to pick up at the comic book store this week:
52 #22
American Splendor #2
Y: The Last Man #50
Giant-Size Wolverine #1

Well, that's all for this post, kids. I'll be back next time with music!

The Rawking Refuses to Stop!

2006-09-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

Recently I interviewed Dave from Cokemachineglow and The Rawking Refuses to Stop, one of my favorite music related blogs. What follows is an uncensored transcript of the emailed interview:

Stoplight Sleep: Since you already write for UCLA’s Daily Bruin and Cokemachineglow, why a music blog?

The Rawking Refuses to Stop: Well, initially I started the blog before I was writing for Cokemachineglow. I was looking for another outlet for my writing that could be more creative than the stuff I was doing for the Bruin, and blogging seemed like the way to go. Of course, the reason I want to write about music in the first place is because I’m the kind of guy who listens to an album and immediately wants to shout about it from the rooftops, so MP3 blogging gives me an excuse to talk about any song or band I want, whenever I want.

SS: You’ve been doing the blog for about a year and a half. In that time, how do you think blogging has changed? Do you think blogging has changed the music scene?

RRS: I can’t speak for blogging as a whole (which has obviously exploded – everybody and, literally, their mother has a blog), but I don’t think music blogging has changed that much. It’s more well known, which makes it more commercial – I’m not sure if people were really selling ads like they are now a couple years ago – but at the same time, the overall readership seems to have leveled off. You don’t see bigger publications talking so much about blogs anymore unless it’s an article about Tapes ‘N Tapes. I think the main effect of blogging on the music scene is two-fold – it allows tiny bands to get this great snowballing exposure if a bunch of people post on it, and I’m not talking about bands like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! who had a lot of other factors working for them, but a group like Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin or Division Day. A band that hasn’t really broken through yet. The other thing is that I think it’s given the record labels a better idea of how they can use digital media to promote themselves and that file-sharing isn’t necessarily evil, but we’ll see if I’m right about that.

SS: Hype Machine lists almost 700 music-related blogs. Elbo.ws lists around 1500. Do you think the music blogosphere is oversaturated? If so, what sets apart a good blog other than numbers?

RRS: Considering I don’t have time to read all the blogs in my own site’s blogroll, sure, the blogosphere is oversaturated. But at the same time, so is indie rock, so it works out. It’s like anything – you figure out what kinds of blogs you like and you support those people. The blogs I read consistently are the ones with taste that I know I can trust or that post really interesting stuff – Aquarium Drunkard and Rbally are two blogs that always have great bootleg concerts and unreleased material. The personality and the writing are important, too: A great music blog should be like hanging out with your awesome friend who knows way more about records than you do.

SS: Why do you like Ryan Adams so much!?

RRS: He’s my hero. Here’s a guy who could easily be a professional songwriter – just look at Tim McGraw’s version of “When The Stars Go Blue.” Almost any song on “Cold Roses” could be a great country song. But the thing that separates Ryan is that he’s an incredible, versatile singer and performer and nobody’s going to do a better version of his songs than him. He reminds me a lot of Neil Young in that he’s also completely in control of the vision for his records. He knows exactly what he wants to do and what the record is going to sound like from the music to the production, and for me, he pulls it off 9 times out of 10. I don’t think he needs an editor. If anything, he needs to put out more records.

SS: Seriously, what inspires you about music to want to write about it on a regular basis? What makes you decide to post on a specific song/artist/album/etc.?

RRS: The music inspires me. Sure, it’s a cliché, but music has a profound emotional affect on me and when I hear a great song, even if I’m listening to it for the 100^th time, I still want to talk about it. I’m obsessed. Luckily, my girlfriend doesn’t really listen to indie rock so that forces me to figure out other things to talk about.

SS:. I happen to know you’re a comic fan as well, what books/writers/characters are you into?

RRS: Right now, my favorite books are Y: The Last Man and the two Superman titles. Kurt Busiek is doing a great job with Supes. I’ve been picking up the trades for “The Walking Dead” and that’s pretty solid as well, but I’ll read anything with zombies. I’ve been reading comics since I was a little kid and I have a nearly-complete seven-year run of all the Spider-Man comics from about 1992 to 1999, so he’ll always be my favorite hero and Mark Bagley will always be my favorite comic artist. I should mention I have complete runs of “Darkhawk” and “The New Warriors” from the ‘90s and I always felt those characters got a raw deal, especially now with Civil War, but it’s nice to see Darkhawk showing up in the Marvel universe again. Even though I’m reading a lot of DC and Vertigo now, I’ll always be a Marvel guy.

SS: If you could make one last post on TRRtS, what would it be about and why?

RRS: Elliott Smith’s song “Condor Ave.,” because it’s my favorite song ever and I don’t think I’ve written anything on it anywhere. It’s from his first album, Roman Candle, which isn’t something a lot of people have heard, so turning people on to that would be a great way to go out.

Elliott Smith - "Condor Ave."

Video Mix 0.1

2006-09-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd do something a little different and give you guys a ton of videos from the wonderful YouTube. I'm not going to embed them because that would take up a ton of space.

All videos are the official video release unless noted.

Tahiti 80 - "Heartbeat"
This is not the actual video, if there even is one. This is a fan vid of clips from some show on Noggin' called South of Nowhere. Apparently it's about to teenage lesbians.

Interpol - "Slow Hands"
I know you've heard this song and probably seen the video, but it's been on my mind a lot lately. It's rather gimmicky, but I love it regardless (kind of like the band itself).

Joanna Newsom - "Yarn & Glue" (Live)
Can't wait for the new album . . .

You Say Party! We Say Die! - "Cold Hands, Hot Bodies" (Live outside the Seattle Center)
I'm not really sure what's going on with this outdoor show and small crowd, but I love this song. They're like Pretty Girls Make Graves, only more influenced by Television, et al.

Rah Bras - "No Furture" [sic]
These pseudo-goth synthcore trio blasts out some big beats on this track. And the video is crazy. This is how good Mindless Self Indulgence could be if they didn't try so hard to suck.

TV on the Radio - "Wolf Like Me" (Live on Letterman)
If you don't have this album, go get it now. Thanks to Silver's Boogaloo for the post.

Final Fantasy - "Fantasy" (Mariah Carey cover live)
Owen Pallett's (of Arcade Fire) Final Fantasy makes some great music, but his most amazing work can be found on YouTube in the form of live covers. Look for "Peach, Plumb, Pear" (Joanna Newsom) and "Modern Love" (Bloc Party).

The Knife - "We Share Our Mother's Health"
A beautiful video.

Margot & the Nuclear So & So's - "Quiet as a Mouse"
Another artistically animated video. Is this the trend now? I'm seeing a lot of them them. Fine by me. This band makes me think Pedro the Lion meets Arcade Fire.

Cansei de ser Sexy - CSSTV "CSS is looking for Cat Power"
Another hot new band that you've probably heard already. They have a bunch of funny videos they made posted on YouTube. This is the funniest.

Cat Power - "Maybe Not" (Live on Letterman)
Here she is.

Let me know what you think about the video mix. I may do more of these in the future.

Mitch Clem: Punk Comix Guy

2006-09-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

Several months ago I wrote about one of my favorite online comics, Nothing Nice to Say. It was dead for awhile, but recently artist/writer Mitch Clem has revived the series, along with continuing his newer comic, San Antonio Rock City. New editions of NNtS are posted every Monday.

Linkx
Mitch Clem's workblog
Nothing Nice to Say
Rock City Comics
Mitch Clem's homesite

Today's track is from the Ssion, whom I've posted about before. It's another from opportunity, Bless My Soul.
The Ssion - "I Think I Got Something to Prove"

Rasputina, you inbreeds!

2006-09-14T00:13:00.000-07:00

Rasputina, that group of corsetted cellists and their native-American drum banger, are one of my favorite bands and one of the best live acts I've ever seen. You can just get over your little "but they're goth" deal. What's with that anyway. Don't you like Bauhaus? And I know you love the Cure. Everyone does. Even your mom.

Anywho. It's easier to point out acts they've inspired (Scarling, Bonfire Madigans) than name any pop music that's directly influenced them (other than the usual suspects). Like Dresden Dolls and Decemberists, a lot of their influences are from the early twentieth century.

Over at their homepage they have a huge list of all the catty comments and Howard Hughes jokes lead-singer Melora Creager has used to introduce songs. She's also obsessed with rollerblades (Satan shoes), urine drinking, dairy products, enemas, and Murphy Brown.

Screech on you demons of the . . . thing.

Here's the link radiofans.

Hell, I'll even give you an song. I know that's why you're here for.
Rasputina - Deep in the Sweet Water (Joseph Bishara Remix)
It's a remix of "SweetWater Kill" from Cabin Fever.

Go buy some of their albums on insound. I recommend starting with Cabin Fever. That way if you don't like it, you can at least hear them make fun of PJ Harvey, Bjork, and Matthew Barney. I love them all. But they really should be made fun of more often.

disclaimer: I realize their drummer is not really Native American. You think I'm stupid? You're the one who likes _________. (May I suggest filling in this blank with some crap band you like, such as Hellogoodbye, GG Allin, Bowling for Soup, or Jack Johnson.)