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 . . .
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.
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 Stereogumposted 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.
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.
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.
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