Ten Best Music Blogs Of 2009

ZACH THAT:

10.) Melophobe

Don’t have enough money to go to the show?…head over to Melophobe where they document hundreds of concerts with beautiful photography and reviews. The first time I stumbled on this site I was mesmerized for hours.
TWITTER

09.) I Guess I’m Floating

For the last three years this has been either my favorite music blog or in the top three. For some reason I feel like the posts were less frequent, hence the drop. Regardless, IGIF is a must read for under the radar bands and music reports from two highly intelligent music bloggers.
TWITTER

08.) Pretty Much Amazing

We don’t see eye to eye on most music, but I have to give respect to one of the cleanest and best looking sites out there. Daily mp3 updates, podcasts, mixtapes, and a really fantastic section called “The Thinking Man’s Take…” If this was an indie rock blog it would be near the top. You Pop fans…here is your heaven.
TWITTER

07.) The Needle Drop

The hardest working music blogger out there…no joke. I don’t even need to write much about this blog…just spend a few minutes clicking around his site…Youtube updates everyday, podcasts, radio work, blog posts, culinary school…the guy is busy. I’m convinced he has a twin, which is not fair for the rest of us music bloggers who now look lazy. His only flaw is that he calls everything pop…but with all the solid content TND provides, I can’t complain.

TWITTER

06.) Slowcoustic

This is just a great music site. Fantastic taste in music mixed with sleek, easy to navigate site, results in a daily visit. They have an “essential series” that is a must read for those who love great music.
TWITTER

05.) Said The Gramophone

The most poetic music blog ever. That’s all I have to say about that.
TWITTER

04.) Daytrotter

One of the most impressive music projects this decade. Amazing live sessions with the most sought after bands/artists….and the tracks are free to download. Can’t ask for much more.
TWITTER

03.) Tsururadio

I consider this blog my internet brother. WLFY and Tsur will one day run this sweet musical blog land with our mutual love for vinyl and similar music. You want a real treat? Join Tsur’s Our Society…trust me.
TWITTER

02.) Analog Apartment

The best site for all things vinyl. The cherry on top is the amazing software provided by the site which allows you to database your entire record collection.
TWITTER

01.) Aquarium Drunkard

The best music writing we have out there today. Some say that mp3 sites have killed music journalism…I say you’re not looking in the right places. There are a lot of amazing sites, just look at this list, that use mp3’s as an add on for their posts…the writing and original content is what makes these ten shine. Rolling Stone turned into Pitchfork and Stereogum…and when they both quit honestly writing about music AD became the best source for thoughtful music journalism. I have two exciting reads in my life with a cup of coffee…the New Yorker and Aquarium Drunkard…my favorite music blog of 2009.
TWITTER

Ted Leo - "Even Heroes Have to Die"

HANK ALTOGETHER:

Ted Leo is the like Bruce Springsteen of punk rock. He's been at it forever and keeps making the good stuff. If you've never heard him before, the newest single off his latest album, The Brutalist Bricks, is vintage stuff -- jangling guitars, a 60s feel with an energy unmatched by anyone else working today. Here's the track:

Ted Leo - "Even Heroes Have to Die"

The Silent League - "Here's a Star" MP3

ZACH THAT:

The Silent League is releasing a new record, it's third, in Feb 2010, ..But You've Always Been The Caretaker. This time with the idiosyncratic producer, and band-member, Shannon Fields at the helm (founder and producer of the unclassifiable Brooklyn collective Stars Like Fleas, and whose musical credits include Helado Negro, Miho Hatori, Doveman, and many projects that ignore rock and pop altogether), the band spent time at various upstate farmhouse studios with recording and mixing engineer D. James Goodwin (Scary Mansion, The Bravery) crafting a somewhat different record. More explicit is the group's affection for the soft rock and artrock power ballads of the 70s (the group initially bonded over a common love of ELO, Todd Rundgren, Roxy Music and Bread), but the moodier and more unhinged qualities that have always been subtexts in the band's music have been pushed forward. It is an evocative, jarring, sometimes disturbing and densely woven record that seems nearly to ignore contemporary indierock but which sounds very little like its antecedents or any obvious contemporary reference points. Rather than chasing the endlessly tiresome "reinvention of rock", The Silent League, with one foot in sterling songcraft and the other in the Brooklyn diaspora, has sculpted stunningly fresh new music with the decapitated pieces of rock's MOR family tree.

The Silent League - "Here's A Star"

Neon Indian Remix At P4K

Magnetic Fields "69 Love Songs" Vinyl Is Back On

ZACH THAT:

A year ago there was an announcement that the Magnetic Fields masterpiece "69 Love Songs" would finally be released on vinyl. After many set backs (how do you price the album, how to separate the tracks on three records, etc) the project was abandoned. It looks like they finally figured out how to put out the album and for under a hundred bucks! Seems like the answer was the 10" format:

"Re-mastered limited edition (3,000) deluxe vinyl re-issue of their classic 1999 3-CD box set rumination on love. Funny, smart, dark, and memorable. Stephin Merritt solidifies his songwriting genius on his "most ambitious and fully realized work" - AMG. Beautifully packaged in a 10-inch slip case box with three double gatefold sleeves and the original booklet in 10-inch size. Includes coupon for MP3 download of entire album."

This is great news for vinyl collectors and Magnetic Fields fans...head over to AMAZON to pre-order the vinyl release of 2010.

Lady Gaga is not from Yonkers

HANK ALTOGETHER:

In the latest instillation of "I Wanna like You, But I'm Not Sure I Do" [Lady Gaga Edition] finds me enamored by the Ga-stress on the Jay Leno show last night addressing her least favorite rumor about herself.

Watch here.

Respect.

Avett Brothers - "Slight Figure of Speech" (Video)

HANK ALTOGETHER:

Nice vid by a band that should have had an album on our best of the decade list.

The Avett Brothers - Slight Figure Of Speech - watch more funny videos

Vampire Weekend's "Cousins" Lyrics Are Stupid

READ THE WLFY CONTRA REVIEW!

ZACH THAT:

I understand you find Vampire Weekend cute and cuddly. I know their melodies make you smile and wish you went to an ivy league school. But, PLEASE LISTEN, they are not saying anything! I took too much time trying to write down the lyrics for "Cousins" and what the hell are they trying to say. Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits need to slap these guys with the lyrical bible. Enjoy...or don't. Actually, please don't enjoy these lyrics (UPDATED):

AY! AY! AY! AY! AY! AY!

You found a sweater on the ocean floor
They're gonna find it if you didn’t close the door.
You and this model sit outside the side-
In a house on a street they wouldn’t park on the night.

Dad was a risk taker.
His was a shoe maker.
You greatest hits 2006,
Little listmaker.

Caught in the melody,
You wait in the car.
You were born with ten fingers and you're gonna use them all.

Interest in colors

I discover myself
If your art life is gritty you'll be toasting my health
If an interest in culture should be lining the walls
When your birth right is interest you could just accrue it all

Me and my cousins,
and
You and your cousins
It’s a line that is always running.
Me and my cousins,
You and your cousins,
I can feel it coming

WLFY's TOP 50 ALBUMS OF THE DECADE

Lighting Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow

A bass with one guitar string. A bunch of shitty drums. Playing in someone's kitchen in Lubbock, TX. Two RISDy dudes named Brian. Wonderful Rainbow was Lightning Bolt's quinceañera. It didn't just change the band forever, but everything that punk rock stood for and the way underground music would sound in the new millennium. (HW)










Death From Above 1979--You're A Woman, I'm A Machine


Two guys. That’s all this is. “You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine” is still one of the hardest things I have “rocked out to” in years. Yet, it’s only two guys doing this. Whenever I find myself pissed off and in need of a musical release I will often turn here. Through eleven tracks DFA never lets up; the guitars grind and the drums pound until your ears scream and bleed. I still think one of the saddest days of recent memory in music was when Jesse Keeler and Sebastien Grainger split. Yeah they both have come out with different side projects and what not but are they really as good as this album? Hell no. “You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine” is like a supernova on the music landscape. It exploded. It was bright and it was beautiful. Then it was gone. Even today, though, the effects are still there and every one still considers this a rock classic. Maybe in another universe or galaxy somewhere they never broke up… (BS)









Bright Eyes—Lifted Or the Story Is In the Soil, Keep Your Ear To the Ground


I think the love, the sadness, the pain, and the emotion that Conor Oberst expressed throughout this album is priceless. The fact that he pushed so much feeling out of a single album has never ceased to take my breath away. This album truly was one of my first forays into what I guess you could call “emo” music but more so “indie music”. I understand that Oberst has sort of been branded with a very sad white boy/emo vibe throughout his career as Bright Eyes but the fact remains is that there is truth in all of these songs and only people who haven’t been lucky/unlucky enough to experience all this will truly be the ones left in the dark by this gem. (BS)










Clues - Clues


While this album is fresh of the presses and ignored by many, year after year the dust will be blown off and fans will gather around to hear one of the best albums of the decade. I've never heard an album like this and its uniqueness is only surpassed by its brilliance. (ZH)










The Postal Service – Give Up


Industrial wastelands, nuclear fall out, incarceration, and bitter breakups never sounded quite so appealing. Somehow or another, Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard and electro enthusiast Jimmy Tamborello made it happen. The fusion between Gibbard's delicate vocals and the impenetrable trip hop landscape is like the eye of the storm, with a weird kind of near-apocalyptic calmness. If this is what the end of the world sounds like, I say bring it on. (LH)










Beruit – Gulag Orkestar


No one would know that Beruit's Zach Condon was just some boy from New Mexico, judging by the sound of Gulag Orkestar. Since when did ukulele, full-fledged brass sections, and rousing polka beats have anything to do with the American Southwest? Condon's merging of Eastern European folk music and Western pop seems authentic and effortless. Cuts like "Postcards From Italy" are radiant and carefree – a snapshot of a sunny afternoon over a rolling countryside. Is it possible for something to be a bit too idealistic? If so, this album is certainly Exhibit A. (LH)










Bloc Party—Silent Alarm


I enjoy “Silent Alarm” because of how pure of a rock album it is at times. “Like Eating Glass” is one of my favorite openers on any album and from there the album continues to take you in. The incredible thing is how you will go into the first few tracks of the album and be blown about by how badass the songs feel. Then all of a sudden “Blue Light” comes in and the dreamier aspects of Bloc Party come rolling in. Even when Bloc Party goes reaching for the starts with their sound they still maintain a gritty feel. Though the band hasn’t really been able to do anything with as much grandeur as their debut, it is still a blueprint for how to do an album right. (BS)










Joanna Newsom – Milk Eyed Mender


I listened to this album for the first time on a rainy day in Southern California. I still can't listen to Newsom's girly shreik of "I AM BLUUUE! AND UNWELL!" on "Peach, Plum, Pear" and not giggle. There' something so instinctively honest about putting those emotions together. It's why, for me, given the jeremiad of Ys, this album is infinitely more listenable: it's compact, imaginative, and puts things in ways that will forever change how you see them. (HW)










Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest


Choosing between Yellow House and Veckatimest proved to be a tough choice. The fact remains, however, that the excellence of Yellow House made Veckatimest the most hyped album of the year, and it delivered ten-fold. ‘Southern Point’ cracks the tension with an intense introduction displaying the musicality we have come to expect from Grizzly Bear, complex and enticing. The simple guitar riff juxtaposes perfectly with the string arrangement in the final verse, and then explodes into a slow and tense explosion of guitars and drums. How else to follow up such an epic introduction than the highly addictive soundtrack to your Monday morning ‘Two Weeks’? Ed Droste’s drawn-out oration of everyday uneasiness made ‘Two Weeks’ everyone’s favorite song at some point or another. With Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear made fans of everyone. Jay-Z, the entire family of Beyonce Knowles, hey, even Michael McDonald, the guy your dad was listening to when he ever-so-gently placed you inside of your mom got on board the Grizzly Bear Express. This was the breakout album of the year, and a very deserving one. (CJ)










Outkast - Stankonia


I shall let Outkast's words justify why this is on the list:
"Did you ever think a pimp rock a microphone? Like that there boi and will still stay street. Big things happen every time we meet. Like a track team, crack fiend, dyin to geek. Outkast bumpin' up and down the street." (ZH and Outkast)










Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise


The album is extremely visual, each song placing the listener into various parts of the state and at the same time, each track tells a fascinating story. "Illinoise" runs the gambit of emotions and moves swiftly from upbeat to downbeat with grace. In my mind, "Casimir Pulaski Day" might be the best song written this decade. (ZH)

Lady Gaga pre Gaga

HANK ALTOGETHER:

I gotta say, I know nothing about Lady Gaga beyond the provocateur image she's taken to the furthest extreme. But, this video makes me shiver. What incredible songwriting. It's too bad that sometimes being batshit crazy and image overrides what a person is really capable of. There's not an inch of superfluousness in these songs.

Video Wrap Up (11/16 - 11/20): Atlas Sound, N.A.S.A, Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck

Atlas Sound - "Quick Canal" (ft. Lætitia Sadier)

N.A.S.A. (Tom Waits & Kool Keith) - "Spacious Thoughts"

Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck - "Heaven Can Wait"

Neko Case - "Red Tide" (Live on Jimmy Fallon)

HANK ALTOGETHER:

I saw Neko play a pretty disastrous show in Montclair, NJ two days before she performed this gorgeous rendition of "Red Tide" on Jimmy Fallon. At the Montclair show, the songstress got electrocuted not once but twice while the tech crew seemed to twiddle their thumbs. Putting on her sweater, Neko was rebuked by an idiot in the audience who yelled "GO!"

"I'm just putting on my fucking sweater," she responded. "You get a rock band. Then you can fucking go." We all applauded, but something was all wrong. Case turned to the band and seemed to be pushing them to hurry up. After "This Tornado Loves You," they all left the stage rather hurriedly and didn't come out for an encore.

I blame it all on Jersey.

CONTEST: Win Girls "Hellhole Ratrace" 10" Vinyl (Only 500 Copies)

ZACH THAT:

Hey beautiful people. We're giving away a little early Christmas present to one of our readers: A mint, never played, Girls 10" (Hellhole Ratrace - Pitchfork named "one of the top 500 songs of the decade"). This vinyl is super rare...only 500 pressed and they have been going for crazy prices over at Ebay. For your chance to win, just show us a little love by doing the following three things:

1.) Add us on twitter. We want to be friends. If you're already our friend...perfect...you can still win by doing 2-3.

2.) Re-tweet @welistenforyou WIN GIRLS VINYL and a link to this post...just right click on the blog post title, copy+paste into twitter...enter...bingo.

3.) vote for us HERE. Just click on the green +...we're four down in the comment box...under We Listen For You.

Why do we have to do these things? We Listen For You does not make any money. All the ads you see on this site are things we like, we make the banners and advertise...I like Wes Anderson and Kentucky bourbon...so there you go. We love our readers and just want to increase our family size, so your votes/twitter ads help us grow. In return one lucky music fan will get a super rare Girls vinyl.

We Announce the winner: Nov 23rd...the same day as the release of our Top 50 Albums of the decade...that's promotion folks. We love you...and good luck.

ROYAL BANGS ON WOXY NOW!

www.woxy.com

Click on the player. Upper right hand corner, hipster. Get yr mind blown.

UPDATE: It's over. Minds who heard....blown.

Bowerbirds - NPR Tiny Desk Concert Video

ZACH THAT:

The Magnetic Fields Announce 2010 Tour Dates

The Magnetic Fields are happy to announce that they will be touring early next year in support of their forthcoming album, "Realism," which will be out on Nonesuch Records on January 26, 2010. The US and Canadian tour dates will take place in February and March.

02-04 Washington, DC - Lisner Auditorium
02-06 Montreal, Quebec - Corona Theatre
02-08 Toronto, Ontario - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
02-10 Boston, MA - Wilbur Theatre
02-11 Boston, MA - Wilbur Theatre
02-13 Brooklyn, NY - BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
02-21 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
02-22 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
02-23 Seattle, WA - Town Hall
02-24 Seattle, WA - Town Hall
02-27 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
03-01 San Francisco, CA - Herbst Theatre
03-02 Los Angeles, CA - Wilshire Ebell Theatre
03-04 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
03-05 Bloomington, IN - Buskirk Chumley Theater
03-06 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
03-07 Chicago, IL - Harris Theater at Millenium Park
03-10 New York, NY - Town Hall
03-11 New York, NY - Town Hall
03-22 London, England - Barbican Centre

A number of pre-sale tickets for Barbican Centre are available for a limited time through ArtistTicket. Please stay tuned for more details regarding sale dates and ticket availability for the European tour:
Nov 17: ArtistTicket.com (£2 surcharge)

A limited number of pre-sale tickets will also be available starting Tuesday, November 17 through MusicToday:

http://magneticfields.musictoday.com/

Be advised that MusicToday only sells a small number of pre-sale tickets for each show, made available to subscribers of this list, our website, and by word of mouth. Feel free to pass this info to your friends! When MusicToday's allotment runs out, you will still be able to purchase tickets through the ticket resellers listed on the tour calendar page, starting on or around
November 20.

After their US and Canada dates, the band will be heading to Europe for a string of dates in mid- to late-March. Currently there is one show, at London's Barbican Centre, available for pre-sales this week through ArtistTicket:

http://www.artistticket.com/link/?s=the+magnetic+fields

Stay tuned for news regarding further itineraries and on-sale dates for the European tour, coming soon.

We hope to see you soon! Many thanks.
-- The Magnetic Fields

Half-Handed Cloud - "To Fill" (MUSIC VIDEO)

ZACH THAT:

Box Of Tracks (November 13th, 2009)

ZACH THAT:

The Bravery - "The Spectator"

Midnight Masses - "Walk On Water"

Lucky Pineapple - "Moment On An Empty Street"

Kelley McRae - "Highrises In Brooklyn"

Computer Perfection - "Silence Is A Shadows Dream"

Wolf People - "October Fires"

Home - "Photographed With Ease"

Video Wrap Up (11/9 - 11/13): Grizzly Bear, Lady Gaga, fun., Monsters of Folk, Animal Collective, Rain Machine

Grizzly Bear - "Ready, Able"

Lady Gaga - "Bad Romance"

fun. - "All the Pretty Girls"

Monsters of Folk - "Say Please

Animal Collective - "In the Flowers"

Rain Machine - "Give Blood"

REVIEW: Royal Bangs - Let it Beep

Royal Bangs - Let it Beep


Release Date: September 15, 2009
Label: Audio Eagle











HANK ALTOGETHER:

I got drunk and played Royal Bangs drum at a show once. Yeah. I admit it. It was me. But in my defense, there was no way that I wasn't going to be a part of the insane bacchanal noise coming out of the quintet of lads from Knoxville. While the prevailing winds of indie are blowing extra-musical, extra-slick (see Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear, etc) Royal Bangs are something totally different. Heavy on the low-end, dythrambic percussion, you might hear parts of the early 00s DC-scene coupled with a kind of hack-eyed optimism that could only come from a band not corrupted by the insularity of the east coast. Royal Bangs are their own animal.

I loved their prior album We Breed Champions even going so far as to put it #50 on our soon to be released "Best of the Decade" list (Spoiler Alert: It didn't make the final list). Unlike the live shows, which are booze-fueled rampages, Champions revealed the sound to be, dare I say it, melodic, hooky, and almost pop. Fast forward to aught 9 and Royal Bangs' latest effort, Let it Beep, which picks up right where it's baby brother left off.

If anything, Let it Bleep is too true to its name. The harmony of guitars and vocals are kicked to the side for more keyboard wizardry. "Brainbo" is a prime example -- a math rock intro into a s 8-bit meets vocoder 21st century psychedelia. In fact, the whole record skews more into the math rock vein. Even the rambunctious jam "Poison Control" with it's anthem-worthy chorus ("I'm not a kid / I don't fuck around!") feels more constrained that the preceding album. There is, as Tom Waits might say, less pulp in this orange juice.

While for hardcore fans of 'Bangs shows that might seem like a bad thing, in fact the album shows off the musicianship of Knoxville's punky sons. "My Car is Haunted" drops a post-funk bass line before soaring off into the haunted yonder. "Shitty X-Mas" mashes what seems like a thousand melodies into one semi-sweet self-destruction.

Royal Bangs don't fuck around. Each semblance of a noodly-guitar is pumped with noise to the point of eardrum explosion. It's a noise that always sounds, rather surprisingly, melodic. A keyboard beep that turns into a synth line, a beer can that turns into a night of rampage and debauchery. It's noise that turns out to have heart and soul. It's a transformation for the group that makes sense. And if you see 'em play live, get drunk and bust on that tom for me.

woxy has a deal where you can get the whole album for 3.99 thru lala thru the end of the week. Peep that shit.

Solange - "Stillness is the Move" (Dirty Projectors Cover)

HANK ALTOGETHER:

Solange Knowles puts the R&B back in the Dirty Projectors post-post-post jam "Stillness is the Move"

Ha ha-hua hi-yeah-ha, hahahaha!

That was my impression of the song. Not laughing at it. It's pretty great. Ty, P4k.

Solange - "Stillness is the Move" (Dirty Projectors Cover)

Holopaw - "The Art Teacher and the Little Stallion"

HANK ALTOGETHER:

"The Art Teacher and the Little Stallion" from Gainsville-based indie group Holopaw starts out slowly. It's not paint by numbers, but it takes you a minute to get to the teeth of the melody. Once its there, though, you feel somehow safe and at home. Comfortable and closer to something you already knew. This is the kind of indie rock your older brother introduced you to -- well placed, lush, finely crafted. It still hasn't gone out of style.

Holopaw - "The Art Teacher and the Little Stallion"

Sophie Madeleine (Crypt Sessions)

ZACH THAT:

"Who Will Buy?"

Sophie Madeleine - "Who Will Buy" from knuckle.tv on Vimeo.

"The Stars"

Sophie Madeleine - "Stars" from knuckle.tv on Vimeo.

"Wave Goodbye"

Sophie Madeleine - "Wave Goodbye" from knuckle.tv on Vimeo.

REQUIRED LISTEN: KELLEY MCRAE

Kelley McRae is one of those singer/songwriters that writes music for everyone. The music is a mix of folk and pop resulting in mature lyrics that dance slowly around mind sticking melodies. Her title track off the album, “Highrises in Brooklyn” has been stuck in my head for weeks and now I will pass it off to you (song below). With all these indie bands buzzing up and disappearing at alarming rates, it’s nice to see a mellow musician who will always be present due to her undeniable talent. McRae is one of those artists that would still be playing music even if there wasn’t an industry…music seems part of her and we’re all fortunate that she shares her gift. Take a few minutes and listen to her music, give it one or two songs and you’ll be won over.

Kelley McRae - Highrises In Brooklyn (via PMA)

MYSPACE

Morrissey Gets Hit In The Head With A Bottle

ZACH THAT:

It's amazing how one idiot can ruin the night for hundreds of people.

Los Campesinos - "There Are Listed Buildings" (Video)

There Are Listed Buildings from Los Campesinos! on Vimeo.

Fantastic video for the hook-ridden post-pop-punk of Los Campesinos! gorgeous 7"

Eddie Argos From Art Brut Announces Side Project

ZACH THAT:

Straight from Eddie himself:

"Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now are Dyan Valdes and Eddie Argos.

The album is called 'Fixin' The Charts' and was produced by David Newton at his studio 'Rollercoaster East' in Joshua Tree California.

It is out in January on Cooking Vinyl.

The original photo was taken by Alfonso Valdes and turned into the cover artwork by Andrew Swainson."

This is the Track listing

1) Creeque Allies
2) G.I.R.L.F.R.E.N (You Know I've Got A)
3) (I'm So) Waldo P Emerson Jones
4) The Scarborough Affaire
5) Billie's Genes
6) Think Twice (It's Not Alright)
7) Hey Its Jimmy Mack
8) He's A "Rebel"
9) Coal Digger
10) My Way (Is Not Always The Best Way)
11) Superglue
12) Walk Alone

Sounds pretty cool. My eyebrow is raised...I'm interested. Bets on what this will sound like?

An Angry Letter To Sufjan Stevens

This last Monday I went to a screening of the BQE where Sufjan Stevens was supposed to introduce the film. He never showed up and was supposedly sick. He also didn't show up to another show later that week. After this and reading an interview where Mr. Stevens claimed he didn't understand the album anymore...I was fed up and decided to write a little rant letter. I decided not to do any editing, this is pure mind to keys, so there will be spelling/grammar mistakes. I will gladly post any clarifications/thoughts Mr. Stevens has (e-mail welistenforyoublog@gmail.com). I will not post any PR or Label releases, as I want to hear from the artist himself.

Dear Sufjan Stevens,
I’m finding it harder and harder to like you anymore. There was a time when I would blindly follow your sound anywhere…driving hours on a work night to see a live show, waiting for the record store to open to buy your album the day it came out, and talking up your genius to anyone who would listen. Those days seem like decades ago and all the admiration I had for your music has been quickly punched in the gut over this last year.

I think this whole BQE thing is the reason for your sudden decline into pompous comments and arrogant rock-star actions. Allow me to outline a few things you have said and done, namely two that has sparked me to write this letter. First, in a recent interview you said the following:

"I'm wondering, why do people make albums anymore when we just download? Why are songs like three or four minutes, and why are records 40 minutes long? They're based on the record, vinyl, the CD, and these forms are antiquated now. So can't an album be eternity, or can't it be five minutes? ... I no longer really have faith in the album anymore. I no longer have faith in the song."

Listen up and listen good: PEOPLE LOVE AND FOLLOW YOUR EVERY ACTION BECAUSE OF YOUR ALBUMS! You’re speaking to those who download songs (which are not your core fans) and at the same time isolate all those who appreciate your music because Michigan, Seven Swans, and Illinoise are all amazing albums. Each of those three albums, which made your precious career, are incredibly well thought out pieces, that have a singular tone and work from start to finish. Sorry to be rough here, but understand that you must pull your head out of your ass and see the truth, people do care about the album and there are very few artists who do a complete album as well as you. Your statements are middle fingers to anyone who feels the way I do when I throw on Michigan in the winter and completely get lost in the sound from start to finish. You’re not a pop guy or a one hit wonder…if you asked me to name a favorite Sufjan song, I would just shrug and hand them one of the albums. I have all your work on vinyl and I know we’re a small number, but we buy your stuff on vinyl to a.) support you b.) have the complete experience of hearing your work as it was meant, as a package…an album.

Second, and this one hurts. Recently you put out the BQE, which is a nightmare of a project. My complaint is not that the BQE is an amateur film school project with amazing music in the background, but rather that you decided not to show up to TWO of your recent “Sufjan introduces the BQE showings”. Hundreds of people came out to see you, experience your film with you in the room, and you didn’t show. Where were you? A few hundred feet away in a hotel room “sick”. I don’t care if you were throwing up, the venue was the hotel and you we’re not playing or giving a lecture…all you had to do was say a few words and leave. But that was too much to expect I suppose. What you did would be on par with inviting a bunch of my film school buddies over to watch one my pretentious college films and not show up. The people were there just to experience a moment with you and watch your film, but with the feeling that the artist had his eyes on the same screen and could feel the presence that the creator of the project was sharing in the experience.

Making a bold statement like “I will never buy another album you make or ever listen to your music” would be both overkill and a lie. I love your music and it will always be a big part of my life. What you must understand is that your albums, that you so carelessly scoff at, are the soundtracks to your fans lives. Your music is there during hard times, break-ups, death, marriage, love, all that daily stuff that makes life interesting. You should be honored that you and your art impacts people everyday, makes life better and helps those in hard times. Take a long look at what you said and how you have acted this year, I hope there is some remorse. I will always be a fan but somebody has to say something when your comments and actions of the last year are trying destroy something very special.

-Zach Hart
Co-Creator of We Listen For You

Jon Brion + Of Montreal = New Album!

ZACH THAT:

News break courtesy of twitter:

xxofMontrealxx: Just had a rad meeting with sir jon brion.looks like were gonna work together on the new album! Dreams do come true:•)

Earlier this year we saw what happened when Jon Brion remixed a few of Montreal's tunes...but actually helping make an album sounds like a perfectly crazy idea. Early front runner for best album of 2010.

Video Wrap Up (11/2 - 11/6): The Dirty Projectors, Thao, Le Loup, Dent May

HANK ALTOGETHER:

4 of our fav. artists of the year put out some great videos this week. Let's put 'em all in one place and see if they make babies!

Dirty Projectors - "No Intention" (on SIRIUS)

Dent May & his Magnificent Ukulele - "Love Song 2009" (Tripwire)

Le Loup - "Grow" (AON)

AON Sessions: Le Loup, "Grow" from All Our Noise on Vimeo.

Thao - "Know Better Learn Faster" (Yours Tru.ly)

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down in my living room from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

ty IGIF, MOKB.

Can You Handle A Tom Waits Seven Record Set?

ZACH THAT:

Seven records! That's right, Tom Waits and the record company Anti- will be releasing the masterful Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards on sweet sweet vinyl...which will be a seven record set. I tried to figure out in my head how much that would cost and it looks like it will be around 150 dollars. Not too bad, I guess. Pretty excited about this...I'll add it to the list of records I'll hold like a baby in the record store but never purchase.

Folk Covers of Punk Songs

HANK ALTOGETHER:

Over at boingboing.net, Cory Doctorow posted a wonderful link to a site which has collected a bunch of folk covers of punk songs. There are some oldies but goodies here like Uncle Tupelo's cover of Iggy Pop's "I Wanna Be Your Dog," Calexico's atmospheric rendering of The Clash's "Guns of Brixton," and Ryan Adams doing his -- I wanted to be in Black Flag -- thing. Then there's some really surprising stuff, too: the bluegrass "Lust for Life," the sweet Japanese-pop of "Lost in the Supermarket." But the best part, it's all free! Thanks to the compilers of this, Coverlaydown.

Check it out here.

Sam King Draws Departure

HANK ALTOGETHER:

More landscapes and songs. This time not from uber-beardo Bonnie 'Prince' Billy but good friend and artist Sam King. Thanks for the Dinosaur folks for pointing out he was doing it first.

Departure #3:

Departure 3 from Sam King on Vimeo.

Andy's Dream:

Andy's dream from Sam King on Vimeo.

Existentialism for Dummies:

Existentialism For Dummies from Sam King on Vimeo.

5-3-08:

5-3-08 from Sam King on Vimeo.

Sam King Interview:

Interview: SAM KING from Derek Jenkins on Vimeo.

Buy Sam's music here.

White Rabbits (ft. Britt Daniels of Spoon) "Percussion Gun" (Live on Jimmy Kimmel)

HANK ALTOGETHER:

This one's for Nick who made me listen to this track like 20 times as we were sitting in line waiting to go into Bonnaroo.

And since when did Late Night TV shows start sponsoring their stages?

Brian Harnetty & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "Silent City"

"I hear it on the inside as the battery dies"

HANK ALTOGETHER:

Brian Harnetty is a conceptual artist/field recording artist. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy is an R.Kelly-lovin' Louisvillian who looks vaguely like a reincarnated Civil War general. Put them together and you get Silent City a pretty surprisingly amazing record that mixes created music and found sound. If you don't have any reference point, it may help to think about The Books and drag their very intellectual fractur-pop into the depths of small towns in Southern Ohio and the creeping mist of an Appalachian night. There's much to love here, even thought this doesn't fit in as one of your traditional B'P'B records or collabs a la Superwolf. But there's still an amazing richness and depth to the recording that feels like someone snatched it right away from the night. Think Harry Smith tries to tell us about the ghosts of a dead town.

Here's how Brian describes it:

made with the collaborative help of bonnie 'prince' billy, 'silent city' is a mix of songs, instrumentals, and field recordings that are loosely centered around a small, rural town.

late at night, just before closing; sleepy, between awake and dreaming; old jukebox, conversation, laughter––and then, transformation.

as with 'american winter', samples were used from the berea college appalachian sound archives, and with their generous support and encouragement.

There's the lovely ghostly "Sleeping in the Driveway,"

Sleeping in the Driveway from Brian Harnetty on Vimeo.

And the nature overtakes all "Some Glad Day,"

Some Glad Day from Brian Harnetty on Vimeo.

Buy it here.

Lambchop - "Give It" into "Once in a Lifetime" (Video)

HANK ALTOGETHER:

This tune's been making a regular rotation on my iPod recently. There' something about Lambchop that brings to mind the changing of the seasons and this track, "Give It" covered by the band based on the X Press 2 track with Lambchop front man guesting on vocals, is perfect for your last few days of warm-ish fall. Listen to where Kurt drops the Talking Heads into the mix.

The audio's way better on this one:

The Best Music Video Of The Year?

ZACH THAT:

Pure 1990's Spike Jonze stuff going on here. The band is Lucky Pineapple and the song is "Moment In An Empty Street". Enjoy:

Paste Magazine likes the Avett Brothers more than Me

HANK ALTOGETHER:

So this whole decade list thing is getting pretty outrageous. But Paste's list is pretty remarkable if for nothing else than the (deservedly) high ranking of O Brother Where Art Thou? (which might be the last cd your parents bought). But it's Paste's adulation of The Avett Brothers' latest I and Love and You that makes even the most die hard Avett Bros fan (ie me) blush. They rank the album at #9.

Sayeth Paste Magazine:

For their artistic breakthrough, these North Carolina howlers polished their scruffy Americana sound until it gleamed. The result: an overpowering acoustic album brimming with sadness and soul. “I was worried that I’d start crying while listening at work, but I waited until I got home,” a Paste colleague told me. That’s an accomplishment. The title track—a meditation on three little words—is a three-hanky affair unto itself.

Here's the rest of the list:

50 Björk - Vespertine (Elektra, 2001)
49 Libertines - Up The Bracket (Rough Trade, 2002)
48 Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose (Interscope, 2004)
47 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (Domino, 2006)
46 Once - Music From The Motion Picture (Columbia, 2007)
45 Radiohead - In Rainbows (self-released, 2007)
44 The Jayhawks - Rainy Day Music (Lost Highway, 2003)
43 Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala (Secretly Canadian, 2007)
42 Jay-Z - The Blueprint (Roc-A-Fella, 2001)
41 LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (Capitol, 2007)
40 TV on the Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain (Interscope, 2006)
39 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge, 2007)
38 Gentleman Jesse - Introducing Gentleman Jesse (Douchemaster, 2008)
37 Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days (Sub Pop, 2004)
36 Pedro The Lion - Control (Jade Tree, 2002)
35 Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino, 2009)
34 Various artists - O Brother Where Art Thou? (Mercury, 2001)
33 Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head (Capitol, 2002)
32 The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Warner Bros., 2002)
31 Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism (Barsuk, 2003)
30 Damien Rice - O (Vector, 2003)
29 Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar, 2008)
28 Paul Westerberg - Folker (Vagrant, 2004)
27 Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day (New West, 2003)
26 Over the Rhine - Ohio (2004)
25 Sigur Rós - Med ud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust (XL, 2008)
24 The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (Sub Pop, 2003)
23 Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (Bloodshot, 2000)
22 The Decemberists - The Crane Wife (Capitol, 2006)
21 Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL, 2008)
20 The National - Boxer (Beggars Banquet, 2007)
19 Beck - Sea Change (Interscope, 2002)
18 Amy Winehouse - Back To Black (Universal Republic, 2007)
17 Kanye West - The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella, 2004)
16 Rufus Wainwright - Want One (Dreamworks, 2003)
15 Patty Griffin - 1000 Kisses (ATO, 2002)
14 The Strokes - Is This It (RCA, 2001)
13 Josh Ritter - The Animal Years (V2, 2006)
12 Spoon - Kill the Moonlight (Merge, 2002)
11 The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America (Vagrant, 2006)
10 M.I.A. - Arular (Interscope, 2005)
09 The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You (Columbia/American, 2009)
08 OutKast - Stankonia (Arista/LaFace, 2000)
07 Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator) (Acony, 2001)
06 The White Stripes - Elephant (V2, 2003)
05 Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Saddle Creek, 2005)
04 Radiohead - Kid A (Capitol, 2000)
03 Arcade Fire - Funeral (Merge, 2004)
02 Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch, 2002)
01 Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (Asthmatic Kitty, 2005)

Flowchart Jude

from loveallthis.tumblr.com

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - "When We Swam" & "Cool Yourself" (Videos)

HANK ALTOGETHER:

To celebrate the 9.0 we gave her, Thao made some music videos just for us. But we figured we'd be nice to pass them along to you. Wait. They're not just for us? Oh well, you can still have them.

"When We Swam":

"Cool Yourself":

REVIEW: Julian Casablancas – Phrazes for the Young

Julian Casablancas – Phrazes for the Young

Release Date: November 3, 2009
Label: Cult/RCA



8.5






LYNDSAY HIENEMAN:

Julian Casablancas. The name is enough, isn’t it? With the Strokes, he has tied two sides of alternative music together – the side that carries the punch of the underground and the side with the pop sensibilities of the mainstream. It’s an odd marriage that would seemingly lead to the loss of that oh-so crucial “indie cred”, but somehow worked out in the end. Well, kind of. With the Strokes on a notably long hiatus, a new album stuck in limbo, and tensions between the bandmates high, (Casablancas said in the November issue of Spin Magazine that being in a band was the best way to ruin a friendship) it’s understandable for anyone to need an escape from reality.

For Julian Casablancas, an escape came with going solo. When the conception of Phrazes For The Young was first announced, Casablancas played it up. The showy album preview was something to marvel over. It was highly sensationalized. If you’d been living under a rock and had no idea who Julian Casablancas was, you’d still be excited. The only thing that could put a damper on the news was one question: “Can Casablancas live up to the hype?”

The product of Casablancas’ vacation from the Strokes is an album that is ever much as inventive as it’s creatively spelled title. It’s not inventive in that, “Oh, look at you doing whatever you can to set yourself apart” way. It’s more of a, “God, you’re a lot more talented than you’ve been letting on” kind of way. We knew that much Casablancas’ talent laid in his ability to write amazingly catchy pop songs. The lead single from Phrazes for the Young, “11th Dimension”, further displayed that point. However, if you expected an entire record of happy synth blips, cowbell, and lyrics from a second-rate inspirational speaker, you were wrong.

Sure, there are a few light moments. The opening track, “Out Of The Blue” is an upbeat cut with flourishing guitar distortion, layers of drum machines, and some fiery lyrics. Apparently, Julian’s “going to hell in a leather jacket” and he tauntingly declares that “at least I’ll be in another world while you’re pissing on my casket.” Yeah. He’s still got the attitude. A few handclaps and random outbursts of rapping later (see “Left & Right In The Dark”), everything goes a bit serious.

Casablancas puts his raspy, soulful voice to use in “Four Chords of the Apocalypse”, a track with power choruses that are bound to get a cry of “hallelujah” out of someone. “Ludlow St.” takes an unexpected turn from eerie tribal drums to acoustic guitar and honky-tonk keyboards. Julian puts on a faux Southern accent, and makes country synth pop look appealing for perhaps the first time ever. As he groans about hipsters invading and Indians being forced from their homes, he increasingly sounds like the token old man screaming, “Get off my lawn!” The intense energy builds throughout Phrazes to reach its peak with “River Of Brakelights”. The song moodily grinds and pulses along with prog rock inspired rhythms and a synth breakdown that’s half Mario Bros. and half…well, Julian Casablancas. All goes relatively calm again with the crowning jewel of Phrazes for the Young, “Glass”. The song sways like a lullaby and is embellished with shimmering synth and a beautifully cascading guitar solo. Julian’s vocals reach a striking falsetto that pulls the track along into a heartbreaking end.

The album is impressive, but the true indication of success comes with the answer to a simple question. Does Julian triumph over the hype machine that artists of his stature often are slaughtered by? Yes. He makes the standard verse-chorus song form sound fresh. He seamlessly blends together musical components into his own unique style; the futuristic atmosphere that he crafts still manages to be warm and familiar. His raspy vocals perfectly counterbalance the shiny, precise production. As Julian gets increasingly personal with his lyrical content - the disappointments of childhood and the struggles of love are often touched on - something interesting happens. There is something extra added to his singing that isn’t heard on Strokes records; his robotic voice subtly evokes an array of emotions. It turns out that there is a human under that façade of rock star royalty. Julian is a human, yes, and an understatedly talented one at that. This album finally gives him a chance to shine all on his own. Everything is much better on vacation, isn’t it?

Madeleine Peyroux - "Between the Bars" (Elliott Smith Cover) (Video)

Christopher Walken Performs Lady Gaga's Poker Face

ZACH THAT:

The song never sounded so good.