My Top 10 Albums of 2008 (thus far)

As you probably know by now, I'm a sucker for lists, and I've noticed a lot of bloggers compiling mid-year top ten lists. So, seeing as how we are officially halfway through 2008, I figured I'd throw my hat in the ring. With no embellishment beyond choice nuggets to enjoy, here's what I came up with:

1) Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes













Download MP3: "White Winter Hymnal"
Download MP3: "He Doesn't Know Why"
Download MP3: "Oliver James"

2) Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer












Download MP3: "Call It A Ritual"
Download MP3: "Language City"

3) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!


Download MP3: "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!"
Download MP3: "More News From Nowhere"

4) The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Grave


Several tracks streaming on his myspace page.

5) Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea


Download MP3: "Strange Victory, Strange Defeat"
Download MP3: "What Is Not But Could Be If"

6) No Age - Nouns


Download MP3: "Eraser"

7) Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend


Download MP3: "A-Punk"
Download MP3: "Oxford Comma"

8) Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Lie Down In The Light


Download MP3: "So Everyone"

9) The Dodos - Visiter


Download MP3: "Fools"
Download MP3: "Jodi"
Download MP3: "Ashley"

10) Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair


Download MP3: "Hercules' Theme"
Download MP3: "Blind (Hercules Club Mix)"

No Age - "Eraser" video

"Eraser," one of my favorite tracks from the enthralling Nouns, gets the serious video treatment and it's a joyous success.

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

Heavy Rotation: Ponytail

After spending so much of 2008 listening to mostly folky/rootsy Americana stuff, I've been grateful to discover rambunctious new bands like Vivian Girls and, now, Ponytail to give my summer a kick in the ass. First I need to address frontwoman Molly Siegel - a whirlwig of a human being if there ever was one. I assume the girl prowls and pounces across the stage during performances because her vocals are guttural and ecstatic. She rarely sings actual lyrics - she mostly purrs, yelps, hollers and growls in tune with the music, and I find it absolutely endearing. Honestly, it may sound bad on paper, but, somehow, it works. The reason is most likely the crack band: drummer Jeremy Hyman and guitarists Ken Seeno and Dustin Wong (there is no bassist). I assure you this is no amateur hour - these guys have serious fucking chops. The guitar tones are like mercury, there are spring-loaded riffs and blazing arpeggios - these guys could stop on a dime. Their songs are unabashedly joyful and dense with twists. As far as comparisons are concerned, the ones I can think of are Deerhoof, Love Is All, Dirty Projectors and Pixies.

Download MP3: "Celebrate the Body Electric (It Came From An Angel)"
Download MP3: "Die Allman Bruder"

The gloriously hodgepodge video for "Die Allman Bruder":

Fleet Foxes - "He Doesn't Know Why"

In case you need more nudging to listen to Fleet Foxes, Sub Pop has made another stellar track from their self-titled debut, "He Doesn't Know Why," available as a free mp3. By this point, you probably already know what these guys sound like: soaring multi-part harmonies, unpredictable song structures and warm, radiant production (courtesy of Phil Ek). The moments where lead singer Robin Pecknold's voice shoots skyward as he sings "There's nothing - I can do! There's nothing - I can say!" are among the most divine moments you'll hear on any record all year.

Download MP3: "He Doesn't Know Why"

Elliott Smith: Live in Stockholm (1998)

Recently, I was lucky enough to stumble across this immaculate bootleg of a flawless Elliott Smith performance from 1998 (right before the release of XO). If you're a fan, this bootleg is truly a jackpot.

Setlist:

1. Angeles
2. Division Day
3. Clementine
4. Alameda
5. Between the Bars
6. Pictures of Me
7. Waltz #2
8. Rose Parade
9. Some Song
10. Say Yes
11. Needle in the Hay
12. Roman Candle
13. Independence Day
14. Speed Trials
15. 2:45 AM
16. No Name #1
17. Thirteen

Download zip: Live in Stockholm (1998)

Coldplay: Viva la Vida

At the risk of getting my cred card revoked, I am publicly acknowledging that I have not only listened to Coldplay's new album, Viva la Vida, from beginning to end about a dozen times now, but I also think it's pretty damn good. For the record, I have always loathed Coldplay and never enjoyed more than a handful of their singles. Credit must be given to producers Brian Eno and Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire, Bjork) for keeping this sinking ship of a band from plummeting into a deep, dark trench of craven mediocrity. In a recent interview, Chris Martin described the initial, abusive boot-camp style meeting with Eno and Dravs in which the two producers laid out the band's every flaw and weakness. Essentially, the band was told that they were lazy, obvious, repetitive and too reliant upon the same tricks. As a result, Viva la Vida is the sound of a much more interesting and adventurous Coldplay. The songs rarely follow a verse-chorus-verse structure and there is a cavalcade of new sounds for the band: huge organs, myriad string arrangements, guitars that crunch and squall, and one song that could even pass as afro-pop ("Strawberry Swing"). Best of all, Chris Martin does not use his whiny falsetto as a crutch for the entire album. Don't get me wrong, Coldplay will never be in the same league as Radiohead, Arcade Fire and U2, but, at the very least, they've made a thoroughly enjoying and exciting pop album.

R.E.M. - "See No Evil" (Television cover)

This was a very exciting find for me (thx YANP). R.E.M. has long claimed Television as one of their favorite bands/biggest influences, so it is such a pleasure to hear them do their own thing with one of Television's finest tracks. I have no way of knowing exactly when this cover was recorded, but this is definitely a younger, hungrier R.E.M. - I'm guessing mid-to-late '80's. If you're a big fan of both bands like myself, this is must have.

Download MP3: "See No Evil"

Heavy Rotation: Vivian Girls

Vivian Girls are a rambunctious Brooklyn-based trio that have won me over with their molten pop confections. Their sound is equal parts surf-guitar twang, girl-group harmonies and fuzz-busted punk squall. Imagine some fusion of The Breeders and No Age and you're pretty close (surf-punk-shoegaze is how they bill themselves). Their self-titled debut was just released a couple weeks ago and already sold out, but it will be rereleased by In The Red in the Fall. In the meantime, check out the two tracks I've posted: "Tell The World" and "Where Do You Run To." "Where Do You Run To" is an especially sweet and tender cut - like early Sleater-Kinney covering the Crystals.

Download MP3: "Tell The World"
Download MP3: "Where Do You Run To"

Radiohead - "The Rip" (Portishead cover)

You can never have enough Radiohead, so here's one more Radiohead post for the weekend. This video of Thom and Johnny covering "The Rip" from Portishead's fantastic new album, Third, was just posted on W.A.S.T.E. central by Colin Greenwood. Enjoy!


Find more videos like this on w.a.s.t.e. central

Radiohead - "Super Collider" (new song)

Last night in Dublin, Radiohead premiered a brand new song tentatively titled "Super Collider" which featured Thom alone on the piano. It resembles the original live incarnation of "4 Minute Warning" - an uplifting lament built with bright piano chords.

Download MP3: "Super Collider (live)"

Sigur Ros - "Festival" (new song)

"Festival" is another new track from Sigur Ros' forthcoming fifth album, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (English translation: With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly), which was played the other day on BBC Radio 1 (the mp3 was recorded from the BBC webcast). The first half of "Festival" is one of the band's patented gorgeous, glacial builds, but the second half might throw you for a loop. Around the four and half minute mark, the drums kick into pounding double-time and the rest of the band quickly catches up - whipping up a colossal whirl that plays out for the duration of the song's nine minutes. It's typically transcendent.

Download MP3: "Festival"

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - More Videos

In case you need further proof of Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!'s excellence. Check out the videos for two more cuts from the album: "Night of the Lotus Eaters" and "More News From Nowhere." Both songs showcase the more mellow and melodic side of the band. I can't articulate why, but "More News From Nowhere" sounds like a collaboration between Leonard Cohen and Tom Verlaine to me - it may also be my favorite song on Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!.

Download MP3: "Night of the Lotus Eaters"
Download MP3: "More News From Nowhere"