Warner Bros. 2011
In the early 1980’s, R.E.M. practically invented indie rock. In a time in which what was heard on the radio chocked up to soulless, metal-hair-brained schlock or limp, tepid balladry, R.E.M’s paranoiac brand of guitar pop offered a much needed shot of adrenaline into the arm of a tired and aimless music industry.
Now it’s 2011, and R.E.M. is just another part of OUR tired and aimless music industry. (more…)
25. Weezer “All My Friends Are Insects” (part of bonus material from Hurley)
People are consistently disappointed by Weezer, so I was really hoping Hurley would be at least good enough to shut people up for awhile (myself included). It wasn’t, but I was happy to see it was at least better than the band’s worst album to date, the offensively bad Raditude. With that said, my favorite Weezer song of the year was not featured on Hurley, but was an outtake featured on the expanded edition. (more…)
Matador Records
25. The New Pornographers – Together
The New Porns have always brought some good things to the table, but it can be difficult for me to get through a whole album. Together has made that task a bit less difficult, as it may be the best album from this band yet. It’s definitely the most group-oriented of their efforts, as the title would suggest – four lead singers span the albums songs, and the contributions from Destroyer’s Dan Bejar are some of his best to date. (more…)
4AD 2010
In 2008, Deerhunter released not one, but two of that year’s most revered albums. Only one was scheduled for release—Microcastle. But when it leaked to the internet, singer/songwriter Bradford Cox (also of Atlas Sound) decided to release an entirely different album to be included with retail versions. This new album was called Weird Era Continued. Though both are very different records, they have seen equal amounts of celebration in the indie rock community since their release, and not just because of the quality of the music itself. It was a move made by Cox to raise incentive to actually go out to a record store and buy a record, and whether or not it worked is a moot point. The intention was well-appreciated by music lovers everywhere.
With Halcyon Digest, Cox and his crew have made their anti-internet sentiments even more clear. (more…)
Rockville 1994
2/23/10
Album of the Day: Erik Voeks Sandbox
I really don’t know much about this guy, and I would like to thank my friend Randall Paske for introducing me to this wonderful album and providing me with most of the following info–thanks, Randy!
Voeks lived in St. Louis for awhile, which may explain why this album features the late, great Jay Bennett (formerly of Wilco). He still plays music occasionally, but apparently has “gotten out of the Erik Voeks business” and doesn’t really play his own material anymore. After listening to “Sandbox” about four times in the last two days, I have come to the conclusion that this is an absolute tragedy, my friends. These songs are amazingly crafted little slices of power pop, charming as they are whimsical, and insightful without being too pretentious. I say “too” because there is one lyric about “sleeping with Santa Claus” that always helps that big question mark to form over my head. But any reaching as far as lyrics go is instantly forgivable when drenched in melodies as beautifully realized as these. More people need to hear this record, end of story. (more…)
Note: The original plan was to do a list of 100, but with how whirlwind this last month has been for me, there was just no way to write about that many records. Plus, no one wants to read that much, and in that regard, even 50 is pushing it. So without further adieu, here they are.
50. Brendan Benson—The Alternative to Love (2005)
This enigmatic power-pop songsmith has consistently put out great albums since 1996, and this third in the series is no exception. Though Benson hasn’t really broken through to huge mainstream success, I would bet money you have heard at least two of his songs and don’t even realize it. (more…)
