#11 SIMON AND GARFUNKLE bridge over troubled water

Finally a top #25 selection for me with some cred. Remember when Kings of Convenience were releasing albums under the name Simon and Garfunkel? Neither do I, we're just babies.

Oh, this was one of the first actual records that I owned, though. Like, actual vinyl my friends. Oh, wait...that's not true. My first doses of "wax" were (no joke):


and


I wish I had those now. No I don't.

#12 RADIOHEAD kid a

I second that emotion.

Optimistic

#6 - Kid A (Radiohead) 2000

Little more needs to be said about this now "classic" album. Is there a better album opener (maybe "Enter Sandman"?) than Everything In Its Right Place?

After a long holiday hiatus.....

#15 Neil Young, Harvest

There are few albums that I enjoy listening to more than this one. Spinning it every six months or so is like catching up with an old friend. I must admit that I didn't really like the sound of Neil Young when I first heard him, but I've grown to really appreciate him. His unique voice and music style is usually classified as classic rock, but when I listen to him I also here a flair of country, bluegrass, and folk. Heart of Gold is my favorite song on this album. I also enjoy the tunes Old Man and a Man Needs a Maid.

beards and fog

Album: master and everyone by bonnie 'prince' billy

I confess this cover did indeed inspire me to take a listen. Dreamy and distant. And, that's what this album is like. A slow fog of softness that covers me every time. [Enter picture on right. I am the forest. The fog is...well you get the picture.] This post is like some adolescent assignment to find connections and deeper meanings in art and music...and I love it. (I randomly read a review of susan sontag's book, and her writing is so beautifully crafted that i have momentarily given up all hope of ever writing anything that is remotely worth reading.) still reading? well, thank you. here are three lovely songs that i enjoy:

wolf among wolves

even if love

three questions
And, this song - hard life - i enjoy immensely. "It's a hard life for a man with no wife / babe, it's a hard life god makes you live" Will Oldham + girl with half swallowed harmony make me yearn for something. I'm not quite sure what, but the ache feels good.

'Til next time.

A Forest

Does this video make anyone else want to watch Twin Peaks all over again?

Interlude, pt. 1: Best non-2006 albums first heard in 2006

The cusp of my top 10 seems like a good place to step back and do a year-end review. But rather than talk about 2006 releases, which Mr. Cougar has quite capably done (even if there was by my account a glaring omission in his top 30). Rather, I think it is just as fun to unearth lost (to me) treasures, and ever since I became a parent (read: shut-in) I’ve had more time to devote to rock archaeology. Though I have been dabbling more and more into Papa Shoegaze territory, these picks all belong to the classic rock tradition, though classic rock broadly construed.

So, my top 8 non-2006 records of 2006 are:

8. Kate Bush Hounds of Love (EMI, 1985)

Three strikes against this one: 1) The spouse hates this – “too Celtic,” says she, which is a more than valid criticism in my book. 2) There is a near unlistenable artsy number here featuring a cd-skipping sound and evidently Satan at his most grumbly as a guest vocalist. 3) The album cover is bizarre, all weimereiners and Alberto VO5 – wait, I think I actually like it. Let me try #3 again. 3) The fact that I like this record is final verification that I am indeed over 30. Regardless, the songcraft is absolutely undeniable here, and if you can be OK with pop music made for full-blown adults, I guarantee you will like this.

7. Glenn Branca The Ascension (99, 1981)

Heavily textured instrumental electric guitar with a rhythm section. Drone that rocks and that makes a chord change sound like a revelation. Is it rock or avant-garde classical? I don’t know, but I know what I like.

6. Prince, Purple Rain (Warner Bros., 1984)

It’s not like I hadn’t heard any of this before, but it now makes sense. Remember when pop idols were geniuses? Re-check out the title track, which is an epic (8 min!) life-altering guitar slow jam easily mistaken (by me, at least) for a John Hughes prom scene cheesefest. When that falsetto drops in at around the 5:15 minute mark, get out your kleenexes.

5. Faith No More, Angel Dust (Slash, 1992)

Surprisingly awesome. No joke! We can’t blame Faith No More for the atrocious mook rock that came after it – well, yes, we can, but that only reduces this album from an A to an A-. Also, take note that “Crack Hitler” is only the second most uncomfortable-to-type song title on the record.

4. Afghan Whigs Gentlemen (Elektra, 1993)

Again, I knew some of this from back in the 120 Minutes days, but I only fully became aware of its majesty this year. Among the 90s alternarock classics, only Siamese Dream is better.

3. Otis Redding Good to Me: Recorded Live at the Whisky A Go Go 1966 (Stax, 1993)
Otis Redding is who we thought he was.

2. Thin Lizzy Jailbreak (Mercury, 1976)

So I should begin by noting that before acquiring this album I had only heard “The Boys are Back in Town” (which I love – even the thought of that double guitar solo gives me that gym-class-rope feeling). The rest of the album is more than up to the standard of that song, though. The lyrics are, well, not good, but this album completely epitomizes and kills its genre, so much so that I wonder why anyone listens to any classic rock other than this. In fact, I feel cheated by the whole Classic Rock Industrial Complex; why are there at least five Bob Seger songs in the American collective consciousness, compared to only one by these guys?

1. The Exploding Hearts Guitar Romantic (Dirtnap, 2003)

KLASSIK!! The Clash + The Replacements = pop punk awesome = buy now! Raw, funny, moving, super catchy. I picked this up in late Nov. Next time around, I predict it will be in my top 25.

Could we please be objective?

#11 Belle & Sebastian, If You’re Feeling Sinister (Matador, 1996)

The scrooges among us might feel that I am supposed to be ashamed of this pick somehow. And maybe – maybe – it’s a bad thing that this is the pinnacle of millennial college boy wussrock, but let us not ignore that If You’re Feeling Sinister contains at least 9 mixtape-worthy, fanfuckingtastic songs (the remainder, “The Boy Done Wrong Again,” is merely mortal but still decent). This album is more top-to-bottom consistent than just about every other album on my top 25 (and, I would wager, than many of yours, too).

When you feel the darkness shining through, what are you gonna do?

#12 Built to Spill, Perfect From Now On (Warner Bros., 1997)

As I crawl begrudgingly back into the UH T-25 sweatshop to bang out still 12 more mini-treatises (treatisettes?) I don’t feel quite as ashamed as I might be, seeing as the factory floor is still mostly empty, save for a dusty U2 classic in the corner and some unspeakable spill that must have come from D.L. Roth. Nonetheless, I still feel compelled to offer an excuse. The holidays came and went, but it’s not like I spent all that time toasting chestnuts and stringing popcorn back at Sean B HQ (though know this: we were festive, my friends). I had more than enough free time to climb into the upper reaches of my countdown, but with this next one I could think neither of some clever, yet crystallizingly insightful metaphor, nor of a poignant coming of age reminiscence to propel me to the keyboard. So that’s my excuse. That, and my in-laws live in south Louisiana and know how to keep their cabinets and fridges stocked with the good stuff, if my drift is being caught.

So I hope it’s enough to say that Perfect From Now On is a darn good record. Built to Spill is good times all around (and if I could import a tune or two from Keep It Like a Secret here, that might make for a top 3 album), but this one is the most album-y, and the one I never skip tracks on. Probably the most expansive BtS album, and of its 8 tracks, only one is less than five minutes long. I want to call it meandering, but it’s not jam band-esque noodling. The songwriter and bonafide guitar hero (the only such animal in indie rock? other suggestions solicited in the comments…) who runs this show, Doug Martsch, displays an amazing skill for creating a sound that is simultaneously improvisational and purposeful. That might sound not quite possible, so let me try a simile: the songs here are like a lazy, daydreaming afternoon walk on the beach, one with sharp and almost random turns, with highs and lows, but one where you look back at the end and realize that where there used to be two sets of footprints in the sand, there is now an awesome guitar riff.

If you can forgive the barely tolerable album cover (I almost can’t), this one is well worth devoting some of your time to. It starts off a little slow – or, rather, the first ten minutes are good but not mind blowing – but Perfect From Now On gets better with each song, culminating with the best song here, “Untrustable.” In this almost 9-min epic, Mr. Martsch packs into one track a lesser mortal’s whole album worth of ideas. Martsch, a decent lyricist who shows flashes of aphoristic brilliance, asks an important question (which I’ve quoted in the title of this post), to which he seems to answer: drop some huge guitar rock in a coda, then mellow out a little, and finally finish with another, louder coda. To which I reply: more, please.

Oh, great ocean

#7 - The Joshua Tree (U2) 1987

How do you describe this album? Despite the greats like With or Without You, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and Where the Streets Have No Name, Running To Stand Still will always be one of my favorite songs of all time...

Thanks a million...

#8 - The Boat Ashore (Michael Roe) 1997

Inspired by Urbane Master's flying crotch attack, enter Michael Roe and his epic pun, The Boat Ashore, once considered my all-time favorite disc. Few of you will be familiar with the Seventy Seven's front man's solo works, but that shouldn't stop you from checking him out. There's so much to like about this album that it's actually hard for me to describe it. Roe swallows his sadness just long enough to sing it to the world, mixing bittersweet sorrow and depravity in a way that makes you feel sorry for your soul with a tearful smile. I love the jazzy guitar work as much as the lyrics and the sound of Roe's somber voice. This album is about not being good enough to save yourself from yourself, and Roe does a better job of making you feel that way than anyone else. Roe and Kozelek would be best friends...
Top Tracks: Love Like Gold, Tum Tum Tum, I Buried My Heart At Bended Knee

Two Articles, A Promise, and DLR's Craw

So it's been a while since most of us have posted to Urbane. In an attmept to appease the Urbane Master, who's been getting grumpy over non-posting as well as over attempt's to mimic DLR's sweet stage acrobatics, here is a quick post with links to two articles I did for Thirsty magazine's January issue that you may or may not care a whit for. The first focuses on eight bands I felt were under-represented in year-end "best of" posts but that put out quality records last year (Papa Shoegaze, you'll be interested in the very last one in the list). Also, you might recognize a few in the list from a certain Cougar's Tale Top 30 that graced this publication last year. I also did a brief review of Joanna Newsom's supurbly magical Ys which is worth checking out if only for the 2-part video of a live performance of "Emily" that I found to attach to the review.

And now the promise: I will begin my own countdown to #1 again next week, starting at #11. And I encourage all who have, like myself, taken an Urbane breather to now once again gird your loins, take up your keyboard, and follow me.

2006 listens

some favs that I heard for the first time this year (not all 2006 releases)


#11 Trois Gymnopedies 7"- ISAN

Erik Satie's finest piano works done with ambience and beats







#10 Gulag Orkestar- Beirut

thanks master. eastern europe visited youthfully











#9 s/t- Vetiver

gentle rustic accoustic numbers w/a little help from joanna, devandra, and colm...








#8 Gamelan into the Mink Supernatural- The Psychic Paramount

mixed and played in the red, this 3 piece destroys! clashing, wailing, and ruining speakers.










#7 The Cavalry of Light- Lavender Diamond

earnestness for life and love. this 4 song can repeat all day with Becky Stark shouting 'dream the kind of a life that you will find/the kind of love that lasts forever'








#6 Ys- Joanna Newsom

even if you dont dig it, read an interview with her and you will respect it. this is a life lived and a dream unfolded. with van dyke, o'rourke, albini, analog, and artwork like this...she knows not everybody has this chance and she went for it.







#5.5 I'm Not b/w Comfy in Nautica 7"- Panda Bear

my dreamweaver










#5 Minima Moralia- Chihei Hatakeyama

thanks master. slowly unfolding ambiance, organ, and beautiful drone. this changes my mood as soon as i put it on.









#4 Plans Drawn in Pencil- ISAN

i have a soft spot for slightly melodic ambient electronica. these 2 guys shifted gears w/less beats and still crafted a gorgeous record.








#3 To Find Me Gone- Vetiver

again. his newest feels old. great songwriting and more fleshed out than his previous.









#2 Just Another Diamond Day- Vashti Bunyan

first released in '69, this old gypsy wrote and recorded a masterpiece that can change part of your life. if you love the earth, animals, and traveling, go with her...








#1 s/t- Beach House

victoria took me away with her voice and organ, and alex's slide kept shoegaze alive this year. cant get enough.

#13 THE CONCRETES, self titled

Simple but beautiful pop music. I think I first really got into Scandi-pop with Sondre Lerche after I saw his Two Way Monologue video on MTVeurope when Rachel and I were in Stockholm. After some internet digging (swedesplease.blogspot.com), I was hooked.

I wish I could leave this much "space" in music. These songs can be so sparse, and yet so rocking. I was surprised when I found out there were like 18 people in this band. Also check out New Buffalo.

Droned

#9 - Silver (Starflyer 59) 1993

I have so much love for this album. It was the catalyst for my musical experimentation (post-Michael W. Smith, etc.) in the early 1990's. Echo what Papa has said about the illumination that occured when Sin For A Season hit the Night Light airwaves. Every song is incredible, but none carry more weight or memory than Droned, which comforted and counselled me during a few dark, anti-"Ghetto"-fraternity antics at Covenant College. The song still mezmerizes me to this day. Of all the great Starflyer albums, this one still shines brightest.

Top Tracks: Zenith, 2nd Space Song, She Only Knows, Droned

#15 and #14

#15 MUM, Yesterday was Dramatic. Today is okay.

I often stop to think about the millions of tiny steps that I've taken to be able to listen to the arty music that I like now. I liked the oldies radio station, which made me buy the beatles cds, which is where I fell in love with sad songs like "she's leaving home" and "she said she said", which made me love the radio hits by third eye blind or counting crows, which made me love the simple rock stylings of bands like Pedro the Lion or Damien Jurado, etc etc etc.

I think about how it is possible that I could be so anti-effects in my college days (often getting in arguments with my band members about the sound of distortion), and now I'm very computer-dance-rock attentive. I noticed some appreciation growing for electronically produced music first with novelty acts like Wendy Carlos, but then with indie groups like Her Space Holiday. Anyway. Just think about it.

Anyway, all that to say I really love this record.



#14 MUM, Summer Make Good


The first time I had a chance to see Mum live was in support of this album. I'd been following their music for a few albums, but it was the first time they'd come through the DC area (that I knew of, at least). I have to admit I was a bit disapointed with their live set. It was mostly them tinkering around with bits of instruments and some electronic-y stuff from a mac laptop. It just seemed like they were dabbling all night, rarely playing more than seconds of songs we recognized. Oh, and the violin was a) out of tune and b) not being played well. The quote from the night was "I hope they're having a good time, because I'm not."

At first I felt like Summer Make Good was the same. I first saw it as electronic-meets-organic experimentation with little regard for the listener. I was way off. The more I listened to this album, the more I feel in love with what Mum were doing. Yesterday was Dramatic was a poppier, more electronic-based album but Summer Make Good has its pop moments and some genius sound scapes.